SATURDAY 27TH FEBRUARY 2021

Ihekweazu: COVID-19 Triggered Rapid Investment in Nigeria’s Health Security Four million vaccines expected from COVAX next week Festus Akanbi Exactly one year after Nigeria recorded its COVID-19 index case, the federal government yesterday stated that the pandemic had triggered

a rapid investment in the Nigerian health sector.

Also yesterday, World Health Organisation disclosed that Nigeria would get its first four million doses of coronavirus vaccines next

week from the global COVAX programme for poor and middle-income countries.

The index case was an Italian, who came to Nigeria on February 25, 2020 and whose health status was

confirmed on February 27, 2020.

But taking stock of the management of the disease in Nigeria in the past one year, the Director General of the Nigeria Centre for Disease

Control, (NCDC) Dr. Chikwe Ihekweazu, disclosed that COVID-19 had set in motion rapid investment in Nigeria’s health security, high level of coordination, collaboration, and solidarity across federal

and state governments.

Listing specific gains so far, the director general said: “In one year, molecular laboratories have been Continued on page 5

Military Warns against Blocking Trucks Conveying Food from North to South… Page 6 Saturday 27 February, 2021 Vol 26. No 9456

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In Bid to Free Schoolgirls, Matawalle Taps Mastermind of Kankara Abduction Military, police, DSS in manhunt for captors No freedom yet for Kagara boys UN: Schoolgirls must be released unconditionally Buhari: We have the capacity to tame bandits; our limitation is the fear of heavy casualties of innocent people Our Correspondents In a desperate bid to secure freedom for the 317 female students abducted yesterday morning at Government Girls Secondary School, Jangebe, Talata-Mafara Local Government Area of Zamfara State, Governor Bello Matawalle has engaged Auwal Daudawa, who last December masterminded the abduction of over 300 students at Government Science Secondary School, Kankara, Katsina State, to help plead with the Jangebe kidnappers.

While Matawalle is battling to free the schoolgirls, his counterpart in Niger State, Abubakar Sani Bello is still struggling to secure freedom for the 17 students and workers of Government Science College in Kagara, abducted since February 19.

In a swift reaction to the Jangebe abduction, President Muhammadu Buhari described the incident as inhumane and totally unacceptable, adding, Continued on page 5

BRAINSTORMING ON ECONOMIC GROWTH...

L-R: Governor, Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Godwin Emefiele; Managing Director/CEO, Bank of Industry (BoI), Kayode Pitan; and Group Managing Director/CEO, Zenith Bank Plc, Ebenezer Onyeagwu at a special summit on the economy by bank CEOs under the CBN/Bankers Committee’s Initiative for Economic Growth, in Lagos… yesterday

Bandits Kill 6, Abduct 15 in Niger LGAs... Page 6

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T H I S D AY, T H E S AT U R D AY N E W S PA P E R ˾ ˜ ͺͿ˜ ͺ͸ͺ͹

PAGE FIVE IN BID TO FREE SCHOOLGIRLS, MATAWALLE TAPS MASTERMIND OF KANKARA ABDUCTION "We have the capacity to deploy massive force against the bandits in the villages where they operate, but our limitation is the fear of heavy casualties of innocent villagers and hostages who might be used as human shields by the bandits."

Daudawa, who hails from Zurmi Local Government Area of Zamfara State, had nine days ago accepted the Matawalle amnesty with some of his gang members.

They also submitted their arms and ammunition, with a promise to support Matawalle’s push against banditry.

Sources said Daudawa is familiar with the bandits that abducted the Jangebe schoolgirls and that Matawalle called him yesterday with a plea to speak to the abductors to drop their guns and free the girls without any ransom.

Another source said Matawalle, after enlisting Daudawa, for the push to free the Jangebe schoolgirls, also called another notorious bandit, Zakoa Buhari, to join the pressure on the Jangebe kidnappers.

Zakoa Buhari, the son of dreaded bandit, Tsoho Buhari, notoriously known as ‘Buharin Daji’ had also repented and surrendered his weapons to the Zamfara State Government last Thursday.

“The Zamfara governor is asking for the help of these repentant bandits because they can easily influence the abductors of the schoolgirls to release them without bloodshed.

One thing you can’t take away is that Daudawa and Zakoa Buhari know most of these bandits. They will be very useful in the push to free these girls peacefully.

This is why Matawalle engaged them,” said the source.

Meanwhile, the military, the Nigerian Police Force, men of the Department of State Security and other security agencies early yesterday morning commenced a manhunt for the bandits that abducted the Jangebe schoolgirls.

The abductors, in their hundreds, invaded the town early yesterday morning, went straight to the school and took away the girls A statement issued yesterday by the Force Headquarters confirmed the joint operation to rescue the abductees.

It said in the statement: "Operatives of the Nigeria Police commenced a coordinated search and rescue operation, involving the deployment of both

ground and aerial assets, aimed at locating and rescuing the students of Government Girls Secondary School, Jangebe.

"To ensure the success of the ongoing operation, the Inspector-General of Police, Mohammed Adamu, has ordered the immediate deployment of two operational surveillance helicopters to Zamfara State."

The statement said the deployment was in addition to the personnel of Operation Puff Adder II earlier deployed to the state to support efforts by the Command to combat banditry, kidnapping and other related crimes.

It said the IG, while condemning the barbaric and callous abduction of the innocent female students, assured that the police and other security forces would not relent until the abducted students are successfully rescued and reunited with their families.

"The joint rescue operation is being carried out by the police, the military and other members of the law enforcement community with support from the state government and other stakeholders.

"The IGP has called for calm and enjoins members of the public, particularly the people of Zamfara State not to hesitate in availing the police and the law enforcement community with useful information that can assist in the rescue of the abducted school girls," the statement said.

How the Girls Were Abducted A staff of Government Girls Secondary School, Jangebe, who begged for anonymity, said the bandits arrived early yesterday with Hilux vehicles and motorcycles and forcefully evacuated the students.

He narrated that some of the bandits were in military uniforms and pretended to be security personnel, then later broke into the students’ hostels and abducted more than 300 students.

“When they came into the school, we thought they were security personnel but to our utmost fear and dismay, they started putting the girls into Hilux vehicles and motorcycles then drove out of the school,” the source said, adding that the bandits were in the school for several hours without any challenge due to absence of security agents.

Also, a resident who gave his name as Haliru Jangebe said the local vigilantes had tried to repel the invaders but were overpowered.

“The bandits were too many and they all seemed to be carrying heavy arms as we heard gunshots from all parts of the town and when the shots stopped, we heard that the students had been taken away.”

A parent of one of the girls, who gave his name as Malam Lawal Jangebe said, “I nearly fainted when I heard about the abduction of the students, including my daughter.”

The gunmen attacked some houses on their way to the school, Abubakar Jangebe, a resident said.

“They took some of the girls and went into the bush. We don’t know what is happening right now.”

The Commissioner of Police, Zamfara State Command, Abutu Yaro said they have information that the girls were moved to a neighbouring forest, and they are being cautious in their tracing.

Parents Storm School Parents of the abducted girls yesterday morning stormed the school in search of their children.

The parents were initially stopped from entering the school but they got angry and started pulling down the doors in protest.

“Initially, the school authorities prevented them from going with the remaining students but they got angry and began to pull down doors and windows of the buildings in the school and the authorities had to yield to their demands,” a teacher of the school was quoted to have said.

One of the teachers at the school disclosed that parents of the students who escaped the abduction, came as early as 5am to take away their daughters, adding that some mothers of the abducted girls slumped at the school premises.

“When the gunmen laid siege, they attacked the soldiers stationed in the community before they gained entry into the school.

Some people told us that they stationed vehicles at the outskirts of the school.

Security operatives and the local vigilante groups are trailing the gunmen and dozens of other residents have volunteered to take part in the search."

sent out a strong warning to the bandits and their sponsors, declaring that his administration would not succumb to blackmail by bandits who target innocent school students in the expectations of huge ransom payments.

According to the President, "no criminal group can be too strong to be defeated by the government," adding, "the only thing standing between our security forces and the bandits are the rules of engagement.”

He stressed; “Our primary objective is to get the hostages safe, alive and unharmed. A hostage crisis is a complex situation that requires maximum patience in order to protect the victims from physical harm or even brutal death at the hands of their captors.

“They should not entertain any illusions that they are more powerful than the government.

They shouldn't mistake our restraint for the humanitarian goals of protecting innocent lives as a weakness or a sign of fear or irresolution."

The President appealed to state governments to review their policy of rewarding bandits with money and vehicles, warning that the policy might boomerang disastrously.

He also advised states and local governments to be more proactive by improving security around schools and their surroundings.

Northern Governors Condemn Abduction The Northern Governors Forum has condemned the abduction of the school girls. In a statement in Jos yesterday, Chairman of the Forum and Governor of Plateau State, Simon Lalong, described the development as “embarrassing and unacceptable.”

According to him, strong measures must be taken to put an end to the trend before it escalates into a monster that will consume educational pursuit and national aspirations.

Lalong added that the development, which is coming on the heels of the abduction of school children in Kagara, Niger State, which is still being addressed, should be of serious concern to all Nigerians.

Atiku: States Must be Empowered to Buhari, in his statement, Control Internal Buhari Warns Bandits

Security Former vice president Atiku Abubakar expressed sadness over the kidnap of the schoolgirls.

In a statement yesterday, he said: “My heart is very heavy over the abduction of our young daughters from Government Girls Secondary School, Jangebe, Zamfara State.

“I have had a phone conversation with the Governor of Zamfara, H.E Bello Matawalle, and I am informed that his government is doing everything in its power to secure the release of the abducted students.

“I have previously made recommendations on how our beloved nation can defeat enemies of the state and win the war on terror, and I stand by those suggestions. However, right now, all hands must be on deck to support the Zamfara State government in securing the release of those abducted.

“The Federal Government cannot expect the states to provide security of life and property in their domain, without giving them control over internal security. This is now a necessity.

“Thus, I call on the National and State Assemblies to begin the process of constitutional and legal reforms that will make this a reality. The Legislature must take the lead, as it seems the Executive may not be able to provide the needed leadership on this issue.

“My heart goes out to the families of the abducted children, and my right hand of fellowship is extended to Governor Matawalle, to help in any way possible.”

PDP Condemns Abduction The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) also condemned the abduction of the girls and tasked President Buhari to wake up from slumber and deal decisively with the escalated scourge.

The party lamented that the terrifying spate of abduction and acts of terrorism in the country validate concerns that the All Progressives Congress (APC) and its administration have become bereft of solutions to the escalated insecurity under their watch.

The National Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Kola Ologbondiyan said: "Our party demands immediate full scale investigation into this particular abduction, given some worrisome

reports going round in the public space."

The Zamfara abduction occurred some eight days after gunmen kidnapped dozens of students and workers of Government Science College in Kagara, Niger State.

Bandits had also last year kidnapped over 300 schoolboys from Government Science Secondary School in Kankara, Katsina State.

Aside from Kankara and Kagara, non-state actors had also abducted hundreds of secondary school girls from Chibok in Borno State; and Dapchi in Yobe State.

Bandits Kill 35 in Maru LG Meanwhile, no fewer than 35 persons have reportedly been killed after suspected bandits attacked Sabuwar Tunga village, Dankurmi district in Maru Local Government Area of Zamfara State on Thursday night.

According to reports, the gunmen stormed the community on motorbikes and unleashed terror on the defenceless residents.

A resident of the community said the attack was well-planned and coordinated.

He said the gunmen after attacking the village carted away livestock and escaped into the forest.

“We have recovered over 35 bodies after the attack and many more residents have not been accounted for.

They came at midnight and opened fire on the village, shooting anyone on sight and burning houses,” the source said.

UN: Schoolgirls Must Be Released Unconditionally The United Nations yesterday described the abduction of Jangebe schoolgirls by bandits as a “heinous violation of human rights”.

The global body also said the abducted schoolgirls must be released “immediately and unconditionally”.

UN Secretary-General, António Guterres, made this known in a statement.

“I am appalled by the abduction of more than 300 girls during an attack on a secondary school in Nigeria today. Attacks on schools are a heinous violation of human rights. The girls must be released to their families immediately and unconditionally,” he tweeted.

IHEKWEAZU: COVID-19 TRIGGERED RAPID INVESTMENT IN NIGERIA’S HEALTH SECURITY established in every state in

Nigeria, a digital surveillance system (SORMAS) has been implemented across all states and new standard treatment centres are being established across the country.

“Almost every state in Nigeria now has a public health emergency operations centre, integrating a call centre, and other resources required to manage this outbreak. A national

stockpile of response commodities has been established and new oxygen plants built.”

He added that “no other outbreak has led to this level of widespread investment in our health security.”

Ihekweazu also counted the gains of collaboration and coordination, saying, “perhaps, one of the biggest strengths of Nigeria’s response to this pandemic

has come from the power of coordination, collaboration, and solidarity across federal and state governments, across the public and private sectors, between the United Nations agencies and nongovernmental organisations, and most critically across the government and its citizens.”

Acknowledging the role of the private sector, Ihekweazu said: “One of

the most unexpected acts of collaboration was seen in the corporate private sector.

Companies that usually compete with one another, came together to form a coalition – the Private Sector Coalition Against COVID-19 (CACOVID). Through this, they channeled their support to the response, reducing the bureaucracy and ensuring that their support went straight to beneficiaries as

much as possible.

“They have shown incredible leadership and support, pooling their support and bringing life to the phrase – “Stronger Together”.

Four Million Vaccines Expected from COVAX Next Week The

World

Health

Organisation yesterday disclosed that Nigeria would get its first four million doses of coronavirus vaccines next week from the global COVAX programme for poor and middle-income countries.

Walter Kazadi Mulombo, head of WHO’s mission in Nigeria, told a briefing by video link that Nigeria was expecting 14 million doses in total.

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THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER ˾ ͺͿ, 2021

ÏáÝ ÎÓÞÙÜ Ahamefula Ogbu 08116759810 (Ý×Ý ÙØÖã̚ ×ËÓÖ ahamefula.ogbu@thisdaylive.com

Military Warns against Blocking Trucks Conveying Food from North to South Clears Kaduna-Jebba Road Kingsley Nwezeh

The military high command has warned those obstructing trucks conveying agricultural products from North to the Southern parts of the country to desist from such acts or face the full wrath of the law.

A trending video on social media showed that trucks and other similar vehicles conveying

agricultural products from the North heading towards the Southern part of the country were being prevented and turned back along Kaduna–Jebba Road by some people.

Defence Headquarters (DHQ) said following the development, joint troops comprising the military and other security agencies were deployed to clear the Jebba – Kaduna Road and

had since restored normalcy in the general area while free flow of traffic along the axis was restored.

A statement issued by Director, Defence Information (DDI), Brigadier-General Onyema Nwachukwu, said

such unscrupulous elements should desist from engaging in such unpatriotic acts or face the consequences of their action.

“Members of the public, commuters and residents are please urged to go about their normal businesses.

“This is also to give a stern warning to any unscrupulous group or persons who are aiming at disrupting legitimate economic and commercial activities by preventing free flow of traffic and movement of goods in a bid to generate clashes along

ethnic divides to desist from such unpatriotic acts or face the wrath of the law,” it said.

Defence Headquarters urged members of the public to promptly report anyone found engaged in such atrocious activities to security operatives.

METKA Delivers 1.35MW Off-grid Solar Power Project in Effurun Emma Okonji

METKA, the strategic business unit of Mytilineos S. A, an industrial manufacturing group, yesterday, delivered a 1.35MW hybrid power project at the Federal University of Petroleum Resources Effurun (FUPRE), as part of the federal government’s energising education programme.

Managing Director of METKA, Evangelos Kamaris, also restated the firm’s commitment to support the energy needs of Nigeria.

Speaking at the unveiling of the project, Kamaris said: “METKA believes strongly in this great country and the vision of its leadership in the power sector, championed

by His Excellency, President Muhammadu Buhari. We are here as a partner in progress, and we will continue to support this government in the development of the Nigerian electricity market until Nigeria has a stable and reliable power supply.

We will always strive for constant business excellence, balancing economic growth and sustainable development.”

He listed the many benefits of the project to include access to uninterrupted 24-hour power supply

for over 4,000 students and teachers, and the decommissioning of several small generators—an achievement worthy of commendation to the Federal Ministry of Power and the leadership of the Rural Electrification Agency (REA). The project will, no doubt, improve effectiveness in research, teaching and learning with a remarkable impact on the quality of graduates from the university, Kamaris said.

Also speaking during the launch, the Minister of State for Power, Mr. Goddy Jeddy Agba, commended METKA for its strategic partnership and the excellent execution of the project while stressing government’s commitment to enabling the development of the educational sector. He noted that the ministry’s power policy specifically targets education to ensure that all federal universities have access to reliable electricity, given the importance in catalysing economic productivity.

In his remarks, the Managing Director of REA, Ahmad Salihijo, said: “The Energising Education Programme is being implemented in three phases, funded by the Federal Government of Nigeria, the World Bank and the African Development Bank respectively.”

Ehanire: Impact of $500m World Bank Grant to States for Maternal Health, Others not Felt Udora Orizu ÓØ ÌßÔË

The Minister of Health, Dr. Osagie Ehanire, yesterday said no meaningful impact has been felt from the $500 million taken as a loan by the federal government and given to the states as grant to reduce the number of mortality recorded at primary and secondary health facilities across the country.

Ehanire stated this while addressing participants at a three-day retreat of the House of Representatives Committee on Health Care Services toward commencing the amendment of the

National Health Act of 2014 in Abuja.

He said, ‘’That investment was $500 million taken as a loan by the federal government and given to the states as grant. While technically that was successful, the actual impact of reducing one million death became questionable. Did we really reduce? In reality, we needed to have addressed the gaps and one of the biggest gap is lack of access to health care.’’

The minister lamented that Nigeria had one of the worst indices in maternal, reproductive and child health and under-five mortality in the world.

COVID-19: 600 New Cases Recorded

Nigeria recorded 600 new cases of COVID-19 yesterday, taking the number of confirmed cases to 155,076 with 132,544 discharged and 1902 deaths.

RECOGNISING EXCELLENCE… L-R: Emir of Kano HRH, Aminu Ado Bayero; Osun State Governor, Adegboyega Oyetola and his wife, Kafayat, during the presentation of Best Governor of the Year award to Oyetola at the Businessday National Discourse and Good Governance awards in Abuja...on Thursday.

Sunday Igboho Alleges Arrest Attempt as DSS Denies Involvement Segun James ÓØ ËÑÙÝ ËØÎ Kingsley Nweze ÓØ ÌßÔË

Allegations and denials are trailing an alleged attempted arrest of non-state actor, Sunday Igboho by a combined team of Police, Army and Directorate of Security Services (DSS) along Lagos-Ibadan Expressway yesterday.

All hell was said to have broken out along the way when a joint team of soldiers, men of the Department of Security Services and policemen from the Oyo State Command’s Operation Burst allegedly attempted to abduct Igboho while on his way to Lagos to meet the National Leader of the Yoruba sociocultural group,

Afenifere, Chief Ayo Adebanjo.

Reacting to the said report which had gained traction on social media, the DSS through its spokesman, Dr. Peter Afunanya denied any arrest attempt on Igboho saying, “The Department of State Services wishes to refute the news that it attempted to arrest one Sunday Igboho, today, at Ibadan, Oyo State. The said news is misinforming and should be taken as fake and therefore be disregarded. This is not true. The DSS did not arrest him. It did not attempt to too.

Disregard such misinformation please.”

THISDAY checks has it that the operatives numbering over 40 men may have been aware of Igboho’s movements as they

Bandits Kill 6, Abduct 15 in Niger LGAs Laleye Dipo ÓØ ÓØØË Again bandits have killed six persons and kidnapped 15 others in renewed attack on communities in two local government areas of Niger State.

One of those killed was at Pandogari town in the Rafi Local Government Area where five people were abducted while the remaining five were murdered in Gurmana in the Shiroro Local Government Area of the state. 10 persons were kidnapped in this incident.

Both incidents took place on Thursday night according to an eyewitness who spoke to THISDAY. Apart from those killed or kidnapped, a large number of villagers were injured in the stampede that followed the activities of the unknown gunmen and

are presently receiving treatment at medical centres in the two local government areas.

“This thing has become a daily occurrence,” a disappointed top government official told THISDAY on condition of anonymity.

“The attacks are creating daily IDPs and social problems for the state,” the official said.

It will be recalled that five persons were killed and eight others kidnapped in separate bandits attacks on Anwar Mahogi and Rsfingora communities of Rafi Local Government Area of the state also on Thursday.

Several cattle were said to have been rustled in the raid.

One of those killed in Angwar Mahogi was Dauda Daniel, a graduate of the Federal College of Education Kontagora who was said to be planning for his wedding slated for March 6 this year.

were waiting for him along the road.

Although Chief Adebanjo denied that Igboho was to meet him, the story was confirmed by Chief Femi Fani-Kayode who said that “I just spoke to my brother Sunday Igboho. He told me there was a violent attempt to arrest him this afternoon by a joint team of soldiers, DSS operatives and policemen numbering about 40 on the Ibadan/Lagos Expressway whilst he was on his way to see Baba Ayo Adebanjo in Lagos.”

Ighoho whose men were able to resist the attempted abduction have been showing video of the face-off with police.

Fani-Kayode condemned

the attempted ambush and abduction, saying that “it is not only reckless but also very dangerous.

“If the security agencies want to see him all they need to do is to invite him to their office.

“I am not aware of any crime that he has committed and I urge restraint on all sides.

“Let me also send a warning to the FG that Sunday Igboho is a hero to millions of Yorubas and either killing him or detaining him unlawfully would be the biggest mistake they could make.

“Building bridges, dialogue and the pursuit of peace is better than intimidation, threats, violence and war. A word is enough for the wise.”

Gunmen Kidnap 2, Shoot 3 in FCT Chuks Okocha ËØÎ Olawale Ajimotokan ÓØ ÌßÔË A five-man gang yesterday kidnapped a man and his brother-in-law at Gbazango Extension, Kubwa in Bwari Area Council, Abuja.

The armed men also shot three vigilante members, who attempted to foil the operation.

An eyewitness said that the police at Byazhin Station responded late to distress calls as they only arrived at the scene after the kidnappers had abducted their victims. He disclosed that the gunmen sporadically fired several shots to deter the residents before gaining access to the

victim’s house.

He also narrated that three members of the vigilante group only barely escaped death as they were shot by the assailants.

“The kidnappers shot three of them and also took away Peter and his b ro t h e r- i n - l a w. T h e y also went away with two phones. We have been calling Peter ’s l i n e b u t h e c a n n o t be reached,” he said.

It was gathered that police officers from Kubwa Division have visited the crime scene and spoken with the residents of the area and the community association members on the incident.

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NEWS

Telecoms’ Workers Issue 14-day Ultimatum to Huawei Ugo Aliogo

TALKING ECONOMY …

L-R: Chairman, Nigeria’s Economic Advisory Council, Dr. Doyin Salami; Director General, Budget Office, Mr. Ben Akabueze; CEO, Fidelity Bank, Mrs. Nneka Onyeali-Ikpe; and CEO, Financial Derivatives, Mr. Bismarck Rewane, at the One-Day Summit on the Economy by bank CEOs, organised by the CBN/Bankers Committee and Vanguard Newspapers in Lagos, yesterday.

Sanwo-Olu: Rebuilding of Lagos Must Commence Immediately Segun James Following the Endsars riots that devastated the state last year, Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu; Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila and the Speaker of the State Assembly, Rt. Hon. Mudashiru Obasa have called for the rebuilding of Lagos.

The trio and others spoke at the 16th edition of the Executive/ Legislative Parley at Eko Hotel and Suites, Victoria Island, Lagos, with the theme: A Consensus Agenda for Rebuilding Lagos.

The outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic that ravaged the entire world and subsequent EndSARS protest,

which left in it trails unimaginable destruction of public and private properties in the State, the parley is aimed at ensuring consensus of all stakeholders on issues that are germane to the development of the State.

According to Sanwo-Olu, “Lagos is rebuilding stronger; to rebuild Lagos is to rebuild ourselves; to rebuild Lagos is to rebuild our infrastructures.

He explained that the parley provided opportunity to set agenda for the future of the State, adding “it is to sustain our Lagos and put it on a pedestal of growth in the next 10-30 years to come.

“As the epicentre of the pandemic in Nigeria, Lagos was not left

out of the lockdowns. This as you all know has adversely affected the socio-economic life of our people and slowed down our efforts at infrastructural development and poverty alleviation.

“As if that was not bad enough, the #EndSARS protest reared its head, culminating in a grounding of social and economic activities, as well as unimaginable destruction of both public infrastructure and private properties.

“We thank God that we were able to bring the situation under control with the help of God and a resilient citizenry. We have no alternative than rebuild Lagos, with a sense of urgency. To do this, all stakeholders in the development

and growth of Lagos State must come together to share experiences and proffer solutions.

“Let me be quick to say that beyond the immediacy of these disruptive events of 2020, it is important for us all to think and plan for the long-term future of Lagos. Just last week, we were at the 18th Lagos Economic Summit, tagged ‘Ehingbeti 2021’, to chart a path towards accelerating the sustainable growth of Lagos State over the next decade. In addition to making this long-term planning and envisioning part and parcel of public administration in Nigeria, we must also ensure that we follow through in terms of implementation.

We Won’t Tolerate Insecurity, Sexual Assault on Campuses, NANS Victor Ogunje ÓØ ÎÙ ÕÓÞÓ

As the gale of students’ abduction by gunmen spread across the Northern part of the country, the NationalAssociation of Nigerian Students(NANS),NANS/JCC, Ekiti chapter, has revealed its readiness to partner security agencies in Ekiti State to ensure safety of students in all the campuses in the state.

The new Chairman of NANS in the axis, Com. Felix Olanrewaju, said he had met with the Commissioner ofPolice,Mr.BabatundeMobayoand other security outfits like Department of State Services (DSS) and Nigerian

Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) on the need to ensure safety of students.

He also promised that no students would be allowed to be tormented , harassed sexually, intimidated and rusticated unjustly under his leadership, in any of the campuses in Ekiti.

Olanrewaju, at the maiden press conference after his emergence as NANS’ leader in Ado Ekiti, yesterday, lamented the rate of Kidnappings and killings across campuses, saying security must be on alert to avert such nefarious crime in Ekiti.

“We expect the state and federal governments to focus more attention on this insecurity like they are doing for COVID-19, because insecurity is tormenting our country more than COVID-19 pandemic.”

Olanrewaju said his leadership would tackle cases of sexual harassments, arbitrary suspension and rustication of students that were now rampant on Ekiti campuses.

“We have observed that it is now rampant on our campuses to have students suspended or rusticated using draconian and anti-retrogressive rules of the school Management. We have

had cases of unjust expulsion because they stood their grounds.

We won’t support any management that is not ready to protect the rights of our members.

“Every injustice, whether politically motivatedoracademicallyorchestrated, sexually induced or whichever form it appears wouldn’t be tolerated.”

Olanrewajuaddedthathismission as NANS’ Leader, was to defend students’ democratic rights, encourage entrepreneurship, promote accountability and students’ welfare through his well-articulated ‘SAVERS Agenda’, upon which he was elected.

Uba Michael Visits Ughelli Kwara NLC Set for Strike Monarchs, Calls for Oneness over Minimum Wage Civil Society and good governance advocate, Ambassador Uba Michael has called for oneness and unity among the Urhobo nation, saying that it was the surest way of attracting more development and advancement.

Michael said this when he visited monarchs in Ughelli Kingdom in preparation for the confirmation of a chieftaincy title and consultations on how to move the Urhobo nation forward.

Speaking after his meeting with the Ovie of Ogor kingdom, His Royal Majesty, Okiemute O. Igere, the serial entrepreneur said, “The Ovie and I both deliberated on the needfullnes of Urhobo oneness and unity, which

will ensure that Urhobo gets what Urhobo truly deserves.

A divided Urhobo nation will be cheated and defeated easily in the scheme of things, therefore, we must unite and speak with one voice.

“We must act in a timely manner to resolve conflicts in Urhobo as soon as they. The little grievances we allow to fester in and amongst Urhobo will eventually grow to gargantuan proportions and may eventually destroy us.

“The Ogor kingdom is very significant in peace building in Urhobo land, as Ogor is the first son and first child of Oghwoghwa. This automatically bestows Ogor with the traditional responsibility to interven where there is a rift within and amongst Urhobo.

Hammed Shittu ÓØ ÖÙÜÓØ

Nigeria Labour Congress(NLC) Kwara State chapter has threatened to down tools any time from now over the failure of the state government to implement the payment of N30,000 minimum wage to all the categories of workers in the state public service.

Kwara is one of the very few states yet to implement or make allocation for the new national minimum wage.

The labour union had last year kicked against the planned consequential adjustment component of the minimum wage presented by the state government.

Since then, the labour unions have been mapping

out their plans to embark on strike action so as to press home their demand for the full implementation of the new minimum wage in the state without any adjustment whatsoever.

THISDAY checks reveal that the move by the labour unions to embark on strike action was based on its decision reached after its state executive council of the labour leaders meeting held on Thursday in Ilorin.

Sources close to the labour unions yesterday spoke on the condition of anonymity told THISDAY that, “labour unions would not accept any consequential adjustment on the payment of the new minimum wage in Kwara State.

The Private Telecommunications and Communications Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PTECSSAN) has issued a 14-day ultimatum to Huawei Technologies Nigeria Limited to halt what it described as disregard and denial of workers’ fundamental rights to freedom of association as enshrined in Section 40 of the Nigerian Constitution.

Speaking to journalists in Lagos, yesterday, the General Secretary of PTECSSAN, Okonu Abdullahi, said all efforts in the past to address all the labour-related issues confronting the workers in the company have been rebuffed by its management.

According to him, “All our efforts in the past to address all the labour-related issues confronting the workers in the company have been rebuffed by its management. Ultimate of which is gross disregard and denial of workers their fundamental rights to freedom of association as enshrined in Section 40 of the constitution, as well as Section 12(4) of the Trade Unions Act LFN 2004 and International Labour Organisation Conventions 87 and 98.”

He further explained that there would be consequences to industrial peace within the company if the demands of the union are not met within 14 days.

Abdullahi lamented that it had become the culture of the company to make workers perform their duties under duress, adding that workers were intimidated, harassed,

“and even threatened with sack at every slight opportunity.

The use of foul languages on the workers is also prevalent in the organisation.

“We demand that the company respect the right of the workers irrespective of the category they fall under to freely join the union. We call for the immediate withdrawal of warning letters and threats issued to the leaders of the workers trying to organise them into the union. We also request for the immediate commencement of discussion and negotiation of procedural agreement and collective bargaining agreement with the union for the workers.

“We mandate the immediate regularisation of employment of all the casual workers in the company, as we also demand a stop to continued abuse of expatriates’ quota policy in the company.

“We call for the immediate provision of PPE for the field engineers and ensuring occupational health and safety measures are put in place for the generality of workers in the company. We demand that Huawei Technologies Nigeria Limited immediately remedies all the employee relations issues we raised above.

“Huawei continues to undermine and sabotage Nigeria’s economy through its industrial relations practices which is designed to fully emasculate workers, make nonsense of the local content policy of the federal government and ultimately exploit the country without appropriate investment, especially in human capacity and internalisation of technologies for the benefit of our economy.

NDLEA Intercepts Brewery Truck with Cannabis Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, (NDLEA) Imo State Command have intercepted a 40-foot truck carrying Nigerian Breweries beer bottles, with 239 kilograms of substances suspected to be cannabis sativa concealed inside.

This is even as the men of the Ondo State Command of the agency have arrested a 20-year-old Bidemi Timileyin with 6.12 grams of cocaine at a joint in Ajiboro community Ondo town, Ondo West Local Government Area of the state, while other suspects escaped.

Both seizures were made on Wednesday, February 24, 2021.

According to the Commander, Imo State Command of NDLEA, Nse Jack, preliminary investigations revealed that the illicit substances were loaded into the truck in Benin, Edo State on its way from Idiroko, Ogun State heading to Aba in Abia State. Three suspects arrested in connection with the seizure include: the driver, Okeke Linus (34); the conductor, Bokwagh Tivfa (29) and the courier, Chidi Ofondu (60).

“On the 24th February, 2021, at about 1930hours, based on information, Imo State Command intercepted a 40ft Fonton truck with registration number Lagos

KJA 991 XZ, belonging to AG Leventis, Aba, a transporter for Nigerian Breweries, Aba, suspected of conveying some quantities of cannabis sativa at the control bus stop, Owerri, Imo State. The truck, which had empty bottles in crates belonging to Nigerian Breweries, was taken to the command headquarters, Owerri for a thorough search.

In the process, 13 big bags of dried weed suspected to be cannabis sativa and weighing 239kgs concealed in between the crates of empty bottles were recovered.

“The truck was coming from Idiroko where they had gone to deliver products and thereafter carried empty bottles back to Aba. They stopped at Okada, Edo State on the 23rd February, 2021 where they slept over, and it was in Okada they met the courier, Chidi Ofondu, where a total of 26 bags of the suspected substance were loaded. The trio left Okada in the morning of 24th February, 2021 to Aba enroute Owerri. Thirteen (13) bags of the exhibit were dropped along the road in Imo state before they got to the control bus stop, Owerri same day where they were intercepted,” the Commander explained.

THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER ˾ ͺͿ , 2021

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08054699539

When Government Dines with Criminals

W

hen Fulani militias attacked Government Science College, Kagara, Niger State, on February 17, a 16-year-old student, Benjamin Habila Bawa was shot dead by the outlaws. Only few people are talking about justice for this boy slaughtered by these brigands. My heart sank when I saw the pained expression on the face of Ayuba Dansabe Bawa, the father of the slain boy, while lamenting the death of Benjamin. Those in government are not talking about bringing the bastards that killed young Benjamin to justice. They are pampering the killers instead of going for their jugular. I don’t think anything can shock me again about the Buhari government.

Our country is facing severe security crisis because the federal government and some state governors have chosen to dine with criminals instead of serving justice. The lawbreakers, particularly Fulani militias, have become emboldened because of this frightening attitude of those who should serve justice.

I was horrified when I saw Auwal Daudawa, who masterminded the abduction of students of Government Science Secondary School, Kankara, Katsina State, at the Zamfara State Government House, with Governor Bello Matawalle cuddling him. This is the Daudawa who on December 11, 2020, abducted over 300 students, hours after President Buhari arrived the state on a private visit. The students regained freedom after spending a week in captivity. Of course, Daudawa and his gang collected hefty ransom.

This outlaw, who should be in jail, was on February 18 frolicking with Matawalle at the Government House in the name of a ridiculous amnesty for the brigands. Daudawa spoke with so much courage, stressing that he led the Kankara operation because Katsina State governor, Bello Masari, dared him and his men.

The emboldened outlaw declared: “I did that in Katsina because the governor came out to say he will not dialogue again with our people. So, we said since they said they were not interested in peace deal and they were sending military jets to torment our people, and destroy what we had, we should take the battle to those who are not interested in peace. I did that to demonstrate that I had the capacity to do it and I was not afraid of anybody other than Allah. It was for the government, and the whole world to know that we could do it but were hitherto not interested in something like that.”

That’s the brigand called Daudawa boasting in the presence of a state governor. On this dark day, Daudawa and five of his lieutenants surrendered 20 AK 47 rifles, ammunition and a rocket-propelled grenade (RPG) launcher to Matawalle and collected good money in return. The bandits surely got enough to buy more than the weapons submitted. That’s what Matawalle has been doing for the militias for almost two years; yet, the attacks have persisted.

Matawalle

This governor has pumped huge money into this useless venture that encourages more militias to join the striving “business” of killing and kidnapping. Matawalle, a state governor, has simply been giving the brigands money to buy more arms and ammunitions. It can only happen in Nigeria.

The kinked Matawalle has also been going about justifying lawlessness by the militias.

Can you imagine a governor saying most of the bandits take up arms due to the injustice to them by some members of the society? The Zamfara governor remarked: “If you investigate what is happening, and what made them to take the laws into their hands, some of them, sometimes were cheated by the so-called vigilante groups. They normally go to their settlements and destroy property and take their animals. They did not have anyone to speak with, so sometimes, they go for revenge.

When vigilante groups attack them, they go for reprisals. That is exactly what happened.”

Matawalle added: “Some of them (herders) are living in settlements close to villages or towns.

When there are military operations, the military will go and destroy their property and animals.

They are angry with such actions. If you are talking to them, you can understand where they are coming from and their problems. It is important for us as leaders to sit down with them and understand what the genesis is. You

can’t just conclude that this person is a criminal.

You have to listen to him. What led him to go into such activities?”

That’s Matawalle for real, justifying criminality few days back. Is it now not obvious why killings by Fulani militias have persisted?

Right in Matawalle’s backyard is the notorious Fulani militia leader, Dogo Gide, who controls the southern part of the Zamfara forest and further into Niger State. Matawalle knows their whereabouts. All the security agents know this location; yet, the militias still launch attacks unhindered. In fact, Sheikh Ahmad Gumi met with Gide in the forest while negotiating for the release of the abducted teachers and students of Government Science College Kagara.

An emboldened and confident Gide told Gumi that the kidnapped Kagara students and teachers “will soon be released.” He said although the abductees were not in his camp, he would negotiate with his fellow bandits to hasten their release: “The abducted persons, whether they were kidnapped by bandits in Zamfara State or any other neighbouring states of Niger, Kebbi and Kaduna will be released soon.” This tells you how powerful Gide has become under Matawalle and federal government’s security agents. Gide is everywhere from Zamfara, to Katsina, to Kaduna and Niger states. Nigeria is in big mess.

Gide said Fulanis had been left with no option than to carry arms and also engage in banditry because of the pressure they face from all angles. He mentioned the alleged attacks and killings of the Fulani by vigilante groups and Yan Sakai followed by the bombardments of their camps by the military. Here, Gide lied with so much confidence. The truth is that vigilante groups and Yan Sakai were Hausa farmers’ responses to the murderous activities of Fulani militias on farms.

While they were still being pampered to release Kagara schoolboys, and despite heavy security presence in Rafi LGA of Niger State, the militias struck again on February 19, launching separate attacks in Madaka community, during which one person was killed and several others abducted. They waylaid villagers going for a marriage ceremony along Madaka-Kagara road and ambushed another set of people returning from Madaka market.

This clearly shows that the intention is beyond revenge for rustled cows. It is kidnapping for ransom.

Yesterday, the Fulani militias showed their true colour again when they abducted over 300 schoolgirls at Government Girls Secondary School, Jangebe in the Talata-Mafara Local Government Area of Zamfara State.

Shockingly, Gumi, the new envoy for bandits in forests across Kaduna, Zamfara, Katsina, and Niger states, says the complaints of the Fulani militias are justifiable. The cleric, who met with

A Bit of Education for Gov Bala Mohammed

Mohammed

Governor Bala Mohammed of Bauchi State undoubtedly needs some education about what forest reserves are all about. It is either this man does not understand the concept of forest reserve,

or pretends not to understand for selfish reasons. That is why he has been agitating for unhindered grazing in forest reserves for herders. Perhaps, with compelling education, he may change his stance. My dear Kauran Bauchi, such reserves are protected areas for flora, fauna or geological interest designated by governments for conservation of nature and resources. Humans are not allowed in such reserves to avert the exploitation of its natural resources through grazing, cutting of trees for firewood or killing of animals.

In Nigeria, state governments maintain a large number of forest reserves. I am sure Bauchi State also has some. The federal government has four national parks. In all, there are 1,129 forest reserves, 29 game reserves, four game sanctuaries and four national parks in Nigeria.

Forest reserves are clearly not for grazing or settlements. They must remain free from destructive human interferences, cattle grazing inclusive.

Kauran Bauchi, please, your enthusiasm about ethnic identity should not override rational, empirical and scientific considerations. I also want you to ruminate deeply about the submission of constitutional and human rights lawyer, Femi

Falana on this your extreme position on open grazing. Falana notes: “No person, however highly placed he or she may be, is permitted to forcefully acquire land and settle on it by force in any state in Nigeria. Every person, who intends to settle in any state, would be required to acquire land under the Land Use Act. No one is permitted to forcefully acquire land and settle on it in any state in Nigeria.

“The owner of an illegally occupied land is entitled to sue for the recovery of the land and payment of damages for trespass. If the land belongs to the government, the property on it may be demolished without due process. Bala Mohammed should stop misleading herders to acquire land for cattle business without complying with the Land Use Act, Urban and Regional Law, Forestry Law, Anti Grazing Law in the affected states. He should stop inciting herders to bear weapons without license and seizing forest reserves without authorisation.”

Governor Bala, I sincerely hope you will read and digest Falana’s submission. Perhaps, it will help you amend your ways. Nomadic cattle rearing has no place in modern societies.

Nigeria cannot be an exception.

the militias that abducted the Kagara schoolboys at Dutsen-Magaji forest (while security agencies told us that they were still looking for them), is also asking for amnesty and compensation for the outlaws “as done for the Niger Delta militants.”

This cleric is a jester. It is painful that cows are being rustled without appropriate response from the government. But farmers and other Nigerians being kidnapped and killed by these militias are clearly not responsible for cattle rustling and their subsequent predicaments. So, why should Gumi say that their complaints are justifiable?

The like of Kankara and Kagara schoolboys are clearly not responsible for cattle rustling. It is only those that know about cows that rustle them. What the militias are doing across the country is pure terrorism and kidnapping for ransom. It has no other name. Any government alive to its constitutional duties of protecting lives and property must deal decisively with Fulani militias. A people-oriented government must not be seen dining with criminals. The Buhari government must stop pampering Fulani militias.

Weep Not for Rochas Okorocha

Okorocha

Former governor of Imo State, Rochas Okorocha claims he is being oppressed as Hope Uzodimma moves to recover state assets plundered by this former governor. For me, Okorocha is just shedding crocodile tears. He deserves no pity. His eight-year reign as governor was dominated by massive looting of state resources as revealed by the recent report of a judicial panel of inquiry that looked into land use and related matters. It was set up by the Emeka Ihedioha administration. Uzodimma inherited and retained the panel. The report was accepted and government followed with a White Paper. Of course, before this panel’s report, it was an open secret that calamity Okorocha spent eight years helping himself and family to Imo State’s resources. It got so bad that he was unable to pay civil servants while infrastructure deteriorated across the state.

Many in some Imo State agencies went without salaries for years, with civil servants turned to beggars. For eight years, blood, tears and pain dominated the state, no thanks to Okorocha.

The judicial panel’s report simply confirmed the open and massive looting of Imo State under Okorocha. The Royal Palm Estate, Owerri, is one of such assets which the panel got facts and figures to show that it was built with the state’s funds and not Okorocha wife’s money as claimed. Effort to recover this property led to the recent fight involving Okorocha and Imo State Government officials. The Eastern Palm University is another asset which the panel confirmed was built with the state’s resources. The Uzodimma government has already retrieved this school.

The list of state assets to be recovered from Okorocha is very long. I will probably need a full page to list them. I urge Uzodimma to ensure that Okorocha and his family vomit all they took from the state. This is the only way to assuage the pain of the thousands of people Okorocha inflicted discomfort while his reign lasted. If the EFCC were to be truly independent, Okorocha should be cooling his feet in their office by now.

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THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPA P PER ˾ FEBRUARY 27, 2021

SUPER SATURDAY Rosy osy Meurer and Olakunle laku la unle Churchil hurchilll

Latest Lovebirds in Town Gambian-born Nigerian g actress, Rosyy Meurer, is having g a swell time with Olakunle Churchill, the ex-husband of her colleague, g Tonto Dikeh. The lovebirds recentlyy announced that they had formally wedded.

But the controversy over their wedding lingers. Ferdinand Ekechukwu reports

R

osy Meurer has been in the news ever since Olakunle Churchill introduced her as his wife on the occasion of her recent birthday. She’s either flashing her sparkling “wedding ring” or flaunting and posting pictures of “Big Church”.

Born in the Gambia to a Dutch father and a Nigerian mother from Delta State, Meurer is well known, more as the woman that ruined Tonto Dikeh’s marriage than as an actress. Meurer would later admit that “she got more jobs and money after Tonto’s marriage crisis allegations”.

The light skin mulatto has in the wake of her dalliance with Churchill also stirred controversy from some keen observers who dragged her for marrying her former boss. Meurer had earlier denied being in a relationship with the businessman, whom she referred to as a “brother and mentor”. Unperturbed about the moment, Meurer took to her Instagram page to flaunt photos of herself and Churchill on a love trip following declaraa tion of their marriage. The actress was pictured with Churchill helping her down a hill while they rocked similar outfits.

She captioned it with these words: “We’re a team. Whatever you lack, I got you. We will balance each other out. Minor setback? Guess we’ll make a major comeback. Bad day? Well I promise you better night. You need support? I’ll be your backbone. I’ll keep you motivated and at the top always. You don’t ever have to doubt my loyalty. You got me. I got us.

Something to make your new week amazing.” Churchill had introduced Meurer, his former PA and actress who was at the center of his divorce with his wife. In a birthday message to Meurer on February 15, Churchill described her as “Mrs. Churchill”. He also disclosed that she stood by him when the world was against him and also took missiles for him. “A special sunrise, on this precious day, a great woman was born.

During my hard times when depression would have taken the better part of me, you were my bedrock. When it was like the whole world was against me, you stood by me, even took some missiles because of me.

“When I thought I lost it all, you encouraged me to hope on God that he will give me back all l have lost. Happy birthday Mrs Churchill. Age with grace, l have got your back 247 by the special grace of God.” Shortly had he made the post that his Instagram account was inundated with comments. His post also made the rounds on blogs, and attracted lots of mixed comments, with many bashing Churchill and Meurer for earlier denying their relationn ship. Meurer who reacted to the birthday message, affirmed that she had never doubted him.

Meurer wrote: “Aww thank you so much. I appreciate you always. We thank God and I’ve never doubted you.” This is coming amid reports of Meurer being pregnant with her first child. Back in 2017, when Tonto Dikeh confirmed separation from husband Olakunle Churchill, she accused Rosy Meurer of having an affair with Churchill, something she denied vehemently.

Meurer had addressed the allegation of snatching Churchill from Tonto Dike. In the video, she said it was just like asking her if she’s sleeping with her brother when asked if she was having an affair with Churchill. Giving her own account in a question and answer session on her Instagram page, Meurer told her curious followers that she was not responsible for the collapse of her husband’s previous marriage to Tonto. She said even though she described Mr. Churchill as a brother in the past, they are not related by blood, and that her marriage to him is nothing but the will of God taking place in her life. “No one broke anyone’s home. It is just what it is. Life happened.

Some things you don’t plan,” Meurer explained. “I let God’s will in my life take place. I lost my own relationship in the middle of all the online banter then, something that didn’t concern me. Life goes on. He’s like my brother doesn’t make him my blood. I’ve known him for donkey years, he had his life and I had mine. I never looked at him in that way. He got married eventually and unfortunately only God knows what really happened and why it ended the way it did and why I was dragged into what I had no knowledge of. I still remained a part of his life like I always have.

“Just this time, he was broken and just off, shattered. I still had no interest in him. Still looked at him the same way with just so much pity this time. Time healed him. Two years ago, he proposed, one year ago he did the necessary rights. By the grace of God, today, we are happy,” she wrote.

The Gambian-born Nigerian actress added that she never dreamt that she would end up marrying Churchill and that if

Meurer and Churchill anyone had said that to her before, she would have told the person to dream on because she was in love with another man at the time. When Tonto alleged that Churchill was sleeping with Meurer, buying her gifts and taking her on trips, she also revealed that she was one of the reasons for her marital crisis which eventually led to a divorce. According to Churchill, “We broke up in 2016,” after which Tonto moved on but not without both estranged couple dragging each other mercilessly.

That their whirlwind romance which kick-started at a nightclub, and soon led to the aisle, hit the rocks didn’t really come as surprise to many. Tonto further accused him of being a bisexual, labeled him a 40 seconds sprinter on bed. Instagram was the medium of choice as words were hurled across enemy lines.

Churchill slammed a 500 million suit against Tonto for stuff she said in an interview – including scathing allegations that

Churchill was involved in cybercrime activities (Yahoo-Yahoo) and his father was former president Obasanjo’s gardener rather than relative.

Rosy Meurer, who is the first child in a family of three, ventured into acting in 2012 when she starred in Emem Isong’s movie, ‘Spellbound’. She got her big break in the Gambia following her encounter with some Nollywood actors who came to shoot a movie. That was how she landed her debut movie role and also met a director, Desmond Elliot, who advised her to try acting in Nigeria. ‘‘When he got back to Nigeria, Desmond Elliot called me and said Emem Isong had a role for me in her movie. I traveled to Lagos and I starred in my first Nollywood movie titled Spell Bound,’’ she revealed in an interview.

SATURDAY FEBRUARY 27, 2021 • T H I S D AY

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FEBRUARY 27, 2020 • THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER

COMMENTARY

TOXIC ADVOCACY FOR SELF-DEFENCE Adewale Kupoluyi urges politicians to be cautious so as not to do more damage to society

T

he Minister of Defence, Major-General Bashir Magashi (rtd) has continued to face a barrage of criticisms over his proclamation that Nigerians should defend themselves against bandits while reacting to the recent kidnap of students in Kagara, Niger State.

The minister’s statement can literarily be interpreted to be a call on the people to carry firearms and weapons to defend themselves and an official endorsement of self-defence.

No doubt, the weighty proclamation has many implications and could be disturbing to the diplomatic world, foreign investors and an assessment of the government’s drive at tackling insecurity. The right to self-defence is the authority to prevent being a victim of force through the use of a sufficient level of counteracting violence. It is an inherent right to use force in response to an armed attack. The Nigerian constitution entrusts the government with the obligation of providing welfare and security for the citizens. This responsibility functions as a form of social contract whereby individuals have consented either explicitly or tacitly to surrender some of their freedoms by submitting to a central authority in exchange for the protection of their rights for the maintenance of social order.

The English philosopher and political theorists, John Locke in his “Two Treatises of Government”, argues that the failure of social contract manifests when a government fails to discharge its basic duty of protecting and securing lives, property and the right to govern.

Succinctly put, the inability of successive governments in Nigeria to address the issues of security and welfare as they ought to have done is seen as a failure in the maintenance of social order. To situate Locke’s theory within the unfolding proclamation by the defence minister is a clear demonstration of a default as the country has surrendered to the superior power of insurgency that is fast threatening our corporate existence.

We need answers to these questions for a better appreciation of the debacle we have found ourselves in: Is the minister accepting that our security operatives have been completely overwhelmed by bandits?

Is he advocating for individual arms for defenceless Nigerians, who are being killed daily? Is he encouraging our untrained and unarmed citizens to embark on a suicidal mission with heavily-armed terrorists?

Is the minister justifying the failure of the state, through the government, to perform its contractual and statutory duties to the citizens?

Whichever way we may want to look at the questions, what can easily be inferred is that of hopelessness on the part of the government based on the minister’s admission.

Leaders worth their onions are not allowed to give excuses for inaction in the face of inescapable challenges of governance because they are in office to solve problems and not to explain their failure in doing so. Based on this logic, if the minister now calls on the people to rise up and defend themselves for the inability of the state to live up to expectations, it means that being an integral part of the government, he is throwing up his hands in despair that the state is either no longer interested, or incapable of protecting the people. The defence minister’s utterance could be taken to imply that anybody whoever wants to live should find other means of protecting himself/herself in a country where it is largely restricted to purchase and carry firearms.

The twist of words by many public officials have increasingly

THE WAY FORWARD IS TO EMBRACE STATE, AND COMMUNITY POLICING AS WELL AS EMPOWER VIGILANTE AND NEIGHBOURHOOD WATCH OUTFITS THAT WOULD STRENGTHEN INTELLIGENCE AND BOOST GRASSROOTS SECURITY

become worrisome, recurring decimal and a pointer to the fact that those in government may actually be part of the problem, but prefer to look the other way round. For instance, Kaduna State governor, Mallam Nasir el-Rufai was furious when he was challenged having earlier admitted to paying killer herdsmen to stop killings in Southern Kaduna, but later recanted that he would never negotiate with the bandits. The Bauchi State governor, Senator Bala Mohammed had encouraged herders to protect themselves by bearing AK-47 guns but later claimed that he was quoted out of context, just as the Plateau State governor, Simon Lalong maintained that a number of farmers too bear arms for self-help, to give the impression that farmers and herders are both guilty of arms-bearing.

The positions of Magashi, El-Rufai and Mohammed and other advocates - who surreptitiously appear to be shielding herders - are completely different from those canvassed by the likes of former Chief of Army Staff and Minister of Defence, Lieutenant-General Theophilus Danjuma (rtd) - who had called for self-defence against herders attacks having accused the armed forces of compromising their integrity and colluding with herdsmen, saying that “Our armed forces are not neutral. If you are depending on the armed forces to stop the killings, you will all die one by one”. Danjuma had stated that security agencies were complicit in the orgy of killings because of the recurring habits by soldiers and security agents, who often disappear and leave the people to fate whenever they are under attacks.

In a similar vein, the Catholic Bishops of the Owerri Ecclesiastical Province joined the call for the citizens to defend themselves against bandits in every guise in view of the “Serious doubts on the willingness and capability of Nigeria’s security outfits to rise up to their constitutional responsibility”. The Benue State governor, Samuel Ortom had equally suggested that the federal government should grant licences to responsible citizens to carry sophisticated weapons to deter criminals from attacking innocent and helpless Nigerians, just as former President, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo lamented that the federal security architecture, as currently organised and operated, cannot give an assurance of security and warned that, “Our destiny is in our own hands”.

The government continues to fail in securing the nation due to weak political will to stem insecurity, rabid sectionalism in appointments into key security positions, and poor coordination and synergy among the agencies. A country with a manifestation of divided military and security forces is certainly heading towards implosion if something radical is not done to abate the drift. The call for self-help through arms-bearing is diversionary, misplaced and defeatist. The way forward is to embrace state, and community policing as well as empower vigilante and neighbourhood watch outfits that would strengthen intelligence and boost grassroots security, as obtainable in other climes whereby their security architecture is not unduly centralised like ours that operates under a dysfunctional federal system. More importantly, we need to stop our politicians and leaders from causing further damage by giving the poisonous antidote to solving nagging national problems in the name of self-defence.

Kupoluyi wrote from Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, Ogun State

PEACE PACT WITH CRIMINAL GANGS AND AGITATORS Entering peace pact with bandits is unreasonable, argues Abdullahi Usman

T

he Kaduna based Islamic cleric, Sheikh Ahmad Gummi, a trained medical doctor and retired military officer, has been in the news of late, on account of his ongoing efforts to reach out to the various bandit groups holed up in their numerous independent camps located in the deep recesses of some of the most dreaded forests of the North West, with a view to negotiating a possible truce that will hopefully bring a welcome end to the continuing carnage that is being visited on the society by these armed groups.

Sheikh Gummi’s independent and unilateral voluntary effort in this regard is commendable, no doubt, and any move by any individual or group of persons designed to contribute towards arresting the current imminent slide into anarchy should and must be welcome by everyone. But it is still early in the day, I must admit, and any meaningful definitive and concrete take on this laudable move on the part of the learned Sheikh would have to wait for now, until the full details and specific terms of the proposed peace pact he is promoting are made public.

CNN’s Michael Smerconish was right, after all, when he famously stated recently that, “only an arsonist lets a fire burn”. But in trying to quench the raging fire, utmost care must be exercised to avoid a situation where we may consciously add fuel to it.

This, unfortunately, is what we often end up doing, albeit inadvertently, in the sense that many of the peace pacts we have historically had in the country thus far, from the very first one with the Niger Delta militants to that executed with some of the supposedly repentant bandits in Zamfara and other affected areas last time out, and many others in between, all seem to be geared towards assuaging the feelings of the armed militants/bandits alone, with a view to

having them drop their arms.

These range from the sanctioned payment of huge sums by the federal or state government, as the case may be, to entice them to surrender their arms in a form of buy-back arrangement aimed at mopping up the large cache of illegal and dangerous weapons in their possession, to the payment of monthly stipends to their gang members for a predetermined mutually agreed period of time, amongst others. But in all those previous attempts at assuaging the feeling of anger and, possibly, even guilt on the part of the criminals, no one as yet appears to be even remotely concerned about the arguably far more important need to assuage the resulting justifiable feeling of grief and anger of their innocent victims, as far as I know.

Indeed, a significant quantum of public resources has been expended on the promotion and execution of our preferred one-sided truce over the course of the last several years to date, with varying degrees of success, and several of these hardened criminals have been smiling their way to the bank, as a result.

We, in fact, even have a few veritable examples of billionaires that have proudly emerged from such generous application of public resources by way of appeasement in their favour in the past.

Meanwhile, many lives have needlessly been lost to the raging militancy of the past, and are still being lost to the ongoing banditry and to the numerous kidnapping franchises of today, with many bread winners of countless households sent to their early graves unjustly, sometime with no bodies to be buried by grieving family members. These are people struggling to make an honest living on a daily basis in order to provide for their families, but whose precious lives have needlessly been terminated by those bloodthirsty criminals for no fault

of theirs, leaving their hapless families in complete disarray. Just a couple of days ago, someone drew my attention to a reportedly old chilling audio clip in which some armed bandits were allegedly gloating over the fact that they had just abducted a group of 20 female victims whom they had taken to their camps and forcefully made their wives, and also boasting that in the event that they happened to see any other woman or group of women they liked again, they would still go ahead to abduct them in similar fashion. By so doing, these people are gradually taking us right back to the medieval period where might was right!

I find it very hard to fathom why and how on earth a state like Zamfara that has been at the forefront of promoting the dialogue option to address the raging problem of banditry and kidnapping incidents in its area of jurisdiction has not said a word about compensating the victims of the protracted twin issues facing them just yet. We cannot continue to commit public funds towards making huge pay outs to a group of known criminals, while saying precious little or absolutely nothing at all about their innocent victims, much less attempting to compensate them for their own sufferings.

If the bandits have a justification for being angry enough to take up arms against the society for the series of injustices that might have done to them in the past, as the Zamfara State governor was alluding to in a recent interview, their victims who often get kidnapped and made to walk barefoot for hours on end of thorny forests, along with the families of those who often get fatally shot and die of their wounds in a bid to kidnap them, and all those who fail to make it out of the terrible and unforgiving conditions of the numerous scattered forest detention

camps alive are equally entitled to be angry, equity demands that they also get compensated in any truce arrangement that anyone may be contemplating or promoting, going forward.

To ignore these sets of largely verifiable victims in any conversation around the need to have dialogue with criminal elements with a view to achieving an enduring peace would be most unfair. A state that prides itself with the promotion of religious values should know that for a fact, perhaps more than anyone else! But it would appear that we are only interested in appeasing the criminals to the exclusion, and at the expense of, their teeming innocent victims who have suffered and are still hurting from the fallouts of their terrible actions. Our past and current peace efforts are usually all centered around the need to forgive and reward the evil perpetrators without any form of accountability on their part, while the victims and their long-suffering family members are completely forgotten and left out of the equation in all cases.

And when one takes into account the aggregate amounts reportedly running into billions of Naira that had reportedly been paid to these criminal gangs by hapless family members over the course of the last several years as ransom to secure the freedom of their loved ones, a number of whom often get killed even after the ransom placed on their heads has been settled and juxtapose it with the large pay outs they usually receive as part of any peace deal reached with the government, life couldn’t be better for the criminal-minded amongst us, as they tend to benefit both ways, in the sense that heads they win, tails we lose. In other words, it has always been a win-win situation for them either way!

Usman (usmanabd@gmail.com)

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FEBRUARY 27, 2020 • THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER

INSIGHT

What future?

#EndSARS and Nigerian Youths

K

wara State Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq received on Thursday a three-volume report from the Justice Tunde Garba-led Panel of Inquiry on #EndSARS protest, promising to set up an implementation committee on its recommendations. With that development, Kwara joined the list of the state whose Panel of Inquiry has turned in reports, and arguably the most consistent in Nigeria to granting victims of police brutality justice.

We all know about the #EndSARS -- the civil rights movement against police brutality and bad leadership which cut across the nation at tail end of 2020. It was led by youths who were rightly disenchanted with the Nigerian police system and united in purpose to demand an improved deal from the government.

The protests lasted for weeks, defying force and other entreaties, to press home the demands of resolute protesters which included that F-SARS should be disbanded; a panel of inquiry be formed by every state government to look into cases of alleged brutality to punish culpable officers and compensate the victims, review of police officers salaries, among other irreducible points to sanitize the police system and make the nation homely to the common man.

Alleged delay in response from authority and poor coordination on the part of the organizers, made arguably the biggest protest in the nation’s history become violent and destructive, costing many lives and properties.

However, the agitation eventually got President Muhammadu Buhari to ban F-SARS (in place of SWAT), and each State Government was enjoined to form a panel of inquiry to ascertain claims of police brutality and dispense justice to the victims.

While some states have managed the issue shabbily, the nation must take notice of the commitment of Governors Babajide Sanwo-Olu and AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq of Lagos and Kwara respectively. The two have shown responsiveness and consistency not only in implementing but amending the leadership inefficiency #EndSARS debacle unmasked in the nation.

AbdulRazaq, especially, is an unsung hero who has shown he stands head and shoulder above his contemporaries. Right in the heart of the protest, he dived in to walk with the protesters to the police station in solidarity, a brave act which pacified the restless youths. This was about the time his contemporaries elsewhere were allegedly unleashing security agents on weak, armless protesters.

Oyo, Rivers, and Abuja easily come to mind. In the wake of the violence which eventually brewed across the nation which was triggered by suspicion of the authority to be hoarding palliative amidst the pandemic, public and private properties were looted in Kwara. What did he do? He condemned the act, warned criminal elements to stay off his state, before proceeding to sympathise with affected private business owners.

It was in that light he announced a recovery fund of N500m grants to relieve them and save their businesses from the doldrums.

What is most endearing was that the process of accessing the fund was swift, transparent, and incredibly open to the public. He had empanelled a committee that included one of the affected business owners to work out the support the government could offer to them, before inviting professional loss adjusters to evaluate their claims, to guide the government financial decisions. As we speak, the Shoprite Mall whose ruin reminded one of the post #EndSARS looting, what became of the Owu kingdom after a combined military force of Ife,

Oyo and Ijebu invaded the city as described in Femi Osofisan’s Women of Owu, has cut a new look with all the stalls opened back for business. It is confirmed that 49 affected shop owners (including eight security guards attacked by hoodlums) got between N100,000 to N17,000,000, totalling N180, 775, 000.00 only.

What that means is Kwara Governor AbdulRazaq averted the death of businesses, attendant rise in the unemployment rate, and the consequences of hunger and lack in thousand Nigerian families. These are the effects of the post #EndSARS debacle many state governments have not adequately tackled. It is also the right message to send the investors in the business community to favour his state. It won’t be a surprise if the State of Harmony rises to become the investment hub of North Central Nigeria in the coming years.

The meat of the piece, however, is his commitment to seeking justice for the powerless. It is most heroic he keeps his courtyard clean to make the youths see others’ who speak tongue in cheek to respect life and liberty. While some panels have not sat or have even forgotten to resume proceedings, welcoming the report which was based on various petitions received, bordering on alleged police brutality, unlawful arrests, extortion, violation of fundamental human rights, and impunity from the panel, at this time, strengthens the principles of democracy, public accountability, and liberty Nigerian youths seek to uphold. Now that he has received the report, I must urge him to adopt and hasten with the implementation of the recommendations, which includes granting support to victims of identified cases of police brutality among other points to improve the living conditions of serving and retired police officers. Others must emulate him now.

Ibraheem Abdullateef is a Writing Fellow at African Liberty, USA

What If We All Die?

N

o amount of money can substitute for anyone’s life. Our lives are precious and the only treasure that we can have.

Over the years, Nigeria has witnessed so many loss of lives, especially as a result of the insurgency.

While Nigeria is being considered as the giant of Africa, the strength it has to tackle the insurgents is farfetched.

The issue of unity in diversity is unfortunately being lost. Nigeria is confronted by multiple security challenges, notably the resilient Boko Haram insurgency, long-running discontent and militancy in the Niger Delta, and the increasing violence between herders and farming communities.

Instead of one big Nigeria, the nation is gradually being split by cultural and religious biases.

Herders for a while now, have been involved in deadly contacts with farmers across the country, and now sadly, we have cases of abductions for ransom.

The Boko Haram insurgency, which government had promised to bring to an end, doesn’t seem to be a promise kept.

Unemployment, bad governance, lack of quality education, inadequate basic infrastructure, corruption and corrupt practices of government officials, perceived victimization, arrant poverty in the midst of affluence, ethnic superiority, religious superiority, domination and exploitation, kidnapping, and cultism, are few among many causes of insurgence in Nigeria.

The big question remains, how safe are we in Nigeria?

EZekiel Sunday, Dept of Mass Communication, University of Maiduguri

T H E SAT U R DAY N E W S PA P E R EDITOR YEMI ADEBOWALE DEPUTY EDITOR CHIKA AMANZE-NWACHUKU MANAGING DIRECTOR ENIOLA BELLO DEPUTY MANAGING DIRECTOR KAYODE KOMOLAFE CHAIRMAN EDITORIAL BOARD OLUSEGUN ADENIYI EDITOR NATION’S CAPITAL IYOBOSA UWUGIAREN MANAGING EDITOR JOSEPH USHIGIALE

T H I S DAY N E W S PA P E R S L I M I T E D EDITOR-IN-CHIEF/CHAIRMAN NDUKA OBAIGBENA GROUP EXECUTIVE DIRECTORS ENIOLA BELLO, KAYODE KOMOLAFE, ISRAEL IWEGBU, IJEOMA NWOGWUGWU, EMMANUEL EFENI DIVISIONAL DIRECTORS BOLAJI ADEBIYI, PETER IWEGBU, ANTHONY OGEDENGBE DEPUTY DIVISIONAL DIRECTOR OJOGUN VICTOR DANBOYI SNR. ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR ERIC OJEH ASSOCIATE DIRECTORS PATRICK EIMIUHI, SAHEED ADEYEMO CONTROLLERS ABIMBOLA TAIWO, UCHENNA DIBIAGWU, NDUKA MOSERI DIRECTOR, PRINTING PRODUCTION CHUKS ONWUDINJO HEAD, COMPUTER DEPARTMENT PATRICIA UBAKA-ADEKOYA TO SEND EMAIL: first name.surname@thisdaylive.com

Just like Dad

I

t is often thought that intelligence is inherited although now there may be evidence that stupidity can also be inherited. Donald Trump Junior has attacked teachers because they don’t want to work in unsafe conditions and said that “The teachers unions are out of control & are destroying our kid’s futures!”

Nobody should have to work in an unsafe environment although often service members, first responders and medical workers face danger regularly but the teaching environment is meant to be a safe and supportive one whereas Junior is not showing any support and wants them to face a danger to their health.

Yes, poor education can damage a kid’s future but so can poverty, racism, poor medical facilities and poor employment prospectives. Time to turn off not just the Trump twitter feed but the whole families’ coverage.

Dennis Fitzgerald, Melbourne, Australia

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SATURDAY FEBRUARY 27, 2021 • T H I S D AY

SATURDAY FEBRUARY 27, 2021 • T H I S D AY

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THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER ˾ ͺͿ,ͺ͸ͺ͹

NEWS Abia APC to Poach PDP in Membership Drive Emmanuel Ugwu-Nwogo ÓØ Umuahia

REBUILDING LAGOS… L-R: Speaker, House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila; Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu; Deputy Governor, Dr. Obafemi Hamzat and Speaker, Lagos House of Assembly, Mudashiru Obasa during the opening of a three-day Executive/Legislative parley with the theme: A consensus Agenda for Rebuilding Lagos …yesterday

Kano Shuts 10 Boarding Schools over Insecurity Ibrahim Shuaibu ÓØ ËØÙ

Kano State Government has shut down 10 boarding schools in the outskirts of the metropolis.

The state Commissioner for Education, Muhammad Sunusi Kiru, disclosed this in a short

audio message over the radio stations in the state yesterday night.

The Education Commissioner said the closure became necessary due to the rising number of abductions of school children in neighbouring states.

The closed schools are situ-

ated at Ajingi, Sumaila, Jogana, KaÀn Maiyaki, Gaya, amongst others.

Mr. Kiru noted that the order takes immediate eͿect.

He called on parents to evacuate their wards as a result.

This is coming hours after suspected gunmen kidnapped

more than 300 schoolgirls in a government girls secondary school at Jangebe, Zamfara State.

It would be recalled that earlier this month, some students and staͿ of Government Secondary School Kagara in Niger State, were abducted and yet to be released.

UNICEF Partners Delta in Renewed Delta Names New Varsity after Fight against Malnutrition Midwest Premier, Osadebey Omon-Julius Onabu ÓØ ÝËÌË United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has restated its commitment and support for the Delta State Government in the renewed effort to flatten the curve for malnutrition in the state, particularly through supplementary and improved dietary provisions for adolescents in the state.

The UNICEF zonal Chief of Field Office (Rivers), Dr. Tushar Rane, gave the assurance in virtual remarks at a one-day meeting in Asaba with stakeholders for Scale-Up of Adolescent Nutrition Programme for six local government areas of Delta State, organised by UNICEF. While lauding the state government for putting in place necessary policy instruments for a scale-up of the adolescent nutritional status of the state because of their importance to the realisation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), he commended the initiative to increase the initial three local government areas to six under the pilot programme.

The gains of the pilot programme

should be replicated in the additional three local government areas, Rane charged, stressing that addressing the often overlooked adolescent nutrition challenges in the society generally would go a long way in the efforts to solve the many problems triggered by pervasive poor feeding among the critical segment of the population.

UNICEF will continue to support the Delta State Government to ensure that the programme it started in 2018 in the state was scaled up to and extended to other local government areas to prevent acute malnutrition among the adolescents particularly the girl-child, the UNICEF chief stated. Moreover, the organisation’s Nutrition Expert and Programme Coordinator, Mrs. Ngozi S. Onuora, noted that the UNICEF pilot programme in three local government areas of Isoko South, Ika North-East and Ethiope West had outstanding impact on numerous adolescents who were placed on Iron-Folic Acid (IFA) supplementation offered through various channels including schools.

Omon-Julius Onabu ÓØ ÝËÌË After several weeks of hinting at plans to create more stateowned universities, the Delta State Government has finally announced the establishment of three new universities with one of them named after Chief Dennis Osadebey, the late Premier of the defunct Midwest Region of Nigeria.

Delta State Commissioner for Higher Education, Prof. Patrick Muoboghare, who disclosed this while fielding questions from newsmen in Asaba on the government’s initiative, said that the new universities were not entirely brand new institutions as they were products of upgrades of existing college of education, university campus and polytechnic owned

by Delta State.

He listed the new universities as Dennis Osadebey University, Anwai-Asaba, which is taking off from the Anwai-Asaba Campus of Delta State University Abraka; University of Delta created from the upgrade of the College of Educa-

tion Agbor; and, the University of Science and Technology, Ozoro.

Dennis Osadebey was the premier of the then Midwest Region, which was later called Midwest State and then Bendel State, from which Delta and Edo States were carved out.

Muoboghare, who is former vicechancellor of Delta State University Abraka, allayed concerns in some quarters over possible financial difficulties in the take-off of the new universities, explaining that necessary provision had been made in the state’s 2021 Budget to take care of that need.

Muoboghare was joined at the briefing on some resolutions of the state Executive Council (EXCO) meeting by the commissioner for Information, Mr. Charles Aniagwu and the Senior Policy Adviser to the governor, Prof. Sylvester Monye, both of who gave further details on the rigorous processes culminating in the signing of the agreement for the concession of Asaba International Airport.

Ganduje’s Aide Blasts APC over Zamfara Abduction Ibrahim Shuaibu ÓØ ËØÙ The Media Adviser to the Kano State Governor, Mr Salihu Tanko Yakasai, has said the ruling party, All Progressives Congress (APC), has failed Nigerians.

The governor’s spokesman stated this in a series of tweets yesterday while reacting to the abduction of Government Girls Secondary School, Jangebe, in Talata Mafara Local Government Area of Zamfara State.

In the early hours of yesterday, gunmen stormed the school and abducted over 300 schoolgirls in Zamfara State.

Mr. Yakasai said the worsening insecurity situation in the country showed that the APC-led government had failed in its primary responsibility of protecting the lives and property of the citizens.

“Clearly, we as the APC government, at all levels, have failed Nigerians in the number one duty we were elected to

do which is to secure lives and property. Not a single day goes by without some sort of insecurity in this land.

This is a shame! Deal with terrorists decisively or resign,” he wrote on his official Twitter handle.

Yakasai further said it had become a norm that each time a tragic event occurs, the government would only lament without taking any concrete action to prevent a recurrence.

“Each time another tragedy happens, we lament, condemn, create hashtag, the government pretends to do something, no concrete steps to prevent reoccurrence, and then we repeat the process. To what end? Where are those saddled with the responsibility?

Yakasai has been criticising the Buhari-led- administration which led to his suspension last year over his comments on EndSARS protests but was later reinstated.

The Abia State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has said that it would not shy away from poaching members from the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the state as it intensifies efforts to increase its membership strength.

The Abia APC specifically said that the party was targeting upwards of registering a million members in the ongoing party registration and revalidation exercise hence the need to cast their nets even in PDP waters.

The one million membership target was set at a meeting of over 1,000 stakeholders held at the country home of a senior party chieftain and former governorship candidate, Chief Ikechi Emenike in his Okpuala Umukabia country home, Umuahia North local government.

The stakeholders drawn from all the wards and local governments in Abia stated they would take the membership mobilisation drive to the camp of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the ruling party in Abia.

Chief Emenike, who is leading the mobilisation efforts, told the stakeholders that the one million membership target was not a tall order given that Abia had estimated

population of over five million.

He said the stakeholders that they needed to proudly market the ruling APC as it had already recorded resounding achievements in every area, including unprecedented infrastructural development of the South-east geopolitical zone.

“This is the time you have to mobilise everybody, even your enemies to register and join the progressive family of APC,” he said, adding “we’re here to encourage people to register in order to shore up the party’s membership strength.

The development economist and publisher, who has over the years remained a die-hard loyalist of President Muhammadu Buhari, noted that he was leading the “original Buhari people” in Abia, adding that they would do everything possible to grow the APC in God’s Own State.

Emenike stated that the major opposition party in Abia has continued to wax strong and is in pole vault to take control of Abia State “peacefully and overwhelmingly” come 2023, adding that it was a divine project that would be accomplished.

He therefore urged the stakeholders to go back to their various wards and local governments and draw new members into the party, including members of rival parties and young persons that have attained the age of 18.

Senator Ohuabunwa Chides Adeyemi over Anti-Ikpeazu Comment As Senator Smart Adeyemi continues to get more knocks over his disparaging remarks against Governor Okezie Ikpeazu, Senator Mao Ohuabunwa who represented Abia North in the eight Senate, has told the Kogi West senator that “the Senate is not for thugs”.

Adeyemi had while contributing on the Áoor of the Senate, veered oͿ to attack the person and o΀ce of the Abia Governor when he said that “Abia is governed by drunkards”, and that “Ikpeazu is drunk with champagne”.

Senator Ohuabunwa in a statement, berated Adeyemi for making such “uncouth, careless and derogatory outburst against the governor at such a hallowed chamber especially when there was no nexus between the matter being debated and Abia government.”

The former Speaker, ECOWAS

Parliament, said Adeyemi did not only disparage the o΀ce of the governor but insulted all Abians by inferring that the state was governed by drunkards.

Ohuabunwa who expressed shock over the outburst said he thought the former National President of the Nigeria Union of Journalists had outgrown his former lifestyle. “ I know Adeyemi’s past but he should not allow his former lifestyle to inÁuence him but behave in line with his present status,” he said He therefore, demanded immediate retraction of the comment and a public apology both to Gov Ikpeazu and the entire people of Abia State.

Ohuabunwa regretted that if he were still at the Senate, Adeyemi would not have escaped unchallenged after the insulting remarks on the Áoor of the Senate.

Enugu Imposes Curfew on Oruku Community Following the killing of the traditional ruler of Oruku Community, in Nkanu East Local Government Area of Enugu State, HRH Igwe Emmanuel Chidiebere Mba, on December 26, 2020, and the recent gruesome murder of the Vice Chairman of Oruku Town Union Caretaker Committee, Chief Samuel Ani, Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi has imposed a curfew on the community.

A statement signed by the Commissioner for Information, Nnayelugo Chidi Aroh, disclosed that the curfew was imposed by Governor Ugwuanyi, pursuant to Executive Order No. 2: 2021, dated 25th February 2021.

Aroh stated that the curfew,

which is between the hours of 6p.m. to 6a.m. daily, commences from 6p.m., on Thursday, February 25, 2021 and ends at 6p.m., on Wednesday, 31st March, 202, in the first instance.

The Information Commissioner further stated that “the Commissioner of Police, Enugu State Command had been directed to take all legal measures to enforce this order and ensure the arrest as well as prosecution of the perpetrators of this heinous crime.”

The state government therefore “enjoined the people of Oruku to stay the course of peace and go ab out their lawful businesses outside the hours of the day under curfew.”

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THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER FEBRUARY 27,2021

SHOWBIZFLAIR

Adesua, Banky W Relish Parenthood Alex Unusual We See Films about Love But We Hardly See Love Films pg. 19

Krystal Okeke’s ‘Girls of the Throne’ is Ready pg. 20

THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER FEBRUARY 27,2021

18 Ferdinand Ekechukwu 08035011394 Email: ferdi_adthisday@yahoo.com

SHOWBIZFLAIR

Adesua, Banky W Relish Parenthood It has been celebration galore for celebrity couple, Banky W and his lovely wife, Adesua Etomi, as they cheered their first child, a baby boy, Ferdinand Ekechukwu reports

N

ollywood actress, Adesua Etomi, took to Instagram on Monday, February 22, to reveal the good news of her baby boy and shared photos from her maternity shoot to celebrate her birthday. In one of the photos, the Wedding Party star is seen cradling her baby bump with her signature broad smile on her face. In another photo, the couple is seen holding each other as they pose in white outÀts. Sharing the photos, Adesua revealed that they welcomed their baby a month before her birthday.

“You have a track record of keeping your word. ̸l̹run agbaye o, you are mighty”. 4 weeks ago I received the best birthday gift ever. Our Son. 1 1 3,” she wrote. Proud father, Banky W, who has a new video/song titled Final Say, also conÀrmed their new arrival in his birthday message to his wife. He wrote: “Happy birthday to my lady, my love and purpose partner, My world, my wife and Baby Mama. I didn’t think it was possible for you to be more beautiful than you already were... but I was wrong.

Because you’re not just beautiful, you’re strong. You’re grace and favour personiÀed, and you’re so much more.

“Words cannot properly express how grateful I am for you, how much I love you, or what we’ve been through. I’m thankful that you’re mine. And that God made everything beautiful in His time.

He turned our tears into triumph, and our loss into laughter. He’s changed our lives forever, here’s to the next (and best) chapter. Nothing I can say or do can top what He gave us. My baby had a baby and he’s everything we prayed for @ adesuaetomi. Happy birthday ‘Mama Zaiah’ I love you SCATTER.” Shortly after the good news Adesua shared online, congratulatory messages poured in from their celebrity friends and fans.

Banky W’s marriage is one of the biggest events that happened in the entertainment industry in 201 . The wedding hashtag #BAAD is one that many would never forget as the couple received so much love from their fans, followers and colleagues when their relationship was made public. Initially, the public perceived the engagement of these two celebrities as a publicity stunt.

It however turned out a reality, as they later announced that their intentions were absolutely serious. The couple both featured in hit Nollywood movie “The Wedding Party”.

This movie turned out to be a rehearsal for their real wedding. Film critics and spectators noted that there was undeniable chemistry between the duo that was similar to that of Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt in the movie “Mr Mrs Smith”.

Both couple has starred in a couple of award winning movies together. Recall that Banky W and Adesua held their traditional marriage on 1 November, court wedding on 20 November and white wedding on 25 November 201 ; the latter ceremony was held in Cape Town, South Africa. Three years later, Adesua and Banky W are celebrating their bundle of Joy. When they both celebrated their third wedding anniversary last November, it witnessed a hearty exchange between the singer/actor and the actress/inÁuencer.

The bubby took to his social media page to celebrate and he shared a video from their wedding. According to Banky W, he made the decision to marry Adesua three years ago and that it was the second-best decision he made in his adult life. The

Adesua and Banky W

multi-talented artiste went on to preach about love. His love note reads: “Three years ago, Susu and I made the decision to love each other forever. But the only reason forever is even possible is because we made the decision to make God our foundation.

“And while a foundation is the part of the house that people don’t see, it’s by far the most important. Because you can Àx cracks in the walls, refurbish the rooms and repaint the halls, but you can’t get the foundation wrong if you want any chance of the house standing at all.

The structural integrity of a house requires a foundation that is built to last.

I recently heard a Pastor say that love can’t keep a marriage going… he said it takes God and commitment. I think maybe he had a bit of a misunderstanding of what love really means. Because… well, God is love. And love is commitment. Without both, it certainly isn’t love and it deÀnitely won’t work.

“People sometimes think Susu led me to God. But it’s not true. God led me to Susu. And He has kept us through it all.

Marrying @adesuaetomi is the 2nd best decision I made in my adult life. The best was re-dedicating my life to Christ.

Susu, I am thankful for you, and grateful to you. You are everything I want and much more than I deserve. You mean the world to me and I intend to spend the rest of my life proving it. I love you now more than ever. three years down, I’m looking forward to forever. I love you.

Happy Anniversary Shuga. #BAAD201 #BAAD2020 #BAADforever.”

Adesua on her part also posted the same video on Instagram with a heartfelt message and told Banky that apart from Jesus, he is the light of her life. In the message, she told her fans and followers how amazing, loving and caring her husband had been over the years, adding that she could not love him less.

Excerpt of her sweet notes reads: “Three years? Seems like yesterday. Seems like forever. Three years with my bestie.

Everyone knows you’re my husband but today I want to thank you for being my best friend. The most attentive, loving, funny, caring, inspiring friend I have ever had.

“I thought I knew how to love but omo, you have schooled me. I never knew it was possible to be with someone this long and not have it be riddled with tons of Àghts. I’m glad for our low voiced intense conversations. Lol. You

don’t make me feel crazy. I don’t have to yell before I’m heard. I don’t have to worry. I don’t second guess how you feel about me. I know I’m valued, as I should be; thank you bubz, for just being a correct human being. For the heart that you have. For being quick to be sorry when you’re wrong (whispers…even when you’re not. Lol) (I do the same sha) For not putting your ego before us. For giving me a home that’s my safe haven.

“I’m grateful for the home we have built. I always look forward to coming home and it takes a lot to even get me out of the house. Lol. God has done the most marvellous things these past three years. May he continue to be the 3rd cord in this threefold cord. As long as he lives and he shields and we keep him part of our lives, we will never be easily broken.

Apart from Jesus, you are de the light of my life. May that light continue to shine brighter and brighter. You, my darling are a force to be reckoned with and the world will remember your name. @ bankywellington I love you doesn’t seem to su΀ce anymore but I’ll say it anyway.

I love you with every Àbre of my being.

Let’s do this till we’re old and grey and maybe in heaven too? #BAADFOREVER.”

THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER FEBRUARY 27,2021

19

SHOWBIZFLAIR

Alex Unusual

We See Films about Love But We Hardly See Love Films Alex Amuchechukwu Asogwa, 25, is a writer, model, dancer, creative director, a content creator and brand inÁuencer. Popularly known as Alex Unusual, her screen debut was on a Nestle baby food advert at just 6-months old. Alex, the Àrst of three children participated in the 2018 Big Brother Naija reality TV show where she emerged as third runner-up. She honed her passion for acting and Àlmmaking at the New York Film Academy. Alex’s Àrst production titled Nucleus, is ready and will be released on YouTube March , 2021. The new Àlmmaker talks to Ferdinand Ekechukwu about her life, movie, and expectation in the Àlm industry

C

else will you be doing this year?

I have a lot of projects to handle this year. I can’t share them for now. I want to be secretive about them till I’m ready to publicize them.

RQJUDWXODWLRQV RQ \RXU ÀUVW movie production. Would like you to share a brief synopsis of the movie and how you hope it would impact its prospective audience?

The short Àlm, Nucleus, is a love story that can easily be related across the globe. It addresses love while it can still be felt. The title inspiration was drawn from the word “Nucleus” which is the central and most importantpartofanobject,movementandgroup.

Love is a “nucleus” of human life because we need it to coexist, hence, the reason why the movie, Nucleus, is a love story. The movie will be out on the th of March which succeeds the month of love - February. The so-called ‘Month of Love’, many people express and celebrate love with only those they want to rather than those who need to be shown love (especially on Valentine’s Day). This movie reminds us that there are people yearning for love but neglected probably due to other’s pride, malice, societal inÁuence or whatever reason it may be. It is also to remind people that love can be expressed anytime to anybody, it should not be reduced to just a special day or month.

2020wasachallengingyearforeveryone,what was the most important lesson you had to learn from it. Also, what are you being intentional about in 2021?

My response to both questions is actually the same. I have learnt to love people and show them while I still can - while it still matters. This, I truly intend to be intentional about in 2021 and beyond.

You’ve become a strong advocate for engaging people on topics related to relationships, children’s health, behaviour and etiquette, COVID-19’s impact and more. How do you maintain a balance while switching between WKHVH GL;HUHQW DVSHFWV" I am naturally expressive and confrontational.

Although, I have worked on that part as I got older and wiser. This has also helped me increase my knowledge on a wide variety of topics. Maintaining a balance between these various aspects is no child’s play. People can be very sensitive and opinionated so you need to be careful with what you say and consider how it would aͿect them. These days, I am outspoken about issues that aͿect me.

So you believe in love?

Yes, I believe in love so much I don’t joke with it. I am a sucker for love.

What backstory inspired the making of Nucleus and its unique characters?

In 201 , I lost my little cousin who was 5 years old. Prior to her death, I had missed her birthday.

I don’t think I have forgiven myself till now. In 2018 and 201 , a lot of bad things happened; we lost a lot of people. In 2020, Covid-1 was rampant and a lot of people who we thought were healthy died unexpectedly. Some people go to bed and don’t wake up. We see Àlms about love but we hardly see love Àlms telling people about what really matters, that’s what makes Nucleus special. As for the movie characterisation, I chose people I knew would deliver my roles eloquently.

Actors like Ngozi Nwosu, Asogwa Amuche, Ojiaku Chiamaka, John Tyler Ekanem, Chinelo Ojiako, and Asogwa Theodora.

Throughout the entire process of making the movie what would you identify the challenges experienced?

The will to begin the entire process was the Àrst challenge. This led to procrastination. It is so terrible that it can chain you down and increase your problems. Fortunately, I have known one of my purposes in life is to build and enhance love knowingly or unknowingly around the world.

So, as hard as starting was, I had to push myself to keep going. I don’t like to run from challenges so I never give up. It took a little while for me to come up with the words for my short Àlm as it involves voice-over narration. I put so much pressure on myself and it aͿected my thought process. I even let people’s expectations slow me down a bit but I quickly came oͿ it after speaking to a few reliable people. And then there is the general issue of capital, one that all Àlmmakers face.

Away from all the serious talk, how did you spend your Valentine’s Day? I spent part of Valentine’s Day with my mom and sister. Later, a friend treated me to a nice dinner, saying that ‘I am single to stupor’ and she needed to add to my smiles >laughs@.

What’s next for Alex at this point…What’s her goal moving on?

I actually never say until I do, but watch this space!Alot of things have been a long time coming as I do not rush and I try to always go for excellence. I am a lot of persons in one, and it’s not child’s play that I still have people watching out for me even after years of being a “global popular girl” without conscious controversies.

It goes to prove that I have a lot to oͿer.

Alex Unusual

Theater). My closest male friend was a drama coordinatorandIlovedtocomeupwithimpactful stories which I would give him to bring to life. I noticed that I usually paid attention to details and would direct people to act what I had envisioned when I wrote the stories. In Big Brother Naija, people didn’t get to see that side of me during the presentation task.

In fact, when I came out I realised I was termed “laidbackandlazy”.ThethingisIwasalwaysthat one that put things together behind the scenes, coming up with scripts for tasks, costuming, make up, writing and directing the stories that were Ànally acted. I was the foundation for the majority of the good performances. As I am not one to clamour for gloriÀcation, I had no problem staying backstage as the organiser. It became apparent that I loved Àlmmaking and the content creation process. After being on the set of Ayo Makun’s Merry Men 2, it gave me clarity on my passion. I discovered that I loved the Àlmmaking aspect more. So I went back to school and switched courses.

At what point did you come to the realisation WKDW \RX ZDQWHG WR YHQWXUH LQWR ÀOPPDNLQJ" During my university days, I was the dance You attended the New York Film Academy, coordinator for a theatre group (called Federation how has your experience from that move

LPSDFWHG RU LQÁXHQFHG \RXU OLIH DQG FDUHHU" Hmmm, for Àlm, it’s not about studying, it’s about practicing. I’d love to venture further into the areas of script writing and directing.

Attending the New York FilmAcademy further enhanced my knowledge, opened new doors, connected me to people and opened my eyes a lot. It upgraded my experience and also further earned me more respect from many.

You’ve decided to make the movie Nucleus freeofchargetothepublic,howdoyouintendto monetize it and how can the movie be accessed?

Nucleus is a project after my heart. For me, it is more about the impact than the income. It is a sacriÀce. It will be available for public viewing on YouTube.

You recently clocked 25. What are some changes (if any) that you would be making in your personal and professional life?

For me, 25 is a pivotal age with a lot of selfrealisation, fear, pressure, and growth awareness.

From here, there is no going back. What I do from now sticks forever. I have to be more intentional, cut oͿ any weight that hinders my progress and focus on my purpose. I am still a kid at heart but I am a big girl now. I feel the need to positively touch more lives.

What are your overarching aims and goals as you clock this new age? Do you want to take it easy or do you intend to be a ‘badass’ about your goals?

‘No rush’ has always been my watchword.

Step by step. If I ever need to take a few steps backwardstounderstandproperlyandstrategize, If there’s just one message you intend to I will. But when necessary, I will be that boss chic SDVV WR WKH SXEOLF ZLWK \RXU VKRUW ÀOP ZKDW who goes full-on, headstrong! would it be?

Any plans for marriage at this age and stage Don’t keep malice with anyone. Learn to do away with pride. It’s not about who wins the of your career?

When I get to that bridge, I will cross it. I will argument but who has a better heart. deÀnitely have the best family on planet Earth Apart from promoting your new movie, what in due time.

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Krystal Okeke’s ‘Girls of the Throne’ is Ready Multiple-award winning Krystal Okeke is a Nigerian-American model, mother, humanitarian and one of the few young and prospectively successful Nigerians in Diaspora whose love for arts and culture hove her to the set of a soon to be released Nollywood movie, “Girls of the Throne”. Ferdinand Ekechukwu reports

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oft spoken. Svelte and sexy. You could tell her beauty radiates from within at Àrst glance.

Perhaps discontented, you take a second look at her but then you are ensnared by Krystal Okeke’s light complexion which projects her stunning appearance. That’s not all to her. Krystal is beauty as well brainy and she knows. Late last year, the US-based model re-united with family and friends from the diaspora in Nigeria.

On this occasion, the Miss Illinois USA Universal 2016 had barely walked into an award ceremony in December 2020 when she caught attention at the Abuja event. There she was, recognised for her meritorious and distinguished service, including her most recent honour as Nigeria Young Female Diaspora of the Year at the Leadership Excellence Awards, and the prestigious National Peace Awards, both in 2020. It was a year that really blessed her regardless of the circumstances occasioned by the pandemic.

Krystal explains: “2020 for me, regardless of the situation of the storm, I was really blessed. I got a lot of awards in 2020. My little daughter, kleopatra, who is Àve years old, graduated from school. I myself graduated from school with a very powerful degree and I was able to travel to Nigeria. I attempted to do movies and it was one of the greatest experiences ever. You know it is out of my usual, which are modeling, journalism and travelling and touching peoples’ life. But also in 2020, I was able to feed a lot of the under privileged community, doing a lot of charity works in the pandemic.

So, 2020 was one of the busiest years for me, it was one of the most successful years too.”

The humanitarian is greatly celebrated for her consistent works with the less privileged in the United State of America. As one of the few young and prospectively successful Nigerians in the diaspora, Krystal has remained committed to the advancement and improvement of humanity, while engaging several interventional programs to support vulnerable societies, salvage displaced persons and misplaced destinies. A change agent she is. It saddens her that Nigerians in Diaspora aren’t doing enough to support and impact the society back home. “We are doing our best but we are not trying enough,” she says emphatically.

You could feel her passion as she takes further. “There are some of us that dedicate our lives to making a diͿerence in the society and I could call names, a lot of names… But I always tell Nigerians in Diaspora

Krystal Okeke

that it doesn’t matter how rich you are, use the little you have back home because that’s the whole idea why we left Nigeria in the Àrst place. Yes, our economy has fallen, yes we have horrible government system, yes there are hungry people in Nigeria, yes, so many things are happening. But everybody runs away from Nigeria; runs away physically, runs away mentally, because running away mentally is you being abroad ² England, Brazil, China ² and not coming back home to invest.

“As a young woman, and all the experiences I have had, regardless, I come back to Nigeria at least two to three times in a year. I give back the little I have and this is not bragging; this is just a passion. I know not everybody can be change agents but I think Nigerians in Diaspora can do more and that’s my goal being an ambassador of Nigeria in Diaspora.”

Given her position as CEO of America Kids Multicultural World, Founder of America Nation Multicultural Foundation and CEO of Miss and Mrs. America Nation beauty pageant, Krystal has helped to mold life, hone career and prospects.

While growing up, Krystal watched Miss World and Miss Universe beauty pageants, which inÁuenced her modeling at a very early age. In 2012, while still in Nigeria, she o΀cially started her career as a model. After few years, she moved to the US, to further her modeling career. “Started out at a very young age, did a couple of runway shows; New York Fashion Week, Chicago Fashion Week, back in Nigeria I did a couple of fashion shows growing up at my high school, Imperial.

“I was so much into modeling and fashion. It was quite challenging being in the industry here in the United

States. Obviously, Chicago isn’t the high marketing city for modeling; New York is the place and Los Angeles. So, anytime I wanted to do modeling, I had to like travel out there to do that to get casted. And again people will tell you literally that you look like a face, you know like the same face with other black girls. So, it was quite hard to come out from that shell,” Krystal recalls.

She had three attempts to win Miss Illinois USA, before Ànally winning Ms. Illinois USA Universal 2016 in her fourth attempt at pageantry in February 2016, alongside her daughter, Kleopatra Vargas, who was crowned Baby Miss Illinois.

Winning Ms. Illinois USA Universal 2016 earned her the right to represent the state of Illinois at Ms. USA Universal 2016. In July 2016, she emerged in the top three, earning 2nd runners up and winning Illinois State ambassador at Ms. USA Universal 2016 which held at Peppermill Reno, Nevada. Born in Chicago, Illinois, US, Krystal is from Anambra State. Growing up in the northern part of Nigeria was one of the best experiences of her life. Her parents were able to give her a very good life and raised her in a way of being content. She spent her formative years in Kaduna State where she lived learning the culture, before returning to the US. Krystal has always had great memories of those fond moments, attending high end schools.

“My family was very united and we loved each other,” she reminisced. But once, her close bond with her mum was shattered when she was taken to a boarding school. At some point, she was the only Christian student in a class of 27. She learnt to pray the Islamic way even though she was a Catholic.

The Nigerian-American model has often displayed love for arts and culture donning native attires as the occasion demands. Once in an amazing angelic hijab outÀt showcasing the absolute attractiveness and beauty of the Fulani tradition, she deÀned the choice of the costume as identical to her origin and formative years in Nigeria.

When she got on set of a Nollywood movie following her visit to motherland, with famous Nollywood stars for the movie “Girls of the Throne”, Krystal’s character was not only impressive, but creatively amazing.

Positive feedback followed her debut.

As per responses via online media, Kyrstal’s Character was striking, however inventively astonishing.

Krystal played a key role in this fascinating movie on power, inÁuence and a΁uence.

In the upcoming Àlm, Kyrstal’s Character was one that moderately required vibrancy, charming predominance, experience and energy, nonetheless, and her presentation altogether showed the real essence of the character she spoke to.

Krystal said: “It was a unique experience shooting long hours and trying to figure out what the next scene maybe…” She however revealed it wasn’t really her first time on set of a movie: “I have been part of some movie projects in USA.” Lots of Nigerians, especially key players in the movie industry are yet anticipating “Daughters of the Throne”, as it narrates the politics, loyalty, and betrayal in feminist royalty. A release date is yet to be set for the premiere. “Hoping sometime in summer,” the beauty queen added.

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The Nigerian Story at Sundance Film Festival Oris Aigbokhaevbolo

Henson in one interview, “It means that 200 years from now, people…will be looking at Bert and Ernie and Kermit the frog[…saying,] ‘interesting’” .Indeed. But not just 200 years later, 200,000 miles away, too.

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his year, the Sundance Film Festival was held online. For this Nigerian, this meant no snow, no hustling from venue to venue as I did last year in Park City, Utah, the US state that serves as the traditional grounds of the festival. Luckily, it also meant consuming an assorted platter of Àlms not seen anywhere else just yet. You might gorge on what is available—you are encouraged to—but as with every edition of a festival with some magnitude, there is no chance you will be able to enjoy everything. You try but you won’t succeed.

Of the Àlms you do see, there will be those that excite you and those that don’t quite do that. The hope at every festival is that the former surpasses the latter. What follows below are Àlms from the 2021 edition of Sundance that I believe belong more to the exciting category, even if that word isn’t quite used here in the conventional sense of high action. Allow an oversimpliÀcation: by exciting Àlms, I mean Àlms that insisted on being written about.

Lizard Akinola Davies Jnr’s short Àlm Lizard became the Nigerian story of the 2021 Sundance Festival when he won the grand jury’s prize. It tells the story of Juwon, a girl who patrols the premises of her mother’s church when she should be in Sunday school. She watches a pastor try to get with a woman who doesn’t quite seem to be of the same mindset as the pastor; in a diͿerent room, she sees what appears to be a Ànancial engineering process.

These encounters with the venal aspects of adulthood reminded me of the James Joyce story Araby, where a child also collides with adulthood before strictly necessary. There is, however, a spiritual/metaphysical aspect in Lizard absent from the Joyce story. We never quite know if the child is changed by this precocious collision with adulthood but there is a chance that those glimpses into a world she can hardly understand will stay with her.

Shot on Àlm, Lizard has a lived-in look complicated by its being shot in Lagos. And it is a testament to what is possible when Nigerian Àlmmakers tell stories that are genuinely Nigerian but have not been told 859 times already. Akinola Davies Jnr’s Àlm was shot with British funds—but Nigeria can also lay claim to the Àlm’s win: it was shot in Lagos with a Nigerian crew mostly. I’ll be hoping the Àlm’s win gives Nigerian Àlmmakers a push towards trying for the global stage. I’ll be watching whatever the director does next.

President Towards the end of the documentary President by director Camilla Nielsson, which follows the 2018 elections in Zimbabwe, the stunned members of the opposition MDC party wonder how a candidate can be declared winner “independent of Àgures”. I could sympathise with the sentiment,

but I am Nigerian and part of what it is to be Nigerian of a certain age is to be familiar with the concept of electoral victories untraceable to voting numbers. Perhaps the main diͿerence between Zimbabwe and Nigeria was the presence of big man Robert Mugabe, who was absent from that election—but yet present both in spirit and bodily, given that the eventual winner Emmerson Mnangagwa was a member of Mugabe’s party, ZANU-PF. The more things change, the more they stay the same.

“Hope, hope, hope is what we have,” the rival politician, Nelson Chamisa, says.

That could be the creed of the continent. The only problem is that it has been the same creed for decades. And at the end of the documentary, which, as you might imagine, is neither the product of a Zimbabwean director nor of Zimbabwean funds, you may think of the irony of its title.

Mass Directed by Fran Kranz, it takes place entirely within the premises of a church and features two parents talking things over. Initially, it is unclear what the subject of discussion is; it gradually comes into focus. The pair of parents has lost two children, two sons. One of them lost his live in a mass shooting carried out by the other boy.

There is grief, there are recriminations. Years have gone by but the wounds are raw. As the Àlm is set mostly in one room, it recalls 12 Angry Men. And yet, the Àlm I was reminded of is the relatively recent Carnage (by Roman Polanski).

These Àlms depend to a very high degree on the performance of the actors. And while the cast here do not quite reach the heights of those other Àlms, they acquit themselves remarkably.

The Àlm itself presents the real-life aftermath of a sensational news item. Mass shootings in

schools often seem strange to readers outside of the west, but, as Mass shows, there is nothing strange about what happens after the reporters go home and the families of the deceased and the perpetrator have to live on.

Sesame Street Everybody loves Sesame Street—and if they don’t, they know about it. Watching episodes from it as a child, I never quite realised that it was even by then decades old. As the documentary Street Gang: How we got to Sesame Street tells us, the famous children’s show started showing in 1969 in the US. The idea was an interesting one. “We are trying to sell the alphabets to preschool children,” as someone says. A chunk of the funding came from the government, which should be particularly galling to a Nigerian who has to wonder about how all the children’s shows decades ago have practically disappeared from our screens. Is it even possible to get our country’s government to consider a project so impactful, even African kids, far away geographically and temporarily, were among the beneÀciaries?

Away from the bad thoughts. Sesame Street got a host of talented men and women to create an exceptional programme for kids but it was hardly free from the politics of the time and from the interpersonal intrigue common to every workplace. A state yanked it oͿ the air, one of the men behind it didn’t receive enough credit.

A lot of these issues, one suspects, could be the focus of a separate darker documentary but the Àlmmakers here are more invested in nostalgia and giving due to the original cast and crew of the programme who created some of the most unforgettable characters ever to show up on television.

As Joan Ganz Cooney, one of the people behind the programme, says to the late puppeteer Jim

Night of the Kings Philip Lacote’s Àlm Night of the Kings has ended up among the Oscar international Àlm category shortlisted pictures after showing up at a couple of festivals including the Venice Film Festival, the International Film Festival Rotterdam, and Sundance.

These are all prestigious festivals in global cinema and already suggest Lacote is in the big time. His Àlm takes place at the MACA, a notorious prison in the Ivory Coast, where the inmates have their own rules. One of these rules concerns the leader: he must forfeit his throne and commit suicide if he becomes sick and can’t govern. When the Àlm begins, Dangoro, the leader is sick but he is reluctant to go out just like that.

He is bloodthirsty. He comes up with a plan when he sees a new inmate brought into the prison.

He asks the head of the prison for the young man and names him Roman, the storyteller of the prison. It appears a lofty role but…let’s just say it has its downsides, which everybody is being vague about. Nonetheless, to avoid whatever that downside will look like, the Roman would have to get smart about the length of his tale, if not the quality.

It is a plot that is intentionally reminiscent of Scheherazade, the famous lady who has beguiled many a storyteller since her appearance in Arabian Nights centuries ago. It is a remarkably Àlmed picture and one imagines the technical mastery required to Àlm in a space as crowded with bodies.

Dropping Scheherazade in a dangerous African prison is a clever conceit and the Àlm’s idea, if not quite its execution, is quite engaging—but parts of it feel like Lacote is putting on a show of black bodies for the beneÀt of a white audience.

Early in the Àlm, a man in female clothing is harassed by a group of inmates and he strips and starts embarking on what looks like a sexual act before his audience get distracted. It is not a scene that adds anything substantial by way of plot or aesthetics to the Àlm. The whole thing feels egregious.

Is Lacote trying to titillate his audience or provoke them. I don’t know, which is Àne, but I doubt the director himself knows. Much later, the prison’s sole white prisoner oͿers some advice to the Àlm’s protagonist and the politics of turning this white body in a sea of black bodies to a fount of helpful knowledge pretty much suggests that even with an African Àlmmaker calling the shots, the white saviour will still be relied on to save the day. Whatever else are the merits of this Àlm, its racial politics are questionable.

There is a chance that Lacote is making a mythic representation of his embrace by the west in this Àlm but, with his inability to imagine a diͿerent outcome despite using an Arabic tale as its scaffolding, the non-Caucasian viewer can hardly experience Night of the Kings without sourness.

MultiChoice Talent Factory Introduces Acting for Camera’s Virtual Masterclass The MultiChoice Talent Factory (MTF) will, on 2 March, hold its maiden Acting for Camera Masterclass in partnership with the world-renowned American Musical and Dramatic Academy (AMDA) College and Conservatory of the Performing Arts. AMDA is ranked the number one college for performing arts in the United States and will add a game-changing dynamic to the MTF shared-value initiative oͿering.

Since the introduction of the MTF industry Masterclasses in 2018, MTF has provided some of the most sought-after masterclasses facilitated by Àlm and TV experts, including renowned Nigerian Àlmmaker Tunde Kelani and veteran Kenyan producer Appie Matere, with notable global partners including Dolby, CBS Justice Africa and the London Film School to mention a few.

AMDA’s collaboration with MTF seeks to further enrich the knowledge

base of emerging creatives and seasoned professionals through technique-driven and performance-based learning. The virtual Masterclass will delve into crucial elements including basic Àlm theory, camera focused actor warm-up, on-camera scene work and more. It’s holistically designed to perfect acting for Àlm, TV and new media and will be facilitated by AMDA faculty members Jason Chaet and Ray Virta.

Chaet is an award-winning Àlmmaker, theatre director and producer and serves as the Supervisor of First Semester Acting, Acting for Camera and Screenwriting at AMDA. Chaet’s Àlm credits include multiple-award-winning Àlm Putzel and Àlm and TV credits including Remember, Kissing Jessica Stein, Avenues and more recently, Seneca.

Ray Virta has over 40 years of teaching experience at AMDA, New York University and the Playwrights Horizons

Theater School.

His Àlm acting and theatre legacy includes Broadway, all incarnations of the legal drama TV series Law and Order, as well as directing credits in New York for Comedie of Errors, The Way of the World and As You Like It, among others. Virta has been an AMDA faculty member since 2001.

“AMDA College of the Performing Arts is excited and honoured to begin this enriching partnership and collaboration with Multichoice Talent Factory. We see this as an opportunity to connect our world-renowned faculty with individuals who are already rich with storytelling and performance talent throughout Africa. This MTF and AMDA collaboration is an example of our commitment to the global endowment of humanity through the arts,” says Blake Babbitt, AMDA Director of Outreach.

Alongside the Acting on Camera Masterclass, AMDA will facilitate additional Masterclasses with MTF throughout 2021 including on-camera acting technique, musical theatre performance, dance and industry tips.

“This partnership with AMDA couldn’t have come at a better time as the continent is experiencing a surge in the demand and consumption of original African content and the exponential growth has resulted in youth seeking careers in the performing arts industry.

Since the launch of our industry masterclasses, we have been inundated with requests for acting masterclasses. We’re excited to kick-oͿ 2021 with a global partnership that will help us respond to this need and to continue to tell great stories that resonate with diverse audiences and honour Africa’s oral cultures and traditions,” says John Ugbe, CEO: MultiChoice Nigeria.

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Tosin Clegg

07062816737 e-mail: tosinclegg@hotmail.com

Aisha Bello Committed to Redefining Modeling

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isha Bello is the founder and director of Star Models Africa, one of the fastest growing modeling agencies in Africa created with the aim of scouting, developing and introducing young talents to the global market. The aim of the agency is to give back to African models from Bello’s wealth of experience in international modeling and also to help them actualize their dreams.

On how her agency has rooted itself in the industry she said: “The fact that our standard is so high and we teach our models the business of fashion and

entrepreneurship. We also have models from different African countries.

Our team travels to different Africa countries scouting the most beautiful girls.

Looking forward, we will produce the biggest stars from the soil of the African continent and we will show the world the richness of our human capital.

We will continue to help young girls actualize their dreams and help change the narrative about young African girls.

“90 percent of our talents are girls who never dreamed they could become models.

Developing and transforming these young girls has not been the easiest job but the Lord is our strength, the story behind

each one of our stars is one for history books.

We teach our star models the do’s and don’ts of modeling, the business and all that it entails before we release them to the global market.”

From recruiting Funke Opakunle at a salon in Ikorodu who later on went to Milan, to Adhel Bol from South Sudan who fled violence and now on her first season in Europe to another talent met on her way to Church and now currently works in London.

The list is worthy of appraisals in shining the light on the paths of Bello’s work with her agency and the good fortunes she has yielded for so many across Africa.

Aisha Bello

Destiny Marshal’s ‘Voice of Marshall’ is Ready

Destiny Marshal

It’s the season of new acts, new sounds and a new movement in the music scene. New stars are bringing their A-game to the platter like established legends. One of such gems is Destiny Marshall.

Born and brought up in Lagos, Destiny Marshall Edoki is a singer, songwriter and rapper, blessed with 20 different voices.

The Delta native started his musical career in production and later translated into singing and rapping. His sound is predominantly a blend of Afro-pop

and sometimes, rap. Marshal is a diversified artiste; his style can go all the way from Afro-pop to alternative music in what he refers to as “crypto songs or theme songs”, his own special recipe mix-match of pop, rap and hip-hop with a feeling of house music.

His eagerness to discover and try new things made him selftaught on a lot of skills in order to become a renaissance man, which paved ways for several opportunities. His latest work, “Voice of Marshall”, out on all platforms

Djooky Music Competition Opens Organisers of the Djooky Music Awards have announced the biggest global online music contest open to all types of music and genres from artistes across the entire African region, including Nigeria, Ghana, Senegal, Cote d’Ivoire, Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Tanzania, South Africa, Namibia, Mozambique and Zimbabwe. The competition runs four times a year (winter, spring, summer and autumn) and presents a world of opportunities for emerging musicians to showcase themselves and build a future in the industry, using the Djooky app.

The Djooky song competition backed by world-recognised platinum producer, Brian Malouf, kick starts this year by opening its creative doors to all artistes and songwriters, amateur and professional, from all around the world from now until February 28, 2021.

While the National Voting Round takes place from February 21-23, 2021, the Continental

Voting Round takes place from February 24 - 26, 2021 and the Global Voting Round, from February 27 - 28, 2021.

To register and enter the competition, artistes/songwriters must be 16 years of age and above or the applicable age in their jurisdiction allowing them to take part in a song contest and use such a platform. Artistes/songwriters are advised to download the Djooky app from their app store and your original songs. Only one commercially unreleased song per artiste can be entered when uploading their songs.

After accepting the terms and conditions conÀrming that contestant has the consent of co-writers to upload the song to the platform and nominate it to the Djooky Music Awards, artistes also need to conÀrm that their song is their original work and does not infringe upon the copyrights, trademarks, rights of privacy, publicity or other intellectual prop-

erty or other rights of any person or entity.

Full details of entry eligibility criteria and contest rules can be found on the Djooky website, djookyawards.com.

This year’s judging panel includes multiplatinum US producer Brian Malouf (Michael Jackson, Queen, Pearl Jam); Grammynominated artiste and music director Patrice Rushen; UK Ivor Novello winning songwriter Sacha Skarbek and producer/music executive and songwriter Justin Gray, whose credits include Mariah Carey, John Legend and Avril Lavigne and Buki Sawyerr-Izeogu, Executive Director and Producer of some of the largest music productions and events in Nigeria, CEO & Founder of BukiHQ Media, one of the foremost entertainment PR Àrms in the country.

Last season competition witnessed an overwhelming number of entries and Nigerian singer Mimigold da sound goddess took

was followed by a scintillating music video directed by Nigeria fast rising cinematographer, Director Tucci.

According to Destiny Marshall, “Death” is his biggest inspiration.

The thought that I will be gone someday gives me these inspirations to build or create something that willlive forever.”

Destiny states Eminem, MI Abaga, Hopsin, Drake, Adele, Justin Bieber and Maroon 5 as his major musical influence amongst many.

home the signiÀcant cash prize in second place. This season, Djooky organisers hope to see the awards grow until they have entries from all 193 member states of the United Nations.

This year, the winner of this prestigious award will go home with the star prize of $10,000 and an all-expense-paid recording session at Capitol Recording Studios in Los Angeles, United States of America. The runner up will get a $5,000 cash prize and the third prize winner will pocket a cash prize of $2,000.

With the Season Finale set to hold from February 28 - 29, 2021, the Djooky brand across Africa has become a reality set in stone with a record-breaking 566 nominations across Africa’s top three countries, including Nigeria with 218 entries, Ghana, 101 entries and 84 entries from South Africa. A total of 83 African artistes, with 3 Nigerians, make up the continental Ànalists. Now you can get to vote for your preferred artiste and the artistes are also at liberty to ask their fans to vote for their song to help them win the main prize.

AYKO Agency’s Talent Competition AYKO Agency is set to present AYKO2021- a talent and modelling competition open to individuals between the ages of 18 and 24 with a compelling story. Emphasis is on supporting the upskilling and employment of the winners at the end of the competition.

The agency was born of a shared passion of the co-founders, and with a simple vision of creating a platform that enables African talents and models to have equitable opportunities and an unbiased start in life.

The agency was formed out of the names of its co-founders, Ayoola Bakare and Koya Onagoruwa. Both have always been driven and inspired to “give something back”, and in addition to the aforementioned, are committed to supporting other worthwhile causes including mental health awareness, digital poverty, and community support.

Entries are open from March 8, 2021 to young adults between the ages of 18 and 24 years old. Twelve talents will be selected from the poll of applications

and presented before the judges on June 11, 2021, at a glitzy event managed by Pride Rock Entertainment, where they will pick Àve lucky winners. These Àve winners will be going home with a cash prize of N500,000 each, a three-week intensive Bootcamp training session with AYKO Agency to help them hone and develop their skills, Ànancial literacy and personal development and an exclusive sign on as a model or talent with the Agency.

The Agency is not only out to develop

the creative capacity of the models and talents, but strongly believe that investing in the wellbeing and improving the lifestyle of the talents and models will encourage self-growth, which will help the talents and models to realize their own potential. Hence, they have a Foundation whose main goals is to drive mental health awareness, digital poverty and community support in Nigeria. In addition to all other prizes, they will be partnering with indigenous NGOs to focus on these aforementioned areas.

THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPA P PER ˾ FEBRUARY 27, 2021

23

PEOPLE/TRIBUTE

Reminiscence: My Close Encounter with Ndubuisi Kanu Olubunmi Olowu-Adekoya

O

n Wednesday 7th August, 2019, I took time off to continue my research on a publication that I was working on for my former offi ffice, the Lagos State Ministry of Economic Planning and Budget, where I served as the Director, Public Affairs. The publication, a ‘Collection of Budget Speeches, 1968-2019’, dedicated to all who had governed the State from 19672019, was a milestone in the State.

In the course of the project, it was discovered that the 1975/1976 speech read by the first Military Governor of the State, Mobolaji Johnson, was missing and so was that of Ndubuisi Kanu, (1978). Having gotten their numbers, I decided to put a call through, first to Ndubuisi Kanu. I called his number twice but it rang out.

Helen Luc, was right when she said “Life has many ways of testing a person’s will, either by having nothing happen at all or by having everything happen at once”. A few hours after my call dropped, I received a text message which simply said: “Text”.

I responded immediately by introducing myself and what my mission was, and how I would be grateful if I could have the opportunity to have an audience with him for some clarifications over his 1978 Budget broadcast. To be Candid, after sending the message, I did not really expect a response.

Not because I thought he won’t be civil enough to offer one, but because from experience, having worked with Government for so many years, I understood how tight the daily schedule of such an important personality could be.

To my surprise, he called me back later that night with ann other number which was different from the one I used earlier. I didn’t recognize it but fortunately I picked it. Then came this soft voice: “Hello this is Ndubuisi Kanu, is this....” Wao! I was blown away. I was filled with both excitement and anxiety. Excitement, because I was too delighted that such a busy personality could have time for me. Anxiety, because I had no inkling as to what his response would be.

Sincerely, the call was unexpected. We had a very lengthy discussion and he invited me over to his place the following day. He not only gave me his address, he also gave a careful description of how to get there. Just like that, on a platter of gold.

Kanu

I could not believe my luck.

I went to see him the following day as agreed. When I got to his place, I expected his security details to put me through the usual rigorous checks associated with such high profile person but that was not the case. Instead, I was simply ushered in and told that he had already seen me. Very organized, I was really impressed. The inside of his home was very welcoming. It has such an imposing ambiance.

At the end of our meeting after going through the volumii nous draft copy that I took with me, he showed a lot of interest and emphatically told me that he read a budget speech for that year (1978), but was not sure if he had any personal copy.

He was however disappointed that it was not documented or archived. He was very apologetic and promised to get back to me, saying that he needed to go through his records and make some calls.

I thanked him very much for inviting me over and offering his assistance. How kind and thoughtful of him. It was awee some, the meeting, the reception, his receptiveness and words of encouragement. It is Matshona Dhliwayo that said” Humility makes one teachable; gentleness makes one peaceable”.

Oh! He was a gentleman to the core, very humble and there was that look of contentment on his face. However, have you

ever had such a feeling that when something goes too perfectly well and unexpected you have to tread carefully. I had that kind of predisposition, I felt some bugs moving in my stomach after I left his place. It was too good to be true.

Surprisingly, I got a break when searches in London Libraries changed the scenario. In spite of the fact that the searches came back classified as missing for the two speeches, there were Newspaper publications that showed that they were actually read. Full of excitement and armed with the scanned copies of the reported stories in the Nigerian Daily Times Newspaper of the respective years, I prompted him with a message and sought to know how far with his search.

Once again he responded thus: “Hello Madam, Greetings and a Good Day, albeit now tending Nightfall. I’ve been pretty busy on this and that, hence couldn’t revert earlier. Whenever your program permits, do give a tinkle, and I’ll confirm your coming over to give me the available papers. In the meantime, I’m still going through some archival records; dust and all, long long time!!! Let’s see how it goes. God bless”.

After this meeting and discussion, the rest was history.

He was there with me every step of the way, called from time to time to find out about the progress made and how everything was coming up. Sincerely, I was really impressed and encouraged. Since he was also not able to produce his own original copy, we ended up using the Newspaper photocopy, with a promise to keep on searching for possible inclusion in subsequent publications.

After the publication was concluded and published, he along with other past Administrators or their families were presented with their personal copies. He was pleased with the final outcome and I couldn’t have been happier. We kept in touch even afterwards. I remember when I told him about my retirement from service, he chided me and said I was looking too young to retire and we both laughed it off.

Another time, I called to find out how he was coping with COVID-19 pandemic, advising him to avoid social /official functions as well as local/foreign travels. He assured me that he was being extremely careful and wanted me to be also. What an irony of life. “O Death, where is thy sting?”

––Olowu-Adekoya, y a retired public servant, wrote in from Lekki, Lagos.

Read full article online - www.thisdaylive.com

Shoes Crown Any Attire You Put On Seyi y Agboola g began g g growing g his brand in 2009 from his bedroom, where he made footwear for jjust familyy and friends. But now, he is privileged p g to connect with thousands of customers and stores everyday y y with exceptional p products, serving p g Nigeria g and the world at large. g Agboola g talks to Tosin Cleggabout g his footwear brand, challeng ges running a business in Nigeria, success stories and more

I

’m the founder and creative head of Itele footwear I’m a shoemaker and fashion entrepreneur, and I have bagged multiple awards in this business. I founded Itele footwear in 2009, so as to meet ample demands for classic handmade shoes in Nigeria. Itele specialises in premium footwear for those who appreciate modern and functional apparel. I have being running this business for 11 years now, and my team and I, looking at the future, are working tirelessly to put our organisation on the global scene.

I believe strongly Nigerian fashion can debut on the world scene And that’s if we do what’s needed to be done. Within a decade, A Nigeria’s fashion industry has grown in size and sophistication, attracting global attention. Despite the fact that we are growing, the Africa’s share in the global fashion industry is less than 1%. This tells us that there is a lot of work to be done to debut the world scene, otherwise we will just remain inspiration to international brands and they will create what we should be creating. I have another fashion brand apart from Itele footwear that specialises in real gemstones bracelets and I also do branding consultation for SMEs.

l’m quite a creative person So, I played around old footwear in the house, recreating them and making new design out of them. Then I started making new ones, for my brother, my friends and myself, when I was in secondary school. It was when we got demands from more friends that I realised this could be the shot to make money, and indeed it was.

Challenges I Faced Basically, they are external factors which we had no control over, and they are challenges every entrepreneur in Nigeria is still facing; poor state of infrastructure. Lack of good infrastructural facilities is a serious problem affecting the development of businesses in Nigeria. Someone living in developed countries in Europe or in America might be surprised at this. The state of infrastructure in Nigeria is just destitute. The unstable power supply forces you to spend more than necessary on generators and fuel. We hardly get up to three hours of public electricity in a day. Sometimes, we could be without electricity, for weeks.

The insuffi fficient supply of electricity has negatively affected many businesses. The unstable Nigerian economy and politics is another serious challenge for entrepreneurs. It is without doubt that all the socio-economic problems and political instability don’t help in the successful development of businesses.

Shoes aren’t usually the first thing that others judge about you It is at the top of the list of things that can reveal much about who you are. In my opinion, shoes crown any clothe you put fi on. No matter how well dressed you are, if your shoes don’t fit

Agboola

your clothes or maybe it’s not looking good enough, instantly your outfi tfit will lose the respect it could have had and, obviously, it will be all on you. So for any fashionable individual, shoes signify status, class and in a way command respect. Shoes signify strength. Christian Louboutin once said Shoes transform your body language and attitude. They lift you physically and emotionally. When you wear a right pair of shoes, you get the good feeling, being in charge of your own life. We all know the story of Cinderella how a pair of shoes can change your life, and that is true.

We have realised there is a lot to do with leather in the fashion industry So, we decided to diversify into other leather products such as belts, wallets and bags, and the way people accepted those products is so amazing and for that we are grateful. In future, we will introduce other products, but one step at a time.

Feedback has been very encouraging and it makes us want to do more Sometimes their facial expressions give me joy because we beat their expectations for a typical Naija brand. Quite a large number of them don’t have trust in made-in-Nigeria products, especially in the fashion space. But, fashion entrepreneurs are changing the narrative. First, there is no limit to where we can take this, As much as we have our eyes on the global scene, we should also be aware that there will always be room for improvement. We will go as far as time and space permit. Number one on our list for expansion is to increase production capacity. Once that is done, we will start having more walk-in stores in urban areas across the nation. Then, we will move to opening international stores.

The government should put proper infrastructure in place Stable electricity supply, good roads, and business-friendly policies. This country is blessed with vibrant entrepreneurs that can really boost our economy in short time if all these are in fi and place. Investors should go beyond expectations of profits shares alone. They should be part of their investments, seeing to it that the entrepreneurs also become successful by giving them adequate support. Entrepreneurship is really about solving problems and monetising the solution. The good thing is that Nigeria is full of problems and it’s an opportunity. Avenues that the youth can explore are numerous, such as I.T sector, agricull ture, real estate and many more.

24

˜ ˾ FEBRUARY 27, 2021

MEDIAGAFFES

EXPRESSION

BY

EBERE WABARA

Reported Speech Slips

“B

AUCHI Gov to Akeredolu: …Moo hammed yesterday said citizens do (did) not need the permiss sion of his Ondo State counterpart, Rotimi Akeredolu, to live in the forests in the South-west state.” This is an elementary example of a reported speech error.

“Don’t despair, UNICEF tells IDPs at (on) World Children’s Day” “Kyari: Gas supply to power generating (power-generating) companies has improved” “2023: 5000 APC, PRP members decamp (defect) to PDP in Katsina” Wrong: last minute substitute; right: lastminute substitute, “…his excitement knew no bound (bounds)….” (GLOBAL SOCCER, January 21) “For close to five years, he raced through the banking sector like a bull in a china hall.” Get it right: a bull in a china shop.

“Singapore jails senior civil servants over (for) corruption” “ANA postponements (sic) (postpones) February reading” “Peugeot plans to inject $7.26b on (into) research, development” Finally from the Back Page of THE GUARDD IAN under review: “One has witnessed at different occasions dissenting opinions of doctors as regards prescriptions for patient’s (a patient’s) ailment.” The Guardian youth speak: on different occasions.

Next is DAILY TRUST of February 20 with slips right from its front page lead story: “Alhaji Muhammed Sa’ad Abubakar spoke at his palace in Sokoto….” Does the Sultan of Sokoto have another palace elsewhere? Let us think as we report.

“Pact with China conducive for peace, says Taiwan (Taiwan’s or Taiwanese) president” “Otherwise, there is no point we engage in importing that much on yearly (a yearly) basis.” “…he said though the institute has (had)

developed 62 rice varieties for farmers, five most prominent varieties are (were) in circulation and are (were) doing very good (well).” Another reported speech misprint!

“NEMA, stakeholders meets over displaced persons” You can readily identify the boyish slip-up.

“With the LG polls now fixed for next week Tuesday….” Either next Tuesday or Tuesday, next week—no jumbo-mumbo!

Lastly from DAILY TRUST: “Replicate your performance to (in) your constituents (constituenn cies)” “Security at airports: Police deploys (sic) sniffer dogs at (in) Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, 5 others” (AIT News, 4 p.m., February 20) “PIB: Senate to re-open probe” (Source: as above) My comment: already treated.

“Absence of interpreter stalls trial of Portuguese woman charged for (with) drug trafficking” “Thumb (Thumbs) up for Nigerian refs in Mali” “Failure of Oduah to handover (hand over) stalls….”

The following five solecisms are from DAILY INDEPENDENT of February 18: “DHQ assures of continued offensive” Who did it assure?

“Battle for soul of Ecobank intensifies” So the battle intensifies itself?

“Harnessing potentials of local software industry in Nigeria” ‘Potential’ is uncountable, but we have ‘potentialities’, “…who had at one point or the other (or another) been to Oyo State….”

“Tackling voters apathy in Nigeria” This way: voter apathy SATURDAY INDEPENDENT of January 30 disseminated all manner of school-boy mistakes: “Fear has grip (gripped) notable politicians in Ebonyi State following findings by….” Most of the ensuing blunders were caused by sheer carelessness and loose thinking as the computer system has an in-built mechanism that detects most of the spelling errors contained herein.

A Nation in Throes

H

ave you been seeing some online videos where all sorts of activists anarchists make calm and confident threats to ‘take our nation’ back from their rudderless kinsmen in leadership positions who are accused of being in cahoots with the ruling ‘oligarchs’? Well, we hope others are taking those videos in public domain

seriously.

The casualness and confidence with which different ‘presenters’ make statements that allege grievous acts of violence against communities; acts ascribed to a particular section of the country, and they go on to berate local leaders, including traditional rulers, political chieftains and other well-heeled individuals for keeping quiet while their communities are being pillaged, ruined, raped and brutalised.

One vital issue arising from the plethora of vexatious internet media is the number of ‘views’ and ‘likes’ and such icons of emotional attachments that recipients of those videos shower on them. Obviously, the inflammatory declarations, alarming information and dreadful projections in the videos have willing and impressionable support from a lot of people, young and old, home and abroad.

Unlike the drunken sailor serenading his equally ‘spirit-filled’ audience while his ship wafted unguardedly into the embrace of marine bandits, we cannot allow such foolhardiness in these tense and dangerous times.

Apparently, many people are hurt and traumatised by the vicious acts of wickedness and terror perpetuated by so-called herdsmen all over the country; and there now seems a groundswell of countermeasures to checkmate, disrupt and exterminate the nucleus of mindless extremism.

This current pass of anarchy in contemplation is seemingly fueled by what many see as complicity and indolence by the federal government of President Muhammadu Buhari on account of his tribal affi f liation to the marauding elements largely identified as Fulani. Some are flying the kite that the long-held accusations against Candidate Buhari during his failed attempts at the presidential crown in 2003, 2007 and 2011 appear quite evident now, even if tangential. He was roundly condemned as ethnic bigot, an irredeemably unfazed zealot with nepotistic and provincial tendencies. Most vehement

ewabara@yahoo.com, 08055001948

“The discovery was made when the SSS arrested some kidnappers in the state alleged to be the brain (brains) behind high profile (highprofile) kidnapping in the state.”

“The SSS in the state said on Friday that it has (had) arrested….” “…motorists were made to watch a bizzare (bizarre) spectacle, (needless comma) as four policemen beat a man gave (who gave) his name as…to a state of stupour (stupor).”

“The policemen, who drove to the scene in a patrol van with registration number KJA 284 AX, threw caution the winds (sic) (threw caution to the winds).”

“Federal University Lafia, (otiose punctuation) matriculates 380 students” Would it have matriculated traders? Just yank off the last word in the extract!

“My husband usually ask (asks) me to abort my pregnancy, woman tells court” Finally from SATURDAY INDEPENDENT, a voice of your own: “Movie directors threaten sanction on (against) actress” “They buy at N159 and sell at N167, the CBN has (had) addressed last year when….”

“But what the banks decided to do is (was) to even stop selling.”

“Middle aged (Middle-aged) man commits suicide in Jos…Police tries (try) to uncover his identity” “IITA creates 40,000 jobs under cassava to ethanol (cassava-to-ethanol) project” THISDAY of February 6 contributed to the pool of infelicities: “Budget: APC threatening the lifewire (livewire) of Nigeria, says PDP” “Edo: Court remands killer cop (killer-cop)…”

“CBN said money is (was) missing from federation (the federation) account.” “…their counsels and the judge so that people are not….” This way: ‘counsel’ is uncountable.

“What is (are) the police doing to investigate the case?”

“Who is paying the piper, dictating (calling) the tunes of the graffiti on the walls (sic)?”

“Under normal circumstances, either of these

rebuttals of these accusations were fronted by Southern associates whose pedigrees and integrity significantly doused the cinders, amongst other favourable indices, which subsequently made 2015 elections successful for the Daura-born ruler - on the fourth throw of the dice.

So, to today’s ‘freedom-fighters’ and tribal warlords, the kith and kin of Buhari, even those sired as far away as the Fouta Djallon, in the highlands of Guinea, are swaggering over ancestral homesteads of native Nigerian people, in all the six zones, leaving tales of woes, bloodchilling atrocities, billions of ransomed naira and bitcoin.

They accuse security forces of turning the other cheeks, allowing apprehended suspects to walk free, refusing to respond to distress calls of beleaguered victims, and in some cases, flogging locals who refuse to accommodate fleeing ‘pastoralists’.

We advise that iron-fist reaction to the immediate danger around us is not really a sensible way to deal with the growing unrest. Fire-bombing a settlement accused of harbouring anarchists who believe they are simply protecting their homelands from rapacious foreigners is not a panacea for peace, in the long term.

Dragnet of arrests, detentions and freezing of accounts of protesters and trouble makers will only popularise and legitimatise their actions and charisma.

Every action is usually a reaction provoked by another action, whether rightly or wrongly. Let us, without biases or egos of any sorts, interrogate these actions and counter-actions...let us move out of the box of religion, tongue and other emotions... The usual stock arguments will no longer suffi f ce: Fulani pastoralists have to move. from one location to another as free citizens; nomads whose lives and stocks were threatened by rustlers and other criminals have no option but to carry AK-47; open grazing is prohibited with immediate effect, without corresponding resources to mitigate the need for open gracing; ranching or ‘ruga’ is the best option...without propositions that may influence this concept as a privatesector-driven vehicle with attendant serious investment and viable inducements. And other platitudes.

We need a new vision in tackling our security and identity crises. The prism that sees local irritation to unchecked villainy and murderous attacks as merely ethnic profiling and uncharitable neighbourliness, is essentially undermining genuine efforts at nation building, irrespective of the exalted offi f ce where such a principality

two men can represent….” (Vanguard, Novemm ber 9) By the way: either cannot imply any other thing beyond ‘two’. So, avoid lexical blackmail.

“We need people of unalloyed intergrity in positions of trust.” Spell-check: integrity.

“Abia State has remained one splitted (split) entity that cannot move forward.”

“Though this dichotomy has endured for quite sometime now….” Politics today: some time (distinct from sometime).

“The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) have persistently called attention to….”

The union…has (not have).

“If after having being duely (duly) informed of.…” “True, the treatment meted to (meted out to) detainees and ex-convicts, especially politicians like the recently released ‘Lagos boy’, depends, to a great extent, on the financial or social status of the prisoner.”

“If what the campaigners are doing is allowed to succeed, precedence (a precedent) would have been set.” “…he had always shy (shied) away from politics but always manage (managed) to find himself in politics.”

“I think us poor Nigerians that only has (have) the rough edged (a hyphen) stick to hold at times like this….” Task forces as solution: a time like this or at times like these.

THE GUARDIAN of February 9 offered two unpardonable and extremely vexatious gaffes.

“To round up the visit was the trip to the New Place, the site of the house where Shakespeare died. “ Get it right: round off (not round up). ”…the production was heavily spiced with new innovations which, however, still retained its original flavours.” ‘New innovations’ sounds illogical. An innovation cannot be old, relatively speaking. What do you think?

“What was the platform in which the cold war….” The platform on which the cold war.…

“Lack of towing vehicles hinder (hinders) FRSC operations”

COUNTERPOINT

FEMI

AKINTUN AK NDE E-JOHNSON fajalive1@gmail.com 08182223348 - (SMS Only)

holds.

We have to recognise the sad but real juncture the country has now arrived; where palliatives in the form of board of inquiries, investigative delegations and such political sop are no longer acceptable. We have to probe and review the sinews and ligaments that bind this country of nations together. We have to sit at a table of brotherhood, not with blood-stained long knives to balkanise what is a great country of maladjusted diversity; but with bloodless pens to write and write copious texts and sense to allay fears, douse agitations, inspire hope, amend long-standing errors and misgivings, and ultimately produce an irrevocable document that will mostly be embraced by the vast majority of Nigerians who are now so starved of genuine change - the effective, comforting and exciting type we sorely look forward to.

How’s Kwara missing LKJ? The great man of journalism and governance was laid to rest few days ago (Friday, February 12, 2021). His name and face eternally etched in the grateful hearts of a weary nation.

We have also been salivating at what Lagos State, a great benefactor of his immense talent, exemplary industry and unostentatious commitment, is planning in honour of LKJ (Lateef Kayode Jakande).

But what do the government and people of Kwara State have on ground (or in the air) to honour a remarkable son? At least, we know, and have been told repeatedly, that the parents of LKJ hailed from Omu Aran in Kwara State.

So, beyond shutting private schools down, over hijab or no hijab, in the same week that LKJ was buried... what does the state have in store to immortalise this exceptional Nigerian...an incomparable shining star of my beloved profession?

PS: The next query would be for the Nigerian journalists, and all their governing bodies, most of which were founded by LKJ! What are you doing for LKJ...beyond glowing tributes?

25

THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER ˾ EBRUARY 27, 2021

POLITY

Wake Up Nigeria!

Tosin Adegoke

H

ow have thou fallen from your high pedestal, O Nigeria, giant of Africa! How much your reputation has been dragged through the mud; a place where corruption, impunity, and penury thrive like wildfire!

The current state of affairs in Nigeria leaves so much to be desired, much of which has degenerated aggressively over the years till date; Nigeria with all its prospects and vast potential from agriculture to crude oil, to gas, and other mineral resources, even to its massive human capital (chiefly the youth; 43.69 % of Nigeria’s Populace according to statista.com), etc. have all been sorely mismanaged, underutilized, and maliciously exploited; largely due to bad governance by some elects that have usurped their offices to enslave their fellow citizens and hold Nigeria sway!

The system has been terribly rigged and distorted to the agonizing detriment of its citizens and to this effect Nigerians have been grossly short-changed, with the ever-climbing morbidity and mortality rates, owing to the continued decadence in the economy, from food and housing, to health and insurance, even up to safety and security; all these departments have their woe stories and have repeatedly failed the populace over and over again.

As a matter of fact it has left a bitter taste in the mouth and an indelible print in our minds!

Many families scattered around the country are living in abject poverty and squalor; an unbelievable number of people are homeless and jobless, while a great number are plagued with trauma and pains from the death of their loved ones owing to systemic failure and betrayal; speaking of the millions that have died as a result of innumerable gory road accidents due to bad roads, and the deficiency in monitoring, enforcement and accountability of the roadworthiness of vehicles, Oil tankers, and containers.

How about the hundreds of thousands that have died over the years due to the under-equipped health sector and its unaffordable bills, even to the alarming death toll due to the let-down in the security department of the nation which has allowed banditry, terrorism, extrajudicial killings to persist; talk of the unthinkable and hideous ploy by the Nigerian government on the 20th of October, to corrupt the remarkable peaceful movement of the Nigeria Youths during the ENDSARS campaign, when Army Corps who were supposed to protect the people were unleashed to massacre faithful citizens.

That was the height of heartlessness, social injustice, and its accompanied impunity in Nigeria, and to cap it, the fatality rates owing to the continued decadence across Nigeria has been cruelly underreported, therefore concealing and undermining the reality and the gravity of the challenge that is upon us! Yet there is one ray of hope: Nigeria still breathes, and so long she breathes, Nigerians must exercise faith that she will live again!

I imagine it all started on 1st of October, Nigeria had just clocked 60 years since her independence, and on that faithful day, there was not much to write home about, rather it was a day that many had ample time to recall their woes, coupled with the opportunity to act progressively, seeing that the country was just coming out of lockdown due to the gradual recovery from the global pandemic (COVID-19), and a majority of the populace, speaking of the Nigerians youths who were licking their wounds at the time, had a lot of grievances and spare time to do something constructive about their plights, since the Union representing Academic Staff of Public Universities, ASSU, were still on strike.

Fate was on their side when on October 3, the video of a young man who was allegedly shot and killed by SARS officers on the streets of Ughelli, Delta State in Southern Nigeria, began to circulate on social media, which further stoked the prevailing wave of grievances, intensified by other closely related events that were exhumed to further expose the depravity, and almost unforgivable crimes of

the department of the Nigerian Police Force called SARS, Special Anti-Robbery Squad.

The Nationwide protest against Police brutality began compellingly on October 8, though hash tag #endSARS first debuted in 2017, when a number of notable incidents of police violence sparked conversations on Twitter, in Nigeria’s mainstream press and in the public sphere. Amnesty International reported at least alleged 82 cases of torture, ill- treatment and extrajudicial killings between January 2017 and May 2020.

The Nation at large displayed unbelievable courage and gallantry in their pursuits for economic reforms as an underplay of the #endSARS campaign, from the peaceful marches, to resource generation and its adequate utilization, and then to the extraordinary solidarity generated, likewise demonstrated through their organisation, comportment and resoluteness on the protest grounds, in the face of outrageous In other reports at least 25,794 people have been allegedly killed in various attacks during the tenure of President Muhammadu Buhari between May 2015 and May 2019, a report indicates, and the death toll just keeps climbing till date, and let’s not forget that the false disclosures and gross underreporting is giving a false scope of the problem For the time being, the #endSARS activists will channel their efforts in realizing some of their five core demands, also take succor in that, as they live to pull their weight in the nearest future, their voices have been heard globally, and subsequent social campaigns can be fostered leveraging on revised systems of approach and talking points from the potency of the already completed one, which by far trumps any other campaign that has been conducted in the history of the country; more so Nigerians are increasingly aware that they can demand more accountability and basic rights from their government, which will in turn keep the governmental officials on the edge of their seats, honouring their offices and representing the people better!

Tosin Adegoke writes from Lagos

PHOTO NEWS

L-R: Sponsorship Manager, Tolaram Group, Mr. Opeyemi Awojobi; Marketing Executive, Lush Hair, Folasade Oluwafemi; Director, Lagos State Ministry of Women Affairs Poverty Alleviation, Mrs. Olufunke Shyllon; and Public Relations Manager, Tolaram Group, Mrs. Omotayo Abiodun, during the formal launch of Lush Hair Academy, held in Lagos...yesterday SUNDAY ADIGUN

L-R: Assistant Governor Zone 3, Rotary International District 9141, Nosa Edo-Osagie; Chair/Women in Rotary, Ire Edema; and District Trainer, Rotary International District 9141, Charles Onianwa, at the just concluded District Team Training Seminar (DTTS) of Rotary International District 9141, held in Benin City…re-

L-R: Group Head, Administration, SIFAX Group, Kelly Imade; Group Head, Internal Control, SIFAX Group, Abayomi Obadare; Winner, Season 7, The Next Titan, Joshua Idiong; Executive Director/ Senior Special Assistant to the GEVC, SIFAX Group, Barrister Ezekiel Ajewole; and Executive Producer, The Next Titan, Mide Kunle-Akinlaja, at the Next Titan appreciation visit to SIFAX Group head office in Lagos…recently

L-R: Director, Veterinary Services, Lagos State Ministry of Agriculture, Dr. Rasheed Macaulay; Permanent Secretary, Lagos State Ministry of Agriculture, Hakeem Adeniji; Commissioner for Agriculture, Ms. Abisola Olusanya; and Project Officer, Lagos State Abattoir, Oko Oba Agege, Dr. Omileye Ayokunle, during the commissioner inspection tour to Lagos abattoir in Oko Oba Agege.. recently SUNDAYADIGUN

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SATURDAY FEBRUARY 27, 2021 • T H I S D AY

THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER ˾ APRIL 24, 2011

GLOBAL SOCCER A

WEEKLY PULL-OUT

27.02.2021

3

NEWS

WILL TUCHEL PASS DEVIL’S TEST

Joe Aribo

A Rising Ibrox Profile

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THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER ˾ ͺͿ, 2021

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GLOBAL SOCCER

Joe Aribo’s pint-point strike secured victory for Rangers against Livingston

Joe Aribo A Rising Ibrox Profile His talent has never been in doubt since joining Glasgow Rangers.

Though plagued with a nagging injury in his early days at Ibrox but since shaking off the injury, joe Aribo has proven the stuff he’s made of.

It however did not come as a surprise that he was named in the SPFL Team of the Week. His manager, Steven Gerrard eulogised him as the ‘Real Joe’

A

fter spending about eight weeks on the sidelines earlier in the season due to an ankle sprain, Joe Aribo is now playing the game of his life.

The Super Eagles midfielder has given credit to his family for their support during his injury struggles.

Back in August, the London-born Nigerian star damaged his ankle against St. Johnstone which ruled him out for two months, and he returned to action in the Old Firm derby with the Gers securing a 2-0 win over Celtic on October 17.

Aribo has been in fine goal scoring form recently which has seen him score in his last two matches for Steven Gerrard’s team.

He scored the opening goal in Rangers’ 4-3 win over Royal Antwerp in the firstleg of their Europa League fixture last Thursday and he followed it up with a beauty in their 4-1 league triumph over Dundee United on Sunday.

Aribo, who has scored seven goals in all competitions this season recalled his experience on the sidelines and the atmosphere in the Rangers camp.

“The occasion is great, we get a buzz

playing in Europe,” Aribo told the media.

“It was my first long-term injury and I thought I could come back and get up to speed straight away but it is more of a journey to get to that finish line.

“I spoke to my family a lot during my injury who helped to push me through that difficult time.

“I now know what to expect with any future injuries, the manager also helped as he spoke to me through his experiences with injuries and the patience required.

“The boys are in high spirits but we take it a game at a time and we are purely focused on the next match.”

The Nigerian international has been named as the Star Man in the SPFL’s Team of the Week.

BBC Craig Fowler hailed Aribo’s showing against the Tannadice side as “top class” as he “dazzled” in midfield for the Light Blues, helping himself to a goal in the process, saying: “A top-class performance from the midfielder was the inspiration behind Rangers’ 4-1 victory over Dundee United last Sunday as Steven Gerrard’s men moved closer to the title.

“The Nigerian international not only dazzled with his play on the ball, he also scored an excellent goal and is this week’s

star man.”

Aribo has been in and out of the side due to poor form and injury but if he can replicate his performance from the weekend, he’ll be in a strong position.

With a string of crucial games on the horizon for the Gers, having Aribo performing at his best couldn’t have come at a better time for Steven Gerrard and his coaching staff.

The Super Eagles midfielder continued his fine goalscoring run with his sixth league goal of the season He scored a goal and provided an assist as Rangers hammered Dundee United 4-1 in a Scottish Premiership encounter on Sunday.

Aribo, who scored in an Europa League seven-goal thriller last Thursday, assisted Ianis Hagi in breaking the deadlock at Ibrox Stadium in the 35th minute.

Following the half-time break, Aribo immediately extended Rangers’ lead with a stunning left-footed strike in the 48th minute.

The Gers currently hold an 18-point lead above second-placed Celtic who have a game in hand.

In his reaction, Gerrard lauded Aribo’s

“fantastic” goal and he praised him for his hard work in training.

The Liverpool legend told the club website:“It was a fantastic strike, he is really back now. He was out for a long time, it was his first injury in his career and he had an illness on the back of that so it took him quite some time to get right back in the groove.

“He was fantastic today, not just the goal but his running power, his quick feet and the way he outplays people. He is a fantastic kid, you can’t get him off the training pitch, he’s always working on his game.

“He decided to come to Rangers to develop and grow and he is certainly moving in the right direction. There’s no surprise that he is getting a lot of good performances in his game right now.”

Aribo is a key fixture in Rangers’ midfield and he has contributed seven goals in all competitions so far this term.

The midfielder’s body of work this term has left observers wondering whether or not he’s ready to play at a higher level than Scotland.

Aribo will probably not register a more fortuitous assist in his career than the one that helped Rangers open the scoring against Dundee United on Sunday.

Forming part of the Rangers side that’s likely to topple Celtic domestically is the greatest compliment to the West African who’s primed to win the Glasgow side their first title since 2011 (they are 18 points ahead of their managerless rivals with eight games to play).

Despite missing almost two months of the season, the Super Eagles stat is the fifth-highest top scorer in the side and ranks one place lower for total goal contributions. Even more impressive is the fact he sits 12th in the entire league for goals and assists per 90 and rises to eighth spot in the whole competition when penalties are excluded.

All six Aribo goals have come inside the box but the finishes and type of goal have varied considerably. He’s by no means alien to spectacular efforts, having curled one in from an acute angle in January after beating two Ross County players with his movement, while there was a simple tap in against Livingston after holding his position at the far post with everyone drawn to the ball.

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THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER ˾ ͺͿ, 2021

GLOBAL SOCCER Premiership Table Man City Man Utd Leicester West Ham Chelsea Liverpool Everton Aston Villa Tottenham Leeds Arsenal Wolves Crystal Palace Southampton Burnley Brighton Newcastle Fulham West Brom Sheff Utd

25 25 25 25 25 25 24 23 24 25 25 25 25 25 25 25 25 25 25 25

35 21 17 10 16 11 4 11 10 0 5 -6 -14 -12 -12 -6 -17 -11 -36 -26

59 49 49 45 43 40 40 36 36 35 34 33 32 30 28 26 25 22 14 11

Head to Head

Chelsea’s Billy Gilmour in midfield battle with Mnchester United’s Frederico Rodrigues

Can Man Utd Halt Tuchel’s Chelsea Unbeaten Run? Chelsea’s six-Premier League Unbeaten run under new manager-Thomas Tuchel will be put to test with the visit of title contender, Manchester United at Stanford Bridge tomorrow. Since taking over from Frank Lampard, Tuchel’s Blues are yet to taste defeat in all competitions and their resolve would be put to test by the Red Devils who are still pushing for the title inspite of being 10 points adrift of neighbours, Manchester City

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helsea Manager Thomas Tuchel will come faceto-face with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer in the Premier League this weekend, as the new Chelsea boss gets to test his mettle against Manchester United.

Since Tuchel took over at the Blues, the Stamford Bridge heavyweights have been in fine fettle domestically, and will be keen to build on their impressive midweek success against Atletico Madrid when they host United.

However, the Red Devils also eased past Real Sociedad in their European knockout tie, and having lost just once since January 6, will fancy their chances of getting a result in West London.

Tuchel knows that his players have to show the work rate and aggression against Manchester United, similar to what they produced against Atletico Madrid in the Champions League on Tuesday and just as importantly be wary of complacency.

He said: “I am very happy with the performance of everybody on Tuesday.

It was very important that we concentrated over all 96 minutes.

“That we also accept that it’s very hard to create chances, but we did all that and it was a very good team effort – a good effort, a big effort, high work-rate, high intensity. But we now play Manchester United, it is good like this. We cannot get comfortable, we cannot get lazy.”

Meanwhile, Manchester City will be

looking to make it 20 straight wins in all competitions when they continue their Premier League campaign at home to top-four chasing West Ham United this afternoon.

The Citizens made it 19 straight victories with a 2-0 success away to Borussia Monchengladbach in the Champions League on Wednesday night, while West Ham will enter the contest off the back of a 2-1 home success over Tottenham Hotspur in the league last weekend.

City found it difficult to reach their top level in the opening months of the 2020-21 campaign, but Pep Guardiola’s side have been on a winning run in all competitions since the middle of December.

Indeed, since being held at home by West Bromwich Albion in the Premier League on December 15, the Citizens have posted 19 straight wins in all competitions, including 13 in England’s top flight, which has seen them rise to the top of the division and open up a 10-point advantage over second-placed Manchester United.

Guardiola’s team recorded a 1-0 victory over Arsenal in the league last weekend before winning 2-0 away to Monchengladbach in the first leg of their last-16 Champions League clash on Wednesday, which has left them in an excellent position to reach the next round of the competition.

It is difficult to see where the next defeat is coming from for City, and they could effectively

wrap up the title if they manage to triumph in their next two in the league against West Ham and Wolverhampton Wanderers and then overcome bitter rivals United at the Etihad Stadium on March 7.

The Citizens have the best home record in England’s top flight this term, picking up 29 points from 12 matches, while they have not lost to West Ham in the Premier League for almost six years.

West Ham will be the underdogs this weekend as they travel to the runaway leaders, but the Hammers are in desperate need of the points as they battle to secure an unlikely top-four finish.

An excellent campaign to date has seen Dadid Moyes’ side collect 45 points from their 25 matches to occupy fourth position in the table, just four points behind second-placed Man United.

The Hammers are only two points clear of fifth-placed Chelsea, though, and sit just five points clear of seventh-placed Everton, who have a game in hand, indicating that plenty could change in the coming weeks.

West Ham will arrive at the Etihad Stadium full of confidence, having won three of their last four in the Premier League, including a 2-1 home success over Tottenham last time out.

Moyes’s team have been excellent at the London Stadium this term, boasting the second best home record in the division, but they have dropped points in half of their 12 away league fixtures, losing to Arsenal, Liverpool and Chelsea this season.

20-10-24 Man Utd 0-0 Chelsea 20-02-17 Chelsea 0-2 Man Utd 19-08-11 Man Utd 4-0 Chelsea 19-04-28 Man Utd 1-1 Chelsea 18-10-20 Chelsea 2-2 Man Utd 18-02-25 Man Utd 2-1 Chelsea 17-11-05 Chelsea 1-0 Man Utd 17-04-16 Man Utd 2-0 Chelsea 16-10-23 Chelsea 4-0 Man Utd 16-02-07 Chelsea 1-1 Man Utd 15-12-28 Man Utd 0-0 Chelsea 15-04-18 Chelsea 1-0 Man Utd 14-10-26 Man Utd 1-1 Chelsea 14-01-19 Chelsea 3-1 Man Utd 13-08-26 Man Utd 0-0 Chelsea 13-05-05 Man Utd 0-1 Chelsea 12-10-28 Chelsea 2-3 Man Utd 12-02-05 Chelsea 3-3 Man Utd 11-09-18 Man Utd 3-1 Chelsea 11-05-08 Man Utd 2-1 Chelsea 11-03-01 Chelsea 2-1 Man Utd 10-04-03 Man Utd 1-2 Chelsea PREMIER LEAGUE TODAY

Man City West Brom Leeds Utd Newcastle

v West Ham v Brighton v Aston Villa v Wolves

12:30 15:00 17:30 20:00

SUNDAY

Crystal Palace Leicester Tottenham Chelsea Sheffield Utd

v Fulham 12:00 v Arsenal 12:00 v Burnley 14:00 v Man Utd 16:30 v Liverpool 15:15

La Liga TODAY

Eibar Sevilla Alavés Getafe

v Huesca v Barcelona v Osasuna v Valencia

13:00 15:15 17:30 20:00

v Valladolid v Real Betis v Elche v Atlético

13:00 15:15 17:30 20:00

SUNDAY

Celta Vigo Cádiz Granada Villarreal

Hot Shot PLAYERS

Mohamed Salah Bruno Fernandes Calvert-Lewin Harry Kane Son Heung-min Patrick Bamford Jamie Vardy Ilkay Gundogan Callum Wilson Ollie Watkins Wilfried Zaha Harvey Barnes Raheem Sterling Marcus Rashford Alexandre Lacazette Tomas Soucek West Danny Ings Emerick Aubameyang James Maddison Sadio Mane Neal Maupay

CLUB

GOALS

Liverpool 17 Man Utd 15 Everton 13 Tottenham 13 Tottenham 13 Leeds 13 Leicester 12 Man City 11 Newcastle 10 Aston Villa 10 Crystal Palace 9 Leicester 9 Man City 9 Man Utd 9 Arsenal 8 Ham 8 Southampton 8 Arsenal 8 Leicester 8 Liverpool 7 Brighton 7

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THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER ˾ ͺͿ˜ 2021

GLOBAL SOCCER

Zlatan Ibrahimovic during his time at Machester United

Pinnick...optimistic of Patrice Motsepe’s victory

Europa League Last-16 Draw

CAF Presidency Race

Pinnick Backs Motsepe to Win Overwelmingly Ibrahimovic Returns to Old Nigeria Football Federation President Amaju Pinnick has said that he expects Patrice Motsepe to win “35 to 40” of the 54 votes in the Confederation of African Football’s (Caf) presidential election on March 12.

Pinnick has campaigned for Motsepe in the Mamelodi Sundowns owner’s candidacy against Jacques Anouma of Ivory Coast‚ Augustin Senghor of Senegal and Mauritanian Ahmed Yahya‚ to be decided in Caf’s elective congress in Rabat‚ Morrocco.

Pinnick and Cosafa (Council of SouthernAfrica FootballAssociations) president Philip Chiyangwa attended Motsepe’s launch of his 10-point plan to heal Caf at Sandton Convention Centre on Thursday.

Both were influential‚ along with SA Football Association (Safa) and Caf vice-president Danny Jordaan‚ in MadagascanAhmadAhmad unseating 29-year incumbent Issa Hayatou in the Caf elections of March 2017 in Addis Ababa‚ Ethiopia.

Ahmad was banned from football for five years by Fifa for ethics violations in November.

Chiyangwa‚ a panellist at Motsepe’s launch‚ restated Cosafa’s decision to vote as a block of the 14 SouthernAfrican FAs for the South African mining magnate‚ which was confirmed at their annual general meeting (AGM) in Johannesburg on Sunday.

Chiyangwa then called Pinnick to the podium‚ asking him to state the “numbers we are looking at” regarding votes expected for Motsepe’s candidacy.

“The truth is you can see me in South Africa very regularly.

I’m super-excited because for the first time in football in the continent‚ Africa is about to get it right‚” Pinnick said.

“I’m happy because two faces I’m seeing here today‚ either of them would have been the perfect fit for the president of Caf – my brother Moise Katumbi (owner of TP Mazembe in Democratic Republic of

Congo) and Patrice Motsepe. “ ... And that’s the excitement of everybody in Nigeria‚ and it’s the same excitement of everybody on the West African coast.

“So when you say you Cosafa] are giving 14 votes – and I said this duringAhmad’s campaign where he got 35 votes – that by God’s grace we are looking at 40 votes for Motsepe.

“I travel every day campaigning for my president (Motsepe) ‚ and they say‚ ‘But you are not campaigning for yourself’. I say‚ ‘Let him get in there’.

“So I can assure you‚ between 35‚ 38 and 40 votes.”

The Nigerian FA’s declaration suggested that West Africa was behind Motsepe’s bid. Chiyangwa declared confidence in Pinnick’s estimate.

“When I’m working with him the number he gives is what we aspire to achieve‚” the Cosafa boss said.

“The last time we had Ahmad we had 35 – for sure that was what we predicted in Harare.”

Nigerian midfielder, Fapetu Dumps Arsenal for Derby County Nigerian midfielder Bayo Fapetu has taken to social media to announce that he has ended his association with Arsenal by signing a contract with Championship outfit Derby County.

Thus, Fapetu will not be among the new intake of academy scholars at

Arsenal for the 2021-2022 season.

The promising teenager is departing the Gunners without making a competitive appearance for the club’s U18 team but featured for the U16s.

Fapetu links up with four players of Nigerian descent in the shape of

Festy Ebosele, Josh Shonibare, Osazee Aghatise and Olamide Ibrahim at the Derby County academy.

Writing on Instagram, he said : “Delighted to sign a long term deal with Derby, we give all thanks to God. Time to get to work and fulfill my dreams.”

Although the length of contract has not been disclosed, FIFAregulations on the status and transfers of players state that players under the age of 18 may not sign a contract for a term longer than three years.

Fapetu is expected to feature for Derby County U18s in 2021-2022.

Woods Moved to New Hospital, Continues Recovery Tiger Woods has been moved to a new hospital in Los Angeles to continue his recovery from surgery following his serious car accident.

The 15-time major winner underwent surgery to stabilise compound fractures of his tibia and fibula after the accident on Tuesday and has now been transferred from the Harbor-UCLA Medical Center to the Cedars-Sinai Medical Center.

The Los Angeles County Sheriff said Woods, 45, would not face criminal charges.

“Woods was transferred to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center for continuing orthopaedic care and recovery,” Harbor-UCLA Medical Center interim CEO Anish Mahajan said on the hospital’s Twitter account.

“It was an honour to provide orthopaedic trauma care to one of our generation’s greatest athletes.”

Notah Begay III, a close friend of Woods and fellow golfer on the PGA Tour, says that Woods is communicating with family now and is past the “critical” phase.

“The good news is Tiger has moved to a critical part in this whole recovery phase,” he said. “He is post-surgery now and nothing seems to be critical at the moment.

“The most important thing is that he has

Woods and his crashed car

also been able to receive some communication from family and some limited visitation, trying to create this safety net and support network around him to try and push him through this whole situation.”

Woods, who recovered from numerous surgeries to break an 11-year major drought and win the 2019 Masters, has received an outpouring of support from friends and athletes as well as former US Presidents Donald Trump and Barack Obama in the wake of the crash.

Trafford as Man Utd Draw Milan

M

anchester United will face Italian giants, AC Milan in the last 16 of the Europa League, while Arsenal have been drawn to play Olympiakos.

United will host the first leg against Milan, which will see their former striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic return to Old Trafford.

Arsenal will travel to Greece in the first leg of their tie with Olympiakos, who knocked them out of the Europa League in the round of 32 last season.

The Gunners’ north London rivals Tottenham will face Dinamo Zagreb, who progressed to the last 32 after beating Russian side Krasnodar.

Spurs won the UEFACup - the previous incarnation of the Europa League - in 1972 and 1984, while their manager Jose Mourinho lifted the trophy with Porto in 2003 and Manchester United in 2017.

All four British teams left in the competition were kept apart after Rangers were drawn to play Slavia Prague, who shocked Leicester in the previous round.

Elsewhere in the draw, former Arsenal boss Unai Emery - the most successful manager in the history of the Europa League - will see his current side Villarreal take on Dynamo Kiev.

Roma will play 2009 UEFA Cup winners Shakhtar Donetsk, while the 1992 champions Ajax will face Swiss side Young Boys.

Granada will continue their impressive campaign against Norwegian side Molde. The Spanish club are enjoying their first season in European competition and stunned Italian giants Napoli in the previous round.

The first legs of the last-16 ties will take place on March 11, with the return legs a week later.

The quarter-final and semi-final draws will then be held on March 19 in Nyon, Switzerland.

Ibrahimovic’s reunion with Manchester United makes for a mouth-watering tie.

Man Utd Partners Startimes, Includes MUTV on Bouquet

M

illions of Manchester United fans in Africa will gain access to MUTV under an agreement with StarTimes, the continent’s leading digital TV operator.

StarTimes will distribute MUTV to subscribers in over 30 countries across sub-Saharan African, representing the biggest agreement of its kind by Manchester United

in the region.

Viewers in countries including Nigeria, South Africa, Kenya and Ghana will receive exclusive Manchester United content 24 hours-a-day via StarTimes platforms.

MUTV is the world’s leading football club TV channel, featuring first team and Academy games, live manager’s press conferences, player interviews, award-winning documentaries and news.

StarTimes has 13 million subscribers through its DVB digital TV service and 20 million users of its OTT streaming service, widening access to top-quality digital entertainment throughout sub-Saharan Africa.

Phil Lynch, Chief Executive of Media, Manchester United, said: “We are proud to have hundreds of millions of passionate fans in Africa and this long-term agreement will allow them to get closer to the club through MUTV’s exclusive, round-the-clock content from Old Trafford and the AON Training Complex.

“MUTV is one of our most important channels for engaging with fans around the world, whether through linear or direct-to-consumer streaming platforms, and we are excited to be significantly increasing its reach through our new partner, StarTimes, in Africa.”

Kristen Miao, Sports Deputy Director, StarTimes, said: “Manchester United is one of the most iconic football clubs in the world. We are delighted to share MUTV with football fans across Africa as part as our commitment to enhancing our subscribers’ experience.”

StarTimes is the leading digital TV operator in Africa, serving 13 million DVB subscribers and 20 million OTT users in over 30 countries. StarTimes owns a content platform featuring over 630 channels, including African local channels (75%) and international channels (25%). The company’s vision is to ensure that every African family can access, afford, watch and share the beauty of digital TV.

THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER ˾ ͺͿ , 2021

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GLOBAL SOCCER

Shola Shoretire: The History Maker When two years ago England-born Nigeria’s Shola Shoretire came off the bench in Manchester United’s victory over Valencia in the UEFAYouth League to become youngest-ever player to star in the competition,little did anyone know that less than two years down the line, another record is coming down at Old Traford, courtesy of this little sensation

Seventeen-year-old Shola Shoretire (r) replaced Mason Greenwood in the 76th minute

T

wo years ago, at 14 years, 10 months and 10 days old, Shola Shoretire made his debut in the 2-1 win over Valencia to become the youngest player Manchester United have fielded in an official youth team league or cup match to beat the previous UEFA Youth League mark of Benfica goalkeeper Mile Svilar.

On Thursday night, Shoretire became the youngest player to appear for Manchester United in a European game as Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side eased into the last-16 of the Europa League with a goalless draw against Real Sociedad.

At 17 years and 23 days, Newcastleborn Shoretire beat the record of Norman Whiteside by 108 days when he came in for Manson Greenwood.

Shola Shoretire was understandably ecstatic after setting a new record for Manchester United during the Reds’ 0-0 draw with Real Sociedad.

When the teenager replaced Academy graduate Greenwood in the 76th minute, he became the club’s youngest ever player in a European match, at the age of 17 years and 23 days.

The previous record holder was Norman Whiteside, who was 108 days older than Shoretire when he played in a continental fixture for the first time.

Curiously, the competition, venue, scoreline and nationality of the opponents, Spanish, were all the same. United drew 0-0 at home to Valencia in the UEFA Cup, the Europa League’s former guise, when Whiteside made his debut in Europe, on 15 September 1982.

Reacting to his latest achievement, Shoretire said in a tweet:“What a feeling to make my European debut!

To become United’s youngest ever player in Europe is an incredible honour and a proud moment for me and my family! On to the next round #MUFC” It was also another proud night for United’s Academy. Six of the 16 players Ole eventually fielded against Real Sociedad have risen through the Reds’ ranks - Dean Henderson and Mason Greenwood both started, while Shoretire followed former youth-team players Marcus Rashford, Axel Tuanzebe and Brandon Williams in coming on as substitutes. Another Academy product, Ethan Galbraith, was also on the bench.

Solskjaer said after the game: “Shola’s got some skills, attributes that we think are going to make him a very good player here.

“It’s a platform of course tonight – just 15 minutes, so it’s something to build on, something for him to remember at Old Trafford. If the fans had been here, he would have enjoyed it more because they give you so much more energy. Football is strange at the moment, it is different, but I’m sure all the fans will see him later on.”

The United boss says Shoretire has his feet on the ground, with a bright future ahead of him, predicting he will get more playing time when fans eventually return to Old Trafford.

“He’s a young kid we believe in,” Solskjaer said. “He’s got a great attitude, he’s an athlete, technically very, very good and makes good decisions.

We want to gradually feed him into this team. He’s got his feet firmly on the ground hopefully we’ll see loads of in the future.”

“But then again, with the fans, he would have enjoyed it more because they give you so much more energy than football at the moment. It is strange, it is different, but I’m sure all the fans will see him later on.”

Like United coach Michael Carrick, Alan Shearer, Peter Beardsley and former United skipper Steve Bruce, Shoretire was a member of the famous Wallsend Boys Club when he was very young, although his talent was obvious early on and he spent a brief period training with Manchester City before signing permanently with United as a nine-year-old.

After playing in the Youth Cup at 15 - and memorably in a quarter-final against Wigan after spending the whole day in school - it is no wonder United had the terms of Shoretire’s professional contract sorted well before the day he signed it on his 17th birthday.

By that point, head of academy Nicky Butt had been part of the decision to push Shoretire into the under-23 set-up to see how he adapted.

The progress has been swift given he now has two first-team appearances to his name after becoming the second youngest player to play in the Premier League for United in their win against Newcastle on 21 February.

“He’s a young kid we believe in, a great attitude, you can see the shape

of him, physically, he’ll be an athlete and technically he is very, very good,” said Solskjaer.

“He makes good decisions, we’re going to gradually feed him into this team. He’s grounded, works hard in training, and is a likeable boy we can see in the future.”

With Amad Diallo, the 18-year-old Ivorian, also given his first Old Trafford appearance against Sociedad, Solskjaer will be pleased to see more talented youngsters emerging at the club where he was tasked with implementing a cultural reboot when he replaced Jose Mourinho as manager in December 2018.

G LO B A L S O C C E R ASSISTANT EDITOR

THISDAY ON SATURDAY EDITOR

THISDAY NEWSPAPERS EDITOR-IN-CHIEF/CHAIRMAN

MANAGING DIRECTOR

DEPUTY MANAGING DIRECTOR

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THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER ˾ ͺ͸ , 2021

THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER ˾ ͺ͸ , 2021

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THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER FEBRUARY 27,2021

AUTO WORLD

Bennett Oghifo 07052343083 Email:bennett.oghifo@thisdaylive.com

TIPS OF THE WEEK The Complete Guide to Car Rollover/Summersault Accidents

Interior of the new Rolls-Royce Phantom Tempus Collection

Rolls-Royce Crafts, Allocates 20 new Phantom Limousines

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new collection of Rolls-Royce pinnacle Phantom limousine has been built and allocated to select-clients, only 20 of them.

Rolls-Royce Phantom, the marque’s pinnacle product, which resides at the apex of the luxury world, has today become the subject of an exclusive and rare collection, the Phantom Tempus Collection, the automaker said in a statement.

This arresting new iteration of Phantom is inspired by Time – how it passes, and how it can be made seemingly to stand still. The Collection is strictly limited to just 20 examples, all of which have already been allocated to clients.

According to Torsten Müller-Ötvös, Chief Executive, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars, “The events of the past year have caused many people, not

least our clients, to re-evaluate their sense of, and relationship with Time. At a moment in history when so much in life seems ephemeral, our patrons are seeking solace in the unique timelessness, longevity and permanence offered by a RollsRoyce motor car.

It is thus the perfect moment for Phantom Tempus Collection – a magnificent incarnation of our pinnacle product, inspired by a mysterious celestial phenomenon and Time, which Albert Einstein, one of the greatest minds in human history, defined as a persistent illusion.

As we all know, Time never stands still, waits for no one. Hence, we manage it, guard it, account for it, weigh and measure it to its smallest fraction.

With Phantom Tempus, we have created a space in which those strictures no longer apply – as illustrated by the deliberate absence of a clock.

Rolls-Royce clients are not bound by Time; the

outside world with all its pressures and demands are forgotten.

Phantom Tempus is a motor car for those who shape the world as they seek their own place in the universe. They understand that whatever our individual gifts, talents and opportunities, we’re all given Time – and it is up to us to make the most of every moment.”

The design of the Phantom Tempus Collection encompasses various aesthetic and intellectual themes relating to time and the cosmos. A key component is a rare astronomical phenomenon, the pulsar, unknown until 1967 and found only in the deepest reaches of space (the nearest yet discovered is 280 light years, or 1,680 trillion miles, from Earth). These very dense, white-hot stars emit electromagnetic radiation in extremely regular pulses, making them some of the most accurate clocks in the universe.

Hyundai Nigeria Launches 2021 Grand i10 Sedan, Petrol Kona

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s a way of providing options to Hyundai Kona Electric Vehicle (EV) customers, Stallion Hyundai Motors Nigeria recently launched both locally assembled petrol-powered Hyundai Kona and all new 2021 Hyundai Grand i10 Sedan into the Nigerian market.

The company had late last year and recently (2021) launched Hyundai Kona Electric (EV) in Lagos and Abuja respectively.

Addressing newsmen during the latest launch held at Hyundai Motors Nigeria showroom, Victoria Island, Lagos, the brand’s Head (Sales and Marketing), Gaurav Vashisht said HMNL launched the Petrol-powered option of Kona for its regular customers.

He said: “Hyundai Kona EV and its Petrolpowered sibling are two diͿerent vehicles. While the Kona EV is powered by an electric motor and draws power from its 64 kwh battery, Kona Petrol is powered by the conventional but more advanced internal combustion engine.

“But the shape, size and dimension remain the same. Other similarities, apart from the same name are: infotainment, six airbags, tyre size as well as interior comfort and space.

“Powered by 2.0-litre engine, the 2021Kona Petrol version comes with most of the impressive and award-winning styling, equipment and safety features available in the Kona EV. It is also available at a comfortable price of N12.5million.”

Grand i10 Stallion Hyundai Motors Nigeria, Nigeria’s franchisee and assemblers of Hyundai brand, also introduced the 2021 Hyundai Grand i10, a

All new 2021 Hyundai Grand i10 Sedan car designed to appeal primarily to Entry Level buyers in their 20 - 30s, young families, single males and females, salaried and self-employed, budget-conscious, looking to downsize.

The Grand i10 hits target precisely by delivering modern design, spacious interior with advanced connectivity options, superior safety features and economical operation.

By virtue of its extended dimensions, long list of standard features and numerous optional extras, Grand i10, which competes with Toyota Yaris, Suzuki Dzire, Ford Figo and Chevrolet Sail, is a segment buster with the ability to poach buyers from the B-segment.

Grand i10 checks all the boxes— power,

economy and comfort, while delivering all the safety expected of a family car. Superb driving dynamics are ensured by the advanced Kappa powertrain and an ultra-rigid body structure that helps enhance suspension, steering and braking performance.

Styling: From the very Àrst look, the new Grand i10 sedan demands attention and a closer investigation. From the large cooling aperture to the masculine character lines running along the hood, every detail reÁects purposeful strength and agility. Backward pointed headlamps convey a high tech feel, while skill-full applications of glossy paint add a premium touch.

Rollover crashes (ROCs) are among the most dangerous types of car accidents. Although rollovers make up less than 3 per cent of all passenger vehicle accidents, they account for almost thirty-five per cent of all highway fatalities, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS). More than 280,000 car rollover accidents are reported each year, resulting in the deaths of more than 10,000 people per year, according to NHTSA (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration). Sixty-nine percent of the individuals killed were not wearing safety belts.

A rollover is an accident in which the vehicle tips or flips over onto its roof or side. Any car can rollover, but most rollovers occur in vehicles with a high center of gravity, like a pickup truck or an SUV. Among fatally injured passenger vehicle occupants, the proportion of fatalities in rollover crashes was highest for SUVs at 57 per cent, followed by pickup trucks (47 per cent), vans (30 per cent) and passenger cars (23 per cent).

Because vehicle occupants are likely to be ejected from the vehicle during a rollover, rollovers cause catastrophic injuries, such: Broken bones & fractures; Amputation; Spinal cord injuries & Brain injuries; Internal injuries; Head, neck and chest injuries All passenger vehicles — passenger cars, pickup trucks, vans and sport utility vehicles (SUVs) — are susceptible to rolling over given the right conditions.

However, according to IIHS, pickup truck and SUV accidents are more common than passenger car rollovers because they: have a higher center of gravity than passenger cars; have relatively narrower track widths (distance between right and left tires) than passenger cars; are more likely than passenger cars to be driven on rural roads where most rollovers occur.

Car rollover accidents, more than any other type of car accident, reflect the interaction of the driver, road, vehicle, and environmental factors.

So while vehicle type does play a significant role, other factors such as driver error, road design, road conditions and equipment failure play a major role in these types of car accidents.

Common Causes of Car Rollover Accidents Rollover accidents happen when a vehicle: Trips over an object (curb, guardrail, uneven pavement, etc.) that causes it to tip over. Turns too quickly or sharply for the speed it is traveling and rolls over.

The higher the vehicle’s center of gravity, the more likely a rollover will occur in this situation. Falls down an embankment. Receives a side-impact from another vehicle in a multi-vehicle crash.

Driver Error. Driver error is the most common cause of car rollover accidents. Fatigue or drowsiness; Distracted Driving; Inattention (looking away from the forward road, rubbernecking); Intoxication (drugs, alcohol, medications); Aggressive driving; Oversteering; Lack of driving experience; Improperly loaded or overloaded cargo; Lack of familiarity with the road The following factors and situations can also contribute to rollover accidents: Vehicle type: Although all types of vehicles can rollover, taller, narrower vehicles such as SUVs, pickups, and vans have higher centers of gravity, making them more susceptible to rollovers when involved in a single-vehicle crash; Speed of the Vehicle: Fatal rollover crashes are speed-related more often than fatal non-rollover crashes. Approximately 40% of fatal rollover crashes involve excessive speeding.

Additionally, nearly 75% of fatal rollovers take place where the speed limit was 55 miles per hour or more; Location of the Vehicle: According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) almost 75% of fatal rollovers occur in rural areas on roads where the speed limit is 55 mph or more; Routine Driving: NHTSA data shows that over 90 percent of the vehicles in fatal, single-vehicle rollover crashes are involved in routine driving maneuvers (going straight or negotiating a curve) at the time of the crash. This data may indicate that driver behavior, including being distracted, inattentiveness, speeding, and impaired driving) plays a significant role in rollover crashes.

Single Vehicle Rollovers: NHTSA data shows that nearly 85 percent of all rollover-related fatalities are the result of single-vehicle crashes. This means that the majority of rollover crashes and fatalities do not involve any other vehicle other than the vehicle that rolled over, again suggesting that driver behavior plays a large role in rollover crashes.

4WD Rollovers: Most fatal 4WD rollovers are single-vehicle accidents that occur on weekend nights. The drivers are most frequently males under 25, and alcohol is usually involved.

(Source: resminilawoffices)

THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER FEBRUARY 27,2021

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AUTO WORLD

Tiger Woods Crashed SUV Packed with Safety Tech

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iger Woods might’ve been way more seriously injured had he been driving anything else, because the SUV was top of the line in terms of safety.

TMZ reports that a lot of attention has been paid to what kind of car Tiger was in Tuesday when he rolled over in Rancho Palos Verdes, and though it was totaled, the 2021 Genesis GV80 has all the bells and whistles of 21st-century road safety you’d want in a car retailing for $47k to $60k, depending on the model. It’s a fair guess Tiger’s was fully loaded.

The whip comes in all-wheel-drive ride by default, so torque is sent to all four wheels instead of just two, giving the driver more control on the road.

That is assisted with a built-in Electronic Stability Control and Traction Control System.

Perhaps most important is what is featured inside, namely 10 standard airbags, that essentially turn the car into a pillow in the event of an accident.

There is also an extra airbag up front that sits in the center console, between driver and passenger.

From the looks of the aftermath, it sure looks like most of those airbags went oͿ, something that almost certainly lessened the damage to Tiger’s body.

Granted, he is still dealing with a

The all-new 2021 Genesis GV80

gruesome leg injury, but it could have been so much worse.

Now, as crunched as the GV80 appeared, you could argue the structure actually held up pretty well considering

the impact. That is not a surprise once you know it uses high-strength steel for the roof, transmission tunnel, front chassis extensions and parts of the rear structure.

With all that in mind, this machine might have been worth it oͿ the lot. Of course, Tiger’s was a loaner as Genesis was the title sponsor of the golf event that brought him to town. (Source: TMZ) …2021 Genesis GV80 Luxury SUV According to Carbuzz, the all-new 2021 Genesis GV80 is the luxury brand’s Àrst-ever production SUV that bears a striking resemblance to the concept version previewed over two years ago.

Like the rest of the Genesis sedan lineup, the GV80 rides on a rear-wheel-drive architecture with optional all-wheel drive. Power is expected to come from the same twin-turbo 3.3-liter V6 utilised in other Genesis models as well as the Kia Stinger GT. The exterior styling is bold and the “V”-shaped front grille will help to make the SUV stand out from competitors such as the BMW X5. The interior also takes a bold styling approach with an extremely wide center console housing the transmission shifter knob and infotainment knob. Directly above it are the HVAC climate controls. There’s also an abundance of wood trim and other high-end materials.

The steering wheel design is also quite unique, featuring one large spoke going across the middle.

Genesis says GV80 sales will get underway in its home market of South Korea at the start of 2020, with global sales to follow soon after.

New Defender XS Edition headed to sub-Sahara Africa A new Land Rover Defender XS Edition, featuring tough exterior design elements and comprehensive standard speciÀcation, will be introduced in sub-Sahara Africa in 2021.

The new XS Edition replaces the hugely successful First Edition.

Positioned above the SE models, it features a unique exterior and interior treatment and is available in both 90 and 110 body designs.

Externally, the XS Edition is identiÀed by its bespoke bodycoloured lower cladding and lower wheel arches, and distinctive 20-inch, contrast diamond-turned alloy wheels Ànished in Satin Grey.

A choice of four exterior colour options is available: Silicon Silver, Hakuba Silver, Gondwana Stone and Santorini Black.

Inside, the XS Edition’s 12-way, heated and electric memory seats

are Ànished in Grained Leather, while the Cross Car Beam has a Light Grey powder coat brushed Ànish. Illuminated metal treadplates complete the interior.

Comprehensive standard speciÀcation includes Electronic Air Suspension, Adaptive Dynamics and ConÀgurable Terrain Response. In addition, the XS Edition beneÀts from Matrix LED headlights with signature DRL, ClearSight Rear View mirror technology and the state-of-the-art Pivi Pro infotainment system with 10-speaker Meridian sound system.

The XS Edition is available with a choice of powerful and e΀cient powertrains, including the 2.0-litre D240 diesel and 3.0-litre P400 petrol. Pricing will be available from respective sub-Sahara Africa Land Rover distributors closer to the time of introduction.

The new Land Rover Defender XS Edition

The Barber’s Shop Jaw-Jaw on Driving and Phoning On Saturday 13th February, I was at KAX barber for a haircut preparatory to Sunday for my Valentine date. The date was not with any other but with God Almighty for divine preservation in the face of the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Incidentally, I was also scheduled on the same day to attend the Church service for late Professor Femi Odekunle which was held at the Methodist Church, Wuse Zone in Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory. For the records, KAX barbers is situated at Discovery Mall in Wuse 2, in Abuja the Federal Capital Territory. Kax barbers have been my barber for over twenty years whenever I am in the Federal Capital Territory. In all this years, I have refrained from the usual barbers talk, gossips, arguments and sometimes debate on sundry issues ranging from politics, economy, security as well as road safety and even marriage.

My exception is only when the discussion slants onto football; on Arsenal and Barcelona. Unfortunately, since the last two or three seasons have not been the best of times for such discussions especially with the sloppy form of both teams, I rarely Ànd such discussions interesting. Even Chikezie, my barber who incidentally is a Barca die-hard fan has since stopped wearing his personal designer Barca jersey which was his pastime when Barcelona Football Club was in top form. Unlike Chikezie, I still adorn myself with my specially branded Arsenal jersey irrespective of their annoying and unpredictable form. To be candid, the sloppy form

SAFE DRIVING with Jonas Agwu amnipr, mcipr,mprsa,arpa Assistant Corps Marshal Zonal Commanding Officer Federal Road Safety Corps.

of both Arsenal and Barcelona can change your COVID-19 test result from negative to positive because of the tension we go through daily watching both teams Áounder.

Last Saturday, I made a costly blunder and an exception when while cutting my hair, a customer who was waiting for his turn expressed his displeasure and anger at a Federal Road Safety Corps patrol team in Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory.The team according to him stopped him for driving and holding his phone. He expressed his reservations on the eͿrontery of the FRSC o΀cial to stop him for such, which according to him is not even a tra΀c infraction. It was at this point that another customer who is an acquaintance quickly informed the other customer that the road safety oga-pointing to me, is even here. At this point, I did what I told you earlier that I promised myself never to engage in any of the past times that is the hallmark

of barbing salons; the gossips, arguments, debates and marriage talks.

The Àrst thing I did was to address my friend who was bragging and boasting that he cannot be given a citation by FRSC patrol teams for driving with an ear piece. To deal with his ignorance, I politely told him that the use of an ear piece was not allowed as it was not legal because of the inherent dangers.

I also informed him that I will be too glad to pull him over and give him a citation, should I accost him driving and using his earpiece.

While we both were laughing over my clariÀcation, I then turned to the other customer and explained to him that the National Road Tra΀c Regulations, 2012 prohibits the use of the phone while driving.

In clear interpretation, this means that you are not allowed to use any facility therein contained in your cute sized mobile phone because of the inherent safety dangers. I was however shocked when he cut in or rather interrupted my clariÀcations by describing the law that prohibits the use of phone while driving as draconian. When I saw his hard posture, I told him to please allow me explain or I will keep quiet. It was at this point that he said that if I won’t listen, then I am not ready to learn.

I politely pleaded with him that I was in a hurry to catch up with my church appointment to honor the late Professor Odekunle.

The thrashing I received from this hardliner on Saturday was as embarrassing as the humiliating thrashing the PSG- led Kylian Mbappe handed

my BARCA superstars. The thrashing is similar to what most patrol operatives experience from the immune road users who believe that they can never be involved in a road tra΀c crash. For such road users, no amount of education or persuasion on the intent of government through the enabling tra΀c laws will change their outburst. I have therefore decided for the sake of people like this customer who would always carpet government decisions or laws, chosen to share this material with my readers. It is not a new material but a material I stumbled on over Àve months ago which I found very refreshing and interesting. I do hope you would Ànd it enriching especially if you fall in the category of the addicts of phoning behind the wheel.

I do not know if you are in the same category with the very educated and knowledgeable motorists who see the law on use of phone behind the wheel as draconian. Maybe you are not but you are among the diehard who insist they cannot do without making calls or texting . Maybe you do not text while you drive, but you are guilty of using talk-to-text or other features? Or are you in the category of drivers especially female drivers who indulge in taking pictures with their phone while driving or maybe you are like a VIP I once accosted who was driving and reading his mail along the busy and accident prone Giri junction in Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory. Or are you among the ones who insist that the law cannot bar them from using Google map while driving. If you Àt into any of these category, you might want to set your phone down instead.

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˜ ˾ FEBRUARY 27, 2021

INTERVIEW

Hyat: APC Decampees Causing Problem in Kaduna PDP Former minister of aviation and Chairman of the Kaduna State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Felix Hassan Hyat, discusses the crisis in the Kaduna PDP with John Shiklam, and denies allegations that the recent state congress was manipulated in his favour

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group of aggrieved people known as “Restoration PDP” has emerged in Kaduna, alleging that you manipulated the congress which led to your emergence as state chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). How are you handling the situation?

For the avoidance of doubt, congresses are conducted by the national secretariat of the party, through an electoral committee. There is also an appeal committee and this appeal committee is not an end to itself because the National Working Committee (NWC) also constituted itself into an appeal committee. The National Executive Committee (NEC) is the final bus stop for all appeals. This means there are four stages for people with complaints or grievances to seek for redress. I expect that those who are political players should know the processes.

So, if you have a problem, you send your petition to the appropriate organ. It is only when you are dissatisfied with the position of the party on your petition that you can go to court. But people just sat down and started writing petitions even before the conclusion of the exercise. When they write, they don’t even care to come before the committee to defend their claims. These people have promoted so many court cases and they have not won a single case. There are still some cases pending in court. They don’t have the patience to wait for the court decisions, they are now moving to form a group they called “Restoration PDP.” By the constitution of the PDP, you cannot set up any group that is not known to the party, whatever name you call it. So, what they are doing is an affront to the constitution of the party.

If you have a case in court and you have gone to set up a parallel organisation, are you saying you are no longer interested in the court case?

As the state chairman of the party, I will only appeal to them to see reason, because we recognise them as members of the party. We love them as our brothers and sisters. They should be guided by the constitution of the party. They were not forced to be members of the PDP, they voluntarily joined the party. It is by choice. Majority of those people are those who left the APC to join us. We received them whole heartedly. They left the APC under the same circumstances. They are not even thinking of the perception of people about them. As a political party and as leaders, we are prepared at any given time to sit down and dialogue on the way forward.

They are alleging that you changed the list of delegates by replacing some names with those of your supporters. How do you react to that?

I don’t have the authority to remove any person’s name, which is a product of a congress conducted by the national leadership of the party. They made the allegations and demanded that the National Secretariat give the authentic list to their leader, former governor Mukhtar Yero, and it was given to them.

The list that was given to them is the same list given to us by the National Secretariat of the party. That is the truth of the matter. They are just trying to confuse people. The allegation is completely false; they are just trying to give a dog a bad name in order to hang it.

With this kind of scenario, how bright are the chances of the PDP in 2023?

The number of people involved in that group is depleting because it was a false propaganda. When we started telling people about the correct scenario, they understood. I have received calls from many people thanking me for clarifying the issues and declaring their support for the party and my leadership. This is an issue that is already fizzling out. So, our chances for 2023 are not bleak. We believe that the number of people that are showing interest in the PDP now is by far more than before. We don’t want anybody to leave the party. We will always settle our problems through dialogue. We cannot afford to be

Hyat

fighting each other because the people of Kaduna State and Nigerians in general are suffering under the APC government and are looking up to the PDP in 2023. We cannot afford to allow the situation to continue. We have set up a reconciliation committee and another committee to reposition the party in the state towards 2023. So, it is an issue that we are hopeful we can resolve at the end of the day through dialogue.

Having governed Kaduna State for 16 years how does it feel for PDP to be out of power and in the opposition?

As a political party, being out of power after providing purposeful leadership and good governance to the people for 16 years is painful, especially when the succeeding government is failing the people woefully. As things are today, the PDP has been vindicated for the fact that our achievements can never be matched by this current government.

The people of Kaduna State are not feeling the impact of governance under the APC administration. Governance in the state has become too elitist.

People in the rural areas are not feeling the impact of governance at all. PDP opened up a lot of rural communities by embarking on massive road construction and provided electricity through its rural electrification programme. Makarfa was nicknamed “Limamin Rayya Karkara da Birane” (Apostle of rural and urban development), because he opened up many communities in the state. PDP had focus, we laid a solid foundation. We carried the people along in conceiving our development projects. We did not only set up a strong and enviable foundation, we built on the foundation to a certain level and we expected the APC, which took over from us, to continue from where we stopped, but what we are seeing now is a complete demolition of what we built and if care is not taken, even the foundation we laid may be affected. We pray to God that it does not reach that level.

What are the lessons you have learned from your defeat by the APC? We have learned from the complex nature of human beings. For 16 years, a party provided people-oriented leadership, a lot of achievements were made, but people just woke up and said we failed. They did not look at areas we succeeded. I agree that change is constant in every human society, but in advocating for change, you must be careful by taking wise steps that will not lead to disaster. Some people desperate for power came up with propaganda and accused PDP of corruption. Yet, it was the PDP administration under Obasanjo that established structures to fight corruption.

Nigerians are now in a better position to tell who is more corrupt between the APC and the PDP governments. The recent rating

by Transparency International shows that corruption thrives more under the APC government. Look at the insecurity that has engulfed the country. In Kaduna State, we are on the receiving end. Almost on a daily basis people are being killed or abducted for ransom. So, I will say that we were rigged out because in 2015, there was what we called political Tsunami that swept across the northern region. It was only Kaduna State, southern Kaduna, in particular that the PDP maintained its strength by winning all seats in the State Assembly, House of Representatives and the Senate. We have learned that the quest for change by human beings, which is the right thing, needed to be guided to make the right choices.

Many Nigerians who voted the change are regretting their action today, because they have realised that they did not make the right choice in their quest for change. The APC has failed Nigerians woefully.

What is your assessment of the APC government in Kaduna State in the past six years or so?

Let me start by saying that the resources that have come to the APC government in four years is more than the resources that was available to the PDP in 10 years. We embarked on infrastructural development all over the state without loans. Any time a loan was taken, it was repaid within the same financial year.

But today, we are collecting loans from China; people from China are constructing roads and street lights.

Therefore, there is no comparison. At the time this loan was being sought, senators from Kaduna State at the time, kicked against it because, there was no breakdown as to how the loans would be used. The government came out with a blank urban renewal projects whereby all the money being spent on projects is in one or two wards in one Local Government Area. It shows that there is a skewed development programme. But the law of urban centres provides a radius of about 30 kilometers or more from the centre, which means, the whole of what we called Kaduna - Television, Sabon Tasha, Kawo, Anguwan Kaji, Nasarawa, Kudenda, etc, are all parts of Urban Kaduna. Why are the projects restricted to Kaduna North, while others are not covered? Yet the projects are being executed with a loan. We don’t even know the cost of constructing one kilometre of these roads.

The person living in Sanga or Ikara, who is going to pay for this loan has not benefited from it. So, in what way is the government accountable to the people?

They have taken over rural markets which are supposed to be facilities of local governments. Some of these rural markets operate weekly. For instance, Kasuwan Magani Market is a weekly market. If you take it from Kajuru Local government and bring people from China to build it, can you make the market to be opened daily for business? So, in what way is government thinking of what we called development plans?

T H I S D AY, T H E S AT U R D AY N E W S PA P E R ˾ ˜ ͺͿ˜ ͺ͸ͺ͹

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BACK PAGE CONTINUATION COORDINATION, COLLABORATION AND SOLIDARITY: ONE YEAR OF COVID-19 IN NIGERIA Vice President Yemi Osinbajo has invited NCDC to join the regular National Economic Council (NEC) meetings, keeping the governors briefed. Regular meetings held between a subgroup of the PTF and a subgroup of NEC. These opportunities for leadership, collaboration and coordination have ensured that our political leadership mostly spoke with one voice to citizens.

The number of cases and level of response has varied across all states in Nigeria. Many state governors have risen to the challenge and invested heavily in states’ health security. They are now very aware of the disruptive impact that outbreaks can have. This continued leadership will translate into improved health outcomes in Nigeria, even beyond the COVID-19 pandemic.

Although the number of cases in Nigeria and Africa has been lower than initially estimated, this pandemic has had a devastating impact on our country. Millions of people have been exposed to the direct and indirect social and economic impact of the pandemic. Loved ones have fallen sick and died. Children lost time in school, and millions of people and businesses were affected by the lockdowns and the economic downturn. But in between all of these, there have been remarkable acts of generosity from various parts of our country. Communities have come together to renovate and equip their hospitals, provide masks to the vulnerable, provide food for first responders, support health workers and our society’s most vulnerable through these troubled times.

One of the most unexpected acts of collaboration was seen in the corporate private sector. Companies that usually compete with one another, came together to form a coalition – the Private Sector Coalition Against COVID-19 (CACOVID).

Through this, they channeled their support to the response, reducing the bureaucracy and ensuring that their support went straight to beneficiaries as much as possible.

They have shown incredible leadership and support, pooling their support and bringing life to the phrase – “Stronger Together”. The support from the private sector has spanned through areas from the establishment of treatment centres, to

Chairman, Presidential Task Force, Boss Mustapha

providing palliatives to people through the states. In 2020, our country truly united in solidarity against the virus. The impact of this has been obvious from small personal gestures such as sharing foodstuff, to collaboration on research and innovation – to regional and pan-African collaboration.

Every day, our 300 members of staff at the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) and hundreds of State Public Health Teams are working in ways most people never imagine public servants do. These incredibly committed staff are involved in the collection and testing of thousands of samples daily, contact tracing to prevent

further spread of the virus, data collation and analysis for public communications and decision making amongst other tough but essential tasks. They have not rested for a day. Through Sallah and Christmas, these brave colleagues have kept going to keep the country safe.

In thinking about the year ahead of us, we must be aware of various emerging scenarios, and the role we must play. There is the increasing detection of variants of concern. The potential impact of these on vaccine efficacy, therapeutics and diagnostics are yet to be fully understood and we learn more every day. However, we can continue to protect ourselves

and our country by reducing the risk of transmission. This is a challenge we must collectively rise to.

Despite the best efforts of government, it will take time to vaccinate everyone against COVID-19. We must keep adhering to the public health and social measures that keep each and all of us safe. This means maintaining physical distance, wearing face masks, practicing hand and respiratory hygiene and avoiding crowded indoor places. As we know that we are not strong enough to do these on our own, we have to support each other on this journey, every single day.

These simple, yet effective measures will save lives and reduce the suffering that so many people encountered in 2020. Every action taken while this virus is with us, can lead to life or death. This may not be a direct impact, but the thousands of lives that have been lost, have left their loved ones behind.

We have seen how acts of kindness and care have helped us hold each other, through times of great struggle.

As Nigerians, we must work with these and avoid acts of malice, and misinformation, which can lead to harm. We must continue to be our brothers’ and sisters’ keeper.

Finally, there is light at the end of the tunnel, and we will get there by taking the path together. We are deeply grateful to Nigerians for their resilience and support, to health workers across the country working tirelessly to fight this virus, to our partners for standing with us and to the Federal Government of Nigeria for providing the resources needed to fight this pandemic. We remember our dear colleague, Uche Njoku, who died in the line of duty. I would like to specially thank our families, whose support has enabled us to serve our country.

COVID-19 infects people when they come together but coming together is also how we will beat it. Let us continue helping each other along the way, using the lessons and reminders from the last one year. t%S *IFLXFB[V %JSFDUPS (FOFSBM PG /JHFSJB $FOUSF GPS %JTFBTF $POUSPM XSJUFT GSPN "CVKB

THE TRUTH NORTHERN NIGERIAN LEADERS MUST ACCEPT that he has no apologies for his retrogressive views on the raging controversy. My advice is that many of these Northern leaders should urgently bury their faces in shame and beg Allah for forgiveness, if it is not too late. It is the height of shamelessness to impoverish your people, turn them into illiterates and robots, and expect that you won’t reap the whirlwind of violence that you have sown, in a matter of time.

Everyone knows how much these Northern leaders crave and cuddle power but what have they done with it? Many of us who are detribalized Nigerians don’t really care if they’ve held on to power for so long, but it is sad to see the mess they have made of it. These leaders are still busy deceiving their people by pretending to be their champion when they are the original parasites feeding fat on their hapless preys. The amount of money spent on military hardware today would have been invested in vocational education, cottage industries, and other productive sectors but not flamboyant ones. I’m sure they’ve not seen anything yet. Many of them can no longer sleep comfortably in their towns and villages, the reason they have over-fortified Abuja, which they run to at the earliest opportunity or excuse, in recent years. What they have failed to do, some private investors are willing to do for the collective peace and safety of all.

What is sad and saddening is that the Southern leaders who are being saddled with the challenges coming from the North are too timid and squeamish to talk to Buhari and their Northern counterparts. I love the few who are standing up to the bullies, every now and then, Governors Samuel Ortom of Benue State, Rotimi Akeredolu of Ondo State, Nyesom Wike of Rivers State and Godwin Obaseki of Edo State. I respect their boldness in defending the rights of their people to live in peace and harmony while protecting their properties and families. Thousands of young able-bodied boys flocking to the South daily won’t be the case if they

were kept busy at home in the North by their leaders. And rather than do the needful, those leaders are busy throwing tantrums as if it is the job of others to look after these innocent kids that they have abandoned and left in abject state of penury and hopelessness. It is like a parent berating a teacher for not giving pastoral care to his child when the parent had actually neglected and refused to give the child a sound upbringing and good manners in the first instance.

Nothing has shocked me more than seeing my Brother, Governor Hope Uzodinma, gloating on television about how he invited the military to Orlu.

Please, help me ask what happened in Orlu that has not happened 100 times over in the Northern States. Why didn’t he find any respected Igbo Chief or Priest to go and negotiate and quell whatever trouble there was in Orlu like Sheikh Gumi has been doing for his own men in the Northern forests hiding the itinerant Fulani militia. Why are Southern leaders always very quick at throwing their own citizens at the lions? That was how Chief Sunday Igboho Adeyemo was going to be sacrificed by some Yoruba leaders in order to placate the tin gods of Abuja had his people not lent their voices to his crusade and dared the gods with the feet of clay. It is obvious we are our own worst enemies!

Anyway. Let me call on good spirited and kind-hearted Nigerians to take up the duty and responsibility of helping the army of unemployed Nigerians in whatever way we can now that it is obvious most of our leaders are sleeping and snoring. This is one of the ways in which we can help our youths to go back to the land of reason, decency and self-respect. There is no point wasting time on leaders who have no plan or clue about how to resolve the incredible problems they have caused for everyone.

On a personal note, some of my friends and I have found a way of reaching out to Nigerians nationwide. It is a small effort, but the results have been worthwhile.

The statistics we have gathered are so depressing and frighteningly sobering.

It is now clear to us why terrorists are overrunning some parts of the North East and North West in particular.

Special thanks to the amazing Ghanaian lady, Ms Farida Bedwei, who saw my efforts of distributing palliatives on social media and offered to design a spectacular App that has opened my eyes to the grim realities of Nigeria. You will be surprised and shocked, but it is better that we all act and do something, no matter how little, before it is too late.

As at the time of writing this, we have received a total of 35,981 applications from across the states of Nigeria, in just two weeks, 11,444 females and 24,531 males. I interpret this to mean the men are more under pressure than the women. The average age of applicants is 34 and they are applying for our N5,000 palliatives which government promised them during the campaigns but remains largely nebulous and unseen, although we hear of distributions of billions of Naira to millions regularly. So far, we’ve been able to select 1,004 successful applications and already disbursed N5,020,000. It is our aim to give as many deserving applicant as possible the N5,000 palliative and this is a commitment from us. We charge absolutely nothing for the tremendous and amazing administration and logistics that is going into the scheme, treating that as part of our further contribution to the whole program.

Borno State has the largest number of applications with 6,938. The towns and villages are as follows: Askira 59, Asare 27, Abama 155, Benisheikh 51, Biu 215, Briyel 4, Chibok 45, Damasak 49, Damboa 154, Dikwa 52, Gajiram 29, Gamboru 48, Gubio 23, Gudumbali 9, Gwoza 79, Khaddamari 57, Konduga 126, Kukawa, 41, Kwaya Kusar 38, Mafa 89, Magumeri 111, Maiduguri 5298, Mallam Fatori 25, Marte 61, Monguno 54, Rann 17, Shani 22. This data from Borno State is a sample of what we did and replicated in each of the States. Our government

needs to study such credible statistics to be able to appreciate the magnitude of the trouble ahead.

Let’s now go to Bauchi State where we received the second largest number of applications with a total of 6,522. The breakdown is as follows: Alkaleri 146, Azare 891, Bauchi 4,371, Bogoro 40, Dambam 44, Darazo 83, Dass 86, Gamawa 40, Giade 21, Itas 36, Jama’are 27, Kafin Madaki 64, Katagum 259, Kirfi 51, Misau 95, Ningi 40, Tafawa Balewa 105, Toro 80, Warji 10, Yana 33...

Abia recorded 414 applications, Adamawa 904, Akwa Ibom 421, Anambra 330, Bayelsa 264, Benue 728, Cross River 573, Delta 444, Ebonyi 316, Edo 391, Ekiti 587, Enugu 326, Gombe 2,049, Imo 427, Jigawa 180, Kaduna 1,307, kano 455, Katsina 473, Kebbi, 241, Kogi 849, Kwara 667, Lagos 1,954, Nasarawa 353, Niger 600, Ogun 943, Ondo 650, Osun 942, Oyo 1,226, Plateau 524, Rivers 425, Sokoto 279, Taraba 877, Yobe 952 and Zamfara 451...

One or two of these might have changed in the course of writing this column. It is a dynamic and fluid situation brought on by the malaise of unemployment that is ravaging our country while government spews forth fake statistics and monetary figures.

It is obvious that out leaders never treated their citizens right and much more needs to be done. What is saddest is the obvious lack of empathy and compassion. I must acknowledge the salutary efforts of the Governor of Borno State, Professor Babagana Umara Zulum, against all odds. I wish our President could study how this Governor reaches out to his people. President Buhari is just too aloof and distant from the people of Nigeria. Yet he was so energetic during the campaigns and went everywhere.

Now that he has occupied, and seats on, the gilded throne of power he has since truculently and defiantly withdrawn into his rarefied cocoon, thereby leaving Nigeria on autopilot and at the mercy of his villainous brethren...

It is so sad and unfortunate!

38

THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER ˾ Ͱ͵˜ ͰͮͰͯ

NEWSXTRA

Osinbajo Highlights Abuses in Cryptocurrency, Advocates Robust Regulation

t Says CBN, SEC should act with knowledge, not fear t Emefiele, others chart path for economic recovery Obinna Chima ÓØ ËÑÙÝ ËØÎ Deji Elumoye ÓØ ÌßÔË The Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo yesterday aligned with the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and some of the anti-corruption agencies on their concerns about the dangers and likely abuses in the use of cryptocurrencies.

The vice president, however, said the regulators ought to have considered regulating the digital currency instead of prohibiting its transactions in the banking and payment system as done two weeks ago.

Osinbajostatedthisinakeynote addressdeliveredvirtuallyataoneday economic summit organised by the Central Bank of Nigeria, the Banker’s Committee, and the Vanguard Newspaper, themed “Bankers’ Initiative for Economic Growth”.

The Vice President said: “I fully appreciate the strong position of the CBN, Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and some of the anti-corruption agencies on the possible abuses of cryptocurrencies and their other well-articulated concerns. But I believe that their position should be the subject of further reflection.

“There is a role for regulation here. And it is in the place of both our monetary authorities and SEC to provide a robust regulatory regime that addresses these serious concerns without killing the goose that might lay the golden eggs.

“So it should be thoughtful and knowledge-based regulation not prohibition.ThepointIammaking is that some of the exciting developments we see call for prudence and careinadoptingthem,butwemust act with knowledge and not fear.”

Emphasising the need for monetary authorities to rethink their stand on cryptocurrencies, Osinbajo said: “There is no question that blockchain technology generally and cryptocurrencies, in particular, will in the coming years challenge traditional banking, including reserve (Central) banking, in ways that we cannot yet imagine. So, we needtobepreparedforthatseismic shift. And it may come sooner than later.

“Already, remittance systems are being challenged. Blockchain technology will provide far cheaper options to the kind of fees

being paid today for cross-border transfers. I am sure you are all aware of the challenge that the traditional SWIFT system is facing from new systems like Ripple which is based on the blockchain distributed ledger technology with its own crypto tokens.

“There are, of course, a whole range of digital assets spawned daily from block-chain technology.

Decentralised finance, using smart contracts to create financial instruments, in place of central financial intermediaries such as banks or brokerages is set to challenge traditional finance. The likes of Nexo finance offer instant loans using cryptocurrency as collateral. Some reserve banks are investigating issuing their own digital currencies.”

Talking about the task of national development and the public and private sector interventions, the vice president emphasised that “in order to engender sustained economic growth, we must think in terms of scale.”

He said: “I am quite concerned when I hear that national interventions are classified as pilots involving sometimes no more than 1000 people. Given the size of our population, we cannot afford the luxury of pilot projects. We should design our interventions very carefully and then go big.

“It was quite puzzling to me when people said that our plan to build 300,000 houses under the ESP was too ambitious a target. After all, this just amounts to 400 houses per local government yet many of our local governments are larger than some African countries who would not consider building 400 houses in one year as too onerous a task.

“The task of national development requires that we fire on all cylinders after all, at one stage, China was building 1.9 million housing units per year over a number of years.”

Speaking on the need to complement the efforts of the federal government in bridging the infrastructure gap, Osinbajo said: “The Buhari administration “has a track record of building roads, rail andpowerprojectsacrossthecountry. In spite of this commitment we are still very far away from meeting the full infrastructural needs of the economy.”

The vice president called for improved support, particularly from the private sector in the opera-

tionalisation of the Infrastructure Company (InfraCo).

“The President has now approved the establishment of InfraCo which will be a publicprivate partnership chaired by the CBN Governor to overcome our infrastructure deficits.

“I expect that this is a project that will excite the interest of financiers and bankers and I encourage you all to lend support to make it a success,” Osinbajo noted.

He also emphasised the need for stakeholders to pay attention to human resource development as they scale up investments in the economy.

On the country’s recovery from its second recession in four years, Osinbajo said policymakers, lawmakers and business leaders have cause to cheer the relatively good performance in the face of the negative impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. He attributed successes recorded to the early actions of the.

President: “First, in providing an initial stimulus and then, constituting the Economic Sustainability Committee, and the Economic Sustainability Plan.”

Earlier in his presentation, the CBN Governor, Godwin Emefiele, pledged to adopt accommodative monetary policy stance in 2021 in order to support economic growth in the country.

Nigeria's economy recently

came out of recession, according to the Gross Domestic Product report for the fourth quarter 2020 released by the National Bureau of Statistics.

Owing to the GDP growth of 0.11 per cent that lifted the economy outofrecession,Emefielesaiditwas imperative that, "we do all we can in 2021 and beyond to ensure that we build on the positive momentum and strengthen our efforts at stimulating growth."

He expressed optimism that with the discovery and deployment of vaccines worldwide, 2021 would be a year of massive global recovery and Nigeria must not be left out.

"The banks CEOs are here, whether by moral suasion or by force, they will have to participate in this journey. In order to drive and sustain this recovery therefore, we need to sustain the accommodative fiscal and monetary policy measures aimed at improving access to finance for households and businesses.

"Secondly, we must prevent resurgence in COVID-19-related cases. Thirdly, we must ensure that asignificantnumberofourpopulation is significantly vaccinated and also improve foreign exchange inflowsintoourcountry,"headded.

Furthermore, he pledged that the CBN would ensure improved foreign exchange inflows into the country going forward.

He said the central bank would prioritiseinterventioninkeysectors of the economy such as agriculture, information communication technology and manufacturing, which are growth enablers.

Commenting on efforts to give infrastructure in the country a facelift, the CBN Governor noted that with the decline in revenues due to federal and state government, alternative ways of funding infrastructure remained critical if the government was to generate sustained growth of the economy.

“As we are all aware, a wellbuilt infrastructure system can have a multiplier effect on growth by enabling the expansion of business activities in the country.

That is why I am delighted that Mr. President has continued to give all the necessary approvals and support to establish the Infrastructure Corporation of Nigeria Limited.

“InfraCorp will be co-owned by the CBN, the African Finance Corporation and the Nigerian Sovereign Investment Authority and would become fully operational by the second quarter of 2021. This vehicle would enable the use of private and public capital to support infrastructure investment that will have a multiplier effect on growth across critical sectors,” he added.

“The CBN has already taken several measures to increase the flow of diaspora remittances into the country using formal channels.

In December 2020, we instructed all international money transfer operators (IMTOs) to provide remitters with the option of sending

foreign exchange to beneficiaries in Nigeria. This new measure has helped to reduce the diversion of forex by some IMTOs, who had thrived from forex arbitrage arrangements, rather than on improving transactions volumes to Nigeria. Indeed, we have already seen remittances improve from a weekly average of about US$5 million before this policy, to over US$30 million per week.

“We believe this measure will help to significantly boost inflows of FX and create much more liquidity in that space,” he added.

In his presentation, the Chairman of President Muhammadu Buhari’s Economic Advisory Council, Dr. Doyin Salami, said there was need to embrace mechanised form of agriculture so as to enhance job creation, improve the security situation in the country, as well as ensure human capital development.

He also called for an improvement in the state of healthcare in the country, just as he lamented that 60 per cent of agricultural output is lost due to poor storage facilities in the country.

“Nigeria’s infrastructure master plan requires us to spend $3 trillion over 30 years and that is about $100 billion a year. Our total foreign direct investment and foreign portfolio monies would not be more than $20 billion.

“The biggest challenge and which I think we must overcome is that challenge of predictability.

Investors are afraid of Nigeria and very few can predict what we would do next and they are unwilling to take the risks. For as long as we are perceived as a risky alternative, for so long are we not going to make the progress that we desire to make,” he added.

CHANGE OF NAME I, formerly known and addressed as MISS OFFEGHA ONAKORAME JANET, now wish to be known and addressed as MRS ETIM ONAKORAME JANET. All former documents remain valid. The general public should take note.

I, formerly known and addressed as OZUZU SUSSAN NWADIUTO , now wish to be known and addressed as NWOKORIE SUSSAN NWADIUTO. All former documents remain valid. The general public should take note.

I, formerly known and addressed as CHIOMA OGECHUKWU EVOH, now wish to be known and addressed as CHIOMA OGECHUKWU EASLEY. All former documents remain valid.

The general public should take note.

I, formerly known and addressed as MISS ACHUSIM OBIANUJU TINA, now wish to be known and addressed as MRS AJAEGBO OBIANUJU TINA. All former documents remain valid. The general public should take note.

Former ABEL GODSPOWER, now wish to be known as KIMEBE ONYEMAECHI DANIEL. All documents remain valid. GTBANK PLC and the general public should please take note Former CHRISTOPHER MICHAEL UNAH, now wish to be known as CHRISTOPHER ONYEMAECHI MICHAEL. All former documents remain valid.

General public take note.

39

THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER ˾ ͺͿ, 2021

SPORTS XTRA

Adarabioyo Eyes England Call-up Ahead of Euro 2020 After several speculations that he was ready to star for the Super Eagles of Nigeria inspite of having starred for England at the age-grade level, Fulham central defender Tosin Adarabioyo has given the biggest hint yet that his international future lies with

his country of birth England rather than three-time African champions Nigeria.

The Manchester City academy product is one of the shining lights in what has been a dismal season for Fulham who are struggling to avoid relegation, thirteen matches to

the end of the Premier League season.

With 119 clearances in 21 starts, no player has made more clearances than the Anglo-Nigerian center back this term.

Born to Nigerian parents in Manchester, Tosin has

represented England at U16, U17, U18 and U19 levels but all his appearances were in non-competitive matches, making him eligible to play for the Super Eagles straightaway.

The 23-year-old is hoping to force himself into the plans of manager Gareth Southgate

Lookman Targets 3 Points against Crystal Palace single day I can, learn as much as I can off the gaffer and off the coaching staff,” Lookman said to FFCtv. “I’m enjoying my football here, that’s the most important thing.”

After a tough run that saw the Cottagers play three games in six days, they have a similar run coming up with matches against Crystal Palace, Tottenham Hotspur and Liverpool in a space of seven days, starting with Sunday’s derby against the Eagles.

On what he’s expecting from Palace,

Lookman said : “Another tough challenge, you know Palace is a very tough team to play against.

“We need to be at the top of our game also but we’ll definitely be going there to get the three points like in any game that we are going to play this season.”

Scott Parker’s team will move out of the relegation zone with a win against Crystal Palace and Newcastle United lose at home to Wolverhampton Wanderers.

Ex-US Olympics Coach Commits Suicide after Trafficking Charges Former US Olympics women’s gymnastics coach John Geddert died by suicide Thursday, his body found hours after he was charged with human trafficking and abuse of athletes in his care.

“My office has been notified that the body of John Geddert was found late this afternoon after taking his own life,” Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel said in a statement.

“This is a tragic end to a tragic story for everyone involved.”

Hours earlier Nessel had announced a 24-count criminal complaint against

Geddert, who owned an elite training facility near Lansing, Michigan, where convicted sex offender Larry Nassar served as the gym doctor.

In addition to two sexual assault charges involving an unnamed athlete between the ages of 13 and 16, 20 counts of human trafficking and forced labor were the result of Geddert’s alleged coercive and abusive coaching practices “as he reportedly subjected his athletes to forced labor or services under extreme conditions that contributed to them suffering injuries and harm.”

“Geddert then neglected those injuries that were reported to him by the victims and used coercion, intimidation, threats and physical force to get them to perform to the standard he expected,” prosecutors said.

Nessel had said at a press conference streamed on social media Thursday morning that Geddert, 63, was expected to surrender to authorities at 2:15 pm on Thursday to be arraigned on the charges.

However, Michigan State Police said that his body was found at a highway rest area outside Lansing at 3:24 pm.

Moses Downcast over Penalty Miss, Red Card Spartak Moscow coach Domenico Tedesco has revealed that former Nigeria international Victor Moses was emotionally down following his red card and the goal-scoring opportunity he missed against Dinamo Moscow in the Russian Cup last weekend.

The Chelsea loanee was first booked in the fifteenth minute after he was adjudged to have handled the ball but television replays suggest that the ball touched his shoulder.

Nine minutes from time, Moses

received his marching orders for a second bookable offense, the wingback fouled Dinamo Moscow winger Daniil Lesovoy and was yellow carded for stopping a potential counter-attacking opportunity.

During Friday’s pre-match press conference before the meeting with Rubin Kazan, Tedesco was asked about the psychological state of Moses and if he communicated with the ex-Super Eagles star.

The German-Italian manager answered: “Victor was really very worried, two days

Adarabioyo has represented England at several youth levels but not in any competitive game or tournament making his case of wanting to switch allegiance to Nigeria a lot easier than it’s supposed to be.

It usually takes around a year to get clearance from FIFA for English youth internationals willing to switch allegiance but Adarabioyo’s case isn’t expected to be that complicated as it is similar to that of Alex Iwobi.

Iwobi only needed to prove that the games he played for England youth teams were not competitive games before FIFA allowed his switch to go on, same could happen with Adarabioyo. ” I know Rohr likes him a lot and was delighted when he accepted the chance to play for Nigeria but he still need some form of clearance from FIFA to make it happen. He loves the Super Eagles as well “, a source told Owngoalnigeria .com.

Indeed, while speaking to the UK tabloid, The Sun, last year on his plans for the future, Adarabioyo said he’s only thinking of playing at the next World Cup with either Nigeria or England.

“The Euro is next summer and the World Cup is a year after, I’m eligible to play for England or Nigeria.”

“I believe I should be going to the next World Cup either with England or Nigeria, that’s my target,” he said.

Solskjaer Predicts Tough Top-four Battle in EPL

Tosin Adarabioyo tries to stop Harry Kane when Tottenham hosted Fulham in the Premier League

Fulham winger Ademola Lookman has stressed that he is not looking at his goals and assists this season ahead of the London derby against Crystal Palace on Sunday.

With four goals and three assists to his name, the 2017 U20 World Cup winner is statistically Fulham’s most decisive player in the top-flight but he’s not bothered by such stats and more concerned about the bigger picture.

“I don’t look like stuff like that, for me it’s just all about improving every

ahead of the 2020 European Championship.

Previously, Adarabioyo was soundedabout the possibility of representing Nigeria, but the go-between received a lukewarm response from the defender.

Speaking to the Telegraph Uk, Tosin said: “We know it’s the Euros this summer so hopefully if I keep on doing well, who knows, I could be looking to push myself into that squad.

“Obviously there are a lot of good players to choose from but if I do what I can do best there is a chance.”

Tosin’s former England U18 teammates Tammy Abraham, Dominic Solanke, Marcus Rashford and Ainsley Maitland-Niles have since gone on to make their debuts for the Three Lions.

Following the below par performance of his wards in the last AFCON 2022 qualifying matches against Sieria Leoone last year Super Eagles Head Coach, Gernot Rohr, added Adarabioyo to the list of growing ‘diaspora’ players in the team.

The Franco/German tactician has been under intense criticism for overlooking the home grown players in preference of Nigerian players born abroad. According to www. owngoalnigeria.com, Rohr is determined to strengthen Eagles defence with the Fulham defender.

after the match he could not ‘let go’ of the situation.

“We discussed everything with him. I said that there are no problems: everyone understands that in the episode from the penalty spot he played so unintentionally.

“And I advised him to move on, because the past cannot be returned”.

Since joining the Red and White last October, Moses has totaled ten appearances in all competitions, scoring one goal.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer believes the race for the Premier League top four will go down to the wire as Manchester United prepare to face Thomas Tuchel’s revitalised Chelsea on Sunday.

United were knocked off top spot by Manchester City on January 26 and a run of just two wins in six top-flight matches means they are now 10 points behind their rivals.

Second-placed United head to the Etihad Stadium for a Manchester derby clash on March 7 but before then they have back-to-back fixtures away to London clubs, with Sunday’s match against Chelsea followed by Wednesday’s game with Crystal Palace.

The Blues have yet to lose under the German and can halve the six-point gap to United on Sunday as the race for Champions League qualification spots heats up.

The Norwegian predicted a tense battle for Champions League places with a third of the season still to go.

City, United, Leicester and West Ham are currently in the top four but a clutch of teams, including Chelsea and champions Liverpool, harbour ambitions of dislodging them.

Mourinho Says He’s Unperturbed

by Pressure to Keep His Job Tottenham manager Jose Mourinho says he lives and breathes for pressure.

The Portuguese’s future at Spurs has come under scrutiny, with a run of five defeats in six Premier League games leaving them ninth in the table.

Mourinho said the last time he “felt in trouble” was when he was out of work for almost a year before taking the Spurs job in November 2019.

“The problem is if you don’t have pressure,” he said. “It comes like oxygen, it is our life.”

Talking before Sunday’s home game against Burnley, the former Chelsea and Manchester United boss added: “I don’t think there is any coach in the world without objectives or any kind of pressure.

“You just get used to it and also used to the way the press is at the time, you just have to adapt to it.”

Spurs’ recent poor league form leaves them nine points adrift of the top four and a spot in next season’s Champions League.

They can also qualify for Europe’s premier competition by winning the Europa League this season, and face Croatian side Dinamo Zagrenb in the last 16.

“When you are in this competition and you get to this stage you don’t get easy clubs,” Mourinho said.

“Croatian football is Croatian football, lots of talent. It’s a football country. [It’s] not a very difficult flight, not too far, I feel very positive things but the most important thing is that we get to the quarter-finals.”

TR

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MISSILE

Senator Musa on Amnesty for Bandits “What is the demand of the criminals who live in the bush, come to town at will to kill and kidnap people and destroy their properties for no just cause? If you are giving amnesty, what reason do you have to give them amnesty?”

– Senator Sani Musa representing Niger East, opposing amnesty for bandits.

PENDULUM DELE MOMODU

dele.momodu@thisdaylive.com

The Truth Northern Nigerian Leaders Must Accept

F

ellow Nigerians, please permit me to start today by giving a summary of how I see the current spate of insecurity in Nigeria. Any rightthinking Nigerian realises that this is the most burning issue for discourse in the country at a time when rampaging bandits, insurgents and terrorists seem to have overrun our country and effectively taken over its leadership. No matter your political leaning and alignment, the facts make for gruesome, grisly reading and consideration.

One. The Northern parts of Nigeria have largely fallen into the hands of hard-core terrorists, if you like call them herdsmen, bandits, insurgents or whatever you will.

The situation is akin to a coup carried out by a ragtag army with pockets of resistance by the legitimate government fighting with puny munitions as against sophisticated weaponry and arsenal. How ironic for the giant of Africa!

Two. The terrorists fall into different groups. The most prominent group has been the Shekau faction of Boko Haram.

Their agenda is clear. They are out to kill and maim and destroy anything in sight, out of some warped ideologies and principles.

I don’t think they are armed robbers, or petty thieves. They seem more motivated and organised than that and they seem to have some code of honour which marks them out. Shekau himself must possess more than nine lives. I have read of his demise, which has been greeted with much joy and fanfare, not only by the unfortunate Nigerians caught up in his zone of death

Plateau State Governor, Simon Bako Lalong

but also, by some witless and clueless military top brass and government leaders who have had eggs all over their faces from the daredevil exploits of this rakish felon, countless times. Every time he has been declared dead, with apparently fake videos to prove this, the phantom Shekau had resurrected to the eternal consternation, bewilderment and damnation of his victims and those supposedly hunting him down.

His assailants should be tired by now and should just let God take him away at his own appointed time, since that seems to be the only way the man will leave this

planet earth, on his and God’s terms.

Three. There are heavily weaponized terrorists operating around the forests of Kaduna, Zamfara and Niger States. Their agenda is simply opportunistic. Harass and blackmail the Nigerian State to a standstill and hold everyone to ransom till the government parts with billions of Naira as settlement, appeasement, pacifiers or in typical Nigerian parlance, the dividends of Amnesty! Their strategy is very smart. Give access to a Sheikh Gumi and some media operatives to help spread your message of terror, free of charge, and even confer some sort of legitimacy on your nefarious activities. I must confess that these ones are far smarter than the other groups. I love the bold and brazen manner they have requested for President Muhammadu Buhari to come and negotiate with them personally. The Yoruba people have a relevant proverb: the person who gave birth to a terrible child should be ready to carry the troublesome baby on his own back. They were apparently used and dumped by Buhari and other politicians who made grandiloquent promises to them during their various electioneering campaigns. The payback time has now come, and vengeance is theirs. No more time for long stories!

Four. There are herders and cattle rearers.

These ones are in two or more parts. The itinerant, traditional, peaceful and innocent Fulani herders who shepherd their cattle from place to place and have done so for many decades. They are legit and usually calm. They are mostly Nigerian Fulani.

CHIKWEIHEKWEAZU

Many of them have bosses who had traded almost forever across the country. They are traceable, well-meaning and prosperous.

They do not want trouble and they do not look for trouble. However, there are the invading Fulani from different parts of West Africa, roaming dangerously and violently into and out of our porous borders, unchallenged. The attitude and disposition of the government has made them to believe, with some justification, that president Buhari is their avuncular benefactor and protector, and no harm can befall them in Nigeria. They are more confident about their untouchability, inviolability and invincibility.

Those are the reasons they have been killing, maiming and raping defenceless Nigerians, senselessly. These ones are the deadliest because they are not just armed robbers, they are religious and tribalistic bigots and fanatics who are daydreaming of how they will soon convert the entire country of Nigeria into a Fulani colony and an Islamic enclave. They must be flushed out by all means necessary, whether Buhari is willing or not! He once told us himself that they are foreigners, so why must we allow them to destroy the lives of peace-loving Nigerians?

However, all these four categories or groups are not my main focus today. This week, I wish to speak to the loquacious, swollen headed Northern Governors who have been rubbing hot pepper and salt on our festering wounds. One of them has been busy grandstanding and talking arrogantly Continued on page 37

GUEST COLUMNIST

Coordination, Collaboration and Solidarity: One Year of COVID-19 in Nigeria

J

ust as Nigerians celebrated a New Year with promising goals in 2020, a new global threat emerged. As COVID-19 spread from China to Europe and the Americas, we were uncertain about the future and anxious about our weak health system. One year after, the COVID-19 pandemic has taken so many lives and caused massive disruptions to global economies. It has changed our way of life and interrupted our economic agenda.

On the 27th of February 2020, the first COVID-19 case was detected in Nigeria.

Since then, more than 150,000 cases have been detected across all 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory. Sadly, we have also lost more than 1,800 people, and this is most likely to be an underestimate, based on results from the recent household seroprevalence survey carried out in the country. Beyond the statistics, these are Nigerians – mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters, children, loved ones, colleagues and friends. Some were leaders in our country, others were leaders of families – all were valuable members of society.

The COVID-19 pandemic has triggered the fastest and most wide-reaching response to a global health emergency in human history. In one year, the world has come together to develop vaccines, therapeutics and diagnostics for a new virus. There has been exponential growth in the number of scientific publications related to COVID-19, including from Nigeria. There have also been important lessons learned on the state of our health infrastructure and the need to strengthen our health security.

The COVID-19 pandemic has also triggered rapid investment in Nigeria’s health security.

In one year, molecular laboratories have been established in every state in Nigeria, a digital surveillance system (SORMAS) has been implemented across all states and new standard treatment centres are being established across the country. Almost every state in Nigeria now has a public health emergency operations centre, integrating a call centre, and other resources required to manage this outbreak. A national stockpile of response commodities has been established and new oxygen plants built. No other

outbreak has led to this level of widespread investment in our health security.

But perhaps one of the biggest strengths of Nigeria’s response to this pandemic, has come from the power of coordination, collaboration, and solidarity across federal and state governments, across the public and private sectors, between the United Nations agencies and non-governmental organisations, and most critically across the government and its citizens.

Political leadership has been critical in shaping the preparedness, focus, and direction of the overall pandemic response. In March 2020, His Excellency, President Muhammadu Buhari approved the establishment of the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 (PTF).

Chaired by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Mr. Boss Mustapha, the PTF has led a powerful multi-sectoral collaboration with clarity of vision and determination in delivery.

The leadership provided by the SGF has ensured that every decision that has been made in response to the pandemic, has been with a multi-sectoral gaze. He has

also ensured unparalleled accountability to citizens, with close to 100 press briefings held so far, where questions and comments are answered from around the country.

The PTF has tried hard to find the balance between protecting lives and livelihoods.

Our premise has been that protecting the public and protecting the economy are not mutually exclusive goals. There have been tough decisions made, some of which have been challenged. But every single one of them was well thought through and made in the best interest of the country. Led by the SGF, we have provided regular briefings to Mr. President on the state of the outbreak and response, and he always offered a listening ear, always empathetic to the plight of Nigerians.

There has also been strong political leadership at the state level with several states establishing a COVID-19 Task Force.

The Nigerian Governors’ Forum has been closely engaged, ensuring coordination between NCDC and states. His Excellency, Continued on page 37

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