SATURDAY 16TH MARCH 2024

Inflation Hits 26-year High at 31.70% Amid Higher Food, Energy Prices

transaction advisers for a potential Eurobond issuance.

cent compared to 21.91 per cent in February 2023.

debunked the report that it had appointed

According to the CPI Report for the period under review, year-onyear, headline inflation rose 9.79 per

This comes as analysts said classical economic tools were limited in taming inflation in the country’s largely

informal economy, stressing that several other factors fuelling inflation are outside the control of monetary

Banditry: Sack non-performing security chiefs, APC chairmen advise Tinubu President: Beneficiaries of removed petrol subsidy sabotaging our reforms Optimistic govt will win battle against economic saboteurs

Sets up committee of governors to uplift Nigerians headed by Shettima

Deji Elumoye and Kingsley Nwezeh in Abuja

The Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), Gen. Christopher Musa, once more met with the National Security Adviser (NSA), Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, yesterday, during which he stressed the need for tracking of terrorism funding in Nigeria, THISDAY learnt yesterday.

Also yesterday, in a separate meeting with the Chairman of Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Ola Olukoyede, in his office at the Defence Headquarters (DHQ) in Abuja, Musa, noted that tracking terrorism funding was one of the non-kinetic approaches to the war against terrorism

Nigeria, Rotary International Pledge Increased Collaboration to Fight Polio, Infant Mortality

Deji Elumoye in Abuja

President Bola Tinubu yesterday, said his government would continue to collaborate with reputable organisations such as Rotary International in ongoing efforts to eradicate all forms of polio and reduce the prevalence of maternal and infant mortality in the country.

The President, who spoke while playing host to Rotary International President, Mr. Gordon Mclnally, his wife, Heather; Rotary's Polio Ambassador to Nigeria, Sir Emeka Offor, and other notable Rotarians, at

the State House in Abuja, commended the organisation for its various interventions in the country’s health sector, including a new grant of $14 million to enable the World Health Organisation (WHO) provide technical assistance to the government of Nigeria on polio surveillance.

Tinubu declared that it was a national obligation for the government to prioritise the welfare of Nigerians, support their advancement, and ensure that they are not hindered by any form of disease.

“Thank you for the job you are

doing. Rotary International has a good reputation on social commitment, not only for the leading role it played in the eradication of polio in Africa, but also in addressing other diseases.

''You have saved countless mothers and children. You are also contributing to the growth of local economies by helping nations combat unforeseen diseases and deaths. You are doing a great job in the protection of the environment and other areas of humanitarian commitment,'' the President said.

Tinubu acknowledged the

contributions of volunteers from Rotary Clubs in Nigeria who have been instrumental in supporting polio eradication initiatives in the country.

''Whatever is necessary for us to do, I want to assure you that the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare and his team will be on call and available at any time,'' the President stated.

Speaking earlier, President of Rotary International, McInally, while lauding Tinubu's longstanding reputation for supporting healthcare interventions for disadvantaged Nigerians throughout

his public service career, offered honorary Rotary membership to the Nigerian leader in recognition of his past and present efforts to rapidly enhance Nigeria’s health sector.

Mclnally, highlighted Nigeria’s support for global polio eradication efforts and polio-free status, having been certified as a polio-free nation in 2020, against the backdrop of only 12 polio cases recorded worldwide last year, which were concentrated on the Afghan-Pakistan border.

He said: "The polio eradication campaign has been our flagship

OLUBADAN BURIED AS PRESIDENT, OBASANJO, MAKINDE, ABDULRAZAQ, OTHERS PAY TRIBUTES

Imam of Ibadanland, Abdulganiyu Agbotomokekere and a host of others.

Earlier, there was a lying-in-state at Mapo hall from 12pm to 1pm before the body of the late monarch was moved to Aliwo for burial, where prayers were said to God to repose his soul.

The road leading to the ancestral home from the ancient Mapo Hall was

blocked while all markets along the route were also closed to honour him. Adequate security personnel were deployed to strategic locations within the area to maintain orderliness.

An unspecified number of mobile phones were stolen by miscreants who leveraged on the burial ceremony to steal valuables of unsuspecting sympathisers.

It was also gathered that a journalist lost an unspecified amount of money to pickpockets, while some attendees also lost their phones during the burial at Aliwo, as a large crowd stormed the family compound to pay last respect to the departed monarch.

Reacting to the demise of the traditional ruler, President Bola Tinubu said he received the news

with a deep sense of grief.

The President, according to a statement issued yesterday, by his Media Adviser, Ajuri Ngelale, condoled with the family of the Olubadan, the government of Oyo State, the Olubadan-in-Council, the Oyo State Traditional Council, and the people of Ibadanland and Oyo State over this gaping loss.

Tinubu, while mourning the Olubadan, celebrated his remarkable life of service to his people, the state, and the nation.

According to him: "His Imperial Majesty, the Olubadan of Ibadanland, was an exceptional king who used his ancestral stool in the service of humanity. He was compassionate, courageous, and an unrelenting

AGAIN, DEFENCE CHIEF MEETS RIBADU, EFCC CHAIRMAN, CALLS FOR END TO TERROR FINANCING

across the globe.

However, yesterday, speaking with newsmen after a meeting with President Bola Tinubu, the Forum of State Chairmen of the All Progressives Congress (APC) advised the President to wield the big stick against any security chief not living up to expectation in the fight against insecurity across the country.

Equally, during the meeting, Tinubu lamented that those that were benefiting from fuel subsidy that had been removed by his government were working against people-oriented policies being implemented by the current administration at the centre.

Ribadu had on Thursday, held a high-level security meeting with the 19 Northern Governors, Ministers of Defence, Police Affairs, and Interior, as well as the country’s security chiefs in Abuja, the nation’s capital.

The meeting was in continuation of efforts to combat the escalating security threats in the northern region.

However, Musa, during the meeting with the EFCC Chairman, spoke on the use of census, installation of CCTV cameras in strategic points to contain cases of corruption, terrorism and other forms of insecurity in the country.

According to him, the Armed Forces of Nigeria has zero tolerance for corrupt practices and as such adopts the proceedings of a General Court Martial (GCM) to checkmate culpable personnel.

General Musa urged the EFCC boss to encourage public office holders and other Nigerians in positions of authority to uphold good governance to forestall economic breakdown and insecurity.

A statement issued by Defence Headquarters said the CDS further informed the Chairman of the antigraft body that AFN synergises with the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) and other stakeholders to fight oil theft in the country.

He lamented that the issues of

blocking loopholes brought about by siphoning of oil and soft legal system which delays prosecution of suspects have been major challenges.

The CDS, who harped on the use of census, installation of CCTV cameras in strategic points to contain cases of corruption, terrorism and other forms of insecurity in the country, encouraged Olukoyede to keep up his good work and remain assured of the suppot and cooperation of the AFN.

While congratulating him on his appointment as the EFCC boss, the CDS gave an assurance that the AFN will not derail from its commitment to ensure the survival democratic rule.

He commended the EFCC Chairman for his unique approach of leveraging on the potentials of technology to fight corruption and other forms of economic crimes.

Earlier in his remarks, the EFCC Chairman stated that he was at the Defence Headquarters to explore avenues of cooperation and

INFLATION HITS 26-YEAR HIGH AT 31.70% AMID HIGHER FOOD, ENERGY PRICES

policy – particularly insecurity and high prices of petroleum products among others.

They argued that inflation was largely cost-push driven by rising importation costs as well as structural issues – all of which increases the cost of production.

They therefore, urged the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to focus more on achieving price stability to boost confidence in the Naira, adding that increasing the Monetary Policy Rate (MPR) alone would not stem inflation.

However, food inflation rose to 37.92 per cent, year on year, representing an increase of 13.57 per cent when compared to 24.35 per cent in February last year.

The rise in the food index on an annual basis was attributable to increases in prices of bread and cereals, potatoes, yam and other tubers, fish, oil and fat, meat, fruit, coffee, tea, and cocoa.

Month-on-month, food inflation increased to 3.79 per cent, representing 0.58 per cent rise over 3.21 per cent in January.

On the other hand, core inflation, which excludes the prices of volatile agricultural produce and energy rose by 6.76 per cent to 25.13 per cent year on year in February compared to 18.37 per cent in February 2023.

The rise in the core index was attributed to the highest increases in prices of passenger transport by road, actual and imputed rentals for housing, medical services, pharmaceutical products, among others.

Month-on-month, core inflation however, declined to 2.17 per cent

in February compared to 2.24 per cent in the preceding month. Urban inflation also rose to 33.66 per cent year on year, or 10.87 per cent higher than 22.78 per cent recorded in February 2023. On a monthly basis, the urban index increased to 3.17 per cent in February which was 0.45 per cent higher than 2.72 per cent in January.

Similarly, rural inflation rate increased to 29.99 per cent year-onyear, over 21.10 per cent in February 2023. Month-on-month, the index also rose to 3.07 per cent, compared to 2.57 per cent in the preceding month.

At states level, all item inflation was highest in Kogi (37.98 per cent), Oyo (36.60 per cent), and Bauchi (35.62 per cent, while Borno (26.28 per cent), Taraba (26.72 per cent) and Benue (27.40 per cent) recorded the slowest rise in deadline inflation on a year-on-year basis.

Month-on-month, however, the highest increases were recorded in Kwara (6.42 per cent), Kebbi (4.64 per cent), and Adamawa (4.46 per cent), while Katsina (1.93 per cent), Cross River (1.98 per cent) and Benue (2.33 per cent) recorded the slowest rise.

Year on year, food inflation was highest in Kogi (46.32 per cent), Rivers (44.34 per cent), and Kwara (43.05 per cent), while Bauchi (31.46 per cent), Plateau (32.56 per cent), and Taraba (33.23 per cent) recorded the slowest rise.

Month on month, however, the food index was highest in Adamawa (5.61 per cent), Yobe (5.60 per cent), and Borno (5.60 per cent), while Cross River (2.08 per cent), Niger (2.56 per cent), and Abuja (2.60 per

cent) recorded the slowest increase.

Speaking in an interview with THISDAY,

Wealth Management and Business Development Consultant, Mr. Ibrahim Shelleng said, “It's obvious that classical economic tools are limited in taming inflation in this largely informal economy.

“The nature of inflation in Nigeria has generally been cost-push driven by rising importation costs as well as structural issues, which increases the cost of production.

Monetary policy alone cannot tackle Nigeria's soaring inflation.”

He said, “However, the CBN must focus on price stability as a way of restoring confidence in the Naira. Raising interest rates may be to the detriment of domestic production, but it also allows for increased foreign investment.”

Also, Managing Director/Chief Executive, Dignity Finance and Investment Limited, Dr. Chijioke Ekechukwu, emphasised that there was a limit to what monetary policy could achieve in the present circumstance.

He told THISDAY, “This simply means that many other factors outside the control of monetary policy are also responsible for the high inflation rate.

“CBN is not in control of insecurity in the country. They are not in control of high petroleum product prices. They are not in control of the lack of electricity power and a myriad of other factors. It will, therefore, take a concerted effort to curb the inflation rate. Otherwise, it will continue to rise.”

collaboration in the ongoing fight against corruption in the country.

Olukoyede recalled that on assumption of office, he laid so much emphasis on the need for Nigerians to imbibe the spirit of collaboration, being the key to winning the war against corruption. He pointed out that the war against corruption must be won as the menace has destroyed the nation's economy and at same time dented her good image.

He strongly warned that if drastic measures were not taken to nip it in the bud, the country would be in jeopardy in the next 10 years.

The EFCC boss noted that as a means to mitigate the menace caused by corruption and insecurity, he posited that cognitive responsibility should be embraced by the military and other security agencies, adding that the war against corruption should be seen as everbody's business.

Banditry: Sack Nonperforming Security Chiefs, APC Chairmen Advise Tinubu

Meanwhile, addressing newsmen on behalf of other Chairmen, Secretary of the Forum and Chairman of Cross River State chapter of APC, Alphonsus Oga Eba, said the issue of insecurity in the country was discussed during the meeting.

Responding to a question on recent kidnappings especially in Kaduna State, Eba said: "On the question of the kidnap of pupils in Kaduna State, yes it forms one of the issues about the general insecurity in the country that we raised as a matter of concern to Mr. President.

"We said we are more concerned because from our vintage position, it is very clear there are a lot of distractions going on in this country. There are activities of criminals that are being perpetrated to put the government and our party in bad light. We have commended Mr. President for the support, moral and financial that he has given to security agencies.

“But we came with one humble advice that we gave to Mr. President today as forum of chairmen to say that nobody expects Mr. President as Commander-in-Chief of the Federal Republic of Nigeria to carry arms and go to the battlefield.

"That is why he has his lieutenants, as security agencies in various areas and what we have told Mr. President today, by way of advice, is that it is time for people to be held accountable for the actions.

“Where a district police officer or a commissioner of police or whoever that is in control of whatever security architecture at whatever level is found wanting, Mr. President should wield the big stick. That was part of what we discussed today."

Asked whether the issue of the

programme for many years. Over the years, we have been working on it, and we have seen Nigeria certified polio-free a few years ago.

''We have reduced the incidence from over 350,000 cases of polio worldwide every year to only 12 cases last year, in the AfghanPakistan border. So, we are on the verge of eliminating polio from the world, but we could not have achieved this without the active support of Nigeria. We thank you very much for everything that you have done.

advocate of the pristine ideals of peace, honesty, and unity. His wise counsel will be sorely missed at this time in the life of our country."

Tinubu urged all who are in mourning to find solace in the immortal legacies of the Olubadan, stating that the Olubadan lives eternally in his good deeds and in the memories of everyone touched by the majesty of his essence.

crisis in Edo State over the recently conducted gubernatorial primaries was discussed, Eba, said, "Edo State issue came up yesterday (Thursday) in our meeting. We discussed it extensively. We had reached some conclusions, but it was not one of the issues we discussed with Mr. President today because there are still internal party affairs that we are rising up from here now to continue a meeting with the national Chairman of our party and the NWC.”

Also responding to a question on government's performance assessment, the APC Chairmen cautioned against premature judgment, noting that it's too early to evaluate the administration's effectiveness within nine months despite the party's previous tenure in power over eight years ago

The chairmen commended the administration’s economic policies and assure Nigerians of meaningful reforms

Earlier speaking at the meeting, Tinubu lamented that those that were benefiting from fuel subsidy that had been removed by his government were working against people-oriented policies being implemented by the current administration at the centre.

He, however, assured Nigerians that he would overcome the sinister activities of the economic saboteurs through good governance and firm commitment to the citizenry.

The President said: "As we are fighting corruption, smugglers, and old subsidy beneficiaries, they most certainly will fight back. All those who falsified records and became losers with the subsidy (on petroleum products) removal, they will fight back. But we will defend our people."

Tinubu, stressed that his administration was deploying resources to critical sectors and areas with significant impact on the welfare of Nigerians, emphasising that the nation's treasury is sacrosanct and must not be abused.

He added: "The treasury belongs to the people, and that sacred trust must not be abused."

The President assured Nigerians that his government was working around the clock to improve their living conditions, and asked leaders at the grassroots level to encourage citizens to get their National Identification Number (NIN) for planning, structuring interventions and to achieve their full integration into various relief programmes.

"I urge the state chairmen that regardless of party affiliation, let us help citizens by mobilising them for NIN registration. Not just PVCs. Some are poor Nigerians who have not experienced formal education and have no understanding of what NIN is and how it will benefit their lives. We must teach them. We must care for them.

The President prayed for the repose of the soul of the departed and comfort for those mourning this sad loss.

Also, former President Olusegun Obasanjo, yesterday, said he received the news of the passing of the late Olubadan with great shock and profound sadness.

Obasanjo who is currently in Baku, Azerbaijan, attending the 11th Global Baku Forum, in a statement released by his Special Assistant on Media, Kehinde Akinyemi, stated that the late monarch left enviable qualities, which clearly stood him out, including an impeccable record of incorruptible leadership.

According to the former President: "His enviable qualities clearly stood him out as he left behind an impeccable record of incorruptible leadership, a legacy of forthrightness, thoroughness and unwavering commitment to public good. He demonstrated that politics was an avenue not for mindless enrichment but for rendering faithful service."

Obasanjo added that the late Olubadan's contributions to the political, social and economic life of Ibadan, Oyo State, Western Region and, indeed, Nigeria will remain indelible in the hearts and minds of those who had interacted with him in politics and in socio-economic life.

"A decent and amiable gentleman, he commanded the respect and admiration of his peers and associates. Like most great leaders, he was all things to all men. To his family, he was a tower of strength and a committed provider; to his community of Ibadan, he was an early model in national leadership; to his Yoruba kinsmen, he was a worthy Ambassador of all things noble about them; and to the rest of Nigeria, he was a symbol of a nation’s epic struggle in self-discovery and self actualisation."

To Obasanjo, the late Olubadan "will be remembered as a foremost nationalist, patriot and custodian of our cultural and traditional values, who gave his best while in the service of the nation with distinction and commitment to the high ideals of the public service, particularly during his service as the Senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria."

The former President noted that, "Although Oba Olalekan Balogun’s passage is like a dream, especially as he left us at a crucial state in our nation’s history when his wise counsel and rich experience are greatly needed.

"I would urge the Governor, Mr Seyi Makinde, the Olubadanin-Council, all the members of his immediate and extended family, as well as the entire good people of Ibadanland and Oyo State at large to take solace in the worthy legacy and his mark on the history of this country he left behind. In fact, we ought to give gratitude to God for his worthy life.

Gov Uzodimma, Oramah Meet, Explore Opportunities for $1.5bn Investments in Imo

Oluchi Chibuzor

Governor Hope Uzodimma of Imo State has met with the President of the Africa Export Import Bank (Afreximbank), Prof. Benedict Oramah in Cairo, Egypt, where the duo discussed in details the investment potentials of Imo State.

During his inauguration for a second term in office early this year, Uzodimma had assured that he would intensify efforts at exploring avenues that would make the abundant human and natural resources in Imo State exploitable.

A statement from the Chief Press Secretary and Media Adviser to the Governor, Oguwike Nwachuku, stated that the Governor was passionate about turning the huge arable land, gas deposits and other abundant natural resources in Imo State into sources of revenue generation for the State and employment opportunities for the unemployed youth demography.

“At the Cairo meeting with Oramah during the week, Governor Uzodimma and his host explored, among other things, the huge investment potentials that is Imo

State for a win win situation.

“An excited Governor Uzodimma is not only confident that the meeting was fruitful and will yield the desired results, he also expressed joy that Imo State would be better off based on the matters under discussion with Oramah,” the statement added.

Taking to his social media platform yesterday, Uzodimma wrote: "I am delighted to share an exciting development as I seized an opportunity in Cairo to meet with our esteemed brother, Prof. Benedict Okey Oramah, President of Afreximbank.

"We explored potential partnership terms aimed at catalyzing investments in our State's economy and I am thrilled to announce that our efforts have borne fruit, as we have made significant strides in advancing discussions for potential investments totaling up to $ 1.5 billion.

"This collaboration holds immense promise for the prosperity and growth of our beloved State as we continue to work diligently towards realizing our shared vision of a thriving and vibrant economy."

Ondo to Recruit 2000 Teachers, Pay over N500m WAEC Fees

As part of its efforts to reposition the education sector, the Ondo State government has approved the recruitment of 2,000 teachers into the state's civil service.

The state Governor, Lucky Aiyedatiwa, made this known at the inaguration of late Rosa Jane Pelly Legacy Project at Fiwasaye Girls' Grammar School in Akure, the state capital.

Aiyedatiwa, represented by his deputy, Olayide Adelami, said his administration will continue to prioritise education as he disclosed that the government's investments in education is now producing positive results.

"I am glad to say that the state government’s huge investments in the education sector is yielding positive results as our students are doing well on all fronts. It is a known fact that Ondo State is now a force to

reckon with in the education sector both nationally and internationally.

"We have recently approved the recruitment of 2,000 teachers into both our primary and secondary schools. This is to inject new blood into our schools. Recently, the state government approved five hundred and fifty million Naira (N550,000,000.00) for registration of students in the state-owned secondary schools for the 2024 WAEC examination.”

He lauded the commitment of Miss Jane Pelly, who served as the pioneer principal of Fiwasaye Girls' Grammar School between 1960 and 1973, calling on well-spirited Nigerians to partner the state in achieving its educational goals.

In her opening remarks, the Principal of Fiwasaye Girls’ Grammar School Akure, Mrs. Temitope Ojoge, commended the state government and the donors for their immense contributions to the development of education in the state.

Bauchi to Leverage Livestock, Crops Production for Wealth, Employment Creation

Segun Awofadeji in Bauchi

Bauchi State Governor, Senator Bala Abdukadir Mohammed, has reaffirmed commitment towards employing adequate mechanisms for development of livestock farming, aquaculture as well as crop production to create wealth and sustainable job opportunities for the people.

The governor stated this when he received a delegation from Livestock Production and Resilience Support (L-PRES) Project on a courtesy call at the Government House,Bauchi, yesterday.

Mohammed said the state government would maximise the opportunity of the project to improve productivity and commercialisation of targeted livestock production systems and strengthen the resilience of livelihoods, including those affected by farmer-herder conflicts.

While maintaining that the project would not only transform the agricultural landscape of the state but improve the livelihoods of farmers, he said that his administration has developed strategies aimed at positioning the state as a viable

investment destination for agribusiness. The governor therefore added that his government is supporting the implementation of the project for its potential to enhance the already existing livestock value chains in the state.

Mohammed who charged the delegation to provide policy guidelines, strategic orientation and direction for the project in the state, implored individuals, groups, cooperative societies and investors along the livestock value chain development in the state to capitalise on the project and make use of this great opportunity.

Earlier, the state project Coordinator L-PRES, Dr. Rose Danladi Idi, explained that the L-PRES Project is a World Bank assisted project in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development as well as the State Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development aimed at improving livestock value chain.

She commended the governor for the provision of an enabling environment and promised more collaboration for the development of the agricultural sector.

GLAD TO MEET YOU…

President of Rotary International,

James Emejo in Abuja

The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has reminded financial institution not to utilise their foreign exchange (FX) revaluation gains to pay dividends or meet operating expenses.

It also reiterated its earlier policy stance that banks should set aside their FX revaluation gains as countercyclical buffer to cushion any adverse movements in the FX rate.

in the FX rate.

However, the September circular had directed all banks to build capital buffers to increase resilience against potential volatility and economic shocks.

The CBN had approved additional prudential guidance and directives for

immediate implementation to improve financial soundness as it relates to treatment of FX revaluation gains, Single Obligor Limit (SOL), Net Open Position (NOP) and Capital Adequacy. The central bank further reviewed the impact of the recent foreign

Again, CBN Warns Banks against Utilising FX Revaluation Gains to Pay Dividends Friends, Others Shower Accolades as Chinedu Ezekwesili Marks 70th Birthday

The central bank emphasised this in a circular dated March 14, 2024, which was signed by acting CBN Director, Banking Supervision Department, Adetona Adedeji, and addressed to all banks.

The apex bank had on September 11, 2023, issued guidelines on how banks can manage the impact of FX reforms and warned against the use of foreign currency revaluation gains for their operations.

A revaluation of a currency occurs when the value of a legal tender is increased relative to another currency in a fixed exchange rate regime.

The CBN stressed that banks were required to exercise utmost prudence and set aside FCY revaluation gains as a counter-cyclical buffer to cushion any adverse movements

Yar'Adua:

Oluchi Chibuzor Friends, associates and family members yesterday, honoured Mr. Chinedu Ezekwesili, the husband of Mrs. Oby Ezekwesili, who celebrated his 70th birthday yesterday.

The virtual event which held via Zoom and was partly covered by Arise News Channel, saw different speakers that showered accolades on Ezekwesili as they commended the cleric.

Speaking at the event, Mr. Ezekwesili noted that, “time, as orchestrated by God, is invaluable,” just as he urged those that joined the event to utilise every opportunity for good.

He added: “I have high expectations

FG

for each and every one of you. My belief is that every encounter, every assignment, and every opportunity to positively impact someone’s life is a divine arrangement.”

Senior Pastor of Daystar Christian Centre, Lagos, Mr. Sam Adeyemi, commended Ezekwesili for being visionary and responsible.

Adeyemi noted that even though Mr. Ezekwesili’s wife is more famous than him, it doesn’t bother him.

“I once asked him if it bothers him that she (Mrs. Ezekwesili) is successful, and he said not one bit. He said he is used to them going out in public and people approach her to take photograph with her and ask him to stand aside.

“He said it has never crossed

exchange rate regime change on the banking system and observed its potential to significantly increase Naira values of banks' foreign currency (FCY) assets and liabilities, resulting in varying levels of FX revaluation gains or losses across the industry.

his mind that, that should make him inferior. He said anything she accomplishes is part of his accomplishment and he can’t be competing with himself. I said this is so instructive.

“In my view, women make half of the global population. If you shut a woman down and don’t allow them to attain their potential, the whole society is going nowhere. So, I want to commend Pastor Chinedu for being a fantastic man who can support his woman. Thank you for being a good model for all of us and we pray that God will preserve you to see many more years,” Adeyemi added.

In his speech, Dr. Otive Igbuzor, praised Mr. Ezekwesili for his leadership qualities.

Planning to Recruit More into Police, Armed Forces to Tackle Insecurity

Tinubu can rescue Kaduna, Sokoto students in 15 days, says Bwala

Chuks Okocha in Abuja

The Senate Committee Chairman on Army, Senator Abdulaziz Yar’Adua, yesterday, said the federal government was working on recruiting more security personnel to battle the rising crime rates in the country.

Equally, yesterday, former spokesman of the defunct AtikuOkowa Presidential Campaign Council, Daniel Bwala, said President

Bola Tinubu could rescue the school children recently abducted in Kaduna State within 15 days.

Senator Yar’Adua, representing Katsina Central spoke in an interview on television monitored in Abuja.

According to him, “First of all, you have to understand that we have a problem with the strength of the police and the military and other security agencies that we have.

“They cannot really police and secure this nation. You must

understand that, and I know the President, His Excellency, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, is working on that.”

Nigeria has been fighting banditry, kidnapping, oil bunkering, and a host of other crimes in recent times.

Yar’Adua who decried the number of security agencies, said “If you put all of them together, they are not up to one million in a country of 220 million people.”

He said, criminals would have the upper hand with the present

number of security personnel in Nigeria. He, however, said there are plans to correct the current situation.

“You see, in this type of insurgency we are fighting, you need the strength of the army, police, and other security agencies to be increased. First of all, you know that the number of forests we have in Nigeria where we have these criminals have enclaves is almost 100 – forest reserves.

Fidelis David in Akure

Gordon Mclnally (left), presenting a souvenir to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, during a courtesy visit by the organisatioon to the Presidential Villa, Abuja… yesterday

CELEBRATING WOMEN…

Economic Challenges: Nigerians Must Sacrifice, Weather Storm, Say Fashola, Sanwo-Olu

Segun James

As the nation's economic woes continues to bite hard on Nigerians, Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu and former Minister of Works and Housing, Mr. Babatunde Fashola, have said that the challenges are surmountable, saying they require sacrifices to weather the storm.

They both spoke at the 18th Lagos State Executive and Legislative Parley at Eko Hotel and Suites, Lagos, organised by the office of Political, Legislative and Civic Engagement with the theme, 'Engaging All for an Inclusive Governance: Hands On for a Greater Lagos Rising."

They emphasised the need for more empowerment programmes to cater for the vulnerable and small

Submarine

businesses in the state.

Sanwo-Ou said, "this parley stands as one of the enduring and significant legacies of our leader and the President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, His Excellency Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

"It is a platform that has played a significant role in promoting mutual understanding and a harmonious relationship between the executive and legislative arms of government. There is no gainsaying that the understanding and mutual respect brought about by this parley has been a key driver of the milestone achievements that successive administrations in the state have recorded.

"It is also important to state that this forum has also provided the

opportunity for serving members of the executive and legislature to benefit from the knowledge, experience and wisdom of our leaders who are our forebears in public service and governance.

"I wish to acknowledge the fact that both the executive under my watch and the legislature have continued to maintain an uncompromising posture in the pursuit of the vision of a Greater Lagos which is fast on the rise. A major indication of this is the commitment by the Lagos State House of Assembly to the expeditious consideration and passage of the state’s annual budget estimate and other critical bills that require urgent consideration of the legislature.

"The dividends of this mutual understanding and collaboration which

Cable Cut: Internet Disruption May Persist for Three Weeks, Says MainOne

How development grounded businesses in 13 African countries

Emma Okonji

MainOne, a digital infrastructure service provider in West Africa, yesterday, revealed that repairing its undersea submarine cables might take about three weeks.

On Thursday, subsea cable providers were affected by major cuts to undersea submarine cables, disrupting internet traffic in major parts of the continent.

In a statement, MainOne said an additional two to three weeks of transit time may be required for a vessel to pick up the spares of submarine cables

NESREA

and travel from Europe to West Africa.

Commenting on the network outage, MainOne stated that preliminary findings and further investigations showed, “the fault occurred due to an external incident that resulted in a cut on its submarine cable system, in the Atlantic Ocean offshore Cote D’Ivoire, along the coast of West Africa”.

“We have a maintenance agreement with Atlantic Cable Maintenance and Repair Agreement (ACMA) to provide repair services for the submarine cable.

“First identify and assign a vessel,

the vessel has to retrieve the necessary spares required for repair, and then sail to the fault location to conduct the repair work.

“Next, in order to complete the repair, the affected section of the submarine cable will have to be pulled from the seabed onto the ship where it will be spliced by skilled technicians.”

According to MainOne, after repair, joints will be inspected and tested for any defects and subsequently, the submarine cable will be lowered back to the seabed and placed in a good position.

Seals 13 Facilities in Abuja for Violating Environmental Laws

The National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency (NESREA) has sealed off 13 facilities in Abuja for falling foul of environmental law.

Among the sealed facilities are Veritas Plastics, Almat Farms, Dayak Nigeria Limited, FIK Contracting Limited, Salis Ventilated Homes Ltd, Peachville Estate, Net Construction Nigeria Limited, Sazak Acre Bilogue, Coppa D'alberto Ltd, Efab Properties Ltd, Phinada Mill, and Skippers Electronics.

Speaking on the clampdown, the Director General of NESREA, Prof. Aliyu Jauro, said it was as part of the NESREA mandate to ensure compliance

as well as enforce compliance with extant Environmental Standards, Guidelines, Rules and Regulations in Nigeria. Jauro, who was represented by the Director, Inspection and Enforcement of the agency , Mr. Abdulsalam Isa, said the clampdown was embarked upon on enforcement exercise to seal 13 recalcitrant facilities in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. He said on Friday, 15th March 2024, NESREA sealed a total of 13 facilities in the FCT for various environmental crimes. The facilities were shut down for failing to abate environmental concerns ranging from Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA), Environmental Audit (EA), Environmental Management Plans, Environmental Permit and others both

in the Green and Brown Environment.

A total of ten facilities in the green sector and three in the brown sector were sealed.

He noted that the agency had followed due process in clamping down these facilities after exhausting all relevant communications in respect of their environmental status.

He said: “It was observed that some of the facilities earlier sealed had broken the federal government seals, however, such facilities are to face punitive measures for their actions."

According to him, the agency frowns at the high level of non-compliance of facilities to environmental laws of the land and will go ahead to replicate enforcement in all states of the federation.

our people are the direct beneficiaries are visible in the milestone projects including the Blue and the Red lines, the 32 metric tons Imota Rice Mill, the food market hubs and several social and physical infrastructures that are transforming the landscape of our state

and improving the socio-economic conditions of all our people.

"There is no gainsaying that a lot still needs to be done to achieve the Greater Lagos of our dream and desire. The journey ahead therefore requires deeper commitment, focus

and collaboration for us to meet the expectations of Lagosians.

"The burden we shoulder especially at this challenging period calls for higher dedication, innovative strategies, sense of urgency and sacrifice as we weather the current economic downturn.

Onyebuchi Ezigbo in Abuja

The federal government yesterday flagged off the work of Committee on the use of Electronic Medical Record (EMR) and Electronic Health Record (EHR) platforms to keep track of patient data, promote research, provide treatment, and manage operations and resources in the country's health sector. The 20-member committee headed by the Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Dr. Tunji Alausa, is expected to midwife data policy, regulation, repository management and

serve as an ombudsman to establish a national digital health environment that will support the scale-up of digital health interventions such as national unified EMR platform.

Speaking during the inauguration of the committee in Abuja, Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Ali Pate, said that the main thrust of the initiative is to make patient healthcare services more efficient and cost effective.

The minister said that technology behind the health data digitalisation initiative will be largely driven by

the private sector noting that it will enable Nigeria to process and maintain accurate data for policy and development interventions.

While explaining the objective of the digitalisation process, Alausa said the national unified EMR platform will, "serve as a central hub to enhance health system efficiency, ensure robust monitoring of public health and disease outbreaks, mortality rates, facilitate seamless data exchange and quality assurance, and foster opportunities for further research to strengthen our national health security.

Zulum: Tinubu May Revisit Oronsaye's Report On Merger of Army University With NDA

President Bola Tinubu may consider a request to halt the proposed merging of the Nigerian Army University, Biu, Borno State with the Nigerian Defence Academy, Abuja. This followed the closed-door talks between the President and Borno State Governor, Prof. Babagana Zulum at the State House, Abuja, yesterday.

Briefing newsmen after the meeting, Zulum said "I have seen the President. We pleaded that the Nigerian Army University should be converted to become a conventional University under the Federal Ministry Education, rather than collapsing it with the Nigeria Defence Academy.

“And I'm happy to inform you that the President has directed me to write to him on this very important matter, so that he will consider the

request from the people".

Zulum stressed that the plan would spell devastating consequences for the region, including expanding its already large out-of-school population.

He argued that while the Borno state Government applauded the implementation of the Oronsaye report, it would ask that the Army University be left out of the merger issue.

commencement of trial. Part of the conditions are that the two sureties, must own landed property within the jurisdiction of the court. In addition, the sureties who must swear to an affidavit of means are to also deposit their statements of account with the registrar of the court.

Justice Omotosho, who had held that because the defendant came to court from his house, the court will permit

him to enjoy the bail of the FCT High Court, till March 8, maintained that the defendant will be remanded if he fails to meet the conditions of the new bail by March 8, 2024.

However, when the case came up for trial yesterday, prosecution lawyer, Mr. Simon Lough, SAN, attempted to make an oral application seeking the transfer of the case from the Federal High Court, Abuja, to the Federal High Court, Lagos. According to him, the proper jurisdiction for the trial of the defendant is Lagos Division; being the jurisdiction the alleged offence occured, and all the witnesses as well as evidence are all in Lagos.

Michael Olugbode in Abuja

L-R: Guest Speaker, Solape Akinpelu; Polaris Bank's Managing Director/CEO, Kayode Lawal; another Guest Speaker, Dr. Ifeyinwa Nwakwesi; and Group Head, Customer Experience & Value, Bukola Oluyadi, at the International Women's Day (IWD) Webinar hosted by the bank in Lagos…recently

Deji Elumoye in Abuja

EYES ON ONDO GUBER RACE…

Budget Padding Allegation: APC Tackles PDP Over Call for Akpabio to Step Aside

You can’t suppress investigation, opposition party replies Senate leadership, APC

Chuks Okocha and Adedayo Akinwale in Abuja

The All Progressives Congress (APC) has described the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as an entity bereft of focus and purpose following the latter's call for Senate President Godswill Akpabio to step aside over the matter of an unsubstantiated allegation of budget padding.

The ruling party said the main opposition party was behaving like a political scavenger, always quick to feast on sham without thought and consideration for facts and institutional due process.

However, the PDP yesterday slammed the APC leadership in the Senate for seeking to use diversionary press statements to suppress the demand for an open investigation

into the alleged improper insertion of N3.7 trillion for non-existing projects in the 2024 budget.

The National Publicity Secretary of the party, Felix Morka, in a statement issued yesterday, said PDP's call for Akpabio to step aside was nothing short of "crass buffoonery".

He said: "Again, the PDP has showed itself as an entity bereft of focus and purpose, and like a political scavenger, always quick to feast on sham without thought and consideration for facts and institutional due process.

"It is rather ridiculous that the PDP that is unable to govern itself would seek to dictate to the Senate how it should conduct its proceedings and handle internal matters of discipline of its members.

"Exactly how is the suspension

of Senator Abdul Ningi without first referring the matter to a Senate Standing Committee proof of a cover up? How is a committee of the full Senate conducting an inquiry in the matter, in full public view on national television, less independent and transparent or in violation of the Senate’s Standing Rules or any other laws of the Federal Republic of Nigeria?”

Morka, said contrary to the PDP's twisted argument, the Senate neither violated its Standing Rules and Orders nor the Constitution by not referring the matter to a relevant committee.

He said, rather, placing the matter before the Committee of the Whole, under public scrutiny, "underscored the premium the Senate placed on transparency in the conduct of its proceedings. It was clear for all to

see that the author of the allegation was unable to offer any substantiation or justification."

The spokesperson added: "It is eerily comical that the PDP, a party with a sordid legacy of monumental corruption would suggest that the President of the Senate should turn himself to anti-graft agencies for investigation.

"This is the entity that turned graft and corruption to statecraft, the same entity that cannot account for funds raised for the building of its own national headquarters, making such a ridiculous call. The PDP should lead by example and heed its own call."

The ruling party noted that the legislative authority of the Senate includes the authority to make its own rules and adopt its own procedures for discharging its constitutional mandate.

Rail: UK Firm Gets FG’s Nod to Design, Construct, Port Harcourt, Enugu, Calabar, Abuja Corridor

Kasim Sumaina in Abuja

The federal government has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Messrs MPH Rail Development (UK) to design, construct, inaugurate, operate and transfer the Port Harcourt, Enugu, Calabar and Abuja standard gauge rail line

on public, private partnership (ppp) basis.

The MoU, the Ministry of Transportation disclosed was the first of its kind executed on its behalf by the Minister of Transportation, Senator Said Alkali, in company of the Permanent Secretary of the ministry, Olufemi Oloruntola, the Director Rail

Development, Zirra Fimbarr, the Director Legal Services, Pius Oteh and the Management of the company.

Alkali in a statement in Abuja by the Director, Press and Public Relations. Olujimi Oyetomi, noted that the memorandum was executed following the approval Outline Business Case

and issuance of compliance certificate by the Infrastructure, Concession and Regulatory Commission (ICRC). The development Alkali further explained would enable the company to concentrate on preparing relevant documents to support a request for approval of the Federal Executive Council to execute the project.

Ebonyi Senator Secures Jobs for 40 Unemployed Graduates

Benjamin Nworie in Abakaliki

The Senate Committee Chairman on Information and Senator representing Ebonyi Central zone, Senator Ken Eze, has disclosed that within nine months in the Senate, he has secured 40 employment opportunities for graduates in the zone.

Speaking with THISDAY in Abakaliki, Eze noted that beneficiaries were employed in National Broadcasting Commission; Nigeria Television Authority; Federal College of Technology Education, Isu; Advertising Regulations Commission of Nigeria (ARCON) and others. He noted that his major focus was to ensure that all graduates from his zone were meaningfully employed or empowered with skills acquisition and training.

"So far, I have been able to secure jobs for 40 graduates from my zone.

It's an uncommon feat and these beneficiaries are verifiable. Some were employed in NTA; some in NBC and other MDAs.

“I am deeply committed to ensuring that I secure jobs for graduates in my zone and also to engage youths on various skills acquisition programme and training.

"We do so because it is good we teach our youths how to catch fishes instead of giving them fish. When our youths are engaged, crimes and criminality will be reduced at barest minimum.

"Even as we do that, I am mindful of the need for peace and unity in my zone. That was why I hosted all stakeholders of Ebonyi Central during the Christmas period. I also used the occasion to share palliatives and funds to my people. It was the first of its kind."

He added: "I am happy to inform

you that the deplorable AmagunzeEzzagu-Isu federal road was captured in the 2024 budget. The design of the road has been completed and very soon, work will commence on the road.

"In the few months, we will start construction of roads, installation of

solar street lights and drilling of borehole in the four local government areas of the zone."

He further called on the people of the zone to co-operate and support the state Governor, Chief Francis Nwifuru, in his total commitment to transforming the state.

It said that extends to modifying its rules and standing orders in accordance with its rules and procedures, and in observance of all applicable legal and constitutional standards.

The APC added that It also has the authority to discipline its members in accordance with its institutional and constitutional due process.

Meanwhile, the PDP in a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Debo Ologunagba, asserted that from the incoherent, knee-jerk and dismissive statement issued by the APC leadership in the Senate on Thursday, it was clear that the APC-led Senate was jittery that an open and detailed investigation into the allegation will further expose

the perpetrators and how money was allegedly shared among members lawmakers of the ruling party.

The PDP said the press statement further confirmed the presence of an APC budget cabal in the Senate and that the Senator Akpabio-led APC leadership is insensitive and does not care about the welfare of the Nigerian people.

According to Ologunagba, "It is highly provocative that at this time when Nigerians are passing through severe economic hardship, the APC leadership in the Senate is busy defending and frustrating investigation into allegation of massive manipulation and looting of resources meant for the well-being of the citizens.

Abuja Varsity Matriculates 105 Students, Mamman Urges Creative Innovations

Kuni Tyessi in Abuja

Al- Muhibbah Open University based in Abuja, yesterday, matriculated 105 students across three faculties and 14 programmes as approved by the National Universities Commission (NUC).

At the unveiling and maiden matriculation of the university, the Minister of Education, Prof. Tahir Mamman, tasked the Proprietor and Chancellor of the institution, Dr. Aisha Bala Muhammad, on devising creative innovations for qualifications, relevant to needs of the local community.

The minister said owing to the large pool of students searching for university education, there was need to open up the system for private education to meet the educational yearnings of the teeming Nigerian youths.

"Open distance learning education is a relatively new frontier for us and that is the direction our tertiary education is moving.

"I know as a fact, the government ownership of Open University has rose to over 700,000 students, the largest

in Africa and the pool of young men and women who are interested in education is unsearchable and very large so certainly government cannot meet this demands.

"So it is appropriate that we open the system to private sector who are really committed to the provision of this level of education,” he added. He charged the National Universities Commission and other regulatory agencies to come up with quality assurance mechanism to strengthen open universities.

"What we have at the moment is largely focused on conventional institutions, as we strengthen this level of university education, the public must have the assurance that they deliver the quality programmes which they give approval for.

"Secondly, one of the focus areas of this government are qualifications that are relevant to our local community, they must be relevant while having the same quality that will make you competitive in the international arena".

Former THISDAY Staff, Sowunmi Gets NBC's Approval to Operate First Children TV Station in Nigeria

In a groundbreaking move, the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) has granted a former editorial member of THISDAY Newspapers, Idowu Sowunmi, the licence to operate Nigerian first-ever children's television station.

The new television station,

which will be sited in Lagos State, is expected to cater specifically to the entertainment and educational needs of country's ever-growing population of its young citizens. In a statement signed and made available to journalists, Sowunmi said its programmes would include a range of locally-produced and international content, including

cartoons, educational shows, and live-action series.

He said his company, Three Tees Entertainment Limited, is committed to providing high-quality, ageappropriate content that promotes learning, creativity, and positive values.

According to him, “The launch of this TV station will mark a significant

milestone in the Nigeria's broadcasting landscape and is expected to have a profound impact on the lives of children across the country.”

The statement noted further that Sowunmi, who is the company's Chairman/Chief Promoter, said: "We are honoured at Three Tees Entertainment Limited to pioneering this initiative".

Sunday Okobi

Billionaire business mogul and aspirant of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the forthcoming gubernatorial election in Ondo State, Senator Jimoh Ibrahim (right) accompanied by first female Secretary to Ondo State Government, Princess Oladunni Odu and some other politicians in the State during the collection of Aseyori forms in Owo…yesterday

Kaduna State, Children and Terrorism

It isn’t just hearts that are broken in Kaduna State. It isn’t just the serenity themes.

On 7th March 2024, while they were still basking in the solemnity of a general assembly, about 287 pupils and some staff members of LEA Primary School, Kuriga 1, in the Chikun Local Government Area of Kaduna State were jolted back to reality and hustled into an unimaginable fate by armed criminals. The abductions, shocking in its number and audacity has ferried an entire country into a hasty return to the past, prompting difficult questions about the direction of the country under a new administration.

In captivity, the children ripped away from their reality while some of their stunned parents watched on will be forced to engage their young minds in a distressing reflection on what it means to grow up in Nigeria. They will also be forced to become child umpires in calling emergency results in the increasingly gripping Nigerian context between crime and civility. They will be forced to pronounce a clear winner in the race between the easy millions of crimes and the immiseration of honest work.

The children will also be forced to reconsider what they know about school as a sanctuary of some sorts, as a place where they go to read and learn to be good citizens and ambassadors of their country.

When Boko Haram rejigged and expanded its operations in 2009, western education was a pronounced target. In more than a decade of a murderous, traitorous and treacherous campaigns, many schools were torn down and the education of many children put into irreparable jeopardy.

Even when Boko Haram’s audacious terrorism began to embolden and inspire others terrorist groups and new forms of terrorism, education remained a key target.

The attacks are well documented, especially in Kaduna State, which has unfortunately become a playground for the terrorists haunting Nigeria despite its heavy military presence.

Nigerians, and indeed the world, remember the horrifying abductions that hit the Government Girls Secondary School, Chibok, Borno State, in 2014, and the Government Girls Science and Technical College, Dapchi in 2018. The fact that till this day, some of the girls, many of whom left as innocent teenagers but have since become mothers are yet to return tells its story.

In 2021, well over one hundred secondary school students were kidnapped from the Baptist Bethel High School in Chikun, Kaduna. They were to spend months in harrowing captivity. According to the Baptist Convention, it had to churn out a hefty sum of N250m to secure the release of the hapless students. What is the end-goal of the

faceless criminals whom desperate Nigerians continue to fund by shelling out millions of Naira to facilitate the release of their abducted children?

Even before Boko Haram turned its ire towards education in Nigeria in the last decade, education was already on a free-fall. Years of underinvestment in education had led to poor funding, and crumbling educational infrastructure. This had in turn bred disillusionment, indifference, and disinterest in many school pupils and students, but especially in their parents who would rather their children did something else. Poverty has also made education a rather expendable luxury for many parents and their children.

Nigeria is a signatory to the United Nations Declaration on Safe Schools, which is meant to protect schools and their students from armed conflicts. However, experience has shown that in the last decade, Nigerian schools have been anything but safe.

The effects of this recent school attack will be felt for years to come. Just when Nigerians were tempted to think that the country under a new administration was finally on its way away from the path of such attacks, this attack is a brutal jab at a broken country just when it was beginning to pick up its pieces.

The fear which never really went away will now return with vengeance to the hearts of parents who were suspicious of the sudden tranquility all along. The children, some as young as eight, would also learn to feel primal fear in a country where fun has long been replaced by the darkest kind of fear.

Ike Willie-Nwobu, Ikewilly9@gmail.com

Estimated Billing in Ogwashi-Ukwu

Wdays

Selling Your Soul

Wsome deserted island.

It is amazing what silly items people think will sell well but then again I saved up my pocket money for a yo-yo and a rubix cube. I also briefly had a Tamagotchi but it died, probably a dud battery!

I however was too mature for a Coleco Cabbage Patch Kids, not stressed enough to need a Fidget Spinners, not financially naive enough to think Sports cards could be a good investment and not weird enough to consider a Bratz Doll.

If you have money to throw away, there are so many charities that need it.

Dennis Fitzgerald, Melbourne, Australia

KNOWLEDGE SHARING SESSION…

UNODC Advises Nigeria to Make Correctional Facilities Reformative

Michael Olugbode in Abuja

The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, (UNODC) has called for greater implementation of the non-custodial measures to truly make the correctional facilities across the country reformative institutions for

Kogi

inmates.

Speaking to journalists in Abuja during a four-day Inmates Classification training for officers of the Nigerian Correctional Service (NCoS), sponsored by the Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs, the U.S. State

Department, (INL) and implemented by UNODC in Nigeria, with focus on six prisons in Adamawa, Borno and Gombe states at the weekend in Abuja, the Project Coordinator, Prisons and Penal Reforms, UNODC, Munchaneta Mundopa, said the training workshop was to promote

international minimum standards and good practices related to the classification of inmates, including the treatment of inmates with special needs, women inmates and those assessed to be of high risk organised for mid-level officers up to the rank of Controller of Corrections.

Govt : EFCC’s Charges against Yahaya Bello Politically Motivated

Ibrahim Oyewale in Lokoja

The Kogi State Government has once more accused the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) of executing political agenda and not fighting corruption because of what it termed as the false, fictitious charges against its immediate past Governor, Yahaya Bello.

The State government therefore urged the Commission to come clean on the reason behind its unrelenting persecution and media trial of Bello, saying the world would be eager to know why the Commission was trying so hard to find what was not missing.

The State government in a statement signed by the State Commissioner for Information and

Communications, Kingsley Fanwo, copy of which was made available to journalists in Lokoja, yesterday.

"The state government, for the umpteenth time, insisted that its funds were not missing, and called on the EFCC to desist from mentioning the name of Kogi State in its ongoing persecution, allegedly orchestrated by some political actors around the Presidency bent on destroying the image of the former Governor.

"We believe that this ignoble agenda is unknown to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu who trusted those people with power with the hope that they will use it judiciously for the greatness of our nation. Unfortunately, they have decided to use the privileges given to them as tools for political vendetta," it added.

It further read: "The amended charges in which the name of the former Governor was mentioned are false, frivolous, fictitious and far from the truth. They are cooked-up charges that signpost their desperation to call a dog a bad name in order to hang it. The intention was to sensationalize the whole scenario and promote a media war against the former Governor and other officials of Government.

"We have seen how low EFCC and its paymasters can go in order to pander to the political agenda of those afraid of the rising profile of Alh. Yahaya Bello."

The State government therefore called on President Bola Tinubu to order a special probe into, "what is happening in Kogi State before the

EFCC is pushed into being used as a hired gun by political hawks who are acting a selfish and overambitious script."

It stated that those who had personal grievances could vent their grievances without dragging the name of Kogi State in the mud, maintaining that the government, "believes in transparency, accountability and probity in line with the trend from 2016."

"As a subnational in the Nigerian nationhood, we wish to express our utmost respect for agencies set up to perform specific functions towards the greatness of Nigeria. The Kogi State Government is also conscientiously committed to the determination of the present administration to stop corruption and fight corruption.

Ex-THISDAY Staff, Eroke-Okafor Set to Launch Book on Depression

Oluchi Chibuzor

A former staff of THISDAY Newspapers Limited, Mrs. Linda Eroke-Okafor, is set to launch a book titled, 'Revealed! 9 Ways I Overcame Depression with Zero Budget'.

The book would be launched on March 30, in Lagos.

A statement by the former Labour Correspondent, noted that rising

cases of depression world-wide ought to be a concern for everyone.

According to the author, depression remains a mental disorder affecting millions of people in the world and must be taken seriously.

“More importantly, the current economic situation in Nigeria has significantly increased the rate of depression and reduced the awareness rate,” she added.

The author explained that low awareness rate was a major cause of mental health disorder in the country which in most cases was recognised as mental illness.

In the book, Eroke-okafor, noted that many people were affected by depression without knowing.

According to her, depression cuts across different strata in the society, noting that depression was a silent battle which if left untreated could

result to suicide.

Stressing the need for those affected to speak out and seek help, Eroke-okafor observed that people affected by depression most often fake being okay even when they are not.

Speaking further, she noted that depression was most of the time underrated but those that are affected come out stronger with help and support.

Cambridge Judge Business School Chronicles Rise of ALAT, Wema’s Digital Bank

Former Managing Director of Wema Bank and author of 'The Transformational Leader', Ademola Adebise, recently shared ALAT’s groundbreaking journey, which is Nigeria's first fully digital bank, in an enlightening session with MBA and PhD students, and some faculty students at the prestigious Cambridge Judge Business School. According to a statement, the school is currently conducting an in-depth case study on ALAT, which was introduced in 2017.

Under Adebise's leadership, ALAT became a pioneering digital banking platform in Nigeria and set a benchmark for innovation in the financial sector.

“Launched when traditional banking services dominated, ALAT brought a fresh perspective to banking with its fully digital approach, eliminating the need for physical branches and transforming the way customers interact with their finances.

“The development of ALAT by Wema Bank was a bold move,

challenging conventional banking models and showcasing the potential of digital transformation in the financial industry. Ademola Adebise, through his vision and leadership, played a pivotal role in steering ALAT towards success.

“His strategies and commitment to digital innovation facilitated ALAT’s growth into a robust platform that now serves as a backbone for other neo-banks, allowing them to leverage its infrastructure to offer seamless banking services.

“The case study at Cambridge Judge Business School aims to dissect the strategic decisions, challenges, and innovations that propelled ALAT to the forefront of digital banking in Nigeria. From its launch during the tenure of Segun Oloketuyi as MD/CEO to its initial growth phase during Ademola Adebias’s time and now still on an upward trajectory with Moruf Oseni at the helm of affairs, Alat is also a case study on the sustainability of innovation and teamwork in action,” the statement explained.

She said: “We know that there is a high number of awaiting trial inmates and not everyone who is in prison is supposed to be within the prison so non-custodial measures and strengthening the capacity of the justice actors to look at non-custodial measures as well as strengthening the issue of rehabilitation and social reintegration of offenders.

"Like we always say, if someone is in prison, eventually they will come out if they do not die in prison so they need to be equipped to live life as a law abiding citizen and for the society to be able to accept them back into the society because in often cases we often see that there's stigmatisation that continues when someone comes out of prison.”

She noted that, "classification, it empowers the Nigerian Correctional Service to tailor rehabilitation plans based on the individual needs and risks of an inmate.

“So rehabilitation does not need to be a 'one size fits all' approach, it needs to be tailored to the specific inmate(s), so that when they go out into the society they are able to harness the power of what they've learnt in prison.

"In our partnership with the Nigerian Correctional Service, we realise that while the list of classification systems currently exists, there is a gap in terms of implementation and also in aligning it to the Nelson Mandela Rules.

"Our project is sponsored by INL and is part of the work that we are doing in Nigeria in the space of prison and Penal Reforms. Broadly we refocus on three areas including improving prison conditions, strengthening the capacity of actors to look at alternative ways of dealing with the criminal justice system or alternatives to imprisonment.”

Pharmacists Appeal to Health Minister to Renew MoU with ACPN on Immunisation

Pharmacists under the aegis of the Association of Community Pharmacists of Nigeria (ACPN) are disappointed with the refusal of the Federal Ministry of Health to renew the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) it signed with the body on immunisation and family planning programmes, saying the decision was not in good faith and not in the best interest of the nation.

In a letter to the Minister and the Coordinating Minister for Health, Prof. Ali Pate, the ACPN National Chairman, Prince Olawole Oladigbolu, stated that community pharmacists have been in the “forefront of strengthening Nigeria’s faltering and sinking health system, given the legal approbation that pharmacies are designated as health facilities within the framework of National Health Act 2014; and deserved recognition for the proven competence to effectively provide the essential services.”

According to Oladigbolu, ACPN demands that the Federal Ministry of Health signs an MoU so that the country will fully maximise the benefits of the level of training community pharmacists have endured for the tasks.

He posited that ACPN’s call aligns with the Pharma Consultative Forum agenda recently inaugurated by Prof. Pate to fix the unwholesome situation with the National Primary Healthcare Development Agency (NPHCDA).

“The Association of Community Pharmacists of Nigeria (ACPN) is a Technical Group of the PSN which specialises in providing health services through neighbourhood pharmacy facilities. It is also a member of the International Federation of Pharmacists

which is the global template of all pharmacists,” he said.

He reiterated the proven capacity of community pharmacists to manage critical health programmes, including emergencies such as COVID-19 pandemic.

“At the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic, the immediate past leadership hierarchy of the National Primary Healthcare Development Agency partnered with the ACPN by authorising the community pharmacies to administer COVID-19 vaccines in their facilities in 2021.

L-R: Former MD/CEO, Wema Bank, Adémóla Adebise; PHD Student, Ms. Lucy Caines, and Professor of Innovation and Organisation

Cambridge Judge Business School, Paul Tracey, during an engagement session with MBA and PhD students of the school on Adebise’s new book ‘The Transformational Leader’ and on ALAT’s groundbreaking journey, held in Cambridge…recently

Last weekend, Mrs Olunbumi Kunle, an Abuja-based entrepreneur and delectable wife of Dan, an administrator and oil and gas expert, turned 60. To celebrate his wife, Dan Kunle threw a soirée at the AIB MARQUEE City Park, Wuse 2 Abuja. Family members, friends and associates were at the event to rejoice with the celebrant.

PHOTOS: JULIUS ATOI

L-R: Alh O S Aminu and Ayodele Joseph

L-R: Engr Kayode Adeyemi and Ola Laruba

L-R: Richard Akanmode and wife Olayemi

L-R: Ola Oyetola; Prof Olu Obaro; and Mrs Ayo Obaro

L-R: Samuel Nwigwe; and Alh Omar Abdulahi

L-R: Chief Bayo Ojo (SAN) and wife Hon Justice Folasade Ojo

L-R: Morgaji Wole Arisokola and Dayo Ajayi

L-R: Dr Emma Jemirior; Mrs E O Bello and Dr Ayo Bello

L-R: Femi Bello and Chief Ike Orji

Mrs Kucheli Osho; and husband Tunde

L-R: Chief Ben Okoye; Frank Nweke Jnr; Alh Abdulganiyu Obatoyinbo; Dan Kule and Amb Benson Akigboye

L-R: Mrs Olukemi Mimiko; and husband H E Olusegun Mimiko

L-R: Elder Ola-Olu Eniolorunda and Maj Gen Funso Owonibi (rtd)

L-R: Senator Sunday Karimi and Mr Clem Buari

Prince Olusola Akanmode Mrs Biola Ayeni

The Family of the celebrant, L-R: Samuel Kunle; Adedayo Kunle Jnr; Elizabeth Kunle (The Queen) celebrant, Mrs Olubumi Kunle and husband, Dan Kunle and Samson Kunle

As Wema Bank Celebrates International Women’s Day

International Women’s Day (IWD) is widely celebrated because it’s a day set aside for the celebration of women and the promotion of gender equality. day serves to empower more women for greater exploits.

Wema Bank recently celebrated the International Women’s Day 2024. The central idea was to inspire inclusion. Though Wema Bank has amassed a commendable track record of supporting women, actively promoting gender inclusion and standing undefeated as the unfailing partner for women, the bank still went a few steps further by launching a week-long campaign to promote the global International Women’s Day 2024 theme, “Inspire Inclusion” and the bank’s International Women’s Day 2024 topic, ‘EmpowHERment Through Finance.’ It is important to establish that this is not a way of canvassing for week-long celebrations for women. these activities on the ultimate goal—inspiring inclusion, empowering women and bridging the gap in gender equality.

It is quite commendable that Wema Bank was intentional in extending this International Women’s Day celebration beyond customers, to its female employees. Another testament to the bank’s drive

for maintaining excellent internal-external synergy is the Wema Bank He For She Award.

Wema Bank launched the award going ahead of its newly introduced SHE EMPOWERS HER Award, to celebrate men within the bank who have been instrumental in inspiring inclusion, creating viable opportunities for women and actively promoting gender inclusion. Through this award, the bank actively inspire inclusion, thereby charging other individual contributions to building a more inclusive world for all.

With brands like Wema Bank raising the bar and resetting the standards, especially in terms of gender equality, more societal impact is sure to follow not just from this bank, but from other brands across

The journey to gender equality and inclusion is a continuous one that requires lifelong dedication — one that Wema Bank has demonstrated. The bank has shown that much more is achievable when brands pull their weight and now, the onus or beat the standards that Wema Bank has set in order to become agents of positive change to take women, our country and our world to unbelievable heights of success.

Ebitmi John: Pioneering New Sound in African Music

Ebitmi John, a Nigerian Filipino sensation, is gearing up to make waves in the African music scene with the impending release of his latest single. The Visayas State University graduate recently shared his plans as he shed light on his musical journey and aspirations. With a desire to introduce the electrifying rhythms and vibrant melodies of Afrobeat merged from his Nigerian roots to the pulsating beat and infectious groove of the Philippines the artiste is set to transport listeners on a musical journey.

He expressed his deep-rooted pride in his Nigerian heritage, while also acknowledging the formative influence of his upbringing in the Philippines. He revealed, “I am a proud Nigerian first and foremost, but the Philippines holds a special place in my heart as my parents relocated there during my childhood, and I completed my college and university education there. Presently residing in Ormoc City, Leyte, in the Philippines. I draw inspiration from my parents, who instilled a love for music in me from a young age. Growing up, the legendary Michael Jackson became my musical icon, profoundly shaping my artistic vision. However, with the rise of Afrobeat music, I felt compelled to embrace the rich rhythms and vibes of Africa.”

Ebitmi John

Ebitmi’s musical journey began in his early years in Bayelsa and Port Harcourt, where he honed his talents. Now, fueled by his passion and ambition, he aims to carve out a unique niche for himself as the premier Nigerian artist in the Asian music scene. With a digital distribution agreement already in place with a label in the Philippines, he is meticulously preparing to unveil his latest creation, eagerly anticipating the response from his fans across Nigeria and Asia alike.

Youduba Continues Elevating Nigeria’s Jazz Legacy

Douye Youduba is arguably one of Nigeria’s biggest underreported female Jazz artistes who has gained recognition worldwide for her soulful and melodic voice. She was born and raised in Nigeria, where she was introduced to jazz music by her father at a young age. After moving to the United States, she began performing as a jazz singer in venues throughout California.

For the Jazz Sensation she says that music is not just a passion, it’s the very air she breathes and it is her life.

Speaking further, she disclosed that, “My fans are a huge inspiration to me. Their support and love for my music keeps me creating and pushing boundaries. Knowing that my music has touched someone’s life is my greatest reward. Life also inspires me in many ways. Whether it’s a beautiful song, a powerful emotion, or a profound moment of connection with another person, life always has something to offer that I can translate into music.”

“Music is a universal language that transcends borders and cultures. Everyone deserves to experience its power and beauty. By sharing my gift, I hope to spread the message of hope, love, and unity to people all over the world. Whether it’s through a live performance, a recorded album, or a social

media post, I believe that every opportunity to share my gift is an opportunity to make a difference in someone’s life,” she adds.

Her impressive discography boasts acclaimed albums such as “Journey,” “Quatro,” and “Daddy Said So,” each showcasing her distinctive fusion of jazz, soul, and pop melodies. Renowned for the emotional resonance and compelling narratives woven into her music, she has earned accolades for her significant contributions to the jazz genre.

Douye Youduba

Winners of the Wema Bank Big Sister Project presented their certificates after a year of mentorship by the Wema Women Network

Shaffy Bello and Mabel Adeteye

Sen. Florence lta- Giwa , Ara and Eziada Folashade Balogun

Chairman Wema Bank, Dr Oluwayemisi Olorunshola and MD/CEO Wema Bank, Moruf Oseni at the bank's International Women's Day celebration

L-R: Lagos State Comissioner for Commerce, Cooperatives, Trade & Investment, Folashade AmbroseMedebem; CEO Clafiya, Jennie Nwokoye; President, Healthcare Federation of Nigeria, Dr Pamela Ajayi; CEO Wandieville, Yewande Kazeem , Comissioner for Transport, Anamra State, Patricia Igwebuike and MD TVC Entertainment/Lead Host your View on TVC, Morayo Afolabi-Brown after their panel session on Inclusive Innovation and Entrepreneurship at the Wema Bank International Women's Day

Tosin Clegg

Tosin Clegg

Marie Fatayi-Williams:

Nigeria Urgently Needs Marshall Plan on Poverty Alleviation

In line with the celebration of the International Women’s Day, the President, Cosmopolitan Women’s Club, Lagos, Dame Marie Fatayi-Williams, in this interview speaks about the need for more leadership and decision-making opportunities for women in governments at all levels as well as in the private sector, just as she unfolds her agenda for the Club.

Peter Uzoho brings the excerpts:

Can you tell us about the Cosmopolitan Women’s Club and what it was established to achieve?

The Cosmopolitan Women’s Club of Lagos is a club of dignified women and Lagosians, who are not below the age of 50. It is for women who are indigenes of Lagos State and for those who are married to Lagosians. Ours is a members’ only club, a charitable club, a non-governmental organisation and we are non-partisan. It is club for those aged 50 years and above; people who have served the nation in the past, either in top government positions, corporates or their private business. These are people who have a lot to offer the society and want to contribute towards development of the society. The age ranged from 50 years to 70 years. Seventy years is the cutoff point. After seven years, you cannot be a member, but once you are a member, you continue to be a member even after you must have clocked 70 years. It is a club that has a focus and direction as to where they want to go and what they want to do. So, we only have members who believe in our ethos.

In your message on the International Women’s Day, you wrote about how women are increasingly breaking glass ceilings; how women are bearing the brunt of economic hardship as well as inequality. Can you shed more light on some of these issues?

If you look at it, women even before the Beijing Conference and after the conference, have tried to put themselves in the forefront of development and to ensure that the glass ceiling is broken and that we become empowered and relevant. That is because we are that segment of the society that is over 50 per cent, so we cannot be ignored and left behind. We cannot because of the patriarchal society not rear our heads. The discrimination against women and violence against women, poverty, women’s rights not being human rights, and a lot more have been the issues over the years. But all of those things started changing after a lot of pressure, advocacy and the Beijing Conference made us to realise that women’s rights are human rights. Even at that time, we found out that an association like the National Council on Women’s Society wasn’t there, but late Mrs. Adefarasi, late Mrs. Emily Aig-Imoukhuede, and several others, were all in the forefront of the struggle and we were the young ones that worked with them to put pressure on the issues of women’s rights. So, Women Affairs rose from being a department in the Ministry of Social Welfare and Youth, to becoming a Commission during the regime of General Babangida; we continued to advocate and we ended up having a full-fledged Ministry which was brought by Mrs. Sanni Abacha, just before the Beijing Conference. With that, women started being in charge of positions in the States and the federal government by being in charge of the Women Ministry. So, that was a huge progress at that time. Slowly and steadily we were making progress and of course, the 30 per cent Affirmative Action, which has never been attained became a focus; we also started talking about political inclusion and more women in decision-making tables. That is having women in decision-making tables not because you have a pretty face, but because you are endowed and you are

Fatayi-Williams

a woman of substance, a woman with intellect who is capable of handling the position she is being given. So, women actually started becoming upwardly mobile. In the corporate world, it was not that difficult because like abroad, just as we had the likes of Margaret Thatcher, who was a no-nonsense Prime Minister to the extent that they nicknamed her iron lady. Margaret Thatcher was virtuous, a woman of stature and you could see that even in her dressing, it was not a dressing that was tempting; she carried her handbag with so much dignity and she was a strong woman who could deliver and she left a good legacy, just like Mrs. Ransome Kuti, Margaret Ekpo, Amina Gambo of Nigeria, even though they never got to same leadership position as Margaret Thatcher. But they had those values that guided their actions. Today, we have younger women who have become Prime Ministers in their countries abroad, especially in the Nordic countries. But Nigeria hasn’t gotten to that level and even the gains we have made, it looks like no sooner have we broken few glass ceiling, the glass is now glazed and it is now becoming more difficult to push through. But we found out that in the corporate world, the young women of today have risen on the shoulders of women who had fought the fight and so there is more recognition for them and more allowance for them to get to positions of empowerment in their operations better than past women who had gone through that terrain.

So, in terms of legislation, what would you like to see for more women participation in politics?

Did you see where we are in terms of the Gender Bill? The bill put together by a group of NGOs was thrown out. We feel that an amalgamation of women is very essential to what we do. We must come together with one voice. The Aba Women’s riot, was a success, even though I still do not consider it as a riot. It was a

movement to push for the rights of Nigerian women. Until Nigerian women come together, speak with one voice, that is when we can make the desired progress. You want to be part of the political process in a political party, you come with one small voice, the men are more and the women have no voice. Why did they legislate against women having a political party?

But that was the ninth Assembly, is there no way the bills can be re-introduced in this present National Assembly?

The five Gender Bills that were rejected we intend to partner with a group of NGOs and re-present them. We believe that the present lawmakers may decide to pass them having understood what it means and having seen the depletion in the Senate, the House of Representatives and politics generally. But beyond the gender bills, I am talking about how to sustain the momentum. We can’t keep waiting until when they give us the opportunity. Remember we have some form of majority. For example, we need to find out why they won’t allow us to have a women’s political party. If women have their own political party, we are not saying men should not join, but it is going to be a political party for Nigerian women, with men as members. We do have women who are billionaires and they have a lot of money; we do have women who operate in different industries and every woman has a talent, so you get everybody to the table and also men who are interested in belonging to the political party to join us. The day we would achieve that is the day the history and politics of Nigeria will change for better. That is because that party would be an amalgamation of brains, intelligence, quality and quantity. Women are everywhere and that is why they come to us during every political process to beg for us to register and beg for our votes during elections. Why can’t we that they are begging be the ones to dictate the pace and for them to join our

Nigerian Women Must Speak with One Voice to Make Desired Progress

political party? We can do it. But it is because there is divide and rule and women allow it to happen. When you divide and rule us and put us in little boxes which we knowingly or unknowingly accept, then you have destroyed our power base.

So, in order to address the issue of extreme poverty and inequality among women, what type of programmes and policies would you recommend to the federal government?

The issue of poverty has become so endemic and has become generational. It is a national issue and not only an issue for women. It borders on our economy. Women are the poorest of the poor. If you say you are going to just give palliatives, for how long will that last? How does that sustain a woman? We have to sit down as a country and design a Marshall Plan on poverty alleviation, not only for women, but for the entire country. If you have someone like Akinwunmi Adesina, President of the African Development Bank (AfDB), if I am President Bola Tinubu, I would adopt him to see how we can benefit from his leadership at the AfDB. Look at the Grameen Bank, that was another thing that would have been used to break this cycle of poverty. I don’t know why everything that works in every other country, when it comes to Nigeria it finds a graveyard. In Bangladesh, the Grameen Bank was successful, it came here as People’s Bank, but where are we today? Poverty is still here. Akinwunmi Adesina talked about introducing a Youth Employment Development Bank, let us support him and ensure that the youths are fully involved and it should be a thing that everybody can contribute. So, we’ve got to do things systematically with processes and plans stated out. We need to develop short-term, medium term and long-term plans for poverty alleviation and follow it through. This fire brigade approach we have for every issue has not worked in the past, it is not working now and will not work in the future. If we want to really deliver our people from poverty, there is a process and plan that must be followed. We women are able to multi-task and run our families, even with low budget. Empower women and give them the technology they need to carry out their businesses, especially those in agriculture. They need the technology to be able to make the best garri. Now, I am seeing that garri is being imported from China, because it looks finer, whereas we should be exporting garri. We need farmers’ friendly technology that can allow women in the rural areas to see farming as a business that brings money to families, both in rural and urban areas. The moment farming becomes a money spinning venture and not for sustenance, then you know that there would be transformation in the rural areas and communities. With this we need to do a lot of education and advocacy in the communities.

What are your plans for the Club and what should members expect from you?

Our Club is going to be 20 years next year. But from what I told you, it is as if we had been cocooned sort of. But the past presidents did a lot of things. If you remember, years ago before Akinwunmi Ambode became Governor of Lagos State, we had a conference in which we brought all the gubernatorial candidates to a town hall meeting

Fatayi-Williams

to come and tell us their plans for Lagos State, especially for women. We also have a scholarship fund that we give to Pacelli School for the Blind and Children with disabilities. We train children directly through Pacelli and one of them has gone to the university. We have about three of them we are training presently. Of course, we do a lot of advocacy. For me, in the next three years, which is stated in our constitution, except you have a second term, I have decided to have a broad theme. I decided to call it: “Validating Purpose, Upskilling, Upscaling and Advocacy for Human Development through Social Impact Projects.” This includes a lot. We are looking at a State where people are hungry. We want to do a food bank. We want to have a food bank that runs like anything you see abroad, if you can do it and then you get a lot of inventory. But with that kind of thing we would need a lot of support from the security agencies to do it successfully. Let’s say we decide to pick a community, because we cannot feed everybody in Lagos, develop a food bank and administer food to people in that area. We have something like that in England called The Passage, which the Catholic church does in Westminster. The poor goes there every week, they give them food and at Christmas, they give them a box of food. Also, in Cosmopolitan Women’s Club, every sitting First Lady is an honorary member. For example, Mrs. Ibijoke Sanwo-Olu is an honorary member and having such a person as a member, you can imagine

how successful we can be if we key into her own pet project. We have seen that her passion is on the fight against gender violence and children and it will be nice for us to work with her on that. We are also going to look at empowerment programmes for women entrepreneurs. For example, I will like to see that every year we support if not 100 women, at least 50 of them in either vocation training or in upscaling their businesses and ensuring that they are able to rise higher than what they have put together for themselves in terms of business. We have a member in our Club who is 90 years, Mrs. Shade Thomas-Fahm, who is one of our Trustees. This woman was the first to promote buy Nigeria and dress Nigeria with fabrics such as aso-oke, adire and whatever. She is trending in England for what she has done for the fashion industry and if only it was followed through, we wouldn’t be talking about what we are talking about now. So, I will like to see how we can partner her and sustain this dream. Now we see our adire all over the world and people are buying it for thousands of dollars. Where is the source? Nigeria, but they would never say it’s made in Ife in Nigeria. Does anybody know that the leather and whatever they use in making shoes come from Kano? No. They are all taken away in raw forms, processed and then we go out and buy. So, we want to work with people like Shade Thomas-Fahm, create awareness and get the younger people that are coming up now to key into this vision and see how

we can upscale. You know some of these things you cannot do alone, you have to work with other associations and other people. Women capacity development is also very important. Women must be respected for who they are. If you do not have your values and dignity right, then people would take you for granted. Any woman leader, be it in business, politics or the corporate world and is not able to uplift other women has not done justice and pride to her womanhood. To be a woman in an empowered position, your legacy must be that you have empowered so many others behind you who would continue after you. Don’t be the lone star. Additionally, the Club has also decided that we would work closely with the Nigerian Conservation Foundation on the issue of environment and in keeping Lagos clean. I have a passion for that as well because the Catholic Church has what is called Laudato Si, which is an encyclical by Pope Francis, that has become a working document in the United Nations on environment issues. That document is so profound and has been well received. The Catholic Church in Nigeria is seriously working on that. We have desk on environment. Before Lagos State banned styrofoam (a type of plastic widely used as food containers), we (Catholic Church in Lagos), had already talked about it. So, in the Archdiocese of Lagos State, we had already banned the use of such plastics and if you use plastics, we always advised that you reduce, re-use and recycle. Actually, every September, the church comes up with a project on the environment. Pope Francis says we must not turn the world into a pile of filths by dumping. We dump so much and it is becoming a problem. So, he says we have to listen to the two cries: the cry of the earth and the cry of the poor. The cry of the poor is so much that it is affecting everybody. The cry of the earth is such that we are depleting and polluting the earth. The pollution is too much and we have plastics everywhere. He has also proposed that when we use plastics, we make it such that those that collect the plastics can sell them and make money. So, when you collect the plastics, you take it to a plastic bank and you are paid for it. In northern Nigeria, I hear that those who collect the plastics are given rice, beans, grains for the amount of plastics that they bring. So, some of our schools and churches have where you can dump your plastics. The church has also said to its priests that when they build, they should build with the environment in mind and use environment-friendly bulbs. Also, concretising your whole area is not allowed. You must leave some areas green in your building for people to be able to see nature. Pollution on every sort impacts on health and living standards. So, we are trying tell our women to change their lifestyles. If you used to go to the market with a plastic and you tell people to give you 10 plastic bags for 10 things that you buy, dedicate one shopping bag to go to the market and reject plastics. Also, cook only that which your family can eat and do not waste. Wildlife is the work of God and must be respected. So, you cannot just say you want to kill all of them; you want to destroy the forest and eat all of them. Those things are sacred and must be preserved. We must love ourselves, love God and love nature.

Tenstrings to Launch Online School, Partners Lagos State

Ferdinand Ekechukwu

One of Nigeria’s foremost music institutions, Tenstrings Music Institute has disclosed some of the laudable initiatives and novel projects it embarked on during its 17th anniversary recently. The founder and director of the school, Akapo Emmanuel, during a chat with journalists, revealed among other things its plan to launch its online school.

He stressed that the online school would help cater for students outside Nigeria and also reduce the burden of visa procurement for foreign students seeking to study at the school. He also said the school was set to begin two new courses - Afrobeats Performance Diploma and Afrobeats Production Diploma - that will broaden the scope of the school curriculum, covering

the afrobeats genre. He stated that the pioneers and the newbies would all be involved in handling the courses. He further spoke on its plans to collaborate with the Lagos State Government. He noted that some of the lecturers will also be people from outside of Nigeria who have some level

“But majorly, we will be working with our in-house instructors, as well as notable especially the legendary ones,” he added.

“Also, the second project we are in talks with the Lagos State Government is for them to invest in the music school for it to be in every major local government of the state with the state sponsorship. I’m an indigene of Lagos and I’m pushing extremely hard to get young people who are talented.” Continuing, he said for the

“It’s a story of a young talented Nigerian

musician; how he against all odds, rose to fame and stardom. So, we are using that opportunity to just show the steps, the growth in the afrobeats industry in Nigeria, what it is like, with plenty of music in-between and, of course, as we tell the story. Additionally, we would also be having a couple of events.

“Our Joy of Music Africa in June, and Freedom First on October 1. We are also reopening our Lekki Phase 1 centre this year. We would open two new centres but not in the traditional way; three actually with London. We are partnering with those who have music spaces that are underutilising Phase 1. We used to be there until COVID when we shut down that campus.

Ibadan, Yinka Ayefele who is eager to share the space with Tenstrings. And then in London, an ex-student of Tenstrings has volunteered. He’s been there for a number of years now.”

Akapo Emmanuel

Monalisa Chinda: I’m Focused on Offering Value, Not Bothered About Perception

Nollywood luminary and talk show host, Monalisa Chinda, in the course of her multifaceted career has traversed character roles, different from her distinct personality which is influenced by the things she believes in and philanthropy. A household name, Monalisa shares her passion with Ferdinand Ekechukwu on how she has dedicated time to inspire, promote creativity, develop opportunities for the less privileged and more. Excerpts:

Japa seems to be a means of escape among Nigerians from the socio-economic issues facing the country and recently you were mentioned along that line following a comment you posted. Are you really planning to Japa?

I only put up that post to get people’s view on ‘Japa’ using myself as an example. And I got the desired reactions (laughs). I love my country and I’m going nowhere.

What’s your view of the current economic situation?

The recent economy has shown the rate of a poor system of development, ranging from poor education, unemployment, poor infrastructural development and bad leadership. This is getting worse and our government needs to be held accountable because they have misplaced their priorities and they need to remember their primary objectives are to serve the people.

What are practitioners like you in the industry doing to draw the attention of government to these economic issues using your voice and platforms?

What I have been doing in the past couple of years, is firstly to stop complaining. I and my team have dedicated time to inspire, promote creativity and develop opportunities for the less privileged and vulnerable communities across the continent through the Arise Monalisa Foundation which I run.

Let’s talk about you in comparison to the character roles you play in films. Can you draw a distinction between both?

When it comes to acting I am driven by the character andthereisadistinctdifferencebetweenthecharacters I play and my personal life which is influenced by the things I believe in.

You are mostly known as an actor, and also a producer. Is there any other designation one can

add to these?

Yes of course, I have a plethora of other professions such as philanthropy, advocacy, and talk show host just to name a few.

Not many people know you are a TV talk show host. How much do you think this has taken off your status?

The thing is I am heavily focused on offering value such that I am not really bothered about how I am perceived.

A lot more attention has been focused on your works in films and television, giving less attention to stage acting where you actually started off in school. Why so?

Yes, I totally agree but there’s a reason for that. Stage plays at some point were going extinct because of its capital intensive nature. Without sponsors, it wouldn’t get its desired audience and mileage. Most of the actors today (veterans) were all offshoot of the performing theater. I read theater; that is my background and my first love. All theater practitioners and enthusiasts are looking forward to seeing more live performances on stage whereas films have taken over from theater simply because of the climes and people’s interest.

Theater Arts is your background and first love, is there a ‘second love’ or other course you would have studied?

Growing up, my parents wanted me to go into legal practice, but due to my interest in theater arts, I gravitated towards my passion in the field.

How do you see parents making choice of what their child should study in school?

Firstly, it borders on the age of the parents. Secondly, I consider it as self-centeredness and self-gratification. Thirdly, parents tend to want to impose their own beliefs and expectations on their children, living the lives they thought they lost on

their children. I vehemently disagree with this type of parenting and their views. Times have changed and parents must learn to accept that their children must be given the chance to grow and learn, make mistakes, learn from their mistakes. As long as they are not being misled and being drawn to harm’s way, attention must be directed to making sure children are well grounded in values, being the best version of themselves without negative inhibitions.

What would you like to share with budding talents who have interest in acting and looking up to you?

To work hard, have focus and patience. Continue to persevere in the industry. It is also important to have mentors and people who inspire you. Do not settle for less and carry yourself well, be confident but remember to stay humble

How much would you say Nollywood industry has evolved since you started acting and what excites you about the industry?

In my opinion the industry has really evolved over the years in every aspect possible. From production to film quality and acting skills and what really excites me will be seeing this evolution happen from where we started to where we are now.

Having played different roles acting, which one easily comes to mind and why?

That’ll be “Heaven’s Gate” because of its peculiarities. It’s an entertaining Soap Opera centered on the convoluted life of an ambitious man and the methods he employs to attain his objectives. This political melodrama offers a rich variety of sub-plots. Centered around family values, politics, betrayals, romance etc it’s a Redeemed Christian Church of God production in collaboration with Zulu Films (owned by Zik Zulu Okafor). The cast is quite robust.

How do you balance acting with family and being a mother?

Just by finding a balance between work and personal

life and being able to know how to set priorities is very important.

What’s a typical day like for Monalisa Chinda?

Starting my day with a little work out, attending family needs. Set up my team to achieve the day’s goal and end the day with family.

How do you unwind?

I unwind by relaxing, hanging out with friends and listening to good music.

What are you passionate about?

I’m passionate about women empowerment and the girl child and make sure their needs are met.

Aside acting and television, can you speak about your philanthropy?

Yes, I am working on purpose. That’s what I have been engaged in since I turned eight. That’s my back story… human compassion. Creating opportunities for young girls through the scholarship initiatives in different parts of the country and empowering young women in entrepreneurship through the Arise Monalisa Foundation.

Can you take us through some of the charity projects you have been involved with in recent times?

The Foundation has had a lot of charity projects and philanthropic activities embarked on. All documented on the Foundation website www.arisemonalisafoundation. org

Cast Members Relieve Experience, Roles on Set of ‘Rise of the Spectre’

Ferdinand Ekechukwu

Select cast members including Lateef Adedimeji, Gabriel Afolayan and Uzee Usman, Eyiyemi Afolayan and Oyindamola Sanni, have spoken on their roles and experience on the set of Anikulapo: Rise of the Spectre. A sequel to the epic movie, Anikulapo, the six-part series follows Saro’s return to the Oyo Kingdom with orders to complete a nearly impossible task.

The original movie tells the story of Saro, who arrived in Oyo as a stranger and a traditional textile weaver. Saro and Arolake are caught in a forbidden romance, as she is an unhappy wife to the King. The two eloped and Saro becomes a man of influence after being saved from death by a mysterious bird. Soon, the lovers are torn apart by Saro’s betrayal.

It ends with Arolake disappearing after destroying what made Saro powerful. Speaking on the project, Adedimeji Lateef who played the role of

Lateef Adedimeji

Awolaran, the son of the Bashorun of Oyo, said, “Every scene has a mood, and Kunle Afolayan will tell an actor the mood even with the lighting or with the camera angle even before a line ‘go’

comes out from the character itself.

“Anikulapo: Rise of the Specter is a very relatable story. There is no way anyone will watch Anikulapo and won’t find something personal or that has to do with someone known or something that has happened around them. It speaks about politics, day-to-day activities and what is happening in the community.”

Uzee Usman who played the role of Kuranga, said: “Anikulapo is refreshing. The Northern-Yoruba mixed character brought some flavour. He describes his role as challenging. “It was very challenging because Lateef and I had to rehearse fights for weeks, then we have to be in a particular frame of mind, a particular place for monitoring.”

Also, Eyiyemi Afolayan who played the role of Princess Omowunmi also described her role as challenging but has opened her up to the industry. “I just got into the industry. I am still trying to get used to acting along with the people I look up to in the industry so, I had to buddy my role. I had to match up to their capacity and just be natural with my role. I’m glad I had the opportunity to take on this role.”

When asked what she would do differently if she were asked to play the same character again, she said: “I will learn to speak Yoruba fluently but I don’t think I will do anything differently in terms of action.”

Gabriel Afolayan who played the role of Akin described the movie as a good standing for Nollywood industry. “Anikulapo is different in all facets; from the background of merging the veterans and the new guys and from the idea of holding the pillar.

“This project gives a feeling of what should be happening in the industry- love, comradeship, wanting to seek each other out, partying while working and letting us know that people are who they are, so it has given the job an offshoot of a big deal.

“This movie is relatable; it talks about love, friendship, politics, culture and betrayal, these are the things we experience every day. So, what the project has done was to replicate our lifestyles and then back it up with traditional and cultural factors. Anikulapo is not a total fiction but a diplomatic discussion between nations.”

Monalisa Chinda

with Omolabake Fasogbon... 08155131874

Staying Afloat in Poultry Business amid Economic Challenges (II)

Omolabake Fasogbon

For successful meat production, the Managing Director of Nyore B Farm Enterprise, Mrs. Blessing Olugbemi, emphasised the need to get it right from the beginning.

“Your broilers must be nurtured like a new born baby for the first three weeks of their lives,” she maintained.

To her, one must be able to pay the price of staying awake midnight during this period.

“The operator must be ready to feed broilers round the clock for 24 hours in their first three weeks. Hence, provision must be made to light up the pen (an enclosed safe place for chicks) to enable night feeding.

“Solar technology has made lighting of the pen easy. But in the absence of solar or public electricity, you may resort to the local lamp,” she suggested.

Of importance, the farmer advised a new -comer who is starting on a small scale to kick off with a carton of bird. A carton comprises 50 birds.

Her reason, “This quantity will be lot easier to manage and control with or without a staff. More importantly, you can be able to track your spending and profitability, then have an idea of expected profits as business expands.”

As a starter too, Olugbemi feels hiring a professional at this level would be needless, except if a person is starting on a large scale.

According to her, doing so would affect earnings as the operator would have to pay for such service.

Olugbemi hinted further that like other businesses, misdemeanor is not uncommon among poultry workers, stressing that a ground knowledge of the business would weaken shady steps and make loss be at minimal.

“However, if you are hiring a professional, it is a must that you sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the person to be engaged to decide on what comes to you at the end of the month. This is important so you don’t run at a loss over flimsy excuses and carelessness of who is engaged.

“From experience, some will lie to you, some are even so heartless that they go as far as feeding other people’s birds with your feed.

“If it’s important you hire a professional, let it be known to the person from the onset that remuneration will be on commission basis. This will guard against any intended sharp practices,” she said.

The Lagos State Polytechnic graduate affirmed that an operator can make as high as N100, 000 on a carton of bird, depending on how well he knows or plays the game.

Experimenting with 50 chicks, she sketched out likely expenditure to grow them as well as profit that may result, using prevailing operating cost as at the time of interview.

She said, “On 50 birds, you are likely to use seven bags of feed but it is advisable to get 10 bags which altogether will not cost less than N150, 000. If you have a good breed, a broiler will grow to maturity within six weeks.

“If you are fortunate to have a buyer on ground, then you stop feeding, if not, you will continue to feed until a buyer comes. This is when the

extra three bags become useful.”

Furthermore, she spoke on the consumption of feed by broilers and their growth stages, noting that there are starters and finishers.

Continuing with the calculation, she said, “While 50 birds or one carton of bird goes for N35,000, you won’t be needing more than N3,000 for their medication.

“On this, you may go for organic or synthetic medication. Usually, the medications are mixed with the feeds. Your total spending by now is N188,000, with a miscellaneous of say N5000, all totaling N193,000”.

She also stressed that one must be prepared to lose some birds in the process.

“So you can give allowance for up to five birds. But you must be careful that you don’t lose more than two of the 50,” she added.

She further pointed out that when birds have grown of age, averagely on 2.8kg, they could be sold off either as dress weight (slaughtered chicken) or life weight (live chicken).

She hinted that proceeds from dress weight are however more than life weight.

“To calculate the profit on dress weight at an operating cost of N193,000 for say 45 birds (on an assumption that five died), a dress weight is calculated in Kilogram (KG).

“One KG of dress weight is sold at N2,500. Let’s assume you are selling a dress weight at a minimum of 2.5 KG. if one KG is N2,500, 2.5kg will be sold for N6,250. Now multiply N6,250 by 45 chickens which is N281, 250. Deduct N193,000 from N281, 250, this gives you a profit margin of N88, 250. Note that your earnings may be more than this depending on the bags of feed consumed.”

She pointed out that the yield on the same quantity of birds would have been between N30,000 to N35, 000 if sold at life weight.

Noting that poultry farming for meat production is a business of quantity, she said wealth from it would be based on the number of birds reared.

Although, Olugbemi does up to 150 to 200 birds monthly, she said it is possible to rear up to 1000 birds in a month depending on one’s capacity.

On finding market for product as a start-up, she insisted that belonging to an association cannot be ruled out, including harnessing social media and words of mouth to acquaintances.

Dwelling on safety, she stated that bio security of farm cannot be compromised to prevent birds from contracting infections.

“It is better you are proactive enough to prevent your birds from infections than treating them, of which they don’t heal easily. Getting to treat them is costlier and you may even lose half of your birds,” she warned.

Olugbemi, cautioned against granting access to visitors in the pen, stressing that visitors who must go in must be first disinfected as well as their footwear.

“As much as possible, avoid rodent in your pen, rodent are easiest carrier of infections. In securing the pen from rodent however, keep rat poison away. Get cats instead”, she maintained.

As a cardinal rule of the game, she said an operator must be neat such that the pen does not emit odour that could pollute the environment and likely attract sanctions from state parties.

Firm Canvasses Affordable Technology to Drive Business Efficiency

Information Communication Technology (ICT) service provider, Thamani Consulting, has stressed the need to as to make businesses seamless and Managing Partner of the company, Olubunmi Abegunde, averred that making technoland increase uptake of digital technologies to drive employment growth of more than 22 million Africans joining the workforce each year.

He explained that the organisation remained committed to empowering businesses to thrive in Nigeria’s dynamic environment, hence churns out innovative solutions to address business problems across disciplines.

“Leveraging 20 years of combined market

experience executing successful IT Projects with local and multinational organisations, we aim to capitalise on this to improve strategic utilisation of technology in Africa and support capacity building through access to requisite information technology,” he said.

He explained further that the African region more than others need increased usage of digital technologies to level-up globally, noting that polices to drive low-end technology access must be prioritised.

“This is why we do not compromise the balance of quality, standard professionalism and

Implementations, Software Asset Management, Plant Maintenance Process Automation and Automation for manufacturing Industries, amongst others.”

Jarikre Unveils Online Fashion Shopping Platform

landscape, fashion e-commerce store, Jarikre, has unveiled a new platform, jarikre.com to improve experience of fashion enthusiasts and enhance shop-

The innovation described as a boost to Nigeria’s $2 billion fashion industry would shopping with features like custom sizing, material preferences, physique details, and delivery Commentingoptions. on the development, the Founder and CEO of the company, Alfred Jarikre, stated that the innovation

Nigerians engage with fashion online.

He reiterated the platform’s commitment

to providing customers with seamless and personalised fashion shopping experience.

Speaking further, Business and Partnerships Manager of the company, Oladapo Iyare said, “Our goal is not only to meet but exceed customer dedication to innovation and customer fashion products, including footwear, apparel, and accessories for both male and female audiences.”

physical showroom in Lagos in a move to connect with diverse customers.

According to the Iyare, the physical showroom which will extend to other parts of Africa soonest will complement its online store such to enhance customers’ engagement with the brand.

Firm Moves to Bridge Capacity Gap in Logistics, Supply Chain

Edtech startup and extension of Multimix Academy, SupplyEdu has pledged to resolve persisting talent gap in Africa’s logistics and supply chain management industry.

platform, Oluchi Okafor, who described the existing gap as a pressing issue, attributed it to dearth of adequately trained professionals in the sector.

supply chain landscape.

Okafor, expressed his platform’s commitment to reshape the educational landscape of Africa’s logistics and supply chain management via comprehensive e-learning solution.

According to him, there was the urgency for professionals to be equipped with specialised knowledge to enhance their roles, especially now that most sectors of supply chain in Africa are confronted with more challenges.

International Breweries Intensifies Campaign on ‘Responsible Drinking’

He explained that the sector was constrained by limited access to tailored training programs suiting of African International Breweries Plc (IBPLC) has stressed responsible drinking, just as it drew the curtain for its year- long Responsible Beverage Service (RBS) campaign in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.

RBS, an initiative of AB InBev Foundation aimed to discourage harmful use of alcohol as well as mitigate alcohol-related harms such as drunk driving, underage drinking, binge drinking and alcohol consumption by pregnant women.

The initiative was able to deliver targeted trainings to bar owners and managers in comprehensive sessions, as well as engaged local communities via initiatives like clean-up exercise.

There were also health sensitisation sessions for pregnant women and those of reproductive age at selected health centres and educational institutions in Rivers State.

Overall, the project impacted up to 9,667 persons directly and an estimated 101,663, population of target Local Government Areas.

More so, over 302 proprietors and administrators of alcohol service establishments were equipped with tools and knowledge service. About 387 servers, bar attendants, and security personnel were equally trained on RBS practices, resulting in improved service delivery in the hospitality sector.

Speaking at the event, Corporate Communications and Sustainability Manager, IBPLC, Taiye Tunkarimu, reiterated the vision of the initiative to promote healthy consumption. He said, “Our commitment goes beyond ensuring our products are consumed responsibly because we thrive when our communities thrive.

intervention where we have been able to train 689 people in the two years of running the programme in Lagos and Rivers states. Our training initiatives are evidence-based and backed by an evaluation and monitoring system that helps us to record progress made.”

PERSPECTIVE

Godswill Akpabio: Building Legacy of Peace, Stability in Senate, Nigeria

Ikenna Nicholas Ukwa

The event in the Senate in the past few days made the Red Chamber the cynosure of all eyes. It however, cemented the profile of the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, as a man that is focused on building a legacy of peace and stability in the Senate as well as the country in general.

Ahead of Tuesday’s plenary which saw the suspension of Senator Abdul Ningi for three months, over his allegation that the upper chamber padded the 2024 national budget, there was palpable tension, which the Senate President in his usual mien handled effectively. The decision to suspend the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) senator for Bauchi Central Senatorial District, followed a motion by Chairman, Senate Committee on Appropriation, Senator Solomon Adeola.

Adeola, the All Progressives Congress (APC) senator for Ogun West Senatorial District, noted that Ningi breached his privilege when he accused the senate of padding the 2024 national budget with over N3 trillion. He also said the embattled senator claimed in the Hausa Service of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) that projects in the 2024 national budget were skewed in favour of the southern part of Nigeria. Adeola, therefore, gave the details to make-up the N3.32 trillion as: National Judicial Council - N341,625,739,236; National Assembly - N344,852,880,669; Public Complaints Commission - N14,460,000,000; Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) - N40,000,000,000; Government-Owned Enterprises (Recurrent) - N1,059,617,780,421; TETFUND (Recurrent) - N35,000,000,000 Government-Owned Enterprises (Capital) - N820,908,398,828, and TETFUND (Capital) - N665,000,000,000.

Thereafter, Adeola, prayed that further necessary steps should be taken to correct the wrong impression in public domain of 2024 budget created by the BBC interview and other national media houses and social media platforms by Ningi and amplified by Senator Suleiman Abdulrahman Kawu, through his Facebook account and other social media platforms.

Nonetheless, when Ningi was called upon to speak, he maintained his position that the N3 trillion was missing, which even infuriated some of his colleagues, even those in the opposition parties, the PDP inclusive.

However, Senator Jimoh Ibrahim sought the suspension of Ningi for one year, a prayer which was amended to three months and was passed by the senate.

From the entire scenario, Akpabio, once more showed the world that he is a stabilising force in the National Assembly with the way he handled affairs on that day. Clearly, If Akpabio was not a man of peace and someone who always look at the bigger picture in any situation, he would have gone with the prayer by Jimoh Ibrahim, that sought Ningi’s suspension for one year. But Akpabio, the leader of the Senate, was more concerned about the effects of such decision on Ningi’s constituents, his state and the country in general. That was why he went for the option of three months, with the condition of the Senator to be recalled once he tenders a letter of apology.

Indeed, Ningi’s statement on the BBC Hausa Service was clearly aimed at causing disaffection between the President and the Senate and destabilise the government. For his to politicise and ethicise the weighty allegation of budget padding showed that Ningi never meant well for the nation.

Even before plenary, three Senators from the north: Steve Sunday Karimi, Titus Tartenger Zam and Kaka Sheu, had said the allegation of budget padding against Akpabio was unfounded, baseless and a figment of the imagination of those that made the allegation.

The trio warned against what they described as the antics of blackmailers, bent on creating an atmosphere of crisis in the upper chamber of the National Assembly. Karimi, Zam and Sheu, also said no room should be allowed for division and acrimony between Senators from

the North and South by those who may not want to accord priority to national unity and harmony.

Karimi, who is from Kogi State; Zam from Benue State, and Sheu from Borno State, said that they could not be used to blackmail the budget process, which was done in good faith.

Dismissing the allegation of padding as a ruse, they said while the executive brought a budget proposal of N27.5 trillion, the Senate passed a budget of N28.77 trillion.

No doubt, since his election as Senate President, Akpabio has been working tirelessly to make sure that the red chamber becomes a reference point in legislation for the Tenth Assembly. Akpabio has also underscored the weighty responsibility senators carry in shaping the nation’s course and the welfare of its people, urging his colleagues to exhibit courage, unity, integrity and strategic approach to navigate uncharted territory and create a united nation. In addition, the Senate President has also taken steps to ensure collaborative efforts to engender economic recovery, healthcare reform, national security, and social justice.

He has used every opportunity he has to emphasise the importance of transcending partisan divides as well as to encourage collaboration with the executive arm under President Bola Tinubu while upholding legislative independence.

Advocating for open dialogue and compromise, Akpabio has continued to champion the cause of the marginalised and the voiceless, promoting justice and equality.

He has remained focused on leading an arm of the National Assembly that supports the executive and legislature in stabilising the country.

From the quality of bills passed by the Red Chamber under his leadership, there is no doubt that the choice of the former Akwa Ibom State Governor as Senate President by his colleagues was not a mistake.

He has also brought to bear his vast experiences in public office in the country which has been instrumental in some of decisions taken by the Senate under his leadership.

For instance, the Senate under Akpabio had opposed the proposal for a 40 per cent increase in

electricity tariffs in the country, which would have added additional burden on the suffering masses. Electricity providers that have over the years fallen short of reasonable expectations of Nigerians most of whom had been suffering untold hardship arising from the inefficiencies of power generation and distribution companies, had proposed electricity tariff hike in July.

Another important feat recorded by the Senate under Akpabio, was its rejection of a purported move by President Bola Tinubu, Chairman of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and other leaders of the region to deploy troops to Niger Republic after the military coup in the country. Today, ECOWAS is working towards embracing peace and dialogue.

Beyond partisan politics, Akpabio has continued to show empathy to Nigerians that are going through economic hardship, urging them to believe in the ability of the Tinubu’s administration to turn the tide around, emphasising that, “Our today’s pain will surely produce joyful gains in a very short time.”

Advising Nigerians not to give up on their leaders, particularly the present government of President Bola Tinubu, Akpabio had said, “I am confident that with your prayers and support, the current administration will wipe away your tears in no distant time”.

Furthermore, as someone who is desirous of supporting the executive in addressing insecurity in the country, the former Akwa Ibom governor recently told the military that the unity and sustenance of Nigeria depends on them. He also added that the President Bola Tinubu-led government remains focused on ensuring that Nigeria remains an inseparable and indivisible entity. Akpabio, who held that the continued existence of the country was in its rich cultural, religious, and ethnic diversity, called on the people to embrace unity, stressing the resolve of the present administration to redouble its efforts in securing the country.

“The unity of Nigeria came at a great price. The sustenance and defence of this unity rest on the shoulders of the men and women of the Armed Forces, and the true weight of loss is carried by the families and dependents of these fallen heroes.

“If only we could share the pain they feel, then we would truly understand the imperative of eschewing insecurity and violence in all its forms. Our nation is still grappling with the effects of long-overdue multi-sectoral reforms needed to propel us forward and position Nigeria among the great nations of the world. I urge support to the government of His Excellency President Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, during this crucial time as we strive to achieve the Nigeria of our dreams.

“In this regard, I reiterate the President’s assurance that “our tough times will not last,” and we should renew our hope in a great Nigeria.”

He added, “Now is the time for all stakeholders to set aside our differences, regardless of religion, ethnicity, or political affiliations, and come together to strategise on the way forward for this great nation. I call upon the church to partner with the government in a much-needed rebranding of Nigeria. The church is urged to continue spreading the gospel of love for oneself, others, and our country. We must blur the lines that divide us across ethnic and religious boundaries through messages of tolerance, peace, unity, and progress.

“This administration is more determined than ever to strengthen and promote the oneness and indivisibility of Nigeria because the strength of our great nation lies in our diversity.”

No doubt, Akpabio has continued to provide quality leadership for the Senate and must be encouraged. He remains a stabilising force in the country and must be given all the support to do more.

Ukwa is Senior Legislative Aide to the Senate President

Alpabio

Paul Ozako: When 97 Years is Not Enough

Maero Ozako

Sometimes, Sometimes, 97 years is too little. My father, the Rev. Canon Paul Eviano Ozako passed away on the 18th of February, 2024. Of course, I knew my father will die one day but certainly not at the unripe age of 97. I knew that he still had more books to read, more roads to travel, more jokes to crack and definitely more ice-cubes to chew! Yes, my father just loved to chew ice cubes.

Atypical that he was a grand old man who still did things that people his age were no longer doing. Papa drove his car till he was about 92 years old or so and I mean not within the city of Ozoro, his hometown where he now lived. He would drive across towns adorned in his recently discovered fashion trend, his black, felt bowler hat and white cassock. Then we, the children had a smart idea. Since he would not stop driving; we decided to get ‘creative’, just as he had groomed us to be. There was a shared morbid fear among us, that if he one day scratched a car while driving, we, his children, would be dragged for allowing a man over 90 to get behind a wheel. So, one of us had the smart idea to ‘undo’ his clutch and some other things so, he never could really get the car fixed again. It was safer for us all!

Papa was indeed a man of vibrant colour and strange hues. The brightest colour was that he was disiplinarian. He would definitely earn medals for instilling discipline - gold! I recall writing my list for school and he would screen it like an FBI detective. I remember writing, ‘sardines’, crossed out! ‘Sweets’??? That riled my father to high heavens, sweets. My father struggled hard to understand why we would dare to write sweets. He always emphasized that only a thief would love sweets and biscuits. This did not stop any of us, we were happy ‘thieves’. All Papa’s children love sweets till this day.

Papa was so strict! He was so firm. I recall how all our mates called their fathers, ‘Daddy’ and my father insisted on ‘Papa’. We felt that moniker was not cool at all but we had to live with it. We muttered along.

My father also never gave any of us English names! Not at all! That was so annoying to us then; Maero, Efere, Makaino, Oghale, Makugbe, Aruoriwo or ‘Ichako’ as Papa fondly called her. I remember that I felt so frustrated by this name thing that when my late cousin Ephraim Malaka gave us all ’guy’ names, we were all so elated! Here was my chance to have an ‘English’ name, I thought. Ephraim anointed my late brother, Efere, ’Billy Spanner’ Makaino, my sister was ‘Mama Kitchen’, and I, Maero, took the cake because I was so happy with my new, ‘English’ name! I was anointed as ‘Babytitihoya.’ So, on all my note books, I wrote, my names as ‘Babytithoya M. Ozako’. M for Maero! That book must have fallen in Papa’s

path and of course I got the flogging of my life! That was my father; a floggist. I, daresay, that my father must have flogged with the cane till old age. I am very sure he did this till at least to 90 years old. Worried parents called on my father, and stubborn children were ‘cracked’ by him.

My father loved to read and made us love reading. My father read almost to his last day- he probably missed a day when the end was near. A few years ago, maybe at 85 years old, he took his car to the fuel station and while reading his newspaper, fell into the man-hole and broke his thigh and collar bone. He got out of it and would still read his newspapers every day except when the vendor forgot to bring them. I recall, Efere, Makaino and I being left at home in the peaceful days of Nigeria, in Benin - alone. We would read like books were going out of fashion! To encourage us, Papa created a library for us and made a stamp then, ‘P.E.Ozako. CHILDREN’S LIBRARY’. Television was never ever our thing, till this day. After reading, we would write book reports for the books we had read. My parents would score the best of us, and we would get gifts - books! I often think back fondly on Efere’s animated discussions with Papa about Fareed Zakaria of Newsweek’s writing then.

I do not remember ‘hugging’ my father - I never told him I loved him. He told me he did in a strict line, ‘All that we do is because we love you!’. Hian - how ‘loving’ indeed! Haha.

My father was born in 1926 on the 31st of December. In his

handwritten autobiography, he writes that he hailed from two ‘distinguished public-serving families’ in Ozoro kingdom. Key words, please. He was paternally of the Efere family of Etevie community which was founded by Efere Unurahome. As his name was, was he, ‘rich in every sphere of life’. Efere means riches. My late brother, Efere was named after him and he lived up to his name, rich in every way.

My father carried old age like it was a nice, beautiful robe; no frills, no patterns or tassles. That was my father, blunt as an old knife- never seeking much but excellence. It almost felt like he would never die. I know that till the end, he really still thought he would live just a little bit longer. He spoke about how he really wanted to be at the centenary of his secondary school, the Dennis Memorial School, Onitsha. Yes, that almost seemed like a ‘cult’- his alumni! His closest friends attended this school; Justice Oki, Ben Akwukwuma, Mr Ejiogu. He loved his school. Even when when I visited him 2 weeks to his passing, it was still stories about his love for school and the celebrations last year. I still recall the stories he told us about how his school was started, and about his famous school mates, some older like James Ezeilo, Kenneth Dike, Ifeajuna. I still see him on that day, eyes fully-lit when I presented to him, a Dennis Memorial Grammar School tie and pocket square that an alumni of the school, Onyemechi Kadamawa Okonkwo had gifted him. This must have been one of his brightest moments. My niece, Phoebe Atadious especially listened to his stories in awe!

In his writings, Papa talked about how his father had to go out late one evening in December, 1944 to borrow 7 shillings he needed as fare to Onitsha for his common entrance examination into DMGS. He passed and got admitted but had no hope of ever attending till A.W. Bovi who had also attended the school pushed for him to apply for a scholarship, which he got! Papa attended DMGS from 1945 to 1949. After this he went to the Awka Teacher’s College and told the interviewers that he wanted to become a priest. He was sent to a European priest at Nsukka who really did nothing about this so, he went back to his hometown of Ozoro. He was then employed as a teacher in ICS, Oleh and he taught Standard Six till December, 1950.

My father’s mother had died in 1945, then his father in December 1950. At this point, Papa left home for Ibadan to look for work. He was employed that December with 13 young school leavers and was sent to the survey school in Kaduna for 9 months. There, ‘charmed by a new language’, as he writes, he learnt the Hausa language through a young boy, Momma, a tailoring apprentice who worked under an Ibo Tailor. He also bought books, one of them, ‘Mu Koyo Hausa’, ‘Let Us Learn Hausa’. After the survey training, he returned to Ibadan but being

The Wedding Ceremony between the former Miss Ikhazuangbe Veronica and Mr. Robertson Stewart Neville Struan held at Federal Marriage Registry , Ikoyi in Lagos, Nigeria …. recently SUNDAY ADIGUN

L-R: Co-ordinator, NYSC , Plateau State, Esther Ikupolati; Regional Manager, Retail Banking, Access Bank, Adebayo Adeyeye; Accessprenuer N1 Million naira Winner, Okuku Jesse Oshomeghie; and Product and Segment Manager, Access bank, Samson Nwankwo at the cheque presentation ceremony to Accessprenuer winners in NYSC camp, Plateau State …recently

L-R: Member of the executive council, Lagos Central Mosque, Alhaji Rafiu Ebili; Baba Adinni of Lagos, Alhaji Sikiru Alabi-Macfoy; Senior Pastor, Trinity House, Pastor Ituah Ighodalo; Hon. Treasurer, Lagos Central Mosque, Alhaji Adeola Mustapha; and Alhaja Mudrakat Ajibona, during a courtesy visit by Trinity House church to the Baba Adinni’s office Lagos Central Mosque to discuss inter-religious faith issues in Lagos… recently

L-R: Regional Sales Manager, Northern Nigeria, Ladi Doy; Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Transportation/Marine and Blue Economy, Olufemi Michael Oloruntola; Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Adegboyega Oyetola; Managing Director, CFAO Yamaha Motor Nigeria Limited, Sylvia Jones Omleyin; Business Head, Marine, Alademodi Adeola; and Head of Marketing, CFAO Mobility, Funmi Abiola....when the Yamaha team paid a courtesy visit to the Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, in Abuja... recently

Late Ozako

PRESPECTIVE

Enhancing Food Security: Governor Umo Eno’s Interventions

Michael Effiong

Today, the biggest threat to the survival of mankind is food security. Indeed, the phenomenon has taken a global dimension and is not confined to the borders of any nation.

Growing hunger has been fueled by a toxic mix of climate change, insecurity and a global economic crisis that has exacerbated poverty and inequality, affecting the ability of many families and communities to cope.

In Nigeria, at least in the last few months, there is no topic that has been more discussed than that of the rising cost of food stuff and the hunger in the land.

As US President John F. Kennedy once said, “The war against hunger is truly mankind’s war of liberation.” This is a war that must be fought with vigor and won.

On his visit to Niger State on Tuesday, March 12, 2024, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu called on states to support the federal government’s effort in the area of agriculture and food security. Interestingly, long before this call by Mr. President, Akwa Ibom State Governor, Pastor Umo Eno has already taken action.

How? Well, you can call him the modern day Nostradamus and will not be wrong. It was not that he was clairvoyant but we can adduce it to his power of vision because agriculture was one of his focus areas even before his overwhelming victory at the polls on March 18, 2023.

Then candidate Umo Eno had developed an economic blueprint for his campaign dubbed the ARISE Agenda. A of the A-R-I-S-E stands for Agricultural Revolution.

Having had this as part of his economic blueprint, little wonder that the Umo Eno administration had already hit the ground running and has begun laying out plans, programmes and projects that are worthy of emulation in a bid to stem the tide of the current national crisis.

Earlier he had taken some steps, but what can be described as the most impactful and innovative intervention in the area of food sufficiency and sustainability in the country at the moment occurred on Thursday, March 14, 2024 when he signed into law the Akwa Ibom State Bulk Purchase Agency which aims at ensuring that staple foods are available, accessible and affordable to the most vulnerable in the state

Everyone knows that implementing this kind of programme can be herculean, but the government set up a committee with a well-laid out plan to ensure this works efficiently. This programme, like others the Governor has initiated, would be devoid of any political coloration. Already, government has met with traders and market associations. Foodstuff agents will be selected and trained. They would all sign an agreement with government and be the ones to operate branded shops and redemption centres that will be located in selected markets and points across the 31 LGAs.

The Agency would use a voucher system akin to the Food Stamps now known as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program in the United States.

The Akwa Ibom equivalent when deployed, will operate in a similar fashion because it would be strictly for vulnerable indigenes who will exchange the monthly vouchers for staple food items.

The beneficiaries would get direct subsidies as they would pay well-discounted prices to the agents for the

Eno

value of the food item on each voucher. The accredited agents would later present these vouchers to government for reconciliation and reimbursement.

Furthermore, the Governor’s 368 Personal Assistants in the wards are to help implement the programme at the grassroots level while names of all agents and beneficiaries ( drawn from the state social register which had recently been updated) would be published.

Knowing full well that the Agency’s work is a short term measure, Governor Eno is also thinking long term and has started preaching the “Back-To-Farm” message. His goal is to inspire Akwa Ibomites from all walks of life to see the benefits of farming.

In his words: “Please everybody, no matter how small your land is even if it is just behind or beside your house, sow something. We must return to the farm”

Let us cast our minds back to what used to be the norm back in the day. Our parents and grandparents used to have little farms around the house where green vegetables, tomatoes, pepper, okra, maize, yams, cassava etc. were grown. Some even reared chickens and goats too. Many may see this as a call to subsistence farming in today’s technologically-advanced world, but in truth, if we are able to grow a few of what we eat, it will not only reduce the hunger in the land in a matter of months, but it will free up funds for people to use for other things.

This initiative by the Governor for rural and urban dwellers to return to the farm is already being practiced by other countries to boost their food supply. It is called urban farming.

Countries such as Argentina, Australia, Canada and China are way ahead and have incorporated this into their urban planning and city regeneration projects.

A good example of the success of this initiative is the city of Rosario in Argentina. Rosario’s Urban Agriculture Programme (Programa de Agricultura Urbana, or PAU) started small, but now grows nearly 2,500 tons of food

each year. What started as a means of feeding the population in the wake of an economy in tatters is now a cornerstone of the city’s food sustainability initiative. This shows that the Governor’s call is a much needed step in the right direction.

Also, the government has commenced Phase II of the AK Cares Programme. Beneficiaries across the 31 LGAs would get farm implements, seedlings, poultry birds, fish juveniles and adequate training.

The Ministry of Agriculture is also being galvanized to distribute improved seedlings and support agriculture cooperatives to help increase their productivity. And the Ibom FADAMA Microfinance Bank has been restructured in line with the present realities.

That is not all, the Governor also signed the Akwa Ibom State Agricultural Loans Law (Amendment) Bill, a private member bill sponsored by Hon. Mfon Idung. The law has increased the amount to be granted as loans to individual farmers, corporate entities and cooperative societies and would enable them expand their operations, embrace modern farming techniques, boost productivity and ultimately, drive economic transformation.

It is worth mentioning also that Governor Eno’s intervention strategy also includes a rejuvenation of the rural communities through construction of rural roads and provision of key amenities. This idea is well captured in R (Rural Development) of the ARISE Agenda. The nexus between rural development and agriculture are as inseparable as a set of conjoined twins!

This school of thought concerning the importance of rural development as a way of boosting agriculture is also held by former Agriculture & Rural Development Minister and current President, African Development Bank (AfDB), Dr. Akinwunmi Adeshina.

He expressed these sentiments most succinctly while delivering his acceptance speech on his conferment with the Obafemi Awolowo Prize for Leadership in Lagos recently.

According to him “Nigeria must completely transform its rural economies to ensure food security for all. A better Africa must start with the transformation of rural economies. That is because some 70% of the population live there. Rural poverty is extremely high. At the heart of transforming rural economies is agriculture, the main source of livelihoods.

“As a young student who attended high school in the village, I witnessed the high correlation of agricultural performance with education. “It was common then to hear the phrase “Agbe lo ba” . (farmers are kings), uttered with great pride “The transformation of rural economies must therefore be structural, systemic, strategic and comprehensive. Doing so, means agriculture must be turned into a wealth creating sector. Sound public policies transform the lives of people”.

No one can dispute the need for sound policies as enunciated by Dr. Adeshina and this is reason as an ardent advocate of agribusiness and with Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 2 in mind, the Governor’s earliest move in the agricultural sector on assumption of office was to sign an MOU with Songhai Farms for the development of Ibom Model Farms.

This long-term partnership is aimed at driving a technologically-driven agricultural revolution that will boost food production, tourism, youth development, knowledge transfer and job creation. While construction has already begun at the first farm located in Nsit Ubium LGA (others will spring up when LGAs make land available), the Governor has shown his seriousness for this project by sponsoring some youths on training programmes in preparation for the Farm’s take off.

With AI Technology Tailor-made in Africa, Sky’s the Limit

Nick Clegg

With so many hyperbolic claims and counter-claims being made about Artificial Intelligence (AI), it’s hard to know what to think. Should we be hopeful or afraid, excited or skeptical? Is any of this actually going to make a difference to our lives any time soon?

While today’s generative AI tools can do amazing things, they are still nowhere near human-level intelligence. They are, in effect, highly sophisticated pattern recognition machines. But while they can’t think for themselves, they are remarkable problem-solving tools. They’re already helping to accelerate medical and scientific research and making a big difference in a range of industries.

Across the Nigerian economy, AI tools have the potential to boost productivity enormously. And they can help us in our everyday lives. AI assistants could provide tailored support when we need it and help us all to get more done in our days. Soon, we’ll be rolling out our Meta AI virtual assistant to WhatsApp, Messenger and Instagram users in Nigeria and South Africa], alongside those in a number of other countries in Africa and elsewhere, which you can use to answer questions with real-time information and generate images from your text prompts to share across your favourite app.

As more and more people, businesses and organisations get to grips with how AI tools can help them solve problems, they could create huge economic and social opportunities. But that’s going to take time, and it is going to require that AI tools are tailored to the specific needs Nigerians have.

That’s what Jacaranda Health has done with its AIenabled digital health service, PROMPTS, which is designed to help expecting mothers across Sub-Saharan Africa. PROMPTS sends women text messages in Swahili tracked to their stages of pregnancy. It also has an AI-enabled

helpdesk that uses natural language processing to triage and respond to their questions, and makes rapid referrals if a risk is identified. With Meta’s support, Jacaranda aims to expand PROMPTS to 1.3 million women across the region. To do all this, Jacaranda developed an AI tool that understands Swahili, built on Meta’s open source Llama 2 foundation model.

The computing power required to build and operate foundational AI models can be vast and expensive, which is why so few companies have them. Most of those companies are in the United States, but generative AI is not going to have the sort of transformative effect that people hope it will in Nigeria unless people are using AI tools designed with the needs of Nigerians in mind. That’s why it’s so important that many of these models are open and accessible, so more Africans can do what Jacaranda has done and adapt them for Africans to use.

Meta has a long history of sharing AI technologies like PyTorch, the leading machine learning framework, and our Llama large language models. And we’ve published more than 1,000 AI open source models and tools, including our “Seamless” suite of AI research models that can translate your own voice into another language.

I’m in Nigeria this week to meet policymakers, academics, experts and entrepreneurs and talk about open source AI and how Meta can support the growing digital economy here. Africa has a young, tech-savvy population that is brimming with creativity. In little over a decade, it could have the largest workforce in the world. The continent is on the cusp of becoming a major centre for innovation. We want to be part of that. That’s why we’ve rolled out programmes like Boost with Meta and #SheMeansBusiness, reaching millions of small businesses across the continent and helping more than 350,000 entrepreneurs develop their skills. And it’s why we’ve laid tens of thousands of subsea and terrestrial fibre cables, such as 2Africa, helping to generate tens of billions of dollars for African economies.

This is good for Africa and good for Meta. We want Africans to build amazing things with our technologies. Better products, faster innovation and a flourishing market in Africa will benefit Meta as it will many others. With fast internet access and AI technology tailor-made for Africa’s needs, challenges and opportunities, the sky’s the limit.

Clegg is Meta’s President, Global Affairs

Clegg

07052343083

Carloha Delights Customers with Chery Display at Ikeja City Mall C

arloha Nigeria is presenting the highly anticipated Chery Display at Ikeja City Mall, scheduled to take place from yesterday, March 15 to tomorrow, March 17, 2024.

According to Carloha, it is conceived as “a journey of automotive excellence. This three-day extravaganza promises an unforgettable experience for attendthe cutting-edge technology and design prowess of Chery’s impressive lineup.”

The Chery Display at Ikeja Cityasts and prospective buyers alike the opportunity to explore Chery’s renowned vehicles up close and personal.

From the sleek and versatile Tiggo 4 to the sophisticated and luxurious Tiggo 8 Pro, visitors will have the chance

quality, performance, and innovation

In addition to the captivating display of Chery vehicles, the event will feature a series of interactive demonstrations designed to showcase the brand’s advanced features and capabilities. Attendees will have the unique opportunity to engage with Chery experts, learn about the latest technological advancements, and experience the future of automotive innovation like never before.

But that’s not all - Carloha Nigeria is excited to announce that visitors who participate in Chery’s knowledge-based questions will have the chance to win exciting prizes and rewards. Test your Chery expertise and be rewarded for your knowledge, as we celebrate the passion and enthusiasm of our loyal customers.

“We are thrilled to bring the Chery

Display to Ikeja City Mall and showcase the incredible lineup of vehicles that Omokhapue, the Sales and Marketing Director for Carloha Nigeria. “This event is a testament to our commitment to providing our customers with unparalleled automotive experiences, and we look forward to welcoming everyone to and excellence.”

Don’t miss this opportunity to be a part of automotive history, as the show is on at Ikeja City Mall for the Chery Display. “Admission is free, and all are welcome to attend,” Carloha said.

Carloha Nigeria is a leading automotive distributor dedicated to providing customers with top-quality vehicles and exceptional service. With a commitment to innovation, reliability, and customer satisfaction, Carloha Nigeria is proud to represent Chery, one of the world’s most renowned automotive brands.

Ossai

Mikano Motors recently welcomed Ossai Adaeze Marian as their latest brand partner. If the name doesn’t ring a bell yet, here are two clues; ‘Kizz’ and ‘Daniel’.

Hardly a stranger to the airwaves in Nigeria and beyond, popular musician Kizz Daniel, aka Tobi Anidugbe, needs little or no introduction, especially to his teeming global fanbase. Now, while he is widely known, very little is known about his private life.

A few years back, the baby-faced superstar revealed he’d been blessed with a set of triplets, but the question on everyone’s lips was- who was the mystery mother of his kids? The speculation on his love life was subjected to even more scrutiny in the past weeks when the “Twe twe” crooner declared that he’d been married since 2020! To top that, two videos of him dancing intimately with the same lady were posted on his Instagram stage, leaving tongues wagging.

Many a dream of his loyal female fan base introduced to Mrs Anidugbe, aka Ossai Adaeze Marian, aka Mjay, as she was revealed as the lady in the viral video and the latest brand partner for auto powerhouse, Mikano Motors.

Brand Partnership with Mikano Motors

In a video on both Mikano Motors and Adaeze’s pages, the couple could be seen admiring her brand new Changan CS55 Plus, and checking out the myriad of high-tech

by a quick meeting with the Mikano Motors an ever-growing all-star list of brand partners, including the likes of Don Jazzy, Jemima Osunde, Mr Macaroni, Akah Nnanni and many others.

When Should You Put a Fuel Injector Cleaner in Your Car?

Certainly! Adding a fuel injector cleaner to system health and improving performance. Here’s when and why you should consider using a fuel injector cleaner:

1. Regular Maintenance:

It’s a good practice to use a fuel injector cleaner as part of your regular vehicle maintenance routine.

Adding it every 3,000 to 5,000 miles (4,800 to 8,000 kilometers) can help prevent carbon buildup and keep your fuel system clean.

2. Symptoms of Fuel System Issues:

If you notice symptoms like rough idling, indicate clogged or dirty fuel injectors.

Using a fuel injector cleaner can help resolve these issues by cleaning deposits and improving fuel atomization.

3. Before Emission Tests:

Using a fuel injector cleaner before an emissions test can help your car’s engine Cleaner injectors can lead to a smoother combustion process and cleaner exhaust gases.

4. After Long Periods of Inactivity:

If your car has been sitting idle for an extended period, fuel deposits can accumulate in the injectors.

Adding a fuel injector cleaner before taking your car out after a period of inactivity can help clear out these deposits and ensure smoother performance.

(Source:Quora)

Toyota by CFAO Announces Winners of 17th Toyota Dream Car Art Contest

Toyota by CFAO Nigeria proudly announced the winners of the “Toyota Dream Car Art Contest - National Contest” held on March 7th, 2024.

The event took place at the Toyota by CFAO Zone 5, Abuja. The ceremony celebrated the creative achievements of young artists from across the nation.

The national contest which ran from 16th January to 16th February 2024 attracted 2,700 entries from various regions in Nigeria, amongst which three participants from each entry category were selected as winners and entered as representatives of Nigeria to the World Contest, to be held in Japan.

portrait titled ‘House on Wheels’; Abdulwariz Sulaimon for portrait titled ‘Toyota Crocs Car’, and Olajuwonlo Aletan for portrait ‘War Debris recycling and construction car’ dominated Category 1 (7 years or under), Category 2 (8 – 11 years) and Category 3 (12 – 15 years), respectively.

The MD Toyota by CFAO, Boye Ajayi, said, “The National contest invites children from all corners of the country to share ideas about the future of mobility by drawing their dream cars. The artworks displayed at the ceremony not only demonstrated the artistic prowess unique perspectives on mobility, sustainability, and technological advancement. Through their vibrant creations, these young artists showcased Nigeria’s potential as a hub of creativity and innovation in the automotive industry, and we at Toyota hope that this activity will help nurture the creativity of the next generation of great inventors, thinkers, and dreamers.

“Since 2004, the Toyota Dream Car Art Contest has been conducted as part of Toyota’s social contribution initiatives. In 2023 alone, there were about 780,000 entries from 90 countries and regions around the globe,” he said.

Chery Tiggo

L-R: Chijioke Mbonu, National Sales Manager; Ossai Adaeze Marian; Rabih Atallah, General Manager, Grace Anasiedu Showroom Manager, after an exposition of the features of Ossai Adaeze Marian Changan CS55 Plus at the Mikano Motors Showroom, Lagos… recently

‘Felicitate With’ Incorrect

YOU are welcome to our language theatre: “’Forced’ retirement: Police officers lament IG’s non compliance (non-compliance) with court (court’s) ruling”

“All eyes on Reps over constitution review exercise” Please delete ‘exercise’ in the interest of word economy.

Daily Independent Online of February 26 joins the race this week with the next set of headline foibles: “KWASU partners USA, China (Chinese) coys on solar energy”

“Kogi farmers’ association allege (alleges) diversion of N1bn agric fund”

“Do they know it’s International Women’s Day” What of the question mark?

THE NATION ON SUNDAY of March 10 combated the English language in the following entries: “Somalia (Somali) president attacked by al-Shabab”

“…you have raised the bar of governance which will ever remain difficult for mediocre (mediocrities/mediocrists/the mediocre) to attain….” (Full-page advertorial) ‘Mediocre’ is an adjective.

“Benue 2027: PDP at crossroads over governorship candidate” This way: at a/the crossroads

“Nigerians are, however, skeptical about the level of compliance to (with) the laws guiding the scheme….”

“The governing council, members, management, staff & students of Osun College of Education, Ilesa (another comma) felicitates (how?)….”

“As a symbol, your strides lead the way and inspires (what is going on here?) the hope of a brighter and rewarding future.” (Half-page advertorial by the above institution)

“Any one (sic) with useful information (police cliché: would it have been useless information?) about his where about (sic) (whereabouts) should….” (Full-page advertorial by the FIRS)

“Those who say Ibadan don’t (doesn’t) serve gov twice are poor students of history”

LASU students, JAF protest over (against/ at/about) fee hike”

“…work for the restoration of peace in (to) northern Nigeria.”

From the editorial to opinion page: “…the citizenry still needs (need) his enormous wealth of experience to stir us to path of rectitude.”

“All Anambra (All-Anambra) LG soccer championship set to kick off”

“…we had been invited on (to/for) a facility tour by the governor.”

“I thought the governor would ride in his official car, or join us in the bus as many other governors have (had) done on trips to other states.”

“We went round Owerri metropolis, seeing state of the art (state-of-the-art) schools….”

“Issues in the Chibok schoolgirls abduction” A syntactic surgery: Issues in Chibok schoolgirls’ abduction

Wrong: Face-me-I-face-you house

Right: Rooming house

“Royal father disowns vigilante (vigilance) group” (DAILY TRUST, February 23)

The Guardian front and inside pages of February 22 toyed with morphological truth: “Parents of abducted female students of the Government Girls (Girls’) Secondary School….” The Guardian must be underestimating its readers’ intelligence: would it have been male students in a girls’ school? If the front page can contain this kind of misprint, what will the inside pages look like?

“The aggrieved and traumatised parents spoke at (on) the premises of the destroyed school when….”

“Umar, Southern Taraba leaders trade words over frequent crisis (crises)”

“Nigeria has best disease surveillance (diseasesurveillance) system in Africa”

“SURE-P assures over funding of East-West

road” Who did the agency assure?

“…the ordinary poor man in the street….” The ‘man in the street’ does not require any embellishment!

Finally from The Guardian: “…the NJC is a body which every lawyer revere (reveres).”

Next is The PUNCH of February 22 with this faux pas: “FG wants African disease control

Leadership of February 22 circulated dozens of inaccuracies: “He said about 150 parents have (had) made spirited attempts last week in search of the abducted girls….”

“He said government has (had) brought food items to the town for….”

“…the case against the Nigerian was serious on the ground (grounds) that he had confessed that….”

“FCT suspends controversial ‘park and pay’ policy” No controversy: ‘park-and-pay’ policy

“MASSOB strikes out ex-Gov Obi’s name from awardees list” Get it right: awardees’ list

“UN raises alarm (the alarm) over ethnic slaughter in South Sudan”

“…restoring sanity in (to) the land….”

The next three wrongdoings are from the OPINION pages: “…unless they steal because the varsity has been prized (priced) out of the reach of the poor.”

“…Tinubu to take the bull by the horn (horns).”

“I want to wholeheartedly congratulate President Bola Tinubu for (on/upon) keeping his word….”

“Untold story of E. K. Clark (Clark’s) son’s kidnap, freedom”

“…as you project the vast potentials (potential) of ‘ndi-Anambra’, we wish to appreciate our governor….”

“…Chukwu on his 52nd Birthday anniversary….” Either 52nd Birthday or 52nd Anniversary (the two words cannot co-function).

“Sex enhancing drugs everywhere” Insight: Sex-enhancing drugs everywhere (Otherwise, it will be sex that will be enhancing the drugs)!

The Average Nigerian Story - 2

Acaveat is in order here: the story of Yeside Zubair’s current misfortune which triggered a flashback 10 years away is actually situ- ated in 2024 (and not 2014). Therefore, it bears repeating that…”It is not as if Yeside Zubair is docile, lazy or unintelligent. It just so happens that she is completely helpless nowadays - unable to feed her family, send her children to school, clothe them in decent garments to attend Sunday school…and so many things a mother desires for her children. She is mortified at the speed her fortunes have nosedived within a few months, and the prospects for a positive reversal seems unlikely...”

Today, as we speak, her “sweet-toothed” shop that used to ooze tantalizing aromas amidst throngs of demanding pot-bellied customers jostling for the hottest - and ‘meatiest’ - roll of shawarma, now looks like a butcher’s kiosk after a six month lockdown.

Getting her preferred stock has become frustrating and beyond her calculation…it didn’t make sense to her anymore: “Kilode Are they not just frozen chicken?” The object of her sudden amazement was the sporadic spike in the cost of frozen chicken which makes the principal source of the ingredients that turn her shawarma into a gourmet’s delight.

When she started the business ten years ago (in 2014), chicken were not only affordable, they were healthier looking and handful - for just ₦650 per kilo, and about ₦6,000 for a 10kg packet. Even when the government had their usual brainwave, and stopped the importation across the borders, you could still get a packet of chicken breast or filet for less than ₦10,000. Today, you would think the product was imported from the border town between Russia and Ukraine. You would need more than ₦3,000 for a kilo, and ₦29,000 for a packet.... A carton of Orobo is well over ₦40,000!

So, how much could you sell a shawarma that needs a kilogramme of chicken to make

it a proper bunch? And then add the cost of other ingredients: cayenne pepper, unsweetened yogurt, vegetable oil, hot dogs, mayonnaise, ketchup, sugar, salt, garlic, bread pockets, cabbage, carrots… and all other ‘medemede’? You risk eating your shawarma by yourself if you try to cut out some of these ingredients which look simple enough, but are now so prohibitive in our markets. Yet, we have not added the cost of fuel to power the grills and freezers. We have not added the cost of electricity - even when the DISCOS often give us blackouts than what we pay for. Good enough, we have their so-called ‘free’ pre-paid meter which we struggled through all sorts of bottlenecks to acquire - at least, we can determine how much we want to pay for public power. Years earlier, we were at the mercy of shylock electricity officers who feasted on so-called estimated bills that were basically concocted at their whims.

Yeside heaved for the umpteenth time as she surveyed her abysmal surroundings while ruminating on the past two months. When others were shouting “Happy New Year”, she could not join them…she didn’t even pretend to flow with the festive atmosphere. She had just found out that Alex, her troubled husband, was not missing, after two weeks of not coming home. She had been to several hospitals, morgues, and the usual police stations, to see if he was involved in any accident or fracas. She even had to fill a ‘missing person’s form’ after four days without any knowledge of his whereabouts.

Few days ago, after one of her more compassionate customers sent her a ₦1,000 airtime recharge, her phone received a WhatsApp message notification. And the damning riddle unfurled in all its shameless glory… the message was brief and brutal: “Please, don’t look for me o. I’m on my way to Chicago with my beautiful destiny helper that God used to rescue my life from hijackers of fate. At least, you have one mouth less to worry about, and you can have all the

“Pomp and glamour as Lagos Traders (Traders’) Cup kicks off” Sports: either pomp and ceremony or pomp and circumstance or just pomp

“He can still warm (worm) himself to his benefactor in the true spirit of love and reconciliation.”

“He should deploy his energies to (in) rebuilding….”

“…as Kogi and Benue states have experienced it at one time or the other (one time or another).”

“While a section of the media has performed creditably well….” Yank away either ‘creditably’ or ‘well’ as both terms cannot co-exist.

“THE PDP has expressed serious concern at the fire outbreak, describing it as suspicious.” Just delete ‘outbreak’ on grounds of redundancy.

“Nigeria in search for (of) an enduring political structure…”

“NGO sensitises (sensitizes, preferably) girls on (to) engineering, STEM-related activities”

“…or through these number….” EFCC please take note: this number

“We urge that that it will (should) be sustained.”

“For instance, NLC would (should) have opposed land border closure by the immediate past government when it was clear that in Nigeria….”

“Zamfara, C’River, Adamawa, Ogun top cholera cases (case) list”

“Imo agog as APC Flags (sic) off mother of all campaign” Get it right: mother of all campaigns

“Chief Whip stages walk out (walkout) to protest Senate president’s out-of-order ruling”

“The management of the radio station, in a statement (how else?), said his body has (had) been deposited at the Federal Medical Centre….”

“The trustees of Royal Sports Club International, Abuja (another comma) felicitate with (felicitate) you as you mark the Golden (sic) age of 50.” Write right: ‘of 50’ is an overkill!

“13 teams battle for glory as activities build-up (build up).”

time you like with your shawarma lovers. Take care of the children. Bye forever. Alex”. Yeside woke up a few minutes after reading the text with water pouring all over her face. She didn’t realize she was crying…then she saw her plump landlady bringing a small bucket of water - “Ah…Alhamdulillah! You’re alive,” the older woman exclaimed after seeing Yeside sitting upright on the floor. It then occurred to Yeside that she had fainted upon reading the message from Alex. Suddenly, tears - not just water - trickled out of her eyes, as she showed the message to the older woman. She sighed, after reading, handed the phone back to Yeside and hugged her tightly: “Be rest assured that your God will make a way for you…don’t worry, just focus on your children and whatever you can do to maintain them…what is hard now will later become soft sooner or later…asiko l’oju (it’s a matter of time),” the woman hugged her more, and led her to a chair.

That was how Yeside celebrated the New Year…in excruciating agony and hopeless longing for some sort of reprieve. Though Alex was not contributing much to the family upkeep, he was at least there to complain to…banter with…and grumble about the irresponsible actions of traders, government officials and political leaders. Now, the children have been kicked out of school; they are between six and nine years old and cannot fend for themselves. The business has nosedived calamitously on account of thoughtless and divisive policies of governments at all levels - federal, state and local governments… not to mention the non-state actors whose brazen actions suggest collusion with official quarters.

Soon, very soon, the house rent

would be due…though the shop is on a longer lease… Does that mean they would have to be living in this shawarma shop She cried more plaintively…looking at the ceiling…seeking some divine wink to remind her she can live beyond tomorrow.

This is the end of Yeside Zubair’s story, but it’s not the end of the horrifying circumstances and situations of millions of ordinary Nigerians like Yeside whose determination to keep their families in one piece as they peacefully pursue every legitimate means to make a living…while government’s actions and policies appear as if taunting and making mockery of the efforts of average Nigerians with similar circumstances.

Nigerians watch in consternation as senators boast on live TV that humongous amounts, running into hundreds of millions, were somewhat shared to their privileged colleagues…and we are expected to wait for another 12 months to confirm if the huge sums have not been fully utilised for projects within their constituencies. In the indolent minds of such shameless and clueless political opportunists, it is somehow justifiable for an individual lawmaker to take possession of hundreds of millions of naira - even as massively undervalued as naira is today - and turn himself to a contractor, tender board, quality auditor, accountant, supervisor, and all what not, in pursuit of equitable constituency projects…and simultaneously be able to make sensible and proactive laws for the all-round development of the country.

Oh, Lord, when would we be rid of these insensate, delusional, self-absorbed and entitled cretins who call themselves leaders… so that the average Nigerian can breathe without suffocating?

GLOBAL SOCCER

Emmanuel Amuneke

Eagles Gaffer in Waiting?

GLOBAL SOCCER

Emmanuel Amuneke Eagles Gaffer in Waiting?

If there is one man that has never been shy to throw his hat into the ring as far as the Super Eagles’job is concerned,it is former Nigeria International,EmmanuelAmuneke,even when the seat was not vacant. With the Nigeria’s senior football team’s coaching job now thrown open and over 10 applicants having shown interest,will the egg heads of the Sunday Dankaro House look in the direction of the former Barcelona winger and fans favourite?

Talk of paper qualifications, Emmanuel Amuneke has it- a UEFAPro License as well as the UEFA ‘A’ and ‘B’ coaching badges. The UEFA Pro Licence is the final coaching qualification available after the completion of the UEFA ‘B’ and ‘A’ Licenses. He is not lacking in experience either- led Nigeria to U17 World Cup victory and qualified Tanzania to 2019 AFCON after 39 years absence.

The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), recently declared the Super Eagles coaching job vacant following the exit of Jose Peseiro, after the Portuguese led Nigeria to a second place finish at the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations, AFCON, but his tenure was marred by controversies and criticisms.

His contract expired at the end of that tournament, and he could not agree with the NFF on an extension, hence his departure.

Director of the NFF’s Technical Department, Augustine Eguavoen, has been named the Super Eagles interim manager until a new coach is appointed. Meanwhile, former Nigeria international, Emmanuel Amuneke, has expressed interest in the vacant job.

Though several other names including Sunday Oliseh, Samson Siasia and George Finidi, are making the rounds as the potential successor to Peseiro.

Though being successful as a player does not necessarily translate to success as a coach, but the former Benfica payer has tasted success too in his stint as a coach. Amuneke is

one of the few Nigerian players who enjoyed success on both the African scene and the European stage.

In three years at Egyptian giants, Zamalek, Amuneke won two Premier League titles, the 1993 African Cup of Champions Clubs and the CAF Super Cup.

He was the only player in Nigeria’s 22-man squad to the 1994 Africa Cup of Nations, which the Super Eagles won, who was not playing in Europe or the domestic league or unattached, but the winger was too exciting to be left out. He scored two goals in the final of the 1994 AFCON that handed Nigeria the title, and it was good enough to earn him the Africa Footballer of the Year award.

Amuneke also bagged two goals in Nigeria’s first appearance at the World Cup in the United States.

Amuneke moved to Portugal after leaving Egypt and excelled there as well, helping Sporting to lift the Taça de Portugal in 1995.

He moved to Barcelona in 1996 and became the first Nigerian to play for the Catalans’ senior team. Injury stopped him from playing his best football in Spain, but he still won the Copa del Rey with Barcelona.

Again, Amuneke was Nigeria’s hero at the Olympic Games in Atlanta when he scored the winning goal in the 3-2 victory over Argentina in the final.

The former Barcelona ace was an excellent player who gave his all for his country.

Admittedly, great players do not always make great coaches.

Amuneke is, however, an excellent coach. After an injury forced him out of football earlier than he would have liked, Amuneke decided straightaway that the next chapter of his career would be written of him as a coach.

After passing his coaching courses, Amuneke handled some youth teams in Spain and a few top clubs in Saudi Arabia and Nigeria before he was named the head coach of the Golden Eaglets in 2014.

Amuneke put together arguably the best Golden Eaglets squad in Nigeria’s history and led them to win the 2015 FIFA U17 World Cup. His team scored the most goals at the tournament; Victor Osimhen hit a record 10 goals, Kelechi Nwakali was named the best player, while Samuel Chukwueze and Kingsley Michael also impressed. All four have gone on to play for the Super Eagles.

Amuneke stepped up to senior coaching when he was named the head coach of the Tanzania national team on 6 August 2018.

Tanzania had not qualified for the AFCON since 1980. Amuneke got the Taifa Stars shine sparkling again and helped them seal qualification to the 2019 AFCON after 39 years. He ended that adventure after Tanzania failed to pick up a point at the tournament held in Egypt.

Amuneke has received a strong endorsement from Jo Bonfrere, a former technical

adviser of the Super Eagles.

Bonfrere coached Nigeria to their first Olympic gold medal in 1996 and also reached the final of the 2000 Africa Cup of Nations. One of the threats to Amuneke’s appointment is Portuguese tactician, Antonio Conceicao, who has reportedly expressed interest in the role of Super Eagles coach.

The 62-year-old, who is also a close friend to Peseiro wants to be the next Super Eagles manager and has applied for the role, making it the second time the Portuguese is applying to be the Super Eagles coach.

In his previous attempt, he was beaten to it by Peseiro. Director of the NFF’s Technical Department, Augustine Eguavoen, has been named the Super Eagles interim manager until a new coach is appointed.

However, Amuneke is believed to top the list of coaches the Technical Committee of the NFF examined their resumes during their meeting in Abuja on Thursday.

Although the committee’s duty ends at recommending to the executive committee of the federation, the Ibrahim Gusau led board has the final say on who takes over the Super Eagles top position.

According to SCORENigeria, “This is a chance to give Amuneke a decent chance with the national team.

“Yes, he has been assistant coach at least twice, but now is the time to give him the team.”

Emmanuel Amuneke lifted high by his assistants when he led Nigeria to 2015 U17 World Cup victory in Chile

GLOBAL SOCCER

Liverpool Quadruple Ambition Gets Man United Test

After winning the Carabao Cup last month Liverpool are hoping to add the FA Cup, Premier League and Europa Cup to their cabinet of trophies, and that tall ambition would be put to test tomorrow as the Reds visit their long time rival, Manchester United at Old Trafford.

The Red Devils would be boosted by their 2-O win over Everton in the league, while Jurgen Klopp’s men would be hoping to build on their impressive performance against Manchester City at Anfield last weekend. It would no doubt be a fixture for the neutrals to enjoy

The pick of this weekend’s FA Cup quarter-final encounters comes under the bright lights of Old Trafford, as 12-time champions Manchester United pit their wits against eight-time winners, Liverpool.

Erik ten Hag’s troops eked out a 1-0 win over Nottingham Forest to progress to the last eight, whereas the Reds’ young guns stole the spotlight in a 3-0 fifth-round beating of Southampton.

Whether the under-fire Ten Hag will still be in the hotseat at the end of the season is anybody’s guess - rumours have swirled that the Dutchman is not viewed as a long-term answer by Sir Jim Ratcliffe - but the ex-Ajax boss could yet lead the Red Devils to two major

trophies in as many seasons.

On the back of last season’s EFL Cup stardom, the 20-time English champions were too hot for Wigan Athletic and Newport County to handle in the earlier rounds of the FA Cup, and they also navigated a Premier League-sized test in the shape of Nottingham Forest on February 28.

Following 88 scoreless minutes at the City Ground, the deftest of Casemiro touches from a Bruno Fernandes free kick propelled the Red Devils into the quarter-finals of the cup, where they have alternated between victories and defeats in their last eight appearances, losing one quarter-final match then winning the next since 2014-15.

Having made it all the way to Wembley last year, superstition is therefore not on the side of the 2022-23 runners-up, but recent form is more so, as they secured a seventh win from their last nine matches against Everton last weekend, where Fernandes and Marcus Rashford penalties did the damage.

The outcome could have been different had the Toffees managed to convert at least one of their plethora of chances, but profligacy has not been an issue for the Red Devils, who are now on a 13-match scoring streak across all competitions stretching back to Boxing Day.

Speaking of red-clad teams with red-hot attacking tendencies, Liverpool showed no mercy to Sparta Prague during the second leg of their Europa League last-16 tie on Thursday night, where they tore

the Czech champions to shreds with an astonishing four goals in just 14 minutes.

Helped by some defensive catastrophes from their visitors, Darwin Nunez, Cody Gakpo, Bobby Clark and the history-making Mohamed Salah all contributed to a barnstorming start, before Dominik Szoboszlai’s deflected effort and Gakpo’s second sealed a 6-1 win on the night and an 11-2 aggregate success.

With a little over two months of the season left to play, departing hero Jurgen Klopp could still add another three winners’ medals to his collection thanks to previous FA Cup wins over Arsenal, Norwich City and Southampton, the latter of which saw academy proteges Lewis Koumas and Jayden Danns (two) sparkle under the Anfield lights.

A 1-1 draw with Manchester City in their Premier League blockbuster means that the title is now officially in Arsenal’s hands, although the Gunners - who are only leading Liverpool on goal difference - must trek to the Etihad after the international break, where Reds fans ought to be praying for a stalemate as Gooners were on March 10.

Now unbeaten in nine games and boasting six wins from their last six FA Cup quarter-finals, Liverpool have a couple of wrongs to right against Man United, whom they drew 0-0 with at Anfield in December and lost 2-1 to at Old Trafford in August 2022 either side of their 7-0 Merseyside mauling, the Red Devils’ heaviest loss in the Premier League to date.

TODAY

Wolves v Coventry City 12:15 Man City v Newcastle 17:30 SUNDAY

Chelsea v Leicester City 12:45 Man Utd v Liverpool 15:30

PREMIER LEAGUE

v Almería 15:15

Villarreal v Valencia 15:15

Vallecano v Real Betis 17:30

Atlético v Barcelona 20:00

Premier League Table

Liverpool 1-0 Man Utd

09/01/11 Man Utd 1-0 Liverpool

28/01/12 Liverpool 2-1 Man Utd

24/01/21 Man Utd 3-2 Liverpool

Manchester United defender, Raphael Varane tries to stop Liverpool’s Darwin Nunez when both sides met in the Premier League

Luton Town Osho Pulls Out of Nigeria’s Friendlies against Ghana, Mali

Nigeria’s interim coach George Finidi will not be able to count on the services of Gabriel Osho for the national team’s upcoming friendlies against Ghana’s Black Stars and Mali’s Eagles later this month.

Osho did not receive the medical all-clear to link up with the Nigeria squad for the first time at their training camp in Marrakesh, Morocco next week.

The former Reading development squad skipper would be devastated as he had been hoping to make his debut for Nigeria’s senior national team in March, nine years after he

was dropped from the Golden Eaglets squad to the 2015 Fifa U17 World Cup.

He suffered a knee injury during the Hatters 1-1 draw at Crystal Palace, leading to his substitution in the 79th minute, and wasn’t named in the traveling squad to Bournemouth on Wednesday.

Luton Town boss Rob Edwards is hoping to have Osho available for selection for the Premier League clash against Tottenham Hotspur on March 30.

In quotes relayed by Luton Today, Edwards told reporters at the pre-match press conference

before the visit of Nottingham Forest: “I hope so, this rest now will be good for him.

“He’s still in pain today, so not going to be good for tomorrow. There’s about five centre backs out and there’s not many teams in the Premier League who would be able to cope with that, so it is difficult for us, but again I have to focus on the group we’ve got available to us and we trust them to go and get a result.”

This season, Osho has started sixteen games in the Premier League and was on target against Arsenal and Newcastle United.

Champions League Draw: Man City Play Real, Arsenal Versus Bayern

Defending champions, Manchester City will play 14-time winners Real Madri while Arsenal have been drawn against Bayern Munich in the quarter-finals of the Champions League.

This is the third successive season City, who won last year’s title, have met Real in the knockout stages.

Meanwhile, the Gunners will host German side Bayern, who have England captain, Harry Kane in their squad, at Emirates Stadium in the first leg.

The first legs take place 9-10 April, with the second legs on

16-17 April.

Both City and Arsenal play their first-leg fixtures on 9 April, with the Gunners at home to Bayern and Pep Guardiola’s side at the Bernabeu.

The return legs take place on 17 April, with the two Premier League sides facing each other in the semi-finals if they win their respective ties. In the other ties, five-time winners, Barcelona will play French champions Paris St-Germain, while Atletico Madrid, who are fourth in La Liga, host German opposition Borussia Dortmund.

The semi-finals will be held on 30 April and 1 May, with the second legs a week later on 7-8 May. Wembley Stadium will host this year’s final on Saturday, 1 June.

City cruised to a seventh successive last eight appearance with a comfortable 6-2 aggregate win over Danish title holders Copenhagen in the round of 16.

Pep Guardiola’s Treble winners dominated Real in the semi-finals last year, beating Carlo Ancelotti’s side 5-1 on aggregate. They were beaten 6-5 over two legs by Real in the previous season’s semi-final.

Gloryland Schools Promotes Excellence in Sports

Charles Ajunwa

The Gloryland Schools has said that the decision to organise the 2024 Inter-House Sports Competition for children in nursery, primary and secondary was to support promotion of excellence in sports and education.

This was disclosed by the Director of Gloryland Schools, Mrs. D.N. Osayomwanbo, during the school’s 2024 Inter House Sports Competition held at Ejigbo Mini Stadium, Ejigbo, Lagos. Osayomwanbo, who was excited by the participation of

This weekend, football fans can catch all the FA Cup quarter-final drama live on Showmax Premier League, including the mammoth clash between Manchester United and Liverpool at Old Trafford on Sunday.

Over and above the Premier League games that will be shown live on Showmax Premier League this weekend, football fans can also catch all the action from the FA Cup at no additional cost.

pupils/students, teachers, staff and management of Gloryland Schools, parents, invited guests and schools at the sports competition, in her welcome address said they wanted to ensure that the spirit, soul and wfirst class minds together to be “intellectual world leaders” tomorrow.

“The gift of mind, strong body and good health, is the spirit of competition and funfair,” she said.

Chairman of the occasion, Mr. Joe Osazuwa, before declaring the inter house sports open, said “This event signifies a moment of unity, sportsmanship and comradeship among our students

Today, Coventry City travel to the Molineux to take on Wolverhampton Wanderers, in what is expected to be a spicy affair, while later that evening Premier League champions Manchester City will lock horns with Newcastle United in an all-Premier League affair.

On Sunday, Mauricio Pochettino’s Chelsea will battle it out with high-flying championship team Leicester City, before the biggest derby in world football takes the stage as bitter rivals

MMA Has Come to Stay after African Games Heroics, Says GAMMA

In view of Nigeria’s scintillating performance in Mixed Martial Arts, (MMA), at the 13th African Games in Ghana, Acting Vice President, Global Association of Mixed Martial Arts (GAMMA), Lovethpatra Ekufu has said that the sport has come to stay in Nigeria.

Speaking at a reception organised for the medalists at Lagos Intercontinental Hotel, Victoria Island, yesterday, Ekufu said inspte of all the obstacles, the athletes encountered, they still stood tall.

The road to glory for these new Nigerian heroes was practically strewn with several obstacles. The least of these which was qualifying for the

African Games via a grueling national MMA championship held in February by the Boxing and MMA Hall of Fame, which represents the sport’s global ruling body – GAMMA, in Nigeria.

That the nation paid scant attention to their qualification for the African Games is also underscored by the fact that this Nigerian contingent of nine MMA fighters had to make a tortuos road trip lasting over 10 hours to be in Accra, Ghana for the Games.

However, it did not matter to the Nigerian Nine that the MMA was only being featured - for the first time,

as a demonstration with six other sports among 30 total disciplines at the Games, based on amateur MMA rules drawn up by GAMMA.

Uppermost on their minds was proving their mettle against the strong competition from Benin Republic, Burkina Faso, Cote d’Ivoire, Egypt, Sudan, Togo, Uganda, Libya and host, Ghana.

Therefore, it was against severe odds that the nine Nigerian fighters triumphed at the 13th African Games by sweeping the medals in the nine weight categories they featured in.

In grand style, they claimed five gold, four silver and one

Team Nigeria Eager for Action as Sambo Debut at 13th African Games

Even before the kick-off of the Sambo as one of the seven demonstration sports at the 13th African Games, Nigeria’s quartet heading to Accra believe they are aiming for the podium finish at the multi-sports championships.

The quartet made up of two men and two women said they are ready to rumble in the ring when the event kicks off on March 18.

The athletes - Jonah Kajido (79kg), James Chegwam (58kg), Fatima Ogbonyomi (65kg) and Charity Jatau (59kg).

and community.

“It’s for all participants to display a competitive spirit, uphold the value of fairplay and find lasting memories during this event.

Participants from the four houses, namely, Blue, Green, Yellow and Purple participated in track and field events.

At the end of the competition, Green House was declared champions, Blue House emerged second, Yellow House third and Purple House fourth position.

Other dignitaries that graced the occasion include: Proprietress of Gloryland Schools,

Manchester United face off against an in-form Liverpool at Old Trafford.

Liverpool have a history of facing Man United in the FA Cup, but the two haven’t met since 2021.

Showmax will also be showcasing all the Premier League games live this weekend, including matches between Burnley and Brentford, Luton and Nottingham Forest, Fulham and Spurs, and West Ham and Aston Villa.

Nigeria is expected to compete with Algeria, Burkina Faso, Central African Republic (CAR) Cameroon, Congo DR, Egypt, Guinea, Mali, Morocco, Niger Republic, Togo and host – Ghana.

For Kajido, nothing can stop him from clinching the gold medal. “My expectation in Ghana is nothing but just the gold. In

terms of the challenges, I have no doubt in the management of Sambo Association of Nigeria (SAN) as well as the technical director and also the coaches which has contributed a lot to me and the rest of the team to meet up with the challenge in Ghana. I am positive that we will bring back the gold medals in all our events,” he said.

Like Kajido, Ogbonyomi believes she is primed for the top in Ghana. “I want to see myself on the podium hanging my gold medal round my neck; making my country and the team. Also, one of my expectations is to display my God-given skills and talents in the competition for the world to see,” she said.

For the President of SAN, Loveth Howell, the contingent is poised to make the country proud. “Our athletes are ready, and they are all prepared to make

the country proud and we are going to give them the necessary support to excel in Accra. This is the first time that Sambo will be part of the African Games as the sport is gaining ground across the globe and Nigeria should not be an exception.” Howell, who is also the Nigeria President of International Association of Combative Sports (IACS), said participating in the games would give more people the opportunity to appreciate the uniqueness of the sport, being one of the fast-growing sports in the world. “We are hoping that taking part in the games would give us the chance to popularise the sport among Africans and Nigerians. More African countries are not embracing the sport and hopefully, it will be part of the Olympics sports very soon with the way it is growing across the globe,” she added.

Okonofua, Igbinadolor Thrill at Oghumah 50th Birthday Golf Tournament

Okonofua, Igbinadolor Thrill at Oghumah 50th Birthday Golf Tournament

Benjamin Okonofua and Ehis Igbinadolor did the unthinkable as they won treble and double awards respectively at Benedict Oghumah @ 50 Birthday Golf Tournament concluded over the weekend at Benin Club Golf Section (BCGS), Edo State. BCGS Vice Captain, Steve Ebaretonbofa (hcp 8) roared as

an adult lion to win the Obama Members category with an accomplished net score of 72.

The 50th birthday tournament was sponsored by friends of Benedict Oghumah led by the Chairman of Oceanwave Group, Mr. Peter Omoh Dunia as well as Committee of Friends, and it teed-off caddies event on Wednesday till Saturday, being the grand finale.

Okonofua, hcp 15 won the

men’s hcp 1-18 category with a net score of 69 as well as the men’s longest drive and nearest the pin awards. Friday Utaji (hcp 18) played 72 net to place second just as the battle for third place was won by fmr. BCGS Captain, Mayer Ologbosere (hcp 11) with 73 net having defeated Chief A. Prest, Hon. Andy Momodu and Gen. Oscar Iyare (rtd) on count-back.

Dolphin Swimming League Season 5 Hits Grand Finale

The grand finale of season five of the annual Dolphin Swimming League takes place today, at Grange School, Ikeja. Considered as the country’s foremost schools swimming tournament, the league is an initiative to grow the sport of swimming from the grassroots to the international level.

It is organised by Dynaspro

Promotions in collaboration with Advanta Interactive with the sole aim of unearthing talents from schools.

The tournament which has been endorsed by Nigeria Aquatics Federation and Lagos State Swimming Association and it has continued to grow in each season while it has provided some of the students

and their schools the chance to hone their skills as well as compete with their counterparts at the one-day tournament.

Defending champions in the elementary and secondary categories – St Saviour’s School and Grange School will be aiming to continue their dominance when they battle eight others for the podium at the grand finale.

Ese Daniel of Edo won gold in the men’s 83.9kg

L-R: Proprietress, Gloryland Schools, Mrs. Maryann Igbinovia, Chairman of the event, Mr. Joe Osazuwa; after presentation of trophies to the captains of Green House (champions), Blue House (2nd position) and Yellow (3rd position), at the 2024 Gloryland Schools Inter House Sports Competition held at Ejigbo Mini Stadium, Ejigbo, Lagos...on Thursday

BACKPAGE CONTINUATION

TIME FOR RECTIFICATION OF NAMES

of contemporary experience.

Coming back to our issues here, and bearing in mind the extent of national decay at the moment, we must admit that our crop of leaders today are mostly victims, and willing collaborators in a generation of leaders and followers brought up on impunity, consumption and arbitrary use of state power for personal gains.

As was said on this page on 28th October 2016, under the Title ‘Symptoms of a Deep-Rooted Crisis”, that we are in a deep bind that took time to mature. The article said thus then: “The many powerful people whose interests differ from the national interest are partly responsible for the trajectory of most past regimes and presidents. So let us first calmly admit that our crises have had long gestation. To fail to do so is to ignore history, particularly the essential elements of our own history, and replace it with hysteria. The Nigerian nation has been run as a criminal enterprise for too long”.

It went further to say: “We have been building a mansion on quicksand and with pillars of straw. The soil, quicksand as it is, is further infested with two species of ants, called presumption and nepotism. These ants, which feed exclusively on straw, have been nibbling away for decades. They have left us with a hollow and painted frame that conceals a lie. This lie has been on parade for

decades. It is described as an architectural masterpiece by casual observers. An architectural masterpiece that is not designed to withstand the wind? Now that the whirlwind has come, and the elements are in their element, radical modifications (in design and material) have become necessary”.

Against the background of what we are seeing everywhere today, especially the pretence that most people in leadership positions are concerned about the national interest, we must wake up to the fact that something stinks around here. The stench is getting worse by the hour. People are not bearing their real names and they are also not available to have their names rectified.

What was said here in October 2016 stands, namely:

“It is not right that a nation should be undergirded by untruth. It is also not right that a nation should be under a political economy of decay and corruption, warehoused and propagated by a business and political elite that lives in denial. When old lies are told afresh by those who know they are lying, a time comes when even the liars themselves won’t be sure whether they are lying anymore. Now that we have brought up children who have seen shielded criminality as leadership, we have a nation wherein hiding under the instruments of state to violate natural justice, equity and good conscience makes you not guilty of any

crime. Look at Nigeria today. The dominant motifs are (1) skewed values, (2) a flawed national psyche and (3) an aberrant leadership recruitment process. These motifs have given us several national ‘leadership pseudopodia’, or “false feet”.

Do we have, today, any intimations of Plato’s “philosopher king? A leader with correct knowledge of man’s duality and a broad knowledge of life? and who could also address everyday issues with an overarching vision that many do not possess? Not anymore. We are all now being nurtured in the available knowledge of wheeling and dealing. It is all about temporary gains, seasonal loyalty and debauched offerings.

The Platonic conception of human development as ‘the nurturing of character and the human person through the education of life’ is no more in vogue. Our founding fathers were not deal makers who were out to fill their pockets. They were ideas inventors and investors of repute. They were leadership entrepreneurs, with deeper than average knowledge, insight and vision. That is why they could fashion and nurture broad-based development projects. They designed holistic templates, with their eyes set on consolidation; in addition to mentoring others.

It is trite to say that the root of all leading civilisations, organizations and individuals in the last 400 years always

rested on some philosophy of leadership, human capital management, or service delivery. So, what is our current leadership trajectory based on? Sustainable human, national, economic and political development, must be multi-dimensional; with spiritual, aesthetic, cultural and socio-economic connotations. National character and national development do not derive from a desperate alliance of mechanics, bicycle repairers, cobblers, one-eyed bricklayers, amoral young people pressing computer keyboards and allied tradesmen. If it were so, Japan would not be in its present quagmire of worry over the growing number of computer whiz kids committing suicide every other week.

As things stand today, we need a re-evaluation of all our values as a nation. Where are we headed exactly, and for what purpose? With our basic political, cultural, philosophical and spiritual, values in limbo, is it any surprise that we do not have enough people in the public space who can be seen as responsible managers of our lives and resources, as human beings? What are the core foundations of our nationhood – of our national political culture? What are we drilling into the average young Nigerian today; both young and old? As debauchery is on the ascendant everywhere today, it behooves us to consider a rectification of names for everyone.

ENUGU NEW POLITICAL LEADERSHIP: SPOTLIGHT ON HEALTH, EDUCATION

products of a painstaking process and radical thinking that reflect the understanding that the exigencies of our time require an unusual solution.

Among these challenging situations are rising cost of living crises and insecurity. There’s no doubt that this period is a life or death moment for us. Given Nigeria’s youth bulge, the bleak reality that confronts us if we do not take appropriate remedial steps is terrible to contemplate.

The question then is what do we do?

At the heart of our socio-economic challenge is the issue of leadership deficit. This has always been the bane of our development. Despite widespread clamour and yearning for leaders with transcendental values, leadership failure remains a recurring decimal. But true leadership is about the people, an unwavering willingness to be accountable to them, and to be transparent. A good leader should not merely peddle empty hope and platitudes but must demonstrate a capacity to translate dreams into reality. This briefly summarizes our turnaround tale in Enugu State in roughly nine months.

For us, the most important first step lay in realizing that any set of solutions that failed to upend the status quo across the sectors will not suffice. That basic understanding helped us to boldly set forth at dawn and imbued us with the requisite clarity of purpose as well as resolve. We started out with three things: A bold Vision; clear Direction; and then we assembled the right People.

Before I delve in more depth into the radical strategies we adopted in Health and Education, let me highlight three areas we had to tackle in order to properly entrench our plans and prepare for meaningful change:

WATER, INFRASTRUCTURE (ROADS) AND SECURITY

We demonstrated a firm commitment when we set an audacious 180-day timeline to solve the perennial problem of water scarcity in Enugu. For context, this was a challenge that had proved intractable for decades. We delivered on that promise within the timeframe. It wasn’t because it was an easy task; and neither was it because we were eager to bask in the afterglow of public acclaim. The motivation was simple: we wanted to enthrone a situation where the provision of basic amenities was taken for granted. Our objective was that portable water flows in every home once the tap is turned on. From a mere two million-litre daily water supply to Enugu residents, we grew the daily water supply to 120 million litres!

We were, in addition, driven by the enormous social toll that water scarcity exerted on children. This was always an unbearable thought. I’m aware that the time children spend in search of water is very much the time they would have spent studying. The enormous amount that businesses spend to purchase water from vendors was an unnecessary addition to their operating costs, with adverse effects on their bottom line.

Such bold commitment was no less obvious in our promise to build up to 1,250 kilometres of roads over the next 12 months, which was a radical departure from the trend that typically saw just 100 kilometres built each year. We are simultaneously building dual carriage ways, alongside numerous urban and rural roads, running into hundreds of kilometers.

One of the most daunting challenges that confronted us was insecurity, fueled by bands of criminals, who had more or less conferred on themselves the status of a parallel state. We tackled it head-on, and literally recaptured our streets and communities from the grip of this gang-like social order that had almost become normalized. It was imperative that we did this. It was obvious to us that to attract the investment necessary for our economic growth, security had to be a priority and could not be treated as an afterthought.

In one of their most audacious moves, these non-state actors had enforced an illegal sit-at home campaign in the Region every Monday. How could we, for instance, convince would-be investors that our state was secure, and that they need not worry about the safety of their personnel if people were prevented from going to work on certain days?

It may sound bizarre, because it truly was a bizarre situation. Imagine a situation where a band of outlaws impose their will on citizens, unleashing mayhem and dictating what days they were permitted to work, go to school, or trade. That was the unfortunate situation we were beset with. Businesses shut down and relocated in droves, students could not write their exams, and people could not, in fact, go to hospitals.

But it wasn’t simply about the possible effect that their so-called sit-at-home order could have on inflow of foreign capital.

The Nigerian constitution expressly notes that the primary responsibility of government is the security and welfare of its citizens. So, a government, implicitly, loses its reason for being if such absurd state of affair is allowed to persist. We didn’t have to think twice to stop that illegality.

We set out with a strong determination to bequeath enduring legacies and some of the results are already coming in. On a regular basis, we glimpse reports – including from independent bodies – that validate our reforms and investments across the sectors. And what we see is quite reassuring, an indication that it certainly has not been a false dawn.

This brings us to healthcare and education, the main areas of focus for this lecture.

Investing in improving our capacity to deliver quality healthcare was a major priority for us, as the wellness of the state’s workforce could either make or mar all the objectives, we had set for ourselves. The saying that “a healthy workforce is a motivated workforce’ is by no means an empty cliché for us. That explains the numerous projects and innovations we have launched across Enugu State. Our philosophy with regard to our investment is simple: Our objective is to ensure that every child in the state has access to quality healthcare.

We are seeing decline, albeit marginal, in infant and maternal mortality rate in our state. We are constantly eliminating factors that ordinarily cause maternal and under-5 deaths, such as the absence of skilled birth attendants – including doctors, nurses and midwives - at health facilities. From a pre-election statistic of 39%, we have grown the number of births attended to by skilled health personnel at our facilities to 42%. Our target is to achieve a hundred percent threshold by the end of 2025. In addition, we do not compromise on the issue of training for our medical professionals, as their competence and capacity will be central in driving the achievement of the ambitious objectives, we have set for ourselves.

In addition, we have significantly expanded immunization coverage for all childhood vaccine-preventable diseases for children in their first birthday. We have also increased the number of those attending Ante-Natal Care for the first time.

These encouraging performance indicators are a direct result of measures we’re taking to raise our healthcare delivery to optimal levels. We’re also building new Level 2 healthcare facilities across the 260 electoral wards in our state.

Each centre has the necessary equipment, sanitation and hygiene facilities, water, living quarters for doctors and nurses, and alternative power supply.

Where there is a shortfall, especially with regard to doctors and nurses who have been emigrating to the West in large numbers, we carry out regular recruitment drives to narrow the deficit. The goal is to bring the number of doctors in our state to the WHO recommended doctor-to-patient ratio of one doctor to 600 patients. The prevailing statistics for Enugu State when I was sworn in was one doctor to 1,867 patients.

Interestingly, given that the average ratio in Nigeria is one doctor to 3,500 patients, the figure for Enugu State might have been deemed a pass mark. But we would rather not find solace in such dismal statistics. We are quite intentional with our goal in this regard: To progressively bring that number even below the WHO recommended ratio.

Another significant achievement of our health sector reform is how we have successfully digitised patients’ records in our hospitals. So, even when patients visit other facilities, their records could still be accessed digitally because of the seamless connection we have introduced by migrating patients’ details to the Electronic Medical Record (EMR) platform.

The deployment of ICT is visible in our entire governance structure. Besides promoting efficiency, it has strengthened due process as we transit from a manual regime to a digital experience. Our goal is to have a paperless system. It is gratifying that this has begun to take a firm root in our Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs).

Education is another sector where we have taken some radical steps consistent with our pledge to enthrone a system that bequeaths to the child a body of knowledge comparable to the best global standards.

Our government’s allocation for education in this year’s budget illustrates this resolve. Our state’s budget of N158.78 billion for education is the highest per capita in the country. With regard to the percentage of total budget assigned to education, it is as well the highest budgeted for education by any state in Nigeria, at 33 per cent of the entire budget sum.

It is also substantially higher than UNESCO’s recommended benchmark of 15 – 20 per cent of total annual budget. I dare say it’s perhaps highest in the world.

Think about it: This implies that for every N100 spent, N33 goes to the education budget.

Our investment in education is carefully conceived and implemented with the knowledge that the envisioned turnaround of the state’s fortune is contingent on the existence of a robust education sector. No nation has ever risen above the inherent capacity of its public education.

It is this philosophy that underpins our Smart Schools project, which we are setting up in each of the state’s 260 electoral wards.

So, we’re not just changing the narrative; it’s truly the dawn of a new era. From age three, we ensure a child is enrolled in a system that imbues them with the requisite skills to compete in tomorrow’s world today. That is because pedagogy has largely evolved from an era when the goal was apparently to ensure the child is able to memorize what has been taught. Today, however, children should be able to practicalise what they have learnt. This is a core philosophy of our Smart Schools initiative. I consider this quite profound. Given that such experience is already commonplace in the West, this might not sound like a big deal. But it would help if we contextualised our past and present experience.

The prevailing situation in our public schools before now, was anything but impressive: Many pupils sat on the floor to listen to teachers who scribbled on blackboards with barely any modern teaching aids; schools had no libraries, restrooms, nor any of those facilities that confer on them the expected dignity as centres of learning.

In fact, a baseline study we conducted revealed that 50 per cent of our children could not read after four years in primary school. Those who managed to read could barely comprehend. A similar deficiency was seen in numeracy skill, with 50 per cent of children unable to apply simple skills of subtraction after 6 years of primary school education. Of course, this situation isn’t peculiar to our state. It remains a problem across the entire country.

Another grim data that confronted us was in regard to the number of Out-Of-School-Children (aged 6 – 11 years). The 82,051 figure for Enugu State is alarming. We found the number totally inexcusable and knew that it was imperative we took some radical steps.

As I earlier emphasised about the importance of “knowing the causes of things”, we sought to know what could possibly be the reasons for such unacceptable state of things. Poverty was a major factor. It wasn’t thus a surprise that a Poverty and Inequality Index survey conducted by Nigeria’s National Bureau of Statistics had put the poverty situation in Enugu State at 58.13 per cent.

So, our Smart Green Schools initiative is a bold and creative response to the learning crisis that confronted us on assuming office. That is because we have created sufficient incentives for parents to send their children to school, not least of which is our Free School Meal Plus programme for pupils. The Free School Meal Plus incorporates a medical programme, through which vital health statistics of students such as growth profile, sundry deficiencies and vaccine status are monitored. This helps us to ascertain pupils that may require further medical intervention.

Each Smart School features an interactive digital whiteboard, an internet system, robotics and artificial intelligence centre, modern ICT centre, two science laboratories, hybrid multimedia library, creative production studio, 25 inclusive classrooms and 700 Android tablets. Through these, we expect to impart experiential knowledge and bridge the skills gap that leaves our students with grim prospects in a globalised world. The emphasis is three-fold: Access, Relevance and Quality.

The motivation is to see that what our students are taught is relevant to modern day realities. This is crucial, because we see our teeming youth as a latent, powerful engine for innovation, economic growth, and sustainable development.

It wasn’t just sufficient to have the learning tools and the environment conducive to learning; equally crucial was having the necessary manpower. Our recruitment of teachers was painstaking. This reflected in the fact that only less than one hundred teachers – out of about one thousand seven hundred who took the practical tests eventually made the cut. So, to scale our Experiential Learning reform, we are establishing a Centre for Experiential Learning and Innovation (CELI). This will develop, introduce, and incentivize collaborative engagement in Innovative Challenges by students, teachers, as well as industry and business partners throughout our education system, from Basic to Tertiary levels.

The CELI Challenges will introduce breakthrough technologies and design solutions that connect with our strategic priorities for growth and development, including Agriculture, Energy and Mineral Resources Development, Commerce and Business, Urban and Rural Infrastructures, Creative Industries and Tourism, and Information and Communication Technology.

Through Experiential Learning Innovation, our educational institutions will catalyse priority innovation and technology, incentivise the development of 21st Century skills and competencies, and support human capital and workforce development to fuel our economic growth.

As we develop the Centre for Experiential Learning and Innovation to drive strategic development priorities, and ensure quality and transformative education, we are inviting select international universities to collaborate with Enugu State’s academic and research institutions to co-create technologies, digital solutions, and generate Digital Badges, Micro-Credentials, and Degree Certificates, to provide academic and vocational training, to support start-ups and incubate businesses, and to enable our youth to not only overcome poverty, but also contribute to the Fourth Industrial Revolution.

For sure, no one can actually tell what the future holds. But we can largely discern a society’s future prospects from how it treats the wellbeing of its young ones. In taking ample steps to grow our students’ capacity through a transformative learning process, we can truly speak in a very reassuring tone regarding the future of Enugu State.

Our trajectory is yet proof that progress does not just happen – nor is it simply wished into existence. Efficiency is attained through scrupulous planning, and moral courage to discard the inefficient ways of old, even if people have grown accustomed to them.

For long, our quest for development was blighted by an abject failure by politicians to match rhetoric with commensurate action. It seemed, to all intents, that the people were perpetually obliged to endure the dismal cycle of politics characterised by what the late Governor of New York, Mario Cuomo, had described as an unabashed tendency to “campaign in poetry and govern in prose”.

Beyond the fact that they seldom wrought any significant change on the human development index, perfunctory government policies only serve to reinforce public cynicism. From the outset, we resolved that there would be no room for platitudes.

You might be wondering how we are able to achieve all these, and also where all the money is coming from. I assure you this is not pie in the sky. We have focused on three areas and our success in those areas has been crucial: Plugging leakages through automated systems; enhancing the quality of our services – Deliver more, earn more, and deploy resources wisely, and expanding the tax net.

Are we borrowing excessively? Certainly not! Only 10 per cent of the funds have been borrowed. Our internally-generated funds account for the rest 90 per cent. In addition, we are harnessing our dormant assets and resources that were as yet unexplored previously.

This has certainly not been a walk in the park. Ours have been a tale of boldness and amazing courage. Distinguished guests, the quest for a better society may sometimes seem far off. But the truth is that every new discovery or hallmark achieved is yet a fresh chapter to new beginnings. Confronting that new beginning is a task for which education, such as that offered by the London School of Economics and similar illustrious institutions, have equipped their students. The scale of technological advancements in our world today might sometimes lull us into complacency and create the erroneous notion that there is barely any frontier left to conquer. Such mindset would be a great disservice to the learning you have acquired. Those whose inventions have changed the world seldom grasped the level of impact their ideas would have on humanity at the outset. So, you are certainly not a blip on the radar.

As you step out into the world, your education should be a constant reminder that there is always room to do things better, to shake the fabrics of the status quo and not to be content with the usual. History shows that humanity’s progress has always been attained through an interrogation of the status quo. You may have heard this countless times, but it’s often worth reiterating: Fortune does not only favour the bold, but it also favours the prepared mind! There is no doubt that imbibing the ethos as espoused by your institution actually prepares you for fortune’s favours.

•Being a public lecture delivered by Governor of Enugu State, Dr. Peter Mbah, at the London School of Economics

Saturday, March 16, 2024Price: N400

“The PDP has elevated chicanery to statecraft and fatally failed in their sordid attempt to hoodwink the unsuspecting public, on the ineffectual but spurious allegations of budget padding. The party’s ludicrous call for the resignation of Senator Godswill Akpabio as the Senate President is unthinkable and shows the party as a massaging balm for falsehood and immoral legislative outbursts” –Chairman, Senate Committee on Media and Public Affairs, Adaramodu, reacting to the call by the PDP for the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio to resign

OKEY IKECHUKWU

EDIFYING ELUCIDATIONS

okey.ikechukwu@thisdaylive.com

Time for Rectification of Names

An Igbo proverb says that a dog does not become a leopard because it is addressed as one by its owner, or even the entire community. That is why you have the popular warning, which is often addressed to anyone perceived to be overrating himself: “Oke aha n’egbu nwa nkita” (a big name, or preposterous self-inflation, leads a low-grade domestic dog to its doom). Now imagine a place where dogs are called all manner of names, except their rightful name: ‘dog’.

Tell me, can you make sense of a world wherein everything you know is arbitrarily renamed? Will you even be able to easily retain your sanity and communicate meaningfully if everyone accepted the new names and carried on as if all was well? especially when there is no connection whatsoever between the names and what the entities really are.

Just picture this: An elephant is walking by and you hear everyone shouting “Oh, see that massive and lovely cockroach”! Then a lion is called ‘mosquito’ and a cow is called ‘toothbrush’. For good measure, it turns out also that what you had always known as, and called, a house is now called ‘groundnut’! Well, there you have it: A land affiliated to bedlam; wherein the criterion for sanity is pronounced irrationality.

Is that, perhaps, what our dear country has turned into today? A place where there is no real connection between government expenditure and the welfare of the citizens in whose names the expenses are ostensibly being incurred? A nation in which many of those parading the title of ‘leader’ at state and local government levels are everything a leader should not be? A land where loyalty

means “I support you because you pay me and retain me to do whatever you want”. A nation beholden to tomfoolery perhaps, because its current crop of leaders imagine that truth is circumscribed by what they say and do in enclosed government chambers?

It is so pervading, so surreal, so benumbing, and also

PETERMBAH

GUEST COLUMNIST

so profoundly revealing about how far we have travelled on the wrong road. We need a rectification of names!

The mayhem is such that whoever wants to really do anything meaningful here must first start at what we might just call the ethereal level. First specify, to yourself first of all, the true meaning and purpose of many things. This includes titles, institutions of state and even ordinary names. Can you restore their real names, in terms of getting public consciousness to actually internalize new usages? That means getting the people to use the appropriate designation of each entity when they address it?

Now, don’t start any arguments about Ludwig Wittgenstein’s ‘pictorial’ conception of language. Yes, it is true, as he said, that it is by the association of sounds and the objects touched or pointed at when the sounds are made that every child learns the meaning and names assigned to things in his environment as he grows. But does this apply to full grown adults who are not learning a new language?

Still on Wittgenstein, before returning to our core subject matter for today, it was actually St. Augustine, and not Wittgenstein, who first put forth what is described today in philosophical, philological and linguistic circles as the pictorial conception of language. That was in his book Confessions, wherein he engaged in a detailed personal mental walk-through of his life; beginning with the earliest memories he could recollect of his childhood.

Concerning the matter at hand, let us start by observing that to rectify anything is to restore or correct something about that thing. For instance, if there is a spelling, or entry, error against your name in a document, and the error is taken care of, we say that it has been rectified. So,

what do we do when almost everything, and everyone, around us is wrongly designated? Budgets are excuses for fleecing the nation in the name of the people. Constituency projects are new names for subterfuge and organized but, back to the rectification of names!

It was worries like the foregoing that n propelled the Chinese thinker, Confucius, to propose the doctrine, or principle, or “Rectification of names” to his people. He taught his disciples that all would be well in any society if everyone played the roles assigned to him by name flawlessly. If father played the role of father, mother played the role of mother, leader played the role of leader, etc., then there would be no place from which corruption, impropriety and societal decay would come in. The catch, however, is that these roles may actually already be badly defined. In such a situation, it would mean reaffirming and reinforcing nothing but the entrenchment of what is wrong.

The question of “who” defines “father” for instance, and all the other concepts, is the catch and the trap set by Confucius. Once a social concept, or any concept at all, is wrongly defined, all is lost. And lost for good!

Take, for instance, the concepts of Yin and Yang, the active and passive principles in nature. A father is Yang to his son. The latter is Yin to his father, but yang to his wife and children. He must always obey his father and all elders and rulers. This places on the son the obligation of having to listen to, and obey, an entire chain of Yangs, even if he has ideas of his own. So, you must listen to your ignorant father, uninformed elders and misguided leaders, instead of venturing forth any fresh thoughts borne

Continued on page 31

Enugu New Political Leadership: Spotlight on Health, Education

Iwould like to begin by stating how deeply honoured I am to be invited to give this lecture. It is not often that one gets the opportunity to speak before a robust and richly diverse audience such as this, and indeed, at an institution with a remarkable history as the London School of Economics. So, I express my profound gratitude to the organizers of this event.

While preparing for this lecture, I took time to look up the motto of this great institution. I found the statement “To know the causes of things” – compelling. This motto, according to the LSE website, was chosen to reflect the institution’s founding purpose: “For the betterment of society”.

The betterment of society fittingly inspires us and sums up the broad purpose of this lecture and, to a large extent, the essential goal of every single pursuit of humanity.

During our campaign, we adopted a motto that makes the bold declaration: “Tomorrow is Here”! What do we mean by that?

“Tomorrow Is Here” holds us to the fact that every decision we make now affects our future and our children’s future. Of course, this begs the question: What future do we want? How do we want to prepare the soil for generations to come? What will be the cost of short-term thinking, complacency or hesitation and doubt?

We need to take a visionary view of the future that awaits and take bold steps to lead our lives towards an enduring, regenerative legacy.

My speech is titled, “Enugu State, Nigeria: New Political Leadership; Bold Economic Vision”, and will highlight, mostly, the people-centric philosophy, specifically in regard to the health and education strategies we have deployed in birthing a new narrative for Enugu State, over which I currently preside as governor.

Boldness is a word that best defines the vision we are implementing in Enugu State. The single boldest projection that encapsulates what we intend to accomplish is our target to grow the economy of Enugu State seven-fold. Simply put, our vision is to grow the state’s GDP from $4.4bn – that we met – to at least $30bn in the next four to eight years. Another bold plan is the commitment to attain a zero percent poverty headcount index in Enugu State.

Just a quick fact about Enugu and Nigeria: Nigeria is Africa’s most populous country with a population of over 200 million and, indeed, the continent’s biggest economy. It has a landmass of 923,768sq km.

Located in Nigeria’s south-east, Enugu’s population is approximately seven million. The history of Enugu is indeed a history of Nigeria’s evolution from preamalgamation, pre-independence and post-independence. Enugu attained preeminence in 1907 after the discovery of vast swathes of coal deposits by a team of British geologists. By 1909, a rail line had been built to haul the extracted coal from Enugu to Port Harcourt. That development made Enugu a fledgling economic hub and was the catalyst for the sustained migration into the town recorded in the early 20th Century. This emerging

economic clout also made Enugu an inevitable centre of administration in colonial Nigeria.

In contemplating Nigeria’s presidential federalism, I will draw an analogy using this short story. Imagine, if you will, a farmer and his wife who both have 36 children. Yes, I know that’s a lot of kids! They are all of working age, but he sends only 6 to the fields. Over time, these 6 grow tired, some get sick and the other 30 begin to suffer and starve. Even before the onset of age, such scenario could breed resentment, as the active 6 may perceive the fact that the rest do not work as a sense of entitlement – nursed at their own expense. A likely outcome would be general indolence.

Our federal system evokes an imagery akin to this story, not least in the sense that it dulls creativity and induces a near-perpetual dependency syndrome, which ultimately leaves everyone in a state of want.

Is it then surprising that the family has fallen into hard times? Shouldn’t that have been an opportunity for the family to overhaul its production strategy given the opportunities that could be borne out of crises sometimes?

Distinguished guests, as governor of Enugu State, you could say I represent one of those children. This anecdote roughly encapsulates the Nigerian dilemma. Of course, the monthly subventions to states from the federal purse are still being disbursed. But they are only sufficient to the extent that a state’s priorities and projections remain on a modest trajectory, the sort that is capable of yielding only fairly predictable incremental change but can hardly inspire any bold

vision that can result in a rapid social and economic development. Such socio-economic pattern is evidently not sustainable any longer.

While our choice of Presidential federalism system might have been well-informed, shaped by the inherent benefits of federalism in other countries with populations as vast and diverse as ours, it has however bred a system where revenue is excessively domiciled at the centre, rather than in the states – or regions. This puts intense pressure on the source and almost cuts off supply.

We are gradually seeing concrete moves towards a truly devolved polity, facilitated in large part by the political outlook of Nigeria’s president, who as Governor of Lagos State championed the push for fiscal federalism. As a matter of fact, we have witnessed some constitutional amendments resulting in sectors like electricity and railways – once the exclusive preserve of the federal government – becoming a shared responsibility between the states and the federal government. There are, at present, ongoing discussions to enthrone additional devolution of power.

Despite these promising developments, these challenges yet speak eloquently to the need for a socio-economic rebirth that repositions federating units like states as potent agents of development. This is an important thread of my governance philosophy.

I’ve always believed that an enduring and impactful change is never a chance happening; they are typically

Continued on page 31

Tinubu