TUESDAY 14TH MARCH 2023

Tinubu: I Have No Preferred Candidates for 10th National Assembly Leadership APC charges lawmakers-elect to ensure victory in Saturday’s elections We hope to win minimum of 30 states, says Senator Musa Deji Elumoye in Abuja President-elect, Bola Ahmed Tinubu,

stepped into the simmering issue of the prospective leadership of the 10th National Assembly, saying he

has no preferred candidates for the leadership of the federal legislature to be inaugurated in June. Tinubu made

this known at the Old Banquet Hall of the State House, while addressing new members-elect to the National

Assembly at a meeting organised by the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).

The president-elect's position on Continued on page 10

Obi Replies Church Leaders, Elder Statesmen, Says Tinubu Not God’s Will in Presidential Poll... Page 5 Tuesday 14 March, 2023 Vol 28. No 10198. Price: N250

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Falana: Nigeria's Political Class Don't Want Democracy to Survive... Page 12

Presidency: Feb 25 Presidential Poll Better Than Past Elections in Nigeria Says only losers disputing outcome of exercise Declares outcome strengthens Electoral Act’s integrity Deji Elumoye in Abuja The Presidency, yesterday, rated the February 25 presidential election, which produced the candidate of

the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Bola Tinubu, as presidentelect, as the best the country had seen in recent times despite all the controversies that have trailed the

exercise.

Many foreign and local observers have reported that the conduct of the election failed to meet the expectations of Nigeria and that

INEC failed to follow the Electoral Act and even its own guidelines in the conduct of the poll.

However, Presidential spokesperson, Mallam Garba Shehu, in

a release, declared that the APC victory in the presidential election, underscored by the nationwide wave of support in the National Assembly results, was a clear mandate

for the party to retain power for another term of four years.

"This election is an improvement Continued on page 10

CBN Directs Commercial Banks to Accept, Pay Out Old N500, N1,000 Notes Apex bank needs no presidential directive to comply with Supreme Court order, says president Insists president has never done anything to obstruct course of justice NLC gives FG 7-day ultimatum to end currency scarcity, threatens strike Emefiele debunks fake news, denies alleged plot against Tinubu Deji Elumoye, Onyebuchi Ezigbo in Abuja, Segun James and Dike Onwuamaeze in Lagos The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), yesterday, directed commercial banks and other financial institutions in the country to continue to accept and pay out the old N200, N500,

and N1,000 notes till December 31, 2023, in line with a recent Supreme Court ruling.

In a statement signed by CBN’s Acting Director, Corporate Communications, Dr. Isa Abdulmumin, the central bank disclosed that it had Continued on page 10

TEMS AT THE OSCARS...

Temilade Openiyi, known as Tems, who was nominated this year in the best original song category, at the 95th Annual Academy Awards in the United States…Sunday

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Group News Editor: Goddy Egene Email: Goddy.egene@thisdaylive.com, 0803 350 6821, 0809 7777 322, 0807 401 0580

NEWS

BUHARI BACK IN ABUJA...

President Muhammadu Buhari and the Chief of Staff Prof Ibrahim Gambari on arrival at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport on his return from his home state Daura, Katsina State... yesterday.

PHOTO: GODWIN OMOIGUI

Obi Replies Church Leaders, Elder Statesmen, Says Tinubu Not God’s Will in Presidential Poll Declares he has no personal issue against former Lagos governor, only challenging INEC’s process, procedure of declaring him president-elect Insists Wike worked against him in Rivers Electoral body bows to pressure, grants LP access to election materials Commission promises to be fair to all Chuks Okocha and Emameh Gabriel in Abuja The presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP), Mr. Peter Obi, yesterday responded to calls from church leaders and some elder statesmen that he should not contest the outcome of the 2023 presidential election as it was God’s will for Bola Tinubu to emerge.

Also, after days of pressure from LP, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) yesterday granted the party's legal team the opportunity to review materials that were used for last month’s presidential election.

INEC had declared Tinubu, winner of the presidential election held on February 25, proclaiming he scored the highest number of votes cast in the election. Tinubu, a former Lagos State governor had polled a total of 8,794,726 votes to defeat his closest rival and presidential candidate of PDP, Atiku, who scored 6,984,520 votes, and Peter Obi of LP, who polled 6,101,533 votes.

But the LP which is challenging the outcome, had last week asked a Federal High Court in Abuja to compel INEC to grant it access to the materials used for the presidential and National Assembly elections.

Speaking during an interview on Arise News Channel’s ‘The Morning Show,’ Obi said one of the problems with Nigeria was accepting what was wrong and unacceptable as God’s wish for the country.

He also pointed out that he had no personal grudges against the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Tinubu, saying he was in court to challenge the procedure and process that led to the declaration of Tinubu as president-elect by INEC. Obi also denounced attempts to ethnicise the voting pattern during the February 25 presidential poll, saying that he got votes across ethnic boundaries in the same way former President Olusegun Obasanjo and former President Goodluck Jonathan respectively got over 90 per cent votes from the South-east in past elections.

Commenting on pleas by church

leaders and elder-statesmen that he should take the outcome of the election that produced Tinubu as God’s will, Obi said: “I am very respectful to them and I think that they should be respected for what they represent to the society. But I disagree with them. What they are actually preaching is the problem of Nigeria.

“The problem of Nigeria is accepting wrongdoing, accepting what is unacceptable, that is using God’s name in vain. That’s not what God said. God said do not use my name in vain. What they are saying is not God’s wish.

“So are they saying that the 133 million Nigerians who are poor is God’s wish? Why don’t we accept that 95 million Nigerians living in absolute poverty is God’s wish? Is it God’s wish that your children are kidnapped? Is it God’s wish that we have collapsed primary health care making us to be the country with the highest infant mortality.

“That’s not what God’s will says; God’s will is that when you do the right thing then in the end it is well.

“We have clear laws about the conduct of the election. If it was followed, if the results were uploaded from the polling booths, we won’t be here talking about all these. It would have been concluded within hours without anybody arguing about it. But it is not God’s will that you do the wrong thing. It is not God’s will that you go and rob a train and start sharing money.

“This is what is killing the country. People come here take public money then go and give it to the people in the church and they give them title, that is what we are fighting.”

Obi pointed out that he has no “issues with Tinubu,” adding that, “he is somebody I have so much respect for as a brother and one I can regard as a father.

“I am only challenging the process through which INEC declared him as the president-elect.”

He also appealed to INEC to rise up to the responsibility of helping Nigeria build a positive global image.

The LP presidential candidate added: “We are committed to a new

Nigeria. We must do everything that is right. We need to build strong democratic institutions that will teach people what their job requires and what government.

“It is a saddening fact that after 63 years as a nation, Nigeria is yet unable to conduct a good election.

The February 25 presidential election is the worst in Nigeria’s history considering that the Electoral Law of 2022 was enacted to ensure free, fair and credible elections.”

Obi who defended votes he earned, denounced attempts to ethnicise the voting pattern during the presidential poll, saying he was supported across ethnic boundaries.

Responding to the allegation of being supported only by Igbos, Obi said it was wrong saying that the votes he won from Nasarawa, Plateau, Lagos and including Aso Rock did not fit into the ethnic strength of the Igbos.

Continuing he said in 2003, despite the fact Chief Emeka Ojukwu contested against Obasanjo,

the former president got 90 per cent vote from the south-east.

“In the South-east, it is a similar situation, people know me, people know what I stand for, people know I have kept my promises. People know I’ve kept to what I have said.

“It is a simple thing, people go about and say, ‘Oh! He got votes in Lagos because of the Igbo’, and I ask how many Igbos live in Lagos?

I got more votes from indigenes in Lagos than those who you can call visitors. Are the people that voted for me in Nasarawa Igbos?

Are the people that voted for me in Plateau Igbos? Are there only Igbos in Abuja?” he asked.

“They forgot that I got over 95 per cent in Anambra State in 2019, when I was a running mate to Atiku, in 2023 I was the main candidate, I am even surprised that I did not get 100 per cent,” he said.

On the claim that he took away PDP votes and helped the APC’s Ahmed Bola Tinubu to win, Obi said he did not contest to help

anybody, but to win, saying that by records, Nigerians made that happen.

Obi also reiterated his support for LP governorship candidates in Enugu, Abia, Lagos, Delta, Plateau, Akwa Ibom, Kaduna, states among others 100 percent, and directed his supporters to vote for them.

On the ethnic tension in Lagos State ahead of the governorship election, Obi said some mischievous persons were trying to create the impression that there was tension in the state.

Responding to a question on Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, calling him the hero of the election, he noted that Wike, “came out against” him in the February 25 poll.

He added that if the “real votes” were counted in Rivers he would have won.

Obi noted: “In Rivers, where you know that the governor came out against me and everything, I still… If the real votes of Rivers

were counted, I won. I had over 50 something per cent of the vote.

The other two parties were sharing the others.”

INEC Bows to Pressure, Grants LP Access to Election Materials

INEC yesterday granted LP’s legal team the opportunity to review materials that were used for last month’s presidential election.

The presidential candidate of LP, Mr. Peter Labour Party officials yesterday, including members of its Presidential Campaign Council, National Working Committee and its legal team led by Dr. Livy Uzoukwu, who stormed INEC’s headquarters in Abuja, were granted official access to inspect sensitive electoral materials after a brief meeting with the Chairman of the Commission, Prof.

Mahmood Yakubu.

Continued on page 12

House Navy Committee Chair, Gagdi Joins Speakership Race Group drums support for Akinremi as deputy speaker Udora Orizu in Abuja Although the All Progressives Congress (APC) is yet to formally announce the zoning of the speakership position and other presiding and principal offices for the incoming 10th House of Representatives, more lawmakers have indicated interest to take over Femi Gbajabiamila's seat in the Green Chamber of the National Assembly.

THISDAY had last week reported that ranking members of the House were already jostling for the House speakership.

The lawmakers included Hon. Aliyu Betara representing Biu/ Kwaya federal constituency of Borno State; Aminu Sani Jaji, a former chairman of the House of Representatives committee on National Security and intelligence in the 8th Assembly who has been reelected to represent Kaura Namoda/Birnin Magaji federal

constituency of Zamfara state; the current deputy speaker, Hon. Idris Wase from Plateau State; the current spokesman of the House, Hon. Ben Kalu and the majority leader of the 9th House, Hon. Ado Doguwa.

But, the Chairman, House Committee on Navy, Hon. Yusuf Gagdi has also joined the race to replace Gbajabiamila.

Gagdi, the latest entrant into the race is the member representing Pankshin/Kanke/Kanam Federal Constituency of Plateau State in north central geopolitical zone of Nigeria.

He was a deputy speaker of the State House of Assembly before getting elected into the House in 2019. Upon his debut into the national parliament, Gagdi quickly got involved in the internal politics at the time, aligned with the "progressives" camp and eventually became the chairman of Navy committee, a committee ordinarily would not

be given to a first timer.

THISDAY learnt that Gagdi is one of those presently clamouring hard to see that the speakership slot would be zoned to the north central to enable him formally declare his interest when the House resumes for plenary session next week Tuesday.

Born on November 5, 1980, the 42 year lawmaker had served in various other capacities before his present position which included Legislative Aide to Deputy Speaker of Plateau State House of Assembly between 2003 and 2006; member of Plateau State Library Board 2012- 2014 and Chairman of Federal Board, Lower Benue River Basin Development Authority (LBRBDA Makurdi 2012 – 2014; Chairman of Special Committee on peace, security and reconciliation Plateau State 2015; Chairman Special Committee on Peace, Security and Reconciliation Plateau State 2018 and as well as Financial Secretary of PDP Plateau

State 2012 – 2014.

In a related development, a group, under the aegis of Movement for Democratic Consolidation (southwest chapter) has canvassed support for the candidature of Hon. Prince Olaide Akinremi, member representing, Ibadan North Federal constituency as the Deputy Speaker in the 10th House of Representatives.

The group in a statement signed by its National Coordinator, Olaleye Olusegun and southwest coordinator, Aridunnu-Omo, after its emergency national conference held in Ibadan, Oyo State stated that Akinremi remained among the most qualified for the position of the Deputy Speaker, saying any support for Akinremi would further equate the agitation by the six geo-political zone in electing principal officers of the party in the 10th National Assembly.

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APC ELECTED LEGISLATORS MEETING...

L-R: Ekiti State Senate elect and Chairman Senate Committee on Judiciary, Senator Opeyemi Bamidele; former Governor of Zamfara State and Senator Elect, Abdul Azeez Yari and Senate leader, Senator, Ali Ndume, at the meeting of the APC elected Legislatives Members at the Banquet Hall of the Presidential Villa Abuja... yesterday PHOTO: GODWIN OMOIGUI

Nine Lagos Guber Candidates Step Down, Declare Support for Sanwo-Olu Lagos governor running on experience, track record, says aide Segun James Barely five days to the gubernatorial election, nine governorship candidates and the leadership of their political parties in Lagos State have stepped and declared support for Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu. The candidates under the auspices of Alliance of Registered Political Parties, formally endorsed and declared their support for the re-election bid of Sanwo-Olu and his Deputy, Dr. Obafemi Hamzat in the March 18 governorship election in the state in view of his achievements in the last four years.

The political parties included the Young Progressive Party, (YPP), APP, Action Democratic Party (ADP), Allied Peoples Movement (APM), Zenith Labour Party (ZLP), Social

Democratic Party (SDP), New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), NRM and Peoples Redemption Party (PRP), at an event held in Lagos.

According to them, Lagos State was best in the hands of a competent and experienced leader like Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu. Speaking on behalf of the political parties, governorship candidate of YPP in Lagos state, Adebayo Ajayi, said “We are here to make known our minds on the forthcoming election in Lagos state.

"I wish to welcome you to all this gathering convened by the Alliance of Registered Political Parties (ARPP) comprising nine registered political parties namely APP, ADP, APM, NRM, YPP, NNPP, ZLP, SDP and PRP, to formally declare our support

for Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu for another term of office.

"ARPP is a group of nine committed and patriotic registered political parties in Lagos State that is interested in the good works of the state government under Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu and desire continuity and realisation of the dream Lagos of this administration.

"We reached this decision sequence to our thorough analysis of all the good works and rapid development in Lagos.

"We cannot sacrifice the various landmark achievements of the present administration scattered in the state on the altar of the bitter politicking.

"The governor’s consistency as a progressive democrat is worthy of commendation and continuity. He

has delivered on his social contract to the good people of Lagos state.

"It makes a whole lot of sense for Lagos State to be in tune with Asiwaju Bola Tinubu’s presidency at a time like this to achieve our age long desires and lofty aspirations.

"From this end, the governorship candidates of the Alliance namely governorship candidate of YPP, Ajayi Adebayo, Chief Adeyemi Abiola (APP), Adenipekun Adekunle (ZLP), Kupoluyi Funmi, (APM), Ishola Bamidele, (ADP), are stepping down their governorship ambitions to declare their support for Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu. "This support is borne out of love and desire for a greater Lagos which BOS has set the pace and serve to drive it to fruition.

"We however wish to seize this

AfCFTA Secretariat, Afreximbank Sign Adjustment Fund Host Country Agreement with Rwanda The AfCFTA Secretariat and African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) has signed the Host Country Agreement for the AfCFTA Adjustment Fund with the Republic of Rwanda.

The Agreement, signed by Wamkele Mene, Secretary-General of the AfCFTA Secretariat; Mrs. Kanayo Awani, Executive Vice President, Intra-African Trade Bank at Afreximbank, and Dr. Vincent Biruta, Minister of Foreign Affairs, and International Cooperation of the Republic of Rwanda, in Kigali, paves the way for the operationalisation of the AfCFTA Adjustment Fund.

The $10 billion Fund, headquartered in Kigali, Rwanda, is a critical instrument in the realisation of the African Continental Free Trade Area.

This, according to a statement, would help countries implement agreed protocols and support African companies to retool for effective participation in the new trading regime.

The AfCFTA Adjustment Fund would support AfCFTA State Parties to adjust smoothly to the new liberalised and integrated trading environment established under the AfCFTA Agreement by mitigating the potential adverse impacts of AfCFTA-induced tariff revenue losses.

Also, the Fund would help address the infrastructure deficits

and supply chain bottlenecks to the implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Agreement.

Established by the Afreximbank, AfCFTA Secretariat and the African Union Commission (AUC) following a mandate from the African Union (AU) Summit of Heads of State and Governments, the AfCFTA Adjustment Fund consists of three sub-Funds, namely, the Base Fund, the General Fund, and the Credit Fund.

The Base Fund would utilise contributions from AfCFTA State Parties as well as grants and technical assistance to address AfCFTA-induced tariff revenue losses. It would also support countries to implement the various Protocols under the AfCFTA. “The General Fund will mobilise concessional finance to support the development of trade-enabling infrastructure and execution of key industrialisation initiatives, while the Credit Fund will be used to mobilise commercial funding to support both the public and private sectors enabling them to adjust and take advantage of the opportunities created by the AfCFTA,” the statement added.

The Fund for Export Development in Africa (FEDA), the impact investment arm of Afreximbank, headquartered in Kigali-Rwanda,

had been selected as the Fund Manager of the AfCFTA Adjustment Fund.

Biruta said: “As we sign this Host Country Agreement for the AfCFTA Adjustment Fund, we reaffirm our commitment to the African Continental Free Trade Area and its potential to transform the continent's economy.

“This Fund will play a critical role in supporting African countries to adjust to the new realities of the free trade area and seize the opportunities it presents. We look forward to working closely with the AfCFTA Secretariat and Afreximbank to ensure its success.”

On his part, President and Chairperson of the Board of Directors, Afreximbank, Prof. Benedict Oramah stated, "This simple ceremony marks another historic milestone in the implementation of the AfCFTA and draws Africa a step closer to the realisation of its trade and economic transformation agenda.”

He added that, “this defining moment is a testament to Africa’s unwavering determination to engineer Africa-led and Africacontrolled solutions to continental development challenges.”

He reiterated Afreximbank’s unflinching support to the AfCFTA, highlighting that “Afreximbank has committed USD1 billion to the

USD10 billion Adjustment Fund and provided USD10 million as a seed grant to the Base Fund. The Bank is working with the AfCFTA Secretariat to mobilise additional resources from other financial institutions and like-minded partners.”

Also, Mene said: “The AfCFTA Adjustment Fund is a critical instrument in the realisation of the African Continental Free Trade Area.

The Fund addresses, among other things, potential tariff revenue losses, infrastructure deficits to facilitate trade growth and possible supply chain disruptions that States Parties may face in the implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Agreement.”

On her part, Awani said: “The signing of this Host Country Agreement is a critical step to operationalising the Adjustment Fund, as it facilitates the establishment of the Fund and its requisite structures in Rwanda.

“With the signing of this Agreement, the incorporation of the fund’s legal entities will be completed, as well as the setup of the necessary governance structures to facilitate its day-to-day operations. It breathes new life into the AfCFTA Agreement and empowers the AfCFTA Secretariat to deliver on the promise of the Agreement."

opportunity to inform and urge all our supporters across Lagos State to vote massively on Saturday, March 18, for Babajide Sanwo-Olu as governor and his deputy, Obafemi Hamzat for second term.”

Also speaking at the official endorsement, ZLP Lagos state chairman, Adekunle Adenipekun said the endorsement became necessary to continuity and greater Lagos.

He said, “History is taking place today. Today is the day when political parties in Lagos come together to make history as political parties officially declared their support for the re-election of Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu and his deputy, Dr Obafemi Hamzat.”

Meanwhile, the Chief Press Secretary to Governor Sanwo-Olu, Gboyega Akosile, has said the decision of Sanwo-Olu to seek second term in office, was to consolidate on his achievements and performance in Lagos.

He described Sanwo-Olu as the most experienced among all the governorship candidates in Lagos State.

In an article he penned, Akosile wrote: “Sanwo-Olu, an exemplary public sector reformer and astute politician, known for his love and passion for the public service, has shown leadership in Lagos by giving the electorate a great deal in steering the ship of the nation’s commercial city in the right direction.

“As the 15th Lagos Governor, and having worked closely with three previous governors – Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, Babatunde Raji Fashola, and Akinwunmi Ambode in different capacities, Sanwo-Olu understands the State and the various challenges facing the mega city.

“His knowledge of challenges confronting residents made his administration to adopt a six pillars policy programme tagged T.H.E.M.E.S in solving the identified problems through good governance.

The six pillars are; Traffic Management and Transportation; Health and Environment; Education and Technology; Making Lagos a 21st Century state; Entertainment and Tourism; Security and Governance.

Each of these six pillars is carefully thought-out as the Government’s priorities in delivering solutions across sectors.”

According to him, Sanwo-Olu, in his speech at the swearing-in on May 29, 2019, spoke passionately about

his plans for the State, especially his dream of building a Greater Lagos.

“This passion seemed to have motivated his quest for good governance. The governor, without any iota of doubt, has delivered significantly on his campaign promises during his first term in office. His achievements are visible in different sectors and have been commended by people within and outside the state.

“A little above seven months when the Sanwo-Olu administration had barely settled down, COVID-19 pandemic ravaged the entire world and Lagos became an epicentre of the airborne disease.

“The governor showed leadership in rising up to the occasion and responding to the pandemic. As Incident Commander, he protected the citizens of the state by ensuring that the ravaging infection was well managed.

“Sanwo-Olu, with the assistance of his Commissioner for Health, Prof.

Akin Abayomi, and other stakeholders controlled the spread and ensured that those who contracted the virus were well attended to. He was the first governor to come up with a clearly defined containment strategy and response, which was later adopted by the presidency for the national response plan.

“This intervention by the Sanwo-Olu administration made Nigeria the fourth best country in the world which impressively curbed the spread of the COVID-19 virus according to the World Health Organisation (WHO).”

He pointed out that Sanwo-Olu also displayed great leadership during the #EndSARS demonstration, a youth-motivated civil action against police brutality, which was later hijacked by hoodlums.

“The campaign, which started peacefully, turned violent after it was hijacked, leading to violence and destruction of many private and public properties in Lagos State. Rather than allowing Lagos to be brought to its knees by the ugly incident, Sanwo-Olu rose up to the challenge by championing “Rebuild Lagos” plan.

“The administration’s traffic management and transportation blueprint has significantly brought the dream of Lagos to have an efficient and reliable intermodal system of transportation to a reality.

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NEWS

SIGNING HOST COUNTRY AGREEMENT FOR AFCFTA ADJUSTMENT FUND...

L-R: Secretary-General of the AfCFTA Secretariat, Wamkele Mene; Executive Vice President, Intra-African Trade Bank at Afreximbank, Mrs Kanayo Awani, and Minister of Foreign Affairs, and International Cooperation of the Republic of Rwanda, Dr. Vincent Biruta, Minister of Foreign Affairs, during the signing of the Host Country Agreement for the AfCFTA Adjustment Fund with the Republic of Rwanda in Kigali…recently

FG Cautioned against Securitising N23.7tn Ways and Means Kunle Aderinokun The federal government has been advised to adopt options within the Debt Management Office (DMO) Act to refinance N23.7 trillion of Nigeria's total debt financed through ways and means, instead of securitising it.

The Chief Executive Officer, The CFG Advisory, Adetilewa Adebajo, who gave this advice, proposed a resolution trust Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) backed by legislation within the current DMO Act and framework for refinancing of the nation’s burgeoning debt as against securitising the ways and means debt financing on the CBN balance sheet.

Adebajo, in an exclusive with THISDAY, disclosed that after his informal consultation with key capital market operators, Senate and House leadership as well as relevant government agencies, he had made a number of suggestions.

He, specifically, suggested that the federal government should, as a matter of urgency, stop financing the country’s debt through ways and means, which he described as illegal.

The economist asked: “How do you obtain N23 trillion debt from the capital markets when the total current domestic debt is N21 trillion?”

According to him, credit to the government last year increased by N11.3 trillion to N24.7 trillion, while credit to the private sector increased

by N6.6 trillion to N42.2 trillion.

Meanwhile, total Money Supply as

of January 2023 was N53 trillion, “and we need to refinance N23 trillion of ways and means.”

“On first thoughts, we need to create a secondary marketplace with liquidity and a standby line from the government to create a special asset class to refinance the ways and means,” he proposed.

Adebajo argued further: “DMO annual debt maturity profile and yearly fund raising can’t cover this quantum of ways and means.

Money supply only increases by N5 to N6 trillion annually. DMO has a critical role to play.

“I have reviewed the DMO Act, there are statutes we can leverage.

The DMO act can be expanded to create a resolution trust vehicle for FGN/CBN similar to AMCON to ensure we stay within the tenets of the law. Consultations with both Senate and House leadership suggest favorable disposition to new legislation, but we also need to create the financing structure to support that legislation.

“I have developed three financial model options, I will share with MOF/CBN and relevant agencies, with a legal and regulatory framework. I believe either of these three finance models can work, depending on the political preferences and will.”

According to him, the issue now was the capital market.

“Is the FGN crowding out the private sector? This is leading to the sluggish rate of GDP growth, and the ways and means putting upward pressure on the inflation trajectory. A recent basket of goods

and services we surveyed shows inflation closer to 30per cent.

“FGN borrowing is increasing at 75per cent while the private sector is going up at only 25per cent. FGN is already sitting on about N15 trillion or about 30 per cent of the N50 trillion bank deposits via the statutory CRR. “The banks also don’t lend all the deposits as they are active in trading treasury bills. Sixty-five per cent or N9.5 trillion of the N15 trillion pension funds already invested in FGN securities. “The Insurance industry and other institutional investors at best have a capacity of N1.5 trillion.

“We unfortunately cannot list FGN on the equity market

President-elect, Bola Tinubu has commended Prof. Saheed Aderinto, a Professor of History and African and African Diaspora Studies, Florida International University, for winning the prestigious Dan David $300,000 prize in History.

Tinubu, in a statement he personally signed, yesterday, stated that by the rare achievement, Aderinto had not only further etched his name in academic excellence, but also made Nigeria, Africa and the entire Black race proud, which all must remain thankful to him.

He commended the Selection

Committee of the international award for recognising the useful contributions of Aderinto to the study of history and for making an excellent pick.

The president-elect said it was noteworthy that the Selection Committee eulogised the Nigerian, saying, in his work, he "situates African history at the cutting edge of diverse literatures in the histories of sexuality, nonhumans and violence, noting that it is exceptional to see a single person leading scholarship in all these fields."

Tinubu said: "Warm congratulations to Prof. Saheed Aderinto, a prominent Professor of History

will help improve the country's perception and improve our sub optimal international bond ratings which has increased the cost of borrowing. A good rating will help reduce our cost of borrowing.”

“Our debt servicing costs have exceeded our revenues. The CBN MPR rate hikes to tame inflation will stifle growth as real rates in the system are still negative as a result of the inflation locust.”

Noting that, the CBN, DMO and fiscal responsibility acts were designed with circuit breakers to ensure financial stability, Adebajo lamented, “It is unfortunate that we find ourselves where we are but we need to strengthen and not break these laws.”

“The Ukraine/Russia war provided an opportunity for a windfall for Nigeria. While other oil producers are enjoying massive surpluses, we are contending with deficits and a 23 Trillion Naira illegal ways and means debts, we need to get off the CBNs balance sheet. If we do not stick to these guidelines of these laws, we can be headed towards Zimbabwe and Venezuela status,” he added.

He called for the review of “all the intervention loans on the CBN balance sheet,” stating that, “The CBN should make a provision for the bad loans and the good loans transferred to the Bank of Industry, Bank of Agriculture and Development Bank of Nigeria.”

NIMC Introduces Charges on NIN Integration, Verification for Passport Seekers NCC approves harmonised short codes, directs implementation Emma Okonji The National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) has introduced new charges on National Identification Number (NIN) integration and verification for all passport seekers, with effect from April 1, 2023.

The new charges which vary from N1, 000 to $15 would be used to speed up NIN integration and verification processes for those

Tinubu Hails Aderinto for Winning $300,000 Dan David Prize in History Adedayo Akinwale

to optimise the FGN’s capital structure.”

“The N23 trillion will overwhelm the entire Nigerian capital markets and therefore requires a special intervention vehicle,” he emphasised.

Adetilewa, therefore, said the need for urgent structural reforms within the fiscal regime could not be overstated.

“The removal of subsidies will bring in $10-15 billion additional revenues annually and we need to step up the privatisation and concessioning programme, and right-sizing the government. This will significantly ease the pressure and improve government revenues and cash flow going forward.”

He believed, “The right policies

and African and African Diaspora Studies, Florida International University, for winning the prestigious Dan David $300,000 prize in History.

"This academic accomplishment speaks to the Nigerian can-do spirit and our ability to be the very best we can be wherever and in whatever field we find ourselves."

Tinubu noted that the award again underscored the importance of the study of history in the schools.

He promised to do all that is necessary to get Nigerians to rise to any level they desire in all areas including the academia.

applying for international passport.

According to NIMC, with effect from April 1, 2023, all passport applicants would pay N1, 000.00 for all locations in Nigeria.

For other African countries, the applicant would pay $5.00 or its equivalent in that country's currency and $15 for countries outside of Africa or its equivalent in that country's currency.

In a statement released by NIMC yesterday and signed by its Head, Corporate Communications, Mr. Kayode Adegoke, the Commission stated: "NIMC wishes to inform the general public that it has devised and agreed on a framework with the Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS) to significantly improve the quality of service, accuracy, and speed of passport services through the timely verification of the NIN. "This new arrangement is in furtherance of the Federal Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy’s directive to streamline passport application, renewal, and issuance processes.

“Consequently, a NIN Verification fee would be charged for each Nigerian passport application for this service."

NIMC and NIS have agreed on a revised applicant journey that will significantly improve the speed of passport issuance/

re-issuance and reduce the traffic visiting the NIS office(s).

“The NIN service, fees, and the new NIS process will go live on 1st April 2023,” the statement further stated.

Meanwhile, the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has directed mobile network operators (MNOs) to commence implementation of approved harmonised short codes (HSC) for providing certain services to telecom consumers in Nigeria.

The Commission had already set a deadline of May 17, 2023, for all mobile networks to fully migrate from hitherto diverse short codes to the harmonised codes.

The use of harmonised short codes, according to a statement, was aimed at achieving uniformity in common short codes across networks.

This, it stated meant that the code for checking airtime balance would be same across all mobile networks for the same function, irrespective of the network a consumer uses.

With the new codes, the telecom consumers using the over 226 million active mobile lines in the country, would be able to use the same codes to access services across the networks.

“Consequently, under the new harmonised short codes regime,

13 common short codes have been approved by the Commission.

They include the following codes: 300 to be used as the harmonised code for Call Centre/Help Desk on all mobile networks; 301 for voice Mail Deposit; 302 for Voice Mail Retrieval; 303 for Borrow Services; 305 for STOP Service; 310 for Check Balance, and 311 for Credit Recharge.

“Also, the common code for Data Plan across networks is now 312. In line with the new direction, 321 is for Share Services, while 323 is for Data Plan Balance. The code, 996, is now for Verification of Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) Registration/NIN-SIM Linkage. The code, 2442, is retained for Do-Not-Disturb (DND) unsolicited messaging complaint management, while the common code, 3232, is also retained for Porting Services, otherwise called Mobile Number Portability.

“The old and new harmonised short codes will run concurrently up until the May 17, 2023, when all networks are expected to have fully migrated to full implementation of the new codes. The period between now and May 17, 2023 is provided by the NCC to enable telecom consumers to familiarise themselves with the new codes for various services.

10

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TEN

United States Records Two Bank Failures in Three Days Nigeria’s Signature Bank: We have no affiliation with collapsed New York financial institution New York-based Signature Bank has been closed by regulators in the country - the third largest failure in United States banking history.

The development came two days after US authorities shut down Silicon Valley Bank in a collapse that stranded billions in deposits, according to Reuters.

But Nigeria’s Signature Bank Limited yesterday, clarified that it does not have any affiliation with Signature Bank, New York, that was shut down on Sunday.

The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) in the United States took control of Signature,

which had $110.36 billion in assets and $88.59 billion in deposits at the end of last year, according to New York state's Department of Financial Services.

All of the depositors of Signature Bank and Silicon Valley Bank would be made whole, and, "no losses will be borne by the taxpayer," the US Treasury Department and other bank regulators said in a joint statement.

Signature's failure followed Silicon Valley Bank's Friday shutdown, the second largest in US history behind Washington Mutual, which collapsed during the 2008 financial crisis.

Investors were unnerved by the

PRESIDENCY: FEB 25 PRESIDENTIAL POLL BETTER THAN PAST ELECTIONS IN NIGERIA on past elections and due credit should be given to the government and people of this country," Shehu stated.

The Presidency thanked former ambassadors Mark Green and Johnnie Carson, along with other foreign observers, for their concerns over the logistics of the general election in Nigeria and their work as observers on the National Democratic Institute/ International Republican Institute Election Observation Missions.

The statement said, "It is worth setting their comments in context.

No one has disputed the result of the election, except the candidates that fell short. The biggest and the most competitive presidential election in the history of Nigeria has been won by one man: Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

"The US State Department congratulated President-elect Bola Tinubu of the governing All Progressives Congress (APC) and the people of Nigeria on the outcome of the ‘competitive election’.

"British Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak, was also quick to congratulate the winner, on this victory. And so did many others in ECOWAS

and the African Union.

"Though it is true there were some delays and technical faults in the process that we can learn from – as is the case in any election the world over – the vote progressed and consolidated democracy in Nigeria. The integrity of the Electoral Act of 2022 was strengthened.

"The Bimodal Voter Accreditation System cut out ghost, unauthorised or multiple votes to stem fraud.

The election may not have been pluperfect, but due to the steps the government has taken, it is an improvement on previous polls.

That achievement should not be overlooked. The next step is for the election commission to ensure transparency in collation.

"Adverse reactions as received from some quarters are themselves a part of the learning process for everyone. Elsewhere, the world had been treated to epic lies, obfuscation, jingoism and hate, and told by global media to expect a different outcome.

Nigerians shocked the world by refusing religious hatred and sectarian politics. All true friends of Nigeria should join the people in proceeding forward for sustainable peace."

speed at which startup-focused SVB, the 16th largest lender in the US, was toppled by customer withdrawals.

The episode last week erased more than $100 billion in market value from US banks, prompting swift action from government officials over the weekend to try and restore confidence in the financial system.

The FDIC established a "bridge" successor bank on Sunday enabled customers to access their funds today. Signature Bank's depositors and borrowers will automatically become customers of the bridge bank, the FDIC said.

The regulator named former Fifth Third Bancorp chief executive Greg Carmichael as CEO of the bridge bank.

Signature was a commercial bank with private client offices in

New York, Connecticut, California, Nevada and North Carolina, and had nine national business lines including commercial real estate and digital asset banking.

As of September, almost a quarter of its deposits came from the cryptocurrency sector, but the bank announced in December that it would shrink its crypto-related deposits by $8 billion.

Signature Bank had announced in February that its chief executive officer, Joseph DePaolo, would transition into a senior adviser role in 2023 and would be succeeded by the bank's chief operating officer, Eric Howell.

DePaolo has served as president and CEO since Signature's inception in 2001.

The bank had a long-standing relationship with former President Donald Trump and his family,

president, Professor Yemi Osinbajo, APC National Secretary, Senator Iyiola Omisore, and other national executive members of the ruling party.

Speaking with newsmen after the meeting, the member-elect for Bungudu/Maru Federal Constituency of Zamfara State, Hon Abdulmalik Bungudu, said the issue of who would take office in the 10th National Assembly was not Tinubu’s priority for now.

Bungudu said the message delivered by Shettima, on behalf of the president-elect, was aimed at spurring members-elect to focus on the upcoming governorship and state legislative elections.

Bungudu stated regarding Tinubu, "For now, he said he doesn't have anybody that he prefers to have as Senate President or Speaker, but consultations are going to continue to get the way out for the party and to also ensure the party emerges victorious in the forthcoming governorship and Houses of Assembly elections.”

But some of the senators-elect and House of Representatives memberselect, who spoke to journalists after the meeting, disclosed that APC’s message to them had nothing to do with choices for leadership positions in the in-coming National Assembly.

Aside agreeing that the issue of zoning of leadership positions in the National Assembly was not a point of discussion at the meeting, the members-elect, who turned up in an their number, confirmed that the focus of the meeting was on next Saturday’s governorship and state legislative elections.

Four of the members-elect, who spoke with newsmen, including Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon Femi Gbajabiamila; Senator representing Borno South, Ali Ndume; Senator representing Niger East Senatorial District, Mohammed Sani Musa; and the member-elect for Kaura Namoda/Birnin Magaji Federal

Signature Bank Limited is a wholly-owned Nigerian Bank that officially opened to customers on November 21, 2022, with its Head Office in Abuja.

“Signature Bank Limited has put in place robust technology and digital banking channels that will ensure customers can access its services from the comfort of their homes, offices, or at leisure.

“Signature Bank Limited is overseen by a deeply experienced and renowned Board of Directors led by Dr. Mutiu Sunmonu.

Signature Bank Limited is committed to deliver banking to every Nigerian’s doorstep through digital channels and a focus on service excellence and customer centricity.

We believe that the individuality and uniqueness of every customer should be celebrated,” the statement added.

CBN DIRECTS COMMERCIAL BANKS TO ACCEPT, PAY OUT OLD N500, N1, 000 NOTES met with the Bankers’ Committee and directed that the old banknotes remained legal tender alongside the redesigned notes.

But in apparent reaction to public unease over the federal government’s long silence and delayed response to the March 3 Supreme Court ruling on the currency redesign, the presidency yesterday said the CBN did not need a further directive from President Muhammadu Buhari to comply with the apex court’s order. The presidency said this in a statement by presidential spokesperson, Mallam Garba Shehu.

Relatedly, the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), yesterday, gave the federal government one-week ultimatum to resolve the present scarcity of both the naira and petrol, which had caused untold hardship to the masses, or face a nationwide workers strike.

In another development, CBN Governor, Mr. Godwin Emefiele, described as fake news a report that he had launched a fresh plot against

the president-elect, Bola Tinubu.

The CBN stated, “In compliance with the established tradition of obedience to court orders and sustenance of the rule of law principle that characterised the government of President Muhammadu Buhari, and by extension, the operations of the CBN, as a regulator, deposit money banks operating in Nigeria have been directed to comply with the Supreme Court ruling of March 3, 2023.

“Accordingly, the CBN met with the Bankers’ Committee and has directed that the old N200, N500 and N1000 banknotes remain legal tender alongside the redesigned banknotes till December 31, 2023.

Consequently, all concerned are directed to conform accordingly.”

Earlier yesterday, Buhari washed his hands of the reported refusal of the federal government to comply with the ruling of the Supreme Court extending the validity of the old banknotes to December 31, 2023.

The presidency said the CBN did

TINUBU: I HAVE NO PREFERRED CANDIDATES FOR 10TH NATIONAL ASSEMBLY LEADERSHIP the composition of the leadership of the soon-to-be composed 10th National Assembly was delivered at the meeting by Vice President-elect, Senator Kashim Shettima.

Although there were speculations ahead of the meeting that it was convened by the ruling party to sort out the likely distribution of leadership offices in the two chambers of the National Assembly, to avert a repeat of the 2015 scenario in which the party lost control of the affairs within the chambers, despite having the most seats in both houses.

The meeting chaired by the party's chairman, Senator Abdulahi Adamu, was exclusive, as journalists were not allowed inside.

But one of the elected members of the House of Representatives, Festus Adefiranye of Ileoluji/Okeigbo/ Odigbo Federal Constituency of Ondo State, confirmed that Tinubu's speech was read by Shettima.

He said Tinubu urged the lawmakers-elect to network among themselves to agree on the emergence of a leadership that would be agreeable to them. He added that Tinubu said whomever they came up with would be presented to the party leadership, which would ensure that such complies with the principle of justice, balance and equity, in line with the zoning arrangement of the party.

On why the president-elect was absent at the meeting, another member-elect of the House of Representatives from Ilaje/Ese Odo Federal Constituency of Ondo State, Donald Ojogo, said Tinubu was busy working in Lagos ahead of the March 18 governorship and state assembly elections in the state.

Ojogo said Tinubu also charged the lawmakers-elect to return to their constituencies to work at the grassroots to ensure victory for the party this weekend.

The meeting, which held at the Old Banquet Hall of the Presidential Villa, had in attendance, the vice

providing Trump and his business with checking accounts and financing several of the family's ventures.

Meanwhile, Nigeria’s Signature Bank Limited has clarified that it does not have any affiliation with Signature Bank, New York.

The financial institution disclosed this in a statement made available to THISDAY yesterday.

It explained: “The attention of the bank has been drawn to recent news surrounding the closure of Signature Bank, New York, by US financial regulators on Sunday, March 12, 2023.

“For purposes of clarity, we wish to inform the general public that Signature Bank Limited has no affiliation, relationship, or connection (business or otherwise) with Signature Bank, New York, or any other bank outside of Nigeria.”

Constituency, Aliyu Sani Jaji, all said the focus was next Saturday’s elections.

According to Gbajabiamila, “The meeting was to bring members-elect, both Senate and the House, together to assure members that in spite of all the odds against the party, we were able to overcome and we were able to congratulate everybody.

“On the issue on zoning, we did not talk about it because we’re not there yet. We have an election coming up this weekend.

And we needed to make sure that everybody goes back home, roll up your sleeves, get your hands dirty.

We’re not there yet so we need to compel the victory before we start talking about the leadership of the national assembly. The reason we didn’t discuss zoning is because we all agreed to tarry for a while until we finish the elections.”

On the rumour surrounding him being considered for the office of Chief of Staff, Gbajabiamila said, “I don’t know anything about that Chief of Staff thing. All I heard was that I didn’t come here last week to pick up my certificate and for that reason, somebody conjectured that I must be in line for the office, because I didn’t care about my mandate.

“I was in Lagos and I could not leave Lagos because I was campaigning for my party. That’s number one. Again, it’ll interest you to know that I was not here four years ago to pick up my certificate, because I couldn’t make it. I don’t think it is anything significant. I’ll pick up my certificate today or tomorrow.”

Ndume, a former Senate Leader, said, “The meeting ended up well.

That is what we are expecting from the party. We did an assessment of our performance and also go back home to ensure that we take the victory to the end. Nigerians have spoken and decided to elect APC and we have some ups and downs as usual in every electoral process.

“The party appealed to National Assembly members-elect to play down the leadership issues and focus more on ensuring that we take the election battle to the end and that is to ensure that we win our states. So the party has charged us and agreed that interactions like these should be frequent to allow us go in the same direction to avoid bad experiences of 2015 and 2019.

“The issues of zoning did not come up. The Nigerian government now is going to be the National Assembly government, because the president, vice president, party chairman, and secretary are all senators. So, we are going to have a rancour-free relationship.

“What we agreed is the members of the National Assembly should produce their leadership, based on who they think is the best and also considering the issues at stake and putting in place justice, fairness and equity. The president-elect will at the appropriate time take his decision.”

Senator Mohammed Sani Musa said, “This is a family affair meeting and it went very well. The national chairman and the vice president-elect welcomed all elected National Assembly members and we appreciated the thoughts they have given us, that we should all go back to our various states to make sure that come March 18, we are able to present our governorship candidates to the people so that on that day, they will emerge victorious.

“It is a family affair. This is not the right time to talk about zoning. All we need now is to consolidate our victory. We have won the presidential and we should be able to take at least a minimum of 30 states.

“After the governorship election, we are going to gather again and by then we’ll take stock of what we have achieved and then the zoning system that the party wants to adopt will be given us. The party agrees that all members will agree with what the party decides.”

not require a presidential directive to comply.

The presidency, in a statement issued by presidential spokesperson, Shehu, stated that at no time did Buhari direct the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) and the CBN not to comply with the apex court’s order on the on-going currency swap.

Shehu said Buhari, in the close to eight years of his administration, had never done anything to delay or obstruct the course of justice, but would rather continue to respect the judicial process and authority of the courts.

The statement said, "The Presidency wishes to react to some public concerns that President Muhammadu Buhari did not react to the Supreme Court judgement on the issue of the N500 and N1,000 old currency notes, and states here plainly and clearly that at no time did he instruct the Attorney General and the CBN governor to disobey any court orders involving the government and other parties.

"Since the president was sworn into office in 2015, he has never directed anybody to defy court orders, in the strong belief that we can't practise democracy without the rule of law and the commitment of his administration to this principle has not changed.

"Following the on-going intense debate about the compliance concerning the legality of the old currency notes, the presidency, therefore, wishes to state clearly that President Buhari has not done anything knowingly and deliberately to interfere with or obstruct the administration of justice.

"The president is not a micromanager and will not, therefore, stop the Attorney General and the CBN governor from performing the details of their duties in accordance with the law. In any case, it is debatable at this time if there is proof of wilful denial by the two of them on the orders of the apex court.

"The directive of the president, following the meeting of the Council of State, is that the bank must make available for circulation all the money that is needed and nothing has happened to change the position.

"It is an established fact that the president is an absolute respecter of judicial process and the authority of the courts. He has done nothing in the last eight or so years to act in any way to obstruct the administration of justice, cause lack of confidence in the administration of justice, or otherwise interfere or corrupt the courts and there is no reason whatsoever that he should do so now when he is getting ready to leave office.”

Furthermore, the president’s spokesman noted that the negative campaign and personalised attacks against the president by the opposition and all manner of commentators were unfair and unjust, as no court order at any level had been issued or directed at him.

The statement said further, "As for the cashless system the CBN is determined to put in place, it is a known fact that many of the country’s citizens who bear the brunt

of the sufferings, surprisingly support the policy, as they believe that the action would cut corruption, fight terrorism, build an environment of honesty and reinforce the incorruptible leadership of the president.

"It is, therefore, wide off the mark to blame the president for the current controversy over the cash scarcity, despite the Supreme Court judgement. The CBN has no reason not to comply with court orders on the excuse of waiting for directives from the president.”

Buhari also rejected the impression that he lacked compassion, saying, "No government in our recent history has introduced policies to help economically marginalised and vulnerable groups like the present administration.”

Collect Old Notes or Be Shut Down, Sanwo-Olu, Soludo Tell Banks

Meanwhile, to try to ameliorate the suffering engendered by the federal government’s sloppy implementation of the currency redesign, the governors of Lagos State, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu, and Anambra State, Professor Chukwuma Soludo, yesterday, directed residents of their respective states to continue transactions with the old naira notes.

Sanwo-Olu gave the directive in a letter he wrote and addressed to Lagosians yesterday.

The governor said his directive on collection of the old naira notes was based on the Supreme Court verdict, which extended the validity of the notes to December 31, 2023, and the Bankers Committee’s directive to the commercial banks during its meeting on Sunday, March 12, 2023.

Sanwo-Olu expressed displeasure at the difficulties and pain Lagosians currently faced due to the naira redesign. He said the Lagos State government would sanction any business that failed to collect the old notes, warning that any bank branch that refuses to collect the notes would be shut down immediately and reported to the CBN. The governor told Lagos residents to lodge complaints against any bank that refused to accept deposits of old notes to the Lagos State Consumer Protection Agency (LASCOPA).

The statement read, “My dear Lagosians, I have noted the difficulties you have been having over the naira redesign crisis. I feel your pain.

“I discussed with top officials in CBN who assured me that commercial banks were directed to accept the old N500 and N1,000 notes as deposits and pay them out for withdrawals.

“They informed me that commercial banks got the directive at a Bankers Committee meeting on Sunday, March 12, 2023.

“I, therefore, urge you to go ahead and have transactions with the old notes. Lagosians should feel free to use the old notes for commercial purposes. Retailers, transporters, traders and all businesses must not reject them, as they remain legal tender, following the Supreme Court Continued on page 27

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NEWS

OTUNBA BALOGUN MARKS 89TH BIRTHDAY...

L-R: Former Chairman, Nestle Nigeria Plc, Chief Olusegun Osunkeye; Founder, FCMB Group, Otunba Olasubomi Balogun and Foremost Industrialist, Chief Samuel Adedoyin, during the 89th birthday celebration of Otunba Balogun held in Lagos.... recently

Adamu: Tinubu, APC Will Work Out Formula for Sharing N'Assembly Positions Cautions against portraying offices in federal legislature as sectional rights Adedayo Akinwale in Abuja National Chairman of All Progressives Congress (APC), Senator Abdulahi Adamu, has said the president-elect, Bola Tinubu, and the leadership of the party would engage in appropriate consultation to work out a plan for the allocation of principal offices in the National Assembly.

Adamu assured that whatever sharing formula the party and the president-elect arrived at would be equitable and satisfy the majority of party members. But he warned against depicting offices in the federal legislature as sectional privileges.

Adamu spoke yesterday at

a meeting of the APC National Working Committee (NWC) and Tinubu, the vice president-elect, Senator Kashim Shettima, and National Assembly members-elect, held at the Banquet Hall, Presidential Villa, Abuja.

The APC national chairman stated that the party was not comfortable with the tone adopted by some of those who sought the National Assembly offices. He said the offices were not tribal or sectional rights and must not be so portrayed.

He said it was fair and honourable to admit that the February 25 elections were not perfect, adding that the ruling party did not set out to conduct perfect elections.

According to him, world history

has no instances of perfect elections, but, “Like all other democratic nations, we set out to conduct free, fair, and credible elections.

This we did.”

Adamu stressed that for the first time in the country's elections, there were no allegations of vote-buying and outcry over the other ills associated with the conduct of the elections. He noted that rigging might not be dead, but it had been decapitated, saying the country's democracy is maturing, and the people are maturing with it.

Adamu explained that from the results of the February 25 general election announced by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), the ruling party won the

presidency, clean and clear, and a majority in both chambers of the National Assembly. He stressed that APC chose not to rout other political parties because they were partners in national progress and development.

Adamu said he looked forward to the governorship and state Houses of Assembly elections on March 18. He said he was sure the results would make the party's victory even sweeter.

Adamu noted that elections at the national level were over and the party was now in the critical phase of forming a government. He said it was a tough phase because whatever the APC-led government decided from this moment would make or

Appeal Court Reserves Verdict in Adeleke's Appeal against Sack Alex Enumah in Abuja The Court of Appeal in Abuja, yesterday, reserved its judgment in the appeal filed by Osun State Governor, Senator Ademola Adeleke against his ordered removal from office.

Justice M.F. Shuaibu, who led a three-member panel of the appellate court made the announcement, shortly after lawyers representing parties adopted and argued their briefs of argument for and against the suit.

While Adeleke, represented by Chief Onyechi Ikpeazu, adduced reasons why the appellate court should set aside the judgment of the Governorship Election Petition Tribunal that nullified his victory in last year's poll, for erring in law, Chief Lateef Fagbemi, who represented, candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Chief Gboyega Oyetola, argued otherwise.

At the end of the arguments however, Justice Shuaibu, announced before the court that judgment would be delivered on a date that would be communicated to parties.

While Adeleke was the appellant in the appeal marked: CA/AK/ EPT/GOV/01/2023, Oyetola, APC, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the People's Democratic Party (PDP) were 1st to 4th respondents respectively.

Adeleke had on February 9th, appealed the judgement of the Osun State Governorship Tribunal which nullified his election.

The tribunal had ruled in favour of a former governor of the state Gboyega Oyetola.

While delivering the judgment, two out of the three-member panel of the tribunal held that Oyetola proved that there was over-voting in some of the polling units.

Chairman of the tribunal, Justice Tertsea Kume, who read the majority judgment, had disclosed that the excess votes were deducted following which Oyetola won the election.

According to Justice Kume, having deducted the over-voting figure, Oyetola scored 314,921, while Ademola polled 290,266 votes.

Adeleke in the 31 grounds of appeal was praying the court for “an order setting aside the whole decision of the tribunal.”

The governor equally sought, “an order striking out the petition for want of competence and jurisdiction or in the alternative, an order dismissing the petition on the merit.

“The tribunal, in its judgment, erred in law and displayed bias against the appellant when it made reference to the appellant’s dance at his inauguration as governor of Osun state which was never an issue before the lower tribunal,” Adeleke noted.

“By referring to the appellant’s personal eccentricity for dancing, the lower tribunal derided and mocked him in a manner suggesting that it was biased against him.

“The appearance of bias manifests in the reference to the Appellant’s proclivity for dancing and particularly the Buga song, has rendered the decision of the lower Tribunal a nullity.”

Justice Kume had while deliver-

ing the judgment said, "the second respondent cannot ‘go lo lo lo lo’ and ‘buga won’ as the duly elected governor of Osun state.” the governor said.

“The tribunal in its judgment erred in law in returning the 1st respondent as the duly elected candidate without due regard to the enormity of the voters in the units where the results were cancelled for over-voting.”

mar the new administration.

The chairman emphasised the need for teamwork between the National Assembly and the executive. He said the presidentelect needed assistance in putting together a new national team that would help him make a positive difference in the institution of good governance.

Adamu expressed optimism that Tinubu’s policies would be guided by the party manifesto.

He stated, "Secondly, a democratic government is a government freely instituted by the people. A government of the people by the people is a servant of the people in the service of the people. We must never lose sight of what this entails in our form of government.

Despite your wealth and your sartorial elegance, you still must be prepared to dirty your hands in serving the people.

"You must not relish your bigmanism at the expense of the interests and the hopes of the people, who gave us the vote. On the day you received the people’s vote you signed a binding sacred social contract with them."

Adamu pointed out that the media, especially the social media, were full of speculations about some of the National Assembly members-elect jostling for leadership positions in the National Assembly, which he said was not unusual.

He reiterated that people had the right to struggle for positions of leadership for which they believed

they were eminently qualified.

"But we, in the National Working Committee of the party, are not comfortable with the tone adopted by those who seek those offices,” he said.

Adamu added, “Those offices are not tribal or sectional rights and must not be so portrayed.

"We would like to offer a word of caution to all of you in this regard. It may be good to start early but sometimes when you start too early you jump the gun and court unintended consequences that may cause nasty divisions in the party and, thus, affect its health.

Leadership positions at the national level are a delicate matter and must not be approached with levity or lack of seriousness.

"It may be good to start early but it is wiser to be patient. Some of you may recall what happened to the party and the National Assembly in 2015, when some members of the national legislature chose not to wait for the decision of the president and the party in sharing those offices. It created bad blood within the party and between the executive and the legislature. I urge us not to regress.

"The president-elect and the party leadership will make appropriate consultations in working out a formula for sharing those offices. I assure you that whatever sharing formula the party and the president-elect arrives at will be fair, just, equitable and satisfy the majority of our members."

Senate Presidency: Ohanaeze, Ebonyi APC Drum Support for Umahi Chuks Okocha in Abuja Ebonyi State Governor, Dave Umahi is being supported by various groups, including Ohanaeze Ndigbo to emerge the president of the 10th Senate.

Umahi, saw off stiff competition from co-contestants to emerge Senator-elect for Ebonyi South Senatorial District on the platform of the All Progressives Congress in the February 25 Presidential and National Assembly elections.

In a statement signed by the Secretary General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide, Okechukwu Isiguzoro, the group premised its reason for supporting Umahi on his proven democratic temperament, "without penchant for sectional politics."

The statement further stressed that beyond settling for the South-

east for the position of the Senate President, was the need to pick a leader acceptable to all zones of the country and a man without ethnic or religious bias in his bones.

"Umahi fits in this! When some politicians here were pursuing selfish interests, Umahi who is currently the Senator- elect for Ebonyi South Senatorial Zone took his people into the mainstream of Nigerian politics, just like he saw tomorrow.

“He has made friends across the divide and has demonstrated tolerance for all sections and strata.

He is most fitted for the cap.

"For the interest of unity, gains of Umahi's proven commitment to one Nigeria, infrastructure and human development, Igbo interest and need to galvanise support for our long sought chance to have one of us stride to presidency in the

near future; we seek the support of all to enthrone Umahi as the next Senate President," the statement read in part.

Toeing the same path, different Igbo groups, including South East Traditional Rulers, Elders Council as well as political organisations called for support for the Ebonyi Governor, citing his track records in his stewardship of Ebonyi State from 2015 till date.

Meanwhile, the State Working Committee (SWC) of the APC in Ebonyi State has described Umahi as a perfect fit for the Office of the Senate President of the 10th National Assembly billed for inauguration in June.

This was just as the SWC described the governor as a man capable of championing a robust legislative relationship with the president-elect, Bola Tinubu, who

is set to assume office on May 29 this year.

The working committee in an open letter addressed to the president-elect, titled, "The Quest for a New President of the Nigerian Senate," jointly signed by the duo of Stanley Emegha and Charles Ofoke, Chairman and Secretary of Ebonyi State Chapter of APC respectively, hinged its support for the governor on his capacity and competence to lead the red chamber effectively if given the opportunity.

The letter read in part, “The incoming Senator Umahi is a highly detribalised Nigerian of Ebonyi State extraction. He has proven this and has continued to prove it in his relationships with other states, tribes, ethnic, regional and religious groupings across the country. The records are there.

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TUESDAY, ͹ͼ˜ ͺ͸ͺͻ ˾ T H I S D AY

NEWS

INTERMENT OF OBA YINUSA ADEKOYA...

Ogun State Governor, Prince Dapo Abiodun signing the condolence register at the palace of the late Dagburewe of Idowa, Oba Yinusa Adekoya, during the internment of the monarch according to Muslim rites... yesterday

Falana: Nigeria's Political Class Don't Want Democracy to Survive …Says myth of political structure destroyed Wale Igbintade Human rights lawyer, Mr. Femi Falana, yesterday said members of the political class have shown by their conduct in recent times that they were not prepared to allow democracy to survive in the country.

The Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), also added that those arrested for various election malpractices and manipulation of results in the last presidential, and National Assembly elections should face the wrath of law.

Speaking yesterday on Channels Television’s 'Politics Today,' Falana said the last election was marred by insecurity in many places, late arrival of materials, violence and thuggery, and manipulations of results, adding that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) also admitted all did not go well with the exercise.

He said: ‘’Members of the political class have shown that they are not prepared to allow democracy to survive in our country. So, for me it is not enough to review the last election without putting on trial those that have been arrested for various election malpractices, such as manipulation of results, legal possession of arms and ammunition and shooting recklessly

to scare voters.

"If you do not arraign those who have been arrested for electoral offences, you’re simply telling them to come again. So, we have to make an example of them to discourage others.

I am aware that in Port Harcourt a legislator caught with about $498,000 has been arraigned before the court, but with a wrong charge. " Instead of charging him with inducement of voters, he was charged with money laundering. INEC will have to work with other security agencies to put on trial those who have been arraigned for exposing the country to ridicule."

He, however, said in spite of the challenges related to the February 25 presidential and national assembly elections, many positives were recorded, including the destruction of the myth of political structure, adding that the people have shown that they are the structure.

He said: “There are some positive developments that were recorded.

For instance, the myth of these political structures has been destroyed whereby people have shown that we are the structure, and the people are the structure ultimately.

“Secondly, young people have also shown this time around that we are going to determine the

future of our country. Thirdly, you no longer have to be a money bag to contest elections in Nigeria. Another development is whereas the Senate chamber has been converted to a resting home for former governors; this time around, many of the governors lost their seats, they lost in the election and so they won’t be able to go back to the national assembly.

“The other development is that sitting governors and the sitting president could not win their

states for their political parties. So, in spite of the challenges, a number of positive developments have been recorded by our country, and of course, I think the most significant is the use of BVAS for accreditation.

It has improved the accreditation of voters.’’

Falana, however, lamented the inability of INEC to upload results to it's central server electronically in real-time as they promised ahead of the elections, but expressed hope the electoral body addresses the

not only to the Labour Party, but to all other litigants as well.

He said: "I want to assure you that the Commission will not hide any document from anybody and will make available any document that they have requested. There are two categories of documents. Those that are in the headquarters of INEC, I will easily make available to you.

“Specifically the EC8Ds from the states and the ECD A, which is the collation at the national collection centre by the commission itself. The EC8E, the declaration, so I think a total of 39 documents, these we can easily certify and give you almost immediately.

"As for other documents that you are asking for, they are at state level, so we need to work out the

that INEC has directed that all the complainants to head to the tribunals, where those who have been alleged to have manipulated the election would be sued together with INEC. On voters' apathy he said: ‘’We were expecting improvement because young people registered to vote, but because of the excruciating monetary policy of the Central Bank many people who had registered in their home states could not travel to participate in the election.''

Exploitative Fares: Aviation Expert Explains Why Nigerians Pay more for International Travel FAAN repairs Lagos airport runway Chinedu Eze The decision for air passengers to pay in naira instead of in dollars may be the reason why Nigerians are paying more for international air travel.

Foreign airlines close their low inventory and open their high inventory for Nigerians who wish to pay for tickets in naira, while the low

inventory are available in dollars.

The President of Aviation Round Table (ART) and also the President, Sabre Network, West and Central Africa, Dr. Gabriel Olowo explained to THISDAY, that Nigerians chose to limit payments of travel only to naira, whereas fares globally are dominated in dollars.

In other words, foreign airlines have disinclination to the naira

OBI REPLIES CHURCH LEADERS, ELDER STATEMEN, SAYS TINUBU NOT GOD’S WILL IN PRESIDENTIAL POLL However, speaking during a meeting with Labour Party representatives at the INEC’s headquarters, Mahmood, confirmed receiving a letter from head of Labour Party legal team dated March 6, which was a notification of their visit to the Commission headquarters to inspect the materials and to get in touch with all the Resident Electoral Commissioners (RECs) across the 37 states of the federation to make the documents and information available for the prosecution of their petition.

The INEC boss promised to schedule a meeting with the RECs before the end of yesterday, to discuss among other issues, the matter of make available all that was requested of the Commission,

challenge before the March 18 governorship and state assembly elections.

He said that after postponing the governorship and state assembly elections by one week, INEC has no excuse, not to upload results from polling units on real-time.

On INEC’s power to review election results, he said from the information at his disposal, INEC had lots of complaints, and if INEC was to address all of them there was going to be a crisis. He disclosed

schedule so that we would know when your team is going to which state and on which date so that we can easily facilitate not just certification of documents, but also the inspection that you requested for each of these documents.

"The other one is accreditation data from the back end. This will also be made available to you.

Remember that the accreditation data covers over 176,000 polling units. We have to print them physically certify them, and give them to you.”

Speaking further, the INEC boss said: "They will also make arrangements and notify our RECs of your intended visit so that these documents will be made available to you, those that are at the state

level, including access to inspection of any category of materials.

"So I crave your indulgence to suggest that let your team interface with the legal team of the Commission immediately. So you work these things out and then we make all the documents available to you.

"But please be assured lead counsel that INEC has nothing to hide. Whatever you're asking for will be made available to you.

So, I want to thank you for coming. Now the meeting will be between our technical people and you will just work things out so that whatever we need to facilitate as a commission, you can get the document that you require as a matter of urgency.”

because of its weakness and the fact that if they sell tickets in naira they may not be able to repatriate their revenue in time.

This he said had prompted them to advertise their high inventories in naira so that anyone buying ticket in the Nigerian currency would pay more, but if such person was paying in dollars, he would purchase tickets on low inventory prices.

Olowo further explained that purchase of tickets was as a result of, “chances, choices and consequences” “Whereas Nigerian airlines whose fuel uplift (fuel being the highest cost element) here at home is bleeding them, talk less of foreign carriers whose major cost elements are borne at their head offices outside Nigeria.

“Earning net of taxes has a huge backlog of remittance dating back to more than one year in the face of galloping devaluation. The alternative is to permit payment options in USD, credit card and any other strong currency but not restricted to Naira.

You can be sure the airlines will open all inventory immediately for sale because dollar will be remitted for dollar,” Olowo explained.

He also emphasised that the services of foreign airlines were highly needed in Nigeria because Nigerian airlines have not grown

to fill the vacuum which absence of foreign airlines would create.

“Without being an advocacy for foreign airlines, their services are highly needed because Nigerian carriers have not evolved to the level of filling the gap, not due to their own fault but that of the state, the state lacks the will. As we speak, National Carrier is eight years in Pregnancy.

“Until Nigeria births strong airlines, pressure on Naira will persist and restriction on the Nigeria point of sale will remain. No amount of appeal or coercion will solve the problem. It is simply market dictates,” he said.

However, the National Association of Nigeria Travel Agencies (NANTA) has lamented that foreign airlines exploit Nigerian travellers by selling tickets at outrageous fares.

Recently the association said it was seeking a solution to eliminate the fare profiteering of foreign airlines in Nigeria, which charge exploitative tickets on Nigerian passengers, leaving their low fares in foreign currency.

NANTA President, Mrs. Susan Akporiaye, had described the high inventories as unfair and uncompetitive.

Continues online

TUESDAY MARCH 14, 2023 • T H I S D AY

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T H I S D AY ˾ TUESDAY MARCH 14, 2023

POLITICS

Acting Group Politics Editor DEJI ELUMOYE Email: deji.elumoye@thisdaylive.com (08033025611 SMS ONLY)

Three Horse Race for Lagos House Segun James reports that Saturday’s battle for Lagos gubernatorial seat is a three horse race between candidates of the All Progressives Congress, Labour Party and Peoples Democratic Party.

Sanwo-Olu

W

ill there be an upset in the political firmament of Lagos? This is the question as Segun James looks at the political dynamics in Saturday’s three horse race to Lagos House, Ikeja The race for the governorship election in Lagos state has reached a crescendo. The main combatants are the incumbent governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Olajide Adediran aka Jandor of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Mr. Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour of the Labour Party (LP).

Ahead of this Saturday’s poll, there has been some realignment of forces and manoeuvrings as contenders struggle for the soul of the richest state in the country. The battle has been keen and intriguing.

Unlike in the past, when most candidates fielded by one party in Lagos are almost guaranteed to win, the situation has changed with the recent unexpected performance of the Labour Party which came as a third force in the political dynamics of the country, a situation which has upturned the power calculations in Lagos state. This has forced the ruling APC to take a second look at its continued hold on power in the Centre of Excellence.

A Different Turf Until recently, it would have been safe to conclude that the race for the Lagos House in Ikeja is between the APC and APC; and that the APC will win. Not anymore.

The performance of the LP presidential candidate, Mr. Peter Obi in the February 25 poll was a surprise to many political pundits.

Not only did he demystify the unassailable aura of the National Leader of the APC, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, in Lagos, he also beat him to second place in the race.

An unthinkable feat.

The unexpected win is now the fuel that is propelling not only the LP and its candidate but also the PDP. In the past, politics in Lagos state was centred around an individual, Tinubu, who solely determines everything in the polity in the state and who gets what from the system.

This system has gone on for so long that it is now taken for granted.

The governorship campaigns would end on Thursday yet, the road towards the election has been strewn with blackmail and intrigues such that it has assumed an ethnic dimension.

The Issue Lagos is an unusual state. It is the smallest state in the federation with almost 30 percent of its land mass occupied by water.

Yet it houses over 25 million people, a situ-

Rhodes-Vivour

ation which makes it the most populated city in Africa and the fifth largest economy in Africa.

Its infrastructures are busting at the seams as thousands of people continue to stream to the state everyday with no intention to leave.

Today, with the APC losing its firm grip on the polity in the state as the unassailable colossus in the political firmament, Saturday’s election will determine not only who controls the rich financial purse of the state but also the political soul of the state.

Before now, every ambitious politician in the state belongs to the APC. Today, APC is still in power in Lagos but the loss to the Labour Party in the presidential election may have robbed the party of its dominance and influence, a situation which saw many tilting towards another party.

The governorship election will determine the fate of the party in the state.

But what do those jostling for the job have to offer to the richest state in the federation? What are their antecedents? Would a neophyte be able to do the job?

The Gladiators Babajide Sanwo-Olu In politics, fame appears in myriad forms. Over the airwaves and the newsstands, on the political playing field, by ability or by reputation or by a dint of hard work. Qualities that are rare to achieve. For Sanwo-Olu all these and more may have him in good standing.

Since he came to government as a special assistant to the former

Adediran

Deputy Governor of the state, Mr. Femi Pedro, Sanwo-Olu had moved up the political ladder to becoming a special adviser to the Governor, a commissioner in the state Executive council and finally, a managing director of a government-owned parastatal before becoming the state Governor in 2019.

Very ambitious politicians tell tales of what they will do and how they will transform their states into an Eldorado in four years.

But for Sanwo-Olu, these are qualities that are inherent and proven in the last four years as Governor of Lagos state, the most cosmopolitan city in the country.

He is the incumbent, and to his supporters, he should be allowed to continue naturally as the governor since he has proved his competence. Sanwo-Olu has a lot of things going for him. Paramount is the power of incumbency and its accompanying advantages.

In a state like Lagos where money helps to swing the political pendulum very easily, Sanwo-Olu is in good stead.

The Governor has built several infrastructural projects which many in the state can point to. These are legacies that stood him out among the comity of governors. He is a performer and his colleagues including Governors Nyesom Wike of Rivers State and even President Muhammadu Buhari, have attested to this.

Olajide Azeez Adediran It is said that in life, the margin of victory can sometimes be measured in inches, this is what Olajide Adediran aka Jandor symbolizes when he decided to take on the powers that be in the APC by signifying his intention to contest the governorship with the incumbent, Sanwo-Olu in defiance of the party’s leadership. He was audacious!

He confronted the leadership of the party headlong, calling out Tinubu and the party leadership in the state until he was forced out.

He found solace in the Peoples Democratic Party, the main opposition party in the state which at the time of his entry, was a party

Unlike in the past, when most candidates fielded by one party in Lagos are almost guaranteed to win, the situation has changed with the recent unexpected performance of the Labour Party which came as a third force in the political dynamics of the country, a situation which has upturned the power calculations in Lagos state. This has forced the ruling APC to take a second look at its continued hold on power in the Centre of Excellence

in search of a soul. It was moribund and comatose.

The entrance of Jandor brought the party back to life and established itself as the opposition.

He was warmly welcomed by the party leadership at the national level. The PDP presidential candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, was on hand to receive him. Even the leader of the PDP reconciliation committee, Dr. Bukola Saraki, also flew !in to Lagos to welcome him to PDP and practically handed over the party machinery to him. He soon took over the party structures in the state.

Today, Jandor is the party’s governorship candidate. But can he deliver Lagos to the PDP? That is the question. But the woeful performance of the PDP in the presidential election in Lagos, coming a distant third in the presidential race, has become an albatross on his neck.

Jandor is confident that he can still beat Sanwo-Olu and Labour Party’s Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour in Saturday’s election. But until he came to vie for the governorship seat, all the political experience that Jandor has was that he once contested for the primaries of the chairmanship of Mushin Local Government Area under the APC and lost.

A journalist, Jandor was a reporter in Government House while Mr. Babatunde Fashola was the governor. Jandor upon leaving the state government employment set up Core Tv, a cable television channel which specializes in political communication reporting and management.

Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour The days of the big gambles are back; and this time, it is in the Labour Party as the race for Lagos gubernatorial poll peaks this weekend.

This saying may eloquently sum up the position of Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour who has come out as a serious contender for the governorship of the state. He may base his bet on the momentum that followed the strong showing of Peter Obi in the last election in the state, certainly not on his acceptance among the people.

Rhodes-Vivour is a scion of a highly respected and elitist family in Lagos. An intellectual and professional, although he has been a member of the opposition PDP before defecting to clinch the LP governorship ticket, Rhodes-Vivour has no government experience. He was considered an outsider in a two-party race between the APC and the PDP until the surprise showing of Obi and the LP. As the race for the Lagos House at Alausa, Ikeja hots up, only the tough can get going; and with the way things look today, the answer is dicey.

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& RE A S O

Tuesday March 14, 2023 Vol 27. No 10195

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opinion@thisdaylive.com

www.thisdaylive.com

OUR ELECTORAL SEASON OF ANOMIE AND THE ITINERANT HUSTLERS Can we get our politics right and reduce the slacks in our bureaucracy? asks CHARLES ODION IYORE

See page 17

INEC’S STRING OF SCANDALS AND MISMANAGEMENT MBUTOR O. MBUTOR urges the electoral body to put its house in order before the next election

See page 17 EDITORIAL

CHILD TRAFFICKING ON THE STREETS

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It is in the interest of our democracy that the errors that defined the last elections are addressed in the courts, argues PAUL NWABUIKWU

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T H I S D AY

317

TUESDAY MARCH 14, 2023

Can we get our politics right and reduce the slacks in our bureaucracy? asks CHARLES ODION IYORE

MBUTOR O. MBUTOR urges the electoral body to put its house in order before the next election

OUR ELECTORAL SEASON OF ANOMIE AND THE ITINERANT HUSTLERS

INEC’S STRING OF SCANDALS AND MISMANAGEMENT

(YHU\RQH LV WDONLQJ *UHDW VHQVDWLRQ only a remote consideration. These actors $QG EODULQJ WUXPSHW KRUQV &KHVW EHDWLQJ KDYH EHHQ ZDLWLQJ SDWLHQWO\ IRU WKLV VHDVRQ IRRW VWRPSLQJ DQG ORXG YRLFHV 7HDUV DQG and nothing can moderate their desire UHJUHWV RK :LOO VRPHRQH SOHDVH VWRS to make the most of the opportunities. to breathe, and tell me where we are all The aetiology of it all at the heart of this headed? No please, this is the mark of the season of anomie are the political parties, electoral season. A season of anomie with which are deliberately poorly organized many counting their gains and losses – they DQG ZKR GR QRW GHYHORS DQ\ UHJLVWHUV RI proclaim territories, demand refunds from membership. Those loose formations make non-performing hirelings of all descriptions, them suitable to acquire, by candidates and begin preparation for the rounds of desperate for contest tickets. INEC requests court adjudication. Nothing, it would seem, D UHFRUG RI R΀FHV DQG UHSUHVHQWDWLRQ LQ D number of locations but do not request or can stop them in their tracks.

Politicians, are truly the eternal optimists YHULI\ PHPEHUVKLS UHJLVWHUV LQ WKHLU SDUW\ ZKHQ LQ WKH TXHVW IRU SXEOLF R΀FH :KDW D UHJLVWUDWLRQ SURFHVV :LWK QR UHYHQXHV IURP VXEVFULSWLRQ DQG GXHV WKH UHYHQXH YRLGV DUH ÀOOHG E\ WLFNHW KXQWHUV ZKR JR WKURXJK opaque auction processes. The leadership grafting begins immediately sets - in after auctions, with winning factions purloining the proceeds rather than oiling the party PDFKLQHU\ :LWK QR IXQGLQJ IRU SROOLQJ XQLW agents and a dearth of committed members, the parties expect INEC to be their watchful H\HV DQG PD\ HYHQ VHHN WR SD\ IRU VXFK VHUYLFHV ,1(& KRZHYHU UXQV KHU DFWLYLWLHV ZLWK DQ DUP\ RI YROXQWHHUV DQG WHPSRUDU\ VWDͿ Your guess is as good as mine if parties do KXOODEDOORR 7KDW·V DOO WKDW PDWWHUV WR WKH NH\ QRW KDYH WKHLU RZQ WUXVWHG H\HV RQ WKH EDOO players, win and be in charge, no one bothers YRWHV 7KLV LV WKH SRRU OHYHO RI YLJLODQFH to know if there are any incremental gains that makes data switching and alteration RYHU WKH SUHYDLOLQJ SHULRGV RI JRYHUQDQFH SRVVLEOH 7KHUHLQ OLHV WKH GHYLO LQ WKH GHWDLOV This is the way it has always been, except 7KH Á\ LQ WKH RLQWPHQW 6R WKH SUHIHUUHG LQ D IHZ LQVWDQFHV VLQFH :LQQLQJ LV UHODWLRQVKLS ÁRZ IRU RXU SOD\HUV SROLWLFLDQV an opportunity to hold court with ‘loyal’ LV IRU D ZHDN SDUW\ DWWUDFWLYH HQRXJK IRU members, and to be accountable to no one. purchase by ticket hunters, who must 'RHV DQ\RQH DVN LI FLWL]HQV DUH EHWWHU RͿ be ready to be manipulated by the party now than they were in the period leading hierarchy. The party membership attracted XS WR WKH HOHFWLRQV" 1R P\ IULHQG 7KLV IRU to such an association will always be WKHP SROLWLFLDQV LV D VHDVRQ RI JDLQ DQG mercenary in outlook, and probably cluster SURVSHFWV 'R QRW EH GHFHLYHG P\ IULHQG into factions, formed around the competing they are all in it together and the list of role party leaders. These compromised plays in this season of great expectations UHODWLRQVKLSV PDNHV LW GL΀FXOW IRU WKH LV H[KDXVWLYH 7KH SROOLQJ DJHQW ZDLWLQJ party hierarchy to interrogate or check their to sell his/her conscience to the highest FDQGLGDWH ZKHQ WKH\ ZLQ DQG OHDYHV WKH ELGGHU RQFH WKH YRWHV DUH FDVW DQG FROODWHG SDUW\ DGPLQLVWUDWLYH OHDGHUV XQDEOH WR KROG 7KH SROLWLFDO SDUW\ FKDLUPDQ DQG KLV SDUW\ DJHQWV DQG ZRUNHUV ZKR WKH\ KDYH H[HFXWLYHV DXFWLRQLQJ RͿ WLFNHWV WR WKH short-changed, to account. That formation, highest bidders while quietly pocketing the ZLWK VOLJKW YDULDWLRQV LV ZKDW RSHUDWHV DW WKH SURFHHGV 7KH HOHFWRUDO XPSLUHV NQRZLQJ ORFDO JRYHUQPHQW VWDWH DQG IHGHUDO OHYHOV that their decisions present winners with RI RXU DGPLQLVWUDWLYH DUUDQJHPHQWV 6R the keys to the treasury and positioning unaccountable parties cannot be expected WR PDNH WKH PRVW RI LW 7KH WUDGLWLRQDO WR UXQ DFFRXQWDEOH JRYHUQPHQWV 7KLV KDV rulers joining in the fray, willing to abuse been the cycle of our leadership election for WKHLU SROLFH VHDUFK LPPXQLWLHV DQG RͿHULQJ a long time. Caught in the middle, the new their palaces as theatres of political process leadership that emerges from the on-going PDQLSXODWLRQ 7KH SURSKHWV DOIDV DQG processes must be prepared to use their babalawos, full of slanted predictions of GHPRFUDWLF FUHGHQWLDOV DW WKH HQG RI WKH YLFH the outcomes, often for a fee, all claiming grip of the military, to set a new tone and GLUHFW OLQHV WR WKH $OPLJKW\ 7KH PHGLD break from the past.

Democracy as a competition of ideas and IXOO RI FRQMHFWXUHV SHUKDSV SDLG IRU DQG now greatly expanded by the social media FDQGLGDWHV ZLOO DOZD\V KDYH LWV ZLQQHUV DQG RSSRUWXQLWLHV IRU SXEOLVKLQJ WR GLVUXSWLYHO\ losers, but the processes must increasingly PDQLSXODWH YRWHU SHUFHSWLRQV RI WKH HYHQWV become more credible. So can we get our DQG RXWFRPHV 7KH ODZ\HUV ZDLWLQJ LQ politics right and reduce or eliminate the the wings and hoping that the processes are slacks in our bureaucracy? Can we assemble LQFRQFOXVLYH VR WKH\ FDQ PDNH KD\ RXW RI WKH teams to husband our resources for common adjudication. Many throwing out published prosperity? Can that prosperity be created RSLQLRQV DV DGYHUWLVHPHQW DERXW HYHU\ DQG VKDUHG LQ DQ LQFOXVLYH PDQQHU" &DQ ZH possible outcome and boasting of how SURSHUO\ GHÀQH RXU JRYHUQDQFH HTXDWLRQ VR VZLIWO\ WKH\ FDQ YDU\ WKHP LQ WKH FOLHQW·V taxation doesn’t seem alien, but an integral IDYRXU IRU WKH ULJKW IHHV )LQDOO\ WKH YRWHUV SDUW RI WKH GHYHORSPHQW SURFHVV" 7KHVH knowing they are too far down the line of and many more are the questions for now JUDY\ GLVWULEXWLRQ VHWWOLQJ IRU ZKDWHYHU DQG WKH\ FOHDUO\ GR QRW KDYH WRQJXH WULEH SULFH WKHLU YRWH LV ZRUWK 6R OHW·V JHW VHULRXV and creed coloration. Our challenges are Does anyone expect anything credible from XQLYHUVDO DQG RXU VROXWLRQV FDQ EH LQFOXVLYH these relationships and role plays? All the With contributions from Nasiru Zahradeen, DFWRUV DUH SURWHFWLQJ WKHLU SULYDWH LQWHUHVWV Osaze Iyamu, Femi Awoyemi and the defence of the common good is

5HVWUDLQW LV RQH YLUWXH WKDW WKH 1LJHULDQ fair the umpire needed to be assumed a life FLWL]HQU\ KDYH VKRZQ RQ VR PDQ\ WUDJLF QDWLRQDO larger than life itself. It appeared the aero HYHQWV DV WKH ZRUOG ZRQGHUV KRZ D SHRSOH plane carrying the Nigerian democracy FUDPPHG LQ WKH DE\VV RI SRRU JRYHUQDQFH DQG was going to crash. So there was Iwu, there infrastructure decay are mentioned among the was Jega, and there was ballot snatching, happiest people on earth. That roads are poorly WKHUH ZDV IDOVLÀHG UHVXOWV WKHUH ZDV YRWHU maintained, or workers are owed myriad suppression, there was a battery of selected months of salaries could be explained away winners, and there was not much people JRYHUQPHQW GRHV QRW KDYH DOO WKH UHVRXUFHV ZLOOLQJO\ HOHFWHG DW DOO OHYHOV RI JRYHUQPHQW all the time, and restraint and understanding The good thing about national life is that KDYH KHOSHG NHHS WKH SHDFH 1LJHULDQV KDYH decay is gradual and seemingly painless, UHIXVHG WR UHFNRQ WKH SRVVLELOLW\ RI ÁLPÁDP EXW SDLQ FHUWDLQO\ HYHQWXDOO\ FRPHV :H RI WKH JRYHUQPHQW LQ SRZHU ZLWK UHVSHFW WR toed the same path now and again and GHOLYHULQJ VXLWDEOH ZHOO EHLQJ WR FLWL]HQV again, then the result of the incapacity of rather awarded the concession that resources the electorate to choose began to show. are scarce compared to competing uses. The Near collapse of infrastructure - energy, DIRUHPHQWLRQHG UHVWUDLQW RYHUWLPH KDV EHHQ water, name it. Security architecture EXLOW RQ KRSH KRSH WKDW LI FXUUHQW JRYHUQPHQW IHOO RͿ WKH FOLͿ DOO RYHU WKH SODFH %+ is not able to deal with the socio-economic kidnappings, assassinations, arsons, again, challenges, elections would usher in a new name it). In fact, in the seat of power in DGPLQLVWUDWLRQ WR FRQWLQXH WKH HͿRUW $EXMD WKH JRYHUQPHQW LQ SRZHU UDQ DZD\ &RQWLQXLW\ RI JRYHUQPHQW HͿRUWV DW from the Eagle Square, instead hiding in DFKLHYLQJ VHW PDFUR REMHFWLYHV H[SODLQV ZK\ WKH 6WDWH +RXVH WR FHOHEUDWH LPSRUWDQW hitherto poor nations become rich, rich ones QDWLRQDO DQQLYHUVDULHV DQG IULHQGV QHHGHG to scan friends’ trousers to be allowed into their houses. Sister security agencies RSHQO\ JR WR ÀJKW DJDLQVW RQH DQRWKHU DQG the populace applaud the winner. If you KDYH D FDVH ZLWK WKH SROLFH MXVW FDOO \RXU military friend, you are one step to winning the case. The education sector, the health sector, oh my dear country.

Fortunately, the looting sector remained LQWDFW ZLWK WKH JRYHUQPHQW·V FRZ PLONHG dry. Merit disappeared from all spheres of national life, just anyone could be anything. :H KDYH KHDUG DERXW IDNH ODZ\HUV VR what? A lawyer now seems to mean one who wears a wig, not necessarily who has undergone that rigorous training. Rampant building collapse, some of them built by become richer, and the absence of continuity ¶TXDOLÀHG· HQJLQHHUV ,W LV HDVLHU IRU WKH is responsible, in part, for poor countries medical profession because, when mistakes EHFRPLQJ SRRUHU +RZHYHU FRQWLQXLW\ E\ LWVHOI are made people die, and when people die PD\ QRW GHOLYHU WKH JRRGV H[FHSW LW LV LQ WKH SDWK WKH\ JR WR KHOO RU KHDYHQ DQG FDVH FORVHG that carries majority of the population along <HV HYHQ LI WKH\ ZDLW LQ SXUJDWRU\ WKHUH and optimizes the utilization of resources. still go somewhere, only God cares.

The ability to choose the consummate Enough, so in 2015 the country elected SHUVRQQHO IRU JRYHUQDQFH LV RQH NH\ GLͿHUHQFH a known no- none-sense General. Not EHWZHHQ WKH ÀUVW DQG WKH VHFRQG DQG WKLUG RQO\ EHLQJ D *HQHUDO WKH YLFWRU\ ZDV worlds. In the former, power belongs to the celebrated as triumph of democracy as people, democracy is grass roots, while in the incumbent president was defeated. the latter, power often tilts to the highest :H KRSHG LQVHFXULW\ FRUUXSWLRQ DQG RWKHU bidder – he that pays more or wields the most FKDOOHQJHV ZRXOG EH FKDOOHQJHG $ERYH DOO thuggery. As shameful and open this point is, we were told elections would thenceforth LW LV WKH UHDOLW\ LQ PRVW GHYHORSLQJ FRXQWULHV EH IUHH DQG IDLU :H EHOLHYHG WKLV ZLWK WKH 3UHYDOHQW LOOLWHUDF\ DQG ZDQWRQ SRYHUW\ WHQG signing into law of the new Electoral Act. to normalize the high score in this corruption 7KH %9$6 DQG ,5(9 KDG DUULYHG WR FOHDQVH index. The experience in Nigeria has roughly our electoral woes. oscillated this path. During the era of military %XW GLG ZH PDNH D PLVWDNH WR EHOLHYH" JRYHUQPHQW WKH KRSH ZDV WKDW HQWKURQLQJ NO. It worked in Anambra, Osun and Ekiti democracy was the end of the nation’s political States. It really worked, we applauded, woes, after all the worst of democracy is and the world applauded. The electorate EHWWHU WKDQ WKH EHVW RI PLOLWDU\ UXOH DW OHDVW ZDV HQFRXUDJHG DQG EHJDQ WR EHOLHYH LQ VR ZH ZHUH WROG LQ EDVLF JRYHUQPHQW VWXGLHV WKH V\VWHP +RZHYHU HQWHU )HEUXDU\ 7KXV WKHUH VHHPHG WR EH FRQFHUWHG HͿRUW WR the Presidential and National Assembly wear out the military, yes wear out because elections, enter INEC. The frenzy, the the military had the guns so NADECO and HQWKXVLDVP ZH ZHQW WR YRWH 7KH PDMRU RWKHU SURGHPRFUDF\ HQWLWLHV RUJDQLVHG FLYLO ingredient in the credibility garnered by PRYHPHQWV WKH PXFK UHVRXUFH DQG FDSDFLW\ INEC was the immediate transmission of could carry.

UHVXOWV IURP WKH %9$6 WR WKH ,5(9 IURP 7KDQN *RG FDPH VLJKV RI UHOLHI ÀOOHG the polling units. There are about 176,600 WKH DLU LQ 1LJHULD DV FRQVFLRXV HͿRUW RI WKH SROOLQJ XQLWV DFURVV WKH IHGHUDWLRQ 9RWLQJ QHZ JRYHUQPHQW ZDV DVVLJQHG WR HQVXULQJ and counting commenced with optimism LQFOXVLYH JRYHUQPHQW 7KDW DGPLQLVWUDWLRQ VWLOO VXVWDLQHG QHYHU PLQG UHSRUWV RI ORRNHG IRU SHUVRQQHO DOO RYHU WKH FRXQWU\ ZLWK electoral crimes here and there. Enter the emphasis on round pegs in round holes. It INEC Czar, the celebrated transmission really looked like democracy was better than IURP WKH %9$6 FHDVHG ,Q WKDW PRPHQW WKH PLOLWRFUDF\ +RZHYHU WKHUH ZDV D VKRFN LQ country melted into disgrace in the eyes of the middle of the tunnel, that shock had to do the world. with the transition to another administration.

The issue of who would be umpire, and how Dr. Mbutor writes from Abuja

18 4

T H I S D AY

TUESDAY MARCH 14, 2023

EDITORIAL

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

CHILD TRAFFICKING ON THE STREETS The authorities should do well by enforcing the law

I

,JQRULQJ WKH VXEWOH VLJQDOV RI YLROHQFH LQÁLFWHG n Nigeria, according to many reports, children on our children can only lead to disruption in our PDNH XS WKH ODUJHVW JURXS RI WUD΀FNLQJ families and in our society. While we commend YLFWLPV 7KH\ DUH WUD΀FNHG IRU PDQ\ UHDVRQV 1$37,3 IRU LWV HͿRUWV FXUELQJ WKHVH WUDJLF LQFLGHQWV including for sexual exploitation, forced is a collective responsibility. But more importantly, it begging on the streets and organ harvesting. is the duty of government, at all levels, to protect our Young female children are also used in children from the antics of these desperate people. ‘factories’ where they are impregnated for babies To combat this challenge, the federal government that are commoditised by unscrupulous people.

KDG LQ HQDFWHG WKH 7UD΀FNLQJ LQ 3HUVRQV %XW LQ D QHZ WUHQG LQ KXPDQ WUD΀FNLQJ DQG UHODWHG Law Enforcement and Administration Act. It was crimes, the National Agency for the Prohibition of amended in 2005 to prescribe more severe penalties 7UD΀FNLQJ LQ 3HUVRQV 1$37,3 ODVW ZHHN UHVFXHG IRU WUD΀FNLQJ RͿHQGHUV DV ZHOO DV SURKLELWV DOO some babies in Abuja who were being deployed as IRUPV RI KXPDQ WUD΀FNLQJ 'HVSLWH WKLV KXPDQ beggars.

WUD΀FNLQJ UHPDLQV D PDMRU FKDOOHQJH LQ RXU FRXQWU\ NAPTIP, according to its Director General, Fatima while the non-domestication of the Child Rights Waziri-Azi, intercepted the syndicate and promptly Act by many states has rescued three children, only compounded the all under the age of one, problem. With millions of allegedly being rented children are out of school, We must cast away the complacency that has emboldened the out for N3,000 by their they are left at the mercy PRWKHUV WR WUD΀FNHUV perpetrators of this criminal enterprise who exploit the most of mercenaries. to beg for alms. This Therefore, we are of syndicate specialises in vulnerable of our society for illicit gains the strong belief that collecting babies with a demonstration of the connivance of other political will to diligently members of the gang, T H I S D AY SURVHFXWH RͿHQGHUV ZRXOG VHUYH DV GHWHUUHQW WR “hire out these innocent children and position them EDITOR SHAKA MOMODU those engaged in the nefarious trade, irrespective at the roadsides at busy intersections and bus stops, DEPUTY EDITORS WALE OLALEYE, OBINNA CHIMA of their social status. There is also a need for a MANAGING DIRECTOR ENIOLA BELLO where they use them for alms begging.” The modus DEPUTY MANAGING DIRECTOR ISRAEL IWEGBU sustained sensitisation, especially in rural areas, on operandi is to detail another older child to watch CHAIRMAN EDITORIAL BOARD OLUSEGUN ADENIYI WKH GDQJHUV SRVHG E\ ¶JRRG 6DPDULWDQV· ZKR RͿHU over the children as they move them from one point EDITOR NATION’S CAPITAL IYOBOSA UWUGIAREN better lives for children away from the watchful eyes to another and to ensure that the proceeds of the MANAGING EDITOR BOLAJI ADEBIYI of their parents and guardians. A culture where little begging were collected at intervals. “These infants THE OMBUDSMAN KAYODE KOMOLAFE children are expected to provide for, or supplement, are exposed to harsh weather conditions on a daily their family upkeep should also be discouraged basis in a dusty and dirty environment even in the while the authorities must put in place guidelines face of vehicular movement and other forms of abuse T H I S D AY N E W S PA P E R S L I M I T E D RQ WKH KLULQJ RI GRPHVWLF KRXVHKROG VWDͿ WKURXJK without proper feeding,” Waziri-Azu explained.

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF/CHAIRMAN NDUKA OBAIGBENA FHUWLÀHG DJHQFLHV While there seems to be no end to the humiliating GROUP EXECUTIVE DIRECTORS ENIOLA BELLO, KAYODE KOMOLAFE, It is shameful that Nigeria is regarded not only ISRAEL IWEGBU, IJEOMA NWOGWUGWU, EMMANUEL EFENI DFW RI KXPDQ WUD΀FNLQJ LQ RXU FRXQWU\ WKLV LV D QHZ DIVISIONAL DIRECTORS SHAKA MOMODU, PETER IWEGBU, as a transit route for this illegal trade in human low. There is therefore an urgent need for families, ANTHONY OGEDENGBE WUD΀FNLQJ EXW DOVR D VRXUFH DV ZHOO DV D GHVWLQDWLRQ voluntary organisations, and other stakeholders to DEPUTY DIVISIONAL DIRECTOR OJOGUN VICTOR DANBOYI But with little children now becoming merchandise MRLQ WKH HͿRUWV WR SURWHFW WKH 1LJHULDQ FKLOG :H PXVW SNR. ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR ERIC OJEH for what has become another emblem of shame, the cast away the complacency that has emboldened the ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR PATRICK EIMIUHI authorities must wake up and tackle the menace CONTROLLERS ABIMBOLA TAIWO, UCHENNA DIBIAGWU, NDUKA MOSERI perpetrators of this criminal enterprise who exploit DIRECTOR, PRINTING PRODUCTION CHUKS ONWUDINJO urgently. the most vulnerable of our society for illicit gains.

TO SEND EMAIL: first name.surname@thisdaylive.com

Letters to the Editor Letters in response to specific publications in THISDAY should be brief (150-300 words) and straight to the point. Interested readers may send such letters along with their contact details to opinion@thisdaylive.com. We also welcome comments and opinions on topical local, national and international issues provided they are well-written and should also not be longer than (750- 1000 words). They should be sent to opinion@thisdaylive. com along with photograph, email address and phone numbers of the writer.

LETTERS SHUAIB AUDU’S AGENDA FOR KOGI The seven-point agenda of Prince Shaibu Abubakar Audu is a well-conceived and articulated policy document that captures the essence, hopes and expectations of the Kogi people.

The agenda is mirrored in the trajectories of programmes he has put together as the road map for the transformation of the VWDWH LI KH LV HOHFWHG LQWR R΀FH DV WKH JRYHUQRU RI .RJL 6WDWH The main purpose and objectives of this agenda is about reclaiming the state from those tendencies that have militated DJDLQVW WKH GHYHORSPHQW RI WKH VWDWH 7KH DJHQGD ZDV ÀUVW RI DOO put together to pay homage to those who came before us and fought for the creation of the state some of whom have long left us disappointed and upon whose labor our generation should build upon; our forebears of ages past who bequeathed to us a rich history of honour and dignity, who bound together as one indivisible Kogi Confederacy, and fought wars and battle to liberate us from external forces. They taught us that RQO\ LQ ÀJKWLQJ WRJHWKHU FDQ ZH WUXO\ ZLQ 6KXDLEX $EXEDNDU Audu was certain that the ancestors of ours who we know and have learnt about in our history books, are similarly assembled in the great beyond as a cloud of witnesses, cheering us on as we embark on this journey. This is why he wants to be

the governor of the state at this time with his transformational agenda. Audu by his coming forward to seek to be elected as the governor of the state wants to be the instrument through which this divine mandate would be given to do right by his people and honour that oath with God helping him. His agenda would mark the beginning of a new phase in our history and also signal the end of an era or more appropriately the end of an error. Kogi State has been through a horrible period in the wilderness because of what it has experienced since the return of democracy. Our reputation as a people has been sullied and we have become the butt of jokes due to crass ineptitude, ignorance, and ravenous corruption masquerading as governance over the years. Shuaib Abubakar Audu seeks, if voted into ofÀFH DV JRYHUQRU WR OLYH XS WR WKH UHVSRQVLELOLWLHV RI OHDGHUVKLS by thoroughly reviewing documents, to widely disseminate the present positions of things so that all and sundry can know what has become of our Commonwealth. He would embark RQ WKLV WKURXJK LQGHSHQGHQW YHULÀDEOH ÀQGLQJV WKDW ZRXOG LQdicate this through the open governance concepts.

In his governance agenda, his administration would ensure that within 100 days of his being sworn in as Governor, the

people will know the true positions of things in keeping with his ethos of transparency and accountability in governance.

He would not be interested in trial by the media, witch hunting or playing to the gallery. He would seek out the truth and lay it before the people as a starting point. $XGX KDV VDLG LW WLPH DQG DJDLQ WKDW KLV Y\LQJ IRU WKH R΀FH of the governor of Kogi State is not about self and can never be a revenge mission but rather a healing balm on a painful wound. However, as the events of the last 20 years go into the history, we owe it a duty to ourselves and the generation coming after us to work together to ensure that never again shall we be deceived into making the grievous mistake that has set us back so steeply on the development curve. Certainly we must not all belong to the same political party nor share the same ideological beliefs, but the reins of leadership in Kogi State must never again be allowed to fall into the hands of those who do not understand what governance and development is all about.

Jamila Musa, Abuja

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TUESDAY, ͹ͼ˜ ͺ͸ͺͻ ˾ T H I S D AY

BOOKREVIEW

Umaru Ibrahim, The Accomplished Public Servant

By Gambo Dori

Book review by Mahmud Jega

D

eposit insurance, which provides a financial safety net for all depositors in Nigerian banks and seeks to protect them from the vicissitudes of the banking and financial industry, is not a widely appreciated field in Nigeria.

This, despite its extreme importance in engendering public confidence and stability in the banking sector.

Nigeria Deposit Insurance Corporation [NDIC] was created by decree in 1988 following the liberalization and deregulation of the banking industry under the Structural Adjustment Program [SAP] adopted by the Babangida military government in 1986. Many more banks emerged as a result. The possibility of bank failures also increased, with potentially disastrous consequences in the economy.

This book is about the life and times of Alhaji Umaru Ibrahim, who happened to be one of the pioneer staffers of NDIC, who rose through the ranks in 21 years to become its Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, and went on to hold this position until 2020, when he retired after serving two terms of five years each as MD/CEO. In many ways therefore, Umaru Ibrahim’s life was a personification of deposit insurance in Nigeria. He knows the sector like the back of his hand and had a front row seat during all the banking industry and deposit insurance ups and downs in Nigeria since the 1980s.

He did not start his working career from deposit insurance, however. He was already a Permanent Secretary in the Kano State Civil Service before he went to NDIC as a Deputy Director upon its establishment. Umaru Ibrahim was born at Gaya, in present day Kano State, into a family of Muslim clerics and jurists in 1950. His father, Alkali Ibrahim Ahmed was then the mufti of the Alkali’s Court in Gaya. His grandfather, Malam Ahmad, was among other things the resident teacher of Mai Babban Daki Mariya, mother of Emir of Kano Abdullahi Bayero, who reigned in 1925-53. After he retired in the 1970s, Umaru’s father was appointed the District Head of Babura.

Umaru Ibrahim started schooling in Wudil and later at Gidan Makama Primary School in Kano city. He then entered Rumfa College in 1964, the same school once attended by Generals Murtala Mohammed and Sani Abacha and Alhaji Yusuf Maitama Sule, among many other prominent sons of Kano. In January 1970, he was a member of the pioneer set of Ahmadu Bello University [ABU], Zaria’s School of Basic Studies. He went on to read Political Science and graduated in 1974.

The story of this phase of Umaru Ibrahim’s life is spiced in the book with larger local and regional context, enriched with the story of his life in the schools and much mention of his classmates and teachers as well as major events of the period, such as the student protests against introduction of National Youth Service Scheme [NYSC] by the Gowon regime in 1973. He then did his NYSC at Port Harcourt in Rivers State where, at that tender age, he was appointed Vice Principal and in fact de facto Principal of Pivotal Teachers Training College.

In August 1975, Umaru Ibrahim started work in the Kano State Civil Service as Administrative Officer in the Cabinet Office. It was a trying period, as was well documented in this book. It was a time of probes of the former administration and of sacks and mass purges. As an officer in the Council Secretariat, Umaru Ibrahim had a front row seat in it all as the Wheeler, Ali Alhakeem and a third panel that probed drought relief appeal funds all turned the state upside down with their enquiries.

Equally well documented in the book is Umaru Ibrahim’s career in the Cabinet Office under civilian Governor Mohammed Abubakar Rimi, a very tumultuous period with a radical governor, deep political schisms and intra-party factions. In 1981 he was sent to the Kano State Water

Resources and Engineering Construction Agency [WRECA] as Secretary. This formidable agency was responsible for building and maintaining Kano State’s vaunted dams, boreholes and irrigation schemes since the days of Governor Audu Bako. In 1984, he became a permanent secretary and served in several important posts before he crossed over to NDIC following its creation in 1989. Within the period, there is also a section about how he got married to his wife, Alawiyya Fatima Kuliya Umar. They raised seven children, all of whom became well educated and accomplished in their chosen fields.

Umaru Ibrahim reported at NDIC’s Lagos headquarters in March 1989 and ended up serving it for 31 years, including 11 years as its Acting and then substantive MD/CEO. He

served under the pioneer MD, Mr. John Ebhodaghe and then his successor, Alhaji Ganiyu Ogunleye, each of whom served two full terms. It was not a walk in the park. From the challenges of forming a new corporation, in an uncharted territory in Nigeria, through the stormy days in the banking sector, the phenomenal rise in the number of banks in Nigeria occasioned by liberalization in the 1980s and 90s, through the distress and collapse of some banks in the 1990s and the new millennium, some of which had to be taken over by NDIC and Central Bank, Umaru Ibrahim went through it all.

The book about this deposit insurance guru is replete with technical terms evolved by NDIC over a 30 years’ period to try to keep a lid with supervision and monitoring of the rapidly evolving and transforming banking sector. Over the years Umaru Ibrahim headed several different NDIC departments, including Financial and Technical, Personnel, and Administration. In 2007 he succeeded Fatima Balaraba Ibrahim as Executive Director Finance and Administration.

And in 2009, he succeeded Alhaji Ganiyu Ogunleye first as Acting and later as substantive MD/CEO. There is also a rich section about Umaru Ibrahim’s one-year sojourn at the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies [NIPPSS], Kuru in 2001. It was a rich and rewarding experience, and he particularly had warm things to say about NIPSS’ then Director General and former military-era Foreign Minister, the now late Major General Joseph Garba.

His own tenure at the helm of NDIC was very eventful, and saw the corporation always on top of the rapidly evolving financial industry. Variations in deposit insurance coverage, Bridge Banking, Islamic deposit insurance, deposit insurance for mobile banking, electronic Financial Institution Liquidation Management [e-FILMS], electronic Financial Analyses and Surveillance System [e-FASS], Electronic Documents Management System [EDMS], endless training programs for staff, opening of NDIC zonal offices and training centers, rolling out of its social media handles as well as prominent roles played in regional and international deposit insurance associations and fora were also captured in this slim, 104-page book. The book also detailed the introduction of robust processes to enhance NDIC’s operational efficiency. On the whole he built a highly respected, scrupulous and very efficient public institution. At the regional and international levels, he played key roles in the International Association of Deposit Insurers [IADI] and was at one Chairman of IADI’s Africa Region. There is also a short chapter of testimony by some persons who either schooled or worked with Umaru Ibrahim over the decades.

On the whole, this book is very rich and tells the story of the Nigerian public service and, especially, of deposit insurance and its unique challenges through the life of a man who went through it all in a prominent capacity. Bankers, economists, public servants and the general reader will all find it a useful addition to their knowledge and experience about a critical sector of our economic life that is not well known because it prefers to operate quietly. But deposit insurance protects us from the immense distress that is bank illiquidity and collapse!

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TUESDAY, MARCH 14, 2023 ˾ T H I S D AY

MARKET NEWS

Stock Market Down Marginally on Profit-taking in NGX Group, 20 Others Kayode Tokede The stock market of the Nigerian Exchange Limited (NGX) yesterday commenced the week on a negative note, as investors profit taking in Nigerian Exchange Group Plc and 20 others dragged benchmark Index down by 0.01 per cent.

Specifically, the NGX AllShare Index declined by 6.14 basis points or 0.01 per cent, to

close at 55,788.37 basis points, while the market capitalisation value lost N4 billion to close at N30.391 trillion.

The market breadth was negative as 21 stocks lost relative to 12 gainers. University Press recorded the highest price gain of 9.89 per cent to close at N2.00, per share. Computer Warehouse Group (CWG) followed with a gain of 7.69 per cent to close at 98 kobo and Multiverse Mining and Exploration up by 5.04 per

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cent to close at N3.75, per share.

BUA Foods rose by 4.21 per cent to close at N99.00, while Regency Alliance Insurance gained 3.45 per cent to close at 30 kobo, per share.

On the other hand, Nigerian Exchange Group led the losers’ chart by 9.72 per cent to close at N26.00, per share. NPF Microfinance Bank followed with a decline of 8.47 per cent to close at N1.73, while Courteville Business Solutions

lost 6.25 per cent to close at 45 kobo, per share.

Linkage Assurance declined 4.35 per cent to close at 44 kobo, while Royal Exchange shed 3.95 per cent to close at 73 kobo, per share.

Also, the total volume traded declined by 35.14 per cent to 179.028 million units, valued at N2.547 billion, and exchanged in 4,296 deals. Transactions in the shares of Nigerian Exchange Group topped the activity chart

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with 38.154 million shares valued at N994.554 million.

Transnational Corporation (Transcorp) followed with 19.734 million shares worth N26.602 million, while Sterling Bank traded 15.885 million shares valued at N23.081 million. Zenith Bank traded 14.835 million shares valued at N374.263 million, while United Bank for Africa transacted 13.695 million shares worth N112.480 million.

AS O F

This week, United Capital Plc expected “the depressed interest rate environment to continue to favour the equities market in line with our expectations for Q1, 2023.

“We believe that taking positions in stocks with solid valuations and dividend yields ahead of the dividend-paying season is a good strategy.

However, we note that there may be profit-taking activities from the extended rallies.”

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PRESIDENT-ELECT, BOLA AHMED TINUBU

Justice Sector Reform: Expectations from the Incoming Administration

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TUESDAY, MARCH 14, 2023 ˾ T H I S D AY

IN THIS EDITION

Consent Judgement: Application to Vary Time for Payment of Judgement Sum Therein Page IV

'Sylvester Oromoni Was Born Without Any Underlying Illness' Page V

QUOTABLE

‘The Christians or Muslims living in America, do you hear them worry? Everyone is subordinated to the Constitution. But, in Nigeria here, anybody can kill you and say “it is my religion that has asked me to do so”….

Unless and until you lay a foundation and punish those who don’t want to live under the Constitution; unless you create a bar of common citizenship….’ - Bishop Matthew Hassan Kukah, Bishop of the Catholic Archdiocese of Sokoto

COLUMNISTS PROF MIKE OZEKHOME, CON, SAN, FCIARE, PH.D. LLD Constitutional Democracy, means a system of government, in which political and governmental power, is defined, limited and shared by a grundnorm called the Constitution, which provides inbuilt checks and balances.

This column seeks to fiercely discuss constitutional, legal and political issues, with a view to strengthening, deepening and widening the plenitude and amplitude of democracy and good governance, without fear or favour.

The writer of this column, Prof Mike Ozekhome, SAN, is a Constitutional Lawyer, Human Rights Activist, Pro-Democracy Campaigner, Notary Public and Motivational Speaker. He co-founded the Civil Liberties Organisation (CLO), Nigeria’s pioneer human rights league, on October 15, 1987, the Universal defenders of Democracy (UDD), in 1992, and with Chief Gani Fawehinmi and others in 1998, the Joint Action Committee of Nigeria (JACON), to push out the military. In his early days, he lectured at the University of Ife. Prof Ozekhome is an author of many books. He is also a Special Counsel at the International Criminal Court (ICC), at The Hague.

LAWYER

Court of Appeal Reposts Its Justices Page V

STEPHEN KOLA-BALOGUN Stephen Kola Balogun, is a vastly experienced Legal Practitioner who obtained his LL.B from University of Ife and LL.M from the School of Oriental & African Studies, University of London.

He has Post-Graduate Diplomas in Intellectual Property Law from Queen Mary and Westfield College, University of London and in Construction Law, Management and Arbitration from Kings College, London. He has served in various capacities since his Call to the Nigerian Bar in 1982, including practising at Akinjide & Co., and lecturing part-time at Oxbridge Tutorial College. He was the Honourable Commissioner for Youths, Sports and Special Needs, State of Osun, August, 2011 to November 2014. He is currently the Principal Partner at Kola Balogun & Partners, and sits on the Advisory Board of the Centre of Law and Business. SKB, as he is fondly called, is accredited with several publications to his name, both International and Domestic.

ONIKEPO BRAITHWAITE: EDITOR, JUDE IGBANOI: DEPUTY EDITOR, PETER TAIWO, STEVE AYA: REPORTERS

III THE ADVOCATE

T H I S D AY ˾ TUESDAY, MARCH 14, 2023

Obi, LP Membership and 2023 Polls

A

s the days go by and important events occur, we continue to see how inadequate and poorly drafted the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended in 2018) (the Constitution) is, leaving room for Government and the people to give provisions whatever interpretation suits their purposes. Many of our laws, also suffer the same fate. The importance of an excellent command of whatever language you deploy to draft laws, in our case, the English Language, cannot be overstated. More concerning, is when provisions are clear and unequivocal, and they are simply side-stepped, ignored, disobeyed and more honoured in their breach. It is our hope that, the incoming administration will give the issue of the review of the Constitution and regard for the rule of law, the priority they deserve. As Honourable Justice Okoro JSC commented during the proceedings in SC/CV/162/2023, the 3 AGs v AGF Currency case, Nigeria has indeed, outgrown the 1999 Constitution.

Social Media Forward I cannot but probe a forward I saw on social media a few days ago, citing Section 77(3) of the Electoral Act 2022 (EA) which provides inter alia that, every political party must forward its membership register to INEC no later than 30 days before their primary election; and claiming that the Labour Party (LP) Presidential Candidate, Peter Obi’s name could not have been included in LP’s membership register at the time it should have been forwarded to INEC, and therefore, he was not a member of LP at the time of his party primaries, and consequently, not qualified to run. This allegation touches on Peter Obi’s constitutional eligibility, to run for President.

In the time leading up to the 2023 general elections, allegations and counter-allegations were brought against the APC and PDP Presidential candidates. At the time, I remember commenting more than once on this page, that the allegations levelled against them were of no moment, because they did not affect their constitutional eligibility for election to the office of President or disqualify them under Sections 131 & 137 of the Constitution. However, can this allegation of non-qualification against the LP Presidential candidate and indeed, candidates for other elective positions who cross-carpeted from one political party to another on the eve of their new party’s primaries be sustained, and not discountenanced as an allegation that is not grounded within the provisions of the Constitution and the law, like the allegations against the PDP and APC Presidential candidates? Is this issue a pre-election matter, which should have been filed not later than 14 days after the party primaries (Section 285(9) of the Constitution)?

Pre-Election Matter v Constitutional Qualification Matter The answer to the latter question is simple: going by the definitions of pre-election matter provided in Section 285(14)(a)-(c) of the Constitution, it appears to me that this issue of Peter Obi not being included in his party’s membership register submitted to INEC for the purpose of the primaries, doesn’t fit into any of the definitions of a pre-election matter stated therein. See the case of SDP & Anor v INEC & Ors (2023) LPELR-59836 (SC) per Mohammed Lawal Garba JSC. It strikes one as a constitutional qualification matter, covered

by Section 131(c) of the Constitution in the case of President; 177(c), for Governor; 65(2)(b) for National Assembly candidates and 106(d) for State House of Assembly candidates. For the purpose of this discourse I shall use only Section 131(c), since the other aforementioned provisions all say the same thing.

Section 131(c) provides that a person qualified to be a Presidential candidate must be a member of a political party and be sponsored by that political party (to run for election). It is trite law that “a political party is bound to obey and comply with the provisions of the Constitution, the

in a membership register, it means that such a candidate isn’t a member of the party and/or cannot participate in the party primaries; 2) that INEC monitored the Primaries in which Peter Obi emerged as the LP Presidential Candidate, and INEC was therefore, aware that he is a member of LP and was sponsored by LP; 3) that by virtue of Section 84(5) of the EA, LP forwarding Peter Obi’s name to INEC as its Presidential candidate is prima facie evidence that LP sponsored him; 4) that Section 131(c) provides that a candidate must be a party member, sponsored by that party, and it is not only by the membership register submitted to INEC that Peter Obi’s membership of LP could have been ascertained. My dear colleagues, what do you think?

ONIKEPO BRAITHWAITE onikepo.braithwaite@thisdaylive. com onikepob@yahoo.com

The

Advocate “In a 2022 newspaper report that I read, the Chairman of INEC, Professor MahmoodYakubu…. stated that the provision of Section 77(3) of the EA is mandatory, and likened going into a party’s primary election without the submission of their membership register to INEC, to going into an election without a voters’ register…..”

Electoral Act, its own Constitution and Guidelines for the Primary Elections in the conduct of its primary elections, selection and nomination of candidates for elective offices in the country” - see the case of Nwite v PDP & Ors (2022) LPELR-59192 (SC) per Mohammed Lawal Garba JSC. Also see the case of Waziri v PDP & Anor (2022) LPELR59174(SC) per Kudirat Motonmori Olatokunbo Kekere-Ekun JSC. Pertinent Questions In the news reports available, Peter Obi resigned from his former party, PDP on May 24, 2022, joined LP on May 27, and clinched LP’s Presidential ticket in the LP Primary on May 30, 2022. PDP’s Presidential Primary was held on May 28. This means that Peter Obi who was still a member of PDP on May 23, 2022 and could not possibly have been included in LP’s membership register which should have been forwarded to INEC by April 30, 30 days before it’s Primaries on May 30. But, what does this mean? Does it mean that Peter Obi was not a member of LP for the purposes of the May 30 Primaries? In fact, if PDP had forwarded its own membership register 30 days before its May 28 Primaries, that is, on or before April 28, 2022, it’s more likely that Peter Obi’s name would have appeared in PDP’s register.

What is the reason for having to be included in a membership register which must be transmitted to INEC before a primary election? Is it to prevent non-party

members from being sneaked in to vote in the primaries? Does non-inclusion in the membership register vitiate a person’s candidature? Can it be reasonably concluded that if Peter Obi was not included in the membership register of LP, it raises the question of who sponsored him (since his name may still have been in the PDP membership register) and whether he was lawfully sponsored by LP for the February 25 election? What is the fate of a person who joins a party after the membership register has been submitted to INEC? Does it mean that individual is not considered to be a member of the party, until such a time that the register may be updated, possibly after the primary elections have been held? Or in the alternative, even if Peter Obi had become a member of LP which he publicly joined on May 27, does his non-inclusion in the LP membership register affect his qualification as the LP Presidential candidate, in view of the mandatory provision of Section 77(3) of the EA? Notwithstanding the membership register, does a political party not reserve the right to confirm who its members are? Or is it of no significance whatsoever, if a person’s name is not included in the membership register before the party primaries, as long as they become a member before the primaries?

On the contrary, perhaps, it can also be argued that whether or not Peter Obi’s name was included in LP’s membership register 30 days before the Primaries is not an issue because: (1) Section 77(3) does not provide that if a candidate’s name is not included

Labour Party Presidential Candidate, Peter Obi

Membership Register The membership register of a political party, is a register which contains the names of all the members of a party. In a 2022 newspaper report that I read, the Chairman of INEC, Professor Mahmood Yakubu, when calling on the political parties to submit their membership registers before the deadline, stated that the provision of Section 77(3) of the EA is mandatory, and likened going into a party’s primary election without the submission of their membership register to INEC, to going into an election without a voters’ register. In Ikpeazu v Otti & Ors (2016) LPELR-40055(SC) per Kudirat Motonmori Olatokunbo Kekere-Ekun JSC the Supreme Court held that “The voters’ register remains an integral part of the accreditation process”.

The voters’ register is used to prove over-voting (BVAS may have taken over this role). Similarly, a political party’s membership register is used to authenticate its members, and serves the same purpose in party primary elections, as a voters’ register in elections proper. INEC uses the membership registers to ensure that there isn’t any double registration etc, and that non-party members are not brought in to vote for aspirants (particularly in the case of direct primaries).

Consequences of the Effect of Non-Compliance to Section 77(3) of the Electoral Act Will the courts see LP’s non-compliance in this regard as a mere irregularity, since it is public knowledge and in no doubt whatsoever, that Peter Obi joined LP and was its Presidential candidate? Or will Peter Obi’s candidature be declared by the court to be invalid, thereby making his votes wasted?

Though Section 77(3) of the EA uses the command ‘shall’, thereby making it mandatory for all political parties to submit their membership registers to INEC within the aforementioned 30 day time frame, it is silent about any sanctions for not sending your membership register to INEC before the primaries, and the non-inclusion of an aspirant therein. See the case of Ugwu v Ararume 2007 12 N.W.L.R. Part 1048 Page 367 on the word shall being a command.

However, Section 84(13) of the EA provides that where a political party fails to comply with the EA in the conduct of its primaries, its candidate for the election shall not be included in the election for the particular position in issue. Is submitting a membership register, considered to be part of the conduct of primaries, since this provision must be complied with, prior to the primaries?

However, in this case, Peter Obi’s name was forwarded by his party and included for the election by INEC. Conclusion It will be interesting to see what the courts decide, as it is more likely than not that this issue of LP's non-compliance to Section 77(3) of the EA will be raised in the election petitions.

Naturally, opponents will probably question LP and its candidate’s authority to enforce their rights under the EA, in the face of their own non-compliance to it, though obviously the other leading candidates all have different allegations of election malpractices levelled against them too. My dear Colleagues, kindly, share your opinion on this matter. Thank you.

IV LAW REPORT

TUESDAY, MARCH 14, 2023 ˾ T H I S D AY

Consent Judgement: Application to Vary Time for Payment of Judgement Sum Therein Facts The Appellants obtained credit facilities from the Respondent. The Appellants however, defaulted in their repayment obligations, further to which the Respondent instituted an action against the Appellants at the High Court of Lagos State for recovery of the outstanding sums. Subsequently, the parties decided to pursue an amicable resolution of the dispute, and on 20th April, 2001, the parties executed Terms of Settlement and filed the same at the High Court of Lagos State on 25th April, 2001.

By the Terms of Settlement, the parties agreed that the Appellants’ outstanding liability to the Respondent was the sum of N175 million and the Appellants would discharge the same by payment of an initial sum of N90 million within 45 days from the date of execution of the Terms of Settlement ,and payment of the balance of N85 million within nine months from the date of execution of the Terms of Settlement.

The Terms of Settlement was entered by the trial court, as a consent judgement on 30th April, 2001.

The Appellants paid the initial sum of N90 million to the Respondent, albeit outside the 45 days period; however, they reneged on the payment of the balance of N85 million. Eleven months after the expiration of the agreed time for full payment of the judgement debt, the Appellants filed an application before the trial court, seeking to vary the Terms of Settlement entered as a consent judgement. At the hearing, the Appellants argued the 2nd leg of their application, wherein they prayed for an order of court directing that the balance due to the Respondent under the consent judgement be paid by the Appellants in instalments.

The trial court delivered its ruling on 23rd March, 2004, in which it declined jurisdiction to hear the application on the ground that it had become functus officio, and did not have the power to invoke Order 38 Rule 7 of the High Court of Lagos State (Civil Procedure) Rules, 1994 (now Order 39 Rule 4(a) of the High Court Of Lagos State (Civil Procedure) Rules, 2019) to revisit its decision, as the judgement entered was a consent judgement duly agreed to by the parties, with specific time for payment of the judgement debt and the Appellants’ application was filed after the expiration of the time for payment as agreed by the parties and as ordered by the court. Dissatisfied, the Appellants lodged an appeal at the Court of Appeal.

However, the Court of Appeal dismissed the appeal. Still dissatisfied, the Appellants appealed to the Supreme Court.

Issue for Determination The Supreme Court considered the following issue in its determination of the appeal:Whether the Court of Appeal was right to have affirmed the ruling of the trial court refusing the Appellants’ application, in spite of the provision of Order 38 Rule 7 of the High Court of Lagos State (Civil Procedure) Rules, 1994 (now Order 39 Rule 4(a) of the High Court Of Lagos State (Civil Procedure) Rules, 2019), which allows a trial court to direct the time

of the Appellants. Counsel submitted that the Appellants had failed to exhibit honesty, integrity and diligence in the repayment of the outstanding judgement sum, hence, they could not be entitled to the exercise of the court’s discretion in their favour, having already shown bad faith.

Honourable Chima Centus Nweze, JSC

In the Supreme Court of Nigeria Holden at Abuja On Friday, the 2nd day of December, 2022 Before Their Lordships John Inyang Okoro Chima Centus Nweze Uwani Musa Abba Aji Mohammed Lawal Garba Helen Moronkeji Ogunwumiju Justices, Supreme Court SC.261/2006 Between 1.

2.

3.

PACERS MULTI-DYNAMICS LTD OLUGBEMI ADEKUNLE FAGBEMI SANDERTON VENTURES

APPELLANTS

And ACCESS BANK PLC

RESPONDENT

(Lead Judgement delivered by Honourable Chima Centus Nweze, JSC)

for payment of a judgement debt.

Arguments Counsel for the Appellants argued that the principle that a court becomes functus officio once it has delivered its ruling in a matter, is subject to several exceptions such as the instant case and under Order 38 Rule 7 of the High Court of Lagos State (Civil Procedure) Rules, 1994 (now Order 39 Rule 4(a) of the High Court Of Lagos State (Civil Procedure) Rules, 2019).

Counsel for the Appellants contended that given that the application brought by the Appellants for payment by instalment, was their first ever application of the kind, the trial court was still with authority to revisit the terms of payment and subsequently, grant an application for payment by

“Once terms of settlement have been made consent judgement, a trial court is functus officio and does not have the jurisdiction to revisit its decision in that regard.

The jurisdiction of the trial court does not include the power to tamper with the principle of finality of judgements, other than in specific circumstances provided in the rules of court or statute”

instalment. He argued further that it was only if and after the application for payment by instalment has been moved and granted, that the trial court could maintain the position that the issue would no longer be revisited.

He referred to the case of ALHAJI CHIEF A. R. O. SANUSI v ALHAJI AYOOLA (1992) 9 NWLR (PT. 265) 275, PARAS. H-A to buttress his position that the factual circumstances in the instant case was one of the exceptions to the doctrine that once a trial court delivers judgement, the trial court is functus officio in revisiting the judgement.

Conversely, counsel for the Respondent submitted that the trial court and the Court of Appeal were right to have refused the application, as granting the same would occasion injustice to the Respondent which would be permanently deprived of the fruit of its judgement by the Appellants who are not even willing to satisfy the judgement debt. Counsel for the Respondent argued further that since the relief sought by the Appellants before the trial court was an equitable relief, it was an appeal to the exercise of the court’s discretion in the Appellant’s favour, and the court in exercising its discretion, has to consider the Respondent’s right to enjoy the fruit of its judgement whilst also considering the interests

Court’s Judgement and Rationale In resolving the issue, the Supreme Court held that no court has the power to deny any of the parties to an agreement of the benefits thereto, and the only function of the court is to interpret the agreement in enforceable terms without more. Once terms of settlement have been made consent judgement, a trial court is functus officio and does not have the jurisdiction to revisit its decision in that regard. The jurisdiction of the trial court does not include the power to tamper with the principle of finality of judgements, other than in specific circumstances provided in the rules of court or statute.

The Court held further that even though a trial court has the authority to direct the time for payment of a judgement debt under Order 38 Rule 7 of the High Court of Lagos State (Civil Procedure) Rules, 1994 (now Order 39 Rule 4(a) of the High Court Of Lagos State (Civil Procedure) Rules, 2019); however, the provision does not confer authority on a trial court to revisit a consent judgement that already contained expressly an agreement as to the time for payment of a judgement debt. For the certainty and predictability of the judicial process, a court of law has no jurisdiction to re-open an issue upon which it has made a determination within the same proceedings, or to alter the effect of its decision in a matter. Endorsing the decision of the Court of Appeal in ALHAJI A. AHMED CO. (NIG) LTD v A.I.B. LTD (2001) 10 NWLR (PT. 721), the Apex Court held that an application for the trial court to revisit the terms of payment, as contained in the consent judgement, by varying the time for payment of the judgement debt as in the instant case, was incompetent, because it was already functus officio.

The Court held that in the instant case, the parties agreed that the Appellants shall pay to the Respondents the sum of N90 million within 45 days from the date of execution of the Terms of Settlement, and pay the balance within nine months of the execution of the Terms of Settlement. It follows therefore that, the actual act which Order 38 Rule 7 of the relevant rules of the trial court permitted the trial court to do, was already agreed to in the consent judgement. The trial court was thus right, to have declined jurisdiction to grant the prayers of the Appellants who had from the onset failed to exhibit honesty, integrity and diligence in their repayment of the outstanding judgement sum, and had deprived the Respondent of the benefits of settlement freely entered into by the parties and entered as consent judgement; and the Court of Appeal rightly affirmed the ruling of the trial court in refusing to order payment of the outstanding balance of the judgement sum by instalment.

Appeal Dismissed.

Representation O. O. Oniyire for the Appellants.

Abayomi Adeniran for the Respondent.

Reported by Optimum Publishers Limited, Publishers of the Nigerian Monthly Law Report (NMLR)(An affiliate of Babalakin & Co.)

V

TUESDAY, MARCH 14, 2023 ˾ T H I S D AY

NEWS

President of the Court of Appeal, Hon. Justice Monica Dongban-Mensem

Late Sylvester Oromoni

'Sylvester Oromoni Was Born Without Any Underlying Illness' The late Master Sylvester Oromoni of Dowen College, Lagos, was given birth to, without any underlying sickness or illness. These

were the submissions of Dr Henry Aghogho, who took delivery of the boy when he was born on December 4th, 2009.

Dr Aghogho said this when he testified at an Ikeja Coroner’s Inquest into the death of Oromoni, aged 12, on Monday, when he was

Court of Appeal Reposts Its Justices The Court of Appeal has released new postings, for Justices under it. The posting, spanning the all divisions of the appellate court, took effect from March 7, but the Justices are expected to resume at their new divisions on or before March 14, 2023.

A copy of the posting letter, dated March 7, and signed by the President of the Court of Appeal, Justice M.B Dongban- Memsem CFR, JP, showed that the Lagos Division had seven Justices, with Justice J. O. Bada as Presiding Justice (PJ). Other members of the Lagos division include Justices O. F. Ogbuinya, O. A. Otisi, F. O. Oho, A. S. Umar, A. M. Bayero, and M. I. Sirajo.

Kaduna Division with four Justices, has Justice C. N. Uwa as PJ and Justices Audi Wambai, M. B. Idris, and M. S. Hassan as members, according to the letter.

The postings letter further shows Ibadan Division has Justice M. A. Adumein as PJ, and Justices Yargata Nimpar, Gabriel Kolawole, and A. B. Mohammed as members.

For Enugu Division, Justice U. I. Ndukwe-Anyanwu is PJ, with Justices J. O. K. Oyewole and J. E. Ekanem as members.

Similarly, Justice T. N. OrjiAbadua was posted as PJ of the Benin Division, with Justices F. O. Akinbami and S. O. Nwaka-Gbagi as members.

In Jos Division, Justice T. Y. Hassan is PJ, while Justices I. A. Andenyangtso, J. G. Abundaga, and Olasumbo Goodluck are members.

The Port Harcourt Division has Justice J. S. Ikyegh as PJ, while Justices S. T. Hussein, F. A. Ojo, and A. Waziri are members.

Abuja Division with seven Justices, is to be presided over

by Justice H. S. Tsammani. Other Justices in the division include Justices S. J. Adah, P. O. Ige, O. E. Williams-Dawodu, U. A. Ogakwu, M. Mustapha, and D.

Z. Senchi.

For the Calabar Division, Justice R. C. Agbo is PJ while the two members are Justices H. A. Barka and B. B. Aliyu.

Ilorin which has three Justices, is presided by Justice O. A. Belgore and two other Justices, Bitrus Sanga and K. I. Amadi as members.

Similarly, three Justices were posted to the Owerri Division, which would be presided over by Justice J. H. Sankey, with Justices O. A. Adefope-Okojie and S. A. Bola as members.

Sokoto Division with four Justices, is presided by Justice M. L. Shuaibu, with members including Justices R. M. Abdullahi, Ebiowei Tobi, and A. M. Talba.

The Yola Division has four Justices with Justice I. O. Akeju as PJ, and the trio of Justices, H. A. Abiru, P. O. Affen, and M. L. Abubakar as members.

Justice C. E. Nwosi-Iheme is the PJ of Ekiti Division with A. M. Lamido and O. A. Adegbehingbe as members. Akure Division, with three Justices, is presided

by Justice O. F. Omoleye, while other members are Justices I. Jombo-Ofo and Y. A. Bashir.

The Makurdi Division is presided by Justice M. A. Danjuma, while members include Justices B. A. Georgewill and I. W. Jauro.

The Asaba Division has Justice Tunde Awotoye as PJ and Justices U. Onyemenam, M. O. Bolaji-Yusuf, and A. O. Obaseki-Adejumo as members.

Justice O. O. Daniel-Kalio is posted as PJ for Awka Division, with Justices P. A. Mahmoud and B. I. Gafai as members.

The Gombe Division has Justice A. A. B. Gumel as PJ, and Justices J. Y. Tukur, M. Danjuma, and A. I. Banjoko as members.

The Kano Division has Justice Ita Mbaba as PJ, while Justices B. M. Ugo and U. A. Musale are members.

A breakdown of the postings revealed that, a total of 20 PJs were posted across the six geopolitical zones.

While three Justices were posted to the North-Central, the North-East two, North-West three, five were posted to South-East, three to the South-South, and four to the South-West.

being cross-examined by counsel to Dowen College, Mr Anthony Kpokpo.

Before the crossexamination, counsel to the Oromoni Family, Mr Femi Falana, SAN, had raised an objection as to why the witness should be cross-examined, while he was disallowed from crossexamining two witnesses who testified earlier.

The Coroner, Mr Mikhail Kadiri, ruled that it was stated that the business of the day would entail tendering medical records of the deceased, explaining

medical terms therein and cross-examining the Doctor.

The Doctor, who is also the physician of the Oromoni Family, however, told the court that sometime in 2018, the deceased had enteritis and was treated with antibiotics.

According to him, the infection was caused by unclean food and water.

After the cross-examination, the Coroner asked all the counsel in the case whether they had other witnesses, but they all answered in the negative. The Coroner consequently adjourned the inquest until April 1, for a

visit to Dowen College, Lagos.

It was alleged by the Oromoni family, that the student died from injuries sustained in an attack by five senior students of Dowen College for refusing to join a cult. It was also alleged that, he was forced to drink a substance by his attackers.

Advice by the Lagos State Director of Public Prosecutions released on January 4, 2022, however, stated that an autopsy revealed the cause of the student’s death as acute bacterial pneumonia due to severe sepsis.

Medical Examination Proved Forceful Penetration, Witness

An Ikeja High Court was last Tuesday, informed of how one Prophet Olushola Akinsipe allegedly defiled a 13-year-old visually-impaired girl, on the pretext of praying for her.

A Medical Doctor, Mrs Sekinat Oredoyin, a Public Health Physician with Yaba Local Council Development Area, and led in evidence by State Counsel, Mr Michael Adewoye, told the court that the Victim/Survivor presented herself for medical examination alongside her father, on December 12, 2020.

According to her, the Survivor narrated how the Defendant, the Pastor of Power of the Home Deliverance Ministry, had forceful sexual intercourse with her on five different occasions.

She said: “The Survivor and her

father were referred from Owutu Police Station. They came into the Facility about 2.36 p.m., and the survivor complained of forceful penetration.

“The Survivor is a visuallyimpaired child, and her father took her to the Defendant for deliverance.

“She said the Defendant gave her an unknown substance to drink, and after that, she could not remember anything, but she was able to narrate to her father after he discovered a brownish discharge under her pants and interrogated her”, she said.

The witness further told the court that the Survivor had hyper pigmentation around her face and some marks on her waist, which the survivor told her resulted from injuries she sustained during the

deliverance.

“The Survivor said that the Defendant beat her with banana leaves during the deliverance, and also scrubbed her back with salt.

“The medical examination findings were in keeping with forceful vagina penetration.

“The blood samples showed that the pregnancy test was negative, but because of the sore on her body, I directed her to Domestic Sexual Violence Agency for counselling.

“At that time, she was depressed as she believed that she was the one that killed her mother, and she was made to believe that her father was not progressing because of her.

“I concluded my report and sent it back to the Police”, she said.

While being cross-examined by

the defence counsel, Mr Boladale Obafemi, the witness told the court that the medical report was scanned on her phone, and she did not take samples of the sore she saw on the Survivor’s body for examination. She further told the court that she had never met the Defendant, and she did not request to get the DNA samples of the Defendant from the Pooice to match with the Survivor’s.

The Defendant is facing a three-count charge of defilement, indecent treatment of a child and trial by ordeal.

The offences contravene Sections 128(b), 135 and 137 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2015.

Justice Hakeem Oshodi adjourned the case until April 17, for continuation of trial.

Police Arraigns Lagos Businessman for N950m Fraud The Nigeria Police has arraigned a businessman, Olusegun Ogunbanjo, who allegedly defrauded two men to the tune of N950 million, before a Sabo-Yaba Chief Magistrates’ Court in Lagos.

The Defendant was arraigned on a three-count charge, which borders on false pretences, forgery and stealing.

The Prosecutor, Rita

Momah, an Assistant Superintendent of Police, told the court that the Defendant committed the offences between January 2017 and December 2022, in the Ikorodu area of Lagos State. Momah submitted that the Defendant obtained N450 million from one Mr Olusola lkuyajesin, and N500 million from one Mr Durodola Balogun, under

false pretences of using the money to buy stationery. She added that the Defendant forged an organisation’s Local Purchase Orders to carry out the acts, in contravention of Sections 287, 314 and 365 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State.

The Defendant, however, pleaded not guilty.

The Chief Magistrate, Mrs Adeola Olatubosun, granted

him bail in the sum of N10 million with two sureties in like sum. Magistrate Olatubosun also ordered that the Defendant must deposit his passport with the court.

She also directed that one of the sureties, must have a landed property within the court’s jurisdiction.

She adjourned the case till April 5, 2023, for the hearing.

#upjudicialsalaries

“The Committee further notes the status of judicial remuneration in other African Countries (Ghana and South Africa), and its finding is that Nigeria is by far lagging behind.” - NBA Working Committee on Judicial Remuneration and Conditions of Service

VI

TUESDAY, MARCH 14, 2023 ˾ T H I S D AY

TALKING CONSTITUTIONAL DEMOCRACY PROF MIKE OZEKHOME, SAN

0809 889 8888 SMS ONLY

CSOs and the Media in Promoting Democracy and Good Governance in Nigeria (Part 1) accountability of governments to the people.

Introduction n issue that is as loaded as this, puts one in a dilemma: how much of the underlying culture of sub-titles is one permitted to make incursions in to? An exhaustive discourse of same presumes that one is at the same time a Lawyer, a politician, a media practitioner, a civil society activist, a public affairs analyst and an expert in electoral matters and democratic process. We shall do our best to discuss this multi-dimensional and multi-faceted topic of considerable significance and currency.

A

Conceptual Framework We shall dissect this topic from the perspectives of: i.

Definitional terms of what constitutes: a.

Sound Democratic Culture. b.

Good Governance. c.

The Civil Society. d.

The Media. ii.

The Civil Society and Credible Elections. iii.

The Media and Credible Elections. iv.

Character of the Nigerian Media (influence of Ownership on Independence and Objectivity). v.

The Civil Society and the Influence of their Sponsors. vi.

Engaging the Civil society and the Media for National Development. vii.

Recommendation/Conclusions.

“Sound” or “Constitutional” Democratic Culture?

We shall start our discourse, from the prism of a “constitutional democratic culture”.

Definitional Terms Democracy While subjecting the concepts of constitutional democracy and arbitrary rule to considerable thought Professor Ben Nwabueze, SAN, the renowned Constitutional Lawyer posited, most admirably that: “Democracy as a form of government, is man-based; it is a humanist, individualist and moralist institution,“created for the sake of what the ancient philosophers called the essential differences between democracy and socialism. “Democracy attaches all possible value to each man; socialism makes each man a mere agent, a mere number… while democracy seeks equality in liberty, socialism seeks equality in restraint and servitude”.

Democracy is the most desired concept of government, in our contemporary world. Yet, democracy is the most bastardised or prostituted concept in political history. As Bernard Crick rightly remarked: “Democracy is perhaps, the most promiscuous word in the world of public affairs. She is everybody’s mistress, and yet, somehow retains her magic even when a lover sees that her favours are being, in his light, illicitly shared by many another.

Indeed, even amid our pain at being denied her exclusive fidelity, we are proud of her adaptability to all sorts of circumstances, to all sorts of company”.

Democracy There are as many definitions and concepts of democracy as there are writers, political theoreticians, each viewing democracy from his prism. They are all right. It is akin to the theory of the three blind men and the elephant.

One described the elephant as flat and hard as a wall, having touched its broad trunk. The other argued that, it was as long and thin as a

snake. He had actually touched its tail. Yet, the third swore by all the gods of sight and vision, that the elephant was large and flexible like a fan. This third blind man had managed to touch the fanny ear. Yet, they were all right, albeit not completely so.

The Black’s Law Dictionary with pronunciations’s definition of democracy is more laconic and straight to the point. It says democracy is: “That form of government in which the sovereign power resides in and is exercised by the whole body of the citizens directly or indirectly through a system representation, as distinguished from a monarchy, aristocracy or oligarchy”.

It was Abraham Lincoln, the great slaves’ liberator and former President of the United States of America who on 19th November, 1863, in his Gettysburg Declaration, defined democracy as “government of the people, for the people and by the people”.

This definition lives on to date. “Democracy” has been identified with government by the people, usually through elected representatives.

Democracy is a political system that enables people to freely choose an effective, honest, transparent and accountable government. It can equally be described as the philosophy of government in which supreme power is vested in the people and exercised directly or indirectly through a system of representation, usually involving periodic free elections.

The concept of democracy originated in Ancient Greece, as a philosophy of popular sovereignty in Greek City States. The rise of democracy as a universal system of governance, is largely a product of the 20th century. Although, it has now gained widespread acceptance, democracy took a long time to emerge. From

“Democracy that does not yield “democratic dividends”, is as accursed as military dictatorship.

Democracy goes beyond the mere holding of periodic elections of Government”

its ancient origins in Greek City States, the growth of democracy was largely facilitated by the French and American Revolutions of the 18th Century; the widening of the franchise in Europe and North America in the 19th Century, to the heroic struggles for popular participation and social justice in the 20th Century. With the collapse of communism, democracy has become established as the “normal” form of governance.

Challenges Among Emerging Democracies It must be emphasised that, in emerging democracies across countries such as Nigeria, the key challenge is how to deepen and widen democracy, democratic structures and the political space. Central to this challenge, is how to effectively build the key institutions of democratic governance, to wit. i. A system of representation, with wellfunctioning political parties and civil society organisations; ii. An independent electoral system that guarantees free and fair elections; iii. A system of checks and balances based on the separation of powers, with independent judicial and legislative branches of government; iv. A vibrant civil society, able to monitor government policies and to provide alternate forms of political participation; v. A free and vibrant independent media with strong dedication to professional ethics; vi. Effective civilian control over the military and other security forces.

In spite of the divergent opinions on the concept of democracy and its amplitudinal ramifications, it is generally agreed and accepted that democracy consists of five core values. They are: i. The right of the people to freely choose their governments in periodic but free and fair elections; ii. The right of freedom of association, especially in forming political parties; iii. The right to freedom of expression, especially freedom of speech and press freedom; iv. The primacy of the rule of law and independence of the Judiciary; and v. The commitment to transparency and

Variants of Democracy The practice of democracy differs from one place to another. In the United States of America and Nigeria for example, democracy is predicated on Presidentialism, separation of powers, checks and balances and an independent Judiciary. In Britain and many other commonwealth countries, there is almost an imperceptible integration and intertwining of the executive and legislative organs of government. As Emeka Anyaoku, former Commonwealth Secretary-General has noted, whatever variants of democracy we may have, there are universally acceptable ingredients that define a truly democratic country. They are: r 5IF SJHIU PG UIF QFPQMF UP DIPPTF GSFFMZ their governments periodically; r 5IF SJHIU UP GSFFEPN PG BTTPDJBUJPO FTQFDJBMMZ in forming political parties; r 5IF SJHIU UP GSFFEPN PG FYQSFTTJPO FTQFDJBMMZ freedom of speech and a free media; r 5IF QSJNBDZ PG UIF SVMF PG MBX BOE UIF independence of Judiciary; and r 5IF DPOUJOVJOH USBOTQBSFODZ BOE BDDPVOUability of government to its electorate.

Democracy is not a magical wand. It is not an end in itself. Rather, it is a means to an end.

Democracy that does not yield “democratic dividends”, is as accursed as military dictatorship.

Democracy goes beyond the mere holding of periodic elections of Government. In the words of Salim Ahmed Salim, “Democratic governance is not simply structures or only rituals; it is also a modality of behaviour and interaction. It constitutes relations, as well as values to be internalised. It is a means of societal empowerment, and with such a complex composition. Democratic governance is not a “one-off” static phenomenon to be juxtaposed or grafted into a society. It is a dynamic process that is nurtured and enriched with the growth and evolution of society…

“I need to also point out in this regard, that democratic governance is not only a relationship between State and society, but it also refers to relationships within society. At this second level, it underscores such virtues as tolerance, dialogue and understanding, social integration, gender equality, abidance to norms, respect for fundamental human rights, adherence to the rule of law, negation of corruption”.

It is very important that access to political power is extended to every citizen of the country, and that he/she is given an opportunity to participate in the choice of those who govern him. This is called public participation, and it helps to nip conflict in the bud and balance centripetal and centrifugal forces. In like manner, we must emphasise that the use of acquired political power is not synonymous with the mere holding “free and fair elections”, “but should go beyond that and critically explore how the management of the acquired political power affects the generality of the people. If instead of its being used to promote the basic needs and aspirations of the generality of the people, the acquired political power is merely used to promote the needs of a microscopic ruling elite, then democracy cannot deliver peace and public harmony”.

In the illuminating words of Lord James Bryce, Modern Democracy. Democracy is supposed to be the product and the guardian both of Equality and of Liberty, being so consecrated by its relationship to both theses precious possessions as to be almost above criticism.”

Professor Ben Nwabueze, SAN, noted with precision that: “Democracy as a form of government, is man-based; it is a humanist, individualist and moralist institution,“created for the sake of what the ancient philosophers called the “Good Life” of society. Herein lies one of the essential differences between democracy and socialism. “Democracy attaches all possible value to each man; socialism makes each man a mere agent, a mere number … while democracy seek equality in liberty, socialism seeks equality in restraint and servitude”.

(To be Continued)

VII

TUESDAY, MARCH 14, 2023 ˾ T H I S D AY

My Brief by SKB STEPHEN KOLA-BALOGUN

stephenkolabalogun@yahoo.com

Introduction

D

iscovery or Disclosure (as it is now called in some Common law jurisdictions), is an important interlocutory procedure, and arguably, one of the most important stages of litigation. It is the process that ensures that all relevant documents are available to the parties, and to the court, so that no one is taken by surprise at trial. The Nigerian judicial system, by and large, accepts that parties to litigation should share documents and other information prior to trial.

Interrogatories & Discovery Under the various Civil Procedure Rules in several States of the Federation, the first leg in this process is called Interrogatories. It is a sort of legal questionnaire submitted to the other party, as part of pre-trial discovery. It is the administration of a series of questions which are directed at the interrogated party, who is compelled to provide an answer on oath through an affidavit. Discovery of documents, on the other hand, is the second leg of discovery. In this case the evidence required by a party in order to prove its case after the close of pleadings, consists mainly of documents in the possession of the other party or a third party. A request may be made in writing, for the discovery on oath of such documents. This is borne out, for instance, by Order 29 Rule 6(1) of the High Court of Lagos (Civil Procedure) Rules 2019, which provides that: “A party to a proceeding may, serve a written request on any other party to make discovery on oath of the documents relating to any matter in question in the action that are or have been in his possession, custody or under his power or control”.

Similar provisions are provided for under Order 43 of the Federal High Court Civil Procedure Rules 2019. Some of our courts across the country have equally made provisions for pre-trial proceedings in the form of Case Management Conferences in civil suits, whereby each party has a duty to identify, locate and preserve information and other evidence that is relevant to that specific litigation.

The Rules of Court envisage interrogatories and discoveries to take place, at this case management pre-trial stage. Sadly, despite the existence of these Rules of Court aimed at ensuring ease for both the Bar and Bench in obtaining information to be used at trial, legal practitioners in Nigeria rarely make use of them to request for the production of documents.

E-Disclosure However, despite this fact, another and arguably more important third leg is fast developing, which from all indications will have far more significance in this modern digital age. This new leg relates to E-disclosure. It means any document held in electronic form, including, for example, emails, text messages and voicemail, word processed documents and databases, and documents stored on portable devices such as memory sticks and mobile phones. Due to the exponential volume of data held in electronic format, e-disclosure is a vital stage in a dispute. The electronic data is searched, identified and preserved for the purpose of using it as admissible evidence in a civil matter.

Unfortunately, there is currently no law, rule or practice direction specifically stipulating the obligation to preserve electronic data for the purpose of anticipated or pending litigation in Nigeria. I am not even sure that there is a reported case on the obligation of parties to preserve such electronic data, upon reasonable anticipation of litigation here in Nigeria. This is why the decision of the Court of Appeal in Abuja on Wednesday 10th March, 2023, ordering the Independent National Electoral (INEC) to allow Nigeria’s President-elect, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, to inspect electoral materials used for the conduct of the Presidential election appears to be breaking new ground.

Bola Ahmed Tinubu & Anor v INEC & Ors (CA 2023) The Applicant, by way of an ex parte application filed on Tuesday 7th March, 2023 at the Court of Appeal in Abuja, requested that INEC grant him access to inspect the electoral materials, particularly the Bimodal Voters Accreditation System (BVAS) machines which were used in the conduct of the Presidential election polls, in order to prepare for his defence at the Presidential Election Petition Court. In a ruling given the next day on Wednesday 8th March, 2023, a three-member Panel of the Court of Appeal led by Joseph Ikyegh

The Need to Further Codify Electronic Disclosure in Nigeria JCA stated that : “After reading the Applicants’ motion ex parte, I am satisfied that there is substance in the application. I accordingly, grant him leave to inspect, scan and make photocopies of some of the electoral materials”.

Earlier in what was also a related development, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and Peter Obi of the Labour Party were both granted permission from the Court, to inspect sensitive electoral materials that were used in the conduct of the election.

E-Disclosure in Nigeria and in Comparison to other Common Law Jurisdictions In Nigeria, there is, no known or particular electronic disclosure protocol of the sort contained in the Civil Procedure Rules Practice Direction 31B in England and Wales, Practice Direction 3 in Singapore, Practice Direction SL1.2 in Hong Kong, Practice Direction RC17/08 in Jersey, or the “Technology and the Court” General Practice Note in Australia. In the absence of any specific Practice Direction, our courts only have the jurisdiction to give tailored directions to the parties, on an ad hoc basis, (as we noted in the President- elect’s recent ex parte application to the Court of Appeal above), and give guidelines on the manner in which they should conduct their discovery exercise when it comes to electronic discovery. The Courts also have inherent jurisdiction to decide how best to enforce compliance with those discovery obligations, in the event of non-compliance.

The Court’s power to provide tailored, or bespoke, discovery directions to the parties before the discovery exercise is conducted, is again, part of the Court’s inherent jurisdiction to regulate the conduct of civil litigation. This power is only qualified to the limited extent that the exercise of any such particular power might be in direct contravention of any other primary legislation, such as the 1999 Constitution (as amended) or an existing Act of the National Assembly, or any other specific provision of rules, relating, for example, to issues of legal professional privilege.

Although as stated earlier, there is no prescribed form of electronic discovery protocol here in Nigeria, it would not be out of place for parties to substantial litigation as in the forthcoming

“With the introduction of BVAS machines and other electronic technology into both our electoral and commercial lives, some form of codification possibly through a Practice Direction that will have some sort of bearing on all courts and tribunals across the country, seems not only desirable, but sensible”

Presidential election case, for example, to also agree amongst themselves through their Lawyers, a detailed protocol, which could then be appended to a Court Order for directions at a relatively early stage in proceedings. This practice could have the advantage of avoiding unnecessary delays and interlocutory skirmishes, down the line.

The power of our courts to regulate discovery as part of the scope of their inherent jurisdiction, is further buttressed by the UK Supreme Court which confirmed that “the remedy of discovery (now known as disclosure) was adopted by the courts of equity, in order to aid the administration of justice“, and that it was only subsequently codified by the rules of court. See the case of Al Rawi v Security Services [2011] UKSC 34 per Lord Dyson at Paragraph 20. It follows therefore that, the scope of disclosure has long been seen as a matter on which the courts have inherent jurisdiction to decide. English case law has also recognised the English Court’s power to tailor directions relating to electronic discovery, according to the particular circumstances of the case. See Digicel St Lucia Limited v Cable & Wireless Plc [2008] EWHC 2522; Goodale & Ors v The Ministry of Justice & Ors 2009 EWHC B41 (QB).

However, in attempting to reform or update Nigerian law on e-disclosure, one could usefully take into account the rules, practice directions, and experiences of other common law jurisdictions, some of which have been noted above, such as Hong Kong, Singapore, Canada, and Australia, as well as the discovery practices applicable in Jersey, the USA, and also in sone international arbitration matters, by having e-disclosure codified.

The Evidence Act Even though e-disclosure is not yet codified, there is still an obligation to preserve electronic data under Nigerian law. This is the presumption of law with regard to the withholding of evidence under Section 167(d) of the Evidence Act 2011.

The Section provides as follows: “...the court may presume that evidence which could be and is not produced would, if produced, be unfavourable to the person who withholds it”.

In Simon v State (2017) LPELR-41988(SC) Page 11, Paras. E-F the Supreme Court restated the presumption of law as to withholding of evidence under Section 167 (d) of the Evidence Act 2011 above. What this suggests is that, a party who could ordinarily produce electronic evidence but fails to do so when requested to do so, would be presumed to have withheld the evidence. This presumption of law is anchored on the supposition that the failure and/or refusal to produce the evidence is due to it being unfavourable to the party withholding, hence the refusal to produce.

It is noteworthy that to successfully invoke Section 167(d), the court needs to be satisfied that the evidence exists; such evidence could be produced; it has not been produced, and it has

been withheld by the person who could produce it. Thus, simply not producing evidence, would not necessarily amount to withholding it. In other words, the section applies only where it is established that evidence has been suppressed or concealed.

Where, however, a document was pleaded by a party but not tendered, that will not necessarily amount to withholding of evidence as to invoke the provisions of Section 167(d) of the Evidence Act. The above principles as it relates to the law of evidence, should be contrasted with the principle of Litigation Holds. Litigation Holds was first established in the US in Zubulake v UBS Warburg LLC 220 F.R.D 212 (SDNY 2003). Here it was stated that “once a party reasonably anticipates litigation, it must suspend its routine document retention/destruction policy and put in place a litigation hold to ensure the preservation of relevant documents”. The key words are ‘in anticipation of litigation’, as opposed to being notified. This principle adds value to e-disclosure, and is worth incorporating into any future codification of e-disclosure principles.

Rules of Professional Conduct It is also worth pointing out that Rule 14(2) of the Rules on Professional Conduct, requires a legal practitioner to warn his clients against any particular risk which is likely to occur in the course of any matter being handled on their behalf. This could also be taken to mean that a Lawyer has a duty to notify their clients of the need to avoid deletion or destruction of some electronic documents that may be useful, relevant or required in a matter they are handling. In addition, a legal practitioner has an obligation to inform their client once an Order of Discovery is brought to their attention on behalf of such a client. Accordingly, by Order 26 Rule 12 “a Legal Practitioner upon whom an Order against any Party for interrogatories or discovery or inspection is served under the last preceding Rule, who neglects without reasonable excuse to give notice thereof to his client, shall be liable to attachment”.

Conclusion Our civil procedure rules in the various courts across the country, are not adequately equipped for the disclosure of electronic documents, and as such, our courts through their inherent jurisdiction are now attempting to plug the lacuna in any anticipated litigation in which e- disclosure is likely to be of significance.

The rules of evidence and professional conduct have equally provided supplementary support to the use of the court’s inherent jurisdiction, but legal principles such as litigation holds which are now beginning to take root in our laws point towards the need for further codification of e-disclosure protocols. Several Common law jurisdictions, have already adopted this approach. With the introduction of BVAS machines and other electronic technology into both our electoral and commercial lives, some form of codification possibly through a Practice Direction that will have some sort of bearing on all courts and tribunals across the country, seems not only desirable, but sensible.

VIII COVER

TUESDAY, MARCH 14, 2023 ˾ T H I S D AY

President-Elect, Bola Ahmed Tinubu

Justice Sector Reform: Expectations from the Incoming Administration The vast majority of Nigerians sent one clear message to politicians, through their votes in the February 2023 Presidential elections. They are displeased with the way Nigeria is heading.

The fact that only 24 million Nigerians (out of an estimated 87 million) even bothered to vote, must for discerning observers, tell a story of a people burdened by a lack of faith in the ability of the political process to respond to their concerns. This displeasure cuts across all facets of Nigeria’s socio- economic and political lines. The economy and state of our nation’s security are twin concerns that have, among others, led to the daily exodus of our brightest and best. More serious, is the issue of rampaging terrorists, bandits and kidnappers, that has led to an alarming number of deaths of our citizens, in both rural and urban Nigeria. The Buhari administration promised improved security, economic growth and strong anti-corruption measures.

To be fair, it would be uncharitable to insist that no progress has been made. There has undoubtedly, been progress. The reality however, is that the quantum of progress made has simply not been able to meet up with the expectations of Nigerians. One of the sectors where this gap is so glaring, is in the area of administration of justice. Truth be told, such is the state of the justice sector today, that it will take a brave person to argue that Nigeria has made significant developments in this sector. Citizens cynicism about justice administration, trumps any political statement or government reports to the contrary. One of the authors of this piece has, since the inception of the Fourth Republic in 1999, consistently drawn the attention of successive governments, to the urgent need to focus on reforms of the justice system. We have argued that the system inherited from years of military rule cannot, by any stretch of imagination, be fit for the purpose of a democracy. In very simple words, we argued that the justice system is the pillar on which a democracy system rests. It will be wishful thinking to imagine that aside from law and justice, goals of good governance, economic growth and security can be achieved, without an effective and efficient justice system. We said in several write-ups that what is required, is a holistic and radical reform of all aspects of our justice system. It is depressing that in 2023, more than two decades after the first publication on this issue, we are still writing about the same issues. Again, there have been developments. Progressive laws have been enacted, administrative measures have been undertaken, and there have been no dearth of policy statements and directives. The problem as identified in our many editorials is that these interventions are ad-hoc and suffer from a combination of limited political will, including government’s poor understanding of what needs to be done. The lack of merit-based appointments to leadership positions of key justice sector institutions, and the appointment of persons without subject-matter appreciation or passion for reform, have proved to be important stumbling blocks towards achieving reforms in this sector. Moreover, many of these interventions fail to take into consideration the need for a national approach that recognises the necessity of a national consensus, including effective cooperation between the Federal Government and States in matters of justice administration. This limited collaboration between the Federal and State Governments, is a problem. The problem of leadership. With no one institution in the Federal Government setting an agenda for best practice, many State Governments have filled the leadership vacuum by running ahead with their different ideas of justice sector reform. With no standardisation and quality evaluation, any wonder then, that for vast majority of Nigerians, Government’s interventions in the justice system are a mirage. The incoming administration of Bola Ahmed Tinubu, again provides another opportunity for change. The present day challenges confronting the sector are without doubt, intimidating. Two decades of lack lustre interventions in the justice sector, must necessarily have consequences. The President-Elect should know that, Nigeria cannot afford another round of quick and dirty interventions in the manner she administers justice. The goal for a Tinubu administration is self-evident - take the administration of justice system in a different direction. A direction never seen in the history of Nigeria. One that leads to building a justice system which is affordable, efficient, independent, transparent, professional and accountable to Nigerians. One that ensures the rule of law and the observance of human rights, and contributes to reclaiming the trust of Nigerians and the International Community in our Justice system. The building blocks, are already in place. There is nothing that needs to be said or done about reforming the justice sector, that has not been a subject of national discourse since Nigeria’s return to democracy in 1999. Several high level committees have been set up by successive administrations, to review specific institutions within the justice sector. Every aspect of the infrastructure of our justice system, has undergone fundamental rethinking. There is a national consensus that our approaches to policing, adjudication, imprisonment and access to justice for the poor and indigent, needs change in significant ways. What is now required is to put these blocks together in an achievable, time-bound and costed plan. Justice sector reforms stand a better chance of success, when the Government has a clearly stated plan setting out the official vision of the reform objectives, and committing Government to specific interventions necessary to realise that vision. This is an important reference point, for any strategic approach to any justice sector development plan. To be sure, the strategic reform of the justice system will be a process, not an event. it must be properly planned, carefully managed and the process must be consultative and inclusive of all Federal and the States justice institutions. Nevertheless, change must be accelerated to keep up with the expectations of Nigerians, particularly those of the poorest and most vulnerable communities. Today’s special edition, is a call to action. The President-Elect should not wait until May 29 or beyond, before he begins to identify and articulate his plans for the justice sector. It is time to respond to those who firmly believe that the situation of our justice system is a basket case, and that nothing good can come out of it. If there is any sector that needs reinvention of the President-Elect’s track record as Governor of Lagos State, that sector is the Justice Sector. Immediate past Attorney-General of Ekiti State, Olawale Fapohunda, SAN and Editor of This Day Lawyer, Onikepo Braithwaite, have summarised our many write-ups on this issue, with lots of repetition for emphasis. We propose various legal, policy and administrative interventions for managing the transformation of key justice institutions. This is by no means an exhaustive memorandum. The things- to-do list, is a long one. The thematic areas of interventions, are as important. We are convinced that the starting point must necessarily be institutional reforms - The Judiciary, Police, Prisons and Access to Justice Institutions. These institutions are the vehicles for reforms.

The Judiciary ‘While the Technical Committee on Judicial Remuneration recognises the enormity of the economic challenges facing the nation, there

is now a compelling need to increase judicial salaries. It is our view that judicial salaries must be set at a comparatively high public-service level, in order to remove

“The goal for a Tinubu administration is self-evident - take the administration of justice system in a different direction.

A direction never seen in the history of Nigeria”

both the temptation to corruption and public contemplation of the possibility of such temptation’.

-Report of the Federal Government Technical Committee on Judicial Remuneration, 2018 The state of our Judiciary has recently come under public scrutiny, more than any time before in the history of Nigeria. This is because the number of cases brought to the courts and the number of legislative acts the courts must apply, have increased dramatically.

The vision of Nigeria’s Judiciary as oft

stated, is to strive to be respected throughout Nigeria and the world for its excellence, for the independence of its Judges, and for its delivery of equal justice under the law. The National Judicial Council (NJC) by its several declarations anticipates a future in which Nigeria’s Judiciary is noteworthy for its accessibility, timeliness, and efficiency. It attracts to the Bench the nation’s finest legal talent; is an employer of choice, providing an exemplary workplace for a diverse group of highly qualified Judges and employees; works effectively with the other branches of government; and enjoys the peoples trust and confidence.

The President-Elect must be aware that the

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TUESDAY, MARCH 14, 2023 ˾ T H I S D AY

Justice Sector Reform: Expectations from the Incoming Administration main issue that confronts our nation’s Judiciary today, is that of judicial independence. How to fulfil its role in relation to the other powers of the State, society in general, and the parties to litigation. Judicial Independence, is the fundamental requirement that enables the Judiciary to safeguard democracy and human rights. The independence of the Judiciary is not a prerogative or privilege granted in the interest of Judges, but in the interest of the rule of law and of all those who seek and expect justice.

The Judiciary faces certain inherent problems, which show the weaknesses and defects of the system. These require immediate reforms and accountability. Some of these weaknesses are internal, with profound implications on justice delivery. Congested caseload, appointment of Judges, poor infrastructure, to mention but a few. However, in our view, the biggest threat to judicial independence in Nigeria, is the tragic situation of judicial remuneration and conditions of service. The inability of successive governments to make progress on the issue of fair and reasonable judicial salaries, has in many ways, dampened the morale of the Judiciary.

In previous publications in This Day Lawyer, we argued that the discussion around judicial corruption, ignores the issue of fair and adequate conditions of service for judicial officers. We said it is ridiculous and unrealistic to continue to insist that a call to the Bench, is one to national service and penury. The guarantee of adequate conditions of service, is not meant for the benefit of the Judiciary. Rather, financial security is a means to the end of judicial independence, and is therefore for the benefit of us all. We have called for a review of judicial salaries, pensions and benefits, as an important component of judicial reform.

We draw the attention of the President-Elect to a key finding of the Federal Government Technical Committee on Judicial Remuneration and Conditions of Service (TCJR) which stated in its 2018 report that ‘from May 1999 to March 2011, the Federal Government has reviewed the Public Servants and Political Officers salary on four occasions. Specifically, in May 2000, 2005, 2007 and 2011. Judicial officers have been on the same salary structure for almost 15 years, whereas the salaries of the entire workforce, the Military, Intelligence and other Chief Executives in Nigeria, were reviewed in 2011. This has resulted in a situation where some of the Public Office holders whose salaries prior to 2011 were below that of the Judicial Officers, now earn more than them.

Presently, the major parameters for pay fixing and pay relativities seem to have been abandoned, in the consideration of the salaries of Judicial Officers. The present salaries of judicial officers, is evidence of a downgrade in the ranking of their job positions.’

This finding by the Federal Government appointed Committee, that Judicial officers have been on the same salary for more than a decade gives the most important justification for the urgent review of judicial remuneration.

Historically, there has always been an informal link between judicial salaries and senior civil service salaries. There is now an urgent need to delink judicial remuneration from that of the civil service. De-linking judicial remuneration from that of the civil service would not only strengthen the perception of judicial independence, but would also provide the necessary safeguard and reassurance to Judges.

In addition, in recognition of the independence and uniqueness of the Judiciary, we recommend that Judges should be remunerated according to an independent salary scale to be known as the Judicial Service Pay Scale (JSPS). This will enable judicial salaries to be subject to regular reviews, that are distinct from that carried out in respect of the civil service. Furthermore, we propose a separate legislative scheme for salaries, allowances, conditions of service and retirement benefits for judicial officers. We support the proposal of the TCJR for a ‘Judicial Office Holders Entitlements Bill’ and the requisite constitutional amendment, to create a Judicial Office Holders Entitlements Panel to replace the Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission as it relates to the Judiciary. .

Nigeria Police Force and Police Reform “A culture that attaches no stigma to corruption, is an ingredient for inefficiency and corruption. The lukewarm enforcement of

Olawale Fapohunda, SAN

an efficient and credible performance appraisal system, linked with an adequate and transparent reward and punishment mechanism within the Nigeria Police Force, is an important concern” -Practical Steps to Reforms of the Administration of Justice in Nigeria 2010 - Co-authored by Augustine Alegeh, SAN & Olawale Fapohunda, SAN Advising successive governments on the need to undertake meaningful Police reforms, has become a frustrating exercise for This Day Lawyer. One may be tempted to conclude that, there is a deep-seated and strong resistance to the idea of Police reforms in Nigeria. It is sad to admit that, over the years, we have simply had limited political will to undertake far-reaching reforms that are required, to ensure that we have a Police service that works in the interest of our citizens.

Instead, we have had more than two decades of debate on policing and reform, facilitated by multiple high level committees.

Citizens’ expectations that rapid progress will be made after the #EndSARS protests, have regrettably, not been realised. No doubt the establishment of Judicial Panels of Inquiry into rights abuse by some officers of the now disbanded Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) across the States were necessary, for the purpose of reversing a culture of impunity that largely characterised the operations of SARS. This cannot by any stretch of the imagination, be seen to be the vehicle through which sustainable Police reforms will be achieved.

In 2023, we are still discussing. Meanwhile, public perception of corruption, impunity, absence of accountability, incompetence, and failure to control the law and order situation plague the Police Force. The present challenge before the Tinubu Administration, is to reverse this perception and transform the Nigeria Police into a true public servant, capable of elevating the sense of security of Nigerians.

There is nothing that needs to be said and done about Police and policing reform in Nigeria today, that cannot be found in the

“We draw the attention of the President-Elect…..from May 1999 to March 2011, the Federal Government has reviewed the Public Servants and Political Officers salary on four occasions. Specifically, in May 2000, 2005, 2007 and 2011. Judicial officers have been on the same salary structure, for almost 15 years”

reports of the many government-enabled high-level commissions on Police, many dating back to at least 1999. Our reality is that, all of these reports are gathering dust on the shelves of several government institutions. These Reports, without exception, are as relevant today, as they were when they were written. A casual review of the reports, will find similarities in their findings and recommendations. They all agreed that the Nigeria Police Force as it presently exists, is incapable of meeting the security needs of Nigerians.

The Reports identified several areas, in which the Nigeria Police were failing Nigerians. Some of these areas include (a) Limited capacity to collect and analyse preventive intelligence, especially pertaining to serious crimes. (b) Poor Criminal Investigation ability.

This was identified, as one of the reasons behind the under-reporting of crime in Nigeria. Unfortunately, the so-called premier investigation agencies like CID were said to be underperforming. (c) Inadequate personnel. The Nigeria Police continue to have huge vacancies. The Reports noted that efforts to recruit, have largely been politicised. While even in those cases where recruitments were achieved, the process and quality of those recruited, were said to leave a lot to be desired. The Reports identified an under-strengthened Police Force, as an immediate outcome of a poor recruitment policy. (d) Outdated arms and equipment. The Reports stated that our Police Force continue to use obsolete equipment and arms, and lack the latest technology that would help in investigation and intelligence gathering. (e) Lack of proper training. The Reports specifically noted that, existing Police Training Academies are poorly staffed, and often don’t have the necessary facilities in terms of equipment and technology. This is particularly regrettable, given that well-trained and motivated human resources are key to any Police Force’s success. (f) Poor Police infrastructure. The Reports noted the unsatisfactory practice of housing Police stations in impoverished accommodation. (g) Police-Public relations. The Reports noted that Nigerians view the Police as corrupt, inefficient, politically partisan and unresponsive. These perceptions of the Police are largely based on citizens’ unhappiness with the manner the Police handles complaints, particularly against abuse by its officers.

The reform of the Nigeria Police Force will require a wide range of improvements, including a holistic review and redefinition of the role, function, as well as organisational

restructuring aimed at making the Police less militaristic.

It is our considered view that, the key resource available to the Nigeria Police to fulfil its mandate, is the human resources at its disposal. All the Police reform initiatives aforementioned, recommended a holistic review of the conditions of service of Police officers, to undercut the incentive for corrupt behaviour. President Buhari recently approved, an upward review Police salaries across board.

There is little evidence to show that anything has changed .

Aside from salaries and allowances, attention should be given to other welfare benefits. For example, improvement of Police medical facilities, housing, Police schools to be refurbished and upgraded, to enable them cater for the children of Police officers; Police insurance and pension benefits to be improved, and made easily accessible to next of kin.

It is our respectful view, arising from our many failed attempts at Police reforms, that transformative reforms in the Nigeria Police can only be achieved through deliberate Presidential intervention. Previous ministerial interventions, have always stopped at the level of the host Ministry.

Current efforts to saddle the leadership of the Nigeria Police with the responsibility of leading Police reform initiatives, is almost guaranteed to fail. The Police cannot reform itself. Similarly, the existing Police oversight institutions, the Ministry of Police Affairs, Police Service Commission and the Police Council, have all proved incapable of setting an actionable agenda for Police reform.

The President-Elect should commit to leading the Police reform initiative. As a first step, the President-Elect should convene a review of the existing Reports of all previous Commissions and Committees on Police reform, including those of the Constitutional Conferences, with a view to identifying immediate to long term key intervention areas. All these reports contain bold and practical proposals, that can form a working document for an action plan for Police reform.

Nigerian Correctional Services and Prisons Reform “… The State Controller of Correctional Service in Conjunction with the Superintendent, shall have the power to reject more intakes of inmates where it is apparent that the Correctional Centre in question is filled to capacity” -Section 12 (8) Nigerian Correctional Service Act, 2019 The vision of the Nigerian Correctional Service (NCS) among others, is to create a Correctional Service in Nigeria that is able to contribute to cont'd on page X

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meeting the challenges of ensuring a secure and peaceful Nigerian society, through the implementation of humane penal programmes. To establish a credible correctional service, which through excellent penal practice, seeks lasting change in offenders’ attitudes, values and behaviour, and ensure successful reintegration into society.

In furtherance of this vision, the most significant development relating to the administration of prisons in the last eight years, was the creation of a proper legal context for humane prisons system. The Prisons Act 2004 was repealed, and in its place, the Nigerian Correctional Service Act 2019 was enacted. The Act provides for the proper and efficient administration of prisons, protection of human rights of offenders, and upholding of international standards.

It is trite that our correctional centres today, are far from the vision. Basically, our correctional centres suffer from a chronic illness afflicting our criminal justice system. In very basic terms, they suffers from a lack of humanity. Our correctional centres have, over the years, been a source of concern due to overcrowding, poor or non-existent hygienic conditions, under-staffing, lack of adequate medical care, inadequate conditions for female and juvenile detainees, poor administration, long detention of those awaiting trial and limited access to legal advice and representation. These have frequently led to poor health conditions, and frequent jailbreaks. Since 2015, there have been at least 18 reported prison breaks in Nigeria.

This is cause for concern. Reform intervention in our correctional centres, should no longer be seen only as a penal reform issue, but one of national security.

Any meaningful reform of our penal system, will require sustainable reforms in other components of the criminal justice system - The Judiciary, the Police and the Ministries of Justice. This is more so specifically, with reference to dealing with the problem of overcrowding caused by remand inmates. The NCS data shows that Nigeria’s correctional centres have the capacity to hold 50,083 inmates, but they currently hold 75,504 inmates. The data also revealed that of the 75,504 (as at 27.2.2023) inmates in the Facilities, more than 50,822 are awaiting trial. That equates to roughly 73% of the total. While only about 19,234 inmates have been convicted, accounting for 27% of the total. As a result, at least 7 out of 10 inmates are serving time, without being convicted. Prison congestion has directly impacted on the quality of custody of inmates, including housing inmates in squalid and congested cells.

Congestion is also a hindrance to the attainment of the mandate of the correctional service, in terms of inmate training and rehabilitation.

We firmly believe that the reform of our penal regime, should include a critical review of prison administration. Any improvement in conditions of inmates, will be dependent on Correctional Service officers having a pride in their work and a proper level of competence. The conditions of service under which the prison staff work, are grossly inadequate. The pay is poor and cannot match the dangers, emotional stress and social isolation to which the officers are exposed. It is obvious that inadequately motivated staff cannot find satisfaction in their jobs, neither can they be expected to perform optimally.

Achieving an effective response to prison congestion and the review of the conditions of service of correctional service officers, will be a process. However, an area that requires immediate intervention, is the oversight of the Correctional Service. The Correctional Service has for long, been supervised by the Ministry of Interior (formerly Internal Affairs). The Ministry of Interior jointly supervises other paramilitary services like the Fire Service, the Immigration Service and the Civil Defence Corps. This Day Lawyer, in several of its previous editions, has argued that the duties of the Correctional Service are fundamentally different from that of the Fire service, Immigration and Civil Defence Corps. Therefore, a situation where they are treated in the same way and administered by one administrative body, will continue to militate against the efficiency and effectiveness of the prisons service. We therefore, urge the President- Elect to consider removing the Correctional Service from the oversight of the Ministry of Interior, and place it under the Ministry of Justice. This will be an important starting point, for penal reform.

Editor of This Day Lawyer, Onikepo Braithwaite

Access to Justice Institutions “The system of justice that we strive for will - Provide fair and equal access to justice for all Nigerians, regardless of their ethnic group, gender, marital status, age, economic status, disability, religion, belief, culture, language or any other attribute’” Justice Vision 2015 - A Publication of Federal Ministry of Justice, Nigeria The highlights of the Federal Government of Nigeria 2022 Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI) survey, reveal that 63% of persons living within Nigeria (133 million people) are multidimensionally poor. The National MPI is 0.257, indicating that poor people in Nigeria experience just over one-quarter of all possible deprivations. 65% of the poor (86 million people) live in the North, while 35% (nearly 47 million) live in the South. Poverty levels across States vary significantly, with the incidence of multidimensional poverty ranging from a low of 27% in Ondo to a high of 91% in Sokoto. Multidimensional poverty is higher in rural areas, where 72% of people are poor, compared to 42% of people in urban areas.

Poverty limits people’s access to justice, and their ability to resolve conflicts and deal with everyday legal problems. The administration of justice system in Nigeria, does not empower poor people. This is too often a source of frustration, disillusionment, and disempowerment for them, as well as a direct reflection of prevailing social inequality and exclusion. Promoting equal, meaningful access to legal representation in the Nigerian justice system is critical to ending poverty, combating discrimination, and creating opportunity.

It is for these reasons, that it is necessary for the President-Elect to pay special attention, to the status of Access to Justice institutions in Nigeria. The key institutions that require special attention are the Federal Ministry of Justice, the National Human Rights Commission and the Legal Aid Council

“One may be tempted to conclude that, there is a deep-seated and strong resistance to the idea of Police reforms in Nigeria. It is sad to admit that, over the years, we have simply had limited political will to undertake far-reaching reforms that are required, to ensure that we have a Police service that works in the interest of our citizens”

of Nigeria.

Federal Ministry of Justice The business of the Ministry of Justice covers virtually every facet of the administration of justice, including the protection, promotion of human rights and the provision of all legal services to the Federal Government. The Ministry still largely sees itself as responsible for the administration of the Federal Ministry of Justice, and not the Nigerian Justice Sector. This has led to lacklustre coordination, of Federal and State Justice institutions. The result of this is the absence of a national consensus, on important justice sector issues. The demand for enhanced conditions of service by State Counsel in the Federal Ministry of Justice, which has been unrealised over the years, constitutes the single biggest challenge facing the Federal Ministry of Justice, in view of the negative impact on other aspects of its operations, including personnel motivation and posting preferences by staff. The non-resolution of this demand, is an important obstacle to achieving access to justice for the poor.

The Legal Aid Council The Legal Aid Council of Nigeria (LACON), is a statutory entity under the Federal Ministry of Justice. The Council’s mandate, is to administer an efficient and coordinated legal aid system in Nigeria. LACON among others, administers a Legal Aid Scheme, which provides legal aid for citizens. Currently, criminal matters are entitled to Duty Counsel or Court Assignments.

The Legal Aid Council Act 2011, in its current state, is too restrictive on the kind of cases the Council can intervene. Such criminal offences as Trafficking in Persons, drug related offences, kidnapping, terrorism, illegal possession of firearms, traffic violations, are outside the mandate of the Council. The Act gives wide powers to the Council to visit prisons and other places of detention, with a prescription that to deny access would be a criminal offence. LACON has recently increased its nationwide coverage, but it is still not present in many LGAs. This is not only a question of money, but also of the lack of Lawyers to provide representation in rural areas, and the absence of a formal requirement for Lawyers to do pro bono work.

The annual appropriation of the Legal Aid Council, has dwindled over the years. This places a responsibility on the Federal Government to rethink its current investment in the legal aid scheme, and to decide whether it is adequate or not.

National Human Rights Commission The National Human Rights Commission was established by the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) Act 1995, as amended by the

NHRC Act 2010, in line with the resolution of the United Nations General Assembly, which enjoins all member States to establish national human rights institutions for the promotion and protection of human rights. The Commission serves as an extra-judicial mechanism, for the enhancement of human rights. Its establishment is aimed at creating an enabling environment for the promotion, protection and enforcement of human rights. It also provides avenues for public enlightenment, research and dialogue, in order to raise awareness on human rights issues. The Commission is largely seen as an isolated solution, to the problem of human rights violations. Limited cooperation from Ministries, parastatals and agencies, have hampered its ability to work effectively as part of an overall framework of democratic institutions. There has been some concern about overlapping mandates between NHRC and the LACON, specifically in relation to prison work. Improved coordination should therefore, be the focus of legislative reform and administrative action.

The NHRC is clearly under-funded. This lack of adequate and appropriate funding, has in no small way, contributed to public disappointment with its limited activity and reach. There is little point in government establishing a human rights commission, if it is then deprived of the resources needed to ensure performance.

Implementation and Monitoring The goal of a justice system capable of upholding the principles of the rule of law remains largely a challenge, due, in large part, to a fragmented institutional structure and the resulting lack of co-ordination among the numerous levels of government and relevant justice institutions. The idea of a single forum in which the three arms of government, agencies with a justice sector mandate and civil society organisations meet to discuss and agree on concrete interventions for the justice sector, has long been proposed.

The need to ensure the reinforcement of recent reforms in the justice sector, and the prompt follow-up of outstanding reforms requires an implementation and monitoring body.

We urge the President- Elect to consider the establishment of a National Council on the Administration of Justice (NCAJ). The NCAJ should be established to provide high level policy making, implementation and oversight of interventions in the Justice Sector. Its membership should include State and Non-State Actors from the justice sector. Its mandate should include ensuring coordinated, efficient, effective, consultative and implementation of key reforms in the administration of justice system.

Olawale Fapohunda, SAN and Onikepo Braithwaite

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THE ALTERNATIVE

with RenoOmokri

Obidients Weaponizing Cancel Culture O n Thursday, March 9, 2023, Oby Ezekwesili, former presidential adviser, minister, and World Bank vice President, tweeted as follows: "The ethnic baiting currently going on in Lagos is terribly unfortunate.

Imagine unscrupulous politicians and their allies labelling Igbo people as enemies of Lagos? What’s that?

You’re all propagating such dangerous rubbish for selfish political gain?

Better, STOP IT NOW! " Commendable words on the surface. But when you go deeper, you see something more sinister.

There has been more video and documentary evidence of people of Igbo origin being physically beaten or otherwise harassed by their own brethren for daring to vote for either the Peoples Democratic Party or the All Progressives Congress, during the February 25, 2023 Presidential and National Assembly elections.

Yet, Oby Ezekwesili did not tweet or squeak!

After Deborah Samuel Yakubu was burnt to death for blasphemy against Prophet Mohammed (Sallallahu Alayhi Wasallam), Oby cried and danced naked on the streets in an amazing show of empathy. Or so we thought.

She called on heaven and Earth to fall. She claimed her heart was broken. She said every human life matters.

But then, exactly 10 days later, as fate would have it, a pregnant Northern Muslim woman, Harira Jubril, and her four underaged children, were crudely murdered in cold blood on the streets of Anambra State, where Oby comes from.

And till today, almost a year after, Oby has refused to condemn the incident, let alone cry out, like she did over the wicked murder of Deborah.

Apparently, to Oby, every human life matters, except you are a Northern Muslim.

So, it is no surprise that Oby Ezekwesili is a selfadmitted Obidient.

After Dangote visited Bola Tinubu, the disputed President-elect, on Friday, March 3, 2023, an Obidient with the handle @StephenIkechuk4 tweeted as follows: No Nigerian youth that loves and wants the best for Nigeria should still be working for Dangote & any of his businesses or affiliates.

If you love Nigeria, RESIGN from all of Dangote's companies.

Do it for the future of your children & grandchildren!

When on Tuesday, March 7, 2023, Bola Tinubu visited the chairman of Heirs Holdings, Tony Elumelu, another Obidient (he stated his leanings) asked Nigerians to close all their accounts with the UBA Group and

Peter Obi withdraw all their monies.

Like Oby Ezekwesili, many Obidients are oversensitive to what they perceive others are doing to them, yet, they are very insensitive, and even indifferent to what they and their movement do to others. They defend or deny what happened in the Southeast during the Presidential elections and at other times, only to amplify what they suspect happened elsewhere.

They use the flimsiest propaganda as proof of their oppression and marginalisation, even when it has no basis and/or was manufactured by their supporters, and reject obvious documentary evidence against their movement.

In direct response to what Oby Ezekwesili said about ethnic baiting, let’s say that the most accommodating people in Nigeria are the Yoruba. And the most accommodating geographical location in Nigeria is Lagos.

What is tolerated in Lagos will not be tolerated anywhere else in Nigeria, including in Anambra, where Oby Ezekwesili, who is now scandalising Yoruba, comes from. At the risk of repeating myself, I put it to my readers that if pregnant Harira Jubril and her four underaged children had been killed in Lagos, Lagosians would have condemned it, not stay silent, like the usually loud Oby did! Such a thing could not even have occurred in Lagos. Such is the decency of Lagosians.

Oby is just a refined version of an Indigenous People of Biafra militant. This woman said absolutely nothing

about the many videos of PDP and APC voters being beaten for exercising their franchise in the Southeast.

And now, she has the guts to accuse the Yoruba of ethnic baiting?

When the International Committee of Red Cross worker, Hauwa Liman, was executed by Boko Haram, Oby went publicly mad and displayed her livid rage for all to see. When Ahmed Gulak was murdered in Owerri, she kept mute and slept in her bed. She took to the streets to cry for Chibok Girls. How many tears has she shed for the hundreds of Nigerians killed by ‘unknown gunmen’ in her own state and zone? The hypocritical woman did not complain of ethnic baiting when a Yoruba man plucked her out of obscurity and made her a minister in his government, before later recommending her to be vice president of the World Bank. Ingrate!

I have never seen a people so blind to the offences they cause others and so hyper aware of assumed infractions they feel others may have done to them.

People who walk and deliberately step on your foot and then look aghast when you look at them.

Not only that, they take your reaction as an action.

Wilfully or unconsciously blind to their action that led to your reaction.

And look at their response to Peter Obi's lopsided legal team. Rather than accept that their hero made a mistake, they are justifying it by saying he chose people he can rely on. Then why were they trolling Buhari? After all, Buhari can make the same argument for his nepotism!

Peter Obi should have tried to broaden his legal team behind his own tribe. Yes, he wants his chosen advocates to protect his votes in court. But those who voted for him are not exclusively Igbo. It will be hypocritical of me to criticise Buhari for nepotism and keep quiet about a list full of only Azinges, Kalus and Okafors!

Obi's legal team list makes it look like Peter Obi and tribalism are conjoined twins. He should do something about it urgently. Those who helped him win in places like Lagos, FCT, Plateau and Nasarawa are not just Igbo. He ought to put a few token non-Igbo on his team for a semblance of unity.

Peter Obi and his Obidients should not make their movement like the Mark of the Beast, wherein anybody that does not have the mark of Obi is to be cancelled. His businesses to be boycotted. His family to be harassed. His reputation to be savaged. All his or her prior good deeds are to be forgotten. And Obidients are not to rest until such a one is wiped off the face of the planet. Whether with factual or

propagandistic 'evidence'.

Obidients should not make their cure worse than the disease they want to fight! It is not possible to harbour such toxicity and hatred and still bring a healing panacea to the nation. If Obidients are like this without power, I shudder to think of what they will be like with power!

If Nigeria is to survive and thrive as a nation, then we need national movements. The Obidient movement is a powerful force. But it is not a national force. It is not even a rational one. That is why when you disagree with an Obidient, insults are to be expected.

That is why the major influences around their protagonist are exclusively from one part of the country.

And even if you point this out to them factually, they will come out en masse to insult you. And you will start looking from Obidient to IPOB and be unable to differentiate who is who.

Maybe there was never any difference in the first place.

But one thing I know, as long as Obi has people like Oby Ezekwesili on his sidelines, he will continue to be a regional force that may even one day, have the numbers to be President, with his captive audience.

But what a regional champion will never have is the national spread.

Slowly but surely, Obi is becoming a Southern version of Buhari. Immensely popular in his neck of the woods.

Surrounded by his clan. Allowing people ride on his wild but regional popularity to win gubernatorial and municipal elections, and preaching to the choir instead of expanding his base.

Reno’s Nuggets A man who spends his money on his wife is not doing her any favours. He is doing her his duty. A housewife is not a jobless person. Being a stay-at-home wife is itself a job. She looks after you. And the kids. And the house. As a result, she can't earn as much as she potentially can.

Husband, better pay her well! And if you don't know how much to pay her, try this exercise. Hire a cook. Engage a cleaner. Patronise a nanny. Ask how much an escort charges. Finally, investigate the wages of a hostess. Add them all together.

And the amount you get is your wife's minimum wage for all she does! #RenosNuggets #FreeLeahSharibu

PERSPECTIVE

The Lagos-New York-London Echo Chamber Desperate to will a preferred candidate to victory, Western journalists fell into a tunnel vision on Nigerian politics.

Ebenezer Obadare

A

cross the Western media, the outcome of Nigeria’s just concluded general election has been both shocking and disappointing. While the shock owes to the triumph of candidate Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC)—a contender the Western press had given next to no chance of winning—disillusionment at the outcome is attributable to the conviction that, being an icon of the old guard, a Tinubu presidency suggests a continuation of politics as usual at a moment when many Nigerians strongly desire everything but.

That a cross section of Nigerians also share this disappointment goes without saying, and it remains to be seen what policy options the president elect will pursue (provided he survives the legal challenge to the election by the Labour Party’s (LP) Peter Obi and the People’s Democratic Party’s (PDP) Atiku Abubakar respectively) to win over his doubters, particularly young Nigerians who justifiably perceive that their country is headed in the wrong direction.

Beyond the shock and disappointment, however, it is important to reflect on why the Western media got it wrong on the outcome of the election, and why Western journalists, in many instances using more or less the same language, persisted in presenting Peter Obi as the election’s front runner when there was simply no evidence to support the assertion.

As an increasing number of young Nigerians—the “Obi-dient”—gravitated towards the 61-year-old Obi, raising the tantalizing prospect of a breakup of the duopoly which has monopolized power since Nigeria returned to civil rule in 1999, Western media sympathy for Obi (allied with fawning portrayal of his platform) rose in tandem.

This was understandable. In Nigerian politics, Obi was the closest thing to a unicorn—an energetic candidate who spoke the language of transparency and good governance and appeared to mean it—and perhaps for the first time in a long while, Nigerians of a certain generation had real hope that governance

Tinubu could be set on a new pedestal. Obi’s political rallies testified to this newfangled buoyancy and bullishness about the country’s prospects, and disillusionment at his failure at the polls has to be set against this specific affective backdrop.

But if sympathy for Obi was understandable, that he came up short, a heartbreaking outcome from the perspective of his supporters, was also not unexpected. As a matter of fact, I predicted it. In the first place, the passion of the Obi-dient, pivoting on the cultural influence of the urban educated, entertainers, influencers, celebrities, and assorted agents mobilizing a nascent digital power, could only radiate so far. Structurally, as the Nigerian media goes, so goes its social media. The political map the morning after the election confirms this.

Furthermore, and for all his undeniable bond

with young people, Obi faced a practically insurmountable challenge to achieving his presidential ambition precisely because of his failure (his part in this is a matter of debate) to forge a coalition with power brokers in the predominantly Muslim north. The choice of Kaduna State-born Datti Baba-Ahmed as his running mate was clearly meant to obviate the disadvantage of not having an agreement with the core north in place, but the founder of the Abuja-based Baze University is more technocrat than pugilist, and his political footprint even at the best of times was always light. Obi’s abysmal numbers across the northern region, where the presidential contest was more or less a two-horse race between Tinubu and Abubakar puts his failure to connect in the region in bold relief.

If all this was obvious to the average student of Nigerian politics, that it continued to elude Western journalists is one of the more puzzling aspects of their coverage of the election. Their first error was to characterize as a “political outsider” a savvy veteran who only four years ago ran as running mate to Abubakar on the platform of the PDP, and in May 2022 was still gearing up to pick up the same party’s presidential ticket until he was outmaneuvered

by Abubakar. By the same illogic, Obi would soon be anointed as the “front-runner” in the election even when it was abundantly clear that Tinubu and Abubakar, for political and structural reasons sketched above, were the two candidates to beat. That these reasons might have been unpalatable if one were favorably disposed to Obi’s candidacy does nothing to change their status as brute facts.

There were other mistakes. Pressured as to the reason for their confidence in Obi as a front-runner in the election, Western journalists regularly cited surveys, many of which, by omission or design, seem to have been armored against evidence. Persistent warnings about

the limitations of polling in light of Nigeria’s sociological and ethnoregional particulars went unheeded. Nor did many Western journalists seem willing to make the simple admission that the voice of young Nigerians as encapsulated in the Obi-dient movement, while legitimate, did not necessarily aggregate the voice of every young Nigerian. No allowance was made for the country’s obvious political and cultural heterogeneity, nor was there any curiosity about parts of the country where comparatively low levels of literacy and technological diffusion have historically signaled a contrary sensibility.

Perhaps Western journalists might have seen things differently if only they bothered to look, but such was their hurry to report a feelgood story of youth resurgence and political revitalization about an African country where such tends to be scarce; such, in addition was the umbilical connection between the same journalists and the Obi-dient, that the only “facts” available to them were those afforded by the bubble into which they had sealed themselves. Hence the spectacle of an echo chamber in which both the Western and Obi-dient media glibly cross-referenced each other, impervious to the kind of contrary information or perspective that might have forced them to adjust their lens.

That the Western press meant well is not in question. Obi was a breath of fresh air in a country where political criminality is a tautology more or less, and he ran against two representatives of the establishment deeply loathed by many. While that may be understandable, there is simply no excuse for its mischaracterization of Obi, never mind its scandalous negligence of the basic realities of Nigerian politics.

By recklessly propping up Obi, hence giving the impression that he was on his way to the presidency, they have contributed to the public’s loss of confidence in the integrity of the Nigerian election.

Culled from the Council on Foreign Relations’ Blog

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PROPERTY & ENVIRONMENT Balogun: Multi-billion Naira Buildings Rot as Investors Don’t Value Facility Management The Managing Director/CEO of GPFI Group, an international facility management company with roots in Nigeria, tells Bennett Oghifo that most people spare no expense to construct very expensive buildings in Nigeria but do not see value in budgeting for their maintenance. He also discusses the journey of merging the company, challenges, and the road ahead for Africa’s facility management industry and the role of GPFI in it

H

ow do you manage to do business in a market renowned with a poor maintenance culture? We see billions of Naira or even sometimes dollars going into infrastructure in Nigeria.

And people say give it 10 years or 20 years. How has GPFI been able to cope with this reality in the market?

I would answer your question with two perspectives. One of the things I was doing in those days was to understand how government buildings, how people build, and what their approach to managing is. The fact that I had experience managing across industries, retail banking, and airports gave me a very broad understanding of the challenges that we can find with organisations we’re managing their properties. One of the things we did differently, which I always find is the challenge that people don’t manage their facilities not because they don’t want to manage but because they don’t see the value in managing their facility. And that’s the sense that I’ve brought into the company that the people understand the value that they we get long term on investing in maintenance or facility management, they won’t not say no to it. Second is that you also have to develop people who can deliver.

So, one thing is to say we want to do it. The second is, where is to provide the competence?

And we saw that at the beginning, to lead the company to start focusing on developing people. We worked to develop a programme.

Eventually, the University of Lagos started doing a programme facility management which I got involved in. We also developed our own internship programme and technical training.

We employed people at technical schools to develop for the industry. The company now does this as a social intervention project to develop people. So those are the two main perspectives. We find a situation where people

we’re trying to also, you know, change that we need to create an opportunity for people to be in the industry and see the need to be in the industry. That’s what we are driving at the association and at the national level to ensure that we have a standard, both for the work we do and for the people that do the work. You cannot be a technician and be earning N30,000 monthly. There’s no way you can survive. Or you cannot be a manager in the facilities management industry and be earning N80,000 a month. Because the average cost of a facility management training today is $1,500. How do you save for that?. So, these are the things that we’re trying to do from our perspective, as an organisation and as an individual.

Balogun

need to see the value. If you just say spend money, then why would I need to spend money, but you show them the value? Again, they spend the money, they will, you know, sign up for it. One of the things also that which is a third perspective.

I think about five years ago, we had an industry session where the Minister of Works said something very correct. The challenge is not that there is no maintenance culture or maintenance economy. It is that people don’t value people in our industry, if they are not well positioned and treated well. I did some research on exactly what he said and I can say that is true. Second is that if people don’t see opportunity in the industry. And that’s the mentality,

Polaris Bank Provides N5bn Mortgage as Okoro Facilitates Relocation of PH Electrical Appliances Dealers Bennett Oghifo Members of the Electrical Materials Dealers’ Association in Port Harcourt, Rivers State who presently operate in the Okija area of the Garden City, are set to relocate to their permanent site/market at Iriebe, Port Harcourt.

The relocation is being promoted and marketed by M. I. Okoro & Associates, a firm of Estate Surveyors and Valuers, and the new market is being developed by Revelation Paints Limited.

Interested members of the association are to benefit from a N5 billion mortgage facility that Polaris Bank Limited is providing the electrical dealers to assist prospective shop owners purchase the 1720 lock-up shops located along KM 17, Aba-Port Harcourt Road.

Speaking at a joint press conference in Lagos by M. I. Okoro & Associates and Property Writers Association of Nigeria, PEWAN, a sub-group of the Nigeria Union of Journalists NUJ, Chief Meckson Innocent Okoro, Principal Partner, M. I. Okoro & Associates, said presently, 600 lock-up shops have been developed out of 1720 lock-up shops to be developed in the market.

Okoro disclosed that business activities can commence on the readily available shops while the developer continues to develop more shops on a planned phased location model

to enable the electrical materials dealers to settle down fully for business in the new site which the Association has tagged “Promised Land”.

Okoro said, “In addition to the 1,720 lock-up shops being developed, traders will also be privileged to have massive warehouses where their goods will be stored for easy distribution to their customers while many of their visiting customers could load and off-load goods within the warehouses and transport to different parts of Nigeria.

“There will also be Restaurants located at various convenient points within the market so that traders and their visiting customers will find it easy to eat and save time. There also well managed toilets in place while electricity supply in the new electrical market will be a combination of solar and independent energy supply from private sector driven arrangement”.

Explaining that provisions have been made for banking halls and other offices to support business operations in the new market that are currently lacking at Okija location, he said the size of each lock-up shop is 14.3 square metres and is developed on the ground and first floor only, pointing out that each shop on the ground floor costs N4.5 million on the average while the first floor shops cost N4 million and these prices are just promotional that can last up to

the end of April 2023. He said the prices are expected to be reviewed upward after April.

He stated that Polaris bank decided to partner his firm because the firm is a leading professional firm in the country with the specialty in market relocation in Nigeria in addition to being a household name in the real estate industry in the country having being in the business of real estate consulting for over 33 years without any blemish.

“Polaris bank decided to provide mortgage funding arrangement as a deliberate policy of the bank to support small and medium scale businesses to succeed in Nigeria and at the same time empowering the youths in business in order to reduce youth restiveness and crime rate in Nigeria, “That is the major reason Polaris bank partners M. I, Okoro & Associates to ensure that the movement of electrical dealers to their permanent site becomes a reality.

“The president and executive committee of the association, Mr Elvis Asamonye are excited with their permanent site, and they are collaborating with our firm and Polaris bank to ensure they get the best deal for members of their association and they have made it public that once the election in Nigeria is over, activities will be in top gear towards their movement to the site.

So how have you navigated as a business?

We focused on engaging clients to see them see value. We focus on the people in the industry to create a larger market. We focus on developing people, both internally as an organisation and also supporting the industry, through institutions and creating our own training programme that we feel we help the industry to get to the level and focus on awareness and creating the market. The interest is not only for us to have business as a company, but it’s to create an industry that all of us can continue to grow. As something that has been repeated itself in our conversation has been around people, people, people, people, people at the board level, people at the clients level and people within.

It is the 11th year anniversary of the GPFI group’s merger into a leading facility management company. Where is GPFI coming from and where is it today?

Yeah, it’s been quite a journey. Reflecting on how we started, where we started, and the journey so far, Glory to God. I was telling my kids three days ago that this is a wonderful experience. This is also a milestone. One of my Directors said three months ago that starting a company 15 years and transforming into this level is not a joke. So, we have some sort of small background. My orientation and interests as a young man have always been in engineering. I’d always want to do things that I can use my head and hands together with.

That led to engineering. My idea for engineering initially was working on aviation. Focusing on airplane development and management.

However at that time, Nigeria was not ripe for knowledge in that area. Also, at the time I finished my degree, Nigeria had been removed from many multilateral agencies because of the Abacha government. So, I had to choose mechanical engineering because it was very broad. They call mechanical engineering the mother of all engineering. I had the opportunity

of working in the automobile industry which I saw as a sister field to automotive engineering.

My entry into facility management was at Mr Biggs where I did two jobs. One as a project manager and the other as a facility manager. At the same time, I was doing my MBA at the Lagos Business School. This was when Tony Elumelu of UBA visited to give a lecture. He was then the MD of United Bank of Africa. In the process of our engagement after the lecture, we exchanged numbers and he invited me over one day asking me to come and join the bank. Eventually I did. At that time, they were transforming the head office of UBA to a world class building for a monster bank, a pan-African bank with the head office in Lagos. His intention was that our head office should represent what we represent as a bank. It was very exciting in all the journeys and transformative, with challenges and opportunities to learn new things. However, all the while the idea of entrepreneurship remained keen on me because of my MBA. Before then I’ve set up two other companies. One was in automobile repairs.

The other was in procurement and logistics.

I also worked at the Murtala Mohammed Airport terminal as a facility manager. During our final MBA project, part of the requirement was to do a new company or re-activate an existing company. The company will have to be run. We were lucky to have Dr Doyin Salami. Our first meeting took place at Mr Biggs where four of us who were interested in the concept met to discuss how we can see this through. That was 2006 when we finished our MBA. And then we registered the company in 2007 Domme Facility Management. After the company was set up for a year, I had to leave paid employment to focus fully on the business – bringing the experience and expertise from working over the years. The vision from day one was to become a global company. That’s our objective. We don’t want to be a fringe player. We want to be a major player. So all along as we were developing the company, we were also seeing what was going on abroad, globally to see the companies we can profile our business plan on. When we were developing our profile, our model company was WSPFM in Nigeria, which was the first indigenous facility management company. We were also looking at ISS headquartered in London. We were looking at other expanding companies, and engaged companies in France and the UK just to have conversations on expectations and what the industry looked like in order to position ourselves for future opportunities.

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

Ethan, Ajoonu, Ized Headline TEDxUniversityofBenin The Commissioner of Oil and Gas, Edo State- Ethan Uzamere, Precious Ajoonu and Ized Uanikhehi, were prominent figures who took the stage and delivered talks at the maiden edition of TEDxUniversityofBenin, held at University of Benin, Benin City, recently.

With the theme “REIMAGINE: To change the narrative,” the event focused on creating a new narrative for the youth in Benin city. In TEDx manner, the event sparked conversations that could form the seeds

for hope and growth among young people in the state.

The lineup of speakers included experts from fields such as technology, education, sustainability, marketing and business. The speakers brought a wealth of knowledge and expertise, and the audience was treated to various inspiring and thought-provoking talks.

Ethan Uzamere, who spoke first, gave a well-rounded opening address bordering on perseverance and the focus to keep pushing your dreams

to action.

One of the highlights of the event, which held January 28, was a talk by Precious Ajoonu, a renowned expert in curriculum design and development knowledge facilitator. Her talk focused on the importance of utilising the vast human capital in Benin city.

The Founder/CEO of Zed lnc., Ized Uanikhehi, spoke on using storytelling to drive innovation from Chaos, focused on using content to reshape narratives.

T H I S D AY ˾ TUESDAY, MARCH 14, 2023

21

BUSINESSWORLD R A T E S MONEY MARKET

A S

REPO

A T

Group Business Editor Eromosele Abiodun Email oriarehu.eromosele@thisdaylive.com

08056356325

M A R C H

S & P INDEX

1 0 , 2 0 2 3

S & P INDEX

EXCHANGE RATE

OPR

11.25%

CALL

10.25%

INDEX LEVEL

613.31%

1/4 TO DATE

-0.85%

N416.86/ 1 US DOLLAR*

OVERNIGHT

11.50%

1-MONTH

9.56%

1-DAY

0.16%

YEAR TO DATE

7.64%

*AS AT LAST FRIDAY

3-MONTH

10.52%

MONTH-TO-DATE

0.44%

With 23.7m Barrels Output Deficit in 2023, Nigeria Records N920bn Loss in Oil Revenue

Emmanuel Addeh in Abuja Against the 1.69 million barrels per day oil production benchmark in the 2023 budget, Nigeria recorded an output deficit of about 23.7 million barrels of crude oil production in January and February 2023, valued at about N920 billion at the official exchange rate of N460/$.

The Nigerian government had earlier agreed on a daily oil output of 1.69 million bpd as against the

Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) 1.8 million bpd at $75 per barrel.

But even that conservative production figure has been elusive, with latest data from the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) indicating a 1.3 million bpd drilling in February, the best effort in over a year.

A THISDAY’s computation of the data from the industry regulator showed that of the 52.4

million barrels expected cumulative production in January, Nigeria only struggled to drill 36.57 million barrels, while in February, whereas it was supposed to be 47.3 million, being a 28-day month, Nigeria only produced 39.02 million barrels.

However, February’s volume of 1.3 million bpd was an improvement in output in over a year, as Nigeria had not produced that much crude since at least January 2022 even as production fell to as low as 900,000

bpd at some point in the last quarter of last year.

The data reviewed by THISDAY further showed that following the budget for 2023, in the two months of January and February, the country should have exported a total volume of an estimated 99.7 million barrels if it produced its expected crude oil volume, but ended up drilling 76 million barrels in both months.

With the huge deficit recorded in January and February despite the

rise in production and against the $83 price per barrel of oil for both months, the analysis showed that calculated against the 23.7 million barrels deficit, the country lost as much as $2 billion in gross revenue, translating to about N920 billion at the N460 to a dollar official exchange rate.

But in spite of the underproduction in both months, the February data indicated that the largest volume of production came in from Forcados

with 6.93 million barrels during the month, followed by Escravos terminal with 4.03 million barrels during the period.

But when condensates are added, Nigeria produced 46.3 million barrels in January, while in February it drilled 43.3 million barrels. That is 1.5 million bpd in January and 1.54 million bpd in February.

Although crude oil production Continued on page 22

World Bank Highlights Priority Areas for Africa’s Agriculture Devt Gilbert Ekugbe Worried over the agricultural sector diminishing share in Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of most African economies, the World Bank has listed priority areas that would play key roles in transforming Africa’s food sector.

In its latest economic update report on Central African Republic (CAR) titled, “Weathering Growing Risks: Addressing Macro-Fiscal Challenges and Unlocking the Potential of the Agriculture Sector,” the multilateral institution, highlighted five priority areas vital for agriculture development in CAR

and other African countries on the continent to include the need to build an institutional framework, increase access to finance, provide access to markets, ensure land rights and ownership and investing in farming inputs and equipment.

According to the World Bank, decades of conflict, instability, and uneven progress on the structural reform agenda have badly damaged the agricultural institutional framework, advising that establishing a regulatory framework for rural finance, a national farmers’ database with groups’ classification and adopting the agro-pastoral land code could

help strengthen the capacity of farmers and herders.

It also stated that access to basic capital for farming activities is still a major bottleneck, pointing out that rural finance regulatory framework and low-interest loans from microfinance institutions and expansion of mobile banking services could help transition farmers from the informal to the formal credit market and from subsistence to commercial agriculture.

The report added that poor road conditions severely hamper farmers’ access to markets, stating that improving the quality of roads

FOOD

and transportation is vital for the movement of agricultural products from rural farms.

On land rights and ownership, the statement added that outdated land laws do not favor agricultural development as there is no legal instrument for managing and securing agricultural land.

“An agro-pastoral code, setup by the Ministry of Agriculture, to guide the acquisition and securing of agricultural land is a step in the right direction to enable the efficient allocation of land for pasture and crop farming,” the report read.

World Bank also stated that

COMMODITIES

NAME OF COMMODITY

SIZE

STATE

PRICE

NAME OF COMMODITY

RICE

100KG

ABUJA

N35,000 – N45,000

SORGHUM

50KG

OYO

N35,000 – N45,000

50KG

PLATEAU (JOS)

N32,500 – N42,000

50KG

KWARA

N24,000–N27,000

50KG

LAGOS

N35,000 – N45,000

50KG

RIVERS

N36,500 – N46,500

50KG

SOKOTO

50KG

EDO

PRICE

manual farming is the norm in CAR, maintaining that with less than 1 per cent of farmers able to afford the use of tractors and tillers. “Similarly, farmers are likely to use cheaper alternative fertilizers to grow their crops.

Efforts are needed to not only to enhance availability of agricultural machinery but its use by farmers,” the report urged.

The statement also noted that bold and sustained reforms to revitalise agriculture, as a significant contributor to poverty reduction, are urgent, as CAR’s economy faces overlapping crises.

“Higher food and fuel prices,

disruption in supply chains, political turmoil following the adoption of the cryptocurrency law, and the impact of the war in Ukraine, are slowing economic growth in CAR, with risks tilted to the downside,” World Bank added.

The report highlights the importance of agriculture to women, who represent more than 78 per cent of agricultural labor in CAR. Empowering them is essential for the well-being of families and rural communities and overall economic productivity, as well as for improving food security and reducing poverty.

T O D AY

STATE

PRICE

NAME OF COMMODITY

SIZE

STATE

PRICE

100KG JIGAWA

N30,000

BEANS

MAIDU GURI

N22,000 – N30,000

100KG

BENUE

N32,000

50KG BAG

100KG

N32,000

100KG LAGOS

N36,000

KADUNA

50KG

ENUGU

N24,000

100KG

KANO

N35,000

50KG

LAGOS

N26,000

100KG

DELTA

N36,000

N60,000 – N70,000

100KG

DELTA

N35,000

N17,000–N20,000

100KG

ABIA

N36,000

100KG

ABIA

N35,700

SIZE

22

TUESDAY, MARCH 14, 2023 ˾ T H I S D AY

BUSINESSWORLD

NEWS FOOD

NAME OF COMMODITY

PALM OIL

COMMODITIES

SIZE

STATE

PRICE

NAME OF COMMODITY

SIZE

LOCATION

PRICE

100KG KANO

N20,500

ONIONS

100KG

IBADAN

N60,000

MAIZE

100KG

OYO

N10,000

N24,000 – N35,000

100KG BENUE

N27,000

100KG KANO

N30,000

100KG ENUGU

N16,500

100KG BENUE

N65,000

100KG DELTA

100KG LAGOS

N32,000

N14,000

25CL IBADAN N22,000 — N35,000

100KG PLATEAU

N45,000

100KG

ABIA

N11,000

PRICE

25CL LAGOS N20,000-N35000 25CL

PH

STATE

GROUNDNUT

T O D AY

PRICE

STATE

SIZE

PRICE

NAME OF COMMODITY

SIZE

NAME OF COMMODITY

25CL

IMO

N24,000 – N36,500

100KG DELTA

N34,000

100KG DELTA

N50,000

50KG

LAGOS

N9,000

25CL

EDO

N20,000 – N35,000

100KG

ABIA

N27,000

100KG LAGOS

N60,000

100KG KANO

N9,400

100KG ENUGU

N23 000

100KG ENUGU

N45,000

50KG

N6,000

25CL ABUJA N25,500 – N35,000

BENUE

Offshore Oil, Gas to Get More than $200bn in New Investments in Two Years

Emmanuel Addeh in Abuja

The offshore oil and gas sector is set for the highest growth in a decade in the next two years, with $214 billion of new project investments lined up, a Rystad Energy report has shown.

According to the report, the annual greenfield capital expenditure (capex) will break the $100 billion threshold in 2023

and in 2024 – the first of such breach for two straight years since 2012 and 2013.

Offshore activity is expected to account for 68 per cent of all sanctioned conventional hydrocarbons in 2023 and 2024, up from 40 per cent between 2015-2018, the report stated.

“These new investments will be a boon for the offshore services market, with supply chain

spending to grow 16 per cent in 2023 and 2024, a decade-high yearon-year increase of $21 billion.

Offshore rigs, vessels, subsea and floating production storage and offloading (FPSO) activity are all set to flourish.

“One of the leading global drivers is the sizable expansion of offshore activities in the Middle East. For the first time, offshore upstream spending in the region

will surpass all others, lifted by mammoth projects in Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the UAE, ”Rystad noted.

In Nigeria, 15 years after it last put up about 45 deep offshore assets for public bidding, the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC), in December also announced that the process to invite Nigerian and foreign oil industry players

to apply for seven more facilities had begun.

The Commission’s Chief Executive, Mr Gbenga Komolafe, noted that the offshore blocks will be putting on offer assets covering an area of approximately 6,700 km2 in water depths of 1,150m to 3,100m.

The success of the mini bid round, he said, will ensure all stakeholders gain value from the

country’s resources, while paying close attention to reduction in carbon emissions, as well as overall Environmental, Social And Governance (ESG) considerations.

THISDAY learnt that the offshore assets are located off the city of Lagos, rather than off the coast of the Niger Delta further to the east where most of the country’s oil industry is concentrated.

Oil Marketers Urge Incoming President to Engender Food Production: FG Reaffirms Commitment Free Market Regime in Downstream Sector to Green Alternative

Peter Uzoho

Operators in the downstream sector of the Nigerian oil and gas industry have urged the next president of the country to prioritise abolishing the wasteful petrol subsidy and fully deregulate the sector as provided by the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) 2021.

The downstream operators under the aegis of Major Oil Marketers Association of Nigeria (MOMAN), Petroleum Retail Outlet Owners Association of Nigeria (PETROAN) and the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) made the call in their separate phone chats with THISDAY. The unions also advised the next president to pick his appointees for the petroleum ministry from the pool of competent and experienced industry operators among them to provide efficient management of the oil sector.

Speaking with THISDAY on the expectations of the industry players from the next president, Managing Director of 11Plc and immediatepast Chairman of MOMAN, Mr.

Group Business Editor Eromosele Abiodun Deputy Business Editor Chinedu Eze Comms/e-Business Editor Emma Okonji Asst. Editor, Money Market Nume Ekeghe Senior Correspondent Raheem Akingbolu (Advertising) Correspondents Emmanuel Addeh (Energy) KayodeTokede(CapitalMarkets) James Emejo (Finance) Ebere Nwoji (Insurance) Reporters Nosa Alekhuogie (ICT) Peter Uzoho (Energy) Ugo Aliogo (Development)

Adetunji Oyebanji, stressed the need for full deregulation of the downstream sector.

He specifically urged the incoming president to fully deregulate the downstream sector, finally ditch the subsidy regime and allow a free market environment to prevail in the petroleum products marketing business.

Oyebanji argued that subsidy is one of the things drawing the industry and the economy back, saying removing it would allow investments to flow into the sector and ultimately improve

the economy of Nigeria.

Also, National Operations Controller, IPMAN, Mr. Mike Osatuyi, urged the incoming president to deregulate the downstream sector and remove petrol subsidy as he had promised during his campaigns.

Osatuyi also suggested setting up a committee involving industry players and critical stakeholders including the civil society in order to work out some palliative measures to cushion the adverse effect of the policy on the poor masses.

“Definitely, he has to deregulate the downstream as he had promised.

But while doing that, he has to also talk about palliatives for the masses, “he said.

President of PETROAN, Dr Billy Gillis-Harry, said the next president should work with industry operators to deregulate the downstream sector and save the nation from further crisis caused by petrol scarcity.

He further suggested that the next president would need very effective hands to run the ministry of petroleum and all the necessary agencies and companies under it, including the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC).

Gilbert Ekugbe The Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (FMARD) has restated its commitment to boosting food production in the country with its green alternative scheme.

Speaking at an event to recognise and honour 55 members of its staff for the their outstanding performance in various fields of implementing policies and programmes of the ministry in line with the Federal Civil Services Strategic Implementation

Nigeria’s $11bn Trial Ends in London with Accusations of Massive Bribes

Emmanuel Addeh in Abuja

Allegations of six-figure bribes, shady middlemen and fabricated evidence featured in the $11 billion trial between Nigeria and a small firm, Process & Industrial Development Ltd, which has now ended in London, the United Kingdom.

Africa’s biggest economy wants the UK High Court to strike down the massive arbitration award in favour of hedge fund-backed firm as soon as possible.

Lawyers for both sides traded allegations of bribery, duplicity and incompetence in the eight-week trial. A judgment isn’t expected for

at least several weeks, Bloomberg reported.

An adverse ruling for Nigeria could hit the country’s alreadystretched finances, up to a third of its foreign reserves, make borrowing costlier and override policy priorities for the new president, who was elected last month.

The trial stems from a failed 2010 gas deal between Nigeria and P&ID, a British Virgin Islands-registered firm founded by two little-known Irish businessmen.

A resulting arbitration led to a $6.6 billion award for P&ID that’s now swelled to over $11 billion with interest. Hedge fund VR Capital Group Limited., two lawyers in

the UK, P&ID’s founder, and two missing witnesses are among those who stand to gain billions of dollars if P&ID wins and is paid out in full.

Nigeria alleged “bribery of epic and industrial scale” first for the gas deal and then to buy off lawyers representing the country to win the arbitration award in 2017.

“Nobody who sat through the factual evidence could have missed the stench of corruption,” the country’s current lawyer, Mark Howard, said in his closing argument.

“We completely deny that there was any corruption,” David Wolfson, P&ID’s lawyer, said in his closing argument. Nigeria came up with

fabricated evidence to lay a “forensic trap” for the court to rule against the award, he said.

“Nigeria have been liberal in their mudslinging and parsimonious with the truth throughout this trial,” a spokesperson for the fund said.

In the witness box for a week, P&ID’s surviving founder Brendan Cahill described sending $250,000 in cash from Ireland to an official in Nigeria. P&ID said it was a business transaction unrelated to the case, arguing that Nigeria had failed to prove what Howard called “unabashed evidence” of bribes. Cahill didn’t respond to an email seeking comment from Bloomberg.

Plan (FCSSIP’25), the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Mr. Mohammad Abubakar, said that the ministry in its bid to reposition the agricultural sector has developed the Green Alternative through the Agriculture Promotion Policy to ensure wealth creation, poverty reduction, employment generation for the teeming Youths and Women to boost the National Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

Abubakar said that the FCSSIP’25 was built on levels of capacity building, talent management, performance management, innovation, digitalisation and enhances value proposition for public servants He added that the present administration was desirous of delivering vibrant and robust government policies to reposition, motivate the public servants and ensure efficient and effective service delivery to Nigerians.

In his welcome address, the Permanent Secretary, Dr. Ernest Umakhihe, stated that the programme, which was part of the extant tradition of the ministry and had also become an annual event, was aimed at motivating and incentivising staff for better performance.

Umakhihe revealed that the ministry had identified and selected officers who had demonstrated outstanding and sterling performance across salary grade levels during the year under review.

WITH 23.7M BARRELS OUTPUT DEFICIT IN 2023, NIGERIA RECORDS N920BN LOSS IN OIL REVENUE has generally improved in the last couple of months, Nigeria’s oil sector challenges had worsened mostly in parts of 2021 and 2022, with production hitting a record low of 972,394 barrels per day in August last year and plunging to a new record low of 937,000 in September.

Nigeria’s capacity to drill enough oil to boost its desperately needed foreign exchange even at a time that the commodity has continued to sell around a rarely-seen price in the $80s, has been severely challenged by a horde of issues, oil theft being one of the most prominent.

Another critical challenge has been the years of underinvestment in the sector, now made worse by the rush

by the global West to impose their exit from the use of hydrocarbons to investment in renewables on the so-called third world countries.

Although the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC) has in the last three months consistently pegged Nigeria’s production at 1.6 million barrels per day, the regulator of the industry, the NUPRC has been more conservative.

The commission put the figure at 1.258 million in January and 1.3 million barrels per day in February.

However, the NNPC’s calculation may have included condensates excluded from OPEC’s production computation.

Aside marshalling its security

assets to curb the unprecedented leakage of Nigeria’s oil, the Nigerian government has also said it can now monitor any breach on the country’s pipelines in real-time.

The effect of that however remains to be seen, as the breach of the country’s oil assets in Rivers State, which recently claimed 12 lives appeared not to have been detected by the so-called 24-hour automated surveillance system.

The NNPC also recently announced that it had floated a whistle-blowers policy, which seeks to reward persons who anonymously report persons who vandalise the country’s pipelines or steal Nigeria’s crude oil.

But the Group Chief Executive Officer of the NNPC, Mallam Mele Kyari believes that although Nigeria struggled to achieve its OPEC quota in 2022, it was set to hit and exceed OPEC’s quota in 2023.

“For us, we see a trajectory of restoring production, including condensates within the year definitely. And we believe that we can hit our target of 2.2 million barrels per day, although now our OPEC target is 1.8 million barrels per day. We know that it’s practical to do 2.2 million barrels per day.

“We took definite steps to increase production and this is paying off. Around July, our net crude oil excluding condensate

came down to around 1million bpd. That has been restored,” Kyari said.

According to him, the government had also taken very practical steps around pipeline security. In August 2022, a high-ranking federal government delegation struck a deal with a former militant-turned security contractor, Government Ekpemupolo, also known as Tompolo, to crack down on oil theft.

“It’s practical to hit 2.2 million bpd in 2023, this is practical. It’s a moving target,” Kyari said, adding that: “There are a number of projects that I have clear line of sight that can come on board in 2023.”

T H I S D AY ˾ TUESDAY, MARCH 14, 2023

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INDUSTRY

Downhill Movement in Industrial and Business Activities A report on economic activities in the industrial and other sectors of the economy showed that the cash crunch and petrol scarcity in February propelled a downward movement in economic activities, writes Dike Onwuamaeze

I

t happened just as it had been predicted by many economists and opinion leaders in the Nigerian organised private sector, such as; the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN), the Nigerian Economic Summit Group (NESG) and the Centre for the Promotion of Private Enterprise (CPPE). These organisations, in different forums, made it plain that the prevailing acute cash crunch, which was triggered by the chaotic implementation of the Central Bank of Nigeria’s (CBN) Naira redesigning of N200, N500 and N1,000 Naira notes would hurt business activities in the country.

Now, their concerns have been confirmed by the Stanbic IBTC’s Purchasing Managers Index (PMI) report for the month of February 2023 that was released on March 1. For instance, all the major indicators contained in the PMI’s report during the period under review tended southward. No thanks to the prevailing currency crunch that took the current out of the financial and trading activities in Nigeria economy which also forced a decline in new export orders of Nigerian goods and services during the month under review.

The PMI said that each of the four broad sectors covered by the survey saw overall input costs increase that imposed sharpest inflation on manufacturers.

For the first time, according to the report, the PMI fell below its positive point of 50.0 in many months by plunging down to 44.7 points from 53.5 points it recorded in January.

The Head of Equity Research West Africa at Stanbic IBTC Bank, Mr. Muyiwa Oni, who commented on the report, said: “February PMI data indicated that cash shortages across the Nigerian economy had a severe impact on the private sector midway through the first quarter of the year. Substantial declines were seen in both output and new orders, while firms scaled back their purchasing activity and employment.

“Companies were also impacted by shortages of fuel, which added to price pressures and led to supplier delivery delays.”

According to him, “the headline figure derived from the survey is the Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI). Readings above 50.0 signal an improvement in business conditions on the previous month, while readings below 50.0 show deterioration.

“The headline PMI dropped below the 50.0 no-change mark in February, posting 44.7 from 53.5 in January. Business conditions deteriorated markedly, ending a 31-month sequence of expansion. The decline in operating conditions was the sharpest since the survey began in January 2014, excluding the opening wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in the second quarter of 2020.

“The most severe impacts of cash shortages were seen with regards to output and new orders, which both fell substantially as customers were often unable to secure the funds to commit to spending. The decline in new orders was the first since June 2020, while the fall in output ended a sevenmonth sequence of growth. In both cases, the reductions were the most pronounced in the survey’s history, apart from during the opening wave of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“With new orders and output falling, companies reduced their input buying and staffing levels accordingly. The declines were the first in 32 and 25 months respectively.

The decrease in purchasing reflected not only a drop in customer demand but also difficulties for companies to find the funds

to pay for items.”

Oni added that apart from the cash shortages, the private sector was also impacted by a scarcity of fuel in February.

He stated that this had a notable impact on suppliers’ delivery times, which lengthened for the first time in close to six-and-a-half years and to the greatest extent since April 2016.

“In turn, shortages led to a rise in fuel costs which were widely mentioned as having been behind a further marked increase in purchase prices. Higher raw material costs and currency weakness were also factors pushing up purchase prices. The rate of inflation was the softest since June 2020, but marked nonetheless and stronger than the series average. Staff costs also rose again in February, but at a modest pace.

“The passing on of higher input costs to customers resulted in a further sharp rise in output prices, albeit one that was the weakest in four months,” he said.

NEW EXPORT ORDERS Nigerian companies also reported a decline in new export orders midway through the opening quarter of the year, thereby

ending a seven-month sequence of growth. The rate of contraction was sharp and the fastest since April last year. This was attributed to funding difficulties and a lack of demand in international markets.

BACKLOGS OF WORK Backlogs of work increased for the second month running during February, with the rate of accumulation quickening to the fastest in five months. Respondents indicated that power supply issues and fuel shortages contributed to the accumulation of outstanding business.

QUANTITY OF PURCHASES The PMI said: “In line with the picture outlined by a number of the indices from the latest survey, purchasing activity declined sharply midway through the first quarter of the year.

The fall ended a 31-month sequence of growth and was one of the strongest on record. Lower input buying generally reflected a drop off in demand, but in some cases firms were unable to secure sufficient funds to purchase items.”

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

Agrifood: FAO Advocates Equal Access to GPPSL Delivers First AOGV Digital Technology, Education for Women Technology Deployment for Gilbert Ekugbe The Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) and the International Fund for Agriculture Development (IFAD) and the World Food Programme (WFP) have stressed the need for women to have equal access to digital technology and education, which would enable them to play more active and effective roles in agrifood systems across the globe.

This was the crux of an event co-organised by FAO, IFAD and WFP to celebrate

the International Women’s Day (IWD) 2023 in Rome, Italy According to them, inclusive access to digital technologies and education is crucial to reducing gender inequalities and empowering rural women and girls Although, recognising the fact that digitalisation on its own could not solve all the gender-related disadvantages women face, but they believed that if provided with equal access to digital technology and education, women could have more active impact in developing agrifood

systems.

“Admittedly, it is discouraging to celebrate International Women’s Day in a time when we are going backwards on gender equality and are seeing widening gender gaps in science, technology and innovation,” said the FAO’s Deputy Director-General, Ms. Beth Bechdol.

Bechdol said: “When we invest in rural women, we invest in resilience, in the future of our communities and in creating a more inclusive and equitable world – one where no one is left behind.”

IFAD Associate VicePresident, Strategy and Knowledge Department, Jyotsna Puri, said that without increased access to digital technology and innovation, rural women and girls will continue to face barriers and socio-economic disadvantages that would make it harder for them to fully participate in rural economies.

“Gender inequality and the urban-rural divide will only worsen unless we create a more inclusive and prosperous society for everyone,” Purin advocated.

LNG Plants in Nigeria Peter Uzoho The Global Process and Pipeline Services Limited (GPPSL) in partnership with IK-Group of Norway has delivered for the first time in Nigeria and Africa, a 36-inch cryogenic pipeline add on gate valve (AOGV) for Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) plants.

The project, executed in June 2022, was the first and largest AOGV ever deployed on the African continent to solve long-term stuck valve issue for a major LNG plant.

The AOGV technology is a gate valve that can be assembled in pieces over any live flange pair upstream or downstream of the pipework or equipment requiring intervention.

The AOGV Mechanical Isolation Tool can create a zero-energy zone where inspection, modification and maintenance work can be performed safely and efficiently whilst production is maintained.

Commenting on the achievement, Managing Director, GPPSL, Mr. Obi Uzu, said the company has saved customers productive time and lowered operating costs through the deployment of the technology.

“Our AOGV success story is a product of GPPSL partnership with IK-Group of Norway. However, our overall competitive advantage comes from being able to source reliable disruptive technology that is suitable for use on large deepwater projects, “he said.

Brittania-U Chair Advocates Funding Support for Indigenous Firms to Accelerate Gas Production Report: OPEC Oil Production Peter Uzoho As the federal government champions Nigeria’s energy transition plan with more focus on gas production and utilisation, the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Brittania-U Nigeria Limited, Mrs Uju Ifejika, has urged the government to provide some funding support for indigenous oil firms.

Ifejika said such funding support which may be in form of single digit loans would enable the indigenous oil companies to take up big

gas projects and accelerate production for both domestic use and export.

Admitting that Nigeria is more of a gas nation than an oil nation, she argued that there is dearth of gas gathering infrastructure that would encourage the indigenous firms to be more active in gas production.

Ifejika said Nigerian indigenous oil firms are all waiting for government to provide some support and assurances before they could embark on major gas projects, noting that gas projects are

higher in terms of capital than oil projects.

“I want to talk about transition to gas. Yes, Nigeria is a gas nation, not an oil nation.

We just have to move to that because it’s cheaper. What I want the government to look at is, because it’s easier for you to say we want to transit to gas. Do we have gas gathering infrastructure in this country enough to say everybody should move their gas to that particular facility?”, Ifejika said, in her intervention at a recent forum. She maintained: “We don’t even have enough gas

for that. So, for us to do that, we want to know what the government’s position is. You cannot be asking the indigenous companies to produce gas and move away from the oil which the IOCs have been in since the inception of this our oil discovery.

“If the government can fund the creative industry and these other industries: agric, why are there not single digit interest loans for the oil and gas indigenous companies? Because you cannot tell somebody to just go into gas without funding support.

Fell by 80,000 Bpd in February Emmanuel Addeh in Abuja The combined oil production of the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) group dropped in February by 80,000 barrels per day (bpd) as a small rise in Russia’s still resilient output failed to offset declines in Angola, Iraq, and Kazakhstan, according to the Platts survey by S&P Global Commodity Insights.

Combined production from all 13 OPEC members fell by 60,000 bpd in February compared to January, while output in the non-OPEC group,

led by Russia, went down by 20,000 bpd month over month, the survey found. Russian oil production increased by 10,000 bpd to 9.86 million bpd in February, the Platts survey showed.

Russia has said it would reduce its oil production by 500,000 bpd in March in response to the Western sanctions—a move that may affect the level of its oil and fuel exports.

Yet, OPEC+ delegates have said that the broader alliance doesn’t plan to change its oil production targets after Russia announced a cut in its output for March.

24

BUSINESSWORLD

TUESDAY, MARCH 14, 2023 ˾ T H I S D AY

PERSPECTIVE

A’Ibom:Eno’sInfrastructural Programme Looks Attractive

Eno Jude Erhobo

T

he governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Akwa Ibom State, Pastor Umo Eno, has promised to give priority attention to infrastructural development if elected. The former commissioner for lands and water resources who is campaigning to succeed Governor Udom Emmanuel, has pledged to go beyond urban renewal to which previous and the incumbent administrations have paid attention into the hinterland to build the infrastructure that would make every part of the state accessible.

The candidate’s infrastructure programme is laid out in a professionally crafted economic blueprint that goes by the name of A.R.I.S.E., an acronym for agricultural revolution, rural development, infrastructure maintenance/ advancement, security management and educational advancement. Those four key areas are going to be the focus of his administration if the people of the state choose him as Udom’s successor.

Eno’s promise to pay attention to provision of infrastructure stems from his understanding of the fact that it holds the key to the realization of his plan for other sectors, such as rural development, agricultural renaissance, electricity and education.

These sectors are all wrapped around the overall objective of building an economy that would make Akwa Ibom an investment destination of choice not just in Nigeria, but the West and Central African regions, as well.

The objective of developing the rural areas would remain a mirage if the infrastructure to make the areas worth living is absent – infrastructure like good roads, bridges and culverts to link communities; modern health facilities as well as amenities such as pipe-borne water and electricity.

Absence of these facilities and amenities would make the plan of stemming rural-urban migration unrealizable. The programme of agricultural revolution cannot become a reality if there are no infrastructures to encourage investors in agribusiness to live and invest in any part of the state, especially considering the candidate’s plan to establish farm settlements in different parts.

A careful study of the A.R.I.S.E. agenda reveals a detailed plan of action by a man with unquestionable and tested competence in development – one with a clear vision of where he would take the state if given the chance. This assertion must be considered against the background of the success he recorded in the private sector as an entrepreneur, which came about as a product of a clear vision. His quest for the highest office in the state may be an opportunity to replicate in the office of a governor the achievements that made him a household name in the hospitality industry in which he held sway.

Eno’s approach to infrastructural development would be different from what has been the usual practice in Nigeria, which pays attention to provision of infrastructure without consideration for maintenance. The country is littered with

dilapidated infrastructure because of the absence of a maintenance culture that should keep critical infrastructure in permanently good condition.

All over the country, highways that were built over four decades ago were left to deteriorate to levels at which they can no longer be rehabilitated, but require complete reconstruction. The same goes for public structures and facilities that were left to fall into various states of disrepair due to lack of maintenance. Some of those structures are no longer usable, and would need to be replaced. These are some of the avenues through which taxpayers’ monies are frittered away.

The Akwa Ibom PDP governorship candidate has promised to make maintenance an integral part of his infrastructural development programme. Apart from guaranteeing continuous use of public infrastructure and facilities, it would save the government the cost of building new infrastructure with money that could have been used for other equally important projects and programmes for the benefit of the people. That is the thinking of a man with private sector experience that spans more than 25 years, an experience in saving cost and spending little to achieve maximum benefits.

A man with the can-do spirit with which the people of Akwa Ibom are well known, Eno understands that what is required for the people to burst forth and excel in their chosen areas of endeavor is an environment that is made conducive by the presence of critical infrastructure. He has therefore promised to run an administration that would maintain the trajectory of infrastructural development that the government of Udom Emmanuel has embarked on for almost eight years. The aim is to ensure people can live in any part of the state to successfully carry out economic activities that would improve their standard of living.

Power is critical to the realization of the objective of creating an enabling environment that would enable businesses to thrive in Akwa Ibom State. Despite the presence of the Ibom Power Project at Ikot Abasi, it has not been possible to provide uninterrupted electricity supply to the people of the state. This has been attributed largely to supply challenges, rather than generation.

Eno has promised to work in collaboration with the Port Harcourt Electricity Development Company (PHEDC) to manage the supply network in such a manner that would allow the state realize full benefits from its power project. The socio-economic benefits of taking electricity to all the nooks and crannies of the state can only be imagined.

The governorship candidate is well known as a man of integrity who can be trusted to keep his words if elected into office. He has demonstrated this in his sojourn in the private sector. Whether or not he would have the opportunity to prove this belief will depend on the choice the people of the state make on March 11, 2023. t &SIPCP MJWFT JO "CVKB

25

TUESDAY, MARCH 14, 2023 • T H I S D AY

MARKET NEWS A Mutual fund (Unit Trust) is an investment vehicle managed by a SEC (Securities and Exchange Commission) registered Fund Manager.

Investors with similar objectives buy units of the Fund so that the Fund Manager can buy securities that willl generate their desired return.

An ETF (Exchange Traded Fund) is a type of fund which owns the assets (shares of stock, bonds, oil futures, gold bars, foreign currency, etc.) and divides ownership of those assets into shares. Investors can buy these ‘shares’ on the

floor of the Nigerian Stock Exchange.

A REIT (Real Estate Investment Trust) is an investment vehicle that allows both small and large investors to part-own real estate ventures (eg.

Offices, Houses, Hospitals) in proportion to their investments. The assets are divided into shares that are traded on the Nigerian Stock Exchange.

GUIDE TO DATA: Date: All fund prices are quoted in Naira as at 10Mar-2023, unless otherwise stated.

Offer price: The price at which units of a trust or ETF are bought by investors.

Bid Price: The price at which Investors redeem (sell) units of a trust or ETF. Yield/Total Return: Denotes the total return an investor would have earned on his investment. Money Market Funds report Yield while others report Year- to-date Total Return.

NAV: Is value per share of the real estate assets held by a REIT on a specific date.

DAILY PRICE LIST FOR MUTUAL FUNDS, REITS and ETFS MUTUAL FUNDS / UNIT TRUSTS AFRINVEST ASSET MANAGEMENT LTD aaml@afrinvest.com Web: www.afrinvest.com; Tel: +234 818 885 6757 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Afrinvest Equity Fund 203.47 204.62 7.58% Afrinvest Plutus Fund 100.00 100.00 10.57% Nigeria International Debt Fund 329.94 329.94 6.70% Afrinvest Dollar Fund 106.96 108.06 1.45% AIICO CAPITAL LTD ammf@aiicocapital.com Web: www.aiicocapital.com, Tel: +234-1-2792974 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn AIICO Money Market Fund N/A N/A N/A AIICO Balanced Fund N/A N/A N/A ANCHORIA ASSET MANAGEMENT LIMITED info@anchoriaam.com Web:www.anchoriaam.com, Tel: 08166830267; 08036814510; 08028419180 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Anchoria Money Market 100.00 100.00 6.59% Anchoria Equity Fund 158.36 160.07 9.26% Anchoria Fixed Income Fund 1.25 1.25 1.85% ARM INVESTMENT MANAGERS LTD enquiries@arminvestmentcenter.com info@anchoriaam.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 23.75 24.47 8.24% ARM Discovery Balanced Fund 553.09 569.76 6.11% ARM Ethical Fund 47.54 48.97 5.37% ARM Eurobond Fund ($) 1.14 1.14 1.02% ARM Fixed Income Fund 1.12 1.12 1.42% ARM Money Market Fund 1.00 1.00 10.23% ARM Short Term Bond Fund 1.05 1.05 1.22% AVA GLOBAL ASSET MANAGERS LIMITED info@avacapitalgroup.com Web: www.avacapitalgroup.com; Tel 08069294653 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn AVA GAM Fixed Income Dollar Fund 96.83 96.83 1.82% AVA GAM Fixed Income Naira Fund 1,123.19 1,123.19 -0.29% 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 2.15 2.15 4.02% Capital Express Balanced Fund(Formerly: Union Trustees Mixed Fund) 2.42 2.47 9.19% CAPITALTRUST INVESTMENTS AND ASSET MANAGEMENT LIMITED halalfif@capitaltrustnigeria.com Web: www.capitaltrustnigeria.com; Tel: 08061458806 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Capitaltrust Halal Fixed Income Fund N/A N/A N/A CARDINALSTONE ASSET MANAGEMENT LIMITED mutualfunds@cardinalstone.com Web: www.cardinalstoneassetmanagement.com; Tel: +234 (1) 710 0433 4 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn CardinalStone Fixed Income Alpha Fund 1.02 1.02 1.63% 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 11.43% Paramount Equity Fund 19.97 20.37 7.40% Women's Investment Fund 157.19 159.51 6.67% CHD Nigeria Bond Fund 101.76 101.76 10.72% CHD Nigeria Dollar Income Fund 1.00 1.00 10.20% CORDROS ASSET MANAGEMENT LIMITED assetmgtteam@cordros.com Web: www.cordros.com, Tel: 019036947 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Cordros Money Market Fund N/A N/A N/A Cordros Milestone Fund N/A N/A N/A Cordros Fixed Income Fund N/A N/A N/A Cordros Halal Fixed Income Fund N/A N/A N/A Cordros Dollar Fund ($) N/A N/A N/A CORONATION ASSETS MANAGEMENT investment@coronationam.com Web:www.coronationam.com, Tel: 012366215 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn 1.00 1.00 11.16% Coronation Money Market Fund 1.24 1.26 4.07% Coronation Balanced Fund 1.39 1.39 -1.01% Coronation Fixed Income Fund 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 9.14% EDC Nigeria Money Market Fund Class B 1,000,000.00 1,000,000.00 10.97% EDC Nigeria Fixed Income Fund 1,122.60 1,127.84 1.47% EMERGING AFRICA ASSET MANAGEMENT LIMITED assetmanagement@emergingafricafroup.com Web:www.emergingafricagroup.com/emerging-africa-asset-management-limited/, Tel: 08039492594 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Emerging Africa Money Market Fund N/A N/A N/A Emerging Africa Bond Fund N/A N/A N/A Emerging Africa Balanced Diversity Fund N/A N/A N/A Emerging Africa Eurobond Fund N/A N/A N/A FBNQUEST ASSETS MANAGEMENT LIMITED invest@fbnquest.com Web: www.fbnquest.com/asset-management; Tel: +234-81 0082 0082 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn FBN Bond Fund 1505.46 1505.46 12.12% FBN Balanced Fund 211.42 212.98 5.87% FBN Halal Fund 125.92 125.92 12.35% FBN Money Market Fund 100.00 100.00 11.25% FBN Dollar Fund 121.87 121.87 6.93% FBN Smart Beta Equity Fund 178.84 181.25 7.99% FBN Specialized Dollar Fund 106.01 106.01 9.42% FCMB ASSET MANAGEMENT LIMITED fcmbamhelpdesk@fcmb.com Web: www.fcmbassetmanagement.com; Tel: +234 1 462 2596 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Legacy Money Market Fund 1.00 1.00 7.76% Legacy Debt Fund 3.52 3.52 -12.08% Legacy Equity Fund 2.14 2.18 22.99% Legacy USD Bond Fund 1.28 1.28 6.10% FSDH ASSET MANAGEMENT LTD coralfunds@fsdhgroup.com Web: www.fsdhaml.com; Tel: 01-270 4884-5; 01-280 9740-1

Fund Name Coral Balanced Fund Coral Income Fund Coral Money Market Fund

Bid Price 4,438.73 3,765.77 100.00

Offer Price 4,468.57 3,765.77 100.00

Yield / T-Rtn 29.44% 7.76% 11.11%

FSDH Dollar Fund 1.14 1.14 5.67% GUARANTY TRUST FUND MANAGERS LIMITED enquiries@investment-one.com Web: www.gtcoplc.bank; 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 8.81% Vantage Balanced Fund 2.96 3.02 8.59% Vantage Guaranteed Income Fund 1.00 1.00 7.22% Kedari Investment Fund (KIF) 0.00 0.00 0.00% Vantage Equity Income Fund (VEIF) - June Year End 1.33 1.37 7.97% Vantage Dollar Fund (VDF) - June Year End 1.08 1.08 8.07% 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 N/A N/A N/A Lotus Halal Fixed Income Fund N/A N/A N/A MERISTEM WEALTH MANAGEMENT LTD info@meristemwealth.com Web: www.meristemwealth.com/funds/; Tel: +2348028496012 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Meristem Equity Market Fund 13.02 13.08 5.67% Meristem Money Market Fund 10.00 10.00 12.04% NORRENBERGER INVESTMENT AND CAPITAL MANAGEMENT LIMITED enquiries@norrenberger.com Web: www.norrenberger.com, Tel: +234 (0) 908 781 2026 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Norrenberger Islamic Fund (NIF) 102.36 102.36 9.76% Norrenberger Money Market Fund (NMMF) 100.00 100.00 10.66% 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 1.69 1.74 6.78% PACAM Fixed Income Fund 11.51 11.75 89.75% PACAM Money Market Fund 10.00 10.00 10.21% PACAM Equity Fund 1.56 1.58 -92.95% PACAM EuroBond Fund 123.51 127.70 -19.49% 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 136.43 139.73 0.05% 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 1.02 1.02 11.02% 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 3,861.33 3,890.13 13.87% Stanbic IBTC Bond Fund 247.08 247.08 4.89% Stanbic IBTC Ethical Fund 1.52 1.54 21.43% Stanbic IBTC Guaranteed Investment Fund 336.48 336.48 7.46% Stanbic IBTC Iman Fund 282.42 285.50 20.85% Stanbic IBTC Money Market Fund 1.00 1.00 9.03% Stanbic IBTC Nigerian Equity Fund 13,070.04 13,228.72 19.71% Stanbic IBTC Dollar Fund (USD) 1.38 1.38 7.03% Stanbic IBTC Shariah Fixed Income Fund 122.44 122.44 4.73% Stanbic IBTC Enhanced Short-Term Fixed Income Fund 116.94 116.94 9.93% Stanbic IBTC Absolute Fund 4,649.01 4,649.01 9.28% Stanbic IBTC Aggressive Fund 3,478.60 3,522.51 25.13% Stanbic IBTC Conservative Fund 4,395.25 4,412.05 15.46% UNITED CAPITAL ASSET MANAGEMENT LTD unitedcapitalplcgroup.com Web: www.unitedcapitalplcgroup.com; Tel: +234 01-6317876 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn United Capital Equity Fund 1.07 1.10 12.51% United Capital Balanced Fund 1.59 1.62 16.14% United Capital Wealth for Women Fund 1.29 1.31 10.64% United Capital Sukuk Fund 1.12 1.12 9.97% United Capital Fixed Income Fund 1.98 1.98 7.26% United Capital Eurobond Fund 126.63 126.63 5.47% United Capital Money Market Fund 1.00 1.00 9.96% QUANTUM ZENITH ASSET MANAGEMENT & INVESTMENTS LTD service@quantumzenithasset.com.ng Web: www.quantumzenith.com.ng; Tel: +234 1-2784219 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Zenith Balanced Strategy Fund N/A N/A N/A Zenith ESG Impact Fund N/A N/A N/A Zenith Income Fund N/A N/A N/A Zenith Money Market Fund N/A N/A N/A VETIVA FUND MANAGERS LTD funds@vetiva.com Web: www.vetiva.com; Tel: +234 1 453 0697 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Vetiva Banking Exchange Traded Fund 4.49 4.59 11.74% Vetiva Consumer Goods Exchange Traded Fund 6.89 6.99 17.71% Vetiva Griffin 30 Exchange Traded Fund 20.16 20.36 13.92% Vetiva Money Market Fund 1.00 1.00 10.75% Vetiva Industrial Goods Exchange Traded Fund 25.49 25.69 27.41% Vetiva S&P Nigeria Sovereign Bond Exchange Traded Fund 142.01 144.01 -9.92% REITS NAV Per Share

Yield / T-Rtn

115.40 53.52 101.31 9.93

1.31% 4.74% -13.05%

Bid Price

Offer Price

Yield / T-Rtn

17.09 142.16 112.62 17.40 16.40

17.19 144.64 114.58 17.50 16.50

10.39% 11.40% 12.64% -2.59% 1.93%

NAV Per Share

Yield / T-Rtn

106.75

0.00%

Fund Name

SFS REIT Union Homes REIT Nigeria Real Estate Investment Trust UPDC REIT

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

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.

26

TUESDAY, MARCH 14, 2023 ˾ T H I S D AY

BUSINESS/MONEYGUIDE

SEC: PAPSS Implementation Will Aid Capital Market Diversification Kayode Tokede

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has said that it is excited about the implementation of the PanAfrican Payment Settlement System (PAPSS) as it will encourage intra-African trade and aid diversification within the capital market.

This was stated by Head, Office of the Chief Economist of the SEC, Dr. Okey Umeano during an interview in Abuja.

The Nigerian Exchange and the Pan-African Payment Settlement System recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding to support cross-border payments across capital markets in Africa.

According to Umeano, “this MoU begins to implement something that we have been very excited about. PAPSS makes it easy to trade across Africa. It makes Intra-African trade more efficient and we have always wanted it. It was created initially for just the usual everyday trade but we

have always wanted it for the capital market because we think that if we can link the exchanges and the markets across the continent we will have a bigger opportunity set for everybody, so we have been working on that.

“We have two projects the West African Capital Market Integration project and the African Exchanges Linkage project but the problem we have always had was how to settle, how do we make payments happen? If I want to buy a Ghanaian stock, do I have to change my naira to dollars and then from dollars back to cedi’s and all that. These where all the problems we had but with PAPSS, we can make this trades more efficient and easier. I can trade in naira and whoever I am buying from in Ghana or wherever in Africa receives in the local currency so this is a good thing and we thank Afrexim bank.

Umeano also commended the NGX for taking the lead

on this, the MoU allows them to stick this up with the Ghana stock exchange and we hope that other exchanges and other market players will key in and take this opportunity.

He stated that given the way the markets are, this implementation will improve opportunities for diversification and make markets able to perform better.

“Given the way the markets are; it improves the opportunity for diversification. It improves the opportunity set everywhere. Let me give you an example, a couple of years ago when our market didn’t do so well, our bond market didn’t do so well we had issues around currency and we had the foreign investors leaving. It was reported that the market in Côte d’Ivoire, the eight nations French union their market did much better, ” he said.

L-R: Culture & Employee Experience Manager, CHI Limited, Oladokun Solanke; General Manager, Fidelity Bank Plc, Chinwe Iloghalu; Keynote Speaker CEO, The Chair Centre Group, Ibukun Awosika; CEO, Aspire Coronation TrustFoundation,OsayiAlile;OperationsManager,CHILimited,NeelamGupta;andMarketingServicesManager, CHI Limited, Barbara Onianwah during the celebration of International Women’s Day at CHI Limited in Lagos... recently

MARKET INDICATORS MONEY AND CREDIT STATISTICS (MILLION NAIRA) AUGUST 2022

Shell’s Former CEO Paid £9.7M Amid Record Profits

Money Supply (M3)

49,356,443.6

Emmanuel Addeh ÓØ ÌßÔË

-- CBN Bills Held by Money Holding Sectors

50,601.36

Money Supply (M2)

49,305,842.3

-- Quasi Money

27,869,678.3

-- Narrow Money (M1)

21,436,164

---- Currency Outside Banks

2,680,236.81

Shell Plc’s outgoing Chief Executive Officer Ben van Beurden was paid £9.7 million last year, a jump of 53 per cent, as the company made record profits from soaring fossil fuel prices, Bloomberg has reported.

The payout was the last for van Beurden, who has handed the reins to Wael Sawan. The new CEO will have a base salary

of £1.4 million this year and target bonus of 125 per cent of that, according to Shell’s annual report.

“2022 has been a year full of challenge, but also of significant financial, operational and strategic achievements,” Shell said in the report.

“This level of financial performance undoubtedly reflects macro-environmental conditions, but is en-

abled by disciplined operational delivery and the ongoing work to create a resilient and profitable portfolio,” it added.

Shell’s executives are sharing in the benefits of the boom in oil and gas profits that they gave to their shareholders last year.

Rank and file employees also saw a jump last year, with the vast majority getting a special 8 per cent bonus last year.

PenCom: Stanbic IBTC Bank to Process RSA Backed Mortgage Nume Ekeghe National Pension Commission (PenCom) has named Stanbic IBTC Bank as one of the banks to process Retirement Savings Account (RSA) backed mortgages.

The RSA Backed mortgage initiative of the Pension Commission allows contributors to use up to 25 per cent of their contribution as equity to purchase a home in their chosen area.

Speaking on the collabora-

tion, Head, Consumer, and High Networth Clients, Stanbic IBTC Bank, Olu Delano stated that this opportunity aligns with the bank’s strategic focus of enabling all Nigerians to Live a Better Life and making dreams possible for clients.

In this case, the vision is accomplished by providing affordable loan solutions to meet housing needs and supporting pension contributors in extracting value from their contributions before retire-

ment.

He said: “Housing is one of the basic human needs, and in Nigeria, home ownership is a real challenge for many individuals and families.

Therefore, Stanbic IBTC is supporting PenCom to help bridge the accessibility gap.

“We want to provide affordable loan solutions for our customers and Nigerians to meet their basic and business needs, one of which is housing for residential and business use.”

Customers Win Big at ‘LAPO XPress Savings Promo’ Sunday Ehigiator No fewer than 101 customers, spread across LAPO Microfinance Bank branches nationwide, won big in various cash measures, including a star prize of N500,000, at the just concluded LAPO Xpress Savings Promo draws, held over the weekend, at the company’s headquarters in Lagos.

The LAPO Xpress Savings Promo was launched on November 21, 2022, and was run for three months, with new customers expected to save a minimum of N10,000 monthly to qualify to win a star prize of N500,000 or N20,000 consolation prize.

During the raffle draw held over the weekend, a trader, based in Yola, Adamawa State, Sherifat Haruna, won the star Prize of

N500,000, as hundred other customers, randomly selected during the draws from different parts of the country, won N20,000 each.

Speaking with THISDAY about the promo, the Project Lead and Head of Corporate Planning, LAPO, Dorcas Thorpe, said, “LAPO Xpress Save and Win Promo is for our LAPO Xpress Savings account which we launched mid-last year.

“The promo itself was launched on November 21, to run for three months. Within those three months, customers were expected to save at least N10,000 monthly each month to stand a chance to win some cash prizes.

“The prizes included a Star Price of N500,000, and 170 other customers will win N20,000 each as consolation prizes. So we run the promo up until February 21

this year, and then we have just done the raffle draw in March.

“So far, our target was to mobilise over N500 million and to reach as many as 200,000 new customers with this promo.

However we were able to get 43, 000 customers with over N160 million mobilised within this period.”

Also speaking with THISDAY, the Head of Corporate Strategy, LAPO, Abel Ovenseri, said, the promo “further reinforces that LAPO is a global brand and the fact that we are very careful with what we put out there.

“If we commit to our client, we try as much as possible to follow through. Like you saw today, even though we didn’t get the required target number of 170 customers to meet up with the conditions, we still went ahead to make sure this event was held.”

---- Demand Deposits

18,755,927.2

Net Foreign Assets (NFA)

5,074,909.92

Net Domestic Assets(NDA)

27,869,678.3

-- Net Domestic Credit (NDC)

61,195,142.4

---- Credit to Government (Net)

21,001,401.5

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

0.00

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

0.00

---- Credit to Private Sector (CPS)

40,193,740.9

--Other Assets Net

6,785,979.22

Reserve Money (Base Money

14,040,351.9

--Currency in Circulation

3,210,664.98

--Banks Reserves --Special Intervention Reserves

10,829,686.9 390,557.8

˾ ÙßÜÍÏ ̋

Money Market Indicators (in Percentage) Month

July 2022

Inter-Bank Call Rate

13.00

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

14.00

Treasury Bill Rate

2.76

Savings Deposit Rate

1.42

1 Month Deposit Rate

3.64

3 Months Deposit Rate

4.96

6 Months Deposit Rate

5.87

12 Months Deposit Rate

5.76

Prime Lending rate

12.10

Maximum Lending Rate

27.61

˾ ÙØÏÞËÜã ÙÖÓÍã ËÞÏ ̋ ͯͱϱ

OPEC DAILY BASKET PRICE AS AT 8 MARCH, 2023

The price of OPEC basket of thirteen crudes stood at $84.37 a barrel on Tuesday, compared with $84.59 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), Basrah Medium (Iraq), Kuwait Export (Kuwait), Es Sider (Libya), Bonny Light (Nigeria), Arab Light (Saudi Arabia), Murban (UAE) and Merey (Venezuela).

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NEWS

LAUNCH OF GREENWICH WOMEN NETWORK...

L - R Head, Corporate Communications, Greenwich Merchant Bank, Joyce Onyegbula; Company Secretary, Omobola Makinde; DMD / Co- Founder, Falcon Corporation Limited, Audrey Joe-Ezigbo; MD/CEO, Greenwich Merchant Bank, Bayo Rotimi; PHOTO: SUNDAY ADIGUN MD, FITC, Chizor Malize; Veteran Broadcaster, Modele Sarafa- Yusuf; and Treasurer, Greenwich Merchant Bank, Kehinde Olomojobi at the launch of the Greenwich Women Network in Lagos….. yesterday

Clark: There Won't Be Peace in Nigeria Without Restructuring Blesses Delta LP governorship candidate Sunday Aborisade in Abuja Elder statesman and leader of the Niger Delta, Chief Edwin Clark, has urged the incoming administration in Nigeria to restructure the country to achieve peace.

The foremost Ijaw leader, stated this when he gave his blessings to the Labur Party governorship candidate in Delta State, Mr. Ken Pella, in his Asokoro, Abuja residence, yesterday.

Clark said, "We want a better

Nigeria, a new Nigeria, if you don't restructure Nigeria, it will be very difficult to maintain peace in this country. Nobody is going to be second class citizen and another one first class citizen in the same country. No one will allow it.

"That was the reason we celebrated the 17 governor's declaration, popularly known as the Asaba Declaration, which agreed that the presidency should be zoned to the South."

Clark said the Asaba Declara-

Wike, Amaechi Resume Battle over Guber Poll in Rivers Blessing Ibunge in Port Harcourt

Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike has resumed battle with the immediate past Minister of Transportation and his estranged principal, Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, ahead of the Saturday, March 18, governorship and House of Assembly elections in the state.

Wike has insisted that his preferred governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Siminialaye Fubara, who has remained in hiding since emerging candidate, would succeed him after his tenure elapsed on May 29, this year.

On his part, the former governor, who has shown visible commit-

ment to the campaign of the APC gubernatorial candidate, Tonye Cole, had on different occasions, criticised the Wike-led government.

The former minister had told Igbo stakeholders in Port Harcourt, that an APC government would abolish discrimination of nonindigenes in the state as he did during his administration, and pleaded with the Igbo residents to support Cole for a better, prosperous Rivers State.

Amaechi further assured the people that the government of Cole, hopefully, would return all abandoned property to the non-indigenes, and regretted that since the Wike government came on board, non-indigenes in the state

had suffered discrimination.

Responding, Wike, yesterday, said it was distasteful for Amaechi to play politics with the issue of abandoned property that was allegedly considered legally closed and could not be revisited.

At the meeting presided by Wike, the Attorney General and Commissioner of Justice, Zacchaeus Adangor (SAN), challenged the comments

by Amaechi, stressing that the issue of abandoned property in Rivers State, was essentially and palpably one of law.

"You will recall that the Abandoned Property Edit No. 8 of 1969 established the Abandoned Property Custody and Management Authority and charged that

authority and the responsibility of managing the property of non indigene left unattended during the Civil War. "The constitutionality of that law has been tested in several decisions of our court, including that of the Supreme Court and that law is still a subsisting law, and it has never been invalidated by any judgment of the court. The matter as far as we're concerned, is closed legally close and cannot be revisited," Adangor said.

Similarly, Secretary to the Rivers State Government, Dr. Tammy Danagogo, said Amaechi was trying to reawaken the issue of the abandoned property in Rivers State, and dismissed it as reckless.

tion informed the decision of the Southern, Middle Belt Leaders Forum to reject any of the southern governors that supported northern presidential candidate.

He said, "We agreed that we will not support any governor that supports a northern presidential candidate. Governor Ifeanyi Okowa did it, so we are no longer with him and the Peoples Democratic Party.

"The message was well received

by Delta people and I was not surprised that the people voted for change, voted for Obidient.

We rejected PDP, because of their treachery.”

Clark said he had already promised to support the All Progressives Congress Governorship Candidate in Delta State, Senator Ovie Omo-Agege in his personal capacity but that the LP candidate, Pella, has his blessings.

"When I agreed to support Omo-Agege, I was not aware that Labour Party has a candidate, it is only of recent that I was told that you are the candidate of the Labour Party, but you have been bought over by Okowa. I said No!

I know this young man's father, Pela, during the civil war, when I was Commissioner for Finance in the Midwest State.

"When Baptist Girls school was closed in Agbor because of the war, I opened Baptist High school in Benin City and I appointed his father as the principal of that school because his father was a first class gentleman.

"You will have my blessings and if my sons are in the field, whoever follows the process and wins is my governor. My hope, whoever becomes the governor of Delta State, my home state, should be a straight forward person, competent, respected, and character.

"He should be someone, who would move us forward, not who wants to make money at the expense of the state. Nothing can prevent me from giving my blessing, so, God will therefore guide you."

An elated Pella, after receiving the blessing from Clark, told journalists that Labour Party has a better chance to win the governorship election in Delta State on Saturday.

we have found ourselves. The federal government came out with the policy that even the old currencies are still valid. What we have discovered is that even when the banks give you those old currencies, the traders are not accepting it. And even when you take it to the same banks, the banks are not accepting it either. We are being frustrated to a level that we can no longer keep quiet."

On the political situation in the country, NLC urged all gladiators to remember that the interest of the country was paramount and do everything reasonably possible to make sure that the system was maintained.

NLC also cautioned the judiciary to ensure that it did justice to the complaints of aggrieved politicians.

launches fresh plot against Presidentelect Tinubu,” and made available to THISDAY yesterday, also denied the allegation in the report that he made certain amounts of money available to the governorship candidate of Labour Party (lp) in Lagos State, Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour.

The statement said, “The attention of the CBN has been drawn to a story published in The Nation newspaper of Monday, March 13, 2023 edition, alleging that the governor, Mr Godwin Emefiele, has launched a ‘fresh plot against President-elect’.

“The aforementioned story went further to allege that the governor has made certain amount of money available to a political aspirant ahead of March 18, 2023 gubernatorial poll.

“We wish to inform members of the public that this story is completely false and malicious, as the governor does not know and has never met or even spoken with Mr. Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour either in person or through proxy.

“We wish to reiterate that the CBN governor does not take part in politics and, therefore, urge anyone with contrary information to prove the governor wrong should provide such facts.

CBN DIRECTS COMMERCIAL BANKS TO ACCEPT, PAY OUT OLD N500, N1, 000 NOTES verdict, which extends the validity of the notes to December 31, 2023.”

Sanwo-Olu warned, “Any business that fails to collect the notes will be heavily sanctioned.

I, therefore, advise Lagos residents to freely accept and transact their businesses with the old currency notes (N200; N500; and N1,000) as well as the new notes.

“If any bank refuses to accept deposits of old notes, please, lodge a complaint with the Lagos State Consumer Protection Agency (LASCOPA) via these numbers; 08124993895, 09064323154, 08092509777.

“The Lagos State Government will report the bank to the CBN and immediately shut down the offending branch.

“I thank you so much and assure you that all this, too, shall pass, as the authorities are working to ensure that the teething problems of the redesigning of our currency are resolved.”

Soludo advised also residents of his state to freely accept and transact businesses with the old N200, N500 and N1,000 as well as the new notes.

In a statement he personally signed, which was obtained yesterday by THISDAY, Soludo

disclosed that he spoke with the CBN governor on the matter by telephone and he confirmed that in compliance with the Supreme Court ruling, he had directed commercial banks to accept the old banknotes and also load their ATMs with the currencies.

The governor threatened to shut down any commercial bank that rejected the old N500 and N1,000 notes from depositors and refused to issue same to customers.

Soludo, a former CBN governor, added, “Commercial banks have been directed by the central bank to dispense old currency notes and to also receive same as deposits from customers.

“Tellers at the commercial banks are to generate the codes for deposits and there is no limit to the number of times an individual or company can make deposits.

“The governor of the CBN gave the directive at a Bankers’ Committee meeting held on Sunday, 12th March, 2023. The governor, Dr. Godwin Emefiele, personally confirmed the above to me during a phone conversation on Sunday night.

“Residents of Anambra are, therefore, advised to freely accept and transact their businesses with

the old currency notes (N200, N500 and N1,000) as well as the new notes.

Residents should report any bank that refuses to accept deposits of the old notes. Anambra State Government will not only report such a bank to the CBN, but will also immediately shut down the defaulting branch.”

Until the announcement by the governor, residents of Anambra had been complaining that banks issued to them old currency notes but would not accept the notes from depositors.

NLC Gives FG 7-Day Ultimatum to End Currency Scarcity

NLC gave the federal government one-week ultimatum to resolve issues causing prolonged scarcity of the naira as well as petrol. It warned that at the expiration of the ultimatum, the union might be forced to call out its members for a national strike.

Addressing journalists in Abuja on the decision of the Central Working Committee of the NLC, the president, Joe Ajaero, said the labour movement had observed with regret the suffering workers and

Nigerians had been subjected to due to the cash squeeze resulting from government's naira redesign policy.

Ajaero said NLC had resolved to issue a seven-day ultimatum to the federal government to end the cash crunch or workers would stay away from duty nationwide.

Briefing newsmen on the position of labour, Ajaero said, “The congress wishes to inform the federal government that we will no longer keep quiet on this issue of perennial fuel scarcity and arbitrary increase of petroleum products prices.

"On the issue of cash crunch, the NLC is giving the federal government of Nigeria, the agencies of government, including the CBN and top banking institutions, seven working days to address the issue of the cash crunch.

"If they fail to do this at the expiration of the seven days, the Congress is directing all workers in the country to stay at home because it has become very difficult to even assess one naira to enter vehicles to your workplace."

Ajaero said it had become very difficult to buy products, especially from traders who, in most cases, did not have bank accounts.

He stated, "This is the situation

Emefiele Debunks Fake News, Denies Alleged Plot against Tinubu

CBN Governor, Mr. Godwin Emefiele, described as fake news a report that he had launched a fresh plot against the president-elect, Bola Tinubu.

Emefiele, in a statement signed by Abdulmumin, titled, “Re- Emefiele

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NEWS

METROPOLITAN FIRM ENDOWMENT FUND FOR INDIGENT NIGERIANS...

L-R: The Managing Partner, The Metropolitan Firm, Ummahani Amim; and the Senator-Elect of FCT under LP, Ireti Kingibe, at the 5th Annual Islamic Estate Planning Clinic in Abuja on Sunday,

Okowa Debunks N850bn Loan Allegation Delta State Governor, Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa, yesterday, debunked insinuations in some quarters that his administration had borrowed over N850 billion since it assumed office in 2015 till date.

Okowa, who spoke in Asaba, at an interactive session with journalists, described the allegation as "a lie

from the pit of hell."

He said his administration only asked for a bridging-finance facility of N150 billion from a consortium of banks on N217 billion owed the state by the federal government, after an approval by the House of Assembly.

The governor said the required

amount was later reduced to N100 billion, with necessary recourse to the House of Assembly, adding that out of the amount, the government got N91 billion, which had been utilised.

According to him, “Out of the amount, N10 billion was spent on state and local governments'

pensions, while the balance was deployed into projects we listed in the application to the House of Assembly, including the Koka Flyover and Interchange, Mariam Babangida Leisure Park and Film Village and Ughelli-Asaba Dualisation.”

While noting that the facility was not a loan as erroneously

FG to Increase Corps Members’Monthly Allowances Oghenevwede Ohwovoriole in Abuja The Minister of Youths and Sports Development, Mr. Sunday Dare, has disclosed that the federal government would soon increase the monthly allowance of NYSC members He said there was a proposal for the increment of their allowance before President Muhammadu Buhari, for approval.

He was speaking on the sidelines of the inauguration of members of the committee for the 50th NYSC celebration coming up in May 2023, in Abuja, yesterday.

Dare, said the Director General of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), Yeshua Ahmed, and the management staff had forwarded an improved welfare (allowances) package for corps members to the president.

He said: "The allowances of

our youth corps members have been increased from N19,000 to N33,000, that is even above the minimum wage. And that is part of their welfare.

“As we speak, the NYSC under the DG and the management staff have sent forth a proposal to improve on their uniform, to increase their different allowances and that is already with the president "If that gets the approval that is necessary; even SAED (Skills Acquisition and Entrepreneurship Development) training will go beyond just three weeks and would be through the entire youth service. So, those are the areas that are covered.

"This committee is not just for the celebration but will also make recommendations on reforms and improvements not just for the welfare but also for the system of the NYSC that runs and keeps

that engine running."

Earlier in his speech, the minister said the committee's terms of reference included articulating plans towards the commissioning of the NYSC ICT Centre as part of the 50th anniversary celebration and advise management on the best means of equipping the centre; call for entries from Corps

members for logo and mascot to commemorate the anniversary; harmonise reports of committees on the Review of NYSC Composite Policy Document, NYSC Conditions of Service, and the NYSC Bye-Laws to ensure the adoption of clean documents for further action by management, among others.

and mischievously insinuated by the opposition in the state "for cheap political point", he said the projects had been completed and inaugurated while two were ongoing, and advised critics of his administration and those seeking the number one position in the state to speak the truth to people.

Okowa also said remarkable progress was made by his administration in healthcare delivery, education, infrastructural and human capital development, emphasising that no fewer than 2,000 kilometres of roads and1,000 kilometres of drains had been constructed by his administration.

He said the creeks and other riverside communities in Ijaw and Itsekiri lands had a fare share of road and bridge projects in spite of the cost, adding that the Ayakromo Bridge project was

Fayose Rallies Support for Makinde’s Re-election Kemi Olaitan in Ibadan Former governor of Ekiti State, Mr. Ayodele Fayose, yesterday, called on residents of Oyo State to re-elect Governor 'Seyi Makinde of Oyo State, so that he could complete the good job he has been doing in the state.

Fayose described Makinde as the best and only option for the

state, adding that the people of the state could not afford to throw away the baby with the bathwater, saying he has done well in the last four years, and that he should be allowed to continue the good work.

The former governor, who stated this while featuring on a radio station in Ibadan, yesterday, maintained that despite his political issues with Makinde, the Oyo

governor has been able to deliver the goods in terms of governance and should be allowed to continue in office.

According to him, Makinde was able to win his heart with the massive infrastructure development of the state, including the Ibadan Circular Road and the Moniya-Iseyin Road, adding that unlike most governors who

BAT Targets More Women Inclusion in Leadership, Mgt Ugo Aliogo The British American Tobacco (BAT) in West and Central Africa, has said it aimed at ensuring that the proportion of women in leadership and management in the company was enhanced.

The company, in a statement, marking the 2023 International Women’s Day (IWD) with the theme, ‘Embrace Equity’ said the theme of the 2023 celebration was a call to action for accelerating women's opportunities and promoting equity to forge harmony, unity, and help drive success for all The statement further explained that British American Tobacco in

West and Central Africa recognised that its employees were all unique and had different needs, experiences, and opportunities, and through equity, everyone has access to the same opportunities.

The statement revealed that embracing equity provided an excellent opportunity to celebrate British American Tobacco’s (BAT) diverse and inclusive culture, which showed the company’s commitment to gender diversity.

“It is proud of its diversity and inclusion agenda, remarkably, we were globally awarded the Brandon Hall excellence award for best diversity, equity, and inclusion strategy, recognised in the

ongoing, with a new contractor in charge following its repudiation as a result of poor performance by the former contractor.

"The rumour that we have borrowed N850 billion was a lie from the pit of hell. It is unfair for anybody trying to be the governor of the state to deceive the people.

We have structured our finances with superior thinking. When we borrowed money, we borrowed reasonably to finance our projects.

"We have constructed over 2,000 kilometres of roads in the state. We have constructed a lot of bridges and we are still constructing more.

We are still working on the bridge on the Beneku River, the Orherhe Bridge project and others. We have revoked Ayakromo Bridge project and re-awarded it to a more competent contractor," the governor said.

2023 Bloomberg Gender Equality Index inclusion for demonstrating commitment to addressing gender diversity and transparent reporting.

“The BAT of tomorrow will be a high growth, consumer goods company, with sustainability and diversity at our core. To further help accelerate the pace of progress, we have set bold ambitions, increase the proportion of women in senior leadership teams to 40 percent, increase the proportion of women in management roles to 45 per cent, and achieve at least a spread of 50 per cent nationalities within all key leadership teams.

“This accelerated focus on diversity is crucial in creating a

dynamic and inspiring workplace that will propel BAT into the future and create A Better Tomorrow™ for all our stakeholders. In building A Better Tomorrow™ we understand and are committed to fostering a gender equal-equity workforce which is evident in the independent accreditation from Fair Pay Workplace (FPW) for equitable pay practices,” the statement read.

In her remark, the External Affairs Director, West and Central Africa, Odiri-Erewa-Meggison, said, “Identifying the unique skills set and capabilities, perspectives, ideas, and background of our employees, empowers them and creates an

inclusive culture that unites us as ONE and makes BAT a great place to work. And at BAT we create an inclusive workplace that acknowledges the unique contributions of women to the organization.”

In his remarks, the Human Resource Director, Sergio Berlanga, noted: “As we aim to transform our business, we need to challenge the status quo and drive innovation. This means becoming better at attracting and retaining an increasingly diverse set of capabilities, welcoming a more inclusive working environment, and striving for even greater gender balance.”

only developed the state capital, Makinde has been able to touch the rural centres in the state.

“Ajimobi was able to do two terms and I think Makinde should be given the same opportunity to consolidate on all he has started.

There are about three projects that drew my attention in the state. One of them is that Circular road, which will burst out at Asejire and I am looking forward to its completion.

“Another one is the Iseyin road. I was a student at Olivet Baptist High School at Oyo. Until the project was done, it was a nightmare. Most governors will develop the major city, which is Ibadan. But let me say to you that Makinde is still the best option.

I have nothing against anybody but he is the best and only option.

Please, support him.

“I can tell you that there is no governor that can complete all the jobs. We were there sometime ago and thought it wouldn't end but it ended. Four years is not long.

He has done well. I said earlier that we do have issues."

Fayose further commended Makinde for his courage in standing for equity and fairness with regards to the presidential election, which was won by Bola Tinubu.

TUESDAY MARCH 14, 2023 ˾ T H I S D AY

29

NEWS

CELEBRATING TINUBU’S VICTORY...

L-R: Minister of State, Federal Capital Territory(FCT), Ramatu Tijani; Director, Diaspora Presidential Campaign Committee (PCC), Ade Omole; and member, Security and Intelligence Committee,Tinubu/ Shettima PCC, Wole Aboderin, during the celebration of the victory of Bola Tinubu and Kashim Shettima as president-elect and vice president-elect respectively in Abuja…recently

Amotekun Arrests 35-year-old Man for Stealing 100 Motorcycles in Ondo Parades six others for armed robbery, rape, others

FidelisDavidinAkure

Operatives of the Ondo State Security Network Agency (OSSNA) codenamed Amotekun have arrested a 35-year-old man, Mr. Olamide Wasiu, for stealing over 100 motorcycles from Ondo State in the last three months.

The State Commander of

Amotekun, Mr. Adetunji Adeleye, revealed this yesterday at the command’s headquarters in Akure while parading the suspect alongside six others arrested for alleged various criminal offences that ranged from armed robbery, kidnapping, rape, illegal possession of fire arms, stealing among others.

According to Adeleye, the

Group Asks Edo Residents to Vote in Competent Lawmakers Adibe Emenyonu inBeninCity A group, under the aegis of Concerned Citizens of Edo State yesterday, urged Edo residents to vote for candidates who will make people-centred laws and not those interested in going to the state house of assembly with impeachment agenda in order to bringing down the state government.

The concerned group, who spoke at a press briefing in Benin City, described the issue of impeachment being circulated around by some

political leaders, actors and their supporters as “irresponsible” and could potentially distort the existing peace and lead to crisis even before the March 18 house of assembly elections.

Spokesperson of the group, made up of different civil society organisations, Solomon Idiogbe, appealed to Edo people to carefully scrutinize the candidates and vote them based on competence, track records and capacity to carry out their legislative duties for the progress and development of the state when elected.

35-year-old man, Mr. Olamide Wasiu, belonged to an alleged four-man syndicate who specialised in stealing and selling motorcycles within Ondo,

Osun, Oyo and Ogußn States.

He said: “Today, we have a number of suspects, out of which we selected few that will be an eye

opener to the public. We have a syndicate that operates within Ondo, Osun, Oyo and Ogun State in stealing of motorcycles. There is always a

buyer who comes midway with a truck to harvest all the motorcycles that are stolen from Ondo State and they are being carted away.

Polls: Call Your Supporters to Order, Reduce Tension, Candidates Told

Kemi OlaitaninIbadan

Ahead of the March 18 governorship polls, a Civil Society Organisation (CSO), Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa (CAPPA), yesterday, urged politicians to call their supporters to order and reduce rising tension and election-related

violence in several states across the country.

The organisation in a statement by its Research and Policy Officer, Zikora Ibeh, expressed worry over the rising use of hate speech, tribal and ethnic profiling as well as the widespread circulation of fake news laced with inciting comments.

“We are particularly worried

about reports of rising tension in Sokoto, Lagos, Rivers and Kaduna among several others.

“All stakeholders, political leaders, security agencies, and the government must take immediate action to de-escalate the surging tension and violence, and safeguard the rights and dignity of every Nigerian as guaranteed in the

Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended),” he said.

The organisation observed that electoral violence not only undermines democracy but also perpetuates a culture of societal unrest and the exclusion of citizens from participating in governance processes.

Nasarawa Gov Condemns Calls for APC Chairman’s Resignation for the national chairman of the IgbawaseUkumbainLafia

The Nasarawa State Governor, Abdullahi Sule, has condemned in strong terms the recent calls for the resignation of the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Senator Abdullahi Adamu.

The National Vice Chairman (North-West) of the APC, Mallam Salihu Lukman, recently called

party to be relieved of his duty, supposedly in a bid to balance the Muslim-Muslim ticket of the presidency.

But, when speaking at a meeting with former aspirants of the APC across the state yesterday in the Government House, Lafia, Governor Sule described the move seeking the removal of the APC national chairman as unfair and unnecessary.

The governor maintained that the move was untimely, rude and completely unnecessary, especially that the party was still in the middle of an election.

Sule pointed out that at a time the party was recording successes at the recently concluded presidential and National Assembly elections, “for anyone to call for the resignation of Adamu amounts to shear wickedness and disrespect for all

the efforts put in by him before, during and even after the election.

“The gentleman, who has worked so hard, even at his age, going around everywhere with our presidential candidate for the campaigns, meetings and several initiatives taken to tackle various issues, to be called to resign at the middle of elections is uncalled for, unfair. That is wickedness, rude and completely unnecessary.

March 18: Akwa Ibom People ‘ll Cole to Establish Fund for Businesses in Rivers, Says Amaechi Rivers State Governor Amaechi made the statement He told the people to only vote Rivers men and women and those Choose Rightly, Says Professionals Former and immediate past Minister of yesterday during his door- to- a governor that would care about who live in Rivers State. They Chuks Okocha inAbuja

Professionals and businessmen in Akwa Ibom under the aegis of Professionals for Development have charged the people of the state to choose rightly in the March 18, 2023 governorship election by voting enmasse for the Candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Pastor Umo Eno. National Coordinator of the group, Ufot Akan Umoren, in a statement yesterday stressed that the people of Akwa Ibom have the option of choosing between a God-sent individual like Pastor Eno and cronies of

corrupt politicians.

Umoren stated that the governorship election presents an option for the people of Akwa Ibom to choose between voting for progressive transformation and development as embodied in Pastor Eno against profligacy, corruption and wastefulness.

He further noted that the election presents the people the option to choose between a wellprepared, competent and ready candidate who has the interest of the people at heart as against someone who seeks power as a means to achieve immunity and escape conviction.

JAMB Announces Newscheduled Date forto hold Mock Exams on Saturday,11th Kuni Tyessi inAbuja

The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has revealed that the 2023 Mock-UTME earlier scheduled for Thursday,16th March, 2023, has been shifted to Thursday, 30th March, 2023 The shift in date was partly due to the change in the date for the gubernatorial and States’ Houses of Assembly elections earlier

March, 2023 but now moved to 18th March, 2023.

In a statement released by the spokesperson of the Board, Dr. Fabian Benjamin, yesterday, candidates, who registered early and had indicated their willingness to take the Mock-UTME, would be notified as to when to print their Mock-UTME notification slip, which would contain their centres and other details.

Transportation, Rt Hon Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi has re-echoed the pledge by the All Progressives Congres (APC) governorship candidate in Rivers State, Tonye Cole, to establish a hedge fund for businesses in the State to thrive, if elected governor.

door campaign for Tonye Cole across strategic markets in Port Harcourt, Obio/Akpor and Oyigbo including, Mile 1 market, Rumuomasi market, Eliozu, Rumunduru, Steel Village, Chippings market, and Timber market.

their wellbeing, not those that would dance to the people’s pain.

“When I was leaving government, we left N50 billion in what they call hedge fund.

Hedge fund is for you to come and borrow at either low or zero interest rate to boost business for

didn’t give you that money.

“This idea, I shared with Tonye Cole and he agreed. As soon as he is voted to power by you, we shall re-establish this hedge fund. Not just to help you do business, it is also to help us create employment,” Amaechi said.

CSOs Ask President-elect to Renew EFCC Chairman’s Tenure Oluchi Chibuzor

Eight civil society organisations (CSOs) yesterday asked President-elect, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, to renew the tenure of Executive Chairman of Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Mr. Abdulrasheed Bawa, citing 70

per cent conviction rate recorded during his tenure for their request.

The CSOs justified calls for Bawa’s tenure renewal on a premise that EFCC, under its current chairman, had redefined the fight against corruption since his appointment by President Mohammadu Buhari.

National President, Campaign

for Dignity in Governance (CDG), Comrade Razaq Olokoba, made the call at a news conference he addressed in Lagos yesterday alongside leaders of seven others CSOs. Other leaders include: Nichson Ufondu of Southern Coalition Movement; Alex Omotehinse of Centre for Human and

Socio-economic Rights; Nelson Ekujumi of Centre for Social and Economic Rights; Titi Akosa of Centre for 21st Century Issues; Folashade Aransiola of North Central Women Against Corruption; Raji Oyewunmi of Movement for Democratic Change and Razaq Oladosu Grassroot Initiative.

Ex-House Member Predicts Victory of Kwara Gov for Second Term Ahead of March 18 poll, a former member of the House of Representatives and 2019 All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship aspirant in Kwara State, Hon. Moshood Mustapha, has predicted that Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq will coast to electoral victory in view

of his outstanding performances in office in the last three and half years.

Mustapha disclosed this in Ilorin yesterday while speaking with journalists on the sideline of his 60th birthday special prayers.

He said he and other progressives in the state would support AbdulRazaq to emerge victorious at

the election, noting that the governor merits a second term because of the giant strides of his administration in all sectors.

According to him, “We are going to support the governor to emerge victorious at the poll and by the grace of God he will win the election with landslide.

“After he has completed his second tenure there must be realignment of forces. That is what some of us are advocating”.

He added: “I urge Kwarans to vote for APC, my party in the forthcoming election. I told some Peoples Demo- cratic Party (PDP) friends to come and vote for us.”

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TUESDAY MARCH 14, 2023 ˾ T H I S D AY

NEWS XTRA

Soludo Urged to Curb Over-taxation, Revenue Theft in Anambra David-Chyddy Eleke in Awka

Anambra State Governor, Prof.

Chukwuma Soludo, has been charged to curb revenue leakages in the state, and also ensure that revenue thieves are kept in check.

A human rights Lawyer, Mr. Nnalue Peters, told journalists in Awka that despite the efforts to increase the state’s earning through internally generated revenue, some revenue racketeers are still feeding fat on the finances of the state.

He also added that most residents of Anambra State are being over taxed by revenue collectors, urging the governor

not to look away, as the pains of the people are high.

Peters said: “Before now, Anambra had been subjected to all forms of wreck, including overpayments, double taxation, revenue leakages, and all manner of financial misconducts that come with mismanagement of revenue.

“As times are hard, the government is cutting some of the revenues, taking into consideration the economic hardship faced by the people.

This move is laudable as it shows the government’s commitment to the welfare of the masses.

“However, some revenue

agencies which have been in power before the coming of Soludo are still diverting funds, and over taxing the people. These are the areas the governor should look towards.

“One of the companies, which promised to build vehicle test centres in all 21 local governments of the state, has only built two centres in Awka and Nkpor, and collects a whopping 52 per cent of all road-worthiness certificate revenues. Such an arrangement leaves room for exploitation and financial misconduct, which the government needs to address urgently,” Peter said.

Guber Poll: LP House Member-elect Calls for Massive Votes for Candidates Nationwide Sunday Okobi

The newly elected Labour Party (LP) member for the Federal House of Representatives from Idemili North and South constituency of Anambra State, Hon Uche Harris Okonkwo, has urged all members of ‘Obidients’ movement in Nigeria to once again troop out in higher numbers next Saturday to vote for all LP candidates in the governorship and House of Assembly polls across the country.

In a statement issued yesterday, appealing to all supporters of

the Obi-Datti movement and the LP not to be downcast, he said: “Now more than ever, we must stand up to stand out as winners, not fixers or connivers, because our presidential candidate and LP need to be proved to all as the true conscience of our country and liberation.”

Reinforcing the critical urgency to come out more than they did in the presidential election, he continued: “Let me make it even clearer that good governance for speedy prosperity for you and me is only realistic and better impacted at the grassroots, which

are the states and of course the local governments. So, a vote for Labour Party candidates in this vital election on Saturday is your evident affirmation to be connected to your primary development centres as a constitutional right for a bonded thriving nationhood.

“Please let’s come out forcefully as pioneers of our movement to resiliently assert your role in history by rejecting the desperate mafia schemes of them that count you as articles to be bought than humans to be loved and protected.”

Gombe APC Raises the Alarm over Plot against Gov Yahaya Segun Awofadeji inGombe The Gombe State Campaign Council (GSCC) of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) has raised the alarm over alleged plot to embark on smear campaign against Governor Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya, who is also the gubernatorial candidate of the party.

According to a press statement by the Director-General, Media and Publicity, GSCC, Mr. Ismaila Uba Misilli, which was made available to journalists, the planned smear campaign was by members of the opposition political parties

in the state.

He stated in the statement that “it has come to the attention of the GSCC of the APC that some unscrupulous elements in the opposition parties in the state have concluded plans to come up with concerted smear campaigns against Governor Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya, who is the governorship candidate of our party.”

The governor’s media aide added that “we have credible intelligence that those opposition elements are working in cohort with their paymasters to dish out outright falsehood against

our candidate and other party chieftains as part of their last attempts to hoodwink the Gombe electorate who have since made up their minds to reelect Governor Inuwa for a second term.”

Misilli, who is also the Director, Media and Publicity, Government House, Gombe, further stated that “having seen the handwriting on the wall that they stand no chance in the rescheduled governorship and state assembly elections, which will now hold on March 18, these enemies of Gombe people have engaged the services of some political jobbers to execute their evil plot.

Ebonyi Won’t Record Voter Apathy, Says APC Benjamin Nworie in Abakaliki

Ahead of next Saturday’s governorship and state House of Assembly election, the Ebonyi State Campaign Council of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has assured the electorate of adequate security to enable them turn out en mass to exercise their franchise.

Briefing journalists in Abakaliki, the Director, Directorate of Information, Divine Mandate Campaign Council, Mr. Uchenna Orji, said Ebonyi people were enthusiastic and desirous to vote and elect the APC governorship candidate, Francis Nwifuru, and other candidates of the party in the state.

He noted that there have been massive political alignments in favour of the APC by stakeholders of opposition parties to support the election of Nwifuru based on equity, justice and power rotation.

Orji said: “Ebonyi people will come out en mass and vote for the APC next Saturday. We are glad to note the enthusiasm of stakeholders of opposition political parties in the state who have seen reasons to support the candidature of Nwifuru.

“Honestly, since after the first election, it has been either massive political alignment in favour of APC or mass defection to APC or open support for the

governorship candidate of the APC by the bigwigs of opposition political parties, including Labour Party, PDP, APGA and others.

“History will be kind to prominent leaders of opposition political parties in the state, including Sen. Anyim Pius Anyim, Senator Sylvanus Nguji Ngele, Senator Obinna Ogba, Lawrence Nwuruku, Sir Edward Nkwegu, Hon Peter Ede, Livinus Makwe, Hon. Anayo Edwin Nwonu, Chief Boniface Ofoke, Hon Sylvester Ogbaga and many others for upholding the Divine Mandate zoning arrangement for the governorship seat, which is equitably the turn of Ebonyi North, Izzi in particular.

CAN Charges Voters on Governorship Election Laleye Dipo inMinna

Ahead of Saturday’s governorship and House of Assembly’s elections in parts of the country, the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) has tasked voters to cast their ballots only for credible candidates during the election.

The Niger State Chapter of the CAN said in a statement made available to newsmen in

Minna that it is by so doing that the society would be assured of quality leadership and delivery of dividends of democracy.

The statement that was signed on behalf of the State Chairman of CAN, Most Reverend Bulus Dauwa Yohanna, by his Media Aide, Mr. Dan Atori, stated that candidates to be voted for should also be those who would ensure development and the peaceful

co-existence of the people.

According to the statement “we enjoin everyone to vote for candidates of your choice, who must ensure quality education and free healthcare for the people.

“The preferred candidates must be those who can guarantee internal security, religious neutrality, and enforcement of fundamental rights and will be fair in appointments.”

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TUESDAY, ͹ͼ˜ ͺ͸ͺͻ ˾ T H I S D AY

TUESDAYSPORTS Buhari, NFF, IMC, Others Mourn Former Falcons Coach, Ismaila Mabo

Group Sports Editor: Duro Ikhazuagbe Email: duro.ikhazuagbe@thisdaylive.com

Deji Elumoye in Abuja President Muhammadu Buhari has extended condolences to the family of a former Chief Coach of the Super Falcons, Ismaila Abubakar Mabo, who died early hours of Monday aged 78 years.

The President, according to a release issued by presidential spokesperson, Mallam Garba Shehu, joined the family in mourning the loss of their husband and father, popularly known as Ismaila Mabo Nakande, who was a seasoned football manager, credited to have worked with and managed some of the best talented female players in Nigeria's football history.

President believed that Mabo’s legacy will live on in the players and the coaches that came in contact with him during his career, as well as the young athletes that will draw

inspiration from his managerial abilities in the years to come.

President Buhari prayed that the memory of the departed will be a blessing to those who mourn.

In its condolence message, the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) expressed deep sorrow over the death of Mabo.

President of NFF, Alhaji Ibrahim Gusau, said yesterday that the death of the former footballer and coach was a great loss to the Nigerian football family.

“The death of Pa Ismaila Mabo came to me as a huge shock. Again, we have lost a great man and an accomplished trainer-of-trainers in the Nigeria Football fraternity, and my heart goes out to his immediate family and the other loved ones he has left behind.”

Similarly, the Chairman of the Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) Interim Management Committee (IMC), Hon. Gbenga Elegbeleye, on behalf of the 20 NPFL clubs commiserated with

the NFF and the people of Plateau State on the demise of the veteran Coach Mabo.

“We received the news of his death this morning and considers it as a great loss not only to his immediate family, sports in Plateau State, but Nigeria as a whole in view of his pathfinding contributions to the establishment and overall development of women football in the country and Africa at large,” observed the IMC chieftain.

0811 181 3083 SMS ONLY

Ismaila Mabo...one of Nigeria’s depleting ex internationals died yesterday in Jos, aged 78 years

...The Life and Times of Ismaila Mabo Duro Ikhazuagbe

Ismaila Mabo Nakande belongs to the fast depleting ex international

football stars that dominated the game in this clime. His death in the early hours of yesterday was the anticlimax of the illness that

he battled for several years.

Born on July 15, 1944 in Jos, Ismaila Mabo grew up in the Tin City and made his name playing the round leather for the football club that was the face of Jos- The Mighty Jets FC. Mabo captained Mighty Jets and also represented the country as a formidable defender with the Green Eagles.

A gifted central defender, Mabo started as a schoolboy international with the Nigeria academicals team that broke the chain of Ghana’s constant whipping of Nigerian teams, when they defeated Ghana’s academicals 1-0 in Accra on 13th e y 1966.

966 February

It was the first time any Nigerian team would defeat a Ghanaian football team on Ghanaian soil.

Six days later, the Nigerian boys again defeated their Ghanaian counterparts 2-1 in Lagos.

Mabo’s teammates included; Peter ‘Baby’ Anieke, Tony ‘World 2’ Igwe, the illustrious Sam Garba Okoye and Eyo Essien.

After that accomplishment, Mabo joined Mighty Jets of Jos and was part of that club’s famous squad of the late 1960s and 1970s that made headlines in the Challenge Cup. He also featured for the senior national team, making his debut in a 1972 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying g g in Brazzaville match against Congo

on 22nd November 1970.

Mabo would later go into coaching, and was in the dug-out as Head Coach when the Super Falcons defeated North Korea 3-2, lost to USA and defeated Denmark 2-0 to reach the quarter-finals of the FIFA Women’s World Cup in 1999. The team stretched Brazil at that quarter-final stage before losing by a golden goal in extra time in Washington DC on July 1, 1999.

That feat remains Super Falcons greatest performance at the World Cup to date.

He also managed the Super Falcons at the 2000 Summer Olympics and 2004 Summer y p Olympics.

Pogba Set for Another Long Lay-off Juventus midfielder Paul Pogba g is set for another lay lay-off off after suffering a thigh injury while taking free-kicks.

The 29-year-old will be out for about three weeks and will miss the start of France's Euro 2024 qualifying campaign.

After being dropped for Juve's Europa League win over Freiburglast week, he missed Sunday's 4-2 win over Sampdoria.

"This morning Pogba was taking free-kicks and felt a twinge in his adductor," Juve coach Massimiliano Allegri said after Sunday's game.

A club statement said that Pogba

Paul Pogba injured again, set for another long lay off

Dare Charges Flying Eagles to Win FIFA U20 World Cup The Minister of Youth and Sports Development, Chief Sunday Dare, has tasked the Nigeria Football Federation to adequately prepare the U20 boys, Flying Eagles, to challenge for the FIFA U20 World Cup trophy in Indonesia in a few weeks.

Hon. Dare threw the challenge to the NFF and Head Coach Ladan Bosso at a reception hosted for the Africa U20 Cup of Nations bronze medallists at the Moshood Abiola National Stadium, Abuja on Monday.

“You have returned from Egypt with the bronze medals and the FIFA World Cup ticket, and a few other prizes, but the FIFA World Cup is in a few weeks and I want you to focus your mind on winning it for Nigeria for the first time. I understand Ghana is the only African country that has won the FIFA U20 World Cup. If Ghana can win it, why not Nigeria?

“I am happy about your performance in Egypt because you were able to come from a position of adversity – a depressing loss to The Gambia in the semi final – to fire on all cylinders to defeat Tunisia for the bronze medals. That is the spirit that the Government and people of Nigeria want you to take to the World Cup. We are on the same page with the NFF on adequate preparation of our National Teams for matches and competitions, and I

believe they will provide you with good-enough preparation for the global finals in Indonesia.”

Head Coach Bosso praised the Minister for his fatherly love, encouragement and support for the team since hosting the team to a similar reception after it won the WAFU B U20 Championship in Niamey 10 months ago.

“We are always encouraged

by your inspiring and motivating words, and the length you go to simply to support the team and our dreams. I told you after the victory in Niamey that our target was doing well at the AFCON in order to earn a FIFA World Cup ticket. Now, just as I told the Nigeria Ambassador to Egypt in Cairo on Saturday, I want you to know that our fresh target is doing very well

at the FIFA World Cup,” Bosso said.

All players and team officials were at the reception, bar Belgiumbased Ahmed Abdullahi, who is back at his base in Europe.

The Flying Eagles will go on a short break before reconvening for the phased preparations for the FIFA World Cup, taking place in Indonesia, between 20th May and 11th June.

Three Flying Eagles Goals Make U20 AFCON Top 10 Goals Three of the goals scored by the Flying Eagles have been picked by CAF among the Top 10 Goals of the just-concluded U20 AFCON in Egypt.

The goals were those of Jude Sunday against Tunisia in the thirdplace match; Ibrahim Mohammed’s blaster against Mozambique as well as a powerful header by defender Solomon Agbalaka that fell hosts Egypt.

Jude Sunday mesmerised the entire Tunisian defence to score the Flying Eagles third goal against the North Africans. He was named the Man of the Match in that game.

Two other Flying Eagles players won the official Man of the Match

Awards – Solomon Agbalaka (vs Egypt, vs Uganda), Abel Ogwuche (vs Mozambique).

Meanwhile, former Enugu Rangers defender, Ousmane Sane Pape, has given reasons why Senegal are champions of African football in various categories at the moment.

Senegal have in recent times won the African Beach Nations Cup, African Nations Championship (CHAN), AFCON U20 and AFCON itself.

Ousmane, who has retired from football and now resides in home country Senegal, said the present Senegal Football Federation President, Augustin Senghor, is doing the job with every sincerity.

“The Président of thé fédération, Augustin Senghor is doing a great job. He is sincere with the coaches appointment, he does it on merit. He is also working hard on grassroots football,” he posited.

Ousmane also thumbed up the manner of appointing coaches for Senegalese teams. “He is also sincere with his appointment of coaches and taking grassroots football seriously.”

The retired footballer stressed that the league in Senegal has improved and is the bedrock of football development of the country.

“There are a lot of changes in our league compared to when I played there,” he concluded.

underwent a medical tes test est on Monday Mond day y and that he has suffered d "a low-grade tear to his right thigh adductor".

"He has already started with the rehabilitation process aimed at resuming competitive activity," it added.

Juve have the return leg against Freiburg on Thursday, with Pogba having been dropped for the first game after being late for a team meetinglast Wednesday.

Pogba has only made two substitute appearances since rejoining Juve from Manchester United last summer, with the first of those coming on 28 February.

Pogba's previous appearance was for United in April 2022, when he suffered a calf injury in a 4-0 defeat at Liverpool which ruled him out

for for the remainder remain inde der of last season.

The 2018 World Cup winner then suffered a knee injury in pre-season but initially opted not to get an operation, fearing it would rule him out of last year's World Cup. But he was later deemed to need surgery anyway and, although he returned to the Juve squad in January, he suffered another muscular problem that further delayed his return to action.

France will begin their Group B fixtures against the Netherlands at the Stade de France on Friday, 24 March, before the World Cup runners-up visit the Republic of Ireland three days later.

Juve's first game after the international break is at home to Hellas Verona on 1 April.

FGDC Outlines Plans for Memorable 30th Anniversary WCGC Falcon Golf Development Company (FGDC), owners of the famed World Corporate Golf Challenge (WCGC) have promised participants and sponsors in this year’s edition of the competition, a fun-filled and memorable weekend. This 2023 edition which also marks the 30th anniversary of the tournament will get underway at Lakowe Lakes Club later this month.

The Chief Executive Officer of FGDC, Remi Olukoya, who spoke during the week said, FGDC was putting all necessary arrangements in place to make sure the participants and sponsors of the unique 30th anniversary edition memorable.

According to Olukoya, the 2023 WCGC will not be the usual golf game but will be filled with more fun, on and off the course for the duration of the tournament.

“This year’s event is unique in several ways. We plan to introduce a Free Children's Golf Clinic to some select public schools in Lagos State as part of the celebration of the 30th anniversary. We will join the rest of the world to mark this milestone,

keeping in mind the strides we have made in advancing the game of golf in our country”, Olukoya said.

He explained further that “organisers are putting several plans in place for what will be the “Special Edition”.

Last year, Team Dulux Paints, represented by Peter Eben-Spiff and Vitus Ezenwa, won the glamorous event while Remi Edu and Oke Ananaba of Eko Support-1 finished second.

WCGC is held in more than 30 countries worldwide, and since its debut in Nigeria, it has become an annual meeting place for businesses and a platform to establish new connections and strengthen existing relationships.

It also offers unique marketing opportunities for businesses, of which some have become integral members of the corporate golf family.

Expected to be part of this year’s edition are notable outfits like NCDMB, Guinness, Pepsi, Banwo & Ighodalo, NNPC Retails, PwC and Western Development Company among others.

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MISSILE

ACF to President Buhari

“It has triggered riots and other forms of civil unrest. President Buhari is under oath to defend the constitution of Nigeria. As his long time supporters, it will be remiss of us if we fail to warn that the much touted benefits of the Naira redesign can never justify the damage to his credentials as a democrat and a stickler for the rule of law “ --Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) Secretary General, Murtala Aliyu, berating Buhari, for disobeying the Supreme Court judgment ordering the recirculation of the old Naira notes till December 31, 2023.

TUESDAY WITH REUBENABATI Before Nigeria’s March 18 Elections A abati1990@gmail.com

fter the February 25 Presidential and National Assembly elections, now heavily disputed, Nigeria goes to the polls again on March 18, 2023 to elect Governors and members of state legislatures in 28 out of 36 states of the Federation. There would be no state elections in Kogi, Anambra, Ondo, Imo, Edo, Osun, Bayelsa and Ekiti which are in the off-cycle election belt. However, this weekend’s elections were meant to hold last Saturday, March 11, but the polls had to be rescheduled on account of the disputes that arose from the February 25 Presidential election and the orders given by the Court of Appeal acting as the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal. Three political parties – the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the Labour Party (LP) and the All Progressives Congress (APC), acting in self-defence in its case, had gone to court to seek permission to be allowed to inspect the materials used for the election by the Independent National Election Commission (INEC) which announced the Presidential candidate of the All Progressives’ Congress (APC), Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu as winner of the election with 8. 974, 726 million of total votes cast.

The Presidential candidate of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubaar, and Mr. Peter Obi of the Labour Party had challenged the results as declared by INEC. The court ruled in their favour on Friday, March 3. By Tuesday, March 7, the ruling APC and its candidate, now president-elect, also sought the leave of court to have access to the election materials. INEC also approached the court requesting that it should vary the order it gave earlier permitting PDP, LP, to inspect election materials, by granting it leave to reconfigure the Bi-Modal Verification Accreditation System (BVAS) ahead of the Gubernatorial and State legislature elections scheduled for March 11.

Counsel to INEC had told the Presidential Election Petitions Tribunal that their client would need a minimum of five days to reconfigure the BVAS. As it turned out, the two other matters were determined on Wednesday, March 8. The court granted INEC’s request to reconfigure the BVAS, but it did not rule that this should have any effect on the March 11 date. The Court granted APC its prayers. But in yet another matter, it refused to grant the Labour Party its request to inspect the INEC data base, and oversee the reconfiguration of the BVAS. On its own, after a review of the Court’s ruling, INEC announced that “it was far too late” for the reconfiguration of BVAS to be concluded within two days in over 170, 000 polling units nationwide. Consequently, the Commission rescheduled the Gubernatorial and state Assembly elections till March 18. INEC promised that it would obey the orders of court: grant the petitioners access to inspect election materials, and also upload data to its back-end server and make Certified True Copies of same available to all parties in the matter.

It is now election week again, as Nigerians are expected to troop out this Saturday to participate in state elections. They would be doing so against the background of the drama generated by the elections of February 25. As various international observers have pointed out: Chatham House, Ambassador Mark Green, Ambassador Johnnie Carson, the US Observer Mission, Financial Times, Bloomberg, New York Times, South Africa’s Broadcasting Corporation (SABC), Reuters, YIAGA Africa, The Guardian UK, BBC, Chinese News Agency, Washington Post, Nigeria Civil Society Situation Room, the African Union Election Observation Mission to Nigeria, ECOWAS, EU, UN, and the West African Elders Forum (WAEF) among others, the emergent consensus was that whereas the people of Nigeria

INEC Chairman, Mahmood Yakubu showed much zeal and determination towards the polls, the entire exercise fell short of the people’s expectations. In other words, INEC disappointed the people. I have already offered a catalogue of the sheer incompetence and poor performance put up by INEC in an earlier commentary (see “Nigeria: February 25 and the Aftermath,”ThisDay, Tuesday, March 7). Things have gone so bad that in fact the People’s Democratic Party led by its Presidential candidate and other party leaders had to stage a protest from the party’s headquarters to the Headquarters of INEC, on Monday, March 6. They asked for a cancellation of the election, and submitted a protest letter. A week later, the Labour Party in a statement issued by its Chief Spokesperson, Dr Yunusa Tanko, is also threatening to call out its supporters on a peaceful protest to challenge INEC’s refusal to obey the order of Court to allow the party to inspect election materials.

Tanko insists that the court order was duly served on INEC and a reminder was also sent to it. But whereas INEC is busy reconfiguring the BVAS, it has ignored other court orders. It has failed to keep its promise. Other political parties are aggrieved.

It must be noted that on three previous occasions since 1999 that elections were postponed, Nigeria usually cited either security or logistics reasons: 2011, 2015, 2019, but in 2023, INEC’s excuse is that it has to reconfigure its equipment!

The biggest calamity in Nigeria’s democratic process this time around is the embarrassing conduct of the electoral umpire. The people have lost trust in INEC. The institution suffers a credibility crisis. The worst thing that can happen to any public institution is to end up in the eyes of the same people it is established to serve as a fibbing, clumsy, unreliable institution. Between February 25 and now, INEC has broken virtually all the promises it made to the people of Nigeria, including the ones its Chairman rolled out for effect on the floor of Chatham House in London! INEC’s much-trumpeted confidence in the deployment of technology as enabled by the law and its own guidelines has been shown to be nothing more than an exercise in hypocrisy. On February 25, results from polling units were transmitted to the INEC portal called iREV, but not Presidential election results from the same polling units. More than a week after the elections, INEC could not fully load results unto its portals. Many voters could not get their Permanent Voter’s Cards, the same cards that have been sighted in bushes, forests, in the hands of foreigners and shadowy apartments

across the country. INEC could not distribute its own PVCs! The Court of Justice Obiora Egwuatu has now ruled, March 9, in favour of two persons: Kofoworola Olusegun and Wilson Allwell that they should be allowed to vote with their Temporary Voter’s Cards (TVCs), but although the ruling is in personam, the matter having not been filed in a representative capacity, INEC says it will appeal the Federal High Court ruling. Since the return to democratic rule in 1999, no other electoral process has been this confusing and uncertain.

Those who are familiar with the subject argue that the postponement of the state elections alone comes with “staggering economic loss.”

It could also harm voter enthusiasm and voter turn-out rates. The perception that the elections could be rigged at will is a major issue. Galaxy Backbone, Nigeria’s ICT services provider owned by the Federal Government, has confirmed that it had to fend off over 200 cyberattacks during the Presidential and National Assembly elections.

Perception is important in any electoral process.

Even IT experts believe that INEC is lying when it says it wants to reconfigure BVAS – the same INEC that cannot figure out whatever “technical glitches” that sabotaged its operations more than two weeks after the fact.

Every aggrieved party has been advised to go to the courts, and seek redress through legal and constitutional means. President Muhammadu Buhari has also expressly declared that there is no plan to annul the Presidential election – that is impossible, we are in a democracy - not under military rule. What anyone can hold on to is the general admonition that INEC should by now have carried out a thorough review of the elections of February 25, to understand what worked, what did not, what went amiss, and to learn the relevant lessons and ensure that these are used to deliver a much better process on March 18. But do we ever learn in Nigeria – a country where amnesia is a national malady and rascality seems at once genetic and contagious? INEC is expected to rebuild the people’s confidence. It is in the best interest of everyone that INEC succeeds on Saturday, March 18. The errors of February 25 have pushed the people to a corner where they are poised for war in various parts of the country. The people are determined more than before to defend their votes.

Gubernatorial and state legislature elections are mainly local elections, and understandably, they are invested with a higher dosage of emotionalism. The tension in the country is at an all-time high. The thugs who snatched ballot boxes two weeks ago may find that it won’t be easy to do so this week.

The battle will be tough and fierce in some of the states: Edo, Delta, Enugu, Abia, Rivers, Kaduna, Kogi, Oyo, and especially Lagos.

As was the case in the February 25 elections, ethnicity, religion, power and territory would be big issues. Against all odds, after the vote count in that process, Labour Party which was accused of not having a party structure ended up with more than 25% of the votes in 12 states including the Federal Capital Territory, with 6 winners in the Senate, and 34 in the House of Representatives, coming third in the Presidential Election, which the party says was rigged against it. The Labour Party would seek to consolidate on its February 25 election victories this week. Delta, Enugu, Abia, Rivers, Kaduna, Benue would be major battle grounds for the party. And Lagos in particular, where the Labour Party won majority votes and would want to repeat the feat. The President-elect was Governor of Lagos for two terms. He is the Godfather of the ruling APC in Lagos. To beat him and his party’s incumbent Governor in Lagos is not impossible as the Labour Party has shown, but to do so twice will be quite a feat. And that is why there has been so much desperation in the campaigns in Lagos in the lead up to March 18.

The APC has played the ethnic card against the candidate of the Labour Party in a most vicious manner. His offence is that his mother is Igbo. He is

also married to an Igbo woman. His grandmother is also said to be Igbo. And he bears Patrick. He bears Chinedu. He speaks Igbo. The ethnic irridentists of Lagos politics have been swearing that Lagos belongs to the Yoruba, it is not a no-man’s-land, and anyone with a small drop of Igbo blood would not be allowed to become Governor. They forget that the Rhodes-Vivour family has been a Yoruba family in Lagos for more than five generations.

And those who voted for the Labour Party in Lagos State on February 25 were not necessarily Igbos. They cut across all ethnic groups, and they were probably mostly Yorubas. Those who are targeting Igbos must desist from doing so. They must remember Rwanda, where the politics of ethic hate resulted in a massive blow-out. If they don’t know where Rwanda is, let them remember how ethnic politics catalyzed Nigeria’s civil war.

And for the benefit of those who think Igbo votes would be frustrated by burning markets dominated

by Igbos in Lagos, I draw their attention to the Lagos Area Council election of 1950. As reported in the Daily Times of Wednesday, October 18, 1950 to wit: “ELECTION RESULTS: Demo-Labour Alliance Wins: 18 Seats Against Area Council’s 6”.

The Demo-Labour Market Alliance won 18 out of the 24 seats in the new Lagos Town Council.

Out of these, there were non-Yoruba winners: Nduka Eze in Ward C, Mbonu Ojike in Ward D, Anyiam F. and Gogo, C.N in Ward F. Before then, Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe, an Igbo man represented Lagos between 1947 and 1951 in the Legislative Council of Nigeria. It was in this same area called Lagos that Emmanuel Ebubedike from Ozubulu in present-day Anambra State won election in the First Republic to represent Ajeromi-Badagry-Ifelodun in the Western Region House of Assembly. Each time I cite this example, I am reminded that it was Ebubedike who first snatched the Mace in the Western House on May 22, 1962 and turned it into a weapon of assault. He didn’t grab the mace because he was Igbo. Everyone had literally lost their head in the Western Region on that occasion.

In more recent times, a certain Oghene Emma Egho represented Amuwo-Odofin Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives on the platform of the PDP in 2015. The truth is that Lagos is a cosmopolitan melting pot of cultures, tropes and influences and its diversity and accommodative, liberal temper is part of the city’s mystique and essence. It has been reported that some acclaimed Lagos “omo oniles” – the self-styled land-owning families of Lagos are beginning to revoke lease agreements to remind non-Lagosians that Lagos belongs to its indigenous people! It has also been reported that some traditional rulers in Ibeju-Lekki are withdrawing traditional titles that they had conferred on some Igbos in their quarters. All of this just because a Yoruba son whose mother happens to be Igbo wants to be Governor? Absolutely ridiculous. There are no illegitimate children in Africa! It is a good thing that Governor Babajide Sanwoolu, the incumbent Lagos Governor has publicly decried ethnic politics.

Other stakeholders in Lagos politics should do the same. The President-elect, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, should step forward also to let everyone know that the people of Lagos, both indigenes and non-indigenes have the right to vote for the leaders of their choice.

The security agencies have their work cut out for them. They were conspicuously ineffectual on February 25. The police have been given money and equipment and the necessary support they asked for from President Muhammadu Buhari.

The stakes may have been high on February 25.

They would be higher on March 18. It goes without saying that the international community is watching. Nigeria’s success is critical for the stability of neighbouring countries and the larger project of democracy, good governance and accountability in African states. INEC and other agencies involved in #NigeriaDecides2023 should not turn Nigeria into the laughing stock of Africa.

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