Tuesday, April 11, 2023 Edition

Buhari heads to Saudi Arabia for official visit, lesser hajj

President Muhammadu Buhari is expected to travel to Saudi Arabia on an official visit from Tuesday, April 11th to 19th on his

last trip to the Kingdom as President.

A statement issued by the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media

and Publicity, Mallam Garba Shehu, Monday, explained that during the visit, the President will perform Umrah, the Lesser Pilgrimage.

According to the terse statement, President Buhari will be accompanied by his aides.

After N4m ransom, Ex-Nasarawa deputy Gov regains freedom

Prof Onje Gye-Wado, a former deputy governor of Nasarawa State, who was abducted on Thursday night, has been released after a ransom of N4 million.

Daily Trust had reported how the professor of law was kidnapped from his country home in Rinza, near Wamba, headquarters of Wamba local government area of the state.

His kidnappers had demanded a ransom of N70 million, but the family negotiated from N2 million and later N3.5 million, eventually paying N4 million before he was released.

A family source told our correspondent, “The kidnappers collected the ransom near Mada Hills Secondary School in

Akwanga, with 200 naira recharge card, after which he was freed from their den close to Angwan chiyawa, close to those hills between Akwanga and Nasarawa Eggon.”

It was gathered that Prof Gye-Wado was taken back to the Palace of the paramount ruler of Wamba, Oriye Rindre, Justice Lawal Musa

Nagogo, upon his release. A former NUJ chairman and also a former commissioner of information in the state, Mr Dogo Shamma, confirmed the release of Prof Gye-Wado, via a text message.

“To God be the Glory Prof. Onje, has finally been released from the hands of kidnappers just now.”

Fun seekers at the Magic Land during the Easter Monday celebration, yesterday in Abuja.

CDS felicitates with Christians at Easter

By Tobias Lengnam

The Chief of Defence Staff, General Lucky Irabor has felicitated with members of the Armed forces of Nigeria on the occasion of Easter celebrations.

A statement signed by Tukur Gusau, Brigadier General and Acting Director Defence Information said the CDS wishes members of the Armed Forces and their families happy Easter filled with love and joy.

“He called on all to use this period to reflect on the love of Jesus Christ for which this season is celebrated and continue to manifest Love for Country in all dispositions. He urged all to continue to pray to the Lord for more success in our operations and smooth democratic transition in the nation.

“General Irabor thanked Members of the Armed Forces for making our nation proud in various operations at home and abroad.

“The CDS also uses the festive period to appreciate the noble role played by the Armed Forces of Nigeria in the just concluded general elections which has continued to attract commendations from around the world.

“The CDS uses this occasion to once again express the loyalty and commitment of the Armed Forces of Nigeria to Mr President, C-in-C and the Constitution of the Federal Republic. We pledge to continue to respect and protect the constitution and democratic governance in the Country.”

“General Irabor thanked Members of the Armed Forces for making our nation proud in various operations at home and abroad.

“The CDS also uses the festive period to appreciate the noble role played by the Armed Forces of Nigeria in the just concluded general elections which has continued to attract commendations from around the world.

“The CDS uses this occasion to once again express the loyalty and commitmen. We pledge to continue to respect and protect the constitution and democratic governance in the Country.”

PDP names Adeleke as Chairman Bayelsa State Gubernatorial Primary

•Releases list of delegates

By Lateef Ibrahim, Abuja

The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, has nominated the Osun State Governor, Senator Ademola Adeleke as the Chairman of the Bayelsa State Gubernatorial Primary Electoral Committee.

The exercise is scheduled for Wednesday, April 12, 2023 at the State Capital, Yenagoa.

The Committee is saddled with the responsibility of conducting the Primary Election for the purpose of nominating the candidate of the Party for the upcoming 2023 Gubernatorial Elections in the State.

The State Governor, Senator Duoye Diri is the only one aspirant for the primary.

This was confirmed in a statement yesterday by the National Organizing Secretary of the PDP, Hon. Umar Bature in Abuja.

The party has, equally, formally released the approved list of felegates for the Bayelsa 2023 Governorship Primary Election.

Ramadan Timing Day 20

Other members of the committee are Dr (Mrs) Oby Nwogu, Hon. Gabriel Onyewife, Hon (Mrs) Saratu Hamman, Alhaji Gurama Bawa and Mrs Farida Umar, with Barrister Sunday Marshal Katung as Secretary.

According to the statement by Bature, “The National Working Committee (NWC) of our great Party, the Peoples Democratic Party, has approved the nomination of the following stakeholders to serve on the Bayelsa State Gubernatorial Primary Electoral Committee to conduct the Primary Election for the purpose of nominating the candidate of our great Party for the upcoming 2023 Gubernatorial Elections in the State.

“The exercise is scheduled for Wednesday, April 12, 2023 at the State Capital, Yenagoa.

‘In the same vein, and pursuant to its commitment of free, fair and transparent elections, the NWC hereby formally releases the approved list of Delegates for the Bayelsa 2023 Governorship Primary Election”, the statement ended.

Buhari greets Dangote on birthday, commends him for giving the nation good image

President Muhammadu Buhari on Monday greeted leading businessman and philanthropist, Aliko Dangote, as he marks his 66th birthday, wishing him a long, healthy life and a joyful year ahead.

President Buhari commended him for the numerous efforts he is making for our nation’s progress.

“Hearty congratulations and

best wishes to the illustrious businessman Aliko Dangote on his birthday. He has given new heights to Nigeria’s prestige and global reputation. May the Almighty give him the strength and wisdom to do even more for the nation,” he said in statement by Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu.

By Abubakar Yunusa ABUJA

The Board of Directors of the African Development Fund, ADF, has approved eight million dollars to boost the banking system on the continent.

A statement by African Development Bank, AfDB, said the fund was for establishing a digitally interoperable unique bank identification system.

It said the fund was also meant to establish a harmonised customer identification framework for the Gambia, Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone.

“Implementation of the project will commence in July 2023, led by the West African Monetary Institute (WAMI).

“It will work with central banks of the participating countries and in close collaboration with banking and

African Development Fund offers $8m to improve banking system in West Africa

non-banking financial service providers.

“The project is expected to enhance financial sector efficiency within the participating countries, leading to increased access to finance and further regional integration efforts.

“Approval of funding from the bank’s concessional lending window was made on March 29,” it said.

According to the statement, the new bank identification system will link the banking accounts of individuals across different financial service providers.

It said over 53 financial service providers across the participating countries would be included in the project.

“This will allow them to verify their clients’ identities on an on-going basis (KnowYour-Customer or KYC), combat fraud, discourage loan defaulting and strengthen correspondent banking relationships.

“On the part of customers, KYC-compliant finance sectors will bolster trust and confidence and ultimately encourage access and usage of financial solutions,” the statement said.

WAMI Director-General, Dr

Olorunsola Olowofeso, said the Unique Bank Identification (UBI) and Digital Interoperability project was borne from the Bank Verification Number (BVN) success implemented by the Central Bank of Nigeria.

Olowofeso said:“The BVN, an 11-digit unique identity for each individual across the Nigerian Banking industry, is tied to all bank accounts.

“And has drastically reduced electronic banking fraud, nonperforming loans and eliminated ghost names from the civil service payroll.

“The Unique Bank

Identification will leverage existing national identification systems and help to strengthen financial integration in the West African Monetary Zone.”

AfDB Director for the Financial Sector Development Department, Ahmed Attout, welcomed the board approval, noting that it attested to the strong partnership between the Bank and WAMI.

“Irrefutable and secure identification is fundamental to building financial consumer access and trust and overall development of the financial sector,” he observed.

Ramadan: Ansar-Ud-Deen gives food items to widows

From

Ansar-Ud-Deen Society of Nigeria, Kaduna branch yesterday gave food items to widows in the society for them and their families during the Ramadan fast ending with the Eid-el-Fitr.

The food items comprising rice, semovita, beans, spaghetti and vegetable oil among others were presented by the Ansarud-Deen Society Kaduna branch Vice Chairperson, Women’s Wing, Hajiya Mulikat Bakare, to the beneficiaries drawn from the five Divisions of the Branch.

Speaking after the presentation, which took place during the weekly general Assalat programme, Chairman of the Society, Alhaji Sabur Isola Adeyemi said, reaching out to widows, orphans and the less privileged in the Society and organising skill acquisition programme for the unemployed, are part of the annual welfare programmes of Ansar-Ud-Deen Society Kaduna branch.

“Like other Ansar-UdDeen Society Kaduna branch programmes, we presented food items to the widows among us to serve as succour for them during the Holy month of Ramadan. The widows like the vulnerable, need lots of help and this is our own little way as an

Islamic organisation to reach out to the vulnerable and the less privileged among us. Even if we can’t help all of them, we reached out to those we can enable them have an easier and enjoyable Ramadan.

“We urge the beneficiaries to accept the food items like that, and make the best use of it. May Allah accept our Ramadan fasts, ease our affairs and grant us all a place in Aljannah. We implore our members to continue to

contribute more and to reach out more to the less privilege around them especially during the Ramadan season. May Allah reward all of us. Aamin.”

The beneficiaries thanked the Ansar-Ud-Deen Kaduna branch

for the gesture, while praying that Allah will reward the Society and its members abundantly. They equally prayed Allah to accept the fast of the members and those who contributed to their well being.

Last batch of 2022 Christian pilgrims arrive Nigeria safety

By Albert Akota

The last batch of pilgrims for the December 2022 Main pilgrimage exercise to Israel and Jordan arrived the country safely.

The last batch which was the 10th batch of pilgrims that participated in the NCPC December 2022 Main

pilgrimage exercise were made up of pilgrims from Plateau, Ekiti, Kwara, Osun, self sponsored Pilgrims as well as Consular.

The pilgrims who departed Nigeria on 30th March, 2023 through the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja and the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos where the

intending Pilgrims from Osun, Ekiti and Kwara were picked ,arrived Queen Alia International Airport, Jordan in the early hours of 31st March .

While in Israel, the Executive Secretary of the Nigerian Christian Pilgrim Commission, Rev Dr Yakubu Pam had a Prayer meeting with all the pilgrims where he commended them

for their exemplary conduct .

He described them as unique and special being the batch that brought the 2022 Main pilgrimage to its successful denouement.

The NCPC helmsman also hinted that the Easter 2023 pilgrimage exercise would commence on 26th of this month.

Femi Oyelola, Kaduna

L-R: Proto-Presbyter, Methodist Church of Trinity Tinubu, Lagos, Nigeria, Very Revd. Jonathan Bamidele Osin; Prelate Methodist Church Nigeria, His Eminence Dr. Oliver Aba Ali; Bishop, Trinity Church Council, Tinubu Lagos, Rt. Revd. Dr. Omotayo Oladipo Babalola and Others, during the Easter celebration at Methodist Trinity Church, Tinubu Lagos,

From Femi Oyelola, Kaduna

Agroup under the auspices of Concerned Northern Forum (CNF) has called on the Presidentelect, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu to be magnanimous and unite the country into one whole family,.

The Spokesman of CFN Aliyu Muhammadu Sanni, stated this in a statement made available to the media in Kaduna yesterday.

The Group said the President-elect, should ensure there is a uniform distribution of political appointments to well-deserving individuals from all regions of the country, saying positions that have been held by a particular region should be taken to the sister region for unity and peace to continue to reign.”

According to them positions like the SGF held by a Northerner for eight years should be given to a Southerner, the position of CBN Governor that has been in the south should come to the North, The GCEO of the NNPC LTD that has been in the North should go to the South, service chiefs, same in MDAs and other government agencies, all juicy and key positions should be swapped to maintain balance and stability in the country.”

“Mr President elect you to have the record of bringing the best heads together, you are detribalised Nigerian, a goal getter, pacesetter, we urge you to please use your attributes to unify Nigeria and make Nigeria work again.”

“As a priority, you should focus on the economy, give special attention to transforming our economy into a modern and global one that will compete with the economies of super power countries in the world, because we have both the potentials and resources to make that happen.”

“Naira should be strengthened, hence the introduction of deliberate, practically working economic policies and interventions in all sectors of the economy targeted at uplifting the masses from the abject poverty, they were faced with, their suffering must be alleviated to give way for peace, progress and development. “

“This will eventually lead to

From Mustapha Adamu, Kano

The Federal Inland Revenue Service, FIRS has adopted the use of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) to sustain the current improvement recorded in Nigeria’s tax regime.

The move had helped the service to achieve blockage of leakages in revenue generation in Nigeria.

The use of data had also played a significant role in shrinking the leakages in revenue that had in the past bedeviled revenue generation through tax in the country.

Dr Zahraddeen Salisu Maigoshi, a resource person at a One-day Workshop On Nigerian Tax Administration for Media Practitioners, organized by Afropolitan Media Limited in Collaboration with FIRS, disclosed

this in his presentation, held in Kano yesterday.

He hinted that across the globe, there is no tax system that is immuned from leakages and defaulters.

He said, Nigerian tax regime under the incumbent FIRS boss, Mohammad Nami had succeeded in implementing tax policies and technical methods that had drastically reduced the challenges associated with tax payments that was been witnessed in the past.

According to him, in the preceding two taxation seasons there had been tremendous improvements in revenue generation through the improved tax system in Nigeria, courtesy of the Mr Nami led FIRS.

He noted that the move by the service to check leakages was the reason it generated about N20K

trillion last year.

Maigoshi explained that the N10 trillion generated by FIRS in 2022 were disbursed between the federal government, states and Local Government coffers.

He said however that there still exists the need to enact laws with stiffer penalties for those who still dwell in the habit of violating taxation laws.

He cautioned those unrepentant in the activities he referred to as tax avoidance to desist from such act to avoid been caught in the web of the wrath of tax evasion.

In her welcome remarks earlier, the CEO Afropolitan Media Limited, Aisha Umar Halilu applauded FIRS for the new innovations introduced to its functions, which she said has helped boost revenue generation to a

large scale.

FIRS uses ICT to tackle tax leakages in Nigeria — Don Group tasks Tinubu on unity of Nigeria

Mrs Halilu stressed that FIRS has injected formidable ideas that has helped the service to surpass its targeted revenue figures.

In his remarks, Chairman, Nigeria Union of Journalists, NUJ Kano council, comrade Abbas Ibrahim thanked the organizers for staging the capacity building programme for working journalists in the state.

He said “ as journalists, we are expected to know something about everything and this training has further enriched the knowledge of our members on taxation and the rudiments surrounding it.” Abbas stated.

He assured that Kano journalists will continue to educate the public on the importance of taxation to the state and national development strata.

Children having fun, during the 2023 Easter Monday celebration, at Hakuna Matata theme park, yesterday in Lagos.

Gender Inclusion: MacArthur Foundation, Kogi Govt Bag 2023 African SABRE PR Awards

For supporting campaigns on gender inclusion in communication practice, the MacArthur Foundation and Kogi State Government are among the winners of the Africa Public Relations Awards 2023 which recognises Superior Achievement in Branding Reputation and Engagement (SABRE).

The Department of State Security Service (DSS) and the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) also bagged Certificates of Excellence of the annual award event hosted by Provoke Media in collaboration with the African Public Relations Association (APRA) to celebrate campaigns that demonstrate the highest levels of creativity, integrity, and effectiveness.

These were according to a press release yesterday by PR Nigeria, a public relation outfit in Abuja.

The campaigns of the four recipients were undertaken in partnership with a multiaward-winning PR agency, Image Merchants Promotion Limited (IMPR), the Publishers of PRNigeria, and Economic

Confidential.

The MacArthur Foundation and Kogi State Government jointly won a Trophy and Certificate of Excellence for Employee Communication and West-African region Categories of the awards for supporting PRNigeria’s campaign on gender inclusivity titled “Nigerian Ladies in PR” where female interns and staff are trained and tasked with advocacies that promote inter-ethnic relations, national unity, good governance, and gender equality. The campaigns were executed through public speaking, press releases, article writing, social media engagement, and book publishing.

The DSS campaign was recognised under Public Sector/Government Category for tackling lingering fuel scarcity threatening the Ember Months through stakeholder engagement and effective communication.

The NITDA campaign was recognised under Public Affairs/ Government Relations Category for deploying mainstream and social media, as a tech

regulatory agency in countering misconceptions by educating the public on the benefits of its Code of Practice for Social Media and Online Platforms.

The campaigns for the 2023 Africa SABRE Awards were evaluated by a jury of industry leaders. The award trophies and certificates of excellence will be presented to the winners at the Africa SABRE award ceremony on May 18, as part of the 2023 African Public Relations Conference (APRA) in Lusaka, Zambia.

Apart from Image Merchants Promotion Limited based in Abuja, other PR firms from Nigeria, mostly Lagos-based also won various categories of the SABRE awards. They include CMC Connect, Chain Reactions Africa, LSF PR, Integrated Indigo Limited, 9mobile with Chenist Communications and BHM.

Leading PR firms mostly from South and East Africa also bagged multiple awards. They include APO Group, BCW, Hill+Knowlton East Africa Limited; Razor PR/M&C Saatchi Group, Ogilvy South Africa, P&L Consulting Limited,

Edelman Africa, MSL, WE Communications and Retroviral PR of South-Africa.

Other award winners across the African Continent include Instinctif Partners Africa, Eclipse Communications, Tribeca Public Relations, Zethical (Mauritius), KAMuses, Clockwork and Publicis Groupe.

The winning organisations and brands whose campaigns were promoted by PR firms in Africa include Lagos State Government, Ford South Africa, Mastercard Foundation, Jack Ma Foundation, Kenya Airways, NISSAN, Hollard Insurance Ghana

In entertainment, media, and communication technology, the winning brands include: Vodacom, MTN, Airtel, 9Mobile, IBM, Microsoft, HP, Canon, Multichoice, Johnnie Walker, Warner Brothers, and BetKing Nigeria

The winning brands in the food and beverage industry include Honeywell Group Limited, Nestle, Floor Mill Nigeria, Shoprite, KFC, Nigerian Breweries, Kenya Breweries, East African Breweries, Coca Cola, and Phoenix Beverage.

Triune, Prowess varsities to honour Nigerian businessmen, professionals in Lagos

By Sunday Ode

The special convocation ceremony of the Triune Biblical University Global Extension New York, USA holds at the University of Lagos,Nigeria with graduands in different disciplines.

Among those to be graduated with PhD are Akpong Julius Abanshebe and Mbata Fyneray Chukwuemeka both of whom will bag doctorate degrees in Climate Change and Environmental Sustainability; Akaakar Florence Olubunmi will also be graduated with doctorate degree in International Energy and Natural Resources Law while Adesanya Mercy Olufunmilayo is graduating with doctorate degree in Clinical Linguistics and Psychology.

The list includes Akanbi James Oluwole who will bag doctorate degree in Divinity, while Abdulsalam Akeem Adebisi is the only graduand with master’s degree in Electrical Electronic Engineering.

According to a press statement by Professor Adeleke Durojaiye, the President of Triune Biblical University Global Extension New York USA, few selected Nigerians

will also be decorated with honorary doctorate degrees in various categories during the ceremony at the University of Lagos later this month.

Among the honorary doctorate degree nominees are Prince Segun Ochuko Obayendo, Group Managing Director and CEO of Temple Group who is also the current National President of Chartered Institute of Transport Administrators. He will be honored with honorary doctorate degree in Transport and Logistics Management. Ilansami Andrew will bag honorary doctorate in political Science; Iorlumun Engr. Benjamin Akaakar is a nominee for honorary doctorate degree in Engineering Management while Barrister Joseph Daramola wins honorary award as Doctor of Divinity.

The statement said Prof. Gerald Ndubuisi Okeke, former Guber aspirant under Labour Party in Imo State and Dr Mrs Olajide Oluwafunmilola are expected to be in attendance as representatives of the Triune Biblical university Global Extension, USA during the occasion.

“Triune Biblical University Global Extension New York, USA as

you may recall will hold this event in conjunction with Prowess University Delaware USA and the program is powered by Leadtimes Africa Magazine.

“Prominent Nigerians with track records in leadership and professionalism will be honoured at the occasion at the University of Lagos.These include Mr Emmanuel Odemaypwa, Managing Director and CEO of Deluxe Residence Limited;Tope Mark Odigie of TVC; Mrs Greg Cynthia, CEO of Safety Signatures Limited;and Mrs Rita Adachukwu James, CEO of Mercipoint Resources Limited ;and the CEO of Stand-Out Properties Limited, Sir Bldr Blessing Obomovo.

“Also included in the list of honorary doctorate degree awards are Alhaji Aminu Adamu Tarfa, CEO of Al-bradin Nigeria Limited; the Director- General of Lagos State Safety Commission, Mr Lanre Omojola,who will bag honorary doctorate degree in Occupational Health and Safety Management; Director,Human Resources Management of Nigerian Shippers Council,Mrs Adaku Okam; the Group Chief Executive Officer of Brook

Heritage Holdings, Femi Adebayo Olukotun;and the Group Managing Director/CEO of FMN PLC, Mr Paul Gbededo, among others,” the statement noted.

Professor Prince Eze C. Nwauba, African Representative of Prowess University, Delaware USA and Professor Adeleke D. Durojaiye, president of Triune Biblical University Global Extension, New York USA, also said in a joint statement that “selection for the conferment of honorary doctorate degree award is strictly based on individual’s track records in leadership and professionalism in quality service delivery.

“it is also based on recommendations from their constituents on the impacts made on their local communities across the country “, the statement added.

Major General(Amb) Godwin George Umo, OON, immediate past Nigerian Ambassador to the Vatican and his Spanish counterpart Amb. Dr. Mrs Susan Aderonke Folarin are expected to serve as special guests at the ceremony.

The Managing Director and CEO of Budget Homes Properties

L-R: The Olu of Olowo, Ifo, Ogun State, Ebeneza Soetan; MD/CEO, Nordica Fertility Centre, Abayomi Ajayi; Oldest Mother In Nordica, Folashade Akiode;Clinic Manager Nordica Fertility Centre, Tola Ajayi; CEO, Latola Enterprises, Agboola Olaitan, during the Nordica Fertility centre 20th anniversary celebration, yesterday in Lagos.

AA Chairman harps on prayer for peace, prosperity in

From Femi Oyelola, Kaduna

The National Chairman of the Action Alliance (AA), Dr Adekunle Rufai Omoaje has urged Christians in Nigeria to use the period of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, to pray for the peace and prosperity of Nigeria.

He stated this in a message to felicitate with Christians in Nigeria in remembrance of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ and made available to the media in Kaduna yesterday.

He admonished the faithful to reflect on the significance of the season, said that this great occasion of Easter is to celebrate Jesus’ victory over death on the cross and his resurrection that rekindles the hope of eternal life.

The AA Chairman urged

Christians to return to the teachings of Jesus Christ, who as ‘the reason for the season’ represents religious tolerance, peaceful coexistence, good faith, truth, demonstration of the fear of and belief in God, empathy for the less privileged, and patriotism to one’s country.

“ It is not just a mere coincidence that while the Lent fasting was on, the Muslim Ramadan also commenced and this translates to a very substantial percentage of the national population fasting in the past two weeks.

“ This is a design by Almighty God to teach us the lesson that no matter how we worship Him, whatever language we adopt in worshipping Him, or what name we call Him, we are all creations of one God.

“Therefore, we should all live,

Nigeria

work and aspire together as brothers and sisters in the interest of our dear country, demonstrate the fear of God in all we do, and develop our country for the benefit of all.

“ We should stop allowing religion, ethnicity, or difference in language to divide us. It is time we all bound together to salvage our country and restore her lost glory.

“This Easter period, which also coincides with the ongoing Ramadan fasting should be used by Nigerians to pray for their country, to rededicate ourselves to the promotion of, the national interest above personal interest, ponder about the challenges facing the country, and for each individual to take a vow to be part of the solution to the problems.

“It is my prayer that almighty God will intervene and heal our

limited, Ohio Flourish Ebozafe;Mr Olanrewaju Idowu of Lekki Free Zone Development;Amb. Mrs Funke Kehinde, Founder/CEO of Brilliant Concepts;and the Group Executive Director of Chi Limited, Mr Jerome O. Shogbon are all in the roll call of honor.

Also, Mr Chimezie Henry Ebulofor, CEO of Henry Montego Homes and Ahmad Nabil Saleh, CEO of M. Saleh and Co. Limited are listed for honorary doctorate degree awards at the taking place at University of Lagos later this month.

Four eminent Nigerian professionals including the Executive Chairman of Gombe State Internal Revenue Service Dr Abubakar Inuwa Tata;Dr Baba Bala Ma’aji North East Zonal Head of First City Monumental Bank(FCMB);Dr Remi Olukoya, Lead Consultant and Chief Executive Officer of Peck’sgrey Group; and Dr. Barr Alexander Utieyin Scott, Barrister and Solicitor, Managing Partner of Alex Scott & Partners will be appointed as professorial chairs of the Universities during the ceremony.

The theme of this year’s edition is titled: “Enhancing Accelerated Capacity Building Through Entrepreneurship in GovernancePathway to Sustainable Growth and Development in Nigeria” to be delivered by Professor Basil C. Nwankwo of Kogi State University, Anyiangba.

CAN demands Peak Milk company’s apology over offensive advert

By Albert Akota

The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) has condemned FrieslandCampina WAMCO Nigeria PLC, makers of Peak Milk, over an offensive Easter advert that has sparked outrage among Christians in the country.

country in all areas while also giving us victory over those misguided elements who are waging wars against the country. “ He said Hon. Omoaje also used the occasion to appeal to politicians who feel wronged to in the 2023 Elections to seek redress in the Court of law.

He stressed that the elections have come and gone and the courts are there for people to take their grievances to. People can equally protest if they don’t like what is happening, they can adopt any legal measure.”

He, however, advised aggrieved Politicians to avoid actions capable of truncating democracy, saying aggrieved politicians must be cautious so as not to let down the roof.

In the controversial advert, the company used the crucifixion of Jesus Christ as a metaphor to promote their product on Good Friday, a move that CAN described as “totally unacceptable” to the Christian population.

The General Secretary of CAN, Barrister Joseph Daramola, warned the company to retract the advert, tender an apology to Christians or face legal action and boycott of their products by Christians.

“We find this advert to be insensitive, offensive, and totally unacceptable. Good Friday is a solemn day for Christians all over the world, a day we commemorate the death of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, who was crucified on the cross for our sins. It is not a day to be used for crass commercial purposes,” he said.

Cyber security expert hails military leadership over ongoing operations

Prof. Ojo Ademola, Nigeria’s First Professor of Cyber Security and Information Technology Management, has hailed the current leadership of the Armed Forces of Nigeria for their professionalism in the ongoing operations.

Adomola said this in a statement released to journalists on Monday in Abuja.

He said the Chief of Defence Staff, Gen. Lucky Irabor, had brought in a professional touch and unique administration that had proven to be a masterstroke in the ongoing war against insurgency.

Ademola said the ability of the defence chief to get the service chiefs

and personnel of the armed forces behind him without any distractions was, not only commendable but an exceptional subject of analysis.

According to him, the level of synergy among the service chiefs is what you see in the very advanced world.

He said that the military operations, before the appointment of the current military leadership, lacked a clear strategic, tactical and operational frontage.

According to him, not much was achieved because several distractions prevailed.

He said: “Immediately Gen. Irabor came, we got a clear sense of what we

needed to do to clear out the insurgents and win the war.

“Irabor is an incredible military man, a genuine war commandant, and a safeguard and defender.

“Through his apt commitment to ending the dreadful scourge of Boko Haram and other security threats, he has served as a beacon of light in the darkness that has since engulfed Nigeria during a time of extreme insecurity.

“This generation has learned from Gen. Irabor that gloomy times can positively turn into glorious ones.

“His understanding of military allinclusive strategies and deployments is outstanding in every way.

Ademola said the CDS had

demonstrated that the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari made the right choice by hiring him as defene chief at the right time.

“Have you seen, at this age, a man who is so conscientious?

Have you noticed that there is a man in this country who can take the bull by the horns and free the people from the grip of fear and insurgency?

“The CDS is a gentleman looking at him and he has shown that with intellect, Nigeria can achieve a lot.

“What is presently playing out in ongoing military operations is the use of the intellectual framework to deal with security challenges,” he said. (NAN)

37 convicted for drug peddling in Kano – NDLEA

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) in Kano State, said it had secured the conviction of 37 drug peddlers and users between January and March.

The State Commander of the Agency, Mr Abubakar Idris-Ahmad told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Kano on Monday, that the command arrested 352 suspects within the period.

He said apart from the 37 convicted

by the Federal High Court, the command had filed 39 fresh cases, while 127 other cases were pending.

He said between January and March, 955.304kg of cannabis sativa, 1,225.05kg Codeine and Tramadol, 25 grams of cocaine, 17 grams of heroin and 52 grams of methamphetamine were confiscated.

“We have made good strides in our drug demand reduction efforts where 5,060 people in secondary and tertiary

students, traders’ associations, vigilante groups and political thugs, among others, were sensitised on the menace of drug abuse.

“We have also carried out a series of educational programmes on War Against Drug Abuse among youths, women and others,” Idris-Ahmad said.

He enjoined residents to furnish the agency with information on activities of drug dealers in their communities.

He also called on the general public and parents as well as community leaders to be the watchdog of their wards to tackle the menace of drug trafficking and abuse.

“The agency will not relent in its efforts in the fight against drug abuse and trafficking.

“We will continue to move around every nook and cranny of the state to ensure a drug-free society,” Idris-Ahmad said. (NAN)

L - R: Nafisa Rugga, Head, Digital Media, Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC); Oscar Kalu, Director, Programmes and Organisation, National Civil Society Council of Nigeria (NCSCN); Nnena Ukoha, Head, Corporate Communications, NCC; Reuben Muoka, Director, Public Affairs, NCC; Amb. Blessing Akinlosotu, Executive Director, NCSCN and Dr. Omoniyi Ibietan, Head, Media Relations, NCC, during a courtesy visit by the NCSCN to the Commission to seek areas of collaboration, recently in Abuja

Bishop preaches hope at Easter

From Femi Oyelola, Kaduna

Bishop Timothy Yahaya of Anglican communion, Kaduna Diocese has Easter is the beginning of eternal hope for mankind and therefore, called on Christians and all Nigerians to imbibe the spirit of forgiveness against one another as exemplified by Jesus Christ.

He asserted this in his Easter massages delivered at the Saint Michaels Cathedral in Kaduna Kaduna yesterday.

According to him resurrection celebration is a time believers experienced the power of the love of God that transforms grief to joy, darkness to light, death to life.

“For each one of us faces our own cross, our own darkness, our own despair, we know there is hope. With the resurrection of Christ, we, too, are given the hope that transforms that darkness into light and that despair into hope. Even the greatest fear - the fear of death - is overcome through the love of God and the sacrifice of Christ”

The Bishop also admonished Nigerians that there is hope of better days in the Country, saying even though the country is going through turbulent the resurrection power of Christ brings hope of Security, qualitative and affordable education, Good Railway transportation and in interrupted power supply.

Bishop Yahaya advised the new elected leaders to stick to their campaigns promised because Nigerians voted for them as leaders stressing that the people are wiser and will demand for their right as at when due.

He therefore advised them urged to adopt a positive approach to governance by putting the interest of the masses above themselves.

Bishop Yahaya advised the new elected leaders to stick to their campaigns promised because Nigerians voted for them as leaders stressing that the people are wiser and will demand for their right as at when due.

He therefore advised them urged to adopt a positive approach to governance by putting the interest of the masses above themselves.

Buhari’s N320bn TETFUND grant is largest ever to tertiary institutions -BMO

The latest disbursement of N320.3 billion as intervention funds for public tertiary institutions is yet another evidence of President Muhammadu Buhari’s desire to improve higher education in the country.

The BUHARI Media Organisation said in a statement signed by its Chairman Niyi Akinsiju and Secretary Cassidy Madueke that the 2023 Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) disbursement to tertiary institutions is the highest in 30 years.

“If there is any administration that many Nigerians are not fair to, it is the President Muhammadu

Buhari administration which has been accused of ignoring the education sector.

“But the latest information from TETFund has once more shown how insincere many of the critics of the administration have been in their assessment.

“We have been constantly assailed with tales of poor funding of public tertiary institutions but the facts on ground have continued to put a lie to that claim as seen in the latest TETFund approvals to the schools.

“According to the TETFund Executive Secretary, the 2023 allocation to tertiary institutions is N320bn which represents the highest disbursement to the

institutions since the Fund was created 30 years ago.

“For the avoidance of doubt, each federal university is to get N1.154bn, the polytechnics get N699.3m each while colleges of education are to receive N800.8m each for 2023 alone.

“This is unprecedented and it goes without saying that there has never been a time in Nigeria’s history that public institutions of learning got this much even at the height of the various oil booms of previous administrations”, the statement added.

BMO noted that public institutions of learning got more funding in the Buhari years than at any time in the nation’s

history.

“We make bold to say with the benefit of publicly available information that yearly allocations on President Buhari’s watch to these schools have consistently been higher than previous years.

“The Buhari-era disbursement to public universities, polytechnics and colleges of education totalled N1.702tn compared to N1.249tn disbursed from the inception of the fund in 1993 to 2014.

“But that of 2023 clearly stood out, and like officials of the ministry of education we hope that beneficiary institutions would use the intervention funds judiciously”.

Easter: PDP urges Nigerians to pray for triumph of justice, new order

By Lateef Ibrahim, Abuja

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has urged Nigerians to use the occasion of Easter, the celebration of the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to pray for the triumph of justice in the country and rekindle their hope for a new and purposeful Order that derives only from the Will of the people.

The party said this in a statement in Abuja by its National Publicity Secretary, Hon Debo Ologunagba

The coming of Easter, at the time Nigerians are despondent over the outcome of the 2023 general elections, according to the PDP, serves as an assurance that no matter how long

falsehood and manipulation appear to thrive, the truth will surely prevail at the end of the day.

It added that that this season rekindles humanity’s assurance of victory of life over death, hope over despair, justice over injustice and the triumph of the Will of the people over the selfish and parochial scheme of an arrogant, selfish, corrupt and manipulative few.

The PDP said that it is saddened that Nigerians are again observing a celebration such as Easter in hardship, fear, insecurity and hopelessness occasioned by the misrule of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

The party however assured of its upmost resolve to take every lawful action in the

determination to retrieve the Presidential mandate freely given by the people to it and its candidate, Atiku Abubakar at the February 25, 2023 Presidential election “so that Nigerians can have the breath of fresh air under a purposeful leadership that they eagerly yearn for”.

According to the statement by Ologunagba, “The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) urges Nigerians to use the occasion of Easter, the celebration of the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to pray for the triumph of justice in the country and rekindle their hope for a new and purposeful Order that derive only from the Will of the people.

“The coming of Easter, at the time Nigerians are despondent

over the outcome of the 2023 general elections, serves as an assurance that no matter how long falsehood and manipulation appear to thrive, the truth will surely prevail at the end of the day.

“This season rekindles humanity’s assurance of victory of life over death, hope over despair, justice over injustice and the triumph of the Will of the people over the selfish and parochial scheme of an arrogant, selfish, corrupt and manipulative few.

“The PDP is saddened that Nigerians are again observing a celebration such as Easter in hardship, fear, insecurity and hopelessness occasioned by the misrule of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

L-R: Member House of Representatives, Hon. Abubakar Sarki Dahiru, Chairman, House of Committee on Navy/Speakership Aspirant of the House of Representatives, Hon. Yusuf Adamu Gagdi, Governor of Kwara State, Alh. Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq and Deputy Chairman, House Committee on Defence, Hon. Abubakar Maki Yalleman, during the Speakership Aspirant visited the Governor of Kwara state with his team, at the weekend in Illorin.

Deputy Senate President, Omo-Agege remains expelled from APC, Delta State EXCO insists

By Lateef Ibrahim, Abuja

The Delta State chapter of the All Progressives Congress, APC, has insisted that the expulsion of the Deputy Senate President and candidate of the party in the last governorship election in the state, Senator Ovie Omo-Agege stands.

This was disclosed in a communique issued at the end of an emergency meeting of the APC State Executive Council signed by Mr Webor Isaac (Chairman), Benefa Abraham (State Organizing Secretary), Uvwromonena Aghogho (Publicity Secretary) and twentythree others.

In the communique made available to journalists yesterday, the Delta State chapter of the ruling APC accused OmoAgege of series of anti-party activities including his failure to work for the President-elect and candidate of APC, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu during the election.

According to the communique, “We noted the forced efforts of Senator Ovie Omo-Agege to cause members of his ‘’kangaroo Exco’’ in his ward and State to refute his expulsion.

“The general public is hereby notified that Ovie Omo-Agege’s

expulsion stands and he remains expelled.

“Senator Ovie Omo-Agege did not support the Presidentelect, Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu during the National Convention that produced the candidate. Indeed, he collected monies for Logistics and used it for other aspirants.

“During the campaigns, Ovie Omo- Agege and his boys worked for Peter Obi. He entered into an alliance with Labour Party to work for Labour for President and for Labour to work for him (Ovie Omo-Agege) during his

Gubernatorial election.

“In fact, Ovie Omo-Agege did not believe that Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu will win the Election.

“All Omo-Agege’s campaign posters had Peter Obi and he never mentioned Bola Tinubu during his campaigns”, the Delta State chapter of APC stated.

The party however, unanimously, expressed their overwhelming vote of confidence and unalloyed loyalty to President Mohammadu Buhari and the National Chairman of All Progressives Congress (APC)

Senator Abdullahi Adamu (CFR).

The party also congratulated the President-elect, Senator Ahmed Tinubu “as we look forward to his swearing-in”.

The emergency meeting of the State Executive council of the APC in Delta State, which was called to review the current situation in the party with particular reference to the activities of Sennator Ovie OmoAgege, raised the alarm over what it called an illegal EXCO meeting of the party slated for April 11, 2023 by the loyalists of the Deputy Senate President.

CAN president urge Nigerians to look above challenges

By Albert Akota

The President of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Archbishop Daniel Okoh, has called on the country to look above challenges and work for the future.

In his Easter celebration message, which was made available to pressmen yesterday in Abuja signed by him, the Christian leader urged Nigerians to be hopeful and steadfast in their faith, despite the many challenges facing the country.

Okoh noted the difficulties that Nigerians are currently facing, including insecurity, economic hardship, and social and political unrest.

Easter:

Gbajabiamila, Wase, Minority Leader calls for love, prayer, peaceful coexistence

By Christiana Ekpa

The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rep. Femi Gbajabiamila, has rejoiced with Christians across the country on the occasion of this year’s Easter celebration.

Gbajabiamila said the period is very crucial and calls for sober reflection among Christians as it marks the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

The speaker, in a statement by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Lanre Lasisi, called for peaceful coexistence among Nigerians now and always.

Speaker Gbajabiamila urged the citizens, especially Christians, to use the period to pray for a peaceful transition on May 29.

He also called for prayers for the incoming administration of President-elect Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Vice President-elect Kashim Shettima, as well as other leaders in the country.

Gbajabiamila wished the entire Christian community

in the country happy Easter celebrations.

Also the Deputy speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Ahmed Idris Wase CON called on Nigerians to show love to one another and pray for their leaders.

Wase made the call in an Easter message to the Christian faithful signed by Chief Presss Secretary, Umar Muhammad Puma.

He said since the essence of Easter was love as exemplified in the unconditional love showered on humankind by Jesus, his followers were duty bound to emulate him.

“I congratulate our Christian brothers and sisters on this spiritual and solemn occasion of Easter and wish them a joyful celebration.

“As you celebrate, I wish to advise every Nigerian to radiate love and endeavour to pray for our leaders to lead us right for the growth of our society”

“Love is the greatest and we

should radiate love in all our dealings. We should also emulate him by showing love, praying for one another and even sacrificing where necessary. If we do this, there will be tolerance, peace and all of us will enjoy this great nation”, Wase advised.

The Minority Caucus in the House of Representatives equally urged Nigerians not to lose hope but use the occasion of this year’s Easter to reawaken their trust in God and reinforce their optimism for a peaceful, united, secure and prosperous nation they yearn for.

The Caucus in the Easter massage to Christian by it’s leader, Rt. Hon. Ndudi Elumelu charged Nigerians to focus on the essence of Easter; the celebration of the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, as an eternal reassurance of God’s undying love and divine salvation to mankind.

He said the resurrection of Jesus Christ presents us the reassurance that no matter how unpleasant and painful an

adverse situation might be, with God, there is always light at the end of the tunnel.

“Easter therefore offers us great lesson in the triumph of life over death, light over darkness, peace over chaos, hope over despair, prosperity over lack; a pointer that with supplications to God and unity in determination, our nation would surely overcome its current political, economic and social predicaments.

“While our Caucus recognizes that most Nigerians are hurting at this time over apprehensions that their hope of a better nation, which they expressed at various levels in the 2023 general elections is being jeopardized, we remain hopeful that the Will of the people will surely triumph at the end of the day.

“The Minority Caucus therefore urges Nigerians to remain united, law-abiding and use the Easter to show love to and encourage one another in hope of the victory of justice over iniquity in the affairs of our nation.

According to him, these challenges are not insurmountable, and that with faith and determination, Nigerians can overcome them.

“As a nation, Nigeria has faced many challenges in recent years, from insecurity and economic instability to social and political unrest.

“Christ rose from the dead and brought new life to the world, we too can rise above our challenges and start afresh,” Archbishop Okoh said in his message.

“This Easter, let us all come together and renew our commitment to building a better Nigeria.”

The Archbishop also called on Nigerians to embrace the values of love, peace, and reconciliation, which are central to the Easter message.

He urged Nigerians to work together to build a better future for all, regardless of their religious or ethnic backgrounds.

“Let us put aside our differences and come together in unity, just as Christ’s resurrection brought together people from all walks of life,” he said.

Fun seekers at the Magic Land during the Easter Monday celebration, yesterday in Abuja.

•Accuses him of working for Peter Obi, instead of Tinubu

NANS to FG: Rescue two abducted Gusau females students, 10 others in Kachia now

From Ahmed Idris Birnin Kebbi

The National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) has appealed to authorities concerned to use all possible means to rescue the females federal university of Gusau and secondary school students from their abductors.

The two female Microbiology students of the Federal University, Gusau, Zamfara and another 10 female secondary school students of Kachia LGA in Kaduna State had been in captivity.

A press release signed by the Deputy Coordinator, Intercampus Affairs of NANS Zone A Comrade Vanessa Enoch Kwere, and made available to newsmen made the appeal in Birnin Kebbi yesterday.

Kwere issued the statement after NANS delegation met with the management of the university shortly after the union’s Zonal Convention held in Jigawa recently.

She pointed out that the call became imperative in view of the fact that the abducted students were under the care of government, hence they remained the property of government.

Miss Enoch Kwere said: “We were notified of the sad news regarding the abduction of two 200 level female students of Microbiology Department, Federal University, Gusau.

“It is indeed a really heart touching incident, we had to stop by to pay a solidarity visit, to also sympathise with the institution on this incident.

“We urge the students to remain calm and keep praying for the safe return of their friends and sisters.”

According to her, the union met with the school management, including Prof. Ahmad Galadima, the Acting Vice Chancellor, who is also the current Deputy Vice Chancellor of the university; Dean Students’ Affairs, Prof. Lawal Sa’ad; Deputy Dean, Student Affairs, Dr Tagba as well as the Chief Security Officer.

Enoch Kwere said during the meeting, they discussed how the incident happened and the strategies being currently applied by the institution to rescue the abducted students.

“The meeting was presided over by the pioneer Students’ Representative Council (SRC) and President FUBK, Comrade Usman Ladan-Fakai, and

Blood Bath In Benue again, as 38 IDPs massacred by unknown gunmen

From Uche Nnorom, Makurdi

Over 38 persons have been murdered and 38 others seriously injured following attack on an Internally displaced persons camp in Mgbam, Nyiev Community in Udei, Guma local government of Benue State.

The attack came barely three days after 52 persons were killed in Umugidi community in Otukpo local government area by gun wielding assailants.

Peoples’ Daily gathered from the locals that the attack took place between 9pm and 10pm

on Friday. It was also learnt that majority of those killed were women and children.

District head of Nyiev Community Bernard Shawa said he lost two of his sons during the attack, adding that there had been previous attack on the day of the Presidential election on February 25, 2023 during which 12 persons were killed.

A survivor Mnenna Orkega who lost her 10 year old daughter narrated they they were asleep when they heard sporadic gun shots.

Mnnena said she attempted to

escape through the window when an assailant whose identity were not certain grabbed her child and killed her.

Speaking when he visited the scene of the incident, Governor Samuel Ortom described it as ‘unfortunate’, saying that his government will not be provoked to take laws into its hand but will remain law abiding.

He said the President should do more than to send condolence message and direct security agencies to fish out the perpetrators.

“I condemn this act. It is most

unfortunate. We are law abiding people. We will not be provoked to take arms against anyone. We will allow the law to take its course. I saw the President’s condolence message but he should go beyond this and issue orders to smoke out these herders and terrorists. You can imagine the pain of this people. People doing this are known and must be fished out. We want peace. I refuse to be provoked. How can we make progress with this type of killing? Putting blame and castigating me is not right”, Ortom said.

1000 Nasarawa communities benefit from NGO free medical outreach

By Christiana Ekpa

No fewer than 1000 persons were beneficiaries of a medical outreach by a Non Governmental Organization (NGO), Teen Ambassadors Foundation (TAF), for residents of Luvu Madaki communities and environs in Karu local government area of Nasarawa State.

The medical intervention held at the TAF Office Luvu Madaki, and offered screening and treatment for malaria, typhoid, peptic ulcer, urinary tract infections, hypertension, diabetes, skin diseases. The intervention also provided free vaccination and treatment for Hepatitis among others.

Doctors, nurses, laboratory scientists and pharmacists were on ground to offer services free of charge to adults and children

from the communities.

Director General of the Foundation, Mr Paul Adiwu, said the gesture was borne out of the corporate social responsibility (CSR) of the NGO.

Adiwu said the intervention, which was meant for all classes of people, targeted at least 1000 persons.

He said, “This is our first quarter medical outreach for the year. We were here last year. We only gave medication for hepatitis patients but the vaccination was not introduced then. So we introduced the vaccination and we felt it is only right we come here so they can benefit from the vaccination. Those those that do not have hepatitis but wish to be vaccinated are free to do so. We are here to treat them on different ailments and administer vaccinations for

hepatitis.”

He said the gesture was also in the spirit of Easter and Ramadan.

Adiwu added that TAF was also into education and entrepreneurship development to deal with unemployment in the country, besides the medical outreaches.

The Medical Coordinator of TAF, Dr Samuel Munza, said the goal of the organization was to completely drive out hepatitis.

He said, “Our goal is to drive out hepatitis. We are actually vanguards towards that. We cannot do everything but we are doing our best. When we screen them, for those that are positive we have liver supplements we give to them and counsel them. For those that are negative we give them the vaccines. We give them the immunization and ask them to come for the follow

up dosage we always make it available.”

He said the medical intervention covered everyone including children.

Various beneficiaries expressed gratitude to Teen Ambassadors Foundation for the gesture.

They said it would go a long way in improving the well-being of the people and called on other organizations to emulate the gesture.

A traditional ruler in the community, Chief Salasi Ali, said, “We thank God for TAF. We appreciate this gesture for the community. We thank the DG of TAF, Dr Paul Adiwu, because so far, he is only person doing such for the community. A lot of persons needed serious medical attention. They came with this medical outreach last year and the people have been

Parish Priest of sacred heart Catholic Church Gwagwalada, Rev.fr. Samuel Tarvihi, (right), blessing the parishioners during the Easter Sunday mass in Abuja yesterday

The Permanent Voter’s Card and its derelict functionality

By Hussein Adegoke

You cannot be a patriotic NIGERIAN and be excited about the state of affairs here.

There are people who are desperately willing to strangulate the rest of us and hellbent on driving our collective wealth to nothingness. I hold the viewpoint that the derelict state of our economy is an artificial creation of some few. And what is it about PVC collection and its sale for a paltry sum? Are you suggesting those who gave them out never anticipated this? Is the INEC Chairman that myopic and incredulous? In a place of hunger…and rife illiteracy, how dare you make such item a cheap commodity available to all Jick and Harry without adequate structures in place to curb its unmerited use?

That piece of card, if sincerely done, should have done no one any good save the one electorate it was intended for.

So, the “PERMANENT VOTERS CARD”—as you declare with brazen stupidity—could just have

been picked, snatched, sold, bought, and the new custodians would benefit from it? Such valuable item put into use just once in every four years…? What a country? What a shame?!

I mean, is this too far from common logic? To “personalize” the card would never have been an idea from the scratch. This is the system forever in place at the ATM stands or in our banking systems. Does anyone pick up a debit card and gain access to your funds that cheaply? Why do we mature in size but never in sense in this part of the world, for crying out loud? You keep spending on systems that give you no value for what you give to it? Yearly, suffrages (or people of voting ages) keep absconding from polling booths because of their waned beliefs in electoral practices. You keep administering the same migraine reliefs to a Malaria that has survived since the 1960s.

We’re no teachers or apologists when it comes to voter’s apathy. But it seems to me that no elite with tangible duties and sensibilities go out to “speak” with no voice—on the election day. Or how would that card that was not equitably distributed, capturing

only a fraction of the voting populace and excluding well-meaning citizens of the country living in the diaspora fairly represent your “credible choice”? The biggest project in the land is an election—coming up but just in every four years, yet we can barely stake it appropriately. What happens to having a VOTING STAND (much like an ATM) at every voting booth across the nation where every eligible person could “clock” or time in by facial recognition? And this, too, could be replicated in the diaspora. What big deal lies in that?

But going back to the first critical point made, there are ugly men within this space hellbent on not making it work! Every Mahmood Yakubu who submits his credentials for such lofty positions should also fear the day of reckoning (but well, it does them good to know and believe there is one)! No NIGERIAN races to political offices in the land without having a separate “booth” of accountability on the judgement day!

Hussein Adegoke is a Public Affairs Analyst.

What Nigeria need is constitutional implementation not review

By Muhammad Yahaya Abubakar

For quite sometimes now Nigerians all around regardless of region, religion and all sort of bigotries have been living in such a state of dilemma over the tough life we are experiencing as a nation and as a people.

Whether one is rich or poor as per as Nigeria is concern will not find any reason to unjustify the fact that in one way or the other the bad state of leadership in our country have affected us negatively and have cut the apple out of our teeth.

We had had troubles from international forces ranging from the fall in price of crude oil in the world market which is the major to only source of generating revenue that works for the nation as at today. We also had issue with the IMF for emptying our reserved funds that is only meant to be off for uncertainties but it was shattered on the street and pockets of our governors, a situation that adds to the trouble in exchange value of our local currency strength to other currencies around the globe.

If we take a step back and look at our inside house issues as well, petroleum subsidy have been removed to its zero level and was even glamouring to take it down to negative subsidual value as suggested by some of our greedy governors, a situation that have forced the price of local fuel to trippled and gets higher everyday over the time. Banditry, kidnapping, rape and thuggery have been haemorraging from the four walls of our nation from the south to West down to North. Our youth are left jobless after going through lengthy years of uninterrupted formal education system that promised a better life for them only to come out and sees otherwise. Corruption have infiltrated through the roots and stems of our parastatals, agencies and every

government entities in the public sector from contracts award to jobs.

Nepotism have stand in the way of sending people to public offices, tyranny and lack of compliance to the rule of law pass by our justice system on government officials and bodies like INEC and Political Parties case, who chose to see itself as a law above the court.

It was a consequences of those acts that forced Nigerians over time to be meandering, glamouring and fighting over and over from one political and societal movements to the other viz the almighty Bring Back Our Girls by Aisha Yesufu, Stand Against Rape and Rapists by the UNFPA Nigeria, Revolution Now by Sowore Omolaye, Revolution of Ideas by Tope Fasua, Restructuring by the Yoruba SANs, Biafra/IPOB agitators led by Nmadi Kanu, Oduduwa Republic agitators, Stop the Killings in the North by Aisha Yesufu, EndSars by Falz and Co and a lot of such movements, one will believe with me that all these evicted as a result of poor governance and lack of deligence by the apex government in the country.

Looking at the 1999 constitution of Federal Republic of Nigeria as amended you will believe with me that there is no single sub-section or phrase that supports any of the injustice, corruption, tyranny to law and order by the government and its entities. It have not just barred such instances alone but have also clearly stated penalties around the neck of any person or group of persons culpable that violet any of its provisions. So the issue on table that the Federal Government, Nass and Buhari’s cabinet should focus on should be to try as much as possible to follow the norms and teaching of the constitution they all swore an oath to protect and depend before taking offices and enforce its compliance to parastatals and their heads, agencies and their

heads, ministries and their heads as well.

Nigerians lived in harmony, peace, a joyable life and have prosper more to a much greater height on all matters of national and international concerns with our earliest constitution in 60s, 70s, 80s and only get worst as it kept being reviewed to meet the needs of the selfish leaders of our nation as its gets to 90s and 20th. We are better with the British drafted constitution than with our crafted greedy laws.

So in essence what Nigeria needs at this point in time of our nation was some action by the government officials than making more fairy tales and empty promises that wont live that far to tell the tales moreso it wont get to be actualised by those that will draft it itself. Let the court prosecute any culpable regardless of class and affiliation. Let the police, ICPC and EFCC investigate, enforced the law and put behind bars offending political and public officers than only wasting more of the nation resource in going after petty banana thieves in the name of yahoo boys and online scammers leaving the bigger thieves lived happily crusing their jeeps in ACs. Let the communication ministry, finance ministry and NOA go after the exploration of the yahoo boys and online scammers by tracking their route, blocking their source and blocking their wallets. Let them keeps enlighting the public on what to and what not to believe on the internet, let the NOA keeps the public up to date on all happenings around us to stay away from being a rat in trapped of the yahoo hunters.

I beleived Nigeria will get better through a better and dedicated leadership with the same old guide we had in the old days. There is nothing wrong with our laws but everything is wrong with our leadership as a nation.

Muhammad Yahaya Abubakar is a Public Affairs Analyst.

2023: Democracy and the leaned economy

By Reuben Hopo

We earnestly need a new foundation that can ably translate the hopes and aspirations of all Nigerians than a privileged few across the country. The Nigeria’s economy would experience rapid growth with each of these zones coming up with sound economic policies that may offer a credible alternative to the federal government’s economic proposals.

Nigeria Democracy Day Except for politicians across the country, Nigerians already have a deep-rooted fear to be worried about “the way forward” in 2023 given the ongoing fourth republic in which Nigerians have had twenty-three years of uninterrupted democratic experience with dividends of democracy amid unprecedented inflation in the economy, widespread hunger, massive job loss and the increased spate of terrorism. With all these antecedents, no single individual today or tomorrow can resolve these hydra-headed crises facing the country. Point blank!

Under the present Administration of PMB it is inevitable to chart a new direction through a small roundtable talk devoid of partisanship amongst notable leaders across the six geopolitical zones under the presidency to look into the undercurrents of the multiple crises which besieged the present political economy and help the president to midwife a way out for Nigeria’s political future, as we anguished towards the 2023 general elections.

The truth is that the federal government has done very well, saves that Nigeria’s woes have outgrown, and at par with the population explosion and the latter is much bigger than the accomplishments of the federal government that might be estimated at a ratio 10% of the population of the country. Thus, Nigerians do not just groan for nothing. The country is really in a tsunami of poverty despite the consistent efforts of the PMB Administration to fund the economy at all costs.

With the nation’s survival at the precipice due to the cost of living and all its attendant consequences, we cannot continue to miss the promised land for too long anymore in a failed democracy that is due to no one’s fault, but collectively. The presidential system has failed and failed again to provide basic survival for Nigerians and put a permanent end to the rising threat of terrorism in the country. The current structure of governance needs an overhaul because of its antithesis. The institution is our general enemy, not any individual.

With the loss of food security as a major challenge confronting overwhelming Nigerians, what are the hope of survival of the masses and how do we navigate into the 2023 general elections? 2023 is

no best bet for solving the long-sufferings of Nigerians unless the federal government take a cursory look at the effect of the rising U.S. dollar on the common man and average citizens in the economy. The findings would help to adjudge better that despite all the efforts of the federal government, the masses are not faring better. Hence, the need to go back to the drawing board to chart the way out against 2023 as a lasting legacy for Nigeria and her people to live above poverty and to promote peaceful co-existance. Making a terror attack in Nigeria a forgotten history requires more diligence.

To better manage Nigerians together and strengthen a more virile economy for all, the wisdom is that Nigerians can no longer survive as a single nation but as an integration of six mutually exclusive nations. This is the secret and the way out for Nigerians in 2023. We earnestly need a new foundation that can ably translate the hopes and aspirations of all Nigerians than a privileged few across the country. The Nigeria’s economy would experience rapid growth with each of these zones coming up with sound economic policies that may offer a credible alternative to the federal government’s economic proposals.

With a population of over two hundred million, the solution to the present “lock jammed democracy” is to have a collective agreement for one president for the country and six vice presidents to oversee the affairs of each of the six geopolitical zones in the country. The president would govern the country jointly with the six vice presidents and shall retain the title of being the sole commander-inchief of the armed forces. The six vice presidents may not necessarily belong to the same political parties to form the presidency and federal government.

Nigerians have a major problem and we need to do away with it urgently to set the country free from the hegemony in different quarters. We are too gluttonous to anything foreign without a quick sense of self-examination to nativise foreign political systems in a way that suits the peculiarities and challenges of the Nigerians’ environment. Let Nigeria have six vice presidents to make each zone a coordinate equal of the others. Enough of this absolute power play. It has been the source of absolute corrupt power and abuse of power in the political landscape. The only way to grow a bigger and more vibrant economy is to isolate absurd power from the democratic system.

Providing more tips for a new political order, the Senate at the centre should be abolished, leaving the Houses of Representatives and Assembly in the various states as the main democratic assemblies for both the federal and state governments. The Senate should be for each of the zones and the composition of its membership should

not be on partisanship but strictly on meaningful and recognised interest groups across the country such as the traditional rulers and all professional associations recognized by Acts and Decrees of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. The selection and zoning for a fixed term among the diverse group must be determined by the civil service in each of the new Senates. The purpose of the new Senate Assemblies is to check and balance power across the country. On the other hand, the judicial system operating across the country would remain status ante.

The Senate will have a Senate leader and other principal officers as usual, and permanent staff. The vice president in each zone shall preside over the Senate and the vice president and the Senate shall form the government in each of the six geopolitical zones in the country. The new Senate would also take over the functions of the current Senate and shall perform them in a dual relationship alongside the House of Representatives.

Going by the origin of the Senate as a federal necessity in the United States of America, it is a federal arrangement to balance the power of the House of Representatives to avoid bigger States dominating the smaller ones. So, being a senator is not a senior partner to a honourable member of the House of Representatives, but a co-partner in the legislature. The Senate serves no purpose other than this, and as Nigerians, we have come a long way to be mindful of the huge expenses consumed by a senator and the Senate at large. During the first republic, the Senate was a hotbed for political casualties across the country. Nigeria can maintain a credible Senate with low expenses if this institution is shelved to the zones.

Nigeria can only take the lead again in agriculture in Africa to eliminate hunger, poverty, unemployment, promote wealth creation and rejuvenate the economy if we toll this new, well-reasoned political order to eliminate unbridled corruption, indiscriminate waste, inordinate political ambition and “sit-tight syndrome” peculiar within the political class are overbearing on the leaned economy. We would set this country on the right path of good governance and make it a giant in Africa again if we can adopt this new initiative.

These recommendations are achievable in the march to 2023 under six months as a new transition of governance. Let Nigerians hear the loudest voice in their interest to save the country from the impending peril that may confront us again. We must look ahead beyond the impending eight years of the next president in waiting.

Email: reubenhopo619@gmail.com

Strong institutions – A panacea to sustained development

By Buwa Meldrick Memeh

Precisely October 1st2015, at the annual event tagged “Platform” organised by Pastor Poju Oyemade’s Covenant Christian Centre, Bishop Kukah stated that if the worst President that ever ruled Nigeria had the opportunity to be the President of the United States of America, it would be difficult to steal from their treasury and in all sincerity, this is one assertion I completely agree with.

In the same vein, you will agree with me when I say that if President Barak Obama became the President of Nigeria or the President of his ancestral home, Kenya, there is every possibility that he would have ended up like the average corrupt and selfish African leader whose only focus was to amass wealth at the expense of the masses.The statement made by Bishop Kukah further stresses the argument put forward by President Barak Obama that Africans should concentrate on building stronger institutions rather than strong men. Even though I might slightly differ with President Obama, it is important to stress that the existence of strong institutions can only be made possible by the availability of strong men.

The reality of present day happenings indicate that those morals and values that clearly distinguished us from peoples of other countries have been exchanged for the ills that come along with globalization.While growing up, I remember my mother constantly reminded me that in her days, people display their goods outside the compound and the buyer didn’t have to see the trader to purchase these items and it was certain that the trader will meet her money in tact whenever she came back. Nowadays this will practically be impossible astraders are at the mercy of hoodlums and armed robbers.

The display of the latest cars and flamboyant lifestyle of Hollywood stars as seen on television sets have completely altered our values and orientation which has consequently led to the desperation and craving of a new lease of life from both the old and young. Africans have successfully adapted to the lifestyle of their Hollywood idols but unlike developed countries, African nations have weak institutions and structures to tackle the ills and fallout of such

contagious lifestyle. Societal standards have been set so high and it no longer takes a religious person but one with high moral standards to avoid the influence of society. Today even the clergy men have been caught in the web of affluence as they have successfully reduced the worth of private jets to that of mere taxis.

Institutions set up by the government to fight against financial crimes have severally been caught in a mess of their own financial crimes and institutions set up to deliver judgements can no longer be relied upon since corruption has built a safe haven in the hearts of some judges. Today, everyone is out to make money at the expense of someone else and while some blame the situation on the untold hardship faced in the country, we must not fail to identify greed which has eaten the heart of the average Nigerian.

If we must fix the issues at hand, we must see Nigeria as an electronic DVD player programmed to play CD plates. This electronic gadget plays any CD plates but there is a loud scratch when it identifies a faulty or scratched CD plate and it refuses to recognize it or play it any further. Unfortunately, Nigeria as an electronic DVD player has not been programmed to select its CD plates and this explains why every junk that passes through the device is successfully played and consequently inflicts its own damage on the device and regrettably like a virus crashes a computer, every sector of the Nigerian economy is heading for a crash except for the intervention of a quick fix.

President Muhammadu Buhari must understand that the only remedy to this impending disaster is to ensure the institution of harsh laws and capital punishments to deter public officials and other Nigerians from engaging in practices that are capable of crashing Nigeria.

Countries like China and Indonesia have been successful in the implementation of these punishments. In 2014, the former deputy chief engineer of China’s disbanded railways, Zhang Shuguang was found guilty of taking bribes of more than 47m yuan over 11 years. The courts sentenced him to death. In Indonesia, the drug laws are so strict that parents who fail to notify the authorities of their children’s narcotics use could face criminal charges. Recently several Nigerians have been executed in Indonesia due to drug related offences and these countries understand the fact that if these laws are not

instituted, the country would pay the ugly price.

President Muhammadu Buhari has the opportunity to put his name in gold by being the strong man to create an environment that abhors corrupt practises such that when he leaves office, we have a system that is incompatible with corruption. Today it is difficult for any corrupt man to survive as United States President because he would be impeached and thrown in jail but in Nigeria we are not sure of the National Assembly members who will impeach any corrupt President. The onus lies on President Buhari to make the business of governance less lucrative. Those who occupy public office must be those willing to serve and not those interested in jumbo allowances. If the salaries and allowances of National Assembly members are reduced to the present wages received by school teachers, a lot of our legislators would tender their resignation and Nigerians willing to serve would be happy to replace them. Unfortunately the cost of governance has become a burden on Nigerians and a few are carting away with the wealth of the country.

While Nigerians embrace the present administration’s anticorruption stance, President Buhari must understand that it will be regarded as no different from what we have seen under previous administrations if stolen funds are not recovered and no one is made to account for years of misrule. It will also be a waste of time if corrupt persons are not tried and sent to jail. Nigerians are used to hearing huge figures stolen but unfortunately our judiciary are yet to convict corrupt leaders. The same judiciary cleared James Ibori an innocent man but it took the UK courts only a short while before Ibori pleaded guilty to corrupt charges and today we have an ex-governor serving 13 year jail sentence for financial fraud. Unfortunately the Nigerian prisons are built for thieves who steal Maggie cubes while the treasury looters enjoy ex-parte injunctions.

We must admit we have work on our hands which include ridding the judiciary, the police and other public institutions of corrupt elements. If we must get it right we must strengthen our institutions but until then Nigeria remains at the mercy of corrupt leaders.

Buwa Meldrick Memeh is Public Affairs Analyst and Social Commentator on

national issues.

Easter: Uba Sani says Peace necessary for progress, development.

From Femi Oyelola, Kaduna

Kaduna State GovernorElect Senator Uba Sani, has said Nigerians must strive to imbibe the values which Jesus Christ lived.

He stated this in his Easter massages to the people of the state yesterday.

According to him, most of the communities are in the throes of conflict and Development has been retarded, saying, Peace is the only way towards progress and development.

“Let me take this opportunity to extend my best wishes for a Happy Easter to our dear brothers and sisters of the Christian faith. I congratulate you for successfully going through the Lenten Period.

“May the good Lord reward your sacrifices, and place His holy hands upon our dear country.

“Easter is a time of spiritual and physical renewal. The Lenten Period enables the faithful to return to God through fasting, prayers and alms giving.

“It is a time for making personal sacrifices and contributing to the building of peaceful communities. We must use the opportunity provided by this period to purge ourselves of feelings of hate. We must forgive one another. We must dehumanise our communities and spread love around.

“We have just gone through a general election. We asked our people to give us their mandates to offer selfless service to them. Just as Jesus Christ lived a life of selfless service to the people, elected people must live lives of unconditional service to the people.

“If we deemphasize SELF and prioritize THE PEOPLE, we shall build more prosperous communities and our people will live happier and healthier lives.

“I thank the good people of Kaduna State for giving me their mandate. I will be a Servant Leader. I will treat our dear citizens with respect. I will be compassionate.

“Our dear state will witness sustained progress and development. All I seek is your support and cooperation. Use this Easter celebration to reflect on our journey as a state and what you can contribute to taking the state to higher heights. Everyone will have an opportunity to make his or her contribution. It is a collective endeavour.”

ADP crises deepens as party chair disowns substituted guber candidate in Kaduna

From Femi Oyelola, Kaduna

Governorship candidate and State party chairman of the Action Democratic Party, (ADP), in Kaduna State, Yusuf Jibrin, has said the substitution or replacement of the person of Sani Sha’aban as the gubernatorial candidate of ADP did not follow due process as spelt out in section 31 of the Electoral Act.

He stated this in a statement made available to the media in Kaduna on Sunday.

According to him, he was

nominated and presented to the Independent National Electoral Commission, (INEC), as thecandidate, butt was shocked to his bone marrow when in 7th December 2022 in a hotel at Barnawa in Kaduna South Local Government, that out of desperation Sani Sha’aban conducted and arranged for a party primaries as a sole aspirant and later emerged as the Guber candidate of ADP.

Jibrin said he consulted his lawyers for advice and was told that whatever Sani Sha’aban has done is not in tandem with the

provisions of the Electoral Act and therefore its null and void.

Jibrin added that in INEC records and publications his name Yusuf Jibrin was the Kaduna State Gubernatorial candidate of ADP in the 18th March 2023 elections.

“Sani Sha’aban was NEVER on INEC list, has no locus standi and I have not given him any authority to represent me anywhere or whatsoever.

“By whatever he has done, he has actually increased the popularity of ADP in Kaduna, as a politician I recognize his

efforts and thank him for that.

“But I must warn that, we know the antics of Sani Sha’aban as a nomadic politician, he must tread with caution as not to drag the name of our party, ADP into disrepute.

“We have enjoyed good and able leadership from our National Chairman, Engr. Yabagi Sani, who has worked tirelessly in bringing the party to where it is, and any attempt by Sani Sha’aban and his sponsors to bring this down will be resisted,” the statement warned.

Gov. Bello felicitates with Christians on Easter celebration

From Yakubu Mustapha Minna

Governor Abubakar

Sani Bello of Niger state has felicitated with Christians in the state on the celebration of Easter and implored them to sustain prayers for lasting peace in the

state and Nigeria.

The Governor in his Easter message in Minna maintained that Easter is a significant celebration observed by Christians to reflect on the love and sacrifice exemplified by Jesus who is the foundation of Christianity.

He enjoined them to celebrate Easter solemnly and exhibit the virtues of love, selflessness, forgiveness, perseverance, as well as sacrifice, which are the hallmarks of the celebration.

Bello however urged Christians to use the period to pray for lasting peace and

security in the state in particular and the nation in general.

He wished the Christian faithfuls a hitch free and successful celebration and assured Nigerlites of his commitment to effective service delivery till the end of his tenure.

The Newly baptized catholic faithful during their thanksgiving at sacred heart Catholic church Gwagwalada, yesterday in Abuja,

Ayo Adebanjo remains consistent voice for better, egalitarian Nigeria - Peter Obi

By Christiana Ekpa

The presidential candidate of Labour Party, Peter Obi has said the leader of Afenifere, Ayo Adebanjo, has remained a consistent voice preaching for a better and egalitarian Nigeria at all times.

In a happy 95th birthday message to the elder statesman, Obi said “On behalf of my family, I wish a very respected father-figure, Afenifere leader and elder statesman, Chief PA Ayo Adebanjo a very hearty happy birthday. Daddy, you have remained a resounding and consistent voice in preaching for a better and egalitarian Nigeria.”

He expressed admiration and respect to Adebanjo’s courage in speaking up on bad governance and flawed public policies, saying his patriotic fervour is exemplary.

“At a time like this when our country is in dearth and dire need of statesmen, Chief Ayo Adebanjo, Leader of the Afenifere, occupies a pride of place.

“His birth and upbringing prepared him for a balanced view of issues affecting the country. His father Joel was a Christian and his mother Salawatu was a Muslim.

“Thus, he grew up in the deep knowledge and love of the two dominant religions such that bigotry had no place with him.

“Born on the 10th of April 1928, he had his early life on Lagos Island.

“The young Adebanjo was caught in the frenzy of nationalism, becoming a follower of Nnamdi Azikiwe as a young Zikist. But in 1951 when the Great Awo formed the Action Group with its philosophy of federalism, Adebanjo was attracted as one of the founders. He had thus learned at the feet of the greatest nationalists in our clime.

“A renowned journalist and, since 1961, great legal practitioner, the combination of both makes Papa a staunch activist and politician who has remained unwavering in the service of our country. So committed is he to the cause of Awoism and Nigeria that he is today the only surviving disciple of Awolowo with whom the sage was charged in the infamous treasonable felony trial of 1962.

Bauchi APC Youth Progressive Movement group cautions Tinubu against sycophants

By Ikechukwu Okaforadi

Concerned All Progressive Congress (APC) Youth Progressive Movement in Bauchi State has cautioned the President elect, Bola Ahmed Tinubu to take caution over the activities of those they described as sycophants in the party, warning that they are out to undermine his government.

In a statement issued yesterday by the National Cordinator of the group, Abdullahi Dauda Little, and copied to the APC Deputy National Chairman (North), National Secretary and Vice Chairman, North East, the group reminded Tinubu that his greatest challenge in his journey to presidency was not from Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) or the Labour Party, but from within the APC.

A protest letter by the group said “Individuals in high office used their offices to undermine our party using all kinds of methods. First they tried to stop you from contesting by claiming that there was a consensus

candidate, when that failed they developed other strategies including deceiving President Muhammadu Buhari, into signing a policy which caused fuel scarcity and imposed a harsh economic policy under the guise of the cashless economy on Nigerians.

“Nigerians almost punished our party for this during the last election but most Nigerians saw through this plan that the policies were targeted at destroying our party’s chances of retaining power but thank God your doggedness together with the support of loyal party members and Nigerians you are president-elect for all Nigerians”.

To this end, the All Progressive Congress (APC) Youth Progressive Movement drew Tinubu’s attention to antiparty activities of individuals he trusted to mobilize the party to victory.

“We hereby bring to your attention the activities of three leaders, including Minister of Education, Adamu Adamu, a former Deputy Governor of our State, Hon Nura Manu Soro and

the party Chairman.

“Each of these four men for reasons best known to them betrayed the party, your trust and the aspirations of our governorship candidate Air Marshal Sadiq Abubakar.

“The people of Bauchi had looked forward to the return of the APC administration but these leaders through their actions and inactions dashed their hopes through various acts of sabotage.

“They refused to campaign for the party either in secret or in the open, those who you entrusted with party logistics failed to deploy them for mobilization this led to a lot of handicap for our members”, the group said.

They also advised Tinubu to look closely at those who want to come close to his government to promote anti-people policies to destroy his administration’s plan for a better Nigeria.

While appealing to the President elect to shun those who will advise him to do things that will only benefit them and increase the suffering of Nigerians, they encouraged him to ensure that the party for which

he is the undisputed leader, takes actions against all those involved in sabotaging the party during the last elections, to encourage loyal party members to remain loyal to the party at all times.

Omo-Agege, Gbajabiamila, others make valuable parliamentarians hall of fame list

By Musa Baba Adamu

OrderPaper Nigeria

and its partners have announced twenty members of the Ninth National Assembly as SemiFinalists for the country’s first-ever Most Valuable Parliamentarian (MVP) Hall of Fame.

In a statement in Abuja by its Executive Director, Oke Epia, OrderPaper said the shortlist comprises a female Senator, two Principal Officers, two Presiding Officers and ten first-term lawmakers across party lines from both the Senate and House of Representatives.

The MVP Hall of Fame initiative, which is in furtherance of OrderPaper’s contributions to legislative strengthening and promotion of improved service delivery in the National Assembly, aims at identifying and sustaining a distinct class of legislators who are performance-driven, excellence-inspired, and

public-spirited.

The statement said having undertaken an independent, thorough and unprecedented data-driven annual performance appraisals of the 469-member ninth National Assembly since its first anniversary in 2020, the organisation says it deemed it appropriate to commence instituting the Most Valuable Parliamentarian (MVP) Hall of Fame.

It said the annual appraisals focused exclusively on the core legislative function of law-making, and consideration for the MVP nomination and subsequent shortlisting essentially applied the criteria of Value, Impact, and Productivity in rating the contributions of those shortlisted.

It said: “While value speaks to the correlation of a bill’s advancement of the governance objective of the federal government; impact relates to the empirical contribution of a bill to the

enhancement of the lives and living conditions of citizens; and productivity applies to the stage of progression of a bill to measure the diligence, dedication and hard work put into its processing by its sponsor.”

It recalled that following the midterm appraisals, 55 members of the National Assembly were nominated for possible induction and consequently conferred with certificates of recognition at a prestigious Evening of Sparkles held at the Transcorp Hilton Hotel in Abuja in July 2022.

It said only 20 of these nominees have now made the semi-final shortlist and would be subjected to a rigorous points-based scoring system to arrive as the eventual inductees into the Hall of Fame.

“The semi-final shortlist was determined at the completion of the third-year appraisal, and the eventual inductees would emerge

following further assessments in the last year of the fouryear tenure.

“This last and final assessment to determine the Most Valuable Parliamentarians of the Ninth National Assembly would be assisted in terms of oversight by an MVP Panel of Experts (MPEs) drawn from parliamentary think tanks, the academia, media, civil society, and the private sector.”

Tinubu

Gbajabiamila

By Ikechukwu Okaforadi

Aranking member of the Senate and chairman, Senate Public Accounts Committee (SPAC), Mathew Urhoghide, yesterday blamed the Governors for the numerous Socio-Political challenges facing Nigeria, saying they want to control all the structures of government, including the President, the National Assembly and the judiciary.

Urhoghide also said the 10th National Assembly will suffer what he described as “institutional memory loss” as many members of the current National Assembly with wealth of experience and knowledge in lawmaking will not return to the next Assembly, having lost their reelection bids in the just-concluded 2023 elections in their various States.

The federal lawmaker, who spoke to journalists in Benin City, Edo State capital, specifically said the governors’ desire to control the President, the National Assembly, State Assemblies and Local Governments, was part of the problem facing Nigeria.

He also responded to pressure being mounted on him to join the 2024 governorship race in the State, saying that his political future was in the

Governors responsible for Nigeria’s woes, want to pocket President, NASS - Sen. Urhoghide

hand of God.

Senator Urhoghide added that there was nothing that can stop him if he wanted to become Edo State governor in 2024.

“Let me say this, parliament all over the world is driven by knowledge, it is a repository of knowledge and you get better in the business of lawmaking and other legislative activities, the more you stay there. Whether in the parliamentary or presidential system, it is driven by experience.

“That is why the number of times you come in there ranks you. Whatever laws made for good governance in the land is from the parliament, they are not cooked overnight. If you keep taking people out of the National Assembly and keep feeding in new people, what happens to institutional memory?

“Since I got to the Senate about eight years ago, put it conservatively, I have been trained up to 20 times outside the shores of this country. What happens to

the experience? Because the training I have received is not transferable. Today, as we speak, less than 20 per cent of Senators will come back to the (10th) Senate. It is a huge loss to this country,” he stated.

On the State governors’ desire to always control the system from the top to the bottom level of government, Urhoghide said: “The state governors are a major problem as they want to control the President, the National Assembly, the State Houses of Assembly, and the Local Government Councils.

“I believe they don’t understand their roles in democracy. If there are any parameter to judge what they have done in the states, very few governors will pass. The development of a state is multi-faceted.

“It is not just the number of roads you tar that determine whether you have done well or not. What about human capital development? What about the different sectors of our economic life and the lives of

Sen. Urhoghide

our people? The man that you are building roads or bridges for, how have you developed him, so that he can fend for himself and his family? You must develop the man in totality.”

The Edo South Senator, therefore, advised the President-elect, Bola Tinubu, to do everything possible to bring Nigerians together, as Nigerians have never been so divided as they are currently.

Yobe Governor seeks prayers for successful power transition

By Musa Baba Adamu

Yobe State Governor, Mai Mala Buni has called on Nigerians to use the Easter occassion to pray for a successful and peaceful transition of power as Nigeria prepares for change of leadership.

Buni stated this in a goodwill message to the Christian faithful to mark the Easter occassion.

He said, it is very important to internalise the values of love and sacrifice as reflected in the teachings of the Easter at this period of our national life.

Buni said: “The good lessons of love and sacrifice should be used to promote peace and unity for the prosperity of the country and Nigerians."

The Governor noted that this is a blessed period when Christain faithful observe the Easter at a time when their Muslim brothers are observing the Ramadan fast.

He said: “It is therefore a great opportunity for us as a Nation to take advantage of this period to pray for our country."

The called on religious

and community leaders to always preach peace and peaceful coexistence, stressing that: “We can only practice our religions and acheive

prosperity when we have peace.”

He recalled that: “Some few years back, we could not go to mosques and churches

in Yobe state due to security challenge, but today we glorify God for the peace we now enjoy across the state.”

He advised that: “We

should therefore guard it jealously and avoid anything that could tamper with peace and security in Yobe state and Nigeria."

Despite barrage of attacks, Datti and I are with you, new Nigeria possible - Peter Obi

By Ikechukwu Okaforadi

Presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Peter Obi has assured the Obidient family which he leads, to see the incessant attacks on them as a huge sacrifice needed to rescue and build a new Nigeria that is possible.

Obi, in a series of tweets on Easter Monday, ostensibly to identify with the Obidients who have been under ceaseless attacks by some antidemocratic agents bent on defending and perpetuating frauds and retaining the status quo of criminalities in the country, that he and his Vice, Datti Baba-Ahmad are with them.

According to him, “My Dear Obidients, a very happy Holy Month of Easter & Ramadan to you all. As we celebrate Easter and look forward to

a joyous Eid El Fitr, we pray for God Almighty’s guidance, protection, and blessings as we face and pass through a litany of challenges in our dear country”

Obi, in the tweet identified some of the challenges as “Nigeria- flawed electoral process, insecurity, weak institutions, multidimensional poverty, unemployment, inflation, lack of justice, fairness, equity, opportunities and many more”

The former Anambra state Governor said that “in reflecting on these challenges and looking forward to a New Nigeria that is POssible, Datti and I are painfully mindful that for the mere reason of being Obidient, most of you have suffered vituperations, physical attacks, loss of rights and privileges, hateful trolls, indignities, and vexatious

fighting words, even from some of those we long regarded as civic leaders and conscience of our nation.”

LP standard bearer urged the Obidients to “Please bear such attacks as sacrifices we are all required to make to create a New Nigeria where justice, equity, fairness, love, and prosperity shall reign, but be assured that Datti and I are with you and that the ongoing unfortunate orchestrated efforts to de-market and delegitimize the Obidient Movement will fail”

“We are fully structured and have all remained focused and steadfast in addressing the ills in our nation; while underpinning the supremacy of our Constitution and imperatives of the rule of law.

“Do not relent, and do not be lured into unnecessary conflicts. Be assured that in the

fullness of time, our mission to rescue Nigeria from those engaged in State Capture will come to fruition. We are also using all lawful and peaceful means allowed under our laws and constitution to reclaim our mandate to create a New Nigeria that is Possible. Therefore, in all your actions and inactions, I continue to implore you to be law-abiding, respectful, and peaceful”

Finally, Obi urged them to be peaceful and lawabiding, “In all you do, always remember those immortal words of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr that “The true measure of a man is not how he behaves in moments of comfort and convenience but how he stands at times of controversy and challenges.” A New Nigeria is Indeed Possible. God bless all of you and bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria.”

Bauchi APC group condemns suspension of ex officio member

By Ikechukwu Okaforadi

Ayouth group within the Bauchi State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) on Monday condemned the suspension of the party’s national ex-officio, Sirajo Dada, by the Gamawa Local Government Area branch of the party.

The group, APC Concerned Youth Group, made its condemnation of Dada’s suspension known at a press conference in Bauchi, where its chairman, Muhammad Muhammad, declared that the purported suspension was inappropriate.

Muhammad said Dada’s outstanding performances led to APC’s victory in Gamawa LGA in the last general election, adding that this informed the vote of confidence the group passed on the embattled national ex-officio.

According to him, the allegation of anti-party activities levelled against Dada by the local government chairman of the party, Saleh Supa, was baseless. Instead, Muhammad alleged, it was indeed the chairman that was accused of compromise, personalisation of party affairs and working for a certain group of individuals to damage the unity among party members in the state.

While calling on the party to investigate the actions of the party chairman, Muhammad called on the public to disregard Dada’s purported suspension, adding that the suspension of any national officials of the party must follow all the provisions of the party’s constitution.

“We stand as members of the All Progressives Congress, APC Bauchi State, to call on the public to disregard the unduly suspended letter signed by the chairman of the All Progressives Congress in Gamawa LGA of Bauchi State stating the suspension of the party’s national ex-officio.

“We want to state very clearly that the suspension of [a] national figure must follow all the provisions of the party’s constitution before its release which in this case the letter did not. The letter lacks all the expected proper authentication portrayed in the constitution of the party,” Muhammad said.

Lai Mohammed deserves prosecution for treason against Peter Obi –Edwin Clark

By Christiana Ekpa

Elder statesman Edwin

Clark has called for the prosecution of the Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, over his treason comment against the presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Peter Obi.

Clark accused Mohammed of spreading fake news against Obi.

The Leader of the Southern and Middle Belt Leaders Forum, SMBLF, said Mohammed’s recent visit to the United States where he accused Obi of treason “is an effort in futility.”

In a statement titled, “Lai Mohammed, Minister of Information should be prosecuted

for spreading fake news against the presidential candidate of Labour Party, Peter Obi,” Clark wondered why Mohammed “took more than usual interest in not only lying against Obi,” adding that Obi’s “rising profile” cannot be damaged by the Nigerian government.

Last week, the minister had accused Obi of treason, following the President-elect, Bola Tinubu’s victory. Mohammed made the claim during a media engagement in Washington DC, United States.

He alleged that Obi and his running mate, Yusuf Datti BabaAhmed, made inciting comments following the outcome of the presidential elections. Mohammed described the comments as treason.

Adopt Lyon as consensus Bayelsa guber candidate – Stakeholders to APC

By Ikechukwu Okaforadi

Stakeholders of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Bayelsa State have called on the national leadership of the party to consider adopting a former Governorelect, David Lyon, as its governorship candidate in the forthcoming election in the state.

The Stakeholders’ Forum, in a statement signed on Monday and sent to journàlists by its Coordinator, Gift Ebiki, advised the National Working Committee (NWC) of the APC to be careful of the conduct of its April 14th governorship primaries in Bayelsa.

Ebiki said the majority of APC members and most people in Bayelsa desired Lyon to fly the flag of the party but expressed worries that if not properly conducted the primary election could be hijacked by unpopular desperate aspirants.

He observed that most of the aspirants contesting the party’s ticket with Lyon were

spent forces and moles from the Bayelsa State Government.

Ebiki said following the massive electoral victory of Lyon in the last poll where he trounced the PDP but was denied his right to govern the state by the Supreme Court, APC should in the interest of justice, equity and good conscience give Lyon the first offer of refusal.

Ebiki said: “It is our firm belief that Chief David Lyon’s candidature will unarguably give the deserved victory in the forthcoming governorship election in Bayelsa State to APC.

“We call on members of the party’s National Working Committee to recall that some of the aspirants hustling for the party’s ticket have contested as the governorship candidate twice in the party yet failed woefully.

“Also, some of these aspirants are being sponsored by opposition parties to cause

division, chaos and distraction in the party and should be treated at arm’s length.

“Chief David Lyon emerging as the Governor of Bayelsa State under the APC will lead to the entry and spread of the APC in the Southsouth region. Chief Lyon is known by the citizens of Bayelsa state for his simplicity, open door policy and philanthropic nature not only in Bayelsa state but the Southsouth region even before he ran for office in 2019”.

Ebiki said Bayelsans were yearning for positive change in the state through the leadership of Lyon and were willing and ready to take back the mandate stolen from them in 2019.

He said: “Ordinarily, Chief David Lyon’s candidature should not be a topic for discussion because the governorship candidates who ran and won for their respective states in the APC same time in 2019 have been given a second term ticket without any opposition.

Rivers lingering protest shows institutional failures – APC Chieftain

By Musa Baba Adamu

AChieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Rivers State, Wenenda Wali says the situation in the state, where teeming Rivers youths have been protesting at the state head office of the Independent National Electoral Commission, is a problem that is beyond the Peoples Democratic Party.

The PDP have since last Monday, started a protest at the INEC state office in Rivers State, demanding a joint inspection of election materials with the APC.

The protesters who were led by the Deputy Speaker of the state House of Assembly,

Edison Ehie and the Chairman of Ikwerre Local Government Area of the state, Samuel Nwanoskie, barricaded the Port Harcourt Aba expressway.

They accused the APC guber candidate, Patrick Tonye-Cole and his party of wanting to smuggle fake results sheets in the process.

Wali in an interview, accused political elites in the state of creating scenarios where youths can be used for wrong purposes or their political gains.

He noted that if the youths were gainfully employed, they will not be at the INEC office creating public nuisance for over a week.

“One of the most fundamental

reasons why we have that kind of situation is the sociological part of our challenges, where the political elites deliberately and intentionally creating a kind of scenario that will make it possible for people to be used for all kinds of not so good purposes.

“It is not surprising to me that you have an army of people who can make themselves available for public nuisance for a week or more, because if they were gainfully employed, they would not be there. If you go there, at least you are sure of at least one meal a day.

“We live in denial if we say it’s a PDP thing. It’s a bigger challenge, a bigger issue that is beyond the PDP but it’s about us

as a people. And it’s about us as a country and as a nation. Because we will probably be deluding ourselves that it can only happen in Port Harcourt.”

Wali described the demonstration as a riot, and nothing of a peaceful protest, lamenting that so many people in the state have kept mute over the situation.

He said if the roles were to be reversed, the APC will do the same thing the PDP is doing.

The APC Chieftain, who blamed the issues in the state on sociological and institutional failures, stated that if the issues are not addressed in general and quickly, it will amount to a bigger problem.

Edwin Clark Lai Mohammed

FAO: Global food prices declined for 12th consecutive month in March

From Abubakar Yunusa ABUJA

The Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) of the United Nations says global food prices declined for the 12th consecutive month in March.

The UN agency released its latest food price index recently.

The organisation said the index, which tracks international prices of the most globally traded food commodities, averaged 126.9 points last month, down 2.1 percent from February, as well as 20.5 percent below its all-time peak in March 2022.

FAO said the decline in March 2023 was largely caused by drops in cereal, vegetable oil and dairy price indices.

However, the prices of sugar and meat increased during the period, according to the report.

“International wheat prices fell the most, by 7.1 percent, driven by ample global supplies and strong competition among exporters,” the UN agency said.

“The extension of the Black Sea Grain Initiative, allowing Ukraine to continue to export from its Black Sea ports, also contributed to the decline.

“Higher estimates for Australia’s production, along with improved crop conditions in the European Union this month, boosted the global supply outlook further. “

The organisation said its vegetable oil price index declined 3.0 percent from February, due to lower prices of soy, sunflower and rapeseed oils, offsetting higher global palm oil prices.

Likewise, the dairy price and meat price indexes both dropped by 0.8 percent in the month.

“By contrast, poultry meat prices fell for the ninth successive

month on subdued global import demand, despite supply challenges amid widespread avian influenza outbreaks in several large exporting countries,” FAO said.

However, the sugar price index

rose 15.5 percent from February — the highest level since October 2016 — largely due to concerns over lower global availability of sugar in the 2022/23 season, following declining production

prospects in India.

“The increase in prices mostly resulted from concerns over lower global availabilities of sugar in the 2022/23 season, following declining production prospects

in India, Thailand and China. However, the positive outlook for the sugarcane crops in Brazil, about to be harvested, limited the upward pressure on world sugar prices,” the agency said.

NUPRC: Nigeria’s oil production dropped to 1.26m bpd in March

The Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) says oil output dropped to an average of 1,268,202 barrels per day (bpd) in March 2022.

The production figure indicates a decrease by 2.92 percent or 48,154 bpd, compared to February when output was 1,306,304 bpd.

The data is contained in the latest crude oil and condensate production report of the NUPRC.

This is the first crude oil output decline in 6 months.

Nigeria’s oil production had continued to rise from September 2022 to February 2023, before

the recent decline in March.

NUPRC, in the report, said with the addition of condensate, oil production totalled 1.517 million bpd in March 2023, increasing from the 1.547 million recorded in February 2023.

Condensate is a mixture of light liquid hydrocarbons, similar to a light (high API) crude oil. It is usually separated from a natural gas stream at the point of production (field separation) when the temperature and pressure of the gas are dropped to atmospheric conditions.

In 2022, oil theft, operational issues as well and a lack of investment, hampered optimal oil production.

But due to concerted efforts

by stakeholders, the nation was able to shore up its output levels.

“In our case, we have a different challenge other than just a lack of investment in the last four to five years. There has been no investment in the last four to five years. That is correct. That is true in many other jurisdictions where cash flows do not support the investment,” Mele Kyari, group chief executive officer (GCEO) of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited, had said.

“In our case, we had a different challenge – security challenge – that became very manifest early-2022. And of course, we took definite steps to bring back production and this is

paying up.”

Meanwhile, the latest decline may not be unconnected to an explosion that rocked a crude oil tapping point in Rumuekpe community in Emuoha local government area of Rivers state.

12 persons died in the fire incident, which occurred on the Trans-Niger Delta Pipeline (TNP) that passed through the community.

Last week, some member countries of the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), excluding Nigeria, announced plans to cut production, bringing additional voluntary production adjustments by the countries to 1.66 million bpd.

Naira Scarcity: Abuja residents used Easter to thank God for surviving hardship

From Abubakar Yunusa ABUJA

Residents of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja, have used the occasion of Easter to thank God for surviving the cash crunch caused by the naira redesign policy.

On Monday, the residents, in separate interviews, said they were grateful to God for being alive to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

They said January to March was excruciating due to the Naira scarcity.

Elizabeth Joseph, a businesswoman and mother of four, said it was a “testimony” that her family survived the period.

“My husband and I are business persons, and I can say we are fairly comfortable. However, the naira scarcity wrecked us to the point that it was difficult to afford three square meals, not because we did not have money. We could not access money for a lot of things, and we had to ration our food,” Ms Joseph said.

Godswill Adah, a civil servant, said the level of hardship he went through

during the period was unimaginable. He said he almost lost his aged mother, who was ill during the period because of naira scarcity.

Mr Adah also said it was difficult to go to work because he “could not get cash for transport fare.”

He said although Nigerians were still facing some challenges in obtaining cash, the situation was better in April.

“I turned to begging to be able to get as little as N500 to pay for the fare to get to the office. Thank God for the decision of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to push the old notes back into

circulation,” Mr Adah explained. “I can imagine what would have become of us today if that decision was not taken.”

Eucharia Njoku, a retiree, said the government should put measures in place to prevent a repeat of the hardship at the expiration of the December 31 deadline for using old notes.

“I am hypertensive, and it was not funny at all. It is not that I did not have money, but I could not access my money. My automated teller machine (ATM) card expired, and I could not queue to get cash because of the stress,” stated Ms Njoku.

From Abubakar Yunusa ABUJA

Apple marketers in Kano

State have expressed concern over what they termed as the importation of bad apples into the country by some accredited importers, saying the situation, if not checked, spelled doom for innocent citizens as well as businesses nationwide.

Speaking on behalf of the marketers to journalists, the leader of apple marketers in Kano, Alhaji Ado Yusuf, revealed that the marketers have noticed that since 2017, importers of apples into the country have been importing bad apples to the detriment of consumers and business operators.

Marketers worry over importation of bad Apples

He explained that out of 100% imported apples, over 80% came from South Africa, with the remaining 20% coming from Turkey and Italy, adding that the bad fruits usually come from South Africa.

“We have the names of these companies that have flooded our

markets with bad apple fruits because the bulk supply of apples to Nigeria is from South Africa.

“As operators of the business, I can attest to you that apple marketers have stopped receiving good supply since 2017. Our major concern is that many of us will soon be pushed out of business, and the

users stand to face possible health challenges,” he said.

According to him, they have begun to address the situation at their own level, stressing that they have involved relevant authorities in addressing the situation to save lives and their business.

However, when contacted on

the issue, the Nigeria Agricultural Quarantine Service (NAQS) NorthWest zonal coordinator, Adamu Aminu Ocheje, said the agency was yet to receive the complaint, adding that the agency is everwilling to act appropriately on such issues if reported to it.

Investors lose N674bn in four-day bearish trading

From Abubakar Yunusa ABUJA

Investors on the Nigerian Exchange Limited last week

lost N674bn after four days of trading.

The market opened for four trading days last week as the Federal Government of Nigeria declared Friday and Monday (today) as Public Holidays to mark the Easter celebration.

The All-Share index and the market capitalisation also depreciated by 2.28 per cent in the week shedding 1238.21 base points and N674bn respectively.

While the ASI started the week at 54, 232,34 points, it closed at 52, 994.13. The market cap which started the week at N29.543 tn closed at N28.869 tn.

Similarly, all other indices finished lower except for NGX Insurance which appreciated by 2.19 per cent while the NGX ASeM and NGX Growth indices closed flat

A total turnover of 1.054 bn shares worth N10.050 bn in 16,155 deals was traded this week by investors on the floor of the Exchange, in contrast to a total of 2.071 bn shares valued at N17.562 bn that exchanged hands last week in 17,917 deals.

The financial services industry (measured by volume) led the activity chart with 630.378m shares valued at N5.438 bn traded in 7,705 deals; thus contributing 59.83 per cent and 54.11 per cent to the total equity turnover volume and value respectively.

The conglomerates industry followed with 248.074m shares worth N394.370m in 812 deals. The third place was the Oil and Gas Industry, with a turnover of 70.921m shares worth N1.345 bn in 1,452 deals.

Trading in the top three stocks; Transnational Corporation Plc, United Bank for Africa Plc and Fidelity Bank Plc, (measured by volume) accounted for 498.527m shares worth N2.118 bn in 1,862 deals, contributing 47.32 per cent and 21.07 per cent to the total equity turnover volume and value respectively.

Sixteen equities appreciated during the week lower than 37 equities in the previous week. Thirtyseven equities depreciated, higher than 30 in the previous week, while 103 equities remained unchanged, higher than ninety 90 equities

recorded in the previous week.

Top gainers for the week include Nigerian Aviation Handling Company Plc, which gained 20.99 per cent to close at N9.80. Axa Mansard Insurance Plc gained 15.79 per cent in its share value to close the market at N2.20 and CWG Plc

gained 14.94 per cent to end the week’s trading at N1.00. Linkage Assurance gained 11.63 per cent to close at N0.48, LASACO Assurance Plc gained 9.09 per cent to close at N1.20 while Mutual Benefits Assurance Plc gained 6.25 per cent to close trading at N0.32.

On the losers’ table, Eterna Oil led with a 19.12 per cent depreciation in its share value to close the market at N5.50. Multiverse Mining and Exploration Plc followed with an 18.83 per cent loss in its share value to close at N2.63, Associated Bus Company Plc lost 16.22 per

cent to end the week’s trading at N0.31, Royal Exchange Plc’s shares depreciated by 15.38 per cent to close at N0.66, UAC N Plc lost 10.99 per cent to close at N8.50 and Airtel Africa Plc lost 10.00 per cent in it share value per unit to close at N1331.10.

FG Must Halt Planned Demolition Of Aviation Agencies In Lagos’

The immediate past Secretary General of the National Union of Air Transport Employees (NUATE), Comrade Olayinka Abioye, has appealed to the Minister of Aviation, Senator Hadi Sirika, to shelve his plan to demolish Lagos offices of aviation agencies.

He said demolishing the government buildings which

have been in existence before his foray into the aviation industry without providing alternatives for the occupiers of the offices would be counterproductive.

In an open letter to the minister, the former aviation union leader warned that demolishing the aviation agencies would not be in the interest of the nation battling with cash crunch.

He noted that the agencies that were asked to relocate to Abuja despite the high concentration of aviation activities in Lagos live in rented apartments.

He said, “My major concern here now is your continued threat of demolishing many buildings and structures constructed even before you ventured into aviation. What are

your reasons and or justification for these planned demolitions?”

He stated that if the minister had done his due diligence, there would be no need to demolish “Government buildings that have cost so much money to build and threaten to demolish other structures like the EAN and Dominion Hangars as if those structures were built without necessary approvals.”

The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) has authorised the importation of Oha leaves from Nigeria.

“We are advising the public of our decision to authorise the importation of fresh Oha leaves (Pterocarpus mildbraedii) from Nigeria into the continental United States,” a memo said.

Famous in south-east and south-south Nigeria, Oha leaves are used in making Oha soup. Although the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) of the USDA prohibits the importation of fruits and vegetables into the United States from certain parts of the world, Oha leaves met the risk analysis requirement which led to the authorisation of its importation.

The US prohibits importation of some fruits and vegetables to prevent plant pests from being introduced into the country.

According to USDA, “based on the findings of a pest risk analysis, which we made available to the public for review and comment through a previous notice, we have determined that the application of one or more designated phytosanitary measures will be sufficient to mitigate the risks of introducing or disseminating plant pests or noxious weeds via the importation of fresh Oha leaves from Nigeria.”

On 7 June, 2022, the agency published a notice in the Federal Register where it announced the availability, for review and comment, of a pest risk analysis that evaluated the risks associated with the importation of fresh Oha leaves from Nigeria into the continental United States.

The pest risk analysis consisted of a risk assessment identifying pests of quarantine

US authorises importation of Oha leaves from Nigeria

significance that could follow the pathway of the importation of fresh Oha leaves from Nigeria into the US and a risk management document

identifying phytosanitary measures to be applied to that commodity to mitigate the pest risk.

After 60 days of soliciting

comments on the notice, the agency received no response by 8 August, 2022. It proceeded to announce its decision to authorise

the importation of fresh Oha leaves from Nigeria subject to phytosanitary measures identified in the risk management document.

NCDMB, female engineers empower girls

From Abubakar Yunusa, ABUJA

The Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board says it has collaborated with the Association of Professional Women Engineers of Nigeria to promote science, technology, engineering and Mathematics curricula in secondary schools across the country, with special focus on the girl child.

In a statement, it disclosed that the partnership with the association was launched at St. Jude’s Girls Secondary School Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, under the ‘STEM-it-out-4girls” campaign with the theme “Interest and proficiency in STEM’.

The Executive Secretary, NCDMB, Simbi Wabote, represented by Deputy Manager, Capacity Building Division, Mofe Megbele, expressed the board’s readiness to collaborate with the association in accomplishing programmes and policies geared to promote capacity development for the female gender.

He quoted Section 70 (n) of the Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry Content Development Act, which provides for the board to conduct workshops and trainings aimed at advancing the development of Nigerian content.

He said, “There is no local content without human

capacity development and there has been significant growth achieved through the implementation of the 10-year strategic roadmaps for the oil and gas industry to accelerate the attainment of 70 percent Nigerian Content by 2027.”

Speaking further, he stated that the importance of educating girls in the society could not be overemphasised, noting that the country could only advance based on the quality of well-educated young girls.

He added that an educated girl child could confront the issues facing humanities in the 21st century such as peace and security, climate change, sustainable development, food production, environmental

issues.

While commending the association, the executive secretary assured that the board would continue to support, monitor, and evaluate the growth and performances of the female students benefitting from the STEM programme and competition. Also speaking, the President, APWEN, Elizabeth Eterigho, said, “The training is targeted at increasing awareness on engineering as a suitable career for girls, to improve the numerical strength of female engineers in Nigeria; It also provides the girl child with the knowledge and skills needed to succeed in the rapidly changing world.”

FG bars online banks from accessing customers’ photos, contacts

From Abubakar Yunusa, ABUJA

Loan apps on Play Store will lose their ability to access their users’ contacts or photos from May 31, 2023.

This came as the Federal Government said it would enforce the latest policy by Google, saying the action was consistent with the Nigerian authorities’ move to curtail the invasion of customers’ privacy by loan app firms.

The Federal Government had in recent time taken major decisions aimed at tackling the violation of customers’ privacy by loan apps. Notably, the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission had recently registered 170 loan apps out of the 200 operating in the country.

Google, in its April 2023 policy updates, said the new policy update would provide respite for loan app users in Nigeria and other places that have become accustomed to crude loan retrieval methods employed by a majority of loan apps.

Google said, “Policy preview (effective May 31, 2023): This article previews changes included in our April 2023 policy updates.

“We are updating our personal loans policy to state that apps aiming to provide or facilitate personal loans may not access user contacts or photos.

“We are introducing additional requirements for personal loan apps targeting users in Pakistan. Personal loan apps in Pakistan must submit countryspecific licensing documentation to prove their ability to provide or facilitate personal loans.”

This new policy is coming after the firm announced updates to its Developer Programme Policy, mandating digital money lenders in Nigeria, India, Indonesia, the Philippines, and Kenya to conform to regulatory rules or be taken down by January 31.

According to the firm, only digital money lenders that have adhered to and completed the Limited Interim Regulatory/Registration Framework and

Guidelines for Digital Lending, 2022 (as may be amended from time to time) by the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission and obtain a verifiable approval letter from the FCCPC will be allowed on Play Store in Nigeria.

Commenting on the new policy , the Chief Executive Officer of the FCCPC, Babatunde Irukera, stated that it was a welcome development and shows that Google was institutionalising its regulatory policy.

He said, “It is a welcome development effort and is consistent with the position the FCCPC has taken and what we are enforcing.

“Google is now institutionalising our regulatory effort as a policy, which is very welcome. It is certainly important for proper regulatory oversight of the industry, and we commend Google for taking a position that is consistent with our position as regulators.”

He added, “Recall that we took this position earlier and what has happened is that Google has looked at the regulatory

landscape, looked at the regulatory priorities, and is supporting those priorities by institutionalizing those regulatory priorities and position.”

The FCCPC recently stated that it has approved 173 digital lending applications to operate in the country. 119 of these got full approvals while 54 got conditional approvals. This move became necessary after loan apps started harassing Nigerians by sending defaming messages to their contacts, and more.

The commission’s ‘Limited Interim Regulatory/Registration Framework and Guidelines for Digital Lending 2022’ is an attempt to regulate the digital lending space and make registration and approval a prerequisite for companies seeking to operate in the space.

Although, Google’s policy states that it does not “allow apps that promote personal loans that require repayment in full in 60 days or less from the date the loan is issued,” many loan apps in the country do not adhere to it, exposing many Nigerians to confidential data leak.

Easter: How FCT Police nabbed 40 suspected gang members

By Stanley Onyekwere

The Federal Capital Territory (FCT ) Police Command have disclosed how the operatives of the Mabushi Divisional Police Headquarters apprehended a total number of 40 suspects from carefully marked black spots around Gishiri villages.

The Police added that contrary to the narrative in a viral video in circulation, the suspects were not randomly arrested, but were arrested in an intelligence raid necessitated by complaints from three independent sources of jurisdiction over the Gishiri village.

A statement by FCT Police, Public Relations Officer (PPRO), SP Josephine Adeh, said the suspects were immediately screened and those with prima facie cases will be charged to court upon conclusion of the investigations.

According to the statement, the FCT Police s fully aware of a video of police officers filmed to be applying disproportionate force in the suppressing suspected gang members who revolted after being arrested in an intelligenceled raid at Mabushi Divisional police headquarters.

It read: “The complaint alleged some ex-convicts namely Awalu, Balo, and Baba Ali, to have masterminded and inflicted hardship, panic, and apprehension on residents through their criminal acts including but, not limited to the following as quoted in one of the complaints ;

“consumption and peddling of illicit

drugs, intimidation, attack, assault on innocent citizens and dispossessing them of their valuables; possession and usage of dangerous weapons both day and night.

“With reference to the incident of 30th March 2023 where over ten (10) people were stabbed and brutalized with cutlasses and many vehicles destroyed; they have no regard for elders and leaders of the community; creating a bad image for the community; they have no respect to custom and tradition; they attack and obstruct Policemen or vigilante from arresting any suspect when the need arises”

“Consequently, and in ensuring that residents have a peaceful Easter celebration, the operatives of the Mabushi Divisional Police Headquarters having processed the

intelligence swung into action at about 00:30 am to 02:30 am on the 9th of April 2023 and apprehended a total number of 40 suspects from carefully marked black spots.

“The suspects however didn’t fail to live up to their reputation as they were repulsive and violent all through the process of arrest and at the point of statement taking at the Division.

“The cut-to-suit narrative in the video in circulation was a scene of police officers trying to apply minimum force in restoring order to the distorted peace the arrest of the suspect brought to the Station”.

It continues: “While the proportionality of the applied force is in question and has amounted to unprofessional conduct, the

officers involved have been duly noted for sanction.

“The Commissioner of Police FCT Police Command and the leaders of the Gishiri community have commended the Division and its leadership for promptly responding to public outcry and restoring order to the Community.

“While round-the-clock surveillance continues in the area to ensure that the restored order is sustained, members of the public are enjoined to disregard contrary and inciting accounts of the incident, remain law-abiding, and report suspicious activities in their neighborhood to the Police through the dedicated emergency lines and the Public Complaint Bureau (PCB) desk”.

Fun seekers at the Magic Land during the Easter Monday celebration, yesterday in Abuja

Islamic centre offers free medicare to 400 PWDs in

The International Centre for Islamic Culture and Education (ICICE), a custodian of Al-Noor Mosque, Wuse II, Abuja, has provided free medical treatment to 400 Persons With Disabilities (PWDs) in Deidei and Gwagwalada Area Councils of the FCT.

The centre’s Director-General, Dr Kabir Kabo-Usman, while addressing newsmen at the venue of the medical treatment in Zuba, Abuja, said the exercise was aimed at mitigating the health challenges of the PWDs in the nation’s capital.

He adds: “When I first visited the community and saw the situation of the persons with disabilities I broke in tears”.

He said part of the mandate of the centre, as a charitable organization, was to help with poverty alleviation, support community development and social welfare.

”And being part of our mandate, that is why we are here today at Deidei and Gwagwalada Area Council very close to Zuba, to try and give relevant medical attention to the persons with disabilities to challenge some of the medical issues that they are having.

” And I am sure you can see what you can see around, these are all people with special needs, persons with disabilities who are very vulnerable in the society.

” They are ignored, they are not well targeted and we need to make sure that we support them so that they can be healthy and do something for themselves, he stressed.

The D-G revealed that the free medical treatment was being conducted by four volunteer doctors, three nurses,

three pharmacists and 20 volunteers, supporting to make the outreach successful.

Accorfing to him, “Our target is about 400 but we are here to actually support everyone that needs support in terms of medical predicament.

” We are also going to extend this medical outreach to other parts of the FCT and we will encourage the Area Councils authority to take this initiative further by equipping their primary healthcare centres”.

Furthermore, he called on other charity organisations and wealthy individuals to support the vulnerable groups in the society, especially in addressing their health needs.

” When you see what is really happening in this community, believe me sincerely, you will run into tears.

“When I came into this place I ran into tears, and I asked myself a question – was my father in this situation? The answer was no.

” Was my mother in this situation? The answer was no. Was my wife in this situation? The answer was no. Was I in this situation? The answer is actually no.

” So it is good for the people to come around to support the local community so that going forward we can have peace and tranquility in our communities”, he emphaised.

Also, the centre’s Director, Community Development and Social Welfare, Amina Abdullahi, said the organisation had a database of persons with disabilities in all communities across the six area councils of the FCT.

Represented by Alhaji Garba Sani, Director, External Relations, Fundraising and Investment of the centre,

FCT

Mrs Abdullahi, assured that the centre would continue to extend medical assistance to the vulnerable communities in the FCT.

She noted that the disabilities communities needed lots of support not only medically but in all facets of human endeavour.

She adds: “And unfortunately not all people and philanthropists recognise that and so our purpose and target is actually to identify the different communities of persons with disabilities and reach them at their settlements and provide services to them”.

On her part, the Head of Medical Team of the ICICE, Dr. Amina Kumaliya, disclosed that most of the ailments observed in most patients were hypertension, peptic ulcer, malaria, diarrhea and rhinitis in children.

According to her, “these are the ailments we diagnosed; we have ordered for their investigation and drugs are being dispensed for the patients”.

Responding, the Chairman, People With Disabilities, Gwagwalada Area Council, Hassan Abdullahi, thanked the centre for the free medical treatment which would go a long way to enhance the living conditions of the beneficiaries.

Also, Malam Aminu Yelwa, Financial Secretary, Nasara Physically Challenged Centre, Deidei, appealed to the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) to support their members who learned mechanic and shoe making with working tools.

(NAN)

Junior doctors’ strike: NHS braces for most disruptive walkout yet

Afour-day junior doctors’ strike across England is expected to be the most disruptive in the NHS’s history.

British Medical Association (BMA) members in planned and emergency care will walk out at 07:00 BST on Tuesday.

More than a quarter of million of appointments and operations could be cancelled, and some hospitals say up to half of planned treatment is affected.

The NHS’s national medical director said it will be “the most disruptive industrial action in NHS history”.

Professor Sir Stephen Powis said health leaders were concerned about the potential impact on patients and services, and cancer patients are among those whose treatment will be delayed.

Mental health services and some GP surgeries are also expected to be impacted, while the NHS said it will prioritise keeping critical care, maternity, neonatal care, and trauma operations running.

Between 250,000 and 350,000 appointments and operations could be cancelled, according to estimates from senior NHS figures.

An estimated 86,000 staff will strike, but the timing is as important as its scale - it immediately follows the bank holiday Easter weekend, a period when the NHS already faces increased demand and greater staff absence.

The British Medical Association (BMA) said there were plans to pull doctors off picket lines if lives were in immediate danger.

Under trade union laws, life-and-limb cover must be provided.

The junior doctors’ approach contrasts with recent strikes by nurses and ambulance workers, which saw unions agree to exempt certain emergency services.

The patients left in limbo

Dr Paul Turnbull, 61, from Hampshire, who is an occupational health doctor, needs a prosthetic femur bone implanted in his leg.

His operation has been cancelled twice - once in December, because he developed deep vein thrombosis, and the second time because of the first junior

doctors’ strike. The operation is now due to take place on 18 April, after the fourday strike.

He has limited mobility and is unable to work.

“As a doctor, I don’t believe doctors should strike. I think our first responsibility is to our patients and I think using patients as pawns in a dispute with the government is not something we should be doing.”

Neuroscientist Dr Camilla Hill, 42, from Nottingham, has also been affected. She has had two knee operations cancelled because of the junior doctors’ strikesone this week and one back in March. She now has a third date scheduled for 25 April.

She has been unable to do some of her favourite hobbies, which include hiking and sailing, in part because of the pain in her knees.

“I feel really frustrated. It’s messed me about, it’s messed about my employer, it’s messed about my husband - and it’s messed about his employer as well. It’s not just the patient whose operation is cancelled that’s impacted, it’s everybody around them.”

Junior doctors are demanding a 35% increase in pay, to compensate for 15 years of below-inflation wage increases.

But the government has said the pay demand is unrealistic, pointing to the deal other health unions have recommended to their members - which includes a 5% pay rise and one-off payment of at least £1,655.

During last month’s three-day walkout by junior doctors, more than 175,000 treatments and appointments were cancelled.

Hospital bosses have said the impending walkout has been even more difficult to manage, since it lasts 24 hours longer and comes after the four-day Easter weekend.

More than 40% of the medical workforce are classed as junior doctors, with two-thirds of them members of the BMA.

The NHS has said patients who have had appointments affected will be told beforehand. Those needing emergency care are being advised to seek treatment as normal, but less urgent cases should

Jupiter, Venus, the Moon, and Mars should all be easily visible, however Uranus and Mercury might be more of a challenge

use the 111 service.

‘Stretched to our limits’ - junior doctors

Rabiat is in her third year of junior training, working in a hospital in the south east of England.

She is planning on striking this week, saying it is as much about safety as it is pay.

“It’s quite a common thing that junior doctors are left alone with wards of patients to look after, with their seniors having gone down to A&E or an acute assessment area, for example.

“We feel really left out and unsupported. Not because our seniors don’t want to support us, but because we are all stretched to our limits.

“I really hope that the strikes will make the government realise that this is really having a big impact on junior doctors - and the whole of the NHS - and more actually needs to be done.

“We don’t feel as though we are being listened to.”

Matthew Taylor, chief executive of the NHS Confederation, which represents service providers, said it was “depressing that there seems to be no movement at all from the two sides of this dispute” and called for the conciliation service Acas to oversee talks.

He told the BBC the strike’s impact will

be “enormous”, adding: “Those services are stretched and there’s no question there will be a risk to patient safety, there will be a risk to patient dignity because we’re unable to provide the kind of care we want.”

Miriam Deakin, director of policy and strategy at NHS Providers, which represents hospital trusts, told the BBC that health leaders were “deeply worried” about the impact on patient care and safety.

She told BBC Radio 4’s World At One there would be “extreme pressure on critical life-preserving services”, and called for both sides to “step back from the brink”.

The BMA has accused the government of refusing to negotiate, and union leaders have said they are ready to cancel the strike if an improved pay offer is made, signalling it could accept a smaller rise.

The organisation’s co-chair, Dr Vivek Trevedi, told the BBC striking doctors would return to work in the event of a major incident, but said the government had not formally requested an agreed list of circumstances in which the action would be paused.

The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) declined to comment on the call for Acas to intervene, but said it was working with NHS England to put in place contingency plans to protect patient safety.

UK-Israeli mother wounded in West Bank attack dies

ABritish-Israeli woman who was wounded in a suspected Palestinian gun attack on Friday in which two of her daughters were killed has died.

Lucy Dee, 45, had been in a coma since the attack in the occupied West Bank.

Her daughters Rina, 15, and Maia, 20, were buried on Sunday in the settlement of Kfar Etzion, with their father and three surviving siblings present.

The family moved to Israel nine years ago from the UK, where Lucy’s husband had served as a rabbi.

Thousands of mourners attended the emotionally charged funeral of the sisters. In his eulogy Rabbi Leo Dee asked: “How will

I explain to Lucy what has happened to our two precious gifts, Maia and Rina, when she wakes up from her coma?”

Ein Kerem Hospital in Jerusalem announced that Lucy (who was also known by her Hebrew name, Leah) Dee had died on Monday morning “despite great and constant efforts”.

Lucy, Rina and Maia were shot at as they were driving in the Jordan Valley in the northern West Bank on their way to a family holiday. Their vehicle crashed and the gunmen went up to the car and opened fire on the women at close range, Israeli media quoted investigators as saying.

Israeli public broadcaster Kan reported

that 22 bullet casings were found, apparently from a Kalashnikov assault rifle.

Rabbi Dee told the BBC he was further ahead in a separate car when someone called him with news of the attack. He said he tried to call his wife and daughters but they did not answer. He then saw pictures online of the attacked car and recognised one of their suitcases on the back seat.

The emergency services were already at the scene of the attack, near the settlement of Hamra, when he got there.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu tweeted that he sent his “heartfelt condolences to the Dee family, on the death of the mother of the family, Leah (Lucy), who

was murdered in the severe terror attack in the [Jordan] valley”.

Radlett United Synagogue in Hertfordshire, to which the Dees had belonged, said the community was “devastated at the terrible news” of Lucy and her daughters’ deaths.

“We and the world have been robbed of their presence, but their light can never be extinguished,” it said in a statement.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) launched a hunt for the perpetrators following the attack, which came at a time of spiralling tensions between Israel and the Palestinians.

Source: BBC

Ethiopia’s Amhara region hit by protests over move to dissolve regional forces

Huge protests have taken place in Ethiopia’s Amhara region for the fifth consecutive day against government moves to dissolve a paramilitary force.

Demonstrators blocked roads with rocks and burning tyres to prevent the military from travelling around.

Protesters fear that the government’s decision would leave them exposed to attacks by neighbouring regions.

Ethiopia’s regional states have their own special forces to protect their borders, and to fight rebels.

The government announced last week that it wants the special forces to be integrated into the federal army or police force in order to promote national unity.

The decision has faced strong opposition in Amhara, with huge protests in cities and towns across the region.

It has led a partial curfew being imposed in the historic city of Gondar, while clashes have been reported between protesters and the military in Kobe town, near the border with the neighbouring Tigray region.

On Sunday, Ethiopia’s Prime Minister

Thabo Bester:

Abiy Ahmed vowed to press ahead with his plan even if “a price had to be paid”.

In the capital Addis Ababa, the arrest of Amhara-linked journalists, commentators and community organizers has intensified in recent days.

On Sunday, Meskerem Abera became the fourth media personality to be detained in less than a week.

The Amhara special forces helped the Ethiopian army fight Tigrayan forces who launched a rebellion in 2020 against Mr Abiy’s government.

The conflict ended with the signing of a peace accord last year between the federal government and Tigrayan forces.

Now tension is growing between the Amhara and federal authorities.

Some in Amhara say the federal government’s decision will prevent the region from providing armed resistance to any future threat.

They also doubt that the Tigrayan forces have fully disarmed, despite the peace accord requiring them to do so.

There have been historic tensions between the Amhara and Tigrayan ethnic groups, with the two often competing for

power, land and resources.

Amharas gained control of agriculturally fertile land in Tigray in the recent war.

Both claim that the land historically belonged to them, and the dispute has not yet been resolved.

‘Facebook rapist’ who faked death arrested in Tanzania

Arapist and murderer who escaped a South African prison by faking his own death has been arrested in Tanzania.

Thabo Bester was at large for a year after it was thought he died by setting himself on fire in his prison cell.

A manhunt was launched last month after a new post-mortem investigation revealed the body was not actually his.

Bester was caught on Friday with his girlfriend and a third suspect and will be extradited to South Africa.

Police said they believe the trio were intending to flee into neighbouring Kenya.

Bester is known as the “Facebook rapist” for using the social networking site to lure his victims.

He was convicted in 2012 for the rape and murder of his model girlfriend Nomfundo Tyhulu. A year earlier, he was found guilty of raping and robbing two other women.

In May, it was reported he had been found dead in his cell after apparently setting himself on fire at the Mangaung Correctional Centre in the city of Bloemfontein.

However, local media began to raise doubts about Bester’s death late last year.

In March, police opened a new murder investigation after further tests revealed the deceased was not Bester - and that the unidentified person had died from bluntforce trauma to the head.

Employees of the British-owned security company G4S, which ran the prison where he was held, have been accused of helping him flee.

It has said three employees were dismissed in connection with the incident.

Earlier this week, representatives for the organisation failed to attend a meeting in parliament about Bester’s escape. The BBC has approached G4S for comment.

There have been many reported

sightings of Bester over the past year, including claims he was grocery shopping in an affluent suburb of Johannesburg,

and was living in a rented mansion there. Bester’s escape sparked outrage in South Africa, which has one of the highest

South Africa’s Gupta extradition bid from UAE fails

South Africa’s bid to have two brothers from the wealthy Gupta family extradited from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has failed.

Atul and Rajesh Gupta are accused in South Africa of profiting from their close links with former President Jacob Zuma and exerting unfair influence.

The justice ministry said it had learnt with “shock and dismay” about the move.

The brothers, who deny any wrongdoing, fled after a judicial commission began probing a major corruption scandal.

The Indian-born Guptas were arrested in the UAE last June and extradition talks with South Africa began.

But the UAE said that it turned down the extradition request on a technicality.

In a brief statement, quoted in the Emirates News Agency, it said that a review “found that the request did not meet the

strict standards for legal documentation as outlined in the extradition agreement between the UAE and South Africa” that came into force two years ago.

Some of the paperwork was either incorrect, in the case of the fraud charge, or missing, in the case of the corruption charge, the statement adds.

The decision was made in February but it was only communicated to South Africa on Thursday, South African Justice Minister Ronald Lamola said.

“The reasons provided for denying our request are inexplicable and fly in the face of the assurances given by Emirati authorities that our requests meet their requirements,” Mr Lamola is quoted by South Africa’s Mail & Guardian newspaper as saying.

The UAE government says the “South African authorities are able to resubmit the extradition request with new and

additional documentation”.

Earlier, Mr Lamola had said his government would appeal against the decision.

In recent weeks there have been media reports that the brothers were no longer in custody and had been spotted in Switzerland. BBC

Amhara forces played a crucial role in the war against Tigrayan rebels

A police officer leads Thabo Bester (right) out of the holding cells at the Durban Magistrates Court in 2011

Atul Gupta (L), one of the brothers accused of having a corrupt relationship with former President Zuma (R)

F rom A si A

Dalai Lama regrets asking boy to ‘suck my tongue’

The Dalai Lama has apologised after footage showed him asking a boy if he wanted to suck the Tibetan spiritual leader’s tongue.

His office said he wanted to apologise to the child and his family “for the hurt his words may have caused”.

The video also shows the Dalai Lama kissing the child on his lips.

“His Holiness often teases people he meets in an innocent and playful way, even in public and before cameras. He regrets the incident,” his office said.

The footage has sparked widespread criticism, with many social media users saying it was inappropriate and disturbing.

The incident appears to have taken place at the Dalai Lama’s temple in Dharamshala on 28

February. He had interacted with around 120 students who had completed a skills training programme organised by the M3M Foundation, the philanthropic arm of real estate company M3M Group.

The foundation uploaded photos from the event on social media in March - in one of them, the Dalai Lama is seen hugging the boy from the viral video.

In the video which has circulated online, the boy is seen asking if he can hug the Dalai Lama. The leader motions to his cheek, saying “first here” and the boy kisses his cheek and gives him a hug.

Then, while holding the boy’s hand, the Dalai Lama motions to his lips and says “I think here also”, and kisses the boy on the lips.

The leader then puts his forehead to that of the boy’s, before sticking out his tongue, saying “and suck my tongue”. As some people laugh, the boy sticks his tongue out before withdrawing a little, as does the Dalai Lama. There are then more hugs, as the spiritual leader speaks to the boy for a while longer, telling him to look to “good human beings who create peace and happiness”. Sticking one’s tongue out can be a form of greeting in Tibet.

The Dalai Lama has been living in exile in India since fleeing Tibet in 1959, following an uprising against Chinese rule there.

In 2019, the Dalai Lama’s office apologised after the spiritual leader told the BBC in an interview that any future female Dalai Lama should be “attractive”.

Tiger census: India now has 3,167 tigers, numbers show

India is now home to 3,167 tigers, 200 more than it had four years ago, according to estimates from the latest tiger census.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi released the report on Sunday at an event to mark 50 years of the country’s Project Tiger campaign. India is estimated to have more than 70% of the world’s tigers.

Mr Modi said India had “not only saved the tiger” but also given it “a great ecosystem in which to flourish”.

Project Tiger was launched in 1973 by then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi after the animal’s numbers became worryingly low.

Between 1875 and 1925 alone, some 80,000 tigers were killed in India, one estimate says. Bounty and sports hunting were rampant and by the 1960s, the number of tigers had dwindled precipitously.

XBB.1.16:

But since then, a number of government initiatives - including a ban on hunting and awareness drives in villages - have been put in place to conserve the tiger, which is also India’s national animal.

Laws were also strengthened to make it virtually illegal to kill or capture wild animals even when they were involved in conflict situations with humans.

Since 2006, there has been a healthy uptick in tiger numbers.

According to the 2022 report, the tiger population has increased substantially in the Shivalik and Gangetic flood plains in the north followed by central India, where tigers have entered new areas in the states of Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra.

But the Western Ghats, a mountain range that runs along the western coast of India, showed a

decline in tiger population.

The report also noted that the local tiger population had become extinct in several areas, including in some reserves, and warned that “serious conservation efforts” were required in states including Jharkhand and Andhra Pradesh.

It has also flagged several challenges, including the need to balance large-scale economic development with conservation and addressing human-animal conflict. Other problems include illegal wildlife trade and the impact of climate change on tiger habitats.

“The increase in the tiger population is a positive sign, but we must not become complacent and there is a need to continue our efforts to ensure the survival of this magnificent animal and safeguard our forested ecosystems in their entirety,” it says.

India hospitals on alert as Covid-19 cases rise

India’s health ministry is conducting mock drills to check preparedness of hospitals to deal with rising Covid-19 cases.

The drills are being held on Monday and Tuesday across the country.

India’s active case count is relatively low but experts are urging caution to stop further spread of the disease.

The country saw a deadly second wave in 2021 and the government came under criticism as many hospitals ran out of oxygen and critical care beds.

India recorded close to 6,000 new cases on Sunday, government data shows. The active case count was 35,000.

The surge is largely driven by XBB.1.16, which is an omicron subvariant. The WHO has said it was watching the subvariant and the spread in India.

Experts say it’s not known to be lethal.

“It’s been in circulation for a few months. We haven’t seen a change in severity in individuals or in populations, but that’s why we have these systems in place,”

Maria Van Kerkhove, WHO’s COVID-19 technical lead, recently said.

Many cities in India have seen a sharp rise in cases in recent weeks, but the surge has not led to an increase in hospital admissions.

Both public and private hospitals are participating in the mock drills, which are being supervised by India’s health minister Mansukh Mandaviya, and other state health ministers.

In an online meeting held on 7 April, Mr Mandaviya had also asked health officials to identify emergency hotspots by tracking cases related to respiratory illnesses and he also advised them to increase testing and vaccination for Covid-19.

He also stressed the need for increasing awareness about Covid-appropriate behaviour like wearing masks in public places.

Meanwhile, some states have made it mandatory to wear masks in public and are urging citizens to follow Covid-19 safety protocols.

India was on alert in December as well due to a surge in Covid-19 cases in neighbouring China, and had stepped up surveillance.BBC

The Dalai Lama’s office said he “regrets the incident”

Since 2006, there has been a healthy uptick in tiger numbers

India’s case count has risen over the past couple of days

The Ukrainian refugees making a living somewhere new

When Anastacia Kozmina and Oleksiyy Danko woke to the sound of bombing they immediately decided to leave Ukraine. They joined some eight million Ukrainian refugees, faced with finding a safe place to live and work.

The couple arrived in the UK where they found people to be “warm-hearted” and “supportive”. But finding jobs was hard. So they started their own business.

Ukraine refugees have been scattered all over the world. This is the story of how many are finding ways of earning a living somewhere new.

‘It was a really hard period for us’

In Ukraine, Anastasia worked as a lawyer and Oleksiyy was a qualified pharmacist. They also dry-cleaned furniture to make extra money.

Anastacia said when the bombing began on 24 February 2022, she knew she did not want to live in a warzone.

The couple had friends who had moved to England so they put an appeal on Facebook for a sponsor - and eventually arrived in Southport, Merseyside.

“It was a really hard period for us,” Anastacia says. “I stopped doing my makeup, my nails, my hair... I needed six months to refresh, to understand that I am in a safe place.”

Anastacia tried to get work as a lawyer but because the UK has a different legal system she couldn’t, so the couple decided to use their side-hustle skills and started a business dry-cleaning furniture.

They made leaflets and were surprised to get calls from people who wanted items cleaning, items that were not actually dirty.

“One time Oleksiyy went to clean a small sofa and this lady after that she gave us some beautiful flowers because she wants to support us, she wants to help us and she was really warmhearted,” she says.

They are hoping to continue to build the business. “In England

we have another life, we have an opportunity to develop ourselves, to grow,” she says.

‘I know that I can have a better life’

Yulia left Ukraine three months after the war began.

She found a sponsor in Nottingham, England, and drove for three days with her two daughters and their dog. Yulia asked us not to use her surname because her husband is still in Ukraine.

Back home, she ran a successful wedding dress business and her sponsor suggested she start it up again.

“It’s a crazy idea, but I think I can try... my profession is my life,” she says.

A friend of Yulia’s husband, who was driving to the UK, brought all her sewing machines, fabrics and mannequins to her and Yulia hoped to get some orders.

“It’s not easy because system of business in England is different, it’s not like in Ukraine,” she says.

Yulia struggled to make her wedding dress business work but decided to use her skills and passion to get a full-time sewing job.

Yulia says although it’s been disappointing not to be able to keep her business going, she is happy with her new life.

“We have a nice place, we have a nice work family... I do what I like to do so I can say that I am lucky.”

She says with a bit more time she will try again to get her business off the ground.

‘You need to make your mind busy to feel better’

Polina was preparing the children in her dance school for a competition when Russia invaded Ukraine.

“War started and everything that you planned, it doesn’t make any sense,” she says.

Polina lived beside a tank factory in Lviv and quickly realised it would be a target. The following morning she left for Poland and a month later joined her sister who

had been living in Canada for a few years.

“It was really difficult mentally because you are still part of Ukraine and you are here in Canada and it’s very different,” she says.

“You need to do something, you need to make your mind busy to feel better,” she adds.

Polina got a job in recruitment but her passion was for teaching dance.

She rented space in a studio and started Polli’s Dance, teaching Canadian children and the children of other Ukrainian refugees.

“I feel this energy exchange with kids,” she says. “It’s something that makes me feel happy.”

‘I just feel this fear inside’

Volodymyr and Regina Razumovskaya left Ukraine a year ago.

They had already been forced out of their home in Donetsk when the region was seized by Russian separatists in 2014 and their business was destroyed.

The couple fled to Kyiv where they set up another business selling plants.

But when Russia invaded the family were forced to flee againthis time to join friends in Perth, Western Australia.

“Could you imagine just to leave your house? To leave you business? To leave your friends?” Regian asks.

“Even one year passed I just feel this fear inside, you are not sure what’s going to happen.”

Regina says the welcome they received in Australia gave them the belief that they could start again.

Vlodymyr now works full time because the business in Ukraine makes just 10% of what it did before the war.

Regina told us: “When you trust that there is a future for you, you buy plants.

“The people in Ukraine now are so exhausted, so tired by the war they are losing their trust.”

Source: BBC

A friend of Yulia’s husband, who was driving to the UK, brought all her sewing machines, fabrics and mannequins to her and Yulia hoped to get some orders.

“It’s not easy because system of business in England is different, it’s not like in Ukraine,” she says

“

Anastacia and Oleksiyy had orders from local people wanting to help them grow their dry-cleaning business

Yulia says she found deciding to leave Ukraine very difficult but her husband persuaded her it was for the best

Yulia designs and makes wedding dresses

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THE

back for Champions League clashes against AC

-

By Amaechi Agbo

Victor Osimhen has assured Napoli fans that he would be available for the Champions League quarter-final clashes against rivals, AC Milan.

The 24 years old was ruled out of Napoli’s Sunday’s Serie A clash with 4th placed Milan after picking up an injury while on International duty with his country, Nigeria.

Osimhen who played all 180 minutes in Nigeria’s double header 2023 Africa Cup of Nations, AFCON qualifiers last month but failed to score, returned to the club with adductor issue which will see him out of action at least for 10 to 12 days.

However, he is targeting the Champions League quarterfinal with the same opponent, as the first leg is at San Siro on April 12, then the decider at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona on April 18.

“It is nothing serious, but I want to take these 10-12 days to rest and recover,” Osimhen told TG5.

“I hope to be there, but I have also been told and I am convinced that I will be on the pitch against Milan.”

Meanwhile, the Partenopei are at least 19 points clear at

Assures Napoli Fans

the top of the table and that could well be extended this weekend, especially as Inter lost 1-0 at home to Fiorentina.

“We are all happy and giving our best to make our dream come true. We are close to the objective and can’t wait for that dream to become reality. Naples is extraordinary, so passionate. I have never received so much love and I can’t wait to celebrate the title with them in the stadium and in the streets.”

Football Italia reports that Osimhen has become a hero to the young fans of Napoli, many of whom try to emulate their icon by copying his protective mask and bleached hair, though some also tried a bit too hard and ‘blacked up’ for carnival.

The Nigeria international was asked about the issue of racism and what can be done about it in 2023.

“I will use everything at my disposal to defeat racism. It is not nice to be judged by the colour of your skin. Every parent must make their children understand it is wrong.

“My partner is white, so are many of my friends and I love them all. This racism has to end, because it psychologically damages so many kids.”

By Amaechi Agbo

Former captain, Desire Oparanozie has promised fans that “my best will be your reward” for their support after she was recalled to the Nigeria senior female national football team, the Super Falcons.

The 29 years old was recalled into the Randy Waldrum’s 23-woman list for the two World Cup warm-up matches in Turkey in April.

The Wuhan Jianghan University of China Super League star have been previously omitted from the national team set up including the 2022 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations, WAFCON in Morocco last year where the team recorded their worst continental

campaign in 10 years as well as the Mexico Revelation Cup in February.

Her continued omission, no doubt, had generated hited debate with many being critical of the Nigeria Football Federation, NFF over their continued witch-hunt of the player, as fans and stakeholders questioned her absence from the team.

Since leading the Super Falcons players to demand for their entitlements in France during the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup hosted there, and despite her apology thereafter, NFF has continued to omit her from the team set up. She lost her captain armband consequently after the the tournament which the team reached last 16.

However, NFF bowed to pressure and recalled her to the team, a move the player expressed gratitude to the fans and promised to repair them with good performances

“The show of love and support I’ve recieved these past days has been incredibly overwhelming. I’m thankful to everyone of you for your genuine support

“My best will be your reward.” Oparanozie said on verified Twitter handle on Tuesday.

Waldrum called up team captain Onome Ebi, and forwards Asisat Oshoala and Rasheedat Ajibade to the camp of Super Falcons ahead of next month’s international friendly matches in Turkey.

The nine-time African

champions have a date against World Cup-bound Haiti women’s national team at the Emir Sports Complex in Antalya, Turkey on Friday, 7th April, before taking on World Cup co-hosts New Zealand at the Mardan Sports Complex also in Antalya on Tuesday, 11th April.

ALL THE INVITED PLAYERS:

Goalkeepers: Chiamaka Nnadozie (Paris FC, France); Yewande Balogun (AS SaintEtienne, France); Inyene Etim (Abia Angels)

Defenders: Onome Ebi (Abia Angels); Osinachi Ohale (Deportivo Alaves, Spain); Ashleigh Plumptre (Leicester City, England); Glory Ogbonna (Besiktas JK, Turkey); Rofiat Imuran (Stade de Reims, France); Michelle Alozie (Houston

Dash, USA); Oluwatosin Demehin (Stade de Reims, France)

Midfielders : Halimatu Ayinde (FC Rosengard, Sweden); Christy Ucheibe (SL Benfica, Portugal); Ngozi Okobi-Okeoghene (FC Levante Las Planas, Spain); Deborah Abiodun (Rivers Angels); Toni Payne (Sevilla FC, Spain); Regina Otu (AS Saint-Etienne, France)

Forwards: Asisat Oshoala (Barcelona Femenin, Spain); Rasheedat Ajibade (Atletico Madrid, Spain); Esther Okoronkwo (AS Saint-Etienne, France); Ifeoma Onumonu (NY/NJ Gotham FC, USA); Uchenna Kanu (Racing Louisville, Kentucky, USA); Desire Oparanozie (Wuhan Chegu Jianghan, China); Gift Monday (UDG Tenerife, Spain)

“I will be

Milan”

Osimhen

“My best will be your reward” – Oparanozie Promises Fans After Falcons Return

Victor Osimhen

AC Milan Thrash Napoli In Victor Osimhen's Absence

Serie A league leaders, SC Napoli had a night to forget on Sunday as they were thrashed 4-0 by visiting AC Milan in what is regarded as the Champions League quarter-final rehearsal with their talismanic goals scorer, Victor Missing due to injury

In the first of three matchups between Milan and Napoli this month, the defending Serie A champion routed this season’s runaway leader 4-0 on Sunday ahead of two more clashes in the Champions League quarterfinals in two week's time.

Rafael Leão scored twice and Brahim Diaz set up one goal and scored another to hand Napoli its heaviest defeat of what otherwise has been an extraordinary season.

“We’re happy with the performance but it’s just one game,” Milan coach Stefano Pioli said. “Tonight’s result has nothing to do with the Champions League games, because that’s a different competition. That will be a very balanced contest.”

Napoli’s only other losses in the Italian league this season both came by scores of 1-0, to Inter Milan in January and to Lazio a month ago.

Napoli was also beaten 2-0 by Liverpool in the final match of the Champions League group phase but that loss came after the Partenopei had already clinched a spot in the round of 16.

Otherwise, Napoli’s only other defeat in 2022-23 came against Cremonese on penalties in the Italian Cup.

Milan moved up to third place, 20 points behind Napoli and four points behind Lazio.

Milan controlled from the start at the Diego Armando Maradona stadium and Diaz set up Milan’s early opener for Leão with a perfect through ball. Leão — last season's MVP — then did the rest by chipping in over Napoli goalkeeper Alex Meret.

Diaz produced some more fireworks when he faked out Mario Rui to score with a deflection from close range in the 25th.

It marked the first time that Napoli conceded twice in the opening 25 minutes of a Serie A game since a match against Juventus in Aug. 2019.

Boxing: President Buhari lauds

Joshua’s victory against Franklin

By Amaechi Agbo

Nigeria President, Muhammadu Buhari has celebrates the victory of Nigerian-born British boxer, Anthony Joshua, over Jermaine Franklin on Saturday night.

The President in a releases signed by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, commended the triumph of the gifted pugilist over a formidable opponent.

Extolling the mentality of Joshua, who did not allow personal setbacks and obstacles to dent his resilient spirit, the President says the former three-time world heavyweight champion has demonstrated that by hard work, patience, dedication, persistence and humility, those who dare do win.

“President Buhari lauds Joshua for his courage and discipline, on and off the ring, and prays that this success will be a stepping stone to one of the greatest comebacks in boxing history.

“The President believes that the accomplishments of Joshua on the world stage will continue to inspire many upcoming professionals, particularly sportsmen and women, not to be discouraged by temporary defeats and setbacks.

“He wishes Joshua a bright future and fulfilling career,” the statement reads.

Anthony Joshua returned to winning ways with a unanimous points victory over Jermaine Franklin at London’s O2 Arena.

The British heavyweight, 33, controlled the contest against the durable American but it was not the explosive early finish many expected.

Anthony Joshua started another journey en route the top, defeating Jermaine Franklin in a keenly contested Boxing match that stretched to 12 rounds.

Joshua won the bout by unanimous decision (118-111, 117-111, 117-111)

Tempers flared after the final bell as the two fighters squared up to each other, prompting their teams to enter the ring and be separated by security.

It is Joshua’s first win in more than two years, having lost consecutive bouts to WBA (Super), IBF and WBO world champion Oleksandr Usyk.

“No knockout, so no good. It is a brutal sport, but knockouts are everything. I’m

not too happy,” Joshua told 5 Live Boxing.

“I could have thrown more shots, and I should have, no excuses. But I will. That is part of coming back; you have to be your own biggest critic.”

He also called out fellow Briton and WBC champion Tyson Fury, saying: “I try and provide for the fans. I know who they want. They said Tyson Fury - the ball is in his court.”

Bala Nikyu resigns as Nassarawa United Coach after poor run of form

With eight defeats, two wins and two draws in 12 matches, Bala Nikyu, Technical Adviser of Nasarawa United FC, has parted ways with the Club on mutual consent after three seasons at the helm of affairs.

The former Nigeria U-17 female national team coach’s exit from the Solid Miners followed the team’s extremely poor results in the ongoing 2022/23 Nigeria Premier Football League Season, particularly the 1-2 home loss to newcomers, El-Kanemi Warriors FC of Maiduguri on matchday 12 on Saturday, 1st April, 2023, at the

New Jos Stadium.

Nassarawa United are in danger of relegation to the second division, Nigeria National League, NNL after collecting just 8 points from 36 in 12 league matches in the abridged league and are 9 on Group A table which has ten clubs

Coach Nikyu thanked the Club and its wonderful supporters for the opportunity given to him to serve, describing Nasarawa United as a big and amazing club with so much to offer.

The Management of Nasarawa United headed by

Chief Barr. Isaac Danladi, has welcomed the decision of Coach Bala Nikyu to throw in the towel, and wished him the best in his future endeavour.

Subsequently, the Management has confirmed that Head Coach, Abubakar Arikya, will become Acting Technical Adviser pending the appointment of a substantive Technical Adviser, with Samson Keshi Marwa, Balarabe Ibrahim and Ibrahim Yahaya Sabo working as his assistants.

Barr. Danladi told the Club’s Media: “This is not the best time for us as a Club in the league.

“We thank the Coach for his

wisdom to step down from his role. Yes, the results are not what we ever envisaged, but we hope this is the best for both parties, going forward.

“We have but six league matches remaining and we have a herculean task on our hands to stabilize in the league.

“There is no better time to join forces than now. Everyone has to be at his best to ensure the highest possible result for our darling Club and our teaming supporters.”

Bala Nikyu was first appointed as Nasarawa United Coach in November 2018 and later reappointed in 2021.

Anthony Joshua (in white) defeated Franklin Jermaine on Saturday night

Jurgen Klopp says he is still Liverpool manager ‘because of the past, not this season’

Jurgen Klopp has said he is still Liverpool manager “because of the past” rather than his team’s current form.

Brendan Rodgers and Graham Potter were sacked on Sunday, meaning a record 12 Premier League managers have been dismissed this season.

Liverpool are in danger of their worst league finish under Klopp, whose team visit Chelsea on Tuesday, but his position is yet to come under scrutiny.

“If it was my first season it would be slightly different,” said the German.

“I’m aware of the fact that I’m sitting here because of the past, not because of what we did this season.”

Klopp, 55, has helped Liverpool win club football’s major honours during seven and a half years at Anfield, making him the longest-serving manager in the Premier League.

The Reds have lost their past three

games in all competitions and are eighth in the league, the position they finished in 2015-16 - the season in which Klopp took over from previous manager Rodgers.

“We have smart owners, they know about the situation,” he added.

“There is no need [for me] to be afraid, I am here to deliver, I’m not here as a talisman or for murals on house walls.

“I know I’m still here because of what happened in the last few years.

“I don’t like the fact that I pretty much have to rely on that. Is it right or not? We’ll see in the future.”

Liverpool challenged Manchester City for the Premier League title in three of the previous four seasons, winning the club’s first top-flight title in 30 years in 2019-20.

However, they are 30 points behind current leaders Arsenal after Saturday’s 4-1 defeat at City.

With 11 games left, Klopp’s side are eight points off the Champions League

qualification places.

“I’m fully in, there’s no doubt about that, but we have to sort it,” he said. “We cannot continue playing like we do from time to time. That’s not allowed.

“I’m really disappointed about us, that we do these kind of things, but it happened. Now we have to find a way out and that’s what we’re constantly working on.”

‘If you don’t reach expectations, you have to accept the decisions’

Speaking at Monday’s news conference to preview Liverpool’s game at Chelsea, Klopp joked that he was the Premier League’s “last man standing”.

“I think probably the elephant in the room, from your point of view, is why I am still sitting here, in this crazy world,” he said.

Over in Klopp’s native Germany, Bayern Munich sacked Julian Nagelsmann on 24 March to replace him

with Potter’s predecessor at Chelsea, Thomas Tuchel.

Antonio Conte (Tottenham), Rodgers (Leicester) and Potter were then dismissed in the space of seven days.

“It’s a strange week,” said Klopp. “The season gets into a decisive part and people are afraid of maybe not reaching their targets.

“But I would say for all four their football managing future is still bright so it’s not a disaster. It’s a situation they probably don’t like but it’s part of the business.”

Klopp said that 12 Premier League managers being sacked this season was “an awful number, but it is how it is”.

He added: “Some clubs are underachieving this year. We are, other clubs are too.

“There are expectations out there, rightly so, and if you don’t reach them then you have to accept the decisions.”

Liverpool 2-2 Arsenal: ‘Don’t anger Anfield’Gunners cede significant control in title race

Arsenal failed to follow the law of what Mikel Arteta described as the “jungle” of Anfield as his side ceded significant control in the Premier League title race in a thrilling draw at Liverpool.

The Gunners boss’ attempts to familiarise his players with Anfield’s hostile environment included making his players train with the strains of the Liverpool anthem ‘You’ll Never Walk Alone’ as a backing track to training sessions last season.

That all went awry when Arteta got involved in a touchline spat with opposite number Jurgen Klopp with the scoreline goalless, Liverpool and Anfield then exploding in fury and Arsenal crashing to a 4-0 loss.

So the rules were clear when they arrived at Anfield hoping to restore an eight-point lead at the top of the table.

Do not make Liverpool angry.

Do not make Anfield angry.

It was all sweet and serene for Arteta’s side as they led 2-0 with half-time approaching, goals from Gabriel Martinelli and Gabriel Jesus a fair reflection of an outstanding display up to that point. Liverpool were downtrodden and the only noise at Anfield came from joyous Arsenal fans and the sound of frustration from the Kop.

And then Granit Xhaka foolishly forgot all the lessons, got involved in a totally needless flashpoint with Trent AlexanderArnold, enraging Liverpool’s players and - just as significantly - Anfield, as it suddenly became the sort of frenzied bearpit this stadium and this crowd feeds off.

Do not poke the bear in the bearpit. Except Xhaka did, with inevitable results.

Mohamed Salah’s goal three minutes before half-time set up a second-half siege and what looked like three points for Arsenal became one after Roberto Firmino’s late equaliser, and could easily have been none after a frantic finale.

Ectolife: Scientists latest attempt to create a human being

‘Tired of waiting for a response from Adoption Agencies unable to find a surrogate mother, worried about pregnancy complications? Worry no more because Ecto Life got you covered’. This is the tantalising way, the latest foray of scientists called EctoLife, is flashed before us. What is it about? I quote them verbatim.

“Introducing Ectolife, the world’s first artificial womb facility powered entirely by renewable energy. EctoLife allows infertile couples to conceive a baby and become the true biological parents of their offspring’s. It’s a perfect solution for women who have their uterus surgically removed due to cancer or other complications. With EctoLife, premature babies and caesarean section will be a thing of the past. EctoLife is designed to help countries that are suffering from severe population decline.

“The facility features 75 highly equipped labs. Each state-ofthe-art lab can accommodate up to 400 growth pods or artificial wombs. Every pod is designed to replicate the exact conditions that exist inside the mother’s uterus. A single building can incubate up to 30,000 lab grown babies per year. EctoLife allows your baby to develop in an infection-free environment. The pods are made of materials that prevent germs from sticking to their surfaces.

“Every growth pod features sensors that can monitor your baby’s vital signs., including heartbeat, temperature, blood pressure, breathing rate and oxygen saturation. The artificialintelligence-based system also monitors the physical features of your baby and reports any potential genetic abnormalities. The pods are fitted with a screen that displays real-time data on the developmental progress of your baby. These data are sent directly to your phone so you can monitor your baby’s health from the comfort of your zone. The app also provides you with a highresolution live view of your baby’s development. A special section of the app allows you to watch a timelapse of your baby’s growth and share it directly with your loved ones.

“Because babies can recognise language and learn new words while still in the womb, EctoLife growth pods feature internal speakers that play a wide range of words and music to your baby. Through the app, you can choose the playlist that your baby listens

By VICTORIA NGOZI IKEANO

to. You can also directly sing to your baby and make them familiar with your voice before birth. Our goal is to provide you with an intelligent offspring that truly reflects your smart choices.

“EctoLife provides you a bonding experience with your baby. Thanks to a 360 degrees camera that is fitted inside your baby’s growth pod. You can use virtual reality headset to explore what it is like to be in your baby’s place. See what they see and hear what they hear. Using a wireless haptic suit connected to your baby’s growth pod, you will be able to sense their kicks in the womb and share this experience with your friends and family members

“With EctoLife your baby will receive the best nutrients that can support their growth. Each group of pods is connected to two central bioreactors. The first bioreactor contains nutrients and oxygen which are supplied to your baby through an artificial umbilical cord. The bioreactor also contains a liquid solution that serves as the amniotic fluid that surrounds babies in their mother’s uterus. It’s rich of vital hormones growth factors and antibiotics that sustain your baby’s growth and development. Thanks to a system controlled by artificial intelligence each baby receives custom nutrients tailored to their needs. The second bioreactor is designed to eliminate any waste products produced by the babies. The artificial umbilical cord helps the babies to release their waste products into the second bioreactor.

“With the help of a delicate layer of engineered enzymes, the second bioreactor can then recycle waste products and turn them back into useful nutrients. This way the facility ensures a steady and sustainable supply of fresh nutrients to your baby. With EctoLife miscarriage and low sperm are a thing of the past.

“Prior to placing the fertilised embryo of your baby inside the growth pod, In Vitro Fertilisation is used to create and select the most viable and genetically superior embryo, giving your baby a chance to develop without any biological hurdles. And if you want your baby to stand out and have a brighter future, our Elite Package offers you the opportunity to genetically engineer the embryo before implanting it into an artificial womb.

“Thanks to CRISPR-Cas 9 gene editing tool, you can edit any trait your baby through a range of over 300 genes. By genetically engineering a set of genes, the Elite Package allows you to customize your baby’s eye colour, hair colour, skin tone, physical strength, height and level of intelligence. It also allows you to fix any inherited genetic diseases that are part of your family’s history so that your baby and their offspring will live a healthy, comfortable life, free of genetic diseases. Say goodbye to pain of childbirth and birth-related muscle contraction. EctoLife provides a safe and painfree alternative that helps you deliver your baby without stress. The delivery process is smooth, convenient and can be done with

just a push of the button. After discharging the amniotic fluid from the artificial womb, you will be able to easily remove your baby from the growth pod. Everything is perfectly designed so you and your partner can enjoy the delivery process

“To ensure full transparency our post delivery free DNA paternity test helps you confirm the genetic identity of your baby, so you can return home knowing that your baby is genetically yours. The highly advanced pods operate with minimal energy needs making it easy for your baby to make it to full term without any complications. And for those who want a more convenient solution, EctoLife is made accessible so your life can be easier, thanks to our miniaturized bioreactor and long lasting batteries, you can use EctoLife growth pods in the comfort of your home, allowing you to incubate your baby in your building without the need to visit our facility. By owning your special growth pod, you will have the ability to build a happy family, one baby at a time away from any birth complications”. It was gathered that concept of EctoLife facility was designed by Biotechnologist and Science Communicator, Hashem Al- Ghaili. The advanced Scientists say it is based on “groundbreaking research work that has been conducted by scientists and engineers since 1950s.

One should state straight away that. The most learned, the most advanced of the world’s scientists and engineers cannot create a human being. What they can form and are forming and developing is a human physical body without life. They can never develop much more create a full blooded human being. We shall in humility throw some light on why this is so next week.

With the help of a delicate layer of engineered enzymes, the second bioreactor can then recycle waste products and turn them back into useful nutrients. This way the facility ensures a steady and sustainable supply of fresh nutrients to your baby.