TUESDAY 23TH FEBRUARY 2021 by THISDAY Newspapers Ltd

NDPHC to Sell Electricity Directly to Eligible Customers Signs power purchase agreement with Togo Emmanuel Addeh in Abuja The Niger Delta Power Holding Company (NDPHC) statutorily owned by the federal, state and local governments, is set to

fully take advantage of the eligible customer framework, which will see it cut off the Distribution Companies (Discos) due to poor infrastructure and supply power directly to selected

consumers. The company has also signed a Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) to sell 70 megawatts of electricity to Togo. In a major policy directive in

2017, the federal government had introduced four categories of eligible customers in the Nigerian Electricity Supply Industry (NESI), which permits electricity customers to buy power directly from

the generation companies and bypass electricity distribution companies. In a statement issued yesterday in Abuja, Head, Communication and Public Relations, NDPHC, Mrs. Funke

Nwankwo, stated that the Executive Director, Generation, of the company, Mr. Kassim Abdullahi, assured consumers that the development will Continued on page 9

Report: AfCFTA to Push Nigeria, Other Economies to $29tn... Page 6 Tuesday 23 February, 2021 Vol 26. No 9452. Price: N250

www.thisdaylive.com TR

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Niger Holds Direct Negotiation with Schoolboys’ Abductors... Page 5

South-west Govs Tackle Lawan, Say Crisis Entrepreneurs Won’t be Digniﬁed Senate president’s accusation uncalled for, insists Makinde Ortom accuses Mohammed of accessory to terrorism James Sowole in Akure, Kemi Olaitan in Ibadan, Victor Ogunje in Ado Ekiti and George Okoh in Makurdi South-west governors yesterday took on President of the Senate, Dr. Ahmad Lawan, over his attack on them for allegedly inciting the recent ethnic violence, which erupted in some states in the region.

They, however, said they would not engage in a media war with those they described as crisis entrepreneurs and divisionists on matters affecting the security of residents of the country, especially the South-west. In another dimension to the crisis which has pitted Continued on page 8

In Mop-Up, Police Recover 196,311 Ammunition, 5,752 Firearms

3,805 kidnap suspects, 8,301 robbery suspects arrested Kingsley Nwezeh in Abuja The police have recovered two rocket launchers, 196,311 ammunition and 5,752 firearms between January 2019 and January 2021, THISDAY’s investigation has revealed. The Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA)

had stated recently that of the 857 million Small and Light Weapons (SALW) in circulation globally and the 12 billion rounds of ammunition produced annually, 10 million are estimated to be in Africa with one million of them Continued on page 8

WOMEN ON THE FRONT BURNER... L-R: Deputy Secretary-General, United Nations, Mrs. Amina Mohammed; Minister of Women Aﬀairs, Mrs. Pauline Tallen; and Permanent Secretary of Ministry of Women Aﬀairs, Dr. Anthonia Ekpa, during the visit of the UN Deputy Secretary-General to the ministry in Abuja...yesterday

Court Vacates Order Freezing Ibrahim’s Assets... Page 5

TUESDAY FEBRUARY 23, 2021 •T H I S D AY

TUESDAY FEBRUARY 23, 2021 • T H I S D AY

TUESDAY FEBRUARY 23, 2021 •T H I S D AY

TUESDAY, ͺͻ˜ ͺ͸ͺ͹ ˾ T H I S D AY

NEWS Niger Holds Direct Negotiation with Schoolboys’ Abductors Group News Editor Ejiofor Alike

Email Ejiofor.Alike@thisdaylive.com, 08066066268

Says no timeline for captives’ freedom Laleye Dipo in Minna The Niger State government yesterday clarified that it is negotiating directly with the abductors of 27 students of the Government Science College, Kagara, their teachers and family members, insisting that a prominent Kadunabased Islamic cleric, Sheikh Abubakar Gumi is not involved in the negotiation. The Secretary to the State Government, Alhaji Ahmed Ibrahim Matane, made this known in Minna, the state capital, while speaking to THISDAY. Matane also said there is no time fixed for the abductees to be released because negotiation is still ongoing. He disclosed: "Gumi only prepared the platform for the negotiation,” stressing: “He is not involved in the negotiation." The government negotiating team, THISDAY learnt, is led by the Secretary to the Government himself with some critical stakeholders as members. Matane also said there is no time fixed for the abductees to be released. "If anyone tells you he knows when the schoolboys will be released that person is lying; it may be today or tomorrow; nobody can say; we are still negotiating." Matane also debunked claims that Gumi has presented the demands of the kidnappers to the state government pointing out that he never presented any request to the government.

During the negotiation Matane said the bandits presented their demands directly to the state government. According to him, the alleged high-handedness of men of the local vigilante was one of the reasons the bandits gave for taking up arms. "They said that the vigilante members were killing their people and that government should stop this," Matane said, adding that the bandits also complained of their neglect in the execution of the agricultural programmes of the government. He also said the bandits complained about the destruction of their houses and killing of their cattle through aerial bombardments by the military, saying that they complained that they had lost their means of livelihood. On efforts made by the government to assuage the bandits, Matane said the establishment of the Bobi grazing reserve was one of the steps taken, adding that more of such grazing reserves will be set up across the state. He also said that the establishment of the ministry of livestock and animal resources was another step taken to address the complaints of the bandits. Meanwhile all the 53 victims in the NSTA vehicle kidnapped over a week ago but released on Sunday have been handed over to their families after undergoing medical examination under the supervision of the state

commissioner for Health and Hospital Services. The released victims had been lodged at a government hotel for one night before undergoing medical examination yesterday. Governor Sani Bello was said to have approved an undisclosed amount of money to each of the victims for transportation to their destination. They were abducted one week ago in the state-owned transport bus at Kundu village in the Rafi Local Government

Area, while returning from a wedding ceremony that took place in Rijau, Rijau Local Government Area of the state. Meanwhile, Bello has said that if the battle against insurgency and other criminalities in the country is to be won, the federal government should recruit more personnel and provide more modern equipment for the armed forces and the police. The governor spoke yesterday when he received the Niger State caucus in the

National Assembly who paid him a solidarity visit over the abduction of the Kagara schoolboys and others. He said: "We have been making all efforts to see that insecurity is curtailed but it has been extremely difficult mostly because of manpower shortage and lack of equipment. "The strength of the entire Police Force in Niger State is just about 4,000 and it used to be 14,000 for Niger State alone. So, you can see the police are overstretched and

I believe even the military is the same. "Our security agencies have been overstretched and are faced with inadequate and absence of sufficient surveillance equipment to manage security challenges very well.” Bello pleaded with the National Assembly to "work together with and support the federal government so that it can do the needful to expedite actions towards the recruitment of more security agents.

FISCAL MATTERS... Speaker, House of Representative, Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila (left), and President of the Senate, Dr. Ahmad Lawan, at a National Assembly leadership meeting with the Minister of Finance, Mrs. Zainab Ahmed, in Abuja…yesterday julius atoi

Court Vacates Order Freezing Ibrahim’s Assets Alex Enumah in Abuja The Federal High Court, sitting in Abuja, yesterday set aside the interim order through which the Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria (AMCON) seized property belonging to a businessman, Mr. Jimoh Ibrahim, for an alleged N69.4 billion debt. Justice Okon Abang set aside the order made on January 4, allowing a receiver/manager appointed by AMCON to manage the assets belonging to Ibrahim. The judge set aside the order on the grounds that AMCON concealed facts relating to the case in order to obtain an interim order in aid of Mr. Taiwo Lakanu, the receiver/ manager it purportedly appointed to manage the assets of NICON Investment Limited and Global Fleet Oil and Gas Limited owned by Ibrahim in respect of the debt. Justice Nkeonye Maha, on January 4, had granted an ex-parte application by AMCON for, among others, restraining Ibrahim, NICON Insurance Limited, Nigeria

Re-Insurance Hotel Limited, Abuja International Hotels Ltd and NICON Hotels Ltd, and their agents from interfering or obstructing Lakanu from performing his responsibilities as receiver/manager appointed over NICON Investment and Global Fleet. The judge made further consequential orders directing the Inspector-General of Police (IG) and other security officers named in the application, to provide Lakanu with all the needed assistance to execute his task. But the respondents which include Ibrahim, his firms, NICON Investment Limited and Global Fleet Oil and Gas Limited, in their own suit marked: FHC/ ABJ/L/001/2021 prayed the court to set aside the earlier order on grounds of “non-disclosure and misrepresentation of material facts.” In his ruling yesterday, Justice Abang agreed with the defendants that AMCON concealed facts, which robbed the court of any jurisdiction to hear the matter.

The judge said AMCON failed to disclose that the purported debt owed by NICON Investment and Global Fleet to Union Bank, which it bought, was the subject of a pending suit before the High Court of Lagos State. He held that AMCON withheld another fact from the court, that a Federal High Court in Lagos, presided by Justice Oguntoyinbo, on October 2, 2019, had stayed further proceedings in a similar case, marked: FHC/L/ CS/776/2016, pending the outcome of proceedings in the suit before the High Court of Lagos State. According to the judge, the ruling of Justice Oguntoyinbo is still subsisting and has neither been appealed against or vacated, hence the order of January 4, 2021, by Justice Maha is a nullity. Abang further held that all consequently orders made on January 4 regarding AMCON's ex-parte application are vacated. "This is a clear case of concealment of material facts before the ex-parte order was

made. This is a case of nondisclosure and suppression of material facts. AMCON cannot pretend that the order made on October 2, 2019, does not exist, having not appealed. "As far as the ex-parte order, limited to January 4, 2021, is concerned, it is a nullity. Where a trial court lacked jurisdiction to make an order, a judge of coordinate jurisdiction has jurisdiction to set same aside," he said. The judge noted that the issue at stake was not about AMCON's power to appoint a receiver/manager, but whether AMCON disclosed to the court in Abuja, before obtaining the January 4, 2021 orders, that there was a subsisting order made by the Lagos Division on October 2, 2019, staying proceedings. While noting that AMCON's power to appoint receiver/ manager, under Section 48 of its Act, was not in doubt, the judge held that the issue of whether AMCON could appoint a receiver manager over NICON Investment and Global Fleet in respect of a debt that has not been

ascertained would only be determined at the hearing of the substantive suit. He then ordered the five defendants in the suit, including Ibrahim, to file their defence to the substantive suit and adjourned till March 15, 2021, for parties to first, address the court on whether it could proceed with further hearing of the suit in view of an earlier ruling, it gave on February 25, 2011, in a related case, marked: FHC/L/ CS/1359/2010 between Union Bank and NICON Investment and six others. AMCON, in applying for the January 4, 2021 order, had stated that in 2008 and 2009 NICON Investment and Global Fleet were granted a loan facility of N26 billion by Union Bank and that the facility was secured with £125 million jointly owned by both companies, kept in the NICON Investment's fixed deposit account with the bank. It added that when the loan was due, both companies failed to repay, and Union Bank later sold the debt

to it (AMCON) as a nonperforming loan, adding that as at November 30, 2020, the outstanding loan, with accrued interest, stood at N69 billion. AMCON said it later acted, pursuant to Section 48 of its Establishment Act, to appoint Lakanu as a receiver/manager over the assets of NICON Investment and Global Fleet in order to manage the assets and prevent them from wastage. In a counter-affidavit, Ibrahim and other defendants stated among others, that the issue of whether there is a valid debt owed to Union Bank by NICON Investment and Global Fleet, the companies alleged to be in receivership, is the subject of the suit: LD/1074/2010 pending before the High Court of Lagos. They added that Union Bank, which claimed to have sold the purported debt to AMCON, admitted in the suit before the Lagos High Court that it is in the custody of £125 million held in favour of NICON Investment.

TUESDAY, ͺͻ˜ ͺ͸ͺ͹ ˾ T H I S D AY

NEWS

Report: AfCFTA to Push Nigeria, Other Economies to $29tn

James Emejo in Abuja

"The elimination of tariff following the introduction of the African Continental Free Trade Area Agreement (AfCFTA) is expected to boost intra-African trade by 52 per cent and help Nigeria and others benefit from a $29 trillion market by 2050. According to a report by Ernst and Young (EY), titled: "Diversification and Non-oil Export Opportunities for Nigeria States PostCOVID-19," which was commissioned by the PDF Bridge Programme, through the elimination of tariffs, the enlarged continental market will attract higher FDI flows into the continent to support infrastructure development, increase productivity, support diversification, value addition and structural transformation. The emerging economic prosperity is also expected to trickle down to Nigeria given its large market and government’s drive to grow the economy via its succeeding economic plans. The report added that having ratified the AfCFTA, Nigeria would potentially access a largely underutilised intra-African market thereby driving the competitiveness and growth of local companies, consequently aiding the country’s pivot away from crude oil. The publication, however, stated that the period taken to achieve documentary compliance remained a major deterrent to trade in the country, largely due to the inadequate infrastructure to support the testing and verification process of products by certifying standards agencies. It called for institutional discipline to drive the development, synchronisation and harmonisation of various government and organised

private sector actions particularly as multiple players currently operate within the MSME and non-oil sector development space. "However, these different players often operate in silos, with limited information sharing,” it added. The report noted that Nigeria currently operates a pseudo-closed economy, with restrictions on capital flows, restrictive capital repatriation processes and inconsistent foreign exchange policies. It noted that the country in 2019 partially closed its land borders as part of its effort to curb cross border smuggling and strengthen local production, adding that although the land closure resulted in higher local production for some commodities including rice, the "inconsistency of this move vis-a-vis a recent signing of the WTO TFA and the AfCFTA indicates a lack of coordination by the policymakers and overall institutional environment in the country and further reduces the ability of the economy to garner required foreign direct investment." It stated that some stakeholders had pointed out that in a bid to sustain production levels, foreign currency was sourced from the parallel market (N475/$) due to the low supply from the CBN. "However, proceeds from exports are then received at the investors and exporters’ (I&E) window rate (N390/$), thereby further limiting their constrained earning potential. "Trade protectionist policies, such as the CBN’s forex exclusion list, while stimulating local production may also have a regressive effect on economic growth. "Local production of a protected commodity is increased at an uncompetitive

cost to consumers, resulting in overall erosion of living standards," the report added. The publication documented the results and findings of a study carried out to identify non-oil export opportunities within Nigeria’s value chain and proffered recommendations on how Nigeria could generate foreign exchange earnings from identified products as part of its trade diversification plans. It expressed concern that currently, there are only 25 private and public laboratories nationwide, 12 of which are located in Lagos - accredited by NiNAS to conduct phytosanitary testing and certification for food export in the country. It called for the establishment of the One-

stop Border Posts (OSBPs) in Nigeria to improve border crossing speed and efficiency thus reducing barriers to trade and improving business competitiveness with Nigeria’s neighbouring countries. The report stated that the OSBP has the capacity to eliminate some of the incentives of illegal trade, by reducing the cost of formal trading and multiple contacts with border officials. It explained that the onestop border post would be a facilitating upgrade from the two-stop border post model characterised by multi-layers of paperwork, lengthy clearance transactions, and duplication of exit/entry procedures that cause delays and increase the cost of doing business.

This, according to the report, will expedite the movement of goods and people and to reduce transport costs across national boundaries through increased cooperation and information sharing between agencies from both jurisdictions. The report also pointed out that with women constituting 70 per cent of informal trade in Africa, inclusive growth strategies are vital as gender inequality can constrain a country’s trade expansion as well as hamper competitiveness. It explained that gender has been cited as one of the reasons for business informality in Nigeria as women traders prefer to utilise an intermediary, usually male, in order to avoid targeted

sexual-based harassment and illegal fees at customs and border stops. It said while Nigeria’s trading ecosystem was characterised by exports of primary products and importation of finished or intermediate goods, the recent ratification of the AfCFTA would lead to liberalisation of trade within Africa while the country was expected to re-open all its land borders after recently announcing the re-opening of the Seme, Illela, Maigatari and Mfun land borders. The AfCFTA is expected to stimulate economic growth and create jobs in substantial numbers that would prepare Africa for about 11 million youths that enter its job market every year.

REPOSITIONING AMNESTY... Interim Administrator, Presidential Amnesty Programme, Col. Milland Dikio (rtd) (left), and Bayelsa State Governor, Senator Douye Diri, during the governor’s courtesy visit to the Amnesty Oﬃce in Abuja…yesterday

N’Assembly Promises Approval for Extra Budget to Fight Insecurity Deji Elumoye in Abuja The leadership of the National Assembly yesterday gave an assurance that it will approve the extra-budgetary request of the executive for the security agencies to wage a total war on the rising level of insecurity in the country. It also declared that the composition of a new board for the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) may have to wait until the ongoing forensic audit of the agency is completed and its report submitted to the presidency for necessary action. Chairman of the National Assembly and President of the Senate, Dr. Ahmad Lawan, who made this disclosure while speaking with journalists at the Presidential Villa, Abuja after a closed-door meeting

with President Muhammadu Buhari stated that the federal government was headed in the right direction with its latest moves to fight security challenges across the country. According to him, the legislative arm will approve budgetary proposals for more funds to be released from the excess crude account to the security agencies to procure more weapons for the fight against insurgency and other security matters facing the nation. "You'll recall that the National Economic Council (NEC) approved of taking some funds from the Excess Crude Account (ECA) with a view to giving more resources to our armed forces. This is a commendable effort and we are ready to help with appropriation to ensure that

we acquire those security weapons for the armed forces of this country to end this insecurity in the North-east, in the North-west, in the South-east/South-south and South-west as well. "We believe that this is also going to help empower and build the capacity of other security agencies like the police because the police need to be there. They're supposed to maintain the internal security and whenever the armed forces secure an environment, the police should be there to stay put and make sure there is law and order,” Lawan explained. He further explained that he had fruitful deliberation with the president on the need to secure all parts of the country, especially the rural areas ahead of the planting

season for farmers. He disclosed that they had a very extensive discussion on the security of all parts of Nigeria and how the federal government should go about improving the situation. According to him, nobody would like to see the kind of things that is being experienced in various parts of the country in the form of insecurity. "As political leaders, we have responsibilities to our people and we cannot shy away from that, we have to get our people secured, we have to secure the environment for them to earn their means of livelihood, and we’ll like to see our farmers go back to farms before the rainy season starts. “This means we have to secure the rural parts of

Nigeria as well as the urban centres because we need businesses to flourish. So I believe that between now and probably the next two months, there will be a lot of activities to ensure that we recover and secure the environments for our people to lead a very normal life,” he said. The president of the Senate also stressed the need for Nigerians to live in any part of the country irrespective of where the people come from in the spirit of one Nigeria. "I want to point out very clearly that Nigerian citizens believe in Nigeria so strongly and that is why you will find an Igbo man, a South-easterner in the remotest parts of northern Nigeria. That's why you will find a Hausa man in faraway

south-west or south-east or south-south and probably even marry from those areas. Probably, he will be selling cola nuts, but he believes that this is Nigeria and he can live peacefully and is living and make a family. You will find a Yoruba man in faraway southeastern or northern Nigeria, maybe even becoming an indigene,” he said. Lawan also mentioned the issue of the non-composition of the NDDC board which he said was discussed with the president and that the board will have to wait until the forensic audit is completed. According to him, those found culpable in the mismanagement of NDDC funds will face the music once the audit report is submitted to the presidency.

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Depoliticise Creation of New Polling Units, INEC Urges Govs Lists conditions for the exercise Chuks Okocha in Abuja The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) yesterday rallied state governors to support its plans to create additional polling units by helping to depoliticise the exercise. The commission has also given hints on the criteria for the expansion of the polling units. The appeal was made yesterday by the INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, when he and the national commissioners of the commission briefed Vice President Yemi Osinbajo on the need to expand the polling units. He said: "We believe that state governors can play a role by helping to depoliticise the issues involved and supporting the commission in our quest to build a national consensus in order to solve the problem." Yakubu made the appeal in view of the concerns being raised by socio-cultural groups over the criteria for the expansion of the polling

stations. The issue of additional polling units, which was shelved ahead of the 2015 general election, is generating a fresh controversy following INEC's announcement that it is considering creating additional polling units nationwide before the 2023 general election. Nigeria currently has 119,973 polling units with additional 57,000 voting points for its 84 million voters. In August 2014, INEC had sought to create 30,027 additional polling units ahead of the 2015 general election, with 21,615 in the North and 8,412 in the South. However, controversy trailed the proposed plan, leading to its suspension. The commission had explained that Nigeria’s rapidly growing population and changing demographics, as well as registration of new voters, creation of new settlements, including camps for internally displaced persons (IDPs), and the need to decongest crowded polling units in urban areas are some

of the reasons that gave rise to plans for the creation of more polling units. Yakubu stated that the exercise was merely administrative. He explained: "The first one is that the voting points have been used since 2011; therefore, they are well known and have been accepted as the basis for conducting elections since 2011. Citizens are familiar with them. "Unserved areas can be easily verified using maps and the good thing is that we now have satellite imageries of the location of all our polling units nationwide. "Number three, the conversion will require less time and resources. This is something that we can do it easily on the basis of the information that we have. "Number four, it will address the substantial number of requests that we have received so far for the creation of polling units." Yakubu said the process for the expansion of the polling units included residents

applying for polling units, which would be verified before approval. According to Yakubu, "This is consistent with the powers of the commission under Section 42 of the Electoral Act, which empowers the commission to establish polling units and to allot voters to them. "But this process is going to take a long time. So many groups have been writing the commission asking for polling units, but the commission did not request communities or individuals to apply for polling units. "Not just polling units, citizens have also been asking for more wards to be created; some have been asking for more state constituencies to be established in some cases, even the things that we cannot do under the constitution – the creation of additional federal constituencies and even senatorial districts." He said the second option is to create polling areas under Section 13 of the Electoral Act and align them with the registration areas of

the National Population Commission (NPC). According to him, the commission has been working with the NPC on this, but they have not made much progress. He said: "We have been working with the population commission since 2017 to align the enumeration areas to the registration areas but so far, we have covered a little over 240 local government areas out of 774. If in four years we have only covered 240 LGAs, it will take the next 10 years to cover all the 774 LGAs. “It’s a good thing for the commission to aspire to and for the nation as well, so that next time there is a population census, we’ll just adjust figures accordingly. "But we’ll continue to work with the NPC. This is an option, but it is also cumbersome. It will require time and a substantial amount of resources. "The third option is for us to consider converting the voting points and voting point settlements into full-fledged autonomous polling units."

The INEC boss added that the first option will be for the commission under Section 42 of the Electoral Act to create and populate those polling units. “It will take time to receive requests; it will take time to process and between now and the next general election, it’s 729 days, one day shy of two years. The next election will hold on Saturday, February 18, 2023," he said. He told Osinbajo that the pan-Yoruba socio-political group, Afenifere; the apex Igbo socio-cultural organisation, Ohanaeze Ndigbo and the Pan Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF), have promised to give INEC a date soon for the planned meeting between INEC and the groups. "We are also briefing the Federal Executive Council and the National Council of State and the National Assembly as part of this consultation. “Our idea is to build a broad national consensus that will help us solve this 25-year-old problem,” he stated.

respond to him. “I am beginning to think that my brother, the governor of Bauchi State, is part of the terrorist Fulani organisation that is terrorising this country. “Why do I say this? This is the same governor who took the oath of office to protect the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. This constitution does not leave room for allowing foreign herdsmen to come in without valid papers. “This is a man who says that a Fulani man is a global man and can come in from anywhere and enter Nigeria. It is quite disappointing to hear a governor who took the oath of office …maybe he should go back and check the oath of office he took to check may be the constitution gives room for foreign terrorist Fulani herdsmen to come into Nigeria.” Ortom alleged that Mohammed is part of a conspiracy and plan to assassinate him and unleash terror on Benue State. He said the statement and utterances by Mohammed showed that he had a hand in a threat letter written to him (Ortom) by a Fulani terrorist group to assassinate him. The governor added that he had no issue with Fulani or any other tribe who wants to reside in Benue State, but such people must obey the rule of law while in the state. Reacting to Mohammed’s statement that herders can carry AK-47 to defend

themselves, Ortom said: “His recent outburst that Fulani herdsmen are justified for carrying AK-47 to protect themselves, I don’t know where the constitution of this country allows that.” Ortom called on Mohammed to apologise and learn from the provisions of the constitution that land both territorial, forest, and aquatic, are vested on the governor of a state who holds them in trust, instead of indulging in inciting Fulani herdsmen against innocent Nigerians. The governor urged Mohammed to learn from the governors of Kano and Kaduna States as well as scholars who had supported calls to ban open grazing and the need not to pamper bandits. He said herdsmen not willing to obey the laws of the state should relocate to Bauchi where Mohammed would allow them to carry guns. The governor said his call for the declaration of a state of emergency in Nigeria was a patriotic one that has the backing of senators. He expressed the hope that his letter to President Muhammadu Buhari would receive the desired attention.

SOUTH-WEST GOVS TACKLE LAWAN, SAY CRISIS ENTREPRENEURS WON’T BE DIGNIFIED governors against one another, the Benue State Governor, Mr. Samuel Ortom, accused his Bauchi State counterpart, Senator Bala Mohammed, of being part of the Fulani terrorist organisation terrorising Nigeria. Lawan, in an interview with the Hausa Service of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), had accused the governors of instigating the crisis through their unguarded utterances. He described what happened in some parts of the Southwest particularly, in Ibadan, Oyo State where the tension boiled over, resulting in a clash between Hausa and Yoruba traders at Shasha Market, as a failure of leadership. But in a riposte to Lawan, Chairman of the South-west Governors’ Forum and Governor of Ondo State, Mr. Rotimi Akeredolu (SAN), said the governors would not engage in a media war with any person or group of persons on matters affecting the security of residents of the country especially in the South-west. Akeredolu, in a statement by his Special Assistant on New Media, Mr. Olabode Olatunde, to THISDAY said: "At the risk of being repetitive, the Governor Akeredolu-led South-west governors will not go into the arena of media conflict with crisis entrepreneurs and divisionists." Oyo State Governor, Mr. Seyi Makinde, also described the statement credited to Lawan as unnecessary and uncalled for.

Makinde's Chief Press Secretary, Mr. Taiwo Adisa, said his principal, alongside other governors in the Southwest, had worked and would continue to work for the peace of not only the region but the country. He stated that Makinde has never hidden his position on state police as he believed that some forms of crime are better dealt with using state police. Adisa said: "One good example of that is the implementation of the state's anti-open grazing law. During his visit to Ibarapa recently, the governor decried the non-enforcement of the law, adding that such is an area state police would have helped. "Crime is committed in localities and the existence of state police with people who know the nooks and crannies of areas will in no small way help in fighting crimes. The absence of that as it were, we can say is a hindrance to the wheel of justice on a larger note." The Ekiti State government also yesterday said it would not take issue with Lawan over his comment. The state Commissioner for Information, Mr. Akin Omole, told THISDAY that the state government has no reason to respond to Lawan's comment since Governor Kayode Fayemi was not directly accused and that there was no evidence of ethnic tension in the state. Omole stated that since Lawan spoke about the Southwest governors, Akeredolu

was the right person to reply because he accused the governors together. The commissioner said the state government would have been ready to respond if Lawan had accused Fayemi of fuelling ethnic tension by his utterances. "We are neither going to reply nor take issue with Senator Ahmad Lawan over the allegation. This is because he didn't accuse Governor Fayemi of making any comment that could be perceived as fuelling ethnic tension. "Since he spoke about the South-west, the Chairman of the South-west governors and Ondo State Governor, Mr. Rotimi Akeredolu, is the right person that will reply because he accused the governors together,” Omole added. Speaking on giant actions being taken by Fayemi to foster ethnic harmony in Ekiti State, Omole said a committee comprising all ethnic nationalities had been composed to fine-tune arrangements on how all contending issues generating ripples could be tackled. "You are all aware of the committee that has been sitting with all the security chiefs to address every contending issue. Representatives of Yoruba, Fulani, Ebira, Hausa, Igbo and others are there. Even our traditional rulers are involved. "To us in Ekiti, we are not going to get involved in ethnic profiling on the issue of criminality. We will deal with every criminal based on what the law says, not minding

where the perpetrators came from," he said.

Ortom Accuses Mohammed of Accessory to Terrorism In a related development, Benue State Governor, Mr. Samuel Ortom, has accused his Bauchi State counterpart, Senator Bala Mohammed, of being part of the Fulani terrorist organisation, terrorising Nigeria. Ortom, who also accused Mohammed of being part of the plot to assassinate him, called on the Bauchi State governor to apologise to Nigerians over his comments that herdsmen should carry AK-47 and other sophisticated weapons. While addressing journalists yesterday in Makurdi, the Benue State governor said Bauchi State counterpart’s comment was uncalled for and an indication that he was part of those terrorising the country. According to him, Nigeria's constitution does not allow anyone except security agents to carry arms. He called on Mohammed to go back and read the constitution to keep himself abreast of such issues. Ortom said: “I wouldn’t want to be taking issues with my brother, friend, and colleague, Bauchi governor. But since he has continued to vilify, intimidate and blackmail me, it is said that silence is consent. I am compelled to

IN MOP-UP, POLICE RECOVER 196,311 AMMUNITION, 5,752 FIREARMS circulating in Nigeria. A statistical record of crimes and recovery of firearms and ammunition obtained by THISDAY from the Force Headquarters showed that 25,612 ammunition were recovered in 2019 while 133,496 was mopped up in 2020 and 10,203 retrieved in January 2021. A total of 5,752 firearms were recovered within the period under review. A further breakdown showed that 3,179 were mopped up in

2019, 3,347 in 2020 and 226 in January 2021. On the arrest of kidnap suspects, the records showed that a total of 3, 805 of them were apprehended within the period. In 2019, 1,614 were arrested, 1,975 in 2020 and 216 in January 2021. Within the period under review, a total of 8,301 armed robbery suspects were also arrested. A further breakdown showed that in 2019, 2,826 were picked

up, 5,171 in 2020 and 304 in January 2021. The police also arrested a total of 8,396 cultists out of which 1,868 were arrested in 2019, 6,464 in 2020 and 64 in January 2021. The document, which was signed by Force Public Relations Officer and Commissioner of Police, Mr. Frank Mba, showed that on assumption of duty on January 16, 2019, the Inspector-General of Police, Mr. Mohammed Adamu, introduced security action

plans, including Operation Puff Adder on April 5, 2019, and recently, Operation Puff Adder II, with a mandate to enhance inter-agency collaborations and curb the excesses of criminals. The document said the successes of the action plans were evident in the arrest and ongoing prosecution of over 31,478 notorious criminal suspects for various offences, including kidnapping, armed robbery, murder, cultism, banditry, cybercrime and offences of Sexual and Gender-

Based Violence (SGBV). "Also, as of December 2021, a total of 5,526 sophisticated and locally fabricated firearms and two rocket launchers were recovered from criminal elements while 159,108 large catchments of live ammunition were recovered," the document stated. According to the document, 2,345 kidnapped victims were also rescued and reunited with their families while 2,670 stolen vehicles were recovered and returned to their owners.

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TUESDAY, ͺͻ˜ ͺ͸ͺ͹ ˾ T H I S D AY

NEWS

Report: 20% of Lagos, Enugu, Nasarawa Residents Infected with COVID-19 Onyebuchi Ezigbo in Abuja Findings of COVID-19 Household Seroprevalence Surveys in three states of Lagos, Enugu and Nasarawa by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), the Nigerian Institute for Medical Research (NIMR) and their partners showed that one in every five individuals or 20 per cent of the population of those states may likely be carriers of COVID-19. However, in Gombe State, the proportion is about one

in every 10 persons or 10 per cent of the residents. The survey findings indicated that more male were infected by COVID-19 than female in the affected states. In a statement issued yesterday conveying the results of the survey, NCDC said there is the likelihood of a higher disease burden facing these states more than was being reported through the national surveillance system. It also revealed that the spread of infection in the states surveyed is wider

than is obvious from surveillance activities. "NCDC and NIMR today released findings of household seroprevalence surveys conducted in Lagos, Enugu, Nasarawa and Gombe states. Conducted between September and October 2020, survey findings released today revealed that the prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies was 23 per cent in Lagos and Enugu states, 19 per cent in Nasarawa State, and nine per cent in Gombe State. This means that as many as one in five

individuals in Lagos, Enugu and Nasarawa states would have ever been infected with SARS-CoV-2. "These rates of infection are higher than those reported through the national surveillance system and reveal that the spread of infection in the states surveyed is wider than is obvious from surveillance activities. This is not surprising for COVID-19, given that a majority of those infected do not have any symptoms,”. NCDC said that the results of the survey further

showed higher rates of infection among males than females. According to the report, the infection rate is 10 per cent for males and seven per cent for females in Gombe and 21 per cent and 17 per cent in Nasarawa; 28 per cent and 18 per cent in Enugu and 23 per cent and 19 per cent in Lagos. It explained that the surveys were designed to improve the estimate of the burden of COVID-19 infection in the country and to provide a more detailed estimate of the extent of

infection with the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) virus – the virus that causes COVID-19. "The results from the survey also showed that a significant proportion of people in Nigeria are still at risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection and therefore, COVID-19. It is very important that Nigerians continue to adhere to public health and social measures including regular handwashing, proper use of face masks and physical distancing," NCDC said.

NNPC Extends Crude Oil Swap Contracts till June Emmanuel Addeh in Abuja with agency report The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) has extended until June its contracts with private companies to swap crude oil for fuels, Reuters quoted a company spokesman, as

saying yesterday. That’s the second extension of the one-year contracts to exchange more than 300,000 barrels per day (bpd) with 15 company pairings, which had been set to expire in October 2020. “The DSDP was extended till June 2021 to enable us

to conclude the ongoing process of putting new contract in place,” NNPC spokesman Kennie Obateru said yesterday. NNPC issued a tender for new contracts, known as Direct Sale, Direct Purchase (DSDP), in December last year, with the coveted

swaps supplying nearly all of Nigeria’s gasoline and some of its diesel and jet fuel, in exchange for cargoes of crude oil. The federal government said it eliminated pump price caps for petrol last year, but NNPC controls over ex-depot pricing have

made it tough for private companies to make money importing the fuel, leaving the government as the sole supplier. The NNPC had initially contracted about 34 companies under a total of 15 groupings to carry out a swap deal for the supply of

refined fuel in exchange for crude oil. The scheme was introduced in 2016 to replace the programme at that time which gulped trillions of naira in subsidy payments to importers and supplied about 90 per cent of the fuel import requirements.

UNICEF Orders 4m Doses of AstraZenecaVaccines for Nigeria FG writes UAE, Netherlands over ill-treatment of Nigerian passengers Olawale Ajimotokan in Abuja The United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF) has placed a purchase order for four million doses of Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccines to be supplied to Nigeria. The Executive Director of the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), Dr. Faisal Shuaib made this disclosure yesterday at the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 media briefing in Abuja. The federal government had ordered 16 million doses of the vaccines. AstraZeneca vaccine has been authorised for emergency use in Nigeria by the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) following its review and assessment through a reliance mechanism upon receipt of the dossier from the manufacturer. Shuaib said that although it will take two weeks from the time the purchase order

is placed before the vaccines are delivered, UNICEF has assured that the consignment will arrive within one week. “As of today, a purchase order has been placed by UNICEF Division for the AstraZeneca vaccine. Under normal circumstances with routine immunisation vaccines, it takes two weeks from when the purchase order is placed to when we receive the vaccine in Nigeria. “However, considering the emergency situation in Nigeria, we have been informed by UNICEF that it will fast-track to potentially ensure that the vaccines arrive in Nigeria within one week. As soon as we receive a confirmation on the date of arrival, we will also inform Nigerians,” Shuaib said. He said that the four million doses of AstraZeneca vaccines will arrive in the first batch of supplies to the country and be stored in the national strategic cold chain. He also assured on NPHCDA’s capacity to store the vaccines.

He said the cold chain requirement for AstraZeneca vaccine is two to eight Degrees Celsius, which he said is in alignment with the country’s cold chain equipment that facilitates its routine immunisation and was used during the polio eradication journey. Shuaib said the AstraZeneca vaccines will be stored in cold rooms at the zonal, state, and the local governments’ levels in vaccine refrigerators, adding that Nigeria has the facilities with solar direct coating equipment. He noted that approximately 7,500 political wards in the country have solar direct refrigerators to enable the storage of vaccines even where there is no electricity supply. “The remaining political wards that don’t have these facilities are currently being fed by agents that have assured us that the process will be completed by the end of this year,” Shuaib said. Meanwhile, the Director General of the Nigerian

Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), Captain Musa Nuhu, has said that the federal government will today write a protest letter to the governments of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the Netherlands over the ill-treatment of Nigerians by Emirates Airline an KLM Royal Dutch Airlines. Nuhu gave the updates at the PTF briefing in relation to the saga between the two airlines and the country after KLM and Emirates stopped flying passengers out of Nigeria in the last two weeks in protest against the federal government’s refusal of their request for Rapid Antigen Test for passengers four hours before departure. The NCAA DG said at the time Nigeria was not ready for the logistics, which prompted the airlines to stop their flights, a development that he said, resulted in many passengers failing to catch their flights. “NCAA had discussions with the airlines on the unfavorable treatment of Nigerians and they are

certainly going to compensate passengers whose flights were cancelled or delayed on short notice. Discussions are still ongoing with the airlines and it involves the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and NCAA to resolve the issues. Letters will go out to the governments of these countries Tuesday morning (today) and to the airlines with a deadline to give further information to help PTF resolve it once and for all and in the very near future,” he said. NCAA added that it has also written the airlines operating West African regional flights on how to deal with the fresh outbreak of Ebola in Guinea and Liberia. The civil aviation authority advised the airlines to be cautious on the kind of passengers to board and the symptoms to look for in addition to measures and procedures to take in case they have a suspected case of Ebola aboard the flight, which include informing the authorities so that proper

preventive arrangements can be made. Also the Deputy National Incident Manager, on COVID-19, Dr. Hassan Hassan has also announced the immediate coming into effect of new modifications on the phase three eased on lockdown, which began on June 1, 2020. The modifications, according to Hassan, include the maintenance of the current nationwide curfew from 12 am to 4 am, restriction on mass gathering outside the work places, funerals to be attended by no more than 50 persons, places of worship not to exceed 50 per cent of capacity and maintenance of mandatory boarding requirements for international passengers arriving from the UK and South Africa. Others include the closure of bars and night clubs until further notice and avoiding congestion in government offices by allowing only essential staff from Grade Level 12 and above to come to work until March 31, 2021.

According to Abdullahi, the NDPHC has been working on getting more eligible customers to ensure that the stranded power in most of its power stations is dispatched through the framework. Speaking shortly after the inspection, Abdullahi described the plant as one of the best among the ones owned by the NDPHC, with uninterruptible gas availability and a good dispatch network. He said that aside from the power purchase agreement

to supply 70MW of power to the West African nation from the power plant, there are also discussions to supply power to major projects in Calabar. The NDPHC added that with the Gas Supply Agreement (GSA) with ACCU Gas, the power station remains one of the most viable commercially in the country. Also, the Chief Operating Officer of the power plant, Mr. Oyewale Olugbenga, said the plant remained the

best through the support of NDPHC management and the good operation and maintenance team at the plant. “Even though there are lots of challenges, we are able to surmount them because of the cooperation between them and us. With the experience we have gained over time from other power plants, we are able to keep the plant going because of the existing cooperation in the team,” he added.

NDPHC TO SELL ELECTRICITY DIRECTLY TO ELIGIBLE CUSTOMERS improve power supply to Nigerians. Abdullahi, according to the statement, spoke during an inspection of the Calabar Power Plant in Odukpani, Cross River State, one of the facilities managed by the NDPHC, with five units (gas turbines) and a total designed capacity of about 600MW. He added that when all the units are fully functional, the Calabar power plant has a total capacity of 560MW available power for dispatch,

but the operations of the facility has been limited due to grid constraints, leading to stranded power. “The eligible customer framework is one of the key reliefs for the power sector that we have here in Nigeria. More especially, when most of the power stations that we have in NDPHC today are limited in their operations because of the dispatch challenges. “We are hardly doing the full capacity because of

grid constraints but with the eligible customer's framework we are able to commence some serious drive and engagements with willing buyers of our power. “Calabar is one of the plants where we have bilateral agreement with Togo, with a PPA to supply about 70MW and also there are ongoing discussions with other potential customers in Calabar like Paradise City, where they are willing to off-take 100MW,” he stated.

TUESDAY FEBRUARY 23, 2021 ˾ T H I S D AY

NEWS

Crashed Plane was in Abuja to Refuel, Says CAS Kingsley Nwezeh in Abuja The Chief of Air Staff (CAS), Air Vice Marshal Isiaka Amao, has disclosed that the Beechcraft

King Air B350i which crashed with seven crew members on Sunday was at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, to refuel.

Canada Cautions Citizens against Non-essential Travel to Nigeria Segun James Following the security challenges in Nigeria, the Government of Canada has warned its citizens against non-essential travel to the country. It also cautioned its citizens resident in Nigeria to exercise high level vigilance so as not become victims of the insecurity in Nigeria. In a travel advisory published on its official websites, the Canadian government urged citizens to “avoid non-essential travel to Nigeria due to the unpredictable security situation throughout the country and the significant risk of terrorism, crime, inter-communal clashes, armed attacks and kidnappings”. The advisory further read,

“Avoid all travel to the following regions due to the risk of terrorism, armed attacks, kidnapping, intercommunal and sectarian violence: “The north-western states of Kaduna, Kano, Katsina, Sokoto and Zamfara; the north-central state of Plateau; “The north-eastern states of Adamawa, Bauchi, Borno, Gombe, Jigawa and Yobe; and “The Niger Delta states of Akwa Ibom, Anambra, Bayelsa, Delta, Imo and Rivers (with the exception of Rivers’ capital city, Port Harcourt, where we advise against non-essential travel).” The Canadian government also urged its nationals in Nigeria to “exercise a high degree of caution in the cities of Abuja, Calabar and Lagos due to the incidence of crime”.

Uzodimma, Okorocha Turning Imo into War Zone, PDP Alleges South-East govs wade into feud Amby Uneze inOwerri The Imo State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) yesterday accused the governor of Imo State, Senator Hope Uzodinma, and a former governor of the State, Senator Rochas Okorocha, of turning the state into a war zone. This is coming as the South-East Governors Forum has waded into the impasse between Uzodimma, and Okorocha. The PDP spokesperson in the state, Mr. Ogubundu Nwadike, in a statement issued yesterday said that the clash between the supporters of Okorocha and Uzodinma on Sunday at Royal Spring Estate, Owerri, was “disgusting”. The statement alleged that the actions of Uzodimma and Okorocha were causing tension and apprehension in the state. The statement read, “The Peoples Democratic Party in Imo State,

strongly condemns the horrific violent and bloody gun battle which recently occurred in the state between supporters of Senator Rochas Okorocha and supporters Governor Hope Uzodimma, where they were engaged in a bizarre indiscriminate shooting over the sealing by the Government, of Royal Spring Palm Estate Hotel, in the Akachi area of Owerri, the state capital. “It is highly disgusting that the present APC Government in the state has turned Imo into a terror zone and theatre of war and conflict. In recent times, Imolites have had the most tragic and excruciating experience ranging from the recent military invasion of parts of Orlu and Orsu Local Government Areas, which caused insecurity and other forms of gruesome attacks, leading to the breakdown of peace and order, and loss of lives and properties”.

NACA: Nigeria among Six Countries Defying COVID-19 Impact on HIV-AIDS OnyebuchiEzigboinAbuja The National Action for Control of AIDS (NACA) has stated that Nigeria and six other countries, Jamaica, Rwanda, Mozambique, Cameroon, Sierra Leone, and Botswana, are the only nations in the world that have shown great resilience in withstanding the COVID-19 impact on HIV-AIDS epidemic. The agency, whose mandate is to coordinate intervention efforts to tackle the spread of HIV in the country, said a lot of milestones have been achieved in this regard in the last 14 years. Speaking at a ceremony to showcase the progress made in checking HIV-AIDS since the

establishment of NACA, the Director-General of the agency, Dr. Aliyu Gambo, said apart from the reduction in infection rate, the country has increased the number of persons living with HIV-AIDS receiving regular treatment. He said: “In 2017, we had only 16,000 of them on treatment, and if you go back to 2007 when we started, we had only 1,000 of this population on treatment. In 2020, we had almost 150,000 of the key affected population on treatment, and the sites where we give them these services have increased astronomically from zero in 2007, 10 in 2017 to 60 in December 2020, and we are not done yet, and this is what is capturing the attention of the world in Nigeria.”

The NAF aircraft which was on its way to Minna, Niger State, had reported engine failure before it crashed short of the runway. The CAS said the deceased personnel had been in Minna for days conducting Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance missions in connection with the efforts to secure the release of the 42 students and staff abducted from the Government Science College Kagara, Niger State. Speaking while receiving the Minister of Women Affairs,

Mrs. Pauline Tallen, who paid a condolence visit to the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) headquarters yesterday, Amao further said the aircraft had carried out several Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance missions in virtually all the theatres, including the North-East, North-West as well as the North-Central. According to a statement by the NAF spokesman, Air Vice Marshal Ibikunle Daramola, titled, ‘Minister of Women Affairs, Dame Pauline Tallen pays condolence

visit to NAF, commiserates with CAS,’ Amao thanked the minister for finding time to commiserate with the NAF on the unfortunate incident. He said, “it was a sad Sunday for the entire NAF family, which had lost a set of fine, well-trained, dedicated personnel, who in the course of conducting Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance missions, had operated in virtually all theatres, including the NorthEast, North-West as well as the North-Central.

“The deceased personnel, who had been in Minna for days conducting ISR missions in connection with the concerted efforts to secure the release of the students and staff abducted from the Government Science College Kagara, Niger State, had only stopped at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja to refuel before embarking on the fateful return flight to Minna, when the unfortunate incident occurred.”

CHANGE OF BATON...

L-R: Outgoing Aide-De-Camp (ADC), Col. Mohammed Abubakar; President Muhammadu Buhari; and the new Aide-De-Camp (ADC), Lt. Col. Yusuf M. Dodo, during the handing over at the State House in Abuja...yesterday. STATE HOUSE.

30m Nigerians May Be on Drugs By 2050, Says Marwa Ejiofor Alike The Chairman and Chief Executive of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Brig. Gen. Mohammed Buba Marwa (rtd), has raised the alarm that about 30 million Nigerians would be on drugs by 2050 if nothing was done to check the trend. Marwa also stated that 90 per cent of criminalities being perpetrated in Nigeria including banditry, insurgency, kidnapping

and rape, were due to drug abuse. He vowed that the war against the menace of illicit drug trafficking, peddling and abuse is a fight to finish with him in the saddle of the lead agency. Marwa spoke yesterday at three different fora where he met with various stakeholders in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital, according to a statement by NDLEA. Addressing men and officers of the Port Harcourt International Airport Command of the NDLEA

along with officials of other security agencies and stakeholders that operate at the airport, the anti-drug czar reminded them that the airports and seaports serve as the gateway for importation and exportation of illicit drugs and as such they need to work in synergy to ensure that no hard drug enters or goes out of the country through their area of responsibility. According to him, “we need to secure our country from the menace of drug abuse by

working together. For us in the new NDLEA, this is a fight to finish, we can’t allow this country to be destroyed by criminalities. All those involved in this criminal act must be fished out and punished” At the Onne seaport, Marwa told a gathering of the stakeholders operating at the port, including men and officers of the agency that “90 per cent of all criminalities in Nigeria today ranging from banditry, insurgency, kidnapping, rape and others is linked to the use of illicit drugs.

NCDC: New COVID-19Variant Discovered in Nigeria, 15 Other Countries Onyebuchi Ezigbo in Abuja The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) has said that a new variant of COVID-19 has been detected in Nigeria and 15 other countries. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reported that the new strain, B.1.2.5, which is different from the highly infectious B.1.1.7 has, however, not been described

as a variant of concern yet. Disclosing this at the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 briefing yesterday in Abuja, NCDC Director-General, Dr. Chikwe Iheakweazu said that researchers and scientists were still working hard to understand if the variant had any effect on the virus’ transmissibility, immunity as well as diagnostics, vaccines, and therapeutics.

“As we shared, a total of 54 cases with the B.1.1.7 variant strain, which is a variant of concern first described in the UK, have been detected in Nigeria. “There is a new variant, the B.1.2.5, which we have begun to detect in Nigeria and 15 other countries. It is important to note that this variant has not been described as a variant of concern yet.

“Researchers and scientists are still working hard to understand if this variant has any effect on the virus transmissibility, immunity, as well as diagnostics, vaccines, and therapeutics. “This is because the variant has some similar mutations with the B.1.1.7, B.1.351, and P.1 variants first detected in the United Kingdom, South Africa, and Brazil, respectively.”

Buhari’s New ADC, Dodo, Resumes Duties Deji Elumoye in Abuja President Muhammadu Buhari’s new Aide-De-Camp (ADC), Lt. Col Yusuf Muktar Dodo, yesterday formally resumed duties at the State House, Abuja. Dodo took over from Colonel Mohammed Lawal Abubakar, who is proceeding next month on a promotional course in Chile for his next rank as one star general, Brigadier General due later in the year. The new ADC who had for

over three weeks being under studying his predecessor via handing over/learning-theropes procedure was before his appointment last month the Academy Adjutant of the Nigerian Defence Academy (NDA). The outgoing ADC, Abubakar, who was accompanied to the brief handing over ceremony by his wife and daughter, was nominated to attend a five-month Strategic and Defence Course at Santiago Chile from March 8 to 30 July 2021.

The course is a prerequisite for his next promotion to the rank of Brigadier-General in the last quarter of 2021 and posting outside the shores of the country as a Defence Attachee/Adviser in keeping with the customs and tradition of recognising officers that served as Aide-De- Camp to the President and concluded tour of duty without any blemish. Abubakar, is the longest serving ADC to a civilian president having served in that position for almost six years, and the second-longest

serving ADC in the history of Armed Forces of Nigeria after the late Colonel Walbe who served General Yakubu Gowon (rtd) for nine years. The 48 year-old ex-ADC, who had served in various Army units and formations within and outside Nigeria at different capacities also recommended his successor by nominating three seasoned and trustworthy Army Officers to President Buhari, and the Commander-in-Chief picked Dodo.

TUESDAY FEBRUARY 23, 2021 • T H I S D AY

TUESDAY FEBRUARY 23, 2021 ˾ T H I S D AY

NEWS

Four Corpses Recovered, 16 Suspects Arrested over Gombe Chieftaincy Crisis Segun Awofadeji in Gombe Gombe State Governor, Alhaji Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya has presided over an expanded security council meeting as part of ongoing efforts to address the crisis rocking Billiri Local Government Area of the state over traditional leadership tussle. Addressing journalists on the outcome of the meeting, the state’s Commissioner for Internal Security and Ethical Orientation, Mr. Dauda Batari Zambuk said the council in a series of resolutions, expressed sadness over the senseless killings and destruction of property in Billiri, which has religious and political undertones.

The commissioner who said so far, four corpses have been recovered by the police as a result of the mayhem, revealed that 16 persons have so far been arrested out of which 15 of them will be arraigned before a court of law in connection with the mayhem while the 16th suspect who is a security personnel is undergoing further investigation. He said the council also expressed dismay over the spread of fake news, especially on the social media by some unscrupulous individuals who tried to create a scenario that never existed, saying the council has directed security agencies to fish out those spreading fake news for

the purpose of prosecuting them. He said security personnel are already on the trail of suspected masterminds of the mayhem, adding that as assessment team will be set up to determine persons affected, property destroyed and lives lost with a view to offering

support to the victims. He said in view of the severity of the attacks the state government has taken proactive measures in engaging with religious groups and other relevant stakeholders to avert reprisals, saying Council directed chairmen of LGAs in

the state to put churches under surveillance to forestall any possible attacks. The commissioner said the meeting also resolved to set up a commission of inquiry to get to the remote and immediate causes of the incident to avert

future occurrence. He added that the council condoled with the families of the deceased and prayed for the quick recovery of the injured and those who lost their property that God will replenish them.

Okorocha’s Aide, 13 Others Granted N70m Bail Amby Uneze in Owerri A Magistrate Court in Owerri, the Imo State capital, has granted N70 million bail to an aide of ex-Imo State Governor, Senator Rochas Okorocha and 13 others at N5million each. The magistrate, BU Adikaibe, who ruled on the bail application made for the release of the defendants also insisted that a traditional ruler in the state or a member of his cabinet must stand in as a surety. Justice Adikaibe said the decision to grant the bail application by the counsel to the defendants, Mr. Eddy Onyema is due to the fact that the charges against the defendants are not capital criminal offences and are all bailable offences even though the prosecuting counsel had earlier objected to the bail. The 14 persons were arraigned before the court by the state Commissioner of Police, Mr.

Nasiru Mohammed over sixcount charge. The charges bother on conspiracy, disobedience to lawful order, willingly and unlawful destruction of the official seal of the Imo State Government, conduct capable of causing breach of peace, unlawful possession of firearms and a defamatory action on social media against the Governor of Imo State with intent to injure the reputation of the state government and person of Governor Hope Uzodimma. While both counsels declined comments, a professor of law present at the court addressed journalists outside the court on the ruling. The case has been adjourned till March 18. Meanwhile, a mild drama ensued when one of the defendants, Mr. Darlington Ibekwe, slumped while the magistrate was ruling on the bail application.

Alleged N2.2bn Fraud: Court Grants Fayose Leave to Travel Abroad Davidson Iriekpen A Federal High Court sitting in Lagos yesterday granted permission to a former Governor of Ekiti State, Mr. Ayodele Fayose, to travel abroad for further medical treatment. Fayose is standing trial on 11-count charge bordering on money laundering and conspiracy in to the tune of N2.2billion by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). Justice Chukwujekwu Aneke granted Fayose the permission following an application by his counsel, Mr. Ola Olanipekun (SAN). The former governor had through his counsel, sought an order of the court granting him leave “to travel outside Nigeria for further medical examination, diagnosis, treatment and therapeutics, as exigency of his health demands, on dates which shall not coincide with or obstruct any date of the trial in this case.” He also sought an order that his international passport, which was deposited with the Registrar of the court as part of the conditions for

bail granted should be released to him and returned to the court upon return from the trip. The application was not opposed by the EFCC. In granting the application as contained in the Motion on Notice dated February 5, 2021, and moved yesterday by Mr. Sunday Olowolafe, the court insisted that Fayose must be in court on March 18 and 19, 2021, being the next adjourned dates. After stunning Nigerians by surrendering himself to the EFCC on October 16, 2018, Fayose was first arraigned on October 22, 2018, on 11 counts before Justice Mojisola Olatotegun. He was arraigned alongside his company, Spotless Investment Limited. The former governor was re-arraigned before Justice Chukwujekwu Aneke on July 2, 2019, after the case was withdrawn from Olatoregun, following EFCC’s petition. He also pleaded not guilty before Aneke and was allowed to continue on the bail earlier granted, while the case was adjourned for trial.

INSPECTION OF FACILITIES...

L-R: Ekiti State Governor, Dr. Kayode Fayemi; Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Mr. Timipre Sylva, and Chairman, Ekiti State Board for Technical Education, Mr. Kayode Babade, during an inspection of facilities at the State Technical College, Ado-Ekiti... yesterday.

Again, Non-service of Corruption Charges Stalls Arraignment of Oduah Alex Enumah in Abuja The failure of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to serve corruption charges on two defendants, yesterday stalled the arraignment of former Minister of Aviation, Senator Stella Oduah on fraud and corruption allegations. Oduah’s arraignment was first stalled on February 9, 2021, following her absence in court which prosecution lawyer, Mr. Hassan Liman (SAN) tied to

non-service of the court processes. Trial judge, Justice Inyang Ekwo then rescheduled her arraignment for yesterday. However, when the case was called yesterday, Oduah was present in court and was represented by Chief Onyechi Ikpeazu (SAN), but her arraignment again failed due to non-service of suit on two other defendants. EFCC’s lawyer had told the court that the commission was yet to serve the fifth and sixth

defendants specifically with the court processes. Lima then sought a short adjournment to enable the prosecution serve the defendants, which are corporate bodies, at their respective addresses. In a short ruling, Justice Ekwo granted the request and directed that the defendants be served within 14 days. The judge subsequently fixed April 19 for the arraignment of the defendants.

Oduah, now a senator representing Anambra North senatorial district, is to stand trial alongside eight others on a 26-count criminal charge bordering on corruption, misappropriation and money laundering running to billions of naira. The Senator was said to have committed the alleged offences when she served as Minister of Aviation under former President Goodluck Jonathan.

Gunmen Abduct UNIPORT Lecturer, Rivers Traditional Ruler Gunmen have abducted a lecturer with the University of Port Harcourt, Dr. Jones Ayuwo, and a first-class traditional ruler in Rivers State. Ayuwo of the department of Linguistics and Communications Studies in UNIPORT was abducted on Sunday night along the Andoni-Ogoni road while returning from Andoni LGA after a function by his

Local Language Bible Translation committee, which he serves as the secretary. Three journalists with the Rivers State Government-owned Television who went for the coverage of the event were also attacked with their valuables and camera taken from them. The spokesperson of the University of Port Harcourt, Mr. Samuel Kpenu who confirmed the

abduction to Channels Television said no contact has been made with the family or the institution. Ayuwo whose wife is the bursar in the University of Port Harcourt also serves as a member of the Governing Council of Elechi Amadi Polytechnic, Rumuola, Rivers State. At about the same time the University of Port Harcourt lecturer was abducted, gunmen

also stormed the palace of a First Class Traditional Ruler, King Aaron Ikuru of Ikuru town in Andoni LGA and whisked him away. The spokesman of the Rivers State Police Command, Mr. Nnamdi Omoni said the command has received the report of the abductions but yet to release detailed information.

Time Extension Won’t HelpYour ‘Flopped’ Membership Drive, PDP Mocks APC Chuks Okocha in Abuja The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) yesterday derided the All Progressives Congress (APC) over its allegedly flopped membership registration drive, stating that the three weeks extension will not change the public rejection that greeted the exercise and the APC as a party. The PDP further mocked the APC for “becoming stuck

with its exercise following serious confusion and violent disagreements in their fold after their plot to announce humongous fictitious figures and presenting a heavily padded membership register was busted.” According to a statement issued by the National Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Kola Ologbondiyan, “Our party is already aware of the confusion in the APC after genuine report

from the field indicated a huge reduction in APC membership profile, given that more than half of its members across the federation refused to revalidate their membership while most regular Nigerians who they approached, responded with vehement apathy. “Nigerians are also aware of the bitter disagreement among desperate APC power mongers from Kogi, Lagos and Kaduna States over the

allocation of membership figures as well as location for final compilation of APC fictitious membership inventory.” Ologbondiyan stated that the Nigeria public now knows why the APC desperately sidestepped its original membership register in the exercise as revealed by the recent outburst of the Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed.

TUESDAY FEBRUARY 23, 2021 • T H I S D AY

T H I S D AY • TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 23, 2021

COMMENT

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

SANWO-OLU AND THE AJAH CHALLENGE

There is perpetual gridlock at the Ajah end of the Lagos metropolis, and with good reason, writes Wole Williams

agosians are delighted that they now have an administration which delivers the goods and is at the same time conscious of public opinion. The Babajide Sanwo-Olu administration is, in many respects, reminiscent of the Babatunde Fashola government which reengineered Lagos State while remaining humane. The contrast is the Akinwunmi Ambode government of 2015-19 which wanted to perform its primary task without regard for stakeholders. For instance, it woke up one morning and decided to sack thousands of waste management firms and replaced them with one unknown company. Even when the company proved grossly incompetent and Lagos State was being overrun by garbage, Ambode refused to bow to public opinion. He spent precious time and resources demonizing Fashola, determined to deny him a place in history. Ambode refused to listen to Bola Tinubu, the National Leader of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) who selected him as the APC flag bearer. His inability to be a team player resulted in his being a one-term governor. By discharging his core responsibilities to the Lagos effectively and at the same remaining people-oriented, Governor Sanwo-Olu has demonstrated that he is a modern leader through and through. Modern management and social science scholarship counsels managers and leaders to adopt the relational approach, rather than the task-oriented style, in discharging their duties. A task-oriented person wants to carry out an assignment without caring about relationships or the feelings of people around him or her. This was the way Americans used to work, hence motor companies, for one, were sweat shops where workers suffered terribly with little or no rights. In contrast, the Japanese, well known for social harmony, are a very good example of those famous for the relational approach to management and leadership. They want to carry everyone along, and this brings about loyalty, peace and solidarity in organizations and the larger society. This article is informed by the fact that Sanwo-Olu is a listening governor and his attention is needed urgently in the Ajah area. The AjahLangbasa-Addo-Badore Road, which is eight kilometres long, provides the worst traffic gridlock in the whole state. Until recently it used to take motorists only 10 minutes to drive from one end to the other, but these days it takes at least two hours, even on Sundays. There are four major reasons for the ever present gridlock. The first is that there are over 80 housing estates in this area, with most almost fully built up. The second is the ubiquitous and unregulated economic activity in this axis, including sand dredging and sand transportation by old trucks. The third is the incompetence of local government and police officials who direct traffic here, especially at the Ajah Market end which connects with the Lekki-Epe expressway. The fourth and the most serious is the fact that there is only one road which links the whole of Ajah, Langbasa-Addo and Badore. People living or working in this axis must pass through the same road, regardless of the part of Lagos they are going to or where they live. In other words, at least three new roads are needed to take people

THE AJAH-LANGBASA-ADDO-BADORE ROAD, WHICH IS EIGHT KILOMETRES LONG, PROVIDES THE WORST TRAFFIC GRIDLOCK IN THE WHOLE STATE. UNTIL RECENTLY IT USED TO TAKE MOTORISTS ONLY 10 MINUTES TO DRIVE FROM ONE END TO THE OTHER, BUT THESE DAYS IT TAKES AT LEAST TWO HOURS, EVEN ON SUNDAYS

away from the Ajah-Langbasa-Addo-Badore Road. Those going to Victoria Island from Badore need not go through the Ajah Market, just as those going to Ibeju need not go through the market. There are happily existing roads which can take people to different parts of Lagos without having to go through the traffic snarl at the Ajah Market which is now asphyxiating. All which is required is to have them constructed. There is a road which starts from the First Unity Estate Extension in Badore and ends at the Lagos Business School. There is another which starts from Tom Island by Badore and terminates at the Pan Atlantic University. Another starts at Okeira Nla axis in Ajah and leads to the Lagos Business School. Another originates from the Seaside Estate in Badore and stops at the LBS. There is, in addition, a road which begins in Badore and ends at Lekki Phase One. These roads have interestingly been known to the authorities in Lagos State, but little has been done to develop them. For example, Femi Animashaun wrote in a syndicated article in the Nigerian media of April 17, 2018: “On August 22, 2017, Governor Ambode held the quarterly Town Hall Meeting in Badore. Conducted with pomp and pageantry, it was attended by thousands of people, including the Deputy Governor, senators, House of Representatives members and many other eminent personalities. The governor spoke well, and charmed the audience with his knowledge of the state. “In response to the request that he repair the eight-kilometre AjahAddo-Langbasa-Badore, which was expanded and reconstructed by Tinubu 11 years ago and completed by Fashola, the governor announced that he would overhaul the road and even further expand it. He said that he would add the BRT lane so that Lagos State buses which charge competitive fares could operate in the area. The crowd clapped enthusiastically. He was to get a greater ovation when he announced that the contract had been awarded, and that the contractor would start work by September, that is, in a month’s time. Not done, the governor told the fawning crowd that the contract for the road linking the area from Okeira to the Abraham Adesanya Estate near the Lagos Business School, a distance of about five kilometers, had been awarded. The applause had hardly died down when, in a well-measured tone, he called the attention of the audience to his plans to link the Badore community to the Lekki Housing Estate Phase 1 via the waterfront. The people now went wild with excitement. They became uncontrollable with excitement when he spoke of plans to link the Ajah community to Tom Island by constructing a bridge on the Badore Lagoon, so that the people would stop going about in a terrible circuitous way to reach other parts of the state”. Quite regrettably, Ambode made no attempt to fulfill any of the promises. Governor Sanwo-Olu has an opportunity to do the right thing in this part of the Lekki Peninsula, which is growing exponentially and through which the Fourth Mainland Bridge will pass. Asiwaju Bola Tinubu began the dual Ajah-Langbasa-Addo-Badore Rd for N2.8bn in 2007 and his successor completed it in record time. Fashola also constructed the Addo-Langbasa Road and the First Unity Road in Badore. History truly beckons Sanwo-Olu to immortalize his name. Professor Williams wrote from First Unity Estate, Badore, Ajah, Lagos

DIFFICULT,YES. IMPOSSIBLE, NO

Abdullahi W. Yunusa writes that Latif Busari has turned around the fortunes of the National Sugar Development Council

hatever that has a beginning has an end. In same manner and fashion, every story, journey, reign, expedition or human activity has an end, but conversely, every ending is equally a new beginning. Essentially, our sojourn here on earth is marked by a beginning and an end. The litany of events that occur in between a beginning and an end make up what we call Life. For Dr. Latif Demola Busari, whose four years tenure and final term as the Executive Secretary of the National Sugar Development Council reaches its crescendo this week, having been earlier reappointed for a second term in 2017 by President Muhammadu Buhari, it is indeed the end as the helmsman at the NSDC, but a new beginning as he pursues other interests in life. Without a shred of equivocation or pandering to sentiments, his stewardship or stint as the Executive Secretary of the Council was marked by a litany of institutional reforms, sector-specific policies, initiatives and programmes geared towards actualizing the corporate mandate of the National Sugar Development Council. Undoubtedly, Dr. Busari has taken the council a notch higher from where he met it eight years ago as a struggling Federal agency that couldn’t boast of a befitting office space to operate from. On assumption of office first in 2012, he set machinery in motion to quickly address institutional ills such as low productivity, redundancy, welfare, absenteeism, general indiscipline and poor performance among members of staff which portrayed the council as just a salary-paying organization with productivity as its lowest ebb. He was restless as he was determined to turnaround the fortunes of the council and position it as a respected, productive and forward-thinking government agency where efficiency, effectiveness, hard work, transparency, discipline, professionalism and integrity are never compromised or toyed

with. Regardless of the plethora of administrative, policy and institutional hurdles that lined up against him, he remained resolute and firm in his avowed determination to build a sugar industry that will position Nigeria as a net exporter of the commodity, revive the sector and make it economically viable and will be able to attract investors. The NSDC was established by Decree 88 of 1993, now an Act of the National Assembly, Act Cap. No. 78 LFN of 2004, amended in 2015, to catalyze the development of the sugar industry with a view to ensuring that Nigeria attains at least, 70% self-sufficiency in her sugar requirement within the shortest possible time and even export to earn foreign exchange. Upon assumption of office as the E.S first in 2012, he sets for himself a four-point target that will transform the council and its capacity to execute its mandate. These include; securing easier access to council’s finance. Council had experienced lack of budgetary allocation for nine out of its 19 years existence especially between 2002 and 2007 during which it was starved even of staff salaries, in spite of the existence and accruals in Sugar Levy. Secondly, restructuring of the council to make it a leaner and focused government agency where productivity and merit will form the basis for upward staff mobility. This included a revision of the organogram, inter-departmental transfers, re-training of staff to fit different job specifications and conduct of a skills gap analysis to determine the number and capacities of new staff to be employed. Thirdly, the amendment of the NSDC Decree of 1993. This was critical and needed to provide legislative backing to some of the key provisions of the NSMP in the council’s enabling law in order to give comfort to investors on the safety of their investment. This was achieved when the amended bill passed by both Houses of the seventh Assembly was signed into law by the President in May 2015. Lastly, the icing on the cake was the acquisition

of a befitting corporate headquarters for the council following the erroneous dispossession of its offices in 2006 under the ‘Sale of Federal Government Houses’ policy of the then government. Council has had to move from one rented accommodation to another on four different occasions over the period. In May 2015, council finally moved into the Sugar House, its new official headquarters at 45, Oro Ago Street, Garki II, Abuja. Topmost on his to-do list was the need for a sectoral policy document or road map that will guide and drive activities in the sector, investment in research and development, reliance on modern technology and partner leading sugar producing nations and training institutes across the globe. This thinking gave birth to the sugar sector policy document popularly called the Nigeria Sugar Master Plan (NSMP). The NSMP is considered one of the most remarkable efforts by key stakeholders in the sugar sector to put Nigeria on the enviable map of sugar producing nations in the world. Finally, at its meeting held on Wednesday, 19th September 2012, the Federal Executive Council approved the Master Plan. But actual implementation of the road map began a year later, 2013. Dr. Busari has in last eight years in office matched his words with actions as it relates to Nigeria’s drive to attain self-sufficiency in sugar production. Under his watch, the backward integration programme component of the NSMP undertaken by the trio of Dangote Sugar Refinery, BUA Sugar Refinery and Golden Sugar Company is doing remarkably well. In 2018, the Golden Sugar Company completed its N60 billion Sunti Golden Sugar Estate in Sunti, Niger State and was commissioned by President Muhammadu Buhari. The Dangote Sugar Refinery has two BIP sites located in Numan, Adamawa State and Tunga, in Nasarawa State. While the BUA Sugar Refinery has its BIP site in Lafiagi, Kwara State where work has reached advanced stage. To his credit, foresight and visionary disposition,

Nigeria now has two sugarcane bio-factories located in Zaria, Kaduna State and Ilorin, Kwara State. The establishment of both bio-factories earned Nigeria and the National Sugar Development Council resounding applauses and commendations from within and outside the country given the fact that it is the first of its kind in Nigeria. Both sugarcane bio-factories when operating in full capacity would supply healthy, pure and disease-free cane varieties to sugar estates and farmer outgrowers in the country. Only recently, the Nigeria Sugar Institute (NSI) located in Ilorin, Kwara State was commissioned by the Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Otunba Niyi Adebayo. The institute which is an outcome of a healthy and mutually beneficial collaboration between the federal government and private sector players in the industry is to among other core objectives train indigenous technical manpower to handle critical factory and field operations tasks across sugar companies in the country. Dr. Busari earned his first degree in Botany from the prestigious University of Lagos between October 1976 and July 1979. Upon the completion of the mandatory one year National Youth Service Corps programme at the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Kaduna, Dr. Busari proceeded to Nigeria’s premier university, University of Ibadan between October 1980 – July 1981 for his Masters degree programme in Agronomy. He later earned a Ph.D in Agronomy from the same university in 1985. He has written well over 40 conference/workshop papers since 1991, and authored six books/manuals and several technical reports. He is an active member of a number of professional bodies where he has continued to play key roles. Notably, Dr. Busari is a fellow of the Agricultural Society of Nigeria, Fellow, Institute of Corporate Administration (FCAI) and ranking member of several others. Mr. Yunusa wrote in from FHA, Lugbe, Abuja

T H I S D AY • TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 23, 2021

EDITORIAL BEYOND THE KAGARA SCHOOL TRAGEDY The stakeholders must do more to secure our schools

hen gunmen enter a school premises and cart away children, government needs to do more than sending ‘emissaries’ to negotiate with criminals. The authorities must recognise the implications of last week’s killing of a student and the abduction of 27 others along with three staff and 12 members of their families at Government Science College, Kagara, Niger State. The experiences of Federal Government College, Buni Yadi where no fewer than 58 male students were brutally assassinated and that of Government Secondary School, Chibok where more than a hundred girls are yet to be accounted for as well as that of Government Girls’ Science and Technical College (GGSTC), Dapchi where Lear Shairbu remains in captivity three years after, should have taught lessons on such tragedies. The response to the abduction in Kagara has been a mixture of panic and confusion. While the assurances being offered by the authorities are understandable, doing under-the-table deals with bandits whenever they steal our children cannot be a sustainable approach to handling a challenge WE CANNOT AFFORD TO that borders on law and order. UnforLEAVE OUR CHILDREN tunately, repeated AT THE MERCY OF BANDITS WHO ARE BENT attacks on schools in recent years have ON TRUNCATING THEIR created fear in many FUTURE vulnerable students and their parents, especially in some sections of the country and is affecting the attitude to education. The implication of such a state of affair is damaging. When a school is under attack and students become targets, according to Manuel Fotaine, West Africa Regional Director of United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), “not only are their lives shattered, the future of the nation is stolen.” The challenge of insecurity becomes more perplexing when criminals make an industry of abducting children

from schools and demanding ransom to free them. The pertinent question to ask therefore is: What have the security agencies done to understand the nature of the sundry forms of criminality that now engulf the country and what are the strategies for countering them beyond paying ransom to criminals?

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

ith a growing pattern of roving genocidal gangs, we must challenge the federal government and the authorities in many of the states concerned to do a little more than the usual display of incompetence and blame game that have deepened our insecurity. But it is also important that we isolate recourse to negotiations with bandits as a separate outrage which has its own complexity and multiple implications. Add to that the multitude of security related lapses, oversights and embarrassments: inter agency squabbles and blame tossing, failure of basic reconnaissance and surveillance, force immobility, failure of theatre communication, etc. The Safe Schools Initiative, launched after the 2014 Chibok kidnap, was meant to counter the growing attacks on the right to education and to build community security groups to promote safe zones for education, consisting of teachers, parents, police and community leaders. “We cannot stand by and see schools shut down, girls cut off from their education and parents in fear of their daughters’ lives,” said former British Prime Minister, Mr. Gordon Brown, then UN Special Envoy on Education at the launch. “The Safe School Initiative will put Nigeria on track to help more and more girls and boys go to school and learn.” Unfortunately, the idea has long been abandoned with many of the schools left to their individual devices. There is an urgent need to go back to the drawing board. We cannot afford to leave our children at the mercy of bandits who are bent on truncating their future. While we hope for the safe return of the Kagara school children, it is also time the Buhari administration admitted the reality that negotiating with bandits cannot be a solution to the security challenge that now plague the nation.

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The Abubakar Gumi Gambit

or years, the hideout of bandits in Nigeria was a mystery. DSS and other top intelligence services seem helpless in handling the rigors of tracing and tracking the criminals. The services failed to give helpful tips and useful information on ways to rid the atrocities of those bloodthirsty monsters. Freely and with reckless abandon, the outlaws committed cruelty raking millions while killing hundreds of innocent souls. Those in authority also watched carelessly as citizens fell prey. Dressed in camouflage while riding on bikes, these heartless fellows sack villages, litter towns with blood, dump bodies on ground and brought tears and sorrows along with drums. More than the dreaded Boko Haram who now play second fiddle both in attention and media reports; these bandits operate with confidence, attack with dexterity and hold law abiding citizens to ransom. And the essence of their insurrection against Nigeria was as obscure as their identities. Entered Sheikh Abubakar Gumi. Those who have been held captives by the bandits in the North including two of my friends tell of their horrific dens. Because they are kidnappers and murderers, victims are subjected to trauma, one that may last a lifetime. But the triumphant entry of Sheikh Gumi into the bandits’ republic is changing the narrative as the popular

preacher now brand those lawless gangs freedom fighters who deserve respect and pecks of liberation. While Boko Haram had excellent public relations, bandits, presumably a group of illiterates and itinerants, seems to take public romance with levity. Good products sell itself. And truthfully, even as of today, the group has neither a spokesperson nor a known leader. Boko Haram for instance is led by that notorious Abubakar Shekau. He appears in their videos. Reads their statements and threatens the country. For several times, he was reported to have been killed, only to resurface and stings the government again. A cat with nine lives. Sheikh Gumi’s (mis) adventure into that forest of fear is already shaping story around the scourge. His audacity to compare those devil incarnates with freedom fighters is already causing ripple effect in the polity. How the preacher got himself into that place, sits endearingly well and have a long chat with them continues to beat the imagination of well-meaning Nigerians. But for those who know the web of criminality in the country especially in a deeply conservative North, that visit is nothing short of surprise. Gumi only took a gamble intended to galvanize his popularity, inspire the bandits and wreck Nigeria. Muftau Gbadegesin, muftaugbadegesin@gmail. com

Illegal Gold Miners In Edo State

here is tension in Dangbala as various groups compete for illegal mining of gold deposit. Unauthorised mining activities in Dangbala, Akoko Edo Local Government in Edo State continue to peak as non-state groups struggle over the unregulated gold mining sites. And this has continued to fuel the rising threat within and around the area. Edo State government and federal government must move to disincentivise artisanal mining by the local population. Arguably, the human capital deficits in Dangbala and Uneme Eruru, Akoko- Edo and lack of effective government presence in mining areas are push-factors to the cut-throat engagement of the local population in a quest for sustenance and survival. Adequate government regulations will, to a large extent, address the losses to illegal mining. Part of the revenue accruing from regulated mining should be used to drive development in the area. If the federal government can maximise revenue from mining activities, it can fund developmental projects that will improve the living condition of the people. Without a government-led and community-centred approach, illegal mining and conflicts in Nigeria’s unofficial theatre of war will continue to reinforce each other and pose numerous existential crisis in the region. Government must act on the current state of the gold supply chains in Akoko Edo notably by

mapping the actors involved (in production, trade and export) in both the private sector (formal and informal) and the public sector. This article covers industrial production as well as artisanal and small-scale mining and identifies the different risks associated with the gold sectors in Akoko Edo. There is danger looming in Akoko Edo, Local Government; the suspension of illegal mining in Zamfara and other states in the North West is having a multiplier effect here in Edo State, as we observed serious influx of illegal Northern miners into the state. This is indeed a signal of impeding serious security breach in the state. Before now, we have raised serious concern about the volatility of Dangbala land, where there are illegal mining sites. This recent development would definitely worsen the situation. My investigation further revealed that there are over 5000 illegal miners from the North, in over three villages and towns in Akoko Edo, including: Dangbala and Uneme Eruru, among others. While illegal mining in the state is not new, the influx of new entrants, including the Chinese and illegal miners from the north, has increased dangerous mining activities capable of endangering the environment. Their activities are aided by local chiefs and the police who capitalise on regulatory failures. Inwalomhe Donald, Dangbala, Akoko Edo, Edo State

TUESDAY FEBRUARY 23, 2021 ˾ T H I S D AY

24 HOURS...

Senate Issues Warrant of Arrest on NDDC Sole Administrator Probes alleged missing N27bn PHCN workers’ pension Deji Elumoye in Abuja The Senate yesterday resolved to issue a warrant for the arrest of the Sole Administrator of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Mr. Effiong Akwa, over his refusal to appear before it in relation to the alleged

mismanagement of N6.2billion COVID-19 palliatives by the agency’s management last year. Also, the upper legislative house is probing the reported missing N27 billion pension funds of the defunct Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN) workers. The Chairman of the Senate

25 Die in Ebonyi Communal Clash, Says Umahi Ebonyi State Governor, Mr. David Umahi, yesterday said 25 deaths have so far been recorded in the lingering communal crisis between the people of Effium and Ezza Effium in the Effium community of the Ohaukwu Local Government Area of the state. He spoke in Abakaliki, the state capital during a meeting with stakeholders of the community to find lasting solution to the carnage in the area. The crisis began last month as a clash between two factions of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) in the town but soon spread into the community. Umahi said 26 arms have so far been recovered from the area. He regretted that 125 houses, fuel and gas stations were also burnt. He blamed the Chairman of Ohaukwu LG Council, Mr. Clement Odah, who is from the community and the member representing Ohaukwu North constituency in the House of Assembly, Hon.

Chinedu Awo for the crisis. He said the crisis would not have occurred if Odah and Awo had listened to his instructions on how to solve the little problems occurring in the community before it escalated to the uncontrollable situation. “Let us not forget that this problem started by the Council Chairman, Clement Odah and Hon. Chinedu Awo, the House of Assembly member. “When the problem started between them, I called them severally one-on-one, three of us. We sat and I pleaded with them. In fact, at a time, one of them walked out on me. “It took my begging to the Speaker for the House not to sack the person on this same issue. I just took it that there is nothing a father will not see; there is nothing leadership will not see. Two of them are in supremacy battle for 2023 that they do not know whether they will see”.

N’Assembly Tackles Executive over Implementation of 2020 Budget Dej Elumoye and Udora Orizu in Abuja The leadership of the National Assembly, yesterday engaged the executive arm of government over the implementation of the capital component of the 2020 budget, which was extended to March 31 this year . This is just as the Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Mrs. Zainab Ahmed, informed the federal lawmakers that as at the end of January this year, 30 per cent implementation had been achieved on the extended capital component of the 2020 budget. Speaking at an interactive session at the National Assembly complex, the federal lawmakers led by both the President of the Senate, Dr. Ahmad Lawan and Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila told the minister that she was invited to brief them

on level of implementation of the extended budget life span. Gbajabiamila in his remarks said since it is not a usual thing to extend life span of a budget, there is need for them to be shown visible and identifiable results the executive has achieved with the extension granted the capital component of the 2020 budget from December 31, 2020 to March 31, 2021. He said, ‘’This special session of the leadership of National Assembly interfacing with you , is meant for oversighting the extension because feelers from the various MDAs on the implementation is not all that cheering. Many of them have complained to our various committees, difficulties being faced in accessing funds said to have been released by your ministry. We want to know the level of performance achieved so far whether it justifies the extension granted or not.’’

Committee on Ethics, Privileges and Public Petitions, Senator Ayo Akinyelure, who spoke at the public hearing of the committee, declared that the committee had resolved that a warrant of arrest be issued to compel the sole administrator of the NDDC to appear before it. He frowned at Akwa’s failure to appear before it to respond to

an allegation that the commission diverted N6.28billion meant to procure COVID-19 palliatives approved by President Muhammadu Buhari for the Niger Delta region. The committee had summoned the NDDC four times after a petition was submitted to it by the Chairman of the COVID-19 Palliative distribution Committee

of the NDDC, Chief Sobomavo Jackrich, alleging that the then Interim Management Committee (IMC) of NDDC mismanaged the N6.28billion earmarked by the federal government for the people of the region. Speaking to journalists after the hearing, the petitioner, Jackrich, stated how much efforts and resources he had invested to

coordinate the palliative before the NDDC management allegedly misappropriated the funds. According to him, “I was appointed the palliative chairman, but when the sum of N6.2 billion was released by the federal government, the NDDC management spent the fun d w i t h o u t my knowledge.”

PROMOTING HUMAN RIGHTS...

L-R: Director, Global Rights, Ms. Abiodun Baiyewu; Director, Centre for Liberty, Mr. Ariyo- Dare Atoyebi; and Programmes Manager, Global Rights, Ms. Funke Adeoye, during the press conference and dissemination of the annual Mass Atrocities Casualties’ Report 2020 in Abuja... yesterday. ENOCK REUBEN

$1.6m, N50m Judgment: Court Dismisses Emirates Airlines’ Application for Stay of Execution Davidson Iriekpen Attempt by Emirates Airlines not to pay judgment sum of $1.630 million and N50 million awarded against it by a Federal High Court in Lagos for unlawful conversation of a businessman’s money, met a brickwall yesterday, as Justice Muslim Sule Hassan dismissed the airline’s application for stay of execution of the judgment.

The judge said the application was lacking in merit. Justice Hassan had on January 11, awarded the judgment sum against the airline, while delivering judgment in a suit filed by the businessman, Mr. Orji Prince Chu Ikem. The businessman had sued Emirates Airlines in a suit numbered FHC/L/CS/1006/2009, for illegally and unlawfully

converting his money totalling $1,630 million, during a business trip from Lagos to China, in 2007. He had consequently asked the court for an order compelling the airline to pay him the $1.630 million and N50 million, for the untold hardship he was subjected to as a result of the said illegal and unlawful conversion of his hand luggage that warehoused the said $1.630

million. Emirates Airlines through its counsel, Chief Awa Kalu (SAN) had denied the businessman’s allegations and urged the court to dismiss the businessman’s suit. But Justice Hassan had on January 11, 2021, while delivering judgment in the suit, upheld the businessman’s reliefs and dismissed the airline’s defence.

Runsewe Enjoins Ambassador-designates to Promote Nigeria’s Culture Charles Ajunwa The Director General of the National Council forArts and Culture (NCAC), Mr. Segun Runsewe, has enjoined the ambassadorial nominees to promote Nigeria’s rich cultural heritage and the economy in their different missions. Runsewe made the call at

the induction ceremony of the ambassador designates, consulsgenerals and CDA at a retreat that was held at theAso Rock Villa,Abuja, where he took time to rollout the Nigerian cultural map, with detailed and focal attention on state by state cultural festivals and time of celebrations

The NCAC boss who spoke on the rich Nigerian culture and its potentials to diversify the economy and attract foreign investment, implored the envoys to be in the forefront of promoting and engaging the many foreign nations and their people about the robust and rich Nigerian cultural heritage

and robust economy, waiting for collaborations and partnerships. He noted that the federating 36 states have very rich, unique and diverse cultural attributes and contents, which could not be easily found anywhere else in black Africa nay the world.

Insecurity: Redeemed Christian Church of God Holds Prayer Walk Kingsley Nwezeh in Abuja The Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG) hosted a prayerwalk in which it sought God’s intervention in the security challenges and the COVID-19 pandemic disease ravaging Nigeria. The procession was organised

for members to pray for Nigeria, spiritual revival and personal breakthroughs. Participants in the prayer walk in the Federal Capital Territory, which was organised by the Throne Parish of the RCCG, Abuja, walked from the Transcorp Hotel to the Federal Secretariat.

Addressing journalists during the procession, the Pastor-inCharge of the Parish, Pastor Tunde Benjamins-Laniyi, said that prayers and intercessions were mandates from God. Benjamins-Laniyi noted that Nigeria was in dire need of divine intervention to overcome the present challenges.

He said: “It’s a mandate that God Almighty gave to us to pray everywhere. The RCCG has a presence in over 198 nations of the earth. What we are doing here is being done everywhere. “We walk round and pray on four cardinal points for national security,personalbreakthrough, revival, and against COVID-19.”

Lagos Completes Palliative Works on Eko Bridge The Lagos State Government has announced that the palliative intervention on Eko Bridge it embarked upon in support of the federal government’s efforts to replace the eight expansion joints on the highway has been completed.

The state Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Mr. Gbenga Omotoso, said in a statement that the palliative entailed the cutting and removal of asphalt as well as the placement of a steel plate on the affected parts of the

bridge, pending the arrival of the reinforced rubber expansion joints to be installed as a permanent remedy. According to him, the palliative was initiated by the state government to ensure the safety of motorists and

reduce traffic congestion. The intervention is the direct responsibility of the Federal Ministry of Works but Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu instructed the Ministry of Works and Infrastructure to take up the job immediately.

TUESDAY FEBRUARY 23, 2021 • T H I S D AY

T H I S D AY ˾ TUESDAY FEBRUARY 23, 2021

POLITICS

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

Political Implications of Military Operations in Orlu Amby Uneze writes that the once peaceful towns and local governments in Orlu senatorial district of Imo State are under violent attack as a result of the confrontation between the Eastern Security Network, the security arm of the Indigenous Peoples of BiafrIa and the Nigerian Armed Forces

Uzodinma

t is no longer news that the once peaceful area of Orlu senatorial zone of Imo State is under fire. The area is burning not as a result of communal clashes among the villages or communities over land dispute or any other thing, but because of some undercurrent interests that may not be far from the political. Ordinarily, the perceived activities of the security arm of the Indigenous Peoples of Biafra (IPOB), known as the Eastern Security Network (ESN) could not have aggravated the level of military operations in the area. Orlu is an old industrious town clearly known for her indigenes’ knack for drugs merchandizing which earned her business men and women the ‘drugs importers of the country’. This is a zone that produced notable personalities in political, academia, judiciary, industries and sports, religion and traditional icons. Such national and international figures as Chief K.O. Mbadiwe, Chief Collins Obi, Igwe Pat Acholonu, Eze Ibenyi Ugballa, Justice Ignatius Pats Acholonu (first Orlu indigene to become a Supreme Court Judge), Chief Anyaehie, Chief Iheme-Nwosu, Chief Achike Udenwa, Ambassador George Obiozor (the current President General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo), Sam Okwaraji and Prof. Walter Ofonagoro. Others include, Chief Rochas Okorocha, present governor, Senator Hope Uzodimma, Chief Tony Ezenna, Chief Uzomba Nwaije of Finlab Nigeria Limited, Mr. Johnbull Okpara, who is the current Controller/Accounting Chief at Citigroup, also a former Vice President at American Express (AMEX) and former Managing Director at Morgan Stanley, New York. The list is long. Orlu is the largest zone that has 12 local government areas in Imo State and has also produced the highest number of civilian governors in the state. It has a long history and played critical role as the headquarters for the Organization of African Unity (OAU) now African Union (AU) humanitarian relief agencies during the civil war. The Nigerian headquarters of the British Cheshire Home is domiciled in the city. So it baffles any sane mind how on earth, the zone that produces all these ‘timbre and calibre’ of distinguished personalities can sit down and allow the area to be bastardized with drums of war. According to the Imo State Attorney General and Commissioner of Justice, Chief C.O.C. Akaolisa, sincerely, the Imo State government is surprised at the selection of Imo and Orlu zone in particular as a launching ground for IPOB operations and attack. When the police stations in Orlu and Nweorubi (headquarters of Mbaitoli local government) and the Orlu local government headquarters were burnt, we were surprised because the #Endsars protest was not too serious in other parts of the state. We later discovered that it was the IPOB people that even killed the soldier at the check-point in Nweorubi. “Why we were surprised is because the Imo state government has not taken IPOB the way they are reacting. It means that they are not showing any regard to the government even when we got the State Chief Judge to release

Kanu

about 68 of IPOB members who were languishing in prison custody on bail. Why pick on the governor’s federal constituency, so it looks as if something is fishing under the waters. That is why I said silence of the former governor, Senator Rochas Okorocha on this development is worrisome,” he stated. On the invitation of the military personnel to Orlu, the Attorney General said that government would not fold its arms and allow some set of hoodlums under the umbrella of IPOB to kill Orlu citizens. He observed that IPOB leader Mazi Nnamdi Kalu appears to have lost his objective. “Recent events have shown that they have metamorphosed into very dangerous gang of hoodlums and cannot be persons to provide security for the South Easterners. “The experience we have in Orlu where the Eastern Security Network has become the biggest threat to lives and security of Orlu people clearly shows that their intentions in Orlu are not what the ordinary people think. A situation where policemen are being killed, their arms taken away from them and their Hilux vehicles taken away and sold is the biggest threat to the security of Orlu people. “Most of our people especially during Christmas found it difficult to come out because these IPOB people would come out in the open and brazenly showcase their arms. It was on that basis that security found itsr base station at the Umutanza in Orlu local government where they retire after finishing their activities on the road. And security agencies went to Umutanza to confront them and they killed some policemen, and the Army came to reinforce the police, they equally shot at the army. We discovered also that this set of gang are those that burnt down the Orlu local government headquarters as well as the same people that burnt down the police station at Nweorubi during the #Endsars protest. “Based on that, the security agencies came on their own to rescue Orlu and they found out that they were camping at Uda in Orsu local

Attahiru

government. So they deployed more bombardment to chase them. The federal government did the right time to come and secure Orlu people because Orlu was coming to be turned into a war zone,” he told THISDAY. According to investigation, Nnamdi Kanu, leader of the Indigenous Peoples of Biafra, on December 12, 2020 launched the ESN, saying the regional security outfit, just like Amotekun in the South-West, would help to tackle crimes and criminality. However, Eastern Security Network (ESN) has been described as a security group instituted to tackle Fulani herdsmen and bandits who have for ages been kidnapping, raping women, killing farmers and wiping out villages. Pundits say that since these Fulani herdsmen have been committing these atrocities, there had been no military or police confrontation against them. They also observed that these same Fulani herdsmen had killed about 300 men in one day in Agatu, Benue State and more than two dozen in Uzo Uwani, Enugu State and no military bothered to confront them. “The Nigerian Army that is supposed to fight Boko Haram was seen everywhere searching for the camp of Eastern Security Network team. But they forgot they are dealing with sophisticated men. There are cameras and drones everywhere watching them,” an official said. The Army however, did not deny carrying out operations in the Orlu axis in a bid to fish out the ESN boys. This was confirmed by the army spokesperson of the 34 artillery Brigade, Obinze, Owerri, Imo state, Babatunde Zubairu, who said the operations were not intended to harass the locals. He confirmed the deployment of helicopters and other military gadgets in the operations, saying “the operation was an offshoot of military intelligence”. The military was reportedly combing camps believed to have been occupied by the Eastern Security Network (ESN) in Imo state, an operation that involves use of airstrikes that sent residents scampering into safety.

Why we were surprised is because the Imo state government has not taken IPOB the way they are reacting. It means that they are not showing any regard to the government even when we got the State Chief Judge to release about 68 of IPOB members who were languishing in prison custody on bail. Why pick on the governor’s federal constituency, so it looks as if something is fishing under the waters. That is why I said silence of the former governor, Senator Rochas Okorocha on this development is worrisome,” he stated. On the invitation of the military personnel to Orlu, the Attorney General said that government would not fold its arms and allow some set of hoodlums under the umbrella of IPOB to kill Orlu citizens. He observed that IPOB leader Mazi Nnamdi Kalu appears to have lost his objective

In another development, the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) has accused the federal government of Nigeria of finally declaring war on the South-easterners. IPOB said this in reaction to the air operations taking place in Orlu and Orsu local government areas of Imo State. In a statement signed by Mazi Chika Edoziem, the Head of Directorate of State of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) said; “The Nigerian government through its military has finally declared open confrontation with the Biafran people in their bid to harass, intimidate and cow us into submission to relinquish our ancestral lands to foreign Fulani terrorists. “IPOB worldwide must gird their loins and be prepared for the long drawn out battle ahead. “From all indications, war is unavoidable at this point. The Federal Government is directly calling for a war. Let them consider 1967. It was a genocidal war because the international community joined hands with Nigeria to fight against Biafra, and people were killed more by hunger in Biafra land than anything else. Except that, Biafra would have won that war. Now, the Igbos know how to go about winning the war using the 1967 experience. The Federal Government must understand this. “The leadership of the Indigenous People of Biafra make bold to state unequivocally that there shall be no inch of Biafra land (Biafra territory) to be ceded to the Fulani marauders from the Sahel. “The Nigerian army has thrown the gauntlet and we the Indigenous People of Biafra Shall accept their challenge because there will neither be retreat nor surrender on this our journey to liberty and freedom. “Now that the Nigerian government has activated its final solution to the Biafra question with Helicopter gunships in Orlu, they have crossed the line of no return and for us the Indigenous People of Biafra there is only one option that is open for us. “We must defend every inch of our ancestral land and we must defend our inalienable right to live in the land of our ancestors as a free people to develop our God given talents for the benefit and elevation of our people just like our ancestors did thousands of years before us. “Every IPOB family member should be very conscious of the time we have entered and exhibit the highest level of discipline and be ready to follow every directive as will be issued by Onyendu Mazi Nnamdi Kanu”, he stated. The group said that they are ready to protect their ancestral land against any form of encroachment and trespass. On why the leaders of the South East are not talking about the issue, former President Goodluck Jonathan’s aide, Reno Omokri slammed the leaders in the South-eastern geo-political zone for keeping silent while the federal government uses airstrikes to terrorize communities in Orlu zone of Imo State. NOTE: Interested readers should continue in the online edition on www.thisdaylive.com

T H I S D AY ˾ TUESDAY FEBRUARY 23, 2021

POLITICS

An Agenda for the Fight Against Insurgency Udora Orizu writes that the service chiefs nominees at their screening by the House of Representatives Security Committees, laid out their plans to tackle security challenges bedeviling the country

Gbajabiamila

t looks like the country maybe heading for victory in its war against insurgency with the agenda of the new Service Chiefs focusing on a repositioned and motivated armed forces that can professionally defeat adversaries. Over the years, Nigerians have prayed and hoped for the roads to be free from kidnappers, end to insurgency, banditry and all forms of terrorism. To achieve all these, the citizens expect the new service chiefs to bring new ideas and approach to tackle these challenges. The newly appointed Service Chiefs, at their screening last week by the House of Representatives security committees, chaired by Hon. Babajimi Benson (Chairman House Committee on Defence) assured Nigerians of their resolve to take proactive steps in tackling security challenges bedeviling the country.

The Request Following strident calls across the country for the replacement of the Service Chiefs, President Muhammadu Buhari, finally heeded the calls and replaced them on January 26, 2021. According to a statement issued by the President’s Media Adviser, Femi Adesina, the new Service Chiefs are: Major-General Leo Irabor, Chief of Defence Staff; Major-General I. Attahiru, Chief of Army Staff; Rear Admiral A.Z Gambo, Chief of Naval Staff; and Air-Vice Marshal I.O Amao, Chief of Air Staff. They replaced the former Chief of Defence Staff, General Abayomi Olonisakin; Chief of Army Staff, Lt-Gen. Tukur Buratai; Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Ibok Ekwe Ibas; and Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Sadique Abubakar. The statement said Buhari congratulated the new Service Chiefs, and urged them to be loyal and dedicated in the discharge of their responsibilities. Following the appointment of the new service chiefs, President Buhari wrote to both chambers of the National Assembly, seeking confirmation of the nominees. In a letter dated January 27, 2021 and addressed to the Senate President, Ahmed Lawan and the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila, Buhari said that the screening was in compliance with the provisions of Section 18 (1) of the Armed Forces Act Cap A.20 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004. The President urged the lawmakers to consider and confirm the nominees in the usual expeditious manner. Gbajabiamila who read the President’s letter at the plenary on February 10, for the confirmation of the new Chief of Defence Staff and Service Chiefs, set up an ad-hoc committee to be chaired by the Chairman House Committee on Defence, Hon. Babajimi Benson. Hon. Benson, according to Gbajabiamila, is to work with the Chairmen of other security committees, Hon. Abdulrasak Namdas (Army), Hon. Shehu Koko (Air Force) and Hon. Yusuf Gagdi (Navy), their deputies and at least five members of their committees to carryout the exercise in strict adherence to Covid-19 protocols. A Legislative Assurance from Benson Commencing the screening on February 17, the Chairman House Committee on Defence and Chairman of the Screening Committee, Hon.

Benson

Babajimi Benson said the committee plan to engage robustly and constructively with the nominees and if confirmed, provides them with all the support they would need to succeed. Benson said Nigeria as a country was blessed with brave and gallant soldiers, many of whom have paid the ultimate price in service to the country, adding also that it was to their memories that the government must get it right with the national security and help secure the peace for which they gave their lives. He pointed out that from the inception of the 9th House, national security has been discussed more at several times at plenary, yet, the nation is still grappling with diverse and increasing security challenges, despite some successes recorded by the gallant men and women of the Armed Forces. Benson noted that the committee was aware of the many sensitivities around national security matters, saying, because of its desire to robustly engage the nominees to a good level of granularity across many subject areas, it decided to conduct these vigorous exchanges behind closed doors. The Chairman said this would not only help protect national security, but more importantly, give the nominee the freedom to respond more adequately, comprehensively and expansively without any fear of an unwitting exposure of sensitive information. Benson said, “The essence of the framers of our Constitution requiring the Service Chiefs to be confirmed by the National Assembly is to reiterate the supremacy of civil authority over the military in a constitutional democracy. We shall therefore take our role very seriously and we intend to discharge our responsibilities diligently on behalf of Nigerians. ‘’I can assure you that the Nominees will be grilled on questions covering a wide range of subjects. Areas in which they will be questioned include; Professional skill and experience, Nigeria’s war on terror and insurgency and insecurity in general, Funding of the military, Strategic security knowledge and vision of the Nominees, Welfare of military personnel.

Irabor

Laying their Agenda The Service Chiefs nominees at their screening, laid out their programmes for the Nigerian Armed forces. Speaking first, the Chief of Defence Staff nominee, Major General Lucky Irabor said if confirmed, his intention is to foster a better Armed Forces that is capable of making effectively, the imperatives of the constitution. He said, ‘’By so doing, I intend to have some pillars that are aligned with this broad focus of leadership. This may not come out as a vision because I believe that visions are meant for institutions and not individuals. As a military commander, I intend to have leadership focus in outlining the broad areas, to this, I intend to build very professional armed forces that are effective, agile, result-oriented and of course, one that is loyal to constituted authority.” In his remarks, Chief of Army Staff nominee, Major General Attahiru, promised to reposition the Nigerian Army to professionally defeat adversaries, by adopting the style that would be an integrative approach that would involve every Nigerian in providing adequate security for the country. While acknowledging that the appointment is coming in this very trying time, Major General Attahiru promised to provide the right leadership for the Army to thrive. He assured that the emphasis would be particularly on the role of government and role of society approach, where each and every Nigerian would be part of the security architecture to bring an end to our current problems. He said, ‘’The vision is embedded in the command philosophy, built on specific pillars such as readiness, the duty to country, dependability and continuous leadership development. For particular emphasis, mission readiness, training, functional manning and equipment, loyalty and sacrifice to the fatherland and continuous leadership development. We will build an Army that will be innovative in the 21st century.’’ On his part, the Chief of Naval Staff nominee, Rear Admiral Auwal Gambo, underscored the need for loyalty, cooperation, commitment,

Commencing the screening on February 17, the Chairman House Committee on Defence and Chairman of the Screening Committee, Hon. Babajimi Benson said the committee plan to engage robustly and constructively with the nominees and if confirmed, provides them with all the support they would need to succeed. Benson said Nigeria as a country was blessed with brave and gallant soldiers, many of whom have paid the ultimate price in service to the country, adding also that it was to their memories that the government must get it right with the national security and help secure the peace for which they gave their lives. He pointed out that from the inception of the 9th House, national security has been discussed more at several times at plenary, yet, the nation is still grappling with diverse and increasing security challenges, despite some successes recorded by the gallant men and women of the Armed Forces

knowledge and skills of all officers, ratings and civilian staff of the Nigerian Navy. He also promised to optimally harness these for the benefits of the service and the nation, adding that: “If confirmed as Chief of the Naval Staff, I intend to leverage on all factors of national location, technology, training, teamwork and synergy to re-energise the Nigerian Navy and enhance her as a well-motivated and ready to discharge her constitutional mandate and other tasks in fulfilment of the national security objectives.” In his address, the Chief of Air Staff nominee, Air Vice Marshall Isiaka Amao, unveiled plans to enhance and sustain critical airpower capability required in pursuit of national security imperatives. He also assured on doctrinal development and joint military operations, pursue purposeful training and human capacity development, as well as ensure that weapons and equipment serviceability are sustained through elevating maintenance methods and logistic support system. Amao also pledged to foster a disciplined workforce essential for combat readiness. An Optimistic Magashi In his remarks, the Minister of Defence, Bashir Magashi, who accompanied the service chiefs to the screening, expressed confidence in the ability of the nominees to make Nigerians proud in the onslaught against terrorism and other forms of insecurity. Magashi, said the government was aware of the constitutional provision that all nominated candidates should be screened by the National Assembly before they are confirmed. He said, “I am happy that we did not run foul of the law. Since they were appointed, we only called them designate and refused them to wear the rank of their various offices. If you see them right now, they are still wearing their old ranks. “The CDS is supposed to be a full General, while the Service Chiefs should be Lt. Generals and equivalent. Let me assure you that the Armed Forces of Nigeria today is fully aware of its constitutional role and we are prepared more than ever before to subordinate the military to civil authority. That we will do in order to promote cohesion and national unity in the country. “I have no doubt that those nominated by Mr President will no doubt make this country very proud. I hope the House will recognise the importance of their assignment. Today, we had a setback somewhere and as soon as we finish from here, the appropriate service chief will take care of that. I want to assure you that we will deliver on the expectations of Nigerians. “I can assure you that the nominees will be grilled on questions covering a wide range of subjects. “Areas in which they will be questioned include professional skill and experience, Nigeria’s war on terror and insurgency and insecurity in general, funding of the military and strategic security knowledge and vision of the nominees as well as welfare of military personnel.” NOTE: Interested readers should continue in the online edition on www.thisdaylive.com

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FEATURES

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

Hope Rises for the Girl-child in Northern Nigeria By dropping her dream of specialising in Obstetrics and Gynaecology for Public Health to advance girl-child education and maternal health in Northern Nigeria with her hardearned money, Eromosele Abiodun reports that Dr. Halima Nuhu Sanda, a young medical professional, has brought succor and hope

Sanda with other doctors performing free surgery

Sanda after surgery

ssues of gender equality in education have been the subject of much debate during the past decades and have become a prominent topic of debate in all countries. In Nigeria, there are large disparities between the education that boys and girls receive. Many girls do not have access to adequate education past a certain age. It is estimated that female adult literacy rate (ages 15 and above) for Nigeria is 59.4 per cent compared to male adult literacy rate of 74.4 per cent. It is differences in education that have led to this gap in literacy. The gender gap in literacy rates at the rural level between boys and girls is 18.3 percent in favour of the boys overall. In the age group six–nine years (primary school ages) it is 3.9 per cent in favour of boys. This indicates that there is a gender dimension to educational attainment and development in Nigeria. According to the Examination Council of Nigeria there are still other problems, such as high drop-out rates of females students, poor performance, reluctance on the part of females students to enroll in science-based courses and poor classroom participation. Across various geo-political delineations in Nigeria, a greater percentage of schoolage girls are needlessly out-of-school, compared with the ratio applicable to boys of same age grouping. Gender Disparity Gender disparity is also visible in the education of children with disabilities, a study in the 1990s revealed that only 37 per cent of disabled females are literate compared to 57 per cent for males. A reason for this situation is the cultural notion that the male will carry the family name while the female will marry. Also, the option of street begging by young disabled girls in order to earn income can inhibit their attendance of classes. Statistically, the bulk of the world illiterates are women, and this is also applicable to northern Nigeria, where 65 per cent of the children in school are boys, while majority of the girls are out

Sanda handing out notebooks to the school girls

of school. However, efforts are being made by concerned elites who had the opportunity of western education and knows the immense benefit of girl-child education. To reverse this trend, a medical professional and Founder/CEO of Romeo and Zainab BoudibFoundation (ROMZAIB), Dr Halima Nuhu Sanda, from Kano State has embarked on a mission. It is not only in girl-child education that Sanda is making giant strides. She has also spent her personal resource on maternal health in her home state. Northern Nigeria has one of the highest maternal mortality rates in the world, with approximately 1,012 maternal deaths per 100,000 live births. Pregnant women in northern Nigeria also have limited

take-up of health services. Sanda sees this as an opportunity for the elite in northern Nigeria to give back. Sanda’s zest for philanthropy started as a youth in college. “I started this philantrophy as far back as 2007 in school with a friend by rising funds to donate foods and clothes to orphanage homes. But this was officially registered as an NGO in 2015. We do have a few things we help with. We do not go with our help, we ask the communities what they need the most, assess and help them the best we can, “she told THISDAY. Selﬂess Service Sanda has since 2015 done many charitable work in northern Nigeria despite

the risk of being kidnaped by jihadist who sees girl-child education as sin. “We have four buckets; Health (Maternal and newborn health), Education, Water Sanitation and Hygiene and IDPs. We have donated essential drugs in some few hospitals, donated medical equipment in some few hospitals and mattresses in some few maternity wards. Recently, we supported Tofa Community in Kano to expand their community clinic to provide maternal health services and we have been paying the volunteer workers salary for the past five years. “Education is an area we are very concerned about; our scholarship is only available to girls and this is our second year of awarding scholarships. This year, we paid examination fees for six girls

T H I S D AY ˾ Ͱ3, ͰͮͰͯ

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Sanda with some of the girls

from two schools in Kano. We currently have two categories, one for Community Midwifery students and the other for Nursing and Midwifery students. “We will also be launching three more scholarship funds this year for Medicine, Pharmacy and Engineering. Our aim is help the girl-child to be able to play a role in shaping her own destiny, to give her a chance at becoming whatever it is she wants to become by eliminating barriers that prevent them from achieving their dreams, “she said. ROMZAIB, Sanda said, has donated exercise books, chairs to public schools where the students do not have any or the ones available have become obsolete. “The next project we have plans to commence is construction of boreholes and schools in hard-to-reach communities. But we try as much as possible to compliment their effort where they can chip in to promote community ownership and sustainability. We also produced facemasks and will be distributing the last 1000 to some schools in Kano within the next two weeks. “We have plans to train some girls on the production of reusable sanitary towel. This was supposed to have commenced last year but had to be postponed because of COVID-19. We have commenced some talk with an American NGO to see if we can get international funds to set up an e-learning platform for IDP camps in BornoState,” she added. Raising Funds Sanda described spending her own resource with help from her mother and other family members as, “out of this world”. “The experience is out of this world. Financially it can be quite demanding, but so fulfilling emotionally. My mother, younger sister and two younger brothers have been very helpful. They have been my largest donors. This goes way back in 2005 when I came to Nigeria for my summer medical practice in Muhammad Abdullahi Wase Specialist Hospital. A hospital I still volunteer my me time. The first department I was posted to was Internal Medicine and Dr. Imam Wada Bello was my supervisor. I resumed on my first day with so much enthusiasm but by the time I got out I was as depressed as anyone can be. “I saw first-hand people dying from treatable diseases and knowing that financial interventions reaching some of the women and babies on time would have averted most of these deaths sickened me. I couldn’t help because I didn’t have a dime on me that day and I was basically as penniless as they were. But there was a difference still for I could have a dime if I asked for it. “At that time I had about N10,000 or so in my bank account and I went to the bank and had them give me in N5000 in N20 notes. That was 15 years ago and I could hardly believe it. Funny enough my mother was clearing stuff about a month ago and N260 in N20 notes were found in my jotter and I asked my mother if she could remember how I forced her to

Elated students displaying their notebooks

contribute to my cause and we laughed over it. “That day I decided I was going do something no matter how small it is. This among other things made me drop my dream of specialising in Obstetrics & Gynaecology and was drawn to Public Health because of its unbound solutions to health issues. I went in search of skills required to help me contribute positively towards my community and country at large. “So I left for my masters in Public Health and was lucky to be introduced to Dr Ahmad AbdulWahab by my mother during one of my research trip to Nigeria. He opened for me the gate of possibilities. He did not see my age and lack of experience as a barrier but rather a pathway to something new, innovative and different. And I did not disappoint him in his own words. So you can say he gave me the power to come up with my own ideas on how to do things, “she revealed. Gripping Statistics Nigeria, Sanda stated, accounts for almost 20 per cent of all global maternal death every single day, adding that Nigeria loses about 2,300 under-five year olds and 145 women of childbearing age, making the country the second highest contributor in the world. “So being intimately familiar with the issues on ground, I was certain that if the health and educational sector was better funded, equipped and managed with clear and effective policies, this kind of number could be avoided. “Working with rural communities on community Based Service Delivery (a doorto-door health care service intervention that was piloted by a PRRINN-MNCH a DFID funded project) in Zamfara State further exposed me to the continuous challenges that persisted in health care institutions in the country, “she said. She added that lack of adequate healthcare resources places a burden on the already stretched infrastructure, which significantly impacts the health and quality of life the people especially of members of the rural communities. “The findings of my job experience made me welcome the challenge of serving large rural communities, and participating in such a dynamic and challenging field further increased my passion for public health and prompted me to choose Public Health as a career path because it brings me closer to people than I can ever dream of. Through my philanthropic activities in communities, I have seen tangible success from these little humble efforts. “So it echoes in my mind that change can come, and it need not be with an astronomical “price tag”. So I am always in search of the proper concepts and tools needed to work with the government to bring sustainable solutions to problems besieging the Northern Nigeria. I have always wondered what if every woman was guaranteed a safe delivery? What if every community has access to healthcare services? “What if every girl-child has access to quality education? What if every girl-child

was allowed to play a role in shaping her own future. But not for once have I ever wondered who would help these girls achieve their dreams, or make that change, I always knew I was that someone or at least part of the team, “she stated. Driving Girl-child Education On how the federal government and traditional institutions can join the crusade, she said, “It’s no secret that only about 30 per cent of girls in Northern western and Northeastern Nigeria attend schools as compared to over 70 per cent of their counterparts in Southern Nigeria- that’s twice the number. Additionally, girls in the North have a nine per cent chance of being enrolled in a Secondary school while in the south the number is about 79 per cent. And let’s not forget that 87 per cent of poor people in Nigeria live in the North. That is not my dream for the North, my dream for this great region doesn’t look like this.” She said a few of the Northern State governments are beginning to realise the north has been in a slumber for a longtime, “and if we do not get out of it, then we are in big trouble. In the past few years, some of the governors I have read have implemented compulsory free education and other educational policies and increased the budget for education. But it goes way beyond having polices and increasing the budget. We need to remember that we have barriers that are contributory factors to these issues because despite the effort to make education free, we still have girls hawking and getting married at tender ages when they are not even physical ready for consummation because the fathers need to reduce the burden on themselves and the mothers need some income and only the single girls can go and hawk. “So until we deal with these barriers that prevent these girls to access the free education, our progress will be very slow. Truth is some people think of early marriages in the North as a culturally constructed problem, well maybe some decades ago, but right now, I can tell you that early marriage is a socio-economically constructed problem. “It’s not only about the girls missing or not going to school, it’s about the fact that these girls also get sexually exploited while out on the street hawking and many of them contract STIs, unwanted pregnancy which drives them to seeking abortion from quack doctors putting their lives in danger and many actually losing their lives in the process. We see these cases in the health facilities every day. “Perhaps the state can consider including some incentives for the parents because let’s face it for many of these families, these girls hawking is their only source of income. So policies of women empowerment could go a long way in making these families embrace such policies and prevent them from sending their daughters to hawk instead of to classrooms.” Government, she added, could consider enacting a law that criminalises girls hawking or maybe prosecute parents that send their girls to hawk, putting

their lives in danger. She added, “I am not sure, but I think Kaduna State has something like that and in terms of education, it’s is one state that truly making an effort. Menstrual Hygiene On menstrual hygiene she said: “We also need to look at menstrual hygiene and management as it is another neglected barrier to girl-child education. A UNESCO report estimated that one in 10 girls in Sub-Saharan Africa misses school during their menstrual cycle. By some estimates, this equals to as much as 20 per cent of a school year. “For girls who are menstruating, these problems compound the difficulties posed by the inability to afford sanitary towels as well as cultural taboos around menstruation. So as a result, many girls miss on average four days of school every month as they have little choice but to stay at home. Which if you make the math, that is about 48 days in a year, of course they will fall behind in class. “About 44 per cent of these girls are reported to drop out of school before completing their secondary education. One reason for this interruption could be inadequate provision for MHM that does not allow all girls to attend school with dignity and comfort during their menstrual period. So providing adequate MHM will greatly enhance their school life and help them stay in school.” Role of Traditional Rulers Speaking on the role of traditional leaders, Sanda said, “ I think we need to put in religious leaders as well. We can separate traditional and religious leaders especially in the north because they are the gatekeepers of the communities whatever they promote, sell and whatever they condemn is dead on arrival. “These are people that are highly regarded and respected and so their role for me would be to support the government to enforce laws and polices work with CBOs to further sensitise their communities clarifying myths and misconceptions regarding girl-child education and so on. “I can testify that many of them are making tremendous contribution to uplifting their people in many ways and are always willing to support the government and NGOs and CBOs when it comes to implementation of interventions. I have had the privilege of meeting many of them and I am sure there are many more out there that I haven’t been privileged to meet. Import of Role Models Admitting the importance of role models Sanda said “As a community, we also need to have role models who can speak to these girls to encourage them. I know how important a role model can be and the difference it can make in a life. I had my mother as one as she made me believe that everything was within my reach and I can be whatever `I want to become and my father, he was my greatest cheerleader. So I would love to be one for many other girls.”

TUESDAY FEBRUARY 23, 2021 •T H I S D AY

LAWYER

WEEKLY PULLOUT

23.02.2021

KIDNAP AFTER KIDNAP, AFTER KIDNAP

Niger State Governor, Abubakar Sani Bello

2/DASHBOARD

23.02.2021

LAWYER

WEEKLY PULLOUT

23.02.2021

KIDNAP AFTER KIDNAP, AFTER KIDNAP

Niger State Governor, Abubakar Sani Bello

QUOTABLES ‘No nation in the world would have tolerated a situation where over 200 of its Policemen were killed, in the process of freedom of expression. Nigeria has tolerated that. No nation in the world would have tolerated the idea of the destruction of its security institutions. I think over 20 Police stations or more, were destroyed in the process of #EndSARS protests.’ - Abubakar Malami, SAN, Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Federal Republic of Nigeria ‘Bala Mohammed has not spoken like a Statesman.....Asking people to carry guns for protection. So, I should ask my own people to carry guns to protect themselves? This is what he’s saying....A statement like that must be condemned, and I condemn it.’ - Oluwarotimi Akeredolu, SAN, Governor, Ondo State, Federal Republic of Nigeria

W A D W D P C R PAGE 4

SERAP S‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ S‘ ‘ ‘ B‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ F‘ ‘ ‘ U‘ ‘‘ ‘ ‘D‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘‘ ‘ CAMA 2020 ‘ ‘ T‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ A‘ ‘ ‘‘ ‘‘ ‘ ‘ ’ PAGE 5

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23.02.2021

President Buhari and Unlawful Appointments I received several telephone calls, asking about my opinion on some of the recent occurrences which have taken place in our land, and why I have made no comment. My response has been that most of the issues which are occupying the front burner today, have happened before in recent times, or we have had comparable/ similar occurrences, and I had commented on them in the past; so why become repetitive? The standard reply to my response is, Government is obviously not listening; if it was, the same knotty issues wouldn't be reoccurring, and therefore, we must not relent in commenting until we get the appropriate response from Government. The IG Recently, the President extended the tenure of retired Inspector General of Police (IG), Mohammed Adamu, for a period of three months. One of the reasons given to Nigerians for this unlawful action, was that Government required some time to set the wheels of selecting a new IG, in motion. Was it a surprise that IG Adamu’s time was up, when the date of his enlistment into the Nigeria Police Force was known to all, especially those who appointed him as IG in the first place? Why didn’t the President and the Nigeria Police Council (NPC) perform their constitutional duty to appoint a new IG timeously, after all, it wasn’t as if they were going to Pluto or Mars to pick a new IG - the selection would be made from the rank of Assistant Inspector General of Police (AIG) by virtue of Section 7(2) of the new Police Act 2020 (PA20). But, as they had failed to appoint a new IG, why couldn’t someone else have been appointed in an acting capacity, while the selection process for a new IG is underway, so that Government would remain on the right-side of the law? A similar issue had arisen early in 2019 when the erstwhile IG, Ibrahim Idris, was due for retirement on January 3, 2019 having served 35 years on the Nigeria Police Force, with his 60th birthday also coming up on January 15, 2019, and there were rumours that his tenure would be extended. I made several submissions on the issue. In my editorial of 1/1/2019 titled “Time Up for IGP Ibrahim Idris”, I said: “There is no provision in the Constitution, for the extension of tenure of the IG past the retirement age. The Nigeria Police’s governing body is the Ministry of Interior, and therefore, the Police does not qualify as an extra-ministerial body, whose head can serve at the pleasure of the President, in any event, such pleasure ceasing when the President ceases to hold office (Section 171(2)(d) and Section 171(6) of the Constitution). “The question is whether the Executive will do the right thing or whether in its typical manner, act contrary to the provisions of the law. Come to think of it, it is not in the place of the Executive to do anything. By now, the Nigeria Police Force should have concluded plans for a grand passing out parade ceremony for the IG. “It is obvious that, the Nigeria Police Council (NPC), which comprises of the President, the Governors, the Chairman of the Police Commission, and the IG, has gone to sleep. One of the duties of the NPC is to oversee the operations of the Police, but even with the complaints of Nigerians, killings in Benue, the failure of the IG to relocate to Benue State at the height of the crisis as instructed by the President, the NPC was completely silent. Nigerians hope that this time around, the NPC will play its constitutional role as provided by Section 215(1) (a) of the Constitution, and actually properly advice the President on the choice of a new competent IG, taking into consideration the state of Nigeria’s security”. At the time, the outdated Police Act 1943 (PA43) was still in force, and it was somewhat silent on the issue. In my editorial of 8/1/2019: "Amina, Dino, Etcetera, Etcetera! ", this is what I said: “It seems that the 35 years meritorious service of the Inspector General of Police (IG), expired on January 3. His 60th birthday is a week away. I did some further research on the retirement of the IG. Though the Police Act is silent on the issue, by virtue of the Interpretation Clause of the Constitution, Section 318(c) the Police is an authority established for the Federation

by the Constitution (Sections 214(1) and 215(1)) and the IG, as a member of staff of such an institution, qualifies as a public servant. Rule No. 020810 of the Federal Public Service Rules 2009 provides that, the compulsory retirement age for all grades of officers in the Federal Public Service is 60 years or in the alternative, 35 years of service, whichever comes first. The definition of ‘compulsory’ is “required by law or a rule; obligatory”. Other synonyms for the word ‘compulsory’ include obligatory, mandatory, and statutory – meaning that the IG’s time became up on January 3, 2019. “Again, this is another golden opportunity, for this Government to show that it has decided to turn over a new leaf, by starting to respect the rule of law - the President on the advice of the Nigeria Police Council, should appoint a new IG forthwith”. It is obvious that on the basis of the foregoing, under PA43, the tenure of an IG who has attained the age of 60 or 35 years in the Nigeria Police Force (whichever comes first), cannot be extended by the President. But, since then, the PA43 has been replaced by the PA20 which was signed into law in September, 2020. Unlike the PA43, Section 18(8) of PA20 is clear and unequivocal, mirroring Rule No. 020810 of the Federal Public Service Rules 2009 about retirement age and years of service; while Section 7(6) of PA20 provides that the IG shall hold office for four years. Section 7(6) is not subject to Section 18(8), they are both stand-alone provisions of PA20. Just as Section 7(6) uses the word 'shall', so also does Section 18(8). See Ishola v Ajiboye 1994 6 N.W.L.R. Part 352 Page 506 per RhodesVivour J.CA. (as he then was); Ibrahim & Ors v Akinrinsola 2010 LPELR-4144 (CA) on the definition of 'shall', which in law means, 'must'. Could Section 7(6) of PA20 be the grey area or loophole which the President grabbed as the leeway to extend the IG’s tenure? The answer to that question would be a resounding no, because when IG Adamu was appointed, the PA43 was the law in force, and consequently, that is what is applicable to him and his appointment, not the PA20. If IG Adamu was appointed under PA20, it could have been argued possibly that he was appointed from the rank of AIG, he has not completed his tenure yet, having done only about two years, and Section 7(6) is categorical. Or could one assume that, an individual being considered for the position of IG, apart from Section 7(2) PA20 which mandates inter alia, that the candidate must be at least the rank of an AIG, must also have at least a clear four years of service left, in order to to qualify for the position and be able to complete the tenure? Knowing that the issue of the IG’s tenure has been a regular source of controversy, this aspect should have been included in PA20, that is, a proviso that any AIG being considered for the position of IG, must have the requisite number of years to complete the four year tenure, laying to rest this room for unnecessary controversy.

President Muhammadu Buhari

After over 20 years of uninterrupted democracy, with all the experience that we have garnered so far, the legislature should not be amending and drawing laws that give room for similar and additional disputes. I would imagine that the essence of amending a law is to improve it, and eliminate the bones of contention previously contained therein. PDP is No Different Why is it that, successive Nigerian Governments (present company very much included) have always taken great delight in making controversial decisions, which are clearly unlawful, yet they expect Nigerians to be law-abiding? The opposition PDP which has decried the IG’s tenure extension, is no better than the APC in that regard, and they do not have any moral justification to protest. They should have left others like civil society organisations, to be the ones to make the objection. Coming from the PDP, even though the objection has merit, it is highly hypocritical. We have certainly not forgotten when late President Umaru Yar’Adua was airlifted, or rather, spirited away in November 2009 for medical treatment, and was clearly no longer able to function as President; none of the options available in Section 144 of the Constitution (to declare him incapable of functioning as President etc) or Section 145 (transmission of a written declaration that then Vice President Goodluck Jonathan should perform the functions of President as Acting President) were employed. Vice President Jonathan did not become Acting President till February 2010. In fact, Nigerians do not know when President Yar’Adua died, we only know when his death was announced in May 2010! An extremely ridiculous and embarrassing charade was put on, to convince Nigerians that he was still alive. And, when the PDP/Government finally announced his death, contrary to Section 146(1) of the Constitution which clearly provides inter alia that, if the position of President becomes vacant by reason of death, the Vice President shall hold the office of President to the end of the tenure, educated high ranking members of the PDP actually suggested that since the Presidential slot had been zoned to the North, a Northerner, and not Goodluck Jonathan should assume the position of President Yar’Adua! EFCC Chairman Again, the issue of the nominee for the position of the Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), is another matter arising. That, contrary to Section 2(1)(a)(ii) of the EFCC (Establishment, Etc) Act 2004, the President’s nominee, 40 year old Abdulrasheed Bawa, does not qualify for the position. We went through the debate as to whether Ibrahim Magu could act as EFCC Chairman forever, just a few years ago, and I considered the issue extensively. With so much controversy trailing the former EFCC Acting Chairman, Government has created yet another one in the President’s choice of Bawa. Could a less contentious choice not be made from those who are qualified for the job if Bawa is unqualified, especially as questions have already been raised as to his credibility? The bedrock of President Buhari’s election campaign, is the fight against corruption. It is already a global embarrassment that the erstwhile EFCC Acting Chairman is himself facing corruption allegations, when he was supposed to be spearheading the fight against corruption. Do we really need this kind of controversy at the EFCC, if this Government wants to be taken seriously with regard to this fight against corruption? I think not. I do like the idea that a young man was nominated instead of all the old ‘foggies’ we are used to; let’s wait and see whether Mr Bawa is deserving of the job, and what the outcome of the Senate Confirmation exercise will be. Court of Appeal Justices Similarly, there is a new controversy raging in our own primary constituency - the appointment of Court of Appeal Justices, and the allegation that the list of candidates meticulously drawn up by the President of the Court of Appeal, Honourable Justice Monica Dongban-Mensem (PCA) based on the Court’s requirements, expertise, merit etc, has been jettisoned by the Federal Judicial Service Commission (FJSC) in favour of Politicians’ cronies etc. That our country is divided on ethnic

“THE OPPOSITION PDP WHICH HAS DECRIED THE IG’S TENURE EXTENSION, IS NO BETTER THAN THE APC IN THAT REGARD, AND THEY DO NOT HAVE ANY MORAL JUSTIFICATION TO PROTEST.....WE HAVE CERTAINLY NOT FORGOTTEN WHEN LATE PRESIDENT UMARU YAR’ADUA WAS AIRLIFTED, OR RATHER, SPIRITED AWAY IN NOVEMBER 2009 FOR MEDICAL TREATMENT......”

and religious lines, is no longer news. Hence, it’s no surprise that the first allegation against the FJSC list is that, for example, there are no Northern Christian nominees included on it. This is a dangerous trend, if it is allowed to sail through, and it is the hope of many members of the legal profession and indeed, the society, that the NJC reconsiders the list of the PCA. The courts are said to be the last hope of the common man. How does the common man get justice, if those who are administering same are loyal to their APC sponsors? It is obvious who such Justices may decide in favour of, should they be involved in deciding matters like election petitions. This defeats the purpose of one of the basic principles of justice, that is, ‘fair adjudication between competing claims’. For one, we are all aware that the courts’ dockets are usually full of election petitions and other related matters. Nigeria is not like America, where Justices who were appointed by Donald Trump did not uphold his spurious election malpractice allegations, just to prove their loyalty to him. The cases were decided strictly on their merits. Again, jettisoning expertise predominantly for those who may have much lesser knowledge, will obviously result in impeachable decisions being handed down. This will certainly be an undesirable outcome, especially if we are sincere about building a stronger Judiciary. This is a golden opportunity for the NJC to improve the quality of the Judiciary, by considering the available lists and doing their own proper findings, before a final decision is made, instead of simply accepting a list which may be flawed. My dear colleagues, what is your opinion on this matter?

4/LAW REPORT

Whether Appeal Dismissed for Want of Diligent Prosecution Can be Relisted Facts The Appellants lodged an appeal to the Supreme Court against the decision of the Enugu Judicial Division of the Court of Appeal on 5th August, 2014. The record of appeal was served and transmitted on 29th August, 2014, but the Appellants failed to file their Appellants’ Brief of Argument within the time allowed by the Supreme Court Rules. On 18th March, 2015, the appeal was dismissed under Order 6 Rule 3(2) of the Supreme Court Rules, 2008 (as amended) for lack of diligent prosecution. Dissatisfied with the dismissal of the appeal, the Appellants filed an application on 9th March, 2018 seeking inter alia that the appeal be relisted, and the trinity prayers in respect of some of their grounds which are grounds of mixed law and facts. Issue for Determination In determining the application, the Apex Court considered the issue below: Whether in the circumstance of this case and the depositions made in the Affidavit in support of the application, the Applicants have made out a case for a favourable exercise of discretion in the interest of justice. Arguments In the affidavit in support of the application, counsel for the Applicants stated that when the law firm received the Record of Appeal, a counsel was assigned to prepare the Appellants’ Brief of Argument. However, the said counsel travelled to the United Kingdom for further studies without handing over the case file to the management of the office, and the firm was not aware that the Brief of Argument had not been filed. It was stated that the Appellants’ failure to file the brief was occasioned by mistake/inadvertence/ dereliction of counsel which the Appellants regretted, and for which they should not be penalised. Counsel submitted on behalf of the Appellants, that the Supreme Court has the discretion to relist an appeal that has been dismissed. He argued that the court can set aside its order dismissing an appeal for want of diligent prosecution, relying on the case of OLOWU v ABOLORE (1993) 5 NWLR (Pt. 293) 255. He submitted further that, based on the fact deposed in the affidavit, it was apparently the mistake or inadvertence of counsel that caused the sanction meted out against the Appellants, and that the mistake of counsel cannot be visited on the litigant. He relied on the case of NTUKIDEM v OK (1986) 5 NWLR (Pt. 45) at 922, and urged that the appeal be heard on the merit as leave for extension of time was also sought. The Respondents opposed the application; counsel demonstrated that hearing notice was served on the Appellants or their counsel but neither of them showed up at the appointed time of hearing the appeal, nor felt the burden of filing a Brief of Argument. He contended that where an appeal has been dismissed under Order 6 Rule 3(2) of the Supreme Court Rules, same cannot be relisted unless the court acted under a mistake of fact. He stated that inadvertence of counsel cannot save a litigant where the failure is domestic, as decided in CHIME v UDE (1996) 7 NWLR (Pt. 461) at 422. He also contended that by virtue of the abolition of Section 233(3) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended), the Supreme Court cannot grant an appeal involving both questions of mixed law and facts. He relied on the case of SHITTU v PEUGEOT AUTOMOBILE LTD (2018) 15 NWLR (Pt. 1642) at 209–210 and urged the court to dismiss the application. Court’s Judgement and Rationale The Supreme Court prefaced the determination of the appeal by quoting the provisions of the relevant Order 6 Rule 3(2) of the Supreme Court Rules, which provides that: “ Where the Appellant has failed to file a brief within the period prescribed by this Order and there is no application for extension of time within which to file the brief, the Court may, subject to the proviso to rule 9 of this Order, proceed to dismiss the appeal in chambers without hearing argument.” Considering the foregoing provision, Their Lordships opined that the courts in Nigeria have the inherent powers to strike out matters before them for want of diligent prosecution. However, the power to dismiss for want of diligent prosecution, though allowed by the Rules of Court, should be sparingly used - LAGOS v AIGORO (1985) 1 All NLR (Pt. 1) PG.58 at 69. The Appellant’s appeal in this case, was dismissed for want of diligent prosecution under Order 6 Rule 3(2) of the Supreme Court Rules, though the case had not been heard on the merit. In OLOWU v ABOLORE (supra)

Honourable Uwani Musa Abba Aji, JSC

In the Supreme Court of Nigeria Holden at Abuja On Friday, the 18th day of December, 2020 Before Their Lordships

Nwali Sylvester Ngwuta Olukayode Ariwoola Musa Dattijo Muhammad John Inyang Okoro Uwani Musa Abba Aji Justices, Supreme Court SC.528/2014 Between 1. 2. 3.

Mr. Simeon Mmuodili Mr. Ben Enujioke Mr. Gabriel Azotani

And

1. Chief Michael Onwuba 2. Chief Augustine Okeke 3. Mr. Patrick Oraegbunam (For themselves and on behalf of the other members of Uruowelle family in Nkwelle Umunachi)

Appellant/Applicants

Respondents

(Lead Judgement delivered by Honourable Uwani Musa Abba Aji, JSC)

cited by the Appellant, the Apex Court was faced with the question of relisting an appeal as in this instance, and the court decided that an appeal that has been dismissed or struck out can be relisted. However, there is a distinction between that decision and the present case. In that case, the decision was not made under Order 6 Rule 3(2) of the Supreme Court Rules, as in this present case. The OLOWU’S case was decided on Rule 25(1) which provides that “an appeal struck out by virtue of the non-appearance in Rule 25, sub-rule (1) may be relisted and entered for hearing on the application of the Appellant.” Rules of court must prima facie be obeyed, and if there is non-compliance with them, it must be explained; failure of which no indulgence can be granted by the court, safe for where it is of a minimal kind. Obedience to the Supreme Court Rules cannot be treated with lesser sanctity and enforcement, since they too must be obeyed. The application and enforceability of Order 6 Rule 3(2) of the Supreme Court Rules came to the fore of the judicial gallery in CHIME v UDE (supra), where the learned Justices held succinctly that the Supreme Court lacks the jurisdiction to set aside and restore an appeal that was dismissed under Order 6 Rule 3(2) of the Supreme Court Rules. In the more recent decision of A-G OF THE FEDERATION & ORS v PUNCH (NIG) LTD & ANOR. (2019) LPELR-47868(SC), the Supreme Court reiterated this position of law, when it decided an appeal filed before it in respect of an order of dismissal made by the Court of Appeal for failure to file Brief of Argument. The Apex Court held that “The appeal was properly dismissed, and the dismissal order is ﬁnal and irreversible. The court below no longer had competence or jurisdiction on the appeal, that had become spent by the order of dismissal. The Court below had become functus ofﬁcio on the matter. It can neither set aside its order, nor relist the already dismissed appeal. It is no longer on the cause list of the court.” The above notwithstanding, the Supreme Court noted that there are occasions and circumstances in which the court may, in exercising its jurisdiction and in applying the Rules of Court, lean towards doing and achieving substantial justice to the parties, considering together the reasons as may be proffered by the Appellant’s affidavit. This was the position in S&D CONSTRUCTION CO. LTD v AYOKU & ANOR. (2011) LPELR-2965(SC), where the following conditions were listed for a party applying that his matter that has been struck out or dismissed for want of diligent thus - (i) there must be good reasons for being absent at the hearing; (ii) there has not been undue delay in bringing the application as to prejudice the Respondent; (iii) the Respondent will not be prejudiced or embarrassed if the order for rehearing is made; (iv) the Applicant’s case is not manifestly unsupportable; and (v) the Applicant’s conduct throughout the case is deserving of sympathetic consideration. Applying the conditions above to the instant case, the Supreme Court held that the Appellants did not near meeting all the conditions, to warrant the grant of the application to relist the dismissed appeal. More so, the appeal is not wholly based on recondite issues of law alone, but on mixed law and facts. The Court found that the reasons for the Appellants’ want of diligent prosecution relates to domestic matters, negligence on the part of counsel and unconcerned attitude of the Appellants themselves. The court does not have any business resolving domestic issues in the chambers. All counsel in the chambers work together concertedly and the negligence of one counsel cannot be for all, since there were other counsel in the chambers - CHIME v UDE (supra). The court observed that it has become cliché for counsel and litigant to hide under the principle that the mistake of counsel should not be visited on the litigant; where there is a clear evidence of connivance and conspiracy between the counsel and the litigant, both must bear the brunt. Application Dismissed.

“THE SUPREME COURT LACKS THE JURISDICTION TO SET ASIDE AND RESTORE AN APPEAL THAT WAS DISMISSED UNDER ORDER 6 RULE 3(2) OF THE SUPREME COURT RULES”

Representation Dr. Onyechi Ikpeazu, SAN with Tobechukwu Nweke, Esq.; Julius Mba, Esq.; Emeka Chinoba, Esq.; and Ajobi Obiora, Esq. for the Appellants. O. C. Ugolo, Esq. for the Respondents. Reported by Optimum Publishers Limited, Publishers of the Nigerian Monthly Law Reports (NMLR)(An Afﬁliate of Babalakin & Co.)

23.02.2021

NEWS/5

SERAP Seeks to Stop Buhari From Using ‘Draconian CAMA 2020 to Target Activists’ Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) KDV ÀOHG D ODZVXLW DVNLQJ WKH Federal High Court, Abuja to “stop President Muhammadu Buhari from implementing draconian and unlawful provisions of the Companies and Allied Matters Act, 2020 which allow the Federal Government to arbitrarily merge a new association with an already registered association; to suspend and remove trustees of any association; and to take over funds belonging to any association, and transfer such funds to another association on the pretext that the account is dormant”. Joined in the suit as Defendants are the AttorneyGeneral of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mr Abubakar Malami, SAN, DQG WKH &RUSRUDWH $ͿDLUV Commission (CAC). In the suit number FHC/ $%- &6 ÀOHG ODVW Friday, SERAP is seeking: “an order stopping President Buhari, Mr Malami and the CAC from implementing the unconstitutional provisions of CAMA 2020 which allow the Federal Government to arbitrarily and unilaterally FDQFHO RU UHYRNH WKH FHUWLÀFDWH of registration of any associaWLRQ RQ ÁLPV\ JURXQGV 7KHVH provisions may be used as a pretext for rights violations”. 7KH VXLW IROORZHG 6(5$3·V letter to President Buhari in

President Muhammadu Buhari

August, 2020 requesting him to “revoke his assent to CAMA 2020 and return it to the National Assembly for repeal of the repressive provisions, particularly Sections 839, 842, 843, 844 and 850 contained in Part F of the Act, and any other similar provisions”. 6(5$3 LV DUJXLQJ WKDW ´7KH right to freely associate with RWKHUV ZRUNV ERWK ZD\V 7KH others you want to associate with, must be prepared to associate with you. None can be imposed on the other.

7KH ULJKW WR IUHHGRP RI DVsociation also connotes the right of the others to freely associate with or dissociate from whosoever”. SERAP is also arguing that: ´7KH 1LJHULDQ &RQVWLWXWLRQ of 1999 [as amended], the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, and the African Charter RQ +XPDQ DQG 3HRSOHV· Rights, guarantee to everyone the right to freedom of association, to belong to any association of their choice. By allowing the Defendants to

Ex-NBA Publicity Secretary Urges Politicians to Emulate Jakande Former National Publicity Secretary of the Nigerian Bar Association ( NBA), Mr. John Austin Unachukwu, last week in Lagos, described the former Governor of Lagos State, Alhaji Lateef Kayode -DNDQGH DV D VHOÁHVV OHDGHU who should be emulated by all. Mr. Unachukwu stated this when he led a delegation of the 1992/94 set of the Nigerian Institute of Journalism (NIJ) on a condolence visit, to commiserate with the family over the demise of the former Lagos helmsman. Receiving the delegation on behalf of the family, Hon. Deji Jakande who is a member of the class, expressed gratitude that the class could come together to visit and condole with him and the family at this trying time. He urged the group, to extend his greetings to other members of the class. In his Speech, John Austin stated that the late Lateef Kayode Jakande was a servant-leader, who lived a modest life among his people, and gave his all for

Late Alhaji Lateef Jakande

the wellbeing and good of his people. Promoting the greatest happiness of the greatest majority, was his philosophy and driving force. ´, DP D JUHDW EHQHÀFLDU\ of his good leadership and infrastructural development, in Lagos State. Apart from attending the NIJ in which he was a critical stakeholder, I also attended the Lagos State University, where I enjoyed scholarship to obtain my Law

GHJUHHV 7KH 8QLYHUVLW\ was built under his regime, and today, we are proud of being greatest Lasuites. “I urge everybody to uphold and sustain the values and principles for which he lived, this is the only way to immortalise WKLV JUHDW VWDWHVPDQ 7KH family should take solace in the fact that, Baba is alive in the minds of people too numerous to mention”, Unachukwu stated.

arbitrarily merge two or more private associations, religious associations, charities, NGOs or professional bodies, CAMA 2020 blatantly violates this fundamental human right”. According to SERAP: “Section 842(2)(a)(b)(5)(6) of CAMA 2020 violates the right of these associations and other Nigerians to property, including the right to operate

their bank accounts and use their funds the way they choose to subject to already existing banking regulations and practices”. SERAP is also seeking an order of injunction “restrainLQJ WKH &RUSRUDWH $ͿDLUV Commission or persons acting on its instructions from further implementing, applying DQG HQIRUFLQJ WKH RͿHQVLYH and unlawful provisions of Sections 831, 839, 842 and 850 of CAMA 2020 and any regulations made pursuant to these provisions pending the hearing and determination of the suit”. 7KH VXLW ÀOHG RQ EHKDOI of SERAP by its Lawyers Kolawole Oluwadare and Opeyemi Owolabi, read LQ SDUW ´7KH SRZHU XQGHU Section 831(I)(ii) to merge associations without their consent is manifestly unwarranted and serves no purpose, and yet most likely to be abused to violate the rights of individuals to associate with other people of like minds, particularly given the growing restriction on civic space and crushing of peaceful protests in the country”. ´7KH 'HIHQGDQWV GR QRW have the constitutional and

legal power to suspend or remove a trustee of any registered association on a mere belief or suspicion that the association is engaged in fraud, and without due process of law, and fair hearing”. “Section 842(2)(a)(b) of CAMA 2020 which allows the taking over and transfer of funds belonging to a registered association such as private associations, religious associations, charities, NGOs or professional bodies registered under Part F, to another association is in clear violation of Section 44(1) of the Nigerian Constitution, as it does not provide for payment of compensation and the opportunity for the determination of the interests of the association before a court of law.” “In Nigeria, everyone has a right to their property, and this right cannot be arbitrarily taken away. A recognised and acceptable canon of interpretation, is that statutes such as CAMA 2020 which purport to deprive citizens of their proprietary interest and acquired rights, are always interpreted strictly.” 1R GDWH KDV EHHQ À[HG IRU the hearing of the suit.

Agomo Set to Retire from Unilag, Unveils Biography

7KH ÀUVW IHPDOH 'HDQ RI WKH Faculty of Law, University of Lagos, Prof. Chioma Kanu Agomo, will on March 1, 2021 bow out of the University as she clocks 70 years. Already, several events have been lined up to herald her celebrated exit from the ivory tower, after over 40 years of unblemished service as a foremost law teacher and expert. Aside from a Special Board of Studies session and Exaugural Lecture being organised by the Faculty of /DZ D 7KDQNVJLYLQJ 6HUYLFH will hold on March 1, 2021 at 10 am at the Chapel of Christ Our Light, University of LaJRV $NRND 7KH 7KDQNVJLYLQJ Service will also be streamed live at bit.ly/agomothanksgiving. Also, an autobiography titled “My Story, My Song” will be unveiled the same GD\ DW SP DW WKH &KXUFK·V Global Christian Centre (GCC) Auditorium. While the Vice Chancellor of the University of Lagos, Prof. Oluwatoyin Ogundipe is the Chief Host for both events, the Secretary to Abia State Government, Chris Ezem (also a Lawyer) is the *XHVW RI +RQRXU 7KH ERRN presentation will be chaired by Dr. Kingsley Ononogbu, while renowned law teacher and MXULVW 3URI 7DLZR 2VLSLWDQ SAN is the book presenter. 7KH ERRN UHYLHZHU LV 3URI Chimdi Maduagwu, Director of the Confucius Institute at UNILAG. Attendance at both

to the Nigerian Bar in 1980. From September 1980, she undertook her National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) primary assignment in the Department of Commercial and Industrial Law, University of Lagos. She was retained immediately after her service year in 1981, and thus began her UNILAG career that has spanned almost 41 years. Agomo rose through the ranks to become a Professor of Law of the University of Lagos in 2001, notionally backdated to 1999. Prof. Chioma Agomo She is a member of the %RDUG RI 7UXVWHHV RI YDULRXV events is however strictly organisations including the restricted, due to COVID-19 Nigerian Association of Law regulations. 7HDFKHUV 1$/7 DQG 3ULVRQ Prof. Agomo was born Fellowship Nigeria (PFN); on March 1, 1951 to Sir Council and Life Member +HQU\ .DQX 2ͿRQU\ 2)5 of the Nigerian Society of and Madam Chijiago Stella International Law; Member, Udeogu of Nkpa in Bende Nigerian Bar Association; Local Government of Abia former Chairperson, Chapel 6WDWH &KLRPD·V SDUHQWV Committee, Chapel of Christ separated in 1954, when Our Light, University of she was three years old. She Lagos, and currently its honorwas thereafter, raised by her ary Legal Adviser. Professor paternal grandmother, Madam Agomo is an Honorary Fellow Nnenne Ogbodiya. of her alma mater, Queen After her early education, Mary College, University she was admitted by Queen of London, and a Fellow Mary College, University of of the Nigerian Institute of London to read Law in 1973. Chartered Arbitrators. She graduated in 1976 with Prof. Agomo is married DQ 8SSHU +RQRXUV %DFKHORU·V to Dr. Philip Agomo. She degree and earned her Master is a proud mother of two of Laws (LLM) degree (with biological sons and two Merit) in 1977. grand-daughters, and is She returned to Nigeria also blessed with many in September 1979 and non-biological children and enrolled at the Nigerian Law grand-children, who have all School. She was admitted enriched her life.

23.02.2021

How American Strong Institutions Trumped Trump, a Strongman (Part 3) Introduction Last week, we discussed the concept of strongmen anchored on the approximation of particular institution to the name of a person in authority. We further compared the strong institutions of America as against Donald Trump, the strongman. We came to a conclusion that America’s democracy would have been frail and fragile as other weak democracies across the world, in the absence of these strong institutions. Today, we shall continue our discourse. How Trump Could Not be Saved by his Litany of Lies Trump’s false statements while in office, have come to be regarded as the “tsunami of untruths”. From a simple lie regarding the “rain”, to a costly lie regarding the “coronavirus”, Trump’s presidential tenure was riddled with lies, lies and more lies. The Facts Checker column of The Guardian online, states that Trump expressed nearly 20,000 lies and misleading claims while he was in office. In the past 14 months alone, he averaged 23 false or misleading claims per day! For a narcissistic person, who lives in a make-believe world of mirage and delusions of grandeur, Trump was a great democratic accident and mistake. He reduced the American presidency to one of Baba Salla’s Alawada Kerikeri histrionics and buffoonery. His exit is a relief and exhilaratic breath of fresh air, to a bemused world that has been shell-shocked about the unnatural actions and inactions of Trump. Trump’s America, was not the America the world knew. His brand of politics was not the one popularised by legendary Abraham Lincoln in his 19th November, 1863 Gettysburg Declaration. Here are some of his lies: 1. It didn’t rain on this inauguration: Trump kicked off his presidential tenure with a lie. At Trump’s inauguration, it rained heavily during his inaugural address. However, Trump felt the need to lie about the weather, stating at his celebratory ball, later that day, that the “rain never came” until he finished his speech and that after he had gone inside, it began to “pour”. As minute as this lie was, it was a warning to Americans of what was to come, as it opened the floodgate to several more lies. 2. The Boys Scout: Trump claimed that “the head of the Boy Scouts” had reached out to him, via a call, regarding his (Trump’s) address to the Scouts’ National Jamboree, stating that it was “the greatest speech that was ever made to them”. Usually, a lot of people did not like to be quoted publicly contradicting a vengeful President; however, the Boy Scouts did, stating that no call was ever made by them to President Trump. 3. The Coronavirus is under control: This was by far Trump’s most dangerous lie. He had stated that the “virus was equivalent to the flu”; that the situation was “totally under control”; and, that the “virus was disappearing”. These were more like a “family of lies”, than a single lie. However, each lie suggested and encouraged Americans to go about their daily lives without much change, which led to over 360,000 American deaths within a year. It is about 400,000 now. It is unclear how the crisis would have unfolded if Trump had been more truthful, however, it is also logical that a lot more lives would have been saved had the President been truthful from the start. Even when he was struck down for 3 days by the deadly pandemic, he still arrogantly refused to accept its existence. So sad. 4. Sharpiegate: On September 4, 2019, at his Oval Office, Trump displayed and referenced a map while talking to Reporters about Hurricane Dorian. He later tweeted that Alabama was one of the States at greater risk from Hurricane Dorian; a statement which was disapproved by the Federal Weather Office in Birmingham, which tweeted that Alabama would be unaffected by the storm. Although a simple White House correction would have done it, Trump ignorantly maintained his stance, and embarked on “an increasingly farcical campaign” to prove his tweet was correct, eventually showcasing a hurricane map which had been crudely altered with a sharpie pen. The White House officials leaped into action behind the scenes and pressured federal weather experts into saying that Trump had been right and they, wrong. This goes to show that Trump was not a lone liar, but rather “backed by an entire powerful apparatus willing to fight for his fabrications”. His government was one of Strongmen, rather than Strong Institutions. Mercifully and providentially, strong institutions eventually triumphed and destroyed his strong-manism. He was tossed out of the White House, like an unsung common villain. Can he catch any sleep now? I don’t know. Zuckerberg’s Twitter and Facebook that had thrown him out of his tweeting and lying world, would not let us know. Other lies include, trying to get a Minnesota Democrat (IIhan Omar)’s supporters into believing that he had expressed support for the terrorist group known as Al Qaeda; replacing the Veterans

Former US President, Donald Trump Choice health care program (signed by Obama in 2014) with a more expansive program in 2018, and claiming that he got the Veterans Choice program passed; lying about being named Michigan’s Man of the Year. The mother of lies, is Trump’s blatant and brazen refusal to accept the US Presidential election results in which he was beaten blue and black by new President Joe Biden’s 81.2 million votes compared to Trump’s miserly 74.2 million votes, a margin of over 7 million votes. Notwithstanding his loss in all the courts he approached in America, up to the US Supreme Court, where he was roundly rejected, he still maintains, against all natural laws, that he “won” the presidency. He even attempted bribing the Georgian Secretary of State, Mr Brad Raffensperger, with “co-operate with me”; “we are the same Republicans”; “just ‘find’ 12,000 or more votes and I am President”. He was disgraced, denounced and rejected. Many of these lies seem little. However, the bigger issue is that, it raises concerns about the morality and integrity of a man willing to lie about things so negligible. The answer: Trump is simply a narcissistic man without honour, morals and integrity who would rather blindly lie about a lie, than offer a simple apology for a mistake. Such a man, should never have been President. He was a mistake.

“THE FACTS CHECKER COLUMN OF THE GUARDIAN ONLINE, STATES THAT TRUMP EXPRESSED NEARLY 20,000 LIES AND MISLEADING CLAIMS WHILE HE WAS IN OFFICE. IN THE PAST 14 MONTHS ALONE, HE AVERAGED 23 FALSE OR MISLEADING CLAIMS PER DAY!”

How Trump’s Desperate Court Actions Were Trumped Upon the announcement of the results of the United States of America (USA)’s 2020 Presidential elections, several actions were instituted by Trump and several of his supporters, in an attempt to invalidate the election and the results achieved. These actions were instituted in different States, and within different courts of those States. However, none succeeded. Some of the courts in which actions were initiated by and on behalf of trump, and same actions were dismissed, include 1. Wisconsin State Supreme Court 2. Maricopa County Superior Court, Arizona; 3. Superior Court for the State of Arizona 4. Nevada Supreme Court 5. Fulton County Superior Court, Georgia; 6. Chatham County Superior Court, Georgia; 7. Michigan Supreme Court 8. Minnesota Supreme Court 9. 11th Circuit Court of Appeals, Atlanta; 10. U.S. District Court, New Mexico; 11. Pennsylvania Supreme Court 12. Texas Supreme Court President Donald Trump and his allies have filed dozens of lawsuits across the country, in an attempt to contest the election results. Most of them have been shot down or withdrawn, and no court has found even a single instance of fraud. Of at least 57 cases to have been filed, including some not directly involving Trump but which could nonetheless, affect his standing, at least 50 have been denied, dismissed, settled or withdrawn. Trump had aggressively ramped up his allegations of election fraud in the weeks after his projected loss, tweeting dozens of debunked theories. Despite the Electoral College vote certifying Biden's victory, Trump did not concede. President Donald Trump and his legal allies earned a platinum sombrero Friday, striking out five times in a matter of hours in States pivotal to the President’s push to overturn the election results - and losing a sixth in Minnesota for good measure. It was another harsh milestone in a month long run of legal futility, accompanied by sharp rebukes from County, State and Federal Judges who continued to express shock at the Trump team’s effort to simply scrap the results of an election he lost. Several of the most devastating opinions, came from conservative Judges, and, in some Federal cases, Trump appointees. The losses included a rejection in Wisconsin from the State Supreme Court, where the majority was gobsmacked at the effort by a conservative group to invalidate the entire election, without any compelling evidence of voter fraud or misconduct. “The relief being sought by the Petitioners, is the most dramatic invocation of judicial power I have ever seen”, said Brian Hagedorn, a conservative elected Justice, in a concurring opinion. “Judicial acquiescence to such entreaties built on so ﬂimsy a foundation, would do indelible damage to every future election. Once the door is opened to judicial invalidation of presidential election results, it will be awfully hard to close that door again. This is a dangerous path we are being asked to tread.” A Nevada Judge issued a point-by-point rejection of every claim lodged by the Trump team, emphasising that the facts they presented were sparse and unpersuasive. Carson City District Judge James Russell’s opinion repeatedly emphasised that their case would not have succeeded “under any standard of proof.” “There is no credible or reliable evidence that the 2020 General Election in Nevada was affected by fraud”, Russell wrote. Several senior Republican U.S. Senators, including Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, acknowledged Democrat Biden as the country’s President-elect after the Electoral College affirmed his victory, and rejected the idea of overturning the 2020 presidential election in Congress. Trump has made unsubstantiated claims of widespread electoral fraud, and tried but failed to overturn Biden’s victory, challenging the outcome in court in multiple States, while pressing State officials, lawmakers and Governors to throw the results out and simply declare Trump the winner. What Lessons for Nigeria from Trump’s Failed Demagoguery Even though what happened in the United States in the last two months remains a sad spectacle, America still stands tall as a country and people, and focuses its minds to its democratic resilience embodied in the US democracy. They have successfully built democratically Strong Institutions over Strong Men, a trend which African leaders should religiously follow. It would simply be wilful blindness, if African leaders only see authoritarianism today, rather than the full display of the resilience and dedication to democracy on display. (To be continued). THOUGHT FOR THE WEEK “Government's first duty is to protect the people, not run their lives”. (Ronald Reagan).

23.02.2021

Appointment of Court of Appeal Justices: FJSC’s List Versus PCA’s List This article by Yemi Gbolade discusses the issue of the recruitment process for Judges vis-a-vis that which was adopted recently to shortlist candidates for the position of Justices of the Court of Appeal, insisting that the process which was followed is flawed, because the list painstakingly compiled by President of the Court of Appeal was jettisoned in favour of that which was compiled by the FJSC and hijacked by Politicians Introduction In the last one week, a list of candidates shortlisted for appointment as Justices of the Court of Appeal has dominated the social media. The list contains 20 names of Judges as priority candidates, and an addendum of 20 others as reserved list. The list indicates that those shortlisted are to appear before the National Judicial Council (NJC) for interview. The list, allegedly compiled by the Federal Judicial Service Commission (FJSC), has received ponderous condemnation from the general public, civil society groups and ethnic nationalities, on grounds ranging from allegations of politicisation, ethnicisation, nepotism and religious bias. As far back as December last year, the Nation newspaper had carried out an investigation and reported that the on-going process of appointment of Justices to the Court of Appeal had been hijacked by Politicians. It was further stated in the report that sources in legal and judicial circles privy to the process, described the list prepared at the FJSC as being dominated by candidates nominated or sponsored by Politicians, with scant regard for competence, excellence or hard-work. The exercise, said to have been shrouded in secrecy from the beginning, was believed to be marred by lack of transparency and merit. FJSC’s List and NJC Guidelines for Appointment of Judges The FJSC’s list, now in circulation, is said to have been prepared under the guise of the principle of Federal Character and geographical spread. Under the NJC Guidelines for Appointment of Judges, Federal Character is the least factor for consideration for appointment of judicial officers. It is dwarfed by such considerations as professional expertise and competence, quality of judgements, performance, demonstration of judicial skill and sound knowledge of law. The Guidelines only make Federal Character a permissive consideration, with a caveat that the principle should not be used as a cover to politicise or compromise judicial appointments. For the avoidance of doubt, Rule 3 (6) provides that in carrying out provisional shortlist, Federal Character or geographical spread shall be taken into consideration, “where possible, without compromising the independence of the Judiciary or allowing politics to permeate or influence the appointment”. Considering the names that appeared in the FJSC’s list, the influence of politics and application of quota system became clearly dominant. First, as alleged by the Middle Belt and Southern Elders Forum, the names of candidates from the North consists of only Muslim Judges. No single Christian Judge, featured in the list. Describing the list as appalling, the forum noted, “it is quite surprising that, of the 20 candidates on preferred list, all the candidates picked from the North exclude Christians and with three Khadis on board for a court that needs experts in various areas of law, including customary law.” The forum, while threatening a law suit, firmly asserted “we cannot accept that a multi-ethnic and religious country is being treated in this way. It is therefore, demanded that the National Judicial Council (NJC) should trash the FJSC list immediately for the original list prepared by the President of the Court of Appeal.” This is embarrassing enough. Second, the list is most uninspiring. Many of the Judges are relatively unknown. And, regrettably, some of those in the list, whose names ring bell, can easily be associated with one political case or another, in which the current government had received favourable judgements or convictions of perceived political enemies. It is, therefore, clear that the FJSC’s list might have been a veiled attempt designed to reward such Judges. A particular Judge on the priority list, is known to have failed the security test in the last exercise. The list, in effect, reads more like a sop to judicial patronage than to legal proficiency, and a disingenuous abdication to wholesale quota rather than merit. The list, on this score, stands discredited. The PCA’s List On the other hand, it is said that there exists, a particular list of the President of the Court of Appeal, Justice DongbanMensem (PCA), which was compiled in strict compliance to the NJC Guidelines. Documents of nominated candidates were

President and FJSC. This requires the urgent dispassionate intervention of the National Judicial Council, given its pre-eminent position as the topmost supervisory body of courts and judicial body in Nigeria. It is hoped that the NJC would not wholly surrender to FJSC’s shenanigans, and shirk her own supervisory and regulatory responsibilities to the entire judiciary. It is also curious, as can be observed from the list circulating all around, that only members of the Bench were nominated for appointment to the Court of Appeal, to the exclusion of the Bar and Academia. By recommending only members of the Bench for appointment, the FJSC has obviously acted in bad faith, and in contravention of Rule 3(1) (b) of the NJC Guidelines. One way by which the scope of the capacity of our appellate courts, particularly, the Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court can be broadened, is to inject senior members of Bar including those in the Academia to the courts.

President, Court of Appeal, Honourable Justice Monica Bolna'an Dongban-Mensem dutifully screened. Committees of eminent Justices of the Court of Appeal were set up to scrutinise the candidates on the basis of their qualifications, quality of their judgements, performance, judicial skill, knowledge of law and needs of the court. The candidates were accordingly rated. The shortlisted candidates that emerged through this rigorous exercise were said to have been presented to FJSC, but for some politically-motivated reasons, rejected in a very controversial manner. It is baffling that the highly revered PCA was somehow unable to stand by her list, and had to bow to the FJSC’s questionable antics of the political manipulations and horse-trading. It is a sad commentary that unity of purpose or synergy is lacking between the Court of Appeal and the FJSC, over an exercise as important as appointment of Justices of the Court of Appeal. The existence of two divergent lists in the exercise, demonstrates a scenario of a house divided against itself. It also depicts the existence of differences that became irreconcilable between the Court of Appeal

“CONSIDERING THE NAMES THAT APPEARED IN THE FJSC’S LIST, THE INFLUENCE OF POLITICS AND APPLICATION OF QUOTA SYSTEM BECAME CLEARLY DOMINANT. FIRST, AS ALLEGED BY THE MIDDLE BELT AND SOUTHERN ELDERS FORUM, THE NAMES OF CANDIDATES FROM THE NORTH CONSISTS OF ONLY MUSLIM JUDGES. NO SINGLE CHRISTIAN JUDGE, FEATURED IN THE LIST”

Role of the Judiciary The Judiciary, it bears repetition, is an important arm of government. It exclusively plays the prominent role of settling disputes among citizens and governments. It determines the rights of individuals and governments. It is also saddled with the constitutional responsibility of providing essential checks on both the executive and legislative arms. The art of dispensing justice, is also undoubtedly a sacred power with grave responsibilities. Every decision of a Judge has consequences. Every error, even an unintentional one, can have serious negative effects for the parties and the society at large. The Nigerian Judiciary at this critical stage of its history needs justices who are honest, hard-working, conscientious, brave, patient, cultivated, intellectually curious and gifted with an intuitive sense of justice; men and women who carry the gravitas of judicial officers with all the boldness, dignity and nobility possible. Only a process of selection and appointment devoid of politicisation, ethnicity, and nepotism can secure this. Recruitment Process Every Nigerian, including members of the NJC, knows that the quality of judgements coming from Nigerian courts are no longer as unimpeachable as in the past. The NJC should indeed, be disturbed that increasingly, the intellectual capacity of Judges in Nigeria is dwindling, with jurists of global standard - in character and learning - remaining in abysmal short supply. The first step towards filling this yearning gap, is the enthronement of the recruitment process of Judges that would lead to the appointment of brilliant and qualified jurists, where a 60:40 ratio in favour of merit is maintained. This is strongly recommended. A solid Judiciary that enjoys public confidence is an essential feature of any successful democracy. Several studies have shown that countries with strong rule of law credentials, tend to be more economically stable. Most theories of judicial independence also highlight the significance of a credible judicial selection system, as a key and indispensable element of judicial independence. Therefore, it is extremely important to design judicial selection mechanisms that produce Judges whose independence, integrity, and impartiality are not in doubt. Judges are the ultimate guardians of the law and must be appointed in a manner that engenders public confidence. Ultimately, Judges are at the very heart of our legal order, and their decisions can have a long-lasting societal impact. Only Judges that are a product of fair appointment processes can apply the law fairly, rationally, predictably, consistently, and impartially. Conclusion It is in the light of the foregoing that the National Judicial Council is called upon to subject both the PCA’s and FJSC’s lists to a careful scrutiny, with a view to producing the best Justices for the Court of Appeal. The criteria for choosing good Judges, are not difficult to identify. Merit should be the sole criterion. Surely, various factors such as intellectual capacity, personal qualities, ability to understand and deal with issues fairly, amenability to team work etc, can feed into the merit of a candidate. Yemi Gbolade, Legal Practitioner, Lagos

8/COVER

23.02.2021

Kidnap After Kidnap,

For the umpteenth time, Bandits visited their dastardly act this time on Government Science Secondary School, Kagara, Niger State, kidnapping 27 students and 15 others, killing one and leaving in their wake, blood, sorrow and tears as families have been left devastated. This was only the latest in a series of similar nasty incidents, in the North East and North Central parts of the country. Thankfully, the passengers who were kidnapped from Rafi Local Government, also in Niger State, a few days before the Kagara incident, have been released. The Bandits are gradually extending their ignoble and bloody reign of terror, to as many parts of the country as possible. Like a former President of the Nigerian Bar Association said, ‘Nigeria is in a low grade war’. Does the Federal Government have the will, strategy and logistics to win this war? Jide Ojo, Emmanuel Onwubiko and Dr Sam Amadi take on the complex issues in this national malaise, and proffer viable solutions to fight it

Kidnappings: How to Smash the New Honeypot of Nigerian Criminals Jide Ojo Introduction

Security and welfare of the people are the primary purpose of government, so says Section 14(2)(b) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, as amended. Unfortunately, Government at all levels have failed abysmally to ensure these basic human rights of the citizens of Nigeria. Banditry, kidnapping for ransom, insurgency, cultism and street gangsterism, robbery, pipeline vandalism, rape, arson, ritual murder, internet scamming, herder/farmer clashes and burglary are some of the heinous crimes being perpetrated in Nigeria with near impunity. Many citizens are having sleepless nights while the Very Important Personalities now live in fortresses, and drive armoured vehicles with armed Police and private security escorts. The hapless majority are left to cater for themselves too by hiring private security guards to secure their communities, while some others join in mounting guards to ward off criminal elements from their neighbourhoods. Kagara School Abduction and Other Recent Kidnapping Incidences On Wednesday, February 17, 2021 bandits, donning military uniform, around 2am invaded Government Science College, Kagara, Niger State and whisked away 27 pupils and 15 staff members, after killing a Senior Secondary School 3 pupil. As at the time of writing this opinion, negotiations are still on to secure the release of the abductees. On Friday, December 11, 2020, an estimated 344 schoolboys at the Government Science Secondary School, Kankara, Katsina State were abducted by kidnappers. They were released after six days in captivity. On Monday, November 23, 2020 unknown gunmen reportedly invaded the house of a staff member of the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria and abducted him and his family. Also in November 2020 nine French students of the Ahmadu Bello University were abducted along Kaduna-Abuja highway with heavy ransom demanded of them, before they could be freed. On February 19, 2018, Federal Government of Nigeria confirmed that 110 female students of the Government Science and Technical College in Dapchi, Yobe State were abducted and most of them later released except for Leah Sharibu the only Christian among them who is still in captivity to date. In February 2014, gunmen from Islamist group Boko Haram shot or burned to death 59 pupils of Federal Government College of Buni Yadi, Yobe State. As dastardly as this killing was,

Government Science Secondary School, Kagara hostel

it did not generate international outrage as the April 14, 2014 Boko Haram militants’ abduction of 276 students of Government Girls Secondary School in Chibok, Borno State. This incident sparked off one of the biggest global social media campaigns, with tweeter using the hashtag #BringBackOurGirls. Kidnapping of students is not only a

“KIDNAPPINGS HAVE ALSO BEEN RECORDED AT AN ORPHANAGE. ON SATURDAY, JANUARY 23, 2021, GUNMEN REPORTEDLY KIDNAPPED EIGHT CHILDREN AND TWO ADULTS FROM AN ORPHANAGE, RACHEL’S HOME, IN THE ABAJI AREA COUNCIL OF THE FEDERAL CAPITAL TERRITORY”

Northern Nigeria phenomenon. In May 2017, Pelumi Philips, Farouq Yusuf, Isiaq Rahmon, Adebayo George, Judah Agbausi and Peter Jonah all of whom were students of Lagos Model College, Igbonla, Epe spent 65 days in the kidnapper’s den before they were released. Kidnapping is not limited to schools, as there are more abductions on the highways as travellers get picked up like snails by bandits. Kidnappings have also been recorded at an orphanage. On Saturday, January 23, 2021 gunmen reportedly kidnapped eight children and two adults from an orphanage, Rachel’s Home, in the Abaji Area Council of the Federal Capital Territory. The abductors later made contact demanding N10m. Even journalists are not spared. On February 3, 2021, gunmen abducted a PUNCH journalist, Okechukwu Nnodim, at his house in the Arab Road area of Kubwa, Abuja. The kidnappers also attacked his neighbours, and went away with the two sons of a widow, Mrs. Faith Gbeyide. They were released on Saturday, February 6, 2021. Also, Chidiebere Onyia, a staff of Nigeria Television Authority was abducted by gunmen at about 6.30 p.m. on Tuesday, February 9, 2021 around Woji area in Port Harcourt, Rivers State. Mrs Onyia, a mother of three, was said to be with some of her colleagues in her car when the kidnappers intercepted her vehicle, fired gunshots into the air, forced her out and then drove her away in their vehicle. She regained freedom five days after her abduction. These are just to mention but a few. International Rating of Nigeria on Terrorism

Nigeria is surely slipping into Hobbesian state of nature where life is short, brutish and nasty. Little wonder the 2020 Global Terrorism Index, put Nigeria at number three in the world. According to the Report produced by “Vision of Humanity”, “Nigeria is the third country most impacted by terrorism……Boko Haram, Nigeria’s deadliest terrorist group, recorded an increase in terrorist activity mainly targeted at civilians by 25 per cent from the prior year. Additionally, Fulani extremists were responsible for 26 per cent of terror-related deaths in Nigeria at 325 fatalities”. The Push Factors for Kidnapping and Insecurity There is no gainsaying that poverty, unemployment and corruption, are among the drivers of insecurity in Nigeria. According to the “African Liberty” publication of April 11, 2019, Steve Hanke, a Professor of Applied Economics at The Johns Hopkins University and a Senior Fellow at Cato Institute, in 2019, ranked Nigeria and South Africa as Africa’s most miserable countries. According to Hanke, he arrived at this ranking by considering the “sum of unemployment, inflation and bank lending rates, minus the percentage change in real GDP per capita”. Among the countries ranked in his 2018 edition, Nigeria, South Africa, and Egypt are in the top 10 of most miserable countries. Most Nigerians are hungry because they are poor, and as the saying goes, a hungry man is an angry man. The hunger and anger of many Nigerians were demonstrated last October, during the #EndSARS protests that engulfed many States in Nigeria. The invasion of the warehouses where Covid-19 palliatives were stored by multitudes, shows that the

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U R S E After Kidnap country may not survive a similar uprising in near future. Poverty, unemployment and inflation have continued to soar. As the saying goes, ‘water must find its level’. Many Nigerians without prior criminal records are now taking to crime, in a bid to survive the deplorable economic situation. The porosity of Nigeria’s borders with over 1,400 illegal entry routes, have made the smuggling of small arms and light weapons, as well as hard drugs into the country very easy. Africanews in its online publication of August 4, 2016, reported that the United Nations has raised alarm over the illicit proliferation of Small Arms and Light Weapons in Nigeria. The global body said that more than 350 million out of the estimated 500 million of such weapons in West Africa, is domiciled in the country. According to the UN, this has highlighted, more than ever before the critical need not only to control the flow of arms in the non-State sector, but also the State owned actors through the effective management of the armoury and weapon stockpiles”. Easy access to small arms and light weapons, as well as psychotropic substances by criminally minded people, facilitates crimes. Unfortunately, the huge size of Nigeria and limited number of security agents, have given room to non-State actors to operate with impunity in the widely ungoverned spaces in the country. With less than 400,000 officers and men recruited to Police a country of 206 million people; a country whose total strength of its combined Armed Forces is less than a million and which also operates largely manually, it shouldn’t come to anyone as a surprise that the country ranks high on the Global Terrorism Index. Implications and Solutions to Unsafe Schools The implication of unsafe schools is very serious. Already Nigeria has an estimated 13.5 million out of school children, although Government is claiming this has been substantially reduced. This ugly phenomenon is going to get worse, as students and pupils will shun school due to fear of being abducted. Ironically, such out of school children is a bad omen for the Nigerian society, as many of them may grow up to constitute a nuisance and terror to the rest of the society. This latest kidnapping of school children is a wakeup call for Government at all levels, to up their ante in terms of provision of safety measures in public schools from primary to tertiary levels. Private school owners, also need to do same. It is imperative for Schools’ Management Boards or Committees to adopt some of the following security measures: perimeter fence for the school, security posts should be at the entrances to the schools, with possible scanning machines; installation of Closed Circuit Television Camera within and around the school remises; trained security personnel should be deployed to schools; increased police patrols around the school areas, and provision of 3-digit security alert toll-free lines. There is also the need to provide security education and tips for both staff and students of schools, so that they are knowledgeable about what they could do if and when they are under attack by undesirable elements. Breaking the Honeypot of Kidnapping for Ransom and Other Crimes In order to curb the incessant kidnapping for ransom and general insecurity, broader tactics and strategy need to be put in place. The change of the Service Chiefs is a step in the right direction. Though not the silver bullet or panacea, to resolve the growing insecurity and insurgency. However, it will boost the morale of the troops and encourage them to perform better. The real antidote to the festering insecurity, lies in two broad approaches. The hard and the soft approaches.

grow the informal sector, including the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises. In addition, there is need for value re-orientation. Conclusion Above all, it is imperative to break the culture of impunity. As the saying goes in the United States of America, “if you do the crime, you will do the time”. Arrested criminals should be diligently and effectively prosecuted, in a competent court of law. The blanket issuance of amnesty to criminal elements can be very counter-productive. Jide Ojo, Development Consultant, Author, Blogger, TV Show Host and Public Affairs Analyst

When a Nation’s Soul is Kidnapped Emmanuel Onwubiko

Mr. Jide Ojo

Hardware Approach The hardware approach includes recruitment of more security personnel, building of more police stations and military cantonments to enable them secure the ungoverned spaces, procurement of security hardware such as Armoured Personnel Carriers, Rifles, operational vehicles, sophisticated communication gadgets, building and equipping of forensic laboratories, data capturing of arrested criminals, deployment of technology in the fight against crimes such as use of all-weather drones, Close Circuit Television Cameras, Automated Scanner Machines, Jammers, Trackers, etc. All this will aid intelligence gathering by security operatives, and with better coordination and information sharing among the security agencies, significant headway in the fight against insecurity will be achieved. Further to this, is the rejigging

“NIGERIA IS SURELY SLIPPING INTO HOBBESIAN STATE OF NATURE WHERE LIFE IS SHORT, BRUTISH AND NASTY. LITTLE WONDER THE 2020 GLOBAL TERRORISM INDEX PUT NIGERIA AT NUMBER THREE IN THE WORLD”

of the community policing system which involves the use of locals for intelligence gathering and whistle-blowing. I do not blame the Minister of Defence, Maj. Gen. Bashir Magashi (Retd), and former Minister of Defence, Gen. Theophilus Danjuma (Rtd), for asking Nigerians to defend themselves against bandits. This is the charge that has produced ethnic champions like Sunday Adeyemo aka Sunday Igboho in Oyo State. As the saying goes, homicide is not a crime when committed in self defence. People must learn to defend themselves, whichever way they know how to do it. In order to reduce the farmers/herders clashes, there is need to ban open grazing of cattle and other animals, documentation of herders, ban of herders from carrying rifles which some of them are now using to engage in kidnapping, and promotion of ranching as a form of animal husbandry. Nigeria’s e-border project aimed at adequate manning and surveillance of all legal and illegal entry routes into and out of Nigeria, needs to be fast-tracked. This will make it easy to cut off smuggling, especially of small arms and light weapons, as well as trafficking in drugs and persons. Software Approach However, the hardware approach alone will not solve the problem. There is need to complement it with the software approach. As rightly pointed out by immediate past Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Tukur Buratai last Thursday, February 18, 2021 during his ambassadorial screening at the Nigerian Senate, there is need for good governance. He was quoted as saying, “The military alone cannot solve this. There should be hospitals, schools, roads and Government presence in these communities. There are so many ungovernable spaces, and until these spaces have government presence, it will not be resolved”. Thus, the software approach includes job creation and economic empowerment, especially for the teeming Nigerian youths who constitute over 60 percent of the population. There is need to also scale up the social safety net, through pro-poor measures. Conditional Cash Transfer, is a good case in point. Beyond this, there is need to fix the decadent and insufficient infrastructure, especially affordable electricity supply. This will reduce the cost of doing business and

As most families warmed up for the quiet celebration of the year 2020 Christmas brought about by the ravaging CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC IN NIGERIA, over 800 families in the North Western State of Katsina were thrown into panic when over 300 pupils of a boys boarding school on the outskirts of Kankara in Katsina State, were kidnapped by reportedly well armed motorcycle riding terrorists numbering over 100. Kidnappings These terrorists invaded the School that, at the time of the attack sheltered about 800 boarding students of the Government Science School. The attack followed similar patterns of the way the kidnapping of students happened, in Borno and Yobe States. The kidnap of students of the Government Girls School in Dapchi, Yobe State happened about three years ago. All the victims but one, were released. The Nigerian Government allegedly paid ransom to get the Muslims out, but the lone Christian girl Leah Sharibu was abandoned by the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari, and for three years or more, this young girl who was just 15 when she was violently taken away, is still with the terrorists known as Boko Haram Islamic terrorists. The incident in Katsina had a symbolism, because it was on the eve of the arrival in Daura, Katsina State of President Muhammadu Buhari for a four-day visit, that this daredevil incident occurred in a town not too far off from where the President of the largest African nation landed in a Presidential jet accompanied by a retinue of top security heads of all the nation's security Architectures dominated by Northern Musli born politicians and appointees who share same faith group and ethnicity with President Muhammadu Buhari. Ironically, the victims of this notorious terrorists strike in the remotely sited boarding school facility are all Muslims from a part of Nigeria that is experiencing poor school enrolment. Aside the angle of terrorism, these kidnappings have the capacity to persuade children of Northern Nigerian extraction to stay out of the formal educational system, for fear of being killed. Mr President’s Invitation to NASS Also, the President jetted off to Katsina from Abuja after he rejected several invitations by the Federal House of Representatives, to appear before the law makers to brief Nigerians on why the state of insecurity has reached a frightening dimension. It should be recalled that, Section 14(2) (b) of the Nigerian Constitution makes the security and welfare of the citizens of Nigeria cont'd on page 10

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the primary legal duty and obligation of the officials, elected or appointed into public offices which this administration has spectacularly failed to actualise, and is bereft of any sort of ideas on how to put an end to the expanding frontiers of terrorism and violence in the country. So, the invitation made by the central law making body was in tandem with their statutory mandate as unambiguously provided for by a plethora of the constitutional provisions, given that Section 4 clearly provides that the legislative powers of the Federation is domiciled in the legislature, and if the legislature passes a budget for defence and it becomes clear that there are clear failures on the part of the executive to clearly implement the programmes and projects to ensure national security, it therefore, behoves on them to investigate why this is so, and this was the fundamental purpose of the invitation extended to the President in December of 2020. Kankara So, it was in the heat of this constitutional quagmire created by the counsel of the AttorneyGeneral and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, SAN, that President Muhammadu Buhari not honour NASS’s invitation that he jetted off to Daura, his hometown in Katsina, and then on the eve of his arrival the kidnappers struck in the Boys Science School in Kankara in Katsina State and took away over 300 students. This kidnapping is highly suspicious, because the Central Government has failed to order proper forensic investigations of this terrorism, but has allowed the entire criminal scenario to be shrouded in organised chaos and political compromise, to the very odious extent that the so-called chief kidnapper and other kidnappers of these children reportedly surrendered and are treated as celebrities. And so, these suspicions will linger for a long time, if we look at how the school children kidnapped were returned after a week, adorning newly made and newly tailored clothes, and were never allowed to speak to the media. The Return of the Kankara Boys The more than 300 schoolboys kidnapped for a week around December 10th, 2020 in an attack on their school in Northwest Nigeria, arrived in the capital of Katsina State amid celebrations of their release. As reported by Aljazeera, the Reporter said television pictures showed the boys, many of them wearing light green uniforms and clutching blankets, arriving on buses, looking weary, but otherwise well. The boys were abducted after gunmen raided the all-boys Government Science Secondary School in Katsina’s Kankara village, and marched nearly 350 of them into the nearby Rugu forest. The Boko Haram armed group claimed responsibility for the abduction. None of the boys spoke as they walked from the bus in single file, flanked by soldiers, into a government building. Al Jazeera’s Ahmed Idris, reporting from Katsina, said the boys walked barefoot, some of them limping with blisters on their feet. “You can see they are virtually exhausted and traumatised, following the events of the past seven days”, he said. “You can see fear, confusion, trauma”, he added, shortly after the boys walked past him at the scene of their arrival. It was not clear if all of the boys had been recovered in the rescue operation, but Katsina State Governor, Aminu Bello Masari, told Idris on Thursday that all 344 boys had been released. The boys were moved to a camp where they will undergo medical tests and evaluation, before a likely meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari, according to Idris. Meanwhile, a group of the boys’ parents waited to be reunited with them in another part of town. “I couldn’t believe what I heard until neighbours came to inform me that it’s true”, Hafsat Funtua, the mother of 16-year-old Hamza Naziru, said earlier in a phone interview. She said the moment she heard the news, she ran out of her house with joy “not knowing where to go” before returning home to pray. Another parent, Husseini Ahmed, whose 14-year-old Mohammed Husseini was also among those abducted, expressed happiness and relief that he would soon be reunited with his son.

Mr. Emmanuel Onwubiko

“We are happy, and anxiously expecting their return”, he said. Understandably, the criminality of kidnapping has gripped Nigeria and raised growing concerns and anger about insecurity and violence in the country’s North, and also about the incompetence of this Government and the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria President, Muhammadu Buhari, a retired Major General of the Nigerian Army to defend Nigeria and safeguard the lives and property of the citizens, as enunciated by the 1999 Constitution. And so, in the midst of this show of shame and the

“IT IS IMPERATIVE FOR SCHOOLS.....TO ADOPT SOME OF THE FOLLOWING SECURITY MEASURES: PERIMETER FENCE..... SECURITY POSTS....AT THE ENTRANCES TO THE SCHOOLS, WITH POSSIBLE SCANNING MACHINES; INSTALLATION OF CLOSED CIRCUIT TELEVISION CAMERA WITHIN AND AROUND THE SCHOOL REMISES; TRAINED SECURITY PERSONNEL.....”

display of crass incompetence by our Armed Forces, terrorists and other armed non-State actors are taking charge of different parts of the Federation, and are busy dishing out orders and blackmailing the Governments of these affected States to dole out millions of public funds, to be funnelled into settlement of these terrorists. And so, whilst the school boys were held as hostages, the kingpin of the terrorists was busy making public broadcast and making demands. In an audio recording released, a man identifying himself as the leader of Boko Haram claimed the group was responsible for the abduction. Just before the boys were reunited with their Parents, there were a lot of demonstrations and on the day they were later brought back to the State capital, earlier dozens of protesters marched through the streets in the city of Katsina as #BringBackOurBoys trended on Nigerian social media. The hashtag hearkened back to a campaign launched to bring home more than 200 girls abducted by Boko Haram in 2014 in the Northeastern town of Chibok, the Reporter recalled. The details of how the boys were released are still unknown, and this is exactly why most Nigerians believe there is more to it than meets the eyes. Idris said the Government officials are “refusing to say anything about it”. “They are insisting that no exchange of prisoners was done in exchange for the children, but a lot of people doubt that”, he said. Criminal gangs operating in Northwest Nigeria have killed more than 1,100 people in the first half of 2020 alone, according to Rights Group, Amnesty International. In the Northeast, Boko Haram and its offshoot, Islamic State in West Africa Province (ISWAP), have waged a 10-year rebellion estimated to have displaced about two million people and killed more than 30,000. Kagara Kidnapping Barely a month after the Katsina show of shame, again gunmen reportedly kidnapped over 40 people, including 26 children, in an attack on Government Science College, Kagara, in central Nigerian State of Niger, which is only few kilometres to the Federal Capital Territory of Abuja, the so-called fortified seat of power. Teachers, school staff and their family members, were among those abducted. President Buhari has reportedly ordered a rescue operation. This has become his usual song, and Nigerians have lost confidence in the ability of Government to protect them, and this is why there is a rise in the formation of armed vigilantes all over the country. Schools have become regular targets for militant groups in Nigeria, as well as criminal gangs seeking ransom money, so observed a Reporter who

is not actually far from the truth. Television news reported that at least one student was killed in the attack. Rescue operations are underway, while all other schools in the area have been closed. The students were woken by the attackers, and taken into a nearby forest. "The problem is that most of the schools, the only fence, the front of the school and the back is the entire Bush, and these areas are very porous", said a media practitioner. The President has directed the Armed Forces and Police, to ensure the immediate and safe return of all the captives", his spokesman Garba Shehu said in a statement. President Buhari also urged security forces "to do all that can be done to bring an end to this saga, and avoid such cowardly attacks on schools in the future". The Kidnappers What do we know about the kidnappers? The kidnappers and their motives were not immediately clear. Nigerian officials have not yet publicly released details. The attackers appeared in "huge numbers" at the school in the early hours of Wednesday morning, wearing military uniforms. Although investigations are ongoing, an official said the gunmen are believed to belong to a criminal gang. Criminal gangs, referred to locally as "bandits," have increasingly been involved in kidnappings, rape and other crimes across Central and Northern Nigeria. The gangs are driven by financial motives — kidnapping children and others, and holding them for ransom. "This is the same campaign that Boko Haram had been waging in the Northeast", said DW's Idris Uwaisu. "And now it's spreading to other parts of the country.” Many are starting to suspect a groundswell of collaboration between the Security forces and these terrorists elements who are now engaging in a new trade of kidnapping for settlement, and that some officials of the Security services may have a hand in all of this. This therefore, requires that Nigeria needs to particularly embark on a transparent Reorganisation of all the security architecture, especially the Department of States Services. Already, some are calling for an Amnesty programme for these armed bandits in the North, comparing their call with the Amnesty granted to the Niger Delta militants when they resisted the destruction of their environment and the marginalisation of the crude oil producing communities. It is wrong for anyone to make any sort of comparison between the Niger Delta matter, and the pure criminality and terrorism happening in the North in whose case their only motive is to blackmail the country, so as to be paid heavy cash as settlements. No society ever survives if such practices are permitted. Reorganisation of Security Forces The Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) recently called on President Muhammadu Buhari and the National Assembly, to come up with a framework for the urgent reorganisation of the Secret Police Department of State Security, DSS. It said in a statement on Wednesday in Abuja that a reform of the Secret Police department is necessary, to make it more responsive “to the growing trends of crimes and criminality such as armed banditry, terrorism and kidnappings”. Convener of the group, Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko in the statement stressed the importance of having a reformed DSS through a legislation to “focus on eradicating threats to the stability and security of Nigeria such as terrorism, kidnappings for ransom and armed attacks of communities by armed freelance hoodlums, rather than its fixation on arresting and detaining civil society activists, media activists or political opponents of President Muhammadu Buhari”. The statement read in part: “We suggest that rather than the DSS diverting her statutory function to only that of crushing civil rights activists and perceived political opponents of the Presidents in office, the DSS should be re-focused to work in a similar form like the United States’ Federal Bureau of Investigations, FBI so it can jointly work with the Police to crackdown on the widening wave of armed kidnappings and to go after armed bandits and armed herdsmen, so as to restore national security and national stability.” According to the group, it makes no cont'd on page 11

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sense that the DSS funded by taxpayers in a constitutional democracy, “is being used by the President to scuttle the enjoyment and the exercise of the constitutional freedoms which is threatening to turn Nigeria into a Police State or fascism”. “The increasing challenges of breakdown of law and order across the country demands immediate, comprehensive, radical reforms of all segments of the armed security services with special attention to the DSS which is increasingly losing focus, and is gaining the notoriety as the anti-democratic armed security agency whose mandate is to cripple the expansion of enjoyments of fundamental freedom.” “This urgent task of reforming the DSS should be embraced as a national rescue mission, because it is indeed embarrassing that officers of DSS, Federal Road Safety Commission and the Civil Defence have all fallen victims of the activities of kidnappers”, HURIWA lamented. HURIWA wondered why prominent Northerners, including Katsina and Zamfara State Governors and Kaduna-based Islamic cleric, Dr. Ahmed Gumi, have had an open interface with armed Northern bandits, but DSS is yet to arrest suppliers of those sophisticated weapons being displayed openly during such publicised parleys. The human rights advocacy group recalled that Gumi, on Tuesday, visited some bandits in the forests of Shinkafi and Gumi local government areas of Zamfara State, even as the cleric was reported to have gone to another forest at Makkai, where he and his entourage met with more than 600 bandits with automatic rifles. Their top commander, one Kachalla Turji, welcomed the Sheikh. The group, citing a media report said, like in Tubali, the bandits in Makkai expressed frustration at Government’s attitude towards them. Gumi was said to have told the bandits: “Let there be peace, you all have a legitimate concern and grievances. I believe that since the Niger Delta armed militants were integrated by the Federal Government and are even in the business of pipelines protection, the Federal Government should immediately look into how something like that will be done to the Fulani to provide them with a reasonable means of livelihood, including jobs, working capital, entrepreneurship training, building clinic and schooling”. These negotiations with terrorists, has emboldened them to continue in their franchise of kidnapping Nigerians and citizens. Sadly, the National Assembly members are in deep sleep, and seem to have lost touch with reality. The ball is in the court of the citizens to demand action from the National Assembly, to act decisively to compel the executive arm of Government to carry out their statutory mandate of defending the territorial integrity of Nigeria and stop the killings, kidnappings of the citizens. Failure by the citizens to demand accountability, could spell doom for the country. Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko, former Commissioner of National Human Rights Commission (Nigeria); Founding National Coordinator, Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA)

state and entered a state of lawlessness. This is worse than a state of nature because under a state of nature, as Hobbes observes, there is equality of violence. But, under a lawless State, there is an asymmetry of violence to the advantage of the criminals. This is where Nigeria is right now. This is a foreshadow of State failure. This lawlessness is evidenced by the fact that governments are negotiating with bandits and kidnappers, instead of arresting and prosecuting them. It is also evidenced by the fact that bandits and sundry criminals commingle with public officials, such that you cannot distinguish one from the other. In that sense, you have entered the criminal state, a state whose leaders are, in the language of a Time columnist, “indistinguishable from its criminals”. Why is Nigeria trapped in lawlessness? What does this lapse into lawlessness, say about the role that law has played in promoting development in Nigeria? First, there are three factors driving criminality and lawlessness in Nigeria today. These are (1) widespread poverty, (2) pastoralism, and (3) collapse of rule of law institutions.

Dr. Sam Amadi Nigeria as a lawless State. He pointed to the absence of the monopoly of violence, which is definitive of a State. In Nigeria today, private individuals, especially, bandits and other criminals, are more in control of violence and able to use violence, than Governments, Federal and State. The nation’s authorised governments are helpless and halfhearted, while criminals are vehement and inspired. Kidnapping is slowly becoming the fastest growing industry in Nigeria. The rumour is that the recent kidnapping of school children in Niger State, has yielded N800m for the kidnappers. Billions are spent as ransom and hush money to bandits. Many State Governments in Northern Nigeria, have now established formal protocols for dealing with bandits and killer herdsmen who virtually control significant parts of those states. We can say that the bandit, the kidnapper, and the killer herdsmen are the fourth branch and level of government in Nigeria. It is now a lawless republic. Typical of Nigeria rulership, there is now a call to establish a Federal agency for herdsmen who are mostly fingered in these gross criminalities. Hypocritical leaders, are calling for amnesty to bandits. One State Governor ludicrously argued that bandits are not all criminals, and that many of them are tired and need financial bailouts. It looks like the dire prospect of disintegration and even civil war, has not cured these misbegotten rulers of their wayward and mindless mentality. How on earth do you cure lawlessness with more incentive for lawlessness? We need to look to the resources of rule of law, to deal with this vicious crisis. But, first we need to accurately diagnose the cause of the lawlessness. The Role of Law and Criminal Illegality in Nigeria

Banditry, Lawlessness and the Failure of Law Reform in Nigeria Sam Amadi Introduction If there was any doubt that Nigeria is a failing State, the politics and pathology of the cow business now make it manifestly so. Nigeria is strutting towards a possible implosion, on account of growing lawlessness. In spite of many years of denial, leading members of the ruling APC now concede the obvious: Nigeria is largely an ungoverned territory. The Governor of Kaduna State, recently at a national dialogue, pointedly described

“KIDNAPPING IS SLOWLY BECOMING THE FASTEST GROWING INDUSTRY IN NIGERIA......BILLIONS ARE SPENT AS RANSOM, AND HUSH MONEY TO BANDITS”

The classical definition of a State is from the Sociologist, Max Weber, who argued that a State must have monopoly of violence within a defined territory. All modern States secure their legitimacy by justifying why they should exercise complete monopoly of violence through mechanisms of political accountability. But, they demonstrate their effectiveness by actually taking control of violence and ensuring that there is no private violence without the authorisation of law. This is the notion of the rule of law. Max Weber showed how law creates the modern bureaucracy and the modern society. Without law what we have is the rule of men. The rule of men is an unstable rule, as it predisposes to continuing violence of one against the other. This has been the perspective of liberal legality right from Thomas Hobbes who showed graphically that except there is the Leviathan, which he presumed is the state authority, human society will be ‘war of every one against every one so that every person’s life in this natural state would be ‘solitary, poor, nasty, brutish and short’ (Leviathan Chapter 13). The institution of the rule of law, relates to management of violence. Constitutions and legislation, regulate the use of violence by State and non-State actors. Constitutional governance is foremost, an institutionalised form of restraint of violence in a society. By locating the people as the sovereign, constitutional democracies legitimately put all violence in the hands of the people who entrust it to their representatives to use within procedures already established by law. Thus, constitutional governance domesticates violence in form of rule of law. In Nigeria, the 1999 Constitution proclaims the sovereignty of the people who provide for themselves the guarantees against wanton use of violence, so as to promote “good government and welfare of all citizens on the principles of Freedom, Equality, and Justice, and for the purpose of consolidating the Unity of our people”. (The Preamble to the 1999 Constitution). These guarantees are primarily in the fundamental human rights and other constraints to exercise of power, in Chapters 2 and 4 of the 1999 Constitution. As the Supreme Court makes clear in Ransome-Kuti v AG Federation (1985) NWLR Pt. 6 page 211, these rights are fundamental because they predate the formation of the Nigerian State, and cannot be derogated in the pursuit of public policy. The Constitution therefore, prohibits use of violence by State and non-State actors to take the life of any citizen (Section 33), destroy or forcefully take over a citizen’s property (Section 43) and invade a person’s home or premises (Section 37). Some of these guarantees can only be derogated under due process. This means that only the representatives of the people can reduce their protection for public good. These protections and guarantees abolish the use of private violence and limit the exercise of public violence. Where these guarantees do not exist or they exist but are unenforceable because of the reality of management of violence, the State has exited the rule of law

(1) Widespread Poverty The major cause of the rampant criminality, is the collapse of livelihood support systems across the country. Poverty is deep and widespread in Nigeria. The latest Nigeria Bureau of Statistics (NBS) survey, reports that about 40% of Nigeria are extremely poor. This is not counting Borno State, where terrorist activities have destroyed all prospects of human development, and cannot be accessed for the wellbeing surveys. By the World Bank estimation, by the end of 2022, more than 100 million Nigerians will live in extreme poverty. Income based poverty assessment, does not do justice to the state of deprivation in Nigeria. First, apart from income poverty, Nigeria has the least social protection scheme in West Africa. Second, the poor physical and social infrastructure in Nigeria means that life is more nasty and brutish than income figure reveal. Oxfam, a global antipoverty organisation identified the misallocation of budgetary resources, as one of the factors compounding the crisis of poverty. Because Nigerian governments are not making investment in projects and initiatives that promote economic and social wellbeing, many people are getting poorer and poorer. Pervasive poverty has induced many Nigerian youths to a life of criminality, and has created a readymade environment for recruitment of terrorists and bandits. Pervasive poverty, is a product of the failure of law reform. We can look to the successful Asian countries, especially East Asian countries. Their transition from dependence to independence involved comprehensive legal reform. Many of these countries like South Korea, Japan and China used laws to move their economies from States of gross inequalities to more equality and literacy. They used law to create equal opportunity economies that ensured there are no widespread poverty. China has removed millions from poverty by using laws to create entitlements, and redistribute wealth from urban to rural and from rich to poor. These economies rejected neoliberalism and adopted pragmatic economics that focused on changing existing social institutions. The primary focus of this approach is agrarian reform which ensured equitable holding on land and enhanced household prosperity and reduced income inequality. Joe Studwell describes the process in his book, How Asia Works: Success and Failure in the World’s Most Dynamic Region and argues that “the evidence of what occurred in China, Japan, Korea and Taiwan is powerful: good land policy, centred on egalitarian household farming set up the world’s most impressive post-war development stories”. Nigeria took a different approach that deprived the rural people of their land resources, and handed it to nobles through the instrument of the trusteeship of the State Governor. The Land Use Act consolidated neo-feudalism, especially in Northern Nigeria, and frustrated revolutionary pressures through conservative lawmaking. The entrenchment of mass poverty is a result of conservative role of law, is one of the drivers of the current lawlessness. Law reform has failed to recreate Nigeria from its triple heritage of feudalism, colonialism, and military dictatorship. Another explanation of the legal reproduction and reification of poverty in Nigeria is located in the narrative of social and economic rights (otherwise called welfare rights) in Nigeria. cont'd on page 12

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Chapter 2 of the Constitution provides for these rights in the form of Fundamental Objectives and Directive Principles of State Policies. Whereas Section 13 of the Constitution mandates every public official to comply with the provisions of these principles in public policy management, Section 6 of the same Constitution prohibits judicial enforcement of claims founded on these rights. This has weakened their enforcement. These rights are critical to the wellbeing of the people; they directly address the problem of poverty. The Supreme Court, in trying to avoid the incoherence and resolve the contradiction, has argued that when these rights are enacted in a statute, they become judicially enforceable by virtue of the statute (see AG Ondo State v AG Federation (2002) 9 NWLR Page 772; see also Okogie v AG Lagos (1981) NCLR 2187 and the Indian case of Mangru v Commissioners of Budge Bundee Municipality (1951) 87 CLR 369). Interestingly, the National Assembly has been spectacularly remiss in enacting laws that incorporate these rights in legislation, so as to make them enforceable for the benefit of Nigerian citizens. So, Nigerian citizens do not have the chance to access critical resources for social and economic wellbeing. By reducing these important rights that are invaluable to the fight against poverty merely aspirational, the Nigerian Constitution reduced the possibility of creating and distributing prosperity fairly and widely amongst citizens. (2) Pastoralism The major source of insecurity and instability today, are the Fulani herdsmen. It is true that not all of these herders are involved in criminal activities, or are engaging in raiding and killing of farming communities. But, even the very mode of pastoralism creates a conflict with modern economy. The idea of people moving from place to place with cattle and grazing openly on fields, may have made sense in a different world. But, in a world defined by clear property rights, in a world where the imperatives of economic development means that land needs to be fungible, pastoralism cannot continue. It is clear that pastoralism is somewhat definitive of many cultures in the world, including the Fulani. But, the reality is that, it is opposed to the structure and culture of the modern secular State. Obviously, part of expected role of law is to transform society to meet the challenges of modern productive economy. Modernity is a contested concept, as many see it as westernisation in disguise. But, clearly, the problem of legal reform in Nigeria is not that it rejects westernisation or liberalisation. The failure is that, law reform is ineffective. Nigerian leaders have no rich understanding of how law operates to create prosperity, entrench accountability, and manage diversities. The failure to boost agriculture, provide for the welfare of poor and deprived Fulanis, and undermine neo-feudal relations through legal reform, is the reason why pastoralism in its heinous and destabilising form persists. As Ann Seidman et al observed, “development comprises in ongoing process of social change. Of necessity, the process requires institutional change appropriate to the circumstances that accompany it. By institution we mean no more – and no less – a repeated pattern of social behaviour”. (Ann Seidman et, African Challenge: Using Law for Good Governance and Development (2007). Furthermore, I have argued elsewhere that “The failure of development in Nigeria, can easily be described as the failure of law as a transformative discourse and practice. Law and legal reform are central to economic development and social transformation. Divergent theories of economic development- from the modernist, dependency theory to the neo-liberal market reform theory- all affirm the importance of law and legal reform to economic development (See also Douglas Webb, “Legal System Reform and Private Sector Development” in Developing Countries in Economic Development, Investment and the Law and Hernando desoto, The Other Path: The Invisible Revolution in the Third World (1989). Proper role of law in Nigeria would have reformed the institution of pastoralism, to align with changing imperatives of development. This singular failure is the reason herders are leaving behind trails of blood across Nigeria, and endangering the continuity of the Nigerian Federation. As long as the institution of pastoralism is not reformed by banning open grazing and providing economic and social incentive for ranching, the trail of blood will continue, and Nigeria will end up a failed State. So, legal reform is to blame for the continuance of pastoralism, instead of modern ranching.

Sheikh Ahmad Gumi, negotiating with the Bandits (3) Collapse of Rule of Law Institutions Nigeria has the misfortune of undermining its rule of law institutions, that would have countervailed it dangerous slide to instability. Right from independence, this practice of weakening rule of law institutions began. It has continued. Before independence, minority ethnicities in Nigeria feared domination in a newly independent country. The colonial administration considered these fears substantial, and established the Willinsk Commission to inquire into them and provide solutions. In 1958, the Commission recommended amongst others the institution of the bill of rights, as a response to the crisis of trust in the new Federation. Thus, Nigeria became one of the earliest countries in Africa to domesticate international human rights in its 1960 Independence Constitution. Ever since, Nigeria has continued to replicate these rights in all its Constitutions. But, sadly, Nigerian Governments have continued to wantonly breach these provisions. Instead of entrenching the norms of citizenship rights into its State practices, the Nigerian State has delighted in privatising and ethnicising State institutions. The civil war was a result of the failure to take seriously citizenship rights. Wole Soyinka noted how legal institutions were used to shut Igbos out of justice, in the runup to civil war. Those who killed Igbos were protected by legal authorities, that should have been prosecuting them. The lack of fairness in policing, is a significant part of the history of lawlessness in Nigeria. Throughout military and civilian rules, State policing power has been ineffective and bias. Political theorists argue that an effective State is an autonomous State, a State that is not captured by any of the contending factors.

“AS LONG AS THE INSTITUTION OF PASTORALISM IS NOT REFORMED BY BANNING OPEN GRAZING AND PROVIDING ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL INCENTIVE FOR RANCHING, THE TRAIL OF BLOOD WILL CONTINUE, AND NIGERIA WILL END UP A FAILED STATE”

The founding fathers of the US republic in the Federalist Papers argue that, political stability requires that a republic manages to contend the tendency towards factions and State capture by contending factions. This threat is more with religiously and ethnically plural societies. The legal framework of such societies should be solid, as to withstand the pressure of competitive politics. Nigerian State institutions, especially its law enforcement institutions, are established on quicksand; they lack the procedural integrity and normative constraints to be effective and fair. In the matter of Fulani herdsmen and banditry, law enforcement institutions have been mostly complicit and ineffective in applying the law to restrain the violent impulses of the killing herdsmen. The centralisation of policing, has enhanced the ethnic capture of law enforcement and the growing ineffectiveness. By encasing policing in the exclusive legislative and executive competence of the Federal Government in the 2nd Schedule to Part One of the Constitution (a federal government that has little incentive for impartial administration of justice), the Constitution has further damaged the prospects of effective and fair policing. It is important to note that, the Willinsk Commission considered the issue of Federal versus Regional Police Force for the emergent Nigerian democratic State, and recommended that Central Police stay for three years to enable proper protocols for State Police. Three years have become decades, and Nigeria hurts under a comprehensive inefficient and manipulated Police Force. But, the biggest failure of rule of law institutions, is in the failure of State Governments to trigger their Sections 4 and 5 power in the Constitution, to regulate the business of cattle rearing. Many of these Governments misread the Constitution, as prohibiting them from getting involved in managing security. That is not true. In spite of its inelegance, the Exclusive List does not stop State Governments from making laws that criminalise some commercial transaction or provide fair and equally applied standards for all forms of commerce and establishing agencies that will manage violent transactions and commerce in their States. By failing to respond to the threat of pastoralism through effective regulations, these States failed in their constitutional responsibility. Benue State is a shinning example of the rule of law response, required to deal the criminality and conflict associated with pastoralism in Nigeria. The Rule of Law and Management of Pastoralism and Banditry The rule of law failed in Nigeria, because of poor understanding of the role of law. This poor understanding has both ideological and practical causes. On the ideological cause, Nigeria is a conservative country and wastes its transformative moments, because it always prefers to preserve traditional privileges even at the high costs of poverty and instability. Since independence, Nigerian leaders have failed to apply law to recreate social and economic conditions of social life. We have rather used law to preserve primordial, neo-feudal structures that reinforce poverty and conflict. This tendency has been most in the north of Nigeria; hence we have more poverty and conflicts in that part of Nigeria. The practical aspect of the failure of rule of law, is in its instrumentalisation. Nigerian laws have either been incompetently drafted or badly implemented, such that even when they hold transformative promise, they have always

failed to deliver. This problem is not peculiar to Nigeria. It is a problem of the Third World, especially Africa where skills of legal research and drafting are very deficient. Incompetently drafted law, is a result of bad sociology of law. How does law affect social behaviour? What creates the problematic behaviour that law wants to change? What social practices provide incentive for such problematic behaviour, and how would law effectively address these social practices? Think about agricultural transformation in Nigeria. The sociological insights required to enact a law that has real potential to transform the crisis, would require both ideological and epistemological resources that are not readily available to typical lawmakers and their supporting cast. Rule of law resolution of the present crisis of lawlessness, is not simply a matter of new law. It is not a matter of creating a new agency for Fulani herdsmen. It is more demanding than that. It begins with a conversation about the kind of society we want to become. Do we want to be a secular, democratic State that guarantees to all citizens full citizenship rights, irrespective of ethnic or religious identity? Do we want to be theocratic, neo-feudal State that will preserve cultural legacies, even at the cost of human lives and common prosperity; a State that operates on the logic of unequal relations, on privileges and prerogatives? When we have this conversation, probably through a national conference or syndicated dialogues, we can then determine the role of law. The role of law is prior to the rule of law. The role of law tells us how the law will transform our society. The rule of law tells us that we will be a republic of rules and not of men, that the same law will bind everyone, and the law will protect our natural rights and freedoms. Conclusion It is obvious that Nigeria faces grave crisis, arising from the failure of its rule of law institutions. This failure has been a long running one. But, it has been intensified under the present administration, because of its ethnic and religious biases. This Government’s failure to effectively prevent criminality by Fulani herdsmen and to prosecute them, resembles the failure of the Gowon Government in the 1960s. A failure that partly led to the civil war, as noted by Wole Soyinka in his book, The Man Died. A failure that is not episodic, but deriving from a conservative ideology that misuses the instrument of law to preserve privilege, instead of undermining hegemony. A rule of law approach to solving the crisis of herdsmen violence, banditry and kidnapping requires that we reduce ungoverned territories in Nigeria. Nigeria is largely an ungoverned territory. Our State Governors are engrossed in politics, and not utilising available constitutional powers to address the problems of social life. The challenges of modernity require an administrative State, a regulatory State; a State that utilises the instrumentalities of administrative law to manage risks and change social behaviours. With the advances in behavioural science, law and economics, and decision science, we have better understanding of how people behave alone and in groups. We need to deplore these insights, to construct structures of social interactions that create a stable environment for the pursuit of liberty, freedom, and happiness for diverse people. Dr Sam Amadi, Associate Professor in Law, Baze University, Abuja

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T H I S D AY ˾ TUESDAY FEBRUARY 23, 2021

PROPERTY & ENVIRONMENT Investors Condemn BPE’s Planned Concession of Lagos Trade Fair complex Bennett Oghifo

he Bureau of Public Enterprises’ planned presentation today of the Lagos International Trade Fair complex, among other federal government assets, for business opportunities, has been challenged by people who said they have unexpired development lease agreements with the government. Last week, BPE issued a statement that it would, today February 23, 2021 showcase investment opportunities in

Lagos Trade Fair complex, Tafawa Balewa Square (TBS), Calabar and Kano Special Economic Zones (SEZs) to the investing public. The presentation of the Lagos International Trade Fair complex is being challenged by not less than 61 investors, who alleged they secured different development lease agreements from the federal government through the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment and Trade Fair Management Board (TFMB). These investors, who congregate as Association of

Progressive Traders (APT), have submitted a protest letter to the Executive Director of TFMB. Thereafter, the President of the association in the complex, Chief Eric Ilechukwu said, “It is worrisome that the same federal government that had entered into different development lease agreements with 61 of us at different times is coming back to the same complex it has leased out to concession. “It is important to make this clarification to the general public that the federal government had from 1995 till recently

been leasing out portions of the complex to our members and none of the development lease agreements runs less than 25 years. In fact, some are 45 years with an option of renewal. Chief Ilechukwu said, “Currently, what can be said to remain or yet to be leased out is about 20 or 25 per cent of the complex. So, we are saying that as far as our different lease terms are still running and valid in law, what the Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE) has for concessioning is only that undeveloped portion to avoid

trouble. “All 61 of us have never reneged on our lease agreements and we all are up to date in paying our grand rent directly to the Federal Government’s Single Treasury Account through the supervising TFMB. “Also, having demonstrated resilient in developing over 75% of the complex to a world class shopping and business centre, we use this opportunity to equally tell the BPE that we are ready the take up the remaining undeveloped areas. “Since 1995 to date, our members have invested not

less than N10 trillion in the development of the complex to world class business centre with borrowed money and we cannot allow our sweat to be suddenly snatched away from us in the name of concession.” According to him, “Any plan to turn us, the key developers in the complex as at today to tenants upon securing legitimate lease agreements and borrowing from banks to develop a hitherto abandoned federal asset into the largest single trading complex in sub-Saharan Africa, shall be resisted by all legal means.”

Port Harcourt Gardens Provides Water at Eliogbolo Community in Eliozu Bennett Oghifo Leading real estate company, Port Harcourt Gardens, has commissioned a water project at Eliogbolo community in Eliozu, Rivers State and distributed household items to members of the council. Officials of the company said in a statement that it was not their first visit to the community, adding that they were responding to their commitment towards enhancing the livelihood of the people in host communities, amongst others. “According to Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, people are motivated to achieve certain needs. However, in the course of doing so, some needs which are essential for human survival

like air, food, water, sleep and shelter take precedence over others. “Until these physiological needs are met, all other needs remain secondary, hence Port Harcourt Gardens once again visited Eliogbolo Community in Eliozu, Rivers State to support the natives with a couple of resources including, bags of rice, cow, money and a sustainable source of clean water which has remained a major predicament in the area up until now,” the firm said in its statement. Asides providing stylish yet affordable shelter, Port Harcourt Gardens is going ahead to provide other critical elements of the survival quadrant to ensure that people in its host communities are motivated to step up, pursue their aspirations

and consequently fulfil their humankind potentials. Speaking on behalf of the company, Mr. Akinwande Romeo, Chief Engagement Officer thanked the people for their invaluable support and their efforts towards ensuring the peaceful coexistence for everyone in the area. He also stated that the water project, which was sunk in the Community Primary School, was executed in memory of the Late King, HRH Eze R. N. Nwanwa (JP) who was a great leader with strong passion for his people and their development. Residents of the host community were excited about the community project and thanked Port Harcourt Gardens for their usual support.

Chairman, Eliogbolo Council of Chiefs and Elders, Chief Anthony Nwanwa, cutting the tape at the commissioning of water project in their community in Port Harcourt… recently

United States Officially Rejoins Paris Agreement Bennett Oghifo The United States of America has officially rejoined The Paris Agreement on climate change, following an instrument signed by Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken. “On January 20, on his first day in office, President Biden signed the instrument to bring the United States back into the Paris Agreement. Per the terms of the Agreement, the United States officially becomes a Party again today,” the U.S. Department of State said a statement at the weekend. “The Paris Agreement is an unprecedented framework for global action. We know because we helped design it and make

it a reality. Its purpose is both simple and expansive: to help us all avoid catastrophic planetary warming and to build resilience around the world to the impacts from climate change we already see. “Now, as momentous as our joining the Agreement was in 2016 — and as momentous as our rejoining is today — what we do in the coming weeks, months, and years is even more important. “You have seen and will continue to see us weaving climate change into our most important bilateral and multilateral conversations at all levels. In these conversations, we’re asking other leaders: how can we do more together?”

The government stated that “Climate change and science diplomacy can never again be “add-ons” in our foreign policy discussions. Addressing the real threats from climate change and listening to our scientists is at the center of our domestic and foreign policy priorities. It is vital in our discussions of national security, migration, international health efforts, and in our economic diplomacy and trade talks. “We are reengaging the world on all fronts, including at the President’s April 22nd Leaders’ Climate Summit. And further out, we very much looking forward to working with the United Kingdom and other nations around the world to

make COP26 a success.” U.S. President, Mr. Joe Biden, as the Presidential nominee of the Democratic Party, had promised the country would re-join the global accord if he won the election. The U.S. government, led by former President Donald Trump, exited the Paris Agreement last November after it served a year’s notice of withdrawal from the Accord through a statement issued by the then Secretary of State, Michael R. Pompeo, on November 4, 2019. The statement said the U.S. was exiting the Accord, because pledges the nation made under the Agreement imposed unfair economic burden on American workers, businesses, and taxpay-

ers. “Today the United States began the process to withdraw from the Paris Agreement. Per the terms of the Agreement, the United States submitted formal notification of its withdrawal to the United Nations. The withdrawal will take effect one year from delivery of the notification,” Pompeo had said in his statement. But now the U.S. is back, as promised by President Biden. The Paris Agreement’s central aim is to strengthen the global response to the threat of climate change by keeping a global temperature rise this century well below 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels and to pursue efforts to limit the temperature increase even

further to 1.5 degrees Celsius. Additionally, the agreement aims to increase the ability of countries to deal with the impacts of climate change, and at making finance flows consistent with a low green-house gas (GHG) emissions and climateresilient pathway. To reach these ambitious goals, appropriate mobilisation and provision of financial resources, a new technology framework and enhanced capacity-building is to be put in place, thus supporting action by developing countries and the most vulnerable countries, in line with their own national objectives. The Agreement also provides for an enhanced transparency framework for action and support.

African Environment Ministers Commit to Support Green COVID-19 Recovery Plan Bennett Oghifo Ministers of Environment across the continent of Africa have agreed to support a comprehensive green recovery plan to boost economies and social systems aimed at building back better from the COVID-19 pandemic. In a ministerial statement issued at the closing of the eighth special session of the African Ministerial Conference on the Environment (AMCEN), representatives of the 54 African governments reaffirmed their commitment to enhance envi-

ronmental resilience as well as to protect and sustainably use natural resources for the region’s development. In a high-level Ministerial regional conference that was held virtually under the theme “Enhancing environmental action for effective post-COVID recovery in Africa”, participants further called to accelerate the protection and restoration of biodiversity and ecosystems as part of an effort to sustainably build back African economies from the impacts of COVID-19 pandemic.

Barbara Creecy, Minister of Environment, Forestry and Fisheries of South Africa and President of AMCEN said: “whilst this pandemic is having a profound negative impact on sustainable development and our efforts to combat environmental degradation and eradicate poverty, it also presents opportunities to set our recovery on a path of transformative sustainable development.” “The African Green Stimulus Programme seeks to address, in a sustainable manner, the

devastating socio-economic and environmental impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and to, more importantly, harness the opportunities which this approach brings for the Continent,” she added. Ministers noted the importance of policies and programmes linking public health, pollution abatement, climate action, biodiversity conservation, ecosystems integrity, socio-economic equity, and prosperity for an effective recovery from COVID-19 pandemic in Africa.

While noting the impact COVID-19 pandemic has had on Africa’s socio-economic development, the ministers acknowledged it has particularly undermined efforts to achieve sustainable development and eradicate poverty. Ministers recommended that an effective recovery strategy from COVID-19 pandemic is essential, and it can present opportunities to further mainstream environmental considerations across all facets of African economies, striving towards a more environmentally

friendly, resilient, low-emissions and inclusive sustainable development. “In overcoming the pandemic, we can also avert climate catastrophe and restore our planet. I congratulate Ministers on their deliberations this week on a green recovery programme for the continent. I call for international solidarity and for the domestic realignment of resources to fund the green recovery,” said Inger Andersen, UN Under-Secretary-General and Executive Director of the UN Environment Programme.

T H I S D AY ˾ TUESDAY FEBRUARY 23, 2021

PROPERTY & ENVIRONMENT

IFMA Nigeria Requests Collaboration with UNILAG on Internship for Students Bennett Oghifo

he International Facility Management Association, IFMA, Nigeria Chapter has requested for partnership with the University of Lagos to enable it contribute to the training of students studying facility management. IFMA made the offer recently when its council members, led by their president, Mr. Segun Adebayo visited the Department, Estate Management, University of Lagos, according to a statement the association issued. The statement quoted Adebayo as saying, “We would want to share practical experiences with the students of the University of Lagos and also organise exchange internships.” He assured the university that this collaborative support would engender more conversations that would lead to maximising the economy of facility management. Adebayo noted that the asso-

ciation has taken into cognizance the need to strategically align with other institutions in the areas of capacity building; research and development; mentorship and partnership, the statement said. The current council, it said, equally aims to engage with various private and public sector stakeholders in order to play up the relevance of the profession and also to collaboratively support the build environment in a complementary way between the town and gown. The association is committed to continuous learning and development through strategic collaboration with other professional bodies and reputable organisations in order to ensure the entrenchment of best global practices in the practice of facility management in the Nigeria, Adebayo said. In her response, Head of Department, Estate Management, University of Lagos, Professor Mrs. Modupe Omirin said she

loved the zeal of the council, because IFMA Nigeria Chapter is investing into the future of the country with her various activities. She also noted that the opportunities gained by the Coronavirus pandemic must not be lost because it has shown that events can be hosted virtually and that the association should not be deterred in their knowledge-sharing sessions, which has helped to improve the knowledge of members. She urged all professionals within the construction industry to always have a facility manager as part of the Integrated Design team so that they can adequately consider the proposed structure from the angle of functionality, usability and maintainability. “Facility Management Consultancy in Property Development would help influence how properties would be maintained,” she added. Present during the courtesy visit were: Ms. Iyabo Aboaba,

the Doyen of IFMA Nigeria Chapter; Mrs. Bamidele Chinedu, Executive Secretary of the association and Engr. Mrs. Sherifat Adeleye, Publicity Secretary of the association. The team also included: Prof. Timothy Nubi,

Professor of Estate Management and Dr. Mrs. H. Koleoso, Sub Dean, Faculty of Environmental Science. Recently, the Association and Applied Engineering Technology Institute signed a

Memorandum of Understanding to deepen capacity through training, sustainability initiative and mentorship development for practitioners in the built environment in Nigeria, the statement said.

L-R: Dr. Hikmot Koleoso, Department of Estate Management, University of Lagos; Engr. Sheriﬀ Daramola, General Secretary, International Facilities Management Association (IFMA) Nigeria Chapter; Mr. Segun Adebayo, President, International Facilities Management Association (IFMA) Nigeria Chapter; Prof. Modupe Omirin, Department of Estate Management, University of Lagos; and Dr. Obinna Umeh, Department of Estate Management, University of Lagos, during a courtesy visit of the IFMA Council to the University of Lagos… recently

Julius Berger Pledges Modern Standards in Constructing Second Niger Bridge Bennett Oghifo Modern construction standards would be used in rendering the second Niger Bridge, the Managing Director of Julius Berger Nigeria Plc., Engr. Lars Richter has said. The managing director, who stated this at the inspection/ town hall meeting at Asaba, Delta State, recently, recalled the rich history of the first Niger Bridge and its significance to commerce and industry in the country. Richter said the need for a complementing bridge arose due to a combination of factors like

population growth in the area, high rate of urbanisation and the geometric increase in traffic volumes over the years. “The second Niger Bridge is part of a new motorway ring which aims to minimise traffic congestion on the old bridge and to strengthen the entire region – it therefore strengthens Nigeria generally and its domestic and international trade routes as well,” Richter said. He said the project was split into three phases, and that the Phase 1 comprised a 1.6km bridge and 10.3km roads, Phase 2A is a 17.5km Asaba link road and Phase 2B a 17.5km

Onitsha link road. On the progress made so far, the Managing Director said the entire substructure of the Second Niger Bridge is completed, while the super structure and finishing works are in progress. He added that secondary bridges on the main project are also completed. The remaining works which include soil improvement works, culverts and drainage, Owerri interchange, as well as the toll gate are in progress. “There is no doubt that upon completion, the Second Niger Bridge will ease traffic flow, improve road safety and create greater opportunities for

local residents. It will advance the commercial viability of the immediate area and have a regenerative effect on economic life,” Richter further said that “the bridge adds a robust artery to Nigeria’s transportation grid, ensuring a solution fit not only for today, but for Nigeria’s tomorrow, because it is being built to cater for the expected growth in traffic over the next 50 years resulting from increased economic activities, population growth and new urban developments.” According to him, “As a key infrastructure linking the East

and the West of the country and a main artery within the TransAfrican highway between Lagos and Mombassa, this bridge is a key national infrastructure that will invigorate the South-East of the nation, promoting greater economic growth and boosting of trade and commerce locally for residents, nationally and internationally.” He said the Second Niger Bridge will spur an increase in investments, agriculture and trade, particularly with the Onitsha Main Market in the region, which is a major trading hub and key commercial capital. The bridge,

he emphasised, will allow for improved, more efficient and quicker connection to Lagos, another key commercial hub. It will surely reduce hardships of commuters, improve traffic flow and road safety, Richter said. Speaking on the technical challenges involved in the construction of the Second Niger Bridge, Richter said, “The chosen right of way for the project’s adjoining roads was carefully chosen to ensure minimal impact on citizenry and urban development,” adding that, “the construction works have to be achieved on an extremely soft and swampy terrain.”

Firm Unveils N1.4b TM Meadows Housing Units Oluchi Chibuzor Tetramanor (TM), a major player in the nation’s real estate sector, has unveiled its latest TM Meadows project, comprising 37 housing units at about N1.4, even as inflationary trends continues to impact the business. This, according to the company is part of solving

the problem of inadequate shelter and the need to build one million housing units per year over the next 20 years. TM Meadows is a midluxury residential project, it consist of 37 houses, commercial spaces, shops, supermarket, bakery, sporting area, a mini orchard and a gym, basketball. Speaking at the unveiling of its latest TM Meadows

residential project in Lagos recently, the Managing Director and CEO, Tetramanor, John Beecroft, said then delivery of the apartments was a clear indication of the sheer resoluteness of the firm commitment to its subscribers. He said the industry witnessed a drastic impact of several economic forces, “When dollar goes from N360 to N480

now what happens to building materials? Most of our building materials are imported. Cement went from N2,300 to about N3,500, iron rod went up to about 20 percent, POP went up by over a 100 percent, and everything went up like that. Our doors went up to about 100 percent, but cost of labour did not improve that much but in this industry material

cost are the main thing. “It typically affected us, but in reaction to this you cut down on the quality of what you want to do or you increase your price; we increase our prices not much but we did not cut down on the quality of what we want to do. If you go to our project you will find out that out quality is consistent and we try to maintain that

quality and that is what we did here. Our profit went down a little bit.” On the need for developers to continue to play a critical role in housing challenges facing the country, he explained that it was an issued that would linger for a while as government cannot does not have money to fix meets this obligations.

‘Global Food System is Primary Driver of Biodiversity Loss’ Food System Impacts on Biodiversity Loss, the new Chatham House report, supported by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) and Compassion in World Farming, describes three actions needed for food system transformation in support of biodiversity, and sets out recommendations to embed food system reform in high level political events over the coming UN ‘Super Year’ for Nature. Our global food system is the primary driver of biodiversity loss, with agriculture alone being the identified threat to 24,000 of the 28,000 (86%) species at risk of extinction. The global rate of species extinction today

is higher than the average rate over the past 10 million years. In the last decades our food systems have been following the “cheaper food paradigm”, with a goal of producing more food at lower costs through increasing inputs such as fertilizers, pesticides, energy, land and water. This paradigm leads to a vicious circle: the lower cost of food production creates a bigger demand for food that must also be produced at a lower cost through more intensification and further land clearance. The impacts of producing more food at a lower cost are not limited to biodiversity loss. The global food system is a major driver of climate change,

accounting for around 30% of total human-produced emissions. According to the new report, a reform of food systems is a matter of urgency and should focus on three interdependent actions: Firstly, globaI dietary patterns need to move towards more plant-heavy diets, mainly due to the disproportionate impact of animal agriculture on biodiversity, land use and the environment. Such a shift, coupled with the reduction of global food waste, would reduce demand and the pressure on the environment and land, benefit the health of populations around the world, and help reduce the risk of pandemics.

Secondly, more land needs to be protected and set aside for nature. The greatest gains for biodiversity will occur when we preserve or restore whole ecosystems. Therefore, we need to avoid converting land for agriculture. Human dietary shifts are essential in order to preserve existing native ecosystems and restore those that have been removed or degraded. Thirdly, we need to farm in a more nature-friendly, biodiversity-supporting way, limiting the use of inputs and replacing monoculture with polyculture farming practices. Dietary change is necessary to enable land to be returned to nature, and to allow widespread

adoption of nature-friendly farming without increasing the pressure to convert natural land to agriculture. The more the first action is taken up in the form of dietary change, the more scope there is for the second and third actions. The findings and recommendations of the new Chatham House report were presented today, during an online event which included speakers from UNEP, Chatham House and Compassion in World Farming, as well as Jane Goodall, PhD, DBE, Founder – the Jane Goodall Institute & UN Messenger of Peace. An inspiring panel discussion followed with Louise Mabulo, a chef, environmentalist

and UN’s Young Champion of the Earth from the Philippines, and Lana Weidgenant, ViceChair of Shifting to Sustainable Consumption Patterns at the UN Food Systems Summit and Deputy Director of Zero Hour International. Additional Quotes Susan Gardner, Director of UNEP’s Ecosystems Division, said, “Our current food system is a double edged sword – shaped by decades of the “cheaper food” paradigm, aimed at producing more food, quickly and cheaply without taking into account the hidden costs to biodiversity and its life-supporting services – and to our own health.

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 23, 2021 ˾ T H I S D AY

MARKET NEWS

SEC Appoints Interim Team for Deap Capital Management Goddy Egene

Commission (SEC) has appointed & Trust Plc following the In a notification to the Nigerian the IMT comprises Mrs. Anastasia an Interim Management Team (IMT) resignation of the company’s Stock Exchange (NSE) yesterday, Braimoh(Chairperson), Mr. Alhassan T The Securities and Exchange for Deap Capital Management board effective December 31, 2020. Deap Capital Management said Sidi and Mrs. Gbemi Adekola 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 19- NAV: Is value per share of the real estate shares. Investors can buy these ‘shares’ on the Feb-2021, unless otherwise stated. assets held by a REIT on a specific date.

(members). The IMT is expected to schedule an extra-ordinary general meeting to constitute a new board.

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 158.23 159.81 -2.19% Afrinvest Plutus Fund 100.00 100.00 3.06% Nigeria International Debt Fund 354.08 354.08 -11.25% Afrinvest Dollar Fund 114.32 114.32 0.18% 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 0.30% AIICO Balanced Fund 3.39 3.55 -4.44% 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 N/A N/A N/A Anchoria Equity Fund N/A N/A N/A Anchoria Fixed Income Fund N/A N/A N/A 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 18.64 19.20 2.79% ARM Discovery Balanced Fund 409.89 422.25 2.38% ARM Ethical Fund 35.30 36.37 4.73% ARM Eurobond Fund ($) 1.20 1.20 -1.81% ARM Fixed Income Fund 1.03 1.04 -7.66% ARM Money Market Fund 1.00 1.00 1.20% AXA MANSARD INVESTMENTS LIMITED investmentcare@axamansard.com Web: www.axamansard.com; Tel: +2341-4488482 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn AXA Mansard Equity Income Fund N/A N/A N/A AXA Mansard Money Market Fund N/A N/A N/A CAPITAL EXPRESS ASSET AND TRUST LIMITED info@capitalexpressassetandtrust.com Web: www.capitalexpressassetandtrust.com ; Tel: +234 803 307 5048 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn CEAT Fixed Income Fund 2.04 2.04 -39.80% Capital Express Balanced Fund(Formerly: Union Trustees Mixed Fund) 2.18 2.22 -19.36% CHAPELHILL DENHAM MANAGEMENT LTD investmentmanagement@chapelhilldenham.com Web: www.chapelhilldenham.com, Tel: +234 461 0691 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Chapelhill Denham Money Market Fund 100.00 100.00 1.87% Paramount Equity Fund 16.04 16.34 0.31% Women's Investment Fund 133.16 134.68 0.05% CORDROS ASSET MANAGEMENT LIMITED assetmgtteam@cordros.com Web: www.cordros.com, Tel: 019036947 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Cordros Money Market Fund 100.00 100.00 1.30% Cordros Milestone Fund 2023 129.61 130.48 Cordros Milestone Fund 2028 0.00 0.00 Cordros Dollar Fund ($) 110.02 110.02 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 1.28% Coronation Balanced Fund 1.17 1.18 -2.75% Coronation Fixed Income Fund 1.48 1.48 -6.73% EDC FUNDS MANAGEMENT LIMITED mutualfundng@ecobank.com Web: www.ecobank.com Tel: 012265281 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn EDC Nigeria Money Market Fund Class A 100.00 100.00 1.28% EDC Nigeria Money Market Fund Class B 1,000,000.00 1,000,000.00 1.54% EDC Nigeria Fixed Income Fund 1,155.75 1,158.11 -3.71% 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 Bonds Fund 1,344.44 1,344.44 5.82% FBN Balanced Fund 184.18 185.51 -1.86% FBN Halal Fund 109.93 109.93 4.23% FBN Money Market Fund 100.00 100.00 1.50% FBN Nigeria Eurobond (USD) Fund - Institutional 123.46 123.46 3.02% FBN Nigeria Eurobond (USD) Fund - Retail 123.60 123.60 3.02% FBN Smart Beta Equity Fund 150.71 152.62 -0.31% FCMB ASSET MANAGEMENT LIMITED fcmbamhelpdesk@fcmb.com Web: www.fcmbassetmanagement.com; Tel: +234 1 462 2596 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Legacy Money Market Fund N/A N/A N/A Legacy Debt Fund N/A N/A N/A Legacy Equity Fund N/A N/A N/A Legacy USD Bond Fund N/A N/A N/A FSDH ASSET MANAGEMENT LTD coralfunds@fsdhgroup.com Web: www.fsdhaml.com; Tel: 01-270 4884-5; 01-280 9740-1 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Coral Growth Fund 3,839.43 3,890.59 2.24% Coral Income Fund 3,327.55 3,327.55 1.88% FSDH Treasury Bills Fund 100.00 100.00 1.77% 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 0.72% Nigeria Entertainment Fund 127.93 128.46 18.47%

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 0.32% Vantage Balanced Fund 2.72 2.78 18.72% Vantage Guaranteed Income Fund 1.00 1.00 4.50% Kedari Investment Fund (KIF) 156.24 156.75 0.55% Vantage Dollar Fund (VDF) - June Year End 1.08 1.08 5.26% LOTUS CAPITAL LTD ﬁncon@lotuscapitallimited.com Web: www.lotuscapitallimited.com; Tel: +234 1-291 4626 / +234 1-291 4624 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Lotus Halal Investment Fund 1.38 1.40 0.69% Lotus Halal Fixed Income Fund 1,136.57 1,136.57 1.18% 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 1.61 1.64 7.38% PACAM Fixed Income Fund 12.20 12.32 -0.32% PACAM Money Market Fund 10.00 10.00 1.25% PACAM Equity Fund 1.58 1.60 0.35% PACAM EuroBond Fund 109.22 111.85 -0.20% 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 127.89 130.61 6.50% SFS CAPITAL NIGERIA LTD investments@sfsnigeria.com Web: www.sfsnigeria.com, Tel: +234 (01) 2801400 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn SFS Fixed Income Fund 1.01 1.01 0.90% STANBIC IBTC ASSET MANAGEMENT LTD assetmanagement@stanbicibtc.com Web: www.stanbicibtcassetmanagement.com; Tel: +234 1 280 1266; 0700 MUTUALFUNDS Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Stanbic IBTC Balanced Fund 3,139.63 3,166.43 -2.35% Stanbic IBTC Bond Fund 226.35 226.35 0.67% Stanbic IBTC Ethical Fund 1.16 1.18 -0.85% Stanbic IBTC Guaranteed Investment Fund 296.48 296.48 0.62% Stanbic IBTC Iman Fund 215.27 217.77 -1.52% Stanbic IBTC Money Market Fund 100.00 100.00 1.48% Stanbic IBTC Nigerian Equity Fund 10,014.25 10,152.71 -4.59% Stanbic IBTC Dollar Fund (USD) 1.24 1.24 0.84% Stanbic IBTC Shariah Fixed Income Fund 111.63 111.63 0.50% 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 1.38 1.40 1.39% United Capital Bond Fund 1.91 1.91 0.81% United Capital Equity Fund 0.86 0.88 -0.30% United Capital Money Market Fund 1.00 1.00 2.60% United Capital Eurobond Fund 118.01 118.01 0.79% United Capital Wealth for Women Fund 1.09 1.11 0.40% United capital Sukuk Fund 1.02 1.02 2.02% QUANTUM ZENITH ASSET MANAGEMENT & INVESTMENTS LTD service@quantumzenithasset.com.ng Web: www.quantumzenith.com.ng; Tel: +2349031100041 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Zenith Equity Fund 12.20 12.33 2.89% Zenith Ethical Fund 13.48 13.60 10.36% Zenith Income Fund 24.16 24.16 0.77% Zenith Money Market Fund 1.00 1.00 1.41%

REITS NAV Per Share

Yield / T-Rtn

121.58 52.64

0.70% 0.46%

Bid Price

Offer Price

Yield / T-Rtn

13.02 121.68 96.23

13.12 121.68 98.05

-1.51% -0.05% -3.15%

Fund Name SFS Skye Shelter Fund Union Homes REIT

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

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

funds@vetiva.com Bid Price

Offer Price

Yield / T-Rtn

3.92 5.78 17.33 1.00 18.98 176.47

3.96 5.86 17.43 1.00 19.18 178.47

3.59% 1.62% 5.90% 0.91% -7.46% -20.06%

NAV Per Share

Yield / T-Rtn

108.05

13.11%

INFRASTRUCTURE FUND Fund Name Chapel Hill Denham Nigeria Infrastructure Debt Fund

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

T H I S D AY ˾ Ͱͱ˜ 2021

BUSINESSWORLD

Group Business Editor Obinna Chima

Email obinna.chima@thisdaylive.com 08152447875

ͯ ͷ ˜ Ͱ ͮ Ͱ ͯ MONEY MARKET OVERNIGHT OBB

REPO 20.50 20

CALL 1-MONTH 3-MONTH

18 18 21

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

563.13% - 0.32% - 5.55%

S & P INDEX 1/4 TO DATE YEAR TO DATE

- 15.98% - 15.98%

EXCHANGE RATE N379/1US DOLLAR* ̩

Quick Takes AU Accelerates Vaccine Pre-order

PROMOTING MARITIME SECURITY

L-R: Managing Director of APEC-Antwerp/Flanders PortTraining Centre and Port of Antwerp International, Mr. Kristof Waterschoot; DirectorGeneral, Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, Dr. Bashir Jamoh, and and Director at Port of Antwerp International, Mr. Mario Lievens, after a meeting at the Nigerian Belgian Chamber of Commerce, when the Port of Antwerp executives visited Nigeria…recently

NERCOutlinesSanctionsforDiscos,TCN overLoadRejection,WheelingDeficit Emmanuel Addeh in Abuja The Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission ((NERC) has signed a new set of guidelines that would see power Distribution Companies (Discos) get sanctioned for load rejection and the Transmission Company of Nigerian (TCN) punished for inability to wheel electricity sent to it by the Generation Companies (Gencos). The regulatory instrument titled: “Guidelines for Economic Merit Order Dispatch of Generation Capacity and Related Matters,” seen by THISDAY, it was learnt, seeks to settle the existing imbalance between the Discos and the TCN. The document was jointly signed by the new Chairman of NERC, Mr. Sanusi Garba and Commissioner for Legal, Licencing and Compliance, Dafe Akpeneye and was dated February 15, 2021. While setting the context

ENERGY for the new guidelines, NERC recalled that section 12 of the 2019 Multi Year Tariff Order, (MYTO) minor review concluded that where it was established that TCN was unable to deliver a Disco load allocation, the TCN shall be liable to pay for the associated capacity charge. Furthermore, NERC noted that where a Disco fails to take its entire load allocation due to constraints in its network, the Disco shall be liable to pay the capacity charge as allocated in its vesting contract. On the objectives of the guidelines, NERC maintained that it was to implement a methodology to determine and hold TCN financially responsible for unfavourable deviations from the prescribed economic merit order dispatch of generation plants. It affirmed that it would

further determine and hold a Disco financially responsible for failing to be available to distribute its contracted load allocation due to constraints in its network. According to the regulator , the guidelines would further hold the TCN accountable for failure to deliver to a Disco’s nominated trading points the its contracted load allocation due to constraints in its (TCN’s) network and hold Discos accountable for failure to off-take its available contracted load allocation at its nomination points. On the steps in the determination of deviations from the order, NERC stated that the Nigerian Bulk Electricity Trader (NBET) shall invoice for capacity charge and energy to Discos based on the monthly settlement statement issued by the market operator. It explained that the market operator shall rely on data provided by the system operator regarding capacities made available and energy dispatched

every hour from each generating plant in producing the monthly settlement statement. “The market operator shall surcharge TCN the excessive component of the wholesale energy cost when issuing invoices to Discos in the next billing cycle,” it stated. On the methodology adopted for accounting for TCN’s failure to deliver available generation to Discos and the power distributors’ failure to off-take contracted load allocation, NERC stated that NBET shall invoice for capacity charge and energy to Discos based on their load allocation and metered energy respectively. It noted that where a Disco’s average energy off-take at the end of a monthly market settlement period is lower than its load allocation based on the guidelines, the Disco shall be liable to pay capacity charges in line with its Continued on page 24

EITI Raises Extractive Sector Transparency in Nigeria, Others with New Measures Chineme Okafor in Abuja The global Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI) and Open Ownership (OO) have set up a ground-breaking, cross-sector partnership with anchor funding from the BHP Foundation, to end the use of anonymous companies linked to corruption and mismanagement in the extractive sectors of Nigeria and other signatory countries. The new initiative which is termed, ‘Opening Extractives,’ aims to make a dramatic and sustainable difference to the level of publicly-available information on the ownership of extractive

ENERGY companies in order to eliminate corrupt acts that can divert extractive industry revenue away from local communities. By extension, it would strengthen the Beneficial Ownership framework which Nigeria has signed to publicly disclose the identities of owners of extractive operations in the country. In choosing to adopt the new measure, the EITI explained that anonymous companies remain a major obstacle in the fight against money laundering

and corruption. It stated that they also enable corrupt and criminal actors, often with close political connections, to hide behind chains of companies registered in multiple jurisdictions. With its expected boost to the Beneficial Ownership framework, the EITI a more systematic approach to the analysis and publication of beneficial ownership data could be progressed and extended. “Publishing details of company ownership enables effective taxation and brings data to light that can be used to identify and address corruption. It can help

build fairer markets, encourage responsible investment and manage business risk,” said the EITI in a statement containing information on the new measure. It quoted the Chief Executive Officer of BHP Foundation, James Ensor to have said about the measure that: “Opening Extractives will ultimately improve the quality of life of millions of people in resource-rich countries. “Natural resources are ultimately owned by the citizens of every country in which the resources industry operates. Beneficial ownership Continued on page 24

The Africa Vaccine Acquisition Task Team (AVATT), set up by the AfricanUnion(AU)toacquireadditionalvaccinedosesforthecontinent said it has received an offer of 300 million Sputnik V vaccines from the Russian Federation. This includes a financing package for any member states wishing to secure the vaccine. This was disclosed in a statement. However, AVATT has revealed that the 270 million doses previously secured from AstraZeneca, Pfizer and Johnson & Johnsons were all taken up by the first allocation phase deadline through the African Medical Supplies Platform (AMSP). “With these additional 300 million Sputnik V vaccines, AMSP accelerates online COVID-19 vaccines pre-orders for the 55 African Union member states,” it stated. “We are grateful to receive the SputnikVvaccines from the Russian Federation and tremendously proud to be able to offer them on the AMSPforourAUMemberStates,”theDirectoroftheAfricaCentresfor DiseaseControlandPrevention(AfricaCDC),Dr.JohnNkengasongsaid. “Bilateral and private sector partnerships such as these are critical in our efforts to bring the COVID-19 pandemic to an end,” he added. According to the statement, while details, including clinical and technical information, are now accessible on the AMSP, Sputnik V vaccines would be available for a period of 12 months commencing in May 2021. “From today, the 55 African Union member states are all invited to visit www.amsp.africa and use their national access code issued to all African Union member states’ Ministers of Finance and Health - to start the pre-order process. “African Union member states that wish to secure funding should approachtheAfricanExport-ImportBank(Afreximbank)throughtheir central banks, as has been the case with the other vaccines that have been on offer,” it added.

Custodian & Allied Gets Stable Outlook

A.M. Best Rating Services has assigned a ‘bb+’ rating and stable outlookonCustodianandAlliedInsuranceLimited,afteranindependent analysis of its operations. According to AM Best, “the stable outlook reflects AM Best’s view that the balance sheet strength is expected to remain underpinned by the strongest level of risk-adjusted capitalisation, as measured by Best’s Capital Adequacy Ratio (BCAR). “Over time, increasing capital requirements stemming from strong business growth are likely to be adequately supported by retained earnings,bolsteredbythecompany’srobustunderwritingprofitability.” Withitsstrongliquidity,theratingagencypointedoutthatCustodian has moderate exposure to local equities and real estate, which account for approximately one-fifth of invested assets, even as it has high reliance on reinsurance, primarily for the oil and energy line of business. Ontheoperatingperformanceoftheinsurerwhichtheratingagency rated strong, it stressed that, it’s “good and improving overall earnings thatsignificantlyexceedinflationareunderpinnedbyrobustunderwriting profitability and investment income, as operating performance is expected to remain strong over the medium term.” With reference to the Enterprise Risk Management of the company, thereportfurtherstatedthat,“Internalriskmanagementexpertisehas improvedinrecentyears.Thereisanongoingprocessofriskidentification and monitoring through the use of specific risk management tools.

BudgIT Congratulates Orji

BudgIT has congratulated Dr. Orji Ogbonnaya Orji on his recent appointment as the Executive Secretary of NEITI. The organisation, in a statement expressed conﬁdent on the ability of Orji to lead the organisation. “We are conﬁdent in his ability to perform brilliantly and excellently; thus, we wish him success in the new role. BudgIThas consistently collaborated with NEITI to simplify its yearly audit reports and develop engagement strategies for report dissemination. “We look forward to more collaborations with NEITI to further strengthen our advocacy towards achieving transparency and accountability in the extractive sector,” it added.

“There has been a general concern that unless the gender divide between men and women is specifically addressed, there is a risk that ICT may worsen existing inequalities between women and men which could create new forms of inequality” ExecutiveVice Chairman, NCC, Prof. Umar Danbatta

T H I S D AY ˾ Ͱͱ˜ ͰͮͰͯ

BUSINESSWORLD NERC OUTLINES SANCTIONS FOR DISCOS, TCN OVER LOAD REJECTION, WHEELING DEFICIT load allocation and energy charge based on metered energy intake in the month. “Where it is established that a Disco’s average energy off-take from the transmission is lower than its load allocation based on 6.0(c) above, the Disco shall be liable to pay TCN liquidated damages (LD) based on the approved tariff (N/kWh) of TCN. “Where a Disco’s average energy off-take over a period of one month has exceeded its load allocation as in 6.0(c) above, the Disco shall only be liable to pay capacity charges based on its load allocation and energy cost based on metered energy off-take in the month,” NERC added. EITI RAISES EXTRACTIVE SECTOR TRANSPARENCY IN NIGERIA, OTHERS WITH NEW MEASURES transparency is critical to ensuring the revenues generated by the natural resources industry provide maximum benefit to every single citizen. “But to be successful it requires governments, industry and civil society to work together – which is why this initiative is so important.” Similarly, Thom Townsend who is the Executive Director of OO said: “We are at a tipping point to move from commitments to the implementation of beneficial ownership transparency, and Opening Extractives will accelerate progress.” Townsend further explained that: “Anonymous companies are the getaway vehicle of choice for stolen public money, and beneficial ownership transparency is the most effective way to close this down. The Luanda Leaks were a powerful reminder of how some resource-rich countries have suffered and how public information can thwart corrupt activity.” Also, EITI’s Executive Director, Mark Robinson said: “I am confident that this unique partnership is a recipe for delivering a step change in natural resource governance.” Robinson added that: “The project will seek to mobilise political and stakeholder commitment and build the technical capability required to publish and use complex data.

NEWS

NNRC: Revised PIB Should Allow NNPC Raise Capital Via IPO Chineme Okafor in Abuja The Nigeria National Resource Charter (NNRC) has advised the National Assembly to ensure that the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) currently before it for legislation will allow the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) raise funds for its operations from the capital market through Initial Public Offers (IPOs) when passed into law. NNRC, a not-for-profit organisation which is at the forefront of advocacy for efficient use of Nigeria’s natural resources wealth for public good, commended the recent efforts of the National Assembly towards ensuring the passage into law of the PIB in 2021 after years of protracted delay, but asked that it makes the final law worth the wait. It explained in a recent statement sent to THISDAY by its Programme Coordinator, Tengi GeorgeIkoli that it made a number of key recommendations on the bill’s legislative process to the National Assembly in which the need for the NNPC to chart a commercially viable path in the current energy market dynamics was underlined. It said it wanted, “clarity on the capitalisation of NNPC to enable it to adapt a commercially

focused framework that allows it to operate in a competitive space and explore the possibility of an initial public offering (IPO) with more private sector and possible citizen participation as practiced in other countries.” This it added will allow the corporation to operate with greater transparency and accountability to Nigerians. The NNRC also called for the PIB to allow for meaningful participation of host communities in decision-making processes

of managing trusts set up to compensate and engender a conducive operating environment for operating oil companies. Additionally, it advocated for the liberalisation of Nigeria’s midstream oil sector and incentivisation of gas investments through non legislation on base gas price. Instead, it asked the assembly to allow gas prices to be determined by the practical framework that considers cost of production and pipeline transportation.

NNRC which has produced comprehensive reports on the state of governance, strengths, and weaknesses in Nigeria’s management of its petroleum resources – the Benchmarking Exercise Report (BER), noted its belief in the commitments and promises of the National Assembly to pass the PIB soon. “There is need to ride [on] the momentum and get all stakeholders on board to achieve what undoubtedly would be the most profound piece of legislation for

the transformation of the Nigerian economy. “Having consistently highlighted the weaknesses in two significant aspects of resource management in Nigeria, namely, the contentious issues surrounding the management of host communities impacted by extraction, and the management of the Nigerian National Oil Corporation (NNPC), the NNRC urges the federal government to finally resolve the pervasive issues facing the petroleum sector,” it added.

Stakeholders Laud Orji’s Emergence as NEITI Boss Emmanuel Addeh in Abuja Stakeholders in the oil and gas industry as well as Civil Society Organisations (CSOs), have lauded the appointment of Dr. Ogbonnaya Orji, as the new Executive Secretary of the Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI). The Group Managing Director, Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Mr. Mele Kyari, in his remarks, highlighted Orji’s unwavering quest and commitment to promoting transparency and accountability in natural resource governance, describing it as an asset that will help him in his new role. Kyari stated that the former Director of Advocacy and Communications of the organisation, remains a competent technocrat, expert and resource governance professional, stressing that he

has been deeply involved in NEITI and NNPC engagements on reforms of the oil and gas industry over the past decade. While pledging the NNPC’s support, he affirmed that the corporation was ready to sustain its collaboration with NEITI under Orji’s leadership in the key areas of the agency’s industry audit process, exchange of information and data, commodity trading, contract transparency, beneficial ownership, mainstreaming and overall oil and gas industry reforms under the existing framework. The International Secretariat of the global Extractive Industry Transparency Initiative (EITI), in its message from the Executive Director and Head of the International Secretariat based in Oslo, Norway, Mr. Mark Robinson welcomed the appointment with excitement and pledged closer

EITI working relationship with Nigeria under Orji’s leadership. The Nigeria Natural Resource Charter (NNRC) said it believes that the choice of Orji was a natural one in view of the milestones achieved by the present management of NEITI and ongoing efforts by the organisation to help in repositioning Nigeria’s extractive sector. According to the NNRC, Orji is well versed in issues of extractive sector transparency, saying that he has been deeply involved in engagements on oil sector reforms which the NNRC see as a great advantage for the Nigerian petroleum sector. “The NNRC pledges to continue to collaborate with NEITI in areas such as exchange of information and data, contract transparency, beneficial ownership, creating an enabling

environment for the oil and gas industry and above all in the NNRC’s Benchmarking Exercise Report (BER) which evaluates developments in the petroleum sector on a biennial basis,” it said. Also, the Head Communications and Advocacy, Obiageli Onuorah quoted the member representing Ado/Ogbadibo/ Okpokwu Federal Constituency, Dr. Francis Ottah Agbo, as saying that, “he has no doubt that Orji will use his experience as a journalist and an administrator to reposition the organisation to effectively ensure transparency and accountability in the country’s oil, gas and mining industries.” The lawmaker who is the Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Narcotic Drugs, described Orji, “as a journalist who

rose through the ranks to an enviable position at the Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria (FRCN) before joining NEITI where he has risen to head the organisation”. The Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC) described the appointment as outstanding given Orji’s diverse experience in resource governance and public service. CISLAC Executive Director Auwal Musa Rafsanjani expressed the hope that the appointment will help hasten the process of re-composition of NEITI National Stakeholders Working Group (NSWG) by the resident. Executive Director, Women-inExtractives, Faith Nwadishi said she was particularly happy that President Buhari acted promptly to appoint a replacement for the position, describing Mr Orji’s choice as excellent.

FG Inaugurates 30KWP Solar Mini-grid in Adamawa Group Business Editor

Emmanuel Addeh in Abuja

Capital Market Editor

The federal government has inaugurated a 30-KWP solar power facility in Mbela Lagaje area, Mayo Belwa local government area, Adamawa State. Speaking during the event, Managing Director of the Rural Electrification Agency (REA), the implementing agency, Mr. Salihijo Ahmad, pledged that the government would continue to provide access to reliable electric power supply for rural dwellers irrespective of where they live. Ahmad noted that this would be done in a way that would allow for reasonable return on

Obinna Chima Goddy Egene

Comms/e-Business Editor

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

ËÒÏÏ× ÕÓØÑÌÙÖß (Advertising) Correspondents

Chinedu Eze (Aviation) ÜÙ×ÙÝÏÖÏ ÌÓÙÎßØ (Maritime) James Emejo (Finance) Ebere Nwoji (Insurance) Chineme Okafor (Energy) Emmanuel Addeh (Energy) Reporters

ÙÝË ÖÏÕÒßÙÑÓÏ (ICT) Peter Uzoho (Energy)

investment through appropriate tariff that is economically responsive and supportive of the average rural customer. He stressed that as mandated by the federal government, powering communities in the country was another testament of the impact of REA’s off-grid solutions. He added that through the project, the quality of lives of the beneficiaries will be improved and both the young and the old will have the opportunity to explore the possibilities derived from clean, safe and reliable energy. The REA MD challenged

the beneficiaries to optimise the possibilities to create new opportunities that will be of value to all members of this community and even beyond. “True national development happens when there is equitable deployment of such sustainable interventions. Leveraging on the leadership and support of the federal ministry of power. “We will ensure that unserved and underserved communities across Nigeria continue to feel the impact of the federal government’s energy interventions,” he explained. Also speaking, Governor of Adamawa state, Mr. Ahmadu

Fintiri, who was represented by the Commissioner for Works and Energy, Mr. Adamu Atiku, stated that electricity will enliven the socioeconomic activities in the benefiting communities. “The industrious people of these communities are expected to witness growth in business and productivity with this clean, safe and reliable electricity while ensuring good education for school children and security in the community at night,” he stated. In his remarks, Chairman, Senate Committee on Power, Gabriel Suswam, who was represented by Senator Aisha Dahiru, assured

that at the 9th Assembly, electricity access has formed a major part of their conversation. He noted that because of the lawmakers’ understanding of the pivotal role of electricity access to national development, they have continuously steered developmental actions around the deployment of electricity infrastructure across the nation. “Projects such as the one we are here to commission today further drives home the relevance of renewable energy and why we must continue to leverage the abundant natural resources and expertise we have in this great nation.

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Firm to Raise N100bn Bond for Youth Empowerment Emmanuel Addeh in Abuja FHT Ventures Plc has said it is set to raise about N100 billion bond, repayable in 10 years, as a private sector-led scheme in partnership with the government and its overseas partners to empower 70 million Nigerian youths. While stressing that the federal government was expected to guarantee the sum, the Executive Chairman of the organisation, Mr. Olubunmi Adewa-Faboro, noted that the scheme was to showcase a grand private sector led project in the country to promote ventures that would keep youths away from crime and insurgency currently prevailing in Nigeria. Speaking at the official

unveiling of Nigeria Youth Empowerment Project (NYEP) and the website in Abuja, AdewaFaboro stressed that the pilot scheme would see the training of 1,000 youth entrepreneurs in every state in Nigeria. He listed key areas of concentration as agri-business, mass housing and solid mineral mining, adding that the youths shall be coordinated through cooperative law and will be allowed to own shares in the venture. “Our company is raising a bond of N100 billion from the Nigeria capital market and the federal government guarantee is required. This bond shall be repaid in 10 years and it shall be invested in agriculture, real estate and solid mineral mining,” he stated.

He added that discussions are ongoing with the federal ministry of trade and investment in order to formalise a Private and Public sector Partnership (PPP). According to Adewa-Faboro, the Federal Capital Territory through the youth development department has also indicated interest to make the project a success while it awaits the formal endorsement of the presidency through the office of the chief of staff. He noted that since the Nigeria Land Use Act vested all powers on the state governments for land ownership and allocation, the scheme will be be relying on the cooperation of the state governments on the allocation of land. “We are enjoining the guar-

antee of every state government to secure intervention fund of N5 billion per state to ensure investment in agriculture, mass housing and solid mineral mining. “Since the project’s primary objective is to put all Nigerian youths between the ages of 18 years to 45 years into productive and viable business activities, it becomes imperative for the state governments to render this essential institution support,” the firm said. Adewa-Faboro stated that the firm has already formalised a memorandum of understanding with partners in the Middle East to train and empower the Nigeria youths in the proposed areas. “With the necessary institution support from the federal

government through the federal ministry of trade and investment, this cooperation shall be actualised within six calendar months, starting from now,” he added. In his comments, President of the Nigerian Youths and Students Coalition (NYSC), Mr. Mumeen Ibrahim, called for the necessary support for the project from all stakeholders, saying that if given the necessary skills, the youths were capable of transforming the country. “The multiplier effect of this would reach all age groups through indirect means. We must be reminded at all times that the leadership of Nigeria Youth and Student Coalition shall be responsible for the nomination of coordinating

leaders and beneficiaries of the project in the 36 state including the Federal Capital Territory,” he said. “Worldwide, young people make up a quarter of the world’s population. Therefore, we must always believe that we are a driving force behind change, be it economic, social or political. “By inviting you to join the train of this project, we hope that after the selections, trainings and execution by various participants in all the phases of this project, economically marginalised but enterprising and vibrant Nigerian youth will all be empowered with new visions and skills, and motivated to become factors of change on the level of their communities and amongst friends and family,” he stated.

FG Eyes 200,000 Jobs from Road Concession Arrangement Emmanuel Addeh in Abuja The Federal Ministry of Works and Housing has said that although the main idea behind the new Highway Development and Management Initiative (HDMI) is not to generate revenue, it was expecting about N1.34 trillion in private investments when the full concession of the 12 roads earmarked for the pilot programme takes off. It said that as part of its statutory requirements in road development, the launch of the scheme, would improve the right of way along the federal road network. Shedding more light on the initiative, the ministry stated that the programme would be anchored on private sector engagement via concessioning of economically viable routes to technically and financially capable private companies. In a document released by the ministry, explaining how the scheme would work, it noted that a major hindrance to highway development and management has been a paucity of required funds to service the vast and ever-expanding road network. “It’s not really about revenue, it’s about the expected injection into the economy. The estimated private sector investment required for the development and maintenance of the 12 routes is N1.34 trillion and the impact such investment will have on the economy cannot be overstated. “A minimum 50,000 direct jobs and over 200,000 indirect jobs are envisaged to be created spanning construction works, installations, steel fabrication, security, hospitality, vehicle repairs, waste management and administrative work as the value chain along the highway economy is activated,” it said. To negate the financing handicap, the FMWH said it was proposing the engagement of concessionaires who will manage and develop the right of way, whilst maximising its commercial potential. “The main objective of the initiative is to attract expertise and sustainable investment/ funding in the development of road infrastructure and to maximise the use of assets along the Right of Way and develop other highway infrastructure,”

it stated. It added that the objective was to develop an eco-system along the federal highway network by bringing multidimensional resources of skills, manpower, finance, technology, and efficiency into the national highway governance. The ministry, in the document released by the Director of Press and Publicity, at the ministry, Boade Akinola, posited that ultimately, the home-grown initiative would be the lasting solution to the development and management of federal highways by introducing order, accountability and profitable entrepreneurship to the operation, management, and maintenance of Nigeria’s 35,000km federal highways. On how the scheme would be executed, it stated that there are two categories under the HDMI, including the Value-Added Concession initiative (VAC), where the road pavement and entire right of way is concessioned for development and management by the concessionaire and the Unbundled Assets Approvals initiative, (UAA). Under the UAA, it noted that approvals/permits would be issued for individual assets on the right of way on a build, operate and or maintain basis. “Both approaches aim to provide adequate highway services through the development of revenue-generating assets along the Highway. This is key to maintaining the functionality of the highway as well as engaging and generating wealth for indigenous small and medium enterprises,” it said. Some of the revenue generating assets and highway service, according to the ministry will include toll-plazas, refuse management, weighbridges, towing services, directional signage structures with advertising space, emergency services, street-lighting with advertising space, among others. It argued that the highway services would also serve as additional avenues for the promotion of Nigerian local content and the distribution of wealth as this approach breaks down the aspects of highway management, revenue-generating assets, and services.

33 States Lack Portals for Budget Monitoring Says BudgIT Oluchi Chibuzor BudgIT, a technology-driven civic organisation has revealed that about 33 states in Nigeria lack portals that enable members of the public to monitor and scrutinise their annual budget performance. This was revealed during a virtual workshop on Advocacy and Budget and Project Monitoring organised by the organisation. In his paper presentation, Mr. Tolulope Agunloye, of BudgIT on ‘Advocacy for Fund Disbursement and Improved Service Delivery,’ said only Kaduna and Edo states had portals where their budget performance could be monitored by members of the public, while Lagos operates partial opening

of its budget to the public. Agunloye, who explained that accessibility to such fiscal documents would promote transparency in governance, noted that before an organisation or an individual could advocate transparency in budgets, there must be objectives, which include planning and clear specific that must be achievable. He said: “For budgets to work, we need revenues. Without revenues, implementation of budgets will be very low. Most of the states in Nigeria except Kaduna, Edo and Lagos have portals for citizens to assess their budgets. In fact, Lagos has partial openings. “If you want the 36 states in

Nigeria to open their budgets, you have to have realistic objectives and they will key into it gradually. With this, we will have governance at all levels. “However, the current leaderships in the National Assembly have refused to open their budgets to the public, while the eighth assembly led by Saraki did partial opening for us.” On his own part, the Programme Officer, BudgIT Foundation, Mr. Henry Omokhaye, in his paper titled, ‘Budget Monitoring/Tracking for Improved Service Delivery,’ was of the opinion that budget implementation start from electioneering campaign process, emphasizing that the quality of

a leader determined the direction of budget performance. The group revealed that it was tracking budget implementation in 32 states of the federation, except in Jigawa, Zamfara, Yobe and Bornu states as 16,000 projects had been tracked by the group in the last few years, while it had held 9,000 town hall meetings. Omokhaye , noted that in a process of tracking projects implementation and costing, they discovered that in 2017, a borehole on an existing well was allegedly constructed at N20 million as a constituency project in one of the states in the country by a national assembly member.

CIBN Reintroduces Mentorship Programme Hamid Ayodeji The Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria (CIBN) has reintroduced its mentoring scheme. The initiatives aims at upscaling the leadership capacity and productivity of workers within the financial and banking sector. Owing to this, the financial institution gathered experts from the banking, finance and technology sectors to shed-more light on the crucial role mentorship and capacity building initiatives contribute towards increasing the productivity.

The virtual event had as its theme: “Unlocking Career Potentials and possibilities”. Speaking during the virtual forum, Director General, Securities and Exchange Commission, Lamido Yuguda explained that mentoring schemes are essential for the sustenance and development of the sector as it is built upon values such as trust and professionalism. “These values can be taught. But are reinforced when practiced by the senior co-workers and emulated by junior colleagues. Such initiatives enable workers

to avoid being distracted by the material, prestigious and monetary incentives the space presents. “However, mentorship relationships help to keep bankers grounded and focused towards building character, increasing their knowledge, and growing their professional network. “This is important because what makes success sustainable is the combination of skills, experience and the right values,” he explained. On her part, the Managing Director and Head Financial Institution Africa, Standard

Chartered Bank Limited, LowoAdesola Abidemi, stated that it was important for mentees to seek mentors that have adequate skills and knowledge coupled with a good character and reputation required of them to effectively impact others positively. Also speaking during her presentation at the conference, the Deputy Director, Enterprise Development Centre, Pan Atlantic University, Nneka Okekearu, revealed that mentorship and capacity building programmes are also beneficial not solely to the mentees, but also to mentors as well.

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Why FG Mandated SON to Weigh-bridges Oluchi Chibuzor

ublic policy makers and implementers are in the right position to assess and determine at every point in time which and why certain policies should be driven in order to ensure the greatest good for the greatest number of the citizenry. Recently, the issues of weigh-bridges came at the front-burner of public concern. Actually, the questions are: what is the linkage between the economy and weigh-bridges? Why is the federal government developing increasing concern over the state of weigh-bridges across the country? According to the Minister of Works and Housing, Babatunde Raji Fashola, overweight trucks and heavy duty vehicles have been detrimental to the government’s efforts to ensure good roads as well as preserve the highways from constant damage. Therefore determined to boost the nation’s economy, promote business, industrial growth as well as facilitate trade, the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) has highlighted the importance of calibration services towards this regard. This is even as the federal government recently directed the agency to ensure that all weighbridges at the ports and loading bays across the country are fully calibrated. According to the Director General, SON, Mallam Farouk Salim, calibration is vital wherever measurements are required, noting that it enables users and businesses to have confidence in the results that they monitor, record and subsequently control. He added that the purpose of calibration is to help assure precise measurements, stressing that the benefits of calibration include improving safety as well as saving money and increasing profitability by avoiding the costs of false acceptance and rejection of products, increasing production efficiency, and extending the life of equipment. It therefore means that the federal government wants to safeguard roads infrastructure through the deployment of weigh-bridges hence SON has the technical know-how to install functional facilities. The Director-General said the calibration, which would be extended to seaports and oil depots/ terminals in the country, would help the government to get accurate weights of cargoes and also check influx of substandard goods and services. He said weights and measurements are designed by the federal government towards preserving the roads from constant damage by overweight trucks and as well as giving Nigerians the right quality products. The director-general noted that the calibration exercise is a nation-wide endeavour that was given to the National Metrology Institute (NMI) of the Standards Organisation of Nigeria as the custodian of the primary measurement standards of highest accuracy in Nigeria. “Metrology as the science of measurements can be used to check the influx of substandard goods and services in Nigeria. The Federal Executive Council (FEC) Approval on the roads gives credence to our calibration services to ensure that our roads are preserved and maintained for long-term uses. An example of the implementation process in Kenya is what Nigeria is adopting. NMI is to ensure that the weighbridges are giving accurate measurements to the users,’’ the SON boss explained. In an interview on the side-lines of the recent event at Apapa ports, Lagos- weigh-bridges, Engr Bede Obayi, Director of NMI, assured that measurement services that would be provided by the weighbridges would be accurate and in line with the international best practices. Obayi, maintained that the assignment to SON by the government shows that government appreciates the roles of the institute in providing accurate measurements and assured Nigerians that roads in the country would be safe from frequent damage caused by overweight trucks leaving the ports and petroleum depots/terminals. “We are happy that this assignment is given to us. This shows that government appreciates our measuring roles. We want to assure all port stakeholders of accurate measurements; we are enjoining them to always declare accurately the necessary information about their imports and export,” said Obayi, who noted that the exercise would help the government to collect correct revenues. The NMI Director said the SON management had sensitised all stakeholders on the benefits of weighbridges and accurate declaration and would continue to educate and enlighten them. It would be recalled that Federal Executive

Salim Council (FEC) at the recent 31st virtual meeting in Abuja, the nation’s capital, approved the National Quality Policy to stop the rejection of Nigerian goods exported out of the country. Briefing newsmen after the meeting, Minister of Industry Trade and Investment, Chief Niyi Adebayo, said the essence of the policy is to ensure goods exported out of Nigeria are accepted in the countries they are being sent to. “For a long time, Nigerian exporters have been suffering because of poor quality of their goods. We felt that it was high time we actually have a policy that will create a situation whereby the standards of the Nigerian goods that are exported would be raised, so that that rejections would stop. “This policy will create a situation whereby the government and the private sector will be able to collaborate to set up quality testing centers, testing labs which we hope will have accreditation with international centers, such that any good that has been approved to have met the standard, would be of international standard,” the minister stated. Actually, experts have often attributed the level of economic growth of any country to the amount of metrological infrastructure put in place. Therefore, for Nigeria, through the instrumentality of the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON), there has been the imperative of developing, strengthening and upgrading the national metrological infrastructure so as to facilitate trade, promote export, accelerate economic development and protect the environment. The SON boss has been upbeat concerning the agency’s preparedness to harness the huge investment in the building of National Metrology Institute (NMI) located at Enugu, Enugu State capital. The SON boss was at the NMI recently to assess the progress of the project. Actually, apart from developing the NMI project, the agency’s other task has been to creating awareness to stakeholders and operators on the importance and benefits of metrology services towards economic development and global competitiveness. Insiders claim that the idea and maxim behind the development of the NMI has remained ‘‘Once Measured, Accepted everywhere.’’ Apart from driving the national quality infrastructure project, SON also represents Nigeria in African Metrological Services (AFRIMETS) as well as in other continental and global standardisation bodies. Investigations show that with the active support of the Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment and development partners like United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO), SON has made huge investments in developing human capacities in the field of metrology. Economic analysts believe that the NMI project when fully operational would clearly demonstrate that Nigeria has come of age in industrial development. With Metrology which is simply defined as the science of weights and

measures, fair trade, accreditation and conformity assessment are assured, analysts further claim. Metrology remains one of the components of Nigeria’s national quality infrastructure project needed for industrial growth through improved competitiveness of locally made products. Indeed, members of the Organised Private Sector have often restated that the federal government should provide the infrastructure to support manufacturers such as metrology in order to boost trade and global acceptability of made in Nigeria products. Indeed, economic globalisation which nations across the world now strive to attain, has its own opportunities, prospects and challenges. National and sub-regional and continental trade appears to be shrinking with the tendency of transforming centralised global market where products and services that meet global standards and quality are surviving while sub-standard and poor quality goods have no market share especially in European Union (EU) markets, American and other advanced climes. Now, Nigeria’s embrace of the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA) which would in turn translate to an African common market, imposes on Nigeria, bigger challenges concerning products quality and standards. Experts believe that Nigeria stands to gain immensely from AfCFTA if she would harness properly the potentials and opportunities offered by Continental Trade pact. Locally made products need to be generally accepted everywhere across Africa and beyond. Local manufacturers therefore need to key into certain best practices and industrial processes in order to grow and expand their companies and businesses. One of the major tools which analysts say should be of essence for business, trade and industrial growth in Nigeria has been metrology. Indeed, calibration services in metrology are seen as the springboard for global competitiveness and acceptability of products and services. Producing goods and services that meet global standards for consumers has remained sine qua non as well as imperative for operators and industry players. However, putting in place standard goods and services requires the right quality infrastructure which in turns calls for stupendous and robust public-private partnership. The public sector avails or provides the infrastructure while private sector players patronise such facilities. This re-shapes and grows the national economy. Interestingly, the Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary, New 8th Edition defines the world ‘‘calibrate’’ as simply ‘‘to mark units of measurement on an instrument such as a thermometer so that it can be used for measuring something accurately’’ while ‘‘calibration’’ refers to ‘‘the act of calibrating; the unit of measurement marked on a thermometer or other instrument.’’ In other ways, calibration services could be deployed to

boost trade, investment and growth across the country. By the way, metrology which is the umbrella of calibration services has been described as the ‘‘science of measurement which is applicable to all sectors and aspects of life, be they social, economic, health, environment, manufacturing and so on.’’ Essentially, the Standards Organisation of Nigeria, a key regulatory agency set up by the federal government with Decree 56, 1971 as amended by the Act No. 14 of 2015, has been vested with the responsibilities to conduct tests and advise all tiers of government and consumers on matters relating to standards and quality of products and services. Therefore, the agency’s mandate and tasks are to ensure compliance to specific products standards, undertake investigations concerning the quality of facilities, materials and products in Nigeria as well as establish quality assurance system including certification of factories, products and laboratories geared towards benefiting all stakeholders and operators. Insiders in SON maintain that the nation’s quest for economic diversification, trade facilitation and business growth could be attained if there is accuracy of measurement of products/services standards for either local or global market. In collaboration with the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO), research institutes, Universities, Manufacturers Group, Weights and Measures Department, Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment as well as calibrating institutions, SON has since developed the National Metrology Institute of Nigeria (NMIN), located at Emene Industrial Layout, Enugu, Enugu State. According to the SON Director General, “we are developing and upgrading the NMIN to be the best and biggest in the West African sub-region in terms of meeting global standards conformity levels, while all sectors of Nigeria’s economy get quality assurance services from the institute.” Our investigation showed that the structure is a 19-unit laboratory facility, harbouring 24 laboratory rooms as well as administrative block. Director in charge of Metrology in SON, Obayi, disclosed that the NMIN is responsible for the dissemination of measurement standards, provides traceability and accuracy of measurement to industries, laboratories, trade and commerce, aviation, oil and gas, agriculture, health, education, automotive, mining, power and other sectors of the economy. In fact, the motto of NMIN is ‘‘once measured, accepted everywhere.’’ The institute is being prepared to be the chief guardian of National Measurement Standards with the highest measurement reference in Nigeria through traceability to SI units. SON officials also disclosed that there are over 12 calibration services which the NMIN laboratories are offering. They included small and big mass with density, torque, acoustic, electrical, time and frequency, hardness, vibration, radiometry, photometry as well as metrology in chemistry. There are also mobile calibration services to remote areas with state of the art mobile calibration equipment. Apart from the various capacities and technical components of the laboratories, with these accredited testing and calibration laboratories in place, traceability of measurement locally is assured while at the same time helping the country to conserve hard-earned foreign exchange hitherto paid to other countries’ metrology institutes. As a matter of fact, experts claim that calibration laboratory services enhance consumer protection and safety even as they ensure level playing field, fairness and equity in trade and commerce. Other measurable benefits of calibration services laboratories include: r 1SPWJEJOH DPOàEFODF CPPTUFS UP FYQPSUFST BOE exports due to reliability of the products; r 4BGF FOWJSPONFOU CZ QSPWJEJOH BDDVSBDZ JO measurements; r *NQSPWFNFOU PG UIF IFBMUI PG DJUJ[FOSZ r 4USBJHIU WBMWFT UP PUIFS DPNQPOFOUT PG /BUJPOBM Quality Infrastructure such as standardisation, accreditation, certification and testing; among others. Calibration laboratories services therefore provide the vehicle for arriving at global competitiveness, trade facilitation, business industrial and economic growth. The Director General, SON, has continued to appeal to industry players, public and private sectors operators, individuals and corporate organisations to patronise the agency’s calibration services. He stated that plans are being put in place towards installing mobile calibration laboratories to reach the hinterlands and rural communities across the country even as efforts are being intensified to have adequate trained staff.

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Role of Off-grid Renewable Energy in Farmers’Productivity Sarah Okoh and Ifeoma Malo Agriculture is a primary economic activity amongst less industrialised countries, on the average, accounting for 30 percent of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in those countries. The significant economic contribution of the agricultural sector has not yet resulted in a concomitant accumulation of widespread benefits for most rural inhabitants. Nigeria alone has a land area of 98.3 million hectares, with 74 million hectares good for farming. Yet, half of its arable land has not been exploited to produce crops and livestock to stem the threat of hunger and poverty through an efficient production system. It is obvious that from a growth point of view, opportunities exist in Nigeria’s agriculture sector, especially with small-scale farmers no doubt, having a lot to benefit from a situation where there is a favourable operating environment. The agricultural sector in Nigeria has remained mostly underdeveloped for many decades, and this has resulted in a lot of rural dwellers leaving for the urban areas in search of white-collar jobs. Despite new interventions to resuscitate the sector, there is a need to intensify sustainable efforts especially in energy use across the value chain of the agricultural process. Access to energy is fundamental to the development of any economy in driving industrial or technological development, and supporting the functioning of basic services. Over the years, Nigeria has grappled with ensuring the adequate provision of this basic amenity (electricity) to various areas of the country. World Bank 2018 data estimates the energy access rate in Nigeria at 56.5 per cent. This situation constitutes one of two of the major constraints – the other being access to finance – faced by Smallholder farmers, who contribute disproportionately to boosting job creation and GDP of the nation; and calls for urgent intervention. The productivity of smallholder agriculture and its contribution to the economy, food security and poverty reduction depend on the services provided by well-functioning ecosystems, including sustainable access to energy and freshwater delivery among others. Fortunately, a new slate of agricultural appliances suitable for smallholder farmers are now emerging in Africa powered by off-grid renewable energy. Thanks to the ongoing innovation in the off-grid sector, a host of productive use appliances that

Saleh are powered by off-grid renewable energy have emerged. Electrical appliances, such as irrigation systems and refrigeration, which could increase food production and reduce post-harvest losses can now be powered by off-grid renewable energy sources and easily be accessible by small-scale farmers and agribusiness owners with adequate financing options. Solar power can be used in controlled drying of agricultural products, domestic cooking, and pumping water for irrigation and lighting of farms and rural areas where there is limited access to on-grid energy supply for agricultural production. Huge volumes of agricultural wastes in the form of livestock manure, corn cobs, cassava peelings, rice husks, groundnut shells, sawdust, bagasse, human excreta and the resultant gas can be converted into potential sources of biomass and biomass energy that can be plowed back into agricultural production and processing activities. Mini-grids usage in agriculture provides numerous opportunities for rural communities to boost local economies. Some agricultural activities that have effectively benefitted from mini-grids over the years in developing countries include milling, oil pressing, egg incubation and ice making for fish. However, a key barrier impeding the penetration of these renewable energy technology solutions in Nigeria’s agricultural sector is the limited awareness

among the small-scale farmers that suffer both from the lack of electricity services as well as renewable energy options available to power and optimise their farms. . Many of the small-scale farmers in the country are unaware of the available cost-effective clean energy options that have the potential to greatly improve their productivity and profitability and enhance food security. This calls for urgent intervention especially in the face of recent global recession, economic downturns and growing food scarcity, because increasing agricultural production and yields can be the panacea for ending poverty. To this end, Clean Technology Hub Nigeria in continuation of her advocacy for access to clean, as well as reliable and sustainable energy solutions, recently conducted a one-day workshop in three states namely Ondo, Delta and Ebonyi during the last quarter of 2020 to educate farmers on the available alternative clean energy solutions for their businesses. The sensitisation programme titled: “Pathway to Increased Income, Profit and Yield using Renewable Energy’’ for smallholder farmers was aimed at helping the smallholder farmers navigate the particular issues faced in their businesses, particularly around the effects of poor access to energy, and environmental degradation. The training further delved into how these small farmer holding communities can effectively enhance their business productivity and profits, as well expand on their operations with the aid of these clean energy technologies. The event which was carried out in three states had about 180 attendees with 70 per cent of them being smallholder farmers. Furthermore, a majority of the respondents (65 per cen) also admitted to the challenge of poor electricity supply which hinders the up-scaling of their businesses. The training provided farmers with insights, information and knowledge on existing and emerging clean energy solutions that could enhance their farming businesses. Adopting the use of renewable energy in agriculture by smallholder farmers not only has the ability to solve various challenges but will also boost the renewable market industry where the growth of the agriculture industry will be supported by that of the renewable energy industry and vice versa. Renewable energy can provide a long-term source of revenue for agriculturists, as excess energy generated can be sold to neighboring households

and communities under a commercial arrangement. This contributes significantly to the continuous development in energy security within the agriculture sector. These also further results in the independent supply of energy-reduced environmental pollution and the application of diverse energy sources to increase agricultural yields. The pre and post training survey however showed that the major challenges hindering the smallholder farmers in adopting these clean energy solutions in their business operations were the lack of finance to acquire the clean energy solutions for their business. This is based on the upfront costs associated with acquiring these clean technologies which is quite high. As small scale farmers are already over leveraged in trying to turn their farms into profitable enterprises, it is quite difficult to be able to afford these technologies on their own or access lines of credit facilities to acquire the same. Renewable energy sources could serve to reduce the energy deficit among small-scale agricultural production in Nigeria, but certain constraints already identified above must be resolved first. Identifying the energy needs of rural communities, their capacity to generate and use different forms of existing alternative energy sources, and the likely constraints they face would be the first step in harnessing renewable energy sources in smallholder farmers’ productivity in Nigeria. Given the enormous natural resources she is endowed with, the Nigerian economy has what it takes to be food-secured. It however requires a re-orientation of the agricultural sector by properly repositioning the smallholder farmers who constitute the majority of the food producers in Nigeria by ensuring that they are abreast of technological advancements that can improve their operations, their yields and their revenues. There is ongoing work by the Rural Electrification Agency (REA), the USAID, Nigerian Power Sector Programme (NPSP), the Nigerian Off-Grid Market Program (NoMAP) amongst others, that addresses some of the existing gaps in the renewable energy/ Agriculture nexus. Some of these work can be expanded upon through private sector involvement in conjunction with increased government support in order to advance access to clean energy solutions. t0LPI JT UIF 4FOJPS "TTPDJBUF $SPTT DVUUJOH 1SBDUJDF BU $MFBO 5FDIOPMPHZ )VC BOE .BMP JT UIF DP GPVOEFS BOE $&0 PG $MFBO 5FDIOPMPHZ )VC

Risk Management, Effective Leadership in Turbulent Times Hamid Ayodeji

et’s face it!The world had never encountered a more disruptive time than the last year when COVID-19 swept the globe and almost grounded everything to a standstill.Since its emergence,individuals and businesses have been struggling to survive. However, while concentrating much on reducing the pandemic’s impact, many have forgotten that there have always been other risks that need attention, too, even during these crises. To succeed in these dynamic, digital and turbulent time, there is an urgent need for strategic leaders who can align culture, risk and strategy for success. Truth be told, every organisation faces risks, including internal ones that often arise from its daily operations/activities. For instance, some risks may arise from inappropriate, unethical, or illegal actions of the employees and even the management. These are common, but thankfully, they are preventable. Some other risks also come from external sources, and there is little that the management can do to prevent them. They include political and natural disasters. But that’s not all. Don’t forget there are social, economic landmines too to navigate, one of which triggered #EndSARs. Cyber threats are still very much around, and the risk from it is growing as we adopt technology more to scale in a period of physical distancing. They did not vanish when COVID 19 struck. Being a leader at such a time requires additional knowledge and skills on how to provide effective leadership. At the forthcoming TEXEM, UK’s, “Risk Management and Effective Leadership for Superlative Performance During Turbulent Times,” programme,

participants will have a chance to learn how to manage risks that their organisation faces during these times. Indeed, with practical leadership skills, it is possible to strike a balance and even thrive despite the many challenges your organisations and others face. Yes, resources might not be enough, but with whatever you have, it is possible to get ahead if you can efficiently allocate those scarce organisational resources. “However, note that the bar for efficiency has been raised very high in these disruptive times that only cultured minds who can integrate risk management and strategy can thrive in this volatile era. So, learn with TEXEM and hear from a team of highly experienced leadership pros! “You do not have to worry about your safety during attendance since, in compliance with health safety guidelines during this time of a severe pandemic, TEXEM, UK’s programme, will feature entirely a series of live virtual and engaging sessions. “A lot will be covered, but the major aim is to sensitise you as a leader to prepare for and face unexpected threats that pose a significant risk to your organisation and manage them efficiently and effectively for success. More precisely, the 2-day programme seeks to address the various aspects of risk management,” organisers of the programme stated. They noted that a leader, you need to identify risks that are preventable and which ones are unforeseen if you want to manage them truly. However, identifying them alone is not sufficient, but the ability to provide effective leadership separates organisations that thrive from those that merely survive, they noted. Key topics that the programme will cover include: Managing risks in times of crises; preventing and managing reputational & brand risks for organisational leaders; integrating risk with strategy; managing

the people side of risk; managing ESG risks during turbulent times; balancing risk management and innovation; managing cyber-security Risks: insights for managers; among others. It noted that leveraging TEXEM’s tested, proven and impactful; a methodology that has enhanced 4,000 executives’ leadership quotient in 11 years, the programme would be delivered by: Dr. Graham Wilson of the University of Oxford; Mike Wilkins, MD, S&P Global Ratings; Dr. Peter Collecott, Chair of Ambassador Partnerships; Amb. Richard Gozney, The Lieutenant Governor of the Isle of Man, and Prof. Andrew Chambers, World’s first Professor of Internal Audit. “As it has always done, TEXEM will use a unique methodology to offer you the training in a way that makes it enjoyable and effective. If you have attended one, you will attest that all its past programmes have been active and interactive sessions. “So, as you prepare to participate in the forthcoming programme, expect peer-to-peer learning, group/individual virtual activities, games and times for self-reflection. Indeed, this is a leadership programme you do not want to miss. For your information, each time there is a programme, previous participants are always the first ones to sign up. You are welcome to attend too, even if it is your first time. “As a leader, these strange times have taught us the need to make time for serious introspection. We are in a historical time that is likely to change the organisational management style forever. TEXEM’s forthcoming programme will help you to come up with the right ideas and reflection. “Undoubtedly, it is easy to give up on dreams and think that it is impossible. However, here is a potential lifeline; attending this TEXEM forthcoming leadership programme that seeks to explore all

these threats might be all you need to awaken the giant/leader/manager in you. Yes, it seems impossible until you begin,” added. According to the organisers, during the executive development programme, participants would realise what is happening to their organisation is happening to all others, including their rivals. “Still, you turn into an opportunity and win depending on how people react to the situation. We are in an era where change is inevitable. Using the same methods expecting to sail through turbulent times won’t work. As a leader, you need to change your focus. “More precisely, you need to re-establish your norms, revisit your shared purpose, reassess your organisational resources and most importantly, understand that your team now faces emerging constraints that need new ideas to fix,” they added. “Most successful leaders are usually active networkers. By participating in leadership programmes, you’ll be adding to your skillset while building valuable networks. So, seize the forthcoming golden opportunity and become an effective leader since TEXEM’s world-renowned leadership thought leaders are willing to help you challenge your assumptions and thrive. “Every leader is welcome to attend the programme. Whether you are a CEO, Chief Operating Officer, Chief Financial Officer, Human Resource Manager, General Manager, Chief Marketing Officer, Chief Accounting Officer, Chief Procurement Officer, Chief Publicity Officer, Chief Technical Officer and, indeed, everyone else who occupies a leadership position, this is an opportunity to learn requisite actionable insights to win. “You can choose to register as an individual or as a group from your organisation. The date of the programme is March 10th to 11th, 2021,” they added.

T H I S D AY ˾ Ͱͱ˜ 2021

BUSINESS/MONEYGUIDE

SMEDAN Introduces Initiative to Enhance Support for MSMEs Nume Ekeghe The Director General of the Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria, (SMEDAN), Dr. Dikko Radda has said the agency will support micro, small and medium scale enterprises (MSMEs) in practical ways through its ‘SMEDAN SELECT.’ The initiative was designed to create strong brands among the best Made-in-Nigeria products in the food, fashion, beauty, among other sectors. He stated this at the launch of the SMEDAN SELECT document held in Enugu yesterday. The Director General who was represented by Director, Enterprises Development and

Promotion Department, SMEDAN Mr. Monday Ewans, said the products, numbering about 150, had been specially sought and selected across Nigeria, adding that the products would be displayed and marketed on the SMEDAN website and other social media handles. In addition, he said hardcopy catalogues, would also be distributed to Embassies, MDAs and in departmental stores across major cities in Nigeria to improve the patronage of the products. The Director General noted that the MSME sub-sector remains very important for the growth sub-sector in the Nigerian economy. The DG in a statement made available to THISDAY added:

“MSMEs collectively account for a majority of the enterprises in Nigeria and also account for the highest number of jobs created in the economy. “Recent National MSMEs Survey of 2017 conducted by the Agency in collaboration with the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) revealed that there are 41,543,028 MSMEs, employing 59,647,954 which is 76.5 per cent of labour force and contributing 49.78 per cent and 7.64 per cent to nominal GDP and exports respectively.” He stated that governments both industrialised and developing countries provide a wide variety of programmes to assist MSMEs.

Access Bank Unveils Auto Finance Scheme Dike Onwuamaeze Access Bank Plc has unveiled the “Auto-Club by Access” (ACA) that was designed to enable Nigerians to purchase, maintain and dispose of vehicles at affordable pricing. The ACA is meant to provide vehicle finance for brand new cars such as sports utility vehicles (SUVs), sedans, buses and vans and enable those desiring to acquire pre-owned cars, which is popularly called “Tokunbo” cars to purchase those that have been certified to be in excellent condition from approved dealers. The ACA was also packaged to offer equity release to customers that would enable them to refinance vehicles purchased from

approved partners and dealers. The bank said that ACA has a loan tenor of up to four years with interest rates as low as 15 per cent, depending on the finance variant chosen. It is available to salary earners, business owners and corporate organisations with verifiable sources of income. Speaking during the unveiling of the ACA, the Executive Director, Retail Banking Division, Mr. Victor Etuokwu, stated that the bank understands that owning a car in Nigeria is not a luxury but a necessity. “So, our role as a bank is to make our customers’ lives easier to access more. This new service is a very practical way to do so,” he added.

Etuokwu said customers wishing to take advantage of the ACA would be required to fill an interest form on the Access Bank’s website for personal loans and vehicle finance or walk into any of the bank’s branches across the country and request for vehicle finance. He listed the benefits of the ACA to include enjoying a partnership with the Coronation Insurance, which would ensure that customers enjoy comprehensive motor insurance at a specially discounted. Other benefits include discounts from chain of partners in the auto ecosystem that are designed to give customers great experience.

Norrenberger Launches Islamic Fund for Ethical Investors Goddy Egene Norrenberger, a financial services group, has launched its Islamic Fund, an ethical investment aimed to meet the diversified investment needs of clients in alignment with ethical beliefs and practices as part of the company’s strategic efforts to improve financial inclusion in Nigeria. According to the company, Norrenberger Islamic Fund, registered by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is an open – ended mutual fund designed to provide investors with a low-risk investment option with stable and competitive returns in short, medium, and long term Shariah-Compliant securities.

It also ensures the preservation of capital and maintenance of liquidity as subscribers can expect halal profits on the growth of their capital over the long-term in accordance with the principles of Islamic finance. Commenting on the launch of the product, the Managing Director/CEO, Norrenberger Investment and Capital Management Limited, Mr Tony Edeh, said: “The fund is targeted primarily at investors who have a short, medium to long-term investment horizon with a consciousness for belief in the Shariah principles and are seeking higher returns than the typical Shariah fixed deposits, but averse to the risks associated with directly investing in equity.”

He explained that the objective of the fund was to provide investors with the opportunity to invest in a professionally managed portfolio of Shariah compliant assets. “I am confident in our team of highly qualified and experienced financial advisors to guide our clients on the right path to financial freedom,” he said. Norrenberger is an integrated financial services group which provides individuals and institutions with a comprehensive range of financial products and services including Investment banking, asset management, venture capital, financial advisory, structured finance and securities trading; tailored to meet and exceed our client needs and expectations.

Siemens Appoints Suleiman Managing Director Peter Uzoho Siemens Energy, an energy technology company has announced the appointment of Mr. Seun Suleiman as its Managing Director. A statement by the company, noted that as managing director of Siemens Energy Nigeria, Suleiman would be responsible for the entire management of operations and decisions on business policies and corporate strategy, while creating shared value for all stakeholders. Suleiman joined Siemens Energy in 2014, bringing over 15 years’ experience and deep expertise in the private sector

across Europe and West Africa. As an accomplished business strategist and success driven leader with strong business acumen, he has been a core member of the executive management team at Siemens Energy serving in roles as Sales Director West Africa - Service Distributed Generation Oil & Gas and Vice President, Service & Digital. Prior to this, Suleiman also held various functional and managerial positions with ABB Ltd UK, ABBNG Nigeria, Schneider Electric Nigeria and Dresser-Rand Nigeria Ltd. He is experienced in establishing operational excellence

with specific competence in the power, oil and gas sector. He holds a first degree in Mechanical Engineering from University of Ilorin, a masters in Oil & Gas Engineering from University of Aberdeen; a Certificate in Project Management from Oxford University and recently an Executive Postgraduate Program in Advanced Management from ESMT Berlin. Commenting on his appointment, Suleiman, said: “It is an absolute honor to lead the business for Siemens Energy Nigeria and I look forward to delivering on the brand’s promise of excellence.

MARKET INDICATORS 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

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Money Market Indicators (in Percentage) Month

March 2018

Inter-Bank Call Rate

15.16

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

14.00

Treasury Bill Rate

11.84

Savings Deposit Rate

4.07

1 Month Deposit Rate

8.82

3 Months Deposit Rate

9.72

6 Months Deposit Rate

10.93

12 Months Deposit Rate

10.21

Prime Lending rate

17.35

Maximum Lending Rate

31.55

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OPEC DAILY BASKET PRICE ˜ ͯͷ ͰͮͰͯ

The price of OPEC basket of thirteen crudes stood at $61.30 a barrel on Friday, compared with $63.43 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

T H I S D AY ˾ Ͱͱ˜ ͰͮͰͯ

United Capital Grows Profit by 61% to N7.9bn, to Pay N4.2bn Dividend Goddy Egene United Capital Plc, one of the leading investment banking firms has recorded positive results for the year ended December 30, 2020. The company recorded a revenue of N12.874 billion in 2020, showing a growth of 50 per cent from N8.592 billion posted in the 2019. The revenue growth was achieved on the back of a strong growth in fee and commission

income (+77 per cent), investment income (+42 per cent) and net trading income which was up 453 per cent. Profit before tax jumped by 61 per cent to N7.95 billion(PBT), compared to N4.95 billion in 2019, while profit after tax (PAT) stood at N7.81 billion, showing an increase of 57 per cent above the N4.97 billion in 2019. PBT margin gained 4.13 percentage points to 62 per cent in 2020,relative to 58 per cent in

P R I C E S MAIN BOARD

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2019.Similarly, PAT margin also improved by 2.79 percentage points to 61 per cent, despite to a tax charge of 2.0 per cent in 2020 relative to a tax credit of N23.7 million in 2019. United Capital Plc’s total assets grew by 48 per cent to N224.75 billion in 2020 from N150.46 billion in 2019 largely on account of a significant 54 per cent increase in investment in financial assets and a 44 per cent growth in the cash and

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cash equivalents line. Based on the impressive performance, the directors have proposed a dividend of 70 kobo per share, amounting to a total of N4.2 billion dividend to shareholders, compared to 50 kobo paid the previous year. Commenting on the performance, the Group Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Peter Ashade, said: “I am pleased to inform all stakeholders that United Capital Plc delivered

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impressive returns amid the unprecedented environment worsened by the pandemic during the 2020 financial year with remarkable double-digit growth in revenue, PBT and PAT and solid performance across key business parameters.” According to him, the performance has empowered them to adopt a more positive outlook for the year 2021 as they navigate the tough terrain compounded by a second wave of

O F

the COVID-19 pandemic among other severe economic challenges. “Despite the tough operating environment, all stakeholder groups can be assured of our commitment to providing bestin-class solutions to diverse client segments and delivering superior returns to shareholders even as we work with regulatory authorities to strengthen the broader financial system as the domestic economy continues on the path to recovery in the year 2021,” Ashade said.

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TUESDAY, ͺͻ˜ ͺ͸ͺ͸ ˾ THISDAY

BACK PAGE CONTINUATION NGOZI GOES TO WTO Tedros Ghebreyesus as DG of the WHO in 2017, and Dr. Akin Adesina’s re-election as AfDB President in 2020, in the face of again, Trump-America’s opposition, when African leaders unite around a goal, they can be more assertive within the international community. Back home, Nigeria’s President Muhammadu Buhari also deserves praise for the statesman-like, non-partisan support that he has given Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala and before her, AfDB’s Dr. Akin Adesina. In June 2020, President Buhari nominated Okonjo-Iweala for the position, and withdrew the earlier candidacy of another Nigerian, Ambassador Frederick Agah. In October 2020, as the Americans tried to become a cog in the wheel of WTO progress. Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala visited President Muhammadu Buhari in Abuja to thank him for his support and to ask that Nigeria should continue to mobilise support for her candidacy. “Mr. President, put a smile on my face. I am very proud of my country”, she said. President Buhari told her: “I assure you that we will do all that we can to ensure that you emerge as the Director-General of WTO, not only because you are a Nigerian, but because you are a great Nigerian. You deserve this…I did the same for Dr Akinwunmi Adesina for President of the African Development Bank. Both of you served the country under the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). You are both highly qualified. We will continue to support you. I will immediately make those calls.” President Buhari has kept his promise. We are impressed. This is an act of mature leadership that we will recall positively. NOI is of course eminently qualified for the position that is now hers. Twenty-five years at the World Bank as a technocrat, rising to become Vice President and Managing Director of the global body. Two-time Minister of Finance of Nigeria. One-time Minister of Foreign Affairs. Board Member, Twitter. Chair, GAVI Alliance. Special Envoy on COVID-19 to the African Union. Author. Public Intellectual. Ph.D, Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Development Economics, with proven distinction in learning and character. Recipient of many awards and distinctions. Eminent global citizen. Even with the best of credentials, nonetheless, anyone seeking the leadership of a strategic body like the 164-member WTO would need a lot of support. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala got this in great supply. The return of the United States to the WTO fold, and the home support that she enjoys in Nigeria and Africa will make her assignment more manageable in many respects. Even more so would be the folk hero status she now enjoys among the African populace. Last week, many of her compatriots took to the social media to celebrate. You may have heard of the Hillary Clinton pantsuit campaign or the Kamala Harris single strand, coral necklace celebration. The pantsuit is Hillary Clinton’s signature costume. During the 2016 Presidential campaign, her female supporters donned the pantsuit to demonstrate their solidarity for the then US Democratic Presidential candidate under the social media hashtag: #PantsuitNation. They were all over Facebook too as they projected the pantsuit as a symbol of Hillary Clinton’s messages: power, equality and a level playing field. Conservative and formal in her pantsuit, Hillary Clinton cut the image of a professional who could hold her own a in a room full of male politicians. She thus highlighted the connection between psychology and clothing. In 2020, we saw this on display again with the emergence of Kamala Harris as first female, first Asian, and first Black woman Vice President of the United States. On inauguration day, January 20, 2021, her admirers also wore her signature pearl necklace - not just a piece of jewelry, but a symbol of power,

sisterhood and solidarity. They also created a Facebook page: “Wear Pearls on January 20, 2021”. In the last week, the new WTO DG has had her own costume moment. Ngozi Okonjo Iweala is famous for her signature costume: the African wax two-piece attire, also known as “Ankara” capped with a head tie popularly known as “gele” in the South West of Nigeria. She probably in her younger days wore the regular female attires, pantsuit, skirts and blouses, but since her days as Nigeria’s Minister of Finance under the Obasanjo administration, Nigerians cannot remember seeing her in official capacity in anything other than the Ankara dress and gele. The head tie is a major fashion statement among African women, and the usual styles are quite flamboyant. Tying the gele in itself is an art. a thriving small-scale enterprise exists around it. Many men and women earn a living from helping to tie the gele, in very artistic. creative styles, the most striking for me being the multideck, layered, skyscraper type, or those types that are meant to make onlookers turn their heads to take a double look. Compared to other fabrics, the African wax is considered cheap because it comes in various shades of affordable grades, often difficult to distinguish in terms of cost or class by simply looking at it. In the early 2000s, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala adopted the African wax as her formal wear to official functions. Her adopted head tie style, which she said she stumbled upon by mistake, not knowing how to tie the gele properly, was often the butt of jokes – a flat wrap- around, strewn together bunch of cloth, like a male cap, with a knot at the back, what Yoruba women refer to as “osuka”. I don’t know the English word for that, sorry. In this signature two-piece, African wax costume, and the accidental gele, she made a powerful statement about simplicity, identity, authenticity and power. This same costume has now made it to the mainstream. It is hilariously remarkable. On February 15, 2021, Ms Temi GiwaTubosun (@temite) wrote on Twitter:

“Ladies and Gentlemen, it’s tomorrow! #NOIgoestoWTO. We are giving away N100k to the best dressed! Dress up like NOI and send her a message of support as she goes to WTO!” This caught on like wildfire, and was shared under different hashtags: #AnkaraArmy, #NgozigoestoWTO, #BeLikeNgoziChallenge and #JustlikeNgozi. The Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala Ankara skirt and blouse soon became ubiquitous on all social media platforms, with the gele of course tied in the same manner, and some of the participants adding the NOI eye-glasses for effect. The interesting part of it is that some men actually joined. In Africa, at least in our part of it, it is unusual for a man to tie the gele, such an appearance could be interpreted as a sign of malady. But her male fans could not be bothered. They joined the women and the young ladies. I do not know when the winner of the prize was announced or who the winner is. I have not bothered to find out. We were all so consumed with the Ngozi-mania, the celebration and the euphoria, it did not matter who won and who did not. My favourite entry, however, was posted by Tolulope Adeleru-Balogun (@tolulopeab} showing her daughter dressed like NOI, head to toe, tipping down her eye-glasses imitatively as she said: “Congratulations, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala.” The #NOIchallenge will continue as promised on March 1, the day Ngozi goes to the WTO. If the Swiss authorities would be willing to give out visas as requested, to every African, many will follow Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala to the WTO to announce her arrival! They should therefore be prepared for a colourful Ngonization of the WTO headquarters because as the saying goes, “Naija no dey carry last”. One more thing: the symbolism of it all is inspirational. Despite the many achievements, historical and contemporary, of the African woman, there are still many institutional, religious and cultural barriers, very resilient and damaging, which limit the potential of the African girl-child and woman. This dilemma has been well written about in literature, as in

Tsisi Dangarembga’s Nervous Conditions, Buchi Emecheta’s The Slave, Second Class Citizen and The Bride Price. Add Zulu Sofola’s Wedlock of the Gods; in politics as in the discrimination and marginalization of women in public life despite years of rhetoric about affirmative action; in business and governance as evidenced in continuing inferiorization and commoditization of the African woman and the wanton feminization of poverty. The likes of Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala shattered the glass ceiling long ago. She is a successful career person, a mother, a community leader and an international citizen, who inspires other Africans with how she has successfully managed to balance many goals. Many parents want their daughters and sons to be like her. One Swedish newspaper however, referred to her as a “grandmother”: “This Grandmother will become the boss of the WTO” (Luzerner Zeitung): How sexist and crass! The reference to her feminism and reproductive status is entirely misplaced. They make it sound as if she is going to the WTO to baby sit: what Igbos in Nigeria’s South East call “Omu Ngwo”. But come to think of it: perhaps that is exactly what the WTO needs: a grandmother’s instincts to straighten an institution that some bad, errant boys have spoiled over the years. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala says she is going there with “clear eyes and ears.” We are beginning to see the signs. She is going to the WTO to save the organization, and the rest of the world. Africans have high expectations too. What does her new status mean for Africa, Nigeria and African trade in the context of the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AFCTA), beyond the symbolism of her African-ness? She goes to Geneva as an African but as a global leader and citizen. And there is a lot to do. She has given a signal of what to expect with her initial statement about the threat posed to internationalism by “vaccine nationalism”. She says “no one is safe until everyone is safe.” That is precisely the kind of clarity that the world needs right now.

First republic leaders were achieved without oil revenues. Now, we are almost totally reliant on oil. The world is moving towards solar energy, electric cars etc. Alternatives to oil are being found. Many nations like Singapore and Japan have developed almost without natural resources by developing their human capital. Our present structure, not only obstructs our development and the realization of our full potentials, it is also a major contributor to our present political conflcts. Some of the mainstream northern establishment are suspicious of the call to Restructure. We should try to understand

their fears and calm their nerves. The present structure is about 50 years old. In what way has it benefited the north, who have been in control of the federal government for a large chunk of that time? Is it in education, industralisation, healthcare, or security? Let no one be under the illusion that the task to restructure will be easy, but where there is the will there is a way. We can make progress if we lay aside our suspicions of one another. We will all have to make sacrifices and compromises. May the Almighty make the task easy for us. May God bless Nigeria.

Okonjo-Iweala

2023: DANGEROUS DIRECTIONS possible situation is obvious. There is no better time than now that we need a leader who can unify us as one family under the same roof. A competent unifier. We cannot achieve any meaningful development if we are all pulling in different directions. A leader who is also committed to the restructuring of our federation. The other dangerous direction is our resistance to restructuring the present structure of our Federation. The present structure is simply not sustainable. A house cannot be built on a faulty foundation. It will eventually collapse. Decentralisation is not an invitation to

the breakup of the country. The present excessive centralization concentrates too much power in the presidency. We need to urgently review the structure of the Nigerian Federation. We may start along the basis of the current six geo-political zones as regions and the zones as provinces. Many of the existing states are simply not viable. They are too weak materially. We cannot continue to gather state governors in Abuja once a month to share revenues dished out by the Federal government. We must encourage production and not distribution. The development strides achieved by our

˜ ͺͻ˜ ͺ͸ͺ͹ ˾ T H I S D AY

TUESDAYSPORTS

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

CAF CONFEDERATION CUP

Enyimba Draw Setif, Orlando Pirates, Other in Group Stage Gov Ikpeazu hails the Aba team for reaching the group stage, wants the cup Duro Ikhazuagbe and Emmanuel Ugwu-Nwogoin Umuahia Nigeria’s last team standing in continental campaign this season, Enyimba FC have been draw alongside Orlando Pirates of South Africa, Algeria’s Entente Setif and Libya’s Al Ahly Benghazi in a tough Group A of the CAF Confederation Cup. Enyimba survived shootouts with fellow Nigerian clubside, Rivers United on Sunday afternoon to reach the money-spinning group stage of the second tier continental competition. With the Aba Elephant who are two-time past champions of the CAF Champions League in the same group with another two past champions of the competition, Nigerians are already seeing a tough battle ahead in the Group A pairing. South Africa’s Orlando Pirates won the continental title in 1995 while Entente Setif have also won the crown twice. The trio are joined in Group A by Libya’s Al Ahly Benghazi in the competition.

The group-stage matches are due to begin next month with the top two in each group progressing to the quarter-finals. Meanwhile, Governor of Abia State, Dr Okezie Ikpeazu, has lauded the players and management of Enyimba International Football Club for their qualification for the group stage of the CAF Confederations Cup. In a press release signed by his Chief Press Secretary, Onyebuchi Ememanka, the Abia governor expressed delight at Enyimba’s victory against Rivers United especially with the dedication and tenacity shown by the players. He urged Enyimba to see the victory as the needed tonic to prepare even harder for the group stage of the continental tournament and charged them to go all out and bring the CAF Confederations Cup home to Aba. Ikpeazu reiterated the commitment of his administration to continue to provide support to the club in particular and all the other clubs under the sponsorship of the state government. He stated that sports remains a key factor which not only provides entertainment and relaxation to

people, but has become a powerful tool for economic advancement hence the resolve of his administration to invest in sports. The Abia chief executive, who is Enyimba’s number one fan, charged the players to redouble their efforts and win a continental silverware for the

state and Nigeria in general. According to him, “the only way the players and management of Enyimba FC can repay the huge investments of the government and people of Abia State in the club is to work hard and ensure total victory in the group stage of the CAF Confederations Cup”.

THE GROUPS *Group A: Al Ahly Benghazi (Libya), Orlando Pirates (South Africa), Enetente Setif (Algeria), Enyimba (Nigeria) *Group B: Napsa Stars (Zambia), Coton Sport (Cameroon), JS Kabylie (Algeria), RS Berkane (Morocco) *Group C: Jaaraf (Senegal), Salitas (Burkina Faso) CS Sfaxien (Tunisia) Etoile/Young Buffaloes *Group D: Namungo/Primeiro Agosto, Nkana FC (Zambia), Pyramids (Egypt), Raja Casablanca (Morocco)

AHEAD AFROBASKET 2021

Coach Daudu Warns D’Tigers on the Need for Consistency Nigerian Bobsled & Skeleton Athletes, Coaches Set for S’Korean Camp L-R: Members of the Nigerian team going for the training camp in South Korea include; Emmanuel Akinbo, Khadijat Folawiyo, Dickson Ugochukwu, Sekinat Alaode, Perpetual Nwanna and Hammed Yusuf

Head Coach of Mark Mentors Basketball Club, Abuja, Adeka Daudu, has called on players of the country’s senior men’s team, D’Tigers, to be more consistent with their play ahead of the Final Round of the Afrobasket 2021. Adeka, a former National U-18 team coach while reviewing the performance of Nigeria in the last window of the Afrobasket 2021 Qualifiers played in Monastir, Tunisia said despite the team’s 3-0 run, there is still plenty of room for improvement. “As a basketball coach, I am glad that our team has continued to show class but I must say that the players were a bit shaky against South Sudan and Rwanda even with the wins we recorded. “There was a lack of quickness and zeal to play as we used to know with the team. The technical crew must work harder to ensure more commitment from the players,” he stressed Although Coach Daudu admits that the players were under the guidance of a new coach in Mfom Udofia, he noted that they would have shown more commitment given the fact that African basketball is different from what obtains in Europe.

“With a young Coach and young players, it was obvious that the team needed some level of continuity. Coaches Mike Brown and Alex Nwora were not on ground and that to an extent may have been responsible for the way some of the players performed. That said, there’s need for the players to be at their best because the Final Round in Kigali would be tougher. I am happy the team qualified but we must not rest on our oars.” Coach Daudu further noted that with preparations, he expects that a player from the domestic league who merits it makes the team to the finals in Rwanda. “I look forward to the return of the Premier Basketball League and to see one or two players that merits a place in the team in the final roster. “Without sentiments, it must be a player that truly deserves a place in the team and not just for making up the number.” Nigeria finished top of Group D with three wins defeating South Sudan 75-70, 64-51 against Rwanda and humbled Mali 76-56 in the final playoff in Tunisia last week.

For the first time since Nigeria’s historic participation at the PyeongChang 2018 Winter Olympics, six Nigerian athletes and two coaches will return to the city for training ahead of the next Winter Olympics, slated for Beijing, China, in 2022. The contingent will leave Lagos today. All six athletes and coaches were recruited in Nigeria during a session by Technical Director of the Bobsled and Skeleton

Federation, Dr. Seun Adigun and Ghanaian skeleton athlete, Akwasi Frimpong. The Bobsled quartet are Perpetual Nwanna, Sekinat Alaode, Hammed Yusuf and Dickson Ugochukwu, while Skeleton has Khadijat Folawiyo and Emmanuel Akinbo. Coaches on the trip are Friday Ibrahim and Emem Ikhaobomeh. Adigun will join the team from her base in the US.

Speaking on the feat, Adigun who is a former Nigerian hurdler said: “We have been planning a training camp for the Lagos based athletes to leave Nigeria and go for Olympic preparation. It is with great pleasure that I reveal that the time has officially come. “The greater beauty in this is that the first track they will learn and race on is the 2018 Winter Olympic track in Pyeongchang, South

Korea where it all started for our federation,” she noted. In addition, Adigun said: “We have a long road ahead of us if these athletes stand a chance at qualifying, but either way we are certainly taking the steps in the right direction as a federation”. She expressed gratitude to the Nigeria Olympic Committee (NOC) for supporting the Federation.

Egbe Lauds NDDC for Backing GRASOF’s Grassroots Tourney Chief Executive Officer of Monimichelle, Ebi Egbe, has given a pat on the back to the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) for backing the U17 Grassroots Soccer Tournament being organised by Grassroots Sports Federation (GRASOF). Egbe, a patron of GRASOF noted that the grassroots soccer tournament is a laudable event that should enjoy the backing of all and sundry, especially

football stakeholders. He noted that sports, especially football is a veritable tool that should be used to drive the development of the Niger Delta region. “I want to say a big thank you to the management of NDDC for identifying with the youth soccer tournament being organised by GRASOF. “As a patron of the body, I m happy they are taking a step in the right direction. Sports,

especially football should be used to drive development in the Niger Delta region. “Once the youths are engaged in sports they won’t have time for any criminal activities and that way, we can put a stop to youths restiveness.” Continuing Egbe said...”This informed why I organized a youth tournament for Apoi communities in the Southern Ijaw local government area

in December. My company Monimichelle also believes strongly in the development of the region and this is why we have our corporate headquarters in Yenagoa. Both GRASOF and NDDC are on the same page with Monimichelle.” GRASOF it would be noted is planning the U17 Niger Delta Peace Cup which is billed to run from March 15 to March 28.

Tuchel Wary of Suarez Coming Back to Bite Chelsea Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel revealed he is such a fan of Luis Suarez that he tried to sign the Uruguayan for Paris Saint-Germain before he made the move from Barcelona to Atletico Madrid in September. Tuchel is now tasked with stopping Suarez, who has fired Los Rojiblancos to the top of LaLiga this term, when the Blues face the Spanish side in the first

leg of their Champions League last-16 tie tonight. Seven games into his reign as Chelsea manager, Tuchel remains unbeaten, with the Londoners fifth in the Premier League and into the FA Cup quarterfinals. However, the German is aware he faces his biggest challenge yet against an Atletico side with bags of experience in knockout Champions League

ties under Diego Simeone. “This is for sure a big test – sporting, mentally and physically,” Tuchel said on Monday. “This is a very experienced club at this level, a very experienced and tough coach to play against. “It’s clear when you play against Atletico what you get. You get hard fighting and there are many teams who have

experienced this.” Atletico’s style has evolved this season, though, to accomodate a range of attacking options including Suarez, Joao Felix and Marcos Llorente. TODAY (9pm) Atletico v Chelsea Lazio v Bayern Munich WEDNESDAY Atalanta v Real Madrid Mo’gladbach v Man City

Luis Suarez (centre) at training with his Atletico teammates ahead of tonight’s clash with Chelsea

Tuesday February 23, 2021

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MISSILE Ortom to Mohammed “I am beginning to think that my brother, the governor of Bauchi State is part of the terrorist Fulani organisation that is terrorising this country. Why do I say this? This is the same governor who took the oath of oﬃce to protect the constitution” – Governor Samuel Ortom chiding his Bauchi State counterpart, Bala Mohammed, over terrorist his utterances.

TUESDAY WITH REUBENABATI Ngozi Goes to WTO abati1990@gmail.com

he biggest piece of happy-ending news in Nigeria in the month of February 2021 is the endorsement of Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala as the next Director General of the World Trade Organization (WTO) by the United States. The South Korean candidate for the position, Yoo Myunghee whose candidacy had enjoyed the backing of the United States under the Trump administration, withdrew and the South Korean authorities have since pledged their support for Dr. N.O. Iweala. The South Korean’s earlier refusal to step down had made it difficult for Dr. Iweala to be confirmed by consensus when she got the majority of the votes at the end of the selection process in October 2020. The WTO chooses its Director General by consensus. The Trump administration rejected Iweala on the grounds that she did not have requisite experience in “trade negotiations”. The process had to be kept on hold until after the US Presidential elections of November 2020. Luck is a very powerful factor in human

affairs. As it turned out, Donald Trump lost the election. His loss is not a gain for the Democrats and Joe Biden/Kamala Harris alone, it was also a major gain for Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala who has now benefitted from the change in the United States, as a globalist, liberal President emerges in the White House. One of Biden’s earliest tasks in office was to undo the damage left behind by his predecessor, and a resolve to re-establish America’s leadership in the international order, especially with regard to such issues as climate change, and America’s role and place in the world through such multilateral institutions as the UN, the World Health Organization and the World Trade Organization. On Monday, February 15, the WTO officially announced Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala as the next Director General of the WTO (March 1, 2021 – August 2025). You should have been in Nigeria or on Nigerian Social Media on that day. Nigerian Twitter exploded with shouts of excitement and expressions of delight. Nigerians did not talk about luck. (But

imagine if Trump had won and that guy called Robert Lightizer had remained US Trade Representative). They talked about the history made by a great Nigerian ambassador, a woman of destiny, and an accomplished person. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala’s triumph was the stuff of history: the first woman to emerge as DG of the WTO, the first African and also the first Nigerian to assume that office. This means a lot to the people. In a country where ethnic sentiments run deep, nobody talked about OkonjoIweala’s ethnic group. Nobody talked about her religion. Her achievement was something far more significant, a subtle projection of the fact that the same Nigerians that promote mediocrity routinely, appreciate and applaud distinction when they see it. As a people we indulge in mischief and unproductive wrangling for selfish reasons. But Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala’s making of history was far too iconic and legendary to be reduced to such base instincts. The joy that was expressed revealed a gift of humanism that is often masked in the Nigerian character. Congratulations.

Congratulations. Congratulations. It is early days yet under the Joe Biden administration but the new US President has signalled that there is now a new dawn in the United States and the world. Within the same period that the US dropped its opposition to the candidacy of Dr. OkonjoIweala, President Biden earlier expressed his readiness to work with and support the African Union. President Trump, before him, was not too enthusiastic about Africa. He dismissed some of our countries as “shithole countries.” Nigeria was identified as one of such countries. Today, four Nigerian-Americans are in the Biden/Harris team. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala has also been endorsed. The Biden administration would do well to build on the goodwill that it currently enjoys in Africa. In addition, African leaders deserve commendation for the solidarity that they demonstrated with their support for Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala’s candidacy. As we have seen in the case of Dr. Continued on page 30

YOMIEDU GUEST COLUMNIST

2023: Dangerous Directions

hen we ushered in our present democratic dispensation just over 21 years ago, we were all excited and hopeful that Nigeria was, at last, heading in the right direction. But today majority of our people are frustrated and hopelessness seems to have taken over the land. Are Nigerians better off today than they were twenty-one years ago? The scorecards of our two dominant parties (APC and PDP) leaves very much to be desired. Are the parties any different from each other? Does anyone know their ideologies? Is one liberal and the other conservative? In truth they are just different sides of the same coin. That is why it is easy for our political actors to move freely from one to the other. I retired from partisan politics five years ago, when I turned seventy, and have not held any party membership card since. As we approach the 2023 presidential elections, it is becoming increasingly clear that our forthcoming elections could well determine the future shape of our country. The stakes are very high and we should all be concerned about the directions our active politicians are heading. Our country has never been more divided than it is today. Thankfully many of our elder Statesmen and women are speaking out loud and clear out of concern. The situation is very

Buhari worrisome and profoundly grave. We now more than ever need a leader who can bring us all back together as one united family under the roof called Nigeria. We have had such Nigerians in the persons of The Right Honourable Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe, Chief M.K.O Abiola, Gen. Shehu Musa Yar’Adua, President Olusegun Obasanjo and President Ibrahim Babangida. There was a time Dr. Azikiwe of the

N.C.N.C. won the elections in the old Western Region and almost became the Premier of Western Nigeria (An Ibo man winning elections in Yoruba land!). Not too long ago, we had a Muslim/ Muslim ticket of the SDP (Abiola/Kingibe) winning a Presidential election. Can anyone see that happening today? In those days nobody cared whether Dr. Azikiwe was Igbo, Fulani or Yoruba. No one cared whether he was a Christian or Muslim. Those were, indeed, the good old days. Our current drift towards looming chaos was confirmed in an article recently written on the back page of THISDAY Newspaper of February 6, 2021 by my brother Dele Momodu. The Article was titled “The Shape of Things to Come in 2023”. The particular paragraph (I quote as follows): “The scenario I therefore foresee and predict is that if the ruling party APC picks its candidate from the south, the PDP would most probably pick its own from the north” (end of quote). We may now have a situation of a Northern candidate of the PDP against a southern candidate of APC in a country that is now more polarized than ever. Can everyone not see the danger? Not too long ago, the two major parties of the time, nominated two Northern candidates as their presidential flag bearers. The NRC produced Mallam Adamu Ciroma

and the SDP produced Gen. Shehu Musa Yar’Adua - two really great Nigerians (May they both continue to rest peacefully). We also in our most recent elections had candidates from the same region (President Buhari against V.P.Atiku, and President Obasanjo against Chief Olu Falae). Currently the ruling APC government has a northern president in the person of Gen. Buhari. Unless the APC want their party to disintegrate, they should not offer us another northern candidate come 2023. They are therefore compelled to look southwards. Also, knowing that the bulk of Gen. Buhari followers are from the muslim far north, the APC would be tempted to pitch for a southern muslim come 2023 (Enter Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, Babatunde Fashola and Sen. Ibikunle Amosu). Now the PDP, having been out in the cold for eight years by 2023, would desperately want to win back control of the federal government. They cannot afford the luxury of zoning and would present whatever combination they believe would win the election. Knowing that, rightly or wrongly, the bulk of the votes they need to win may also come from the far north, they would be tempted to nominate a northern candidate. The danger the country faces in this Continued on page 30

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