TUESDAY 18TH AUGUST 2020 by THISDAY Newspapers Ltd

Analysts Seek Better Security, Productivity as Inflation Rises to 12.82% Call for improved Forex liquidity James Emejo in Abuja and Nume Ekeghe in Lagos Analysts yesterday urged the federal government to end the incessant bandit attacks

on farming communities as well as pursue an aggressive implementation of the Economic Sustainability Plan (ESP) to address the impact of rising inflation, which peaked

at 12.82 per cent in July. They charged both monetary and fiscal authorities to respectively deploy policy tools in tackling inflationary pressure as well as stimulate

the critical sectors of the economy to boost productivity and production. The analysts who spoke in separate interviews with THISDAY also urged the

Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to among other things focus on how to improve liquidity in the forex market, particularly through the ongoing unification of exchange rates.

The Consumer Price Index, (CPI), which measures inflation increased to 12.82 per cent (year-on-year) in Continued on page 31

Chairman of NAN, Wada Maida, Dies at 70...

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FG May Sue Ghana over Closure of Nigerians’ Shops... Page 6

Diri Urges Calm, Heads for A’Court as Tribunal Nulliﬁes Bayelsa Gov Election Optimistic of victory at appellate court ANDP fielded underage running mate, INEC insists Chuks Okocha in Abuja and Onungwe Obe in Yenagoa Bayelsa State Governor, Senator Douye Diri, yesterday expressed optimism about upturning on appeal, the judgment of the State Election Petitions Tribunal, which earlier in the day nullified the election that brought him to office.

Diri, who was reacting to the tribunal’s nullification of the November 16, 2019 governorship election, said he had already instructed his lawyers to appeal the judgment at the Court of Appeal. In a split decision, the tribunal ruled that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) erred

when it disqualified the candidate of the Advanced National Democratic Party (ANDP) from contesting the election for allegedly having an underage candidate as his running mate. But INEC yesterday insisted that the governorship candidate of the ANDP, Mr. Lucky King-George, was not properly nominated to run

for the election. King-George had asked the tribunal to cancel the election because he was excluded from it. INEC had explained that it excluded ANDP from the elections because Mr. David Esinkuma, the party’s initial deputy governorship candidate, was 34 years old and did not meet the age

requirement of 35 years as stipulated by the constitution to contest the election. But following INEC's observation on the ineligibility of Esinkuma on account of his age, ANDP had said he was duly substituted within the allowed time frame. The party, therefore, prayed the tribunal to order for a fresh governorship poll in the state.

On Saturday, a three-man panel of the tribunal had dismissed three petitions challenging Diri’s election on the grounds of incompetence and lacking merit. The tribunal in a unanimous decision dismissed the first petition that was filed by the Alliance for Democracy Continued on page 31

Oshiomhole Meets Buhari, Asks for Enhanced Security for Edo Poll Rules out APC national chairmanship comeback Omololu Ogunmade in Abuja and Adibe Emenyonu in Benin Ousted National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Mr. Adams Oshiomhole, yesterday met with President Muhammadu Buhari at the State House in Abuja, where he called for the deployment of more security agents in Edo State for the

September 19 governorship election. He also dismissed the allegation that he was plotting a comeback as the national chairman of the ruling party and wondered why he would seek to return to the office at the age of 68. He described those accusing him of plotting his return as Continued on page 32

STILL LOYAL... Former National Chairman, All Progressives Congress, Mr. Adams Oshiomhole (left), and President Muhammadu Buhari during Oshiomhole’s visit to Buhari at the Presidential Villa, Abuja...yesterday godwin omoigui

Nigeria Resumes International Flights August 29... Page 6

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NEWS Chairman of NAN, Wada Maida, Dies at 70

Group News Editor Ejiofor Alike

Email Ejiofor.Alike@thisdaylive.com, 08066066268

Peter Uzoho

Barely five months after he clocked 70 years on March 5, the former Chief Press Secretary to President Muhammadu Buhari when he was the Head of State in 1984, Malam Wada Maida, is dead. Until his death, Maida was a member of the Executive Board of International Press Institute (IPI) and the Chairman of Board of Directors of the News Agency

Maida of Nigeria (NAN). Maida, who was in his office

yesterday and did not show any sign of sickness was said to have slumped last night. Born on March 5, 1950, in Katsina State, Maida was the Chairman of the Board of Directors of People’s Media, and a former Editor-in-Chief and Managing Director of NAN. He studied at Government College, Katsina, 19641968; Nigerian Institute of Journalism (NIJ), 1971; Indiana Institute of Mass Communication, 1972-1975;

and Aberdeen College of Commerce, UK, 1975-1977. He was appointed information officer, Kaduna State, 1971-1978; zonal editor, 1978-1981; Foreign Correspondent, NAN, incharge of Western Europe, London, 1981-1983; and Chief Press Secretary to Buhari when he was the Head of State from 1984-1985. Maida was Editor-inChief, NAN, 1985-1994, and Managing Director in 1994. He was a member of several

organisations, including the Nigerian Guild of Editors (NGE), Vision 2010, Foreign Press Association, London, and Amnesty International, and co-founder of Daily Trust, among others. Buhari had in a congratulatory message to Maida when he clocked 70 years in March this year, noted with delight his quintessential humility, sincerity and forthrightness for an upwardly mobile career.

The president had also affirmed that, as the Chairman of Board of Directors of NAN and member of the Executive Board of IPI, Maida’s contribution to the growth of journalism in the country remains commendable, especially his foray into publishing. He believed that Maida’s patriotism, dedication, and commitment to peace and unity of the country, through his chosen profession, would always be remembered.

Clark Cautions Buhari against Scrapping Amnesty Programme Deji Elumoye in Abuja An elder statesman, Chief Edwin Clark, has advised President Muhammadu Buhari, against the idea of scrapping the Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP) established in 2009 to cater for repentant militants and other stakeholders from the Niger Delta region. Clark, at a Zoom press conference at his Asokoro, Abuja residence yesterday, warned the federal government to desist from doing anything that will truncate the fragile peace in the Niger Delta region. He stated that his advice was premised on information that a panel set up by the federal government to look into the activities of the amnesty programme had recommended its scrapping with effect from December. He said: "I say this because just yesterday, rumours were rife that the four-man investigative panel headed by Ambassador A.A. Lawal, set up by the federal government, through the Office of the National Security Adviser (NSA), Maj. Gen. Babagana Monguno (rtd), to look into the activities of the Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP), has recommended the scrapping of the programme by December this year, 2020. "If this is true, it will be an epic example of what we say in local parlance ‘trouble dey sleep, yanga go wake am’. “This is not a threat; it is stating the obvious of what will actually happen. “When I got this information yesterday, my temper was high because how can a region, which contributes so much to the economic growth, and by extension, political and social growth of the country, be treated with so much disdain and spite?" He, therefore, advised the federal government to tread cautiously, saying this is recipe for peace in the Niger Delta region and not necessarily a threat. "Except they have prepared another ‘Operation Crocodile Smile,’ government needs to be very cautious. Wake not a sleeping lion. This is not a threat; it is a clarion call for peace," he said. The leader of Pan Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF) asked the members of the investigative panel why it never

visited the Niger Delta region to see things for themselves and make informed judgments. He said: "The question is: Did Ambassador Lawal and his team ever travel to the Niger Delta region to find out if the objective of setting up the programme such as infrastructural development, sand filling; building low- cost houses, building roads, which are to be carried out by the PAP as its second phase activities contained in the proclamation, been achieved? As someone outside of the region does he really understand or feel the sufferings of the people of the region? "Also, what measures have been put in place by the federal government to fulfill its promises to the region such as setting up modular refineries, the relocation of the operational headquarters of the International Oil Companies (IOCs) and the Ogoni cleanup as contained in the 16-point Agenda of the Pan Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF), which we presented to Mr. President at the Presidential Villa on 1st November, 2017? “Our living condition in the region has worsened. The PAP should be allowed to continue for some more time." Clark also alleged that most staff of the amnesty programme who are indigenous of the nine Niger Delta states had since been sacked. He said: "It is alleged that during the time of Prof. Charles Dokubo as PAP Coordinator, people from other regions feasted on the office. He was said to have appointed someone from Kogi State in the name of a consultant, whom it is alleged he is in league with, to employ some unqualified staff. Sons and daughters of the Niger Delta region were sacked or removed from office, particularly the graduates of the programmes, most of who graduated with First Class and Second Class Upper from their various universities. We protested this unjust treatment to the federal government, and the reaction was a communication to us through the then Minister of Budget and Planning, Mr. Udo Udoma. Most of these youths are roaming the streets today, unemployed. This matter will be a subject of discussion on another day. The PAP Office is now filled up with non-Niger Deltans," Clark added.

SEVENTY-NINE HEARTY CHEERS... Niger State Governor, Mr. Abubakar Bello (left), and former military president, Gen. Ibrahim Babangida (rtd.), during the former military president’s 79th birthday celebrations in Minna...yesterday godwin omoigui

Arrest Perpetrators of Killings, CAN Tells El-Rufai We won't appease troublemakers, says gov John Shiklam in Kaduna The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) yesterday urged the Kaduna State Governor, Malam Nasir el-Rufai, to channel his energy towards arresting those behind the killings in Southern Kaduna. It also warned him against making accusations and counter-accusations over the killings in the area. The association, in a statement issued by CAN President, Rev. Samson Ayokunle, after a visit to the governor, expressed readiness to partner the state government and security agents in finding a lasting solution to the carnage. However, the governor has accused troublemakers in the state of seeking financial appeasement to end the violence in the area. CAN, in the statement, said: “Whenever CAN in the state and at the national level cries out against insecurity, it is because we are tired of seeing human beings being slaughtered like animals. It is because not only our heart is bleeding, but that of God our creator and maker as well. “On many occasions, when I read of ‘unknown gunmen’ and it ends there, I wonder whether it is not the duty of those governing us to make sure that the “unknown gunmen” are ‘known’ and brought to book! “The people causing trouble are not spirits; so, it

should not be too difficult to apprehend them and bring them to book. If there are people sponsoring them, a thorough investigation should be able to fish them out and cause them to face the wrath of the law. “Let there be a round table discussion and a pledge of cooperation rather than confrontation in finding a solution to this wicked and embarrassing development. “In view of the foregoing, we request sir the following: A stop to accusations and counter-accusations between the government and other stakeholders over the killings in Southern Kaduna but rather a round table solution. Every provocative statement over the matter should be avoided. “Everybody is looking at the governor as a father of the state and this is the understanding with which he should handle every accusing finger pointed at him. Your office is like that of the dung where all kinds of rubbish are dumped. When you were not in charge of the governance of the state, nobody was pointing accusing finger at you. “No bandit, gunman or cattle rustler should be allowed to strike and disappear into the thin air any longer without being pursued to his or her base for apprehension and prosecution. “The guns in the hands of criminals should be recovered. Bushes should be combed

through surveillance to do this. Technology should be deployed extensively by the security agents to apprehend the criminals in their hideouts, including the mercenaries that may be coming from outside the state. “All sources of ammunition the bandits and killers are using should be investigated and blocked. "Community healing, forgiveness and reconciliatory meetings should be held, bringing different ethnic groups in communities together to chart the way forward for peace." Responding, el-Rufai expressed sadness at the loss of lives in the attacks and reprisals. He thanked the CAN president for the visit and promised to consider the eight recommendations made by Ayokunle for implementation. ‘’While we mourn the dead, our immediate focus remains to stop the cycle of attacks and reprisals. “We remain committed to ending the legacy of violence that has blighted the state for 40 years,’’ the governor said. According to him, ‘’part of the false narrative of the history of violent conflict in Southern Kaduna is the loose use of terms like landgrabbing and genocide. They are being used in this current cycle of conflict, just as they were in the 2016/17 and the 2011/2015 cycles.’’ The governor challenged anyone to characterise or differentiate the communal

clashes, attacks and killings in other parts of Kaduna State as well as in Zamfara, Katsina, Sokoto and Niger states from those in Southern Kaduna. According to him, “Government has ‘been consistent in saying that beyond boots on the ground, military bases and police stations, the ultimate guarantee of peace is the willingness of communities to live in harmony and their resolve to settle differences through lawful means. “Some people do not want to hear this because it imposes responsibilities on individuals and community leaders to keep the peace and obey the law, but it is the civilised way to go.’’

We Won't Appease Troublemakers, Says Gov The governor also accused troublemakers in the state of seeking financial appeasement to end the violence in the area. Speaking on a television programme on Sunday night, the governor said his administration would not appease troublemakers. “I have no time for nonsense. I will not appease criminals. I will not appease idle people who have nothing to do but to raise a spectre of genocide. They do that to get money into their bank accounts and get donations from abroad instead of standing up,” he said.

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Nigeria Resumes International Flights August 29 THISDAY Dome treats 120 COVID-19 patients Olawale Ajimotokan, Onyebuchi Ezigbo, Kasim Sumaina in Abuja and Chinedu Eze in Lagos The federal government yesterday fixed August 29 for the resumption of international flights, suspended in March in the wake of the introduction of measures to curb the spread of COVID-19. This is coming as one of the most comprehensive private sector-driven COVID-19 facility in the country, THISDAY Dome COVID-19 Treatment Centre, has treated over 120 patients. The Nigerian Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) has also indicated that it will probe the allegations that its officials were collecting bribes to test samples. Speaking yesterday in Abuja at the media briefing by the Presidential Task Force (PTF) on COVID-19, the Minister of Aviation, Senator Hadi Sirika, however, said all evacuation flights, which were introduced in the country in the wake of the ban on international flights occasioned by the outbreak of the pandemic, would stop on August 25. The minister said Nigeria’s international airports had reached advanced stages of preparedness for the resumption of international flights. According to him, the civil aviation authority will soon announce the protocols and procedures for the resumption of international flights. He added that physical distancing, wearing of face masks, the use of hand sanitisers and temperature checking will continue to be observed alongside the opening of the airports. He noted that in the beginning, there will be four flights into Lagos and Abuja daily and it will be compulsory for every passenger to take

a compulsory COVID-19 test close to their departure date, indicating where he is coming from and also fill a health questionnaire online, which will be submitted at the point of entry. The minister said: ''There will also be a portal prior to your departure; you will pay through that platform for a test to be done here in Nigeria, a day after your arrival, meaning that just before you depart, you take a test and you are not sure you are negative. And if after that, you have no sign of COVID, then we will board you on the flight. Then eight days after your arrival, which we consider as the incubation period, and you show signs of COVID, you will take a test at that time after the eighth day. ''Then gradually, when we apply all these protocols and we explain later on in due course, there may be no need to keep your passport at the airport.'' He added that a national air transport facilitation committee that involves all the stakeholders is working hard on all the protocols, which will be released once approved by the PTF. He stated that it is safe to fly as it has not been proven that anybody has contracted the virus while flying since domestic flights resumed last month. Sirika said like it was done during the resumption of domestic flights, the international flights would commence with the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport Abuja and the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos. According to him, emphasis will be placed on the observation of all the safety and technical guidelines as prescribed by global and health authorities, which will be

communicated in due course. “I am pleased to announce the resumption of international flights from the 29th of August, 2020, beginning with Lagos and Abuja as we did with the domestic flight resumption. Protocols and procedures will be announced in due course. We thank you for your patience,” the minister said. The minister had earlier yesterday announced the planned resumption of domestic flights through his Twitter handle @hadisirika. The resumption of domestic flights is coming five months after the federal government had shut down airports for international flights in order to curb the spread of COVID-19 pandemic. Some countries have since reopened their airports, while others are on the verge of

doing so.

THISDAY Dome Treats120 Patients One of the most comprehensive private sectordriven COVID-19 facilities in the country, THISDAY Dome Covid-19 Treatment Centre, has treated over 120 patients. The Minister of Health, Dr. Osagie Ehanire, who confirmed this in his update on the fight against the virus at the PTF media briefing, said the centre is currently functioning smoothly. Giving an account of his assessment visit to the facility, Ehanire said: "I visited the THISDAY Dome Treatment Centre where over 120 patients have received treatment. The centre is functioning smoothly

and I have directed that it be upgraded to a comprehensive level three centre with functional intensive care unit and dialysis facilities.” He added that the NCDC is also making efforts to ensure that all laboratories in the network have a turnaround time of below 24 hours. He said the federal government was monitoring a new diagnostic technology, including saliva-based COVID-19 test that is under development. Speaking on the drop in the number of positive cases, Ehanire said it was not enough reason for Nigerians to rejoice. "As we expand and include small towns and rural areas in our testing scope, a more accurate picture of our COVID-19 status will emerge. There is a good reason to

prepare for COVID-19 invasion of rural areas with testing, first aid, ambulance service and commensurate isolation and treatment centres," he stated. While speaking on the milestones recorded by the NCDC, a representative of its director-general, Mrs. Elsie Ilori, said the commission had activated a new laboratory in Zamfara State, bringing the total nationwide to 61. She also said there was at least one laboratory in 33 states out of the 36 states and the FCT. She denied the allegations that NCDC officials were collecting bribe to test samples and that some of the staff were operating a job racket. She, however, added that the centre has ordered an investigation into the allegations.

NEW HELMSMEN FOR THE BAR... L-R: Secretary- General-Elect, Nigeria Bar Association, Ms. Joyce Oduah; Ekiti State Governor, Dr. Kayode Fayemi; President-elect, Mr. Olumide Akpata; and Ekiti State Attorney- General and Commissioner for Justice; Mr. Wale Fapounda, during a courtesy visit by the NBA president-elect to the governor in Ado-Ekiti... yesterday

FG May Sue Ghana over DSS Releases Na’Abba Closure of Nigerians’ Shops after Five-hour Grilling Adedayo Akinwale in Abuja The federal government yesterday said it might be forced to file a suit against the Ghanaian government at the Community Court of Justice of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS Court) if the country was found to have breached the sub-region’s protocol of free movement of peoples. The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Geoffrey Onyeama, while hosting a delegation of the Progressive Ambassadors of Nigeria (PAN) led by its President, Mr. Jasper Emenike, expressed concern about the closure of business premises of Nigerians in Ghana for alleged violation of trade regulations. The group came to brief the minister on the incident and the need for Nigeria to take urgent steps to address the issue. The Ghanaian Ministry of Trades had on Sunday rejected claims of unfair treatment by Nigerian traders in the country during the enforcement of the Ghana Investment Promotion

Council regulations, saying that the traders must pay the required taxes and other fees imposed on them by the authorities, amounting to $1 million. But reacting to the development, the minister said the Nigerian government had reached an agreement with Ghana over the Ghana Investment Promotion Council (GIPC) over a year ago but expressed concern that the matter was being reopened. He added that the Ghanaian regulations that stipulate that retail trade is the exclusive preserve of Ghanaians appear in conflict with the ECOWAS Protocol. Onyeama said: “What is the point of having an economic community if at the end of the day each country will make laws and regulations that are in contradiction with the protocol? That is an issue that needs to be addressed. “The first step we want to take is to be sure about all the facts. Our Minister of Trade is going to engage his counterpart from Ghana. We

have summoned the Ghanaian High Commissioner, who has given us information; we have the intention of calling our Charge’ D’ Affairs in Ghana for consultation and again to get the fact. “And we are also going to get in touch with ECOWAS to understand clearly what the ECOWAS perspective of this is and if this law is in contravention of the ECOWAS Protocol. So, once we have all the facts then we consider all our options with the Ghanaian authorities. “We don’t want to anticipate what our actions would be but we will consider all the options depending on the facts. Clearly, if it is contravening ECOWAS protocol, then we would have to look at solutions, including the ECOWAS Court as the final arbiter. We will also consider the issue of reciprocity in terms of the concrete measures that will be applied. “We are following the matter very closely and we want the matter to be addressed within the shortest possible time.”

Mailafia quizzed again, returns home Seriki Adinoyi in Jos For five hours yesterday, the Department of State Services (DSS) quizzed a former speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Ghali Na’Abba, who is now a leader of a new political movement, the National Consultative Front (NCFront), for alleged incendiary comments. The secret police, for the second time in five days, also interrogated a former deputy governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Dr. Obadiah Mailafia, over his earlier allegation that a Northern governor was a Boko Haram commander. THISDAY learnt that Na’abba was released yesterday night after the interrogation. Mailafia, who was re-invited by the DSS to its Jos office, however, left the office after about 45 minutes. Yesterday's invitation was the second time in five days for Mailafia over an interview he granted to a

radio station, Nigeria Info FM, where he alleged that a Northern governor is one of the commanders of Boko Haram. However, unlike last week’s invitation where he was grilled for over six hours by the DSS, the former presidential candidate of African Democratic Congress (ADC), who drove into the DSS office at 12.05 pm in a Land Rover SUV marked ABUJA – ABC 843 LX, was released about 1 pm. He was with his wife, Margaret; his lawyer who is the Plateau State Chairman of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Mr. Yakubu Bawa; and his surety, Reverend Gideon Para-Mallam. A former Plateau State governor, Mr. Fidelis Tapgun, later came to join them after Mailafia had been released. After his release, Mailafia refused to talk. He simply said: “I am told not to talk, but you can only talk to my lawyer.” His lawyer told reporters that it was common knowledge

that Mailafia had never failed to honour the DSS invitation, adding that his client was well treated and handled with decorum, dignity, respect and decency, which he said he was happy about. Bawa described his client as a man of peace who loves the country with passion, adding that he honoured the invitation based also on the security situation in the country. He said what took place between his client and the DSS inside their office was fruitful, explaining that the DSS has the power to invite anybody when necessary, especially to clear some grey areas. Asked whether the whole issue was over, Bawa said: “We won’t say it is over yet, but we pray it is over. Our meeting today with them (DSS) was a positive and wonderful meeting. “My client told them that he did not run that interview, that he is a man of peace who is averse to crisis. There is no cause for alarm.”

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T H I S D AY ˾ TUESDAY AUGUST 18, 2020

POLITICS

Group Politics Editor NSEOBONG OKON-EKONG Email nseobong.okonekong@thisdaylive.com (08114495324 SMS ONLY)

Will INEC Re-list Deregistered Political Parties? Udora Orizu writes that chairmen of political parties that were deregistered by the Independent National Electoral Commission have called on the electoral body to obey an Appellate Court ruling to relist them

Yakubu

he Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on August 10 signified its intention to challenge before the Supreme Court the judgment of the Court of Appeal ordering it to re-list 22 political parties it had earlier deregistered for falling short of registration regulations. The Court of Appeal, Abuja Division, had ordered the Commission to re-list 22 of the political parties it deregistered for failing to win any elective office in the 2019 general election. The court made the order after setting aside a judgment of the Federal High Court, which upheld the power of INEC to deregister political parties. Some of the affected parties includes; Abundant Nigeria Renewal Party, Progressive People Alliance, Advanced Congress of Democrats, Advanced Nigeria Democratic Party, All Blending Party, All Grand Alliance Party, Better Nigeria Progressive Party, Democratic People’s Congress, Freedom and Justice Party, Green Party of Nigeria, among others. After a comprehensive review of the 2019 general elections, INEC had in February de-registered 74 parties out of the 91 registered parties that participated in the 2019 general elections, leaving the nation with 18 recognised ones. The electoral body said the deregistered political parties were unable to fulfil requirements for their existence based on Section 225A of the 1999 Constitution (as amended). According to INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, that section empowers INEC to deregister political parties found guilty of breach of any of the requirements for registration as a political party as well as failure to win at least 25 per cent of the votes cast in one state of the federation in a presidential election or 25 per cent of the votes cast in one local government area of a state in a governorship election; and failure to win at least one ward in a chairmanship election, one seat in the national or state assembly election or one seat in a councillorship election. Following the deregistration, the affected political parties, individually and in groups, approached the Federal High Court to challenge the action of INEC. However, in various decisions, the Federal High Court upheld INEC’s powers to deregister them. Justice Anwuli Chikere of the Federal High Court, sitting in Abuja, in a judgment delivered on June 11, had dismissed the suit of the 22 appellants challenging the power of INEC to deregister them. The lower court held that INEC validly exercised its powers in Section 225A of 1999 Constitution (as amended), adding that the

Fasua

parties provided no evidence that they met the criteria for them not to be de-registered. Aggrieved by the decision of Justice Chikere, the Advanced Congress of Democrats (ACD), Advanced Nigeria Democratic Party (ANDP), Alliance of Social Democrats (ASD), Progressive People Alliance (PPA), United Patriots (UP) and 17 others on June 30, had in their appeal prayed the court to set aside the judgment of the lower court and order their relisting. They said INEC could not exercise its power as provided by Section 225 A until it had conducted elections into all elective offices listed in the section. According to Section 225A, INEC can deregister a political party if the party was found to have breached any of the requirements for registration or failed to win at least 25 per cent of votes cast in an election. They, therefore, urged the Court of Appeal to set aside the judgment of the lower court, which had upheld INEC’s power to deregister political parties which did not win elective position when elections have not been conducted into all political offices nationwide. On August 10th, delivering judgment in the appeal, a five-man panel of justices led by the President of the Court of Appeal, Justice Monica Dongban-Mensem, held that the deregistration was illegal because due process was not followed. The appellate court held that INEC failed to comply with Section 225(A) of 1999 Constitution (as amended) because it did not provide reasons for the deregistration of the political parties.

Okoye

Justice Dongban-Mensem, who observed that the constitution provides that citizens be entitled to freedom of association, said that the right conferred on a political party could not be taken away except by due process. The appellate court said the appellants are challenging the process of deregistration and not the act. Therefore, Justice Dongban-Mensem ordered that the appellants be relisted as registered political parties. INEC in its reaction by the National Commissioner in charge of Voter Education and Information, Festus Okoye, said the commission has decided to appeal against the judgment. He stated that the judgment of the Court of Appeal was faced with two conflicting judgments, as the same Court in another judgment had upheld its power to deregister parties. He said, ‘’It is in the interest of the electoral process for both matters to be consolidated. The electoral process will be better served through a final resolution of the issues in the deregistration of political parties. It will also enable the commission to stand on firm grounds rather than pick and choose which between two conflicting decisions it should obey.’’ ‘’On the 29th day of July 2020, the Court Appeal, Abuja Judicial Division, delivered judgment in the appeal filed by the National Unity Party (NUP) challenging the powers of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to deregister it and other political parties.’’ ‘’In the originating summons, the National Unity Party sought a declaration that the

On August 10th, delivering judgment in the appeal, a ﬁve-man panel of justices led by the President of the Court of Appeal, Justice Monica DongbanMensem, held that the deregistration was illegal because due process was not followed. The appellate court held that INEC failed to comply with Section 225(A) of 1999 Constitution (as amended) because it did not provide reasons for the deregistration of the political parties. Justice Dongban-Mensem, who observed that the constitution provides that citizens be entitled to freedom of association, said that the right conferred on a political party could not be taken away except by due process

commission does not have the power under Section 225A of the constitution to deregister the National Unity Party or any other political party for failure to win any of the offices mentioned in section 225A of the constitution or score a certain percent of the votes mentioned therein.’’ He explained that the Federal High Court presided over by Justice Taiwo Taiwo, dismissed the case of NUP and affirmed the commission’s power to deregister NUP and other political parties. Okoye added, ‘’On appeal to the Court of Appeal, the Court of Appeal affirmed the judgment of the trial judge dismissed the claim of the party and affirmed the right of the commission to deregister NUP and other political parties. The National Unity Party has appealed against the said judgment to the Supreme Court of Nigeria and the case is presently pending in the Supreme Court.’’ But, some Chairmen of the deregistered political parties while lauding the judgement of the Court of Appeal, have called on INEC to obey court ruling before heading to Supreme Court. Speaking to THISDAY, the National Chairman of Progressive People Alliance (PPA), High Chief Peter Ameh said INEC heading to Supreme Court, doesn’t stop them from obeying the judgement of the appeal court. Ameh who also doubles as the Chairman of the Inter-party Advisory Council (IPAC), said if the electoral body heads to Supreme Court without obeying that judgement it is like people who obey something only when it favours them. According to him, ‘’The judgement of court of appeal is victory for democracy. We are looking at opportunities while we stood our ground to be able to defend democratic participation and massive participation by Nigerians as it is in section 40, and other sections of the constitution, is because we believe it’s important to open doors for all Nigerians from different levels and communities, tribes and different social standards, so that the boy in Agege can have the same privilege with the one in Victoria Island, the boy in Maitama will have the same privilege with the one in Nyanya, these are the things we pursue.’’ ‘’And for us, the decision of Court of Appeal has given victory to participation of young people in politics in Nigeria. We praise the eminent Jury for their confidence in democracy and for their believe in our constitution.’’ NOTE: Interested readers should continue in the online edition on www.thisdaylive.com

T H I S D AY ˾ TUESDAY AUGUST 18, 2020

POLITICS

Miracle Governor Diri Jolted Again Nseobong Okon-Ekong and Segun James examine the legal implications of the ruling of the Bayelsa State Governorship Election Tribunal which may result in a fresh poll

t is not yet time for the Bayelsa state governor, Senator Douye Diri to sleep easy. The Bayelsa Governorship Election Tribunal ruling yesterday has forced a rude awakening on him. Until now, Diri was comforted by providence which turned the table in his favour in a last minute Supreme Court judgement which removed Chief David Lyon of the All Progressives Congress (APC) who was presumably elected as governor. Lyon was sacked on the eve of his swearing in, this change of circumstance foisted the nickname, Ted ‘Miracle Governor’ on Diri. The tribunal in its verdict delivered in Abuja by a three-member panel of justices presided by Justice Ibrahim Sirajo, said that the election of Governor Diri and that of his deputy, Lawrence Ewhrudjakpo has been nullified following a petition filed by the Advanced Nigeria Democratic Party (ANDP). The tribunal asked INEC to conduct a bye-election within 90 days. According to the tribunal, election was nullified on the grounds that the ANDP, being one of the registered political parties, was unlawfully excluded from participating in the November 16, 2019 governorship election. The tribunal said it found merit in the petition and consequently nullified the election. The tribunal ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to conduct a bye-election in the state within 90 days. Following the disquiet that the annulment created in the state, Diri quickly came out to say he would appeal the ruling. In a statement signed by his acting Chief Press Secretatary, Mr. Daniel Alabah, Diri said he will appeal ruling of the state election petition tribunal sitting in Abuja and has consequently instructed his lawyers to file the necessary papers. Governor Diri, who spoke shortly after the tribunal ruled that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) wrongly excluded the Advanced Nigeria Democratic Party (ANDP) governorship candidate from the November 16, 2019 election, said he has implicit confidence in the judiciary that he would triumph in the end. “We trust in the judiciary and we are appealing the judgement. With God on our side, we will get justice. This is a court of first instance and I have instructed our lawyers to file an appeal. We have a right of appeal even up to the Supreme Court.” It will be recalled that Diri publicly acknowledged that he embarked on a season of fasting and prayers that apparently won God’s heart and brought about what was seemingly impossible in the eyes of many. So far, Diri has won all litigations against his governorship, both from the opposition and from within his party, especially the hard fighting Chief Timi Alaibe. But ruling by the election tribunal nullifying his election is now ruffling feathers in the state. The governor urged members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and his supporters not to panic and to continue to remain calm and law-abiding. The ANDP case that which led to the annulment of the governor’s election preceded his ascension to the governorship. Until the Supreme Court nullified the election of Mr. David Lyon of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as the duly elected governor, the ANDP had instituted its case against the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), insisting that it has no power to exclude it from the election. The ANDP never sued any other party but the INEC. Now that the tribunal has nullified the Governor’s election, can he appeal in a case that he was not a party to? In the event that the Commission decides to abide by the ruling, who will participate, and would the governor and his deputy be asked to step aside pending the outcome of a new election? That is the question as the battle for the soul of Bayelsa state take a new dimension. According to Lagos constitutional lawyer, Mr. Morenikeji Saliu, Diri has no right to appeal the judgment. Instead, his only recourse is to be joined as an interested party in the case. He stressed that for that to happen, he must make an application for a joiner because the judgment has negatively affected him.

Diri

Saliu however opines that the Doctrine of Standing By states that if you know that a court action may adversely affect you, it is incumbent on you to show interest in the matter so that the court can hear and adjudicate on the matter completely. He said that if the Governor had chosen to standby while the case goes on in the tribunal, he cannot complain of any iniquity as he was a quest to the matter while it goes on. Saliu stressed that while the PDP and Diri can participate in the event of an election, both the APC and Its candidate in the election, Mr. David Lyon cannot. According to him, while the ineligibility of Lyon and his deputy has been decided by the Supreme Court, the APC cannot replace him or nominate another candidate. He said that the only recourse left for the supporters of the party is to move to another party and support the candidate to win. Not minding their peculiar circumstance, supporters of the APC trooped out on the streets of Yenagoa, the Bayelsa State capital in celebration of what they consider the loss of a political foe who robbed them of joy on the verge of victory when Governor Diri was miraculously pronounced governor of the state

on the eve of the swearing in of Chief David Lyon of the APC who supposedly won the governorship election. However, many of these APC supporters do not yet know that they may not have a candidate even if another election is held. Meanwhile, the Governor’s legal team has said that by section 143(1) of the Electoral Act, if the Tribunal determines that a candidate returned as elected was not validly elected, then if notice of appeal is filed within 21 days from the date of the decision, the candidate returned as elected shall notwithstanding the contrary decision remain in office pending the determination of the appeal. The Commission is not obligated to give effect to the said judgement of the Tribunal till the parties exhaust their right of appeal as provided in the law. They insisted that there are germane constitutional issues raised by the judgement and the Commission will take a position when it receives the certified true copy of the judgement. This is because the issues raised in the petition revolve around the invalidity of the nomination of the Deputy Governorship candidate. “Furthermore, the issue of nomination and

It will be recalled that Diri publicly acknowledged that he embarked on a season of fasting and prayers that apparently won God’s heart and brought about what was seemingly impossible in the eyes of many. So far, Diri has won all litigations against his governorship, both from the opposition and from within his party, especially the hard fighting Chief Timi Alaibe. But ruling by the election tribunal nullifying his election is now ruffling feathers in the state. The governor urged members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and his supporters not to panic and to continue to remain calm and law-abiding

substitution of candidates raised in the petition fall within the ambit of pre-election issues covered by the 4th alteration to the Constitution that must be filed within 14 days of the occurrence of the event. From the records in the Commission, the Advanced Nigeria Democratic Party (ANDP) was one of the political parties that signified its intention to contest the Bayelsa Governorship Election that took place on the 16th day of November 2019. From our records, the party conducted party primaries and at the end of the exercise it submitted the name of one Peter Esinkuma David as its Deputy Governorship candidate. “From the affidavit evidencing age and the affidavit sworn to by the candidate, the age of the candidate at the time of the submission of their nomination was 34 years contrary to section 177(b) of the Constitution that makes it mandatory that only those who are 35 and above can contest the election. In the candidate’s statutory declaration of age and affidavit attached to his form, the party stated that the candidate was born on the 10th day of February 1985. “On the 13th day of September, 2019, the Commission wrote to the party drawing their attention to the constitutional agerequirement of 35 years for Governorship/Deputy Governorship candidates as stipulated in section 177(b) of the Constitution. “The Commission also informed them of the invalidity of their nomination for the 16th November 2019 Governorship election in Bayelsa State. “On the 21st day of September 2019 and in response to the letter of the Commission dated the 13th September 2019, the Advanced Nigeria Democratic Party wrote to the Commission acknowledging the invalidity of their nomination and forwarding the name of one Miss Inowei Janeth as their new Deputy Governorship candidate. “On the 27th of September 2019, the Commission informed the party that the deadline for the submission of nominations as provided for in the Timetable and Schedule of Activities released by the Commission on 16th May 2019 was 9th September 2019. The Commission also informed the Party that since they did not submit valid nomination, they couldn’t validly substitute any candidate. Consequently, the name and logo of the Party did not appear and was not reflected in the ballot paper.”

T H I S D AY ˾ ˜ ͯͶ˜ 2020

COMMENT

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

KEEPING VARSITY STUDENTS BUSY

FUNAAB has introduced virtual basic digital film making to engage its idle students, writes Adewale Kupoluyi

ince the Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) began to take its toll on national life, the adverse effect of the pandemic has seriously disrupted academic calendars of many institutions while students have been idling away and becoming unproductive. Aside from a very few institutions that took advantage of technology to engage their students and prevent time loss, a lot of undergraduate and postgraduate students across the country are anxiously awaiting the resumption announcement. Conscious of the negative effects of being idle, the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta (FUNAAB), Ogun State recently embarked on some initiatives to keep its students busy following the advent of the pandemic with the holding of the Virtual Basic Digital Film Making Course, which was put together by the Centre for Entrepreneurial Studies (CENTS), under the supervision of the Visiting Fellow to FUNAAB, Alagba Tunde Kelani. Popularly called TK, Alagba Kelani is a respected Nigerian filmmaker, director, photographer, cinematographer and producer. He is renowned for his love of the adaptation of African literary material into successful movies such as Oleku, ThunderBolt, Arugba, White Handkerchief, and Maami, among others. At the formal opening ceremony, the Vice-Chancellor of FUNAAB, Prof. Kolawole Salako said that concerted efforts were made to keep students of the university busy and productively engaged since the outbreak of COVID-19; which forced schools, institutions, and offices to be locked down across the country. As part of the measures, the vice-chancellor recalled that he had charged students to take advantage of the break to acquire essential skills capable of increasing their knowledge-base by placing them at vantage positions above their counterparts. According to the vice-chancellor, “What we are having today is part of the painstaking efforts to mitigate the socio-economic impact of COVID-19 since March this year when the university management posed a challenge to Alagba Tunde Kelani to use cinematography as a tool for the mitigation of the pandemic. Prof. Salako added that the essence of the digital course was to keep students productively occupied while also ensuring that such engagement has a lifelong impact in terms of knowledge and skills acquisition. He further explained that the university had invited Alagba Kelani to improve the skills of FUNAAB students in the areas of cinematography because his credentials, as a renowned filmmaker and cinematographer, had spoken for him in terms of quality film-making skills and contributions to the development of the Nollywood movie industry. The vice-chancellor lauded the students for showing interest in the virtual training, noting that there are still some other aspects of entrepreneurship that the university is planning to focus on. He encouraged them to be dedicated, adding that as youths, they should not remain idle but be positively engaged. According to him, “We are still not sure when the federal and state universities will reopen but we must not allow the time of our youths to be channeled toward negative things. The event taking off today is a concerted effort at ensuring that our students keep learning during this lockdown. We hope to let it be bigger and better than this, as we forge ahead”. Salako, Professor of Soil Physics, revealed that the online course was designed to run on Virtual Learning Management System in line with standard practices in open and distance learning programmes, while the training would be centered on a workshop approach in which participants would be engaged in hands-on tasks, based on regular film screenings of instructional and exercise materials that are supported with discussions. On his part, Director of CENTS, Prof. Babatunde Adewumi stated that the Centre is responsible for the development of the intellectual, technical, and vocational skills of the students, adding that the CENTS is also tapping from the opportunity of having Alagba Kelani

THIS IS PART OF THE PAINSTAKING EFFORTS TO MITIGATE THE SOCIO-ECONOMIC IMPACT OF COVID-19 SINCE MARCH THIS YEAR WHEN THE UNIVERSITY MANAGEMENT POSED A CHALLENGE TO ALAGBA TUNDE KELANI TO USE CINEMATOGRAPHY AS A TOOL FOR THE MITIGATION OF THE PANDEMIC

working with the university. Prof. Adewumi stated that FUNAAB, as a vibrant and progressive institution, has many entrepreneurial student clubs such as the Enactors, through which students had been able to demonstrate their inherent gifts, talents and intellectual capabilities, which can promote them later in life. He noted that from his experience, he had discovered that most students fully discover their inherent gifts and talent at the tertiary education stage, stressing that the virtual course might just be the boost they needed to define their future. Earlier, Alagba Kelani commended the vice-chancellor and the university management for coming up with the initiative of developing the students through the virtual training, noting that the idea was initiated by the vice-chancellor. He appreciated the university for allowing him to interact with the students, stating that he has great plans for FUNAAB, some of which are still budding. He stated that the world needs various storytellers and filmmakers, adding that “the more prepared we are, the better we will be able to cope with the new world order”. Kelani, however, cautioned the students that the training is not a reality show but a serious classroom experience where they would be challenged to be at their best at all times with lots of exercises. He encouraged them to pay maximum concentration to events and be determined, while also appreciating his collaborators for the concern shown and for preparing him for the great task ahead. The deputy vice-chancellor (Development) and chairman, CENTS Board, Prof. Clement Adeofun, congratulated FUNAAB for the initiative, stressing that it was a way of telling the world that the university had been a trailblazer in many areas of socio-economic development. He noted that although FUNAAB is a university of Agriculture but with the new development, people and the government would start having a change of mind, thereby seeing the importance of having other areas of development such as accountancy, marketing, and film making among others, as being relevant to the total development of the students. He appreciated the vice-chancellor for his proactiveness in initiating the programme, which he said would be of great benefit to the students. The Registrar, Dr. ‘Bola Adekola expressed his deep appreciation to the vice-chancellor for bringing the university to the world in the area of art and culture. He commended Alagba Kelani for accepting to be part of FUNAAB, stressing that having been with the university for some time, he had been able to see the passion of the vice-chancellor and the management for art and culture, adding that in the world of agriculture, there is both agriculture and there is culture. He thanked the students for keying into the university’s vision, stating that it is a demonstration that FUNAAB is going to have a lot of electronic courses. Dr. Adekola admonished them to make good use of the opportunity and wished them well. Engineer/Linguistic and Culture activist, Dr. Tunde Adegbola; Art and Culture Journalist/Executive Director, Committee for Relevant Art (CORA), Mr. Jahman Anikulapo; Information Technology Consultant, Mrs. Yetunde Elebuibon-Craig; and Director, FUNAAB Drama group, Miss. Titilola Ladipo, among others, delivered goodwill messages at the occasion. Some students that are participating said they had benefitted immensely in the programme by being productively engaged and learning new skills that could make them become sound entrepreneurs in digital filmmaking. This is certainly the main lesson to take bearing in mind that our universities should remain relevant, not only in teaching, research, and outreach/ community service but in intellectual, vocational and entrepreneurial advancement for the much-needed national development. Kupoluyi wrote from Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, Ogun State

TENDING TO THE POOR AND NEEDY Ë˪ËÎÓãË ËÜÙßÕ ÓÝ ÙØ ÞÜËÍÕ˜ ËÜÑßÏÝ Danliti Goga

rejudice and vested interest have now emerged as the main factors at play in what can only be described as media harassment of the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, Hajia Sa’adiya Farouk. She is arguably the minister with the most arduous schedule of duty that is constantly engaged in devising and delivering relief and bringing hope by creating opportunities where none existed for the most vulnerable people of this country, at their time of need. Even COVID 19 that forced every other public and private institution into abrupt shut down was just another national emergency assignment for this mother of all ministries, already burdened by the unprecedented human, social and economic vulnerabilities plaguing Nigeria today.

But none of these challenging endeavours which the ministry dutifully undertakes without hesitation under the ever calm but tirelessly focused direction of Sa’adiya Farouk, fittingly backed by the humane passion of a mother and a meritorious career in caring for the thousands of devastated dwellers of Nigeria’s internally-displaced persons’ camps, earns more than a passing mention in the media. Instead,

there is a pre-occupation with propagating improbable stories of fraudulent transactions, contrived projects and other budget-busting allegations, lacking any credible substantiation yet arrogantly indifferent to official clarifications and concluding with a demand for probe of the minister. The modified school feeding programme is the favourite slaughter slab for her detractors who adamantly persist in pushing deliberate disinformation and vendetta by refusing to correctly report that it is not a continuation of the school feeding programme prior to the COVID-19 outbreak so that they can spin the senseless sleaze about the “scam” of feeding school children with cooked food in their respective homes, deviously deleting the modification repeatedly explained by the ministry. They similarly concoct the fallacy of a nationwide implementation to blanket the fact of initially starting with FCT, Lagos and Ogun States, as pilot cases and then add the fake news of exclusive federal planning and implementation so that Sa’adiya Faruk can be vilified the more, whereas the ministry, in obeying the Presidential directive, went into consultations with state governments through the Governors’ Forum and also that it was agreed the federal government will provide the funding while the states will implement. To ensure transparency the World Food Programme (WFP) joined as

technical partners, apart from the EFCC, CCB, ICPC, DSS and some NGOs to monitor the process. The mathematics of the costing was also conveniently mutilated based on their deliberate omissions, exaggerations and outright falsehoods. Simply put, each household is assumed to have three children and drawing from the original design of the Home Grown School Feeding programme before it was domiciled in the ministry, every child receives a meal a day at a cost of N70 per child. At 20 school days per month, a child eats food worth N1,400 per month and three children would then eat food worth N4,200 per month, which shows how the cost of the ‘take-home ration’ was computed. A total of 124,589 households impacted between May 14, and July 6 in FCT (29,609), in Lagos (37,589) and in Ogun (60,391), making a grand total expenditure of N523,273,800. So plain, yet so muddled up by a vicious onslaught of prejudice and vested interest, unexpected of professional media practitioners. But then, by their antecedents, we know their true motives, especially the Human Rights Writers Association’s (HURIWA) vilification of the noble efforts and remarkable successes of Hajia Sa’adiya Farouk and the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, to restore sanity and impact in such a critical area of

government intervention, under a new structure and in record time. But we are not surprised. For example, HURIWA has even campaigned against the ban on production of the much-abused codeine cough syrups because it has “led to great financial misfortunes for over 30 legitimate pharmaceutical companies.” It even challenged the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Disaster Management, Sadiya Umar Farouq, to a public debate to expose alleged widespread corruption in the National Social Investment Programme (NSIP) and the school feeding programme! Hajia Sa’adiya Umar Farouk has made her mark as a conscientious, hardworking, resultoriented minister in the minds of the vulnerable and displaced victims of human and man-made disasters. At another impactful level, she not only salvaged the comatose N-Power program to provide the Nigerian youths with opportunities to gain skills for employability and entrepreneurship by excellently seeing to its repositioning under a brand new mega-ministry she successfully brought to life, she has opened the doors of opportunity for Batch C enrolees hitherto hoping against hope for years. Posterity will definitely speak louder than propaganda!

Danliti Goga wrote from Kano

T H I S D AY ˾ TUESDAY, AUGUST 18, 2020

EDITORIAL AL QAEDA IN NIGERIA? The security agencies must do more to contain the increasing threats

he canvass of violence and insecurity in Nigeria is broadening. The Commander of the United States Special Operations Command in Africa, Major General Dagvin Anderson, recently raised the alarm that ISIS and AlQuaeda are penetrating the Northwest of the country, and on the verge of furthering their terrorist campaigns to the south of Nigeria. Anderson particularly warned that these threats should not be underestimated, that the terrorists could seize “opportunities” and weaknesses as they emerge. Nigeria is exposed on several fronts. For more than a decade, the country has been ﬁghting an insurgency in the North-east that seems unending. This has created so much lawlessness that has been exploited by all sorts of criminals. However, the Army Defence Headquarters has downplayed the threats posed by violent extremist organisations in the Northwest, South of the country or wherever, arguing that Anderson’s alarm was stale. “Have we not captured foreigners among the people that have been terrorising IT IS NOW LEFT TO THE us in this country?” AUTHORITIES TO DO WHAT asked the spokesman, IS DESIRABLE: MOBILISE Major General John Eneche. “So it is just THE MANPOWER WITH like a call to keep THE NECESSARY SKILLS doing what you are AND RESOURCES TO COMBAT THE COUNTLESS doing.” But many questions THREATS arise: If they knew the problem all along, why does the crisis persist? How effective were the measures put in place to halt the movement of terrorists and criminality in the Northwest? Why is the Northwest, initially shielded from the atrocities of the Boko Haram insurgency, increasingly becoming a hotbed of violence and indiscriminate killings? What has been the response of the armed forces to help force progress towards ending the routine carnage of the innocent? In the past few years, the Northwest of the country has been exposed to a cocktail of criminality – from

Letters to the Editor

cattle rustling, banditry, kidnappings, pastoral violence to jihadists groups, particularly the Islamic State West Africa (ISWAP). Now states like Zamfara, Katsina, Kaduna and Sokoto, are constantly under the gun, leading to deaths of thousands innocent men, women and children while many others have ﬂed to other countries like Niger Republic to seek refuge. According to reports, more than 9000 people have been killed and hundreds of thousands of others displaced in these areas. In the ﬁrst six months of this year- January to mid-June, some 800 persons were reportedly killed.

T 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 DIRECTORS PATRICK EIMIUHI, SAHEED ADEYEMO CONTROLLERS ABIMBOLA TAIWO, UCHENNA DIBIAGWU, NDUKA MOSERI DIRECTOR, PRINTING PRODUCTION CHUKS ONWUDINJO HEAD, COMPUTER DEPARTMENT PATRICIA UBAKA-ADEKOYA TO SEND EMAIL: ﬁrst name.surname@thisdaylive.com

he many hyped operations by the military – from operations “Harbin Kunama to Puff Adder to Exercise Sahel Sanity” to combat the high volume of crime and enhance the safety of the people were largely ineffectual. The people and communities are still vulnerable, despite their “best” efforts. This is being helped by the porosity of the borders, allowing constant inﬂux of all sorts people and goods - drug business gangs and smugglers of small and light weapons that are facilitating the activities of organised criminal gangs. As things stand, the entire country is gradually being sucked in by various terrorist groups. The North-east is under siege and devastated by the extremist religious group, Boko Haram. More than 30,000 persons have been killed and millions of others rendered homeless. The Northwest is increasingly under the grips of Al Qaeda and other terror groups while the South of the country is now being targeted as the next destination for terrorism export. There is no doubt that there are already sprinklings of the exports with regard to large scale and unexplained violence in many communities in the south. For a nation that is living from hand to mouth, the cost of ﬁghting insecurity is staggering. We thank the US African Command for sharing the vital intelligence and alerting the nation to the complexity of forces arrayed against it. It is now left to the authorities to do what is desirable: mobilise the manpower with the necessary skills and resources to combat the countless threats.

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.

The Message, Not The Messenger

ormer Minister of Petroleum Resources, Mrs Diezani Alison-Madueke, has said that societal values have disintegrated to the extent that online fraudsters, otherwise known as yahoo boys, have become role models in Nigerian society. The former minister spoke at the event organized by the Ijaw National Development Group. The former minister said, “The ones that have swag, the yahoo yahoo boys as my son would say, these in short are the role models they are looking at. These are the ones that reinforce negative societal norms and values. The former minister concluded: “There are no shortcuts to working your way up the ladder of life. Progressing in life in work and relationship, marital or otherwise, is always dependent on consistent and hard work”. Like the Hausa saying “Kayi amfani da fadin malam amman kada kayi koyi da halinsa ( understand the message not the messenger). There is nothing wrong for Diezani to preach moral values to Nigerians and condemn how many of our productive youths have turned to yahoo boys. Of course, there is growing concern on the rising cases of cybercrime in the country and the world at large. These crimes among the youths have led to the enactment of laws by many countries to contain it, including Nigeria. However, the million naira questions begging for answers are: How do the Nigerians youths found themselves in this unlawful thriving business? What motivated them? Are their actions due to the country’s

hostile environment where survival remains for the fittest? It would have been good if the former minister had pondered a little bit and reflected on the causes of this mess. To begin with how Nigerian youths find solace in the yahoo yahoo business, one has to look at the country’s rate of unemployment. In the last few years unemployment has risen exponentially in the country. The high unemployment and underemployment rate came at a time when our universities, polytechnics and colleges of education continue to churn out many students into the labour market. While I agree with the former minister on the disintegration of the societal values in the country which made the yahoo boys to become role models, lack of opportunities among the youths have also contributed greatly towards this bad trend. What about the menace of corruption? Politics which should have been used to foster growth and national development has become a gravy train for wealth accumulation. The former minister cannot deny this simple fact. Within a twinkle of eyes, funds meant for educational or socio-economic development can be tampered with or outrightly looted. Diezani should have made a distinct difference between the yahoo boys who swindle their victims at the slightest opportunity and our politicians who stole public funds with impunity. While some segment of the society looks at yahoo boys as their role models, others emulate the likes of politicians who feed fat from the proceeds of corruption. Ibrahim Mustapha, Pambegua, Kaduna State

Truth And The Garden Path

ith so much in the papers about fake news and doubts about many people and what they say it is clear that a simple yes or no truth is rarely seen. What is mostly concerning although occasionally amusing is the way the issue permeated through every part of daily life. A trip to the local nursery saw two items where the truth was besieged. One plant stated on a very large label “Easy Care” although a few weeks of care showed that to be misleading as the plant started to decline. Another item stated that the mulch was “organic” sugar cane which seemed appropriate although superfluous as surely any living product is or was organic. If the truth is difficult with simple garden products what hope is there in the worlds of politics and the current COVID-19 pandemic? Many people, in saying they never lie are doing so again. Honesty should be easy and commonplace, so why isn’t it? Dennis Fitzgerald, Melbourne, Australia

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Quick Takes Workers Support Orphanage Homes

COURTESYVISIT

L-R: Deputy Speaker, Bauchi State House of Assembly, Hon. Danlami Kawule; Deputy Governor of Bauchi State, Alhaji BabaTela; Governor, Senator Bala Mohammed; Group Head of Commercial Services, Notore Plc, Tijjani St. James; Head of Government Affairs, Notore, Yakubu Abdurrahman, and Bauchi State Commissioner for Agriculture, Samaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ila Burga during a visit of Notore management to the Governor after the inauguration of Notore Plcâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s solarpoweredintegratedcommunitywaterprojectinKangereLGA,Bauchiâ&#x20AC;Śrecently

FG Gives Operators Six Months to Migrate to New Gas Transport Code Stories by Chineme Okafor in Abuja The federal government has disclosed that it can only give operators in Nigeriaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s gas market the grace of six months to migrate their existing gas transport agreements to the new network code it recently approved and activated. The Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Mr. Timipre Sylva said this during the online launch of the Nigeria Gas Transportation Network Code (NGTNC). Sylva, stated that the government was keen on developing Nigeriaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s gas sector, and as such has initiated measures in this regard. According to him, the NGTNC is one of such measures. He noted that, â&#x20AC;&#x153;that the

ENERGY implementation of the network code, which is a set of rules and principles guiding the use and operations of the gas transportation network system, will deepen the domestic gas market and unleash the potentials of accelerated growth and economic development for our dear nation,â&#x20AC;? and thus expect operators to adopt it. â&#x20AC;&#x153;In the coming months, this code, together with related interventions, will enable improved gas supply to power, growth of Gas Based Industries (GBIs), domestic LNG, LPG and CNG penetration as well as enhance revenue to government and create investment opportunities for our people. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Further to unveiling the

network code licensing and administration system and the signing of these framework agreements, I direct that the following should be implemented for the network code: migrate all extant gas transportation agreements into the NC within 6 months; all new open access gas transportation be conducted through the NGTNC to optimise the performance of the network code in the Nigerian gas sector.â&#x20AC;? The minister also requested the network code be expanded to cover open access gas transportation across Nigeria. He further explained that the government was confident its gas-based policies would be fruitful, and able to support the countryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s economy. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Following the declaration of 2020 as year-of-gas, this admin-

istration is driving key policy and regulatory initiatives that will enhance gas reserves growth to support domestic and export projects, expand domestic gas supply and address the perennial challenge of gas flaring with its attendant waste and environmental impact,â&#x20AC;? he added. The aggregate impact of the three-anchor programme on gas, namely the Nigerian Gas Transportation Network Code (NGTNC), National Gas Expansion Programme (NGEP) and Nigerian Gas Flare Commercialisation Programme (NGFCP), will help achieve the presidential mandate of gas penetration, gas-based industrialisation and economic diversification, he added.

PIB: FG Urged to Prioritise Domestic Value Creation in Proposed Legislation The planned Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) aimed at amending Nigeriaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 1969 Petroleum Act may not significantly improve the countryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s economy and the contribution of oil to the quality of life of its people if domestic value creation is not prioritised in the legislation before it is passed into law, oil and gas industry experts have stated. The experts who reviewed the progress of the countryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s planned re-presentation of the PIB to the National Assembly for consideration as well as the bid rounds for marginal oil fields during an online meeting, explained that prioritising domestic value creation in the bill would guarantee that Nigeria builds an industry that sustainably supports its economic development. The meeting was organised by the Nigeria Natural Resource

ENERGY Charter (NNRC), and it had in attendance experts such as the founding Partner of Primera Africa Legal, Mr. Israel Aye; Principal Partner, Primus Partners and Solicitors, Mr. Najim Animashaun, the Council Chair, Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE) Nigeria Council, Mr. Joseph Nwakwue, as well as the Chairman of the University of Ibadan Research Foundation, Dr. Udu Imo Itsueli. In its attempt to attempt to reform its oil sector, Nigeria formulated the PIB but has for years failed to get it passed into law. However, the ministry of petroleum resources recently began moves to get the bill passed by the legislators. The country also began a process to award licences for exploration of marginal oil

fields; this equally comes after many years of non-activity in that regard. But the experts suggested that a fit-for-purpose PIB would be one that enables the country to create a home-grown petroleum industry. In his remarks, Aye explained that Nigeria has largely operated an oil sector that is focused on resource extraction and not on building an industry. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The management of natural resources, and this time oil and gas has unfortunately remained fairly primitive. The 1969 Petroleum Act is a very simple framework that enabled international operators to carry out the business of oil exploration; it didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t even anticipate gas. The nature of the rights that is conferred by the petroleum act is to win, to work and to carry over,â&#x20AC;? Aye said. He noted that the new PIB

should be structured to emphasise on domestic utilisation of Nigeriaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s oil, as well as participation of homegrown operators. According to him: â&#x20AC;&#x153;For over 60 years, weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve had a very tiny petroleum industry; what weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve had is an extractive industry led by the IOCs. It is in fact the indigenous operators that have led the petroleum industry, and what do you need to have that: domestic utilisation and indigenous participation. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The sector has not contributed well to the GDP, and there are number of priorities that must be met: an acreage bidding framework â&#x20AC;&#x201C; everything is hinged upon a person; it should not be left that way and we need at least a yearly bid framework, acreage management regime is about the sloppiest in the world â&#x20AC;&#x201C; we need smarter acreage management system.â&#x20AC;?

Stanbic IBTC Blue Women Network (BWN), a network of female employees of Stanbic IBTC Group recently donated food items and provisions to orphanage homes in locations across Nigeria through its Blue Women Giving Back Initiative. According to a statement, the BWN, inaugurated ďŹ ve years ago, has consistently taken steps towards helping the society at large. Part of the bodyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s mandate is to provide support to the disadvantaged, hence, the creation of its Giving Back Initiative. It disclosed that BWN members made voluntary cash donations which were used in purchasing food items and essential provisions for various motherless babiesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; homes.The items were distributed in four orphanages in Lagos, Port-Harcourt, and the Federal CapitalTerritory, Abuja.TheorphanagesthatbeneďŹ tedwerethePort-HarcourtChildrenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Home;KaruHomeOrphanageinAbuja,aswellastheMotherlessBabies Home (Lekki) and Little Saints Orphanage, both located in Lagos. ChairpersonofBWNandExecutiveDirector,BusinessDevelopment, Stanbic IBTC Pension Managers, Nike Bajomo, said: â&#x20AC;&#x153;The COVID-19 pandemic aďŹ&#x20AC;ected virtually every aspect of the lives of the citizenry. The Blue Womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Network decided to reach out to orphanages who were also negatively impacted knowing that donations to them may have dwindled in view of the pandemic and restricted movement in the early weeks of the pandemic. Our concern for them necessitated this outreach to show our support to themâ&#x20AC;?.

Eatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Nâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Go Opens 110th Outlet

Eatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Nâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Go limited, one of the leading QSR operators in Nigeria and Franchisee of Dominoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Pizza and Cold Stone Creamery has opened its 110th store in Nigeria across its three brands (including Pinkberry GourmetFrozenYoghurt).Thisachievementcameafterthetwobrands opened their 50th stores respectively in Badore Ajah, Lagos state on 24th July 2020 Thisexpansionevenamidthepandemicwasbornoutofthedesireof the company to extend its brandsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; reach to more consumers, providing more customers easy access to their products and services.With this newdevelopment,Eatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Nâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Go,theparentcompanyofthetwobrandsnow boastsofatotalof110storesacrossNigeria.Celebratingthismilestone, customers were hosted to a thrilling virtual party with Mr. Macaroni where he engaged and gave out free products to multiple winners. Speakingontheexpansion,ChiefExecutiveOďŹ&#x192;cer,Eatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Nâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;GoLimited, Patrick McMichael, expressed gratitude to their customers and staďŹ&#x20AC; as well as reiterated the companyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s commitment to tirelessly ensure customersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; satisfaction. He said, â&#x20AC;&#x153;We extend our immense gratitude to all our customers, partners,stakeholders,andstaďŹ&#x20AC;memberswhohaveshowncontinued love and loyalty to our brands since our arrival into the market in 2012; your unwavering support has kept us aďŹ&#x201A;oat even amid the pandemic. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Being our customer, your utmost satisfaction and comfort is at the core of our existence, and this is why we have decided to open a new outlet, to further bring our delicious and yummy products a step closer to you.â&#x20AC;?

Africa CDC, ARC Unveil Initiatives

The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) and the African Risk Capacity (ARC) have launched two COVID-19 modelling tools for Africa: COVID-19 Potential Outcomes Scenarios and COVID-19 Spread SimulationTool for Africa. The tools would help African Union Member States in evaluating the potential magnitude of COVID-19 in their countries and in making decision on appropriate response to mitigate the risks. SpeciďŹ cally, COVID-19 Potential Outcomes Scenarios would help in modelling the potential impact of the outbreak using speciďŹ c sets of scenarios and assumptions and COVID-19 Spread SimulationTool for Africa will enable simulations of diďŹ&#x20AC;erent scenarios of COVID-19 spread for each country. Director-GeneraloftheAfricanRiskCapacityandAssistantSecretaryGeneralattheUnitedNations,Mr.MohamedBeavogui,said:â&#x20AC;&#x153;COVID-19 has generated unprecedented socioeconomic consequences with the reversal of hard-won development achievements. Africa is particularly challenged in its eďŹ&#x20AC;orts to cope with the decease burdens.â&#x20AC;?

â&#x20AC;&#x153;Cash remains the most important and largest store of value. I can tell you authoritatively that the volume of cash in circulation worldwide â&#x20AC;&#x153; Founder/Chairman, Integrated Cash Management Services Limited, Mr. Charles Nwodo Jnr

T H I S D AY ˾ ͯͶ , 2020

BUSINESSWORLD

ANALYSIS

NCDMB: Looking Inwards, Redefining Local Content Emmanuel Addeh writes on last Thursday’s inauguration of the Local Content Building in Bayelsa, the tallest in the entire South-south and South-east

ot many Nigerians in the last few decades can confidently point to a handful of completed projects by federal government ministries, departments and parastatals that haven’t been negatively affected by a very limited range of vision or outright neglect. Indeed, if anything, it had become almost the norm to abandon projects or allow their execution stretch for years unnecessarily for various unexplainable reasons. But there seems to be a breath of fresh air with last week’s formal commissioning of the Local Content Tower, constructed by the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB), an edifice with 97 per cent overall local content. From being a small department at the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), the NCDMB appears to have, like humans, gradually crawled and has now become a full-fledged adult, driving and achieving set targets. Established just 10 years ago, precisely in 2010, under the Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry Content Development (NOGICD) Act, the board, by the law, guides, monitors, coordinates and implement the provisions of the Act which is basically to encourage the participation of Nigerians in the oil and gas sector. The idea of a local content body was first mooted in 2001 when former President Olusegun Obasanjo inaugurated the Presidential Committee on Local Content in the Oil and Gas Industry. He then directed the NNPC to drive the policy and set certain targets, prompting the corporation to set up the Nigerian Content Division within its system and issuing some Nigerian content directives to industry stakeholders. But there was no force of law behind the directives, therefore, operators of the industry found it convenient to comply on ‘best endeavour’ basis. It, therefore brought about the need for the NOGICD bill which was passed by the National Assembly under the succeeding administration of late President Umaru Yar’Adua, but was assented to by President Goodluck Jonathan in April, 2010. Since then, the organisation, after its initial teething challenges under Dr. Ernest Nwapa, a former staff of the Nigerian content division of NNPC who became its first head and later, Mr. Denzel Kentebe, seems to have fully taken off and stabilised under Mr. Simbi Wabote, an engineer, who is the third and current substantive Executive Secretary of the board. With the laying of the foundation of the board’s tower in 2015, which would serve as the permanent headquarters, NCDMB may have fully succeeded in weathering all the storms, culminating in last week’s official opening of the edifice in Yenagoa, Bayelsa state by President Muhammadu Buhari. Considering the much talked about difficult terrain in the Niger Delta region, where underground structures are usually as tall and cash-gulping as the one above the ground, the current management would have had enough excuses not to finish the project and even in record time compared with similar projects all over the country. President Muhammadu Buhari while formally opening the building for use, pledged to spend more on infrastructure across the country and focus on finishing projects delivered by local contractors and technology that create jobs for thousands of Nigerians. He described the 17-storey building known as the Nigerian Content Tower as iconic. Buhari was joined on the platform by former President Goodluck Jonathan, Senate President, Ahmed Lawan; Deputy Senate President, Ovie Omo-Agege; three ministers, federal legislators, managing directors of international oil and gas companies and heads of government agencies. Other structures commissioned by the president included the 10MW power plant and 1000-seater conference centre as he reaffirmed his administration’s drive to provide infrastructure across the country to attract investments, create jobs and eradicate poverty. He said: ‘‘With the commissioning of this project, I want to highlight that we have put in place a landmark of reference in the Niger Delta to reflect long lasting legacies that signpost the years of oil and gas exploitation and I assure you that there is more to come” The president expressed delight that thousands

of direct and indirect jobs were created during the execution of the project in addition to the various business opportunities. ‘‘That is why two of the executive orders issued under our government are related to enforcing local content in public procurement and contracts to further replicate the successes being realised in the oil and gas industry. ‘‘Local content and self-reliance are key principles of the recently approved N2.3 trillion National Economic Sustainability Plan. The plan is aimed at the promotion of local production, local services, local innovation, and the use of local materials,’’ he said. He said that the edifice was a befitting birthday gift for the 10th anniversary of the NCDMB as a regulator and developer of local content in the oil and gas industry. ‘‘I am also pleased that this project has been delivered by local contractors supported by other local engineering and project consultants. We must all be proud that we finished what we started” he enthused. In his address, the Minister of State, Petroleum Resources, Chief Timipre Sylva, described the building as evidence that the president was committed to infrastructural development in every part of the country. “It shows that skyscrapers and other laudable infrastructures can be built in the Niger Delta and indigenous contractors can perform wonders when given the right opportunities and the people of Bayelsa and indeed the entire Niger Delta are receptive to development and that Nigerian

The passage of the PIB offers the opportunity for a fresh lease of life for Nigeria’s oil and gas industry. It is not however enough to pass a PIB, the national assembly must pass a good PIB

Content is here to stay,” he added. Wabote, who confirmed that the project was fully executed using the dexterity of Nigerian consultants to design and supervise the project execution, said several other Nigerian sub-contractors worked day and night to deliver the world-class building with impressive safety statistics. “The materials used is 76 per cent Nigerian content with the tiles, electrical cables, granite, and many other building materials produced in Nigeria. The manpower used for services and labour is over 95 percent Nigerian content. “The skills transferred to the local workforce in the construction of a high-rise building has been unprecedented,” Wabote said. He expressed delight in the end-to-end thinking that went into the design and execution of this project which he said is typical of the Nigerian content board. “That is why we also partnered with NAOC JV to provide the 10MW gas-fired power plant to provide reliable power supply to the new headquarters building,” he said. He emphasised that the excellent technical background and experience of the current executive secretary helped ease the project, stressing that the project recorded a remarkable safety record, with zero Loss Time Injury (LTI), zero fatality, zero disability and zero road transport accident. The building stands tall at 70 metres, with about half of what is seen on the surface buried below to keep the building standing and provide structural foundation support, using 207 piles, each at 800millimeter diameter, driven to 30meters depth, it was gathered. The ground floor area of the main building is 30,000m2, equivalent to four football fields and able to accommodate more than 1,000 workspaces for the company’s own use and for the use of other occupants of the building. Some of the specifics include the use of fireretardant façade, intelligent Building Management System that cuts down power consumption by 25 per cent, the provision of an over-hanging cradle on the roof slab to clean the four sides of the building. It also has zero voice transmission through the walls of the conference centre, scissors design in the ramp of the multi-level car park to avoid head-on collision, and many others. Aside the Swali community, the Elebele Community and the Bayelsa state people that would benefit from it, companies operating in

the Niger Delta now have a world class structure for office use. In his speech, the Managing Director of Megastar Technical and Construction Company Limited, Mr. Harcourt Adukeh stated that it was remarkable that a project awarded during the administration of former President Jonathan had continued seamlessly to completion and commissioning under the Buhari’s administration. He commended NCDMB for having clarity of intent regarding what it wanted to achieve with the project, which has also sealed a deal for continuous maintenance of the humongous structure. “This clarity of intent and enthusiasm to develop Nigerian capacity engaged on this project was demonstrated seamlessly through corporate administration of four consecutive executive secretaries,” he said. The feat has also drawn accolades from several quarters, especially from political leaders and traditional rulers from within and around the state. Bayelsa State Governor, Senator Douye Diri, who commended Buhari for the completion and commissioning of the 17-storey said the imposing structure had not only significantly improved the aesthetics and landscape of the capital city, but also aligned with the urban renewal policy of his administration. But while congratulating the team and Nigeria Agip Oil Company (NAOC) on the successful completion of the project, the governor particularly called on NAOC to relocate its headquarters to Yenagoa, saying a greater percentage of its operations were domiciled in the state. “I wish to extend my sincere gratitude to the president and the federal government for providing the strong political will and backing, which is essential for such a humongous undertaking to be concluded so timeously. “At the same time, let me express my warm congratulations to the Executive Secretary of NCDMB, Engr. Simbi Kesiye Wabote, and his entire team for the successful completion of this magnificent tower, which I am informed is the tallest building in the South-South and South-East of Nigeria. “Without doubt, this edifice is a clear testament to what we as a people can accomplish with judicious planning and focused execution. It was a bold and ambitious venture. But given the outstanding pedigree of Simbi, we could not have expected anything less. “This structure not only significantly improves the aesthetics of our city and profoundly advances its landscape, it represents a useful benchmark to set our targets as a state against. “It is further worth mentioning that this landmark project was executed by an indigenous construction company” he said. On his part, the immediate past Governor of Bayelsa State, Chief Seriake Dickson, commended the federal government for the structure which according to him has added to the beauty of the fast growing Yenagoa metropolis in addition to its economic benefits to the society. Dickson said in a statement by his Media Advisor, Mr. Fidelis Soriwei, said the state government under his leadership collaborated with the NCDMB by donating the land for the 10 MW Power plant designed to supply uninterrupted power to the building. He said it was heart-warming that the Buhari administration saw to the completion of the project, the first of its kind in the oil industry in Bayelsa. He called on the youth and indeed Bayelsa populace to take advantage of the opportunities offered by the new projects and joined Diri on his calls on the oil firms to relocate their headquarters to Bayelsa, stressing that the government had created the enabling environment for business growth in the state. “Now that the state now has a golf course, an airport, good roads, peace and stability, and a befitting office complex, the oil firms have no excuse to stay away from the Bayelsa” he said. Also, a former Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Chibudom Nwuche, said the inauguration of the tower was a right step towards achieving self-sustenance in the nation’s oil and maritime industry. He said the tower had become a reference point in the Niger Delta to reflect the long-lasting legacies that signpost the years of oil and gas exploitation in the region.

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Delivering Gas to Domestic Market With the eventual launch of the Nigerian Gas Transportation Network Code, a critical policy instrument and guide for the gas sector, Nigeria is now in a better position to deepen accessibility and transparency in the nationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s domestic gas market, writes Peter Uzoho

n Monday last week, the federal government finally launched the all-important Nigerian Gas Transportation Network Code (NGTNC), a major milestone that will translate to opening up the space for massive delivery of gas to domestic market. The virtual launch of The Go-Live of the network code, in Abuja, featured industry players led by the Minister of State for Petroleum, Chief Timipre Sylva; Group Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Mallam Mele Kyari; and the Director of the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR), Mr. Sarki Auwalu; amongst others. The code was first announced in February at the third edition of the Nigerian International Petroleum Summit (NIPS) 2020 in Abuja, with a six-month timeline set for the eventual launch. Lack of such policy tool had been identified as one of the major impediments towards deepening the penetration of gas to local market, with attendant negative impacts on the national economy. While speaking on the significance of the network code, Sylva said it would help to grow gas infrastructure, expand gas utilisation, curb gas flaring, and provide codes to standardise the gas value chain in line with global best practices. The minister said the NGTNC was part of the key reforms instituted by the President Muhammadu Buhari Administration to expand domestic gas-topower, gas-to-industry, and gas-to-manufacturing, and mitigate the challenge associated with gas flaring in the country. He noted that the gas code would go a long way in deepening economic development, improve gas supply, boost Liquefied Petroleum Gas supply, and attract more investment opportunities in the nationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s gas value chain. He said following the declaration of 2020 as a year of gas, the current administration was driving key policy and regulatory initiatives that would enhance gas reserves growth to support domestic and export project, adding that other focus was to expand domestic gas supply and address the perennial challenges of gas flaring, with its attendant waste and environmental impact. Sylva also said the aggregate impact hangs on three anchor programme on gas, namely, the Nigerian Gas Transportation Network Code (NGTNC), National Gas Expansion Programme (NGEP) and Nigerian Gas Flare Commercialisation Programme (NGFCP). According to him, this would help the sector achieve the presidential mandate of gas penetration, gas-based industrialisation, and economic diversification The minister said: â&#x20AC;&#x153;Specifically, it is my firm belief that the implementation of the network code, which is a set of rules and principles, guiding the use and operations of gas transportation network system, would deepen the domestic gas market. â&#x20AC;&#x153;It will also unleash the potentials of accelerated growth and economic development for our nation. â&#x20AC;&#x153;In the coming months, this code together with related interventions, would enable improved gas supply to power, growth of gas-based industries, domestic LNG, LPG and CNG penetration, as well as enhance revenue to the government and create investment opportunities for our people.â&#x20AC;? Sylvia said the DPR had developed the Network Code Electronic Licensing and Administrative System (NCELAS), which would be used by the regulator to receive process and issue all applicable licenses to all network players as well as administer all regulatory roles required to ensure the optimal market impact. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The NCELAS is a secured online environment that would provide optimum value for all stakeholders that would be operating under the network code. â&#x20AC;&#x153;With the unveiling of the NCELAS and the execution of the network code framework agreement, the regime of gas transportation through a world class network code would have been firmly established in Nigeria

Kyari

Sylva

for the benefit of all stakeholders,â&#x20AC;? he said He, however, commended NNPC and its gas subsidiary, the Nigerian Gas Company (NGC), for partnering with DPR to meet the six-month target to bring the Network Code to life. In his goodwill message at the virtual launch of the Network Code, Kyari reaffirmed the corporationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s commitment to working with relevant partners and stakeholders in the oil and gas sector to boost delivery of gas to the domestic market. He said the corporation was at the centre of gas delivery to the domestic market, stressing that it was involved in all the available gas delivery infrastructure in the country either directly or indirectly through joint venture partnership. He said the inauguration of the Network Code, designed to enhance the use of gas as a catalyst for national economic development, was an opportunity to enhance gas delivery and utilization in furtherance of the federal governmentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s objective of transforming gas into a key component of the nationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s energy mix and revenue sources. He added that the code was an opportunity to widen the income source of gas in Nigeria, noting that the development was the beginning of progress in the gas sector. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We will continue to give our support to this process to ensure that the full delivery of this process is achieved. We commit to working closely with the DPR to ensure that the target of the government is attained. â&#x20AC;&#x153;This opportunity has provided the right framework for the transportation of gas from the source to the end user in order to get value. We are happy to have this framework on ground and we are ready to collaborate with all our partners, the gas off-takers, gas producers, transportation companies, shippers, and all those involved in the gas value chain,â&#x20AC;? Kyari enthused. Earlier in his welcome remarks, Auwalu noted that the department has emplaced the network code platform and would continue to work with all Industry players for the success of the NGTNC. He said the gas code would address gas flaring, grow infrastructure and expand utilisation of gas in the country and that it would help to achieve the mandate of the year of gas as declared by the minister. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The code will guide the rules that governs gas transportation system, secure gas transmission and ensure cost effective tariff for the pipeline management. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The code will also help boost growth in the sector and six months from now, we will witness a lot of achievement,â&#x20AC;? Auwalu said. He noted that the portal for licensing will ensure enterprise structure and will serve as a one-stop

shop for network administration. The highpoint of the ceremony was the unveiling of the Network Code Electronic Licensing and Administrative System (NCELAS) portal and the supervision of the signing of framework agreements between NGC, Gas Hub, and Dangote Fertilizer Limited, by the minister. Mr. Sheyin Omotola signed for the NGC, Mr. Mansur Ahmed signed for Dangote Fertiliser, while Mr. David Ige signed for the Gas Hub Limited. The NGC will serve as the transporter while Gas Hub and Dangote Fertilizer Limited will serve as the shippers, with the GACN in the role of agent as provided by the framework.

Ahmed of Dangote fertiliser limited said the development had shown Nigeriaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s seriousness on gas matters, adding that establishing rules for utilistation, sellimg and transportational of gas was crucial. He commended the effort of the government in ensuring that the code was in place and urged all stakeholders to key in for effective gas development in the country. He noted that the code was a major milestone to drive the gas sector to the next level, adding that the establishment of the code was a step in the right direction, adding that it would be impossible to bring innovations without guideline. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We will do our best and stand with DPR to ensure that things are done properly for the growth of the sector,â&#x20AC;? he said. Speaking on behalf of gas sector participants, the Managing Director of Gas Aggregation Company Nigeria Limited (GACN), Mr. Olalekan Ogunleye, commended the federal government for achieving the launch of the code in spite of the challenges posed by COVID-19. He assured that stakeholders in the industry would support the effort of the DPR, NGC and others as managers of major suppliers in the country to ensure effective implementation of the code. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We will be proud to be the first network agent to bring excellence to the implementation of the network code and ensure transparency in the system,â&#x20AC;? Ogunleye said.

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WTO: Okonjo-Iweala Building Trust from Her Roots Olalekan Adigun In the past few days, I have keenly followed the enthusiasm and the seemingly endless endorsements that have greeted the declaration and candidacy of Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala for the position of Director-General of the World Trade Organisation. From the diplomatic circles, she received the support of Ambassador Emmanuel Obiako, one of the most experienced career diplomats in the Nigerian Foreign Service, to the political support of ex-Australian Prime Minister, Ms Julia Gillard for the position. While this piece is not necessarily about the endorsements she has received in recent weeks â&#x20AC;&#x201C; those wonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t stop coming â&#x20AC;&#x201C; my preoccupation here is to state the whys behind these endorsements which many people may not understand. A few weeks ago, the seven contestants presented their pitches before the WTO General Council (GC). As a keen observer of proceedings at election campaigns, I can confidently tell you that OkonjoIwealaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s well-articulated and thoroughly researched manifesto dwarfs those of her co-contestants to the admiration of the majority of GC members present. I must say at this point that all through my years of monitoring election campaigns, I have seen only a few of such messages received with warm admiration, save for the Obamaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 2008 effort - and maybe a few others. In the 32-page manifesto, Okonjo-Iweala spoke extensively about the immediate and future challenges at the organisation. She did a thorough analysis of the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats of the WTO and the urgent reforms needed to make the organisation cope with future risks and challenges. This was followed by her identification of three key areas that require urgent attention. They are the importance of trade, building trusts (especially of developing countries), and the need for strong institutional reforms in WTO to meet 21st-century demands. At the beginning of her speech, Okonjo-Iweala left no one in doubt about her ambitions and intentions when she said: â&#x20AC;&#x153;I am here because

Okonjo-Iweala trade is vital for a prosperous 21st century and the WTO is needed more than ever before.â&#x20AC;? Trade is crucial for nationsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; economic survival. Fair trade, through trade liberalization and exchange, is what nations, especially the economically vulnerable and weak nations need to keep up and running. There is no point pretending about this If the economically weak and vulnerable nations, who constitute the majority in the Global South, collapse, trade â&#x20AC;&#x201C; the very essence of WTO â&#x20AC;&#x201C; collapses. It was with this understanding that candidate Okonjo-Iweala hit the important political jackpot when she said, â&#x20AC;&#x153;In recent years, the multilateral trading system (MTS) has been going through difficult and challenging times. But, in my view, the world now needs, more than ever, a reinvigorated WTOâ&#x20AC;? (emphasis mine). The world truly needs a more reinvigorated

organization that can provide solutions to the 21st century specific issues arising from trade. This is what Okonjo-Iweala prioritizes as she takes steps towards becoming the DG of the WTO in the coming months. konjo-Iweala is a proud African woman who is never ashamed of her roots. This is partly why she is always seen with her African native attire and whenever the opportunity arises, she uses her native Igbo proverbs and intelligence to solve seemingly complex problems. This is something not too many African politicians and technocrats do often. The reason for this is simple â&#x20AC;&#x201C; she builds trusts with her roots. And this leads me to her second point â&#x20AC;&#x201C; the need for WTO to build trusts (especially of developing countries). Without the trusts of developing countries, WTO may not achieve its objective of assisting â&#x20AC;&#x153;the least

developed and small economies, to boost trade through technical assistance and capacity building.â&#x20AC;? Developing countries comprise over two-thirds of the worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s peoples and landmass. Why neglect such an important aspect of the WTO mandate? Speaking from her experience as two-time Nigeriaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Minister of Finance and one-time Minister for Foreign Affairs, Okonjo-Iweala understands the need for the mainstream inclusion of developing countries in the scheme of things at international organisations like the WTO. There is no point pretending about sleeping when we all are awake. Developing countries, especially Africans, need to be the priority of the WTO. Who can better put developing countries on the top of the WTO agenda other than its DG? Which other African country qualifies to occupy the position other than Nigeria? Who has the most political and diplomatic experience in Nigeria other than Okonjo-Iweala? Meditate on these for a moment and you will agree with me. Arising from building trusts, Okonjo-Iwealaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s third priority is in the area of institutional reforms in WTO. There is no gainsaying the fact that since its over two-decade existence, WTO needs to undergo major institutional reforms if it wants to cope with the challenges of the 21st century. And, who else has the audacity and mental aptitude to undertake these reforms? As Nigeriaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Minister for Finance, she oversaw far-reaching, controversial, and challenging institutional reforms in the area of payroll management, pensions, banking and insurance, to mention but a few in a turbulent and complex socio-political environment like Nigeria. It is clear to me that it is only Okonjo-Iwealaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s manifesto that has provisions that cover all areas of WTO operations from developing countries, trade policies, MSMEs, small and vulnerable economies (SVEs), trade negotiations and more importantly, the need for institutional reforms especially in dispute management and resolutions amongst member states. It is obvious to everyone she came prepared! t"EJHVO B QVCMJD BGGBJST DPNNFOUBUPS CBTFE JO -BHPT DBO CF SFBDIFE WJB !.S-FLBO"EJHVO

Assessing Obasekiâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Energy Reforms Lucky Isibor Availability of energy is an indispensable component of the development of modern economies. A non-disruptive and functional economy requires energy for agriculture, manufacturing processes, transportation and other services that drive the knowledge value revolution which has become a sine-qua-non in employment generation, poverty alleviation and all-inclusive empowerment in the emerging economies in the global arena. The availability of energy for economic development are mainly determined by the manner the economic entity addresses issues of energy production, distribution and consumption. The qualities of energy policy may include legislations, reliability of arbitration, the degree of incentivisation of investments to attract foreign direct investments FDI, taxation and other public issue mechanics. It is against the foregoing backdrop the interrogation of the Governor Godwin Obasekiâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s reforms in Edo state has become imperative with a view to arriving at what the state stands to gain or lose from the reforms he has embarked on in the energy sector of the economy. It is an indisputable fact that as soon as Governor Godwin Obaseki came into office, he immediately identified the paucity of energy as one of the major impediments to the stateâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s industrial growth and the realisation that availability of small and medium enterprises is now the most effective way of creating employment. This led to the search for investors who came in, first to work out modalities for engagement and ensure that appropriate mechanics are emplaced to protect their investments in line with global best practice. This led to the signing of various memorandum of understanding, MOU in the energy sector. A segment of the political class who are ignorant of global best practices in international investments criticised this because in their warped

and convoluted thinking, it is time consuming and closed all illegal routes the stateâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s resources were hitherto diverted to private pockets. However, it is a given that no international investor worth his salt will put his money in a venture where there is no memorandum of understanding (MOU), which is simply an agreement between two or more parties indicating an intended common line of action outlined in a formal or written document. These MOUâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Haven brought to fruition the establishment of the Ossiomo electricity generating plant which has been completed with a capacity of 55 megawatts. The most interesting part of this project is that the Edo state government has entered into a power purchase agreement with the generating company to distribute the electricity derived therefrom to government offices in the Sapele road and Government Reservation Area corridor, including the High Court, Hospitals and the House of Assembly. As test running of the project is ongoing, work

will soon start on the expansion of the generating plant to increase its capacity to 250 megawatts. A lot of job opportunities were created during the construction of the plant and more jobs will be created when it becomes fully operational. Another product of the Governor Obaseki energy reform is the ongoing construction of the Edo Refinery and Petrochemical Limited sited at Ologbo. This project which is 70 per cent completed will be refining 6,000 barrels of crude oil daily and delivering 500,000 litres of Automated Gas Oil AGO, 300,000 litres of Naphta and 200,000 litres of Premium Motor Spirit, PMS. The modular refinery will be sourcing crude oil from the Nigeria Petroleum Development Company NPDC which is also in Benin City. When these two key energy projects become operational, which is going to be very soon; in fact in a matter of weeks, a lot of jobs will be created especially the small and medium enterprises which play very key roles in economic development,

job creation and poverty alleviation. These energy reforms will also attract investments in social enterprises. Several countries like Indian, Malaysia and other Asian emerging economies are using social enterprises to alleviate poverty and create jobs. One of such social enterprises has already birthed in Edo state as a result of Governor Obasekiâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s reforms in the collection of internally generated revenue, IGR and the banishment of Motor Park touts popularly known in local palance as â&#x20AC;&#x153;Agberosâ&#x20AC;?. The Edo Civil Societies Organisations (EDOSCO) took advantage of this to establish the EDOCSO transport that operates several routes in the Benin metropolis and charge less than 50 per cent of fares charged by commercial drivers. These reforms in the energy sector by the Governor Godwin Obaseki administration will no doubt attract him votes in the 19 September Edo governorship election, not only to enable him see these projects to fruition, but to initiate others that are in the pipeline. Edo people are rational in their thought processes and will distance themselves from the political party and candidate that are spinning controversies around the establishment of these laudable projects. Conjuring lies around these projects that are already creating employment opportunities for Edo people with high capacity to conserve the nationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s foreign reserve is a proof that those opposed to the re-election of Governor Godwin Obaseki do not mean well for Edo State just as they have ran out of ideas and have no alternative narratives to offer the people. Being a people who are not led by the nose and far from being cringing idiots, come 19 September, Edo people will queue behind Governor Goodwin Obaseki and his party, the PDP, to enable him continue to stamp his developmental imprint in all the nooks and crannies of the state. t-VDLZ *TJCPS B KPVSOBMJTU XSPUF JO GSPN #FOJO

T H I S D AY ˾ TUESDAY AUGUST 18, 2020

PROPERTY & ENVIRONMENT Maryland Mall Developers Celebrate 4 Years of Success, Introduce new Outlet Fadekemi Ajakaiye

he developers of Purple Maryland, an exquisite shopping hotspot, and leading neighbourhood retail and entertainment centre in Lagos, plans big for its fourth anniversary. Purple Maryland is a rebrand of Maryland Mall, which is a redevelopment of the Maryland Business Plaza and riding on this success, the developers have announced the construction of another sturdy project, known as PurpleLekki in Lekki Phase I, Lagos. Purple Maryland hosts a mix of local and international brands, including Shoprite, Genesis Deluxe Cinemas, Stanbic IBTC Bank, Uber, Workstation, Medplus, Miniso, PEP, amongst other retail, hospitality and entertainment brands. The Chief Executive Officer, Purple, developers of Maryland Mall, Mr. Laide Agboola, expressed satisfaction in the achievements of the mixed-use center till date. He stated that the success of Maryland Mall showcases the fact that domestic investment fuelled by the indefatigable spirit of Nigerian entrepreneurs is key to driving national economic growth. “The Mall, which is now located where the defunct Maryland Shopping Centre was once located, sits on one of the most important arterial routes in Lagos today, with an estimated 5,000 cars passing through every hour,” he said. “We are proud to be supporting the retail and entertainment industry and creating lifestyle experiences for Lagosians on that axis,” he said. “The Mall, which is seating on a 7,700sqm and located on the ever-busy Ikorodu Road, Lagos commenced its construction in September 2014 and was open to the public in 2016. It contains 3 floors with a mezzanine, about 50 stores and hoists on its external façade the largest outdoor screen in sub Saharan Africa spanning 550 square meters, a unique feature that sets it apart from any other retail centre in Nigeria,” he said. “Since its official opening in June 2016, Maryland Mall has welcomed over 6million

visitors boasting about 97% occupancy from top domestic and international retailers,” he stated. Agboola said, “Leveraging on the success of the Maryland Mall flagship project has enabled us grow our footprints in retail, entertainment and lifestyle by delivering similar assets within the next few years. The new outlet is larger and our success with Maryland Mall gives us the confidence to go for more, “he said. “We have started with the development of a new mixed-use centre in an upper-middle class area, Lekki, Lagos. This is a bigger development; occupying about 10,000sqm and about 7-8 floors which will be a mix use development of retail groceries, department stores, entertainment and cinema, co-working and private offices, serviced apartments, of residential living and hotel and lifestyle living, these are developed into a brand called Nanos,” he said. “These Nanos by Purple, are essentially serviced apartments, similar to what you will find anywhere in the world. We are selling off some and retaining some, which we expect buyers to keep at the set standards for maintenance and operations. The starting price of these Nanos is N35 million, with only a few left. On the other side of the development, 65% of the space has been leased with anchor for Market Square, Genesis Cinema, Harmony, Casper, Workstation, all signed in, and interest from the essentials even as discussions with interested persons are still ongoing. From our Co-working space, we expect that to be taken up by a lot of tech companies, SMEs, growing businesses, and as things get better, we are confident it will fall in place. We ensure that these properties serve the needs of the upper-middle market,” he said. “We are not worried about the occupancy level, as 65% of the retail and entertainment are already exhausted. The portion of the housing unit for sale is almost exhausted as we have about 20% left,” he said. “Purple Lekki is an all-new state of the art mixed-use lifestyle center blending retail, entertainment, private offices and hospitality into an unforgettable lifestyle experience,” he said. Agboola stated that Purple Lekki measur-

ing nearly 10,000sqm, is strategically located on Freedom Way, Lekki Phase 1, Lagos; right between the emerging Orange and Periwinkle Islands and the Lekki expressway. Freedom Way is an arterial route currently being developed as a main thoroughfare between the Lagos Mainland and Island zones, he said. Purple Lekki, being another lifestyle development from Purple chose the location which is ideal and will capture the heavy residential and commercial traffic of Lekki Phase 1, as well as the highly residential Ikate and other neighbourhoods on that axis, he said. Purple Lekki comes with two floors of open plan grocery and department stores; entertainment floor which also houses swimming pool, pool bar and Sports bar; Workplace X; Private office spaces, conference facilities, meeting rooms, art studio, gym facility, he said. Others include, on grid, multilevel and rooftop parking to ensure convenience; communal seating areas, Art Gallery, activation spaces,

Nano Apartments on top floor for short stay and long stay; Gym facilities and Swimming Pool, all built with class and finesse. “Purple Lekki is more than just a fancy multiuse building. It will also serve as a neighbourhood hub, aggregating visitors from the Lekki axis and beyond. We have included indoor and outdoor advertising opportunities which allow brands communicate with their audience. Our platforms include LCD and LED screens, activation spaces, lamp posts, elevator doors, wall drapes and so many more options,” he said. He stated that the project, which is expected to take 18 months, with its delivery between Q4 2021 and Q1 2022 is a mixture of equity, sales funding, and debt being run by some domestic financial institutions, as well as Mortgage banks that are also partnering with them. Agboola commended the discipline, focus and resilience of their partners, occupants and everyday customers at their center, appreciating the value created over the years.

L-R: Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder Purple, Olayide Agboola; Chief Executive West Africa; Standard Bank Group, Yinka Sanni; Founding Partner; Diya, Fatimilehin and Co., Gboyega Fatimilehin; and Chief Executive Officer, Purplemoney Microfinance Bank/ DMD and Co-Founder Purple, Obinna Onunkwo, during a visit to the site of PurpleLekki in Lekki, Lagos… recently

Tax Regulators, Property Consultants Disagree on Multiple Charges in Real Estate Sector Bennett Oghifo Property consultants and experts in taxation in the private sector believe the real estate sector in Nigeria is bogged down by too many contentious taxes and charges with ambiguous applications that the government needs to align for the good of the nation’s economy. They are particularly concerned that the ambiguity of these taxes and charges impede government’s desire to grow the nation’s housing stock. But, some tax regulators insist that it is not necessarily so, as taxes charged in the sector would improve government’s earnings.. These were some thorny issues discussed by tax experts and real estate consultants, as well as government representatives, assembled by Fine and Country West Africa, to help clear contentious tax issues and ambiguous statutory provisions, at a recent Tax Webinar titled, “Understanding Nigeria Real Estate Taxes and Statutory Charges.” Specifically, they discussed the opposing perspectives of the government and the private sector on the applicability of VAT to sale of land and buildings, stamps duty, the revocation of Land Use Charge 2018, and multiple taxation, generally. These issues were addressed by a team of panelists made up of tax experts from the private sector and from government agencies, including the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), Lagos State Inland Revenue Service (LIRS) and Lagos State Lands Bureau; represented by Mr. Matthew Gbonjubola, Director, Tax Policy, FIRS; Mr. Igho Orienru, Assistant Director, Directorate of Personal Income Tax, LIRS; and Mr. Ojikutu Olawale, Deputy Director of Lands, Lagos, respectively. The private sector was represented by Mrs. Lolade Ososami, Partner at Udo Udoma & Belo Osagie and Mr. Taiwo Oyedele, Head of Tax and Regulatory Services at Price Water Cooper (PwC). Moderation was by Ms. Esiri Agbeyi,

Partner at PwC, and the host was Mr. Onajite Shamedje, Head Legal & Transactions, Fine & Country West Africa. Setting the tone for the discussion, the Chief Executive Officer/Chairperson Fine & Country West Africa, Mrs. Udo Maryanne Okonjo, said the tax webinar was an attempt to provide stakeholders a clearer understanding of tax and statutory charges, as applicable to real estate in Nigeria. According to her, “Clarity and confidence for real estate investors/purchasers and stakeholders, in relation to accurate statutory/regulatory position and the attendant implication on their respective transactions is the starting point of all solid investments.” Okonjo charged the panelists to address the taxation multiplicity conundrum in light of the nation’s housing deficit and the current economic realities, taking note of the practical question of VAT application to real estate transactions, particularly in respect of finished buildings. She further solicited the advice of the panelists, in respect of purchases of built-up properties by investors. “It is as important to also address the impact, negative or otherwise, of the perceived multiple taxation in the real estate sector against the back drop of the looming recession in relation to the novel Finance Act of 2019 and the FIRS secular policy. “It is important for the state and federal government to recognise that real estate plays a major role in economies and to be mindful of any unintended consequences of these charges, especially for first time home buyers and extenants who typically require property as collateral to grow their businesses. “As stakeholders in the real estate sector, we all lend our voices both individually and collectively through constructive conversations aimed at positioning the industry to thrive by providing clarity and confidence to real estate investors and stakeholders.”

She said an investor in property that is armed with accurate regulatory information could confidently embark on transactions without fear of conflict based on statutory ambiguities. “A typical example of one of the confusing aspects is the application of VAT to the sale of land and buildings which has over the years created

conflict between transacting parties due to lack of clarity of this particular statutory provision.” She said clarity on mandatory statutory charges also help investors in their budgeting and financial projections for transactions and gives them a high degree of precision as they have a better picture in terms of their financial outlay.

ENYO Unveils Winners of Inaugural Architectural Competition Fadekemi Ajakaiye Enyo Retail and Supply (ERS), a leading fuel retailing company in Nigeria, has concluded its maiden edition of the Enyo Open Ideas Competition (EOIC), an innovative contest intended to create ideas for a sustainable design of its service stations. The announcement of the top three finalists was made at an official event hosted at the ENYO Olowo Eko Service Station on Tuesday, 11th August 2020, where winners showcased 3D models of their designs as they were presented their prizes. The competition which began on 27th February, 2020, received over 350 entries, tasked participants such as architects, creatives and innovative individuals with the opportunity to develop the ‘service station of the future’, using the example of existing ENYO service stations. Entries

were subjected to a rigorous review process by prominent and renowned professionals in the architecture space design in Nigeria including Fitzgerald Umah, Chairman, Nigerian Institute of Architects, Lagos State Chapter and Managing Director/CEO, Contemporary Architecture Ltd., and Ms. Tosin Oshinowo, Director, CmDesign Atelier, amongst others. Finalists were then selected based on innovation and relevance, aesthetics, technical quality, clarity and comprehension as well as functionality of the design concept. Commenting on the initiative, Mr. Abayomi Awobokun, Chief Executive Officer, ENYO Retail and Supply, said, “The Enyo Open Ideas Competition was born out of the desire to create new service and products spaces leveraging both our ideas and the ideas of young professionals with the hope of achieving more respectful, user

friendly, and functional retail spaces for our customers. We are also keen to ensure that the filling stations we design and build are more in line with some of the sustainable development goals especially those which are related to the environment. We are grateful for all entries received, some were particularly innovative, and others showed a lot of efforts have been put in by the contestants. Importantly, we are proud that judges were committed to the competition, and their selection leaves no one in doubt that the winners should be commended and encouraged.” The winning team which comprised of Tobiloba Babalola, Ifeoluwa Akande and Olumide Owoyele were awarded a total sum of a million naira in prize money while the second and third place winners were awarded 500,000.00 and 250,000.00, respectively.

IMAGES

T H I S D AY ˾ ͯͶ, 2020

Photo Editor ÌÓÙÎßØ ÔËÖË Email ËÌÓÙÎßØ˛ËÔËÖË̶ÞÒÓÝÎËãÖÓàÏ˛ÍÙ×

L-R: Chairman, House of Representatives Committee on Public Account, Rep. Oluwole Oke; members of the committee, Rep. Lawan Ali and Rep. Nasiru Gabasawa, during an investigative hearing on the activities of the Nigerian Shippers Council, at the National Assembly Complex, Abuja...recently

L-R: Kaduna state Commissioner for Human Services and Social Development, Hajiya Hafsat MuhammadBaba; National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), North-West Area Director, Mrs Zainab Isa; Director-General of NYSC, Brig.-Gen. Shuaibu Ibrahim; and NYSC Kaduna State Coordinator, Malam Isa Wana, during the DirectorGeneral’s visit to the state secretariat of NYSC in Kaduna...recently

Kwara State Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq (right) decorating Assistant Comptroller General of the Nigeria Immigration Service Mrs Edith Onyemenam with her new rank at the Presidential Lodge, Ilorin... recently

L-R: Archbishop for Metropolitan and Primate of All Nigeria, Rev. Henry Ndukuba; Bishop of Kaduna Anglican Diocese, Rt. Rev. Timothy Yahaya; and the Dean, Church of Nigeria, Most Rev. Buba Duke, at the laying of foundation of Amazing Grace Polytechnic and dedication of the new Bishop’s Court, in Kaduna...recently

Members of Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staﬀ Association (PENGASSAN) protesting over alleged three months unpaid salary in Abuja...recently

L-R: Candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)/ Edo State Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, Ogieneni of Uzairue, HRH Alhaji Kadiri Imonikhe Omogbai IV, Deputy Governor and running mate, Hon. Philip Shaibu,and the Daudu 1 of Uzairue, Alhaji Abdulrahaman Momodu, during the governor’s visit to the palace of the Ogieneni,as part of the PDP’s campaign activities, in Uzaire, Etsako West Local Government, Edo State...recently

The groom, Abubakar Musa (3rd left) with dignitaries from the Palace of Olu of Warri, during the wedding fathia of Abubakar and Zainab Shehu Fodio in Sokoto...recently

L-R: Comptroller General of the Nigeria Immigration Service, Mr Muhammed Babandede; FRSC Corps Marshal Boboye Oyeyemi; Inspector General of Police, Mohammed Adamu and the Minister of Information, Alhaji Lai Mohammed during the Presentation ceremony of Report by the Committee on Citizen Data Management and Harmonization at the Presidential Villa, Abuja...recently PHOTO: GODWIN OMOIGUI

TUESDAY AUGUST 18, 2020 â&#x20AC;¢ T H I S D AY

LAWYER

WEEKLY PULLOUT

18.08.2020

THE DAME OF THE BAR SPEAKS

Dame Priscilla Olabori Kuye

18.08.2020

Of Politicians’ Hypocrisy and the People’s Right to Protest Unconstitutionality of Police Incursion into Peaceful Protests Recently, members of the #RevolutionNow Movement organised a peaceful protest, to mark the first year anniversary of the Movement. I believe that the plan was to simultaneously stage the protest in major Nigerian cities like Lagos and Abuja, but the Police somehow disrupted the protest, tear gassing some Protesters in Ikeja, while arresting others, both in Lagos and Abuja. Section 39 of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended) (the Constitution), guarantees the right of every person to freedom of expression and holding opinions, while Section 40 entitles every person to assemble freely and associate with other persons for the protection of their interests. Chapters 8 Article 10 and 9 Article 11 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights which Nigeria has domesticated as the African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights (Ratification and Enforcement) Act, also provide for the freedom of right to association and assembly, respectively. Sections 1(2-6), 2-4 of the Public Order Act, Laws of the Federation 2004 which sought to "maintain public order" by regulating and stopping meetings/ assemblies - achieving this by providing that a licence to conduct an assembly must be sought and obtained from the Governor of the State in which the event is to hold, by means of Police Permit - was shot down by the Court of Appeal and declared to be unconstitutional contrary to Section 40 of the Constitution, in a matter filed by Learned Senior Advocate, Femi Falana, Inspector-General of Police v All Nigeria Peoples Party & 11 Ors 2007 18 N.W.L.R. Part 1066 457 CA (per Adekeye JCA), after a violent disruption of a rally held in Kano in 2003, because the Police maintained that no permit was obtained by the Conveners, enabling them to hold the event. Adekeye JCA also held that, the aforementioned African Charter was now part of the domestic laws of Nigeria, which the court must uphold. The role of the Police in any protest is not to prevent people from protesting, but only to provide security to all, Protesters inclusive. So, why the constant Police harassment at any hint of a protest brewing, when such censorship has been declared to be unconstitutional? This type of intolerant behaviour, goes hand in hand with the Federal Government’s fine of N5 million to be imposed on those who are said to disseminate hate speech. I will not bother to go into this hate speech issue which we have debated thoroughly in the past; about the fact that there are enough laws on defamation of character, libel, slander etc; about the subjective nature of hate speech and the difficulty in defining same; about the fact that the NBC or Government has no right to slap fines on people without going through a credible court process, unless of course, we are in a Police State; about the fact that the N5 million fine is simply a way by which Government is seeking to gag Nigerians and drown dissenting voices; about the fact that such a directive is unconstitutional, as it runs foul of Section 39 of the Constitution. It is quite sad and sickening when you watch many talk shows these days, and the interiewee makes a comment which is perceived to be anti-Government or anti-a Government Official, with alacrity - the interviewer more or less scolds the interviewee and is quick to dissociate their television station from such utterances, for fear of being sanctioned by the Federal Government. The sum and substance of all this - with Government’s clamp down on free speech and peaceful protests is that, as I have maintained for quite a while - we are no longer in a democracy, but some form of dictatorship. RevolutionNow Protest The video of the Lagos protest which I viewed, had Protesters carrying different placards making references to issues which they are dissatisfied with, and asking Government to do the needful. They demanded for things which really should be basic in any functional society - safety and security for all (Section 14(2)(b) of the Constitution); qualitative healthcare to be achieved by an increase in funding (Section 17(3)(d) of the Constitution); cessation of the destruction of Mechanic Villages (which obviously is the source of many of their livelihoods), and investment in work clusters for Mechanics instead (Section 16(1)(b), (d) & I6(2)(c) of the Constitution); investment in social welfare programmes for the people (Sections 16 (2) (d), 17 (2)(c) & 18 of the Constitution). The Protesters demanded for the jettisoning of the 1999 Constitution which was forced on us by the military, and a referendum for the people to decide on a replacement Constitution. Most importantly, the Protesters chanted that the people are hungry. In short, what the Protest-

ers were agitating for, is akin to the scrupulous implementation of Chapter 2 of the Constitution, that is, the Fundamental objectives and Directive Principles of State Policy. What else could they lawfully do to ventilate their grievances, but embark on a peaceful protest and hope to be heard? Or are people no longer allowed to express their dissatisfaction? Is there any falsehood in what they Protesters said? It is condemnable that Section 6(6)(c) of the Constitution has ousted the jurisdiction of any court in respect of the implementation of the said Chapter 2, and those in office cannot truly be held accountable for their lapses; should we then also allow Government to further deprive us of our constitutionally guaranteed rights? No. What other lawful options, are open to those who want to keep the institutions and have them improved upon, but get rid of the crop of people who are presently running them (and ensure that they never return to office)? The answer is, peaceful protests until Government responds appropriately. The electorate must not tarry until the next general election in 2023; they should commence a strong credible anti-incumbent campaign revealing the corruption and non-performance of those in power, not a campaign of calumny, but one that is based on true and verifiable facts; exposing as many as can be exposed from now, starting from the upcoming Edo and Ondo elections, to hopefully, ensure that only the right type of people are elected, going forward. These are some of the lawful ways, in which we can secure a change in leadership. Nigerian Politicians: Motivated Purely by Self-Interest Nigerian politicians have treated we the electorate, as if we are foolish; and it is time that we show that, on the contrary, we are sensible. Take for example, Edo State; Section 182 of the Constitution sets out the reasons why a candidate running for the office of Governor, may be disqualified from participating in the election. It is obvious from the provisions that, such a person should possess a good measure of competence, integrity and moral standing. Though he does not fit into the disqualification category per se, one of the candidates in the Edo gubernatorial race today, was denounced by the main Edo Campaigner in a video which went viral during the 2016 gubernatorial election campaign (when they were members of opposing political parties), as a violent individual who permanently maimed someone by pouring acid on him. Today, now that they are in the same party, the same Campaigner who disparaged the candidate is actively campaigning for him, and holding him out to be the best thing after sliced bread! Why? Because the Campaigner is involved in a melee/battle royal with his former protege, the real reasons for which, if they were to be investigated, would not be altruistic but about control and selfish interests. What does that Campaigner take the electorate for? The answer to that question in my opinion is, not much - he certainly believes that the electorate is a switch which can simply be turned on and off at his will, to be easily manipulated to suit the Campaigner and whoever’s whims and caprices! It is more than an insult on the intelligence and sensibilities of Nigerians, for any Campaigner to think he or she can treat us in such a shoddy manner. Politicians quarrel amongst themselves because their

Protesting Nigerians

egos are bruised, or for other reasons which have nothing to do with the welfare of the people, and they expect the people whom they obviously see as robots or zombies to blindly follow their new choices, good or bad. In a civilised society, the hint of such a horrible allegation against anyone would prevent them from ever thinking about holding any political office, let alone running in an election, while the Campaigner would never be bold enough to consider fielding a candidate who has had such a violent allegation levelled against him, unless the allegation is completely unfounded. Likewise, during the same 2016 election, the other candidate’s educational qualifications/credentials were questioned by the opposition. However, now that he has defected to that same opposition, his credentials have become automatically unimpeachable! It is time that the electorate scrutinises candidates thoroughly, for suitability. It is crystal clear that most of the decisions as to fielding candidates has little to do with competence and integrity, and is only about the interests of the politicians and their cronies, not that of the electorate. As the saying goes," if you pay peanuts, you get monkeys"! Translated to the context of this discourse, if we keep allowing unsuitable candidates to run for election while accepting inducements to vote for them, we cannot expect to get any dividends of democracy like the type that the #RevolutionNow Protesters are seeking. Nigerian Politicians: Drug Trafﬁcking and Criminality We have several Politicians who have been accused of drug trafficking, or have equally nasty skeletons in the cupboard of their backgrounds. In the past, some of them have even gone to prison abroad. And, even if they may not fit into the Section 182 disqualification criteria because the 10 year intervening period after their convictions may have lapsed, or they have been sleek enough to evade the law, there’s almost no chance that such a person can make a positive impact or deliver any democratic dividends to anybody, but him or herself. A drug dealer is one of the lowest of low types of criminal - if there’s a hierarchy in criminality, possibly only a notch up from child molesters. They are usually ruthless and will do anything to make money for themselves, including killing and ruining the lives of those who are unfortunate enough to become addicted to their poisonous drugs - because the greater the addiction, the higher their revenue. Nigerian Government: Cost of Governance I was quite amused last week, when I saw a videoclip of the Speaker of the House of Representatives saying that the cost of governance in this country is too high. Did the National Assembly realise this fact before or after the House of Representatives took delivery of the 400 or so vehicles, at a whopping cost of over N5 billion?! I believe that a similar amount would also have been expended, to purchase vehicles for the Senators. Though Section 16(1)(a) & (2)(c) of the Constitution directs that the resources of the nation be harnessed and national prosperity promoted; and that the economic system must not be operated in a manner that concentrates wealth or the means of production and exchange in the hands of a few individuals or of a group - that is exactly what obtains today. While apart from oil, not much else is being harnessed, the wealth of our nation is concentrated in the hands of politicians (and government officials) who

“THOUGH HE DOES NOT FIT INTO THE DISQUALIFICATION CATEGORY PER SE, ONE OF THE CANDIDATES IN THE EDO GUBERNATORIAL RACE TODAY, WAS DENOUNCED BY THE MAIN EDO CAMPAIGNER.....AS A VIOLENT INDIVIDUAL WHO PERMANENTLY MAIMED SOMEONE BY POURING ACID ON HIM...... TODAY..... THE SAME CAMPAIGNER WHO DISPARAGED THE CANDIDATE IS ACTIVELY CAMPAIGNING FOR HIM, AND HOLDING HIM OUT TO BE THE BEST THING AFTER SLICED BREAD!”

couldn’t really care less about the people, but are more consumed with enriching themselves; and that is why staying in government till the Apocalypse, is a do or die affair for them. A Governor who all he did during his eight years in office was to loot his State blind, delivering little in terms of progress to his people and State, then executes his succession plan by going to the Senate or becoming a Minister of the Federal Republic, using those vast looted funds as his platform! This cycle needs to end. Of course, there would be nothing wrong in seeking further political office after Governorship, if the Governorship scorecard was impressive. Alas! this is the case, in only very few instances. Conclusion Nigeria is definitely suffering from a chronic case of over-governance and extremely low productivity, or productivity that is certainly not commensurate to the astronomical cost of its over-governance. The level of corruption in the country which has contributed in no small measure to fiasco/catastrophe, is past alarming. My conclusion is that, even before applying any economic or good governance principles, the first step to progress and rebuilding our great nation, is to be circumspect about whom we give our votes to. 21 years of democracy has shown that, receiving inducements from Politicians in return for our votes, is clearly, a losing formula. If we as a people, do not change our mindset, Nigeria will continue its descent into the abyss of failure and retrogression.

LAW REPORT/3

Retrospective Nature of Restitutional Provision in Section 319(1)(a) of ACJA 2015 Facts The Appellant was charged before the Federal High Court sitting at Yola, Adamawa State, for the offence of unjust enrichment under Section 1(2)(b) of the Miscellaneous Offences Act 2004 (MOA, 2004). The Appellant was the Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs in the Adamawa State Executive Council, under the administration of Governor Boni Haruna. In that capacity, he was the Chairman of the Adamawa State Local Government Joint Account Committee (LG-JAC) which was responsible for the approval of Joint Local Government Projects, and voted funds for the execution of the same. The Appellant was at the same time, the Chief Executive Officer of Al-Akim Investment Nigeria Limited (the 3rd Accused Person) and the sole signatory to the account of the company maintained with Guaranty Trust Bank Plc (GTB). The LG-JAC had approved and appropriated the sum of N31.5 million to assist the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in its voters registration exercise, and the sum of N21 million for the purchase of vaccines for Local Governments in the State. The Respondent alleged that the Appellant diverted the sums that were appropriated by the LG-JAC, into the GTB account of his company, Al-Akim Investment Nigeria Limited. It was also alleged that the said sums were subsequently transferred by the Appellant into the GTB account of a certain BBB Project, which was operated in the name of Mohammed Inuwa Bassi (the 1st accused). The said BBB project account had the name and photograph of the 1st accused on the mandate card, but had on the same mandate card as the sole signatory thereto, Governor Boni Haruna. It was the case of the Respondent, that neither BBB Project nor Al-Akim Investment Nigeria Limited did any job for the Adamawa State Government, to warrant being paid the said sums. The Appellant was convicted and sentenced to 10 years imprisonment on each count, which were to run concurrently. The Appellant was also ordered to refund the money to the Adamawa State – Local Government Joint Account Fund, from where it was diverted by the Appellant through his company. The Appellant appealed to the Court of Appeal, which dismissed the appeal. The Appellant further appealed to the Supreme Court. Issues for Determination In the Appellant’s Further Amended Brief of Argument, he formulated his issues for determination which were considered by the Apex Court as follows: 1. Whether Counts 3 and 4 in the Respondent’s amended charge was not incompetent, for not disclosing all the essential ingredients and the detailed nature of the offence for which the Appellant was charged. 2. Whether the Respondent proved the commission of the offences by the Appellant, beyond reasonable doubt. 3. Whether the Court of Appeal was right, when it held that the trial court did not wrongly admit inadmissible documentary evidence to convict the Appellant. 4. Whether the order of restitution made against the Appellant for offences that were committed in 2002 was justiciable under Section 319 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act, 2015, which it was made pursuant to. 5. Whether the judgement of the trial court delivered after 90 days from the date of final addresses, did not occasion a miscarriage of justice on the Appellant. Arguments On the 1st issue, counsel for the Appellant argued that Counts 3 and 4 in the Respondent’s amended charge, failed to disclose the ingredients of the offence for which the Appellant was charged. He submitted that, forgery is a vital element of the offence under Section 1(2)(b) of the MOA, 2004, but it was omitted from the counts, hence the counts were incurably defective. On the 2nd issue, he argued that the allegations laid out against the Appellant were not proved beyond reasonable doubt, to warrant the lower court affirming the conviction of the Appellant. On the 3rd issue, counsel for the Appellant argued that the trial court wrongly admitted an original of Exhibits PW. 7A, a public document, instead of the certified true copy of the same. He argued that certain cheques admitted in evidence, ought to have been tendered through their maker to enable the Appellant cross-examine him, and failure to tender them through their maker breached the Appellant’s right to fair hearing. On the 4th issue, he argued that the order for restitution made by the trial court pursuant to Section 319 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act, 2015 could not be validly made against the Appellant, as the law was not in existence at the time of the alleged commission of the said offence in 2002. On the 5th issue, he argued that the judgment of the trial court which was delivered more than 90 days after final addresses occasioned miscarriage of justice on the Appellant, and ought to be set aside. Court’s Judgement and Rationale

Honourable Ejembi Eko, JSC

In the Supreme Court of Nigeria Holden at Abuja On Friday, the 8 th day of May, 2020 Before Their Lordships

Mary Ukaego Peter-Odili Olukayode Ariwoola John Inyang Okoro Amina Adamu Augie Ejembi Eko SC.576/2016 Between JOHN BABANI ELIAS

And

FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF NIGERIA

APPELLANT RESPONDENT

(Lead Judgement delivered by Honourable Ejembi Eko, JSC)

On the 1st issue, the Apex Court held that a court, when interpreting a statutory provision must give the words and language of the statute their ordinary meaning, without venturing outside the provision to introduce extraneous matters that may lead to giving the provision an entirely different interpretation from what the law maker intended it to be. The Court

held that, while Section 1(2) (a) & (c) MOA have mens rea elements of forgery stated in them, Section 1(2)(b) under which the Appellant was charged was worded differently and unjust enrichment is the substance of the offence thereunder. Counts 3 and 4 each alleged the substance of the offence of unjust enrichment, as they harp on the intent of the Appellant to defraud the Government of

“THE RULE THAT A STATUTE MUST NOT, ORDINARILY, BE CONSTRUED TO GIVE IT RETROSPECTIVITY SO AS TO IMPAIR OR TAKE AWAY VESTED RIGHT HAS NO APPLICATION TO STATUTE THAT IS PURELY PROCEDURAL..... SECTION 319 OF THE ACJA IS A PROCEDURAL PROVISION”

Adamawa State. The Court further held that Section 167 of the Criminal Procedure Act, under which the proceedings at the trial Court were conducted, categorically provides that an objection to a charge for any formal defect on the face of the charge, shall be taken immediately after the charge has been read over to the accused person and not later. Failure by the defence to timeously object to any formal defect on the face of the charge immediately after the charge has been read over to the accused person, amounts to waiver of the right to object to the said formal or procedural defect. Relying on its decision in SOLOLA v STATE (2005) 11 NWLR (PT. 937) 460, the Court held that the complaints of the Appellant are on a procedural issue, and his failure to raise the objection immediately after the charge was read to him, amounted to a waiver of his right to object to the alleged formal defect on the face of the charge. On the 2nd issue, the Court held that to prove the offence of unjust enrichment under Section 1(2)(b) of the MOA, 2004, the prosecution is only required to establish that the accused person, with intent to defraud the Government of a State, falsely caused the payment/delivery, to himself or some other person, property or money belonging to the Government. A person is said to have done a thing with intent to defraud another, when he does the thing with intent to deceive and by means of such deceit to obtain some advantage for himself or another, or to cause loss to any other person. The Court held that, it was established that the Appellant as the Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs and the Chairman of the LG-JAC, authorised the diversion of the total sum of N52.5 million from LG-AC’s account to BB Project, through his company’s account. The Court held that, it was also proved that neither Al-Akim nor BB Project had done any project for Adamawa State Government to warrant payment of the sums to them, and the monies were diverted to gather funds for re-election of Governor Boni Haruna, as the monies traced to the BB Project account were all withdrawn through cheques signed by – His Excellency Boni Haruna. The intent to defraud Adamawa State as well as other ingredients of the offence were thus, established against the Appellant beyond reasonable doubt. On the 3rd issue, the Court held that where the original document of a public document is available, it is admissible without the requirement for its certification. Relying on Section 83(1)(b) of the Evidence Act, 2011, the Court held that the condition that the maker of a document shall be called as a witness need not be satisfied if he is dead, or unfit by reason of his bodily or mental condition to attend as a witness, or if he is outside Nigeria and it is not reasonably practicable to secure his attendance, or if all reasonable efforts to find him have been made without success. The Court held that, the Appellant conceded the death of the Permanent Secretary who made Exhibits PW. 7A and PW. 7B. Hence, he could not be called to testify as the maker of the documents. Also, PW7 who had personal knowledge of the instructions his bank had regarding the two Exhibits, testified. The Court of Appeal was right to hold that, the Exhibits were rightly admitted in evidence by the trial court. On the 4th issue, the Court held that the rule that a statute must not ordinarily be construed to give it retrospectivity so as to impair or take away vested right, has no application to statute that is purely procedural. Relying on its decision in OJOKOLOBO v ALAMU (1987) 7 SC 124 that statutes which make alterations in procedure are retrospective, the Court held that Section 319 of the ACJA is a procedural provision, merely for purposes of equity and substantial justice and to avoid multiplicity of actions, which permits the criminal court to make a consequential order of restitution in favour of the victim of a crime. It could therefore, apply retrospectively. On the 5th issue, the court held that the burden of proof is on the party alleging miscarriage of justice to show the miscarriage he suffered, and in deciding a miscarriage of justice as a result of the delay between the conclusion of trial and delivery of judgement, the emphasis is not on the length of time simpliciter, but on the effect that it produced in the mind of a Judge. Thus, if the evaluation in evidence bears the mark of freshness and the findings of fact are supported by credible evidence, then the Court’s judgement will not be set aside. The Court held that the Appellant failed to show how the delay affected the trial court’s perception, appreciation and evaluation of the case, to have occasioned a miscarriage of justice on him. Appeal Dismissed. Representation Andrew M. Malagwi Esq. and others for the Appellant. Samuel Okeleke Esq. for the Respondents. Reported by Optimum Publishers Limited, Publishers of the Nigerian Monthly Law Reports (NMLR)

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18.08.2020

The Dame of

The Dame of the Nigerian Bar is 80! Dame Priscilla Olabori Kuye (knighted by Pope John Paul II in 1981), has served the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) in several capacities at Branch and National levels, including being National Financial Secretary, 3rd Vice, 2nd Vice and 1st Vice President, before becoming the first and only female President of the Nigerian Bar Association in 1992. As she turns 80 today, she went down memory lane with her daughter, Onikepo Braithwaite and Jude Igbanoi, and spoke fondly of the lost glorious days of the Bar, her momentous tenure as President, her brushes with the military junta which almost cost her her life, and her pains with the present faulty NBA electoral system

ame, we wish you a happy 80th birthday today. Are you fulﬁlled? You happen to be the ﬁrst and only female Lawyer who has ever attained the Presidency of the NBA. What does this say about the place of women in the Nigerian Bar Association, even almost 30 years later? Surely, there are just as many women as men, who are capable of leading the NBA. How much opposition did you face? How can this narrative of gender discrimination be changed? Thank you for your good wishes. Yes, I am fulfilled. There are more male Lawyers at the Bar. You know that we vote at elections, and though many women Lawyers are capable of leading the Bar, will the male Lawyers vote for them? Nigeria is a patriarchal society. I served the N.B.A at the Lagos Branch, and also at the National level. I was National Financial Secretary, Third Vice-President, Second Vice-President and First Vice-President, before I served as the President in 1992. Men opposed me. I contested the position of First Vice-President, with late Mr Segun Onakoya. The Lagos Branch requested him to step down for me, but he refused. By the grace of God, I won that election and became the First Vice-President of the N.B.A. We pray that there will be more female Lawyers who will offer themselves to serve the N.B.A. in the capacity of President and other positions, in the near future. To change the negative narrative of gender discrimination, well qualified and competent female Lawyers need to campaign, maybe that more vigorously for the positions they want. They must continue to solicit for the votes of male Lawyers who are in the majority, as well as securing the support of their fellow women. It is a hard battle, as men do not want to cede the position of National President to women. During my time, some male Lawyers told me that my position was in the kitchen, that I should stay at home and look after my husband and children; and it seems that some may still have this outdated mentality - that the role of a woman is limited to only being a housewife. Who says women cannot combine the roles of housewife and professional effectively? In all walks of life all over the world, women combine these roles quite well, and have become Presidents and Prime Ministers of their countries, whether in the Western World like Britain with the likes of Margaret Thatcher and Theresa May, or Asia - Indira Ghandi in India and Benazir Bhutto in Pakistan, or even in Africa here with Sylvia Kiningi of Burundi, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf of Liberia and Joyce Banda of Malawi. Also, the number of female Senior Advocates is so few. What do you think can be done to bridge the gap? There are criteria for becoming a Senior

by the Government, and my Passport was seized. The Federal Government through her agents, ensured that the 1992 N.B.A Port Harcourt election did not hold. The Government also scuttled our meetings using soldiers for many years, all because the N.B.A was vibrant during a military regime.

Dame Priscilla Olabori Kuye

Advocate. So, female Lawyers must work that much harder to satisfy the criteria, especially because of the responsibilities

“I WAS PERSECUTED BY THE GOVERNMENT, AND MY PASSPORT WAS SEIZED. THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT THROUGH HER AGENTS, ENSURED THAT THE 1992 N.B.A PORT HARCOURT ELECTION DID NOT HOLD.... SOME OF OUR MEMBERS AND THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT PLANNED TO DISORGANISE AND KILL AT THE CONFERENCE, SO THAT PRISCILLA KUYE WILL NOT BE PRESIDENT OF THE N.B.A IN A NEW TENURE.....”

on the home front. As I said before, male Lawyers out- number female Lawyers. We pray that more female Lawyers who will be legal practitioners and academicians, will emerge in the future. Some have said that the activism of the NBA during the Alao Aka Bashorun days, are long gone. During your time, going to Kuje Prison to secure the release of Femi Falana and late Beko Ransome-Kuti and so on. Are you a member of the school of thought that believes that the NBA may have lost some of its focus, even to the point of seeking Government patronage, and is in urgent need of repositioning? N.B.A is in urgent need of repositioning. The N.B.A is not as vibrant as it used to be. The N.B.A, as the watchdog of the society, should promote the rule of law and ensure that Nigeria remains a democratic country, and not a Hobbesian State where things are nasty and brutish. Courts were boycotted for cogent reasons during Mr. Alao Aka Bashorun’s tenure, and the N.B.A upheld its Constitution strictly. The N.B.A Executive and the Bar went enmasse to Kuje Prison during my tenure, to ensure the release of the ‘Kuje 5’ – Mr Femi Falana S.A.N, late Dr Baba Omojola, late Chief Gani Fawehinmi S.A.N., Olusegun Mayegun and late Dr Beko Ransome-Kuti. The Magistrates Court released the five detainees. That was victory for the N.B.A, and the rule of law. We also spoke fervently, about disobedience of court orders by the Government. Needless to say, I was persecuted

The recently concluded election of the Nigerian Bar Association has continued to elicit criticisms. Many are of the opinion that the entire exercise was more or less a sham, as it was allegedly trailed with fraud/malpractice. We understand that even you, a former NBA President who was accredited as an eligible voter, was disenfranchised. How does that make you feel? Kindly, comment on the election generally. Many members were disenfranchised including myself, a former N.B.A President. The voting link was not sent to many members. Names of Lawyers, were found outside their Branches. Mrs. Funmi Falana and many others, were listed outside their Branches. There were serious flaws in the accreditation. It was alleged that 4,000 Lawyers without Branches, were on the voters list. Incredible! The N.B.A Constitution (as amended in August, 2019) has been breached. There was another list of voters referred to as a Diaspora Branch, contrary to Article 13 of the N.B.A Constitution. I feel very sad that the electronic voting was not conducted fairly. In my view, the election should be cancelled. An audit should be conducted. There are too many complaints. We are Lawyers – we should give a good example to Nigerians. The matter is now before the Trustees of the N.B.A. We have no right as Lawyers to be the watch-dog of the society, if we cannot conduct our own election honestly. It is a shame that two people are not only being investigated by the EFCC for electronic fraud in the penultimate election that was won by Mr. Paul Usoro, S.A.N, but have been charged to court. Let truth prevail in the N.B.A. Mr. Adesina S.A.N has sent a petition to Past Presidents and Trustees. He wants the election cancelled. The Board of Trustees can conduct a new election which must be just, free and fair. Mr. Akpata in the Punch of 9th August, 2020 stated that “I did not conduct the election….the are flaws in it, more people would have voted though the flaws are not substantial” he stated. The voters list was not published in accordance with the provision of the Constitution. It was certainly not published at least 28 days before the election, as our Constitution demands. We must organise a credible and fair election. We are professionals, who should lead by good example. As Lawyers who are expected to uphold the rule of law, we are called to an even higher standard of behaviour than others in the society. The umbrella body of Yoruba Lawyers, Egbe Amofin has lodged a petition to the

18.08.2020

COVER/5

the Bar Speaks Board of Trustees of the NBA calling for the cancellation of the election results and a fresh election. Do you support such a call? Is there justification for it? Many are sceptical and have already concluded that nothing will come out of these calls by Egbe, justification or not; and that instead, we should lend our support to the declared winner of the election, encourage him to reposition the Bar and fine tune the election process so that it will be unimpeachable in 2022. Kindly, comment on this. The umbrella body of Yoruba lawyers, Egbe Amofin has lodged a petition to the Board of Trustees of the N.B.A calling for the cancellation of the election results, and a fresh election. I support the call by Egbe Amofin. Let the truth prevail. There are many breaches of the N.B.A Constitution (as amended in 2019). I stand for justice and truth. We must put our house in order. Please, remember that Mr. Gadzama S.A.N went to court and lost his case. Chief Obi Okafor too sued. At least, he has been vindicated. You can read about “How N.B.A 2018 Elections was rigged; EFCC File, the 2020 connection, http://thegavel. com.ng/2020/08/07/2764//”. This is shameful. This is the third time in a row, that Lawyers are alleging that the conduct of our N.B.A. general elections were fraudulent. Let truth prevail, let justice prevail; let us put our house in order, so as to avoid future embarrassment. Egbe Amofin, EBF and other regional and ethnic Lawyers’ bodies didn’t exist in your time as President of the Bar. Looking at the past few elections of the NBA, how would you assess the relevance of such bodies, considering the fact that it is usually the candidates who are not endorsed by their ethnic bodies that emerge as winners? Yes, other regional and ethnic Lawyers’ bodies did not exist in my time. However, I see nothing wrong with such bodies, if they can truly arrive at a consensus. But, it appears as if this is difficult, as seen from the “Egbe Amofin’s” example. Other issues apart from elections can also be discussed by such bodies to empower their members, or raise members’ living conditions, especially the junior or young Lawyers. Given the myriad of complaints and criticisms that are trailing the just concluded NBA èlections, would you support the continued retention of the present universal suffrage by e-voting, or a return to the old delegates system? Definitely, I think that the old delegates’ system was better. We did not have many complaints then. The three universal suffrage electronically conducted elections, have had multiple complaints and litigation. But, unfortunately, the serving Presidents had finished their tenures before judgement was delivered. We need a transparent electronic voting system at our elections, if the universal suffrage e-voting system must continue. The N.B.A Constitution must also be strictly adhered to. The Buhari Administration has been in power for five years now. How would you rate the Administration vis-a-vis their campaign promises of fighting insecurity and corruption, revamping the economy, and of course, upholding the rule of law? How do you see the recent scandals rocking the NDDC and the EFCC? The Buhari Administration has done its best, but its best is not good enough for Nigeria. The Buhari Administration can do better, in fighting Insecurity and Corruption. Killing of Innocent citizens in Kaduna, Taraba and the

Dame Priscilla Olabori Kuye

North-East of Nigeria, is a daily occurrence. Shedding of innocent blood is a GRAVE SIN before God. Corruption has not abated. The economy is not buoyant. Many young Nigerians are unemployed. There is hunger in the land. The Federal character principle in the Constitution has been abandoned by President Buhari. In fact, some people say that Nigeria is a failed State. The Buhari Government has not upheld the rule of law. Why was the former Chief of Justice of Nigeria, Walter Onnoghen removed in such an unconstitutional manner? Even if there were valid allegations against him, due process should have been followed. Why are some detainees (whom courts of competent jurisdiction have granted bail or released), still being held in prison or detention centres? For example, El-Zakzaky and his wife. Court orders are flagrantly disobeyed by the Federal Government. Nigeria’s debt, is in trillions of Naira. We should stop borrowing from China and other International banks, if there’s not much to show for it. We should concentrate on harnessing so many of our untapped resources, instead of relying almost solely on oil revenues. The recent scandals rocking NDDC and the EFCC, are a big shame and disgrace to Nigeria. Investigation into the scandals, should be thorough and just. There can be no peace in a country, without justice. What would you say were your achievements as President of the N.B.A? Our executive worked very hard, and upheld the Constitution of the N.B.A. I, as President of the N.B.A, always spoke up when it was necessary. We issued many releases against disobedience of court orders by the Government, even though it was a Military Government. We were not silent on the Abiola detention. The N.B.A was truly “the watchdog” of the society, when I was President. I remember that I was teargassed on one occasion, when we protested against government’s disobedience of court orders and other issues. My passport was seized, and I had to report to S.S.S. frequently during my tenure as President of the N.B.A.

Following the release of the Kuje 5 (during my tenure, as I explained before), the Military Government continued to harass us. The N.B.A could not hold national meetings, as all meetings were disrupted by soldiers. We had a turbulent time during our tenure, but, we still spoke. Many Lawyers still remember the botched 1992 N.B.A Conference in Port-Harcourt. Some of our members and the Federal Government planned to disorganise and kill at the conference, so that Priscilla Kuye will not be President of the N.B.A in a new tenure. The Almighty God took charge of the conference, and I was not assassinated. The Bar must be vibrant. We must be active again. We must continue to be the watchdog of the society, promote the rule of law, uphold the Independence of the Judiciary, and uphold our N.B.A Constitution. The N.B.A. President must speak to the Government as and when necessary, praise them when it is right to do so, and criticise constructively when it is necessary. N.B.A is buoyant enough, and does not need Government patronage. I forgot to mention that Chief Gani Fawehinmi published a book. In it he praised the N.B.A and its President, for their release from Kuje Prison. I am deeply touched by the contents of the relevant chapter in the book. Thank you for congratulating me on my 80th Birthday. I pray that the activism of the N.B.A will be rekindled, in the near future. The N.B.A must remain vibrant, and relevant to the Nigerian society. I pray that Nigeria will become an economic giant in the world, and truly be a country where the rule of law prevails; where MERIT is enthroned for offices; where tribalism and its relatives become a thing of the past; where the independence of the Judiciary is guaranteed; where our constitutionally guaranteed right of freedom of expression is protected and peaceful protests are not scuttled by the authorities. That the Government of Nigeria will promote the common good. Insecurity will be eliminated – No Boko Haram, No Killing by herdsmen and No shedding of innocent blood. Education for all,

“THIS IS SHAMEFUL. THIS IS THE THIRD TIME IN A ROW, THAT LAWYERS ARE ALLEGING THAT THE CONDUCT OF OUR N.B.A. GENERAL ELECTIONS WERE FRAUDULENT. LET TRUTH PREVAIL, LET JUSTICE PREVAIL; LET US PUT OUR HOUSE IN ORDER, SO AS TO AVOID FUTURE EMBARRASSMENT”

Justice for all, Provision of clean water, good roads, constant electricity supply, hospitals, primary health care, and cheap food - basic amenities that must be present in any society, will be abundant. Yes, may God make it possible in my lifetime. Amen. Thank you for the interview. Thank you very much Dame. We wish you many happy returns of the day, and we hope that you will see the NBA and indeed, the Nigeria which you desire, during your lifetime.

18.08.2020

6/IMAGES

o mark the 2nd Anniversary of the passing of Sir Emmanuel Chinwenwo Aguma, SAN, KSC, Attorney-General and Commissioner of Justice, Rivers State (12/6/15-10/8/18), a memorial service was held on Monday, August 10, 2020 at Covenant Chapel in his family home, Onu Mbam Lodge, Orogbum, Port Harcourt. This was followed by a Memorial Lecture themed â&#x20AC;&#x153;The Integrity of the Nigerian Bar Association: Emerging Issues and Impact on the Legal Professionâ&#x20AC;?. Here are some of the personalities who were in attendance at the events......

Widow of late Chinwe Aguma, SAN, Mrs Inime Aguma laying a wreath at his graveside

Graveside of late Sir Emmanuel Chinwenwo Aguma, SAN, KSC, former Attorney-General and Commissioner of Justice, Rivers State

L-R: Son of Chinwe Aguma, Chima Aguma, Mother of Chinwe Aguma, Lady Hannah Aguma, Harvey Ideozu and Uzo Ozurumba

Mrs. Inime Aguma and her son, Chima

Mrs. Onikepo Braithwaite, Editor, THISDAY Lawyer and Chima Aguma at the Memorial Lecture

Mrs. Florence Amiesimaka

Mrs. Mia Essien, SAN

Former NBA President and Chairman of the Body of Benchers, Mr O.C.J. Okocha, SAN

L-R: Discussants, Hon Justice Sobere Biambo and Boma Alabi OON; Moderators, Onikepo Braithwaite and Orowhuo Okocha PhD

First Lady of Rivers State, Hon. Justice Eberechi Nyesom Wike (left) and Mrs. Inime Aguma

L-R: Chairman of the Occasion, Hon Justice Adolphus Enebeli, Hon. Justice Eberechi Nyesom Wike, Representative of the Deputy Governor of Rivers State, Mr Gilbert Nnia, Senior Special Assistant Administration to the Deputy Governor, Dr (Mrs) Ipalibo Harry-Banigo, Representative of the Governor of Rivers State, His Excellency, Governor Ezenwo Nyesom Wike CON, Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Rivers State, Dr. Zacchaeus Adangor and Hon Justice Christy Gabriel Nwankwo, President, Customary Court of Appeal, Rivers State

18.08.2020

NEWS/7

VP Osinbajo, CJN Advocate Purpose-built Technology Solutions for Courts and Justice Administration In what has been described as a notable achievement, one of Nigeriaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s foremost legal technologies company, LawPavilion Business Solutions Limited, in collaboration with Telnet Group, last week concluded a 2-day virtual conference. The conference which had the keynote speech delivered by His Excellency, Prof Yemi Osinbajo, SAN, with goodwill messages from the Chief Justice Ibrahim Tanko Muhammad, and the outgoing President of the Nigerian Bar Association, Mr. Paul Usoro, SAN, has been commended as a timely conference about the important role that technology now plays in provision of legal services and administration of justice in Nigeria. One of the highpoints of the conference, was the unveiling and launching of the e-Library of the Laws of Lagos State on the LawPavilion platform by His Excellency, Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, Governor of Lagos State, represented by Mr. Moyo Onigbanjo SAN, AttorneyGeneral and Commissioner for Justice of Lagos State. Working in collaboration with the Law Reform Commission of Lagos State, the e-library platform will make the Laws of Lagos State easily accessible and relevant for the use of Lagosians and the public. The Annotated e-laws of Lagos State on the platform will also highlight how the courts and populace interact with the laws, leveraging on machine learning DQG DUWLĂ&#x20AC;FLDO LQWHOOLJHQFH 7KLV approach will ensure that new laws and decisions of courts are GDWD GULYHQ ZLWK LWV Ă&#x20AC;QJHU RQ the pulse of the general citizenry. Another noteworthy highlight

of the conference was the unveiling of the LawRights App, a solution from the stables of LawPavilion, for the use of the general public to know and understand their constitutional rights, have access to Lawyers DQG ODZ Ă&#x20AC;UPV IURP ZLWKLQ WKH app, and where necessary, initiate the process of adjudication where rights have been abused or trampled upon. In his remarks, the Honourable CJN alluded to the giant strides that had been taken by the Apex Court in recent years by adopting the use of court management software, demonstrating a marked departure from the analogue system of adjudication. He reiterated the support of the Judiciary, in adopting new technologies that accelerate the delivery of justice to Nigerians. Also, the NBA President pointed out that access to justice and upholding rule of law will remain a mirage where the average citizen is ignorant of his rights under the law, or is deprived of widespread access to regulatory bodies and government agencies that can ensure that citizensâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; rights are not trampled upon, and commended the LawRights App that had just been unveiled by LawPavilion, as a ground-breaking solution for Nigerians, including stakeholders in the administration of justice and legal services industries. Commenting on the remarks of the CJN and NBA President, the Vice President, Prof Osinbajo, SAN, expressed his elation at the willingness and rapid adoption RI WHFKQRORJ\ H[HPSOLĂ&#x20AC;HG E\ the Supreme Court in giving its stamp of approval to virtual court sittings. He also drew attention to the fact that technology

L-R: Managing Director, LawPavilion, Ope Olugasa, Vice President, Prof Yemi Osinbajo, SAN, Managing Director, Telnet, Folorunso Aliu

has aided the democratisation of law and justice in Nigeria, and called for purpose-built solutions for the administration of justice in Nigeria by local legal and technology companies in the country, pledging the Federal Governmentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s commitment to support tech companies in Nigeria adapt to the new global UHDOLWLHV SRZHUHG E\ DUWLĂ&#x20AC;FLDO LQtelligence (AI) and sophisticated technology solutions. Speaking in another vein, with focus on young Nigerians, Gbenga Sesan, CEO of Paradigm Initiatives, pointed out there was the need to use technology to accelerate access to justice, especially as the country adjusts to the realities of the pandemic, citing several examples of interaction with law enforcement agencies which ended in wanton abuse of the human rights and dignity

GTBank, Brunel Engineering Consulting Company Settle Out of Court Over N3.7 Billion Debt Peter Taiwo

Brunel Engineering and Consulting Company Limited, and Guaranty Trust Bank PLC KDYH Ă&#x20AC;OHG WHUPV RI VHWWOHPHQW before a Federal high court in Abuja, to amicably resolve the debt owed by the Engineering Company. The terms of the settlement which have been endorsed as the judgement of the court by Justice I.E. Ekwo, was as D UHVXOW RI D SHWLWLRQ Ă&#x20AC;OHG EHIRUH the court by a Lagos Lawyer, Dr Francis Chuka Agbu, SAN, on behalf of Guaranty Trust Bank, which alleged that the Respondent, Brunel Engineer-

ing and Consulting Limited was awarded a contract by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) for the refurbishment of its branch building in Bauchi State at the cost of N3,746,940,369.90. The company having offered to pay the discounted sum of 1 LQ IXOO DQG Ă&#x20AC;QDO settlement has now paid to the bank the said amount, and the bank has acknowledged the receipt of the said payment Upon this, Justice Ekwo discharged Brunel Engineering and Consulting Limited from further liability to the bank in respect of the debt,

the subject-matter of this suit. â&#x20AC;&#x153;All terms, provisions, and conditions and covenants herein shall be binding, and VKDOO LQXUH WR WKH EHQHĂ&#x20AC;W RI the respective successors and assigns of the parties in this suit. The terms of settlement constitute the entire agreement between the Petitioner and the Respondent and it supersedes any prior oral or written agreement between them in respect of this subject matter, and there are no representations understanding or agreements relating to the subject-matter thereof, that are not expressed herein.

of the affected victims. During the panel discussion, in response to the question about the readiness of the Nigerian Judiciary to adapt technology as needed in a post Covid-19 environment, his Lordship, Hon Justice Olukayode Ariwoola JSC submitted that the Nigerian Judiciary has demonstrated and continues to demonstrate a willingness to adopt technologies and adapt court processes, in a bid to ensure that delivery of justice is not delayed or hampered. Dr Babatunde Ajibade, SAN

remarked that while there isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t yet a national consensus about the adoption of technology, there needs to be more thinking about how technology can be harnessed to facilitate the delivery of justice, with the FRUUHVSRQGLQJ Ă&#x20AC;QDQFLDO DQG human resources investments required. He pointed out that, WKHUH DUH VWLOO VLJQLĂ&#x20AC;FDQW SRFNHWV of technologically challenged members of the Bar and the Bench. In terms of whether the legal service and Judiciary are walking the talk when it

comes to using technology to enhance and improve delivery of services, Mr. Folorunsho Aliu, MD of Telnet Group, took an optimistic view that the sector and Nigeria is on a journey to getting better in how technology is used and harnessed for justice and economic growth. There were several engaging discussion and panel sessions, including a session displaying H Ă&#x20AC;OLQJ DQG FRXUW PDQDJHPHQW processes and solutions, aimed at accelerating case management of the entire court system from end to end, as well.

Abuja Lawyer Detained Over Petition Faulting Tenure Extension of Immigration Top OfďŹ cers A Nigerian Lawyer, Daniel Makolo, has been clamped into detention and subjected to emotional and physical trauma for writing a petition to the Minister of Interior, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, faulting the tenure extension granted to one of the Nigerian Immigration top shots. It is alleged that based on the petition, an ex parte order from an Abuja Magistrates Court was obtained to remand Makolo in police cell for two weeks. Makolo was arrested on Monday at the Garki Police Station, where he had gone to represent a client. Since Monday when he was detained, he has been severally moved from the SARS cell in Guzape, to Garki Police cell, then Asokoro Police cell and a few nights ago, he was transferred to Nyanya Police cell , in a bid to break his spirit and subject him to maximum torture. Lawyer Makolo, who is

Minister of Interior, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola

pursuing his Ph.D in law, ZDV D IRUPHU 1,6 RIĂ&#x20AC;FHU +H is suffering from high blood pressure, and his life may be in danger if nothing urgent is done to save him from his tormentors. Makolo said that he was

PHOTO NEWS

L-R: Mr O.C.J. Okocha SAN, Mrs Okocha (behind), Hon Igo Aguma (younger brother of Chinwe Aguma) and Mrs Inime Aguma at the 3rd Memorial Lecture held in honour of late Chinwe Aguma, SAN

Mr. Olumide Akpata

brutalised by the criminals he shared the cells with. According to Dr. Kayode Ajulo, â&#x20AC;&#x153;I have sent this SOS to the NBA leadership, as Makolo is one of the members. An injury to one, is an injury to allâ&#x20AC;?.

18.08.2020

EFCC v Diezani Alison-Madueke and CBN’s GSI Policy Introduction

Analysis It can be seen that, with the exception of the 3rd Count, all the other twelve Counts in the indictment accuse Mrs. Madueke of committing the acts which allegedly constitute violations of the MLP Act between January 2011 and June 2012. The sole exceptions are the acts alleged in Count 3, which purportedly took place in September 2013. The legal implication of this will presently be explained.

he charges reportedly filed by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) against the former Minister of Petroleum Resources, Mrs. Diezani Alison-Madueke, appear to be potentially undermined by their seeming inconsistency with certain provisions of the 1999 Constitution. This is because (if news reports of those alleged charges are to be believed), all but one of them might be problematic, necessitating - possibly - their re-think by the prosecution. I will presently elaborate, but first, a brief over-view of the charges.

Legal Status of the Charges It is not only in movies that – as thespians say – timing is everything. It is even more so, in relation to criminal indictments. In other words, the date when an offence was allegedly committed is crucial in determining the guilt or otherwise of the alleged culprit, having regard to the provisions of Section 36(8) of the 1999 Constitution, which stipulate, inter alia, that: “No person shall be held to be guilty of a criminal offence on account of any act or omission that did not, at the time it took place, constitute such an offence”. In the context of the charges against Mrs. Madueke, at the time she allegedly committed the acts alleged, in all but the third count (between January, 2011 and June, 2012), the provisions of Section 15(2)(d) of the MLP Act which she allegedly contravened did not exist; they were not part of the extant MLP Act, 2011 that was in force at that time; rather, they were inserted in the amendment thereto, the Money Laundering (Prohibition) (Amendment) Act, 2012, vide Section 9 thereof, which took effect on the 21st day of December, 2012.

The Charges According to media reports, the 13-count charge filed on the 14th day of November, 2018, accused the former Minister as follows:- Count 1: That on the 20th day of November, 2011, she took possession of the sum of US$20 million dollars, allegedly the proceeds of corruption, contrary to Section 15(2)(d) of the Money Laundering Prohibition Act 2011 as amended in 2012, and punishable under Section 15(3) thereof. - Count 2: That, sometime between February, 2012 and June, 2012, she took possession of US$17.5million, allegedly the proceeds of corruption, contrary to and punishable under the same provisions of the Money Laundering Act, as amended. - Count 3: That sometime in September 2013, she acquired a property in Banana Island, Lagos through a proxy, valued at US$37.5 million, allegedly the proceeds of corruption, contrary and punishable under the same provisions of the same law as in Counts 1 and 2 above. - Count 4: That on or about the 4th day of June, 2012, she took possession of the sum of N650 million, which was allegedly the proceeds of corruption, contrary to and punishable under the aforesaid provisions of the Money Laundering Act, as amended. - Count 5: That on or about the 4th day of June, 2012, she acquired certain property in Abuja, through proxies, valued at N650million, which consideration was allegedly the proceeds of corruption, contrary to and punishable under the self-same provisions of the same law as in the previous counts. - Count 6: That, sometime in May, 2012, she took possession of the sum of N937 million, allegedly the proceeds of corruption, contrary to and punishable under the same provisions of the MLP Act, as amended. - Count 7: That sometime in May, 2012, she acquired certain properties in Yaba, Lagos, through proxies, valued at the sum of N973 million, which sum was allegedly the proceeds of corruption, contrary to and punishable under the same provisions of the MLP Act.

Mrs. Diezani Alison-Madueke

December, 2011, she acquired a certain landed property in Old Government Reservation Area, Port Harcourt, through proxies, with the sum of US$2.2 million, which was allegedly the proceeds of corruption contrary to and punishable under the same provisions of Sections 15(2)(d) and 15(3), respectively, of the MLP Act, as amended. What about the Law? Section 15(2)(d) of the Money Laundering Act, as amended, which the former Minister is alleged to have contravened, provides as follows: “Any person or body corporate, in or outside Nigeria, who directly or indirectly acquires, uses, retains or takes possession or control of any fund or property (which he/ it) (knows) or reasonably ought to have known that such fund or property is or forms part of the proceeds of an unlawful act, commits an offence of money laundering under this Act” Section 15(3) provides that the punishment for contravening the provisions of Section 15(2)(d) of the Act is imprisonment for not less than seven years, but not more than fourteen years.

- Count 8: That sometime in May 2012 she allegedly took possession of the sum of N928 million, which was the proceeds of corruption, contrary to and punishable under the same provisions of the MLP Act, as amended, as the previous charges. - Count 9: That sometime in May 2012, she allegedly acquired certain landed properties in Port Harcourt, Rivers state with the sum of N928 million which fund was the proceeds of corruption, contrary to and punishable under the same provisions of the MLP Act, as amended. - Count 10: That sometime January 2011, she took possession of the sum of N805 million, allegedly the proceeds of corruption, contrary to and punishable under the same provisions of the MLP Act, as amended. - Count 11: That sometime in May 2012 she acquired certain landed properties in Ikoyi, Lagos, through proxies, valued at N805 million. - Count 12: That, sometime between January 2011 and December 2011, she took possession of the sum of US$2.2 million, allegedly the proceeds of corruption, contrary to and punishable under the same provisions of the MLP Act. -

Count 13: That, sometime between January, 2011 and

“IN THE CONTEXT OF THE CHARGES AGAINST MRS. MADUEKE, AT THE TIME SHE ALLEGEDLY COMMITTED THE ACTS ALLEGED, IN ALL BUT THE THIRD COUNT (BETWEEN JANUARY, 2011 AND JUNE, 2012), THE PROVISIONS OF SECTION 15(2) (D) OF THE MLP ACT WHICH SHE ALLEGEDLY CONTRAVENED DID NOT EXIST.....”

CBN’s GSI Guidelines and Bank Debtors

The circular recently issued by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) permitting banks to set-off the credit balances of customers in any bank against any debts owed by such customers with other banks, (called Global Standing Instruction – GSI) appears to be long over-due, given its glaring benefits to the pervasive incidence of non-performing bank loans. However, I believe that the initiative overlooks the implications of the legal relationship between a bank and its customer, which is contractual in nature. At the heart of the policy is the separate contractual relationship which exists between each bank (the lending bank and the setting-off bank) and the customer, inter se. It is trite law that only parties to a contract are bound by it, and no one may enforce it except the parties themselves. In the context of the GSI, this means that any undertaking which a customer gives to a bank to set off any debt due from him to that bank against any money which he may have in another bank, is legally unenforceable (through litigation, at least) against the second bank - unless that bank was a party to the undertaking ab initio. The apparent answer to this might be that the debtor is estopped by his undertaking from resisting the set-off. However, just like contracts, estoppel applies only to parties or their privies. In my view, this excludes the second bank, because it is not the privy of the first bank. Does the GSI Policy have the force of Law? The import of the foregoing, is that the policy is fraught with serious questions over its legality: simply put, does it have the force of law? This question is pertinent because, Section 44 of the Constitution bans the compulsory acquisition of any kind of property “except in the manner and for the purposes prescribed by a law”. The apex bank has justified the policy on the strength of Section 2(d) of the CBN Act. However, this provision merely enjoins it “to promote a sound financial system” in Nigeria. For two reasons, I believe it will be stretching its language too far to use it to legitimise the GSI policy. In the first place, it would be unfair to debts which are the subject of litigation or arbitration, because it would amount to foisting a fait accompli on the court or arbitral tribunal, as the case may be, for the supposed creditor-bank to unilaterally purport to set-off the alleged debtor’s funds with another bank against the disputed debt. Secondly, and more importantly, it would render nugatory the aforesaid constitutional provision. This is because, to the extent that the policy (and the CBN’s Circular which proclaimed it) are not laws, they do not qualify for exemption from the aforesaid provisions of the Constitution. I believe this is particularly the case with bank debts which accrued prior to the commencement of the policy (on August 1st, 2020), even assuming the policy is a law. The well-entrenched judicial policy is not to construe any legislation which affects vested rights, retrospectively: see OJOKOLOBO v ALAMU (1987) 3 NWLR pt. 61 pg. 377 @ 396.

T H I S D AY ˾ ͯͶ˜ 2020

FEATURES

Group Features Editor: Chiemelie Ezeobi Email chiemelie.ezeobi@thisdaylive.com, 08038901925

ACE Charity Partners YouthHub on Career Tips Empowerment Webinar Sunday Ehigiator

ith focus on economic empowerment, ACE Charity in partnership with YouthHub Africa, recently held a threeday webinar titled ‘Career Tips with ACE Charity’, to empower youth with important insights and practical career tips for their professional development. The event came at a critical time when many more Nigerians are out of jobs and unsure of their future, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, thus it garnered commendable youth participation all around the continent. Speaking at the event, Founder, ACE Charity, Kiki James said she believed “one of the reasons the rate of unemployment is so high is largely due to the crucial fact that our youths are mostly unemployable. “We want to encourage and transfer knowledge to our Nigerian youth, especially as we all adjust to our new normal which is a defining moment for many. More than ever, we have to unleash the genius in our young people. “Career Tips with ACE Charity was initiated as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic which understandably halted their annual Careers at Hilton program where youths are placed in various departments at Transcorp Hilton, Abuja for four weeks to gain relevant work experience and learn 21st century skills that will enable them become a lot more employable. This program includes daily mentorship sessions for the enrolled youth”. The event was attended by hundreds of Nigerians from states across the country, as well as youths from other African countries, with series of master sessions by seasoned experts in different specialties to suit the varying interests of the youth. These specialties included youth entrepreneurship, development, careers, health, finance and law. Also in attendance as panelists were the special assistant to President Muhammadu Buhari on Digital Media, Tolu Ogunlesi; the Founder, Connected Development Nigeria, Hamzat Lawal; the Country Representative Malala Fund, Crystal Musa; CEO Big H Studios,

Cross section of participants at the virtual meeting

First row- (L-R): Founder, ACE Charity, Kiki James and Co-founder, Emerging Young Entrepreneurs Initiative (EYE Africa), Abubakar Abdullahi... second row- (L-R): Executive Director, Youthhub Africa, Rotimi Olawale; Senior Manager, Corporate Finance, North South Power Company, Kehinde Fanimokun, and Founder, Connected Development, Hamzat Lawal Henry Oji; and Technical Director RMNCH, Chemonics International, Mariya Saleh. Others include Program Coordinator, Nigeria National Resource Charter, Tengi George-Ikoli; Founder Teal Africa, Kanyin Adio-Moses; Cofounder Emerging Young Entrepreneurs Initiative (EYE AFRICA), Abubakar Abdullahi; Senior Manager, Corporate Finance, North South Power Company, Kehinde Fanimokun; and Team Lead, Facility for Oil Sector Transformation, Ademola Adigun. The panelists shared stories about their career journeys and taught the attendees several professional development topics like problem solving, goal setting techniques, having

value and integrity, drive, determination and discipline and many more. The sessions were highly informative, enlightening and inspiring, for the attendees. Expressing his experience, one of the participants, Moses Plangkat, described the session as eye-opening. “This is an eye opener to everyone who was privileged to attend. We hope to make good use of what was shared by all panelists. To the panelists, you are all geniuses working towards building geniuses. Thank you very much for giving me this opportunity to participate in this webinar session.” Speaking on some of the achievements of the

organisation, Kiki said, “ACE charity has had a long history of empowering youth through several economic empowerment programs. “Since 2017, we have empowered 24 women with fashion design and tailoring skills which are coupled with finance and business skills. The program duration is six months per four students, which gives enough time for them to develop their craft through our Business Empowerment Program for Women (BEPW). “It is our hope that Nigerian youth can apply all they have learnt during the Career Tips webinar which hopefully will enable them to become more employable as they find better employment opportunities.”

Toyin Saraki’s Wellbeing Foundation Gives Succor to Kwara Blue-eyed Mother Rebecca Ejifoma

rs Toyin Saraki, founder of the Wellbeing Foundation Africa, recently reached out to Mrs. Risikat Abdulwasiu, the blueeyed wife and mother, who was rejected by her husband and his family for having blue eyes alongside her two children. Having read of her plight, she extended succor to the family through her Alaafia Kwara Initiative. Saraki, a former First Lady of Kwara State, who doubles as the wife of the immediate former President of the Senate, had her team of community midwives and women leaders visit Risikat and her children at their residence. Risikat was visibly overjoyed to receive her first high-level visitors, who came bearing an empowerment grant of N250,000 from Mrs Saraki, aimed as financial support to enable her children's immediate return to education, and ease her burden of care as she considers her options. It is recalled that Risikat's story of matrimonial rejection due to her unique eye coloration had gone viral across Nigeria, and onlookers were not surprised that Mrs Saraki stepped in to recognise her predicament, and proffer immediate assistance, given her foundation’s enduring maternal and child health and welfare programs across the state. At the empowerment and palliative visit, Mrs Saraki who was represented by the

Risikat and the team members from the Toyin Saraki-led Alaaﬁa Kwara Initiative WBFA Lead Midwife Mrs Patricia Komolafe and several Alaafia Kwara Women Leaders state’s that "charity begins at home - This week we visited a baby celebration, and also responded to the urgent concerns of Risikat and her children, a lovely family with unique blue eyes in Ilorin, Kwara State, providing an immediate grant to ease their burdens and allow her two young children to return to education." "I was also very happy, as I ended our

World Breastfeeding Week activities across Nigeria through my @wellbeingafrica's MamaCare360 Community Midwifery Program, to launch our new global initiative to help mothers with NICU infants establish early and exclusive breastfeeding through learning about mouth care, kangaroo care, and expressing and pumping mother's own milk, which will help millions of Nigerian preemies to survive and thrive. "I am honouring the frontline women

leaders in my life, because I could not embark on my philanthropy without an army of support. I appreciate my midwives, who have welcomed over 80 babies into the loving embrace of new and nursing mums across Nigeria this week. “I want to recognise the women leaders of my enduring Alaafia Kwara Initiative, who have taken the time to respond to community needs, to empower, to alleviate poverty, in both conflict resolutions and celebrations alike, consistently for 16 years. You are my eyes, ears, interlocutors and ambassadors of goodwill, leading with compassion; charity begins at home, and I appreciate you all”. The Wellbeing Foundation Africa's Alaafia Kwara Empowerment Initiative was established in Kwara State by Mrs Saraki as First Lady from 2004 to 2011, and is widely credited with positively influencing Kwara State's enviable ranking as having the lowest under-5 mortality in Nigeria as rated by UNICEF. It has uniquely continued to grow beyond the borders of Kwara State, impacting positively on the lives of Nigerians from the cradle to age, with a wide range of programs in maternity care services, EmONC healthworker training, youth skills acquisition, women's participation in leadership, inter-faith understanding and peacebuilding, the prevention of sexual and gender-based violence, environment and ecology actions, alongside disaster response and relief palliatives.

T H I S D AY Ëž ÍŻÍś, 2020

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What Does the Rise of Unemployed Nigerians Mean?

he news is downright depressive. Nigeriaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s unemployment rate climbed to 27.1% in the second quarter of 2020. Letâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s do the math: With a labor force of 80.2 million, that means about 21.7 million Nigerians are out of work. Of course, this statistic is based on survey that may not represent our reality regarding unemployment across the country. What does the rise of unemployed Nigerians mean? It means empty purse for breadwinners and empty plates for their families. The country is falling into recession and people are falling into depression. This is troubling. As always, there is a connection between socioeconomic circumstances and life outcomes. For some household, it may mean withdrawal of children from school and lower levels of children's attainment. For others, it may mean no access to medicals and that can be dangerous. The psychological and physical wellbeing part will make anyone shiver. The loss of psychosocial assets; social withdrawal; and family disruption can create mental illness for which many may not be able to recover. So that is why the new report from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) is discouraging. But it is not unexpected. Nigeria slipped into recession in 2016, when oil price went down from about $112 a barrel in 2014 to below $50. Everything was impacted. The naira fell flat. People lost jobs and spending was reduced. But things started to pick up again and coronavirus knocked the economy down again. We are now back to where we were, even worse. Really, the problem I have with the statistics office is its delay in releasing current unemployment figures. Since the last quarter of 2018, NBS did not release national unemployment statistics. That makes its new report suspicious. As always, that question of validity and reliability in the NBS research approach over the years continue to be subject of discussion. From the NBS figure, we certainly need a desperate solution, but it will be important to understand why unemployment is growing in the country and why corruption proliferates. If we do not go by population sample and actually undertake the census, head to head, the figure will balloon. We will then have more than the NBS figure of total figure of unemployment and underemployment during the current cycle. Income inequality and social economic deprivation are the issues that continue to show up in the figure, if we care to look beyond the surface. These twoâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;income inequality and social deprivationâ&#x20AC;&#x201D; are the elephants that the government must deal with, while ensuring that the kind of jobs that are provided are able to lift people out of poverty and breed wealth. As inequality mounts and the policies entrenching it remain, thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s going to be a continued bleak future for the country. Corruption and crime will not die out of our life as a people, because one of the main drivers of corruption and crime is inequality. I always cite the examples of bad policies from state governments that have underdeveloped our young people. When young, skillful, just-out-of-school graduates are employed to serve in areas different from their orientation,

Buhari

weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re doing more damage to the future. The sad side of the story comes from those states that engage skillful graduates as cleaners or traffic controllers and pay them pittance. The income inequality will grow and as it grows, the people concerned will determine their future within the system. The common phrase on our streets these days known as â&#x20AC;&#x153;weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re surviving,â&#x20AC;? comes from that reality. Conversely, one man whose income is proportionally higher will reach out to the extremely low-income individual for a â&#x20AC;&#x153;dealâ&#x20AC;? in the same department, whether private or public. The â&#x20AC;&#x153;dealâ&#x20AC;? of course will perhaps change the fortune of the low-income individual albeit in illegal way, but in his/her mind heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s surviving. And thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the phrase you hear everywhere across the country. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re surviving!â&#x20AC;? Yes, with illegal deals going on everywhere, some individuals may be surviving; the country will eventually cave in. Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s what we have seen in many of the high-profile corruption cases currently under trial. There will always be those abetting corruption and crime and they often come from the group experiencing income inequality. So before the government creates its much touted 774,000 jobs across the country under the government special public works programme, the policymakers need to think of how these jobs will change the NBS statistics in the future. Will these jobs leapfrog our economy? Will the jobs check income inequality? These are the two questions the government needs to answer before it continues. We cannot ignore the main issue for too long that wealth distribution in the country is something we need to

address with urgency. Inequality is just one factor that could compromise Nigeriaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s prospects for sustainable development, even with all the reforms. In June, the World Bank says, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Beyond the loss of life, the COVID-19 shock alone is projected to push about 5 million more Nigerians into poverty in 2020. While before the pandemic, the number of poor Nigerians was expected to increase by about 2 million largely due to population growth, the number would now increase by 7 million - with a poverty rate projected to rise from 40.1% in 2019 to 42.5% in 2020.â&#x20AC;? Accordingly, the World Bank predicted that the pandemic is likely to disproportionately affect the poorest and most vulnerable. In May, just before the pandemic overwhelmed our economy, the NBS said in a report 40 percent of people in the country lived below its poverty line of 137,430 naira ($381.75) a year. It said that represents 82.9 million people. "In Nigeria, 40.1 percent of total population were classified as poor,â&#x20AC;? NBS said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;In other words, on average four out of 10 individuals in Nigeria has real per capita expenditures below 137,430 naira ($352) per year," According to that report the highest poverty levels were in the northwest state of Sokoto, where 87.7 percent of people live under the poverty line compared with 4.5 percent in commercially viable Lagos state, which had the lowest rate. There are implications when rural and urban poverty are growing at a rapid pace. In many of the rural states agriculture and fishing are at the center of their economy. The government needs to put incentives that can change their situations. I like Mahmood Hasan Khanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s offer on this subject. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Generally, poverty cannot be reduced if economic growth does not occur. In fact, the persistent poverty of a substantial portion of the population can dampen the prospects for economic growth. Also, the initial distribution of income (and wealth) can greatly affect the prospects for growth and alleviation of mass poverty. Substantial evidence suggests that a highly unequal distribution of income is not conducive to either economic growth or poverty reduction. Experience has shown that if countries put in place incentive structures and complementary investments to ensure that better health and education lead to higher incomes, the poor will benefit doubly through increased current consumption and higher future incomes,â&#x20AC;? he wrote. Finally, I think as a country we cannot continue this path where poverty figure and unemployment continue to trend. Letâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s change the policies to change the poverty level.

What does the rise of unemployed Nigerians mean? It means empty purse for breadwinners and empty plates for their families. The country is falling into recession and people are falling into depression. This is troubling. As always, there is a connection between socioeconomic circumstances and life outcomes

Side EďŹ&#x20AC;ects... Law of CAMA

The Company and Allied Matters Acts (CAMA) is generating reaction from religious leaders. The law states that â&#x20AC;&#x153;the commission may by order, suspend the trustees of an association or a religious body and appoint an interim manager or managers to coordinate its affairs where it reasonably believes that there has been any misconduct or mismanagement, or where the affairs of the association are being run fraudulently or where it is necessary or desirable for the purpose of public interest.â&#x20AC;? I think the law in itself is not problematic, the problem is that in a country where we have seen a Chief Judge of the federation suspended without due process of the law followed, the clause could be exploited to suppress fiery pastors. I think the fear of the Presiding Bishop of the Living Faith Church Worldwide, Dr David Oyedepo, who is raising the alarm is warranted. Concern!

Abacha Billions

Back in the day, when Nigerians first learned about the billions of dollars that the former military despot, late Sanni Abacha, kept in Switzerland banks, everyone wanted a piece of the money. Some people advocated for redistribution of the looted fund, while others wanted the money invested in infrastructure. Of course, there was no referendum, just some opinions. Now, that the looted fund is still rolling in with the latest being â&#x201A;Ź5.5 million from the Republic of Ireland. Since 1999, when the government started to recover the looted fund, If it was invested in education, healthcare and technology, Nigeria would have accelerated. Can the government show us the money? Accountability! Election Matters On Monday, the Bayelsa State was back in the news. The Bayelsa state governorship election tribunal sitting in Abuja annulled the election of Duoye Diri, governor of Bayelsa state. That must be disturbing news for a man who is settling to office after several legal fireworks that preceded his election. I am happy to see our electoral process go through the test of the law, but it is sad that the laws are being manipulated in most cases by politicians. The biggest victims of all these political machinations are the citizens who hardly benefit from policies and programs of government. Taxpayers' money are being spent on frivolous legal matters. Trust me, a governor who spends nearly all his term of office fighting legality from court to court will not focus on programs. Tragic! A Ministerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s War When people say corruption will kill Nigeria, donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t take it lightly. The basics of how corruption kills is what Olamilekan Adegbite, minister of mines and steel development is facing. According to the minister, since he arrived in Abuja to superintend the ministry, he has literally focused more on smuggler of gold. If a policymaker is not able to focus on its primary role, he wonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t be able to make meaningful contributions and the country will not progress. Corruption!

T H I S D AY Ëž ÍŻÍś , 2020

BUSINESS/MONEYGUIDE

Access Bank Secures $93m Syndicated Loan Access Bank Plc has announced the signing of a Subordinated Syndicated Loan Agreement totalling $93.8 million with the Dutch development bank (FMO), the French private sector development bank (Proparco), and leading investment firm, Symbiotics. The tier-II capital facility was structured as a â&#x20AC;&#x153;10 years noncall 5 yearsâ&#x20AC;? subordinated debt instrument, benefitting the bank for a period of 5 years. A statement yesterday quoted the Group Managing Director, Access Bank, Herbert Wigwe, to have said the facility would enable the bank to continue on its strategic path to becoming,

â&#x20AC;&#x153;Africaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s gateway to the world even after the unexpected simultaneous surfacing of the two â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Black Swansâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; in 2020: COVID-19 and the international oil crisis.â&#x20AC;? He added: â&#x20AC;&#x153;This deal is in line with our strategy to deepen Access Bankâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s footprint in the retail segment as well as increasingly support local micro, small and medium-size enterprises, thereby supporting job creation in the Nigerian economy. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The need to boost capital is extremely important today in the context of the negative socio-economic impact of COVID-19, hence, the $93.8 million tier-II capital eligible loan will help us continue to sustainably

support businesses that need finance. These businesses will be able to continually provide essential products and services thereby achieving sustainable and inclusive growth.â&#x20AC;? According to Wigwe, the transaction was evidence of the bankâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s commitment to facilitating economic growth and development in Nigeria and Africa as well as creating business opportunities for all stakeholders including women, across its entire value chain. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We are truly inspired and we remain committed to our goal of being Africaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s gateway to the world,â&#x20AC;? Wigwe added.

Alakija Urges Business Operators to Leverage Technology Sunday Ehigiator The Founder, Rose of Sharon Foundation, Mrs. Folorunso Alakija, has stressed the need for business owners to leverage technology to upscale their skills so as to remain relevant and adjust to the new normal. She said this recently, at the sixth edition of the Rose of Sharon Foundation (RoSF), Youth Empowerment Programme (YEP), with the theme: â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Building Personal Competence to Harness Existing Opportunities in the Time of Changeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;, held in Lagos state and virtually via Facebook. According to her, â&#x20AC;&#x153;The effect of the pandemic has permanently created a new norm in societies

and economies around the globe. However, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not all gloom and doom. â&#x20AC;&#x153;This is because, while some businesses are becoming redundant and losing market share or closing shops, some others are actually springing up and taking over the market. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Whether we like it or not, the pandemic has changed our lives; the way we work, do business, and even the way we socialise and interact with one another. â&#x20AC;&#x153;One major landmark of our current environment is the high dependency on technology to transact business, carry out social interactions and conduct religious services.â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x153;The internet has become the hub where both businesses and

social interactions arenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t left out of it. Today, the Rose of Sharon Foundation is not left out as we are adapting to the new normal by holding our Youth Empowerment Program virtually. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Therefore, for any individual or organisation to stay relevant, they must be ready to adapt quickly to the change, and equip themselves with the knowledge, skills and attitude required for the new phase of life,â&#x20AC;? she added. Speaking during the panel session, Business Development, Procurement & Human Resources Expert, Mr. Adeoti Temitayo, described competency as a never-ending cycle that must be updated to remain relevant in the 21st century.

Agencies, Operators Afraid of Our Compliance Team, Says NAGAFF Eromosele Abiodun The Head of compliance team of the National Association of Government Approval Freight Forwarders (NAGAFF), Ibrahim Tanko has accused some corrupt officials among the government agencies and service providers of waging a campaign of calumny against the team. NAGAFF recently inaugurated the team to monitor the compliance level of service providers to governmentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Ease of Doing Business at the Port. But the team, which has visited some service operators to enforce compliance, has come under attacks by some stakeholders who regarded its operations as illegal and a mere posturing. Tanko, while reacting to the attacks on the team, accused some elements in NAFDAC,

SON, terminal operators and bonded terminal operators whom he alleged are corrupt and averse to complying with the rules of engagement, as those behind these attacks. He also accused some elements in the freight forwarding industry, whom he described as irredeemably corrupt and thrive on circumventing the rules, as collaborating to frustrate the efforts of the team. Tanko, vowed that no amount of intimidation and blackmail could deter them, saying his team remained focused in ensuring that all stakeholders play by the rules. He disclosed that it was the repeated complaints and accusations by government agencies and terminal operators that freight forwarders are not compliant that made NAGAFF set up the team to self-audit

themselves and whip erring members into line. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The government agencies have asked us to be compliant and play by the rules. That is what we are trying to achieve among our members. We have about 40 percent compliance level among our members and hope to get about 50 to 60 per cent by the end of the year. We are even organising a three-day seminar for members where we intend to further preach the gospel of compliance to them. After that, we shall focus on government agencies with whom we hope to interract on the issue of compliance for mutual understanding and cooperation. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We have already written to the relevant ones to this effect. We have even engaged our principals who are the importers to made correct declarations.

WemaBank Supports Female Entrepreneurs Given the impact of the pandemic on businesses nationwide, Wema Bank said it recently organised a free capacity building session for female entrepreneurs. The first of these training sessions focused on helping professional and businesswomen â&#x20AC;&#x153;Restructure their business, career and finances for the futureâ&#x20AC;?. It disclosed that â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Sara by Wemaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; had organised a virtual webinar tagged â&#x20AC;&#x153;Juggling Home Schooling & Work,â&#x20AC;? that was designed to cater to the women with children who were working from home

amidst the pandemic. In partnership with Wise Planner Consulting, Sara By Wema selected women through a competition on its Instagram page and other online platform for the recent webinar themed â&#x20AC;&#x153;Business Growthâ&#x20AC;?. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The Business Growth webinar is a 2- class training that offered participants in-depth knowledge on how to structure their business and manage cashflow. â&#x20AC;&#x153;To help women with online stores generate more sales

on Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, Sara by Wema partnered with Divigate360 for the â&#x20AC;&#x153;Boost With Facebookâ&#x20AC;? webinar. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The 3-day training session had over 200 participants and held via Zoom. Divided into two daily sessions, the webinar enlightened female entrepreneurs on how the digital space can affect their business positively and how to use Facebook, WhatsApp and Instagram to grow their business,â&#x20AC;? a statement from the bank explained.

MARKET INDICATORS MONEY AND CREDIT STATISTICS

(MILLION NAIRA)

SEPTEMBER 2019 Money Supply (M3)

35,029,779.72

-- CBN Bills Held by Money Holding Sectors

7,374,356.91

Money Supply (M2)

27,655,422.82

-- Quasi Money

116,533,891.21

-- Narrow Money (M1)

11,121,531.60

---- Currency Outside Banks

1,625,047.69

---- Demand Deposits

9,496,483.91

Net Foreign Assets (NFA)

13,911,335.83

Net Domestic Assets(NDA)

21,118,443.89

-- Net Domestic Credit (NDC)

35,918,179.45

---- Credit to Government (Net)

10,452,199.38

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

11,007,422.79

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

25,465,980.07

---- Credit to Private Sector (CPS)

-14,799,735.56

--Other Assets Net

7,000,253.07

Reserve Money (Base Money

2,005,600.83

--Currency in Circulation

4,677,530.81

--Banks Reserves

317,121.43

Ëž Ă&#x2122;Ă&#x;Ă&#x153;Ă?Ă? Ě&#x2039;

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

Ëž Ă&#x2122;Ă&#x2DC;Ă?Ă&#x17E;Ă&#x2039;Ă&#x153;ĂŁ Ă&#x2122;Ă&#x2013;Ă&#x201C;Ă?ĂŁ Ă&#x2039;Ă&#x17E;Ă? Ě&#x2039; ÍŻÍąĎą

OPEC DAILY BASKET PRICE Ë&#x153; ÍŻÍ˛ Í°ÍŽÍ°ÍŽ

The price of OPEC basket of thirteen crudes stood at $44.62 a barrel on Friday, compared with $45.34 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), ZaďŹ ro (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

TUESDAY AUGUST 18, 2020 â&#x20AC;¢T H I S D AY

T H I S D AY Ëž ÍŻÍś Ë&#x153; Í°ÍŽÍ°ÍŽ

Flour Mills Nigeria Grows Profit by 17% to N4.9 Billion Goddy Egene Flour Mills of Nigeria (FMN) Plc has recorded a growth of 17 per cent in profit after tax (PAT) for the first quarter (Q1) ended June 30, 2020, raising investorsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; hope for another good harvest at the end of year. This is just as the company disclosed plan to raise funds through bond sale within the next two months, as part of its N70

billion ($184 million) programme to refinance its existing debt. Details of the results showed gross earnings of N154.6 billion, compared with 15 per cent from N134.7 billion in the corresponding period of 2019. Profit before tax rose 16 per cent from N5.5 billion to N6.4 billion, while PAT grew by 17 per cent from N4.2 billion to N4.9 billion. The result for the first quarter reveals a remarkable performance

P R I C E S MAIN BOARD

F O R DEALS

as the Group starts the year strong and builds on the growth trends recorded in the Q42019/20 financial year. Commenting on the performance, the Group Managing Director, FMN Plc, Paul Gbededo, said: â&#x20AC;&#x153;The year 2020/21 is unique in many respects, as the terrible outbreak of COVID-19 continues to affect the world in unprecedented ways. Recognising how important our business model is to the food

S E C U R I T I E S

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value chain in Nigeria, we are honoured to have been able to take an active role in the fight against this virus, by ensuring our operations remained unhindered to produce food for Nigerians at such a trying time.â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x153;While the first quarter of the financial year is perhaps one of the most complex periods facing businesses in Nigeria and across the globe, I am happy that our business has continued to explore newer

T R A D E D MAIN BOARD

A S

opportunities to create value and wealth for Shareholders.â&#x20AC;? According to him, the earnings and PAT figures both show impressive growth following strategy and expected projections. â&#x20AC;&#x153;As we look into the future, we are positive that despite unprecedented prevailing uncertainties for businesses we will remain focused on increasing operational efficiency with accelerated plans for cost optimisations across the

O F

Group to ensure profitability in the new operating environment during and post COVID-19,â&#x20AC;? he added. He said in line with strategy, the business remained resilient and continued to deliver value for shareholders while focusing on organic growth across all segments with continuous focus on our Agro-allied division and local value add with consumer-centric programs.

1 7 / 0 8 / 2 0 2 0 DEALS

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TUESDAY AUGUST 18, 2020 â&#x20AC;¢ T H I S D AY

TUESDAY, AUGUST 18, 2020 ˾ T H I S D AY

MARKET NEWS

MRS Oil Nigeria Gets New Chief Financial Officer Goddy Egene IThe Board of Directors of MRS Oil Nigeria

Plc has appointed Mr. Samson Adejonwo as the new chief finance officer (CFO) of the company to replace Mr. Charles

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

Agutu. In a notification to the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE), the company commended Agutu, saying his proficiency,

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 14Aug-2020, unless otherwise stated.

influenced the growth of the company during his tenure. The company noted that the new CFO,

Adejonwo, has over 12 years’ experience in Accounting and Management. He held various positions in organisations, such

as Summit Finance Company, ALM Consulting Limited before joining MRS Holdings Limited.

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 123.19 124.34 -16.86% Afrinvest Plutus Fund 100.00 100.00 2.23% Nigeria International Debt Fund 359.52 359.52 14.77% 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 0.92 0.93 1.86% ACAP Income Funds 0.78 0.78 10.06% 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 100.00 100.00 5.87% AIICO Balanced Fund 2.99 3.07 21.77% 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 6.38% Anchoria Equity Fund 98.66 98.99 -3.31% Anchoria Fixed Income Fund 1.27 1.27 10.24% 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 14.40 14.84 -5.97% ARM Discovery Fund 340.16 350.41 -1.53% ARM Ethical Fund 30.44 31.36 4.66% ARM Eurobond Fund ($) 1.14 1.15 14.73% ARM Fixed Income Fund 1.08 1.09 8.43% ARM Money Market Fund 1.00 1.00 4.52% AXA MANSARD INVESTMENTS LIMITED investmentcare@axamansard.com Web: www.axamansard.com; Tel: +2341-4488482 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn AXA Mansard Equity Income Fund 96.54 97.22 0.48% AXA Mansard Money Market Fund 1.00 1.00 4.72% CAPITAL EXPRESS ASSET AND TRUST LIMITED info@capitalexpressassetandtrust.com Web: www.capitalexpressassetandtrust.com ; Tel: +234 803 307 5048 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn CEAT Fixed Income Fund 2.13 2.13 16.95% Capital Express Balanced Fund(Formerly: Union Trustees Mixed Fund) 1.86 1.84 2.59% CHAPELHILL DENHAM MANAGEMENT LTD investmentmanagement@chapelhilldenham.com Web: www.chapelhilldenham.com, Tel: +234 461 0691 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Chapelhill Denham Money Market Fund 100.00 100.00 5.41% Paramount Equity Fund 11.23 11.43 -10.29% Women's Investment Fund 110.15 111.10 -0.25% CORDROS ASSET MANAGEMENT LIMITED assetmgtteam@cordros.com Web: www.cordros.com, Tel: 019036947 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Cordros Money Market Fund 100.00 100.00 4.85% Cordros Milestone Fund 2023 104.55 104.88 Cordros Milestone Fund 2028 108.52 108.83 Cordros Dollar Fund ($) 102.39 102.39 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 3.51% Coronation Balanced Fund 0.95 0.96 2.60% Coronation Fixed Income Fund 1.55 1.55 16.79% 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 4.12% EDC Nigeria Money Market Fund Class B 1,000,000.00 1,000,000.00 4.46% EDC Nigeria Fixed Income Fund 1,188.77 1,198.75 7.03% 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 1,391.49 1,393.04 14.05% FBN Balanced Fund 151.57 152.74 3.24% FBN Halal Fund 107.06 107.08 7.06% FBN Money Market Fund 100.00 100.00 4.50% FBN Nigeria Eurobond (USD) Fund - Institutional 119.12 119.81 3.10% FBN Nigeria Eurobond (USD) Fund - Retail 119.42 120.11 2.85% FBN Nigeria Smart Beta Equity Fund 114.84 116.65 -11.75% 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 1.00 1.00 3.77% Legacy Debt Fund 3.80 3.80 4.12% Legacy Equity Fund 1.13 1.16 0.26% Legacy USD Bond Fund 1.12 1.12 3.16% 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 Growth Fund 3,114.65 3,148.68 2.42% Coral Income Fund 3,182.07 3,182.07 3.46% FSDH Treasury Bills Fund 100.00 100.00 4.39% 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 4.06% Vantage Balanced Fund 2.28 2.32 4.14% Vantage Guaranteed Income Fund 1.00 1.00 8.55% Kedari Investment Fund (KIF) 149.23 149.96 4.11% 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 1.25 1.27 7.08% Lotus Halal Fixed Income Fund 1,127.85 1,127.85 6.56% 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 N/A N/A N/A Meristem Money Market Fund N/A N/A N/A 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 1.38 1.41 13.07% PACAM Fixed Income Fund 11.90 11.97 5.69% PACAM Money Market Fund 10.00 10.00 3.93% PACAM Equity Fund 1.06 1.08 PACAM EuroBond Fund 106.68 109.18 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 118.00 120.05 -4.59% 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 6.08% 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 2,521.35 2,532.80 2.61% Stanbic IBTC Bond Fund 210.33 210.33 0.80% Stanbic IBTC Ethical Fund 0.88 0.89 2.87% Stanbic IBTC Guaranteed Investment Fund 273.87 273.95 0.98% Stanbic IBTC Iman Fund 154.92 156.64 2.14% Stanbic IBTC Money Market Fund 100.00 100.00 4.24% Stanbic IBTC Nigerian Equity Fund 7,674.15 7,756.30 0.70% Stanbic IBTC Dollar Fund (USD) 1.16 1.16 0.61% Stanbic IBTC Shariah Fixed Income Fund 118.18 118.18 0.00% UNITED CAPITAL ASSET MANAGEMENT LTD Web: www.unitedcapitalplcgroup.com; Tel: +234 803 306 2887 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn United Capital Balanced Fund 1.15 1.17 -3.60% United Capital Bond Fund 1.84 1.84 6.43% United Capital Equity Fund 0.65 0.67 -6.97% United Capital Money Market Fund 1.00 1.00 4.92% United Capital Eurobond Fund 114.00 114.00 4.34% United Capital Wealth for Women Fund 1.02 1.03 -2.35% 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 10.28 10.38 -0.07% Zenith Ethical Fund 11.63 11.69 -0.11% Zenith Income Fund 24.50 24.50 10.06% Zenith Money Market Fund 1.00 1.00 3.63%

REITS NAV Per Share

Fund Name SFS Skye Shelter Fund

Yield / T-Rtn

117.35

4.66%

53.40

2.59%

Bid Price

Offer Price

Yield / T-Rtn

9.05 85.90 66.80

9.15 87.72 68.00

3.89% 1.07% 1.20%

Union Homes REIT

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

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

3.04 4.10 11.87 1.00 11.07 184.66

3.08 4.18 11.97 1.00 11.27 186.66

-14.21% -30.34% -2.07% 3.22% 6.47% -1.90%

NAV Per Share

Yield / T-Rtn

108.03

15.02%

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.

TUESDAY, ͹΀˜ ͺ͸ͺ͸ ˾ T H I S D AY

PAGE THIRTY-ONE DIRI URGES CALM, HEADS FOR A’COURT AS TRIBUNAL NULLIFIES BAYELSA GOV ELECTION

and its candidate, Mr. Owei

Woniwei, for want of merit. The tribunal held that the petitioners failed to lead credible evidence to prove that the Deputy Governor of Bayelsa State, Senator Lawrence Ewhrudjakpo, tendered forged certificate to the INEC. In the lead judgment read by Justice S.M. Owoduni, the tribunal held that the petitioners failed to also establish the allegation that Ewhrudjakpo falsified his age. Describing the case as “unnecessary waste of time of the court,” the tribunal upheld the preliminary objections that Diri, Ewhrudjakpo, and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) filed to challenge the competence of the petition. The AD and its candidate had in their petition, alleged that Ewhrudjakpo altered the name on the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) certificate he presented to INEC for the governorship election. But while delivering yesterday’s judgment on ANDP’s petition, the panel held that the election was unlawful due to the exclusion of ANDP and its candidate. Justice Yunusa Musa who read the lead judgment ordered INEC to conduct a fresh election in Bayelsa within 90 days. Diri, candidate of the PDP, was sworn in as governor after the Supreme Court sacked the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate,

Mr. David Lyon, who was declared winner of the election, on the eve of his inauguration. The apex court based its ruling on the premise that Senator Biobarakuma DegiEremienyo, who was Lyon's running mate, presented forged certificates to INEC. But in a swift reaction to the tribunal judgment, Diri said he had instructed his lawyers to appeal it. Diri, who spoke shortly after the tribunal ruled that INEC wrongly excluded the ANDP governorship candidate from the November 16, 2019 election said he was confident that he would triumph in the end. The governor, in a statement by his acting Chief Press Secretary, Mr. Daniel Alabrah, said: "We trust in the judiciary and we are appealing the judgment. With God on our side, we will get justice. "This is a court of first instance and I have instructed our lawyers to file an appeal. We have a right to appeal even up to the Supreme Court." The governor urged PDP members and his supporters not to panic and to continue to remain calm and lawabiding. Also, the Bayelsa State Chairman of the PDP, Chief Solomon Agwana, told THISDAY that the party was waiting for a copy of the dissenting judgment before reacting. The situation in Yenagoa, the state capital, remained

calm since the judgment was delivered. Diri's predecessor, Hon. Seriake Dickson, said in a statement by his media aide, Mr. Fidelis Soriwei, that Diri remains governor until a final decision on the issue is reached at the Supreme Court. He described the ruling as “a temporary setback, which does not in law affect the status quo until appeal processes are exhausted.” The former governor advised the people of Bayelsa not to be perturbed by the tribunal’s verdict, stressing that the PDP and the government would appeal the judgment. Dickson urged them to go about their lawful duties without any disturbance. He said: “I urge Bayelsans to remain calm. They shouldn’t misinterpret what took place at the tribunal today (Monday). “The judgment is a temporary setback which does not have any effect on the status quo until all processes of appeal are exhausted. “There is no vacancy in the Bayelsa Government House. Diri remains governor until the Supreme Court decides. Of course, what this means is that the PDP will appeal this decision.”

Candidate of ANDP Not Properly Nominated, INEC Insists INEC, however, restated

yesterday why it knocked out the ANDP and KingGeorge from the ballot. It said the party's governorship candidate was not properly nominated for the election as his running mate was not eligible to run on an account of his age. INEC’s National Commissioner in charge of Voter Education and Information, Mr. Festus Okoye, told THISDAY that "from our records, the party conducted party primaries and at the end of the exercise, it submitted the name of one Peter Esinkuma David as its deputy governorship candidate. "From the affidavit evidencing age and the affidavit sworn to by the candidate, the age of the candidate at the time of the submission of their nomination was 34 years contrary to Section 177(b) of the Constitution that makes it mandatory that only those who are 35 and above can contest the election. "In the candidates’ statutory declaration of age and affidavit attached to his form, the party stated that the candidate was born on the 10th day of February 1985. "On the 13th day of September 2019, the commission wrote to the party drawing their attention to the constitutional age requirement of 35 years for governorship/deputy governorship candidates as stipulated in Section 177(b)

of the Constitution. "The commission also informed them of the invalidity of their nomination for the 16th November 2019 governorship election in Bayelsa State." Okoye, however, said ANDP on September 21, 2019 in a reply to the earlier letter from the commission, acknowledged the invalidity of the earlier nomination and forwarded the name of one Miss Inowei Janeth as its new deputy governorship candidate. "On the 27th of September 2019, the commission informed the party that the deadline for the submission of nominations as provided for in the timetable and Schedule of Activities released by the commission on 16th May 2019 was 9th September 2019. "The commission also informed the party that since they did not submit a valid nomination, they couldn’t validly substitute any candidate. "Consequently, the name and logo of the party did not appear and was not reflected in the ballot paper," he stated. According to him, the commission is a law-abiding institution and will continue to obey and respect court orders. "By Section143 (1) of the Electoral Act, if the tribunal determines that a candidate returned as elected was not validly elected, then if notice of appeal is led within 21 days from the date of the

decision, the candidate returned as elected, all notwithstanding the contrary decision, remains pending the determination of the appeal," he added. He also explained that the commission is not obligated to give reaction to the judgment of the tribunal till the parties have exhausted their right to appeal as provided in the law, adding that INEC will study the judgment before taking a decision to appeal or not. He added that there are germane constitutional issues raised by the judgment and the commission will take a position when it receives the certified true copy of the judgment. He said: "This is because the issues raised in the petition revolve around the invalidity of the nomination of the deputy governorship candidate. "The issue of nomination and substitution of candidates raised in the petition falls within the ambit of pre-election issues covered by the 4th alteration to the Constitution that must be led within 14 days of the occurrence of the event. "From the records in the commission, Advanced Nigeria Democratic Party (ANDP) was one of the political parties that signified its intention to contest the Bayelsa governorship election that took place on the 16th day of November 2019."

in July 2020 compared to 15.18 per cent in June in the review period. The food sub-index increased by 1.52 per cent in July 2020, up by 0.04 per cent compared to 1.48 per cent recorded in June. According to the statistical agency, the rise in the food index was caused by increases in prices of bread and cereals, potatoes, yam and other tubers, meat, fruits, oils and fats and fish. On the other hand, core inflation, which excludes the prices of volatile agricultural produce, stood at 10.10 per cent in July, down by 0.03 per cent when compared with 10.13 per cent recorded in June. The core sub-index increased by 0.75 per cent in July, down by 0.11 per cent when compared with 0.86 per cent recorded in the preceding month. Core inflation was fuelled by the highest increases in prices of medical services, passenger transport by air, pharmaceutical products, hospital services, passenger transport by road, maintenance and repair of personal transport equipment, paramedical services and vehicle spare parts. The urban inflation rate increased by 13.40 per cent (year-on-year) in July from 13.18 per cent recorded in June while the rural index increased by 12.28 per cent in July 2020 from 11.99 per cent in the preceding month. The NBS stated that on a month-on-month basis,

in July, all-item inflation was highest in Kogi 2.85 per cent, Zamfara 2.44 per cent and Yobe 2.35 per cent, while Ondo 0.67 per cent, Adamawa 0.63 per cent and Ogun and Imo both 0.62 per cent recorded the slowest rise in the headline index. Year-on-year, however, allitem inflation was highest in Bauchi 16.10 per cent, Kogi 15.90 per cent and Sokoto and Plateau 15.20 per cent, while Lagos 10.70 per cent, Adamawa 10.60 per cent and Kwara 10.50 per cent recorded the slowest rise in headline inflation.

ANALYSTS SEEK BETTER SECURITY, PRODUCTIVITY AS INFLATION RISES TO 12.82% July compared to 12.56

per cent in the preceding month, representing the highest rate in 29 months, according to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS). However, Professor of Finance and Capital Markets at the Nasarawa State University, Keffi, Prof. Uche Uwaleke, said the rising inflation amidst the downturn in economic activities was worrisome. He described it as a "stagflation, which further complicates monetary policy against the backdrop of forex market illiquidity and rising unemployment similar to the country's experience during the 2016-2017 recession." He attributed the upward inflationary trend to commodity prices of increase in VAT and the pump price of fuel, border closure, COVID-19 impact on supply chains and insecurity in the food belt regions of the country as well as a reflection of the high exchange rate. Uwaleke, a former Imo State commissioner of finance, urged the CBN to continue to maintain the status quo on policy parameters. "There is no doubt that the CBN has done a lot in the pursuit of its developmental function to stimulate the growth of the agriculture sector in particular. "I am confident that in the coming months, the impact of these interventions, including the recent noninterest financing schemes for the agriculture value chain,

will reflect on bountiful harvest and help moderate the inflation rate," he stated. He said the best way to check the rising inflation was to synchronise monetary and fiscal policies in addressing the major inflation driver, which is the food component that is in excess of 15 per cent. Uwaleke said: "On the fiscal side, it is important that the government puts on its fighting gloves to wrestle the incessant bandit attacks on farming communities even if it means overhauling the entire security apparatus." Also, an economist and former Director-General, Abuja Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ACCI), Dr. Chijioke Ekechukwu, blamed the inflationary pressure on forex, low oil price and effects of the VAT increase. He said: "We need to identify the causes of the rise in the inflation rate. Top on the list is the exchange rate, which is rising in reaction to demand and supply of foreign currencies. "Revenue base of the country is threatened by low demand for oil and drop in its price. This has caused the exchange rate to rise. The supply chain of goods and services were also distorted at the period of lockdown. "This affected prices of goods and services. The effect of the VAT increase also had its effect on prices. The inflation rate, therefore, will continue to rise until all the factors affecting supply and demand are controlled.

"From the monetary policy perspective, the higher the money in circulation, the higher the price of goods and services. All the monetary policy tools should be used to address this. On the fiscal policy side, the critical sectors of the economy must be given stimulus packages to stimulate productivity and production." However, Head of Research, United Capital, Mr. Wale Olusi, predicted inflation to rise to 13.06 per cent as a result of the underlying factors. He said: "For the month of August 2020, we do not see any relief in sight as pressure on the headline inflation is expected to be sustained given that fundamentals remain the same. For food inflation, as land borders remain closed, we expect the resulting food deficit to persist. Similarly, the core-inflation sub-index is foreseen to continue the northward trend. "Firstly, CBN’s continued suspension of FX sales to BDC and the illiquid status of the Investors and Exporters window remains, which we expect to continue to spur demand at the parallel market, keeping exchange rate high and driving up corporate cost components as well as the cost of imported cost. "Also, the modulated monthly petrol wholesale price increased to N138.62 in August, bringing the retail price band to N150-N157 versus N140.8-N143.8 in

July 2020. Bearing these key factors in mind, we expect month-on-month inflation to come in at 1.2 per cent in August 2020, bringing headline rate to 13.06 per cent." Also speaking to THISDAY, an economist, Dr. Muhammad Rislanudeen, said the country's post-2014 GDP rebasing tax to GDP ratio remained "very low" at about eight per cent compared to other African countries. He said: "This underscores the imperative for more effective and efficient tax initiatives to support government finances. "However, in the era of the pandemic, it will be more optimal to make existing tax collections more effective and efficient and also by bringing more individuals and companies into the tax net. IMF projected the economy to go into recession by -5.4 per cent in 2020. It will be difficult to raise taxes in a period of potential recession."

Food, Commodity Prices Worsen Inﬂation The NBS, however, attributed the 0.26 per cent uptick in the headline index to increases in all the parameters that determine inflation. According to the CPI figures for July, which was released yesterday, the composite food index increased to 15.48 per cent

TOP GAINERS NGN NGN % UNILEVER 1.25 13.75 10 NNFM 0.38 4.25 9.8 JBERGER 1.45 16.50 9.6 AXAMANSARD 0.15 1.74 9.4 ARDOVA 1.20 13.95 9.4 TOP LOSERS NGN % LIVESTOCK 0.05 0.55 8.3 VITAFOAM 0.30 5.45 5.2 INTERBREW 0.10 2.75 3.5 HONEYWELL 0.03 0.92 3.1 CUTIX 0.05 1.75 2.7 HPE Nestle Nig Plc ₦1,256.80 Volume: 161.231 million shares Value: N1.845 billion Deals: 3,597 As at yesterday 17/8/2020 See details on Page 27

TUESDAY, ͹΀˜ ͺ͸ͺ͸ ˾ T H I S D AY

NEWS

Gbajabiamila, Other African Speakers Push for Debt Cancellation Udora Orizu in Abuja The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila, yesterday convened a meeting of some African speakers of parliaments where it was agreed that there is an urgent need to push for debt cancellation for the continent from their multilateral and bilateral creditors. The meeting was part of Gbajabiamila’s initiative to establish the Conference of African Speakers and Heads of Parliament (CoSAP), a body that will facilitate increased collaboration between speakers, heads of parliament and national assemblies across Africa. The speakers will also seek to advance the African development agenda within and outside the continent in conjunction with both the executive arms of government as well as African regional institutions. These emerged following a virtual meeting convened by Gbajabiamila with Hon. Tagesse Chafo, Speaker, House of Peoples Representatives, Ethiopia; Prof. Aaron Mike Oquaye, Speaker of Parliament, Ghana; Hon. Justin Bedan Muturi, Speaker, National

Assembly, Republic of Kenya; Hon. Donatille Mukabalisa, Speaker, Chamber of Deputies, Rwanda; and President Moustapha Niasse, AFP, President, National Assembly, Senegal. In his opening remarks, Gbajabiamila said there was an urgent need to join local and global efforts to push for the cancellation of African nations' external debts. He identified the continent's debt burden as stunting the development of many African countries. According to him, the outbreak of COVID-19 has compounded the issue for the continent, considering the socio-political and economic consequences of the disease. ''We all agree that Africa’s debt burden has become an existential threat to our societies, our economies and the future; we leave to posterity and we need to do something about this and treat it as a continentwide priority. It is safe to say that the burden of debt servicing, vis-à-vis spending on education and health care, for example, is a threat to our continent’s stability and development, especially in the era of Covid-19.' ''When we find ourselves having to make policy choices

between paying debts or saving lives, we know something is not morally right. And as democratically elected representatives of our people, we cannot be silent. We must speak up and we must act. And the time to act is now. ''Furthermore, is the need for us to reflect on, the processes that led to Africa’s heavy indebtedness in the first place, the role parliamentarians can play to address this going forward and what assurances we as parliamentarians can give our borrowers that if our debt is cancelled, the freed-up resources will be invested in the social and economic development of our citizens.' ''If we want debt cancellation, we must be able to build the confidence of the borrowers that the cancellation will indeed save lives and livelihoods across the continent, and we, as speakers and heads of our parliaments will ensure that is indeed the case,'' he stated. On the need for the establishment of the Pan-African Speaker’s Conference, Gbajabiamila noted that collective efforts at tackling challenges facing the continent have become expedient.

He said: ''The motive behind this initiative is that each year, we identify a theme, issue, or challenge that is pan-African in scope and we meet to deliberate on how we can work together across parliaments in Africa to tackle these continental issues and challenges.' ''As heads of our respective parliamentary entities, it will also, be a good platform to share experiences and expertise in different aspects of our legislative duties pertinent to the growth, development and sustenance of our economies and our societies; and on ways to enhance the capacity and impact of our parliaments on our democracies and the lives of the peoples we all represent. We have spent decades learning from the rest of the world, now we must begin to learn from one another.'' Throwing his weight behind the two initiatives, Chafo, Speaker, House of Peoples Representatives, Ethiopia noted that though almost every government on the continent has been trying to seek debt forgiveness, this should not, however, stop the parliaments from contributing to the efforts through a platform such

as this. ''As representatives of our people, we are to come together, advise and campaign about the issue, we don’t have to keep quiet because debt cancellation would be good for the resuscitation of our economies that have been ravaged by the COVID-19 pandemic,'' he added. Also, Oquaye, Speaker of Parliament, Ghana noted that the debt burden is essentially a common challenge on the continent, like most African countries have to depend on foreign loans to execute their national budgets. He, however, noted that the group, in its efforts to push for debt cancellation must be able to convince the creditors about accountability if they hope to succeed. He said: ''Donor agencies are interested in accountability because they are confounded about the issue of corruption, and we must be able to give the assurance and that is why the speakers' conference is critical. And if nothing is done, there may be no economy to service the loans.'' Muturi, Speaker, National Assembly, Republic of Kenya, also emphasised the need

for the initiative, adding that the pandemic has undermined most African economies because conditions attached to most of the loans have been eroded by the consequences of the novel pandemic. Mukabalisa, Speaker, Chamber of Deputies, Rwanda, while noting that African countries are heavily burdened by loans even before the pandemic, however, added that the group must be clear about the kind of debt it is seeking to address and from which partners. It was also agreed that a communiqué would be released in the first week of September 2020, while the campaign for implementations of the plan of action would begin in the second week of September 2020 as well. According to the forum, the third week of September will be devoted to the planning for the 2021 conference by the secretariat. While it was decided that Nigeria would host the maiden edition of CoSAP to be chaired by Gbajabiamila, the new body is expected to meet again in September to approve the plans and swing into action.

State House of Assembly loyal to Oshiomhole are billed to reconvene today. They said yesterday that there was no going back on their decision to sit today, adding that they were legitimately constituted. The lawmakers had last week sat at an undisclosed location because they alleged that hoodlums had taken over the state assembly complex. They had also accused the state government of removing the roof of the chamber and dumping granites and sand at the entrance to prevent them from gaining entry. One of the resolutions reached by the lawmakers was that the police should evacuate the hoodlums whom they alleged had taken over the legislative complex. But yesterday, the 17 lawmakers told THISDAY that the police were yet to comply with their resolution. One of the 17 members, and a member, representing Uhumwonde State Constituency, Hon. Washington Osifo, told THISDAY that they will still sit whether in or out of the legislative complex. He decried the inability of the police and other security agencies to flush out the hoodlums and provide security for them in compliance with the letter written by the AttorneyGeneral of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mr. Abubakar Malami, to the Inspector General of Police, Mohammed Adamu. Their speaker, Hon. Victor

Edoror, expressed shock that the hoodlums were still at the assembly complex despite their directive to the police and other security agencies. He said: "I am surprised that in spite of the resolution in our last meeting to the police, the hoodlums are still there. "I am not in Benin right now but will be back later in the day. When I come back, I will go and take an on-the-spot assessment of the complex and know the next line of action." Efforts to get the police’s reactions proved abortive as the relevant officers contacted did not pick their calls or respond to text messages. The state police command had earlier pledged to be neutral in the political crisis rocking the state, which arose from the disagreement between the Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, and Oshiomhole, his predecessor. The 17 lawmakers comprise five that were hitherto in the governor’s camp, who were joined by 12 others that were surreptitiously sworn-in two weeks ago, more than a year after those loyal to the governor were inaugurated. The speaker of the faction loyal to the governor, Hon. Frank Okiye, had earlier declared the seats of the 12 lawmakers-elect vacant. The governor had played down the 17 lawmakers’ action, saying the decisions arising from any of their sittings would not be binding on him and the state government.

OSHIOMHOLE MEETS BUHARI, ASKS FOR ENHANCED SECURITY FOR EDO POLL empty brains and cowards

who lack the courage to reveal their identities. Yesterday's visit was the first time Oshiomhole would come to the State House since June 16 when the Court of Appeal, sitting in Abuja, upheld his suspension, triggering a flurry of events that led to the sacking of the APC National Working Committee, headed by him. Oshiomhole, while answering questions from State House correspondents after a meeting with Buhari said he came to renew his loyalty to the president and also update him on efforts being made to reclaim the state. He added that during the meeting, he implored Buhari to deploy more security forces in the state to avert violence as the September 19 poll draws nearer. He said given the support the APC had so far received for its campaign, it was sure of winning the election. On his alleged plans to reclaim the APC national chairmanship, Oshiomhole said he would not dignify his accuser, Dr. Salihu Lukman, the director-general of the Progressives Governors' Forum (PGF), with a response. He said he would not engage in a pig fight with Lukman, whom he said was allegedly imposed on the PGF by the Chairman of Nigeria Governors' Forum (NGF) and the Governor of Ekiti State, Dr. Kayode Fayemi. Lukman, in a recent

statement, had alleged that some unscrupulous forces within the ruling APC had been strategising to ensure the return of Oshiomhole to the party's national chairmanship. According to him, such forces are seeking to deploy every power within their reach to manoeuvre and manipulate the system to pave the way for Oshiomhole to stand for election at the forthcoming national convention of the party and foist him on the party. He had said: "In other words, everything is being done to ensure that the internal politics of the party is manipulated to create situations whereby Oshiomhole is forcefully made a contender for the position of the national chairman at the extraordinary APC national convention.” But Oshiomhole dismissed the allegation yesterday, wondering why he would seek to return to the office at the age of 68. He wondered if the essence of such a return bid would be to resit an examination. Apparently accusing some governors of APC of being Lukman's sponsors, Oshiomhole described such highly placed individuals as cowards who are afraid of coming out to attack him. He stated that asking him to respond to what he described as "the noise" being made by Lukman and his principals was dragging him into a pig fight. He added that he would not descend so low because

he has a pedigree, which transcends being the national chairman of APC. He also described Lukman as a failed politician, adding that taking issue with him will amount to descending to his level. Oshiomhole said: "You want me to engage in a fight with a pig? If you engage in a fight with a pig, the pig already is stained by its nature and you will wear your white garment, and in my own case, khaki to go and wrestle with a pig? I will not. "When I was removed as national chairman, Edo was APC. So, do I have to win Edo to become the chairman? Do I look so unemployed? "I’m 68. So, what they don’t understand is that it is not the office of chairman that made me who I am. It is my pedigree from my days as a labourer in the textile industry to becoming the general secretary of textile workers all over Nigeria and becoming the president of NLC. "There is no village I go to that people do not know me and it is this that I used to override the godfathers in Edo State for two consecutive terms and even became governor through elections no violence before becoming the national chairman. "So, if you remove the office...is like our president now, though I cannot compare myself to him. But it is like President Muhammadu Buhari by 2023, when his tenure would have lapsed

as president, but those who believe in him, in 2024 and beyond, each time they see him, that trust they have in him will always be there. "He bonds with the people. That bond was not created by the fact that he is the president. In fact, he became the president because of that bond. So, it takes an empty brain to suggest that I only want to stage a comeback to become the national chairman. For what? To go and do a resit? "So, my attitude is not to reply to the noise and it is coming from somebody who says he is an employee and appointee of Progressive Governors' Forum. He is just like the cowards that are using him that are not able to come out. Otherwise, you should ask this guy who is now an election expert. "He contested for Senate against (Senator Ahmed) Makarfi. He lost. He even contested against Governor (Nasir) el-Rufai during the primaries and he lost before Fayemi unilaterally appointed him the DG. "So, if he is now the spokesman, abusing me and all of that, you want to drag me to his level? No! A gentleman does not wrestle with a pig. If you do, you will always be stained and I don’t want to get into that," he said.

17 Edo Lawmakers Reconvene Today The 17 lawmakers of the Edo

TUESDAY AUGUST 18, 2020 ˾ T H I S D AY

NEWSXTRA

FG Officials Signed Empty Loan Repayment Documents, House Alleges

Uncovers $33bn contracts without terms We have no such contracts, Amaechi insists

Adedayo Akinwale and Udora Orizu in Abuja The House of Representatives yesterday accused the federal government officials of signing empty repayment loan documents for the development of the Nigeria’s rail sector even before the terms of the loans were negotiated. The lawmakers also said that it discovered that the Ministry of Transportation signed a commercial contract worth $33 billion without any clear cut financial arrangement while most of the contracts agreement did not have local content clauses. The Chairman of the House Committee on Treaties, Protocols and Agreements, Hon. Ossai Nicholas Ossai, disclosed this during the resumed investigative hearing on the review of bilateral loan agreements and commercial contracts agreements by Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) also said that some of the loans collected by the government were signed even before the terms were negotiated. But the Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, said there was such contract existing in the ministry as the only contract was the $1.6 billion loan for the Lagos/ Ibadan rail project signed by the President Muhammadu Buhari’s government and the about $800

million loan signed by the former President Goodluck Jonathan’s government. He challenged the committee to furnish his ministry with details of the contract to enable them make necessary response. Ossai, who kicked against what he described as the misconceptions and misgivings on the ongoing legislative scrutiny of various agreements, alleged that public officials were desperate to obtain the loan without proper scrutiny of the agreements. “We have also noted comments on the facts that National Assembly approved these loans; so, why turn around to probe it now? Well, I remember stating in our last meeting here, that executive scrutiny and oversight by the legislature on government policies, programmes and projects can be done at the beginning, during implementation and at the end of implementation. “From our experience, the MDAs sign these commercial agreements in billions of dollars, then go the President and Federal Executive Council for approval to execute including securing loan facilities through Ministry of Finance and Debt Management Office (DMO) and then proceed to negotiate the terms of these loans before coming back to Mr. President who then writes the National Assembly asking for approval for billions of dollars

Nigeria’s COVID-19 Cases Rise By 417 to 49,485 Martins Iﬁjeh Nigeria has recorded 417 new cases of COVID-19, bringing to 49,485 the number of confirmed cases in the country. Announcing this yesterday, the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) said Lagos recorded 207 new cases; Kaduna, 44; Ondo, 38; Abia, 28; Anambra, 21; Plateau, 20;

Bauchi, 13; Oyo and Ebonyi, nine each; Delta and Edo, seven each; Enugu, six; Niger, three; Gombe, two; while Ogun, Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and Kano recorded one each. It said: “Nigeria has so far recorded 49,485 confirmed cases of COVID-19. 36,834 patients have been discharged, while 977 persons have died.”

US, Egypt, UAE to Repatriate Nigerian Convicts Olawale Ajimotokan in Abuja The federal government has said the United States of America and a number of countries, including Egypt and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) have signified their intentions to repatriate Nigerians, who were pardoned after being convicted for various offences in those countries. The Chairman of the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19, Mr. Boss Mustapha made this known yesterday during the PTF briefing in Abuja. He said as the repatriation was coming in the midst of the country’s National Response to COVID 19, all relevant agencies of government were making multi sectoral efforts to ensure that the process remained within acceptable international protocols and in line with bilateral agreements.

He also clarified further that the exercise was entirely different from normal evacuation flights, adding that all evacuation flights will end on August 22, 2020 after which airports will be given sufficient time to prepare for reopening. He also expressed government’s satisfaction with most schools for complying with the COVID-19 protocols for the reopening of schools for the Senior Secondary School Certificate (SSCE) examinations. The exams conducted by West African Examinations Council (WAEC) began across the country yesterday. Mustapha, who is also the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) also appreciated the call by the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) for the reopening of tertiary institutions.

to do projects without attaching the negotiated loan and commercial contracts agreements details. “This approach is the reason we have government representatives signing empty pages of loan agreements repayment schedule and other key documents required for the loan agreements to become effective. We have commercial contracts signed in US Dollars, while the loan agreements for the execution of the same contracts were signed in Chinese YUAN currency in Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy/Galaxy Backbone Limited. “We have also seen references

made in the commercial contracts regarding BOQs but none of‘ the commercial, contracts agreements submitted to us especially by Ministry of Transport has a single BOQ attachment. He said further: “We have noticed from documents available to us that commercial contracts process signed by Federal Ministry of Transport alone within this is over $33 billion without any clear cut financing arrangements. Most of these commercial contracts agreements didn’t also have local content clauses and we’re witnessed by none properly designated and authorised officials.

“There are observable issues relating to procurement process, evidences of 15 per cent advanced payments, payment of management fees, drawdown process and remittances and a whole lot of other matters, which we are strongly poised to ask questions on and hope to get honest answers that will finer tune the current process, plan for possible negotiation of some these governments in order to serve Nigerians better.” But Amaechi denied obtaining $33 billion Chinese loan, describing the probe as political. The minister said the Lagos-

Ibadan rail project was currently under threat as a result of the ongoing probe by the House. Amaechi states: “In slight response to your speech earlier, I will repeat here that we need to be more patriotic than we are being. Mr. Chairman, I have the right to speak, you invited me, I was once a member of the House. if you say Ministry of Transport have a contract $33 billion, we want to see it because as the Minister of Transport, the only contract awarded so far is $1.6 billion contract for Lagos-Ibadan which is under threat.”

SEEKING ROYAL BLESSINGS...

L-R: Edo State Governor and governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the state, Mr. Godwin Obaseki; Onojie of Ugboha, His Royal Highness, Steven Odijie Ukato; and Edo State Deputy Governor and deputy governorship candidate, Hon. Philip Shaibu, during the governor’s courtesy visit to the monarch, at his palace, as part of his campaign activities in Esan South East LGA of Edo State... yesterday

DHQ: Three Soldiers, Several Bandits Killed in Borno, Niger Kingsley Nwezeh in Àbuja Military air strikes and artillery bombardment have killed scores of bandits and terrorists in Niger and Borno states, while three soldiers were killed and two others wounded in another confrontation with armed bandits in Niger State. A military update on the war against insurgency said the Air Task Force of Operation Lafiya Dole launched air strikes under a new subsidiary operation codenamed “Operation Hail Storm”, killing scores of insurgents and destroying their hideouts in Lake

Chad and Sambisa Forest areas of Borno State. The update issued yesterday by the Directorate of Defence Media Operations (DDMO) said the attack at Tumbuma Baba, one of the Island settlements on the fringes of the Lake Chad, was carried out after human intelligence reports indicated that several ISWAP fighters and some of their leaders were harboured in some structures concealed under the thick vegetation of the area. “The Nigerian Air Force (NAF) fighter jets dispatched by the ATF to attack the location scored

devastating hits on the settlement, killing several of the terrorists and destroying their structures. “Several terrorists were similarly neutralised and some of their dwellings destroyed at Boboshe, a village along the river line on the eastern part of the Sambisa Forest, as the NAF jets took turns in engaging the location”, it said. In another encounter with armed bandits, the Coordinator of DDMO, Major General John Enenche, said following credible intelligence on the activities of armed bandits attack in Tashan Kare, in Niger State, troops swiftly

mobilised to the scene and made contact with the bandits. He said troops engaged the armed bandits with superior fire power killing scores of bandits while others fled in disarray into the bushes. “Sadly own troops suffered three casualties while two others were wounded in action. Exploitation is ongoing. The military high command congratulates the gallant troops for their professionalism and encourages them to intensify the onslaught against the enemies of our country”, he explained.

COVID-19: Positive Cases Dropping in Lagos, Others, Says NCDC The Director-General of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), Dr. Chikwe Ihekweazu yesterday revealed that the numbers of COVID-19-positive cases in some states have started to drop. The states are Lagos, Kano, Plateau, Borno, as well as the FCT. He explained that the reason for the reduction in the positivity rate in those states was the result of consistently testing high numbers of persons. Ihekweazu made this known during a television interview in Abuja. He said, “It is only through testing the numbers of people that may have the infection that

we can actually understand how widespread that infection is. “The state that gives us the biggest indicator of where we are is the data out of Lagos State. Lagos has consistently made the effort to test as many people as possible. They have been responsible for 50 percent of the cases initially, which is now down to about 30 percent in the country. “What we have seen in Lagos is that they have consistently tested high numbers and we have seen a reduction in the positivity rate – from close to 30 per cent at a time, that is, one in every 10 people tested were positive for COVID-19, to about 10 percent or

less in the last few weeks. “What does that tell us? Fewer people are turning out positive among those tested in areas that are testing sufficiently. We can say that with confidence in Kano, FCT, Plateau, and Borno. States where they are really testing sufficient numbers, we can come to some conclusions of where they are. In States that are not testing enough, it is very difficult to analyse and interpret their results with confidence.” He added, “The figures are what they are. Nigerians need to understand that there are no incentives for increasing or decreasing figures. We are a science-led organisation at the

NCDC and will present the figures as they are. “There have been challenges in some States in testing sufficient numbers. I want to congratulate the government and people of Cross River State, as they have turned around their approach to testing and are now doing what every other state should be doing in testing as many people as possible. “70 per cent of Nigerians access their health care in the private sector. There is a reason for that and so we need to work very hard. People are not coming forward in sufficient numbers to get tested for all sorts of reasons.

TUESDAY AUGUST 18, 2020 ˾ T H I S D AY

NEWSXTRA

2021 Budget: N’Assembly, Others to Provide Periodic Expenditure Reports FG gives August 28 deadline for MDAs to submit budget proposals

Ndubuisi Francis inAbuja Following the increased demand for transparency, the federal government has declared that the

National Assembly, Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), National Judicial Council (NJC), and other beneficiaries of statutory transfers will be required

Buhari, Ooni, Others Felicitate with Akanmode at 70 Peter Uzoho President Muhammadu Buhari has led other eminent Nigerians to felicitate with a former Deputy Chief of Staff to the President, Prince Olusola Akanmode, who marked his 70th birthday today. Joining the president in congratulating Akanmode were the Ooni of Ife, Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi; Emeritus Chairman of Kogi State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Mr. Hassan Salau; and former Military Governor of Kwara State, Gen. Alwali Jauji Kazir (rtd). In a statement issued yesterday by the Senior Special Assistant to the Present on Media and Publicity, Mr. Garba Shehu, Buhari prayed that God will continue to bless and strengthen Akanmode with good health and prosperity. According to the statement, “President Buhari joins family members, friends and political associates in celebrating with the former Secretary to the State Government, Kogi State, who brought his wealth of experience, maturity and wisdom to serve in the Presidency, leaving a legacy of integrity and kindness. The trio of Ogunwusi, Kazir and Salau, in their separate messages to Akanmode yesterday expressed happiness that he has joined the league of septuagenarians. Ogunwusi in a congratulatory message he signed, said Akanmode was known for due process, uprightness, and fairness, pointing out that he built the current future, which he is enjoying. He said Akanmode’s life of handwork and persistence,

which he put in place as a young man, would be a source of motivation to the youth. Ooni said: “Early enough, he recognised the irreplaceable place of education as a factor towards having a successful career while he equally served his beloved country diligently as a committed public servant. On his part, Kazir recounted the cordial relationship and the wondeful experiences he had while working with Akanmode as the military governor of Kwara State. According to Kazir, “As the Director General of Government House, Sola, you were a vibrant officer in your forties, with a razor-sharp mind, who brought to bear on the job, the knowledge and experience of a much older person. “You were a highly articulate, committed, dutiful and enterprising staff. These attributes would endear you to so many of your colleagues and fellow staff officers in the governor’s office and indeed the entire state government at the time.” On his part, Salau who thanked God for the life of their mentor, Akanmode, said the celebrant’s years in Kwara State Government House had always been their rallying point. “In Kogi State, he stands out as a collosus that we can’t come by today and in future. All I will say and always is that he is the Awolowo of our time. “At seventy, my esteemed mentor is strong and stands above his peers. Congratulations our leader of inestimable value. My esteemed regards and best wishes always,” he added.

Govs Back Judicial Autonomy, Says Fayemi Victor Ogunje in Ado Ekiti The Chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) and the Ekiti State Governor, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, has said all the 36 states governors on the platform of the NGF are in support of the judicial autonomy sought by Nigerians. Fayemi said he had led delegation on behalf of the forum to meet with the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Ibrahim Tanko Mohammad, and the President of the Court of Appeal, Justice Monica Dongbanmensem, to reach a common front on the modality for the implementation across the states of the federation. Fayemi stated this yesterday while playing host to the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) President-elect, Mr. Olumide Akpata, in his office in Ado Ekiti. The governor said judicial reform remains the engine

room of any democracy, stating that necessary reforms must be undertaken in the judiciary to promote the rule of law. According to him, “One thing that is a priority to us in the NGF is the judicial autonomy. All governors in Nigeria are in support of judicial autonomy, but the contention had always been the modality for implementation. “I have met with the CJN and President of the Court of Appeal to work out the modalities for implementation to be in such a way that it will be mutually beneficial. We consider judicial autonomy a critical component of our democratic growth, and we must ensure that it happens. “In Ekiti State, matters of justice sector reform is so dear to our heart, and we are ready to work with the NBA to fast-track action on this for the sake of our judiciary.”

to provide periodic reports of the allocation and expenditure of their funds to the Budget Office of the Federation (BoF) from 2021. This is coming as the N10.81 trillion revised 2020 Budget, effective end of May 2020, posted a N2.35 trillion deficit or 51.01 per cent of the N5.365 trillion budgeted deficit for the full year. Apart from the NationalAssembly, NJC and INEC, other beneficiaries of Statutory Transfers include the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC), National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), Public Complaints Commission (PCC), North East Development

Commission (NEDC), and Basic Health Care Provision Fund (BHCPF). Government’s new position on Statutory Transfers is contained in the FGN 2021 Budget Circular issued by the Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Mrs. Zainab Ahmed. The budget circular sets out the requirements and instructions, which must be satisfied and followed in the preparation of the 2021 federal Government of Nigeria (FGN) Budget proposal Dated August 7, 2020, the circular with reference number ‘HMFBNP/2000/ EXP/S.800/1/3/35’, which was obtained by THISDAY stated

that “in compliance with the Fiscal Responsibility Act (2007), all beneficiaries of statutory transfers will be required to provide the BOF periodic reports of the allocation and expenditure of the funds received.” Government’s decision to scrutinise the finances of agencies benefitting from statutory transfers in the next fiscal year may not only have been inspired by increasing public demand for transparency and probity in public finance management, but prompted by a dwindling revenue profile. In particular, annual allocations to the National Assembly have over the years engendered intense public debate for lacking in openness. The recently unveiled 2021-

2023 Medium Term Fiscal Framework (MTEF) and Fiscal Strategy Paper (FSP) provides N481.41 billion as statutory transfers. The minister noted that the preparation of the 2021 budget estimates for MDAs should take into consideration the policies/strategies contained in the 2021-2023 MTEF/FSP, adding that the annual budget shall be prepared using the ZeroBased Budgeting (ZBB) approach, and in line with the government’s policy thrust, as articulated in the Nigeria Economic Sustainability Plan (NESP) as well as other relevant circulars.

RELIEF AT LAST...

Delta State Commissioner for Information, Mr. Aniagwu Charles (left), and Project Director, Asaba International Airport, Mr. Austin Ayemidejor, during the arrival of the first flight operated by Aero Contractors as a result of resumption of flight operations at the airport in Asaba ...yesterday

FG Commences Implementation Process of Non-custodial Sentencing Alex Enumah in Abuja The federal government yesterday commenced the process of the implementation of non-custodial sentencing of defendants found guilty of an offence with the review of the 2020 Draft Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Courts Sentencing Guideline and Practice

Directions. The move, which is geared towards the effective implementation of the Nigerian Correctional Service Act, 2019, commenced yesterday with a virtual interactive session, organised by the Presidential Committee on Correctional Service Reform and Decongestion in collaboration with the Federal

Ministry of Justice. Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami (SAN) in his keynote address said the pilot document will be extended to other states of the Federation, especially those states that have enacted the Administration of Criminal Justice Law.

The AGF noted that the move is to “ensure that congestion in prisons is reduced to the barest minimum through the use of non-custodial sentences in line with section 470(2) (c) of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act, 2015 (hereinafter referred to as ‘ACJA’) and section 2(1)(b) of the Nigerian Correctional Service Act, 2019”.

UNILAG Alumnus Jailed 50Years for Raping Student on Campus An Ikeja Sexual Offences and Domestic Violence Court yesterday sentenced an alumnus of the University of Lagos, Mr. John Osagie Otema, to 50 years imprisonment for raping a 19-yearold student of the institution on campus. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reported that 34-year-old Otema, a quantity surveyor and

facilities manager, was charged before Justice Abiola Soladoye with three counts of rape and assault occasioning harm on two female students. He was found guilty on two-counts of rape and assault occasioning harm in respect of the rape of the 19-year-old student (Student X) and was, however, found not guilty on a charge

of raping a 20-year-old student (Student Y) of the institution. He bagged 50-years in prison for the rape and three-years in prison for the assault on student X with both sentences to run concurently. In absolving Otema of raping student Y, Justice Soladoye noted that the demeanor of student Y in her testimony was mischievous,

adding that she would not have claimed that she was raped if Otema had paid her the N50, 000 agreed upon before their rendezvous. The judge quoted a portion of student Y’s testimony which stated, “With intention to scare him off, I asked him for N100,000 but he said he will give me N50,000.

APC, Secondus in War of Words over Alleged Militarisation of Elections Chuks Okocha and Adedayo Akinwale in Abuja The All Progressives Congress (APC) and the National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Prince Uche Secondus yesterday engaged in war of words over the alleged militarisation of elections in the country. APC in a statement issued by its Deputy National Publicity Secretary, Mr. Yekini Nabena, said that the main opposition party, the PDP is crumbling under the leadership of Secondus.

“The APC calls on Secondus to focus on the PDP which has become shockingly rudderless under his watch. “Under Secondus, the PDP has never had it this bad with the opposition party’s stakeholders detached from the party activities as was witnessed with notable PDP leaders boycotting the party’s 2019 presidential campaigns and the recent Bayelsa State Governorship bribe-for-ticket scandal that indicted Secondus. “Little wonder, the recent months have witnessed many PDP

members resign their membership due to Secondus activities which has brought the PDP to its knees.” Nabena noted that PDP under Secondus was in willful denial of the obvious that under the Buhariled APC administration, free, fair and credible elections is the new normal, while stressing that voting power was fast returning to the people and the era of stolen and procured votes is fast-fading. Nabena wondered why the PDP under Secondus does not support efforts to ensure the independence of the state’s

institutions such as the Judiciary, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the security services so as to ultimately deepen the country’s democracy and improve its electioneering system. He reiterated that Buhari’s declaration that the APC could have used the military and other security services to overrun opposition states in the 2019 general election but chose free, fair elections was a demonstration the party’s proven democratic and progressive credentials.

TUESDAY AUGUST 18, 2020 ˾ T H I S D AY

24 HOURS...

EFCC Arrests Soldier, 26 Others over Alleged Internet Fraud Warns institutions against suspicious transactions

Kingsley Nwezeh in Abuja Operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Lagos Zonal Office, yesterday arrested a serving soldier, Lance Corporal Ajayi Kayode, and 26 others over alleged internet fraud in the Lekki axis of Lagos State. This is coming as the acting Chairman of the commission, Mr. Mohammed Umar, yesterday warned Designated Non-Financial Institutions (DNFIs) across the country

against unreported suspicious transactions to appropriate government agencies. Kayode, with service number: NAF18/34732, was arrested in his military attire during an early morning raid at 6B Fatai Idowu Arobike, Lekki Phase 1, on August 15, 2020, following intelligence received from concerned members of the public about his alleged involvement in criminal activities. He was arrested along with Kalu Emmanuel, Hassan Sunday, Odinaka David Okem, Victor

Ochiabuito, Christopher Prince, Victor Ologhu, Alex Aka, Miracle Onyekwere, Habeeb Ayomide, Olakunle Ajeigbu, Rasheed Olanrewaju and Salam Hakeem. Others are Adeniran Nurudeen, Opeyemi Ojo Chris, Derrick Moris, Shehu Oluoti, Fuad Akinbayo, Babatunde Idowu, Uzo Igwe Nathaniel, Debowale Adedoyin, Shegun Emmanuel, Godswill Maduchem, Samson Kazeem, Oluwatobi Oluwatoba, Olaitan Ajao and Oyindamola Kareem. In his statement made to the

FCT Mobile Court Convicts 27 People for Breach of COVID-19 Protocols Olawale Ajimotokan in Abuja The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Mobile Court has convicted 27 persons for willful violation of the presidential order on COVID-19 regulations, pursuant to Section 4 of the Quarantine Act, Cap. 02, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004. The Magistrate, Idayat Akanni, yesterday awarded N2,000 fine against 24 defaulters who pleaded guilty with an option of a one-day community service in any of the government facilities. However, the remaining three persons, who pleaded not guilty, are to appear before the Magistrate Court at Wuse Zone

2 on August 21. The prosecution in the charge sheet, Udeme Umanah, said the defaulters were arrested at Pana village in Utako District for allegedly violating the 10 p.m. to 4 a.m. curfew, not observing social distancing and refusing to wear face mask when appearing in the public. “The court tried them and convicted them, except for three who denied liability. Those who pleaded guilty are to pay a fine of N2,000 or go for a one-day community service. Also three beer parlours have been sealed for four days,” the prosecutor, Umanah, stated. Commenting on the judgement,

the FCT Police Command spokesperson, Anjuguri Manza, said the dusk-to-dawn curfew was still in place and should be adhered by beer parlour and restaurant operators. Also fielding questions from journalists, the Chairmanof FCT Ministerial Task Team on COVID-19, Ikharo Attah, urged Nigerians, especially FCT residents, to comply with the safety guidelines. “Most people are thinking that the issue of COVID-19 is over, but is not; the fight against the pandemic is still on, so we must strictly adhere to the rules,” he said.

Court Remands Police Inspector for Allegedly Killing Fashion Designer in Osun Yinka Kolawole in Osogbo An Osun State Magistrate Court in Ibokun, Obokun Local Government Area yesterday remanded a dismissed Police Inspector, Ago Egharevba, for unlawfully hit a 20-year-old fashion designer with the butt of his gun. THISDAY had earlier reported that the ex-police officer hit Ayomide Taiwo with the butt of the gun over alleged N50 bribe on August 4, 2020. Ayomide, after six days in coma, died at about 08:30 a.m. on August 9 at the Ladoke Akintola Teaching Hospital (LAUTECH) in Osogbo, where he was receiving treatment.

The Nigeria Police Force had dismissed Egharevba after he was tried at orderly room. Police Prosecutor, Inspector Oladoye Joshua, told the court that about 5:00 p.m. at llahun, Ijebuljesa Road, Ibokun, Egharevba did unlawfully hit one Ayomide with the butt of his gun on top of a moving motorcycle which made him to lose control and fall down, leading to his death. He further alleged that the ex-police inspector thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable under Section 319(1) of the Criminal Code Cap. 34 Vol. Il Laws of Osun State of Nigeria, 2002. The Magistrate, Mrs. B.O. Awosan, ordered the remand of

the accused in Ilesa Correctional Centre in the state. She, however, adjourned the case till October 19, 2020. The family of deceased had urged well-meaning Nigerians to intervene in the case to avoid it being swept under the carpet. In a chat with THISDAY, the elder brother of the deceased, Taiwo Olaire, called on Nigerians to ensure the family gets justice in the case. He also said the family would resist all means by the police to bury the case, adding: “We won’t allow the police to bury the case; we are going to do everything within our means to ensure we get justice.

Military Destroys 12 Bandits’ Camps in Katsina Community Francis Sardauna in Katsina In a bid to completely eliminate banditry in the North-west region, troops of Operation Sahel Sanity have destroyed 12 notorious bandits’ camps and killed three of the criminals in Yobe Baranda community, Batsari Local Government Area of Katsina State. The acting Director, Defence Media and Operations, Brig. General Benard Onyeuko, stated this yesterday when he briefed journalists at the Special Army Super Camp IV in Faskari LGA

of the state. He said the Nigerian soldiers, during the combined special clearance operation in the area, left many other bandits with varying degree of injuries. According to him, “On August 12, 2020, in a combined special clearance operation, the troops destroyed 12 bandit camps at Yobe Baranda in Batsari LGA of Katsina State, three bandits were neutralised in the process while others escaped with various degrees of gunshot wounds.” He added that the troops also smashed a notorious arms

smuggling Nigerien syndicate, who specialised in supplying arms to marauding bandits in the North-west region of the country. The trio ofAlhajiAdamuAlhassan, Salisu Adamu and Abdullahi Sani, were nabbed by the eagle-eyed troops at Dantudu village in Mailailai District of Sabon Birni LGA of Sokoto State. The defence spokesman said the notorious Nigerien gunrunners were arrested with six AK-47 rifles, three AK-47 rifle magazines and 2,415 rounds of 7.62mm special ammunition deceptively concealed in various parts of their vehicle.

EFCC, Kayode said the “big shot Yahoo boys” in whose company he was arrested, were his friends, and that they had been teaching him how to make money through cybercrime. An EFCC statement said the ‘boys’ are allegedly members of Organised Cyber Criminal Syndicate Network (OCCSN),

as the ladies arrested with them confirmed the involvement of their “boyfriends” in internet fraud. Items recovered from the suspects included diamond jewelry, exotic cars and expensive phones. The suspects will be charged to court soon. Meanwhile, the acting

Chairman of the EFCC, Umar, yesterday warned Designated Non-Financial Institutions, (DNFIs) across the country against unreported suspicious transactions to appropriate government agencies. He said stiff penalties would be meted out to any erring DFNI in this regard.

PDP Faults Allocation of FG’s 774,000 Jobs Chuks Okocha in Abuja The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) yesterday said it has rejected the resorting to political godfatherism as well as underhand measures in the allocation of the federal government 774,000 jobs to cronies of political office holders instead of an open process that will accommodate every Nigerian. The party in a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan, described as illegal and anti-people method adopted by the All Progressives Congress (APC) and its administration, saying it is as an unpardonable injustice to the generality of unemployed Nigerians who do not have political godfathers and are not affiliated to any political party.

The PDP spokesperson, therefore, said: “While our party is not against the creation of job opportunities for Nigerians, we reject this crafty political allocation, which is a direct exclusion of hardworking Nigerians from opportunities that should have been open to them under an open and transparent process.” The PDP noted that since the funding for the jobs is drawn from the national purse, the process should be completely apolitical in a manner that grants unrestrictive opportunity to all Nigerians irrespective of political affiliation, ethnicity or creed. The PDP said it rejected a situation where in each local government area, 800 slots of the 1,000 jobs have already been penciled for political cronies while the remaining 200

openings are thrown open for contest to the public, which also include politically affiliated persons. The party stressed that such ‘brash violation of the principle of fairness and equal opportunity by the APC and its administration’, is a direct invitation to restiveness and acrimony in the country, and as such, should be immediately rescinded in the spirit of national interest and unity. Already,PDPexplainedthat“thereis a growing uneasiness and restiveness among Nigerians, who would definitely be denied opportunity to participate in this national process. “This is especially given allegations already in the public space that the resort to political allocation of jobs is designed by selfish APC leaders to corner the opportunities for selfish pecuniary reasons.”

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TUESDAY AUGUST 18, 2020 â&#x20AC;¢ T H I S D AY

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Man Sentenced to Death for Killing Farmer in Ekiti Victor Ogunje in Ado Ekiti An Ekiti State High Court in Ado Ekiti has sentenced a 26-year-old man, Dele Ojo to death by hanging. Handing down the harsh verdict yesterday, Justice Abiodun Adesodun said: “The circumstances of this case don’t allow for recommendation of clemency to the governor on behalf of the accused. “Therefore, the defendant is hereby sentenced to death by hanging. May the Lord have mercy on his soul.” The accused was on September

13, 2018, at Iroko Ekiti in Ijero LGA of Ekiti State murdered one Ajayi Adewole, contrary to Section 319 of the Criminal Code Law, Cap.C16, Laws of Ekiti State, 2012. During the trial, a witness, who was with the deceased when he was killed, said: “The accused had been stealing the deceased’s tubers of yam in the farm for a long time, but on that fateful day, they hid in the farm in order to catch the thief.” He disclosed that at about 2a.m., they saw the accused carrying hunting lamp on his head, pretending to be hunting

games and started uprooting the yams. The deceased was said to have called out the thief’s name, and to evade being caught, he shot the owner of the farm at close

range and ran away. Though he was rushed to Ijero Ekiti Specialist hospital, he was later confirmed dead. To proof his case, the prosecutor, Mr. Wale Fapohunda, called

four witnesses, including the Investigating Police Officer (IPO) and a medical doctor, while exhibits tendered include a Dane gun, photographs of the deceased, five tubers of yam,

accused confessional statements among other documents. The accused testified in his defence through his lawyer, Mr. Yinka Oyeleke, and called no witness.

Oyo Police Quiz Two Cops over Escape of Serial Killer Lawmakers demand probe Rebecca Ejifoma Oyo State Police Command has begun the interrogation of two its men from whose custody the prime suspect in the serial killings in the Akinyele Local Government Area of the state, Mr. Sunday Shodipe, escaped. This is coming as members of the Oyo State House of Assembly have called on the Inspector-General of Police, Mohammed Adamu, to order a thorough investigation into how the suspect escaped from police custody. The lawmakers spoke at a press briefing at the House of Assembly complex on Monday. The state Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Mr. Olugbenga Fadeyi, said the command had intensified efforts to re-arrest the suspect, saying other suspects arrested alongside Shodipe were still in custody. “Efforts have been intensified to arrest him. All other suspects are in custody. Those from whose care he escaped are being interrogated,” Fadeyi stated. Although the PPRO did not state how many policemen were being quizzed over the suspect’s disappearance, the Commissioner

of Police, Joe Enwonwu, later said two cops were undergoing orderly room trial over the escape. The CP said this when the Chairman of the state council of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Mr. Ademola Babalola, led the executive members to meet with him. “We are disturbed with the news of the escape of Sunday Shodipe. That is why we have to come here. Police custody should be the safest place to keep a suspect,” Babalola said. The lawmaker representing Ibadan North-West, who is also the Chairman, House Committee on Security and Strategy, Akeem Obadara, as well as the lawmaker representing the Ogbomoso North State Constituency, who is also the Chairman, House Committee on Women Affairs and Social Inclusion, Bimbo Oladeji, called on the IG to ensure that the suspect was re-arrested and those responsible for his escape punished. Oladeji said, “I hereby call on the Inspector-General of Police, Mohammed Adamu, to put Oyo State Commissioner Police, Joe Enwonwu, on his toes and ensure a thorough investigation into the circumstances surrounding the suspicious escape.”

Commercial Flights Resume at Asaba Airport Omon-Julius Onabu in Asaba After four months after closure, the Asaba International Airport in Delta State finally resumed commercial flight operations yesterday with the arrival of an Aero Contractors flight from Abuja. The flight, a Q300 Dash 8 with registration number 5N–BJO, which had on board the state Commissioner for Information, Mr. Charles Aniagwu, touched down at the Asaba airport at exactly 11.52a.m. Aniagwu, described the commencement of flight operations by Aero Contractors as one of the rewards of the development efforts of the state Governor, Ifeanyi Okowa. He said the arrival of the airline was a testimony that the investment made by the state government to upgrade facilities in the airport was well made, adding that there are prospects for other airlines to join and increase the flight options to and from Asaba. “The arrival of Aero Contractors

is a good omen for flight users in Asaba, because it will give air travellers more options. Good enough, we have more airlines that will be coming into this airport. Ibom Air is resuming flight in this airport soon, as we have always had AZMAN and Air Peace and now Aero. We are also looking forward to having Arik back to this airport. “That means flyers and travellers who make use of this airport will have more opportunities, and you know the effect that that will have on the ticket fares, and so we are quite excited. “I must also appreciate the good work by the Special Projects Director, Mr. Austin Ayemidejor, who has worked tirelessly to ensure that the airport reopens,” the commissioner said. In his remark, Ayemidejor said the state government had invested a lot to ensure compliance with prescribed regulatory protocols for the aviation industry in Nigeria, commending the governor for his commitment to the development of the airport.

TIME FOR ASSESSMENT...

L-R :Project Manager, Actionaid Nigeria, Mr. Newton Otsemaye; Executive Director, Peering Advocacy and Advancement Centre in Africa (PAACA), Mr. Ezenwa Nwogwu; and Special Assistance to the President on National Home Grown School Feeding Programme (NHGSFP), Mr. Adedotun Adebayo, during the public presentation of PAACA report on NHGSFP in Abuja...recently ENOCK REUBEN

Benue Won’t Repeal Anti-open Grazing Law, Ortom Insists Governor Samuel Ortom of Benue State yesterday insisted that no amount of threat, intimidation, or arm twisting will make him repeal the anti-open grazing law. He raised the alarm that Miyeitti Allah is planning to foist violence on the state. Ortom said these in a statement issued by his Chief Press Secretary, Mr. Terver Akase, titled ‘Miyeitti Allah planning to destabilise Benue’. Ortom said his offence was

his dogged stand against open grazing of animals in the state and his call for the declaration of armed herdsmen as terrorists. The statement reads in part, “For Governor Ortom who had previously come under a series of threats even to his life from armed herdsmen and their conspirators, the latest plot by these enemies of Benue State is not an unfamiliar terrain. “The governor says he is not intimidated or distracted by the

antics of armed Fulani herdsmen and their sponsors. No amount of falsehood in the media or any other platform can change his commitment to selfless service to Benue people. “The governor says for the umpteenth time that the state will not repeal the Open Grazing Prohibition and Ranches Establishment Law to pave the way for Fulani herdsmen to take over the people’s ancestral lands for cattle grazing. The Law has

not only come to stay; it is fully being enforced. “The Ranching Law has been well accepted by the people of Benue State and no intimidation or arm-twisting tactics from the named groups can change it. “Governor Ortom urges security forces to check the activities of Miyetti Allah groups who have sworn on several occasions to foist violence on Benue, and bring their members to justice for their crimes against the people of the state.”

NLC Writes Govs of Imo, Rivers over Alleged Anti-labour Practices Onyebuchi Ezigbo in Abuja The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has asked the Imo State Government to immediately pay the three months’ salary arrears owed to workers and pensioners in the state. The congress also wrote to the Rivers State Governor, Mr. Nyesom Wike, to complain against an alleged anti-union posture of the Rivers State Government that led to the sealing of the NLC’s office in Rivers State by agents

of the state government over the new National Minimum Wage’s implementation. In a letter addressed to the governor and made available to newsmen yesterday in Abuja, the NLC President, Comrade Ayuba Wabba, said that workers and pensioners in the state were yet to receive salaries and pension since March 2020. Wabba said: “I write to bring to your esteemed attention the unfair, inclement and very harsh working conditions that public

workers in Imo State are currently facing. “Some of these very dehumanising conditions includes the payment of salaries are staggered as less than 70 per cent of public and civil servants have not been paid salaries since March 2020. “Incidences of salary slashes in the Ministry of Justice, which paid only 25 per cent of the salaries for April, May and June and no reason was given for this,” he said. Wabba said that the negotiation

between workers’ representative organisations and the Imo State Government on salaries adjustment consequent on the new national minimum wage has been suspended by the state government. “Pensioners in Imo State are owed more than three months pension arrears. Also the nonremittance of check-off deductions since February 2020 and stoppage of check-off dues deductions by the Ministries Departments and Agencies,” he said.

El-Rufai’s WifeVisits State Assembly, Seeks Law to Castrate, Kill Rapists John Shiklam in Kaduna The wife of Kaduna State Governor, Hajiya Ummi El-Rufai, yesterday visited the Kaduna State House of Assembly (KSHA) to advocate for law castrating and executing rapists. The governor’s wife ,who said average of five rape cases, especially of

minors are reported daily in Kaduna, said severe penalty for rapists in the state penal code would serve as deterrent to others. Her visit to the KSHAwas coming ahead of the public hearing on the bill for a law to amend the Kaduna State Penal Code 2017 after the bill scaled through the second reading. The bill which sought to amend

Section 258 of the principal law was to be amended so as to make it more effective in protecting the citizens of the state particularly women and children against rape and other sexual violence. “I am here to see how our respected lawmakers can expedite speedy passage of the amended bill on sexual violence. It is

happening to our children and women every day. Our children and women need to be protected and that is why I’m seeking for the speedy passage of the bill. “Already, the governor is doing a lot to make Kaduna a safe place for all citizens irrespective of their gender and with all hands on deck, that is possible.

NANS Protest Killing of UNIPORT Student in Delta Omon-Julius Onabu in Asaba Hundreds of students yesterday took to the streets in Asaba, Delta State, to protest against the alleged killing of Mr. Nzete Ogochukwu Patrick, a 500-level student of Electrical Engineering, University of Port Harcourt. The deceased was said to be returning from the church last Sunday when he was allegedly

hit by a stray bullet in one of the quarters in Ogume town in Ndokwa West Local Government Area of the state, where there have been reports of renewed communal violence recently. The protesting students chanted mournful songs, demanding the unmasking and prosecution of the perpetrators of the dastardly act. The protest was organised by leaders of various students’

bodies, including the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS), National Association of Polytechnic Students (NAPS) and National Association of Delta State Students (NADESSTU). The protesters, cladded in black clothes and carrying placards with various inscriptions, alleged of plans in certain quarters to sweep the killing under the carpet, as there are unconfirmed reports that some

people had labelled late student as one of those fomenting trouble in the community. Speaking with journalists after registering their grievance at the Government House in Asaba, the President of NADESSTU, Mr. Godwin Saturday, lamented that late Patrick would have graduated this year but for the ravaging COVID-19 pandemic.

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Mikel Returns to England, Joins Stoke City in One Year Deal Femi Solaja After months of speculations, former Super Eagles Captain, John Obi Mikel, has teamed up with English Championship side, Stoke City. The significance of yesterday’s chapter in his career is that it marks exactly 15 years after his first match for the national team on August 17th, 2005 when Nigeria played a friendly against Libya in Tripoli. Interestingly, the same day marked the end of the career of former Super Eagles strongman in the defence line, Taribo West as Obinna Nwaneri replaced him. Mikel also came on for Christian Obodo in final preparatory match for away World Cup qualifying game against Algeria in Oran. But yesterday, Mikel who captained the Super Eagles at the last AFCON 2019 finals in Egypt, made a formal comeback into active club football when he signed for Stoke as a free agent since leaving Turkish side, Trabzonspor on mutual agreement in March this year. The former Chelsea midfielder made 249 Premier League appearances in an 11-year

spell which ended when he left Stamford Bridge in 2017. He won the Champions League and Europa League, two Premier League titles, three FA Cups and the English League Cup during his time with the London-based club. After Chelsea, Mikel joined Chinese side Tianjin TEDAand also had a brief spell at Middlesbrough in 2019. Stoke boss Michael O’Neill said: “I was really impressed with him when we met for the first time and he outlined what he wants from the next phase of his career. “We spent four hours talking and he made it clear he wants to get back into the Premier League and finish his career there and hopefully he can do that with Stoke City.” Mikel won 89 caps for Nigeria, playing in two World Cups and helping the Super Eagles win the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations, before announcing his retirement from international football last summer. Championship side Stoke won three of their last four games in 2019-20 to pull away from relegation trouble and finished 15th under former Northern Ireland boss O’Neill.

E U R O PA

Oliseh Celebrates Sevilla’s Win against Man Utd with Lopetegui Former Nigeria coach Sunday Oliseh has celebrated Julen Lopetegui’s redemption at Sevilla after they defeated Manchester United in Sunday’s UEFA Europa League semi-final outing. Sevilla came from behind at the RheinEnergieStadion to edge the Premier League side 2-1 and book a place in Friday’s final scheduled to take place in Cologne. Bruno Fernandes opened the scoring for Manchester United from the penalty spot in the ninth minute, but goals from Suso and Luuk De Jong in the 26th and 78th minutes, respectively, steered Los Palanganas to victory. The triumph made Oliseh, who managed the Super Eagles for eight months before resigning in February 2016, particularly excited for Lopetegui after his previous experiences in the dugout. He described Sevilla’s progress to the final as joy for Lopetegui after “suffering non-stop humiliations” in the last few years. “Since pre-World Cup 2018 scandalous sacking, Julen Lopetegui’s been to hell and back, suffered non-stop humiliations,” Oliseh tweeted.

“Sad for Man Utd fans, but extremely pleased for Lopetegui. Imagine the joy and relief his loved ones feel tonight. Wish him well in the final. It pays to keep believing.” The former Real Madrid manager was sacked on two occasions within five months in 2018. He was first relieved of his duties at the Spain national team with just two days before the country’s 2018 World Cup opener against Portugal in Russia. Lopetegui was dismissed from the national team camp after accepting an offer to take over at the Santiago Bernabeu immediately after the World Cup. His reign in Real Madrid was short-lived as he was sacked after four-and-a-half months in charge. After a string of poor results in all competitions which was capped by Real Madrid’s 5-1 loss to Barcelona in October 2018, the 53-year-old was shown the exit door in the Spanish capital. In June 2019, Lopetegui was appointed as Sevilla manager and he helped the club finish fourth in the Spanish top-flight table this season.

Europa: It’s Inter, Sevilla Final Italian Serie A side, Inter Milan ruthlessly dispatched Shakhtar Donetsk 5-0 last night to set up Europa final clash with Sevilla on Friday. Former Super Eagles winger, Victor Moses, played the last nine minutes of the second semi final as Romelu Lukaku and Lautaro Martinez each scored a brace to dismiss the Ukrainian giants.

Friday’s match will mark Sevilla’s return to the final since completing three straight wins in 2016 to add to their two previous titles, while Inter have not featured in the showpiece fixture since 1998 when they won third crown in this competition.

CHAMPIONS LEAGUE S’FINAL Today @8pm Leipzig v PSG

Mikel 91 appearances for the Nigerian national team before signing off last year July.

He is the most decorated Nigerian footballer and one of few players in the world to have

featured in all levels of FIFA’s 11-a-side tournaments namely FIFA-World Cup, Olympics

tournament, Confederation Cup, Club World Cup, U-17 and U-20 World Cups.

Former Super Eagles Captain John Obi Mikel has joined Stoke City

Ogbomosho Marathon Gets Nov 28 Date The maiden Ogbomosho 10km Road Race has now been scheduled to hold on Saturday, November 28, 2020, according to organisers of the race. The first road race to be held in the ancient city was originally scheduled to hold last May but had to be shifted due to the nationwide lockdown occasioned by the outbreak of the deadly coronavirus pandemic. “Now that the Federal Government has given the goahead for non-contact sports to return, we have rescheduled the first Ogbomosho Road Race for

November 28, 2020,” Chairman of the organising committee, Prince Oyebamiji Aderemi revealed yesterday. He admitted that the race has the backing of the Athletics Federation of Nigeria, AFN. “We have written to the AFN communicating the new date and have been assured of the necessary technical support by the governing body for athletics in Nigeria,” he explained. Oyebamiji is delighted with the response his committee is getting from people in and around Ogbomosho who are

happy the city is hosting a major road race event in Nigeria. “The number one sportsman in Nigeria, the Honourable Minister of Sports, Mr Sunday Dare has thrown his weight behind the race. “We are delighted the Sports Minister has demonstrated his commitment and dedication towards the actualisation of the race. His unwavering support has propelled the committee towards staging the maiden edition of the 10km road race which will serve as the benchmark for subsequent

editions,” he said and explained the reason for the race. “One of the major aims of the marathon is to improve the quality of life health-wise. Like we all know running helps to build strong bones as it is a weight bearing exercise, it strengthens muscles and improves cardiovascular fitness. “The race will also help to discover hidden talents,” stressed the committee chairman. The race will be flagged off at Oja Akande and ends at the Soun Ogunlola Stadium, both in Ogbomosho.

Barcelona Finally Sack Setien, Koeman Tipped as Next Manager Barcelona have sacked manager Quique Setien in the wake of their humiliating 8-2 defeat to Bayern Munich in the

Quique Setien has been sacked as Barcelona Manager

Champions League quarter-finals. The club fired Setien following a hastily-convened emergency meeting on Monday morning after suffering one of the darkest defeats of their 120-year history to cap a trophyless season. Former Barcelona player and current Holland manager Ronald Koeman is poised to become the club’s new manager. statement on Barcelona’s official websiteread: “This is the first decision within a wider restructuring of the first team which will be agreed between the current technical secretary and the new coach, who will be announced in the coming days.” Barcelona have also announced that elections for the presidency of the club will take place on the first match day from March 15

next year after they were brought forward. Victor Font, a candidate to become president, would be in favour of appointing Xavi as manager. He previously said: “I’m in tune with Xavi about the project, and personally, I love talking to him about football, and I hope he can lead our footballing project.” The club stated that they will oversee ‘profound changes’ to the first-team squad, while there will also be a ‘budgetary redefinition’ to cope with the financial impact of coronavirus. They say March was the most convenient time to hold elections given that the season starts in September, with the formal announcement of the elections to take place in January.

The statement read: “The Club will continue to implement the shock plan to reverse the sporting and economic situation, based on profound changes in the first team, and a budgetary redefinition to deal with the new situation caused by the Covid-19, before the end of this mandate.” Setien, the former Real Betis manager, was only appointed in January to replace Ernesto Valverde and ultimately took charge of just 25 games at Barcelona. Setien, 61, struggled with the pressures of managing the Nou Camp club as they lost out in the LaLiga title race to Real Madrid and exited the Copa del Rey at the quarter-final stage to Athletic Bilbao.

Gusau Sacked as Zamfara Athletics Association Chairman Zamfara State’s Directorate of Sports Development has announced the removal of Ibrahim Shehu Gusau as chairman of the state’s athletics association. In a letter addressed to the Secretary General of the Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN) dated August 17, 2020 and signed by Isikaya Magaji Shameel, the Zamfara State Director of Sports, Gusau was removed after ‘extensive deliberations’ by the

management and stakeholders of the state athletics association. Honourable Jamilu Aliyu Zannan Gusau has been duly appointed as the Chairman of Zamfara Athletics Association. Zannan Gusau’s appointment, according to the state’s director of sports was in line with the guidelines governing the appointment of Zamfara Athletics Association chairman. With this development, Ibrahim Gusau who has dragged

the Federal Ministry of Youth and Sports, the Minister of Sports, Mr Sunday Dare and the AFN Secretary General to court over his suspension and subsequent impeachment by the board of the federation may cease to be a member of the federation’s board. Ibrahim Gusau will also have to relinquish his position as president of the AFN following his removal as he ceases to be the zonal representative of the North West zone on the board of

the federation, a position which allowed him to contest for the presidency of the AFN in 2017. The North West zone will now hold a bye election where a new zonal representative will be elected into the board of the AFN while the congress of the federation will decide wether Honourable Olamide George, its vice president will be asked to act until new elections are held or he becomes the substantive president.

Tuesday August 18, 2020

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MISSILE Presidency to Oyedepo

“I hope this is not true. If it is, Oyedepo will have to manufacture his own country and live by his own laws. As long as he lives and operates within the entity called Nigeria, he will live by Nigerian rules and laws. He will do as he’s told by the law. Enough of lawlessness” – President Buhari’s aide on Social Media, Lauretta Onochie, taking a swipe at the founder of Winners’ Chapel, Bishop David Oyedepo, for attacking federal government’s regulation of financial activities of churches through CAMA.

TUESDAY WITH REUBENABATI abati1990@gmail.com

Bayelsa and Other Stories “S

orry about your man” “Thank you” “You know I used to think that this COVID-19 thing is a kind of scientific joke, but now I am beginning to take it seriously.” “How can you say that? It is people like you who mislead the public. I hope you have not been listening to those Pastors who tell people that COVID-19 is not real. I urge you not to commit suicide by exposing yourself unnecessarily. Are you aware that as at this moment the death toll worldwide is close to one million? And that over 21 million persons have been infected? You call that a joke?” “But I hear it affects only some kind of people, the rich in particular. Big men.” “No. You only get to hear about the death of big men. You know that Shakespearean quote: “When beggars die there are no comets seen;/ The heavens themselves blaze forth the death of princes” . Thousands of poor people are probably dying every week in Nigeria as a result of COVID 19. But nobody knows. Nobody will report their death in the news because nobody knows them. In any case, the poor have their own explanation. They don’t quite believe that there is anything called COVID-19. Just like you. They often attribute every death to witches and wizards.” “Are you saying witches and wizards cannot use COVID-19 as a weapon of destruction?” “In your mind. I’d rather stay with science. Superstition and ignorance are the twin threats to the war against COVID-19 in Africa. While the rest of the world is mobilizing scientists, laboratories and resources to find a cure to the disease, Africans are talking about prayers and witchcraft.” “But I hear that even scientists are saying that the virus doesn’t quite affect some people, due to previous exposure to a virus within the COVID family, or even common cold. Such persons develop natural antibodies in their T-Cells which protect them against the disease. I am actually quoting a report recently published in the Science Journal by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases led by Dr. Anthony Fauci, America’s top expert on infectious diseases.” “The truth about this disease is that nothing is certain yet. What I have heard is that the virus is constantly mutating and that a new strain has now been discovered in Asia which is likely to be more lethal than the current one. It is called G614.” “I forbid that in Jesus name.” “What are you forbidding? Just be careful.” “By the way, what do you think of the latest development in Bayelsa State? The Governor’s election has been nullified by the Election Petition Tribunal. What do you think will happen?” “Governor Douye Diri himself has indicated what will happen. He says his lawyers have been briefed to go to the Court of Appeal and that he is determined to go all the way to the Supreme Court. That is the best option available to him. A man who became Governor through the instrumentality of the law cannot be seen embracing any option other than the rule of law.” “Poor fellow. It is as if some people just don’t want him in that position. Four different petitions were filed against him at the Tribunal by four political parties: the Alliance for Democracy (AD) the United People’s Congress (UPC), the Liberation Movement (LM) and the Advanced

Diri Nigeria Democratic Party (ANDP). The petitions by the AD, UPC and LM were dismissed for lack of merit last weekend. But now a few days later, the ANDP petition has been upheld by the Tribunal. But should Douye Diri lose his seat because of a mistake that was committed by INEC? Diri was not the person who omitted the name and logo of the ANDP from the ballot box. INEC did that. Is it then right to cancel the election and order a re-run within 90 days on account of that?” “Yes. Absolutely. The Tribunal is correct. The ruling draws attention to a fundamental point about the validity of the Gubernatorial election conducted in Bayelsa state on November 16, 2019. The exclusion of the ANDP raises issues of validity.” “But do you think Diri will win at the Court of Appeal?” “I don’t know. We should just wait and see.” “So, if there is a re-run of the Gubernatorial election, will the candidate of the All Progressives Congress, David Lyon now be on the ballot too. After all, he won the election originally until his Deputy brought bad luck to the ticket and the Court nullified David Lyon’s victory.” “No. The APC cannot participate in the re-run election. The Lyon-Degi-Eremienyo ticket was declared invalid by the court. It remains so. But I foresee a lot of re-alignments. Even without a candidate in the election, the APC is not likely to fold its hands. The party can align with one of the other political parties, put up a proxy candidate on that other platform and give the PDP a serious fight. The APC will certainly see this as an opportunity to take Bayelsa back. Once their proxy candidate wins, the deed is done. One or two months later, the new Governor will simply jump ship and join the APC. Simple.” “It is that simple? I don’t think so” “Not quite simple but it is all a matter of political strategy. Strategy matters.” “Douye Diri will be foolish to allow the APC dislodge him with that kind of strategy. In fact, he should never have allowed the matter to get to this stage. He should have negotiated with the ANDP. Pay them off. In some states in the last election, there were some other political parties who were wrongfully excluded from the ballot sheet. The party that won at the end of the day negotiated with them and nobody went to court to challenge anything.” “Where did that happen?”

“Ask me again. Is it me you want to put into trouble? Are you not aware that if you say anything these days, you could be invited for a chat with the Department of State Services (DSS)?” “You just like to talk. You lack courage.” “Thank you” “Okay, just whisper it to me. I won’t tell anybody.” “Do I look like a child to you? I am just giving you an idea of how politicians behave. But one thing is certain, in Bayelsa, there will be re-alignments. We saw it happen in Imo State in 2007. That was how Chief Ikedi Ohakim of the Progressive Peoples Alliance (PPA) emerged victorious in that election. Chief Ohakim subsequently switched to the PDP, which decided to abandon its own candidate, Senator Ifeanyi Ararume and chose to campaign for Ohakim based on agreements. Ararume had taken the PDP to court. He was expelled by the party and taught a lesson.” “Politicians. But it doesn’t look like we will witness the kind of tension we are now seeing in Edo State in Bayelsa state, whatever happens.” “Let’s wait and see. You can never predict politicians, although I must say that what is going on in Edo State is something else. I am just worried about the people of Edo State. The politicians are not talking about what the people want. They are more interested in their own squabbles and ambition.” “I will be surprised if there is no outbreak of violence in Edo State on election Day, September 19 and after, followed by post-election conflict.” “The security agencies have their job cut out for them. If there is any breakdown of law and order in Edo State, we must hold the Nigeria police responsible, because the situation is foreseeable. Even the electoral commission INEC, has warned about the threat of violence in Edo State.” “INEC should play its own part too. Otherwise, the next thing we will hear is that due to so, so and so, the Gubernatorial election in Edo State has been declared inconclusive!” “INEC has got to do what it has to do. If the politicians in Edo State do not want that to happen, then they should conduct themselves in a peaceful manner.” “You know an idea just occurred to me. You know the Oba of Benin in Council can actually help ensure electoral peace in Edo State.” “The Oba already met with leaders of the political parties. He has appealed to them to give peace a chance. But you know the Oba of Benin cannot openly take sides. He is the father of all.” “I know. I know. But you think these politicians will listen?” “So what should the Oba of Benin do then?” “Simple. You will recall a time when there was a sharp rise in human trafficking and crime in Benin City. The Oba directed the palace priests to bring out all the traditional missiles of Benin City, some of which had not been brought out in the sun for about 800 years. Clad in flaming red, the priests, native doctors and metaphysicians gathered at the palace, with the Oba in attendance and placed a curse on anyone committing crime, promoting human trafficking and disturbing the Edo Kingdom. The strategy worked. Crime rate went down immediately. Human traffickers went on holiday. Every body just hailed the King: “Oba gha to kpe e” and

behaved themselves. I understand the people of Edo believe in the efficacy of curses. So, what the palace needs to do this time is to adopt the same strategy. Place a curse on anybody that tries to sabotage the Gubernatorial election in that state on September 19. You’d be surprised these politicians will not risk the outcome of ancestral curses. And nobody will allow his or her child to act as an agent of violence.” “You and your primitive ideas. Where have you ever heard of any such thing? Such an idea is unknown to the democratic process.” “It is not everything that you can subject to textbook ideas, my friend. What I am suggesting is a kind of home-grown democracy. Democracy in Africa does not have to be an exact replica of how democracy works in America. My suggestion will work if taken. I probably won’t recommend the same approach in another state, but in Edo State, it is the best way to ensure peace and protect the people.” “I see you have not been going to church for a while. But now that the churches have re-opened, you need to seek salvation and confess your sins.” “I am not going to church for now. I want to wait till we actually know where we are going with COVID-19” “I thought you were once a Trustee of your church.” “Oh, no. Not any more. And in any case, Church Trustees are now in trouble. In the new Companies and Allied Matters Act (CAMA) 2020, it is expressly stated that the Supervising Minister and Registrar General of the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) will regulate religious bodies and charity organizations. In addition, they can suspend the Trustees of an association or a religious body.” “Government is looking for trouble. The churches will protest.” “One of the General Overseers, Daddy Oyedepo, has in fact started the protest. He says no government can regulate his Church or appoint trustees for him. One of these days, I won’t be surprised if churches are asked to start paying tax, or that a General Overseer cannot also serve as Lead Pastor in the church. In other words, you can’t be Chairman of the Church and also be the CEO, while your wife is the Treasurer.” “That provision applies only to public companies, not non-profit organizations like churches.” “Who told you a church is not-for-profit? Some churches in this country are richer than many banks!” “Just be careful. You are toying with blasphemy.” “I know what I am talking about. Some church leaders even have private jets.” “Well, now that international flights will be allowed, the Pastors can now start enjoying their private jets again.” “International flights have resumed? When?” Not yet. On August 29, according to the Minister of Aviation, Hadi Sirika” “Do you think we are ready? International flights to where and from where? Definitely not to or from the United States, China, France, India, South Africa, Brazil, Mexico, Argentina or any country that is a high-risk COVID-19 hotspot.” “The Minister certainly needs to give more information. As for me and my humble household, no international travel till 2022.”

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