Friday, May 26, 2023 Edition

The President-elect, Ahmed Bola Tinubu being decorated with Grand Commander of the Order of the Federal Republic (GCFR) by President Muhammadu Buhari during the investiture ceremony held at the Conference Center of the Presidential, yesterday in Villa, Abuja. Photo: State House

Vice President-elect, Kashim Shettima (left) being decourated with the Grand Commander Order of the Niger (GCON) during the investiture ceremony held at the Conference Center of the Presidential, yesterday in Villa, Abuja. Photo: State House

Buhari Commissions NILDS Permanent Site after 10 years

By Christiana Ekpa

President

Muhamadu Buhari

on Thursday Commission

the Permanent Site of the National Institute for Legislative and Democratic Studies, just as he disclosed that his Government successes are primarily due to the harmonious relationship between the Executive and the Legislature which he enjoyed.

President Buhari who disclosed this, while giving his address during the Commissioning of the Permanent Site of NILDS Institute at Powoyi District, Umaru Yar’Adua Express Way, Abuja said the legislature is the cornerstone of any democracy and is vital to ensuring that the wishes and aspirations of all Nigerians are considered during the lawmaking process.

He said ‘It gives me great pleasure to commission the permanent site of the National Institute for Legislative and Democratic Studies (NILDS), National Assembly. This is indeed a magnificent complex that has the potential to significantly boost the capacity of the legislature in Nigeria and Africa at large.

“As you are all aware, I have traversed all parts of Nigeria in the last few days commissioning several critical national infrastructures that my administration has completed over the last eight years. Our successes as a government are primarily due to the harmonious relationship between the Executive and the Legislature.

“The legislature is the cornerstone of any democracy and is vital to ensuring that the wishes and aspirations of all Nigerians are considered during the lawmaking process. It also performs critical functions of overseeing the Executive and ensuring that government spending aligns with legislative

intent. As you are aware, from the moment of my election in 2015 and subsequently, I supported the idea of an independent National Assembly, one that is able to decide its Leadership and develop its agenda in line with the manifesto of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

“I refrained from meddling in the affairs of the legislature and promoted instead a culture of mutual respect and collaboration between the two arms. The numerous positive outcomes for our country Nigeria underscore the importance of a harmonious Executive-Legislature relationship.

”Working with the National Assembly, we have passed an unprecedented number of Bills into law, provided funding for key infrastructure, implemented several governmental reforms, and addressed some of the long-standing challenges that have hampered economic growth and development.

“Our achievements in reforming the oil and gas sector, strengthening the electoral framework, diversifying our economy, improving transparency and accountability, tackling insecurity and entrenching good governance are easily verifiable. As such, this 9th Assembly will be remembered as one of the most productive in terms of outputs and outcomes.

“Again, I thank the Leadership of the National Assembly for giving me the support required to deliver on my promises to Nigerians. Ladies and gentlemen, Nigeria is immensely endowed in many ways. However, our single greatest asset is the people of this country. Our teeming youth population provides the labour force we need to industrialise and develop our economy. This underscores the need for a more sustained investment in human capacity development.

“Accordingly, my administration

prioritised social investment programmes and a range of other initiatives to reduce poverty, upgrade the standard of living and improve the economy. Human capital is the essential lifeblood of a state and its public institutions, including the legislature. The National Assembly and State Houses of Assembly stand to perform their constitutionally assigned mandate better when provided with all the required resources.

“The NILDS permanent site, therefore, is a critical first step towards bolstering the capacity of the legislature to improve its lawmaking, oversight and representation functions. In 2018, I signed the NILDS Amendment Bill into law, thus expanding the mandate of the Institute to provide capacity not only to legislators but also to other political actors. This edifice would enable the Institute to better meet its expanded functions.

“It is my expectation that NILDS will utilise this site to provide targeted capacity building to legislators, political parties and civil society to enable them better respond to changing circumstances. It is, therefore, my pleasure and honour to commission the permanent site of the National Institute for Legislative and Democratic Studies for the advancement of research, learning and capacity development in Nigeria and the African continent”

Also the Speaking at the event, the Senate President, Sen. Ahmed Lawan said “ I am delighted to make some remarks at this formal commissioning of the permanent site of the National Institute for Legislative and Democratic Studies (NILDS). First, I wish to thank President Muhammadu Buhari, GCFR, for graciously accepting to perform this commissioning despite his incredibly busy week,

during which he is commissioning major projects implemented by his administration throughout the country.

“The scope of these projects and their potential to improve the livelihoods and well-being of all Nigerians attests to the integrity of Mr. President as well as his patriotism and dedication to reforming Nigeria.

“In the last eight years, his government has pursued what has been described as the most ambitious infrastructure programme since independence in 1960.We in the Ninth National Assembly have supported the President in ensuring the timely delivery of these critical infrastructures. Notably, in the last three (3) years, the Senate and the House dedicated a substantial part of the national budget towards funding infrastructure development across all six geo-political zones.

“

As a result of this collaboration between the legislature and the executive, hundreds of roads, bridges and rail lines across Nigeria have been constructed or rehabilitated. In addition, we have also passed several legislations to provide an overarching framework for sustainable economic growth and development. Significantly also, the investment in infrastructure development extends to all six geo-political zones of the country. Indeed, history will remember President Buhari’s tenacity and unwavering commitment to charting a new course for Nigeria.

“ Today’s commissioning evokes very strong personal feelings of happiness and excitement. Nearly ten (10) years ago, my predecessor, H.E. Senator David A.B. Mark (GCON), laid the foundation for this permanent site. During that event, he noted that NILDS was the first project wholly initiated and executed by the National Assembly.”

African Libration week: Group calls for removal of border obstacles in africa

The call was made by the coordinator of Save Nigeria Now Comrade Maryam

Ibrahim, while briefing newsmen during a one day workshop to celebrate African libration week in Jigawa state. She explained that, the 2023 African Liberation week

campaign is on borderless Africa, organized by Save Nigeria now in collaboration with Jigawa State ministry of Commerce with supported from Africans Rising.

From Mika’il Tsoho, Dutse

A platform of patriots popularly known as ‘Save Nigeria Now’ called for the removal of

border obstacles for healthy business environment in Africa.

President Buhari Investiture Of National Honours And Official Handover Of Transition Documents Ceremony Held At The State House, Yesterday In Abuja. Photo: State House

Bandits release 2 remaining kidnapped FGC Yauri girls Minister presents white paper on 42 higher institutions

From Ahmed Idris Birnin Kebbi

At last, two remaining kidnapped students of the Federal Government College, Birnin Yauri, Kebbi State have regained freedom after 707 days in captivity.

Peoples Daily recalls that 11 students were kidnapped when

bandits invaded the school on 17th June 2021.

It was reported that some of the girls had become teenage mothers, while about four others were pregnant.

The two female students Faida Sani Kaoje and Safiya Idris were reportedly released from their captors on Thursday morning.

This comes after rounds of negotiation between a committee constituted by their families and the leadership of the bandits.

Following the abduction, a bandit kingpin gave conditions for the release of the students. Four female students with two babies were later released in April this year after allegedly

paying a huge ransom.

Three other girls, Elizabeth Ogechi Nwafor, Esther Sunday and Aliya Abubakar were later released by the bandits on May 7.

The committee of parents had disclosed while soliciting for support that the bandits demanded a sum of N100 million.

2023 Children’s Day: KCCN thrills special needs kids with fun-packed events

By Ikechukwu Okaforadi

The Korean Cultural Center in Nigeria (KCCN) yesterday marked the 2023 children’s day with fun-packed events in which pupils from School for Special Needs Kuje, School for the Blind Kuje and School for the Deaf Jabi, in Abuja, were thrilled with entertainment.

Addressing the pupils in his address of welcome, the Director

•As Children beg for music instruments

a sense of belonging to the pupils and to give them a memorable 2023 children’s day.

He said the event is specially to recognise the children’s right and to underscore the fact that children with special needs are gifts which should be appreciated and treated as important to the society.

Changki said also that the

excursion to make it worthwhile and memorable.

Speaking also at the event, one of the kids from School for Special Needs Kuje, Muhammed Muhammad, who commended the KCCN for giving them the opportunity to learn and expand their knowledge of Korean Culture, also said the pupils are in need of

that the pupils will not forget in haste the kind gesture which the Center has offered them in the 2023 Children’s day celebration.

Also speaking, Zainab Ibrahim, who also thanked the center for the opportunity, also urged that the recognition accorded them be sustained in subsequent Children’s Day celebration.

She also urged the center to assist the school with other learning materials so as to make

By Maryam Abeeb

The Minister of Education, Adamu Adamu, has presented Gazetted White Papers of the Presidential Visitation Exercise, an evaluation documents for forty two institutions, that took place between 2011 and 2020.

The Minister emphasized that the well-being and success of students, faculty, and the Nigerian populace as a whole depended on the effective execution of the recommendations contained in the document.

Presenting the document in Abuja , the Minister said that the exercise plays a pivotal role in ensuring that these institutions of higher education are fulfilling their intended objectives.

Adamu further stated that the release of the documents signifies the Federal Government’s commitment to ensuring the highest standards of education and academic excellence in our universities.

He added that it serve as a compass to guide the sector in achieving the objectives set forth by the Federal Government for which the institutions were established.

These panels are entrusted with the responsibility of conducting a comprehensive assessment of our universities and inter-university centers, in accordance with approved guidelines.

“I must emphasize that the production of these white papers has demanded significant resources and unwavering effort from the Federal Government” Adamu called for diligent implementation of recommendations outlined within the documents.

“The Federal Government has entrusted you with this crucial task, and failure to execute it faithfully will not be taken lightly”

The law that established federal universities grants the Visitor, Mr. President, the authority to appoint Visitation Panels every five years.

From Yakubu Mustapha Minna

The Chinese Government is in talks with Niger State Government to avert possible litigation over activities of illegal mining perpetrated by some of its expatriates companies across the state, and especially at Zuma Rock.

At the end of the meeting, the Governor-elect, Umar Mohammed Bago, who spoke on

behalf of the state government, disclosed that the Chinese delegation, led by the country’s Ambassador to Nigeria, is in the state to discuss ways to ‘settle out of Court’.

He said activities of the Chinese illegal mining companies have caused inestimable damage to Nigeria’s National monument at Zuma Rock and directly affecting the host communities in the area.

The Governor-elect noted that, although the Chinese government has been a mutually beneficial partners, the state government could not fold its arms and watch helplessly as it’s resources are being depleted albeit illegally and environmentally degraded perpetually.

Earlier, the Chinese Ambassador to Nigeria, Mr. CUI Jianchun said he was in the state

to jointly discuss with the state government on how to curb and resolve the issue of illegal mining by some Chinese companies and strengthen their bilateral relationship.

The Chinese Ambassador disclosed that the two sides have agreed to broaden economic ties hoping that, after inauguration of the new administration, it would open more frontiers for business and development partnership.

With the power bestowed upon the Visitor, Visitation Panels were constituted to undertake thorough assessments in thirty-eight (38) Federal Universities and four (4) inter-university centers across Nigeria.

The reports formed the basis for a painstaking review and deliberation process.

The panel further reviewed the reports and compiled the gazetted white papers, the documents which was presented to Nigerians.

Buhari appoints Garzali Abubakar to head National Agricultural Development Fund

By Egena Sunday Ode

President Muhammadu Buhari has approved the appointment of Dr. Garzali Muhammed Abubakar as the Executive Secretary of the National Agricultural Development Fund.

Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, disclosed this in a statement on Thursday.

The statement said President Buhari also approved the appointment of the following as Chairman and members of the Board of the organisation:

Mrs. Aduke Bamidele Hussain – Chairman

Dr. Hussaini I. Mohammed (North Central Representative)

Mr. Mohammed Umar (North West Representative)

Mr. Abdulsalam Yahaya Ahmed (North East Representative)

Mrs. Stella Uzokwe (South East Representative)

Mr. Stephen Ikata (South South Representative)

Mr. Olufunlayo Oluwole Faloye (South West Representative).

Osinbajo takes Shettima on tour of Aso Rock VP wing

By Egena Sunday Ode

Ahead of Monday’s inauguration, Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, Thursday took Vice-President-elect, Kashim Shettima, on tour of his Aso Rock Presidential Villa office. Shettima while speaking to newsmen after the meeting expressed optimism that Nigerians may not have to wait for too long before experiencing the dividends

of democracy under the new leadership.

He said: “On the instance of Vice President, who is a friend, a contemporary, I came here just to exchange ideas on how to move the nation forward.

“He took me round the offices out of courtesy and I want to commend him, I want to thank him for extending that courtesy to me. Yes, cross fertilization of ideas.

“I believe President Tinubu

will hit the ground running from day one. He does not have the luxury of time. And I will be the Vice President I don’t want to be presumptuous, I don’t want to make loud proclamation but my interaction with him has shown that we will hit the ground running from day one.”

On his conferment with the national honour, he said, it was a historical experience, a humbling experience. We are what we are not

because of our intellect, not because of our physical prowess, not because of our pedigree or political sagacity. It’s just a gift from God to humanity, four years or eight years in this time.

“I believe it’s a humbling experience, it’s a call to national duty and by God’s grace we need the support of all of you, especially the media to succeed.

“So, I wish to employ all of you to join us in building a new Nigeria.”

Malnutrition: Group disseminates 2 books on complementary feeding

The Kaduna Emergency Nutrition Action Plan (KADENAP) on Thursday disseminated a recipe handbook in English and Hausa on complementary food to promote optimal feeding of children above six months of age.

The English version is entitled, “Production and Preparation of Complementary Food: A guide and Instructional Material for Healthcare Professionals, Caregivers, and the General Public in Kaduna state.

The Hausa version is titled, “Hanyoyin Sarafawa Da Hada Nau ‘o’ in Abinci Masu Kara Lafiya Don Baiwa Jarirai Daga Wata Shida Na Haihuwa.”

Chairperson of KADENAP, Hajiya Ummi El-Rufai, wife of Gov. Nasir El-Rufai, said at the presentation and dissemination event in Kaduna, that the books would go a long way in preventing child malnutrition.

Ummi, who was represented by the Mr Awwal Aziri, Project Manager, Impact Project, said that the handbook would serve as a guide especially to healthcare providers, caregivers, and mothers of malnourished

children.

She added that the book was produced in English and Hausa with pictorial illustrations to reach wider audience with information on complementary food and how to prepare them for children from six month.

“As we know, Infant and Young Child Feeding (IYCF) is a preventive approach which targets the nutrition of the child from conception to the child’s second birthday.

“This handbook is a complementary food guide and IYCF material that will help caregivers and mothers of malnourished children when feeding their children after completing the six month’s exclusive breastfeeding periods.

“I sincerely hope that this handbook will not be kept in our shelves, but will be used as an effective tool for sensitization, PHC food demonstration corners and the message will be spread to all nooks and crannies of Kaduna state and beyond, until malnutrition becomes a thing of the past,” she said.

She commended the LAFIYA Project that has supported the validation, production, and dissemination of the nutrition handbook.

She called on all stakeholders and development Partners, Civil Society groups,

traditions, religious institutions, and the media to join hands to give the book the widest coverage it deserves.

Mr Umar Bambale, Project Manager, KADENAP, said that the books develop with the help of nutritionists from Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, and Kaduna Polytechnic, was conceived by Ummi El-Rufai, in 2017.

Bambale said that the objective of the event was to present and disseminate the recipe handbooks developed to assist parents and caregivers to provide appropriate complementary feeding children.

The State Team Lead, Lafiya Project, Mr Habibu Muazu explained that the project was being funded by UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, to improve health outcomes of people, particularly the poor and vulnerable.

Muazu added that the project also seeks to increase investment in health and efficiency of basic health services and pledged continued support of the state in addressing bottlenecks to accessing health care services.

Dr Zainab Muhammad-Idris, Project Coordinator, Accelerating Nutrition Results in Nigeria (ANRiN), commended KADENAP for the giant stride, adding that the book was

“very critical” in addressing malnutrition.

Muhammad-Idris advised a wider dissemination of the book as a crucial document for the nutritional landscape in the state, particularly on how to use locally available food.

Also, Ms Jessica Bartholomew, State Coordinator, Civil Society Scaling Up Nutrition in Nigeria (CS-SUNN), pledged to work with media to create the needed awareness for mothers and caregivers to put the book to use.

Dr Badung Yohanna, Assistant State Epidemiologist, Ministry of Health, described malnutrition as a serious problem in the health of children globally.

Yohanna said that the book would serve as a major tool to help in addressing the challenge, stressing that beyond production, the book should get to parent and caregivers.

The Chairperson of the Nutrition Society of Nigeria, Kaduna State Chapter, Hajiya Hauwa Usman, commended KADENAP for the efforts.

According to her, the recipe book will significantly help parents and caregivers prepare nutritious food using locally available food items.

From: Femi Oyelola, Kaduna

L-R; the New Federal Commissioners of Revenue Mobilization Fiscal and Allocation Commission; Hajiya Rakiya Tanko Ayuba-Haruna, Mr Kolade Daniel Abimbola, Sen Ayugu Eze and Mr Peter Opara during the swearing of the New Federal Commissioners of Revenue Mobilization Fiscal and Allocation Commission (RMAFC) held at the Council Chambers, State House, yesterday in Abuja. PHOTO: State House

I have run a good race, Buhari declares

By Egena Sunday Ode

President Muhammadu Buhari on Thursday declared that he had ran his race and finished his course as he prepares for the inauguration of his successor, having completed his full tenure of office.

The outgoing President spoke at the investiture ceremony of the President-elect, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR and Vice President-elect, Kashim Shettima, GCON.

The investiture of the President-elect and Vice President-elect is coming ahead of their swearing into office on Monday, May 29th, 2023, drawing a curtain on the eightyear administration of President Buhari, who served two terms, 2015-2023.

Buhari at the well attended event congratulated both political leaders, who had served as Governor of Lagos and Borno States, respectively.

“I extend my warmest congratulations to the Presidentelect, on his well-deserved victory at the February 25th, 2023 Presidential elections. The Nigerian people have recognized your leadership qualities, political acumen, and passion to serve our great nation, and have entrusted you with the burden of governing our beloved country.

“I have no doubt that Nigeria will continue to thrive and achieve new heights under your leadership. You were the best candidate at the elections and Nigerians have chosen wisely.

“I equally extend my congratulations to the Vice President-elect. Your wealth of experience in governance, your unwavering commitment to the well-being of the Nigerian people, and your exemplary leadership during challenging times as Governor of Borno State, have made you a deserving candidate for this position. I have full confidence that you will serve our nation with utmost dedication and integrity.

“In accordance with the Honours Award Act, 1963, Laws of Federation of Nigeria, (LFN), 2004, Presidents/Heads of State receive the Honour of Grand Commander of the Order of the Federal Republic (GCFR) while the Vice Presidents are awarded

the Grand Commander of the Order of the Niger (GCON).

“Today, with the authority vested in me, as the President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, I have conferred the National Honour of GCFR on His Excellency Bola Ahmed Tinubu and that of the GCON on His Excellency Kashim Shettima respectively.

“As we celebrate this auspicious occasion, let us not forget the immense responsibilities that come with leadership. The challenges facing our nation are significant, and it is the duty of the President and Vice President to address them with courage, wisdom, and compassion.

“We must remain committed to the principles of good governance, transparency, and accountability, as these are the foundations upon which our nation’s progress and development rely,’’ he added.

President Buhari noted that Asiwaju had the experience and capacity to lead the country, carrying on the legacy of his administration.

“President-elect, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, you have a long and illustrious track record of public service, marked by your exceptional achievements in various capacities. Your transformative leadership in Lagos State, where you left an indelible mark in the areas of infrastructure, education, healthcare, and economic development, speaks volumes about your dedication to the welfare of the Nigerian people.”

While examining some of the challenges before incoming administration, President Buhari advised Asiwaju Tinubu to lead the country with wisdom, courage, and compassion.

“Once again, I congratulate President-elect Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Vice President-elect Kashim Shettima on their welldeserved investiture. May the Almighty bless you and guide you in your endeavors to lead Nigeria towards a brighter and more prosperous future,’’ he stated.

President Buhari said the administration was faced with many challenges at inception and worked hard to tackle hydraheaded issues.

“This administration from inception has faced security challenges such as insurgency, oil theft, kidnapping as well as corruption which has eaten deep into the system.

“With the political will and support of many Nigerians, especially our dogged Armed Forces, insurgency, terrorism, and kidnapping have been reduced to their barest minimum while corruption has been tackled headlong.

“Despite the aforementioned challenges, our administration has made economic gains over the years. While acknowledging the turbulent times and global economic meltdown occasioned by the world oil crisis and most recently, the COVID-19 pandemic, our economy has remained afloat and strong.

“Our administration’s commitment and determination in infrastructural upliftment of Nigeria have remained unshaken,’’ he added.

President Buhari explained that the primary responsibility of the two ad-hoc bodies on transition was to ensure that every piece of information that will help a new administration get off to a speedy start was made available in a usable format and in a timely manner.

“Today, I am so proud to have handed over to you my Successor, Your Excellency Bola Ahmed Tinubu three key documents that will guide you as you aim to define a path for your administration.

“It is my earnest desire that you will find these documents useful as this would be the first time in the history of this country that such detailed documentation will be produced for handover to a new administration. I strongly encourage you to uphold this legacy and make the experience even better for your successor by the time you are to leave office.

On the transfer of a symbolic

baton to Asiwaju Tinubu, President Buhari said that the incoming government would continue with the race of advancing democracy and development.

“This is a first in the history of our Nation’s transition process. To preserve this remarkable history for generations to come, I have directed that the Baton be preserved in the Presidential history wing of the National Archives and I hope that President-elect Tinubu and those after him will build on this tradition,’’ he added.

In his remarks, the Presidentelect thanked President Buhari for the transition committee that was ensuring a smooth handing-

over process, with documents that cover and capture the performance of the outgoing administration.

“I also feel a sense of pride that this moment is our moment,’’ he said.

Asiwaju Tinubu extolled President Buhari for his democratic credentials, making history on the assumption of office by recognizing late Chief M.K.O. Abiola and Ambassador Babagana Kingibe as winners of the 1993 presidential elections and honouring them with GCFR, and GCON, respectively.

“You went back into history to set the record straight,’’ he added.

Asiwaju Tinubu congratulated the President for providing strong and visionary leadership for eight years, assuring that he will not disappoint on the assumption of office on Monday.

“I understand the honour given to me and the magnitude of the task that awaits us,’’ he noted.

R-L: Speaker House of Representatives / former Leader of the Conference of Speakers and Head of African Parliaments (COSAP), Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila presenting a gavel to his successor/ Speaker Ghanian Parliament Alban Suman Bagbin, during the official handover of the Leadership COSAP to Speaker Ghanian Parliament Alban at the National Assembly, yesterday in Abuja. Photo: Mahmud Isa

Inauguration: DSS warns against unruly behaviour, non-adherence to protocol

By Tobias Lengnan Dapam

It would be recalled that the Secretary to the Government of the Federation and Chairman of the Presidential Transition Council (PTC) on 18th May, 2023 held a World Press Conference during which he announced activities for the Presidential inauguration. The major highlight of the activities is

the swearing-in of the President on 29th May, 2023 in Abuja. On the same date, new Governors will also be inaugurated in most of the States.

The Department of State Services (DSS), has warned against unruly behavior during the inauguration ceremony.

The Service said it is aware of plans by subversive elements to disrupt the programmes in parts

of the country.

“The aim is to undermine security agencies’ efforts at ensuring peaceful ceremonies as well as creating panic and fear among members of the public”, a statement issued by Peter Afunanya, Public Relations Officer of the service, said.

“Based on these, citizens, the media and Civil Society Organisations are advised to

adhere strictly to security and civil protocols during the events. They are also urged to shun fake news, false alarms, skewed reportage/ narratives and sensationalism that may likely inflame division, tension and violence prior to and after the exercises.

“This is more so that such undesirable acts will serve no purpose other than destroying national unity and cohesion.

Additionally, all unauthorised (and unaccredited) persons are warned to stay away from restricted and certain designated areas at the event venues.

“The Service reiterates its earlier call for the populace to remain calm and law abiding. Meanwhile, it will continue to sustain collaboration with sister agencies to ensure successful inaugurations.”

•Confers national honours on Tinubu, Shettima

•Advises President-elect to lead with wisdom, compassion

•I understand the magnitude of task ahead--Tinubu

Ghanian Parliament Speaker pledges to mentor African youths on legislative oversight.

By Christiana Ekpa

The Speaker of the Ghanian Parliament Rt Hon. Alban Sumana Bagbin has pledged to mentor many African youths on leadership as well as legislative oversight of the parliament to help in deepening of democracy and good governance in Africa countries

This was just as the Legislative Mentorsship Initiative LMI a brainchild of the Speaker of the Nigeria’s House of Representatives Hon.Femi Gbajabiamila has been renamed as the Gbajabiamila Legislative Mentorsship Initiative GLMI.

These were the highpoints of the offficial handover ceremony of the Conference of Speakers and Heads of Africa Parliaments COSAP event between the two presiding officers of the two leading African nations at the Three Arms Zone National Assembly Abuja on Thursday..

Speaking at the event, the Ghanian parliament’s presiding officer said that African parliaments must work towards ensuring effective oversight of government and its agencies for democracy to thrive in the continent.

He further said that there is need for African parliaments to advance the mentorship and training of youths in democratic governance adding that we must strengthen parliament’s oversight roles on African states rising debt profile.

The parliamentarian also called for a collaborative working relationship between the Nigerian parliament and many other parliaments in Africa to ensure that democratic governance is safeguarded and allowed to thrive.

He said: “under my my leadership, we “ll tackle extremism and combat certain negative lifestyles. We ‘ll reinforce the need for collaborative action in areas of mutual interest to African nations”.

Gbajabiamila in his opening speech said that he is handing over the leadership of the Conference of Speakers and Heads of African Parliaments to Ghanian counterpart to ensure continuity adding that it is gratifying to see that democratic rule is thriving in most African nations.

He urged his visitor and colleague to ensure that after leaving offices as speaker, friendship and partnerships between the two leading African countries would continue and strengthened.

Also speaking at the event the Director of the Legislative Mentorsship Initiative Mr Dapo Oyewole said that the Legislative Mentorsship Initiative LMI a brainchild of the Speaker of the Nigerian parliament is renamed Gbajabiamila Legislative Mentorsship Initiative GLMI for training of youths in legislative process and public sector

Local government caretaker chairman, Hon. Lawan Gana dies in Yobe

From Mohammed Maitela, Damaturu

The newly appointed caretaker committee chairman of Karasuwa Local Government in Yobe state, Hon Lawan Gana Karasuwa, is dead.

The Director General Press and Media Affairs to Yobe State Governor, Mamman Mohammed announced the Hon. Gana’s death,l at the flag-off of an empowerment organised by the state Ministry of Wealth Creation, Empowerment and Employment Generation.

He said Gana died at the Federal Medical Centre, Nguru after brief illness.

Hon. Lawan Gana served as caretaker chairman of Karasuwa local government area for six months before the committee was dissolved by Governor Mai Mala

Buni.

He was then reappointed as the caretaker committee chairman of Karasuwa local government.

Gana was among the 17 chairmen local government caretaker management committee to be sworn-in on Friday.

Tackle new waves of organised crimes —NSCDC boss tells Commandants

By Tobias Lengnan Dapam

The Commandant General, Nigeria and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Abubakar Audi has told the Commandants of the corps to tackle new waves of crimes across the country.

Audi, stated this on Thursday at the headquarters of the corps in Abuja, during the Commandant General’s conference for the year.

“Let me further remind you of our role in checkmating the activities of these outlaws, and the

need to add bite to our operations to effectively tackle the new dimension of organized crimes for a safe and secure Nigeria.

“In this direction, I want to charge you as directing officers to redouble your efforts and remain resolute to our avowed commitment to extinguish the flame of insecurity and make the environment unsafe and unconducive for criminal elements and those with criminal tendencies.

“We should also have it at the back of our minds that if we must succeed in this war against

insurgency, kidnapping etc. We must collaborate effectively and maintain cordiality with relevant stakeholders. You are therefore expected not only to sustain but improve on existing robust relationships and synergy with the Military, Police and other Law Enforcement Agencies to effectively tackle the emerging security threat staring us in the face.”

He said, for the Corps to effectively address the menace of insecurity, “I want to emphasize on the need for us to focus more

attention on intelligence gathering as a proactive measure.

“To this end, the Management is perfecting arrangement to introduce series of training and capacity building programmes on surveillance and intelligence gathering for the Corps personnel to sharpen their skills and competencies to further add bite to their operational capabilities. In addition, we have embarked on massive equipment drive to further boost the capacity of the Corps personnel.”

Good Governance tool for performance — Kwankwaso, Jega

Yakubu Mustapha Minna

The former governor of Kano State Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso has advised Niger state governor elect Umar Mohammed Bago to hit the ground running immediately after his swearing in for the socio economic development if he must be a performing governor Kwankwaso who is the chairman of the event, gave the declaration at the Inauguration lecture of the Niger State Governor elect with theme; Addressing the challenges of socio economic development at sub national level in Nigeria held in Minna.

He revealed that lack of competence and knowledge has

made some elected governors who claimed to know all to failure and nothing to show in their states after four or eight years of governance.

He told the governor elect to shun stealing and syphoning of public funds but should embarked on empowering the people for good and genuine governance, while investing heavily in education and security for the betterment of Niger state or would regret his future.

The former chairman of Independent National Electoral Commission ,INEC, professor Attahiru Mohammed Jega stated that good governance is supposed to be driven by selfless and visionary leaders to address the needs and aspirations of the populace.

He said Nigeria does not only need good governance but good democratic governance which is indispensable phenomenon in our society, while he expressed worry that money has been used to undermined the Nigerian electoral process.

Professor Attahiru Jega who said bad governance is responsible for the present economic woes in the country called for the need for public office holders to be transparent and accountable at all times.

In his remarks, the Niger State Governor elect Umar Mohammed Bago, pledge to surpassed the expectations of the people by raising the bar in governance, assured to operate an open door policy for a

renewed Niger State.

Bago stated that the lecture has provided inputs and a foundation for a renew hope for the state, hence called for advice, counselling for a successful administration.

The Niger state governor, Alhaji Abubakar Sani Bello called for transparency of accountability to gain the confidence of the people and getting a formidable team for good governance.

He lamented over lack of capacity on the part of MDAs who are the implement his policy and programmes to succeed as required hence the need for the incoming government to ensure the building of the civil servants and political appointees to be on same page.

From

R-L: Solicitor-General of the Federation/ Permanent Secretary Ministry of Justice Beatrice Jeddy-agba, Minister of Justice/ArttoneyGeneral of the Federation Abubakar Malami and Special Assistant to the Solicitor-General of the Federation Oyin Koleosho, during the day 3 of an investigative hearing of the House of Representatives Ad-hoc Committee on alleged loss of over $2.4 billion in revenue from Illegal sale of 48 million barrels of crude oil export in 2015, including crude oil exports from 2014 till date, at the National Assembly, yesterday in Abuja. Photo: Mahmud Isa

NSCC sets to link older persons to job opportunities

By Albert Akota

The National Senior Citizens Centre (NSCC), has launched its Continuing Engagement Bureau (CEB) Program to enable it link older persons both skills and unskilled to job opportunities

The Director General, NSCC, Dr. Emem Omokaro who disclosed this during launch of the CEB Program and Stakeholders Sensitization and Capacity Enhancement, said the Program will focus on senior citizens who are retired professionals, experts and practitioners in diverse fields.

She added that the NSCC through the CEB Program is working to maximize the latent potentials of the older persons and also to reinvent themselves by reinventing roles and finding new opportunities.

“The Continuing Engagement Program also has provisions for older farmers and artisans both in the rural and urban centres who would be encouraged to register on the portal as Cooperatives and to be connected with opportunities for productive activities and for markets”, said Omokaro.

“We are looking at the fundamental human rights of older persons. Right to work, maximize their potentials, and right to access the labour market in whichever form they wish to”.

‘The Centre is exploring the opportunities, one of which is to keep the senior citizens active and facilitate opportunities for them to continue to utilize their skills and passions in whatever way, “She said,

People Daily Newspaper recalled that NSCC in March 2023 held a Service Level Collaboration and Review of the Dummy Portal and other Support Instruments for the Establishment of NSCC Continuing Engagement Bureau (CEB) Program.

“We are looking at the fundamental human rights of older persons. Right to work, maximize their potentials, and right to access the labour market in whichever form they wish to”.

‘The Centre is exploring the opportunities, one of which is to keep the senior citizens active and facilitate opportunities for them to continue to utilize their skills and passions in whatever way, “She said,

People Daily Newspaper recalled that 2023 held a

NSCDC issues operational licence to 44 private guards companies

By Tobias Lengnan Dapam

The Commandant General, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, Dr. Ahmed Abubakar Audi, has issued operational licence to 44 private guards companies.

Speaking on Thursday in Abuja while issuing the licences, Audi said, “I am confident that we are issuing licenses to people that have track record of being impeccable in character and can be trusted with the security of this nation.

“We want to believe that you

will maintain the qualities that qualify you for this licence, be of high integrity and by extension, good ambassadors of the Corps. You would have known, judging by the process, that we do not compromise, therefore, we shall not hesitate to wield the big hammer on any company whose directors deviate from these set standards.

“While I believe that it is your business instinct that made you to endure the tedious process, you are to note that the licence is not for business profit alone but an opportunity for you to

contribute your quota to the security of this nation.

“This call to national duty must be honoured and it is not negotiable.

“Therefore, you and your guards have, by extension, become members of Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps. Your beats are NSCDC beats. You are not to only secure the facilities but also report to the Corps, all suspicious activities and movement.”

He urged them to turn in intelligence report on a monthly basis, saying anything that is

of urgent importance must be turned in immediately as companies shall be held responsible for any breach of security that occurs in their beats.

“The content of the orientation lectures are to prepare you adequately for the task ahead. Your Companies will be rated based on the field adherence to the content of the lecture/ regulation. Therefore, future relationship with the Corps, including the renewal of your licence shall be based on the level of your performance.”

Kano Reps member-elect moves to settle NECO registration fee for constituents

From Mustapha Adamu, Kano

Muhammad Bello Shehu, House of Representatives member-elect of New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP), representing Fagge federal constituency, Kano state has begun moves to settle the registration fees for candidates of National Examinations Council (NECO) in the constituency.

Peoples Daily reports that the move came as a result of mass failure in qualify examination.

Qualify examination is organized by Kano state government for SS2 students as a requirement to pay for their NECO registration, but only for

those that pass the examination.

Speaking on Thursday at the launch of series of meeting with parents of the students that failed in the qualify examination at his constituency, Shehu said the mass failure in the examination is a source of concern that needs to be addressed squarely.

Starting with the parents of the affected students at Aisha Shehu Girls Secondary School at the school’s premises, the memberelect said he decided to meet with the parents in order to chart ways on how to settle the NECO registration fee.

According to him, his intervention is sequel to the importance he attached to

education as the main priority to him.

He explained that he had resolved to pay N13,000 for each affected student while their respective parents would pay the balance of N10,000, making it N23,000 for each of the affected students in all the secondary schools in the Fagge constituency.

“We sat with the parents of the affected students in this school, Aisha Shehu Girls Secondary School. We resolved that each father should pay N10,000 then o will pay the remaining N13,000 for all the students.

“In this school, Aisha Shehu and Mamman Vice Adamu, i am going to pay over N6.9 million.

This is what I will be doing to the whole secondary schools in this constituency.

“We are doing this because we believe that these children are our children and they have to study. They have to write NECO to proceed. This is the best thing we should to them in order to achieve their life dreams.

“Therefore, this meeting will continue with parents of the affected students in other secondary schools across Fagge.

“We will also make sure we come up with motions and bills that will support the education of children, not only in Fagge, Kano or North, but in the whole country,” he said.

L-R; RMAFC Secretary, Mr Joseph Enwze, Federal Commissioner Amb Ayuba Ngako, Alh Ismaila Mohammed Agaka, Hauwa Umar Aliyu, Chairman, RMAFC Alh MB Shehu, Rakiya Tanko Ayuba0Haruna, Kolade Daniel Abimbola Sen Ayugu Eze and Mr Peter Opara during swearing of the New Federal Commissioners of Revenue Mobilization Fiscal and Allocation Commission (RMAFC) held at the Council Chambers, State House, yesterday in Abuja. PHOTO: State House

By Vivian Okejeme, Abuja

The Court of Appeal sitting in Abuja on Thursday, slammed a fine of N40million on a former Presidential candidate, Chief Ambrose Albert Owuru, for filing frivolous suit to stop the inauguration of the Presidentelect, Bola Ahmed Tinubu on May 29.

The Appellate Court ordered the politician to pay the fine of N10m each to President Muhammadu Buhari, Attorney

APGA Nat’l

By Vivian Okejeme, Abuja

The National Chairman of All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) Chief Edozie Njoku has filed a contempt charge against Chief Victor Oye for disobeying a valid court order.

Recall that Justice Mohammed Madugu of High Court of the Federal Capital Territory, Bwari, had on May 10, restrained Oye from parading himself as the National Chairman of APGA or holding any meetings or gatherings, be it NWC, NEC etc, Congresses or Convention in the name of APGA, pending the hearing and determination of a motion on notice before the court.

The court also ordered INEC from recognizing Chief Oye as the National Chairman of APGA based on Supreme Court Judgement of 24th March, 2023.

The application was filed by Otunba Camaru Lateef Ogidan, (National Vice Chairman South West of APGA) and Alhaji Mustapha Rabiu, National Welfare Officer of APGA under the Chief Edozie Njoku led APGA.

At a resumed sitting on Wednesday, Mike Ajara, counsel to the APGA National Chairman Njoku, informed the court of the flagrant disobedience of it’s order by Oye and his group.

Ajara said the contempt proceedings were filed and served on May 22, 2023, and “has dire implications on Oye and on the Ward, Local Government and State Congresses which has been organized by Oye and his men”.

Meanwhile, counsel to the defendants, Onyechi Ikpeazu, SAN informed the Court that they have filed Notice of Appeal at the Court of Appeal to strike out the Originating Summons for lack of jurisdiction.

While presenting his evidence of interlocutory appeal, Ikpeazu prayed Justice Madugu to refer the matter to the Appeal Court and wait for the superior Court to decide on the matter.

Reacting, Ajara narrated how Oye, his assigns and privies violated the court order.

Ajara faulted Ikpeazu’s appeal process and referred to it as ‘purported’ notice of appeal.

Suit against Tinubu inauguration: A/Court slams N40m fine on Owuru

General of the Federation AGF, Independent National Electoral Commission INEC and Tinubu whom he made 1st to 4th defendants in the suit..

Justice Jamil Tukur who read the lead judgment of the

three man panel of the court held that Owuru embarked on gross abuse of court process by filing frivolous, vexatious and irritating suit to provoke the respondents.

The Court of Appeal held

that the grievances of Owuru against the 2019 presidential election was not only strange but uncalled for because the grievances had been pursued up to Supreme Court and was dismissed for want of merit.

Justice Tukur said that the action of Owuru to resuscitate the case that died since 2019 at the Supreme Court was aimed at making the lower courts to go on collision course with supremacy of the Apex Court.

Chair, Njoku files contempt charge against Oye

•As restraining order subsists

Njoku’s lawyer asked the court to discountenance Ikpeazu’s submission because he did not secure leave of court.

To buttress his point, Ajara availed the Court a copy of the letter from the Office of the Chief Registrar of the FCT Court Apo (Appeal Section) which denied ‘not receiving any application for

compilation and transmission of Record of Proceedings in Suit No: FCT/HC/CV/4068/2023’ to support his assertion.

Ajara explained that from the point of law, “if such application is submitted, due process demands that it is after 45days, without compliance, that Oye can approach the Appeal Court for any relief

whatsoever.”

Ajara told the Court that the Notice of Appeal was designed to derail and stampede the Court.

He reminded the Court that C.I. Mbaeri that represented Oye agreed with the Court’s decision of May 10, 2023 that parties, their assigns or privies should not hold meetings, Congresses or

Convention of any sort pending the hearing of the substantive matter.

Citing extant notable authorities to buttress his point, he prayed the Court to continue with the business of the day, so that afterwards, the Ikpeazu will have ample materials to proceed on Appeal.

However, after taking submissions, the Judge reserved ruling on the issue of jurisdiction for June 2, 2023.

Gov. Buni empowers to 1, 600 small and medium-scale businessmen in Yobe

From Mohammed Maitela, Damaturu

The Yobe State Governor, Mai Mala Buni on Thursday launched the distribution of empowerment materials through the Ministry of Wealth Creation, Empowerment and Employment Generation and State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), at government house, Damaturu state capital.

The beneficiaries were sampled from the less privileged group of the society, including 400 widows, 254 vulnerable persons and 1600 small and medium-scale businessmen and women were also supported with working materials and cash support for various trades.

While speaking in the distribution ceremony, the Yobe

state Commissioner, Ministry of Wealth Creation Empowerment and Employment Generation, Hon. Abdullahi Bego said that “This is the third time we would be meeting here in the recent period to join Hon. Buni as he reaches out in empowerment support to people and organisations across the state.”

Bego commend the Governor for the support to the Ministry “So, we thank Gov. Buni for proving once more that the economic empowerment of the people of Yobe State is not an outlier or an afterthought in the scheme of service delivery in your administration.”

“Through concrete, demonstrable action, you have shown creation of the Ministry of Empowerment; well before I could even arrive on this well before the stage- that providing

economic empowerment to the people of the state is an integral part of your administration’s socioeconomic agenda; that it is and continues to remain front and center of your attention”. Said Hon. Bego.

In his address, Governor Buni said “You will recall that on 23rd February 2023, we launched the distribution of 100 units of Toyota Avensus cars loaned out to 100 beneficiaries at subsidized rates.”

“The occasion today is therefore in continuation of our effort towards driving employment generation and Wealth creation. There is no doubt that small and mediumscale businesses create employment opportunities to combat poverty.”

“Today, we are distributing 1,900 irrigation water pumps and accessories, 125 commercial pick-

up Tricycles also known as JEGA and 125 commercial tricycles or Keke NAPEP. In addition, about 500 youth from rural communities would be empowered and supported with skill-acquisition materials such as sewing machines, barbing saloon kits, pasta-making machines and hairdressing materials”.

“It is my sincere belief that our drive in the various empowerment packages would speed up our postinsurgency recovery and wealth creation for stability and prosperity”.

“Let me once again call on the good people of Yobe State to pray for a very successful inauguration here at home, and a very peaceful transition at the national level. We should not forget to pray for a bumper harvest and the prosperity of our dear state and country.”

NARCDO advocates official appointment for outstanding retired officers

Nigeria Association of Retired Civil Defence Officers (NARCDO) has called on the Federal Government to appoint outstanding retired officers into strategic positions of government.

NARCDO President, Dr Ewurum Chidi, mni, Deputy Commandant General (rtd), said this on Tuesday during the inauguration of the Association and its National Secretariat by the Minister of Interior, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola in Abuja.

The Minister, represented by the Permanent Secretary, Dr Shuaibu Belgore, also inaugurated the newly reconstructed NSCDC parade ground, two units of two bedrooms, one unit of one bedroom flats at the Corps Headquarters where he commended the NSCDC CG for his transformation efforts in the agency towards having a motivated workforce to tackle

emerging security challenges in the country.

Ewurum said that that the nonimplementation of the proposed conditions of service, gratuity and pensions to retired Nigeria Security and Civil Defence (NSCDC) officers had been a challenge.

He said that some of the problems were not peculiar to NARDCO alone but to the generality of the Corps.

He said that proffering solutions to these challenges will bring an end to the difficulties experienced by most retirees.

He however acknowledged that the Federal Government through the Minister of Interior, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola and the NSCDC Commandant General, Ahmed Abubakar Audi, mni, OFR, had improved the working conditions of personnel.

“We sincerely appreciate

the milestone and laudable achievements in the areas of recruitment, promotion, training and retraining of personnel, infrastructural development and other policy reforms,” he said.

The pioneer National President said that the association was ready to package and roll-out action plans that will help alleviate the sufferings of its members and the Corps in general.

He said that some of the proposed priority plans of the Association was to set up a cooperative society with future hopes of expanding into a Micro-Finance bank.

DCG Ewurum (rtd) said that there are plans to collaborate with government at all levels including public and private sectors, financial institutions, real estate agencies among others.

The Minister of Interior said that the establishment of the association

was of great disposition which will help the affairs of the Corps.

Aregbesola said that the Federal Government will continuously support the growth of Corps, adding that it had recently inaugurated new NSCDC Commands in Jos, Keffi and Sokoto.

NSCDC CG said that what brought about the establishment of NARDCO and its office complex was the plight of NSCDC retirees.

“Having this association is a way of encouraging them just like other organisations because we have noticed that some of them live in agony and want, while others have been neglected, which shouldn’t be the case,” he said.

Audi said that the operations of the Association will give room for collaborations with financial institutions which will help bring it to a level of competition with other associations.

Buhari failed us on security

- Cattle breeders

The cattle rearers in Nigeria have expressed displeasure on the President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration as it concerns the security of lives and property during his tenure.

They claimed that Buhari as a cattle breeder himself ought to have brought cattle breeders and farmers together with a view to finding an amicable solution to the persistent conflict that had led to loss of several lives in virtually all states of the federation.

At a joint press conference, the Cattle Breeders however, expressed hope that incoming President, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu will restore peace between herders and farmers.

The joint press conference was attended by the National President Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN) Dr. Baba Othman Ngelzarma; President General, Fulbe Global Development and Rights Initiative (FGDRI)

Dr. Salim Musa Umar; Vice President, Tabital Pulaaku International Nigeria Chapter, Alh Auwal A. Gonga under the umbrella of Pastoralists Association of Nigeria (COPAN).

Dr. Salim Musa who spoke at the forum demanded that the incoming President should look into activities of securities in charge of these areas and mandate them to do more in protecting innocent people who are continuously harassed by the activities of those described as criminal vigilante and bandits.

COPAN called on the security agencies to identify, arrest and prosecute all those involved to serve as a deterrent to other criminally minded individuals.

While calling elected officials at all levels of government to be responsive to factors that may escalate insecurity in the country, the Coalition also urged Pastoral communities in the states to exercise restraint in the face the calamity that has befallen them.

Responding to questions, Alh. Auwal Gonga urged the incoming President, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu to establish the Federal of Pastoralist Affairs to manage issues around this aspect of the economy in line with global best practice as obtainable in most neighbouring countries and other ECOWAS member countries.

The ministry will be charged with the responsibility of harmonizing and managing the affairs of both farmers and Pastoralists, instead of living

10th Assembly: Northern youths drum support for Abbas as Speaker

From Mustapha Adamu, Kano

The Northern Nigerian Youths for Abbas(NNYA) has called on members elect of House of Representative to rally round Hon.Tajudeen Abbas to emerge the next speaker of House of Representative, saying his emergence as Speaker of the upper chamber will change the complexity of National Assembly politics in the 10th Assembly and in the 4th republic.

Speaking through a statementon in Kano and jointly signed by NNYA coordinator and Public Relation Officer (PRO) Haliru Ibrahim and Abdullazeez Alhassana respectively, called

on members-elect across divides to aggregate their support and queue behind an Abbas leadership.

According to the statement ,the Nigerian-styled democracy needs to strike a balance between legislative activism and achieving results in the overall interest of a largely under-developed populace and economy,hence the need to give the leadership mandate to Hon.Abbas

The group stated that the NNYA stands on the platform of merit, service, patriotic zeal, transparency and loyalty to the Nigerian project which are viral ingredients to unshackle our people from the twin evil of

poverty and ignorance.

“Therefore, we are emboldened to set a clear agenda for the leadership that we wish for Nigerians, which must be built on transparency, accountability, trust, intelligence and above all youthfulness.

“We can not talk about the leadership of the most important arm of the National Assembly, which aggregates the totality of our diversities as a people, without talking about getting a leadership that will prioritize the needs of the long suffering and marginalized people of Nigeria.

Without a shadow of doubt, we do believe that the mandate of representing all

Nigerians through the House of Representatives should rest on the shoulders of Tajudeen Abbas.

He hinted that this should be basically,”Having contributed immensely to the growth of the democratic process with the sponsorship of 73 bills in the 9th Assembly alone, combining it another 43 bills to his credit in the 8th Assembly

“We believe that the task of building bridges will be carried out effortlessly under the leadership of Hon Abbas. We reason that it would cost us more as a nation if we keep sacrificing our best brains on the altar of primordial sentiments such as zoning or religion.”

Benue Assembly passes controversial Life Pension Bill for Ortom, ex governors, deputies

From

Uche Nnorom, Makurdi

The Benue State House of Assembly on Thursday passed the controversial Life Pension Bill initiated by Governor Samuel Ortom.

The bill christened A BILL FOR A LAW TO MAKE PROVISIONS FOR THE MAINTENANCE OF FORMER GOVERNORS OF THE STATE AND THEIR DEPUTIES AND FOR OTHER MATTERS CONNECTED THERETO” was unanimously passed by the 30 man legislative house.

Speaker of the House Titus Uba presided over the sitting which had held an executive session before the passage at the plenary.

Chairman of the House Committee on Appointment, Public Services and Pension Matters Geoffrey Agbatse presented the bill before the house and it was read clause by clause

He ntimated that the bill seeks amongst others, to make provision for the payment to the former governors of a monthly “stipend”, equivalent to the “the SALARY” of a sitting/incumbent governor, makes provision for the payment to all former deputy governors of a monthly “stipend”, equivalent to the “the SALARY” of a sitting/incumbent deputy governor, provides for the building of a permanent residential accomodation in any town “of their CHOICE” by the State in Nigeria and provide for the provisions of 4 new cars every 4 years for the former governors and two (2) new cars every 4 years for the former deputy governors which cars shall be serviced and maintained at the expense of the State.

He also, said that it seeks to provide for 6 personal staff for the former governors and 3 for

the former deputy governors to be paid for by the State, provide for 24 hours security surveillance and guard for all former governors and their deputies at their direction, provide for free medical treatment for them, their spouses and AT LEAST 4 children under the age of 18.

Agbatse further averred that it provides that all the above expenses can be MONETIZED or cashed out! as well as stipulates that the former governors are entitled to 2 vacations abroad annually and the former deputy governor to 1 vacation abroad.

Before passage of the bill, members deliberated and amended some clauses including building of a choice house for the former governors and their deputies which was outrightly removed while the number of vehicles for ex-governors was reduced from 4 to 2 while that of

Governor Ortom

their deputies from 2 to 1. With the passage of the bill Governorl Ortom and his predeccesors are entitled to 25 million as stipend after every 4 years while thier deputies 15 million.

Ortom is expected to accent to the bill before the expiration of his tenure on May 29th,2023.

Group tasks Tinubu not to meddle in NASS leadership affairs

By Abubakar Yunusa Abuja

Asocio-political group under the aegis of Democracy Watch Initiative has urged President elect, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu to allow national assembly to choose their presiding officers without interference.

It also calls for the President elect to reclaim the people’s confidence in your untainted democratic credentials and commitment to entrenching sustainable democracy, restoring the glory of governance and the sanctity of constitutionalism in Nigeria.

Addressing journalists during a press briefing in Abuja on Wednesday,the group national coordinator,Sunusi Umar stated no one expects however that you will give to the North what it does not deserve.

He said Tinubu should recall the incredible promises he made to the North during electioneering at the Arewa House talk show organized by the Northern leaders and elders.

“ What we are demanding is a free environment for the exercise of franchise as the only solution to the pervasive communal distrust that is more accentuated in the

North.

“We believe a free election of leaders of the National Assembly by its own members would put to end the already brewing concerns of marginalization and fear of domination of other geopolitical zones in the North by others.

Speaking further,he said everyone must be aware by now that those pursuing this undemocratic, unconstitutional and unrealistic agenda are not your friends; they are people who did not vote for you.

“What they are doing about the National Assembly leadership is to test the ground for a wider

political agenda that aims to diminish your personal populist tendencies and those anticipated in your government,” he said.

“While we repose an enduring faith in your ability and will to change the situation in the country for the better, we pray to the Almighty God to increase you in wisdom to be able to accomplish your good intentions for the country”.

He, however,is confident that Tinubu is endowed with ample experience and diplomatic wherewithal to cope with whatever NASS leadership may emerge through due democratic process.

NDE commences

N2.4m loan disbursement to 74 beneficiaries in Adamawa

From Umar Dankano, Yola

The National Directorate of Employment,NDE, has commenced the disbursement of N2,480,000 loan facility to 74 beneficiaries in Adamawa state.

Director General of the Directorate, Mal. Abubakar Nuhu Fikpo charged the beneficiaries to make judicious use of the monies with a view to developing their businesses and to reduce poverty in the societies.

Represented by the state Coordinator, Mal. Mohammad Jimada Ibrahim at the ceremony in Yola Thursday, Fikpo said the orientation and loan disbursement was meant to support trainees of Start Your Business (SYOB) and Micro Enterprise Enhancement Scheme (MEES) schemes for development of their businesses.

Jimada urge the beneficiaries with the training gotten under the small scale enterprise department of the Directorate to ensure prudent financial management of the loan.

He explained that SYOB is a scheme under SSE to give beneficiaries the opportunity to identify business venture, business plan and how to run it effectively while MEES is a scheme design for those (beneficiaries) with poor business background so as to improve their own ventures.

“The two schemes are designed to develop personal business enhancement for more development.

“ So, please use the loans judiciously with a view to grow your businesses for employment creation and reducing of poverty in the societies.

“Once more again, know that the money is a loan facility not a grant and is repayable at the stipulated duration”.Jimada added.

In their sperate addresses at the occasion,Head of departments for Small Scale Enterprise and Vocational Skills Development,Mrs Na’amar Jonah and Nuhu Bello charged the beneficiaries to apply the knowledge they acquired through various trainings from the Directorate positively.

Our Correspondent reported that the 3 beneficiaries under SYOB category will process N500,000 loan facility while

NCC warns consumers of dire consequences of losing phones

By Joy Baba-Yesufu

Authorities of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has warned that individuals are prone to losing their life savings if their phones are stolen or misplaced.

The authorities said a lot of people are highly ignorant that fraudsters, after stealing phones can gain access to their bank accounts, steal their identities, names, address, bank information, defraud people and in some extreme cases, apply for loans with same information.

Executive Vice Chairman (EVC) of the commission, Professor Umar Danbatta, gave the warning during a telecom consumer sensitization

programme with the theme “Shine Your Eyes, No Fall Mugu” held in Keffi, Nassarwa state.

The EVC, who was represented by Head, consumer protection and advocacy, Mr. Clement Omife said attackers are now targeting telecoms networks with the intent to disrupt service delivery and infiltrate their data bank, SIM swaps and Unstructured Supplementary Service Data, (USSD)

He further said USSD e-payment frauds are currently some of the serious cyber threats in the telecom industry adding that fraudsters conduct SIM swaps of individuals and then, conduct USSD-based transactions which cost victims huge losses.

He said “a lot of people are

highly ignorant to how losing their phones to fraudsters can lead to a complete clean-up of their bank accounts. These fraudsters do this by stealing victims’ identities; name, address, bank information of other people which they use in gaining access to their bank accounts: They also use the stolen identity to defraud other people and even apply for loans, leaving the victim with debts.

“It is in view of this and in line with the Commissions Consumer Centric posture that the Commission, in collaboration with relevant advocacy groups embarked on the sensitization programme tagged “Shine Your Eyes - No Fall Mugu” in locations across the country.

“This programme is a

deliberate and intentional advocacy initiative on consumer protection through sensitization and awareness on how to avoid falling prey to fraudsters. Furthermore, the Commission also collaborates with critical stakeholders such as the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), the Nigerian Police Force, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), the Independent Corrupt Practices Commission (ICPC) and other relevant agencies in the fight against e-banking fraudsters”. He urged consumers to be careful about opening unfamiliar emails or responding to unfamiliar inquiries and report suspicious E-fraud to their banks and telecom service provider.

Group says negative social norms promotes sexual harassment

From: Femi Oyelola, Kaduna

The Hope for Community and Children Initiative, (H4CC), has said some negative social norms practiced in some communities encourages sexual harassment, and corporal punishment of students both in public and private schools in Kaduna State.

The Executive Director of H4CC, Hadiza Umar, asserted this during a one day validation exercise of research findings on the effects of Social Norms on sexual harassment and corporal punishment in public and private schools held in Kaduna yesterday.

According to her, some negative social norms include;

the notion that teachers and parents must beat the children as a sign of authority, whether the child does wrong or not; reporting rape cases are viewed as shameful to the family of the victim, so the matter is swept under the carpet.

Others include, blaming the girl-child for gender-based violence against her because she did not respect the man, and when raped society quickly pointed fingers on her mode of dressing.

Hadiza who described social norms as the perceived informal, mostly unwritten, rules that define acceptable and appropriate actions within a given group or community, guides human behaviour, which

sometimes result in negativity

She further explained that norms increased the risk of sexual violence and shape beliefs, attitudes, behaviours, and influence sense of what’s acceptable and not acceptable within a community or society at large.

“When we understand norms as a key factor that shapes the likelihood of sexual violence and harassment, we can see more clearly what needs to change and which strategies will be effective,” she said.

Hadiza stressed that H4CC started conducting the research in 2021 as a result of monitoring sexual harassment in the society. “What we did was that we selected five Local government Areas -

Makarfi, Kaduna North, Kaduna South Kajuru and Kauru.”

Speaking about the research, an Activist, Mallam Isa Suleiman, said the main objectives of study was to examine the nature, magnitude of how social normal norms impact on sexual harassment and corporal punishment in selected schools in the state.

He observed that the study provides evidence on the effect of social norms on School Related Gender-Based Violence, (SRGBV), and to understand the social norms that drive the heightened cases of sexual harassment and corporal punishment in schools, community, homes and its effect on education outcome.

L-R: Representative to the President/Chief of Staff to the President, Prof. Ibrahim Gambari, Emir of Kano, Alhaji Aminu Ado Bayero, Sultan of Sokoto,MuhammaduSa’adAbubakarII,EmirofBichi,AlhajiNasiruAdoBayero,GovernorofKanoState,Dr.AbdullahiUmarGanduje,OoniofIfe, HisRoyalMajesty,ObaAdeyeyeEnitanOgunwusiandDeputyGovernorofKanoState,Dr.NasiruYusufGawuna,duringthelaunchingofBiography of the Mother of Emir of Kano and Emir of Bichi, Maryam Ado Bayero “A woman of Royal Virtues’, held at Transcorp Hilton, yesterday in Abuja.

Photo: Mahmud Isa

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Hadiza Kabir’s Midas Touch at FCT SDS

By Abdul Jelil Adebayo

When on Tuesday 22nd November 2021, Dr Hadiza Mohammed Kabir was appointed the Mandate Secretary of the FCT Social Development Secretariat, many observers heaved a sigh of relief as she was acclaimed a round peg in a round hole.

As the present administration winds down in few days time, looking at the transformation the SDS has recorded within the last 30months, then whoever recommended her for the job has no regret but appreciative of her excellent performance that she is leaving the Secretariat on a high pedestrial.

The young and energetic Hadiza came hitting the ground running and leaving on her trail coterie of achievements. Both staff and the public are feeling the positive impact of good governance in the Secretariat since she took over the mantle of leadership.

Hadiza record of achievements in her 15 months in office can be succinctly captured as enumerated herewith, thus showcasing at a glance an Amazon; an indefatigable, workaholic, dedicated, staff motivator and an achiever that sees only possibilities and driven by the zeal to provide democratic dividends to FCT residents.

In the Arts and Culture department, in the past one year and six months of her being on the helms of affairs in the Secretariat, the Mandate Secretary has supervised the rebirth of several moribund cultural activities, social life and exhibitions. In September, 2022, in line with the mandate to preserve, promote and present cultural heritage in a sustainable manner the International Museum Day was commemorated.

The annual Music Concert Serenade which helps to showcase our traditions, culture and ways of life through music which was abandoned several years back was immediately revived.

A holiday workshop for children with the theme, “Culture, a Tool for Development”, provided opportunity for FCT children to discover their talents in different creative skills,

a ‘catch them young’ kind of activity was also carried out. It is worthy to note that this training was last carried out about seven (7) years ago.

The training of higher institution students on Industrial Attachment in the Visual and Performing Arts Division of the Social Development Secretariat received a boost in that over 200 students have been trained under her leadertship.

In the Gender Development department over 400 food vendors and roadside market women were empowered; the first of its kind in the life of the Secretariat.

The war against gender-based sexual violence has taken a more forceful dimension as the war is taken to the suburbs and offenders not treated with kids’ glove. The victims of sexual and domestic violence are known to be rescued by the Gender Development Department with special cases sometimes referred to NAPTIP for prosecution of such offenders.

In the Social Welfare Services department over 12,500 beggars were evacuated from the streets of Abuja while providing feeding, psycho-social counseling and repatriation to their respective states of Origin to decongest the increasing number of shanties that are sprouting across the Capital City Centre.

The Secretariat also evacuated 4,519 mentally retarded persons with drugs related cases out of which 502 have successfully been treated and reunited with their loved one while 273 victims of drug misused persons (drug addicts) were rehabilitated through psychosocial therapy, while 81 are currently undergoing rehabilitation at the FCT Vocational center, Bwari.

Through Social counseling, more than 3,000 Commercial sex Workers have embraced skills acquisition and entrepreneurship initiatives for dignified means of livelihood.

The secretariat through the Social Welfare Educational Empowerment scheme sponsored more than 2,000 Children of indigent families for tutorial and preparations for NECO/ NABTEB, WAEC and IJMB to enable them further their educational dreams.

The Sports Development department was not left out

in the administration of Hajiya Hadiza Mohammed Kabir. In the past 15 months, many sporting awards were won by Abuja contingent. The latest was the hosting of the maiden Abuja International Marathon.

Tourism – Desirous of a paradigm shift from the normal and making the FCT a Tourist Destination hub within the West African region where Nigeria commands the largest population, she constituted the tourism Advisory Council made up of core seasoned professionals and critical stakeholders in the industry, to conduct in-depth research and come up with workable and realistic modalities that will catapult the industry to an enviable tourist destination as well as becoming a major source of internally generated revenue component to the FCT Administration.

Also, the Secretariat is harmonizing the activities of Hotel and Hospitality Operations in the FCT in line with standard best practices, identifying those operating illegally as well as those that have since converted their residential apartments to guests’ houses/hotels/motels are made to face relevant sanctions while the processes of reverting to status quo is ongoing

Youths Development, over 300 youths have been trained and empowered in fish farming and aquaculture; over 1000 youths in what the Secretariat tagged, ‘Technopreneurship’ were young persons in the Territory are trained to champion small business establishments in technology-based fields like solar and computer combined with leadership trainings.

The National Youth Council of Nigeria and the Scout Association FCT chapters were not left out of the midas touch of Hadiza.

Within her tenure, 13,100 youths were trained in leather works, satellite installation, welding and metal fabrication and ICT, while 5,500 were empowered and given starter packs to jumpstart them in their trained vocations.

From the above, it goes to show that Dr Hadiza Mohammed Kabir indeed is leaving behind a legacy of achievements as the future beckons on her for higher responsibility.

The Naira and the reign of zombie economics in Nigeria

By Tope Fasua

Ireviewed a 10-years graph of the interaction between Naira and USD and found that in the years under President Jonathan when we complained to high heavens, Naira stabilized at around N150 to the dollar for four solid years until it encountered some volatility as Nigeria prepared for the 2015 elections, thereby closing around N199. I checked on another graph with a longer tenure (1957 – 2021) and saw how since President Babangida started devaluing in 1986, there has been a endless fall, from N3 to the US Dollar, to around N12 in 1993 and then to about N22. The N22 regime for official exchange rate was maintained until 1999 when Naira was devalued sharply to about N90 and then we saw a steady fall to about N140. Under President Umaru Yar’Adua in 2007/2008, the Naira firmed up for the first time ever since the devaluation game started, to N120 but we lost track in 2009/10 and devalued to around N149. It was this intricate balance that the Jonathan government maintained until 2014.

Since the Buhari government came in, and in spite of his consistent swearing never to devalue the currency, it turns out that this is a major policy – most prominent plank – of the administration. In order words, devaluation is something this administration knows how to do, if nothing else. The naira has seen serious volatility like never before, crashing from N199 to N306 in 2016, N360 in 2017, N390 in 2020, and N414 in 2021. Since the statement of the Vice President to the extent that the Naira is yet to find its value and that is the reason why investors are not coming, official rates have further crashed to N422, with every sense that a lot more is coming. This is a review of official markets, where government people get their fill of foreign exchange at the expense of taxpayers. The ‘black market’, which is mostly accessible to ordinary folks, have of course gone haywire, crashing from around N220 in 2015, to N580 today.

I note that in May 2016, as Buhari kept grunting about not taking IMF advice on devaluing the Naira, Osinbajo moved against that position and stated that the CBN had to change its policies, thus giving a clue of imminent devaluation, or rather, sealing the fate of the Naira as at then. See https://www. hydrocarbonprocessing.com/news/2016/05/nigeria-bracesfor-new-round-of-fuel-shortages. I took note back then that the man may either have some ultra-right economists in his

team, or is fully sold on IMF/World Bank narratives, some of which they had walked back in the past. But like Professor Quiggin of Queensland University, Australia said, some dead economic ideas still prowl, especially in benighted countries like Nigeria, wreaking havoc. They are dead ideas, but are still alive. Welcome to Zombie Economics.

Fast-forward to the cryptocurrency controversy, when the CBN had to remind banks of a 2017 memo in which they were cautioned about speculating on that pseudo asset, or offering their platforms to traders and exchanges, Osinbajo stepped up powerfully to berate the Central Bank (again), when he said that cryptocurrencies should be regulated rather than banned. On that occasion, he had very stern words for CBN, that could have damaged the morale of those working there. They were put out as being incompetent and unpatriotic. The crypto market was almost at peak (February 26, 2021) but would later reach a nadir in April before entering a cataclysmic decline in May, from which it is yet to fully recover. Let us take a pause and consider how crypto markets have been so volatile. We learnt that Nigeria was the country with the second highest trading volumes in the world – in spite of our low per capita income. It could only mean that corrupt folks were using cryptos to disguise their loot, and cryptocurrencies were enabling a lot of criminal activities for which a section of our young people are popular. That instrument is certainly not one that a sovereign would jump into at the deep end. Thankfully, the Central Bank of Nigeria did not buckle under the staccato from the VP or turn over our financial system to be sacrificed on the altar of cryptocurrencies. Perhaps we would have been in a different kind of trouble today.

The point here is that whatever policy or ideology anyone subscribes to, it is important to stand back and survey the damage – or the achievements, if any, from time to time. With this one-way devaluation we have embarked upon since 1986, which is now on steroids under this very government, I cannot see any achievements that devaluation has brought upon us, only pains. It is not enough to subscribe to these policies, just to look like you are intelligent to the IMF or World Bank, who themselves have apologized in the past for some of these self-same policies. Whereas the IMF/ World Bank almost considers it a policy plank for countries like Nigeria to devalue currencies especially when we want to borrow from them, as they say devaluation enables our

export volumes and receipts grow, thereby helping us shrink trade deficits and become more self-sustaining, they know that in reality, the opposite is the case. The same bodies thus advise that devaluation will not solve economic problems, when addressing serious nations with good exports to push, like China. See a 2019 statement from IMF to this effect. https://www.cnbc.com/2019/08/21/imf-warns-currencydevaluations-will-not-fix-economic-problems.html. Fundamental damage has been done to this economy and polity by this government, in the last 7 odd years. We have never been more divided because we are stuck with a taciturn leader whom someone said is not even interested in reconciling members of his own family, much less uniting the whole of Nigeria. Separatist groups have taken on a life of their own, while criminals have driven law-abiding citizens to the fringes. Kidnapping for ransom is the new game that pays, and nowhere in the country is safe. We still argue about open grazing of cows while marauders from west and north Africa make incursions into our northern villages and even down south, killing and maiming and the president is hardwired to defend his Fulani kin from wherever they may come. Businesses have collapsed, and unemployment rate is at an all-time-high, and in all this, our Vice President has called for even more devaluation, with the Naira further tumbling and life getting tougher for the masses. Meanwhile, the same story has been used over and over again, since 1986 when we commenced this journey of naira devaluation. Indeed when rich men who have already converted their loot into US Dollars call for devaluation, what they are really saying is that those who depend on the naira to survive, and have no holdings of US Dollars, should suffer more. We should also note that the poor folks in Nigeria are taking their own revenge against this chicanery from their leaders. A lot of the crime takes place when the poor try to strike back at a society that takes them for granted. For it is itself a crime, having converted your wealth to foreign currency, to openly call for devaluation. It is simply insider trading.

I wish to point direct attention at the following issues with regard to this foreign exchange matter. I am sad that a mere nonentity like me labors daily to teach, to educate, to try and save our country from painful cataclysm, while people we are paying to do just that, work at cross purposes:

Tope Fasua is a Public Policy Analyst.

Abdul writes from Abuja

Africans and the relative causes of child labour

By Adeparua Damilola

Ionce attended an event that kept me until late at night.

While going back home around 8:30, there was this young girl of about 10 or 11 years, who was running helter-skelter in order to catch up with cars so as to sell her sachet water mindless of a possible accident which may likely end her life talk less of the possibility of either being kidnapped or raped but then how many of such children must have been killed in a motor accident or actually kidnapped, raped or trafficked?

According to United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), Nearly 1 in 10 children are subjected to child labor worldwide, with some forced into hazardous work through trafficking.

Child labor is not strange to every Tom, Dick and Harry in this part of the world because saying it is practiced in Nigeria will amount to nothing other than an understatement but in the real sense, it is not just peculiar to Nigeria as it is seen and practiced in other parts of the world although with different levels and percentage. The emergence of COVID 19 has brought about an increase in child labor.

Statistics shows that roughly 160 million children were subjected to child labor at the beginning of 2020, with 9 million additional children at risk due to the impact of COVID-19.

According to International Labor Organization (ILO), the term “child labor” is often defined as work that deprives children of their childhood, their potential and their dignity, and that is harmful to physical and mental development. It refers to work that is mentally, physically, socially or morally dangerous and harmful to children; and/or interferes with their schooling by: depriving them of the opportunity to attend school; obliging them to leave school prematurely; or requiring them to attempt to combine school attendance with excessively long and heavy work. The worst forms of child labor involves children being enslaved, separated from their families, exposed to serious hazards and illnesses and/or left to fend for themselves on the streets of large cities often at a very early age

According to Wikipedia, Child labor refers to the exploitation of children through any form of work that deprives children of their childhood, interferes with their ability to attend regular school, and is mentally, physically, socially and morally harmful. As posited by a source, child labor can manifest in the form of slavery or similar practices, child trafficking, forced recruitment into armed conflict, sexual

exploitation, drug production and trafficking or other illegal acts, debt bondage, hazardous work that can cause injury or moral corruption.

The latest ILO global estimates on child labor indicate that Africa has the largest number of child laborers; 72.1 million African children are estimated to be in child labor and 31.5 million in hazardous work. Another source posits that most children working below permissible age limits (72 million) live in Africa, followed by Asia (62 million). Anyone under the age of 18 is considered a child, according to the United Nations.

In the olden days, African men married many wives to give birth to numerous or even uncountable children as evident in some cases. These children are needed for nothing other than helping them on their farmlands as laborers and such men were seen as wealthy and influential due to the profits they make from their children’s hard labor. Unfortunately, even after the emergence of western education, some of these parents are still engaged in the practice and nowadays, many children are still going through the effects of the archaic culture.

Apart from the aforementioned cultural origin of child labor, what about the particular religious belief, which encourages child labor?

According to a source, Almajiri begging system is a type of begging for alms that is prevalent in the northern Nigeria and practiced specifically by Muslim children. In that region, Muslim families send their children from their homes into major towns and cities to live with and receive qur’anic education from Islamic teachers called “Malams”.

These children are known as “almajiris”. It has been estimated by the Ministerial Committee on Madrasah Education in December 2010, that Nigeria has about 9.5 million almajiris.

The usual Islamic law is that the almajiris have to ask their host community for food only if they are hungry, and when they are satisfied, they go back to the classroom. Unfortunately, these teachers “Malams” transform the children into professional beggars by forcing them to beg for money in the street and do other menial jobs for money from dawn to dust and surrender the proceeds (money).

The outrageous part of this is the fact that many of these children follow strangers to strange and dangerous places which may likely endanger their lives to beg for alms and this makes the research as posited by a source feasible that

Discussing child defilement

By Adewale Kupoluyi

On the other hand, the Lagos State Criminal Law had singled out child defilement and goes further to make provisions as to tackle the statute barred barrier, Ali stated. He reiterated that the Child’s Rights Act, 2003 makes provisions for the protection of a child when it comes to criminal sexual assault and defilement, but that the act had not been domesticated by a number of states in Nigeria, although many stakeholders are still calling on other states to speedily follow suit and ensure its implementation.

There is hardly any day that passes by without getting unpleasant news of child defilement, especially against the girl-child. The truth is that child defilement has assumed frightening proportions that deserve urgent attention and is worth discussing. This topic took a centre stage on Radio Law Clinic, a weekly programme on the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta (FUNAAB), Ogun State radio station, FUNAAB 89.5FM, where listeners are given basic knowledge of the law to become better citizens. The co-producer and presenter of the programme, Mrs. Omobolanle Sanyaolu in the introductory remarks, had observed that children are supposed to be a joy to their families and future leaders of the nation, but many of these children remain victims of different forms of abuse, violence, and exploitation.

The discussants, who were drawn from diverse fields of human endeavours, reviewed the nature, causes, and solutions to child defilement. A legal practitioner, Clement Obasanya defines defilement with reference to Section 218 of the Criminal Code Act, as the unlawful carnal knowledge of a girl under the age of 13 while the offender that engages in the act is guilty of a felony and liable to life imprisonment. For another lawyer, Oluwadamilola Fatoye, any child that had been abused sexually, physically, or emotionally, would always have negative reactions or counter-reactions in society. She added that defilement is traumatic and often associated with psychosocial problems in children. Defiled children, more often than not, have negative outcomes in terms of poor academic performance, low self-esteem, depression, poor social relationships, show cruelty to animals, have attention deficit, hyperactivity disorders, and teenage pregnancy, among others.

Fatoye stated that “You can imagine all of these things happening to a child. I am sending it directly to people that have

the tendency of defiling a child. The thing is that you were once a child and if your life was destroyed the way you are destroying another person’s life, you will not be the kind of person or you will not have grown up to be the kind of person you are right now. Please, I am pleading to our conscience as mature people to desist from doing this demonic and devilish act. The government has the Ministry of Women Affairs and there is the National Human Rights Commission that people can go to lodge a complaint bordering on child defilement and can get necessary attention”. Obasanya speaks further by identifying the causes of defilement to include carelessness of parents, improper dressing, drug abuse, absence of sex education, lack of cordial relationship between parents and children, inability to exercise self-control, and promiscuous lifestyles by parents. At times, offenders are found to engage in the dastardly behaviour for ritual purposes because they have gotten themselves involved in what they should not get themselves involved in”, he added.Another legal practitioner, Charles Ali observed that there are certain provisions in the laws that are both adequate and inadequate and that one of the limiting factors associated with the criminal and penal codes is that they cover rape in general and not defilement per se, adding that there are other things that makeup child defilement that has not been covered by the act. The counsel mentioned the issue of limitation of time at bringing up criminal allegations and charge against suspected persons in the court. The criminal code makes provision for only two months as its limitation period. Before a complaint is made, an arrest is carried out, before an investigation is conducted, and a case filed in court, the two months must have elapsed. On the other hand, the Lagos State Criminal Law had singled out child defilement and goes further to make provisions as to tackle the statute barred barrier, Ali stated. He reiterated that the Child’s Rights Act, 2003 makes provisions for the protection of a child when it comes to criminal sexual assault and defilement, but that the act had not been domesticated by a number of states in Nigeria, although many stakeholders are still calling on other states to speedily follow suit and ensure its implementation.

On her part, a school administrator, Mrs. Funke Akintaro enjoined the family to protect their children against abuse, being the first agent of socialisation. “The first thing a mother must do to prevent defilement is to make her child her friend. A mother must be her child’s confidant for the child must be confident enough to

children on the move risk being forced into work or even trafficked, subjected to violence, abuse and other human rights violations

One of the causes of child labor is poverty. Since unemployment is on the rise, the aftermath is poverty and this explains why there are many professional beggars on the street. Parents who even have one or two children can hardly feed them talk less of those who have numerous children and since these parents are unable to cater for their children, it becomes expedient for the children to fend for themselves and hence, child labor. Even right from the olden days, poor African parents who are indebted used their children as collateral!

Also free education is not compulsorily accessible to all. Many children who are interested in getting educated either hawk or go to work early in the morning before going to school so as to get themselves their learning materials and also pay their school fees up till now the government keeps advertising free education which is not actually free. Many parents cannot even afford the advertised free education and end up engaging their children in child labor. Yet, majority of the leaders enjoyed free education with other benefits attached in their own days.

Research shows that 30 million children live outside their country of birth, increasing their risk of being trafficked for sexual exploitation and other work. Family size also leads to child labor.

Africans are fond of marrying many wives and giving birth to many children they cannot nurture and when poverty knocks on their doors, they end up sending their children to far places either to their relatives or places where they can start working and fending for themselves as house helps or factory workers.

In addition, broken family can lead to child labor. Many people break up with only their interests in mind, not concerned about the well being of their children who may end up being taken to a far away place or to relatives who will not get them enrolled in schools due to inability to take proper care of them or who due to their personal gains engage them in child labor. What about the orphans who have no one to support them, who should be the responsibilities of the government but left alone to roam about aimlessly and get kidnapped or trafficked for child labor?

Adeparua Damilola Can be reached via:adeparuaadot55@gmail.com

tell you anything and everything that he or she is passing through. If you make your child your friend, you will know everything about that child. A mother must have many tentacles to pick things to know whether her children are hiding things from her while exposure to pornographic contents, no matter how subtle they appear, should be prevented in addition to watching things that can affect them psychologically through the censorship of they watch on television and the Internet”, Mrs. Akintaro cautioned.

Some Christian clerics gave their interventions from the biblical perspective. For Bishop Oluwatoyin Ige, Senior Pastor, Covenant Lifeway Church, the voice of men is the voice of God and what the law does is to establish God’s consent about a community, a nation, and a people. For instance, the World Health Organisation (WHO) and Nigerian laws look at child defilement as something bad, which makes the culprits liable to life imprisonment, saying sexual abuse or molestation is particularly devastating and warned that sexual sins are frowned upon in the scriptures. “I want to take this (message) to all our adults and young adults, to please, have self-control for the problem of sexual defilement is the problem of the mind”, he stressed. Pastor Gbade Akintaro, Presiding Pastor, Peculiar Peoples’ Palace Int’l Ministries, noted that child defilement remains a violation of the fundamental rights against its victims and that child defilement is seen as harlotry practice, a serious thing against the Lord and that destruction awaits whoever defiles a child or minor.

Rev. Peace Toluwade, Lead Pastor, City Harvest Church describes children as a heritage from one generation to another and arrow in the hands of a mighty man. He revealed that any sexual contact between a man and woman that are not married amount to immorality and when a child is involved, it is sometimes called ‘statutory rape’ and becomes more severe attracts great punishment from God because of the long term effects on the victim by causing anger and an addiction to sinful behaviour. On his part, an Islamic cleric and teacher, Ustaz Abdulrasheed Opeloyeru informed that the punishment for defilement, according to the Holy Quran, is severe as permitted under Islamic injunctions. Ustaz Opeloyeru recommends good upbringing of the child, giving of sound education and morals, and regularly praying for our children.

Dr. Kupoluyi writes from Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta (FUNAAB), Ogun State.

By Tobias Lengnan Dapam

Two Civil Society Organisations, Coalition for Peace in Nigeria (COPIN) and South East Support Group (SESGP), said they are convinced that Tinubu will stimulate manufacturing, necessitating investment opportunities for productivity and growth.

The CSOs stated this on Thursday in Abuja.

Ohaegbulam Chibuike Barnabas Coordinator, SESGP, said Tinubu’s emergence as president elect was greeted by agitations in some quarters for the establishment of an illegal contraption called “interim government”.

He said the promoters of this provocative idea had tried to instigate violent protests in major parts of the country, to achieve

Tinubu will stimulate investment opportunities for youths —COPIN, SESGP

their objectives.

“As expected, our military, security and intelligence community rose to the occasion, by detecting and containing all possible threats to successful inauguration.”

Also speaking, Akwuobi Emeka, National Coordinator, said the South East Support Group, and the Coalition for Peace In Nigeria, has declared total and unequivocal support for the President-elect, Senator Tinubu.

“Our position is informed by his trajectory as a former Senator, NADECO leader, Governor of

Lagos State, and statesman.

“We have no doubt that the much-anticipated Bola Tinubu Presidency will usher in ‘renewed hope’, build a Nigeria, especially for youths, where sufficient jobs with decent wages, will be created.”

On his part, Leny Nduka, State Cordinator, COPIN, called on all aggrieved parties to toe the path of peace, bearing in mind the fact that Nigeria, as a constitutional democracy, is greater than individual ambitions.

“To achieve whatever goals, therefore, we must, first, ensure a safe and conducive environment,

where rule of law and due process, not Hobbesian state, guarantees collective existence.

“Finally, we make bold to say that the May 29 inauguration of our amiable President-elect is, to all intent and purpose, sacrosanct, as it is a done-deal.

“The South East Support Group, in collaboration with the Coalition for Peace in Nigeria, (COPIN) will deploy all legitimate tools at our disposal, including public awareness and sensitization, to ensure a successful transition of power on May 29.

“Our resolve is buoyed by the

realisation - contrary to erroneous reports in some quarters - that the South East geo-political entity may not be fully supportive of a Tinubu Presidency.

If anything, Ndigbo are, from Independent investigations, more solidly behind the successful inauguration of the President-elect, than any other geo-political entity.

“We want to conclude by calling on all well-meaning Nigerians and lovers of peace, to sheathe their swords, and rally round the President-elect, in order to ensure a hitch-free inauguration on May 29.”

African Day: Group launches Social Enterprise on Africa story telling

By Maryam Abeeb

In celebrating 2023 Africa day, a group known as Africa Thru

My Eyes, ATME has launched a social enterprise to tell the African story to the World.

The Founder and President of ATME, Dr. Naomi Osemedua while presenting the documentary at the launching which was held in Abuja, explained that ATME is a social enterprise that is aimed to unite Africa through the power of her unique stories.

She noted that sharing stories from different parts of Africa is sure to foster greater understanding and a stronger sense of pride of identity, empathy and appreciation for the continent’s rich cultural diversity.

She added that ATME is committed to the promotion of the many positive narrative of Africa and dispelling the stereotypes that often dominate mainstream media globally.

According to her, the story telling is also aimed at talking about the food, the culture, the fashion, the music , the nightlife and everything else that Africa represents.

“Africa is beautiful, and we need the world to know. And so today, it is a dream come true that we are officially launching the social enterprise Africa through my eyes and you might wonder why my eyes because I believe we all see differently. If I had to place an object here, and I asked multiple people to share what they see it will amaze you how we’re all looking at one object but yet there’s so much diversity in how we see the object and that is what we plan to do with Africa through my eyes.

“We want to see Africa not just through our eyes as an organization, but through your eyes. And even as a diplomat here in Nigeria, we want to know what Africa looks like through your eyes.

Because at the end of the day, it’s the stories we all tell. Someone once said, it’s really not just about sitting back and doing nothing. Because if you do not tell your story yourself, you put the power in the hands of the person who is telling the story on your behalf.

“And so what we’re doing through this social enterprise is taking that power to say, we are

here. We’re Africans, and those of course, who also love Africa. And we’re taking back ownership and we want to tell our stories. So whether you’re a visitor, thank you. So whether you’re here only visiting, or you’re here permanently for me here, Nigeria, the continent of Africa is my home. I live here, and I’m happy to be here. And I am proudly Nigerian. I am proudly

African,” she stated.

Further speaking, she disclosed that the first phase of initiative of the team is to launch the ATME story telling academy with 1000 young Africans.

Dr Osemedua added that 20 story tellers will be selected from each country in Africa.

She assured that in the next 5 years, there will be an army of story

tellers across the continent.

The Special Assistant to the High Commissioner, Sierra Leone, Henry Liege in an interview with pressmen at the event, commended the initiative of telling the Africa stories in a unique way.

He said that there is need to let the World know and understand the value of unity and diversity of Africa.

Members of Activism for Good Governance during a rally demanding for a fair hearing by the Judiciary over the presidential appeal tribunal in delivering their judgement, yesterday in Abuja yesterday

Group takes technovation to girl child in grassroots

By Maryam Abeeb

As part of efforts to boost girl child education, a group known as Odyssey Education Foundation has organized a pitch event in technovation for girl in rural schools in Nasarawa state.

The pitch event is to be organised among 92 schools in FCT-Abuja, Nasarawa, Kano, and Bayelsa states.

While speaking to journalists at the event, in Nasarawa , the Founder of Odyssey Educational Foundation and Chapter Ambassador of “Technovation Girls” Abuja-FCT, Stella Uzochukwu-Denis , disclosed that the foundation is created to increase the number of females studying and applying for STEM jobs

among young people in Nigeria.

According to her, the Technovation challenge is an excellent initiative that encourages young women to use technology to make the world a better place.

“ we’re here to ensure that we’re not just in Abuja Metropolis alone , that even rural areas and all other places we have young girls to get to know about technology .

“Most of them said they could discourage because you they told them that they cannot, people saying you are too small to be able to think of a whole building. That’s our own story for us today. So it’s so much fulfillment.

One of the of the participants, a 12 years old Stephen Hephzibah

said that the event has really helped her to know that girls can be better than boys.

“My advice for the girls is that they should just know that they can do anything and they can also create something that can make a difference in Nigeria,” she stated.

Also, another girl at the event, Comfort Godwin, that the program has made her know more information about technology and innovation.

Speaking further, a Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics , STEM educator, Jacqueline Peter said that there is need for the society to encourage girl child to be involved in technology.

She noted “if teachers are

involved, parents are involved and students are also interested in getting involved you know, look at almost every school, we participated in television, and then we see young girls doing amazing things in tech.

“So if there’s a way we can involve the society go through the society or not just through the school so that the parents understand what’s coming. That way they can also encourage the students and you know, that can be hindered because a lot of girls that were not able to portray their status or they didn’t complete the discouragements came from their families and just surrounding people that don’t understand what’s going on. So yeah, that’s about it.

Photo: Mahmud Isa

By Ikechukwu Okaforadi

Social activist, Aisha

Yesufu, has described the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as a useless party.

Yesufu said PDP would have won the 2023 presidential election if it had fielded Peter Obi as its presidential candidate.

She noted that PDP would have won the 2015 and 2023 presidential elections.

By Musa Baba Adamu

The Arewa Youths have told the president-elect, Ahmed Bola Tinubu not to betray the North West as he’s not known for ‘use and dump’.

The group made the call on Thursday at the backdrop of criticisms traíling the microzoning of presiding officers of the 10th National Assembly.

They reminded the president-elect that it is only the North West that gave him 30 percent votes in the just concluded presidential election out of the six geographical zones of the country.

Addressing journalists at a peaceful protest in solidarity with Senator Abdulaziz Yari for the position of Senate President, the Arewa Youths said they were astonished when they read in the news that the President-elect was supporting a South-South candidate for Senate President rather than the North-west that gave him the most votes in the election.

Addressing journalists, the zonal coordinator of the group, Dr. Tanko Abdullahi, who was represented by the President of Northern Youths Council, Useni Abubakar, cautioned the President-elect not to allow sycophants to deceive him.

He said: “We assure the President-elect that the Northwest support for him was as a result of our belief that the President-elect is a man who believes that Political loyalty can be paid back with political loyalty.

“We do not know the

PDP failed, still failing because of greed, failure to field Peter Obi – Aisha Yesufu

In a series of tweets, the activist explained that PDP failed to win the presidential elections due to greed.

Yesufu said: “PDP was useless in 2015 and it is still useless in 2023. Both elections

were PDP’s to win and they horrendously threw both away.

“Their members are running around spinning some conspiracy theories when they were dumb and dumber with arrogance and greed.

“PDP would have won the 2015 election either by fielding a different candidate or listening and responding to the cries of the people but their arrogance had gotten hold of them.

“PDP would have won the 2023 election by fielding Peter Obi but their greed is a tight vice around their neck.

“PDP failed and still failing to read the handwriting on the wall.”

Senate Presidency: Arewa youths tell Tinubu not to betray North

President-elect as a use and dump leader hence we want

to remind the Senator Tinubu should not allow Nigerians begin to see him from the angle of having used and dumped the good people of North-west Nigeria.”

Yobe state executive to be dissolved within the week- Hon. Bego

From Mohammed Maitela, Damaturu

The State Commissioner Ministry of Wealth Creation, Empowerment and Employment Generation, Abdullahi Bego has disclosed that the Yobe state Executive Council will be dissolved within the week.

Hon Bego made this public while briefing news men shortly after a valedictory State Executive Council meeting hosted by Governor Mai Mala Buni.

“Governor Buni chaired the last Exco under his first

administration, consequently he is contented with all the contributions made toward the development of the state by members of the council over the last four years.”

“Buni has approved over N30bn for the execution of various projects across the state as he chaired a valedictory State Executive Council meeting.”

On his part, the Hon. commissioner, ministry of works, Engr. Umar Wakili Duddaye, said some of the ratified and approved projects under his Ministry during the valedictory session, was put at over thirty

Abdullahi Bego

billion naira, (N30 Billion) for execution of various projects strew across the state.

Adding that, the projects

were divided in to three parts which includes township roads in Gashua, Potiskum, Geidam, and Nguru respectively.

Speaker tussle: Agbo urges Gbajabiamila, Wase to disagree constructively

By Christiana Ekpa

The member representing Ado/ Okpokwu/Ogbadibo Federal Constituency of Benue State in the House of Representatives, Hon. Francis Ottah Agbo, has urged the Speaker, Femi Gbajabiamila, and his deputy, Ibrahim Wase, not to get tired of dialoguing.

The lawmaker was reacting to the recent drama in the House where the Deputy Speaker appeared to be “challenging” the Speaker.

Agbo said the ongoing tension in the House of Representatives precipitated by the scramble for Speakership was not good for the House as the country is relying on the legislature to redeem it

from the oblivion it has been subjected to in the last five years.

He said if the Speaker and his Deputy must disagree, they should do so constructively.

He stated this in a Facebook post on Wednesday.

Agbo said, “Before June 13, 2023, the 9th National Assembly will come to an end. What has a beginning must have an end.

“I look forward to a 10th Assembly which will consolidate the gargantuan gains recorded by the outgoing House which I am privileged to chair its Narcotic Drugs Committee as well as serving as the Spokesman of its Minority Caucus! I can not take this for granted more so that these

responsibilities fell on me as a first term Member of Parliament!

“The ongoing tension in the House of Representatives precipitated by the scramble for the coveted Speakership Diadem must be quickly put to rest.

“It is against this background that I enjoin Mr. Speaker and his deputy to dialogue and not to be tired of dialoguing for no dialogue is too much. And if they must disagree; they should do so constructively, they should disagree to agree without being dis-agreeable for we are in Parliament to selflessly serve Nigeria and not ourselves!

“Like I have always said in the last five years, the soul of this country called Nigeria is fast going into oblivion

and it is the bounden responsibility of Parliament to, in concert with the other arms of government to redeem our country.

“The current 9th Assembly has done well and is doing so much to salvage the country and will continue to do so untill the 10th Assembly is inaugurated. The 10th Assembly must continue from where we shall stop in order to halt the drifting of our fatherland!”

Rep. Agbo will not be returning to the National Assembly having lost out to Barr. Aide Nath Ogwuche at the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, primaries. His opponent also lost out to Philip Agbese of the All Progressives Congress, APC, in the general elections.

Double nomination: Shettima commits no offence – Shehu Sani

By Musa Baba Adamu

Former Senator representing Kaduna Central Senatorial District, Shehu Sani, on Wednesday said the Vice presidentelect committed no offence for purchasing Senatorial form for 2023 general election.

Senator Shettima was said to have purchased expression of interest and

nomination forms to contest for senate before he was nominated for presidential running mate to Ahmed Bola Tinubu.

His alleged double nomination has been a subject of criticism with the critics dragging him to the Supreme Court.

Reacting in a statement he issued on Wednesday and made available to journàlists in Abuja, Shehu Sani made reference to

the same scenario, saying that the Senate President, Ahmad Ibrahim Lawan contested for the presidential election and re-contested to represent Yobe North Senatorial, which he won.

He added that Godswill Akpabio, who is a senator-elect, awaiting inauguration, also contested the presidential election, stressing that Kashim Shettima found himself in the

same situation.

Sani expressed optimism that the Supreme Court will not rule against Shettima.

He said: “What was good for Ahmed Lawan and Akpabio is good for Shettima.

“I don’t expect the Supreme Court to rule against the double nomination. No Nigerian should be denied the right and privilege of seeking another office if he fails to get one.”

Kano politics: Ganduje drops murder charges against Doguwa, arrested 5 supporters

By Christiana Ekpa

Kano State Government on Thursday said it can’t arraign before a court of law the Majority Leader of the House of Representatives, Alhassan Doguwa, because there was no evidence to do that.

The State’s Attorney General, and Commissioner for Justice, Musa Lawan, told reporters that the government is dropping the murder charge against the lawmaker.

He said his office cannot

substantiate charges of criminal conspiracy, mischief by fire and culpable homicide levelled against Doguwa.

Recall that the police in Kano charged Doguwa with murder for allegedly killing three people during the 25 February election.

The lawmaker was allegedly involved in a violent confrontation between members of the New Nigeria People Party (NNPP) and the All Progressives Congress (APC) that led to the killing of three people and the burning of a

campaign office of the opposition party in the Tudun Wada Local Government.

The police on Friday submitted a report of its investigation of the incident to the Kano State government for review and possible prosecution of Doguwa and 14 others.

The Kano government said it can only prosecute five suspects arrested alongside Doguwa for alleged arson of the NNPP’s office in the Tudun Wada Local Government Area after they confessed that they

committed the offence.

“Based on the contradicted witnesses received, those that indicted were full of contradictions while others exonerated him (Mr Doguwa) according to the police investigation report submitted to the Kano State government.

“After scrutiny, we cannot establish a murder charge against Alhassan Ado Doguwa and other accomplices including the police officers whose ammunition was intact after the incident.

“By law, if you have a

contradiction in evidence against a suspect, you can pick the one that exonerates him against the ones that have contradictions, this made us to arrived that we cannot charge them in court.

“Only five suspects who have confessed to having burned the NNPP office will be court charged,” Lawan said.

Lawan said that apart from the contradictory comments, there was no medical evidence to prove that Mr Doguwa caused the death of the deceased persons.

Political violence: Katsina govt compensates musicians with 80 million

Aletter circulating on the social media indicates that the Katsina State government has approved N80 million to compensate two popular musicians who had their houses attacked and destroyed by political thugs during the just concluded electioneering period.

The musicians, Dauda Adamu, popularly known as Rarara and Yusuf Funtua known as Baban Chinedu, were two of the most popular pro-All Progressives Congress (APC) musicians in northern Nigeria.

Adamu’s house and office were set ablaze by political miscreants suspected to be loyal to the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) in Kano, after the governorship election in the state.

Adamu, who is from Katsina State but lives in Kano State, was allegedly targeted for his scathing songs against a national leader of the NNPP and its presidential candidate, Rabiu Kwankwaso and the governorelect of Kano State, Abba Kabir.

Vehicles and other belongings of the musician were also vandalised during the attack.

Similarly, Funtua’s studio and his restaurant in Kano were also vandalised.

“After the winner of Kano State gubernatorial election was declared last Monday, I received

a call in the morning that some people stormed, attacked and looted places where I have properties including my studio, and injured some of our boys.

“I also received information that some unidentified thugs set the house of a good friend of mine who is a renowned political singer, Dauda Kahutu Rarara, on fire and that his Zoo Road office was attacked. My proposed restaurant was also vandalized by these unknown thugs,” he told the Daily trust newspaper.

“I am directed to convey approval for the release of N80,000,000 Naira only to the accountant-general payable to secretary government of the State, governor’s being KTSG (Katsina State Government) assistance to Alh Adamu Abdullahi Rarara and Baban Chinedu to secure alternative accommodations for their families in the aftermath of itax by political miscreants by

political miscreants on Monday 20 March 2023 in Kano as follows. Alh Dauda Adamu Abdullahi Rarara N50,000,000. Baban Chinedu N30,000,000. The vote of charge is 022000700100/22040109,” the letter read in part.

The letter was signed by an official of the Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning, Saminu Muhd – K/Soli and addressed to the accountantgeneral of the state. Other government officials that were copied in the letter include the Secretary Government of the State, Commissioner of Finance, Auditor General, Director, Main Account among others. When reached for comment,, the Director General Media and New Nedia to the governor, Al – Amin Isa, asked for time to investigate the authenticity of the letter.

“I don’t know honestly

speaking. I will have to do my own investigation to find out,” he said in a message.

However, A source at the Ministry of Finance, who asked not to be named because he did not have the permission to speak with the media,

confirmed the authenticity of the letter.

“First, it’s true that we received this letter as you asked, but I don’t think it should be an issue because the musicians are all from Katsina state,” the official said.

Niger Governor-elect pledges to surpass expectations

From Yakubu Mustapha Minna

Niger State Governor elect Umar Mohammed Bago, pledges to surpass the expectations of the people by raising the bar in governance.

Bago stated this at his

inauguration lecture titled; Addressing the challenges of socio economic development at sub national level in Nigeria, held yesterday in Minna.

He stated that the lecture was apt and has provided inputs as well as a foundation for a

‘Renew Niger’ and hope for the state, hence called for advice, counselling for a successful administration.

The Niger state governor, Alhaji Abubakar Sani Bello called for transparency of accountability to gain the

confidence of the people and getting a formidable team for good governance. He lamented over lack of capacity on the part of MDAs who are to implement his policy and programmes to succeed as required.

Nigerian legislative institute to set agenda for 10th National Assembly

By Musa Baba Adamu

The National Institute for Legislative and Democratic Studies (NILDS) is prepared to set the agenda for the incoming National Assembly.

The 10th National Assembly, comprising the Senate and the House of Representatives, will be inaugurated on June 13, at the expiration of the 9th

Assembly.

Speaking in Abuja on Thursday at a dialogue for the agenda setting organised by the institute, its Director -General, Abubakar Sulaiman, said the outcome of the roundtable discussion would serve as input to the legislative agenda that will be channelled to the 10th National Assembly for the lawmakers’ consideration.

Sulaiman, a professor,

said NILDS as the think tank and research institute for the legislature; the inputs from presentations and discussions during the roundtable will be harnessed and transmitted to the relevant committees and offices of the national assembly for input in the agenda of the 10th NASS.

He charged participants and discussants at the roundtable to sectionalise their inputs on

specific thematic areas like the economy, health, security, human rights, judicial reforms, education and women’s affairs, among others.

“As you make your contributions, therefore, it would be vital to situate them within the changing dynamics at the global, national, and subnational levels, Nigeria does not exist in isolation. As such an effective 10th National Assembly

must situate its function of law-making, oversight, and representation in the context of Nigeria as a member of a global village, Mr Sulaiman told the participants.

Participants at the dialogue included representatives of the Trade Union Congress, NECA, women groups, students, fintech, civil society groups, academics, and media, among others.

Rarara

POLITICS

By Christiana Ekpa

The Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke has declared his administration’s readiness to address the low performance of students from the state in national examinations.

Bemoaning the current standing of Osun State in public examinations, Governor Adeleke described it as unpalatable.

The governor made the declaration at the commissioning of a computerbased examination centre donated by the Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Faruk Yahaya under the civil-military intervention projects in Obokun on Thursday.

He also highlighted measures put in place by his government to take the state to the top in performance rating in

I’ll focus on improving Osun performance rating in public examinations – Adeleke

public examinations.

Represented by his deputy, Kola Adewusi, Adeleke lauded the military authority as well as the facilitator for locating the project in the state.

In his words, “I am excited at the commissioning of the computer based examination centre basically because it touches the heart of the state educational priority.

“My government is focused on reversing the current poor standing of the state in public examinations and placing it between number one to ten on performance rating by giving urgent attention to the learning

environment, learning tools and teacher-student question.”

While pointing out that teachers’ welfare is also high on the agenda to motivate teachers in the teaching-learning process, he added that his government is already prioritising improvement of schools by embarking on renovation and upgrading of facilities.

“Our approach to students’ welfare is to address the general poverty crisis within the society through accelerated focus on grassroots development. This is targeted at ensuring that alleviating community poverty will provide enabling home

environments for the students to improve their learning capacities.

“The issue of learning tools is being addressed on various fronts. For example, efforts are ongoing to revive the nine computer centers located in schools across the nine federal constituencies.

“Our team of technocrats also recently hosted several meetings on tech assisted learning and examination processes. Our administration is so passionate towards an holistic approach to the low performance of our children at the national examinations.”

He welcomed the new facility as a great addition to his administration’s push for improved educational attainment for students in Osun State.

“All Ministries, departments and agencies are to relate with implementing agencies for seamless operations and collaboration. Commissioned projects should be integrated into state activities.

“We should not allow federally donated projects to waste away after commissioning for whatever reasons,” the Governor reiterated.

Buhari: Ninth National Assembly most productive

By Ikechukwu Okaforadi

President Muhammadu

Buhari was on Thursday full of praises for the Ninth National Assembly for being most productive just as the leadership of the Assembly lauded Buhari for being most parliament friendly President.

Buhari made the remarks while commissioning the permanent site of the National Institute for Legislative and Democratic Studies (NILDS), an agency of the National Assembly.

Buhari said the achievements of his government were due to the harmonious relationship between the Executive and the Legislature.

“As you are all aware, I have traversed all parts of Nigeria in the last few days commissioning several critical infrastructure that our administration has completed over the last eight years.

“Our successes as a government are primarily due to the harmonious relationship between the Executive and the Legislature.

“The Legislature is the cornerstone of any democracy. It is vital to ensuring that the wishes and aspirations of all Nigerians are considered during the lawmaking process. It also performs critical function of overseeing the Executive and ensuring government spending aligns with Legislative intents.

“From the moment of my election in 2015 and subsequently, I supported the idea of an independent National Assembly to decide it’s leadership and develop it’s agenda in line with the manifesto of the All Progressives

Congress(APC).

“I refrain from meddling in the affairs of the Legislature and promote, instead, a culture of mutual respect and collaboration between the two arms.

“The numerous positive outcomes for our country underscore the importance of a harmonious Executive/ Legislature relationship.

“Working with the National Assembly, we have passed an unprecedented number of Bills into law, provided funding for key infrastructure ... and address some of the long standing challenges which have hampered economic growth and development.

“Our achievement in reforming the oil and gas sector, strengthening the electoral framework, diversify our economy, improving transparency and accountability, tackling insecurity and entrenching good

governance are easily verifiable.

“This Ninth Assembly will be remembered as one of the most productive in terms of output and outcomes. I thank the leadership of the National Assembly for giving me the support required to deliver on my promises to Nigerians,” Buhari said.

Earlier, the President of the Senate, Ahmad Lawan, said Buhari is most parliament friendly President since the beginning of the Fourth Republic.

Lawan said Buhari had identified himself as one President who cared and catered for the National Assembly and expressed gratitude to him for the approval that he gave for the renovation of the National Assembly complex.

“I cannot leave this place without emphasizing what you have been able to achieve with us in the Ninth National Assembly.

“Whatever we have done here is because you allowed us to do it. Whatever the Executive had been able to achieve, and you have achieved a lot, is because this Ninth National Assembly has always been there to give you the kind of support that you need to achieve what you have so far achieved.

“About a week ago I cited a case of you being the most parliament friendly President since the beginning of the Fourth Republic. I am not saying the other Presidents were not friendly. They were but in varying degrees. Yours is total commitment to the Legislature.”

How we can curb insecurity in Plateau – Gov-elect Mutfwang

By Musa Baba Adamu

Plateau State governorelect Caleb Mutfwang has described the recent security breach that claimed dozens of lives in some parts of the state as “unfortunate.”

He has also reiterated his resolve to strengthen the bond of unity among the citizens of the state to combat insecurity when he comes into office.

Mutfwang stated this on Thursday while receiving the Taroh people led by the President of Ngwang Ishi O’Tarok, Nanpon Danjuma Sheni, on a courtesy

visit at Government House Lodge in Jos, the state capital.

He said: “I want to use this opportunity to call on everyone who is resident within the borders of Plateau and our neighbours to know that Plateau people are peace-loving people and we are highly accommodative.

“We need to come together to be able to secure and build our land by making sure that the blessings that God has put in the land are harnessed for the advantage and benefit of all,” he said.

The governor-elect thanked the Tarok nation for the immense

support accorded him during the election and urged them to remain a formidable force in the rebuilding of a new Plateau.

He also assured them of the commitment of his administration to build a “sound and enduring” infrastructural base that will benefit every community in the state.

Earlier in his remarks, Sheni said their visit was primarily to congratulate the governor-elect and his deputy, Mrs Josephine Piyo, on their recent victory in the general elections. He pledged the loyalty and support of the Taroh people to the incoming

administration.

He said: “Your excellency, you are taking over government in our state at a most challenging period, with heightened insecurity almost everywhere. We all know that without adequate security, there cannot be any meaningful development.

“After all, the protection and preservation of lives and properties remain the cardinal and primary objective of any government.”

The visit had prominent sons and daughters of the Taroh community in attendance.

FEC approves power projects in Yobe, Ogun

From Abubakar Yunusa Abuja

The federal executive council (FEC) has approved several contracts to boost power supply in various parts of the country.

Aliyu Abubakar, minister of power, briefed journalists after the council’s valedictory meeting on Wednesday.

The minister said the council approved the award of a contract for the engineering procurement, construction, and financing of the implementation of 330 kilovolts (KV) and 132 KV line transmission lines; as well as 33 KV, 11 KV, and a 400 protective earth (PE) distribution line project, under phase one of the presidential power initiative (PPI).

He said the contract was awarded in “favour of two contractors in the sum of $581,629,355.93, inclusive of 7.5 percent, at the prevailing exchange rate with a completion period of 36 months as indicated”.

“The recipient companies for lot one, from DL from Benin and Enugu DisCos, Messrs SLD electric. Then, lot DM 3 Abuja, Jos, Kano, Kaduna DisCos, Messrs China civil engineering construction cooperation, totaling a distance of around 13,000 kilometers for the two ‘lots’, and it has been graciously approved by council,” Abubakar said.

“Council approved the award of contract for the construction of 750 kilowatts solar PV power plant at the headquarters of where TCN is also situated in favor of Proserv Energy Services Limited in the sum of N1.6 billion inclusive of 7.5 percent VAT with a completion period of six months.

“Council also approved routine maintenance for the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN). The council approved a contract for the upgrading of the substation in Potiskum town in Yobe state with 132 power transformers.

“It is an existing substation, which has been there for a very long time with only one transformer and it serves a lot of areas around Potiskum.”

Abubakar said the town is the largest in the state, with a very huge population; adding that it is the hub for commerce and transportation.

With the upgrade, the politician said Potiskum will become a hub for electricity transmission and distribution.

“The other component of it is the line bringing additional line from Damaturu. Before now, the line was coming from Gombe, which is over 200 kilometers. It is a 132 single-line coming into Potiskum to power the substation,” he said.

“So, having a 330 substation in Damaturu makes it easier and

FG to stop Paris Club debt deductions from states’ allocations

From Abubakar Yunusa Abuja

The Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) says the federal government has granted its request to stop further deductions from states’ accounts to meet their Paris Club debt obligation.

This was contained in a communiqué issued at the end of the 7th emergency meeting of the forum, which was held in Abuja on Tuesday.

According to the communiqué, signed by Aminu Tambuwal, outgoing NGF chairman and governor of Sokoto state, the

federal government also resolved to pay back the monies deducted from the states.

“Members were briefed by the chairman of the forum that the minister of finance has granted the request of the forum to immediately stop further deductions from the accounts of states to meet local government councils London Paris Club obligations and the monies so far deducted be paid back to the states,” the communiqué reads.

“On the leadership of the forum, the governor of Kwara state, AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, emerged as the new chairman

of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum through a consensus, and the governor of Oyo state Seyi Makinde, is now the vicechairman.

“Members expressed satisfaction with the success of the just-concluded induction for new and returning governors that took place between May 14 and 19, 2023.”

Members of the forum also committed to sustaining collaboration among the states through enhanced peer review, learning at the sub-national level, and deepening the relationship with the federal government

and other institutions, the communique noted.

Recently, there has been controversy over consultancy fees amounting to $418 million from the Paris Club refund.

The NGF had in November 2022, said it resolved to sustain legal action against the disbursement of the $418 million Paris Club refund and promissory notes issued to consultants by the federal government and the Debt Management Office (DMO).

The forum said the “resources belonging to states are not unjustly or illegally paid to a few in the guise of consultancies”.

L-R: President, African Emancipation Movement for Good Governance, Hon. Lucky Obiyan , member, Free Nigeria Movement (FNM), Princess Licia, Co-Convener FNM, Comrade Anngu Orngu, Convener,FNM , Dr Moses Paul and another Member of the group, Comrade Oby Elekwa, during the FNM World press conference calling off their street protest for now, and asking the Judicial officers in Nigeria to do Justice on various Elections petitions tribunals, held yesterday in Abuja.

FG approves policy to enable banks issue debit cards that serve as national IDs

By Abubakar Yunusa Abuja

The federal executive council (FEC) has approved a new policy that allows commercial banks to issue customers with debit cards that double as national identity cards at no extra cost.

The council gave the approval on Wednesday at a meeting presided over by President Muhammadu Buhari.

Briefing journalists at the end of the meeting, Isa Pantami, minister of communication and digital economy, said the directive was from the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC), allowing banks to print debit cards that double as national identity cards.

“It is going to be a form of the multipurpose card where it will serve as your national identity card on one hand, and also your bank card on the other hand, either Mastercard, Visa or any other kind of card,” the minister said.

Pantami said although the NIMC Act of 2007, only mandates Nigerians to have a NIN and not necessarily a printout card, demands for cards have swelled

nonetheless.

“As in the NIMC Act of 2007, section 27, what is mandatory for our citizens and legal residents is the acquiring of the national identity number, not the card. However, the card is optional,” Pantami added.

“But many citizens, particularly those living in rural communities, always go to NIMC offices complaining that they need the card at hand, even though it’s optional.

“To make it easier, NIMC last year, we introduced a smart ID card you can download from the NIMC app. It is just a smart card. You don’t need to have it physically, but that is becoming difficult for our people living in rural communities.

“To ease the difficulty, NIMC has partnered with the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) so citizens who are interested in having a card at hand can easily go to the relevant banks.

“The bank is permitted to print the card along with either a Mastercard or Visa card. It is going to be a form of a multipurpose card that will serve as your national identity card on one hand and

also your bank card on the other. And based on the agreement, it is without any additional costs to our citizens.

“So when you apply for a card at your bank, you can indicate that ‘I want this card to serve multiple purposes where it will serve as my bank card and also my national identity card’. Both of them are going to be printed on the same card and it is going to serve the same purposes without any additional costs.”

The minister also said NIMC and the CBN had signed an agreement to protect card applicants.

He said the two entities signed a nondisclosure agreement where customers’ privacy and confidentiality must be respected in the course of providing the cards.

“When you apply for the card, the bank will apply online to NIMC through their database. When they verify and confirm that your record in the database is in alignment with your record in the NIMC database, it will be permitted and the card is going to be printed for you immediately,” Pantami explained.

Pantami said the council also approved a memo proposing the deployment of an automated system to integrate NINs with individual SIM cards.

The system, he said, is to consolidate the implementation of the NIN-SIM linkage.

“As we all know, the previous administrations made efforts to verify NIN and SIM starting from 2011 without success,” Pantami said.

“In February 2020, President Muhammadu Buhari approved the implementation of the policy, and the revised version of the policy was also launched and unveiled by Mr. President on May 6, 2021.

“As it stands today, the NIN and SIM policy registration is being implemented.

“In order to consolidate the implementation, the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) came up with a proposal that will enhance the implementation of the policy and bring many more benefits to it.”

The minister assured that the automated system would sanitise the database and ease the process of SIM replacement for Nigerians or legal residents.

Photo: Justin Imo-owo

From Abubakar Yunusa, Abuja

Nigeria’s Gross Domestic Product, GDP, growth slowed by 2.31 per cent in the first quarter of 2023 on a year-on-year basis.

The National Bureau of Statistics, NBS, made this known the Nigerian Gross Domestic Product Report Q1 2023 released in Abuja on Thursday.

However, the growth, the NBS said represented a declined from 3.52 per cent in the preceding quarter and 3.11 per cent recorded in the first quarter of 2022.

The reduction in GDP performance is attributed to the adverse effects of the cash crunch experienced during the quarter, it noted.

Growth was largely driven by the services sector, which recorded a growth of 4.35 per cent and contributed 57.29 per cent to the aggregate GDP.

The agriculture sector grew by -0.90.per cent, lower than the

Nigeria’s GDP growth slows by 2.31% in Q1 2023 – NBS

growth of 3.16 per cent recorded in the first quarter of 2022.

According to the NBS, although the growth of the industry sector improved to 0.31 per cent relative to – 6.81 per cent recorded in the first quarter of 2022, agriculture, and the industry sectors contributed less to the aggregate GDP in the quarter under review compared to the first quarter of 2022.

“The agriculture sector grew by -0.90 per cent, lower than the growth of 3.16 per cent recorded in the first quarter of 2022.

“Although the growth of the industry sector improved to 0.31 per cent relative to – 6.81 per cent recorded in the first

quarter of 2022, agriculture and the industry sectors contributed less to the aggregate GDP in the quarter under review compared to the first quarter of 2022,” a part of the release said.

The NBS disclosed that the real growth of the oil sector was –4.21 per cent on a year-onyear basis in Q1 2023, indicating an increase of 21.83 per cent relative to the rate recorded in the corresponding quarter of 2022 at -26.04 per cent.

It said growth increased by 9.18 per cent when compared to Q4 2022, which was –13.38 per cent, and on a quarter-onquarter basis, the oil sector recorded a growth rate of 20.68

per cent in Q1 2023.

The sector, according to the stats office, contributed 6.21 per cent to the total real GDP in Q1 2023, down from the figure recorded in the corresponding period of 2022 and up from the preceding quarter, where it contributed 6.63 per cent and 4.34 per cent, respectively.

As for the non-oil sector, it grew by 2.77 per cent in real terms during the reference quarter, lower by 3.30 per cent points compared to the rate recorded in the same quarter of 2022 and 1.67 per cent points lower than the fourth quarter of 2022.

This sector was driven in the

first quarter of 2023 mainly by Information and Communication (Telecommunication); Financial and Insurance (Financial Institutions); Trade; Manufacturing (Food, Beverage & Tobacco); Construction; and Transportation & Storage (Road Transport), accounting for positive GDP growth.

In real terms, the report showed that the non-oil sector contributed 93.79 per cent to the nation’s GDP in the first quarter of 2023, higher than the share recorded in the first quarter of 2022, which was 93.37 per cent and lower than the fourth quarter of 2022 recorded as 95.66 per cent.

CAC to start publishing profiles of company owners – RG

By Abubakar Yunus, Abuja

The Corporate Affairs Commission, CAC, will henceforth make public profiles of owners of companies.

The Registrar-General of CAC, Garba Abubakar, made this known at the commission’s International Peer Learning Workshop on the use of the Beneficial Ownership Information Register.

The event heralds the launch of Nigeria’s Open Register of Beneficial Ownership of Companies.

He said the register when unveiled, will be open to the public where everyone can view records of shareholders of companies online free of charge.

He said that the initiative was aimed at supporting anticorruption efforts in Nigeria and the world.

“The essence of getting the beneficial ownership information is to support the anti-corruption initiative of the government.

“Companies are the vehicles being used for corruption, illicit financial flow and for terrorism financing.

“When our investigating agencies are doing their investigation, they will be able to track those responsible for some of these illegal activities,’’ he said.

While emphasising that innocent people do not have anything to worry about the initiative, Mr Abubakar said

that companies are required to disclose the persons that own the companies from the point of incorporation.

“In the past, the law allows one to incorporate companies using a corporate arrangement that makes it impossible to know the ultimate beneficiaries of these companies

“The concept of separate legal personality has changed, they are now required to disclose the natural persons that own these companies from the point of incorporation and when there is any change.

“So, this information is for use by investigation agencies, the media, civil society and the whole essence is to ensure transparency and make this information available.

“If we have information to the contrary as to what is actually disclosed in the register then we can escalate

“The register is supposed to support the anti-corruption initiative of the government and it is a global requirement,’’ Mr Abubakar said.

Also speaking, Dr Orji Ogbonnaya Orji, the Executive Secretary of the Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative, NEITI, described the initiative as apt in the fight against corruption.

People will like to know who owns what. So, because you are aware when you are registering a company you are now ready to provide those information.

“And when you provide

NNPC resumes oil drilling campaign in Chad Basin

From Abubakar Yunusa,

Abuja

After over two decades, the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC) has resumed an oil drilling campaign at the Wadi-B well located in Jere LGA of Borno State.

President Muhammadu Buhari flagged off the Wadi-B campaign at a ceremony held on Tuesday in the state.

The landmark event marked the commencement of oil exploration in the Lake Chad Basin, in the Tuba community of the state, since 1995.

The new drilling is part of the prospects for oil and gas deposits in Nigeria’s frontier basins.

President Buhari had, in November 2022, flagged off the Kolmani Integrated Development Project (KIPRO) situated on the boundary between Bauchi and Gombe

states.

In March 2023, the president also flagged off the spud-in of the Ebenyi-A exploration well located in Obi local government area, Nasarawa state.

Speaking at the event, Mele Kyari, group chief executive officer (GCEO), NNPC Limited, said the re-mobilization of a drilling rig to the Chad Basin “for the first time since 1995, has indeed brought up a new situation for us.”

“We stopped drilling here in 1995 because the successes were weak because our findings were not commercial and we understood very clearly that we need to understand the basin very well. We need to have a different approach to exploration activities in this basin,” he said.

“That is why NNPC and our partner, the ministry of petroleum resources and the current NMDPRA, decided to embark on a

massive evaluation of all the frontier basins in the country. And of course, our findings have been useful.

“Our understanding of the rift system in Nigeria enables us to have successful outcome in the Kolmani area. It also enabled us to mobilise to Nasarawa state; a drilling activity and an engagement is ongoing.

“It also helped us to understand the geological setting of the Chad Basin which is why we are back here.

“Now we are much more confident, we believe that this campaign will be successful and that this campaign will take us to the ultimate objective which is to increase the reserves of our country and also create opportunities around us. We believe that the time for oil and gas to vanish is still far away.”

He said the NNPC Limited believes that oil and gas will continue to be principal in

those information it puts you on your toes to obey the laws, observe the business ethics and be transparent and be accountable especially in payment of taxes and observance of public entity.

“Because we know that the owners of the company are known, if anything goes wrong it will not be a problem to track them.

“But when you own a company and people don’t know who you are, you can use that office to perpetrate all kinds of crime knowing that you cannot be found.

“When you know that your profile is well documented then you are most likely to comply with public ethics,’’ Mr Orji said.

determining the prosperity of the country as well as providing energy security.

“And this can’t happen unless we have access to the resources and we are able to convert them into value and of course a new approach to doing this as quickly as is practical which is to do what we are doing in the Kolmani area,” the NNPC boss said.

Also speaking, Babagana Zulum, governor of Borno, said the commencement of oil drilling in the region is a right step in creating more job opportunities in the state.

“Oil prospecting, possible discovery and exploration in this part of the country will no doubt create job opportunities to thousands of our youths thereby reducing unemployment in our state, which in turn results in reduction in the insurgency, stimulating economic growth and development of our dear state and nation in general,” he said.

By Stanley Onyekwere

ANon Governmental Organisation (NGO), Helpline Foundation For The Needy, Abuja, has charged FCT Administration to consider making the plight of the culture of the FCT Original Inhabitants (OIs) a priority when making public policy affecting the FCT, taking into consideration that the people have nowhere else to call their home.

In particular, the Foundation noted that the government of FCT should integrate culture into development plans for FCT and beyond, to enable the OIs participate in the development process as culture is a soft power asset of any developing country.

Project manager of the Foundation, Onoja Arome, gave this charge during a press briefing, in commemoration of this year’s world day for cultural diversity for dialogue and development, yesterday, in Abuja, the nation’s capital city.

He commends the efforts of the UNESCO for finding relevance in cultural diversity a veritable means for sustainable development with the goals to ensure support sustainable systems of governance for culture, and integrate culture in sustainable development frameworks promote human rights and fundamental freedoms.

He explained that the Helpline with support from John D. and Catharine T Macarthur Foundation through the support from the Resource Center For Human Right And Civic Education (CHRICED) have been implementing the project of promoting the rights of the original inhabitants of the FCT under the sub-granted project title Revamping the Cultural Heritage Through Women and Youth Empowerment and Cultural Preservation since its inception in November 2021.

He added that the NGO has among other mandate to train and empower 300 vulnerable women and marginalized youth of the Original Inhabitants of the FCT of which in the first and second phase of the scheme have trained over 189 participants in its traditional skill transfer programmes, and are fully ready to preserve their culture through reproducing their respective cultural attires marking the identity of various tribes in FCT and making livelihood from them.

According to him, “it is pertinent to note that there are about nine tribes in Abuja they are: the Gbagyi, Amwamwa, Koro, Gade, Bassa, Egbura, Ganagana, Gbari and Gwandara respectively these tribes have been on existence

METRO

Day for cultural diversity: Foundation urges FCTA to prioritise preserving Abuja indigenes’ heritage

before the expropriation which drove them to the suburbs leading to scattered indigenous people, low income generation leading to abject poverty among others.

“We hereby join the world to celebrate world day for cultural diversity for dialogue and development and we wish the world a peaceful coexistence as we win together in patriotism and cooperation with one another for peace and progress knowing that cultural diversity is a driving force of development, not only with respect to economic growth, but also as a means of leading a more

fulfilling intellectual, emotional, moral and spiritual life.

“We also want to encourage the Ols to continue to be exertive in utilizing every means to create awareness of their cultural identity by continuously producing and using the cultural attires as a mark of their identity- do not be shy or feel any atom of embarrassment when issues relating to your culture is spoken about, because it is your heritage and it is natural”.

Present at the briefing were representatives of all coordinators of the nine tribes identified in the project of promoting the rights of

the Ols of FCT.

On her part, Communications Manager, Abuja Inhabitants Youth Empowerment Organization,Ms Blessing Moses, commended the Foundation for their efforts at drawing the needed attention to issues affecting the original inhabitants in the FCT.

She, however, bemoaned that the Original Inhabitants were not dully compensated by the government that they should have done, while adding that their peaceful nature should not be taken for granted.

Similarly, Coordinator,

Gwandara tribal group, Comrade Yahuza Abubakar Karshi, Chairman, noted that the cultural site of the original inhabitants were not taken into consideration during development there by destroying some of their valuable cultural sites.

He therefore called on the government to have an archive for their cultural heritage just like other countries such as Brazil and South Africa who also changed their federal capital but incorporated the original inhabitants into the cities unlike Nigeria.

Gov’t clampdown on health facilities providing sub-standard services

By Stanley Onyekwere

The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA), has vowed to seal off any health facility providing services below the recommended standard within the Territory.

This was made known yesterday when the Private Health Establishments Registration And Monitoring Committee (PHERMC), under Department of Medical and Diagnostics embarked on three days monitoring tour of health facilities in Abuja.

Addressing journalists after the exercise, the Director Medical and Diagnostic, Health and Human Services Secretariat FCTA, Dr Abubakar Ahmadu, who led the team said any facility found to

perform below the recommended standard or seen to render any service beyond the scope approved will be sealed off.

He said the essence of this visit is to have an intensive inspection of the private health facilities in the Federal Capital Territory to ensure that facilities that are registered with PHERMC function according to the services they were registered to provide.

“So far, what we have seen is that some facilities that were registered earlier are still maintaining the standard that we expect of them.

“But so far, we have had cause to seal the services of one particular facility, which was providing services beyond the scope of which it was registered”, he stressed.

He said that whereas some facilities have provided optimum service according to the approval granted by PHERMC, some have been discovered to perform below par.

Ahmadu strongly warned that the administration will not hesitate to seal off any facility that fails to provide optimum service to the residents of FCT.

“All private facilities within the FCT registered with PHERMC have clear cut services that they have been registered to carry out so it is our expectations that all these facilities abide by that and provide services within that scope. And they need to seek approval to go beyond so that the facility will be inspected, and we will be able to assess if such additional services

can be accommodated.

“We recognise that constraints occasioned by the economy presently so we are going to work towards ensuring that the services provided by these facilities we are inspecting are not far below expectation and if they do, we have to shut it down.

“But those that just have minimal things to address certainly can continue to provide services but once they go below standard, we have no choice but to seal those facilities. It is in the interest of the public that we’re doing all this.

“Once we see any facility that is operating below standard operating without qualified personnel. We are duty bound to shut them down, and we will shut them down”, he said

L-R: Minister of State for Education, RT Hon. Goodluck Opiah, Minister of Education, Mallam Adamu Adamu, Permanent Secretary Federal Ministry of Education, Mr David Adejo and the Registrar JAMB, Prof. Ishaq Oloyede, during the veledictory ceremony for the outgoing Ministers of Education, held yesterday in Abuja.

Photo: Justin Imo-owo

Oath Keepers leader Stewart Rhodes sentenced to 18 years for Capitol riot

The leader of a far-right militia has been sentenced to 18 years in prison for his role in the US Capitol riot.

Stewart Rhodes, the founder of the Oath Keepers, was convicted on charges of seditious conspiracy and other crimes.

Rhodes stayed outside the Capitol on 6 January 2021, but co-ordinated with militia members who stormed the building.

The sentence is the longest yet given to a Capitol rioter. Prosecutors had asked for 25 years.

Rhodes was also convicted last year of obstruction of an official proceeding and tampering with documents or proceedings in one of the highest-profile Capitol riot trials.

At a hearing on Thursday, the militia leader showed little remorse, claiming he was a political prisoner and insisting the Oath Keepers only intended to protect other protesters.

Judge Amit Mehta rejected those claims and expressed concern about Rhodes’ violent rhetoric, including a threat to hang former US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

The sentence given to Rhodes is the longest handed out so far for the riot, where thousands of supporters of Donald Trump who objected to the result of the 2020 presidential election stormed the US legislature.

Rhodes, a former US Army paratrooper and Yale-educated lawyer, founded the Oath Keepers in 2009.

Armed members of the anti-government group showed up at a number of protests and

standoffs, and eventually became staunch supporters of Donald Trump. Dozens were present at the riot.

What did the Oath Keepers do on January 6?

Rhodes began a campaign to reject the results of the election two days after the November 2020 vote, while ballots were still being counted.

He messaged supporters: “We aren’t getting through this without a civil war… Prepare your mind, body, spirit.”

Rhodes and other Oath Keepers then spent thousands of dollars on weapons and equipment and stashed them in a hotel room in nearby Virginia just prior to 6 January 2021.

During the riot itself, Rhodes stayed outside the building taking phone calls and messages while other Oath Keepers stormed the building. Prosecutors said he acted like a “battlefield general” during the melee.

Defence lawyers argued that the weapons stash was never used and that the militia was on a purely defensive mission. They plan to appeal the convictions.

What is seditious conspiracy?

Kelly Meggs, the leader of the militia’s Florida chapter, was scheduled to be sentenced later on Thursday.

Meggs was also convicted of seditious conspiracy, a little-used Civil War-era law that carries a maximum 20-year prison sentence.

It’s distinct from the crime of treason, which carries a high burden of proof outlined in the US Constitution, and can

lead to the death penalty.

Three other Oath Keepers who went on trial at the same time as Rhodes and Meggs were found not guilty of seditious conspiracy but were convicted of lesser charges.

Judge Mehta ruled in favour of prosecutors who argued for a stiffer sentence for Rhodes under a so-called “terrorism enhancement”. They argued that the Oath Keepers sought to use “intimidation or coercion” against the US government.

Four other Oath Keepers were convicted of seditious conspiracy in January, and four

members of the far-right Proud Boys were convicted on the charge earlier this month. Most of the Capitol rioters were not part of an organised group, however.

In total, more than 1,000 people have been arrested in connection with the riot, and more than half have pled guilty to crimes including assault, theft, weapons charges, trespassing and obstructing an official proceeding.

Around 80 have been found guilty following a trial, according to the US Justice Department.

New superbug-killing antibiotic discovered using AI

Scientists have used artificial intelligence (AI) to discover a new antibiotic that can kill a deadly species of superbug.

The AI helped narrow down thousands of potential chemicals to a handful that could be tested in the laboratory.

The result was a potent, experimental antibiotic called abaucin, which will need further tests before being used.

The researchers in Canada and the US say AI has the power to massively accelerate the discovery of new drugs.

It is the latest example of how the tools of artificial intelligence can be a revolutionary force in science and medicine.

Stopping the superbugs

Antibiotics kill bacteria. However, there has been a lack of new drugs for decades and bacteria are becoming harder to treat, as they evolve resistance to the ones we have.

More than a million people a year are estimated to die from infections that resist treatment with antibiotics.

The researchers focused on one of the most problematic species of bacteriaAcinetobacter baumannii, which can infect wounds and cause pneumonia.

You may not have heard of it, but it is one of the three superbugs the World Health Organization has identified as a “critical” threat.

It is often able to shrug off multiple antibiotics and is a problem in hospitals and care homes, where it can survive on surfaces and medical equipment.

Dr Jonathan Stokes, from McMaster University, describes the bug as “public enemy number one” as it’s “really common” to find cases where it is “resistant to nearly every antibiotic”.

Artificial intelligence

To find a new antibiotic, the researchers first had to train the AI. They took thousands of drugs where the precise chemical structure was known, and manually tested them on Acinetobacter baumannii to see which could slow it down or kill it.

This information was fed into the AI so it could learn the chemical features of drugs that could attack the problematic bacterium.

The AI was then unleashed on a list of 6,680 compounds whose effectiveness was unknown. The results - published in Nature Chemical Biology - showed it took the AI an hour and a half to produce a shortlist.

The researchers tested 240 in the laboratory, and found nine potential antibiotics. One of them was the incredibly potent antibiotic abaucin.

Laboratory experiments showed it could treat infected wounds in mice and was able to kill A. baumannii samples from patients.

However, Dr Stokes told me: “This is when the work starts.”

The next step is to perfect the drug in the laboratory and then perform clinical trials. He expects the first AI antibiotics could take until 2030 until they are available to be prescribed.

Curiously, this experimental antibiotic had no effect on other species of bacteria,

and works only on A. baumannii.

Many antibiotics kill bacteria indiscriminately. The researchers believe the precision of abaucin will make it harder for drug-resistance to emerge, and could lead to fewer side-effects.

In principle, the AI could screen tens of millions of potential compoundssomething that would be impractical to do manually.

“AI enhances the rate, and in a perfect world decreases the cost, with which we can discover these new classes of antibiotic that we desperately need,” Dr Stokes told me.

The researchers tested the principles of

AI-aided antibiotic discovery in E. coli in 2020, but have now used that knowledge to focus on the big nasties. They plan to look at Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa next.

“This finding further supports the premise that AI can significantly accelerate and expand our search for novel antibiotics,” said Prof James Collins, from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

He added: “I’m excited that this work shows that we can use AI to help combat problematic pathogens such as A. baumannii.”

Source: BBC

The historic centre of Lugo, outside Ravenna was among the cities with the worst flooding

Scientist Denise Catacutan working on the experimental antibiotic discovered with the help of artificial intelligence.

Fulgence Kayishema: Rwandan accused of killing 2,000 in church arrested

One of four remaining fugitives from the 1994 Rwandan genocide has been captured, UN prosecutors say.

Fulgence Kayishema was arrested in South Africa on Wednesday, they said. He is expected to face trial in Rwanda.

The former police inspector was charged in 2001 over an incident during which more than 2,000 Tutsi men, women and children were killed inside a Catholic church where they had sought refuge.

Some 800,000 Tutsis and moderate Hutus were killed in the genocide.

According to the indictment, Fulgence Kayishema directly participated in the planning and execution of a massacre of refugees hiding at the Nyange church in Kivumu, Kibuye prefecture, on 15 April 1994.

It says Mr Kayishema, born in 1961, and others tried to burn the church down with the refugees inside. When this failed, they bulldozed it, burying and

killing all those hiding there. Their corpses were then buried in mass graves.

In a statement, The Hague-based tribunal - known as the International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals (MICT) - hailed the international operation which had made it possible to apprehend Mr Kayishema.

South African police said an elite unit had arrested the suspect at a grape farm in Paarl, in Western Cape province. He had been living under the false name of Donatien Nibashumba.

“The fugitive will remain in custody to appear in the Cape Town Magistrate Court for his first appearance on Friday... pending his extradition to Rwanda,” a statement said.

Reacting to the arrest, Rwandan government spokesperson Yolande Makolo tweeted: “Finally.”

The Tanzania-based ICTR sentenced more than 60 ringleaders of the genocide, including three over the Notre Dame de

la Visitation church massacre.

The church’s priest, Athanase Seromba, was sentenced to life in prison in 2008.

The ICTR closed down in 2015, with

Sierra Leone’s iconic cotton tree

Atowering cotton tree which has stood for several hundred years in Sierra Leone’s capital, Freetown, has been brought down by a heavy storm.

President Julius Maada Bio said the tree fell after a downpour on Wednesday night. He described it as a “great loss to the nation”.

He said the tree was a symbol of liberty for early settlers. It also appears on Sierra Leone banknotes.

But some Christians hailed its demise, saying it was used for witchcraft.

A heavy rainstorm a week ago caused one of the tree’s branches to fall, but it had been thought it would survive.

However, in another storm on Wednesday, the entire tree came down, leaving just part of the trunk still standing.

The city’s skyline has changed dramatically as a result - some would say, for ever.

The tree, pictured here in 2013, is said to be the oldest of its kind in Sierra Leone

The 70m (230 ft)-high cotton tree was said to be the oldest of its kind in the country - a government statement estimated it to be 400 years old.

Just 300m away are the Freedom Steps, climbed by newly arrived freed slaves who offered prayers at the tree before making Freetown their home.

As the city grew over the years, it expanded around the ancient tree at its heart.

President Julius Maada Bio and other officials are expected to visit the site to determine what to do.

“We will have something at the same spot that bears testament to the great Cotton Tree’s place in our history,” he tweeted.

“All voices will be brought together for this.”

The trunk and roots remain in place, suggesting that new shoots could grow into a new tree.

Other suggestions include taking a piece of the tree to the nearby national museum

or making a carving out of it.

Many people feel sad about the tree’s fall, with some describing the incident as “horrific”.

Sierra Leone poet Oumar Farouk Sesay wrote a poem about the tree, describing it as the country’s Eiffel Tower, Statue of Liberty, Big Ben and other major world landmarks.

But some Christians are celebrating.

Influential Pastor Francis Mambu, who heads the Faith Healing Bible Church, believes the tree’s roots were used for witchcraft and that it was frequented by witches and wizards.

The pastor, who has a huge following in Sierra Leone, was heard in church in recent weeks saying that the tree would fall.

felled by

the remaining cases being taken over by the MICT. However, some of the cases, including Mr Kayishema’s, have been transferred to Rwanda for trial.

storm

Why Turkey’s election is being closely followed in Africa

Turkey’s influence in Africa has been growing massively over the past 20 years and whoever wins Sunday’s presidential run-off will have to consider where next to take the relationship.

Ever since Recep Tayyip Erdogan took power in Turkey two decades ago, first as prime minister then as president, he has taken an increasing interest in Africa.

He saw economic, military and diplomatic opportunities.

The bond between Ankara and the continent is likely to only get stronger if the president is re-elected.

His rival, Republican People’s Party leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu, has his eyes set on Europe and the West and is less likely to make Africa a priority.

“Mr Kilicdaroglu stressed the need for recalibrating relations with the West and said he will try to revive the accession process to the European Union,” says Serkan Demirtas, Ankara bureau chief for Hurriyet Daily News and a Turkish foreign policy expert.

“In an interview, he even said that a 180-degree turn is to be expected when it comes to foreign policy. But he fell short of detailing how these changes will impact the relations with

key countries in the world.”

However, Ece Goksedef from the BBC’s Turkish service points out that Turkey’s foreign policy towards the continent would take some time to recalibrate, so it is unlikely it will change that drastically given the strong foundation of this new relationship.

When did Turkey-Africa relations take off?

The seeds for the enhanced co-operation between Africa and Turkey were planted during Mr Erdogan’s stint as prime minister, which began in 2003.

Mr Erdogan saw a potential economic boon.

“In the early 2000s, the Turkish economy witnessed continued growth and was looking for new markets,” says foreign policy expert Mr Demirtas.

“A diverse market with more than 50 countries and more than 1.2 billion people offers lucrative opportunities for Turkish exporters and businessmen.”

Turkey’s annual trade with the continent increased from $5.4bn (£4.4bn) to $34.5bn between 2003 and 2021, according to figures from the Turkish foreign ministry, led by chemicals, steel and cereals.

The Turks were keen to stress that this was not an exploitative relationship and in 2013,

then Prime Minister Erdogan said on a visit to Gabon that “Africa belongs to Africans, we are not here for your gold”.

What about military interests?

Arms deals - also referred to as “drone diplomacy” - are a clear money-maker for Ankara.

After proving its worth in Libya, Armenia and Ukraine, the Bayraktar TB-2 drone is now being presented as the perfect weapon to target the mobile and nimble jihadist groups hiding in West Africa’s Sahel region.

This March, a dozen of the drones arrived on the tarmac of the airport in Mali’s capital, Bamako.

In the presence of Malian junta leader Col Assimi Goïta and a handful of Turkish diplomats, Mali’s defence minister welcomed the new batch of the weapons saying that they “can help make artillery and air strikes more accurate”.

In addition to Mali, Turkey has sold drones to Burkina Faso, Togo and Niger - the four Sahelian nations are desperate to combat the rise of Islamist militants in the region.

Turkey has also engaged in talks with Benin, which until recently was untouched by the Islamist insurgency but is now witnessing a rise in attacks and intrusions on its territory. BBC

Fulgence Kayishema was arrested after 22 years on the run

Salema and her five children walked for several kilometres to get to a safe place

N ews F rom A s IA

Ukraine war: Wagner says Bakhmut transfer to Russian army under way

The head of Russia’s Wagner mercenary group has announced that its forces have started withdrawing from the Ukrainian city of Bakhmut.

Yevgeny Prigozhin has vowed to transfer control of the city to the Russian army by 1 June, but Kyiv says it still controls pockets of the city.

He said his forces were ready to return if the Russian regular army proved unable to manage the situation.

The battle for the city has been the longest and bloodiest of the war.

Wagner mercenaries have led the fighting there for the Russian side, and Mr Prigozhin this week said that 20,000 of its fighters had died in Bakhmut.

“We are withdrawing units from Bakhmut today,” Mr Prigozhin said in a video released on Telegram from the destroyed city.

BBC Verify has geolocated the video to an area near a pharmacy in the east of Bakhmut.

Mr Prigozhin - who announced the capture of the city on Saturday - is seen telling his men to leave ammunition for the Russian army. He adds that some Wagner fighters will stay behind to assist Russian troops.

“The moment when the

military are in a tough situation, they will stand up,” he says, before warning two fighters to not “bully the military”.

The Wagner boss has repeatedly targeted top Russian military officials, criticising them publicly for not supporting his troops. Last month, he even threatened to pull his troops out of the city if they were not provided with much-needed ammunition.

Despite Wagner’s claims to be handing over Bakhmut, Ukraine has not conceded that the city has fallen.

Ukraine’s Deputy Defence Minister, Hanna Maliar, said on Thursday that its forces still control part of the Litak district in the southwest of the city.

“The enemy has replaced Wagner units in the suburbs with regular army troops. Inside the town proper, Wagner forces are still present,” she posted on Telegram.

Analysts say Bakhmut is of little strategic value to Moscow, but its capture would be a symbolic victory for Russia after the longest battle of the war in Ukraine so far.

Wagner mercenaries have concentrated their efforts on the city for months and their relentless, costly tactic of

sending in waves of men seems to have gradually eroded Kyiv’s resistance.

Mr Prigozhin has emerged as a key player in Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine launched in

February 2022, in charge of the private army of mercenaries.

He recruited thousands of convicted criminals from jail for his group - no matter how grave their crimes - as long as

they agreed to fight for Wagner in Ukraine.

Around half of the 20,000 Wagner fighters to have died in Bakhmut were convicts, Mr Prigozhin said this week.

Melissa Caddick: Death of Australian fraudster remains a mystery

When conwoman Melissa Caddick vanished from her luxurious eastern Sydney home in November 2020 - with only her partially decomposed foot found washed up on a beach months later - it set off a frenzy in Australia.

The case blindsided investors, baffled police, and captured the imagination of a nation.

The fraudster has inspired a hit podcast, a TV dramatisation, and countless outlandish theoriesincluding that she had been swallowed by a shark or had severed her own foot to throw police off her scent.

A long-running inquest into the case heard of a flawed police investigation, conflicting accounts from her husband, and all the extensive speculation surrounding her fate.

But a coroner on Thursday ruled that exactly what happened to her would remain a mystery.

“The conclusion I have reached is that Melissa Caddick is deceased. However... I do not consider the evidence enables a positive finding as to how she died, or when and where this happened,” Deputy State Coroner Elizabeth Ryan wrote.

The final morning

For most, the Melissa Caddick story began with the news that the seemingly successful financial adviser was missing.

But her life had actually begun to unravel months earlier when

Australia’s financial watchdog was tipped off that she had been using a friend’s financial adviser’s licence, having simply pasted in her own name on the document.

Regulators suspect the 49-yearold stole up to $30m (£15.8m; $19.5m) from more than 60 clients, including many of her family and friends, to help fund a lavish lifestyle.

There were overseas trips on private jets, high-end cars, designer clothes, and expensive jewellery. Her methods were not “particularly complicated”, the coroner said.

As new clients gave her money to invest, she would pay some out as dividends to existing clients before keeping - and spending - the rest.

Coroner Ryan said she was struck by the “powerful impression of wealth and success” Caddick made on her clients and would-be investors.

“Equally significant was the trust they had in her... almost all were either immediate family members, or close personal friends of herself and her family,” she said.

One would-be investor recalled: “I wanted to model myself and our family on successful people, and Melissa appeared to be successful”.

But everything fell apart on 11 November 2020 when police knocked on her door at dawn.

Conflicting accounts

The last confirmed sighting of Melissa Caddick was by officers at the

raid on her home.

Her husband, Anthony Koletti, told police they believed she had gone for an early run the next morning. Her car and all her personal belongings had been left behind.

But she was not reported missing by Mr Koletti for more than 30 hours, and only after he had dialled in to a court hearing that she was due to attend and appeared surprised she had not turned up.

Police initially explored two theories - that Caddick was still alive and had gone into hiding to escape justice, or had taken her own life.

But the inquest heard how Mr Koletti, a hairdresser and part-time DJ, behaved erratically in the wake of his wife’s disappearance, leading police to suspect he could be involved.

Mr Koletti has denied any knowledge of his wife’s crimes or any involvement in her disappearance, and police say they have uncovered no evidence to dispute that.

Anthony Koletti has denied any knowledge of his wife’s crimes

But an investigator told the coroner’s court Mr Koletti “didn’t appear to be overly concerned” when his wife vanished.

Lead Detective Sergeant Michael Kyneur also said Mr Koletti had visited a cliff top area near their home and taken a photograph of a shoe print, an action the policeman described as “extraordinary”.

“That’s a dog park. It’s like saying I found a footprint on Bondi beach.”

The inquest also heard that Mr Koletti had sent texts from Caddick’s phone pretending to be her, told police he was “too busy” to attend an interview, and gave conflicting versions of events.

For example, he was able to provide a description of what his wife was wearing on the morning she vanished, despite also saying he had not actually seen her, police said.

Mr Koletti had also recounted his version of events by releasing a musical concept album containing tracks with titles such as “Melissa Is Missing” and “Above the Law”.

It was “regrettable” that Mr Koletti had not given a “full and frank” account of what had happened,

Investigation criticised

The case took a grisly twist in February 2021 with the discovery of a rotting, trainer-clad foot on a remote beach 500km (310 miles) south of Sydney.

Experts matched the body part to Caddick through DNA, but an autopsy couldn’t determine if it was separated by force or decomposition.

The inquest heard a slew of theories to explain how it ended at Bournda Beach, including that a shark ate and later regurgitated body parts.

Police even considered throwing pig carcasses with running shoes on their trotters into the sea to determine how shark behaviour or ocean currents could have played a role, the inquest heard. Source: BBC

Magistrate Ryan said on Thursday.

Yevgeny Prigozhin speaks to Wagner soldiers in Bakhmut

Melissa Caddick went missing in 2020 after police agents raided her home

Environment

COP15: High stakes in Montreal as negotiators seek new global biodiversity framework

The Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) convened for its resumed Fifteenth Conference of the Parties (COP15),yesterday in Montreal, Canada, and to close on Monday, 19. Negotiators will be working to clinch a new global biodiversity framework (GBF) that will set a series of goals and underlying targets for a “nature-positive future.”

The previous set of goals and targets that have guided international biodiversity conservation efforts in recent years, the 2011-2020 Strategic Plan for Biodiversity and its 20 Aichi Targets, expired in 2020, with the COVID-19 pandemic stymying plans to already have a GBF ready to take their place.

The first part of the CBD COP15 took place in Kunming, China, and online last year. While China is the meeting’s host, travel restrictions and other challenges related to the pandemic led to the resumed COP15 venue being moved to Montreal, where the CBD secretariat is located.

Discussions in Montreal are numerous and include issues related to addressing environmentally harmful subsidies; the final shape of the 30×30 target; the signals that COP15 sends for scaling up naturebased solutions, including naturebased infrastructure; the linkages between nature-based solutions finance and climate finance; and how the results of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change’s (UNFCCC) Twenty-seventh Conference of the Parties (COP27) can inform the Global Biodiversity Framework.

Johan Rockström, Director of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK), remarked: “We need a ‘Paris Moment’ in Montreal. Similar to the legally binding global climate agreement to hold global warming well below 2 degrees Celsius and aim for 1.5 degree Celsius, governments gathering at the world nature summit COP15 in Canada need to set a limit to nature destruction. To safeguard our life-support system on Earth, we need to halt nature loss to zero, which means protecting all remaining intact nature. Only if we protect and regenerate Earth’s nature, we can really protect Earth’s climate.”

“This is potentially an historic moment for biodiversity,” said Andrew Gonzalez, a professor in the biology department at McGill University in Montreal and founding director of the Quebec Centre for Biodiversity Science.

He added: “The rate of global change in nature during the past 50 years is unprecedented in human history,” the report said, pointing to five key drivers: land- and seause changes, direct exploitation of organisms, climate change, pollution, and invasions of alien species.

Environmental crisis: Nigeria seeks UN interventions on GGW, HYPREP issues

The Federal Government of Nigeria has called on the United Nations (UN) to assist in addressing Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project (HYPREP) and Great Green Wall issues (GGW) to enable restoration of lost lands in the country.

Minister of Environment, Mohammed Abdullahi, said this while receiving the Deputy Secretary-General of UN, Amina Mohammed, on courtesy visit, in Abuja, recently.

Abdullahi said that the ministry was committed to ensuring that the two major projects were implemented effectively, adding that the UN’s intervention would boost the ministry’s efforts.

“There are two important projects which we will need more of your support, the HYPREP and GGW. We are doing our best to ensure that it’s working greatly. We have the team for the HYPREP. We are doing our best to make sure that the structure put in place is maintained to ensure checks and balances for good governance and transparency.

“This is what we are doing and we hope we will get robust support from you.

“You have always been there for us and we still have hope that you will continue to give us your full support,” he said.

Responding, Mohammed said that the UN would give its best to support in restoring the loss lands.

“So, it’s really important that we put in place the teams that will help us to look at those programmes and to see that GGW issues is properly addressed.

She said the GGW project was an economic corridor, which would offer empowerment to both youth and women, if properly addressed in the country.

According to her, the GGW project will really empower our people, but at the same time, it is able to give less reason for people to destabilise countries when they get involved in conflicts of different types.

“So again, we are at your disposal; the UN will support any efforts that you want with the GGW, particularly the wetlands,” she said.

Mohammed, however, advised agencies, parastaltals and other relevant stakeholders to support the ministry in ensuring that the environmental programmes were implemented effectively.

She thanked the minister

for his strong leadership and commitment in ensuring that environmental crisis were being tackled as well as ensuring that Paris Agreement was achieved effectively.

HYPREP was established in 2012 under the Federal Ministry of Environment to achieve the under listed objectives in Ogoniland and other impacted communities:

“To determine the scope, means and modalities of remediation of soil and ground water contamination in impacted communities as may be recommended by HYPREP Governing Council and remedy them,

“Enhance local capacity for better environmental management and promote awareness of sound environmental management as

well as ensure livelihoods and sustainable development, and

“Ensure security and promote peace building efforts in impacted communities as well as strengthen governance, transparency and accountability in the region.”

The Great Green Wall (GGW) initiative, launched in 2007 by the African Union, aims to restore the continent’s degraded landscapes and transform millions of lives in the Sahel.

Its ambition is to restore 100 million hectares of currently degraded land, sequester 250 million tonnes of carbon, and create 10 million green jobs by 2030.

In Nigeria, the GGW Initiative also seeks to recover degraded land, preserve ecosystems, and provide sustainable livelihood opportunities for communities.

PILIWA launched in Nigerian

By Mashe Umaru Gwamna

Lawyers, civil society, and media executives converged to Benin, the Edo state capital recently for the launch of the Public Interest Lawyering Initiative for West Africa (PILIWA) Nigeria chapter.

The initiative which was founded in 2016 has a membership that cuts across nine West African countries including Cote d’ Ivoire, Ghana, Sierra Leone, Mali, and Niger, among others, and supports young lawyers interested in public interest cases technically, financially, and intellectually.

A member of PILIWA and Executive Director of the Environmental Rights Action/ Friends of the Earth Nigeria (ERA/ FoEN), Chima Williams said that public interest lawyering is a special area for legal practitioners

with passion for public good.

Williams explained that the PILIWA was particularly interested in Nigerian lawyers because of the peculiarity of environmental and human rights abuses perpetrated by big corporations aided by the state in all parts of the country where natural resources are found.

On the Nigeria launch of the PILIWA initiative, the ERA/FoEN boss said a desk office will be set up in Benin which will receive an endowment of N250,000 (two hundred and fifty thousand naira only).

The initiative will equally train young lawyers and imbue them with the relevant knowledge on sources of evidence, how to gather evidence and how to present it before a court of competent jurisdiction.

In his intervention, Jonathan Kaufman, Executive Director of

the Advocates for Community Alternatives (ACA) said that he owes his association with legal work and particularly public interest cases with his experience as a young lawyer, when he was conscripted into the cases filed by families associated with the Ken Saro Wiwa case as well as victims of the Parabe Oil Platform case caused by Chevron in Ondo State.

The two cases, Kaufman pointed out, encouraged him to reach out to and start associating with local lawyers that are classified as stubborn because of their quest for justice.

He revealed that many legal cases suffer because of information gathering deficit, financial constraints, and lack of thoroughness in terms of minute details. Sometimes lawyers are not able to obtain cross border information that their peers may

be able to obtain and pass onto them if a platform for cooperation exists.

He said that the PILIWA platform will bridge the identified gaps to help public interest lawyers secure what they need to push and win unconventional cases.

The highpoint of the event was the inauguration of zonal coordinators for the PILIWA in Nigeria. The nominated coordinators of the South-South, South-east and North Central Zones are Courage Nsirimovu, Kalu Emmanuel Chisom and Redzie D. Jugo respectively. The coordinators for the Northwest, Northeast and Southwest will be announced later.

Participants were drawn from the legal profession in Edo, Bayelsa, Rivers, Plateau, Imo, Enugu, Niger and Kogi states, among others.

South Africa load-shedding: The roots of Eskom’s power problem

South Africa is heading into the southern hemisphere winter with the prospect of the country’s worst-ever power cuts - up to 16 hours a day. The roots of the problem lie in poor management, corruption and sabotage.

Late one Thursday afternoon, last November, a maintenance contractor reached his hand under a huge rotating shaft at an ageing power station in South Africa.

It took the man just a few seconds to unscrew a steel plug, smaller than a coffee mug.

As he moved away from the scene, precious lubrication oil quickly began seeping from the innards of the shaft. The steel bearings inside overheated and before long the coal mill, and with it one of the station’s eight turbines, ground to a sudden, and expensive, halt.

If you are looking to understand South Africa’s current struggles - its soaring crime and unemployment rates, its stubborn inequality and stagnant economy, its relentless corruption and crippling power cuts, and its broader drift towards what some fear could become “gangster state” or even “failed state” territory - then this one act of industrial sabotage, at a coal-fired power station on the high plains east of Johannesburg, is a good place to start.

The alleged saboteur, Simon Shongwe, 43, was working as a subcontractor at Camden - a plant that was built back in the 1960s, bombed by anti-apartheid activists in the 1980s, mothballed in the 1990s, and more recently brought out of retirement to help a country now battling to keep the lights on.

There are several theories about the alleged sabotage.

It could have been designed to break the coal mill in order to enable a corrupt repair company to come and fix it at an inflated cost.

It might have been done as a way of threatening Camden’s management in to accepting some other corrupt contract.

Or it may have been part of a broader political conspiracy to damage South Africa’s energy infrastructure and undermine an ANC government increasingly seen as floundering after nearly three decades in power.

What is certain is that the sabotage at Unit 4 was not an isolated event.

Instead, it was one relatively small act in a vast, ongoing, and highly successful criminal enterprise

that involves murders, poisoning, fires, cable theft, ruthless cartels and powerful politicians.

It is an enterprise that risks derailing international attempts to nudge South Africa away from its dependence on coal and towards renewable energy sources.

Over the past decade it has brought South Africa’s once-worldclass public power utility, Eskom, to the brink of collapse and left most homes around the country in darkness for many hours each day.

One month after the incident at Camden, on a secure floor of a large grey office block on the northern outskirts of Johannesburg, a much smaller machine was causing problems.

The coffee dispenser for the executive management team at Eskom was faulty. Or so it seemed.

When the CEO’s assistant came over to fill her boss’s personalised mug, there was a delay.

She left the mug unattended for a few minutes, and then, once the machine had been serviced, she returned to the CEO’s office with his coffee.

“I detected nothing. The foam consistency was a bit different to normal, but I thought nothing of it,” Andre de Ruyter reflected later, in an explosive interview he gave to the South African broadcaster, eNCA.

But 15 minutes later, the man in charge of South Africa’s power utility suddenly felt off-balance. Before long he was shaking violently, gasping for air, and “extremely nauseous”.

His security guards rushed him to a nearby clinic.

His doctors later confirmed that Mr De Ruyter had been poisoned with cyanide, possibly mixed with rat poison in order to mask the presence of the cyanide in any blood tests.

He was lucky to survive.

“So, this is where the executives serve themselves with coffee,” said Eskom’s head of security, Karen Pillay, showing us around the office one recent afternoon.

“I consider it a dangerous space. I’m still scared for my life, every day. Absolutely.”

So why would anyone go to such dramatic lengths to try to kill a man performing what, in most countries, would be considered an important, but hardly controversial job?

“There is a long list of those who want me dead,” said Mr De Ruyter, a tall man who recovered from the poisoning, quit his job at Eskom and left the country. He told me, via text,

that he was “going to lie low for the moment”.

Mr De Ruyter made it clear he believed he had been targeted by powerful criminal cartels who were busy stealing “a billion rand ($52m; £42m) every month” from Eskom and its coal-fired power stations.

In his eNCA interview and in excerpts from a new book, he painted a vivid picture of sophisticated “mafia” gangs with dozens of welltrained “soldiers”, who were willing to kill anyone who threatened to clean up the coal industry, or to move towards renewable energy.

It is a picture that is immediately recognisable to many here.

“There’s a lot of killing around. They put a gun to my head. They came to my house and threatened my family. The whole system is rotten, corrupted,” said a local businessman who told us he had tried to supply parts to Eskom for years, but that the local cartels made it impossible to work honestly.

“These cartels are politically connected. They’re above the law, basically,” said the man, who asked us not to use his name for fear of being killed, and only agreed to speak to us at a secure location far from his hometown.

That request for anonymity is common in the province of Mpumalanga - the heart of South Africa’s coal industry and a province that has earned a reputation for

extreme lawlessness.

‘Treasonous behaviour’

“Life is cheap here. You can hire a hitman for $400. People are just looting as much as they can,” said an investigative journalist working with us and South Africa’s Daily Maverick news website, who confirmed the businessman’s account.

“This is a brutal province for anyone trying to expose the truth. It’s sabotage at almost every stage of the process. And it’s not just about criminality. The money… gets passed on to politicians to keep them in power, to keep them running elections, to keep palms greased,” said the journalist, who also asked not to be named.

The ANC has been the governing party in Mpumulanga and nationwide since the country’s first democratic elections in 1994 after it successfully led the struggle against white-minority rule.

“This is treasonous behaviour. The ANC is involved at every level. The villains are members of the ANC or associates of the ANC. It is involved so deeply that it doesn’t know how to extricate itself. They are tipping us over towards that terrible situation of a ‘failed state,’” said political commentator Justice Malala, noting there was a direct link between the looting and the near-constant power cuts now crippling South Africa.

Source: BBC

South Africa relies on coal-fired power stations, some of which have been targeted by saboteurs

Promise Mabilo is campaigning in Mpumulanga to make it a cleaner and safer place

This is a brutal province for anyone trying to expose the truth. It’s sabotage at almost every stage of the process. And it’s not just about criminality. The money… gets passed on to politicians to keep them in power, to keep them running elections

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Olympics Qualifier: NWF President, Dr Ibrahim Abdul

Lauds Weightlifters After Tunisia Medal Haul

By Amaechi Agbo

The President, Nigeria Weightlifting Federation, NWF, Dr Ibrahim Abdul, FCISM, OCP, CMC; has commended Nigeria weightlifters who won 12 medals at the just concluded 2023 Senior Africa Weightlifting Championship in Tunisia.

Five Nigeria athletes, Lawal Rufiatu, Olarinoye Adijat, Eze Joy Ogbonne, Edidiong Umoafia and Akano Desmond represented Nigeria at the championship which also served as the 2024 Olympic Games qualifier.

They competed in 59kg and 71kg women’s categories as well as 73kg and 89kg men’s categories.

They won a total of 12 medals made up of three gold, seven silver and two bronze medals to put Nigeria’s quest for the 2024 Olympic Games qualification on sound track

In a release signed by the Media Officer, Nigeria Weightlifting Federation, Mr Amaechi Agbo, the President charged the weightlifters to buckle up ahead of more qualifiers.

“First and foremost, I want to commend the athletes for doing their best, considering the circumstances.

“As the president and someone who aim for the best, I wanted all of them to win gold medals in Tunisia. Nevertheless, I am proud of what they achieved.

“However, I urge them to buckle up. We have just started the race to Olympic Games qualification and there is a long way to go. They should remain active, sustain their training schedules and strictly follow them.

“As a federation, we will continue to provide, within our powers, all that are necessary for them to excel. We cannot afford to miss out on Olympics again after what happened in Tokyo Olympics qualifiers.

“I have no doubts in their abilities and

I believe that once they remain focused, we will get there,” he said

Meanwhile, Nigeria ambassador to Tunisia, Amb. Asari Edem Allotey has charged the weightlifters to remain focused in their quest for 2024 Olympics tickets.

Amb. Allotey stated this on Thursday while hosting the Nigeria Weightlifting contingent in her house.

The Ambassador who expressed delight with the performances of the lifters, also

cautioned them to make improvements if they must become Olympic medalists in Paris next year.

Nigeria weightlifters are expected to participate in five other weightlifting qualifying championships as they seek a return to Olympic Games medal podium in Paris next year.

The championships/Olympics qualifiers are:

1. IWF Grand Prix Havana, Cuba June 2-12, 2023

2. IWF World Championships Riyadh, Saudi Arabia -September 2-17, 2023

3. IWF Grand Prix Doha, Qatar December 1-17, 2023

4. African Championships February 25 March 02, 2024 (host to be confirmed)

5. IWF World Cup Phuket, Thailand April, 2024

U-20 World Cup: How Flying Eagles came from behind to beat Dominican Republic

By Amaechi Agbo

Nigeria’s Flying Eagles earned the first three points of Group D of the ongoing FIFA U20 World Cup in Argentina after an own goal by Guillermo De Rena and a smart finish by Samson Lawal steered them beyond Dominican Republic in Mendoza.

Ibrahim Muhammad’s shot had been firmly held by goalkeeper Xavier Valdez and Jude Sunday and Tochukwu Nnadi had threatened in the fore

within the first quarter-hour, before Japanese referee Yusuke Araki opted to consult the Video Assistant Referee and then award a penalty to Dominican Republic in the 20th minute, after a tackle by Daniel Daga. The resultant penalty was brilliantly converted by Edison Azcona.

Sunday, Nnadi, Fago Lawal, Samson Lawal and Muhammad all doubled their efforts with onslaughts launched towards the opposition, but goalkeeper Valdez was brilliant on the day, especially

in tipping over Sunday’s dipping shot from outside the box in the 37th minute.

Defender Solomon Agbalaka, who headed the goal that sank hosts Egypt at the Africa U20 Cup of Nations in January, attempted a similar effort in the 58th minute but found Valdez capable. From a dashing run in the 61st minute, substitute Emmanuel Umeh should have done more than place the ball in the keeper’s waiting hands.

Daga, Sunday and substitute Haliru Sarki all tested the keeper

in a second half dominated by Nigeria, but Samson Lawal was very alert to smell blood and capitalize on a defensive lapse by the boys from Dominican Republic to score Nigeria’s winner in the 68th minute. This was a minute after Jude Sunday had the ball in the net from a flowing team move, but it was ruled offside.

“We are happy with the three points though we wanted the boys to win by a higher margin as goals advantage do matter along the line in a competition such as this. The next two matches will be much

tougher and I expect the Flying Eagles to also show sterner stuff,” said NFF General Secretary, Dr. Mohammed Sanusi who watched the encounter at the Estadio Malvinas Argentinas in Mendoza. Next up for the two-time runners-up of the FIFA U20 World Cup is a clash with Italy at the same venue on Wednesday evening. A draw will most certainly guarantee a place in the knockout rounds for the Flying Eagles, ahead of their final group phase encounter with Brazil in La Plata on Saturday.

Nigeria Weightlifting contingent with the Ambassador during the latter’s visit in Tunisia on Thursday

•Ambassador charges lifters to remain focused

S P R T

Côte d’Ivoire to host 2023 CAF Women’s Champions League

Côte d’Ivoire will host the third edition of the CAF Women’s Champions League, the Executive Committee has announced. The prestigious inter-club competition for women was first hosted by Egypt in 2021 with Morocco hosting last year’s edition.

The dates for the tournament will be announced soon, but the eight-team tournament will help the Ivorians test their systems ahead of the TotalEnergies Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) which kicks off in January 2023.

The format will remain unchanged with the eight teams drawn into two groups. The top two in each will progress to the semi-finals.

The champion of the host country will be joined by seven other teams from the zonal qualifiers which will be held in due course as well.

Morocco’s AS Far are the defending champions, having clinched the crown on home soil, beating holders Mamelodi Sundowns Ladies. The format will remain unchanged with the eight teams drawn into two groups. The top two in each will progress to the semifinals.

The champion of the host country will be joined by seven other teams from the zonal qualifiers which will be held in due course as well.

Morocco’s AS Far are the defending chamhed the crown on home soil, beating holders Mamelodi Sundowns Ladies.

WAFU U-20: Five-star Falconets Wallop Niger 7-0 In Group B Opener

Nigeria’s U-20 girls celebrating none of their goals on Sunday

In a jaw-dropping showcase of attacking prowess, Nigeria’s U-20 women’s team kicked off their campaign at the WAFU B U-20 Girls Cup of Nations in Ghana with an emphatic 7-0 victory over Niger on Sunday.

The Group B match, held at Kumasi’s Baba Yara Stadium, witnessed a masterclass performance by the Nigerian side, leaving their opponents in awe.

From the opening whistle, Nigeria displayed their intent to dominate the game. Wave after wave of relentless attacks bombarded the Niger defence, setting the tone for the rest of the match.

In just the fourth minute, Esther Opeyemi Akajaye announced her presence with a clinical finish, marking the beginning of a remarkable individual performance.

Akajaye continued her assault on the Niger defence, netting two more goals in the 13th and 54th minutes to complete a sensational hat-trick.

Her exquisite finishing left Niger reeling, struggling to find answers to Nigeria’s relentless onslaught.

The Nigerian team’s dominance extended beyond Akajaye’s heroics. In the 30th minute, Mercy Kalu added to the growing tally, further extending

Nigeria’s lead.

The fluidity and cohesion displayed by the Nigerian players were a sight to behold, as skillful dribbling, incisive passing, and deadly finishing overwhelmed their opponents.

As the second half commenced, there was no respite for Niger. In the 49th minute, Adoabi Okah confidently converted a penalty kick, compounding the woes of the Niger team and solidifying Nigeria’s supremacy on the field.

Victoria Alani joined the goal-scoring spree in the 64th minute with a sensational strike that shattered the Niger defence.

Nigeria’s relentless pursuit

of goals found its culmination in stoppage time. In the 91st minute, Chioma Olise added the finishing touches to the victory with a clinical finish, leaving no doubt about Nigeria’s superiority in the match.

This resounding victory serves as a statement of intent from Nigeria’s U-20 women’s team.

Meanwhile in the group’s other game Burkina Faso defeated Togo 2-0 thanks to goals by Mounifatou Helbi and Alimata Belem.

The competition continues on Tuesday when Benin take on Cote d’Ivoire in the three-team Group A.

“Arsenal Don’t Want To Win Titles” - Gift Orban

Nigeria player, Gift Orban has disclosed that his ambition remains to play in the English Premier League, EPL stressing that joining Manchester United, Liverpool or Manchester City is ideal prospect for him.

But the 20-year-old striker took a swipe at Arsenal’s lack of trophy in the league to state that he would not want to join the North London side because they don’t have ambition to win titles.

“The Premier League is my ultimate

dream. Man United, Liverpool or Man City,” he told hlnsport

“I don’t really like Arsenal that much – it’s like they don’t want to win titles”.

“I want to go somewhere where they win titles.”

Chelsea are reportedly preparing a bid to bring the striker to Stamford Bridge, but the Blues are considering sending him out on loan if they successfully complete the transfer.

Gift Orban emerged into the global football following his eye-catching

performances with his Belgian club, Gent.

He joined the Belgian Pro League side in January and scored 14 goals in 13 appearances in the domestic league as well as 5 goals in the Europa Conference League

On 15 March, he scored a firsthalf hat-trick in 4–1 away win over İstanbul Başakşehir in the UEFA Europa Conference League round 16. The hattrick was scored within three minutes and 25 seconds, setting a new record for the fastest hat-trick in UEFA club

competitions, breaking the previous record of six minutes and 12 seconds held by Mohammed Salah in the Champions League.

Orban’s comment might not go down well with some Arsenal faithfuls who saw their title ambition in the current season dealt a huge blow following their recent poor performances.

Their “unexpected” 3-0 bashing by Brighton on Sunday at the Emirates Stadium appeared to be the final nail that sealed their coffin away from the title.

PEOPLES DAILY

SPORTS

Vinicius Jr: Valencia fined and sanctioned with partial stadium closure for five matches

Why and how petrol subsidy must go

If the subsidy is removed, petrol supply, whether even by importation for now until the Dangote and other refineries work, or from domestic refining capacity, will become more competitive, driving down costs over time. It also is artificial to expect the price to be the same everywhere in Nigeria. Even with price regulation, that is not what has happened.

For Nigeria to exit from its national fiscal crisis, create prosperity for its citizens and fulfil its obligations to those citizens, we must end the decades-old drainpipe of petrol subsidy.

There is no good time to do it. Postponing the evil day (as we have done for too long) beyond the next three months – and even then, only to prepare well for how to do it and the aftermath – would be unwise. A large majority of Nigerians oppose ending the subsidy despite the overwhelming economic arguments against it. Many, though, have accepted this inevitable outcome as our fiscal crisis has progressively gotten worse. We have been locked in a battle between economic rationality and the “superstition” of petrol subsidy for four main reasons. First, Nigeria has a literacy rate of 62 per cent – quite low, relative even to several other African countries.

Guest Columnist

By Kingsley Moghalu

Moreover, this can work well where an efficient, effective administrative state exists. To pretend that we have such a reality in Nigeria, with a few enclave exceptions, would be to delude ourselves. Because of this foundational weakness, most programmes or services run by governments, federal or state, are often abused with massive corruption by public officials. Reducing the role of the government and allowing market dynamics to allocate most resources is thus a necessary first step while we rebuild the Nigerian state and imbue it with capacity. Petrol subsidies distort markets and their supply chains.

Valencia

have been sanctioned with a partial stadium closure for five matches following the racist abuse of Real Madrid forward Vinicius Jr.

Spanish police have detained three people in connection with the abuse directed at the Brazilian at Mestalla Stadium on Sunday.

Valencia have also been fined 45,000 euros (£39,000).

Vinicius’ late red card has been rescinded, meaning he will not have to serve a suspension.

Valencia called the decision to partially close their stadium “disproportionate, unjust and unprecedented” and said they intend to appeal against that part of the sanction.

“Valencia have collaborated from the first minute with the police and all relevant authorities to clarify the events that occurred,” a statement from the club read.

“In addition, we have applied the maximum possible sanction with the ban for life from our stadium for racist behaviour of the fans identified by police.”

Speaking at a press conference, Valencia head coach Ruben Baraja added: “I am not going to allow the Valencia CF fans and Mestalla to be smeared with labels that do not represent us.

“Just as a player rightly fights back against insults and I support that with all my might, we as a club and a fanbase rebel against those who, during the days since the game, have accused us of being what we are not.”

The closure will apply to the Mestalla Stadium’s south stand, an area a clearly angry and emotional Vinicius was seen pointing to during Sunday’s second half before reporting the issue to the referee.

Source: bbc sports

From this foundational statistic we can extrapolate that the rate of economic literacy – a basic understanding of economics and the public policy that should drive its application on a national scale so it can work to our ultimate individual benefit – is infinitesimal. And yet, we are a people of strong opinions on anything under the sun! Secondly, and perhaps even more importantly, Nigerians simply do not trust their governments and the political elite to act in a manner that is remotely in the interest of the average Nigerian.

This breakdown of trust is deep, and complete, and has evolved over several decades of governance failure marked by a combination of industrialscale public sector corruption and a vanishing capacity to exercise the basic functions of the administrative state. Nigerians, therefore, cling to a belief that “cheap” petrol – increasingly a myth – is their basic human right as citizens of a petrostate. It is a “minor” matter that we are one of the very few oil-producing countries in the world, such as the august company of war-torn Libya, that exports crude petroleum and then imports refined and expensive petrol to which value has been added in foreign countries.

The third reason we have remained in this dilemma is economic populism. This doctrinal approach has led successive governments to pretend they love their poor compatriots by “subsidizing” the difference between the landing (real) cost of imported refined petrol and the price consumers pay at the gas station. It is, again, a minor matter that this market inefficiency has created a class of corruptly wealthy businessmen and women and the public servants with whom they collude to inflate consumption figures that determine the rates of subsidy payments. Meanwhile, elite corruption and inefficiency have crippled our national refineries for several decades.

Economic populism is a phrase that has its origin in Latin America in the 1970s and ’80s, and from failed

economic policies in Chile under its President Salvadore Allende (1970-1073) and Peru in the first term of President Alan Garcia (1985-1990). It is a policy approach that panders to uninformed popular opinion to create ultimately unsustainable obligations on the part of the government (and sometimes a period of economic or wage growth). The economy then crashes, and the citizens are returned to ground zero where they were pre-populism. Sometimes they are returned to “underground zero” which is worse and, I would argue, our situation in Nigeria. Populism is what led President Nana Kufo-Addo’s government of Ghana to chalk up massive public spending, a huge import bill on the back of newfound oil wealth, eventual foreign exchange scarcity and an unsustainable debt of $58 billion, on which our West African neighbour has defaulted and is now borrowing from the International Monetary Fund, IMF, for the 17th time in Ghana’s history. Nigeria has similarly been afflicted by the oil “curse”.

Fourthly, the oil subsidy cabal in Nigeria has become a very strong vested interest with political and other clout. When President Goodluck Jonathan’s government attempted to remove oil subsidy a decade ago, Finance Minister Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala’s mother was kidnapped, but fortunately subsequently released. As we cannot solve problems in a durable manner if we fail to understand their root causes, we must keep the foregoing factors in mind as we grapple with the petrol subsidy challenge in our national public policy. The keys to resolving the subsidy conundrum, therefore, include a transparent demonstration (with clear safeguards) that savings from removing petrol subsidy will not be stolen by corrupt public officials, a concrete plan for how these savings will be utilized for the benefit of Nigerians and the economy, and a plan to address subsidy removal’s inevitable – but hopefully temporary – inflationary impact. All of this must be anchored by a strong, simple but effective programme of public education of Nigerians on radio, television, and social media.

Nigerians need to be made to understand that continuing the petrol subsidy works against their interest. To begin with, subsidies are not, in and of themselves, a crime. They can be found even in strongly capitalist societies. But it makes far more economic sense to subsidize production and productivity, which is what has happened in successful economies than to subsidize individual consumption – which is what we do in Nigeria with petrol subsidy. Also, where consumption is subsidized, this almost always is for essential goods such as public transportation with buses, railways, and waterways.

Think of our interminable queues at petrol stations. It encourages the smuggling of petrol across our borders with West African neighbours where petrol is more expensive because it sells at market prices. The profit motive is a strong one. Marketers who can make double profits in cross-border markets as opposed to the internal Nigerian market where the petrol price is capped, will do so. This phenomenon frequently leaves us standing, sitting, or sleeping in long lines for petrol at fuel stations because of supply chain disruption-induced scarcity.

Nigerians – and most people in any country, developed or underdeveloped –will exploit any opportunity for arbitrage. The best way to make things work well is to eliminate such opportunities. If the subsidy is removed, petrol supply, whether even by importation for now until the Dangote and other refineries work, or from domestic refining capacity, will become more competitive, driving down costs over time. It also is artificial to expect the price to be the same everywhere in Nigeria. Even with price regulation, that is not what has happened.

Petroleum consumption and the number of vehicles in Nigeria have been significantly inflated to serve the interests of the subsidy cabals because this is the basis on which subsidy payments are calculated and made to petrol marketers. This means that public funds are going directly into private pockets with no value received for those funds. It also is a massive waste of public resources for the Federal Government of Nigeria to spend N5 trillion on petrol subsidy, which is of benefit far more to the rich and their SUVs than to the often carless poor, while the FGN cannot afford to pay public universities and their teachers an outstanding N800 billion in agreed support while millions of Nigerian youth are idle at home for months on end from Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, strikes.

And yet, many, suffering from some sentimental hangover, continue to clamour for the continuation of petrol subsidies. As a proverb of Turkish origin says: “The forest was shrinking but the

trees kept voting for the axe, for the axe was clever and convinced the trees that because his handle was made of wood, he was one of them”. This allegory applies to all four of our subsidy conundrums in Nigeria. The subsidy scam became so embedded that Nigeria, our revenues depressed from oil price shocks and weak fiscal management, especially a low ratio of tax to GDP and profligate borrowing, has for years also been borrowing to pay subsidies on petrol importation. We are now debt-distressed as repaying our debt is consuming 96% of our earned revenues according to the IMF. What do we call borrowing to pay subsidies that generate nothing we can utilize to repay our debt?

Savings from subsidy removal should be invested in subsidized public transportation across our 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory. From a back-of-the-envelope calculation, such a scheme should not cost more than N200 billion per annum overall (compare that with N5 trillion!) at not more than N5 billion per state per annum multiplied by 37 states and the FCT. This scheme should be a public-private partnership anchored in private-sector transporters and not become another “government programme”. This is to avoid any “wuruwuru” in which the “younger” transport subsidy swallows the “senior” petrol subsidy, and the “solution” becomes a worse problem than the original one.

Other investment focus areas include education (especially Technical and Vocational Education and Training, TVET, to produce skilled human capital in our young population on a massive scale), health insurance, and the savings pool of the Nigerian Sovereign Investment Authority, NSIA. The devil is in the details, but where there is a will there is a way. The incoming government of Nigeria has signposted the political will to grab this bull by its horns. If previous governments had done so, Nigeria would have been sparred this poisoned chalice.

Moghalu, a former deputy governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, is the CEO of Sogato Strategies, a macroeconomic and investment advisory firm, and the President of the Institute for Governance and Economic Transformation, IGET, a public policy think tank.