BusinessDay 19 Jul 2020

How connected are Tinubu, Oshiomhole, 2023 to Magu ordeals? 12

Presidency must be blamed for Magu’s larger-than-life image in EFCC Ubani 14

Permutations rife as Obaseki, Ize-Iyamu’s fate hangs on Edo voters …As 35 parties’ endorsement brightens governor’s chances

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Axxela’s N12bn Series 1, others increase bonds’ value by N175bn

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Vol 1, No. 320

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Frustration grows over worsening state of nation Corruption allegations impugn Nigeria’s integrity – Afenifere, others Poverty, unemployment rates escalate NECA boss blames non-implementation of policies Nigeria sinking because there’s no system in place – Ex-Minister See page On-going sleaze is mind-boggling – Sonaiya

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Relief for female undergraduates as Senate passes sexual harassment bill

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Covid-19 adds to misery of homeless Nigerians in Lagos

Godwin Obaseki (r), Edo State governor, and Johnson Kokumo, commissioner of police, Edo State, during the inspection of a newly procured Armoured Personnel Carrier (APC) in Government House, Benin City, on Friday.

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Covid-19: NFF to raise finacial support for clubs ahead of next season’s campaign

Controversy as Akpabio, Nunieh street fight gets messier

Is Nunieh in the trenches to hit back or to heal the NDDC? Can Akpabio save his job, lacerated reputation?

The ‘other room’ gets mentioned as altercation grows prominent And, the hidden warning in President Buhari’s message

Ignatius Chukwu

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Prologue ailed abduction or mere house arrest With the Covid-19 flying protocol, anyone

wishing to catch first flight in Port Harcourt would need to be at the international airport at Omagwa by at least 5am. For that to happen, a Port Harcourt resident would need to get out soon after 4am. That

was exactly what Joi Nunieh, immediate past acting managing director of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) planned to do.

Instead, noises outside at her Macaulay Street

home in the Old GRA in Port Harcourt drew her attention. She saw a battery of armed Mopol-looking men and heard a knock to open. They told her the Commissioner of Police was outside. She opened

the door an inch and a hand tried to grab her. She shut back the door; locked it back, and began to reach out for help. Help came through her state governor

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Cover

Frustration grows over worsening state of nation DANIEL OBI, CHUKA UROKO, OBINNA EMELIKE & INOBONG IWOK

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any years after Sunny Okosun sang his hit song, ‘I Love My Father Land, Which Way Nigeria’; the country is still wallowing in the dark as a result of avoidable socio-economic and political troubles besetting her.

What the countrymen have seen ever since only amplifies Okosun’s dilemma, because nobody knows or understands where the country is headed.

To many Nigerians, nothing comforts them about their country. On a daily basis, what they see and hear are news about looting, wanton destruction of lives and property, endless probes, epileptic power supply, bad roads, poor infrastructure, among many other ills.

In fact, those born after 1975 may not have experienced good part of Nigeria as according to Philip Asiodu, one time Federal permanent secretary and Chief Economic adviser to Olusegun Obasanjo government in 1999, the performance of the economy started sliding from mid-1970s due to a lot of factors, principally due to abandonment of national development plans, indiscipline in governance, military coups and the ruin of public service structure.

“Unfortunately for Nigeria, after the 1975 military coup that brought to power Murtala Mohammed and Olusegun Obasanjo, the tragic thing that happened to Nigeria was the destruction of the public service particularly the Civil Service which we inherited from the British like every other commonwealth nation inherited. Over 10,000 people were cashiered, sent away, with all the institutional memories, international contactsforgettingthatpeopleinthe world deal with people they know,” Asiodu said.

According to him, “They did not only send them away, but the other terrible thing that happened was that the 1975-1980 development plan which was meant to lay the basis of a self-sustaining economic development through industrialisation,addingvalueinthecriticalsector of agriculture among others was abandoned”. This was the beginning of the economic crisis for Nigeria.

By all standards, Nigeria of today cannot be said to have made any progress since 2015. Fighting against insecurity and corruption, and job creation, the three major planks on which the current administration rode to power in 2015, have unfortunately become worse than they were five years ago. The more worrisome is that it does not seem that there is any thinking going on, on how to remedy the situation.

The level of financial malfeasance perpetrated by principal officers of government and the slap on the wrist treatment given to those found guilty as punishment have eroded the confidence of many who had hoped for a true change.

Sadly, every year, the country slides further on global poverty scale, soaring unemployment rate, as well as, corruption; leaving those hoping

Buhari

for better days as mere dreamers.

According to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), from 3.5 million unemployed in 2010, 21 million in 2018, the number of unemployed persons in Nigeria rose to 23 million in 2019 and is expected to reach over 30 million by the end of 2020, especially because of the persisting impact of coronavirus pandemic, whichhasresultedinmanyjoblosses globally.

Moreover, according to a World Bank’s report titled ‘Nigeria Economic Update’, the number of Nigerians living in extreme poverty, which is currently 82 million people, might increase by more than 30 million in 2030. World Bank cited the current economic situation, and level of unemployment in Nigeria as the key contributors to the increased extreme poverty in 10 years.

World Bank predicts that 42.5percent of Nigerians will be poor - defined as living on less than $2 a day - this year.

TimothyOlawale,directorgeneral, Nigeria Employers’ Consultative Association (NECA), decried the rising unemployment and its attendant poverty, noting that it could rise to 33.5 percent this year; from the 23.1 percent it was pegged in 2019.

He blamed the sad development on lack of employment opportunities and shutdown of many companies due to high operation cost, and most recently, the impact of coved-19 on the economy.

He noted that past governments have not been able to create policies that would boost the development of the economy and create more jobs, and where there are such policies, implementation and sustainability have been the major issues.

But Nduka Ezimora, a lawyer and one-time legislator, blamed the poverty inthe land on badleadership, selfishness of the political class and corruption.

Thelawyernotedthatsince1960, Nigerian political leaders have pursued selfish and regional interests, which has beclouded them from seeing development from a national standpoint.

“Since 1960, there are many developmental projects, initiatives and policies that could not fly because they are seen to favour a region or a people, hence they were dead on arrival or abandoned. Imagine when a project with huge revenue and job creation potential cannot fly because some politicians think

Lawan

the region it would be sited is opposition,” Ezimora said.

He thinks that if leaders lead by example, nepotism and corruption would be curtailed.

“We have witnessed how the anti-craft re-looted funds it recovered from corrupt Nigerians; senators go to jail and still retain their seats, mandates given by the electorates upturned in courts among others.

There is no way a country will progress with these vices unchecked”, the former legislator warned.

Ferdinand Esoro, an economist and university lecturer, lamented that Nigeria has all it takes to be truly giant of Africa but that corruption and bad leadership have kept the country down since 1960.

“It is a shame that Nigeria is top on global poverty scale with 82 million people, about 40 percent of our population, living on less than $2 a day. Instead of investing wealth from oil windfall, and boom days, the military looted the money, the governors insisted on sharing the excess crude oil account, several government agencies exist including local governments that are just conduit for siphoning public fund meant for development,” Esoro said.

He noted that the present administrative system of the country is not working and has become a major challenge to development as well.

“I think it is time to restructure the country, give people a little autonomy to decide their destiny, create their own wealth, and develop at their own pace. This will engender competition across the country as regions strive to adopt best practices,” Esoro suggested.

Going by the level of corruption, insincerity of government, nepotism and desperation for power, most Nigerians think that the country may not smell meaningful development in a longtime unless bad leadership is addressed.

The Pan Yoruba socio-cultural organisation, Afenifere, and the Yoruba Patriotic Movement (YPM) have spat at the accusations and counter accusations going over corruption at the Niger-Delta Development Commission (NDDC), saying it was a huge indictment on the Muhammadu Buhari administration and the anti-graft war.

Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Godswill Akpabio, and former Acting Managing Director, NDDC, Joi Nunieh, have been embroiled in war of words over what transpired

Gbajabiamila

between them when Nunieh was the acting MD of the Commission.

But reacting in separate interviews with BDSUNDAY, the groups said the revelation in the NDDC was a true reflection of the shady deals being perpetrated by officials in the current administration without checks.

Yinka Odumakin, spokesman for Afenifere, lambasted the current administration, saying that impunity in the system had encouraged the act.

“The NDDC has now become a picture of this administration and what is going on in it. The administration said it would fight corruption when in office and bring change but look at what is happening, it is not so.

It is frustrating.

“The NDDC is the worse under this administration; it is a shame, it shows the level of corruption that has characterised this administration. They think Nigerians are fools,” Odumakin said.

Soji Adejumo, national leader of the YPM and a professor at the University of Ibadan (UI), said the revelation was an indictment on the officials heading the Commission and a setback for the administration and the All Progressives Congress (APC), while calling for an immediate investigation into the affairs of the Commission.

“What is happening in NDDC is laughable to me, it is difficult to comprehend people who lack morals are put in public offices, and they them are misfits to the system.

“This is an administration that promised to tackle corruption, but it appears it is more embedded into it. The character of the personalities involved in all this is questionable, this must be investigated,” Adejumo said. Abimbola Ogunkelu, a former minister ofCooperationandIntegration in Africa, told BDSUNDAY that corruption has become endemic in Nigeria and has perverted all systems in the country.

“The fight against corruption should be a holistic fight, it should not be selective. The only way to fight corruption is when people commit a criminal act and if it is sure that they would face the law; that is the greatest deterrence to fight corruption.

“Selectively fighting corruption cannot work; there must be reforms in the judiciary, reform in the security and police system; it must be clear if people commit crime they get punished for it, but if not it would be business as usual,” he said.

Ogunkelu further said: “Look at other countries; they appear to have less corruption because the system is well built; if you commit a crime you would be caught no matter where you are. But our own systems are practically destroyed, nothing is working here and until we put in the system to work we would not make any tangible progress.”

Remi Sonaiya, a former presidential candidate, said that corruption seems to be deepening under the MuhammaduBuhariadministration.

“What we are seeing is like an unprecedented level of corruption in the country. But what I would like us to point attention to is the quality of people who have been appointed because if the President does not care to appoint people with tested integrity into positions this is what we are going to be witnessing.

“The system that we are running; the system that is only after people just to occupy a position rather than the calibre of the people or the values theyareknowntouphold,iswhatwe are seeing now,” she said.

According to the university professor, “It must be evident to Nigerians that the fight is not just to say that there must be somebody from my state in government, or we are being marginalised if there is nobody from my state. The question should be, what is the quality of the individual?

What are his skills and competencies? What are the values they are known for?”

“We must bring people who are tested and trusted into public office.

I am amazed by some of the money that is disappearing under this administration, it is mind-boggling, we are putting in place a system that allows people to have access to public funds. We are not running an efficient system. What we have now allows an individual to easily divert money even in cash.

“Look at the former head of the NNPC with so much money found in his house and he said it was given to him; such is totally unattainable.

We are running a system that can make people easily deep their hand into the public treasury. Things have to change,” Sonaiya said.

To move Nigeria forward, many stakeholders have called for restructuring of the country, which is decentralisation of government.

Other suggestions that have been made include altering the Federal Allocation in favour of local governments.

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News Ondo 2020: I’m ready to apologise to anybody I might have offended - Akeredolu KORETIMI AKINTUNDE, Akure

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essthanfourdaysto the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship primary election in Ondo State, Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu, on Friday said he was ready to apologise to anybody he might have offended since he assumed office in 2017 in order to allow peace to reign in the state.

Governor Akeredolu stated this while receiving the Reconciliation Committee of theAllProgressivesCongress (APC) for the state, led by the Governor of Niger State, Abubakar Bello in Akure, the state capital.

Recall that APC national leadership had fixed Monday, July 20, 2020 for its primary election in Ondo State.

According to him, “We must allow for peace. Let us get all of us, the aspirants, to sign that whoever wins, others will support him.

Anybody I have offended I

Akeredolu

will apologise to the person.

We must allow peace.”

The committee, which was set up by the APC Caretaker/Extra Convention Planning Committee, is in the state to meet with leaders and members of the party in the state.

Akeredolu maintained that the APC is in the heart of the people of the state, stressing that what the people desire is for the dividendS of good governance to be visible.

The governor posited that his administration has

delivered in terms of the yearnings and aspirations of the people of the state.

“In our short time here as servantS of the people, we have tried to do our best. Not because we are the best, but because God has allowed us to do it. I’m confident and I give all glory to God. “I want to assure you that this is a safe state for APC. We will win this state, except we come with shenanigans and today, it is a thing of the past.

In a free and fair primary, we will win. Leaders and other members of the party must give room for reconciliation.”

Earlier, the Chairman of APC Ondo Reconciliation Committee and Governor of Niger State, Abubakar Bello said the main objective of the committee in the state was to reconcile party members and all APC faithful.

Bello, however, said the success of the party in the next election was paramount, stressing that the reconciliation committee was set up for the purpose of ensuring the party’s success in the state.

Group demands reform of EFCC to effectively wage war against corruption GODFREY OFURUM, Aba

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oalition of SouthEast Youth Leaders (COSEYL),ayouth socio-political organisation has called for reform of Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to effectively wage war against corruption in Nigeria.

The coalition believes that as constituted, EFCC cannot work for the common man and cannot be politically insulated except to the extent the laws establishing it are revisited and reviewed.

COSEYL expressed deep regret that since its creation, the commission has been largely used by any government in power to witch-hunt opposition and stifle voice of dissent, while leaving, in most cases, certain persons mostly incumbent party members in power, as the proverbial “sacred cows”.

The group in a statement, signed by Goodluck Ibem, its president-general and Kanice Igwe, secretary general, observed that though the EFFC in some

occasions had gone after those in government, nothing came out of it, in terms of prosecution.

“For many reasons, it beats the imagination of the Coalition that upon all the billions of dollars said to have been recovered, by the commission from corrupt public office holders, Nigerians are yet to feel the impact of such monies.

“Again, the coalition, having monitored for long, the structure of the commission is given to believe that the commission can hardly function independently, as long as its chairman, is an appointee of the executive,” the group said.

“The Coalition condemns in strong terms the power of appointment of the commission’s head, by the president. It is needful now to review the EFCC Act and strip the Presidency such powers given what is unfolding before us in the polity. Here is where the case of Magu, who has acted as the Commission’s chairman for five years, comes into the picture,” the release said.

They observed that the embattled Ibrahim Magu, whose appointment as substantive chair of the commission has on more than one occasions been rejected by the legislature, was retained by the president

in acting capacity.

A situation they said is unacceptable and disregard for legislative process, by the President, whose biggest political credential rests on anti-corruption.

The coalition recalled that the incumbent AttorneyGeneral of the federation, who incidentally, has allegedly been having running battles with Magu on the grounds of insubordination, once described national interest, as his prerogative.

“In a situation like this, the coalition believes that the best for a commission like the EFCC is total insulation from the presidency part of which the Attorney General largely is.

“It’s ideal now that appointment, sack and remuneration of the commission, its staff, are done outside the presidency, as should be appropriate.

“Also, the Coalition believes that for a fellow to be appointed the chairman of the commission, a timeframe should be allowed during which the intelligence agencies gather information about such a person not exceeding six months.

Implement action plan on women, children security - ActionAid Nigeria tells FG VICTORIA NNAKAIKE, Lokoja

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s the tide of rape and child abuse increases on daily basis, ActionAid Nigeria (AAN), an international nongovernmental organisation, has called for immediate implementation of the domesticated National Action Plan on Peace and Security of Women and Children across states in Nigeria.

Manager, Humanitarian and Resilience Unit of ActionAid Nigeria, David Habba made the call during the opening of a 3-day midyear review of the Action Plan document and training of 28 stakeholders in Okene, Central Senatorial District of Kogi.

The training is expected to equip the Action Plan Committee members with the capacity to fast-track the implementation of the action plan, adding that timing of the training was apt in view of the prevalence and spate of insecurity and crimes against women and children, as he described them as the most vulnerable in security situation across the country.

Habba also said that

the domestication of the National Action Plan by the states was in consonance with United Nations Resolution 1325 which addresses issues of peace and security of women and girls.

He stressed that the programmeofdomestication of the action plan was initiated and implemented in the state under the System and Structural Strengthening Approach Against Radicalisation to Violent Extremism (SARVE II) project in 2018 supported

by Global Community Engagement and Resilience Fund (GCERF).

Halima Sadiq, executive director, Participation Initiative for Behavioural Change and Development (PIBCID), ActionAid rights partners in Kogi, pointed out that the second edition of the action plan was developed in 2017, after the expiration of the first one in 2016.

She said: “Second edition of the action plan was developed by 2017 and that gave birth to the domestication of the state action plan which we now have in the state as Kogi Action Plan for Peace and Security of Women and Children.

Chain Reactions to unveil 2020 Edelman Trust Barometer report virtually Seyi John Salau

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hain Reactions, a public relations and integrated communications consulting firm, will on Tuesday, July 21, 2020, unveil the global 2020 Edelman Trust Barometer survey report virtually by 3pm.

Th e Ed e l m a n Tr u s t Barometer is the annual global trust and credibility survey conducted by Edelman Intelligence, the independent research arm of the Edelman global network testing how well people trust the institutions of government, business, media and nongovernmental organisations to do what is right. This year’s surveyconductedbyEdelman Intelligence between October 19 and November 18, 2019, sampled more than 34,000 respondents across 28 countries.

This is the fourth time Chain Reactions is facilitating the launch of the global report in Nigeria. Since 2001, Edelmanhasmeasuredtrustin these four critical institutions of society across 28 countries, with supplementary data for Nigeria shared for the first time in 2018.

The supplementary data for Nigeria was on the heels of the significant impressions

recorded in 2017 when Chain Reactions hosted the presentation of the 17th edition of the annual global survey, as well as the supplementary Nigeria data, in Lagos, the first time in the history of Nigeria and since the global study was established in 2001.

Though the Covid-19 pandemic, which caused the event to be moved online will prevent him from being present in-person for the presentation like last year, Chief Executive Officer, Edelman Africa , Jordan Rittenberry, will officially present the global 2020 Edelman Trust Barometer report during a virtual conference on Zoom. This session will also discuss more recent findings on how the Coronavirus pandemic has affected trust levels across institutions.

He said: “It will be my pleasure to present the global 2020 Edelman Trust BarometerreporttoNigerians on Tuesday. Though I would have loved to be present in-person like last year, the Covid-19 pandemic has denied me that opportunity.

Nonetheless, I look forward to sharing our research on the levels of trust in the four main institutions: Government, Business, Media and NonGovernmental Institutions.

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Sunday 19 July 2020

News

Group calls for government’s support in producing more female engineers …Celebrates International Women in Engineering Day Ngozi Okpalakunne

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he role of women in shaping the world was a major issue discussed recently at a oneday webinar organised by the Association of Professional Women Engineers of Nigeria (APWEN) recently.

The event, which was part of APWEN’s activities to mark the maiden celebration of the International Women in Engineering Day (INWED) in Nigeria had in participation men and women from different walks of life.

Speaking at the event, president of APWEN Fumilola Ojelade said that INWED which was first launched in the United Kingdom in 2014 by the Wo m e n ’s En g i n e e r i n g Society (WES) was designed to bring into reckoning the very commendable contributions of women in engineering development world over.

According to her, INWED is also an international awareness campaign which raises the profile of women in engineering and focuses

attention on the amazing career opportunities available to girls in the engineering world.

Whileexpressinggladness for APWEN to be part of the celebration, Ojelade explainedthatherassociation was the first to advocate for girl-child in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) education in Nigeria and also among the first few professional engineering institutions in Nigeria to develop a gender and diversity policy to encourage the inclusive growth of members from diverse backgrounds.

Speaking also, Felicia Agubata, project director and grant awardee ‘Sheengineer invent it, build it’, described engineering as the most male-dominated field in STEM and added that it may be the most-male dominated profession in Nigeria with women making up only 13percent of the engineering workforce.

“This is as revealed by a research carried out in 2019. When it comes to studying Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM)

subjects at school male and female are virtually at par in terms of performance.

Unfortunately, this parity doesn’t always carry over into the professional world, thus leading to a significant gender gap in the science and technology workforce,” Agubata noted.

She however, urged female students not to rule out engineering, adding that engineers make everything from bridges to engines, Information Technology systems to cosmetics.

“Besides, I think women bring critical insights and game-changing perspectives t o t h e t a b l e . Eq u a l representation is especially important in engineering, as engineers design products and solve problems that affect humanity. Imagine the greater advances that could occur in engineering if men and women were working consistently together and using all the skill sets in the pool.” Babagana Mohammad, president, Nigeria Society of Engineers (NSE), stressed the need for women engineers to pursue partnership with their men folks and not to contend in order to attain their aims.

R-L- Motunrayo Fasasi; Rasaaq Adebayo, Region 9 chairperson, District 404B2 Nigeria; Adepeju Eluyemi; Abiodun Eluyemi, president; Morufat Adebayo, secretary; Ayoola Aransi, president-elect, and Suraj Ogunyemi, Zone 9A chairperson, at the directional signage commissioning held in Ile-Ife, Osun State recently.

Mr Bigg’s commits to sustained quality standard, marks 1st anniversary of Northwest combo

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AC Restaurants Limited, franchise owners of Mr. Bigg’s in Nigeria, has assured consumers of its commitment to sustain the quality and standard of the 34 years old outfit with the introduction of the Northwest combo outlet.

UAC made gave the assurance at the first anniversary of the Northwest combo store in Lekki area of Lagos, as consumers lauded Mr. Bigg’s and Debonairs Pizza for a sustained period of quality and standard. Eustesia Ogunsusi, the manager marketing services, UAC Restaurants Limited, said the Northwest combo store was designed to sustain the heritage of Mr. Bigg’s by raising the customer service to a new level.

According to Ogunsusi, the new approach by UAC Restaurants promises to

sustain excellence in a wide variety of dishes, pastries, and confectionaries to the delight of its teeming consumers.

“The new store is patterned to deliver high-quality food and good ambiance as the basic standard. The menu offering is aimed at providing a wide variety of choices to meet the customer tastes and trends,” said Ogunsusi.

She however opined that Mr. Bigg’s will continue to sustain the quality and standard for its consumers to have a great time in any of its restaurants across the country.

Some of the consumers present at the first anniversary celebration said the brand has completely rejuvenated its operations with the introduction of the combo store hence the renewed fortune witnessed in Lekki.

Chris Offorkansi, a medical doctor and resident of VGC, said Mr. Bigg’s has come a long way. “We have seen the best times and the worst time of the brand but this new innovation have impacted positively on the brand so far.”

According to Offorkansi, the combo outlet is a secured outfit to eat out. “The meals and facility here can be compared to any international eatery in the world, therefore, I wish to thank the company for sustaining this standard over the past year,” Offorkansi said.

Faith Ogidiga, a student said the combo store introduced by Mr Bigg’s has improved consumers’ experience. ”The combo store has changed this negative perception and Mr Bigg’s has lived up to expectation with this new innovation.”

Covid-19: Abia royal fathers seek divine intervention UDOKA AGWU, Umuahia

L-R: Odua Agboneni, immediate past president, Association of Professional Women Engineers (APWEN); Felicia Agubata, president of APWEN; Funmilola Ojelade, immediate past chairman, APWEN Lagos chapter, and Laolu Adedapo-Aisida during a walk to mark the maiden edition of International Women in Engineering Day held in Lagos, recently.

Firm set to empower youths with skills on digital fashion brands Ngozi Okpalakunne

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s part of its effort to reduce the high rate of unemployment in the country, A+ Fashion Academy has concluded plans to empower youths with skills on digital fashion brands.

Speaking at a webinar organised by the Academy recently to mark this year’s World Youth Skills Day (WYSD), the convener of the programme, Ire Soetan

said the empowerment programme which will focus on youths in the south region will enable them run profitable digital fashion brands which will in turn create a sustainable source of livelihood for them and their families.

“We are focusing on the youth from the southsouth region of Nigeria, this is because the situation in the South-South is a sharp contrast when compared to the South-West region which has encouraged the creative sector and recorded

the lowest unemployment rate across the geopolitical zones in the country,” Soetan added.

According to her, an application process is opened to the southern states, where one hundred youths will be screened to engage in a pretraining and further screened to 40 participants in a fourmonth training.

Explaining further, she affirmed that 10 participants out of the 40 screened youths will be incubated to start their fashion businesses.

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muopara Council of Ndieze in Umuahia South Local Government Area of Abia State has sought the face of God to intervene and save people of the state from the hands of the dreaded coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic and other social vices ravaging the entire globe.

Eze Wisdom Ekueke, chairman of Umuopara Council of Ndi Eze and also traditional ruler of Dim na Opara Ancient Kingdom Ogbodiukwu while speaking during the maiden edition of the prayers for the state, LGA and Umuopara Clan, held at the Hannah’s Palace, Ogbodiukwu, said that the essence of the solemn assembly was for the traditional rulers in Umuopara

Clan to pray and seek the face of God over the menace of Covid-19 and other social vices affecting the Clan, LGA and state.

Eze Ekueku, who hosted Umuopara leaders of thought, the top clergy men in Umuahia led by the Archbishop o f M e t h o d i s t Ch u r c h Nigeria, Chibuzo Raphael Opoko, heartily welcomed and thanked everybody, especially Bishop Vincent Chukwukadibia Onoh who coordinated the programme and other ministers of God. He called for prayer to God and asked for His mercy, noting that, “If you check properly, you will notice that our state, political leaders, local governments, our great clan Umuopara and various villages appear to be under siege by forces beyond our control.”

He posited that the land

was protesting and the children of God were running for cover while strange sicknesses had taken over our land. He further noted that for the first time in history, places of worship were shut down and everybody saw it as normal.

“This is a serious cause for concern. We, the traditional rulers and religious leaders cannot keep quiet any more.

We cannot run to Amadioha or Kamanu for protection.

We can only run to the maker of man, the heavens and the earth, the Almighty God Jehovah. Our coming together today is therefore, to pray and ask for the face of God,” Eze Ekueku said.

He however, called on the religious leaders from various communities to go close to their traditional rulers and provide spiritual directions and guidance to them.

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Bliss with Nonye Ben-Nwankwo

BDSUNDAY 5

Email: chiwuagwu@yahoo.com Phone number (sms only) 08057511893

Wearing makeup not a sin – Ehiliz, gospel singer

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opular gospel musician, Elizabeth Eh i g i a m u s o e , popularly known as Ehiliz, has said it was not morally wrong for ladies to wear makeup.

According to the gospel artiste who was once a member of the Scripture Union, God created colours and there is nothing wrong if ladies use these colours to enhance their beauty.

She said: “Even when I was in SU, I never dressed badly. I eventually discovered there is nothing wrong in using makeup. What God wants is our heart. You should dress the way you want to dress as long as you are decent.

“Makeup is just to enhance your beauty. I am a beautiful woman. God created the colours by giving us rainbow. God did not say the colours are specifically meant for artists and architects. Beauticians discovered that if you add few colours to your face, it will make you more beautiful. Nobody can build a house and would not want to paint it. Nobody wants to drive a car that is not painted. I don’t see how it becomes a sin if I add some

colours to my face. I do not condemn those who do not wear makeup but then, they should not condemn me as well. What matters most is for you to cover your nakedness and dress decently.”

Having spent more than two decades in the music

industry, Ehiliz said she got a calling from got before she became an artiste.

Recalling how the call came, she said, “I gave my life to Christ when I was about 15. I was still a member of the Scripture Union then. The leader of the group had asked us to

pray for our gifts from God. Within that period, I went home to my village and I had a dream in the night.

Around 3am, the heavens opened and man wearing white apparel descended from heavens and I heard a voice saying, ‘sing unto me.’

I woke up and my heart was beating.

“I went to church and I joined the choir. I was the youngest then. I felt that by being a chorister, I would have actualised the calling.

But my mind kept telling me that I hadn’t done the assignment God told me to do. I battled with this till 1994, I couldn’t anymore.

God was so patient with me till then.”

And since then, Ehiliz has been in the industry and not ready to stop. She said her primary aim is to draw souls to God and not for commercial purposes.

“I am not into gospel to make money but to preach the gospel. I know that anybody who does something for God, He has a way of blessing that person. Our first intention is not to make money because we know the money will come eventually. We focus more on winning souls for Christ.”

Even as gospel songs have mostly moved away from the traditional chorus, Ehiliz said there is no way chorus will die completely.

“Gospel music is no longer what it used to be. The lyrics and the beats have changed. People still sing hymns in church. Hymns usually have choruses. We cannot completely rule such kind of music off. In fairness, we may never stop singing hymns and choruses.”

As a wife, mother, grandmother and business woman, the gospel artiste said she still finds time to do all she has to do.

“If God gives you an assignment, He provides a way for us to do the assignment. God has helped me to plan my ways. Some women think when they are married; they shouldn’t do any other thing. No, you are not meant to be confined in one place because you are married. You can do other things to help yourself and help the society. If I have a programme that would take my time, I would start planning in two days. I cook and pack them in small plastics in the freezer. My husband has also been very

supportive.”

The gospel singer is still not tired to dish out songs as she just realised another album titled, ‘You are the Best’.

According to her, the song depicts the goodness of God in her life and how God is the only true sustenance.

Also known for her ‘Gospel live with Ehiliz’ programme which she usually does twice in a year, the music artiste said the pandemic affected the concert.

“The lockdown and pandemic affected everybody.

We first of all have to stay alive. I usually do the concert twice every year. We missed May 1. We are looking at doing it Oct 1 if the ban is lifted.”

Talking about her Ehiliz Support Initiative, the artiste said the programme is designed to help struggling families and youths including students facing one challenge or the other.

“The idea is to give succour to children with special needs. I also plead with the government and corporate organisations to support this initaitve in order to accommodate more children and families.”

Don Jazzy, Ebuka become Betway Coca-Cola Foundation champions plastic collection ambassadors for BBNaija

T

T

his year’s edition of Big Brother Naija is sure going to be exiting and filled with so much fun even as Betway has unveiled superstar producer, Don Jazzy, and media personality and long-time BBNaija host, Ebuka ObiUchendu as its BBNaija ambassadors.

Even as he is still the host of this year’s edition, Ebuka said he is honoured to be one of the ambassadors for Betway in BBNaija.

He said, “Betway is one of the world’s biggest gaming and entertainment brands, while BBNaija is Africa’s biggest reality TV show. So, I’m incredibly proud and grateful to be involved with both brands.

BBNaija season 5 is going to be the biggest and most exciting one yet, and I can’t wait to share all the drama and excitement with Betway customers and BBNaija fans all over the world.”

As for Don Jazzy, he is excited to be a part of the show.

He said, “I’m so delighted to be partnering with Betway on Big Brother Naija season 5. My fans can

expect to get the best of entertainment, banter, fun and excitement from me, Ebuka, and the Betway team throughout this season of BBNaija. It’s game on, from July 19th!”

Speaking during the unveiling and signing ceremony, Betway Country Manager, Lere Awokoya said, “Don Jazzy and Ebuka are two of Nigeria’s leading pop culture influencers and trendsetters.

Through our partnership with these two superstars, and with Betway as BBNaija’s lead sponsor, we are able to connect even

more with a passionate entertainment audience and bring the ultimate gaming experience to millions of Nigerians.”

As Big Brother Naija’s lead sponsor, Betway will promote a spirit of competition among the housemates, as well as fans and viewers of the show. Betway will also add to the thrill of the BBNaija experience through its weekly Arena Games, and a variety of gaming activities, both on the TV show and on Betway platforms – all of which give viewers the chance to play and win.

heCoca-ColaFoundation, through its RESWAYE (Recycling Scheme for Women and Youth Empowerment),hasprovided much-needed comfort to somevulnerablecommunities through a Plastic buy-back scheme across 16 coastal communities in Ibeju Lekki, Lagos State.

With considerable joy, these low-income communities exchanged their plastic for cash during a recent outreach led by Doyinsola Ogunye, founder of Mental and Environmental Development Initiative for Children (MEDIC).

MEDIC, the implementing partner of the RESWAYE project, is an NGO focused on building a sustainable environment and oceans through improved education and job creation for more resilient communities. They stand for growth and are passionate about their work with communities, especially in areas around plastic pollution, recycling and empowering women & youths along the Atlantic coast in Lagos, Nigeria. This has brought hope to the women and youths in these communities who earn decent wages from these recovered plastic bottles to

better support their families in these challenging times.

Remarking on the initiative, Sebidat Sam, the Women Leader for the Okun Ise, IbejuLekki community said “Na good thing, with this we clean the environment and also collect money to take care of our family”.

Speaking on behalf of The Coca-Cola Foundation, Public Affairs, Communications & Sustainability Manager, CocaCola Nigeria Limited, Nwamaka Onyemelukwe said, “By partnering with NGOs such as RESWAYE, Coca-Cola aims to develop an effective recycling system that meets the unique needs of local communities, making recycling more accessible for everyone while also encouraging the economic empowerment of women and youths”.

The medical outreach in

partnership with the Fola David Foundation provided residents of the communities with face masks and mosquito nets. The program also created awareness on the importance of good hand hygiene through practical demonstration of best hand washing practices to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 virus.

Speaking on working with the coastal communities, Doyinsola Ogunye, Founder of MEDIC said, “Seeing our network of women and youth recyclers protect the shorelines and coastlines of Lagos state as they gather plastic waste has been deeply fulfilling. Economically empowering the women and youths during these turbulent times as they continue to preserve the environment is paramount”.

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Sunday 19 July 2020

Controversy

Akpabio, Nunieh street fight gets messier...

Continues from Page 1 who had the previous day issued a stern warning against any harm coming the way of a Rivers’ daughter.

Before noon of same Thursday, July 16, 2020, the media was awash with the news of alleged abduction attempt. Some said it was an attempt at house arrest. What mattered was that Nunieh was billed to stage what was sure to be another dramatic appearance at yet another committee in the National Assembly probing the Interim Management Committee (IMC) of the NDDC but in actual sense the Minister of Niger Delta Ministry, Godwill Akpabio, former governor of Akwa Ibom.

The police command in Rivers State however, bounced back later in the evening to claim knowledge of the invasion, saying the team came from the IG Unit and got back up from the Mopol in Port Harcourt. The clarification has rather kicked up more dust.

No joy for Joi Nunieh Nunieh was full of joy on October 25, 2019, when President Muhammadu Buhari approved her appointment as the next Acting Managing Director of the Commission to take over from Akwagaga Enyia who had taken over from Professor, Nelson Brambaifa.

Nu n i e h ’s j oy m u s t h a v e skipped for the first time when it was clear to her that she would report to the minister instead of directly to the President through the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) as was the case before Akpabio was made minister. The woman before her had issues with demands for money.

Soon after, Nunieh was embroiled in NYSC service scandal raked up by faceless nongovernmental organisations (NGOs) most of which are twofor-a-penny in the region scouring for activism to pursue with any little sponsorship. Soon, Nunieh was removed. The exMD was to tell a television crew in an interview after her Senate panel session that the President did not know about her removal.

Many had hinted in February 2020 when she was removed that the President’s attention to the removal was only drawn to the NTA news by another person and that Akpabio when asked told the President that he merely wanted to save the Number One citizen from another NYSC embarrassment after the one by the former minister of finance. This incident is said to have left a sad taste in the mouth of the Presidency or a section of it, until the right time to strike. Since then, there seems to have been little joy for Joi Nunieh.

NASS’ daggers and Akpabio’s nightmares The occasion for vengeance

Godswill Akpabio seemed to procure itself. The NDDC IMC/Minister clashed over the 2019 budget of the Commission with the IMC’s new helmsman, the professor of Virology, Kemebradikumo Daniel Pondei, accusing the NASS committees of padding the budget with 500 items and asking for huge payment of their own contracts before approving the budget. The IMC said the NASS did not want the audit to take place and pointedly accused the heads of the two committees (Senate and House of Representatives) as arrowheads of mass contracts to settle members and to punish any CEO of the NDDC that did not play by their rule. The infuriated NASS charged back with declaration to probe the Commission. The IMC countered that the NASS did not want the forensic audit to proceed, having allegedly demanded to see the documents being forwarded to the auditors.

The NASS countered that the audit was untrue and that the real corruption was with the IMC and the Ministry. They swore to probe the IMC and Ministry, and Nunieh found her voice, and her joy, perhaps. She prepared heavily and became an enthusiastic witness. That seemed to be when Akpabio’s own defence began to dry up.

Chairman of the Senate panel on NDDC, Peter Nwaoboshi, had during the sessions accused the minister of alleged misappropriation of funds of the Commission over the years. Making available some documents to journalists on the alleged involvement of Akpabio in the financial scam, Nwaoboshi said that in 2017 alone, the Niger Delta Affairs Minister collected contracts worth N500million from the NDDC without execution and

Joi Nunieh failed to refund the money. This was the same type of allegations that the IMC was making against Nwaoboshi and some other NASS members as the nation jeered and booed.

What Joi Nunieh is saying Nunieh is telling the world that the IMC paid out N641million to a communications company to sell the forensic audit and defend the IMC and Akpabio, though sources to the company (Clear Point) said it was a deal to sell the NDDC and the oil region to the international community and counter the ugly image of the oil region to investors.

Always asking for money Nunieh, daughter of first Ogoni lawyer, also told newsmen that the minister wrote several memos requesting for assistance to pay for even legal services. She said she declined such requests.

Why NDDC never had public power supply: The ‘other room’ gets mentioned as altercation grows prominent Nunieh, in defending herself against charges of insubordination to the minister accused him of ‘coming on me’. She later clarified this to mean sexual harassment, for which she boasted of slapping the minister. She said the minister’s mistress supplies diesel at the Commission and

for that reason, power supply directly from Afam power station was sabotaged at the gate never to get into the building. The same mistress, she said, went to insert things into the budget without recourse to the MD. She said the Minister was exercising power only the President could apply, saying the minister had power over policy, not day to day running of the Commission.

She said the minister frequently demanded one million dollars or one billion naira for one thing or the other, especially at Christmas. She capped it up by revealing that the minister wanted her to take oath with juju. “I said, Sir why are we having all these conversation; he said its juju oh.” It was the only way he could trust her again. He said it was the minister himself who revealed the oath matter to people in the Villa and one of them objected to such an oath on her behalf.

Missing files She said the minister admitted at a reconciliation meeting that he used two directors in his ministry to take away files of all 30 contracts he got when he was governor, senator and minister.

She said the minister wanted to nominate and implement the forensic audit but that the letter

“

The few privileged appointees within the “Federal ruling party” to supervise the Commission have clearly shown their incompetence and preponderance for lack of due process

by Mr. President had said it was to be done by the IMC. She said there is no forensic audit going on.

Dollars “I pity Professor Pondei. He looks to me like a gentleman but he couldn’t hold his ground.

Akpabio told me, as he did to my predecessor, Mrs. Akwagaga , to change all the Dollars ($120,000,000) in the account of the NDDC at the time to pay for his contracts, the desilting contracts that he got, the water hyacinth and all. Mrs. Akwagaga got afraid and ran to the Chairmen of the National Assembly Committees on NDDC, and they now gave her cover. Akpabio offered to give the NDDC Committee Chairmen N400 million cash, if they can tell this woman (Mrs. Akwagaga) that they should change $120 million in the NDDC account and let him have access so that he would be able to use the funds to take care of certain people in Nigeria. They now promised to get back to him. To cover the woman, they now wrote to her that she is not allowed to change one dollar in the account. That letter from the Committee chairmen protected the woman and Akpabio was bitter with her and similarly started attacking the Committee Chairmen in the National Assembly.

No forensic audit going on She said the certificate of no objection to appoint the auditor was not correct. The fund to pay is to be in the 2020 budget and there is no such budget. She said the minister brought the auditor and wanted to use him to protect his own issues.

“He didn’t want the World Bank consultants to come in. He said this at the meeting and he was rebuked by Mr. Sariki Abba.

The certificate of no objection is the most important part of a forensic audit. The lead consultant has not been officially procured. And I am worried that Cairo (Ojuogboh) said that the lead consultant has already been paid. How did the lead consultant get paid when the budget has not been passed? The nine forensic auditors they have applied for have not been procured. Those nine companies are not international. Those nine companies, the President would need to check them out. None of them has carried out a forensic audit before.”

Last line The President should inaugurate the Board that has been screened and approved and cleared. They should come as intended to oversee the audit and if Akpabio is there, they should send it (NDDC) back to SGF’s (Secretary to Government of the Federation) office.

What Akpabio is saying The Senior Assistant (SA) media to the minister, Anietie Ekong issued a statement in defence of Akpabio. He said: “To start

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Controversy with, let it be known that there is no scintilla of truth in all the allegations peddled around by Nunieh. They are simply false!

The Honourable Minister did not at any time, place or in any circumstance make any form of sexual advances to Nunieh, not even to put himself in a position or posture suggestive of sexual advances towards Nunieh, or any female staff of his Ministry or the NDDC. Happily married For the records, the Honourable Minister, Senator Godswill Akpabio, CON, is happily married and contented with his wife.

Together, they are blessed with children, four (4) of whom are young women. The Honourable Minister is an avid believer of the Affirmative Action and that was visible in the appointments he made as a two (2) term Executive Governor of Akwa Ibom State between 2007 and 2015.

Under his watch, he appointed several women into various high level positions as Chairpersons of Local Government Councils, Magistrates, Judges, Heads of Parastatals, Directors, Permanent Secretaries, and Commissioners.

First to have a female deputy He is the first Governor in Akwa Ibom State to have a female Deputy Governor, was also the first to appoint female Chief Justices of the High Court, recommended women for ministerial appointments one of whom was the Minister of Housing and Urban Development, and supported for appointment the first female Vice Chancellor of the only Federal University in the State etc. He has always championed and still champions the cause of women and young children.

Sexual harassment? Nunieh did not report it The Honourable Minister also finds it appalling that Nunieh never deemed it fit to report the alleged incident to the police at the earliest opportunity she had, before, during or after her tenor as the Acting Managing Director on 17th February, 2020, if indeed the allegation was true. Waiting till July 10th and 13th 2020 when the National Assembly appears to be probing some of her actions as the Acting Managing Director of the Interim Management Committee (“IMC”) exposes her motive, especially at a time when the momentum for the Forensic Audit Investigation of the NDDC is heating up and the truth is about to be unveiled for all to see? The critical question is who is afraid of the Forensic Audit at the NDDC? Who is Afraid of the Truth?

She is sponsored There is no doubt that Nunieh’s attacks are both personal and sponsored. Those afraid of the truth, and who wish to bury it from seeing the light of day, are strenuously behind Ms. Nunieh’s vicious campaign of calumny.

The Honourable Minister has a mandate from Mr. President to unearth alleged looting and financial misappropriation that had gone on at the NDDC since its inception in 2001. He is committed to that mandate through the forensic audit of the NDDC and

President Buhari

Governor Wike

Ahmad Lawan

Femi Gbajabiamila

will not be deterred or distracted from that goal.

Plot is to kill forensic audit The aim of this campaign of calumny is simple: get Senator Akpabio out; kill the forensic audit, and continue business as usual at the NDDC. Awarded only 3 contracts On the allegations of the Honourable Minister’s involvement in contract racketeering, bombing of oil pipelines, corruption/diversion of funds, the Honourable Minister has stated several times and at various fora that since his assumption of office, he has only awarded three contracts till date- the appointment of the lead forensic auditors which was approved by the Federal Executive Council the emergency procurement contract for COVID-19 intervention in the Niger Delta Area which due to its urgency had his interim approval and Presidential approval in line with the Bureau of Public Procurement Act and the award of Vehicles procurement duly approved by the Bureau of Public Procurement and the Federal Executive Council but yet to be consummated. It is noteworthy, that all these contracts went through due processes.

NDDC accounts are with the CBN, you can’t steal the dollars On her allegation that the Honourable Minister directed her to change the Dollars in the NDDC’s Account; for the records, it should

be noted that NDDC’s Account is domiciled with the Central Bank of Nigeria. Every inflow and outflow is known and traceable. NDDC gets its revenue in Dollars which is paid directly to its Treasury Single Account (TSA) with the Central Bank of Nigeria. The Dollar is then converted to Naira by the CBN and paid into the NDDC Naira Account still domiciled with the CBN upon a written application from the NDDC. It is therefore, impossible for any sum of money belonging to the NDDC with the CBN including the several figures bandied around as missing to be missing.

It is important to state, that unlike in the past where the NDDC had over three hundred (300) bank accounts in different commercial banks, that practice had since changed under the President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration, which gave full effect to the application of the Treasury Single Account and the NDDC now has its accounts with the CBN. The Honourable Minister does not give verbal instructions to anybody; all instructions are in writing and in response to a request from the Commission.

Kaltungo is my friend, was not removed On the allegation that the Honourable Minister directed Nunieh to remove Kaltungo, same is false.

His track record marks him out as a totally detribalised politician and

one of the best friends of Northern Nigeria. The Honourable Minister was informed by the NDDC management that over 23 top Management Staff from various parts of Nigeria including the Niger Delta region, who have evaded leave in the last 10 years or had the tendency to influence negatively the ongoing forensic audit, were recommended for mandatory leave by the lead forensic auditors.

They are still staff of the Commission currently receiving their monthly salaries and benefits.

Threatens to sue Nunieh The Honourable Minister has taken steps to instruct his lawyers to seek necessary redress in a court of competent jurisdiction on his behalf over the defamatory statements made by Nunieh.

Please sift truth from lies On a final note, while encouraging all Nigerians to hold their leaders to account, he urges them to take their time to sift the truth from lies and the substance before embarking on far-reaching allegations, opinions and views.

Niger Deltans react Some citizens who preferred anonymity aired their views on the matter, but it is obvious that people are angry and they want the Commission to be allowed to work.

Allow NDDC to work A coalition of youth and women groups in the Niger Delta has called on the National Assembly

to allow the Interim Management Committee (IMC) of the NDDC to focus on developing Nigeria’s oil-rich region.

The groups, led by the President of the Association of Non-Violent Peace Ambassadors, Otolo Emmanuel, stormed the NDDC headquarters in Port Harcourt, in a solidarity rally. They accused those running away from forensic probe of trying to destabilise the Commission.

Emmanuel said: “We are here to demonstrate our support for Prof. Pondei on account of the good work he is doing in the Niger Delta. We insist that he should be allowed to carry out the forensic audit and anyone that is found wanting should face the full wrath of the law.

“We call on the National Assembly to stop impeding development of the Niger Delta region, because all the allegations that are going on do not benefit us. All we want is development which is being frustrated.”

Elders should step in to restore sanity These earth-shaking and monumental frauds in NDDC have greatly exposed the political fragmentation and undermined the political unity and orientations of the South-South geo-political region towards the development and welfare of the people. Few privileged political elite from the region are the greatest disappointment and antithetical to the very existence of the interventionist agency for the region’s developmental master plan.

But what’s being witnessed in the Commission are dubious contract scams of unimaginable proportions, personal disagreement arisen out of modality of neat execution of deals, oath initiation, threat to expose many underlying issues, honourable slapping, etc.

One of the common regrettable lessons to the people of the region is that they are incapable of management of the Commission’s resources and allocations.

The few privileged appointees within the “Federal ruling party” to supervise the Commission have clearly shown their incompetence and preponderance for lack of due process.

The elders can now step into the market square and restore sanity within the centripetal and centrifugal forces in order for the region to be taken seriously politically in the eyes of the international community and other ethnic nationalities despite the denigrating attitudes of infinitesimal few from the Federal ruling political party.

South-South Governors insist on forensic audit The South-South Governors, who first instigated the forensic audit, have returned to their position, saying the razzmatazz should not becloud the quest for the audit. The forum last Thursday declared wholehearted support for forensic audit of NDDC ordered by President Muhammadu Buhari.

It deplored, with great concern, the crisis rocking the Commission and said that it was conContinues on page 24

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Publisher/Editor-in-chief

Magu, corruption and weak value system

editor Zebulon Agomuo

position with well-known corrupt countries like Cameroon, Kyrgyzstan, Iran, and Lebanon.

Without a doubt, corruption is one of the biggest of the numerous challenges in Nigeria. It resonates in almost every sector of the country. In our clime, corruption has the colouration of embezzlement and nepotism, as well as abuses linking public and private actors such as bribery, extortion, influence peddling, and fraud.

But then, how did corruption rise to become an integral part of our national life? Our rising corruption profile could be linked to the steady disintegration of moral values in our society. Since the early 90s especially, moral value has nose-dived to an all-time high.

Today, crooks and individuals with warped moral code are being celebrated across the country.

What is urgently required to redress the situation is a complete re-orientation that cuts across all spectra of the society. A process that is all encompassing in the sense of a fusion between the physical and the spiritual.

As a prelude, we need to change our value system as a people. We need to re-appraise our undue obsession to materialism and wealth accumulation. It is such mania that is partly responsible for the rot in our socio-political system. How come men of questionable characters and unproven integrity call the shot in our clime?

The answer is simple. Money

Frank Aigbogun

DEPUTY EDITOR John Osadolor, Abuja MANAGING DIRECTOR Dr. Ogho Okiti EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, OPERATIONS Fabian Akagha EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, STRATEGY, INNOVATION & PARTNERSHIPS Oghenevwoke Ighure ADVERT MANAGER Ijeoma Ude MANAGER, CONFERENCES & EVENTS Obiora Onyeaso BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT MANAGER (South East, South South) Patrick Ijegbai COPY SALES MANAGER Florence Kadiri DIGITAL SALES MANAGER Linda Ochugbua GM, BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT (North)

Bashir Ibrahim Hassan

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

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

T

he current travail of acting chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Ibrahim Magu, has once again brought to the fore the issue of corruption in the country. Magu, regarded by many as, perhaps, one of the most successful EFCC chairmen, is facing several allegations of fraud and abuse of office. He is currently facing a probe panel in what seems to be a case of the hunter being hunted.

The Magu saga has, no doubt, brought a momentary dent on the fight against corruption in the country. Though, Magu remains innocent until the allegations against him are effectively proven, the very thought that he could be guilty has brought a dark cloud on anticorruption crusade in the country.

According to TI, Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) for 2014, Nigeria was up eight places to 136 out of 175 countries ranked by the index. Indeed, Nigeria shares 136th

EDITORIAL ADVISORY BOARD

has become our god. Sadly, religious centers are not excluded from this craze! Neither are traditional institutions. Nowadays, people place curses on their relations for upholding integrity and honesty while holding public offices.

In the days of our founding fathers, men of ideas and principles were widely respected and honoured. Our national heroes such as Herbert Macaulay, Obafemi Awolowo, Nnamdi Azikiwe, Tafawa Balewa, Ahmadu Bello, and Aminu Kano, among others did not rise to national prominence as a result of the fatness of their bank accounts.

Rather, they won the hearts of men of their generation because of the strength and depth of their ideas and principles as well as their total commitment to those ideals which they hold in high esteem.

Ken Saro Wiwa put his life on the line not for pecuniary gains or benefits. No! He died because of his commitment to the emancipation of his people.

One vital key to strengthening our value system is good governance. Governance is about providing sacrificial services to the people.

Some analysts have posited that Nigerians are partly crazy about undue wealth acquisition because of the failure of successive governments to sincerely tackle their social-economic needs. Imagine a Nigeria where public infrastructure works and where everyone irrespective of social status, can afford

a decent living.

It is the conviction of not a few critics that it is the inability of governments, over time, to meet these basic needs that is responsible, in part, for the craze for wealth at all cost among Nigerians. For instance, everyone wants to provide for himself and his family the basic needs of life which ordinarily should be put in place by government. This is the reason why the nation has become a jungle where everyone devises all sorts of survival strategies. After all, the end, as they say, justifies the means.

Nigerians must understand the corrosive effect of corruption. The trend of unbridled theft, greed, selfishness and illegal acquisition of wealth would lead us to nowhere.

We need to take a cue from nations mutual resources are shrewdly used for the good of all.

In Singapore, for example, in order to drive its economic miracle that has made it the fifth least corrupt country in the world with per capita GDP of $53,053, the elimination of corruption from its public service became a top priority.

In same vein, we need to put in place a culture that rewards honesty, integrity and discipline. We need to have a moral rebirth. It doesn’t matter where we are, we can get to where we ought to be if only we are determined to build a new nation. We can do it. We have the potentials. We have the resources.

All we need is a strong resolve to get it right. God bless Nigeria!

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

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Perspective

BDSUNDAY 9

Nurturing Nigeria’s digital economy Salisu Na’inna Dambatta Dambatta, a retired Federal Director of Information, writes from Abuja

T

he establishment of the Federal Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy by the government of President Muhammadu Buhari has positioned Nigeria on a strong pedestal to leverage the continuously evolving Information and Communication Technology (ICT) tools to nurture a Digital Economy for Nigeria.

The value chain of a digital economy has triggers for economic prosperity and social cohesion, which Nigeria should vigorously tap to benefit from its advantages.

The Federal Government assigned four main mandates to the Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy, the first being to “facilitate universal, ubiquitous and cost-effective access to communications infrastructure throughout the country.”

It should “promote the utilisation of ICT in all spheres of life to optimise the communications infrastructure – digital content creation, domestic software applications and the delivery of private and public services over

the internet.”

Thirdly, the Ministry is expected to “promote and facilitate the development of the ICT industry and increase the contribution of the ICT industry to the GDP.” And fourthly, “utilise ICT to drive transparency in governance and improve the quality and cost effectiveness of public service delivery in Nigeria.”

The mandates are appropriate.

If they are applied totally and ef-

tions, interactions and activities that are based on digital technologies. The digital economy is different from the internet economy in that the internet economy is based on internet connectivity, whereas the digital economy is more broadly based on any of the many digital tools used in today’s economic world.”

Another definition, which is not substantially different from the first by Toppr, an online trainer

fectively utilised, Nigeria will benefit enormously in a multifaceted way. And that is the big challenge.

But what is the digital economy? Techopedia, a website, describes it thus: “The “digital economy” is a term for all of those economic processes, transac-

says: “Digital economy is one collective term for all economic transactions that occur on the internet.

It is also known as the Web Economy or the Internet Economy. With the advent of technology and the process of globalisation, the digital and traditional economies are

merging into one.”

Experts in the subject agreed that there are generally three pillars of the digital economy, which are e-business, e-business infrastructure and e-commerce, all of which are conducted through digital platforms. The platforms are so many that listing them here is not possible.

Other elements of the digital economy facilitate e-healthcare Government Plays a Role in Health: Healthcare Services, Video, Examples We blame the government for everything. Be it the de-constructed roads, frequent power cuts, etc. So why is it t... delivery, distance educational services, e-finance and banking, digital music and entertainment. Today, there is Webiner and e-Conferences and virtualsummits across oceans and continents by Presidents, Prime Ministers and statesmen each without leaving his headquarters. All these are derivatives of the digital economy.

The digital economy equally includes digital government or e-government, Digital Skills, Artificial Intelligence, Internet of Things, Smart Agriculture, Digital Culture, Digital Infrastructure, Digital Energy, Digital Citizen, Digital Entrepreneur and so many other digitals, all of them fruits of the digital economic tree.

The industry also encompasses the manufacturing of and trading

in computing devises, software, mobile phone handsets, broadcast equipment, networking tools and countless accessories that facilitate inter- and intra- institutional connectivity, and ultimately, world-wide linkages, through the internet.

Is Nigeria working committedly enough to provide the necessary infrastructure for a digital economy to boom and create 100 million jobs, and contribute more to the Gross Domestic Product?

The National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) reported that the emerging digital economy in Nigeria contributed more than N4.4 trillion to the country’s GDP in 2019. This underlines its economic importance.

For the Minister of Communication and Digital Economy, Dr. Isa Ali Pantami, the country is poised to attain an up and running digital economy by 2023, about two and a half years from now. He said steps toward achieving that are being taken.

One can believe that ambition going by the observed flurry of activities by the Ministry and its agencies.

The activities are guided by the eight-pillar National Digital Economy Policy and Strategy (NDEPS) which was designed to harness the capacities of its agencies and properly blend them with the roles of the private sector, in building a flourishing digital economy for the benefit of Nigerians.

Reopening of schools: Let’s heed the voice of Minister Adamu

Lewis Asubiojo Lewis Asubiojo, a director, African Centre for Media and Information Literacy, writes from Abuja

R

ising from the Federal Executive Council meeting (FEC) held on Wednesday, July 8, 2020 at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, Minister of Education, Malam Adamu Adamu announced that the Federal Government schools would remain closed until it was safe to reopen.

Prior to this, there had been a widely publicised media report that the Minister of State for Education, Emeka Nwajiuba during a press briefing by the Presidential Task Force (PTF) on COVID-19 on Monday 6 July, 2020, announced that the 2020 WASSCE, conducted by the West African Examinations Council (WAEC), would hold between August 4 and September 5, 202O. Even before Nwajiuba’s announcement, there was another media report that the PTF at one of its briefings announced that schools would be reopened for

students in graduating classes of primary six, junior Senior Secondary School 3 and Senior Secondary School 3 to enable them to prepare for their examinations.

But the latest pronouncement

by Adamu has automatically put an end to the planned school reopening. According to him, it is unwise to reopen schools now in view of the disturbing cases of rising infections and fatalities arising from the coronavirus pandemic in Nigeria.

He said he would rather prefer students losing an academic year to exposing them to the dangers of the coronavirus pandemic. The Minister also appealed to respective state governments planning the reopening of schools to hold on in the interest of the safety of our young ones and the nation at large.

The Minister said: “Our schools will only open when we believe it is safe for our children and that is when the situation is right, not when the incidence of the infection is going up in the country. I just want to make it clear.”

The Minister further stated, “I will also like to use this position to ask those states that have already announced, I will appeal to them. I think it is not safe. I feel responsible for all children, not just those who are in Federal Government-controlled schools. Please let’s save our children from this.”

However, this sudden change in the reopening of schools has continued to generate mixed feelings among Nigerians with some

sections applauding the Minister while others are expressing their disapproval.

Though the Ministry might have initially given its nod to the reopening of schools for a certain category of students, this does not mean such decision cannot be reversed if available facts indicate that coronavirus poses a greater threat to the health and safety of the students and our society if schools are allowed to reopen.

Being an overall supervisory officer for managing the nation’s education, the Minister has the responsibility to ensure students and their custodians operate in a safe environment that poses little or no threat to their lives.

Therefore, it is commendable that the Minister has rightly used his position to ask those states that have already announced reopening not to go ahead because it is not safe to do so. I think it is not safe. And thankfully, governors of the nineteen northern states have backed the Minister in his decision.

Following in the footsteps of the Minister, the Nigeria Centre for the Disease Control (NCDC) had earlier warned against the reopening of schools, particularly in this wet season which it said comes along with an increase in flu-like diseases as children run the risk of contracting and spreading Covid-19.

The NCDC made this position known at a recent webinar hosted by the PLAN International Nigeria’s Country Director, Hussaini

Abdu, with the support from the European Union (EU). The theme of the programme is: ‘Rethinking Education: Perspective and Challenges of Remote and Alternative Learning in COVID-19 Pandemic.’

NCDC Head, Risk Communication, Yahaya Disu said with the nation’s weak health system as well as the very low risk perception of the Covid-19 pandemic, reopening schools now would further spread the coronavirus in the country.

Dr. Disu further said: “The risk perception by the public is still very low and it is because our population structure consists mostly of youths who may have the disease and not have symptoms.

“School children are likely not going to comply and it could spread the disease among them as majority of our pupils go to school in vehicles and the transport sector is known to have poor record of compliance.”

Not too long ago, Minister of Health, Dr. Osagie Ehanire expressed his frustration over the rising cases of the coronavirus in the country, stressing that Covid-19 is actually expanding faster than our health system are able to handle it.

Though serious cases of coronavirus among children are rare, we must be concerned not only for the health of children, but also for the health of other members of society which include teachers, custodians, food service workers, support staff, parents etc. To this end, I believe contemplating

the reopening of schools in whatever shape or form at this point would be an unwise decision when stakeholders in the nation’s education sector have not been able to provide the needed protective equipment to safeguard the health of students and their custodians.

Given the scary realities of Covid-19 in the country today, only an irresponsible government would want to compound existing problems when still grappling with the problems of shortage of equipment and the required funds to cater for the wellbeing and welfare of current existing Covid-19 victims and the health workers managing the situation.

Rather than castigating Malam Adamu for putting on hold schools reopening now, he has played the role of a patriotic Nigerian, a visionary education manager, and a committed and compassionate parent who, in the face of undue pressure from some stakeholders in education, still refused to have schools reopened at the expense of the health of our students.

We should not wait until one becomes a coronavirus victim fatality. It may be too late. Kindly let us adhere strictly to protective measures and protocols as stipulated by the NCDC and we do not have to wait until dead bodies are littering the streets before we begin to comply with safety protocols.

A word, they say, is enough for the wise

10 BDSUNDAY

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Sunday 19 July 2020

Perspective The writer and society (Part 1) Prof. B. Chima Onuoha (Onuoha, a professor of Management and a former ASUU leader, writes from University of Port Harcourt)

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ften, my friends, colleagues, associates and students, ask how I became a prolific writer. My short answer to them include: passion, constant writing and God’s blessings.

This response, obviously, is very simplistic. More tips or information is required. It is against this backdrop that I will address this topic from my own personal practices and experiences.

For the purpose of this write-up, I will crave your indulgence for two paragraphs to go into little historical background. Please, this is not ego trip. I am only tracing the remote factors that contributed immensely to my writing skills. In most associations I belong to, I like the position of secretary and often held that position. In secondary school, I was both the secretary of Science Club and Senior Literary and Debating Society. This is in addition to holding two prefect-ships. In the university, I was the secretary of the Association of Business Students (ABS) under the President-ship of Festus Azara, of blessed memory. I later became

Sanda Yakubu Yakubu, a Reform and Privatisation specialist, writes from Lafia.

N

igeria began a process of accelerated reform of the key sectors of the economy to align with its changing status from a military government to an emerging democracy in 1999. This was in the realisation that political democracy without attendant economic democratisation would not yield the desired growth. Accordingly, the National Council on Privatisation (NCP) through the Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE) was charged by the Federal Government not only to privatise public enterprises, but also to carry out sector reforms and liberalisation of key economic sectors especially the infrastructure sector.

This was in recognition of the fact that infrastructure services are critical in the provision of goods and services and also significantly affect the productivity, cost and competitiveness of any economy. Subsequently, policy decisions vis-à-vis their provision and sector development have ramifications throughout the economy.

Customarily, the reform and liberalisation of any economy involves several major steps, some of which include formulating new policies; establishing a new legal and regulatory framework; structural changes to the sector and the institutional operatives, and the privatisation or commercialisation.

One of the major obstacles that the NCP met when it commenced implementation of its mandate

the President of the Association of Management Students (AMS). I have served as secretary or chairman of many committees in my community and in the course of my academic career. For four years, I was the secretary of Friendship Heritage Club, a high profile elitist and business group, with headquarters in Aba. I am the current Editor-in-chief of The Academy of Management Nigeria (TAMN). I have held administrative positions, was a labour leader and actively into public lectures/ speaking to varied audiences. I hate oppression and injustices. I talk and write against them frequently. In other words, all these exposures assisted and are still assisting in my writing skills.

I started contributing newspaper articles from my undergraduate years. I continued as a graduate assistant. On wise counsel, I stopped. I started concentrating on academic and professional articles, since in the university system, newspaper and magazine articles do not count for promotions. We had sincere mentors and we also imbibed the academic culture. We were encouraged to take our academic destiny into our own hands by these mentors. We were told that as long as you work hard, no person can stop your promotion. If you need say 30 points to move to the next rank, submit 60 points or more. Your ‘enemy’ cannot

do anything to stop your upward movement. My experience in the last 15 years in the university system shows that the spirit of hard-work is somehow being discouraged. In some universities, one’s promotion can be achieved based on ‘blind loyalty’ to the Vice Chancellor or the power bloc of the university. This is encouraging laziness in the system.

Being a management and development scholar also have positive propelling impact on my writing prowess. Due to lack of visionary leadership and abundant evidences of poor governance in Nigeria, there are many development issues to worry about and write on.

As a ‘village’ man, though born in Obalende, Lagos and also a community leader, I am interested in topics relating to human relations, friendship, trust and other cultural issues. My own little contribution in the area of challenges of development of third world nations can be found in my book – The Third World and Underdevelopment: The Role of ‘Sambo Personality’ and Development Strategies. I am currently doing all – academic/professional, development and public-based articles/books.

It pains me that Nigerian academics, universities and research institutes are not impacting their environment adequately. Academics are more interested in those abstract

journal articles, with narrow audience – professional colleagues, essentially for promotion. When some persons become professors, they stop writing. They start scheming for political appointments – a more lucrative option, to the detriment of the university system. Do you blame them? Successive governments in this country have not been serious with the education sector, via appropriate funding. Regrettably, also, some professors are known to retire without producing or supervising doctoral candidates.

It is common to see over 30 persons following a caretaker committee chairman of a local government.

Meanwhile, his/her tenure is only three months. If he/she is lucky, the tenure is renewed for another three months. It is also common to see over 10 persons following a mere caretaker committee councilor. Truth be told – his/her income cannot comfortably take care of the needs of the nuclear/ extended family. Meanwhile, he/she is gloating over having all manners of aides. It is also common to see in most communities/states of this country a 45-year-old man answering ‘youth leader’. The youth leader of a particular party in this country is above 60 years old. It is on record that Gowon became the Head of state of this country at 32; Ojukwu, the leader of Biafra at 34; Muammar Gadaffi became the President of Libya at

27; Jerry Rawlings became Head of state of Ghana at 33; and down here, Alfred Diette Spiff became the military administrator of the old Rivers State at 26. Presently, the Presidents or Prime Ministers of North Korea, France, Finland, Iceland, Austria and New Zealand, are all young persons.

Academics and other writers should do more via lectures, seminars and write-ups to re-orientate our youths away from what Chidi Amuta calls the ‘blow’ mentality. Amuta describes the blow mentality as “the emergence from obscurity of desperate penury into instant wealth of a magnitude that will dazzle the imagination of even the most adventurous entrepreneur”. This involves striving in fraud, wanting to be Djs, drinking lounge owners, twerk artistes, kidnappers, heads of motor parks, strip club entertainers, musicians of instant hit success, internet fraudsters, bandits, gangsters, pimps, area boys, PAs of varied hue, or even big political thugs. Regrettably, our youths spend their productive years in all manners of inanities.

It is important to note that our youths face enormous challenges of being schemed out of political participation,povertyandunemployment. The big Pentecostal churches are busy building cathedrals abroad andarepreachingtoourunemployed and idle youths to hope for prosperity via miracles.

Federal Government reform activities and economic liberalisation (Part 1) was the lack of well-articulated policies in key sectors of the Nigerian economy. Consequently, in 2000, the NCP established the following steering committees: Oil and Gas Sector Implementation Committee (OGIC); Telecommunications Sector Reform Implementation Committee; Transport Sector Implementation Committee; Aviation Sector Reform Implementation Committee; Electric Power Sector Implementation Committee; Agriculture and Water Resources Implementation Committee; Hospitality/Tourism Implementation Committee; Industry/Manufacturing Sector Implementation Committee; Insurance Sector Reform Implementation Committee; Basic Metals Sector Implementation Committee and Solid Minerals Sector Implementation Committee.

The core mandate of these committees included: Formulation of sector policies to promote competition, efficiency and transparency in the sector; Formulation of proposals for the attraction of private financing and investment in the sector; Overseeing the activities of the various government agencies, parastatals and operators in the sector; Formulation of proposals for the restructuring and liberalisation of the sector; Protection of the rights and interests of service providers and consumers; and Recommend the legal and regulatory frameworks.

As the work of these committees advanced and also the imple-

mentation of the privatisation programme by the BPE commenced, it became apparent that there were several cross-cutting issues in all the sectors that needed to be addressed. The most disturbing amongst them was the collapse of the pension system in the country which was compounded by inadequate legislation on pension. It also became glaring that to properly manage fiscal reforms, the absence of a proper mechanism for managing cross debts was a major hindrance. In addition, a liberalised economy would require legislation on competition.

In Nigeria, no such legislation existed, which meant that there existed a clear potential for unfair trade practices with full liberalisation of the economy. Accordingly, the NCP set up the Steering Committee on Pension Reform; Steering Committee on Resolution and Determination of Cross Debts and Steering Committee on Competition and Anti-trust Reform. All the committees worked in accordance with their mandate and produced reports for the Federal Government. BPE also collaborated with all stakeholders – the Ministries, members of the National Assembly and the Organised Private Sector (OPS) in carrying out the reforms.

Major reforms carried out by the Federal Government of Nigeria Telecommunications Sector Reform: Th e Te l e c o m m u n i c a t i o n s

Sector Reform Implementation produced a National Policy on Telecommunications which was approved by the NCP and the Federal Executive Council in 2000.

The policy formed the basis for the further liberalisation of the telecommunications sector and the passage into law of the Nigerian Communications Commission Act, 2003. The 2003 Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) Act repealed that of 1992, as amended. Under the 2003 legislation, the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) was reformed and strengthened as an independent regulatory body for the communications sub-sector.

The Act also provided for the establishment of the National Frequency Management Council and the Universal Service Fund.

Prior to the liberalisation, the Nigerian Telecommunications Plc (NITEL) was the only major player in the sector. It acted as a service provider and regulator. In 1999, the number of subscribers was approximated to be 450,000 fixed lines and analogue mobile lines but with the emergence of other operators like MTN, Airtel, Globacom and Etisalat (now 9Mobile) and other telecommunications service providers, Nigeria has achieved 100percent Teledensity with over 192 million connected lines while over 146 million lines were active as at May 31, 2015.

The process of reform has led to the licensing of over 40 telecoms operators in the country. Similarly,

it is estimated that over a million direct and indirect jobs have been added to the economy. The ICT sub-sector has also witnessed phenomenal growth as a consequence of the reform driven by the BPE. From a sole national carrier, there is now in existence two national carriers, nine unified licenses and several 3G licenses issued.

4G licenses were also issued and telecom companies are awaiting the approval of the widely debated 5G licence.

At the moment, the NCP is considering a draft National Postal Policy and a Postal Sector Reform Bill. The objectives of the Bill include: a) The promotion and implementation of the National Postal Policy; b) The establishment of a regulatory framework for the postal sub-sector; c) Encouragement of local and foreign participation in the provision of postal services; d) The promotion of competition in the sub-sector; and e) The provision of modern, universal, efficient, reliable, affordable and easily accessible postal services throughout the country.

Under the draft Bill, the Nigerian Postal Commission will be set up as the regulator for the sub-sector.

When passed into law, the subsector will be unbundled and the emerging entities privatized by way of concession.

Sunday 19 July 2020

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VINCENT OBIA is a staff of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA).

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popular African proverb says the morning determines the day. The morning sets the tone for the rest of the day. And experts say morning habits play a significant role in the success of an individual.

That is why Dr. Bashir Jamoh’s early steps as Director-General of the NigerianMaritimeAdministrationand Safety Agency (NIMASA) merit attention by stakeholders and the public, generally.

His coming happened under the shadow of Covid-19, at the start of the devastating hit to the national and global economies by the coronavirus pandemic. The world was virtually locked down, but maritime came to humanity’s rescue, offering strategic movement for badly needed goods and services. Jamoh was there to provide crucial direction for the safe and secure movement of the seafarers and the vital supplies they delivered.

NIMASA developed and published new guidelines, via marine notice, designating seafarers and dockworkers as essential workers who should be exempted from travel restrictions. It was in line with newly endorsed protocols by the International Maritime Organisa-

tion (IMO) designed to lift barriers to crew change and support the shipping sector, amid the pandemic.

Maritime safety and security are topics that are close to Jamoh’s heart. Doubling down on some of the industry’s biggest problems on assumption office in March, he flagged commitment to Maritime Safety, Maritime Security, and Shipping Development as his administration’s roadmap to the sector’s progress in the next four years.

“I subsumed the critical responsibilities of the Agency into three pillars, a tripod, which I called Triple S or 3S, so that it can be easily remembered and understood,” he said. “They are Maritime Safety, Maritime Security, and Shipping Development. In this 3S you have the entire gamut of the mandate of the Agency.”

Jamoh is no stranger to the challenges in the maritime sector. He has seen the industry’s ups and downs in the last 32 years. And with the wisdom of hindsight – and foresight – he has set for his administration’s targets to overcome the challenges and move the industry forward.

The route is rough and long, but Jamoh knows the right place to start and how to invest where the shoe

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Perspective Bashir Jamoh: A burning passion for service (Part 1)

pinches. With great determination, he has set about fixing the mechanism for solution to the security issues behind the bad press that Nigeria consistently gets in the global maritime community.

“The first thing we tried to do when we came on board was to ensure collaboration and synergy among the actors,” Jamoh stated.

“We improved our relationship with the Nigerian Navy, Nigeria Police, Department of State Services (DSS), as well as the stakeholders.

We created awareness as regards

what to do in the event of attack by pirates or sea robbers. We started with our own territorial waters and escalated it to the Gulf of Guinea.”

The new synergy between NIMASA, Nigerian Navy, Nigeria Police, DSS, and other maritime security actors in the last few months has yielded visible results. About 27 suspected pirates and sea robbers have been arrested, the first since 2016, in a strong message to the criminal elements and the international community. These suspects would be the first to be tried under Nigeria’s new antipiracy law, the Suppression of Piracy and Other Maritime Offences (SPOMO) Act, which was signed into law in June last year by President Muhammadu Buhari. The law made Nigeria the first in West and Central Africa to have one such distinct legislation.

The law aims to ensure safe and secure shipping at sea by criminalisingandprosecutingpiracyandother breaches. It provides a legal basis for the criminalisation and prosecution of piracy and other maritime crimes through the country’s maritime security enforcement agencies: the Nigerian Navy and NIMASA. The Antipiracy Act contains unmistakable definitions of piracy and other maritime offences.

It has provisions for penalties upon

conviction for maritime crimes, restitution of violated maritime assets to owners, and forfeiture of proceeds of maritime crime to the government.

The law vests exclusive jurisdiction in the Federal High Court and provides relevant authorities with powers to seize pirate vessels or aircraft in Nigerian or international waters.

As part of the deliberate effort to ensure maritime security through concerted actions, NIMASA is leading moves to harmonise and intensify information sharing among the surveillance systems of the key maritime agencies. Jamoh is determined to achieve the synchronisation of NIMASA’s C4i with the Navy’s Falcon Eye, and the C3i, which belongs to the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA).

The Command, Control, Communication, Computers, and Intelligence Centre (C4i Centre), which commenced operations on a 24-hour basis last year, is the intelligence arm of the Deep Blue Project, also known as the Integrated National Security and Waterways Protection Infrastructure. The initiative aims to comprehensively tackle insecurity on Nigeria’s territorial waters and Exclusive Economic Zone, up to the Gulf of Guinea.

ifeGuide L How do you create new change management system post Covid-19? with

T

he whole world has been forced to change everything to fight the pandemic ravaging the counties of the world.

Most businesses are faced with enforcing drastic changes to enable them meet up with their targets, objectives, goals, and profit margins. The only way to achieve this is to create new change management system.

Change management is a collective term for all approaches to prepare, support, and help individuals, teams, and organisations in making organisational changes. It is very essential to all businesses and organisations that want to be efficient and effective amidst Covid-19 pandemic and even post pandemic.

The purpose of change management is to implement strategies for effecting change, controlling change, and helping people to adapt to change.

If you are looking to make changes within your organisation at this time you must first choose the right change management model. The second step is good planning— assesses the context, understand the impact, analyse the stakeholders, prepare the change charter,

change plan, and acquire the know-how. After implementing the changes, the company must make sure it sticks to them because all these steps are useless if the employees and employers alike do not stick to them. There is a model that best describes this change management process, it was created by the Prosci founder JEFF HIAT. The acronym is ADKAR. They stand for: •A – awareness for the need to change •D – desire to participate in and support the change •K – knowledge about how to change •A – ability to implement change and behaviours •R – reinforcement to sustain the change.

When embarking on any change management project an important question to ask yourself is, “What new competencies will be required to make this change successful?” in this case, “How can our organisation operate from home for an indefinite period? How do we keep the employees accountable? How do we retain clients and get new customers in?” If change management is about

preparing an organisation to successfully change, developing new competencies must be a part of that success equation.

Change management competency is a combination of knowledge, skills, and abilities that enable productive behaviour. While most organisations are familiar with the idea of needing a competent workforce, not all organisations are able to effectively address the competency requirements necessary to enable new ways of working that are successful.

It is both a training and a communication. For change management to work, there must be effective communication and proper training.

When there is just communication, there would hardly be any change management.

Think of it like this; if we could change behaviour just by communicating more effectively, people wouldn’t smoke, and everyone would be at their ideal weight. Yes, having a Communication Plan is important, crucial even. But it is not enough. A communication plan must be blended with the other elements of Change Management.

It starts collectively before

Emem Nwogwugwu is an entrepreneur, author, life coach and certified project manager.

For over a decade she has been working to motivate people to live their best lives. impacting an individual. As an organisation, when the decision to embark on change management is taken, steps on how to collectively train the workers are taken. This change starts collectively and then move to individuals adapting and embracing this change too.

Steps necessary to create effective change management system Scope: Change must be evaluated to determine how the scope of the change will affect the company. Since nobody knows how long it will take for things to go back to normal or if they ever will, we must prepare for an indefinite time. That way the organisation or business is ready for any possibility.

Schedule: Assessment to determine how the change management decision will alter the set schedule. After knowing how it will be altered, a research on how best projects can be managed to fit into the new schedule should be carried out and a new schedule should be implemented as soon as possible.

Costs: Change requests

08033455364

must be evaluated to determine how they will affect costs.

Labour is typically the largest expense in an organisation. So, extra costs should be accommodated. If a cut is necessary, it should be communicated appropriately and clearly.

Quality: Change requests must be evaluated to determine how they will affect the quality of the products and services.

Changes to the schedule can affect quality as the workforce may generate defects in work that is rushed.

Human resources: Evaluate to determine if additional or specialised labour is required.

When the schedule changes, key resources may be lost to other assignments.

Communications: Approved change must be communicated to the appropriate stakeholders at the appropriate time.

Risk: An evaluation to determine what risks the change management pose. Even minor changes can have a domino effect on the business and organisation, and introduce logistical, financial or security risks.

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Sunday 19 July 2020

Politics

Adams Oshiomhole

Ahmed Tinubu

Abubakar Malami

Ibrahim Magu

How connected are Tinubu, Oshiomhole, 2023 to Magu ordeals?

Innocent Odoh, Abuja

S

ince the July 6 arrest, detention and subsequent suspension of the Acting Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Ibrahim Magu over alleged corruption leveled against him by the Attorney-General and Minister of Justice Abubakar Malami, a new and perhaps invidious political twists have been exposed on the real intentions behind Magu’s travails.

Although Magu has been released on bail, from police custody, on Wednesday, July 15, the permutations over who will succeed Buhari in 2023 appears to have been deeply rooted in the controversy and confusion surrounding Magu’s corruption allegations as power blocs within the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) appear to be jockeying to outwit and outfox one another for the control of the party’s structures.

It is public knowledge that former Lagos State Governor Bola Ahmed Tinubu is nursing the ambition to succeed Buhari as President in 2023 and is said to have amassed massive structures and mobilising support to clinch the ticket of the APC once power shifts to the south. Although the Jagaban of Borgu, recently denied any ambition for 2023, pundits believe the momentary denial was to reduce the alleged suspicion by the Buhari administration said to be uncomfortable with power shift and especially to Tinubu.

Public Affairs analyst, Katch Ononuju told BDSUNDAY at the weekend that the dismantling of Magu over multiple allegations of re-looting recovered assets, insubordination and misconduct leveled against him by Abubakar Malami “is a recalibration of the internal in-fighting of factions in the ruling coalition of the All Progressives Congress (APC) ahead of the 2023 election.”

The public intellectual said that Magu belongs to the Action Congress of Nigeria (A.C.N), the faction of the APC that has former Lagos State Governor, Bola Ahmed Tinubu as its arrowhead. He noted that Magu allowed himself to be used by President Buhari as a recruitment tool of

the APC apparently referring to Magu’s alleged aggression against opponents of the Buhari government using the anti-corruption fight to intimidate many people into joining the APC to avoid being investigated.

He added that now that the 2019 elections are over the Congress of Progressive Change (CPC) faction led by President Buhari with Malami as the chief enforcer of their agenda has started to strategise to emasculate any threat within.

Malami is also said to be tackling Magu in order to shield himself from the deluge of corruption allegations leveled against him by Magu, especially on the issue of selling recovered assets particularly crude oil vessels without recourse to the relevant provisions of the 2004 EFCC Act. Therefore, he struck Magu first.

Ononuju also referred to the recent debacle of the former National Chairman of the APC, Adams Oshiomhole, a key member of the ACN faction and how he was made irrelevant, downgraded and humiliated out of office after being used to catapult President Buhari to power for a second term.

Ononuju explained that Oshiomhole provided the Buhari faction with the perfect timing and warned that the Buhari group is sly, adding that in the next six months the most powerful man in the ACN faction, Tinubu, might be dragged to the political guillotine.

“Magu is a Tinubu man and they have to remove him for them to find a part to get at Tinubu. They are going after his (Tinubu’s) people and by the time they are through in the next six months, a lot of things would have taken care of themselves.

“The new EFCC chairman will be given instruction on what to do,” Ononuju said, stressing that Malami and his group would have succeeded in emasculating their opponents in the coming months.

Oshiomhole is particularly in deeper trouble as the new Acting chairman of the EFCC, Mohammed Umar is said to have received instructions from the Presidency to investigate the former APC national chairman as documents linking him to massive corruption were found in Magu’s house when it was searched by security agents.

When asked about the alleged desperation of the Buhari government to destroy any opposition from within and without, Ononuju said that Buhari is planning to protect alleged ‘Fulani-centric’ policies and programmes that he had implemented in the last five years and is afraid that power shift to the South will reverse his legacies.

“The only way to save these legacies is to put a pro-Fulani candidate as the President in 2023. But it looks like a very difficult business knowing full well that the north by 2023 would have done eight years and if they try to force it, the APC dies as an alliance,’’ he warned.

Contributing, the President of the Middle Belt Forum, Pogu Bitrus, did not share the idea about Magu’s connection to Tinubu, even though he agreed that Magu has been a pawn in the chess game being played by the Buhari administration.

He however, said that with regards to 2023, he has no doubts that President Buhari would want somebody of his type to take over from him whether the person is from the north or from the south, adding that Buhari will not give power to somebody outside of his own circle.

He expressed concern that Buhari may

Magu is a Tinubu man and they have to remove him for them to find a part to get at Tinubu.

They are going after his (Tinubu’s) people and by the time they are through in the next six months, a lot of things would have taken care of themselves

not sign the amended Electoral bill into law and will retain the current electoral system as he did before the 2019 election so that he can do whatever he wants to do in 2023.

“The issue is the way the country is constituted. The way the electoral system is constituted the President can install whoever he wants with the electoral law in operation with the kind of INEC that we have. Unless votes are transmitted electronically by changing the electoral law, there is nothing we can do about it.

Buhari will install whoever he wants using the system on ground.

“So, even if Tinubu contests and Buhari does not want him, they will use this electoral law to shift power to who they want,” he said.

Bitrus further said that the clamour for power shift to the south is in order in a diverse society like Nigeria, but warned that Buhari and his men have the machinery to stop any body they don’t want.

“The political parties have an unwritten constitution that power should rotate between the north and south, I know that of the PDP, and I believe the APC has something similar, especially as power has stayed in the north now for eight years and is supposed to shift to the south.

“However, unless the electoral system changes these same people in APC could field a northerner on PDP platform and they will all shift to PDP and even if you give Tinubu the APC ticket he will go nowhere,” he said.

Also speaking to BDSUNDAY on Friday, Publicity Secretary of the Pan Yoruba socio-cultural organisation, Afenifere, Yinka Odumakin, did not rule out the possibility of political interests dictating the war on corruption as far as Tinubu is concerned, stressing that Nigerian politics is driven by corruption.

He said that special political interests are riding roughshod over the anti-corruption war and making mockery of the war, which has affected the way Magu was fighting it and what later affected him.

“Magu is a summary of what is wrong with the system, the failure of the system and the lack of capacity to fight corruption other than mockery and deception,” he said.

Sunday 19 July 2019

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Sunday 19 July 2020

Politics Presidency must be blamed for Magu’s larger-than-life image in EFCC - Ubani Monday Ubani, political commentator, immediate past vice-president of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), in this exclusive interview with INIOBONG IWOK, provides legal perspective to some national issues. He also speaks on the September 19 gubernatorial election in Edo State, among others. Excerpts: run to than the constitution. We must have a judiciary that is strong and lives up to its responsibility. What they are saying is that appointments in this government are lopsided and they have their facts.

What we need to do is not to cause mayhem and anarchy; the only place this can be addressed is the judiciary.

So, they have gone to court to ventilate their grievance, and the government can explain why its appointment is lopsided and not reflect federal character.

Which we all know is in clear violation of the constitution, that every state, local government must be considered in appointments into federal agencies.

It is for the court to decide based on evident. It would be fundamental and joy in the land if any government can be brought to realise that they are acting against the law and federal character of the land.

It is interesting, because even the present set-up of the federal character commission is said to be from one region, which is the chairman and the secretary. This is a commission that should look at issues like this, how do you explain that?

What is your reaction to the probe and suspension of Ibrahim Magu as the chairman of the EFCC? es, just like the previous chairmen of the agency, they always end up disgracefully because of certain acts they committed while ruining the agency; part of which is the recovered loot most times.

There have always been issues with the management of the recovered loot. I think we have to probably look at the laws setting up the EFCC and then the power given to them on recovered loot; whether another agency should be in charge of recovered loot to avoid all these accusations of them putting their hand into it. We should review the law, so that EFCC would not be the one in charge of recovered loot.

Y

Would you say the way he was left in office in acting capacity may have contributed to all this?

Yes, it is clear that the law setting up the EFCC seeks a substantive chairman for the agency, but it must be confirmed by the Senate. The moment he was not confirmed, the President should have acted by either appointing someone else or removing him.

But doing something else by keeping him in an acting capacity for five years makes him feel larger than life and indispensable which makes him do most of the things he did there. You don’t allow an individual in a country of 200 million people stay in office for five years in an acting capacity; it is wrong, even when the law setting up EFCC did not allow that.

Is this a setback on the anti-graft war of this administration?

Yes, though the government said it is not, if you keep someone for five years in acting capacity and the man turned out to actually exhibit those things that were the verdict of the DSS, that said, based on his antecedents that the man failed the integrity test. And now you realise it is time to investigate the allegations on him by DSS and in addition to some other ones they are alleging against him, it can’t be positive for you. All this shows in the first place that the fight was not going well, and he is probably doing some damage to the system.

The APC had said then that the refusal of the 8th NASS, under the leadership of Bukola Saraki, to confirm him was a witch-hunt?

That cannot be said to be true, because it was not their report. You remember very well it was DSS that wrote a damning report indicting Magu. The DSS report was what was acted on by the last NASS; so you can’t blame them. The DSS is part of the executive; if there was no report they had no reason not to confirm him; what do you want the National Assembly to do?

What is your take on the newly formed political coalition?

Nigeria presently needs a third force, especially with the present state of the country.

It is clear that PDP and APC are the same; anybody still doubting should check well.

Monday Ubani

There is a need for a third force; but then if you are having a third force, they have to be men of integrity, reliability and consistency. You can’t stay in Lagos and say you want to contest for the presidential election. Nobody knows you in your ward, local government, politics is local. But those people, I don’t think started it well; look at the number of people who have come out to dissociate themselves from the group; it shows how hurriedly they came out to form the group. Calling names makes mockery of the thing, how did they come about with the names? They started on a wrong footing, I think if they want to make any relevance in 2023, they should go and do their homework well for a credible group and not create controversy.

One judgment that has created controversy recently is the Orji Uzor Kalu’s Supreme Court ruling; what is your take?

I have said it on different occasions, that the judgment is sound; it was a judgment that was based on error in the amendment of the Criminal Justice Act of 2015, that did not take cognisance of the provision of the constitution on the issue of jurisdiction and since that corresponding amendment was not made both in the constitution and the Act that is why it turns out like that in the judgment by the Supreme Court.

The Court that sat to convict Orji kalu and his cohorts was not properly constituted because it was a judge that has been promoted to the higher court.

The Federal High Court as presently constituted can only be presided over by a judge of the federal high court and not a judge of the Court of Appeal. So long as that fundamental error was done, it is what led to the judgment, and it is correct and sound.

We have to make amendments to the constitution in that regard. When a judge is elevated, the law should be amended to say if you can come down to preside over a case in the lower court.

But there has been criticism of the judgment even among judicial officers?

It was a technical error; it was not the court but the law it was not properly amended to warrant the current situation. The Act, that is Criminal Justice Act of 2015, says any judge handing a lower court case can come down, but the constitution which is the fundamental law and supersede any other law was not amended to conform to that.

The constitution contradicts the Criminal Justice Act; the man was now a judge of the Court of Appeal from the Federal High Court. Anyone against the judgment needs to know what is happening; it was not to exonerate him. We are saying the amendment was not done in the constitution to reflect the constitution of the law. Some of the criticism against the judgment is based on sentiment.

What is your take on the newly initiated virtual courts sitting in some states in the administration of justice in the country?

It is the new normal; we have been saying that lawyers should get prepared for the use of technology, but we did not know this pandemic would come, which makes people not to come together. Are we saying that the court would close up? They are coming to terms with the new reality. There are limitations though, with our electricity, communication system, failures in some of these little things, services providers, sometimes, the network is not good.

What is your take on regional leaders taking the President to court over lopsided appointments and allegation of marginalisation?

That is what you call public interest litigation, and any country where you have citizens that are alert, living up to their responsibility things like this should happen.

When you see that the government is acting against the law you have no other place to

What is your take on the forthcoming Edo State gubernatorial election?

I see the Edo people trying to kill godfatherism. Oshiomhole even said that before; the crisis is about godfatherism. He still wants to control the state after leaving the governorship position. But whoever wins would be regarded as a stronger camp. If Oshiomhole wins, he would be said to have a stronger structure in the state.

But if the Governor wins he would show that he has a stronger structure and his slogan that Edo is not Lagos is actually a reality. So, we should watch out; it is for the Edo people to watch out and know if Obaseki has satisfied them and give him another chance.

Are you confident INEC would deliver?

It would be bad for INEC not to conduct a good election; INEC should have enough security and personnel. I have said it often that if we can’t get our electoral system right let us forget about being a nation. This would determine where we want to be as a nation. If we don’t respect people’s choice, let’s forget the country.

But I believe INEC would do the right thing. They said they want to conduct electronic voting next year; but they have not amended the law in that regard. They must also note that the electronic system of voting does not guarantee free and fair elections, if the fundamentals that would guarantee free and fair election have not been put in place. If our political leaders can still have unhindered access into our treasury without check, then potential political office holders would do anything to get into powers. It is not only electronic voting; these fundamental issues must be addressed- punish electoral offenders, making sure that security agencies do not work for a candidate and ensure impartiality of INEC. If you don’t address all these, no matter what, our electoral system would not improve.

Sunday 19 July 2020

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Politics Permutations rife as Obaseki, Ize-Iyamu’s fate hangs on Edo voters …As 35 parties’ endorsement brightens governor’s chances Iniobong Iwok

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Godwin Obaseki he second term bid of Governor Godwin Obaseki, has been characterised by intrigues mainly because of his face-off with his predecessor and erstwhile benefactor, Adams Oshiomhole, who until recently was the national chairman of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).

Following his defection from the APC and emergence as the standard bearer of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in a dramatic fashion after he was disqualified from contesting the governorship primary election of the APC over allegations of discrepancies in his certificates presented to the party’s governorship election screening committee, the governor is not leaving any stone unturned in his quest to win the September 19 election.

Though the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) says there are 14 other candidates in the election, it is however, expected that the contest would be a two-horse battle between the incumbent Obaseki and the candidate of the APC, Osagie Andrew Ize-Iyamu who has the support of Oshiomhole.

But observers are of the view that the face-off between him and the Oshiomhole may have won him public sympathy and supporters who are committed to seeing him win at the poll to shame the overbearing godfather.

Having suffered bruises in recent time, Oshiomhole himself would be out in full force to prove a point to Obaseki and the PDP that he is still a force to reckon with in the state.

However, in the last few years incumbency power has been a factor in winning elections in the country and observers say it would work in Obaseki’s favour.

They however, say that the governor must also beware and be ready to contend with the ‘federal might’ of the APC which has perfected some undemocratic means of winning elections, using the military, police, and other federal agencies to influence election outcomes.

In the last few weeks, there have been endorsements of Obaseki’s candidacy by different groups across the state.

One of such is last Friday’s endorsement by a Coalition of Political Parties (CPP).

The political parties hinged their decision to endorse the re-election bid of the governor on his administration’s performance which they said cut across all sectors of the state, particularly economic development, industrial revolution, workers’ welfare packages, among others.

Collins Oreruan, Edo State chairman of Social Democratic Party (SDP) and CPP, said the 35 political parties in the state have collapsed their structures to massively support the electioneering of the state governor.

“Our support for Godwin Obaseki is total, cohesive, progressives and focused on a better life for the people of Edo State.

“We resolved that instead of acting as individual entities, it will be more effective to support the governor as a block with our existing party structures across the state.

Godwin Obaseki

Osagie Ize-Iyamu

“We shall synergise with the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) to mobilise the voters at the grassroots on the reasons why Governor Godwin Obaseki should be returned as governor Speaking recently after winning the PDP gubernatorial ticket, Obaseki expressed his readiness to lead the state and provide purposeful leadership for another four years.

According to him, “I am prepared to provide leadership that will lead this party to victory and I am prepared to provide leadership that will not only put PDP in office in Edo state but as the ruling party in Edo state. We will make sure that the level of progress, the level of hope and the level of participation in the political system by our party is unrivalled in this country.”

“I am committing to you that I will not only lead this party to victory in Edo State, but we will now make sure that this party establishes an example of how states will be run in Africa. So, today, it is with great pleasure that I have come to formally take up my membership of this great party,” he further said.

“In terms of performance, many people allege that Obaseki did not perform well or did not perform as expected in terms of projects. But you cannot tell me that Obaseki did not accomplish any project. So, no matter how few it is, projects accomplished by Obaseki will work in his favour. Aside from this, the incumbency factor will also favour Governor Obaseki.”

Obaseki would have people sympathy – analysts Yemi Makinde, analyst says Governor Obaseki would get re-elected if the election is free and fair because he commands wide support across the state which has increased due to recent events.

“I think the governor would win, though it may not be easy because the other candidate also has a strong followership, looking at what happened in 2016, but the governor has done well and if you go to Edo he loved by the people. He had no choice than to join PDP; if you were in his shoes, what would you do?

“Obaseki would get support also because of recent events; a lot of people want godfather eliminated from our system,” Makinde said.

Also speaking, another political analyst, Mohammed Ibrahim said the Oshiomhole’s factor would work in Obaseki’s favour, stressing that what Oshiomhole has done to Obaseki naturally would make some persons in Edo to vote for the incumbent governor out of pity.

Osagie Ize-Iyamu Osagie Ize–Iyamu is not new to the politics of Edo State, having been the chief of staff and Secretary to the Edo State government during the administration of Adams Oshiomhole.

However, he fell-out with Oshiomhole and defected to the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) to contest the 2016 governorship election in which he lost to the incumbent Governor, Godwin Obaseki.

Ironically, he has become a beautiful bride to Oshiomhole, the same man who worked against his election in 2016, due to the well-reported face-off between the former APC national chairman and Obaseki in recent years.

Ize-Iyamu defected to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) last year and was granted a waiver to contest the party’s primary in which he won in controversial circumstances.

Observers believe that Oshiomhole influenced his emergence as the APC candidate after the controversial disqualification of Obaseki.

The Edo election is going to be a fierce fight between the federal might and the power of incumbency.

However, the individual capacity of the two leading candidates would also determine how they swing each situation to their favour.

Meanwhile, it is believed in some camps that Ize-Iyamu won the 2016 governorship election in Edo State but was rigged out.

Pundits say he is a force that cannot be underrated due to his massive support among grassroots across the state.

However, one factor that may work against him is the current trial over alleged money laundering by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

The APC candidate is standing trial for eight counts of money laundering to the tune of N700m meant to prosecute the 2015 general election.

The EFCC says that Ize-Iyamu and four others, in the said act, violated the provisions of the EFCC Act and the Money Laundering (Prohibition Act).

Presently, his eligibility to stand as a candidate for the election has also been challenged in Court by a political party.

They are urging the Court to disqualify him for the election.

But amid claims that he is counting on the support of Oshiomhole to win the election, Ize-Iyamu said recently that he does not need a godfather to win the election.

According to him, “The only godfather I have is God. I am sure that is obvious to you.

Adams Oshiomhole is the national chairman of the party and I have immense respect for him. And there are other leaders. Adams Oshiomhole was not in Edo today and yet I won the 18 local governments. We have mutual respect for each other and I will not disrespect him because anybody wants to insult him.

“All I want to let you know is that I am well grounded in Edo. People know me; I have lived there all my life and they believe in me.

And they want somebody that understands their problems and is able to solve them. I am sincere, focused and I have a clear-cut agenda of what I want to do.

“That is why I am standing and I believe on the basis of that I will win the election overwhelmingly. I don’t need any godfather to win,” Ize-Iyamu said.

Agol Ebun Agol Ebun is the candidate for the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP) in the September 19 Edo State governorship election.

Though, she has been active in the political circle in Edo State in recent years, she is however, not expected to pose any threat to the two leading candidate incumbent Governor, Godwin Obaseki of the candidate of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and Ize-Iyamu of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) Also, the NNPP is a relatively new party which does not command support and wide membership in the state. There is also the doubt if she has the financial strength to compete with the two leading parties in the election.

Analysts say she is likely to step down from the race and support any of the two leading candidates.

However, Agol, is noted to be a human right activist, a grassroots politician, whose followers say is a visionary leader, responsible, creative and a quintessential achiever in business and politics.

Agol is a former two term Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC) chairperson in Edo State.

She was the former leader, Greater Dimension for Women International. Coordinator, Global Forum For Human Right Peace and Justice.(GFFPJHR,) Coordinator Global Initiative For African youth (GIDFAY).

The NNPP candidate worked in the office of the Auditor-General of Edo State as a Quality control Manager, Asabatex Delta State and was the former CEO, Eliisabora Enterprises.

She is married with three children.

16BDSUNDAY

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…

And Ibidunni’s …

AND IBIDUNNI’S … AND IBIDUNNI’S wish came to TO pass WISH CAME TOPASS PASS WISH CAME

remained optimistic it would aresecondary no secondary issues, remained optimistic that itthat would therethere are no issues, andwas shegoing was going after which there will be a second comecome and she to doto it, do feltit, felt after which there will be a second Ibidunni Ighodalo good to hear. Such inspiring stories phase, 60 will undergo medical oday,oday, Ibidunni Ighodalo good to hear. Such inspiring stories phase, 60 will undergo medical would clocked of Ibidun, examination, 40 be willselected be selected would have have clocked 40. 40. of Ibidun, manymany moremore I haveI have heardheard examination, 40 will She would from when she passed on till date. and they will begin the IVF process She would havehave beenbeen from when she passed on till date. and they will begin the IVF process bursting joy like What a legacy! immediately. bursting out inout joyinlike What a legacy! immediately. all know her for and T h e p r e s s c o n f e r e n c e w a s Now that is how you leave your we allwe know her for and T h e p r e s s c o n f e r e n c e w a s Now that is how you leave your the reason forjoy herwould joy would coordinated

by Tosin Adefeko, footprint the sands of time. the reason for her have have coordinated

by Tosin Adefeko, footprint in theinsands of time.

I am I am that,would she would physically Managing Partner, AT3 Resources is smiling beenbeen that, she have have physically Managing Partner, AT3 Resources sure sure she isshe smiling downdown at us at allus all birthed her dream, her dream and aside Pastor Ighodalo heaven, and is glad that her birthed her dream, her dream to to and aside Pastor ItuahItuah Ighodalo from from heaven, and is glad that her successfully 40 homes happy, Okolie, board earnest to make couples successfully makemake 40 homes happy, and and BolaBola Okolie, otherother board earnest desiredesire to make couples have have 40 families are able not able members present onhigh the table high table a once in a lifetime opportunity 40 families who who are not to to members present on the a once in a lifetime opportunity to to conceive naturally.

I must confess, conceive naturally.

I must confess, referring to in her in past referring to her past tensetense still still awkward.

It isn’t looking feels feels awkward.

It isn’t looking like like willused get used to it anytime I willIget to it anytime soon.soon.

It is glad to know that even in her It is glad to know that even in her absence, still impacting absence, she isshe stillisimpacting lives.lives.

How? ask…well, her heart How? You You ask…well, her heart desire is surely coming to pass desire is surely coming to pass as as her husband, The Lead Pastor her husband, The Lead Pastor of of Trinity House Chairman Trinity House and and Chairman of of Ibidunni Ighodalo Foundation Ibidunni Ighodalo Foundation (IIF),(IIF), Pastor ItuahItuah Ighodalo, said said Pastor Ighodalo, recently during a press briefing to to recently during a press briefing officially relaunch her Foundation officially relaunch her Foundation and Project 40at40, in celebration and Project 40at40, in celebration of her birthday, that Ibidun’s of40th her 40th birthday, that Ibidun’s wish wish to make 40 families happy will will to make 40 families happy still be actualized.

“We have gotten still be actualized.

“We have gotten between 30-40percent financial between 30-40percent financial support and by grace, this this support andGod’s

by God’s grace, initiative will not initiative will be notfor bethis for year this year alone.

I make the promise that we alone.

I make the promise that we shall shall continue to help families continue to more help more families yearlyyearly in remembrance of Ibidun.” in remembrance of Ibidun.”

He said. included Dr. Ade become parents is happening and and He said. included Dr. Adeyemi-Bero, Ade Adeyemi-Bero, become parents is happening Listening to Bola Okolie, board and the secretary of theof the will always happen yearlyyearly even even in in Listening to Bola Okolie, board andexecutive the executive secretary will always happen member of IIFofshare on the Foundation, Adedayo Richards. her absence. member IIF share onselfless the selfless Foundation, Adedayo Richards. her absence. nature of Ibidun brought tearstears to to Pastor ItuahItuah further explained that that It is your birthday todaytoday Ibidun, nature of Ibidun brought Pastor further explained It is your birthday Ibidun, my eyes again.again.

How How she since the process will take 2 months, it and we allwe know you for so is so my once eyes once she since the process will take 2 months, it what and what all know youis for dreamt of the of making 40 40 will be below the age powerful that it is even outliving dreamt of idea the idea of making willwomen be women below the of age of powerful that it is even outliving families happy through IVF, how 50, married for 5 for years and above, you. It certainly means you will families happy through IVF, how 50, married 5 years and above, you.

It certainly means yoube will be eveneven whenwhen Bola Bola asked her how in good health and there will be in ourinhearts forever.

To a life asked her how in good health and there will be our hearts forever. To athat life that the money would come, and she medical examinations to ensure passed through our hearts, we will the money would come, and she medical examinations to ensure passed through our hearts, we will always keep you there…our hearts! always keep you there…our hearts!

To a To lifeathat through the the life passed that passed through earth,earth, your landmark will always be be EDITOR your landmark will always EDITOR here…on earth!

Kemi Ajumobi here…on earth!

Kemi Ajumobi Thank you for the gift of you, Ibidun!

Email: kemi@businessdayonline.com Thank you for the gift of you, Ibidun!

Email: kemi@businessdayonline.com indeed you are a hero and your indeed you are a hero and your TEAM: impact can never be forgotten.

TEAM: impact can never be forgotten.

Desmond Okon Happy Birthday to an angel that left Desmond Okon Happy Birthday to an angel that left Osaromena Ogbeide too soon, Ibidunni Ighodalo, you are Osaromena Ogbeide too soon, Ibidunni Ighodalo, you are Designed by Aderemi Ayeni painfully missed! Rest on Designed by Aderemi Ayeni painfully missed! Rest on

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Sunday 19 July 2020 Sunday 19 July 2020 Sunday 19 July 2020

THOUGHTS…EXACTLY MYMY THOUGHTS…EXACTLY

AJUMOBI KEMIKEMI AJUMOBI

TT

WORTH WORTH Worth THE WAIT… the wait…

THE WAIT…

the gate.

“Surely, it cannot at theatgate.

“Surely, it cannot be be the people I returned the people who who I returned the the needed a particular product needed a particular product appliance to. It can’t them.

I just I just appliance to. It be can’t be them. a while back,back, so I ordered a while so I ordered spokespoke with her and she withyesterday her yesterday and she it online.

I settled for white it online.

I settled for white did not delivering didsay notthey say were they were delivering even though I wanted black.black. even though I wanted today.today.

She only to apologize Shecalled only called to apologize After After a short use, ituse, became a short it became and to telltome tryingtrying to to and tellthey me were they were faultyfaulty and I and had Itohad return it back to return it to back reach to reach the supplier” the supplier” themthem for repairs. for repairs.

I received the parcel and your I received the parcel and your Weeks passed and somehow, I still I still Weeks passed and somehow, guessguess is right.

It wasItmy appliance. is right. was my appliance. do not how that doknow not know how happened that happened I wasn’t only shocked it came in in I wasn’t only shocked it came but I was patient that I that began to just but Iso was so patient I began to 24 hours after speaking to theto the just 24 hours after speaking ask myself why itwhy wasitso. lady, lady, but when I opened it, it was ask myself was so. but when I opened it, it was One day, driving, I got aI got call a call the colour I actually wanted, black!black!

Onewhile day, while driving, the colour I actually wanted, from them.

The lady told told ThereThere was awas grinaon myonface from them.

Thethat ladycalled that called grin mylike facealike a me they were sorry they had kid inkid theincandy store.store. me they were sorry theynot had not the candy gotten in touch with me So I thought to myself perhaps that that gotten in touch withbecause me because So I thought to myself perhaps they were to getto the supplier was why God ensured I remained they trying were trying get the supplier was why God ensured I remained to give newa one. calm calm in theinweeks I didn’t hear hear to me givea me new Somehow, one. Somehow, the weeks I didn’t during the conversation, I wasn’t from from them,them, because what what I trulyI truly during the conversation, I wasn’t because hurt hurt but was cracking the the wanted finallyfinally came.came. but even was even cracking wanted lady up, before she told Sometimes in we do ladyeven up, even before she me told me Sometimeslife, in life, wenot do not they were goinggoing to give newa new get what we want initially, it they were tome givea me get what we want initially, it one. When I dropped the phone, I causes us discomfort and it is one. When I dropped the phone, I causes us discomfort and it is said to myself “Kemi, it hasitbeen understandable because we are said to myself “Kemi, has been understandable because we are weeks, why were you laughing with with humans and we have feelings weeks, why were you laughing humans and we have feelings that lady the the however, if we can wait through thatlike ladyyou likedid younot didneed not need if we can wait through appliance back urgently? Were you thosehowever, moments when anger and appliance back urgently? Were you those moments when anger and not upset you were responded to anxiety almost always gets the not upset you were responded to anxiety almost always gets the late? Shouldn’t you be giving them best of us, we will soon realize that late? Shouldn’t you be giving them best of us, we will soon realize that a piece of your mind?” the process will produce the exact a piece of your mind?” process will produce the exact I kept asking myself as I drove thingthe we wanted from inception I kept asking myself as I drove thing we wanted from inception on. The next day, while at home, I and it will be worth the wait. on. The next day, while at home, I and it will be worth the wait. get a message that I have a parcel get a message that I have a parcel

Sunday 19 July 2020 Sunday July 2020 Sunday 1919 July 2020

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read the report of the Senate “That the Academic Staff Union of Human (ASUU) is of the read Committee the report on of Judiciary, the Senate “That Universities the Academic Staff Union of view Committee Human Universities of the view Rights on andJudiciary, Legal Matters said the that the(ASUU) Bill is adishominem because Rightsbill and Legal that the Bill is adahominem was readMatters for thesaid firstthe time on it targets particularbecause community, bill was read for the time while on on it targets a particular Wednesday, Oct.first 9, 2019 which in this case,community, are the educators Wednesday, Oct. 9,Nov. 20196, while whichin inthe thistertiary case, are the educators Wednesday, was on passed institutions, whereas Wednesday, 6, reading. was passed in thesexual tertiaryharassment institutions, whereas through Nov. second is a general through second reading. sexual harassment a general Highlighting the objective of the bill, societal problemisthat is not peculiar Highlighting the who objective ofthe thechairman bill, societal is not peculiar Bamidele, is also to problem tertiarythat institutions alone,” Bamidele, is also the chairman to tertiary institutions alone,” of thewho committee asserted that the Bamidele said. of thebill committee assertedthe thatoffence the Bamidele said. was to prohibit of ASUU kicked against the bill in 2016 bill was to prohibit the offence of ASUU kicked theabill in 2016 sexual harassment of students of stating against it targets group (in this sexualtertiary harassment of students of stating it targets a group (in institutions. case, male lecturers) andthis it made tertiary institutions. case, it male lecturers) and it made The bill also aims to criminalise offensive for lecturers to smile or The bill to criminalise forstudents. lecturers to smile or the also act aims of neglect or failure itofoffensive wink at the act of neglect or failure of wink at students. administrative heads of tertiary The bill was, however, revisited administrative of tertiary The bill was, however, revisited educationalheads institutions to address following the Obafemi Awolowo educational institutions to address following the Obafemi Awolowo complaints of sexual harassment University sex-for-marks scandal complaints sexual harassment sex-for-marks within aofspecified period of time.University involving a lecturer scandal in 2018, and withinIna specified of time. lecturer in 2018, and addition,period it seeks to createinvolving a otherasimilar sexual harassment in In addition, it seeks to create a other universities similar sexual harassment strict liability offence by removing which becameinwidely strict mutual liabilityconsent offence as byaremoving universities which widely defense in the reported in thebecame following years. mutual consent as a defense in the reported in the following years. prosecution of sexual harassment ASUU, again, at a public hearing prosecution of sexual ASUU,this again, at a public cases in tertiarharassment y educational year, clashed withhearing some women casesinstitutions.” in tertiar y educational this year, clashed with some group and the Nationalwomen Association institutions.” groupof and the National Association As stated by Bamidele, the committee Nigerian Students (NANS) wanted As stated by Bamidele, the committee of Nigerian Students (NANS) wanted members with stakeholders at the bill to be passed. It argued that members with stakeholders at the bill to be passed. It argued that the public hearing supported the it amounts to “proliferation and the public hearing supported the it amounts to “proliferation and passage of the bill except the ASUU. repetition of legislation.” passage of the bill except the ASUU. repetition of legislation.”

“We observed that sexual harassment As of the time of the public hearing, “We observed that sexual harassment As of the time of the public hearing, in our tertiary institutions are one of NANS had received over 2000 in our tertiary institutions are one of NANS had received over 2000 the major factors responsible for complaints of sexual harassment of the major factors responsible for complaints of sexual harassment of the decline in academic excellence female students by lecturers. With the decline in academic excellence female students by lecturers. With in the country today, as hard work, the bill now passed, it expected in the country today, as hard work, the bill now passed, it expected merits, and transparency have been that the incidences will reduce and merits, and transparency have been that the incidences will reduce and compromised by this ugly trend. lecturers will be made to face the compromised by this ugly trend. lecturers will be made to face the “This has provided a hostile learning the law.

“This has provided a hostile learning wrathwrath of theof law. environment for students, thereby Reacting to bill’s the bill’s passage, environment for students, thereby Reacting to the passage, creating an enabling atmosphere Ovie Omo-Agege said the creating an enabling atmosphere Ovie Omo-Agege said the senatesenate f oerd im e seeking was seeking to elevate students for m o cerdiitoy c, riint yd,i sicnidpilsi cniep l i nwas to elevate students and inefficiency in our tertiary in tertiary institutions who and inefficiency in our tertiary in tertiary institutions who were were institutions. otherwise, adults, who ordinarily institutions. otherwise, adults, who ordinarily DESMOND OKON senate has passed the Sexual tertiary educational institutions the absence of legislation to ought be covered by extant senate has passed the Sexual tertiary educational institutions and and DESMOND OKON “That “That the absence of legislation to ought to be to covered by extant laws laws Harassment Bill which seeks to for matters concerned therewith, particularly mitigate the menace of dealing with rape.

Harassment Bill which seeks to for matters concerned therewith, particularly mitigate the menace of dealing with rape. fter being flagrantly extenuate sexual harassment of 2019,” was sponsored the Deputy harassment our tertiary “If crime this crime committed fter being flagrantly extenuate sexual harassment of 2019,” was sponsored by theby Deputy sexualsexual harassment in ourintertiary “If this were were committed e students in tertiary institutions. President President the Senate Ovie Omoinstitutions the reason for the against a minor, is those o p p oo spepdo sbeyd tbhye t hstudents in tertiary institutions. of theofSenate Ovie Omoinstitutions is theisreason for the against a minor, that isthat those underunder a di ce mSi tca f Sf t aThe f f bill, The titled; bill, titled; BillanforAct an Act and co-sponsored by 106 overwhelming in cases of sexual 18 years, the extant A c a dAec m ‘A Bill‘Afor AgegeAgege and co-sponsored by 106 overwhelming rise inrise cases of sexual 18 years, underunder the extant laws, itlaws, is it is Union of Universities to prevent, prohibit and redress senators. harassment as having been reported a strict liability offence.”

Union of Universities to prevent, prohibit and redress senators. harassment as having been reported a strict liability offence.”

(ASUU), the Nigerian sexual harassment of students in Senator Opeyemi Bamidele, in recent (ASUU), the Nigerian sexual harassment of students in Senator Opeyemi Bamidele, who who in recent times.times.

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Penne in creamy Penne creamy Penne inincreamy marinara sauce sauce marinara sauce marinara

•

• cup 1/2coconut cup coconut 1/2 milk milk

• •

PREPARATION PREPARATION 1. 1tsp Addoil 1tsp oil to salted 1. Add to salted waterwater , let it , let it toboil rollsbefore boil before adding comecome to rolls adding Boil for about 7minuites. pasta.pasta.

Boil for about 7minuites.

2. 2Add 2 tablespoons oil to hot pan 2. Add tablespoons oil to hot pan andchopped add chopped carrots, and add carrots, chilli,chilli, garlicgarlic paste paste and coconut milk. milk. and coconut

AJUMOBI KEMIKEMI AJUMOBI

II

3. Add saucesauce n cooknfor 2 for 2 3. marinara Add marinara cook minutes, then add pasta.pasta. minutes, thendrained add drained Add washed spinach and toss Add washed spinach andtill toss till well combined . well combined .

4. Serve warm.warm.

4. Serve

Festive Ofada Jambalaya Festive Ofada Jambalaya Festive Ofada Jambalaya • 2 birds eye chilli (shombo) MEALS TO ENJOY • 2 birds eye chilli (shombo) MEALS TO ENJOY

BY CHEF EBUNOLUWA JAMES

BY CHEF EBUNOLUWA JAMES • 1 carrot • 1 carrot • 1/4 • cup 1/4spinach cup spinach ake this kid friendly ake this kid friendly pastapasta with with light light herb herb and garlic and garlic t o m at toom as at ou csea, u c e , add spinach for for add spinach an even healthier twist. an even healthier twist.

M M RECIPE RECIPE • • • • • •

500g pastapasta • penne 500g penne 1tsp garlic puree • 1tsp garlic puree 2tbsp canola oil • 2tbsp canola oil 1 cup Homemade marinara • 1 cup Homemade marinara sauce (Or tomato sauce) sauce (Or tomato sauce) Chicken seasoning cube • Chicken seasoning cube Salt/ black pepper • Salt/ black pepper

This ofada reciperecipe receives all theall the This ofada receives love with all your favorite proteins love with all your favorite proteins in attendanceRECIPE in attendanceRECIPE

• • • • • • • • • • •

• cup 1/2cooked cup cooked 1/2 snailssnails • Roughly ground pepper Roughly ground fresh fresh pepper (ata shisha) (ata shisha) • Smoked fish (preferably Smoked roundround fish (preferably hake (panla) hake (panla) • 2 green peppers 2 green peppers of a small zuchinni ½ •of a½small zuchinni • 1bulb 1bulb oniononion 2garlic clovescloves • 2garlic 1 cup palm palm oil (epo • 1bleached cup bleached oil (epo gbigba) gbigba) 2tsp oil oil • vegetable 2tsp vegetable 2 beef cubescubes • 2seasoning beef seasoning ¼ •cup¼ground crayfish cup ground crayfish Salt as desired • Salt as desired Dried herb herb mix (basil, sage, sage, • Dried mix (basil, oregano,(optional) oregano,(optional)

PREPARATION PREPARATION

1. Heat in oil a large a or a 1. the Heatoilthe in a wok largeor wok big pot heat. Add bigover potmedium over medium heat. Add onions, cook cook gently, then add onions, gently, then add zucchini, garlic garlic cook till tender, zucchini, cook till tender, then add crayfish and and thenpepper, add pepper, crayfish season to taste. season to taste.

2. Add fried cook about 2. Addfish, friedand fish, andfor cook for about 2-3 minutes, then add chicken, RECIPE 2-3 minutes, then add chicken, RECIPE stir tostir combine and then to combine and add then add shrimps and snails combine all, all, • 3 •cups parboiled and almost shrimps and snails combine 3 cups parboiled and almost checkcheck seasoning and add the cooked ofada rice (cooled seasoning and add the cooked ofada rice (cooled rice. Cover to simmer for 4-6 rice. Cover to simmer for 4-6 preferably) preferably) minutes. minutes.

• Fried cat fish • Fried cat fish 3. Check Seasoning and finish with 3. Check Seasoning and finish with • 1 piece Chicken breast (cubed, • 1 piece Chicken breast (cubed, parsley and fresh lime or lemon parsley and fresh lime or lemon seasoned) wedges seasoned) wedges • 1/2 kg cleaned shrimps (leave • 1/2 kg cleaned shrimps (leave 4. Enjoy.

4.

Enjoy. shells on) shells on)

18

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Sunday 19 May 2020

Feature

N

igeria’s ports are the most important gateways to the nation’s economy owing to the fact that about 90 percent of import and export trade is transported via water. This was why many school of thoughts believed that ports are Nigeria’s second largest source of revenue after oil.

Before the then administration of President Olusegun Obasanjo ordered the privatisation of the ports, it was seen that the revenue generated into the government coffers from the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) and other agencies of government at the port, was largely threatened due to several issues around poor service delivery to cargo owners.

Then, it was very obvious that the government lacks the resources and management expertise necessary for the functioning of a modern seaport. To this end, in May 2000, a technical workshop was organised by the Federal Ministry of Transport and the Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE), in collaboration with the World Bank on achieving greater private sector participation in the provision of port services. It was against the backdrop of this that decided to concession the port to private investors on Build, Own, Operate and Transfer (BOOT) basis.

In 2006, when the Federal Government finally decided to concession the cargo handling aspect of port operation to private terminal operators, the sole purpose was to resolve those factors that promoted cargo clearing delay as well as inefficient service delivery at ports.

One of such factors was the use of poor and obsolete equipment, which kept breaking down every now and then, when handling imports and exports cargoes. At that time, many importers were paying dearly as demurrage to shipping companies due to the delay.

By embarking on ports reform policy in 2005, the Federal Government aimed to achieve the following objectives including increase efficiency of ports operations, reduce cost of services to port users, promote competition in the provision of services, improve the state of port infrastructure and promote economic growth and development.

Upon signing the concession agreement with the Federal Government, private terminal operators were bound to provide certain equipment and infrastructure needed to ensure quick turnaround of vessels, fast cargo clearance and trade facilitation, while the NPA provides the marine side infrastructure that drives vessel navigation.

On bringing terminal operators onboard, the NPA, which now serves as both the landlord and technical regulator, has through its regulatory functions not only ensure that operators deploy the necessary infrastructure and equipment needed to deliver efficient services to port users and ensure ease of doing business, but had gone further in keeping its part of the concession agreement, which includes investment in marine side infrastructure such

NPA: Enhancing efficiency through investment in port infrastructure, equipment Recently, Nigerian port users have been facing serious challenges that dwell largely on cargo clearing and evacuation delay. This explains why the present management of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) has been pushing for more investment in port infrastructure and equipment to drive efficiency in port operation, writes AMAKA ANAGOR-EWUZIE.

Hadiza Bala Usman, NPA MD

as tugboat and channel dredging.

Just few days back, the NPA commissioned two newly acquired tugboats namely, MT Musawa and MT Ikoro-Ekiti.

The boats have Length over All (LoA) of 28.67m, Breath over All (BoA) of 10.43m and 4. 90m draft.

They were built under Lloyds Classification Society standards and powered by twin MTU engines to attain a speed of 13.5 nautical miles.

Also, the power delivered by the twin MTU engines enables the tugboats to produce 60 tons bollard pull ahead and 587 tons astern, for towing operations.

They are also equipped to serve as fire-fighting machines.

Speaking during the commissioning, Rotimi Amaechi, minister of Transportation, said the tugboats, which are Damen’s 2810 model, showcases the determination of the NPA to increase opera-

tional efficiency.

While identifying the pivotal role maritime sector plays in the actualisation of the fundamental objectives of the Economic Recovery and Growth Plan (ERGP), Amaechi said that not less than 85 percent of the nation’s external trade passes through the seaports.

Hadiza Bala-Usman, managing director of the NPA, explains that the landlord model of port ownership allows NPA to maintain some statutory functions, which include the administration of land and water within the port limits; planning and development of port operational infrastructure; easing and concession of port infrastructure, and setting benchmark for tariff structure and maintaining nautical/harbour operations as well as hydrographic survey among others.

For effective execution of these functions, she said, the NPA

was committed to continuous upgrade of facilities and equipment that will enhance service delivery in all the six functioning seaports in Nigeria.

According to her, the new tugboats would enhance the maneuvering of large capacity vessels calling at Nigerian ports to berth and un-berth, which would ultimately affect the turnaround time of vessels positively.

She however assured that vessel owners, concessionaires and other stakeholders will experience better service delivery from the NPA. Akin Ricketts, chairman Board of Directors of the NPA said the acquisition of the tugboats marked another landmark in government quest to provide world class services at the port.

“Towage service determines the efficiency of any port as it ensures expeditious passage of vessels in channels and safety in

berthing them. Therefore, we are determined to ensure the continuous improvement of the state of equipment at the ports, ensuring the effective management of channel depths as well as constant upgrading of port infrastructure,” Ricketts said.

Meanwhile, to reduce the plight port users go through while evacuating goods from the port due to the perennial gridlock in Apapa, the NPA partnered with terminal operators to acquire multimillion dollars state-of-the-art Mobile Harbor Cranes (MHCs) in order to boost service delivery at the port.

One of such was the cranes recently brought in by APM Terminals Apapa. At the commissioning of the cranes, Usman promised that the authority would ensure terminal operators deploy the necessary equipment to facilitate trade within the port.

“We are here today to witness APM Terminals deploying what they have committed to providing and we shall continue to monitor in order to ensure that all the equipment is deployed. We encourage APM Terminals to continue their sustain improvement within their terminal and we look forward to providing the necessary support to enable them meet up international best practices in the port,” she said.

According to her, one of the key aspects of the regulations the NPA had been doing over the years was ensuring that every item in terms of infrastructure and equipment as contained in the concession agreement, were provided by terminal operators.

Usman further noted that the NPA recognises the fact that APM Terminals has brought in about nine cranes as part of the $80 million investment within the period of three months following the letters, which NPA had written to them.

She however stated that APM Terminals were also expecting about four additional cranes to bring the total number to 13. “It is imperative that terminal operators rise up to the obligation of investing in terminals in Nigeria and this was what we are following up on,” she added.

In the last four years, the NPA has invested over $300 million in equipment and infrastructure.

For instance, as part of the effort to attract vessels to the eastern ports, the NPA commenced the dredging of Warri port at the cost of $44.861 million (N16.150 billion). The dredging has since been completed and vessels have started calling at the port.

Recall that in 2018, the NPA deployed equipment worth over $30 million in Onne Port, Rivers State to boost activity at the port.

The measure, which was taken

by Usman-led management of the NPA, was to boost efficiency, security and make the port attractive for business.

On May 3, 2017, the NPA inaugurated four new ultramodern tugboats acquired at the cost of $30 million (N9.15 billion). The boats were named MT Daura, MT Ubima, MT Uromi and MT Majiya, with 60 tons bollard pull capacity, can each be used to tow the new class of ultra large containerships.

Sunday 19 July 2020

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19

Interview Sustainable credit key to achieving financial inclusion – Adeniji In a recent survey on the ‘Impact of Covid-19 on Nigerian MSMEs’, researchers for the FATE Foundation found that three of every 10 micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) in Nigeria will not make it through the pandemic. A World Bank Nigeria Development Update released last month titled ‘Nigeria in Times of COVID-19: Laying Foundations for a Strong Recovery’, said Nigeria will have 7 million newly poor people by the end of 2020. Placing these findings side by side, it becomes clear that a good proportion of the newly poor population predicted will be people who worked or work in the MSME sector. Toyin Adeniji, executive director at Nigeria’s Bank of Industry (BOI), in this interview with BUNMI BAILEY explains how MSMEs can improve their chances of survival including how sustainable credit is the key to achieving and maintaining any financial inclusion target.

H

ow w o u l d y o u a s sess the impact of Covid-19 on MSMEs? Various studies have reported that over 90 percent of Nigerian MSMEs have been adversely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Issues they experience include reduced sales activities due to reduced purchasing power of consumers, reduced production volumes as a result of the social distancing rules, limited cash flows due to the low sales activities, high redundancies of both human capital and equipment, higher costs of production and a lot more. All these issues have led to higher unemployment rates, inflation and a general downward turn of the Nigerian economy.

sums of money to get to a financial institution to access funds.

Technology has also been utilised for repayment using innovative solutions like voucher card repayments and digitised repayments through technology platforms. We’re able to customise the product to meet the specific needs of the customers irrespective of the regions they live and thrive in because of technology. We owe our rapid scale to tech. Today, the programme is the largest social intervention programme in the world and technology contributed significantly to that achievement. Ultimately, GEEP has shown that to drive financial inclusion in Nigeria, the importance of technology cannot be exaggerated.

Is there any way businessowners could have been better prepared to minimise the effect of the pandemic on their businesses?

This pandemic is unprecedented, and many could not have anticipated its impact. Being prepared for this pandemic would have implied having cash reserves, large quantities of raw materials, expanded supply chain networks, multiple routes to market, etc. All of these are capital-intensive for MSMEs, especially those in the informal sector. However, what this has done is to teach all businesses the need to build resilience into their operational activities to ensure continuity.

How have these efforts impacted on the outcomes of MSMEs in Nigeria?

The bank is structured along directorates to ensure that loan products developed are aligned with the characteristics of businesses at the various stages of growth of their businesses. So, the Micro Enterprises Directorate caters to micro entrepreneurs who operate both in the formal and informal economic segments. These customers will typically require loans of up to N10 million. The SME Directorate focuses on more structured small and medium entrepreneurs who can access loans of up to N1 billion. Through these two directorates, MSMEs can access both financial and non-financial services that will support their growth and ultimately drive economic development

How can MSMEs increase their odds of survival right now?

Innovation. MSMEs need to think outside the box in order to survive. This could mean exploring other ways of utilising existing assets to generate income, explore ways of converting fixed costs to variables or even partner with other complementary businesses to provide product bundles.

Another way is to embrace technology. The importance of technology has been brought to the fore by this pandemic.

MSMEs therefore need to take advantage of technology applications, especially e-commerce platforms, to enhance their business activities.

What is the role of technology in running a viable sector?

Technology promotes product/service diversity as it allows MSMEs to expand operational and geographic reach. This allows MSMEs to reach previously unserved populaces and promote product specialisation

T- oyin Adeniji tailored to the varying needs of their expanded customer base. Technology fosters the development and implementation of innovative products and solutions. It contributes to increased efficiency of a business from a financial and nonfinancial standpoint. It reduces cost of operations, supports a more efficient supply chain network and ultimately increases the bottom-line of the MSMEs. There’s also the speed advantage. Technology allows MSMEs to deploy products and services in a much quicker manner.

How much does technology contribute towards financial inclusion in Nigeria?

Nigeria has a wide geographic spread and one of the many limitations of reaching the unbanked is the high cost of setting up multiple infrastructure across the country. The use of technology significantly reduces the cost of that set-up for the provision of financial services, especially to Nigerians in the hard-to-reach areas of the country. Technology also fosters innovative solutions that can be tailored in several ways to meet different target pools.

This innovation is required to address financial exclusion in Nigeria and the very diverse cultures and practices existing across the country because a uniform product may not pro-

vide the same or desired effects in various parts of the country.

This has been proven through the Government Enterprise and Empowerment Programme (GEEP). GEEP is a micro-credit social intervention programme of the Federal Government of Nigeria.

The programme, which is being executed by the Bank of Industry, is targeted at four economic segments across the Nigerian populace – market traders, artisans, youths, and farmers. Through GEEP, we have reached over 2.2 million beneficiaries (over 50 percent are female beneficiaries) across the country using tight, highly structured, and technologydriven relationships with intermediary networks. For GEEP, technology has been utilised from customer acquisition through loan application, credit underwriting and loan repayment.

The programme’s wide network of field agents leverages technology to enrol applicants for the micro-credit product.

Interactions with applicants are mainly done at the stalls of these applicants. This has allowed the applicants to access credit at their convenience.

The programme has also leveraged the use of bank accounts and mobile wallets to disburse loans to Nigerians who hitherto would have spent significant

What is the motivation behind empowering women in BOI? Various reports have cited that about 60 percent of Nigeria’s over 40 million MSMEs are owned or led by women. Other reports also say less than 35 percent of these women-led/ women-owned MSMEs have been able to access credit. So, that is a huge pool of Nigerian MSMEs that are excluded from credit to drive growth in their businesses.

MSMEs are said to be the missing middle of the Nigerian economy and women-owned/ led businesses must be supported no less than their main counterparts. As a Development Finance Institution, BOI has identified this gap and has consciously developed and implemented financing products specifically for women. Through the bank’s Gender Desk, women-owned/led MSMEs are able

to access affordable credit and favourable terms that support the growth of their businesses.

What steps can be taken by the government to ensure the financial inclusion of people at the bottom of the pyramid?

The government is fully aware of the need to ensure financial inclusion in Nigeria and have already adopted various initiatives to drive this.

There is the Financial Inclusion Secretariat at the Central Bank of Nigeria which is focused on the achievement of the financial inclusion target. The execution of GEEP is another initiative of the Federal Government aimed at further deepening financial inclusion. The Federal Government needs to continue along these paths and continue to provide the enabling environment for these initiatives to thrive.

How does increased access to credit contribute to Nigeria meeting its 80 percent inclusion target?

Credit is the bedrock to financial inclusion in any economy. However, sustainable credit is actually the key to achieving and maintaining any financial inclusion target. Every citizen desires access to more funds either for business or personal use and so, when affordable and easy-to-reach credit solutions are implemented to the financially excluded target, the uptake of the products automatically enrols the beneficiaries in the financial services space.

However, the financial solutions MUST be affordable, easy to reach and easy to repay to ensure sustainability of the product. There should also be the “promise of MORE” to ensure that inclusion is not a “one touch event” that ends when the loan is repaid.

The “promise of MORE” should also be complemented with other financial and nonfinancial solutions such as financial literacy, access to insurance, payment services, etc.

In short, there should be a wide bouquet of services that allows the beneficiary to continue to employ financial services such as: the formalised use of financial identification (such as the Bank Verification Number – BVN) for other forms of identification; complementary credit and insurance products (especially health insurance) to the target markets, business and financial literacy programmes as well as access to markets, especially through digital platforms.

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Sunday 19 July 2020

BusinessInterview First refined fuel from modular refinery in Rivers can drop 24 months after capitalisation – Tamuno Igbiks Tamuno, Rivers State commissioner for Environment, who is driving the new vision, tells IGNATUS CHUKWU that the state and indeed the country will reap hugely as the state government mobilises illegal refiners into groups for a modular revolution. He urges the illegal refiners to take advantage of the state government initiative rather than continuing in their dangerous venture that has always left bitter tales on their lips. Excerpts:

H

ow do you rate the Rivers State environment from a 1– 10 in terms of safety?

You know we are in the oil belt and because we are in this zone and because of the activities of oil majors, our environment cannot be as safe as places like Kano and Taraba where there are no oil activities. Our environment is different. We thank God that we have the mangroves and the sea that help out. By what the government is doing, we are always on our toes. As a ministry, when we see spill, we are there to ensure mop up, remediation, etc.

Despite our best efforts, you will see some despoliation and all of that. From what I know, our environment is safe.

What is the business model behind the modular refineries the administration is mobilising the boys to embark upon; do you think the boys will make profit when they start buying the crude and follow due process?

There is more profit in legal refining. Coming to know what I know now about modular refinery system, I think the boys have been lawless when there is no need to use such illegal method in the face of better gains in doing it right. The truth is, they will make more money embarking on legal refining of same crude. They abuse the free crude they take because they do not know the value of what they stole. I can tell you that we have put together a team of experts from university professors. They have told us that an investment of about N5billion would fetch 100 percent or same N5billion in one year as profit.

Yes, the capital outlay is much but you should know that there are venture capitalists out there. There are many ways of funding a project.

You do not need to have the money but get the knowledge, the licences, etc. It is wrong to prefer the ‘kpo-fire’ or illegal refining approach because you should know that one day, the law will catch up with you. For years, the military has been on their neck.

We know our people who have ugly stories from this type of practice.

Some invest N10million but after one or two operations, boom, the military will burn it up.

Our concern as a government and ministry is not how much they lose as illegal venture operators but on how much degradation they cause the environment. We are now saying, come out, put yourselves together, put your funds together, have a stake in this, we then as a government will bring investors and banks into this. People are excited and ready to bring their capital down because they know there is profit to be made. We as a government are not interested in the profit but to solve environment problems.

In the illegal refining business, if about 200 Rivers sons are involved actively in it, the adverse effect on the environment and health of our

ministration and we just won’t rush.

We are sure that this administration will bring them to fruition. We are working in that direction.

Is there an environmental handbook or blueprint for the Rivers State Government to guide stakeholders?

Yes we have an environmental law passed in 2019 and it is available for everybody. That clearly spells out the laws regulating the activities we are engaged in. It may not be detailed in all areas but it will guide you in the laws. We are a government, not a business. We are here to regulate the area of the economy to ensure that the environment is safe for everybody.

Igbiks Tamuno people affects millions of people.

So, why would a government allow the selfish activities or profit of 200 persons destroy the lives of millions of our people.

Governor Nyesom Wike has a great passion and love for his people and he took time out to set up committees upon committees to lay bare the facts that artisanal refining or ‘kpo-fire’ hurts the people, their health, their environment, and their future. So, in order to show fate and ensure that he is not misinterpreted by people, he brought the project to the Ministry of Environment instead of Ministry of Energy. This is to show that it is out to solve the problem of the environment.

In your projections, when will the first drop of refined fuel from modular refinery drop in Rivers State?

I may not be able to say when because of the Covid-19 disruptions as anybody can see. We cannot make reasonable projects because there have not been any serious activities in the state and elsewhere. We have not been able to order for vehicles and machines for the project overseas.

What we know is, the moment we are able to put together the investors and funds together, two years from that time, the business will run.

The state government is working to convert plastic wastes to wealth, but can’t the state government approach Indorama to support a project to execute this project as their corporate social responsibility (CSR), and does your model not require such collaboration?

Indorama is a private concern and we are a government. Our primary purpose as it relates to business is to create a level playing field and to lead in getting business people to know what can be done.

This administration has a wasteto-wealth project at Iriebe in ObioAkpor LGA and the Rivers State Government has spent billions of

naira for such a project. When it comes on stream, plastics can be converted to useful purposes. All manner of waste can be separated and converted to good use.

We also have a scrap-to-wealth project in Tai LGA with billions of naira spent already. Government wants it to be private-sector driven project. We want it to be a public private partnership (PPP) project because everybody knows that government is not a good business man. Government will also not just throw out public funds for people to carte away.

Government does not want to invest in the modular refineries but to put together business people and the boys and show them what they didn’t know. We bring everybody together and let them run.

That’s the same thing we want to do in other projects. We are aware that these scraps and plastics and wrecks at sea causing accidents can be useful. So we set up this project with the private sector with the hope that a lot of people will come and buy into it. Government will now play the real role of regulators. We can also partner up to a point and then sell our equity. This government led by Nyesom Wike is very serious in ensuring that the private sector leads the economy.

Not too long ago the state executive council agreed that a lot of the government farms should go into concession. Government does not want to emasculate or compete with the private sector but to assist and drive the economy.

Is there any consultant helping to drive the process because the ministry cannot do it?

Yes, we work with experts in every area. We have consultants in each of the projects.

What is holding them to deliver all this while especially in the plastic waste project?

In setting up big projects, there are always issues. Some of the projects were started by the previous ad-

On dead fish issue, National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency (NOSDRA) tested and gave a result; your ministry commissioned a test at the Rivers State University (RSU) and they delivered, yet your ministry is silent. Is there a conflict in the results?

I will not like to comment on that; maybe, if we have this discussion in the next two weeks, I can speak.

We just received a final report on that and government will look at it and speak.

So, you have the facts and you are ready to act on it?

No, we just received the final report from our experts and government will need to look at it before we make comment. We are not ready yet. Government will review it before we call the press to unveil it.

How do you relate with the IOCs who seem to feel jittery over the work of the Ministry of Environment; how do you relate with them?

We relate well. It is through oil activities that huge sums of money come to run the national economy.

So, we are careful. We point out their faults to them and they try to correct them. But, we as a people, we will not let them do untoward things and get away with them. We work with them but we are here for our people.

We will not let them get away with evil. It’s about sustainable partnership. They are here to stay and our people are here to stay. We must live together and the environment must be guarded jealously.

What is your engagement method with the non-state actors (NGOs) in the environment; any deliberate plan of action or a template or do you do just picking; inviting them for events?

The Nigerian Environmental Society (NES) has a lot of smaller groups and units that deal with the environment but we also deal directly with the Nigerian Environmental Lawyers (another formidable group). Any group that comes up on environment is welcome. The environment is very big and vast. If you are alive, you are in the environment

and you are our target. Their support for us is very fantastic and anything we have to do, we invite them and they involve us in what they want to do. So, anything that happens even in faraway places, we know real time.

Our stretch is everywhere.

I must draw your attention to something. As I came on board, there was something worrisome and some people are saying, why do you talk about it? I say, my principal runs an open government. He is not afraid of saying it as it is. That is why if the Federal Government does something he feels against, he says his mind. That’s how I operate, too.

I came on board here and found we do not have a functional laboratory (lab) on the environment. As a ministry that regulates activities in the environment, we need the competence that a functional lab gives to efficiently monitor what the stakeholders do. I am worried about this.

I am thus putting together a team to call on the international oil corporations (IOCs) in particular to help us. A few of the IOCs have come to me asking for areas of collaboration.

For me, collaboration should not just be coming on World Environment Day to print T-shirts, etc. We want sustainable partnership. Let them come to our aid, let us put our funds together and establish a world class environment lab to help government play its role.

The environment is not only for the government. The IOCs are major players in our environment. I think it is appropriate for them to come in. A situation that oil spill occurs in their facilities. We go and see but we cannot investigate it in our labs.

We may rely on facilities related to them. It does not help us play the regulatory role as independently as we can be.

We are appealing to them to say, we will come to you soon and we want us to work together to make the environment as safe as it can be. We are the environment gatekeepers.

Some of the IOCs may have something to hide but we call on them to say come, let’s work together.

Why not ask the likes of NDDC to help instead of asking the same organisations or IOCs you want to investigate to give you the tool to investigate them?

No, what a lab does is to bring the truth out and even the IOCs and the stakeholders are safer for it. In the dead fish situation, we couldn’t test it or investigate it in our labs but had to send it to the Rivers State University (RSU) and even to Ibadan, whereas this is where the IOCs are. Even Covid-19 is an issue.

The Rivers environment can be hub of environment science and we can have a world class lab to enable us do what we need to do. Oil is not the only thing we are here for. I am sure the IOCs understand this.

When we reach out to them, we expect positive responses. I am open enough to say this.

Sunday 19 July 2020

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BDSUNDAY 21

TheWorshipper ‘Trust deficit largely explains why many Nigerians believe Covid-19 is scam’ Reverend Sola Idowu, pastor of the Ajayi Dahunsi Memorial Baptist Church, Lagos, speaks on the high level of ignorance and doubt about the seriousness of the coronavirus among Nigerians and actions to be considered by government to reopen schools. Excerpts by SEYI JOHN SALAU The coronavirus has been in Nigeria since February; however, the level of ignorance is relatively high; what is responsible for this? t is very unfortunate that we are where we are as a nation with regards to this Covid-19 pandemic.

Though, as a servant of God, I believe there is still room for us to thank God for His mercies. However, I am of the opinion that we could have prevented this ugly scene in which we currently find ourselves.

But, we are unable to do so because of the following reasons. First, the Federal Government woefully failed to fully take advantage of the six-week lockdown imposed on Lagos State, Ogun State and FCT. I believe the Federal Government should have taken advantage of this period for contacttracing, mass testing and orientation. Unfortunately, the government did not do these. It seems as though they thought as long as these areas were on lockdown the virus would not spread. Again, there was no serious enforcement of this lockdown because the government obviously lacked the capacity to do so.

Another twist to this was the inconsistence of Ogun

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Reverend Sola Idowu

State in complying with the lockdown arrangement.

Second, there is a clear trust deficit between the leaders and the followers of this country. Otherwise, how do you explain the fact that enlightened people share the opinion that Covid-19 is a scam? I find that a very hard nut to crack. But, we must note that this is more of the consequence of what has always been in the nation. It is apparent that the populace does not believe their leaders and the latter are not doing well to win the trust of the former. A proof of that is when we are told that certain 15 Chinese doctors

Covid-19: Adeboye calls for cooperation, commissions integrated hand Sanitiser Dispensing machine at RECTEM

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he General Overseer, The Redeemed Christian Church of God (worldwide), Pastor Enoch Adejare Adeboye has encouraged every institution of learning to cooperate with the government and make adequate provisions for prescribed preventive measures against Covid-19 that would create safe and conducive environment for students, as he commissioned an Integrated Hand Sanitiser Dispensing machine fabricated by the Redeemer’s College of Technology and Management (RECTEM) at the Redemption Camp.

According to Adeboye, ensuring all safety measures is the only feat that can facilitate school resumption and move forwardthenation’seducation sector. The clergyman therefore, hinged the resumption of schools on the assurance that students are safe and would

not be in danger of testing positive to the pandemic for noncompliance with Covid-19 protocols.

“The machine, which was fabricated as a measure to check the spread of the coronavirus in preparation for reopening of schools, has such features which include leg pedal, designed to dispense soap, water and hand sanitiser, has a water storage tank and also has a tissue paper holding device,” said Adeboye.

Stella Mofunanya, rector, RECTEM, said the college leverages e-learning following the closure of schools occasioned by the spread of the pandemic.

According to Mofunanya, the school management is deploying the fabricated machines to all entrances to students’ hall of residence, lecture halls, laboratories, workshops, among others.

came into the country on the invitation of the government and we were later told that they were guests of a Chinese firm. The issue of trust deficit largely explains why many share the opinion that the Covid-19 is a scam.

Third, because there was no proper orientation from the onset about the virus, many people are going about with wrong understanding about it. In fact, many of us thought it was something we would get over in a matter of days. Some even thought that the virus could not survive in a hot temperate environment like ours. So, misconceptions like these also drew us back. Fourth, the masses of this nation feel that the government has not been doing enough for their welfare, particularly during the period of lockdown. As a result, many have become cynical and don’t even mind contracting the virus all in the name of wanting to survive.

Some preachers are flying this kite of conspiracy; do you see a conspiracy against the church?

I do not see any conspiracy against the Church with regards to measures taken by the government, both at the Federal and state levels, to contain the spread of the deadly virus. Except,

of course, some people know what I do not know. I do not see any conspiracy because the Church is not stopped from reaching their members online. I do not see conspiracy because what affects the church today also affects the mosque. I do not see conspiracy because what affect the church also affects the school. Some have argued that since people are going to market and mixing up with others why should we not open Church? But, are confirmed cases of Covid-19 not going up? It is like saying; let us also add to more cases as the market places are currently doing. We should rather put our argument in perspective.

I would rather ask the government to control market places than saying since people are going to market we should also open Church. This pandemic is a serious one. Whilst I believe some of our Churches can handle all the protocols of Covid-19 guidelines well, there are others who may not be able to do that and there is no harm in waiting for a time that will be convenient for all of us. So, I will suggest that we bear with the government and use alternative ways to minister to our people for this period. After all, only the

living goes to worship in the Church.

Many have said it’s better for Nigerian education sector to lose an academic year than put our students in danger; what is your position on this, considering education is a critical part of the Baptist church?

Yes, it is true the life of our children should be of utmost importance to us than any examination because there will always be opportunities to go to school and write examination but the moment a person dies it is final. However, I think the Federal Government, through the Minister for Education is only trying to put up a spider web as a shield of defense for their inability to respond to the situation appropriately. Are we saying other countries like Ghana, Liberia and others that would be writing the same examination do not place value on their children? It is really difficult to know which direction this government is facing as it is obvious they say and do what is convenient for them. Are the lives of people going to work on daily basis not important to them? Are children not currently flying from one state to another for a period of time? What government needs to do is

to put measures in place that will make us to adjust to the new normal. Again, it is only the terminal classes that we are saying should resume not all students. Therefore, government should do the needful so that these children can write their terminal examinations.

Pa r t o f w h a t t h e government can do is to provide solid platform for the online school and also bring on board the Government Schools instead of just keeping these children at home. We cannot afford to just say we can lose a session; what if the virus refuses to go as being speculated by the World Health Organisation?

How effective is online church; are there not challenges associated with streaming church services in Nigeria?

It has been over 16 weeks since we commenced full online service. Really, it has been very challenging. These challenges are basically technical while others are human-related. Let me begin with the human-related challenge. The online service has taken away the warmth of fellowship we enjoy when we come together but we are still able to hear one another’s voice and also see one another, though virtually. So,

Coronavirus: The end is nearer than ever, says cleric SEYI JOHN SALAU

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hristians have been urged to take heed of biblical end-time warnings brought about by the coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic and the lockdown that ensued, stating that the end is nearer in sight than ever.

“What we are experiencing now are part of what the Bible says would happen before the end comes eventually. The end may not be on sight. But it’s nearer,” said Femi Adepoju, general overseer of The Arena of Thanks, Miracle International Church of God Ministries, Lagos.

According to him, Covid-19 is the new reality that is registered into our consciousness. Hence, he advises Christians that it is dangerous not to redeem the time.

“If you are waiting for the signs to manifest before giving your life to Christ, you may end up in disappointment and waste away the sacrificial

death of Jesus on the cross,” Adepoju stated.

The cleric opined that the lockdown has affected the church; however, it will benefit the church more on a larger scale as it will bring about a reset of how things are generally done. “ Th e l o c k d o w n , n o

doubt, affects the church.

The effect is more on our young churches and other young churches being an evolving one. We are able to reach out more when we have programmes but with the lockdown, that has not been possible.

Though, that does not stop

the work of God from advancing. Thank God for the social media,” he stated.

Speaking further on the possible effect of the lockdown on the church, Adepoju said the church has a lot of lessons to learn because it has exposed the nakedness of the church.

Adebayo Sarumi, chairman MTSL; Funmi Folorunsho, secretary to MTSL and Dotun Makinwa, member of the Mission To Seafarers, Lagos (MTSL), during the recent thanksgiving service at the Cathedral Church, Lagos to end the Mission week 2020.

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Sunday 19 July 2020

In the world of Titi Omoighe, an outstanding female painter Sttories by OBINNA EMELIKE

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f you have been following her works and art career, you will discover that Titilayo Omoighe is one of Nigeria’s best kept art secrets. Born in 1966, the artist, who grew up in Lagos is an outstanding Nigerian female painter whose works are sheer display of creative ingenuity.

Titi, as she is fondly called in the Nigerian visual art community, is an academic with the soul of a dreamer. She graduated in 1989 with an HND in Fine Art (Painting) from the Yaba College of Technology, where she was awarded the Best Life Drawing Student Award of the year.

Moreover, she worked for over 20 years as a set designer for the National Television Authority in Lagos and Abeokuta, where she created iconic set designs for news, theatre, adverts, and beauty pageants on television and at the National Theatre in Lagos.

Her efforts and commitments in the television industry were rewarded with the 1st Prize URTNA Nelson Man-

Titi Omoighe, an outstanding female painter

dela Trophy Design Award in Nairobi in 1992, among other awards and recognitions.

However, after 20 years working in television and completing a Master of Fine Art (MFA) in Painting at the University of Benin in 2013, Titi returned to Yaba College Technology, of her Alma Mater, considered one of Nigeria’s leading art schools,

as a lecturer in painting and drawing. While teaching and pursuing her doctorate at the University of Benin, Titi’s artistic practice has focused on interpreting literature through painting.

Omoighe admits being influenced by Professor Yusuf Grillo, the College’s most famous faculty, renowned artist, a pioneer member

German gallery presents Figure, a group exhibition on human form …works on display include Nigeria’s Tega Akpokona

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akhile&Me, a gallery based in Frankfurt, Germany, is pleased to present Figures, a group exhibition that highlights interdisciplinary approaches to centering the human form in artistic practice. The exhibition features 13 works by five contemporary artists across different media.

The works include; two oil paintings by Tega Akpokona, two body imprint works

by Adelaide Damoah, five photographic prints by Mbali Dhlamini, two acrylic paintings by Tagne William Njepe and two oil paintings by Tim Okamura. The exhibition opened on June 18 and will run until August 8, 2020.

Taking a closer look at the works, Tega Akpokona‘s atmospheric oil paintings examine the human experience as forged by cultural identity. Born in Nigeria , Akpokona focuses on the black figure, showing fictional characters in paintings that merge nostalgia with contemporary settings. He draws on Dutch Baroque in his use of light and subtle color contrast

and counts Van Dyk, Rembrandt, Caravaggio, Reubens and Vermeer among his influences, stating that „I‘m fascinated by the way they told their stories. From the theatrical lighting, dramatic movement of forms, to the depth of emotions they conveyed through paint. Thus, the prevalent feature in all themes I explore in my work is light and how it interacts with human existence.“ On the other hand, Adelaide Damoah, a BritishGhanaian artist, works at the intersection of painting and performance within the context of colonialism, identity, sexuality and spirituality. Her current practice involves using her body as a living paintbrush to paint or print onto various surfaces.

Initially inspired by a desire to subvert Yves Klein‘s ‘Anthropometries’ in which he directed a group of women to cover their nude bodies in his signature Blue paint and then imprint themselves on white paper, Damoah prints her body onto white surfaces, thereby remixing Klein‘s original performance through her own identity

and encouraging discussion about female representation, feminism, sexual stereotypes and art history.

In the case of the works ‘Olga’ and ‘Marie-Therese’, Damoah responded to a play called ‘Picasso‘s Women’, which consists of a series of monologues from the perspective of the most important women in Picasso‘s life. Damoah responded intuitively to the monologues using her body memory to create works which remembered these women‘s stories. Olga Khokhlova was Picasso‘s first wife, she came from a Russian noble family and was a professional ballerina. The work named after her feels flamboyant and full of drama, darkness and sadness. Marie-Therese became Picasso‘s lover when he was still married to Olga. Only 17 years old at the time, the painting shows her in foetal position, trying to clutch on to a shadowy figure that fades into the background.

Picasso never married MarieTherese and left her when he moved on to his next relationship with artist Dora Maar.

of the legendary Zaria Art Society, and one of the most important influencers of Nigerian contemporary art.

She has taken part in numerous exhibitions in Nigeria and spends her time painting, writing, and lecturing.

One of her notable solo exhibitions is Modern Interpretations in 2017, which comes in three main themes.

The first was Recent Works that showed her ability to take risks and exploration of new techniques and subjects. The next was Hunter Series, which was inspired

by D.O. Fagunwa’s book “Ogboju Ode ninu Igbo Irunmale”, translated into English

by Wole Soyinka as ‘Forest of a Thousand Daemons’.

The final theme, Tradition & Culture focused on the way of life of the African people, while also exploring the indigenous and focusing on different groups, values and cultures.

At the exhibition of 34 recent works curated by SMO Contemporary Art at Temple Muse Lagos, she took time to unveil her inner workings.

Omoighe can explore abstract techniques using splashes and dribbles of color, reminiscent of Jackson Pollock’s style, and drawing on her fascination with water based pigments and the linear features on traditional textiles, pottery and wall paintings, while her earlier works are more impressionistic.

As well, testimonies of her great ingenuity abound. According to Sandra Mbanefo, curator of Omoighe’s exhibi-

tion, “Titi’s canvases reflect both the physical action of characters in search of higher meaning while engulfed in “other-worldly” adventure, as well as, deftly draw us into the emotional and spiritual landscapes of memory, longing and revelation”.

“If Titilayo follows in the footsteps of the Abstract Expressionists, she takes their ideas in a new direction, imbuing them with a distinctly personal flavor and African subject matter,” commented Dr. Jean Borgatti, consulting curator of the Fitchburg Art Museum in the United States, and Professor at the University of Benin, where Omoighe is currently pursuing her doctoral studies.

On seeing Omoighe’s exhibition pieces, Professor Yusuf Grillo, renowned artist, said.

“Titi is a hunter and she is really catching what she aims at. Her works are very deep, interesting, beautiful, thoughtful and very mature”.

Titi is married to Mike Omoighe, a fellow artist, and has three children. Her works are in galleries, private collections and museums in Nigeria and across the world.

Slum Art Foundation commemorates World Skills Day with online art exhibition

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n commemoration of United Nations Youths World Skills Day, Slum Art Foundation in collaboration with WEFOR GOOD and One Delta Africa has engaged in an online art exhibition to showcase the unique works of art done by children living within the slum in Ijora Badia, Lagos State.

The online exhibition is geared at showcasing and auctioning the various paintings with magnificent storytelling to art lovers and donors looking to purchase the art pieces and support the foundation.

According to Adetunwase Adenle, co-founder, Slum Art Foundation and fourtime Guinness World Record holder, the foundation is focused on empowering children living within slums through mentorship, restructuring of mindset and helping to build their creative talents and skills.

Speaking on the exhibition, Adenle stated that the online exhibition is driven by the present reality of digital and online engagement in a Covid-19 era in ensuring that art lovers worldwide are able to experience the paintings

Some of the children participating in the Slum Art Foundation online exhibition

done by the children living with the slum.

He further stated that in line with the recent government policy on closure of schools, aimed at protecting the vulnerable while combating the pandemic, it was imperative to drive for an online sales exhibition where funds gotten would be redirected to the educational development of children involved in the paintings, their families and their immediate community in showcasing their exemplary character and the benefits of diligent works.

Also speaking on the exhibition, Shade Oni Faari, representative of One Delta Africa, expressed gratitude

to the efforts by the Slum Art Foundation team in empowering children within the Ijora Badia slum with useful skillsets and taking them off the streets.

She further stated that the partnership with Slum Art Foundation is one geared towards raising funds to provide educational tablets and solar set-up within its training facility in ensuring that the children in the slum have access to mentors and training manuals while schools remain closed.

To participate in the online exhibition or support Slum Art Foundation, the organisers urged the public to visit:https://slumart.org/ exhibition/.

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Special Feature

Covid-19 adds to misery of homeless Nigerians in Lagos …Worsens struggle for survival IBRAHIM ADEYEMI spent three nights with some homeless Nigerians in Lagos, to have a front-row experience of how they are coping with the Covid-19 pandemic. He documented the plights and pains of the vulnerable homeless, who are forgotten and excluded from the sanctuary of a roof.

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wamaka Bernard, a mother of three, says she’s an epitome of sorrow; a poor and homeless mother who believes life is not fair to her and her children.

It was drizzling in the city of Lagos; time was 10p.m. on a Wednesday in June. While other families stayed at home to enjoy the warmth of their beds, the forty-somethingyear-old mother and her childrenWale, 18, John, 11 and Mercy, 6- had no particular place to lay their heads.

“Life doesn’t give everyone what they deserve,” says the widow as she recounts her travails to this reporter who spent the night with the poor family in their jagged temporary abode conditionally allocated to them by some good-spirited individuals in the undeveloped part of Lagos Island.

Where the whole family now lives is a tattered kiosk built on the rubble of the Island. Inside the miniroom are remains of pots, chunks of concrete, dirty plates and buckets.

“They gave us this place to manage out of compassion for the love they have towards the children,” says Mrs. Bernard.

The current situation of the family of five mirrors the unpleasant condition of housing in Nigeria, Africa’s most populous country with an estimated population of over 200 million.

Homelessness is a long-time riddle in the country but the emergence of Covid-19 pandemic has worsened the existing conundrum.

According to a national newspaper, statistics on housing show that Nigeria had a housing deficit of 17 million units, in 2018. And, in 2016 the World Bank projected that it would cost the country about N59.5 trillion to address the deficit.

Also, in 2017, the Bureau of Public Service Reform (BPSR) announced that over 108 million Nigerians were technically homeless.

Global Homelessness Statistics had also said there are an estimated 24.4 million homeless people in Nigeria in 2020. This is a consequence of many factors, including rapid urbanisation, poverty (UNHCR, 2007), and insurgency in the north eastern part of the country. In 2018, 613,000 people were displaced due to natural disasters, and a further 541,000 due to violence and conflict (Internal Displacement, 2019).

Moreover, 70percent of Lagos’ population, it was projected, lives in informal housing, and many face homelessness due to the authorities’ attempts to curb the capital’s rapid growth (CBC, 2017).

Homelessness, therefore, has long been an epidemic in Nigeria before Covid-19 came to aggravate the situation.

The homeless in Lagos As of July, 2020, the country has recorded over 30, 000 coronavirus cases and over 650 people have died of the contagious disease.

Apart from exposing the rots in the country’s health-care system, the pandemic has adversely affected Nigeria’s economy, wrecked businesses and rendered many individuals financially helpless.

However, to contain the virus, the Federal Government ordered lockdown in Lagos, Ogun and Abuja and later on, the country began the “phased and gradual” ease of the lockdown. But sadly, while many Lagos residents stayed at home to observe the lockdown, many others who are homeless in the megacity had no homes to stay.

When, for example, Mrs. Bernard was asked how she and her children survived during the compulsory stay-at-home order, she said: “We almost died of hunger; there were no palliatives for us and we heard they shared things. It’s terrible. It’s sad.”

Homeless, not hopeless 18-year-old Wale is a promising son to his poor mother, Mrs. Bernard. He is “a wonder child of the family,” striving to have a brighter future, despite his awful present.

Wale believes that although he is homeless, he is not hopeless.

If young Wale is not doing menial jobs to assist the family, his mother says, he spends his leisure time reading books and studying despite the stay-in-your-home mandate imposed on Nigerian students and pupils because of the pandemic.

The boy expresses the pains of the family, juxtaposes their past and present and explains how Covid-19 has only come to expose them to more severity and poverty.

“I’m begging both the state and

local governments to help us; we are suffering really,” he says, opening the chapters of their woes one after the other.

“We’ve been homeless for more than a year now. Before coming here, we lived in Ajegunle, where we rented a room.

“But whenever it rained, the area became flooded, destroying things in the room we were staying in. So, we had to pack as ordered by our landlord; after all, we couldn’t pay the bills for the house rent.

“Before we came here, their present abode, we had stayed with a relative but we weren’t allowed to stay inside the house. We slept

outside instead, doing slavery for them, so to say.

“One day, my mom poured soup accidentally on the floor and they asked us to leave the house, so we came here to stay,” he recounts.

Unlessthereisadequatesupport, the mother says, Wale may not be able to finish schooling. Sadly, at this moment when pupils and students are ordered to desert their classrooms in dizzying droves, many are reportedly recruited as hawkers on the streets of Lagos; this exposes them to more danger. And Wale is one of them.

But thankfully, the mother said his son is one of the prodigies of the

Inside the jagged room of Nnwama and her children on the street of Lagos

high order on the Island, despite their travails and homelessness.

He never joins the bad boys, who are metaphorically referred to as ‘AlangbaEko’, meaning Lizards of Lagos. Wale, however, says he feels very bad most of the time, being homeless but he is grateful that he is pursuing his academic dreams, even though Covid-19 is tampering with it. He also thanks his “mini-messiahs” on the street who occasionally offer to help him and the family.

No home, No job For Tope Juwon, 28, surviving the pandemic has been very tough; he is poor and itinerant, moving from one place to another and managing to survive.

“I don’t have a particular place where I stay, I just squat with people.

My accommodation isn’t stable. I lived in Ibadan before coming over to Lagos. My parents are deceased.

But I was already here before they passed away. I came to Lagos to work and to hustle. I have family members that live in Oshodi.

“During the lockdown, I was just managing, squatting with people.

Sometimes, I go to meet my family members for small change to manage myself,” says Juwon, hoping to get a job opportunity to have a better living.

At Adeniji Adele area of Lagos where this reporter met Juwon, he explained that he just left the Lagos Waste Management Authority (LAWMA) where he worked as a street cleaner because he was owed and had no other means of survival.

And truly, some weeks ago, a supervisor working with LAWMA lamented the lack of payment of workers’ salaries for three months.

In a trended video on the social media, the official in an emotion-laden tone slammed the Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director of LAWMA, stressing that he had no pity and compassion for men and women cleaning the roads.

The young man is one of the 42percent Nigerians that, according to the Nigeria Bureau of Statistics, were working before the outbreak of coronavirus and its complications took their jobs. The NBS survey revealed that respondents about 5 in 10 amongst the poorest households in the country (45 per cent) stopped working due to COVID-19, and the wealthiest households, about 4 in 10 (39 percent) lost their jobs.

Therefore, Juwon’s plight of homelessness has been doubled by joblessness and all he desperately needs now, according to him, is accommodation, then a job.

Seven straight years without a home Another man who simply identified himself as Raphael told this reporter how he had trekked the streets of Lagos, from places to

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Special Feature

Here is where Grandma Fatima and her grandchildren sleep on the street of Lagos

places, and spent seven straight years without a home. Raphael, a 45-year-old man is a casual worker in a Local Government, which he refused to name, because he “doesn’t want trouble”.

“I’ve been sleeping around on the streets now for about seven years. And the experience so far has been challenging. They wanted to renovate the house I was living in because the house was not good.

They’ve renovated it but the cost after renovation was very high. So, I had to pack out,” says the man, narrating his experience.

He continues: “I have family members, but they are not willing to help, and I can’t force them. I have five elder sisters and they are married and I’m the first son of my family. Although, I stayed with one of my sisters for a while, it’s not good for me. Sometimes, I eat and sometimes, I don’t. Things are not easy, especially during this period.”

The poor man from Delta State said his wife is living with her own parents with their three children.

“And whenever I have money, I call them to come and collect,” he said.

Raphael said he was not the only local government worker having accommodation problem.

“We are many, and we have sought help for accommodation and they said we should hold on; they said they can lend us money and they will remove it from our salaries. They are still saying we should hold on because of this Covid-19,” he said.

Grandma laments of homelessness with four grandchildren On the street of Sura area of Lagos Island dwell Fatima Balogun, a grandma, and her four grandchildren. The homeless sexagenarian says Covid-19 has exposed her and the grandchildren to the tougher side of poverty. The children, she says, lost their parents and she is left with no other option than to take care of them. But she is a poor widow, she says.

“How then are we going to survive this hard time?” she asks, waiting for no one to provide the answer and continues the conversation with the reporter.

“I used to live in Ayobo with my late husband; after the death of my husband, the landlord sold the house to someone so we had to leave. One of my brothers, who worked with the Council, helped me but he soon

got tired too. I’ve been managing since then. I used to sell food for a living then but not anymore,” the old woman says.

Sadly, the grandma and the children say they spent the lockdown period in tears and agony; no food and no palliatives from the government. And they only fed on the remnants of food donated by good individuals on the street.

“One day, some of these government people came here saying they wanted to share food and money.

The day they all came around to share the money, instead of giving it to the old people like me, they gave it to area boys. When I confronted them, the police officers chased me away. Some people from the council had come before and promised to help us. They even took our pictures,” she recalls.

She also says: “How I’ve been coping is the Lord’s doings. My father’s pension, I couldn’t collect.

And, some good people gave us food; they gave the children food too. I won’t lie; it has not been easy forus.The government should come to our aid and help us,” the woman says, stressing that the “government should not forget us here”.

The Lagos’ ‘affordable housing’ crisis Lagos attained the status of a megacity in 2010 and ever since, poor housing policies keep adding to the challenge of homelessness as more than 77 people come to the city every hour, from other parts of Nigeria.

Many residents of the state have lamented over the tragedy they face renting apartments in the city. In fact, Lagos was recently regarded as the city where finding a home to rent is a difficult mission or a city where you pay a year’s rent up front.

This conundrum is undoubtedly caused by shylock house owners and housing agents who continuously extort citizens looking for where to hide their heads. All these make it difficult for low-income earners such as Nwamaka, Raphael and others to get access to both public and private houses.

This situation worsened in April, during the Covid-19 total lockdown in some states in Nigeria, when the Lagos government rendered hundreds of residents of the state homeless after demolishing about 30 houses in Ogba. The demolition

sparked lots of criticisms on why the government would render poor citizens homeless, without providing them alternatives.

But in the face of the affordable housing crisis and deficits in Lagos, where slum dwellers are displaced in their thousands, the state government has only established public housing schemes which, environmental experts say favours only the rich and leaves the poor with terrible options of unaffordability and inaccessibility.

Olubukola Salako, director, Public Affairs, Lagos Ministry of Housing, did not respond to the journalist’s probes on the efforts of the state government to cater for the homeless in terms of accessibility, availability and affordability of both public and private houses, especially as Covid-19 pandemic hit them dangerously.

‘We can’t afford to ignore the homeless’ Reacting, Festus Adebayo, President of the Housing Development Advocacy Network, called on the government and the private sector to put measures in place for homeless Nigerians in the country during the period of the coronavirus pandemic.

“We cannot afford to ignore the homeless in our cities. There are many people living under bridges, in slums, and uncompleted buildings. Providing decent shelter for them at this time can be an effective way of limiting the spread of the virus,” Adebayo said.

He also raised concerns on how the government has abandoned the homeless especially during this period of Covid-19 pandemic and urged the authorities to pay more attention to the homeless.

“At this crucial time, we call on the government to roll out palliatives in the area of rental payment, mortgage payment obligations and downward review of interest rates lest occupiers of mortgaged houses might lose them,” he noted.

However, Aminat Yunus, programme manager of Four Builders Initiative,recommendedthattheLagosStateauthoritiesshould,through the local government, do proper documentation of the homeless in the state so that they can be well catered for. She said this why reacting to the reporter’s findings.

“Homeless citizens in Lagos deserve attention from the government; they are as important as others. “And the first thing the government needs to do is proper documentation of the homeless in the society. So, Lagos State authorities should go through the local government to document people without homes and then cater for their needs,” she advised.

“If we continue to ignore these people, they will constitute a nuisance to society — more reasons the government needs to really show concern, especially at this moment of pandemic,” she added.

Support for this report was provided by Premium Times Centre for Investigative Journalism with funding support from Free Press Unlimited.

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Sunday 19 July 2020

Controversy As Akpabio, Nunieh street fight...

Continued from page 7

vinced and expecting that the audit would serve to put the NDDC on a sound corporate governance footing and reposition it to better deliver on its mandate.

In a statement by Chairman of the Forum and Governor of Delta, Governor Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta State, the governors also gave full backing to the ongoing investigation of the Commission by the Senate. According to the release, “We believe the Senate is operating within its oversight functions through the ad-hoc committee set up for that purpose.

“It behoves us to respect the Senate oversight function and allow it to discharge this responsibility in a fair, transparent and equitable manner.

“The South-South Governors are desirous to see an NDDC that is fully alive and responsive to its mandate of accelerating infrastructural development of the Niger Delta region and enhancing the general living conditions of our people. Hence, we will not hesitate to give our unqualified support to any policy initiative that will make this a reality.

Buhari reads the riot act Many say whereas the NASS is striving to stop the forensic audit, that the Ministry of Niger Delta is equally striving to stop the NASS probe of the activities of the IMC. President Buhari seems to follow the middle road, thus, supporting both probes, and promising to act with outcome of both. This may spell doom for many dramatis personae on all sides.

According to a statement issued on his behalf by Garba Shehu, his Senior Special Assistant, President Muhammadu Buhari gave directives for better coordination among security and investigating agencies with the National Assembly to ensure that the administration’s effort to bring sanity,

“

The South-South Governors are desirous to see an NDDC that is fully alive and responsive to its mandate of accelerating infrastructural development of the Niger Delta region and enhancing the general living conditions of our people

transparency and accountability to the management of the large amount of resources dedicated to development of the Niger Delta sub-region is not derailed.

In his reaction to the unfolding drama, which includes attacks and counter attacks between and around persons, institutions, and the NDDC, President Buhari expressed his strong determination to get to the root of the problem undermining the development of the Niger Delta and its peoples in spite of enormous national resources voted year after year for this singular purpose.

According to the directive, auditing firms and investigative agencies working in collaboration with National Assembly Committees to resolve the challenges in the NDDC must initiate actions in a time-bound manner and duly inform the Presidency of the actions being taken.

The President also directed timely sharing of information and knowledge in a way to speedily assist the administration to diagnose what had gone wrong in the past and what needs to be done to make corrections in order to return the NDDC to its original mandate of making life better for people in Niger Delta.

President Buhari said the administration wants to bring about “rapid, even and sustainable development to the region.”

The President gave firm assurance that his administration would put in place a transparent and accountable governance framework, not only in the NDDC but in all other institutions of government.

Conclusion From the tone of two major authorities that can decide the fate of the NDDC (the South-South Governors and President Buhari), calls for scrapping the Commission may not hold water. Instead, the Commission may emerge stronger and more focused. Submissions that would guide the Presidency in the coming months may be secretly welcomed and studied.

The Commission may be headed by technocrats and nonpoliticians, the board may now be professional people and no politicians, and the agenda may be streamlined to turnkey projects that a state may not be able to embark upon. Most persons expected fireworks as soon as the forensic audit was ordered by Mr. President. The fireworks are here.

At last, the crisis may have paid off well if the lessons are taken into consideration. The issues killing the Commission and the solutions seem to stare everyone in the face.

Blessing Nwikina, a seasoned information strategist and government affairs expert in Port Harcourt, who is from Nunieh’s Ogoni, said Friday morning that by the time the forensic and other probes are done, there may be no single Niger Delta politician clean enough to raise his head or stand an election in Nigeria.

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Travel

‘Oguide’, the adventure within tential of the town are still not working. The worse is that past governors of the state have all paid lip service to the resuscitation o f t h e la ke c o m p lex t h a t would have been yielding enormous revenue from tourists, especially now that the monthly Federal Allocation is dwindling due to fall is oil price, the mainstay of the Nigerian economy. “It has been promises without action”, Okemiri Ugboma, an indigene says while doubting the sincerity of the present administration on fulfilling its promise of establishing a Film Village and hospitality facilities in the town.

Of course, the town, which hosts the lake, is full of h i s t o r y , p ro m i n e n c e a n d nature. The first impression that strikes first-time visitors is the sprawling mansions along the major roads that speak volume of the wealth in the land.

Obinna Emelike

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onsidering the realities of our time, especially the strenuous health and s a f e t y p ro t o c o l s , high airfares and accommodation abroad, travelling abroad for holiday is no longer fashionable.

E v e n i f o n e c a n a f f o rd it, priority is now given to health and safety concerns in the face of the pandemic ravaging the world.

The situation is pointing fun seekers to the direction of domestic offerings, which have been neglected over the years in favour of outbound destinations.

However, one of the domestic destinations that are beckoning for visit is the Oguta Wonder Lake.

‘Oguide’, as called by the locals, the wonder lake is a reason to visit Imo State.

About 45 minutes drive from Owerri, the Imo State capital, and 27 kilometers on the ever-busy Owerri-Onitsha Expressway from Mgbidi junction, takes visitors far into the heart of Oguta town to encounter pristine Mother Nature at the lake.

Spanning over 18 kilometres of shoreline, the lake is the second largest fresh water lake in the Nigeria, after Lake Chad. But with the rate at which water at Lake Chad is receding, Oguta might be the biggest fresh water lake soon.

Void of brine, smarting in the eyes and harmful creatures, the lake caresses visitors’ eyes with its pleasing view, while the evergreen environs ooze out fresh breeze that continuously purify the atmosphere within.

From swimming, cruise boat ride, fishing to many other water sport activities, visitors always find fun to indulge and enjoy at the lake.

Moreover, there is a Lokoja of sort to explore at the lake. A boat cruise to the natural confluence of

Oguta Lake

Oguta Lake

Njaba River and Urashi River, offers a mini River Niger and River Benue confluence experience at the lake. The locals and commercial boat services are always on hand to offer you a ride to the confluence point. But when you get to the link point, the two rivers still maintain their distinct nature and colouration.

No doubt, the huge size, distinct nature, the serenity of the environment and the tropics within stand the lake out as the premier tourist attraction in Imo State.

However, the lake is alive with visitors during weekends when a whole lot of people from Owerri and Onitsha come around for special outdoor outing.

Beside the lake itself, history left relics that visitors also throng to behold.

In the 1900s, the town was a commercial centre and home to the Royal Niger Company, G.B. Ollivant, SCOA Group, John Holt and the Miller Brothers, among

Oguta Lake

others. Then the lake was a port for the evacuation of palm products.

Though the commercial success now belongs to history, the relics of the jetties

used by some of the colonial companies still exist today.

But one part of history that is alive at the lake is a bunker with a tunnel that runs under the lake, connecting both banks of the lake. It was built during the NigeriaBiafra Civil War of 1967-1970 by the Biafran Navy that used the lake as a marine base.

Despite dividing the town into two, along the natural boundary of the water, the l a ke a c t u a l l y d e f i n e s t h e essence of the people as many pay respect to it. It is quite peculiar in nature. It is still the source of livelihood, transportation and fun for many residents of the town.

Sadly the 3-star Oguta Lake Motel established in 1977 by the Imo State government and the 18-golf holes that would have long explored the tourism po-

But before you leave Oguta, there is still one breathtaking sight to see.

It is the very imposing iconic mansion or rather empire of Arthur Nzeribe, located atop of a hilly landscape and far away from prying eyes in the layout.

It reminds one of the heydays of the maverick politician, who seems to be unheard of these days.

As well, Oguta is the hometown of Chukwudifu Akune Oputa (late retired justice of the Supreme Court, who also chaired the famous Human Rights Abuse Investigation Panel (Oputa Panel).

Why not keep a date with the town and its attractions.

You will definitely see Oguta from a bird’s eye view, especially now that traveling abroad for vacation comes with huge costs and risks.

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Sunday 19 July 2020

Travel How Nigeria’s aviation sector loses out over poor aero politics, BASAs …FG urged to protect local carriers IFEOMA OKEKE

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s countries continue to operate evacuation flights to help move their citizens back home as a result of the rising cases of COVD19, Nigeria has also not been an exception as Nigerians have continued to be evacuated from other countries back home and nationals evacuated from Nigeria to their own countries.

What however seems to be different in Nigeria’s evacuation flights is that while other countries support and engage their own airlines in operating these flights, Nigeria seems to be losing out billions of naira weekly over its inability to engage and support its own carriers to operate evacuation flights into other countries.

While carriers from other countries leverage Bilateral Air Service Agreement (BASA) to obtain landing permits and operate multiple frequencies in Nigeria, Nigerian carriers have continued to be denied landing permits to fly into other countries.

For instance, the recent denial of landing permit to Air Peace by the UK government, is another demonstration of ‘obnoxious’ aero politics and one denial too many against local carriers.

Canada did the same recently.

This has in fact become the unfortunate norm and fate of Nigerian flag carriers. Quite unimaginable this time is the government’s silence and refusal to protect its own.

Air Peace builds capacity Same stakeholders had earlier argued that Nigerian carriers do not have the capacity to reciprocate flights into other countries but this argument has been debunked by operators and some stakeholders especially after Nigeria’s largest carrier, Air Peace acquired and registered its Boeing 777 aircraft in the country.

Three of the four wide-body aircraft it acquired for its longhaul operations to Dubai, Sharjah, Johannesburg, London, Houston, Guangzhou and Mumbai had so far been delivered.

Th e a i r l i n e h a d i n 2 0 1 9 commenced the Dubai route but was awaiting landing permits from other international countries before the compulsory lockdown, making it impossible for airlines to continue scheduled international operations.

Since the lockdown, Air Peace has been operating a series of ‘special flights’ to and from different countries, including China, Turkey, India, Israel and South Africa. Therefore, the airline has demonstrated its vibrancy and

capacity to fly to any destination across the globe.

Few weeks ago, Air Peace again evacuated 327 Nigerians from London. However, after this flight, the UK government refused it landing permit to operate other evacuation flights, while its carriers operate freely in and out of Nigeria.

Stakeholders lament over Nigeria’s poor aero politics Stakeholders have continued to blame the Nigerian government for not properly playing its part in aero politics and protecting its local carriers just like other countries.

Olumide Ohunayo, an aviation analyst told BusinessDay that it is disappointing that Nigeria lost out to the aero political synergies during this pandemic period when evacuation flights were being operated by countries to move their citizens safely back home.

“These citizens were stranded and on this basis, the Nigerian government chose to use the diplomatic flights. During this period, some were cooperating and some were not. One of such was Canada and the other was the United Kingdom.

“If you look at the scenario, you will notice that while these two countries were giving us problems, they were operating their own flights and taking their citizens away from Nigeria using their own airlines and for the British government, Air Peace was allowed to operate the first flight and thereafter, they stopped Air Peace.

“When you look at the situation, you will begin to wonder if we properly managed our own part.

If we did not properly manage our own part, then what are we going to do in the future?,” Ohunayo inquired.

He hinted that once a carrier comes from Nigeria, it acts as a Nigerian carrier and it stands for the country and becomes a flag on the route it operates, adding that it is on this basis that the government needs to protect its own.

He further hinted that for the

diplomatic flights carried out in Nigeria; the synergies weren’t smooth.

Review our BASAs, experts urge FG Experts have also called on the federal government to review the country’s Bilateral Air Service Agreement, (BASA).

John Ojikutu, member of the aviation industry think tank group, Aviation Round Table (ART) and chief executive of Centurion Securities, told BusinessDay that the concerned authorities need to first identify the places where private airlines or private aircraft can be accommodated in the existing BASAs between Nigeria and these countries.

“We had a similar problem with Arik operations to the UK some years ago and there were some ‘diplomatic’ moves that restored the airline operated from Gatwick to Heathrow. The question I asked then was; what would happen if tomorrow you get a national carrier flying; would the national carrier be flying to Gatwick or to Heathrow?

“Some of these interventions in private operations and international operations are not well thought out government decisions but unilateral exploitations of the systems by some individuals in official capacities. My take is, if we don’t have a national carrier, let there be flag carriers as all American Airlines are but there must be policies and regulations to become one.

“That is why I said nationally, we must have policies that classify our airlines as regional flag carriers, continental flag carriers or intercontinental flag carriers. If Air Peace is being refused flights to UK now but BA is still allowed to fly into Nigeria, we must revisit the agreement that allowed Air Peace into UK pre covid19 within or without the BASA between the two countries if it is not a unilateral arrangement outside the BASA,” Ojikutu explained.

He also asked on whose interests the multiple frequencies and destinations are given to

foreign airlines like BA, Ethiopian airline, Emirates, Qatar, etc?

Olumide Ohunayo told BusinessDay that it is time Nigeria begins to take its BASA seriously and look for reciprocity because what other countries have done now is to see how they can take advantage of BASA through their own carriers.

“Once they stop you, they provide their own carriers that will do it. We need to use this period to learn our lessons, straighten our BASA agreements and on no basis should we allow our flag carriers to go unprotected and unassisted.

You don’t have to own the carrier to give it support,” Ohunayo said.

BASA, founded on the principle of reciprocity, is a deal that enables a country’s airlines to enjoy equal leverage, in terms of flight operations, in countries with which their home country has an air agreement.

However, experts in the aviation industry have said that the recent increase in foreign airline frequency into the country following the BASA signed between the federal government and other countries, it will impoverish the nation’s airlines and economy.

Th e a g r e e m e n t w h i c h i s expected to pave way for more direct flights between major cities of both countries, on the principle of reciprocity by the designated airlines, on behalf of the countries have been viewed by experts as an unprofitable venture.

Th e r e a r e t w e n t y t w o international airlines and eight domestic airlines with scheduled flights. Only Air Peace currently operates long haul flights.

FG urged to protect local carriers Th e f e d e r a l g o v e r n m e n t has been urged to protect local carriers or else they may not survive competition in other countries.

Experts argue that it makes more economic sense to protect local carriers. For instance, Air Peace has continued to create job opportunities despite lockdown.

With the few evacuation

flights the airline was able to conduct during this period of lockdown, the airline was the only domestic airline still creating job opportunities for Nigerians in the aviation sector.

Through the evacuation flights, the engaged Nigerian pilots, engineers, crew members, ground handlers, government agencies, air traffic controllers and security officials, amongst others.

These jobs were created in Nigeria and for Nigerians while economic activities were on hold as a result of the lockdown.

Sadly, the Ministry of Aviation and Foreign Affairs Ministry had engaged British Airways, Emirates and Ethiopian Airlines to airlift stranded Nigerians from the United Kingdom, United Arab Emirates and the United States of America.

Shamsudeen Bello representing Takai/Sumaila Federal Constituency of Kano State and eight other members of the House, while presenting the motion on behalf of his cosponsors, stressed that the action of the Ministry of Aviation, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the PTF contravened chapter 11 of the 1999 constitution.

Ac c o r d i n g t o h i m , “ t h e economic objective of the Federal Republic of Nigeria under the fundamental objective and principles of state policy in section 16(a) of the constitution o f t h e Fe d e r a l Re p u b l i c o f Nigeria 1999 provides that the state shall harness the resources of the nation and promote national prosperity and an efficient, dynamic and self-reliant economy for every citizen on the basis social justice and equity of status and opportunity.”

He further argued that there was no justification in engaging those foreign airlines when there are competent Nigerian Airlines that could effectively carry out evacuation adding that the action amounted to a short-change of the economic well-being of the country.

He noted that indigenous airlines like Air Peace, Max Air and Azman Air contribute immensely to the national income and employment of Nigerians, thereby enhancing the citizens’ welfare and national productivity.

“Air Peace, and Max Air have tree Boeing 777 each and Azman Air recently acquired Airbus A340600 series all of which could be deployed for such operations,” He said that Air Peace handled the evacuation of Nigerians from South Africa during xenophobic attacks in 2019 free of charge and Max Air has been participating in air lift of pilgrims during Hajj without hitches.

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SundayBusiness Avoiding fraudsters in agric investments Food & Beverages With Ayo Oyoze Baje

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ne of the positive sides of the period of lockdown across the country, brought about by the global Covid-19 pandemic, is the increasing need for food security. During this trying period several people had to swallow their pride; climb down from their high horses and see the wisdom inherent in productive agricultural practices.

The drawback however, is the lack of access to arable land, especially in the urban cities. Other factors that have posed challenges over the years include lack of longterm loans of single-digit interest rates, non- provision of earlymaturing, disease-resistant and high-yielding hybrid seedlings as well as herbicides and pesticides.

The increasing threat of insecurity, lack of training and knowledge of technologically-driven agric practices, even to those who have fertile farmlands at their disposal, have also contributed to the fluctuating fortunes in agriculture.

Given this background, several people have come up with investment proposals, promising mouth-watering returns on investment and within a short period of time. While some have stood the test of time based on integrity, keeping to professional ethics, probity and accountability, others have only come to reap where they never sowed!

From independent investigations many investors are crying over the wrong investments they have made. They should have ensured that they had direct contact with the so called investors, checked on their background and involve legal practitioners to put pen on paper before doling out their hard-earned resourcesto people of spurious character.

We have therefore, started to find out from some wise investors who have been smiling to the bank, how and what they did to get it right. Incidentally, all our respondents we have spoken with are investors in the wave-making Xtralarge Farms, and they have some sweet songs to sing. Let us check them out.

Farmer Paul Amos Enakireru “I am a retired civil servant. I get to know about Xtralarge Farms in March, 2018 via Whatsapp. After reading through the profile of the organisation I got convinced that I was with the right people.

“I visited their office at Allen Avenue, Ikeja, Lagos and invested into packages such as colony, super farmers, carrot oil, smart colony, cassava slot, chicken investment, Xtralarge produce processing investment (XPPI), groundout oil, pineapple farms, fish project and even real estates.

“They have all been beneficial to me. I have received practical training in the field of agriculture.

Xtralarge is indeed a unique

organisation built on a solid foundation. They are known for their high integrity. Whatever commitment they make, they deliver. I will advise anyone that wants to invest in a sure place to always think Xtralarge “It is a place you will put your money and go to sleep with your two eyes closed. I continue to wish that the company grow from strength to strength. Please, I will also like you to know that my family’s healthy lifestyle has been enhanced by Xtralarge food because of its pure, organic nature and I strongly recommend it to anyone that values healthy living.

I endeavour to eat healthy, live healthy and I am making money through Xtralarge by farming easy”.

Farmer Yetunde Oladipupo (popularly called Governor Yetycom) “Though formerly a banker, I heard about Xtralarge Farms on radio. That was back in January, 2018. My first investment was agric estate, then recession plan, super farmer fish project, VIP plantain, carrot oil, cassava and groundnut oil packages”.

Plantain Project: “I will like to encourage anyone seeking good, sure returns on investment to come join Xtralarge.

It is a place of undiluted integrity.

No stories, no excuses. You get your ROI latest on due date, mostly before the due date. I have different opportunities to make money via investment, super dealership, school excursion, food club, unilevel, foodie agent and so on.It’s a place to farm easy.

“Xtralarge is a place of health, security and financial liberation.

You have access to quality organic foods that improve your health and wellbeing.I is grateful to God who brought me to Xtralarge Farms”.

Name: Farmer Toyin Labinjo (aka Lady Owo), ”I am a retired banker of three and a half decades experience, and a farmer with Xtralarge Farms.

I joined Xtralarge in 2018, and I will say I have benefited and still benefiting in almost all the 10 cardinal benefits of Xtralarge.

“I pursued the investment packages with all vigour as that was my main target. With time my interest grew on the food network/the organic foods as I watch at every weekly seminar as members cart away lots of food items for their various step-out bonus. In fact, the farmers are always getting value and extra benefits for telling others more about Xtralarge Farms. “ Pr e s e n t l y, I a m a t t h e community stage on the Food Network Club, heading shortly for the National stage and I can’t wait to collect the keys to my 3 bedroom bungalow. I have all my members of my family registered with this great company and they are all doing great on their various chosen areas.

“I ensure that I get a bite of any of investment package whenever they are released no matter how small. I can proudly say that ‘Xtralarge Never Fails’.

The integrity and transparency of this great organisation is second to none and this is very endearing to my heart. This has been tested and proven with uninterrupted alerts before due dates of the investment packages since I joined.

Even amidst COVID-19 Pandemic, alerts still came on the 22nd of the month. Alerts still rained on the 22nd of June as against 30th of the month. In Nigeria such is very rear!

“As a pensioner/farmer, I enjoy my pension and almost monthly the passive income comes from Xtralarge Farms. You can do this

too, spread the investment across months and you enjoy this endless and ever consistent passive income from Xtralarge Farms.

“I call it Plan B. That is,while you are still the doctor, engineer, banker, chemist, architect, lawyer, teacher, lecturer, or whatever profession you can still be the farmer!Try and put in place a Plan B for your retirement and continuous survival. Xtralarge could be the answer now.

It worked for me though I joined after retirement, it could work better for you too. With Xtralarge, they under-promise and overdeliver. They never promised me an all- expenses paid trip to Dubai when I joined them with ₦5,800.00 but I got it. Xtralarge added to my international experience with an all-expenses paid nine days trip to the UAE, and all that was required was my passport and my luggage.

We stayed in a five-star hotel with all it luxury and splendour. What an experience!

“Presently, I am a super dealer with the company and it’s a super experience for me. I comb the Lekki axis and other parts of the mainland with our organic and healthy food products, and enjoy dealership incomes round the year.

The community will always ask for a repeat, buy of the products once they have a taste of them.

“Ours is a place to be. This is a decision well taken for me.No regrets at all. As we, the farmers here say,’ Xtralarge Farm is 100 percent. Farm easy. Eat healthy.

Live healthy. Make money! Money making is an endless venture with Xtralarge.”

Baje is Nigerian first Food Technologist in the media ayobaje@yahoo.co.uk; 07068638066

The impact of creative storytelling on the Nigerian economy Tony Nlebem

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h r o u g h Mu l t i Ch o i c e Nigeria’s socio-economic investment, for 27 years, the company has made significant contributions to the growth of the Nigerian economy.

At the heart of this investment is entrepreneurshipandemployment opportunities through multiple channel distribution platforms and a commitment to the continuous growth of the sports, technology, film and video sectors through infrastructural development.

In 2015, when a set of big goals called the Millennium Development Goals that were set two decades ago reached their ‘expiry date’, with some of the key objectives still unmet, a new 15-year timeline was set for yet another group of goals, this time called the Sustainable Development Goals. From eight goals to seventeen new goals, five years in, the world can say that a major shift seems to be happening.

One clear indication of this is in the way business operations

for many organisations around the world have evolved. With many companies becoming more conscious of how their affairs affect the environment, how consumers interact with their products, and how much value they really add to society, corporate social responsibility or value, has moved from being an item on the checklist to become a business core.

Now, while many businesses seem to be playing catch-up, there are others even in Africa, who unknowingly, but with great startup vision, had laid the foundation and built a template for what a socially responsible company should look like.

Established in 1993, Multichoice Nigeria had a 7-year lead time, before the MDGs became a guide and used those years to build a solid business that combines profit and purpose. Today, that business represents what shared prosperity is, having created the right mix of opportunities for its people to grow, while helping to build an industry that ranks as the secondlargest in the world and the most loved in Africa.

As people say, if content is king, distribution is definitely queen, and this thinking remains why Nollywood owes a lot of the accolades it gets today to Multichoice Nigeria. Between 2015 and 2019, Accenture in its new report for Multichoice, estimates that about $428million has gone into the local content production business of Multichoice, mostly in developing local creativity and building the production infrastructure to support it. To put this investment in more perspective, it directly translates to 117,459 hours of local content. That’s huge, on both an African and global scale, even huger given that it’s only from 5 years of enriching lives; definitely more if the organization’s 27 years is brought into view.

These sorts of investments rarely occur without a ripple effect on human capital development, but leaving things to chance isn’t the Multichoice way. The Multichoice Talent Factory further drives the local content goal for Multichoice, as they welcome a cohort of 20 students who after one year

graduate, are better equipped to keep the African film industry innovative and constantly growing.

It is an intentional play at giving equal opportunities to anyone with film and broadcast dreams to pick the skills they require to make a mark in the industry.

On one hand, as Multichoice continues to build more credibility for the entertainment and media industry in Africa, through its investment in local content, future talents, even award shows, it is also ensuring the market for the content they produce grows on the other hand. This process has required a strong supply chain and Multichoice Nigeria has proven equal to the task investing over $1 billion in their distributor, supplier, even installer network in just the last 5 years. With further investment in their 961 employees, in the areas of training and other benefits, it is safe to say they have gone beyond building a business, to building an ecosystem.

Whether this ecosystem model works is a question their recently released socio-economic value report put together by

Accenture and covering the last five years of operations answers perfectly. The contribution of an estimated US$2.1bn to the Nigerian economy between that 5-year period, shows that they understand the role they play in achieving a prosperous Africa based on inclusive growth and sustainable development.

In Multichoice’s 27 years of operating in Nigeria, their commitment to actually enriching lives as their mantra says, has never been in doubt. Beyond the strides their video content business has made in employing people directly, creating jobs for even more people in adjacent industries, training talents and building infrastructure; the company has always still found a way to give back to the different communities where they operate.

With a portfolio of grassroots sporting programs, various awards that recognize great work from inspiring Africans, essential care for people with sickle cell disorder and investments in education and educational content, Multichoice Nigeria shows it is more than just business.

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SundayBusiness Creating land administration process for sustainable mortgage market

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igeria’s inability to mend or review its over 40 years old Land Use Act means that the country is running an obsolete and retrogressive land administration system that affects virtually everything that has to do with housing including mortgage market.

Because developers have to produce houses and mortgage operators have to continue in business, experts are canvassing the creation of an enabling environment in which a sustainable mortgage market can thrive. One of the most important drivers of this, according to them, is a well established land administration process.

The experts are of the view that for Nigeria to have a mature housing market as it obtains in advanced economies like UK and the US, it must have a well developed and functional mortgage system which must be complemented by a good and flexible land administration system.

They attribute the slow growth of the Nigerian mortgage system, which has become worrisome, to the country’s land administration system, saying that Land Use Act has been oppressing the housing sector since it was enacted.

The place of a functional mortgage system with a good and flexible land administration system in

the housing sector is quite critical and it has been observed that no housing market can be said to be mature as those of UK and the US without them.

But, in Nigeria, both of these are lacking. The growth of the mortgage system in the country has been greatly hampered by a very rigid, non-flexible and primitive land laws embedded in the Land Use Act. Passed by a decree in 1978 and inserted into the 1979 constitution, the provisions of the Act can only be changed through a constitutional amendment, requiring a two-thirds majority of both the federal and state legislatures. This is not going to happen any time soon.

Adedeji Adesemoye, Deputy Director, Other Financial Institutions Services Department (OFISD) at the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), noted that there are many unintended consequences of the 1978 Land Use Act’ at a forum in Abuja.

Adesemoye, who is also the Head, Project Administration Team, Nigeria Housing Finance Programme pointed out that various initiatives, including the setting up of the Nigeria Housing Finance Programme (NHFP) and the Model Mortgage Foreclosure Law (MMFL), were being put in place to grow the housing and mortgage markets in Nigeria.

NHFP is being implemented by the Federal Government through

its relevant ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) and this is supported by the World Bank International Development Association (IDA). The objective of the programme,Adesemoyeexplained, was to increase access to housing finance by deepening primary and secondary mortgage markets.

The MMFL is a draft bill designed to make delinquency in mortgage repayment unattractive to mortgagors and reduce losses from mortgage loans. It is expected to create a more attractive and vibrant environment, thereby attracting investors providing long term, low cost and more available capital to the market. Its main strategy is to encourage the use of administrative procedures to address some of the most negative provisions of the Act. This is a good development for both property developers and investors. But in addition to these, developers also owe it as a duty to themselves to be creative in managing the limited impact of the Land Use Act. Developers shouldde-emphasise the traditional way of raising development finance just as they should go to the capital market to raise funds at much cheaper rates and longer tenor.

To also address the problem of mortgage market growth, the CBN has come up with the idea of a guarantee mortgage programme. This is

Talking Mortgage with CHUKA UROKO (08037156969, chukuroko@yahoo.com) a mortgage given to a borrower by a lender where an identified third party will take responsibility for the loan if the borrower defaults.

Expectation here is that this will push up housing affordability because, with the new programme, once a borrower defaults, the third party receives a claim from the lender, pays the lender off, and assumes responsibility for the mortgage.

A quality mortgage guarantee programme is used to provide credit loss protection to lenders in case of borrower-default. The products incentivise lenders to accept loans with lower downpayments, thus increasing affordability. The implication of this is that borrowers who, ordinarily, would not have qualified for mortgage loan by reason of their low income, can now obtain loans which enhances their affordability.

Experts in the housing sector say one of the surest ways of making housing affordable and growing the sector is by industrialising development through emphasis on locally produced building materials.

Industrialising the sector, in their

opinion, would not only drag down the cost of construction, material wise, but also create jobs for those involved in the housing value chain, including input manufacturers, professionals and artisans.

But the experts insist that government should provide infrastructure and come up with a policy framework in the financial sector that will make mortgage accessible and affordable through a significant reduction in interest rate.

Normally, the housing market behaves in a particular way. It gravitates where there is effective demand. Government should recognise that the weakest demand comes from the low end market and so should direct regulatory systems towards that end with a policy to address that problem.

Government should also adopt the zoning system through which it would discover areas where housing need is highest and the type of housing that they need just as it should impose heavy tax on houses that are unoccupied to discourage further development there.

Relishing Sports Entertainment on the Best OLED and NanoCell TVs from LG BWL Agency wins SABRE SEYI JOHN SALAU

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fter months of waiting, hoping, and wondering, the world’s sport fans are finally getting what they wanted: the return of the beautiful game. Along with the German Bundesliga and Spain’s La Liga, the English Premier League has now restarted its football season.

While sports fans across the world can’t be in the arena or stadium, the best TVs for sport can transport you there.

But there are some key things to consider, such as screen type and size as well as audio.

According to the updated TV rankings by Consumer Re p o r t s , a U. S b a s e d consumer publication, OLED TVs now account for the first seven on its TV performance rating standard.

Consumer Reports grades TVs based on the results of its own performance tests, with criteria including Predicted Reliability Owner Satisfaction Data Security and Data Privacy contributing to the final scores as well. In the latest rankings, OLED TVs from LG Electronics and Sony accounted for five of the top seven ranking.

L G O L E D T Vs a r e the pinnacle of screen

technology, setting it apart from the competition as the ultimate TV for live sport.

Its light-emitting diodes are poweredindividually,meaning no backlight – for improved palette precision, deep blacks and a thinner screen.

Colours and contrasts are more vibrant, whatever sport you’re watching. The lush, green pitch is richer under the sun, while the detail on players’ kits means you can pick out the perfect pass before they can.

Speaking on the exciting new TV products from LG, Mr. Vanjamin Kim, General Manager, Home Entertainment, TV Division at LG Electronics West Africa said “Every TV in LG ’s 2020 OLED and NanoCell lineups offers exhilarating viewing experiences With the company’s third generation AI processor enabling response times of up to 120Hz and features designed specifically for sports fans, the TVs deliver

the fast paced excitement of the world’s top football competitions in absolute clarity and make it easier to follow all of your favorite teams as well.

“Viewing live sports on some TV s can be less than ideal, as when the on field action speeds up, the picture become s blurry. This is definitely not the case with LG’s TVs their 120Hz refresh rate allow s them to display motion more precisely and smoothly, thereby enhancing viewers’ sense of immersion.

“Our OLED 4K TVs offer incredible detail with LG’s ultra-high definition resolution, four times higher than Full HD TVs. You will feel immersed in the action with an OLED 4K TV from LG”, he said.

Commenting on LG Smart TVs, Mr Kim said “LG’s line of smart TVs let you do it all.

From movies and music to games, videos and so much more, LG smart TVs feature

everything you want, all in one place. LG Smart TV webOS 3.0 is designed to be obviously easy and provides exciting experience, so that it is more simple and fun to use.

Now, all of you have to do is relax as webOS 3.0 makes the TV experience better than before.

At the heart of every LG NanoCell TV is an IPS screen.

This is the technology used in many phones and tablets because of its wide viewing angles and great colours.

NanoCell is a cutting-edge screen technology that uses ‘nano’ (extremely tiny) particles to boost the picture quality offered by LCD. NanoCell filters out light in the ‘wrong’ colours to deliver rich, beautiful reds, blues and greens, offering a viewing experience exactly as the movie director intended.

All of LG’s 2020 TVs offer a wide viewing angle LG OLED via its self-lighting pixels and LG NanoCell via the Nano Accuracy feature delivering accurate colors from any vantage point. That LG has been at the frontline TV evolution is no brainer considering the level of commitment and investment the company has made over the last decade. It’s superiority the picture quality, viewing angle and aesthetics remains an envious progress.

Award for third year in a row

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WL Agency has bagged its third SABRE award for Superior Achievement in Brand Building. The strategic communications agency, which was founded by Ronke Bamisedun, took home the Gold SABRE award for its work with Universal Music Group Nigeria.

Winning the SABRE award for the third consecutive year makes BWL Agency the only agency within the market to achieve the feat, further reinstating its position as an industry leader in the communications industry.

In addition to the award, the agency received a Certificate of Excellence for its “More than Afrobeats!” campaign with Universal Music Group Nigeria and was shortlisted for the The Diamond SABRE Award for Superior Achievement in Brand-Building among global giants like Volvo and Kaespersky.

In 2019, BWL won the Gold SABRE Award for the best Public Relations campaign in Western Africa, in the “Media, Arts and Entertainment” category for its work on Homecoming, a four-day cultural exchange

Ronke Bamisedun, founder and CEO, BWL Agency

founded by Grace Ladoja MBE, Skepta and BBK Africa.

In 2018, the communications agency secured the Gold SABRE Award for PR Campaign in Western Africa for its Jameson Irish Whiskey campaign, as well as, two Excellence Certificates for their work with Martell Cognac.

Commenting on the award, Ronke Bamisedun, founder and CEO, BWL Agency, said, “Winning an award as prestigious as the SABREs for three consecutive years is such an incredible feeling. Over the last three years, we have won various categories with multiple clients, showing our diversity as an agency, our understanding of the local market landscape combined with an international outlook”.

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CapitalMarket Axxela’s N12bn Series 1, others increase bonds’ value by N175bn TELIAT SULE

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ith the listing of Axxela’s N11.5 billion bond last week, the value of the newly listed bonds in 2020 has increased by additional N175.2 billion.

The Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) on July 16, 2020 listed on its main board Axxela Funding 1 Plc’s N11.5 billion Series 1, 14.30% fixed rate bond due 2027, which is part of Axxela’s N50 billion bond issuance program on the Nigerian Stock Exchange.

The bond was issued on May 20, 2020 with maturity date on 20 May 2027 having a tenor of seven years. The coming on board of this fixed income instrument has further deepened the nation’s capital market as investors and other stakeholders now have more instruments to enhance their portfolio mix.

Notwithstanding the Covid 19 that is ravaging the global economy, the bond wing of the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) has remained very active with the listing of a number of corporate bonds between January and July 2020. The list of the newly listed bonds includes Interswitch’s N30 billion bond; LAPO Microfinance Bank’s N6.2 billion bond; the 900,000 units of the NewGold

ETF worth N7 billion; Dangote Cement Plc’s N100 billion bond; FBNQuest Merchant Bank ‘s N5 billion Series 1 bond while Access Bank listed its N15 billion Green Bond on both the NSE and the Luxembourg Stock Exchange.

The bond market capitalisation of the NSE now constitutes the largest component of the Nigerian bourse.

Axxela Limited is a portfolio company with a vision of becom-

ing the preferred and fastestgrowing gas & power firm in Sub-Saharan Africa. It is a Helios Investment Partners LLP portfolio company, and a designated natural gas shipper on the West African Gas Pipeline (WAGP). The company is also the pioneering private sector-led developer of natural gas distribution in Nigeria, delivering at peak 80 million standard cubic feet per day to over 180 industrial and commercial

United Capital grows revenue by 37% at half year 2020 TELIAT SULE

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nited Capital Plc has announced its unaudited results for the period ended June 30, 2020.

The results showed that gross revenue rose by 39 percent from N3.23 billion in June 2019 to N4.44 billion in June 2020. The increase came on the back of a 347.65 percent year on year increase in net interest margin as well an 85.05 percent increase in net trading income.

Net operating income rose by 45 percent to N4.1 billion at half year 2020 up from N2.82 billion same period in 2019. Profit before tax increased by 14 percent to N2.27 billion at half year 2020 as against N1.99 billion in H1 2019. Profit after tax was N1.91 billion for the period in contrast to N1.65 billion in similar period in 2019.

The noticeable increase in the company’s bottom line came as the Nigerian economy battles the rampaging coronavirus pandemic with different measures. Total assets grew by 46 percent year to date just as the total liabilities rose by 54 percent.

“The COVID-19 pandemic has lasted than envisaged and caused greater speculations of global recession and slower global recovery from the pandemic. The Nigerian economy has been greatly affected by the pandemic as seen in the increasing depreciation of the exchange rate, inflation rate and other economic indicators. As we stated at the release of our last quarter result, our business was not immune to these challenges; however, the group was able to endure the challenges- thanks to the well-articulated and diligent implementation of our plans set out last year.

With our well-articulated plans,

business continuity plan in economic crisis and solid risk assessment framework we were able to deliver an increased revenue of over 37.26%, increased PBT of 14.10% and PAT increase of 15.98%. During this same period, we successfully issued our N10 billion Series 1 bond under the N30 billion Medium-Term Debt Program – the first to be issued by an investment banking firm in Nigeria - which was oversubscribed by about 24%.

“Going into the remaining half of the year, we remain assiduously committed to deliver greater returns to our shareholders, by constantly reviewing our strategy in the light of global and domestic happenings, ensuring that we provide value to all our stakeholders from time to time”, Peter Ashade, Group CEO, said.

United Capital’s share price closed last week with a year to date return of 12.5 percent.

customers via a vast network of gas infrastructure with strategic diversification plans including a ramp up of its gas supply and trading activities across West Africa, alongside the build out of key power and virtual pipeline infrastructure.

The book building process for the Axxela’s offer opened on March 27, 2020 and closed on May 11, 2020, having Afrinvest Securities Limited as the stock-

broker to the offer.

The Series 1 Bonds that were issued by Axxela Funding 1 Plc is a special purpose funding vehicle and a wholly-owned subsidiary of Axxela Limited. The nominal value of the inaugural issuance was initially N10 billion, but when the offer closed in March 2020, it was oversubscribed by 24 percent which brought the final value to N11.5 billion. That was really a good news to the company and a confirmation of its acceptance by investors in Sub Saharan Africa.

“Our milestone debut market entry underpins the necessary symbiosis between private entities and debt capital markets.

We appreciate the support of all corporates, professional parties, and investors involved in the ratification and issuance process. The favourable response indicates the level of investor confidence in our company’s reputation, brand, and performance.

“This funding will support our multi-pronged growth strategy of optimising our operations and assets, expanding our footprint, and revolutionising the midstream sector. As a prime portfolio company with demonstrated leadership within the sector, we remain uniquely positioned to satisfy the growing natural gas and energy demand across the sub-region” , Bolaji Osunsanya, Axxela’s Chief Executive Officer, said after the close of the offer in March 2020.

Domestic investors top inflow, outflow in May 2020 TELIAT SULE

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he analysis of the domestic and foreign investors that played in the capital market in May 2020 showed that on both sides of the coin, domestic investors led the charts. Transactions on the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) in May 2020 amounted to N119.15 billion, which was slightly lower than N128.67 billion in the preceding month. The level of transactions in May 2020 brought the worth of transactions executed in the first five months of this year to N874.69 billion, slightly higher than N790.31 billion that was recorded in the corresponding period in 2019.

Domestic investors executed N89.91 billion worth of transactions, representing 70.42 percent while foreign investors traded N35.24 billion representing 29.58 percent. In April 2020, domestic investors traded N75.48 billion representing 58.67 percent while their foreign counterparts traded N53.18 billion which amounted to 41.33

percent of the market transactions.

Foreign inflow in May 2020 amounted to N18.43 billion while outflow was N16.81 billion. In April it was N32.20 billion and N40.42 billion for foreign inflow and outflow respectively.

Domestic retail investors executed N42.19 billion while domestic institutional investors traded N41.72 billion. These were a little bit higher than N40.42 billion and N35.07 billion for domestic retail and domestic institutional investors.

But when the inflow and outflow activities were analysed by retail and institutional investors, retail investors dominated the inflow wing while institutional dominated the outflow wing. In the inflow wing, retail investors brought in N24.84 billion as against institutional investors’ N16.78 billion in May. On the outflow side, retail investors were responsible for the withdrawal of N17.35 billion from the nation’s capital market while institutional investors were responsible for N24.94 billion.

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Sunday 19 July 2020

BrandsOnSunday SPOTLIGHTING BRAND VALUE

Ibidunni Ighodalo Foundation unveils ‘Project 40at40’ to assist couples with fertility issues … Appeals for corporate, individuals support DANIEL OBI

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ore couples who need reproductive intervention through In vitro fertilisation IVF, a process of fertilisation where an egg is combined with sperm outside the body, can now heave a sign of relieve as Ibidunni Ighodalo Foundation, IIF has planned to grant 40 couples the opportunity to become parents.

Ordinarily, the process which “involves monitoring and stimulating a woman’s ovulatory process, removing an ovum or ova from the woman’s ovaries and letting sperm fertilise them in a liquid in a laboratory” costs about N3 million per treatment, according to experts but Ibidunni Ighodalo Foundation is footing the bill for 40 Nigerian couples in dire need of this reproductive intervention but cannot afford it.

This was the last wish of Ibidunni Ighodalo to assist 40 Nigerian couples as a gesture to mark her 40th birthday which supposed to come today, July, 19, 2020. Unfortunately, she passed away on Sunday, June 14, 2019 but the foundation is not stopping with her wish. “The board of IIF is determined to ensure that her last wish is fulfilled”, the foundation said.

L-R: Bola Okolie, Board Member, Ibidunni Ighodalo Foundation; Ade Adeyemi-Bero, Board Member, Ibidunni Ighodalo Foundation; Pastor Ituah Ighodalo, Chairman, Ibidunni Ighodalo Foundation; Tosin Adefeko, Managing Partner, AT3 Resources; and Adedayo Richards, Executive Secretary, Ibidunni Ighodalo Foundation at the official launch of Project 40at40 by Ibidunni Ighodalo Foundation in honour of its founder.

Therefore, the foundation is seeking for a budget of N150 million for all the logistics involved in treating 40 Nigerian couples and bringing happiness in such homes.

It is therefore appealing to spirited corporate organisations and individuals for assistance in this social intervention.

Since the foundation was established in 2016, it had made similar interventions, but this time it is rais-

ing the bar with 40 couples.

Speaking during the launch of the initiative, Chairman of the Foundation, Pastor Ituah Ighodalo, Ibidunni’s husband, said “We understand the emotional, psychological and financial strain that comes with pursuing fertility treatments and having gone through that pain herself, Ibidunni in her lifetime made it her life’s work to help desiring but strug-

gling parents; we are committed to Ibidunni’s vision to give joy and keep hope alive.

Since her demise, IIF has enlarged and strengthened its board, governance structures have been put in place all in a bid to ensure capacity to deliver on her last wish and more. A transparent application and selection process has been put in place and we actively seek the support of everyone to keep this

dream alive.

To qualify for the assistance, the couple must apply online to avoid interface, couple must ensure evidence of legal marriage for five years without a child, couple must show evidence that they cannot ordinarily afford the cost of IVF on their own, evidence of income to sustain the in-coming baby, the couple must be responsible, and the lady must be below 50 years of age.

There are also other conditions such as healthiness of the couple.

The foundation will apply all the conditions including non- liability agreement on any major issues that may arise after treatment.

Interested applicants and donors are encouraged to visit the foundation’s website www.ibidunnifoundation.org As with most grants, the chairman noted that certain technicalities must be met by applicants to ensure that the grants are made available to those who need them the most.

The Executive Secretary of the foundation, Adedayo Richard also added that the annual activities the foundation was known for will continue, – The flagship IVF annual grants, the Mothers in waiting conference, the babies day out, hospital visits amongst many others. IIF, also known for its advocacy against stigmatization will continue their active sensitization programs, he said.

Coca-Cola System, Foundation commit $17m across Africa in response to Covid-19

Betway beat other competitors in Big Brother Naija lead sponsorship

oca-Cola system said it has been deploying a range of resources, including capabilities, funds and products to support governments, communities and local economies across Africa in their urgent efforts to contain the spread and impact of the Coronavirus since its outbreak on the continent.

It has been doing this in partnership with its Foundation and NGOs. In a statement, it said it is committing $13million to support the continent through the various phases of the COVID-19 pandemic. “ In addition, The Coca-Cola Foundation (TCCF) has granted just under $4 million to international and local NGOs, such as the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) and Amref Health to procure and distribute personal protective equipment (PPEs) and other critical needs for frontline workers and to help fund ICU-enabled ambulances for example in Mauritius and Madagascar”.

The Coca-Cola system also said it has donated to National Solidarity Funds in South Africa, Morocco and

… Unveils Don Jazzy, Ebuka as BBN ambassadors

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Djibouti and additional funds were allocated to boost awareness and mobilization to help stem infections in vulnerable communities across several countries, the statement further said.

Coca-Cola company said it is also working with some NGOs and social enterprises, including Givefood.ng in Nigeria, Gift of the Givers in South Africa and National Disaster Management agencies to provide food parcels for vulnerable families whose livelihood has been disrupted by the lockdown and other restrictions.

“Our deepest sympathies go out to all those impacted by this virus and their families. We are leveraging on the experience and capabilities the Coca-Cola System has built in over 90 years of serving consumers and making a difference across Africa, in the planning and deployment of our resources to effectively support governments in the efforts to contain the spread, support vulnerable communities and get local economies back up and running,” explains Bruno Pietracci, President of Africa & Middle East for The Coca-Cola Company.

DANIEL OBI

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fter a tough competitive bidding involving other firms, Betway, an Online entertainment and gaming brand becomes the lead sponsor for 2020 Big Brother Naija show scheduled to premiere on July 19, 2020.

Reports indicate that Bet9ja the headline sponsor in 2019 invested N1.08 billion Naira to replace Payporte as lead sponsor of Big Brother Naija.

The list of firms that bidded to become headline sponsor for 2020 edition is not clear. It is also not clear how much Betway dropped to lead others.

Meanwhile, Betway has unveiled superstar producer, Don Jazzy, and media personality and long-time BBNaija host, Ebuka Obi-Uchendu as its BBNaija ambassadors.

Ebuka – who returns as the host of BBNaija for the fourth time this year – said, “Betway is one of the world’s biggest gaming and entertainment brands, while Big Brother Naija is Africa’s biggest reality TV show. So, I’m incredibly proud and grateful to be involved with both brands. BBNaija season 5 is going to be the biggest and most exciting one yet, and I can’t wait to share all the drama and excitement with Betway customers and BBNaija fans all over the world.”

Don Jazzy, who remains one of Nigeria’s most celebrated and influential entertainers, shared his excitement, saying, “I’m so delighted to be partnering with Betway on Big Brother Naija season 5. My fans can expect to get the best of entertainment, banter, fun and excitement from me, Ebuka , and the Betway team throughout this season of BBNaija. It’s game on, from July

19th!”

Speaking during the unveiling and signing ceremony, Betway Country Manager, Lere Awokoya said, “Don Jazzy and Ebuka are two of Nigeria’s leading pop culture influencers and trendsetters.

Through our partnership with these two superstars, and with Betway as BBNaija’s lead sponsor, we are able to connect even more with a passionate entertainment audience and bring the ultimate gaming experience to millions of Nigerians.”

As Big Brother Naija’s lead sponsor, Betway will promote a spirit of competition among the housemates, as well as fans and viewers of the show. Betway will also add to the thrill of the BBNaija experience through its weekly Arena Games, and a variety of gaming activities, both on the TV show and on Betway platforms – all of which give viewers the chance to play and win.

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BDSUNDAY 31

Sports

Covid-19: NFF to raise finacial support for clubs ahead of next season’s campaign

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The focus with which Madrid returned from the COVID-19 break was crucial - and helped Zidane’s side win an incredible 10 consecutive games to overhaul FC Barcelona and take the title. Blancos midfielder Toni Kroos scored just two minutes into their first game back against SD Eibar, and they were never behind in any game before they clinched the title. Even as Zidane rotated his team amid the heavy schedule of games every three or four days, there were none of the individual errors or lapses in concentration which have derailed Madrid title challenges in the past.

Zidane welcomed the comparison with the quick-fire format of an international competition like a World Cup, a challenge his team of experienced winners were well used to taking on. They also handled very comfortably the move to the Alfredo Di Stefano training ground, due to work at their Estadio Santiago Bernabeu stadium, with a minimum of fuss.

Defensive strength with the ‘Fantastic Four’: Courtois-RamosVarane-Casemiro Just 23 goals conceded across their first 37 games was crucial to Madrid’s title victory. A run of seven clean sheets in eight games during the autumn set them on their way, while just four goals conceded in the first 10 matches following the COVID-19 enforced break underlined just how tight they became.

during the run in, while left-back Ferland Mendy hit his first LaLiga goal in the 2-1 victory over Granada CF last Monday. No other LaLiga squad this season – not even FC Barcelona – was even close to as strong or deep.

A victory in El Clásico The key game of the season was Real Madrid’s 2-0 LaLiga El Clásico victory over FC Barcelona back in March. A very tight game was decided late on with goals from Los Blancos back-up attackers Vinicius Junior and Mariano Diaz.

These three points proved crucial down the stretch, while added to the 0-0 in the reverse El Clásico at the Camp Nou back in December, it meant Zidane’s team also had the head-to-head advantage in their favour and a crucial psychological advantage over Barça during the run-in over recent weeks.

The key game of the season was Madrid’s 2-0 LaLiga Clasico victory over Barcelona back in March. A very tight game was decided late on with goals from Los Blancos back-up attackers Vinicius Junior and Mariano Diaz. These three points proved crucial down the stretch, while added to the 0-0 in the reverse Clasico at the Nou Camp back in December, it meant Zidane’s team also had the head-tohead advantage in their favour and a crucial psychological advantage over Barca during the run-in over recent weeks.

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take a decision; we consulted widely even after the Clubs opted for PPG following the work of the NFF Football Committee. The Ministry of Youth and Sports Development was also brought into the picture.”

Pinnick assured that the NFF would prioritize the qualification of the U17 and U20 women national teams for their various FIFA World Cup competitions, as well as getting top grade friendly matches for the Super Eagles and the Super Falcons.

“CAF has written to inform us that the qualifiers for the U17 and U20 FIFA Women World Cups will hold in September and October. We are determined to prepare our girls well to qualify for both championships. At the same time, we are working assiduously to see that the Super Eagles and Super Falcons get quality opponents for friendly matches within the next few months. For the Super Eagles, we have an African team and a South American team on the cards.

“First and foremost, we have to get the Super Falcons a Head Coach of the highest quality possible. We are working on that, as our consultants are already on it, and also working on the appoint-

ment of coaches for some other National Teams. On our part, we have ringfenced a sum of money to pay the Head Coach of the Super Falcons for a number of years to come, so that challenge is taken care of.”

On a final note, the NFF President appealed to the media and other stakeholders of the game to shun the allure of negative sensation, with some misguided and mischievous members of the football family always bandying around fictititous and outlandish figures as having been misappropriated by the football body.

“Those of us at the helm of the NFF presently are there because we have the passion to develop the game, do things differently and take the Nigeria game to new heights. We came into office and brought gilt –edged corporations like PriceWaterHouseCoopers and Financial Derivatives Company on board because we are totally committed to transparency and accountability.

There are legitimate claims that we forgo simply because we did not come into the Federation for the money. I appeal to everyone to consider the interests of Nigeria football and continue to shun the purveyors of half-truths and

Johnson unveils roadmap for return of fans in stadiums

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ritish Prime Minister Boris Johnson says the government is working on plans to ease coronavirus restrictions and for fans to return to stadiums from October.

The Prime Minister said trials would begin to see larger gatherings occur in places like sports stadiums as well as announcing most remaining leisure centres would be allowed to reopen on August 1.

Mass gatherings at sports grounds have been banned since March as part of social distancing measures brought in to combat the pandemic.

But as the Prime Minister set out the next stage of the recovery road map he said the government is hopeful crowds could return after some test events from October onwards.

“We will pilot larger gatherings in venues such as sports stadia with a view to a wider

ow a double LaLiga winner to go with his three Champions Leagues as coach, Zinedine Zidane is clearly an excellent tactician and man-manager, but maybe his biggest virtue as Real Madrid boss is his ability to generate and maintain a positive mindset within his squad. Last August it was far from clear that Real Madrid would have a good 2019-20 campaign, after finishing the previous season 19 points behind winners FC Barcelona, and then a difficult summer transfer window. But Zidane was super positive right from the off - and the former Galáctico kept repeating that Real had the best players, and that the LaLiga title was their key objective in mind.

Over the following 11 months of this strangest of seasons, Zidane has kept that optimism in place, and it has been a huge support for his players in overcoming the many challenges faced both on and off the pitch.

The focus after the COVID-19 break

Goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois went over 500 minutes without conceding a goal during this time, with skipper Sergio Ramos, fellow centre back Raphael Varane and holding midfielder Casemiro also immense.

However the defensive solidity was really a team effort - with Zidane ensuring that even his attacking Galácticos had to work hard on or off the ball, or he would bench them for someone else who would.

Benzema’s oustanding 21 goals, along with a record 21 different goalscorers Unequalled squad depth was also key to Real Madrid’s title victory, with their extra numbers and quality really telling when the games came thick and fast during the accelerated end to the season. 26 different senior squad members got playing time across the first 37 LaLiga games, while an even more spectacular stat is that a record 21 players got on the scoresheet.

Karim Benzema’s 21 LaLiga goals have been crucial, but he has had help from all areas of the team. The extended season even allowed long-term injury victim Marco Asensio to return and score twice

Zidane’s positivity

Stories by Anthony Nlebem he Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) will provide financial support for Clubs in the Nigeria Professional Football League, Nigeria National League, Nigeria Women Football League and the Nigeria Nationwide League for next season’s football campaign, as a result of challenges that have arisen from the COVID-19 pandemic, says the Federation’s President, Amaju Melvin Pinnick.

Pinnick announced this on NFF’s official Instagram page , he revealed that the NFF is expecting a total sum of $1million from world football-governing body, FIFA, and another $500,000 from the African confederation, CAF. “We would take from these various monies and add also from monies that we are expecting from our corporate partners, and see what we can give to each of the Clubs in these four cadres.

“This financial support is for them to get their campaigns off the ground for the new season that we have set for September/ October, depending on what signals we get from the Federal Government, through the Presidential Task Force on the COVID-19 and other relevant organs. We are also going to support the league organizing bodies financially.”

Pinnick added that the football body has written to the Government to also support the cause, he admitted that the Government is presently burdened by so many challenges wrought by the COVID-19 and it could be a tall order.

On the issue of the PointsPer-Game (PPG) formula adopted to bring the beleaguered 2019/2020 Season to a close, the NFF boss reiterated that it was the decision of the vast majority of the Clubs in the NPFL, which was also subjected to careful analyses and consultations.

“We did not just sit down and

Five key reasons why Real Madrid clinched their 34th LaLiga title

reopening in the autumn,” Johnson said. “All of these measures, for August 1, should be done in a Covid-secure way.

“From October we intend to bring back audiences in stadia and allow conferences and other business events to recommence, again these changes must be done in a Covid-secure way subject to the successful outcome of pilots.”

The upcoming World Snooker Championship in Sheffield, the Glorious Goodwood horse racing festival and two men’s county cricket friendly matches are set to be among the pilot events.

The government said the “events have been carefully selected to represent a range of sports and indoor and outdoor spectator environments”.

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Sunday 19 July 2020

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Tolulope Arotile: Beyond tears!

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he pain runs deep-beyond wishful words, beyond tears of tragedy!

No doubt about it, death is our constant companion, a shadowy haunter that wields its cudgel at its whims and caprices. That explains why in a tribute poem to a loved one years ago, I described death as a ‘cruel coward’. It triggers terror, anguish, agony and often times torrents of tears. But mortals must die, at one time or the other. It is the debt we all must pay for having lived. Yes, citizens rejoice when their tyrants and oppressors die, for the living to understand that earthly power is transient.

The pain however, is when death stalks the young and the innocent, the goodhearted and the care-givers, the brightest and the best amongst us, and rips them off the bosoms of their beloved ones. So, we grieve especially when such happens in preventable circumstances. That perhaps, explains the soaring waves of shock that have so far trailed the recent sudden death of Flying Officer Tolulope Arotile. She was only 25 years old but she had made history as Nigeria’s first female fighter pilot back in October 2019. That was less than one year ago.

“Damn! We lost her before we even had her!” So stated ageless Angela Agoawike, Nigeria’s world renowned veteran journalist. And that grieves us the more. Tolulope was poised to do exploits; to make not only members of her family, Kogi State, Nigeria, the African continent but the world proud of her courage to dare in a male-dominated profession. But all that is gone- her brilliance, her efforts, her toils, her sacrifices, all gone like a candle in the wind!

The fact that she did not die in the course of duty, up there in a fighter-plane or maneuvering against the turbulence of the cloudy sky, but down here as a voiceless victim of a car accident in Kaduna makes it all the more heart-rending.

According to Chiemelie Ezeobi, writing for one of the dailies, Tolulope’s dastardly death has defied logic. “She was targeted by the bandits who shot repeatedly at her aircraft but the dogged fighter engaged

“Out, out, brief candle.

Life’s but a walking shadow, a poor player That struts and frets his hour upon the stage, And then is heard no more. It is a tale Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, Signifying nothing”.

-William Shakespeare (Macbeth) her combat skills and evaded them, while successfully carrying out what she was deployed for. She had successfully evaded death only to die in a freak accident inside the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) Base in Kaduna on Tuesday, July 14, 2020”.

According to recent media reports, she had just returned from ‘Operation GAMA AIKI’ in Minna, Niger State when an excited former Air Force Secondary School classmate saw her strolling and reversed his car to greet her. That move proved fatal as his car pushed her down and crushed part of her head! How tragic; how horrendous!

What matters now are the lessons to glean from her short but illustrious life and what measures to put in place to prevent similar accident in the future. The Nigerian Air Force will certainly miss her. For instance, the NAF Director of Public Relations and Information, Air Commodore Ibikunle Daramola said: “During her short but impactful stay in the service, late Arotile, who hails from Iffe in Ijumu Local Government Area of Kogi State, contributed significantly to the efforts to rid the North Central States of bandits and other criminal elements by flying several combat missions under Operation GAMA AIKI in Minna, Niger State”.

Aside her gruesome death, there have been several reported cases of the carnage on our highways, especially along AbujaLokoja-Okene federal government highway that have claimed the lives of some young

Nigerians. For instance, on 3rd August, 2011, residents woke up to behold the crushed bodies of over 50 victims of armed robbery at the Zariagi end of the Abuja/Okene highway. The victims were said to be passengers of an Abujabound luxury bus, marked XI 300 ABC, belonging to a popular transport company. The passengers were ordered to lie face down on the highway before they were dispossessed of their belongings.

Soon after, an unsuspecting truck was said to have run over the victims and later escaped the scene of the accident!

And in early April, 2011 virtually all the national dailies had the shocking and scary headline news of how over 80 passengers perished in separate auto-accidents, specifically in Edo and Anambra states. According to those who offered graphic accounts of the horrifying tragedy, a trailer having a burst tyre rammed into a petrol tanker marked GA 71 XA and a fully loaded luxury bus.

The implications are grave for thousands of homes, communities and countries. Such accidents deny them of the active labour force, while rendering not a few children as helpless orphans.

As reflected in my earlier essay entitled, ‘WHO and road accident prevention’’ published in the defunct ‘Daily Times’ of April 16, 2004 available data showed an escalation in the incident almost annually within the Nigerian context.

The first study was between 1960 and 1989. For instance, Police Accident Records, PAR revealed that no fewer than 92,000 accidents occurred between 1980 and 1989.The frightening figures showed an exponential rise from 12,424 of such accidents in 1999 to 12,705 in 2000; 12,954 in 2001 and 14,267 in 2002. There was a bizarre correlation in the number of precious lives wasted as well as those Amongst the several factors fingered as responsible for the sheer wanton waste of priceless human lives on our roads are; the use of dilapidated, nonroadworthy contraptions called com-

Ayo Oyoze Baje Baje is Nigerian first food technologist in the media and author of ‘Drumbeats of Democracy’

muter buses, recklessness on the part of the drivers, outright disregard and disrespect for traffic rules and regulations and of course, pot hole-riddled roads.

Drivers who engage in drunk-driving, over speeding, over-taking other vehicles at dangerously sharp bends, over-loading vehicles with both passengers and goods and driving at night, even when fatigued have led to the loss of several lives. The pain in all of this is that most of these accidents were clearly preventable.

The FRSC has to be empowered numerically and financially to carry out its core functions of ensuring that we return to our homes safe and sound after our journeys.

The same policy should be extended to the National Emergency Management Authority, (NEMA) and Vehicle Inspection Agency.

The National Assembly should make an enabling law for the establishment of more well-equipped and staffed hospitals within some stipulated kilometers along the highways. The frequency of the patrol teams of both FRSC and NEMA should be increased.

Beyond all these, public office holders found to have embezzled billions of naira meant for road construction should be brought to speedy justice, instead of being treated as untouchables and demi-gods.

Enough of this culture of impunity that has killed millions of innocent souls!

Let the younger generation read this from her as food-for-thought: “My advice to younger ones out there is that they should keep doing their best, they should keep running the race until they finish and they should not set limit for themselves because the only limit they have is the one they set for themselves.” As we ponder over her death, may her family be consoled and her beautiful soul rest in perfect peace.

The ‘grave sin’ of Godwin Obaseki

Tony Usidamen Usidamen, a public affairs analyst, writes from Lagos. Email: tonyusidamen@yahoo.com

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f you have been following events on the Nigerian political scene, then you would know about the protracted battle between the erstwhile national chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, and the incumbent governor of Edo State, Godwin Obaseki.

The feud cost the former his exalted position in the party and forced the latter out.

But what is the real cause of the rift? What is Obaseki’s grave sin? Well, I’ve got answers.

Here’s how it all started. Following end of Comrade Oshiomhole’s tenure as president of the Nigeria Labour Congress in 2007, he had more or less settled into private life when a few Edo professionals who were dissatisfied with the quality of governance and the socioeconomic condition of the state reached out to him. They prevailed on the former union leader and dogged fighter to wrest power from the political elite by running for the office of governor. He acceded.

Numbering twenty, these well-meaning sons of Edo mustered up the funds to prosecute the election. They backed the Comrade all the way to the Court of Appeal, which—on 11th November 2008—upheld the 20th March 2008 judgment of the State Election Petition Tribunal declaring Oshiomohle the duly

elected governor of Edo. The court deemed that he had polled the highest valid votes in the 14th April 2007 election. Godwin Obaseki led that group.

When Oshiomhole assumed office, he understood that a clear vision of the future was necessary to guide the journey of change.

So, he set up an Economic and Strategy Team (EST) to assist in developing a comprehensive roadmap that would ensure a better, more prosperous future for all Edo citizens. And, to lead this critical task, he called on Godwin Obaseki. For seven-and-a-half years, he served the state diligently. May I add that he did so without requesting a dime!

Before that time, Edo was akin to a rudderless ship on a shore-less sea. The privileged ruling class was divorced from the realities of the masses. At best, they saw their office as a means for self-enrichment. And you could feel the people’s disillusionment with the machinery of government. But under Oshiomhole’s leadership and Obaseki’s guidance, Edo was transformed from a disarticulated political structure to one with a sense of mission. There was renewed hope.

It came as no surprise, therefore, that the Comrade Governor found in Obaseki a worthy successor. His background as an investment management expert of over thirty years, and the experience garnered as chairman of the EST, had prepared him well for the task of governance. He had a firm grasp of the issues confronting the state, and had articulated a clear vision. Edo people concurred. And—at the September 19, 2016 poll—handed him the mandate to lead.

Since his inauguration on 12th November 2016, Governor Obaseki has continued to demonstrate that government can, indeed, work for the people—with policies and pro-

grammes that benefit the majority, rather than a few. His strides across the six focal areas—institutional reform, social welfare enhancement, economic revolution, infrastructure development, environmental sustainability, as well as culture & tourism—are visible for all to see.

While Edo can’t be said to be El Dorado—the fabled city of gold where everything works—the state has made real progress in critical areas of human development. Citizens have greater access to healthcare, as primary healthcare centres are being revamped and upgraded statewide. The quality and enrolment rate of school-age children in public primary schools has increased, thanks to the reforms in basic education. And there has also been a boost in Technical and Vocational Education and Training. Young people are being equipped with vital skills to make them more employable or to start their own business.

According to data obtained from the Edo State Skills Development Agency, and verified by independent agencies, an estimated 161,271 multi-sectoral jobs have been created (as at the time of writing this piece). The bulk has been from the state’s agriculture development programmes.

Under this administration, salaries of civil servants are regular and prompt. Arrears of pensioners, dating back to 1996, have been cleared. And monthly pensions and death benefits are paid as and when due.

Also, there are massive infrastructure projects ongoing across the state. And marked progress has been made in sports development.

So, now that we know the history that both men share, and have a clear picture of

happenings in the state, what grievous offence did Obaseki commit, to have made him an outcast in a party on whose platform he emerged governor? From all that the Comrade and his loyalists in the APC have said in public, nothing remotely suggests that Governor Obaseki has failed in his duties as the chief executive officer.

That would not be consistent with the glaring record of achievement. The only coherent tune from the cacophony of voices is the lack of patronage from the governor. And that says a lot about the values of our leaders.

Obaseki’s grave sin, it seems, is putting the interest of Edo people before those of entitled politicians, his refusal to channel public funds into private pockets. That is the paradox of the Nigerian society. It goes against the principles of democratic governance, which, as American civic activist, Nick Hanauer, puts it, is to maximise the inclusion of the many to create prosperity, not to enable the few to accumulate money. Indeed, the loyalty of elected public officials should be to the people, not self-acclaimed godfathers. Governor Obaseki has modeled this over the last three years. And Edo people are the better for it.

In reality, the fight is not about the person of Godwin Obaseki; it is a struggle for the “heart and soul” of Edo. Political buccaneers, led by a former comrade-in-arms who has morphed into the same imperious figure he once fought against, are laying claim to the state’s treasury.

But power lies in the hands of the people. And only we can determine our fate. We have the choice to go back to the biblical Egypt, where a few greedy men held the reins, and brazenly plundered our commonwealth. Or go forward to the Promised Land. That is, a modern and progressive Edo where every citizen is empowered to live life to its fullest.

Choose Wisely!

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