BusinessDay 19 Apr 2020

Constitutional crisis looms as COVID-19 disrupts global elections

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Lagos residents now live in fear as crime rate, insecurity heighten in suburbs CHUKA UROKO, JOSHUA BASSEY, AMAKA ANAGOR-EWUZIE & INIOBONG IWOK

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o a little extent, many Lagosians were prepared for the lockdown of their ever bustling city on the

Residents form vigilance groups to protect selves Robbers write to potential targets orders of the Federal Government as part of measures to contain and curtail further spread of the coronavirus—

the health emergency that has brought global economy on its knees.

Knowing that it was go-

ing to be a long-drawn holiday, the few who have the means went a-shopping and stocked up their pan-

tries. They even bought enough fuel or diesel to power their generators and also bought enough data for their gadgets because they have to work from home.

See page 28

Africa Prudential, Infinity Mortgage Bank’s Q1 results forewarn impact of coronavirus BUSINESS DAY

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Constitutional crisis looms as COVID-19 disrupts global elections OBINNA EMELIKE and INIOBONG IWOK (Lagos); INNOCENT ODOH (Abuja)

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he rampaging devastation caused by the coronavirus has affected the political development in several countries of the world. In at least fifty (50) countries and territories across the globe that scheduled election in 2020, the pandemic has caused several countries to postpone national and sub-national elections. Analysts posit that this may have far-reaching constitutional implications for many countries.

There are however, at least eighteen (18) countries and territories that have decided to hold national or sub-national elections as originally planned despite concerns related to COVID-19.

The likes of Togo, Taiwan, Israel, and Greece were lucky to have held their respective general elections before the pandemic peaked this year, yet South Korea, against all odds, and considering the fact that it was at the heat of the battle to curtail the spread of the virus, held her legislative election on April 15, 2020 with 66.2 percent turnout.

While the Koreans acted against all security, health and safety measures by holding the polls, many countries are postponing their elections this year.

Earlier in March, the United Kingdom announced the postponement of local and mayoral elections due May this year until May 2021 to mitigate the impact of coronavirus.

Bolivian and Dominican Republic have also postponed their general elections this May for at least one month, also due to coronavirus pandemic.

In Africa Ghana had originally scheduled its Presidential and National Assembly election for December 7, 2020 but as it stands now the election may have been postponed as the pandemic has not spared West Africa. Cote d’Ivoire, another West African country may toe the same line of postponement of its Presidential election originally scheduled for October 31, 2020.

Mali’s National Assembly election initially billed for May 2020; Burkina Faso’s presidential and National Assembly election earlier scheduled for November, 2020; Senegal’s local elections due for December 2020; Tanzania’s Presidential and National Assembly election for 2020; Egypt’s House of Representatives election due between April and May, all stand to be postponed because of the pandemic. Even if some of them manage to how, it may not be as smooth as originally planned.

In Ethiopia, where postal voting cannot hold due to lack of logistics, Mekonnen Fisseha, assistant pro-

fessor of Law at Mekelle University, noted the country has to find a way around it as that Ethiopia’s constitution demands that an election should be held every five years and failure to do that is considered an unconstitutional act. “The parliament cannot extend its own terms”, he said.

The fear for many in Ethiopia is that the election, with over $100 million allocation and support from international donors, is meant to test the country’s recent reforms and failure to do that this year will further jeopardize the country’s fragile peace. ln Nigeria by-elections for senatorial district in Bayelsa, Imo and Plateau scheduled for March 2020) will have to wait until the situation improves as the Nigerian Federal Government has locked down Abuja its capital; Lagos, its commercial nerve centre and the most populous state in the country, as well as Ogun State in South West Nigeria. Other states of the Nigerian federation have also placed restrictions on movement to contain the spread of the virus.

This may also affect the gubernatorial elections in Edo and Ondo States slated for October and November, respectively, the timetable of which had since been published by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

Some other African countries where elections have been postponed according to reports include; all municipal by-elections and voter registration activities in South Africa originally planned for March-May 2020; Municipal elections in Hassi El Ferid, and Jbeniana, Tunisia, (originally scheduled for 28-29 March 2020; parliamentary elections in Ethiopia earlier scheduled for 29 August 2020 as well as by-elections, Kenya originally scheduled for April, June-July 2020, have all been postponed due to the virus.

Americas In the United States and Latin America, most elections have been shifted because of the virus. They include; Primary elections in 15 states across the USA and several local elections around the country originally scheduled for March – May 2020; Municipal elections in the Cordovan City of Río Cuarto, Argentina originally scheduled for 29 March 2020; by-elections, City of Victoria, Canada earlier scheduled 4 April 2020) and supplementary election for the position of senator in Mato Grosso, Brazil originally scheduled for 26 April 2020 among others.

Asia Asia has its share of postponed elections. They include Rajya Sabha elections in India originally scheduled for 26 March 2020; Byelections in Pakistan earlier scheduled for March 2020; Local council elections in Maldives originally scheduled for 4 April 2020; Local elections, Kyrgyzstan originally

scheduled for 12 April 2020; Parliamentary elections in Syria originally scheduled for 13 April 2020, moved to 20 May 2020); Second round of parliamentary elections, Iran originally scheduled for 17 April 2020, moved to 11 September 2020 among others.

Europe In Europe, France has postponed the second round of local elections in originally scheduled for 22 March 2020. Also shifted are local elections in Hessen and Saxony, Germany originally scheduled from April-October 2020. Regional elections in Euskadi and Galicia, Spain originally scheduled for 5 April 2020 and Parliamentary elections in North Macedonia originally scheduled for 12 April 2020 have all suffered similar fate just as constitutional referendum in Russia earlier scheduled for 22 April 2020.

In Poland, the government is seeking constitutional reform to ensure that the general election holds as scheduled on May 10, 2020 amid coronavirus pandemic. On April 6, 2020, the Sejm of the Republic of Poland, the lower house of the Polish parliament, passed a bill, which requires voting for the presidential election to be carried out by postal voting only.

According to the Sejm, postal voting is the safest means of voting in the pandemic era without contact and spreading of the virus.

Oceania Local government elections in New South Wales, Australia for a year (originally scheduled for September 2020, among many others have also been postponed.

There are however, some countries that held elections and ref-

erendums in March 2020. These include; legislative elections in Israel 2 March 2020; general elections in Guyana 2 March 2020; Kuomintang chairperson elections, Taiwan held on 7 of March 2020) and many others.

Speaking with BDSUNDAY on Friday on the impact of the pandemic on elections across the world, Majeed Dahiru, public affairs analyst and columnist, said a lot of countries might have to find ways to actually conduct the elections in a different manner.

“I have noticed that there has been a systemic relaxation of the lockdown across the globe. We have seen plans by some countries to open their economy, we have seen new ways of actually maintaining social distancing to prevent human-to-human contacts without completely shutting the system by absolute isolation.

“I am thinking that when it comes to constitutional matters such as electoral cycle, which is very fundamental to any democracy in the world, it is my belief that certain ingenious ways of doing it without escalating the current health crisis across the world might be evolved over time,” Dahiru said.

“I see a healthy compromise being achieved to allow election on one hand in a manner that does not compromise the health of the people in question,” he said.

Archa Opong, a Ghanaian public analyst, thinks that elections are not issues now as safety of lives is given priority all over the world.

“If the virus pandemic persists and Ghana cannot hold elections, there will be a review of constitution to allow emergency leadership or cur-

rent parliament to elect an interim team”, Opong explained.

In the same vein, Derek Stevenson, an African-American, said United States of America has once had a president appointed and not elected by the people. “Gerald Rudolph Ford Jr. was appointed the 38th American president during emergency situation. So, if the US presidential election cannot hold in November, the congress will amend the law to get an interim government until proper election is conducted’, he said.

Opnong fears that interim government may not work in Africa, especially in war-torn countries where the military is looking for any opportunity to take over power from civilians.

“If elections did not hold in Guinea, Burundi, Central African Republic, and Côte d’Ivoire this year, you may be inviting the military back to politics. Political opponents may likely influence unrest and violence even when everybody knows it is coronavirus that is holding back elections”, he noted.

But if the current situation happened last year, when Nigeria held her general elections, many believe that the political actors would have rescheduled the election date earlier without the ninth-hour cancellation or inconclusive results due to the fear that the opposition would take advantage of the delay.

“If the virus outbreak was in 2019, the present government would have been proactive to hold the elections even in December or January without delays, while the May 29th swear-in ceremony would be done online. Politicians Continues on Page 6

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News CBN, bankers may review restrictions on banking activities - SGF ...As PTF on COVID-19 develops protocol on points of entry for Diaspora Nigerians ... Nigeria’s testing capacity scales up to 6,000 daily

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he Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and other banks may review current restrictions imposed on banking activities following the sit-athome order by the Federal Government to control the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic particularly in Lagos, Ogun and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

Secretary to the Government of the Federation and Chairman of the Presidential Taskforce (PTF) on Covid-19, Boss Mustapha gave the indication Friday in Abuja at the daily briefing of the Taskforce.

Mustapha , while responding to concerns on the non-opening of the banks, particularly in the FCT even when they had been permitted to carry out skeletal services, said the apex bank would have to iron out the issue with other banks to reduce the hardship being faced as a result of that.

This is just as the PTF National Coordinator, Sani Aliyu said PTF will review the protocols to banks operations after reaching out to the CBN Governor, Godwin Emiefele to find out

if there are clear logistics reasons that are preventing banks from operating skeletal services.

Mustapha earlier announced that the Presidential Taskforce on Covid-19 has developed the protocol on points of entry for Nigerians living abroad who want to return to the country in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic.

He explained the Presidential Taskforce has has also finalized arrangements for evacuation, isolation and testing of the Nigerians clamouring to return.

The PTF Chairman also said arrangements to finalise modalities for the expansion of the palliatives are in top gear and thanked all public spirited persons and corporate bodies that have voluntarily provided food and other palliatives to the poor, the vulnerable, the sick and the aged According to him, PTF has been receiving feedback from the public on the challenges and efforts are being intensified to make the palliatives approved by government reach Nigerians with ease, adding that the delivery is being done

Emefiele

in close collaboration with the state authorities.

“The PTF continues to work with other sectors of government managing the economic, security and other aspects of the national response. Early this week the Inspector general was here to brief on the readiness of his men. We wish to reassure Nigerians that the entire security apparatus of the nation is awake and alive to protect you. In return, we appeal further that you

Covid-19: FG condemns illtreatment of Nigerians in China Innocent Odoh, Abuja

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he Federal Government has denounced the reported illtreatment of Nigerians and other Africans in China, in a bid to enforce measures t a k e n by t h e Ch i n e s e government against the COVID-19 pandemic.

Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama told reporters on Friday that the government got reliable information that Nigerians in in the city of Guangzhou in the Guangdong province of China have been discriminated upon, stressing that that was unacceptable to the Nigerian government.

He also noted that efforts are ongoing to resolve the issues among relevant authorities.

The Minister had o n Tu e s da y i de n t i fi e d communication lapse as responsible for the alleged

assault on Nigerians and other African nationals by the Chinese, particularly in the city of Guangzhou.

He therefore urged Ni g e r i a n s i n Ch i n a t o document any act of discrimination or racism targeted against them, stressing that undermining of integrity of Nigerians anywhere in the world is a red line that is unacceptable by the federal government.

“We cannot accept any differential treatment

Geoffrey Onyeama

against any Nigerian or African”, he said.

On the issue of Nigerians who desire to be evacuated back to Nigeria, the Minister said efforts are on ground to bring them adding that the number of those willing to come back home from China and other parts of the world is huge. He said further that once arrangements are concluded, the Nigerians will be brought home.

Although no time frame was given to that effect, the Minister however, said that the prospective Nigerian returnees would bear the cost adding that the government is working to make the cost less for them.

Th e m i n i s t e r s a i d government can not bear the burden of evacuation because in his words, “Nigerian is going through difficult times now”.

According to him, efforts are on to secure clearance for their airlifting.

should please remain law abiding and obey the orders and other guidelines”, he said.

Similarly, the PTF National Coordinator, Aliyu expressed concern over donors who do not abide by safety protocols in distributing palliative and relief materials in supporting the vulnerable.

He said efforts geared towards stopping the spread of the virus could be defeated if donors are not willing

to abide by the safety and health protocols in curbing the spread of the virus.

Aliyu said, the PTF is working with the donors to ensure that the distribution of palliatives is done in a safe and effective manner, He stressed that, “in terms of distribution of palliatives, we would continue to ensure that donor abide by public safety protocols during the distribution of palliatives”.

Meanwhile, the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) has scaled up the volume of testing for Covid-19 in the country, following the activation of three laboratories with the machines that have the combined capacity to conduct a minimum of 6,000 tests daily.

Ch i k w e Ih e k w e a z u , NCDC Director-General who made this known at the briefing said the country got its first consignment of reagents for the throughput machines that have been installed to test for HIV viral load.

“We have published the national strategy to scale up COVID-19 testing in Nigeria which leverages

on validated technology.

Anyone who wishes to contribute to our strategy in any way, understand our plan and trajectory can key in”, Ihekweazu said.

“As at 6:00 pm 17th April 2020, 7153 samples have been tested for COVID-19 in Nigeria. We are working very hard to increase the number of samples tested, including community surveillance in the FCT and Lagos” NCDC”, he added.

On his part, Osagie, Ehanire, minister of Health, said the cases of community transmission is on the rise and urged citizens to always disclose accurate information to the NCDC or health personnel.

He also advised the people with fever or respiratory symptoms to wear face masks, self isolate and contact the NCDC, while those who tests positive to the virus should cooperate with health personnel.

The Minister further informed that the Chinese experts, who are still in quarantine, have started sharing their experience on how they tackled COVID-19 through a video conferencing.

I never said the spread of coronavirus was political, an avenue for embezzlement - Bello VICTORIA NNAKAIKE, Lokoja

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he Kogi State Governor, Yahaya Bello has distanced himself from the rumour making the rounds, saying that he never said the spread of coronavirus in Nigeria was political, full of lies and an avenue for political officeholders and corrupt officials to embezzle the nation’s money.

According to a press statement issued by the Chief Press Secretary to the governor, Onogwu Muhammed, the governor has already put measures in place to contain the spread of the virus in the state.

He also stated that he never asked the people of the state to take hot water with garlic, ginger, lemon, lime as well as steaming themselves as a cure for COVID-19.

The statement read: “The attention of the Kogi State government has been drawn to fake news being circulated on some online platforms credited to the governor of

Bello

Kogi State, Yahaya Bello.

“The said fake news quoted the governor as saying that the reported spread of coronavirus in Nigeria was political, full of lies and an avenue for political office holders and corrupt officials to embezzle and steal the nation’s resources.

“It went further to quote the governor as urging the people to take hot water with garlic, ginger, lemon, lime as well as steaming themselves as a cure for COVID-19.

“We wish to make it unequivocally clear that he did not at any time make any of such comments as claimed by the purveyors of the said fake news.

“We urge the public and good people of Kogi State to disregard the said fake news churned out by agents of mischief whose stock in trade is to mislead the people and cause disaffection in the society.

“Governor Bello is very well aware of the grim reality and danger of the COVID-19 pandemic which has brought the globe to its knees.

“A team on COVID-19 led by the deputy governor, Edward David Onoja, with other critical stakeholders as members, have since been inaugurated and is working assiduously to stop the spread of the virus in the state.

“The government has also set up isolation centres in the state to handle any COVID-19 case which we strongly pray and hope never happens. “The governor urges the people to continue to adhere strictly to all preventive measures put in place against COVID-19 such as regular hand washing, the use of hand sanitizers and observation of social distancing, among others.”

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News COVID-19: WIEN commends NNPC intervention …pledges test kits, lab equipment

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Ngozi Okpalakunne

s the fight a g a i n s t Coronavirus continues, the Women in Energy Network (WIEN), an apolitical and nonprofit organisation, has commended the Nigerian Na t i o n a l Pe t r o l e u m Corporation (NNPC) and the entire Oil and Gas Industry for supporting the Federal Government with the sum of N21billion to combat the pandemic.

Recall that the Nigerian Oil & Gas Industry under the leadership of the NNPC Group Managing Director, M e l e Ky a r i r e c e n t l y embarked on an industrywide collaborative initiative to fight against the disease.

The support under the three thematic support areas covering: provision of medical consumables; deployment of logistics and in-patient support system and delivery of medical infrastructure, initially amounted to N11bilion but later increased to N21billion.

A statement signed by the President of WIEN, Funmi Ogbue explained that the interventions were in addition to regular social investments the

Mele Kyari, NNPC group managing director

NNPC partners, local and international, have continued to implement in support of the national effort against the pandemic, through various Community Social Responsibility (CSR) projects.

Ogbue however, pledged that WIEN and its members are doing a lot collectively and individually to join hearts and hands with NNPC and the Nigerian government to

deal with COVID-19.

“We would encourage all women and womengroups to do same. This is not the time to lag behind as all hands need to be on deck to deal with this as a country.

“As the leading Women’s Association in the energy value chain, WIEN has pledged to the oil and gas industry humanitarian intervention initiative, to donate test kits and lab

equipment as well as boost the testing capabilities of government, all of which we are currently working to deliver.

“Our members through their individual companies are making donations in consignments of medical consumables, logistics facilities as well as providing free food items.

“For instance, Zigma Oil & Gas which I lead as the managing director has been working on supplying medical equipment and doing advocacy for “clean hands.

“In these difficult times, my sincere hope is that our WIEN community and the country at large, is safe and healthy and remains so as we move through COVID-19, low oil prices, and other present difficulties,” she said.

According to her, “WIEN is working to adapt to the current environment and to find ways to serve and benefit members now and in the ‘new normal’ as it emerges”.

To achieve these goals, the statement also explained that the organisation was working on hosting webinars and providing educational opportunities for their members and the general public.

First Bank enhances palliative measures, promotes e-learning for Nigerians

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irst Bank, Nigeria’s leading financial inclusion services p r o v i d e r, h a s unveiled enhanced palliative measures to help its customers and Nigerians through these times of the extended COVID-19 lockdown in some states.

Top among the measures are; the introduction of special waivers on repayment fees on the bank’s credit cards, as well as, up to 90-days moratorium on SME loans. The measures are aimed at cushioning the impact of the toll on employment and livelihoods.

It was announced in the course of the week that the Lagos State Government & Roducate e-learning initiative – sponsored by FirstBank – had kicked off. The initiative includes the government

by Benjamin Franklin, thus ‘an investment in knowledge pays the best interest’ Adesola Adeduntan, CEO, FirstBank said “in keeping with who we are at FirstBank, our commitment to selfdevelopmentandcontinuous improvement is never far from our thinking. As such we are encouraging all to consider and register for any of the excellent programmes being offered free by Ivy League schools and have curatedalistofthemcovering topics such as management, personal development, and entrepreneurship which can be found on our website.

In addition, Adeduntan stated that “with these measures, we are delighted to support our customers because you all have empowered us to do so by choosing to Bank with us.

Edo APC guber aspirant advocates increased investment in agric to address food shortage IDRIS UMAR MOMOH, Benin

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sagie Ize-Iyamu, an aspirant on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the forthcoming governorship election in Edo State, has called on governments to increase investment in the agricultural sector as part of measures to prevent shortage of food occasioned by restriction orders to curb the spread of the coronavirus pandemic.

Ize-Iyamu made the call on Friday in a statement signed

by John Mayaki, director of Communication and Media to his Campaign Organisation and made available to newsmen in Benin City.

“Farming is not a short term venture; so how do our people combat hunger during these period of lockdown?

Most of our farmers are in the rural areas and are not directly affected by the restrictions

in the urban areas. What has hindered our farmers is the menace of herdsmen and Boko Haram activities in the north where most of our food come from.

“In the interim, government and public

Osagie Ize-Iyamu

spirited persons must be encouraged to give palliatives to those in dire need to avoid violence and looting occasioned by hunger virus,” he said.

Ac c o r d i n g t o h i m , “Government must

encourage farmers to grow more by buying their products and supporting them. The present situation is volatile and requires short, medium and long term solutions. For now, we must support our people with food and then teach them how to farm.”

The governorship aspirant, who said that there was the need for government to set up a food bank, added that people should be encouraged to farm.

While noting that agricultural activities is not an easy task, opined that it required well-thought out policies and incentives such as availability of arable land, seedlings and support capital.

He also stressed the need to protect the agricultural sector by ensuring the security of rural farmers, committing funds and other investments into helping farmers to improve farm yields, storage and sale of produce.

Adesola Adeduntan

accredited curriculum for primary, secondary and tertiary schools designed to ensure children are adequately guided and engaged through their learning experience.

Upon the lockdown in March, the bank had announced to move one million children to e-learning, which is implemented with a number of renowned organisationsthathavecome on board from within and outside the continent. The partners include; IBM, which is providing opportunities for the acquisition of digital skills including Coding, Artificial Intelligence and Data Science & Analytics which would promote opportunities to learn skills of the future.

These measures are taken in identifying with the roles of children at securing the future of any country.

Reflecting on the words

This is indeed a time to double down efforts and explore opportunities to ease the impact of the extension on you.

Once again, we appreciate our customers for the giant strides achieved on our alternative channels, as we assure you of our commitment to continue to work tirelessly to provide essential banking services across these channels. The transaction volumes is a positive testimony to the resilienceofourstaffandyour Bank to keep things going as COVID 19 will neither defeat nor slow us down. We remain fully persuaded that together we will overcome this too.”

“Our experience over 126 years tells us the solutions lie within us, more than ever as we uphold our promise to you to be here for you and put You First always,” he concluded.

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News PDP flags off COVID-19 relief outreach Iniobong Iwok

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hePeople’sDemocratic Party (PDP) in Lagos State has rolled out relief initiatives to alleviate the sufferings of Lagosians following the lockdown associated with the ravaging coronavirus pandemic in the state.

Kick-starting the first phase of the scheme, Adedeji Doherty, Lagos State PDP chairman, noted that the lapses observed in the state government’s relief scheme where several indigent Lagosians were not reached by the Lagos State initiative would be corrected by the party.

Doherty said, rather than just fault the inadequacy in the state government’s palliatives arrangement, the party chose to attend to the needs of those deliberately schemed out of its scope of coverage.

According to him, “We saw what the state government was doing and believed that we could not sit idly and criticise whatever APC government was doing wrongly or rightly at this time, but to assist both our party members, sympathisers and general residents in various communities who were deliberately being sidelined in the distribution of the government managed relief/ palliative scheme.

“As chairman of the PDP, I wrote two open letters to the governor regarding this abnormality and he responded by saying that the process was hijacked by some ele-

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he Catholic Archdiocese of Lagos, has donated some relief materials to Lagos State government in support of its efforts to provide assistance to the poor towards the fight to contain the spread of coronavirus pandemic.

Items donated include 500 bags of rice, beans, and 4000 hand sanitizers. In alignment with the CBCN, the church also announced the decision to make St Raphael Divine Mercy Hospital, Ijede available for use as an isolation centre if the need arises.

“We commend the hard work that has been done in

...as airline operators call for urgent palliatives to keep them afloat IFEOMA OKEKE

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Adedeji Doherty, Lagos State PDP chairman

ments in his administration”.

Speaking about the modalities in place to sustain the relief plan tagged ‘Lagos PDP COVID-19 relief initiative’, especially for the deliberately sidelined people in the state.

He stated that the relief is meant for distribution across 57 LGAs/LCDAs in the state.

“We went on to create a whatsapp platform of about 100 members made up of personal friends and party faithful, who I pleaded with and finally got them to contribute towards assisting most of those that might have been sidelined in the process.

“The relief initiative has the following materials as donated by our donors; noodles, freshly baked bread and vegetable oil, and they are distributed on a house-

to-house basis. While some were enough to reach all the LCDAs, some materials couldn’t.

“We are of the opinion that the government would and cannot reach everyone anyway, even if the process was perfect and as such we had to ignore our party differences and take part in achieving the goal the government had set for itself and the state as a whole.”

Doherty further said: “Our programme is still ongoing as we are still receiving more relief materials and we are getting ready to do the next round of distribution.”

To ensure probity, the PDP chairman hinted that all payments are being made directly to Honeywell Flour Mills but PDP relief written as payee including the donor’s name.

COVID-19: Catholic archdiocese of Lagos donates relief materials to Lagos SEYI JOHN SALAU

COVID-19: Domestic airlines ground 120 aircraft, lose N360bn

ensuring that we are a model state in the effort to stem the spread of the virus. We also commend the effort that has been made to provide palliatives to support the most vulnerable among us,” said Alfred Adewale Martins, the Catholic Archbishop of Lagos, while presenting the relief materials to Ibijoke Sanwo-Olu, wife of Lagos State governor, at the State House, Marina.

Represented by Anthony Obanla, the Chancellor of the Catholic Archdiocese of Lagos, Martins commended the proactive steps that have been taken by the state government since the first index case was identified in Lagos.

However, in recognising the challenges associated with providing for the gen-

erality of the people in a state like Lagos with over 20million people, Martins said providing palliative to Lagosians is a herculean task that must have created its own nightmare for the government. “So, as a Church, we hear the cry of the people as well as understand the challenges of Government,” Martins stated.

Archbishop Martins noted that the task of managing the pandemic and taking care of the less-privileged was enormous and so government should be supported, hence the Catholic Church in the Archdiocese of Lagos decided to show her support in order to ease the pain of the poor and vulnerable within the state.

he Airline Operators of Nigeria (AON) have disclosed that over 120 aircraft are parked at various airports across the country, with airlines required to pay accumulated cost on leased aircraft, staff salaries, allowances for crew, parking and maintenance fees, and recurrent training.

Operators say at present, the domestic airlines have lost an estimated N360billion and still counting with no end in sight.

AON is therefore, calling on the Federal Government to consider an urgent stimulus grant or palliatives for domestic airlines to cushion negative effects of post-COVID-19.

In a statement issued by Nogie Meggsion, president of AON, the group commended the CBN for acknowledging the adverse impact of the virus on the global and Nigerian economies, while urging the aviation agencies to take a cue from the CBN and seek ways to help airlines cushion the effect of the pandemic.

According to the Meggsion, ‘’It is instructive to note that about 4 weeks before domestic airlines decided to take the difficult decision to suspend both local and International flights to urgently support the government’s effort to curtail the virus, pas-

senger traffic had declined drastically to about nine percent, leaving the domestic airlines in dire financial strait while raking avoidable cost. ‘’The AON unequivocally aligns with global concerns and reports which puts aviation sub-sector has the worst hit, as a result of the various containment efforts and strategies world-over coupled with the recent announcement by the International Air Transport Association (IATA) that passenger airliners could lose up to $133billion in revenues this year. Aviation service providers including Airports, fueling services providers, ground handling service providers, security services providers, catering services providers and many more would be badly hit this year 2020 according to IATA. ‘’With these troubling statics likely to threaten the existence of many domestic airlines in Nigeria who are still grappling with over 32 multiple charges, the AON wishes to commend the CBN for announcing a moratorium of one year on all principal repayments of intervention loans effective March 1, 2020; reducing interest rates from nine to five percent per annum for one year; and creating a N50 billion targeted credit facility to cushion the impact of the virus on businesses post-COVID-19.’’

He stated that AON is therefore, seeking govern-

ment stimulus packages and incentives to mitigate the negative impact of this pandemicontheaviationindustry in Nigeria and by extension the domestic airlines. These the AON says should include deliberate sourcing, loans, grants, tax waivers, special forex windows and rates, reduction of airport taxes or surcharges, and waivers.’’

Meggison also suggested that another option could be approving corporate bonds through the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), completely waiving some charges to guarantee the survival of airlines and avoid over 100,000 direct job losses post-COVID-19. ‘’We are aware that Russia, US, Canada, Britain and some other countries have come up with one measure of support or another for their airlines and Nigeria will not be at default if it looks at options of supporting the aviation industry. ‘’AON remains the only airline operators still paying VAT on commercial air transportation, which is not obtainable anywhere in the world. We have said this countless times that the VAT is adversely affecting the sector by subtly reducing the number of those who can afford air travel due to high fares, and in view of the impact that this pandemic will have on the economy, the VAT will continue to be an increased burden on Nigerian travelers.

Widows, widowers, elderly get N1.5m relief items from Lagos-based NGO Ngozi Okpalakunne

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s part of its effort to cushion the hardship faced by the less-privileged widows and the elderly due to COVID-19 lockdown in Lagos State,TouchofLoveandLifting Hands Foundation, a nongovernmental organisation, recently engaged in a twoday door-to-door relief items delivery to vulnerable groups in some communities.

A statement signed by the founder of the organisation, Atinuke Owolabi, said that the foundation began the distribution from Ifako-Ijaiye Local Government Area, host community of its secretariat.

Owolabi also explained thatthereliefpacksdistributed to the less-privileged, widows, widowers and the elderly contained packed foods, noodles, salt, beans packs, bread, hand washing gels, surgical nose masks, and

sanitisers in bags.

In addition, she said that the relief materials’ distribution captured 500 households and cost the foundation N1.5 million.

Owolabi appealed to the Lagos State Government to partner NGOs that have been involved in welfare issues in the past to ensure its relief items got to the right beneficiaries in the state.

She lamented that old people in Ifako-Ijaye and its environs were neglected in the ongoing distribution of relief items, hence, the foundation’s giant stride to bridge the gap.

“This foundation has been taking care of the health and welfare of widows, widowers, elderly citizens and the vulnerable since inception.

“Several old people besieged our secretariat after the lockdown because they were hungry. We had to carry out emergency food distribution.

“A lot of widows rushed

down here when they heard we began the house to house distribution, but we dispersed them because of the social distancing rule and told them to wait for us in their homes,” she said.

Owolabi further said: “We have finished the distribution to 500 households both within and outside Ifako Ijaye.

“The government should partner with NGOs to identify the real people in need. “ We a l r e a d y h a v e their database before the COVID-19 and they believe in us because we have been relatingwiththem,feedingand caring for their health.

“We have their records, house addresses, passport photographs, phone numbers and other details which we can volunteer.

“Some of these old people are lonely and poor, some of them are abandoned because they have lost their spouses and their children live far away.’’

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Coronavirus: RESL’s investment in technology deepens borderless classrooms frontier KELECHI EWUZIE

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etermined to extend the frontiers of learning and meet the academic requirement of its students even as COVID-19 encroaches on personal lives and work arrangements across the world, Rainbow Educational Services Limited (RESL) says its substantial investment in technology has helped keep Borderless Classrooms afloat.

RESL stated that it has an excellent track record of nurturing children to become extremely successful learners, confident individuals, effective contributors and responsible citizens, adding that it didn’t lose sight of this core competence.

“So far, our group has successfully navigated the unexpected, steep and slippery terrain that COVID-19 unleashed,” RESL said.

Yinka Oduwole, director of studies RESL, said that as a consequence of the government’s directive, “we had to close our schools. No sooner had we closed schools than we swung into action

by extending the frontiers and reach of our Borderless Classrooms.”

Oduwole added that although COVID-19 stopped many things, it didn’t stop learning and teaching as RESL deployed loads of interactive resources to enthuse and extend the learning of children and young people.

According to her, “We switched to our impressive online platform and offered tuition so seamlessly that our children were shielded from the adverse effects of early closure. We’ve been working hard to uphold the excellent RESL standards during a pretty uncertain period.

“This is why our group of schools is in a league of its own! Our teachers and educators here embed extended learning opportunities in the curriculum so that learning in the ‘out of classroom’ environment is a reality and regular diet for all children and young people.”

Oduwole opines that RESL is always at the cutting edge of 21st-century learning and teaching practices, stressing that they believe learning does not need

to take place solely within educational buildings. “The home environment has massive potential for learning, so we tapped into the vast opportunity to enhance our children and young people’s learning experiences by maximising the potentials of the home and variety of other settings”.

She further said: “This is why we invested in the technologies that underpin the borderless classrooms; classrooms without walls! Our classrooms without walls offer motivating, exciting, different, relevant and easily accessible activities from pre-school years through to college.”

Oduwole further states that RESL is delighted that all children and young people are participating in a range of progressive and creative ‘out of classroom’ learning experiences which are clearly part of the curriculum.

“Our well-trained and expert teachers continue to provide remotely regular, frequent, enjoyable and challenging opportunities for all our children and young people to learn at home throughout this period and beyond.

COVID-19: Investigate Naval activities in Igbokoda for setting ablaze pharmacy, Group tells Akeredolu KORETIMI AKINTUNDE, Akure

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group, under the auspices of Ilaje Leadership Forum, on Friday called for urgent investigation into the activities of the Nigerian Navy purposely constituted to enforcingcurfewordersbeing declared by the Ondo State governor in order to prevent the spread of the deadly coronavirus pandemic.

Recall that the Ondo State government last Tuesday declared curfew and restriction of movements in the state between 7pm and 7am every day until further notice in order to check further spread of coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19) and which all citizens have complied with.

The government made it clear that the curfew order excluded pharmacy shops, food sellers and hospitals for the purpose of attending to urgent humanity needs.

But, in a petition written to the state Governor, Oluwarotimi Akeredolu by the Ilaje Leadership Forum (ILF) Publicity Secretary, Emorioloye Owolemi and made available to journalists in Akure, the group alleged that the Nigerian Navy was going beyond the governor’s

directive by invading a pharmacy shop in Igbokoda and set it on fire.

The petition reads in part, “On 16th April 2020, at about 7:15pm,thegroupofthenaval officers on patrol invaded a pharmacy shop owned by a young lady at Omonira Street, Igbokoda, while her two children had already slept in the shops.

“The naval officers while observing that the shop was not closed, and forgotten that pharmacies were exception of the order so that they can attend to ill purposes, they felt angry for such pharmacy shop not to have closed, and immediately fired gunshots at the shop and burnt the whole shop.

“It was community efforts that rescued the two children who were already asleep inside the shop.

Akeredolu

“The shop was burnt down completely with all items therein. If at all that any shop owner who breaches the law needs punishment whatsoever, the state only directed for arrest and prosecution.

“As to our surprise if the naval officers were not fully oriented in their duty to enforcing curfew order, the state has made it clear that citizens can only be arrested and prosecuted if they were found along the street, not in the house or outside their house where they are sitting when not more than the restricted numbers.”

Following the incident, the ILF however, appealed to Governor Akeredolu as a matter of urgency to investigate the incident.

The group said, “We demand justice for this young lady whose means of livelihood has been burnt by the naval officers who are meant to save lives.”

Confirming the incident, the Ondo State Police Command spokesman, TeeLeo Ikoro said: “I have gotten in touch with the, Police Area Commander in the Area over there, and what happened was that the police and the naval officers were on a patrol in the area to enforce the curfew.

Abdulrazaq signs 175 C of Os as Kwara set eyes on post-COVID-19 economy SIKIRAT SHEHU, Ilorin

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wara State Governor, Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq has signed all the certificates of occupancy (C of Os) that had been pending since 2016, a giant step that is certain to help businesses to raise capital from banks and strengthen the local economy.

Bolaji Edun, directorgeneral of the Bureau of Land said in a statement on Friday that the feat was unprecedented in the recent history of the state.

“All in all, the Governor has signed 175 C of Os. He also gave approval for 102 subsequent transactions like mortgages, leases, assignments that had been pending since 2016 to date.

The effect of this singular act of the Governor is that the economy of the state will pick up immediately after the COVID-19 lockdown,” Edun said.

The step according to him would enable owners to access to loans in the capital market to kick start or expand their businesses.

“There will be inflow of capital to the state and this will have spiraling effects on

Abdulrazaq

the economy including the informal sector. It is going to be a win-win situation for everyone,” he added.

Th e d e v e l o p m e n t would have huge impacts on Kwara’s rating in the upcoming national ease of doing assessments as prompt issuance of C of Os and other legal documents

— which serve as collaterals —are critical to people’s access to loans to run their businesses.

A 2018 World Bank ease of doing business report rated Kwara low in quick issuance of C of O, among other criteria, which is key to attracting businesses to the state.

Constitutional issues loom as COVID-19...

Continued from Page 2 are master tacticians too”, Ganiyu Erezi, a lawyer said.

But in the case of no elections, Erezi explained that an interim government would be in place until when elections can hold, like in the case of Ernest Shonekan.

Analysts say that the postponement or inability to hold these elections could thrown up a constitutional crisis in some countries if the situation remains the same in the next few months and leaves a big legal question.

Unlike, the western world, the situation could be more worrisome in Africa where elections have always had ethnic and religious colouration and could easily lead to another political crisis.

John Bayeisha, a lawyer and senior advocate of Nigeria (SAN), said: “I think the elections would still hold in most places; in fact, South Korea had an election last week. In America, they have found a way around it;

the concluding part of the debates was also held.

“They are not holding open debates, the debates are without people in the hall, or few people; we are seeing it from here. The only thing is that the mode of campaigns would be affected, I mean large gathering of the people attending these campaigns.”

Bayeisha further said that constitutions across the world do not envisage a crisis of any form, adding that it was only in Nigeria that people often refuse to adapt to situations.

“It is only here in Nigeria that we find it difficult to adapt to situations; there is no constitutional provision for a lacuna. Even in Nigeria here the courts are on hold and shut. We can’t go to court and even election petition cases; they would ask you to bring in few people.

“Most international laws do not envisage for a crisis period, even during war time elections were held in some places; the people went out to vote,” he added.

Lawal Pedro, a lawyer and senior advocate of Ni-

geria (SAN), said that if the current health crisis persists and affects the dates fixed for the beginning of campaigns for both gubernatorial elections in Ondo and Edo States, there may be need for ‘doctrine of necessity’ to be implemented which would warrant INEC to change the dates for both elections.

“We don’t pray the pandemic lasts long but here in Nigeria there is time for campaigns and I don’t see how electronic and indoor campaigns can work here and be effective.

“We may have found ourselves in an unfamiliar situation the doctrine of necessity would have to come into play. The date of the elections may be shifted forward. If the candidates complain that they don’t have time to campaign a new date may be set.

“We have principles of necessity, it can be activated we have them in law, and we just hope our people continue to obey the social distancing so we can continue with our normal work,” he added.

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Politics Nigeria must harmonise its data management system for proper planning - APC chieftain The Executive Chairman of Ifako Ijaiye Local Government Area of Lagos State and a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state, Oloruntoba Oke, in this interview with journalists spoke on the difficulty in getting the required data and ascertaining the number of people in his local government in an attempt to provide palliatives to households in the council in the current COVID-19 lockdown. He said that the current experience should serve as a wakeup call for the country to have effective data base of citizens. INIOBONG IWOK brings excerpts; What informed the model adopted for the stimulus package distribution in your local government? irst and foremost, we have to acknowledge all the proactive steps and measures taken by Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu because of what he has done to contain the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic in the state. Yes, different people across the local governments have been doing things at their various levels but in our own view, that is myself and my councillors and members of my exco, we are of the opinion that what is worth doing at all is worth doing well; that if we are going to do this thing let us package it in such a way that whatever we are going to give to people will be appreciated by the recipients and that is what drove us into doing it this way.So, we have like four different items in the package and these were well received by the recipients and we are also happy that they are happy about what we have done.

The youth are given preference above the aged in other climes in measures taken to handle the pandemic; can we borrow a leaf from there?

You see, in any society where you donot have correct data about the citizens, that is what causes problem. It is always difficult to start classifying the categories of people we have; these are youths, these are aged people, these are old men, these are elderly women, it is difficult to begin to do that and that is why we decided that okay, let us see how many people we can reach, going from street to street with the leaders; that is the Community Development Associations (CDA).

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How will you rate the compliance level of the 14-day sit-at-home order issued by government to contain the scourge of the COVID-19 pandemic in your locality?

Well, at the initial stage, the first four days the level of compliance was okay but after that it declined and it is unfortunate that people seem not to really recognise the importance of the restriction order in the first instance because if they do they would not be as disobedient in this regard.

Even when you go out you are endangering your own life; it’s a risk for anybody to go out and for government to have come up with those measures, it is to help us, it is for the safety, security and good health of the citizenry.But people don’t see it that way, fine; it is only a person that is alive that can work; it is only a person that is alive that can eat but they would tell you what are we going to eat and that is why you see an increase in the number of cases of infected people, which is not supposed to be so, if Lagosians and indeed Nigerians will fully comply with the order then the problem would have been declining.

Given Nigeria’s peculiarities, how do we determine those who need the palliative packages in order to ensure they actually receive the relief materials?

Well, when we talk about vulnerability we all know the level of poverty in the country and we know that a lot of people are going through hard times because of situations; so, whatever measure and palliatives that

In essence, are you canvassing for a solution to our data capture deficiencies in the country?

It is essential that we ensure we have adequate data, because any society that does not have data regarding the number of people, what they do, their work and things like that it is always difficult to plan; that is just the basic thing to do; getting data I don’t think it is a difficult thing to achieve.We do birth registration, we do LASRRA registration, National Identity Management Commission (NIMC); so, they should look at all these they have done and bring out correct and reliable data from all these schemes and it will be easy to plan and know the number of people to cater for. As a government, we should be able to know the number of people that will be graduating from our universities so as to ascertain as they are graduating what provisions are afforded to take care of them and all that; so having data is quite essential.

Oloruntoba Oke

are introduced by the government should be appreciated. It is not possible for any government to satisfy the yearnings of the people. Governments world over cannot satisfy all the yearnings of their people 100 percent; so, whatever government is able to do should be appreciated. For instance, at the state level, government targeted 200,000 households; of course, it is not every household that will benefit from this but the state government must have gone through rigorous process; look at the LASRRA records, check their records and information about people who were actually captured in the register of the state; so, through that they would be able to know which family is vulnerable.Text messages were sent out to some individuals and households and they are going to deliver their packages; so far, I think the measure

is still okay in terms of palliatives, but of course, not everybody that will be captured in the net of those that are vulnerable.

Some are of the view that money should be shared to people, especially those who make a living daily depending on their hustling?

It is not as if we have not been giving money to people but it is not going to happen the way people expected, because everybody expected you to give them money, but where is that done?Even in America, it is not done that way. It is not that you go on the streets and begin to share money; where is that done? Where are the resources? As a local government, it is not possible, but I feel that whatever we are able to do for our people they should learn to be appreciative.

How will you counsel the people within your domain on compliance with the lockdown directive?

My advice to them is that we should still continue to comply, until the restriction order is completely lifted. Whatever instructions given, because that is the only thing that can be done to stem the tide otherwise the scourge of the virus will continue to increase which is what need to be stemmed for us to be comfortable.

I think that is what government must have observed which must have informed them to extend the restriction order and until government is satisfied that yes they have gotten to a stage that the spread is abating and that at least the curve is flattening and is on the negative side, that is when government can come up to say yes now we can lift the restriction.

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Standing together against a common enemy

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)

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

S

ince February 27 when the first case of the deadly COVID-19 pandemic was confirmed in Nigeria via an Italian, there has been a steady increase in the figure of infected people. As at 16th April, confirmed COVID-19 cases in the country stands at 442 with 13 fatalities.

Lagos remains the epicentre of the pandemic with a total of 251 confirmed cases while the FCT comes next with 67 cases. Of late, a few other States have recorded alarming increase in the number of confirmed cases. These include Kano, Osun, Edo and Oyo with 21, 20, 15 and 13 cases respectively.

Kano’s case is particularly disturbing, as the State 21 recorded cases occurred within such a short period of days. No doubt, cases of the pandemic is progressively rising across the country.

It has, however, not been all gloomy, as there have equally been an impressive increase in the number of discharged cases. Thus

far, we have witnessed a total of 152 discharged cases across the country, with Lagos having the highest figure of 90.

The steady rise in cases of confirmed COVID-19 cases in the country should give everyone a cause for worry. The need to put up a common front against the spread of deadly virus can, thus, not be over-emphasised.

It is quite ironic that many still regard the virus a hoax, claiming it is not a black man’s ailment.

Ignorantly, many have equally labelled it a rich man’s virus. In some parts of the country, people still congregate without regard to the social distancing rule. Even in places where the lockdown has been proclaimed, as part of efforts to reduce the spread of the virus, many still carry on with business as usual.

The need to shun all forms of large gathering, and even stay at home, where necessary, has become quite essential. This is the most effective way to break the circle of transmission, as it has worked very well in other places.

Similarly, all States in the country must effectively collaborate with the Federal Government in the fight against this lethal but invincible adversary. As it has been observed in a few cases, this is not the time for needless politicking.

The enemy we are up against does not recognise partisan gulf or any such divisive platforms. Choosing to play politics at this crucial time would be highly insensitive and

counterproductive. Therefore, we must set aside every discordant tendency, no matter how cogent, and stand together in this hour of crisis.

On its part, the Federal Government and all its agencies must be fair to all in the handling of all COVID-19 related issues, especially as it relates to the distribution of relief packages and provision of essential technical support to affected States.

One must commend the role of the private sector, faith-based organisations and other well-meaning individuals in providing vital support for the government in the battle against the lethal virus. This is quite laudable, as it is quite obvious that the government alone cannot pull this one through. Therefore, every support surely counts.

However, more compatriots of means still need to come on board, especially in terms of provision of palliatives to vulnerable members of the society as well as members of the informal sector who solely depend on daily income for economic survival.

Equally, dealers in essential medical and food items must not engage in undue price hiking. It is true that business is solely profit driven, but excessive profiteering from such national tragedy should not be contemplated. It would be contrary to the basic ideal of patriotism.

If we can stick together against the noisome pestilence, with a common vision and goal, victory

is surely in sight. The enemy that confronts us knows no language.

It knows no tribe. It knows no political affiliation. Neither does religion means anything to it. It has no respect for neither the rich nor the poor. All it wants is blood.

Therefore, we need to come to terms with the reality of what we are contending with. More technologically and economically advanced nations of the world are cringing under the lethal blows of this unseen foe. The mighty are falling and hitherto potent instruments of warfare are being effortlessly demystified.

Perhaps more importantly, it is imperative to emphasize that COVID-19 patients that have been given a clean bill of health must not be stigmatized. It will be insensitive and absurd to do such since the appropriate authorities have confirmed them free of the virus. Rather than complicate things for them, we must help to fully integrate them into the society. Remember, it could have been anyone.

As in the case of Ebola, this tough time shall also pass. As Governor Sanwo-Olu, the dynamic COVID-19 Incident Commander of Lagos State, rightly affirmed: “We have overcome more challenging situation in the past, and we shall surely surmount this also”.

But then, we must be willing to observe all precautionary measures put in place by the appropriate authorities to curtail the spread of the pandemic.

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Person In The News

The challenge of being Lagos governor in times like these ZEBULON AGOMUO

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n good times, a governor of Lagos State exudes confidence and walks with swagger. He has every reason to do so. Lagos is rated the most prosperous state in Nigeria.

Whether it was during the administrations of Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Babatunde Raji Fashola, or when Akinwunmi Ambode presided over its affairs, or now that Babajide Sanwo-Olu sits at the Oval Office in Alausa as the chief executive officer, Lagos has always been thick.

During electioneering campaign, candidates of political parties possibly only see the green part of the state; most times they do not see the other side that could task their competence.

A reporter documented that “Lagos state output in 2017 was $136billion, according to official estimates, more than a third of Nigeria’s gross domestic product.

“The city is the centre of most of the country’s manufacturing and industrial activities. It is also home to a pan-African banking industry as well as a thriving music, fashion and film scene that reverberates around the continent. More recently, it has become a tech hub to rival Nairobi’s so-called Silicon Savannah or the Silicon Valley in the city of San Francisco, California, in the United States of America.”

Today, the state houses over 20 million people out of the entire Nigeria’s population of 200million.

Its internally generated revenue (IGR) is over N32billion a month on the average. It is also said that the gross domestic product of Lagos is more than 50 percent of all the West African states put together.

A report quoted the recently dethroned Emir of Kano, Sanusi Lamido Sanusi as saying that “in the past 18 years, Lagos has transformed. In terms of roads, in terms of infrastructure, in terms of governance, in terms of a general investment environment, in terms

of security, the government has given people a greater opportunity to thrive.”

According to the Wikipedia, the GDP of Lagos State is US$33,679, as of 2010. The Bureau of Statistics said its GDP in 2016 was N21trillion ($145.1billion) and that it was expected to rise to N628trillion ($152.28billion) by 2018.

The state is reputed as Africa’s 7th largest economy and it is about to get bigger with its first oil finds.

The success story of Lagos is driven by vital reforms in state service: taxation, transport services and waste management. It has remained the economic hub of Nigeria years after it was replaced as the country’s official capital.

“The state’s potential to generate revenue has now been boosted even further by confirmation of oil production. Targeted investment is expected to follow the state’s oil production activities and under the terms of Nigeria’s resource control, as an oil-producing state, Lagos will become entitled to a 13percent of revenues generated

by Nigeria’s government through its oil and potentially earning millions of dollars,” an analyst said.

In this part of the world, many people who contest for the position of governorship in Nigeria mainly eye the control of the wealth of their individual states.

They, most times, do not think about overwhelming challenges that could task their administration or stress them so much.

In 2014, when the Ebola virus made its appearance in Nigeria, the then governor of Lagos State, Babatunde Fashola faced the fire.

He was at the forefront of the battle. Although an opposition governor in an opposition state, he worked perfectly well with the Federal Government under the control of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP).

The then minister of health, Professor Onyebuchi Chukwu provided the needed co-ordination. Lagos under Fashola also provided a lot of infrastructure to battle the scourge.

By the time the dust settled, the governor had written his name in gold.

When Sanwo-olu mounted the saddle, he inherited the Apapa gridlock that had made a nonsense of life and business in the port city.

He moved with all the gusto he

could muster to confront it. He was also immediately confronted with the problem of potholes all over the state, and he nearly got a bad name for it. He was verbally pummeled by residents, but he was always pleading for understanding, explaining that the financial wherewithal to fix the roads was not at his disposal at that time.

Sanwo-olu also inherited what nearly became an intractable menace- the problem of commercial motorcyclists (Okada) and the three-wheeler operators (Keke). Although the challenge had spanned the administrations of Fashola and Ambode, who also rolled out laws to check the excesses of these operators, the two predecessors of his never enforced the law. Sanwo-olu went ahead to do it. He also contended with a number of pipeline explosions in parts of the state, the worst being the Abule-Ado incident in April that left many residents dead, maimed, homeless and properties devastated. The governor instituted a N2billion Foundation to rehabilitate victims of a blast, the real cause of which has remained a matter of controversy.

And when he was settling down to face the job of real governance, the governor was confronted with what could be regarded as the grandmother of all challenges- the coronavirus pandemic.

Like Fashola in 2014, who mobilised human and material resources to battle the Ebola, which broke out in Lagos through an index case, a Liberian-American, Patrick Sawyer, who flew into the City of Excellence on July 20, 2014.

He infected many health workers who meant to treat him without knowing how deadly the illness was, Sanwo-olu is also presently at that momentous moment, when his real motive for seeking election as governor of Lagos State- work or wealth; service or self- is being tested. Perhaps, he is being faced with a more serious problem than the Ebola of yesteryear.

Since April, when the index case, an Italian national, broke in Lagos, the governor must have been sleeping with one eye closed every night, as he is always on his feet, with his lieutenants, giving updates on the ravaging virus. He has been on the firing line against a virus that has so far consumed over 132,000 human beings across the globe. As at the time of filing in this report, Lagos had about 254 confirmed cases; 90 had been discharged, while 10 had been declared dead.

Lagos has been a focal point as it has continued to receive attention from all over the world. The Federal Government, which is run by the same party as in Lagos, has continued to give its maximum support as was also the case in 2014.

Although the governor is waging a fierce and relentless war against a deadly virus, there are those waiting in the wings to demand blow-by-blow account of the huge financial and material donations that came into the state coffers from private and corporate organisations to assist in the fight. But for Sanwo-olu, being a governor at this time could be tantamount to a “crown of thorns.”

COVID-19: Don’t be lured into a false sense of security by the mere use of facemask - NMA MIKE ABANG, Calabar

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he Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) Cross River State chapter at the weekend said the policy of the use of clothe nose mask introduced by the Cross River State Government which has now been recommended by the Federal Government is also highly commendable. He however said that while the use of facemask is helpful, it does not confer full protection against COVID-19 and indigenes of the state should not be lured into a false sense of security by the mere use of facemask.

The medical union said this in

an extract from its position paper after perusing the state preparedness against the deadly COVID-19 pandemic.

The state NMA’s position paper came three days after the Association of Cross River Online Journalists (ACROJ) issued a press release calling on the state Governor, Ben Ayade to review the state lockdown policies.

The NMA, having extensively reviewed the level of preparedness and cogent steps taken to prevent and contain any outbreak of COVID-19 in Cross River State, policy statements from the state government and recent press statements from the state Commissioner for Health, came up with a some position statements.

“The Nigerian Medical Association Cross River State acknowledges and commends the measures so far instituted by the Cross River State Government towards securing the borders of the state to help limit the transmission and a spread of COVID-19 from neighbouring states and Cameroun.

“According to the World Health Organisation (WHO) Interim Guidance of April 6, 2020, the use of facemasks (medical or non-medical) whether for source control (used by infected persons) or prevention of COVID-19 (used by healthy persons) alone is insufficient to provide an adequate level of protection and advises other measures to be adopted.

“Therefore, face mask is complementary to social/physical distancing of at least 1 meter, avoiding mass gatherings, effective hand and respiratory hygiene and cleaning of all contact surfaces among other measures as recommended by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) and World Health Organisation,” it said.

According to the group, “The press release by Christian Ita, the Special Adviser, Media and Publicity to the Governor with ref: GO/PRESS/012/ VOL.1/179 dated April 11, 2020 directing all Civil Servants from Grade Level 10 and above to resume work is ill-timed and not in the best public health interest of the state. The primordial/primary prevention strategy

of the State Government is obviously the cheapest, safest and best strategy to adopt considering our peculiar challenges, but could be derailed by this mass resumption of staff that constitutes almost 50% of the workforce.

We advise other means of getting critical sectors to work while avoiding mass gatherings because of the risk posed by asymptomatic carriers of the virus and without resources for mass testing of the population.

“The Cross River State Government currently has no Isolation Centre. The 4-bed capacity Isolation Unit at the University of Calabar Teaching Hospital, Calabar is the Infectious Disease Ward of the Department of Microbiology, UCTH.

10

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Sunday 19 April 2020

Perspective MO Council: Nigeria fought a good fight Vincent Obia

I

t was a strong showing for West and Central Africa’s leader in Port and Flag State Control.

Nigeria made a marked improvement on its 2017 record, coming extremely close to election into Category C of the Governing Council of International Maritime Organisation (IMO), and missing the mark by just one vote.

Nigeria’s performance on November 29, 2019 in the IMO London headquarters, during the 31st Assembly of the organisation, was a remarkable improvement from 2017, when it lost by 12 votes.

The country’s delegation to the Assembly had embarked on a vigorous campaign for election into the Governing Council, whose membership Nigeria lost in 2011. The country polled 110 votes to come 21st, one vote short of the 111 polled by Kenya, which came 20th, and made the cut off point for Category C membership of the Council.

West Africa also lost its only seat on the IMO Council, as Liberia was replaced by Kuwait. This reduced Africa’s all Category C IMO Governing Council membership from five to four, with Egypt, Morocco, South Africa, and Kenya retaining their seats in the 20-member Category.

Nigeria will not be on the IMO Council during the 2020 – 2021 biennial. But the important lessons from the last council election can scarcely be lost on the country and the continent. Neither can anyone fail to appreciate the significant improvements Nigeria has recorded in the past few years in the attempt to reposition its maritime sector and make it a major contributor to the national economy and, indeed, the pivot of efforts to wean the country off oil dependence.

The progress will remain a boost to national confidence and a major consolation as the country appraises the past and prepares to fight again at the 32nd regular session of the IMO Assembly in 2021.

Nigeria has made remarkable strides in the efficient administration of its vast maritime domain. But considering the global nature of maritime, no country can really optimise the benefits of the sector without the cooperation of others in the comity of nations.

So, the biggest lesson for Africa from the 2019 IMO Council election is, perhaps, the need to work together.

About 40 African countries were eligible to vote in the election – 10 from West Africa; seven from North Africa; four from Southern Africa; six from Central Africa; and 13 from East Africa.

An effective and honest utilisation of the continent’s votes by the regional member states would have afforded Nigeria and other continental players a better outcome.

Nigeria has done its bit to enhance Africa’s stature within the global maritime community.

The country currently tops the chart on Port and Flag State Control in the West and Central Africa Sub-Region. Surveys by the Abuja Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Port State Control for West and Central Africa Region, otherwise known as Abuja MoU, confirm this, as NIMASA outranks the other maritime regulators in the region in inspection of vessels calling at Nigerian ports.

Bashir Yusuf Jamoh, DG, NIMASA The Abuja MoU, the apex regional treaty on port control, led by the Secretary-General, MfonUsoro, stated in the report that Nigeria dominated in detailed inspection of vessels, with 13 exercises out of a total 14 carried out on the continent in 2018.

The increased inspection and survey have curtailed cases of substandard vessels calling at Nigerian ports.

It has improved safety on Nigerian waters by helping to reduce vessels with deficiency from 18.99 percent in 2015 to about 14 percent in 2018.

In furtherance of the goal of security on the country’s territorial waters and exclusive economic zone, Nigeria recently became the first country to have a distinct antipiracy law in West/ Central Africa.

The Suppression of Piracy and other Maritime Offences Act 2019, enacted on June 24, 2019 after an assent by the President, provides a legal framework for the prosecution of piracy and other maritime crimes through the country’s maritime security enforcement agencies: the Nigerian Navy and NIMASA. It fulfils a critical international requirement for standalone legislation on piracy, as against the approach of using the Maritime Operations Coordinating Board Amendment Bill to criminalise piracy and prosecute suspects.

The drafting of the Suppression of Piracy and other Maritime Offences Bill in 2012 had been facilitated by NIMASA, in collaboration with the International Maritime Organisation (IMO).

The law gives effect to the provisions of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), 1982, and the International Convention on the Suppression of Unlawful Acts (SUA) 1988, against the Safety of Navigation, and its Protocols.

Nigeria is also helping to strengthen international maritime law with the ratification of many conventions. The country has ratified 40 conventions passed by IMO and the International Labour Organisation (ILO), covering Maritime Safety, Labour, and Marine Environment. Nineteen of the conventions have been domesticated by way of regulation, adoption or incorporation under the Merchant Shipping Act of 2007.

In addition, NIMASA has forwarded to the executive arm of government for ratification six IMO instruments. They include the Hong Kong International Convention for safe and environmentally sound recycling of ships 2009; International Convention Relating to Intervention on the High Seas in Cases of Oil Pollution Casualties, 1969, and the Protocol relating to Intervention on the High Seas in Cases of Pollution by Substances other than Oil (Intervention Protocol 1973); International Convention on Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Fishing Vessel Personnel (STCW-F); and 1996 Protocol on Limitation of Liability for Maritime Claims (LLMC).

Others are the 2002 Protocol relating to the Carriage of Passengers and their Luggage by Sea (PAL) and Protocol of 2005 to the Convention for the Suppression of Unlawful Acts Against the Safety of Maritime Navigation.

NIMASA is working with the Federal Ministry of Transportation under the auspices of an Inter-Ministerial Committee to realise the ratification of these instruments.

Beyond the legal and institutional mechanisms, a comprehensive security strategy, the Deep Blue Project, is being deployed to boost confidence in the Nigerian maritime environment.

The Integrated Security and Waterways Protection Infrastructure is a multipronged project involving the training of personnel from the military, security services, and NIMASA to man the Command, Control, Communication, Computer and Intelligence systems (C4i centre), and acquisition of assets, such as fast intervention vessels and surveillance aircraft.

Nigeria has taken delivery of two special mission vessels under the Deep Blue Project. Chairman of the Project Monitoring Team for the Deep Blue Project, Olu Mustapha, reiterated the significance of the vessels at a graduation ceremony for C4i system operators organised by the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA).

Commissioned in August 2019, the C4i centre located at the NIMASAowned Nigerian Maritime Resource Development Centre (NMRDC), Kirikiri, Lagos, serves as the operational

nerve centre for the management of all platforms under the Deep Blue Project. The graduation of the C4i operators was another milestone towards the full commencement of the project.

Being the Designated Authority (DA) for the implementation of IMO statutes in the country, NIMASA has adopted the Total Spectrum Maritime Security Strategy in trying to combat insecurity in the country’s territorial waters and the Gulf of Guinea. The strategy comprises four components, namely, situational awareness, response capability, law enforcement and local partnerships, and regional cooperation.

Under the strategy, there is a Nigerian Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (MRCC) at Kirikiri, which disseminates information in the Nigerian maritime domain. The facility ensures that incident reports from Masters of Ships/Skippers on piracy attacks or suspicious crafts are promptly communicated to the Nigerian Navy for response. Distress messages are also directly intercepted by the centre, thus, eliminating delays in response time.

NIMASA is working on a plan to ensure that all ship-owners install Ship Security Alert System (SSAS) on their vessels. The SSAS, when triggered on board, automatically alerts the MRCC and the naval authorities in the event of a piracy attack.

At the bilateral and multilateral levels, Nigeria has carried out joint maritime security patrols with regional countries, including the one Benin Republic, codenamed ‘Operation Prosperity’,whichhas helped to reducepirate attacks off both countries’ coast. Part of the fruits of that effort is the cross-border patrols now conducted by Gulf of Guinea member states, law-enforcement intelligence sharing, and maintenance of joint coordination centres.

The United States Navy component of AFRICOM has also conducted exercises with Nigeria’s participation, like Obangame and Saharan Express, with NIMASA’s full participation.

The Agency has conducted a joint maritime security exercise with INTERPOL, tagged ‘Operation 30 Days At Sea’. The operation involved the

Nigeria Police and Nigerian Navy, among other security services.

The maritime security measures are already bearing fruit.

The 2019 first quarter report of the International Maritime Bureau (IMB) showed that the Nigerian maritime domain recorded no vessel hijack in the period. It was the first time since the first quarter of 1994 that Nigeria would have such a record. The report also said between January and March 2019, Nigeria witnessed a decrease in piracy incidents, compared to the same period in 2018.

IMB Director, Pottengal Mukundan said Nigeria was benefitting from coordinated responses to incidents through NIMASA and the Nigerian Navy. Mukundan called for sustenance of the collaborative effort.

“These latest statistics from the IMB Piracy Reporting Centre are encouraging,” he stated, adding, “It confirms the importance of information sharing and coordinated action between the industry and response agencies. Going forward, it is critical to continue to build a more effective reporting structure to enable a strong, unified response when dealing with piracy incidents.”

Nigeria has maintained a positive attitude to international initiatives intended to promote sustainable shipping. It recently installed a sulphur emission monitoring device on a vessel, becoming one of the first countries to take such a step ahead of the 2020 implementation date for IMO’s 0.5 percent sulphur cap on all fuel used by ships.

The MTCC Pilot Projects Device Thorium X tablet, Serial No SY9560DS00782, for fuel consumption data collection was installed on the Nigerian-flagged vessel, MT KINGIS, operated by Sea Navigation International Limited.

IMO initiated the sulphur ban to mitigate the harmful effects of high sulphur fuel on the environment.

The maritime world has since begun to acknowledge Nigeria’s fervent effort to promote shipping in a safe and secure environment. The country’s Marine Litter Marshal Initiative, purposed to clear the seas and oceans of debris, has been applauded at IMO, while the Draft report on the UNEPGPA –NIMASA partnership on sustainable management of marine litter in Nigerian beaches and waterways has continued to receive attention at the global maritime regulatory body.

Nigeria also chairs the Association of African Maritime Administrations (AAMA). The immediate past NIMASA Director-General, DakukuPeterside, was unanimously elected AAMA chairman in April 2017, and re-elected in 2018 also unanimously.

Just in October, Nigeria hosted the world maritime community in Abuja to seek regional and international solutions to the security issues in the Gulf of Guinea. The Global Maritime Security Conference (GMSC) held October 7 – 9 had about 80 countries in attendance.

The GMSC offered a platform for the world to appreciate and assist Nigeria’s effort to stem insecurity in its maritime domain and the Gulf of Guinea. The global maritime community made ample use of the platform.

Perhaps, Africa just needs to do more to effectively harness the international goodwill being attracted by Nigeria. .Obia writes from Lagos.

Sunday 19 April 2020

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11

Travel

Lockdown, stay safe and travel tomorrow

I

OBINNA EMELIKE

t is obvious that the current lockdown in Nigeria and in most parts of the world is having a toll on people, especially wanderlusts whose beautiful holiday dreams may not be actualised this year.

Already, the Easter holiday has come and gone without the usual festivities and sadly, summer is fast approaching. With the look of things, it will come and go without fanfare as well.

Unfortunately, 2020 was predicted by the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) as the Year of Tourism and Rural Development; a year with unprecedented travel records that will consolidate on the over 1.5 billon people that traveled the world in 2019 for tourism purposes.

However, the turn of the new decade, from the first quarter of the year, has not been impressive with the coronavirus pandemic that has left scores dead, grounded economies and lockdown travel across the world.

The skies are void of aircraft, beaches are empty, parks deserted, cinemas offer no blockbuster movie, museums closed, hotels shutdown and wildlife population wondering what is keep the human folks away from their usual disturbance while on safari in the wild.

Truly, all is not well as the travel sector has collapsed globally because of coronavirus pandemic. But all hope is not lost. As humanity is threatened, safety is given priority.

Moreover, the beautiful beaches are not running away, the enthralling spa resorts are still there, the mountains have not moved, children can always visit amusement parks when it is safe, the hotels will still open and more adventures await discerning tourists after the scourge.

All we need do is to stay safe now, relish on past adventure experiences and hope to see new things when the storm is over.

Safety is truly what humans need to survive now and ignoring it will be our doom because the devastation caused by covid-19 is overwhelming already.

Of course, more than 80 percent of global aircraft are parked, the skies are empty, cruise ships have all moored, tour buses parked, tour guides jobless, hotels and resorts closed, and every fun activity involving crowd grounded all because of coronavirus.

Yes, everybody is hiding, and it very necessary to hide until normalcy returns and flights take off again, cruise ships head to the beautiful seas amid breathtaking landscapes, cinemas open, wildlife and parks welcome you back for a game drive, amid other excitement.

But the wait may be long and stretching people to the limit, yet it is worth waiting, worth hiding now in order to see a brighter sky tomorrow.

But while waiting, there are alternatives to the usual experiences. Most online travel companies (OTCs), which are hard-hit by the virus are now directing their clients to virtual tours online, offering them experiences of cherished destinations without their physical

presence.

As well, most destination management companies are offering loads of videos of enthralling experiences across their destinations on their websites and social media so that clients can see how they enjoyed while on the trips.

Some are coming up with initiatives such as a video-a-day and even ask clients to make their own videos while at home for uploading on their websites.

The offering is thrilling for some, boring for many and never thought of by others who insist tours should be experiential.

Some top chefs are also hosting few hotel clients in online culinary master classes to enable them learn a special dish a week, partake in online cooking contest, and most importantly, stay busy and safe at home.

Again, many travel industry stakeholders are holding clients spellbound with webinars, online exchange platforms where clients can join global audiences in seminars, talk shows, presentations among others.

The webinar, according to Akin Oladapo, a virtual travel promoter, is the way to connect clients and do business in the face of the lockdown occasioned by coronavirus pandemic.

“We have held two successful webinars on tourism business recovery and safety within two weeks and hope to host more. Surprisingly, people paid to participate”, he said.

Following that trend, most companies whose employees are working from home are now using webinar to get work done with majority of workforce involved.

Also, travel companies, destination managers among others are no longer suspending events slated later in the year, rather they are using webinar to maintain exchanges, carry on with pre-event activities and hope to host the events with the declining number of new cases and deaths from coronavirus anticipated as the efforts at curtailing it yield results.

There is also hope as many European countries plan to ease the lockdown from first week in May. “The virus pandemic will not be forever. Most companies are switching from shutting down to recovery plans because there will be life after the pandemic. All we need is an impressive and sustainable result from the efforts at curtailing the virus and businesses will open their doors to clients again”, Coleman Otuechere, a

South Africa-based Nigerian tax and audit expert, explained.

Otuechere said that the world needs concerted efforts at curtailing the virus because if it lasts longer, the impact would be more devastating and recovery period would be longer too.

“If the outbreak lasts around three to six months, it would require an additional three to six months recovery period meaning that the whole of 2020 will go into curtailing the virus and may even get to 2021. So, we need all efforts to curtail it now or businesses will sink”, he alarmed.

For now, most tourism experts encourage people to stay safe and seek new forms of excitement, while waiting for the scourge to elapse.

“Nobody can tell when normalcy will return. But I know that the virus scourge will not be forever.

All we need do is to hide now, seek new forms of entertainment in order to stay safe and travel again tomorrow”, Oladapo advised. He suggested turning to online entertainment, virtual reality tours, online games, indoor games, reading a new book a week, trying new dish, family praise and prayer seasons, among others.

In the same vein, Otuechere noted that life is bigger than momentary enjoyment and that the pain of keeping safe now would be the gain of enjoying many years ahead.

“We all see the death toll, no one is fooling anybody. Coronavirus is real and killing, it is better to stay safe now and go to the beach tomorrow when the virus is no more. If we do not keep safe and die, the beaches will still be there.

Let’s keep safe, stay at home and seek other excitement at home”, he admonished.

12 BDSUNDAY

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Sunday 19 April, 2020

Travel

Driving the future of transport, travel, through technology and innovation …Nigeria set to host WA-tts Summit Stories by IFEOMA OKEKE

T

he future of aviation, ports, rail and road cannot be projected without fusion of technology as a major driver to ensure the success of these sectors.

The West African transport corridor is the least integrated in the world. More than ever before, there is need for a modern and multimodal transport network to efficiently connect hubs of economic activity and areas of potential growth along its alignment.

Record has it that the African continent has the highest transport costs in the world, accounting for above 20 percent of the total imported price of goods within landlocked countries. This inefficient and expensive transportation restricts business activities, global competitiveness and intra-regional trade.

With these in mind, there is therefore a need for a new transportation and technology summit (focusing on aviation, ports, rail and road) to help point direction to the future.

The 2020 West Africa TransFuture and Tech Summit (WA-tts), scheduled for September 1-3, 2020 at the Eko Convention Centre, Eko Hotels and Suites, Ademola Adetokunbo, Victoria Island, Lagos, Nigeria will contribute to the breakthrough of future transportation technology like e-mobility, robotics, and artificial intelligence etc. in West Africa.

It promises to serve as a platform to address and contribute to the need for integrated and ambitious actions across West Africa,

Graham Olusanmi Lawal , Ceo, WA-tts Co

to further advance the deployment of e-mobility through the coordination and joint financing of research, development, innovation and implementation activities.

The summit boasts of many firsts in its maiden launch event; in that it has the first curated port tour as well as several technology workshops organised by the major global technology giants as part of the programme.

So far, institutional and private sector partnership and support for the summit has been unprec-

edented; from international organisations like the EU to the federal ministry of transportation, Lekki Port, Nigerian Export Promotion Council and the largest transport supply chain group in Estonia (Prolog) are already partners of the summit, with many more coming on board in the months to come.

Graham Olusanmi Lawal , Ceo, WA-tts Co stated that the West Africa Transfuture and Technology Summit is the first time the two vertical sectors of transportation and technology are coming together

to explore and look at how new and future technologies are driving the mobility revolution and impacting the global transportation landscape thereby helping solve the challenges we face as a region.

“The event is going to be opened by the ECOWAS president and will have all the ministers of transportation and tech sectors from 16 West African countries together with solution and service providers, stakeholders, regulators as well as transport and tech practitioners,” Lawal stated.

He admitted that due to the dearth of summits/conferences that are private-sector led that bring together ministerial heads and the various arms and agencies of government in the ECOWAS sub-region in collaborative exchanges with solution and service providers, investors and other stakeholders to shape policy directions that proffer solutions to the myriad of challenges inherent in the regional transportation sector; there is now a real and present opportunity for a new summit to be born as a son of necessity to meet and address the needs, opportunities and challenges that abound within the regional transportation sector.

West Africa TransFuture & Technology is a new summit and first of its kind that explores the future of Transportation and Technology in road, rail, maritime and aviation transportation as catalysts to drive the rapid development and growth of individual states within the ECOWAS union and the region as a whole.

“The future of Transportation in West Africa must be driven by technology and innovation; from smart ports connected through intelligent integrated rail systems which

link high density road networks that connect various airport runways; the Summit will showcase future technologies at the heart of the mobility revolution that will help transform transportation in West Africa.

“This summit will provide a convergence of multi-level regional government participation and public and private sector representation, with a view to sharing innovative ideas and nuanced approaches to solving the challenges we face as a regional entity by the utilization of technology in this mobility evolution that is impacting the way we move people and goods from one point to the other within the ECOWAS sub-region,” Lawal explained.

WA-tts will explore the entire gamut within the transportation and technology industry spectrum including emerging technologies in fare payment, autonomous vehicles, security, safety, intelligent, transportation system application, artificial intelligence, Internet of Things (IoT), machine learning and customer data information management to drive the mobility revolution within the ECOWAS sub-region.

This summit promises to provide a focused perspective on the utilization of technology in this mobility revolution that is impacting everything associated with transportation infrastructure and services.

The WA-tts Summit will help the industry rise up to the challenges of the ever-moving transportation landscape and an evolving public transportation industry, bringing together many of the leading local and international experts in the transportation and technology industry.

Emitates put customers first in COVID-19 waiver policies

E

mirates has updated its COVID-19 travel waiver policies into one simplified approach for rebooking and refunds on tickets issued in all its global markets.

Adnan Kazim, Emirates’ Chief Commercial Officer said: “The travel and airline industry have complicated rulebooks for how fares, re-bookings or refunds are applied, which also differ depending on market regulation. We understand that explaining and unravelling all of that is confusing and frustrating for customers.

“The COVID-19 pandemic is unprecedented for everyone, and we’d like to thank our customers and trade partners for their patience, understanding and support as we worked through this period to ensure our policies are not only customer-friendly but also in line with regulatory requirements.

“We sincerely hope that our customers will choose to rebook and fly with us again at a later time, and that is why we’re offering up to two years validity on their current tickets, or travel vouchers which can be redeemed for any Emirates product or service.

“Any fees for making a change to the tickets will be waived for

tickets issued till 31 May 2020 for travel up to 31 August 2020.

However, if they would still like to opt for a refund, we will process that. We would just like to seek our customers’ understanding that refunds will take time as we have a significant backlog to manage,” Kazim said.

Emirates is offering three op-

tions to its customers affected by flight cancellations and travel restrictions: Keep your ticket: All Emirates tickets booked before 31 May for travel up to 31 August will be automatically extended for 760 days.

Customers holding such tickets can be assured their tickets will be honoured, and they can rebook

when they decide to travel.

Request a travel voucher: Travel vouchers are valid for one year from date the voucher was issued, and can be extended for a second year. The voucher can be used for any Emirates product or service, which means customers can use it to offset charges for flights to any destination in any cabin class, or other services. No change fees apply to this voucher, so customers will have more flexibility to reschedule when they are ready to travel again.

Refunds: Customers who have opted to keep their ticket or opted for a travel voucher can still apply for a refund, if they are unable to travel. There will be no refund penalties.

Emirates has also made it easy for customers to request these options online through a simple form.

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13

SundayInterview We must encourage use of home-grown remedies to cure threatening diseases – Umunna Leonard Umunna is the general overseer of Bible Life Church and a public affairs commentator. In this interview with ZEBULON AGOMUO, the cleric gave his own perspective about the coronavirus pandemic, efforts of government, complaints about palliatives, lockdown and the need to try some of the home-grown remedies produced by some medical experts to cure threatening diseases. Excerpts:

A

lot of people are giving different interpretations to the coronavirus pandemic; how would you describe it?

The Lord said it that there would be many pestilences; we have had some before now. The World Health Organisation (WHO) was hesitant in calling it a pandemic; the thing came from Wuhan in China. The American President is alleging that they particularly tailored it to affect them and that it was in a laboratory first before it was taken to a market place from the laboratory.

Whichever way, I think people are now even crediting China for the victory over the pandemic war; but America is shocked. That’s how the whole world is looking at it as at now.

Is there any spiritual perspective to COVID-19?

Well, some are calling out a pastor that he said something about 5G and relating it to the coronavirus, but sorry to use that word as I answered Chris Okotie when he was talking about presidency and how he claimed God had called him to become a president and all that, so also Chris Oyakhilome may have also veered off in this COVID-19 matter; clearly speaking like Okotie.

He is trying to bring the two together.

But I say no. Anything technology, the challenge is the radiation. We have had 2G, 3G, 4G and now we are having 5G; tomorrow it can be 6G, 7G, 8G or more.

They are always associated with certain human defects or diseases such as could be carried by such torrents of currents in form of radiations. It might even go a bit in the form of being cancerous; but not this coronavirus. This is a virus that has nothing to do with technology. No technology has even come near defeating it. So, if somebody manufactured it, they should be weeping because China that is being accused has suffered it; I think even the equipment they manufactured and sent to places like Italy was rumoured to have failed. To me, it is just part of what the Lord said that these last days you will see various viruses. COVID-19 is a novel type of virus; it is not like any previous ones.

My own view – the spiritual side is more to be emphasised; waking us up to the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ; that is the reality.

The devil wants to use it to defeat the church but the gate of hell shall not prevail. Like I said in my Easter message; Christ can never be quarantined and Holy Ghost can never be under lockdown. Even the Easter was not cancelled but low-key celebration, making us to bond with our families; and in our chambers closer to God. That’s the way I see it. It has a spiritual side, to wake us up. And I must tell you, despite all that the devil does, the gospel is still being vibrantly preached; reaching out to even wider audience online.

How has your members responded to the social distancing directive by the government without denying them the opportunity of true fellowship?

God has already alerted me before we even knew that the thing was coming to Lagos. I was just on my own when I saw myself in a place where one of the church leaders I know was calling me that I should step into the matter; I should step into the matter. While he was shouting to me to step into the matter that they want to hear God through me; that they cannot come to church to worship in the assembly, I was surprised that the whole place was filled with bad odour of putrefying corpses. I didn’t see any corpse though, but just foul odour of decaying corpses around. So, as that church leader I know was shouting that I should come into the matter; he himself was collapsing; and I opened my eyes.

I saw that I was in my room. The odour was terrible. The place (my room) is clean; there’s no rat there, let alone anything decaying. So, I decided to leave the room and went into my executive office and there was no odour there. I went to the admin office, to the press office and even the place they do laundering – there was no odour in any of those places. Then I returned to the place I sat and got that revelation; then the odour was now more horrifying.

It lasted there for about one hour and I didn’t know what to do. I began to wonder if people were going to die en masse and they want to hear God through me. So, I picked up my phone and called the online department and asked suppose people want to reach us, do we have the necessary facility; the App, etc? I told them to give me the address we can publicise to people in case anything comes up that may demand it. So, the people in charge quickly sent those things to me and I told them to work on other ways we can reach people. It didn’t take days before we heard there was an outbreak of coronavirus in Lagos; that somebody has become an index case. Now, we have entered into lockdown. What we are doing is those pro-active measures we took not knowing that it could be COVID-19 matter have been very helpful in reaching out, not just to our members, but to the outside world using all the platforms on the social media. We also have our leaders ably responding by helping brethren to connect.

In the area of palliatives, where is the church on this, either to members or to the community as CSR at this period?

We have been doing such things before helping the needy every year (we don’t publicise). We have been on such things through scholarships and very many other ways (you are aware of it). On this COVID-19 matter, we announced that our brethren

Umunna should help one another. Some have bought items which we distributed and the branches are also doing similar thing. The church’s idea is that we are our brother’s keeper; it is not to rely on government but to look at how we can be of assistance to one another at this time. The women group; the men group and various other groups are doing their own separately and it has helped a great deal.

Are you satisfied with the Federal Government palliative efforts and what advice do you have on how the efforts can be improved upon?

A lot of people are shouting that the amount they said they have spent, they have not seen let alone benefiting from anything.

God warned me not to say anything about this Federal Government. So, I am very careful not to go against that instruction. What I can say is about the Lagos State government that is honouring their senior citizens and trying to distribute some packages.

Some people say they have received, only that the package is small. The only advice I would have given if such advice was sought would have been that they should know that every community has a sort of organisation; virtually every street has got people that man it. So, it is not just going through the local governments but through the community and hand the packages to them to distribute to the people and they demand accountability; if not, then the whole thing could be seen to have been politicised. If you look at the Federal Government arrangements,

some state governors say they were not being carried along; when you come to the state level, some local government chairmen say they are not also being carried along. So, they have politicised it. But I tell you, if they had passed through the leaders at the grassroots that know the people, it would have been better.

They could have even also brought in church leaders, traditional leaders and hold them accountable. They should go through those that are known to the people. Many people are losing faith in government authorities or agencies. The manner of sharing the palliative packages has generated complaints. Many people are complaining. You said you have spent trillions of naira but people are saying they have not even seen millions being spent. When you are not using transparent method and people who have integrity, the result is what we are seeing and hearing – complaints everywhere. The advice is that the best method is to go through the leaders of the people at the grassroots and religious leaders and hold them accountable; even if you use the Bank Verification Number (BVN) it would not get round because many Nigerians do not have it; any other method being adopted is just making a mockery of the palliative scheme.

What advice do you have for the citizens in relation to the lockdown order?

My advice is what I have said online. The bible says that a city is destroyed by the ways of the wicked or that a city is overthrown through the ways of the wicked. I think any-

body speaking evil of the President or government officials is in line with what the Bible calls wicked ways. The President is also trying to escape the pandemic like any other person; that he has given order for a lockdown, he is just taking the step of other nations that have passed through the pandemic. It is a trend that he is just following. If you asked me what I would have done if I were in authority, I would say that I would not just follow those people like that.

Look at Dr. Abalaka who came up with the solution to AIDS; did they take it? Professor Iwu has come up with his own on this COVID-19; are they listening to him? Why can’t we try our homegrown recipe to some of these deadly diseases so that the world would copy us? Why must we wait for Europe, China, Russia and America whereas we are greatly endowed; only that our leaders, according to the late Chinua Achebe, are not ready to do the right thing. When the right people are in authority, the masses rejoice. My sincere advice is that government, for their own good, should review the lockdown; is it working out the purpose? Is there no other means? I have told people to pray and fast; do something to keep themselves busy while observing the social distancing and take proactive measures to prevent the virus catching up with them, since prevention is always better and cheaper than cure. If I were in authority, I would review it in line with our population and African setting. We have the drugs; we have the local herbs, and God says the herbs are for the healing of mankind.

We can easily access them- they are in our lemons, lime, onion, and they are in our shea butter (Ori).

Vaccines can be developed. Our people should be given the chance to develop these not just waiting for the ones made outside. One professor in Nigeria said he has got the cure.

The other one said few days ago that he has got the cure. Why not bring them together and let the government bargain with them and put other medical experts to look at what they are doing? We cannot continue putting down our own and always expecting help from outside. Instead of indefinite lockdown – people can no longer feed their families, criminals (one million boys) are now reigning terror in Lagos, no peace in the nation; anger everywhere, some are shouting that hunger virus is worse than the coronavirus itself. I don’t think that the lockdown is doing our economy any good; I don’t think that trust in government is better now than before the pandemic; I don’t think that what government has promised in terms of healthcare and security is working. Why not try the home-grown cure in some selected states to determine their efficacy?

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TheWorshipper We must bring the God aspect of faith into the battle against COVID-19 - Igbele As the world continues to put in measures to flatten the curve of COVID-19, through social distancing and other personal hygiene conditions considered preventive in nature; the presiding bishop of Holy Ghost Mission (Happy Family Centre), Charles Ighele speaks on the church and other government efforts geared towards curbing the spread of the pandemic. Excerpts by SEYI JOHN SALAU:

A

What is your general overview of COVID-19 pandemic? s a man of God, looking at it from the history of the world, the first disaster that affected the world was the flood.

That flood was caused by God Himself. It wiped out all the people of the race except Noah and his family who were found to be righteous.

We have had a lot of plagues that had taken place on the planet earth.

I know that there was the ‘Justian Plague’ which came from Egypt and half of the world population was wiped out. There was another plague I read about eight years in a book written by Dimgba Igwe. I saw a plague in that book. The plague came from China in 1336; it was called the Bubonic plague. In 1336, the plague reached England and Italy and any country it went into, about half of the population of the people died. It was called the ‘Black Death’.

The plague traveled through the black sea from China to Europe. It came through travelers and sailors.

It was that period the world quarantine came into existence. Plagues have already been there in human history. Since 1940, cholera and smallpox plague wiped out about 10 million people in Mexico. So, far, this is one of them. I see historically and I look at it; this is just one of them and

by God’s grace, it will be curtailed.

Some religious people say COVID-19 is a sign of the end time; while some others are saying it is related to unhygienic ways people are living their lives; what do you think?

You see in the end time, a lot of disasters will happen. Secondly, when men turn their back from God anything can happen. Generally, the one caused by God Himself was because they turned their back from God. The imagination of their heart was only evil continually and it repented God that he made man.

A lot of plagues that had evaded the earth were a result of man saying I know too much or unhygienic ways of men. In the bible, even in the Old Testament, God in the Old Testament commanded that excreta should be buried. God is a God who loves neatness. On the planet earth, men live their lives anyhow. People eat what they should not eat, and they are dirty all over the world. The more man turns his back from God, the more man is open to plague.

What then should be the attitude of the believers?

I thought that many of the governors in Nigeria are Christians or Muslims and I want to commend the Lagos State government where l stay; it has done an excellent job in sensitising the people. All the state governors have done tremendously well. Death is everywhere and im-

Charles Ighele

minent, and we don’t know where we can run to and we don’t have the facility. What I want to say is that the government has tried. I want the government and citizens to sit up, that is, coming corporately closer to God. I think when there is problem; man will come closer to God. Naturally, and in this very instance, I hear all Mosques and churches closed down. I am saying if I were the governor, I would not close down a church or place of worship. In 1336-1338, when there was plague in England, the King of England, Edward the Third, called on the churches to pray. He asked the bishop of Canterbury to organisd the churches to pray and bishops started praying. The plague came, and the people started praying and it drew many closer to God and some it drew them far away from God. Americans are washing their hands but they are still dying. In London, a plague took place in 1665, and as they were dying, then those who survived put the sign of the cross on their doors and with inscription on their doors, saying Jesus have mercy upon us. So, what I really want the Nigerian authority to do is, if we are really a religious country; is to call for prayers. Closing down churches is not okay with me, instead I will say, families of the pastors, bishops and nearby families can go to church and worship and should not near each other. If we are 12 at home, do we keep social distances in the same house? The pastors and their families can go to church and keep social distances from one another. I know that a lot of pastors have misbehaved; some people who are called men of God are not truthful, some are highly immoral, and some are running after money and many Nigerians

generally are fed up with churches because they feel some church pastors are after money and some are like satanic temple. In Israel, things were bad that people started to backslide in the time of Ahab and Jezebel, and Elijah thought he was the only one that was righteous but God told him that there are still 7, 000 faithful prophets that are not following Baal. I want Nigerians to know that there are still holy and honourable men of God. Just allow pastors go to church and ensure there should be social distances.

I hear some pastors saying God is in your heart and this is not so.

If you know how God operates; God wants people to know him individually and corporately. There is the spiritual energy that is released when people meet to pray. Let fight the virus spiritually because all of us will one day face death. The President of Brazil decreed that places of worship are essential services like supermarket, pharmacy and he also

So, let CAN and PFN, and other leaders who have influence step into this thing and then negotiate with the different levels of governments so that there can be what we call skeletal essential service provided by the church

decreed that religious services of any kind be listed among essential service provider; but such should be in accordance with health ministry guidelines.

Some churches have had their members harassed and pastors arrested for failure to comply with the lockdown directives; what was your experience?

In our ministry, we have nearly 80 churches in this country. The police went to two of our churches.

In one of them, they were satisfied with what they saw but the other church there were 20 in service and members were told to leave the church. They were 20 which was in line with government regulation.

They sat separately and they said that the church should close and go home. For me, that was not okay at all. lf the government should say 20 should be in one place, as far as l am concerned, I obeyed. Some of the medical doctors in one of our churches called me and said children cannot do social distancing; what do we do, and I said that for now, the children church should be closed and let them sit with their parents in the adult church. So, they sat by family in accordance with the law of the state. If they should say so and you go out and say, I will not comply. I think it is not good to disobey constituted authority; it can be negotiated; there have to be law and order in any society.

So, are you calling on CAN and PFN to go back to the negotiating table with the government over the closure of churches?

That is what they should do. To me, I know that the governors are both Christians and Muslims and they will be assured the church will adhere to safety guidelines but let prayers be made continually to God over COVID-19. Let there be prayers. The God aspect of faith have not be brought into it, I don’t see how Christian leaders would be silent; we can’t be silent at this time; I want to plead with the men of God; no governor should be attacked or insulted. There is fear and they want to protect their citizens. It is just a matter of negotiating with them. For example, if 20 people can be in the supermarket and shopping mail or even in the open market, or other essential services such as hospital; then, let them take the church, men of God and their ministry staffers are essential services. People are calling us, people are dying, they are committing suicide; they run to us. The real church is not a joke, especially, those people going through emotional trauma. There is nowhere to go to. If NEPA is an essential service, then, let men of God and their ministry staffers be included as essential service provid-

ers. Let them be there to minister to the needs of the people. In times like these, pastors don’t run away from the battle front. Likewise medical doctors, and nurses; they don’t run away from the battle front.

All of us should be at the front of this battle. There are those who believe in prayers. There are those who believe in the word of God and they are just happy. Fear has destroyed more people than coronavirus. So, as they hear the word of God and the fear goes away, they are now going to be happy. So, let CAN and PFN, and other leaders who have influence step into this thing and then negotiate with the different levels of governments so that there can be what we call skeletal essential service provided by the church.

Do you believe that the pandemic will end soon?

When I look at the history of plagues, if God should cause a plague like the one that was caused

by God which was restricted to Israel; people were dying and King David prayed, and offered sacrifice, and the plague stopped immediately. So, if this plague is caused

by God, as we cry out, it can end immediately. But, if it is a plague caused by the misbehaviour of man, when man eat what he should not eat and do what he is not supposed to do, all we long for is that our families be protected and God should bring the medical solution that can take care of it. COVID-19 is affecting the world’s economy, human and personal relationship, it will also affect scientific inventions; in fact, COVID-19 will affect a lot of things. Some plagues in the past have brought about evolution. As we can see now, the poverty level has been very high.

What do you think will be the effect of the lockdown on the people; the economy and life generally?

Right now, I am wondering what is going to happen to poor people; what will be the effect of the lockdown on them? On that basis, we need to bring about programme that will help to mass-lift the people into productivity. How can we as government lift the stack illiterates into productivity; how can we as a government have a census and help Nigerians read and write; how can we help and position students in secondary school into productivity, and how can we raise people who went to university and cannot spell their names; how can we make them productive in accordance with their reading capacity? I want to tell you that the social protest will arise; there will be serious war after this and it will be more serious than the plague and countries of the world should begin to get grains ready on how we can prevent it.

Sunday 19 April, 2020

Inspiration With Rev. Yomi Kasali

info@yomikasali.com

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have been in Isolation for some weeks in obedience to the Government’s directive to stay at home, so that we don’t get infected by this deadly virus. Recently, I’ve also noticed from the conversations I’ve had with people that, it’s now becoming ‘Desolation’ to many people who feel deprived from companionship of their loved ones outside their homes.

Let’s take a deep breath and think about the words Isolation and Desolation

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Solation or desolation; God’s idea or man’s? for a minute. Take an evaluation not your response to this ‘stay at home’ order and answer if you’ve felt isolated by choice or force or also feel desolate. They are different and it’s for our good indeed.

My concern today is to share God’s opinion on the matter with you and possibly inspire you that this started from God but in a different way. I found a scripture that Inspired me greatly on the concept of Isolation not Desolation, it’s what Paul told the Corinthian Church, ‘...come out from among them, and be ye SEPARATE, says the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing (Covid19) and I will receive you’ (2 Cor 6 v 17). Amazing revelation that God isn’t against Isolation (separation) so that His people don’t get contaminated or infected.

There are many naive believers who think self isolation is a ploy to stop the church from growing and the plan of the anti Christ to start the New World Order, well I totally disagree with those notions and choose to believe that God wants us protected and isolated if that is the only way to get to that point. Someone else might want to say, isn’t God Almighty and can do all things? Why can’t we

5 Ways to observe social distancing as a believer.

Stay safe and saved: We should do everything to stay ‘safe’ physically by avoiding social gatherings, yet we should not get involved in things that will make us lose our ‘salvation’ in Christ by backsliding from Christ. So, Stay Safe and Saved.

Self-isolate not live in desolation: Be careful not to deprive yourself of good fellowship using digital means.

Ensure you attend regular church services online and prayer meetings as well.

Use this opportunity to fight loneliness even when you feel alone.

believe Him to Preserve us whether in isolation or not... well, you might want to read that passage again...Touch Not Any Unclean Thing.

I don’t want us in desolation but in isolation towards our well being and sound health. This means God Himself knows that there are some deadly and haz-

ardous things or viruses that we should not TOUCH hence, the way to be safe is by being separated from such things that can contaminate us. He was speaking about the alliance of Light and Darkness, partnership between a Believer and Infidel, Accord between Christ and Belial etc.

Stay mentally fit not just physically fit: I’m more worried about the mental state of many people out there especially believers who are used to living in ‘church’ premises and campgrounds because their isolation may backfire and as such lose their minds.

Remember, ‘God has not given us the spirit of Fear but of love, power and SOUND MIND.’ Keep your mind healthy.

Don’t embrace fear but live by faith: This is simply from the above verse; Fear

is of the enemy and we can only please God by living in faith. Ensure you don’t get bugged down with the plethora of bad news on television or other medium because it’s going to put more fear in your heart than faith. Don’t be afraid but look forward to the good times ahead of you after covid19.

Look beyond covid19: The greatest proof of faith is to ‘look ahead’ and not sink in today’s plight. You must start planning to start your life, work, friends, church, money plans and dreams after covid19. This shall pass away soon and then we shall all get back to our normal lives. Don’t stop ‘dreaming’ because of this challenge.

I hope you have been Inspired to live for Him even during this pandemic crisis on the face of the earth.

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

Stay strong, the scourge will soon be over - Archbishop Martins SEYI JOHN SALAU

T

he Catholic Archbishop of Lagos, Most Rev. Alfred Adewale Martins has urged Nigerians to stay resolute and be strong in

the face of the ravaging COVID-19 pandemic, assuring that the scourge will soon be over.

According to Martins, the uncanny events of the past few weeks occasioned by the COVID-19 virus make it imperative for Nigerians

to seek the face of God more than ever before in the history of the nation.

Martins in a statement signed by the director of social communications, Rev Fr. Anthony Godonu, said that only the merciful intervention of God as exemplified by

Worshippers (news) Caption L-R: Rev Fr Anthony Godonu; Rev Fr Teko Marcellinus; Ibijoke Sanwo-Olu, wife of the governor of Lagos State; Anthony Obanla, Chancellor of the Catholic Archdiocese of Lagos and Rev Fr Vitalis Ezeigwe during the recent presentation of relief materials to Lagos State government at Marina.

Jesus Christ who died for the salvation of mankind on the Cross can deliver the country from being devastated by the virus.

“As much as we can, collectively and individually, we must make concerted efforts to deal with the issues arising from the pandemic; it is nothing but the hand of God that can grant us the victory that we need over it,” said Martins.

Martins further noted that the peculiar nature of the virus and the circumstance surrounding the lockdown order directed by the state and Federal Governments along with the timing of the Easter celebration, struck an uncanny parallel with the circumstances of the people of Israel celebrating the feast of Passover in the middle of a plague and death that were ravaging the land of Egypt before their eventual deliverance from the slavery in Egypt.

“Of course, there is no Egyptian or Israelite here but just a people suffering from a plague from which they will be delivered by the mighty hands of the Lord as demonstrated in the resurrection of Jesus, the

Lamb of God,” he stated.

According to Martins, this season offers mankind an opportunity to repent of how the earth has been exploited in a careless and unsustainable ways.

“We must embrace a new and responsible care and use of the earth, our common home.

“Several states in our country Nigeria are now in a lockdown owing to the devastating nature of the coronavirus. Indeed, the whole world is at present in one huge turmoil. We are now forced to exercise social distancing in our interaction with one another even as many struggle with coming to terms with the reality of the present times,” Martins said.

On the effect of the ongoing lockdown on places of worship, Martins stated that as Christians who worship a living God, believers must not despair but dig into the strength of faith and stand on its conviction that Jesus has solutions to all problems, including coronavirus.

“This period calls on us to reappraise our values, our daily activities, our family

relationships and how we respond to the changing world around us. No matter how we view it, God is giving us an opportunity to take part in renewing the face of the earth, though it may be in a painful manner. It is now for us to reappraise our values and shed all negative baggage to embrace God’s saving grace,” he said.

Archbishop Martins however, applauded the Governor of Lagos State, Babajide Sanwo-OIu, members of the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 and all health workers across the country for the good work they have been doing in managing and trying to curb the spread of the dreaded virus.

He urged them not to relent in their commitments, assuring them of God’s guidance and continuous protection in their efforts.

Archbishop Martins also charged government, corporate bodies, religious groups and all well-meaning Nigerians to continue in their charitablegestures,providing the necessary palliatives, including food items, for the most vulnerable and needy at this time.

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Sunday 19 April 2020

Sunday Magazine Palliatives:

What other states may learn from Rivers’ model ...Use of INEC database to reach most citizens ...Use of community based committees to identify the needy ... Involvement of heads of security agencies in the topmost level task force ... Making the governor head of the task force ... Buying up all food produced in the state to form a food bank ...One committee to buy food, another to distribute IGNATIUS CHUKWU

H Preamble

unger that may lead to youth rebellion in the face of the coronavirus pandemic is beginning to emerge as the next threat all over the world, confronting the social contract between the leaders (governors) and the governed.

This is due to the simple logic that a hungry man is an angry man. It is also obvious that when people can no longer bear the bites of hunger, they usually spill onto the streets and act like beasts or get into rebellion.

That is why governments across the world are floating stimulus packages and palliatives especially food supplies to encourage citizens to continue to stay at home and continue to remain loyal to order and authority. This measure has however suffered different degrees of setback in different jurisdictions, but some states in Nigeria are seen to have excelled. Governments in Nigeria seem ready to give out foodstuffs and other palliatives but these seem to rather cause more anger and rebellion by citizens who say it did not get far or that distribution is fraudulent. Rivers State seems to have adopted a model that works.

The entire fight against the coronavirus (COVID-19) from shutdowns and lockdown and with palliatives later thus seems to have won plaudits in Rivers State where the governor, Nyesom Wike is seen to have demonstrated effective command and leadership including some actions that have seemed bitter and painful.

Investigations within the Organised Private Sector (OPS) reveal that the business leaders agree so far that the Wike-led administration has fought the COVID-19 battle well, even if he has had brushes with others or has been seen to overreach. Some sources said they made suggestions to the federal government and to some key states based on their close interaction with China but that such suggestions seemed to fall on deaf ears but that Rivers acted fast.

Now, it is time to review what has been done and move forward.

In this exclusive interview, the Rivers State Commissioner of Information & Communications, the pastor, Paulinus Nsirim, who

Governor Nyesom Wike

is in every task force or committee fighting the battle in Rivers State, here reveals inner strategies used in the battles.

Major palliatives so far rolled out by the governor Thank you very much. I want to place on record the kind of visionary leadership Governor Nyesom Wike has demonstrated in the fight against COVID-19. His leadership credentials have taken a front lane since the outbreak.

We did not have an index case in the state before he inaugurated an enlightenment committee which I head. This committee started ahead to engage all segments of Rivers State starting with the communities because that is where the battle is. I can say without any fear of contradiction that the proactive step is part of why this state is not witnessing community infection crisis so far.

This is because that engagement reached the traditional rulers, local leaders, youth leaders, and all those who decide what happens in the communities. They have taken the message down to the grassroots with town announcers.

Palliatives Coming to the issue of palliative, the governor is a people’s leader, a man that shares the pain felt by the people. He appreciates the sacrifice all sectors of the economy are making in Rivers State at this point in time. In all his broadcasts to the people, he has always said that the Government

“

The central committee gets the palliative for a particular ward; the councilor of that ward together with a member of the central committee will be there when the foodstuff would be loaded into a truck; that councilor and the rep of the central committee would take those things to the ward. At the ward level, you have a traditional leader, a religious leader, woman leader, community development committee chairman, etc Paulinus Nsirim, Commissioner of Information & Communications

would initiate palliates to cushion the effect of the hardship.

Now, in doing that, he set up a 24-man committee headed by a former diplomat and Nigeria’s one-time Ambassador to South Korea, Desmond Akawo, who is a seasoned and experienced administrator to head the committee. The membership cuts across various interest groups. You have the state executive council represented there, you have the religious leaders community representatives, the armed forces, and women, all represented there, too. It is this committee that is saddled with the responsibility of carrying out the palliative scheme in the state.

At the inauguration of this sensitive committee, His Excellency warned that this exercise must not be partisan, must not be religious, and must not be tribalistic.

Thus, he set the agenda. Following from that agenda, the Desmond Akawor committee also had to initiate a community-based participation in the distribution of the palliatives at the ward level.

This is the modus-operandi; the central committee gets the palliative for a particular ward; the councilor of that ward together with a member of the central committee will be there when the foodstuff would be loaded into a truck; that councilor and the rep of the central committee would take those things to the ward. At the ward level, you have a traditional leader, a religious leader, woman leader, community development committee chairman, etc. This community-committee is now saddled with giving out this relief to the target group being the widows, the youths, and the lessprivileged, in the community. It is not one councilor doing or one big man is doing. That is the model being implemented in Rivers State which we expect other states to copy. Someone said on radio that they saw vans throwing food to people. I said, no, it will not be our committee because we wear identifiable vests and we are organized. It is intended that the real targeted groups get them. So far we distribute garri, yam, palm oil, noodles (Pasteur). Going forward, we might likely add fish and other items.

Data source: INEC register plus Social Welfare Department The committee has gone to remand homes, Cheshire home, Continues on page 18

Sunday 19 April 2020

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Sunday Magazine Lamentation still trails Lagos, FG’s palliative package as middlemen hijack programme

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DESMOND OKON t is lamentation and bitter wailing in Lagos and parts of the country as Nigerians complain that the stimulus packages announced by the Federal and Lagos State governments to cushion the effects of the lockdown imposed on some states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) to contain the further spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic have not been sincerely deployed.

The citizens also alleged that the process of distribution of whatever that may have been made available for that purpose has been politicised.

Residents of Akinyemi in Ketu/ AgboyiLocal Government Area said they had lost hope of receiving any stimulus package from the state government, let alone from the Federal Government.

Those that have sighted a semblance of the palliative packages in the area, decried the distribution process; they complained that a greater portion of the relief materials was reserved for party members when the goods arrived the local government.

“They said they are sharing food, but if you don’t have a party card, you won’t get. They brought rice to Agboyi, the woman that was in charge divided it and said it was for party people and started sharing a DeRica (a unit of measurement) to people,” an obviously enraged resident said.

“These rich people are the ones that brought the disease to Nigeria, now they want us to suffer,” a resident, a woman in her late 60s, lamented.

Corroborating her complaint, another resident who gave his name as Osuji, said a fight broke out a few days earlier, when the supply was divided and kept for party members. He said that trouble started when only three bags were left for the entire street after a larger quantity had been earmarked for party members and officials in the area.

“When they came here on Thursday (last week) they divided the food and said it was for their party people, that’s when a fight broke out between them and the Agberos (area boys).

They just dropped three bags for the entire street.

“They share NEPA bill, why can’t they use the same system to distribute it. People are at home for two weeks and you’re throwing food to people anyhow,” Osujicomplained aloud.

Osuji, who had made a video of the distribution process, but later discovered that it came out poorly while trying to show the reporter, said he called their attention and told them he was over 60 years but he was ignored.

“They didn’t attend to me,” he said, “they came with three bags

and distributed it anyhow to an entire street. Even with LASRRA identity, nobody knew they were in the street. This thing I’m telling you did not last for one minute.

How can a country be run like this?

Why must a state be run like this?” he said angrily.

On March 27, the Lagos State government unveiled an economic stimulus package tocushion the effect of the lockdown on the poor and most vulnerable people in the state.

The stimulus, which comes in in the form of food packs, was meant to be distributed to every local government in the state, targeting, at least, 200,000 households in the first phase, according to Sanwo-Olu. He said that the aged citizens from 60 years and above with a family of six and the most vulnerable would be given priority, especially those who relied on daily wages for survival.

“We have packaged dry food stimulus for about 200,000 families in the first instance for a household of a husband, wife and about four children. We would be giving bags of rice, bags of beans, garri, bread, dry pepper, and we are trying to see if we can add water and some elements of Vitamin C. Each ration, we believe, is going to be able to last a household of husband, wife and about four children for, at least, a minimum of 14 days so that our advocacy around ‘stay at home’, ‘stay with your loved ones’ will be respected,” Sanwo-Olu said.

GbolahanLawal, commissioner of Agriculture, also said that the government would be working with the existing database of the state, using the Lagos State Residents Register Agency (LASRRA) and 4,000 community development associations registers in 377 wards in order to be able to reach

the targeted beneficiaries.

But since the first phase began (and ended), the programme has received bad reviews and reprimand. Many residents are yet to receive theirs, while some who were lucky to get alleged that the content of the bag was far below what the governor had promised.

Pictures and videos have trended on social media making a public show of the so-called palliative package; these have only fueled outrage. In one of the videos, a bag of rice was given to a street, some hunger-buffeted residents fought over it; they ended up tearingthe bag and spilling the grains all over the place.

A resident of the Ifedagba CDA, Ajasa-Command, AgbadoOkeOdo Local Council Development Area, Mustapha Ogunsakin, shared on his Facebook wall: “The COVID-19 emergency relief package of Lagos State was received in my CDA this morning.

Mind you, the CDA consists of about 300 families made up of both strong and weak people. I learnt the same package of two bags consisting of 3kg of rice, 3kg of garri, and 3kg of beans was given to more than 16 CDAs in my area. We gave the package to six widows.”

What is more bewildering is the fact that the distribution process—which often led to chaos— breached the guidelines of social distancing as it often attracted huge crowds tussling for a share.

According to residents who spoke to BDSUNDAY in Akinyemi, a similar scenario had occurred, with only three bags of rice given to the street and no one could state exactly who benefited.

“They said we should sit at home, but we didn’t get any food from the government. I have LASRRA. The government said they’re going to give food to those up to

60 years and above; I didn’t get.

They didn’t come here at all,” said Badmus, a resident.

Earnest Etim,a dispatch rider, said he had only heard of the palliatives on television but has neither seen one in his area nor received it.

Another resident of Ketu said: “If the government can share NEPA bill, I don’t think they cannot do this. They came to AgboyiStreet to share the goods. They brought out three bags of wheat and gave it to the whole street in Ojaomo, Off Agboyi. Nigeria is a joke.”

Each pack of the Lagos State COVID-19 Emergency Food response contains 5kg rice, 5kg garri and 3-4kg of beans and is sealed.

But residents have continued to react to the paltry quantity which negates the pronouncement of the governor on what the actual pack should contain.

Palliatives hijacked by middlemen In a report by a newspaper, a source in the Ministry of Agriculture said the ministry distributed the food items in each ward as it should and accused some middlemen of hijacking the distribution and not giving the appropriate quantity to the indigent people in the state.

“It is possible that those at the wards may not have taken the packs to the masses. It was later, after the distribution exercise that we discovered that all the food items and the quantity expected to be delivered to the people have been hijacked. The quantity we asked them to give was not what was given after all,” a source at the ministry was quoted as saying.

According to the source, “We also learnt that where the food was not sufficient, it was given to the elderly, and to religious organisations to distribute to their indigent members. To ensure the food

gets to the appropriate people, another batch was distributed and the addresses provided for the Lagos State Residents Registration Agency (LASSRA) registration was used in calling the masses to confirm if they actually collected any food item.”

FG’s conditional cash transfer lopsided, sectional Apart from the Lagos State’s palliative measures, the Federal Government’s conditional cash transfers (CCT) has torn Nigerians apart.

On March 30, the Federal Government announced palliative measures such as food distribution, cash transfers and loans repayment waivers to ease the pains of its restrictive policies during this difficult time.

In Presidents Buhari’s second national broadcast, he said the palliatives would be sustained during the second phase of the lockdown and increase household coverage to 3.6 million from 2.6 million.

“I have also directed that the current Social Register be expanded from 2.6 million households to 3.6 million households in the next two weeks. This means we will support an additional one million homes with our social investment programmes. A technical committee is working on this and will submit a report to me by the end of this week,” Buhari said.

But many Lagos residents who spoke to BDSUNDAY said they have neither received any money nor food items from the Federal Government. Since it was announced, they have been expecting it, they said.

“The cash from the FG, I’ve not received anything. I heard about it on TV that they will be giving out money. But nothing has been Continues on page 18

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Sunday Magazine What other states may learn from Rivers’ model Continued from page 16

old people’s home, and one other home that is at Iriebe in Obio/ Akpor section of Port Harcourt.

We still visit other homes because we have the database through the Social Welfare Department.

Some people doubt our sources of data but we are using INEC database. So, we know the people in a particular locality and ward. We have been to Port Harcourt local council (PHALGA), Obio/Akpor Ikwerre, Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni (ONELGA), and Eleme out of the 23 local council areas for now.

There are plans to go to other local council areas soon.

N2bn to buy off food from local farmers: Nobody complains of hunger The good news again is that the governor has set aside N2bn for the purchase of food items from local farmers and fishermen within Rivers State. There is no state in Nigeria where this is happening. Right now, we have set up food banks, agric desks in all LGAs and we have started purchasing food items from these people.

The whole essence is to ensure that nobody complains of hunger in this period. Since markets are closed, government will buy off the produce, and if you can’t go out, government will meet you and give you food.

It is important to also say that the Akawor Committee is different from the committee headed by the Secretary to the Rivers State Gov-

ernment(SSG),TammyDanAgogo PhD. One purchases, the other distributes. The model is something that is novel (just as the virus is) and we are proud that we have such a visionary leader at this time.

Policy over food movement at the boundaries Since the pandemic started, there have been exemptions for agric products, pharmaceuticals, etc. There is no ban but this initiative of His Excellency is designed to ensure that nothing produced in Rivers State goes out. Government will buy them off for the

interest of the people.

Frequency of palliatives We have target groups. Its not possible to reach every identified person in a ward at the same time.

So, we take them in batches. Anybody who says he is able to do that is telling you lies. So, those who didn’t get now will get later. They should just be patient. That is why the community-based model is very good because it is not somebody from another place that will come and tell you who and who are the needy. So, anybody that is exempted in a ward will not blame the governor or the

committee chairman. It means that the ward team did not see you as a needy person.

When we do a review, we now know the next line of action. It is important to note that we take feedback on a daily basis. Members of the central committee are also part of the distribution process at wards. So, they bring feedback.

Understanding how Wike came up with the model One thing you must give Wike is that he is a grassroots politician and he knows how to reach to the least person. He is a man that was prepared for governance. Look at his pedigree; from being a twotime LGA chairman to becoming chief of staff in the Rivers State Government House, minister (a super minister at that, it was during his time that a minister of state for education was visible in this country), and now he has served his first term as governor and is on the second term. He has had broad view of governance. This model is something that would open the eyes of people. In my area, Ward 16 in Obio/Akpor LGA, the chairman of the distribution committee there chosen by the people is a reverend gentleman who is not even from this state.

These are people who reside in the community who know those truly in need, not somebody from the city to come and tell them who to give. The community people know everybody and know everything.

The notion that the palliative is

not for indigenes is not true then.

In the first term, Governor Wike chose a non-indigene as commissioner and the man made it this second term. The governor swore to oath to protect those living in the state, whether indigenes or non-indigenes. He is a de-tribalised man. If you come close to him, you find this out. It is about character and that is what he uses to run this state.

Forestalling rebellion or attack by hoodlums and youths due to hunger Once you can reach the body of youths and the down-trodden with food at this moment, you will avert rebellion building up. We do not foresee this happening here because of the community-based approach that helps to target the youths and the vulnerable.

Here, political will is abundant These are no normal times, but a time for sacrifice. The kind of decisions government will be taking will be painful but it’s for the good of all. All over the world, social distancing and lockdown are seen as the strategy to reduce spread of the virus. All hands have to be on deck from the homes to public places to support the governor to fight this battle successfully. He has done very well in fighting this battle. What used to lack in Nigeria to fight any battle is political will. Here, political is abundant.

The passion with which he supervises his numerous development projects is same passion he is using to supervise this agenda. He is the chairman of the task force that is supervising everything.

The Rivers people must be proud that they did not make a mistake electing him.

Lamentation still trails Lagos, FG’s palliative package as middlemen...

Continued from page 17

given,” a resident said on condition of anonymity.

The Federal Government claimed that the CCT programme started in 2015 with 14 states and has expanded to accommodate morestates.Theprogrammetargets poorandvulnerablehouseholds,and according to National Cash Transfer Office (NCTO) only 1,126,211 of these group are currently benefiting from the Federal Government’s conditional cash transfer. It has not made any impact in reducing the poverty level in the country.

The Federal Government allocated N500 billion in the 2016 budget for the implementation of its social welfare agenda. The government also budgeted the same amount for social programmes in the 2017 budget.

However, Nigerians have criticised the programme, branding it as lopsided following the emergence of photos on social media showing thewishywashy implementation of the programme in some northern states.

“I’ve never seen a government more fraudulent and shameless as the FG of Nigeria. How can you lockdown three states and be sharing money in states that aren’t on

lockdown? Why embezzle at every chance y’all (SIC) get?” a Twitter user said. While the lockdown period fuelled by the COVID-19 may have exposed what another social media user described as an apartheid government run by Buhari regarding the CCT, this so-called bias did not just start this coronavirus period.

In a publication by the ICIR, data of the beneficiaries revealed that of the 35 states and the Federal Capital Territory, North West region tops with the highest number

of households benefiting from the cash transfer with a number of 561,758 households.

Others are North Central321,434, North East- 109,442, South-South- 67,696, South West37,904, and South East- 27,977 households.

Top five states with the highest number of beneficiaries are Katsina- 133,227, Zamfara- 130,764, Jigawa- 99,044, Kano- 84,148, and Plateau- 78,430.

While Lagos, Delta and Borno States are yet to benefit, data

released by the National Social Safety-Nets Coordinating Office (NASSCO) showed that Ogun State is yet to be captured in its register.

Hashtag PayUsViaBVN On Tuesday, Nigerians converged on social media to campaign for payment through their Bank Verification Number (BVN) after a video of SegunSowunmi, spokesperson for PDP, PCC surfaced on Twitter.

In the video, Sowunmi urged the government to execute the CCT through the BVN of Nigerians when he spoke on Channels TV, onBuhari’s broadcast, his relief funds and managing the vulnerable.

He said: “I told them that you have about 38.5 million people on the BVN already, therefore, you can look at their bank balances and get an idea of those who cannot even sustain themselves in the lockdown and put something in there directly, it won’t be lost. They will get something. There will be a way you’ll touch them, they will know they got something…”

The hashtag further received a boost and became a major Twitter trend when a Nigerian celebrity known as Tacha tweeted and called on the FG to pay Nigerians through their BVN. “Use our BVN, not our phone

numbers. No hungry person will practise personal hygiene.

Credit Nigerians,” the former BBNaija star said.

According to a twitter user, OtunbaErinle, there are about 39 million Nigerians on the BVN. “It takes the Nigerian Government little or nothing to identify bank accounts having below N250, 000 and then transfer at least N50, 000 to it.

“Moreover, the European Union in Nigeria just donated N22billion today (last Tuesday) to supposedly assist Nigeria. #PayUsOurPalliativesViaBVN.” They demanded payment from donations the Nigerian government has received from the private sector over the past weeks since the virus’ impact kicked in.

An analyst who spoke to BDSUNDAY said that Nigeria was being run by a recalcitrant government whose dealings are smeared with tones of dictatorship, and notorious for lack of creativity in policy implementation.

He wondered if the Pay-via-BVN campaign will ever work. “…if Namibia is said to pay their citizens some reliefs for COVID-19 through their bank accounts, why can’t Nigeria government pay us via BVN?” another user tweeted.

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Sunday Magazine Palliatives burn through Rivers as Amaechi Nigeria far from attracting necessary investments with price joins, shells out 12,000 bags of rice

modulation in downstream sector

IGNATIUS CHUKWU

F

ormer governor of Rivers State, Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, now a two-time minister of transportation, and his associates, are distributing 12,000 bags of rice in the state. This seems to have added to the ones being shared across the state by the state government through the Desmond Akawor committee.

These plus others being executed by the organized private sector (OPS) and other donors seem to be burning through Rivers State at the moment, reducing tension in the state from hunger and desperation.

The group handed over the items which include over 12,000 bags of rice to Green Nigeria Foundation Project, a non-governmental organisation (NGO) to distribute to Rivers people.

The associates said there should be no discrimination against nonindigenes of the state. Further details on how to share the items round to avoid accusations were not available at the time of filing this report.

One of the associates of the Transportation Minister, Chukwudi Dimkpa who represented the donors, however, said it became expedient to provide the palliatives following the suffering being experienced by the people during the stay at home orders caused by the closure of markets as well as inflation in prices of food stuffs.

Dimkpa urged the NGO to ensure that the items are distributed irrespective of religion and party affiliation.

The national president of Green Nigeria Foundation Project, a pastor, Warigbani Ezekiel, who received the items commended the donors and promised that distribution of the palliative to the people would cut across all parties and sections of the State, without bias and ethnic/political colouration.

Warigbani revealed that the distribution of the food items which would commence on Wednesday, April 15, 2020 will cover Ogba Egbema Ndoni, Abua-Odua, Ahoada East and West as well as Emohua Local Government Areas of Rivers State. Others areas will follow subsequently, he stated. The Rivers State government palliatives handled by Akawor started from Obio/Akpor, Port Harcourt, Onelga, Eleme and Ikwerre LGAs. This means that ONELGA people have had double touch. .

Meanwhile, one leader, ThankGod Ohakwe of the APC Empowerment, Employment and Recruitment Bureau in Ikwerre local council area distributed bags of rice to communities including non-indigenes resident in the local government.

The palliatives/relieve materials were received from the Green Nigeria Foundation through the friends and associates of Amaechi.

OLUSOLA BELLO

T

Rotimi Amaechi, former governor of Rivers State

The distribution was carried out in Igwuruta, the country home of APC leader in Ikwerre local government area, Chibuike Ikenga.

Ohakwe, while distributing the bags of rice, charged the leaders of various communities to ensure that the palliative gets to the most vulnerable in their communities irrespective of party affiliation. He said that the palliatives would go a long way in helping to cushion the negative effect of the Coronavirus pandemic and the sit at home order by the government.

He also told the people to excise patience and continue in their prayers for Amaechi as plans were on top gear to ensuring that they got more palliatives.

In response the leaders of various communities thanked both leaders and most especially the Chibuike Amaechi and described him as a worthy son and an ambassador of Ikwerre land.

Also, non-indigenes in the APC in Ikwerre area have thanked former governor Amaechi.

The thank you message was made after receiving bags of rice from Ohakwe ThankGod who is chairman of the APC Empowerment group in Ikwerre. They also thanked their leader, Amaechi.

The leadership caucus of the APC, Obio/Akpor LGA led by Chikordi Dike said they have also received the allocation of rice from the NGO and Amaechi.

The items were distributed

across the 17 (seventeen) wards of the local Government Area, where it was handed over to opinion leaders in the areas, who in turn, were instructed to distribute it judiciously across the needy and most vulnerable in their localities.

Speaking to newsmen, Dike expressed gratitude to the leader of the party in the state (Amaechi) for the kind gesture and for having the people of Rivers State at heart, despite having left office as a governor years ago.

Dike assured the needy within the Local Government Area not to hesitate in going out to collect the palliatives, irrespective of their political inclination. He stressed that the gifts were donated by Amaechi with the purest of intentions and has no political undertone.

Other leaders of the party in the LGA, such as Alex Wele and Sidney Madu Nyeche commended Amaechi’s kind gestures and described him as a man with a heart of gold. They also pledged to do more in their collective leadership capacity to consolidate on the good measures set out by the supreme leader of the party in the state.

Before now, snippets of cynicisms had gone out, daring the ex-governor to show himself (meaning he should show concern for the poor and voters by sending palliatives).

he global economy and oil market are experiencing one of the most severe crises in recent history, caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Countries around the world have virtually shut down, imposing travel restrictions and mandating social-distancing measures in an effort to contain the pandemic.

These measures have not only severely affected global economic growth, but they have also caused a historic demand shock in the oil market, which has led to extreme volatility in oil prices. Concerns about this grave oil market imbalance, which has led to a large build up in global oil stocks, has resulted in oil prices dropping significantly in late March to reach the lowest levels in nearly 18 years. Oil prices lost about two-thirds of their value over 1Q20.

Given the current market conditions and the massive oil demand destruction so far, the price of crude oil has lowered considerably, thereby creating a window for the Nigerian government to completely hands-off the price of petrol and deregulate the downstream sector of the petroleum industry. The cost of crude oil has a huge influence on the price of fuel.

It is a known fact that government’s interference in the price of fuel has denied the downstream sector of the necessary investments and employment opportunities. These are few reasons the sole responsibility of fuel importation has been left in the hands of the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporations (NNPC) with its attendant huge subsidy cost on government.

The crashing of the price of crude oil occasioned by the ravaging coronavirus has given another opportunity to the government to hands off the business completely.

But rather than doing so, it has again introduced “price modulation” mechanism. This means that the price of fuel in the country will follow the swinging pattern of the price of crude oil at the international market.

The same mechanism was introduced during the tenure of Ibe Kachikwu, as minister of state forpetroleum, but it was not implemented for one day. This is because there was no political will on the side of the government to implement it.

NowondertheMajorMarketers Association of Nigeria (MOMAN) has again emphasised the need for full “price liberalisation” rather than “price modulation” with respect to Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) commonly known as petrol.

Tunji Oyebanji, the association’s chairman, said that it had become necessary for the association to state its position, following the recent statement by Timipre Sylva, minister of state for Petro-

leum Resources, that the government would implement a policy of “price modulation” which means it will give effect to existing legislation enabling it to set prices in line with market realities through the Petroleum Products Pricing Regulatory Agency (PPPRA) as provided in its Act. He stated that the clear and obvious risk is that the country has never been able to increase pump prices under this law, leading to high and unsustainable subsidies and depriving other key sectors of the economy of necessary funds.

“When crude oil prices go up, government has always been unable to increase pump prices for socio-political reasons leading to these high subsidies and we believe the only solution is to remove the power of the government to determine fuel pump prices altogether by law,” Oyebanji said.

According to him, “Our current situation laid bare by the challenges of coronavirus to the health of our citizens in particular and the economy of our country in general demands that we are honest with ourselves at this time.

A fundamental and radical change in legislation is necessary.”

Purchase costs and open market sales prices should not be fixed but monitored against anticompetitive and antitrust abuses by the already established competition commission and subject to its clearly stated rules and regulations He noted that there was no country or economy where governments do not have the power to influence prices. Nigeria, he said was no different with respect to any other commodity or product, stating further that governments use economic tools such as taxes or interventions on the demandside or the supply-side of the market and other administrative interventions to influence prices where it needs to.

The problem here is that the government has retained for itself by law the power and the responsibility to fix pump prices of PMS which is what puts it under so much pressure and costs the country so much in terms of underrecoveries or subsidies when it cannot increase prices when necessary to do so. It makes sense to relieve itself of this obligation now when crude prices are low and resort to influencing prices using the same tools it does for any other commodity or item on the market.

The market should determine the price. There should be a level playing field. Everybody should have access to foreign exchange to be able to import and sell petrol at a pump price taking its landing and distribution costs into consideration. Government should no longer fix petroleum prices. Health and educational sector should be given a higher priority than paying for subsidy on petroleum.

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Arts ‘We want to create a platform in the corporate world for musicians to be respected’ Besides successful careers in architecture and IT, Afolabi Oke is impacting more lives through the arts, particularly music. With Sweet Sound Band, Jazz Runway, UNESCO Mandate among others, he unveils his passion for the arts to Obinna Emelike.

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Can you tell us more about yourself? started my company in 2003 and it has been a very interesting journey having to start a business in the Nigerian terrain and having to be responsible for several lives every 30 days. I run an IT company called Global InfoSwift Technologies in Ikoyi.

The company is a consulting technology outfit. I am also the founder of Sweet Sound Band. Sweet Sound is a set of young and committed full time musician. I am not a full time musician. One of the things we have done very well in the IT section is the banking consolidation. For example, Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, former Central Bank governor, started an initiative called Certification compliance to the global IT standards. Then, we bided in First Bank and we won the project. So, we helped First Bank become the first organisation to be certified to information security.

When Sanusi heard about it, he invited us to Central Bank to do same thing because they want to practice what they preach. We got Central Bank certified. Sanusi mandated that before the end of 2015 all the banks should comply to the same standards. So, we have to help a lot of the banks to comply.

Basically, information security is really about protecting customers’ information on their data. If you are not protected, then it now exposes you and to fraud and that is how a lot of fraud happen.

That is really what I do, music is just passion that I have. We deal a lot with Central Bank and corporate institutions. I pioneered the certification. I started with First Bank, then did same for Central Bank and mandated Central Bank to get all the banks to comply with their IT standard.

You are a musician and an IT expert, how did you combine the two?

Many years ago as a young lad, I read Mike Murdock book, it says the proof of your desire in life is pursuit.

Anytime I hear saxophone, I really like to know how to play the instrument. But I did not have one. I cannot afford one at the time, so I wrote to an uncle of mine in the UK at that time. I told him not to send me clothes or money

the same International Jazz Day that was done there.

CNN did a documentary on that which is hosted on their global website. We have approached Zenith to try and approach CNN to come and cover the event, but there is no response yet.

Afolabi Oke

but to send me a saxophone.

For a whole year, I did not get a response and I did not stop. One day, the guy sent a saxophone as a Christmas gift and that was the best gift I think I have ever received in my life. I never went to any school of music, I picked up that saxophone, I locked myself up with the chart and I started learning. That is the same spirit I brought into my business. In life, the proof of your desire truly is ‘Pursuit’.

Anything you pursue and you are determined to make it work, it will happen for you. That is how I was able to develop my interest in playing saxophone. I have been playing it in the last 25 years.

I brought that same passion into my business and here is where we are today.

What is the UNESCO Mandate all about?

I have always had a passion to help to contribute to promoting the image of our country and when I stumbled on the International UNESCO Mandate on promoting peace, giving music to promoting peace, unity and dialogue.

It resonates with me and I thought there is no better way to help promote the image of our country on such a

fantastic platform. For me, ‘The UNESCO Mandate’ is my own way of giving back to the society. When this opportunity came, I approached UNESCO that we can be their Ambassador in Nigeria to help to promote the initiative. Rather than doing my passion, (Jazz) alone, I reached out to Neo Mantra to bring his fashion into the music we are trying to do. That is how we came about the partnership of Runway Jazz.

How has it been birthing this vision?

It has been very tasking. Typi-

cal of any new innovative, there is price to pay. I see it as my contribution to my nation.

Anytime I turn on CNN, they always look for the bad story about our country, that really infuriates me and from what I have read, whatever infuriates you, is what you have been assigned to solve. So, it is my own way of solving the problem by using what we have to promote the image of our country positively.

I realized during my research that same Zenith Bank through Inside Africa sponsored the CNN event in Kenya last year. I mean

How was it growing up?

I was brought up in a lovely family of six (four boys and two girls). We call it music family as well. Everyone plays one instrument or the other. My mother brought us up like that. I thought that was what informed my passion for music. They used to call us joyous six because we are a band. I grew up in Ibadan and Lagos but more of Lagos.

I was brought up in primary school by Tai Solarin.

He taught us in Mayflower then. That was where I did my primary school. You have to be confident about yourself, and also learn how to solve problems in whatever environment you find yourself. From there, I went to Federal Government College Kaduna. It was very interesting because government used to feed us then, clothe and take care of us very well. From there, I came back to Lagos. I worked for a while. I have always love to do business. Later, I went to Ladoke Akintola University of Technology University where I became an architect.

After University, I travelled abroad and I noticed there is a thin line between architecture and IT. I did my national youth service at Central Bank of Nigeria. Then, as a corper, my mind was opened to many opportunities. They wanted to retain me at Cen-

tral Bank but I declined the offer because I saw a lot of problems in Central Bank then. Instead, I left with the hope of coming back to solve some of the problems. They did not believe me then. I left and I went to work for Omatek at that time, and helped in designing the IT company’s logo.

How was it working with a female boss at Omatek?

She is a fighter. She is a fantastic, amazing and visionary woman. Once she believes something or thinks about it, she goes for it. She has contributed immensely to Nigeria. I worked for her for a while and joined another company. In all these jobs, I said to myself one day that instead of spending 24 hours working for someone, I rather work for myself. So, I started my company. The company has really grown and we have trained a lot of Nigerians at no cost. Some have gone ahead to start their businesses in IT. It gives me great joy when I see all these young people creating their own businesses from the training we have given them. It makes me sleep at night. That is why we are trying to do the same thing in the music world because you realized that musicians suffered a lot. Forget about the few that are making it, they are just pretty lucky because music is not 100 percent appreciated in our country.

That is why we want to create a platform in the corporate world for musicians to be respected. People think musicians are school drop-outs.

They are not. I am using my position to fight their cause.

Musicians are not hooligans, they are just people that are talented. In abroad, once you discover a talent the banks put money behind them. I have taken them to many corporate events.

What informs your sense of style?

I just believe you dress the way you want to be addressed. I work a lot with the bank and I know that it is very important to dress properly for them to take you serious.

Again, my late mother was a powerful dresser. Ironically, she used to run a school where she mentored young people to dress well and be presentable.

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Arts ‘Beautiful Wilderness’, an epic musical worth seeing OBINNA EMELIKE

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f you are a lover of musicals, ‘Beautiful Wilderness’ is an enthralling stage piece worth watching anytime for its mesmerizing scenes, relatable narratives and gripping twists and turns.

Written by Dupe Olorunjo, produced and directed by Gbenga Yusuf, the musical play is an adaptation of the novel ‘A Beautiful Wilderness’.

It is seasoned with freeflowing poetry, riveting dances and enchanting music, hence a must-see stage splendor.

The plot revolves around the stereotypically successful business tycoon that is Keanu Omira (played by Patrick Diabuah). Omira is an easily recognizable boss-man by any working class subject as he believes he has got the world in his pocket. Being one who does not suffer fools lightly, he is truly bewildered when the rug is pulled from beneath his feet and he takes off on a journey into the unknown.

In this 4D-nightmarecome-alive, he must make a choice; to either retrace his steps or be lost forever. The musical play parades other

topnotch actors like Tosin Adeyemi, Omololu Sodiya, Aisha Onitiri, Eden Attah and many others.

Pr o d u c e d b y Se e i n g Through the Arts Production Company, the family show speaks of humility and kindness as part of the best human virtues to possess. It explores a different kind of love that gives freely but expects nothing in return. Dupe Olorunjo, executive producer of the musical play and author of the novel ‘A Beautiful Wilderness’, believes that stories have the power to

expose the reality of where we stand and help us envision where we should be. She also stated that all positive stories birthed in our hearts deserve to be told.

“I have written four novels, all within the inspirational fiction genre, and my hope every day is that each one will continue to influence my audience to embrace lifechanging possibilities, sometimes outside our normal reach”, Olorunjo said.

Talking about how she was inspired to write the novel, she revealed that it

happened while she was trapped in Lagos traffic one morning.

“I was sitting in the car, frustrated, when my eyes were drawn to a lame beggar.

He must have just arrived and was unpacking his things including his begging bowl.

I watched him closely and realized …This was his entire life; he wasn’t concerned with the traffic, with issues in the corporate world, the stock market, Lagos gossip, celebrities, owning a car, designer clothes… nothing.

Then I also understood that

Sauti Sol announces first major label record, Midnight Train

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auti Sol, an awardwinning afro pop band, has announced that Midnight Train, their fifth studio album, would be released on June 5, 2020.

This is the group’s first major label record with Universal Music Africa. The album pre-add, which is now live, allows fans to instantly get the tracks, “Brighter Days” as well as previous singles “Suzanna” and “Disco Matanga,” added to their libraries and playlists. Additionally, this feature will automatically add the album to the consumers library immediately on release day.

“Brighter Days” is a motivational and spiritually uplifting anthem featuring Grammy Award winning Soweto Gospel Choir. The song reaffirms that one should not be weary or in despair but focus on the promise of Brighter Days. The sing-along praise song spreads positivity and encouragement across different nations in a time when it is needed most. The accompanying video, directed

by Ofentse Mwase (OM Films), was shot in Johannesburg’s historic main studio,

Downtown Music Hub, South Africa. The video was live on Friday.

Recorded between Los Angeles, California, Johannesburg, South Africa and their hometown Nairobi, Kenya, Midnight Train demonstrates the bands songwriting and producing skills with electric energy and new rhythms. The album’s theme is centered around enjoying the journey of life but also embracing the hustles and

the trials that come with it.

You can count on Sauti Sol to deliver music from the heart and Midnight Train, does not stray from the formula.

Special and notable features on the album include American singer and songwriter, India Arie on sensual track “My Eveything,” and Burna Boy guest appears on “Time Flies.” When reflecting, Bien explains that “Time flies is inspired by Burna Boy’s increase journey. A lot

he didn’t choose that world.

In fact, each one of us in a different life, a different family, a different environment could have easily been sitting in that beggar’s shoes. The story of ‘A Beautiful Wilderness’ from the beginning to the end was formed in my mind that morning”. I trust that our exposure to this story will help us appreciate all we are and all we have including our blessings and the love God has surrounded us with, Olorunjo concluded.

Gbenga Yusuf is the creative director at Seeing Through the Arts Production Company. Recently, he produced and directed the acclaimed ‘Legends: the Musical and also produced and directed Red Velvet— Waje’s first album concert. Yusuf is excited to be on the ‘Beautiful Wilderness’ project, not just because he is producing and directing it, but because it is an amazing story of love and faith.

As the producer and director, he said:“It is not a regular story and so our decision to stage ‘Beautiful Wilderness’ during the Valentine period was intentional, because, the musical play shows us a different kind of love. It is the highest form of love…one that has depth. I will say this

to you, no matter what your schedule looks like, make time for yourself, or your loved one or ones, as the case may be, to come see this show. Do not miss the ‘Beautiful Wilderness Musical’.

“The musical play shows how crucial our decisions are and how they come to bear on our love life, relationships, businesses and also to us personally. We follow the story up the corporate ladder, through the alleys of poverty, over the bumps of the marriage institution and finally to a point of self-reflection on our own life journey. It is a family show, which connects with different age groups and social classes and one we are quite proud of.”

However, after seeing the musical, the producers assured that, “What is real and what is not is left for the audience to decide”.

The musical play showed for three consecutive days from February14-16, 2020, at the AGIP Recital Hall, MUSON Centre, Lagos for the Valentine season. It could not show last Easter because of coronavirus. But the producers assured of more showing times after the virus pandemic is over.

So, keep a date with ‘Beautiful Wildernesses’.

Coved-19: Our hearts with the president, Nigerians must be strong-NCAC boss can happen in a year with dedication.”

“Disco Matanga (Yamb a k h a n a) , ” t h e o f f i c i a l soundtrack to Netflix’s first African Original series Queen Sono, is the most recent collaborative release to come in the form of Sho Madjozi and Black Motion.

Polycarp shares: “They were on our list of musicians we wanted to collaborate with, and it finally came to pass.

We love South African music and it is one of the sweetest artistic heritages on the continent.”

Midnight Train is a wholesome album and a milestone release for the group. It is inspirational and uplifting and offers much needed social commentary while not losing its global appeal. “There is a lot of maturity in the album,” states Polycarp. “We have come of age and we express how people should perceive us freely after 11 years as professional singers. Every song speaks to an issue that is relatable to everyone.”

While awaiting the official album to drop on June 5, 2020, Sauti Sol has graced fans with “Brighter Days” for their enjoyment.

S

egun Runsewe, director general, National Council for Arts and Culture (NCAC) has called on Nigerians, particularly residents of Lagos, Ogun and FCT, to brace up and fight off the covid-19 pandemic through strategic protocols already in place.

Runsewe, who is the custodian of federal cultural initiative and president, World Craft Council,(WCC) Africa region, explained that President Muhamadu Buhari, as the father of the nation, is pained about the effects of pandemic on the nigerian people, hence the very visible interventions and public engagement to discourage panic and fear.

Runsewe further appealed for calm as additional two weeks lockdown takes off again, adding that necessary intervention projects will get to the people if we must all see ourselves as stakeholders in the effort to kick coronavirus out of Nigeria. “ I must confess that the scenario is difficult for everyone, government losing revenue fast than ever before, the budget been slashed, which again will affect project deliveries and the effects on those who work to eat. It is a humongous reality but as a people, Nigerians have always in one accord, risen to

put down clouds of darkness, which threatened our collective existence in the past and this covid-19 cannot be an exception”, NCAC boss stressed.

He recalled the many values of our cultural history, obedience to constituted authorities and respect for the welfare and safety of neighbors as face of several culture value chain which Nigerians from all works of life must put to practice by observing social distancing, regular cleaning of our hands and other protocols meant to mitigate the spread of covid-19.

He urged the traditional rulers and religious leaders not see the covid-19 protocols and consequent lockdown across country as targeted against them but a sacrifice, which we must all bear to keep our people and our future safe. “ Take a global look at what is happening today and every one can see even the greater impact. The Saudi Arabia government cancelled the Hajj activities and programs, the pope also shutdown the Vatican and other grounding of travel, culture and tourism structures, so we cannot pretend these clear potential dangers and damage of covid-19 in our country and take to behaviours that will endanger our people”, Runsewe further explained.

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Sunday 19 April 2020

Life&Living How to ensure your relationships survive during a pandemic loved one that needing time apart doesn’t mean you don’t appreciate each other.

“When it comes to your romantic partner in particular, sharing every moment of the day with each other can be really difficult, so some alone time can actually help keep the spark alive.”

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IFEOMA OKEKE

s social distancing increases, many of us are now living full-time with our partners, friends or flatmates. Here, relationship coach and the author of the Relate guide, Stop Arguing, Stop Talking Susan Quilliam shares her advice for supporting each other to help our relationships survive… and even thrive.

Love yourself “Firstly, it’s important take care of yourself practically. Follow the official advice from trusted resources like Nhs.uk and Who.int to keep yourself safe and healthy.

“Beyond that, it’s important to look after your mental health and keep yourself calm. Write a list of the things that work for you - whether that’s only checking the news once or twice a day, doing meditation, working in the garden or catching up with a favourite boxset – and share it with your partner or friend so they can help when needed. Even if one person does it, it can have a positive effect on the whole household.

“That said, if you do feel emotional, don’t push that down. Let your fear motivate you to reach out to someone who will listen. Let your worry encourage you to take positive action to protect the ones you love.

Above all, forgive yourself. Remember that most people alive today have never been under this much stress for such an extended period of time, so if you feel strongly, it’s entirely normal.”

Love each other “Kindness is key for getting through the strange time we all find ourselves

in. Doing little things for each other at home and for the others in your life, where possible (such as phoning a friend who lives on their own, donating to a charity, or shopping for an elderly neighbour) will help to counterbalance our own very natural tendency to withdraw in times of distress and help us to feel connected.”

Keep communicating “We all react to times of crisis in our own individual ways. So, if your partner or friend seems more anxious than usual, be patient.

“Open up the communication and be aware that what your loved one needs right now isn’t necessarily the same as what you would need, and vice versa. Try to understand those you love by listening to their feelings and acknowledging them – don’t simply tell them to ‘buck up’, as they’re

less likely to confide in you again when they’re feeling vulnerable.

“Allow those around you to understand how you are feeling, too, by explaining clearly and calmly. If it helps, write it down.”

Set a routine (but don’t stick to it rigidly) “A daily routine can be hugely helpful in keeping a sense of normality, especially things like getting dressed, making the bed and setting up a home office for the day. It’s good for everyone’s sense of esteem.

“Of course, life is also very different from how it was before the virus, so be prepared to re-negotiate and set new routines around things like household chores and looking after any children who are staying home from school.

“Unfortunately, relentless routine

can also be horribly dull, too, so find ways of introducing a little variety into your daily life - whether that’s taking up a new hobby each, watching films you’ve never seen or discussing topics that you haven’t never talked about before over dinner – no matter how tiny. A favourite topic at the moment seems to be which meal everyone wants to have once we’re allowed to go to restaurants again.”

Take time out “The way life is structured right now, we are physically more available to our partners, or whoever we are cohabiting with, so it’s easy to feel like we need to ‘give’ all of the time.

“This can create a lot of pressure, so try and make space, even if it’s just for an hour, to do things for yourself like read a book, listen to music or go for a walk. Remind yourself and your

A word about sex “Sex can be hugely comforting in a crisis. Look at the baby boom that occurred after the New York blackout in 1977, or after the Second World War. For some, sex is bonding and reassuring whilst for others, anxiety and stress means that sex is the last thing on their mind.

“Be aware of any differences between you and your romantic partner in this respect and don’t be afraid to talk about them with each other without judgement or guilt.”

Look to the future “When conflicts arise, as well they might, it helps to have strategies in place to deal with them. When tensions occur, agree to take a short time out from each other – studies show that it takes 20 to 30 minutes for our nervous systems to calm down and our heart rates to slow to a normal rate after an argument. Once you’re both calm, come back together and ask your partner to listen, without interrupting or needing to respond, to what’s on your mind. Then do the same for them. As a result, you may need to negotiate between you for something to change.

“Ultimately, remember that this epidemic will pass and the stresses placed on your relationship will lift.

Hang on in there, and life will come back into balance once more.”

Covid 19: How to keep yourself busy during self isolation

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Jumoke Akiyode-Lawanson

he Corona virus (covid19) pandemic is really taking a toll on the world, and although some badly hit countries have mandated social distancing and work from home, Nigerians are still going about their daily activities.

However, with the recent announcement by the Federal Government to shut down all schools, the restriction of social and religious activities, and the increasing numbers of confirmed positive corona virus cases in Nigeria, it will soon become necessary for most people to self isolate and work from home.

This was confirmed by the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Education, Sonny Echono.

According to a communique on Thursday, Echono who gave the order on behalf of the Education Minister, Adamu Adamu, also noted that

all 104 Unity Schools in the country should close on or before the 26th of March, 2020 as a proactive step aimed at preventing the spread of the dreaded Corona virus.

“We have directed all higher institutions to close this weekend. Unity Schools that have completed their exams are to close immediately.

“Others are to hurry and close the latest on 26th March,” the statement partly read.

It has therefore become more important than ever, to have reliable broadband internet service, as more people will depend on online news sources to be informed on the situation of things in the country.

Also, students and employees will need the internet to keep working by sending emails, carrying out research and online financial transactions. Social media activities will also become more necessary during a time of social distancing.

It can really get boring and tiring sitting at home and trying to figure

out how to entertain yourself and/ or your children who are back home from school - but here are a few things to keep yourself busy with during self isolation or quarantine season.

1. Clean your house: This is the perfect time to do a thorough house cleaning. Clear out clogged up wardrobes, tidy up your shelves and clean out your house. There’s nothing more relaxing than staying in a clean, fresh and tidy home.

2. Sign up for online classes: Brush up your skills whilst at home.

You can learn how to code, learn a different language, learn how to do makeup on YouTube or how to braid hair. Instead of wasting time doing nothing, you’d have yourself to thank when you start making extra money because of the added skills you acquired during self isolation.

3. Call your family and friends: There’s no better time to frequently check up on your friends and family by voice and video calling them on the phone. Sometimes we get caught

up with work and a busy lifestyle and forget to check up on the our loved ones. Now’s the time to do so. You’d be surprised how fast the day will go by when you’re on the phone catching up on old times and fun memories, and it works both ways because they’d be glad to hear from you and know that you’re keeping well.

4. Read books: There’s more than enough time now to read all the recommended literature from your book club. Reading helps you to relax while engaging your brain at the same time.

5. Watch movies: Catch up on missed TV series and movies you’ve been longing to watch all year. It’s time to binge watch your favourite tv series and movies on Netflix.

6. Buy food and home supplies: It’s time to stock up your house with food and household supplies.

The supermarkets and grocery stores might shut down soon and you wouldn’t want to be stranded at home with no food, so it’s a good

idea to buy all the essentials now.

7. Games and activities for children: Try and keep your kids busy by creating play activities that engage them. Playing board games like scrabble or Ludo, playing computer games or creating obstacles courses outdoors will help keep them busy during their time at home.

8. Stay physically active: Even if you can’t go to your local gym, try and stay physically and mentally active by going for a walk and getting some fresh air. Social distancing doesn’t mean you can’t go outside.

Also try and lift some weights or do some sit ups in your house. Early morning exercise keeps you energised all day.

It is important to know that voluntary social distancing is key to mitigating the spread of Covid-19.

In the grand scheme of things, lying low for a little while is a small sacrifice to make for the increased safety of all.

Sunday 19 April, 2020

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BDSUNDAY 23

BrandsOnSunday SPOTLIGHTING BRAND VALUE

5G: Why China’s image evokes suspicion in Africa Daniel Obi

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hina has made enormous investments in Africa in the last 15 years. Chinese investments and contracts in sub-saharan Africa total about $300 billion, according to Investments tracker. In 2018, Chinese President Xi Jinping promised to invest a further $60 billion in Africa.

China has extended hands of fellowship to many African nations, investing huge in their economies. It is also a big trading partner to some African countries with its trading volume reaching $166 billion, according to a joint report by Mark Esposito, professor of business and economics at Harvard University Extension School and Terence Tse, an associate professor of finance at ESCP Europe.

They forecast in the report published in London School of Economics Business Review that ChinaAfrica trade will likely continue to increase, reaching an estimated $1.7 trillion in the next 10 years.

While more of China investment and trade could bring enormous economic benefits to the various countries in the African region, they are often viewed with suspicion, Esposito and Tse wondered.

Why is China not receiving complimentary remarks in tandem with its investments and goodwill in Africa? Many of Chinese products in Africa are regarded as substandard and non-durable compared to European products and this has given some Africans the disposition and feeling that if China could export substandard products to the 1.2 billion African population, then the Far East country’s other intentions on the continent are also questionable.

In Nigeria, Africa’s biggest market, Chinese products are everywhere and cut across product segments, still they are regarded as not durable. This affects their price and patronage. Direct users of products will hardly purchase Chinese products unless the alternatives are out of reach. They are usually purchased by contractors for selfish gains or the contractors will try to convince clients on the quality regardless of perception.

Chinese electric cables are no go areas for Nigerian building owners who insist on Nigerian cables as it has been emphasised that Nigeria has best coppers used in making cables. In various markets in Nigeria, traders are trying to avoid Chinese electric wires on the understanding that they are of poor quality with the associated risk.

But corruption which Buhari government promised to fight is really endemic across segments, as it makes it difficult to enforce safety standards in both importation and local production.

However, since China manufactures for other markets, especially Europe and Western world, it is alleged that some unscrupulous elements in China and Africa are conniving to manufacture sub-standard products for Africa, a development which is tarnishing Chinese image.

But it is not sure how China has responded to this.

China is strongly making efforts to build robust relationship with Nigeria and other African countries. When President Xi Jinping of China visited Africa recently he announced$60 billion development assistance to the Continent. Nigeria has massively engaged Chinese construction companies but the snag on its products in the continent is a big challenge to Beijing.

The 5G question Early November, last year, China launched 5G networks, a move to improve telecommunication services. In the recent years, 5G is said to have attracted significant attention from governments and industries for its vast potential.

With the launch of 5G in November and the discovery of Covid-19 in December, last year, international rumour mill in Europe and Africa started linking the cause of the pandemic to 5G networks. 5G masts were said to be destroyed in Europe. It must be noted that China launched 5G ahead of some European countries.

In a reaction on this, one of those who knows better, Ernest Ndukwe, the Executive Chairman, MTN Nigeria and former CEO of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Nigeria’s Telecommunications Regulatory Agency from 2000 to 2010, clarified the issue in a newspaper report.

“Let me state to the best of my knowledge that 5G has not been linked to any adverse health effects not to talk of inducing the COV-

ID-19. Any assertion to the contrary is absurd and scientifically flawed.

It is also incredibly irresponsible because, in some extreme circumstances, we have seen attacks on telecoms infrastructure, which may lead to disruption of services that are absolutely essential, especially during this time.

“You can simply look at the results of a recent study by the International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP), an independent international watchdog, which confirmed there is no risk of harmto people, includingchildren, from exposure to radio frequencies from mobile networks, including 5G. In its findings, the Commission reviewed 20 additional years of research and echoed previous reassurances from the World Health Organization. These findings have also been re-iterated by the Nigerian CommunicationsCommissionwho monitor radiation emissions from base stations nationally (none of which are 5G), and have confirmed that they are well within set limits.

So, there is no link between 5G and COVID-19 and no link between telecoms services in general and health issues.”

Other international scientists have re-echoed similar view debunking the link claims with UK Prime Minister spokesman describing the claim as ‘’complete nonsense’’.

Irritated over this unconfirmed belief of Covid-19 and 5G in some Nigerian quarters, Owei Lakemfa, a veteran journalist writing recently explained that “The 5G network is basically an improvement on the high-speed mobile internet (4G) which was an improvement on the voice and mobile data (3) itself an advancement on the Digital Voice (2G) and the Analogue Voice (1G). “ In rolling out 5G which some countries like South Korea, Britain,

United States, Switzerland, Finland and Germany have done, the approving authorities put into consideration basic issues like health, security, labour, commercial and social implications. The 5G will not be decided by rancorous debates, rumours or fake news. It is the logic of science, the pull of technology, demands of knowledge and commerce and the inevitability of an idea whose time has come. It should be clear to all that 5G is global and not a Chinese invention” The Covid-19 challenge China’s international image was further slapped by the discovery of coronavirus on its land of Wuhan.

The pandemic has so far claimed about 125,000 lives globally without stopping.

Some individuals in Africa are overlooking the huge resource commitment by China in various economies but the thinking is that China is not only exporting substandard products but disease also.

The suspicion against China is so deep that the country’s effort to support Africans in the fight against coronavirus is equally viewed with suspicion. In Nigeria, doctors have threatened to review their “participation in the fight against COVID-19” if a government decision to purportedly invite Chinese medical team is not rescinded. Government has denied inviting the Chinese medical team.

“The controversy comes as rumors have spread on social media in Nigeria and other countries that medical equipment received from China have been contaminated with the coronavirus. In Ghana, false information about Chinese-made medication that can cause deaths has also been widely shared on WhatsApp”, writes Kwasi Gyamfi Asiedu in Bizcommunity.

China should be bothered about its reputation

China name is not too welcoming in Africa in spite of the country’s enormous investments and assistance to Africans. Poor perception of China is rubbing off on certain things it does with Africa and the country should be concerned.

Tayo Odusote, Deputy Director at CMC Connect, a notable PR firm in Nigeria also agreed that Chinese products have poor perception in Nigeria. He traced the poor perception of Chinese products to the era when Nigeria was coming from made in Taiwan. “When Taiwan products faded out, it was replaced in Nigeria by Chinese product, most of which were sub-standard”.

China economy and technology grew on imitation and copying and today its products have extremely poor ones, averagely better products and the good ones. Odusote said China good products follow the American standard as America gave them specifications for importation of Chinese products to USA. He said the production and exportation of substandard products to ready markets benefits China.

Odusote said the substandard products which thrive on the back of poverty in many African countries provide labour to 1.2 billion population of China. “Where there are restrictions for importation, some Chinese immigrants, some of them illegal establish factories in remote areas to produce en masse what they know are substandard products and repatriate the money to their economy” Odusote therefore wondered why China, in the face of the toga that its products in Africa are substandard has not made any efforts to correct that impression. “This perhaps indicates that it has accepted that its products are substandard in Africa” But CEO of Indigo, another PR firm, Bolaji Abimbola argued that China being a manufacturing hub, manufactures according specifications. He said today, many consumers cannot distinguish Chinese and Japanese or Korean products. “It is said that importers usually go to China and demand for certain specifications and China ships to Africa what Africa demands” He said that it may be worrisome to place Chinese products as substandard, but said that China may not be bothered about the toga as it still remains a global manufacturing hub producing various quality products for different markets.

Bolaji who said that importation or manufacture of substandard products shows the value Africans place on themselves, also challenged standard regulatory agencies to ensure standards are maintained.

As China is committing huge investments in Africa, it should equally be bothered about its image in the continent.

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CapitalMarket

Africa Prudential, Infinity Mortgage Bank’s Q1 results forewarn impact of coronavirus

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compared with N111.5 million it earned the same period in 2019.

In Q1 2018, Africa Prudential generated N957.80 million, an increase of 49 percent over N641.55 million it realised in Q1 2017. For that period, retainership fees amounted to N122 million, slightly higher than N120 million made from the same source in the first quarter of 2017. Fees from corporate actions saw an improvement from N22.9 million in Q1 2017 to N24.2 million in Q1 2018.

Our analysis shows that the reduction in gross earnings from N957.8 million in Q1 2018 to N869.4 million in Q1 2019 was because of the declining yield

environment while the decline in Q1 2020 revenue was attributed to the rampaging coronavirus.

“Globally, this year had kicked off on an unprecedented note, with the unanticipated spread of the coronavirus disrupting economic activities all across the globe, Nigeria inclusive. The COVID19 pandemic had threatened the smooth operations of our business and that of our clients’ mounting enormous pressure on our revenue sources particularly the Revenue from contract with customers, the resultant effect was the reduction recorded in our gross earnings for Q1 2020.

However, the over 900% surge in our digital consultancy revenue attest to the fact that we have a lot of opportunities to harness the potential inherent in our digital technology business to boost our revenue whilst upscaling our diversification strategy”, Obong Idiong, MD/CEO, Africa Prudential, said.

Ayodeji Ajilore, an insurance analyst with Meristem Securities, expected that the Nigerian insurance sector might not experience much of the coronavirus effects due to the structure of the policies Nigerian insurance firms underwrite and the dynamics of the market.

“The policy structure of the Nigerian market provides for the full force of exclusion clause which exempts firms from settling claims that arise from fundamental risks such as war and pandemics. Whereas the foreign and bigger players are currently grappling with claims settlement bordering on the postponements of Wimbledon, business interruptions, loss of unemployment insurance and other policies. And the only downside for the industry is the inability to underwrite new businesses during this lockdown”, Ajilore said.

per share, representing 35.2 percent year to date price appreciation. Cornerstone Insurance has gained 31.1 percent to close at N0.59 per share. Beta Glass is presently trading at N70 per share, representing 30.1 percent year to date gain in its share price.

The construction giant, Julius Berger, made the list with 23.1 percent price appreciation to close last Friday at N24.50 per share. AIICO Insurance is worth N0.80 per share, and this is due to the fact that its share price has recorded 11.1 percent price appreciation year to date.

Union Bank and 11 Plc (Mobil)

closed last Friday at N6.60 and N160.90 per share, representing 10 and 8.8 percent share price appreciation year to date.

Flour Mills, Champion Breweries and Honeywell Flour Mills traded at N21.20, N0.96 and N1 per share representing 7.6 percent, 1.1 percent and 1 percent year to date price appreciation respectively.

As at last Friday, Nigeria’s confirmed coronavirus cases had risen to 442 with 152 discharged and 13 deaths. Nigeria’s commercial capital, Lagos, and Abuja, the seat of government led with 251 and 67 confirmed cases.

TELIAT SULE t is less than a week that the International Monetary Fund (IMF) predicted the Nigerian economy would contract by as much as 3.4 percent in 2020, emerging trend in the first quarter of 2020 results of listed firms offer stakeholders a glimpse of what the performance of quoted companies in the first three months of this year, and by extension, the second quarter will be like when all the results are finally out.

Market indices not only corroborating IMF’s forecast, emerging first quarter results are also lending credence to the prediction of the global financial institution. As leading indicators, capital market indices and quarterly results of companies forewarn stakeholders of the impending state of the economy.

Between February 27, 2020, when the index coronavirus case arrived in Lagos and April 17, 2020, Nigerian equities have shed N2.02 trillion from their market valuations, with the market capitalisation of quoted stocks nosediving from N13.97 trillion to N11.95 trillion. The All Share Index closed last Friday at 22,921.59 points representing -14.61 percent year to date loss, and 99 percent of the losses which amounted to -14.50 percent took place between February 27 and April 17, 2020.

Africa Prudential and Infinity Trust Mortgage Bank are among the early birds to file their first quarter unaudited results for the period ended March 31, 2020, to the authorities of the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE), and the trend in their results show the impact of COVID 19 could be significant more than anticipated.

Infinity Trust Mortgage Bank recorded an 8 percent reduction

in turnover and 26 percent decline in profit after tax (PAT) at the end of the first quarter ended March 31, 2020. Turnover for the period was N316.2 million whereas in the same period in 2019, the mortgage banker realised N344.9 million. PAT fell to N90.9 million in 2020Q1 as against N123.8 million at the end of the first quarter of 2019.

In Q1 2018, Infinity Trust made N215.3 million and N58.9 million as turnover and profit after tax compared with a turnover and PAT of N205.8 million and N58.2 million respectively in Q1 2017.

The decline in turnover in Q1 2020, whereas that was not the case in Q1 2019 and Q1 2018,

has made market watchers to conclude that many listed firms could be affected by COVID 19 when their Q1 results are released to the public.

Another listed firm, Africa Prudential, saw its gross earnings for the first quarter of 2020 decline by 14 percent to N743 million as against N869 million in the corresponding quarter of 2019.

A deeper dive into its revenue sources shows that the firm made no earnings from retainership services in the first quarter of 2020, whereas in Q1 2019 it realised N116.50 million from the same services. Apart from that, fees from corporate actions fell sharply by 86 percent to N15.33 million

Listed stocks that defied coronavirus TELIAT SULE

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ewer stocks have resisted the bearish forces sweeping the Nigerian equity market, which year to date has lost N2.02 trillion in market capitalisation. Put in another way, the stocks quoted on the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) closed last Friday at -14.61 percent year to date.

The stocks that have so far defied the coronavirus impact are Law Union and Rock, Union Diagnostic and Clinical Services, Livestock Feeds, May and Bak-

er, Cornerstone Insurance, Beta Glass, Julius Berger and AIICO Insurance. Others are Union Bank of Nigeria (UBN), 11 Plc (Mobil), Flour Mills, Champion Breweries and Honeywell Flour.

Some of the factors driving the demand for the stocks are unconnected with merger and acquisition moves, speculations as well as the fact that some of those stocks are presently under-priced.

Law Union & Rock closed last Friday at N1 per share, signifying that its share price has gained 100 percent year to date. Earlier in February this year, the market

was jolted when the company announced that Verod Capital Management, a West Africa private equity firm focusing on investing in equity and equity-linked capital in growth companies, offered to acquire all Law Union’s issued capital at N1.23 per share.

Union Diagnostic and Clinical Services presently trades at less than its nominal value but closed last Friday at N0.31 percent despite gaining 40.9 percent year to date. Livestock Feeds has gained 40 percent year to date to close at N0.70 per share last Friday.

May & Baker closed at N2.61

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BDSUNDAY 31

SundayBusiness Food & Beverages With Ayo Oyoze Baje

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s people grow old, several changes take place both within and without, altering the way they look and behave. On the surface, they spot grey hairs, some hairs fall off, skin sags, wrinkles appear, some lose their teeth as bones weaken too.

Generally, aging is associated with various diseases and disability, most of which could be reduced by taking the right diet.

But first, let us look at the severe changes that take place, their symptoms and dietary solutions.

Organs Symptoms Preventive measures Bone Skeleton may lose calcium.

Joints suffer from arthritis, rheumatism and osteoporosis (thinning of bones).

Anti-aging diet Take calcium-rich foods such as milk, soft fish bones, vegetables.

But research has shown that plant proteins are healthier sources because they slow down the loss of calcium through the kidneys.

It is interesting to note that our body’s cells constantly renew themselves. The average age of a bone cell is 10 years, intestinal cells 5 days, gut 9-15 years, skin, two weeks, red blood cells 120 days, cerebellum slightly younger than your real age but that of the cerebrum is your real age.

Diet against arthritis For painful joints squeeze half lemon in one glass of hot water and drink thrice a day. Also, apply raw potato juice or use the water used to boil potato to rub the joints.

Alternatively, massage your joints with neem oil and camphor.

Drink coconut oil. Pineapple juice when consumed regularly assists in the health of bones at joints.

Brisk walking is a must daily.

Regular activity makes the marrow to produce more blood cells.

A gentle massage with warm, olive oil is very effective to relieve pains caused by arthritis. Ginger has been found to cure arthritis. Garden egg, when applied externally is potent in the cure of rheumatism/ arthritis.

Avoid all foods (fried fatty fast food, sugary soft drinks) and sedentary lifestyle that could lead to overweight, and cause pains at joints.

Lime is effective against arthritis because it has citric acid that

dissolves (as solvent) the uric acid which is the major cause of it.

Brain Brain-related problems include stroke, Alzheimer’s disease, dementias and Parkinson’s disease.

Older people tend to forget things more easily and less sharp at reasoning. They are also slow at speech. Senses deteriorate, sights fail. Cataracts become common.

Deafness takes place.

Ea t p l e n t y o f f r u i t s a n d vegetables. French scientists discovered that out of the 1,640 adults monitored over 10 years, those who ate flavonoid-rich fruits, vegetables and drank tea stayed the keenest. One-sixth of a grapefruit is recommended daily. Two cups of green tea daily.

Liver is a fantastic source of protein, iron and B-vitamins, all essential for brain functions says Dr. Alan Steward. So eat liver.

Muscle Muscle cells weaken due to degeneration or wasting away.

Old people move more slowly, sometimes stopping. Skins sag. Body tissues are damaged from exposure to radiation and mutagenic chemicals.

Take oat meals like Quaker Oat, or carbohydrate-rich ogi. They are a great source of complex carbohydrates which keep the sugar stable for sustained energy.

Red meat is super-rich in iron for making rbc which transport oxygen round the body to release energy.

Protein-rich foods such as milk, poultry, fish, eggs would assist in

building body cells or replacing weak and worn-out ones.

Blood circulation The heart beats slowly as old people cope with narrowed arteries duetowhatiscalledarteriosclerosis.

They have stiff blood vessels.

If unchecked, all these could lead to high blood pressure, stroke and heart attack.

A combination of onion and garlic is found as the best blood vessel cleanser. Garlic stimulates immune functions and lowers blood cholesterol level. Sweet potatoes also reduce blood cholesterol level. Onions are a rich source of flavonoids that protect against cardiovascular disease. They also kill worms and parasites in the stomach.

Take dark, green vegetable that boost the intake of folic acid, B-vitamin essentials for the prevention of heart disease and possibly cancer.

Endocrine system Hormone systems begin to break down in old age. The body cells become less sensitive to insulin, leading to diabetes.

In women, after menopause, there is lower level of oestrogen leading eventually to weaker bones.

Replace meat with beans several times a week to increase intake of phytoestrogens that lower the risk of cancer. The fibre in beans lowers blood sugar and fats, thus reducing the incidents of heart disease and diabetes.

Also, whole grains possess trace element of chromium to boost

immunity and regulate blood sugar.

On a general note: (a) Increase intake of fruits and vegetables.

Recommended is 5 to 8 servings for optimal intake of vitamin C, betacarotene, fibre and phyto-chemicals that assist in the prevention of various diseases.

For instance, bananas prevent intestinal disorder, constipation, diarrhea, dysentery, arthritis, gout, anaemia, tuberculosis, overweight and kidney disorders. (b) Limit the intake of excess calories.

Reduce the intake of useless calories from fried fatty food, sugary drinks and alcohol. (c) Exercise regularly Early morning walk, bicycling and swimming are good. A weekly routine of weight-lifting maintain strong bones, reduce heart-disease, cancer risks, boosts the immune system and maintain desirable weight. Research has shown that old people who exercise regularly look and feel 20 years younger than sedentary people.

Daily intake of one ounce of walnuts, ounce of cocoa-based chocolate, 14 ounces of cold water fish, salmon, tuna groups, oranges, onion, garlic, tomatoes.

Baje is Nigerian first Food Technologist in the media ayobaje@yahoo.co.uk; 07068638066

3 ways AI, smart tech can help us work more efficiently at home: The LG ways...

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s more people work from home in lieu of commuting to crowded corporate offices, people are in their homes in greater numbers than ever before balancing both job-related tasks and home responsibilities. From sticking to a set work schedule to allocating a certain area of the house as a home office, people are thinking of interesting and useful ways to better their experience when working from home.

Thankfully, the tech industry’s leading players have been hard at work finding new and inventive ways to make home life more convenient. Laptops and webcams aren’t the only devices you need; from voice-control to personalized performance, the latest AI tech and smart solutions are making it possible to get more accomplished with a lot less effort, and without ever setting foot outside the front door.

Here are a few solutions that may help us be more effective when home also happens to be our office: Finding it hard to focus at home?

Use AI speakers as your personal assistant!

Shifting from a bustling office to the peace and quiet of your own home (when the kids aren’t around) can be a relaxing and refreshing change, but it can also

make it difficult to stay focused.

Research shows that changing out of pajamas and into smart-casual clothing and setting up a dedicated, well-lit workstation can help keep you on-task and productive. One of the most effective solutions is to allocate a certain area of the house as your home office – and it doesn’t have to be simply isolating yourself in a room for less distractions.

Get creative and change the atmosphere around you using today’s tech to the fullest.

If you find yourself struggling, why not ask your AI speaker – like the LG XBOOM AIThinQ – to play some white noise, café sounds, or whatever type of music helps you to concentrate. Take advantage of services like Spotify to set up playlists and stations that create the right soundtrack for your working day, and for when you’re off the clock.

What about the kids?

Keep them busy with AI-

recommended programmes and features!

Working at home with children can be difficult. Focusing on a pressing report can be a struggle while trying to attend to your children, not to mention the laundry, dishes, and dust all vying for your urgent attention.

Before the stress becomes all too much, consider this entirely more peaceful scenario: You’re making great progress on your work as your smart appliances deal with the dishes, laundry and dusty floors. You take a quick peek in the living room and there are the kids, sitting quietly in front of the TV, enjoying fun, age-appropriate entertainment that you didn’t even have to search for. AI-infused TVs like the LG OLED ThinQ AI TV can deliver tailored recommendations based on viewers’ age and their previous viewing choices. What’s more, you won’t even have to worry about the remote getting

lost or broken, since voice control and LG’s platform-wide search function make finding great content easy for everyone.

Yo u r c h i l d r e n m a y h a v e responsibilities of their own, which can be difficult for them to do when there’s a TV in the room. Helping your kids focus on homework or reading, the latest smart TVs can transform into a virtual gallery displaying a restful landscape, beautiful artwork or roaring fireplace, which adds a new dimension to your living room and elevates the ambience to help you and your children be more productive.

Scrambling to keep tidy and get your work done? Connect your AIpowered appliances for ultimate smart control!

Working at the office isn’t easy with project deadlines, client meetings and constant phone calls.

But working at home isn’t all fun and games either, dealing with all this

and household chores that keep piling on. It’s easy to feel like you have to be a multitasking machine to stay on top of everything, but when you can control your appliances with the single click of a button or a simple voice command, multitasking really isn’t all that hard.

Today’s smart technology can connect everything in the home, from your lights and TVs to the thermostat and robot vacuum. Virtual assistants like Amazon Alexa or the Google Assistant let you control them all with just your voice, as do convenient smartphone apps.

For instance, with the LG ThinQ app, you can remotely control, schedule and monitor a whole range of LG appliances – such as the washer, dryer, robotic vacuum and air conditioner – with a touch of a finger or simple voice command.

Keep calm and stay smart Working from home can be difficult to manage, but with tech companies introducing a range of innovative solutions to make life indoors more efficient, there’s plenty of room in the home for both productivity and relaxation.

With the latest smart home technologies at your disposal, that the report is as good as done.

To learn how AI can help you work smarter at home, visit LG ThinQ - Think Wise. Be Free. | LG USA

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Sunday 19 April, 2020

SundayBusiness What MBAN can do as coronavirus takes toll on borrowers

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ortgage is among the many sectors of regional and global economy at the receiving end of the crippling impact of coronavirus pandemic. The virus has affected nations’ economies significantly.

The main concern of everybody now is how to survive COVID- 19 and so, nobody is minding his or her indebtedness to either individuals or institutions or both. This explains the fear of mortgage default among operators everywhere.

In Nigeria, the fear of default is also palpable. The few mortgagors in the country are mostly people in the formal sector. These are people whose work places have been shut down for months, meaning that there is no income. Salaries have been put on hold and, where they are paid, they have been cut.

But operators have to remain in business, hence the need for their umbrella body to revisit an earlier initiative which it set out to explore a couple of years ago. It serves the moment.

Mortgage Banking Association of Nigeria (MBAN) had announced that it was exploring a veritable funding source for the sub-sector, explaining that the move was aimed to find out the suitability, applicability and the possibility of adopting non-interest mortgages to unlock the potential of the Sukuk model.

The economic situation in the country occasioned by coronavirus

means that MBAN has to return to the drawing table to re-activate all process necessary for that initiative to leave the ground “That was a very good move that brought excitement to a sector that has been dull and unexciting for years now. One thought some sort of life was coming into the sector, but it does seem that it is still all motion without movement,” said Modupe Ogundana, a mortgage market analyst.

Ogundana described the move as “inspiring and forward-looking”, urging the operators to forge ahead with the idea given the expected gains and impact it will make on housing and home-ownership.

Mortgage banks had agreed to un-bundle the sub­sector in the main areas of mortgage guarantee and insurance as well as collaborate with the mortgage brokerage companies to deepen mortgage financing, thereby devolving some of their functions to the mortgage brokerage firms to ensure more vibrancy.

They advocated that MBAN should explore collaboration with building materials manufacturers to reduce the cost of houses and make housing affordable as well as resolved to explore viable options for cheaper sources of funds with a view to reducing the interest rate on mortgages to single digit.

Consequently, they plan a tripartite advocacy for intervention fund for the sub-sector in partnership with Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), National Pension Commission (PENCOM) through the

proposed interest rate matching fund scheme and a home-grown initiative for tying mortgage to pensions, which will encourage homeownership and lower interest rate on mortgage.

The document, issued in respect of this move, was signed by MBAN president, Adeniyi Akinlusi and the Executive Secretary, Kayode Omotoso. The document notes that since infrastructure constitutes over 30 per cent of the cost of housing delivery, federal, state and local governments should strive to provide support to estate developers by stepping up provision of infrastructure to enhance delivery of affordable housing in the country.

MBAN said it was planning to start a constructive engagement/ advocacy with the governments for improved infrastructure development to drive down the cost of housing delivery, especially for the low and mid-income earners.

The operators recommended that Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria (FMBN) and MBAN should take necessary steps to fast track the evolution of new business models that would include strategies to streamline on-line processes for access to the NHF scheme.

This, they explained, was to mitigate the challenges of response time to secure approval from FMBN on National Housing Fund (NHF) loan applications. It was also agreed that both FMBN and MBAN should collaborate to create public awareness on the NHF scheme, and its critical imperative to mortgage for home

Talking Mortgage with CHUKA UROKO (08037156969, chukuroko@yahoo.com)

ownership in Nigeria.

The mortgage firms prescribed further that MBAN and other stakeholders should explore how data gathering and extraction strategies can be incorporated in the operational strategies of each mortgage bank, to make mortgage process quick, smart and efficient and to enhance decision making and efficiency in the sub-sector.

They agreed that MBAN should collaborate with other stakeholders such as the CBN, Nigeria Mortgage Refinance Company (NMRC), FMBN and Real Estate Developers Association of Nigeria (REDAN) for the purpose of approaching the National Assembly (NASS).

They want the NASS to expedite action on amendments to the various laws affecting the mortgage/housing sub-sector; especially those related to foreclosure and improving the operations of the NHF scheme viz-a-viz collection, enhanced coverage and reducing the housing deficit.

The operators are concerned about the slow growth of their sector in an otherwise robust economy where its contribution is very criti-

cal. This is why they have come out with strategic initiatives aimed at growing the sector and making it unlock its potential.

They are, therefore, plotting and pushing for the unbundling of mortgage origination process, further reduction in loan origination period, introduction of computerised land titling registration, land title insurance, introduction of uniform mortgage underwriting standards (UUS) for informal sector, enactment of foreclosure law, and wider public awareness for the sector.

The sector’s slow growth is reflected in its low contribution to GDP which stands at 1 percent, hence the drive by the operators to push this contribution to, at least, 5 percent in the short term, 30 percent in the medium term, and about 65 percent in the long run.

The sector is challenged in several ways which Femi Johnson, CEO, Homebase Mortgage Bank Limited, blames on low mortgage penetration. He said that this low penetration is why less than 5 percent of about 13.7 million housing units in the country has formal title registration.

SAPIENCE: Rethink How to turbo-charge your business through turbulent times (Part 2)

with Toluwanimi Osinowo (08037156969, chukuroko@yahoo.com) Obinna Emelike Lesson 1: Learn to redefine your business ne of the fundamental mistakes business leaders make is in conceptualising what their business is. Traditional business thinking makes you consider what goods or services your business is providing (product) and to whom these are being provided (customer). This seems straightforward enough, unfortunately, this way of thinking is where the problem often begins. Yes, in all likelihood you have a product of some sort to provide in the marketplace but that is not your business. Conceptualising your business this way already limits the possibilities available to your mind. It is a straight-jacket for your perception and in the highest sense, it is simply not true.

A picture of your business The best way to introduce a new

O

way of thinking about our businesses is by using a metaphor: imagine a person (you) is using a vehicle to deliver something (the essence/ content) to a target (someone or some people). It is important to note that in this story, you have something you want to give and someone to whom you want to give it. The importance of this desire will become evident as we proceed.

This metaphor is illustrated in the diagram below.Illustration by David Idibe This is a truer picture of your business and as simple and abstracted as it may be, captures the key elements to enable us begin to redefine how we think about what we do in our organizations. Let us consider these elements one after the other.

The vehicle The vehicle (in our metaphor) is what most people mean when

they are talking about their “business”. One reason for this is that it is usually the most tangible of the elements. However, in reality, as with most vehicles, it is only a means to an end. Your vehicle is the active framework that helps you deliver the content you have to your target. It includes organizational structure, your business operations and logistics by which you are able to deliver your goods/ services and communicate with the market. Now, this is the surprising part for most people, your vehicle includes the product and services themselves! That whole setup is the vehicle of your business – it is simply the energized machinery of content delivery. It, therefore, follows that the vehicle should not be the focus of your mental energies. It is no doubt an element of your business definition but not the primary one. It is helpful for getting what is important (the essence/content) to who is important (the target). But you may ask “how will that happen if I do not have a working vehicle?”

Firstly, a vehicle is not necessary to communicate your content.

As in real life, it is possible to carry something to someone without the aid of any vehicle whatsoever. So

it is with business. As comfortable residents in the 21st century, we often forget that the modern idea we have of business is a very recent one and relatively inorganic. At the most basic level, what is required for business is two human beings with something to give or share. There is no doubt that the vehicle (with all the trappings of modern business) can be very useful especially as the volume of content increases but for a lot of people, it is the only way they can imagine things working - this is a limiting thought-pattern.

And herein lies the problem, especially in turbulent times like we are now experiencing. The casualty of turbulent times for businesses is generally the vehicle and not the essence. Unfortunately, because a lot of people have put so much stock in their vehicles – any event or series of events that deals a damaging blow to their vehicles is enough to bring their whole venture to an end.

On the other hand, when people are talking about saving their businesses, they are often talking about saving the vehicle – the tangible elements they consider the essentials of business.

If there is only one thing you will get from this article, let it be

this – your business (e.g. structures, processes, and even goods and services) is only the outward manifestation of your real business (the content or essence you are delivering).

Turbulent times require ascension in level of thought. In order to navigate through raging storms, it becomes more important than ever to locate immovable points of reference that transcend times and seasons - find the North Star and you can find your way. This is why it is extremely important for you to understand this point as it sets the framework for the breakthrough thinking you will need in the coming days.

Join me next week, as we boil things down to get to the essence of your business Dr. Toluwanimi Osinowo is a thinker and teacher: coaching high-potential leaders, advising organisations and originating breakthrough ideas. He is the founder of CANTAB Associates and the pioneer of SAPIENCE which is both a philosophy and methodology of thinking. He previously worked in the London office of the leading global strategy consulting firm Bain & Company. He studied Medicine at the University of Cambridge where he was a Cambridge Commonwealth Scholar. He can be reached for your questions and comments. e-mail: info@cantab-associates.com

Sunday 19 April 2020

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Sunday Business Entrepreneurship Drumbeat with MUNA ONUZO

Is starting a business right for me?

Instagram: @startupdoctor | @munaonuzo Mobile: +2348077701104 Email: thestartupdocto@gmail.com

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Dear Startup Doctor, am currently working in a firm where the pay is not bad; yet not good enough to sustain me and my responsibilities in the long run. I am contemplating resigning to start my business. Do you think starting my business is right?

Tolu, Lagos.

Dear Tolu, In an ideal world, starting your business is best. The independence to control your time and make money from your idea is always an appealing notion. However, I do not know exactly where you are in terms of skills, financial capacity and capability, structure and even state of mind to advise you to start a business and cannot say for sure which would be right for you at this time without further x-raying to understand your current situation fully. However, I will do my utmost best to guide you in making the right choice.

The first line of thought I would like us to explore is this: Getting another job can solve your money mroblem I understand your allure to entrepreneurship, but it doesn’t always mean that working for someone is not also rewarding or would ensure your financial future. What often makes the difference is your resourcefulness and the value you are contributing to your organization.

Since your primary consideration here is about earning enough money to shoulder your responsibilities, starting your own business may not be necessary. You might consider carrying out a personal skill audit to know if you are qualified for a promotion or have the firepower to negotiate higher pay with your employer.

Make no mistakes about this: I understand the power of having your own business, and I have been advocating for entrepreneurship for over a decade; however, I am also aware that it is not everybody that’s cut out for entrepreneurship.

Some people are better off working under someone while others take on the risks associated with building your own business. Moreover, some people left their startup because of the appeal of paid employment and fared worse than when they worked for themselves and vice versa. Their experiences do not mean you shouldn’t leave; it just simply means that: Starting your business is not enough!

You see, just like everything serious you want to do in life, you need a certain level of preparation if success is your goal. You cannot just be careless or spontaneous when thinking of starting a business, and hope to do well. You have to be armed with the vital information required to support the viability of your idea, possess the skillset, doggedness, hunger to succeed. Be always ready to innovate and refine your ideas, develop a thick skin, have patience and a certain degree of maturity needed to assess issues to make the right judgement call

critically.

The ability to pay for office space, hire staff, get a website and logo for your company is not enough. Having a moneybag father or considerable savings is not all there is to succeed in business. The passion and commitment to succeed is equally not enough. As crucial as those are, they are not enough.

The challenge with many people who want to start a business is that they jump off with their brilliant ideas without sitting down to count the cost of starting a business. By cost, I am not just talking about money alone. There are many other sacrifices we make as business owners that money alone pales as a yardstick to gauge the cost of all we have had to expend to build a thriving business.

The result is that most people who fall into the first category in this paragraph start but are unable to build and sustain their business. This lack of preparation leads them into more profound financial crisis than they had in paid employment.

I am sure you don’t want that to happen to you. So, to determine if you should start your own business or not, you need to be sure if you have: What it takes to build a profitable business To be able to build a truly profitable business, you must have a viable business idea, starving market and the capacity to deliver the solution they need consistently. That’s the basics of what it takes to run a profitable business.

Let’s unbundle these assertions.

Unless you want to start a me-too type of business, you might want to consider an idea that is capable of solving a problem or meeting a need for many people. You should be providing what existing businesses in your industry are not or even if you provide the same solution, you should do this in a much better and efficient way to stand out. It can be as little as improving the process of service delivery; product add-on or as big as revolutionising the way businesses operate in that particular industry.

So, for any idea, you have now or a business you want to start when you eventually decide to either sue for promotion or resign from your current job, I want you to ask yourself: What can I do differently from the existing businesses that might enable me to thrive and make more sales? Can this solution solve a recurrent need? What is the lifespan or

cycle of this solution?

If your answer is ‘No’, you don’t have a business idea yet. If yes, consider what that thing is. Is it good enough for someone to leave existing brands and patronize you? Is it something that can make your target customers willing to come to do business with you? If you were in their shoes, will you spend money to buy what you are offering? I am not a pessimist trying to dissuade you from starting a business. I am the Startup Doctor who is trying to help you launch out with strength and vitality.

To start and build a sustainable business, you must offer something that existing businesses don’t offer. You must be doing something different. That different thing (which is called a Unique Selling Proposition) must be attractive enough for people to choose you among more prominent and existing companies offering similar services or products.

It is not enough to have an idea. Your idea must solve a problem for a starving target market. No matter how good the innovation you want to package is, be sure that there is an audience for that solution. If, as an example, you decided to start selling digital voice recorder to broadcasters, as a business idea, are you sure they need it?

You may think they do; however, on the other hand, they think downloading a good app on their mobile phone might be much expedient. Selling digital voice recorders may be a good idea; but if the majority of your target audience are satisfied with using their mobile phone app to record interviews and vox pop for their radio production, dear budding entrepreneur, you don’t have a starving market.

Similarly, figuring out how to package Pap and Akara such that it retains its freshness till afternoon, could be quite an innovative move. However, beyond the excitement, do you have consumers that want to eat Pap and Akara in the afternoon? In most places, people eat this local delicacy either in the morning or late evening; but not afternoon. The way you can innovate is to find a way to make the delivery easy for people to buy and take to work the same way they can buy Moi-Moi or Okpa on the go.

Do you get my point now? Right! So, that’s how to determine if you have a market for your business idea and how you can apply innovative solutions to give your brand an edge.

Having an idea and a starving audi-

“

Some people are better off working under someone while others take on the risks associated with building your own business

ence is still not enough. You must equally have the capacity to deliver the solution you want to give to your target market.

The undoing of many businesses is that they could not consistently deliver on their brand promise. Capacity does not only refer to financial capability but equally points to human and machine.

You might require some capital to be able to get started with delivering the solution or creating the innovative product idea you have. Sometimes, it’s not money you need. You might need training, appropriate branding and product packaging. It could also be creating the right awareness, and the sales and distribution structure to deliver the service you want to offer.

In other instances, you might need to hire more than two employees to work with you to give birth to your business idea. Aside from being able to hire the best hands, you still need to pay them and provide leadership, if you don’t have the capacity in these areas, then you might not yet be ready for business. Being able to bring together and a lead a great team requires that you possess the required knowledge and expertise necessary to be able to provide the needed leadership and guidance. If you don’t have it yet, you may need to spend some more time on your job to learn or even if necessary, take a lower-paying job that gives you a chance to acquire requisite skills and exposure. However, if it’s money to survive that is driving your need to start a business, you may need to reconsider embarking on an entrepreneurial journey.

Many people have received millions of Naira as a grant. However, in retrospect, a year or two down the road, their businesses have folded up. So, what went wrong? After all, their business idea was brilliant enough to get the funding required to start their organization.

One critical factor that affects growth is the capacity to manage and multiply the funds. Most successful businesses learned success principles in a hard way.

They have painstakingly built their businesses one brick at a time from nothing to become the multinationals we see today because they were patient to lay a solid foundation at the start of their business.

The secret to building a sustainable business lies in the strength of the foundation of the business to carry it to scale. Ask yourself, how patient are you to set up the structure of your business from the beginning to carry the growth projections you have made?

Just in case you are still wondering what my direct answer is, I have none.

However, if you read and apply the answers to some of the queries I have raised above, you might be able to arrive at the best answer that suits your situation.

As you meditate on these words, let me guide your thoughts by posing these questions below to you.

1)If you leave your job now, do you have a business idea that can solve a problem for a starving market?

2) Do you have what it takes to deliver the solution?

3) Do you have enough money to sustain yourself and family while building your business and waiting to turn a profit?

If your answer is yes, you are on track.

If you answered no to two or three of the questions, my advice would be to stay in your job or get a higher paying one until you are ready.

All the best in your pursuits!

Keep Sparkling.

The Startup Doctor

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Sunday 19 April 2020

State of the Nation

Lagos residents now live in fear as crime rate, insecurity heighten in suburbs …Residents form vigilance groups to protect selves …Robbers write to potential targets CHUKA UROKO, JOSHUA BASSCY, AMAKA ANAGOR-EWUZIE & INIOBONG IWOK

T

o a little extent, many Lagosians were prepared for the lockdown of their ever bustling city on the orders of the Federal Government as part of measures to contain and curtail further spread of the coronavirus—the health emergency that has brought global economy on its knees.

Knowing that it was going to be a long-drawn holiday, the few who have the means went a-shopping and stocked up their pantries. They even bought enough fuel or diesel to power their generators and also bought enough data for their gadgets because they have to work from home.

Kayode Solomon is one of the few Lagosians who made these preparations for both the first and the extended lockdown.

But the events of the past few days have thrown a rude shock at Solomon, making him realise that he was not adequately prepared for the lockdown.

Solomon, who lives in one of the Lagos suburbs, is no longer suffering from only the pains of a forced holiday with all the attendant cost and discomfort arising from lack of electricity, and water in some cases, but also from the psychological

trauma of being besieged by armed robbers.

Before the end of the first 14 days of lockdown, security concerns were already mounting in the affected three states, especially Lagos and Ogun where robbers, citing hunger, were attacking residents on daily basis.

When the Federal Government extended the lockdown by another two weeks, expectation was high that it would address the hunger and security concerns in the affected states. But

those concerns did not mean anything to Mr. President.

This slip is reason many more Lagosians like Solomon can no longer enter their house and sleep because their communities have been overrun by armed robbers who operate as they like, unchallenged by security operatives, pushing the communities to resort to self-help.

Whether it is Alapere in Ketu, Surulere, Okota, Ejigbo, Igando, Isashi, Ijegun, etc, the story is

the same of how residents no longer sleep at night as the robbers, especially the rampaging gang known as One Million Boys, has become not only vicious but also daring.

Sunday Izuchukwu is a 45year old man, who lives in one of the suburbs of Lagos State called Ijegun. He runs a small bar and pepper soup joint around his area which enables him to earn a living and put food on his table.

Izuchukwu’s business was

suddenly put on hold three weeks ago when the Federal Government announced the stay-at-home order to contain the spread of coronavirus outbreak otherwise known as COVID-19.

Th o u g h Iz u c h u k w u w a s thankful to God that the development would enable him spend more time with his lovely wife and three children, he never knew that the worst was yet to come.

“On Tuesday, April 14, 2020 after the extension of the lockdown order, our streets received a letter from a robbery gang called ‘One Million Boys’ telling us to get ready for their coming that fateful Tuesday night.

They warned that we should not involve police or any other security operative if we do not want them to be violent when they eventually came,” Izuchukwu told BDSUNDAY on a chat.

Similar letters have been written and sent to other locations. The gang circulated an alert letter to the residents of Okota in Oshodi-Isolo Local Government Area of the state, threatening to come to rob and asking the residents to cooperate with them or have their hands cut off.

The short and sharp alert letter which BDSUNDAY sighted reads: “One Million Boys are coming to visit your area very soon. So, make everybody pre-

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State of the Nation pare. If you don’t comply, we will cut off your hand.”

On Wednesday night, the boys made good their threat, visited the area and robbed Green Field Estate located along the Ago Palace Way, towards Ago-Amuwo Link Bridge. That same night, they also visited Lila Street, off Ago Palace Way. Thursday morning, another gang that calls itself 100 Million Boys of Nigeria Surulere circulated a letter to the tenants of a street in Ijeshatedo in Surulere, notifying them that they would be visiting the tenants (this week).

“We advise you comply and prepare for our coming. If you try to contact the police or any other security, (means) it will be bloody for everyone there. Bear in mind that we are dangerous and can take any risk of action,” the alert letter reads in part.

Izuchukwu recalled that after hearing of the letter to his street, night sleep left his eyes and the eyes of all the residents in his area because from that day till date, “we have not had night sleep as residents including men, youths and in some cases women formed a vigilance group to keep watch at night in preparation for the coming of the gang ‘One Million Boys’.

“Every night people congregate at the entrance of the street and we mount road blocks by putting up bonfire to scare the robbers away. People come out with different weapons such as machetes, knife, licensed guns for the ‘big men’, axe, hoe, hammer and other weapons to defend themselves from possible attackers.”

“Though they have not made it to our street since then, I got to hear that residents, local vigilantes and police repelled ‘One Million Boys’ attack on Kudeyibu Estate in the same Ijegun where I live,” he said.

According to him, a friend, who lives at Ijagemo, another area around Ijegun, mentioned that the boys came to attack people of Ijagemo and Ijegun one afternoon, and succeeded in robbing people of their belongings.

The worst, he said, was that they promised those people that they would come back soon and I heard that in some places where they succeeded, the boys even raped women after robbery.

BDSUNDAY check shows that the situation is same almost everywhere in and around Alimosho, Agege, Iyana-Ipaja, Ejigbo, Idimu, Isheri, Egbeda, Oke-Afa and even Surulere, Ijesha and its environs.

“These were boys recruited by politicians as political thugs during elections. After arming and using them during elections, they disengaged them without retrieving the weapons from them. That was how the Boko Haram started in the North East. The ones terrorising Lagos residents now were formerly known to be cult boys

that were based in Ikorodu area but they have migrated to other communities in Lagos and have succeeded in building networks all around Lagos,” said Kenny Esohe, a resident of Ikotun area of Lagos.

Esohe, who disclosed that there seems to be no hope in sight for the sleepless night in his area, said residents take turns to keep watch at night. He said that some people keep watch between the hours of 22:00

(10pm) to 2:00 am before retiring to bed, while another group would take over and watch till day break.

“Before now, these bad boys used to earn their living through means like sports betting and collection of ‘Omonile money’ from commercial vehicles, market women and builders at construction sites but since the lockdown, their means of livelihood just like any other person, has been put on hold,” he stated.

Esohe expressed the optimism that if angry residents and law enforcement agencies such as Police succeed in killing a good number of them, the crime rate would reduce drastically.

“We made effort using our connection to contact Ikotun, Idimu and Ejigbo Police Stations but officers told us that there was nothing they could do to help us because there was not enough Police Van to use for the operation. We were told that each of the stations have two Police Vans. The most annoying one was that of Ikotun that said one of the vans needs nothing less than N800,000 to put it into good shape,” he said.

Expressing concern as to how these small boys could succeed in keeping old men awake outside on guard, just because

of government’s ineptitude, he questioned how it was possible for every other person to see the boys’ activities in Lagos, yet the police have continued to be blind to such.

“Do you know that my area scattered on Wednesday because of those boys. We don’t sleep anymore in Abule-Egba area but thank God police came to our aid last (Wednesday) night and the police did vigilante with our men,” said one Yusuf Adejumo, a resident of AbuleEgba.

Adejumo told BDSUNDAY that his friend who lives in Gowon Estate in Egbeda said the residents had to use their connection to get officers to come and mount road blocks in the entrance of the estate using their vans.

“My friend said that it is costing a lot to keep those police officers guarding their estate.

They pay them money and also mobilise the youth to join as vigilance group that secures the Estate. It is no longer easy to survive in Nigeria when citizen provide their water, electricity and now even security, then what is government doing for its citizens,” he queried.

Adejumo noted that it was time Sanwo-Olu looked into the security problem in the state because people have heard enough of coronavirus.

An Ikotun resident who gave his name as Benson Idowu expressed worry with the frequent armed robbery attacks in their community which, he said, was known for being safe and peaceful but has suddenly become risky.

“We know where all these things are coming from. Government says everybody should stay at home without any provision for the people. Hunger has taken over many homes and everybody is angry.

“Don’t forget that everybody is now idle without income.

Okada riders are idle; Danfo drivers are also idle and all those who used to make their money from okada, keke and danfo operators are also idle; what do you expect? Idowu queried.

Cyril Emeh, a public health worker, commended the federal government for extending the lockdown by additional 14 days, but noted that it was not enough to extend the lockdown without addressing the social, economic and security concerns of the people in the affected states.

Both Orile Agege and some parts of Oshodi were seriously attacked Monday. “We have street gate but that could not help us when they came last night,” said Benjamin Eke who lives in Oshodi. “Our lives are in God’s hand and I know he will protect his people,” Eke added resignedly.

Even if the coronavirus goes away today or tomorrow, the impact will not go away any time soon. In a very significant way, the virus has altered the 2020 projections, economically and politically.

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Health&Science When there is no sperm in the ejaculate (Azoospermia) Contributor

Abayomi Ajayi

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COVID-19: Nigerian military activates two laboratories in FCT, Lagos

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Godsgift Onyedinefu, Abuja

he Nigerian Military has provided two laboratories in FCT and Lagos with capacity to test for the Covid-19 and Personnel Protective Equipment (PPE), as part of it’s support to federal government to tackle the pandemic in Nigeria.

John Enenche, Coordinator, Defence Media Operations (DMO), who disclosed this in Abuja informed that the laboratories are the Defence Reference Laboratory in Abuja and Nigerian Air Force Reference

Laboratory in Lagos.

The Coordinator added that all the six geopolitical zones are covered by the Armed Forces of Nigeria formations at the 21 designated isolation centres the military provided. He recalled that 80 trained medical personnel have already deployed at formations for engagement.

To contain the spread of the disease, especially at community level, Enenche stressed on the need for Nigerians to strive to abide by the guidelines provided by the government on preventive measures against contracting the coronavirus.

“Key among which is the instruction on lockdown given by the Federal and various State Governments. This will ensure that appropriate actions are taken by the relevant agencies to indentify and manage cases promptly in order to prevent community transmission.

“Therefore, the Nigerian Military reiterates that, the essence of this measure is for the good of all Nigerians and other nationals residing in the country. Thus, all are kindly requested to co-operate with the security agencies to ensure that the lockdown is effective,” he urged

Coronavirus: Mohammed reminds Kwarans to learn from 1918 Spanish Flu SIKIRAT SHEHU, Ilorin prominent traditional chief in Ilorin Emirate, the Magaji Nda of Ilorin, Salihu Woru Muhammed has urged the people of Kwara State to observe all the safety measures on COVID 19, reminding them that similar disease claimed the lives of 85,000 persons in Ilorin province in 1918.

Muhammad in a statement on Friday said there are good lessons the people of the state should learn from the 1918 Spanish influenza other wise know as the Spanish flu.

He says: “The Spanish flu hit the whole world suddenly and spread like wide fire. It killed about 50 million people across the globe, again like coronavirus, there was no cure. The only remedy to the virus was isolation, quarantine, good personal hygiene, use of disinfectants and ban on public gatherings.

“Today, over 100 years after, the world is faced with similar threat from a similar virus.

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Again without any cure, nations and leaders are resorting to the same remedies, isolation, good personal hygiene, use of disinfectants, ban on public gatherings etc. This historical experience invite us to take these preventive and control measures against COVID- 19 most seriously.”

The traditional chief noted that the gains of adherence to the safety measures far outweigh the current hardship such measures have inflicted on the people.

“The truth is that the hard

and painful decisions the Kwara State government had taken to prevent and contain the incursion of the virus into our community were forced on the government purely by circumstance beyond its control. Moreover, these measures have been applied with good results, by other countries that have suffered the scourge.

“I appeal to you once again to cooperate with government in its efforts to curb the spread of COVID 19 in our state,” Muhammed added.

hen a man has no sperm cell found in the ejaculate, he is said to be suffering from azoospermia. It affects about 1 in 100 men, but more common in up to 1 in 10 men with fertility problems. It is an uncommon but severe form of male infertility. You might assume that men with azoospermia can’t have genetic children, but this isn’t necessarily so.

With the help of Assisted reproductive Technology (ART), some men with azoospermiacan have genetic offspring.

Receiving a diagnosis of azoospermia can be emotionally difficult. Some men may feel ashamed or embarrassed about their condition, and therefore not tell their primary care provider about their male infertility diagnosis. However, because of the increased risk of overall health problems, it is important to be honest with your doctor and let them know.

Azoospermia is a severe cause of male infertility, but there are possible treatment options. Some men may still be able to have a genetic child after a diagnosis of azoospermia, while others may need to consider using a sperm donor or looking at adoption, foster parenting, or living a childfree life.

Normally, a man’s fertility declines as he ages, but the current rate of decline as a result of poor sperm parameters is significant. With 40 percent of fertility issues being male related, male infertility is becoming more predominant as a result of men being diagnosed with low sperm count and poor motility. Men are being identified as the reason why couples are not getting pregnant.

In Nigeria, 25 percent of couples are infertile, and that half of the causes are due to male factor issues. A “normal” sperm count will have an overall volume of at least 1.5ml, a density of more than 15 million sperm per ml and motility of at least 40 per cent and a proportion of normal forms of three to four per cent or greater.

That is not to say that couples with a lower sperm count won’t get pregnant – after all, it just takes one sperm – just that the chances of pregnancy are reduced by low sperm counts or sperm that do not swim well. The complete absence of sperm in the ejaculate (azoospermia) can be either because of a blockage in the organ that stores and nourishes sperm as they mature (epididymis) or in the long tube that transports sperm cells from the epididymis to the testicles (vas deferens), or a problem with the actual production of sperm in the testicles.

There are two ways to talk about azoospermia: in terms of at what point in the reproductive cycle things go wrong, or regarding whether it’s caused by a blockage or not. If talking about where in the reproductive cycle things go wrong, the most common way to talk about azoospermia is in reference to whether it’s caused by blockage or not. Your doctor may tell you that you have obstructive azoospermia or nonobstructiveazoospermia.

Obstructive azoospermia is when the sperm can’t get into the semen or ejaculate due to a blockage or issue with ejaculation. Non-obstructive azoospermia is when the cause is primarily hormonal or an issue with the sperm development. Azoospermiaitself—a lack of sperm in the semen—doesn’t

have any specific symptoms.

There are some genetic causes or congenital anomalies that can lead to obstructive azoospermia. Some men are born with a blockage in the epididymis or ejaculatory duct, while others may be missing the vas deferens on one or both sides of the reproductive tract.

The causes of these anomalies are not always known.

Semen analysis is the only way to know if your sperm count is abnormal or zero. If your first semen analysis comes back with zero sperm, your doctor will have you repeat the test a few months later.

Azoospermia is diagnosed after two separate semen analyses are completed, and no sperm are found in the semen samples. After azoospermia is diagnosed, the next step is to attempt to identity the cause of the problem.

Your treatment plan will be based on whatever is the suspected cause for the zero sperm count.

Fertility treatment will depend on the specific kind of azoospermia and the cause of the problem. Also, the female partner’s fertility situation will also determine treatment choices.

Testicular sperm extraction, or TESE, may be used to extract sperm cells directly from the testes. You will receive sedation or general anesthesia before the procedure. The doctor will make a small incision in the scrotum and extract tissue from your testes.

That tissue will be examined for sperm cells and, if not being used right away, cryopreserved.

TESE can be used when obstructive azoospermia is blocking sperm cells from getting into the ejaculate. TESE may also be used in cases of nonobstructive azoospermia to look for some usable, mature sperm cells that may be being produced, but not enough to get into the semen.

Sperm cells extracted via TESE can only be used with IVF andICSI— Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection—is when a single sperm cell is directly injected into an egg. If successful fertilization takes place (even if the sperm cell was forced into the egg), then the resulting embryo is transferred to the woman’s uterus.

Genetic counseling is frequently recommended if there is any possibility that the azoospermia is linked to a congenital condition. It’s also recommended if IVF with ICSI is being used.

Some conditions can only be passed on if both genetic parents are carriers.

This is why both partners may be tested, and not just the man. If you discover you are at risk for passing on an inheritable disease, a possible option is to utilize preimplantation genetic diagnosis or PGD, that allows doctors to screen embryos for some genetic conditions. Then, the healthier embryos can be transferred.

Another possible fertility treatment option is to use a sperm donor. A sperm donor may be chosen because getting sperm isn’t an option (for example, testicular sperm extraction is not always successful or possible), or this can be a first-line choice after diagnosis because other treatment options are too expensive.

Some men choose to go with a sperm donor because they don’t want to risk passing along male infertility to their child (a possibility in some cases).

Another possible option is using an embryo donor. The donated embryo would be transferred to the woman’s uterus (or a surrogate.) If you choose to use an embryo donor, neither intended parent would be genetically related to the child.

Abayomi Ajayi MD/CEO Nordica Fertility Centre info@abayomiajayi.com.ng,

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Sports

Premier League clubs committed to finishing season

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Anthony Nlebem

remier League clubs remain committed to finishing the 2019/20 season following an online meeting held on Friday, but potential deadline of June 30 not discussed.

Representatives from all 20 top-flight clubs met virtually to discuss the Premier League’s next moves, as the coronavirus pandemic continues to grip the world, with the UK Government extending the lockdown period by an additional three weeks.

However, none of those present raised the prospect of completing the current campaign by June 30.

Finishing the Premier League season by 30 June in order to avoid player contract disputes was not raised when English top-flight clubs gathered by conference call today.

The 20 clubs remain committed to finishing the 2019-20 season to avoid a financial loss estimated by the league’s chief executive Richard Masters at more than £1billion.

Clubs looked at various scheduling models for how they could end the campaign at Friday’s meeting, but it is understood that the issue of completing by 30 June was not raised by anyone present.

It had been reported that as many as 9 clubs were keen to complete the campaign by then.

They were said to be concerned by the legal implications of the campaign running past that date, which is when standard player contracts expire.

World governing body FIFA has proposed that contracts be extended by mutual agreement until a club’s season actually ends. The world players’ union, FIFPRO, has previously said it expects agreements to be reached at a national level on this subject.

It is understood a collective approach on this matter by Premier League clubs is a work in progress at the moment.

Burnley manager Sean Dyche admits the subject of player contracts remains “a grey area”.

“There will be players who have been at clubs for a long time and they’ll feel that club’s been very fair to them, whether that’s through their contracts or the way they’ve been treated,” he told the Keys and Gray Show on beIN SPORTS. “They might think ‘well, extenuating circumstances mean we have to be more flexible’. There will be some who think ‘no - that’s not for me. I’ve got to protect myself’. I think it’s a grey area.”

There is a general acceptance among Premier League clubs that matches will be played behind closed doors if the competition can resume, with restrictions on mass gatherings likely to remain in force for the foreseeable future.

However, there is no guarantee yet that all matches will be available for supporters to view at home.

The UK will remain on lockdown until at least 7 May, but the Premier League and other sporting competitions will watch with interest to see whether any change in guidance after that allows them to think about a resumption.

A Premier League spokesperson said following the meeting: “We are acutely aware of the distress COVID-19 is causing and our thoughts are with all those directly affected by the pandemic.

“In common with other businesses and industries, the Premier

League and our clubs are working through complex planning scenarios.

“We are actively engaging with stakeholders, including broadcast partners, and our aim is to ensure we are in a position to resume playing when it is safe to do so and with the full support of the Government.

“The health and well-being of players, coaches, managers, club staff and supporters are our priority and the league will only restart when medical guidance allows.

“Today’s shareholders’ meeting provided an opportunity to discuss possible scheduling models. It remains our objective to complete the 2019-20 season but at this stage all dates are tentative while the impact of COVID-19 develops.

“In response to the pandemic, the Premier League, our clubs and players have provided vital support for communities and the NHS and will continue to do so after matches recommence.”

Premier League clubs continue to hold discussions with players over conditional wage deferrals and cuts, after Southampton became the first club to strike a deferral agreement with their players last week, followed shortly by West Ham. It has been reported that Arsenal are close to agreeing 12.5% salary cuts with their players.

Barcelona lose over €3m for every match not played at Camp Nou

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hether the season is completed behind closed doors or cancelled, Barcelona are going to make major losses.

The Catalan club are losing €3.3 million from ticket sales alone for every match that isn’t played at the Camp Nou. Totalling that up for the remainder of this season, Barcelona could lose between €20 and €25 million.

One theory is that fans won’t be allowed into stadiums again until November and, if this is the case, Barcelona could lose around €30 million as a result.

The club are also studying the issue of season tickets which, in

all likelihood, won’t be fulfilled this season.

Arsenal executives take pay cut as player talks continue

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rsenal’s executive team have agreed to cut more than a third of their salary as the club warned it is facing “one of the most challenging periods” in its history.

The Premier League has been suspended indefinitely due to strict government guidelines to control the spread of coronavirus.

Arsenal posted a £27 million ($34 million) loss for the 2018/19 season and are on course to lose far more this year due to the shutdown.

An inability to complete the season could cost Premier League clubs an estimated £1 billion.

“The potential financial impact is significant so we must be responsible and act now to best protect Arsenal from what might happen in the months ahead.

What is clear is that this is one of the most challenging periods in our near 134-year history,” Arsenal said in a statement.

“Our executive team volunteered to waive more than a third of their earnings over the next 12 months.”

To soften the economic blow, Premier League clubs have asked players to take a 30 percent pay hit between cuts and deferrals.

However, no agreement has yet been reached between Arsenal’s players and the club over cuts.

“Over the past 10 days we have been in discussions with them around the potential finan-

cial challenges ahead, and how we are planning for those now,” the statement added. “These are productive and ongoing conversations around how our players might support their club in an appropriate way.”

According to reports, the Arsenal squad rejected a proposal for a 12.5 percent pay cut on their annual salary, preferring instead to defer a larger proportion of their income until the shutdown is over.

Despite the Gunners’ financial concerns, they also confirmed they will not be using the UK government’s furlough scheme and all non-playing staff are receiving their full salaries.

Liverpool, Tottenham and Bournemouth have backtracked on plans to use the furlough scheme, which guarantees 80 percent of wages for staff up to a maximum of £2,500 a month, over criticism of Premier League clubs using public money during the crisis.

German football set for return in May Anthony Nlebem

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he Bundesliga hopes to get the go-ahead from the German government to resume in May, yet a debate is raging as to whether there will be enough testing available for the coronavirus to keep players safe.

League football was suspended in mid-March in Germany until at least April 30 to help limit the spread of the virus, but the German Football League (DFL) hopes matches can resume early next month.

If the authorities give the green light, the Bundesliga could be the first top European league to restart and could potentially make German football the focus of a global audience.

One proposal is for games to be played behind closed doors without spectators -- dubbed ‘ghost games’ in German -- with each of the 36 clubs in the top two tiers testing their players, coaches and backroom staff every three to four days.

Only those players or staff who test positive for the coronavirus would be quarantined -- not entire

teams -- with the league hoping the season can be completed by June 30.

The date is important as it would secure around 300 million euros ($326 million) from television deals alone, which could reportedly save some clubs from insolvency.

However, the plan to resume next month would require around 20,000 tests spread across the 36 teams -- 18 clubs in the Bundesliga and the same number in the second tier.

There are concerns that testing footballers would put unnecessary strain on the health system in Germany, which has 133,830 official cases of coronavirus and 3,868 deaths, according to Friday’s figures.

“We don’t have infinite testing capacities (in Germany),” virologist Ulf Dittmer told newspaper Ruhr Nachrichten.

“I don’t know whether it is ethically justifiable to carry out 20,000 tests on people who are not actually a risk group and who do not have symptoms.”

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China must pay reparations to Africa for its coronavirus failures

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he COVID-19 pandemic has dealt a severe injury to Africa’s development prospects and worsened the conditions of its poor and vulnerable. Although there are calls for voluntary international aid to support the continent during this difficult time, this is far from the best solution.

The continent must be accorded damages and liability compensation from China, the rich and powerful country that failed to transparently and effectively manage this global catastrophe. Africa’s economic gains since the last global crisis have been eroded. It is time to make offending rich countries pay the poor ones a global risk burden tax for delaying their rise out of poverty.

Today, Africa is home to more than 70 percent of the world’s poorest people, with more than 400 million living below the poverty line. It is no surprise that it is disproportionately vulnerable to this crisis. It should not suffer even more because yet another powerful country failed to act responsibly.

China should immediately announce a complete write-off of the more than $140 billion that its government, banks and contractors extended to countries in Africa between 2000 and 2017. This would provide partial compensation to African countries for the impact that the coronavirus is already having on their economies and people.

The analysis of the balance of compensation due to Africa can then follow from discussions with the Africa Union and its member countries, alongside global and regional organisations including the United Nations, the World Bank,

the International Monetary Fund, the African Development Bank and the European Union.

Our world is long overdue for a change of approach in the way it manages global risks that leave the poor worse off due to failures of the rich and powerful. The current model of development assistance is broken and can never deliver any real change of fortune for the most vulnerable. We need a new model that strengthens people to engage in the design of their pathway out of poverty and builds economic resilience.

The current conditions mirror what happened during the 2008 global financial crisis. In my time as the vice president in charge of the World Bank’s operations in Africa, we had to mobilise internal and partner resources to mitigate the severity of the economic recession suffered by the continent.

Exogenous shocks dealt a lethal blow to the countries’ decade-long steady rises of economic growth, which had averaged 5 to 6 percent annually until tumbling to 2.4 percent in 2009.

This sharp fall ended Africa’s upward economic growth trajectory and sent per capita income tumbling. It increased inequality and the number of Africans in absolute poverty. Such fragile and low economic growth rates for a continent with one of the world’s highest concentrations of young people and annual population growth rate of about 2.5 percent is a key reason for widespread multidimensional poverty — a threat that carries seeds of global insecurity and instability.

The economic shock caused by the

coronavirus has badly reduced the opportunity Africa would otherwise have had to lift hundreds of millions out of poverty. The African Union Commission estimates that Africa’s gross domestic product will shrink by as much as 4.5 percent, resulting in 20 million job losses.

This has dangerously hampered the possibility that Africa can generate jobs for young people and women, or increase literacy levels by reducing the number of outof-school children with access to quality learning opportunities. It will result in lessened ability to reduce maternal and child mortality, improve nutrition and food security, make reliable energy available and accessible, improve the availability of quality roads, water, sanitation, and other infrastructure, and such other investments in public goods.

China, a country that only within the past four decades has managed to lift more than 850 million people out of poverty, would understand how critical it is for African countries to accelerate inclusive growth.

While economies in Asia, Europe and the Americas have announced hefty emergency stimulus packages for their people and businesses, countries in Africa struggle to meet short-term food needs.

Most of Africa’s countries simply do not have the buffer required for fiscal relief in times of crisis, because they were already severely constrained by budgetary crises caused by poor domestic revenue mobilisation, high public debts and

Abba Kyari’s journey to death …Buhari, Atiku, APC, others mourn

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ZEBULON AGOMUO, INNOCENT ODOH and JAMES KWEN

igerians are grief-stricken following the death of Abba Kyari, chief of staff to President Muhammadu Buhari.

Kyari’s death brought to 17, the total number of the coronavirus casualties in Nigeria, as of Friday, April 17, 2020.

On Monday, March 30, 2020, Kyari, a septuagenarian, had relocated to Lagos, where he said he had made personal arrangements on the advice of his doctors, to take care of himself without additional burden on government.

“I am writing to let you know that on medical advice, I will transfer to Lagos later today for additional tests and observation. This is a precautionary measure: I feel well, but last week, I tested positive for coronavirus, the pandemic that is sweeping the world. I have followed all the protocols government has announced to self-isolate and quarantine.

“I have made my own care arrangements to avoid further burdening the public health system, which faces so many pressures. Like many others that will test also positive, I have not experienced high fever or other symptoms associated with this new virus and have been working from home. I hope to be back at my desk very soon,” he had said in a statement on Sunday night before his journey to Lagos.

Kyari’s journey to death could be said to have begun following his visit to three countries that are currently dealing with a significant COVID-19 emergency. He went to Germany on March 10, 2020, in the company of Saleh Mamman, minister

Kyari

of power, and James Momoh, executive chairman, Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC), for discussions with Siemens on improving the country’s power supply. They returned to Nigeria on March 14, passing through the United Kingdom and Egypt.

Upon his return, Kyari was also said to have not followed the guidelines by the Nigerian Centre for Diseases Control (NCDC) to self-isolate for 14 days. He continued to mingle with other government officials, including his principal, the President.

His relocation to Lagos remained controversial until the announcement of his death. Before he left the Presidential Villa for Lagos, allegations were rife that the seat of power had commandeered one of the two ventilators at the Gwagwalada Specialist Hospital, Abuja for the use of those that tested positive to the COVID-19. Aso Rock however, pooh-poohed the allegation.

While he was in Lagos, the state health commissioner, repeatedly told the media he did not know the whereabouts of the

Chief of Staff, casting a veil of secrecy over the man’s actual health status.

In a release signed by Femi Adesina, President Buhari’s spokesman, Aso Rock said: “The Presidency regrets to announce the passage of the Chief of Staff to the President, Mallam Abba Kyari.

“The deceased had tested positive to the ravaging COVID-19, and had been receiving treatment. But he died on Friday, April 17, 2020. May God accept his soul.”

Garba Shehu and Femi Adesina, the President’s spokesmen, broke the news on their individual twitter handles.

Shehu said: “The Presidency regrets to announce the passage of the Chief of Staff to the President, Mallam Abba Kyari.”

He also said in a second post on twitter: “The deceased had tested positive to the ravaging COVID-19, and had been receiving treatment.

But he died on Friday, April 17, 2020.”

Femi Adesina tweeted: “Chief of Staff to the President, Mallam Abba Kyari passes on. May God rest his soul. Amen. Funeral arrangements to be announced soon.”

In a condolence statement by Atiku Abubakar, a former vice president, he said: “I have received the death of your Chief of Staff with profound grief and sorrow, and I convey to you my deepest and heartfelt sympathies at this sombre moment.”

According to Atiku, death is inevitable and every living being will ultimately experience this terminal

Obiageli Ezekwesili Ezekwesili is the former vice president for the Africa region at the World Bank and the former minister of education for Nigeria. She is the co-convener of Nigeria’s #BringBackOurGirls Movement.

low productivity. The parlous public finances of these countries worsened due to volatility in commodity prices as the pandemic worsened.

Africa faces frequent shocks caused by climate, terrorism, health issues, food insecurity, crime and other sources of risk.

Most of these perils emanate from the failures of the rich and powerful economies, but end up inflicting a disproportionate share of the poor and vulnerable.

China should demonstrate world leadership by acknowledging its failure to be transparent on covid-19. Beijing’s leadership should then commit to an independent expert panel evaluation of its pandemic response. China and the rest of the Group of 20 countries should engage with the Africa Union and countries to design a reparations mechanism.

It is time for rich economies to show that our world is capable of doing right by the poor and vulnerable.

China must pay. stage of life.

Commiserating with Buhari, the Wazirin Adamawa said: “Mr. President, my heart and prayers are with you at this emotionally challenging moment as you come to terms with the death of your dedicated Chief of Staff. We are bound by common humanity and I therefore feel and share your grief at this moment. May Allah forgive the deceased and grant him eternal bliss in paradise.”

Consoling the President, the Buhari Media Organisation (BMO) described the death of the President’s trusted aide as painful considering the loyalty he always displayed in discharging his duties.

In a statement signed by its Chairman, Niyi Akinsiju and Secretary, Cassidy Madueke, BMO said President Buhari has lost a cerebral and competent aide that was always keen on defending his interest at all times.

It also condoled the Kyaris, leaders, and members of the All Progressives Congress (APC), as well as the people and government of Borno State over Kyari’s death.

In its condolence message, the leadership of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) said Buhari has lost strong right hand man.

According to the party, “With the death of Abba Kyari, President Muhammadu Buhari has lost a competent, trusted, loyal, strong right hand man and longtime adviser who promoted, protected and defended his interest in good times and adversity.”

The release signed by Lanre Issa-onilu, APC national publicity secretary, on Saturday said even in death, the fond memories and indelible strides Kyari left on earth will be celebrated for a long time.

“We remember a cerebral Nigerian who excelled in his private dealings, professional endeavours and public service,” Issa-Onilu said.

Kyari has been buried in line with experts’ advice.