Wednesday, April 19, 2023 Edition

A view of the Completed Section of the Reconstruction of Abuja - Kaduna- Zaria - Kano Dual Carriageway (Section III : Zaria - Kano) during an inspection tour by the Chief of Staff to the President, Prof. Ibrahim Gambari and Hon.Minister of Works and Housing, Mr Babatunde Fashola,SAN on

Buhari meets traditional, spiritual leaders in Makkah

By Egena Sunday Ode

As part of his ongoing official engagements in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, President Muhammadu Buhari hosted religious and traditional leaders from across the six geopolitical zones of the country at an Iftar dinner (breaking of fast).

At the end of the event, President Buhari underscored the policy of his administration to develop all parts of the country without discrimination, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and

Publicity, Garba Shehu, said in a statement.

The President, he said, expressed the hope that the special occasion of Ramadan will deepen the spirit of harmony in our nation and inspire citizens to work hard for the country and care for those who are in need.

The President expressed his appreciation to his guests, the traditional and spiritual leaders whom he said, “have the unity of the country so deep-rooted in the mind of every one of you.”

The Emirs of Kano and Bichi in Kano State, Alhaji Aminu Ado Bayero and Alhaji Nasiru Ado

Bayero respectively who spoke after the event said only a united country can move forward and attain its goals, according to the statement.

The religious leaders in attendance were Malam Abubakar Abdulwaheed Sulaiman, the Chief Imam of Aso Rock Villa, Sheikh AlKanawi Alhassan Ahmed, Dr Bashir Aliyu Umar, Muhammad Kamaluddeen Lemu, Nuruddeen Danesi Asunogie, Alhaji Abdulrasheed Adiatu and Sheikh Haroun Ogbonnia Ajah. Others were Alhaji Ibrahim Kasuwar Magani, Professor

Shehu Ahmed Sa’id Galadanchi and Alhaji Bala Lau.

The President had also met the Otaru of Auchi, Dr Aliru Highbred Momoh, Emir of Lafia, Justice Sidi Mamman Bage, Emir of Bauchi, Rilwan Adamu Sulaiman, Akadiri Saliu Momoh, Abdulfatah Chimaeze Emetumah, Fatima Ijeoma Emetumah and Alhaji Isa Sanusi Bayero.

Prayers were offered for peace in the country, the successful end of the term of the President and for the success of the incoming administration.

L-R: Ekiti State Governor, Mr Biodun Oyebanji; with Grand Imam, Ekiti State and President-general, League of Imam and Alfas, Southwest, Edo and Delta States; Sheikh Jamiu Bello Kewulere; at the iftar (fast breaking) hosted by the Governor for Ekiti Muslim leaders at Jibowu Hall, Government House, Ado-Ekiti, yesterday.

Sustain Buhari’s policy on food production, rice processors urge Tinubu

The Rice Processors Association of Nigeria (RIPAN) has called on the President-elect, Sen. Bola Tinubu, to sustain ongoing initiatives on food production for economic development.

The Director-General of RIPAN, Mr Andy Ekwelem, made the call on Tuesday in Abuja at a news conference.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the theme of the conference was “Strategies for Deepening and Strengthening the Nigeria Rice Sub-Sector towards More Sustainable Development.

According to Ekwelem, RIPAN is an association of investors in integrated rice processing, formed as a direct response to the Federal Government of Nigeria’s deliberate initiative to grow local capacity in rice.

“Members of the association and indeed other actors in the rice processing and milling sub-sector

are presently key players and major contributors to the growth of the Nigerian economy.

“Our processing and milling activities contribute several thousands of direct employments and millions of indirect employments to the various stakeholders in the rice value chain and other complementary sectors, ” he said.

He said that the rice industry was the single largest employer of labour in Nigeria, providing jobs for over 13 million people.

“These include direct staff, casual worker, haulage service providers, agrochemical and input suppliers and of course millions of small holder rural farmers who are made up of majorly youths and women,” he said.

According to him, the Nigeria rice industry has enjoyed considerable support from the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari.

“Before the current administration, Nigeria officially allowed imported rice into the country.

“As at the last quarter of 2014, official rice import into Nigeria from Thailand was about 1.24 million tonnes of rice; by the end of 2015, these imports had dropped to about 644,131meric tonnes, and by the end of 2016, it dropped to 58,260 metric tonnes.

“In 2017, the imports further dropped to 23,192 metric tonnes but by 2022, it dropped to an alltime minimal of 438MT.

“The reason for the drops –which to us at RIPAN is a very positive development – is nothing more than Mr President’s hard stand approach against food importation,” he said.

He commended Buhari for his agricultural development initiatives that had boosted food production over the years.

“Recall that President Buhari

is a strong advocate of “grow what you eat and eat what you can grow”.

“To ensure that he walked his talk, through the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), he launched various programmes that encouraged local production and processing of rice.

” Programme such as the Anchor Borrowers’ Programme, the Paddy Aggregation Scheme, the Private Sector-Led Accelerated Agriculture Development Scheme and the Real Sector Support Facility (RSSF) were floated.

“They where deliberate strategies that encouraged indigenous and foreign business concerns to invest massively in the rice value chain.

“Today, Nigeria boasts of over 100 large-scale integrated rice processing facilities scattered across the country.

“This is more than 700 per cent increase from the mere 13 integrated mills operating in the country between 2010 and 2014,”

National Defence College alumni association advocates security for nation’s forests

The Alumni Association of the National Defence College (AANDEC) on Monday in Abuja advocated for concerted efforts to secure the nation’s forests.

The association also advocated for the deployment of technology by the military and other security agencies in tackling insecurity across the country.

AANDEC made the calls at a news conference addressed by its president, retired Air Commodore Darlington Abdullahi, to herald its 12th national security seminar.

The seminar, with the theme: “Application of Technology as Force Multiplier in Enhancing Peace and Security in Nigeria’’ holds in Abuja on Tuesday and Wednesday.

AANDEC organises the seminar annually in collaboration with the Office of the National Security Adviser and the National Defence College, to address, contemporary national security issues.

Abdullahi said the call for adoption of technology in fighting insecurity became necessary owing to the issue of uncovered spaces and number of forests being used by criminals as hideouts.

He said that AANDEC believed that it was time to consolidate on the successes already achieved by applying some force multipliers, considering the spread of criminal activities.

He added that there was the need to leverage on technology to adequately enhance security operations and put an end to terminologies such as “ungoverned spaces’’ and “unknown gunmen’’.

According to him, there is a limit to which the military can continually increase the physical strength of the security services.

Abdullahi noted that the association’s suggestions would, however, not replace good governance as a means of ensuring that Nigerians are adequately catered for and given a sense of belonging.

He commended the research and development efforts of the armed forces of Nigeria and those of other security agencies.

He suggested that the efforts could be increased through the consideration of private sector participation in the funding and management of the Nigeria Defence Industrial Complex.

Railway corporation rakes in N715m in Q3 2022 – NBS

The Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) generated N715.09 million in revenue from passengers in Q3 of 2022, the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) says. This is contained in the NBS Rail Transportation Data for Q3 and Q4 2022 released in Abuja on Tuesday.

The report showed that the figure dropped by 60.52 per cent compared to the N1.81 billion received in Q3 of 2021.

Similarly, it showed that N101.84 million was collected in Q3 2022 as revenue from goods/ cargos, this dropped by 7.04 per cent from N109.56 million received in Q3 2021.

“Also, other receipts grew by 707.31 per cent in Q3 2022 from the N14.61 million recorded in Q3 2021”.

The report further showed that the number of rail transport passengers in Q3 2022 dropped by 500,348.

“This is lower than the 696,841 recorded in Q3 2021, representing a growth rate of -28.20 per cent”.

Ramadan Timing Day 28

In addition, the report showed that 33,312 tonnes of goods were transported in Q3 2022, compared to 51,726 tons reported in Q3 2021.

The report said the corporation generated revenue of N1.15 billion from passengers in Q4 2022, which indicated a decrease of 39.54 per cent in Q4 2021 which recorded N1.91 billion.

Also, it said revenue generated from goods in Q4 2022 was N157.23 million, which was higher by 63.56 per cent compared to the N96.13 million reported in Q4 2021.

It said other income receipts stood at N382.17 million, an increase of 3,316.18 per cent from the N11.19 million recorded in Q4 2021.

The report said in Q4 2022, the number of passengers increased by 30.10 per cent from 1.03 million persons recorded in Q4 2021 to 1.34 million persons in Q4 2022.

It said the volume of goods transported decreased by 1.50 per cent in Q4 2022.

“However, on an annual basis, the number of passengers increased by 18.36 per cent.” (NAN)

Military must be ahead of violent non-state actors – Commandant

The Commandant, National Defence College (NDC), Rear Adm. Murtala Bashir, has called for concerted effort towards dislodging violent non-state actors and addressing the security challenges in the country.

Bashir said this at the opening of the 12th National Security Seminar of the Alumni Association of the National Defence College, on Tuesday in Abuja.

The theme of the seminar is “Application of Technology as Force Multiplier in Enhancing Peace and Security in Nigeria’’.

He said the emergence of violent non-state actors such as dissidents, terrorists and bandits who use technology to undermine peace and security of the country, underscored the need to explore opportunities presented by emerging technologies.

Bashir added that proper deployment of emerging technologies would greatly help to decimate the violent non-state actors.

“We need to be ahead of the violent non-state actors.

“No doubt, the magic technologies like artificial intelligence and others are the much needed game changers that will enhance the effectiveness and efficiency of our responses to the challenges facing us as a country.

“If we are to also avoid the experiences of the past, where Nigeria has to beg foreigners to prosecute legitimate internal security challenges against militancy, terrorism and insurgency.

“Then we need to reappraise our research and development efforts in technology acquisition and innovation.

“We need to also revamp our military industrial complex, and these efforts must be of national

outlook and driven by research and development,” he said.

The commandant said the college was already involved in research to articulate strategic options for government to address national security concerns.

He said that the way to go was to embrace emerging technologies for enhanced national security and development.

Bashir assured that the college would work with the alumni association to proffer solutions to current and emerging national security and development challenges.

He, therefore, urged them to continue to provide the platform for intellectual discourse and sharing of thoughts on contemporary strategic defense, security, and development issues.

The President of the association, retired Air Commodore Darlington Abdullahi, said the seminar was organised bearing in mind the mounting security challenges globally and infiltration of Nigeria by criminal elements.

Abdullahi said the association felt the need to consolidate on the great successes achieved so far by applying some force multipliers, considering the spread of criminal activities across the nation.

He said that Nigeria should leverage technology to adequately enhance security operations.

“To checkmate use of its forest reserves and the fact that there is a limit to which it can continue to increase the physical strength of the security services.

“Thus, putting behind such terminologies as ungoverned spaces, unknown gunmen and of course, on all of such in our national life.

Nigerian women least represented in governance – NBS

The National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) says women have continued to record low representation in all tiers and levels of governance.

This is contained in the NBS Statistical Report on Women and Men in Nigeria 2021 released in Abuja on Tuesday.

The report added that inspite of all efforts to promote the contribution of women in the domain of politics and decisionmaking, women have continued to record low representation at all tiers and levels of governance.

Women, it added, constituted

almost half of the electorate.

The report said in Nigeria, women have never been appointed as Secretary to the Government of the Federation.

It said women have also not been elected as President or VicePresident since independence and the return of democracy in 1999 to the last election in 2019.

It said the highest representation in the National Parliament of 7.2 per cent was recorded in 2007-2011.

“It was 6.6 per cent each in 2011 – 2015 and 2015 – 2019. ”

The report said a total of six

women and 73 men occupied principal positions in the Senate in 2016 and 2017.

“The years 2018 and 2019 have the same figure of seven women and 72 men as principal officers.

“Only nine women out of 106 members of the House of Representatives occupied principal positions in 2019.”

It said from 2016 to 2019, only six women occupied the position of committee chairperson for each year while in 2018 and 2019, a woman occupied the position of Minority Senate Leader in the Senate.

The report showed the current women’s representation in National Parliament (National Assembly) 2019 as 6.2 per cent, while the males make up 93.8 per cent.

The NBS said available data from the Office of the Secretary to Government of the Federation (SGF) revealed the number of males and females appointed as Ministers from 2016 – 2019.

“In 2016 seven females were appointed, this decreased in 2017 to five females.

“Female ministers appointed in 2018 were six and in 2019,

only seven were among the 43 appointed ministers.”

The report said in Nigeria, 31.87 and 31.98 per cent were female members of National Judicial Officers in 2016 and 2017, respectively, while 2018 recorded 28.86 per cent, indicating a drop.

It said no female had been the Chief Justice of Nigeria, President of the National Industrial Court, and the Chief Registrar of the Supreme Court from 2016 to 2018.

“For the same period, females had been the President of the Court of Appeal (National Judicial Council). (NAN)

Court absorbs ASCSN President Bola-Audu, others of human trafficking charges

By Vivian Okejeme Abuja

The President of the Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria (ASCSN), Mr Innocent BolaAudu and three others have been discharged and acquitted of criminal allegation of human trafficking.

Justice Charles Agbaza of the Federal Capital Territory High Court, Maitama, cleared Bola-Audu and three others on the ground that the prosecution failed to link the defendants with the offence.

National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons, (NAPTIP) had dragged four civil servants before the Court over their alleged involvement in human trafficking in 2021.

The workers were the Chief Accountant on Grade Level 14, Innocent Bola-Audu, and an Assistant Executive Officer on Grade Level 13, Cecilia Aneke.

The defendants pleaded not guilty after they were arraigned on July 7, 2021 and were subsequently granted bail.

The defendants through their counsels filed a motion for no-case submission. After parties argued their briefs of argument, the court adjourned the case for ruling.

Justice Agbaza, in his ruling on Tuesday after listening to submissions of counsels said the prosecution clearly failed to link the defendants with the offence.

The Judge held that, “The prosecution has not clearly been able to link the defendants with the charge brought against them. I find it difficult to come to terms with the prosecution on the charges and in his argument against the defendants.

“There is no evidence before this Court linking the defendants with the offence. The prosecution failed to establish a case of human trafficking against the defendants.

“The defendants are hereby

discharged and acquitted.”

Speaking with journalists after his discharge by the Court, Bola-Audu said the

case preferred against him and three others by NAPTIP was politically motivated to malign him but he was happy that he

been vindicated. He thanked members of ASCSN who stood by him while his travails lasted, promising

not to let them down as he will continue to provide purposeful leadership for the Association.

President Muhammadu Buhari hosted some Amiras and Islamic Scholars for the Ramadan break of fast in Makkah in Saudi Arabia on Monday

NAN receives major boost, signs working agreement with Italian news agency

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), on Tuesday received a major boost in its operations with the signing of a working agreement with the Italian news agency, Agenzia Nazionale Stampa Associata (ANSA) in Abuja.

NAN reports that ANSA, the leading news agency in Italy, is a not-for-profit cooperative, founded in 1945 whose members and owners are 36 leading news organisations in the European country.

Its mission is the distribution of fair and objective news reports.

The Managing-Director (MD) of NAN, Mr Buki Ponle signed the agreement for NAN while the Ambassador of Italy to Nigeria, Mr Stefano De Leo signed fon behalf of ANSA at the NAN headquarters.

The signing of the agreement was witnessed virtually by the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of

ANSA, Mr Stefano De Alessandri and the Nigerian Ambassador to Italy, Mr Mfawa Abam.

Speaking during the agreement signing ceremony, De Alessandri said the event was timely and was made possible through the efforts of both the NAN management and the Italian mission in Nigeria.

He said ANSA has a cooperative of 26 publishers of newspapers and magazines and the most important national and regional newspapers.

According to him, ANSA has correspondents in more than 50 countries around the world.

“We are a traditional news agency that disseminates information via news wire, photo and video services.

“We do not publish only in the Italian language in Italy but we publish on five international websites in English, Arabic, Spanish, Portuguese, and German.

“I am very pleased to sign this agreement with NAN. Nigeria is the country with the largest population in Africa and is one of the most important countries in the continent of Africa.

“Starting in 2022, we have been renewing our collaboration agreements with international news agencies and we are also opening new partnerships,’’ he said.

Also speaking, the NAN MD said that the signing of the agreement was a milestone in the history of the largest news content provider in Nigeria.

He added that the news exchange agreement with ANSA marked another defining phase in NAN’s continuous engagement with like-minded institutions.

“It is my hope and belief that this landmark event will signal the beginning of a sustainable and mutually beneficial relationship.

“With ANSA’s presence in more than 81 cities across more than 50 countries in the world, and a production capacity of 3,500 news items daily, this partnership agreement will no doubt offer the diverse clientele of both wire agencies enriched content and plurality of reading and viewership experience.

“Since my appointment as MD in Sept. 2020 by President Muhammadu Buhari, we have put in place programmes and processes to boost the editorial and operational efficiency as well as to enhance the visibility of the agency.

“From a six-zone structure, the agency now has 12 zonal offices in the country while it is set to reopen its foreign bureaux in Johannesburg, Addis Ababa, and Abidjan.

“This is in addition to its New York Bureau currently covering North America,” he said.

Responding, Nigerian

8 Kidnapped female students of GSS Awon Kachia escape from terrorists’ den

From: Femi Oyelola, Kaduna

The eight female students of Government Secondary School, Awon - who were kidnapped by terrorists on Monday 3rd April 2023 in the Awon general area of Kachia LGA - have escaped from the terrorists’ den.

This was contained in a

Anti-party

activities: PDP’s move to suspend Wike, others fail

By Vivian Okejeme, Abuja

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) move to suspend or expel Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State and State Executive Committee members of the PDP in the State over alleged anti-party activities, failed at the federal high court, Abuja.

Justice Inyang Ekwo held that the fears of Wike and other members of the PDP were well founded, and that suspending or expelling them will amount to the breach of their rights to freedom of association.

The court maintained that it was within the power of the court to grant redress to persons who have well established acts that would amount to the infringement of their rights.

It held that members of political parties cannot be suspended arbitrarily without compliance with the political party’s guidelines.

Governor Wike and four other PDP governors known as the G5, had openly campaigned against PDP presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, in the 2023 general elections.

statement by Commissioner, Ministry of Internal Security and Home Affairs, Samuel Aruwan. The students, according to preliminary briefings, escaped from a thick forest around the Kaduna - Niger interstate boundaries, and walked for days before arriving at a location (kept undisclosed for security reasons) where they were harboured. Human intelligence sources subsequently alerted the Kaduna State Government for immediate

evacuation.

Governor Nasir El-Rufai on receipt of the intelligence directed the Ministry of Internal Security and Home Affairs to liaise with the 1 Division Nigerian Army for urgent evacuation of the students to Kaduna Metropolis, as it was credibly gathered that the terrorists were combing the forests in the area to recapture the students.

The students have been safely evacuated to a military

facility where they are presently receiving medical attention.

Meanwhile, Governor ElRufai has expressed his delight over the development, and has praised the students for demonstrating sheer courage and resilience in making their escape from captivity.

The Governor admonished them to view the horrific experience as a turning point, and pursue their education with renewed vigour for a purposeful

future.

The Governor also commended the General Officer Commanding, 1 Division, Major General OT Akinjobi for the prompt evacuation and the ongoing medicals being conducted on the students. The Governor also commended the General Officer Commanding, 1 Division, Major General OT Akinjobi fomedicals being conducted on the students.

Empowerment: Okadigbo

seeks active women

participation in oil, gas industry

Sen. Margery Okadigbo, Board Chairman, Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) has called for empowerment and active women participation in oil and gas industry to spur economic development.

He also urged female professionals in the industry to perceive women economic empowerment as a call for lifting one another not only a mere finance.

Okadigbo said this on Tuesday in Abuja at a Female Powered Breakfast Meeting, tagged: “Engaging the Female Potential” a session at the ongoing Nigeria International Energy Summit (NIES 2023).

The summit with the theme “Global Perspectives for a

Sustainable Energy Future” would hold from April 16 to April 20.

Okadigbo expressed dissatisfaction that only three female senators were representing their people in the senate, adding that women should be encouraged for active representation in leadership positions.

“In economic empowerment, women should be interested in the positive ideas to sell and what to offer to the public for development and not only money aspect of it.

“It is a matter of what you do that is impactful on people around. Women should also support one another, express pleasantries and admiration and avoid fanning enemity,”

she said.

Speaking, Mrs Nkechi Obi, Group Managing Director, Techno Oil Limited, urged women in the sector to be focused and foster hardwork.in all ramifications.

Obi, who described hardwork and focus as key to success in life, advised women to nurture the younger ones to be successful in life.

Also, Dr Lami Ahmed, a Board Member of the NNPC Ltd, advised women to have value to attract those in need of their various services.

Ahmed decried poor participation of women at the National Assembly and called for active participation, especially in formulation and implementation of policies.

She said active participation would enable women to strategically identify policies inhabiting growth or creating barriers to ensure their eradication.

Dr Zainab Gobir, Executive Director, Economic Regulations and Strategic Planning Directorate, Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulation Authority (NMDPRA), advised women on collaboration and networking to develop themselves and society.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that highlight of the event was presentation of awards to Sen. Okadigbo, professional women in the industry and others for their contributions to the industry. (NAN)

L-R: Chief Legal Officer, Speak Out Africa Initiative (SOAI), Hyginus Ibega; member SOAI, Esther Ogbomo; Executive Director, SOAI, Kenneth Eze and Program Assistant, SOAI, Oluchi Alphonsus, during the official launch of #310DaysActiveCivicAction, FixJusticeProject. Ng, held yesterday in Abuja. Photo-: Justin Imo-owo

Court restores Ararume as NNPCL Chair, awards N5b against the President, NNPCL

By Vivian Okejeme, Abuja

Justice Inyang Ekwo of the Federal High Court Abuja, has restored Senator Ifeanyi Godwin Ararume as non Executive Chairman of the Nigeria National Petroleum Company Limited

NNPCL .

By the judgement, the court voided Ararume’s sack and set

aside his removal by President Muhammadu Buhari.

Justice Ekwo, in his judgement, held that the action of the President on January 17, 2023, was arbitrary, unlawful and illegal.

According to the court, Buhari acted ultra vires, wrongful, illegal, null and void in the ways and manners Ararume was sacked

after using his name to register NNPCL and that such brazen act cannot stand in the face of the law. Consequently, the court awarded N5Bilion against Buhari and NNPCL to be paid to Ararume as damages for the wrongful sack and disruption of his appointment. Therefore, the court ordered that Ararume be immediately

restored to office as non Executive Chairman of the NNPCL.

The Judge also declared as null and void all decisions of the Board of Directors of the NNPCL carried out in the absence of Ararume.

Recall that, Ararume had dragged Buhari before the Court praying it to declare his removal as NNPC Chief illegal, unlawful and unconstitutional and that it is

a total breach of CAMA law under which NNPCL was incorporated. He also, wants the court to issue an order to return him to office, Ararume also demanded N100 billion as compensation for the damages he suffered nationally and internationally in the unlawful way and manner his removal was carried out by President Buhari.

Jewish community hosts Ramadan breakfast for Muslims, Christian leaders in Abuja

By Abubakar Yunusa Abuja

The Jewish Community of Nigeria, on Monday hosted some notable leaders of the Muslim and Christian communities to an Iftar (Ramadan breakfast) in Abuja, as Muslims rounded off Ramadan.

Muslims worldwide observe Iftar during Ramadan by breaking their fast after sunset.

Speaking at the event, the Chief Rabbi of Nigeria, Rabbi Israel Uzan, expressed delight over the peaceful coexistence of all Nigerians despite their religious differences.

According to him, Nigerians live together and I have seen the mixing of different religions and different people living together and this is the reality of this country.

“For the last 10 years that I have been here, maybe am too naive or I have to change my glasses, I don’t see so much problem that we talked always in the newspaper. Yes, there are many problems but there are so many good aspects of Nigeria.

“In Nigeria as a country, they are always together because you cannot identify it as Christian, Muslim or Jews country. Nigeria is a beautifully mixed country, mixing families, politics, and businesses and tonight this is what we can see.”

Earlier, the Israeli Ambassador to Nigeria, Michael Freeman, said “what unites us is so much more than anything that divides us and the differences that we have are so minor in comparison to the fact that we are Abraham’s children.

“We all come from Abraham, we all come from the same place and we all are going to end up in the same place ultimately, and this is something special.

“Today is that opportunity for us to say, never again, not only say never again but to demonstrate it under this roof. Christians, Muslims, Jews, celebrating what unites us; Celebrating the festivals, we have just finished Easter, we’ve just been in Passover and We’re about to finish Ramadan.”

Also, an Imam of the Abuja

National Mosque, Dr Kabir Adam, reaffirmed the commitment of the Muslim community to peace building and peaceful coexistence in the country.

“Let us reaffirm our commitment to peace building, our commitment to peaceful coexistence, our commitment to always receive each other, live with each other and everybody is free to practice his own belief. Islam is very clear.

“Well, I think the last few days we celebrated the Passover. We had Good Friday, as well as Easter Monday. The three things used to happen only three times in 100 years, So this year is very historic.

“Qur’an said there is no compulsion in religion, so you can practice your religion, I can practice my religion, or we can talk to people, sell to them the ideas of our religion.

“And whoever is interested, is free to take it or leave it, but the most important thing is for us to always live in peace and understand each other,” Kabir said.

Similarly, the Chairman, Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), FCT Chapter, Rev. Timothy Amakon, said religion should not be something that would divide human beings or something that would make human beings see one

another as enemies.

“But I believe that religion is what God has made to unite us. All human beings in the entire world should understand that we are one and that we are serving the same God.

“It depends on the angle that somebody is coming from, So I pray that God will make us understand it so that all of us will live in peace and practice our religions.”

Speaking on the essence of the gathering, the Chief Imam of Al-Habibiyah Islamic Society, Imam Fuad Adeyemi, explained that the event was to confirm and practicalise what the two religions

stand for.

“All religions cannot be one. We couldn’t have one religion, but whatever the number of religious groups that we belong to, we should not see it as a weapon to fight ourselves. That is the only thing we are saying in the Abrahamic mission.

“The essence of what we are doing here today is also to confirm or to cement that unity. Yes, we are different. Yes, we could do things together. Yes, our difference does not mean we are enemies to ourselves and that is why this programme is also trying to promote peace and unity,” he said.

Adamawa Guber tussle: Court hears Binani’s exparte application, April 26

By Vivian Okejeme, Abuja

The Federal High Court, has refused to entertain the exparte application brought before it by the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress APC on the 2023 Adamawa Gubernatorial election result declaration tussle, Senator Aisha Dahiru Ahmed.

Binani, through her counsel,

Mohammed Sheriff, wants the court to determine whether the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) can take any further steps on the declared governorship election results made by its Resident Electoral Commissioner REC, Mr Hudu Ari.

Justice Inyang Edem Ekwo, however asked Binani’s counsel to first address the jurisdiction

of the court to entertain such matter.

Consequently, the court gave Binani’s counsel three days to file his address on the issue.

He then fixed April 26, for hearing of the ex-parte application and the motion on whether the court has jurisdiction.

Earlier, another lawyer, Afeez Matanmi who claimed

to be counsel to the incumbent Adamawa State Governor, Ahmadu Fintiri had sought to address the Court but was shut out on the ground that the issue before the court was an ex-parte application for now.

Defendants in the ex-parte application are the Independent National Electoral Commission INEC, People’s Democratic Party PDP and Ahmadu Fintiri.

From left, Facilitator, Mr Rex Abidogun; Waste management and environmental Analyst, Mrs Aanu Israel; Country Director, Small Grant Programme (SGP) Engr Adeolu Adesotu; UNDP representative, Mrs Ronke Olubanise and Chief Executive officer, SGP, Mrs Ibukun Odesote during a training programme on deploying the power of IT -Engaged youths in effective use and plastic waste management, in Abuja yesterday

Police presents N58.3m cheques to 32 late personnels families in Niger

From Yakubu Mustapha Minna

Niger State Commissioner of Police, Ogundele J. Ayodeji, has presented cheques of N58,578,566.66k to 32 families of Police personnel

who died in active service in the Command within the year 2020/2022.

Presentation of cheques to the next of kin and family members was under the IGP’s Group Life Assurance Benefits Schemes.

The Commissioner of Police appreciated the IGP for the speedy processing of the claim welfare package.

CP Ayodeji urged the families of the deceased to judiciously use the resources in order to improve the living

standard of the next of kin, the children and the widows.

He applauded the IGP for fast tracking the release of funds in order to provide immediate succor to the families that are left behind by deceased police personnel.

A beneficiary, Mrs Magret Bulus commended the IGP, the Commissioner of Police and the State Police Command, as well as the Command’s Pension/ Insurance Desk Officer for their efforts towards making the claims a reality.

May 29: Stakeholders express optimism in Enugu economy

Development stakeholders in Enugu have expressed optimism for a quantum leap in the state’s economy in the first two years of the governorelect, Mr Peter Mbah.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Mbah and his deputy governor-elect, Ifeanyi Ossai, will be inaugurated as helmsmen of the Coal City following their victory in the March 18, 2023 governorship polls in the state.

The stakeholders expressed the optimism in separate interviews with NAN on Monday in Abuja.

The Director-General, Peter Mbah Support Group (PMSG), Chief Emeka Ogbu-Nwobodo, expressed optimisim of a prosperous economy from May 29.

Ogbu-Nwobodo told NAN that he relied heavily on Mbah’s manifesto to grow the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of the state from $4.4 billion in 2022 to $30 billion by 2031.

“This is a very ambitious mission statement. It is indeed desirable to return Enugu state to its post independence era growth and retain it as the investment destination of Eastern Nigeria.

“Peter Mbah is capable of raising the bar in two years.

“He has demonstrated this in his Pinnacle Oil prior to his emergence as the governor-elect,” he said.

The director-general said it was thoughtful of the incoming governor to propose targeted policy incentives for public-private

sector investments in key growth enabling sectors.

Ogbu-Nwobodo listed the sectors as: energy and natural resources development; agroallied industrialisation and rural development; private sector development and integrated productive infrastructure development.

Chief Jude Aninta, the Abuja Coordinator of the group, said they looked forward for a prosperous Enugu economy from May 29.

Aninta told NAN that the incoming administration would surprise the citizens with “systematic, sustained and forward looking aproach”, to the development of the state.

“I am excited by the governorelect’s plans in commerce and industry with focus on thriving Special Economic Zones to accelerate Micro, Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (MSMEs) development.”

Aninta said that Mbah’s promise to partner venture capital firms to create over N100 billion venture capital for MSME’s per annum would help turn around the state’s economy in the shortest time possible.

Also, a development expert, Mr John-Kennedy Chime, noted that the governor-elect had set a target of providing portable water to inhabitants of the capital city in his first 100 days and construction/ expansion of 10,000 kilometres of road across the state.

Chime also expressed optimisim that Mbah and his team

would drive the administration’s urban renewal, roads and bridges, public transportation, creative industry, tourism and ICT initiatives as spelt out in the mission statement.

“I want to see a lot of developments in the rural areas in order to harness the agro-potential of our state and give the rural dwellers a real sense of belonging.

“Mbah has promised to apply modern technologies to provide security, job creation for the teeming youth, massive

improvement of education; healthcare delivery, women and sports.

“Enugu people will derive the joy from their Mbah/Ossai choice.

“We do not expect less and I am sure that the incoming Mbah administration will be unique and break many new grounds,” Chime added.

Chief Emeka Aba, an industrialist and astute businessman, said the likes of Peter Mbah were not easily found.

Aba noted that Mbah’s

humility, discipline, foresightedness, industry, business acumen, integrity and spirit of accommodation would be deployed to governance to uplift the standard of living of Enugu people.

He urged other stakeholders in the Enugu to sink their differences and partner the new administration to bridge the infrastructure deficit of the state.

“Today it is Mbah. It could be you tomorrow,” Aba added.

(NAN)

Activists storms venue of 6th Nigeria International Energy Summit over fossil fuel exploration

From: Femi Oyelola, Kaduna

The Africa Network for Environment and Economic Justice, ANEEJ, the people’s AGM platform and other Climate Justice activists yesterday stormed the venue of 6th Nigeria International Energy Summit to protest the devastating impact of oil and gas exploration activities in Nigeria. This was contained in a statement signed by the Executive Director of ANEEJ Rev. David Ugolor and made available to the media in Kaduna yesterday.

The statement stated that the country is facing gas flaring, oil spills, environmental degradation and pollution or contamination of the land, water, air, loss of livelihood, health challenges and other negative effects because of the exploration activities.

The statement added that goal of the protest was to send a strong message to the Nigerian government, oil multinationals and investors, condemning further investment in oil and gas projects and to demand increased investment to support a fair and just transition to renewable

energy.

“We are committed to limiting global warming to 1.5°C in line with the Paris Climate Agreement.

ANEEJ and others also want the Federal Government and all governments supporting oil and gas extraction in the Niger Delta to offer noteworthy financing for loss and damages to the people of Niger Delta and host communities.

The protesters, however, said the oil and gas companies are more interested in making a profit at our detriment, despite

global agreements on emission reduction

“ From 16th – 20th of April 2023, about 5,000 participants from 45 countries, comprising government leaders, Ministers, Investors and delegates of Multinational Oil Companies and energy industries will meet at the 6th Nigeria International Energy Summit in Abuja.

“This is a global forum endorsed by the highest level of the Federal Executive Council to stimulate discussions, interactions and signing of highlevel deals that will reshape the

energy landscape.

“ We all know that fossil fuel exploration has and continues to significantly contribute to the rising global temperature and unfathomable pollution of our local environment and our climate, as is our reliance on them.

“Despite the United Nations IPCC’s warning that exceeding 1.5°C will result in more severe climate change impacts, more deals promoting fossil fuel expansion are being negotiated arbitrarily, endangering our lives and livelihoods.”

L-R: Chairman, Agrotek Value Chains Agent (Agrptekvca Ltd), MPaul N. Eluhaiwe, Director General, Rice Processors Association of Nigeria (RIPAN), Mr. Andy Ekwelem and Director, Prime Waves Limited, Engr. Ilyasu Nazifi, during the press conference on strategies for deepening and strengthening the Nigeria Rice Sub-sector towards a more sustainable and impactful development, yesterday in Abuja. Photo: Mahmud Isa

By Maryam Abeeb

About 84,000 candidates on Tuesday sat for the rescheduled MockUnified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (Mock-UTME) which was held across the country.

Registrar of Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), Professor Is-haq Oloyede, who stated this while speaking to newsmen after monitoring the exam in Abuja, expressed delight over the hitchfree exercise.

He commended candidates for showing understanding over the board’s decision to

84,000 candidates sit for rescheduled Mock -UTME

reschedule the examination for Tuesday (today) adding that the glitches earlier observed in the Mock-UTME in some centres that prompted it to be rescheduled was as a result of deployments of innovations .

Oloyede stated that the Mock-UTME was held in 387 Computer-Based Test (CBT) centres across the country, with

16 of the centres having two sessions, adding that the results of the exam would be out today.

On his part, JAMB’s Director of Information Technology Services (ITS), Fabian Okoro, who was on ground at the control room domiciled in the exam body’s headquarters in Bwari, Abuja, said real time information from all CBT centres revealed

that the exam was conducted smoothly.

During a visit to some of the CBT centres in Abuja which include the one in Total Child Model College, Dutse, JAMB CBT Centre, Kogo, among others, candidates were seen taking part in the exam in an orderly manner.

One of the candidates, Luka

Mercy, commended JAMB for ensuring that the mock exam went on as planned without any issue.

“The JAMB (exam) was actually a good and successful one, no problem at all, no worries. The computer did not go off and I finished successfully and I really enjoyed the questions that were set,” she said.

We’ll create enabling environment for Benue citizens – Deputy Governor-Elect

The Deputy Governorelect of Benue, Mr Sam

Ode, has said that the All Progressives Congress( APC) led government in the state would create an enabling environment and opportunities for residents of the state to thrive.

Ode stated this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) after a visit by a delegation from a Support Group, Alia Alliance World Wide in Abuja on Tuesday.

He said that to achieve this, the administration would declare an emergency on the payment of outstanding salaries and pensions of civil servants in the state.

Ode said that because of the importance of wages to the well-being of the workforce, the government intends to clear all arrears of pensions and salaries.

“We also cannot say that the payment of salaries is an achievement but it is a stepping stone to doing more,”he said.

Ode, who is a former Minister of State for Niger Delta, said that the move would also serve as motivation for service delivery in the state’s civil service.

“The civil service remains the engine of every society, we will ensure that the civil service is functional before other things could come up.

“We are not taking the opportunity being given to us by the Benue people for granted.

“Even the holy Bible tells us that every worker is worthy of his wages, when anyone works, his wages should be paid. It is not questionable.

“It is our intention to clear the backlog of salaries and wages. We know that pensioners are suffering and we want to halt that trend.

“If people will work after 35 years and they cannot be guaranteed of their pension, it means that the motivation to

put in their best on the job will not be there.

“We will declare an emergency on the outstanding pensions, salaries of local government and state workers,” he said.

Ode said that as a deputy, he was in the shadow of his principal, adding that they would not rest until outstanding salaries, pension and gratuities of workers are paid.

“I am very sure that with the assumption of office on May 29, the outstanding salaries, pensions and gratuities will be settled,“ he said.

He said that the security and welfare of the people would also be a priority to their government.

The deputy governor-elect said measures would be put in place to curb insecurity and enhance growth in the state.

He also said the new administration intends to improve the facility of the education of Benue children.

”The average girl or boy is brilliant, what they are looking for is a good and conducive environment to study.”

He thanked the group for their support and urged them to set up a platform for the government to take off.

“Develop a new structure for the government to take off, plan ,organise retreats for elected members for good governance.

“I remain hopeful in any group, association that will produce and create avenues for peace and economic growth of the state. We will not take your trust for granted,” he said.

Mr Kelvins Dzeremo and Mr Kenneth Gyado who led the delegation, urged the deputy governor-elect to work harmoniously with the governor- elect to continue to win the trust of the people.

They promised to support the new government to achieve positive reforms in the state. (NAN)

Association tasks President-elect on development of mining sector

The Gold Miners Processors and Marketers Association of Nigeria (GMPMA) has urged the President-elect, Sen. Bola Tinubu to place priority on the development of the mining sector of the economy.

Mr Auwal Bununu, the GMPMA president, said this when he spoke with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja on Sunday.

Bununu said the sector was faced with lack of government attention, adding that such had hindered effective implementation of projects and policies in the sector.

“The sector is expected to be a major contractor to the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

“In the 1960s and 70s, the sector contributed about 15 per cent of GDP because there was attention and strong support by

relevant authorities.

“But today, the GDP contribution is low as the sector is no longer receiving such support and attention.

“The financial institutes and fiscal policies are not capturing the sector very well in the policy formulation, thereby making the sector not functioning effectively as its being expected,” he said.

Bununu, also the Technical Adviser to Nigeria Association of Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Miners and Agriculture (NACCIMA), a mining group, said the association’s target was to promote the economic development of the country.

He said that the NACCIMA was an umbrella body of the GMPMA, adding that the association was working with stakeholders to achieve its objectives.

Bununu said that the

association welcomed the president-elect pronouncement of plans forming a government of competence, which would ensure development in all the sectors in the economy.

” I am happy to hear the President-elect saying that he is going to form a government of competence.

“What that means is that from my own understanding, the administration will bake the national cake and ensure that it gets to everyone in all sectors in the country. What we have been experiencing is sharing formulas, but not baking the cake.

“So, in as much as the president elect has promised a government of competence, it means that he will not only bake the cake but everybody will benefit from the sharing.

“So, if he is baking the cake,

mining is the most important sector that brings not only revenue generation but also industrial development,” he said.

Bununu added:“The president-elect cannot bake the cake without developing the mining industries where the country benefit from with heavy revenue and creating job opportunities.

“The association is now developing a private sector framework of mineral and metal development which will serve as a cake baking alternative for the new administration.

“The framework is a very critical thing, so we are working on the strategy to ensure it brings good result.

“We are also going to dialogue with the incoming administration as soon as he sworn-in.”

(NAN)

Mr Sam Ode

Gombe to get ministry for religious affairs

From Ahmed Idris, Birnin Kebbi

The newly elected Kebbi State Governor Dr. Nasir Idris has assured all religious leaders that his administration will establish Ministry for Religious Affairs. He made this proclamation yesterday while receiving the leader of the Muslims in Kebbi State.

“I promise this during my campaign era and inshallah I assured you that I am going to implement it.”

Gombe APC Kashere ward sacks Goje over ant-party

From David Hassan, Gombe The All Progressives Congress( APC) Kashere ward in Gombe state has sacked Sen. Mohammed Danjuma Goje from its party over ant-party activities. Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Kashere ward Mr. Tanimu Abdullahi made the announcement on Tuesday while briefing Journalists. He said the decision took place when a 5 man committee was inaugurated on the 17th of March 2023 to investigate the Senator over his ant-party role during the last general elections. According to him, after the deliberation, at a meeting a letter was issued to Senator Goje to appear before the committee for questioning but he turned the invitation. He said the APC constitution as amended on articule 21 sub 1, 2 and 3 has given them the power to sack him. While addressing Journalists, the chairman said series of letters were issued to Sen Goje to comply but to no avail.

Court insists on Abure’s suspension as LP Nat’l Chair

By Vivian Okejeme, Abuja

The High Court of the Federal Capital Territory, has refused to vacate an interim order restraining the National Chairman of the Labour Party (LP) Mr Julius Abure, the National Secretary,

Alhaji Farouk Ibrahim and two others from parading themselves as leaders of the party.

The court, however, fixed April 20, to take all applications in respect of the matter. When the matter was called, counsel to Abure, Alex Ejesieme

(SAN), prayed the Court to vacate the interim order and restore a semblace of sanity, after a forceful take over of the Labour Party national secretariat by another faction.

Ejesieme submitted that the division in the party following the interim order has worsened,

to the point that four groups in the Imo State chapter of the Labour Party held parallel primaries.

Responding, Justice Hamza Muazu ordered all parties in the suit to ensure speedy filing of their processes to make quick hearing of the case possible.

Again, Air Peace resumes flight operations to Benue

From Uche Nnorom,

Air Peace has commenced official flight operation in Benue State. It should be noted that last year 2022, Air Peace had alsoflagged off its operation which was later grounded.

It was gathered that they failed to meet Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria, FAAN, Nigeria Airspace Management Authority, NAMA and the

Nigerian Meteorological Agency,NiMET, amongst other regulatory requirements.

Speaking at the event, Governor Samuel Ortom said his administration has invested heavily, (though he failed to mention the amount) in time, goodwill and financial resources to help to meet the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority’s rigorous requirements for the resumption of Commercial Aviation services here.

He highlighted government’s contributions to include: facilitating the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding by the NAF, FAAN, NAMA and NiMET for the use of the NAF Aerodrome for commercial services, procurement and provision of a NCAA-approved Digital Airport Rescue Fire Fighting,ARFF vehicle along with training, equipping and testing of over 50 Fire Staff; provision of a state-of-the-art

Ambulance and trained Health personnel for Emergency Rescue Services, facilitating the Geodetic Survey of the Airport to ensure the Airport is included in International Civil Aviation Organization, ICAO maps so that pilots can rely on instruments (and not just their eyes) to fly into Makurdi, provisions of Airport Tarmac markings and related airside signages and provision of operational vehicle for NAMA.

Makurdi

Rev. Fr. Ben Okon ( left), Mrs , Engr. Ngozi Aniekwe (Right), President, catholic women organization, (CWO), sacred heart parish and other women, during the celebration of Mother’s day with Thanksgiving at the church recently in Gwagwalada , Abuja

Disobedience to court order: Commit Emefiele to prison, plaintiff tells court

By Vivian Okejeme, Abuja

One Olalekan Popoola, is before a Federal Capital Territory High Court, seeking imprisonment of Governor of Central Bank of Nigeria(CBN), Mr Godwin Emefiele, for his failure to immediately obey the order of the Supreme Court over naira redesign policy.

In suit number CV/2757/2023, the plaintiff is seeking an order of the court committing the Mr Emefiele to prisons for having disobeyed the interim order and Judgment of the Supreme Court of Nigeria in Appeal No: SC/CV/162/2023 between Attorney General of Kaduna State and nine orders against the Attorney General of the Federation amd 2 Orders.

My Popoola, also wants the court to declare that the subsequent or any compliance by

the Defendant with the interim orders and Judgment of the Supreme Court of Nigeria in Appeal No: SC/CV/162/2023 between Attorney General of Kaduna State & 9 Ors v. AttorneyGeneral of the Federation & 2 Ors does not operate to exculpate him of the earlier disobedience of the interim orders and Judgment of the Supreme Court of Nigeria at the material times.

He told the court, “the Defendant, while holding office as the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria on 26” October, 2022 issued a directive introducing new N200, N500 and N1000 bank notes.

“Based on the policy/ directives, the termination date of use of the old N200, N500 and N1000 bank notes was set to be 31* day of January, 2023.

“Some aggrieved State approached the Supreme Court of Nigeria in its Original

Jurisdiction, whereupon the Supreme Court made interim order directing that the old N200, NS00 and N1000 will continue to be legal tender in Nigeria.

“Also, on 8th February, 2023 the Supreme Court also made an interim order and also on 3rd March, 2023 the Supreme Court delivered its Judgment in Appeal No: SC/CV/162/2023 between Attorney General of Kaduna State & 9 Ors v. Attorne i . Y General of the Federation & 2 Ors, that the old N200, N500 and N1000 will continue to be a legal tender in Nigeria eria.

“The Defendant, as the Governor of Central Bank of Nigeria is the party saddled with the responsibility of comply with the orders of the Supreme Court by ensuring, amongst other things, that the “old version of 200, 500 and 1000 naira notes shall continue to be legal tender alongside with the new

or redesigned version until 31 12 2023”.

“The Defendant is directly affected by the Orders of the Supreme Court and has the duty to ensure the “reception of old 200, 500 and 1000 naira notes and the swapping of same with new naira notes shall continue till 31% December, 2023.”

“The Defendant has a duty and legal obligation to obey the Orders of the Supreme Court. The Defendant deliberately disobeyed the Orders of the Supreme Court.

“The Defendant did not comply with the interim orders of the Supreme Court made on 8th February, 2023 or the Judgment of the Supreme Court made on 3rd March, 2023.

The action of the Defendant is illegal and amounted to disobedience to Orders of the Court, for which he is liable to be committed to prison.

L –R , Vice President , Women Development , Abuja Chambers of Commerce and Industry , Mrs. Rose Nwosu ; Director General , Governors Forum , Asishana Okauru ; Nate Okauru ; former Executive Chairman , Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) , Mrs. Ifueku Omoigui –Okauru and the Executive Secretary , Guaranty Trust Bank , Oseni Elamah at the 2nd. Memorial mass service of Dr. Nowamagbe Austin Omoigui held at the Holy Trinity Church Maitama , Abuja ….yesterday ( 18th.

APRIL 2023 )

Group sensitises civil society, humanitarian workers on mental health

From: Femi Oyelola, Kaduna

Good Deeds, a global movement of people dedicated to doing good has sensitised civil society organisations and humanitarian workers on mental health and selfcare while providing humanitarian services.

The Focal Person of the group in Kaduna State, Mrs Itama Okhuelegbe, said at the event in Kaduna, that the exercise was to also appreciate civil society and humanitarian workers for their selfless service to humanity.

The event was organised in collaboration with the Thinkers Children Foundation, as part of activities to mark the 2023 Good Deeds Day.

Okhuelegbe explained that the Good Deeds Day sought to promote people giving back to their community, thereby promoting

harmonious relationships among people.

She said that since 2007, Good Deeds Day had been uniting people from around the world with the aim of spurring them to help others and do good for their communities.

“The act of charity and good deeds towards people in need, or communities in despair, is never forgotten by their recipients.

“Today, we are celebrating civil society organisations, individuals and groups rendering humanitarian services first responders to people in need, putting smiles on people’s faces and keeping families together.

“We want to thank groups and individuals that have been rendered selfless help to survivors of sexual and gender-based violence, marginalised, neglected, and exploited groups.

“We want more people to become ambassadors of doing good things to those in need in whatever

way they can – feeding the hungry, providing shelter to the homeless, and clothing the poor, among other good deeds,” she said.

While acknowledging the good deeds of humanitarian service providers, Okhuelegbe, however, stressed the need for humanitarian and development workers to also care for themselves to avoid mental breakdown.

On his part, Mr Peter Ebeh, Senior Psychologist with Neem Foundation, Kaduna Office, described mental health as emotional, psychological and social wellbeing of people.

According to him, mental health affects how people think, feel, and behave.

“It particularly determines how people handle stress, anxiety, depression, and insecurity; how they relate to others and the kind of choices they make”, he said.

He pointed out that with too

This Honourable Court has the jurisdiction to enforce the orders/Judgment of the Supreme Court of Nigeria by committing the Defendant to prison. . There is need to enforce the Orders/ Judgment of the Supreme Court of Nigeria by committing the Defendant to prison.”

Sickle Cell: Government tasked to sensitize citizens

From: Femi Oyelola, Kaduna

The Founder of Sickle Cell Patients Health Promotion Centerville (SCPHPC) Kaduna Hajiya Badiya Magaji

Inuwa

has called on the federal and state governments to rise to the challenge of ensuring proper sensitization about sickle cell disease among Nigerians

She asserted this while speaking to our Correspondent in Kaduna yesterday.

According to her, Sickle cell anaemia is a terminal disease so should be accorded the same importance like Malaria and HIV/AIDS.

She expressed dismay that the government at all levels are not given the required attentions.

Hajiya Badiya stressed the need for government to make Nigerians go for their genotype tests before marriage, as a way of reducing the disease in the country.

She noted that those suffering from sickle cell disease needs to be shown love and care as a way of encouraging them to fight the disease.

much demand on the humanitarian workers, they could encounter stress, which in the long run, would affect their mental health.

“People need to know that in the attempt to do good and extend a helping hand without taking care of themselves, they may end up in a dysfunctional mental state.

“There is, therefore, the need for people to balance their work with self-care, to be able to function normally and maintain stable mental health,” he said.

One of the participants, Mr Sunday Awulu, Secretary, Kaduna State Branch, Nigerian Red Cross, acknowledged the absence of a balance between humanitarian work in the field and the workers’ self-care.

Awulu identified psychological stress due to pressure to meet set targets as one of the major causes of mental breakdown among humanitarian workers.

Hajiya Badiya also called for support for parents and relatives of those living with sickle cell disease, stressing that majority of them pass through great challenges while taking care of their family suffering from the disease.

She explained that SCPHPC has gone into collaboration with those living with sickle cell to create more awareness of what those living with the disease pass through and the need for all to come together to support and help them where necessary.

She urged the National Assembly to have a legislative law that would give special attention to sickle cell patients and provide affordable treatment for them, saying many were facing stigmatization in society.

Sudan: Urging Burhan and Dagalo to shield their swords

By Isaac Asabor

At least one warehouse containing food and other humanitarian supplies was also looted. In many cases, vehicles were also taken. The overall impact will be significant, and humanitarian organizations will struggle to recommence programmes without crucial assets and supplies as they try to respond to the 15.8 million people in Sudan who are assessed to need humanitarian assistance.

There is no denying the fact that Sudan, a country that lies at the crossroads of Sub-Saharan Africa and the Middle East, bordering the Red Sea has for many years been enmeshed in the quagmire of violence that has culminated in killings, destruction, and mayhem afflicting the people even right from its nascent stage of becoming an independent African state.

To say in this context that the seemingly intractable streak of violence in Sudan grieves many people in the world today and shatters their hopes cannot be said to be misconceived. At different stages of arbitration, not a few go-betweens across the world, are disappointed that political and military leaders in Sudan are yet to learn from their past mistakes as it seems they belligerently throw the country into war without thinking about the consequences of the war on the people and entire resources in the country.

Given the collective belligerency of Sudanese leaders, it is obvious that achieving peace and stability for the people of South Sudan has been an almost a lifetime endeavor, even as it has become a question that has been of primary concern to both African countries and countries in other continents.

After all the efforts invested in the country for peace to reign, it is disheartening to observe over the years that thousands of Sudanese have been killed and unaccountable millions of people have fled their homes to escape the scourge of war.

For instance, women have been raped and even children have been recruited as soldiers. More painful is that this death toll and destruction has been the result of the comrades in arms of yesterday turning on each other to become the enemies of today. Should they continue on this course, the leaders of the warring parties will also bear primary responsibility for shattering efforts being made in the past to unite the people of Sudan in their long struggle for peace.

Despite great efforts by Africa and the international community to end this senseless war, the tragedy continues, at a massive cost. No monetary figure or economic projection can quantify the full human cost this lingering conflict has imposed on Sudan. There can be no price tag on the suffering of Sudan’s

people from displacement, famine, and death. But it is possible to assess the direct economic costs by estimating the loss of productive assets and capital, the reduction in economic activity, and the domestic diversion from productive to non-productive activities. The costs are equally severe for neighboring countries and the international community at large, including, in this case, the likely decline in formal trade flows with Sudan’s neighbors, and the cost of providing humanitarian aid and UN peacekeepers for years to come.

Against the foregoing backdrop, it is expedient to opine that living with the destructions orchestrated by war in Sudan over the years is hard enough for Sudanese and their sympathizers to cope with, not to talk of a fresh war beginning on April 15, 2023.

As statistically reported by the African Development Bank Group in its 2022 African Economic Outlook (AEO), “Sudan’s GDP grew by an estimated 0.5% in 2021, recovering from a negative 3.6% in 2020.

Growth was supported by agriculture and mining on the supply side and private consumption and investment on the demand side. The recovery follows several years of economic contraction stemming from macroeconomic imbalances, structural deficiencies, political instability, and COVID-19. The central bank adopted an accommodative monetary policy in 2021 to boost credit growth and economic activity. Inflation more than doubled from 163.3% in 2020 to 358.9% in 2021, owing to currency depreciation and the removal of fuel subsidies. Banks dominate the financial sector, accounting for over 80% of total assets. Fiscal consolidation and improved public revenues, as COVID-19 restrictions were eased, reduced the fiscal deficit to 4.5% of GDP in 2021 from 5.6% in 2020.

“Sudan reached a “decision point” under the HIPC initiative in 2021, cutting its $56 billion external debt (163% of GDP) by 50%. The current account deficit increased to 10.0% of GDP in 2021 from 8.3% in 2020, with higher imports after the lifting of COVID-19 restrictions, offsetting the pickup in exports arising from improved external demand. The current account deficit was financed by portfolio investments and external borrowing. International reserves remained very low at 0.3 and 0.4 months of imports in 2021 and 2020. Sudan’s SDR allocation was equivalent to $857.7 million (262% of international reserves) in 2021, but it was suspended after the October 2021 military takeover. Poverty increased from 55.4% in 2020 to 55.9% in 2021 and unemployment remained high at 18% in 2020, partly due to COVID-19.”

Given the level of post-war recovery that Sudan has been recording, is it not foolhardy on part of Sudanese military generals

Achraf Hakimi and the rest of us

By Zayd Ibn Isah

Hakimi and Hiba’s divorce saga has generated quite a lot of buzz on social media. While some people praised Hakimi’s wisdom, others were of the view that Hiba shouldn’t be derided as a gold digger simply because she asked for her part of a contractual marital agreement. They also believe the welfare of the kids to be very paramount towards ensuring Hakimi does the needful.

Moroccan footballer, Achraf Hakimi, has been in the spotlight lately following the news of his divorce from Hiba Abouk, his erstwhile wife. French Magazine— First Mag reported that Hiba had asked for half of Hakimi’s assets and fortune, but was shocked to discover that he has nothing in his name, despite earning a whopping $1 million monthly from his club, Paris Saint Germain.

The 36 year-old actress went to court with the full weight of the law behind her, but as a typical Omo Mummy that Hakimi is, he had registered all his properties in his mother’s name. However, this report has yet to be officially confirmed or denied by either Hakimi or his wife.

On the other hand of this intriguing tale is Hakimi’s mother who came into the limelight during the most recent FIFA World Cup in Qatar. Hakimi shared an emotional hug with her in pictures and videos that went viral, tugging at heartstrings. Morocco had only just registered a shocking victory over Belgium. Hakimi would go on to replicate the same gesture in subsequent wins over Spain and Portugal. There is no denying the fact that the Moroccan footballer and his lovely mother share an unbreakable bond. A bond so strong that it may or may not have motivated Hakimi to entrust almost all of his wealth to his mother, much to the dismay of his wife.

Poor Hiba. Apparently, she met Hakimi in 2018 when he was still a young, promising player for his boyhood club, Real Madrid. The pair would go on to date for two good years before finally tying the nuptial knot in 2020. Their union would be blessed with two kids and seemed perfect until things fell

apart recently.

There’s been speculation that Hiba may have decided to end it all on the heels of Hakimi’s rape scandal. The PSG star was accused of raping a 24-year-old lady right in his Boulogne home while his wife and children were on vacation.

In light of these sobering allegations, it was also revealed that the pair had been growing further and further apart due to irreconcilable differences that teetered on their differing personalities. The interesting fact about Hiba and Hakimi’s relationship was that as at the time they both met in 2018, Achraf was merely twenty years old, while Hiba was thirtytwo. This has made many to see the latter as some sort of a predatory cougar, but perhaps, age is really just a number?

It’s necessary to note that in the midst of all this, Hiba is doing well enough as an actress with a net worth of about $3 million. She does not exactly need Achraf to survive, but a little more money has never quite hurt anyone. This has given rise to humorous speculations that since Hakimi might be virtually bankrupt with nothing to his name, Hiba may be compelled to part with half of her wealth in order to cater for him, instead of the other way round. No be double wahala for deadi body be that?

Hakimi and Hiba’s divorce saga has generated quite a lot of buzz on social media. While some people praised Hakimi’s wisdom, others were of the view that Hiba shouldn’t be derided as a gold digger simply because she asked for her part of a contractual marital agreement. They also believe the welfare of the kids to be very paramount towards ensuring Hakimi does the needful.

A few people also cited the example of the former Ivorian footballer, Emmanuel Eboue, who lost all he labored for to his ex-wife after playing football for years in Europe. Poor Eboue almost became suicidal. His story is truly pathetic, if not instructional. In fact, Emmanuel Eboue’s case is not altogether an isolated one. Iconic sportsmen such as Tiger Woods, Michael Jordan and Mike Tyson have all been hit by marital crisis. In Jordan’s case, the iconic basketball champion

who are invariably not patriotic enough as they are obviously inconsiderate towards the betterment of the country’s economy to have thrown the country into another bout of violence? The foregoing view cannot be farfetched as the recent outbreak of clashes between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) that broke out a few days ago is capable of messing up the recovery of Sudan’s economy.

As gathered, the death toll has reportedly reached over 180, with another 1,800 people injured while humanitarian activities have been interrupted in many states due to widespread insecurity, with many reports of looting humanitarian assets.

Worrisome enough is that the leadership of the UN World Food Programme (WFP) has announced a temporary suspension of operations across the county following the killing of three staff caught in the crossfire in North Darfur.

In a similar vein, the World Health Organization (WHO) has warned that several of Khartoum’s hospitals have run out of blood, transfusion equipment, intravenous fluids, and other vital medical supplies, even as nine hospitals in Khartoum and two in Bahri (Khartoum North) have closed due to shelling and insecurity.

As gathered, humanitarian activities have been interrupted in many states due to widespread insecurity with many reports of looting humanitarian assets. In some states, such as Central Darfur and South Darfur, the compounds and guesthouses of many humanitarian organizations were looted. At least one warehouse containing food and other humanitarian supplies was also looted. In many cases, vehicles were also taken. The overall impact will be significant, and humanitarian organizations will struggle to recommence programmes without crucial assets and supplies as they try to respond to the 15.8 million people in Sudan who are assessed to need humanitarian assistance.

At this juncture, it is expedient to call on the two generals, Abdel Fattah AI Burhan and Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo who are presently fomenting trouble despite collective efforts being made toward the recovery of Sudan’s economy, to shield their swords as the current violence is capable of exacerbating the human costs incurred from previous wars in the country, and which are still been paid for. Not only that , regional mediators should once more enlighten the generals on serious economic costs, in the form of damage to infrastructure, a decline in the working population, inflation, shortages, uncertainty, a rise in debt, and disruption to normal economic activity which the latest violence would surely bring upon Sudan and its defenseless nationals.

Isaac Asabor is a Public Policy Analyst.

parted with $168 million ($226 million adjusted for inflation) — one of the most expensive divorce settlements as at 2006. Definitely, the list of sportsmen, musicians and even business tycoons hit hard by nasty divorces is inexhaustible. But Hakimi’s case seems to have generated unprecedented controversy and uproar because of the circumstances surrounding it. Some people have even questioned the strict laws of marriage as well as the power women have to initiate divorce and claim half of their husbands’ fortunes, especially in the West. This has been taken to explain why most rich male celebrities dread tying nuptial knots with their girlfriends, preferring to keep them as “baby mamas” instead. Hakimi’s case may have further reinforced such understandable fears.

While we are praising the young footballer for escaping an unsavory fate, we should be worried that marriage as an institution is dwindling day-by-day. On social media, a popular hashtag — #DEGM, meaning “Don’t Ever Get Married” is often reposted by men wary of marital complexities. As they should be. The rate at which young couples go in and out of marriage is reprehensible and worrying, to say the least. Unfortunately, no one is talking about the mental health of the children often caught in the wake of post-divorce hostilities. Nobody really considers how these children are supposed to live the rest of their lives without enjoying the presence of their parents under one roof. A popular axiom says that when two elephants fight, it is the grass that suffers. In a way, the same aptly applies to marriage and divorce. When a couple sunders a union over irreconcilable differences or much weightier reasons, it is often the children that bear the brunt.

Meanwhile, the fact that many marriages are hitting the rocks should not be the reason why anyone shies away from marital bliss. For every failed marriage, there are many successful marriages to look up to. All it often takes is stubborn hardwork, consideration and kindness to weather the storms which must surely assail every matrimonial home.

Zayd Ibn Isah is the Media Aide to the Chairman, Police Service Commission. He can be reached via isahzayd@gmail.com

Vernacular heritage: Reclaiming our lost identity

By Femi Amosun

It wasn’t by some magical predispositions or portentous pronouncement that l’m a Nigerian, so whenever l have the opportunity l do not shy away from proclaiming my Yoruba heritage. If you want to knock me for being a Nigerian, that’s your personal headache and self-inflicted pain which may eventually erode your rational being If other citizens of this world can be very proud of their country, l cannot be different? The Europeans are proud of their respective language, culture and identify.

It’s astounding that the authoritarian regime of Major General Muhammad Buhari (Rtd), towards the tail end of it Administration life cycle, finally realized that the future of young Nigerians is more important than any expression of self-importance. So, for once in modern day Nigeria the local “Language” is seen as paramount to foreign English language that we were required to study and pass at the elementary stage of our educational journey yet the Oyinbos doesn’t care about your ability to speak their language with proficiency. You may think that your ability to speak English is excellent forgetting that your “Accent” is a prelude to acceptance, jobs, training, and progression. As a foreigner and migrant in Europe, l know what it feels like to be discriminated against.

For over One Thousand years, despicable atrocities were committed against the Black race including Slavery, ignorantly and ingenuously aided by our own race. On the eve of 2022 World Cup in Qatar, the FIFA President Gianni Infantino accused the West of “hypocrisy” for its criticism of Qatar’s human rights record. In an extraordinary monologue, he said: “l feel Arab, l feel African, l feel a migrant worker”. Furthermore, he explicitly stated “For what we the Europeans have being doing in the last 3,000 years around the World, l think we should be apologizing for the next 3,000 years”. This is not a Conspiracy theory but a fact of historical proportion.

We know now that the Europeans did not come to develop Africa, the Europeans came to Africa solely to steal, loot and for Slave labour. The Slave merchants invaded our communities and localities, infiltrated our Culture, colonized and enslaved us with their Language to their strategic advantage and benefits. You only need to live abroad before you can understand the magnitude and the strategic implications of substituting our Language for foreign language. You’ll quickly learn that with your so-called spoken “Queen English” or “King English” you’re just a mere immigrant. On the flip side, we enthusiastically welcome these Oyinbos to our Country and treat them as “Special gods” while they clandestinely maintain, and manage, the Colonial agenda and legacies. We can draw a parallel with Social media. The Social media structure is vehemently based on fooling “not-so-clever minds to believe they’re more important than others hence you can display, showcase your whole life story to the World.

As many Nigerians of my generation may recollect, we also learnt in History about the French policy of “Assimilation” in colonized African territories whereby they forced local citizens to speak, act and adopt French ways termed “Civilization”. Despite the fact that Africans in France are being disproportionately treated, our fellow brethren still behave like French men and women and exhibits a shallow sense of “Superiority”. Back in secondary school days, we read both Yoruba and English literatures of Prof. Wole Soyinka, Chinue Achebe, and many notable Yoruba literatures like Ogboju Ode, Kako Onikuko Ekun etc., which accord to the liberal or cerebral thinking of real Africans. So in the 21st Century, one would have thought that our race (particularly the politicians) would’ve been wiser with inherent ability to assess the consequences (or ripple effect) of their actions or inactions. But today we are being ridiculed across the globe whereby Africans are subjected to measured racism yet Africans would rather pull down their fellow

brothers and sisters and then pretend all is well and bursting. It wasn’t by some magical predispositions or portentous pronouncement that l’m a Nigerian, so whenever l have the opportunity l do not shy away from proclaiming my Yoruba heritage. If you want to knock me for being a Nigerian, that’s your personal headache and self-inflicted pain which may eventually erode your rational being If other citizens of this world can be very proud of their country, l cannot be different? The Europeans are proud of their respective language, culture and identify. I see no reason why l should not cherish my language, culture and identify on equal terms. After over sixty years of Independence, an overwhelming majority of Nigerians are yet to discard their “Colonial mentality”. l cannot over-emphasis the consequential effects of such acute mentality on our national progression. One of the most profound outcomes of COVID-19 Pandemic is the explicit steps taken by many countries around the globe to reclaim their national pride, integrity, and effectively prevent foreign encroachment through induced influence and mental enslavement. Once we can overcome our overwhelming level of ignorance and naivety, we should begin to enlighten ourselves in order to make informed decisions about our future.

In conclusion, let me elucidate that speaking foreign language(s), especially in our Country, is nothing to brag about but rather a deliberate raid on the very foundation of our existence i.e.; our Language and Cultural identity. As a people of cultural pride with dignified values, we need to liberate ourselves and break free from foreign colonial mentality. Natural language is central to National orientation, attitude and patriotism. For the sake of nationhood, we cannot continue to allow the historical legacy of Colonialism to impair our development, both personally and nationally.

Femi Amosun is a Public Policy Analyst.

Mental health system in Nigeria, One sin too many

By Caleb Onah

The Federal Neuro-Psychiatric Hospital in Yaba, Lagos State, Nigeria, looks peaceful from the outside, but inside this centuries-old facility – one of six psychiatric centres in Lagos and one run by the federal government of Nigeria – tensions are high. At the outpatient clinic, an experience I will never forget as a young mental health counsellor fresh out of college. The line of people waiting to see the doctors was so large that it spilled out into the corridor. The number of cases is so overwhelming that Dr. Adegbaju, a psychiatrist and other mental health professionals rushed to take care of an agitated patient, who had to sleep in the hospital for the past two days. In the emergency room, a patient named Jide languished in queues since 7 a.m.

It wasn’t noon yet at Yaba Hospital’s Neuro-Psychiatric Hospital, but business went on as usual. Since 2018, the hospital has seen a more than 20% increase in the number of new patients suffering from various types of mental illness, and a 60% increase in the number of patients struggling with drug addiction, alcoholism and cravings for other psychoactive drugs. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), 1 in 4 Nigerians (approximately 50 million people) suffers from some form of mental illness. Not long ago, the President of the Psychiatric Association of Nigeria (APN), Taiwo Obindo, noted in September 2022 that more than 60 million Nigerians suffer from mental illness. Obindo and the head of the Department of Psychiatry at the West African Medical College of the Nigerian branch told the Nigerian News Agency (NAN) in Abuja one Sunday.

“Mental health care is in bad shape as we have over 60 million Nigerians with various mental illnesses and only 10% of them can get proper care, we end up with over 90% of people unable to access care, and this group is called the mental illness treatment gap,” says Obindo. He said this gap stems from a variety of factors, such as a lack of understanding in which people don’t have accurate information about the causes and treatment of mental illnesses.

The 2023 World Population Assessment shows that Nigeria, the sixth largest country in the world with 222,666,814 people, has the highest number of depression cases in Africa and ranks 15th in the world in terms of suicide frequency, according to WHO. There are fewer than 150 psychiatrists in this country of 200 million people, and WHO estimates that less than 10% of Nigerians with mental disorders have access to the care they need.

A study conducted by the African Institute in collaboration with EpiAFRIC found that many Nigerians still associate mental illness with demons, witchcraft and related supernatural causes. This misconception leads many people to seek treatment from religious leaders, healers, and the like. According to Nigerian mental health expert Aisha Bubah, “People have no idea about mental health and its origin but presume faith, superstitious belief and evil. And people’s ideas about mental health are always extreme cases”. In 2019, Human Rights Watch reported that thousands of people with mental illness live in shacks in facilities designed for treatment,

often run by missionaries. These centres are the only option available to many families.

The people of Nigeria have to live with the unresolved, multi-generational traumas caused by the legacy of slavery and colonialism, as well as the daily struggles for sustenance and survival, and lack of full access to psychosocial services. As we’ve seen before, our overworked psychiatrists, psychologists, therapists, social and other healthcare workers who have yet to succumb to the effects of brain drain, condemning funding shortages and a shrinking workforce.

Psychological treatments are also very expensive, and in addition, private psychologists are expensive, health insurance does not cover the cost of mental health treatment, and other comprehensive techniques are not common. However, decades after mental health regulatory reforms were delayed in legislative chambers with failed overhaul efforts in 2003 and 2013; President Muhammadu Buhari finally signed into law the Harmonised Mental Health Bill through both Houses of Parliament in January 2023. The signing appears to be a parting gift to Nigerians from the President who is also the first Post-Independence Mental Health Act/Act and will also replace the Insanity Act 1958. The new law emphasises the rights of people with mental disorders and addictions, such as the right to basic and constitutional human rights without discrimination, regardless of cause, nature or severity of mental disorders, and bans the expulsion of persons with mental disorders from residence or workplace due to a mental disorder. According to the bill, patients should be treated in the safest and least restrictive environment, receive follow-up care and rehabilitation, and have access to psychotropic medications and psychophysical therapies.

The Mental Health Act also addresses issues such as patient confidentiality and autonomy, access to patient data, labour rights for persons with mental illness, treatment plans, consent of minors to treatment, voluntary and involuntary hospitalization of persons with mental illness, and ad hoc courts. Recommendations. compulsory treatment. The telling effects of isolation and loneliness on mental wellbeing, and a plethora of domestic violence incidents during the present economic hardship should have served as a wake-up call to fully implement the current mental health and substance abuse bills. However, this has turned out to be a missed opportunity to introduce comprehensive mental health legislation.

Likewise, both the World Health Organization’s global mental health insurance initiative as well as the prevalence of substance abuse among young Nigerians have led the federal government to be pragmatic. Also, families, parents, teachers, and religious leaders have failed to understand the seriousness of what children, adolescents, and young adults sometimes experience and how this affects their relationship with their children, pushing them to the brink of loneliness, emptiness, depression and even worse, by committing suicide.

Today, despite the signing of mental health laws and legislation and the traditions of people and institutions all over the world,

implementation remains an ongoing ‘sin’ for many years. 10 years. There are many issues that limit the application of fundamental rights to rather common mental health legislation. These problems continue to interfere with the administration of justice for claims of rights that would benefit from expedited hearings and proceedings. Continuing to contribute to the conversation about the flaws in justice.

Aside from the technical challenges, there are constant problems and ‘sins’ we face as a nation: a lack of knowledge of governance and a strong civic culture of mental health and its ignorance of application in our society. Many Nigerians do not receive good psychological education, particularly about citizens, to fully appreciate citizenship and the rights, duties and responsibilities of being a citizen. Therefore, they do not value and do not properly understand their rights. On the other hand, the savvy few use this knowledge, authority, or influence in violent ways. For example, using law enforcement as a tool for harassment, intimidation, or intimidation. Security and freedom of movement and freedom of speech.

Our country’s political elites seem to be included in this trend as are corporations and individuals whose motives are largely based on economic considerations. In many cases of mental health rights violations, people resort to self-help, alternative treatments, and often the perpetrators of psychological abuse go unpunished. Poverty is another challenge to the enforcement of mental health rights. A large percentage of Nigerians live in extreme poverty and therefore cannot afford the necessities of life. These abused Nigerians, despite being victims of some form of abuse, are unable to claim their rights due to being too poor, resulting in their inability to pay for psychologists, psychologists, therapist, psychiatrist, mental health counsellor or good legal representative.

Though various NGOs have consistently risen to the challenge in this regard, there is a limit to which they can go considering the massive population of the citizenry and limited funding at the disposal of many NGOs. Also, enforcement of judgments of the ECOWAS Court, as already stated in Article 19(2) of the Protocol (A/P1/91), Article 24(2) and (3) of the Supplementary Protocol and Article 22(3) of the Protocol and Article 5(2) of the ECOWAS Revised Treaty mandates member states has been another major problem and this relates to the fact that neither the ECOWAS Revised Treaty, Supplementary Protocols or other legal instruments makes provision regarding the means of enforcing the issued writ of execution where member states as Nigeria fail to voluntarily comply with the terms of the judgment of the Court. Nigerian judiciary systems especially over the years are reluctant to enforce the judgments of ECOWAS Court and this poses a difficult challenge for the judgment creditor to reap the fruits of the judgment in mental health.

Caleb Onah is a Digital Psychologist & writer with over 5 years of hand-on counseling services to individuals and groups and can be reached at calebandonah@gmail.com

By Christiana Ekpa

The lead Aspirant for the position of the 10th House of Representatives, Hon. Muktar Aliyu Betara has assured all Members-elect across party lines of his resolve to carry everybody along if elected.

Hon. Betara who doubles as the incumbent Chairman, House Committee on Appropriations gave the assurance during the expanded consultation with various leaders and members of State Caucuses during the Lesser Hajj in Saudi Arabia.

The meeting was attended by returning and newly elected National Assembly members from Adamawa, Katsina, Kaduna, Gombe, Jigawa and Bauchi States, respectively.

The House Appropriation Committee Chairman who is currently in the holy land to perform the lesser Hajj (Umrah) ahead of the completion of the Ramadan Fast is using the opportunity to meet and consult members-elect to advance his campaign

Photographs sighted shows the Borno-lawmaker meeting and interacting with fellow lawmakers at his apartment in the holy city of Makkah on Monday evening.

Some of the Members-elect who attended the meeting pledged

•Assures members across your party lines of equal participation

unflinching support for Hon. Betara, applauded his leadership quality and support provided over the years to his contemporaries irrespective of religious, ethnic and party affiliation.

One of the lawmakers who spoke after the meeting said: “We are here on solidarity support for our Leader and esteemed Colleague for heeding to the clarion call to provide quality leadership.

“We are all aware of the significant roles played by Rt. Honourable Muktar Aliyu Betara played in the emergence of successive Speakers and Principal Officers in the current and successive Assemblies.

“Most of us are also aware of his resolve to shelve his ambitions of becoming the Speaker in the previous Assemblies and as a loyal party-man aligned with the Party’s zoning arrangement.

“For those in the know of how things panned out in the outgoing Assembly, I can tell you for free that Honourable Betara played significant role in averting serious crises althrough, which helped in stabilizing this Assembly.

“But as human beings, we are not too surprised what is playing out now. As you can see, so many of them forget so soon.

“Let me ask you this question,

have you ever seen Honourable Betara bully any of his Colleagues either as the Chairman of Defence or Appropriations? But all we are asking for is that the Memberselect should be allowed to exercise their franchise as provided by the Standing Order and relevant sections of the 1999 Constitution (as amended).

“For us as a formidable Team and Caucuses, we have all it

takes to rally required support for Honourable Betara and of the assurance that whatever plays out will be in his favour insha Allah during the inauguration of the 10th Assembly,” he assured.

The lawmakers who are expected to be sworn-in in June, 2023 acknowledged the high sense of humility demonstrated by Hon. Betara whom they described as an Achiever, Bridge-builder, unifying

factor, Team Player, Detribalised Leader of uncommon virtues and Role Model.

They maintained that Hon. Betara remains the most popular Aspirant in the the Speakership race, given his generous disposition and responsiveness to members’ welfare, hence the resolve of making the returning and newly elected to support his ambition.

OGP: Citizens’ groups verify open governance commitment areas for Kaduna State

From: Femi Oyelola, Kaduna

Some citizens’ groups on Tuesday verified the commitment areas they nominated to inform the third State Action Plan (SAP) for its Open Government Partnership (OGP).

The verification meeting, held in Kaduna, was supported by Partnership to Engage, Reform and Learn (PERL), a governance programme of the United Kingdom Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO).

The OGP is a multilateral initiative that aims to secure concrete commitments from governments to promote open governance, empower citizens, fight corruption, and harness new technologies to strengthen governance.

The Kaduna State Government joined the OGP in 2018 and developed its first Action Plan, 2018 to 2020, while the second Action Plan, 2021 to 2023 elapsed in March.

The first action plan focused on open budget, citizens’ engagement, and access to information, open contacting, and ease of doing business.

The second action plan focused on open budget, open contracting, citizens’ engagement, strengthening social protection

systems and improving service delivery in health and education sectors.

To ensure sustainability of open governance in the state, citizens’ groups in March met and nominated some commitment areas to inform the third State Action Plan of the OGP.

Mr Philip Yatai, Citizens Cochair, OGP Technical Working Group (TWG) on Strengthening Social Protection systems said that the objective of the meeting was to

review and validate the nominated commitment.

Yatai added that the meeting was also to set agender and develop strategy for the civil society members of the third State Action Plan drafting committee.

The OGP Citizens Co-chair in the state, Hajiya Hadiza Umar, described the verification as critical to getting the bye-in of the new administrating taking off on May 29.

Umar explained that the

meeting provides citizens in the state to nominate commitment areas that resonate with the public to inform the third state action plan.

She noted that the co-creation principle of the OGP between the government and citizens had strengthened citizens’ participation in governance, thereby strengthening transparency and accountability.

“This is a critical moment for us as citizens to continue to have

a space at the discussion table for inclusive and people-oriented governance.

“Let us make the best use of the opportunity by ensuring that whatever commitments we are verifying are critical, deliverable and will get the buy-in of the incoming government,” she said.

On his part, PERL State Lead Facilitator, Mr Abel Adejor, stressed the need for citizens to consolidate on the gains so far recorded from SAP I and SAP II.

analog to digital

Speakership Race: Betara intensifies consultation in Saudi Arabia Foundation moves to transform teachers from

From: Femi Oyelola, Kaduna

AKaduna-based NonGovernmental Organisation, Emerald-Isle Foundation (EIF) on Monday began a five-day training of primary school teachers on digital literacy in Kaduna State.

EIF Chief Executive Officer, Ms Evelyn Ode, said at the opening of the training at Queen Amina College Kakuri, Kaduna, that the aim was to transform the teachers from analogue to digital teachers.

Ode said that the training was organised in partnership with the Kaduna Basic Education Accountability Mechanism (KADBEAM), IHIFIX Foundation, Queen Amina College, LEAP Africa, and the Coalition of

Associations for Leadership, Peace, Empowerment & Development (CALPED).

Ode said that 25 teachers from Local Education Authority Primary School, Nasarawa I, would be trained as a pilot, on basic digital skills, under EIF Train the Tutor Project, designed to improve the capacity of teachers.

This, according to her, is in line with the foundation’s focus on helping underserved children to gain access to quality education that will help them actualize their full potential.

She added that the training was the second phase, designed to build the capacity of teachers to leverage on digital devices to teach in class with a view to improve learning outcomes.

According to her, the goal is to

improve teaching and learning outcomes in public and private schools in Kaduna in line with the current digital age.

“The world is evolving, and teaching and learning processes have gone digital.

“Therefore. Our teachers must not be left behind; they must be equipped with the needed digital skills to be able to use digital devices to improve their teaching delivery in the classroom.”

Ode said that the foundation had earlier improved the teachers’ teaching practices with a focus on classroom management and taking advantage of child development stages to impact the needed knowledge.

She explained that digital skills training became necessary to bridge identified gaps during the foundation’s Literacy Drive Project to improve

learners’ reading skills using phonics (sounds of letters).

“We noticed the teachers’ Inadequate skills in the usage of the internet to source for relevant materials to enrich their lesson plans.

“We then decided to train the teachers on the basics of computers, how computers operate, and how they can use online platforms to source for materials to enrich their lesson plans and notes.

“This, in the long run, will trickle down to the learners and improve their learning outcomes,” she said.

The Head Teacher of the school, Mrs Victoria Ayuba, thanked EIF for the gesture which she described as very crucial to effective teaching and learning.

Kogi guber primary: APC group calls for Sen Smart Adeyemi’s expulsion

By Ikechukwu Okaforadi

The Ijumu All Progressives Congress (APC)

Progressive Mind has called for the immediate suspension of Senator Smart Adeyemi, a lawmaker representing Kogi West from the party.

Addressing a press conference in Lokoja on Tuesday, the President, Ijumu APC Progressive Minds, Comrade Kamaldeen Toyin, said the February 14 APC Governorship Primary provided an opportunity for the people to show the scorecard of Sen. Smart Adeyemi, reason why he failed woefully.

He lampooned the Kogi lawmaker for attacking Governor Yahaya Bello of Kogi State, stating that, it is his (Adeyemi) character to repay good with evil.

Continuing, Toyin said, “After his ill-fated failure in the 2015 election where he was washed away by the Buhari hurricane: it was the Governor that rehabilitated the political destitute called Smart Adeyemi and brought his political career back to life.

“We warned the Governor then about our son that he is a snake, that no matter how good you are to him, he will bite you.

That is exactly what Senator Smart Adeyemi is doing now.

“The reason the Governor gave for supporting Sen. Smart Adeyemi in 2019 was to push him for the Senate Presidency. It was a selfless Agenda to position Kogi State strategically for development. Today, Senator Smart Adeyemi has forgotten the past and living true to his character of ingratitude, he is known for whenever he loses a political contest

“Friday APC Governorship Primary was the fairest and the freest ever.

Adeyemi’s desperate attempt to fault the process was borne out of his desperation to work with certain elements whose satanic agenda is to ensure our dear party is unable to present a candidate for the November 11 Governorship Poll in the state. With the successful conduct of the Governorship primary, their aim has been declared offside and defeated.

“As witnessed in all the parts of the state, financial members came out massively in Ijumu to vote according to the dictates of their conscience. Smart Adeyemi, despite being from Ijumu Local Government Area, lost woefully to Ahmed Usman Ododo. It was a referendum on his woeful third term

performance. It is therefore not expected that the fairly beaten child is crying.

“We wish to call on the leadership of our party to investigate how non-members of the APC were hurriedly given membership cards strongly suspected to be fake. They could give fake cards, but they couldn’t fabricate payment of dues for them. It is therefore ludicrous to display wanton desperation and falsehood that the process was faulty

“Before the primary, Sen. Smart Adeyemi’s only joker was ethnicity. He claimed to be fighting for “justice and fairness”. He didn’t remember justice and fairness when in 2015, after spending two terms in the Senate, he refused to allow the seat rotate to Yagba.

“He fraudulently and violently seized the ticket of the PDP, only for Sen. Dino Melaye to fly on the Wings of the Buhari Tsunami to defeat him. In 2019, he was able to win the support of the Governor who rallied support for him to win the ticket of the party

“In 2023, he wanted to go for his 4th Term, when Yagba Federal Constituency had not produced Senator. To him, such was just and fair. To Smart Adeyemi, it can only be

considered fair when he wins.

Loss means injustice to him. As members of the party in Ijumu Local Government Area, we commend the Governor for

allowing a level playground for all the contestants. That process has produced the best candidate and we are confident of victory in November.”

10th Reps Speaker: Coalition of Northern Christians endorses Hon. Jaji

By Christiana Ekpa

As the inauguration of the 10th National Assembly draws nearer, a Christian group, the Christian Northern Nigeria Political Forum (CNNPF) has thrown its weight behind the aspiration of Hon. Aminu Sani Jaji.

Jaji, a member-elect to represent Kaura Namoda/Birnin Magaji federal constituency of Zamfara state was chairman of the House of Representatives committee on National Security, Intelligence and Public Safety in the 8th Assembly.

National coordinator of CNNPP Comrade Garuba Mohammed disclosed this at a press conference on Tuesday in Kaduna.

The group also advised the-presidentelect, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu to form a government of national unity to heal wounds and reunite Nigerians.

He said “The entire members of the Christian Northern Nigeria Political Forum (CNNPF) have resolved to support the candidacy of Rt. Hon. Aminu Sani Jaji as the next speaker of the House of Representatives in the 10th legislative assembly, because he has demonstrated trust, honesty, kindness, love, humility and character.

“Hon. Jaji is coming into the race for the Speakership of the House of Representatives with the overriding interest to run an inclusive House, where national unity, peace and development will take the front stage.

His vision is to ensure an abiding cooperation among honourable members and chart the course for a mutually respectable relationship with the Executive, without compromising the independence of the Legislature”

Speaking further, the National coordinator stated that “Hon. Jaji has promised to bring in the best practice in doing legislative business. He has also promised to be fair to all legislators under his leadership irrespective of political parties, gender, religion or tribes and most importantly, he has promised to work for Nigeria with the fear of God.

“The Christian Northern Nigeria Political Forum is also using this medium to appeal to members of the House of Representatives

in the forthcoming 10th assembly to support Rt. Hon. (Dr.) Aminu Sani Jaji for the speakership because of his past and current contributions to humanity and his personal attributes.

“He is a man who has strong tolerance for people of other tribes and religion. It could be recalled that he singlehandedly sponsored the programme of the Christian Northern Nigeria Political Forum in December, 2022 in Kaduna to bring about religious harmony in Nigeria.

The group, which congratulated the president-elect, Tinubu and his vice President-elect, Senator Kashim Shettima appealed to Tinubu to form a government of national unity.

Sen Smart Adeyemi

By Ikechukwu Okaforadi

The Inter Party Advisory Council (IPAC) yesterday condemned the illegal, unconstitutional and unwarranted declaration of Adamawa State governorship supplementary election result by the State Resident Electoral Commissioner, Hudu Yunusa Ari on Sunday 16th April 2023, while collation of results was in progress.

In a statement issued yesterday by the National chairman of IPAC, Yusuf Sani Yabagi, IPAC said it is outrageous and a mockery of the nation’s emerging democracy which has caused undue tension in the polity.

The statement said “IPAC demands the immediate sack and prosecution of the Resident Electoral Commissioner, Ari and his accomplices in this deliberate assault on our hard earned democracy to serve as a deterrent to others who would contemplate such heinous crime against the fatherland. The need for Electoral Offences Commission to try electoral offenders cannot be overemphasized.

“It is inconceivable that a Resident Electoral Commissioner would usurp the powers of the Returning Officer and announce the result of a governorship supplementary election, more so, when the collation of results was ongoing. It is a sad commentary in the nation’s electoral process and a dent on INEC as an umpire.

“However, the swift response of the national leadership of the commission in reversing this theatre of the absurd and suspending the errant Resident Electoral Commissioner is commendable in the quest for free, fair, credible, transparent and inclusive elections in Nigeria. INEC should justify the confidence the populace reposed in it and do the right thing as we collectively consolidate our democracy.

“IPAC reiterates its call for a review of the process in appointing Resident Electoral Commissioners as some of them are partisan and ignorant of their statutory duties and will go out of

Adamawa guber stalemate: IPAC seeks sack, prosecution of REC, Hudu, others

their way to foist their preferred candidates, thus subvert the will and mandate of the people which could lead to political upheavals.

“Council will strongly resist any attempt to impose an unpopular leader on fellow compatriots. The ballot

is sacrosanct and must be respected as power belongs to the people. Anything short of this is unacceptable.

“Together, we will build a strong, progressive, prosperous and equitable democratic nation”.

Presidential election: Tinubu already disqualified – Atiku’s camp tells Keyamo

By Musa Baba Adamu

As legal fireworks continue at the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal, the camp of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, has insisted that the President-elect, Bola Tinubu has been disqualified.

One of Atiku’s spokesmen, Daniel Bwala made the remark in response to a comment by the Minister of State for Labour and Employment, Festus Keyamo, on moves to disqualify Tinubu.

Keyamo had said some people were searching the constitution daily on how to disqualify Tinubu.

He stressed that the ignorance displayed by those trying to disqualify Tinubu was very interesting.

Keyamo said those who were defeated during the last election were behind the plot to defeat Tinubu.

Reacting, Bwala said Tinubu was disqualified through the Electoral Act.

Tweeting, Bwala said: “The spokesman said people are searching the constitution from sections 1 to 320 to find a ground to disqualify Tinubu. No no no. He has been disqualified from the electoral act before we even reach the constitution. By the time we reach the constitution it will be to convict him.”

10th NASS: Igbo youths insist on Reps Speaker

By Christiana Ekpa

ASoutheast youth group, under the auspices of Igbo Mandate Movement has called on the All Progressives Congress, APC, to zone the office of the Speaker of the House of Representatives to the zone.

They made the demand in Enugu on Tuesday during a press conference addressed by the group’s coordinator, Igboeli Arinzechukwu.

He urged the ruling APC to zone the seat to the Southeast region for the sake of equity and unity of the country.

The intense lobbying is ongoing ahead of the inauguration of the 10th National Assembly.

Igboeli noted that following the election of Senator Bola

Tinubu and Senator Kashim Shettima as President-elect and Vice President-elect, respectively, it was only fair that the Speakership position be given to the Southeast.

While justifying the demand, he said: “The first of such is based on the historical fact that since the emergence of Rt. Hon Ume Ezeoke, as Speaker of the House of Representatives in the Second Republic under the auspices of the accord between the NPN and the NPP, no Igbo man has occupied the position of Speaker.

“The second is that since the 4th Republic, Ndigbo again are the only major ethnic group that are yet to produce one of their own as Speaker of the House of Representatives.

“So, you can imagine that

in 24 years of our democratic experiment, three zones being the Northwest, Northeast and Southwest and two major ethnic groups, the Hausa/Fulani and the Yoruba have occupied the positions of Speaker except Ndigbo.

“The third fact is that true Nigerians must be desirous of seeking to reintegrate Ndigbo into the mainstream politics of the nation.”

Igboeli also urged Ndigbo to present their best for the position, stressing that “we must present only our best not only for purposes of acceptability but for strategic reasons.

“The APC as a party must move towards the reunification of Nigeria by seeking to reintegrate the Southeast region.

“But to do so, Ndigbo must

deploy their best hands; people who will not only seek power for themselves but will seek to serve the people and then present the APC as the beautiful bride to Ndigbo.

“The fourth and the most important is that Ndigbo must move with the times and trends of today’s politics by entrenching new faces, faces devoid of the many baggages, blemishes and scars of our past politics.”

The group pleaded with Ndigbo to present Hon. Benjamin Kalu from Abia State as a consensus candidate, noting that the lawmaker had distinguished himself in his duty as the Reps spokesperson. Kalu is the lawmaker representing Bende Federal Constituency.

Imo re-run: PDP Rep candidate, Ukanacho rejects result

By Musa Baba Adamu

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate in the Mbaitoli/Ikeduru rerun House of Representatives election, Dr. Osmond Ukanacho, has rejected the declaration of the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate, Engr Akarachi Amadi, as the winner of the election by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

Ukanacho, who made the

remarks on Tuesday while addressing journalists in Owerri, said INEC was wrong to have taken such a hasty decision when it appeared obvious to everyone that the election did not hold in virtually all the 58 polling units the exercise was supposed to take place.

According to Dr. Ukanacho, those who came out to cast their votes for him were harassed, humiliated, intimidated, and dispersed by thugs suspected to

be agents of the ruling APC, and wondered why INEC officials ignored that and still went ahead to announce the frivolous result in favor of APC.

Ukanacho further expressed bitterness about how INEC announced a result of the election that was never held, noting that in Umunocha Atta, Amike, Eziama, and some parts of Mbieri communities where elections were supposed to hold, appointees of the present APC administration were

sighted carting away with election materials under the full protection of security agents.

He vowed to reclaim the mandate in court since all evidence available to the public showed that the exercise was heavily compromised against PDP.

He said, “What happened in the re-run election was beyond explanation. Since the history of democracy in Nigeria, the level of thuggery, snatching of ballot boxes, and violence that marred

the exercise remain surprising and worrisome. It is now becoming obvious that APC as a party and its agents are afraid of a free and fair election. Everyone saw that I won that election, but INEC and APC had an understanding that led to the rigging of our mandate.”

While appealing to PDP members in the federal constituency to remain calm, be law abiding and undeterred, Ukanacho vowed to use every legal means to recover the stolen mandate.

Festus Keyamo

Fintiri emerges winner of Adamawa supplementary governorship election

From Umar Dan Kano, Yola

The Adamawa state Governor, Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri of the Peoples Democratic Party,PDP has been declared winner of the 2023 governorship election in the state.

Announcing the election results at the INEC Collation Centre in Yola Tuesday, the returning officer of the election, Professor Mohammed Mele declared that Governor Fintiri scored the highest votes cast of 430,861 and is returned elected to defeat his closest opponent in the contest, Senator Aishatu Dahiru Binani of the All Progressives Congress, APC who polled 398,788 votes .

Professor Mele announced that the total number of registered voters in the election was 2,196,56 while accredited voters stood at 876,387 .

He explained further that number of rejected votes was 15,287 as number of votes cast was 869,106 respectively.

Our Correspondent in Yola reported that the collation of results for the supplementary election resumed at about 3pm iwith Mr. Festus Okeye, the INEC commissioner of information and other officials sent from Abuja supervised the electoral process to the end .

It could be recalled that the governorship election was conducted on the 18th Febuary and was declared inconclusive. It was rescheduled for 15th April and couldn’t be completed until this supplementary election yesterday after the INEC suspended the former Resident Electoral Commissioner, Barrister Hudu Yunusa Ari who allegedly compromised the process.

In his Acceptance speech, Governor Fintiri thanked Adamawa electorate for believing in his style of leadership promising to do more in his urban renewal drive with a view to touching many more areas of human endeavours as well as infrastructural development

In a quick reaction, Presidential candidate of the PDP in the February 25 poll, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar sent congratulatory message to Fintiri via his Twitter handle which was distributed by his Media Office:

“Congratulations, Gov Ahmadu Fintiri, on your deserved reelection as governor of Adamawa State. Thank you

•Adamawa has resisted enemies of democracy - Atiku

to the people of Adamawa and men and women of goodwill for staying the course in resisting coupists and enemies of democracy from having

their way. The lesson from this exercise and others is the need for Nigerians to be vigilant and never give in to anti-democratic forces whose

objective is to snatch, run with and undermine the mandate of the people as freely expressed in their votes. By the way, it is not yet uhuru as we still have one

more major mandate to reclaim, and together as ONE, we shall accomplish the task for the good of our country and its people.”

Adamawa: Binani dismisses giving out N2b bribe to be declared winner

By Ikechukwu Okaforadi

Governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress in Adamawa state, Senator Aishatu Dahiru Ahmed (Binani) has dismissed claims that she gave out a bribe of Two Billion Naira to be declared winner of the controversial election.

“My attention has been drawn to a very bizarre, unfounded wild allegations purportedly made by an officer of the Department of State Services to the effect that, I Senator Aishatu Dahiru Ahmed (Binani) gave out the Sum of N2billion to procure a favourable declaration

as Governor-Elect to some unnamed INEC staff. I NEVER DID, I would never do such” she said in a statement personally signed by her yesterday.

The statement said the claim was allegedly made when the officer was being tortured at gunpoint by the agents of the Adamawa State Governor and the Government House police team alongside their political thugs.

“I wish to reiterate that I am a democrat, I have always been a committed democrat and will never do anything to subvert democratic process. I am not do-or-die politician. In the past I have won elections into the

House of Representatives and the Senate in a free and fair manner.

“What happened in Adamawa was an unsuccessful attempt to subvert the will of the people. The REC was illegally told to stand down by two INEC national commissioners from Abuja who were supposed to be in Adamawa in a supervisory capacity.

“ Even more curious is the nocturnal visit of some INEC national officers to Adamawa State Government house and bizarre declaration same day after the visit that they have taken over the collation through the backdoor, with the Collation

and Returning Officers selected by the Governor of Adamawa.

“The roles of these INEC officers from Abuja and the real mission of the two to the Government House should be of interest to all democrats.

“ I urge all lovers of democracy to take a deeper interest in our electoral process and democracy not only in Adamawa but in the whole country.

“Meanwhile to all my supporters both within and outside Adamawa, I wish to use this opportunity to thank you for your unflinching support, in the midst of half-truths and opposition smear propaganda.”

From left, Country Director, Small Grant Programme (SGP) Engr Adeolu Adusotu and Chief Executive Officer, SGP, Mrs Ibukun Odesote during a training programme on deploying the power of IT -Engaged youths in effective use and plastic waste management, in Abuja yesterday.

Justrite, Norwegian company sign $6.5m solar energy deal

From Abubakar Yunusa, ABUJA

Empower New Energy, a Norwegian renewable energy company, has signed a $6.5 million solar deal with Justrite, a Nigerian supermarket chain.

The deal is to replace diesel generation with solar photovoltaics (PV) and batteries at 10 Justrite stores.

The agreement was signed at the opening of the LagosNorway Energy Exchange on Monday and witnessed by Anniken Huitfeldt, Norway’s minister of foreign affairs; and Olalere Odusote, Lagos state commissioner for energy and mineral resources.

According to the organisers, the energy exchange is designed for Norwegian companies to learn about Nigeria’s energy challenges and present green solutions.

Commenting on the development, Huitfeldt said it was uplifting to witness companies with a solid background in the oil industry pushing forward in green technology.

She said investors were also getting attracted to green investments.

“The past year has made it very clear both in Africa and Europe how fragile we are when energy supplies are threatened,” Norway’s foreign minister said.

“And made it very clear that predictable energy supplying nations, such as Nigeria and Norway are vital to continued stability in times of crisis.

“Nigeria and Norway are partners in energy. Norway’s largest energy company, Equinor, started business in Nigeria in 1992. Over 30 years ago.

“Many Nigerian students have studied at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology. And put their education to use when back home in Nigeria.

“Fossil energy has been important to both our nations’ economies. But now we must also look ahead to new sources of energy.

“Because in the future it will not be fossil fuel which will run our economies or secure our

Supreme court affirms IST’s jurisdiction on capital market disputes

From Abubakar Yunusa ABUJA

The Supreme Court has affirmed the Investments and Securities Tribunal’s (ISTs) jurisdiction over capital market disputes in the country.

Director General of the SEC

Mr. Lamido Yuguda, who disclosed this during an interview while reacting to the judgement, said the landmark decision confers exclusive jurisdiction on the IST to determine all issues listed in Section 284 of the Investment and Securities Act (ISA) 2007.

He said, “On January 13, 2023, the Supreme Court of Nigeria delivered a landmark decision with enormous implication for capital market dispute resolution. This was in the case of Mufutau Ajayi vs SEC with Supreme Court number SC/314/2007. Many capital market practitioners have eagerly awaited the outcome of this case which remained pending at the Apex Court for 15 years before it was finally decided”.

The SEC DG stated that the Supreme Court while delivering its judgment in the appeal on January 13, 2023 after going through the facts and history of the matter and reviewing the submissions of the learned counsel representing both parties, found as a fact that the SEC took adequate and sufficient steps to notify the Appellant of the sittings and proceedings of the APC.

He said, “More so, SEC did not act as a judge in its own cause since it acted on a complaint by Sadiq

Petroleum Limited (SPNC), a core investor that subscribed 30% of the shares of African Petroleum Plc. Accordingly, the Appellant cannot continue to seek for the grant of the order of certiorari when it was clear that the conditions for the grant were unavailable to him.

“More important however, was the decision of the apex court on the issue of jurisdiction over capital market matters. The Supreme Court held that the main issue in the appeal was that the Federal High Court declined jurisdiction in the matter, which decision was affirmed by the Court of Appeal.

After reviewing the applicable laws on the actions of the SEC and its Administrative Proceedings Committee APC, the apex court stated, “Based on the foregoing, it implies that any grievance, whether on denial of fair hearing by the APC as in the present case, rule of law, equity, facts or law, etc., should be instituted in the Investment and Securities Tribunal (1ST). It is unequivocal that the proper forum with jurisdiction to hear and determine the case of the Appellant is the Tribunal and not the Federal High Court.”

“The above decision of the Supreme Court has finally settled this issue. The jurisdiction conferred on the Investments and Securities Tribunal to determine all the issues listed in Section 284 of the Investments and Securities Act, 2007 remains exclusive and cannot be shared with any other court of law. One of such issues relates to

any decision or determination made by the Securities and Exchange Commission in the operation of the Act” He added.

In year 2000, the National Council on Privatization offered for sale on behalf of the Federal Government 86,400,000 ordinary shares of AP Plc. A year later, (i.e. in April 2001), a core investor of AP Plc alleged in a press conference that the past management of the company had failed to disclose debts of N22.5 billion owed by the company to various creditors. It also alleged that the auditors of AP Plc were negligent in the auditing of the company.

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) set up a Committee to investigate the allegation. The findings of the Committee affirmed that the sum of N10, 181,606 billion disclosed in the prospectus of AP Plc was less than what the company actually owed as at June 30 1999.

Mufutau Ajayi was not a director in African Petroleum Plc but was the company’s Finance and Accounts Manager. The Administrative Proceedings Committee of the SEC found that Mufutau Ajayi, being an officer of AP Plc authorized the issue of the prospectus dated 30th March 2000 which contained an untrue statement to wit: that the total indebtedness of the company as at 30th June 1999 was N10.2 billion whereas subsequent revelations indicated otherwise, thereby contravening the provisions of sections 62 (1), (2) (d) and 63 of

the ISA 1999.

Although Mr. Ajayi did not show up at the investigative hearing of the Administrative Proceedings Committee despite being invited, the Committee made the following findings against Mr. M.C. Ajayi namely that: although Mr. Ajayi was not a Director of the company, he was a principal officer who played a major role in obtaining the Commercial Papers (CPs) and Bankers’ Acceptances (BAs) that led to the concealed debt; his conduct prior to the offer for sale by denying the auditors access to relevant financial records during the auditing exercise is very reprehensible and highly unprofessional; that his role bordered on economic and financial crime; and that there was enough evidence to refer his matter to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

Consequent upon the above findings, the Administrative Proceedings Committee directed as follows namely that: Mr. Ajayi be strongly reprimanded for his role in the debt concealment; He is therefore disqualified from being employed or participating, in any capacity, in the securities industry; Mr. M. C. Ajayi be referred to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for further criminal investigation and action; and the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN) and all professional bodies to which Mr. Ajayi belongs shall be informed of his actions and this Decision.

Nigerian unemployment rate to hit 41% in 2023 – KPMG

Zainab Ahmed, minister of finance, budget, and national planning, says the $800 million facility secured from the World Bank as part of its post-subsidy palliatives is awaiting approval by the national assembly.

Ahmed disclosed this over this while speaking with journalists on the sidelines of the just-concluded International Monetary Fund (IMF)/World Bank spring meetings in Washington DC, United states.

The federal government had said it would end under-recovery payments in June 2023, despite allocating N3.35 trillion for subsidy.

Earlier in the month, Ahmed had explained that the $800 million received from the bank would be disbursed to the 10

million households considered to be most vulnerable, to cushion the effect of the planned subsidy removal.

Giving updates on the funds, the minister said the initial duration of the palliative was six months, noting that each household (10 million) would receive N5,000 each for the period of six months.

The minister said the newly established presidential transition council (PTC) would conduct an assessment, and if the relief was insufficient, the country might need to raise more funds to be able to cover more people, extend the deadline, or increase the amount.

“The $800 million has been negotiated and approved by the federal executive council (FEC) and we now have a request before the parliament for approval. And once the parliament approves it,

we will roll it out,” she said.

“We have also been doing preparatory work side by side along the approval process. And that includes the building of the social register which will be used for the electronic transfers of the funds.

“We needed to have this ready because when the government eventually removes fuel subsidy, there will be an immediate transport palliative that will be provided to the most vulnerable members of our society who have been identified, registered, and now contained in our national social register.

“This effort is led by the ministry of humanitarian affairs, disaster management, and social development. They developed that register with the support of the World Bank. The register has about 10 million households and that is an equivalent of 50

million Nigerians.”

Meanwhile, during the announcement of the postsubsidy palliative, the minister had said the $800 million was for the scale-up of the national social investment programme (NSIP) at the World Bank.

The loan facility is said to be an agreement between the federal government and the International Development Association of the World Bank, signed on August 16, 2022, by Ahmed and Shubham Chaudhuri, country director of the bank for Nigeria.

It has three components: economic shock responsive cash transfer ($600 million); extended regular cash transfer (ER-CT) for the poor and the vulnerable ($147 million); and delivery system strengthening and project management ($53 million).

From Abubakar Yunusa ABUJA

PIA is Nigeria’s second biggest energy sector achievement –Buhari

From Abubakar Yunusa Abuja

President Muhammadu Buhari on Monday said the actualisation of the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) 2021 is the second biggest achievement in the country’s energy sector.

The president disclosed this while declaring the Nigeria International Energy Summit, (NIES) 2023, open at the presidential banquet hall in Abuja on Monday.

Mr Buhari, represented by Boss Mustapha, the secretary to the government of the federation, explained that for decades, Nigerians were told that it would be near impossible to pass the bil because of vested interests,

On 16 August 2021, Mr Buhari signed the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) 2021 into law.

The Petroleum Industry Act provides legal, governance, regulatory and fiscal framework for the Nigerian petroleum industry, the development of host communities, and related matters.

Speaking on Monday, Mr Buhari described the bill as revolutionary.

The president said that when he assumed office in 2015, his administration set out to dismantle the challenges it met on the ground by embarking on major reforms.

According to him, during his administration, the government quickly moved to scrap the existing agencies and replaced them with new regulators, while the Nigerian

National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC) was immediately transformed into a limited liability.

He added that the new NNPC is on course to becoming the biggest, most capitalised and most profitable company in the whole of Africa.

“Our perspectives have provided the incoming government with the tools to guide Nigerians’ energy future. I enjoin industry stakeholders to give the incoming administration the support and cooperation I received from you,” he said.

He noted that energy will remain the top priority of his administration till his last day in office.

“⅔The first task we combated is the issue of funding and sanitising the oil and gas sector; we then proceeded to exit the federal government from joint registrar cash go-funding. This freed the federal government from the shoes

of funding the oil sector.

“The Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) remains our second biggest achievement in the energy sector. For decades, we were told that because of various vested interests, it would be nearly impossible to pass the bill but we made it happen,” Mr Buhari said.

In the natural gas sector, Mr Buhari announced that he pushed for the diversification of Nigeria’s economy and drove industrialisation through domestic gas utilisation, officially declaring natural gas as Nigeria’s transition fuel.

“We also made giant strides in infrastructure. We kick started the $2.8 billion Ajaokuta–Kaduna–Kano (AKK) natural gas pipeline project. The AKK project will transport up to 3,500 million cubic feet (mcf) of gas a day from various gas-gathering projects and help to generate 3.6 gigawatts of power

and support gas-based industries along the route when completed. At present, the 614 km gas pipeline is 43 per cent completed.

“We have also reinvigorated the private sector in the industry. We ensured an attractive framework for the indigenous companies to take advantage of divestment by International Oil Companies’ (IOCs) assets.

“This move ensured that the indigenous companies grew their capacity tremendously and they are now accountable for about 30 per cent of national oil and gas production up from just about 2 per cent in 2010.

“We implemented a marginal field bid round and saw to the conclusion of the process which resulted in the award of Petroleum Prospecting Licences (PPLs) to 161 successful firms with the federal government raking in about N200

billion as well as $7 million from the process,” he said.

Meanwhile, in a statement on Monday, Mele Kyari, the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) Group Chief Executive Officer said the world today has recognized the need to ensure sustainability in the energy landscape which is in line with the current realities and as key players in the energy sector.

Mr Kyari said the company’s mandate of providing energy for the country remains a priority.

He said in order to achieve that, NNPC is poised to reliably deliver energy to its stakeholders, through efficient utilization of hydrocarbons and other new energy sources which Nigeria is blessed with.

“You will agree with me that sustained energy sufficiency directly enables economic growth and development as can be seen in the history of developed countries. This is why we are focused on efficiently producing energy while minimizing the effect on the environment.

“Oil and gas remain a significant component of energy in the global energy mix therefore we are unlocking more opportunities across both the oil and gas value chain spanning from supply and infrastructure to the markets,” he said.

For instance, he said, the NNPC Limited is actively supporting the federal government towards the realization of key initiatives such as the Decade of Gas and the National Gas Expansion Programme (NGEP) which seeks to deepen natural gas utilization as an alternative transportation fuel, virtual gas supply to off-pipeline grid gas customers and gas utilization as feedstock for the development of gasbased industries.

“This is evident in the definite actions taken to utilize CNG and LNG to power vehicles, buildings and power plants.

NBS: NRC generated N5.6bn in 2022 — down by 7.7% in one year

The Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) says it generated N5.57 billion from passengers, cargoes and other services in 2022.

This figure represents a decrease of 7.69 percent to N464.74 million when compared to the revenue (N6.03 billion) generated in 2021.

The NRC data is contained in a report by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) on rail transportation for the third and fourth quarter (Q3 and Q4) of last year.

According to the report, the corporation generated N4.54 billion from passengers in 2022 against N5.69 billion in 2021.

In the year under review, goods and cargo led to a revenue of N416.85 million relative to the N299.80 million in 2021; while income from other receipts stood at N607.80 million — N569.38 million higher than the N38.42 million recorded in 2021.

NBS also said the corporation raked in N715.09 million in Q3, 2022.

This indicates a decrease of N764.91 million (51.68 percent), compared to the revenue of N1.48 billion earned in the second quarter (Q2).

It also represents a decline of 60.52 percent compared to the N1.81 billion received in Q3, 2021.

The NRC, according to the data bureau, experienced a drop in the number of passengers to 500,348 in Q3 last year.

Speaking on the components of the quarter result, NBS said N101.84 million was collected in Q3 2022 as revenue from goods and cargo — dropping by 7.04 percent from the N109.56 million received in Q3 2021.

“Also, other receipts grew by 707.31 percent in Q3 2022 from the N14.61 million recorded in Q3 2021,” the report reads.

“This is lower than the 696,841 recorded in Q3 2021, representing a growth rate of -28.20 percent.”

According to the TheCable Index analysis,it further that 33,312 tonnes of goods were

transported in Q3 2022, compared to 51,726 tonnes reported in Q3 2021.

Meanwhile, NBS said the corporation’s revenue from passengers in Q4 2022, totalled N1.15 billion — dipping by 39.54 percent in Q4 2021, when income stood at N1.91 billion.

On the number of passengers, the bureau said there was an increase of 30.10 percent from 1.03 million travellers recorded in Q4 2021, to 1.34 million persons in Q4 2022.

The office added that revenue from goods in Q4 of 2022 hit N157.23 million, up by 63.56 percent compared to the N96.13 million reported in the same quarter the previous year.

However, the volume of goods transported decreased by 1.50 percent in the quarter under review, the report shows.

“Other income receipts stood at N382.17 million, an increase of 3,316.18 percent from the N11.19 million recorded in Q4 2021,” NBS said.

“However, on an annual

basis, the number of passengers increased by 18.36 percent.”

In recent times, Nigeria’s rail transport system has experience some challenges that may have contributed to the negative result in Q3 and Q4 of 2022.

After the Abuja-Kaduna train attack in March 2022, the federal government suspended operations on the route for weeks to recover the victims that were kidnapped by unknown gunmen.

The train service was scheduled to resume on Monday, May 23, 2022, but the families of the kidnapped passengers kicked against the resumption.

However, train operations commenced on the route in December 2022 — nine months after the attack.

In August last year, the NRC reduced the number of trips on the Lagos-Ibadan route due to a hike in the price of diesel.

The corporation also introduced new fares for the Lagos-Ibadan and LagosAbeokuta train services.

“NNPC Limited is also investing heavily in critical gas infrastructure such as the Ajaokuta-Abuja-Kano (AKK) gas pipeline and the OB3 gas interconnector to support 5 Bscf/d of domestic gas utilization including 5 GW of power generation capacity by developing power plant projects along the AKK pipeline corridor and across the country to complement the existing ones,” Mr Kyari said.

For the gas export market, he said the ongoing NLNG Train 7 will expand Nigeria’s LNG production capacity to about 30 million tons per annum (30 MTPA).

“This is in addition to the planned Nigerian Morocco and the Trans Sahara Gas Pipeline projects which will supply gas to sub-regional African countries and subsequently Europe.

“In addition to our existing Upstream activities, we are also deepening exploration activities of the Nation’s frontier Basins using the best industry standards and technologies which are already yielding results such as the Kolmani discovery, and we are hopeful that the recent spud-in of the EBENYI A in Nasarawa State will yield positive result as well.

“NNPC will continue to leverage our partnerships with the Industry, Government, Research Institutions and Academia to ensure energy security and sustainability,” he said.

BU$IN€SS

ExxonMobil declares force majeure on oil lifting over workers’ industrial action

From Abubakar Yunusa Abuja

ExxonMobil has declared a force majeure on oil liftings from several terminals in Nigeria following industrial action by the company’s in-house workers union.

Force majeure is a clause that allows a company to skip contractual obligations following issues beyond its control.

Michelle Gray, ExxonMobil spokesperson, in a statement , promised that the company was exploring ways to resolve the issues with its workers.

“We will continue to take all reasonable actions necessary to resolve the impasse as soon as possible. The safety of our people, assets, and environment remains our top priority,” she said.

According to Bloomberg, a spokesperson for Mobil Producing Nigeria Unlimited — a Nigerian subsidiary of ExxonMobil — said three units of the oil firm declared force majeure.

The entities that declared force majeure from their terminals were Mobil Producing Nigeria, Esso Exploration and Production Nigeria Ltd, and Esso Exploration and Production (Offshore East) Ltd, the spokesperson said. The development comes at a period when the country

is struggling to meet its Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) voluntary production of 1.74 million barrels of oil per day.

The Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) had said oil output dropped to an average of 1,268,202 barrels

bpd in March 2023.

In the same month, an explosion had rocked a crude oil tapping point in Rumuekpe community in Emuoha local

government area of the state. The tapping point is said to be on the Trans-Niger Delta Pipeline (TNP) that passed through the community.

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.

L-R,. Director General National Council for Arts and Culture (NCAC), Otunba Olusegun Runsewe, Director Special Duties, Office of Director General, Mr Gerald Adewole and the President Society of Nigerian Artists , Mr Muhammed Sulaiman during the Press Briefing on the official Re- opening of the NCAC Cultural Village , held yesterday in Abuja . Photo: Justin Imo-owo

AMAC: Maikalangu moves to revitalise LEA primary schools

By Stanley Onyekwere

In an apparent move to ensure stability and excellent performance in Local Education Authority (LEA) primary Slschools within Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC), the Executive Chairman of AMAC, Hon. Christopher Zakka Maikalangu, has inaugurated a 6-man steering committee, to assess the programmes, progress, prospects and challenges of LEA schools in the Council.

A statement from Senior

•Inaugurates committee on education

Special Assistant on Media and Public Affairs to the AMAC Chairman, Kingsley Madaki, disclosed that members of the committee include:

Henry Gambo SakomaChairman; Dr. Aminu Sheriff Ibrahim (HOD ESD)- Secretary; Mr. Joshua Tukura; Iyaji David Esq; Franca Ada Akpan; and Hon. Obiora Arinze (SC EDS).

Performing the inauguration yesterday, Maikalangu urged members of the committee to do

everything within their powers to come up with viable options to bring LEA Primary Schools to enviable level.

He also advised the committee to visit all the primary schools in the Council with a view to review and evaluate their educational performance and ascertain the healthy situation of their facilities.

The AMAC chairman further charged the committee members to ensure that each primary

school in the council provide her pupils with standard curriculum that is generally accepted and oversee the financial performance of the schools and make sure they are optimally used to address issues in the school.

He however, the Council Chairman encouraged them to investigate all illegal primary schools and checkmate the sharp practices of the staff of LEA primary schools.

He said they should fish out ghost workers and those that are receiving salary after retirement. The chairman gave the committee 30 days to conclude and advise the council on the instructional materials needed in the LEA Primary Schools.

In his response, the Committee Chairman, Henry Gambo Sakoma, pledged to carry out their duties diligently without fear or favour.

Sakoma also assured the chairman that they will deliver the assignment given to them within the timeframe.

FCTA to begin prosecution of estate developers at Urban Tribunal

By Stanley Onyekwere

Worried by the increasing distortion of Abuja master plan, the Federal Capital Territory Administration ( FCTA) has disclosed conclusion of plans to start prosecuting defaulting and illegal Estate Developers at the Urban and Regional Tribunal.

This, was as it said that it would also consider dragging them to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission ( EFCC) for causing both government and off takers economic losses.

Director, FCT Department of Development Control, Mukhtar Galadima made this disclosure, when he led other management staff to demolish illegal

structures on water channels around Kukwaba District.

Galadima, who also toured Katampe, on monitoring and inspection duties, noted that the actions of many of the developers amount to economic crimes, which the EFCC can beam further searchlight on.

According to him, apart from the losses they incurred,

each time their illegal structures were demolished, both off takers who subscribe to their property, and the government also suffer economic losses.

He further revealed that the resources being committed into the demolition exercise, was enormous that it cannot be allowed to go just like that.

He noted that the case of

the developers in Kukwaba demonstrates how responsible citizens ought not to handle economic activities.

He however, disclosed that the developers know that the area they encroached upon was a reserved green area, because it is located on water channels, yet they were illegally selling to off takers and also building on it.

L-R,. Director General National Council for Arts and Culture (NCAC), Otunba Olusegun Runsewe, Director Special Duties, Office of Director General, Mr Gerald Adewole and the President Society of Nigerian Artists , Mr Muhammed Sulaiman during the Press Briefing on the official Re- opening of the NCAC Cultural Village , held yesterday in Abuja . Photo: Justin Imo-owo

Trigger IX: $5bn of drugs seized in Latin American operation

Police in Latin America have seized cocaine and other drugs worth $5bn (£4bn) in an operation lasting three weeks and spanning 15 countries.

They also seized more than 8,000 illicit firearms and carried out almost 15,000 arrests.

Police forces from Mexico in the north to Argentina in the south exchanged information in the operation, which was co-ordinated by Interpol.

Interpol said the arrests had disrupted the workings of several powerful gangs.

Dubbed Trigger IX, the international effort was mainly aimed at fighting the trafficking of illicit firearms.

Experts from the participating countries gathered at a centre of operations in Foz do Iguaçu, a city on Brazil’s border with Argentina and Paraguay, from 12 March to 2 April.

There, they exchanged intelligence on the workings of international crime gangs, such as First Capital Command (PCC), and Mara Salvatrucha with the aim of disrupting the flow of illicit firearms.

Interpol has long warned that the smuggling of weapons strengthens the gangs’ power and further fuels their criminal activities.

“The fact that an operation targeting illicit firearms resulted in such massive drugs seizures is further proof, if needed, that these crimes are intertwined,” Interpol Secretary General Jürgen Stock said of the 203 tonnes of cocaine and other drugs found.

Criminal gangs in Mexico, Central and South America are increasingly well armed and local police often find themselves outgunned and overpowered when confronting them.

In Brazil and neighbouring Paraguay for example, members of the PCC have staged large-scale bank robberies and prison breaks.

The gang first emerged in Brazil but has expanded to operate internationally and has been linked to the murder of a Paraguayan prosecutor while he was on his honeymoon in Colombia.

Mara Salvatrucha, also known as MS-13, continues to control much of

the human trafficking as well as the smuggling of drugs and weapons in Central America.

Interpol said that its operation had led to the seizure of large amounts of ammunition even in countries which have so far largely not been associated with large-scale gun violence.

Police in Uruguay secured 100,000 pieces of ammunition, the largest ever amount seized in the country. It had been smuggled into the country by two European nationals, highlighting the need for international intelligencesharing, Interpol said.

Ralph Yarl: Doctors cannot believe boy survived shooting, mother says

Doctors treating a teenage boy who was shot twice after ringing the wrong doorbell in Missouri say they have no idea how he survived.

Ralph Yarl, 16, was shot in the head and in the arm after he went to pick up his younger brothers on Thursday night.

His mother told CBS that instead of receiving a hug from his siblings he received a “couple of bullets” instead.

Andrew Lester, 84, has been charged with first-degree assault and armed criminal action.

A prosecutor said there was a “racial component” to the shooting.

Mr Lester has not been charged with a hate crime, and charging documents do not describe the alleged racial bias.

According to a probable cause statement released by authorities, a witness who heard a car enter Mr Lester’s driveway told police they thought it was odd their elderly neighbour would have a visitor around 22:00 local time (03:00 GMT).

They heard two to three gunshots. The witness said that he heard Mr Yarl “screaming that he had been shot” and saw him knocking on neighbouring doors for help.

Mr Yarl and Mr Lester give police slightly different accounts of the incident.

The boy’s statement to police says he pressed the doorbell at the home and waited, as this was his first time at the residence.

The man inside took a long time to open the door, but when he did he was holding a firearm. Mr Yarl was shot in the head, fell to the ground and was shot a second time in the right arm. He claims he was told “don’t come around here”.

In his statement to police, Mr Lester said he lives alone and had just gone to bed when the doorbell rang.

He opened the interior door and saw Mr Yarl “pulling on the exterior storm door handle”. He “believed someone was

attempting to break into the house” and “shot him twice within a few seconds”. Mr Lester claims he was “scared to death” due to his age and that no words were exchanged between him and Mr Yarl.

On Tuesday, Mr Yarl’s mother Cleo Nagbe told CBS’s Gayle King that her son was home and surrounded by a team of medical professionals.

She said he was shot at close range and doctors did not understand how he had survived.

“He got a couple of bullets inside his body, instead of a couple of twins coming out and giving him a hug,” Ms Nagbe said.

Recounting the events of last Thursday, Ms Nagbe said her son had been trying to pick up his younger twin brothers from a friend’s house that night when he mistakenly knocked on Mr Lester’s door.

Family members said the boy had gone to 115th Street instead of 115th Terrace and rang the bell twice.

After being shot, he went to three nearby homes before someone helped him, relatives said.

Police initially detained Mr Lester for questioning and let him go, sparking protests throughout Kansas City on Sunday.

Image

Andrew Lester, 84, has been charged over the shooting

No words were exchanged before the homeowner opened fire with a .32 revolver, prosecutors said.

Speaking alongside Ms Nagbe, family attorney Lee Merritt was asked about Mr Lester’s claim that he was “fearing for his life”.

Mr Merritt answered: “When we hear he feared for his life and we know he was confronted with a 16-year-old boy ringing his doorbell - it is unjustifiable to use this level of force.”

Asked about the next steps, Mr Merritt said the family will be speaking with prosecutors later on Tuesday to ask why

attempted murder has not been included on the charge sheet.

Ms Nagbe said her son shared a laugh with President Joe Biden during a phone call on Monday, saying “he had jokes”.

Celebrities including Viola Davis, Justin Timberlake, Halle Berry and Kerry

Washington - as well as Kansas City Chiefs star quarterback Patrick Mahomescondemned the shooting.

A GoFundMe account set up to pay for his medical recovery has raised more than $2.7m (£2.1m) as of Tuesday.

Source: BBC

Police from 15 nations took part in the international operation

Andrew Lester, 84, has been charged over the shooting

N ews F rom A F ric A

Sudan fighting continues despite ceasefire

Fighting is continuing in areas of Sudan’s capital, Khartoum, despite a ceasefire due to start at 18:00 local time (16:00 GMT).

In particular the battle has not stopped around the army headquarters, which is in the city centre and is surrounded by residential areas.

Two rival generals at the heart of the conflict had agreed to a 24-hour humanitarian pause to allow civilians to get medical help and supplies.

Residents are low on food and water.

Earlier on Tuesday, a woman living in Khartoum told the BBC that she has no more drinking water left in her home: “This morning we ran out.”

Duaa Tariq said only one bottle remained, which was exclusively for her two-year-old child, as her family crammed into a “tiny corridor” to avoid gunfire.

“Most of the people [that] died, died in their houses with random bullets and missiles, so it’s better to avoid exposed

places in the house” like windows, Ms Tariq said.

Nearly 200 people have been killed in the fighting so far.

The UN aid chief has also warned of reports which say humanitarian workers are being attacked and sexually assaulted.

“This is unacceptable and must stop,” Mr Griffith’s tweeted, after the time the ceasefire was expected to have been implemented.

The fighting is between army units loyal to the de facto leader, Gen Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, and the RSF, a notorious paramilitary force commanded by Sudan’s deputy leader, Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, better known as Hemedti.

Sudan: The basics

• Sudan is in north-east Africa and has a history of instability: The military toppled long-time leader Omar al-Bashir in 2019 after mass protests

• It then overthrew a powersharing government in 2021, putting two

men at the helm: The head of the army and his deputy, who is also the head of a paramilitary group called the RSF

• They disagree on how to restore

civilian rule to Sudan: The RSF leader claims to represent marginalised groups against the country’s elites but his forces were accused of ethnic cleansing

Ugandans rage over roads: ‘Not a pothole but a pond’

The huge craters that pockmark many of the roads in Uganda’s capital have become the subject of a Twitter trend.

Using #KampalaPotholeExhibition, residents have been sharing images of the city’s many potholes that their vehicles have to gingerly make their way around or through.

The local authority has acknowledged the problem, saying the cavities amount to 8,500 sq m (91,493 sq ft) in area.

But it added that it did not have the funds to fill them all.

When academic, writer and cartoonist Dr Jimmy Spire Ssentongo started the campaign, even he could never have imagined the kind of material that would turn up.

“That is not a pothole! That is a pond!” he responded to one person who shared a photo.

Some have turned the photos into memes with graphics added - like ships sailing across potholes or people chilling on the beach, complete with palm trees, next to other ones.

The florid descriptions accompanying the images - including details such as a pothole’s age - might be satirical, but they also point to how long a particular road has been in bad shape.

Some potholes feel like they have become permanent geographical features, creating a series of mini lakes whenever it rains.

A few weeks ago, when I tweeted that in

one part of town there were potholes within potholes, one follower responded that the ones on the road he regularly uses had become stairs.

“We have potholes of every design, and size, deep, shallow, wide, narrow, filled with water and dry ones, they are all in Kampala,” the deputy speaker of parliament, Thomas Tayebwa, has been quoted as saying when calling for a minister to explain the situation.

The Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA), charged with the city’s road maintenance, will from time-to-time fill the crevices up with a clay-like soil called murram.

But piles of soil cannot withstand the heavy rainy season and the murram gets washed away.

Dr Ssentongo says his campaign is intended to shame those who are failing to maintain the roads, “to make them uncomfortable at their own incompetence”.

“If they have any sense of shame they should act,” he said, pointing to the dangers of potholes and the fact that city residents paid tax for roads to be maintained.

In response, the KCCA tweeted that the issue could not be trivialised and it was aware of the damage they caused to cars.

It said the roads were “due for overhaul... which explains the high prevalence of potholes and other road damages”.

“The situation has not been helped by the increased traffic levels on the roads, which in turn causes increased wear and tear,” it added.

Dr Ssentongo’s online “exhibition” is meant to last for a week and the academic is considering running a weekly pothole award in the future.

With the authorities being less than tolerant of protests on the streets, many feel

this is an innovative way for Dr Ssentongo to address the issue - and no-one has been arrested yet for photographing a pothole.

Some online critics have said that the exhibition might affect tourism by keeping potential visitors away from the country.

But analyst Ivan Rugambwa disagrees: “The #KampalaPotholeExhibition is not a malicious campaign by unpatriotic citizens looking to tarnish their country’s image.

Kenyan match-fixing: Federation wants new laws to criminalise offense

Kenya’s football federation has asked the country’s parliament to approve laws that criminalise match-fixing.

The request follows an investigation that led to multiple players and officials being suspended earlier this year.

Speaking at a hearing of the Sports and Culture Committee, Football Kenya Federation (FKF) president Nick Mwendwa said the absence of local laws to address the issue had led to a rise in cases.

“We have cases where individuals suspected of match-fixing are arrested and presented in a court of law, only for the cases to be dismissed for lack of legislative provisions to deal with the problem,” he told MPs.

“The federation can only take action against match-fixers who are our members but this is not enough. We need to have people arrested and punished so we can end this vice.”

Mwendwa added that inadequate financial resources at both club and federation level means teams and match officials can become vulnerable to matchfixing gangs - stating this was particularly true while the FKF was under a suspension handed out by the government over an alleged misappropriation of funds.

“The vice took root in our leagues between November 2021 and October 2022 when FKF was suspended. Match fixers took advantage of the fact that there was no regulator with

the expertise to detect and track what was happening.”

Mwendwa also told the committee that match-fixing is mostly run by syndicates operating out of Asia who approach players and officials to manipulate games.

“When football is manipulated it ruins the authenticity of the game which drives fans away,” he added.

“It’s clear that match-fixing is a massive threat to football as a sport and an industry.”

So far, the FKF has suspended 25 individuals, consisting of 18 players and seven match officials.

Committee chair Daniel Wanyama MP agreed there was an urgent need to enact laws to punish match-fixing.

“We have heard you. We will help put in place legislation to criminalise match fixing so that those who engage in this vice can be charged and arrested in a court of law,” he said.

In 2019, Fifa demanded a full investigation into claims that several men’s international matches had been fixed, including a 2010 World Cup qualifier.

Efforts by the FKF to clean up the game follow recent comments by former Harambee Stars captain Victor Wanyama who told BBC Sport Africa that he would not agree to return to the national team until those running the game showed “more professionalism”.

Source: BBC

A fourth day of fighting raged as residents remained trapped in their homes

The potholes form an obstacle course for drivers on some roads

Evan Gershkovich: US journalist arrested in Russia appears in court

ARussian court has rejected the appeal of US journalist Evan Gershkovich against his pre-trial detention.

He appeared in court in Moscow on Tuesday - the first time he had been seen in public for weeks.

He was arrested in the city of Yekaterinburg while working for the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) newspaper and charged with spying.

Mr Gershkovich stood with folded arms in a bullet-proof glass enclosure, wearing jeans and a blue checked shirt.

He gave a quick smile while standing calmly, but did not say anything to the reporters present.

The court rejected his legal team’s offer to free him on bail of 50 million roubles ($614,000) or put him under house arrest.

Mr Gershkovich will stay at a

former KGB prison until 29 May at least.

Along with his lawyer, US ambassador to Moscow Lynne Tracy was also present in the courtroom.

This is the same court where Kremlin critic Vladimir KaraMurza was just convicted of treason and sentenced to prison on Monday.

Media were allowed in the courtroom at the start of the hearing before being ushered out and will be permitted to return at the end of the hearing.

Speaking outside the court after the hearing, Ms Tracy said she had been given access to Mr Gershkovich for the first time on Monday and that he was in “good health and remains strong despite the circumstances”.

“The charges against Evan are baseless and we call on the Russian Federation to immediately release him,” she

said.

“He has a fighting spirit,” one of his lawyers, Maria Korchagina, said. “He’s working out and he knows that people are supporting him.”

Another one of his lawyers, Tatiana Nozhkina, said: “He’s in a combative mood, denies he is guilty, and is ready to prove it.”

When the judge asked Mr Gershkovich if he needed a translation, he replied no - he understood everything.

He is reading Russian literature while in detention.

More than 40 countries, led by the US, released a joint statement at the United Nations on Monday calling for Mr Gershkovich’s release and condemning Moscow for intimidating the media.

Mr Gershkovich, 31, was arrested on 29 March and could face up to 20 years in prison if found guilty of espionage.

Russia claims he was trying to obtain classified defence information for the US government. Mr Gershkovich denies any wrongdoing.

His arrest is the first time Moscow has accused a US journalist of espionage since the Soviet era.

Reporters Without Borders said Mr Gershkovich was covering the Russian mercenary group Wagner in Yekaterinburg, about 1,600km (1,000 miles) east of Moscow.

US officials said his driver had dropped him off at a restaurant and two hours later, his phone had been turned off.

Lawyers for the WSJ have been able to see him and the company said it was doing “everything in our power to support Evan and his family”.

US leaders - President Joe Biden and both Republican and Democratic senators - have

condemned his detention.

His case is now being handled by the US special envoy for hostage affairs.

At least 65 Americans were being unfairly detained abroad in 2022, according to a report by the James Foley Legacy Foundation.

The daughter of the human rights activist Andrei Sakharov, who became the first Soviet citizen to be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, has described the treatment dealt out to journalists as “primitive, unjustifiable, and appalling”.

Tatiana Yankelevich, who is a US-based scholar, has said in an article about her friend Mr KaraMurza that he is unlikely to survive his 25-year jail term and that “there are many other lesser known but ever-so-courageous people resisting official lies and propaganda”.

Absolut Vodka halts exports to Russia after backlash

Absolut Vodka will stop exporting its products to Russia after a backlash in its home country, Sweden.

The company initially halted the exports in March 2022 after Russia invaded Ukraine.

But its parent company, Pernod Ricard, confirmed that some exports had resumed - which sparked fury.

Pernod Ricard has now announced they have stopped Absolut Vodka exports again, in order to protect their staff and partners from criticism.

It said it was exercising its “duty of care towards our employees and partners, we cannot expose them to massive criticism in all forms”.

Last week, many top bars and restaurants in Sweden pulled the drink from their shelves, and politicians condemned its export, following media reports it was being sold to Russia.

The Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson said he was “very surprised” to hear the company had resumed exports.

And three Swedish artists launched a viral campaign, depicting a picture of a smouldering bomb crater in the shape of the Absolut bottle.

Stephanie Durroux, the CEO of Absolut, said the strong reaction to Absolut restarting Russian trade showed the role the brand played in Swedish society.

“We acknowledge the significance of these long-standing and trusting relationships with our Swedish employees, partners, consumers, and the Swedish society at large,” she added.

Before the war Pernod Ricard made about 3% of its annual sales on the Russian market, and despite pulling Absolut Vodka, the company will continue to sell some products to Russia.

In 2022, Russia changed its import laws to bypass EU sanctions. The changes allowed for the import of goods into Russia without the permission of their authorised importers.

On Friday, the Kremlin published a list of goods from numerous foreign markets

- including carmakers and technology companies - that the government has included in its parallel imports scheme. Absolut warned they had no

control over the parallel market and their vodka could still get into Russia that way.

“For clarity, this will unfortunately not prevent Absolut

from falling into the hands of the ‘parallel market’, which has strongly increased in recent months and over which we have no control,” Pernod Ricard said.

Cyclone Ilsa: Stranded Indonesian fishermen rescued after six days without food

One of the two fishing boats was washed ashore on Bedwell island - but the other one sunk in stormy weather, survivors said

Eleven Indonesian fishermen have been rescued after surviving for six days without food or water on a tiny island off Australia’s coast.

The Australian Maritime Safety Authority said they were

airlifted to safety on Monday from Bedwell Island, some 330km (205 miles) west of the town of Broome in Western Australia.

But nine others are feared dead.

The survivors said their two boats were hit by the powerful Tropical Cyclone Ilsa last week, sinking one boat.

Nine of the 10 crew members

on that vessel are still missing.

The sole survivor is reported to have been in the ocean for hours, clinging onto a jerry can, before being picked up by the fishermen from the other boat, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) reported.

That boat was pictured washed ashore on the small Bedwell Island.

The surviving fishermen

were eventually spotted by an Australian Border Force aircraft, and evacuated by a rescue helicopter to Broome, where they are being treated in hospital.

They are “all reported to be in good health despite their ordeal”, a Border Force spokesperson said, as quoted by the ABC, adding that the government was now working

to “repatriate the group as soon as practical”.

Cyclone Ilsa, the strongest storm in the region in about 14 years, hit Western Australia last week - but it spared populated areas from major damage.

Bedwell island lies near the Rowley Shoals - a series of coral reefs off Western Australia’s coast.

Source: BBC

Lucy (left), Rina (centre) and Maia Dee were reportedly shot at close range after their car came under fire

By Mashe Umaru Gwamna

The Nigerian Institute of Building (NIOB) has commenced capacity building of artisans and craftsmen in the built industry to address the challenge of skills’ dearth and skill importation in the country.

The NIOB President Prof. Yohana Izam said this at the 2023 Mandatory Continuous Professional Workshop for External Quality Assurance Managers recently in Abuja.

Izam represented by 2nd Vice President, NIOB, Mr Bimbo Kolade said that the the two-day capacity workshop was organised by the Artisans and Craftsmen Qualification Awarding Board of NIOB

Izam said the workshop was inline with the National Skills Qualification programme of the Government.

“The nation is coming up with the skill qualification. Our youth rather than just going to acquire an education they should alongside with the education acquire a skill.

” And under the National Skill Qualification framework, the Nigerian institute or building is the awarding body that awards skill qualification certificate for the construction workers.

“There are levels with which you go through before you can be and you get qualified in this various levels of training.”

According to him, there are seven trades and these include plumbing, piping jobs, carpentry, aluminum framework, masonry and roofing.

” So we have three levels of assessor, there is the Quality Assurance Assessor. The Internal Verifier Assessor, those ones superintend over the QAA.

“In this training that you are doing now, there is a specialized training for those who are at the highest level of the skill acquisition society which are the External Quality Assurance Assessors. These are quality assurance is managers.

“The participants come from all over the Federation, for now within the construction industry sector, we have 25 of them that are already qualified.

“We have seen some of them going into Morocco or the United Kingdom from where they are recognised and they can practice as quality assurance assessors even in those countries,” Izam said.

Dr Christopher Belonwu, Chairman Artisans and Craftsmen Qualification Awarding Board, said the essence of this training was to bring the participants, up to speed with current practice National Board for Technical Education (NBTE).

“At the end of the training you know that so many intervention projects linked to this NSQ, you have the n-power project, the n-skills project, the world Bank ideas project, project teamers, are all on NSQ.

“We want to make sure that all these various intervention projects, the ones that are

NIOB organizes capacity building for artisans, craftsmen to address challenge of skills importation

construction related are executed better in the right way they should be.

“It means that era when certificates are given when people are not qualified, is gone. At the end of this workshop we expect that the skillsmanship of our craftsmen will be sharpened.”

Explaining further on the essence of the workshop on skills importation Belonwu said it would be an end to such practice because Nigerian craftsmen would also do better jobs.

“In doing better it means

they have a predefined step of doing the work, they understand the steps, there are actual trade secrets that they try to carry out to do that better.

“So under this NSQ, we now have the standard which other countries do we call it the National Operating Standard.

“It is what all the artisans follow so that they can reach that point that foreigners have reached, they should actually know how to do better jobs and not jump any process.

Mrs Folashade Laja, former

Vice-chairman, Artisans and Craftsmen Qualification Awarding Board a participant said it was an avenue for continued professional advancement.

“This is very important that we that are going to the field should ensure that the end product of the NSQ are competent people to be used in the construction industry.

“We also should be abreast of what is going on, so this is like, a kind of peer review, rubbing of knowledgeable minds,” Laja said.

The immediate past President of NIOB, Mr Kunle Awobodu

decried the lack of aspiration to greater heights that was prevalent in the present crop of artisans and craftsmen.

This, he adduced to the lack of motivation in the wages being paid to most artisans because of their lack of improvement and expertise in the crafts.

Awobodu, therefore, urged the youth and other professionals to take advantage of this type of mandatory professional development to sharpen their skills and aim for greater heights in their endeavours.

PMB to commission Abuja-Kano expressway before May 29

By Mashe Umaru Gwamna

The Federal Government has given the assurance that section 2 and 3 of the AbujaKano expressway will be completed and commissioned by President Muhammad Buhari before the end of his tenure this year, May, 29th. 2023.

This was contained in a statement signed by Blessing Lere - Adams Director Press and Public Relations, say the assurance was given by the Chief of Staff to the President, Professor Ibrahim Gambari who was taken on a press - inspection tour of the road by the Minister of Works and Housing Babatunde Fashola.

The Chief of Staff who expressed satisfaction with the work done said, “Both section 2 and 3 will be completed and ready for commissioning by President Muhammad Buhari before the end of the tenure of his administration”.

He disclosed that another legacy project of the President, the 2nd Niger bridge will also be commissioned by the President before he leaves office.

He recalled that the bridge had been opened for road users during the last Christmas season to ease the hardship that people had suffered for years now

The COS praised the President for his outstanding and

commendable commitment to infrastructural development across the country.

“We want to commend Mr President for making the resources available so that this kind of progress can be made”, he said.

The Minister of Works and Housing, Babatunde Raji Fashola explained that section 3 of the road which is from Kaduna to Kano is 137 kilometres, which is longer than the Lagos - Ibadan expressway which is 127 kilometres while section 2 of the road which stretches from Zaria to Kaduna is 73 kilometres.

He added that though the Lagod - Ibadan expressway started

earlier both projects are being completed around the same time.

On why work on the section 1 of the road which is from Abuja from Zaria was not progressing like the other two, the Minister attributed the reasons to criminal activities which stalled the work for about a year in 2022, issues about right of way because of the need to relocate buildings, markets electricity installations, utilities all of which must be addressed before the contractor can do his job.

He said that work on that section of the road was ongoing just as the required collaboration between the Ministry and the

Federal Capital Territory Minster and the Governors of Niger and Kaduna states whose territories are connected to the 265 kilometres road is going on.

Fashola gave the assurance that the section will be completed by the next administration as soon as possible as funding which is being provided by the Nigerian Sovereign Investment Authority is readily available.

The Managing Director of the Nigerian Sovereign Investment Authority, Aminu Sadiq affirmed his organisation’s commitment and readiness to provide the funding for the project.

Glasgow,Manchester the best cities for investors

Glasgow and Manchester are the best UK cities to invest in outside of London, according to Hometrack and Zoopla reports.

Glasgow offers strong rental yields of 6.8%, as well as an annual property value percentage increase of 14.1%, as well as strong transport links.

Manchester meanwhile has an annual property value increase of 15.6% as well as a rental yield of 5.1%.

The presence of two top Premier League football teams makes it an attractive place for investors looking

to attract high-net worth individuals to rent their properties.

Glasgow offers strong rental yields of 6.8%, as well as an annual property value percentage increase of 14.1%, as well as strong transport links.

Manchester meanwhile has an annual property value increase of 15.6% as well as a rental yield of 5.1%.

The presence of two top Premier League football teams makes it an attractive place for investors looking to attract high-net worth individuals to rent their properties.

Gordon Dutfield, chief executive at Redmayne Smith, said: “Rental yield and annual property value percentage increase are key indicators of the potential for strong returns on investment, while transport links are crucial in attracting tenants and maintaining demand.

By focusing on these key metrics, we can identify regions that offer the best opportunities for long-term growth and profitability, and help our clients achieve their investment goals.

““Our latest research clearly

shows that Glasgow and Manchester are currently the best regions to invest in, with excellent rental yields, high annual property value increases, and great transport links.

As we emerge from the pandemic, investors are increasingly looking for opportunities in major UK cities, where the potential for growth and returns is high.

“With Glasgow and Manchester both undergoing significant investment and regeneration, we believe they offer the greatest potential.

“Personally, Manchester is the

Aeriel view of Abuja - Kaduna- Kano Road -Section III. Chief of Staff to the President, Prof. Ibrahim Gambari CFR, (2nd right), Hon. Minister of Works and Housing, Mr Babatunde Fashola SAN (2nd left) , Senior Special Assistant to the President, Special Projects, Mr Aniefiok Johnson ( right) , Managing Director, Julius Berger Nig Ltd, Mr Lars Richter (left) and others during the inspection of the road.

Feature

How LinkedIn is changing and why some are not happy

Social media is where we project a version of ourselves.

And a pensive Dan Kelsall is nothing like his rowdy character on LinkedIn, the social media platform famously tagged “Facebook for suits”.

In the online world the cofounder of Manchester marketing firm Offended makes sure his business lives up to its name. His posts stick out for the prevalence of profanity and no holds barred humour.

Offended specialises in guerrilla marketing, turning the world of corporate messaging and polished branding upside down. As the irreverent Mr Kelsall puts it: “We don’t just get our own ads banned, we get ads banned for our clients too.”

With 900 million of the world’s professionals registering their personal CV and career attainments on the site, LinkedIn has become a valuable resource for head-hunters and human resources departments.

But over the last three years or so, this once staid community billboard of career updates and business launches has seen a change in tone.

Many posts have become more personal, featuring the emotional backstories of its members with accounts of childhood influences and admissions of failings and frailties.

This is a far cry from the hardsell approach beloved of many corporate players and not everyone is happy. Critics murmur that these posts are more suited to the weekend musings of Facebook or the raucous tone of Twitter.

So what has triggered this change? According to Mr Kelsall, boredom with corporate marketing is one culprit.

It’s hard to imagine, but Mr Kelsall once worked as a copywriter for a tax software firm, producing “some of the driest things I’ve written”. He may not have enjoyed this time, but it did give him an insight into what pulls in readers.

“Consumers are less and less trusting of big brands. People are tired of boring marketing.

“The skill is to speak like your audience and be relatable to your audience. I’ve been on LinkedIn for seven years and I’ve got 66,000 followers. That’s a really engaged audience.”

Parry Headrick founded Massachusetts public relations business Crackle. He attributes his

entire client base to introductions via LinkedIn. There his followers learn about his penurious childhood and his own children’s lives.

It’s not to everyone’s taste, though. One LinkedIn user responded to his disclosures with: “Nice story. It doesn’t belong on LinkedIn.”

Mr Headrick disagrees. “Engagement is about telling a compelling story. Your parents didn’t read you a press release at bedtime, they read you stories. I try to give an insight into who I am if you work with me.”

He is scathing about the effort businesses put into “company pages on LinkedIn that get no engagement”, pointing out that human tales work. “It’s the personal element that engenders trust.”

Mr Headrick sees his personal pronouncements as “part of a broader shift away from corporate speak”.

So what changed to make businesses so informal? Azadeh Williams thinks she knows.

Speaking from the Sydney offices of her media and marketing company, AZK Media, she explains why she shares updates about her six-year-old daughter. “I was a journalist for 20 years and I can spot marketing rigmarole and a contrived script. You have to be your crude, authentic self to attract your audience.”

She wouldn’t have posted this material a few years ago, but with the pandemic Zoom meetings intruded into the domestic space. This has changed everything. “Before Covid families didn’t exist for your work colleagues. Now they’ve seen the families and it makes us more interesting.”

She believes that while LinkedIn has evolved from being the home of CVs, many users retain the mindset that it’s just a digital job interview.

Douglas Rode runs recruitment giant Page Group in the UK and Ireland. As LinkedIn is such an important tool in his world how does he view its new incarnation?

“Even five years ago people didn’t open up so much. Now there’s greater awareness of people’s vulnerabilities such as mental health and LinkedIn has magnified this.”

As a job-hunting expert would he advise someone to bare their soul there? His response is very qualified. “It’s a matter of individual choice. You are putting yourself out there so a future employer can see you. You’re trying to get a balance and you want to sound human, not generic or automated.”

Covid changed LinkedIn, according to Azadeh Williams

Douglas Rode runs recruitment giant Page Group in the UK and Ireland. As LinkedIn is such an important tool in his world how does he view its new incarnation? “Even five years ago people didn’t open up so much. Now there’s greater awareness of people’s vulnerabilities such as mental health and LinkedIn has magnified this

Others are more pointed. Tom Skinner, of London marketing

agency Go Up, fears LinkedIn’s new emotional tone is merely a symptom of celebrity culture and “a society that celebrates people who can self-publicise above all else”.

LinkedIn has a 200-strong

team working on stories primed to attract attention and involvement, all grist to the mill of recruiting companies that pay it for the right to scour the CVs of its members.

Source;BBC

Speak like your audience and be relatable to your audience, says Dan Kelsall

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Top ultrarunner Joasia Zakrzewski disqualified for using a car in race

Atop Scottish ultra-marathon runner has been disqualified from a race for using a car during part of the route.

Joasia Zakrzewski finished third in the 2023 GB Ultras Manchester to Liverpool 50-mile race - but is thought to have travelled by car for 2.5 miles.

The 47-year-old GP, from Dumfries, is understood to have been tracked on GPX mapping data covering a mile of the race in just one minute 40 seconds.

A friend said Ms Zakrzewski had felt sick and was sorry for any upset. The matter has been referred to UK Athletics.

Wayne Drinkwater, the director

of the GB Ultras race, said that after the ultramarathon he received information that a runner had gained an “unsporting, competitive advantage during a section of the event”.

‘Very disappointing’

He said: “The issue has been investigated and, having reviewed the data from our race tracking system, GPX data, statements provided from our event team, other competitors and from the participant herself, we can confirm that a runner has now been disqualified from the event having taken vehicle transport during part of the route.”

Mr Drinkwater said a report of the disqualification had been

submitted to the Trail Running Association, which provides the licence for the event and is an associate member of UK Athletics.

“The matter is now with the TRA and, in turn, UK Athletics (UKA) as the regulatory bodies,” he said.

Third place in the race, which was held on 7 April, has now been awarded to Mel Sykes.

Scottish Athletics chairman David Ovens said: “It is very disappointing to hear this, given Joasia’s had such a successful period over the last few years.

“I hope she can put this behind her and that there is an innocent explanation and she can resume her successful career.”

Adrian Stott, a running friend

who has been in contact with Ms Zakrzewski since the event, said she had arrived the night before the race after travelling for 48 hours from Australia.

‘Genuinely sorry’

“The race didn’t go to plan. She said she was feeling sick and tired on the race and wanted to drop out,” he said.

“She has cooperated fully with the race organisers’ investigations, giving them a full account of what happened.

“She genuinely feels sorry for any upset caused.”

And he added: “Joasia has been a great ambassador for British sport and has inspired so many women to run and achieve their goals.”

In February, at the Taipei Ultramarathon in Taiwan, Ms Zakrzewski won the 48-hour race outright - setting a world record across 255 miles (411.5 km). Racing for Great Britain in the IAU World 100km Championships, she won individual silver in 2011 and bronze in 2014 and 2015. She also represented Team Scotland in the marathon at the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games.

In 2020, aged 44, she won a 24-hour event in Australia with a distance of 236.561km. She has set a number of records including the Scottish 24-hour record, the British 200k and the Scottish 100 miles record.

S P R T

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.

Julian Nagelsmann: Chelsea hold talks with former Bayern Munich manager

Chelsea have held talks with Julian Nagelsmann as part of their search for a new manager.

The German was sacked by Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich in March after less than two years in charge.

BBC Sport understands Chelsea do not yet have a preferred option to replace Graham Potter, who was sacked in April.

Despite holding talks with Nagelsmann, 35, the process to find a new manager is ongoingwith Luis Enrique also reportedly of interest to Chelsea.

Potter left Stamford Bridge less than seven months after leaving Brighton & Hove Albion to replace Thomas Tuchel.

Nagelsmann, one of the highest-rated young coaches in the game, has also been linked

with Tottenham Hotspur.

He worked with Chelsea sporting director Laurence Stewart and technical director Christopher Vivell while he was in charge at RB Leipzig.

Nagelsmann is regarded as one of the game’s brightest managerial talents, having taking charge of Hoffenheim aged just 28 before moving to RB Lepizig, whom he led to the Champions

League semi-finals. He then joined Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich in 2021, winning the league title in his first season alongside two German Supercups.

Bayern, who appointed Tuchel after sacking Nagelsmann, have made an approach for Chelsea first-team coach Anthony Barry and negotiations continue between the clubs.

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.

Julian Nagelsmann won the Bundesliga title in his only full season as Bayern Munich manager

PEOPLES DAILY

PEOPLES DAILY, WEDNESDAY APRIL 19, 2023

2023 elections: Latent lessons, insights for next dispensation

Etihad Stadium: Man City submit £300m plan to increase capacity to 60,000

Manchester City have submitted a planning application for a £300m expansion of Etihad Stadium.

The club want to increase the current capacity of 53,400 to 60,000 by expanding the North Stand.

Proposals include a sky bar overlooking the pitch and a stadium roof walk experience.

A 3,000-capacity fan zone, new club shop and museum, and 400-bed hotel have also been proposed in the application to Manchester City Council.

The club say the project, which would take three years to complete, would create a “bestin-class fan experience and yearround entertainment and leisure destination”.

The planning application follows a consultation with fans and the local community.

City say the proposals represent more than £300m investment into east Manchester, and could create 2,600 jobs, with priority for people from Greater Manchester.

There are also plans for new office spaces for businesses that want to work in collaboration with the club and their partners.

In August, City announced discussions were in a primary phase to expand the two-tier North Stand to three tiers, but their planning application proposes to expand the single upper tier above the existing lower tier.

“As with all Club developments, ensuring our local community benefit is a key priority and we believe these proposals will deliver long-term economic and social opportunities, building on the regeneration work delivered in east Manchester by City Football Group since 2008,” said Danny Wilson, managing director of Manchester City Operations.

As a developing nation and an evolving democracy with peculiar challenges, the just concluded general elections will continue to supply Nigeria and Nigerians with learning points and insights into the next election cycle and beyond. Rather than spending this time, and as usual, all year round dwelling on irrelevances; fueling inferior nonprofiting rhetoric, emotionalism and divisive propaganda bothering on politics, ethnic jingoism, religious parochialism and selfish non-patriotic ideologies built on personal, sectional and vested interests, this should be about time we let go of the unnecessariness, and focus on the creation of the new and possible Nigeria, for all.

It is about time we rewrite the realities of our existence as a nation and a people. We cannot afford, when it is within our reach to stop our nation from remaining a nation dwelling in poverty in the midst of abundance, to continue engaging in these yearslong nonprofiting gyrations. An election was lost and won; that is the nature of the game. Winners and losers alike emerge and life continues until the next election cycle as established in the nation’s Constitution. While it is normal for contestants to go to court in the attempts to change announced outcomes of an election, it is wrong and not ever in the interest of the nation for any candidate or their supporters to constitute a nuisance in perpetuity to societal orderliness in a way that makes it impossible for the government and the public to focus on tasks that are sacrosanct to the growth and development we desire and deserve.

Are we going to correct the many anomalies in our body polity by doing what we are doing now? The acute and multi-dimensional poverty engulfing our population; would it disappear with the emotional outburst we are parading in the name of the irrational and uncontrollable Obidient mob we propagate? When are we going to have the time to address the rots in our national education and health sectors, for instance, if we are as encumbered with trivialities as we are now? When we are supposed to be gathering round the table to organise our strength to revolutionise, or at least, reform our moribund energy sector, bringing back to life the national steel power, making the countless abounding natural resources count for the country; and rewrite the name of Nigeria in the lofty position she deserves in the committee of developed nations; we are more than ever interested in projecting a phantom “stolen election” rhetoric to the extent of rendering the country near ungovernable by the lies we spread.

The President-Elect comes with a load of trailing antecedents of leadership, empowerment and sustainable development; Nigerians are hopeful that a reenactment of the Lagos state developmental strategy would do magic for the country; but how would that happen in a system that is polluted with antagonism from all sides? The virulent Obidients have sworn to uphold the lies they are being fed. And the media is hell bent on profiting by propagating the divisive lies of stolen elections and enjoying the patronages that come with it. Religious and ethnic groups are well energised to play politics at the detriment of national cohesion and growth; and a full house is totally divided against itself.

Yet, we have a number of staple challenges. We have insecurity being perpetrated by Nigerians against Nigeria that is engulfing us from all corners of the country. Not done dealing with Boko Haram, the killer herders and the daredevil kidnappers, IPOB and its ESN and affiliates are fast becoming an even greater menace around the Southern corridor of the nation. Our current realities

are such that make real development an impossible task; or how do we coordinate development in the midst of gross instability?

We have an uphill task going forward from here if we want to change the narrative for Nigeria. As difficult as it may appear, it is sacrosanct to get all warring factions in the country to sheath their swords and sit for a common unanimous compromise that favours the desires of the federation. I don’t know the exact way that could be done, but it is mandatory if we must move away from the rot that characterises our contemporary union.

Our nation has become a shadow of itself; a mockery of what it could be that it never was given the chance yet to realise its eminent potentials by its own citizens. It is now called a rich nation of poor people; a graveyard of potentials abused and untapped. And from this rot, we must rise as a people done with poverty; as a people set to reclaim their prosperity and grow above limitations.

I have come to the reality now that more needs to be said about the 2023 elections until all of our people, especially, the misinformed and ignorant, wilful or not, who believe and are still lining up behind the ‘stolen mandate’ are jolted back to their senses and reality of a won and loss election. I would suggest, if by any means possible, that we all temporarily jettison our inclinations to religious and regional biases and their resultant expectations from the elections. I would also ask that we temporarily allow objectivity and fact-based conclusions that are eminently appropriate in the questioning of the elections and the outcomes across the country. Was it possible that the Labour Party and its candidate, Peter Obi won the election as some would have us believe? Was there a possibility that the APC candidate, Bola Ahmed Tinubu and now the President-Elect did not win the election? These and many others are pertinent questions that could lay to rest all issues arising from the elections and overthrow intentional propaganda being spread to discredit the elections if we give it a thoughtful and rational consideration.

From a realistic point of view, it was expected that the opposition parties would be well prepared; having their homework done years and months to the elections to unseat the ruling party. The ruling party, as expected, was operating from a certain position of advantages; yet, the APC campaign council especially the Directorate of Election Planing and Monitoring led by Mr. Fashola was up and doing and the President-elect exerted so much in the preparation for the election, and unbelievably much more than any other presidential candidate or contesting party. It is on record that despite the propagated lies and rhetoric of a sick and demented candidate, the APC candidate was the only presidential candidate that campaigned in the entire 36 states of the country and FCT, not mentioning the overbooked schedules within and outside the country. Every state, every corner, all the people, across religions, tribes and unique affiliations were reached by the APC campaign. That is the hallmark of a party and candidate ready to win an election, and you cannot take the outcome away from them.

The preparation for the election is not done online, but on the field. It is done in states, local government areas and remote places of the country. Our electoral delineation provides us with about 196,000 polling units across the country. While other parties were busy gaining social media support, the APC campaign council under the directorate led by Raji Fashola, SAN was busy getting the party agents and vote conversers ready for the elections. Polling agents were trained; brought in consonant with the new Electoral Act and effectively prepared and detailed for the Election Day assignments. Which other political party did that? The Labour Party was more interested in building up media sentiments, and sponsoring unrealistic polls to create false hopes and hopefully energise their support base to greater turnout. It didn’t work as planned. The party could not present polling agents in sizable number of polling stations across the country. How can a party unprepared to the point of not getting party agents ready for a national election be considered ready and capable of winning the same election? From where will the party access real time results from polling units to coordinate its results computation and followups? And as it has been repeatedly said over and over by discerning minds, a negligible violence in some polling units across the country cannot invalidate the outcome of the entire elections as some naive and parochial partisans would want to believe unreasonably.

Every right thinking person would know before the election that the number was in favour of the ruling APC. Politics remains a game of numbers and the player with the number wins the election. APC has that; regardless of all online and media lies, the party remains strong with its voting base. Almost every APC voter in 2019 remains APC voter in 2023 and contrary to the same lies that Nigerians were rejecting the party, many across the country who benefited from the gross performances of the APC-led government silently lined up for the party candidate during the elections.

The same cannot be said about the opposition parties and all the major contestants; they were one and together until a few weeks and days to the PDP primaries. Suddenly the already struggling PDP produced three presidential candidates from its camp but under three different parties. They went all ahead to divide the voting base of PDP; Obi took away the entire South-east and the full chunk of the Igbo votes across the country from PDP. And made a spoil of the party again in the Christian dominated parts of Kaduna and other North-central states. Kwankwoso took it all, perhaps, spitefully from its former party, PDP in Kano state. PDP took what was left that Obi could not afford because of the religious and regional games he played in the North-east. How on earth would it be possible for APC to be defeated in such an arrangement? Why would APC come strong second in many states it lost if not because PDP was a house divided against itself.

It was obvious the election could not have had any other outcome than the victory of the APC candidate. And now, it is high time we all accepted the facts of the presidential result

and move on with the task of developing the country.

For the ruling APC and the PresidentElect, the task is enormous. The PresidentElect needs all hands on deck to revamp the country. It is a fact that there is too much anger in the country; the people need reassurance that comes from real performance to begin to develop trust again in the leadership and governance directions. This is not the time to allow sycophants and self-serving politicians and individuals around the corridors of power.

APC and the President-Elect in his usual manner and in line with his famous antecedence, must consider nothing short of capacity in the selection of his co-drivers in his coming administration. The campaign council paraded a number of unreliable elements who must not be allowed to walk their ways into government functionaries, particularly the critical ones, in the coming administration. Sycophants, who were more interested in protecting themselves and the accolades they amass from being around the principal and never what they can contribute to the plights of the nation. Elements who were busy organising self-serving and self-promoting rallies and programs that point to their apparently narrow commitment to the person of the principal, and not the nation and its diversities. It would not be a function of being around the principal all times, but rather, that of contributions and plausible national effective contribution and capacities. These men and women must and have to be put at arm length in the interest of performance and efficiency of the incoming government.

It is obvious that men of the caliber of the current Minister of Works, Mr. Raji Fashola, cannot be allowed to stay off the radar. Not only has he been a credible element of the Buhari Administration for the last eight years, he has performed remarkably well and his unparalleled contributions to the party success at the presidential poll cannot go without appreciation. In whatever capacity, Mr. Fashola must be a critical element in the incoming government.

Mr. Fashola is not tired; he has got so much more to offer Nigeria. We cannot let him go yet. It is not yet time to rest. There is so much to be done and his likes are the sure and trusted hands to employ. You don’t buy experience and competence in stores or by the roadside.

There is a lot to be done; and we hope we will just get it right beginning with the next political dispensation.

DAN GAYE

DAN GAYE

Adamawa: Binani dismisses giving out N2b bribe to be declared winner —News

The truth shall prevail!