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NNPC Seeks $1bn in Oil Prepaid Deal to Revamp Refinery Repayment due in seven years Emmanuel Addeh in Abuja with agency report The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) has begun talks with trading firms to raise about $1

billion in a prepayment deal to refurbish its largest refining complex at Port Harcourt, it was learnt yesterday.

Reuters reported that if the financing is concluded, the long overdue rehabilitation

of the refinery should reduce Nigeria’s hefty fuel import bill.

The development will mark Nigeria’s second oil-backed financing since the COVID-19 pandemic that has added to the difficulty of finding

investors as fuel demand is sapped by lockdowns and renewable energy is gaining ground over fossil fuels.

The money will be repaid over seven years through deliveries of Nigerian crude

and products from the refinery once the refurbishment is complete, Reuters quoted some sources as saying, adding that Cairo-based Afreximbank is leading the financing.

“Afreximbank is looking into

a facility for the refurbishment of the Port Harcourt Refinery.

However, the borrower is yet to be determined,” a spokesman for the bank told Continued on page 9

Bowing to Pressure, FG Directs Reversal of New Electricity Rates... Page 8 Friday 8 January, 2021 Vol 26. No 9406. Price: N250

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In Backlash, Congress Leads Charge for Trump’s Removal Biden delivers stinging rebuke of would-be predecessor President's appointees resign in protest over insurrection Dike Onwuamaeze President Donald Trump yesterday faced a stirring revolt from the United States

political establishment after he incited a mob to assault the Capitol, as part of his agenda to steal victory from President-elect Joe Biden.

There is a growing bipartisan clamour in the legislature for Trump to be declared unfit for office and for his forcible removal.

The mob, who are now being dubbed domestic terrorists, marched on the Capitol after the president had addressed them, with a

vow to join them to stop the certification of Biden’s win in the November 2020 election.

The insurrection disrupted the certification process as

the lawmakers were ferried out of the building as the Trump supporters smashed Continued on page 9

FG: Buhari, Osinbajo, SGF to be First Recipients of COVID-19 Vaccines Vaccination to be televised to gain public support Urges govs to enforce health regulations Onyebuchi Ezigbo and Olawale Ajimotokan in Abuja The federal government yesterday listed President Muhammadu Buhari, Vice President Yemi Osinbajo and the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Mr. Boss Mustapha, among the first set of Nigerians to be administered with COVID-19 vaccines, when the country takes delivery of the first batch by the end of the month.

The Executive Director, National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), Dr. Faisal Shuaib, at the Presidential Task Force (PTF) on COVID-19 press briefing in Abuja, said their vaccination would be televised to inspire public confidence in the safety of the vaccines.

He had said on Tuesday that Nigeria was hoping to get 42 million COVID-19 vaccines to cover one fifth of its population through

the global COVAX scheme.

He had explained that the initial vaccines would come as part of Nigeria's plan to inoculate 40 per cent of its population this year and another 30 per cent in 2022, with shipment of 100,000 doses of the Pfizer vaccine due to arrive by the end of the month.

Shuaib, at yesterday's briefing, however, said the federal government would prioritise the first set of people to be vaccinated.

“In terms of the prioritisation of vaccines and strategic country leadership, what it means that I had mentioned that we will like to see a situation where Mr. President, the vice president, the SGF and critical leaders come and take the vaccine in full glare of the public to demonstrate that this vaccine is safe.

“So, we have to make provisions for those. But even Continued on page 9

EXPECTING BUA GROUP IN KWARA...

Chairman, BUA Group, Alhaji Abdul Samad Rabiu (left) and Kwara State Governor, Alhaji Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq, when the governor visited the company, in Lagos...yesterday

NUC Directs Varsities to Reopen January 18, After 10-month Closure... Page 5

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

NUC Directs Varsities to Reopen January 18, After 10-month Closure

Funke Ogundare The National Universities Commission (NUC) has directed vice-chancellors of universities to commence academic activities on January 18, in accordance with the directive of the Presidential Task Force (PTF) team on COVID-19.

The nation's public universities have been closed since March 2020, following a strike by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) and the lockdown occasioned by the curbs introduced to combat the spread of COVID-19 infections. The union suspended the strike on December 23, 2020 after the federal government met their demands, including paying the lecturers their outstanding salaries using an older payment platform, GIFMIS, different from the controversial IPPIS. The NUC said any further developments will be communicated to universities

accordingly.

The NUC, however, mandated officers on Grade Level 12 and below to remain at home for a period of five weeks as earlier directed by the federal government.

The directive was contained in a statement signed by NUC's Deputy Executive Secretary (Administration), Chris Maiyaki, on behalf of the Executive Secretary, Professor Abubakar Rasheed.

The executive secretary said the new directive became necessary sequel to several enquires on the full import of the commission's previous letter, Ref. NUC/ES/138/ Vol.63/151 and dated December 23, 2020, on the above subject.

He urged universities to safeguard lives by strictly adhering to the extant safety protocols and the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) guidelines, which have been communicated severally to the Nigerian University System through NUC's circulars.

Minister: Two Million Displaced

by Insecurity in the North Deji Elumoye in Abuja No fewer than two million Nigerians are living as internally displaced persons (IDP) as a result of terrorist activities in the North-east, as well as banditry and other forms of criminal activities in the North-west and other parts of the country, the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, Hajiya Sadiya Umar Farouk, said yesterday.

The minister, after leading a delegation to visit President Muhammadu Buhari at the State House, Abuja, spoke on the level of dislocation that humanitarian crises had inflicted on Nigeria when answering questions from State House correspondents.

According to her, the ministry has been doing as much as the resources at its disposal would permit to cater for the needs of all IDPs in different parts of the country.

She said: “As at today, we have over two million displaced persons in the country. Ranging from those displaced by insurgency, armed banditry, communal clashes and so on and so forth.

“The mandate of the ministry is to provide effective communication of national and international humanitarian interventions, ensure strategic disaster education and response as well as to formulate and implement policies and programmes geared towards social protection and inclusion of our citizens.

“So, the ministry is doing its best to see that people who are displaced in this country are given the necessary support by way of supporting their livelihoods, rebuild their homes in areas of disasters and settling those who have fled their places seeking for refuge, provided their communities are safe for them to return.

"This is what we are working and we hope to achieve the desired result.”

She said she led others to

visit the president to thank him for the attention and priority that his administration had devoted to people living with disabilities, adding that this is the administration that has ever given such attention to people with special needs.

“Today is a very important day for us and the disability community. We are here on a thank-you visit to Mr. President. First, for his support on the issues of persons with disabilities in this country.

“You may recall that in January 2019, Mr. President assented to the bill on the prohibition and discrimination against persons with disabilities in this country. That was the first milestone. Mr. President also graciously appointed the chairman, board members and the executive secretary of the National Commission for Persons with Disabilities.

“So, this is a visit to demonstrate our appreciation and our commitment to the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari.

“That was followed by the fulfillment of Mr. President’s campaign promise to the disabilities community, where he promised to sign the Disabilities Act when he comes on board.

“That has been done and the commission has been created.

So the next takeaway is for Mr. President to issue an executive order for compliance with this Act, especially in the area of access, where most of our public and private buildings are not really friendly to persons with disabilities.

“So, this is an appeal we have made to Mr. President and we are hopeful that he will direct both public and private buildings in this country to comply with this provision.

“Another issue is that of funding. Mr. President mentioned that the commission will be adequately funded in order for them to achieve the desired objectives of giving a dignified attention to the disabilities in this country,” she added.

"I am to add that universities on resumption of academic activities, must under no

circumstance violate the full cycle of the semester system, consistent with the Benchmark

Minimum Academic Standards (BMAS) approved by the NUC, as well as other extant

quality assurance standards and guidelines," the statement added.

SEEKING HELP TO REBUILD LAGOS...

Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu (left) and President Muhammudu Buhari during the governor’s visit to seek the federal government’s help to rebuild the state in the aftermath of the #EndSARS protests, in Abuja...yesterday

Analysts Project Nigerian Banks to Emerge Highest AfCTA Beneficiaries High electricity tariff will deny Nigeria benefits, say manufacturers Nume Ekeghe and Dike Onwuamaeze With the commencement of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) agreement on January 1, 2021, analysts and stakeholders have expressed optimism of Nigerian banks readiness, saying the financial sector stands to benefit most from the continental agreement.

The analysts, in separate interviews yesterday with THISDAY, added that with most Tier-1 banks already operating in many African countries and are continually expanding, that give them an edge over their counterparts in other African countries.

They added that with the increase in trade that would spur economic activities and increased lending, many banks are already in a liquid position to take advantage of AfCTA. However, manufacturers have warned that Nigeria's gains from AfCTA may be eroded with the current high electricity tariffs.

The immediate past President of the Chartered Institute of Bankers (CIBN), Mr. Uche Olowu, said Nigerian banks with more trade will be in a better position to increase lending to the real sector which in turn will spur economic activities.

He said: “Banks are ready especially as banks have procured good lines that would support trading and supporting manufacturers, exporters, Nigerians products, which would thereby jumpstart economic activities. Nigerian

banks are liquid and are prepared to lend out to those channels and outlets to serious manufacturers because it poses great opportunities for Nigerian banks and the Nigerian economy. Banks are there to intermediate and they have the information, data and all that it takes to support Nigerian businesses that are serious and credit worthy.”

Also, the President of Risk Management Association of Nigeria, (RIMAN) Mr. Magnus Nnoka, told THISDAY that Nigerian banks are well capitalised and have outlets across Africa which put them at an advantage.

Nnoka said: “We are amongst the most prepared country from the financial services point of view. Apart from a few banks in Egypt and South Africa, Nigerian banks are reasonably capitalised compared to other African countries.

“I think Nigerian banks, given their size today and given their track record, are prepared and positioned to attract partnerships that would also facilitate trade within the African block.”

According to the Chief Executive Officer, Eczellon Capital, Mr.Diekola Onaolapo, with great gains there is also need to increase risk management strategies.

He said: “On the surface, it should increase opportunities for banks because increased trade naturally means increased requirements for financing from banks and customers. So that is opportunity for growth area for them, however, given the

nature of the trade agreement in which there is access to a much larger market, it however means increased risks for banks. As banks approach the opportunities that is presented by the AfCTA, they also need to ensure that their risk management framework is bolstered to be able to embrace the additional challenges that is going to come with it.”

On his part, the Head of Consulting, Agusto Consulting Limited, Mr. Jimi Ogbobine, said: “In terms of the AfCTA, the Nigerian banking industry is better prepared than their counterparts, especially in Sub-Saharan Africa. They are more prepared than banks from Ghana, Kenya and maybe it is the South African banks that can give them a challenge in terms of exploiting AfCTA. But outside South African banks, Nigerian banks are the most prepared, especially when you are using footprints across the continents and for South Africa.”

MAN: High Electricity Tariff Will Deny Nigeria Benefits of AfCFTA The Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN) has described the revised Multi Year Tariff Order (MYTO) for January to June 2021, with the upward adjustment from N2.00 to N4.00 per kilowatt per hour of electricity as unfriendly to the Nigerian manufacturing sector.

The association also called

for the suspension of the latest increase, saying that the recent increase in electricity tariff is ill-timed and will exacerbate the already high manufacturing cost environment, worsen competitiveness, further depress productivity in the sector and might exclude Nigeria from the list of beneficiaries of African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).

MAN, in a statement yesterday on the recent increase in electricity tariff, and signed by its Director-General, Mr. Segun Ajayi-Kadir, said: “It appears to be insensitive to the prevailing precarious situation of the sector. The increase is coming at a wrong time and would clearly reverse the little gains in the recent past. This is against the background of prevailing harsh operating environment, the increasing burden of taxes, the enormous spending on self-generated electricity up to the tune of N70 billion (excluding hundreds of billions naira spent on settling monthly electricity bills) and the ailing state of a sector that is just recovering from a lockdown occasioned by the ravaging Covid-19 pandemic.”

Ajayi-Kadir stated that the increase in electricity tariff would decrease the manufacturing sector ability to earn foreign exchange due to increasing costs of production that would render their products uncompetitive.

The MAN also described at the use of inflation, foreign exchange rate and gas price as justifications for the increase in tariff as weak and debatable.

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Bowing to Pressure, FG Directs Reversal of New Electricity Rates Suspension of tariffs to persist till end of negotiations with labour Power sector hits another transmission peak milestone Emmanuel Addeh in Abuja The federal government yesterday directed the immediate rollback of the new tariff increase carried out by the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC), pending the conclusion of negotiations with the organised labour.

In a statement he personally signed, Minister of Power, Mr. Sale Mamman, noted that the reversion to the old tariff would allow the resolution of all the issues surrounding the hike.

The directive came just as the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN), yesterday announced a new milestone in electricity transmission with the sector recording 5,552.80MW on Wednesday.

The minister, however, refuted reports that the tariffs were increased by 50 per cent.

NERC had covertly approved the increase of the tariffs despite the power outages in the country.

In a memo to the Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company (IBEDC), obtained by journalists, NERC had said it hiked the rates considering the changes in inflation rate, foreign exchange, generation capacity, gas prices, among others, since the last review.

However, the increase came less than four months after the last one which was sternly, but unsuccessfully opposed by the organised labour, prompting a temporary suspension, that was finally lifted after negotiations, to pave the way for the implementation of the new pricing regime.

In the revised Multi Year Tariff Order (MYTO) signed by the Chairman of NERC, Mr. Sanusi Garba and Commissioner, Legal, Licensing and Compliance, Dafe Akpeneye, on December 31, 2020, NERC said the new tariff increase took effect from January 1, 2021.

However, the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and Trade Union Congress (TUC)

kicked against the new rates and asked the federal government to reverse the tariff increase or face the consequences.

To pacify labour, the federal government had summoned a meeting of the Sub-committee on Review of Tariffs and Charges in the Electricity Sector to review the decision.

Minister of Labour and Employment, Senator Chris Ngige, had told THISDAY on Wednesday that a meeting of the sub-committee had been scheduled to address the concerns and might hold latest this weekend.

But in the statement released yesterday in Abuja, Mamman, who said he had directed NERC to communicate the Distribution Companies (Discos) to revert to the pre-January 1 rates, contradicted himself, saying that the regulatory agency must be allowed to work without undue interference.

“It should be clear to all that the regulator must be allowed to perform its function without undue interference. The role of the government is not to set tariffs, it is to provide policy guidance and an enabling environment for the regulator to protect consumers and for investors to engage directly with consumers,” the minister said.

He stated that till date, the federal government still subsidises electricity tariffs to the tune of 55 per cent for power consumers in band D and E and those on the lifeline band.

“To promote a constructive conclusion of the dialogue with the labour centres (through the Joint Ad-Hoc Committee), I have directed NERC to inform all Discos that they should revert to the tariffs that were applicable in December 2020.

“This will persist until the end of January 2021 (when the FGN/labour committee's work will be concluded). This will allow for the outcome of all resolutions from the subcommittee to be implemented

together,” he added.

He explained that the reported percentage increase has confused the public, adding that government has been engaged in positive discussions about the electricity sector through a joint ad-hoc committee led by the Minister of State for Labour and Productivity, Mr. Festus Keyamo, and co-chaired by the Minister of State for Power, Mr. Goddy Jedy-Agba.

“The public is aware that the federal government and the labour centres have been engaged in positive discussions about the electricity sector through a joint ad-hoc committee led by the minister of state for labour and productivity and co-chaired by the minister of state for power. Great progress has been made in these deliberations, which are set to be concluded at the end of January 2021.

“Some of the achievements of this deliberation with labour are the accelerated rollout of the National Mass Metering Plan (NMMP), clampdowns on estimated billing, improved monitoring of the Service Based Tariff (SBT) and the reduction in tariff rates for bands A to C in October 2020 (that were funded by a creative use of taxes).

“Bi-annual minor reviews to adjust factors such as inflation are part of the process for a sustainable and investable industry and the regulator must be commended for implementing the subsisting regulations while putting in place extensive actions to minimise the adverse impact on end user tariffs,” the minister said.

On the alleged misconceptions concerning the actual rate, Mamman described reports of a 50 per cent hike as false,

but did not deny like NERC did that there was an increase.

The minister assured electricity consumers that the Buhari administration is committed to creating a sustainable, growing and rules-based electricity market for the benefit of all Nigerians.

Power Sector Hits Another Transmission Peak Milestone The Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) said yesterday that it had successfully transmitted an enhanced all-time peak of 5,552.80MW recorded by the power sector on Wednesday.

The company noted that the latest all-time peak transmitted surpassed the last peak generation of 5,520.40MW which was also effectively transmitted

by TCN on October 30, 2020

by 32.40MW. A statement by the General Manager, Public Affairs of the organisation, Mrs. Ndidi Mbah, in Abuja, said that the new milestone was wheeled at a frequency of 50.08Hz. The national peak generation of 5,520.40MW achieved in October, 2020 at 9.15pm, further surpassed the previous 5.459MW recorded on October 28, 2020 by 60.90MW. “The new national peak is a result of continued collaboration among players and the gradual increase in capacity in the power sector. On her part, with the current capacity of 8,100MW, TCN seamlessly transmitted the new peak at a frequency of 50.11Hz. through the nations grid,” the company stated.

The TCN attributed the new peak to the revamping of power transmission facilities, which have now been activated.

PREPPING FOR BETTER PERFORMANCE...

L-R: Director General, National Institute of Police Studies, Prof. Olu Ogunsakin; Inspector General of Police, Mr. Mohammed Adamu; Deputy Inspector General of Police, Mr. Usman Alkali and Deputy Inspector General of Police, Mr. Samaila Baraya, during a retreat for the police management team, in Abuja...yesterday kingsley adeboye

NIMC Suspends NIN Enrolment as Staff Begin Strike Emma Okonji in Lagos and Hammed Shittu in Ilorin The National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) yesterday announced the suspension of the enrolment for the National Identity Number (NIN) nationwide following an industrial action commenced by its staff who are demanding a better welfare package.

The staff shut down operations and suspended enrolment of NIN in all their branch offices nationwide.

Head of Communications at NIMC, Mr. Kayode Adegoke, who confirmed the strike, however, said NIMC would issue a statement in response to the strike.

But NIMC, on its official twitter handle yesterday, said: “NIMC wishes to assure members of the general public that glitches experienced in the enrolment process were being resolved and normal enrolment would resume

shortly. We apologize for any inconvenience caused and wish to assure you of our continued excellent service.”

The Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Dr. Isa Ibrahim Pantami, had in December last year, directed the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), to enforce the implementation of the integration of all registered SIM cards with NINs and gave a window of two weeks to complete the exercise. The deadline was later extended by six weeks to end January 19, 2021, for those who have already registered for NIN and February 19, 2021 for those who were yet to register for NIN. Pantami warned that subscribers who failed to integrate their SIM cards with their NINsp would risk outright disconnection of their SIM cards.

The fear of being disconnected compelled Nigerians to throng the offices of NIMC nationwide,

to enrol and obtain their NINs, a situation that led to unprecedented crowd at all NIMC’s branch offices nationwide.

Worried about the crowd, which became difficult to manage, NIMC staff demanded better welfare package and additional work tools to manage the situation.

However, the inability of government to meet their demands led to the strike action.

The NIMC unit of the Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria (ASCSN) directed members to embark on the strike, after its congress held on Wednesday.

In a communiqué released at the end of the congress and signed by the union’s Secretary, Mr. Victor Odia, and representative of ASCSN NIMC unit, Mr. Micheal Asekokhai, the workers said the strike became necessary to address issues of poor welfare package, lack of tools and risk of exposure to

coronavirus during enrolment.

“The meeting was convened to discuss the state of the exposure of staff members to COVID-19, the salary structure, its representation in the annual appropriation, the irregularities in the conduct of promotions and the personal protection and safety in light of the COVID-19 pandemic,” the communiqué stated.

The workers are also demanding a review of the ‘lopsided and irregular’ promotions done in 2017 and 2020, implementation of the approved salary structure and its appropriation in the 2021 annual budget as well as adequate provision of work tools for civic data enrollment.

They are also demanding the provision of adequate monthly operational stipends, work tools necessary for the process of enrolment of civic data. The work tools include power and connectivity (airtime and data connectivity), enrolment systems

and peripherals, stationeries and consumables such as NIN slips, enrolment forms, and A4 papers.

The union asked all NIMC staff to suspend all enrolment activities with immediate effect pending when their demands are met.

“Consequent upon the just-concluded congress of the above-mentioned association that took place on January 6, 2020, the unit executive directs all members on grade level 12 and below in the head office and state offices to report to their respective duty posts from January 7, 2020, and do nothing.

“All members at the local government offices and special centres are advised to stay away from their various centres as task force and implementation committees would be on parade to ensure total compliance with the directive.”

Meanwhile, thousands of applicants who went for enrolment yesterday, were locked

out and were not attended to.

In Lagos and Ilorin in Kwara State, hundreds of applicants who went for enrolment were locked out at various NIMC offices, following the strike.

During a visit to NIMC offices in Ilorin yesterday, many applicants who had arrived as early as 7am were disappointed as the gates to the entrance of the office were locked by security officials.

Also, reports from the NIMC offices at the University of Ilorin, Offa, Share, Unity area of Ilorin, among others, showed that the workers were not available to attend to the applicants.

Some of the applicants appealed to the federal government to meet the demands of the NIMC workers, in order not to truncate ongoing registration exercise.

They said a positive government response to the demands would go a long way to help the workers meet all set deadlines for NIN.

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PAGE NINE NNPC SEEKS $1BN IN OIL PREPAID DEAL TO REVAMP REFINERY Reuters.

The sources said discussions were taking place with some foreign and Nigerian trading houses, including some who have previously worked with Nigeria, and who asked not to be named.

When contacted, a top source within the corporation told THISDAY that the NNPC wasn’t willing to make any comments on the matter for now. “No comment for now.

We will speak about it at the appropriate time,” the source

said.

Apart from the problems of the pandemic and increased investor preference for carbonfree energy, defaults and fraud in commodity trading, mainly in Asia, have reduced the appetite of foreign banks for exposure to commodity trade finance.

A source at one foreign bank, also asking not to be named, said it was unlikely to participate in Nigeria’s latest effort because of lower credit availability and increased reluctance to take out exposure

in a high risk country.

Nigeria, Africa’s most populous country, has four refineries with a combined capacity of 445,000 barrels per day.

It has one in Kaduna and three in the oil-rich Niger Delta region at Warri and Port Harcourt. The Port Harcourt complex consists of two plants with a combined capacity of 210,000 bpd.

In 2019, the refineries lost some N167 billion naira ($439.47 million) and only Warri

processed any oil, while in April 2020, they were all shut pending rehabilitation.

Nigeria has struggled with the poorly maintained units for decades, with successive NNPC chiefs and politicians announcing a series of unsuccessful plans to revamp, privatise or expand the refineries.

NNPC abandoned a similar attempt in 2019 to partner with oil traders, producers and engineering firms to fund refinery revamps after more than a year of talks, saying it would

fund the projects itself.

The barely functional plants leave Nigeria completely dependent on imports and subsidy schemes also cost the country billions of dollars.

The federal government has said that it eliminated subsidies in March last year, but NNPC remains the sole petroleum importer, using some 300,000 barrels per day of oil to swap for fuel.

In December, NNPC opened a bid round for a contract to rehabilitate the Port Harcourt

complex.

The Group Managing Director, NNPC, Mallam Mele Kyari, also said last year that private companies would run the refineries once they were rehabilitated.

In July, global energy trader, Vitol and Nigerian firm, Matrix, backed by banks, agreed to lend NNPC $1.5 billion to support its upstream arm, the Nigerian Petroleum Development Company (NPDC), although the discussions that led to the deal predated COVID-19.

situations where people say we are threatening to lock down, we are not threatening. We are saying if these numbers continue to go up and we start having sickness index, we have no option and if we don’t want to lockdown, now is the time to follow non-pharmaceutical interventions – wear face masks, keep your distance from people, if you have respiratory symptoms, keep away from the public and if you are vulnerable stay at home.

“The numbers we are seeing now are the sort of numbers we were afraid of seeing back in March/ April and unfortunately, that is now coming back to us. So we will continue to work closely with all agencies of government, knowing they will be responsible, especially the chief executives to our protocols and guidelines and we will continue to reach out to the governors to ensure that where there is a risk of crowd, control measures are put in place to stop transmission,” Aliyu said.

Distribution to Hospitals

FG: BUHARI, OSINBAJO, SGF TO BE FIRST RECIPIENTS OF COVID-19 VACCINES in developed countries, what we have seen is that apart from the prioritisation of health workers, you have to also identify critical leaders that you don’t want them to be wiped off by the virus.

For example, in warfare, if you want to destroy your enemies, you look for specific leaders, captains, the generals, once you decapitate them, then the soldiers will become weak.

“So, as much as possible, you do not want to also leave your leaders vulnerable to COVID-19.

It doesn’t mean you want to prioritise politicians, that is not correct. I emphasised during the last briefing that we will prioritise our health workers because they are the ones in direct contacts with cases in isolation units,” he said.

On how long the protection the vaccine is expected to offer will last, he said: "One thing that we are aware of is that this vaccine is new. So we do not have absolute information about how long they will last because the vaccines are just a few months old. It is only a question of time before we know exactly how long their

immunity will last."

Shuaib also spoke on the prevalence of the new COVID-19 variant, saying that so far, it is only in the United Kingdom that the new variant is observed to be more virulent.

In his speech, the SGF, who chairs the task force, appealed to state governors to provide the back-up enforcement for the health protection regulations, which the federal government is seeking to develop to support existing COVID-19 protocols and to strengthen compliance with non-pharmaceutical interventions.

According to him, the health protection regulations will be of universal application across all the states.

Mustapha, who lamented that the country is presently at a tipping point arising from escalating surge in the number of COVID-19 cases, noted that they are able to convince the governors to back the new laws through local enforcement, regulations and authorisation when they met yesterday.

He said: “We are working round the clock to ensure that things are in place with

the support of the governors who are the principal officers in their states to ensure that something drastic is done to arrest this increase in number of states. During the last briefing, our number was 1, 304 but just two days after, it is 1, 664. I don’t know what figure I will come back with tomorrow. The picture I see is that the figure will keep rising and it has a correlation with the activities of last weeks.

“We are at a very critical stage in our national response and we will need the support of everybody to be able to navigate the picture of what PTF sees.

The effect of the Christmas and New Year will begin to manifest in the second and third week of January and the figures are going to be high.“ He explained that the PTF is aware that the world is at a critical phase of infections and is constantly reviewing its strategy to emerging situations, especially in risk communication, vaccine hesitancy, fake news/ disinformation.

He also called on the public to remain focused on the drive to

reduce infection rate and make the country safe again.

He urged the states to enforce measures that will help to curb the effect of the virus on lives and livelihood.

However, the National Coordinator, PTF on COVID-19, Dr. Sani Aliyu, said the federal government has not ruled out imposing a fresh lockdown on the country if the numbers of new COVID-19 cases continue to surge.

He said the numbers they are seeing are reminiscent of the numbers they were scared of projecting at the beginning of the pandemic in March last year, warning that people should comply with non-pharmaceutical interventions as a collective responsibility if they don’t want another lockdown.

“It is extremely important we take compliance with nonpharmaceutical interventions as a collective responsibility whether we are in government or outside government because it is still a risk across the board to the public. Looking at the numbers we are currently having, even though there are

FG Begins Oxygen

Also at the occasion, Minister of State for Health, Senator Olorunnimbe Mamora, announced the commencement of the federal government’s scheme on oxygen availability for all the states and the Federal Capital Territory ( FCT).

Mamora, who was represented at yesterday's briefing by the Director, Hospital Services, Dr. Adebimpe Adebiyi, said the federal government had earlier approved guidelines for the implementation of oxygen available intervention plan to help in the treatment of COVID-19 patients.

He said:"Facilities will be prioritised based on the severity of the gaps identified such as degree of need or the degree of unavailability oxygen determines the first or early beneficiaries of the intervention."

On the issue of vaccines, the minister said some countries have started rolling out vaccines, adding that Nigeria is exploring all available options to acquire vaccines for its people.

IN BACKLASH, CONGRESS LEADS CHARGE FOR TRUMP’S REMOVAL windows and doors to access and desecrated the inner recess of the legislative building.

Already the security agencies have identified some of the mob, who belong to extreme groups, and are seeking to question them.

The Congress, however, surmounted the challenge and resumed the process after the National Guards and the police had cleared off the mob, leading to the ratification of Biden’s victory.

Biden delivered a stinging rebuke yesterday of Trump, attributing the "unprecedented assault” on American democracy to the president's "contempt for democracy."

Congress Speaker, Nancy Pelosi, at a news conference, threatened that if Vice President Mike Pence and the cabinet failed to invoke the 25th Amendment to sack Trump, the lawmakers would be left with no choice but to impeach the president and remove him from office.

The 25th Amendment, ratified in 1965 after the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, allows for the president to be removed in the event of incapacitation. However, it’s a tall order because it requires both Pence and a majority of cabinet members to vote to remove the president who appointed them.

If Trump disputes his removal to Congress, both chambers would have to vote by two-thirds to remove him.

It was learnt that there is a growing concern about the danger Trump could pose to governance and democracy within the remaining 13 days to the end of his tenure.

So far, no fewer than 37 Congressmen have indicated interest in the impeachment bid.

The impeachment article, whose lead sponsor is Ilhan Omar, a Democrat from Minnesota, accused Trump of committing “high crimes and misdemeanours.”

In the article of impeachment

shared via her Twitter handle, Omar said Trump will continue to endanger US democracy if he remains in office.

“Once again, Trump has violated constitutional oath to faithfully execute the office of President of the United States and, to the best of his ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States,” the article reads.

“Every single hour that Donald Trump remains in office our country, our democracy, and our national security remain in danger. Congress must take immediate action to keep the people of this country safe and set a precedent that such behaviour cannot be tolerated.

"Articles of Impeachment for introduction, so proud of everyone co-leading this effort with us. We need to move quickly to remove this President from office," she added.

A total of 12 lawmakers were earlier listed as co-leads in the article.

However, in a subsequent tweet, Ilhan listed 24 additional lawmakers as co-sponsors, bringing the total number of lawmakers who are involved in the impeachment move to 37.

Pelosi Urges Pence to Invoke 25th Amendment Pelosi has urged Pence to invoke the 25th Amendment to remove Trump from office.

“Trump has committed an assault on our nation and our people. Pence must remove him and invoke the 25th Amendment.

If they fail to act, we may be prepared to move forward with impeachment. Justice will be done to those who carry out these actions of sedition and cowardice,” Pelosi said in an address yesterday.

Similarly, Senate Democratic Leader, Chuck Schumer, has also called for the invocation of the

25th Amendment to remove the president.

“What happened at the US Capitol yesterday was an insurrection against the United States, incited by the president.

This president should not hold office one day longer,” Schumer said in the statement.

Biden Rebukes Trump President-elect, Joe Biden, at a press conference yesterday to introduce his pick for attorneygeneral, Merrick Garland, condemned the “unprecedented assault” on American democracy yesterday, saying the event was very predictable, given Trump’s attacks on the hallmarks of democracy, such as his criticism of the free press.

Biden described the Capitol rioters as 'domestic terrorists' He lamented that the attack on the Capitol represented “one of the darkest days in the history of our nation.”

“It was not dissent. It was not disorder. It was not protest. Don’t call them protesters. They were a riotous mob, insurrectionists, domestic terrorists,” he stated.

Trump’s Appointees Resign over Insurrection Trump also battled an internal revolt in his administration yesterday as some of his appointees resigned over his roles in the assault on the Capitol.

Transportation Secretary, Elaine Chao, sent a notice to her colleagues that she was resigning from Trump’s cabinet, effective Monday, following the violence at the Capitol.

In a statement, Chao lamented the “traumatic and entirely avoidable event” of a pro-Trump mob storming the Capitol.

“It has deeply troubled me in a way that I simply cannot set aside,” Chao said.

The announcement makes

Chao the first cabinet secretary to resign following the insurrection.

Some senior figures were also weighing resignations or have already stepped down, including Trump's deputy national security adviser, Matt Pottinger, who resigned Wednesday.

On Wednesday, in addition to Pottinger, the first lady's chief of staff Stephanie Grisham, a press aide and the White House social secretary all resigned.

Yesterday, a senior administration official confirmed that John Costello, the Commerce Department's deputy assistant secretary for intelligence and security, resigned from his post.

Ryan Tully, senior director for European and Russian Affairs, also resigned from the National Security Council, a White House official confirmed. And Tyler Goodspeed, the acting chairman of the Counsel of Economic Advisers at the White House, submitted his resignation Wednesday, according to a person familiar with the matter.

Also, the US Capitol Police Chief, Steven Sund, has served a notice of resignation following criticism over an apparent lack of preparedness to deal with Wednesday's violent mob on Capitol Hill.

Sund's resignation is effective January 16, according to a Capitol Police official.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi earlier yesterday had called for the resignation of the Sund and said the House Sergeant-at-Arms had told her he was resigning too.

Trump Finally Agrees to Hand over to Biden Trump, however, has finally committed himself to peaceful transition of power from his administration to Biden after the Congress had ratified the president-elect’s electoral victory.

Trump, in a statement earlier

yesterday after the ratification of the Electoral College votes, had come close to admitting that he has lost his bid to be re-elected for the second term.

Trump said in the statement: “Even though I totally disagree with the outcome of the election, and the facts bear me out, nevertheless there will be an orderly transition on January 20th. I have always said we would continue our fight to ensure that only legal votes were counted.

“While this represents the end of the greatest first term in presidential history, it’s only the beginning of our fight to ‘Make America Great Again.’”

World Leaders React Former Nigeria’s President, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan, has told Trump that his ambition is not worth the blood of any American citizen.

Jonathan’s reaction came a day after pro-Trump supporters carried out an insurrection that was meant to disrupt the ratification of Biden’s victory by the American congress.

Jonathan, who conceded defeat to President Muhammadu Buhari in 2015 presidential election, condemned gaining power at the expense of peace and advised Trump to allow peace to prevail.

He said: “I have repeatedly said nobody’s political ambition is worth the blood of any citizen, in any part of the world.

Absolutely nobody!

“Again, I reiterate that it is better to lose power at the cost of gaining peace, than to gain power at the price of losing the peace. As a leader, one must not just look unto one’s own interest, but the interest and the good of society. It is never too late to reject the venom and inject the serum of peace”.

“It is necessary to state that the highest purpose of leadership is to bring people together, even those that do not share in your

philosophy. And you do not need an office to do that.”

The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Mr. Boris Johnson, described the mob attack on the US Capitol Hill as disgraceful.

Boris wrote on his Twitter handle: “Disgraceful scenes in U.S. Congress. United States stands for democracy around the world and it is now vital that there should be a peaceful and orderly transfer of power” in that country.

Nigeria’s former Minister of External Affairs, Professor Bolaji Akinyemi, also described the assault on the Capitol as an attempt to derail the democratic political process and set aside the peoples’ will in the November 2020 presidential election.

According to him, the insurrection is a global threat to democracy, just as he called on the federal government to issue a statement on the incident.

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FRIDAY JANUARY 8, 2021 ˾ T H I S D AY

NEWS

Court Delivers Judgment Tomorrow in Suit over Obaseki’s Alleged Certificate Forgery Alex Enumah in Abuja The All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Governor of Edo State, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, as well as his party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), will know their fate tomorrow in a suit seeking to remove Obaseki from office for allegedly forging his degree certificate.

Justice Ahmed Mohammed of the Federal High Court, sitting in Abuja, fixed the judgment day yesterday after lawyers to parties adopted their written addresses.

The judgment will come barely 24 hours to the expiration of the suit filed by the APC and one of its chieftains, Mr. Williams Edobor.

They had sued Obaseki for allegedly forging his University of Ibadan (UI) degree certificate he submitted to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), the second defendant in the suit, in aid of his

qualification for the September 19 governorship election in Edo State.

In the suit filed on July 14, 2019, the plaintiffs are asking the court to disqualify Obaseki and his party, from the poll, in the event that Obaseki was found to have forged his degree certificate.

Obaseki won the election on the platform of the PDP, defeating the APC governorship candidate, Mr. Osagie Ize-Iyamu.

In adopting his written address, Obaseki’s lawyer, Mr. Ken Mozia, (SAN) urged the court to dismiss the case of the plaintiffs on the grounds that they “woefully prove” allegations made against the governor.

PDP’s lawyer, Mr. Rasaq Isenalumhe, prayed the court to dismiss the APC’s suit for being incompetent and unmeritorious.

However, INEC’s lawyer, Mr. Mohammed Bawa, informed the court that the electoral umpire

did not file any process because of its neutrality in the suit.

The plaintiffs through their lawyer, Chief Akin Olujimi (SAN), however, urged the court to deliver judgment in their favour, owing to the evidence they were able to establish against Obaseki.

During the hearing of the case, the plaintiffs called in a total of six witnesses, including two associate professors, who tendered their individual certificates obtained from the University of Ibadan in 1978 and 1979 respectively.

But in his defence, Obaseki

called three witnesses, including the Deputy Registrar, Legal, University of Ibadan, Mr. Abayomi Ajayi, who told the court that the mere fact that some parts of the original of Obaseki’s degree certificate from the UI were missing in the photocopy he attached

to his form EC9 and 001 to INEC did not amount to forgery.

PDP and INEC, however, did not call any witness, although the PDP had based its refusal to call witnesses on time constraint, while INEC insisted on its neutrality.

PetrolTanker Explodes on Apapa-Oshodi Expressway Segun James Many lives were yesterday lost when a petrol tanker exploded on the busy Apapa-Oshodi expressway in Lagos State.

The explosion took place at the Toyota area closed to the popular Ladipo spare parts market at the Oshodi area of the state.

Although the casualty figure cannot be ascertained as the fire was still raging, THISDAY gathered that the accident happened just by the bridge leading to Isolo from Mushin as the driver lost control of the vehicle causing the truck to overturn around 9.30 a.m. and burst into flame immediately.

Many people were said to be at the area when the accident occurred.

Firefighters were at the scene of the incident battling the

inferno, even as officials of the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority were also on ground to divert vehicles to alternative routes The Director-General of the Lagos State Management Agency, Olufemi OkeOsanyintolu, said the fire incident occurred after the body of the truck detached from the head, adding that emergency responders are now at the scene of the incident to salvage the situation.

“The agency has activated its emergency response plan after a fuel tanker caught fire when the body detached from the vehicle head.

“Responders are on the scene to extinguish the fire.

Motorists are to use alternative routes. Further updates will be communicated to the public later,” he stated.

Insecurity: Christian Leaders Urge Buhari to Revisit 2014 Conference Report Alex Enumah in Abuja Christian leaders across the country have called on President Muhammadu Buhari to urgently revisit the report of the 2014 constitutional conference in order to actualize positive actions on the ongoing constitutional review.

The leaders maintained that the confab report be adopted so as to aid government in overcoming security and economic challenges confronting the nation.

In an 18-point communique issued at the end of a peace summit organised by the Nigerian Christian Pilgrim Commission (NCPC), the leaders pleaded with the federal government to stop paying lip service to the issue of security, hunger and social justice facing the various geopolitical zones of the country.

The communique signed

by Chief Kenny Martins,

Coordinator of the Peace summit urged government to rise to the challenge of security and hunger by creating an environment of fairness and equity for all and sundry.

They further counseled government to place high premium on human lives on the grounds that the primary responsibility of every government is the promotion of the welfare of the citizens.

Besides the Christian leaders canvassed that traditional rulers should be engaged actively to play positive roles in governance to promote peace and development.

Similarly, they urged government to recognised that truth is the only factor that can heal the wounds in the country and that the church should rise to play strong spiritual role in building the conscience of the nation, so that truth and justice can be promoted.

TANKER EXPLOSION…

Scene of petrol-laden tanker which exploded into fire along Oshodi-Apapa Expressway, byToyota Bus-Stop in Lagos...yesterday

Defence Minister Orders Military to Aggressively Tackle Insurgents Kingsley Nwezeh in Abuja The Minister of Defence, Major General Bashir Magashi (rtd), yesterday ordered the military to embark on decisive and aggressive onslaught against insurgents in the various theatres of operation.

He said 2021 would be a year of decisive and aggressive action against terrorists.

In line with the resolve, the minister ordered troops at various theatres of operation to embark on a more aggressive kinetic action against the criminal elements threatening national peace and security.

The minister gave the charge when the Chadian

Ambassador to Nigeria, Abakar Saleh Chachaimi, visited him in his office in Abuja.

A statement issued last night by the minister’s office said General Magashi told the Chadian Ambassador that “now is the time and year for aggressive and collective resolve by the two countries to stop cross border crimes fueling the activities of Boko Haram and ISWAP. “It is time for a more decisive and aggressive effort in ending insurgency and terrorism.”

He said through effective synergy, strategy and sincerity of purpose among the four- member nations of the Lake Chad

Basin Commission that the asymmetric war against the insurgents could be concluded this year.

The minister appreciated the fact that the Operational Headquarters of the Multinational Joint Task Force (MNJTF) headed by Major General I. M. Yusuf was in Ndjamena but called on the troops-contributing nations to show more commitment to neutralise the insurgents.

He assured the Chadian Ambassador that President Muhammadu Buhari was committed to empowering the troops to decisively deal with the insurgents and their cohorts.

In his remarks, the Chadian Ambassador, Abakar

Saleh Chachaimi, pledged on behalf of the Chadian President, Idriss Deby, the readiness and willingness of his country to cooperate with Nigeria to do the needful to end cross-border trafficking of weapons and to make chad inhabitable for the insurgents.

Ambassador Chachaimi appealed to President Buhari through the Defence minister on behalf of President Deby to open Nigeria-Chad border since the Chadian economic lifeline were dependent on Nigeria.

He assured the minister of his cooperation towards strengthening military bilateral arrangements and agreements with Nigeria.

Court Orders Sale of Obat Oil’s Hotel to Offset N5bn Debt Davidson Iriekpen The High Court of the Federal Capital Territory in Jabi, Abuja, yesterday ordered the sale of an Abuja hotel owned by Obat Oil and Petroleum Limited to offset N5 billion debt it owes Ecobank Plc. The judge, Hassan Babangida, gave the other in a suit filed by Ecobank.

The hotel in question, Febson Hotels & Malls, is located at Plot 2425, Herbert Macaulay Way, Abuja.

Obat Oil, the firm which owns the property, was founded by an oil mogul and popular monarch, the Olugbo of Ugbo Kingdom in Ilaje Local Government Area of Ondo State, Oba Fedrick Akinruntan, who was in 2014 ranked by Forbes magazine as the second richest king in Africa

and the richest in Nigeria.

Ecobank through the application filed on October 18, 2019 sought the court’s authority to sell the hotel to recover the N5billion owed it by Obat Oil. It claimed that it had reached an agreement with Obat Oil to sell the hotel to offset the company’s N5 billion debt, adding that the agreement was adopted by the High Court of Lagos State as a consent judgment delivered on March 15, 2017.

The bank, through its lawyer, Mr Kunle Ogunba (SAN), added that Obat Oil, in a November 16, 2019 letter, informed the bank that it had found a buyer for the hotel and would offset the debt with the proceeds of the sale.

It added that the company reneged on its promise to have the hotel sold and pay the N5bn debt on or before December 31,

2019.

Obat Oil’s lawyer, Mr Olalekan Ojo (SAN), did not deny his client’s N5billion indebtedness but maintained that Ecobank was no longer the creditor because the bank had in a letter dated April 5, 2017, allegedly assigned its rights and interests in the case to a third party, ETI Specialised Finance Company Limited.

He said this implied that only ETI Specialised Finance Company Limited could assert any right over the N5bn judgment.

Delivering judgment yesterday, the judge held that Ecobank had the locus standi (legal right) to enforce the Lagos State High Court judgment.

Justice Babangida ruled that there was nothing placed before the court to show that the alleged transfer of the bank’s right in the N5billion to ETI was complete.

He noted that although the bank in its April 5, 2017 letter stated that ETI would act on its behalf, there was no evidence showing that ETI complied with the condition in the letter requiring it to give the debtor the bank account into which the N5billion should be paid.

“The judgment sum has not been paid till today and it was agreed by the parties that the property in question, Febson Hotels & Malls, should be sold in satisfaction of the judgment sum,” the judge added.

Granting the bank’s application, Mr Babangida ordered, “The court hereby orders the issuance of a writ for the attachment and for sale of the property known as Febson Hotels & Malls and the sum of N5 billion to be realised from the sale should be paid to the applicant.”

FRIDAY JANUARY 8, 2021 ˾ T H I S D AY

11

NEWS

#EndSARS: Police Fully Recovered, Acquired More Equipment, Materials, Says IG Kingsley Nwezeh in Abuja The Inspector-General of Police (IG), Mohammed Adamu, yesterday said the police had recovered from the impact of the #EndSARS protests, having aquired more equipment and materials to keep the nation safe.

Speaking at a retreat organised for newly promoted Deputy Inspectors-General of Police (DIGs) in Abuja, the IG said in a bid to contain the challenges that confronted the organisation during the

#EndSARS protests, the Force capacited its personnel and procured more equipment and materials to protect the nation.

“Every member of the Nigeria Police Force is energetic and up and doing.

What you required of him if you give him the necessary tools, just go home and sleep.

“We capacited our personnel in terms of training and just recently, as a result of the #EndSAS protest, we have acquired more equipment and more

With $185bn Networth, Elon Musk Becomes World’s Richest Person Elon Musk has become the world’s richest person, as his net worth crossed $185bn (£136bn).

The Tesla and SpaceX entrepreneur was pushed into the top slot after Tesla’s share price increased yesterday.

He takes the top spot from Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, who had held it since 2017.

Musk’s electric car company Tesla has surged in value this year, and hit a market value of $700bn (£516bn) for the first time on Wednesday.

That makes the car company worth more than Toyota, Volkswagen, Hyundai, GM and Ford combined.

Musk reacted to the news in signature style, replying to a Twitter user sharing the news with the remark “how strange”.

An older tweet pinned to the top of his feed offered further insight into his thoughts on personal wealth.

“About half my money is intended to help problems on Earth, and half to help establish a self-sustaining city on Mars to ensure continuation of life (of all species) in case Earth gets hit by a meteor like the dinosaurs or WW3 happens and we destroy ourselves,”

it reads.

The tycoon’s fortunes have been buoyed by politics in the US, where the Democrats will have control of the US Senate in the forthcoming session.

Daniel Ives, an analyst with Wedbush Securities wrote: “A Blue Senate is very bullish and a potential ‘game changer’ for Tesla and the overall electric vehicle sector, with a more green-driven agenda now certainly in the cards for the next few years.”

Expected electric vehicle tax credits would benefit Tesla, “which continues to have an iron grip on the market today”, he added.

Bezos has also seen his fortunes rise over the past year. The coronavirus pandemic has meant Amazon benefited from stronger demand for both its online store and cloud computing services.

However, he gave a four per cent stake in the business to his ex-wife MacKenzie Scott after they split, which helped Mr Musk overtake him.

In addition, the threat of regulation has meant Amazon’s stock has not risen as high as it might otherwise have done.

Lagos Targets N60.31bn Monthly IGR for 2021 Segun James In spite of the negative effect of the COVID 19 pandemic on the Lagos State targeted revenue, the state government has stated that it is now targeting a monthly Internally Generation Revenue (IGR) of N60.31 billion for 2021.

The state Commissioner for Economic Planning and Budget, Sam Egube, who disclosed this yesterday while giving the breakdown of the state budget, said the state has also earmarked N15 billion for the ‘rebuilding Lagos project/ trust fund’ in the aftermath of #EndSARS protest in Lagos in October 2020.

According to him, the total IGR for 2021 is N723.817billion, with N60.13billion to be generated monthly, adding that a significant percentage of the projected total IGR of N512billion is expected to be contributed by the Lagos Internal Revenue Service (LIRS).

He said: “We shall achieve

this by expanding the tax net by simplifying the tax process; improving our transaction taxes and the appropriate use of technology in addition to improving the work environment, training and tools of our tax administration personnel. This will improve the efficiency in operations of all revenue generating agencies.

“We believe that there are huge revenue generating opportunities in the state, including real estates, transportation sectors and our markets generally among others.

We will continue to use data and intelligence to unravel revenue opportunities and leakages in the state.”

Egube said the state government would continue to maintain a relative conservative posture in its projection for federal transfers/receipts compared to the annual run rate in 2020 in view of the production challenges within the oil sector by keeping our expectation at N175billion.

materials that we need to secure this country,” he said.

Adamu said: “with that, we ask all our personnel to be out there, occupy the public space and make sure that criminals don’t have a field day in what they are doing. And they have heeded to that call.

“Now you can see that, where we had issues of insecurity as a result of #EndSARS, especially in the Southern part of the country, the thing has fizzled out, because officers have come back to do their jobs. They have occupied public spaces now and it’s being effective”.

On the direction of the police management in 2021, Adamu affirmed that the retreat for the DIGs would focus on strategies anchored on the vision and mission of the lead security agency.

“You are fully aware there must be certain direction for every organisation and we know that every organisation has mission and vision and after having those mission and vision must come up with strategies to achieve them.

“The Nigeria Police being a lead agency in internal security, we are supposed to provide security of life and property in Nigeria and there must be strategy to achieve that”, he said.

According to him, “We have a new management team now that is composed

of newly promoted Deputy Inspectors General of Police (DIGs) and we believe, they

must be conversant with strategies that they should apply in order to achieve the

mission and vision of the Nigeria Police and invariably secure this country”.

WEAPON OF DESTRUCTION…

The Controller, Federal Operations Unit Zone ‘C,’ Mr. Yusuf Lawal, displaying 5,200 live ammunition intercepted by the unit, in Owerri...yesterday

COVID-19: Lagos to Build 10 Oxygen Tents, Says Sanwo-Olu Says rebuilding of the state after #EndSARS protest has commenced Deji Elumoye in Abuja Lagos State Government has taken definite step to address rising wave of the COVID-19 pandemic with the building of 10 oxygen tents across the state for use by affected Lagosians.

The state governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, who made this disclosure yesterday while speaking with newsmen after meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari, also announced that the rebuilding of some parts of Lagos destroyed in the wake of the #EndSARS protests has commenced in earnest.

Speaking specifically on the second wave of COVID-19, Sanwo-Olu encouraged Nigerians to take full personal responsibility because of the threat of the pandemic, adding that the Lagos State government is already building oxygen tents and plants to help reduce the

number of casualties.

His words: “On COVID-19, it’s actually a very serious case.

We’ve all said it, we are in the second wave and incidentally, the second wave seems to be a bit more infectious than the first one, I mean the rate of infection and the number of people that we have seen. We still remain the epicentre, so what we’ve done is we never stopped building capacity.

“So, two things that we are doing now is communication and we are taking it to the grassroots to let people know that they need to take full responsibility and know that even for their loved ones they need to be real with themselves and know that COVID-19 is real, is with us and is not just something playing in their heads.

“We’ve seen, unfortunately, the fatality rate around the country, even in Lagos. One of the things we’ve realised is that a lot more

people require oxygen attention, they need additional breathing aid, so we have started building what we call oxygen tents, we are building about ten of such facilities, we’ve commissioned about four or five of them and we are also building proper oxygen plants, additional to oxygen plants in the state so that we can meet the respiratory requirements”.

The governor further revealed that following the destruction of property during last year’s #EndSARS protests, the rebuilding of affected properties has started in earnest through the Lagos State Employment Trust Fund.

Said he: “Its work in progress.

To take something down it takes one day, to rebuild it takes 10 years. It’s a journey, not a destination. And so, it’s going to take a while. We are carefully taking a proper study to know what we need to do, taking our time to get it right but we’ve started something.

“Some businesses that were affected, somebody having their shops looted or burnt or something. We’ve been able to directly begin to support such businesses, especially on a micro, small level using the Lagos state Employment Trust Fund.

They have started intervening and supporting some of these small businesses, giving them grants, giving them soft loans and making sure that they can come back together very quickly.

“The bigger larger items around infrastructure, around transportation, they will take a fairly longer time. We’re talking about a period that is still under three months. So, it’s still a working document that we are doing right now and we also have to be very creative in how we raise the finance. We didn’t have money anywhere; you know it was towards the end of a financial year and we’re just starting another year.”

Jonathan Returns to Gambia to Support Constitutional Review Process Chuks Okocha in Abuja Former President, Dr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, arrived in Banjul this evening to continue to support the process of building national consensus and backing for the ongoing constitutional review process in The Gambia.

His media adviser, Okechukwu Eze, said in a statement that Jonathan is returning to the country two weeks after he visited Banjul to facilitate the consultations for advancing the interparty

dialogue meant to garner the required support for a draft constitution currently being reviewed by the Gambian parliament.

According to the statement, the former Nigerian president’s invitation to The Gambia as a well-respected international statesman came as a result of broad consultations among different stakeholders in the country.

During his visit last December, he was said to have made reasonable progress in his

bid to get the political parties to reconcile their differences and give the draft constitution a fresh chance of being passed by the parliament.

The ongoing Gambian transition involves the drafting of a new constitution which has to be passed by the National Assembly before being submitted to a national referendum.

According to the Gambian authorities, the former president was invited as the eminent person to facilitate the process

of the dialogue because of his neutrality and proven record in democratic and constitutional reforms.

Dr. Jonathan is being supported by the leaders of the intergovernmental International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (International IDEA) who have been designated by the Gambian authorities to provide secretarial and logistics assistance to the former president, in the course of the mission.

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FRIDAY JANUARY 8, 2021 ˾ T H I S D AY

NEWS

Obiano Considers Fresh Lockdown over COVID-19 Surge David-Chuddy Eleke in Awka The Anambra State Governor, Willie Obiano, may announce a fresh lockdown in the state following the rise in COVID-19 infections.

A governor’s aide, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said Obiano was no longer comfortable with the rate the disease was spreading in the state.

The aide said, “The governor is just being considerate;

otherwise he would have announced lockdown in the state before Christmas.

Our people are abusing the privileges given them. The governor is thinking of a lockdown to save the lives of the people.”

A statement yesterday by the Commissioner for Information and Public Enlightenment, C-Don Adinuba, read in part, “Reports across Anambra State show a huge increase in the incidence which, if not

arrested now, will produce a catastrophic result in the near future.

“There are 80 confirmed COVID-19 cases in the state since the second wave began two weeks ago, meaning an average of 40 cases per week.

In contrast, the state used to

record nine cases per week on average in the first wave.

“The state government feared a big increase during the Christmas and New Year festivities because of millions of people coming into Anambra State from different parts of the country and beyond, so

it began early enough to issue advisories on how to contain the second wave of the pandemic.

“It is disheartening that there are people in Anambra State, who doubt that COVID-19 is ravaging the country and flout the protocols in the most

unconscionable and callous manner.

“There are two persons, who a few days ago, came for testing and were confirmed to be positive; instead of isolating themselves, they rejoined a wedding party and may have infected a number of people.”

Customs Impounds N12.53bn Worth of Banned Commodities Insists rice, frozen chicken, others remain prohibited James Emejo in Abuja The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) yesterday said goods valued at about N12.53 billion had been seized by the service as at January 5.

In a statement, Customs Public Relations Officer, Mr. Joseph Attah, listed the items to include 1,401 irregular migrants had been arrested while the total seizures included 159,506.7-(50kg) bags of parboiled foreign rice; 10,447 bags of NPK fertilizer used for making explosives; 1,974 vehicles and 895 motorcycles among others.

He said the priority of the service was to keep the country’s borders safe from any inimical activity that will compromise national interests.

He also said following the gradual reopening of the country’s borders, the Operation SWIFT RESPONSE (OSR) launched in August 2019 to combat smuggling at entry points had now transformed into Nigeria’s Joint Border Patrol Team (JBPT) as part of

a tripartite operation, comprising Benin, Niger and Nigeria.

He said the move followed renewed efforts to combat smuggling, irregular migration and other transnational organised crimes along the nation’s borders.

Attah stated that over a year into the operation, the smuggling of illicit drugs and proliferation of small arms and light weapons used to exacerbate violent extremism and terrorism in some parts of the country had been significantly curbed.

He, however, pointed out that with the reopening of the borders for commercial activities, items including parboiled rice, frozen chicken, illicit drugs, among others remained prohibited.

The statement said the National Security Adviser (NSA), Major General Babagana Monguno (rtd), whose office coordinates the joint operations, at the inauguration, applauded the unflinching commitment of the security operatives to the national assignment, and urged them not to rest on their oars.

Paternity Scandal: Group Commends FCMB on Nuru’s Compulsory Vacation Adedayo Akinwale in Abuja

A group, Oduduwa Development Initiative, has commended the management of First City Monument Bank (FCMB) for approving the stepping aside of its Managing Director, Mr. Adams Nuru, over alleged paternity scandal.

Nuru was asked to step aside in order to carry out investigation into the allegation and to restore stakeholders’ confidence in the banking firm.

The National President of the group, Mr. Akinyele Olasunbo, in a statement issued yesterday, commended the appointment of Yemisi Edun, as the bank’s acting managing director.

He, however, expressed sadness that instead of Nigerians to allow the soul of Thomas to rest in peace, the enemies of the financial institution are using the opportunity to commence a needless campaign against the bank.

Olasunbo stated: “We use

this medium to appeal to all not to be allowed to transfer undue aggression to FCMB establishment.

“It is imperative to note that the cardinal objective of Oduduwa Development Initiatives (ODI) is to proactively promote, protect and defend the interest of Yoruba kindred and their property at home and in diaspora whenever issues arises that is aimed at tarnishing the image of our race, disrepute our clan or demean our tribe.

“Therefore, let it be stated clearly to all and sundry that the leadership of Oduduwa Development Initiatives (ODI) will not compromise or allow any individual or group of people working towards decapitating the good image Otunba Subomi Balogun built impeccably with hard work, honesty and outstanding dexterity to succeed in their surreptitious attempt to smear a good image built over the years.”

TOUR OF DUTY…

L-R: Controller-General of the Federal Fire Service, Mr. Liman Ibrahim; Kebbi State Gov.ernor, Alhaji Abubakar Bagudu; Deputy ControllerGeneral, FFS, Mr. Quintus Azugu; and Commissioner for Works, Kebbi State, Alhaji Abubakar Ladan, during the tour of the ControllerGeneral of Kebbi State...Wednesday

EFCC Issues Alert on Sale, Purchase of NIN Says buyers, sellers risk arrest, prosecution Kingsley Nwezeh in Abuja The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) yesterday warned Nigerians seeking to acquire the National Identity Number (NIN) from offices of the National Identity Management Commission, (NIMC) to desist from doing so.

The anti-graft agency in a statement warned that it was illegal to sell the NIN as they

stand the risk of criminal liability.

“The EFCC wishes to alert Nigerians that it is not only illegal to sell their NIN, they stand the risk of vicarious liability for any act of criminality linked to their NIN “It has come to the knowledge of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, that some unscrupulous persons are cashing in on the excercise to

induce enrollees to sell their NIN for a fee”, it said.

The commission said the buyers of the numbers were also trading with them to persons whose motives were anything but noble.

“The EFCC wishes to alert Nigerians that it is not only illegal to sell their NIN, they stand the risk of vicarious liability for any act of criminality linked to their NIN. “In other

words, they risk arrest and prosecution for any act of criminality linked to their NIN see whether or not they are directly responsible for such crimes”, he said.

The commission warned members of the public against selling their NIN and urged them to report anyone seeking to buy their NIN to the nearest office of the EFCC or other law enforcement agencies.

CAC Mulls Amnesty for Registered Entities, Generates N19bn James Emejo in Abuja The Registrar-General, Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC), Alhaji Garba Abubakar, yesterday said it is working out modalities for granting amnesty on annual returns to registered entities including companies, business names and incorporated trustees.

He said details of the proposed relief programme would be announced before the first quarter of the year.

Speaking in an interview with THISDAY, he also stated that despite the adverse impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, the commission generated about

N19 billion in 2019 above the N18.2 billion target.

He added that the commission also hoped to surpass the N20 billion revenue target for 2021 by leveraging electronic systems transactions for majority of its operations going forward.

Abubakar, who clocked a year since assumption of office, said the CAC will this year intensify the enforcement and compliance of the provisions of the newly amended Companies and Allied Matters Act (CAMA), pointing out that most companies and other registered entities had not been filing returns as

required by law.

On the planned amnesty on annual returns, he said: “Yes, we are planning something on that because we recognised that the processing of filing before now was very difficult whereas, the old fees for small companies was N2,000 - if you want to file, you have to go through a lawyer, an accountant or chartered secretary and at the end of the day you will end up paying N50,000, and that has made it difficult.”

He said about one-third of companies are actually filing returns while majority of the business names had not

been fulfilling their financial obligations to the commission, a situation which he said will be met with stiff penalties going forward.

He said: “But if you give amnesty, it would be easier - not for all the years but for some reasonable number of years. We are actually looking into that and as I have said, very soon before the end of the first quarter.”

On the commission’s revenue performance and projections, the CAC boss said: “Despite the challenges of COVID-19, 2020 was one of our best years in terms of revenue generation.

Ondo Monarch Petitions IG over Murder, Arson James Sowole inAkure The traditional ruler of Ode community in Akure North Local Government Area of Ondo State, the Ajagunode of Ode community, Oba Adewale Boboye, has petitioned the Inspector General of Police (IG), Muhammed Adamu, over an alleged murder of three of his kinsmen, arson and wanton destruction of property by some assailants who invaded his palace last December.

The monarch, in the petition, alleged that some individuals in

the community masterminded the killing of three people in his palace and supervised the burning and destruction of his palace on December 10, 2020.

The petition was written on behalf of the traditional ruler and signed by his solicitor, Abiodun Amole of Messr Adeniyi Akintola (SAN) and co.

He alleged that some 17 individuals were behind the destruction and killing of the three people in Ajagunode palace.

The Oba counsel listed the three people murdered by the hoodlums

who invaded the palace in the middle of the night to include his younger brother, Adebayo Boboye; the monarch’s driver, Sunday Moses Owoeye, and Sola Osokute.

The solicitor stated in the petition that “we act as solicitors to His Highness, Oba Adewale Sunday Boboye, the Ajagunode of Ode community in Akure North LGA of Ondo State (hereinafter referred to as ‘our client’) and on whose instructions we forward this complaint.

“We have the instructions of our

aforementioned client to bring to your attention for necessary action against the unlawful/criminal invasion of his palace on December 10, 2020, at about 1a.m. by a group of assailants among whom are the following persons: Oluwole Kareem (Oluomo), Martins, Kole, Jenyo (Dapada), Shina, Eleyele, Muyiwa Akinsulu (Ooye), Eniola Alukundu, Samson Ajayi (Elemo), Kehinde (Egbo), Prince, Tarcle (Egbera Boy), Rotimi Chairman (Babane), Peter Meko, Olopa Yellow, Olopa Martins, and Chairman Olokada.

FRIDAY JANUARY 8, 2021 • T H I S D AY

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FRIDAY, ΀˜ ͺ͸ͺ͹ ˾ T H I S D AY

COMMENT

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

DIKWA AND PROJECT AFRICA Victor C. Ariole writes that it is time to discuss the future of Lake Chad

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t was a portentous statement when the C- in- C commented that the 1400km-stretch of the Niger Republic and Nigeria border is in the hands of God. And the stretch that unites both the 1400km Chad and Cameroon remains boundary-less zone. With the combined forces of elements of NATO and elements of Warsaw Pact operating in Niger Republic as per how to control the Uranium fields – about to be opened beyond Airlit and Akonan 900km of Niamey northward, now extending to Imouraren, Abokorum, Madouela, Agadez and Azelik, all within a radius of 1000km of Niamey, Niger Republic’s presidential election pitched between “inclusiveness” as led by the Arab, Mohammed Bazoum, supported by the outgoing Hausa “Zaki” Mahamadou Issoufou and the ECOWAS loyalist, former deposed president, another Hausa, Mahamane Ousmane, should be of interest to Nigeria. First round of that election produced 39% and 17% respectively for the former and latter.

Come February 21, so near, 7.5million Nigeriens will be out again to cast their final votes on how they intend to see Niger Republic governed – either as minority inclusive nation or as Hausa or Djerma dominated nation. This emphasis is important because the outgoing president, Issoufou, wants to be seen as more African than Hausa.

These two perspectives are germane to actuating the kind of Africa inclusiveness project Professor Dikwa seems to acknowledge as evasive in the quest for peace in the north – east, Borno; especially, where he comes from and where beyond the Boko Haram insurgency, he sees international conspiracy supported by those making money in Nigeria igniting, more, the fire burning in that space once noted to be the shining light of Borno – Kanem Kingdom, incorporating Chadic Arabs who seem to be migrating now to Niger Republic and controlling almost 60% of industrial activities there.

Professor Dikwa, on Channels Tv, relates what is happening to that region to what he noticed, had been happening in Congo Democratic Republic as mineral resource hungry investors deploy all arsenals to keep exploiting the DR Congo.

Uranium is undoubtedly spotted to be available in the north – east of Nigeria and as a weapon of both peace and war, NATO and WARSAW elements must go for the scramble like the scramble of mineral resources among them that had kept Congo Democratic greatly unstable.

Niger Republic is bordered by seven countries and if you extend Sudan, Tuareg and Janjaweed interests, it equates to having 10 bordering distinct interests like Congo Democratic Republic. Pockets of war mongers exist in all those bordering countries – Algeria, Libya, Chad, Nigeria, Benin, Burkina Faso and Mali.

The relative calm experienced there has to do with Areva presence, the only French company mining the uranium for now and the French army that controls the French speaking countries’ borders including the pact France has with the countries occupying the shores of the Mediterranean Sea – Morocco, Algeria, Libya, Tunisia, Egypt and even Israel.

MORE OF THE NIGERIEN HAUSAS, FULANIS, CHADIC ARABS AND EVEN THE ZARMAS WOULD FIND THEIR WAYS TO NIGERIA IF A CLEAR POLICY OF HOW BEST TO TIE EVERYONE’S INTEREST TO THE SURVIVAL OF LAKE CHAD IS NOT QUICKLY EMBARKED UPON

Except Israel, about 350 million Arabs are involved and they do seem agreeable only to the extent that a given economic interest unites them all – the peace of Mediterranean Sea. Same concerted efforts that make so seemingly unfriendly states cooperate must be explored for Lake Chad Basin.

Now extrapolate it to how the peace of Lake Chad must drive Nigeria’s mind so as to obliterate insurgency in the region Nigeria, Chad, Cameroon and Niger Republic share together before the explosion of uranium exploration takes over. For sure, like crude oil, uranium must be exploited by agreement or war.

Uranium is going to make life more miserable than Professor Dikwa thinks of now with just Boko Haram insurgency. Beyond USA drone station in Niger Republic, companies like Chinese SinoU, Korea’s EPC, Japan’s OURD and Spain’s Enusa are racing to have more of the uranium fields to exploit and in all, poverty abound in Niger Republic as well as the littering of over 200,000 litres of radioactive waste eating deep into the health of their inhabitants in Arlit alone as reported by “nuclear-risks.org”. In all, Africans are the suffering humans like it is in Borno.

More of the Nigerien Hausas, Fulanis, Chadic Arabs and even the Zarmas would find their ways to Nigeria if a clear policy of how best to tie everyone’s interest to the survival of Lake Chad is not quickly embarked upon.

Remember that Professor Zulum, the governor of Borno State, out of frustration, was asking the military to take the combat to the insurgency in the Sambisa forest and Lake Chad areas. The military is yet to tell him why it is not possible for now. It is not far from understanding that over 90 Islands in that space have borders not clearly demarcated, and any attempt by Nigerian army to enter the radar detectable space – well viewed by the great powers scrambling for the soul of part of a space they have mapped out as Evil Axis. And as stated by Harari (2017,17)… as knowledge became the most important economic resource, the profitability of war declined and wars became increasingly restricted to those parts of the world – such as the Middle East and central Africa – where the economies are still old – fashioned, material – based. With over 100 universities in Nigeria, how can knowledge economics be missing for a better Nigeria nay Africa? African Union (AU) must wake up to that reality.

Luckily the current Chief of Staff, Prof. Gambari knows all these having served as former UN Deputy Secretary.

So like Professor Dikwa worries, the time for a great roundtable to discuss the future of Lake Chad beyond the scramble it is suffering beckons. And by February 2021 when a coalition of other ethnic groups combine to deny Bazoum power in Niger Republic, the whole region should expect more of Janjaweed operations, remember Sudan. Time to act is now and France must collaborate with AU and lead in the roundtable as it did in Mali and the Mediterranean Region. r"SJPMF JT B 1SPGFTTPS PG 'SFODI BOE 'SBODPQIPOF 4UVEJFT 6OJWFSTJUZ PG -BHPT

TIME TO END COVID-19 HYSTERIA

It’s time to end all forms of restriction and lockdown, argues Soyombo Opeyemi

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resident Muhammadu Buhari should dissolve the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 without further ado. It is high time we ended the hysteria about corona virus pandemic, whether first wave, second wave or third wave! The death rate occasioned by corona virus pales into insignificance when compared with deaths on a regular basis as a result of other (preventable and treatable) diseases. For instance, pneumonia, a preventable disease, claims the lives of over 150,000 children every year in Nigeria! At least 90,000 Nigerians die of malaria every year! At least 50,000 of our women die during childbirth every year! However, the total number of deaths in Nigeria as a result of corona virus pandemic is about 1,324!

Besides, if the restrictions continue or there is any further lockdown, millions of the masses will die as a result of hunger or poor nutrition occasioned by loss of means of livelihood. All our health indices will take further plunge into irrecoverable abyss.

The poor have yet to recover from months of lockdown in 2020. Buhari’s government is for the masses. Yet, it is the same masses that suffer the consequences of Covid-19 restrictions and lockdowns. The well-heeled members of the PTF have done their best.

It’s time to wind up. The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) should be left to continue its statutory job. President Buhari is a friend of the talakawas. He should no longer be misled.

We appear to be self-centred in this country. Often times we play to the gallery.

How often we forget that Nigeria is not in Europe, North America nor is she among the Asian Tigers! I often wonder why those in the fore front of calling for restrictions, abridged or disguised lockdown, those calling for non-resumption of academic activities in the universities, or indefinite extension

of school holidays are usually public sector workers and political office holders, whose jobs and emoluments are secure. This group of citizens, who are not up to five per cent of the country’s population, are sure of their salaries at the end of every month! Over 80 per cent of the Nigerian workers are in the informal sector. They rely on daily income to feed their families. A number of them eke out a living in the public educational institutions that have been closed down for nearly a year.

Many of those educational labour union leaders have their children in private higher institutions of learning in the country. Since resumption of academic activities in these Nigerian private universities, one is yet to read of any student that died of corona virus.

Yet, before the advent of Covid-19, occasionally we read the sad news of the death of one student or the other due to other preventable diseases in the country. Were citizens not dying in higher rate of other preventable diseases before Covid-19 reared its ugly head? It is time to end the hysteria about corona virus in Nigeria.

In one state alone, infant mortality in the year 2020 was higher than the number of citizens the nation lost to Covid-19. In another state, maternal mortality was higher than the total number of compatriots that succumbed to the pandemic. Chances are more Nigerians have lost their lives as a result of fear of Covid-19 than the number that actually succumbed to the dreaded contagion. There are lamentable tales of preventable deaths of citizens just because the health personnel refused to attend to them for fear of Covid-19 infection. These people did not fall sick because of an attack of corona virus. Nigerians had been falling sick before the advent of Covid-19. How can we then conclude that all health conditions are products of corona virus infection?

Nigeria is in a recession. The economy, rather than grow, has contracted by about

five per cent. As a result of the debilitating 2020 lockdowns, many Nigerian companies sacked and continue to sack their workers.

Thousands of others have had to right-size or down-size (euphemisms for retrenchment), since they are no longer in business. Some companies are paying their employees 50 per cent or 25 per cent of their salaries.

Some firms are not paying at all - they are not making money; they are no longer in business!

This has created a social anomie. At the moment, unemployment situation has skyrocketed. Prices of goods have shot up astronomically. Some have gone up as high as 300 per cent, as a result of economic paralysis occasioned by Covid-19 restrictions and lockdowns.

Currently, there is a dangerous surge in crime. States are battling with rise in teenage pregnancies, cases of rape with murder as a result of closure of schools. Idle hands work for the devil! As livelihoods of citizens are wiped off, the rate of suicide as a result of frustrations is bound to rise.

The Nigerian economy cannot sustain these renewed staggered and scattered restrictions across the country. Life must return to normal without further ado. Wearing of face masks, washing of hands and social distancing as much as practicable should suffice.

Observation is one of the scientific tools.

How many poor masses have died of Covid-19 in Nigeria? Yet, thousands have died as a result of other (preventable) diseases. As of January 3, 2021, in a wealthy United States of America, the number of deaths was 360,028. In another rich country, the United Kingdom, the number of deaths was 75,024. But in a poor country like Nigeria, the number of death was 1,324!

What conclusions can be drawn from the figures? Could it be that corona virus is not a Nigerian disease? Could it be that Covid-19 is not a poor man disease?

With the high rate of disregard of Nigerians for ‘safety regulations’ such as social distancing and use of face masks, especially in markets, bus stops, bank premises, during (Edo) elections, at the registration offices of the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC), (even at the peak of the pandemic), millions of the Nigerian masses should have died of corona virus!

But NO! It’s time to end the hysteria about corona virus and face other more important matters germane to the well-being of the overwhelming majority of Nigerians. How do we end the yearly deaths of thousands of Nigerians from pneumonia, malaria, diarrhoeal, measles, tuberculosis, etc? How do we contain the rising maternal mortality and child mortality?

We deeply regret any life lost to corona virus but empirical evidence has shown that other diseases kill at least 10 times more in Nigeria than Covid-19. We sympathize with those who lost their loved ones to the pandemic. Our hearts are with them. The life of every Nigeria is important. But we cannot kill a million in order to save a 10!

Public and private primary, secondary and tertiary educational institutions should reopen without any delay. Worship centres should reopen without let or hindrance. We appreciate the efforts of governments across the federation to protect Nigerians from the infectious disease. Now is the time to end all forms of restriction and lockdown. We cannot kill a million in order to protect 10.

As experts have predicted, corona virus is not about to disappear even if we lock down Nigeria for another year. A degeneration of the social anomie is inevitable if there are any further restrictions. It’s time to end the hysteria about corona virus. r4PZPNCP NFEJB QSBDUJUJPOFS BOE QVCMJD BGGBJST BOBMZTU XSPUF GSPN "CFPLVUB WJB EFOTJUZTIPX!ZBIPP DPN

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EDITORIAL

THE CASE FOR REGIONAL COOPERATION Regional integration will boost economic development

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hen two years ago governors of the South-West states met in Ibadan, Oyo State, the issue of regional integration returned to the front seat of national discourse. At the end of the meeting, the six governors within the zone said they were seeking new ways of cooperation to better the lives of their people, pledging to work towards a common goal of promoting economic development of the region. The meeting eventually led to the establishment of ‘Amotekun’ security unit to tackle insecurity in the region.

It is the reluctance of President Muhammadu Buhari to consider the recommendations of the 2014 National Conference that has made regional integration WITH STATES REAPING a pleasing alternaECONOMIES OF SCALE, tive to the much EXPANDING THEIR MARKETS more desired restructuring of the AND COLLECTIVELY Nigerian federation.

EXPLOITING THEIR The conference RESOURCES, WE THINK THE had recomCHANCES ARE THAT THE mended several REGION’S ECONOMY WOULD steps that would devolve many of the BE STRENGTHENED responsibilities on the exclusive list to the concurrent list in the 1999 Constitution as amended so that state and local governments could appropriate and deliver on them for the betterment of their people.

Notwithstanding, contiguous states have begun to revive the concept of integration of economies and social services.

This, for understandable reasons, has taken regional forms as states within geopolitical zones in the country find that their needs are related and could be collectively met.

Through the principle of economy of scale, states could leverage on their areas of strength and subsequently impact positively on the region as they mutually benefit from their comparative advantages.

The governments of the South-West states of Ekiti, Lagos, Ogun, Ondo, Osun and Oyo headed in this direction

Letters to the Editor

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

with the establishment, in 2013, of the Development Agenda for Western Nigeria (DAWN) Commission. It is designed as the institutional and programme management body to midwife the region’s integration agenda by coordinating the delivery of its composite development aspirations. The agenda focuses on mobilising the collective strengths, assets and capabilities lying within the states of Southwest Nigeria, towards achieving sustainable socio-economic growth and development that would result in high standard of living and improved well-being for the people of the region.

Yet DAWN only followed the footsteps of BRACED, an acronym for the six South-south states of Bayelsa, Rivers, Akwa Ibom, Cross River, Edo and Delta. Set up in 2009, by the six states’ governments who agreed to collectively pursue economic cooperation and integration with the sole objective of accelerating the development of the region, the BRACED Commission was established to drive the process of economic cooperation and integration among the South-south states.

The compelling argument of the developers of regional agenda is that it would leverage repressed communal assets, talents and resources located within the region, by side-tracking limitations placed on the country by the inchoate Nigerian federalism. We cannot agree less with this concept.

Given the nebulous nature of the nation’s federal system, regional integration has become a development imperative, since it prescribes an alternative road map for achieving social and economic development, in the hope that successful models and best cases could evolve which could be copied or replicated across zonal boundaries. This way, duplication of efforts among states would be reduced, providing the basis for more efficient coordination.

With states reaping economies of scale, expanding their markets and collectively exploiting their resources, we think the chances are that the region’s economy would be strengthened, holding out hopes for the fast-tracking of Nigeria’s development process as positive competitive regional initiatives and actions across the country thrive.

Our charge to the promoters of this concept, however, is that they should quickly go beyond seminal pronouncements and take concrete actions that would translate the idea to practical reality.

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.

SICKENING JUJU CANNIBALISM

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e must not pretend that the recent dank news out of Iwo, Osun State, was just one of those “normal things” that the Southwest is known for. We must not be de-sensitised to horror stories about “native” juju-men and voodoo practitioners trading in human flesh and all other human-anatomy body parts whilst ritualising human blood as the “lubricating oil” to quick cash and wealth. Does this even make sense to a rational human? What is the connection between human parts and minted currency notes under the purview of the Central Bank of Nigeria? Have we gone mad in Nigeria? It was a grotesque tale about how young men at Iwo lure friends into murderous traps and then harvest their vital organs for “money rituals.” Since the councils of traditional rulers and ifa-orisha-osun-shango-yemanja haven’t spoken forcefully against this social tradition, one is forced to conclude that adherence to our so-called “traditional values” is

what fuels these evil deeds. If we interrogate the practices of our native cultures into the recent past, we will be alarmed at the codices of beliefs that ruled the lives of pre-colonial Africa, especially those norms dealing with human sacrificial offerings. But, that was the past and I am not ashamed to posit one more time that “White colonialism” (read “education”) has been a blessing to the folks of our generation. Imagine living in Dark Africa when inter-tribal warfare was the norm and raiders who captured hapless prisoners of war were required to make an offering of these humans to their pagan deities. It is the vestige of this “culture” that has been resurrected as “money rituals.” It is so easy to dismiss the perpetrators and the victims of this ritual juju cannibalism as “poor people” but the headhunters are on the prowl looking for victims of all social classes to kidnap to satiate their black magic voodoo rites. Nigerians must now more than ever before speak out against these vices, whatever the “native culture” excuse that is made and one that

makes known that sacrificing other human beings imbues one with supernatural abilities (especially the one to conjure up sack-full of cash). Herein, the government must criminalise certain aspects of our native beliefs that are sheer evil and quite against the tenets of civilisation. We have heard that certain “powerful” tribal chieftains are still interred with their “slaves” even at this present time; some even “display” these “slaves” in the full glare of the public view at big-event moments (they are euphemistically called “sword-bearers” but in reality they are the “attendants” who will be interred live with the chieftains to do chores for these chiefs in the “afterlife”). Now, with Christianity, modernity, science, technology, computers, medical science, etc., haven’t our traditional institutions become quite irrelevant in the overall desire to dictate to the natives just what is sane and what is pure crass? rSunday Adole Jonah, Department of Physics, Federal University of Technology, Minna, Niger State

A WORLD OF HORROR

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n the normal world of Washington politics this was meant to be basically a day of boring bureaucratic vote counting but someone moved Washington into an alternative world of horror. People attacked the Capital building, four people were killed, democracy was damaged but will recover, several (ex) Presidents condemned the actions of the MAGA loving crowd whereas one President was banned from Twitter.

In Hong Kong there were riots in the streets, in America there were riots in the streets. In Russia, China and North Korea there are Narcissistic leaders, in America there are Narcissistic leaders. In England, Australia, Canada, New Zealand there are leaders elected in a simple, unchallenged, democratic process, in America there is not.

Can we just turn off the TV, Twitter and just wait till that afternoon in January when the normal world returns? r%FOOJT 'JU[HFSBME Melbourne, Australia

T H I S D AY ˾ FRIDAY JANUARY 8, 2021

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POLITICS

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

With Coronavirus On My Mind, l Bid Bye Bye to 2020 Magnus Onyibe, a former member of the Delta State Executive Council laments the parlous state of healthcare in Nigeria, drawing his conclusions from COVID-19 casualties

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s l exhale and remain thankful to God for the escape of my family and l from the tumultuous year 2020 that tormented mankind with Coronavirus; and as l and other survivors of the horrific 2020, bid the year with the most unprecedented holly burly, good bye, l welcome year 2021 with the hope that, since over six types of Coronavirus vaccines are already in use in both Western and Eastern Europe as well as China , the worse may be over with the COVID-19 pandemic that has in the space of less than one year, extraordinarily exterminated nearly two million lives world wide, and nearly 1,500 in Nigeria, and still counting . I particularly recall with great pains in my heart , Dr Ted lkem Gbemudu, who yielded up the ghost on New Year Day, 2021 after being struck

by Coronavirus.

Dr Gbemudu who owned a flourishing medical practice in Memphis, Tennessee , USA was visiting Nigeria from the 16th of December to attend an uncle’s funeral ceremony in his hometown Illah, Delta , State.

Unbeknownst to him the stealthy Coronavirus was lurking in the air and he was to become a victim of the invisible virus ravaging mankind.

After the ceremony in llah , he arrived Lagos on Sunday 27 December and a mutual friend of ours, Andy Isichei informed me that Ted was in Lagos and he (Andy) had arranged for him to meet us at a location in Probyn Road, ikoyi and l agreed to be there at the appointed time. However, since l was engaged in a writing chore at that point in time, and did not want my trend of thought to be broken , l sent an apology to Andy that l couldn’t keep the appointment and promised to catch up with them the next day.

As Andy would later inform me , while hosting Ted, he noticed that he was coughing. That prompted him to suggest a COVID-19 test on him and the result turned out to be positive.

With no vacant bed situation in all the major hospitals in Lagos, Dr Gbemudu was admitted into Yaba Isolation Center, where his condition rapidly deteriorated, such that he needed to be put on a ventilator. But there was only one in the center and it had already been taken up by a patient.

It was while his family was desperately searching for a hospital with a bed and a ventilator that he tragically passed away.

The irony of it all is that , while Dr Gbemudu was a proud owner of a sprawling medical practice in the USA , where he has saved thousands of lives, he literarily walked into the lion’s den in Nigeria by getting sick while in a country notorious for having shambolic healthcare system . Had he any inkling that he was getting into a sort of cul-de-sac by visiting Nigeria during COVID, he might have stayed back in the USA-an environment where he could have had a fighting chance against the deadly disease which is now the world’s public enemy No 1, with sorrow , tears and blood as its regular trade mark-apologies to Fela Kuti.

The jarring truth is that with the dearth of medical facilities and perhaps personnel (most have been lost to brain drain) in our country , we are all in dire straights. That’s simply because whenever we fall sick and need critical health care in our country , we probably have less than 20 percent chance of survival due to the scandalous condition of infrastructure and personnel in our health institutions .

Whereas the rich that comprise of about 5 percent of society can hop into their private jets or the take next flight to foreign countries for medical remedies , the poor is unfortunately confined to making do with healthcare services in our country which

has degenerated into an Intensive Care Unit, ICU and a killing field.

Life is such a mystery and a paradox.

Dr Gbemudu was a life saving physician in far away USA and from the 20th of December 2020 when he decided to visit his homestead, he fell ill and was helpless. A medical doctor who has saved thousands of lives , could not help himself , neither could

adequate medical care be provided in his country to save his life . What a cruel twist of fate and irony of life!

About two years ago, when l was in Tennessee, USA for my annual medical check up, three medical doctor friends of mine in Tennessee area -Dr Emmanuel Obi, Dr Ayo Olusanya, and Dr. Ikem Gbemudu were my hosts. I was cared for medically and feted

Asoluka Promises as Ohaneze Ndigbo President David-Chyddy Eleke examines the chances of one of the leading figures for the office of President General of the apex Igbo sociocultural group, Ohaneze Ndigbo, Dr Chris Asoluka

O

n January 10, the Igbos will go to the polls to elect a President-General for Ohanaeze Ndigbo. Among those in the race are men who are very seasoned in Igbo affairs, but of course, just one will emerge after the electionThere are factors which those who have the right to vote would be looking for in the aspirants.

Dr. Chris Chigoziri Asoluka is one of the aspirants. He has shown capacity to lead Ndigbo too. Asoluka, a political scientist, lawyer and policy strategist is one man whose ability to lead is not in doubt. His thoughts, ability to lead and sagacity in leadership are in doubt. For him, his priority as President-General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo would be, “The task of institutionalization of Ohanaeze Ndigbo worldwide, in line with its constitutional targets, is one thing that must be accorded priority for true ownership of the association, funding and effectiveness.”

He said, “Our team will take back Ohanaeze Ndigbo to the grassroots; build bridges with the young and womenfolk and link up with the diaspora energy and resources. Ohanaeze Ndigbo, which has been accepted as the apex socio cultural group in Alaigbo, must rise squarely to rebuild trust and renew our people’s hope and confidence in ourselves. Thus Ohanaeze Ndigbo will speak for every Igbo man and woman, canvass and negotiate to secure our collective interests.”

He continued, “The truth is if you

must speak for me, you need to know my feelings, thoughts and fears before you do so. Therefore, our institutionalizing process of Ohanaeze Ndigbo is to generate inclusiveness and feedback system. We need to make the Ohanaeze Ndigbo worldwide to be seen by every Igbo person as an institution to be respected, loved and cherished. That was how Igbo State Union was run and managed. With strong institution in place, our people will willingly participate in Ohanaeze Ndigbo and support her activities.”

Speaking on the task of fighting marginalization of Igbo in Nigeria, he acknowledged that there was infrastructure deficit including seeming lopsidedness in its distribution. “I also acknowledge the failure of federal character/representation, appointments and opportunities.”

He however said that to resolve some of the issues will entail a multi-prong approach hinged on networks, negotiations, advocacy and at times agitation.

He said he will reach out to political leaders of all shades, mount robust advocacy and/or credible agitation, including use of unified economic, demographic and spiritual endowment of Ndigbo when rebuffed! He assured to engage the governments of the day and create ways of making Igbo voice heard, and heard loud and clear.

NOTE: Interested readers should continue in the online edition on www.thisdaylive.com

lavishly by the trio throughout the period of my medical evaluation with them. While Gbemudu lived in a sprawling mansion in Nashville, the others were in Jackson, so we were shuttling between both cities.

I can recall Dr Gbemudu driving us to a posh restaurant in Nashville in his sky blue convertible Bentley Sedan car where we all had a sumptuous dinner in celebration of the completion of my medical examination-a period during which l was forbidden from eating food for a few days.

Now, his life has been terminated suddenly , because he visited the land of his birth where basic life sustaining facilities or amenities are acutely in short supply or non existent . With only one ventilator in a strategic COVID-19 centre, and engaged for the care of another patient, the doctors in Yaba isolation center were faced with the Hobbesian choice and the consequence was the untimely and avoidable death of a highly sort after physician in the USA who was in the wrong place at the wrong time.

When his tragic death and that of the little over 1,400 COVID-19 precipitated deaths are added to the harvest of deaths in the hands of terrorists, bandits and kidnappers that is now a daily routine in Nigeria , our country may soon earn another unenviable epithet of being the worst place to be born and live in the world . That’s in addition to being the poverty headquarters of the world and 3rd in the hierarchy of most terrorized in the global terrorism index.

Probably , if Dr Gbemudu had not visited Nigeria , he would still be alive today, helping save lives in his medical practice in the USA at this critical time that his services as a highly trained and resourceful medical doctor is needed by humanity to combat the menace of COVID-19 pandemic.

Expectedly and painfully , the sad event has forced open the horrific memories of the passage of my daughter Kikaose Ebiye -Onyibe on 12 April, 2017 in Gold Cross Hospital, (now Lagoon Hospital) in Ikoyi-Lagos. The hospital is a presumably first class health facility in high brow Lagos , where a ventilator and oxygen that could have saved her life, were conspicuously absent. Nearly four years on, l can recollect how helpless and hopeless l was , seeing Kikaose gasping for air in the lntensive Care Unit , ICU of (Gold Cross) now Lagoon Hospital without a ventilator and oxygen to aid her breathing. The excruciating and agonizing sight still makes me break out in cold sweat with attendant tears in my eyes.

Had l been aware of the incredulous and scandalous state of affairs in the hospital which lacked simple equipments , despite the high cost of their substandard services, l could have (against the doctor’s advise) taken the option of flying my daughter back to the UK from where she had arrived Nigeria the previous day. Perhaps with adequate equipment and expert medical personnel, Kikaose could have had a fighting chance of having her ruptured appendix removed without her being killed in the process.

But my 18 year-old daughter , that was a second year law undergraduate at the University of Birmingham, UK, was forcefully taken away from me by death due to lack of a ventilator in our so called first class private hospital in a country that appears to be on a downward spiral to the bottom of the list in the global life expectancy index.

It is heart wrenching that four years after , on the first day of 2021, my good friend , Dr Ted Ikem Gbemudu has also yielded the ghost because there was no ventilator in a major COVID-19 isolation center in lagos to save his precious life.

NOTE: Interested readers should continue in the online edition on www.thisdaylive.com

T H I S D AY ˾ FRIDAY JANUARY 8, 2021

17

PERSPECTIVE

EPISTLES of ANTHONY KILA

Trump’s Mob Day of Infamy Happy New Year on a

Personal Note

Chido Nwangwu, Publisher, USAfricaonline condemns the recent assault on United States Capitol, the meeting place of the United States Congress, by Anthony Kila, Centre Director at CIAPS Lagos, salutes the courage of ordinary people and the seemingly supporters of President Donald of America simple things they do to make life meaningful

J

anuary 6, 2021 has become the Donald Trump mob Day of Infamy.

It is the day that the United States and the world witnessed the explosion of the megalomanaical and selfish impulses of the 45th President of the United States, Donald Trump.

On that day, Trump and his supporters diminished the collective dignity of America as a beacon of democracy. The mob invasion and thrashing of the U.S Capitol building, location of the Senate and House of Representatives, left millions wondering: is this really happening in America?

Why should Trump’s personal, naked ambition violently assault the temples of American democracy?

Why is an American President so consumed by his surrealities and fictional focus on falsehoods that he will place at risk, willfully and deliberately, his Vice President Mike Pence and most of the Congressional contingent of this country?

The world is understandably disappointed by the crudities and vile excesses of the evidently tempestuous and corrosive Trump.

A man of ungovernable attitude and outrageous fixations. He promised to Make America Great Again (MAGA); but sadly, the man has dragged to the mud the wellearned, centuries old reputation of America as the land of peaceful transfer of power.

Permit me to simply say that America has been trumped! He’s the one who encouraged and incited violence at his Washington DC rally of the same day January 6. He addressed his mob and anti-democratic, fascist forces, telling them to head to the United States Congress to send a message through a show of force.

All for the simple reason that he lost the November 2020 election, free, fair, duly and constitutionally certified, to Joe Biden.

I recall vividly on Thursday evening November 5, 2020, the dubious billionaire falsely told Americans: “If you count the legal votes, I easily win.” He continued to sing the false song, that pernicious lie, shamelessly misleading song that the election was stolen.

January 6, 2021, Donald Trump’s Mob Day of Infamy, as thousands of his violent supporters set upon the U.S Congress, the Prime Minister of Canada, Justin Trudeau tweeted “Violence will never succeed in overruling the will of the people. Democracy in the U.S must be upheld - and it will be.”

Yes; it has been upheld.

And, it will be in America even if one million Donald Trumps emerged tomorrow.

On her part, the Prime Minister of New Zealand, Jacinda Arden tweeted about the same time that: “Democracy - the right of people to exercise a vote, have their voice heard and then have that decision upheld peacefully should never be undone by a mob. Our thoughts are with everyone who is as devastated as we are by the events of today. I have no doubt democracy will prevail.” Yes; it prevailed.

On balance, permit me to note, again, that Donald Trump’s presidency is ending, sadly, how and where it started in January 2016.

President Trump and his enablers decided from the beginning that they will force-feed Americans and the world a sweetened but toxic porridge of bold and bald lies as daily requirements and operational instruments for governance.

It has been almost Orwellian — where bronze is gold, bad is good and lie is truth. Particularly, the Trumpian lies about the coronavirus.

Mr. Trump started his embattled presidency with harsh ideological bifurcation and overdose of racially polarizing vernacular, and is ending with the same as reflected in his dog whistle messages.

Consequently, history will denote him as the only man who had the privilege, the rare privilege of serving as the president of the United States but chose, willfully and giddily, to impress, acknowledge, embrace and give validation to neo-Nazis, skinheads, and certified racists such as the so-called ‘Proud Boys.’

On this platform, in November 2020, I reflected on the fact that Trump escalated since 2016 his daily tweets of mean-spirited nonsense, indecent chunk of time wasted on self-serving glorifications and stream of caustic xenophobia. I predicted that Trump will be “ending his presidency in a cacophony of incendiary misuse of the power and privilege of the presidency of the United States.”

On January 6, 2021, four Americans died — from conflict and commotion following his noontime marching orders, specifically: “If you don’t fight like hell, you’re not going to have a country anymore. Let the weak ones get out…. This is a time for strength.”

Strength? Seriously; is their non-confronted trashing of the US Congress his definition of strength?

Really?

Trump’s America; what a terrible beauty!

D

ear Readers, Today, I write to wish to you a happy new year on a very personal note; I am doing it just now, yes just now deliberately so.

Now that I feel we have all exhausted our ritual “Compliments of the Season, “Happy New Year greetings etc. that are mostly done robotically to all the people on our list of friends, families and other associates.

Let us face it, a lot of these greetings and the messages of good wishes and prayers that accompanies the greetings are done out of a sense of duty to revered individuals and benefactors, a quest for recognition and desire to be remembered by potential patrons, a craving to be associated with rising stars and trending villagers.

To each, his own. I judge no one, rather I fully understand: These longings are practices and necessities borne out of tradition and genuine instinct of survival. It takes the grace of depth or the folly of delusion to lead a life free of these instincts of survival.

Besides and beyond greetings though, it is in our nature as human beings to enter the new year with hope and desire that new year is better than the past year, we are leaving behind us.

Every new year, the best of us reflects over the past year and crave for a better year. The purely religious ones amongst us entrust their hopes and desire to prayers, the more proactive and pragmatic ones of us plan and make resolutions. It is something we do every year, and we have done it for centuries before now.

The year just gone past is however a year that truly stands out for most of us. Needless to repeat the peculiarity of 2020, if you are here reading today’s epistles, you definitely saw 2020 with its full peculiarities in display. Two things need to be shared however about that year though: One is that we all can be vulnerable regardless of who and where we are. In 2020, we clearly saw that there are situations and problems to which no scientist, no government or system can boast of a proven answer.

The second thing is that ultimately, it is the little simple things that matters most in life. The best answer we could come up with in 2020 is the simple but precious command: “touch less and wash more”. I propose that we all reconsider the importance of simple and little things in our lives and operations and that we put them to the fore of our consideration in the choices we make.

On a very personal note, as I was saying, my Happy New Year to you is to share with you, images of very ordinary people doing simple things that have really struck me and, in some even cases, inspired me in the year past.

Their acts and ways, I share with you with the hope and desire that you notice them too, even ponder upon them, and perhaps celebrate them if you can.

Who knows, if like them we start to act when we can, we and the world might just be slightly better without a victory resultant from competition let alone single gunshot.

There is no doubt that we need extraordinary people and deeds but this

last year I pass on them and I focus on simple little things. I ask that we look at normal people doing simple little things. Whilst others made their marks through battles of building castles and winning crowns or inventing tools and theories. My heroes of the year past simply led their lives and gave me thoughtful smiles.

My heroes of the year past are: Those who love to sleep but still wake with good humor Couples who still greet with a kiss or two Those who do not delight in saying no Those who work hard but even play harder Those who though in a hurry never honk by traffic lights Those who when late never fabricate excuses Those who remember that others owe them nothing Those who can remember that you might just be in error Those who make it easy for others by saying what they mean Those who mean what they say and say what they mean Those who do not miss the flaws in their heroes and leaders Those who leave their phones and TV to chat a bit with others Those who are double happy when they get half Those who wake up early to help a friend Those who find time to be honest with themselves Those who remember that you might just be tired Those who are formal but never miss the crux Those who when sad, do not display anger Those go through life with the enthusiasm of a little child but with the wisdom of an adult Those who call to say I was wrong Those who remember to say now I understand what you meant Those who see gloom only when it is dark Those who don’t always try to make a point Those who don’t wait for a thank you Those who do not feel comfortable with not caring Those who don’t wait for the new year to be a better person.

My very Happy New Year to you and all you care for.

18

FRIDAY JANUARY 8, 2021 •T H I S D AY

Volume 3 Issue 10

December 2020

Supported by John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation

WůĞĂƐĞ ƐĞŶĚ LJŽƵƌ ƋƵĞƐƚŝŽŶƐ ĂŶĚ ĐŽŵŵĞŶƚƐ ƚŽ ŝŶĨŽΛŶĞdžƚŝĞƌƉŽǁĞƌ͘ĐŽŵ͘ zŽƵ ĐĂŶ ĂůƐŽ ǀŝƐŝƚ ƚŚĞĞůĞĐƚƌŝĐŝƚLJŚƵď͘ĐŽŵ ĨŽƌ ŵŽƌĞ ŝŶĨŽƌŵĂƚŝŽŶ ŽŶ EŝŐĞƌŝĂ͛Ɛ ƉŽǁĞƌ ƐĞĐƚŽƌ͘

Customer satisfaction is the ultimate goal of every business. With a return customer comes a guarantee of a steady income. The Nigeria electricity industry is peculiar because it has not achieved the level of market competition that affords the customer the power to switch providers at will, irrespective of the quality of customer service. Notwithstanding the current monopoly on the supply of grid power, electricity distribution companies (DisCos) must be responsible for availing customer service as the direct contact to the customer. Therefore, it is crucial to establish a clear line of communication between customer and DisCo. DisCos must be accessible and available at all times to receive, respond to and address customer issues as they arrive.

The Customer Complaint Unit (CCU) is usually one of the busiest departments within each DisCo. The Nigeria Electricity Regulatory Commission 2019 Quarter 4 report reveals that the eleven DisCos nationwide received a total of 177,807 complaints during the period. Billing issues were the most common, with 27.16% of the total recorded claims.

Metering and Interruption issues following closely behind by 23.37% and 14.02% respectively. Other consumer complaints centred on connection delays, disconnection, load shedding and voltage issues amongst others.

Electricity Customer Redress Process To enforce the minimum level of customer service across the eleven DisCos, the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) has developed the

Customer Complaints Handling Procedure (CCHP).

This regulation sets out the guidelines and process for consumer complaints and resolution. The regulation mandates each DisCo to establish a Consumer Complaints Unit within the premises of each service centre. The unit shall be responsible for receiving and resolving customer complaints.

All complaints must be lodged first with the Customer Complaint Unit (CCU) of the respective DisCo in writing. Customers may also submit complaints through email which shall be published.

Complaints can be recorded in cases where the customer is non-literate.

The DisCo shall resolve all complaints within 15 working days of submission. If claims cannot be resolved within the time frame, the DisCo shall inform the customer within 15 days of receipt of the complaint, and the steps being taken to fast track resolution. The DisCo should provide updates on the progress of resolution every 15 working days until the complaint is resolved.

Step 2: Complaints to the NERC Consumer Forum Office The CCHP also provides the complaint filing and resolution procedure, as well as what to do when DisCos do not resolve complaints. The complaint redress process is as follows: Step 1: Complaints to Your DisCo If a customer is dissatisfied with the outcome of the handling of their complaints at the CCU, they

may escalate their issue to the NERC Consumer forum office. The Forum is empowered by the EPSRA and currently has 30 offices across Nigeria. The contact details of these forum offices are listed in the table below this article.

Step 3: Complaints Commission

to

the

Regulatory

A customer who is still not satisfied with the decision of the NERC Consumer Forum may submit a petition to the Commission. The Commission would review the appeal to decide whether to give a ruling based on the petition or invite parties and other stakeholders for a hearing before making a ruling on the appeal.

The Commission is the last resort in the issue of complaints resolution.

Diversity in Technology The era of social media presents a unique yet, brilliant opportunity for the DisCos to strengthen the weaknesses of conventional customer communication portals. A customer does not have to be physically present; neither do they have to wait for long periods to speak to a customer representative of a DisCo to have their complaints resolved. Customers can reach out to their respective DisCos on any of the social media platforms. It is commendable that some of the DisCos have taken the initiative to set up mobile digital communication platforms for their customers.

The following are the details of the NERC Consumer Forum Offices and their contacts.

DISCO

ADDRESS

PHONE NUMBER

EMAIL

Abakaliki

No. 3 Ezekuna Crescent, Off Nsugbe Street, Abakaliki, Ebonyi State.

No.14, Road 131, Gwarinpa, Abuja.

09037808590

abakalikiforum@nerc.gov.ng

08146862225

abujaforum@nerc.gov.ng

09062277247

asabaforum@nerc.gov.ng

Awka

Dennis Osadebe Way, After Asaba Scan Center, Beside Mobil Filling Station, Opposite Nnpc Filling Station, Asaba Delta State Plot 80, Aroma Junction Layout, Awka – Onitsha Express, Opposite CBN, Awka, Anambra State.

09037808594

awkaforum@nerc.gov.ng

Bauchi Benin Birnin Kebbi

No 37 old Jos Road, GRA, Bauchi No. 34, Akpakpava Street, Benin City, Edo State.

No 8 Ahmadu Bello Way Opp. Kebbi State Govt, Birnin Kebbi, Kebbi State

09062924607 09037808592 09062863161

bauchiforum@nerc.gov.ng beninforum@nerc.gov.ng birninkebbiforum@nerc.gov.ng

Calabar

09062863165

calabarforum@nerc.gov.ng

08106807261

ekoforum@nerc.gov.ng

08146862230

enuguforum@nerc.gov.ng

Gombe

Plot 109, MCC Road by Ibok Street, Calabar Cross River State No 61 Odunlami Street, Off Marina, Lagos Island Lagos State.

John Anichukwu Close, Plot 7 Mkpokiti Pocket Layout Ogui New Layout Enugu, Enugu State.

Government Layout GDP/2, Along Ministry of Education Road, Gombe, Gombe State.

Gusau

No 2 Canteen Daji, J.B. Yakubu Road, Gusau, Zamfara State

Ibadan

Jibowu Street, Opposite Magara Police Station, Iyaganku, G.R.A. Ibadan. Oyo State.

08146862252

ibadanforum@nerc.gov.ng

Ikeja

Novel House, Plot 3, Block J, Otunda Jobifele Way Alausa CDA, Ikeja, Lagos State No 30 Stadium Road, Off Taiwo Road Ilorin, Kwara State Dutse GRA, Dutse, Jigawa State No. 5a Rayfield Road, Jos, Plateau State

08106807298

ikejaforum@nerc.gov.ng

09062924603

ilorinforum@nerc.gov.ng

07031704827 09037808597

jigawaforum@nerc.gov.ng josforum@nerc.gov.ng

08106807299

kadunaforum@nerc.gov.ng

08146862222

kanoforum@nercng.org

Katsina

Wema Bank Building, No.13.Bida Road by High Court Kaduna State No.2, Miller Road, Bompai, Nassarawa G.R.A, Kano, Kano State.

No. 7 Abuja Crescent, Off Hassan Usman Katsina Road, Katsina, Katsina State.

07031704821

katsinaforum@nerc.gov.ng

Lafia

Nacwkye Street, Opposite Zenith International School, Off Shendam Road Lafia, Nassarawa State

09062924601

lafiaforum@nerc.gov.ng

Lokoja

09062924601

lokojaforum@nerc.gov.ng

Makurdi

Hassan Katsina Road, Opposite State Civil Service Commission, Zone 8, Police Headquarters Lokoja, Kogi State Hepzibah Plaza, Atom Kpera Road, Opposite Makurdi International School, Makurdi, Benue State

09062277249

makurdiforum@nerc.gov.ng

Osogbo

No.51 Isiaka Adeleke Way, Along Okefia-Alkuwuodo Road Osogbo, Osun State

09062277249

osogboforum@nerc.gov.ng

Owerri

No. 1 C.B Anyanwu Road, Housing Area B, Exclusive Garden by Achike Udenwa Estate Owerri, Imo State

090622707245

owerriforum@nerc.gov.ng

Port-Harcourt

08146862223

phforum@nerc.gov.ng

Sokoto Umuahia

No.15 Okuru Road, Off Peter Odili road Adjacent Golf Estate, Off Ordinance Road Port Harcourt, Rivers State No. 1 Garba Duba Road, Sokoto Sokoto State House No. 2, Adelabu Street Amaokwe Housing Estate, Umuahia Ibeku Abia State.

09062863157 09062277251

sokotoforum@nerc.gov.ng umuahiaforum@nerc.gov.ng

Uyo

No. 63 Osongama Road, Off Oron/Uyo Airport Road, Uyo Akwa Ibom State

Yola

No. 5 Nguroje Street, Karewa Extention, Jimeta/Yola, Adamawa State.

Abuja Asaba

Eko Enugu

Ilorin Jigawa Jos Kaduna Kano

Column Editor: Osasu Eghobamien (Power Sector Policy and Research Consultant at Nextier Power)

08140440079

gombeforum@nerc.gov.ng gusauforum@nerc.gov.ng

uyoforum@nerc.gov.ng 09037808535

yolaforum@nerc.gov.ng

19

T H I S D AY ˾ Ͷ˜ ͰͮͰͯ

BUSINESSWORLD

Group Business Editor Obinna Chima Email obinna.chima@thisdaylive.com 08152447875

ͱ ͯ ˜ Ͱ ͮ Ͱ ͮ MONEY MARKET OBB OVERNIGHT

REPO 0.50 % 0.83 %

CALL 1-MONTH 3-MONTH

1% 1% 3%

S & P INDEX INDEX LEVEL 1-DAY MONTH-TO-DATE

667.91 % -0.04 % -11.24 %

S & P INDEX 1/4 TO DATE 6.58 % YEAR TO DATE 38.81 %

EXCHANGE RATE ͱ͵ͷ˹ͯ ̩ ̩

Quick Takes

AIB Staff Urged to Sustain Service Delivery

THANKSGIVING SERVICE

L-R: Managing Director/CEO, Keystone Bank Ltd, Mr. Olaniran Olayinka; Registrar, Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria (CIBN),Mr. Seye Awojobi; Second Vice President, Prof. Deji Olanrewaju; President, Mr. Bayo Olugbemi; First Vice President, Dr. Ken Opara; National Treasurer, Mr. Oladele Alabi; and MD/CEO, Wema Bank Plc, Mr. Ademola Adebise, at the evening of songs/ thanksgiving service organised by CIBN in Lagos... recently PHOTO: ETOP UKUTT

Jamoh: Nigeria to Be West, Central African Maritime Hub Eromosele Abiodun The Director-General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Dr. Bashir Jamoh, has stated that Nigeria is strategically located to be the maritime hub in West and Central Africa.

Also, he said the Badagry Deep Seaport project in Lagos State is a strategic step towards the development of Nigeria as a global maritime hub.

Jamoh stated this when he paid a courtesy visit to the paramount ruler of Badagry Kingdom, His Royal Majesty, De-Wheno Aholu Menu Toyi 1, the Akran of Badagry.

The DG said: “Nigeria is strategically located at a significant point in the Atlantic Ocean, with

MARITIME about 853 kilometres coastline, which gives us a geographic advantage to become a maritime hub for not only the West and Central African region, but also the entire maritime trading world. And with over 70 per cent of cargo bound for West and Central Africa destined for Nigeria, we also have a huge commercial advantage.

“The Badagry Deep Seaport, planned to be Africa’s biggest and most advanced seaport when it becomes operational, would help to maximise this extraordinary maritime potential.

This is more so given the strategic place of Badagry in the region.”

Jamoh, said the visit was meant to honour the traditional

ruler and his kingdom for allocating land to NIMASA to establish a presence in the community, as Nigeria’s maritime regulatory authority, before the take-off of the deep seaport project, which foundation is expected to be laid this month.

Jamoh, thanked the Akran for his hospitality and the land allocated to NIMASA. He promised that the land would be judiciously utilised.

The Director-General assured that he would work with the traditional ruler and the kingdom to see to the implementation of the deep seaport project.

Commenting on the deep seaport project, the Alipoto of Badagry Kingdom, Chief Gbenga Fayemi, said it was important for Badagry and

the country, stressing that the project is suitably located since Badagry lies between the lagoon and the ocean.

On his part, a high ranking chief, Senami Akran said the visit of the NIMASA DG and the coming of the deep seaport to Badagry represented a blessing to the community.

The Badagry Deep Seaport project is being executed through a public-private partnership overseen by the Federal Ministry of Transportation, Federal Ministry of Trade and Investment, and Lagos State Government, as well as a private consortium of APM Terminals, Orlean Invest, Oando, Terminal Investment Limited (TIL), and Macquarie.

Continued on page 20

IATA Harps on Temporary Waivers to Stimulate Air Travel Chinedu Eze The International Air Travel Association (IATA) has identified five proven ways that governments can help stimulate the air travel market while avoiding adding more debt to already highly leveraged airline balance sheets due to Coronavirus pandemic.

The global body urged governments to grant temporary waivers or suspensions of government charges, taxes and fees to airlines so that they will reduce flight costs and lower travel costs for passengers.

IATA also called for route subsidies for flights to local/ regional destinations to support connectivity for rural communities and business, urging government to facilitate financial incentives in the form of rewards for operating flights, or seats flown, which can support airlines while load factors or yields are too low.

AVIATION In addition, it also called for the adoption of advance ticket purchases that governments can use for future trips or distribute to the traveling public in the form of vouchers to support travel and tourism and urged for passenger travel subsidies in the form of vouchers for passengers or as a percentage cash-back on overall travel costs.

The world body expressed concern that 2020 and 2021 might be the worst years for the aviation industry since the end of World War 2 and urged governments all over the world to adopt these five proven ways to revive their countries airlines.

IATA said aviation provides the only worldwide transportation network, which makes it essential for global business and tourism.

It plays a vital role in facilitating economic growth, particularly

in developing countries.

In listing economic and social benefits of air transport, IATA said aviation transports close to two billion passengers annually and 40 per cent of interregional exports of goods (by value).

The world body said 40 per cent of international tourists now travel by air. The air transport industry generates a total of 29 million jobs globally (through direct, indirect, induced and catalytic impacts). Aviation’s global economic impact (direct, indirect, induced and catalytic) is estimated at $ 2,960 billion, equivalent to 8 per cent of world Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

The world’s 900 airlines have a total fleet of nearly 22,000 aircraft. They serve some 1,670 airports, through a route network of several million kilometres managed by around 160 air navigation service providers 3.

25 per cent of all companies’ sales

are dependent on air transport.

70 per cent of businesses report that serving a bigger market is a key benefit of using air services.

“Aviation boasts high occupancy rates of 65 to 70 per cent – which is more than double those of road and rail transportation. Air transport entirely covers its infrastructure costs. Unlike road and rail, it is a net contributor to national treasuries4 through taxation.

Modern aircraft achieve fuel efficiencies of 3.5 litres per 100 passenger-km or 67 passengermiles per US gallon.

“The next generation aircraft (A380 & B787) are targeting an efficiency of less than 3 litres per 100 passenger-km or 78 passenger-miles per US gallon5, which exceeds the efficiency of any modern compact car on the market,” IATA said in its report

TheAccidentInvestigationBureauNigeria(AIB-N)hasurgeditsmembers of staff not to relent in pursuing excellence while delivering the Bureau’s mandateofinvestigatingairmishapswiththeaimofensuringcontinuous safety of air transport in Nigeria.

The Commissioner of the Bureau, Akin Olateru, who said this while delivering a speech in celebration of the New Year, 2021, stated that he waspleasedwiththeBureau’sperformancein2020despitethechallenges of the COVID-19 pandemic.

He gave accolades to the staff for their various contributions.

Olateru,however,saidtheymustallintensifyeffortstocontinuouslybuild aworldclassandenviableinstitutionwhileensuringthatfocus,diligence andintegrityremaintheirwatchwordsastheycarryouttheirvariousduties.

He also called for intra-department and inter-department cooperation and teamwork within the organisation as each unit is important to the success of the organisation.

“Self-evaluation and self-improvement are also very important, as this is essential in ensuring everyone has a better understanding of the role they play within the organisation and how they can improve themselves to ensure continuous excellence in their service delivery, as required by our industry,” he added.

The Commissioner, assured that personnel development and welfare, as well as the refinement of our procedures and processes will remain a priority to his administration.

AIB-N Partners LAAC

ToreducethehighrateofhumanerrorsinairaccidentsintheNigerianaviation industry, the Accident Investigation Bureau (AIB-N) in partnership with theLeagueofAirportandAviationCorrespondents(LAAC)isorganising one-day conference. The conference, which will be held physically and virtually,isscheduledtoholdonJanuary15,2021,inLagos,withthetheme: ‘Preventing Human Factors in Accident Occurrences.’

Nofewerthan300industrystakeholderssuchasairlineoperators,airport operators,investigators,safetyinspectors,pilots,engineersandAirTraffic Controllers (ATC) are expected to participate in the event.

DuetotheCovid-19protocolsandtheguidelinessetoutbythePresidential Taskforce (PTF) on Covid-19 and the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), physical participation is limited to only 80 guests, while others would join the conference virtually through the Zoom network.

Commenting on the conference, Engr. Akin Olateru, the Commissioner, AIB-N,saidnofewerthan75percentofairaccidentsoccurduetohuman factors.

Someofthehumanfactors,accordingtohimincludedinadequatetraining for technical personnel, poor facilities, fatigue and poor communication between the cockpit and the control tower amongst others.

Heexplainedthatlikethemajorityofaccidents,theseaviationdisasters couldhavebeenpreventedifthenecessaryprecautionarymeasureswere put in place or observed to stop their occurrences.

He explained that though, a few of the human errors in Nigeria in recent time did not necessarily lead to loss of human lives, he lamented that replacement of any damaged parts in aircraft due to human errors cost theoperatorsmillionsofnaira,whichcouldhavebeenchannelledtoother important aspects of their operations.

Dana Air Takes Delivery of Aircraft

DanaAirhaswelcomedtwoofitsBoeingaircraftfreshfrommaintenance overseas.Theairlinesaidthearrivaloftheaircraftcamedaysafteranother of its aircraft returned to service recently in December.

The Chief Operating Officer of Dana Air, Obi Mbanuzuo while speaking on the development said, ‘’Just recently we received one of our aircraft backfrommaintenancesoundwhiletheotherisundergoingmandatory checks by the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA ) before release.’’ ‘’The safety of our guests and crew will continue to take priority in our operations and we will continue to keep our safety standards with zero tolerance for violations irrespective of the situation or circumstance. ‘’ThereturnofanotherofouraircraftinlateDecember,helpedmitigatethe scheduledisruptionswe experiencedrecentlyandwehavebeenableto ferry a good number of our guests to their destinations while working to ensureallroundcustomersatisfactionandschedulereliabilityforourguests ‘’Weonceagainacknowledgethefrustrationsofourguestsandwishtouse thismediumtoonceagainapologisetothemforthescheduledisruptions experienced some weeks back.We are deeply sorry about it and we are workingtirelesslytoimproveonourknownscheduleintegrityandoverall operational efficiency.’’ he added.

“There is nothing wrong with growing inbound tourism, but we cannot stop people from coming and going from our country” Group Managing Director of Finchglow and former NANTA President,

Bankole Bernard Continued on page 20

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BUSINESSWORLD JAMOH: NIGERIA TO BE WEST, CENTRAL AFRICAN MARITIME HUB The deep seaport is located in the Gberefun area of Badagry, along the Lagos-Badagry Expressway, about 55 kilometres (34 miles) west of the Apapa and Tin Can Island Port complexes.

The port is proposed to be about four kilometres of quay and approximately 620 hectares of dedicated port facilities. It will also include facilities for handling containers, dry bulk, liquid bulk, roll-on-roll-off, and general cargo, as well as oil and gas operations support. The port will have about 480 hectares of Industrial and Logistic Park Zone.

IATA HARPS ON TEMPORARY WAIVERS TO STIMULATE AIR TRAVEL on the benefits of air transport in the world.

It disclosed that aviation created five million direct jobs, adding that the airline and airport industry directly employ 4.3 million people globally. The civil aerospace sector (manufacture of aircraft systems, frames and engines, etc.) employs 730,000 people, while 5.8 million indirect jobs through purchases of goods and services from companies in its supply chain. 2.7 million induced-jobs through spending by industry employees and 15.5 million direct and indirect jobs through air transport’s catalytic impact on tourism. Some 6.7 million direct tourism jobs are supported by the spending of international visitors arriving by air.

IATA noted that as a capitalintensive business, productivity per worker in the air transport industry is very high, at three and a half times the average for other sectors.

In Nigeria, the federal government has released N4 billion to the airlines and it is working with the National Assembly to pass into law the policies of waivers for Customs tariffs on aircraft and aircraft spares, streamlining the aviation agencies and reviewing the acts that established them to make them more purposeful and in tandem with modern development.

The Minister of Aviation, Senator Hadi Sirika, had said one of the purposes of reviewing the act that established NCAA was to make it business-oriented and to interface with airlines in different ways from safety regulation to business promotion in order to encourage the airlines to survive.

Group Business Editor

Obinna Chima

Capital Market Editor

Goddy Ogene

Comms/e-Business Editor

Emma Okonji

Senior Correspondent

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NEWS

NPA Receives Caverton Helicopter at PTML Terminal Stories by Eromosele Abiodun

The Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) has recorded another feat, as the biggest helicopter in the country was received and assembled inside the PTML Terminal at the Tin Can Island Port of Lagos.

The helicopter, a Sikosky S-92 was acquired by Caverton Helicopters Nigeria Limited and shipped from United States of America.

The cargo arrived onboard a vessel; Grande Morocco on 19th of December into PTML Terminals Lagos.

Speaking with journalists shortly before the take-off of the helicopter to Ikeja airport, Chief Engineer for Caverton Helicopters Nigeria Limited, Mr. Sani Muhammed Amodu, said the helicopter was the biggest in the country, and because of the size, the company decided not to risk the logistics of transporting it by road.

According to him, after getting the necessary approvals, all the imported components were brought together and assembled right within the port.

“The helicopter was shipped from the United States to Lagos, but unfortunately because of the size, we could not take it out of the port to our facility because of the safety aspect of it, so what we did was that, instead of taking it out and going through the risk of the road, we decided to couple it here, following all the safety

precautions as recommended by both the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) as well as the Nigerian Porte Authority (NPA) “We are very pleased and happy with the support given to us by the terminal operator and the NPA on this feat.

This is the first time we are doing this through the port, we could have air-freighted it, but because of the size, we decided to bring it in through the port so that we can get the very best of service, of which we have gotten from NPA,”he said.

While describing features of the aircraft, Amodu said the Sikosky S-92, has 19 seats, two crew seats as well as an observer seat. He said the aircraft is one of the very best in the category of aircrafts for oil and gas businesses.

“Caverton Helicopters being the first indigenous company in Africa to acquire the Sikosky S-92. Normally, all the multinational companies that have operated the machine in Africa were brought in for the sole business of making it work and taking it back, but Caverton has bought it and is

going to keep it on and on to increase capability and support for oil and gas” he said Also speaking, the NPA Port Manager, Tin Can Island Port Complex, Yunusa Ibrahim, described this as a great feat for the NPA. Yunusa stated that this was the first time this would be taking place within the terminal.

He said: “Never before was a helicopter component brought to the port, assembled within the port and take off from the port, it is a very big significance for the NPA. It shows that our aim of Ease of Doing Business

is being achieved in line with focus of the management” He pointed out that it would have cost Caverton Helicopters Nigeria Limited more money to move the helicopter by road, but that the port has provided enabling environment for them to assemble it.

In terms of safety, he said the NPA also monitored the assembly process which lasted four days.

On his part, General Manager PTML Terminal, Mr. Babatunde Keshinro, described this as a major achievement for Nigerian ports system.

SPECIAL RECOGNITION

Managing Director, Wema Bank Plc, Ademola Adebise (left) and Managing Director BusinessDay Media Ltd, Dr. Ogho Okiti presenting the BAFI Award for SME Bank of the Year to Wema Bank in Lagos...recently

Customs Agents Appeal to CCECC on Disruption of Container Delivery Importers and licensed Customs agents at the Lagos Port Complex, Apapa, have appealed to the China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation (CCECC), the contractor handling the construction of rail line at the port, to ensure that it does not disrupt the movement of containers in and out of the port.

The port users believe that the disruption of the movement of containers at the nation’s busiest seaport will further increase the prices of goods in the market, worsen inflation in the country and compound the Apapa gridlock.

Importers and clearing agents had in November last year said they were unable to conclude their transactions while loaded trucks were unable to exit the

port when CCECC mobilised to site.

CCECC, they alleged, blocked the container terminal truck exit gate and began demolition of structures in the terminal.

The blockade, they added, also made it impossible for empty trucks to enter the terminal to pick up containers for delivery to their owners.

Speaking on the development in Lagos, President of the Nigerian Importers Integrity Association (NIIA), Godwin Onyekazi, said there were reports of plans to demolish the container terminal exit gate.

He said, “We commend the federal government for the drive to link the port to the rail line.

This is commendable and you will recall that we have, at various times, made the case for

multimodal transportation in the country. The overdependence on roads for the delivery of goods in and out of the port is neither economical nor sustainable. We want to see goods come into the port or leave the port more by the waterways and railway.

“We, however, wish to appeal that the rail project being driven by the government should be done in such a manner that does not lead to a blockade of the port as we have seen at Tin Can, which is almost totally blocked due to bad roads and rent-seeking on the port access road.

“If care is not taken and government allows Apapa port to be blocked like Tin Can, the Apapa gridlock will become worse and the prices of haulage will further escalate.

In this case, the final consumers will pay more for goods in the market. This will certainly not be in the best interest of our economy.

“We, therefore, appeal to the railway contractor to execute its task in a way that does not disrupt the inflow and outflow of cargo. This is important to avoid creating a situation where importers will be compelled to pay more in freight costs, haulage, storage and demurrage charges.”

Also speaking, a clearing agent at the Apapa port, Monday Ekanem, who raised the alarm about the imminent blockade of the port said, “CCECC owes an obligation to the shipping community and Nigerians not to make life tougher.”

He added: “Please understand that I support the rail project. I raised the alarm at the time to save the port from collapse. We cannot afford to have a situation whereby cleared goods will not be able to exit the port.

“I appeal to the contractor to work with NPA and terminal operators to plan the process of the rail construction properly.

There has to be a balance between the two processes; one should not disturb the other.

“What we want to see is proper coordination between CCECC, NPA, concessionaires and truck drivers to ensure seamless flow of traffic in and around the port so that importers and agents will not be subjected to further hardships in the course of clearing their containers at the port.”

S’African Insurers to Pay for 14 Million Covid-19 Vaccines South African medical insurers will pay for a Covid-19 vaccine for as many people who don’t have coverage as they have members and expect the program to cost as much as seven billion rand ($464 million).

According to Bloomberg, the subsidy will mean that including medical aid members, the companies will finance vaccines for 14 million adults in the country of 60 million people, chief executive officer

of Discovery Health Limited, Ryan Noach said.

“The ultimate effect is the one-to-one cross subsidy,” he said.

The plan is being led by Adrian Gore, the CEO and co-founder of Discovery Limited, the parent of Discovery Health and Africa’s biggest health insurer, after he was approached by South African Health Minister Zweli Mkhize.

South Africa’s government is facing increasing criticism from

labor unions, health officials and opposition parties for its failure to procure vaccines even as at least 37 nations begin inoculating their populations.

The country has yet to conclude any direct supply agreements with pharmaceutical companies. It expects to begin receiving shots in the second quarter to cover a 10th of its citizens through the Covax initiative, which is trying to ensure equitable access to vaccines.

With more than 1.1 million confirmed infections and over 30,000 deaths, South Africa is Africa’s worst-hit nation. The economy is estimated by the government to have contracted by the most in nine decades last year as a result of a lockdown related to the outbreak. Some of those measures are still in place.

“There is no more important health care requirement than the vaccination of all South Africans,” Noach said. “It has

economic benefits to the country in restoring some normality to business and trade. It’s far cheaper than a lockdown to pay for the vaccines.”

Pharmaceutical companies will only negotiate directly with governments. Still, the procurement may ultimately be handled on behalf of the government by the Solidarity Fund, a charity that’s collected money from some of the country’s richest people and biggest companies, he said.

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ANALYSIS

Stakeholders List Expectations from Aviation Sector in 2021 Aviation industry stakeholders in this report recommend ways to improve air transportation in the country, writes Chinedu Eze

T

he Nigerian aviation sector is still apprehensive about the effects of the second wave of the COVID-19 on passenger traffic. But the availability of the vaccine gives hope that the damage the virus would wrought in the sector henceforth would be temporary, as global health agencies and governments strive to ensure that coronavirus vaccine is distributed to every part of the world.

In Nigeria, old illness suffered by the airlines was exacerbated by the pandemic and left the operators writhing in pains.

But so far, since after the lockdown none of the airline has gone under.

However, industry stakeholders identified key factors that would enable the airlines and the aviation industry to survive. One of the factors they pointed out was to ensure reduction of cost of operations, which includes cost of and availability of aviation fuel.

Others include permanent waivers on Customs tariffs for aircraft and spares and cost of aircraft insurance.

The stakeholders also want the federal government to stop squeezing the finances of the aviation agencies by insisting that they remit 25 per cent of their earnings to the government. They argued that in the struggle to meet the federal government target, the agencies increase the cost of services they render to airlines and other players in the aviation industry.

Besides, the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) and the International Air Transport Association (IATA) have stressed that government agencies, especially in Africa and Middle East should review downwards some of their charges because high charges up the cost of air ticket and reduce passenger traffic, thus making air transport elitist.

This was what prompted the Senate and the House Committee on Aviation to move for the permanent removal of VAT on air transport, waivers on Customs tariffs so that such waivers should not be at the whimsy of Customs, as the federal government since the Buhari administration has shown the inclination to eliminate those taxes on imported spares and aircraft.

Forex The outgoing CEO of Aero Contractors, Captain Ado Sanusi urged the federal government to stabilise the exchange rate and adopt a standard for the airlines. He told THISDAY that operations of airlines in Nigeria would be adversely affected if government does not ensure a stable exchange rate, knowing that everything airlines do is dollar-denominated - from maintenance, training, aircraft acquisition, insurance, spares and others.

He said that government should adopt permanent waiver for Customs duty and should not be what is renewable on yearly basis and should also do the same with VAT. On what the airlines are doing to sustain their operations and ensure they survive after the coronavirus devastation, Sanusi said the airlines are collaborating in different ways both in the technical area and in marketing and disclosed that Aero Contractors and Dana Air are about to sign passenger protection agreement, whereby any Dana Air passenger can fly Aero Contractors, if the former cancels its flight.

“There is a lot of collaboration going on among Nigerian carriers in the bid to revamp our operations. The Aero maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) facility has brought the airlines together. Now they share spares in order to cut the cost of operation and they are cooperating in many other ways,” Sanusi said.

Also Dana Air and Ibom Air have concluded plans for interline, which would enable the two airlines to cooperate at various levels of partnership.

The CEO of Mainstream Cargo Limited also urged the federal government to increase bailouts through grants and loans, noting that N5 billion bailout fund, already distributed to the airlines and others, is not adequate for the sector and observed that quick and adequate disbursement of loans through grants to domestic airlines would go a long way into mitigating the negative impact of Coronavirus pandemic that was witnessed in 2020.

Minister of Aviation, Senator Hadi Sirika Waivers The Chairman and CEO of Air Peace, Allen Onyema while expressing gratitude to the federal government for giving the airlines bailout, told THISDAY that in order to protect the domestic operators there are key policy decisions government must have to make.

One of these key policies is the passage of Customs tariff waiver bill, which awaits President’s assent.

“This will help the airlines more than bailout because the airlines spend so much money paying waivers on aircraft and spares. Another is the removal of VAT. This will go a long way in stabilizing the industry. Government should also reinforce and sustain the ease of doing business policy, which will make clearing of aircraft and aircraft spares less cumbersome. This will positively impact on our bottom line,” he said.

The Chairman of Air Peace also canvassed for the suspension of 25 per cent remittances by aviation agencies to the federal government coffers, saying that such payment seem to create the impression that agencies are profit making enterprises but they are actually cost recovery organisations, which according to the International Civil Aviation Organisation are not supposed to be profit oriented so that they would not add so much financial burden on the airlines through charges and taxes.

“We thank government for the bailout out given to the airlines but what will benefit the industry is the waivers on imported aircraft and spares. Clearing spares right now is very cumbersome and this affects the bottom line. Government should also help in bringing down the cost of aviation, which prices are outrageous. Government should also review the remittances from aviation agencies, which is 25 per cent of their earnings. When they collect this money from the agencies, the burden is passed on us, the airlines,” Onyema said.

Improved Connectivity The Chief Executive Officer of Mainstream Cargo Limited, Mr. Seyi Adewale, told THISDAY that there should be more airlines to help and improve airport connectivity, on-time performance to make the market more competitive so that travellers would enjoy better service from the airlines.

He also said he expects the federal government to have a firm conclusion on the planned concession of airport facilities, which process has lingered since 2016, pointing out the benefits of the policy,

which include improving airport facilities through modernization and innovation to the benefit of airlines and travellers, would bring stability in the industry in terms industrial restiveness.

“My expectations regarding the aviation sector would be more of an aspiration and prayers that include that new domestic airline entrants begin real operations geared at improving airports connectivity, on time performance and good competition to the delight of domestic passengers; improved passenger facilitation across airports within the country; firm conclusion of federal government intended airport concession as veritable strategy to improve airport infrastructure, efficiency and passenger facilitation. This will imply firm agreement with aviation (trade) unions regarding the opportunities of improving the sector through this strategy and aviation regulators working more independently to ensure safer skies and accident free year,” Adewale noted.

He said there should be adequate and increased federal government based bailouts through grants and loan support to domestic airlines; alliance, code-share and synergies between international carriers and domestic airlines; real Covid-19 Vaccine early distribution that improves confidence of prospective air travelers and quick embrace of AfCFTA (African Continental Free Trade Area) to improve passenger traffic, aircraft turnaround numbers, trade volumes without compromising internal security or becoming a channel to reduce revenue generation capabilities.

Reduction of Taxes “For the second input regarding reviving the sector, the followings are my prayers to government: federal government should agree to the need to allow airlines ‘breathe’ better through reduction on the number and range of tariffs and taxes to airlines and aviation allied service providers, noting that the five per cent passenger ticket charge and cargo sales charge are already adequate and appropriately distributed amongst all aviation regulators.

“Federal government should critically look into ways or channels of reducing the final cost of aviation fuel to airlines.

Present price is negatively affecting the sustainability of domestic airlines because this will be passed on to the passengers.

Increased or increasing ticket sales will meet passenger resistance at some point and thereby cause strain within the sector,” he said.

Bankruptcy The Managing Director, Flight and Logistics Solutions Limited, Amos Akpan warned that with the cash squeeze occasioned by the coronavirus lockdown, which almost strangulated some airlines, has put them in a very precarious condition, so any airline henceforth would become bankrupt without financial base.

He, however, expressed optimism that scheduled flight operation would grow in 2021 because poor road infrastructure and insecurity in the country discourage other modes of transport; so those who can afford it would prefer to travel by air. To enable airlines survive, Akpan said the cost of seat per flight must not be below N35, 000.

“Scheduled commercial airlines without strong financial base will be bankrupt. Air Peace, Max Air, Azman Air create the impression that they have strong financial base to survive 2021, but their financial status is not revealed, so we make this statement based on the perception that they can access funds. Domestic scheduled flight operations will grow in 2021.

“The infrastructure and security situation in Nigeria discourage other modes of transport, but encourage air travel. Except you cannot afford it you’ll rather travel by air between Kaduna and Abuja.

“The price per seat for one hour’s flight will not be below N35, 000 because of cost of maintenance and operations. Forex is limited and very expensive to procure. This increases spare parts and maintenance cost for Nigerian airlines.

“The cost of loans and extra investment funds is very high. Service providers like the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA), Skyway Aviation Handling Company Plc. (SAHCO) and the Nigerian Aviation Handling Company Plc. (NAHCO) may have to increase their fees/charges because of rising cost of production.

“Workers and suppliers will lose jobs because companies will need to reduce overheads. Government sponsored airlines like Ibom Air have the deep purse to grow in 2021. 2021 will be a defining year for the relationship between Arik, Aero and government’s equity participation via Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria (AMCON).

“Foreign Direct investment is difficult to access because of our peculiar political economic environment. International flight operations will continue to constrict because of travel restrictions caused by covid-19.

International cargo flight operations will grow but the income from cargo will not match or replace the income loss in low passenger operations. Private charters through FBO (Flight-Based Operation) will increase because VIPs will require secluded travel arrangements as the covid-19 continue to spread,” Akpan said.

Late last year, the National Assembly had moved to review the policies guiding the aviation industry, review that of the agencies in order to improve their services, give the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) stronger powers to effectively regulate other agencies and ensure that new technologies and advancements are reflected in the policies guiding these agencies. It is expected that with the passage and endorsement of these bills by the Presidency, the aviation industry would have a big relief in 2021.

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INTERVIEW

Shin-Aba: Touting, Challenge at MMIA The Regional Terminal Manager, South West, in charge of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, Mrs. Victoria Shin-Aba, in this interview says the facility and other airports under the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria are fully compliant with the coronavirus protocols. Chinedu Eze brings the excerpts:

H

ow will you describe the impact of the coronavirus on airport operations during the first phase of the virus?

COVID-19 came like a wave nobody expected, or nobody planned for and it led to the closure of the airport as gateway to the nation. The impact I will say has been devastating, sort of, because it went as far as recording like five per cent of our revenue, which the running of the airport depends on.

It went that low until after some time when we started having these evacuation flights, then when cargo started coming in, just in bits but not like it used to be. The Murtala Muhammed Airport was closed for about six months for international flights, the domestic three months. You can imagine the financial impact it will have on the authority because as much as the airport was operationally closed, we were working, the facilities were being manned, because it was better to man and maintain than leave. This is because by the time you come back the facilities would be worse off. So, it was like needing more money when money was not coming in and it became like inversely proportional. And we had to go the extra length to put so many things in place so that the airport could be COVID-19 compliant so that people would feel safe using the airport. So extra facilities have to be put in place. We had to change most of the toilets; the taps have to be put on by sensors, that is, touch-less. We had to get sanitising stations, automatic hand wash, we had to do the markings. So many things went into it, by and large I want to say we have pulled through not financially but at least the airport is doing well.

Shin-Aba

You might have spent much money migrating to COVID-19 compliant status?

Definitely. A lot of things were put in place, like the canopies outside. Because of the new protocols people had to check their temperature before coming into the terminal. People have to wash their hands. The temperature check too is a proper one with computer, which ensures that you don’t need to touch it; as soon as you approach the terminal it takes your temperature.

If you are not using your facemask, it tells you to put on your mask. And then we had to disinfect bags, the chemicals, the people, the machinery are all at our expense. The management provided for us and we were able to do a lot both at the domestic terminal and international. When domestic was open people were surprised at what we have done, because the whole place looked like a new terminal. All the toilets were refurbished because we took the closure to do a lot of things.

Since September 5, 2020, flights have resumed but it is not like the same because there are still restrictions in some countries, would you say there is a relief now?

Definitely yes, I want to believe MMA specially we have more than 50 per cent of what we used to have, I mean the passenger throughput.

And last week (mid December 2020) Lufthansa, KLM and Air France started too, you know they were not operating before so things are coming up, one funny thing is that Nigerians love travelling, so people are coming up and things are improving and gradually we will get there.

Government said the new terminal would be launched in February, but that area doesn’t seem to have been fully prepared to allow enough space for taxiway and aircraft maneuvering. So will they reopen it without removing some structures still in the place?

Well, I think the management is working on that but they don’t want that to delay the reopening. So one side is ready with four aviobridges that can successfully take large body aircraft. And we want to convert the bridges to big ones such that they can take two big aircraft successfully. Even the other side too, we can board from any of the bridges. We have seven

bridges at the new terminal, so currently four is ready on one side, so the other side is the one that is having issues, which the management and the government are taking care of. Even if that one is not ready yet, people can board from the other side, they will bus them into the aircraft until work is completed.

At the resumption of operations FAAN increased its charges for both passenger and airlines, what was the response like?

It was only one line of charges that was increased and that is the passenger service charge (PSC). Although it is the airline that collects it but I think it was long overdue. I think it was last increased either in 2011 or 2010, I am not sure, which is about nine years ago. And you and I know that cost of things have increased, prices have skyrocketed and FAAN needed money more than ever before.

You know you were asking me how did FAAN get all these monies to transform the airport facilities for COVID-19 compliance; although it is not the money that is being used but at least if you have hope of getting something then it will make you to bounce back easily.

So it was only the PSC that was increased, and it is just a 100 per cent increase.

Even before the COVID-19 lockdown, there seems to be improvement in security and there are no reports of people loitering at the airside or at the runway as it is used to be. So, what did you do to make that possible?

Well, we used to have the challenge, but we had to put up a lot of security operations and procedures - different layers of procedures.

First and foremost every incoming or outgo-

ing aircraft is escorted by a patrol van, it is a standard now. As soon as the aircraft lands and it is taxiing, we have a patrol team that escort it to the parking bay. So that one has eliminated a lot of issues. Number two; we have constant joint patrol between AVSEC, the military, and the police. Then illumination too is being improved, a lot of thick bushes that used to be there along the approach of the international runway; that is, Runway 18R, was removed extensively. So it was easy for people to see what is happening at the other end. So, patrol has been improved, patrol has increased and even currently we are building watchtowers. About six watchtowers that will be manned so that anywhere people are it will be easy to see them. It has been on but it was stopped by COVID-19, the contractor actually moved to site before the beginning of the pandemic but he is back to site now and they are working. Then we improved the CCTV coverage of the runway especially, such if anything is happening it is easy to spot and then the people on patrol will be alerted to ensure that such an area is combed very well.

There was time they removed all the search tables for the screening of passenger, as part of the ease of doing business policy, but in a subtle way the security operatives seem to have brought them back with the cubicle and they are still harassing passengers, so how is FAAN managing that?

The executive order actually removed the search table but the main issue is that there is still some equipment especially the ones that the NDLEA) the National Drug Law enforcement Agency) said they needed that has still not

First and foremost every incoming or outgoing aircraft is escorted by a patrol van, it is a standard now. As soon as the aircraft lands and it is taxiing, we have a patrol team that escort it to the parking bay

been provided. So I think the moment we have that all those things will be a thing of the past.

They needed equipment they said could detect drugs and knowing Nigerians, they can take advantage. So that is why, but it is not as if we are looking the other way, there are CCTVs in those places, anyway. And once in a while when there are infringements we name and shame.

We take them once in a while and show it to their bosses. In fact, there was a time before the advent of COVID-19, there was a time we call a few of the supervisors and heads of all the agencies to come and see what their people are doing. But we make official reports.

Do you think touting can ever stop at the international terminal of the Lagos airport?

Honestly, if there is one tough issue to deal with in the airport especially MMA, it is the issue of touting. And like you said, the issue of former or old staff of different agencies including cleaning, that is one, the airport is within the city, without sounding immodest flock to the airport. It is a societal thing, and there is no way you can remove the airport from the larger society or the society it belongs to. But if the airport is far from the town like 40 kilometers away from town, like Kaduna airport, before somebody will enter the road knowing the distance it will take time. People can trek from Mafoluku, Ajao Estate, Ikeja, to the airport. So that is one major challenge at the airport. Old staff, former staff, the town and our culture too, so at times you don’t even know the difference between touts, meeters and the greeters. One person is travelling, 10 people are seeing the person off. And it is still because it is still within the town. If you have to travel two hours before getting to the airport, I think not many people will follow him.

How far have you gone in resolving those issues about power outage and do you think in the foreseeable future that problem can permanently be put aside?

Why we had those issues then was because of the new terminal But most of those times it was in the area of relocating them or maybe Continued on page 24

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BUSINESSWORLD

MARITIME

Revisiting NSC, Shipping Firms Agreement Eromosele Abiodun urges the Nigerian Shippers Council to revisit its agreement with shipping companies aimed at reducing charges by 35 per cent

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n 2017, the World Bank in its annual Ease of Doing Business Report, ranked Nigeria 145 among 185 countries with Mauritius ranking 32 as the best in Africa.

From the report, Trading Across Borders, an indicator for measuring a country’s ports effectiveness ranked Nigeria very low at 183 out of 185 countries.

As part of efforts to reverse this trend, the federal government on June 8, 2017, announced that several agencies including the Standard Organisation of Nigeria (SON), National Agency for Food and Drugs Administration and Control (NAFDAC) and the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) were no longer allowed to have representatives in the port or partake in the process of cargo clearance.

Also, the government announced that it had concluded arrangement to fix port access roads and provide scanners at the port. These efforts were put in place to enhance clearing process and reduce drastically cargo dwell time. However, almost three years after, the situation has gone from bad to worse.

The agencies that were asked to leave have all retuned to the port, port access roads have become death traps, residents and business in Apapa, once a thriving port city, have stories of death and hours of traffic to tell. Cost of doing business at the ports has risen so high manufacturers are abandoning their cargo at the port.

As a result of extortion by security officials, haulage cost from Tin Can to any other part of Lagos has risen by more than 1,000 per cent from about N100,000 a year ago to about N1.2 million.

Recently, truckers raised the costs to move a container from the Tin Can Island Port, Lagos, to any other part of the city by 50 per cent, from N1.2 million to N1.8 million.

As a result of the blockage of the roads, millions of containers are trapped in the ports and shipping companies have had to stay at several anchorages for between three to four months incurring all manner of surcharges.

On the average, 100,000 containers carrying various cargos are discharged in Lagos ports monthly, with shipping companies now charging $6,000 to ship a container to Nigeria, it costs shippers in Nigeria $600 million (N234 billion) every month to transport 100,000 containers to Nigeria.

In the first half of last year, it cost $1,000 to ship a 20-foot container to Nigeria from the Far East. Today, the cost charged by shipping lines for the same service is between $5,500 and $6,000.

Due to the massive congestion at Tin Can and Apapa ports, many shipping lines have started diverting Nigeria-bound cargoes to neighboring ports in Cotonou and Ivory Coast.

Importers, THISDAY learnt pay N25, 000 as demurrage per container a day and another N15, 000 as storage fees to terminal operators excluding 7.5 per cent value added tax (VAT).

This amounts to N12.5 billion daily demurrage charges on 500, 000 containers and N7.5 billion storage fees.

Stakeholders believe shipping companies, terminal operators, freight forwarders, security operatives and the Ministry of Transportation, are the ones benefiting from the status quo at the ports.

They argue that the economic loss is not on the government and its agencies at the port or the port operators or even the manufacturers or traders doing the importation.

“The economic loss are all passed on to the end users, the Nigerian people who bear the escalating cost of imports and now have to make tough decisions about what to prioritise.

“If you have noticed, the ports used by the federal government and its partners in the oil industry to export crude oil and gas are not affected by any sort of crisis of congestion and infrastructure deficiency, “said a stakeholder who do not want his name in print.

NSC, Shipping Companies Agreement In a bid to put an end to the persistent wrangling between customs agents, importers and the negative impact excessive charges is having on the economy, the port economic

called on the NSC to revisit the agreement and put an end to the escalating port cost.

Bello

regulator, the Nigerian Shippers Council (NSC) in 2018 embarked on a mission to get the shipping companies to cut down charges.

The move yielded the needed results as the council signed a landmark agreement wit the shipping companies to reduce charges.

Analysts and stakeholders had applauded the effort positing that the Nigerian economy will be the ultimate beneficiary.

As part of the landmark agreement with shipping companies they were to reduce charges by 35 per cent or N258.38 billion annually.

Confirming the development to THISDAY, the Executive Secretary/Chief Executive Officer of the NSC, Hassan Bello, said he was hopeful the agreement will be signed.

“You know in negotiation you can only be hopeful. We have been negotiating for one and half years. We have a small knotty problem, which we hope to resolve by next week. Some I am hopeful we will conclude with the shipping companies.

“However, we will run the agreed MOU by the Ministry of Transportation, major stakeholders such as; shippers freight forwarders, Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN) and Nigerian Association of Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (NACCIMA). This will take four days, then we will sign the MOU. “Further, the total reduction would be 35 per cent reduction but the most important thing is we have come up with sustainable mechanism of settling dispute, which means no arbitrary or unilateral fixing of cost at the ports,” Bello said.

Besides the reduction of port charges, he said the Council had also abolished the container cleaning fee hitherto being collected by shipping companies, just as fifteen other port charges were removed from the list of charges.

Bello also said that the moment the MoU comes into effect, the implementation also becomes inevitable.

Customs agents had praised the federal government for the effort adding however that 35 per cent reduction was not enough.

“The most important charge by the shipping companies is the demurrage and their charges are higher than the terminal operators, which is not supposed to be so. The shipping companies don’t have the right to be collecting the charges.

In other countries of the world most of those charges are not applicable because they don’t provide services for the charges.

“What they have is just the container and that has been charged to the freight cost already.

There charges are contestable and it is a very serious issue. The shipping companies are doing what they are doing because Nigerians don’t go to court, if Nigerians can go to court they will find out that the charges by the shipping companies are illegal, ”said Kayode Fariton, Vice President, Nigerian Association of Licensed Agents (ANALCA) On his part, the Chairman of the Lagos State Shippers Association, Mr. Jonathan Nicol, said his group would protest the new charges if they fall below their expectations.

He said that the shipping companies must withdraw the court case they instituted against NSC resisting the Council’s demand that they refund certain monies to some shippers.

The association also described the resort to the court by the shipping companies as an insult on the Nigerian government.

“The NSC has been involved in the negotiations of charges with these foreign shipping companies before they went to court. They must withdraw the case before the negotiations can take place. They went to court when the negotiations were going on, we are an interested party in the case because we are the ones paying the monies,” he said.

Despite the enthusiasm that trailed the agreement at that time nothing had been heard about it since then. As stated earlier, things have gone from bad to worse despite the effort of the NSC. Stakeholders have therefore

As a result of extortion by security officials, haulage cost from Tin Can to any other part of Lagos has risen by more than 1,000 per cent from about N100,000 a year ago to about N1.2 million

Customs Petition FG Customs agents had in a bid to get government’s attention over the matter, wrote a petition to Vice President Yemi Osinbajo and alleged that the shipping companies and terminal operators’ charges on storage contravened Sections 20, 31 and 97 of the Customs and Excise Management Act that limit the days for rent charges and conferred authority to Nigeria Custom to charge rent after specific days by the board.

The agents, in the petition signed by National President of the National Council of Managing Directors of Licensed Customs Agents (NCMDLCA), Lucky Amiwero, stated that duplication of charges such as terminal delivery charges/ terminal handling charges, deposit repayment delays and process procedure that lack regulation of the economic interest in the port.

They stressed that there is the need for the federal government to intervene to address the cost of doing business by a total review of the procedure, process and cost in the ease of doing business.

The Presidential Enabling Business Environment Council (PEBEC), they added, should urgently address the following short falls, which is militating against our import and export trade that resulted to massive diversion of goods to neighbouring ports.Also, the agents called on the federal government to use part of the seven per cent port development levy for the development of port access roads, trailer parks.

According to Amiwero, “The condition of the Tincan Island Port axis of Apapa Oshodi express road leading to the ports is a death trap, big potholes and gridlocks resulting in loss of lives and continued destruction of loaded goods that always fall on cars, trailers and sometime persons.”

He said: “It is a complete setback to trading across borders (TAB) for ease of doing business on trucks that spend weeks to access and exit the ports which result to delay and rejection on most of the fragile export products in international market and high cost in import clearance. “The Nigeria Ports Authority (NPA) is no more in port operation, the percentage collected from the seven per cent Port Development Levy should be used for the development of the trailer parks and port access roads.”

On the increase of revenue collection on the recovery of short levied duties on discrepant cargo as provided under Section 142 of Customs and Excise Management Act, he said: “The discrepant cargo, as covered under Section 142 of the Customs and Excise Management Act and the Import guideline paragraph J are non contraband goods with discrepancy, which is allowable for treatment and issued with demand notice (DN) Section 142-(2).

“Recovery of Duties states: Where any duty has been short levied or erroneously repaid, then the person who should have paid the amount short levied or to whom the repayment, has erroneously been made, shall on demand by the proper officer, pay the amount short levied or repay the amount erroneously repaid as the case may be. Any such amount may be recovered as if it were duty to which the goods in relation to which the amount was so short levied or erroneously repaid were liable,” he said.

Amiwero also called on the government to address multiple checks and delays of clearance by NCS. He said: “The process of clearance is associated with multiple interventions of various alerts headquarters Abuja, CIU, Valuation Gate etc that takes days and increase the cost and time in contravention of WCO Kyoto convention on simplification and harmonisation of Customs procedures.“The Customs procedure should comply with WCO Kyoto convention and (FAL) Convention of (IMO) for Minimisation, harmonisation and simplification of Customs procedure with regards to various checks after release from the Port, (FOU), CG Squad in line with international best practice of OneStop-Shop process.”

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BUSINESSWORLD

SMALL BUSINESS SOLUTION

Setting Up Toilet Rolls, Serviettes Production Plant Godwin Uba

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ooking carefully into the year 2021 budget presented by the federal government much attention was paid on how to encourage local manufacturers, local industrial developments and agriculture. Any investor into any of these sectors will benefit from various government incentives.

Any type of manufacturing engaged by individual or groups of individuals or corporate organisations will go a long way in contributing towards the growth of the nation’s economy. It will generate employment opportunities and add to GDP. The purpose of this write-up is to educate and encourage potential investors on the commercial viability and profitability of tissue paper/serviettes production.

Most Nigerians consume toilet roll. Its demand is influenced by population explosion, rapid urbanisation and social awareness. It is generally used for cleaning and sanitary purposes in households, restaurants, hotels, canteens, social gatherings, parties, maternity homes, clinics, hospitals, educational institutions, churches, night clubs, shops, fast food centres and offices.

Research findings indicate that Nigeria alone now needs over 950 million tons of tissue papers per annum. While our total local production output is still less than 150 million tonnes, the supply gap offers a tremendous opportunity for Nigeria investors.

Nigerian investors can now go into this lucrative business using locally made machines. Though there are imported machines as well, our local investors do not need to waste their scarce foreign exchange for the importation.

The writer will assist you in procuring and installing quality machines that stand the test of time at moderate and affordable prices. The attractiveness of this project is that both the raw materials and equipment are locally available and the technology involved is very easy to understand and master. The essential equipment and machinery are: (1) Core making machine (2) Rewinding System (3) Band Saw cutter (4) Embossing Unit (5) Perforating Unit These equipment are portable, simple to operate and durable.

The machines will be procured from highly experienced local producers of such machines. The writer will supply the machines

Toilet paper factory

at about N2.5 million for locally made and about N7 million for imported machines.

The machinery being introduced here is rugged, reliable and high performing with a capacity of 5,000kg per day. Operating on a single shift for a minimum of 250 days per annum, a total of 1,250,000 MT of tissue paper will be procured and processed into quality tissue products (toilet rolls & serviettes).

Raw materials include jumbo reels, and glue. Packaging materials include printed labels and nylon rolls. All these are 100 per cent available locally. Since the machine will process 1,250,000MT per annum, the total sales revenue is over N437.5 million from which we deducted our total inputs of N315.

5 million thus realising a gross profit before tax of N122.5million in the first year.

Many Nigerians have burnt their fingers while sourcing local machinery from some inexperienced and dishonest fabricators who produce machines with very low efficiency. Many investors have been deceived. They also tell big lies about the efficiency, performance, capacity and life span of these machines. To guard against this industrial fraud, prospective investors can contact this writer for free investment advisory services. The issue of availability of raw materials should not disturb anybody because we have so many options to handle it.

On the whole, a toilet roll project

is a very good small-scale industry, which can launch a small investor into the world of millionaires within one year.

A three-bedroom flat garage or warehouse may serve, as accommodation while staff strength of eight is required for effective production, marketing and administration.

Bigger or smaller plants are also available at competitive prices.

Those to invest Those people that have been working for so long but have not thought of retirement date (which will eventually come), politicians, retired workers, state & local governments, bankers and oil workers, who may want to have additional income and as di-investment.

You can set up the project at the back of your compound for your children(young school leavers) to manage and fully employed.

This project can be established by anybody. Those that are already into Toilet roll production can comfortably integrate these products into their existing plant.

Location/project location This project can be located in any part of the country (both rural and urban settings). However, it is advisable to set it up where there is electric power supply.

The space requirement is very small. A spacious three bed room flat can comfortably accommodate the production machines, the administration/sales unit and the packing of the finished goods.

It is always better to get a more spacious place to put the raw materials.

Raw materials The major raw materials are Jumbo Reels, core paper, Nylon/ Polyethylene sheet or welldesigned wrappers for packaging.

It should be noted that no core paper is required in production of serviettes like in the production of Toilet roll.

A good designing and quality products can be produced to create a difference from what is in the market for now. This will be a market niche to the envisaged products.

The raw materials are all available within the country. You do not need any importation.

For details on preparation of comprehensive & bankable feasibility studies/ report, sourcing & installation of quality & durable machines; Recruitment & Training, Sourcing of Investment funds, Estimated Cost Implications (N’000) Preliminary Expenses 250 Machinery & Equipment 5,000 Working (Variable) 3,500 Accommodation (Rented) (variable) 500 Contingencies 750 Total

10,000

-Uba can be reached via 08034494437, ubagodwin@yahoo. com

Shin-Aba: Touting, Challenge at MMIA while they are working they got damaged and we needed to relocate them to a safer place where it can easily be maintained. So most of those things have been done and aside that we don’t really have issues again. Then at the powerhouse the transformers have been energised, we now have two new transformers that can carry the whole load. Before we had that issue due to load shading issues because of the capacity of the transformer. That problem was also solved and currently there is a job being done that will stabilise light within the terminal. Some inverters that were installed some time ago has been revived with new batteries and tested and in fact we will have seamless lightening even when we have outages, the inverter will come up and you won’t know that we even had an outage.

So in the next few weeks it is going to come

on board or it is going to be commissioned.

We are just trying to see that there is a first correction panel, they don’t want it damaged, which is the inverters themselves getting damaged, which is delaying it. As soon as that is done in MMA, I want to assure you that you won’t even know that the light blinked in a few weeks from now. Most of the facilities are in the inverter, so we won’t have problem.

2021 is going to be a good one.

In terms of traffic facilitation what do you think will be the benefits of this new terminal, which is going to be opened in February?

Well, it is going to be a new experience for everybody and the facilities are new, and the passenger will travel seamlessly. At least you know that the AC will be working optimally

because they are new. All the belts and everything definitely will be working optimally, so it is going to be a good experience. And we still have some art works that is being done and they are very beautiful sceneries, in fact when you are travelling you will feel at ease and love what you see.

There is no effective WiFi at the airport; availability of Internet is one key element that distinguishes an international airport these days. So is there any plan to energise a very effective one?

There is effective one already on ground. I want to assure you of that and it was done by the Ministry of Aviation. So as soon as you enter the terminal it will tell you FAAN Wi-Fi is on, then you just have to input few things, maybe your name and email. The only thing

is that it logs you out every 30 minutes. That is what I use in my office, as soon as I get to the office I log in. So we have a very effective one at international and the one at domestic is ongoing.

Is your airport insured so that if there is damage of aircraft due to environmental issues, FAAN will pay?

All our airports are insured and it is one of the requirements for airport certification.

So the MMA is certified, without insurance NCAA will not certify us. I don’t really know the details but I know that someone’s shop got burnt, that was like two, three years ago within the terminal and she was compensated that time. But I don’t really know the details of what the insurance covers but all the airports under FAAN are insured, it is a requirement.

THIS WEEKEND WEEKLY MAGAZINE

NEWS METRO THISLIFE ART WEEKEND ENTERTAINMENT Group Features Editor: Chiemelie Ezeobi chiemelie.ezeobi@thisdaylive.com 08038901925

Joanna Kelly-Ochiagha: Global Media Strategist, Innovator, Community Builder

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COVER

JoannaKelly-Ochiagha:GlobalMediaStrategist,Innovator,CommunityBuilder Over the years Nigerians have been flying the nation’s flag higher in different fields of endeavours worldwide. Recently, a 27-year-old Nigerian female doctor was named amongst the Doctors in charge of the vaccine and treatment of COVID-19 by the President-elect, Joe Biden’s government in the United States of America. Another 27-year-old projecting Nigeria’s good image in the UK and around the world is Joanna Kelly-Ochiagha, a global media strategist, specialising in human development and innovation, with a focus of empowering and lifting off Nigerian women out of poverty. In an interview with Chiamaka Ozulumba, she explains further her passion for wanting to relocate back to Nigeria in other to achieve her goals You’re on vacation in Nigeria, how are you coping especially with the presence of COVID-19?

I am not on vacation, I’m in my transition to move back home, it’s been well so far and much better then the UK as they are on complete lockdown so I’m happy I can at least travel to see family and do what I need to do for me and my family’s move to be a big success.

According to your profile, “you have a passion to lift the Nigerian girl child out of poverty” how do you intend to do that?

I have a passion for Nigeria as a whole the girl child is my focus for now amongst other things as I believe our women need more security and to be empowered to voice them self in every way possible. I grow up in Nigeria I know it take more then just feeding a village or building boreholes for clean water which I have done all of. My intention for my foundation is to create platforms to expose and build young strong women like myself so that they are able to do the same for others... it will take more than me I’m just a vessel but I know I’ll build and produce other global leaders but it will not work unless we unite.

Are you in this alone?

Absolutely not, How? My husband and I run a foundation here called ‘The Ochiagha Dynasty’ which sole purpose is to HELP, building communities, creating platforms and giving better opportunities. We also work and have the backing of global cooperations such as Nxtion Family and others across the world. We are just at the forefront of it all but we have a great backing and team.

Do you have a time frame to achieving this vision?

The time is NOW!! there is no time frame it’s just I will not be satisfied until I see consistency across Africa... the aim is to take one city at a time and pour everything possible in that city to create a ripple effect.

Any success story so far?

We have currently just finished building new rounds in the east of Nigeria, we built boreholes in Makoko, we fed over 10,000 people across Nigeria on one project, we worked with the UN to feed women in Ghana the list goes on... but it’s nothing to the vision we have for Africa my focus now is to create platforms, opportunities and security.

In your view, how is Nigeria perceived internationally?

Internationally the county is looked at as very corrupt and in some parts looked down on however that’s not for everyone and that is not 100 per cent true. I believe our leaders are used to a certain way of doing things which is a system that goes back from way before

Kelly-Ochiagha

our independence.

I also believe our new generation leaders are realising this and strategising ways to fill the gap and implementing new ways to heal our country but all I can say is I will be amongst them. It’s all hands on deck to see change in our county because it’s a beautiful place.

What’s your picture of Nigeria in the nearest future, say, five years ?

I believe we will start to see new generation leaders raise, the youth heard more and a more unified force but we will see, change starts with me so I will do my part.

As we’re just starting 2021, what

do you have to say to the the Nigerian youths?

I would say “2020 took a lot but gained us youths our voice and we will be heard fear does not live here and don’t look at your circumstances as your final destination it breads defeat. We will stay as one and make this country great again for the generation after us.

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Foundation Spreads Love at Yuletide Stories by Mary Nnah Founder, Stop Hurting People’s Foundation (SHPF), Mrs. Eunice Iferi Chukwuemeka, during the yuletide, spread love by giving out various items to the less privileged in her neighbourhood.

This she said was in celebration of the love of God, adding that “this season is about love, the love of God to mankind and we must replicate that love to fellow human beings”.

Items given out included food items, brand new clothes to children and nose masks to over a thousand indigents at Wasimi Community, Onigbongbo local Council Development Area, Ikeja, Lagos.

Speaking further, Chukwuemeka noted that there was poverty in the land and all we needed to do was to give out, reach out and do a little for others, as life would be happier that way. ”The fact that despite the mammoth crowd we have at the venue, everyone went home with a gift, gives me great joy. The number of people that benefited from our reach out is over a thousand men, women and children.

What we are giving out today is worth millions of naira because everything we give today is brand new. ”I was particularly beyond thrilled at the SHPF Christmas Benevolence as everyone in that mammoth went home

Founder, Stop Hurting People’s Foundation, Eunice Chukwuemeka, distributing items to some of the beneficiaries

happy with something. We had brand new clothes for children from ages 0-9, 3kg bags of rice for their families and women, nose masks for everyone present as it was a no mask no entry event.”

Expressing gratitude to those who have supported her so far, she said,”A bunch of thanks to Hon. Gbenga

Adedeji, the Counselor of Wasimi Community in Onigbongbo LGA and his ward chairman for access and for organsing the people.

“I give special thanks to the wife of the honourable, Mrs. Adedeji for all her support. From us at SHPF, if you can’t have hundreds of children, please give at least

one child a meal. Except we care, the people die in pain.”

While commending the foundation for their kind gesture, the Counselor, Wasimi, Onigbongbo LCDA, Hon. Gbenga Adedeji urged other well-meaning Nigerians to emulate such philanthropic acts.

Face of Zikel Beauty Contest Redefines Pageantry as another Winner Emerges Kelvin Chinedu Ezike, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Zikel Cosmetics International, a leading cosmetic brand in Nigeria, is set to redefine pageantry in Nigeria with the just concluded Face of Zikel Pageant held recently in Lagos.

The contest, which had Sharon Takim emerge winner and cart away N1million, a trip to Dubai and a year supply of Zikel cosmetics, Ezike said, will redefine pageantry in Nigeria, as it has afforded opportunities to aspiring model to achieve their dream, adding that the contest was not a winner take it all event.

The event which was tagged, “Empowered to Lead”, was held in Lagos unhindered despite the hitches caused by COVID-19 and it was a huge success.

Ezike explained further that girls and women face a myriad of disadvantages due to their gender which ultimately hinders their progress and upward mobility into leadership positions, adding, “there are a number of reasons why this is so”.

He said therefore that he had decided to change the narrative by engaging young girls to be self-reliant and erase the negative perception about pageantry.

Enumerating what makes one a beauty queen, he said qualities required for beauty queens as Face of Zikel include a woman who is beautiful, intelligent, confident and has charisma.

CBN, Bankers’ Committee to Grant N500m Access Loan to Entertainment Industry The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed has revealed an initiated plan by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) in collaboration with Bankers’ Committee to grant N500m access loan with nine per cent interest rate to support the entertainment industry and stimulate economic growth of the nation. He disclosed this during the maiden edition of the Nigeria Entertainment and Economic Roundtable event organised by Afrocultour and held in Lagos, with the theme: “Positioning the Creative and Entertainment Industry to Lead Private Sector in Supporting Federal and State Governments Effort at Achieving Urgent Economic Diversification.”

The minister who was represented by the Director of Information, Augustus Ajibade said it is aimed at strengthening the productive base of the economy in a strategic manner.

Mohammed said the roundtable is designed to discuss problems of mutual interest with stakeholders in the entertainment, media, arts, lifestyle and fashion industries, as well as support the culture of dialogue to strengthen the sector.

He explained that the Creative Industry Financing Initiative, (CIFI) was introduced to improve access to long term, low cost financing for entrepreneurs and investors in the Nigerian creative and information technology (IT) sub sector.

Mohammed lauded the CBN governor and Bankers’ committee for the financial initiative to accelerate financial inclusion for the sector; the funds are available at Guarantee Trust Central Bank (CBN). “The entertainment industry is a significant part of the arts, entertainment and recreation sector contributed N156.5B to Nigeria’s GDP in 2018 alone.

“They equally gained international recognition with Nigerian film and music being demanded abroad, especially on the account of the growing population of Nigerians in diaspora.

It is also a veritable source of employment and livelihood to a larger population.

“Iroko TV, a leading streaming platform for Nigeria and Ghana content has made film streaming more convenient from any mobile device. Many Nigerians due to their busy schedules find it hard to go to cinemas but use their phones to watch movies.” More so, the minister stated that the Nigerian music industry has equally embraced digital distribution of content with various music digital distributors such as Boomplay, Apple music, Habari by GTBank where music audio can be streamed and downloaded on one scene.

“Youtube has also contributed to revenue generation of the industry as the number of views on musical video translates to money. With the new development, sizable revenue is generated from streaming and international business relationships, intellectual property among others.

“This has led to the formation of two tiers, a low budget tier in which the paradigms and dynamics of old Nollywood persist and the top tier with higher budget and better technical quality leading to aesthetic revision of cinematographic patterns”, he added.

On his part, Minister of state, Budget and National Planning, Prince Clem Ikanade Agba said the entertainment industry contributed 2.3 per cent, approximately N239b to nation’s GDP in 2016, due to this the sector was strategically captured in the ERGP to increase film production by 15 per cent, export video to generate USD1 billion in foreign exchange by 2020, encourage the development of special funding window and provide incentive for private sector investment.

“The Buhari administration is committed to the process of shifting Nigeria’s economy away from single income source-oil earnings towards multiple sources of earnings from a growing range of sectors and markets, stating that the creative and entertainment sector has become one of the focuses due to the global recognition and fund entertainment has brought to the nation.“

Skiddo: Next BigThing in Nigeria Music Industry Face of Zikel 2020 winner, Sharon Takim being crowned

“There are many benefits for the face of Zikel brand as our intention is to build a career for the ladies who have ventured into beauty show business.

This is an opportunity for those who want to come into the beauty industry.

“Face of Zikel primarily celebrates women of any colour, shape and marital status. We employ a lot of women and keep them in the workforce.

“It was my efforts to solve the challenge that gave birth to the Zikel brand of cosmetics.

Zikel Cosmetics is less than three years old but has made a name for itself in the beauty industry.

“It is a brand with luxurious products, with the array

of quality beauty products at an affordable price; the product is one of the top choices in the make-up sector.”

He stated that the brand started with just one product and later moved to five brands but “today there are 72 products that take care of the woman’s beauty, as every shade and product shares a message. So, it is not just the winner and face of Zikel but empowerment”.

Twelve queens were crowned into different portfolios as face of Zikel Tourism, Universe among others while 12 of them also serve as the brand ambassadors for the firm in the year 2021.

He lauded the previous face

of Zikel, Queen Nikky, who had done well during her reign as she had represented the company at various capacities in the last one year.

Ezike noted further that basically the event was to unlock the female potential and reward excellence, adding, “we went around the country for the audition in order to pick a winner. The platform was simply to promote women empowerment and value the girl- child as a veritable tool for national development”.

Ezikel said the camp was extended from three days to 10 days, since it was not just to crown the winner but bridge the gap in leadership between the genders.

Skiddo originally born as Godwin Okonkwo Moemeke, is no doubt the next big thing in the Nigeria music industry as his recently released six tracks Ep project, #POPS (power of pure sound) is making waves on all social media platforms.

Skiddo, a dance hall reggae artiste, a music writer and performer from Nigeria, Delta State, Issele Ukwu, Aniocha North Region, to be precise was born on June 18, 1988.

Raised in Benin City, where Skido he also started his musical career as a group, he later went solo to pursue and explore his unique sound as a dance hall reggae artiste.

Skiddo recently dropped his first six tracks Ep project #POPS (power of pure sound) on all social media platforms on December 12, 2020, which is tremendously doing well. He also has two magical producers, @Wizzyprobeatz and @Realkamelion who are behind this project.

His Ep #POPS comprises dancehall soul reggae and Africa high life. You can’t afford to skip any of his songs.

No doubt, Skiddo is the next big thing in the Nigeria music industry. Go check out his project on Instagram @skiddoman1 and twitter @man_skiddo.

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E-TRENDS

MUSIC SHOWBIZ

…Your weekly entertainment delight

NOLLYWOOD

The Future of Entertainment in 2021 After a turbulent 2020, what trends will shape the entertainment industry in the new year? These personalities share their predictions, writes Vanessa Obioha

D

espite being hit badly by the pandemic last year, entertainment made 2020 survivable. TV shows, films, music albums, Tiktok and YouTube videos provided comfort for many as they grappled with the uncertainty of the strange coronavirus. These projects were made possible by talents who pushed the boundaries of their creativity in a difficult era to deliver the best. Yet, the anxiety of the new year still looms as the number of infections continues to rise. While it is difficult to be prescient at a time like this, the nagging question of how 2021 will unfold for the entertainment industry still begs to be answered. What were the lessons of 2020 and how will it shape the industry this year?

“Let’s start with the impact of Nollywood in the last decade,” said prolific filmmaker Femi Odugbemi. “What we saw was how Nollywood revolutionised African storytelling. We saw the appreciation of the representation of identity, culture in the African cinema. Now what COVID-19 has done for the film industry is to force it to take planning and efficiency seriously. We are going to have to become more structured as we deal with social distancing. Not everybody has to be on location and our storytelling doesn’t have to be in one place,” he argued.

For the filmmaker who is the brain behind the successful TV drama ‘Battleground’, technology is the biggest impact of the pandemic on the film industry.

“COVID-19 imposed, technology empowered,” he said, adding that the pandemic created an incredible demand for African storytelling and technology will aid the storytelling process.

How this will pan out in the new year is that there will be more film collaborations and a huge boom in animation.

“Technology will empower young filmmakers to experiment with genres. It will expand our storytelling and animation is one way to go,” he said, citing the ingenuity of Ridwan Moshood, the winner of the Cartoon Network Africa Creative Lab initiative and producer of the animation ‘Garbage Boy and Trash Can’.

“With it, we can tell stories from our folklore such as D.O. Fagunwa’s ‘Forest of a Thousand Demons’. We can also foreshadow into the future we want, just like Wakanda in the Disney flick ‘Black Panther’. Through animation, we can tell stories about the Africa of our dreams, the Africa we want.” He also noted that “storytelling is going to become an important tool in every profession and technology is going to be critical in driving that.”

The way Odugbemi sees it, technology makes filmmaking an even playing field where what will be most required of filmmakers is their talent and not who they know. “The next generation of filmmakers do not need godfathers.”

For cinemas which revenue loss as of September 2020 was N8 billion, the biggest lesson of the pandemic year is “to prepare for the unexpected,” according to the Group Executive Director of Filmhouse Cinemas, Moses Babatope. “Emergency plans should be in place, cash reserves should be increased, businesses should be lean, and we should make better use of our resources when times are good. Even as we plan to expand our businesses, we should also have measures to scale down quickly with minimum impact on operations.

Moses Babatope Alex Ozone

Muma Gee

Asha Gangali

For cinema specifically, it is more important than ever to grow local content in quality and quantity, to reduce our dependence on Hollywood.”

For the post-pandemic recovery, Babatope projected that it will be gradual globally but see better marketed and quality local content leading a quicker recovery for the Nigerian market. He cited Funke Akindele’s ‘Omo Ghetto’ and Toyin Abraham’s ‘Fate of Alakada’ as two films that improved the fortunes of the Nigerian cinemas in the post-lockdown period.

An emerging trend that Babatope foresees in the new year is the diversity of locally produced content, “moving away from comedies and romcoms to crime drama, fantasy and sci-fi. Increasingly, Nollywood movies will be able to rely on both local and regional box-office revenue, as well revenue from global streaming platforms where, for the first time, Nigerian films are being viewed by millions of people worldwide.”

Undeniably, streaming gained new heights in 2020 as most cinemas were shut down. Nigerian films equally became available on Netflix and viewed worldwide. The new trend signalled a looming end to the cinematic experience, even as big international studios like Warner Bros release their content simultaneously on streaming platforms and theatres.

To Batatope, the move is only temporary and pandemic-driven.”There is abundant data that clearly shows the significant upside of maintaining an exclusive theatrical window for the right type of film,” he said. According to him, the opportunity to structure the market with release windows is for the benefit of all stakeholders: cinema owners, filmmakers, distributors, regulators and others.

“We do not have enough infrastructure for both streaming and theatrical to co-exist profitably.

There is also the dilutive and destructive impact of digital and physical piracy for a market like this, which is likely to be worsened by merging the windows. In mature markets the proliferation of digital platforms and cinema screens can arrest

Brettina

Femi Odugbemi

the piracy menace. Here, the lack of access will only devalue the content to the potential legitimate licensor or buyer, and even the potential end-user - the customer.”

Odugbemi, however, argued that the dominance of streaming will continue as there will be more channels of distribution.

“The cinematic experience will be there but people are used to streaming now more than before.”

He added that with streaming, the whole idea of big-budget films will not be a limiting factor for the filmmaker as there will be more opportunities. He stated that streaming will also make some distribution channels such as DVD go into extinction. With more people consuming content on their smartphones, Odugbemi pointed out that filmmakers will be tasked to create more forms of storytelling and reach new audiences. Again, this he said will be possible through technology. “It is the biggest impact in our industry and how fast we embrace it will determine how far we can go.”

On the music scene, streaming also reigns supreme. Music and tour promoter Alex Ozone puts it this way: “The area of streaming has come to play a major role in helping both the talents and their fans interact and make something good.

Talents do not have to depend solely on events or endorsements; the key industry players now know they can make good money from the digital distribution of their intellectual contents. That would skyrocket this year.”

“Online monetization will trend considering the lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic as it seems that the music industry is most affected,” added singer Gift Uwame, better known as, Muma Gee. Music producer and artiste Asha Gangali expressed similar sentiments. “This decade, the music industry will evolve completely from the record label/artiste model to a digital ecosystem, where artistes will be more independent in a Do it Yourself (DIY) environment.”

An earlier forecast of the Nigerian music industry posits that the total music revenue will rise at a 13.4%

CAGR to US$73 million in 2021. President of the Performing Musicians Employers’ Association Of Nigeria (PMAN) Pretty Okafor expressed optimism that it is possible even as the pandemic continues.

“The music industry will generate more revenue for the Nigerian economy than any other sector,” he said. “Musicians will be empowered economically as major music institutions like PMAN, Musical Copyright Society of Nigeria (MCSN), Nigerian Copyright Commission (NCC), National Broadcasting Commission (NBC), the Creative Industry Group and other key organisations will align to ensure lost revenues are recalled and new streams of revenue are created for artistes to leverage on.”

For all of these to be achieved, Ozone stressed the need for the industry to be restructured.

“We would definitely see a lot of changes in the entertainment industry. Before now, we did many things wrongly and no thanks to the government that seems to be blinded from what the industry can contribute to Nigeria’s economy.

But many thanks to the various sectors, those that have churned out worldly acclaimed talents who have gone on to prove their mettle amongst their peers globally.

We would experience ‘real good music’ especially; no more room for complacency or short corners as we have come to appreciate the various structures that make our industry tick.”

If there was one outstanding trend in 2020, it was the proliferation of Nigerian sounds across the globe. From Wizkid to Burna Boy, Nigerian sounds were embraced and celebrated. Gangali disclosed that the trend will continue in 2021.

“Nigerian music will crossover to North America and other parts of the world and the global recording industry will be forced to acknowledge Afrobeat is a major genre this new decade.”

“Africa is the rhythm champion. All rhythms come from Africa,” said fast-rising artiste Brettina.

“When you mix jazzy melodies to these effective rhythms, you get the future and this future is what will trend in 2021.”

Teen Africa TV Berths on Startimes On January 1, 2021, the first indigenous television channel for teenagers in Africa,Teen AfricaTV (TATV) started airing on Startimes on Channel 361.

According to the Founder and CEO, Charles Novia, the channel is a new and exciting niche television channel and is the first platform for teenagers in the African

broadcast space, running 24 hours daily with the best of original content for teenagers aged 13 to 19,the young adults and the family.

“Our programming has

the best of original content in genres of talk shows, lifestyle, educational, entertainment and events,”he said.

He also disclosed that TATV will also be online and

onYouTube and“we are also going on air in North America and the Caribbean in the first half of 2021, giving the Diaspora African teens a taste of the pulsating values and

creativity of the AfricanYouth Experience.There’s nothing like this and we have built the biggest visual ecosystem of teens and young adults in Africa.

T H I S D AY ˾ Ͷ˜ ͰͮͰͯ

Ͱͷ

Eco-friendly CanalOlympia Cinema Opens in Nigeria King Akan in Abuja The first CanalOlympia cinema - a network of ecofriendly cinemas in Africa - in an English speaking country opened recently at Mararaba, Nasarawa State.

The launch was a collaborative effort of CanalOlympia, National Film and Video Censors Board (NFVCB) and the Nasarawa State Government.

In attendance at the opening of the 300 seater movie theater and live performance venue, was the Executive Governor of Nasarawa State, Engineer Abdullahi Sule; the Ambassador of France to Nigeria, Mr. Jérôme Pasquier; the Executive Director, National Film and Video Censors Board, Alhaji Adedayo Thomas; local government officials, royal fathers and stakeholders in the movie industry.

Speaking at the opening, Alhaji Thomas, the Executive Director, National Film and Video Censors Board, revealed that the cinema was “the first in the entire West Africa that will rely solely on solar energy”.

Ambassador of France to Nigeria, Mr. Jérôme Pasquier; Executive Director, National Film and Video Censors Board, Alhaji Adedayo Thomas; and Governor of Nasarawa State, Engineer Abdullahi Sule at the opening of CanalOlympia Cinema in Mararaba, Nasarawa State

He also commended President Buhari, the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed and Governor Sule of Nasarawa State for their support to the actualisation of the project.

Also speaking, Mr. Pasquier, expressed his excitement about the launch of CanalOlympia in Mararaba.

“I’m very happy to be here because from France we have always considered culture to be very important in international relations. We have political relations, economic relations but the best long term relations are in the field of culture,” he said.

“Also we have a second priority in France, which is climate change. And this

investment is a very good example of a facility which is using renewable energy and it is good to have this facility open this week.

“We are going to commemorate at the end of this week the 5th anniversary of the Paris agreement. We know that Nigeria is among the most countries threatened by climate change. It

is a very important issue for France and Nigeria,” he added.

Governor Sule stressed on the prospects of the cinema and the value it will bring to the people of the state. He noted that CanalOlympia reflects the kind of investments he wants to welcome in the state.

“I’m so proud of this day,

we have worked so hard to make Nassarawa State an investment destination, today we are seeing those realities. Knowing that the cinema will be run using clean energy is exciting because there will be no case of environmental pollution in the community. So the issue of climate change does not apply,” he enthused.

NGO Stages Party for Children with Special Needs Oluchi Chibuzor Every December 3 is International Day of Persons with Disabilities (IDPD), a day set aside to raise awareness on challenges faced by people with disabilities.

To mark it last year, the 2020 United Nations theme is “Building Back Better: toward a disability-inclusive, accessible and sustainable post COVID-19 World.”

In 2020, stakeholders and organisations in Nigeria commemorated the day with different activities.

One of such organisations is the You Matter To Us Organisation, a Lagosbased non-governmental organisation, driven by the vision to create exciting opportunities for Children Living with Disabilities and the less privileged in Nigeria joined in the commemoration of the day with a series of activities.

The NGO took the commemoration and Christmas party to disabled children in four locations; Surulere, Mushin, Idimu and Ogudu, all in Lagos.

Celebrity guests, Nollywood actor and actress, Kunle Remi and Ms. Ireti Osayemi were on ground to add colour to the day and also put a smile on the children’s faces.

In her address, Ms. Osayemi noted that, since the global COVID-19 outbreak, the world, and especially people with disabilities have been extremely affected by the health, social and economic consequences of the pandemic.

She called for more support in the application of

digital technologies for the empowerment of learners, especially children with disabilities and capacity building for their teachers.

“The theme for the event, which is in its 5th edition, is ‘Remembering the Special Kids this Season’. We will like everyone to know that our society is incomplete without children living with disability,” she added.

On why the organisation focused on the disabled children, the Founder, You Matter To Us Foundation,

Omolara Ajetunmobi, said: “We are doing this to promote Inclusiveness because every child matters and deserves equal right to access the world.”

Children at the event participated in different games with winners awarded with gifts and also impacted 600 children with special needs with educational Christmas gifts, school bags and exercise books.

You matter to us Foundation is an International CSR organisation based in Nigeria, driven by the vision

to create exciting opportunities for Children Living with Disabilities and the less privileged in Nigeria.

The foundation evolved from the annual charity project hitherto undertaken

by Ideas and Smiles Concepts, a corporate body up till 2019.

In six years since its establishment, the foundation has visited over 64 schools for children with disabilities and orphanage homes, in over 10 local governments, impacting over 25,000 children.

Africa Olamma Pageant to Debut February 2021 Chiamaka Ozulumba Emergent pageantry, Miss Olamma African Pageant (MOAP), is set to debut in Enugu state on February 13 this year.

As hinted at the unveiling of the pageantry in Enugu at the weekend, the elimination stages ran from October 1 to November, 2020.

While camp is slated to open at Nike Lake Resort

Enugu on February 7, the grand finale will hold at The Base Landmark Enugu on February 13.

The pageantry is anchored on the need to foster a community of young Igbo ladies who are determined to keep alive the Igbocentric ways of life.According to the Head of the Pageantry, Mr. Emmanuel Ezima, MOAP is a renaissance of the status quo.

He expressed that the

event aims to tell the unique African story of resilience, enterprise, valiance and aesthetics, through the eyes of the Igbo woman.

“Miss Olamma Africa is designed as the biggest PanIgbo pageant in the world, and Mnet Africa has given vent to it.

“It’s the vehicle for Igbo social and economic integration across Africa and the world.

It is not just a pageant, it is

a movement. We are excited to be at the helms of such auspicious dawn,” Ezima added.

He enthused further about the media visibility Mnet has given to it through DSTV and GOtv in six Africa Magic channels. This, he said, resulted in continental penetration and visibility with over 1,200 contestants, including Igbo ladies in diaspora across seven African countries.

“We are celebrating the Igbo culture, fashion, food, art, and tourism potentials. we are celebrating Igbo citizens and organisations contributing to the sustainability, advancement and recognition of the Igbo culture, her people and especially youth and women all over the world,” Ezima said.

He further disclosed, that the Olamma Africa Pathfind-

ers Award will take place during the finale of Miss Olamma Africa Pageant.

His words: “The finale will be a valentine event and already celebrity movie stars, musicians are already being confirmed to perform at the big event.

He, therefore, urged corporate organisations to take advantage of the platform to push their product campaign across the Eastern Nigeria.

Legendary Rockers Bid 2020Goodbye in Grand Style Mary Nnah Gene Simmons and his flamboyant hard rock quartet scaled frizzy new heights to KISS 2020 Goodbye, playing and streaming to a global audience of two million with more than 500,000 live

streams.

Welcoming in the New Year in their larger than lifestyle against a stunning backdrop of the Dubai skyline and the resort’s Royal Pool, the Rock ‘n Roll Hall of Famers rounded off a resounding performance with an all-time

favorite, “Rock N Roll All Nite,” along with a huge fireworks display and record-breaking flame projections that were made possible by pyrotechnics specialists ffp-fx.

Enthralled guests at Atlantis, The Palm watched

the performance vertically, in a socially distanced fashion from the comfort of their own balconies – witnessing history being made and records being smashed as they kicked off a brand new era.

Produced by City Drive

Studios, the Landmarks Live concert special with KISS tonight blew everyone’s minds at the iconic Atlantis, The Palm – breaking two Guinness World Records™ in the process.

The Guinness World Records™ titles included:

1: The highest flame projection in a music concert – the minimum for this record title is 35 meters.

2: The most flame projections launched simultaneously in a music concert – the minimum for this record title is a total of 66 heads.

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ART WEEKEND

…For pure art enthusiasts

Orry Shenjobi Redefines Beauty in Debut Solo Exhibition Free spirit, inner bliss and sheer resilience mark the newly-found beauty in less privileged communities, as discovered by the lens of a young forwardlooking photographer, OrryShenjobi. Yinka Olatunbosun reports

I

n her characteristic headgear and charming smiles, Nigeria’s textile art legend and founder, Nike Art Gallery, Chief Nike Davies Okundaye unveiled her book last weekend in CIG Motors Headquarters, Victoria Island Lagos to a small gathering of literati and leading artists. Traditional drums The memoir’s title drawn from Yoruba language is a reflection of Okundaye’s totality- steeped in Yoruba cultural heritage. As a young child from a very humble background who lost her mother at the age of six, tertiary education was far from her reach. Instead, she sought after the non-formal education systems in her family and developed an enviable career that has earned global recognition.

In the 233 paged book published

by Bookcraft Publishers Nigeria, the reader learns how art has shaped Okundaye’s life. From joining a travelling theatre group to becoming a hands-on textile art artisan, Okundaye also known as Nike Twins Seven Seven has been a centrifugal force in the art community, evident in the high-calibre guest list. The absence of the Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-olu and the presence of masked guests were reminders of the pandemic situation which didn’t stop the Nobel Laureate Prof.

Wole Soyinka, foremost painter and sculptor, Bruce Onobrakpeya and CEO, Nigerian Stock Exchange, Oscar Onyema and others from attending.

Written by Kofo Adeleke, the memoir offers business and crafts industry insights with a foreword written by former US Ambassador to Nigeria, Dr Robin Renee Sanders.

It chronicles her life from OgidiIjumu, a small village in western Nigeria with no formal education to conquering the globe.

The Chief Launcher, Chief Diana Chen, the Chairman of CIG Motors, who described herself as a ‘Nigerian’ recounted how she met ‘Mama Nike’ when she relocated to Nigeria and needed to settle in. Nike Art Gallery was one of the first places that was recommended for her. The gallery has

Orry Shenjobi

attracted members of the diplomatic community. “Your book represents the best of the spirits from this country,’’ she said. “We recognize her for her unending talents, her alluring gallery and her impeccable style. We know about her, but hardly do we know her story. She has groomed thousands of talents throughout her life, but I believe that through her story, she’ll inspire millions more.”

The event was punctuated by some video clips from Okundaye’s interview with Forbes Africa, her drum training programme for international visitors and tour of the gallery.

Soyinka, who is also a collector of art, described Okundaye as an “embodiment of Gbogbo nishe” meaning a multifaceted individual and added that she should be a subject of academic research.

“Nike is one of the most exceptional and unique artists I’ve ever met, not because she uses herself as her own model of expression, but because she’s a walking piece of art that spreads joy all around. It’s an honour to celebrate with you today.”

For Prof. Onobrakpeya, Okundaye is a ‘Nigerian ambassador.’ “The best setting to discover a genius is in the informal educational setting rather than the academy,’’ he added.

In his opening remarks, the Vice Chairman, CIG Group, Dr Linus Idahosa spoke about the historic support the company has for the creative industry.

“I would like to thank Kofo Adeleke for writing this book which reconstitutes a great document for

Nigerian art.”\The book reviewer, JahmanAnikulapo acknowledged the contribution of Okundaye to arts and culture, remarking that she is “an only tree that makes a forest.’’ He tasked writers on the story of the 300 women that she mentored. Okundaye’s pieces had been exported to world collections including The Smithsonian Gallery of Art, The Gallery of African Art, The British Library and the homes of highprofile personalities including former US Vice President, Walter Mondale.

She has lectured at several universities in the US, UK and Canada- even without a University degree.

Famed collector and architect, Jess Castellote also observed her consistency in the world of arts for the past decades. “She has been very successful in that and I think we need to acknowledge that and support her. It’s not only that she has trained people, she works in the gallery and has helped many others,’’ he remarked.

Chief Chen emphasized the importance of chronicling the stories of Nigerian legends for its impact on the younger generations of Nigerians who need inspiration and guidance for their lives and careers.

She urged every Nigerian to place a copy of the book on their coffee tables; starting with herself. She launched the book with 1000copies, 500 of which would be donated to top five Nigerian Universities.

The Consular General of Switzerland, Thomas Schneider spoke on the sense of camaraderie at Nike Art Gallery.

Pastor Iyiola Launches New Evangelical Book Quadri Adegun Nigerian pastor Olayori Iyiola of the Redeemed Christian Church of God has launched his most recent evangelical book, “Scavengers in God’s Vineyard” in a small gathering held at the NUT Pavilion, Ikeja Lagos, recently.

The author described his latest publication as “a seven-chapter book which is a documentation of spiritual conversation between a mentor and his mentee over a period of seven days.”A graduate of Fisheries from Lagos State University, Nigeria, the author also holds Masters of Arts in Theology, from The Redeemed Christians College, an affiliate of Redeemer’s University Nigeria. His

previous books include “The Spirit of Ichabod” and “But for Lazarus Sake.”

The chairman of the launch, Mr Segun Oshinowo, a retired director of Nigerian Employers’ Consultative Association [NECA], in his remarks said that the author, Iyiola as a man of many positive facets because of how he has used his ministry to bless countless number of people.

“I consider it a privilege to be on the spot of chairmanship of this event because the author is someone who has, over the years, proven to be of advantage to many of us by always being at our spiritual service. He’s someone who has taken it upon himself to not go into the grave with his God’s given talent by ensuring he documents his inspiration for people,” he said. He also encouraged the audi-

ence to ensure they don’t go to their graves with their talents.

The reviewer of the book, Mrs Wunmi Kalejaye, in her review did a segmentation that includes who the author and what the book is; highlighting the content of the book; chapters of the book and how the book can be of benefit to the people. She sees the book as a continuation of evangelical efforts to draw the people into the vineyard of God. When asked of the age group this book centers, she said “as a place of comfort which the church is for people, this book cuts across age groups because it tends to answer the question of salvation by boldly seeing to various spiritual problems discussed between the mentor and the mentee.

Kunle Adewale Launches Biography ‘Atunbi’ in Lagos Yinka Olatunbosun In an atmosphere of social distancing, the Lagos launch of the emotion-filled biography of the pioneering artist for the Arts in Medicine movement in Nigeria, Kunle Adewale was indeed spell-binding. The audience, made up of friends and associates were completely consumed by the compelling story behind the book titled, “Atunbi: The Grit, The Gut and The Glory.’’ Held at Author, Kunle Adewale and Stephen the Sickle Cell Foundation, Idi Araba, the launch provided an avenue for the Ibelli, the Public Affairs Officer, U.S friends of Kunle Adewale to eulogise Consulate Lagos at the book launch him for his commitment towards using the arts as instrument of change in the health care system.“We all have stories to share. I want to use my story to inspire others and that’s why I wrote the book. The book is not just for young people,’’ Adewale said during his opening remarks. The book ‘Atunbi’ is based on his personal account of resilience through trying times to build a career with global impact. The ninth of fourteen children was raised in Mushin, from a very humble background.

“Some thirty years ago, I used to watch my father beat my mum. There were days that my father would lock us up and would continue to abuse my mum. I grew up on the trauma of a violent home. My house was like hell. In 2010, my mum slept and never woke up again. She saw the grit and the gut but never saw the glory. I wrote SSCE seven times before I eventually passed and UME five times before I was admitted into Obafemi AwolowoUniversity to study Fine and Applied Arts,’’ he said.

After working as an artist and a teacher, Adewale doggedly searched for new ways of impacting the lives of others. He established Tender Arts Nigeria in 2013 with focus on therapeutic art. In 2015, he was selected as one of the Mandela Washington Fellows for his role in improving lives and the society through the arts in medicine project.

At the ceremony to usher in ‘Atunbi,’ the golden-voiced Simidele rendered a melodious delivery of the National anthem before she was invited to sing her own composition titled, “Butterfly.’’ The Programme Co-ordinator, Sickle Cell Foundation, Ebenezer Adeleye described Adewale’s passion for art therapy as “infectious.’’

On his part, the Public Affairs Officer, US Consulate Lagos, Stephen Ibelli commended the artist-turned-social entrepreneur for his efforts at changing lives.

“Kunle was a great candidate for this Nelson Mandela Fellowship programme.

We feel that all of our exchange programmes are really life-changing. And they give you the tools with which you can take your passion to the next level, maybe talking to policy makers and hoping to change some laws guiding the medical system. Art for patients work. It helps people to heal themselves from inside. Music and other art forms help to heal. The quality I admire most in Kunle is his humanity. Kunle is a good example of how someone can overcome the voices of doubts and obstacles in life,’’ he said.

Co-compered by Enitan Sophie and Femi Morgan, the event also featured the writer and poet, Iquo Diana Abasi as well as another visual artist and founder, Cowrie Studios, Abolore Sobayo who spoke on how the imageries evoke in Atunbi resonated with his background in Mushin.

Oyo Monarch Kicks off Oranyan Heritage Foundation, Museum at 50th Golden Jubilee Anniversary Yinka Olatunbosun A museum dedicated to the achievements of Nigerian and indeed African women, past and present in Oyo state is set to be a ground-breaking affair.

This comes as part of activities marking the 50th coronation anniversary of the Alaafin of Oyo, HRH Oba Lamidi Adeyemi III on January 10, 2021.

The Oyo monarchy will formally flag off Oranyan Heritage Foundation (OHF). Founded by Chief Mrs Comfort Titilola Orija-Adesoye, the Iyalaje of Oyo Kingdom, the launch will commence with the laying of the foundation on a 50-acre land in Oyo town. Scheduled to host limited number of guests in line with the Covid-19 protocols the ffoundation laying ceremony is scheduled to hold between January 12 and 14.

The OHF Facility, according to the Project Consultant/ Manager Lumin-Artica, will include a museum (Black Women in History).

The OHF and its museum are dedicated to the achievements of women across generations and beyond.

“Oranyan Heritage Foundation (OHF) an NGO, has its main objective in building a 21st century Museum of Black Women in History,’’ stated Lanre Olagoke, CEO, Lumin-Artica who is also a protégé of the late Prof. Ben Enwonwu. He further disclosed that the Director, The British Museum, Hartwig Fischer and the UK-based Museum expert and former trustee of The British Museum, Bonnie Greer OBE are interested in seeing OHF project become a reality.

“We all know that when women and girls are thriving, the family is thriving; the nation is thriving and the entire world is thriving.

This potential new museum dedicated to the history and achievements of women will be rooted firmly in its community. It will also have an active digital life which will serve all,’’ he declared.

The line-up of activities include inter-religious prayers at the palace on January 12, OHF Project Ground Breaking on January 13th and Community Homage on the 14th and Empowerment session on the 15th. A movie premiere based on the story of Alaafin of Oyo would be shown on the 16th.

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Transcorp Hilton: Redefining Leisure King Akan writes that Transcorp Hilton Abuja redefined leisure during the festive period

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he month of December is a special one world over because it is usually a time for merriment and celebration. It is also a time for families to spend time during the holidays. Understanding the importance of bonding in what has been a challenging year, as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, Transcorp Hilton Abuja presented a silver lining by creating a whole new experience for her guests by adding a buffet of fun events into her calendar during the festive season.

The third edition of the Wedding Fair organised by the hotel, which took place on 29 and 30 of November, 2020, at the Congress Hall, ushered in a variety of events for people looking to create new memories while spending time with loved ones during the festive season.

The fair attracted stakeholders in the wedding and event planning industry. It was a hub for networking, meeting and entertainment in a lively space. Vendors were allowed to engage in a one minute vendor marketing to introduce their brands to attendees. There was also a fashion runway, comedy, sax and a live band performance by Shyne Band to add colour to the event.

Lagos based event planner, Funke Bucknor Obruthe, Founder/CEO of Zapphaire Events, described the experience as impressive, stating that: “the level of organisation and the diversity of the vendors was commendable.

The fair showcased the hospitality of Hilton, the creativity and the dedication of their staff.”

The highlight of the Abuja Wedding Fair was a dance and singing competition whereby members of the audience participated for prizes which included breakfast for a family, beverages for a family, dinner for a couple and event tickets courtesy of Transcorp Hilton Abuja. With the audience being allowed to choose the winners, it was an event in itself as most people cheered and rooted for their friends and loved ones participating to win.

The success of the Wedding Fair was followed by a Christmas Tree Lighting ceremony at the hotel lobby on the 3rd of December 2020; an annual ceremony where the hotel officially launches its festive packages for Christmas and New Year. It was characterised by singing of carols and a countdown to the official lighting of the Christmas tree.

The mood was electric as popular Nigerian musician, Waje, spiced up the occasion with a perfectly rendered version of popular Christmas carol; ‘Silent Night’ to add to several carols delivered by AMEMUSO Choir of Abuja. Tony Elumelu, Founder, Tony Elumelu Foundation and Chairman of Transcorp, Heirs Holdings and the United Bank for Africa, was on ground to witness the glorious occasion.

A Christmas Carol Night also held at the Piano Lounge of the hotel on the 20th of December, 2020, with an outstanding performance by choral group, Voces de las Montana Chorale, who delivered Christmas songs in a heavenly cadence, to the excitement of guests while they relaxed and engaged in meetings at the lounge.

In partnership with JAV Events, Transcorp Hilton Abuja also introduced the Village of Lights; a space completely decorated with lights. Magic is the perfect word to describe the Village of Lights which has been the talk of town because of its colourful and illuminating aesthetic ambience, beautifying not only the hotel but the area as its beautiful lights could be seen from a mile away, especially at night, a sight to behold. The trees around the gate of the hotel were also

JAV Christmas Village of Lights at Transcorp Hilton Abuja

Waje and AMEMUSO Choir performing at the Transcorp Hilton Abuja Tree Lighting Ceremony

L-R: Director, Group Conference & Events, Transcorp Hilton Abuja, Janet Dakim; Public Relations & Marketing Executive, Transcorp Hilton Abuja, Ijeoma Osuji; and Commercial Director, Transcorp Hilton Abuja, Islam ElMaddah, at the third edition of Transcorp Hilton Abuja Wedding Fair

Extended view of the JAV Christmas Village of Lights at Transcorp Hilton Abuja

decorated with rings and shapes of lights.

The Village of Lights presented the best opportunity for guests to increase their photo gallery but it wasn’t all about lights, it was home to a lot of fun activities like bouncing castles, children swings, seesaws, dancing, comedy shows and kid games, all in a safe

environment.

Asides the Village of Lights, during the festive season, the hotel made available an indoor and outdoor kids playground dedicated to kid friendly activities such as face painting, hand games and more. Families also enjoyed virtual reality experience by

participating in virtual games convenient for all age groups at the video games and virtual reality centre stationed at the lobby of the hotel.

There was also something for art lovers.

The art themed event ‘A Crafty Christmas’ organised in partnership with Art Splash Studio featured Paint and Sip (a regular event at the hotel since the ease of lockdown), wreath and Christmas tree making, tie and dye amongst other fun activities.

The food lovers weren’t left out of the fun.

From the 24th to the 27th of December 2020, there was a Dinner Theatre experience at the Zuma Restaurant, which was a infusion of dining and theatre; a unique experience for guests who were treated to theatre performances staged in the restaurant as they ate their meals.

The Family Season Fiesta and themed Photography in collaboration with Studio 24, was another offering of the hotel. A photo studio was set up at the lobby facing the entrance of the hotel for guests and families to have themed photo sessions in a fun manner. The area was decorated with Christmas props, reflecting the season.

With such an array of events to engage with, it was no surprise, that the hotel recorded an influx of local and foreign holidaymakers in the festive season, proving that the experience was well accepted. What made the whole experience more interesting was the fact that all the recreational activities including the use of the hotel gym, swimming pool, sports court and attendance to events at the hotel were free for in-house guests.

Kevin Brett, General Manager of Transcorp Hilton Abuja, noted that the latest offerings were initiated to make the festive season and beyond a memorable one for guests.

“Every festive season, our focus is mainly on the value and memorable experience we create for our customers. Families including those that are resident in Abuja spend the festive season with us every year which proves that there is a uniqueness about our hotel which is the value we create for the customers.

“While we focused on creating the right products, services and especially value for our customers, the safety and security of our guests remained our highest priority and we remained diligent in our commitment to providing a safe, hospitable environment for all who entered our doors,” he said.

It is worthy to note that the hotel has been exceptional in supporting music, literary arts and entertainment, as evinced in its collaborations with Art Splash Studio, JAV Events, Studio 24 to name a few, in actualising events, especially with the goal of engaging young people.

On the back of winning four awards at the 2020 World Travel Awards; Nigeria’s Leading Hotel, Nigeria’s Leading Business Hotel, Nigeria’s Leading Hotel Suite (the Presidential Suite), as well as Africa’s Leading Business Hotel for the sixth consecutive year, the premium hotel has focused on becoming the choice destination for leisure in Abuja. With its latest offerings, Transcorp Hilton Abuja is transforming the hospitality and tourism industry in Abuja and Nigeria as a whole, in the process becoming an attractive leisure destination for travelers both during the festive season as well as normal periods.

There was no boring moment in the hotel as the hotel set about adding value to guests by providing exciting leisure activities and world class entertainment for a truly amazing holiday. There was something for everyone at the Transcorp Hilton Abuja festive experience.

T H I S D AY ˾ Ͷ˜ ͰͮͰͯ

ͱͰ

METRO

…Your city life in print

How Tech is Changing the Automotive Trading Experience in Nigeria Precious Ola Adesina

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entionthewords ‘Nigeria’ and ‘consumer market’ there is a strong chance that words like aspirational, status, and price would come into the fray. Understandably, these words highlight the average Nigerian’s affinity for big dreams, bold goals and the best things that life has to offer.

Each Nigerian has a different reason for craving success, but as a people, there are also commonalities. It is possible to argue that many cultures in Nigeria are status-driven - an individual’s success is spotlighted in tandem with their social standing. As such, the average consumer in Nigeria will make purchase decisions that reflect their current or aspirational status. A clear exemplification of this can be viewed in the seemingly improved status-related consumer choice of owning a car, traveling to a luxury location, etc.

Of the over 11 million cars recorded by the National Bureau of Statistics in September 2017, almost 5 million of them were privately owned. Private vehicles accounting for 40.3% of vehicles in a largely commercial country says everything about what people have to know about the value Nigerians place on automobiles.

By the end of 2018, the number of cars in Nigeria increased by 2%, just as Nigeria’s population continued to grow, leaving the ratio of cars to Nigerians at one to six. But more interestingly, while the number of cars increased by around 200,000, the number of new driver licenses was about 3 times that number, totalling 630,868.

It, therefore, means that some Nigerians are aspirational enough to learn how to drive, get a license even before they can afford a car. (There is also the factor of a valid means of identification, especially for making applications and other things.) Now, while these numbers and the ratio they represent might not put Nigeria as the highest-ranking emerging market within the automobile space, it shows the potential that exists within the market and sheds a little light on the challenges that also exist in the market.

Interestingly, the Nigerian automobile market remains one of the most promising within the African region, and for long has been driven by the country’s middle class. The market, despite experiencing more patronage within the used-car segment of the industry year-on-year, continues to see some tiny growth within the new-car segment from both more established car brands and newer car brands.

The used-car segment of the market is also not without its challenges, from import constraints like the tariff raise carried out by the Nigerian government which came into effect on January 1, 2014, and greatly reduced car imports due to the huge fees required of buyers, leading to a nearly 65% drop in car imports within a year, to the probability of ending up with a car in very bad health, concealed by a shiny exterior.

While these challenges haven’t slowed down operations within the segment, they have made the process of owning a car in Nigeria a big hassle, heightening the trust issues within the space.

As with many issues facing Nigeria and Nigerians, technology continues to represent a beacon of hope in solving most of the challenges, especially with access, that Nigerians have to face while living and operating within the country.

When Cars45 came into the Nigerian automobile space, the issue of possibly ending up with a bad car after striving so hard to save up for it was one of the first things it sought to tackle with its technology solution. As a marketplace where anyone can buy, sell or swap their car, it

The display at Car45

Customer service at work

Technology makes the work easier

Precious Ola Adesina

wanted to ensure that every car being transacted on their platform had an easily accessible record of its history and full health condition - how long it has been around, where it was probably first used, what works, what doesn’t and what might require some fixing.

Since launching in 2016, Cars45 has strategically transformed a market which was largely unstructured and fragmented, dealing with trust issues, low customer satisfaction and other problems, now delivers optimum buying experiences to its customers. From making available real car reports that help inform buyer-decisions,

to building enough trust among customers to get them to buy cars from their online platform, the company shows its understanding of the growing trends among the Nigerian middle class and millennials, many of whom are now saving for or purchasing their first cars. This innovative approach reflects in the over 40,000 car inspection carried out in 2019 alone across its operations in 11 states in Nigeria.

In more ways than one, this technological approach has helped widen the customer base who can readily access the automobile market in Nigeria. With cars spread across a wide price

range, all catalogued on a single platform, anyone can log on to the website (or the social media pages) and browse their car of choice without visiting a single dealership or travelling to a neighbouring West African country. If you factor in the manpower that would have been expended travelling to a neighbouring country, time saved, etc., one can postulate that the company will save each buyer over N250,000 in expenses.

Even more interesting is the opportunity it gives people who might quickly want to sell their cars or swap them for a different one they now fancy. Not in a long time have people been able to quickly liquidity an asset that is regarded as a fixed asset as they can now.

Despite these strides, understanding the African market means understanding that while Africa is teeming with a growing young population who are mobile-first and embracing technology rapidly, a lot of processes are still offline. Businesses, therefore, have to find a balance between offline and online, and Cars45 exists at a sweet intersection.

Given the brand equity built in over 4 years of operations, the Cars45 brand has become a seal of approval that buyers can trust any car (buoyed by its over 200-point inspection system) purchased from a dealership with the company’s trademark and this has become the driving force for the Cars45 Franchise Program, that is, helping dealerships across Nigeria generate more revenue. With training, operations and marketing support from the Cars45 team, dealerships across Nigeria quickly transform into businesses operating with the same business model as Cars45, which places priority on trust, quality and great customer service.

The franchise model is a win-win for Cars45 and its franchise partners. On one hand, it spreads the company’s reach to more places than it can get to operating alone and on the other hand, gives business owners a major boost for their companies. By putting a low barrier of N3million naira as start-up cost in Lagos, the company is also ensuring that even young dealers or individuals with disposable cash can become partners and scale their businesses.

In similar fashion, Cars45 in 2019 unveiled the Autopreneur programme which is arguably the strongest salesforce within the automobile market in Nigeria and one of the elements that has led to increased car-ownership in Nigeria.

The programme which focuses majorly on empowering young people by giving them an opportunity to earn from referrals either for car purchases or car sales has become an enabler of youth entrepreneurship in Nigeria while further building the strength of what can best be referred to as the ‘Cars45 Network’.

Within a year of its launch, the Autopreneur programme became a 4500-member unit and added 1500 more members in 2020 to become a 6000-member programme, all of who transact directly with their clients from a mobile app, where they are able to build smaller teams that earn them extra commission and more bonuses.

Cars45’s biggest strength still lies in its mission to make automobile trading the easiest it can be within Nigeria and Africa. The importance of this mission is what has seen it expand as rapidly as it has, without losing all the elements that built its quality and earned users trust in the first place.

Maintaining that quality is why each touchpoint of its ecosystem has a training element to it, which ensures; that partners understand the mission and stick with it, that its autopreneurs are learning enough to someday expand and further deepen the automobile market in Nigeria, and that most especially, users understand how the company can help them achieve their own dreams and aspirations. t0MB "EFTJOB JT UIF /BUJPOBM )FBE $FOUFS 0QFSBUJPOT BU $BST /JHFSJB T MFBEJOH UFDI FOBCMFE BVUPNPUJWF USBEJOH QMBUGPSN

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T H I S D AY ˾ Ͷ˜ ͰͮͰͯ

POLSCOPE

áÓÞÒ ÎÎã ÎÓàáÜÓ ÏÎÎã˛ÙÎÓàáÜÓ̶ÞÒÓÝÎËãÖÓàÏ˛ÍÙט ͸΀͸ͽ ͻ͸; ΁ͻͽ;

Hey, the Banks Are Robbing Us

Canticles….

Buhari’s Spectre of Hope: Real or Mere Sooth?

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I am so happy this will be a better year. It will be a great consolation and relief from the philistinic Year 2020.

What is informing this hope? The year is just eight days old and we are already getting assailed with so much troubles: spike in COVID-19 infection, threat of another lock down, high inflation, American democracy highly threatened by President Trump and his wild election rascals.

Emefiele

W

ith the benefit of hindsight, I would not now blame Alhaji Bakin Zuwo, former governor of Kano State in the second republic in whose home was found N3.4m stacked in bags, after the December 31 1983 coup led by then Gen Mohamadu Buhari (our sitting President). When the military men who searched his house asked him why he kept all that money in the house instead of the bank, Bakin Zuwo (who had no formal education) retorted and said: “Me, I no trust Bank”. That was 37 years ago. If Bakin Zuwo did not trust the banking system 37 years ago, I wonder what he would have said now, if he was yet alive.

He died in 1989, at 54. But truth is that many Nigerians, including myself, are losing the trust in banks.

But because we have very limited options, we still retain their services, choicelessly.

In the name of technology and global network, the banking system has been as vicious as road-side scammers.

Everyday, the customer base of the banks is burgeoning. More and more people are being banked.

The joke was shared sometime ago that if one deposits N100,000 in Nigerian banks, rather than the money increasing in five years, the customer could indeed land at zero balance, because of a myriad of inexplicable charges which the banks devise every now and then.

Last month, just before the New Year, one of my Banks (UBA) sent a debit notice on sms saying that my account had been debited N1,630 between November 30 and December 30 (one month), with a scant narration: Account Maintenance Charge. The Account does not have /use an ATM card.

Other accounts with ATM cards (which they force on you sometimes, like in Access Bank), they also debit you quarterly for Card Maintenance Charge.

So what are they really maintaining in the account to warrant a charge of N1,630 per customer?

Imagine doing same for, say, 3 million customers. In one lonely month, the bank would have raked in N4.89 billion, for “maintaining” what is neither spoilt nor serviceable.

Add to that another debit of N122.25 as VAT on the charge. So in one month, I have lost N1,752.25.

Or how do we explain the quarter-

ly charge on Card Maintenance? The card is in the hand of the customer. So how is the bank maintaining it as to warrant monthly charge of N53.25?

Calculate that in say, 5 million customers, and see what the bank extorts from customers! This is the same card that was actually sold to the customer. A card costs minimum of N1000. If you lose it, you pay for another. If the ATM machine seizes it, it is condemned and you have to pay for another. Just anyhow, “any which way”, the bank is baying for extortion opportunities.

Yes, electronic banking has made financial transactions a lot easier, but it comes with its own pack of charges. For every inter-bank transfer, there is a Stamp Duty charge of N50.00. Imagine the millions of such transactions everyday. In little-little ways the bank is ripping us off unnoticed, essentially because we feel the “small-small deductions” cannot really harm our credit balances. But hey, pause and think the cumulative effects of such deductions from the millions of people who throng the banks and their services everyday.

In the same UBA, there is yet another charge they call VT PASS. Even the counter staff do not understand what it means, but they are charges programmed into the system and are deducted automatically.

What about POS charges? Pause and check, and you’d discover that the bank is literally robbing us without arms.

These are the same banks that have literally wiped off the little .03% interest they used to pay on savings accounts. Today, all that is gone.

Not even the erstwhile attractive Fixed Deposit Accounts or Treasury Bill attracts any significant interest anymore.

Would you talk about the Domiciliary Account? There the bank collects your hard currency, charges you for deposits, withdrawals and even transfer, yet they pay not even a dime as interest.

But try and ask for a loan. Beside asking you to bring (possibly your grandmother’s nails), you are requested to service the loan at between 21 and 25 % interest. You can see how wicked the Nigerian banks are. Those are customers’ monies they are literally paying nothing for, but they would charge you BP-inducing interest when you come to borrow them.

This newspaper reported , a week ago, that despite the COVID-19 troubles, the banks still received total deposit of N37 trillion last year.

How much of that was given out as loans? And at what interest rate?

Is anybody still wondering why the Nigerian economy is stifled? The

banks are literally the only entities that are selfishly breathing at the collective expense of the other sectors of the economy.

Perhaps I will not complain much with these ungodly charges, since banks are not Red Cross, as they are in business to make profit; and huge are those profits, as they declare billions of Naira every year. But alas, the banks also rob their own staff.

The staff also pay these many silly charges, complained about .

Nigerian bankers are among the worst treated in the world: long stressful work hours—including most weekends; scant remunerative package (some banks prefer to keep using contract staff); very slow growth, as promotions are hugely denied and deferred; burden of very unrealistic targets which leads many of the female staffers into “executive/corporate prostitution”. The bosses don’t give a hoot. “Just bring the money”, is the running mantra!

But the Executive Directors and other “Big Men at the top” of these banks practically feast on the funds of the banks to the detriment of the junior staff down the line.

But the bank staff all manage to put up bright and shining appearances in the banking halls—what with their colourful ties and boutiqueflavoured dresses of the female staff.

Many of them are in huge debts to be able to sustain such “packaged” appearances.

Some of the banks have long cancelled the 13th month remuneration or even profit-sharing privileges which the staff used to enjoy.

So, the question is, if the banks earn so much money every day, every year, why don’t they spare a human though for their staff who actually do the work?

Is it not a shame that despite all the decked premium appearances of some of the banks, some of them (among the Big Four) are still paying 60 % of the salary because of COVID restrictions. And they dare those who complain to resign. What else can be a better definition of unkind capitalism!

Perhaps what is most dismal in all of these is that there appears to be no one cautioning the banks.

It is a wonder the CBN approved many of these weird charges. The National Union of Banks, Insurance and Financial Institutions Employees (NUBIFE), has long been muscled up and silenced. The Bankers’ Committee is all silent in the face of these milking of the Nigerians customers.

The CBN, as the major regulators of the banks, should wake up and flog these banks into line, That is why they are called the Bankers’ bank.

Didn’t you listen to the New Year Broadcast of Mr President? It was a speech laced with unusual hope and soothing pronouncements. He raised the hope that the troublesome issue of insecurity will be re-energised and re-organised” for greater effect. He promised to be more deliberate on the welfare of the youths since they are the greatest resource of the nation, not the Crude oil in the Niger Delta.

It was re-assuring to hear the President declare that “if the country must be secured, the future of the youths must be secured”. This is a complete turn-around from the tag of “Lazy youths” which Mr President had used in describing the youths of this country.

It rekindles… (placing the index finger across his lips) Shhhhhhh. It rekindles what?

Tell me, what is being rekindled?

My friend, can you just keep quiet. I have listened to your rantings and your naivety which had been on over-drive. You mean you got carried away by the niceties of Mr President’s speech? You do not know all that you heard are the handiwork of the speech writers?

Ok, just pause and think: what is it that Mr President had said on New Year Day that is truly new to you?

Is he not a politician? Is the flying of kites of hope not their stock in trade? I thought you’d have grown up and be more critical all these years. You are still this naïve and gullible? So you believe all that the President has said?

I have no reason to doubt Mr President. If the same man who had been talking tough and sounding unconnected to us all these years, suddenly changes and calls the former “lazy youths” the greatest assets of the country, and promises to tackle insecurity and the dwindling economy in more practical ways, why should I doubt him?

How many times has he promised to deal with the security issue without doing anything? Go back and read his speeches on such subjects. .

It’s all the same thing! Why do you think he’d be different this time?

How many times has the Nigerian people demanded the sack of the tired Service Chiefs and he wont listen.

Look, let me tell you, unless and until Mr President lays off these present Service Chiefs, nothing is going to change on the security situation in Nigeria. More and more people will be killed, kidnapped, harassed, robbed etc. And… (cuts in) Stop this pessimism. He has promised to re-energise and re-organise the security apparatus.

So why don’t you believe him and give him time to do what he has promised?

That is my problem with you.

You are too trusting. Look, take the words of Mr President and indeed, every politician, with a pinch of salt. This is a man who had promised, on New Year day,

Buhari

to make life better this year by introducing policies that will cushion the harsh economic hits.

And just four days, yes, four days after, the government introduces 100 percent hike in electricity tariff.

Is that the government you want to invest your trust on? On one hand he claims that he’d continue to listen to our voices, and on the other hand, he does exactly what the people do not want. Or didn’t the people kick against increase in the price of petrol? Did he not increase it? Did the people not kick against the increase in electricity tariff? Has he not just increased it?

See why I said you should take the words of politicians with a pinch of salt?

Have you forgotten the energy sector has been deregulated and privatized? Didn’t you hear the Minister of State for Labour, Festus keyamo, say that the NERC does not have the approval of the federal government to increase the electricity tariff? . Learn to trust the people in government. I am sure they mean well God forbid that I will trust politicians, especially those in government. Look, let me tell you, they may mean well, but are they doing well? Do they suffer what the ordinary man suffers? Do you really think they care about you?

If you need any other evidence of their indifference about how their policies hit you, see the issue of the National Identification Number (NIN). Does Pantami care whether people are scrambling or getting into a stampede in order to get their NIN within two weeks?

Does anybody care?

Did you not hear the DG of Culture and Tourism, Otunba Runsewe applaud the demolition of the hotel in Kaduna allegedly involved in a sex party saga, even when nothing has been established against the owners of the hotel?

There was no investigation before the destruction of the hotel, only to suddenly claim that the building has no approved plan? Working from answer to question! See wickedness in high places? How many buildings in Kaduna truly have approved plan? How many such others have been pulled down by Gov Nasir El-Rufai? Are those the people you say mean well?

My brother, you are dragging in too many issues.

All i am trying to tell you is that Mr President’s speech is just what it is, a speech. It is a sooth, merely meant to calm frayed nerves of Nigerians. Period!

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T H I S D AY ˾ ˜ JANUARY 8, 2021

BUSINESS/MONEYGUIDE

Ecobank Nigeria Launches Radio programme for SMEs Stories: Nume Ekeghe Ecobank Nigeria Limited has launched a radio programme ‘Ecobank Business Hour’ targeted at empowering small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in the country.

Head, SME, Ecobank Nigeria, Mr. Emeka Agada, in a statement made available to THISDAY, said the programme, which is being syndicated across 10 radio stations in Nigeria, is one of the several initiatives the bank is deploying to empower its SME customers with the right resources to thrive.

He stated that the programme will also enlighten the public about the various solutions designed by the bank to help businesses.

He explained that the radio programme, being produced by Royal Roots, one of Nigeria’s leading production companies, has already commenced and will

be aired for an initial period of 13 weeks. He added that the rich content will help entrepreneurs and business managers to upskill and reskill for growth in the new digital landscape.

He said: “This further underscore our unwavering commitment to supporting and sustaining the development of SMEs in all sectors of the economy. The radio programme promises to be an impactful series. I encourage all small business operators including their customers, friends and family members to set aside time to listen to the programme and get tips on how to grow their businesses.”

Also speaking, Managing Director, Royal Roots, Greg Odutayo, said the programme would enable aspiring entrepreneurs understand how to set up and manage successful businesses. He commended Ecobank for supporting a programme of this nature,

capable of generating positive activities in the SME space.

The Business Ecobank Hour is being anchored by the duo of Greg Odutayo, a presenter, producer and director with over 28 years of professional experience and Helen Ese Emore, an international facilitator, seasoned MSME project development and business coach. The programme will run in 10 radio stations across the country. Some of the topics and issues lined up for the broadcast include: starting a new business; structuring your business and business planning; company registration; funding your business; creating markets for your products; taxes and taxation; digital payments and collections; how to obtain SONCAP and NAFDAC registration for all products and many other relevant topics, in addition to tips on how to access Ecobank’s bouquet of offerings for SMEs.

MD, Ecobank Nigeria Limited, Mr. Patrick Akinwuntan

MARKET INDICATORS

Giving.ng to Commence CSR Initiative in Kogi Community As part of its annual give back campaign corporate social responsibility (CSR), Giving. ng, a reputable crowdfunding platform, will soon begin the construction of a borehole in Ajichemu community in the Dekina Local Government Area of Kogi State, following the selection of the community for the social impact project by an online audience.

Chief Executive Officer, Sterling One Foundation, investors in Giving.ng, Mrs. Peju Ibekwe, said the commitment to lasting social impact, reducing poverty and fostering a better world brought about the priceless gift of clean water by drilling a borehole in a community where it is most needed.

In a bid to make the project a reality, Giving.ng asked Nigerians

to nominate a community that is in desperate need of a borehole and about 20 communities across the country were nominated in December 2020.

Mrs. Ibekwe said three communities stood out. They are: Ajichemu in Dekina LGA of Kogi State, Aja Omo Community in Lagos State and Ijemo Community in Abeokuta, Ogun.

The three communities had the highest number of nominations.

Ajichemu community emerged the winner from a Twitter poll conducted to make a final decision.

“While voting for the three communities was happening online, the Giving.ng team was also busy on the streets. It partnered with the Pamilerin Foundation to provide food to the old and needy in Idi-Oro

community in Mushin, Lagos.

The outreach was deeply emotional, especially seeing the joy on the faces of people who were impacted by it,” she disclosed.

According to Mrs. Ibekwe, Giving.ng is happy to be at the forefront of two inclusive projects that mobilised people from different walks of life to tackle hunger and the poverty associated with lack of safe drinking water.

“We are setting new inclusive standards and thriving on citizen input and support to champion causes that touch the lives of everyday people.

What we do require support from everyone, and we are excited to invite all seeking to support life-changing causes to visit Giving.ng to learn more.

Aella, Amazon Partner to Empower Underbanked Nigerians ella App, a leading single point financial service and payment solutions organisation, is working with Amazon Web Services, Inc. (AWS) to empower underbanked individuals to have quicker access to credit and other financial services using Amazon Rekognition for identity verification.

Amazon Rekognition is a fully managed computer vision services that enables developers to analyse images and videos for a variety of use cases including face identification and verification, media intelligence, custom industrial automation, and workplace safety. With the lack of application programming interface (API) infrastructure that allows the real-time verification of Government IDs in Nigeria, Aella App is changing the fintech ecosystem by taking advantage of cutting-edge artificial intelligent ( AI) technologies and using biometric identity verification on its mobile application, improving the accuracy of facial verification by over 40 per cent..This significantly reduces verification errors, increases credit approval speed, provides scalability and drives financial inclusivity for everyone. Speaking on the impetus for the collaboration,

Aella App’s CEO, Akin Jones said: “With only 38 per cent of Nigerians having any form of identification, we realised that a vast majority of the population were being left behind on financial services, taking away their financial independence and leaving them on the fringe of building bankable credit ratings.

Our job as a fintech organisation is to come up with more creative ways to bring more people into the ecosystem, reinforcing our commitment to provide products that democratize financial services for all, ultimately alleviating poverty and driving economic growth in the region.”

Also speaking, the Chief Technological Officer (CTO), Aella App, Wale Akanbi, said: “Amazon Rekognition facilitates faster customer access to our products, because we can now verify an individual’s identity without human intervention. As a fintech organization founded to provide financial access and inclusivity for everyone, this has been instrumental in letting us focus on our core operation which is to provide credit to the underbanked.

AWS’s solution cuts our process time from a month or a week, to a matter of seconds, placing

us well above our competitors in the ecosystem. The ability to properly identify users has been a key hindrance in building credit for billions of people in emerging markets, but our use of Amazon Rekognition has helped us with KYC [know your customer], discover overlapping profiles, and duplicate datasets that would have slowed down our process.”

Vice President, Amazon Machine Learning Solutions Lab, Amazon Web Services, Michelle K. Lee, reaffirmed AWS’s commitment to developing technology that can help tackle some of our world’s hardest problems.

“We are impressed by Aella’s dedication to driving financial independence for the underbanked, including the underbanked in Nigeria. With the fintech ecosystem in Nigeria accounting for 1.25% of retail banking revenues, it’s clear that there is opportunity to continue democratising financial service access for all. We are proud to work with Aella as they strive to ensure everyone from individuals to small business owners are not left without financial support and have equal opportunities to build a credit history for themselves,” Lee said.

MONEY AND CREDIT STATISTICS

(MILLION NAIRA)

JULY 2020 Money Supply (M3)

36,822,751.47

-- CBN Bills Held by Money Holding Sectors

3,476,121.25

Money Supply (M2)

33,346,630.22

-- Quasi Money

120,764,479.02

-- Narrow Money (M1)

12,582,151.19

---- Currency Outside Banks

2,002,026.89

---- Demand Deposits

10,580,124.31

Net Foreign Assets (NFA)

7,637,137.23

Net Domestic Assets(NDA)

29,185,614.24

-- Net Domestic Credit (NDC)

39,711,115.95

---- Credit to Government (Net)

19,521,851.08

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

0.00

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

0.00

---- Credit to Private Sector (CPS)

-130,189,264.87

--Other Assets Net

3,472,017.70

Reserve Money (Base Money

13,421,827.07

--Currency in Circulation

2,395,917.03

--Banks Reserves --Special Intervention Reserves

11,025,910.04 317,234.17

˾ ÙßÜÍÏ ̋

Money Market Indicators (in Percentage) Month Inter-Bank Call Rate

March 2018 15.16

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

14.00

Treasury Bill Rate

11.84

Savings Deposit Rate

4.07

1 Month Deposit Rate

8.82

3 Months Deposit Rate

9.72

6 Months Deposit Rate

10.93

12 Months Deposit Rate

10.21

Prime Lending rate

17.35

Maximum Lending Rate

31.55

˾ ÙØÏÞËÜã ÙÖÓÍã ËÞÏ ̋ ͯͱϱ

OPEC DAILY BASKET PRICE AS AT THURSDAY, 17 DECEMBER 2020

The price of OPEC basket of thirteen crudes stood at $50.78 a barrel on Thursday, compared with $50.12 the previous day, according to OPEC Secretariat calculations.

The OPEC Reference Basket of Crudes (ORB) is made up of the following: Saharan Blend (Algeria), Girassol (Angola), Djeno (Congo), Zafiro (Equatorial Guinea), Rabi Light (Gabon), Iran Heavy (Islamic Republic of Iran), Basra Light (Iraq), Kuwait Export (Kuwait), Es Sider (Libya), Bonny Light (Nigeria), Arab Light (Saudi Arabia), Murban (UAE) and Merey (Venezuela) SOURCE: OPEC headquarters, Vienna

35

T H I S D AY ˾ ˜ Ͷ˜ ͰͮͰͯ

All-Share Index Rises 0.31% as Investors Stake N7.5bn on Shares Goddy Egene Investors staked N7.51 billion on 2.13 billion shares in 4,558 deals yesterday at the stock market as the bulls continued to dominate trading. The value of trading soared by 755 per cent compared to 249.545 million shares exchanged for N2.184 billion in 6,090 deals the previous day. Champion Breweries Plc was the most traded stock by volume and

value at 1.91 billion shares and N4.95 billion respectively.

The sustained bullish trend lifted the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) All-Share Index (ASI) by 0.31 per cent to close at 40,490.85, while market capitalisation added N65.7 billion to be at N21.2 trillion.

The gain was bolstered by buying interest in Seplat Petroleum Development Company Plc, Nigerian Breweries Plc and Guaranty Trust Bank Plc. In all, 27 stocks appreciated, while 14

P R I C E S MAIN BOARD

F O R DEALS

depreciated.

FTN Cocoa Processors Plc, Livestock Feeds Plc and Seplat led the price gainers with 10 per cent apiece. Japaul Gold & Ventures Plc trailed with 9.8 per cent, just as Champion Breweries Plc and NEM Insurance Plc gained 9.4 per cent and 7.4 per cent respectively.

Neimeth International Pharmaceuticals Plc appreciated by 4.3 per cent as investors continued to response to a dividend declared for the year ended September 30,

S E C U R I T I E S

MARKET PRICE

QUANTITY TRADED

VALUE TRADED ( N )

2020. The company recommended a dividend of six kobo per share after posting a profit after tax of N212.476 million for 2020.

The pharmaceutical firm recorded a turnover of N2.839 billion for the year ended September 30, 2020, up from N2.371 billion the previous year. Gross profit rose from N1.295 billion to N1.509 billion. Marketing and distribution expenses rose from N377 million to N505 million, while administrative expenses

T R A D E D MAIN BOARD

A S

rose from N375 million to N452 million. As a result, the company ended with profit after tax of N212.476 million as against N220 million in 2019.

Meanwhile, Sovereign Trust Insurance Plc led the price losers with 9.0 per cent, trailed

by Courtville Business Solutions Plc with 8.7 per cent. LASACO Assurance Plc shed 7.8 per cent, while Unilever Nigeria Plc shed 6.4 per cent. Sterling Bank Plc and NAHCO Plc depreciated by 4.3

O F

per cent and 4.2 per cent in that order. Chams Plc and Regency Insurance Plc lost 4.1 per cent apiece, just as Guinness Nigeria Plc and AXA Mansard Insurance Plc shed 4.0 per cent and 3.2 per cent in that order.

In terms of sectoral performance, the NSE Oil & Gas Index led gainers with 5.7 per cent, while the NSE Consumer Goods Index and NSE Banking Index went up by 0.8 per cent and 0.5 per cent respectively.

0 7 / 0 1 / 2 0 2 1 DEALS

MARKET PRICE

QUANTITY TRADED

VALUE TRADED ( N)

36

FRIDAY, ΀˜ ͺ͸ͺ͹ ˾ T H I S D AY

MARKET NEWS

Nemeith Pharmaceuticals Plans to Raise Equity Capital Goddy Egene

of Neimeth International proposal to raise fresh equity ascertained, sources said the raising is believed to be part of Pharmaceuticals Plc met capital. However, details of equity capital raise would be the strategies to reposition the The Board of Directors yesterday to consider the the proposal are yet to be through rights issue. The fund company to play greater roles in A Mutual fund (Unit Trust) is an investment floor of the Nigerian Stock Exchange.

Offer price: The price at which units of a trust or vehicle managed by a SEC (Securities and A REIT (Real Estate Investment Trust) is an ETF are bought by investors.

Exchange Commission) registered Fund Manager. investment vehicle that allows both small and Bid Price: The price at which Investors Investors with similar objectives buy units of the large investors to part-own real estate ventures (eg. redeem (sell) units of a trust or ETF. Fund so that the Fund Manager can buy securities Offices, Houses, Hospitals) in proportion to their Yield/Total Return: Denotes the total that willl generate their desired return. investments. The assets are divided into shares that return an investor would have earned on An ETF (Exchange Traded Fund) is a type are traded on the Nigerian Stock Exchange. his investment. Money Market Funds report of fund which owns the assets (shares of stock, Yield while others report Year- to-date Total bonds, oil futures, gold bars, foreign currency, GUIDE TO DATA: Return. etc.) and divides ownership of those assets into Date: All fund prices are quoted in Naira as at 06- NAV: Is value per share of the real estate shares. Investors can buy these ‘shares’ on the Jan-2021, unless otherwise stated. assets held by a REIT on a specific date.

the healthcare industry, deliver better returns on investment to shareholders.

DAILY PRICE LIST FOR MUTUAL FUNDS, REITS and ETFS MUTUAL FUNDS / UNIT TRUSTS AFRINVEST ASSET MANAGEMENT LTD aaml@afrinvest.com Web: www.afrinvest.com; Tel: +234 818 885 6757 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Afrinvest Equity Fund N/A N/A N/A Afrinvest Plutus Fund N/A N/A N/A Nigeria International Debt Fund N/A N/A N/A Afrinvest Dollar Fund N/A N/A N/A ALTERNATIVE CAPITAL PARTNERS LTD info@acapng.com Web: www.acapng.com, Tel: +234 1 291 2406, +234 1 291 2868 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn ACAP Canary Growth Fund N/A N/A N/A ACAP Income Funds N/A N/A N/A AIICO CAPITAL LTD ammf@aiicocapital.com Web: www.aiicocapital.com, Tel: +234-1-2792974 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn AIICO Money Market Fund 100.00 100.00 1.50% AIICO Balanced Fund 3.56 3.71 0.03% 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 0.84% Anchoria Equity Fund 134.58 135.07 24.25% Anchoria Fixed Income Fund 1.34 1.34 15.16% 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 18.32 18.87 19.60% ARM Discovery Balanced Fund 404.89 417.10 17.21% ARM Ethical Fund 34.05 35.07 17.08% ARM Eurobond Fund ($) 1.22 1.23 22.45% ARM Fixed Income Fund 1.11 1.12 11.36% ARM Money Market Fund 1.00 1.00 0.63% AXA MANSARD INVESTMENTS LIMITED investmentcare@axamansard.com Web: www.axamansard.com; Tel: +2341-4488482 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn AXA Mansard Equity Income Fund N/A N/A N/A AXA Mansard Money Market Fund N/A N/A N/A CAPITAL EXPRESS ASSET AND TRUST LIMITED info@capitalexpressassetandtrust.com Web: www.capitalexpressassetandtrust.com ; Tel: +234 803 307 5048 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn CEAT Fixed Income Fund 2.16 2.16 -13.30% Capital Express Balanced Fund(Formerly: Union Trustees Mixed Fund) 2.22 2.26 -19.25% CHAPELHILL DENHAM MANAGEMENT LTD investmentmanagement@chapelhilldenham.com Web: www.chapelhilldenham.com, Tel: +234 461 0691 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Chapelhill Denham Money Market Fund 100.00 100.00 2.52% Paramount Equity Fund 16.08 16.37 0.53% Women's Investment Fund 133.38 134.85 0.20% CORDROS ASSET MANAGEMENT LIMITED assetmgtteam@cordros.com Web: www.cordros.com, Tel: 019036947 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Cordros Money Market Fund 100.00 100.00 0.90% Cordros Milestone Fund 2023 130.81 131.63 Cordros Milestone Fund 2028 N/A N/A Cordros Dollar Fund ($) 109.06 109.06 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 0.91% Coronation Balanced Fund 1.18 1.19 2.27% Coronation Fixed Income Fund 1.59 1.59 0.22% 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 N/A N/A N/A EDC Nigeria Money Market Fund Class B N/A N/A N/A EDC Nigeria Fixed Income Fund N/A N/A N/A 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 1,400.14 1,401.79 0.05% FBN Balanced Fund 188.24 189.69 0.30% FBN Halal Fund 111.48 111.52 -0.04% FBN Money Market Fund 100.00 100.00 1.06% FBN Nigeria Eurobond (USD) Fund - Institutional 122.22 122.65 0.52% FBN Nigeria Eurobond (USD) Fund - Retail 122.37 122.79 0.52% FBN Smart Beta Equity Fund 150.69 152.97 -0.32% 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 1.51% Legacy Debt Fund 3.87 3.87 5.96% Legacy Equity Fund 1.52 1.55 34.52% Legacy USD Bond Fund 1.14 1.14 5.12% 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 3,802.88 3,850.44 24.88% Coral Income Fund 3,311.38 3,311.38 7.86% FSDH Treasury Bills Fund 100.00 100.00 1.79% 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 100.00 100.00 0.78% Nigeria Entertainment Fund 127.35 127.88 18.33%

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 1.08% Vantage Balanced Fund 2.90 2.96 32.49% Vantage Guaranteed Income Fund 1.00 1.00 7.50% Kedari Investment Fund (KIF) 157.02 157.98 9.61% 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 1.44 1.46 0.00% Lotus Halal Fixed Income Fund 1,155.02 1,155.02 0.14% 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 1.64 1.67 6.46% PACAM Fixed Income Fund 12.20 12.31 8.68% PACAM Money Market Fund 10.00 10.00 1.50% PACAM Equity Fund 1.55 1.57 PACAM EuroBond Fund 108.41 110.86 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 131.18 133.55 8.39% 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 1.00 1.00 0.12% 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 0.06% Stanbic IBTC Bond Fund 210.33 210.33 0.04% Stanbic IBTC Ethical Fund 0.88 0.89 -0.85% Stanbic IBTC Guaranteed Investment Fund 273.87 273.95 0.07% Stanbic IBTC Iman Fund 154.92 156.64 -0.72% Stanbic IBTC Money Market Fund 100.00 100.00 0.28% Stanbic IBTC Nigerian Equity Fund 7,674.15 7,756.30 -0.95% Stanbic IBTC Dollar Fund (USD) 1.23 1.23 0.09% Stanbic IBTC Shariah Fixed Income Fund 111.16 111.16 0.07% 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 1.37 1.40 0.54% United Capital Bond Fund 1.89 1.89 0.06% United Capital Equity Fund 0.87 0.90 0.92% United Capital Money Market Fund 1.00 1.00 1.50% United Capital Eurobond Fund 117.20 117.20 0.10% United Capital Wealth for Women Fund 1.09 1.09 0.13% QUANTUM ZENITH ASSET MANAGEMENT & INVESTMENTS LTD service@quantumzenithasset.com.ng Web: www.quantumzenith.com.ng; Tel: +234 1-2784219 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Zenith Equity Fund 12.33 12.41 3.81% Zenith Ethical Fund 13.64 13.76 11.62% Zenith Income Fund 25.02 25.02 0.80% Zenith Money Market Fund 1.00 1.00 1.91%

REITS NAV Per Share

Fund Name SFS Skye Shelter Fund

Yield / T-Rtn

120.74

0.00%

52.40

0.00%

Bid Price

Offer Price

Yield / T-Rtn

13.23 122.15 98.94

13.33 122.15 100.79

0.11% 0.34% -0.43%

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

funds@vetiva.com Bid Price

Offer Price

4.10

4.14

8.20%

Vetiva Consumer Goods Exchange Traded Fund

5.77

5.85

1.46%

Vetiva Griffin 30 Exchange Traded Fund Vetiva Money Market Fund Vetiva Industrial Goods Exchange Traded Fund

17.71 1.00 20.79

17.81 1.00 20.99

8.16% 0.98% 1.32%

203.73

205.73

-8.82%

NAV Per Share

Yield / T-Rtn

107.71

13.11%

Fund Name Vetiva Banking Exchange Traded Fund

Vetiva S&P Nigeria Sovereign Bond Exchange Traded Fund

Yield / T-Rtn

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.

37

FRIDAY JANUARY 8, 2021 ˾ T H I S D AY

24 HOURS...

24 HOURS...

Insurgency: Military Says Tempo of War Has Changed Kingsley Nwezeh in Abuja Military authorities said yesterday that the tempo of the insurgency war had changed, forcing insurgents to avoid direct confrontation with troops and instead focusing on attacking soft targets.

Reviewing military operations between December 31,2020 and January 6, 2021, it said the unwillingness of the terrorists to engage troops was an indication that the tempo of the war had changed in favour of the military.

This comes as it said the Nigerian Navy Ship, DELTA, recovered 350,000 litres of stolen crude oil from illegal bunkerers in the Niger Delta region.

Briefing the media in Abuja, the Coordinator of the Directorate of Defence Media Operations, Major General John Enenche, said a combined surveillance, aerial

and ground operations had given the military a path to victory.

“We have discovered that direct encounters between us and the terrorists are on the low side, what it signifies, is that once there is a reduction, it means the game is changing rapidly to the favour of the armed forces of Nigeria and Nigerians at large.

“How have we sustained this, we don’t focus on one source of surveillance or action, we have both ground and air put together and other technical sources. We keep increasing the tempo and changing our style of operation”, he said.

Enenche said: “Whatever we did before is never good for the now and what we are going to do tomorrow, we are on the table constantly planning.

“The surveillance that we maintained through air reconnaissance and intelligence

LG Polls: Kano APC Disqualifies Six Candidates, Alleges Drug Test Failure Ibrahim Shuaibu in Kano The Kano State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) yesterday declared that six candidates had been disqualified for their failure to pass the National Drugs Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) drug test in the state.

The state Secretary of the party, Mr Ibrahim Zakari Sarina, told reporters at Government House that the party introduced this precondition for contesting the local government elections in the state.

Sarina confirmed that those involved were councilorship candidates and they have since been replaced.

According to him, no fewer than six drug addicts were detected among the candidates during the NDLEA screening

exercise.

He explained that after the compulsory drug test conducted by the NDLEA on all the candidates vying for the 44 chairmanship and 484 councillororship positions, six candidates were confirmed drug addicts and were disqualified from the race under the APC. He said all the confirmed alleged addicts were contesting for councillorship positions.

“Their parties are lucky to have this week as a window period for them to substitute their replacements as we won’t allow any of them to contest,” Sarina said.

Yesterday, Governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje presented campaign flags to all the 44 local government chairmanship candidates.

is at the peak in the north and the aggressive patrol of the land forces has made it possible to for them to focus more on soft targets. We are going to ensure that this is improved upon on regular basis”.

On the activities of the troops of Operation Delta Safe, he said they recovered 350, 000 litres

of stolen crude oil.

“Within the period under review, acting on credible intelligence, Nigerian Navy Ship DELTA Patrol team located a wooden boat laden with about 200,000 litres of product suspected to be crude oil. Accordingly, the boats along with the product were handled

appropriately.

“Equally, Nigerian Navy Ship DELTA patrol team discovered and immobilised an illegal refining site with nine storage tanks and four ovens containing crude oil estimated to be about 150,000 litres at Olaipase Creek in Warri South Local Government Area

of Delta Stateit said.

Enenche said the patrol team proceeded further within the same community and located another illegal refinery site with 15 storage tanks and eight ovens laden with substance suspected to be illegally refined AGO estimated to be about 250,000 litres.

STATE FUNCTION…

L-R: Enugu State Deputy Governor, Mrs. Cecilia Ezeilo; Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi; state Chief Judge, Justice Priscila Ngozi Emehelu; and President, Customary Court of Appeal, Justice George Nnamani, after the swearing-in of six new judges of the state judiciary at the Government House, Enugu, yesterday

IPPIS Wonder: I was Paid N4,000 as Monthly Salary, Says ASUP Chairman Poly workers may go on strike over minimum wage arrears, promotion, others The controversial payment system introduced by the federal government, the Integrated Personnel and Payroll Information System (IPPIS) may lead to the disruption of activities in the nation’s polytechnics, as the Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP), has cried out against the lapses inherent in the system and is threatening industrial action.

Speaking in a chat in Lagos yesterday, the Yaba College of Technology, Yabatech Chapter Chairman, Mr Remi Ajiboye,

said salaries of members were being cut indiscriminately, citing an instance in which he was paid N4, 000 as monthly salary.

Ajiboye is a Senior Lecturer whose salary should be over N300,000 monthly.

This is as many federal workers are complaining about the irregularity in the payment of their salaries A vice chancellor in a federal university in the North was reportedly paid N72,000 as salary at a point in time.

The IPPIS became a

compulsory means of receiving salaries for federal workers in February, 2020. Ajiboye added that his members were also being owed 10 months’ new minimum wage arrears and that despite the promise to clear the arrears by July last year, nothing has been done.

“We are in support of our Council of National Officers, who have been battling for months to get many of the issues redressed. Actually, we can say that the government is killing us gradually with this

IPPIS of a thing. Deductions like for cooperative societies are not remitted. Even our union dues are not remitted regularly.

“Now, nobody can say this is what he or she earns a month. The salary has become an undulating object, you only get whatever catches the fancy of those in the IPPIS office.

“There was a month I was paid N4,000 as monthly salary.

And it is not that the money forcibly taken away would be repaid any time soon,” he said.

Onungwe Obe in Yenagoa

panel led by Hon. Justice U. Onyemenam, said that the Federal High Court in Yenagoa erred when it refused to hear the suit filed against Dickson’s eligibility to contest the election on the grounds that the suit was filed out of time and therefore statute-barred.

The Appeal Court consequently ordered that the suit filed by Eneoriekumoh Owoupele, be retried on its merit by the high court.

But Senator Dickson has vowed to challenge the Appeal Court judgment at the Supreme Court.

According to a press statement issued by media aide, Mr. Fidelis Soriwei, Dickson has instructed his lawyers already to file an appeal at the Supreme Court.

The Court of Appeal had held that Owoupele’s suit was filed within time against the lower court’s position that it was statute barred as it was

filed four days outside of time.

The plaintiff is seeking to challenge the authenticity of the name that Dickson adopted to contest the election.

But Disckson said he would not yield to blackmail as the matter was frivolous, vexatious and attention seeking.

The senator who said that he had confidence in the Judicial system, added that the law would take its course at the trial.

Nude Party: Kaduna Arraigns PDP Spokesman, Others for Attempted Adultery Dickson Has Case to Answer, Appeal Court Rules The Kaduna State Government has arraigned the Publicity Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Kaduna State, Abraham Alberah, and four others for alleged attempted adultery and organising a nude party in breach of the COVID-19 protocol.

Alberah is the husband of Aisha Yakubu, the owner of Asher Lounge, the venue of the botched sex party which was demolished by the Kaduna State Urban and Planning Development Authority on December 31, 2020.

The state government had stated that it demolished the building for hosting a nude party but later made a U-turn, stating that the main reason for the demolition was that the building had no approval.

The organisers of the party had told the press that the proposed nude party never held and it was just a prank

to attract attendees.

The owner of the restaurant had also accused the police of extorting N120,000 from her and caused her to lose her pregnancy.

On Wednesday, however, the state government arraigned those operating the restaurant, the staff working there and the customers who organised the party.

According to the charge sheet, the nude party had already begun on December 27, 2020, when policemen arrived at the scene.

The accused persons, who were brought before Gabasawa Magistrate Court, were also accused of flouting the COVID-19 protocol and acting immorally.

The charge read in part, “Violation of partial lockdown order of the Kaduna State Government 2020, criminal conspiracy and attempt to commit an offence to wit public nuisance, obscene or indecent act, gross indecency and adultery.

The Court of Appeal sitting in Port Harcourt yesterday overturned the ruling of a Federal High Court in Yenagoa that dismissed a pre-election suit challenging the eligibility of former Bayelsa State Governor, Senator Seriake Dickson, to contest the December 5, 2020, Bayelsa West senatorial byelection.

The three-man appeal

NAF Mourns Former Air Force Chief, Nsikak Kingsley Nwezeh in Abuja The Nigerian Air Force yesterday expressed sadness over the death of former Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Nsikak Eduok (rtd).

Late Air Marshal Nsikak Eduok died yesterday at a hospital in Uyo, Akwa-Ibom State, where he was receiving treatment for an undisclosed

illness.

A statement issued by the Nigerian Air Force said the late Air Marshal Eduok, was the 12th Chief of Air Staff (CAS).

It said the late Air Force boss served the NAF meritoriously from 1968 –1999, and was CAS from 1996 -1999.

“The Chief of the Air Staff (CAS), Nigerian Air Force

(NAF), Air Marshal Sadique Abubakar, on behalf of officers, airmen/airwomen and civilian staff regretfully announces the passing away of the former Chief of the Air Staff, NAF, Air Marshal Nsikak-Abasi Essien Eduok (rtd),” a statement signed by NAF spokesman, Air Vice Marshal Ibikunle Daramola, said.

Eduok, who was the 12th CAS,

served the NAF meritoriously from 1968-1999, and was CAS from 1996-1999.

He was born on July 11, 1947 at Mbak in Akwa Ibom State.

He enlisted into the NAF as a potential pilot on August 1, 1968, and had his initial military training at the Nigerian Defence Academy, after which he went for primary flying training in 1970.

38

FRIDAY JANUARY 8, 2021 ˾ T H I S D AY

24 HOURS...

WORLD OF ISLAM

Bandits Kill Four in Kaduna Community Islam on Extraterrestrial Life - 1

Edited by: MJO Mustapha Email deji.mustapha@thisdaylive.com

John Shiklam in Kaduna

Four people have killed in Katarma village, Chikun Local Government Area of Kaduna State, following an attack by bandits.

Unspecified number of people, mainly women who were abducted, were later rescued by troops.

The incident, according to a statement yesterday in Kaduna,

by Samuel Aruwan, the state Commissioner for Internal Security and Home Affairs, took place Wednesday.

Aruwan said the bandits were initially engaged by local vigilantes who defended the village before troops were mobilised to the location.

He said the state government was informed of the incident by security agencies.

“Security agencies informed the Kaduna State Government that armed bandits on Wednesday attacked Katarma village in Chikun Local Government Area, and kidnapped some locals, mainly women.

“According to the report, the bandits were initially engaged by local vigilantes who defended the village just before troops were mobilized to the location,” the statement said.

Aruwan said the four persons killed in the attack include, Bulus Barde, Hassan Zarmai, Lawal Pada and Kefas Auta.

He added that three others - Amos Doma, Zamba Ali and Bomboi Busa sustained injuries from gunshots during the incident.

He said the women that were abducted by the bandits were rescued by the troops.

He said, “in response to the attack, air platforms were swiftly mobilised for armed missions over Katarma village and Kusasu village in the neighbouring Niger State.”

According to him, “while the ground troops headed to the location, the air component went ahead and neutralized several bandits as contained in the operational feedback to the Kaduna state government”.

Aruwan said the bandits were

sighted at Katarma, clustered amid large herds of cattle, with others fleeing the location on motorcycles.

“They were quickly engaged by the fighter jet and neutralised.

“During armed reconnaissance over neighbouring Kusasu village, bandits on motorcycles were sighted fleeing from the aircraft and were engaged, as some abandoned their motorcycles and took cover in the bushes.

“Furthermore, missions were conducted over Albasu, Rahama, Sabon Birni, Kaya, Rikau, Galadimawa, Kerawa, Kidandan, Yadi, Dogon Dawa, Ngede Allah, Takama, Kuduru, Kuduru-Ungwan Yako track and the Kaduna-Birnin Gwari Road, spanning Birnin Gwari, Giwa, Igabi and Chikun Local Government Areas.

“At Yadi, bandits were sighted on foot and on motorcycles with large herds of rustled cattle, and were duly engaged. Other locations were calm with normal activities observed”, the statement.

Deeper Life School Saga: Principal, Others Arraigned, Granted Bail Okon Bassey in Uyo The magistrate court sitting in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, yesterday granted bail in the

CHANGE OF NAME I, formerly known and addressed as MISS ULOMA GRACE IGWE now wish to be known and addressed as MRS GRACE SOLOMON. All documents remain valid. The general public should please take note.

I, formerly known and addressed as MISS ONOJA JULIANA ENEMONA STEPHANIE now wish to be known and addressed as MRS IWAYE JULIANA ONOJA. All documents remain valid. The general public should please take note.

I, formally known and addressed as ADAMU SHETIMA AHMED, now wish to be known and addressed as ADAMU AHMED. All former documents remain valid. The general public should take note.

I, formerly known and addressed as MISS OLAOTAN ELIZABETH TOSIN. now wish to be known and addressed as MRS AGBOOLA ELIZABETH OLAOTAN. All documents remain valid. The general public should please take note.

I, formally known and addressed as AMEH JOSHUA, now wish to be known and addressed as EJEH GABRIEL. All former documents remain valid.

The general public should take I, formally known and addressed as HANNAH ENO-OBONG EMMANUEL PETER, now wish to be known and addressed as HANNAH DANIEL EDET. All former documents remain valid. The general public should take note.

CONFIRMATION OF

This is to notify the general public that the bearer of these names OMEKARA IHEANYI ERIC and OMEKARA IHEANYICHUKWU ERIC refers to one and the same person. Henceforth, I wish to be known and addressed as OMEKARA IHEANYICHUKWU ERIC. All documents remain valid. The general public should please take

sum of N500,000 each to the principal of the Deeper Life High School, Uyo, and four accused persons in the case of the alleged molestation of an 11-years-old JSS1 student, Don Davies.

The minors mentioned in the case were, however, released to their parents.

The seven accused persons arraigned were Mrs Ndidi Solomon (suspended Principal), Joseph Nseabasi, Akpan Johnson, Egor Wilson, Joseph Ikenna, and two minors, Shalom Ibukun and Ola Feyisetan.

The accused are standing trial on a four-count bordering on

CHANGE OF NAME

conspiracy to commit felony to wit; indecent treatment of boys under 14 and thereby committing an offence punishable under section 556 of the criminal code cap 38 vol 2 laws of Akwa Ibom State of Nigeria, 2000.

The two minors, Shalom Ibukun and Ola Feyisetan were charged for committing an act of gross indecency by inserting their fingers into the anus of Don Davies and committing an offence punishable under section 218(1) of the Criminal Code, Cap.38, Vol.2 laws of Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria, 2000.

The two were therefore charged for unlawfully and indecently assaulting Don Davies, which is an offence punishable under section 362(1) of the laws of Akwa Ibom State.

When the case was read, all the accused persons pleaded not guilty to the charges.

Kidnappers Demand N10m Ransom for Couple I, formally known and addressed as EFI LUCKY, now wish to be known and addressed as OKOLO LUCKY. All former documents remain valid. The general public should take note.

Suspected kidnappers have demanded N10million ransom for a couple and others they abducted at Uso community in Owo Local Government of Ondo State.

The couple was said to be travelling with their three children when they were kidnapped, but their children were left behind.

A source said the gunmen locked the doors of the car, after which they took the couple into the forest.

The source said it was their underage children who reported the abduction at a nearby police station. Another victim, identified as Johnson, was also kidnapped in the area.

It was gathered that policemen, joined by the Ondo Amotekun Corps, were already combing the forest. A suspect, Muhammed Aliu, was said to have been arrested in connection with the abduction.

Spahic Omer/IslamiCity

(Summary: This article analyses the possibility of extraterrestrial life according to the Islamic worldview, against the backdrop of modernity’s obsession with the subject. It describes the meaning and significance of life in Islam and how knowledge about extraterrestrials, is not essential. The article then focuses on Allah as the Lord of the worlds; Allah creates what people do not know; the worlds of the jinn and angels; the question of seven earths; and the question of dispersing creatures throughout the heavens and earth.)

One of the features of modern civilization is its obsession with the possibility of extraterrestrial life, intelligent or otherwise. According to a survey conducted in 2012 by the National Geographic Society, 36% of Americans believe UFOs exist. A further 47% said they were undecided, while only 17% gave a resounding no (livescience.com) The trend is well-represented both in science and in science fiction. For example, space agency NASA has recently awarded a grant to a group of astronomers to search the universe for signs of alien civilizations. A group of scientists at the University of Nottingham suggests that there are at least 36 ongoing intelligent civilizations in our Milky Way galaxy which is estimated to have between 100 billion and 400 billion stars (forbes.com).

Astrobiology is an interdisciplinary scientific field concerned with the existence, origins, nature, distribution, future, and searches for extraterrestrial life. Those beliefs may yet evolve into an organized faith. They may eventually replace religion in many parts of the world.

Regardless, the situation is understandable.

Life as an accident It is a scientific principle that existence in general and life on earth, in particular, are mere accidents. They came about as a result of a series of coincidences.

People, too, are purposeless accidents.

Thus, if a life accident happened on earth, it could happen anywhere else, provided some necessary conditions are available, such as the right temperature and water. Scientists believe billions of planets can evolve and support life.

This claim supports two principles: The Copernican principle and the mediocrity principle (Britannica).

According to the former, the earth is not in a central, nor favored position. It is just another, yet average planet. There are no advantaged “observers.”

According to the second principle, there is nothing special about the earth and life on it. There is nothing special, nor privileged, about people either. Everything about the planet is inadvertent and mediocre.

Stephen Hawking epitomized this viewpoint: “We are just an advanced breed of monkeys on a minor planet of a very average star.”

The position of Islam In Islam, Almighty Allah is the Creator of life, which has its physical and metaphysical dimensions. Life also has two halves: this temporary world and the everlasting afterlife.

Allah created people and communicated the truth to them through His holy messengers and His sacred revelations. People were created but to worship their Creator, to live their lives according to His will and command. In the process of doing so, people will be guided and instructed concerning many things needed for the fulfillment of their existential mission. They will also discover many other things that will make their lives additionally meaningful and gratifying.

This life is not everything. Accordingly, people cannot, and should not, know everything. Many things are withheld from them, some because they are unessential for people’s earthly assignments, others because they are beyond people’s capacities, and others because of certain reasons known only to the Creator and Sustainer of life.

People’s journey on earth is one of qualified learning and discovery. The whole thing will culminate in the situation of the Hereafter when all veils will be lifted, and when people’s understanding and vision will be total and definite. People do not need to know everything to succeed in this world. They need to pass and move on. Both supreme success and knowledge of “everything” await in the Hereafter.

Thus, central to the Islamic ethics of exploring and learning are faith, patience, contentment, and pragmatism. Knowledge ought to be allied with the truth, faithfully serving it.

Knowledge about extraterrestrial life is inessential As far as extraterrestrial life is concerned, Islam did not furnish us with clear-cut knowledge about it. It is neither a yes nor a no. However, that does not mean that people should hasten into the field and try to find answers. The open-ended position of Islam is not an invitation.

Instead, that is a test. It is furthermore proof that such knowledge is inessential. It does not bring any significant benefit regarding people’s

earthly purpose, nor does being ignorant about it invite any harm.

Life is too short and too valuable, so it must be spent on more immediate and more important concerns. Carelessly delving into the theme of extraterrestrial life could be an intellectual and spiritual trap. Still, if any aspect of extraterrestrial life suddenly becomes integral to those immediate and critical concerns of people, dealing with it in the light of the revealed guidance and wisdom should not be a problem. If there is anything or nothing, Islam is fine with it either way. In any case, the journey of life goes on, at the end of which awaits Jannah (Paradise) and Jahannam (Hell).

People should be able to distinguish between a highway and a sidewalk.

Islam is against being obsessed with something that does not warrant obsession. Just as it is against neglecting something that demands fascination and passion, life is all about setting things right and prioritizing them.

The prospect of extraterrestrial life is by no means part of religion. So, moderately and justifiably talking about it or not, can hardly affect one’s spiritual status.

Nonetheless, the subject cannot be entirely dismissed owing to the following considerations.

First: The Lord of the worlds Allah is the “Lord of the worlds” (al-Fatihah, 2), which entails limitless probabilities and could mean anything.

It is normally said that the “worlds” imply humanity, angels, the jinn, and all that exists. But only Allah knows what He has created and still does.

As the active Creator, he does what He wants and is not answerable to anybody: “He is not questioned about what He does, but they will be questioned” (al-Anbiya’, 23).

Second: Allah creates what people do not know Allah says that He creates that which “you do not know” (al-Nahl, 8). This, too, contains infinite possibilities, theoretically at least. It can be about this world or the Hereafter, about the earth or the heavens, or the physical or the spiritual realm of existence. The subject is indefinite.

Nevertheless, generally speaking, we must believe whatever the Qur’an and the Prophet’s authentic Sunnah say, without unnecessarily pushing to know further. If learning something is critical, the revelation would have enlightened us more about it.

We cannot consult too much science either, as science is still in the dark concerning most of its fundamental astrobiological and astrophysical subjects.

That can only increase doubt and uncertainty. We likewise must believe that complete knowledge and power over all things belong to Allah alone. Man knows only that which Allah wants him to know.

As angels declared on behalf of all creation: “Exalted are You; we have no knowledge except what You have taught us. Indeed, it is You who is the Knowing, the Wise” (al-Baqarah, 32).

Third: The Jinn and Angels Both the earth and heavens are home to the jinn and angels’ multitudes, affirming the intimate and even reciprocal relationship between physics and metaphysics.

The Prophet (pbuh) for instance, said: “Verily I see what you do not see, and I hear what you do not hear. The heaven is creaking, and it should creak, for there is no space in it the width of four fingers, but there is an angel there, prostrating to Allah. By Allah, if you knew what I know, you would laugh little and weep much, and you would never enjoy women in your beds, and you would go out in the streets, beseeching Allah” (al-Tirmidhi).

Meteors (shooting stars) are used for stoning the jinn who eavesdrop on the transmission of Allah’s commands from one group of angels to another throughout the expanses of the seven heavens (al-Saffat, 6-10).

Fourth: Seven Earths Allah says that He created seven heavens. He created seven earths as well (al-Talaq, 12). This is supported by several authentic hadiths of the Prophet (pbuh).

Most commentators of the Qur’an believe that there are seven earths in layers, one above the other, and between every two earths there is a distance like that between heaven and earth.

A weaker opinion is that the seven earths are in layers, one above the other, with no gap.

The weakest view is that seven earths mean seven continents (regions or zones) (Ibn Kathir).

Commenting on a hadith Ibn Kathir says: “Those who explained this hadith to mean the seven continents have brought an implausible explanation that contradicts the letter of the Qur’an and the hadith without having proof.” However, all scholars advise against dwelling extensively on the issue of seven earths, because it has been mentioned only once in the Qur’an and somewhat indirectly in a few authentic hadiths.

To Be Continued

FRIDAY JANUARY 8, 2021 ˾ T H I S D AY

39

FRIDAYSPORTS

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

NBA: Miami Heat, Boston Celtics Play with ‘Heavy Hearts’ After Storming of Capitol The Miami Heat and the Boston Celtics played “with a heavy heart” on Wednesday night after seeing the US Capitol stormed by hundreds of supporters of outgoing President Donald Trump.

The riotcame a day after prosecutors declined to bring chargesagainst the police officer who shot Jacob Blake.

The incidentin August caused the NBA to postpone games in protest.

A joint statement by Boston and Miami playersread: “2021 is a new year, but some things have not changed.”

It went on: “We play tonight’s game with a heavy heart after Wednesday’s decision in Kenosha, and knowing that protesters in our nation’s capital are treated differently by political leaders depending on what side of certain issues they are on.

“The drastic difference between the way protesters this past spring and summer were treated and the encouragement given to Wednesday’s protesters who acted illegally just shows how much more work we have to do.”

Trump had urged demonstrators to march on the Capitol in a bid to overturn the election result and the ensuing riot left four people dead.

Many spoke at Wednesday’s NBA games about the contrast between the suppression of Black Lives Matter protests last year and the reaction of authorities in Washington DC on Wednesday.

Virtually all Boston and Miami players knelt as the

national anthem was played before the Celtics’ 107-105 win and said they would play to try “to bring joy into people’s lives”.

“But we must not forget the injustices in our society, and we will continue to use our voices and our platform to highlight these issues and do everything we can to work for a more equal and just America.”

Boston coach Brad Stevens said: “We elected a president who operated in a win-at-all-

costs attitude and I always thought that if you operate like that it’s going to be a pretty unfulfilling ending, and in this situation, a disgraceful ending.”

Philadelphia 76ers Coach, Doc Rivers, whose team lead the Eastern Conference after beating the Washington Wizards 141-136, said: “It’s pretty disturbing and sad.

I keep hearing, ‘This is an attack on democracy.’ It’s not.

Democracy will prevail. It always does.

“Can you imagine today, if those were all black people storming the Capitol, and what would have happened?

That, to me, is a picture that’s worth a thousand words for all of us to see.”

Atlanta Hawks Coach, Lloyd Pierce, whose team were beaten 102-94 by the Charlotte Hornets, said: “We all understand that there would be guns ablaze and fires ablaze right now if there were black people protesting.”

Enugu State Celebrates Christian Chukwu’s 70th Birthday The Enugu State government has congratulated iconic former Nigerian footballer and national coach, Christian Chukwu who clocked 70 years on Wednesday.

In a statement, the Enugu State Commissioner for Information, Nnanyelugo Chidi Aroh, said that the government and the people of the state are “indeed very proud of the immesurable contributions of this illustrious son of Enugu State to the development of the game of football both locally and internationally”.

Aroh added that “we recall with great delight the numerous contributions of Christian Chukwu to the game of football including leading the Nigerian

National team, The Green Eagles, as Captain to win their first ever African Nations Cup in 1980”.

The Information Commissioner pointed out that “Christian Chukwu also had an outstanding career as coach of various national teams, including Nigeria, Kenya and Lebanon.”

He stressed that “his (Chukwu’s) performance at various times as player, coach and manager of Enugu Rangers International FC is indeed unparalleled.

“As we join his family, friends and the entire football family worldwide in celebrating this icon of the game, we beseech the Almighty God to grant him good health of mind and body”, Aroh concluded.

Zuru Sealed an Eventful Year for Motorsport in Nigeria, Says Ojuoko President of the leading Motorpsorts group in Nigeria, Work and Play, Adeoye Ojuoko, has said that investment made in the sports in the past year was justified as there were visible growths witnessed in the sports.

Ojuoko who was speaking at the closing of the Zuru Autofest staged in Kebbi State to roundup the season, added that stakeholders in the sport had a great year in general.

“Though most activities during the year were canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic, the few that were able to take place at the close of the year, made every effort that was put in the outgoing year a worthwhile investment,” stressed Adeoye.

The Zuru Autofest had the biggest assemblage of enthusiasts in the northern part of the country and with partners including the Kebbi State Government and the

Emirate Council, the event drew the biggest attention since it debuted in 2009.

Habeeb Nagode, the facilitator of the Kebbi Autofest said that gracing the 2020 edition by Emir of Zuru, Major General Mohammed Sani Sami (rtd) and the Deputy Governor of Kebbi State, Senator Bala ibn Naallah, was a major boost for the event.“The event last year was a major shift. We had huge support from the state and I believe the occasion has also proven to be a potential event that can drive tourism and investment for the state,” Nagode added.The event featured Auto Cross, Drifting, Bike Races among many entertainment elements of auto sport.

Ojuoko, whose outfit was a major supporter for the event said the outgone year 2020 has set the industry up for major growth this new year.

Miami Heat and the Boston Celtics players knelt before their NBA game on Wednesday night to protest injustice and the storming of the US Capitol by hundreds of Donald Trump’s supporters

Anthony Joshua Hints at Retiring from Boxing in Five Years Anthony Joshua has admitted he is coming towards the end of his boxing career and has hinted that he will have a maximum of “five years left” in the sport before calling it quit.

The 31-year-old world heavyweight champion could be approaching the most significant period of his career, with ongoing negotiations about two massive unification fights against Tyson Fury in 2021.

As at this January, Anthony Joshua’s net worth was put at $80million, making him one of the richest boxers in the world.

Since making his pro debut in 2013 shortly after he won gold at the Olympic Games in London a year earlier, Joshua has become a two-time champion, having regained his WBA, IBF and WBO titles in a 2019 rematch with Andy Ruiz Jr before defending them with a knockout win over Kubrat Pulev last month.

“This isn’t the start of my career. I’m coming towards the end of my career,” Joshua told Sky Sports News yesterday.

“I’m not someone who lives in the moment and thinks that

everything is just like for now.

I’m always planning ahead so I’m coming towards the end of my career.

“Five years left and that’s basically an Olympic cycle.

I’ve got an Olympic cycle and a little bit more left, so when you see the next Olympics happen is when I’ll be coming to the end of my career and the next generation will be coming through.”

Fury turned professional in 2008, nearly five years before Joshua, who recently suggested that his British rival should also

be thinking about hanging up his gloves.

“Fury has been professional much longer than me. He should be looking to retire soon,” Joshua had told Sky Sports.

“If he wants to cement his legacy, I’m here and ready. I’ve built myself into this position.”

But the 32-year-old Fury told Sky Sports last year that he wanted a lengthy world title reign like Wladimir Klitschko.

“Klitschko did it until he was 40,” said Fury who ended the Ukrainian’s dominance with a points win in 2015.

‘Delta ALGON Sports Festival Has Come to Stay’ The leadership of the Delta State chapter of the Association of Local Governments of Nigeria (ALGON) has assured stakeholders that the Delta State Local Governments Sports Festival has come to stay and will get bigger and better in coming years.

The outgoing Chairman of Delta State ALGON, Hon Itiako Constantine Ikpokpo, gave the assurance in Asaba during the week.

Ikpokpo who held a valedictory executive meeting on Wednesday to mark the end of his two-term service as the chairman of Isoko South LGA said despite the change

in the leadership of ALGON, the initiative of the Delta States Local Government Sports Festival will be sustained as a legacy.

He restated the commitment of the state’s council chairmen to institutionalize a programme of supporting the state in the discovery of athletes and using sports to drive grassroots development.

“We have structured the project in such a way that it is private sector driven. We have the project consultant to work with the leadership of ALGON to ensure continuity.

“The project is run by private sector sponsorship. UBA and Levant Construction are

graciously partnering us on this first edition and we believe that subsequent editions will attract more sponsorships. The good thing is that it is a biennial event, so we will have time to plan every succeeding edition with lessons from the preceding edition.

“Yes, there might be some chairmen who may not be interested in sports but there are always people who will support a good thing. Luckily, a number of the local government chairmen are returning, including the Vice Chairman of the Local Organising Committee, Hon Godwin Adode, who is a coach and is returning as the Chairman of Ughelli North

Local Government.”

Also speaking, Hon Adode praised Ikpokpo for his outstanding leadership and support for his colleagues assured that he will work to ensure that the project is sustained.

The Delta State Local Government Sports Festival is scheduled to open on January 14 and close on January 18 at the Stephen Keshi Stadium, Asaba.

The maiden edition shall feature competitions in mostly non-contact athletics events including 100, 200, 400, 800 and 1500 meters; 4x100, 4x400 and mixed relays; high jump, long jump and triple jump; shot put, discus and javelin.

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NUC to Universities

“Universities on resumption of academic activities, must under no circumstance violate the full cycle of the semester system, consistent with the Benchmark Minimum Academic Standards (BMAS)” – National Universities Commission (NUC), sounding a note of warning to universities on resumption.

AKINOSUNTOKUN DIALOGUE WITH NIGERIA

akin.osuntokun@thisdaylive.com

Buhari in the Eyes of Kukah “E

very honest Nigerian knows that there is no way any nonnorthern Muslim President could have done a fraction of what President Buhari has done by his nepotism and got away with it. There would have been a military coup a long time ago or we would have been at war. The president may have concluded that Christians will do nothing and will live with these actions.”- Matthew Kukah The extrapolation made by Bishop Matthew Kukah in the quote above connotes two interpretations. It is a trend analysis of the Buhari presidency and by extension contemporary Nigerian politics. Second, it is an explication of the balance of terror (power politics) legacy of the wildly successful mutiny of the Northern faction of the Nigeria army in 1966 and of which the Muhammadu Buhari presidency is an epiphenomenon. The former is a derivative of the latter and the latter originated in the July 1966 counter coup which eventually climaxed in the ‘might is right’ outcome of the civil war. It affirms the power politics ideology that subordinates Nigerian politics to the pace and preference of buhari’s regional constituency. It serves notice that this is a privilege it aims to secure and defend against any counter claimants, militarily if needs be. Such obsession with power is fed by the kind of political behaviour recently popularised as prebendal politics which ‘refers to political systems where elected officials and government workers feel they have a right to a share of government revenues, and use them to benefit their supporters, co-religionists and members of their ethnic group’. Under Buhari, the behaviour deepened into the winner takes all syndrome.

The tendency became exacerbated with the evolution of Nigeria into a crude oil rentier economy typically defined by consumerism (ostentatious living), corruption and lack of positive correlation between productivity and reward. It hacks back to the rationale behind the amalgamation of Nigeria as contrivance for predicating the bureaucratic cost of administrating the Northern protectorate on revenues realised from the South. From July 1966, no Nigerian government has endured autonomous of the balance of terror legacy inherited from the 1966 counter coup. It is a mob rule ideology that legitimised the culture of military intervention with the caveat that any such intervention is the exlusive prerogative of the military wing of Northern hegemony. The implicit understanding here is that a military coup becomes tenable and feasible to the extent of its conformity with this prerogative. Do we need a literature review of military coups in Nigeria to prove the point?

Headed by Murtala Muhammed, the first successful coup of July 1966 was expressly defined as an overt re-establishment of Northern hegemony and other sections of Nigeria were invited to either put up with it or be prepared to settle the contest on the battle field. Remember that, in violation of the political pact to restrict men and officers of the military to their regions of origin (and taking advantage of the paltry representation of Yoruba in the Nigerian army) Northern army personnel stationed in the South-west, refused to vacate the Western Region in the run up to the civil war. Henceforth, military interventions in Nigeria became a game of revolving doors between the military wing and the civilian standard bearers of Northern hegemony. Little wonder the second successful coup was sponsored by Murtala Muhammed and masterminded by Shehu Yar’Adua and his Northern military officers cohort. The Hausa-

Bishop Kukah Fulani superintendence of the hegemony was invoked and pointedly brought to light by the promotion of Shehu Yar’Adua (conspicuously at odds with military professionalism) over superior rank officers to the number two position in the Obasanjo military dictatorship.The attempt to buck this intra-regional power politics perking order by a substantial Middle Belt military elite ended in the fiasco of the abortive coup of February 1976 spear headed by General Ilya Bisalla and in which General Yakubu Gowon was implicated.

Then came the December 1983 coup distinguished for the dubious credit of overthrowing the civilian democratic order and bringing down the second republic to an inglorious end. Another dubious distinction was its introduction of the ‘Fulanisation’ phenomenon, it marked the first time the two topmost officials of any federal government belong to the same ethno religious breed. Both Buhari and the late Babatunde Idiagbon were Northern Fulani Muslims.The Northern Muslim coup cabal (administered by General Ibrahim Babangida) that brought Buhari to power was the same cabal that ousted him in a palace coup. The failure of the two subsequent coups of 1987 and 1990 masterminded by Mamman Vatsa and Gideon Okah affirmed the thesis that the balance of terror veto power resides in the dominant Northern Muslim officers and rankswithout whose centrality no coup succeeds. Both

coups were planned and executed by mainly officers of Nigeria Christian minorities origin.

A neo Babangida military caucus headed by Generali Sani Abacha effected the last military intervention in another intra regional palace coup. Abacha, of course, bears a direct legacy from the July 1966 coup in which he featured as a major factotum.

This short iteration of military intervention politics gives credence to the Kukah extrapolation that Nigeria is rendered prostrate to the will and whim of the Buhari personified Northern constituency. And provides an insight into how this constituency has exclusively wielded the military veto power to routinely challenge and reclaim political power in situations of threat to its hegemony. Kukah was making the point that the recognition of who wields the advantage (in the sanguinary context of power that ‘flows from the barrel of the gun’) is an inbuilt deterrence for any disaffected political constituency outside of the Northern Muslim orbit to contemplate a resort to military intervention no matter the provocation. It is difficult to imagine how more provocative Buhari can get to invite a similar repercussion were the shoes on the other foot. At the level of theory, nothing provokes alienation from the political system more than the zero sum politics of winner takes all. And no other Nigerian president has personified this syndrome better than President Buhari.The winner takes all syndrome results in a situation in which disaffected citizens feel they no longer have a stake in the political stability of the system.

A sense of how the Buhari dispensation is uniquely guilty of driving Nigeria to this edge and dysfunction is provided in the following witness testimonies: “One of the swiftest ways of destroying a kingdom is to give preference of one particular tribe over another or show favor to one group of people rather than another. And to draw near those who should be kept away and keep away those who should be drawn near” Sheikh Usman Dan Fodio. All those who wish you and the country well must mince no words in warning you that Nigeria has become dangerously polarised and risk sliding into crisis on account of your administration’s lopsided appointments which continues to give undue preference to some sections of the country over others.

Nowhere is this more glaring than in the leadership cadre of our security services.

“Mr. President, I regret that there are no kind or gentle words to tell you that your skewed appointments into the offices of the federal government, favouring some and frustrating

At the level of theory, nothing provokes alienation from the political system more than the zero sum politics of winner takes all. And no other Nigerian president has personified this syndrome better than President Buhari.The winner takes all syndrome results in a situation in which disaffected citizens feel they no longer have a stake in the political stability of the system

others, shall bring ruin and destruction to this nation” Colonel Dangiwa Umar “The nation is divided as never before, and this ripping division has taken place under the policies and conduct of none other than President Buhari – does that claim belong in the realms of speculation? Across this nation, there is profound distrust, indeed abandonment of hope in this government as one that is genuinely committed to the survival of the nation as one, or indeed understands the minimal requirements for positioning it as a modern, functional space of productive occupancy And what is the score within those muchcoveted urban precincts? Lop-sided appointments to crucial positions in Civil Service and parastatals! Consider the prime economic cash cow – petroleum – exposed a few months ago as a reeking cesspit of nepotism. Who is the Minister of Petroleum under whose watch such an unprecedented contempt for geographical parity – uncontroverted till today -- became entrenched? That happens to be none other than the nation’s president”- Professor Wole Soyinka “The latest top management appointments, which enraged PANDEF are Chief Finance Officer, Finance and Accounts, Umar Ajiya; Chief Operating Officer, Gas and Power, Yusuf Usman; Chief Operating Officer, Corporate Services, Farouk Garba Sa’id; Chief Operating Officer, Refining and Petrochemicals, Mustapha Yakubu; Corporate Secretary/Legal Adviser to the Corporation, Hadiza Coomassie; GGM, International Energy Relations, IER, Omar Ibrahim; GGM, Renewable Energy, Kallamu Abdullahi; GGM, Governance Risk and Compliance, Ibrahim Birma; and GGM, NAPIMS, Bala Wunti. Others are MD, NNPC Shipping, Inuwa Waya; MD, Pipelines and Product Marketing, PPMC, Musa Lawan; MD, Nigeria Petroleum Development Company, NPDC, Mansur Sambo; MD, Duke Oil/NNPC Trading Company, Lawal Sade; MD, Port Harcourt Refining Company, Malami Shehu; MD, Warri Refining and Petrochemical Company, Muhammed Abah; MD, Nigeria Gas Marketing Company, Abdulkadir Ahmed; MD, Nigeria Gas and Power Investment Company Limited, Salihu Jamari; MD, NNPC Medical Services, Mohammed Zango; and Director, Department of Petroleum Resources, DPR, Sarki Auwalu” “President Buhari deliberately sacrificed the dreams of those who voted for him for what seemed like a programme to stratify and institutionalise northern hegemony by reducing others in public life to second-class status. He has pursued this self-defeating and alienating policy at the expense of greater national cohesion.

By adopting Nepotism as a primary ideology, clearly unable to secure our country and people, President Muhammadu Buhari is in flagrant violation of the Constitution which he swore to uphold. Today, our sense of national unity is severely under threat and test. Our common citizenship has been fractured and diminished. The principles of equity, fairness and egalitarianism on which our Constitution hangs have been assaulted and diminished.

“If there is any country born and dedicated to power politics, conflict and confusion, Nigeria will be in contention for the prize.

“Nepotism has become the new ideology of this government. In following this ideology, it is estimated that the President has handed over 85% of the key positions to northern Muslims and has ensured that men of his faith hold tight to the reins of power in the most critical areas of our national life; the National Assembly and the Security Agencies!”- Bishop Matthew Kukah

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