MONDAY 14TH JUNE 2021 by THISDAY Newspapers Ltd

Report: $15bn Investments Lost Annually to Non-passage of PIB OPEC: Nigeria’s oil production hit record low in May Emmanuel Addeh in Abuja A new report by Financial Derivatives Company Limited (FDC) has indicated that Nigeria's oil and gas industry

loses as much as $15 billion in investments annually due to the delayed passage of the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB), currently before the National Assembly.

The bill, which seeks to overhaul the oil and gas industry and offer new fiscal incentives to investors, according to the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources,

Mr. Timipre Sylva, and Senate President, Dr. Ahmad Lawan, is set to be passed this month. However, FDC in its latest bi-monthly publication stated that even if the PIB is passed

today, the country has already lost investment opportunities due to the lack of urgency attached to the passage of the legislation which was first transmitted to the lawmakers

over 14 years ago. “Its delay has sparked a great deal of uncertainty and led to an estimated loss of Continued on page 49

CBN: Agric Sector Interventions Geared Towards Food Security... Page 8 Monday 14 June, 2021 Vol 26. No 9562. Price: N250

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States Unveil Plans to Implement Financial Autonomy for Legislature, Judiciary Our Reporters States have unveiled strategies to implement the Memorandum of Action (MoA) to ensure financial autonomy for the legislature and judiciary, THISDAY has learnt. The MoA was signed on June 4 by the Judiciary Staff Union of Nigeria(JUSUN), the Parliamentary Staff Association of Nigeria(PASAN), the federal government and the 36 state governors. Under the terms of the MoA,

the governors have 45 days to implement the strategies to ensure full financial autonomy for the other two arms of government. With the Judicial Service Commission and the House of Assembly Service Commission already in place in Plateau State, Governor Simon Lalong said on Saturday night at a dinner and lecture to mark the Democracy Day in Jos that he had directed that all Continued on page 49

N'Assembly to Conclude Constitution Review by July Deji Elumoye in Abuja The two chambers of the National Assembly are poised to pass the bill for the alteration of 1999 Constitution as altered before proceeding on annual break in July. Towards the early passage of the bill, the National Assembly committees working on the bill will conclude their assignments and present the bill for clauseby-clause consideration before the lawmakers proceed on annual recess in July. Already, the constitution

review committees of both the Senate and House of Representatives are collating reports from the zonal public hearings held last month across the six geo-political zones. The Senate Ad-hoc Committee on Constitution Review, headed by the Deputy President of the Senate, Senator Ovie Omo-Agege, and that of the House of Representatives, headed by Deputy Speaker, Hon. Idris Wase, had in May held public hearings in 12 Continued on page 49

FOR THE PRESIDENT’S EYES ONLY... Ogun State Governor, Prince Dapo Abiodun (left), and President Muhammadu Buhari during the governor’s visit to the Presidential Villa, Abuja…yesterday

Oyegun: FG Must Prioritise Restructuring for Nigeria’s Survival...Page 5

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NEWS

Group News Editor Ejiofor Alike Email Ejiofor.Alike@thisdaylive.com, 08066066268

Oyegun: FG Must Prioritise Restructuring for Nigeria’s Survival Public perception of Buhari changed after ARISE Television interview, says Tinubu

Adedayo Akinwale in Abuja A former National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, has said that the federal government must restructure the country in the interest and the survival of the nation. Oyegun spoke in Abuja on Saturday night at the public presentation of a book titled, 'APC's Litmus Tests' written by the Director-General of Progressives Governors Forum (PGF), Dr. Salihu Lukman. The former Edo State governor said it was vital that these issues should be addressed as the country cannot continue to allow the subject to become a recurring threat. Also, National Leader of APC, Senator Bola Tinubu, said the public perception of President Muhammadu Buhari had changed after his interview with ARISE NEWS Channel. He added that the face-off between Odigie-Oyegun's successor, Mr. Adams Oshiomhole, and Edo State Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, was a collateral damage for the party. Odigie-Oyegun stated that there was no question that the nation and its political parties were going through difficult times, adding that all those at the formation of the APC knew the uniqueness of the party's constitution and its manifesto that promised change. According to him, the forces of economics have made things, not quite the way the party wanted them to be. He said the document the APC produced on true federalism, which passed through all the organs of the party was produced because there was a cacophony of voices over the issue of restructuring. He said at that time, just as it is happening now, two people could not agree on what they meant by restructuring and the party needed to take control of the debate, define the issues, proffer solutions and went

as far as having some drafts legislation. Odigie-Oyegun said it was not by any chance a perfect document, but it reflected the thinking and the desires of Nigerians. He stated: "Unfortunately, it has gone beyond that. We now have one or two things that did not happen before. People now want to disengage from the federation, which did not happen before and that is a warning sign. If a child asks for garri today you don't give him, tomorrow he may decide it is cake he wants and we must not as a political party, we must not as the government of the federation give the impression that only military governments can fundamentally tamper with the basic structure of this nation." He said: “As a progressive government, it is proper that we show the nation that when the people want some degree of change, the party should be responsive to it and should address it.” Odigie-Oyegun added: "Compromises have to be made, there's no question about that. The report itself is not final. It still has to go through the litmus test of compromises. The ideas of people from different parts of the country will be different up to the extent they want to go with the proposals in the document, but it is necessary. It must be mandatory in the interest of the survival of our nation, that these issues be addressed. We cannot continue to allow the subject to become something that threatens our nation at any turn." Chairman of PGF and Governor of Kebbi State, Senator Atiku Bagudu, said the party was not shy to acknowledge that the country's constitution was not perfect hence the setting up of Governor Nasir el-Rufai Committee on true federalism. He said: “APC believes in letting us amend the constitution because society is dynamic not because somebody has been wronged

and cheated. If that is the basis for correction, then the agitation will never stop but if it's based on let us make it better.” Bagudu stated that there are fundamental challenges to be addressed, stressing that the ruling party will not shy away from acknowledging them and providing transparent leadership. He said there was a need to increase Nigeria's budget to $300 billion or $500 billion to be able to fix the nation’s challenges in the various sectors. Comparing Nigeria's budget with the United States, a country with 331 million people, Bagudu said you would find that in 2019, the US budget was over $3.5 trillion and one per cent of $3.5 trillion is $35 billion. According to him, that means Nigeria's budget is less than one per cent of the US’ budget despite having a population that is about 70 per cent of the United States population.

The governor added: “If one considers the actual distribution of revenue, it even reflects the truth. For example, from January to May, the Federation Allocation Account Committee meetings, there is no month yet, where the equivalent of $2 billion has been distributed. So, if things go this way that means $24 billion will be distributed by the three tiers of government. “But our quest includes expanding our horizon so that we can see how we will move the $35 billion federal budget to $300 billion or $500 billion federal budget because only then, can we meet some of our expectations, some of our aspirations in all sectors." The governor said that before then, the country would continue to struggle to find enough money for security, health, education, stressing that part of APC’s litmus test was to communicate this properly to Nigerians so that in making choices, they would not be

blinded by promises. Represented by former National Legal Adviser of APC, Mr. Babatunde Ogala (SAN), Tinubu said the public perception of the president had changed since last Thursday's interview aired by ARISE NEWS CHANNEL, the broadcast arm of THISDAY Newspapers. He stated: "After the interview of the president with ARISE NEWS, the perception of the public has changed. Yet those who will not see good will never see it. "Have we sold our party and the achievements of this government enough - I think not. "COVID-19 devastated the whole world. It's even a bigger form of insecurity than even the banditry that we have made a big issue of. We all saw India, we saw Ecuador where people were counting corpses of their relatives as their own luggage. We all knew their predictions for Africa, how

well have we sold these achievements to the public." On the clash between Oshiomhole and Obaseki that cost APC Edo State in the last governorship election in the state, Tinubu said he was one of those who facilitated behind-the-scene visits to Lagos - by Obaseki and by APC governors “because we knew the consequences for our party. Whether you like it or not, it was collateral damage for all of us." He added: "Whatever our party has gone through in the last eight years, we are still facing a lot of challenges. They've called our party different names, some even predicted that we are not going to have 12 months or 24 months. "And if I must say, a party that has gone through eight years, it's still an infant. There will still be more of these tests - disagreement, misunderstanding, realignment but one thing is that you are part of the intellectual content of our party."

THE CHAMP AT MARINA... UFC Welterweight Champion, Mr. Kamarudeen ‘Kamaru’ Usman (left), and Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu, during the champion’s visit to the governor in Lagos House…yesterday

Falana Asks Police to Apologise to Arrested June 12 Protesters Alex Enumah in Abuja Human rights lawyer, Mr. Femi Falana (SAN), has asked the Nigeria Police Force to apologise for violating the fundamental right of protesters to freedom of expression. As Nigeria celebrated Democracy Day on Saturday, protesters stormed major cities nationwide to demand better governance and improved living conditions for citizens. But the police fired tear gas

at some of those protesting in Lagos, Abuja and Cross River State while others were arrested and later released. Falana said in a statement yesterday that peaceful protests are fundamental rights of Nigerians as provided for in the 1999 constitution. He, however, noted that the constitution was violated by the police who “banned rallies and protests throughout the country on June 12, 2021”. He said: “For having the

audacity to insist on their fundamental right to protest against unpopular policies of governments, teams of armed police personnel fired teargas to disperse the peaceful rallies. As if the unprovoked attack was not enough the Police brutalised and arrested scores of protesters in Lagos, Abuja and Calabar. “Since the protesters who were arrested during the peaceful rallies did not commit any offence, they have since regained their liberty.

But the Police Authorities ought to apologise for violating the fundamental right of the protesters to freedom of expression. “More so that the police had deliberately contravened Section 83 (4) of the Police Establishment Act 2020 which provides that ‘Where a person or organization notifies the police of his or its intention to hold a public meeting, rally or procession on a public highway or such meetings in a place where the public

has access to, the police officer responsible for the area where the meeting rally or procession will take place shall mobilize personnel to provide security cover for the meeting, rally or the procession.” The senior lawyer commended the protesters for “conducting themselves in a peaceful manner” and condemned “the official lie that the protesters were teargassed to prevent hoodlums and miscreants from hijacking the peaceful

rallies.” “Why were the scanty pro-government protesters who were reported to have fought openly in Abuja over their booty not arrested for breach of the peace in the Federal Capital Territory?” he asked. “The lessons of the unfortunate event of yesterday should be learnt by all sides of the debate on human freedom. The nation should henceforth be spared the periodic assaults on the civic space.”

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NEWS

CBN: Agric Sector Interventions Geared Towards Food Security Obinna Chima The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has said its various development finance interventions in the agriculture sector are meant to guarantee food security. CBN Director, Corporate Communications Department, Mr. Osita Nwanisobi, said during an interview at the CBN two-day fair in Lagos at the weekend, that all central bank’s interventions were also geared towards supporting the federal government’s quest to diversify the economy. “If as a nation we cannot feed ourselves, then there is a major problem. Once we don’t have food security in this nation, it becomes a problem. For example, during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown, we saw countries imposing some forms of export restrictions and you begin to wonder that if we didn’t champion the rice revolution in Nigeria, what would have happened? That is why we need to look inwards for the things that we need. “We keep rolling out these interventions because of what I call the failure of the market. If you allow

the market to determine credit allocation, certain sectors such as agriculture, SMEs, may suffer and that was why the central bank stepped in,” he stated. He added that when Mr. Godwin Emefiele assumed duty in June 2014 as CBN governor, he had pledged to build a people-centred central bank, stressing that the interventions of the bank cuts across all the strata and they addressed Nigerians' needs. He said: “You have the targeted credit facility, which came in as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, as a means of mitigating the adverse impact on families, households and SMEs. This is the first time you are seeing interventions and facilities where nobody asked you to bring collateral. “That is because we understand that the young graduate that just came out from the university doesn’t have collateral or landed property to bring. So, you now use that intervention to empower them to start something and by doing that you stimulate the economy. “If you look at the AgriBusiness/Small and Medium Enterprise Investment

Scheme (AGSMEIS) as well, it also speaks to the young generation who don’t have collateral and don’t have what it takes to access the

normal traditional loans from the banks. They go to NIRSAL MFB and nobody asks them for collateral." According to him, the

National Collateral Registry was introduced to ease access to credit for Nigerians. He also said that the CBN Fair was to create a platform

to interact with stakeholders, to explain some of the CBN's policies, interventions and programmes as well as to elicit responses from them.

TWELVE HEARTY CHEERS... Wife of Ondo State Deputy Governor, Mrs Oluwaseun Ayedatiwa (left), and the governor's wife, Mrs. Betty Anyanwu-Akeredolu, at the 12th Patron’s Anniversary Thanksgiving and Awards in Ibadan, Oyo State...yesterday

Buhari, Lawan, Bello Hail Abdulsalami at 79 Deji Elumoye in Abuja and Laleye Dipo in Minna

President Muhammadu Buhari, Senate President, Dr. Ahmad Lawan and Niger State Governor, Mr. Sani Bello, have felicitated with a former Head of State, Gen. Abdulsalami Abubakar, on his 79th birthday yesterday. The president, in a statement by his spokesman, Mallam Garba Shehu, joined family members and friends to celebrate Abdulsalami, whose legacy of setting the country on the path of democracy and good governance, and passionate pursuit of peace continue

to yield results. Buhari congratulated Abdulsalami for another age, appreciating his patriotism and visionary leadership style of always advocating unity, projecting maturity and wisdom on national discourse, and providing a rallying point for the future of the country. He stated that the goodwill that Abdulsalami would continue to attract to the country both at national and international levels, particularly sacrificing his time and resources to reach out to individuals and on the need to work for the growth of Nigeria.

Buhari prayed God to increase his wisdom, strength and give him long life to keep serving the country. Also, Lawan in a statement by his Special Adviser on Media, Ola Awoniyi, rejoiced with Abdulsalami, his family, friends and numerous wellwishers on the occasion of his 79th birthday. He said the General would forever be remembered for his demonstration of uncommon statesmanship and patriotism by quickly guiding Nigeria into the Fourth Republic, which has been our country's

most enduring democratic dispensation. The Senate President praised Abdulsalami's efforts since his retirement in the promotion of peace, unity and good governance in Nigeria. He prayed to Allah to grant the general many more years in good health so that he can continue his selfless service to his fatherland. Bello, on his part, eulogised Abdulsalami, describing him as a "complete gentleman." The governor in the congratulatory message described the former Head of State as a patriot who

has remained consistent and a significant leader in the progress and development of the country. Bello, in the message by his Chief Press Secretary, Ms. Mary Berje, said: "The state and the country are indeed lucky to have an outstanding leader and statesman, who has consistently remained on the path of promoting national unity and integration as well as the pursuit of global peace. "Undoubtedly, your resolve to rededicate yourself to the service of our fatherland and humanity, in general, is a clear testimony

of your statesmanship and influence, which cuts across the length and breadth of this country. "At 79 years, General Abdulsalami Abubakar has remained a reference point for good governance, diplomacy and conflict resolution". Bello thanked God for granting Abdulsalami "a life of immeasurable accomplishment and fulfilment "and prayed Allah to grant him sound health, many more years of wisdom, courage and determination to continue to offer selfless service "to our nation and humanity."

Afenifere Rejects Buhari’s Plans to Reclaim Land for Open Grazing James Sowole in Akure The apex Yoruba sociopolitical organisation, Afenifere, has kicked against President Muhammadu Buhari’s position on open grazing. It also criticised the president’s appointments. In a statement yesterday in Akure, Afenifere said Buhari’s pronouncements on ARISE NEWS Channel showed he had lost touch with reality, adding that he should support governors facing a crisis in their states because he controls the security agencies. The statement by Afenifere’s National Publicity Secretary, Mr. Jare Ajayi,

expressed disappointment on the disclosure by the president that he had directed the AttorneyGeneral of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mr. Abubakar Malami, to re-open the grazing routes. It said: “We have some questions for Mr. President and the Attorney-General in this respect. One, who created the so-called grazing routes? At what time in our history did our founding fathers gather to designate specific routes from the North to the South as ‘grazing routes’? “Two, assuming without conceding, that there were so-called grazing routes, what would now happen to structures that have

been built in areas where the so-called routes are to be re-opened? Would such structures, including residences and factories, be pulled down so that cows would have places to graze? Compared to what would be lost economically, socially, politically and in security terms if these structures are to be pulled down, is it not better to encourage the building of ranches? We can go on and on.” Afenifere added: “The president’s pronouncement on this issue as well as his confession on how he determines who occupies positions at the national level seem to indicate that Buhari’s government is operating a

constitution that is different from the one that we all are aware of, that is, the 1999 Constitution. “For instance, Section 2 of the Land Use Act, the law governing land matters in the country, vests the administration and control of lands in a given state in the hands of the governor of the state. It is such that even when the federal government wants to use a portion of land, it has to seek the consent of the governor of the state concerned. “Since most governors in the country have outlawed open grazing in their respective states, on which land does the federal government wants to ‘open’

or ‘reopen’ its vaunted grazing routes? Why talking of grazing routes in this age when ranching is the fad in all civilised climes?” Afenifere also faulted the president on his claim that he appointed Major General Farouk Yahaya as the chief of army staff because of his experience. It said the appointment, “like many others made by Buhari’s government is in flagrant defiance of the federal character clause in the constitution as well as Section 5 (2) of the same constitution which states that “national integration shall be actively encouraged, whilst discrimination on the grounds of place of origin,

sex, religion, status, ethnic or linguistic association or ties shall be prohibited.” It added: “From all indications, only in a few instances does the federal government allow equity, fairness and empirical merit to characterise the appointments he made. Thus, most of the appointments being made were done in such a way that some sections of the country were being alienated.” Afenifere challenged Buhari to, as a matter of urgency, to send a bill to the National Assembly on restructuring and devolution of power if he wants Nigerians to believe that he meant what he said.

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COMMENT

Editor, Editorial Page PETER ISHAKA Email peter.ishaka@thisdaylive.com

BRAND LOYALTY AND STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT An organisation needs to align its needs to that of customers to enhance brand loyalty, writes Sola Oni

inancial market regulators, operators and quoted companies have faced the reality that the New Normal thrives on digital mode of doing business. It has also provided customers an instant opportunity to switch their brand loyalty at the click on button. But meanwhile, all brands need customer loyalty. This is to sustain customer retention, enjoy positive word of mouth and enthrone customer lifetime value. There are two perspectives to customer loyalty; companies’ executives may deploy some programmes for customers to build brand loyalty, but such programmes do not necessarily create brand loyalty. However, when an organization aligns its needs to that of customers, this leads to emotional engagement and brand loyalty is at its best. Every astute organization identifies the best customers, builds humanistic relationship in its core values, tap into the hidden needs and higher values of customers, and enter partnership to serve them better than the competitors. This helps to cement customer loyalty and insulate companies from competition. In the highly revered book entitled: Kellog on Branding by Kellog School of Management, the authors, Tybout and Calkins postulate that “Brands have a remarkable ability to impact the way people view products. Customers rarely just see a product or service; they see the product together with the brand. As a result, how they perceive the product is shaped by the brand. Perception, of course, matter most - how people perceive something matters far more than absolute truth. The question generally isn’t which product or service, is best: the question is which product or service people think is best.” Brand goes beyond a company’s logo and colour, they are just brand attributes. The heart of branding is the ability to deliver on promise. Arguably, the biggest single challenge brand leaders face is dealing with short-term financial needs while brands are essentially long-term assets. A brand can live for a century just as it can crash in a few days. Brand must be embraced by an entire organization from the security guard at the entrance, receptionist, customer service representatives and the entire staff. For instance, a rude security guard can discourage a high-net-worth customer right at the gate and the aggrieved customer will form negative impression of the company and propagate the perception to prospective customers. On a positive side, a happy customer goes about with positive words of mouth to attract more prospects for the company. Another pain point of a brand manager is clutter of millions of advertisements and promotions which consumers are bombarded with in every nano second due to advancement in Information and Communication Technology (ICT). Consumers are swimming in an ocean of choices. That is why they can switch from one brand to another seamlessly. A brand must be focused and unique to stand out. A great brand must have a sense of association. For instance, securities dealers, commonly referred to as stockbrokers must uphold the tenet of ‘My word is my bond”. This alone, if transparently executed, means integrity is associated

EVERY ASTUTE ORGANISATION IDENTIFIES THE BEST CUSTOMERS, BUILDS HUMANISTIC RELATIONSHIP IN ITS CORE VALUES, TAP INTO THE HIDDEN NEEDS AND HIGHER VALUES OF CUSTOMERS, AND ENTER PARTNERSHIP TO SERVE THEM BETTER THAN THE COMPETITORS

with the dealer. Such a brand promise enhances brand positioning. Top brands have brand policy. The companies are noted for creativity and innovation in both products and service delivery. Consumers are not discouraged by increase in the prices of their goods and services as they get value for their money. In the securities market, investors scramble for shares of major brands among the quoted companies. Weak brands stand for nothing. There is personal branding whereby individuals create and influence public perception by positioning themselves as authorities in their industry. They do this by elevating their credibility through differentiation. We have such people across sectors of the economy and polity. An individual must identify his uniqueness, build sustainable reputation on the things he wants to be known for. According to Forbes Magazine, an individual brand must be focused, genuine, consistent, tell a story, be ready to fail and bounce back, create a positive impact, follow a successful example, live his brand by separating it from personal life, let others tell his story and aspire to live a legacy. However, brands are not immune from failure. But a brand’s failure is not an overnight reputational damage. There must be warning signals. Enron and Wells Fargo did not destroy all trust in their brands overnight. They should have seen some signals before the bubble burst. Many companies have collapsed, and more are still collapsing. Some of them are not necessarily because of the tough operating environment but brand failure. Brands fail because of factors such as weak competitive analysis, rearview mirror syndrome such as when brands remain in their comfort zones, complacency, failure to innovate and absence of brand check or monitoring. At corporate level, branding works along with stakeholder engagement. This is a process that an organization involves people who may be affected by every decision it makes. It is important to strategic planning because it helps an organization to be proactive towards the needs and desires of every stakeholder in the value chain. By this, trust, confidence and buy-in of stakeholders can be secured before implementing key initiatives. An organisation can engage its stakeholders in varieties of ways, including use of passive communication by avoiding aggressive response to hurtful situation, tracking internet and other media postings to address their concerns, leveraging social media for advocacy, deployment of bulletins, brochures, letters, reports and websites for messages that do not require response, verbal information, conferences and public presentations, public-private partnership, grantmaking, use of surveys for focus groups, meeting with heads of shareholder groups, collective bargaining with workers through their trade unions, and using online collaborative platforms among others. Every chief executive that wants his company to stay ahead of the curve in this period of business uncertainty should place premium on the fundamentals of branding. Oni, Communications Consultant, Chartered Stockbroker and Commodity Trader, is the Chief Executive Officer, Sofunix Investment and Communications

NIGERIA IS OURS TO MAKE

Abimbola Adelakun, Kunle Ajibade, and others take a stand on the Nigerian crisis

ell before the federal government announced the ban on the microblogging platform, Twitter, on Friday June 4, 2021, its preference for heavy-handed and bellicose approach to public issues had become a matter of serious concern to citizens at home and abroad. Strikingly, this attitude is proceeding in the face of widespread insecurity, lack of economic opportunity, especially for young people, widening state-society disconnect, leading to deepening disaffection, growing immiseration, and socio-political ills too numerous to count. We, the undersigned, have collectively reflected on the current state of affairs in the country and consider it an act of public service to take a stand by speaking directly to the government. The immediate trigger for the Twitter ban was the platform’s deletion of a tweet posted on President Muhammadu Buhari’s handle, it having judged the tweet as not abiding by its policy. However, long before this incident, on which the dust is yet to settle, the government has exhibited a willingness to censor public debate, especially on social media. The proposed but defeated Social Media Bill of 2019 was an early signal of this position. In the aftermath of the #EndSARS protests of October 2020, the Minister of Information, Mr. Lai Mohammed, publicly declared that social media must be “regulated” in order to prevent the spread of “fake news.” Several media outlets and public commentators have identified a pattern between this official position and repeated and coordinated attempts at guiding personal access to telecommunications data through registration of NIN and other directives to telecommunications companies. There is a sense in which Nigeria as a country is going through a long, transitional period of democratic awakening, considering that the Fourth Republic marks the first sustained span (of 22 years) of civilian rule since independence. From this perspective, it is understandable that different aspects of society--political, economic, religious, and the like--come to belated awareness of its intrinsic value and significance. What appears like disorder from a purely statistical or empirical point of

view could then be perceived as a civilian body politic, a system of rule of law, slowly renewing itself away from the predatory, psychological violence of military rule. However, as the government under President Buhari has shown, a civilian government does not automatically make for a rule of law regime, or a democracy underpinned by the separation of powers marked by a just, humane, and transparent conduct of government. If the actions of the current government are anything to go by, a civilian government is clearly and unceasingly reversing the gains of nearly three decades of publicspirited citizens holding the government of the day to standards of democracy, whether such a government is led by a soldier or by a civilian. While campaigning for office, President Buhari presented himself as a “born-again democrat” and, once elected, swore to abide by the Nigerian Constitution. On the contrary, most of his actions and public positions as regards individual freedoms are unmistakably those of a dictator. He seems to act speedily only when there is a political enemy to be punished, retreating into a habitual lethargy as soon as the threat is eliminated. To many people within and without Nigeria, the Buhari of 2021 is different from the Buhari of 1984 only to the extent that the latter is older and not wearing khaki! This state of affairs is unacceptable, but it is not inevitable. Clearly, on the evidence of the global response to the Twitter ban, the government cannot hope to get away with this wilful traducement of individual rights that are enshrined in the constitution. The first step toward checking this situation is to insist on the primacy of the separation of powers between the three arms of the government, and the practical checks and balances it affords. The current national assembly is alarmingly in lockstep with the executive, merely rubberstamping the latter’s propositions, and for all practical purposes sitting idly by at a time of serious national emergency. The judiciary seems astonishingly rudderless, proof of which is to be found in a variety of anomalous developments, the most recent being a strike by federal judicial workers, which went on for weeks. Secondly, in bourgeois-liberal terms, the media are recognized as the “fourth estate,” with the intellectual and professional wherewithal to forestall acts of execu-

tive lawlessness, and failing that, sensitize the public to embracing means of redressing such acts. Although the press in Nigeria has an impressive history of standing as a vanguard of public interest, of recent it has lost its old luster. Of note is the general decline in the quality of public discourse and the susceptibility of media to misinformation, driven no doubt by the nature of new technologies of dissemination. Rather than bemoan this state of things or roll out censorious requirements, a truly democratic system should see in it an opportunity for a vibrant public sphere where, as the saying goes, the cream will rise to the top. Thirdly, we have those who see the current Constitution as flawed, and have called for its overhaul. Such calls have even assumed the approach of insisting on “restructuring.” Although the exact parameters of such restructuring would need to be worked out, we support the broad principle of restructuring in so far as it is meant as a holistic national conversation and makeover to address, and where possible repair, undeniable historical injustices, unhealed historical injuries of war and colonial and postcolonial political configurations, socioeconomic inequities, and sundry structural imbalances. While no constitution is perfect, there is a sense in which the current geopolitical structure of the country, founded on the juridical principles of the 1999 Constitution, and polices arising therefrom, unduly concentrates power at the center, to the detriment of the states and other constituent units. Restructuring, properly defined and stripped of political posturing, needs to be taken seriously, but restructuring is only one of several necessary interventions needed to rescue and reinvigorate the union. We are of the view that a transparent and consistent pursuit of the principles in the first two items serves as a starting point in addressing these ills, i.e., lack of separation of powers; the degraded- and degrading- quality of public discourse in the media; and the persistent, if sometimes confusing, agitation for “restructuring.” This is because, in the final analysis, among the most important duties of a government is the guarantee of the safety of its citizens and their individual freedoms. On this count, the Buhari government has failed woefully, and the responses of its officials have

been divisive, high-handed, and insensitive. A more equitable constitution stands to improve the discharge of these duties, but the task of stemming the tide of widespread insecurity, political disorder, and lack of economic opportunity cannot wait. President Buhari and his officials swore to uphold the constitution as it is. Their first task is to keep their oath of office, and this should not be done at the expense of the interests and rights of the citizens. So far, they have done little to dismiss fears in certain circles that fidelity to the oath of office is secondary in their calculations. To the proliferating calls in certain quarters for the dissolution of the union, we have two responses. First, centrifugal, separatist, and other varieties of self-determination agitation are not in and of themselves dangerous and should not be criminalized as seditious, traitorous sentiments to be violently crushed. Such agitations, which are legitimate expressions of the internationally recognized right to self-determination and are understandable products of justifiable disillusionment with the deepening dysfunction, should be handled delicately, so as not to inflame a volatile polity and so that we can separate legitimate and thoughtful struggles for regional autonomy, local developmental freedoms, and alternative national aspirations from bellicose nationalist posturing. Second, we are blessed with an incredibly rich, vibrant, complex and productive country that is worth preserving and reforming in the direction of justice, inclusion, and equity. It is true that these potentials have been routinely wasted, undeveloped, when not made to serve narrow sectional or parochial interests. Abimbola Adelakun, The University of Texas at Austin Akin Adesokan, Indiana University Kunle Ajibade, The News, Lagos Ebenezer Obadare, University of Kansas Moses Ochonu, Vanderbilt University Olufemi Taiwo, Cornell University Olufemi Vaughan, Amherst College Jacob Olupona, Harvard University Simeon Ilesanmi, Wake Forest University James Yeku, University of Kansas Oka Obono, University of Ibadan Farooq Kperogi, Kennesaw State University Toyin Falola, University of Texas at Austin Akanmu Adebayo, Kennesaw State University and others

T H I S D AY • MONDAY, JUNE 14, 2021

EDITORIAL APPOINTING LASU VICE CHANCELLOR The state government should end the all-too-familiar problem through a transparent selection process

he Lagos State government recently dismissed insinuations of surreptitious attempts to impose a new vice-chancellor on the state -owned university. It assured all stakeholders that the next vice-chancellor of the Lagos State University (LASU) would be selected based strictly on provisions of the law guiding such appointment as well as on merit. But despite these official assurances, there is a growing apprehension among critical stakeholders in the state that what should be a straightforward process has been marred by petty politics and underhand dealings. Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu will do well to move quickly in dispelling any such notion in the interest of LASU. For more than one year now, the state government has found it difficult to appoint a ninth substantive vice-chancellor to replace the last occupant, even after setting up two different committees for that purpose. There are allegations of clandestine plots to compromise THERE ARE ALLEGATIONS the selection OF CLANDESTINE PLOTS process to achieve TO COMPROMISE THE a predetermined SELECTION PROCESS TO end, with accusing ACHIEVE A PREDETERMINED fingers pointing in the direction of the END governor. This lack of faith in a process that has dragged on endlessly recently degenerated into a crisis, pitting the university’s Joint Council and Senate Selection Committee against the LASU chapter of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU). Unfortunately, crisis over the appointment of a VC has become deeply entrenched in the ivory towers, particularly in government-owned institutions, both in the states and at federal levels. Before the raging malady at LASU, a similar scenario had played out at the University of Ibadan, University of Lagos, Ambrose Alli University (AAU), Ekpoma, University of Jos (UNIJOS), Federal University, Oye-Ekiti and

Letters to the Editor

Federal University, Dutse, among others. In the case of the University of Lagos, the war of attrition was between the governing council and a VC who was deposed without due process.

T H I S DAY EDITOR BOLAJI ADEBIYI DEPUTY EDITOR YEMI AJAYI, DAVIDSON IRIEKPEN, 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 DIRECTOR PATRICK EIMIUHI 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

n all, what we have seen in recent times is that the office of the VC has been unduly politicised. It is often left to the whims and manipulation of the Visitors (president in the case of federal universities and governors for those owned by states) who regard the position as another form of patronage for their acolytes. But failure and disregard for laid down criteria that shut out distinguished scholars with proven teaching and research record can only lead to dire outcomes as we have seen in a few cases. Ultimately, it is the university that bears the brunt when standards are lowered to favour half-baked candidates with limited prerequisite qualifications. Meanwhile, the reason for the politicisation of the office is obvious. The post of the VC is attractive considering the influence whoever occupies the position peddles. VCs not only dispense patronage, they also chair the appointments and promotions committees, which also entitle them to determine external assessors of professorial candidates. By extension, they determine the career progression of many of their peers and colleagues. That is why many now lobby for the job. Although the Lagos State University Law gives Sanwo-Olu the power to appoint LASU VC as the university’s visitor, he has been accused of overbearing influence on the process through the dissolution of the institution’s 11th governing council based on the recommendation of a Special Visitation Panel he established. Unfortunately, this allegation is one of the grounds why the LASU crisis is festering to the point where there have been accusations and counter accusations between the school’s senate and academic staff union. This neither helps the university nor whatever point the governor is trying to prove. We urge the Lagos State government to expedite action by appointing a new VC for LASU through a transparent process.

TO OUR READERS Letters in response to speciﬁc publications in THISDAY should be brief (150-200 words) and straight to the point. Interested readers may send such letters along with their contact details to opinion@thisdaylive.com. We also welcome comments and opinions on topical local, national and international issues provided they are well-written and should also not be longer than (9501000 words). They should be sent to opinion@thisdaylive.com along with the email address and phone numbers of the writer.

JUNE 12 PROTEST AND DEMOCRACY IN NIGERIA

t is the inalienable rights of every Nigerian to free speech, lawful assembly and peaceful protest. Unfortunately, many Nigerians do not even know where our problem lies. We should be protesting for the autonomy of local government council, State Houses of Assembly, State Judiciary, etc. Many states are owing pensioners their pension, ranging from few months to several years putting those that have served Nigeria in pains and penury. States like Benue, Taraba, etc., are owing workers over one year salaries, etc. These should be the priorities of protesters, but it seems everyone is misguided to protest against the federal government. No nation can develop by looking solely on the federal government. If we do not hold our state governors accountable, then we are not ready for a change. If you like vent all your anger on Buhari, he is going to remain as President till his tenure expires. Sowore is shouting around deceiving some gullible Nigerians that Buhari Must Go. He is using these gullible people to collect grants from charities abroad to sustain his lifestyle in Nigeria. The same Sowore contested the last election with Buhari and got about 30,000 votes while Buhari got over 15 million votes, but he wants Buhari go to. Go where exactly? If you truly want a change of leaders, then use this same energy to organize yourself into structures, register, form a party and create an alliance of several small parties to form a formidable force. Unfortunately, all this protest will end and nothing will happen. During the last election, Sowore, Moghalu, Ezekwesili, etc., could not even form

an alliance to project a single candidate. All of them just want to show on their CV that they are presidential candidate. No one was truly interested in the Nigerian project. When Tinubu decided to play national politics, he decided to spend resources including money and time to form a formidable alliance, and he was also willing to remove himself from the scene to make the party work. Don’t also forget that when he formed the Action Congress earlier, he didn’t also rush to become the party flagbearer, he was willing to give Ribadu the party ticket. Those who truly want to create things beyond them are always willing to put their own personal interest aside for the greater good. No wonder the name Tinubu has become a scion on the Nigerian political landscape. You can hate or like him, but you cannot deny the fact that Tinubu is a sound political strategist and tactician who knows the game and plays it to win. So, except there is a formidable third force that is rising from the horizon as early as this moment, APC will still remain at the centre beyond 2023. APC have about 21 states and PDP about 14, so take it or leave it, whoever APC endorses as their presidential candidate is most likely the next president of Nigeria, except the party implodes, which is not likely. If you like petition the US, UK, UN and even mars, nothing will change. That’s the beauty of democracy. Happy Democracy Day to you all. Jonathan Ekperusi, Chairman NBA, Effurun Branch

GETTING THE MESSAGE OUT THERE

arely has a piece of clothing been such a symbol of change than with the two first ladies. America has moved from Melania Trump’s jacket emblazoned with “I Really Don’t Care, Do U?” to Jill Biden’s “Love”. As to the transition of Presidents we have moved from chaos and disunity to control and working for unity. This change in approach is a hope for the future of America and thus the whole world. The change in having a woman of colour in the VP role also provides a hope for a better future. The reality is of course that there is so much more to be done but at least this time the Presidential team is on task rather than on twitter. Dennis Fitzgerald, Melbourne, Australia

MONDAY JUNE 14, 2021 • T H I S D AY

T H I S D AY ˾ MONDAY JUNE 14, 2021

Group Politics Editor NSEOBONG OKON-EKONG

POLITICS

Email: nseobong.okonekong@thisdaylive.com 08114495324 SMS ONLY

M O N D AY D I S C O U R S E

For Nigerian States, Mounting Debts May Lead to Serious Negative Reaction from the Populace

Nseobong Okon-Ekong and Vanessa Obioha write that with the dire economic situation and the dwindling FAAC allocation, many Nigerian states are beginning to feel the pressure such that they are resorting to cutting costs

Buhari

Zainab Ahmed

Emeﬁele

Wabba

The total FAAC federal allocation for 2020 was N2.3 trillion while the total revenue generated as of the half year 2020 stood at N612 billion, a far cry from the money expended

to states. Lagos state while announcing its budget plan for the year said that it was prepared to take on more debt due to infrastructural gaps

and security needs. Its budget for 2021 was N1.163 trillion which was targeted at employment, infrastructural development, healthcare among others. As the commercial hub of the country, the state is poised to attract investors with the various infrastructural development programmes in place. Recently, it kicked off the Red Line Rail project as well as the launch of the First and Last Mile Buses to increase options of transportation for Lagosians. In a similar vein, the Rivers State Government recently launched the Rivers Cassava Processing Company funded by part of the CBN intervention facilities accessed by the state. According to Emefiele, the state has so far accessed N13 billion through the various interventions of the apex bank. The five least indebted states according to the report are Jigawa (0.74) N3 billion, Sokoto

n a recent interview with THISDAY, Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Godwin Emefiele emphasised the need for states to repay their debts. According to him, there are two aspects to the debts owed by states. “There are intervention facilities granted by the bank and there are bilateral facilities granted by the deposit money banks to them. They went to deposit money banks, they asked for loans and signed the offer letters with those banks and they gave their Irrevocable Standing Payment Orders (IPSOs) to the Federal Ministry of Finance that on a monthly basis the Minister should deduct from their monies and pay the banks for the loans they had taken. And I am aware that the banks had written to the Finance Minister and they had copied me that they want their money. If it was a bilateral loan, they should pay their loans. On the CBN intervention facilities to the state governments, we are engaging the National Economic Council (NEC) and the CBN is also insisting that its loans must be paid. But depending on the outcome of the discussion between the CBN, Minister of Finance and NEC, we would begin to take back the money we gave them,” he said. With most Nigerian states depending on federal allocation and not economically viable, the possibility of repaying their debts may be foggy. Besides, the unprecedented impact of the Coronavirus pandemic on the economy has stalled the growth of the economy. The CBN rolled out intervention facilities to help cushion the effect of the pandemic, but the economy is yet to record significant growth. In the first quarter of the year, the economy recorded 0.5% GDP growth against 0.11 growth in the last quarter of 2020. Nigeria’s total public debt as of December 2020 is N32.92 trillion The National Bureau of Statistics in its Domestic and Foreign Debt report for Quarter Four, 2020, disclosed that 61.40 per cent of the public debt was domestic, that is federal and state governments. It estimated the total states and Federal Capital Territory (FCT) domestic debt at N4.19 trillion. The top five states with the highest debt (in percentages) in the report were Lagos (12.15), Rivers (6.38), Delta (5.94), Akwa-Ibom (5.51) and Cross River (3.90). Out of the top five indebted states, only Lagos generated the highest revenue as of half year 2020. Its Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) was N204 billion and was followed by that of Rivers, N64 billion, while in the bottom five, the South-east state Ebonyi made the highest revenue, N6.3 billion, more than its counterparts in the region.

With most Nigerian states depending on federal allocation and not economically viable, the possibility of repaying their debts may be foggy. Besides, the unprecedented impact of the Coronavirus pandemic on the economy has stalled the growth of the economy. The CBN rolled out intervention facilities to help cushion the effect of the pandemic, but the economy is yet to record significant growth. In the first quarter of the year, the economy recorded 0.5% GDP growth against 0.11 growth in the last quarter of 2020

T H I S D AY ˾ MONDAY JUNE 14, 2021

MONDAY DISCOURSE

el-Rufai

(1.01) N4.6 billion, Ebonyi (1.06), Katsina as at September 2020 (1.15) N5.5 billion and Yobe (1.31) N3.9 billion However, of all the least indebted states, Ebonyi State seems to be diligent in improving the revenue of the state. The governor, Dave Umahi, is determined to turn the fortune of the state around for good with his development plans that cut across infrastructure, education and healthcare. For states in the northern region, security challenges may hamper any development plans they have. As noted by an Economist Gospel Obele, the majority of states will have to run a productive economy to pay the debts back. “Or they need to be making significant revenue that covers a good chunk of their expenses to be able to pay back. In a technical sense, most states will not be able to pay back.” His thoughts were echoed by another analyst of the economy who preferred to go with an alias Kelechi Lekan due to workplace rules. “Essentially, I don’t see the possibility of the state governments paying that loan in the short to medium term. I equally don’t see the CBN extending a waiver for the state governments too. If the CBN is to push with this idea of recovering the loans from the state governments, they would have to do so probably in collaboration with FAAC to deduct at source allocations for states for each month but that will lead to serious backlash between the FG and the state governments.” Even with states like Lagos and Rivers which seem to have a productive economy, the possibility of them paying back loans remain slim. “Except for Lagos, Rivers, and FCT, other states rely on FAAC for 80 per cent of inflows to meet their fiscal obligations. Even though the improvement in oil prices and, in turn, rise in government oil revenue, means the allocation of FAAC will consistently provide some form of respite to the state government in the short to medium term, other sources of inflows such as PAYE, Road taxes, MDAs revenue are gradually drying up. By implication, most states will continue to grapple with fiscal challenges, and obviously would not be able to comply with the CBN’s directive to pay up their debts within a short period,” argued Temitope Omosuyi, an investment strategist with Afrinvest. Already, with the economic situation and the dwindling FAAC allocation, states are beginning to feel the weight such that they are resorting to cutting costs. A good example was recently seen in the dispute between labour workers and the Kaduna State government In the coming days, we are likely to witness more industrial action by workers in the public sector bent on collective refusal to work under the conditions required by state governments. This may be due to a number of reasons, but it will be principally a reaction to dwindling resources available to state governments. Many state Chief Executives will offer conditions that are not negotiable to their employees and their plain indifference to the workers reaction may lead to protracted face-off that will further worsen the situation. “The dire state fiscal position has been further reinforced by the recent sack of workers in Kaduna State which snowballed into industrial action by the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC). Ekiti State has also hinted at cutting workers salaries. Sadly, the majority of the state governments have barely been able to pay the previous minimum wage of N18,000 let alone the new one of N30, 000,” said Lekan.

Umahi

Sanwo-Olu

Tambuwal

In his view, the CBN directive may likely fall on deaf ears and can also be seen as “somewhat a witch hunt following Edo State Governor Godwin Obaseki’s allegation that the CBN printed money to augment FAAC allocation.” The Edo State governor had earlier raised the alarm that the CBN printed money to augment the shortfall in the distribution of federation revenues to the three tiers of government in March 2021, although CBN has long debunked the claim. However, the implication of states not paying their debts will reflect in the debt profile of the country which will continue to spike. “This will be left for generations to offset,”

said Obele. Obele explained that one of the reasons states keep piling up debts is because “They have not been able to deploy initial development financing that we have accessed in different states into the core developmental needs of those states and until the debt is deployed correctly we will not be able to get enough productive returns that will position us to pay this debt later. “It’s like fetching water with a basket. States have collected so much money and with the huge cost of governance, government waste and lack of clear development priorities, a lot of those monies are poorly used and we

are back technically to structural issues and square one problems which include education, health, unlocking state and regional potential, fostering collaborations for development, enabling business environment among others. Development financing has not been fully deployed correctly into these areas and until we do so, we cannot unlock state potential for revenue generation and state prosperity. If this is not in place, the cycle will continue both at the state and federal level. CBN may likely provide a waiver or a structured loan repayment that may not see the light of day.” The way forward is for governments to make their states economically viable. To do that, Omosuyi advised that the immediate challenges to attracting sufficient investors (both foreign and domestic) should be addressed by the Federal Government and can be successful with the support of state governments. “At the moment, the major drawback to investment inflow is the consistent rise in the level of insecurity across the country. If the security of fixed capital cannot be guaranteed, regardless of the attractiveness of the fiscal and monetary policy, no investor would want to commit their resources. Having addressed the security challenges to a comfortable level, state governments can now begin to look at areas where they have a competitive advantage, particularly in specific sectors or sub-sectors like crop production, livestock, mining, forestry, just to mention a few. Thereafter, they have to develop a roadmap to make these sectors efficient, viable, and globally competitive by addressing the challenges across the value-chain through technology, and, in any case, embrace partnership with the private sector,” he said.

The possibility of the state governments paying that loan in the short to medium term. I equally don’t see the CBN extending a waiver for the state governments too. If the CBN is to push with this idea of recovering the loans from the state governments, they would have to do so probably in collaboration with FAAC to deduct at source allocations for states for each month but that will lead to serious backlash between the FG and the state governments. Even with states like Lagos and Rivers which seem to have a productive economy, the possibility of them paying back loans remain slim

T H I S D AY ˾ MONDAY JUNE 14, 2021

POLITICS

In Lagos, Sanwo-Olu Pays Closer Attention to Growth of the ‘New Oil’ Nseobong Okon-Ekong and Segun James write that Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State is paying a closer attention to the growth of technology infrastructure; and the tech space in order to birth more startups in a bold bid to realize his campaign promise under the broad headline- T.H.E.M.E.S. agenda-in the area of education and technology

n its ambition to make Lagos the technological hub of Sub-Saharan Africa, the state government in conjunction with internet giants, Google and Facebook is to build the biggest tech campus in Lagos. Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu who disclosed this when he took a tour of two major innovation and technology hubs within the state said that the government’s intervention is in the area of provision of technology infrastructure and to expand the tech space to accommodate more startups. The tech ecosystem, which will be sited in Yaba, is being developed by the State Government in collaboration with Facebook and Google. Accompanied by members of the State’s Executive Council, including Commissioner for Science and Technology, Mr. Hakeem Fahm, and Special Adviser on Innovation and Technology, Olatunbosun Alake, the Governor visited Venia Hub in Lekki and Impact Hub in Ikoyi, meeting scores of startups in the tech ecosystem for a roundtable discussion on expanding funding opportunities and infrastructure development. Venia Hub is an ecosystem housing Flutterwave and 100 other tech start-up companies. Impact Hub also has scores of startups operating in its ecosystem. Sanwo-Olu said the Yaba Technology Cluster, called K.I.T.E, an acronym for Knowledge, Innovation, Technology and Entrepreneurship, would be a free zone that allows the growth of funding and financing for innovative ideas generated by entrepreneurs in tech industry and FinTech space, adding that the ecosystem would also offer free labs for the use of startups to take their innovations from ideation to the next level. The Governor described technology as “the new oil” for Lagos - Africa’s largest megacity - to exponentially generate wealth and jobs for its young population, while also leveraging it in raising the status of State to attain Fourth Industrial Revolution. He said: “Technology is the new oil and the basic element for the Fourth Industrial Revolution globally. As a State with a massive population of young people, we need to play major role in the development of technology, which is an enabler to leapfrog into rapid socio-economic growth. We take technology as an important deliverable in our Government’s development agenda. “For us to make lasting impact in tech industry, we said to ourselves we needed to build the infrastructure to support the sector. We are building a tech campus on a 22,000 square meters land in Yaba, which we christen K.I.T.E. We are working with global brands in the tech space, such as Facebook and Google, to deliver this important technology hub. “We are currently laying 3,000 kilometres metropolitan fibre optic cables across the State to drop reliable and fast Internet connectivity in homes and work places. These are part of the infrastructure required as backbone for the tech industry to flourish and empower our young people in the space to take their businesses and ideas to the level of stability.” Aside the infrastructural initiatives, Sanwo-Olu said the state government had been providing support for start-

Sanwo-Olu

ups through the Lagos State Employment Trust Fund (LSETF) and Lagos State Science Research and Innovation Council (LASRIC), which provide grant opportunities for innovators and tech researchers. The Governor disclosed that two out of the 20 start-ups ideas supported through LASRIC last year had secured patents for their innovations and ready to transform into fully-fledged businesses that would create jobs. Sanwo-Olu said the State Government’s intervention in the technology space was about creating opportunities for the future and providing platforms to make start-up businesses thrive. He said: “The visit to your ecosystems today is for you to be assured that this government is not sitting back in taking steps to ease access. We fully

understand the role which technology plays in our lives and how technology is important to any society that wants to be relevant in coming decades. We are happy to be building the capability for Lagos, so that we can compete with other developed cities in the world.” According to Mr. Fahm, “The unified metro fibre project, which the administration of Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu kick-started, is a multi-year smart city programme in which we are installing 6,000 kilometre fibre optic cables across the state in two phases. In the first phase, which started last year, 3, 000km of fibre optics cables are being rolled out within the metropolis. The plan is to drop high-speed Internet connectivity into all communities within the state and extend it to our public schools, institutions of learning,

Lagos State Government’s intervention in the technology space is about creating opportunities for the future and providing platforms to make start-up businesses thrive. The visit to your ecosystems today is for you to be assured that this government is not sitting back in taking steps to ease access. We fully understand the role which technology plays in our lives and how technology is important to any society that wants to be relevant in coming decades. We are happy to be building the capability for Lagos, so that we can compete with other developed cities in the world

health centres, and all government offices and parastatals. We will also be using the digital infrastructure to enhance security and safety, as we will be installing security cameras in public places. This will also be deployed in our operations to achieve efficient traffic management.” The technology facility is a realization of Sanwo-Olu’s campaign promise under the broad headline- THEMES agenda-in the area of education and technology, which pays a closer attention to growth of technology infrastructure, and the tech space in order to birth more startups. THEMES represent Traffic Management and Transportation; Health and Environment; Education and Technology; Making Lagos a 21st Century state; Security and Governance. The six pillars of the Sanwo-Olu administration captures the administration’s dream for a ‘Greater Lagos’. The Governor had a roundtable discussion with some of the startups to communicate the state’s effort and how better the government could properly channel its interventions in the sector. Some of the startups had the opportunity to present their business models and innovative solutions to the government’s team. The engagement gave the Governor and his team the possible areas of intervention. LSETF Executive Secretary, Mrs. Teju Abisoye, said the agency had been providing support for over 38 partner hubs across Local Government Areas (LGAs) and Local Council Development Areas (LCDAs) in the state, stressing that the objective of the funding was to support startups from idea to exit stages.

T H I S D AY ˾ ͯͲ˜ ͰͮͰͯ

FEATURES

Group Features Editor: Chiemelie Ezeobi Email chiemelie.ezeobi@thisdaylive.com, 07010510430

Echoes of June 12 Democracy Day Chiemelie Ezeobi, Mary Nnah, Yinka Olatunbosun, Rebecca Ejifoma, Sunday Ehigiator, Ayodeji Ake, Chiamaka Ozulumba and Oluwabunmi Fache, who monitored the commemoration of the Democracy Day on June 12 and the protests, report the peculiarities of each state including the Federal Capital Territory

nnually, June 12 represents a huge significance for Nigeria and indeed Nigerians because on that day in 1993, a presidential election was held for the first time since the 1983 military coup and was the freest, fairest, and most peaceful election ever held in Nigeria before it was annulled by the then General Ibrahim Babangida regime. On that day, Nigerians shed the toga of ethnicity, class and religious barriers to elect their president after Babangida took over from Muhammadu Buhari in a bloodless coup in 1985. Hence, the annulment of that election significantly altered the history of Nigeria 28 years on. Democracy Day Essentially, Democracy Day marks the day the military handed over power to an elected civilian government in 1999, marking the beginning of the longest continuous civilian rule since Nigeria's independence from colonial rule in 1960. It is a tradition that has been held annually, beginning in year 2000. June 12 was formerly known as Abiola Day, celebrated in Lagos, Nigeria and some south western states of Nigeria before it changed to a national day of commemoration.

Protesters at Ojota The zero protest was probably due to the order on restriction of movement given earlier by Governor Okezie Ikpeazu. The governor had few weeks back, imposed an indefinite curfew in the state following reports of violence and insecurity in the state.

Change of Date Annually, Democracy Day was usually marked on May 29 until President Muhammadu Buhari in 2019 decided to change it to June 12, in honour of Bashorun Moshood Abiola, the acclaimed winner of the controversial June 12, 1993 presidential election. On the reason why the date for Democracy Day was changed, he said: "When this administration decided to change our Democracy Day from May 29 to June 12 in my first tenure, it was not only to honour the sacrifices of the men and women of our country who fought for the return to democracy but also to demonstrate our commitment to satisfy the aspirations of the people and creating an environment for democracy to be an accepted way of life." Democracy Day Speech In his speech on Democracy Day this year, President Muhammadu Buhari noted that as with all democracies, " we will always be going through improvement processes in our desire to reach the goal of a mature democracy, a strong, evolved and integrated nation state to be reckoned with globally. In the last two years we have witnessed and overcome a good number of testy challenges that would have destroyed other nations especially relating to our collective security. "The indefatigable CAN DO Spirit of the Nigerian has sustained us and would keep pushing us to put these challenges behind us. Unfortunately some of these challenges came in the shape of violent outrages leading to the loss of lives of many of our dear compatriots and the destruction of some of our infrastructure, including those devoted to improving our democratic processes. On insecurity he said: "When you elected me as your President in 2015, you did so knowing that I will put an end to the growing insecurity, especially the insurgency in the North-east, but the unintended consequences of our scattering them in the North-east pushed them further in-country which is what we are now facing and dealing with. We will, by the Grace of God put an end to these challenges too. "Unfortunately, like in most conflict situations, some Nigerian criminals are taking undue advantage of a difficult situation and profiteering therefrom with the misguided belief that adherence to the democratic norms handicaps this administration from frontally and decisively tackling them. We are already addressing these obstacles and we will soon bring some of these culprits to justice." On economy, he added that "we are, at the same time addressing the twin underlying drivers of insecurity namely poverty and

Kano There was heavy security presence in Kano metropolis because of the protest in the state. The security personnel which comprises men of the Nigeria Police Force, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), and Kano Road Traffic Agency (KAROTA), among others were stationed in strategic areas with their vehicles at alert to forestall any break down of law and order. The security personnel were observed in their large number around popular Gadan Lado and Dangi Bridge. It was gathered that some activists had planned to stage a protest in the ancient city of Kano with the convergence point at Zaria road by Zoo road. Kwara The Democracy Day celebration was peaceful in Ilorin, the Kwara State capital. Although security forces comprising soldiers, DSS, Police and members of the NSCDC manned strategic locations in the state capital, no major incidents were reported as witnessed in some parts of the country.

President Buhari youth unemployment. Interventions led by government and the Central Bank of Nigeria driving economic growth over the past six years are targeted mostly to the agricultural, services, infrastructure, power and health care sectors of the economy." Also, he said his vision "of pulling 100 million poor Nigerians out of poverty in 10 years has been put into action", adding that they were able to do all these and "still accelerate our infrastructure development through sensible and transparent borrowing, improved capital inflow, improving and increasing revenue through capturing more tax bases and prudent management of investment proceeds in the Sovereign Wealth Fund". On infrastructural revolution, he noted that it continues as he is focused on "ensuring that our infrastructure drive is key to economic growth and one that can be felt by every Nigerian. Building critical infrastructure in our ports is also opening up opportunities for the Nigerian economy." Protest Marred by Low Turnout For weeks, plans were put in top gear to organise a protest on Democracy Day to register their grouse displeasure with the state of the

nation amongst other things. However, despite the preparation prior to the democracy day, the peculiarities of the different states showed up. While some successfully carried out the planned protest, others did not for security reasons, especially states bedevilled by insecurity. From Abia to Adamawa, Akwa Ibom, Anambra, Bauchi, Bayelsa, Benue, Borno, Cross River, Delta, Ebonyi, Edo, Ekiti, Enugu, Gombe, Imo, Jigawa, Kaduna, Kano, Katsina, Kebbi, Kogi, Kwara, Lagos, Nasarawa, Niger, Ogun, Ondo, Osun, Oyo, Plateau, Rivers, Sokoto, Taraba, Yobe, Zamfara and FCT, the difference was quite glaring. Abia There was total calm in Abia State as businesses were opened and residents moved about peacefully with their normal daily activities despite protests against the annulment of the June 12 1993 presidential election. Major roads in Umuahia, like Bende ,IkoteIkpenne and Aba roads were all busy as usual while Aba Osisioma, Aba-Owerri Faulks and Azikiwe roads were also busy as security agencies were not seen patrolling the town except those on normal patrol duties.

Kogi Residents of Kogi State shunned any form of protests as most of them remained home. This may not be unconnected with the state governor, Yahaya Bello's directive asking them to ignore every form of protest within the state. Abuja The protest held in Abuja but they soon clashed with supporters of President Muhammadu Buhari at Unity Fountain. Meanwhile, policemen thwarted the protest in the Gudu area when they stormed the area and started firing teargas canisters. The protest began around 08:30 am and was going on smoothly with the protesters, mostly youths, expressing their dissatisfaction with the state of the nation. The protesters, who chanted “Buhari must go”, “Say no to injustice”, amongst other solidarity phrases, took to their heels and scampered for safety when the security operatives started shooting. Gombe Residents of Gombe went about their various activities unlike some states that commercial

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FEATURES activities ground to a halt. Borno Normal activities were recorded in Borno State capital, Maiduguri as citizens shunned the nationwide protests. Prior to the Democracy Day, the Arewa Youth Alliance, AYA, a coalition of socio-political groups on Friday had warned the organisers of the June 12 protests to steer clear off the northern part of the country adding that the country was yet to recover from the destruction caused by #EndSARS protests. Nasarawa No protest was recorded and this may not be unconnected to the worrying spate of insecurity. Kaduna In Kaduna, although the streets were deserted, there were no protests as residents went about their various businesses. Also, the heavy rains that fell proved a major impediment. Niger No protest was recorded and this may not be unconnected to the worrying spate of insecurity. Katsina No protest was recorded and this may not be unconnected to the worrying spate of insecurity. Sokoto No protest was recorded and this may not be unconnected to the worrying spate of insecurity. Taraba No protest was recorded and this may not be unconnected to the worrying spate of insecurity. Jigawa No protest was recorded and this may not be unconnected to the worrying spate of insecurity. Zamfara There was no reported protest in Zamfara and this may not be unconnected to the worrying spate of insecurity currently ravaging the state. Yobe No protest was recorded and this may not be unconnected to the worrying spate of insecurity. Bauchi There was also no protest in Bauchi State and this may not be unconnected to the worrying spate of insecurity. Adamawa Also, due to the consistent inter-communal clashes in some areas of the state and attack from suspected herdsmen and Boko Haram, the indigenes in Adamawa State did not join the nationwide protest for fear of the protest being hijacked by armed bandits to carry out more attacks. Kebbi There were visibly no signs of protest and this may not be unconnected to the worrying spate of insecurity currently ravaging the state. Oyo Ibadan youths on Saturday took to the streets to peacefully protest over insecurity and poverty. The protesters, who gathered at the popular Mokola roundabout in Ibadan for the June 12 rally, also held placards demanding an end to bad governance. Police, army, and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps were present at the protest ground. Ogun It was reported that policemen opened fire on peaceful protesters in Ijebu-Ode, Ogun State. Meanwhile, Ogun State Governor, Prince Dapo Abiodun, through a press release urged residents of Ogun State to celebrate June 12, Nigeria’s Democracy Day, peacefully and avoid any act that could threaten the security of the state and country. Ondo Although youths in Akure, the Ondo State capital dissociated themselves from the planned June 12 protest, the Chief Press Secretary to the monarch, Michael Adeyeye decried the growing rate of insecurity in the land and the

Protesters displaying diﬀerent banners growing panic among residents of Akure. In a press statement on the security challenge he said: "There are reported cases of gunshots in some areas in Akure. As youths, we are mobilising ourselves to defend our city against any external aggression". Osun Youths of Osogbo, Osun state protested on Saturday against bad governance and insecurity. It was learnt that the youths under the aegis of Coalition of Civil Society, Osun State converged on the popular Oke-Fai roundabout. No casualty was reported. Ekiti Several cities in Ekiti State were void of protests on Saturday June 12, as security personnel including the Nigerian army, police, NSCDC and Amotekun were stationed strategically at Fajuyi junction. Shops, kiosks and other business premises were under lock and key while a few commercial drivers and motorcyclists went about their businesses. Plateau Youths in Jos, Plateau State took to the street to protest against insecurity and hunger. YouTube videos seen revealed the protest was peaceful with no police interference. Rivers Amidst heavy security, members of the Civil Society led the June 12 protest at the Pleasure Park, Port Harcourt Rivers State. The rally was relatively calm with several police vans and personnel present at the protest ground. The state Commissioner of Police, Eboka Friday, stated that he had gone round the state and everywhere was calm including the 'small rally', which he termed 'peaceful'. Cross River In spite of the strong warning issued by Ben Ayade, the Cross River State Governor, Ben Ayade against any form of procession ahead of the Democracy Day event, the June 12 Protests in Calabar, Cross River State turned out to be massive as the protesters joined the nationwide protests to demand for improved governance. Furnished with placards that bore inscriptions such as, ‘Ayade pay owed salaries and pensions’, ‘Ayade Change your style of governance’; the protesters also joined their voices against the state government's persistent delay in payment of salaries and pension. While dispersing protesters with tear gas, Agba Jalingo, the publisher, Cross River Watch; human rights lawyer, James Ibor; News Editor, Cross River Watch, Jonathan Ugbal and Comrade Akawajiode Undie were arrested by masked policemen during the peaceful protest in front of the secretariat of Association of Cross River Online Journalists, ACROJ, which houses Cross River Watch and several other new media platforms. They have since been granted bail and released. Bayelsa Protesters who attempted to gather at the designated June 12 protest venue, Tombia Roundabout in Yenagoa, were met by roadblock mounted by the Nigeria police in the early

hours of Saturday. Benue Large number of protesters was seen in Benue as some youths in Benue North-Central gathered to register their displeasure against the Buhari administration. The youths had defied the calls by several security personnel in the state to shelve the nationwide protests. With many of them sporting the “Buhari Must Go" placards, they marched on the streets of Makurdi in the face of harassment by the police. Edo Civil society groups, students, and other displeased citizens in Edo State defied tight security to exercise their franchise to demand good governance and freedom from sufferings. It was observed that a combined team of security operatives were on ground to ensure no threat to lives and properties were recorded. The protesters had placards with inscriptions including “Enough is Enough", "Better Security", "Stop Capitalism”, “22 years after, we are back on the streets fighting for democracy”, and “respect human rights,” among others. The demonstrators marched through major streets down to the government house, where the state Deputy Governor, Philip Shuaibu, received them. Stating that it was their fundamental right to register their plight, they pleaded for better and more responsive governance. Ebonyi No protest took place across the state unlike what was obtained on May 30 for the sit-at-home day. Akwa Ibom No visible protest took place as residents went about their daily activities. In fact, shops and businesses thrived on that day. Anambra The people of Anambra state excluded themselves from the demonstration as they went about their daily activities peacefully. Like in Abia State, a curfew was placed in some areas of the state in response to reports of attacks on security personnel, police stations and checkpoints. So the indigenes could not join the June 12 protest. Enugu In Enugu, they shunned the demonstration by the Save Nigeria Group (SNG). The protest called for improved security, better governance, and general plights of citizens. While the state capital, Enugu, was peaceful, there were a few patrol vehicles and officers of the Nigeria Police Force at the square and other strategic locations in the city. Imo Following the ongoing incessant killings in Imo, residents did not join the nationwide June 12 demonstrations. According to the citizens on social media, they claimed that the Nigerian army would use the June 12 protest to carry out their alleged on sight shooting order in the South-east especially in Imo state. Delta In Delta, the acting PPRO, DSP Bright Edafe,

warned members of the public against embarking on protests in any guise, saying its operatives had already been placed on red alert. According to Edafe, the command “is aware of the planned protest by some agitated members of the public on of June 12, 2021 and is also aware that this protest is being staged by criminally minded individuals, hiding under the guise of peaceful protest thereby causing havoc in the state." Also, the Niger Delta Youth Congress (NDYC), disassociated self from planned protest. According to its National Coordinator, Comrade Israel Uwejeyan, he alleged plans by hoodlums to hijack protest across the country, especially in the Niger Delta region, to create chaos and civil unrest that could be bloody. Lagos Despite assurance from the Lagos State Commissioner of Police, CP Hakeem Odumosu, to residents to disregard any sit-at-home directives, and continue with their legal businesses, commercial activities in parts of the state were grounded, as protesters gathered around the Freedom Park, Ojota, in commemoration of the Democracy day. THISDAY visit to Ikorodu, Owode, Ketu, Oshodi, Ojota, and the popular Mile 12 International Food Market area and other parts of the state revealed that commercial activities were entirely grounded, as shops were under lock and keys. Also, only a few vehicles were also seen plying the usually busy roads leading to those parts of the state. In what could be best described as a ‘dramatic-twist of events’ following teargas, arrest, and manhandling of some protesters by men of the Lagos state police, in Ojota in the early hours of Saturday, Odumosu's swift intervention earned him accolades from the peaceful protesters. Earlier before the arrival of CP in Ojota, in a bid to disperse protesters, policemen had fired gunshots in the air, and fired teargas at the peaceful protesters. They equally harassed and arrested five persons among the protesters. The CP immediately ordered the release of the arrested protesters, who were only detained for barely three minutes, and immediately made his way to Ojota. Also before his arrival, some hoodlums based in the Ojota area had attacked the protesters with sticks and stones, asking them to evacuate the area while the policemen on ground watched on. This made most of the protesters run into hiding. However, there was a glimmer of hope in the faces of the protesters, upon the arrival of Odumosu, as many of the protesters who had gone into hiding immediately made their way back to the protest ground. Upon his arrival, Odumosu apologised to the protesters over the way they had been treated by his men, while also explaining to them that the action of the police was only aimed at clearing protesters off the exit and entrance points into the state. The police commissioner also affirmed that protest was a fundamental human right, thus, the protesters do not have any reason to seek permission for organising a protest exercise but should only inform the police command, so that they can be adequately protected by the police during and after their demonstration.

MONDAY JUNE 14, 2021 • T H I S D AY

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BUSINESSWORLD

Group Business Editor Obinna Chima

Email obinna.chima@thisdaylive.com 08152447875

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REPO

OVERNIGHT OBB

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S & P INDEX 22 23.50 25

INDEX LEVEL 1-DAY MONTH-TO-DATE

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EXCHANGE RATE -7.76% - 23.11%

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Quick Takes FirstBank’s Sponsored ‘Ayinla’ Premieres

BUSINESSEXPANSION

L-R: Chairman, Pacegate Limited, Marnoj Kirpalani; Indian High Commissioner to Nigeria, Abhay Thakur; Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Otunba Adeniyi Adebayo; General Manager, Project Authorisation and Certification, Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB), Engr. Paul Zuhumben and Managing Director, Pacegate Limited, UmeshArmanani,atthelaunchofPacegateEnergyAndResourcesLimited(PEARL),asubsidiaryofPacegateLimitedinLagos... recently ETOPUKUTT

Report: Tax, Cyber Threats, Policy Uncertainty Top Private Sector Worries Dike Onwuamaeze

ECONOMY

Business leaders in Africa, including Nigeria, have numbered new tax policies, cyber threats, policy uncertainties and over-regulation of private enterprises among the top business concerns that would affect businesses as they get set for the anticipated economic rebound in the post-COVID-19 pandemic era. These were some of the key features of the eight edition of PwC’s Africa Business Agenda 2021 report titled: “A Leadership Agenda to Take on Tomorrow,” that highlighted Africa findings of the PwC’s 24th Annual Global CEO Survey. The survey showed that CEOs in Africa were more concerned about the perennial challenges of policy uncertainty, tax uncertainty, over-regulation, and the fast-evolving reality of cyber threats than the pandemic and other health crises. The CEO for PwC Africa, Mr. Dion Shango, said: “In Africa, economic and policy uncertainty,

among other issues, have cast some doubt upon business leaders’ hopes for their own companies’ immediate growth prospects. Although there is a drop in optimism over the shortterm, African business leaders do see some opportunities on the continent – but overall, they are playing it safe. “The reasons for this gap in confidence vary from African countries … (but) despite the current uncertainty, many African business leaders have found that the COVID-19 pandemic has also unleashed extraordinary energy, creativity and resourcefulness within their organisations. “We can expect to see a continuation of accelerated digitalisation brought to the fore by the pandemic, which promises productivity, data-driven insights and other business benefits, but at the same time increases the threat of cyber-attacks and the spread of misinformation.”

According to the report, 82 per cent of the CEOs in Africa believed that changes in tax policy would constrain businesses to reconsider their cost structure. The PwC explained that fear of increased taxation stemmed from the logic that business should be made to repay debts taken by governments to provide the stimulus that mitigated the impacts of COVID-19 on their respective domestic economies and on individual citizens. It stated: “Upward pressures on government debts, coupled with the pandemic’s effect on economic growth and government’s revenues naturally raises concerns relating to increases in tax instruments to raise additional revenue. “This could include, for instance, digital tax, which could affect platform based companies that have profited during the pandemic. The introduction of additional taxes will inevitably result in increased complexities.” The survey also showed that more than 52 per cent

of the CEOs in Africa planned to significantly increase their long-term investments in digital transformation and implement initiatives that would yield cost efficiencies, cyber-security, data privacy, leadership, and talent development. The survey also showed that the CEOs viewed digital revolution as a bag of mixed fortunes that became a major source of anxiety to business leaders in spite of its positive transformation of business operations and value creation. “Now among the top three concerns in Africa, 54 per cent of CEOs on the continent say they are extremely concerned about cybersecurity, up significantly from 38 per cent last year. This response is likely influenced by the increase in high-visibility cyber-attacks during 2020 and the normalisation of remote working in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, which has exposed many systems to attack,” the PwC’s survey said. Furthermore, 68 per cent of Continued on page 26

Market Gains N224bn on Sustained Bullish Trading Goddy Egene The equities market maintained its positive performance for the second week running as investors swooped on stocks with attractive dividend yields ahead of first half (H1) 2021 interim declarations. The high demand lifted the Nigerian Exchange (NGX) Limited All-Share Index (ASI) by 1.11 per cent to close at 39,156.28, while market capitalisation gained N224 billion to close at N20.409 trillion. The market had rebounded the previous week after declining in May. Analysts had attributed the

CAPITAL MARKET decline in May partly to indecision among traders despite better than expected corporate earnings in the midst of weak economic data and rising insecurity challenges. “The low traded volume and mixed sentiment for the Month may is a reflection of inactive position of institutional investors as recovery yields in the fixed income space is diverting funds from the stock market,” an analyst had said.

However, the trend changed in first week of June as investors took position in expectation that interim dividends for H1 2021 would begin to roll in soon. The market extended its bullish trend to last week, leading to a gain of N224 billion. And analysts in Cordros Securities stated that they expect investors to continue cherry-picking stocks ahead of the H1-2021 dividend declarations this week. “With the recent development in the FI market, we are approaching an inflexion point; we,

therefore, see scope for increased buying interest from risk-averse investors. Notwithstanding, we advise investors to take positions in only fundamentally justified stocks as the unimpressive macro story remains a significant headwind for corporate earnings,” they said. Also, the value of trading increased last week as investors staked N12.831 billion on 1.058 billion shares in 17,854 deals, up from N N9.548 billion invested in 1.082 billion shares exchanged

First Bank of Nigeria Limited has announced that it was the lead sponsor of the movie titled ‘Ayinla’, which premiered yesterday. The movie is suspense-driven, narrating the life of Ayinla Yusuf, popularly known as Ayinla Omowura (an Apala musician), his rise to fame, his identity, the depth of his craft and music, and the basis for his relevance after his tragic death forty years ago as a result of a stab from his manager, Bayewu, during a bar fight on the 6th of May, 1980 in Abeokuta. Ayinlaisdirectedbymultipleaward-winningandgloballyacclaimedNigerian filmmaker and director,Tunde Kelani, and produced by Jadesola Osiberu. A statement from the bank quoted Kelani, who is filmmaker and founder, Mainframe Opomulero Productions to have said, “the making of Ayinla allows us to throw a glance over our shoulders to our often-neglected intangible heritage. Nigeria is blessed with huge cultural diversity and locked away are thousands of stories we can share with a global audience. “FirstBank’s partnership with us at this stage is not a mere coincidence, owing to its over hundred years of historical contribution in unlocking the hugepotentialsinNigeriawhichcanoffercontinentalandglobalaudiences”. According to the statement, bank’s sponsorship of ‘Ayinla’ affirmed it supportforthedevelopmentofartsinNigeriaunderitsFirst@artsinitiative. Expressing delight over the movie, Group Head, Marketing & Corporate Communications,FirstBank,FolakeAni-Mumuneysaid:“Forover127years, FirstBankhasbeenattheforefrontofnation-building;enablingNigeriaand Nigerians through resourceful partnerships to build the Nigerian creative industry value chain, especially the arts and entertainment sub-sectors. “Weremainproudofthissponsorshipthatcreatesanexcellentplatformto showcase Nigeria to the world as being part of a collective goal to continually keep dreams and hope alive; holding strong to our commitment to reignite cultural heritage.”

ALAT to Reward Customers

ALATusers nationwide with active accounts who have done at least three transactions in the last six months as well as referring other users are to be rewarded with cash prizes and may also win one of the three star prizes in the ongoing earn on the go campaign. According to a statement, at the beginning of this year, ALAT,Wema Bank’s digital banking app, had launched its earn on the go campaign, allowing members of its Trybe to not only earn money on the app but also stand a chance to win one of the three grand prizes at the end of the year. It stated that for the duration of the campaign, all ALAT users with an active account, who have carried out at least three transactions in the last six months would be given a unique referral code. “This code is used to track the number of referrals made from a single account, whereby a customer receives one thousand Naira for every successful invitation to join the ALATTrybe. “While referrals are ongoing, we will be tracking all our users’ progress and by December reward the top three referrers with prizes worth our one hundred thousand naira,” the bank explained in the statement. It stated that first-place winner would receive the grand prize worth N350, 000, while the second place and first runner up, would get a prize worth N200, 000, and finally the user that makes it to third place will be giving a prize worth N150, 000. “To reward the efforts of all participating users, a quarterly raffle draw will be held twice in the year, where twenty people from the list of top hundred referrers will stand a chance to win N10, 000,” it added.

Vivo Launches New Smartphone

Vivo has launched the V21/V21e smartphone to make professional smartphone imagery accessible to all users. The innovation is the latest in vivo’s longstandingV-series of smartphones, “which has a long history of providing consumers with fashion-forward, camera-focused devices at competitive prices,” a statement explained. It noted that theV21e features a 44MP AF Front Camera which combines AI Night Portrait for a rich photography and videography experience and the V21 boasts of a unique Optical Image Stabilisation (OIS) on the front and rear cameras all designed in a bid to enhance everyday life for users. Also, the new vivoV21e brings together vivo’s best-in-class front-camera hardware,combinedwithcutting-edgesoftwareandautofocusfeaturesfor clearer images, better night shots and more stabilised videos in 4K quality.

“Our focus is to become an aggregator inAfrica and we are building a global payment gateway and providing trade finance support and correspondent banking across the continent. We are focusing on the key markets”

CEO, Access Bank, Continued on page 26

Herbert Wigwe

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BUSINESSWORLD REPORT: TAX, CYBER THREATS, POLICY UNCERTAINTY TOP PRIVATE SECTOR WORRIES the CEOs in Africa believed that the global economy would improve during the next 12 months. Yet, their optimism about a rebound in the global economy would not translate into improved short-term prospects for their own businesses. The survey stated that only 30 per cent of Africa CEOs were confident about their company’s short term growth prospects in the next 12 months though they showed optimism regarding their revenue growth prospects over the next three years. The survey also showed that most business leaders would retain the management approach they embraced during the peak of the COVID-19 crises. According to the survey, “fast, high-quality decisionmaking will be on the top of most leaders’ ‘keep’ lists. Priorities include ensuring top management is focused on the big issues that matter most, engaging with people up and down the organisation, revisiting critical decisions frequently, and pushing to understand unintended consequences.” MARKET GAINS N224BN ON SUSTAINED BULLISH TRADING

in 17,933 deals the previous week. Meanwhile, the Financial Services Industry remained the most active with 714.677 million shares valued at N5.951 billion traded in 9,718 deals, It thus contributed 67.53 per cent and 46.38 per cent to the total equity turnover volume and value respectively. The Consumer Goods Industry followed with 97.181 million shares worth N3.297 billion in 3,006 deals, while the third place was occupied by ICT Industry, with a turnover of 75.987 million shares worth N583.715 million in 679 deals. Trading in the top three equities namely Zenith Bank Plc, Sterling Bank Plc and Fidelity Bank Plc accounted for 261.344 million shares worth N2.712 billion in 2,862 deals.

NEWS

FG, BOA Sign MoU on Public Service Entrepreneurship Programme Olawale Ajimotokan in Abuja The federal government and the Bank of Agriculture (BOA) have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on the implementation of the Federal Public Service Entrepreneurship Programme on agriculture. Through the MoU signed with the Managing Director of BOA, Alwan Ali Hassan, the Office of the Head of Service of the Federation and the Public Service Institute of Nigeria (PSIN) would adopt agripreneurship start-up scheme for serving officers and hold pre-retirement training and business start-up schemes for prospective retirees. To enable the full implementation of the programme, the Head of Service of the Federation, Dr. Folasade Yemi-Esan, inaugurated the Project Steering Committee and the Project Implementation Committee to provide policy guideline and enabling environment to allow civil servants go into farming while in service as well as after retirement as permitted by the Nigerian constitution. She urged civil servants to take advantage of the opportunity offered so that by the time they retire they would have paid off the loan by BOA. Yemi-Esan described the initiative as the first in the series of initiatives pioneered to ensure that the welfare of civil servants is accorded a place of priority

during and after service. Also, in order to ensure the sustainability of the programme, there was the creation of a federal public service farm estate, an integrated agriculture estate farm featuring the entire agriculture value chain. The Permanent Secretary, Service Welfare Office (SWO),

Dr. Evelyn Ngige, said the public service farm estate would ensure the self-sustenance of the entrepreneurship programme within a short period. She said loan payment would be made from the profit from the farm only and repayment schedule is to be based on each agric products.

Ngige said government was also working with the Bank of Industry, SMEDAN, Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board and Industrial Training Fund (ITF) for retirees that are interested in going into oil and gas. In his remarks, Hassan described the agric value chain

as very large. He urged civil servants to key into the areas they have interest and expertise in particularly farming, fishing, livestock, poultry. He urged them to approach any of the bank’s over 100 outlets across the country on the possibility of opening of an account or other relationships.

COURTESYVISIT

Managing Director, Nigerian Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA), Dr. George Moghalu (left), receiving a plaque from the Inspector General of the Police (IGP), Usman Alkali Baba, when Moghalu paid the IGP a working visit at the police headquarters in Abuja... recently

Importers Reject Increase in Cargo Handling Charges by PTOL Eromosele Abiodun Importers and licenced customs agents in Port Terminal Operators Limited (PTOL) at the Port Harcourt main port have expressed their grievances over the recently introduced new handling charges by management of the company. PTOL management was said to have reintroduced invoices bearing exorbitant rates to the chagrin of importers and customs agents, a development that has allegedly led to a temporary suspension of berthing meetings by key shipping stakeholders in the port. Consequently, goods worth billions of naira may have been

stranded in the terminal since big players such as Dufil, Royal Salt, BUA, are frequent users of the port. A shipping agent, Peter Okocha said the new rates not only violate laid down rules of engagement and stipulated yearly percentage increment but it is an abuse of trust, which may lead to importers diverting their vessels or cargo elsewhere henceforth. “How do you want people to survive or cope with the resultant increment in cost of goods and service that this increment will portend? PTOL suddenly changed a bill of N6 million to close to N50 million for me, is that not some 900 percent raise?

“The same thing goes for other massive bulk cargo importers. With Naira value depreciating daily, you now add these exorbitant charges plus the new official exchange rate by the Nigeria Customs Service. “Things will certainly not augur well for both the rich and the poor and the economy that is already weak. If care is not taken, most importers might dump PTOL and return to Lagos. “This will negatively impact importers businesses and increase the cost of goods to the poor masses and some importers may close down and as well some people will lose their jobs,” lamented the shipping agent who is also a customs agent.

Also speaking, Peterson Babalola, decried PTOL’s inability to improve on infrastructure in the port. He wondered why PTOL could not respect both the NPA, who are the Landlord and the Nigerian Shippers’ Council, which is the port economic regulator. The Nigerian Shippers’ Council had intervened severally cautioning all port terminal operators to be circumspect and considerate when reviewing their terminal handling charges considering the impact of the decision on the economy. In a recent memo, the Nigerian Shippers’ Council warned that port handling charges review

would be done on performance basis after due consultation and not unilaterally by the port operators. According to the memo, “Unilateral increase in charges/ introduction of the new tariff headings and charges constitutes a direct disregard of Nigerian Shippers’ Council (Local Shipping Charges on Import and Export) Regulation 1997 and Nigerian Shippers’ Council (Port Economic) Regulations 2015.Consequently, all service providers are by this notice reminded that: Review of charges/introduction of new tariffs headings and charges shall be subject to the guidelines provided by the Nigerian Shippers’ Council.”

Report: Cyber-attacks During COVID-19 Enhanced Security Skills Emma Okonji Group Business Editor

Obinna Chima

Capital Market Editor

Goddy Egene

Comms/e-Business Editor

Emma Okonji Asst. Editor, Money Market Nume Ekeghe Senior Correspondent

Raheem Akingbolu (Advertising) Correspondents

Chinedu Eze (Aviation) Eromosele Abiodun (Maritime) James Emejo (Finance) Ebere Nwoji (Insurance) Chineme Okafor (Energy) Emmanuel Addeh (Energy) Reporters

Nosa Alekhuogie (ICT) Peter Uzoho (Energy)

Sophos, a cyber-security firm has released the findings of its latest global survey, tagged ‘The IT Security Team: 2021 and Beyond,’ which showed how increased security challenges during the pandemic offered IT teams in Nigeria and beyond, a unique opportunity to build their cyber-security expertise. According to the report, the vast majority of IT teams in Nigeria that faced a rise in cyber-attacks of 87 per cent and a heavier security workload of 91 per cent, over the course of 2020, strengthened their security skills and knowledge. The report revealed that despite the challenges created by the

pandemic, 52 per cent p of the IT teams surveyed globally, said team morale increased during 2020. The increase in cyber-attacks during the pandemic impacted Information Technology (IT) security skills across all industry sectors covered in the survey, including, at a global level, education at 83 per cent, retail at 85 per cent and healthcare at 80 per cent. The survey polled 5,400 IT decision makers in mid-sized organisations in 30 countries across Europe, the Americas, Asia-Pacific and Central Asia, the Middle East, and Africa, Including Nigeria. Analysing the report, Principal Research Scientist at Sophos,

Chester Wisniewski, said: “Around the world, 2020 was an unprecedented year for IT teams. IT professionals played a vital role in helping organisations to keep going despite the restrictions and limitations necessitated by COVID-19. Among other things, they enabled education institutions to move learning online, retailers to switch to online transactions, healthcare organisations to deliver digital services and care under incredibly tough circumstances, and ensured public entities could continue to provide essential services. “Much of this will have been done at high speed, with limited equipment and resources available and while facing a rising

tide of cyber-attacks against the network, endpoints and employees. To say things were probably pretty stressful for most IT teams is an understatement.” Wisniewski further said: “However, the survey shows that in many cases these challenges have created not just more highly skilled, but more motivated IT teams, ready to embrace an ambitious future. “As a growing number of countries are able to start planning for life beyond pandemic restrictions, we have an excellent opportunity to implement new IT and security policies, adopt more secure modern tools to manage employees and operations beyond the IT perimeter, build expert teams that blend in-house and

out-sourced talent, and introduce security platforms that combine intelligent automation with human threat hunting expertise. There is no going back. The future may be just as unprecedented as the past.” The main findings of the report showed that, “Demands on IT teams increased as technology became the key enabler for dispersed and digital organisations. Overall IT workload, excluding security, increased for 66 per cent of IT teams, while 69 per cent experienced an increase in cyber-security workload.” According to the report, the overall experience of 2020 enabled 82 per cent of IT teams to build their cyber-security skills and knowledge.

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Technology is the New Oil, Says Sanwo-Olu Emma Okonji and Ugo Aliogo The Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has described technology as, “the new oil” that could exponentially generate wealth and jobs for Lagos residents. Sanwo-Olu also reiterated the commitment of the state government to drive development in the state through technology. The governor said the state would be building the largest technology hub in Africa, to train startups that would develop tech solutions

for technology advancement. Sanwo-Olu, who disclosed this recently in Lagos when he led members of his Executive council to a visit of two Lagos Innovate Partner hubs, stressed that technology is the basic element for the fourth industrial revolution globally. He explained that as a state with a massive population of young people, there was need to play a major role in the development of technology, which is an enabler to leapfrog into rapid socio-economic growth. He also said the state govern-

ment would take technology as an important deliverable in the administration’s development agenda. According to him, “For us to make a lasting impact in the tech industry, we said to ourselves we needed to build the infrastructure to support the sector. “We are building a tech campus on a 22,000 square meters land in Yaba, which we christen K.I.T.E. We are working with global brands in the technology space, such as Facebook and Google, to deliver this important technology hub.

“We are currently laying 3,000 kilometers metropolitan fiber optic cables across the State to drop reliable and fast Internet connectivity in schools, hospitals, and other key locations. “These are part of the infrastructure required as the backbone for the technology industry to flourish and empower our young people in the space and take their businesses and ideas to the level of stability.” Meanwhile, the governor who also spoke at the second edition of Girls in Tech initiative held at the Eko Innovation Centre, at the

weekend, described technology as the driver of future development, saying Lagos was prepared to invest in tech startups that will develop tech solutions for digital transformation. “Technology gives as the opportunity to leapfrog and as a government, we will not be left out in the process of catching up with the opportunities that technology provides for us. “Last year, Lagos State government, through the Lagos State Research and Innovation Council, gave out over N250 million to different tech start-ups in Lagos

to support them. This year, we will do more,” he added. He said with technology solutions developed by start-ups from Eko Innovation Centre, government would be more accessible and could provide more technology-driven services that are quicker, cheaper and faster to the people. “We are in this technology development together and we will support start-ups from Eko Innovation Centre and from other technology hubs in Lagos to acutualise our dream of making Lagos a smart city for all.

Sahara Group Urges WTO to Promote Equitable Trade, Access to Energy The Executive Director, Sahara Group, Kola Adesina, has said the World Trade Organisation (WTO) needs to galvanise the interest and support of various stakeholders to promote equitable global trade relations and energy access in Africa where almost 600 million live without electricity. Adesina who spoke on, ‘Redirecting the World Trade Organisation’ at the virtual 2021 Horasis Global Meeting said deploying multilateral engagements would help circumvent the status quo that has made global trade relations “somewhat lopsided.” Horasis is one of the foremost annual meetings of the world’s leading decision makers from business, government and civil society. “The WTO must ensure that multilateralism guides its decision making. The countries of the world are not all on same pedestal, there should be consideration for the poor countries. The WTO should create a system where countries come together

to create a united front to handle the issues the world is facing,” he said. Adesina explained that multilateral strategies would create, “elastic solutions” that could be adapted with respect to the unique challenges and opportunities across global trade blocs. He argued that while sustainability should be the ultimate driver of development, concessions need to be in place to effectively manage the current challenges of less developed continents. He stated: “Africa still suffers from the twin challenge of access versus affordability of electricity. We all need each other to solve the global challenges we face as individual countries and the world. A strong commitment is needed to maintain open and free trade; to keep open borders and to help the poorest countries, particularly least developed countries, survive the economic shock created by the Covid-19 pandemic.”

Honeywell Flour Mills Introduces New Product Nume Ekeghe Honeywell Flour Mills Plc has introduced its new spaghetti mini pack as part of efforts to develop pocket-friendly products to customers. The product was introduced at an unveiling ceremony held recently in Ogun State. The launch was attended by the company’s key executives. They included the Managing Director of Honeywell Flour Mills, Lanre Jaiyeola; Director of Manufacturing Operations, Ifeanyi Abadom; Head of Operations, Sagamu, Tunde Adebayo, and Consumer Marketing Manager, Esther Tontoye. According to the company, the launch of Honeywell Spaghetti Mini was based on extensive research and insight into the Nigerian consumer behaviour over the past decade. The product was specifically developed to meet the expectations of today’s Nigerian consumer market, it added. The Spaghetti Mini 200 gm pack has a retail price of N100, fulfilling the company’s drive for affordability. Commenting on the launch of the product, Jaiyeola said: “Honeywell Flour Mills is a key player in the food manufacturing business in Nigeria today and

our consumers play a pivotal role in this regard. “This new product is the first of its kind in the pasta category and we are happy to have introduced it to the Nigerian market. “We are more than delighted to launch this innovative product in response to our observation and findings into Nigeria’s consumer behaviour and the push for convenience,” he added. As a customer-centric organisation, “we continue to look for diverse and innovative ways to satisfy our consumers optimally. Innovation for us remains the yardstick which we believe will allow us to deliver even more superior products. “And we will continue to fulfil our core objective - to support the food security agenda of the government by producing good quality, nutritious and affordable food products for the complete satisfaction of Nigerians.” Buttressing Jaiyeola’s statement, Abadom, said, “the Honeywell Spaghetti Mini is a unique product that will satisfy a yearning for convenience in Nigerians. And with the development of this product, we have ensured that the policies, desired standards and quality set for ourselves are being surpassed.”

PROMOTING INNOVATION

L-R: Founder, Eko Innovation Centre, Mr. Victor Afolabi; Lagos State Commissioner for Agriculture, Abisola Olusanya; Special Adviser, Innovation and Technology to the Governor of Lagos State, Tunbosun Alake; Founder, Africa Agility, Aanu Gopald and Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, at the second edition of the ‘Girls in Tech Bootcamp’ held in Lagos...recently

TGI Group Wins Awards The Tropical General Investments (TGI) Group, a global conglomerate won laurels at the recent award ceremony of the Chartered Institute of Personnel Management (CIPM) and the maiden Nigeria Employers’ Consultative Association (NECA) 2020 Employers’ Excellence Awards. A statement explained that the TGI Group shone brightly by winning two highly coveted prizes at the 2021 CIPM Awards. Group Managing Director of TGI Group, the parent company of WACOT Rice, Rahul Savara, Cormart, TGI Distri, CHI Pharmaceuticals and many more, won the, “People First CEO Award” for his support to employees and ensuring business continuity, while the Group took the, “People First Safety Award for Organisations” for its commitment to its employees and communities during the Covid-19 pandemic. The CIPM, the governing Human Resources professional body in Nigeria, organised the awards in collaboration with the Institution of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH), an organisation for safety and health professionals worldwide. The awards were given to TGI Group and its GMD at the CIPM People First and Safety Awards to recognise and celebrate heroes and organisations that prioritised the well-being of employees during the pandemic. “TGI Group also won the award for the ‘Best and Respon-

sible Practice in Agro & Agro Allied Services at the NECA event in Lagos. The NECA award is geared towards promoting and encouraging best practices in corporate performance, people management and industrial relations practices among employers in Nigeria,” it added. Commenting on the awards, Corporate Affairs Director, TGI Group, Sadiq Kassim, expressed delight at the triple honours and affirmed the Group’s commitment to excellence and staff welfare. Kassim noted that despite the challenges of 2020, TGI Group lived up to its responsibilities to employees and communities across Nigeria. Kassim further said: “Indeed, 2020 was a challenging year globally given the pandemic and the imperative for business continuity across our Group. We appreciate the recognition from various quarters, it is a testament to the commitment of our Leadership team to the humane treatment and career development of our people.” Also commenting on the award, TGI Group HR Director, Tominiyi Oni said: “this award is dedicated to every Tropical General Investments Group associate. They have worked tirelessly to ensure business continuity despite the challenges. We do not intend to relent in maintaining excellence as the gold standard of our operations while prioritising staff welfare.”

COVID-19:NGOCallsfor Inclusion of CSOsinDecision-making Ugo Aliogo The Executive Director, Nigeria Network of NGOs, Oluseyi Oyebisi, has appealed for the inclusion of Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) in the COVID-19 decision-making framework. According to a statement signed by Oyebisi, there has been an increase in demand for services delivered by non-profits organisations across the country, adding that findings show that the pandemic has offered fewer promising signs of improvement in relationships and collaboration between civil society and authorities. He also stated that CSOs have been at the core of providing support to the vulnerable as Nigeria responds to the COVID-19 pandemic. “From providing food palliatives, financial support, information, and awareness-raising, access to health care services through to being involved in the debate and advocacy around vaccine rollout, civil society organisations have been at the core of providing support to the vulnerable as Nigeria responds to the COVID-19 pandemic,” he noted. According to him, after a difficult year, the urgency of the pandemic ought to have seen more engagement between CSOs and government in working more closely to respond to immediate challenges, “we see across communities however this is not the case.” He further stated that ahead

of the work being done by the Presidential Steering Committee on COVID-19 and the May 10 phased restriction of movement, CSOs more than before need to be included in the framework for decision-making. He remarked that it was important that there are clear criteria to guide decisions on whether to maintain, tighten or relax the lockdown one which must be guided by evidence through citizens participation— crowdsourcing ideas, comments, “and recommendation through carefully established platforms for engaging citizens and citizen organisations in the decision-making process for keeping the virus away from creating further harm.” He posited that they have taken steps to contain the virus are unprecedented and have changed life as those efforts are centered around the principles of human dignity, autonomy, respect, and equality. According to him, “The defining factor in the country’s response however is how citizens have responded to the public health advice and directives from the government. “We have seen too great extent defiance on the part of citizens. This again calls to mind the Resolutions from the 66th Ordinary Session of the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights (the Commission) in August 2020 which should serve as some refresher for the Presidential Steering Committee on COVID-19.”

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FX Markets Turnover Declines Further to $688m

Total Energies Nearing 100% Local Content in Operations, Says MD Emmanuel Addeh in Abuja Managing Director of Total Energies, Nigeria, Mr Mike Sangster, has stated that some of the company’s major operations now incorporate almost 100 per cent local Nigerian content. Sangster, while speaking on a panel session at the just concluded Nigeria International Petroleum Summit (NIPS) in Abuja, noted that there has been a huge growth in that direction in the last few years, adding that the next step should be its sustainability. “Because the spotlight is always on the industry, you know big oil doesn’t have a good reputation anywhere, that’s an easy target to the press all over the world. So, I think for us, for me, one of the aspects of sustainability is local content. “The industry, I think, has been proactive in developing local content. If you look at some of the things that our company has done, at very high levels, it’s almost 100 per cent of local content. “There has been a big growth in local content. it’s important it continues. I think it’s important to see an active service sector, to grow the capabilities which is good for the country,” he said. While noting that a huge portion of the Egina project was executed in-country, Sangster explained that public opinion is now in the direction of renewables, saying that as an industry, the operators in the oil and gas business must demonstrate responsibility and transparency. However, he said it was disappointing to see that there’s only 10 per cent utilisation of some facilities in the country, noting that it’s important for the industry to

have a regional approach to be able to deliver to other markets. On a separate panel with the theme: “New Strategies for the New Era,” the Deputy Managing Director, Deep Water, Total, Mr Victor Bandele, stated that Nigeria has not fully taken advantage of its oil and gas facilities. Bandele noted that even within Africa, collaboration has been quite rare, explaining that the joint use of oil and gas facilities will help drive down costs in the industry. “Look at our onshore assets and look at the way the blocks are allocated. I look at the infrastructure that we’re putting in place and you ask whether collectively as a country, we have taken the full benefit of this footprint. The big answer is no. “Collaboration for me is talking to one another, asking what I can get from you and what you can get from me in process facilities and tie backs. All the fields that we have might be very close to SPDC on a field that I want to develop. “It might be better for me to tie to SPDC rather than tie to myself. And these are the opportunities that I see, going forward, that we need to capitalise on. If we do this, we will have lots of opportunities like this. There’s a lot of collaboration, lots of discussion around the best methods to tie new small fields to existing infrastructure. “ I think this is one area that we need to really push, especially with the new licences that will be awarded to the marginal field operators,” he noted. On the African business landscape, he described as shameful, a situation where even within the continent, it’s very difficult to sell or to import things that are wasting in one African country to another.

The National Pension Commission (PenCom), in a bid to cover up the gap created by the COVID-19 pandemic in the conduct of its physical enrollment and verification exercise for retiring government workers, has developed a robust online enrollment application system with which it has targeted to capture 21,000 retirees between 2020 and 2021 but were yet to be verified because of the pandemic. The commission, said with the development of the system, it would cease to conduct the usual fiscal verification exercise it conducts for retiring government workers to determine the quantum of their accrued rights each year. PenCom at a four day workshop for Pension Desk Officers of the Treasury-funded Ministries, Departments and Agencies in the South-west zone held in Lagos, said the system would enable respective retirees to seamlessly effect their enrollment anywhere they are without bothering to see the commissions’ officers . PenCom Commissioner, Technical, Anyim Nyerere, said after the workshop, the commission would in the next two months commence the online enrollment exercise. He noted before now, the commission had maintained its culture of conducting annual

Transactions in the FX Spot, Forwards and Futures markets on the FMDQ Securities Exchange witnessed further decrease, declining by 35.62 per cent to $688.72 million from $1.069 billion two weeks ago. The decline in turnover was driven largely by the 20.55 per cent ($139.06 million) decrease in the FX Spot turnover from $676.80 to $537.74 million The drop in FX Derivatives

physical retirement verification and enrolment exercise on the federal government of Nigeria employees of the Treasury Funded Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) scheduled for retirement within the next fiscal year. He said the exercise enables the commission validate and determine retirees’ accrued pension liabilities for budgetary allocation by the federal government. Nyerere, however, regretted that between 2020 and 2021, the commission was unable to do this because of the pandemic and the fact that the exercise usually pulls large crowd together. “PenCom regrets their inability to conduct this physical annual pre-retirement enrolment exercise due to the Global Covid-19 pandemic. The need to observe the necessary safety measures as directed by the government thus becomes inevitable. “The PDOs and the public within the pension industry will appreciate the challenges in not conducting the physical pre-retirement enrolment exercise. “Hence, the Commission’s desire to ensure that this exercise must be done so as not to affect the validation and determination of the accrued pension liabilities of the would be retirees for the government budgetary purposes,” he explained.

turnover was driven by the sharp decline of 81.11 ($246.09 million) in FX Futures turnover, resulting in a 14.81 percentage points reduction in FX Derivatives’ contribution to total FX market turnover from 36.73 per cent recorded in the previous week to 21.92 per cent In the Investors’ & Exporters’ (I&E) FX market, the total value of transactions for the week, was $537.74 million, representing a decrease of 20.55 per cent ($139.06 million) from $676.80 million traded the previous week.

The weekly average Nigerian Autonomous Foreign Exchange Fixing (NAFEX) rate was $/ N410.25 compared to $/N410.74 recorded in the previous week, representing an appreciation of the naira against the United States (US) Dollar by $/N0.49 But in the Bureau-de-Change (BDC) market, the naira depreciated against the dollar by $/N3.80 to close at an average rate of $/ N498.80, representing a 0.77 per cent depreciation when compared to $/ 495.00 recorded in the

previous week. Consequently, the spread between the weekly average BDC rate and NAFEX rate increased by 5.10 per cent ($/N4.29) to $/N88.55 last week, from $/N84.26 recorded in the previous week. In the FX Futures market, $57.31 million worth of FX Futures contracts were traded in nine deals, representing a decrease of 81.11 per cent ($246.09 million) when compared to $303.40 million traded in four deals recorded two weeks ago.

CAPACITY BUILDING

L-R: LASCON, Liaison Officer, Mr. Bashir Sadid; Students Adviser, Mr. Mathew Ogbechie; Co-ordinator, Jobs Initiative Lagos (JIL), Mrs Olatokunbo Aiyenimato; Chief Executive Officer, Edupoint Limited, Mr. Oscar Obiora; and Assistant Coordinator, JIL, Mr. Charles Ekenma, at the JIL Workshop on job creation for final year students in all tertiary institutions organised by the Lagos State Government in partnership with Lofty Incorporation Partners Ltd, in Lagos...recently ETOP UKUTT

AGF Urges Varsities to Explore Additional Funding Sources James Emejo in Abuja

PenCom Develops Online Application System for Pensioners’Verification Ebere Nwoji

Goddy Egene

The Accountant General of the Federation (AGF), Mr. Ahmed Idris, has challenged the leadership of Nigerian universities to explore additional sources of funding particularly internally generated revenues (IGR) so as to reduce their dependence on the federal government on financial needs. He also encouraged them to entrench the ideals of transparency, accountability and openness in the management of the financial resources of the institutions. Idris, gave the advice when he received the Association of Bursars of Nigerian Universities

(ABNU), led by its Chairman, Dr. Victor Imagbe, on a courtesy visit to the Treasury House. He said the judicious management of finances had become imperative, particularly at present time when revenue inflows has become a challenge for the government. According to the AGF: “The government built the infrastructure, government pays the overhead, government pays the personnel cost. There is need for re-examination and reappraisal of other sources of income for the universities and their judicious application for the good of the system.”

In a statement by the Director Information, Press and Public Relations, OAGF, Mr. Henshaw Ogubike, Idris further pointed out that the federal government was determined to entrench transparency, accountability and openness in the management of public finances. He said this informed the implementation of the ongoing financial management policies and urged the universities to key fully into the vision of the government. He said based on his interaction with some members of the university community, there is an obvious gap of misunderstanding regarding

some of these reforms adding that this knowledge gap had resulted in the animosity towards these reforms initiatives. He further tasked the bursars, as managers of financial resources in universities to undertake to enlighten and educate other employees of universities on the reform initiatives. The AGF however, commended the cordial relationship that had existed between the treasury and the association adding that both parties had been interacting at different levels on various issues, all geared towards bringing about the best in terms of management of finances in the ivory towers.

C and F Porter Novelli Organises Capacity Building Forum Goddy Egene C and F Porter Novelli, one of Nigeria’s foremost public relations advisory firms in partnership with ORBICOMUNESCO, the international network of communication professors and practitioners, and the Minnesota State University at Moorhead, (MSUM) has introduced a Strategic Fundraising and Capital Campaign (SFCC) training programme to Nigeria. The SFCC, a multi-faceted international training programme, aims to equip vice chancellors, rectors and principal officers of higher institutions with the requisite skills for successful

fundraising that is sustainable across decades. According to the agency, the SFCC training would enable higher education leaders to successfully respond to the existential crises of funding. It will be delivered through seven free monthly webinars and education administrators can benefit from the free monthly webinars. Group Accounts Director, C and F, Mr. Anthony Ajero, said in a statement that the company was delight in being part of the global consortium comprising ORBICOM-UNESCO; MSUM; Strengths Incorporated; and Pace Fundraising in the USA.

“C and F has always been one of the most sought-after strategic communications advisory companies not only in Nigeria but across West Africa and beyond. The SFCC initiative is yet another in a long string of impactful initiatives we have partnered. “SFCC aligns with our founding philosophy of working with local and international brands that desire to make positive impact and therefrom achieve superior business results than ever imagined. Hence our vision of “PR, for good” across the 60 countries and 100 offices where the Porter Novelli mantra lives,” Ajero said.

According to him, a hybrid international summit would be held between September 15 and 18, 2021, in the the United States of America. In his comments, the Chairman of the SFCC advisory board, Prof. J. D. Amin, a former Chairman of the Committee of Vice-Chancellors (CVC), onetime Vice-Chancellor of the University of Maiduguri and later pioneer Vice-Chancellor of the Federal University, Dutse, said: “As we all are aware, Nigeria is experiencing a crises of funding its higher institutions. This training will assist us avert further degradation of education at the tertiary level.”

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NLNG Seals Deal with Off-takers for Domestic LNG Supply Peter Uzoho The Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas (NLNG) Limited has signed a 10-year LNG Sales and Purchase Agreements (SPAs) with three off-takers for domestic supply LNG in country. The liquefaction company will supply 1.1 million tons per annum (mtpa) of LNG on DES basis to Asiko Power Limited, Bridport Energy Limited and Gas-Plus Synergy Limited. The SPAs will facilitate the proj-

ect execution and infrastructural development by off-takers to aid LNG delivery into the domestic market. The company said in a statement on Wednesday that the announcement came on the heels of an NLNG-sponsored presummit conference of the 2021 Nigeria International Petroleum Summit (NIPS) organised by the Federal Ministry of Petroleum Resources where the company committed to supporting the deepening of the gas industry and gas utilisation in the country. It said the execution of the SPAs

followed a Domestic LNG (DLNG) workshop held in November 2019, to stress test the delivery model with industry stakeholders and series of engagements to identify suitable actors to co-create the initiative, and to stimulate market interest for potential off-takers. The Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of NLNG, Mr. Tony Attah, was quoted in the statement as saying that the signing and execution of the DLNG SPAs was a strong expression of the company’s commitment to unlocking the country’s gas

potential and making gas count for the good of Nigerians. He added that NLNG was already transforming conversations held at the Decade of Gas event held in March 2021 into concrete actions that Nigerians can easily relate with. Attah said: “With Nigeria’s enormous gas reserves, I am not in doubt that with the right drive from the government and the support of corporate organisations, we as a nation can stand with our head held high to be counted among major players.

“The government has demonstrated its readiness to take the gas sector to the next level by declaring this decade our nation’s Decade of Gas. “We believe this will be the decade for us to leverage on our gas reserves to accelerate our power generation solutions through Gas-to-Power projects. “It will be the decade when as a nation we stop reporting deaths from pollution through the use of wood and solid fuels as domestic energy sources. And it will be the decade for empowering local

SMEs to take advantage of the various investment opportunities that the Decade of Gas will attract. “In addition to the Domestic LNG Scheme, we have the ongoing Train 7 project with capacity to attract about $10 billion in foreign direct investment. We are also looking to expand the LPG value chain by increasing our supply to the domestic market, guaranteeing LPG supply and enhancing its affordability, and enabling the development of a value network for a sustainable ecosystem.”

NALDA, NYSC Sign MoU to Boost Food Security James Emejo in Abuja The National Agricultural Land Development Authority (NALDA) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the National Youth Service Corp (NYSC), to establish a rice farm in Ebonyi State, in a sustained effort to strengthen the food security agenda of the federal government. The Executive Secretary and Chief Executive of NALDA, Mr. Paul Ikonne, at the MoU signing ceremony, said the farm would be established on a 52 hectares land owned by the NYSC in Ezillo, Ishielu Local Government Area of the state while the authority will provide inputs and technical know-how to develop the farm. He added that both parties have something to offer to make the partnership a huge success by achieving food security and creating jobs for the teeming unemployed Nigerians. He pointed out that the authority would be tapping into the vast resources that the corps currently has across the country in order to provide sufficient food for Nigerians as

well as engage members in a productive manner. He also said NALDA would also establish an integrated farm estate in partnership with the NYSC in no distant time so the latter could produce and sell its own food to generate income. The initiatives are part of measures by the federal government to empower the youth through agriculture. Ikonne said: “NYSC has the foot soldiers and every year they churn them out while NALDA has the land and the technical know-how, this understanding is for the man power and the technical know-how to come together in order to produce the much needed job opportunity and food security that Mr. President has been advocating for, for the country. “Nigeria is in dire need of creating job opportunities and this collaboration will contribute to the country’s GDP growth because when there are idle youths, you would have youth restiveness but when they are engaged you would see effectiveness. So our visit here today is to seal our understanding that we already have going forward.”

FG Highlights Benefits of Economic Zones at Airports Chinedu Eze The Ministry of Aviation has explained that the designation of four international airports in Nigeria as special economic zones will help harness the socioeconomic benefits derivable from civil aviation, generate revenues for government as well as create avenues to mobilise local and foreign direct investment for overall growth of the economy. The Ministry made this known in a statement issue by the Director, Public Affairs, Ministry of Aviation, James Odaudu, who stressed the necessity to highlight the inherent benefits of the designation and operation of the airports as special economic zones. Recently, the Minister of Aviation, Senator Hadi Sirika, announced the designation of four international Airports, the Murtala Muhammad International Airport, Lagos, Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, PortHarcourt International Airport, and the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airports as special economic zones following an approval granted by President Muhammadu Buhari to that effect. According to the Ministry, in its desire to address issues concerning taxation, custom duties and fiscal issues in the Nigerian Aviation industry which require a holistic

solution, it had requested the Nigerian Export Processing Zone Authority (NEPZA) to designate the four major international Airports under NEPZA Act. “The request was made so that the benefits of such zones can be accorded all airlines, airport operators, aviation support companies etc. that reside within the zones which the President noted, and approved. “Some other benefits apart from harnessing the socioeconomic benefits derivable from civil aviation, generating revenues for government and creating avenues to mobilize FDI (foreign direct investment) include: “The designation is also expected to attract more international and domestic airlines and world class organisations into the Nigerian aviation industry thereby fast tracking the upgrade and development of new infrastructure/facilities at the airports.” The statement added: “The Special Economic Zones would also help to reduce the tax burden on aviation companies to enable them compete internationally and create around the airports a more efficient and business-friendly trade environment comparable to other countries.

INVESTMENT FORUM

L-R: Head Marketing and Social Media, Chartered Institute of Stockbrokers, Olumide Coker; Chief Operating Oﬃcer, APEL Assets Limited, Oladunni Olawuyi; President JCI Eko, Kunle Adelakun, and Products Specialist, PiggyVest, Bukola Willoby during the JCI Eko June Business Meeting and Financial Investment Forum held in Lagos...recently

Julius Berger to Build Cadio-Vascular Disease Centre in Rivers State Goddy Egene Julius Berger Nigeria Plc (JBN) has signed a contract to build Nigeria’s first state-owned cancer and cadio-vascular diseases diagnostic and treatment centre in Port Harcourt, Rivers State. Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, said the multi-billion naira project is for a 14-month completion period, emphasising that JBN, come rain or shine would complete and deliver the project for inauguration as scheduled. “We chose Julius Berger to help us build it not only well, but also successfully within its

scheduled completion time as experience have taught us the company always do with projects they undertake,” he added. Speaking at the event, the Managing Director of JBN, Lars Richter, described the project as a special one in the sense that it is a medical facility, “that has the potential to alleviate suffering and serve as a beacon for care for the diagnosis and treatment of chronic disease in Nigeria….a project to serve as a catalyst and inspiration for the development of reliable, high quality healthcare solutions in Nigeria.” The Julius Berger helmsman

further said the Centre has been designed with, “advanced healthcare services such as Chemotherapy and nuclear Medicine.” Richter said the building has been designed using the, “best practice” principle for hospitals and will be equipped with most modern medical diagnostic equipment. This, he said, “means that in planning the facility, there was a careful consideration of the patient and service flow, to ensure a highly efficient and thoughtful environment - ensuring hospital functions remain out of sight to

patients and visitors, in order to provide a quieter, calmer more therapeutic stay and an improved recovery.” According to him, the building has also been, “future proofed,” having been designed to be, “extension ready, to accommodate additional facilities or services for possible new advanced treatment and care in the future.” Richter who commended the Rivers State Government for its vision and foresight in conceiving the facility, added that the project was a meaningful effort to address the gaps in radiotherapy and cancer treatment in Nigeria.

Air Peace Employees Foil Trafficking of Two Babies Chinedu Eze The cabin crew members of Air Peace recently foiled an attempt by a man and a woman to traffic two babies at the Murtala Muhammed Airport, Terminal 2, Lagos. According to the statement by the spokesperson of the airline, Stanley Olisa, who revealed that Air Peace’s Passenger Service Executives and Security Personnel became suspicious when the two adults, travelling to Asaba, were being checked-in at the counter.

“On June 7, 2021, at MMA2, around 12:00 hours, a man and a woman, carrying two babies, approached our counter for check-in. Our Passenger Service Executive, being suspicious of the duo’s behaviour, questioned them about the babies. They said the babies belonged to them and were travelling to Asaba,” he added. Olisa narrated that as the suspicion intensified, the two adults, who hinted that the babies were three months old each, were further questioned by another counter attendant and a

security personnel but they gave a different narrative. “The two adults gave conflicting explanations to different staff- that the babies were being taken to United Kingdom to unite them with their parents and later they said they were sending the babies to Zimbabwe for adoption,” he added, while also commending the staff for preventing the crime. Upon further questioning, Olisa said the adults confessed that they were not the parents of the babies. Consequently, Air Peace’s

Security Unit took both of them to the MMA2 Police Station where they admitted they were agents who trafficked children for adoption. The Police said they would transfer the case to the National Agency for Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) for further investigation and action. It can be recalled that Air Peace crew recently prevented two child trafficking schemes in June 2018, on a Lagos–Banjul flight and in January 2019 on a Lagos-Port Harcourt flight respectively.

FAAN Inaugurates Bird, Wildlife Management Equipment In response to the incidents of bird strikes recorded at different airports in the county, the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) has inaugurated some birds and wildlife equipment. At an event held in Lagos, Managing Director of the Authority, Captain Rabiu Yadudu, who was represented by the Director of Commercial and Business Development, Alhaji Sadiku

Rafindadi noted that the equipment was some of the best available, as the Authority procured it on the recommendation of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO). According to the Managing Director, the deployment of the equipment would usher in an era of safe flight operations, as incidents relating to birds strikes would now be a thing of the past. In his remarks, the Authority’s

Director of Airport Operations, Captain Muktar Muye, expressed delight at the arrival of the equipment. He noted that what was being inaugurated was not just the equipment, but a complete package that also include the recommended storage facility, patrol vehicle and trained personnel in line with ICAO/s Standards and Recommended Practices. Some of the hitech equipment included three

different models of bird scaring gas canons; Dayboxes for carrying pyrotechnics during Operations for safety; 15,000 rounds of 12G (heavy caliber bird scaring pyrotechnics); Hi-tech bird laser, Personal Protective Equipment for staff dealing with wildlife; Purpose built type IV explosive storage magazine; brand new Hilux jeep for Runway wildlife patrol, amongst others.

IMAGES

T H I S D AY ˾ ͯͲ˜ ͰͮͰͯ

Photo Editor ÌÓÙÎßØ ÔËÖË Email ËÌÓÙÎßØ˛ËÔËÖË̶ÞÒÓÝÎËãÖÓàÏ˛ÍÙ×

L-R: Executive Director, Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC), Auwal Ibrahim Musa; Executive Secretary, Presidential Advisory Committee Against Corruption, Prof. Sadiq Isah; Head of Research Unit, Department of Policy and Statistics, EFCC, Abiodun Adebanjo and Member House of Representative, Hon. Micah Jiba during the press briefing on the state of the nation on illicit financial flows in Abuja...recently PHOTO: AYO AJAYI

L-R: Head of Operations Sagamu, Honeywell Flour Mills Plc., Tunde Adebayo; Managing Director, Lanre Jaiyeola; Consumer Marketing Manager, Esther Tontoye and Director of Manufacturing Operations, Ifeanyi Abadom during the product launch of the Honeywell ‘Spaghetti Mini’ at the Honeywell Flour Mills Sagamu Factory, Ogun State...recently

L-R: National Supervisor, Mothers/Ladies Wings, African Democractic Congress, (ADC), Ambassador Joy Bakare; National Chairman (ADC), Chief Ralph Nwosu; Director-General, Nigerian Youth Cooperate Social Responsibility, Hon. Vincent Ubani and National Youth Leader, (ADC), Barr. Maurice Ebam; during prayer session for Nigeria and discussion on how the country can attain her full potential in the league of the nation in Abuja...recently PHOTO: AYO AJAYI

L-R: Regional Manager, Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC) Enugu Oﬃce, Mr Arnold Johnson; Consultant Commonwealth Secretariat, Sir Henry Eteama; Director, Product Development NEPC, Mr Williams Ezeagu; Executive Director, Multimix Academy, Dr Obiora Madu and Director, Trade Information NEPC, Mrs Evelyn Obidike during the inaugural meeting of the National Consultative Committee on International Trade and Services in Abuja...recently PHOTO: KINGSLEY ADEBOYE

Editor-in Chief, News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), Mr Salas Uwoha (left), and President, Nigeria Guild of Editors, Mr Mustapha Isa, during the former’s visit to the Agency Headquarters in Abuja...recently

R-L: SGF Mr. Boss Mustapha, Minister of Police Aﬀairs Alh Maigari Dingyadi and Chief of Staﬀ Prof Ibrahim Gambari during an audience with members of Nigerian Inter-Religious Council (NIREC) held at the State House in Abuja...recently PHOTO: STATE HOUSE

L-R: Super Eagles & Leicester City Midfielder, Wilfred Ndidi, Chief Executive Officer, MultiChioce Nigeria, John Ugbe, Super Eagles & Leicester City forward, Kelechi Iheanacho and Super Eagles & Napoli forward, Victor Osimhen at the unveiling of the football stars as DStv & GOtv ambassadors at the MultiChoice head office in Lagos...recently

L-R: President of the Senate, Senator Ahmed Lawan; Chief whip of the Senate, Senator Orji Uzor Kalu and Deputy Whip of the Senate, Senator Sabi Abdullahi at a press brieﬁng by the President of the Senate to mark the second anniversary of the 9th Senate held in Abuja...recently PHOTO: JULIUS ATOI

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Former Vice President of Nigeria, Atiku Abubakar and the outgoing Ambassador of Kingdom of Belgium to Nigeria, Daniel Dargent in a courtesy visit to Atiku in Abuja…recently

President of the Senate, Senator Ahmed Lawan presenting a gift to a little girl at the Wassa IDP Camp when the Senate President led his other colleague to the camp to donate some items in Abuja...recently PHOTO: JULIUS ATOI

Ogun State Governor, Prince Dapo Abiodun (left) and the Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi during an inspection visit to the Laderin Railway Station in Abeokuta...recently

L-R: Chairman, House of Representatives Committee on Youth and Development, Rep. Yemi Adaramodu; Director General, National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), Brig.-Gen. Shuaibu Ibrahim; Gov. Abdullahi Sule of Nasarawa State; representative of the Governor of Ekiti State, Rep. Makinde Araoye and the Chairman, NYSC, National Governing Board, Amb. Fatima Bala-Abubakar; during the unveiling of nine (9) books and Maiden NYSC ﬁlm in commemoration of the 48th Anniversary of the scheme in Abuja...recently

Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Ameachi; Governor Babajide Sanwo Olu of Lagos state; President Muhammadu Buhari, Governor Kayode Fayemi of Ekiti State and Speaker, House of representative, Hon Femi Gbajabiamila at the commissioning of Lagos–Ibadan Standard Guage Rail Project and Flag oﬀ full commercial opereation in Lagos...recently

Delta State Governor, Senator Ifeanyi Okowa (left), being decorated by the President, National Medical Women’s Association of Nigeria (MWAN), Dr. (Mrs) Minnie Oseji, National Coordinator MWAN. Dr. Bobola Agbonle, and the President ,Delta State Chapter of MWAN. Dr. Ngozi Emma-Nzekwue during a courtesy call by the Executive Committee of the Association on the Governor in Asaba..recently

L-R: Co-producer Unmasked, kadaria Ahmed; District Head, Kiru, Alhaji Garba Alhaji, representing Emir Karaye, Alhaji Abubakar Ibrahim II; and Producer/Director Unmasked, Fem Odugbemi, during the premier of Unmasked Leadership, Trust & The COVD-19 Pandemic held at Ado Bayero University, Kano…recently

L-R: Kwara State First Lady Ambassador Olufolake Abdulrazaq; Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq; Deputy British High Commissioner Gill Atkinson; Director Royal Commonwealth Society of Nigeria Olaseni Blackson; and Political Oﬃcer British High Commission Grant Morriss; during the oﬃcial launching of the 2021 edition of the Queen’s Commonwealth Competition, in Ilorin…recently

MONDAY JUNE 14, 2021 • T H I S D AY

T H I S D AY ˾ ͯͲ˜ 2021

BUSINESS/MONEYGUIDE

Ecobank Raises $350m Tier 2 Sustainability Notes Nume Ekeghe Ecobank Transnational Incorporated (ETI), the Lomé based parent company of the Ecobank Group has announced that it has successfully raised $350 million Tier 2 Sustainability Notes. This represented the first ever Tier 2 Sustainability Notes by a financial institution in Sub-Saharan Africa. According to the statement, the Tier 2 issuance was the first to have a Basel III-compliant 10NC5 structure outside of South Africa in 144A/RegS format and will be listed on the main market of the London Stock Exchange. The bond, which matures in June 2031, has a call option in

June 2026 and was issued with a coupon of 8.75 per cent with interest payable semi-annually in arrears. It explained that an equivalent amount of the net proceeds from the notes would be used by ETI to finance or re-finance, new or existing eligible assets as described in ETI’s Sustainable Finance Framework. “Investor interest for this Sophomore Eurobond issue was global, including United Kingdom, United States, Europe, the Middle East, Asia and Africa, achieving a 3.6 times oversubscribed order-book, of over $1.3 billion at its peak. “The transaction was anchored at the start by Nederlandse

Financierings-Maatschappij voor Ontwikkelingslanden N.V. (FMO), a Dutch development bank, with a committed $50 million order,” it added. Group Chief Executive Officer of ETI, Ade Ayeyemi, stated: “This is a landmark issue for Ecobank, and indeed the success of this first Sustainable Tier 2 issuance is testament to our clear strategy, solid positioning across the panAfrican banking space as well as our deliberate and long term focus on sustainable initiatives. “We are particularly pleased with the diverse orderbook which reflects the confidence investors have in Ecobank to deliver on our commitment to sustainable financing”.

Access Bank Launches Initiative to Enhance Digital Loans Nume Ekeghe Access Bank Plc, has launched what it termed the ‘Diamond Business Advantage (DBA) lite’ in a bid to increase its digital loans and enhance access to finance for young entrepreneurs. The bank said the product which is targeted at the youths was designed to add value to micro, small and medium scale enterprises (MSMEs). Speaking during the launch of the product in Lagos, recently, the bank’s Executive Director, Victor Etuokwu, said, entrepreneurship is essential for the growth of any nation. He said: “DBA Lite is a product of the erstwhile Diamond bank via the Diamond Business

Account (DBA) and that was one of the best products in the market but after the merger, we renamed it as DBA but this innovation; DBA Lite is targeted for the youths who are start-ups, established or growing. This innovation will bring access to digital loans for the youths because that is what we want to do with this innovation.” Etuokwu noted that the digital loan would be in the form of N50,000 to N5 million, adding that entrepreneurs can only access the loan once they meet the requirements. According to him, Access Bank accounts for over 50 per cent of digital loans in the industry because it is gives such loans at

an average of N18,000-N20,000 daily. “Last year, four million people accessed N100 billion and we are targeting more in 2021. We are growing and we will keep growing because our digital loans are not for the youths only but for small business owners, employees and the rest of them and I am assuring you that we will do double digit this year as that is the plan. “As we speak, we are averaging N12 billion to N13 billion every month and so we should be somewhere around N60 billion to N70 billion and clearly, we will do more than we did last year,” he said.

Accion MFB Records 7.38% I ncrease in Customer Deposits Ugo Aliogo Accion Microfinance Bank has recorded an increase in customer deposits of 7.38 per cent from N4.013 billion to N4.309 billion. The bank also recorded a 2.29 per cent growth in its total equity from N5.246 billion in 2019, to N5.366 billion in 2020. The bank said it also remains capitalised well above the N5 billion capital base required for a national microfinance bank by regulation by April 2022. Speaking during the 15th Annual General Meeting for 2020 financial year, the Chairman, Accion Microfinance Bank, Mr. John Fischer, lauded the leadership and management of the bank for putting in place structures to reduce the effects of the pandemic on the staff and customers of the bank. He also noted how the bank

leveraged technology and optimised innovative solutions to improve customer experience and service. In presenting the bank’s financial performance, Fischer hinted that the focus of the bank during the year under review was to help the bank’s loan clients to navigate the financial impact of the pandemic on their businesses. Fisher posited that in order to help the bank’s customers navigate the financial impact of the pandemic on their businesses, there was extension of a grace period to 23,307 of its loan clients for a minimum of 90 days, while those in the educational sector got a grace period of at least 150 days. According to him, “The bank waived interest for five months for loan clients in the educational sector which was among the hardest hit. The bank’s new business model driven by

its digital migration increased the bank’s digital footprint across its major touch points. “As a result, the bank was able to quickly adapt to the new normal and implement initiatives to support the customers’ businesses who continued to transact with the bank through the e-channels and other digital platforms. “The bank will continue to accelerate investments on alternative channels for financial service delivery. The bank was in a position to provide the technical and practical resources necessary for its customers and other stakeholders to thrive during the year. “With the global economy in a rebound, amidst the resumption of economic activities, the future outlook is positive and bright as the bank remains committed to providing support to its customers and the community it serves.”

Branch Reiterates Commitment to Deepening Financial Inclusion Oluchi Chibuzor Branch International, one of Africa’s digital banking application platforms has reiterated its commitment towards deepening financial inclusion in the underserved communities across Nigeria. The company, which is achieving this, by leveraging technology to offer

a range of unique financial services to customers, stated this at a virtual round table held in Lagos, recently. Speaking at the virtual meeting, the Managing Director, Branch Nigeria, Adedayo Ademola, affirmed that the firm was strategically focusing on expanding its services to those with smartphones and the financially excluded in

the country. According to her, “What I see branch positioning is not necessarily dealing with financial inclusion alone, but dealing with customers who are underserved knowing that they are technically financially included, but at the end of the day they have limited access to extensive financial services because of cost and difficulty of access.

MARKET INDICATORS MONEY AND CREDIT STATISTICS

(MILLION NAIRA)

JANUARY 2021 Money Supply (M3)

38,779,455.43

-- CBN Bills Held by Money Holding Sectors

1,039,129.55

Money Supply (M2)

37,740,325.88

-- Quasi Money

21,779,302.69

-- Narrow Money (M1)

15,961,023.19

---- Currency Outside Banks

2,364,871.13

---- Demand Deposits

13,596,152.06

Net Foreign Assets (NFA)

7,414,275.50

Net Domestic Assets(NDA)

31,365,179.93

-- Net Domestic Credit (NDC)

42,916,586.63

---- Credit to Government (Net)

12,304,773.44

---- Memo: Credit to Govt. (Net) less FMA

0.00

---- Memo: Fed. and Mirror Accounts (FMA)

0.00

---- Credit to Private Sector (CPS)

30,611,813.19

--Other Assets Net

3,892,112.74

Reserve Money (Base Money

13,264,585.14

--Currency in Circulation

2,831,167.19

--Banks Reserves --Special Intervention Reserves

10,433,417.96 317,234.17

˾ ÙßÜÍÏ ̋

Money Market Indicators (in Percentage) Month

March 2018

Inter-Bank Call Rate

15.16

Minimum Rediscount Rate (MRR) Monetary Policy Rate (MPR)

14.00

Treasury Bill Rate

11.84

Savings Deposit Rate

4.07

1 Month Deposit Rate

8.82

3 Months Deposit Rate

9.72

6 Months Deposit Rate

10.93

12 Months Deposit Rate

10.21

Prime Lending rate

17.35

Maximum Lending Rate

31.55

˾ ÙØÏÞËÜã ÙÖÓÍã ËÞÏ ̋ ͯͱϱ

OPEC DAILY BASKET PRICE ˜ ͯͮ ͰͮͰͯ

The price of OPEC basket of thirteen crudes stood at $70.90 a barrel on Thursday, compared with $71.21 the previous day, according to OPEC Secretariat calculations.. The OPEC Reference Basket of Crudes (ORB) is made up of the following: Saharan Blend (Algeria), Girassol (Angola), Djeno (Congo), Zaﬁro (Equatorial Guinea), Rabi Light (Gabon), Iran Heavy (Islamic Republic of Iran), Basra Light (Iraq), Kuwait Export (Kuwait), Es Sider (Libya), Bonny Light (Nigeria), Arab Light (Saudi Arabia), Murban (UAE) and Merey (Venezuela). SOURCE: OPEC headquarters, Vienna

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BUA Cement Revises Dividend Payment Date to July 8 BUA Cement Plc has revised the closure, qualification and payment dates for the dividend recommended for the year ended December 31, 2020. In a notification to the Nigerian Exchange (NGX) Limited, the cement manufacturing firm changed the qualification date from July 9 to June 18. The closure date would now be between June 21 and 25, from July 12 and 16, 2021 initially proposed. The

payment would be made on July 8 from July 23. 2021. The company had recommended a dividend of 2.067 per share for the 2020 financial year following its impressive performance. BUA Cement, which is Nigeria’s second largest cement company, reported a revenue of N209 billion for the year ended December 31, 2020, indicating an increase of 19 per cent above N175.518 billion recorded in 2019.

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Cost of sales was impacted by the general rise in the cost of doing business to be at N114 billion, compared with N93.1 billion in 2019. Selling and distribution expenses equally pointed north, rising from N11.845 billion to N12.706 billion in 2020. Administrative expenses reduced from N10.516 billion to N9.472 billion. Also, BUA Cement Plc’s excellent cost management led to a decline of 33 per cent in net financing cost to N3.438 billion

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in 2020, from N5.192 billion in 2019. As a result, profit before tax (PBT) grew to N79.066 billion in 2020, up from N66.273 billion, while profit after tax (PAT) rose from N60.61 billion to N70.518 billion in 2020 Commenting on the results, the Managing Director, BUA Cement Plc, Yusuf Binji, had said the exceptional performance was a reflection of the continued value and strength of the BUA Cement brand and product offerings as

T R A D E D MAIN BOARD

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well as a nod to the excellent implementation of the company’s Business Continuity Plan which ensured that the company was able to withstand the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic throughout 2020. Binji had said that despite the prevailing economic conditions in 2020, BUA Cement remained quite optimistic about the future because it afforded it not only with the opportunity to further evolve its business model but

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also provided an opportunity for accelerated development. According to him, BUA Cement in 2020 entered strategic alliances for the supply of Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) at its Kalambaina Plant, Sokoto State, and for the management of its mining operations. “These were deliberate and strategic choices other cost management efforts that expected to ensure that BUA Cement will continue to combine development

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MONDAY JUNE 14, 2021 • T H I S D AY

MONDAY, JUNE 14, 2021 ˾ T H I S D AY

MARKET NEWS A Mutual fund (Unit Trust) is an investment vehicle managed by a SEC (Securities and Exchange Commission) registered Fund Manager. Investors with similar objectives buy units of the Fund so that the Fund Manager can buy securities that willl generate their desired return. An ETF (Exchange Traded Fund) is a type of fund which owns the assets (shares of stock, bonds, oil futures, gold bars, foreign currency, etc.) and divides ownership of those assets into shares. Investors can buy these ‘shares’ on the

floor of the Nigerian Stock Exchange. A REIT (Real Estate Investment Trust) is an investment vehicle that allows both small and large investors to part-own real estate ventures (eg. Offices, Houses, Hospitals) in proportion to their investments. The assets are divided into shares that are traded on the Nigerian Stock Exchange. GUIDE TO DATA: Date: All fund prices are quoted in Naira as at 10Jun-2021, unless otherwise stated.

Offer price: The price at which units of a trust or ETF are bought by investors. Bid Price: The price at which Investors redeem (sell) units of a trust or ETF. Yield/Total Return: Denotes the total return an investor would have earned on his investment. Money Market Funds report Yield while others report Year- to-date Total Return. NAV: Is value per share of the real estate assets held by a REIT on a specific date.

DAILY PRICE LIST FOR MUTUAL FUNDS, REITS and ETFS MUTUAL FUNDS / UNIT TRUSTS AFRINVEST ASSET MANAGEMENT LTD aaml@afrinvest.com Web: www.afrinvest.com; Tel: +234 818 885 6757 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Afrinvest Equity Fund N/A N/A N/A Afrinvest Plutus Fund N/A N/A N/A Nigeria International Debt Fund N/A N/A N/A Afrinvest Dollar Fund N/A N/A N/A ALTERNATIVE CAPITAL PARTNERS LTD info@acapng.com Web: www.acapng.com, Tel: +234 1 291 2406, +234 1 291 2868 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn ACAP Canary Growth Fund N/A N/A N/A ACAP Income Funds N/A N/A N/A AIICO CAPITAL LTD ammf@aiicocapital.com Web: www.aiicocapital.com, Tel: +234-1-2792974 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn AIICO Money Market Fund N/A N/A N/A AIICO Balanced Fund N/A N/A N/A info@anchoriaam.com ANCHORIA ASSET MANAGEMENT LIMITED info@anchoriaam.com Web:www.anchoriaam.com, Tel: 08166830267; 08036814510; 08028419180 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Anchoria Money Market 100.00 100.00 2.60% Anchoria Equity Fund 130.85 132.31 -1.62% Anchoria Fixed Income Fund 1.06 1.06 -20.05% ARM INVESTMENT MANAGERS LTD enquiries@arminvestmentcenter.com Web: www.arm.com.ng; Tel: 0700 CALLARM (0700 225 5276) Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn ARM Aggressive Growth Fund 19.23 19.81 6.01% ARM Discovery Balanced Fund 418.63 431.25 4.56% ARM Ethical Fund 37.81 38.95 12.15% ARM Eurobond Fund ($) 1.08 1.09 -11.28% ARM Fixed Income Fund 0.96 0.96 -14.59% ARM Money Market Fund 1.00 1.00 4.71% AVA GLOBAL ASSET MANAGERS LIMITED info@avacapitalgroup.com Web: www.avacapitalgroup.com Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn AVA GAM Fixed Income Dollar Fund 104.57 104.57 2.81% AXA MANSARD INVESTMENTS LIMITED investmentcare@axamansard.com Web: www.axamansard.com; Tel: +2341-4488482 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn AXA Mansard Equity Income Fund 130.75 131.40 3.52% AXA Mansard Money Market Fund 1.00 1.00 9.02% CAPITAL EXPRESS ASSET AND TRUST LIMITED info@capitalexpressassetandtrust.com Web: www.capitalexpressassetandtrust.com ; Tel: +234 803 307 5048 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn CEAT Fixed Income Fund 1.95 1.95 -21.49% Capital Express Balanced Fund(Formerly: Union Trustees Mixed Fund) 2.03 2.07 -21.20% mutualfunds@cardinalstone.com CARDINALSTONE ASSET MANAGEMENT LIMITED Web: www.cardinalstoneassetmanagement.com ; Tel: +234 (1) 710 0433 4 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn CardinalStone Fixed Income Alpha Fund N/A N/A N/A CHAPELHILL DENHAM MANAGEMENT LTD investmentmanagement@chapelhilldenham.com Web: www.chapelhilldenham.com, Tel: +234 461 0691 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Chapelhill Denham Money Market Fund 100.00 100.00 4.83% Paramount Equity Fund 16.10 16.39 0.65% Women's Investment Fund 133.45 134.84 0.22% CORDROS ASSET MANAGEMENT LIMITED assetmgtteam@cordros.com Web: www.cordros.com, Tel: 019036947 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Cordros Money Market Fund 100.00 100.00 5.82% Cordros Milestone Fund 2023 117.16 117.94 Cordros Milestone Fund 2028 N/A N/A Cordros Dollar Fund ($) 106.75 106.75 CORONATION ASSEST MANAGEMENT investment@coronationam.com Web:www.coronationam.com , Tel: 012366215 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Coronation Money Market Fund 1.00 1.00 3.91% Coronation Balanced Fund 1.19 1.21 -0.78% Coronation Fixed Income Fund 1.37 1.37 -13.81% EDC FUNDS MANAGEMENT LIMITED mutualfundng@ecobank.com Web: www.ecobank.com Tel: 012265281 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn EDC Nigeria Money Market Fund Class A 100.00 100.00 2.95% EDC Nigeria Money Market Fund Class B 1,000,000.00 1,000,000.00 2.91% EDC Nigeria Fixed Income Fund 1,160.80 1,169.60 -3.02% FBNQUEST ASSET MANAGEMENT LTD invest@fbnquest.com Web: www.fbnquest.com/asset-management; Tel: +234-81 0082 0082 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn FBN Fixed Income Fund 1,374.89 1,374.89 10.69% FBN Balanced Fund 186.91 188.09 -0.41% FBN Halal Fund 109.85 109.85 5.82% FBN Money Market Fund 100.00 100.00 7.77% FBN Nigeria Eurobond (USD) Fund - Retail 125.41 125.41 3.42% FBN Smart Beta Equity Fund 157.23 159.37 4.00% FCMB ASSET MANAGEMENT LIMITED fcmbamhelpdesk@fcmb.com Web: www.fcmbassetmanagement.com; Tel: +234 1 462 2596 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Legacy Money Market Fund N/A N/A N/A Legacy Debt Fund N/A N/A N/A Legacy Equity Fund N/A N/A N/A Legacy USD Bond Fund N/A N/A N/A FSDH ASSET MANAGEMENT LTD coralfunds@fsdhgroup.com Web: www.fsdhaml.com; Tel: 01-270 4884-5; 01-280 9740-1 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Coral Balanced Fund N/A N/A N/A Coral Income Fund N/A N/A N/A Coral Money Market Fund

N/A

GREENWICH ASSET MANAGEMENT LIMITED assetmanagement@gtlgroup.com Web: www.gtlgroup.com ; Tel: +234 1 4619261-2 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Greenwich Plus Money Market Fund N/A N/A N/A Nigeria Entertainment Fund N/A N/A N/A GROWTH & DEVELOPMENT ASSET MANAGEMENT LIMITED assetmanagement@gdl.com.ng Web: www.gdl.com.ng ; Tel: +234 9055691122 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn GDL Money Market Fund N/A N/A N/A INVESTMENT ONE FUNDS MANAGEMENT LTD enquiries@investment-one.com Web: www.investment-one.com; Tel: +234 812 992 1045,+234 1 448 8888 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Abacus Money Market Fund 100.00 100.00 6.39% Vantage Balanced Fund 2.82 2.88 23.00% Vantage Guaranteed Income Fund 1.00 1.00 4.50% Kedari Investment Fund (KIF) 149.69 150.14 -3.68% Vantage Equity Income Fund (VEIF) - June Year End 1.25 1.29 32.32% Vantage Dollar Fund (VDF) - June Year End 1.09 1.09 6.88% LOTUS CAPITAL LTD ﬁncon@lotuscapitallimited.com Web: www.lotuscapitallimited.com; Tel: +234 1-291 4626 / +234 1-291 4624 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Lotus Halal Investment Fund 1.38 1.40 1.39% Lotus Halal Fixed Income Fund 1,145.92 1,145.92 3.73% MERISTEM WEALTH MANAGEMENT LTD info@meristemwealth.com Web: http://www.meristemwealth.com/funds/ ; Tel: +234 1-4488260 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Meristem Equity Market Fund 10.97 11.00 4.65% Meristem Money Market Fund 10.00 10.00 6.55% PAC ASSET MANAGEMENT LTD info@pacassetmanagement.com Web: www.pacassetmanagement.com/mutualfunds; Tel: +234 1 271 8632 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn PACAM Balanced Fund 1.66 1.69 7.16% PACAM Fixed Income Fund 12.39 12.46 2.20% PACAM Money Market Fund 10.00 10.00 3.24% PACAM Equity Fund 1.59 1.61 0.73% PACAM EuroBond Fund 111.02 112.64 0.97% SCM CAPITAL LIMITED info@scmcapitalng.com Web: www.scmcapitalng.com; Tel: +234 1-280 2226,+234 1- 280 2227 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn SCM Capital Frontier Fund 128.83 131.80 8.81% SFS CAPITAL NIGERIA LTD investments@sfsnigeria.com Web: www.sfsnigeria.com, Tel: +234 (01) 2801400 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn SFS Fixed Income Fund 1.01 1.01 3.21% STANBIC IBTC ASSET MANAGEMENT LTD assetmanagement@stanbicibtc.com Web: www.stanbicibtcassetmanagement.com; Tel: +234 1 280 1266; 0700 MUTUALFUNDS Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Stanbic IBTC Balanced Fund 3,167.33 3,192.86 -1.51% Stanbic IBTC Bond Fund 230.18 230.18 2.37% Stanbic IBTC Ethical Fund 1.19 1.21 1.69% Stanbic IBTC Guaranteed Investment Fund 301.95 301.95 2.47% Stanbic IBTC Iman Fund 221.58 224.34 1.41% Stanbic IBTC Money Market Fund 100.00 100.00 6.70% Stanbic IBTC Nigerian Equity Fund 10,488.52 10,620.56 -0.13% Stanbic IBTC Dollar Fund (USD) 1.26 1.26 2.45% Stanbic IBTC Shariah Fixed Income Fund 113.99 113.99 2.62% Stanbic IBTC Enhanced Short-Term Fixed Income Fund 101.41 101.41 UNITED CAPITAL ASSET MANAGEMENT LTD Web: www.unitedcapitalplcgroup.com; Tel: +234 01-6317876 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn United Capital Balanced Fund 1.36 1.38 -0.25% United Capital Bond Fund 1.95 1.95 2.89% United Capital Equity Fund 0.93 0.95 7.64% United Capital Money Market Fund 1.00 1.00 7.99% United Capital Eurobond Fund 120.94 120.94 3.29% United Capital Wealth for Women Fund 1.10 1.12 1.80% United capital Sukuk Fund 1.05 1.05 5.26% QUANTUM ZENITH ASSET MANAGEMENT & INVESTMENTS LTD service@quantumzenithasset.com.ng Web: www.quantumzenith.com.ng; Tel: +234 1-2784219 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Zenith Equity Fund 12.72 12.83 7.21% Zenith Ethical Fund 13.98 14.10 14.45% Zenith Income Fund 24.10 24.10 0.53% Zenith Money Market Fund 1.00 1.00 5.82%

REITS NAV Per Share

Yield / T-Rtn

123.83 51.43

2.56% -1.85%

Bid Price

Offer Price

Yield / T-Rtn

12.81 125.29 98.79 17.41 17.44

12.91 125.29 100.57 17.51 17.54

-3.06% 2.92% -0.62% -

Fund Name SFS REIT Union Homes REIT

EXCHANGE TRADED FUNDS Fund Name Lotus Halal Equity Exchange Traded Fund SIAML Pension ETF 40 Stanbic IBTC ETF 30 Fund MERGROWTH ETF MERVALUE ETF

VETIVA FUND MANAGERS LTD Web: www.vetiva.com; Tel: +234 1 453 0697 Fund Name Vetiva Banking Exchange Traded Fund Vetiva Consumer Goods Exchange Traded Fund Vetiva Grifﬁn 30 Exchange Traded Fund Vetiva Money Market Fund Vetiva Industrial Goods Exchange Traded Fund Vetiva S&P Nigeria Sovereign Bond Exchange Traded Fund

funds@vetiva.com Bid Price

Offer Price

Yield / T-Rtn

3.70 5.64 17.17 1.00 19.42 161.44

3.74 5.72 17.27 1.00 19.62 163.44

-1.92% -0.91% 4.98% 3.84% -5.34% -26.25%

NAV Per Share

Yield / T-Rtn

107.52

13.11%

INFRASTRUCTURE FUND Fund Name Chapel Hill Denham Nigeria Infrastructure Debt Fund

The value of investments and the income from them may fall as well as rise. Past performance is a guide and not an indication of future returns. Fund prices published in this edition are also available on each fund manager’s website and FMAN’s website at www.fman.com.ng. Fund prices are supplied by the operator of the relevant fund and are published for information purposes only.

MONDAY JUNE 14, 2021 • T H I S D AY

MONDAY, ͹ͼ˜ ͺ͸ͺ͹ ˾ T H I S D AY

PAGE FORTY-NINE STATES UNVEIL PLANS TO IMPLEMENT FINANCIAL AUTONOMY FOR LEGISLATURE, JUDICIARY funds accruing to the two arms of government should immediately be transferred to them. He said: “With the new arrangement, after every FAAC monthly allocations, are received, and Internally Generated Revenues (IGR) ascertained, statutory charges and liabilities will be deducted before each arm of government are given what belongs to them." Speaker of the Delta State House of Assembly and Deputy President of Nigerian Houses of Assembly, Hon. Sheriff Oborevwori, also said at the weekend that the two arms of government in the state were no longer dependent on the executive arm as "they are already enjoying financial autonomy in the state." He said the state had concluded plans to ensure the take-off of the Delta State Accounts Allocation Committee (DSAAC) and State Assembly Service Commission (DSASC), adding that the enabling legislation

was delayed by the PASAN strike. Ebonyi State Chairman of PASAN, Mrs. Uche Edene, told THISDAY that the state had gradually started the implementation of the financial autonomy even before the strike started. She stated that the state had enacted Fund Management Law in 2016 which gave birth to the State House of Assembly Commission. In Oyo State, the AttorneyGeneral and Commissioner for Justice, Prof. Oyelowo Oyewo, told THISDAY that the state has already established the Assembly Service Commission while that of the State Accounts Allocation Committee (SAAC) was ongoing. He said before the strike by JUSUN, the state already had a committee involving all stakeholders working towards funds management for the judiciary and legislative arms. Chairman of JUSUN in Taraba State, Mr. Muhammed Usman, told THISDAY that the House of Assembly has to pass

the Taraba State Legislative Management Bill and Judiciary Management Bill into law before the setting up SAAC. In addition, Sokoto State Attorney-General and Commissioner of Justice, Mr. Suleiman Usman (SAN), told THISDAY that by principle, the state had granted autonomy to the judiciary and legislature since 2017, adding that Governor Aminu Tambuwal would soon send a bill to the House of Assembly for passage into law. Speaking in an interview with THISDAY the Special Adviser on Media and Public Enlightenment to Governor Bello Mutawalle of Zamfara State, Mr Zailani Bappa, said the governor was determined to implement the agreement reached with JUSUN and PASAN. Nasarawa State Commissioner for Information, Mr. Dogo Shama, also told THISDAY that the state was gearing up for the setting up of SAAC. National Treasurer of Parliamentary Association of

Nigeria, Mr. Umar Azara, also confirmed that both the State Assembly Service Commission and Fund Management bills have been put in place in Nasarawa State and are awaiting passage. Kano State Commissioner for Information, Malam Muhammad Garba, said the state government was ready to set up SAAC and the State Assembly Service Commission to enable it to disburse revenue directly to the two other arms of government in the state. The Chairman of Akwa Ibom State chapter of JUSUN, Mr. Oku Umoh, also told THISDAY that the state legislature has to put in place the Legislative Service Commission and the Fund Management Law, while the three arms of government will meet to set up SAAC. Chairman of JUSUN in Cross River State, Mr. Asang Ebong, told THISDAY that the three arms of government were already working on a draft bill for the setting up of SAAC. JUSUN Chairman, Ondo

State, Mr. Femi Afolabi, said the SAAC would be set up after the Fund Management Committee Law, had been passed by the Ondo State House of Assembly and assented to by the Governor, Mr. Rotimi Akeredolu. In Katsina State, the Governor, Hon. Aminu Masari, said the state government had concluded plans to inaugurate SAAC and State Assembly Service Commission in order to enable the two arms of government to receive their statutory allocations directly from the federal government. He said: "We have no problem with the independence of the judiciary and legislature. What we get from the Federation Account is what they are going to get. Isn’t it? In Katsina, we don't have any problem. We can only share what we have. We cannot share what we don't have.” Chairman of PASAN in Ekiti State, Mr. Gbenga Oluwajuyigbe, told THISDAY that the State House of Assembly has begun the

process for the passage of the Fund Management Bill, to give legal backing to the direct payment of funds to the legislative arm. Commissioner for Information, Hon Akin Omole, also stated that the state would fully implement whatever agreement reached at the national level. Spokesman of the Speaker of the Kaduna State House of Assembly, Mr. Ibrahim Danfulani, said the lawmakers would debate the issue this week. Secretary of JUSUN in Niger State, Mr. Bala Mohammed, stated that PASAN and JUSUN have completed arrangement to submit bills for the establishment of the Assembly Service and Judicial Service Commissions and the State Accounts Allocation Committee anytime next week. In Anambra State, the Clerk of the State House of Assembly, Mr. Pius Udoh, told THISDAY that the assembly has passed the fund management bill to manage the expected funds.

refining for regional exports.

1.57mbpd in 2020, while total OPEC 13-member crude oil production averaged 25.46 mb/d during May. “In May 2021, production was up by 0.39 mb/d m-o-m. Crude oil output increased mainly in Saudi Arabia, Venezuela and Iran, while production decreased primarily in Nigeria and Angola,” OPEC said. In terms of oil rig count, Nigeria’s total was 13 in 2018, 16 in 2019 and 11 in 2020, according to the report, but the number of operational rigs fell to five in April and rose by one to six rigs last month. The OPEC report showed that Africa’s demand for crude oil was 3.43 million bpd in 2019, which fell to a 4.37million bpd in Q1, 2020. It further fell to 3.76 million bpd in Q2,2020, was 3.94 mbpd in Q3,2020 and 4.27 mbpd in Q4, 2020. The MOMR indicated that Nigeria's real Gross Domestic Product (GDP) advanced 0.5 per cent y-o-y in Q1, 2021, following a 0.1 per cent y-o-y rise in the last quarter of 2021. It said the country registered the second consecutive quarterly growth since Nigeria’s economy faced recession in the third quarter of 2020, amid the easing of COVID-19 restrictions and an

REPORT: $15BN INVESTMENTS LOST ANNUALLY TO NON-PASSAGE OF PIB over $15 billion annually in lost investments to Nigeria’s oil and gas industry. With the global shift from fossil fuels to renewable forms of energy picking up pace, the passage of the PIB may just be too little, too late,” the FDC report added. It said it was unlikely that Nigeria would be able to make up for either the lost time or the lost investment, adding that information available to it suggests that the bill is currently undergoing last-minute modifications in three key areas to enhance its effectiveness. It listed the areas as the deregulation of the price of gas supplied to power plants, the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation's (NNPC's) public offer and the adoption of a single regulator for the industry. According to the report, price deregulation of gas supplied to power plants is a key ingredient in incentivising power output in Nigeria. He added that while this is likely to translate to increased tariffs for electricity, it is needed to attract investment in both the gas and electricity generating industry. On the NNPC's public offer, it stated that selling shares to the public will mean that the corporation will be able to source its own funding and come under a higher level of corporate governance and scrutiny.

Besides, it said while the adoption of a single regulator would ensure more efficiency and allow for enhanced cohesion in regulating the entire industry value chain, the PIB as currently constructed, recommended two regulators-one for the upstream and another for the midstream and downstream sectors. FDC said it envisaged a situation where the PIB could also become a source of acrimony as it gives legal backing to the complete price deregulation of the downstream segment of the oil and gas industry. It said: “The Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF), made up of the governors of the 36 states, has proposed the implementation of the full deregulation of the downstream oil industry and determined that the pump price of petrol will be somewhere around N385/ litre (137.65 per cent above the current fuel pump price of N165/litre). “While this will bring relief to the state governments that have been grappling with lower revenues, the chance of the federal government allowing such a spike in the near term is slim because of the negative impact on the poor. “The subsidy will cripple the government's finances if sustained, but deregulation is the only way to unlock

domestic refining. There is simply no easy way around or through the dilemma. Something is going to have to give." The report said the International Oil Companies (IOCs) were already squarely in the thick of the energy transition, while some were on well laid-out paths that would see them fully evolve to clean-energy companies. For instance, it stated that Royal Dutch Shell is in talks with the federal government to divest from its onshore oil fields and focus on its offshore and gas operations citing recurring incidents of theft, sabotage, and oil spillage. “The IOCs have stated that Nigerian onshore business is incompatible with their longterm strategy, which focuses on climate change and net-zero carbon emissions by 2050,” the FDC document said. FDC added that foreign oil companies have been gradually disposing of their onshore assets over the last decade, emphasising that beyond the obvious reasons of insecurity and unrest in the Niger Delta stated by Shell, the protracted stalemate in passing the PIB remains a major factor in the oil giant's decision to exit its onshore operations in Nigeria. With slightly under 40 per cent of Nigeria’s crude and condensate production capacity, FDC stated that while Shell’s move to offload

its onshore oil fields could have implications on Nigeria’s oil and gas output, it could also send wrong signals to international investors considering doing business in Nigeria. It added: "Other IOCs, Chevron and Mobil, have also begun to gradually dispose of their Nigerian assets in response to their changing goals and strategies, which have been influenced by climate change and the need to go green. A number of questions arise. “What will happen to Shell's onshore assets? Are they going to be acquired by the NNPC through its upstream arm, Nigerian Petroleum Development Company (NPDC) or does the government invite bids from indigenous and foreign producers? “Do the indigenous producers have the capacity to acquire these assets even as we expect more divestments in the future across the continent? Does this create an opportunity for indigenous players in the oil and gas sector to grow the continental footprint?” The report noted that it remains uncertain how the events will play out, adding that what is certain is that the passage of the PIB should have happened at least a decade ago and would have been crucial in the federal government’s drive to achieve production of 4mbpd and domestic oil

OPEC: Nigeria’s Oil Production Hit Record Low in May Meanwhile, Nigeria’s crude oil production output hit record low levels in May, the June Monthly Oil Market Report (MOMR) of the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), has shown. The monthly report indicated that in the first quarter of 2021, Nigeria’s average production was 1.410 million barrels per day. April production stood at 1.460mbpd and it was 1.388 barrels per day in May, leading to the loss of 72,000 daily barrels during the month. But based on direct communication with OPEC, the cartel put the figure at 1.429 million barrels per day in March, 1.372 barrels per day in April and 1.344 mbpd in May, resulting in a shortage of 28,000 barrels between April and May. It wasn’t immediately clear why production has remained low even after the country announced earlier in the year that it had fully complied with the OPEC cuts after defaulting initially and the cartel’s decision to gradually open the taps since April. The country’s average crude oil production based on secondary sources was 1.78 Mbpd in 2019 and

Continued on page 50

N'ASSEMBLY TO CONCLUDE CONSTITUTION REVIEW BY JULY cities, at the rate of two per each of the six geo-political zones. THISDAY findings revealed that the outcome of the zonal public hearings are to be put together by the committee members with the assistance of consultants engaged for the exercise. A senator from the Northcentral geo-political zone and member of the Constitution Review Committee told THISDAY on condition of anonymity that the collation of the aggregate views at the zonal hearings will be worked on at a retreat to be held shortly for the committee members to take a holistic look at the presentations at the public hearings before putting them together into a draft bill

for presentation to the federal lawmakers by July. He said: "Our committee, which is also in liaison with the House committee, will any time from now go into a retreat to look at all the submissions at the public hearings and put them in a draft form for the Senate to consider and ensure clauseby-clause consideration before going on recess next month." He listed 16 thematic areas, which will be the guide of the committee while preparing its report to include gender equality for women and girls, federal structure and power devolution, local government and its autonomy, public revenue, fiscal federalism and revenue allocation, Nigerian police and Nigerian

security architecture as well as comprehensive judicial reforms, electoral reforms and socio-economic and cultural rights as contained in Chapter 2 of the constitution. He listed other areas as strengthening the independence of oversight institutions and agencies created by the constitution or pursuant to an act of the National Assembly, residency and indigene provisions, immunity, National Assembly and state and local government creation, FCT administration, the legislature and legislative bureaucracy and constitutional role for traditional rulers. He expressed optimism that the bill will be ready for clause-by-clause consideration

by the Senate at plenary before proceeding on its annual vacation in July. The senator also stated that after the clause-by-clause consideration by the Senate and harmonisation with the House of Representatives, all those clauses that get through will be sent to the 36 state Houses of Assembly for consideration and approval. According to him, twothirds of the Houses of Assembly, which is 24 states, must concur with the position of the National Assembly after which the bill will come back to the National Assembly for further legislative action. He said: "Once we scale that hurdle, the bill will now be properly vetted to confirm the clauses that made the

threshold after which it will be sent to the executive for assent." According to him, the current constitution amendment process will see the light of the day as both the executive and the state governments are being carried along in all the moves by the legislative arm to further amend the constitution. He said: "Let us keep hope alive that the process of amending the constitution, which is now at its peak, will turn out well as I know that the leadership of the two chambers of the National Assembly is carrying along the executive arm as well as the state on what we are doing to further amend the 1999 Constitution."

TOP GAINERS NGN NGN CUTIX 0.25 2.78 JAIBANK 0.05 0.59 MBENEFITS 0.03 0.46 AXAMANSARD 0.04 0.88 NNFM 0.25 6.15 TOP LOSERS NGN CHAMPBREW 0.20 1.80 NEM 0.20 1.80 ROYALEXCH 0.07 0.68 FTNCOCOA 0.03 0.33 LEARNAFRICA 0.09 1.00 HPE Nestle Nig Plc ₦1,420.00 Volume: 289.085 million shares Value: N3.545 billion Deals: 3,719 As at Friday 18/6/2021 See details on Page 37

% 9.8 9.2 6.9 4.7 4.2 % 10 10 9.3 8.3 8.2

MONDAY, ͹ͼ˜ ͺ͸ͺ͹ ˾ T H I S D AY

NEWS

End Insurgency, Return Military to Barracks, al-Mustapha Tells Yahaya Kingsley Nwezeh in Abuja Maj. Hamza Al-Mustapha (rtd), a former chief security officer to the late Head of State, Gen. Sani Abacha, yesterday charged the Chief of Army Staff, Maj. Gen. Farouk Yahaya, to speed up the war against insurgency to enable the military to return to the barracks and focus on its constitutional role. He said the involvement of the military in internal security operations had reduced the value of the military establishment. Al-Mustapha told journalists in Abuja that the war against insurgency must end as quickly as possible.

He said the new army chief must ensure speed in ending the insurgency, which had resulted in the death of thousands of people and destruction of property. He added: “Delaying the fight against Boko Haram will be a great disservice to Nigeria. The earlier we crush them, the better. “Speed is very vital, because we are not fighting a conventional war; speed matters a lot because Nigeria should recover from this speedily as much as possible. I know this is possible because I have done some homework.” According to him, the military must hasten its

pace in tackling security challenges facing the country to enable it to return to barracks as soon as possible. “We need to end all these challenges as quickly as possible, so that the military can go back to the barracks to face its primary role of protecting the territorial integrity of Nigeria. “Internal security operation has reduced the value of the military because they are taking over the role of the police, which is a disservice. We have to end these crises so that the police can effectively take over their function, train and expand their capacity, ” he stated.

Al-Mustapha urged the new army chief to evolve new ways of ending the hostilities by tracing the sources of arms into the country. “There are different ways for him to succeed in overcoming the numerous security challenges bedevilling the country. “If you want to contain an insurgency, every single detail of its activities should be on your palm, that is when you can say am on top of the situation. “You have to get their sources of logistics, their electronic support and capabilities, what they do on daily basis and how they get information among

others,” he added. He said Yahaya must also trace the sources of arms getting into Nigeria resulting in arms proliferation. “Our security challenge also has its root in the grand design by some powerful countries as far back as 1972 to retard Nigeria’s development. “That’s why the country is facing security challenges from all facets at the same time. Our past mistakes have to do with viewing issues from narrow perspectives and that is why we must be very wide and open now,” he said. He urged the new army chief to work in synergy with other security agencies

to ensure success. “My advice is that the army should not be alone because it is not a military affair alone. Boko Haram for example has been on for more than 20 years from my account, that is from conception to its maturity. “If you want to contain an insurgency, every single detail of its activities should be on your palm; that is when you can say I am on top of the situation. "You have to get their sources of logistics, their electronic support and capabilities, what they do on daily basis and how they get information among others,” he stated.

Again, Gunmen Kill Police Officer, Attack Station in Akwa Ibom Okon Bassey in Uyo Gunmen suspected to be members of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) yesterday attacked a police station in Akwa Ibom State, killing a mobile police officer on duty at the station. However, the Police in a counter-attack reportedly shot many members of the suspected IPOB terrorists who

escaped with bullets wounds into the bush. A member of the IPOB group identified as Imo John Udo from Ikot Edem Udo, Okon Clan in Essien Udim Local Government Area of the state was arrested. THISDAY gathered that the attack occurred at the Divisional Police Station in Ini LGA of the state about 4:30 am yesterday.

Ini LGA shares boundary with Abia State. The gunmen were said to have invaded the area with motorcycles and immediately on arrival opened fire directly on the police station. It was learnt that the operation lasted for some minutes as men of the Police Quick Intervention Unit (QIU) with their counterpart from Ikot Ekpene Area Command

confronted them in a gun battle. The State Police Public Relations Officer, Odiko Macdon, confirmed the attack, saying the Commissioner of Police, Andrew Amiengheme, has ordered men of the "Operation Restore Peace" to comb the bushes for possible arrest of the fleeing members of the gang. "We got a report of the

incident in Ini LGA this morning (Sunday), " he said, adding that the operational vehicle, a Venza vehicle and three motorcycles the gunmen used for the operation were recovered by the police. "We arrested one of the criminals while others escaped with bullets wounds. We recovered three motorcycles and charms. Unfortunately, one of our men who participated

in the operation was hit. He was taken to the hospital at Ikot Ekpene, but unfortunately, he gave up the ghost. "As we speak, the Commissioner of Police Andrew Amiengheme, has ordered men of the Operation Restore Peace, who are now in the bush for possible arrest of those who escaped with bullets wounds," the PPRO said.

I Have No Contact With Nnamdi Kanu, Says Ikpeazu Nseobong Okon-Ekong Governor Okezie Ikpeazu of Abia State has stated that he has neither spoken to nor met with the leader of the proscribed Indigenous Peoples of Biafra (IPOB), Mr. Nnamdi Kanu, who is a citizen of his state. Speaking exclusively to THISDAY at the commercial city of Aba, Ikpeazu said: “I have never met him. Incidentally during Python Dance and all of that he was still around. He has never reached me. Whether he has been trying, I don’t know. He should know that I am not averse to conversation." Ikpeazu added that he did not know how to reach Kanu. “Sincerely speaking, I became very worried and a little laid back because of the things he says. I was just trying to see if I can read his psyche from where I stand that would

reinforce my confidence in making overtures or trying but he positions himself as a factor against me. How do I then reach him? I am not somebody who will say 'can we meet?' Then we don’t. May be the opportunity hasn’t come." The Abia State governor criticised the methods adopted by the IPOB to press home their demands, while expressing willingness to engage the proscribed group in a dialogue. Ikpeazu noted, "If he had people around him that can sit down and talk. Not in the manner he talks. If I am coming into a conversation, I come prepared to make concessions and yield ground. I also want to talk to somebody who will be prepared to yield ground too. If you are coming to hold a conversation with somebody that you know ab

initio will not yield ground, what is the point going into the conversation?" Speaking at a 2017 peace meeting the President of Igbo Youth Movement, Mr. Elliot Ugochukwu-Uko, tried to broker between Kanu and the South-east governors, Ikpeazu said he was not at the meeting. He advanced reasons why the effort met a brick wall. "I do not think I was at that meeting, but I know and I heard from some people who have contacts with Kanu that he reneged on some of the terms of the conversation. I have not had the privilege of going back to Nnamdi or any of his lieutenants to say why did you renege? I am also sure that he will have some stories to tell. It goes back to trust deficits and lack of it. It borders on the fact that we are structurally defective. Even as the Chief

Security Officer of the state, how much do I know in terms of the operations of the armed forces in my territory? I do not have the details of their operational mandate. I do not know their strategy. If I go and stick out my neck and claim to be able to do this and that, what if something goes wrong? You remember what happened to Governor Ortom of Benue State? He asked one notorious bandit to come to the government house to surrender. He persuaded the guy to leave his location in the forest and the guy was willing, but on his way in a convoy of state house vehicles, he was attacked and killed. We have to be responsible. We have to be trustworthy. We just have to be intentional about solving this problem because the much that has gone under the bridge already is capable of

putting everything we have done in jeopardy. " Having exploited a particular method for many years without tangible success, Ikpeazu noted that the IPOB should change its strategy. "If they are serious, this is the time for them to also have an arm that is capable of engaging. If my phone rings today and I pick it up and it is somebody and the person introduces himself as Commander of Eastern Security Network (ESN), the security arm of IPOB. I am not going to end the call. I will ask him 'Mr. Commander, where are you? What is the matter?' If he offers to talk to me, I will give him only one or two conditions. The first condition I will give is, let me know what your grievances are. If he tells me the grievances even if

he gives some conditions like bringing back my late mother, which is impossible, I will also listen and then I say I have heard everything I don’t think this one is doable. This is doable and this is how long it will take and all of that. Before I take it from that room, I will ask him to give assurances that if I go into this conversation, there will be a ceasefire; that if I achieve results holding this conversation that there will be a ceasefire. While admitting that he was aware of "some of the things that are agitating the mind of our people. I still believe strongly that some of them can be handled. It will be perhaps unfair to imagine that President Buhari can do everything (address all demands by IPOB) within two years. That will be unfair, but I dare say that he can begin the conversation."

unchanged from last month, assuming the impact of the pandemic will have been “largely contained” by the beginning of the second half. “The ongoing vaccination efforts, a growing share of recovered cases leading to increasing herd immunity, and the easing of lockdown restrictions lend optimism that the pandemic could be contained in the few months to come,” OPEC said. In April, OPEC and its allies, known as OPEC+,

had agreed to gradually ease oil output cuts from May to July and confirmed the decision at a meeting on June 1. The report showed higher OPEC oil output, reflecting the decision to pump more and gains from Iran, which is exempted from making voluntary cuts due to U.S. sanctions, increasing May output to 390,000 bpd to hit 25.46 million daily production from the oil cartel.

REPORT: $15BN INVESTMENTS LOST ANNUALLY TO NON-PASSAGE OF PIB improvement in oil prices. OPEC added: "Non-oil sector expanded 0.8 per cent y-o-y in 1Q21 following a 1.7 per cent y-o-y growth in 4Q20. The current growth was powered by the agriculture sector, which expanded by 2.3 per cent y-o-y. “Industrial activity moved back into the growth of 0.9 per cent y-o-y, after dropping by 5.6 per cent on average in 2020. Moreover, the annual inflation rate declined to

18.12 per cent in April 2021, from a four-year high of 18.17 per cent in March, but producer inflation accelerated to a significantly high level, amid raw material shortages and unfavourable exchange rate depreciation." The report said Nigeria’s business sentiment remained optimistic, driven by the current expansion in manufacturing operations as well as higher oil prices. But OPEC stuck to its prediction of a strong

world oil demand recovery in 2021 led by the United States and China despite uncertainties stemming from the pandemic, pointing to a need for more oil from the producer group. The cartel said demand would rise by 6.6 per cent or 5.95 million barrels per day this year, remaining unchanged for a second consecutive month, despite a slower-than-expected recovery in the first half of this year.

“Global economic recovery has been delayed due to the resurgence of COVID-19 infections and renewed lockdowns in key economies, including the Eurozone, Japan and India. “Overall, the recovery in global economic growth, and hence oil demand is expected to gain momentum in the second half,” OPEC said in the monthly report. The cartel stated that it sees 2021 world economic growth at 5.5 per cent,

MONDAY JUNE 14, 2021 ˾ T H I S D AY

NEWSXTRA

Nigeria’s Democracy Unimpressive, Says Abiola’s Son, Kola Denies alleged plan to contest 2023 presidential election

Adedayo Akinwale in Abuja Mr. Kola Abiola, the son of the acclaimed winner of the June 12, 1993 presidential election, Chief MKO Abiola, has described the country’s democracy as unimpressive, stressing that it was not what his father and others died for. He has also denied any plan to contest the 2023 presidential election. He disclosed this in Abuja last weekend at the launch of a social media platform, TribeNaija to commemorate 2021 Democracy Day with the theme, “This Thing Called Democracy.” The platform is aimed at changing the political structure of the country ahead of the 2023

elections. Abiola said: “I think what I am trying to do have started. We are a group that needs to think outside the box. When I say we have to think out of the box, we are still thinking along with the same political structure we inherited since independence. What we have is a system that throws up two candidates that are not of our choice. Then we get to pick the best of the worst. “What I am hoping we will do with this platform is to mobilise a lot of us to disrupt the process. It is all about disrupting this process. What do I mean when you disrupt something? You are in the age of disruption, we have to put that to use for the better of this country. Can you

Anonymous Group Threatens to Attack Delta over Open Grazing Ban A group of unidentified persons yesterday threatened to attack Asaba and Agbor in Delta State should Governor Ifeanyi Okowa fail to withdraw his support for the ban on open grazing within 72 hours. An unsigned letter containing the threat was pasted at strategic locations in Asaba, including the fence of the Living Faith Church, aka Winners Chapel along Infant Jesus road. The letter titled, ‘Fulani jihadist warning: An open message to Delta State’, was dated June 13, 2021. It read, “This is to inform Delta State that the Fulani of Usman Dan Fodio leadership shall do everything it can to uphold the legacy of our heritage of open grazing; for we are nomadic people from origination and shall never negotiate the ownership of Nigeria, West Africa and Sub-Sahara. “We hereby demand the Governor of Delta State to immediately withdraw his earlier stand on the call to ban open grazing in 17 regions (states) in not less than 72 hours from the above date, and also withdraw his position as the leading voice for the governors.”

The group, in the letter, which was not signed, said they were always aware of every development in the South, adding they knew about the hosting of the South-South, South-East and South-West governors meeting in Asaba. The letter added, “Failure to adhere to this demand for being the host of the 17 governors, Delta State, most likely, the city of Asaba and Agbor, shall encounter severe consequences than that of Bornu, Kebbi, Kastina, Kaduna, Enugu, Benue, Oyo and many more that will not respect the Fulani’s heritage. “We take responsibility for the detonated explosive uncovered in the state capital secretariat, which should serve as a warning to the Delta State Government for what is to come should the governor fail to abide to our demand. “We highly advise all Fulani and northerners, including the security personnel, to leave Delta State as soon as possible for the wind of our action is now present in the land. Failure of the governor to adhere to our call shall live us with no other choice.”

imagine what bringing 51 per cent together on this platform can do? Can you imagine having 51 per cent of the voting population on a platform? All you need to do is to use that platform to begin to

get organically grown leadership on that platform.” He stressed that the time to change the failed political system that was inherited from independence has come and

identified the system of picking candidates for elections through the delegate election that presents candidates that were not the choice of the people as the country’s biggest electoral fraud.

“So don’t continue to rely on that system. We need to create a system that gives us a direct say and makes a difference. With this system, you will know exactly where your numbers are,” he said.

PRODUCT OF NEW MEGA DEAL…

L-R: Akwa Ibom State Governor, Mr. Udom Emmanuel of Akwa Ibom State; his Sokoto State counterpart, Hon. Aminu Tambuwal of Sokoto State; and Akwa Ibom State First Lady, Mrs. Martha Emmanuel, during the cutting of the tape to receive two new Airbus 220-300 series airplanes recently added to the Ibom Air fleet, in Uyo…yesterday

Uber Driver,Two Traffickers Arrested with Cocaine at Lagos Airport Michael Olugbode in Abuja An Uber driver and two other traffickers have been arrested by the operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) with cocaine at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos. A statement issued yesterday by the spokesman of the NDLEA, Mr. Femi Babafemi said the Uber driver, Lawal Rasheed, was

arrested at the SAHCO export shed of MMIA on Tuesday, June 8, 2021 when he brought a consignment from his client to a freight forwarder for export to Malabo in Equatorial Guinea. He said when the package was searched, 150 grammes of cocaine concealed inside two pieces of air freshener were discovered. Babafemi disclosed that a follow-up operation the following day led to the arrest of Egbo

Maduka, at his residence on Wednesday, June June. He said investigations have so far confirmed that Egbo is behind the two seizures of 50 grammes of cocaine in hair attachment and another 150 grammes of cocaine concealed in air freshener, heading to Malabo. The seizures were made on June 4 and 8, 2021, respectively. The spokesman said also on Friday, June 11, 2021, a male passenger, Udogwu Johnson on Qatar Airlines

from GRU in Brazil was arrested at D-arrival Hall, MMIA, Lagos with nine wraps of cocaine that weighed 300 grammes in his pant. In a related development, a 27-year-old final year Petroleum Engineering student of Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University, Bauchi, Ali Mohammed has been arrested with 3.032 kilogrammes of cannabis sativa at a motor park in Iddo, Lagos, following a tip- off on Thursday, June 10, 2021.

Abductors of Ekiti Farmer Demand N30m Ransom Victor Ogunje in Ado Ekiti The kidnappers of a farmer, Alhaji Jimoh Olodan, at Iyemero Ekiti in Ikole Local Government Area of Ekiti State, have demanded a sum of N30 million for the victim to regain his freedom. Olodan was kidnapped at a farmstead named Elegure around

11pm, on Friday. The abductors numbering 18, were said to have invaded the farmstead, which was three kilometres to Iyemero Ekiti and about 15 minutes’ drive to the community. Shooting sporadically into the air to scare the residents, the bandits besieged Olodan’s

home , dragged him out and whisked him away to an unknown destination . A source in the town confirmed to journalists yesterday that the kidnappers contacted the Olodan’s family around 7.38pm on Saturday and made the demand. He said: “The people, who

kidnapped Alhaji Olodan have contacted the family asking for money that has caused serious problem for the victim’s relations. “They were asking for a sum of N30million, which the family found to be too outrageous and they were not comfortable with such demand.

No Grazing Routes in Benue, Chevron Workers Set for Strike Wednesday The labour unions further stated For the avoidance of doubt, the Monday, June 14 as well as the Emmanuel Addeh in Abuja Ortom Insists Federal Ministry of Labour and joint union noted that it expected that the 2018 annual vacation not Benue State Governor, Mr. Samuel Ortom, has vowed the State will never cede a piece of land as grazing routes. In his funeral oration at the burial of Pa Daniel Akange Ape in Tse Ape, Mbaikyurav- Yar, Mbayegh, Ushongo LocalGovernmentAreaattheweekend, Ortom said there is no grazing reserve or cattle routes in Benue. He said the anti-open grazing

law in Benue State is in force and anyone who contravenes it would be arrested and prosecuted. He advised the people of Benue State to use legal means to defend themselves as they have cried enough. “We have cried enough, now it’s time to defend ourselves; we have talked too much and we are not talking again.

PDP Govs Meet Today in Uyo Chuks Okocha in Abuja Governors elected on the platform of PDP will today in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State meet over declining economy, threats to democracy, rule of law and constitutionalism. In a statement issued last night by the Director General of the PDP Governors’ Forum, Hon. Cyril Maduabum said that the meeting will focus on the deteriorating state of the

Nigerian economy, the alarming stretching of Nigeria’s social fabric to a breaking point, and the emerging threats to democracy, rule of law and constitutionalism in Nigeria. He said that this is apart from the continuing question of appropriate security architecture for Nigeria, and measures to rescue Nigeria from the AP- led government that has devasted the nation in all sectors.

The Joint Executive Council (JEC) of the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) as well as the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) has fixed Wednesday, June 16 to embark on an industrial action against Chevron Nigeria limited (CNL). The union jointly called NUPENGASSAN said that the proposed strike was rescheduled to the new date because of the Democracy Day holiday on

Employment’s scheduled meeting for Tuesday June 15 to address the issues raised by the body. It noted that the strike will commence as scheduled unless CNL management signs a communique or agreement with the unions by tomorrow. According to the joint union, even a ruling by the ministry is not sufficient to stop the strike from going ahead on Wednesday as planned because the CNL management had not respected previous decisions of the ministry.

the communique to be signed to resolve all the pending issues and not a case of alleged cherry-picking as is the custom of management. Among the issues tabled by the labour unions are the recent arbitrary and unlawful disengagement of three Nigerian workers: Bukola Sola-Adebawo, James Ukachukwu and John Ayeni and what it said is the legal deductions of workers’ benefits since 2012 and failure to refund excess deductions in terminal benefits.

taken and vacation allowance for contract employees rolled over to new contracts, including those personnel that were optimised from service since June 2019 should be paid. According to the aggrieved workers, the refusal to negotiate collective bargaining agreements for manpower contracts’ employees and new contract as well as refusal to onboard contract workers in staff buses also formed part of the pending issues.

Bandits Kidnap Family of Eight, Four Others in Zaria John Shiklam in Kaduna Kidnappers have abducted a family of eight and four others in the Zaria Local Government Area of Kaduna State. The latest attack comes barely 48 hours after bandits attacked Nuhu Bamali Polytechnic also in Zaria, kidnapping eight students and

two lecturers, as well as shooting another student to death. Eyewitnesses said the bandits who were in large numbers, invaded the Kofar Gayan area of Zaria city in the early hours of yesterday when the residents were still sleeping and attacked some houses, where they abducted eight family members.

The bandits also attacked other houses within the area and kidnapped four other residents. The Kaduna State Police Command through its spokesman, Mohammed Jalige confirmed the incident to Channels TV. He disclosed that four other kidnap victims were rescued by police operatives who arrived

in the area during the raid and engaged the bandits in a gun battle. The police spokesman also said security operatives have begun an aggressive patrol in the general area and along the Kaduna-Zaria highway with a view to arresting the bandits and rescuing those kidnapped.

MONDAY JUNE 14, 2021˾ T H I S D AY

NEWSXTRA

Okowa: Justice, Equity, Fairness Solution to Nigeria’s Challenges Delta State Governor, Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa, yesterday said only truth, justice, equity and fairness to all zones of the country could guarantee a united Nigeria. Okowa stated this at the

thanksgiving service of the second anniversary of the 7th Assembly of Delta State House of Assembly held at Living Faith Church, Asaba. He said that he believed in the unity of the country but that

Kaigama Urges FG to Stop Suppressing Agents of Positive Change Onyebuchi Ezigbo in Abuja Catholic Archbishop of Abuja Diocese, Ignatius Kaigama, yesterday cautioned the federal government against suppressing the voice of citizens and youths on the streets, during the June 12 democracy day. In his message delivered during the dedication of Saints Peter and Paul Catholic Church in Nyanya, Abuja, the cleric also called on the federal government to systematically focus on farming and animal husbandry, rather than placing so much emphasis on oil as the primary source of national revenue. “The seed of Christian faith

that started in Nigeria, like a mustard seed, continues to grow despite some subtle anti-Christian policies or strategies, unfavourable social, economic and political atmosphere. “It is our prayer that Nigeria will mature beyond the polarisation based on religion and tribe, so as to be a shining light of social integration for Africa. As we celebrated Democracy Day yesterday (Saturday), we saw agitated youths on the streets clamouring for positive change. “Suppressing their voice or scaring them away is not a solution, but responding positively and creatively to those reasonable demands of theirs.

EFCC Arrests Juju Scam Kingpin, Alaka over N250m Fraud Kingsley Nwezeh in Abuja The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has arrested Abayomi Kamaldeen Alaka (a.k.a Awise), leader of a deadly syndicate of juju scammers that operates from a shrine at Ashipa town, near Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital. An EFCC statement said Awise’s arrest followed a petition by a victim, Bright Juliet, who lost N250 million to the syndicate after she was tricked to provide money for sacrifices and invocations to heal her of an ailment. The statement said she was introduced to Alaka by Akinola Bukola Augustina (a.ka. Iya Osun) whom she met on facebook in the course of her search for solutions to her health challenge.

“What drew her to Augustina was the latter’s post under the name, Osunbukola Olamitutu Spriritual Healing Centre. Once she contacted Augustina, the latter promised to heal her only if she pays N16million. “The victim paid the money through an Access Bank account belonging to Mohammed Sani, who later turned out to be a bureau de change operator”, it said. According to the statement, “after paying the money without receiving healing, Augustina passed the victim on to other members of the syndicate, notably Awise. Juliet revealed that she met Awise at his shrines in Ashipa town and was hypnotised and subsequently transferred various sum through bank accounts and in cash to the suspect and his syndicate members, until she lost N250 million to them.

APC Chairmanship Hopeful, Al-Makura Commends Anambra Patriots Former Governor of Nasarawa State, Umaru Tanko Al-Makura, has commended APC Patriots, Anambra State for leading the charge to win the state for the All Progressives Congress in the November 6, 2021 elections. Speaking during an engagement with the group at the weekend, Al-Makura praised the group for raising the consciousness of the party, especially with its insistence on a free, credible and transparent process of choosing the party’s flag bearer. Al-Makura, who is aspiring to lead the APC as national chairman, noted that his ideals aligned with those of the Patriots, especially as it concerns the enthronement of a transparent process of choosing the party’s candidates in all elective positions. The former governor, who is currently representing Nasarawa South in the Senate, stated that

now was the time for lovers of the infrastructural revolution of the Muhammadu Buhari’s administration to come together to protect his legacies. The APC Patriots, Anambra which steering committee consists of the party’s deputy governorship candidate in the 2017 gubernatorial election in Anambra State, Dozie Ikedife, as Coordinator, and parades three former House of Representatives members, Hons Emeke Nwogbo, Chizor Obidigwe and Afam Ogene; former National Assembly aspirants in 2019, Mike Mbanefo, Ike Chidolue and Chidi Ogbaji; the party’s zonal youth leader, Olisaemeka Onyeka, and Mr. Chuks Chinwuba, a renowned political strategist, has been in the forefront of ensuring victory for the APC in this year’s Anambra gubernatorial election.

leaders must act in the interest of diversity in the nation. According to Okowa, only such acts of justice and fairness to all the zones can encourage Nigerians to believe in the unity of the country. He said that Nigerians were facing challenging times, and urged all Christians to be very prayerful “because only God can truly turn things around for this nation, not Mr. President or Mr.

Governor and not the National Assembly can change things”. “There is a lot for us to learn as a nation even from what we have seen now and what we are passing through; we must work together for the progress and unity of this nation. “Do not lose hope and faith in God; let us play our individual roles apart from prayers. “Many times we recite our national anthem without

considering the words in it, we can truly serve our country with love and strength if we believe in the unity of the country. “There is a lot of call for restructuring and national dialogue because of the things we are seeing but we must continue to keep faith in our country, because things will definitely change for the better. “For those of us who find ourselves in government, we

must truly re-examine ourselves to be sure that we are truly serving our nation Nigeria and not serving ourselves or some sections of the country and ignoring others. “We must continue to see Nigeria as one country and all things done must be done truly in such a way that reflects that unity in us so that every zone will truly believe that we are in one Nigeria,” he said.

HAPPY REUNION…

A former Minister of Finance, Mrs. Kemi Adeosun (left), and Vice President Yemi Osinbajo , during the official launch of DashMe Store in Lekki, Lagos ... yesterday KUNLE OGUNFUYI

Gbajabiamila a Bridge Builder, Say Osinbajo,Tinubu Vice President Yemi Osinbajo and National Leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Senator Bola Tinubu, have described the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila, as a bridge builder, whose works cut across tribes, religions, political parties and generations. They spoke during the

presentation of a photobook on the political life of the Speaker entitled: “Gbajabiamila: The Long Road” in Abuja at the weekend. The book was written by the Speaker’s Special Assistant on Visual Communications/Personal Photographer, Ayo Adeagbo. Osinbajo said: “He is an effective bridge builder across tribes, across religions, across political parties, and

even generations. He has proved to be an innovative mediator and an honest broker in several local and national disputes and conflicts.” He described the Speaker as one of the most resilient, resourceful and successful Nigerian politicians having won elections five times in the past 18 years. The Vice President congratulated Adeagbo on a “seminal

photographic biography” of his boss. “Ayo has proven to be a creative and faithful storyteller of the political journey of a charismatic and photogenic speaker. Ayo has proved to be a creative and faithful storyteller of the political journey of the charismatic and photogenic Speaker,” he said.

Marwa’s Anti-drug Campaign Berths at Ogidi Day Festival The Chairman/Chief Executive, National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Brigadier General Mohammed Buba Marwa (rtd) is among dignitaries from across the country who will be at the Ogidi Day Festival holding in Ogidi-Ijumu, Kogi State on Saturday, June 19, 2021. The festival holds in the middle of June each year in commemoration of the arrival of the new yam by the people of the agrarian Ogidi community. The Director-General, Ogidi Day

Festival, Mr. Tunde Ipinmisho, in a statement issued yesterday said Marwa, who will serve as the special guest of honour at the event will use the opportunity to engage the youths of Ogidi and neighbouring communities on the dangers of drug abuse. According to Ipinmisho, in accepting the invitation to be at the event, the NDLEA chief executive said abuse of drugs posed a potent threat to the future of the country and the destiny of its youths and that every available

opportunity should be used to dissuade country’s future leaders from habits that could extinguish their hope. Kogi State Governor, Alhaji Yahaya Bello, the Speaker of the Kogi State House of Assembly, Prince Matthew Kolawole and the Director-General, Nigerian Tourism Development Corporation, Mr. Folorunsho Coker have also indicated that they will be at the event which locals have tagged Nigeria’s biggest culture event in June.

The statement said the Kogi State Commissioner for Finance, Budget and Planning, Mukadam Idris Asiru will be the chairman of the occasion while the Iyalode of Aiyetoro-Gbedde, Chief Motolani Rasheedat Salawu will be the Lady Chairperson. Also expected are the Galadima Garin Nupe, Alhaji Danjuma Galadima who will be the special guest along with the Ciroman Nupe, Alhaji Usman Manko Babayitso and other Nupe dignitaries.

Ita-Giwa Commends Buhari’s Stance on Constitution Amendment Sunday Okobi A former Presidential Adviser on National Assembly Matters, Senator Florence Ita-Giwa, has commended President Muhammadu Buhari’s admission that only the National Assembly has the constitutional powers to amend the constitution during his Democracy Day broadcast.

Ita -Giwa’s stated that her commendation is premised on the fact that she had held such view for many years. According to her, as representatives of the people, the National Assembly has the exclusive rights to proceed with the amendments after due consultations with their constituents as being carried

out by the ongoing committees nationwide During his broadcast, Buhari had said his government is not averse to constitutional reform as part of nation-building process, but added that everyone must understand that the primary responsibility for constitutional amendments lies with the National

Assembly. He further assured listeners that the legislature, which is the arm of government responsible for constitutional changes, has concluded the preliminary stages of amending and improving the constitution in a way that the majority of Nigerians would be happy with.

Group Condemns Killings, Militarisation in South-east Peter Uzoho An Igbo group, Dozie-Mezie Owerri, has condemned the ongoing militarisation and wanton killing of innocent people of the Southeast region, particular in Owerri, Imo State, by security forces led by the Nigerian Police and the Nigerian

Army. Worried by the escalating security situation in the South-east, particularly Imo State, with Owerri as the epicentre of orgy of violence, the group said it was especially appalled by numerous accounts of loss of lives, regrettably of innocent people, who had become targets of attacks by overzealous

security operatives and the so-called unknown gunmen. Dozie-Mezie Owerri, in a statement yesterday signed by its Council Chairman, Reginald Akujobi-Roberts and the Council Secretary, Buchi Njere, condemned a statement credited to the Inspector General of Police where he allegedly ordered his men to kill

their people without reason. The statement reads: “While we encouragethepolice,thebodyresponsible forquellingsocialdisturbances,todotheir work professionally and hunt down those killing security personnel and burning down state institutions, we call for caution in the discharge of this sensitive duty.

MONDAY JUNE 14, 2021, ˾ T H I S D AY

24 HOURS...

Dangote’s $2bn Urea Fertilizer Plant Pushes out 120 Trucks Daily After months of speculations, Dangote Urea fertilizer is now finally on sales nationwide and it currently pushes out a minimum of 120 trucks per day across the country Group Executive Director, Strategy, Capital Projects & Portfolio Development, Dangote Industries Limited, Mr. Devakumar Edwin, revealed to the journalists over the weekend that the Plant which has the capacity to turn out more than 4,500 tonnes of urea per day will conveniently meet the local demand and even produce for exports. According to him: “We have the capacity to turn out 4,500 tonnes of Urea everyday…this is a bulk application fertilizer…each crop in Nigeria or globally will require

Nitrogen and this is a rich fertilizer, having 46 per cent nitrogen…The company has the capacity to meet local demand and also export to African countries… Currently the demand is less than one million tonnes and we alone can produce three million tonnes, so we can easily meet local demand and also produce for export to other west African countries.” Aside fertilizer production, the company, according to Edwin is already working to support the farmers with training on application of the fertilizer and even establish laboratories across the country for proper soil examination. “The uniqueness of this plant, apart from the fact that we are producing is the focus

Elites Fueling Crisis in South-east, Ngige Alleges Insists zone not marginalised by Buhari Onyebuchi Ezigbo in Abuja The Minister of Labour and Employment, Senator Chris Ngige, has blamed the elites in the South-east region of allegedly orchestrating propaganda against the federal government. The former Anambra State governor alleged that the propaganda is provoking the troubles in some parts of the country. Ngige in a statement issued by his media office yesterday said the Southeast is effectively represented in the President Muhammadu Buhari-led administration, adding the interest of the zone is also well protected.

The minister was said to have made the assertion in Abuja last Saturday at an emergency stakeholders’ meeting of the Association of Eze Ndigbo, 19 Northern States and Abuja. The statement said the meeting was summoned to discuss the wanton destruction of lives and property in the region and the insecurity bedeviling Ndigbo as a people. While speaking at meeting, Ngige said Buhari has shown friendship to Ndigbo, maintaining that the South-east region has gotten a fair share of what is due to the zone, especially in area of infrastructure.

2023: Tinubu’s Posters Flood Abuja Adedayo Akinwale in Abuja Ahead of the 2023 presidential election, political campaign posters of the national leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, have flooded some parts of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT). The posters were seen at Garki, Central Area, Maitama, Wuse 11 around APC secretariat at Blantyre Street, as well as Shehu Shagari Way opposite the Ministry of

Justice in the FCT. The posters, which were seen yesterday, had Tinubu’s bold picture and name, were strategically pasted on public infrastructures and other public places in the Nigeria’s capital. The former governor of Lagos State had not hidden his desire to take over from President Muhammdu Buhari in 2023 in spite of perceived opposition against his ambition within the party.

NAF Air Strikes Kill Scores of Bandits Denies bombing wedding party

Kingsley Nwezeh in Abuja A Nigerian Air Force (NAF) alpha jet weekend conducted air strikes around Genu town in Niger State, killing many bandits in a fleeing convoy. Spokesman of the Nigerian Air Force, Air Commodore Edward Gabkwet, confirmed the air interdiction but denied that the bombing killed civilians attending a wedding, insisting that the area was a forest with high density of armed bandits. The bombing also killed an unspecified number of rustled cattle from a military base. There were reports that the air strike allegedly hit a civilian wedding, killing two persons. “If indeed a wedding party was hit, the question Nigerians

should be asking is, why would a wedding party be held in a forested area with high concentration of banditry activities?”, Gabkwet queried. He said the joint operations of the military in the war against insurgency were yielding results. “It is clear that recent coordinate activities of the NAF, alongside the Nigerian Army and other security agents is yielding the expected result and obviously, some people are out to discredit these efforts. “But be rest assured that we will not succumb to any blackmail. Under the leadership of the Chief of the Air Staff, Air Marshal Oladayo Amao, the NAF shall continue to hit the locations of these criminals until we flush them out of the entire area”, he said.

on farmers’ support, on training, education, development as we are now establishing laboratories across the country and even

mobile laboratories where we can go drive around and take soil samples for proper examination to effectively grow

the agricultural outputs across the country” The Urea Fertilizer plant was built to tap into Nigeria’s

demand for fertilizer, a critical component of achieving food sufficiency for Africa’s most populous country.

TAKING FERTILIZER TO THE MARKET…

L-R: Senior Manager, Dangote Fertilizer, Mr. Balbir Singh; Senior fleet Driver, Mr. Adamu Musa Takai; Director, Projects, Mr. Raghav Mathur, Group Executive Director, Strategy, Capital Projects and Portfolio Development, Dangote Industries Limited, Mr. Devakumar Edwin; and General Manager, Dangote Fertilizer, Mr. Anurag Jaiswal, during the truck-out of Dangote Fertilizer products to market, in Lekki, Lagos… weekend

APC-led FG Facilitated Inﬂux of Foreign Bandits, Says PDP House Caucus Adedayo Akinwale in Abuja The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) caucus in the House of Representatives has accused the All Progressives Congress (APC)-led federal government of facilitating the influx of bandits from foreign countries, who have wantonly killed and

maimed innocent rural farmers and residents across the federation, “spreading sorrow and hardship among Nigerians on a daily basis.” The caucus made the allegation in a statement issued yesterday by its Leader, Hon. Kingsley Chinda. The PDP House caucus lamented that never in the history of Nigeria has so much

resources and efforts been devoted to monitoring citizens without corresponding result for security. It stressed that all the money spent for such purpose by various administrations since Independence in 1960 became insignificant when compared with what the current APC administration has voted for monitoring/surveillance between

2015 and now, yet dangerous threat to lives and property persist. It added: “In their time, the APC appears to have fiercely facilitated the influx of foreign bandits, who now wantonly kill and maim Nigerians on rural farmlands across the federation, spreading sorrow and hardship on a daily basis.”

Pro-Chancellors Want Labour Matters Removed from Exclusive List Michael Olugbode in Abuja The Committee of Pro-Chancellors of state-owned Universities (COPSUN) has called for the removal of labour and wages matters from the exclusive legislative list of the Nigerian Constitution. This, they said, would allow state governments to exercise appropriate control over their workers. In a communiqué issued at the end of its 52nd Quarterly meeting

at Abuja, the committee presided over by Mallam Yusuf Ali, argued that the structure and operation of the country’s federalism on public institutions established and owned separately by the federal and state governments under different legislations have been a major problem of state universities. Stressing that state governments should be allowed to negotiate wages with their workers, the committee stated that the rights

of trade unions to demand the welfare of its members should be based on employer-employee relationship. Worried by the instability in the academic calendars of the state universities fostered by incessant strikes by the academic and non-academic staff unions, the committee appealed to the Academic Staff Union of Nigerian Universities (ASUU) to de-emphasise strikes as the

major tool of negotiation with the federal government. The committee observed that the disruption of the academic calendars has adversely affected the quality of the country’s universities, their products and research outputs, saying the core values of education have been negatively impacted by the instability in the university system resulting in falling standards.

I Have No Problem with Wike, Says Secondus Chuks Okocha in Abuja The National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Prince Uche Secondus has stated that he has no misunderstanding with the Rivers State governor, Mr. Nyesom Wike, stressing that the main opposition party is united to tackle the All Progressives Congress (APC) over its maladministration in the country.

Secondus in a statement by his media aide, Mr. Ike Abonye that the allegation of misunderstanding between the duo was untrue. Secondus said the PDP is a political party of Nigerians that cannot be in control or direction of one individual or group. The statement added that Secondus, along with members of the National Working Committee (NWC), are effectively piloting the affairs of the party to the

satisfaction of majority of its members and leaders across the country. “And Governor Wike as one of the effective PDP state governors is also delivering democracy dividends to the good people of Rivers State,” the statement stated. “For records, the office of the National Chairman of PDP wants to put it on record that the real headache of the party is the steady destruction of democracy tenets by

the ruling All Progressives Congress and in particular the refusal of President Muhammadu Buhari to put into action the speedy electoral reform so that votes of Nigerians can count. “Also as a huge headache to PDP today is the insecurity situation in the country that has not only remained a threat to democracy but to the corporate existence of the country,” the statement added.

Over 12,500 Passports Issued to Nigerians in UK, Says Nigerian High Commission Michael Olugbode in Abuja The Nigeria High Commission in the United Kingdom has said passports have been issued to over 12,500 Nigerians in the country. Until recently, getting a passport has been a problem in the Nigerian foreign mission as passport booklets have been scarce. The same as being the situation in the country as many passport applicants were left stranded for

many months. A statement issued by the High Commission, which was made available to THISDAY yesterday, said 12,580 passports have been issued recently, and delivered to Nigerians as at June 8, 2021. The statement read: “In line with the commitment of the Mission to ensure service delivery, we are happy to report that 14,189 passport applications have been captured

from April 16, 2021, while 12,580 have been issued and delivered to Nigerians as at June 8, 2021. “The remaining applications are under processing, and would be delivered in due course. The Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) has continuously ensured the availability of passport booklets, and this would be sustained in the Mission.” The Mission lamented that

between May 3 and June 4, 2021, it was hectic as the traffic of passport applicants was huge. It said: “Nevertheless, all applicants who showed up at an average of 452 per day were processed accordingly. Many applicants left the Mission as late as between 8 p.m. and 10 p.m. daily within the period, while lessons learnt would be useful for such future challenges.”

MONDAY, ͹ͼ˜ ͺ͸ͺ͹ ˾ T H I S D AY

PERSPECTIVE

Ambode: Humanist at 58

Bolaji Adasofunjo

f you dissect the whole teachings of the philosophical school called humanism, though it looks like its opposite, it is almost synonymous with that biblical exhortation which asks man not to lay treasures for himself on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal. Rather, said the exhortation, man should lay his treasure in heaven where neither moths nor grasshoppers can eat it. However, while this biblical exhortation hammers on spiritual immortality as a result of sowing seeds in the house of God, humanists ask humanity to lay their treasures in the hearts of human beings, which can be seen, hinting that there lies immortality. It will appear however from the standpoint of logic, that when a man lays imperishable treasures in the hearts of his fellow man, since man is the creation of God, he is laying his treasures in heaven. Going by this logic, if former governor of Lagos State, Akinwunmi Ambode’s four-year strides as the governor of the state are a measure of humanist philosophy, then he has laid his treasures in heaven and has achieved immortality in the hearts of the people of Lagos State. Born June 14, 1963 at the Epe General Hospital, to the family of a man called Festus Akinwale Ambode and his wife, Christianah Oluleye Ambode, the young boy, one of the ten children of his father, was to later light the lamp of development in a state ranked as one of the fastest growing economies in Africa. Today marks Ambode’s 58 years sojourn on the surface of the earth. The elder Ambode equipped the young Akinwunmi with the paraphernalia of leadership from the outset. Sending him to acquire the golden fleece at Jude's Primary School, Ebute Metta, Lagos State where he studied between 1969 and1974, he also proceeded to the Federal Government College, Warri, Delta State, a sojourn that took him till 1981 when he proceeded to the University of Lagos (UNILAG). From that same 1981 to 1984, he was in UNILAG where he studied Accounting and graduated at the age of 21. Not only did the precocious Akinwunmi bag a Master’s in Accounting from the same university and an Hubert Humphrey fellowship at Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts, in no long time, he became a chartered accountant at 24. Diligently honing his academic and professional fecundity, he attended most of the best schools in the world among which are; Harvard Kennedy of School Of Government, Cranfield University, United kingdom, INSEAD-Singapore, Wharton Business School, Philadelphia. After observing his compulsory National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) at The Central Bank of Nigeria in Sokoto and assured that the civil service was the lush ground to groom leadership potentials due to its civil underpinning, Akinwunmi joined the Lagos civil service where he began in 1988 as Assistant Treasurer at the Badagry Local Government. Thereafter, in 1991, he was posted to the Somolu local government as the council’s auditor and in later years, he became the Council Treasurer of same Somolu Local Government, where he had held the financial forte previously. At another time, he served at the Alimoso council and in 2001, his mastery and wizardry in financial matters came to the ears of the powers-that-be and he was promptly made the acting Auditor General for Local Government of Lagos State and later confirmed by the Lagos State House of Assembly. By January 2005, he was elevated to the post of Permanent Secretary in the Lagos State Ministry of Finance. In all these merry-go-round appointments, how was Akinwunmi to know that providence was taking him through the mills, so that he could understand the pains of grassroots people, have a feel of their wants and emotions, preparatory to undertaking an assignment of consequence in the people’s lives? Strides-wise, Ambode chose not to

Ambode

rest on his oars. This probably was why he was appointed the state Accountant General in 2006, to handle portfolios of all financial activities in the state, with over 1,400 accountants in the state service under his administration. As if he and making strides were Siamese twins, Akinwunmi revolutionised the State Treasury Office, (STO) with his midas touch, changing the old patterns of Lagos State finances, budget, management and planning. He was the unsung hero behind the phenomenal raise in the ante of the Lagos financial performance within this period. This caught the attention of development analysts as he lifted the state’s budgetary performance to an annual average of 85 per cent. The most fitting acknowledgement of Ambode’s intellect and understanding of the Lagos State financial, social and developmental needs was his choice by the Lagos political class to run for the office of the Governor of Lagos in April, 2015. In that election, wherein he campaigned for and ran on the ticket of the All Progressives Congress, (APC) Ambode defeated his Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) closest rival, Jimi Agbaje by 150,000 votes. Basking in the grips he had acquired on Lagos and the goodwill that it attracted to him, Ambode’s firm hold on the economic trajectory of Lagos and the thirst for Lagos to continue to consolidate on the financial gains of the previous years were some of the indices that delivered the governorship to him. During his gubernatorial campaign, the man who was fast morphing from a civil servant imbued with a tradition of subordination to higher authority, being heard but not seen, into a politician, made use of his metamorphosis. He introduced panache into the electioneering process and made the youths to catch their fun while listening to “warring politicians.” His posters were surfeited with a cliché built on his understanding of Lagos, its economy, finance and people. Many have spoken about how he changed the mantra of electioneering, diverting it from the usual cliché that had no bearing on the aspirant’s past and trajectory. Ambode believed that in his own trajectory, his daring ideas and credentials, lay his success at the polls, so he deployed them to the highest advantage.

For him and this manifested quite tremendously in his campaign posters, he documented all his credentials and cognitive experience, perhaps asking anyone who doubted them to do a double check. Apart from documenting his educational credentials, Ambode also articulated all his trail-blazing catapults to the top of his career within the span of 27 years of his civil service career in Lagos State as well as his entrepreneurial journey in the private sector. Sounding like a fairy tale, the posters painted the iconic image of a positively queer man who entered the civil service at the age of 21 and rose, by dint of his mental endowment, to the zenith of the service as Accountant General. He literally challenged his rivals to be bold enough to subject theirs to same scrutiny. In a Nigeria where politicians shroud their past from the world’s glare, Ambode was telling an unusual story and perhaps pointing at the rout to go. His posters were distinguished by the mantra, LET MY EXPERIENCE WORK FOR YOU. Some analysts have said that it was the acceptance by the electorate, which came thereafter, his audacity to tell his own story for the world to hear, which propelled his political enemies and the opposition into spinning the unfounded allegation of his dual nativity. In four years that his administration held forte in Lagos, Ambode brought on board panache and a can-do spirit that was not alien to Lagos and which set him apart as a man to beat. He bombarded Lagos with so many monumental developmental projects, which instantly made the State of Aquatic Splendor to become a construction yard. Virtually in all the local governments of the state, constructions went on simultaneously. Development of Lagos became his locus of operation and in this regard, he bestrode Lagos like a colossus. It was such that, within four years, his strides dwarfed all his predecessors’ combined especially when one considered the twin impact of recession and dwindling oil price to less than $20 at that time. Tireless and with an eye on history, he was quoted several times as mouthing the need to attain immortality in the hearts of Lagosians by his developmental efforts. This must have been why he operated a governance model that touched virtually

all the facets of the lives of Lagosians. Till today, his strides are yet unsurpassable as they are benchmarked as indices and measurement for good governance. A few of those developmental efforts are the iconic annual 5-Zone One Lagos Fiesta, his transport lay-bys and traffic control management model, the Bus reforms and terminals, the Aboru-Abesan bridge, AjahJubilee Bridge, The Abule-Egba bridge, the Lagos Neighborhood Safety Corps model, pedestrian crossings, 576 completed world class roads, functional security architecture that he bestowed to Lagos, the infrastructural transformation of LASU, revamping of LASEMA rescue unit, the jetties and water ferries, healthcare model and Ayinke House Revamp, Airport road construction, the world class Oshodi terminal, the Epe re-development and Chalets, the DNA Forensic Laboratory, Oshodi Safety Arena, the Imota Rice Mill-The biggest in Africa , Lake Rice, the iconic transformation of Alimosho roads leading to Ota in Ogun State, the five Lagos theatres, the Pen Cinema bridge, his Lagos Marathon, the Ojodu-Berger transformation, the artistic monuments that he dotted around Lagos, the over 6,000 Housing units, his Lagos State Employment Trust Fund, transport buses, light- up Lagos initiative, the Onikan Arena, The J.K Randle Centre and a lot more that made him to stand out among those who have administered Lagos or those who will administer it in years to come. Till today, the people of Lagos still speak of the Akinwunmi Ambode titanic achievements and remember him with profound nostalgia. It is doubtful whether, even though the shenanigans of the political class denied him a second term, this same set of people can succeed in obliterating his memories from the hearts of the people he labored for. He impacted the lives of the ordinary citizens of Lagos in a way that ardent humanists alone could. For instance, while constructing the Johnson, Jakande, Tinubu (JJT) Park at Alausa, the model, which he parodied and eventually got, actualized, was the re-development of that park to become a world-class leisure park. After the commissioning of the park, Ambode literally turned it into the hands of the people by opening it to all despite being few meters away from his living room in the seat of power in Alausa, Ikeja. In a rare display of humility, the governor took his children to the park to have a feel of the facility with other fun-seekers at the park. Today, he appeared to the users of the park like the man who saw tomorrow due to his remarkable foresight. Even his biggest critics in their cocoons do say ‘’Ti egan ni e, Ambode se ise l’eko” meaning, with all honesty, Ambode worked in Lagos State. As multi-faceted as his strides were, perhaps because of his civil service background, Ambode was content with the belief that blowing one’s trumpet was immodesty of the highest order. He preferred his strides to go ahead of him into the hearts of the people. As if he knew that in the hearts of the combines, forces who were displeased with his sagacity and “excessive” embrace of the common man on the streets, would not allow his government to endure, Ambode slaved every hour in his 48 months period of being in government as if the last day would be his last in office. He made stupendous inroads into the hearts of the people, so much that the lingo in Lagos is that, after the Late Action Governor of Lagos State, Alhaji Lateef Jakande, no one had attempted to best his performance in Lagos. As Ambode marks his 58 years on earth today, his fare in Lagos as governor should be a torchbearer to those who queue on the side of the people. They can surely be denigrated, despised and muzzled out of their vision and mission for the people but in the long run, they remain iconic in the eyes of history and in the hearts of the people they served. Happy Birthday to the peoples’ governor! t"EBTPGVOKP XSJUFT GSPN -BHPT

MONDAY JUNE 14, 2021 ˾ THISDAY

MONDAYSPORTS

Group Sports Editor Duro Ikhazuagbe Email duro.ikhazuagbe@thisdaylive.com 0811 181 3083 SMS ONLY

UFC Welterweight Champion, Kamaru Usman, Determined to Help Nigerian Youths Duro Ikhazuagbe Nigerian-born American Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Welterweight Champion, Kamaru Usman, has expressed his desire to get more youths in the country involved in the mixed martial art that has brought him global fame and wealth. Speaking at a media parley in Lagos yesterday, Kamaru Usman, who admitted he was excited visiting Nigeria for the first time in two decades said he wants to encourage more youths to take to the sports. First, the ‘Nigerian Nightmare’ is planning to set up a Sporting Academy here in the country to help groom the youths in the proper art to become world champions like him. “First, I want to say thank you to the millions of

Nigerians who have been following my fights and help creating the awareness for the sport. My plan is to help groom the youths to spark their interest in the mixed martial art. We want to create different opportunities for the youths to excel,” began the Auchi-born welterweight champion. Kamaru Usman who announced his trip back to his roots after his gobsmacked win over teammate Gilbert Burns, believes so many of his types abound in the country and only waiting to be discovered and polished into world champions. “I started out as a wrestler and moved into the mixed martial art in search of more adventures. I did other sports at high school and college before getting to where I am today. It takes hard work and determination. So if I can make

it, I believe thousands of our kids out there can also get it right,” gushed Usman who has not lost touch with his Nigerian Pidgin despite being away from his homeland for over 20 years. “ I be Naija proper,” joked the champion in the familiar Nigerian accent of people from the South-south. It is this patriotism that makes the Nigerian flag the first item he picks to celebrate with any time

he dispatches his opponents. Having fought in 20 matches in the Mixed Martial Arts; won 19: of which eight were by knockout, Kamaru Usman insisted he was not ready to move up to the middleweight class where another Nigerian Israel Adesanya fights. “No, I don’t want to move up. For me, it is better to have two Nigerians with two belts than having one with two belts. He’s my buddy. We talk and

share notes most times. I stayed awake here in Nigeria to watch his fight with Italian contender, Marvin Vettori in Arizona on Sunday night (6am in Nigeria). Kamaru Usman is excited that Three Africans have done so much to put the continent on the global map of UFC. Cameroonian Francis Ngannou is the reigning UFC heavyweight champion. He is known as the hardest recorded puncher in UFC history.

J Kamaru Usman...Set in motion plans to help Nigerian youths

NPFL NEWS...

Akwa Utd Stay Top as Heartland, Rangers, Wikki End Winless Run Akwa United establish their title potentials with a draw in a top of the table clash with Kano Pillars on Match-day 27 of the Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL). It was also a day that saw Enugu Rangers, Dakadda, Heartland, and Wikki Tourists ending their winless run as the Church team, MFM’s unbeaten run came to an end. Playing away to closest title rival in Kaduna, Akwa United retained their position at the top of the table after holding Kano Pillars to a goalless draw at the Ahmadu Bello Stadium. Kano Pillars thought it had won the match after Nyima Nwangua scored in the seventh minute of added time only for the referee to rule out the goal for offside. The Promise Keepers are still one point ahead of Nasarawa United and Kano Pillars. Nasarawa returned to the top three after a hard-fought 2-0 win over Plateau United at the Lafia City Stadium. Second-half goals from Chinedu Ohanachom and Silas Nwankwo ensured that Nasarawa United won for the second straight league match of the season. MFM had enjoyed an unbeaten run at the turn of the season but it came to an end after a narrow 1-0 loss to Kwara United at the Kwara State Sports Complex. Christopher Nwanze converted a penalty in the 72nd minute to win all three points for Kwara United who are now 4th on the table, three points behind league leaders Akwa United. In Gombe, Rivers United missed a big chance to get into the top 3 after losing 2-0 to bottom-placed Adamawa United. Suraj Hassan opened the scoring in the 11th minute before Anayo Ogbonna

scored in the 39th minute to ensure that Adamawa United earned a much-needed win. Michael Balaji was sent off for Adamawa United for a second bookable offense. Enugu Rangers are back to winning ways after trashing relegation-threatened Sunshine Stars 4-1 at the Nnamdi Azikiwe Stadium. First-half goals from Ifeanyi Nweke, Israel Abia, and Godspower Aniefok gave Rangers a commanding lead going into half-time. Ibrahim Olawoyin completed the scoring for the Flying Antelopes while Ifeagwu Ojukwu grabbed the consolation for Sunshine Stars who are now 19th on the table, six points from safety. It was a disastrous outing for record winners Enyimba after they were thrashed 3-1 by Katsina United in Katsina. First-half goals by Samuel Lucio Kalu, Rasheed Ahmed, and Abdulwasiu Mahmud made it almost impossible for the People’s Elephant to get into the match. However, Nigerian International Anayo Iwuala got the consolation for Enyimba. Heartland FC returned to winning ways after beating Jigawa Golden Stars 2-1 at the Dan Ayam Stadium, Owerri. Nwaodu Chukwudi and Emeka Atuloma scored for the Naze Millionaires while Samuel Stone got the consolation for Jigawa. MATCH-DAY 27 Abia Warriors 2 - 0 Lobi S Adamawa 2 - 0 Rivers Utd Rangers 4 - 1 Sunshine Heartland 2 - 1 Jigawa GS Kano Pillars 0 - 0 Akwa Utd Katsina Utd 3 - 1 Enyimba Kwara Utd 1 - 0 MFM Nasarawa 2 - 0 Plateau Utd Warri Wolves 0 - 1 Dakkada Wikki 4 - 3 IfeanyiUbah

AMBASSADORS....

L- R: Super Eagles Midfielder, Wilfred Ndidi; Chief Executive Officer, MultiChioce Nigeria, John ; Super Eagles forwards, Kelechi Iheanacho and Victor Osimhen at the unveiling of the football stars as DStv & GOtv ambassadors at the MultiChoice head office in Lagos... on Friday

Dabiri-Erewa Congratulates Adesanya on Successful Defence of UFC Belt Michael Olugbodein Abuja The Chairman/CEO Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM), Hon. Abike Dabiri-Erewa has congratulated Nigeria’s Israel Adesanya for retaining his Ultimate Fighting Championship middleweight belt after defeating Italian contender, Marvin Vettori, at the Gila River Arena in Arizona on Sunday. Dabiri-Erewa in a statement

by the Commission’s Head of Media, Abdur-Rahman Balogun, stated that by the feat, Israel has brought honour and glory not only to Nigeria but to all black Africans. The NIDCOM boss said that with Nigeria’s Israel Adesanya beating his challenger, Marvin Vettori, to retain his UFC undisputed world middleweight champion in Mixed Martial Art (MMA) was something to be

proud of. Adesanya won via a unanimous decision – 50-45, 50-45, 50-45. The win is Adesanya’s third title defence after losing to Jan Blachowicz in a bid to add the light heavyweight title to his laurels. Dabiri-Erewa, who on Friday received another champion in Mixed Martial Art (MMA), Kamaru Usman in her office,

said that Nigeria is proud of Adesanya’s performance as he had used his skills to bring honour and glory to the entire country. She urged the youths, especially those in the Diaspora, to emulate Adesanya and be good ambassadors of the country wherever they find themselves. Adesanya is now the third African to win a UFC title after Kamaru Usman became welterweight champion.

TRACK & FIELD

National Trials, Invitational Relays Set for June 16-21 The 2021 National Championships and Invitational Relays will hold between Wednesday June 16 and Monday June 21, 2021 at the Yaba College of Technology Sports ground in Yaba, Lagos, according to the Athletics Federation of Nigeria. Prince Adeniyi Adisa Beyioku, Secretary General of the federation says this year’s National Championships will be used as selection trials to pick Nigeria’s contingent to the delayed Games of the XXXII Olympics in Tokyo which is scheduled to hold from July 23 to August 8, 2021. In a letter sent to state athletics

associations, Military, Para Military and Clubs, the AFN informed that the event will take place under strict compliance with the COVID-19 Sports Code Protocols put in place by the Federal Government of Nigeria for Sports engagement. The AFN also revealed that Wednesday June 16 will be for arrivals of invited athletes and others who have met the competition’s entry standard at designated hotels while the competition proper will start on Thursday June 17 and run for four days. ‘’The AFN is set to host another

top class national championships and this year’s edition will be used to select the athletes who will represent Nigeria at the delayed 2020 Olympics in Tokyo, Japan from late next month,’ said Beyioku. The AFN Secretary General also revealed a six-nation invitational relay will be held on the sidelines of the National Championships. “The invitational relays have become very important as it, for now, remains the only window left for Nigeria to secure qualifications for the relay events of the Olympics. “We know our women’s 4x100m team have qualified provisionally

for Tokyo and we are confident others will also make the cut before the June 29, 2021 final deadline for qualification.’ The Nigerian men’s 4x100m and the women’s 4x400m teams are just a step from making it to Tokyo as they are ranked 17th in their respective events. The men’s 4x100m team has a best of 38.59 seconds that has placed the team just outside the qualification ranking and needs to run at least 38.45 seconds to move into 16th spot ahead of Trinidad and Tobago (38.46) and Turkey (38.47).

...Kebbi Agog as Delegates Set for AFN Election Today Kebbi State is now a beehive of activities with almost all the delegates arriving town for the forthcoming Athletics Federation of Nigeria elections slated for today, June 14. An excited President of the AFN, Engr Ibrahim Shehu Gusau, said that the elections

will mark a new chapter in the history of athletics in Nigeria. “I am so happy that delegates from various states are here in Kebbi already and many arrived even four days to the elections. This is impressive as delegates are also fraternizing

in a friendly atmosphere,” the AFN President said. Gusau who is also vying for a second term in office as President, expressed optimism that the elections will be transparent and rancour free. He added that in the spirit of unity and oneness, interests of

all contestants will be protected while a level playing field will be available to all before and during the election. Meanwhile, Gusau has promised to use the next term to unite the Athletics Federation of Nigeria if he wins the election in Kebbi today.

Monday June 14, 2021

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MISSILE

Afenifere to Buhari “Since most governors in the country have outlawed open grazing in their respective states, on which land does the federal government wants to ‘open’ or ‘re-open’ its vaunted grazing routes? Why talking of grazing routes in this age when ranching is the fad in all civilised climes?” – Afenifere, kicking against President Buhari’s position on open grazing.

ROTIMIAMAECHI Creating a Robust Maritime Economy W GUEST COLUMNIST

hen I assumed office as the Minister of Transportation in 2015, I carefully evaluated the transportation requirements of the country and the overall state of the Nigerian economy. I came to the conclusion that the development of the maritime sector was the future of the Nigerian economy. The reality of climate change precipitated a scramble for alternatives to the use of fossil fuels and the frenzied research into renewable energy sources became the priority of developed nations with immediate and future consequences for the oil dependent Nigerian economy. Oil industry uncertainties created by the Shale oil revolution in the United States of America only compounded the problem. Based on these realities, I developed an agenda to secure the channels of maritime trade, reduce shipping costs and expand indigenous participation in the sector, in order to facilitate increase in sector contributions to national revenue and the gross domestic product. To achieve this, the Ministry of Transportation developed a comprehensive Integrated National Security and Waterways Protection Infrastructure framework, otherwise called the Deep Blue Project. However, as soon as this project was presented, all hell was let loose. I was accused of all manner of things from corruption to treason. But I must

commend President Muhammadu Buhari, who approved the project despite all attacks and numerous attempts to frustrate it. Which is why I must make it very clear: This is not Rotimi Amaechi’s project or NIMASA’s project. This is about Nigeria’s ability to secure its future by exercising sovereignty over its territorial waters, protect maritime trade in the Gulf of Guinea and position the country for the post-oil economy. The contract for the Deep Blue Project was signed on 27th July 2017 between the Federal Ministry of Transportation and the Home Land Security International with NIMASA as the Discharge Agency. The actual implementation of the contract commenced in early 2018 and is today fully completed and operationalized with the full support of the Ministry of Defence and all arms of the military, particularly the Nigerian Navy. A symbiotic relationship was carefully put together to ensure that whereas NIMASA retains ownership of the Deep Blue Assets and determines operational needs in line with the International Maritime Organization [IMO] conventions, the military takes charge of its operational deployments. The Deep Blue Project comprises of four key components. The Marine Assets, the Aerial Assets, the Land Assets and the Command and Control Communication Information Centre otherwise called the C4i. The Marine Assets include two special mission vessels and 17 interceptor boats.

For the Aerial Assets, there are two special mission aircrafts, three helicopters and four unmanned air vessels. The Land Assets include 16 armoured vehicles and 340 fully trained intervention team drawn from the Armed Forces. The C4i. is the command and control communication computer and intelligence system which provides coastal radar up to 300 nautical miles and external system integration with the Navy Falcon Eye and the Lloyds List and was indeed the first of the assets to be operationalized and commissioned on the 16th of August 2019. Meanwhile, these are huge, sensitive and very expensive assets which must be run efficiently in a sustainable manner. The Project Management Team shall work out a framework for administrative, maintenance and operational sustainability. The scope of the Deep Blue project covers Nigeria’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) which is 0-200 nautical miles off the coast but with the approval given by the president for NIMASA to take over operations of the Secure Anchorage Area in Lagos from a private company called OMSL, a quick operational adjustment had to be made. I made it clear when I assumed office as Minister of Transportation that once you have a situation where an individual is offering protection to a country, that is clear evidence of failure of that system. I moved against it and suspended the contract of OMSL over the Lagos Port Secure

Anchorage Area. This time, something worse than hell was let loose. But we were resolute and once again, the president gave approval for NIMASA to take over the SAA. Some of the assets for the Deep Blue Project designed for the EEZ were immediately deployed to SAA of Lagos and the results are there for everyone to see. There is therefore the need to expand the project to cover the additional scope of the SAA of Lagos and possibly Bonny. With the launch and full deployment of the Deep Blue Project Assets and the passage of the Suppression of Piracy and other Maritime Offences Act, 2019 by the National Assembly, security of maritime trade in our territorial waters and the Gulf of Guinea are largely guaranteed. The unnecessary security costs borne by shipping companies running into millions of dollars annually has been finally removed. We shall now focus on the expansion of indigenous participation in the maritime trade. With the foregoing investments, President Buhari has laid the foundation for a robust maritime sector and paved the way for a smooth transition to a post oil economy. I am convinced that despite the difficulties being experienced in Nigeria today, history will be kind to him and his government. t"NBFDIJ JT UIF )PO .JOJTUFS PG 5SBOTQPSUBUJPO

OKEYIKECHUKWU

EDIFYING ELUCIDATIONS

okey.ikechukwu@thisdaylive.com

Kebbi State, for Instance A

few weeks ago the government of Kebbi State approved the sum of N4.5billion for the construction and renovations of schools. Other reports suggest that the state government is also going to build brand new schools in every local government of the state. To the extent that the report about this matter remains undenied in the media, the question to ask is this: Aren’t there other ways in which the state government can spend N4.5 billion and make better mileage in education? But more of questions later. Speaking further on the construction and rehabilitation works, the Executive Secretary, Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB) of the state, Hassan Umar, was quoted as having said: “We have already started the process. We have contract specifications and told contractors to do quality job. We have guidelines on the execution of the projects.” This happened when he was visited by the Civil Society Action Coalition and Education for All (CSACEFA) in collaboration with Malala Foundation COVID-19 Intervention project, engaged stakeholders to promote girl-child education in rural communities in the state. There is some good news here, though, and at various levels. The first is the continued engagement of SCACEFA with stakeholders in a sustained commitment to the advancement of education all over the country. The second is the renewed call for education managers to invest in the girl child. No nation can lay claim to full

Kebbi State Gov, Abubakar Bagudu development when one vital pillar of its human capital infrastructure is in limbo. Like it or not, the continued denigration of women in many places, all over the world is responsible for many

avoidable social problems. The third point that gives cause for cheer in the Kebbi news is that no fewer than 758 primary school teachers are said to be undergoing training on methodologies to impart more knowledge on students. The final point is that the state government appears determined not to leave education on the back seat. Going back to the question asked in the first paragraph of this article, it must be said here that it is not all good news. The first bad news is that “some local councils visited lacked adequate female teachers, infrastructure, as well as low enrolment of girls” This is in addition to the fact that some parents refuse to register their children in school. Reason? “Unconducive learning environment, insecurity, inadequate teachers and lack of teaching aid and materials.” Further still on the bad news, the state government (and most other state governments in the country) may wish to answer the following questions: (1) Is there a difference between expenditure on education infrastructure and actual investment in education and human capital development? (2) How many candidates enrolled for SSCE and related examinations in the last 10 years, and why? (3) Are your secondary teachers so versed in their respective teaching subjects that what they need now is “methodologies to impact more knowledge on students.” (4) Can you say, in all good conscience that less than seventy per cent of your state’s education budget of the last 20 years have not been more of procurement

contracts? And (5) Has there been an improvement in enrolment, retention and education outcomes since the return of democracy. The foregoing brings to mind an article on questionable investment in education, which appeared on this page of May 31,2019 titled “Objection Mr. President”. It was about the decision of Buhari’s last Federal Executive Council (FEC), to spend the sum of N4.7 billion “on the construction of seven Models Schools in the six geo-political zones of the country.” The article in question suggested, instead that: “The federal government can choose one Unity School from each of the geo-political zones and upgrade it to a Model School, or school of reference of some sort, instead of starting fresh school projects.” It continues: “A simple costs-benefits analysis shows that 4.7 billion Naira will go a very long way in rescuing the 104 now-decrepit and derelict Unity Schools in the country and increasing their carrying capacity. The old students associations and the parents of the current students who are now maintaining and sustaining these schools in the critical areas of infrastructure and learning environment should be relieved of a burden that a distant Federal Ministry of Education, a consummate cabal with impressive credentials that no minister of education can easily see through of dislodge, claims to be handling but is not.” NOTE: This piece is concluded in the online edition on www.thisdaylive.com

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