Wednesday, December 21st, 2022 Edition

PHOTO: SUNDAY AGHAEZE

By Christiana Ekpa

President Muhammadu Buhari on Tuesday transmitted a new finance bill, 2022 to the House of Representatives, which seeks to provide support for the funding of the 2023 budget.

The Speaker of the House, Rep. Femi Gbajabiamila who read the President’s communication during Tuesday’s plenary also disclosed plans to meet with Mr President.

The President while calling for accelerated consideration and passage of the proposed Finance bill, 2022, explained that the proposed bill when passed into law will “provide the financial support for the implementation of the 2023 federal budget.”

The Speaker also told the House about the scheduled meeting with President Buhari, explaining that the Deputy Speaker, Hon. Idris Wase will continue the proceedings.

Subsequently, the Speaker gave an update on the resolution passed by the House requesting for a meeting with the Governor of Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Godwin Emefiele yesterday Tuesday, 20th December 2022.

He however observed that the letter from the CBN was addressed to the Clerk of the House of Representatives, Dr Yahaya Danzaria since he was the one that wrote the invitation letter.

“It is important that I communicate back to the House that a couple of days ago the House resolved by resolution and in compliance with the Central Bank’s Act and the Constitution of the

2023 Budget: Buhari transmits new Finance Bill to Reps

Federal Republic of Nigeria, invited the Central Bank Governor to brief us last Thursday on policy and what is going on to brief the House on the both the newly redesigned naira and more importantly the new cash policy.

“And Central Bank Governor suppose to come in last Thursday but he wrote to the House stating that he was unavoidably absent as he was in the United States on an official visit with Mr President and he writes that the House does give him another date since he was officially out with Mr President.

“Another date, which is today Tuesday, 10 am and just yesterday I received a letter from the Central Bank.

“Regrettably, the Governor is unavailable to brief the House of Representatives at this time, because he rescheduled official engagements he is currently addressing abroad. Accordingly, he has requested that we respectively convey his inability to honour this invitation on the rescheduled date. The Governor regrets this and will contact the House of Representatives as soon as he returns to the country from his official assignment,” the letter signed by CBN’s Deputy Governor, Corporate Service.

Worried by the development, Chairman, House Committee on Navy, Hon. Yusuf Gadgi who frowned at the disregard for the House resolution demanded for He said: “I am not going to comment about the policy. It is about your power and our power, and the need to respect the Nigerian people.

“The crafters of the Nigerian constitution did not make errors in creating the House of Representatives to call for public office holders to account for their activities.

“I think at this point, it is important we let such officeholders know that it is not Honourable Femi Gbajabiamila that is summoning the CBN Governor or Honourable Yusuf Gagdi or the Deputy Speaker or any member, it is the collective will of the Nigerian people that is inviting the CBN Governor to come and explain some policies Nigerian people need explanation.

“For me, I am not against any policy but I am against disrespect to you and the Nigerian people—to the House. The Speaker is a symbol of the Nigerian people.

“We have names to protect, I wish to say that the house must be mindful of the perception we

are giving out. we will not tolerate further excuses.”

In his response, the Speaker who averred that the invitation was not from the Speaker but from the House, however, argued that “in fairness, as of the time the invitation went, he was already out of the country.

“I don’t want to see it as disrespect at all. I get your point, once, twice, there cannot be a third time. I don’t think you can be out of the country for so long. My suggestion would be that we invite, let us agree.

“What is important is that this House gets a proper full briefing, and I think it behoves on the CBN Governor in accordance with the law to brief this House,” he noted.

Yet unsatisfied with the Speaker’s position, Hon Abdulganiyu Olododo stressed the need for the House to ascertain “what that official assignment is that will keep the CBN Governor away for almost two weeks.

“I will like to know the official assignment at this critical point that will keep him away for two weeks—because this House will more than likely close on Thursday, I think we should resolve to invite the president on Thursday.

FEMA urges volunteers on risk behaviours associated to fire outbreak

The FCT Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has urged volunteers and residents to be conscious of risk behaviours that may result to fire outbreak in homes and other public places.

The Director-General of FEMA, Alhaji Abbas Idriss, made the call at the 2022 International Volunteer Day (IVD) celebration on Tuesday in Abuja.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that this year’s theme of IVD is: “Solidarity through volunteering”.

Idriss called on the Abuja Electricity Distribution Company,

Abuja Markets Management and other relevant stakeholders to scale up their level of sensitisation to reduce fire risk among residents.

According to him, fire risk among residents is mostly driven by ignorance or negligent attitude.

Idriss emphasised the need for individuals and organisations that yet to imbibe the spirit of volunteerism to do so, saying “the more we act together in little ways, the more we touch many lives and build better communities.’’

“At this time of the year, when the weather is cold and windy, the use of heating appliances, especially water

heaters in homes and offices often end in bad testimonies for those who forget to turn off such appliances when there is power outage.

“Also bush burning is another issue of serious concern because of the fire that sometimes escalate into markets and power facilities, causing serious losses.

“This is the time to be more careful and be on guard to avoid bitter incidents such as this and it is a collective responsibility,” Idriss said.

He acknowledged the great contribution of FEMA volunteers across the six area councils of the

territory, that have been driving the agency’s disaster risk reduction programmes in their communities.

“Take for instance, the issue of flood in the FCT. I cannot praise the efforts of our stakeholders at ensuring that no life was lost to flood in 2022,” he said.

The director-general thanked the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Mr Boss Mustapha, the FCT Minister, Malam Muhammad Bello and the FCT Permanent Secretary for their support to programmes of the agency.

President Muhammadu Buhari commissioned the national shared services center by the Ministry of Communication and Digital Economy at the Galaxy Backbone, yesterday in Abuja

PHOTO; State House

2023: Youth organisation charges political parties to be fair

From Umar Dankano,Yola

Ahead of the 2023 general elections,candidates of various political parties have been charged to play the game by the rules with a view to ensure hitch free polls.

The organisation christiened; “Arewa Decide 2023” gave the charge in Yola, the Adamawa state capital while holding a procession of thousands of youth groups in support of the PDP Presidential Candidate,Atiku Abubakar.

State Cordinator of the group,Comrade Ahmed Bala Aliyu said the group is purposely out to educate voters on their constitutional roles as electorates in the electioneering process.

Comrade Aliyu advised the teeming youths at the occasion not to allow themselves to be used for political thuggery by selfish politicians.

Insurance industry reaps N532bn premium in Q3

The insurance industry has generated gross premium income of N532.7 billion in the third quarter Year-onYear (YoY), representing 15 per cent growth over the figure for 2021.

This is contained in a bulletin on the performance of the insurance market released on Tuesday in Lagos by Mr Rasaaq Salami, spokesperson for the National Insurance Commission (NAICOM).

NAICOM said the non-life segment sustained its market dominance at 58.4 per cent of the total premium generated.

The commission reported that oil and gas insurance was the leading driver at 30.8 per cent, while fire insurance followed with 21.3 per cent.

It said motor insurance stood at 14.6 per cent while marine and aviation, general accident and miscellaneous reported a share of 11.8 per cent, 11.2.per cent

and 10.3 per cent respectively.

“Life business on the other hand recorded 41.6.per cent of the market production as its share contribution gradually closes up.

“The share of annuity in the life insurance business lagged at 25.5 per cent, while individual life was at 41.2 per cent of the premium generated during the period under review,” the commission said.

According to NAICOM, the industry fostered at a higher rate of 14.9 per cent growth rate, which was an impressive performance, compared to Nigeria’s growth in real Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of 2.3 per cent during the same period.

The commission stated that the insurance market reported a gross claim of N242.6 billion which was slightly lower compared to the corresponding period of 2021, signifying a decline of -2.3 per cent in

the total claims reported by policyholders.

It, however, noted that the ratio of total claims to gross premium stood at about 46 per cent during the current period, while the net claims paid on the other hand stood at about N207.2 billion, signifying 85.4 per cent of all gross claims reported during the period.

NAICOM said life insurance business recorded 95.0 per cent claims settlement against all the reported claims, while non-life segment stood at 72.4 per cent during the same period.

“The array of proportional claims settlement took a direct reflection of the market premium retention as motor insurance retained its lead, posting a claims settlement ratio of about 91 per cent.

“This is followed by miscellaneous insurances reporting about 81 per cent as paid claims ratio to all

reported claims during the period, while general accident recorded 74.4 per cent, marine and aviation stood at 74.3.per cent and fire insurance gulped 59.6 per cent.

“The oil and gas business stood out as the most improved portfolio in this respect at about 65.3 per cent of claims settlement ratio, an increase of 41 points compared to its position of 23.9 per cent recorded in the corresponding period of 2021.

“Similarly, the claims settlement ratio of the life business stood at 95 per cent while the aggregate industry average was recorded at 85.4 per cent during the quarter,” it said.

According to the commission, the experience in oil and gas corner of the market with respect to claims settlement could be attributed to the increasing capital and underwriters’ growing confidence and dexterity in the market. (NAN)

991,533 poor households captured in Kaduna social register

From: Femi Oyelola, Kaduna

The Kaduna State Government said it has captured a total number of 3,718,601 individuals and 991,533 poor and vulnerable households in its social register.

The Head of Operation, State Operations Coordinating Unit, (SOCU), Planning and Budget Commission, Mr Dogo Biya Sylvanus, made this known in Kaduna yesterday at a oneday Media Engagement on the State Social Register and Rapid Response Register.

He said the figure was a significant increase from the 2.4m individuals from 607,994 vulnerable households captured earlier.

According to him, the 3.7 million figure has put Kaduna as one of the top three states in the country, with the highest number captured in the social register.

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Naira redesign, withdrawal limit thoughtless - Sen Wamakko

From: Femi Oyelola, Kaduna

Senator Aliyu Magatakarda Wamakko of Sokoto State has joined Nigerians in criticizing the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Godwin Emefiele

the redesigning of the naira notes and the new controversial cash withdrawal limit set by the CBN.

was contained in a statement made available to the media in Kaduna yesterday.

a former Governor of Sokoto state described the twin policies as unnecessarily diversionary, controversial, unthoughtful, and designed to plunge northerners into deeper misery.

said

were the sole creation of the Central Bank Governor, and warned that Emefiele would be called to account in the fullness of time for all the sufferings resulting from his inconsiderate monetary policies.

L-R: Amb. Babangida Ibrahim; National Coordinator, Friends of Kashim Shettima Mustapha(KSM), Arch. Waziri Bulama; and Engr. Muhammadu Suraj at a Inaugural press conference for their Solidarity to APC Vice presidential candidate Sen. Kahim Shettima, yesterday in Abuja. Photo: Mahmud Isa

By Vivian Okejeme, Abuja

In a bid to ensure good healthcare delivery in Nigeria, President

Muhammad Buhari, has commissioned a state-of-the art super speciality eye hospital in Abuja.

Buhari commended management of the Indian-owned Skipper Eye-Q Super Speciality Hospital, Abuja, which is the 3rd of it’s kind in Nigeria and 40th globally.

The President, who was represented by Rt. Hon. Chief Goodluck Nana Opiah, Minister of State, Education, assured the international community that the present administration would continue to provide an enabling environment for foreign and local investors.

Dr Opiah stated that with the Commissioning of Skipper Eye-Q Super Speciality hospital on Tuesday, the “frequency with which Nigerians travel abroad to seek eye care services with the attendant financial drain would be reduced.

Buhari commissions Skipper Eye-Q hospital in Abuja

Speaking at the occasion, founding partner of Skipper Eye-Q hospital, Dr Jitender Sachdeva, said the sighting of the world class medical facility in Abuja was to bring the hospital’s services closer to Northern Nigeria.

“We have two hospitals in Lagos, and we perform almost 100 surgeries in a month from the North. So, why not come close to the Northern part of the country, and there was no better option than Abuja.

“Abuja is a place that has a mixture of middle, lower and upper class; those who have the spending capacity.

“The Best of the equipments have brought into the facility for surgeries and checks so that people can get the

best of eye care services.

Mr Sachdeva noted that Nigeria has a flourishing economy and an investment destination, and therefore urged other foreign companies to invest in the country.

Also speaking, the Chairman, NIgeria Medical Association, FCT Chapter, Dr Charles Ugwuanya said the eye hospital could not have come to Abuja at a better time.

Dr Ugwuanya noted that having successfully treated over one million patients for eye related issues, the hospital is indeed a huge advantage to Nigeria.

He exuded confidence that Nigeria’s healthcare sector would

grow to enviable heights were Nigerian hospitals would also open branches abroad.

“We look forward to a Nigeria that our health indices will improve so much so that Nigerian hospitals will open branches in UK, Dubai and other countries.”

He appealed for an enabling environment where Nigerian doctors would be proud to work in Nigerian hospitals and stop moving abroad in their thousands.

In a goodwill message, the Inspector-General of Police, Mr Alkali Baba said that he made efforts to personally attend the opening of the hospital as an attestation to

the tremendous benefits it had to Nigeria.

“When I heard that the hospital was opening it’s branch in Abuja, I said I will come and tell Nigerians that in as much as it will improve their business, it will benefit Nigerians as well.

He said that he had visited the Skipper hospital in India and that the Abuja hospital was a prototype adding that no Nigerian needed to travel abroad for eye care again.

Highpoint of the event was the cutting of the ribbon to officially open the hospital by Chief Goodluck Nana Opiah on behalf of President Muhammadu Buhari.

2023: CSOs call for arrest of politicians who engage in hate speech

From Mustapha Adamu, Kano

Kano State Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) have called on the Police to set an example by arresting big shots among politicians who engage in hate speeches and public incitement to serve as deterrent to others.

The President of the CSO, Ibrahim Waiya made the call during a peace summit organized by the police in collaboration with Aminu Magashi Foundation, AMG held, ahead of the 2023 elections in Kano.

Waiya said the police must take decisive action against defaulters irrespective of their status if it is serious about bringing about sanity that will translate to peace and stability of the state.

He cited instance with the recent unguarded statement attributed to the Majority Leader, Alhassan Ado Doguwa and called for his arrest.

According to Waiya, “if truly the security agencies want to address political thuggery in the state, they have to show an example by arresting some of the big shots who are involved in uncomplimentary statement which is threatening the peace and security of the state.

“I made a particular emphasis on utterances of the Majority Leader, House of Representatives, Alhassan Ado Doguwa where he was recently quoted saying “you either vote APC or face the consequences”.

“We requested the security agency to arrest him and make him an example if they want to address hate speeches.

“We have also earlier condemned the hate speeches made by the Chairmen of APC and NNPP.

“So if truly the security agencies want to address political thuggery in the state, they have to show an example by arresting some of the big shots,” Waiya however stated.

On his part, the state Commissioner of Police, CP Mamman Dauda said the matter was not swept under the carpet as it is carrying out investigation on the utterances by the politicians.

The Police Boss however said the peace summit was organized to bring together all critical stakeholders

under one roof to review their roles, responsibilities, dos and don’ts towards ensuring a peaceful, free, fair and credible election in the state.

Earlier, the Chairman, Kano State Council of Imams, Dr. Nasir Adam called on the contestants to embrace peace saying election is not do or die

affairs.

The religious leader said whoever lost in the race should accept defeat and embrace the winner in order to work together for the growth and development of the state and the nation at large.

In his remarks, the state

Commissioner of Police, Mamman Dauda said the command has put politicians under watch, stressing that it would not spare anyone found breaking electoral law.

According to Dauda, the event was organized to sensitize politicians and electorates on free and fair

election.

He said the Police would check the menace of thuggery, bill board breaking and other election malpractices, ensuring that there would be a peaceful election in the state.

Crude oil refining ‘ll reduce pump price – NOGASA

The Natural Oil and Gas Suppliers Association of Nigeria (NOGASA) says resumption of crude oil refining in the Port Harcourt Refinery Company will reduce pump price.

The National President of the association, Mr Benneth Korie told newsmen on Monday in Abuja that the refinery would begin crude oil refining before the end of 2022.

He quoted the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Chief Timipre Sylva as assuring that the PHRC refinery would soon begin crude oil refining.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC

Ltd) commenced the rehabilitation of PHRC refinery in May 2021.

The Federal Executive Council (FEC) had approved $1.5 billion dollars for the rehabilitation exercise which was being executed by Tecnimont SPA, an Italian company, in three phases of 18, 24 and 44 months.

The PHRC operates two refineries; the old refinery with a capacity of 60,000 barrels per stream day (bpsd) and new refinery with an installed capacity of 150,000 bpsd.

This, he said, brings the combined crude processing capacity of the PHRC refineries to 210,000bpsd.

He said with this development, the price of petroleum products would go

down, adding that the refinery had been under maintenance and would come up in production once operation began.

“But we have assurances from the Minister of Petroleum Resources that the PHRC refinery will start working this December, definitely between now and end of January 2023.

“After Port Harcourt, other refineries including Warri and Kaduna will come up because work has been seriously going on there.

“Then you will see that prices of petroleum products will go down on its own because there is a difference between importation of products and loading from our refineries,” he said.

He said the refinery, when it become

operational would blend Automotive Gas Oil (AGO), Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), DPK, Jet A1 and other products.

The NOGASA president decried delays and cost of distribution of products due to loading from the depot, adding that once the refineries began operation, importation of petroleum would stop and the trucks would loading directly from it.

“Formerly, trucks used to load from refineries but now paid vessels spend between 10 and 14 days to load product from depots as against one day, marketers and transporters are suffering and sacrifice a lot in the bid to distribute products,” he said. (NAN)

L-R: Deputy Governor of Kano state/APC Gubernatorial Candidate of Kano state, Dr. Nasiru Yusuf Gawuna, Director General, Gawuna/ Garo Campaign Organization, Engr. Rabiu Bichi and Chairman of the Occasion, Prof. Munzali Jibrin, during the Gawuna’s Town Hall meeting with Kano Stakeholders, yesterday in Abuja. Photo: Mahmud Isa

By Lateef Ibrahim, Abuja

The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, has disclosed that the 2023 general election will involve the nationwide deployment of over 1 million personnel and massive quantities of materials.

These materials, the Commission pointed out, will be deployed twice within a period of two weeks from INEC State offices to 774 Local Government Areas, 8,809 electoral Wards and 176,846 polling units across the length and breadth of the country.

The Chairman of INEC, Prof Mahmood Yakubu disclosed this yesterday at the signing ceremony of the memorandum of understanding (MoU) between the Commission and the Road Transport and Maritime Workers'Union in Abuja.

The general election, Yakubu added, will also require over 100,000 vehicles and about 4,200 boats that will be accompanied by naval gunboats.

While describing the undertaking as 'huge', the INEC Chairman noted that it must be accomplished in the next 66 days, stressing that the Commission is resolute in doing so to give Nigerians a pleasant voting experience.

In the words of the Professor Yakubu, "The 2023 General Election will involve the nationwide deployment of over 1 million personnel and massive quantities of materials twice within a period of two weeks from our State offices to

INEC to deploy 1 million personnel, 100,000 vehicles, 4, 200 boats -Yakubu

Says all parties must subscribe to commission's oath of neutrality

774 Local Government Areas, 8,809 electoral Wards and 176,846 polling units across the length and breadth of our country.

"It will require over 100,000 vehicles and about 4,200 boats that will be accompanied by naval gunboats.

"This is a huge undertaking that must be accomplished in the next 66 days and we are resolute in doing so to give Nigerians a pleasant voting experience", he stressed.

Continuing, the INEC Chairman assured

Nigerians that "we are determined that all polling units nationwide will open at 8.30am on Saturday, 25th February 2023

for the Presidential and National Assembly elections and on Saturday, 11th March 2023 for the Governorship and State House of Assembly elections".

Yakubu however pointed out that a new requirement in the new electoral

legal framework is that "everyone involved in election duties must subscribe to the INEC Oath/ Affirmation of Neutrality.

"We will therefore require your members to swear and strictly adhere to this oath and the INEC Code of Conduct for Electoral Officials as your participation in the delivery of electoral logistics requires absolute neutrality and non-partisanship.

"The security agencies shall not only be available to escort all vehicles and boats to locations, they will also ensure the safety and protection of all election personnel and materials.

"As usual, we shall track the movement of all vehicles and boats electronically and in real time to ensure that election personnel and materials are not hijacked or diverted", he said.

The INEC Chairman appealed to all the Unions and service providers to abide by the spirit and letter of the MoU and the contract agreements respectively.

His words, "Learning from the

experience of the past, I would like to appeal to all the Unions and service providers to abide by the spirit and letter of the MoU and the contract agreements respectively.

"They must see their role as a national call to duty by ensuring that there is no failure on their part, especially on the eve of elections when it is too late for the Commission to make alternative arrangement.

"The Unions should keep an eye on your members to ensure that when they take personnel and materials to designated locations, they also bring them back at the end of the elections.

"Your contract is for both forward and reverse logistics", he explained.

The yesterday's signing of a revised MoU with the road and marine transport unions, according to him, "is a demonstration of our determination to implement key recommendations of the review exercise in order to enhance forward and reverse logistics in our electoral operations".

He lauded the commitment of the Unions to INEC's electoral processes

and the consolidation of the nation's democracy.

"In particular, we appreciate your collective and individual sacrifice to ensure that election personnel and materials arrive at designated locations early, especially during the recent Ekiti and Osun State Governorship elections. "Together, we did it in Ekiti and Osun. It is now time to do it for the whole of Nigeria. We can do it and must do it for Nigeria.

"In the course of serving the nation, many of you have lost your vehicles to acts of arson and vandalism arising from violence and thuggery during elections.

"We appreciate that these vehicles are, in most cases, the sole means of livelihood for your members.

" While we appeal to political actors to call their supporters to order, I wish to assure you that we will continue to work with the security agencies to ensure the safety of your members and the protection of their vehicles and boats", Yakubu said.

FG rakes in $547m from 5G auction – Buhari

President Muhammadu Buhari has commended the auctioning of the 5G spectrum, which generated 547 million dollars.

The president attributed the feat to the digital economy, which had driven growth, created employment and generated revenue for the country,

The president said this at the National Shared Services Centre, a one-stop-shop for Ministries, Departments and Agencies to (MDAs) interface with citizens, which also houses a Cyber Security Operations Centre, Network Centre and Call Centre in Abuja on Tuesday.

According to the president, the National Shared Services Centre will provide services that are “swift, secure and seamless’’.

Buhari noted that the Information, Communication and Technology Sector (ICT) had accelerated diversification of the economy.

He said the Q2 Gross Domestic Product Report by the National Bureau of Statistics showed the extent of growth, with the ICT contributing an unprecedented 18.44 per cent to the GDP, close to three times the 6.33 per cent contribution of the oil sector in the same quarter.

“As part of our efforts to expand our digital infrastructure; we increased our 4G base stations from 13,823 to 36,751 from August 2019 to date, and this has increased the percentage of 4G coverage across the country from 23 per cent to 77.52 per cent also from August 2019 to date.

”We have also followed this up with roll-out of 5G services.

“It is noteworthy that the digital economy sector has excelled in generating revenue for the government.

”In particular, at the Ministerial Retreat that I chaired from the Oct. 18 to Oct. 19, 2022, our independent analysts adjudged the digital economy sector to have generated 594 per cent of its revenue target from the 2019 baseline.

”This is very commendable. As part of these unprecedented achievements, the sector generated over 547 million dollars from the

auctioning of the 5G spectrum alone,’’ he said.

Buhari said he was pleased to unveil and commission a number of initiatives that further express the government’s commitment to develop a sustainable digital economy in Nigeria.

“These initiatives are part of our administration’s efforts to position the digital economy as a key enabler for the diversification of our economy and as a catalyst for the transformation of every sector of our economy.

“You will recall that I unveiled and launched the National Digital Economy Policy and Strategy for a Digital Nigeria on the 28th of November, 2019 and I am very proud of the giant strides and the unprecedented progress that we have made in in less than one year since the unveiling.

“To ensure that the digital economy sector remains successful and in order to reduce the burden on citizens, I recently approved the suspension of the proposed excise duty in the telecoms sector, as any initiative that will lead to hardship for the citizens would not be pursued,’’ the president said.

Buhari said the digital economy ensured continuity in governance during the restrictions that came into force as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“We approved the National Policy on Virtual Engagements for Federal Public Institutions on the Oct. 14, 2020 and this enabled us to formalise government online meetings.

”As such statutory meetings like the Federal Executive Council meetings, Council of State meetings and other meetings can now take place online, effectively and legally.

“Our administration’s commitment to promoting data promotion and privacy is receiving praise across the world and we have increased our digital identity enrolments from 39 million in October 2020 to about 92 million today.

“The massive increase of about 63 million in about two years is a global success story and has led to several requests for partnership from countries within and outside Africa.

”I also approved the establishment of the Nigeria Data Protection Bureau on the Feb. 14, to provide an institutional framework for data protection in Nigeria, in line with global best practices,” the president told the gathering of ICT experts and government officials.

He said a number of policies and programmes to enhance the productivity of the digital economy sector had been developed.

According to him, the National Policy on NIN-SIM integration has enhanced the integrity of the National Identification Number database.

”Similarly, the Nigerian Postal Service has been repositioned through the unbundling of its services to increase its efficiency and make it more viable as a revenue generating agency of government.

”The two subsidiaries are the Property & Development Company and the Transport & Logistics Company.

“As part of the NDEPS, I approved the Oct. 24 as the Digital Nigeria Day. I am delighted that the maiden Digital Nigeria International Conference and Exhibitions commenced on the 24th of October 2022.

”I am confident that the outcome of the conference as noted in the communiqué will support the growth of the digital economy sector.

“I signed the Nigeria Start-up Bill into law on the Oct. 19 2022,” he said.

According to him, the Nigeria Start-up Act is a landmark legislation of this administration to transform the pool of highly talented youth in the country into a pool of highly innovative digital entrepreneurs.

”We aim to make Nigeria a global hub for digital talent. It was an executive bill that was initiated by the Honourable Minister of Communications and Digital Economy,” he added.

Buhari also noted partnerships with leading global ICT companies to train Nigerians in cutting edge and high demand digital skills.

“This includes the training of five million Nigerians as part of a partnership with Microsoft

Corporation.

”It also includes the training of an additional one million Nigerians in skills in areas such as block chain technologies, cyber security and data analytics, among others,” he stated.

Buhari commended the giant strides made by the digital economy sector under the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy and other stakeholders, describing it as impressive.

In his remarks, Minister of Communication and Digital Economy, Isa Ali Pantami appreciated the President for his support for the digital economy.

He noted that the economy had witnessed turnovers in broadband/Internet penetration, skills acquisition for global competitiveness and infrastructure development, like the fiber optic cable, which was about 15,000kms in 2015, and increased to more than 60,000kms.

Pantami said there had been 2,255 interventions and programmes in the higher institutions of learning, secondary schools, and some private schools, and the quarterly revenue from ICT rose from N51 billion to N418 billion.

He added that some prominent institutions like the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, U.S., had shown interest in researching the pace of growth in the sector.

The minister listed many policy interventions that had directly impacted on governance, institutions, markets and citizens, assuring that the ICT would enhance the process of diversifying the economy.

The Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of the Galaxy Backbone, Prof. Muhammed Abubakar said 400 MDAs Agencies were already connected to the National Shared Services Centre.

At the close of the event, two young Nigerians, Kalim Haruna, who developed a system called “Sharp-Sharp’’ and Bashir Abubakar, founder of “Africa First’’, were honoured by the president for their creativity and ingenuity, and showcasing the nation’s talent in a global ICT conference. (NAN)

NIMC database hits 93.5m enrollment

The Director-General of the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC), Mr Aliyu Aziz said its national database has hit over 93.5 million National Identity Number (NIN) enrollments.

He made the disclosure at a one-day roundtable meeting organised by Identify for Development (ID4D), on Tuesday in Abuja.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the programme was organised for desk officers of the Nigeria Digital Identification Project’s ecosystem implementing partners.

Aziz, represented by the Director of Public Services, Ibrahim Abdullahi, said the new approaches had greatly impacted on the huge increase on the national database to the current 93.5 million.

“The unified ID system approach as well as the ecosystem model has had a

tremendous positive impact on the enrollment figure.

Aziz said: “Currently, the National Identity Database has over 90 million (93.5m) records, which is a sharp contrast from just seven million when I assumed office in 2015.

“The primary aim of the strategic roadmap for digital identification in Nigeria, is to simplify the approach to identification through simple data collection process and a centralised unique identification system for Nigeria and legal residents.

“This is a sharp contrast to the fragmented multi-issuing ID agencies of the past.”

He said there was the need to put in place a deliberate and long term plans to chart new

pathways that would priotise national projects.

Aziz also said: ”There is also the need to build resilience, explore emerging trends and capitialise on opportunities inherent in a unified ID system in order to reposition our country economically, as well as productively”.

The National Coordinator of ID4D, Mr Musa Idole said the meeting was to fashion out a single point of contact with each of the ecosystem implementing partners.

He said this would ensure that partners do not miss out on any important step in the project implementation.

Idole said that the Nigeria Digital ID4D was a project jointly funded by the World Bank,

European Investment Bank and the French Development Agency.

“The Project Development Objective is to increase the number of persons with a National Identity Number (NIN), issued by a robust and inclusive foundational Identity system, that facilitates their access to services.

“By design, the project will promote transparency and accountability, participation, grievance redress and regular monitoring to improve operational performance and mitigation of identified social risks.

“The project will establish a national consultation mechanism, to sustain dialogue with stakeholders and marginalised groups to receive

feedback that would improve project implementation.

“We are taking deliberate steps to ensure that the challenge of inter-agency rivalry is a thing of the past. It is in the overriding interest of Nigeria that institutions of government collaborate.

“We, therefore, call for synergy among all public institutions in Nigeria, particularly, those involved in the country’s ID ecosystem. We seek your collaboration and active participation in the project implementation,” he said.

The Director, Database NIMC, Mr Olufemi Fabunmi, said that, “NIMC will increase its server capacity to 250million from 100 million after a service upgrade. (NAN)

Good governance: Youth group root for Sanwo-Olu’s second term

Agroup of young professionals in various sectors on Monday converged to pledged their unflinching support towards the re-election of Gov. Babajide Olusola Sanwo-Olu (BOS)

The BOS Youths Professional Support group (BOSYOPS) was borne out of appreciation of the Sanwo-Olu led administration towards youths empowerment and support.

The Group comprises of young professionals, technocrats, business people , social activists, advocates, political analysts, social commentators, intellectuals, and other people of similar mind.

They are committed to promoting BOS ideology and vision of making Lagos State a 21st century economy.

The group highlighted how the Lagos State Government has operated an open door system to support the dreams of young entrepreneurs, which does not require knowing someone of affluence in government.(NAN)

Lagos council chair presents N3.24bn budget for 2023

The Chairman of Onigbongbo Local Council Development Area in Lagos State, Mr Oladotun Olakanle, on Monday presented N3.24 billion proposed budget for 2023 tagged “Budget of Stabilisation” to the legislative house.

Speaking at the occassion, Olakanle said the budget is in tandem with the T.H.E.M.E agenda of the Lagos State Government, led by Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu.

Giving the breakdown of the proposed budget, Olakanle said capital expenditure would gulp N1.16 billion representing 35.97 per cent of the budget.

He added that N2.08 billion, representing 64.03 per cent, would be used for recurrent expenditure.

The chairman said the budget would sustain the work which his administration started immediately he was sworn into office.

He said: “As you are aware that the cardinal objectives remains the same which is promoting a liveable environment for all our people; residents, businesses and visitors to the area.

“Human capital development in its broad sense including staff welfare and maintaining and upgrading existing infrastructural facilities.

“Our focus is not only about bricks and mortar but we are equally concerned about alleviating poverty, supporting individuals to sustain their optimal potential and ensuring that they do so in a secure and clean environment.”

Olakanle said the approved 2022 budget performed well in many aspect but his administration was unable to implement all it planned due to paucity of resources.

The chairman said some of the projects earmarked for execution in 2022 budget would be rolled over into the proposed

2023 budget due to paucity of resources.

While highlighting his achievements in the past year, Olakanle said the government purchased refuse compactor and provided medical outreach in all the six wards.

He added that the council distributed GCE and Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination forms for pupils and gave scholarships to pupils, among others.

In his speech, the Leader of the House, Mr Kayode Opayemi, urged the chairman to stop playing divide and rule among the councilors to ensure the development of the council

He said: “You cannot ask for our cooperation and be playing antics to this House in which you are seeking cooperation from.

Opayemi, however, appreciated the chairman for presentimg the 2023 Appropriation Bill on time.

He also thanked his

colleagues and all the council’s head of departments for making the presentation a reality

Opayemi urged the chairman to construct a befitting legislative building for the six councillors in the council.

“This is not the appropriate place the House should be receiving budget, we need a legislative building.

“The House will not want to hold the next budget presentation in this small room, it wants to host it in your own legislative chamber,” he said.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the chairman presented six cars to the councilors and 14 cars to the head of departments on low interest rates to be deducted from their salaries.

Guests that attended the budget presentation included traditional rulers, party chieftains, market women and youth leaders, among others. (NAN)

INEC MOU WITH NURTW 1-2a: L-R: President of the National Union of Road Transport Workers, (NURTW), Tajudeen Ibikunle Baruwa; President of the Nigerian Association of Road Transport Owners (NARTO), Yusuf Lawal Othman; INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, and President General of the Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria (MWUN) Prince Adeyanju Adewale, during the INEC Signing of Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), With Transport Unions for the 2023 General Election, yesterday in Abuja. Photo: Mahmud Isa

ACF BoT chairman Shehu Malami dies at 85

From: Femi Oyelola, Kaduna

Chairman of the Arewa Consultative Forum, ACF, Board of Trustees, BoT, Ambassador Shehu Malami has died at the age of 85.

ACF said Ambassador Malami who was the Sarkin Sudan Wurno, died on Monday in Cairo, Egypt.

A statement issued by the Secretary General of the ACF, Murtala Aliyu, said Malami would be missed especially for his extraordinary leadership skills.

According to the statement, ‘the Arewa Consultative Forum, ACF, regrets to announce the demise of our Chairman, Board of Trustees, Ambassador Shehu Malami, OFR, CON, Sarkin Sudan Wurno. He died Monday, the 19th of December, 2022 in Cairo, Egypt.”

“Ambassador Shehu Malami was born in Sokoto in 1937 as a Prince of the Sultanate dynasty. He had his early education in Sokoto, Bida and Katsina. He also attended various Colleges in the United Kingdom. He had a degree in law from the Middle Temple. Amb Shehu Malami worked as private Secretay and then as Special Assistant to Sultan Saddiq Abubakar III.”

” He had earlier worked for the BBC as a broadcaster. At various times he was Nigeria’s Ambassador to the Republic of South Africa; Chairman, Assessment Committee of the Nigeria National Merit Award, Director, the Nigerian Industrial Development Bank, Chairman, Union Bank of Nigeria, Chairman, PZ Industries, among many other top leadership positions during his long public service career that spanned several decades.

” The nation will undoubtedly miss Ambassador Shehu Malami’s extraordinary leadership skills, his generosity, his sense of justice and fairplay”.Nigeria, Chairman, PZ Industries, among many other top leadership positions during his long public service career that spanned several decades.

” The nation will undoubtedly miss Ambassador Shehu Malami’s extraordinary leadership skills, his generosity,

Good governance, best approach to addressing insecurity – Dambazau

Aformer Chief of Army Staff and Minister of Interior, Lt.-Gen. Abdulrahman Dambazau, says certain issues of security require good governance to solve.

Dambazau stated this at the opening of a 3-Day Seminar on Leadership in National Security Course 5/2022 of the Nigerian Army Resource Centre (NARC) on Monday in Abuja.

The seminar, organised in collaboration with Peace Building Development Consult (PBDC), has participants drawn from the military, other security agencies and relevant stakeholders.

Dambazau said that every nation depended on its security, adding that national security was about the security of the nation and everything in it.

According to him, national

security is not just about the protection of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of a state, but also about the wellbeing and security of the people.

“It is not every security issue that we can solve with the use of force. There are certain issues of security that require just the application of conflict resolution mechanisms.

“There are certain issues of security that require just good governance like the issues of health, education, environment and so on, to tackle.

“So, once you get some of these issues right, you are bound to reduce violence within the society.

“You are bound to reduce criminality, violence and so on and so forth,” he said.

The former army chief also said that civilians had a lot of

role to play in national security, adding that border security was also paramount in addressing national security.

He called for the strengthening of all government institutions to be able to carry out their responsibilities effectively.

He urged participants to show commitment to the course with a view to proffering solutions to some of the security problems being confronted by the nation.

The Director General of the centre, retired Maj.-Gen. Garba Wahab, said the course was designed with the believe that solutions to Nigeria’s security problems would only come from within Nigerian environment.

Wahab said there was need for serious level of collaboration, cooperation and communication

between security agencies to be able to understand each other.

He challenged the participants to create network among themselves to be able to relate and communicate with others.

Wahab said that tackling insecurity also required the collaboration of people at the grassroots.

“You must find a way of relating with the average person on the street. That way, information, intelligence and definite aspect of what is happening can be given to you with that information.

“Without intelligence from the rural community, from the local people, you can’t do anything and that is one of the things we are emphasising,” he said. (NAN)

Kano radio station condemns Police attack on staff

From Mustapha Adamu, Kano

Premier Radio, a Kano -based FM radio station has condemned alleged brutal attack on its staff, Muhammad Bello Dabai in front of the Station while carrying out his lawful duties on Monday afternoon.

This is contained in a statement by Mukhtar Yahaya Usman, Manager, News & Reports on Tuesday.

“The unfortunate incident happened at around 3.30 pm when the attention of Muhammad Beelo Dabai was

called to witness an escaping thief that was being pursued by the public as he was running away from Nassarawa Hospital where the Police have taken him for treatment.

“As the members of the public were in his pursuit and pelting him with stones, the thief fell down in front of our Station. Our staff, including Muhammad Bello Dabai were at the scene as witnesses before the Police Officer on duty in our station called the Area Command for Police intervention,” part of the statement reads.

When the Policemen arrived to take away the culprit,,

according to the statement, Dabai was snapping the incident as a journalist for his news beat.

“Surprisingly, without any provocation one of the police officers confronted him to stop him, and a fracas ensued. Even after Mr Dabai showed him his ID Card, and identified himself as a journalist, he was forcefully manhandled by the policeman, who pushed him into their service vehicle, declaring that they would take him to the Police Station for interrogation and detention.

“Mr Dabai was beaten and slapped severally on their way to the office, where he was also

forced to lie on the vehicle floor.

“When Premier Radio quickly reported the matter to the Area Commander of the Metro Police Command to secure the release of Mr Dabai, the Area commander rebuked his officers for their high-handedness. The recalcitrant police officers were however non-repentant and unapologetic.

“Accordingly, we hereby demand a verifiable action on these unrepentant and brutal officers, including an unconditional apology without which we reserve the right to seek legal redress,” the statement added.

L-R: Panelist, Cristie Adejoh; the celebrant, Eugenia Abu; Special guest of honour Minister of State for Industry, Trade and Investment, Hajiya Mariam Katagum and another panelist, Cyril Stober, during the 60 for 60 the wisdom Conversation Eugenia Abu @ 60 in Abuja, On Monday.

The FCT Muslim Pilgrim Welfare Board (MPWB) has pledged to continue with the successes recorded in the 2022 Hajj operations during the 2023 exercise.

Malam Muhammed Danmallam, Director of the board, disclosed this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Sunday in Abuja.

He said that the welfare of Abuja pilgrims was a religious obligation that the board was

Amb. Malami Ma’aji condoles

Buhari, Sultan over Malami’s death

By Tobias Lengnan Dapam

The Ambassador At Large to African Region, International Human Rights Commission Amb. (Dr) Malami Shehu Ma’aji, has mourned with President Muhammadu Buhari, and the Sultan of Sokoto His Eminence Muhammadu Sa’adu Abubakar over the death of Sarkin Sudan of Wurno, Amb. Alhaji Shehu Malami.

Malami, former Nigeria High Commissioner to South Africa, died at the age of 85.

The late Malami served in various government positions in Northern Nigeria, Sokoto state and in the private sector where he was on the board of many companies.

He was also a member of the Constitution Drafting Committee that put together the 1979 Constitution.

In a condolences message personally signed Tuesday in Abuja, Dr. Makami Ma’aji described the late Shehu Malami as a man of honour and integrity who served the country and the caliphate with the fear of Allah.

“I commiserate with the President and Commanderin -Chief of the Armed forces, Muhammadu Buhari and the Sultan of Sokoto, His Eminence Alhaji Muhammadu Sa’ad Abubakar, the government and people of Sokoto Caliphate on the transition to higher realm of their illustrious Prince,” the statement said.

While praying for the repose of the late elder statesman, Amb. Malami Shehu Ma’aji asked the Almighty Allah to forgive his shortcomings and grant him Jannatul Firdaus.

We will maintain successes of 2022

Hajj next year- FCT board

charged to discharge credibly, adding that it’s a win win solution.

‘’The issue of seeing to the need of pilgrims is a religious obligation that we see as an affairs that is pleasing to Allah. When a pilgrim is assisted to perform is rites, then whoever has a hand in it is rewarded by Allah.

‘’The pilgrim is a visitor of Allah exercising is duties as prescribed by Allah, so pleasing the visitor is pleasing Allah which has its own benefit,’’ he said.

Danmallam said that the 2022 pilgrimage was an emergency one but the board was able to put its house in order to carry it out satisfactorily, adding that in 2023 enough time was available to prepare.

‘’If you remember, this year the Saudi Arabia authourity did not give a clear sign that the pilgrimage will be taking place. It was a short time that all countries had because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

‘’But our previous experience helped a lot in deciding our

quick intervention for carrying out the exercise. The COVID-19 issue hampered most of the preparations usually done by pilgrims’ board.

‘’This was not limited to Nigerian alone. And the number of person that performed this year’s Hajj was even less than half of what obtains previously. We made the best we can of the situation to conduct it to the glory of God,’’ he said.

Danmallam gave the assurance that all the hitches encountered in 2022 Hajj would

signpost the progress that the board has noted and to be worked on in 2023.

He commended Minister of FCT Muhammed Bello, and the Minister of Minister of State FCT, Dr Ramatu Aliyu for their support and encouragement for the success of the operation.

The FCT Muslim Pilgrim Welfare Board was created with the sole mandate to organize, coordinate and supervise the smooth and hitch-free annual Muslim pilgrimage to the Holy Land in Saudi Arabia.

2023 Budget: NASS to receive report, pass Appropriations Bill Thursday

By Christiana Ekpa

The Senate and House of Representatives’ appropriations committees are expected to lay the report of the 2023 appropriations on the floor of both chambers today (Wednesday) and than pass the budget on Thursday

The report is expected to listed in the Order Paper of both Chambers for debate, after which it will be subjected to the Committee of Supply and subsequently passed through Third Reading in line with legislative practice and procedure.

Peoples Daily gathered that the joint Senate and House Committees on Appropriations and Finance are still working on the final copy of the report that will be presented on resumption for legislative activities Wednesday Undisclosed source told our reporter that the final amount to be presented may not be increased above N300 billion, adding that the said amount will

enable the Lawmakers to capture some of the resolution passed on provision of infrastructure including safety net for flood victims, fixing of deplorable roads, power, education, among others across the 109 Senatorial Districts and 360 Federal Constituencies.

Recall that President Muhammadu Buhari had during the presentation of the 2023 budget proposal before the joint session of the National Assembly, expressed concern over the budget of Government-Owned Enterprises (GOEs) and cautioned against undue hike in the budget.

He said: “Distinguished Senators, Honourable Members, you may recall that we earlier integrated the budget of Government-Owned Enterprises into the FGN’s 2019 budget submission. This has helped to enhance the comprehensiveness and transparency of the FGN budget.

“It has however come to my

attention that Government-Owned Enterprises liaise directly with relevant NASS committees to have their budget passed and issued to them directly.

“I would like to implore the leadership of the National Assembly to ensure that the budget I lay here today, which includes those of the GOEs, be returned to the Presidency when passed.

“The current practice where some committees of the National Assembly purport to pass budgets for GOEs, which are at variance with the budgets sanctioned by me, and communicate such directly to the MDAs is against the rules and needs to stop,” Mr President urged the lawmakers.

President Buhari who told the NASS members on Federal Government’s plan to spend N20.51 trillion in 2023, including N2.42 trillion spending by Government-Owned Enterprises (GEOs), observed that the 2023 expenditure comprises of: Statutory

Transfers of N744.11 billion; Nondebt Recurrent Costs of N8.27 trillion; Personnel Costs of N4.99 trillion; Pensions, Gratuities and Retirees’ Benefits of N854.8 billion; Overheads of N1.11 trillion; Capital Expenditure of N5.35 trillion, including the capital component of Statutory Transfers; Debt Service of N6.31 trillion; and Sinking Fund of N247.73 billion to retire certain maturing bonds.

According to him, the total fiscal operations of the Federal Government to result in a deficit of N10.78 trillion, representing 4.78 percent of estimated GDP, above the 3 percent threshold set by the Fiscal Responsibility Act 2007.

On the fiscal deficit financing, President Buhari explained that the deficit mainly by new borrowings totalling N8.80 trillion, N206.18 billion from Privatization Proceeds and N1.77 trillion drawdowns on bilateral/multilateral loans secured for specific development projects/ programmes.

NDA Course 18 Alumni reunite, celebrate 45th anniversary

Members of the Nigerian Defence Academy (NDA), 18 Regular Course Alumni, on Sunday reunited in Abuja to celebrate the 45th anniversary of their commission into officer cadets in the Nigerian military.

The Grand Patron of the association and Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar III, said the 45th anniversary and reunion were part of efforts to contribute to national development.

The Sultan, who is also a member of the course, said the reunion was a unique opportunity for members to recall their time in the service and appreciate God for their lives.

Abubakar said members were commissioned as officers on Dec. 17, 1975, adding that the 18RC alumni had been holding annual lectures to discuss the

problems of the country.

According to him, the aim of the reunion is to strengthen members so that they will come up with what they needed to solve the problems around them.

The royal father urged the military leadership to consider having regular engagements with the president of all the courses with a view to finding workable solutions to the nation’s security challenges.

“We are marking the end of the year. I wish you a most prosperous 2023 and a huge free general elections to pick a leader who will change the fortunes of this country for the better.

“May the best amongst our politicians be the leader of this country and also the best in various states so that this country will turn around and be better.

“We will continue to give advice. We will not get tired even if people feel our advice is getting too direct and whatever. I know it is the truth and the whole truth and nothing but the truth.

“Let us continue talking to ourselves, telling ourselves the truth and not shy away from telling the truth wherever we find ourselves because as you all know, the truth shall set you free,” he said.

The President of the Alumni, Air Commodore Isaac Oguntuyi, said that majority of the members had passed on, leaving 28 alive out of the 55 of them that were commissioned in 1975.

Oguntuyi said that a lot of their members died in Ejigbo plane crash that killed many military officers in 1992.

He thanked members for their commitment to the cause

of the association in the past decades.

The Chief of Defence Staff, Gen. Lucky Irabor, who was represented by the Commander, Defence Headquarters Garrison, Maj.-Gen. Elias Atu, commended the alumni and urged them to continue to guide the military.

He reassured that the military remains committed to ensuring that peace returns to the troubled zones of the country in no distant time.

Former Chief of Defence Staff, retired Air Chief Marshal Oluseyi Petinrin, commended members of the 18th RC for their unity and commitment to national development.

Petinrin, who chaired the event, said 18th RC is leading all other regular courses in terms of unity, adding that the course he belonged to did not have such an active association. (NAN)

The Natural Oil and Gas Suppliers Association of Nigeria (NOGASA) says scarcity and high price of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) are caused by many challenges, especially high price of Automotive Gas Oil (AGO).

The association said the AGO, commonly called diesel was the major cause of unavailability of PMS because diesel was being purchased by its transporters at high cost to fuel their trucks without profit.

Mr Benneth Korie, the National President of the association, made this known on Monday in Abuja while speaking with newsmen.

Diesel is currently sold between N850 to N900 per litre at the filling stations against N170 being sold before.

“We use diesel too to carry all the petroleum products,

Prof. Danjuma Peniel gets media merit award

By Usman Shuaibu

The Rector/founder of Amani College of Health sciences and Technology in Gwagwalada Area Council of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Prof. Amani Danjuma Peniel has been conferred with an award of distinguished “Visionary Academia” by the management of the Orator Communications Limited, the publishers of the Orator weekly newspaper based in Niger State and Abuja.

Conferring the media award on the Professor, the Managing Editor of the Orator weekly newspaper, Mr. Nasir Oseni, said the award was bestowed on the Professor based on his outstanding contributions in Educational Development.

He pointed out that the Editorial Team of the Orator weekly newspaper carried out investigations before the Professor was considered for the media award.

Oseni, however, told the gathering that the leadership of the Orator weekly newspaper did not honour a personality or people based on personal interest.

Responding, the awardee of the day, Prof Amani Danjuma Peniel, thanked the management of the Orator organization for the award bestowed on him.

However, staff of the College expressed happiness over the award conferred on the Professor.

PMS distribution: Association highlights challenges, decry high diesel price

the vessels carry diesel too, we use diesel too to operate the filling stations and depots, these contribute a lot to the scarcity because of its high cost.

“If diesel is brought down to N170 as it used to be before, then PMS will be sold at a lower price. Subsidy on diesel should be even better than on PMS,” he said.

Korie said the marketers were not happy selling above N200 per litre because of high cost of getting fuel to the stations but had no choice because it was the only way they could assist Nigerians to ensure product availability.

“All our products are being imported, we use vessel to bring in products to the depot which

is costly and currently the depot owners are paying close to 85,000 dollars per day to bring in products.

“If you calculate it, including the cost of running the depot and taking products to filling stations, then Nigerians will consider the amount spent and understand better,” he said.

On the persistent scarcity and queues experienced in Abuja and environs, Korie said it was caused by bad roads which was another serious challenge that hampered trucks from distributing products.

“Port Harcourt to Abuja road, is so bad that marketers and transporters are loosing profit daily. If the road could be fixed, it

will help the distributors and the situation will improve.

“70 per cent of the delay of getting the products to stations is caused by bad roads, while forex contributes 95 per cent of the cost of importation.

“We use dollars to pay for shipment, port authority and Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA). So When talking about what it costs to bring these products Nigerians should also consider other things but not just price.

“Marketers need to make profit in the business but no amount you sell the product would be good for Nigeria. The issue is not about price or cost but availability and

distribution of the product,” he said.

He said the prices being sold at the filling stations varied because major marketers got from the NNPC Ltd. while the independent marketers got from them.

According to him, they are all Marketers but the price depends on how they get the product.

He confirmed that the intervention of the Department of State Security Service (DSS) had really helped to make it easy.

The briefing was on the backdrop of lingering queues and scarcity of fuel, challenges importers and marketers faced as well as intervention of the DSS. (NAN)

Buhari, Gbajabiamila parley over election violence, cash withdrawal limits

By Egena Sunday Ode

As Nigerians continue to express concerns over the rising cases of violent attacks at political rallies and the newly introduced cash withdrawal limit by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), President Muhammadu Buhari and Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, met on Tuesday to discuss the issues.

Gbajabiamila told newsmen after the closed door meeting in the President’s office at the Aso Presidential Villa, Abuja, that the session was a routine and meant to deliberate on key national issues which outcome.he did not reveal.

The Speaker distanced the House of Representatives from the ongoing controversy stirred by the member representing the Kazaure, Roni, Gwiwa and Yankwashi Federal Constituency, Hon. Gudaji Kazaure, over the alleged missing N89 trillion accruing from Stamp Duty.

Asked what mission he was in the State House to undertake,

the Speaker said: “It’s the regular routine discussions on state matters, and of national interest. I haven’t seen the President in a little while. He’s been away. He just got back. Of course, also his birthday.

“But more importantly, we had to discuss issues surrounding state matters.

“Things have come up, you know, things have come up in the last few weeks. Things come up every day, Nigeria every day. And the last few days, some things have come up.

“I’m sure you know, some of these things. And I just wanted to get his perspective on them and give him mine and the National Assembly’s perspective and position on those matters. And we had a fruitful discussion.”

Asked what specific issues were discussed at the meeting, the Speaker stated: “Well, I wasn’t actually intending to talk to the press. It was just a discussion between the President and I but of course, there were issues around cashless policy, issues around elections and violence that seem to be erupting here and there and

a couple of other very important matters as well.”

Fielding further questions, Gbajabiamila said that the House was not involved in the Stamp Duty controversy rocking the country because, according to him, Kazaure was working with his team independent of the Legislature,

He said: “Kazure, from my understanding he’s working with whoever he’s working with.

“If it necessitates the House coming in, we will come in. If he has an official function, he should go ahead and do his work. But this has nothing to do with the National Assembly. Not that I know of.”

Pressed further on whether the National Assembly was involved in the matter, the Speaker stressed: “No, no, no, no, no. It was not based on a resolution of the National Assembly. It was not based on a motion from the National Assembly. I believe he said he had the executive authority to do what he’s doing. If that be the case, I mean, then it’s got nothing to do with the National Assembly.”

On whether the House might call the Jigawa lawmaker to order, he said Kazaure has not impinged on the character of the House or its members to necessitate that.

Gbajabiamila said: “Well, the House can only call Kazure to order to the extent that he is impugning on the integrity of the House or individuals or leadership of the House that have nothing to do with what he’s doing.

“I think it’s important to separate the two. If he has a mandate to do something, that’s on him. When it came up, we had asked members of the executive, they said they were not aware of any mandate or such mandate has been withdrawn.

“I don’t want to get into it. I don’t want to get into it except to the extent that he tries to impugn on the integrity of members of the House. And that’s a no no, we have nothing to do with this.”

The Speaker said the House is going to pass the2023 budget on Thursday before embarking on Christmas break, adding, “Hopefully, when we come back in January, we’ll do some housecleaning matters.”

RCCG fetes less-privileged members, preaches love

The Everlasting Arms

Parish (TEAP) of Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), FCT

Province I, has doled out food, clothes, and sundry items to poor and vulnerable persons in Abuja.

The items were doled out during the church’s 17th edition of annual welfare programme.

Mr Olusegun Adeniyi, Chairman Tabitha Planning Committee TEAP 2022, said that the gesture was to share and show love to the less

privileged.

He said that the items were procured from donations received from church members and the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Disaster Management.

“It is a corporate social responsibility to take care of the less privileged in the society,” Adeniyi said, adding that beneficiaries were from every tribe and religion.

According to him, thousands of underprivileged people who live within the surburbs of the FCT have

benefited from the gesture.

Pastor Evaristus Azodoh, who is in charge of the parish, said “people are coming to shop without money or paying, we have clothing, foodstuff, toiletries etc

“We started this 17 years back; everyone comes, they don’t care who is planning or providing the food, hunger knows no religion or tribe, we have all tribes and religions here to get support.

“We should do less politics about the welfare of our people, just take care of the

people.”

A church member, Mrs Elizabeth Ekpeyong expressed gratitude to God for the success of the programme, which she said had put smiles on the faces of people.

Another church member,Tina Bello said that the gesture was to add value to peoples lives.

Some of the beneficiaries appreciated the church and prayed for more blessings on the organisers and the country.

(NAN)

Governor Bello resolves Ja’agi land tussle

From Yakubu Mustapha Minna

Niger state governor, Alhaji Abubakar Sani Bello has intervened in the land dispute and reached resolutions to end the lingering crisis in Ja’agi Community of Kede ward of Mokwa local government of Niger state.

Governor Bello in a meeting at government house Minna with the representatives of the community, warned the people to allow peace to reign by resolving their differences

Gusau Varsity matriculates 1945 students, warns against social vices

From Ibrahim Sidi Muh’d, Gusau

The Federal University Gusau (FUGUS) has matriculated 1945 fresh students to study various courses under the faculties of education, science, humanities, management and social sciences.

Addressing the students shortly after matriculation ceremony at the University’s Matriculation/Convocation ground on Tuesday, the Vice Chancellor, Professor Mu’azu Abubakar Gusau, charged the students to stay away from all social vices during their stay in University.

Professor Gusau further warned that, steps have been laid amongst which are; ensuring hard work for the new students, strict adherence to the rules and regulations of the University, personal discipline, high moral standard and respect for the constituted authorities.

He added that, “Besides that, students must not indulge in examination malpractice and other social immoralities such as; cultism, indecent dress, sexual harassment, theft and drug abuse amongst others.

amicably.

He directed the deputy governor Alhaji Ahmed Mohammed Ketso to set up a committee for the assessment of destruction of properties during

the crisis for the purpose of ensuring support to the victims.

The resolutions reached include; assessment of destroyed property for compensation, all court cases and petitions should

be withdrawn, representatives should talk to their groups to ensure peace and tranquility at home.

Others are, Etsu Nupe Alhaji Yahaya Abubakar should

immediately appoint new village head for Ja’agi.

Also, it was resolved that the up land belongs to the community while the low land belongs to families and households.

FG chides opposition, reels out legacy projects for 2023 campaigns

By our correspondent

The Federal Government has chided the opposition parties for downplaying achievements of the ruling party since inception of the Buhari administration in 2015, saying the legacies of the party in power are too numerous to undermine. .

The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed berated the opposition elements in his opening remarks at the 14th edition of the President Muhammadu Buhari Administration’s Score Card Series which held in Abuja yesterday.

The Series was launched on October 19 2022, to showcase and document the achievements of the Buhari Administration. So far, 13 Ministers have presented their stewardship at the series.

The Information and Culture Minister, Lai Mohammed in a response to the claim by the opposition that the Buhari Administration has not achieved anything and hence has nothing to campaign with, drew their attention to key projects done by the Buhari government which can be basis for 2023 campaign.

He cited the National Social Investment Programme describing it as unprecedented

in the history of this country, and said no administration in the history of Nigeria has had a Social Investment Programme that feeds 10 million school children a day. This, he said, is added to a cash transfer scheme that has enrolled 1,632,480 households.

He also cited a scheme that empowers and pays stipends to unemployed graduates and an Enterprise Empowerment Programme that provides easilyaccessible microloans to those at the bottom of the pyramid, who engage in commercial activities but face significant challenges with access to finance/credit.

Lai said before the Buhari administration came into office in 2015, Nigeria did not have a functioning modern railway system, but that today, the country has a well-functioning Abuja-Kaduna, Lagos-Ibadan and Itakpe-Warri modern rail systems. “They lay claim to starting Abuja-Kaduna but forgot that Itakpe-Warri was also started by another Administration over 30 years ago, but abandoned until this Administration assumed office in 2015,” he said.

He said prior to 2015, several past administrations had started and completed, on paper, the all-important 2nd Niger Bridge, but that only last week, this

bridge became a reality when it was opened to motorists.”What about the 40-kilometre BonnyBodo road that has a total of 13 bridges?” he asked rhetorically.

He recalled some of the projects finished by the Buhari government to include the new terminals at airports in Abuja, Lagos, Port Harcourt and Enugu, the Ajaokuta-KadunaKano (AKK), 614-km-long gas pipeline project that will ferry gas from southern to Northern Nigeria, and which represents phase 1 of the 1,300-km-long Trans-Nigerian Gas Pipeline Project.

He questioned: “Can they deny the crude oil find in the Kolmani Field spanning Bauchi and Gombe states where drilling was flagged off by Mr. President last month? Can they deny that the Anchor Borrowers’ Programme has helped to move Nigeria closer to attaining self sufficiency in many staples?”

He also questioned whether the opposition can deny that the APC government has put in place the Integrated National Security and Waterways Protection Infrastructure, otherwise known as Deep Blue Asset that has seen a drastic decline in piracy attacks.

“Can an Administration with at least one road construction in every state of the Federation,

and the one that has completed housing projects in 35 states, be labelled as non-performing?” he asked.

“What about the liberation of Nigeria’s territory from insurgents and the re-equipping of our security forces, the same security forces that were left stranded when money meant to equip them were looted silly by rampaging officials, some of whom admitted to spending 2.2 billion Naira to pray against Boko Haram? Who gave Nigeria the Petroleum Industry Act, the most ambitious attempt at overhauling the petroleum sector in Nigeria?” he also added.

Groups identify solutions for child malnutrition

some measures as better solution to child malnutrition.

As part of its efforts to improve the lives of children, the Organization for Community and Civic Engagement (OCCEN) with support from EU, identified

This was contained in a statement signed by the executive director OCCEN comrade Abdul-razaq Alqali and issued to news men in a policy dialogue on Child Nutrition

Services in Kano State.

The purpose of the dialogue was to look at the situation of nutrition services in Kano state and ways to improve these services.

According to the statement, the participants identified

some commitments and recommendations on how best Kano Nutrition Working Group, CSOs, nutritional workers, young mothers and public institution can work together to achieve the targets.

NYSC to partner Anambra govt on establishment of skill acquisition centre

By Albert Akota

The Acting Director General of National Youth Service Corps, Mrs Christy Ifeyinwa Uba has expressed willingness of the Scheme to collaborate with Anambra State Government to establish Skill Acquisition

Centre in the State.

Uba disclosed this when she paid a courtesy visit on the wife of Anambra State Governor, Mrs Nonye Soludo at the Government House, Amawbia, Awka.

The Acting DG added that citing a Skill Acquisition Centre in the State will further boost

the business climate and skills of the youth population in the South-East region and the country at large.

Mrs Uba, who is a native of Anambra State expressed joy to be back home while she urged other State Governments to emulate Governor Charles Soludo in the provision of

critical Camp facilities and other support for the Scheme in the State.

Responding, the wife of Anambra State Governor, Mrs Nonye Soludo congratulated Mrs Uba on her appointment as the Acting Director General of the Scheme and equally commended her for the visit.

From Mika’il Tsoho, Dutse

Alhaji Lai Mohammed

Ugwuanyi/Mbah and sustainance of good governance in Enugu State

By Luke Mgboh

On his assumption of office in 2015, Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi aptly dedicated Enugu State to, “The hands of God” and true to this solemn dedication, he anchored his administration on the concept of the “common good” as propounded by St. Thomas Aquinas, the Italian Dominican friar, priest and philosopher.

The concept of the “common good” in its original sense, encompasses the protection of life, preserving the state and promoting peace. According to its broadly accepted conception, the common good indicates, “The sum total of social conditions which allow people, either as groups or as individuals, to reach their fulfillment more fully and more easily.

In Ugwuanyi, Enugu State has attained these conditions. It is a fact of experience that under him, the charge for the common good has been pursued to satisfaction as the administration has devoted itself to a four point policy thrust of enhanced employment generation, enhanced social services, massive rural development, security and justice.

In the spirit of the above thrusts, the administration has since engaged in massive recruitment of workers in the state. Statistics from the office of the Head of Service indicated that as at 2021, over 1000 traffic officers, popularly known as MOT and over 1000 Forest guards, all between the ages of 18 to 35 years, had been recruited into the state service. What is more? The administration not only cleared arrears of salaries and allowances of workers inherited from the previous administrations, but went on to introduce the payment of the 13th month salary, something that was unheard in the governance of the state until now.

The same positive drive is replicated in the education sector, where he has employed over 5030 primary school teachers and engaged over 1500 tutors through the State Universal Basic Education and the State Post Primary School Management Board.

In addition to these achievements comes the reconstruction and upgrading over 950 classroom blocks, equipping them with modern constructed lockers, chairs and tables in addition to enhancing incentives to teachers and other non academic staff. The payoff is self - evident as students from the state roared in flying colours in the 2021 results released by the West African Examination Council, coming overall best in the Federation with 93.9 percent pass ahead of Edo State with 93.5 percent and Benue State which came third with 91.7 percent pass respectively.

Ministries, parastatals and agencies in the state are not left out in the recruitment exercise and the benefits of the common good by the administration. Records show that no less than 3000 workers have been employed by the state government, despite the global and national economic reversal. This singular act has positively affected the economies of hundreds of families and has increased the money in the markets in the state.

Enugu State, no doubt, has experienced massive infrastructural renewal in the last few years. Dilapidated rural and urban roads have been reconstructed while new networks have been constructed. As at date, no fewer than 850 kilometres of road networks, including some abandoned Federal roads, have been either been constructed or reconstructed in the state.

It must not be forgotten that Enugu State has been considerably peaceful in the face of the diverse security challenges bedeviling the region. Apart from a few breaches, many of which were eventually cracked down by security agencies, the state could pass as one of the few havens of secured living in Nigeria, luxuriating in peace, fellowship and good neighborliness. Here, businesses are conducted unhindered and the security of life and property are preserved by the functions of the state.

Despite the successful pursuit of these agendas, Governor Ugwuanyi has not been unmindful of new ideas and innovations. That is, no doubt, accounts for the steady rise in the internally generated revenue of the state, which is a result of a successful mix of technology, diligence and honesty by the administration.

An empirical validation of these accomplishments is the harvest of awards, recognitions and honours that have been bestowed on the governor by several credible institutions and organizations within and outside, the most notable of which is the recent National Honours award conferred on him by no other person but the President and Commander- in -Chief of the Nigeria Armed Forces, Muhammadu Buhari. He was honoured for his outstanding performance in areas of education, health, infrastructure and human capital development.

Not long after this celebrated award, Governor Ugwuanyi was again called up to the big stage for another eulogy, where again he received,” The distinguished Award for State Judiciary Reform” from President Buhari at the recent Nigeria Excellence Award in Public Service (NEAPS) held in Abuja.

All these recognitions simply attest to the fact that Gburugburu , as he is fondly addressed, is working and is well beyond the reproach of his lame detractors. But beyond the trajectories of the outstanding

The Land of Comedus

By Tony Osakpamwan Agbons

In the all-time literary classic, The Animal Farm, famed writer George Orwell painted a clear picture of a dire scenario of the power of greed, avarice, and communal disorganisation. It tells the story of a group of farm animals who rebel against their human farmer, hoping to create a society where the animals can be equal, free, and happy. As the plot thickens and plays out, the rebellion is betrayed, and the farm ends up in a state even worse than it was before, under the dictatorship of a pig named Napoleon.

You may wonder why I am pulling out this allegory. Look no further dear reader. The Nigeria of today is no different from the Animal Farm. The human farmer in our case is legion. They are some satanic creatures and wicked constituents of our political class who have held the country down especially in the last two decades. These devilish venomous political elites are suffocating the ‘farm’. Like vipers they are snuffing life out of the millions of ‘humans’ on the farm – 133 million of them as at the last count by the National Bureau of Statistics in November 2022. As the report highlighted, these demographic hundreds of millions are ‘absolutely poor’. Nearly 70% of the Nigerian population are absolutely poor. No wonder we pride ourselves as the poverty capital of the world. Shame, shame.

Speaking with some friends last week as we analysed the above, the question on our mind was, HOW ON EARTH DID WE GET HERE? The answer is simple and yet not so simple. Successive governments at the local, state, and federal levels in Nigeria have failed to develop the country. They have failed to harness the enormous natural and human resources God Almighty has blessed the land with. Critical sectors – Education, Health, Agriculture, Transportation, Aviation, Power, Housing, Technology remain comatose.

A major catastrophe of our country is the contamination of the democratic process. More worrisome is the STATE CAPTURE (to borrow the words of the cerebral political economist/scholar, Professor Pat Utomi) by the dark minded political class. The propensity of our current political leaders to appropriate our collective patrimony and commonwealth to their pockets is earth shaking. These daredevil ‘inhuman beings’ live in opulence while those they are elected to serve live in abject penury. These inhuman beings are out again during this 2023 election cycle promising the ‘beaten people’ heaven on earth. They are the APCPDP sucking duopoly. There is thankfully a silver lining after the tunnel. Nigerians are being offered OBIdiently a different pathway to national rebirth and regeneration. The question however is, are Nigerians ready to

take their destiny in their own hands? Are Nigerians going to once again swallow hook, line, and sinker the recycled lies of the political hawks holding down their necks and snuffing the life out of them.

For 16 years (1999-2015) the People`s Democratic Party, PDP superintended over the affairs of the land. With hindsight some will say now, those years were better. Enter, the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC. Like Napoleon in the Animal Farm, they promised ‘change’ (2015) and ‘next level change’ (2019). Change indeed! Are Nigerians better now in 2022 than we were in 2015? I will leave you dear reader to carry out your own personal empirical analysis and decipher your answer. No ifs, no buts, ipso facto. Three months into the 2023 election campaigns, the stage is agog in the Land of Comedus. What a joke our beloveth Nigeria has become.

The first consideration in my cerebellum is what exactly do Nigerians want? Are we ready to change the status quo and make a departure from the current dilapidated political structures doting our landscape. By a divine arrangement, Nigerians are being offered a new menu of transformational leadership via the Obi-Datti ticket. It is a nutritious healthy diet ladened with vitamins, carbohydrates, proteins, minerals, fats, and oils in their right proportions. This menu is set to cure the current social-economic malnutrition in the land. Curing our socioeconomic Kwashiorkor and the reset of our style of governance at all levels is an urgent imperative. Failure to do so will mean our continued socio-economic loss of muscle mass, and an eventual implosion of the entity called Nigeria. Not sounding overly pessimistic, there already are ominous signs and symptoms of looming danger ahead. With the high level of unemployment among the youthful population, the higher level of insecurity and the highest levels of abject-multi-dimensional poverty in the land, it is only a matter of time before a sulphuric inferno consume our land. The dooms day is fast approaching if we chose to do nothing.

Looking at the campaigns of the frontline candidates for the presidency in 2023, it is laughable that it is same old, same old methods and techniques from the so-called establishment political parties – APC and PDP. It is the same old storyline and rhetoric. Long on talk but short on creative ideas, strategic plans and the how. It is the same name-calling, insults, and abuses of opponents as well as deliberate `dodging` of facing the real issues. It is comical that the APC `emilokun` presidential candidate, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu in an attempt to play the ethnic and religious card, has inadvertently convoluted himself in a spider web. The Muslim-Muslim ticket of the APC is a dagger on the nexus of the central nervous system of project Nigeria. At a time, when the ethnic, tribal, and religious temperature

performance and awards, one outstanding feature nobody can take away from him is his humane approach to life and to governance, which depict him as a man of higher integrity. Unlike most Nigerian politicians, he has absolutely rejected the Machiavellian’s theory of, “No morality in politics” and of his own free- will, elected to bestow a human face to all his policies and programs, thus standing him out as God- sent at a time of ardent adversary and transgression to governance in Nigeria.

Access to him is free, unhindered and relatively unchecked. His office as the Governor of the state is the office of the people of Ndi -Enugu, irrespective of rank, status or class, hence reducing barriers to dialogue, consultation and exchange of ideas in governance and short changing the obstacles of undue bureaucracy.

His devotion to duty is equally unprecedented and remarkable. A workaholic by every definition, he remains in office and on his duty post for as long as there is a file to attend to. The effect is that he is always there and ready to listen and to give attention to urgent state matters with dispatch.

One of the greatest legacies of Governor Ugwuanyi in the footprint of time and for which he would be well- remembered in history of the state is the choice of an outstanding and unblemished character as his successor. The emergence of Barrister Peter Mbah as the gubernatorial candidate of the PDP in the state, no doubt, promises to retain the pursuit of the common good of the people and fast forward the dreams of the state. Little wonder, it is well accepted by the people of Enugu State that,”With Peter Mbah, tomorrow is here”.

In conclusion, Mbah, an industrialist and former Commissioner for Finance, reassures the people at every facet of expectation and every point of intercession that Enugu State is indeed in the hands of God. His victory at the polls, come 2023, would amount to a victory for sustainable development, unparalleled growth and accelerated progress in the state as he has abidingly pledged to build on the achievements of Governor Ugwuanyi and tower the state ahead of its peers.

In his contract with the people of Enugu State, he declared that,” I will serve the people of Enugu State with humility and moderation, openness and inclusiveness, simplicity and forthrightness” and I think with this, he has said it all. Our tomorrow has come to stay.

is at fever pitch, the APC has shown a lack of respect to the religious sensitivity of the Nigerian state. Some may argue that it doesn`t matter if both the President and Vice President are Muslims. That is a story for the gods! It certainly does matter in a country like ours.

The Emilokun BAT certainly is topping the charts for gaffes in the Land of Comedus. The Nigerian people have never had it so comical. The comedy of errors have meandered from the `it is my turn rant` to `tia tia umbrelatta`, `God bless APCPDP`, `A town hall different from bala blu, blu, bulaba..`, `El Rufai changing a rotten situation to a bad one`, Niger Delta State and recently, to `Chatham House drama of Teamship` to mention but a few. Nigerians are stunned and wondering if Bola Tinubu has the physical and mental capacity for the office of President. The regularity of his gaffes has become one too many. Since becoming the APC flagbearer, BAT has been ‘dodging’ the independent Nigeria media, reputable ones for that matter like our darling AriseNews and Channels TV. Any Nigerian politician, aspiring for our top CEO job and capable of pouring aspersions on these two distinguished, leading media brands is a joker. Both AriseNews and Channels TV are unarguably the go to media in Nigeria at the moment. They are both not afraid to interrogate and speak truth to those in power and those aspiring to be in power. Both Television stations have done nothing wrong. They are doing their jobs excellently and professionally in line with global best practices and as the fourth estate of the realm.

A presidential candidate (no matter the level of self-entitlement) who cannot humble himself to attend a high-profile Town Hall Meeting and articulate his/her agenda to Nigerians and be interrogated by Nigerians is not fit for the highest office in the land. I stand to be challenged. Effective leadership all over the world is directly proportional to effective communication, engagement, and rapport with the people before and after assumption of office. Nigerians have been through this road before. The incumbent President, Muhammadu Buhari adopted this same method. He evaded all attempts to make him take part in debates. Some may argue that nothing in our electoral laws makes it expedient for candidates to attend debates and town hall meetings.

Truth be told, any candidate unwilling to romance with citizenship in one-on-one Q&A discussions is definitely hiding something either from lack of content or due to cognitive deficiencies and decay. You can take that to the bank. To further rub salt on injury, the ‘spectacular’ display of ‘Teamship’ by BAT, in broad day light, at Chatham House, London is to say the least toxic.

Dr Agbons is founder of the Institute of Good Governance @ www.twin2.org

Dr. Luke Mgboh, a Public Affairs Analyst based in Enugu wrote this piece.

Unmasking of a nation and the Chatham House charade

By Lamptay Oriakhi

Incidentally, one may never be able to fully appraise the shame and disgrace caused Nigeria in an event where Chatham House erupted into an uneasy applause with no tone of conviction at the instance of Nigeria as a subject matter. Eyes met with eyes and gazes met with gazes as a shameful and unexpected development unfolded before the world. From the unfolding cacophony, a handful of political ‘Hallelujah’ boys who appeared to be in on the plot began to clap and laugh loudly and their orchestrated but disgraceful action began to influence some other unsuspecting and noticeably surprised members of the audience. The laughter and applause rose to a crescendo. I sat on the edge of my seat watching this unfolding tragicomedy strip Nigeria naked. ‘This is Chatham House’. I whispered aloud. Meanwhile, in another simultaneous show of shame; Just outside the Chatham House building, some alleged ‘stomach infrastructure’ crowd of supporters where having it out with another opposing group of political clowns in a laughable theatre of the absurd. This was happening in far away London. The subject matter was Nigeria, and the shameless, ignorant, and petty political actors were Nigerians. I felt the shame even though I was sitting alone in the comfort of my house watching this Nigerian political drama set in another man’s land. It was Monday the 5th of December 2022.

Chatham House is a reputable British institution of debate and dialogue that has played host to the best of human brains of this world. It is a centre where the vision of global leaders and shapers of ideas are espoused to the attention of our changing world. The likes of Mahatma Gandhi, Nelson Mandela, Barrack Obama, Tony Blair are some of the iconic personalities that have unveiled visions and ideas as visitors to Chatham House. Suffice to state that what is common and consistent amongst the aforementioned leaders and many others is that they take responsibility for their visions, and they explain their ideas themselves. It has been the tradition.

On this inglorious occasion, Chatham House was playing host to Mr. Bola Ahmed Tinubu, a presidential candidate of Nigeria’s ruling political party (All Progressive Congress, APC) in the forthcoming Presidential election in Nigeria. Coincidentally, a presidential townhall engagement organised by Arise TV and some Nigerian mainstream media took place a day before with

other leading presidential candidates in attendance except Tinubu who released a statement a day before that he would not be attending any such engagements by Nigerian journalists. While many reeled and pondered on the insolence and disrespect of the Nigerian people by Bola Tinubu who has consistently avoided engaging with the people, many awaited his chosen engagement at Chatham House the next day.

On the day, an array of highly acclaimed failed politicians as governors and national assembly members flooded Chatham House with Tinubu taking to the podium to unveil his supposed vision for Nigeria if he was elected President and Commander in Chief of the Nigerian state. Many Nigeria stayed glued to watch the event. It would be the first time he is noticeably engaging with journalist and people while fielding questions. It would be the first time many Nigerians would have some assessment of him and imagine him as Nigeria’s president.

Sadly, this Chatham House engagement by Bola Tinubu was a sham. It was one of those moments when one is not so proud to be a Nigerian. This was a global stage; where one expects to see a candidate who speaks as one who know the issues and is providing a well-articulated summation on how to turn around the fortunes of Nigeria. I assumed different positions as I listened to Tinubu. I listened as a Nigerian. I listened as an African. I listened as a westerner, and I also listened as a world leader looking to do business with Nigeria after the election.

Tinubu began his depositions with some air of applaudable articulation which was rather short-lived as his incoherence and inability to pronounce words set-in from his second sentence. Please remember that I was watching him as a Nigerian, an African, a westerner and a world leader. He continued his speech without depth but grammatical colourations that served no purpose to the issues plaguing the Nigerian people. Alas, some questions that required his intellectual sagacity and preparedness were thrown at him and I earnestly anticipated his response. To my amazement and the amazement of the moderator, he began to make mockery of the process as he deflected the questions to his surrogates to respond to. Chatham House in her 122 years of existence had never seen a thing like that. The charade continued and went on and on. Literarily, Tinubu did not answer the questions which are the core issues of the next election. Those questions on security, economy, climate change, bilateral collaborations etc were answered by people not on the ballot.

Men and women regarded largely as failed politicians belonging to the political establishment that has held Nigeria hostage for more than 30 years.

As a Nigerian watching the show of shame, it looked normal as I was not expecting much from Tinubu. Watching as an African, I cringed and saw no hope for Africa’s growth if the largest black nation on earth decides to settle for this. Watching as westerner, it was like; ‘will Africa ever be serious by choosing leaders who can give them good representation?’. Watching as a world leader; I was quietly nodding my head saying in my mind ‘who is this again? can this people ever be serious? Chatham House? oh no’

Meanwhile, I must observe that the timing of the Chatham House engagement by Bola Tinubu and his team was an unacceptable affront on the Nigerian people. Nigeria is the major subject at play. Nigerian people are the people to be governed by the aspiring candidates. And Nigerians deserve the right to question the candidates for the people to make informed choices. Yet, about 10 weeks to elections, Bola Tinubu is the only candidate that has not engaged with the Nigerian Journalists on what his vision is for Nigeria. And he boasts of not giving himself to questioning by Nigerians. This is on top of the numerous displays of incoherence in his campaign rallies over the past weeks. His physical and mental incapacity has regularly been on display even during his highly controlled rallies.

Summarily, Tinubu is a true reflection of the Nigerian political story of the last 30 plus years. Chatham House/Tinubu engagement remains a charade that open Nigeria’s nakedness more to the world. That is even more felt when the entire media space has been filled with credulous APC and Tinubu supporters who are defending and justifying the failed outing in Chatham House, London. Meanwhile, some international journalists have expressed shock at what they experienced.

Finally, with all we have seen and heard, I agree with Tinubu and his team. They should not engage with Nigeria Journalists because the Tinubu/Shettima ticket is not an option in the next election. Nigerians must redouble their effort to do the needful to rekindle hope in this country and reignite confidence in Africa with our western neighbours taking us more seriously. Let’s look inwards….

Comrade Lamptay Oriakhi is a Public Affairs Analyst

Fellow gentlemen of the press, let’s retool in this digital age or become unemployable

By Isaac Asabor

There is no denying the fact that technology has altered the global information ecological unit by dislodging media and journalists from the exclusive role of editorial facilitation. The foregoing fact cannot be pooh-poohed as the Internet and social networks are fast giving audiences and media sources the opportunity to equally work and come across as Journalists, particularly on social media platforms. More detrimental to professional Journalists who have spent so many years building their journalism careers is that they now strive with nonprofessional journalists on social media platforms that have the capacity to define the public agenda in a much more immediate and global way than some professional journalists can.

Unless a Journalist has been living on Mars, he or she will be aware that Journalism as a profession is going through a bout of disruption, particularly from the perspective of the fast emergence of internet technology that is threatening enough to take his or her job. The concerns are not new. But they are now more exigent than ever before.

Today, a career in journalism is more than just writing, editing, and reporting. As gathered, not a few journalists who graduated from higher institutions a few years ago with a degree in mass communication or related fields thought that their degrees would have greatly improved their job prospects, but with the emergence of social media platforms and their attendant applications, particularly the YouTube and Tik Tok, it did not. It will shock anyone to hear that there are some Journalists in this computer-driven age that find it difficult to work with a computer or smartphone.

In Nigeria, some mass communication graduates, like yours sincerely, landed jobs in the field only because not a few newspaper publishing outlets are yet to fully immerse their operations in digital technologies.

Currently, most media entities are still producing news and broadcasting programmes using 19th-century technologies. Programmes which are companies’ biggest assets are still not digitized for easy access. Therefore, when there is breaking news, citizens on social media broadcast or publish it first.

At this juncture, it is expedient to clarify that this write-up is not meant to be a critique of media entities or higher institutions

that offer journalism or mass communication courses but to highlight the fact that there is an urgent need to address media education and training in order to prepare graduates to function effectively in the digital landscape. In the American and European continents, students are taken through an array of courses that basically acquaint them with the introduction to the web and then deal with the basics of journalistic writing, not just from a web-centric viewpoint but with knowledge of media law and ethics, and then finally on how the internet functions with specific reference to how best to use social media.

The web-based lessons, no doubt, provide students with a picture of web-based journalism today, and also help them to understand how technology has changed media form and content, and how web-based stories differ from those in print. They are also taught the challenges faced by the media when it comes to making a profit in the internet age and the challenges by web-based journalists and by investigative journalism in particular.

Given the foregoing method of teaching journalism or mass communication in other climes, there is no doubt that such graduates will confidently hit the media with the skills of writing for the web. Not only by imbuing them with confidence, but the teaching method also helps them to understand how people read and negotiate content online and how to write in a way that is web-friendly, and how to organize their web content. The teaching method also put them on a better pedestal to understand the ‘inverted pyramid’ form used for news stories generally, and web-based content more specifically.

It is germane to note at this juncture that journalism as a profession has today gone beyond the age of writing. It is therefore not surprising that Journalists and student-Journalists on other continents are today taught to understand the scope and range of web-based citizen journalism and to appreciate how a website might be useful (and how to go about setting up one). It also helps them to understand the limitations of blogs, vlogs, and podcasts and how to set them up.

Still in the same vein, the teaching method helps them to have a more comprehensive idea about what is what in the world of social media and how to make the best use of it as journalists. Before considering interactive social media, the teaching method looks at Google and Wikipedia, then gives pen

sketches of different social media options, suggesting how best to use them (including Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, Reddit, and TikTok).

Without a doubt, the advent of communication technologies has revolutionized the way news and information are produced. This has caused participatory media to emerge whereby private citizens who are not journalists are involved in producing content and reporting news on social media, including blogs and podcasts.

With the ongoing disruption in the media sector, no longer do people sit and wait on major newscasts a few times per day, rather, they are kept up-to-date with news and information from around the world every second through social media.

Understanding the role of the media in society has become essential. Therefore, educational institutions and media organizations must invest in innovative training and education to reflect growth, and prepare professionals for the future world of work, specifically in the field of journalism.

As it is at the moment, it is apropos to encourage journalists to strive towards retooling themselves with digital concepts, social, data, web, mobile, digital business, analytics, data journalism, and internet history as not retooling is capable of rendering them unemployable in the field of journalism in the near future as media-related technology keeps advancing.

Against the foregoing backdrop, it is expedient to say that practicing journalists must be aggressive in their pursuit to acquire the knowledge and training that will equip them for media careers in the 21st century and beyond.

It cannot be denied that not a few universities and polytechnics may be experiencing challenges from outdated equipment and competent faculty in their efforts to change their curriculum, but at any cost, change must happen if they are to shape the careers of future journalists and affect the society as a whole.

In fact, the digital landscape is not to be feared, but to be understood and embraced. It is high time we embraced digital media education one student at a time. Be that as it may, fellow gentlemen of the press, Let us retool in this digital age or Become Unemployable.

Isaac Asabor is a Public Policy Analyst.

By Tobias Lengnan Dapam

The National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) has declared support for the cashless policy and the redesigning of Naira by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), saying Nigerians should not “abandon our currency to the activities of money launderers, exchangers, drug and nacrotic traders.”

The students body also urged CBN to come up with enough stiffer measures that will save the Naira

Yuletide: Cleric advises Nigerians on sacrificial giving

Mr Ifeanyichukwu Nweke, the Area Pastor, the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), Latter House Assembly, Province 2, Isheri Berger, Lagos, has advised Nigerians to imbibe the virtue of sacrificial giving as a lifestyle during the Yuletide.

Nweke who spoke on the theme: “The Perfect Gift” gave the advice during the parish’s carol service on Sunday in Lagos. He said that sacrificial giving is a scriptural principle put in place by God who is known as the perfect gift to humanity.

Nweke noted that God exemplified such act of sacrificial giving while on earth and it behoves on everyone to exemplify such virtue.

He advised that the Yuletide known as the season when people celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ should be used to give willingly to the less privileged.

“I want to congratulate everyone for divine preservation and am calling on Nigerians to imbibe the lifestyle of sacrificial giving, it is Christ-like with great reward.

“This is the season when we all should give to others as a way of showing love, we should extend help to the less privileged regardless of their faith,” he said.

Nweke encouraged Nigerians to continue to trust in God bearing in mind that with God, healing and overall victory are guaranteed for individuals.

Also speaking, Mrs Morayo Soares, an elder in the church, urged Nigerian to embrace peace while they celebrate the birth of Christ in calmness.

Soares said every feeling of overexcitement should be curtailed as it could lead to accidents or death.

Also, Mrs Oluwakemi Yusuf, a member of the church, said “Jesus is the gift for the season, we all must embrace him to benefit from the blessings meant for the season.”

The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the congregants

NANS declares support for CBN cashless policy

further depreciation.

There have been voices in support and against the new policies bu the CBN in the recent time.

But reacting to the development on Tuesday through a statement after the emergency meeting of the association’s leadership which held at the weekend, where they reflected on issues bothering on the welfare of Nigerian students and how recent happenings in the country would impact their lives and citizens at large, the students body urged Nigerians to embrace the change, while the banks improve on their online applications to encourage consumers confidence.

The statement signed by the NANS Senate President, Comrade Felix Attah Nnalue, said Nigeria as Africa’s largest economy and population has experienced an unbelievable exchange rate in the last 7 years which needs to be stabilised.

“We cannot continue like that, the CBN must come up with enough stiffer measures that will save our Naira, we cannot abandon our currency to the activities of

money launderers, exchangers, drug and nacrotic traders and the bewildering ‘ information that over 80% of Currency in Circulation of over 2.7trillion naira is outside the banks, is this a Joke? What are our law enforcement agencies doing, is the CBN short of Potices?

“Our interest is in the future, for there we will spend the rest of our lives. This is why we absolutely support the redesign of our Naira, so that 2.7trillion Naira and more should go right back into the banks, the currency change is necessary at this political period, I mean it is long overdue and according to Lamido Sanusi, it could stop rigging and the constant security information of counterfeits, hoarding and discoveries of stashed Naira notes etc. Even stakeholders agreed that the advantages of the cashless and redesign of the Naira far outweigh its vilifying; effective monetary policy, fight corruption, help in the stabilisation of the exchange rate, reduce inflation, and ensure free and fair election.

“While alot of concerns have been raised by the withdrawal limit, it is commendable, Nigerians are always afraid and impatient of everything even Progress, the limit which is strategic, seems harsh for Political Bandits, the same way the rejected BVN, There was a drastic fall in the exchange rate as soon as the policy was announced, there has been humongous deposits coming into the banks, the masses are looking out for stashed funds, Cash handling fees are available for a fee and more documents are required, we believe and urge Nigerians to embrace this change, while the banks improve on their online applications to encourage consumers confidence.”

Speaking on the advantages of cashless policy, the NANS Senate President said: “As Nigerians we are exposed to many opportunities for great changes, that have the capacity to develop and promote the integrity of our Nation, however our first reaction is to always reject innovations without looking at

the attendant benefits. We have therefore released a 4-paged document on the benefits of the CBN’s currency redesign and revised cash withdrawal limits policy for the enlightenment of Nigerians.

“Who knew we would get here with cashless policy? we would have missed the opportunity of banking technology, the transfers, the recharges, the Apps, ATMs, the BVNs, the POS, the 24 hour access to your bank accounts, I mean there are persons who have not been to the banks in Six months, how much do students have, imagine the COVID-19 era, how many could wait till it was their turn at the banks?

“We therefore would support the deepening of the Cashless Policy as it gives Nigerians access and ownership of their legitimate monies and the will to port to other banks whose services are shabby, also it has the very important ability of tracking and tracing illicit activities like that of Kidnapping for ransom, terrorism financing and the fighting of corruption.”

L-R; President Muhammadu Buhari Chats with Sheikh Muhammad Khalifa Niass, Sheikh Tijjani Shehu Hadi Almauritany, Sheikh Sirajuddeen Niass, Sayyidi Muhammad Kasim Yahaya, Sayyidi Muhammad Nuru Murtala

Yuletide: DEPOWA honours past coordinators

The Defence and Police Officers Wives Association (DEPOWA), on Sunday honoured past coordinators of its defence branches and institutions as part of its end-of-the-year activities.

The President of DEPOWA and Wife of Chief of Defence Staff, Mrs Vickie Irabor, said the event was organised to appreciate God’s faithfulness and protection throughout the year.

Irabor said the Muslim sisters had on Friday, gone to the mosque at Mogadishu Cantonment while the Christians were also at the Protestant church on Sunday to thank God for helping and seeing them through in their activities during the year.

She said that DEPOWA and services’ wives associations had a eventful year with successful activities in line with their objectives.

“We are particularly grateful to

God for the life of one of us, Mrs Omolara Tuwase, Coordinator of Armed Forces Command and Staff College, Jaji, who was kidnapped in the Kaduna-bound train on March 28 and released on July 9 after spending 104 days in captivity.

“You can now understand why we went all out to thank God at the mosque and Church at the weekend to show our appreciation to God for his faithfulness towards DEPOWA throughout this year.

“It would be necessary for us to note that the armed forces of Nigeria, in synergy with other security agencies, have been able to secure our nation against adversaries.

“The victory witnessed in 2022, in the theatre of operations across the country is unprecedented.

“This effort has been sustained by our husbands, leading to the relative peace in hitherto troubled parts of the country.

“On behalf of my darling husband, the Chief of Defence Staff, Gen. Lucky Irabor, and the service chiefs, I would like to use this medium to thank all the officers’ wives across the country for supporting, encouraging and praying for our husbands and the armed forces of Nigeria and its operational engagements,” she said.

The DEPOWA president said the event was to say well done and thank you to all the wives of officers for keeping the home front while their husbands were in the field working to protect the nation.

She said the association conducted a series of non-kinetic activities within and outside the barracks in support of the military’s offensive campaigns against terrorists and other criminal elements.

According to her, DEPOWA and other sister organisations visited wounded troops at the

Maimalari Hospital in Maiduguri as well as reach out to the widows of fallen heroes during the year.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that four immediate coordinators were honoured for their contributions to the successes recorded by DEPOWA during the year and sent them forth.

Those honoured are the immediate past coordinators of Nigerian Armed Forces Resettlement Centre Officers Wives Association (NAFRCOWA), Mrs Nabila Idoko, and that of the National Defence College Officers Wives Association (NDCOWA), Mrs Feyisayo Daji.

Also, past coordinators of Armed Forces Command and Staff College Officers Wives Association (AFCSCOWA), Mrs Oluwasola Alade, and that of the Defence Research Bureau Officers Wives Association (DRBDOWA), Mrs. Judith Uzezi. (NAN)

during an courtesy visit with members of Jam’iyyatul Ansarudeen (Attijaniyya) at the State House Abuja.

PHOTO; SUNDAY AGHAEZE. DEC 20TH 2022.

•Says money launderers, exchangers, narcotic traders against redesigning of naira

By Ikechukwu Okaforadi

The Presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Peter Obi on Tuesday told the people of Akwa Ibom and indeed the rest of Nigerians that the era of unfulfilled promises is gone for good with him and Yusuf Ahmad Datti running the Presidency.

Obi told the jubilant organic crowd that came to listen to him that, “When I came here, I was told that the most important thing for the people of AkwaIbom is the Deep Sea Port and I promised that when I leave this place, I will go and see the Port so that when I start as the president, I will put it in place.

“That sea port was visited in 1983. Senators came here and

The era of promises, no fulfillment is gone -Peter Obi

said it was going to be a Deep sea port, next year will be 40 years. 40 years is what the children of Israel stayed in the wilderness. It is about to work after 40 years”.

The LP flag bearer noted that for the years the Federal Government has not done anything in Akwa-Ibom. All they come here to do is to make promises, promising that that era has come to an end.

“You cannot drive from here to Calabar or to Umuahia or drive from here to Aba. Everywhere is

unsecured, nothing. It has been promise and fail. This is reality now, it will happen now. You know I won’t give fake promises.

“We want to make Nigeria to work again. A new Nigeria is possible with you. What is Peter Obi and Datti Ahmed going to do? I want you to listen to me.

Addressing the rally also, the National Chairman of Labour Party, Bar Julius Abure appreciated the people of Akwa Ibom for coming out en-masse to welcome and support our

presidential candidate who is their inlaw.

“Today you have shown that Akwa-Ibom state is for Labour Party. There is no gain saying the fact that Nigeria is in disarray. There is no gainsaying the fact that Nigeria is being mismanaged. There is no gainsaying the fact that the challenges we have in the country, ranging from insecurity, to hunger, to poverty, to mismanagement of the economy, is as a result of failed

leadership over the years.

But the LP chair noted that democracy has his best features, of giving the citizens the opportunity to vote and sack those who have not done well. Our people say every day is for the thief, one day is for the owner.

“2023 is the time for us to separate the goats from the sheep. And I know that AkwaIbom people, knowing that you are from the South South, you will do the needful.

We can build in difficult time - Tinubu tells South-South APC stakeholders

By Christiana Ekpa

All Progressives Congress Presidential Candidate, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, on Tuesday assured Nigerians and stakeholders of the party from South-South region that he would lead Nigeria to build back better and stronger even in difficult time if elected next President.

Tinubu made this declaration in Calabar at a TownHall meeting with party stakeholders on national transformation and industrialisation at the Cultural Centre, Calabar.

Drawing parallel from the experience of the United States during its civil war, Tinubu charged Nigerians and party members to focus on what the country can accomplish.

He said: “We can build in the middle of difficulty, the US was fighting the civil war and still building rail track. We should

focus on the things that we can accomplish. We have a lot - there is the waterfront here, we have minerals here, we have arable land, we must conquer hunger, we cannot allow hunger conquer us.”

Speaking further at the wellattended event that had the VicePresidential candidate, Kashim Shettima, Governor Ben Ayade, Director-General of the campaign council and Governor of Plateau State, Simon Lalong, Deputy Director-General and former APC National Chairman, Adams Oshiomhole, Senator Florence Ita-Giwa, Senator Victor Idoma Egba, former Governor Godswill Akpabio, former Petroleum Minister Don Etiebet, Minister of State Power, Jeddy Agba, and Minister of State Labour, Festus Keyamo, Tinubu pointed out that for the nation to experience economic recovery, less focus should be placed on crude oil while harnessing other areas.

Others at the event were former

EFCC Chairman Nuhu Ribadu, Kashim Ibrahim-Imam, Chairman of TeTFUND, former Speaker of House of Representatives, Dimeji Bankole, APC National Woman Leader, Beta Edu and other party chieftains.

The APC candidate promised to work towards industrialisation while also focusing on the production of goods and services across the country.

“My campaign is built on the firm conviction that our greatest good and best deeds still lie in front of us and not in our past.

“The industrialisation of our economy represents a most vital step towards achieving the Nigeria of our dreams.

“From its very beginnings, our nation’s economy was established on an incomplete foundation. It was built to rely too heavily on oil exports. This means we have always experienced a large gap in the national economic structure. Greater industrialisation shall fill

this gap through the production of more and better goods which improve our standard of living while creating better jobs, providing workers with a living wage and establishing businesses that will drive this economy for generations to come.

“Because of this gap in our economic structure and the resultant lack of economic activity, Nigeria has experienced unacceptably high rates of unemployment for several decades. The problems this causes for our society are not limited to simply slowing our economic progress. This gap has affected our nation in profound ways, straining the social fabric in ways that no nation wishes for. Now is the time to repair these fissures our country should never have had to experience,” Tinubu said.

“Our industrial policy will prioritise strategic industries vital to the development of our national economy. We will grow the

nation’s industrial base to provide decent jobs and improving wages to our nation’s ever increasing urban population.”

Speaking on how they can better achieve this, Tinubu said primary and secondary industrial hubs would be created across each geopolitical zone in the country.

He also promised to bring Cross River into the industrialisation plan through the state’s resources.

By Abubakar Y Ojima

The Coalition of Civil Society Group for peace, security and good Governance, equity and justice has commended President Muhammadu Buhari over the appointment of the acting Clerk to the National Assembly,

Sani Magaji Tambuwal.

The national coordinator of the group, Comrade James Okoronkwo made the commendation during a press conference in Abuja yesterday, saying Tambuwal is the most qualified and transparent management staff

for the Clerkship to the National Assembly).

According to him “Our attention has been drawn to the malicious campaign of calumny against the management of the National Assembly Service Commission (NASC) by some mercenaries under the guise of

activism”.

He also urged President Muhammadu Buhari to disregard and discountenance the orgy of falsehood against the National Assembly Service Commission (NASC) over the well- deserved appointment of Sani Magaji Tambuwal” saying that he is the

most qualified and transparent management staff for the clerkship to the National Assembly).

He however reiterated that his appointment followed due process and in tandem with President Muhammadu Buhari’s strong commitment to accountability and merit.

By Abubakar Yunus

Tinubu/Shettima solidarity group called Friends of Kashim Shettima Mustapha (KSM) has said Nigeria at this time, needs a liberal and fairminded Vice President like Senator Kashim Shettima to

complement the nation-building and national integration efforts of the president.

Its National Coordinator, Arc. Waziri Bulalma stated this during a press briefing in Abuja yesterday.

“We are convinced that in a diverse, and complex country like Nigeria, we need a liberal and fair-

minded Vice president that will complement the nation-building and national integration efforts of the president.

This is he called on the wellmeaning and patriotic Nigerians should support Tinubu/Shettima presidential ticket in the forthcoming general election.

He said like Tinubu, KSM appointed non-indigenes and competent people of different faith into government positions in Borno State.

According to him, Tinubu/ Shettima has done it before in Lagos and Borno State and they will replicate the delivery

of the dividends of Democracy nationwide if given the opportunity.

“In Borno State as a governor, Senator Shettima administered a state challenged by insecurity delivering through massive social and physical infrastructure in the State.

lauds Buhari over appointment of NASS acting clerk

Nigeria needs a liberal, detribalize vice president like Shettima -Group

Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu

By Christiana Ekpa

ANew Nigeria Peoples Party NNPP, Senatorial candidate, AbduRahman Kawu Sumaila has said the attitude of ruling governments denying opposition parties access to public spaces for campaigns, is nothing but unstable politicking.

AbduRahman Kawu Sumaila who was speaking at the Kano State Peace Summit, Tuesday said, on many occasions, they have tried to use public places for their campaigns as opposition but were denied.

He said, “sometime last week we were at Rano Local Government campaigning and

SDP chieftain drags guber candidate, Abe to court over alleged double nomination

By Musa Baba Adamu

Amember of the Social Democratic Party in Rivers State, Ataisi Fah-Ntene has dragged the governorship candidate of the Social Democratic Party in Rivers State, Magnus Abe before a Federal High Court in Port Harcourt over alleged double nomination.

Fah-Ntene who claimed to have won the Andoni State constituency primaries of the party is also in court on a separate suit against the SDP, the Independent National Electoral Commission and the State House of Assembly candidate of the SDP for Andoni State constituency, Ngboawaji Augustus over alleged unlawful substitution of her candidature.

While the plaintiff is asking the court to direct INEC to disqualify Senator Magnus Abe for alleged double nomination, she also wants the court to disqualify Ngboawaji Augustus as the state house of Assembly candidate and restore her ticket as the rightful candidate of the party.

When the matter came up in court on Tuesday, one of the defendant’s counsels informed the court of the difficulties experienced in effecting service and asked for a short adjourned date to enable him respond and serve the processes.

Presiding Judge, Justice Emmanuel Obile after listening to the lawyers, advised them to ensure an effective exchange of services and adjourned till 12th of January, 2023 for proof of service and definite adoption of all processes.

2023: Denying opposition access to public spaces recipe for violence – NNPP

we just placed our banners on a common street light but before we knew it, they were removed with a warning not to do that again”.

Sumaila hinted that the problem the election may face is the fact that some politicians are placed above others as they do and say what they want without prejudice.

“Not until the security and the election umpire allows a true playing ground and act quickly

against anybody no matter his class or position, can we will agree that the conduct would be free, fair and just”.

The State Police Commissioner, Mamman Dauda, explained that the Summit is to sensitize political stakeholders against violence and hate speeches which create uncertainty in the state.

CP Mamman Dauda noted that they also brought together the politicians, ullamas and civil

society members to remind them of the provisions of the electoral laws which specifically guide against hate speeches and violent campaigns.

The State Chairman of Civil Societies Forum, Ibrahim Waiya, urged the Nigeria Police to be fair by ensuring that anybody who is caught making unremarkable, unguarded speech is arrested and prosecuted accordingly.

“We have seen so many bigwigs in the political circle

making unremarkable, unguided and hate speeches, but up till this moment we have not heard that anybody is arrested, this is not good. the conduct of the Police must be seen, regardless of who violates the rules.

Sheikh AbdulWahab Abdallah, the Leader of the Sunni in the State urged the Nigeria Police to ensure that any politician found giving drugs to youths to coarse them into their political campaign is arrested and dealt with.

Tinubu begs warring APC members in Cross River to sheath swords

By Ikechukwu Okaforadi

The presidential candidate of the APC, Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu has appealed to aggrieved and embattled members of the party in Cross River State who lost primary elections to withdraw all lawsuits and stop internal fights against themselves.

He made the appeal today in Calabar when he called John OwanEnoh, former senator for Cross River Central Senatorial District and Mary Eta who also lost the Central senatorial ticket to current Speaker of the Cross River State House of Assembly Jonas Eteng, to the rostrum during a town hall meeting in Calabar and begged them to sheath their swords.

Owan-Enoh lost the governorship ticket to Prince Bassey Otu and further lost the case at the high court and later at

the appeal court.

Tinubu told the huge crowd of APC members and officials: “Mary Eta and I didn’t start today; We have been friends long ago. And Senator John Owan-Enoh, no matter what, you are bound to be disappointed as far as you are human but please, withdraw your lawsuits. Let us work together. I want the two of you to deflate the balloon of anger and get back together to work for the sake of our party.”

Tinubu said moving Nigeria forward was the only reason he is running to be the President in 2023.

”I am a front-wheel driver; driving Nigeria forward is the only reason I am running. Division, anger, and breaking apart will not solve Nigeria’s problem. It is only by building a team of intellectuals, and visionaries that we can.”

Senate confirms Onochie’s appointment, 12 others for NDDC Board

By Musa Baba Adamu

Despite criticisms trailing her nomination, the Senate on Tuesday confirmed the appointment of the president’s Special Assistant on New Media, Lauretta Ifeanyi-Onochie as the substantive Chairman of the Board of the Niger Delta Development Commission.

The Senate at the plenary also confirmed 12 others following the screening of the nominees conducted last Friday at the National Assembly

complex.

President Muhammadu Buhari had requested the Senate to confirm the appointment of his Special Assistant on New Media, Lauretta Ifeanyi-Onochie as the substantive Chairman of the Board of the Niger Delta Development Commission, a development that drew applause and condemnation in some quarters.

Buhari had also named 14 others in the letter as Managing Director, Executive Directors and members of the Board.

They include Samuel Ogbokwu, from Bayelsa State, as the Managing Director, who would serve for a term of two years to complete the term of his predecessor in office.

The list also included Dimgba Erugba, representing Abia State, Dr. Emem Willcox Wills ( Akwa Ibom), Elder Denyanbofa Dimaro (Bayelsa State), Hon. Orok Duke (Cross River) and Dr. Pius Odudu ( Edo State).

Engineer Anthony Ekenne, (Imo State), Hon. Gbenga Edema (Ondo State), Elekwachi

Gov Umahi swears in new aide

By Ikechukwu Okaforadi

Gov. David Umahi of Ebonyi State has sworn in a new Special Assistant, Emmanuel Chukwuonu.

This was contained in a statement issued in Abakaliki on Tuesday by Chooks Oko, Special Assistant to the Governor on Media and Strategy. According to the statement, the governor said the new aide

would serve as Special Assistant on Diaspora Matters.

He explained that the new aide hailed from Ezza South Local Government Area of the state.

“This appointment will be

Dimkpa (Rivers State), Alhaji Mohammed Kabir Abubakar, ( Nasarawa State, representing North-Cenral zone), Alhaji Sadiq Sami Sule – Ikoh ( Kebbi State, North-West) and Prof. Tahir Mamman SAN, (Adamawa State, North-East).

The President also nominated Major-General Charles Airhiavbere (rtd) from Edo State as the (Executive Director, Finance) and Charles Ogunmola, from Ondo State, as the Executive Director, Projects also made the lists of appointees for the NDDC.

the last in the category of State Executive Council until the end of my administration. I charge you, the new Special Assistant, to brace up to the service of the state,” the governor advised.

He commended Governor Ben Ayade for his industrialization drive in bringing the state to the

limelight. He also commended Senator Florence Ita Giwa (Mama Bakassi) for her work for humanity.

2023 presidency: If you vote wrong leader, Nigeria is finished, Fani-Kayode

By Musa Baba Adamu

With the 2023 presidential election drawing closer, a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Femi Fani-Kayode, has cautioned

By Ikechukwu Okaforadi

The gubernatorial candidate of the Accord Party in the 2023 general elections in Oyo State, Chief Adebayo Adelabu has disclosed that it will be very difficult for one single political party to defeat the incumbent governor, Engineer Seyi Makinde without a coalition.

Adelabu, a former Deputy Governor (Operations) of the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, made this declaration during an interactive session with some journalists in Ibadan, the state capital on Monday.

Recall that a few years back, days before a gubernatorial election, a former governor of the state, Senator Rasidi Adewolu Ladoja initiated a coalition of candidates that included Seyi Makinde of Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Sharafadeen Alli of Zenith Labour Party, ZLP, Chief Bolaji Ayorinde of Social Democratic Party, SDP, and Chief Femi Lanlehin of African Democratic Congress, ADC.

The coalition agreed to support Makinde during the election, the decision which gave him the edge to defeat other candidates among whom was Adelabu, who contested on the platform of All Progressives Congress, APC, in 2019.

Adelabu has however declared that it will be very difficult for one party to defeat Makinde in 2023 unless a coalition is formed with other political parties.

Adelabu, who said that he sees the possibility of political parties forming a coalition to defeat Makinde in 2023, insisted that without a coalition in 2019, Makinde would not have won the election.

The Accord candidate while

Nigerians against picking the wrong leader.

Fani-Kayode said Nigeria would be finished if the wrong leaders were selected in 2023.

The APC Presidential Campaign Council member, PCC,

pointed out that the country was at a cross-road and couldn’t afford to get it wrong.

Speaking via Twitter, the former Aviation Minister said Nigeria would not be united if the wrong leader is selected.

He said: “If we get it wrong this time around, there is no fixing it anymore. It’s as simple as that.

“If we don’t get it right this time around and have the right person in power in this country, for the next few or number of generations,

warns Nigerians

Nigeria will be finished.

“Nigeria will not even be a united country again in a matter of years. Why do I say this? Look at the economy, nobody is happy with it. And it’s been like this for many years, not just this dispensation.”

We need coalition to defeat Makinde in 2023 – Accord’s Adelabu tells candidates

answering questions from journalists on the possibility of a coalition, recalled how Makinde emerged winner in the last election through coalition.

He however said that he (Makinde) did not win because the people liked him but because it was a survival game as the

people did not have a choice.

He asserted that if the coalition is formed, he has high hope that his party, Accord will be the lead coalition partner.

Adelabu said: “I see the possibility of a coalition because it may not be so easy for one single political party to win.

The PDP is not the way it was in 2019. We now have NNPP that broke away from PDP and SDP too. In APC, Accord has left. So, I see coalition parties coming together to unseat Makinde.

“We have high hope that Accord will be supported to be the lead coalition partner. The

PDP is already a carcass, many people have left, Alhaji Adebisi Olopoeniyan had left, and Mulikat Adeola had left. We still have Atiku camp in PDP, we also have Wike camp.”

He expressed optimism that “Accord is now more popular than APC and PDP in Oyo State.”

Doyin Okupe resigns as LP presidential campaign DG •After

By Christiana Ekpa

The Director-General of the Labour Party Campaign Council, Doyin Okupe has resigned his position.

The development was contained in a letter he addressed to the LP presidential candidate, Peter Obi on Tuesday.

Sharing the letter on his official Twitter handle, Okupe wrote, “It’s time to step aside. But I am with PO and the Obidients and the Presidential Campaigns till God gives us victory in Jesus Name”.

Okupe’s resignation followed his conviction for breaching the Money Laundering Act by a Federal High Court sitting in Abuja on Monday.

The Labour Party chieftain, who was formerly a member of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, was subsequently sentenced to two and a half years in prison.

convintion over money laundering

However, the presiding judge, Justice Ijeoma Ojukwu, gave

Court removes Nwosu-led ADC executive

The Federal High Court, Abuja has removed the Ralph Nwosu-led leadership of the African Democratic Congress, ADC, and nullified all actions the executive committee took from August 21 to date.

NAN reports that Justice Binta

Nyako on Tuesday also affirmed Sen. Patricia Akwashiki as the authentic National Chairman of the party.

Counsel to Akwashiki, Mr Benson Igbanoi, said that by the court order, the actions of the Nwosu-led executive between August 21 and December 20 become

void.

He said those actions, including the sack of the presidential candidate, Mr Dumebi Kachikwu, had been invalidated.

According to him, the court, having perused the constitution of the ADC, held that the party was

bound by its extant constitution and therefore, the actions taken by the defendants were unconstitutional, null and void, and of no legal effect whatsoever.

The matter was commenced by means of an originating summons filed on August 30, 2022. (NAN)

Bayelsa PDP candidate Ebikebena dragged to CCB over alleged salary fraud

By Musa Baba Adamu

Mitin Living Ebikebena, the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Bayelsa State House of Assembly candidate for Ekeremor Constituency 2, has been dragged before the Code of Conduct Bureau, CCB, for allegedly receiving double salaries.

Akporhona Noah and Seiyefa Captain in a petition written to CCB through their legal firm, A.O. Ishokare Esq, called for an investigation into the allegation that Ebikebena, an employee of

the Federal Polytechnic Ekowe breached the provisions of the code of conduct for public servants.

The firm in the petition dated December 9 and received by CCB on December 19 claimed that the PDP candidate violated Paragraph Two, Part One of the Fifth Schedule of the Constitution of the Federal Government of Nigeria 1999 as amended.

It was gathered that Ebikebena remains in the employment of the polytechnic as an accountant since July 10, 2014, and is currently on salary grade GL 09 CONTEDISS

step five.

The petition claimed: “While still in the employ of the Federal Polytechnic Ekowe and without resigning same, the said Mitin Living Ebikebena accepted another salaried employment and was employed by the Bayelsa State Petroleum Taskforce from 2016 to 2019, as well as Bayelsa State Governor’s Special Representative, Ekeremor, between 2019 and 2020.

“Mitin Living Ebikebena was also employed by the Bayelsa State Government as the

Ekeremor Constituency 2 Director, Bayelsa State Centre for Youth Development from November 2020 to April 2020. He received salaries and emoluments for each of his employment from the Government of Bayelsa.

“Our clients believe that by being simultaneously employed by the federal and state governments and having received emoluments from each tier of government concurrently, Mitin Living Ebikebena, who is a public officer by virtue of Paragraph 15, Part two of the Fifth Schedule of the

Constitution has grossly breached the provisions of the constitution”.

Quoting part two of the Fifth Schedule, the petition said: “Without prejudice to the generality of the foregoing paragraph, a public officer shall not receive or be paid emoluments of any public office at the same time as he receives or is paid the emoluments of any other public officer.”

The legal firm asked the CCB to exercise the powers conferred on it by the constitution to investigate the allegation and take necessary actions as provided by the law.

Okupe an option of N500,000 fine on each of the 26 count charges,

totalling N13m for which he was found guilty.

Doyin Okupe

The Lagos Metropolitan Area Transport Authority (LAMATA) says the infrastructure for the first phase of the blue line rail project is complete and ready for operation.

The first phase of the Lagos blue line rail system is designed to run from Mile 2 (on the mainland) to Marina (on the island).

Kolawole Ojelabi, consultant, corporate communication of LAMATA, said this in a statement on Tuesday in Lagos.

Arewa group backs CBN’s cash withdrawal policy

Abubakar Yunus abuja

Anorthern group known as the Arewa Youth Assembly has thrown its weight behind the cash withdrawal policy of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).

Recently, the apex bank, under the new policy, fixed weekly cash withdrawals for individuals at N100,000 and corporate bodies at N500,000.

Maximum cash withdrawal at POS terminals has also been reduced to N20,000 daily. The policy is expected to take effect nationwide from January 9, 2023.

Addressing a press conference in Abuja on Tuesday, Ali Muhammad, publicity secretary of the group, said many politicians have plans to stockpile cash for “nefarious purposes”.

“To forestall the future harbouring of naira notes by individuals, the central bank came up with another policy pegging N100,000 and N500,000 as the maximum cash individuals and corporate organisations respectively can withdraw weekly,” Muhammad said.

“This policy will also help to checkmate the incidences of vote buying, which is the greatest threat to fair and credible elections in 2023.”

The publicity secretary said the country’s economy is faring better than that of neighbouring countries owing to the policies of the CBN.

“Those with looted funds in their houses should find a way of depositing such monies in any commercial bank rather than trying to use a back door approach to knock off the CBN governor and get the policies reversed through their lackeys,” he said.

“The judiciary should remain steadfast in defending the spirit and letter of our constitution, as they are the last hope of the common man.”

Mile 2-Marina rail line ready to convey 200,000 passengers daily, says Lagos

Ojelabi said the completion of the infrastructure was in fulfilment of the promise made by Babajide Sanwo-Olu, Lagos state governor.

He said Sanwo-Olu had promised that the project would be completed in the last quarter of 2022 ahead of the commencement of passenger operations in the first quarter of 2023.

Ojelabi said the blue line

project was one of the six rail lines and monorails prescribed for Lagos in the state’s strategic transport master plan (STMP), adding that the construction had been divided into phases for ease of implementation and is expected to move more than 500,000 passengers when the entire line is completed.

“Governor Sanwo-Olu had, while campaigning for the office of governor, promised

to complete the infrastructure for the first phase of the Lagos rail mass transit (LMRT) blue line and bring it to passenger operation,” he said.

“The first phase is a 13-kilometer stretch from Marina to Mile 2 and has five stations at Mile 2, Suru-Alaba, Orile Iganmu, National Theatre and Marina. It is expected to move about 200,000 passengers daily.”

Ojelabi said the rail system

would be powered by electricity from an independent power plant to be purposely built for its operation.

The statement also quoted Abimbola Akinajo, managing director of LAMATA, as saying that the completion of the infrastructure for the first phase of the project was a testimonial of the importance of public transportation to Sanwo-Olu’s development agenda.

Reps re-invites Emefiele over CBN’s cash withdrawal policy

By Abubakar Yunus, Abuja

The house of representatives has again rescheduled the appearance of Godwin Emefiele, governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), over the new cash withdrawal policy.

The CBN governor was initially due to appear before the lawmakers on December 15, but it was rescheduled after he sent a letter to the parliament stating that he was out of the country.

At the plenary session on Tuesday, Emefiele, again, through a letter signed by Edward Adamu, CBN deputy governor, corporate services, said he was not yet back in the country.

Femi Gbajamiamila, speaker of the house, said the invitation should be rescheduled to Thursday while wondering why the CBN governor was out of the country for over two weeks “at this critical time”.

“At this point, we will be requesting to find out what that

official assignment is that keeps the CBN governor away for almost two weeks,” he said.

“I would love to know what that official assignment is at this critical time in Nigeria that will keep him away for two weeks.”

Abdulganiyu Olododo, a lawmaker from Kwara, raised a point of order saying the CBN governor may not be available on Thursday.

“You said the CBN governor was out of the country and you’re picking another day on Thursday. How are we sure that he’s going to be available this very Thursday?

Ndudi Elumelu, the minority leader, said the house had already taken a position on the cash withdrawal policy, and that Emefiele is expected to implement the lawmakers’ decision.

“The house in the interim had taken a position. The issue of him coming was just to fulfil all righteousness,” he said.

Elumelu said whether Emefiele honours “the invitation or does not come, we have passed a resolution asking him to suspend the policy”.

In his ruling, Gbajabiamila said if the CBN governor is “unavoidably” unavailable on Thursday, a high-ranking deputy should represent him.

“What is important is that this house gets a full proper briefing and I think it behoves on the CBN governor in accordance with the law to brief this house,” he said.

“If for any reason it is verified that he is unavoidably out of the country on Thursday, [he should] ask his deputy governor or anyone who is well equipped to fully brief this house so that we do not carry this to next year.”

On December 8, the green chamber asked the apex bank to suspend the policy on weekly cash withdrawals by individuals and corporate entities.

The lawmakers also summoned Emefiele to appear

before them to be grilled over the policy scheduled to take effect on January 9, 2023.

In a memo issued and signed by Haruna Mustafa, director of banking supervision, the apex bank had directed all banks and other financial institutions to ensure that over-the-counter cash withdrawals by individuals and corporate entities do not exceed N100,000 and N500, 000, respectively, per week.

The CBN also directed that only N200 and lower denominations should be loaded into banks’ ATMs.

The row over Emefiele’s snub of the green chamber comes hours after a federal high court in Abuja declined an application by the Department of State Services (DSS) to arrest and detain him.

The court had said there was no concrete evidence to substantiate the claim that the CBN governor was involved in terrorism financing and economic crimes.

L-R: Chairman of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) Gen Buba Marwa (Rtd) Director Technical services NDLEA Deputy Commander General Narcotic, Epeso Ezekiel Ngale and the Agency Secretary, Barr Shadrach Haruna during the decoration exercise of newly promoted Narcotic officers at the NDLEA national headquarters, yesterday in Abuja . Photo: Justin Imo-owo

Abubakar Yunusa, Abuja

Naira depreciates further, exchanges for N750/$ at parallel market

The naira, on Tuesday, declined further against the dollar at the parallel section of the foreign exchange (FX) market, popularly called the black market.

A parallel market (black market) is an unofficial market for currencies which operates alongside the official market.

According to TheCable, Bureaux De Change operators (BDCs) at Alade Market in Ikeja, Lagos, quoted the naira at N750 to the dollar at the black market.

The figure represents a depreciation of N5 or 0.7 percent from the N745 it traded last week.

The black market traders put the buying price of the dollar at N735 and the selling price at N750, leaving a profit margin of N15.

“I can just say that demand has been moderate this week,”

a trader identified as Abdullahi.

Since the suspension of trading information by abokiFX, Nigerians have resorted to street traders for current parallel market rates of the local currency.

Although the parallel segment is more accessible to traders and businesses who need FX, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has consistently maintained that it represents less than one percent of forex transactions and should never be used to determine the exchange rate.

On the official market side, the local currency closed flat against the dollar at N451.50 on Monday, according to information obtained from the FMDQ OTC Securities Exchange – a platform that oversees official foreign exchange trading in Nigeria.

Last week, Godwin Emefiele, CBN governor, spoke about the persistent shortage of foreign exchange to meet citizens’ needs.

He asked banks to come up with an action plan for boosting FX inflow from non-oil exports.

“We are in the business of servicing customers, and servicing customers also entails that they have import needs and they need foreign exchange to conduct their import activities,” Emefiele had said.

“To do so means that you need foreign exchange to service them. There is a clear shortage of foreign exchange today. But yet as bankers, we must meet the needs of our customers.

“The market is tight, and I know we don’t have a choice. We will have to do something to ensure that this problem is solved.”

Petrol scarcity: Local

refining would eliminate delays at depots, reduce prices, say oil suppliers

The Nigerian natural oil and gas suppliers association (NOGASA) says the resumption of crude oil refining at the Port Harcourt Refinery Company (PHRC) will lower pump prices of petroleum products.

Benneth Korie, national president of the association, said this while speaking to journalists on Monday in Abuja.

Korie said once production resumes at the Warri and Kaduna refineries, prices of petroleum products will “go down on its own”.

He explained that prices will reduce because the gap between loading at refineries and importation would be closed.

This sentiment is premised on the assurances of Timipre Sylva, minister of state for

petroleum resources, that the Port Harcourt Refining Company (PHRC) would soon begin crude oil refining as it is being upgraded.

Korie said this would bring the total crude oil processing capacity of the PHRC to 210,000 barrels per day (bpsd).

“We have assurances from the minister of petroleum resources that the PHRC refinery will start working this December, definitely between now and end of January 2023,” he said.

“After Port Harcourt, other refineries including Warri and Kaduna will come up because work has been seriously going on there.

“Then you will see that prices of petroleum products will go down on its own because there is a difference between importation of products and loading from our refineries.”

Korie said the refinery, when operational, would blend automotive gas oil (AGO), premium motor spirit (PMS), jet A1, and other products.

He decried the cost of product distribution and delays experienced due to loading from depots, noting that once the refinery starts running, oil imports would stop and petroleum products would be loaded onto trucks directly from there.

“Formerly; trucks used to load from refineries but now paid vessels spend between 10 and 14 days to load product from depots as against one day. Marketers and transporters are suffering and sacrifice a lot in the bid to distribute products,” he said.

In March 2021, the federal executive council (FEC) approved $1.5 billion for the rehabilitation of the Port Harcourt refinery. The project, contracted to Tecnimont SPA, an Italian company, was to be executed in three phases of 18, 24 and 44 months.

In May 2021, the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited commenced the rehabilitation of the refinery.

Short transition period of naira redesign may affect economic activity, World Bank warns

By Abubakar Yunus, Abuja

The World Bank has warned that the timing and short transition period of the naira redesign policy may have negative impacts on economic activity.

The international financial organisation issued the warning in its latest Nigeria development update (NDU) report titled ‘Nigeria’s choice‘.

On Thursday, commercial banks began dispensing the redesigned N200, N500 and N1,000 notes to customers across the country.

Peoples Daily reported that the new naira notes were dispensed over-the-counter alongside the old ones in most banks.

But the old notes will cease to be legal tender from January 31, 2023, according to Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).

Commenting on the monetary policy, the World Bank, in its report, said the phasing out of existing naira notes over a short time period may add to the challenges of poor households and small-scale businesses.

“The CBN announced on October 26, 2022, that it planned

to redesign, produce, and circulate new series of Nigerian naira (N) 200, 500 and 1,000 notes (equivalent to roughly US$0.5, US$1, and US$2 at the official rate). The three notes are the highest denominations out of the eight legal tender notes in Nigeria,” the report reads.

“Following the launch of the new designs on November 23, 2022, the new currency notes are to be circulated from December 15, 2022, with both the new and existing notes considered legal tender until January 31, 2023. Thereafter, only the new notes will

be legal tender.

“Bank charges on cash deposits have been suspended to facilitate the transition.

“While periodic currency redesigns are normal internationally and the naira does appear to be due for it, since naira notes have not been redesigned for two decades, the timing of and short transition period for this demonetisation may have negative impacts on economic activity, in particular for the poorest households.

“International experience suggests that rapid

demonetisations can generate significant short-term costs, with small-scale businesses, and poor and vulnerable households, potentially being particularly affected due to being liquidityconstrained and heavily reliant on day-to-day cash transactions.

“At present, households and firms already face elevated financial pressures from prolonged, high inflation, recently compounded by external food and fuel price shocks, and the severe floods, and phasing out existing naira notes over a short time period may add to their challenges.”

L-R: The President, Abuja Original Inhabitants Youth Empowerment Organisation (AOIYEO), Amb. Issac David, the Representative of CHRICED, Comrade Armsfree Ajanaku, The Project Manager AOIYEO, Comrade Bitrus Lawrence and a member of AOIYEO,. Sanha Hajaratu, during the Public Presentation of FCTOIs Charter of Demands, yesterday in Abuja. Photo: Justin Imo-owo

BU$IN€SS

Nigeria needs $150bn annually to close infrastructural gap, says minister

Clement Agba, minister of state for finance, budget and national planning, says, based on the reviewed national integrated infrastructure master plan, $2.3 trillion is needed to close infrastructural gap in the country.

Speaking during the media parley in Abuja, Agba disclosed that the new master plan provided the roadmap for building a worldclass infrastructure that would guarantee sustainable growth and development in Nigeria.

According to Agba, the country has a $2.3 trillion infrastructural gap and plans to ensure that 70 percent of the infrastructure stock from the current 30 to 35 percent is closed by 2043.

The minister added that the plan also prescribes an expenditure of $150 billion annually to achieve this target.

He said his ministry, through the infrastructure department, had ensured an annual production of national infrastructure report to track the level of

implementation and development on infrastructure across all sectors while also coordinating the review of the national road safety strategy (NRSS:2021-2030) to assist in the reduction of road accident fatalities on Nigerian roads.

Agba also said Nigeria’s budgetary processes were much more transparent and participatory now, as all stakeholders, especially the citizens, were carried along and enabled to make input into the processes.

The minister further said the country has been accepted into the membership of the Beneficial Ownership Leadership Group, a transnational body established to drive a “set of best practice disclosure principles”.

“Nigeria recorded its best performance in the open budget survey (OBS), scoring 45 percent in the latest 2021 survey for transparency, indicating an improvement by 24 points — a significant leap from the 21 percent achieved in the 2019

exercise,” Agba said.

“Our aspiration in joining the leadership group is to strengthen our international alliances towards a more seamless coordination for tracking illicit flows from Nigeria to anywhere around the world.”

Agba further said states across the country had begun to increase efforts to improve transparency and accountability in their governance processes.

He said 24 states out of 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) in Nigeria had so far accepted the open government partnership, (OGP), and were making concrete commitments to develop a culture of transparency and accountability in the governance processes while empowering citizens to participate effectively in governance processes.

“Also, the Abuja Municipal Area Council has keyed into the open government partnership, making it the first local government to do so,” he added.

Speaking the progress made so far with the state employment and expenditure for results (SEEFOR) project (2014-2020), the minister said four states have been supported in Nigeria.

“This actually began before the inception of our administration but ended two years after I was appointed minister of state for budget and national planning.

SEEFOR was a World Bankfunded project in partnership with the European Union, designed for four Niger Delta states of Bayelsa, Delta, Edo and Rivers,” he explained.

“The project involved a concessionary interest-free loan of $200 million from the World Bank with a grant element of about $78.4 million from the European Union.

“It was aimed at enhancing opportunities for employment and access to socio- economic services, while improving public expenditure management systems in the participating states.”

Agba noted that, in

collaboration with the World Bank, his ministry designed the above-named programme to provide support to the 36 states and the FCT on some major result areas, including social issues and FADAMA agriculture.

He said the project outlined a proposed programme-forresults operation of $750 million to support the 36 states and the FCT in their efforts to mitigate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the livelihoods of the poor and vulnerable households as well as micro-enterprises in the country.

Agba added that the federal government had, for the first time, launched a multidimensional poverty report, situation analysis for children, and monitoring child poverty in Nigeria.

“The reports of these three studies will help in shaping policies and actions of government and all stakeholders towards addressing the socio-economic, nutrition and health challenges of the child,” he said.

Court stops DSS from arresting Emefiele

Afederal high court sitting in Abuja has declined an application by the Department of State Services (DSS) to arrest and detain Godwin Emefiele, governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), TheCable understands.

In declining the motion ex parte — filed by an applicant in the absence of the respondent — Justice JT Tsoho, the chief judge, said the secret police did not provide any concrete evidence to substantiate its claims that Emefiele was involved in terrorism financing and economic crimes.

Sources at the high court told TheCable that the judge said he should have been taken into confidence if there was any evidence to back the allegations in the application, marked FHC/

ABJ/CS/2255/2022.

“The honourable judge also wondered why the name of the respondent was given simply as ‘Godwin Emefiele’ without a material disclosure that he is the same person as the CBN governor, a highly ranking public official who occupies an extremely sensitive position,” the source told TheCable.

The court said such an application should have been accompanied with the presidential approval because of the grave implications for the Nigerian economy if the CBN governor is arrested and detained.

There are suggestions that the bid to arrest Emefiele might be political given the impact the redesign of the naira and limit on cash withdrawals might have on

vote-buying in the 2023 elections.

A number of politicians have complained that the naira redesign is targeted at them but President Muhammadu Buhari has given his full backing to Emefiele over the policy.

On Monday, a group of civil society organisations raised the alarm that there was a plot to frame Emefiele for terrorism and remove him from office.

Meanwhile, DSS has warned Nigerians against being used to “undermine” its investigations.

In a statement issued on Monday, Peter Afunanya, DSS spokesperson, said the service will not be distracted by those seeking to use “propaganda” to undermine its lawful investigations.

Afunanya said one of the duties of the DSS is the “investigation

of matters of national security dimension. It has always discharged this responsibility in the overall interest of Nigerian citizens”.

“As such, the Service will continue to disseminate actionable intelligence to the relevant authorities devoid of any sentiment,” the statement reads.

“While professionally discharging its mandate, the DSS pledges to remain focused and unbiased. It will not, by any means, succumb to propaganda, intimidation and the desperation of hirelings to undermine it.

“It will also not give room to the use of falsehood and deceit to misdirect public understanding and perceptions of issues of national importance.

“Given not to join issues, the

Service warns those on a wild goose chase to be mindful of their actions. Similarly, it urges members of the public to disregard the vituperations and rantings of misguided elements and not allow themselves to be used as instruments of destabilisation.

“Notably, these elements should remember the famous axiom that ‘you will only deceive some people, some of the time, but not all people, all the time’.

“To put it succinctly, the Service will not be distracted by persons and/or groups from carrying out its duties to the Nation, citizens, and, President and Commander-in-Chief.”

Afunanya asked Nigerians to “avoid being used to thwart or undermine the Service and its lawful investigations as those who wish to act in the breach will be dealt with in accordance with the law”.

Abubakar Yunus Abuja

•Don’t be used to undermine our own investigation,DSS warns

METRO feature

By Stanley Onyekwere

In continuation with its proactive measures to tackle menace of insecurity and environmental challenges in Abuja, the FCT Enforcement taskteam raided and removed hundreds of shanties allegedly harbouring criminals in Durumi 1 and 2 area of the nation’s capital city.

The enforcement team accompanied by joint security personnel drawn from Military and Paramilitary agencies, yesterday stormed the area with three bulldozers, and cleared the affected makeshift structures mainly made of woods and zincs allegedly harbouring criminals and other structures erected without necessary approval from the relevant authorities.

In particular, the team removed structures within a large Garden and Timber shed situated inside tree planation, attachments to houses and perimeter fence of Junior secondary school and Primary Healthcare Centre, and clusters of shops serving as community market in the area.

It was observed that the clean up operation resulted to the displacement of owners and occupiers of the removed structures, hitherto used for trading and living purposes in the area.

One of the affected persons, who makes furniture, James Aleke, who claimed that he had been there since 2008, the exercise has left him and his family stranded, as there are no other place to relocate to.

He said: “I have never seen this kind of thing before, which is not making our lives easy. And my wife also is equally affected, her own shop is right behind mine.

“Going to get a shop in town is not just for the ordinary man, and the little place we are managing, have been demolished without notice.

“For me, I will just use my contacts to be making furniture

Insecurity: Hundreds displaced as FCTA clears shanties, others in Durumi

pending when God would bless us with another place, but Government should come to our aid and rescue, because the suffering is getting to much”.

However, while admitting that there are lot of criminal elements in the area, Aleke noted that most of the disloged persons that are doing legitimate things should have been spared from the exercise.

For Miss Rose Sunday, one of the women leaders in the demolished market, who said her two shops were demolished, said they were taken aback by the development, and are left with nowhere to go to, as most them were not able to salvage anything.

“We have children, sisters and other dependants, like for me, I don’t have money with which I will carry my belongings away from the place. So I don’t know how to do now,” she laments.

On his part, the Sarkin Yaki, Durumi, Hon John Bawa, the community have been having attacks and lot of security challenges, and the valuable property of members of the community have been lost in several attacks.

Bawa said the operation is in line with security action that is supposed to be taken, becasue where there are a lot of hoodlums, there is need for clean up, which is a proactive measure by the government, in order to curb the insecurity menace.

According to him: “The rate of killings has reduced to a minimum degree in recent times, as it was almost every week, you will see dead body, and each it happens , we report to the Police for necessary action.

“So, we are not saying to the action, but the only complain we have is that the community leaders should be properly informed, so as to put their house in order. This is because, at times in the process of removing the shanties, where feel these criminals are been harboured, the indigenes houses are tampered with.

“As far as the residential structures of the indigenes are not tampered with for now, I’m calling on my people to calm down, and after this exercise, the community will have to sit down, plan the market well, so that we will have a market, as it is needed in any

settlement”.

Earlier, the Senior Special Assistant to the FCT Minister on Monitoring, Inspection and Enforcement, Comrade Ikharo Attah, said it was upon the FCT Minister’s directive, the Team moved into the area to address extreme notoriety, distinguishing in forms of shanties.

Attah disclosed that the place is where police reports indicate that there have been very massive secret killings.

“You could see that for the first time, the indigenes are out leading the machines to areas where people come to rob and attack them, so we are doing the clearing and we are continuing that operation based on what the Minister had asked us to do.

“We have given notice before coming for the actual removal exercise, and about two months the team had even started demolition there, but stopped, only to return yesterday to continue and complete the exercise”, he stressed.

Similarly, Kaka Bello, Head Monitoring and Enforcement, Abuja Environmental Protection Board (AEPB), said although

there is a lot of reported criminal activities, but the environmental issue if not abetted will lead to further things which are not good for the environment and inhabitants there.

Not left out, Olumuji Peter, Secretary, FCTA Command and Control Centre, decried that the place become a hibernating point for criminal minded people, which required the removal of all the shanties harbouring them, so that people can sleep with their two eyes closed.

Olumuji said: ‘When we got to the place, even the Chief confirmed that just few days ago, some criminal elements robbed people, and you know we are approaching the yuletide season.

“Another part of the crime here is raping of women and girls as well as killing and maiming innocent people residing within this place.

“So, the place has also become a hibernating point for criminal minded people, that is why we are removing all the shanties that normally harbour them, so that people can sleep with their two eyes closed”.

Some pictures from yesterday’s demolition exercise at Durumi 1&2, Garki, in Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC), of the FCT.

Photos: Stanley Onyekwere

world news

Irmgard Furchner: Nazi typist guilty of complicity in 10,500 murders

Aformer secretary who worked for the commander of a Nazi concentration camp has been convicted of complicity in the murders of more than 10,505 people.

Irmgard Furchner, 97, was taken on as a teenaged typist at Stutthof and worked there from 1943 to 1945.

Furchner, one of the few women to be tried for Nazi crimes in decades, was given a two-year suspended jail term.

Although she was a civilian worker, the judge agreed she was fully aware of what was going on at the camp.

Some 65,000 people are thought to have died in horrendous conditions at Stutthof, including Jewish prisoners, non-Jewish Poles and captured Soviet soldiers. As Furchner was only 18 or 19 at the time, she was tried in a special juvenile court.

At Stutthof, located near the modern-day Polish city of Gdansk, a variety of methods was used to murder detainees and thousands died in gas chambers there from June 1944.

The court at Itzehoe in northern Germany heard from survivors of

the camp, some of whom have died during the trial.

When the trial began in September 2021, Irmgard Furchner went on the run from her retirement home and was eventually found by police on a street in Hamburg.

Stutthof commandant PaulWerner Hoppe was jailed in 1955 for being an accessory to murder and he was released five years later.

A series of prosecutions have taken place in Germany since 2011, after the conviction of former Nazi death camp guard John Demjanjuk set the precedent that being a guard was sufficient evidence to prove complicity.

That ruling also meant that civilian worker Furchner could stand trial, as she worked directly to the camp commander, dealing with correspondence surrounding Stutthof detainees.

It took 40 days for her to break her silence in the trial, when she told the court “I’m sorry about everything that happened”. “I regret that I was in Stutthof at the timethat’s all I can say,” she said.

Her defence lawyers argued she should be acquitted because of doubts surrounding what she knew,

as she was one of several typists in Hoppe’s office.

Historian Stefan Hördler played a key role in the trial, accompanying two judges on a visit to the site of the camp. It became clear from the visit that Furchner was able to see some of the worst conditions at the camp from the commandant’s office.

The historian told the trial that 27 transports carrying 48,000 people arrived at Stutthof between June and October 1944, after the Nazis decided to expand the camp and speed up mass murder with the use of Zyklon B gas.

Mr Hördler described Hoppe’s office as the “nerve centre” for everything that went on at Stutthof.

Camp survivor Josef Salomonovic, who travelled to the court to give evidence at the trial, was only six when his father was shot dead at Stutthof in September 1944.

“She’s indirectly guilty,” he told reporters at the court last December, “even if she just sat in the office and put her stamp on my father’s death certificate.”

Another survivor, Manfred Goldberg, said his only

disappointment was that the twoyear suspended sentence “appears to be a mistake”.

“No-one in their right mind would send a 97 year old to prison, but the sentence should reflect the severity of the crimes,” he said.

“If a shoplifter is sentenced to two years, how can it be that someone convicted for complicity in 10,000 murders is given the same sentence?”

Furchner’s trial could be the last to take place in Germany into Naziera crimes, although a few cases are still being investigated.

Two other cases have gone to court in recent years for Nazi crimes committed at Stutthof.

Last year a former camp guard was declared unfit for trial even though the court said there was a “high degree of probability” he was guilty of complicity.

January 6 committee: What’s next for Trump legally and politically

Donald Trump should be charged with crimes related to the assault on the US Capitol, according to the congressional committee investigating the 6 January, 2021 attack.

The committee claimed the former president instigated the attack by his supporters and provided “aid and comfort” to the rioters in violation of multiple federal laws. “None of the events of January 6 would have happened without him,” the summary of its final report says.

Members say there’s evidence to pursue the prosecution of Mr Trump on four charges:

The vote provided a dramatic finale to an 18-month inquiry into the chaotic last days of Mr Trump’s presidency - but the implications for him will be mostly political, not legal.

If Mr Trump were convicted of the crimes the committee has accused him of committing, he could face hundreds of thousands of dollars in fines, up to 20 years in prison and be prohibited from running for future political office. The committee’s vote, however, is largely symbolic.

Congress does not have the ability to charge Mr Trump with any of the listed federal crimes. That power lies solely in the hands of the US Justice Department, which is part of President Joe Biden’s administration.

With its vote, the congressional committee members have, in effect, recommended the Justice Department act. They have laid out the case - the means, the motive and the opportunity - as they see it. And,

perhaps most importantly, they have provided a trove of the supporting evidence gathered over nearly two years of interviews, subpoenas, document reviews and legal battles.

What the Justice Department does with all this, however, is entirely out of the committee’s control.

Trump’s legal woes

While the January 6 committee’s recommendations may have little legal weight, there are plenty of indications that the Justice Department is already well into the kind of investigation of possible criminal conduct by the former president that the committee desires.

A grand jury convened by federal attorneys has already issued subpoenas to dozens of Mr Trump’s administration and campaign officials and requested many of the same Trump administration documents reviewed by the congressional committee.

Last month, US Attorney General Merrick Garland appointed a special counsel, Jack Smith, to handle all aspects of the inquiry into the former president. He cited Mr Trump’s announcement of his 2024 presidential bid, and the possibility that Mr Trump could face off against Mr Biden in the general election, as grounds for separating the investigation from the Justice Department’s day-to-day operations.

Since then, Mr Smith’s office has issued its own subpoenas to officials in seven states who had been contacted by Mr Trump or his advisers during their attempts to

dispute the 2020 presidential election results. The independent council investigation appears to be wasting little time picking up where career Justice Department lawyers left off.

The Capitol attack is not Mr Trump’s only source of legal concern, either. Mr Smith is also investigating the former president’s handling of classified material at his Mar-a-Lago estate after he left office. A Georgia district attorney continues to dig into whether Mr Trump’s contact with state officials violated Georgia

election law. And there are a host of civil cases too.

Political fallout

Mr Trump has long attempted to paint the entirety of the criminal and civil investigations and lawsuits directed at him as part of a partisan “witch hunt” whose ultimate goal is to thwart his return to political power.

The nature of the congressional committee’s criminal referral - voted on by seven Democrats and two vehemently anti-Trump Republicans - will do little to counter these claims,

and

The referrals, however, will generate days of negative coverage for Mr Trump, as newspaper and television headlines recount the nature of the recommended charges and remind Americans of the violence of 6 January and Mr Trump’s monthslong efforts to challenge his election defeat.

Source: BBC

may in fact be cited by Mr Trump as further evidence of the partisan nature of the allegations if and when they turn into actual criminal charges.

The court ordered that pictures of Irmgard Furchner from the trial should be blurred

The former president at Mar-a-Lago on the night he announced he’ll run again.

His name means “wealthy” in the Tigriyna language but he weighs just half what he should.

As the doctor pulls up his jumper and tracksuit bottoms to show his spindly arms and legs, his mother looks on impassively.

She does not want to give her name.

This is the daily reality of hunger and malnutrition after two years of civil war in the northern

Nairobi foots detained patients’ bills for Christmas S

akaja Arthur Johnson at the Moi International Sports Centre in Kasarani, Nairobi during the swearing in of William Ruto as the 5th President of the Republic of Kenya

Getty ImagesCopyright: Getty Images

Johnson Sakaja says he wants the patients to be with their families for ChristmasImage caption: Johnson Sakaja says he wants the patients to be with their families for Christmas

In Kenya the governor of Nairobi has directed all staterun hospitals to release any patients who are being held because of unpaid bills.

It is common practice for hospitals there to refuse to discharge patients until all medical fees have been paid.

Johnson Sakaja said the county government would foot the bills and described the waiver as a Christmas gift so that people could celebrate with their families.

Kenyans routinely complain that private and governmentrun hospitals charge exorbitant fees, which mean many are unable to seek treatment.

Deepening restrictions on ivory trafficking have led to an increase of the trade in hippopotamus teeth, wildlife campaigners are warning, with potentially serious effects for a species already listed as “vulnerable to extinction”.

When the UK last June announced a near-total ban on the trade in elephant ivory, an animal welfare charity studied what happened in three widely used online marketplaces.

Ethiopia civil war: The boy named Wealthy who weighs half what he should

Ethiopia region of Tigray. A peace deal has ended the fighting but the fallout from the conflict remains.

In August, the UN estimated that nearly one in three children under the age of five in Tigray were malnourished.

As federal government soldiers and Tigrayan forces fought, the Ethiopian authorities either limited or heavily restricted the aid getting into the northern region, leading to an effective blockade.

‘Empty-handed’

Makda, who is the same age as the conflict itself, lies like a baby in the arms of her mother Hiwot.

She is listless and her stomach is heavily swollen.

“It’s become so difficult to get food,” says Hiwot. “It’s very hard to eat even once a day.”

But since she was admitted to hospital, Makda has been getting worse.

“My daughter is in this situation because we’re told there is no medicine. We haven’t been able to get anything,” says Hiwot.

“Even when we were here last year with the same problem, I couldn’t get anything and I went home empty-handed.”

The families of Haftom and Makda have been seeking treatment in Mekelle, the capital of the Tigray region. The BBC filmed and interviewed them within the past month.

After August, as federal government forces took more

territory, the Tigrayan authorities agreed to a ceasefire.

Under the terms of the peace deal signed at the beginning of last month, the authorities in the capital, Addis Ababa, said they would send in more aid.

‘Used up in a day’

Dr Kibrom Gebreselassie has been a surgeon at Ayder Referral Hospital for 15 years.

It is the biggest public hospital in the region which is home to seven million people.

“To see young children and mothers suffer and cry every day, it’s traumatising,” says Dr

Kibrom.

“A lot of children have died in our hospital because once a child has malnutrition, it’s not only food you have to give them. They need medication, antibiotics, minerals... and we don’t have this.”

Some of what is needed seems to be arriving but not nearly enough.

Dr Kibrom says two trucks with medical supplies from the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) were the first to reach Mekelle.

“The amount of medicine that

we received was enough for half of our patients and only lasted for a single day,” he sighs.

For each day that aid does not get to the hospital, more patients die.

“Take cancer patients, the situation is very grim. There has been no chemotherapy in the entire Tigray,” says Dr Kibrom.

“Each day, each week, each month, the stage of their cancer worsens.

“If it was treatable before, now it’s becoming inoperable. For those very sick individuals each day, each hour counts.”

Poachers target hippos for giant

Deepening restrictions on ivory trafficking have led to an increase of the trade in hippopotamus teeth, wildlife campaigners are warning, with potentially serious effects for a species already listed as “vulnerable to extinction”.

When the UK last June announced a near-total ban on the trade in elephant ivory, an animal welfare charity studied what happened in three widely used online marketplaces.

“We found the increase in hippo ivory trade in the UK within a month after the near total-ban of elephant ivory was introduced,” says Frankie Osuch, lead author of a report released by Born Free in September.

This was “deeply concerning evidence of increased demand for ivory from hippos, whose numbers in the wild are under threat” the report said.

Researchers say this pattern was clear as far back as 1989, when a worldwide ban on trade

in ivory was first agreed, and has only intensified as governments have brought in new measures to tighten the ban.

Like ivory, hippo teeth and tusks are often used for decorative carvings, but they are cheaper and easier to obtain.

Hippo body parts can still be traded under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), though all international sales require an export permit.

It’s been calculated that between 1975, when CITES records began, and 2017, 770,000kg of hippo teeth were legally traded. But there is also an illegal trade.

In 2020 hippo teeth were among the mammal body parts most often seized in the EU, according to a European Commission report.

“There are increasing cases of sniffer dogs detecting hippo teeth at different airports in Africa these days, and the detection does not mean all of

teeth

in place of ivory

them are caught, perhaps only half of them are,” says Philip Muruthy, vice-president of the Africa Wildlife Foundation.

A study by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) in 2016 estimated that the worldwide population of the common hippo was between 115,000 and 130,000 - a drop of 30% since 1994.

Ten countries in West and Central Africa say there has continued to be a sharp decline in numbers, due to poaching and land degradation.

They proposed a complete ban on trade in the run-up to a CITES meeting in Panama last month, but this would only have been possible under CITES rules if there had been more than 50% drop in the population in the last 10 years, and an IUCN analysis did not support this conclusion.

The 10 West and Central African countries then suggested a move called “annotation” that would have resulted in a zero-

quota for wild specimens traded for commercial purposes. But this proposal was not supported by the EU or by East and South African countries, who say hippo populations remain at a healthy level.

Some of the East and South African countries - Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe - are also the source of threequarters of the estimated 13,909 hippos whose parts and products were traded between 2009 and 2018.

Joanna Swabe, senior director of public affairs with Humane Society International, points out that little work has been done since 2016 to establish hippo numbers.

“There has been very little scientific research on the actual population of hippos in all of these range countries,” she says. “While at the same time, range countries know what is going on with their hippos within their territories, so they should not be ignored.”

Sourc:BBC

This is Makda’s second time in hospital suffering from malnutrition

Iran protests: Family finds signs of torture on man’s exhumed body

The body of a young protester who died in custody in Iran showed shocking signs of torture after it was exhumed, his family says, in the first such case since the anti-government unrest began.

Hamed Salahshoor, a 23-yearold taxi driver, was arrested near Izeh on 26 November, his cousins told BBC Persian.

Four days later, they said, security forces told his father he was dead and made him declare he had a heart attack.

But his body showed the signs of severe head injuries and surgery, they added.

“His face was smashed. His nose, jaw and chins were broken. His torso from his neck to his navel, and over his kidneys, was stitched up.”

Hamed Salahshoor’s cousins said he had taken part in the protests that began in September following the death in custody of Mahsa Amini, a woman who was detained by morality police for allegedly wearing her hijab “improperly”.

However, they said, his family had not been told why he was detained.

“A few hours before his arrest, Hamed received the good news that he had got a job at the ministry of oil,” a source close to the family told BBC Persian.

He then called his mother and told her that he had “finally found a good job”, the source added.

Salahshoor later picked up

passengers in his taxi in the southern city of Isfahan and began the 185km (115-mile) journey to Izeh.

He never made it home because his taxi was stopped at a checkpoint near Izeh and he was taken into custody.

Salahshoor’s cousins said his father was informed on 30 November that he had died, and that he was forced to sign a document saying that he had suffered a heart attack. He also had to promise not to hold a public funeral.

“Security forces threatened Hamed’s father that they would kill his two other sons,” the family source alleged.

Security personnel buried Salahshoor’s body at night-time in a village 30km (18 miles) from Izeh, with only his parents allowed to be present, according to the cousins.

The next day, his family exhumed the body so that they could bury him in Izeh.

In addition to finding the evidence that he had been tortured and undergone a surgical procedure, they found signs that he not been given a proper Muslim burial, which requires the naked body of the deceased to be washed and shrouded in cloth.

“They buried Hamed with his clothes and shoes on. His body was not straight. And they claim they are Muslims!” his cousins said, referring to Iran’s Shia Muslim clerical establishment.

So far, at least 502 protesters

have been killed and 18,450 others have been arrested during the current unrest, according to the Human Rights Activists’ News Agency (HRANA).

Many of those detained have reportedly been subjected to enforced disappearance, incommunicado detention, torture and other ill-treatment.

Yalda Aghafazli, 19, alleged before her death that she was severely beaten in police custody.

“I’d never been beaten this much in the 19 years of my life, but to the last minute I did not express remorse and I did not cry,” she said in an audio message that she sent to her a friend following her release.

“40 security forces attacked me for my arrest,” #Yalda_AghaFazli says in an audio file obtained by BBC Persian.

The 19 year-old protester said she was tortured in detention. She was found dead in her bed 5 days after her release.pic.twitter. com/VWY8us41SC

— Parham Ghobadi (@ BBCParham) November 16, 2022

The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.

Aghafazli was arrested on 26 October in Tehran for allegedly writing anti-establishment slogans on a wall and held for 13 days.

Five days after her release from prison she was found dead in her bed.

The judiciary said she had died of a drug overdose. But

a source close to her family disputed the claim, saying that they had been told that the result of a toxicology test would take three months to arrive.

“The police officers who searched her room said nothing was found and the post-mortem report gave the cause of death as ‘unknown’,” the source told BBC Persian.

Arshia Emamgholizadeh, 16, took his own life six days after he was released from prison in late November.

A source close to his family told BBC Persian that he was “given pills in prison and was beaten”, while his mother was filmed saying at his grave: “You were not suicidal, what did they do to you in prison?”

Seyed Mohammad Hosseini,

death after what human rights groups have denounced as sham trials, has also been tortured in prison, according to his lawyer.

“He was beaten while tied up and blindfolded, he was tasered and beaten in the soles of his feet with a metal rod,” Ali Sharifzadeh Ardakani said on Monday.

Hosseini was found guilty of the charge of “corruption on Earth” earlier this month in a case related to the killing of a member of the paramilitary Basij Resistance Force in the city of Karaj, near Tehran, on 3 November.

Hosseini has alleged that he was tortured into confessing by security forces before his trial. Mr Ardakani was also denied access to his client.

Thai navy ship sinking: Rescuers find bodies of five sailors

Rescuers have recovered the bodies of five crew members from a Thai warship that sank off the country’s south-east coast, the navy has said.

The dead sailors were found on Tuesday along with a survivor, all wearing life vests, 60km (37 miles) south of where the vessel went down on Sunday night.

A search is continuing for 24 sailors still missing. The navy says 76 crew members have been rescued in total.

HTMS Sukhothai went down carrying 105 crew, after losing power in a storm.

The Thai navy and air force have spent two days searching for survivors, with hundreds of officers on four navy ships as well as several helicopters deployed to scan a 50-sq-km (30-sqmile) area in the Gulf of Thailand.

“The latest person was found 41 hours from when the ship sank and he was alive. So we believe that there are those still alive out there... we will continue to search,” said Admiral Chonlathis Navanugraha, the navy’s chief of staff.

A naval commander had earlier suggested search crews had only a twoday window to find anyone alive, given the time they had spent in the ocean.

Several sailors have already been found, exhausted and unconscious in some cases. Not all of those missing are wearing life vests.

“We found this guy holding a life

buoy... he was floating in the water for 10 hours,” Captain Krapich KoraweePaparwit of the HTMS Kraburi told Reuters.

He added that the man, still conscious, had a minor head wound and “sore eyes as he was exposed to sea water.”

Other sailors were found in a life raft after they jumped from the sinking vessel. Pictures and footage shared by the navy on Twitter show survivors wrapped in blankets and being taken to hospital.

Navy officials initially said 106 people were on board the ship, but revised that number to 105 on Tuesday.

The HTMS Sukhothai, a 76m-long corvette, had been on day two of a routine patrol when it went down. The navy said water flooded its hull and then the electricity room, cutting the power.

Dramatic pictures posted on the navy’s Twitter account show the vessel listing onto its starboard side, before it went under around 23:30 local time (16:30 GMT) on Sunday.

Other naval ships were immediately alerted and sent to assist, but only the HTMS Kraburi frigate reached the boat before it sank, about 32km (20 miles) east of Bang Saphan in Prachuap Khiri Khan province.

It is not yet known what caused the ship to flood, and why sailors were

forced to jump into the water.

The Thai navy said this was the first time it had lost a vessel in such circumstances, and it would launch an investigation.

However, naval experts have questioned how such a disaster struck a ship on a routine patrol.

“It’s really unusual,” said naval law expert David Letts, an associate professor at the Australian National University.

He noted there were measures to prevent flooding affecting central units like the engine room.

“The ship’s divided into compartments - and there should be a series of watertight doors that start on the upper deck, so the ocean doesn’t get down into the ship itself.”

The fact the disaster struck at night meant it was probable many sailors would have been asleep at the time, and the chaotic situation might have upended protocols like getting crew to upper decks or releasing life rafts.

The warship had been commissioned in 1987 and built in the United States by a local shipbuilding company, said the US Naval Institute.

Source: BBC

one of the protesters sentenced to

Hamed Salahshoor’s body showed the signs of severe head injuries and surgery, his family says

Some survivors of the warship’s sinking were found after hours at sea

Buhari commissions FG housing projects in Kwara

By Mashe Umaru Gwamna

The Federal Government has commissioned Phase One of the National Housing Programme in Ilorin in Kwara state .

This was contained in statement signed and issued by Blessing Lere-Adams Director, Press and Public Relations.

President Muhammadu Buhari who commissioned the housing programme was represented by Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed stated that the housing project was one of the projects undertaken by this Administration.

President Buhari said that the completion of the project is part of the fulfillment of the promise of change to improve the human condition made by the All Progressive Congress.

He disclosed that the micro, small and medium businesses that drive the economy were given the contract to build the houses and through them, the value chain of business activities witnessed a tremendous boost that impacted positively on ordinary Nigerians.

The Kwara State Governor, Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq who was represented by the Kwara State Commissioner for Housing, Architect Aliyu Muhammadu expressed appreciation to President Muhammadu Buhari and the Works and Housing Minister, Babatunde Fashola for making Kwara State one of the beneficiaries of the Federal Government Housing project.

The Governor also acknowledged the positive trickling down effect of the project in terms of job creation and long value chain of building construction and the general economic benefits to the people of the state.

The Governor further said, “ There is therefore no doubt about the unprecedented investment of the President in critical infrastructure across every part of Nigeria such as roads, bridges, housing, railways, water,education,power,energy and health infrastructure which all progressive minds will ever remain grateful for.”

The Works and Housing Minister,Babatunde Fashola,who was represented by the Director, Public Building and Housing Federal Ministry of Works and Housing, Architect Solomon Labafilo informed the people that the Federal Government through his Ministry has delivered housing projects in 35 states of the federation.

He added that the completed housing project being commissioned has 76 units of houses comprising 4 units of one bedroom, 48 units of two bedroom, 20 units of three bedroom and 4 units of three bedroom bungalows.

The Minister said the design of the houses was determined by the outcome of a national survey which revealed the prevalent need for bungalows in the North and flats in the South.

He assured the people that the houses are offered to members of the general public without discrimination by opening the National Housing Portal, htpps:/nhp. worksandhousing.gov.ng to ensure that interested Nigerian citizens are not inhibited by artificial obstacles and promised that allocations would be made on the basis of those who apply and pay first.

The Permanent Secretary Federal Ministry of Works and Housing, Mr. Bashir Nura Alkali represented by the Ministry’s Director of Survey and Zonal Director Housing North Central, Quantity Surveyor Pemi Temitope revealed that over 1200 building contractors have been engaged under phases 1,2 and 3 of the programme since its inception in 2016

and over 14,500 direct and 50,140 indirect jobs have been created.

He added that during this period, the Ministry had undertaken the construction of over 6,000 housing units in 45 sites out of which 2,465 units have been completed in 35 states and the FCT.

The Emir of Ilorin and Chairman

Kwara State Council of Traditional Rulers, Dr. Sulu Gambari represented by Kayode Sadiq, the Alagua Owode, thanked President Muhammadu Buhari and prayed God to continue to bless, guide and protect him.

The Community Youth Leader of Asa Dam Dayo Atolagbe expressed the profound appreciation of the community to the Federal

Government of Nigeria, the Kwara State Government and the Federal Ministry of Works and Housing for locating the project in their community.

He further appreciated the government for the good roads that were provided to link the housing estate and security maintenance in the area.

Fashola handsover rehabilitation road to Yaba tech

By Mashe Umaru Gwamna

The Minister of Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola has confirmed that the rehabilitation of some roads within Yaba College of Technology, Yaba Lagos State has technically improved the desire for learning in students of the institution. He made this assertion during the official commissioning and handover of some rehabilitated roads by the Federal Government under the Ministry of Works and Housing.

This was contained in statement signed and issued by Lere-Adams Blessing Director, Press and Public Relations.

The Minister, who was represented by Engr. Umar Bakare, the Controller of Works in Lagos State, said that the Federal Government considered the huge impact of improved educational activities in both these learning institutions and hospitals where these internal road network interventions have been carried out a commitment fulfilled.

The result is what we are seeing already with improved and increased number of students who now attend lectures that eventually earns them good grades at graduation.

It is therefore undebatable that the quality of education has been impacted by the quality of Infrastructure and the neat and clean learning environment .

Speaking further, Fashola said that students are now more readily expressing renewed enthusiasm with regards to attending lectures because some defective roads and especially here, the student carpark has been restored to good condition.

The Minister also asserted that during the construction of these internal roads network and the college carpark, over forty (40 ) direct and indirect people were employed in the process, thereby contributing to the job creation initiative of lifting Ten Million Nigerian from poverty.

It is hoped that the college will now ensure that this asset is used properly and not abused.

Earlier, the Rector of Yaba College of Technology, Engr. Obafemi Omokungbe glowingly commended the Federal Government under President Muhammadu Buhari and the Minister of Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola who when he invited as Guest Speaker to deliver the College annual graduation Lecture, was approached with these rehabilitation request promised to ensure it is attended to, this is a promise kept by the Minister,Babatunde Fashola. For this the entire College Community are grateful and this high commendation also goes to President Muhammadu Buhari who approved that all these necessary infrastructure be put in place.

The Rector also confirmed that the impact on school attendance during the raining season has also increased tremendously thereby boosting the increased number of students who now attend lectures more regularly.

Nevertheless, Engr. Omokungbe informed that due to the overflow of students, a new campus has been opened at Epe still in Lagos state.

This new campus requires the construction of new roads for which the College is passionately appealing for assistance from the Federal Government

through this same internal road network intervention, this Engr. Obafemi Omokungbe said will enhance the movement of students within the new campus facilities.

Also commenting, the Director of Works in Yaba College of Technology, Engr. A. Adebayo was full of praises to President Muhammadu Buhari and the Minister of Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola who has kept his promised made to the College, he also thanked the Contractor who handled the rehabilitation work for the quality of work done, more so the staff of Federal Ministry of Works, Lagos state who did not compromise standard . He said the rehabilitation of the College carpark and a section of the internal road network intervention was well done. He expressed satisfaction and joy .

In the same vain, the Dean of Student Affairs, Dr. Aderounmu who was represented by the First Vice President of Student Union Government, Adenle Oluwatosin was grateful to God, President Muhammadu Buhari, the Minister, Mr Babatunde Raji Fashola and their Rector, Engr. Obafemi Omokungbe for the privilege of this project that has positively affected the lives of students of the College. He affirmed that there is no more excessive flooding, therefore students who own cars are now able to park thier cars in a neat environment, regular lecture attendance by students has increased due to this rehabilitation intervention in the College.

He said on behalf of the students they promise to make judicious use of the infrastructure and also take very good care of it to ensure its longevity .

Minister of information and culture ,Lai Mohammade commissioning phase 1 of National Housing Scheme in Kwara state recently

Ethiopia’s PM sees OLA rebellion grow in his own backyard

In the latest sign of the deep crisis that has engulfed Ethiopia, conflict in the vast Oromia region - the heartland of Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed - is escalating as political and ethnic tensions explode.

It has seen Oromo Liberation Army (OLA) rebels raid towns that were once out of their reach, and hold “graduation ceremonies” to boast of new recruits, while the government has responded with troop reinforcements and drone strikes as it rules out talks to end the crisis.

Adding to the dangerous cocktail, muchfeared militias from the rival Amhara ethnic group are widely believed to have crossed into Oromia to fight the rebels. The OLA are increasingly projecting themselves as the champions of Oromo nationalism, gaining publicity in opposition-linked media outlets that, just a few years ago, treated them as marginal players in Ethiopian politics.

The government-appointed Ethiopian Human Rights Commission (HRC) says that “hundreds” of people have been killed in a “gruesome manner” in the past five months in Oromia, while a UN agency says almost a million people have been forced from their homes.

All sides in the conflict deny accusations they have committed human rights abuses.

A clear demonstration of the growing strength of the OLA came in November, when its fighters stormed Nekemte, a strategically important town with roads leading to Mr Abiy’s home village, the capital, Addis Ababa, and a newly built mega dam that is vital to Ethiopia’s electricity needs.

The government did not comment on the Nekemte attack, just as it does not on most other attacks, while the OLA said it had freed “political prisoners” from the town’s jail.

Residents told the BBC that gun-battles between government troops and the rebels had claimed the lives of civilians, though they could not give an exact number as casualty figures are not collated.

One resident said he had lost two of his children in the Sunday morning attack - a 27-year-old son and a 16-year-old daughter, who was a top performer in school.

“We were awake to go to church but we didn’t go because there was shooting outside. Both were killed while they were in a room,” he said, blaming government forces for shooting into their home.

‘No body parts found’

Residents in other towns gave similarand more tragic - accounts of the violence.

Likitu Merdasa holds a portrait of her son Desta Garuma, a 27-year-old rickshaw driver, allegedly killed by security forces, while at her home in Nekemte, West Oromia, on February 26, 2020

In Goro, a mere 100km (62 miles) from Addis Ababa, rebels overran government troops and then forced young boys, hiding in their homes, to come out and help carry their wounded away, locals told the BBC.

As the boys were doing that, they were hit by a drone strike, which killed them and some of the rebels.

Speaking in a desperate and emotional voice as he recalled the horror, one resident said that three of his brothers - all still in school - perished.

“I didn’t bury my brothers. We didn’t even find parts of their body,” he said.

The drone strikes have raised fears that to halt the advances of the OLA, the military is using a strategy similar to that it employed in Tigray, a region where a two-year conflict has subsided after the African Union (AU)

brokered a truce between the government and the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF).

“In the Tigray war, though they have hit civilian targets, drones were often used against heavy weapons and military vehicles. But in Oromia, strikes have been aimed at OLA graduation ceremonies and civilians after rebels captured towns, possibly to punish people for showing support to the rebels,” said William Davison, an Ethiopia analyst with the International Crisis Group think-tank.

At least a dozen air strikes are reported to have taken place since October, with the most devastating one taking place in Bila, a town 460km west of Addis Ababa.

A medical source there told the BBC that more than 80 people died in the strike that hit the centre of the town on market day, the busiest day of the week. A priest said he had buried 11 people, including his nephew.

The military has also been accused of shooting dead people merely on the suspicion that they support the OLA. They have also been accused of detaining people for lengthy periods without trial, including the relatives of youths who have joined the OLA.

Kidnapping for ransom

UK-based Ethiopia analyst Mebratu Kelecha warned that the atrocities could backfire on the government in the battle for the hearts and minds of Oromos - the largest ethnic group in Ethiopia which propelled Mr Abiy to power in 2018.

Women in traditional clothing march during the celebration of Irreechaa, the Oromo people thanksgiving holiday, on the shore of a lake near the city of Bishoftu, Ethiopia - October 2021

“Not only can the OLA use this as a propaganda tactic to recruit militants, but it can also use it to gain support from the local population and expand their poor supplies [of basic necessities],” Mr Mebratu said.

Focusing mainly on guerrilla warfare from its forest hideouts in western Oromia, the OLA’s rebellion reflects the deep fissures in Ethiopian society - the second-largest country in Africa with a population of more than 100 million that is split into myriad ethnic groups that are constantly competing for land and power.

Each of them are fiercely proud of their identities, and hold on to their culture and language, though the language of the Amharas - the historic rulers of Ethiopia - is the working language of Ethiopia.

Mr Abiy has attempted to forge a national identity and to get political parties to abandon their ethnic allegiances, but his efforts have been fiercely resisted, not least by the OLA, which advocates “self-determination” for Oromia.

Though it has never clearly spelled out what this means, its critics fear that it wants to break up Ethiopia by getting Oromia to secede.

With unemployment stubbornly high, opposition parties suppressed and Mr Abiy’s failure to address demands such as declaring Afaan Oromoo a working language alongside Amharic, there is growing sympathy, if not support, for the OLA, especially among young people, though Mr Davison cautioned against over-estimating its strength.

“In the past few years, it has managed to expand its area of activities and number of fighters amidst the government’s repression of legal Oromo opposition parties,” he said. “Yet the movement has not got in a position to be a threat to the authority of the regional government, let alone the federal

government.”

The number of OLA fighters is unclear, but it is unlikely to be huge as it wages what Mr Mebratu describes as “fast-paced, small-scale operations to undermine state power through prolonged, low-intensity confrontation”.

To finance its operations, it has also been accused of emptying banks of cash and kidnapping for ransom.

In one of the most high-profile cases, the rebels abducted more than a dozen employees of the Dangote Cement factory - owned by Nigerian billionaire and richest man in Africa, Aliko Dangote - on 30 November in Ada’a Berga district, less than 90km from the capital.

About 17 of them were released after each

of them paid between $5,000 and $9,000, sources told the BBC, though the company has not commented.

Militia warfare

To compound the crisis, the rebels have also been accused of killing hundreds of civilians - many of them farmers - from the Amhara ethnic group, which fears that the OLA wants to drive them out of Oromia, with thousands now living in camps in Amhara.

While Amhara militias - referred to as Fano - are said to have entered Oromia to defend their ethnic group. They too have been accused of committing atrocities - including raiding around five towns in various districts in western Oromia.

The Queen visited a racially segregated South Africa when she was 21 with her father King George VI

This woman says her rickshaw driver son was a casualty of Oromia’s long conflict - allegedly killed by security forces in Nekemte

Oromos, who form Ethiopia’s largest ethnic group, are fiercely proud of their culture

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Buhari applauds ICT sector for driving growth

By Egena Sunday Ode

President Muhammadu Buhari

Tuesday in Abuja eulogized contributions of the digital economy in driving growth, creating employment and generating revenue for the country, saying auctioning of the 5G spectrum alone generated $547 million, further fueling options for funding development.

Buhari, accompanied by the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Prof. Isa Alli Ibrahim Pantami, commissioned the National Shared Services Centre, a one-stopshop for Ministries, Departments and Agencies to interface with citizens, which also houses a Cybersecurity Operations Centre, Network Centre and Call Centre.

The President said the National Shared Services Centre will provide services that are “swift, secure and seamless’’.

President Buhari noted that the Information, Communication and Technology Sector (ICT) had accelerated diversification of the economy and Q2 Gross Domestic Product Report by the National Bureau of Statistics showed the extent of growth, with the ICT contributing an unprecedented 18.44 percent to the GDP, close to three times the 6.33 percent contribution of the oil sector in the same quarter.

“As part of our efforts to expand our digital infrastructure, we increased our 4G base stations from 13,823 to 36,751 from August 2019 to date, and this has increased the percentage of 4G coverage across the country from 23 percent to 77.52 percent, also from August 2019 to date. We have also followed this up with roll-out of 5G services.

“It is noteworthy that the digital economy sector has excelled in generating revenue for the government. In particular, at the Ministerial Retreat that I chaired from the 18th to 19th of October 2022, our independent analysts adjudged the digital economy sector to have generated 594 percent of its revenue target from the 2019 baseline. This is very commendable. As part of these unprecedented achievements, the sector generated over $547 million dollars from the auctioning of the 5G spectrum alone,’’ he said.

At the event, President Buhari

...Says 5G Auction Generated $547M

said he was pleased to unveil and commission a number of initiatives that further express the Government’s commitment to develop a sustainable digital economy in Nigeria.

“These initiatives are part of our administration’s efforts to position the digital economy as a key enabler for the diversification of our economy and as a catalyst for the transformation of every sector of our economy.

“You will recall that I unveiled and launched the National Digital Economy Policy and Strategy for a Digital Nigeria on the 28th of November, 2019 and I am very proud of the giant strides and the unprecedented progress that we have made in in less than one year since the unveiling.

“To ensure that the digital economy sector remains successful and in order to reduce the burden on citizens, I recently approved the suspension of the proposed excise duty in the telecoms sector, as any initiative that will lead to hardship for the citizens would not be pursued,’’ the President said.

President Buhari said the digital economy ensured continuity in governance during the restrictions that came into force as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“We approved the National Policy on Virtual Engagements for Federal Public Institutions on the 14th of October 2020 and this enabled us to formalize government online meetings. As such, statutory meetings like the Federal Executive Council meetings, Council of State meetings and other meetings can now take place online, effectively and legally.

“Our administration’s commitment to promoting data promotion and privacy is receiving praise across the world and we have increased our digital identity enrolments from 39 million in October 2020 to about 92 million today.

“The massive increase of about 63 million in about two years is a globalsuccess story and has led to several requests for partnership from countries within and outside Africa. I also approved the establishment of the Nigeria Data Protection Bureau on

the 4th of February, 2022 to provide an institutional framework for data protection in Nigeria, in line with global best practices,” the President told the gathering of ICT experts and government officials.

He said a number of policies and programmes to enhance the productivity of the digital economy sector had been developed.

“For example, National Policy on NIN-SIM integration has enhanced the integrity of the National Identification Number database. Similarly, the Nigerian Postal Service has been repositioned through the unbundling of its services to increase its efficiency and make it more viable as a revenue generating agency of government. The two subsidiaries are the Property & Development Company and the Transport & Logistics Company.

“As part of the NDEPS, I approved the 24th of October as the Digital Nigeria Day. I am delighted that the maiden Digital Nigeria International Conference and Exhibitions commenced on the 24th of October 2022. I am confident that the outcome of the Conference, as noted in the Communique, will support the growth of the digital economy sector.

“I signed the Nigeria Startup Bill into law on the 19th of October 2022. The Nigeria Startup Act is a landmark legislation of this administration

to transform the pool of highly talented youth we have in Nigeria into a pool of highly innovative digital entrepreneurs. We aim to make Nigeria a global hub for digital talent. It was an Executive Bill that was initiated by the Honourable Minister of Communications and Digital Economy” he added.

President Buhari also noted partnerships with leading global ICT companies to train Nigerians in cutting edge and high demand digital skills.

“This include the training of five million Nigerians, as part of a partnership with Microsoft Corporation. It also includes the training of an additional one million Nigerians in skills, in areas such as blockchain technologies, cybersecurity and data analytics, among others,” the President stated.

President Buhari commended the giant strides made by the digital economy sector under the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy and other stakeholders, describing it as impressive.

In his remarks, the Minister of Communication and Digital Economy appreciated the President for his support for the digital economy, with turnovers in broadband/Internet penetration, skills acquisition for global competitiveness and infrastructure development, like the

fiber optic cable, which was about 15,000kms in 2015, and increased to more than 60,000kms.

Pantami said there had been 2,255 interventions and programmes in the higher institutions of learning, secondary schools, and some private schools, and the quarterly revenue from ICT rose from N51billion (Naira) to N418 billion (Naira), while some prominent institutions like the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, United States, had shown interest in researching the pace of growth in the sector.

The minister listed many policy interventions that had directly impacted on governance, institutions, markets and citizens, assuring that the ICT would enhance the process of diversifying the economy.

The Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of the Galaxy Backbone, Prof. Muhammed Bello Abubakar, said 400 Ministries, Departments and Agencies were already connected to the National Shared Services Centre.

At the close of the event, two young Nigerians, Kalim Haruna, who developed a system called “SharpSharp’’ and Bashir Abubakar, founder of “Africa First’’, were honoured by President Buhari for their creativity and ingenuity, and showcasing the nation’s talent in a global ICT conference.

Buhari lauds Islamic group for promoting religious tolerance

By Egena Sunday Ode

President Muhamamdu Buhari Tuesday in Abuja received members of Jam’iyyatu Ansaridden (Attijaniyya), commending the Islamic group for promoting religious tolerance in the country.

The President told the group led

by Sheikh Muhammad Khalifa Niass, Khalifa of the Jam’iyyatu Ansaridden (Attijaniyya), that he valued so much their roles in promoting stability in several African countries.

President Buhari, who thanked members of the group for their fervent prayers for his administration and the country, said he was looking forward to returning to Daura, his hometown

in the next five months, at the end of his tenure.

During the courtesy visit by the Islamic group, Sheikh Tijjani Shehul Hadi Almauritany offered prayers for the President, the country and Nigerians while the recitation of the Holy Quran was conducted by Sheikh Abdullahi Lamine.

The Khalifa of the association,

Sheikh Niass, in his remarks, drew attention to the biography of the Holy Prophet Muhammad, SAW, and the lessons Muslims can imbibe from his way of life.

Emphasizing the need for genuine repentance, according to the teachings of the Holy Quran, Sheikh Niass pledged that the Attijaniyya movement would continue to promote

peace and unity, in accordance with the teachings of Holy Scriptures and Islam.

Khalifah Niass also told the story of his late father, Sheikh Ibrahim Niass’s close association with Nigeria and its people, dating back seventy years, saying that the family was determined to continue to build on the relationship.

Sports ministry working with NFF to rebuild domestic football football -Dare

Buhari congratulates youth and sports minister on Daura title

President Muhammadu Buhari has congratulated Chief Sunday Akinlabi Dare, the Minister of Youth and Sports Development, on the conferment of Sarkin Wasanni by the Emir of Daura, Alhaji (Dr) Umar Farouk Umar, CON.

Describing the honour by the Daura Emirate Council as well deserved, the President notes that the “Sarkin Wasanni” of Nigeria is given to the Minister not only for his contributions to sports development in the Daura emirate but across Nigeria

According to a statement by the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, Buhari commended Dare, who is also the Agbaakin of Ogbomoso land, for spearheading spectacular accomplishments in the ministry, which helped shift the focus to sports as business and no longer mere recreation.

The President added that the revamp of infrastructure in the sector, new policy to improve sports development and athletes’ welfare, and more, are testaments of the new orientation in our sports and the central role it plays as a tool for peace, unity and diplomacy.

The statement also stated that President Buhari recognized the tremendous energy, passion and dedication Dare brings to the job, adding that this has inspired many young Nigerians to excel in the track, field and other personal vocations, raising the bar that with discipline, patience and consistency, success is sure.

The President trusted that this new cap of responsibility will inspire the Minister to do more for God and the country, the noted.

The Minister of Sports and Youth Development, Sunday Dare, has said that the ministry is working in collaboration with the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) to re-engineer and rebuild the country`s football league.

He said this during the14th edition of the President Muhammadu Buhari (PMB)’s Administration Scorecard

Series (2015-2023) yesterday in Abuja.

“The negative impact of the dearth of our domestic league and clubs is what we see in the weakness of our Super Eagles and other national teams.

“In the past we pick our national team players from our domestic league, Okala from Rangers, Odegbami from ICC Shooting Stars among

others,“he said.

“Now we are picking from Arsenal, Manchester United, Liverpool, we must return to our domestic league and rebuild our league and bring our boys.

“That process is ongoing through the Interim Management Committee (IMC) it may seem to be slow but we have taken that strong decision to rebuild the domestic

league,“he said.

Dare said that there was a dire need to rebuild the domestic league to bring in talented Nigerians that are committed to show case their talents.

The minister said that Nigerians playing in the foreign leagues are also Nigerians, but that we need to build a strong domestic league.

He said that the recently

constituted 13-man Interim Management Committee (IMC) is saddled with the running and rebranding the Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL)

The IMC is saddled with the responsibility of the management of the NPFL and to work on legal framework and commercialisation of the League.

Lionel Messi named BBC Sports Personality’s World Sport Star of the Year

Emeka Offor Foundation offsets 15 Abuja patients’ hospital bills

By Albert Akota

The Sir Emeka Offor Foundation on Monday settled the bills of about 15 patients who were on admission at the National Hospital in the Federal Capital Territory.

The initiative which received a loud ovation, was conducted in the presence of the Anthony Osuji, the Deputy Director, Planning in-charge of Social Welfare and some of the hospital’s matrons.

Addressing newsmen afterwards, Bar. Adaora Offor, the Vice President of the Foundation, said the gesture which was coming at the Christmas season was meant to carry a message of love and care for the patients in the spirit of the yuletide.

Mrs. Offor said part of the foundation’s goal was to cater for the downtrodden, especially critically-ill patients on admission who cannot afford to pay bills for good healthcare.

“The Christmas season is here and for most part, we spend time buying clothes, shoes, bags of rice and save money to spend on frivolities such as a parties and so on.

“However, there are people that don’t have those plans. It is not because they

don’t want to, but because they can’t afford to.

“They are here, sick and passing through all kinds of illnesses and most of them are stuck here because they can’t afford to pay for the medical care being given to them.

“It’s a very humbling experience and it makes you think and wonder what you really spend your money on and if those things are worth it.

“So, I thank my husband, Sir Emeka Offor, the President of the Foundation for his vision and commitment towards this outreach.

“I and my entire team are really so thankful that we made it here today and for us, this has been quite an extremely humbling experience,” she said.

She revealed that over 15 lives were touched during the course of the visit, adding that about N 2 million had been spent so far in offsetting the bills of some of the patients, adding that there were plans by the foundation to reach out to more patients in the hospital.

Applauding the gesture of the SEOF delegation, Osuji said that the Foundation had demonstrated what show of love and

selfless service should look like.

“On behalf of the hospital management, we are very grateful for the lives that have been touched through the kind gesture of the SEOF.

“This is more of an humanitarian service and a welcome development. The hospital management are very grateful and will like to use this opportunity to appeal for more of such gestures from other non-governmental organisations or philanthropists.

“With what we have witnessed today, I can say so many lives have been touched whether directly or indirectly,” he said.

Mrs Helen Adah, the matron in-charge of the in-patient paediatric unit said some of the patients whose lives were touched by the Foundation had illnesses ranging from typhoid perforation, severe burns and inguinal hernias (a bulge or swelling in the groin or scrotum).

“I do appreciate this Foundation that have come to put smiles on the faces of my patients. It is indeed not an easy task and I pray that the good Lord will bless and replenish whatever you have spent to make these children smile and give their parents some succor and relief.

“One of the patients had typhoid perforation which led to intestinal obstruction. He was taken to theatre for emergency laparotomy and have been placed on TPN.

“He had a successful surgery and is actually feeling better as he has been placed on Total parenteral nutrition (TPN) and intravenous antibiotics.

“Another patient here had severe burns from hot water. He came in here very sick with fulminating infections.

“He had septicaemia but thank God he is feeling much better now and this money that the SEOF have given will bring alot of relief as the child has been scheduled to go to the theatre.

“So, we feel very happy and grateful, especially for me as the representative of this ward for the SEOF putting smiles on the faces of these children awaiting surgeries.

“Alot of them are stuck here because their parents haven’t been able to sort their medical bills and some of them can’t even afford a day’s meal.

“Most times, the nurses and doctors make up money to help them through their ordeals,” she said.

For The Record

Seven key takeaways from President

Buhari’s visit to the United States

By Garba Shehu

In the first in-person meeting with the American President Joe Biden, President Buhari established a personal equation with his US counterpart and got an important recognition for his democratic credentials and activism at home in particular, and Africa in general: “your legacy is a model,” says President Biden. There was a perfect meeting of minds.

This, coming from the remaining superpower still standing and the guardian and promoter of the values of democracy all over the world, is a major milestone as the President braces up to give the country its most open, most free and most fair elections in February next year.

Equally, it speaks to the fact the world is interested in what happens here and they are watching. Everyone is watching what happens in Nigeria and our politicians must watch their steps. President Buhari has cleared himself. He is doing all that is required of him to deliver free and fair elections, leading to the emergence of his successor in May next year.

Beyond the symbolism of the one-onone meeting and their sitting together to watch the Morocco-Argentina World Cup semi-final, an incident that grabbed the attention of the world soon as it took place, Biden’s recognition of President Buhari as continental champion of democracy will come with admirable dividends.

One, the fact of the acceptance by the two leaders that we share with each other the values of democracy and human rights; that we are on the same page in regard to these values is indicative of deep ties between our two nations, working together to uphold free and fair elections, an important condition for democracy in Nigeria, West Africa and the rest of the continent.

In this context, the Biden promise to work for a permanent “G20” seat for Africa may, if all continues to work well between our two nations, lead to Nigeria earning a place in the all-important intergovernmental forum comprising 19 countries and the European Union, and possibly thereafter, a “G7” place and-wait for it-a Permanent Seat on the United Nations Security Council!

Nigeria’s strategic partnership with the US is important if a choice is to be made.

Two. On the very important issue of peace and security of the continent, a key agenda item in the Biden-Africa summit, President Buhari was asked to lead. It is a recognition of Nigeria as the very important voice for Africa.

After President Buhari finished with his speech on AU Agenda 2063, essentially speaking about the defined goals of peace and security on the continent, President Biden left the meeting.

Three. President Buhari spoke at the US Peace Institute. It is interesting that the President spoke at the Institute in 2015 at

the commencement of his first term and was coming to do so when the curtains are about being drawn on his second term tenure.

Who invited him to speak at both points? It’s Ambassador Johnnie Carson, the diplomat and politician who was an Obama-era cabinet member and a friend of Nigeria who, not only extolled the virtues of President Buhari but played up the role of the administration in attaining a strategic partnership with the US.

Amb. Carson has just been named by President Biden to coordinate the follow up of the decisions on the justconcluded Summit. In this regard, it is not out of place to expect Nigeria drawing substantially from the USD 55 billion the Biden administration has put in the basket for Africa to draw from.

Four. President Buhari, who has been waging a global battle for the survival of gas, Nigeria’s abundant resource as a transition energy from fossil fuels that are being blacklisted for causing global climate degradation, found the right place to take his case to, and it is getting a traction. With the US supporting Nigeria, President Buhari is building a consensus for our wellarticulated energy transition plan that has gas a transition energy.

Five. Following the successful CEOs’ roundtable and interactions with businesses at US-Africa Civil and Commercial Space Forum and Corporate Council on Africa-Nigeria Business and Investment Forum, US businesses

reaffirmed their confidence and reinforced their commitment to deepening their business interests in Nigeria.

Six. President Buhari presented a refocused roadmap clearly showing Nigeria’s commitment for a safer and healthier global climate, highlighting the country’s updated Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC).

He has prepared a ready-to-go blueprint for whoever succeeds him; a plan that has earned the respect of the US government, paving the way for a partnership to address conservation, climate adaptation and a just energy transition based on shared objectives.

Government plans to prepare well to draw substantially from the proposed US funding and from CocaCola Foundation which has indicated interest in their participation in our climate change and renewable energy plans.

In line with the plan to address clean and reliable energy supply, creating jobs and ensuring knowledge and technology transfer, the government of Nigeria and a US company Sun Africa LLC, signed a major agreement, right there before the representatives of Mr. Biden for the “development, engineering, procurement and construction” of 5,000 MW of solar generation and 2,500 MWh of battery energy storage power plants for up $10 billion investment from the US government.

The project portfolio location and size

indicates the beneficiary states as including Yobe, Bauchi, Gombe, Adamawa, Jigawa, Nassarawa, Benue, Kogi, Katsina, Kaduna, Kano, Kebbi, FCT, Kwara, Edo and Akwa Ibom. Megawatts of power availability ranges from 24, the lowest to 350, the highest.

In addition, 360 rural communities across the 36 states are to benefit from solar mini grids electrification infrastructure and smart meters.

Seven. While there are several crucial outcomes from the visit, I am excited to report that between President Biden and President Buhari, there is a perfect meeting of minds. While President Buhari was full of commendation for the leadership of Biden on global issues, it emerged clearly from these interactions that the two leaders share a common vision on democracy, human rights and the important role in Africa that Nigeria is playing. Nigeria is crucial to Biden and he seemed pleased that he found in President Buhari, an African role model. He held back nothing in showering encomiums upon him for especially sticking to two stipulated terms in office.

With impressive accomplishments trailing the seven-day visit, President Buhari has wetted the ground for whoever will be the next President from May next year. It will be in the nation’s interest to build on where the current President stops. Garba Shehu is Senior Special Assistant to the President, Media and Publicity.

Lionel Messi

BBC Sports Personality’s World Sport Star of the Year

Argentina’s World Cup-winning captain Lionel Messi has been named BBC Sports Personality’s World Sport Star of the Year for 2022.

Messi, 35, led Argentina to their first World Cup triumph in 36 years in Qatar.

The Paris St-Germain forward won the tournament’s Golden Ball - awarded to the best playerafter scoring seven goals at his fifth World Cup.

The former Barcelona star is widely acknowledged as one of the greatest footballers of all-time.

Messi scored twice in the World Cup final and also converted a penalty in the shootout as Argentina beat holders France 4-2 on penalties following a thrilling 3-3 draw.

It meant he added football’s biggest prize to a list of trophies that includes seven Ballons d’Or titlesawarded to the best footballer each year - four Champions Leagues, one Copa America, 10 La Liga titles with Barcelona and a Ligue 1 crown with PSG.

In addition, he has scored a staggering 793 goals in his career.

“It’s everyone’s dream when they’re little. I’ve been lucky enough to achieve everything and what I was missing, I found here,” Messi said after lifting the World Cup on Sunday.

With Paris St-Germain, Messi won a first French title in April and since the 2022-23 campaign began in August, has scored 12 times and provided 14 assists in 19 club appearances.

Messi will turn 39 during the next World Cup in 2026 and had hinted previously the finals in Qatar would be his last. If it was, it truly was the perfect way to end his international career following Argentina’s Copa America victory last year.

The kind of politics we play on this side of the globe is quite unfortunate; particularly the extent we are willing to go to fetch political points even at the expense of desirable national wellness, development and goodness. It is even more unfortunate for Nigeria with regard to the caliber of people and institutions that present themselves as ready-made tools in playing this unhealthy game of Nigerian styleddemocratic politicking. Imagining a huge project as the Second Niger Bridge which was finally completed and opened for commuters and an uneasy silence across the country that follows. PDP and its sister party, LP have not considered it necessary to comment on the lofty achievement; radio stations across the country who enjoy patronages on discussing daily events in vogue would not raise it as topic of the day; critics of the APC Administration have kept their social media handles and pubic discussions away from this monumental achievement. Why? The Second Niger Bridge has the signature of the APC-led Muhammadu Buhari all over it, and so, it is a taboo talking about it. Those who could not absolutely keep quiet about the hurt they feel about great things coming from the party they want down by all means, insist it was a PDP-birthed project that was completed by APC!

Was there any feat greater than the opening of the bridge in Nigeria this period? No. Then how come the deafening silence? Even when the print media could not totally avoid ignoring it, anchors of newspaper reviews and the regular callers of the opposition stocks prefer to talk about the former Accountant-General’s loots and other negatives that would hurt the government rather than a monumental project completion that would do the opposite. But then, I blame the ruling party, APC for failing to erect a formidable platform to sing its own praises and propagate its achievements which are quite many and grand like the just completed Second Niger Bridge. The opposition tritely goes round brandishing insecurity and inflation before the people as the only things coming from the APC government and the ruling party chooses the silent response assuming the people would know better. That is not working; better is to sing your praises, trumpet it, let it be known and seen at all corners of the country: the good and the laudable works the APCled Buhari Administration have done with regards to security infrastructure, the transportation infrastructure, power infrastructure, social programs and a lot of others. You cannot afford to keep quiet when the opposition is busy running down your chances at the polls in the face of negatives that are bound to always present themselves amidst positives.

No one is talking about the N-POWER program, no one is talking

about the railway revolution; but instead of talking about the rice revolution they tactically shift the narrative to the current high cost of staple foods and blind the people’s understanding of the implication of gaining local production at a substantial capacity. We are not talking about road networks getting facelifts across the country, the nation airports gaining international recognition through standard building, and the real massive direct government intervention in addressing insecurity that has considerably lowered the capacity of the insurgents to operate within our enclaves. The present APC handlers should take the blame for failing to project the party to the public and to suppress opposition propaganda. Period.

On so many occasions, I have vehemently presented the presidential candidate of PDP, the major opposition party, Atiku Abubakar to Nigerians for who he is; not to create emotional biases for my preferred candidate. Leadership selection is a critical national and patriotic assignment for all citizens. It is one assignment that must be devoid of emotional bias and attachments for the sake of the country. Picking the best from the lot on the strength of proven capacity is sacrosanct to the responsibility on our shoulders; and for the future of our great nation. We cannot afford to judge these politicians by what they say, or by promises they make, rather with what they have done when they have the chance to prove themselves. It begs our reasoning, our rationality to distance ourselves from inducements that blind us to their failures in the past and to grant them once again our support. We have to ask very simple questions such as: what and what did they do with our trust the last time they had it? That answer is enough basis for our current support.

Arguments of underdevelopment of Nigeria have always been hinged overtime on perpetual unfaithful implementation of development plans stemming from lack of commitment on the part of the leaders, institutional bastardisation and the enshrined corruption in our body polity. It is a fact that a nation grows into her anticipated developmental level when constituted leadership takes the position of articulating its priorities and that of its followership to draw on the energies of its people, growing an inclusive economy, building capabilities, enhancing the capacity of the state, and promoting leadership and partnerships

throughout society as the centerpiece of its growth strategy. This is not limited to economic growth because national growth will not begin with economic development but first and foremost selfdevelopment.

The national interest of a state is rooted in the social consciousness and in the cultural identity of a people. In other words, the national interest of a state is a product of social values which the people have and hold dear. In practice, the national interest of a country is created and patterned by leaders and others in authority. To this extent, our interest as a nation is a function of what our policy makers say it is because the interest of a country is the interest of its leaders. No country will attain a state of maturity (intended national development) without the desire of its leaders.

At a time in the past, Atiku Abubakar, the presidential candidate of PDP was in the position to effectively contribute to the building of the developmental and social identity that is capable of restructuring Nigeria on all front, but he rather chose the route of seeing the nation and its wealth as an opportunity for personal enrichment; both for himself and his cronies. Of course, evidence abound of these atrocities, though, very unfortunately, he was not legally apprehended for this disservice to the nation.

The recorded atrocities against the person of Atiku Abubakar are on their own more than enough to discredit him from appearing on the ballot in more saner polities if not cooling his feet in jail somewhere; but unfortunately, this is Nigeria, where corruption thrives and corrupt people overtly flex their corruption; for instance, a nation where 200 million naira corruption incident only earned Doyin Okupe 13 million naira in lieu of a two year jail term. How else do we explain that Atiku is still on the ballot and Nigerians are behind him? The same Atiku Abubakar, who as head of the National Council on Privatisation from 1999, took the country decades backward in poverty and unemployment when he sold off in droves, hundreds of national assets to incompetent persons and companies and for his personal advantage.

The same Atiku Abubakar, who brazenly sold off Nigeria’s prized assets in ALSCON that was built by the Abacha government at the sum of $3.2 billion naira at a paltry $120 million and still released $120 million to the company to dredge Imo River. As of today, the

country has totally lost ALSCON; the Imo River was never dredged. It was not $3,2 billion that we lost, but more seriously the capacity of the company to redefine the nation’s Aluminum smelting capacity, gross employment of Nigerians and increased business opportunities across the Ikot Ekpene area.

It was the same Atiku Abubakar that sold Eleme Petrochemical off to Indorama, the owners of Indomie without any consideration for the Nigeria federal Government $27 million worth of 5 percent. This means he sold off the company without presenting for consideration Nigeria’s 5 percent stake in the company. Why? Personal interest; of course, he would not make that mistake if it were to be his personal enterprise because he is a businessman to the core. Summarily, Atiku Abubakar supervised the destruction of federal assets that would have defined the employment capacity of the country today and robbed the country of huge productive capacity as the assets were mostly laid moribund thereafter.

No wonder, his principal at the time, would not stand to see him become the president of the country. In his world, Obasanjo said “if after what I know about Atiku Abubakar, I still support him to become anything in Nigeria, God would not forgive me.” The pages of the then president’s famous book, My Watch, said it all about the person of Atiku Abubakar. We cannot forget that. Can we?

Now, the game is on again, but we know for sure where it would end again; another defeat for an Atiku candidacy. The past would always remain a part of our future. Nigerians do not forget. Until Atiku boldly confronts Obasanjo to expunge the pages that perhaps “lie” against him in “My Watch,” and he should also explain how an asset worth $2.3 billion could be sold off for $130 million. Otherwise, Nigerians and the electorate will accept every word to be truth and facts.

GOD BLESS THE FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF NIGERIA !