BusinessDay 09 Feb 2020 by BusinessDay

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No plan to distribute mini buses to ‘Okada, Keke’ riders – Commissioner

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We are not liabilities, deregistered parties tell INEC System skewed in favour of APC, PDP - Sonaiya

IPAC plans nationwide protest

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Amaechi’s everdivided home front: The diehards and the refuseniks

Best things to do with your spouse on Valentine’s Day

27 Ikokwu 5 update

How Port Harcourt mechanic who was tortured to death ‘smoked’ out his killers

L-R: Herbert Wigwe, group managing director/chief executive officer, Access Bank plc; Debeko Dakamo, first runner up, from Ethiopia; David Barmasai Tumo, winner, from Kenya; Babajide Sanwo-Olu, governor of Lagos State, and Paul Waweru Chege, second runner up, from Kenya, during the presentation of prizes to the winners of the 2020 Access Bank Lagos City Marathon in Lagos, yesterday. Picture: Amoo Olawale

It’s absurd for Nigeria to have only one seaport – A/Ibom governor ANIEFIOK UDONQUAK, Uyo

overnor Udom Emmanuel of Akwa Ibom State has called out the Federal Government on the absurdity of

Nigeria, a country of over 200 million population, having just one functional seaport. Emmanuel made the observation while playing host to Chris Ngige, minister of Labour and Em-

ployment, who paid the governor a courtesy visit in his office in Uyo. According to him, “Akwa Ibom has a natural draught of 17.3Km that can easily be developed to serve the entire South-south

and South-east. If things were done right in the country, neighbouring African countries with smaller economies would transship from Nigeria and even trade See page 4

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We are not liabilities, deregistered parties tell INEC INIOBONG IWOK (Lagos) and JAMES KWEN (Abuja)

ince Thursday last week when the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) finally de-registered 74 out of 92 registered political parties in the country, divergent views have continued to trail the development. The de-registration came after several months of speculations. Mahmood Yakubu, INEC chairman, who announced the deregistration in Abuja said it was due to the inability of the affected parties to fulfil the requirements for existence based on Section 225A of the 1999 Constitution (as amended). Yakubu said that the 1999 Constitution (as amended) vested in INEC, the power to register and regulate activities of political parties. Although, as expected, the affected political parties have condemned the Commission’s action, political observers however, said that INEC’s decision was commendable as the legion of parties was nothing but a serious liability on the country and to the electoral umpire. The INEC Chairman had alluded to the logistics problem during one of the 2019 post-election review meetings. He lamented that 76 political parties contested for the Presidential election and was the source of the serious logistics problem that the Commission had. “We underestimated the kind of logistical problem that implied the size of the ballot papers, result sheets and so on. By the time these materials started arriving, we realised that it was a huge logistical problem”. It had been alleged that many of the parties were not registered for any altruistic reason but for personal aggrandisement and medium for negotiation for political patronage and contract. Stakeholders who spoke to BDSUNDAY commended INEC’s action as according to them, it would reduce unnecessary overheating of the polity because of large number of candidates for an election. Idayat Hassan, director, Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD), described the de-registration of the 74 political parties as a welcome development. Hassan stressed that the proliferation of political parties have not in any way enhanced democracy but instead confuse voters and most parties are registered as brief case parties or just annex of a politician who can decamp last minute. “Even this parties are not in compliance with the provisions of the constitution itself. For instance, how many of the parties have presence across states? Not even in five states. The confusion

they bring on the ballot box, the logistics challenge and cost they pose to even INEC, they are simply not viable and it is time to have new rules on access to ballot”. Christian Okeke, a lecturer in the Department of Political Science, Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, said it was a good thing that Section 225(a) of the constitution came into existence with the deregistration of the parties. “Even though one can cite instance with a country or even more that have more political parties than Nigeria, in our own clime, considering our peculiarity and honestly speaking, are we not creating confusion and depleting our economy by managing a rather bogus number of political parties? “A political party has no offices, no party structure, no executives, no properties, no membership drive, no candidates in elections, nothing! Just imagine that. “Please, we need to tailor this our democracy to suit our needs and resources. We still need to prune down the number of political parties we have. Some may need to merge or voluntarily surrender their registration certificates for sake of national interest”, Okeke said. Chairman House of Representatives Committee on Media and Public Affairs, Benjamin Kalu said multiple parties rob the nation of political ideology; hence, reduction is apt and would promote democracy. Kalu noted that, “with this multiple parties if you ask them about their ideology, they can’t even tell you. So, it is high time we started streamlining this. There is no how in two or three parties you will not find the one that will suit your philosophy with regard to politics and leadership. Having so many political parties doesn’t make us a great democratic nation.” Solomon Gbenga, national youth director, Young Progressives Party (YPP), said: “I have always been an advocate of multiparty democracy but some Nigerians actually abuse it. We cannot continue to do the wrong things and be expecting right results. Reducing party numbers will help INEC improve on their work”. National President of Voters Awareness Initiative and lawyer, Wale Ogunade, supported INEC over the decision, saying that the commission should have deregistered more parties. “I support INEC’s move; that is what the law says. If you can’t win a local government election, if you can’t win state election, either governor or state House of Assembly why do you want to still be called a political party? Most of the parties are prostitute; it is only in Nigeria that a party would abandon its candidate just before election and support a candidate of another party. “It is a merchandise process; INEC is right.As far as I am concerned, there are only four or five

L-R: Mike Harvey, assistant administrator for Middle East, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID); Christopher Maloney, acting assistant administrator for Africa, USAID; Abdul-Aziz Dia, executive director, designate, United Bank for Africa(UBA) Plc, and Jude Anele, group head, Consumer & Retail Banking, UBA Plc, during the signing of Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between USAID and UBA to advance the Two-Way Trade and Investment Goals of Prosper Africa, in Tunis, recently.

political parties in Nigeria that should be in the ballot. If I have my way INEC would reduce them more,” he said. Action hasty, unconstitutional - ANN INEC’s move has howver, not gone down well with several of the parties who have expressed shock with their de-registration. They said the commission did not notify them and acted against a court injunction that the commission should not de-register any party ahead of February 17th date for delivery of judgement in the suit challenging the Commission’s powers to do so. Addressing a world press conference in Ikeja at the weekend, Emmanuel Dania, national chairman of Alliance for New Nigeria (ANN), said it was wrong for INEC to deregister the ANN when the commission had not given the party the chance to participate in local government elections in all the 774 councils in the country to determine its strength, adding that INEC could not act outside the constitution. The national chairman said the news of de-registration came as a shock to the party, because the commission never gave ANN any notification of de-registration even when INEC recently carried out a verification of it branches and national headquarters, promising to come and conduct similar exercise for its Lagos State chapter. “The announcement of Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) deregistering 74 duly registered political parties and the Alliance for New Nigeria captured on same list can be best described as hasty and unconstitutional. “The Nigerian constitution is bigger than any organ or arm or agency of government and the

provisions are to be upheld and respected by all, including INEC. “The constitutional position is clear on how and when political parties can be deregistered and that position is yet to be attained,” Dania said. According to him, “This position is contained in the press statement of Thursday, February 6, 2020 of The Inter Party Advisory Council of Nigeria (IPAC) which clearly highlighted that the constitutional provisions are clear as stated in section 229 defines a political party to include association whose activities shall include canvassing for votes in support of a candidate for election into a Local Government Council and this provision has not been fully and completely exhausted as a political party because we have candidates in Local Government Areas whose elections are coming up soon,” Dania said. Political system skewed in favour of APC, PDP - Sonaiya Remi Sonaiya, a former presidential candidate of the Kowa Party in the 2015 presidential election, is of the view that the political system favours the two major political parties which had tasted power. The scholar accused the two major parties of using state funds to manipulate elections in their favour to the detriment of the smaller parties. “I agreed, there is no doubt that having like seventy or more parties on the ballot is wasteful; is expensive and confusing for a lot of people. “But I don’t think they can impose PDP or APC on us because many of us believe that they are the same party. They are just a group of people who are just mismanaging the country and taking advantage of the resources of the country to win elections.

“They take money from the government and they are using that money to win elections. So, whatgives them that right over the money that belongs to everybody than the rest of us? “They keep saying that the smaller parties are not making impact but you are using the money of the country to buy votes; you give people N5, 000, N10, 000 or more to buy their votes. Because they know that Nigerians are poor they deliberately keep the people poor so that they can buy their votes,” Sonaiya said. We were not served any court order - INEC Reacting in an interview with BDSUNDAY, RotimiOyekanmi, chief press secretary to INEC chairman, denied that the commission was served any court order by 33 political parties. He said that the only party which had taken the commission to court and whose case was pending was not de-registered. “What the 33 political parties are saying is not true; they don’t have any injunction. When the INEC chairman was talking on Thursday, he did say that 16 parties met the condition as stipulated in the law and they remain political parties. The INEC chairman also spoke of two political parties; one is Action People’s Party, which went to court and obtained an order restraining the commission from de-registering it, even though the party did not qualify and meet our conditions we had to leave them until the determination of that suit. “In the case of the 33 political parties, they said they filed a suit they are just beginning the process you cannot hold us to ransom, Continues on Page 4

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News

Be strategic about life ambition, Ozekhome bemoans continued detention of Adoke, leadership, Awosika urges Nigerian women bags Pan-African Award for defending democracy SEYI JOHN SALAU

bukun Awosika, the chairman, board of directors, First Bank of Nigeria Limited, has urged Nigerian women, especially the younger generation, to be strategic about every stage of their life, especially as it involves life ambition and leadership. She equally advised women to define a clear vision for their life very early and stick to it. AwosikastatedthisattheWomen in Leadership Conference 2020, organised by the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG) Province 1, Lagos. She spoke as the keynote speakerattheleadershipconference, which was the maiden edition. Awosika challenged the young women to maintain a life of integrity, humility and fear of God in all things. “You were born with that mandates. You discover different parts of it at different stages of your life. Your call was complete from birth. But the manifestation of the call of God on your life unfolds as you journey in life. This is the substance of your life,” she said. Ololade Akande, convener of

the conference, said it was borne out of the desire to see women succeed and achieve their goals in their sphere of influence. “The conference was borne out of the desire to see women work in the full realisation of their potentials that is leadership. Every woman has her sphere of influence: your home, immediate family, extended family, space of passion, place of work, business. The conference is to awaken the giant within them; the awareness that they can do more intentionally with their leadership capacity. “I have noticed women do a lot in the background. In our contemporary days, most elections are either won or changed by women; so indirectly, women have been in leadership. And this is because of one great qualityevidentinwoman,influence,” Akande submitted,” Akande said. Bisi Soji-Oyawoye, an emotional intelligence certified specialist, said attention is gradually shifting from intelligent quotient (IQ) to emotional intelligence (EI), stating that only 15 percent determinant of success in life is based on intelligent quotient while the rest is by practice and execution.

Makinde approves resuscitation of Road Maintenance Zonal Offices REMI FEYISIPO,Ibadan

overnor of Oyo State, Seyi Makinde has approved the resuscitation ofzonaloperationaloffices for the State Road Maintenance Agency (OYSROMA) in order to extendtheoperationsoftheagency to other parts of the state. The Chairman OYSROMA, Kamil Akinlabi Mudashiru disclosed this while inspecting on Saturday, the rehabilitation of the University of Ibadan-Bodija-Secretariat road being carried out by his agency. According to the Chairman, the approval of the resuscitation of the zonal offices aside Ibadan zone was to facilitate a more holistic and effective road rehabilitation and maintenance in all parts of the state. “I wish to put it on record that Governor Makinde, has graciously approved the resuscitation of zonal operational offices for the

agency aside the Ibadan zone that operates from the headquarters at Eleyele, this is for effective road rehabilitation and maintenance in the nooks and crannies of the State. “We know for sure that the work being done within Ibadan metropolis had to be extended to other parts of the State but we were waiting for this important approval so that we can have effective work done at all the communities in the state.” He noted that the zonal operational offices would be for Oyo, Ogbomoso, Oke-Ogun and Ibarapa zones, adding that his agancy would soon embark on a tour of facilities in all the mentioned zones. “The routine rehabilitation and maintenanceofourroadsareon-going and we are set to embark on a tour of the facilities in all the zones in order to have a firsthand information on the state of the facilities with a view to makingthemfunctionalonceagainand thesezonesareOyo,Ogbomoso,OkeOgunandIbarapa,”Akinlabistated.

Felix Omohomhion, Abuja

hief Mike Ozekhome (SAN) has bemoaned the continued detention of former Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice, Mohammed Adoke (SAN), even after meeting his bail conditions. Ozekhome made the observation Friday in Abuja when he was inducted into an American-based human rights organisation, Rectitude International Mission, for standing in defence of constitutional democracy in Nigeria. The frontline activist was inducted into the hall of fame of the Pan-African Heroes Foundation. Speaking immediately after the induction, Ozekhome said he was

meaning that we should wait. If they say there is an injunction, did they show you the injunction? Was it served on INEC? That is the issue. Those that meet the target wining 25 percent of elective offices nationwide were not de-registered. “They meet the criteria in different forms that was why they survived. INEC had the powers to de-register parties from 20112014; INEC de-registered about 30 political parties based on powers in the Electoral Act then. “But the parties went to court

that the electoral law is inferior to the constitution, but the National Assembly has amended the law and given us the power. But any association seeking to be registered and has fulfilled the conditions would be considered for registration,” he said. Position of the Constitution on party deregistration The Constitution amongst others stipulates that political parties should be de-registered for: “failure to win at least 25percent of the votes cast in one state of the Federation in a Presidential election or 25percent of the votes cast in one Local Government Area of

tions in the country. Presenting the award, President of the body, Kerzner Rina-Yakuel, decriedthemountinglevelofhuman rights abuses in the country, saying theyhavebeenmonitoringactivities inNigeriaforthepastfouryearsnow. Rina-Yakuel, who led a delegation to confer the award on the constitutional lawyer at his chambers in Abuja, said the award was only given to individuals that not only stood to defend the rule of law in their country, but who had also through legal activism, fought for the enthronement of good governance on the continent. Rina-Yakuel was accompanied to Nigeria for the investiture ceremony by the head of Governance Assessment Institute (GAI) in Ghana, Isaac Rockson.

It’s absurd for Nigeria to have only one seaport... Continued from Page 1 with the naira rather than worry about establishing their own seaports.” The governor used the opportunity to challenge the Federal Government to de-emphasise politics when issue of development is being considered. Drawing the minister’s attention to non-inclusion of

indigenes of the state on the board of Sovereign Wealth Fund (SWF) despite the state’s profile as the highest contributor to the fund, Emmanuel described the seeming politicisation of development programmes, appointments and establishment of institutions as impediment to development. “I want to see a new order in

Nigeria where things of development will stand on their own and if we don’t redefine that today, we will all regret tomorrow. Some of these institutions are things that we really need for proper social structures in the country. These are institutions that are not supposed to be followed with partisanship,” he emphasised.

President Muhammadu Buhari (l) being received on arrival at Addis-Ababa, Ethiopia, by the Ethiopian Prime Minister, Abiy Ahmed Ali, and some Ethiopian and Nigerian government officials, ahead of the 33rd Ordinary Session of the Heads of State and Government of the African Union (AU).

We are not liabilities, deregistered... Continued from Page 2

worriedthattheFederalGovernment has continued to flout valid court ordersrelatingtothebailofpersonsthat arefacingcorruption-relatedcharges. He said Adoke has remained in detention despite the fact that he perfected all the bail conditions that were handed to him by a court of competent jurisdiction. Adoke is standing trial for his alleged complicity in the Malabu Oil scandal. Commentingonhisrecognition, Ozekhome said he was delighted that his modest contributions to the defence of human rights in the country gained the attention of an international organisation. He described the award as a catalyst that would further spur him to continue to fight against maladministration and rights viola-

a state in a governorship election. “Failure to win at least one ward in a chairmanship election, one seat in the National or State Assembly election or one seat in a Councillorship election” qualifies a party to be scrapped. Nationwide protest in the offing – IPAC The National Chairman of Inter-party Advisory Council (IPAC), Tope Fasua said the body was mobilising for a nationwide protest over the de-registration of 74 political parties and accused INEC of impunity. Fasua, who also is the national chairman of Abundant Nigeria

Renewal Party (ANRP), one of the affected parties, faulted INEC’s decision as they were in court and the Commission has been served an order restraining it from the de-registration exercise. “At the party level, we are one of the 13 parties that have taken the matter to court ab initio and the case is coming up on the 17th February and the initial hearing has been done but real substantial hearing is coming up on the 17th of this month and INEC has also been served but they went ahead and did this because of the impunity in Nigeria,” he said. According to him, “It is very clear to any right-thinking person that INEC misinterpreted the law and therefore, the law should be prop-

erly interpreted because the law said that until the last local government and councillorship election has been conducted and all the elections have not been held in this country; so, you cannot determine that a party will not be able to score 25percent of votes.So, they have jumped ahead of time. Absolutely, it is ultra vires; it is totally unacceptable; it is reckless.” “IPAC is also mobilising for a national protest on this issue because we are in a democracy and this action is reminiscent of 1984, 1985, 1986, the military regime of Buhari, Babangida and Abacha, respectively. Those were the days when parties were registered and de-registered at will,” Dania further said.

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News Demolished Saraki property: Parties meet, adjourn till Tuesday

SIKIRAT SHEHU, Ilorin n line with the agreement reached on January 24, 2020 by the counsel to Kwara State government and Asa Investment Ltd on the need to settle the issue of the demolished Ile Arugbo out of court, representatives of the two parties on Friday held a reconciliation meeting. The meeting, held behind closed doors at the Governor’s office, Ilorin, lasted for one hour, ten minutes. It started at about 3.50pm and ended at 5 .00pm. Counsel to Asa Investment Ltd, Abdulazeez Ibrahim had while responding to journalists’ inquiry say: “We are still at negotiating stage. We are yet to conclude. The meeting has ended for now. We are meeting again on Tuesday by 4.00pm. That is all we can say for now.” Also speaking, Salman Jawondo, the state attorneygeneral and commissioner for Justice, also explained: “We have started discussion, we had very frank talk. We are still discussing. We are meeting again on Tuesday at 4.00pm.” The state High Court, sitting in Ilorin, had on January 15, 2020 advised parties in the suit to explore an out-ofcourt settlement over the

disputed land in the interest of peace. Meanwhile, at the resumed hearing of the case on January 24, 2020, Counsel to Asa Investments Limited, Abdulazeez Ibrahim informed the court that his clients had received a letter from the Kwara State Ministry of Justice inviting them to a meeting slated for January 27th, 2020. Counsel to the state government, who is also the Director Civil Litigation, Ministry

of Justice, A.M. Bello also confirmed the receipt of a letter from the claimant’s counsel seeking for amicable resolution of the case out of court. “In tandem with the tenet of the said letter, we have invited the claimant for a meeting on Monday next week for outof-court settlement of the case,” Bello added. In his ruling then, Justice Abiodun Adebara urged the parties to resolve the case amicably before the next

adjourned date. “This court is particularly impressed by the parties for the steps taken to settle out of court; they are therefore enjoined to engage in meaningful discussions that will lead to the resolution of the case out of court. I wish the parties well in their deliberation. “With the concurrence of the learned counsel, this case is adjourned to March 2nd for the report of out-of-court settlement,” he said

L-R: Hope Uzodinma, Imo State governor; Godwin Emefiele, governor, Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), and Chike Okafor, House of Representatives member from Okigwe zone, Imo State, when Uzodinma paid a working visit to the CBN governor at his Abuja office on Friday.

Atlantic Hall restates commitment to transform learning through international collaboration …Holds 30th anniversary Ifeoma Okeke

tlantic Hall School has restated its commitment to transforming learning in Nigeria through international collaborations. The school which plans to partner Carleton University, Ottawa, assured that the collaboration that will provide opportunities for exchange of people and ideas. Welcoming the gathering of friends, alumni, business, diplomatic and political leaders to the Bells Centre, Onikan Lagos at its 30th anniversary, Taiwo Taiwo, the Chairman of the Atlantic Hall Education Trust Council noted that “Atlantic Hall was born out of the dreams of five young idealistic and passionate friends, who envisioned a first-class co-educational secondary

school, fit to arrest the narrative of decaying secondary education in Nigeria”. Taiwo commended the tenacity and enthusiasm of the founders: Gbeminiyi Smith, Kehinde Dina, Eniola Fadayomi, Olabisi TowryCoker, Lola Aboderin, Marl-

Coronavirus: Chinese Ambassador urgesTarabans not to panic Nathaniel Gbaoron, Jalingo

he Chinese Am b a s s a d o r t o Nigeria , Zhou Pingjian has encouraged the people of Taraba State not to panic as the Chinese government was working harder to curtail the spread of the deadly coronavirus every where. Pingjian gave the advice when he paid a courtesy visit to Governor Darius Ishaku of Taraba at the Government House in Jalingo. The Ambassador said the purpose of his visit to the state was to explore ways of strengthening bilateral cooperation with the state government. He said that the cooperation would go a long way in improving the socioeconomic development of the two partners. He recalled that the Nigeria-Chaina bilateral trade in the past has reached a historical height of over 19 billion dollars and urged for the continuation of the beneficial relationship. The ambassador advised his country men to live in peace with Nigerians and to respect the locals and their cultures as well as obey the constituted authority. Pingjian stressed that the inception of Forum on China African Cooperation for 2020 has increased significantly the Nigeria-China bilateral relationships. The Chinese ambassador while appreciating the hospitality of Taraba people towards the Chinese citizens.

Akwa Ibom to enroll workers in NSITF scheme ANIEFIOK UDONQUAK, Uyo

ies Allan, Abimbola BodeThomas, Morenikeji Okunowo, and Grace Fadayomi, whose quest for world-class education right here in Nigeria birthed the Atlantic Hall School. Highlighting the charitable causes of the school, Taiwo

Yemi Osinbajo, vice president and Taiwo Taiwo, chairperson of Atlantic Hall Educational Trust Council, at the 30th anniversary of Atlantic Hall School.

noted that the annual scholarship program had successfully provided for scores of indigent young people to receive world-class education right here in Nigeria stating that the most recent beneficiaries as William Anosike and Esther Ojooluwa Adebowale had settled in quite nicely. Delivering the keynote speech, Yemi Osinbajo, the Vice President of the Federal Republic, noted that “the core values of Atlantic Hall School have over time led to countless notable alumni going on to accomplish outstanding feats in diverse fields of endeavour”. Osinbajo observed that “A school is ultimately about the quality of its fruit, the young people it bequeaths to society. A school is fundamentally about the quality of its students - their learning, capacity to compete favorably across the globe.

According to him, the relationship between Nigeria and China could only be described as that of twin brothers as the two countries shared alot of similarities. Ishaku, who was represented by the State Deputy Governor Haruna Manu assured the Chinese ambassador that his administration since coming on board have been collaborating with the Chinese in the areas of road construction and other critical infrastructure in the state. The governor appreciated the enormous contributions of the Chinese to the socioeconomic development of the state in particular and Nigeria at large. He assured the ambassador that the Chinese citizens would continue to be protected and their welfare would not be taken for granted. Ishaku said the Chinese who are residents in the state have being living a productive and peaceful life with the people of the state. He appreciated the role played by the Chinese towards the development of the state. He saidhisadministration remained committed towards strengthening bilateral ties with the Chinese especially in the areas of trade and construction among others. The governor, while commiserating with the Chinese Government over the deadly coronavirus outbreak, said the Taraba government was optimistic that the country would overcome the epidemic.

kwa Ibom State government has indicated interest to enroll workers in its employ in the Nigerian Social Insurance Trust Fund (NSITF) scheme. Governor Udom Emmanuel gave the indication when he received the Minister of Labour and Employment, Chris Ngige in his office in Uyo, the state capital. Emmanuel described the NSITF scheme as a major feat in the social security arrangement of the country and assured the minister of the readiness of his administration to key into the scheme, urging operators of the scheme to step up enlightenment in its operations so as to earn the trust of its contributors. “Head of Service, you don’t contribute to NSITF? I don’t know about that because I don’t check through the deductions from the pay-

roll. My own is to go and look for the money that they can deduct from while they are to make the deductions and give whatever genuinely belongs to the people. “They have to check through that because it’s something they have to comply, but Honourable Minister let me also say here, I have been contributing towards this scheme since 1987, so we need more enlightenment on the scheme because people contribute but don’t know what to do and what steps to take. “I think in this age of internet there should be a website to educate people so as to earn their trust. Awareness from your own side is necessary to show that people are saving for their own future,” the governor said. Emmanuel noted that Nigeria with her huge population cannot ignore such a laudable scheme and explained that social security keeps the people calm and reduce agitations.

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News Amnesty International accuses Ayade of running repressive regime in C/River MIKE ABANG, Calabar

mnesty International (AI) has described Cross River as a very hostile state, insisting that the current government under Ben Ayade is running a repressive regime. Isa Sanusi, media & communications manager of AI, said this in Calabar at the weekend while addressing the media. He said Ayade’s government must stop the repression and that authorities must respect, protect and ensure the right to freedom of expression and media freedom. The organisation warned that the reported repression of journalists and human rights activists could hinder investors from coming to the state. “Cross River is becoming

Ayade

a den of repression where increasing number of people are being clamped into detention. Cross River government is very highhanded and repressive. We have written to him several times over the situation in the state as well as continued incarceration of Agba Jalingo but Governor Ayade never bothered to

respond,” Sanusi said. The press conference was held in respect of the continued incarceration of Agba Jalingo, a journalist and human rights campaigner by the state government. The International Human Rights Watchdog, which also accused the governor of playing politics with the liberty of citizens of the state, called on the governor to release Agba Jalingo “immediately and unconditionally.” Flanked by the organisation’s researcher, Damian Ugwu, Sanusi said by holding Jalingo in detention over spurious allegations, the governor was working against the people who voted him into power. “We are concerned that Agba Jalingo’s trial falls short of international standards of fairness, especially because the court has allowed witnesses to be masked and

trial to be held in secret. The flawed charges and sham trial of Agba Jalingo have exposed the inadequacies and manipulation of the Nigerian criminal justice system and an unacceptable contempt for human rights and the rule of law. “Governor Ben Ayade of Cross River State and the government of President Muhammadu Buhari must stop filing bogus and politicallymotivated charges against critics and start listening to what they have to say. “The pattern of repression in Cross River State flagrantly violates the Nigerian constitution of 1999 as amended, and International and Regional Human and people’s rights treaties, including the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights to which Nigeria is a party,” he further said.

Cancer: Giving.Ng, Leah Foundation to screen 5,000 women

iving.ng, a nongovernmental organisation, has partnered with Leah Foundation to create awareness on cancer as part of activities to commemorate this year’s World Cancer Day with theme of ‘20192021: I am and I will.’ Addressing a press conference on the World Cancer Day in Lagos, Olapeju Ibekwe, project manager of Giving.ng, explained that the online platform decided to partner with the Leah Foundation to fight cancer because the disease has become a scourge that is killing people daily. “We are calling on every Nigerian to do something

about how to roll back the cancer scourge by donating any amount of money through the platform. Donations received would be used to provide free screening for 5000 women in partnership with Leah Foundation,” she said. She described Giving. ng as a crowdfunding platform that is focused on raising funds with local and international partners to deal with various issues that are affecting the Nigerian society. T h e Wo r l d C a n c e r Day, which was recently celebrated worldwide, is aimed at saving millions of people from preventable deaths each year by raising

awareness and education about cancer and pressing governments and individuals across the world to act against the disease. This year’s celebration marks the midway point in the three-year plan of the “I am, and I will’ campaign. The campaign is an empowering call-to-action urging for personal commitment and represents the power of individual action taken now to impact the future. Also speaking, an Executive Director of Leah Foundation, Lanre Bello, said the foundation had been in the forefront of efforts to control and eradicate some types of cancer through vaccination. He said if serious efforts

can be made in that regard, some types of cancer could be eradicated in about 20 years from now. “Our foundation has given opportunities to people to be screened but it is not sustainable because one single institution cannot do it alone and that is why we are partnering with giving.ng to help us raise funds to fight the scourge. Our goal is to detect cancer early in a bid to control or eliminate it,” Bello said. In her remarks, Joke Silva, a Nollywood icon, said she was lending her voice to creating awareness about cancer because awareness is essential in controlling the scourge, remarking that knowledge is power.

L-R John Bourns, area sales manager, Swarovski ; Jennifer Obayuwana, ED, Polo Limited; Esosa Osagiede, head , marketing and communication. Polo Limited and, Ola Nduka, business development lead , Polo Limited at the press briefing about Swarovski in Nigeria, Pic by Pius Okeosisi

Sinzu opens up on his time in jail on MTV Base Behind the Story

ne of the Nigerian artistes who has seen it all and has experiences to share is veteran rap singer, Snizu formerly known as Sauce Kid. And in an interesting episode of MTV Base Behind the Story, Snizu revealed so much about his life and all the experiences he has had over the year. The host Sammy Walsh, got up close and personal with veteran rapper Sinzu in the programme that was aired last Tuesday. If you have been following the show, then you will know how intimate these conversations can get. Lots of surprising facts about Sinzu were unravelled in this edition of ‘Behind The Story.’ For example, apart from music heads and industry leaders, many fans would be surprised to find out that Sinzu was encouraged to start rapping professionally and move to Nigeria by Tiwa Savage’s ex-husband and

manager, Tee Billz. Sinzu also opened up about his experience in jail and making $16 a month working in the jail kitchen. The artiste who plays basketball regularly also addressed the topic of his relationship with his family, baby mama and his daughter, who is now 11 years old. He also talked about his relationship with Davido and the 30BG gang. Sinzu whose real name is Babalola Falemi revealed his uncensored self during the course of this interview by tackling many personal topics and clearing the air about a number of rumours.

NAFDAC uncovers fake beverages factory in A/Ibom ANIEFIOK UDONQUAK, Uyo

he National Agency for Food and Drug Ad m i n i s t r a t i o n (NAFDAC) says it has uncovered a fake alcoholic and non-alcoholic factory in a residential building in Eket, Akwa Ibom State. The agency which said it raided the illegal factory while working in conjunction with a security outfit added that the building had several rooms occupied by different tenants who were alleged to be involved in the preparation of the fake beverages. In a statement made available to BDSUNDAY, Collins Ogedegbe, the coordinator of the agency in Akwa Ibom State said the fake beverage factory was uncovered following a complaint by a consumer. “The state office received consumer complaint by Spyglass Security Limited of the existence of two manufacturing outlets in Eket senatorial district which specializes in faking and adulteration of a range of NAFDAC registered alcoholic products,” he stated. According to him, NAFDAC officers and the security operatives with the police subsequently went to Eket where they uncovered a “thriving illicit business that specializes in production of various brands of alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages.” “The building which is a residential apartment with up

to ten rooms and occupied by people all have empty washed and unwashed bottles of different drink brands,” adding that packaging materials, labels, wooden and rubber cocks, caps, strings, sales book complimentary glass cups and seven thousand five hundred naira (N7,500.00) cash were found in the building. It stated that Six persons had been arrested during the raid; four men and two women between the ages of 30 to 55 years adding that they had taken to the state police headquarter in Uyo pending further investigations. Ogedegbe warned that “hard time awaits criminals who want to use the state as a safe haven for adulterating and faking NAFDAC regulated products,’’ and called on the public to help the agency in safe guarding the life of Nigerians by always reporting such illicit activities to the agency for appropriate action. He said NAFDAC has sealed off the building while all items associated with the adulterated beverage product would be evacuated all the empty bottles and any other item related to the illegal production. It will be recalled that a similar raid in May last year at Afaha Obong in Abak local government area led to the smashing of an illegal and fake alcoholic beverage factory that specialized in production of adulterated and fake local and foreign alcoholic beverages.

8 BDSUNDAY

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Sunday 09 February 2020

News

Stop parading yourself as APC member, ex-Oshiomhole aides tells Iriase IDRIS UMAR MOMOH, Benin

ufiyanu Igbafen, a former aide to the national chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Adams Oshiomhole, has warned Pally Iriase, the former deputy chief whip, House of Representatives to stop parading himself as a member of the party in the state. Igbafen, who was also secretary to Owan East Local Government when the former House of Representatives member was the executive chairman of the council, challenged him to account for all the constituency funds collected on behalf of the people of the constituency in his eight years as National Assembly member. The former aide to Oshiomhole who also served as the chairman of Owan East council as well as Special Adviser on Local Government

and Chieftaincy Affairs noted that Pally Iriase criticism of the state governor, Godwin Obaseki was politically motivated. He said that Iriase had no locus standi to speak for APC, since he has been suspended and expelled from the party in 2019. According to him, Pally Iriase no longer enjoys the membership right of APC and therefore has no right to speak for the party either at the local or state level. “At the moment his faction of PDP are parading themselves as members of APC unknown to APC both at the ward level and LG level. We want him to address issues that affect his party which is PDP because the last we knew of him was that he contested elections against the APC in the last general election on the platform of PDP. “He is the immediate past Reps member of Owan federal constituency. Ask him if he can point to any meaning-

ful project he attracted and executed in the 22 wards in the federal constituency in line with all the monies he collected for the people of the constituency. “He should first of all be asked to account for all the money him collected on behalf of the constituency in the name of constituency projects. “He should correct the impression that he is a stalwart of APC in the state. With all the documents relating to his expulsion from the party it is clear that he has no right to speak for the party. If he wants to speak, he can only do so for his party which is PDP,” he said. Reacting, Iriase who described Igbafen as inconsequential noted that he would not indulge in gutter fight with anybody including the state government. Iriase opined that governance has been reduced to a low level that an unknown fellow, who is not an official

spokesman of government or party will be procured and mobilised by Edo State government to go on personal attack on the weighty issues he raised. He insisted that the state government should account for over N251billion so far received as revenues either from the Federal Government, internally generated revenue among others in the past three years. “I gave figures of monthly receipts from November 2016 to November 2019, making three years assessment. I gave the credible sources of those figures. It is already in the public domain. “In reply from official sources, we are told that 2,000km of roads have been constructed. People are asking where and which roads are they talking about? “They point at renovation of Secretariat building. People are asking for how much? The issues are beyond pedestrian name calling and personal attacks,” he stated.

Chivita Ice Tea reiterates its ‘no preservatives’ quality Anthony Nlebem

reservatives and additives have been commonly used in producing packaged foods and beverages to increase shelf-life, and reduce the loss of taste or ingredients in the product before consumption. Common preservatives used in food production include benzoates, nitrites and sulphites. Research studies have shown that consumption of preservatives over a period of time could have negative effects on human health. Preservative consumption could be a source of breathing problems like asthma and bronchitis, and some have been known to weaken heart cells, body tissues, and cause cancer. Nigerian consumers are exposed to preservatives in some of the products they consume in polyethylene terephthalate (PET), or plastic bottles, as they are commonly called. Even beverages that are supposed to be “natural” and “beneficial”

for human health, have been known to contain preservatives like Potassium Sorbate and Trisodium Citrate, which diminish some of the benefits of the beverage and cause harm to the body. For food products that contain natural ingredients which promote the overall wellbeing of individuals, inclusion of harmful preservatives in the foods or drinks could negate most, if not all of the natural ingredients in the product. With this fact in mind, we decided to examine a few “natural” beverages sold in the Nigerian market. For this report, we narrowed down to the Ice Tea category, and decided to focus our analysis on Chivita Ice Tea, the first Ready-to-Drink (RTD) Ice Tea brand produced by Chi Limited which was launched into Nigeria about a decade ago. Chivita Ice Tea, a product which claims to offer consumers all the natural benefits of tea extracts, is the only Ice Tea brand in Nigeria that is produced in aseptic packaging.

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Uzodinma promises Ohaji/Egbema, Oguta Hope rises for Lulu-Briggs’ burial of as Abonnema monarch wades into crisis communities dividends of democracy SABY ELEMBA, Owerri

Ignatius Chukwu & Sam Esogwa

mo State Governor, Hope Uzodinma has reassured the people of Ohaji/Egbema and Oguta Local Government Areas that the era of marginalisation is over and a new dawn with huge prospects awaiting them. He made the promise when he received stakeholders of the area at the Government House. The governor expressed displeasure over the deplorable state of infrastructure in communities in the area despite the huge amount of money that accrues to Imo State Oil Producing and Development Commission (ISOPADEC) monthly from the 13percent derivation fund. He warned that the era when few people sat in their homes and shared the money meant for development of the communities was over. Uzodinma assured that his administration would set up a monitoring and evaluation committee to ensure that projects are executed in line with contract specifications. He promised that the new board of ISOPADEC which will soon be constituted shall be made up of people of integrity and proven track record and ready to help drive the desired change and foster prosperity in the area. On restiveness among the

ould it be true that Governor Nyesom Wike is no longer ready to stomach any further delay in the burial of the Kalabari sage, O.B Lulu-Briggs, who died in 2018? Could it be that the governor is behind some moves that now give high optimism around the Niger Delta that the burial may soon happen, after all? Now, the imbroglio hindering the burial may soon be resolved with the recent setting up of a high powered peace committee by the King and Amanyanabo of Abonnema, Disrael Gbobo Bob-Manuel. The committee, which is made up of such great personalities in Kalabari land as former vice chancellor of the University of Port Harcourt, Nimi Briggs; former Supreme Court Justice, Adolphus Karibi Whyte; Ferdinand Alabraba, Ombo Isokariari, the three Kalabari LGA Chairmen, among others, is saddled with the responsibility of resolving the crisis in the Lulu-Briggs’ family and facilitate the burial of the late high chief. According to sources, the committee was inaugurated on Monday, 3rd February, 2020 at Abonnema, by the Amanyanabo of Abonnema.

Uzodinma

youth, the governor regretted that despite the huge human capacity in the area, some people only identify youths of Ohaji/Egbema and Oguta with thuggery and violence. He challenged them to get it right now that a brother and friend is the governor. “We must agree that we want the best for ourselves, we must begin to have change of attitude, thuggery and militancy must be resisted, and the time to harness our potential is now,” Governor Uzodinma said. He assured that Adapalm, which used to be the pride of the state, will be reactivated and its lost glory restored with the appointment of Brig. Gen. Kalu Austin Egwuagu

(rtd.) as the Board Chairman. Earlier, the leader of the delegation, and former speaker Imo State House of Assembly, Goodluck Opiah recounted the untold hardship and marginalisation suffered by the people of Ohaji/ Egbema and Oguta Local Government Areas and expressed confidence that the present government will right all the wrongs. The House of Assembly members representing Ohaji/Egbema, Hercules Okoro and Oguta LGA, Frank Ugboma thanked Uzodinma for his positive thoughts for the oil-rich area and assured that their people will embrace peace and allow the government to achieve its developmental plans for the area.

Lulu Briggs

The warring factions in the Lulu-Briggs’ family were said to have sent two representatives each to witness the inauguration on their behalves. Checks revealed that the Amanyanabo of Abonnema, King Disrael Bob-Manuel, was not in talking terms with High Chief O.B. Lulu-Briggs before his death, hence his decision to intervene in the crisis has sent some tongues wagging in Kalabari land, with many querying the rationale behind his move. However, investigation showed that the Abonnema monarch, despite the misunderstanding between his family and the Lulu-Briggs’, has neither insulted High Chief Lulu-Briggs nor nursed ill-feelings against him but has, on the contrary, always held him in high esteem. Checks further revealed that King Disrael’s involvement in the O.B. Lulu-Briggs family crisis is a product of

an appeal to him by the Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, to help resolve the crisis and ensure that the High Chief, Lulu-Briggs, is buried. The appeal by Wike was said to have been made to the Abonnema King when the Kalabari people visited him (Wike) not too long ago. The committee is billed to have a heart-to-heart dialogue with the warring factions in the O.B. Lulu-Briggs’ family any time soon, in Port Harcourt, to find a way forward. Crisis has continued to trail the death of O.B. LuluBriggs since he passed on December 27, 2018, resulting in the lingering of his burial. Dumo Lulu-Briggs’, second son of High Chief O.B. Lulu-Briggs, had alleged that Seinye Lulu-Briggs, his step mother, killed his father –her husband – as a result of which he wrote a petition to the Inspector-General of Police on 19th April, 2019, asking for an investigation into the matter. Although an autopsy was later conducted by the Ghanaian military on Friday, 19th July, 2019, at the 37 Military Hospital, Accra, Ghana, to ascertain the cause of the death, with the result showing that it was of natural consequences, thereby exonerating Seinye Lulu-Briggs of the murder accusation, the crisis has continued to rage as Dumo remains insistent on a second autopsy.

I can never fight over a man – Iyabo Ojo

Redeemer’s Men Fellowship holds ‘Inspirational Conference 2020’

opular and pretty actress, Iyabo Ojo, has said she will never fight over any man, single or married. The single mother of two has been trending since last week with the cryptic messages she has been posting on her instagram handle. In her recent post, Iyabo wrote, “The last thing I, Alice Iyabo Ojo, will ever ever do is fight any woman because of any married or single man. God forbid! What goes on in our industry is beyond all that gist you write. It is beyond what you can ever comprehend. Hmmmmm... o deep gan, o dark gan, o spiritual gan ni ooo, o dey tun loud gan ni ooo... It has been in the days of Pa Ogunde and it will remain forever and you can never be prepared.” Iyabo was probably reacting to the response she got after her earlier post where she had called out an unnamed actress, labeling

he National Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, Pastor Joseph Obayemi has declared that the Inspirational Conference set up as an economic enabler to allow men have the requisite economic knowledge and insights will stir up business excellence in Nigerian men who are diligent, following business tips that would be discussed at the programme. Obayemi said this while delivering his welcome address at the Inspirational Conference 2020, the maiden edition of the epoch-making event that is poised to become a yearly or bi-annual event. The event was organised by the Lagos Region 11 of Redeemer’s Men Fellowship. The 2020 conference took place at the auditorium of the RCCG Resurrection Parish, Km 15 Lekki Epe Express Way, Lekki, Lagos. The theme of Inspiration Conference 2020 was- Galvanised for Geomet-

her a “witch”. In the post which she has pulled down from her handle, Iyabo wrote, “You never cease to amaze me and I am not surprised because you remain number one agbaya in Nollywood. You envy the younger ones and you pretend to love the ones that you benefit from somehow but at the end, you are still not loyal. After all I did for you two years ago to celebrate your birthday in Turkey, you still snitched on me, giving media fake news that I was in coma for three days. I knew you hoped and prayed I died.

Jumoke Akiyode-Lawanson

ric Growth. Obayemi revealed that the church leadership recognised various economic, spiritual and family challenges facing men in Nigeria and decided to create a forum where men can be brought together from time to time to proffer goodly solutions to challenges facing them. Commenting on the 2020 theme, Obayemi felt it was of great relevance to the purpose and calling of men, especially as it plugs directly into the pillars of family and finance. “Growth is an essential element and a geometric growth brings about a progression and an upsurge from diverse state or points at the same time, and the sure way for this type of growth is through the word of God,” he said. Also speaking on the conference, Amos Emovon, Chairman, Central Planning Committee of the event expressed great joy and satisfaction with huge level of success of the programme. In his words; “The level of overflow was quite im-

pressive, we had over 14,000 people that registered online, many more came directly to the main venue and the 7 other locations we created and the presence plus quality delivery from all our carefully selected and seasoned world class speakers made this programme a great one and a vision accomplished to the glory God”. Also commenting on the event, Macauley, the Director of Public Relations of The National Board of Redeemer’s Men Fellowship, the direct organisers of the event, expressed great satisfaction and gratitude to God for the huge success achieved. He explained that a final decision would be taken soon that will determine if the event would be annual or every other year. Asked if there are concrete plans like a functional corporative society that can bring real gains to disadvantaged men apart from a talk shop of this nature, Macaulay explained that there are ongoing plans. “For instance, we have a

team that created a functional and effective corporative society in Warri, Delta State. We are bringing them in to replicate this success in Lagos and other areas. We also have business mentorship as highlighted by some of our speakers. A lot would be on ground to help all of us walk the talk to ensure we galvanise growth in geometric proportion to achieve the goal of this conference,” he said. Akinwunmi Adesina, former minister of Agriculture, and President, African Development Bank (AfDB) was the lead speaker, while the VicePresident, Yemi Osinbajo was the keynote speaker at the event. Members of the panel of discussants were, Okechukwu Enelamah, former minister, industry, trade, and investment; Kayode Pitan, MD/CEO of Bank of Industry; Ben Akabueze, DG, budget office of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and Matthew Kukah, bishop, Catholic Diocese of Sokoto and Yinka Sanni; CEO, Stanbic IBTC Holdings, who served as themoderator.

10 Inside Lagos

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Sunday 09 February 2020

No plan to distribute mini buses to ‘Okada, Keke’ riders Stories by JOSHUA BASSEY

agos State government has described as fake, the news trending on the social media that it (government) was planning to distribute free mini buses to commercial motorcycle (Okada) riders to ameliorate their suffering following the restriction of their operations in some parts of the state. The state government described the news as “baseless and a fraudulent attempt by unscrupulous elements to swindle unsuspected innocent members of the public.” Commissioner for transportation, Frederic Oladeinde while reacting to the social hoax, urged the public to ignore it. Oladeinde also explained that Block F, Room 305 where conveyor of the fake news directed interested people to visit

at the secretariat for free registration, does not exist while the name Omobolanle mentioned as the officer in charge of the registration is fictitious and non-existent. “I therefore urge the

residents to disregard this trending report on social media platforms that secret plans are underway to provide all registered Okada riders that have Lagos State Resident Registration Agency (LASR-

We’re prepared against possible outbreak of Coronavirus - LASG

agos government says the launch of an Incident Command System in the state is a ready measure taken to contain the deadly Coronavirus in the event of its possible outbreak in the country and the state. Commissioner of health, Akin Abayomi explained at the launch of the incident system on Monday that the coronavirus was a new pathogen to the human race and as such, research is still ongoing on how to arrest it. According to him, no suspected or confirmed case of virus has been found in Lagos, warning residents against rumour mongering on public health and safety. The governor of Lagos State, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, who launched the incident command system, said the measure was not to stigmatise citizens of any country but a precautionary one taken in the interest of the people. The command system has Babajide Sanwo-Olu as the incident commander while the commissioner for health is deputy incident commander. The governor explained that relevant health professionals, in conjunction with the federal ministry of health,

would be deployed to the Lagos International Airport for a higher level of monitoring. He assured that the government and non-governmental organisations will continue to escalate communication and create public awareness. He said: “What we have started to do is to have what we call a heightened state concern on the Coronavirus. We are not declaring an emergency in any form but creating a heightened state concern. “ Al s o , c o m m i s s i o n e r through his ministry will identify relevant health professionals that would, in conjunction with the federal ministry of health, be deployed to our International Airports in Lagos where we would see higher level of monitoring as well as organised level of incidence reporting layout.” Sa n w o - Ol u s a i d t h a t although the team expects people to be self quarantined, he however stressed that the state will carry out a supervised quarantine where details about immigrants will be taken at the point of entry while the team will do daily follow-ups through phone calls to identified individuals for a period of two weeks. According to him, the command will be in operation for the period of time the risk

lasts. He assured that adequate preparation has been carried out to tackle the virus. “This command will go on until when we believe and we have been given assurance that we have a stable and controlled environment but in the meantime, this exercise is going to be put in place and we are going to start things immediately. “I also want to mention that we have started providing both human and material logistics required for this exercise. “All of our major general hospitals are also being prepared in event of an outpour into any of them. The hospitals in mainland have tents coming up and extensive resources are being put in that particular health facility for them to be on standby in case of any suspected or identified case.” Abayomi added that the WHO has declared the novel coronavirus a global health concern, saying this will make the state government step up scrutinising travellers coming in from mostly affected region. “We need to really ramp up the human capacity at the airport to be able to scrutinise all travellers coming in from particularly the routes that are coming in from the South East Asian regions.

RA) and National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) identification cards with new mini buses as a way to curb the menace of unemployment. It is a lie; it is a deceitful attempt to mislead innocent

members of the public. The state government hereby disassociates itself from this story and warned Lagosians to avoid being duped by unscrupulous elements that have the intention to take undue advantage of innocent well meaning individuals in the society. The social media have been awash with the news that the Lagos State government was planning secretly to provide all registered Okada riders with LASRAA and NURTW identification with new mini buses as a way to curb the menace of unemployment in the economy. The Babajide SanwoOlu administration on February 1, 2020, ordered security agencies operating in the state to begin full scale enforcement of the provision of the Lagos State Road Traffic Law, 2018, which bars the Okada and Keke from operating certain areas of the state, as well as major/

express roads and bridges. Aside from high rate of crashes and attendant loss of lives and properties in accidents involving these modes of public transportation, the state government also cited the security implications to justify its action. Gbenga Omotosho, the state commissioner for information, said that Okada have become get-away mode used by criminals to rob their victims neighbouhoods, streets and major roads. The restriction order which applies majorly to Ikeja, Surulere, Apapa, EtiOsa, Lagos Island, as well as some parts of Lagos Mainland and Oshodi-Isolo local government areas has continued to generate debate as it threw up mobility challenges in the metropolis. Commuters are now forced to trek long distances to their destinations in areas where the Okada and Keke hitherto operated.

LASEMA boss, ex-lover legal tango: Court to rule April 1

n Igbosere High on La g o s Is l a n d , o n Friday, January 7, picked April 1 to deliver its judgment the alleged forgery, forcible entry and criminal damage to a N45 million property instituted by Olufemi Oke-Osanyitolu, the Director-General of Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA) against his former lover, Olaide Ibraheem. Ibraheem, the defendant in the criminal suit is the director of administration and human resources, Lagos State Office of Civic Engagement. Ibraheem was arraigned on May 22, 2017, on a three-count charge of forgery, forcible entry and criminal damage to the property said to be located at No. 1, Baba Yusuf Close, Alausa, Lagos. Justice Oluwatoyin Ipaye fixed the judgment date after both the lead state prosecutor, Akin George and defence counsel, Gbenga Ojo, addressed the court after closing their cases. Ojo in his submission said that the prosecution did not prove its case against Ibraheem beyond reasonable doubt because vital witnesses were not summoned to testify in court. Ojo noted that the prosecution did not summon the individual who prepared the deed that was allegedly forged by the defendant. But the prosecutor argued

that “the law provides that the prosecution is not bound to call all witnesses listed, provided the prosecution has called credible witnesses that will sustain their case.” George submitted that the prosecution had proved its case beyond reasonable doubt and that the court should not attach any credibility to the forensic report tendered in evidence by the defence. According to him, rather than summoning the individual who prepared the alleged forged Deed for the defendant, a forensic police report confirming the alleged forgery, which was tendered in court by the prosecution, was sufficient evidence. During the trial, four witnesses including Oke-Osanyitolu, his personal assistant and a signature expert, testified for the prosecution. Six witnesses including Ibraheem, a surveyor and a police officer testified on behalf of the defence. Oke-Osanyitolu in his testimony told the court that he and the defendant were former lovers and top civil servants in the employ of the Lagos State government. He said that during the course of their relationship, he needed accommodation for his ailing mother and had sought Ibraheem’s help in getting accommodation. Oke-Sanyitolu said the

defendant negotiated the purchase of the property on his behalf for N45 million from the former owner, one Baba Yusuf in Kano. The LASEMA DG told the court that he had made payments in installments for the property via one Luqman Salami, his personal assistant, and paid a balance of N1. 5million the day the Deed of Assignment was signed. “Five people including the defendant, were present when the Deed was signed but only four persons — myself, the owner of the property, Baba Yusuf; his son, Musa Yusuf and Salami, my personal assistant signed the document,” Oke-Sanyitolu said that following the breakdown of their relationship, the defendant in order to unlawfully lay claim to the property fraudulently made another Deed of Assignment and forged his signature on the fake document. Ibraheem had while testifying in her defence, said the property belonged to her. She said when she wanted to buy the property, she visited the Baba Musa, the former owner of the property in Kano. According to her, the original owner declined to sell to her due to religious reasons, and asked her to come with her spouse. She said obliging the requests of Baba Musa, Oke-Sanyitolu had accompanied her to buy the property.

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Fresh impetus for water transportation in Lagos

Frank Aigbogun

editor Zebulon Agomuo DEPUTY EDITOR John Osadolor, Abuja

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, OPERATIONS Fabian Akagha EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, STRATEGY, INNOVATION & PARTNERSHIPS Oghenevwoke Ighure ADVERT MANAGER Ijeoma Ude FINANCE MANAGER Emeka Ifeanyi MANAGER, CONFERENCES & EVENTS Obiora Onyeaso BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT MANAGER (South East, South South) Patrick Ijegbai COPY SALES MANAGER Florence Kadiri DIGITAL SALES MANAGER Linda Ochugbua GM, BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT (North)

Bashir Ibrahim Hassan

GM, BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT (South) Ignatius Chukwu HEAD, HUMAN RESOURCES Adeola Obisesan

EDITORIAL ADVISORY BOARD

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MANAGING DIRECTOR Dr. Ogho Okiti

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Tayo Ogunbiyi Ogunbiyi is of the Lagos State Ministry of Information & Strategy, Alausa, Ikeja

eing a megacity and emerging smart city, it is quite obvious that efficient traffic management can best be experienced in Lagos State if the three modes of rail, road and water transportation are effectively integrated to complement one another. Commuting the over 20 million people of Lagos State largely on the road has, thus far, proven complicated. Lagos is the undisputed economic nerve center of West Africa, with every potential to become the 3rd largest mega city in the world after Shanghai and Mumbai. Today, many mega cities of the world depend on diverse mode of transportation for socio-economic growth and development. For obvious reasons, Lagos has great potential to develop its water economy to a highly competitive level. If this is done, fishery, tourism, water transportation and the likes would immensely benefit. Since twenty-five per cent of the state’s landmass consists

of water body, it is, therefore, not surprising that the present administration in the state is poised to put in place the right strategies that will make various water related enterprise in the state flourish significantly. A few days ago, the state government formally kicked off commercial waterways’ transportation with the official launch of eight newly acquired speed boats. All the boats are built with comfortable seats, in-built Wi-Fi and modern technological devices that will aid smooth operations and safety. The design and fabrication of the new boats were totally worked out by two local boats manufacturers in line with SanwoOlu’s promise to exploring local capacity in providing solutions to various challenges in the state. Three of the boats have the capacity to carry 60 passengers, two were built to carry 50 passengers, while two others have capacities for 40 passengers. Also, three others could convey 30 passengers, four will carry 25 passengers while two will carry 25 passengers. The six routes the boats will principally be plying include Ikorodu to Falomo; Ikorodu to Ebute Ero and Marina; Ebute Ojo to Ijegun Egba, Apapa and Marina; Bayeku to Oke Ira Nla and Falomo; Mile 2 to Marina, and Badore to Ijede. The launch of the speed boats, which will be operated by the Lagos Ferry Services (LAGFERRY), effectively marked the commencement of commercial opera-

tions in waterways transportation by LAGFERRY. In addition to the boats, a mobile application designed to facilitate easy access to water transportation services was also launched. Without a doubt, the intervention represents a remarkable way forward in the Sanwo-Olu administration’s strategy to deliver an effective and integrated intermodal transportation system in addressing the perennial issue of traffic congestion on the roads. Consequently, the narrative of transportation in Lagos is about to change for good, as the state is set to completely take advantage of the water bodies to decongest the roads and substantially reduce travel time for commuters. The commencement of commercial operations on waterways would certainly promote a healthy living and restore aesthetics of environment through reduction of carbon emission. In-spite of this latest development, it is cheering to state that the state government is not resting on its oars as it is poised to embark on the construction of more jetties and provision of more modern ferry boats to create opportunities for more private sector participation in water transportation. The state government is equally ready to drive full compliance on measures put in place to ensure the safety of commuters using the waterways. To this end, the Lagos State Waterways Authority (LASWA) is currently being strengthened to effectively discharge its

monitoring and regulatory duties in line with best practice. The state government is also set to spread the efficiency of the LAGFERRY services to meet the demand of the people at various times of the day. Plans are currently in top gear to double the capacity in the LAGFERRY’s fleet from 14 to 30 boats before the end of the year. This is to enable the agency efficiently discharge its mandate to ease the movement of Lagosians from various parts of the city to another through the waterways. There are equally plans to build modern jetties in Badagry, Lekki, and Ajegunle, just as the one being built in Ijegun would soon be completed. Also, before the fourth quarter of the year, LAGFERRY would extend its services to all 40 water routes licensed for Lagos. All this, coupled with the global water transportation license of LAGFERRY, will certainly optimally advance the course of water transportation in the state. It is, however, important to stress that while the state government is creatively spearheading investment into water transportation in the state, more private investors with interest in the sector are still required to partner with government in order to fully optimize the numerous potentials that abound in the sector. On its part, the state government is ever willing to embrace more creative and strategic initiatives geared towards improving the unlimited potentials of the state’s waterways.

Imo Itsueli Mohammed Hayatudeen Afolabi Oladele Vincent Maduka Opeyemi Agbaje Amina Oyagbola Bolanle Onagoruwa Fola Laoye Chuka Mordi Mezuo Nwuneli Charles Anudu Tunji Adegbesan Eyo Ekpo Wiebe Boer Paul Arinze Boye Olusanya Ayo Gbeleyi Haruna Jalo-Waziri Clement Isong

Enquiries NEWS ROOM 08169609331 08116759816 08033160837

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Sunday 09 February 2020

PhotoSplash

L-R: Olapeju Ibekwe, project manager, Giving.ng; Joke Silva, Veteran Nollywood Actor, MFR and Lanre Bello, executive director, Leah Foundation, at a press conference held to mark this year’s World Cancer Day in Lagos yesterday

L-R: Kola Masha, MD, Babban Gona; Bello Maccido (Wakilin Sokoto), non-executive director Babban Gona, and Lola Masha, executive director, Babban Gona, at the Babban Gona retreat in Kano

L-R:Sonaike Adewale; Adebola Akindele, group managing director, Courteville Business Solutions PLC; Kazeem Olaonipekun Gbadamosi, HRM, Oba Ologijo of Ogijo and Apesin of Ogijo Land during a courtesy visit to Courteville Business Solutions PLC in Lagos.

L-R: Bebe Cool, Ugandan artiste; Stanley Njoroge, Finance and Strategy Director, Guinness Nigeria; Rio Ferdinand, Guinness Global Brand Ambassador; Adenike Adebola, Marketing Director, Guinness Nigeria at a press briefing for Guinness Night Football held last weekend.

L-R: Baba Yakubu Mohammed, resgistral, Environmental Health Officers Registration Council of Nigeria; Mohammad Abubakar, minister of Environment, and Ibukun Odusote, permanent secretary, Ministry of Environment, at a press briefing on the effort of the ministry to address the outbreak of Lassa Fever in Nigeria, Pic by Tunde Adeniyi. in Abuja. L-R: Lion Tunji Oredipe, service chairperson; Lion Ajayi Ahmed, president; Lion Adebote Jumoke, tamer; Lion Abiodun Odumosu, member; Lion Akamo Lookman, Region 4 chairperson; Lion Oguntimehim Sunday, tail twister, and Lion Shobowale Babatunde, 2nd vice president, at the Pediatric Cancer Awareness Campaign on February 4th 2020 at Nigerian Institute of Town Planners, Lagos State Chapter, Alausa, Ikeja.

L-R: seated, Seun Akioye, senior media officer, Centre for Communication and Social Impact; Cecil Blake, head of department, mass & media writing, School of Media and Communication, Pan-Atlantic University; Ikechukwu Obiaya, dean, school of media and communication, Pan-Atlantic University; Ruth Oji, faculty, school of media and communication, Pan-Atlantic University; Isaac Ezechukwu, director, professional education, school of media and communication, Pan-Atlantic University, and Chido Nwakanma, adjunct faculty, school of media and communication, Pan-Atlantic University, at the 10days training of journalists on solutions and data journalism

L-R: Ikechukwu Ahaneku, principal manager, investor education Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC); Nyigba John Ifechukwude, president, department of accountancy, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, and Muhammad Zayyanu Bandiya, principal manager, market development, Securities and Exchange Commission SEC, at the educational visit to SEC by the latter in Abuja. Pic by Tunde Adeniyi.

L-R: Natalia Kanem, executive director United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA); Toyin Saraki, founder/ president Wellbeing Foundation Africa, and Mary-Anne Etiebet, executive director, Merck For Mothers, at the 50th World Economic Forum, theme “When Women Lead: Change Happens” in Davos, Switzerland.

L-R: Igho Okor, vice-president of Lagos Country Club; Adeyemi Obalanlege, the Olota of Otta; Tajudeen Akande, president of the Club; Wale Osomo, and Kayode Moradeyo, both past presidents, at the 2020 New Year Party of the Club.

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NewsFeature Combined capacity of four ports in Delta surpasses other ports in Nigeria - Okowa Mercy Enoch, Asaba

bsence of functional port is seen to be frustrating the efforts being made to develop the non-oil exports sector in Delta State thereby killing moves and strategies that ought to help diversify the state’s economy, the South-South region and the nation at large. The state, which has four seaports in Burutu, Warri, Sapele and Koko, cannot boast of even one functional seaport, a situation that makes the people go to Apapa Port in Lagos only to be frustrated most times by unnecessary delays that result to huge wastages. To most importers and exporters, it’s hellish using Apapa Port because the port is overcongested. Therefore, they prefer Onne Port in Rivers State which they say is closer, safer and more conducive for them in terms of logistics. At the recent South-South Export Enlightenment and Sensitisation Summit held in Asaba, Delta State, seasoned exporters in the zone encouraged their fellows and prospective exporters to stop wasting their precious man hours and resources going to the west since the South-South has a functional and efficient seaport in Onne Rivers in the South-South zone. Shimite Bello and her team on export initiative, do not want a repeat of the horrible experiences they had months ago when they got a big shock as a result of the rejection of their shipment in London when cockroach was found in the container (not the Garri itself). Yes, it (the garri) was rejected and returned to Nigeria not because of the team’s fault but because cockroach entered the container within the period of long wait at the Apapa Port, which spanned through months. Shimite narrated painful experience her committee on export initiative passed through before they were fully attended to at the port. According to her, “It took months before the shipment could leave Apapa port. That was the third shipment since we began the exportation of Garri to London. The first and second shipments were accepted but the third shipment was rejected and returned to Nigeria. “This has taught me a big lesson not to go through Apapa again. We will now be exporting through Onne Port,” revealed Bello who is now the Executive Assistant to Delta State Governor on Export Initiative Development and Coordinator, DeltaUNIDO Centre, Issele-Uku. She said that during her stay in office as Executive Secretary,

Delta State Governor, Ifeanyi Okowa (right); Executive Director, NEPC, Olusegun Awolowo (2nd right); Managing Director NEXIM Bank, Abubakar Bello (left), and Secretary to State Government Delta State, Chiedu Ebie, during the governor’s arrival at the South-South Export Enlightenment in Asaba.

Delta State Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency (DEMSMA), a lot of youths who passed through the state’s job creation scheme were supported with loan to establish their enterprises but they are facing some challenges that have to do with more funding and other logistics to enable them produce, market and export their produce outside the shores of Nigeria. According to her, NEXIM’s sensitisation and enlighten forum would help them draw a lot of experience even as it would help relevant authorities know the problems plaguing the state and South-South region in terms of exports. Four ports make Delta and entire South-South a unique location. The state Governor, Ifeanyi Okowa, had in his address, noted that as with the national economy, the economies of the South-South states have been largely dependent on oil and gas sector. “Evidently, this distorted mono-product does not bode well for inclusive economic growth and sustainable development. Oil is depleting and, even more importantly, the advent of electric cars is a clear and present danger to the future of this industry. Hence, the urgent need for the governments of the region to expeditiously diversify the economy and maximise the non-oil export potentials of the region for accelerated economic development,” he said. “To achieve this, it is exigent that we first take full advantage

of our unique location. Our natural location in the coastal region puts us in a prime position to engage in Export-Import trade. Take Delta State, for instance. It has four seaports in Warri, Burutu, Sapele and Koko, which combined capacity exceeds that of all other ports in Nigeria put together. You can, therefore, imagine the quantum of trade and commerce, as well as the limitless possibilities that exist for investment and employment opportunities when just two of the ports are fully functional,” he further said. He noted that while the Federal Government has commenced the dredging of Escravos Bar for this purpose, the Delta State Government is taking steps to bring the Burutu Port back to life. “Located in Burutu Local Government, it was the first modern port in Nigeria and served as the hub for the movement of goods to and from Nigeria as well as distribution through the inland waterways to and from the hinterland of the north, central and eastern parts of the colonial era until it’s abandonment and eventual sale in 2006 to Skews Colmar Terminal Limited. Our administration is now forging strategic partnership with the company to develop the port. “Meanwhile, we are in the process of executing the LNG Export Terminal Project in partnership with the LNG Technology Pty Limited of South Africa for the production and export of LNG from Delta State to

South-Africa. The pre-feasibility study of the project has been concluded and the production of the bankable feasibility study is on-going.” Okowa calls for demonstration of political will to grow and develop South-South region: “The next big challenge for us in the South-South is to diversify the economy into the non-oil sector. Huge potential exists in the agriculture sector for export business. Again, using Delta as example, the state is blessed with mineral-rich vegetation, good ecology and fertile soil, in addition to having comparative advantage in aqua-culture, cassava, rice and oil palm farming.” He recalled how his administration in his first term set out to make agriculture a growth driver and reduce dependence on fluctuating oil earnings. “In addition to other interventions in the sector, we embarked on the pilot scheme of producing high quality, internationally certified Yellow Garri, which was successfully exported to the United Kingdom,” said Okowa. He said that the success story of the export initiative would not only deepen the agricultural value chain, adding that “we also believe that with strategic thinking, careful planning, focus and determination, we can change the current narrative. We are now prospecting for willing investors to come in and partner with the government to enhance the job and wealth creation impact of the Garri export initiative.”

FG changing the nonoil export narrative through NEXIM

bubakar Bello, Managing Director, NEXIM Bank, the organiser of the event, said the South-South Export Enlightenment Forum was organised by the bank to create a platform for engagement and useful exchange of views amongst exporters, bankers, policy makers, service providers and other stakeholders in the non-oil export sector. The key objective was to provide relevant market information and sensitise investors on huge but untapped opportunities in the Nigerian non-oil market. “In spite of being blessed with enormous agricultural, solid minerals and indeed human resources, Nigeria has remained a mono-product economy, with the oil and gas sector accounting for about 70 percent of government revenues and over 95 percent of export revenues.” This, he said, has continued to expose the country to the vagaries of global oil market. He said this development has culminated in the Federal Government led by Muhammadu Buhari, launching the Economic Recovery and Growth Plan (ERGP), with the key objective of diversifying the economy and promoting sustainable economic growth and development. A major aspect of the ERGP is the One State One Product (OSOP) programme which requires every state of the federation to develop at least one commodity of export significance towards economic diversification and industrial development at the sub-national levels. To support this programme, the NEXIM Bank being the Trade Policy Bank of Nigeria, also launched the State Export Development Programme and earmarked at least N1billion to promote the production and valueaddition of exportable commodities in every state of the federation. But stakeholders at the forum insisted that attention must be paid to the development of the seaports in the zone as well as provision of basic amenities like steady supply of electricity and good road networks, if economic diversification and industrial development would be a dream come-true.

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Sunday 09 February 2020

Feature My own don beta: Double dose of excitement for Port Harcourt residents TOCHI ONAH

hey say lightning does not strike in the same place twice. Nigeriaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s digital transformation leader is putting a lie to this assertion by storming Port Harcourt, the commercial hub of the South-South, a second time with its life-transforming promotion, Recharge and Win Big promo, dubbed My Own Don Beta. Recall that this promo was one of the defining events of last year after it was launched with uncommon aplomb in October. The promo rapidly assumed a life of its own and created unprecedented waves of excitement across the length and breadth of Nigeria, rocking major cities, including Port Harcourt, where hundreds of promo prizes were doled out to lucky customers who kept faith with the brand. Globacom made a return trip to Port Harcourt on Monday January 27, 2020, bearing with it lots of life-impacting prizes which were handed over to lucky winners at the popular Slaughter Market, Trans Amadi, Port Harcourt. The company followed this up, four days later, as it took brand new tricycles otherwise called keke NAPEP, industrial sewing machines, grinding machines and power generating sets to more winners in their community in Rumuokwurusi area of Port Harcourt. For about seven hours, the entire environment became charged with excitement as residents gathered to behold the unusual spectacle. Glo-branded canopies occupied a side of the busy East-West road. Young men and women donned in the green T-shirt of the company fanned into neighbouring houses to spread awareness and excitement. Two brand new tricycles painted in the neon green colour of Globacom stood in a corner of the arena, awaiting the moment that their new owners who are residents in the community would walk up and ride them home. Other categories of prizes conspicuously occupied another corner of the arena for people to admire before the lucky subscribers who had won them would cart them home. The community presentation was graced by Globacomâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Regional Manager, South-South, Augustine Mamuro, who led other Globacom officials to the venue, Nollywood actor, Victor Osuagwu, and prominent chiefs of the area, including Elder Christian Wuche and the Chief Security Officer of the community, Abiye Samuel, took time out to witness the historic occasion. Action commenced a little after 10am with a speech by Mamuro, informing the guests about what the event was all about. It was

/ 5 7RFKXNZX 1ZRVX *OREDFRP GHDOHU DQG &(2 RI =HSK &RPPXQLFDWLRQV 3DWLHQFH 2]RNZRU 0DPD * 1ROO\ZRRG VWDU DQG *OR LQĂ&#x20AC;XHQFHU DQG Ubon Â Anietie, Â a Â winner Â of Â a Â brand Â new Â tricycle Â from Â Akwa Â Ibom Â State, Â during Â the Â presentation Â of Â prizes Â to Â winners Â of Â Globacomâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Â Recharge Â and Â Win Â Big Â Promo Â in Â Abuja, Â recently.

followed by a goodwill message from Osuagwu and then a brief entertainment interlude wherein two professional dancers charmed the audience with carefully choreographed dance routines, complete with acrobatic displays. The presentations began in earnest shortly afterwards. As usual, the presentation of the tricycles was the high point of the event. The luckiest on this occasion were the duo of Joseph Omeke, a business man and Miss Dike Fortune Chinyere, a Project planner with a Construction company in Port Harcourt. An enthralled Joseph Omeke described the experience as both surreal and deserved, because according to him, he had been a faithful subscriber of Globacom for many years. Omeke said: â&#x20AC;&#x153;I was surprised to receive the call that I won. At the same time, I wasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t surprised that I won, because I have consistently patronised Globacom more than I have the other networks. I run an online betting business and have outlets all over Port Harcourt. I bought only Glo lines for all my operations and buy data for them right from this my phone here every month. In my experience Globacom has been the most stable and cost-efficient for a businessman like me, and I am not saying this because I have won something from Glo. This is my practical experience. And I think it is because of my patronage that I have won this keke. I think it is a well deserved reward for my loyalty.â&#x20AC;? The second keke winner, Miss Dike, in her own comments said she was shocked to receive a call from Globacom customer representative. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I was shocked because I did not know there was an on-going promo. I went online to check,â&#x20AC;? she said. According to her, many people around

her were taking more serious look at the promo now, following her win. â&#x20AC;&#x153;One of my bosses also said my winning a keke has reinforced his belief that people are winning and he said he would tell everybody that Glo promo is real!â&#x20AC;? she said, even as she promised to use the keke for business by getting somebody to ride it commercially. â&#x20AC;&#x153;For me, I say thank you to Glo and to Nigerians. I believe there is still hope!â&#x20AC;? she said. Other winners both at the Monday and Friday presentations spoke excitedly of their experiences winning various prizes from Globacom. Benjamin Peterson, a church worker in the Anglican Church who

...I was surprised to receive the call that I won. At the same time, I wasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t surprised that I won, because I have consistently patronised Globacom more than I have the other networks. I run an online betting business and have outlets all over Port Harcourt. I bought only Glo lines for all my operations and buy data for them right from this my phone here every month

lives in Eliozu town in Port Harcourt, said his winning had boosted his belief in the authenticity of the promo. He said the power generator he had won would be used in his home to provide living comfort for his family. Egboni Maxwell Kenneth from Ahoada East who also won a generator echoed the same sentiments. David Sunday Epelestima, a music producer, who also carted home a tricycle from the Monday presentation said the prize was Godâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s answer to his prayer for the money he needed to register his music production business. â&#x20AC;&#x153;This is like a dream come true. I will drive the Keke myself in order to maintain it well because if I give another person, he may spoil it,â&#x20AC;? he said. Grinding machine winner, Henry Anayochi said he would use the machine to support his sister. â&#x20AC;&#x153;It is a beautiful thing to know that as a subscriber, Glo is giving back to the society,â&#x20AC;? he said. An industrial sewing machine winner, Anene Chuje, who works as a building contractor in Aba, said he would give the machine to his brother who is a tailor to improve his sewing business. He expressed his appreciation to Globacom for positively impacting the life of his family. Onah Michael, a police inspector, who won a grinding machine, said his winning would help his wife and daughters to start a new stream of income to support the family. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I will give it to my wife and daughters to use. By putting it to use in the market; the proceeds will assist our domestic needs,â&#x20AC;? he said. The policeman, who said he never expected to win anything, advised Glo subscribers to endeavour to recharge their phones often so they could also stand a chance of winning

something. An entrepreneur, Iyari Ikhime, who won a sewing machine, said he would keep the sewing machine for his fashion business as he planned to go into fashion and designing. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Glo has been doing very well since inception and they should keep on doing what they do,â&#x20AC;? he admonished. Also speaking, the head of Port Harcourt Liaison Office, Nigerian Lottery Regulation Commission (NLRC), Kate Ibekwe, said Globacom had always complied with the commissionâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s regulations in its past promos, stressing that this latest one is no exception. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Glo has always been up to date with our standards, complied with all our regulations and has given out every item they promised. Glo is a good ambassador,â&#x20AC;? Ibekwe said. The Chairman of Keke Union in Trans Amadi, George Velvet, commended Globacom for the initiative. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We really appreciate this because it is empowerment for our people. We are happy with Glo,â&#x20AC;? he said. Also speaking, the Chairman, NURTW, Zoo Motor Park Branch, Trans Amadi, Port Harcourt, Julius Uzoma, said the promo was coming at the right time. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I want to say a very big thank you to the organisers of the promo and our own brother, the Chairman of Glo, for what he is doing for our people. Empowerment is what our people need at this present time. There is a lot of hardship in the land. With this empowerment, I know it will go a long way to easing the hardship amongst our people. I want to pray that God Almighty will give him the strength to go higher and do more for our people,â&#x20AC;? Uzoma said.

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Feature How influx of displaced persons, emerging slums are heightening security concerns in Abuja TONY AILEMEN, Abuja

buja, Nigeria’s erstwhile bustling federal capital is now facing intense pressures from growing insecurity occasioned by uncontrolled influx of displaced persons fleeing from the insurgents’ attacks in the far north. The situation is further compounded by overstretched infrastructure, lack of database of the “invaders”, poor monitoring mechanisms and lack of capacity to effectively police the city with an Area of 2,824 square miles or 7,315 square km. Ravaging insurgency in the northeast, communal clashes in Benue, Nasarawa, Plateau, Kaduna and attacks on communities in Niger, Zamfara and Katsina states have made Abuja a “safe haven” for displaced persons from those states. The FCT is bordered by Niger to the west and northwest and Kaduna State to the northeast, with Nasarawa to the east and south, and Kogi to the southwest. Abuja was designed to be federal capital and the first modern city to be planned in Nigeria, but the latest developments have made the dream, a mirage. Infrastructure is low due to poor budgetary allocations. For example, the FCT capital budget of about N160.1billion, approved under the 2020 appropriation year, is said to be weak when juxtaposed against needs assessments, even as N37billion out of this is set aside for the controversial renovation of the National Assembly complex, alone. The budget was designed to address critical areas of need for development, ensure improved living standards of inhabitants of FCT, cater for critical needs such as security, roads, water, health education and development of its satellite towns However, influx of these persons has contributed in pilling more pressures on the city’s infrastructure and also created strong security challenges The absence of infrastructure resulted in open defecation, amongst the several challenges, which 50percent of the residents engage in, according to a recent survey by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), in collaboration with UNICEF. Aside being the poverty capital of the world, Nigeria is said to be second in the world highest ranking of the number of people practising open def-

ecation, behind India and fear is that while India is already addressing the issue, Nigeria is still in a deep slumber and may overtake India sooner than later. Without any means of economic survival, many resort to self help, hawking anything from toothpicks to children toys, books, handkerchiefs, key holders, amongst others, during the day, while posing security threats at nights. Some “lucky” ones become emergency motorcycle operators, in the suburbs of the city. Among them, elderly men, women, children and the weak, resort to begging for alms, while some go into prostitution. With the recent ban on Keke and motorcycle operations within the city centre, many have relocated to the f r i n g e s , s u b u r b s a n d Ar e a Councils where they sleep in makeshift camps, open places, l i k e Mo s q u e s a n d m a r k e t places. Fears are that with the militants having a stronghold on Kaduna, a state that borders the FCT, it is only a matter of time before the entire FCT is overtaken by criminals. Already, out of the six Area Councils including Abaji, Kwali, Gwagwalada , Abuja Municipal, Kuje and Bwari, there has been increasing wave of kidnapping for ransom in Kuje, Abaji Bwari and Gwagwalada. The Minister of State for F C T, Ra m a t u Al i y u , w h i l e speaking on efforts to deal with the challenges, said the Ministry is embarking on programme to make FCT safe. “The FCT Police Command is working on security, but we are also working on plans for at least 5000 affordable housing units.

“ We h a v e s e c u r e d l a n d across the FCT, 30 hectares of land in each of the six Area Councils. 60 hectares are currently being developed and are at lintel levels at Karshi 1, with another 30 hectares at Karshi 11, where engineering infrastructure has been done. “We have taken cognisance of the need to provide basic infrastructural facilities for the growing population, giving priority to the issues of security, neighborhood centres, schools and primary healthcare delivery facilities. Aliyu revealed that FCTA has presidential mandate to ensure development of standard infrastructures comparable to what is obtainable globally in the Federal Capital Territory,” Aliyu said. She further said: “We also have comprehensive plans to co m plete w o rks o n the construction of 900 houses for Utako, Mabushi, Jabi, Jabi Akubo and Jabi Sabo-Maji; the infrastructure provisions are in progress for these areas. “In Wasa, construction of 700 houses will soon commence, Kuchingworo, Juqwai, Karamajiji, Tunga- Maje, lukogoma, Dutse, Galadinmawa, will be done in phases. “There are plans that by 2021, about 462 hectares of land will be developed for the relocation of the original i n h a b i t a n t s o f t h e Ka b u s a community.” In the areas of education, the minister disclosed that plans are on to renovate primary schools, embarked on community sensitisation and advocacy to take away children from the streets. Aliyu said: “We have commenced the school feeding programme in the FCT as part of efforts to make education

more attractive to both parents and pupils. “We have set up an enforcement team for the mandatory Universal Basic Education enrollment programme that will go a long way to taking these children away from our streets. Job creation for the teeming citizens coming to Abuja daily is also top on our priority agenda.” According to her, “We are working at promoting tourism and the Jabi Lake is our first place to begin from. We will float restaurants; swimming pools around Jabi, boats clubs and ancillary services that will create jobs, for teeming youths in the area.” She further disclosed that the FCT has engaged consultants to work out comprehensive “waste to wealth” policy, massive environmental sanitation workforce to engage the youth. The minister said that the FCTA is at the verge of concluding plans for the construction of public toilets. Th e Ex e c u t i v e Di r e c t o r, Civil Society Legislative Adv o c a c y Ce n t e r ( C I S L AC ) , Auwal Ibrahim (Rafsanjani), expressed fears about the security situation in Abuja , describing it as “alarming.” According to him, “corruption in the sector has made insecurity lucrative.” Ibrahim, who reiterated calls on President Muhammadu Buhari to restructure the nation’s security architecture, said: “No responsible Nigerians want to serve in the current security set up. With official endorsement of extortion, we really need to do a drastic reforms in the sector. “They lack personnel and are overwhelmed, they lack appropriate gadgets to screen vehicles, detect arms, yet they are compromised. “The recruitment process has been commercialised. You pay to get enlisted, you pay to get juicy posting, yet you must make returns to your bosses. Within the FCT, the police are aware of drug centres, but they turn away from arresting the drug peddlers,” he said. He also attributed the crave for self-protection, community policing, as the direct result of the rots in the nation’s security system, but warned that state governments must not be allowed to abuse the policy. “State police, or community police are desirable, but they must be regulated to avoid turning them into militias the governors can turn into thugs for prosecuting elections because they will be grooming a new set of criminals at the grassroots,” he said.

2020 World Cancer Day: Ikpeazu says healthy habits surest way of avoiding cancer UDOKA AGWU, Umuahia

kechi Ikpeazu, wife of Abia State governor, founder and president of Vicar Hope Foundation, has expressed her worries about the lifestyle of a lot of Nigerians, noting that healthy habits remain the sure way to avoid cancer. In a statement to mark the global cancer awareness day, Ikpeazu said eating healthily, maintaining a healthy weight, regular physical workouts, avoiding tobacco use, abhorring risky sexual behaviours, and undergoing constant medical checkup are some of the ways to reduce chances of cancer. “Global statistics show that every year about 9.6 million people die from cancer. Shockingly, at least one of every three cancer is preventable, while low middleincome countries are responsible for 70 percent of cancer deaths,” the statement said. The Abia first lady disclosed that last year, her foundation was able to expand its coverage of breast cancer, through VHF Diagnostics Centre as the Foundation took delivery of a 2D Senographe Imaging Mammography machine adjudged one of the best around the part of the country. “With this machine, we are able to do better breast screening for potential breast cancer, detect it early and have the patients undergo treatment and management. We offered free breast cancer screening for women using the mammography machine for several days. Sadly, the number of women that responded during the period of the free service was highly unimpressive. But we are determined to continue to raise the consciousness and awareness until our people are able do the right thing,” she said. According to her, “Going forward, one of the major health campaigns Vicar Hope Foundation will carry out is in the area of breast cancer awareness. However, Vicar Hope Foundation has continued to offer free clinical breast examination every workday since October 2019 with four cases of discovered with lumps in breast that could potentially have become breast cancer, with one successful operation carried out as a result of it,” she added.

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Sunday 09 February 2020

Feature

Why South-South needs to develop non-oil resources, by NEXIM Bank

OBINNA EMELIKE

ith the huge crude oil deposits in the South South geopolitical zone of the country, one would have thought that by now the zone would been ranking among advanced cities in the world, in terms of infrastructural development and impressive gross domestic product (GDP). The oil-rich zone is truly not where it should be in overall development because of the dependence on oil revenue, which is also the mainstay of the Nigerian economy. However, the over dependence on crude dollar has made the zone to neglect its abundant non-oil resources, which could boost its export products and earnings beyond oil. The neglect has also made NEXIM Bank to organise an Exporter Enlightenment Forum for the South-South Geopolitical Zone, to enable the bank point to the stakeholders in India the zone, the non-oil resources that are viable export products if developed. At the forum, which held in Asaba , Delta State, from January 28-30, 2020, Abba Bello, managing director/CEO, NEXIM Bank, explained that apart from crude oil, the zone is also rich in other resources such as agricultural products, solid minerals, manufacturing and services, particularly hospitality and tourism. Ac c o r d i n g t o Be l l o, t h e forum, which held on the theme,’’Maximizing Export Potentials in the South-South Region for Economic Growth’, brings to fore the viability of the non-oil resources across the zone, while attracting investment needed to develop them and accelerate the growth and development of the zone at the long run. For Bello, sustained investments in the non-oil sector in the region would help in reducing the country’s over dependence on the crude oil sector, which currently contributes about 70 percent of government revenues and 95 percent of export revenues. Hence, he urged the zone to seek right collaborations to harness the resources and accelerate its development. Explaining further on the reason to develop the resources, the NEXIM Bank CEO, said, “While the recent episode of oil price slump, which triggered economic recession in

Ifeanyi Okowa, governor, Delta State, and Godwin Obaseki, governor, Edo State, flanked by Abba Bello, MD/CEO NEXIM Bank, and Segun, Awolowo, CEO NEPC, at the forum.

Nigeria from 2016 to 2017 is still fresh in our memory, unfolding developments suggest that our country may once again be faced with oil revenue volatility in the current year, given the outbreak of coronavirus in China and trade war between major global players is expected to impact negatively on global oil demand, amongst other factors”. Considering the volatility in the global oil market, the NEXIM Bank boss suggested that Nigeria, especially the SouthSouth region should seek to explore other untapped resources such as solid minerals, which are spread across the region in commercial quantities, as well as, improve on the phenomenal growth in the service sector over the years, among other sectors in order to create a well-diversified economy that would be resilient in the wake of global economic shocks. As expected, most of the exporters noted that funds have been one of their major challenges in fully harnessing the non-oil resources in the zone. But Bello said NEXIM Bank is offering the exporters help through the bank’s State Export Development Programme, which earmarked at least N1 billion per state towards promoting regional industrialisation and economic diversification at the state levels. With the combined strength

of the states in the zone, he noted that there is enough funding from the export development programme. “While the fund is targeted at supporting export oriented projects that are promoted by the private sector, the state governments are expected to play catalytic roles, through provision of land, issuance of necessary permits and other incentives as may be required”,

“

Oil is a depleting resource and, even more importantly, the advent of electric cars is a clear and present danger to the future of this industry

he said. Another incentive to aid exporters in the region to boost their business, according to Bello, is the regional Sealink project, under which the Bank is facilitating the establishment of a regional shipping company through a Public Private Partnership (PPP) arrangement, to promote trade, as well as, mitigate the transport and logistics challenges that have increased the cost of trade in the regional market. “Of recent we also signed a tripartite MOU between us, the Sealink company and NIWA (Nigerian Inland Waterways Authority) towards the operation of the sealink in the Nigerian inland waterways to facilitate movement of bulk cargo, particularly in the solid minerals sector, thus unlocking the opportunities in the sector and enhancing the contributions of solid minerals to export revenues by at least US$1billion, annually”, he disclosed. The NEXIM boss said that other incentives include the NEXIM partnership with Afreximbank to implement the Nigeria African Trade and Investment Promotion Programme (NATIPP), for which US$1 billion has been earmarked to support the growth of trade between Nigeria and other African countries, within the context of deepening intra-regional trade as well as

promote investment activities within the African region. Again, the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), is another incentive and enabler, which exporters in the zone should take advantage of. He assured that exported can boost their earnings by engaging in West African and continental trades, especially now that AfCFTA sets to take off in July this year. “The free trade area, which creates a single market of about 1.2billion people and a combined GDP of about $3.5trillion will provide enormous trading opportunities for our SMEs and position Nigeria to attract investments, particularly within the context of the regional and global value chains. I will therefore expect every state here present to use the opportunity of this event to highlight their economic potentials towards attracting investments, particularly into the non-oil export sectors”, he urged. Also, in line with its strategic plan for 2018-2022, the bank, according to him, has also allocated at least 60 percent of its intervention to support intraAfrican trade and promoting several key initiatives targeted at facilitating regional trade. Having seen the efforts and readiness of NEXIM Bank at helping South South zone to develop its non-oil resources, Ifeanyi Okowa , governor of Delta State, urged exporters across the zone to wake up to the reality of volatility of oil and seek alternative earnings through development and export of other resources. “Oil is a depleting resource and, even more importantly, the advent of electric cars is a clear and present danger to the future of this industry. Hence, the urgent need for the governments in the Niger Delta region to expeditiously diversify the economy and maximise our non-oil export potentials for accelerated economic development”, Governor Okowa said. He committed to collaborating with all stakeholders to ensure improve earnings from non-oil resources, noting that there are efforts at improving four seaports in Warri, Burutu, Sapele and Koko, which combined capacity exceeds that of all the other ports in Nigeria put together. Other states, participants and agencies also benefited at the forum, especially taking advantage of the incentives NEXIM Bank is providing.

Sunday 09 February 2020

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Ogun Watch Ogun creates ministry of transportation, rejigs ministerial operations of two ministries

Stories by RAZAQ AYINLA

or effective serv i c e d e l i v e r y, Ogun State Government has created a new Ministry of Transportation, as well as approved new names for two of its Ministries, as the Ministry of Commerce and Industry would now be known as the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment, while that of the Ministry of Urban and Physical Planning was changed to Physical Planning and Urban Development. Th e C o m m i s s i o n e r for Industry, Trade and

Investment, Kikelomo Lo n g e , w h o d i s c l o s e d this to newsmen while s p e a k in g o n b e h a lf o f t h e St a t e ’s e x e c u t i v e members, shortly after the inaugural Executive Council Meeting, held at the Executive Chambers in Abeokuta, added that three new agencies, Ogun State Planning and Development Permit Authority (OGPDPA), Ogun State Building Production Management Authority (OGBPMA), as well as Ogun State Slum Regeneration Authority (OGSRA) were also approved to commence operation, under the Ministry of Physical

Planning and Urban Development. Longe pointed out that the new Ministry of Transportation was established to sanitise the transportation sector and ensure adequate monitoring and effectiveness of road, rail, sea and air transport systems, saying, ‘’we also approved the Constitution of the Ogun State Tenders’ Board, in line with our commitment to ensure proper, qualitative and focused governance”. Sp e a k i n g o n h e a l t h care delivery, the Commissioner assured that Government would not allow its citizens to be devoured by communi-

cable diseases, such as the ongoing Coronavirus and Lassa Fever, saying the present administration would continuously ensure active advocacy on health awareness on communicable diseases, as it was poised to continue to bring investment into the State and also make the environment conducive. She added that Government was aware of the growing concerns about multiple taxation and perceived duplication of various charges, noting that the Executive Council has called for synergy and approved an initiative to harmonize revenue.

R-L: Bukola Smith, executive director, business bevelopment, FCMB; Bamidele Abiodun, Ogun state first lady; Salimot Badru, former deputy governor, Ogun state; Alaba Lawson former president, NACCIMA and Sola Arobieke, special adviser to Ogun state governor on commerce and industry at one-day empowerment programme held in Abeokuta for 150 women entrepreneurs organised by FCMB and Ogun State Office of First Lady.

FCMB rolls out interest-free loans in Ogun to empower business women

fast-growing financial services provider, First City Monument Bank (FCMB) Limited, has launched interest-free credit facilities in Ogun state where 40 business women will be empowered with interestfree loans on quarterly basis as part of effort to boost economic activities, especially among the operators of micro, small and medium-size enterprises in the state and Southwest. FCMB stretches its credit coverage and credit bouquets to Ogun state by partnering the Office of the First Lady with a view to empowering and improving business women’s knowledge, capacity, skills and prerequisites that could help businesses grow, having reached out to over 2,000 women businesses in the last one year, across the states of the country. The training is an extension of Micro, Small and Mediumscale Entrepreneurs (MSME)

Clinic earlier designed and held for thousands of entrepreneurs drawn from all the three Senatorial districts of the state as being coordinated by the Office of Special Adviser to Governor Dapo Abiodun on Commerce and Industry, Sola Arobieke, where federal and state agencies such as Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) and Ogun State Internal Revenue Service (OGIRS) are involved to mentor women entrepreneurs. Speaking at a bilateral mentorship program tagged, ‘She Ventures’, organised by Ogun state government and FCMB in Abeokuta , the capital of Ogun state on Wednesday, Bukola Smith, executive director, Business Development, FCMB, said that the training program which has the theme: “Supporting Women Businesses to Scale Up in 2020”, is one of the several empowerment

programs devised by FCMB to boost MSME activities and stimulate the economy. Smith, who highlighted some benefits of ‘She Ventures’ which include zero percent -interest business loans for the 40 business women at every three months in addition to regular crediting; training and mentorship programs; networking opportunities; three months free banking, among others, noted that the soft loans are a game-changer initiative established to empower women folks. Also speaking at the event, Sola Arobieke, Special Adviser to Governor Dapo Abiodun on Commerce and Industry, explained that State government would involve in the selection process as part of measures to ensure that the loans are used for what are meant for and not diverted, saying that the 40 women beneficiaries would not only have interest-free loans, but also collateral- free.

We’ll continue to create enabling atmosphere for investments, businesses to thrive - Abiodun

overnro Dapo Ab i o d u n h a s reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to ensuring that individuals and companies that choose to set up shop in the state continue to excel, saying there will be massive investments in agriculture from both public and private entities. Governor Abiodun, who made this known in his office at Oke-Mosan in Abeokuta when he received the management of Agropark Development Company Limited, said that his administration would continue to support individuals and companies that show a level of commitment that will help the state create wealth for its young people, as well as create more agric entrepreneurs. Abiodun, who also noted that the management of the company couldn’t have come at a better time, added that his administration is deeply committed to reducing the rate of unemployment through agriculture. “Let me assure you that you couldn’t have met the government of Ogun state at a better time. This is an administration that is deeply committed to the promotion of the agric sector. This administration will give everybody that shows the level of commitment that you have shown and demonstrates the level of capacity that you demonstrated. “We will give that entity

as much support as we can. We will throw our weight behind that entity. We will promote that entity. We will support that entity, so you have all the assurances of this Government. Whatever that you need us to do for you that will help you fully achieve your goal, rest assured, we will do that for you,” he said. The Governor, who disclosed that the success story of the company is a testimony to the fact that Ogun state is the state to be because of its vast land, the people and the weather that can grow almost everything, added that it is the belief of the present administration in the State that the agric sector is truly the sector to prioritise because it has the capacity to create employment opportunities, generate revenue and also contribute towards the food security agenda of the Country. “I must say that one cannot but be impressed. Your success story so far is a testimony to what we have continued to preach - that Ogun State is the place to be and that we have the land, we have the people and the weather to grow almost everything. It also underscores our firm belief in the fact that the agric sector is the sector to prioritise because it allows us to create employment, it allows us to generate revenue, it allows us to contribute our own to the food security agenda of this administration,” he said.

Ogun reverses 75 Coronet Obas’ appointments

gun State Executive Council at its first sitting Thursday approved the revocation of the appointments of 75 minor chiefs who were elevated to Coronet Obas by the past administration in the State. This is sequel to the report of Oba Kehinde Olugbenleled Chieftaincy Review Committee’s report submitted to the government which faulted the process of the chiefs’ elevation. Addressing newsmen after the meeting held at the Executive Council Chambers, Governor’s Office, OkeMosan, Abeokuta, the State Commissioner for Industry, Trade and Investment, Kikelomo Longe, said the revocation was in consonance with the legal notice number three of 2019. “The Council approved the revocation of the appointments of 75 minor chiefs as Coronet Obas in Legal notice number three of 2019,” she said.

The Industry, Trade and Investment Commissioner disclosed that a new, Ministry of Transportation, saddled with the responsibility of handling road, rail, air and sea transport systems in the State, has been created. She also revealed that three new agencies under the Ministry of Physical Planning and Urban Development, namely, Ogun State Planning and Development Permit Authority, Ogun State Building Production Management Authority and Ogun State Slum Regeneration Authority have also been created. She informed of the Council’s decision to rename two ministries. The Ministry of Commerce and Industry, she said, would now be known as Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment and Ministry of Urban and Physical Planning, has been renamed the Ministry of Physical Planning and Urban Development. “The Council also approved the constitution of

theOgunStateTendersBoard in line with the administration’s commitment to ensure qualitative and focused governance”, she added. While stressing the desire of the administration for all agencies to work as a team, Longe said approval was given for an increased synergy amongst the various Ministries, Departments and agencies in response to growing concerns about multiple taxation, perceived duplication of various charges and consequently emplaced an initiative to harmonise revenuereceivingmechanismsin the state to avoid duplication. Longe said government agreed on the need for active advocacy on health awareness on communicable diseases like coronavirus and Lassa fever, adding that roadmaps presented by CommissionersforIndustry,Tradeand Investment,physicalPlanning and Urban Development as well as Budget and Planning were extensively reviewed and approved.

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Sunday 09 February 2020

Politics 2023: Minority political parties opt for PDP’s proposed merger despite INEC’s deregistration

Solomon Ayado, Abuja

espite the deregistration of some political parties by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), minority political parties are still readily opting for the proposed merger by the mega opposition party, the People’s Democratic Party (PDP). The PDP recently revealed plans to pull political strength with other minority political parties to enable it oust the All Progressives Congress (APC) in 2023. Uche Secondus, national chairman of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) revealed in an interview that the party will possibly merge with other political parties to open window for it to remove the APC from power. Secondus, while fielding questions from newsmen on the merger, said: “Why not, when the time comes, if there is need for us to pull our resources and pull our strength together, it can happen, it is possible. Our focus is in making sure that our party is strong and viral and ready to win election.” However, investigations have shown that the minority political parties are already in talks with the PDP over the proposed merger. Ugochinyere Imo, spokesperson of the coalition of United Political Parties (CUPP) said in an interview that the minority political parties are ready for merger and that talks are ongoing on the matter, despite the deregistration of the political parties by INEC. According to him, negotiations are already on, although informally, but that the CUPP will soon make public its official position on the matter, when negotiations are concluded. “Discussions on the merger have been on informally and were on before the issue of party deregistration by INEC came and because of that, we have just been informed that key opposition leaders are planning to be meeting. “You know that the opposition leaders are members of the deregistered parties. It is after this meeting that the issues of deregistration and merger will be discussed and from there I will be authorised to speak on the final position,” Ugochinyere informed. The merger, apart from being a strategy to remove the APC from government in 2023, it will also serve as propeller to bring together opposition political parties. Retrospectively, the last time there was merger of political parties, was before the 2015 general election. The then major opposition party, the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) pulled together political forces with other parties such as the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), a faction of the All Peoples Grand Alliance (APGA), and some aggrieved PDP members, among others. The merger was what culminated into APC which today, is in power. The merger did not only give the APC a political breakthrough but equally succeeded in

Uche Secondus

electing President Muhammadu Buhari as President of Nigeria. Before the merger, Buhari was presidential candidate of the CPC and had failed to win election under the platform. At the moment, political watchers are of the views that if the PDP merge with other political parties, it may easily layoff the APC from power, same way it did to PDP in 2015. Of course, politics they say is a game and the gimmicks, the maneuverings and scheming that goes with it, is all for interest, no matter the difference in political party affiliation. Fact also is that democracy would lose its meaning if it foreclosed the free expression and association by its adherents, especially when it involves taking over power from a ruling administration. Until now, there were 92 political parties before the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) few days ago, deregistered 74, pulling down the total number of political parties to 18. Reason for the deregistration, according to INEC was due to the lackluster performance of the parties in the 2019 general election. Mahmood Yakubu, chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) while briefing newsmen in Abuja, explained that the decision of the electoral umpire to deregister the political parties was in line with the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria as well as the Electoral Act 2010 (as amended). According to him, only 18 out of Ni-

geria’s 92 registered political parties escaped deregistration. Those that escaped deregistration are: Accord Party, Action Alliance, African Action Congress, African Democratic Congress, African Democratic Party and All Progressives Congress. Others are All Progressives Grand Alliance, Allied Peoples Movement, Labour Party, New Nigeria Peoples Party and National Rescue Movement. Also, the Peoples Democratic Party, Peoples Redemption Party, Social Demo-

The INEC knew what it did. It is already aware that the parties are ready to merge with PDP and it would be dangerous for the APC in 2023 and that is why it may have deregistered the parties

cratic Party, Young Progressive Party, and Zenith Labour Party were not deregistered. However, Mahmood further stated that one of the parties, Action Peoples Party was “technically” not deregistered following a court order restraining INEC from doing so pending the determination of its case by the court. Also, “the new political party, Boot Party, BP which was registered by a Court order after the 2019 general elections will continue to exist, bringing Nigeria’s registered political parties now to 18.” For stakeholders in the PDP, the deregistration is not coming at the best of times. The number of political parties has reduced and so it implies that the political strength of the minority parties is also weakened. Kola Ologbondiyan, national publicity secretary of the PDP, is yet to avail official position of the party on the matter, at the time of this report. Investigations further show that the deregistration of the political parties may not be unconnected to the insinuation that the APC administration may have realised, that if PDP is allowed to merge with other parties, it would threaten the chances of the ruling party ahead of 2023 hence the need for INEC to scrap the parties. A source told our correspondent that the leadership of APC had got wind of the proposal by the opposition parties to merge, and so decided to use the INEC to scuttle the plan. According to the source, the other minority parties that are not scrapped by INEC do not have strongholds, as well as without very prominent persons that can mobilise. “The INEC knew what it did. It is already aware that the parties are ready to merge with PDP and it would be dangerous for the APC in 2023 and that is why it may have deregistered the parties. Nigerians have been clamoring that the parties are too many and should be reduced. Why did it take INEC that long to scrap them? Why is it coming when plans are up for merger? Well, that is the beauty of politics but events will tell,” the source said. But some key actors within the APC ranks have got contrary view on the claim. They concurred with INEC position that its action was backed by law and does not in any way amount to political motive. Niyi Akinsuji, chairman of the Buhari Media Organisation (BMO), said the pruning down of parties to a manageable size is a good development towards sanitising the nation’s electoral process. “Personally, I have been an advocate of the need to audit and trim the numbers of registered parties that are able to put forward political contestants at elections. “Though we are yet to be availed the legal grounds on which the Independent National Electoral Commission de-registered these parties, on the face value, it is a required move to sanitise the nation’s electoral processes and political environment,” he said.

Sunday 09 February 2020

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Politics Amid controversies, NASS, FCT keep mum on how N37bn will be used to renovate Assembly complex

James Kwen, Abuja mid controversies that greeted the allocation, both the National Assembly and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) could not explain to Nigerians how the N 37 billion appropriated for the renovation of the National Assembly in the 2020 budget would be spent. This is as the 2020 Appropriation Act sighted by BusinessDay did not capture the item by item or aspects of the intended renovation and the corresponding sums allocated. According to the FCT Administration National Priority Budget published in volume one of the Appropriation Act 2020, there is no breakdown of the N37 billion allocated for the renovation of National Assembly Complex, unlike other capital projects. With the N37billion lumped as the amount for the renovation of National Assembly Complex, one cannot tell, whether critical projects such as the evoting platform in each of the Chambers is included. There was hue and cry by Nigerians, including lawmakers when the 2020 budget was passed and signed into law by the National Assembly and President Muhammadu Buhari with N 37 billion allocated to the renovation of National Assembly Complex. The building of the National Assembly Complex under former President Olusegun Obasanjo administration had cost N7 billion, making the cost of renovation N30 billion higher than the cost of building. Venting it’s anger on appropriation, the main opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) had said it was indefensible for the Buhari Presidency to propose a whopping N37 billion for renovation work on the National Assembly complex, which was built at the cost of N7 billion naira. PDP insisted that the over 500 percent padding of the original construction cost is completely insupportable even with the prevailing costs and exchange rate regime. Kola Ologbondiyan, PDP National Publicity Secretary had in a statement noted that the “development that has already spurred public outcry and apprehensions of plots to divert the fund for political interests of certain APC leaders”. The party insisted that such corruption was unacceptable in a nation confronted by alarming economic downturn, extreme poverty, hunger, decayed infrastructure and security challenges. “The over-bloated renovation figure is therefore not only sacrilegious but also further confirms that the APC-led administration is overtly corrupt and only out to steal, drain and divert our national resources for selfish purposes of certain individuals in the present administration.” “The N37billion is embedded in the budget of the Federal Capital Develop-

ment Authority (FCDA) as approved by President Buhari, which leaves the burden of explanation on Mr. President’s doorsteps. “We, therefore, charge President Buhari to demonstrate the integrity of his approval by immediately publishing a detailed breakdown of the renovation project in line with his recent directives to Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs). “President Buhari is challenged to immediately publish the details of the individual renovation lines, amount and reason for each payment as well as the contractors, beneficiaries and payment patterns for Nigerians to see, if indeed the money has not been detailed for diversion. “The party charge the National Assembly to stand on the side of the people by using its statutory legislative instruments to thoroughly scrutinize the FCDA budget and eliminate all embedded padding designed to fleece our nation”, PDP demanded. Also, Akin Alabi, a member of the House of Representatives on the platform of APC, representing Egbeda/Ara Federal Constituency of Oyo State said on Twitter that there is no reason to appropriate such outrageous funds on the renovation of the National Assembly Complex. “I see no reason why we should spend N37b renovating the National Assembly. Yes, we need an upgrade on some aspects like the electronic systems (sound system, voting system etc) as they are outdated but N37b? No. Let’s spend that on our schools and hospitals.” Also, Ochilegor Idagbo, a PDP member of the House of Representatives, representing Bekwarra/Obanliku/ Obudu Federal Constituency of Cross River said the National Assembly Complex needs no renovation that would cost the country N37 billion. “As a member of @nassnigeria , I don’t believe that the complex needs any renovation that would cost the country N37bn. We need more upgraded classrooms and hospitals to cater for

the Nigerian people”, Idagbo had said on his tweet handle. Idayat Hassan, Director of the Centre for Democracy and Development had said in an interview with BusinessDay that it is sinful for the National Assembly to consider, let alone pass the N37 billion as part of her appropriation. Hassan declared that it is stealing in broad daylight and probably the biggest budget padding scheme and wondered why the government of the day raised no eyebrow and allowed that to sail through. “One, the government has to realize that Nigeria is no longer an oil country, two, the country is gradually going toward insolvency, with the monumental loan we have incurred and still incurring. “Proposing what can build a new complex is nothing short of calling Nigeria and Nigerians stupid. I just hope all the outcry by the public does not go unheeded by these representatives. It seems they have stopped representing us the Nigerians”, she maintained. This development had also pushed the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP), BudgIT, Enough is Enough (EiE) and 583 concerned Nigerians to file a suit asking the court to stop President Buhari and Zainab Ahmed, Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning from releasing N37 billion allocated for the renovation of the National Assembly Complex until an impact assessment of the spending is conducted. The groups were also seeking an order to stop Senate President Ahmad Lawan; Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila and the Federal Capital Development Agency from demanding or collecting the N37billion earmarked for the renovation of the Complex. In the suit filed at the Federal High Court, Abuja the plaintiffs argued that although the National Assembly Complex should be a safe and conducive environment for those working there, spending N37 billion to renovate it is not commensurate with the constitutional

commitments to public services and goods; decreasing public revenues and increasing level of debts and the poor economic as well as social realities in the country. They argued that spending N37 billion to renovate the National Assembly Complex is self-serving, wrongful, illegal and unconstitutional expenditure of public funds, as it means less money for educating millions of out-of-school Nigerian children, providing access to clean water and healthcare to Nigerians or repairing the country’s roads and bridges. The 583 concerned Nigerians who also joined the suit as co-plaintiffs in the suit filed by Kolawole Oluwadare and Opeyemi Owolabi said lawmakers are public officers who have sworn the constitutional oaths of office to perform their respective duties in the interest of Nigerian citizens. The co-plantiffs asserted that the refusal of President Buhari to object to the Budget/Appropriation Bill containing a huge N37 billion on renovation of the National Assembly complex is a gross violation of the constitution and existing laws in Nigeria. “The National Assembly complex was reportedly constructed at the cost of $35.18 Million USD in 1999 and N40.2 Billion Naira was budgeted in December 2013 for the construction of phase III of the National Assembly Complex and renovation of the first and second phases of the complex. “The present-day economic reality in Nigeria includes chronic poverty amongst a high percentage of citizens and the inability of many state governments to pay salaries of workers and pensions. Unless the reliefs sought are granted, the Defendants will take benefit of the allocated N37 billion at the expense of many Nigerians living in poverty. “The crux of the Plaintiffs’ argument is better expressed in the question: Why should the nation spend so much on a building when there are other important areas of national infrastructure that can be developed in order to affect a greater number of citizens?”, they queried. However, Rawlings Agada, Director of Information, National Assembly stated that the sum of N37 billion approved for the renovation of the National assembly complex may not be enough for the work even as he did not Agada in a recent chat with some journalists in Abuja said the complex is in shambles, disclosing that the National Assembly Dome had been leaking for many years. “That National Assembly needed a lot of work and I don’t think even that amount of money can take care of all those things because even the dome has been leaking and there is fear that if the repairs are not done, we might suffer greater problems in the future. “That is just that because I don’t have the details of the budget but I am aware that there is a lot that needs to be done,” he said.

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Elections are meaningless under the present system - Sonaiya Remi Sonaiya, a former presidential candidate in the 2015 general election and a professor of French Language and Applied Linguistic at the Obafemi Awolowo University, in this exclusive interview with INIOBONG IWOK, talks about the proposed electoral reforms, the Imo State gubernatorial election judgment by the Supreme Court, among other issues in the polity. Excerpt: The process of the amendment of the 2010 Electoral Act has begun; INEC last Thursday delisted 74 smaller parties; what is your take? greed, there is no doubt, having seventy or more political parties on the ballot is wasteful; is expensive; it is confusing for a lot of people. But I don’t think they should impose PDP or APC on us because many of us believe that they are the same party. They are just a group of people who are just mismanaging the country and taking advantage of the resources of the country to win elections. They take money from the government and they are using that money to win elections. What gives them that right over the money that belongs to everybody, than the rest of us? So, they keep saying that the smaller parties are not making impact, but you are using the money of the country to buy votes; you give people N5, 000, N10, 000 or more. And because they know that Nigerians are poor they deliberately keep the people poor so that they can buy their votes. Now, they are saying that the smaller parties are not performing, if we had a level playing ground, if they are not using the state funds, if they are not being paid very huge salaries, if all of us compete in a level-playing-field, do you think all of us would not make an inroad? So, I don’t agree at all, they don’t have the moral right to say the smaller parties are just crowding the field. Yes, we need to sit down and talk about the system, but the thing is they are being elected through corruption; they are not being elected in a fair manner, that is the reality.

we have to query the Supreme Court on that Judgment.

What is your take on the security situation in the country; there is the popular view that President Buhari is not doing enough. Do you agree? Obviously, he is not doing enough. Look at the way IPOB was dealt with and IPOB did not kill anybody, they did not burn down villages but they unleash Operation Piton Dance on them; how come that kind of resolve has not been shown in dealing with other security challenges? I mean the herdsmen, the Boko Haram terrorising our people? How can we say justice has been done when you unleash the strength of the security forces to tackle the situation in some areas and not in some areas?

Remi Sonaiya

Part of the agitations is for electronic voting; what is your take? In fact, without having electronic voting, digital voting or anything close to that is why there can be rigging and so on. The system can be compromised. Let a group of independent innovative thinkers look at the situation in Nigeria. Nigeria is said to be one of the most innovative countries in the world with the highest number of mobile phones, can we not use that to our advantage in voting? But they want to keep us to their advantage. What they want is to continue using a system that would ensure rigging and I think it is time to say no to all of that.

What is your take on the recent Imo State gubernatorial election Supreme Court judgment? I don’t understand it. I reacted like many Nigerians did because I don’t understand how somebody got all the votes which were not counted earlier. So, when they counted and added his votes, it happened that all the people in the constituency voted only for this man. It is surprising; is it not? And this is a party that has no single vote in the state House of Assembly election, but they voted for him in the governorship election; are they making us fool or what? Now, somebody who was third in the primaries was now given the governorship election,

What is your take on calls for zoning of the presidency to the South in 2023? I don’t believe in it at all; we need competent people to run our affairs, but by the way I am one of the people who are hoping that we would not have to run election again under the current system because it is clear that the current system is not working. For me, I think we need a change; I am one of the people calling for restructuring of the country. What I mean is a return to federal state, where the central would not be so powerful to control the resources of the country. Is that possible, even the North and President Buhari do not believe in it? I don’t know, but that is what I want. It is my opinion and that is what I want to see take place. I believe in competence and merit. I am not for zoning that cannot lead us anywhere.

Minimum wage: Oyo govt, Labour sign agreement …NLC, TUC express trust in Makinde REMI FEYISIPO, Ibadan

yo State Government and the Organised Labour on Wednesday reached an agreement on the N30,000 minimum wage passed into law by the Federal Government in 2019. The pact was reached following a meeting between the State government’s delegation and the organised Labour. The new Minimum wage according to the agreement takes effect from January 2020. Secretary to the Government of Oyo State (SSG), Olubamiwo Adeosun, who chaired the State’s Minimum Wage Implementation Committee, broke the news of the pact reached between Labour and Oyo State Government Wednesday evening. She said: “We have just signed an agreement and the highlight of the agreement signed is that the least paid worker in Oyo State will earn over N30,000 monthly, in agreement with the minimum wage signed at the federal level. “We also agreed with our colleagues

all on the table here on the consequential adjustment required as a result of that minimum wage, which has also been agreed and reached.” “We just reached a landmark point in the administration of Governor Seyi Makinde today. In the past few weeks, you would probably have been aware that we have been negotiating based on the agreement reached at the federal level on the minimum wage and the consequential adjustment for the workers in Oyo State. “It has been a long process because we have had to look deeply into the books and all the factors required to ensure that even as we sign this agreement today, we get an agreement that is sustainable, agreeable and affordable for the Government and the people of Oyo State. “So, I am happy to let all of us know that an agreement has been reached. It has been a lot of discussions, suggestions and innovative ideas on how we can move Oyo State to truly become the Pacesetter State that it is meant to be in the last few weeks,” she further said. In their joint response to the new agree-

ment, the organised Labour expressed satisfaction with the new agreement, noting the details of the consequential adjustment appear a good starting point, given the resources available to the State. The chairman of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) in Oyo State, Bayo Titilola-Sodo, stated that the agreement reached, would see the least paid worker in the State earn N30,000 while the matter of consequential adjustment was agreed based on the financial strength of the State. “We all looked at the books and what our State was generating monthly. The least paid worker in the State will earn N30,000 but what we regard as consequential adjustments, we cannot follow the model from the Federal Government, because we had to cut our coats according to our sizes,” he said. He added that the agreement came after collective bargaining and due consideration for the resources available to the State to best of the workers’ knowledge, noting that the Government had also promised to meet with the organised Labour every three months to consider the State’s resources.

Titilola-Sodo, who noted that the organised Labour has trust in the Governor to keep his words unlike the previous administration, which he said made similar promise but reneged, said: “I will say that we finally arrived at an agreement after a series of meetings and collective bargaining. I will not say it is the best for the state but it is a good starting point, given the resources available to the state to the best of our knowledge. “The implementation is immediate. The government has agreed to start the implementation even from January but it will be paid in full in February and the arrears for January will be paid with March salary.” On whether the issue of consequential adjustment might cause disagreement among the workforce, Titilola-Sodo said: “But we also agreed that we would be looking at the books regarding the earnings of the State. There is another meeting coming up in the next three months and it is our belief that the Government of Governor Makinde will not be like the Government of some people, who promised that we would have this kind of meeting but reneged.

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Amaechi’s ever-divided home front: The diehards and the refuseniks … but the ‘super minister’ says true warriors emerge through back-stabbing, crisis

IGNATIUS CHUKWU he immediate past governor of Rivers State and now two-time minister of Transportation, Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, has continued to gain and build a huge national political coalition but the front he built back home seems to reel under the weight of a huge crack. Some of his topmost loyalists and kingpins of his political dynasty back home have either left him or havetakenuptheswordagainsthim. This development has however, forced insiders in the Amaechi home fronttoconductasilentheadcountto knowwheretheweightliesbetween the camp of those who left to fight him and the angels still loyal. The insiders regard the decision of those who left as an act of betrayal and this has led to the term, Judas Iscariot in the state. But, the leader seems unperturbed and may have urged his home followers not to bother about betrayals or departures, believing theywerepartoftheprocessandthe usual road to success, especially as is often in his own nature and destiny. His critics however, wonder why betrayalorstrivingwithone’spolitical mentor and leader or tearing away from the group would annoy him when he too did same to Peter Odili. Amaechi gets offended when it is said that he betrayed Odili, insisting heneverdid,butthatmentorandson onlydisagreedoverwhetherornotto end the court case against the party the mentor asked the son to institute and even funded. The strife in the Rivers State All ProgressivesCongress(APC)which has been traced to 2014 has ensured that the party did not win the 2015 governorship election, did not contest in 2019 for any position, and cannot conduct a congress to pick the executives. The courts have played a significant part in this outcome. Amaechi closed the courts for one year before he left and this still sprinkles anger over the judiciary. The refusniks A statement floated as ‘research work’ by a team led by one of the most vocal loyalists, Eze Chukwuemeka Eze, who is also a media consultant,hastriedtolistformerloyalists whotookarmsagainstAmaechi.One suchprofilingruninthePortHarcourt Telegraph mentioned the following as strong pillars that left and are striving against the leader: Nyesom Wike WikehasrisentobetheGovernor of Rivers State and a very bitter opponent of Amaechi. Only yesterday, he was Amaechi’s Chief of Staff and a trusted aide. Many who are close

Governor Nyesom Wike

Rotimi Amaechi

Magnus Abe

to the two men say Wike was never reallyloyaltoAmaechi.Amaechiwas rather a means to an end. Despite Goodluck Jonathan’s refusal to accept Wike as a ministerial nominee, Amaechipersisteduntilhissupposed loyalist was sworn in. On getting there, Wike dumped Amaechi and joinedJonathantoedgehisleaderout of the PDP and seized control of the apparatus of leadership. Ezeadds;manypeoplearestillata loss what reason can be proffered to supportwhatWikeisdoingtoAmaechi after many years of wonderful relationship, but as a close associate and one who has worked with the duo, it is a rare privilege to expose to the world what actually caused the breakdown of relationship between these two great sons of Rivers State. Wike is a very ambitious fellow who is ready to do anything to accomplish whatever he sets his mind to accomplish. He set up his mind to succeed Amaechi immediately he was appointed as the Chief of Staff to the Rivers State Government House as far as back as 2007and with the type of privileges and powers bestowed on him by Amaechi he felt that nothing could stop him from achieving his dream. While Amaechi was so concerned with delivering the dividends of democracy to the people of Rivers State; running the politics of Rivers State was left in the handsofChiefWikethemostpowerful Chief of Staff ever in Nigeria. He apportioned political patronage to most of his cronies. In doing this, he was gradually building his own political block outside that of Amaechi. By the time Amaechi got to know what was happening, it was too late; Wike hadflownaway.Thestrawthatbroke the camel’s back was when Amaechi insisted that no upland candidate or Ikwerremanwouldsucceedbecause it would make it beyond 16 years. He felt it would be unfair for another upland governor to emerge to the detriment of the Riverine area. Wike reasoned that if he continued to stay with Amaechi there was no way he could fulfil his dream of becoming governor, so he decided to break away and constitute himself to the monster and terror he has become to the political family of Amaechi. Magnus Abe Abe may qualify as one among men whose ambition to govern Rivers State has brought him to staggering heights, and pitched him against a long-standing friend. Records show that the friendship of both men became intense at the Rivers State House of Assembly in 1999. Abe vigorously denies working with Wike. Wike has equally denied

theallegationthatheactedincahoots with Abe to snatch victory through thecourts.ManysayAbe’smenhave been made commissioners but he says they got such positions on their personal terms. Abe claims he is still in the APC. Of late, Abe is investing more time in a campaign he hopes would restore peace to the APC in Rivers State. WhilesomeofAmaechi’ssympathisers think this may be a positive move, others who are victims of too many political snake bites say it is only a ploytofulfilahate-drivenambitionto destroywhatisleftofAmaechi’srising starandhiseffortstorebuildtheparty. Igo Aguma Igo Aguma, a former Commissioner of Sports and an ex-national lawmaker is seen as the latest antagonist by members of Amaechi’s support base. Just as a high court dismissed a court action brought by Magnus Abe, and APC members in Rivers State warmed up to the idea of holding a congress, Igo headed to court. Igo is someone who made a miraculous comeback to the Amaechi family in the APC. Some say he is just showing his true colours. Austin Opara Opara’s emergence as Deputy Speaker at a time that the Ikwerres were scheming for power was supposed to be a plus. That calculation however, turned out to be a colossal error on the part of Amaechi and his friends. Opara not only turned coat, he teamed up with the likes of Abiye Sekibo, Uche Secondus, Celestine Omehia, Glory Emeh, David Briggs, Pa Wariso, etc to fight Amaechi’s ambition. He is believed to be a possible aspirant for the office of governor. Tele Ikuru Tele Ikuru would not qualify as one of those who would lay claim to being part of the political family of Amaechi, but fate put both men together. After crossing over to the APC with his principal (Amaechi), lobbying to be Amaechi’s successor, Ikuru as deputy governor dumped Amaechi in the midstofbattleandreturnedtothePDP. InsiderssayAmaechiinvestedsomuch confidenceinIkuruagainstthethinking ofhissurrogateswhoincludedWikeat the time. But when it mattered most, Ikurusimplywalkedaway. Uche Secondus During the Odili era, Secondus was one of those who engaged Amaechiinapoliticaldog-fight.Given thisbackground,itwouldbewrongto categorise him as a betrayer. Certain things later brought them together. These favours by Amaechi helped him to climb to national limelight. Today, on account of the support he

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Chidi Wihioka

Dakuku Peterside

Uche Secondus

Amaechi’s ever-divided home front: The diehards and the refuseniks Continued from page 21 gained in 2007 which exposed him atthenationallevel,Secondushasoccupied the position of acting national chairmanandiscurrentlythenational chairmanofthePDPwiththesupport of Wike, another Ikwerre man. Marcus Nle Eji It is difficult to say when the rift between Amaechi and Marcus Nle Ejiturnedintoafesteringsour.ButNle Ejipriorto2007wasoneofthosewho could be dubbed an unrepentant ally of Amaechi. There are claims that Marcus provided the cover for the Abe group and Wike to cement their ties under the guise of a ceremony in honour of his new born child. Abe’s inability to secure the ticket appears to have been the final straw which broke the camel’s back. Chidi Wihioka Of all the persons accused of betraying Amaechi, Chidi Wihioka would probably qualify as one of the closest. Both hail from the Ikwerre Local Government Area of Rivers State where he was the leader of the LGA. Both men have been in the trenches on the same side through years of political struggle. Both men have run things together. He was an experienced man before joining politics while Amaechi came in straight from the university. While he served as chairman of the maintenance agency, something happened. Amaechi complained publicly about Wihioka’s handling of the agency. A rift eventually developed between both men. Nyesom Wike saw an opportunity to emerge as the beneficiary and took it. Amaechi stood with Wihioka no matter what the pressure was and insistedWihiokawastheundisputed leader of the area. Despite getting the nod to represent the area at the NationalAssembly,itdoesnotappear that Wihioka was happy. The opportunity to part ways came when Abe stepped into the roped square. Wihioka stood with Abeandturnedhisbacktohisbrother and ally. Allwell Onyeso Onyeso, though insists he was never Amaechi’s boy, served in the ExecutivearmunderGovernorPeter Odili when Amaechi was Speaker of

the Rivers State House of Assembly. Although Onyeso may not acknowledgewhatevermodestroleAmaechi playedinhispoliticallife,Amaechihad on one occasion said it would be difficulttowritepagesofAllwell’spolitical history without his name on them. Amaechi is believed to have travelled all night to France on that occasion to persuade Governor Odili to have a change of heart. The emergence of Tonye Cole, coupled with other personal reasons further pushed Onyeso farther away from Amaechi, and set him on a collision course with his friend. Close associates claim that he has all along been sympathetic to the PDP despite his insistence to the contrary. Someone close said he has been in the PDP for a very long time. It’s now a matter of publicly declaring. Worgu Boms Boms wasn’t a politician when he first got the role of Amaechi’s Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice.Buthewasawidelyrespected lawyer who came to the table after Ken Chikere left for the National Assembly with bright ideas. Boms is now fingered as one of those from the Ikwerre ethnic extraction who allegedly betrayed Rotimi Amaechi. Somehow, the former Attorney General and Commissioner for Jus-

Sam Sam Jaja

tice has clearly shown preference for the emergence of Senator Abe as governorshipcandidate,andworked tirelessly to ensure that happens. He has been less abusive of his former boss. There is no indication that he is planning to leave the APC, but most Abe sympathisers have covertly joined the rank and file of the PDP, which is presently in power in Rivers State. Tony Okocha Tony Okocha hails from Wike’s LGA and they were keen political enemies,suchthatWiketriedhisbest to stop Okocha from becoming his successor as chief of Staff. Amaechi insisted. Now, Okocha is with Wike. Like Wike, Okocha has apparently fallen out of favour with his boss. Incidentally, Okocha has been accused bycoreAmaechiloyalistsofbetraying the man who trusted him so much and gave him a role to play as a highly placed personal aide. We cannot confirm if Okocha has returned to work with Governor Wike, but the last time we checked, he was one of those driving the Abe hunt for the governorship ticket on the platform of the APC. Why did they break bones? Eze and most diehards say those who left seem to be those who benefited most and can no longer hold

Tonye Princewill

back their ambitions to become governor or something far bigger. They decided to search for greener pastures outside the leader’s fieldrange. To do that, bones needed to be broken. Quoting Laz Dambara, a prominent son of Rivers State and a stakeholder in the politics of Rivers State: “According to my brief research, the bottom line is jealousy and ego to take over political leadership from Amaechi at all cost.” Jackson Omenazu, described by Eze as one of the most brilliant sons of Rivers, stated, “Though the truth remains that Amaechi empowered crass conservatives while preaching and practicing liberal welfarism ideology. Tell me how they will they not betray him? I have said severally that noconservativecanbetotallyloyalto aliberalwelfaristideologypersonality like Amaechi, never. What brought them close is the spoils of office. All I will tell Amaechi is that life is a school, let him learn from this.” Eze said a man he calls Prof, in his own submission stated, “I can say from a very neutral position that only ideology keeps people together for long. I dare say that if ideology is not the gum, then loyalty will be a function of grab-opportunism.Wherever it comes from, loyalty can only shift

gaze. It will now be a matter of what you can get and who offers higher yield. Politics of ideology left Nigeria a long time ago. So, if interests match, loyalty grows up. When not so, loyalists migrate to green pastures. It’s not only with Amaechi. “The bottom line is that almost every follower wants to end as governor. Even if you give them other positions, they think you were only preparing them to be governor. Any time this expectation fails, they hit out at whoever they see as cause of the failure. It’s happening all over the country.Peopledonotcometogether to build ideologies and platforms for good governance but bridges to power, money and wealth. Nothing more!” But, according to Dike Princewill, “The real problem erupted when people started nursing ambitions thatwerecreatingschisminthe party thatwasindareneedofrepositioning. CRA’sonlyadvicethenwasthatthere had to be a party first before ambitions could be realised. Let’s know whentherainsstartedinordertoseek propershelter.Thisisthesameadvice thatAtikuAbubakarhasrecentlycanvassedinordertorepositionthePDP ahead of the 2023 elections. If there was discipline in the rank and file of RiversAPCatthattimeandCRA,the leader’sadvicewasheeded;theparty wouldhavebeenawinningmachine. Vaulting ambitions made reasons to take flight. Sad!” The diehards Ezesaidalwayshighlightingthose who left or who fight Amaechi looks liketheleaderwasnotattractingnew followers or that the former ones were not there. “When a team trusts someone to be a leader, it increases the team’s commitment to team goals.” Andrew Uchendu ThisOfficeroftheOrderoftheNiger (OON) and recipient of the Federal Government 1992 National ProductivityMeritAwardhasfrom2003 to 28th May, 2015, represented the Ikwerre/Emohua Federal Constituency and was later in 2015 elected a senatorofFederalRepublicofNigeria representing the Rivers East Senatorial District in the 8th Assembly. He sleeps, dreams, eats and propagates the principles of Amaechism.

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Politics Dakuku Peterside Dakuku Adolphus Peterside is a key and influential member of the Amaechi political team and termed to be one of the most loyalists of this team. He is also seen as one of the most educated politicians from Rivers State and an alumnus of University of Port Harcourt, Georgia State University Atlanta and Harvard. He was the Rivers State APC Governorship Candidate in 2015 general election and is currently the Director General of NIMASA and first Nigerian to head the African Maritime Industry. Many however, say it is not clearhowhewouldhavereactedifhe was in Abe’s empty shoe. Oji Nyiemenuate Ngofa OjiNgofaisasontoano-nonsense chief who was a renowned teacher, unionist,politicianandone-timestate chairman of the Nigeria Union of Teachers(NUT)wholaterbecamea commissionerforeducationinRivers State. Ngofa, now an ambassador, on 14th July, 2018 became the first Ambassador of Nigeria to Netherlands to host his visiting President. President Muhammadu Buhari was on a state visit to Netherlands. An orator, a speaker extempore, speech writer, and a grassroots mobilizer, Ngofa is regarded as one of the great pillars on which the political camp of Amaechi rests. Sam Sam Jaja Sam Sam Jaja (PhD) is said to be an awesome fellow; intelligent, and humble.TheRiversState-bornastute sports administrator is a fearless and courageous fighter with a cause who will never lose focus of his desired ideal ideas actualised in any course he believes in. Heiscurrentlythechairmanofthe UniversityofAbujaTeachingHospital Board. He is a diehard and key member of the Think-Tank Committee of Amaechi’s Political Camp. Henry Ugboma The professor is an assuming leaderandoneoftheeggheadsofthe Amaechi’spoliticalcampwhowasappointed by President Muhammadu Buhari on 31st December 2017 as the Chief Medical Director (GMD) of University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital. He is doing marvelously there. Before his appointment as the GMD UPTH, he was a Senior Lecturer and Consultant Obstetrician and Gynaecologist with the University and the Hospital, respectively. On assumption of office he ensured thatheworkedwiththebestbrainsin thehospitalinordertoensurethathis transformationagendawassuccessful. The Hospital under his watch has become a centre of excellence and a Referral Centre. George Tolofari George Tolofari (PhD) was twoterm member of the Rivers State House of Assembly and two term Commissioner of Transportation in thestateduringtheeight-yeartenure of Amaechi as the governor of Rivers State. He is among those who are ready to lay down their lives on any issue pertaining to Amaechi. He has beenafaithfulandtrustworthyleader that has stood by Amaechi not minding all these plots to undermine him in the politics of Nigeria. According to him,“Mostofusweatheredthestorm during those infamous days of OBJ’s K-Leg saga. We made it possible that Odili couldn’t impeach him. It seems itisthosethatbetrayedhimthathave

continued to enjoy publicity to the determentofthoseofuswhostarted this project. Some of these relationships dated back to over 20yrs ago.” Tonye Patrick Cole Tonye Patrick Cole is an international figure, world acclaimed businessman and entrepreneur extraordinaire. He is co-founder and former Group Executive Director of Sahara Group, an energy conglomerate with operations spanning the entire energy chain in Nigeria and neighbouringWestAfricancountries to East Africa and beyond. Eze wrote: “This was the man plannedbyAPCtomakeRiversState a paradise on earth but enemies of RiversStategangeduptodenyRivers thisuniqueopportunityduringthelast generalelectioninwhichhewastofly the Flag of APC.” Chidi Julius Lloyd Chidi Julius Llyod (PhD) stands as Rivers State longest, most influential and controversial leader of RiversStateHouseofAssemblyever since the creation of the state. He is described as extraordinarily bold, intelligent and an orator who ought to be decorated with national honours for the risk he took to safeguard democracy. Eze wrote, “If not for the risk this gentle giant took with few otherstowrestleanddislodgethefive lawmakersthatwereabouttoswear themselves in, the discussion about Amaechi and his political dynasty would have been a thing of the past. He lectures at the Department of PrivateandPublicLaw,FacultyofLaw, UniversityofNigeria,Enugu campus. He is still studying abroad despite his many degrees. Davies Sokonte SokonteH.Davies(PhD)issaidto be a silent and result-oriented mind, a humanistandphilanthropistextraordinaire, administrator par excellence and currently the Executive Director, Marine and Operations of NPA. He is a great grassroots mobiliser, and an influentialmemberoftheThink-Tank Committee of the Amaechi Political Team. Tonye Princewill Tonye Princewill, a Nigerian investor, politician, film producer and philanthropist. He prides himself as the Prince of Niger Delta Politics and Initiator of the Broom Revolution in Rivers State when he became the Action Congress gubernatorial candidate in the 2007 general election in the state and in 2015 became the LabourPartycandidatebeforerejoining his brother, Amaechi. Today, he is one of the great pillars of the political camp of Amaechi. Onwunari Abraham Georgewill The professor of Pharmacology and Toxicology is an erudite scholar, a respected administrator, author of repute with several publications to hiscredit, outstanding scholar; which main vision and mission is to turn the University of Port Harcourt (UNIPORT), Rivers State, to one of the most viable and leading institutions in Africa. He is a believer and propagator of the ideals and principles of Amaechism. Oby Ndukwe Christie Obiaruko Ndukwe is a chief and an Amazon. She is seen as a fearless enigma, a courageous and rare gem. She is said to strike fear in the camp of Amaechi’s enemies. She is a journalist and publisher. Her passion for good governance in Nigeria

Igo Aguma

Andrew Uchendu

Andrew Uchendu made her to see to the formation of Citizens Quest, an NGO which she uses till date to bring public institutions closer to the populace.

Others The research team said there are many others working hard to keep the Amaechi dynasty vibrant, even

if they are not listed, and hundreds morethatcannotopenlybelisteddue to the need for anonymity. However, the following were mentioned; Victor Giadom, Asita O. Asita, Ibiamu Davies Ikanya. Akpobari Celestine, Chizi Nyeomasila K, Leyii Kwanee, Dawari George, Emma Chindah, Fubara Imangimama, James George Fuayefika, Okey Amadi, Emeka Nwogu, Henry Ogiri, Charles Anyanwu,IshmaelSingarr,LawrenceChukwu (PhD), Ojukaye flag Amachree, Azubuike Byke Wanjoku, Chikode Dike, David Okumagba, Sunny Ogbowo, Achi William-Wobodo, Chris Finebone,LuckyOmenka,ZubyDike, Reginald Okuoma, Ambros Nwize, HonIkeChinwo,andKennedyEbeku. The great Maureen Tamuno was mentioned along with Kingsley Wali, Oyirinda Chris Amadi (PhD), ChibuikeIkenga,VictoriaNyeche,Bright Jacob,IreneInimgba,KieranWobodo, Ezemonye Ezekiel Amadi, Hon. Marshall Isreal, Eugene Ogu, Nyema Wele, Wele, Theodore Georgewill, Emeka Beke, Tekena Flag Amachree, Mike Igonima, Francis Elechi, Uche Okwukwu, Nancy Ijaopo Stevens, Joe Poroma, Fubara Imangs, Henry Halliday,ChukwudiDimkpa,Sunday Amangi, Allison Anderson, Martins Manna, Lucky Worluh, Godstime Orlukwu, Lucky Odili, Henry Odili, Gift Okere, Prof Imegi, Aleruchi Cookey-Gam , Bekks Dagogo-Jack, Ode ThanksGod, Batam Ndegwe, Aso Wenah, Chris Oboh, Eric Apiah, Felix Nwabochi, Bisi Nwankwo, and Ogbonna Nwuke. Others lined up include Ambrose Nwuzi, Collyns Owhondah, Opubo West, Awara Biokpomabo, Kingsley Owhondah, Chikaodi Dike, Caroline Nagbo, Austin Ahiamadu, Bestman Amadi, CaptainAkarolo,FeliciaTanen, MikeAwalantaEjire,NgoziYagbsAbu, Mohammed Bello Koko, Fortune Oguru,CollinsOrdu, SydneyNyeche, Chimenem N. Wali, Barr Chizi Woko, Chief Nelson Wali, Hon Francis Eleto, Hon Emeka Woko, Ihunda Mbata, ControlAsobi,KerianNwobodo,Bestman Amadi, Akul Georgewil, Edwin Oludi, Stephen Okokudu (Prof), Lax Damabara, Erima Peterside, Amachree, Arisky Alabere, Achi W. Freddy Ichego, Chris Nworgwu, Peter Emejuru (PhD), Sunny Dike, Eberechi Wagbara, Chris Obasiolu, Edwin Oludi, Emeka Worgu, Eli Sogbeye, Omenazu Jackson (PhD), Dagogo Emma and Abiye Festus. Amaechi reacts: Ezequotedtheleadertohavesent down word to those grieving, thus: “Joseph would never have taken the thronewithouthisbrothersthrowing himintoapit.Davidwouldhavenever become king without Goliath. Jesus wouldhaveneverrisenfromthedead and brought us salvation without Judas Iscariot betraying him. Quit worrying of who is not for you. Some enemies are designed as part of your destiny. They are not going to stop you but they are going to promote you. Keep running your race.” Conclusion Some say because they are not the party in power at the state level, many have decided to lie low. Also, Amaechi makes both new enemies andfriendsonadailybasis.Theremay not be any sure way of knowing that friendstodaywouldnotturnenemies tomorrow.Thewayforwardwasnot unanimous; while some encourage reconciliation, some others say a divorce is best for the warring factions.

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Sunday 09 February 2020

Arts A look at Chika Unigwe’s ‘On Black Sisters’ Street’

OBINNA EMELIKE ot many novelists would wander around the seedy red-light district of Antwerp in a miniskirt and thigh-high boots to carry out research. But this is what Chika Unigwe, Nigerian writer, did for her novel about the lives of African sex workers in the Belgian city. She also spent time persuading these women to share their stories. Her diligence has paid off. On Black Sisters’ Street is a probing and unsettling exploration of the many factors that lead African women into prostitution in Europe, and it pulls no punches about the sordid nature of the job. Four naive young women, Sisi, Joyce, Ama and Efe, fall under the money-making spell of pimp-daddy “Senghor Dele” in Lagos. Rich, vulgar, ruthless, he specialises in exporting girls to work in Belgium for a modest fee of 30,000 euros. This they must pay back in monthly installments over many years of turning tricks ten hours a day. They do not all know that this is what lies in store but, fake passports withheld; the consequences for those who try to escape are dire. Sisi, around whom most of the novel’s suspense revolves, is an ambitious graduate unable to find suitable work. Efe is a teenage mother struggling to raise her son with no support from his father. Ama has escaped an abusive childhood only to find her dream of escaping Nigeria crushed by a dead-end job. Joyce, without family, home or money, is abandoned by her boyfriend. The women’s dreams come in different sizes, from financial support for struggling relatives back home to the

allure of big houses, fancy cars, gold jewellery and expensive plait extensions. Unigwe’s vigorous prose is at its best when describing the utter humiliation Sisi feels when forced to dress like a hooker in “a goldcoloured nylon skirt” that rode up her legs when she walked and “showed her butt cheeks when she bent”. So too with the degradation of her first encounter with a client in a toilet: “She baptised herself into it with tears, hot and livid, down her cheeks, salty in her mouth, feeling intense pain wherever he touched, like he was searing her with a razor blade that had just come off a fire”. Men in this novel are generally drunks, murderers, rapists, weak, cold-hearted, pathetic - although Unigwe avoids the fallacy of women as passive victims. They make choices, for which there are consequences. But their choices are restricted by circumstance and the Lagos they leave behind is a harsh place to survive, where “on any given day one was likely to find a corpse abandoned by the roadside”. She shows what the women become, too. Sisi, who felt she was living the dream on her first day in Belgium because she was eating jam, can “no longer bear to look at herself”, while Efe’s plan is to run her own brothel one day when she has paid of her debt. What Unigwe does brilliantly is to delve into the psychology of each woman, eliciting different levels of empathy. This is an important and accomplished novel that leaves a strong aftertaste. Unigwe gives voice to those who are voiceless, fleshes out the stories of those who offer themselves as meat for sale, and bestows dignity on those who are stripped off it.

Lagos to host 120 events, 200 performers at theatre festival

he 7th edition of the Lagos Theatre Festival is set to hold in multiple locations within the Lagos metropolis including; National Museum Lagos, African Artists Foundation, British Council, Alliance Française with Freedom Park, Broad Street, Lagos Island as the main festival hub among other venues. This year’s festival will explore the theme, ‘Going out of Bounds’ and will feature over 120 events – drama, opera, dance, comedy, and spoken word and evening events of karaoke, comedy, music performances and disco. There will be side attractions to include the famous LTF Leisure Market bringing together vendors providing food, art and crafts, and services for the pleasure of attendants (families included) of the festival.

festival executive director, shared that LTF remains focused on creating opportunities for upcoming performing artists through its sitespecific scope of presentations outside the traditional theatre. “This festival will create platforms for many. We want local and international production companies to see the Lagos Theatre Festival as a hub that fosters exchange and collaborations while telling our stories and promoting our culture”, she said. Lydia Idakula-Sobogun, the artistic director, added that the event will bring together shows and events by over 45 production companies from home and abroad selected specifically to suit this year’s theme “Going out of Bounds” and the selection was made from over three hundred entries for LTF2020.

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Arts Rhythm from the big drums OBINNA EMELIKE

ast Africa is a realm of extraordinary landscapes, people and wildlife, all combined in one destination that offers a diversified and exceptional travel experience. It is the perfect destination for those who dream of an authentic African adventure. The countries in the East African region combine to offer a destination rich in diversity, be it cultural experience, adventure and heritage. Visitors can indulge in the diverse cultures and traditions that make East Africa a land of rich cultural heritage and diversity. The regional cultural experiences are heart-warming as one gets introduced to the unique heritage, lifestyle and history. The importance of music and dance is undeniable in East Africa, showcased for instance by the talented Burundian drummers playing sacred drums.

The drums play a traditionally important role in Burundi, and to the people they evoke the foundations on which their old society was built. Drums are sacred in Burundi, and represent the kings, fertility and regeneration. The entire population of Burundi recognizes it as a

fundamental part of its heritage and identity. In ancient Burundi the drums were far more than musical instruments. They were sacred objects reserved for ceremonial use, and were only used in exceptional circumstances and always according to specific rituals.

Their beats proclaimed the major events of the country, as well as, celebrating the regular cycle of the seasons. The drums are made from hollowed tree trunks covered with animal skins and the performance of drummers has been the same for centuries; their techniques

and traditions are passed down from father to son. Burundi drummers are representatives of Burundi folklore. Their ritual dance surprises and fascinates because it is unique in the world. The drummers use two sticks to beat the drums, which are placed on half circle of 12 to 25 following an ascendant order. One drum called Inkiranya, is placed at the middle, and is reserved to the leader of the dance. Drums are divided in two parts based on their rhythms. The first part of drums called Amashako provides a continuous beat and their drummers are known as Abakokezi. The second part of drums called Ibishikizo follows the movement imposed by the dancer and the drummers are called Abavuzamurisho. The latest observes the movement of the dancer, because the change of the rhythm is indicated by his/her gestures. The drummers take turns playing the central drum (inkiranya), dancing, rest-

ing and playing the other drums, rotating throughout the show without interruptions. At the start of the performance, the drummers enter balancing the heavy drums on their heads, singing and playing. There are some extra members who carry ornamental spears, shields and lead the procession with their dance. The dancers perform a series of rhythms, some accompanied by a song. The play of the drummers is relevant to the sound and gestures rhythm that fascinate generations with mixture of spectacular gravity and admirable fantasies. The music expresses the popular and vital joy. The drummers of Burundi have been a thing of legend; their name equivalent to an idea of rhythm, true energy and joyful power. In November 2014, the ritual dance of the royal drum of Burundi was declared and listed as part of UNESCO World’s Integible Cultural Heritage.

‘Convergence’ concludes next Sunday after 10 weeks display at Wheatbaker

OBINNA EMELIKE ince November 25, 2019, Convergence, a solo exhibition by Obi Okigbo, a Brussels-based Nigerian-born artist, has been on display at Wheatbaker Hotel Ikoyi, enthralling art lovers, collectors and hotel guests. The artist is the daughter of Christopher Okigbo, late foremost Nigerian poet, and she is staging a comeback to the Nigerian art scene with the much anticipated solo exhibition, which is curated by SMO Contemporary Art. However, the exhibition is ending next Sunday February 16, 2020, after about 10 weeks of showcase of sheer creative ingenuity of the artist. If you have not seen the works since the opening, you can visit this weekend

or anytime within the coming week to see 50 paintings and drawings on paper, canvas, linen and silk by the artist. The exhibition also features some poems by the late poet. Convergence explores the artist’s fascination with how our belief systems, behavioral patterns, and aesthetic values have been shaped by ancient art and mythology from different cultures and eras. Okigbo’s experimentation with delicate paintings using Indian ink and pigment, touch on universal themes of transcendence. Her powerful portraits of heroes of African descent are “a celebration of collective memory, the archetypal quest for the self and the truth of our existence”. Okigbo grew up in Nigeria, and practiced architecture in London, Rome and Paris before moving to

Brussels in 1995, and becoming a full time studio artist. She has exhibited in Nigeria, United Kingdom, Dubai and Belgium, and established the Christopher Okigbo Foundation in 2005, which focuses on researching and preserving the legacy of her late father, the poet Christopher Okigbo. Convergence is Okigbo’s second major solo exhibition in Nigeria since 2003. “We are pleased to host the culturally significant works of Obi Okigbo in what can only be described as a well-timed homecoming for the artist,” said Mosun Ogunbanjo, director of the Wheatbaker. “Obi’s Convergence presents fascinating portraits of the who-is-who of heroes of African descent along the hotel’s corridor’s providing not just fantastic art, but a veritable history lesson for

our esteemed guests.” “Obi Okigbo’s creativity is a visual convergence of global mythology, literature, philosophy, and culture presented on a rich tapestry of art,” said Sandra Mbanefo Obiago, the exhibition curator and founder of SMO Contemporary Art. “By presenting her works alongside poetry by her late father, the famous poet Christopher Okigbo, she invites us to “step back into the belly of memory”, drawing from generational stories and personal experience spanning across time and space. A few years ago, Nigeria’s Nobel Laureate, Prof. Wole Soyinka, described Obi Okigbo as “belong(ing) to that sturdy artistic stock that increasingly finds its place among the best anywhere in the world. Her canvases provide shifting visions of reality, her sense of juxtaposition is always deft and eloquent, not arbitrary or faddish. The continent, so rich in many artistic traditions, should be proud to have this talented addition, who has taken the basics of form and texture into a self-renewing language of expression for a modern age.” The exhibition is supported by the Wheatbaker and sponsored by Louis Guntrum wines.

Johnny Drille

Johnny Drille to thrill today at ‘Ultimate Love’ premiere

ohnny Drille, Nigerian singer and songwriter, will be performing this Su n d a y, Fe b r u a r y 9 , 2020, at the premiere of Ultimate Love on DStv 198 and GOtv 29 at 7:30pm (WAT). Johnny Drille, who is currently signed to Mavin Records, has created a niche for himself with his unique sound and style of delivering. His hit songs include; ‘Wait for me’, ‘Halleluya’, ‘Start All Over’ and ‘Count on You’, his most recent body of work. In 2018, Johnny Drille won The Headies Award for Best Alternative Song for his song, ‘Finding Efe’. He has also

been nominated for awards such as The Headies Award for Next Rated in 2018 and Top Naija Music Award for Artiste of The Year in 2019. Subscribers across Africa can tune in to enjoy Johnny Drille’s opening performance and see all 16 love guests make their way to the Love Pad to begin their journey to love. Ultimate Love premieres Sunday, February 9, 2020 on DStv channel 198 and GOtv channel 29, and is available on DStv Premium, Compact Plus, Compact, Confam and Yanga packages, as well as, on GOtv Max and JOLLI packages.

26 BDSUNDAY

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Sunday 09 February 2020

BookReview

The Value Chain Banking Subtitle: Pages: 191. Author: Publisher: Reviewer:

The practical guide to winning customers’ business and loyalty Landscape, Matt printed with infographic images. Babs Olugbemi, FCCA Mentoras Multimedia Limited Kelechi Ewuzie.

abs Olugbemi is a known name in the personal development industry in Nigeria. He is a leadership coach and trainer with five books (transform yourself, the students’ fortress, the teachers’ fortress, take the lead and the football fiesta) to his credit. In his recent interview, he made mention of helping employees to be engaged and be at their best at work and in life. His sixth and new book, the value chain banking (a practical guide for winning customers’ business and loyalty) is targeted at all salespeople especially the marketers in the banking industry. The Value Chain Banking is a book printed with artistic cover page design with images that speaks to its contents and intents. The book which showcase the depth of the author’s two decades experience in the financial service industry in Africa and Europe as well as his inspirational skill in helping people to be at their best. The fifteen-chapter book published by Mentoras Limited is a product to finance the activities of an NGO known for taking leadership and strength-based education to the youth. Chapter one to four are tagged with title like knowledge is key, start with why, selling is a skill and moderate your focus are foundation chapters with lots of inspirations on the need to embrace marketing as an essential skill. In Chapter oneknowledge is key, the author review some statistics on the value and volume of e-payments in Nigeria over a period of five years. He used this to show why the approach to selling bank’s products has changed. He emphasised paradigm shift with the stores of the Larks and its young ones, and the tale of two salesmen. Chapter two focused on the three types of bankers. Babs identified bankers as either survivor, star or transitor in relation to their career aspiration and

attitude to the banking industry. Chapter three is with example of some a person whose movement to marketing became the bedrock of his career. The cruise of chapter three is what the customers judge with relationship with their bankers. The author posited that the customers always ask in their mind if they can trust and respect their bankers. Trust is relationship while respect is competence. The trust and respect quadrant in the book show whether a customer will accept his or her banker totally, moderately, empathetically or refuse to do business with the bank. Chapter four enjoins bankers to focus on what is key

The author posited that the customers always ask in their mind if they can trust and respect their bankers. Trust is relationship while respect is competence

and count towards their performance in the banks. Chapter five to eight will equip the readers with the technical skills requires to double the number of their customers and the size of their Balance Sheets. Chapter five titled, the balance sheet 101 discussed in simple terms how to deal with each elements of the balance sheet to make the branch and the bank profitable, solvent and liquid. In chapter six, the author showcases his valuable experience as a former divisional head of value chain banking in one of the Africa’s best banks. The analysis of the various sectors value chain will be a potent tool for bankers and industry practitioners. The chapter is depth with analysis of market segments, cashflow cycle and dissect the manufac-

turing, telecommunications, oil and gas, agriculture, power, aviation and other commercial sectors. Chapter seven and eight are titled follow the money and balance sheet 105. Following the money give step by step guide on how bankers who are referred as vault raiders can be the favourite of the customers. Chapter eight, balance sheet 105 took chapter five, balance sheet 101 further with simple expository of trade transactions and credit facility management. Chapter nine to twelve will help bankers and marketers to be the best to their customers, colleagues and supervisors. Readers will learn how to add and extract value from customers, relate with others and be team players in any ecosystem. These chapters are titled negotiation and concession management, branch management 101, relationship management 105 and the value of MPR and meetings. The last three chapters thirteen to fifteen is to equip the bankers and marketers alike on the best set of behaviour to survive the pressure and the stress of the sales role and still be useful for the future and to the society. They are titled the behavioural balance sheet management, psychological capital and the leadership value chain. The author in writing the bookput simplicity ahead of technical jargons with the use simple styles and stories so that all might understand and apply the concept to achieving results. The use of images to highlight sections and point of focus makes the book simpler to understand. There is no doubt that the book will help the readers and the banking audience to be effective and productive both at work and in all spheres of life. To put in succinctly The Value Chain Banking is a book to help bankers and marketers to be more engaging and productive.

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Life&Living Best things to do with your spouse on Valentine’s Day

Stories by Jumoke Akiyode-Lawanson

he countdown has officially begun for Valentine’s Day. And although, as lovers, we sometimes put pressure on ourselves to make sure that significant other feels loved, it is important to know that no matter what you and your partner decide to do, you’ll both have the best time—because you’re spending the day with each other. Even if you’re short on cash this year, there are so many ways to make February 14 extra special. You could, for instance, opt for a thoughtful breakfast in bed experience or a simple, at-home Valentine’s Day dinner for two. Or maybe you’d prefer to just cozy up together in your winter finest and have a romantic Valentine’s Day movie marathon (just don’t forget the popcorn!). Have a picnic Having a scenic picnic is a great way to unplug and unwind without spending too much money this Valentine’s Day. Maybe there’s a nice park where you live, or you might just want to go to the beach. Either way, you’re bound to have a fun time since you’re in great company.

Make your own breakfast in bed Is breakfast your favourite meal to eat together? Be romantic, prepare and serve your spouse breakfast while he or she is still asleep in bed. If your wife always does the cooking, then give her a break this special day and you’re bound to blow her mind away. Put a twist to it by adding some elements of love, like cutting the pancakes or toast into heart shapes and using strawberry jam to add that red colour to your heart shaped toast. Party together Having some wine to drink, nice

music and dancing together is the ultimate unwinding session, sure to give you good vibes all night long. Most bars, clubs and restaurants will be open till late for a fun night of grooving on Valentine’s Day, so try that out if you don’t want to be stuck at home all night doing nothing. Play tourist in your own town Go somewhere you’ve never been to. Is there a landmark in your town that you’ve always wanted to visit? Become tourists in your own town and finally check off one or two of those bucket list items you keep putting off. Get into the role by snapping tons of pictures throughout the day.

The true meaning of Valentine

ebruary is definitely the season of love, with the colour red glaring at us from every corner. Indeed, love is in the air, with many Nigerians gearing up to join in the globally celebrated Valentine’s Day. However, there are a lot of misconceptions surrounding Valentine’s Day among Nigerians, especially the highly impressionable youths. As a matter of fact, one of the biggest misconceptions around Valentine’s Day is that it is a day to engage in immoral, lascivious conduct. However, the real meaning of this noble celebration goes even deeper than that. Valentine is a unisex name derived from Valentinus and from the Latin word Valens, which means “strong and healthy.” The foremost St. Valentine’s Day was named after a third-century martyr, celebrated in Christianity on February 14 and associated with a tradi-

tion of courtly love. The first Valentine’s reference to love was in the Parlement of Foules, also known as Assembly of Fowls; a poem by Geoffrey Chaucer who is famously known as the Father of English literature. The poem, made up of approximately 700 lines, contains one of the earliest references to the idea that St. Valentine’s Day is a special day of love. Equally important, Chaucer wrote: “For this was on St. Valentine’s Day when every bird cometh there to choose his mate.” S i n c e t h e 1 4 t h c e n t u r y, Valentine’sday has become a muchanticipated and globally celebrated annual fiesta. Konga Travel and Tours, a 21st century lifestyle travel booking agency, has shared some useful tips on how to celebrate it. ‘‘One of the best ways to make

Valentine’s Day an unforgettable experience is to surprise a spouse, friend, family member or loved one with a special trip to an exotic destination,’’ the company disclosed. According to Konga Travel, there are several bargain deals offering highly discounted fares to a number of beautiful destinations. Additionally, Konga Travel has also emphasized the importance of making it a memorable affair for that special person. ‘‘There are a million and one things you can do. You can write a love note, put it in a jar and give it to your sweetheart. If you have kids, a family dinner or indoor picnic is also a good idea. You can also celebrate by planning out your day: a conversational walk after work to see the sunset, a spa or movie date. You can even make your spouse, friend or that special person his or her best meal or give them a ‘Best Reasons Why I Love You’ list. ‘‘Most importantly, you must bear in mind that you must not wait until Valentine’s Day to do any of these or make your loved one feel special,’’ Konga said. A vox-pop conducted by BDSunday revealed that 8 out of 10 ladies would prefer a restful holiday with their spouse, to getting gifts or flowers and chocolates. A holiday getaway to a lush and peaceful, yet affordable destination is definitely worth thinking about this Valentine’s Day, especially as it falls on a weekend, and is the perfect time to spend alone with the one you love.

Host a games night Invite over a few couples for an evening filled with competitive fun. You’ll have a blast teaming up with your sweetie to win some Valentine’s Day games! Take a trip Take a day or even an entire weekend and venture to a destination neither of you have been before. You’ll get out of your comfort zone and have a fabulous time doing it! Unwind at a spa Treat yourself to the ultimate relaxation experience by booking a

couples massage—or any other treatment of your choice—at a local spa. Everyone loves to be pampered! Cook dinner together A special home-cooked meal can be so much more romantic than going out to eat at a super busy restaurant. Even if one of you doesn’t have chefworthy skills, you can still make a memorable dinner you’ll both enjoy. See a movie together Instead of slugging it out at an overcrowded cinema hall, grab some popcorn and settle in on the couch for an evening filled with your favourite romantic comedy.

Make more money with Bolt in 2020

he new decade is still fresh and with it comes new aspirations and goals to make a better life. If you’re looking to make more money on the side in 2020, Bolt, the leading on-demand transportation platform is a good way to increase your earnings. When you sign up to become a Bolt driver, you get to work around a flexible schedule and weekly payouts, so you do not have to wait till the end of the month to get paid, hence, allowing you earn as you work. Since 2016, tens of thousands of drivers have joined Bolt in 11 cities across Nigeria with Abeokuta and Enugu being the most recently launched operations. Bolt offers unbeatable earnings for drivers with top drivers earning up to NGN 120,000 from taking rides and generous bonuses. In December 2019 and January 2020, drivers on Bolt platform paid as low as zero percent in commission depending on their activity on the platform with more bonus schemes planned for the future. The default commission Bolt takes is 15-20 percent, which is

significantly lower than what competitors take, making Bolt the go-to platform that allows drivers pay less while they make more money. Commenting on the platform’s drive to empower more individuals financially this new year, the country manager Femi Akin-Laguda reinstated Bolt’s capacity to provide a hassle-free way for Nigerians to profit and legitimately make extra cash using their car. He added that the key to making the most of the Bolt app for drivers is time management, smart and quality service delivery to riders. To become a Bolt driver, simply visit partners.bolt.eu and take five minutes to sign up using your National Identity Number or valid driver’s license and vehicle registration. Upon sign up, prospective drivers will be required to take a 45minute training at the nearest Bolt office and get their identity verified via the Identity Verification Portal. Formerly known as Taxify, Bolt is committed to its mission of making urban transportation more convenient and affordable for Nigerians whilst providing flexible employment opportunities to thousands of drivers and vehicle owners.

28 BDSUNDAY

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Sunday 09 February 2020

Travel

Turkish Airlines launches new commercial at the Super Bowl LIV Stories by IFEOMA OKEKE

urkish Airlines has launched a new commercial which explores the humanity’s spirit of exploration, inspired by the world-changing Moon landing in 1969. Titled, “Step on Earth”, the commercial brings back the sense of wonder and adventure felt as 600 million people around the world watched the humanity land on the Moon. The 30-second commercial was viewed in the third quarter of the Super Bowl LIV held this year in Miami, and resulted in the victory of Kansas City Chiefs by the score of 31-20, defeating San Francisco 49ers. Flying to more countries than any other airline, Turkish Airlines challenges the statistic that over a billion people globally have never travelled outside of their country. The Star Alliance member airline gave the opportunity to three people, who had never travelled abroad, to discover the world beyond the borders of their home country for the first time.

The new commercial features Russ, Mariha and Karlos exploring countries they had never visited and discovering for themselves the adventure of stepping foot in a new country. The commercial captures the power and emotion of the journeys to novel landscapes and horizons around the globe and encourages us to explore our own planet. The adventure starts with

one small step on Earth. In the commercial itself, the viewer is shown archive footage from a 1969 newspaper heading and preparations leading up to the Apollo 11 countdown and take off. Meanwhile in 2019, Russ, Mariha and Karlos prepare for the flight, approaching a Turkish Airlines plane waiting for them on the apron. Each first time traveller is destined for a

Akporiaye unveils manifesto for NANTA, pledges to improve Nigeria’s travel, tourism sector

usan Akporiaye, the presidential candidate of National Association of Nigerian Travel Agencies, (NANTA), has promised to improve Nigeria’s travel and tourism sector in her manifesto. Akporiaye said the agency will improve the sector by selling the country’s culture, food, music and fashion amongst others at international trade exhibitions through its partnership with relevant government agencies. Speaking while unveiling her manifesto and team for NANTA’s elective Annual General Meeting coming up in March in Kano during a press briefing in Lagos on Tuesday, February 4th at the NANTA Secretariat, Akporiaye who is going into the contest unopposed promised to also straighten the database of the association if elected president. NANTA, she said would talk more with partners such as government , airlines , media among others to tell them that they should complement each other. She explained that she would also work to improve the relationship between airlines and travel agencies if elected , adding that NANTA should not be seen to be competing with airlines ,who are one of its principal . The NANTA presidential hopeful reassured members and stakeholders that the body after 43 years, would refocus and retool for a new generation of trade business and political realignment that can make it stand above its pears. Akporiaye who is also the chair-

person of the AGM organizing committee and first deputy president noted that there has been calls in recent times for deep interrogation of NANTA collective and vision with some people within and outside its environment agitating for policy shift and redirection for NANTA as an institution. She reassured her members, the federal government and their principals, that her team is sufficiently aware of the desire to up the aviation game in the downstream sector, project its national profitability, encourage its acceptability as a veritable pillar of national economic contributor and strong bastion of academic research and recognition. According to her, “Over the years, NANTA has grown to attract the attention and respect of the government. We shall innovate on this approach and get NANTA to play a key role in women affairs without which homes today would be in trouble”.

Susan Akporiaye

NANTA presidential aspirant said apart from engaging critical players from time to time, her team would endeavour to visit select icons and legends in the sector to tap from their wealth of experience and be guided. Akporiaye stated that she will support and generate an all-inclusive NANTA aviation training school which will bear its trade mark of excellence, innovation, well guided international exposure and content. She explained that the decision to contest for the number one position in the association was not an easy one and that based on the fact that she has made up her mind to contest; she came up with TEAM Susan. Speaking further, the presidential aspirant said that one of her priorities would be to ensure unity by bridging and mending cracks in the group, adding that in the past 43 years of NANTA’s existence it has experienced turbulence but that as always found win-win solution. “Under my watch, my team will work hard to bridge and mend cracks. We shall reach out, share solutions and increase our membership profile. We shall not encourage divisive tendencies or would we empower cultship and unbridled cut throat competitions and act inimical to the unity of NANTA,” she said. Akporaiye also said that to change the narrative, she would ensure that every zones is active, adding that gone are the days where people believe that NANTA is for some people.

different landscape for an unforgettable experience: exploring deep caves and waterfalls amongst lush tropical forest, trekking through deep snow and riding a group of wild horses in the desert. Turkish Airlines Chairman of the Board and the Executive Committee, İlker Aycı, commented; “This film celebrates the spirit of discov-

ery and adventure that permeates all of us, from first time travellers to lifelong adventurers. We look up at the sky for every new adventure as our planet has countless wonders and moments waiting to be discovered. “As Turkish Airlines, the airline that flies to more countries than any other, we are delighted to keep you encouraged to ‘Widen Your World’ to discover the rich variety of cultures and landscapes here on Earth.” This is the brand’s fifth consecutive big game ad featured at the Super Bowl, one of the most watched sports tournaments around the world, alongside a line-up of some of the world’s most recognisable brands. ‘Step on Earth’ will be aired in 20 countries around the world and follows on from a number of high profile commercials that Turkish Airlines have aired at the Super Bowl till now. Flying to more countries than any other airline, Turkish Airlines currently connects 318 destinations in 126 countries, with exciting new destinations to be introduced in 2020.

Sanad, Ethiopian Airlines join forces to create MRO Center of excellence in Africa

anad Aerotech (Sanad), the leading provider of aircraft engine Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO) solutions and part of Sanad – a wholly owned subsidiary of Mubadala Investment Company (Mubadala), has elevated its business expansion ambitions in Africa by signing a landmark agreement with Ethiopian Airlines, the continent’s fastest growing airline and one of the reputed aviation brands in the world. Signed at MRO Africa, the agreement paves the way for Sanad and Ethiopian Airlines to collaborate and maximise on untapped MRO business opportunities in the region. The initial phase of the agreement will see Sanad and Ethiopian Airlines establishing a Centre of Excellence for the repair and overhaul of auxiliary power units (APU) in Addis Ababa and will start with APU’s used on B737 and A320 aircraft. This will pave the way for future collaboration in the provision of APU MRO services to other African airlines. The strategic alliance also has future aspirations to expand capabilities to include aircraft components and aircraft engine MRO. The latest agreement between Sanad and Ethiopian Airlines builds on a 2018 MOU to collaborate on APU capabilities, among others. Mansoor Janahi, Sanad Aerotech CEO, said: “Sanad continues to push ahead with its strategy of expanding a global presence through strategic

alliances with well-established companies that share the same vision for quality and excellence. Our strategic alliance with Ethiopian Airlines goes beyond this announcement, as it provides greater opportunities for us to jointly collaborate and develop mutually beneficial activities across the entire African continent.” Tewolde GebreMariam, Ethiopian Airlines Group Chief Executive Officer, on his part said, “This Strategic Alliance with Sanad Aerotech is consistent with Ethiopian Airlines vision of making its MRO facility the leading MRO service provider in Africa through strategic partnerships with OEMs and selected international MRO Service Providers. “Our MRO facility is ready to provide cost effective and efficient overhaul services with standard turnaround time (TAT) to APUs of African Airlines. Ethiopian would like to expand this cooperation with Sanad Aerotech to cover other aircraft components.” Sanad has built strategic relationships with leading international OEMs including Rolls-Royce, General Electric (GE), and International Aero Engines (IAE), which have enabled Sanad to deliver competitive aircraft engine MRO expertise throughout a variety of engine maintenance service programs across multiple engine platforms. Ethiopian Airlines Group (Ethiopian) is the largest aviation group in Africa and one of the reputed aviation brands in the world.

Sunday 09 February 2020

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Travel

Hi Imapact Cruise: A new thrill on Nigerian waters OBINNA EMELIKE

or those desirous of an enthralling cruise experience on Nigerian waters, such dreams are reality now with the berthing of Eugene 1, Nigeria’s unprecedented cruise boat ever. Rightly berthing on the Marina, Lagos, opposite the Lagos House, Eugene 1 sails across Nigeria waters while offering guests unique opportunity to savour luxury on water. The ultra-modern super yatch, which is owned and operated by Hi-Impact Cruise; a tourism on sea outfit, has a great balance in terms design, volume and performance. It is a 140ft three-storey yatch with top of the range features such as exquisite interior design fully airconditioned interior with chilling capacity of 528,000BTU. It has automated sunroof, automated sensor door and much more. On the splendid Hi-Impact Cruise, gusts can enjoy fun relished in an exceptional ambience that offers a unique unprecedented experience in Nigeria. The lovely automated roof-top yatch is three leveled sophisticated piece, with an exclusive presidential lounge where thrills are at their peak. Moreover, the four hours nonstop extraordinary fun cruise boosts individual, friends and families bond, and further creating long-lasting fun memories. Aside individual guests, corporate organisations and government agencies are also invited to take advantage of Eugene 1 to enjoy more relaxable and impeccable atmosphere for team bonding, conferences and corporate dinners.

As well, Hi-Impact Cruise is the preferred destination for events such as destination weddings, luxury cruise, birthdays, conferences, club parties among others. The luxury boat is truly an entertainment on the sea, full of humour and splendor. It offers exquisite and thrilling treats, which includes: a magnificent and exciting on-board scenery, fabulous music from a live band or reputable DJ, sumptuous full three course meal and drinks, and elegant well-stocked bar with array of exotic drinks. It also has a leading edge on-board amusement rides and games, fully

air-conditioned gallery and hygenic toilets, as well as, a well secured and serene environment. Considering its sheer size, 39.1.5 metres long, 10 metres wide, and 12 metres high, Eugene 1 is big enough for any excitement you desire on a cruise. You need not watch your back while on the cruise boat. CCTV cameras are in place with stand-by staff for security checks, as well as, boats that helps marine police to do security checks where ever the yatch is moving to. Rescue and exit plans, sufficient jackets are all provided for any emergency case. However, Hi-Impact Cruise

is another arm of business of the Solution Media and Infotech Limited, established in April, 2011. The company is into tourism and entertainment and has taken its business in and outside Nigeria. At a media facility tour held right inside Hi-Impact Lounge at Marina, Lagos on Monday, Adeyanju Lipado, chairman and visioner of the cruise boat, explained the rationale behind the acquisition of the yatch. “Hi-Impact Cruise is acquired to give Nigerians and Africans the true cruise experience that is obtainable any where in Europe and America. The facility is encouraging Nigerians to stay at

home instead of travelling abroad for a day cruise”, he explained. Lipado remarked that the yatch would reduce the number of Nigerians who travel abroad for cruise service, whereas the number of people who cannot afford it overseas can now enjoy the facility in Nigeria still with the international best practices. The visioner noted that with Hi-Impact, the company has been able to distinguish itself, creating the same service people seek when they travel abraod. Comparatively, the kind of cruise boats in Nigeria are small in size when one assess Eugene 1, which has between 500 - 700 capacity (banquet arrangement). He stressed that, the edifice is brought in line with the Federal Government of Nigeria and Lagos State Government vision of enhancing tourism as a means of generating revenue to the country. He assured that Hi-Impact Cruise has met the requirements of the relevant authorities such as Nigeria Maritime Management and Safety Authority, Lagos State Water Authority, among others. The cruise is expected to start operations in April this year. In terms of training, all the entire management officers are trained based on international standard on safety, security, operations, among others. It is worthy to note that Eugene 1, built in 2017 is manufactured in Turkey and and acquired at the cost of $700,000.00. The cruise is captained by a Nigerian, indigenous chief engineer and crew members as well. Hi-Impact cruise is owned by a Nigerian, managed by Nigerians and awaits Nigerian patronage.

African travel trade soars at POATE 2020 OBINNA EMELIKE

hile Africa has assumed the position of the second fastest growing region in global tourism, stakeholders across the region are making efforts at consolidating on the feat to further grow the travel and tourism sector. One of such efforts was the networking at Pearl of Africa Tourism Expo (POATE2020). The travel fair, which opened on February 5, 2020 at Speke Resort, Munyonyo, Uganda, witnessed several networking opportunities, seminars and presentations by participating exhibitors, travel associations, travel personalities and government agencies all geared at addressing challenges, proffering practical solutions, and boosting businesses in the travel trade. For the three days the expo lasted, Uganda tourism was impacted with the influx of visitors. According to Uganda Tourism Board (UTB), the organizers of the travel expo, POATE 2020, which is now in its fifth edition, exceeded the expectations with over 150 exhibitors, hosted buyers and foreign media. “We are basically through this

creating an opportunity for our domestic tourism players to connect to the rest of the world, so as to showcase what we have to offer as Uganda and in so doing, help the world to discover Uganda, the Pearl of Africa,” said, Lilly Ajarova, CEO, Uganda Tourism Board (UTB) in her opening remarks. “POATE is an experiential awareness creating knowledge, familiarity and believability through involvement and creating real life experience” she added. According to Ajarova, POATE2020 features a series of mutually beneficial business to business and business to consumer engagements that will results into hundreds of business relationships, as well as, hundreds of thousands of tourists and most importantly, hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue to everybody involved in the chain. Considering the fact Africa outbound travel reached 42 million in 2018 and the continent currently receives a little over 6 percent of the global tourism traffic, the organizers noted the expo was aimed at gathering stakeholders to network and collaborate in driving up the tourist numbers across the continent. The need to grow tourist numbers also necessitated the choice

of the theme for this year’s event, “Promoting intra-Africa travel”. For the UTB CEO, the theme is unique and was chosen with a clear understanding of what it will be for destination Uganda and the continent at large. For Daudi Migereko, board chairman, UTB, POATE 2020, it was exciting seeing many people, travel businesses, exhibitors, government representatives and media connect, discover and showcase

Uganda to the world for three days. He noted that with the current figures, Uganda’s tourism is on a positive growth trajectory and UTB’s aim is to sustain the growth. POATE, according to him, amplifies the opportunities for Uganda to market itself as a competitive tourism destination. Exhibitors also had impressive outing at the fair going by the many deals the sealed, MoUs signed, among other opportuni-

ties. POATE is a tourism and trade exhibition, which brings together regional and international tour operators, travel agents, destination agencies and various players in the tourism trade to network and to facilitate tourism business with Uganda’s own domestic tourism trade that is composed of largely the tour operators, the hoteliers, conservationists and the government.

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Sunday 09 February 2020

Crime Watch Ikokwu 5 update How Port Harcourt mechanic who was tortured to death ‘smoked’ out his killers

IGNATIUS CHUKWU hima Ikwunado may have been unassuming, quiet and humble while alive, but he seems to be a hot iron and moving force at death. Now, some six male police officers have been arrested, the female officer they could not touch has been detained, the commander of the scandalised E-Crack Squad has been removed, and the surviving Ikokwu boys have been freed, the 29 protesters that were clamped into detention and given robbery charges have been released. That is not all, the commissioner of police in the state is opening up, up to condoling the family, proper autopsy is to be conducted, and the Inspector General of Police is said to have ordered thorough investigation and prosecution of offenders. Chima’s spirit may not be acting alone. The power of mass action has manifested fully in the running scandal where mindless police officers allegedly tortured suspects to death. The survivors talked of two other detainees that dropped dead and were pulled off like sticks to join Chima, making three deaths while the Ikokwu boys were there. This has raised fears that the police has turned into a killing machine with torture chambers openly in action right opposite the busiest market (Mile One Market in Diobu) in the Niger Delta. The greatest breakthrough in the saga was the revelation that Chima was dead. One of the survivors told newsmen last week how he used slang to hint his people that Chima was dead. This was when the police officers had started mellowing down and even courted the support of the survivors to corroborate the story they would tell

Mohammed Adamu, IGP

The late Chima... The ecclipse of a dream

about Chima in return for favours. The charge sheet had indicated that Chima was missing and this was what was conveyed to the family when it leaked that the missing five were in Mile One Police Division many days after they were not found. The offence was diving one way but at the E-Crack, it quickly turned to car-snatching, armed robbery and cultism. About N150,000 was found on four of the boys and this may have led to extreme torturing to make them admit to crimes and probably make the money disappear. The survivor said when he was allowed to make call to send help, he told the person at the other end that ‘Chima don shite”. This immediately caused stirs and soon, lawyers, union leaders and activists began to swam the police. They quickly sent the case to court to probably get rid of the boys from the police.

Human rights lawyers said they deliberately charged them to a magistrate court without jurisdiction probably to stall trial when most of the boys carried deathly wounds without any form of medication. The survivors also explained the mystery of the high sugar level labeled as cause of death. One middle-aged man among them, Ifeanyi Onyenekwe, said he was repeatedly chewing bitter kola and refusing soft drinks. The investigation police officer (IPO) accused him of chewing his charm but he vigorously refuted it, rather saying he had high sugar and needed the bitter kola always. When Chima died, they hardly could know which person had a case of high sugar and they placed it on the late Chima. Since the uproar over the Chima deaths, the police seemed to do all things to cover up the deed

but pressure seemed too much as the international community showed huge interest in a week Nigeria was being de-listed and banned for US visa. This may have added to the irritation of the presidency along with the Imo scandal where a party that came fourth ended up first to dethrone a ruling governor. Justice seemed to die in Nigeria. After delaying for weeks, the wheel of justice began to move, albeit slowly as the voice of the masses rose louder. The Rivers State government seemed to wash its hands off the blood by using the director of public prosecution (DPP) to upturn the shoddy but empty charges, and freed the four and now the 29. The state police command followed with arrests; and now peace seems to return to the state as the Ikokwu traders and mechanics that were prepared to start shut down heaved a sigh of relief and stood down action. The police seem to be acting faster now. By Thursday, February 6, 2020, Rivers Police Command met the family for the second time and announced that he has redeployed the Commander of ECrack Squad, a Superintendent of Police, Benson Abisoye, in whose custody the late mechanic was allegedly tortured. The Commissioner of Police, Mustapha Dandaura, who spoke for the first time on the scandal, said the E-Crack Commander (Abisoye) had to be redeployed to give way to investigations as the IG ordered. He condoled Chima’s wife pregnant for nine months at the moment and the entire family and assured that prosecution will get to any officer involved in the death and torture. He must be referring to the

clamour for arrest of the female police officer who was mentioned as the one who did things to the Chima’s genital organ and allegedly said even if he lived, he would not be able to make his wife pregnant. The woman police officer was so genital-loving that she was said to have repeatedly hit that part of Chima’s body while the torture lasted. Meanwhile, a human rights lawyer, Henry Ekine, said that the report of an autopsy is not a prerequisite for instituting criminal proceedings in murder cases. Ekine pointed out that there are landmark Supreme Court judgments on murders that have said that there are lots more than medical report. He however, said there is enough evidence that officers of E-crack Squad tortured Chima Ikwunado to death and inhumanly tortured the other Ikokwu four. The female officer named as Sergeant Rose has joined six other named police officers on detention at the State Criminal Investigations Department on Moscow Road, Port Harcourt. The others are named as Inspector Ayogu Fidelis, Inspector Enyina Samuel, Inspector Tope, Inspector Uche, Sergeant Ake Chibuzor and Sergeant Philip Obi. Human rights groups are holding more meetings to strategise in pursing the matter and many other discoveries at the cell. The General Overseer of Omega Power Ministries (OPM), Chibuzor Gift Chinyere, has stepped in to offer succour to the widow, unborn child and Chima’s parents. He has offered a flat for the women to live, to pay all hospital bills and education of the child up to the university abroad. The offer is making ripples in the Niger Delta and beyond.

Two killed, houses burnt in Taraba as Jukun/Tiv crisis escalates NATHANIEL GBAORON, Jalingo

bout two persons were killed and several houses burnt when gunmen susp e c t e d t o b e Ju k u n m i l i t i a attacked Ibua village along Wukari-Ibi road in Ibi local government area last Thursday night. Residents, who spoke to our correspondent, said the attackers invaded the village at about 7:30pm, killing two persons and injuring many others. Tondo Aga told our correspondent on the phone that the attackers invaded the village at about 7pm and shot sporadically before burning

the village. An o t h e r e y e w i t n e s s , Ya Tor told our correspondent that he was sitting in front of his house when suddenly he saw armed men trooping into the village from Wukari axis. “I escaped through the back door and ran to the nearby police check point but there was nobody to report to,” he said. Taraba State Police public relations officer, ASP David Misal who confirmed the attack told our correspondent that gunmen suspected to be Jukun youths carried out the attack. “Information available to us indicates that gunmen suspected to be Jukun youths

attacked a Tiv village in Ibi local government area and killed two persons. “Some thatch houses were also burnt in the attack believe to be the lingering crisis between the Jukun and the Tiv in the area. “The Divisional Police Officer (DPO) of Ibi is leading a team of police officers on a manhunt of the attackers,” he said. Governor Darius Ishaku had during a peace meeting in Abuja convened by the federal government to end the crisis last September said the crisis was an internal affairs of Taraba and pledged to end the crisis which has continue to fester.

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Sunday 09 February 2020

Crime Watch Ikokwu 5 update How Port Harcourt mechanic who was tortured to death ‘smoked’ out his killers

Mohammed Adamu, IGP

The late Chima... The ecclipse of a dream

Two killed, houses burnt in Taraba as Jukun/Tiv crisis escalates NATHANIEL GBAORON, Jalingo

Sunday 09 February 2020

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BDSUNDAY 31

TheWorshippers

CAN talks tough, unites against killing of Christians in Nigeria …Urges government to protect human lives … Says ‘enough is enough’ SEYI JOHN SALAU

he Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) has taken a stand to unite against the killings of Christians in Nigeria, following the unabated killings across the country that have taken a worrisome trend with the recent killing of Rev. Lawan Andimi, the Chairman of CAN, Michika Local Government Area of Adamawa State. The Christian body is talking tough over the killings which have been attributed to the persecution of its members, especially Christians in the Northern part of Nigeria. Therefore, CAN leadership have urged government both at state and federal level to put an end to the killings, saying “enough is enough.” “The rally is the rally of Jesus Christ against the evils in the land. It’s been so long that the church has been so quiet and the church in Nigeria can no longer be quiet looking at how our brothers are being butchered like animals. This is a country of human beings; not a country of animals, and the church needs to tell our rulers to rise up and do something,” said Apostle Alexander Bamgbola, chairman, CAN, Lagos State while leading some Christians in Lagos on a recent prayer walk held to protest against the killings of Christians in Nigeria. According to Bamgbola, there was a generation of Nigerians who understood the political trajectory of the country following the amalgamation of the southern and northern protectorate in 1914. “This country was built to be a nation of peace, a nation of prosperity of God, a nation of greatness;

here we are every nation is calling us names, barring our youths from prospering while nations are closing their doors on us because of the evils we are doing in the land. “Today, the church is making a point across to our rulers as called by the national president of CAN, Rev. Supo Ayokunle, who is the head of the church in this nation and all the fathers in the land are rising up to tell our rulers to rise up and rule this nation for God. Even Muslims rule their nation for their God, and we are calling on all our rulers to stop these killings – they can stop it,” he said. Speaking further on the security situation in the country, the Lagos CAN chairman said Nigeria used to have one of the best army in the world and have proven its military might to other nations in the past. “In 1962 to 1965, we saved Congo, we saved South Africa, we saved West Africa through ECOMOG; the armies of this nation were respected around the world, even by US army; so our government has no excuse not to be able to fight the infidels, the locusts devouring the land, that have been giving this nation no peace,” said Bamgbola who opined that Nigeria is in dire need of peace. According to him, “Without peace there can be no progress; there can be no prosperity”. Bamgbola equally questioned the year-on-year decline in Nigeria’s foreign direct investment (FDI), owing to the level of insecurity and corruption in the country. “Because of the evils of this nation, investors are running away over the last 20 years; they don’t want to invest in Nigeria, a nation of great prospects – why should we have rulers who would not rise up and build this na-

Apostle Alexander Bamgbola, chairman, CAN, Lagos State

tion for God. “We have the largest number of youth in any nation on the surface of the earth today, but look at our youth – So, we are calling on the president of this nation to please rise up and defend the land; that is why he was voted in; to defend the people and the property of our people in the nation,” Bamgbola further said. The Stephanos Foundation’s record shows a total of 1,785 attacks in 32 states of the country between 1980 and 2019. This resulted in the death of not less than 28, 878 innocent people. In 121 Muslim-riots in 19 states, the death of 9, 451 lives were recorded. Also, Boko Haram militant groups were responsible

Boko Haram not ‘technically defeated’, says Cardinal Okogie SEYI JOHN SALAU

nthony Cardinal Olubunmi Okogie has condemned in strong terms government position on the “technically defeated Boko Haram”, insisting that any government spokesman, presidential media assistant or service chief, who said that Boko Haram had been defeated, will be answerable to God for every life that Boko Haram has destroyed. According to Okogie, the era in which government monopolised the flow of information has since gone; as such government must be honest and patient in relating with the citizens. He said that one of the biggest lies ever told by any government in the history of Nigeria is that Boko Haram has been “technically defeated”. “Boko Haram has not been defeated. It is, in fact, waxing stronger,” Okogie said. Okogie is of the view that Nigerians have the right and duty to interrogate government on the level of insecurity in the country. “But instead of honest responses,

they are insulted by Presidential spokespersons that combined insolence and mendacity. How many innocent Nigerians will be killed before our government and its functionaries admit that Nigeria is not winning the war against terrorism? “Incontrovertible evidence abounds that government is simply incapable of protecting the land and the people. As the year 2019 was coming to an end, a faction of Boko Haram under the banner of Islamic State of West Africa Province (ISWAP) intensified its terrorist acts. On December 12, ISWAP executed a police officer and 14 civilians in northeastern Nigeria. On December 13, ISWAP executed 4 of the 6 workers it abducted in July 2019. One of the abducted workers had already been executed last September. “On December 14, as many as 19 Fulani cattle herders were killed by Boko Haram near Ngala, close to Nigeria’s border with Cameroon. On December 22, near Maiduguri, 6 persons were killed while 5 were abducted by Boko Haram. On December 24, Christmas Eve, Boko Haram visited Chibok, a Christian town, killed 7 and abducted a

teenage girl. On December 26, a day after Christmas, Boko Haram released a 56-second video of the execution of 11 Christians,” said Okogie, stating that the timing of release of the video was meant to dampen Christmas celebrations. Speaking further on the killings across the country, Okogie said that there is a noticeable pattern. For instance, while Boko Haram has not spared members of the Muslim community, the fact of the affiliation with Islamic religion is undeniable. Neither is it deniable that many of their victims are Christians. According to Okogie, Young Christian women are abducted and forced to marry in the Islamic way. “While it is true that friendship in Nigeria does cut across religious boundaries, it is also clearly evident that some practitioners of Islamic religion are saying it is a crime to be Christian in Nigeria,” he stated. “A democracy is not led by a monarch who is above and beyond questions. It would, therefore, be a great disservice to the government and people of Nigeria for government spokespersons to heap gratuitous insults on those who demand accountability of government.

for 701 attacks that claimed 12,812 lives in 15 states. Again, 963 attacks from Fulani Militant groups in 32 states were responsible for 6,615 deaths. However, in 2014 alone, about 2,484 killings and 108 attacks on churches was recorded while in 2015, the number increased to an estimated 4,028 killings; 198 church attacks which show a gradual increase in religiously motivated killings in Nigeria. But, the recent trends of killings and attacks on places of worship have now moved to targeted attacks on clergymen. Therefore, looking at it from that point of view, the killings are crimes against humanity and the state, and should be treated as such. There

is also an increasing public outcry for justice to be done to the family of the deceased, at least in record time, which prompted the Christian body to call for a 3-day fasting and prayer between 31 January and 2 February, with a prayer walk on the last day. As they say, justice delayed is justice denied. Baba Aladura Israel Akinadewo, state secretary of CAN, said the new song for the Christian body now is ‘enough is enough’. “If you watch the video of that CAN local government chairman that was slaughtered, there is no way you can say this is a God-fearing country. Also, look at that young Christian that a nine-year old boy was asked to shoot; so, does that mean that when our fathers retire to go and meet God – those are the youth that are supposed to lead the church, and they are slaughtering them,” he queried. According to him, the church in Lagos is uniting with Christians across the country to demand response from the government over the incessant killings and attacks on the church. “So, the church is saying we have had enough, and we are sending this message to our rulers that every leadership has tenure and we are saying that we will not rest; our prayers will continue fervently until they listen to us and do the needful,” said Akinadewo. On his part, CAN director of national issues and social welfare, Bishop Stephen Adegbite who represented the president of CAN, Reverend Supo Ayokunle at the rally, said the church in Nigeria is not going to accept the killing of Christians anymore. “As long as they don’t stop it, we are going to be on their neck; …we are saying enough is enough,” he stated.

Archbishop Martins decries killing of Catholic seminarian

…Says Nigeria is drifting towards anarchy

he Catholic Archbishop of Lagos, Most Rev. Alfred Adewale Martins has condemned in very strong terms, the recent killing of Michael Nnadi, an 18-year-old seminarian abducted alongside three other seminarians of The Good Shepherd Major Seminary, Kaduna by gun men. In a release signed by the Director of Social Communications, Rev. Fr. Anthony Godonu, he said the gruesome murder of the innocent young man was yet another indication of the failure of the present security arrangement of the Federal Government (FG) to address insecurity in the nation. Martins warned that the persistent cases of inability of the FG to safeguard the lives of innocent Nigerians was capable of breeding a state of anarchy in the land as the people cannot just fold their hands and watch themselves slaughtered like animals. He said it was high time the President took another look at the present security structures in

the land and rejig them before the masses began to take the law into their own hands. “I received with great sadness the news of the murder of the fourth seminarian, Michael Nnadi who was kidnapped recently in Kaduna. This was a young man who abandoned all with the desire to serve His Creator and humanity, now murdered for no just cause. This is just one of several cases of innocent Nigerians being killed on daily basis by gun men while our security services and their chiefs watch as if they were helpless. “Only recently, we had the case of the CAN Chairman in Adamawa State who was executed and before that the murder of eleven innocent people by so-called ISWAP and the execution of the two students returning to their studies in Maiduguri. We have also had situations of suicide bombers going into mosques to murder people who had simply gone to worship God as they know Him. This appalling situation must come to an end.

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Inspiration With Rev. Yomi Kasali

info@yomikasali.com

watched a movie many years ago on the above topic and I saw something in scriptures that stresses the importance of information for anyone to excel in life. There are many believers who do not treasure the Word and Information hence will not succeed regardless of the Saving Grace that they have enjoyed. The wisest man that

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TheWorshippers

The informant ever lived said something quite inspiring in Prov. 19 v 2, “also, that the soul be without knowledge, it is NOT GOOD, and he that hasteth with his feet sinneth”. This is exciting and truly assertive; it is simply NOT GOOD to be without Knowledge and Information in life. The Nigerian National Assembly signed the Freedom of Information Bill into law some years ago which has not been operated in practical terms; her citizens are still living in absolute ignorance about their leaders and their remunerations. I saw a video recently of how much the thieving Ex-Governors take home as pensions while the citizens suffer for lack of good roads, water, power, education and health care system, yet many do not know about these alarming mind-boggling figures. Informants can be wrong and right depending on the source of their information, if you get someone who merely ‘speculates’ on happenings around, then your Decisions may be built on risky information because of the inform-

from the heart of men so He will guide us into all truth when we trust His Information.

ant, but if the Informant is a credible ‘insider’ with both knowledge and motive, you will be armed with the right information to make your decisions. I would love to introduce the best Informant anyone can have to you today, He is someone that has the accurate information and knowledge of truth, He cannot be wrong and it is crucial for you to trust Him totally as you make decisions in your life. This Informant is the Holy

Spirit, one of His ministries is to ‘teach us and guide us into all truth’, by revealing or Informing us about the plans of God and Man towards us. 5 Reasons to trust the informant He will guide you into all truth (John 16 v 13): The most important thing about information is to know if it is true or false. The Holy Spirit doesn’t pick His Information from social media gossips but

He will reveal the father’s plan to us (1 Cor. 2 V 9-10): There are many things that God has planned for those who love Him but they don’t know. It is the Informant called the Holy Spirit that will reveal those information to us when we trust Him and build a relationship with Him. He will protect and comfort us (John 16 v 7): Jesus promised the disciples that He will not leave them comfortless or vulnerable but will give them the Holy Spirit who will Comfort and Protect them by giving the Information to follow about their health and lives. He will show us the future (John 16 v 13: 1 tim 4 v 1): It’s like a student getting ‘expo’ before an exam, so will the Holy Spirit reveal the Future to those who trust Him, just like He revealed the future to John through the book of Revelation. You should not fear the future once you have The Informant

on your side as your Friend and Helper. He will not leave or disappoint you: The Informant will never disappoint those who put their trust in Him, unlike men who can fail and will disappoint themselves, The Holy Spirit Will never fail and disappoint those who trust Him. I hope you have been Inspired and you will build a good relationship with The Informant not Social media or google but the Holy Spirit. Drop me a note of acknowledgment and encouragement and also follow me on my Social media handles below: Instagram: @yomi_kasali Twitter: @yomi_kasali Facebook: www.facebook. com/revyomikasali Youtube: www.youtube. com/revyomikasali Be Inspired!

Rev Yomi Kasali is Senior Pastor, Foundation of Truth Assembly (FOTA), Surulere, Lagos.

The benevolence of a Catholic priest

ome years back, after a Sunday morning Mass in Abuja, a young and a goodlooking lady walked up to me. She was holding a fat brown envelope. She handed the envelope to me and said I should please pray for her. I asked her about the content of the envelope and what particular intention would I be praying for? She told me that she started working just a month ago and that she came to thank the Lord and to offer the first fruit of her work for God’s blessings. What was in the envelope was her salary for that month. Her first salary. The entire money! Everything! In all honesty, I was speechless not for lack of words but for being unable to know where to begin. Inside me, I was like: do people still entrust everything they have to God in a child-like simplicity like this? I was really moved. In my heart, I said a prayer for her, that type of prayer that is deep down, it was as though it was the Holy Spirit Himself that was praying through me. I was feeling the

answers to the prayers even before I finished praying. Then she knelt down, I laid my hands upon her and blessed her and the money. After prayers, I asked her to tell me how much was in the envelope. She said Eighty Thousand Naira (N80,000). Then I asked, “how much

covers your transport to your work daily?” She said “approximately N1,000 to and fro, Father.” That means for 27 work days, it would be N27,000. Then I spoke up again, “Sorry o, I am asking you too many questions, how much do you feed daily when you go to work?”

She answered, “It depends. If I want to eat so well, I spend 800 naira with drinks, but mainly I spend just N500, and sometimes I carry food from home.” So, I made the calculation in my head. Let say she spends 500 naira daily, 27 work days would be N13,500.

I went ahead to enquire about her accommodation and I discovered that she stayed alone in an apartment she just rented. We made the calculation by dividing the annual rent by 12 months and we discovered that if she was to pay rent monthly, it would be N12,500. Her monthly electricity and water bill with other fees for house maintenance was put at N10,000. On phone calls and data, we approximated it to be N5000 monthly. Her monthly DSTV subscription was around N3,600 for DSTV family bouquet. When you put all the expenses together and subtract it from the N80,000, she would be left with N8,400 to buy food stuffs and other things in the house. These are the expenses that she was sure to spend every month. We had not even talked about other things like make up, doing her hair, clothes, gifts to family and even savings. This is a huge sacrifice, in my judgment. I intentionally asked her those questions so as to ascertain the depth

of her sacrifice. I brought out the envelope, bless it for the second time and gave it to her. I looked at her countenance and I knew she was not too comfortable with my action. Then, I took time to explain the Bible to her. That was when I discovered that so many people do not truly understand how God works. When God asks us for first fruit or for tithe or for any sacrifice, it is not so that He will eat it. No! He has no need of our money. When He asked Abraham to sacrifice his only son, it was not because he liked seeing the blood of innocent children. When He asked Abel and Cain to make a sacrifice to Him, it was not because he ate fruit or even drank blood of rams. It is simply to test how committed we are, how willing are we to leave everything to Him. Do we, like Cain, select offerings that we no longer desire and give to Him or do we, like Abel, empty everything to Him? This lady that brought the first fruit began to understand for the first time. Right Continues on Page 33

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TheWorshippers The benevolence of a Catholic priest Continued from Page 32

be a channel that would bring forth the fulfillment of God’s promise and given back to Abraham. The offerings of bread and fish people brought were prayed upon and given back to them to eat and they were filled, still there was left over. The water they filled at the wedding in Cana of Galilee was given back to them as wine. The Ugwu Kelvin that my parents offered to God is given back to them as a priest. The money that the young lady brought to me as her first fruit is blessed and given back to her as pure gift from heaven.

from when she put the money in the envelope to bring to God, God had already accepted her offering. The minister must not spend the money. It is just that most of us ministers are unfortunately greedy. And we use God’s name to cover it up. We often see the part of scriptures that favour our stomach. Theologically, when you give to God, He transforms that gift and gives it back to you. The bread and wine people offer before mass are transformed to the body and blood of Christ and given back to the people to eat and drink. The son, Isaac, that Abraham gave to God was transformed to

-- By Rev.Fr.Ugwu Kelvin.

Re: ‘Fanatical witnesses’ Uche Nnamani

mong the legendary statements ever uttered by man, which I cherish so much is that by Othman Danfodio. He said that “Conscience is an open wound, only truth can heal it.” That is why I have tremendous respect for men like Ray Ekpu, who has devoted nearly 50 years in a relentless and vigorous pursuit of such truth. As a veteran journalist, prolific writer, administrator and a renowned columnist, Ray’s analyses and opinions on issues can be authoritative. Ray is also a courageous writer, not afraid to bare his mind on diverse issues. Perhaps, it was with such zeal and zest that he took a journey this time, in an unfamiliar terrain, in his weekly column of Daily Sun and The Guardian of Tuesday, January 28, 2020. In an article titled ‘Fanatical Witnesses’, he made a series of allegations against Jehovah’s Witnesses with expressions like “They hold their church services on Saturday not Sundays. They do not sing the National Anthems of the countries in which they live. They do not respect the national flag. They hold themselves as outlaws and do not give to Caesar what is Caesar’s. They think that their duty is only to give God what is God’s.” One of the few things I still remember about my philosophy class, an elective course I chose as a student in the university over 20 years ago, is that there are two ways of finding out truth. The first is “logical coherence,” while the second is empirical investigation, these methods are timeless in appeal and efficacy. Like other mortals, Ray is not infallible, he never claimed he is, hence my first reaction would have been to write a personal letter to him, refuting some of the assertions he made in the article, which are not correct. But, on a second thought, I reckoned that it would benefit him

and the reading public more if I send this rejoinder to the editor to publish because some of the allegations and conclusions in his article are misleading, others are at best half truth, while the rest are insults and outright falsehood. One of the main tenets of journalism is that, while opinions are free, facts are sacred. So, a little empirical investigation on the website of Jehovah’s Witnesses, JW.ORG (the world’s most translated website), would have shown him that more than 90percent of the over 8.6 million witnesses in 240 lands, islands and territories worldwide hold their weekend meetings on Sundays. On the issue of National Anthem and pledge, Jehovah’s Witnesses, having made an unreservedly and whole-hearted pledge of loyalty to Jehovah, the sovereign of the universe, believe that it amounts to hypocrisy to make another pledge to a country or state, interestingly, the pledge we made to Jehovah includes living by bible standards, which includes respect and obedience to constituted authorities. That is why, in obedience to the scriptural injunction in Romans 13:1, we give to Caesar by obeying laws of the land, conscientiously paying our taxes, tributes and honour to such governmental authorities. However, in rare instances where the authorities make demands that are contrary to God’s laws, like in some countries where certain laws unduly restrict or ban our worship, we follow the footsteps of the apostles as recorded in Acts 5: 29, to … “obey God as ruler rather than men.” The Witnesses’ respect and view of governmental authorities transcends perfunctory obedience like singing the National Anthem and pledge, swearing oath to serve with honesty, only for many to get involved in anti-governmental activities like civil disobedience, official malfeasance like fraud or outright theft. As an experienced administrator and believer in good governance, I know that Ray would

prefer a heartfelt obedience to constituted authorities to a mere ritual of flag salute or mockery oath of loyalty and allegiance. I also find as complimentary Ray’s attempt to describe the dress of the Witnesses who came calling at his door in derogatory terms. While, like he said, they may not have worn finely cut suit and redcarpet gowns, he noted that they were modestly dressed, and the gown “covered everywhere from head to toe,” it would interest Ray to know that such was the description of the garment made for Adam and Eve, the first human pair, by the greatest designer in the universe, Jehovah (Genesis 3: 21). I also found it a bit disappointing that a writer of Ray’s repute would describe as “stupidity and insanity” a loving effort by the Witnesses who have volunteered and sacrificed their comfort to share a message of God’s kingdom with him. He has no right whatsoever to insult people for practising their religion or for having an unpopular conviction, just like Christ and the first century Christians had. People have different routine and circumstances hence the Witnesses call at homes, markets, streets and even workplaces in search of humble ones who are favourably disposed for everlasting life. As fishers of men, they deliberately adjust their preaching schedules to when their listeners will be most likely found, just as experienced fishermen. While many may not be disposed to listen, the Witnesses have had fine results with others with whom they share the good news of God’s kingdom. As a result of such efforts, last year, a total of 12,232,924 friends and neighbours joined the 8,686,117 Witnesses worldwide to observe the Lord’s evening meal in obedience to Jesus’ command at Luke 22:19. In disagreeing with the Witnesses’ stand on blood transfusion, Ray also quoted Genesis 9:4, which states: “You shall not eat flesh with its life, that is blood” and Acts 15:29,

which states: “That you abstain from what has been sacrificed to idols and from blood and from what is strangled.” It may be necessary to add scriptures like Leviticus 17: 12 & 14, which states in part: “None of you should eat blood, and no foreigner who is residing in your midst should eat blood… Consequently, I said to the Israelites: You must not eat the blood of every sort of flesh… anyone eating it will be cut off.” Jehovah’s Witnesses understand and appreciate God’s loving command to mean not taking in blood, through any means whatsoever. If Ray feels that a sacred substance like blood, which God, the Grand-creator, in his infinite wisdom, has commanded that we should not eat can be transfused without contravening God’s clear and unambiguous law, he certainly has the right to his opinion but that does not change God’s law, just as writer Vincent R. Ruggiero says “the truth cannot be changed by our knowledge or by our ignorance.” I would liken this to a child whose father has prohibited from taking certain addictive substance but he instead injects it intravenously. It is important to state that the baby of Mr. and Mrs. Emmanuel Onokpise in question had jaundice and as at the time of the forceful transfusion, the baby no longer had jaundice and was recuperating well. Beyond the religious convictions of Witnesses, more and more doctors and patients within and outside Nigeria opt for non-blood medical management because it is safer. Blood transfusion is especially unsafe in countries with no proper screening facilities for blood. It may interest you to know that modern medicine has gone beyond a hasty transfusion therapy to robust and effective alternatives to blood transfusion. Witnesses, in their quest to obey Jehovah’s clear directive not to eat blood, have pushed the boundaries of research in nonblood medical management. There are numerous experiences about successful bloodless surgeries

and complex medical procedures within and outside Nigeria but let me share my personal experience here. In November 2018, I was diagnosed of high grade non-hodgskin lymphoma (a very serious type of blood cancer) but, thankfully, it was at stage one and confined to the spleen. A team of hematologists at London Hematology, who carried out the diagnoses, recommended that I should have an open splenectomy, a surgery that would excise the diseased organ. They also said that because spleen was a bloody organ as such transfusion was a must. The transfusion practitioner, clinical nurse specialists and doctors all said that, being anemic as I was (hemoglobin 10+5), I stood no chance without a transfusion. After some research, the consultant hematologist, Mr. Karcsmarski, was able to get the nod of a surgeon who agreed to carry out the surgery without blood transfusion, his name, Dr. Satvinda Mudan. On December 10, 2018, the surgery was successfully carried out at London Clinic, Davonshere place, London, United Kingdom, and I gradually recuperated, to the amazement of the medical team. At the anniversary of the surgery, I wrote to thank the medical team at the London Clinic and, in response, the surgeon wrote: “Dear Uche, I am so pleased to learn that you are doing so well. While I might have shown some dexterity as you say, however, the real display of courage was surely from you. I can only say that you showed great fortitude and strength of character in the face of a difficult and threatening situation not of your own making. Moreover, you impressed us all with your resolve and strength with which you hold your belief.” Other aspects of Ray’s misrepresentation of facts will be addressed in the coming days. ................................. Blood transfusion at the heart of the controversy

34 BDSUNDAY

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Okada riders on flank, suspect proscription will not endure DANIEL OBI

usuf is an okada rider operating in Isolo area of Lagos. He has rested his Okada business temporarily due to the recent proscription of the use of motorcycles and tricycles in various parts of Lagos. But Yusuf and others in that trade have intention to resuscitate the business in a few weeks’ time on the trust that the proscription will not endure. Other okada riders especially in M2 and Festac areas of Lagos are daring the Lagos authorities as they still operate their business. What gave them such confidence? They believe that Lagos State lacks the political Will, effrontery and manpower to enforce the law. This is not the first time Lagos State government is banning the use of Okada in certain areas in Lagos. In 2012, Babatunde Fashola, the then governor of the state placed ban on okada from operating in certain areas including major highways such as Ikorodu Road, Funsho Williams Avenue, Apapa-Oshodi Express, Lagos-Badagry and LekkiEpe expressways. The reason then for the ban was because of the high rate of robbery involving the use of okadas. As usual, the ban attracted criticisms from the public who said it will deny many Nigerians livelihood and make movements difficult as Okada was complementary to other transportation means. At this time, the state government confiscated about 15,000 okadas as there were about 50,000 okadas operating then, according to reports.

Few months after and before the 2015 elections, the ban was relaxed on political consideration. It was not immediately known whether the reason for banning okadas, which was to stem criminal activity, was achieved or political consideration far outweighs the motives for the ban. Obviously, Lagos State APC did not want to trade the state with any other Political Party and would therefore like to harvest votes from any living being to stay on top. As Lagos State played down on the ban, Okada from other States which were strict on their proscription flooded Lagos. They came from various parts of Nigeria, largely northern Nigeria and from Niger, Mali and Chad. Many of them are Nigeriens and Chad. It is calculated that as today there are over 250,000 okadas with 78% being indigenes of Chad, Niger and Mali in Lagos. More and more motorcycles and tricycles crept into the Lagos’ public transportation space due to lax law and to solve transportation challenges, as the population expands. Statistics from the Lagos Metropolitan Area Transport Authority (LAMATA) also shows that road transportation accounts for over 90 percent of movement in Lagos, as water and rail systems, which ought to serve as alternatives currently bear little or no impact. Thousands of residents of Nigeria’s commercial city have over the years embraced Okada and Keke to fill observed gaps in the state public transportation. Suddenly, Lagos became a beehive of okada with some of them involving in robbery and accidents.

Again, many of them both trained and untrained became unruly, riding against traffic and violent. To them, obeying traffic signs or wearing helmets was non-existent in a state considered chaotic. Official figures show that between 2016 and 2019, more than 600 deaths and 10,000 accidents involving Okada and Keke were recorded in the state. To sanitise the state and curb accidents, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, the 15th Governor of Lagos State, recently proscribed the use of okada with effect from February 3, 2020 in the major commercial city of Nigeria. Gbenga Omotosho, the commissioner for information and strategy, explained to journalists that the decision to bar Okada and Keke was reached at the state Security Council meeting chaired by Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu. The decision was motivated by scary statistics of the accidents and deaths. Omotosho told State House correspondents, that the Security Council took the decision because the security and safety of lives of Lagosians

are paramount. Again, the proscription has attracted criticism from the public and businessmen who invested in commercial ‘okada’ business. As the criticism mounts, will Lagos State again begin to relax the law as build up to the 2023 election gradually begins? This is the hope of Yusuf and others. Yusuf and some others are not registered; neither do they have insurance cover for themselves and their passengers. Another law that Lagos State is standing between political consideration and strict implementation is the law on Noise pollution. Late last year, Lagos Government started to clamp down on noise pollution. The government had started with worship centres across the state for contravening environmental pollution regulations. Lagosians who have been suffering from noise pollution from many quarters told themselves that respite has eventually come. The State Government had on November 17, 2019 closed down eight worship centres across

the state for contravening environmental pollution regulations, according to the News Agency of Nigeria. General Manager, Lagos State Environmental Protection Agency, Dolapo Fasawe, who led the exercise, said that the facilities were closed down to save the people from health crisis that might arise from the activities of the centres. Noise increases the chance of occurrence of diseases such as headache, blood pressure, heart failure. “Noise leads to emotional and behavioral stress. Noise may permanently damage hearing. A sudden loud noise can cause severe damage to the eardrum. Noise leads to increased heartbeat, constriction of blood vessels and dilation of pupil. Noise is a problem especially for patients who need rest. Noise may cause damage to liver, brain and heart”, says experts. The Nigeria Hypertension Society (NHS) says in a report published in Vanguard in May last year that one-third of Nigeria’s adult population is hypertensive. Another report says over 8.5

million Nigerians have suffered hearing disorder. The report identified children as the most vulnerable group to ear defects. Apart from areas like Magodo and Banana Island, other major places in Lagos are ‘hellish’ with deafening noise pollution that makes life uncomfortable and itchy for majority of Lagos residents. The noise is either coming from externally-mounted loud speakers of churches, mosques, shops on streets, music centres or drinking spots. The governor and his agencies should go further to hold crucial meeting with agents of noise pollution such as heads of religious leaders, leaders of music selling shops to educate them on dangers of the noise from their external loud speakers to the neighbours and the communities. Landlords and landladies should also be made to warn their tenants against noise. They should sound-proof their noise or face the penalty. The governor is also moving to sanitise erection of kiosks within Lagos metropolis to create a beautiful city in addition to checking pedestrians crossing expressways against use of bridges. There is no doubt that governor who came with a slogan ‘Lagos calls, Sanwo –Olu answers’ during his campaign for the position has good intentions for the residents of Lagos, but he needs Political Will and well-mapped out strategy to achieve them. Lagos can compare with Johannesburg, Berlin, Dubai, and other good cities. He can make it happen with determination and political Will. Political considerations will rubbish his intentions and make the state more chaotic.

Indomie rekindles love for storytelling with folktale competition in Kano

esearch has shown that stories help to spark children’s imagination and stimulate their curiosity. Stories help kids to learn sounds, words and language. Stories also aid in the development of early literacy skills in children. They help in creating the neural circuits that ultimately enable sophisticated thinking and reasoning in young children. In the light of

the immense value of stories and in keeping with its commitment to educational development of the Nigerian child, Dufil Prima Foods, maker of Indomie Instant Noodles, has rewarded winners of its just concluded storytelling competition in the Northern part of the country; tagged: Project Edutainment. Th e s t o r y t e l l i n g competition was conducted among selected primary

schools in Kano State. The idea of the competition was to use education and entertainment to boost interest in learning among the young minds in the northern part of the country, as the literacy rate in Northern Nigeria has remained low at 30%, according to United States Agency for International Development. Speaking at the prize

presentation event held at Race Course Model Primary School, Kano, Indomie Marketing Strategist Pan Nigeria, Ashish Ranjan said that the rationale behind the innovation was to rejuvenate the waning Hausa culture of telling folktales during the night as inherited by their forebears. “We initiated the story telling competition in order to help instill traditional values in the upcoming

generation, develop healthy competitiveness among them and also expose them to the act of public speaking.” In her remarks the North West President, National Association of Proprietors of Private Schools (NAPPS), Hajiya Maryam Magaji said it is unfortunate that many aspects of culture have been eroded over time. Ab o u t 2 5 p r i m a r y schools participated in the competition where the top

ten were selected and later whittled down to the best three. Fagge Model Primary School emerged the overall winner of the story telling competition through the brilliant performance of their pupil, Yusuf Ismail. Hausawa Model Primary School came second while Race Course Model Primary School came third. Each school was presented with a desktop computer and cash prizes.

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CapitalMarket 25% drop in PMS revenue, high cost of sales put MRS in N1bn loss in 2019

TELIAT SULE

RS Oi l Ni g e r i a has announced its unaudited financial statement for 2019, which shows that the downstream firm recorded a loss after tax of N1.1 billion during the period. The loss was caused by a 28 percent fall in the company’s revenue last year, majority of which was suffered in the same of the premium motor spirit popularly called PMS. For the entire 2019, MRS Oil Nigeria realised N64.75 billion as total revenue compared with N89.55 billion the firm made in 2018. Along product segment, revenue from the sale of PMS accounted for 72 percent in 2019, similar to 69 percent weight in 2018. PMS revenue in 2019 which amounted to N46.61 billion represented a 25 percent decline compared with N62.09 billion in 2018. The sale of aviation turbine kerosene (ATK) recorded 25 percent increased as it hit N80.9 billion in 2019 as against N6.49 billion in 2018. Revenue from automotive gasoline oil (AGO), popularly called diesel declined by 38 percent to N5.87 billion in 2019 compared with N9.41 billion in corresponding period in 2018. Sales of dual purpose Kerosene (DPK) also declined by 99 percent to N84.8 million down from N8.03 billion in 2018. Between October 2018 and October 2019, the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC)

imported 22.7 billion litres of PMS and 396.86 million litres of AGO and DPK, data sourced from NNPC’s Financial and Operations Report, October 2019, has revealed. On the contrary, revenue from liquefied natural gas (LPG) rose by 288 percent during the review period, an indication of the rising acceptance of LPG as a better means

NAHCO profit increases by 431% in 2019 on cost minimisation

TELIAT SULE igerian Aviation handling Company (NAHCO), last week announced impressive unaudited financial statements for the year December 31, 2019 which saw its profit after tax rise by 431 percent last year. Its profit after tax (PAT) increased to N1.04 billion in 2019 from N196.79 million in corresponding period in 2018. The three digits growth in profitability followed the cost saving measures the management put in place in the year that just ended. NAHCO generated N10.15 billion as revenue in 2019 mainly from passenger and aircraft handling where it earned N5.5 billion which constituted over 50 percent of the revenue and N262.24 million from leasing, bringing revenue from contracts with customers to N5.77 billion. This compares with N5.39 billion and N276.9 million it realised from passenger and aircraft handling totalling N5.67 billion the firm generated from contracts with customers in 2018. Cargo handling and equipment rental and maintenance generated

N3.96 billion and N424.89 million respectively in 2019 as against N3.77 billion and N387.59 million respectively in 2018. According to the latest aviation data released by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) for half year 2019, domestic passengers increased by 7.6 percent year on year, driven by domestic arrivals which grew by 8.77 percent while domestic departures rose by 6.42. Also, domestic aircraft movements rose by 1.99 percent, majorly accounted for by domestic aircraft arrivals which grew by 4.04 percent year on year while domestic aircraft departures remained flat. On the international scene, foreign passenger movement increased by 4.54 percent on account of 5.43 percent growth in foreign passenger arrivals and 3.71 percent growth in foreign passenger departures. Foreign aircraft movement increased by 5.81 percent during the period following 6.45 percent rise in foreign aircraft arrivals and 5.16 percent in foreign aircraft departures. NAHCO’s stock price closed at N2.79 per share last Friday representing 16.3 percent year to date gain.

of cooking among Nigerians. Industry watchers have attributed the declining revenue of downstream oil companies to the sudden restriction the Nigerian government placed on the sales of white products to the effect that retail petroleum outlets within 20km of the Nigerian borders should not be allowed to sell fuel.

“The border closure really impacted downstream oil and gas firms in Nigeria. The policy came all of a sudden and retail outlet is not something a firm can relocate or site within a jiffy. Notwithstanding, MRS Nigeria has to diversify its revenue sources because based on the current structure, reliance is placed on PMS sales. LPG is gaining wider

acceptance, and as such investing more in LPG value chain should help the company in the medium to long term”, an industry analyst who did not want his name in print, said. Further analysis shows that the cost of sales is still very high in Nigeria and this directly compounds the profitability drives of downstream firms. In 2019, MRS Oil Nigeria expended N61.19 billion as cost of sales which means that the firm spent N94 to generate N100 revenue which was almost the same as N95 the company spent in 2018 to generate N100. The stock is presently worth N15.30 per share. In January, MRS Oil Nigeria announced the appointment of Charles Owiti Agutu as the new chief finance officer (CFO) following the resignation of Kamil Bello. Charles Agutu holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree (Accounting Option) from the University of Nairobi, Kenya. He is also a Certified Public Accountant of Kenya. He has over three (3) decades experience in accounting and finance in high level positions in reputable organizations, including as the group finance director at Wilken Group,East Africa, finance manager at Celtel Kenya Limited, financial analysis & accounting manager at Mobil Oil Kenya Limited, amongst others. Until his appointment as the Chief Finance Officer (CFO), he was the Group Head of Finance and Accounts of MRS Holdings Limited. Charles O. Agutu’s appointment was effective January 31, 2020.

NSE joins Financial and Information Services Association

he Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) has announced that it has been appointed as an Executive Committee (EC) member of the Financial and Information Services Association (FISD), a division of the Software and Information Industry Association (SIIA). The appointment which is for a two-year term, beginning January 2020, will have Olufemi Balogun, Head, Market Services Department represent the Exchange. This appointment was communicated to the NSE by Tracey Shumpert, Director of Member Services on February 4, 2020. SIIA is an umbrella association representing 800+ technology, data and media companies globally. Industry leaders work through SIIA’s divisions. As a division, FISD is a global forum for industry participants to address issues and challenges that impact the key players in the value chain including consumer firms, third party groups, and

data providers. Through in-person and online business development opportunities, peer networking, corporate education, intellectual property protection and government relations, FISD supports members to identify the trends that will shape the industry segment and create educational opportunities and initiatives to address them. The Executive Committee of FISD, which is an equitable representation by each of the three FISD broad constituencies -- exchanges, vendors and user firms, is charged with representing FISD membership and setting the broad direction for FISD activities. The committee will review and approve new initiatives, provide guidance to working groups and the FISD/SIIA staff, identify priorities for the FISD budget and staff resources, and select new Executive Committee members when vacancies open. “Our membership of FISD aligns with our commitment to provide

local and international stakeholders with accurate, reliable and timely market data. We have a suite of Market Data products that provide professionals and non-professionals such as the market intermediaries, issuers and investors, with easy access to market information for quick analysis on their investment. We are, therefore, pleased with this appointment as it strategically positions the NSE to further influence Market Data industry policies”, Onyema Onyema, NSE’s CEO, said. Positioned as a data hub for innovation, the NSE continues to invest in the latest technology tools and data products to provide value to its clients. The latest product is the Investors Relations Data pack, launched in July 2019. The IR Data Pack is an innovative and dynamic webpage integrated with key market data, corporate news and disclosures, for corporate issuers. It is a necessary tool required by issuers to improve their engagement with investors.

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International Relations How US-Nigeria BNC raised hope of quick lifting of US Visa ban INNOCENT ODOH, just back from Washington

igerians were stunned when US President Donald Trump on Friday, January 31, imposed immigrant visa restrictions on them following the seeming inability of the Nigerian government to provide detailed security information on prospective immigrants. It however, appeared fortuitous that the ban came just few days before the commencement of the two-day 5th session of the US-Nigeria Binational Commission (BNC). The BNC which started in 2010 is a platform to take the USNigeria relations to a higher dimension. The theme of this year’s Session was ‘US-Nigeria Relations: Mutual Prosperity through Ingenuity’, which just ended in Washington DC on Tuesday, February 4 at the US Department of State. The US imposed immigrant visa restrictions on Nigeria , Eritrea, Sudan, Myanmar, Kyrgyzstan and Tanzania following alleged lack of credible background investigation system that security groups such as Interpol can rely on to vet and certify the originality of prospective immigrants to the US. The ban dampened moral in Nigeria and led to pessimism about a possible backlash on the US-Nigeria relations. However, a strong Nigerian Delegation led by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama , engaged their US counterparts on varied issues over the visa ban and with unassuming diplomatic strides, apparently raised hope that within just about one month, the US may lift the ban as Nigeria had quickly met almost all the requirements demanded by the US. Much of this optimism for a quick resolution of the visa row was expressed on Tuesday when United States Secretary o f St a t e s , Mi c h a e l Po m p e o, met and assured his Nigerian counterpart, Onyeama , that Nigeria, being the second largest trading partner of the US in Africa , could have the visa restrictions lifted in the shortest possible time. Sp e a k i n g t o r e p o r t e r s o n Tu e s d a y, Po m p e o, i n a j o i n t press conference with Onyeama , after a closed door meeting , confirmed that the ban was necessitated “in part due to terrorism threat.” He added that Nigeria has room to grow in sharing important national security information.

Geoffrey-Onyeama

“I am optimistic that’s going to happen. In the proclamat i o n , Pr e s i d e n t Tr u m p h i g h lighted Nigeria’s importance as a strategic partner in the global fight against terrorism and recognized the government’s commitment to improving information sharing with us,” Pompeo said. The Nigerian side in the dialogue appeared set in their effort to redeem the nation from this apparently ugly development. In a deft and astute diplomatic move, the Nigerian team secured a deal that is most certain to quell the controversy and make Nigerians optimistic again. Onyeama, told reporters on Monday after a closed session with the US officials that the US was concerned over Nigerian data system and third party involvement in the management of the passport system especially information and data on lost and stolen passports. “One of their concerns is that the data we provide should not go through third party and we have been using a third party in the management of our passport issues. So, they are a bit worried that security information should not go through private third parties before they become available to them. “So, we have been doing a lot already to address this. We are putting in place some data bases and ICT architecture that will capture these data

mike pompeo

and make them accessible in real time to Interpol and all the member countries of Interpol and it should be up and running within about a month,” he said. The US had urged Nigeria to

“

One of their concerns is that the data we provide should not go through third party and we have been using a third party in the management of our passport issues

begin to issue electronic passports and keep them informed of all the details so that they can tell the genuine and nongenuine ones. The US had also requested Nigeria to share data and information on people with criminal records, suspected terrorists and known terrorists. Onyeama noted that Nigeria has satisfied most of the requirements, adding that it is also addressing the outstanding issue of lost and stolen passports. “So, we pretty much agreed with them that once we address these issues hopefully in not too distant future we will be removed from these restrictions,” he said. The Nigerian Immigration Service has also offered their professional proficiency in this regard. They are said to have put in place the architecture and technology to address the outstanding issue in one month. The move as laudable as it appears has kept Nigerians on their toes even as they await quick resolution the Visa issues. But reacting to the Visa controversy, former spokesman of the late President Umoru Musa Yar’Adua, Segun Adeniyi, wrote on the almost obsessive desire of Nigerians to always leave the country in droves, blaming it on poor economy. “One of the challenges of the US visa ban is for us to get our acts together. This is not in order to qualify our citizens to

continue to flock to the US that has its own challenges, however attractive the country may seem to some of our citizens. “Rather, running a serious country ought to be a national imperative and the minimum expectation of every Nigerian. While we need to emphasize the freedom of our people to travel wherever in the world they may choose, we also need to increase the competitiveness of our country to reduce the urge for the kind of mass emigration of some of our brightest citizens witnessed in recent years,” he said. Also speaking to our correspondent, international relations expert, Dahiru Majeed, said that as much as he does not frown at the idea of people travelling to where ever they may wish, the rush to go to the US and other western countries i s b e c a u s e Ni g e r i a n l e a d e r s have failed to build a competitive economy. Majeed tasked Nigerian leaders to vigorously use foreign policy and other initiatives “to resuscitate the Nigerian economy and restore its glory. “Foreign policy should manif e s t i n Ni g e r i a ’s o u t l o o k i n West Africa sub region. Nigeria should use foreign policy to push for a place in oversea investment and negotiate a fairer share of common market in the sub region that will benefit the Nigerian people at home,” he said.

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SundayBusiness Food & Beverages With Ayo Oyoze Baje

About GAIN h e Gl o b a l Al l i a n c e forImproved Nutrition (GAIN) is an alliance driven by the vision of a world without malnutrition. Created in 2002 at a Special Session of the UN General Assembly on Children, GAIN supports public-private partnerships to increase access to the missing nutrients in diets necessary for people, communities and economies to be stronger and healthier. An estimated 400 million people, most at risk of malnutrition are benefitting from sustained and affordable nutritionally-enhanced food products in more than 25 countries. Half of the beneficiaries are women and children. GAIN is a Swiss Foundation headquartered in Geneva with a special international status granted by the Swiss government. Its worldwide presence includes an office in Washington D.C. as well as regional and country representatives in Johannesburg, New Delhi, Cairo, Nairobi, Kabul and Shanghai to support its activities. GAIN’s nutrition programme in Africa Twelve Africans die every minute as a result of hunger and malnutrition. Since it began in 2003, GAIN has awarded grants to support large scale national food fortification and infant and

All about GAIN’s partnerships in Africa young child nutritionprograms. Grants cover activities including development of policy and quality assurance and control. Also important is the purchase of vitamin and mineral premix and fortification equipment and support of product development and marketing. Projects, which run from three to five years, must be sustainable, compliant with international standards and able to generatepositive public health outcomes.GAIN’s programs are in Cote d’ivoire, Egypt, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Mali, Morocco, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, South Africa and Uganda.GAIN’s Regional office for East and Southern Africa in Johannesburg and GAIN Kenya Country Office provide on-theground support to GAIN-funded programs and essential local expertise for project development and implementation. GAIN is also a partner in the Amsterdam InitiativeAgainstMalnutrition, a collaborateeffort between the publicandprivatesectortoeliminate malnutrition for 100million people in Africa by 2015. In addition, GAIN has supported the African Union with the development of a food and nutrition security strategy. G A I N ’ s N a t i o n a l Fo o d Fortification Program benefits large populations through marketbased approaches. Projects reduce vitamin and mineral deficiencies and associated health problems (e.g. neural tube birth defects, anemia, and impaired mental development). Particularly, in women of reproductive age and children, by adding vitamins and minerals to foods and condiments consumed by mass populations (i.e. wheat four, vegetable oil, maize meal, sugar, salt). • 1 i n f o u r Af r i c a n s i s undernourished? • 68 percent of the 400 million people GAIN is reaching through its programs are in Africa. • 12 African countries in GAIN’s Nutrition Programme. A National Fortification Alliance, acoalitionofgovernments,business, international organisations and civil

society guides GAIN’s investment as part of national food fortification programs. These programmes are sustainable once fortification is mandated by government or adopted by industry. GAIN’s programmes are supported by the GAIN Premix Facility (GPF). GPF provides services related to the procurement and certification of premix, a commercially prepared blend of vitamins and minerals used to fortify foods. The GPF supports nutrition programs and private sector food producers in Africa to access affordable, certified and high quality premix. It has delivered premix in Burkina Faso, Cote d’ivoire, Egypt, Ethiopia, Ghana, South Africa and Uganda, helping to reach millions of consumers with affordable, effective vitamins and minerals, and is actively looking to expand operations across Africa. The GAIN-UNICEF Universal Salt Iodization Partnership Project enables large populations in Africa to consume adequately iodized salt through proper quality assurance and control at production. The partnership supports small-scale salt producers through the creation of salt bank co-operatives and works with the food industry to replace non-iodized salt with iodized salt in manufacturing process recipes. GAIN also delivers nutritious foods to specific populations. For example, GAIN’s Infant and Young Child Nutrition Program provides incentives to the private sector to commercialize affordable fortified foods that complement breast milk from six months of age and to distribute them to low-income families. NIGERIA GAIN is working with Nigeria’s Na t i o n a l Ag e n c y f o r f o o d and Drug Administration and Control, NAFDAC to support the fortification of wheat and maize flour with iron, vitamin A and B-vitamins and of vegetable oil and sugar with vitamin A. The project contributes to the mandatory National Food Fortification Program, which aims to reduce micronutrient deficiencies among

vulnerable populations. GHANA GAIN supports the Food and Drugs Board of Ghana to lead the national program to reduce vitamin and mineral deficiencies by fortifying wheat flour with iron, zinc, vitamin A, folic acid and other B-vitamins and vegetable oil with vitamin A. As of March 2010, the project was reaching an estimated 47percent of the population with fortified wheat flour. Upon the request of WHO, GAIN participated in an analysis of Ghana’s readiness to strengthen national nutrition programs. GAIN is also working with Ghana Health Services to support the implementation of the country’s Infant and Young child Feeding Action Plan. In addition, Gain supports Ghana’s National Codex Delegation to review and advance national and international food standards. The GAIN Business Alliance (BA) This is a uniquely positioned global business network dedicated to promoting sustainable marketdriven, nutrition oriented solutions. Utilizing GAIN’s Partnership Network and innovative tools including the GAIN premix facility and innovative finance, GAIN links and leverages the strengths of its BA members with nutrition experts, incountry implementers, academia, non governmental organizations, financial partners, institutional partners and international donors to facilitate sustainable pro-nutrition interventions that increase the availability of more nutritious and affordable products to the base of the pyramid market. These interventions increase collective return, reach and impact for the private sector while filling nutritional gaps. The business Alliance has two key objectives: • Improved awareness, advocacy and knowledge sharing of malnutrition within the business community and beyond in order to; • Generate commitment for the development and implementation of market-based solutions with positive nutrition outcomes to the

base of the pyramid market. As GAIN rapidly expands and diversifies its alliance membership, BA events will focus on regional strategy, engaging those BA members interested in the development of a pipeline of specific regional interventions. Publicity GAIN utilizes email alerts and its quarterly BA Newsletter to keep its alliance members at the forefront of new developments within the nutrition, policy and business arena. Business Case Studies are developed to highlight alliance member’s best practices and lessons learned. These studies serve as unique knowledge sharing tools for companies surveying target country markets. GAIN’s BA knowledge sharing: The Platform was launched in 2011 to create a multi-party exchange for GAIN’s rapidly growing membership. Alliance members now have exclusive access to this community and be able to understand and contribute industry trends and best practice via discussion forums, online collaboration platform, member lists, messaging RSS feeds and project space for uploading shareable text, links and videos. The platform allows members to develop innovative ideas that progress into Impactful projects. Advocate GAIN, in association with the International Business Leaders Forum, offers the annual GAIN Innovation Award to recognize innovation in the fight against malnutrition, improve public health and promote sustainable development. The award brings malnutrition and other health issues to the attention of the international media and encourages companies to continue seeking sustainable business solution in fight against malnutrition.

Baje is Nigerian first Food Technologist in the media ayobaje@yahoo.co.uk; 08057971776

National Gas Transportation Network Code will encourage transparency in oil & gas industry Olusola Bello

he launching by the Federal Ministry of Petroleum Resources (FMPR) in conjunction with Department of Petroleum (DPR) formally launch the National Gas Transportation Network Code on Monday, February 10, 2020 will be welcome development because of its numerous benefits. The launching which done as part of the opening day of the 3rd edition of Nigeria International Petroleum Summit taking place at the International Conference Centre (ICC) Abuja will open a vista of opportunities interested investors in the gas sub sector of the oil and gas industry. The Nigerian Gas Transportation Network Code which is critical to government’s objective in firming up the country’s domestic

gas obligation as well as promoting export. The network code which will ensure that the wrong quality gas does not go into the pipeline in addition to guaranteeing gas pipeline integrity, open access to pipeline and common understanding on metering. The review of the Network Code licensing framework and development of all its ancillary agreements have been firmed. The code will also provide a uniform platform in terms of guidelines for agreements between buyers and sellers which will ensure transparency and eliminate existing bottlenecks. It is a major policy thrust of government to unlocking the potentials of gas as a resource and revenue earner for Nigeria President Muhammadu Buhari (Honourable Minister of Petroleum Resources) and Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Timipre Sylva are very passionate about it.

According to the DPR in its latest report, Nigeria’s natural gas reserves has been on the increase from 2013 and is projected to continue to grow at a conservative rate of about 1.0per cent It said the reserves volume of the operated deep-water acreages in Nigeria is about 21percent of the country’s total reserves of liquid hydrocarbons (7.746BillionBbls/37.002BillionBb ls). Yet the acreages accounted for about 36.08% of the Nation’s total production in 2018. It is believed that the implementation of the code would provide for investors in gas, the confidence to invest heavily in the sector and enable Nigeria consolidate on the multiplier effect of gas on the economy. The DPR had in the past said the lack of funding; infrastructure; transitioning of legacy agreements and commercial framework were major obstacles to the implementation of the NGTNC.

It reportedly stated that the country’s gas industry was interested in a sector where there are multiple pipelines as against one owner; no inherent natural monopoly; open access; hub or traders; separation of commodity and infrastructure; alternative producers; a free market driven by willing buyer/willing seller; and a guided network code. The DPR at that time also said the absence of these features were a threat to its implementation of the NGTNC. The government in recognition of the potential of natural gas, has put in place various interventions to stimulate gas utilisation and monetisation. The reforms were initiated to reposition the gas sector and deliver on government’s key aspirations. These aspirations include developing a viable domestic market; creating new industry out of the old

oil industry; capturing economic value; generating as much revenue from gas as from oil; and ending gas flaring by the year 2020. In recent years, government has begun the implementation of a nationwide gas infrastructure blueprint aimed at connecting all key supply sources to markets across the nation. These interventions and other ongoing government reforms in the industry had high prospects that could boost investors’ confidence in the country’s gas sector, industry analyst have said. Ladan mordacai, former director of DPR had explained that this could provide a radical structure that will enable Nigeria consolidate on the multiplier effect of gas on her economy, strengthen her standing in the high value export and domestic markets as well as manage her gas resources for national energy security.

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SundayBusiness Entrepreneurs urged to commit to profitable business strategy

AMAKA ANAGOR-EWUZIE

Desmond Okon

or a profitable business and one that will outlive its founder, business owners have been advised to develop and commit to a business strategy and profitability implementation blueprint. According to statistics, 30 percent of new businesses fail within the first two years of starting, 50 percent of businesses fail within the first 5 years and another 60 percent within the first 10 years of operation. A business strategy and profitability expert explains that one major reason for this is the lack of profitability in businesses, saying that when a business experiences profitability, it will lead to the sustainability of the business. “If your business is profitable, coupled with the right strategy, it will outlive you and remains sustainable even if you have to exit the business,” said Henrietta Agboola, an expert in business strategy and profitability development. She said this at the first edition of Your Business and You (YBAY), a business strategy and profitability workshop intended to help entrepreneurs succeed and rake in profits. “I decided to organise ‘Your Business and You’ workshop to share from my personal experience and teach business owners how to get back on track to profitability,” she said. Explaining why most businesses suffer losses, she said that most businesses fail to take into account the income and expense factors, stating that the only way entrepreneurs can experience true profitability was if the income far outweighs their expenses. “We need to ensure that our expenses are always so much lower than our income so that we will always have profits in our businesses,” she emphasised. The CEO of House of Henri, Agboola, who is also the brain behind YBAY and the facilitator of the workshop,

Healthgarde International enters Nigerian market with exciting health products

said price evaluation and expense reduction were the two major ways to increase profitability in business. She encouraged business owners present at the event and entrepreneurs generally to evaluate their current prices to see if they are compliant with profitability pricing strategies, and also increase or double their prices to increase the income of their businesses. “Most times our pricing strategies are wrong and so that will always lead to struggling at the end of the month to meet up with paying bills and you’ll be wondering where all the money went! “If your pricing is right, amongst other factors of business growth, you are sure to be profitable. Cut down on your expenses. This is harder to do because it involves proper record keeping and documentation,” she said, adding that a price list creates a limit to how people price a product or service. She warned that entrepreneurs will find it difficult to tell where excessive spending is channeled through if they failed to document both expenses and income consistently. “If proper financial records are kept, an expense audit can be done at the end of the month, sifting through all expenses to cut off frivolities in spending.

This will guarantee that more income is reserved in the bank for the business,” she revealed. The workshop also addressed real-life business challenges and complex concepts were broken down to enable participants to gain clarity for profit boost. She also encouraged entrepreneurs to think of all the processes that go into their businesses as it would help them determine whether profits are being made or not. Commenting on the event, Kikelomo Akapo, a participant and CEO of Tannies Food Ventures said she had been able to get proper information on how to put structure into her business to make it profitable, cut down the things that are not necessary, manage her rent, salaries, and how to manage staff behavioural culture. “Before now, I’ve been trying to create a Facebook page for my business but I don’t know why it’s been taking me forever. But inbetween the meeting I’ve been able to create one and in that few minutes, I have a few numbers of traffic,” she said, excitedly. “I’ve built my confidence in doing business. I now know the areas I need to work on, especially in the area of social media, to increase profits,” said Elizabeth Okoronkwo, a fashion designer who attended the conference as well.

ealthgarde International Limited, an African Network Marketing company, originating from Nigeria with extensive input from other African countries, has entered into Nigerian market with its range of health products. Being the first Nigerian multi-level network marketing brand, created for Nigerians and Africans, Healthgarde comes with a unique compensation plan and an exciting product range that would address their customers’ health needs and enables distributors grow their businesses exponentially. Speaking at the launch of Healthgarde International (HI) in Lagos last Thursday, Lovelyn Nwarueze, founder/CEO, said the company

has made history being the first Multi-Level Marketing Company of international standards, founded by a Nigerian woman. She said Healthgarde has developed a brand new product range that meets needs of local consumer, adding that these products were of the highest quality and would deliver value for money. “Customers are bound to be deeply delighted and endeared to these products for life. This means the company is properly positioned to create sustainable value for all our stakeholders including the consumers who now have access to the best quality products as well as the distributors (consultants), who can now make more money selling these products,” she said. According to her, Healthgarde International has obtained approval from all the relevant authorities to dis-

tribute its new products to Nigerian consumers with immediate take-off and without hitches. “It has been a very interesting and rewarding journey for us in this business. I cannot thank our staff and distributors (consultants) enough for their efforts, tenacity and commitment to our mission and vision, so far. We have indeed created value together,” she said. Nwarueze, who described the company’s take-off as the beginning of a new season, stated that the season will bring better opportunities and experiences to customers and businesses. She pointed out that Healthgarde was set up after intentional search for greater value for Africans. “It was built on the solid foundation of integrity, excellence, leadership, innovation and passion. It’s a place where you can dream and see it come to pass in your lifetime.

MindBody & Soul

with Chioma Nwosu

The Art of Journalling

ournaling has always been my go-to therapy exercise. When I’m sad, happy, heartbroken, confused or feeling any sort of emotion, I take out my nice pink, leatherback journal and write my heart out. There’s always that feeling of satisfaction after putting pen to paper. Journaling heals the mind. Research has shown that journaling helps you to focus, boosts your creativity, and, most importantly, helps you to feel more fulfilled. It has even been shown to boost your immunity, reduce your stress levels, and up your mood. In short, it’s a great habit to introduce into your life, especially if you’re struggling to make some ‘me time’ and reflect on your life. “When you write in a journal, you have the opportunity to examine challenging feelings and circumstances and to learn from them and rise above those situations,” says psychologist Paulette Kouffman Sherman. “When your life seems chaotic, it can help you to look at the larger picture and see patterns that help things make sense over time.” Going through a rough patch? Give journaling a try. Here are some tips to get you started: 1. Find your time and style: Journaling will be more fruitful if you do it at a time when

you feel most creative. Some people love writing first thing in the morning. Others like to do it right before bed. Try different times until you find one that feels natural. 2. Fall in love with your journal: Your journal is not just any notebook. It is a reservoir of your innermost thoughts. Make it special. I encourage people to buy a journal they like, something fancy, not just any pad of paper. 3. Make it fun: Journaling doesn’t have to be just a tool to vent negative emotions. Why not make it a hobby? Journals can be fun. You can write a vision journal- write what you are manifesting and then collect images and quotes that resonate for you to enhance it. You can also create a gratitude journal, and write 10 things every day you feel grateful for. 5. Use your journal for growth: While many people naturally turn to a journal in times of distress, what if you’re not in a state of upheaval but still want to do journaling for your personal growth? The following prompts can get you started: what were some high and low points of your early childhood, and how did those experiences shape your adult perspectives? If you’re in a relationship, are you being the partner that you want to be? If not, what

is stopping you? If you’re a parent, what parts of your upbringing do you want to replicate with your kids? In what areas do you want to raise them differently? Why? 6. Treat your journal as your friend: You can also write about more mundane stuff in your journaling diary—the kind of things you’d discuss with a friend over drinks after a hard day at work. It’s time to head out to the stationery store and buy yourself a beautiful notebook. And then watch yourself grow. Reference: https://www. rewireme.com/wellness/ art-journaling/ https://happyologist. co.uk/sponsored/the-artof-journaling-why-and-howto-do-it/

Chioma Nwosu is a mental health/positive psychology advocate, speaker and founder of Olamma Cares Foundation an NGO focused on encouraging the social acceptance of developmental disabilities and mental disorders, finding and implementing long term solutions of these conditions through training, capacity building, advocacy and intervention. Email: cnwosu@olammacares.com Instagram: _olamma_

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BDSUNDAY 39

SundayBusiness Why we won the MTN MoMo award, by Tshabron Group boss Tshabron Group is a conglomerate that has a number of companies including Tshabron Enterprises Ltd, Mec-Hally Ltd, JokeBoss Ltd and Optimum Voice. In this interview, Charles Okeke, CEO of Tshabron Group tells SABY ELEMBA how Tshabron became the first MTN franchise to meet MTN MoMo target of 1000 in the whole of Southeast and South-south, qualifying the Group to clinch the award for excellent performance and hard work. Excerpts: Recently, MTN gave Tshabron Group, which you are the CEO, an award of excellence; may we know how it came about? e have every reason to believe that in our chosen field, in our partnership with MTN, they said to whom much is given much is expected and the reward for hard work is more work. I guess that played out with us in our relationship with MTN. MTN has noted that Tshabron has done well as a good partner in the aspect of customer relations. And so other viable departments of MTN have been seeking our collaboration or partnership, the Sales and Distribution (S&D) that is midwifing the mobile financial services, then other important forthcoming departments or arm of MTN business franchise and mobile financial services. You know MTN is driving Mobile Franchise Services to meet with the Federal Government’s directive for the all-inclusive

Charles Okeke drive to make sure that every Nigerian is in the financial service. And so, MTN has been given the licence to drive that particular business. What happened as a result of this? As a result, MTN sought for partners that have already

been established and very proven. They asked us within the MTN family and decided to choose key ones among us to partner in that particular financial services and Tshabron is one of them. So, at the last quarter of last year 2019, MTN immediately set up

what they called ‘Strategic Financial Partners’ (SFP) appointed them and gave them a task. Could you tell us the nature of the task or the involvement? First of all, those appointed were all given different delineated territories and this is pan-Nigeria, the whole of Nigeria. There are more than 100 SFPs in Nigeria. So, we were all given an assignment and the task is the first to get 1000 agents within your zone- the North, the West and the East. The East is made up of Southeast and South-south; so, a challenge was given. To cut the long story short, Tshabron emerged the first, in the whole of East and we were given an award. The unemployment rate in Imo State is high as some people say; can you tell us what Tshabron Group is doing to stem the ugly tide? We have employed about 100 graduates and we are still employing. So, the reality is that, that particular task we are bringing in, every person

Maltina unveils Schools Sports Campaign

altina has unveiled a brand new school sports campaign designed to promote the development of over 20 million school children through sports and impact communities. Tagged ‘Maltina School Games’, the platform is a series of track and field sporting competitions held across four states in Nigeria to grow future champions at the secondary school level. Speaking on the motive of the sports campaign, Jordi Borrut Bel, Managing Director, Nigerian Breweries Plc. said, “The Maltina School Games is a platform designed to promote the development of children, from improving their social and leadership skills, to bettering their wellbeing through sports.” “It also contributes to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 3, which is to ensure the health and wellbeing for all, with a focus on young school children,” he added. Present at the press conference were key stakeholders including the President of the Nigerian School Sports Federation (NSSF), Olabisi Joseph; The Executive Chairman of the Lagos State Sports Commission, Sola

Aiyepeku; former Nigerian Track and Field Athlete, Falilat Ogunkoya; Olumide Oyedeji, Nigerian professional basketballer in the NBA, and others. Sade Morgan, Corporate Affairs Director of Nigerian Breweries Plc., also spoke on the essence of the campaign saying, “Maltina is a brand that understands that happiness is not only a fleeting moment of joy, but it is the overall wellbeing that comes with activity, community bond-

ing, and a drive for secondary school students across Nigeria to ‘play happy’ together and share happiness.” School registrations for participation in the Maltina School Games have now officially commenced. Registered schools will be required to present students who will compete in the State Preliminaries Heat and Final events, which will hold across Lagos, Anambra, Abuja, and Kano. Qualifying students from

schools across Nigeria will advance to the National Finals which will hold in Lagos. TheMaltinaSchoolGames will also see grand winners in the following categories - The Overall Best State who will win N5 million worth of support that will be split to empower the winning schools from the state with sporting equipment; The Overall Best Athletewhowillwinascholarship worth N1.5 Million to any university of choice.

that is using phone should go and get registered in this particular mobile financial service (MoMo); it is that activity that we are driving now. So, I want to use this opportunity to call on everybody to go and register in your area with mobile financial service that is being provided by MTN called MoMo. So, that is where the next transaction is going. Everybody should get involved in the MoMo transactions. How would you let the public know how this MoMo works and the benefits if there are any? When you are in MoMo, life becomes very easy for you. You can do your transactions, you can send money to your remote village because there is MoMo everywhere and MoMo agents are being created in every nook and cranny of Nigeria. For example, if you are in Kaura Namoda in Zamfara State and you want to send money to somebody in Obizi in Ezinihitte Mbaise, you only need to dial one code and the money is transferred to the

person in Obizi. It does not need ATM; it does not need bank account, it does not need POS. So, because you have an agent in Obizi, the agent in Kaura Namoda identifies the agent in Obizi and sends a code. That person you are giving the money will take the code and show the agent that he has money to collect from you and the person will see and then match with the code that other person has and immediately he gives you the money. Meanwhile, the person that sent the money did the same thing and handed the cash to the agent in Kaura Namoda. The agent in Kaura Namoda raising the code will now get the person that is in Obizi and the transfer is done. It is very, very simple; it makes life, very, very easy. So, MTN partnership is one that has a lot of advantages, and impacting very positively on Nigeria and on Nigerians. And this is the beginning, and a lot more of good things will come out of it.

Why I support Okada ban on Lagos routes - Charly Boy

iven the fact that he has had close affinity with commercial motorcycle operators commonly known as okada riders, most people would have thought self acclaimed Area Fada and legendary musician, Charles Oputa, would not be in support of the current ban of okada on most Lagos routes. However, Charly Boy as he is popularly called has said he is solidly behind the Lagos State’s decision to rid the state of the okada and commercial tricycle (keke) on major roads in the city. In his instagram post few days ago, CharlyBoy wrote the reasons behind his decision. He wrote, “People dey ask me say, CharlyBoy ,why you allow Lagos state government ban Keke/Okada riders for most major roads for Lagos. Say, even since dem ban dem you never talk anything. People just dey Trek anyhow for Lagos. I go just take style answer dem. The Okada People I dey see now no be my boys. Most of them no know me and me no know dem. “For una information, I am in total support of this Okada ban based on my discussion with one of my Hausa chairman in Akomora two decades ago, when I just meet again after so many years. He gave me

more insight into the activities of these Okada riders. “He told me that most of the riders in Lekki are Shite members and other Muslim radicals. He told me that there are other two to three groups also in Lagos / Lekki axis who could only be identified with the way they pray completely different form the normal prayers. He said, these ones are more dangerous than the Shite group but if you don’t know, you will never know because they hide their identities a lot. He told me that they are coming to Lagos enmass and gathering momentum to enable them do the kind of things they practice in Kaduna, Kano etc... I was told that their new concentration bases are Lagos and Kwara for now.” Charly Boy further wrote that the information he got from his ‘friend’ made him to support the ban.

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Sunday 09 February 2020

For The Record Imperatives of corporate and strategic communication skills for 21st Century NPA Being text of a lecture delivered by Ayo OyozeBaje (MNIFST), Media Consultant and national president, Guild of Public Affairs Analysts of Nigeria(GPAAN), to members of the Corporate and Strategic Communications Division of the Nigeria Ports Authority (NPA), during its 2019 Retreat at SEFCON Suites and Apartments, Gwarinpa, FCT, Abuja, recently.

Introdution o begin with, it is important to understand the statutory functions of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA). Essentially, it is a federal government agency that governs and operates the ports in Nigeria. The major ports controlled by the NPA include the Lagos Port Complex and Tin-Can Island Port in Lagos; Calabar Port, Delta Port, Rivers Port at Port Harcourt, and Onne Port. With its headquarters located in Lagos, it has as its Managing Director, Hadiza Bala Usman. Its vision is tobe the leading port in Africa while its missionis todeliver efficient port service in a safe, secure and customer-friendly environment. In specific terms, its statutory duties and functions are to develop, own and operate ports and harbours, provide safe and navigable channel. It is also to offer cargo handling and storage services, maintain port facilities and equipment, as well as ensure safety and security. It has the mandate to develop and own property. While its CORE ESSENCE is to be a national brand asset anchored on service excellence, the CORE VALUESincludeefficiency, customer satisfaction, safety and security, innovation. Viewed critically, the connecting chord between its core essence and values across its Vision, Mission, Cores essence and Values are reflected in words such as Leading, Efficiency, Excellence, Safety and Customer satisfaction. These must be taken note of as the Moving Mantra of the NPA and adhered to by all the stakeholders. They should perceive, promote and project the NPA as the leading light or beacon bearer amongst the maritime industry in the West African Sub-region in particular and the African continent in general. And these are the essential ingredients in the pot-pourri of the functions of the federal government Agency which the Communicators and Strategists should serve the public. What all these entails is that those engaged in communicating the core essence of the NPA must be well-heeled and weaned on the nutrients (more like a meal) that NPA offers its clients, customers and the public in general. They remain the set goals to be achieved by all the stakeholders and should be well communicated across the broad spectrum of its various departments. What Comunication Is Allabout

Hadiza Bala Usman

Communication simply means imparting or exchanging various forms of information. The METHODS include speaking (oral), writing, face-to-face (inter-personal), use of pictures, or using some technological means. The MEANS involve the use or radio, television, telephone, newspaper, video chat and blogging. Technological platforms such as the use of the internet, Facebook, WhatsApp, Messenger, Message,Instagramand YouTube come into play. Through these platforms there is the exchange of information and ideas between people, spanning various groups such as the family, community, religious gathering, places of work and play, at the local, national and international levels. Communication is as old as manâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s history. For instance, there was some oral communication between God and man in the Garden of Eden. In fact, when a child is born he or she cries to announce the arrival. It is necessary, at this point to understand the MOTIVES of communication. This could be to:inform, to enlighten, to educate, motivate and inspire people or to entertain them. Communication could also be to correct wrong doing or castigate, while some may use it to cause harm or disharmony. Functions Of Those Involved In The Communication Matrix Ordinarily, those involved in communicating the aims, objec-

tives, functions and daily activities of the NPA must be grounded in the essence of communication skills; 1. Firstly, they must understand the vision, ideals, goals, that the NPA stands for and know their onions when it comes to the processes, programmes and projects on ground to achieve those goals. 2. They should also understand the challenges that the NPA currently faces (these could be legislation, infrastructure, funding constraints, inter-government relationships) and the efforts being made to resolve them. 3. They should be versatile; to understand and articulate the functions of each unit and how suchcould drive the corporate entity. 4. They should come to terms with the fact that they are the brand masters, brand ambassadorsor image makers of the NPA. In fact, they need to go for courses on branding. 5. They should have good relationship with the mass media, beginning with maritime correspondents and listen to their candid advice. The reason being that they act as the bridge between the NPA and the general public. 6. Information and credible ones at that amount to the power to influence public opinion. It means that they should: (a) Be able to sift between the corn of vital information to get out for public consumption and the chaff of what to discard.

(b) Have analytical mind to identify most sensitive information on the internal workings of the departments of NPA and alert concerned mangers on issues that should be tackled or nipped in the bud. (c) Maintain good relationship with the Labour arm of the maritime industry and assist to forestall avoidable crises through the information they gather. (d) Be able to keep recordsas some issues must have happened before and solutions could be found from how those ones were tackled. 7. More than other workers in NPA, Communicators/Strategists should be observant of the goings on in their environment. They should act like hungry insects, using all their sense of sight, smell, hearing, touch and feelingtaking notice of things, including the little ones that others may ignore. Beyond that they should be able to articulate their observations in an objective manner and where necessary alert the policy makers, where such observations could cause harm. The NPA Management team should take the observations of the Communicators and Strategists seriously and be PROACTIVE enough to ACT fast, so as to curtail the negative effects that may arise, should prompt action not be taken. Exercise Close your eyes in the lecture room. Minutes later, you should state exactly what the colours of the floor, walls and ceilings are. How many light points are there in the room? Is there a television set? if so, what is the brand? What about the colours of the clothes worn by the person seated close to you? What about your shoes? What brand is it? If there is a poster on the wall what does it say? Open your eyes and score yourself on how observant or sensitive you have been. 8. Communicators and Strategists in the 21st Century NPA should be IT compliant. Details as we go into the specifics. The power of information to communicators and strategists Like it or not, we are in the Information Age, in fact, a world driven by the knowledge economy. How well you, as communicators and strategists are able to gather, compile, analyze, communicate and apply relevant information available to you and the organization would determine to a large extent the success of NPAâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s decision making process. The caveat however, is that

the Departmental Managers and eventually, the Managing Director must be ready to listen to, and apply what you communicate in good faith andpromptly too. This comes as a piece of advice from none other than Bill Gates, from his book: Doing business at the speed of thoughtwritten by Bill Gates and Collins Hemingway back in 1999. It discusses how business and technology are integrated, and explains how digital infrastructures and information networks can help someone get an edge on the competition. *A Communicator/Strategist at NPA is therefore, expected to be the eyes, ears, and nose of the Management Team.The communicators and strategists should be ready to provide a multi-dimensional account of whatever happens to eventually guide them in their decision making. *The news items or stories should be presented in good time, in simple, easy-to-read format but with a touch of the human angle to it as it relates to the interests of the main actors (workers, contractors, and representatives of government, clients or even the departmental managers) without necessarily sacrificing meaning and public interest. According to Ndaeyo Uko, a seasoned journalist and communicator what determines good writing skill is not how the communicator uses the pre-set structure but a devotion to its content by enriching it with relevant experiences. The reader or person intended to make use of the information should find it engaging and memorable. What Communication Skill In The 21St Century Is All About The most common or often referred to as the 4 Cs include Communication, Collaboration, Critical thinking and Creative thinking. Building communication skills in the 21st century corporate world: STEM is an acronym for the fields of Science, Technology, Engineering and Math. As it relates to NPA, several of its processes, including Communication are driven by technology. So, we cannot be talking about the 21st Century Communication Skills in isolation to this. In the STEM workplace, employers are looking for graduates that are not only proficient in content, but also in soft skills. These skills are referred to as 21st Century skills and include the ability to comprehend material quickly, solve problems, and manage time.

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BDSUNDAY 41

Health&Science

What to do when you suspect you have Lassa fever

ANTHONIA OBOKOH

assa fever frequently reported early signs are fever, physical fatigue, nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, headaches, abdominal pains or sore throat and swelling of the neck or face can sometimes be observed. Studies suggest the virus invades several organs where 1 in 5 infections result in severe disease such as the liver, spleen and kidneys. According to World Health Organisation about 80 percent of people who become infected with Lassa virus have no symptoms. Meanwhile, here are what to do when you suspect you have the virus. Avoid contact with other people Seek health advice imme-

diately Drink plenty of fluids Ribavirin, an antiviral drug, can be an effective treatment if given early Meanwhile, getting medical treatment early will improve your chances of surviving Lassa fever is a viral illness;

Coronavirus, Haemorrhagic fevers’ control, prevention drag Health minister, others to Lagos ...as Healthcare Magazine celebrates 34th Anniversary

it’s transmitted to humans mainly through handling rats, food or household items contaminated by rats’ urine and feces. The virus can spread between people through direct contact with the body fluids of a person infected with Lassa fever, as well as

contaminated bedding and clothing. The virus has an incubation period of between six to 21 days, can also be transmitted through contact with an infected person via bodily fluids and excretions: blood, urine, saliva, sperm, vomit, faeces. Lassa fever cases since the beginning of the year in Nigeria has recorded 365 positive cases and 47 deaths reported from 23 states across the country. According to the week five situation report on the disease released by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) , the 23 states are Edo, Ondo, Bauchi, Borno, Ebonyi, Nasarawa, Kano, Kogi, Kaduna, Adamawa, Cross River, Delta, Osun, Ogun, Abia, Taraba, Plateau, FCT, Gombe, Enugu, Kebbi and Anambra.

Family health initiative synergises with Ogun Govt on healthy living for women

RAZAQ AYINLA

s part of measures to effectively control and prevent the scourge of hemorrhagic fevers such as Lassa and Ebola as well as keeping the China-ravaged Coronavirus at bay, Osagie Ehanire, Minister of Health and other renowned medical practitioners, both nationally and internationally, will converge on Lagos in March to discourse and proffer solutions to the deadly diseases and virus spreading across the world. BusinessDay reports that some governors drawn from the six regions of the country will also be in attendance to speak on the clinical preparedness and measures they have been taking to prevent and control the deadly diseases and virus in their various domains in addition to different healthcare interventions being undertaken across the country. Speaking on the conference which will be organised by Healthcare Magazine meant to celebrate 34th Anniversary of the Health and Wellness news platform, the Publisher of the Magazine and Convener of Health-related Discourse, Bola Olaosebikan, said that the conference is being organised as part of activities marking

WALIYAT ODEMAKIN, Abeokuta

34th Anniversary as well as to discourse issues and realities in Nigerian Health Sector. Olaosebikan, who said that the Conference will be chaired and keynote address will be delivered by the Minister of Health, Osagie Ehanire, declared that “the essence of this Anniversary Conference and award is to promote excellence and innovations and also address the issue of medical tourism and better funding of Healthcare. “It will also look at investment promotion in the sector and to improve the conditions of healthcare workforce across Nigeria, in addition to updating ourselves on developments across the globe on the subject matter of our concern at the Conference”

Three states, Ondo, Edo and Ebonyi, remain the states with the most affected cases. WHO says that prevention of Lassa fever relies on promoting good “community hygiene” to discourage rodents from entering homes. Effective measures include storing grain and other foodstuffs in rodent-proof containers, disposing of garbage far from the home, maintaining clean households and keeping cats. In health-care settings, staff should always apply standard infection prevention and control precautions when caring for patients, regardless of their presumed diagnosis. These include basic hand hygiene, respiratory hygiene, use of personal protective equipment (to block splashes or other contacts with infected materials), safe injection practices and safe burial practices.

amily Health Initiative Ogun (FAHIO), a NonGovernmental advocacy working group and Ogun State Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development have concluded plans to create more awareness among women folks on the benefit of child birth spacing to improve their wellbeing. The indication emerged during an advocacy visit of the group to the Commissioner in the Ministry, Funmi Efuwape in Oke-Mosan, Abeokuta. Speaking, Kemi Balogun chairperson of FAHIO, said women deserved healthier living particularly during their child bearing period, adding that adequate knowledge and information on modern family planning methods would allow them determine the most convenient period of getting pregnant. “We have discovered that women of child bearing age need enlightenment on modern ways of planning the family, pregnancy is expected to be by choice and not by chance”, Balogun emphasised.

Also, Olajide Odugbemi, secretary of the Group, said that the Organisation is focused on improved reproductive health outcomes in the State through and increase in the uptake and access to quality services to reduce Maternal Mortality Rate (MMR) to the barest minimal. “Efforts have been made in advocating stakeholders to surmount challenges that can prevent women from accessing effective family planning. Based on this, FAHIO has achieved in ensuring creation of Budget line for Family Planning, influence the domestication of TaskShifting and Task-Sharing policy to address shortage of health skilled health provider on family planning services, established the costed implementation plan

on Family Planning and influencing the supply of consumable to health facilities in the State”, Odugbemi stated. Responding on behalf of State government, Funmi Efuwape said that the promotion of programmes that would add value and quality to the lives of women and families remain the focal point of the Government and Ministry, just as she emphasized the need for sensitisation and education as avenue to make women realise the essence of family planning. Efuwape assured that the organisation to count on her support, and pledged to influence other philanthropists on the provision of more consumables to health facilities in the State. Also, the Special Adviser to the Governor on Women Affairs, Adijat Adeleye added that all available avenues would be explored to better the lives of women, children and families in the State.

42 BDSUNDAY

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LifestyleHomes&Suites

Sunday 09 February 2020

Paul Ojenagbon pauloje2000@yahoo.com

The Aces Up Their Sleeves

idgeway Construction Company Limited is doing a great job on their familiar turf in Oniru Estate, Victoria Island. They already have a handful of developments to their name, the latest effort being Ace Terraces 3. Phases 1 and 2 of Ace Terraces have sold out already. Their previous efforts on which they ran a successful campaign were detached houses. Ace Terraces 3 is nestled conveniently at Orunube Close, Crown Court Estate in Oniru. Phases 1&2 are located at Lawani Oduloyo Street,off Mabogunje Road and Palace Road respectively in Oniru. The development which is ongoing comprises 7 units of 4-Bedroom Terrace House. The developers described Ace Terrace 3 as ‘ A classic that exude sophistication, refinement and luxury that few care to resist’. The ‘ distinct style in a unique setting’ is

an upmarket development,gated and serviced by a fabulous host of amenities. Ace Terraces 3 embodies a fine blend of serenity

and comfort within the city life, bestowing peace in every breath. The architectural planning ensures that residents get the most of the

natural beauty of the surroundings. Prominent features are 4 bedrooms all ensuite with 1room service quarters, 2 living areas and the kitchens attached with a store are fully furnished and fitted with heat extractor,cooker, microwave oven among others. Each unit is complimented with a full package of DSTV Dual and air-conditioned in all bedrooms and living areas. The rooms are linked by intercoms. The terraces are housed in two blocks,A and B, and while Block A contains 4 units,B has 3 units. The rooms are spacious-living/dinning area is 45 square metres , master bedroom 28 square metres and the kitchen 17 square metres. The bedrooms are 24,22 and 18 square metres respectively.These areas are not inclusive of the toilets nor the walk in closet for the master bedroom.

Communal facilities include generator house with generator swimming pool,gym and fitness center,bar and lounge. There is a play area for children. Water supply is from a borehole with treatment plant. Security is stepped up with Close Circuit Television aiding the personnel in the security house and those manning their beats. The Terraces are confined behind an electrified wall fence held in place with remote motorized gate.Ace Terraces 3 also enjoys proximity to good educational institutions for the young ones as well as shopping and recreational destinations within 15 minutes driving distance. Each unit carries a price tag of N115 million. The payment plan requires 30 percent initial deposit and balance spread across 4-6months or outright payment which attracts a reasonable discount.

Gracias Goldstone Apartments Beckon in Sangotedo

ost of the estates were already there before then, as some would argue but the emergence of Shoprite Novare Mall at Sangotedo-Ajah in recent years might have encouraged the faster pace of residential development within this axis. The mall reputed to be the biggest in the country has impacted greatly on commercial activities in the area. It has become a focal point that many residents of the various housing estates along Monastry Road flock to for their shopping needs or just for recreation. Interestingly, some developments continue to spring up within the vicinity of the shopping mall and are hot cake to many discerning investors. Gracias Goldstone Apartments is one such development that has made waves and caught the stares lately. The development comprising exquisite blocks of 1,2, 3-bedroom apartments,3-bedroom and 4-bedroom Terrace is located behind the shopping mall,off Monastry Road. It is being developed and promoted by Gracias Global Property Limited. The main selling points of the project are comfort, ambience, functionality, tranquility and aes-

thetics within and around the estate. It is currently ongoing with the first batch of apartments slated for delivery in June or July this year.

Apartment delivery is generally eight months post initial deposit payment. Facilities planned for the

estate include access roads, drainage, potable water with treatment plant, electricity, green area among others. Gracias Global has rolled out a string of incentives to accelerate the project to early completion. One such requests that a prospective buyer pays 50 percent of the purchase price and pays balance over 3months to be entitled to a fabulous discount of N1million. A special bonanza also ran during the Yuletide season but has since been drawn. The condition to pick up raffle ticket was for the intending buyer to pay 20 percent of the price of an apartment and win certain items including 3 Toyota Camry cars,plots of land,fridges, television sets, washing machine,gas cookers and other

household appliances. The title on the land is Certificate of Occupancy issued by the Lagos state government. Apartments are offered in two forms namely carcass and fully finished. The price for a unit of 1-bedroom flat in carcass form is N11 million while the fully finished is N13million. For the 2-bedroom,a unit in carcass is N12.5million and the fully finished N15.5million. Fully finished 3-bedroom flat iN24.5million, 3-bedroom terrace N30 million and 4-bedroom erraced N35 million. Six months’ payment plan attracts 5 percent interest and twelve months’ plan 10 percent interest respectively. For investors, rental income accruable from this development is amazing and secured because of the proximity not only to the mall but by extension,VGC and the fast developing Ibeju-Lekki corridor among other considerations.

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BDSUNDAY 43

Sports

PSG eye North American market with launch of $70m academy Anthony Nlebem

NFF charges Flamingos to target W/Cup ticket Anthony Nlebem

he General Secretary of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), Dr. Mohammed Sanusi on has charged the coaches of the U17 women national team, Flamingos, to place as much premium on good conduct, excellent character and level-headedness as on-field ability, in their final selection of players for the team. Sanusi spoke as received the crew of assistant coaches Bankole Olowookere (assistant coach 1), Queendoleen Akpan (assistant coach 2) and Mohammed Ndanusa (goalkeepers’ trainer) at the NFF Secretariat in Abuja, as the crew intensified work ahead of selection of the squad that

will confront Guinea in a 2020 FIFA U17 Women’s World Cup qualifying fixture early next month. “Good character and demeanour, as well as comportment showing good upbringing and sense of purpose, are as important as ability in any profession, football inclusive. Anyone who lacks good character and discipline cannot succeed in any endeavour. You must take these to heart as you prepare the girls for the challenges ahead. “Nigeria has an impressive record in the history of the FIFA U17 Women’s World Cup but we expect you to do even better than your predecessors. I congratulate you on your appointment and I assure you that the NFF will give you maximum support to succeed in the job.”

Olowookere, Akpan and Ndanusa are preparing the Flamingos for the FIFA U17 Women’s World Cup qualifying fixture against Guinea, which first leg will hold in Conakry on Sunday, 1st March, with the return leg in Nigeria a fortnight after. The Guineans edged out neighbours Guinea Bissau in a preliminary round. This year’s FIFA U17 Women’s World Cup finals, the seventh since the competition was launched, will be staged in India. Nigeria participated at all five tournaments between 2008 and 2016 but narrowly failed to qualify for the 2018 edition held in Uruguay, following defeat by Cameroon on the away goal rule in the final lap of the qualification series.

Messi, Ronaldo top list of highest paid football players … As Diego Simeone is the best paid coach Anthony Nlebem

arcelona forward Lionel Messi, Juventus’s Cristiano Ronaldo and PSG playmaker Neymar remain the three highest paid players in the world, according to reports published by French newspaper L’Equipe. Messi, 32-year-old earns a whooping salary of €8.3 million gross per month, compared to the €4.5 million that Ronaldo (35) receives at the Turin club, where he arrived in the summer of 2018. Both players surpass PSG star Neymar, who is the best paid player in France with a salary of over €3 million per month, which is well ahead of his teammate, Kylian Mbappé, who makes less than €2 million. Behind Messi, Ronaldo and Neymar are two Barçelona players: Frenchman Antoine Griezmann and Uruguayan international Luis Suárez, both of whom earn just under €3 million per month. Following them are Real Madrid pair, Gareth Bale and Eden Hazard,

on €2.5 million. The list also highlights that Manchester United’s Spanish goalkeeper, David de Gea, is England’s highest paid player with €1.76 million a month, ahead of Arsenal’s Mesut Özil and Manchester City’s Belgian Kevin de Bruyne, both on €1.64 million. In Germany, Bayern Munich pair Robert Lewandowski and Philippe Coutinho (who is currently on loan from Barcelona) pocket €1.66 million a month each, making them the Bundesliga’s highest earners. Ronaldo’s Juventus team mates, Gonzalo Higuaín and Paolo

Dybala, who respectively earn €1.09 and €1.06 million per month, follow behind the Portuguese star to make up top three of Serie A’s rich list. Atlético Madrid’s Diego Simeone maintained his position as the highest paid coach with €3.6 million gross per month, significantly ahead of second-placed Pep Guardiola, who earns €1.94 million at Manchester City. Following Guardiola are two of his Premier League rivals – Jurgen Klopp of Liverpool and Tottenham’s Jose Mourinho, both of whom earn €1.46 million. Real Madrid boss Zinedine Zidane comes in fifth with €1.4 million, slightly surpassing Inter Milan’s Antonio Conte, with €1.38 million. Meanwhile, Barcelona’s new coach, Quique Setién, is further down the list on a monthly salary of 500,000 euros per month.

igue 1 club Paris St-Germain (PSG) is continuing its push into the North American market by opening a $70m residential soccer academy in the Miami/Fort Lauderdale area in Florida. The Paris St-Germain USA Campus is the largest academy set up to datebyaEuropeanclubonAmerican soil. It serves as the headquarters of all PSG academies across North America and is the home of the new PSG Academy pro residency program. The South Florida site, built in partnership with franchise holder Paris St-Germain Academy USA, includes a 20,000-seat stadium, five pitches, and a residential program that can serve over 100 players aged U13-U19, including both boys and girls, per season. Students are taught soccer in the PSG methodology combined with a traditional eduction at the exclusive NorthBrowardPreparatoryschoolin a10-monthprogramwhichrunsfrom mid-Augusttomid-June.Pricesrange from$35,000to$81,400ayear,while admission is by tryout only. According to the academy web-

site, participation in the program will help enable student-athletes attend exclusive American universities such as Duke, Stanford, and Michigan State as well as give them a route to turn professional in the US via the United Soccer League or Major League Soccer. The academy is directly affiliated with USL League Two club FC Miami City. According to a press release: “To support its expansion strategy in the US, the club will aim to engage new partnersamongUSdomesticclubsto bringtheirexpertisetoPSGAcademy USA. These partners would be key players in Paris St-Germain’s ability to reach its objective of three to five new academies per year.” In 2018, PSG announced a threeyearpartnershipwithNikesubsidiary JordanBrand,whichwasdesignedto strengthen the club’s brand in both the US and overseas.

UN launches programme to safeguard sport from terror attacks

ports federation representatives and ambassadors met at the United Nations headquarters in New York recently to launch a programme aimed at protecting major sports events from terrorist attacks. The programme will create guidelines for international cooperation between organisations involved in the security of sports events, facilitate the exchange of information and good practices, and develop related public-private partnerships. It will also have a focus on using sport and its values as a tool to prevent extremism among young people. A two-day expert meeting on security cooperation is now taking place. It will be followed by a meeting focusing on youth in April. Attendees at the launch included the International Olympic Committee, national Olympic committees, Fifa, and private companies. News service Xinhua said Qatar, China and South Korea were funding the initiative. The UN said: “The multi-year initiative looks to harness the positive values that sports promote to help crackdown on the spread of violent extremism, particularly among young people.” Vladimir Voronkov, head of the UN Office of Counter-Terrorism (UNOCT), said: “Protecting major sporting events entails multilevel cooperation and coordination, as well as complex security and policy arrangements. including securing locations, cyber security, crisis planning and management, (and) strategic communications. “Through our joint programme, we will focus on the exchange of information and best practices, and on sharing resources and facilitating partnerships.”

He added: “Sport is a fundamental and true human value: a strong vaccine against any kind of criminal disease. We have a moral obligation to protect and promote sport.” Speaking at the event, China’s UN envoy Zhang Jun said the country was focused on securing the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics: “We will establish a security centre, a command and control centre and an intelligence centre, as well as interactive mechanisms among different sites hosting the games to ensure a safe, smoothly run and successful Winter Olympics.” Hassan al-Thawadi, who is leading Qatar’s effort to deliver the 2022 Fifa World Cup told those in attendance, via a video message: “We are working hand-in-hand with our allies and partners around the world on exchanging best practice, information sharing, personnel sharing, and in assisting in maintaining the security of Qatar ahead of and during 2022.” The UN initiative is being led by UNOCT, in partnership with the UN Interregional Crime and Justice Research Institute (UNICRI), the UN Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC), the International Centre for Sport Security (ICSS), the UN Counter-Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate (CTED) and the International Criminal Police Organization (INTERPOL).

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Sunday 09 February 2020

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The gathering storm

he signs are ominous, raging ever closer to tearing apart the jugular vein of Nigeria’s unity. Let us not pretend otherwise. Never before in our chequered history have the strings that have held us together been stretchedto their elasticity limit-be it ethnicity, religion or political persuasion. Or how else, can we explain the haunting headlines of daily escalating acts of insecurity by daredevil enemies of state? For instance, what do you make of these horrifying breaking news? ‘Bandits shoot down police helicopter in Kaduna’. ‘Southern and Middle Belt Leaders Forum (SMBLF) raise alarm over alleged importation of weaponised drones’.‘North launches its own security outfit ‘ShegeKaFasa’ few weeks after berating the South-West for creating Amotekun’. ‘Soyinka blasts Balarabe Musa over anti-Amoteken comments’. ‘How I escaped when herdsmen attacked me in my farm- Gov. Ortom.’ What we are witnessing therefore, is the Hobbesian State of Nature; a state of anarchy that would exist as if there were no government in place, no civilization, no laws, and no common power to restrain human nature. It is “war of all against all,” in which human beings constantly seek to destroy each other in an incessant pursuit for power.And so, life becomes harsh, brutish and short! Let us take a look at some heady headlines on the recent brutal killings of fellow, defenceless citizens here in Nigeria: ‘Gunmen invade Kaduna community, kill vigilante, kidnap doctor’s wife, children’.’Boko Ha r a m e x e c u t e s C A N Ch a i r m a n , LawaniAndimi’.’Eight year old Boko Haram member executes abducted UNIMAID student’. ‘Leah Sharibu gives birth to baby boy for Boko Haram commander’. ‘Bishop Oyedepo curses Boko Haram, Miyetti Allah over suicide bomber at Winners Chapel’. ‘Pastor Adeboye leads RCCG nationwide prayer protests against insecurity’. ‘Atiku tackles Buhari for claiming 90% Boko Haram victims are Muslims’.‘Insecurity: Nigerians are disturbed- Gbajabiamila’. But it goes far beyond just getting ‘disturbed’. We are terrified; indeed outraged that we have been left naked to the wiles

of the blood-thirsty marauders let loose on our dear fatherland. With all these avoidable tragedies happening 50 years after the civil war ended, clearly indicts our political elite for having not learnt a lesson or two from the hands of history. And mark youhistory repeats itself for those who refuse to read from its open pages. Perhaps, the late sage, Chief Obafemi Awolowo saw it all coming. In his book, ‘Path to Nigeria freedom’ which was published in 1947 he had said that “Nigeria is not a nation, it is a mere geographical expression. There are no “Nigerians” in the same sense as there are “English” or “Welsh” or “French”. The word Nigeria is merely a distinctive appellation to distinguish those who live within the boundaries of Nigeria from those who do not.” Read that piece again and juxtapose it with the current political anomalies and bloodshed that have smeared our national banner, of the once acclaimed justice and unity, peace and progress. While some analysts have explained Awolowo’s opinion as showing that Nigeria was “not a homogenous State but merely a conglomeration of ethnic groups” I see it differently. For me, it as a statement indicating that Nigerians are still not weaned on the milk of nationalism and patriotism. We think more as belonging to one ethnic group or the other, or a geographical location than as citizens of the same country. We have no binding allegiance to the nation-state. Worsening this saddening political situation are unpatriotic policies of self-serving politicians who look at the country from regional, ethnic and religious perspectives. They climb to the pedestal of power on the rungs of peace, equity and unity. But once there, they display their parochial sentiments through nepotistic appointments,

“Politics is in crisis because it is separated from our deep humanity” -Marianne Williamson

driving fear down the spine of the captured citizens and muzzling the media and free expression with the tools of treachery, using state machinery. Another inhuman act that has precipitated more injustice is the inexplicable, spurious ‘amnesty’ hurriedly given to the so called ‘repentant’ insurgents. That is while the war against their likes is still on! How do you use state resources to rehabilitate such bloodhounds at a time the victims of their heinous crimes against humanity rot away in IDP camps feeding on onion leaves?! There is no moral ground therefore, to compare them with the Niger-Delta militants who took up arms to protest the criminal act of the environmental disaster foisted on them by oil companies that has ravaged their land, while corrupt Nigerians live off their oil-wealth. It does not add up. One is worried too that 50 years after the civil war and with the much-touted policies of Reconciliation, Rehabilitation and Reintegration put up by the General Yakubu Gowon (rtd) administration back then, an average Ibo politician is still seen as unqualified to become the country’s president! These are the critical issues that fuel the fires of a country’s disintegration. According to Messrs Daron Acemoglu and James Robinson in their work titled: ‘Reasons Countries Fall Apart’ presented on June 18, 2012 states don’t fail overnight. ‘The seeds of their destruction are sown deep within their political institutions. Some countries fail spectacularly, with a total collapse of all state institutions, as in Afghanistan after the Soviet withdrawal and the hanging of President Mohammad Najibullah from a lamppost, or during the decadelong civil war in Sierra Leone, where the government ceased to exist altogether’. To them, most countries that fall apart, however, do so not with a bang but with a whimper. They fail not in an explosion of war and violence but by being utterly unable to take advantage of their society’s huge potential for growth, condemning their citizens to a

lifetime of poverty. How damned right, with Nigeria as the World Poverty Capital in spite of its huge economic potentials. This type of slow, grinding failure leaves many countries in sub-Saharan Africa, Asia, and Latin America with living standards far, far below those in the West.“What’s tragic is that this failure is by design”. This got me thinking. For instance, the breakup of Yugoslavia occurred as a result of a series of political upheavals and conflicts during the early 1990s. After a period of political and economic crisis in the 1980s, constituent republics of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia split apart, but the unresolved issues caused bitter inter-ethnic Yugoslav wars. The wars primarily affected Bosnia and Herzegovina, neighbouring parts of Croatia and, some years later, Kosovo.I pray it does not happen here. Though President Muhammadu Buhari has vowed that Nigeria will not disintegrate during his tenure, it goes beyond mere rhetoric. Proactive and patriotic actions speak louder than words. Nigerian leaders must learn from all these, to pull the nation back from the brink of unmitigated disasters. To save us from the gathering storm, they need an inner revolution of their mindset;to place the national interest far above their ethnic or religious agendas. As former, late president of the United States, John F. Kennedy rightly advised; “In times of domestic crisis, men of goodwill and generosity should be able to unite the people, regardless of party politics.” One hopes that our elders are taking notes from this piece of advice. A stitch in time would save nine!It is not too late.

$318.4m

Is Nigeria under siege?

Baje is Nigerian first food technologist in the media and author of ‘DRUMBEATS OF DEMOCRACY’

Quick Takes

Off the Cuff ncreasingly, Nigerians are becoming the more afraid of their beloved and oncecherished country. Many things are going wrong at the same time. Quality of life is plummeting. As it is said, there is fire on the mountain, and everybody is on the run. Truth be told, these are not good times in Nigeria, the touted giants of Africa. The country is powering very low in all fronts. Of all the threats to the wellness of Nigeria is insecurity which is tearing apart, all the various parts of the country, setting the government against the people and vice versa. Whereas many citizens believe that government is not doing enough to rein in the monster of insecurity or that government by its actions and inactions may be encouraging insecurity, government on the other hand, thinks it is doing its best in this area. Today, Nigeria appears to have been seized by terror elements. The Islamist sect, Boko Haram, which dispenses terror in some parts of the country, has since been joined by other evil forces, namely, Fulani herdsmen, bandits and marauding kidnappers. Today, a country that is not at war is, on daily basis, recording high level of killings and violent attacks on communities.

Ayo OyozeBaje

Only last week, a community in Plateau State conducted a mass burial of its indigenes that were slaughtered in cold blood by invading herdsmen. The people lamented the invasion of their villages by herdsmen, whose intention is to take over such communities. Reports had it that not only that the attackers killed indigenes, they invaded the people’s farms and harvested their potatoes and other crops, and also completely destroyed those farms. These ugly incidents have been experienced by farmers in Benue State on many occasions. A number of states in the North Central and even down southern Nigeria have also tasted of the satanic exploits of these demons. The abduction and killing of Christians in some core northern states have created an impression that it is now a religious thing. The thinking was fuelled by the bestial killing of Reverend Lawan Andimi, CAN chairman in Michika, Adamawa State, by Boko Haram insurgents. On Wednesday last week, the Nigerian security agents claimed that over 250 bandits and terrorists were “dislodged” or killed in Kaduna State. The report frightened many Nigerians the

more and may have created panic in many foreigners who wonder the level of security in a place where such number of bandits were “killed” at a time. We used to think that it is only the Sambisa forest that harbored terrorists; today, they are all over the north. Governor Babagana Umaru Zulum of Borno State recently told all the truth on why the insecurity, particularly the Boko Haram insurgency, is festering. He said that there are too much lies and half-truths being peddled by those who should speak the truth about the situation of things and also the unwillingness of the powers that be to hear the truth. So, because those who should hear the truth do not want to hear or be told the truth, those who should say things as they are, are telling government only what it wants to hear. This is an unfortunate situation. This attitude of living in denial of everything should stop. The Federal Government obviously needs to do more to reassure Nigerians and the outside world that safety of life and property remains the cardinal essence of government.

In a satirical thought penned down by a keen observer, who has followed events in the country for many years, he recalled that over two decades after General Sani Abacha died, “This guy keeps sending us money. Nigeria has been receiving credit alerts from Abacha. What a caring ancestor!” And so, when the news broke last week that Abacha’s credit alert of $318.4 million would be deployed to the ever-deplorable Lagos-Ibadan road, among others, it was not surprising. Although this last tranche of credit alert is yet to, arrive Nigeria, the expenditure has already been gazetted. A report had it that there was a memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed in Washington D.C. last Tuesday on the repatriation of the new credit alert. Nigeria signed the agreement with the United States and the authorities of Jersey Island. For many years, these alerts have been coming; successive governments and administrations have continued to stammer over their genuine deployment. One amazing thing about Abacha and his loots was that the man was not a known globe-trotter and money transfer technology was at its infancy at the time the dark-goggle one presided over Nigeria; if he could steal so much money in his sedentary state, it means that those in his capacity now that jet out every now and then must be ATM themselves. Just thinking aloud!

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