THEWILL NEWSPAPER Special March 15, 2023

L-R: Sen. Olorunimbe Mamora; Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Dr. Zainab Ahmed; Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, SAN; President, AFDB, Akinwunmi Adesina; Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed and Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Otunba Niyi Adebayo during the launch of investment in Digital and Enterprises Programme (iDice) at the State House Conference Centre, Abuja on March 14, 2023.

When I received a message asking that I come to Epe to interview HE Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour, I knew it would mean hours on the road which also meant losing time transcribing the story, so I requested a dial-in interview and prayed for a miracle that he granted it.

I finally received the fingers-crossed emoji from my contact and heard nothing from his team. That was until a few hours of worship later, and asking my contact about the interview, I suddenly got a call from a different person saying they had reached out to him and would like an interview. I said I could do it over the phone immediately.

It started to look like it wasn’t going to happen when we suddenly didn’t hear from the team, but when the call came in the following day, I knew The Creative of creatives had, once again, made a way.

What you will find in the interview is a confident young man who has put his heart and soul into making a better Lagos. And like Awolowo and similarly, Lateef Jankande, who had no prior experience running public office but did a good job such that we still hear their names in discussions of heroes of Nigerians, Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour is poised to do the same. Read his story on pages eight through ten.

Downtown Confidential is back after a short break. I have received several ‘confidential’ messages that tell how much they missed the page. Who would have thought?

In celebration of Mother’s Day, we have a beautiful article about the dos and don’ts of pregnancy. It’s worth a read whether or not you are expecting a little one. We also have an article: What is a woman?

Whatever you do, you must read both articles on pages fourteen and four through five. Don’t miss the health and wellness page; our décor page shows you a thing or two about beautifying your walls. And, of course, our movie review page is always raving with new movies and series, plus music just for you.

Happy Mother’s day to everyone who plays the role of mum, whether man or woman. Until next week, enjoy your read.

Photo: Kola Oshalusi @insignamedia

Makeup: Zaron

OnahNwachukwu Editor, THEWILL DOWNTOWN

Yo u r f u tu re , s h a p e i t yo u r w ay.

I nv e s t in what yo u d o n ow, wi t h the be n e fi t s o f the fu tur e w i t h Ac c e s s P e n s i o n s

V i s i t ww w ac c e s s p e n s i o n s n g to g e t st a r t e d

Access Pensions, Future Shaping

www accesspe nsions ng

Ohanaeze, Elders Council Rally Support For Tinubu, Back Umahi For Senate President

•Demand Government of National Unity

•Ask Obi to Explore All Legal Options to Prove he Won Poll •Urge Senate to Set Aside Ranking Rule

BY SUNDAY OGBU

The Igbo socio-cultural group, Ohanaeze Ndigbo, and its Elders Council comprising leaders from seven states as well as the organisation's 22 affiliate bodies have declared support for the President-elect, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, even as they have resolved to back the aspiration of the Ebonyi State governor and senator-elect, Dave Umahi, for the position of the Senate President.

The battle for the leadership of the 10th National Assembly has since started in earnest, coming just a week after the members-elect collected their Certificates of Return from the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Abuja.

Towards this end, the leadership of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) on Monday met with the newly-elected Senators and House of Representatives members - of the party at the Presidential Villa obviously to avoid a repeat of the crisis that trailed the election of

National Assembly officers in 2015, following President Muhammadu Buhari’s victory.

Although no communiqué was issued at the end of the meeting, which had the party’s National Chairman, Abdullahi Adamu in attendance alongside the National Secretary, Iyiola Omisore and Vice President–elect, Kashim Shettima, who represented the President – elect, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, there were indications that the party hierarchy wanted to tread softly on the issue of picking a preferred candidate in order to avoid any preinauguration crisis at the National Assembly.

President-elect Tinubu said at the meeting that he had no preferred candidate for the office of Senate President, but feelers from the meeting indicate that four of the six geo-political zones are ready to struggle for the position. The four zones are the South-East, the South-South, North-Central and North-West.

It was also gathered that many senators from the four zones have intensified lobbying for the position.

POSITIONS OF THE FOUR ZONES

THEWILL checks show that one of the key factors flaunted by the competing senators is individual electoral contribution to Tinubu’s emergence as president-elect. According to dependable party sources, by the same token, the South-West and North-East, both of which produced the President and the Vice President, respectively, are not being considered for the position.

HOW THE CONTENDING ZONES STAND ELECTORALLY

Except for Kaduna, Katsina, Kebbi and Sokoto States in the North-West zone, which Tinubu lost to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)’s Atiku Abubakar by a slim margin, but got

L-R: Lagos State Governor, Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu (left) and Founder, Living Faith Church Worldwide, ( AKA: Winners Chapel), Bishop David Oyedepo, during the Governor's courtesy visit to his office in Canaanland, Ota, Ogun State on March 13, 2023.

Tinubu, Back Umahi For Senate President

29 per cent and 40 per cent, 44 per cent, 49 percent respectively and Kano State, which he lost to Rabiu Kwankwaso of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), but got 30 percent of votes, Tinubu triumphed in the two other states in the North-West zone, namely Jigawa and Zamfara.

The North-Central zone where Tinubu won clearly in only four of the six states of Benue, Kwara, Kogi and Niger but was defeated by the Labour Party candidate, Peter Obi, in Nasarawa and Plateau States and Atiku in Taraba State is making a similar case. In all of these three states, however, Tinubu got 28 per cent in Plateau, 32 per cent in Nasarawa and 26 per cent in Taraba.

The South-South states of Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa, Cross River, Delta, Edo and Rivers shared their results among the three parties, the PDP, APC and LP. Obi won in Cross River, Delta and Edo States, while Atiku picked Akwa Ibom and Bayelsa States and Tinubu in Rivers, though the latter got 26 per cent in Edo and Bayelsa and 29 per cent in Akwa Ibom.

By this yardstick, the South-East performed poorly. The five states there, namely Abia, Anambra, Ebonyi, Enugu and Imo, which are controlled by the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), PDP and APC, voted massively for Obi of the LP. None of the major contenders got up to 18 per cent. Obi got 88 per cent in Abia, 95 per cent in Anambra, 94 per cent in Enugu and 80 per cent in Ebonyi and 77 per cent in Imo.

WHY THE SOUTH-EAST IS BIDDING FOR SENATE PRESIDENCY

Expectedly however, following the tradition of the party, South-East is more favoured to get the senate president’s slot and the Southeast senators- elect are eagerly scheming for the position.

Those in this school of thought believe that with President Muhammadu Buhari from the North-West, the position of senate president was also zoned to the North-East and that arrangement produced Senator Ahmed Lawan as President of the 9th Senate.

They believed therefore that now that the president-elect is from the South-West, the senate president should go to the South-East. It is based on this proposition that the panIgbo socio-political organisation, Ohanaeze Ndigbo, its elder council and 22 affiliate bodies have taken the bull by its horns and joined the fray to move the number three position to the geo-political zone. Without mincing words, they have tipped senator-elect and Governor of Ebonyi State, David Umahi as the man for the plum job.

Speaking exclusively with THEWILL on Tuesday, the Secretary-General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Mazi Okechukwu Isuguzoro, said that apart from Umahi, the other senators-elect of the All-Progressive Congress (APC) from the South-East have cases with the Economic and Financial Commission (EFCC) and that will

project the zone in bad light.

On the possible argument that Umahi is not a ranking senator and a green horn at that, Isuguzoro argued that the Senate should set aside its rule of ranking to allow Umahi to emerge as Senate President.

He added that since the North-East is still occupying the position of senate president and now has vice president-elect, coupled with the fact that two Muslims are president and vice president, the South-East should be allowed to produce the senate president, stressing that a Christian Senate President will suit the position.

Asked about the electoral calculations that may come into play during considerations for the position, Isuguzoro argued that Ohanaeze Ndigbo had already bared its mind to the President-elect.

He said, "First of all, we called the Presidentelect and congratulated him and told him he should form a government of national unity. That he should not victimise people who never voted for him. He should be the new leader of Nigeria who will carry every sector of the country along.

''He thinks this is an opportunity to integrate the erstwhile two most neglected zones in mainstream politics of the country. The SouthEast and North-East geo-political zones are yet to produce a Head of State for the country.

"Now, for the first time since the All Progressive Congress, APC, came into existence, we have six senators. It is a great improvement for the South-East. Out of 15 seats, we have six senators. What we are saying is that the SouthEast is supposed to have a slot.

"To put an end to insecurity and marginalisation in the South-East, it should be allowed to produce the senate president. Not only that, the President-elect must make sure he inculcates

and includes the geo-political zone in the mainstream properly.

"By doing so, we now saw an opening that there must be a change of baton in the leadership of the Senate since the president-elect and vice president-elect are both Muslims, the SouthWest has the presidency and the North-East has the vice president. The North-East is currently holding the senate presidency and now the northeast has also produced the vice president-elect, the ruling party must shift the senate presidency to the South-East.

"And looking at the characters that emerged and based on the people’s choices, the Senate has to change its rules to ensure that a firsttimer becomes the president of the Senate.

"Remember that Akpabio from the SouthSouth in 2015 became the Senate minority leader and that is what we are saying that we must produce the Senate president.''

WHY IT MUST BE UMAHI

"Looking at the characters, a man who was said to have brought RUGA to Abia State is not interested in a South-East presidency. Instead, he wants a senate president from the North-East to become the country’s president. Another man, whom he described as a ranking senator from Imo state, has always been an undertaker for a certain governor in the SouthEast.

"Looking at the politicians and senators-elect from the South-East, the best thing that can happen to the region is to give the position to Governor David Nwaeze Umahi, who is the Chairman of the South-East Governors' Forum for the past eight years. We have seen that he has the capacity to change the narrative.

"That is why Ohanaeze sat with its Elders Council last Sunday in Enugu and said that Umahi should be the next Senate President.

"We do not have confidence in those who are ranking senators. They will not represent the interest of our people. They will always project us in a bad light. Many of them have cases with the EFCC. They are not worthy to become senators or political leaders. They always do hatchet jobs.

"The Ohanaeze Elders Council comprises leaders from seven states who met in Enugu with the organisation's 22 affiliate bodies. This is a popular opinion of our people. Since we started canvassing for the senate presidency of Governor Umahi, no Igbo person has countered it.

"Tell those who think that because Peter Obi has a case in the court that we cannot canvas for senate president, that we are not saying that Peter Obi should not go to court. He should explore all legal actions, but for now, we have a president-elect until a court of competent jurisdiction says otherwise. We have a president-elect and if the court says he is not, we will obey the court. Ohanaeze is law abiding," he said.

Looking at the characters, a man who was said to have brought RUGA to Abia State is not interested in a South-East presidency. Instead, he wants a senate president from the North-East to become the country’s president. Another man, whom he described as a ranking senator from Imo state, has always been an undertaker for a certain governor in the South-East

Why I Didn't Collect INEC’s Certificate of Return

BY FELIX IFIJEH

The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, has explained his absence at last Wednesday’s event, where the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) issued Certificates of Return to members-elect of the House of Representatives in the February 25 elections.

Some media (not THEWILL) reports had said that the Speaker was being positioned as Chief of Staff to President-elect Bola Tinubu, but while addressing State House correspondents on Monday, after a meeting of the National Working Committee of the All Progressives Congress (APC) with the party’s lawmakers-elect, Gbajabiamila said

– Gbajabiamila

he missed the event because he was in Lagos campaigning for the APC.

“I don’t know anything about that chief of staff thing. All I heard was that I didn’t come here last week to pick up my certificate of return and for that reason, somebody conjectured that I must be in line for the office because I didn’t care about my mandate.

“I was in Lagos and I could not leave Lagos because I was campaigning for my party. That’s number one. Again, it will interest you to know that I was not here four years ago to pick up my certificate of return from INEC because I couldn’t make it. I don’t think it is anything significant. I’ll pick up my certificate today or tomorrow," he said.

Gunmen Kidnap Accord Party Aspirant in Rivers

The candidate of the Accord Party (AP) in the March 18 House of Assembly elections for Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni Local Government Area Constituency 2 in Rivers State, Chukwudi Ogbonna, has been kidnaped by gunmen. Ogbonna was reportedly kidnaped while driving in his car at Rumuigbo, near Port Harcourt on Monday night, when the gunmen forced him to stop and whisked him away with his car. His cousin’s brother, Ifeaka Nwakiri, confirmed the incident on Tuesday.

Nwakiri said the abduction is “politically motivated”, adding that Ogbonna was driving a white

Ebonyi APC Campaign Council Bemoans Alleged Killing of Supporters

The Ebonyi State chapter of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Divine Mandate Campaign Council, has bemoaned the rate of killings of its supporters in Ebonyi State.

The Director, Directorate of Information of the Campaign Council, Barrister Uchenna Orji, disclosed this during a press conference at the campaign office of the governorship candidate of the party, Chief Francis Nwifuru, in Abakaliki.

He stressed that the killings were politically motivated, aimed at undermining the APC, ahead of March 18 governorship and state Assembly elections.

Police Declare Yakubu Shehu Wanted For Homicide

The lawmaker representing Bauchi Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives, Yakubu Abdullahi Shehu, has been declared wanted by the Nigeria Police Force.

A Special Police Gazette Bulletin, with reference number: CB: 2685/Bsx/VOL.T/4s, with the caption: “wanted”, said Hon Shehu is wanted for criminal conspiracy, causing grievous hurt, disturbance of public peace and culpable homicide.

The bulletin, which has the picture and address of the lawmaker on it, was from the State Criminal Investigation Department of the Bauchi State Police Command, issued by the Authority of the Inspector General of Police, Usman Baba and shared with journalists by its Public Relations Officer, SP Ahmed Wakil.

The Police announced a N1 million reward for anyone with useful information that could lead to the arrest of the 45-year old Lawmaker.

The Bulletin reads: “Hon. Yakubu Abdullahi Shehu (Wakilin Birni), ‘m’ 45 years old. Last known address: Off Danjuma Goje street, Makama new extension, Jahun ward, Bauchi Local Government, Bauchi State.

Mercedes car with a friend when he was kidnapped.

“The abduction has been reported to the police and other security apparatus.

“He was driving with his friend. They double-crossed him. His friend came out of the car to understand what was happening then the gunmen started shooting in the air so the young man had to scamper for his safety.

“Up till now, we don’t know his whereabouts", he added.

When contacted for comment on the incident, Grace Iringe-Koko, the Rivers police spokesperson, said an update will be provided soon.

“The above person is hereby declared wanted by the Nigeria Police on CRO Form 5, issued by the Inspector General of Police.

“He is wanted in connection with a case of criminal conspiracy, causing grievous hurt, Inciting Disturbance of Public Peace and Culpable Homicide.

“State Criminal Investigation Department S.C.I.D No.1 refers to this Bulletin and gives details of rewards of one million (1,000,000) naira for the arrest of this person. Issued by the Authority of the Inspector General of Police.

“Anyone with information that could assist in his arrest should please contact; 08151849417 or report at any nearest Police Station.”

Shehu, who contested the February 25 National Assembly elections under the platform of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), lost to Senator Lawal Yahaya Gumau.

He said: "As the tempo of political activities is rising ahead of the March 18th, 2023 Governorship and the State House of Assembly Elections, we are mindful of the growing tensions generated by a few desperate opposition elements and their Governorship candidates who are frustrated by the turn of event and have resorted to raising dusts, instigating tensions and creating insecurity in some parts of the State. We have it on good authority that the opposition elements particularly APGA and PDP, having seen their imminent disgraceful failure in the coming election of 18th March, 2023, are doing everything possible to charge the atmosphere and distort the peace and security enjoyed in the State before, during and after the elections.

"We, therefore, warn that these enemies of the State be called to order by security agencies. The killing of one of the finest Traditional Rulers, who was until his death, the Chairman of the Traditional Rulers Council in Ezza North, His Royal Highness, Eze Igboke Ewa, by gunmen suspected to be working for the Governorship Candidate of APGA is one of the recent unprovoked attacks that were meted against our people for no just cause.

"We understand that some culprits have been arrested and they have made confessional statements and yet, their sponsors are still moving freely and raining fire and brimstone against authorities.

"We also have a case of attack at Ezzagu Community in Ishielu LGA on the 18/02/2023 during the APC political rally where gun men made their way to the venue and started shooting sporadically, leading to the death of Mr Emeka Nwausulor Enyiukpo and two others, who were seriously injured by their gunshots - Mr Chinedu Abel Anyalagu and Mr Orugbala Chukwudi. Also on the 22nd February, 2023, there was also another attack at Ohofia and Agba in Ezekoma Development Centre of Ishielu Local Government Area, where one Mr Monday Idoko and Festus were also shot dead by unknown gunmen.

"Just yesterday, 12th March, 2023, an APC member and Councilor of Achara Ward 2 in Okposi, Ohaozara Local Government Area, Hon Ogbonnaya Ugwu (SPACO) was gruesomely murdered and set ablaze in his car. There was also an attack on the Commander of Neighbourhood Watch, Mr Dickson Solomon on same Saturday last week wherein rains of bullets were thrown at him and God rescued him as he tells his ordeals. We also heard of the ugly incident that happened a night before the Presidential Election at same Court Area wherein another known Supporter of APC was gunned down.

FROM SUNDAY OGBU, ABAKALIKI

L-R: President Muhammadu Buhari, receives in audience the APC Gubernatorial Candidate for Kano State, Nasiru Yusuf Gawuna, in Daura, Katsina State on March 12,2023.

POLITICS

Feminine Faces That Will Adorn 10th National Assembly

BY AYO ESAN

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) conducted the Presidential and National Assembly elections on Saturday, February 25, 2023. Although the Commission announced the results of the elections, winners are yet to emerge in some senatorial districts because the elections in those places were declared inconclusive.

Out of 109 senatorial districts, only the results of the national assembly election held in 98 senatorial districts were released, while INEC declared the election in 11 districts inconclusive.

Although the election was conducted in 325 federal constituencies, the results for 35 constituencies were declared inconclusive.

At a ceremony held in Abuja last week, INEC presented Certificates of Return to 98 Senators-elect and 325 House of Representatives members-elect.

Only three of the 98 senators-elect are women. The House of Representatives for now has 14 female members out of 325. So the total number of female legislators expected in the forthcoming 10th National Assembly is 17. This may increase with time.

Senate

There are eight female members of the Senate at present, but it appears that none of them will make it to the 10th Senate because they were either defeated in the national assembly election or did not contest at all. Some of them also opted for higher positions.

Those who lost their re-election bids are Senator Biodun Olujimi (Ekiti South); Senator Stella Oduah (Anambra North) and Senator Lilian Ekwunife (Anambra Central).

Senator Betty Apiafi (Rivers West) failed to secure a return ticket during the primaries and she was replaced with the Deputy Governor of Rivers State, Banigo Ipalibo Harry, who has gone ahead to win the election.

Senators Oluremi Tinubu (Lagos Central), Senator Nora Ladi Dadu’ut (Plateau South) and Senator Akon Etim Eyakenyi (Akwa Ibom South) did not seek re-election.

Senator Tinubu is the wife of the President – elect

“

Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

On her part, Senator Aishatu Dahiru Ahmed (Binani) opted to contest in the governorship election in Adamawa State.

Three women that are already senators-elect are Ireti Kingibe of the Labour Party who will be representing the Federal Capital Territory in the Senate; Idiat Oluranti Adebule of the APC who won in Lagos West Senatorial District and Banigo Ipalibo Banigo of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) who won in Rivers West Senatorial District.

Ireti Heebah Kingibe

Born on June 2, 1954, is a civil engineer and had her education at the Queens College, Lagos, Washington Irving High School, and the University of Minnesota, United States, where she bagged a degree in Civil Engineering.

She defeated Philip Aduda who represented the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) at the senate in the national assembly election.

Kingibe's political career began in 1990 with her appointment as Adviser to the National Chairman of the defunct Social Democratic Party, (SDP).

In 2003 she was the FCT senatorial candidate for the All Nigeria People's party. She defected to the Peoples Democratic Party in 2006. However, in 2014 she joined

the All Progressives Congress (APC), because she could not handle the politics in PDP.

In 2015 she ran for the senatorial seat under APC, but she later withdrew from the race.

Idiat Adebule

Adebule defeated Segun Adewale of the PDP. INEC Collation Officer, Prof. Solomon Akinboye, declared the former Lagos deputy governor winner for scoring the highest valid votes.

Adebule polled 361,296 votes to defeat Segun Adewale of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), who polled 248,653. She was born on November 27, 1970. Adebule served as the 15th deputy governor of Lagos State and the sixth woman to occupy the office from 2015 to 2019.

Dr Adebule political experience started when she was appointed as Commissioner 1 in the Lagos State Post Primary Teaching Service Commission (PP-TESCOM) now Teachers’ Establishment and Pensions Office by Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu from October 2000 to February 2005 and later as board member of the Lagos State Scholarship Board from February 2005 to November 2005. She was appointed and sworn in as the Secretary to the State Government by the Governor of Lagos state, Mr Babatunde Raji Fashola (SAN) in July, 2011. She was sworn in as the Lagos state deputy governor on May 29, 2015 by the Chief Justice of Lagos.

Dr Ipalibo Banigo

Dr Ipalibo Banigo is a medical doctor and the current deputy governor of Rivers State.

She was born to the Harry family of Obuama in Degema Local Government Area of Rivers State on December 20, 1952. She made history as the first female deputy governor of Rivers State since May 29, 2015. She attended Queens College, Yaba, Lagos between 1964 and 1968 and returned to the same school between 1969 and 1970 for a high school result.

She proceeded to the University of Ibadan and obtained a Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS) and thus qualified as a medical doctor in 1976.

Only three of the 98 senatorselect are women. The House of Representatives for now has 14 female members out of 325

Banigo Adebule

Kingibe

HEALTH

Chronic Kidney Disease is too often undetected and undertreated, without sufficient public health policies in place to address its rapid spread in Africa

There is a silent killer in our midst. It affects 850 million people worldwide and is a leading cause of death globally. Despite its deadly profile and rising prevalence, low public awareness means Chronic Kidney Disease is too often undetected and undertreated, without sufficient public health policies in place to address its rapid spread in Africa.

World Kidney Day on March 9th presents an opportunity to expose this silent killer and strengthen efforts against Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD). An estimated 15% of people in Africa have the condition, rising to 30% in high-risk populations like people with diabetes.3 This is significantly higher than the global average and presents a real challenge for the region. It is perhaps unsurprising that when a panel of experts in kidney health from across Africa and the Middle East was convened last year, they identified significant gaps in the care given to people with CKD. In a paper due to be published later this month, they make the case for renewed action to stem the rise in the disease, emphasising that early invention is essential.

CKD has no cure, and treatments like dialysis and transplantation which are required in the final stages of the disease are both invasive for patients and hugely expensive, placing a significant financial burden on health systems. The pandemic has only exacerbated this challenge, with CKD being one of the most prevalent risk factors for severe COVID-19. 4 Governments, NGOs, health care providers and the private sector must come together to end the neglect, with a focus on prevention, early detection and education.

Chronic Kidney Disease: Africa’s Silent Killer

BY VIRAJ RAJADHYAKSHA

First, efforts to manage, diagnose and treat the underlying causes of CKD can stop the disease from ever developing. Obesity, diabetes and high blood pressure are among the main drivers of CKD, and as such it is no surprise that they have also increased in prevalence in Africa in recent decades. 5 Increased support with integrated care approaches for patients with these conditions will not only improve general health outcomes but also help to avert instances of CKD and help countries to build sustainable, more resilient health systems. After all, prevention is always better than a cure.

Secondly, early detection of CKD allows patients who have already developed the disease to continue to live long and healthy lives. To achieve this, policymakers should implement routine screening for CKD among high-risk groups as a priority, which is possible thanks to the rapid and inexpensive tests that are available to hunt it down. Advances in medical technology in the past decade including biomarkers, advanced imaging and the use of artificial intelligence make this easier than ever before, but these innovations are still not widely available in Africa.

AstraZeneca is working with governments and health providers across the region to boost capacities and capabilities for early diagnosis, including the development of a programme known as SEARCH

to drive early detection in at-risk patients. SEARCH has enabled the screening of approximately 500,000 patients for CKD to date, specifically targeting those with pre-existing conditions such as diabetes, high blood pressure or cardiovascular disease which all put patients at a higher risk of developing CKD.

Finally, education is essential to empower health workers and patients with the knowledge, the skills, and the confidence to live and control this disease. Patients should be able to understand their risks based on pre-existing conditions, how they can catch CKD early and the treatment options available to them to improve their prognosis. Peer to peer support can also help build confidence around healthy lifestyle changes, exercise, and adherence to treatment. Even tools as simple as this ISN ‘Are your kidneys healthy?’ Quiz can help start a conversation, which could be enough to save a life.

World Kidney Day is a chance to shine a light on CKD and help to stop this silent killer in its tracks. Through prevention, early detection, and education, we can work to limit the dreadful burden of this disease on our families and communities and create healthier and more sustainable health systems in our region and across the world.

World Kidney Day on March 9th presents an opportunity to expose this silent killer and strengthen efforts against Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD). An estimated 15% of people in Africa have the condition, rising to 30% in highrisk populations like people with diabetes.3 This is significantly higher than the global average and presents a real challenge for the region. It is perhaps unsurprising that when a panel of experts in kidney health from across Africa and the Middle East was convened last year, they identified significant gaps in the care given to people with CKD.

“

•Viraj Rajadhyaksha is the Area Medical Director, Astrazeneca, Middle East and Africa.

Need For Peaceful Conduct of Governorship, State Assembly Polls

The February 25, 2023 Presidential and National Assembly Elections have come and gone, but the violence that characterised the events in many parts of the country will continue to cast dark shadows on the electoral process in this part of the world. Despite the assurances of the Nigeria Police Force, which coordinated the entire 400,000 security personnel deployed for the presidential poll, and the sanctions spelt out in the Electoral Act 2022, violence reared its ugly head in some polling units across the country, sometimes in the presence of Police officers who were more often inclined to look the other way.

In a bid to disenfranchise voters, armed thugs disrupted voting exercises and snatched and burnt ballot boxes, attacked women and electoral officers, sometimes with the aid of desperate government officials bent on rigging the poll.

Some states, such as Bayelsa, Borno, Delta, Edo, Imo, Kaduna, Kogi Rivers and Lagos, witnessed one form of violence or the other during the elections. Notorious cases that exemplified the violence took place in Kogi State where a young man identified as Akayama at Anyigba, in Dekina Local Government Area of the state, was killed by thugs who invaded the town to cart away electoral materials. In Edo State, a lady was killed by a gang of gun-toting assailants who shot sporadically at her polling unit during the counting of votes.

Publisher/Editor-in-Chief Austyn Ogannah

Editor – Olaolu Olusina

Deputy Editor – Amos Esele

Politics Editor – Ayo Esan

Business Editor – Sam Diala

Copy Editor – Chux Ohai

Cartoon Editor – Victor Asowata

Entertainment/Society Editor – Ivory Ukonu

Photo Editor – Peace Udugba

Head, Graphics – Tosin Yusuph

Circulation Manager – Victor Nwokoh

Nigeria Bureau: 36AA Remi Fani-Kayode Street, GRA, Ikeja. Lagos, Nigeria. info@thewillnigeria.com / @ THEWILLNG, +234 810 345 2286, +234 913 333 3888.

EDITOR: Olaolu Olusina @OLUSINA

[Letters/Opinions: opinion.letters@thewillnigeria.com]

At Polling Unit 18, Ward 8, in Marte LGA of Borno State, women were physically assaulted and prevented from voting. Similarly, a young woman was attacked and stabbed by unidentified party thugs in the Surulere area of Lagos State. Some ad-hoc staff of the Independent National Electoral Commission deployed to some polling units in Rivers State were shot for failing to compromise the process.

In Akwa Ibom State, thugs suspected to be the supporters of a particular party, inflicted machete cuts on two voters before carting away with one Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) for polling units 11 and 12 at Oniong West Ward 1 in Onna Local Government Area of the state. Similar incidents occurred in Obiakpo area of Rivers State and Safana Local Government Area of Katsina State, as well as in the Oshimili area of Delta State, leading to the loss of BIVAS machines.

Surprisingly, the security agencies and authorities had been forewarned about the impending danger several months before the election and practically did nothing about it. Many months before voting commenced, thugs had invaded, burnt and destroyed many offices of the INEC while voter registration exercise and Personal Voter Card, PVC, collection, activities were disrupted by separatist and self-determination agitators. Yet, nothing concrete was done by way of arrests, prosecution and imprisonment.

Not surprisingly, violence still continued after results had been declared and campaign for the March 18, 2023 poll commenced. That was why, for example, armed thugs audaciously invaded

and razed markets in Lagos State, where perceived opposition persons owned shops, leaving millions of property to waste and their owners in desolation.

We find this form of violent intimidation of voters, destruction of property and the killing of perceived rivals barbaric and condemnable. It is time for the security agencies and the law courts to put a full stop to this kind of anti-democratic descent to primitive conduct.

We urge the authorities to make examples of enablers of thuggery with people in high places. A case in point, which we applaud, is the removal of the Majority Leader of the House of Representatives, Alhasan Ado Dogowa, earlier arraigned at a Magistrate Court

for arson and murder, from the list of winners in the just concluded polls by INEC for intimidating and forcing the Returning Officer to declare him winner of the election in Doguwa/ Tundunwada Federal Constituency, which he lost by 34,798 votes to 39,778 votes polled by Yushua Abdullahi of the New Nigeria Peoples Party, NNPP.

Hopefully, the Inspector-General of Police, Usman Baba, has admitted to the enormity of the problem. In a post-election meeting with strategic police officers, he disclosed that the police recorded and responded to 185 major incidents after it arrested 203 electoral offenders during the election.

According to Baba, the cases are at various stages of investigation at the Nigeria Police Electoral Offences Desks, adding that they would be concluded and processed to INEC’s Legal Department for prosecution in due course.

He said the police have identified gaps and perfect the action plan for the forthcoming March 18 elections.

We welcome the stand of the police boss and his move to work with INEC in seeking an end to electoral violence. In the same vein, we urge our justices to expedite action in cases involving electoral violence brought before them.

One of the high points of any democratization process is the freedom to unfettered participation and expression of choices. Violence in any form has grave implications for the process because it reduces the whole thing to a public circus.

We welcome the stand of the police boss and his move to work with INEC in seeking an end to electoral violence. In the same vein, we urge our justices to expedite action in cases involving electoral violence brought before them

OPINION

Before Nigeria’s March 18 Elections

BY REUBEN ABATI

After the February 25 Presidential and National Assembly elections, now heavily disputed, Nigeria goes to the polls again on March 18, 2023, to elect Governors and members of state legislatures in 28 out of 36 states of the Federation. There would be no state elections in Kogi, Anambra, Ondo, Imo, Edo, Osun, Bayelsa and Ekiti, which are in the off-cycle election belt. However, this weekend’s elections were meant to hold last Saturday, March 11, but the polls had to be rescheduled on account of the disputes that arose from the February 25 Presidential election and the orders given by the Court of Appeal, acting as the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal. Three political parties – the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the Labour Party (LP) and the All Progressives Congress (APC), acting in self-defence in its case, had gone to court to seek permission to be allowed to inspect the materials used for the election by the Independent National Election Commission (INEC), which announced the Presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, as the winner of the election with 8,974,726 million of total votes cast. The Presidential candidate of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar, and Mr Peter Obi of the Labour Party (LP) challenged the results as declared by INEC. The court ruled in their favour on Friday, March 3. By Tuesday, March 7, the ruling APC and its candidate, now president-elect, also sought leave of court to have access to the election materials. INEC also approached the court requesting that it should vary the order it gave earlier permitting PDP, LP, to inspect election materials, by granting it leave to reconfigure the Bi-Modal Verification Accreditation System (BVAS) ahead of the Gubernatorial and State legislature elections scheduled for March 11.

Counsel to INEC had told the Presidential Election Petitions Tribunal that their client would need a minimum of five days to reconfigure the BVAS. As it turned out, the other two matters were determined on Wednesday, March 8. The court granted INEC’s request to reconfigure the BVAS, but it did not rule that this should have any effect on the March 11 date. The Court granted APC its prayers. But in yet another matter, it refused to grant the Labour Party its request to inspect the INEC database, and oversee the reconfiguration

of the BVAS. On its own, after a review of the Court’s ruling, INEC announced that “it was far too late” for the reconfiguration of BVAS to be concluded within two days in over 170,000 polling units nationwide. Consequently, the Commission rescheduled the Gubernatorial and state Assembly elections till March 18. INEC promised that it would obey the orders of the court: grant the petitioners access to inspect election materials, and also upload data to its back-end server and make Certified True Copies of the same available to all parties in the matter.

It is now election week again, as Nigerians are expected to troop out this Saturday to participate in state elections. They would be doing so against the background of the drama generated by the elections of February 25. As various international observers have pointed out: Chatham House, Ambassador Mark Green, Ambassador Johnnie Carson, the US Observer Mission, Financial Times, Bloomberg, New York Times, South Africa’s Broadcasting Corporation (SABC), Reuters, YIAGA Africa, The Guardian UK, BBC, Chinese News Agency, Washington Post, Nigeria Civil Society Situation Room, the African Union Election Observation Mission to Nigeria, ECOWAS, EU, UN, and the West African Elders Forum (WAEF), among others, the emergent consensus was that whereas the people of Nigeria showed much zeal and determination towards the polls, the entire exercise fell short of the people’s expectations. In other words, INEC disappointed the people. I have already offered a catalogue of the sheer incompetence and poor performance put up by INEC in an earlier commentary (see “Nigeria: February 25 and the Aftermath,” ThisDay, Tuesday, March 7). Things have gone so bad that, in fact, the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), led by its Presidential candidate and other party leaders had to stage a protest from the party’s headquarters to the Headquarters of INEC, on Monday, March 6. They asked for a cancellation of the election and submitted a protest letter. A week later, the Labour Party, in a statement issued by its Chief Spokesperson, Dr Yunusa Tanko, is also threatening to call out its supporters on a peaceful protest to challenge INEC’s refusal to obey the order of the Court to allow the party to inspect election materials. Tanko insists that the court order

was duly served on INEC and a reminder was also sent to it. But whereas INEC is busy reconfiguring the BVAS, it has ignored other court orders. It has failed to keep its promise. Other political parties are aggrieved. It must be noted that on three previous occasions since 1999 that elections were postponed, Nigeria usually cited either security or logistics reasons: 2011, 2015, and 2019, but in 2023, INEC’s excuse is that it has to reconfigure its equipment!

The biggest calamity in Nigeria’s democratic process this time around is the embarrassing conduct of the electoral umpire. The people have lost trust in INEC. The institution suffers a credibility crisis. The worst thing that can happen to any public institution is to end up in the eyes of the same people it is established to serve as a fibbing, clumsy, unreliable institution. Between February 25 and now, INEC has broken virtually all the promises it made to the people of Nigeria including the ones its Chairman rolled out for effect on the floor of Chatham House in London! INEC’s much-trumpeted confidence in the deployment of technology as enabled by the law and its own guidelines has been shown to be nothing more than an exercise in hypocrisy. On February 25, results from polling units were transmitted to the INEC portal called iREV, but not Presidential election results from the same polling units. More than a week after the elections, INEC could not fully load results unto its portals. Many voters could not get their Permanent Voter Cards, the same cards that have been sighted in bushes, forests, in the hands of foreigners and in shadowy apartments across the country. INEC could not distribute its own PVCs! The Court of Justice, Obiora Egwuatu has now ruled, March 9, in favour of two persons: Kofoworola Olusegun and Wilson Allwell that they should be allowed to vote with their Temporary Voter Cards (TVCs), but although the ruling is in personam, the matter, having not been filed in a representative capacity, INEC says it will appeal the Federal High Court ruling. Since the return to democratic rule in 1999, no other electoral process has been this confusing and uncertain.

•Continues online at www.thewillnigeria.com

Sanwo-Olu: Running On Experience And Track Record

BY GBOYEGA AKOSILE

The decision of Lagos State Governor Babajide SanwoOlu to seek a second term in office, came as no surprise to millions of Lagosians, in that the constitution of land permits him to do so. But the move, no doubt, was greeted by spontaneous excitement among the residents, given the quality of leadership, people-oriented policies and clear governance direction brought to the State by Sanwo-olu and his brother, Deputy Governor Obafemi Hamzat.

Sanwo-Olu, an exemplary public sector reformer and astute politician, known for his love and passion for the public service, has shown leadership in Lagos by giving the electorate a great deal in steering the ship of the nation’s commercial city in the right direction.

As the 15th Lagos Governor, and having worked closely with three previous governors – Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, Babatunde Raji Fashola, and Akinwunmi Ambode in different capacities, Sanwo-Olu understands the State and the various challenges facing the mega city. His knowledge of challenges confronting residents made his administration to adopt a six pillars policy programme tagged T.H.E.M.E.S in solving the identified problems through good governance. The six pillars are; Traffic Management and Transportation; Health and Environment; Education and Technology; Making Lagos a 21st Century state; Entertainment and Tourism; Security and Governance. Each of these six pillars is carefully thought-out as the Government’s priorities in delivering solutions across sectors.

Sanwo-Olu, in his speech at the swearing-in on May 29, 2019, spoke passionately about his plans for the State, especially his dream of building a Greater Lagos. This passion seemed to have motivated his quest for good governance.

About seven months ago, when the Sanwo-Olu administration had barely settled down, COVID-19 pandemic ravaged the entire world and Lagos became an epicentre of the airborne disease. The governor showed leadership in rising up to the occasion and responding to the pandemic. Sanwo-Olu, with the assistance of his Commissioner for Health, Prof. Akin Abayomi, and other stakeholders controlled the spread and ensured that those who contracted the virus were well attended to. He was the first governor to come up with a clearly

defined containment strategy and response, which was later adopted by the presidency for the national response plan. This intervention by the Sanwo-Olu administration made Nigeria the fourth best country in the world which impressively curbed the spread of the COVID-19 virus, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO).

The administration’s traffic management and transportation blueprint has significantly brought the dream of Lagos to have an efficient and reliable intermodal system of transportation to a reality. Sanwo-Olu’ government has invested hugely in waterways and a light rail system as alternatives to road transportation.

The Governor's administration started the 37-km Red Line rail project from the scratch and the project is at completion stage. At full operation, the Red Line will move about a million passengers daily. The administration also injected huge resources into the 13-km Blue Line rail, commissioned in January by President Muhammadu Buhari, to ensure mass mobility from Mile 2 axis into the Island.

To ease traffic gridlock in the metropolis , Sanwo-Olu’s administration built and completed Agege-Pen Cinema dual carriage flyover with adjoining roads in Agege, and also commissioned the Lagos-Ogun network of roads with bridge in Agbado-Oke Odo LCDA. He also carried out Junction Improvements and Reconfiguration at the 18 traffic spots, including first and second Lekki Roundabouts, Allen Avenue, Ajah and Igando. All these are done to reduce traffic gridlock in the State.

In the last three and half years, Governor Sanwo-Olu has constructed and rehabilitated over 1,000 roads while others are at various stages of completion. The plan for construction of the 4th Mainland Bridge is also on course. The incumbent administration also started the Opebi-Ojota Link Bridge, which is expected to be completed this year. The First phase of the six-lane rigid-pavement 18.75km Lekki-Epe Expressway, stretching from Eleko Junction all the way to Epe T-junction, is completed and delivered to the good people of Lagos residing in the Lekki-Epe axis. The Sanwo-Olu administration has also provided thousands of LAGRIDE cars, First and Last Mile

buses, and Large Capacity buses and boats for waterways to ease transportation in Lagos.

Sanwo-Olu believes no resources should be spared in providing quality health care to the residents, which is why the State Government delivered secondary health facilities, such as Mother and Child Centers (MCCs) in Eti-Osa, Igando, Epe and Badagry. Lagos Government is building New Massey Children Hospital, which will be the biggest children hospital in West Africa. There is also an ongoing construction of General Hospital in Ojo and development of a mental health facility in Ketu Ejinrin.

Sanwo-Olu's administration has made a lot of investments in education and technology in Lagos by building thousands of classrooms and providing 380,000 units of composite furniture for the students. Among the iconic school projects built by the Sanwo-Olu government are the new Elemoro Community Junior Secondary School, Ibeju-Lekki, and the containerised modular classroom block in Vetland Junior Grammar School, Agege. The Governor has also rewarded 13 outstanding teachers with new vehicles on two occasions.

The administration has equally made remarkable inroad in the training of teachers for 21st-century competence. It is of note that through the EKO EXCEL training initiative, more than 3,000 primary school teachers have been trained on how to competently utilise technology in teaching, for better educational outcomes for our children. The Government has also paid fully, the WAEC fees of all students in the State’s public secondary schools to date.

Lagos State Polytechnic (LASPOTECH) and Lagos State College of Education (LACOED) have been upgraded to universities. Lagos now has three State-owned universities, courtesy of Sanwo-Olu’s education reforms. It should be noted that there have been no disruption of academic activities across Lagos’ tertiary institutions since Sanwo-Olu took over; all issues that relate to students, staff and lecturers’ welfare are promptly attended to.

•Akosile is the Chief Press Secretary to Governor Sanwo-Olu.

•Continues online at www.thewillnigeria.com

PRODUCTION OF PALM OIL IN NIGERIA (2009-2022)

Nigeria Spent N71.5bn on Palm Oil Imports in 2022

BY SAM DIALA

Nigeria spent N71.5 billion on the importation of palm oil in 2022, according to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS). This was 28 percent lower than N98.7 billion recorded in the previous year. Palm oil falls under the nation’s foreign exchange restrictions; it is among the 41 import items banned by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) for foreign exchange. This implies that importers are to source their foreign exchange from alternative avenues, such as the parallel market, suggesting that the importers shipped in the commodity at a huge cost to their balance sheet.

Data from the statistical bureau’s ‘Foreign Trade in Goods Statistics Report’ for the fourth quarter of the year (Q4 2022) published on its website, showed that the N71.5 billion palm oil importation constituted part of the N1.87 trillion total agricultural products shipped into the country during the year . On the other hand, total agricultural imports in 2021 was N2.44 trillion, which dropped 23 percent to N1.87 trillion in 2022.

Nigeria imported the commodity, classified as ‘Crude Palm Oil’, mainly from Asia: Malaysia, Singapore, India, China, and the West African country of Cote d’Ivoire. Other major agricultural products imported during the review period were Wheat totaling N473.87 billion mainly from the U.S., Argentina, Poland, Latvia and Lithuania. Frozen food items (blue whitings) were also imported from Russia and The Netherlands.

“The value of imports of agricultural goods in the fourth quarter of 2022 stood at N444.82 billion showing a decline of 13.27 per cent and 33.33 per cent, compared to the value recorded in the third quarter of 2022 (N512.91 billion) and the value recorded in the corresponding quarter of 2021 (N667.16 billion) respectively,” the NBS stated.

The report further noted, “On the other hand, total imports of agricultural goods in Q4, 2022 stood at N444.82 billion or 8.29 per cent of total imports in Q4, 2022. This is a decrease of 13.27 per cent when compared to the value recorded in Q3, 2022 (N512.91 billion) and by 33.33 per cent when compared to the value recorded in Q4, 2021(N667.16 billion).

“The major agriculture goods imported in Q4, 2022 included ‘Durum wheat (not in seeds)’ from Latvia with N46.28 billion and Lithuania with N41.54 billion. This was followed by ‘Fractions of Palm oil and its fractions, not fit for human consumption.’ from Malaysia valued at N43.27 billion.”

“Total imports of agricultural goods imported in Q2, 2022 stood at N454.45 billion or 8.55 percent of total imports in Q2, 2022. This shows an increase of 4.76 percent when compared to the value recorded in Q1, 2022 (N443.36 billion) and rose by 13.70 percent compared to the value recorded in Q2, 2021 (N408.49 billion)” the NBS stated in its report.

Palm oil is a highly sought commodity among manufacturing and processing firms which use it as raw material for the production of various consumer and industrial goods.

The CEO, Centre for the Promotion of Private Enterprise (CPPE), Dr Muda

Yusuf, said that the palm oil produced in Nigeria is grossly inadequate, adding that the users would pay any amount to bring in the commodity if it would boost their margins. “When products are expensive, it has a way of benefiting the producers because they will adjust their prices to maximize their profit”, Yusuf, immediate past Director-General, Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI), told THEWILL in a telephone chat.

An operator of a medium-enterprise palm oil processing firm, Emmanuel Ebong had told THEWILL that the NBS figures do not reflect the actual value of the commodity shipped into the country as much more is smuggled.

“A large quantity of palm oil is smuggled across the borders, particularly from Cameroun and Benin Republic. It is a huge business among the inland waterway transporters plying between Nigeria and the neighbouring countries. They are the real suppliers to the large manufacturing firms using the commodity”.

The deputy director, department of agriculture in the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, Benard Okata, said at a time that Nigeria was spending about $500 million annually on oil palm importation in order to complement existing gaps in the sector.

Okata, who made this remark at the national workshop on oil palm organised by Solidaridad, an international non-governmental organisation in Abuja in November 2020, said then that Nigeria’s current local requirement for palm oil generally is about three million metric tonnes, but that it is producing only about 1.02 metric tonnes of oil palm.

“So, there is a gap,” he said. We import to make up for this gap, and Nigeria is spending about $500m annually for this importation up till now,”

He recalled that the governor, Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Godwin Emefiele, had expressed sadness that Nigeria was still importing palm oil in spite of the sufficient arable land in the South-South and South-East regions of the country to produce it.

The agriculture coordinator, Okomu Oil Palm Company, Billy Ghansah had said at the occasion that for Nigeria to fill the existing gaps in its palm oil production, there is a need to plant about 100,000 hectares of oil palm.

Debunking the claim that the Asian countries came to pick the palm seeds from Nigeria, the agricultural specialist said the basic cultivation strategy of oil palm was developed in Africa, but Nigeria didn’t take advantage of it. He said the Asians took over, such that many think that they came to pick the seeds from here. “They didn’t,” he said, “rather they (Asians) made use of what they had and improved it.”

Also, a Senior Climate Specialist for Africa at Solidaridad, who doubles as Country Technical Lead, Nigeria, Sam Ogala, affirmed that Nigeria was not meeting its domestic demand for oil palm.

Emefiele

BY IVORY UKONU AND SHADE WESLEY-METIBOGUN

GBADEBO RHODES-VIVOUR'S SISTER

CAMPAIGNS FOR GOV SANWO-OLU

The Labour Party governorship candidate in Lagos State, Gbadebo RhodesVivour does not seem to be enjoying enough support from some members of his family. It is rumoured that GRV’s younger sister, Titilola Vivour-Adeniyi, who is the Executive Secretary of the Domestic and Sexual Violence Agency (DSVA) in Lagos State under the Babajide Sanwo-Olu Administration has turned her back on his ambition.

In an attempt to tackle gender-based violence in Lagos State two years ago, Vivour-Adeniyi was appointed by Governor Sanwo-Olu to head the DSVA. She had worked for a long time for the Domestic and Special Violence Response Team under the Lagos State Ministry of Justice. She was descibed as the most qualified personnel to head the team.

Meet World's Most Booked And Youngest Child Model

A video showing VivourAdeniyi extolling SanwoOlu’s qualities and listing his achievements in office has surfaced online. In the video, she recounts how DSVA has supported victims of domestic violence and how it helped them to get justice. She claims that such laudable strides were taken under the administration of Sanwo-Olu . Her speech is followed with a campaign advert for the All Progressive Congress (APC), stating that the party is the right choice to be voted for in the governorship seat. However, mixed reactions have since trailed Vivour-Adeniyi’s choice. Many are hailing her for pledging allegiance to the state governor who gave her the privilege to head DSVA. While some are of the opinion that she shouldn't have turned her back against her brother.

Ladi Adebutu, Segun Showunmi End Rift

The governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in Ogun state, Ladi Adebutu and his antagonist, Segun Showunmi, have laid to rest the enmity between them and embraced peace. Showunmi, who was also one of the party's governorship aspirants had, prior to the conduct of the primaries, urged the court to remove the present executives of the party, alleging that they had shown preference to Adebutu after they were caught on tape

saying that they were the one who bought the governorship nomination form for the former lawmaker.

Even after Adebutu won the party's primary election, Showunmi insisted that the Supreme Court would give judgment in his favour.

He had assured his supporters of his eventual victory.

Both men often rained insults and abuses on each other. However, this seems to be in the past now as Adebutu has extended a hand of fellowship to his former

rival. He was the first to call on Showunmi to sheathe his sword while urging him to forget the past and support his quest to wrestle the governorship seat from the incumbent, Governor Dapo Abiodun in the coming election. He also paid a visit to Showunmi’s residence in Ogun state. Showunmi welcomed him whole heartedly at his residence and urged his supporters to bury the hatchet and work for the success of Adebutu at the March 18 Governorship election.

Africa Film Academy (AFA) alongside the Lagos State Government (LASG) are bent on ensuring that the legacies of late Peace Anyiam-Osigwe, the founder of globally acclaimed film ceremony, Africa Movie Academy Awards (AMAA) are kept alive. The two are set to create another edition of the ‘Film in a Box’ Initiative, after its first successful outing.

The initiative, which aims to empower young filmmakers by providing training and mentorship to foster the growth of the creative industry in Lagos, was founded by AnyiamOsigwe. During the first edition in June 2022, 860 young Lagosians were trained in various aspects of filmmaking. They all received government grants just as many of them have since been integrated into mainstream Nollywood. Since 2005, the academy has provided various programmes aimed at empowering African filmmakers and creating opportunities for them to showcase their work to a global audience. For the second edition, AFA and the Ministry for Tourism, Arts & Culture under the Lagos State Creative Industry (LACI) with their combined effort will provide free training for youths in Epe, Badagry, Ikeja, Ikorodu, and Lagos Island. The training will cover acting, directing, production, set design, costume design, props management, film and TV makeup, scriptwriting, editing, cinematography, and sound production. Anyiam-Osigwe died on January 9, 2023 from an undisclosed ailment at St Nicholas Hospital after being in coma for two days. She was aged 53. She was a Member of the Order of the Federal Republic, a honour bestowed on her for her contribution to the entertainment industry.

Jordan Oguntayo has been on a mission to be the most booked child model since he was seven years of age and has made strides in his career. While this mission might seem far-fetched, Jordan outdid himself to make this dream a possibility. Little wonder, Forbes Magazine included him in their annual Forbes 30 under 30 list, a catalogue of young trailblazers, catalysts, innovators, visionaries and the most tenacious who work towards shifting the narrative, one tiny tenacious step at a time. This group of youngsters whose average age falls between 25 and 27 are selected from twenty industries and this year, Jordan made the list as the youngest at only 14. The United Kingdombased Nigerian features in the Arts and Culture section. Jordan has collaborated with an extensive range of established brands. His portfolio is filled with brands like Dior, Moncler, Burberry, Calvin Klein, Tommy Hilfiger, and Primark. He has also been one of the most prominent faces for

Zara since 2018 and continues to establish his career in the industry. His years in the industry have been adventurous, to say the least.

Jordan’s tenacity attracted more brands, including but not limited to Harrods, Ted Baker, Massimo Dutti, Next, and Milk Magazine. While his career is filled with countless achievements, he refuses to take his foot off the gas. This driven star maintains a robust work ethic that will undoubtedly take him to new heights of success in the near future.

Yomi Badejo-Okusanya Bags Chieftaincy Title

President of the African Public Relations Association, APRA and Chief Executive Officer of CMC Connect, Yomi BadejoOkusanya and his amiable wife, Oyinkansola BadejoOkusanya have bagged chieftaincy titles in Ogun-State. The Public Relations guru was conferred with B'obakede of Oke-Ona Egba while his wife who is a legal luminary was named, Erelu B'obakede of Oke-Ona. The royal honour was bestowed on the two by His Royal Majesty, Oba Adedapo Adewale Tejuoso, the Osile Oke-Ona.

The public relations expert was honoured for his consistency and contribution to public relations in Nigeria. He was also honoured as an in-law of the royal father. One of his wives, Olori Olabisi Tejuosho is a sister to Badejo-Okusanya. The new title has put the responsibility of coordinating the communication affairs of His Royal Majesty and the OkeOna kingdom on the shoulders of Badejo-Okusanya. While welcoming the new chief, the traditional ruler enjoined them to contribute significantly to the development of Oke-Ona kingdom.

LASG KEEPS PEACE ANYIAMOSIGWE’S LEGACY ALIVE

Adebutu

Showunmi

Oguntayo

STORIES

Okusanya

SportsLive

FIFA Plans to Expand Men’s World Cup, Address Women’s Player Welfare

BY JUDE OBAFEMI

Continued from Back Page

Presidential Election 2023: No INEC, Not Again

known as the National Electronic Register of Election Results which shall be a distinct database or repository of polling unit by polling unit results, including collated election results, of each election conducted by the Commission in the Federation, and the Register of Election Results shall be kept in electronic format by the Commission at its national headquarters.

(3) Any person or political party may obtain from the Commission, on payment of such fees as may be determined by the Commission, a certified true copy of any election result kept in the National Electronic Register of Election Results for a State, Local Government, Area Council, registration area or Electoral Ward or Polling Unit, as the case may be, and the certified true copy may be in printed or electronic format.”

Section 64 (4):

“A Collation officer or returning officer at an election shall collate and announce the result of an election, subject to his or her verification and confirmation that the –

a. The number of accredited voters stated on the collated result are correct and consistent with the number of accredited voters recorded and transmitted directly from polling units under Section 47(2) of this Act.

b. The votes stated on the collated result are correct and consistent with the votes or results recorded and transmitted directly from polling units under Section 60(4) of this Act”, while Section 148 states that: “148. The Commission may, subject to the provisions of this Act, issue regulations, guidelines, or manuals for the purpose of giving effect to the provisions of this Act and for its administration.”

I would have preferred an election where the winner’s hard fought win is not being tainted, just as in Tinubu’s case, because of either gross incompetence on the part

of INEC or by the ignoble roles of rogue officials in the agency.

Nigerians sacrificed so much to engage in the process and perform their civic duties. One only needs to recall the tortuous difficulties that citizens had to endure to register and pick up their voters' cards.

Then, there was the task of ensuring that one's polling unit had not been changed before the man-hours spent under the rain or in the heat of the sun, just to be able to participate in this most critical of elections, only to have this important aspect of it that should give the public comfort and confidence in the electoral process bungled.

The hopes of all Nigerians, who sacrificed so much to be ready to carry out their civic duties and who endured the haphazard logistical issues and intimidation and assaults in the hands of political thugs so as to participate in the general election, have been helplessly dashed. It can only further alienate more and more voters in a country where there is a sense of growing voter apathy. Some Nigerians were first time voters on February 25th and this is a terribly pathetic commentary on the determined push for more voter turnout.

The judiciary, especially the Supreme Court, which has serious credibility issues due to some dubious and questionable election related rulings, must equitably and judiciously determine the suits by the opposition parties challenging the declaration of Tinubu as winner as well as the conduct of the election. The suits must be determined squarely on merit and facts for it to be widely acceptable.

As we approach the March 18th Governorship and House of Assembly elections, Professor Yakubu and INEC must ensure full compliance with laws and guidelines governing the polls to avoid unnecessary rancour and disputes when it announces the winners of the polls.

March 14, (THEWILL) – FIFA has announced plans to expand the men’s World Cup by 40 more matches, bringing the total number to 104, starting with the 2026 tournament in North America.

The decision to add matches will be finalised during a meeting of FIFA’s governing council in Kigali, Rwanda. The expansion allows FIFA to chase its target of over £9bn in revenue while also addressing format issues for the event, which is being co-hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico.

Under the new format, 12 groups, each with four teams, will replace the current 16 groups, each with three teams. The top two teams in each group will advance to a round of 32, along with the eight best third-placed teams. Teams reaching the final will play eight matches, one more than the seven played by the finalists in the Qatar 2022 World Cup.

The final is scheduled for Sunday, July 19, 2026, and the pre-tournament availability of players and the World Cup itself will require 56 days, the same as the three World Cups before Qatar 2022. FIFA is already taking steps to address concerns about the workload on players by creating a new task force to oversee player rest periods. The task force, which will include medics, union officials, and football figures, will provide input to the process of restructuring the international match calendars.

In addition, FIFA is examining further protections for the welfare of female players, including setting out rights for female players on adoption, abortion, menstrual health, multiple births, breastfeeding, and childcare. New employment rules were introduced by FIFA in 2021, mandating clubs to allow players at least 14 weeks of maternity leave paid at a minimum of two-thirds of their salary.

Infantino

Presidential Election 2023: No INEC, Not Again

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has been heavily criticised for mishandling the results of the Presidential and National Assembly elections conducted on February 25, 2023 nationwide. There are few times when such high-handed criticisms from many Nigerians, local and international observers are spot on. In this case, it was exactly what INEC's conduct deserved.

Despite having the benefit of experiences from elections past, the lessons from years of progressive reforms, the added bonus of Electoral Act-backed application of technology, four years to prepare and conducting "trial runs" of the technology in Ekiti and Osun States and more than N350 billion allocated for the elections, the agency failed to scale up and avoid the embarrassment that the February 25 polls became.

The mishandling of the election vis-à-vis the severely delayed transmission of results in real time from polling units to the IRev, the INEC results viewing portal, significantly scuttled confidence in the poll and the progress made over time in the electoral reform process. The blame for this lies squarely on the shoulders of INEC and its embattled Chairman, Professor Mahmood Yakubu. While it was significantly seamless for polling officers to transmit the results of the National Assembly elections from the polling units to the viewing portal in real time, a key requirement for the polls, the presidential election results could not be uploaded for several hours after voting and counting had ended because of what the agency termed ‘a glitch’, which I like many believe was humaninduced to buy time to rig the election for politicians. Whether this is true or not will come to light someday.

The needless controversy surrounding the difficulty in uploading the result sheets of the presidential election at the polling units, despite Professor Yakubu and INEC’s assurances and reassurances of real time upload of results, has fueled allegations that the agency aided the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, to victory.

Whether these allegations are true or not, the damage that INEC has done to the credibility of the electoral process and its reputation may be irredeemable. This has also tainted the hard fought victory of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the flagbearer of the ruling APC, whom INEC declared winner of the vote in the wee hours of March 1, 2023.

There is also the dispute over whether INEC significantly violated the provisions of the Electoral Act as well as its own guidelines that were supposed to govern the conduct of the February 25 elections with its inability to upload the results in real time, as well as use of the bimodal voter accreditation system (BVAS) machines nationwide. The agency has not categorically responded to these claims. As at Friday night, while I was writing this piece, almost two weeks after the conduct of the election, INEC had uploaded results from 166,057 polling units out of 176, 846 as seen on the IRev. It remains unclear why it is still struggling to upload the remaining result sheets. This is the crux of the debate. Is this failure significant enough to order a cancellation and revote? The answer depends on who you ask.

Understanding Sections 25; 47(2); 60 (1), (2), (4) & (5); 62; 64(4)(a) & (b); 70; and 148 of the Electoral Act, 2022, governing the 2023 nationwide general elections and paragraphs 38 of the INEC Regulations and Guidelines for the Conduct of Elections, 2022; and paragraphs 2.8.4; 2.9.0; and 2.9.1 of the INEC Manual for Election Officials, 2023, for the conduct of the presidential election, will help the public make an informed decision on the conduct of the vote.

The Electoral Act, 2022, section 25 as reproduced below

clearly stipulates how elections ought to be conducted and result declared and transmitted:

“25. (1) The results of all the elections shall be announced by the—

(a) Presiding officer at the polling unit;

(b) Ward Collation Officer at the registration area or

election ; and

(h) National Collation Centre in the case of election of the President.

(3) The Chief Electoral Commissioner shall be the returning officer at the Presidential election”.

Section 47 states thus:

“47.—(1) A person intending to vote in an election shall present himself with his voter’s card to a Presiding officer for accreditation at the polling unit in the constituency in which his name is registered.

(2) To vote, the presiding officer shall use a smart card reader or any other technological device that may be prescribed by the Commission, for the accreditation of voters, to verify, confirm or authenticate the particulars of the intending voter in the manner prescribed by the Commission.

(3) Where a smart card reader or any other technological device deployed for accreditation of voters fails to function in any unit and a fresh card reader or technological device is not deployed, the election in that unit shall be cancelled and another election shall be scheduled within 24 hours if the Commission is satisfied that the result of the election in that polling unit will substantially affect the final result of the whole election and declaration of a winner in the constituency concerned.”

Section 60 of the Electoral Act states:

“60.—(1) The Presiding officer shall, after counting the votes at the polling unit, enter the votes scored by each candidate in a form to be prescribed by the Commission as the case may be.

(2) The form shall be signed and stamped by the presiding officer and counter signed by the candidates or their polling agents where available at the polling unit.

Ward Collation Centre;

(c) Local Government or Area Council Collation Officer at the Local Government or Area Council Collation Centre; and

(d) State Collation Officer at the State Collation Centre.

(2) The returning officer shall announce the result and declare the winner of the election at—

(a) Registration Area or Ward Collation Centre in the case of Councillorship election in the Federal Capital Territory;

(b) Area Council Collation Centre in the case of Chairmanship and Vice Chairmanship election in the Federal Capital Territory;

(c) State Constituency Collation Centre in the case of State House of Assembly election;

(d) Federal Constituency Collation Centre in the case of election to the House of Representatives;

(e) Senatorial District Collation Centre in the case of election to the Senate;

(f ) State Collation Centre in the case of election of a Governor of a State;

(g) State Collation Centre in the case of a Presidential

(3) The presiding officer shall give to the polling agents and the police officer where available a copy each of the completed forms after it has been duly signed as provided under subsection (2).

(4) The presiding officer shall count and announce the result at the polling unit.

(5) The presiding officer shall transfer the results including total number of accredited voters and the results of the ballot in a manner as prescribed by the Commission.

“(4) A collation officer or returning officer at an election shall collate and announce the result of an election, subject to his or her verification and confirmation that the—

(a) number of accredited voters stated on the collated result are correct and consistent with the number of accredited voters recorded and transmitted directly from polling units under section 47 (2) of this Act ; and

(b) the votes stated on the collated result are correct and consistent with the votes or results recorded and transmitted directly from polling units under section 60 (4) of this Act.”

Section 62 of the Electoral Act also states as follows:

“62.—(1) After the recording and announcement of the result, the presiding officer shall deliver same along with election materials under security and accompanied by the candidates or their polling agents, where available, to such person as may be prescribed by the Commission.

(2) The Commission shall compile, maintain and update, on a continuous basis, a register of election results to be

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The needless controversy surrounding the difficulty in uploading the result sheets of the presidential election at the polling units, despite Professor Yakubu and INEC’s assurances and reassurances of real time upload of results, has fueled allegations that the agency aided the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, to victory