TUESDAY 28TH MARCH 2023

Boris Johnson to Nigeria’s Leaders: Allow People Freely Choose Those to Lead Them Stop undermining the country, Sanwo-Olu cautions Nigerians Segun James With the dust from Nigeria’s 2023 general election yet to settle, a

former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Mr. Boris Johnson has stressed that the people should always be allowed to freely choose

who would govern them.

The advice from Johnson came just as Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu, also advised

Nigerians to desist from making derogatory remarks about the nation, but rather promote the positives in the country.

Johnson and Sanwo-Olu, spoke at the 16th edition of the Emmanuel Onyechere Osigwe Anyiam-Osigwe lectures with the theme: “Rehuman-

ising Human Experience, A Synopsis of Anyiam-Osigwe Treatises,” held Continued on page 10

NNPC Releases Additional 418m Litres of Petrol in Seven Days... Page 5 Tuesday 28 March, 2023 Vol 28. No 10212. Price: N250

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NLC Leadership Meets to Decide on Nationwide Protest Today... Page 27

ICC Accepts Petition against Onanuga, Others over Alleged Incitement Says acknowledgement means nothing yet Wale Igbintade The International Criminal Court (ICC), yesterday, formally acknowledged receipt of a petition written by

Prof. Gideon Christian to investigate election and post-election violence in Nigeria as well as alleged incitement to ethnic hate by Mr. Bayo Onanuga, the Media Director of

the President-elect, Bola Tinubu.

The ICC, in its acknowledgments letter dated March 27, 2023, with reference number OTP-CR-109/23, was signed by Mark P. Dillon, Head

of Information & Evidence Unit, Office of The Prosecutor.

The letter read: "The Office of the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court acknowledges receipt

of your documents/letter.

"This communication has been duly entered in the Communications Register of the Office. We will give consideration to this communication,

as appropriate, in accordance with the provisions of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court.

Continued on page 10

Ayu: Only PDP NEC Can Suspend Me, Those Goading Ward Exco Are Ignorant Wike supports suspension, says chairman should have left Court restrains party's national chair from parading self as one

Story on page 10

AT THE ANYIAM-OSIGWE LECTURE SERIES...

L-R: Coordinator General, Osigwe Anyiam-Osigwe Foundation, Charles Anyiam-Osigwe; Representative of Nigeria's President-elect/ Former Deputy governor of Lagos State, Femi Pedro; Director General, Nigeria Institute of International Affairs, Prof. Eghosa Ogaghae; Deputy Governor of Lagos State, Dr. Obafemi Hamzat; Chairman of the day, Chief Emeka Anyaoku; Guest Speaker/ Former British Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, and Chief Anthony Anyiam-Osigwe at the 16th Session of the Emmanuel Onyechere Osigwe Anyiam-Osigwe Lecture Series with the theme: Rehumannising Human Experience, A synopsis of Anyiam-Osigwe's Treatises held in Lagos...yesterday.

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

FIRST ANNUAL ASSEMBLY AND CONFERENCE OF BLUEPRINT AFRICA...

L-R: Chairman, Dorman Long Engineering Limited, Dr. Timi Austen-Peters; Chairman, Petroleum Technology Association of Nigeria (PETAN), Mr. Nicholas Odinuwe; Executive Secretary Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB), Simbi Kesiye Wabote; and Chairman, Oil and Gas Trainers Association of Nigeria (OGTAN), Sam Azota Onyeche, at the first Annual Assembly and Conference held in Cairo, Egypt… recently

NNPC Releases Additional 418m Litres of Petrol in Seven Days Buhari to kick off oil exploration in Nasarawa today Emmanuel Addeh in Abuja The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC) released 418 million litres of petrol between March 18 and 24, new data from the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) has indicated.

The information showed that 59 million litres of the product were evacuated daily during the week, even as year-to-date daily average remained at 64.94 million litres during the period.

However, from the period between March 4 and 24, a total of 1.46 billion litres of petrol were evacuated to states, according to a THISDAY analysis, with 80.41 per cent of evacuation taking place at the 27 top loading depots with minimum evacuation of 5 million litres. The remaining depots evacuated only 19.59 per cent of total volume.

According to the data, top receiving states during the period were Lagos, where 1,957 trucks were dispatched, the Federal

Capital Territory (FCT) received 550 truckloads of fuel while Delta received 508 trucks of the product.

Also, between 11th and 17th of March, 488.94 million litres of fuel were evacuated across the states while from 4 to 10 March this year, the NNPC dispatched 558.83 million litres of fuel.

Nigeria has had prolonged fuel scarcity in recent times. The country does not refine a litre of the product in-country due to rundown refineries as a result of years of neglect.

Meanwhile, President Muhammadu Buhari, would today conduct the presidential flag-off of Ebenyi-A exploration well located at Obi Local government Area, Nasarawa state.

The exercise is expected to mark the exploration of crude oil in Nasarawa state by the NNPC, adding to Gombe/Bauchi and Kogi as places where oil is found in the northern region.

The Group Chief Executive Officer of the NNPC, Mallam Mele Kyari had during a meeting with the Governor of Nasarawa state, Abdullahi Sule recently, said the

project was expected to move fast since the world is quickly moving towards renewables.

“This work must be done very fast because the whole world is walking away from fossil fuels

due to the energy transition. The earlier you go to market, the better for you.

“We have seen a great potential for finding hydrocarbon in Nasarawa state. We are very

optimistic that it would be a successful exercise,” he had stated.

It is coming after the NNPC began prospecting for crude oil in more locations across the north, after discovering the commodity

Obaseki: We've Strong Business Case for Airport in Uzairue Report: Edo among top three states in Nigeria with 35% women representation in cabinet positions Adibe Emenyonu in Benin City The Edo State Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki has said the state government has a strong business case for the new airport proposed in Uzairue, Edo North Senatorial District of the State.

In a statement in Benin City yesterday, the state Commissioner for Communication and Orientation, Chris Osa Nehikhare, quoted Obaseki as having said the justification for the project stemmed from the increased commercial activities in the area occasioned by the operation of two mega cement

companies with a combined capacity of 9mta of cement production as well as the growing academic community in the area.

According to him, “The airport project in Uzairue, Etsako West Local Government Area, Edo North Senatorial District, is one of the major projects proposed by the Governor Godwin Obaseki-led administration. It is going to change a lot of things. We are very confident that the project is going to be realised."

He added that the governor was committed to the realisation of the project and was providing

the needed support required by the regulatory agencies to expedite action on approving all licences required for the commencement of the project.

He added: “It’s a given that safety is key for any aviation project.

So we are providing support to the agencies carrying out studies and other requirements to commence construction at the proposed site.”

Meanwhile, Edo State has been ranked among the top three states in Nigeria with 35 per cent women occupying cabinet positions in government, keeping in line with the National Gender Policy which

Afreximbank Offers Nigeria $350,000 Grant to Develop Inland Waterways, Facilitate Intra-AfricanTrade Emmanuel Addeh in Abuja The African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) in its role as a systemically important and market-failure bank for Africa has provided a grant of $350,000 to Nigeria in order to facilitate the movement of goods using navigable waterways in the country.

Afreximbank leveraged on its partnership with the Nigerian Export-Import Bank (NEXIM) to offer the country the funding support, a statement disclosed yesterday.

In this regard, a major milestone in the quest to unlock the huge potentials in transportation on Nigeria’s inland waterways was recorded recently with the unveiling of the Navigational Charts of the Lower River Niger by the Minister for Transportation, Mr. Mu’azu Jaji Sambo supported by, the Secretary

to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Mr. Boss Mustapha.

The statement from Afreximbank yesterday explained: “The Charting project was made possible by the grant from Afreximbank in recognition of the importance of inland waterways transportation and by extension, coastal waterways transportation, to its mandate of promoting Intra-African trade.”

Sambo, hailed the support from Afreximbank through the grant and reiterated the importance of water transportation as the most environmentally friendly mode of transportation with significant economic benefits, citing the example of the United States of America where 60 per cent of agricultural produce are moved through inland waterways.

He commended efforts of all the parties involved in the activity and

in Bauchi and Gombe states.

Some other prospective states where the NNPC is expected to discover oil include Niger, Sokoto, Borno, Yobe, Adamawa, among others.

made commitment to progressing the subsequent activities involved to make the movement of goods on the lower River Niger from the hinterlands to the coastal lands possible.

Afreximbank was represented at the event by its Manager, Trade Finance, Anglophone West Africa, Mr. Remigius Nwachukwu, who commended the leadership and vision of Prof. Benedict Oramah, President and Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Afreximbank towards the realisation of the project which falls clearly within the ambit of the mandate of Afreximbank in promoting, facilitating and financing intra- and extra-African trade.

Afreximbank also noted that existing African infrastructure was designed to carry African commodities to the global markets and not to facilitate intra-African trade. In

this context, Afreximbank decided to support the development of the maritime sector including inland waterways to ensure that there are efficient and cost-effective routes to facilitate intra-African trade under the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA).

“The launch of the navigational charts is following a Maritime Survey and Charting Project executed by the Sealink Consortium in collaboration with the Nigerian Navy, Nigeria Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA) and Neximbank which was financed through the grant from Afreximbank.

The Navigational Charting was undertaken by a wholly indigenous team from the Nigerian Navy and NIWA. “The Regional Sealink Project is a trade facilitation initiative designed to bridge critical logistics infrastructure gap toward facilitating

and deepening inland and intracoastal waterways operations.

“The charts provide information on navigable and restricted areas of the river channel as well as serve as a springboard to attaining a fully developed navigable channel.

“The Charting covered a distance of 456 km from Jamata, Lokoja to Burutu and have been approved by the International Centre for Electronic Navigational Charts having met International Hydrographic Organization’s standards. Although some more work like dredging and removal of identified wrecks are still expected to be done on the channel, navigational activities can commence with the use of the Charts which Mariners can obtain from the International Centre for Electronic Navigational Charts either in hard copy or electronic form,” the statement added.

stipulates 35 per cent Affirmative Action in Nigeria since 2006.

The report was released by InvictusAfrica, which measured Women’s Representation in African Politics (WRAPs) with a focus on Nigeria State Cabinets between 2019 to 2023.

In the report, Edo emerged as the only state controlled by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) with 35 per cent representation in government, with seven women appointees out of 20 cabinet positions, representing 35 per cent of the appointees.

The top two states were Kwara with nine out of 16 positions, representing 56 per cent of appointees and Kaduna, with nine out of 17 cabinet positions, representing 53 per cent of the state’s appointees.

InvictusAfrica said the cabinet positions considered comprise commissioners, Head of Service and Secretary to the State Government.

It added that, “Some States have more ministries than cabinet positions. Thus, some Ministries are jointly led by one Commissioner.

Where more than one state has the same percentage, ranking is alphabetically arranged.

“Kwara State ranks first and is the only State with a majority women cabinet and Kebbi State ranks last and is the only state with no female cabinet member.”

According to the report, the states least ranked are Kebbi with 0 women from 11 positions; Zamfara with one woman from 19 cabinet positions; Sokoto with 2 women from 24 cabinet positions and Yobe with 2 women from 22 cabinet positions.

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INVESTITURE CEREMONY...

L: R: President/Chairman of Council, Chartered Insurance Institute of Nigeria, Edwin Igbiti; 13th President, Institute of Loss Adjusters of Nigeria, Diipo Olanrewaju; Book Reviewer and MD/CEO, Heirs Life, Niyi Onifade; and Vice President, Institute of Loss Adjuster of Nigeria, Ike Udobi at the Investiture Ceremony of the 13th President of the Institute in Lagos… yesterday

To Boost Credit Economy, FG Moves to Address Lapses in Bankruptcy Act Templates for free trade, mutual recognition agreements ready Framework for conduct of import-injury investigations, others to be established James Emejo in Abuja The Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Mr. Niyi Adebayo, yesterday said efforts to address identified lapses in the existing Bankruptcy Act Chapter 30, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria (LFN) 1990, would commence with a national conference on bankruptcy and debt collection in May. The minister pointed out that the move which was in line with the

Trade Policy Action Plan 2022 – 2026 of the federal government, would help to develop an institutional and regulatory framework to regulate business behaviour, and ensure that only viable concerns continue to operate.

Speaking at the 3rd Trade Negotiation Skills (TNS) Simulation Course, which was organised by the Nigerian Office for Trade Negotiations (NOTN), in collaboration with the Overseas

Development Institute (ODI) and the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) of the United Kingdom (UK), Adebayo said the new framework would also include the establishment of debt collection offices in the 36 States of the federation, including the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

He said part of the objectives was to contribute to the creation of a modern 21st-century credit - economy for the benefit of produc-

ers, retailers, and consumers in the country.

Adebayo further disclosed that work had been concluded on the Nigerian Templates for Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) and Mutual Recognition Agreements (MRAs) for standards and professional qualifications.

He said the ministry would soon be presenting the draft templates to the Federal Executive Council (FEC) for consideration and approval.

Ex-NBS Boss, Kale, Urges Incoming Administration Not to Delay Reforms Forecasts 1.5% GDP growth for Q1 Nume Ekeghe A former Chief Executive Officer of the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), Dr. Yemi Kale, has urged the incoming administration to kick start its economic reforms immediately it assumes office, pointing out they don’t have the luxury of time like other new administrations who historically take about a year to settle before implementing economic policies.

Kale, who is currently a Partner and Chief Economist at KPMG Nigeria, also predicted that the Nigerian economy would grow by 1.5 per cent in the first quarter of 2023.

He said this yesterday, during an interview on the ‘Global Business Report,’ a programme monitored on ARISE News Channel, yesterday.

Kale, while speaking on his economic forecast, said: “I would be surprised if GDP grows more than two per cent in the first quarter.

I’m expecting 1.5 per cent and that is even assuming the oil sector picks up.

“But if the oil sector doesn’t pick up, it might be less than one per cent because the economy is significantly dependent on cash and the informal sector has a huge cash component even those that do transactions through electronic means also had challenges as well. “So, if I see anything more than two per

cent I would be really surprised.”

Speaking further on his advice to the incoming administration, he said: “Typically, in a transition year, the government has the luxury of slowing down activities, the outgoing administration winds down and the new incoming administration tries to settle into government.

“So, very little activities occur traditionally. But because of the previous macroeconomic and socio-economic challenges that the economy currently faces, they don't have the luxury of that time this time around.

“A new government is coming in, we've heard what they want to do and most of the things I've read sound pretty interesting and sound.

If it is done, then I think there are some positives for the economy.

I don't think those positives will be in 2023.”

Kale added: “I think that we have a chance to fix a lot of these macroeconomic and social imbalances and maybe also add that the global economy itself is going through a lot.

“But, that will be assuming the incoming administration focuses on the things that they say they want to do, they get the right people in the right places, give the people the free hands to do what they need to do, and access to the president so they can get things moving.

“It's not about selecting a very

intelligent minister, it's also about allowing that intelligent minister to work as well as giving him access.

If those three things are in place, we would see more positive change.”

Furthermore, he noted that the debate on subsidy should focus more on how to provide palliatives to the less privileged or a clear path and communication on its removal and its effect, stressing that there

would no viable economic reason for retaining fuel subsidies.

He said: “I don't like to look at these things by focusing on all the positives like those that want to remove subsidy will do and ignore or play down the negatives or those that don't want to focus on all the negatives.

Continues online

The minister further disclosed that the Federal Ministry of Justice had cleared the Bill for the establishment of the institutional and regulatory framework for the conduct of import-injury investigations; and the determination and implementation of trade remedies in Nigeria.

This, he noted, was long overdue legislation that would enable the country to take full advantage of its rights and obligations under the World Trade Organisation (WTO) agreements to protect its domestic industries from any unforeseen sudden surge in imports of foreign goods and/or unfair practices, particularly dumping and subsidies, by unscrupulous trading partners.

He added that the ministry would also be presenting the Bill to the FEC for consideration and approval.

Adebayo, also said arrangements were ongoing for the launch of the first National Trade Integration Study (NTIS) for Nigeria – to among other things, understand better the macroeconomic environment and the challenges to the country’s integration into the international economy; analyse the country’s performance with respect to trade in goods and services; evaluate the investment climate; identify

opportunities for trade in key sectors with export potential as well as assess institutional capacity.

The minister explained that the NTIS would aim to provide an empirical framework for mainstreaming trade into Nigeria’s development policies and strategies, thereby serving as the platform for a comprehensive trade integration strategy in the country.

He said it would further enhance the country’s productive capacity and ensure that it fully benefits from any market access opportunities that would be created through the negotiation of trade agreements.

He stressed that the ministry had kicked off the process for the comprehensive review of the Nigeria Industrial Revolution Plan (NIRP), focusing on the implementation structure, the forecasted targets, and the statutory institutionalisation of the plan to provide legal certainty for investors in the industrial sector.

According to him, the NIRP review exercise would enable the ministry to take onboard the new realities of the global economy and developments in the selected sectors, particularly with respect to the COVID-19 pandemic, the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), climate change and the rising trade and geo-political tensions.

Alleged Libel: INEC REC, Agbaje, Demands N250m, Retraction from Activist Wale Igbintade

The Independent National Electoral Commission's Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) for Lagos State, Mr. Segun Agbaje has asked an activist, Mr. Bolaji Akinyemi to retract what he described as a “libelous publication” written against his person.

Agbaje in a letter written by his lawyer, Mr. Gboyega Oyewole, demanded for apology and damages over a publication titled “Danger!

Segun Agbaje: Lagos INEC Rec: System-enabled Election Rigger?” allegedly written by the activist.

Akinyemi was alleged to have made libelous and defamatory

statements which besmirched the character and integrity of Agbaje, in a story published by Sahara Reporters, on February 12, 2023.

Agbaje who is also a former Assistant Director General (ADG) of the Department of State Service (DSS), consequently asked Akinyemi to publish, “a genuine and elaborate apology” in two major newspapers and online news outlets of the said libelous statements and publication within 48 hours of receiving the letter.

Akinyemi was also asked to make payment of N250 million, as damages for the malicious and false statements made against him.

The letter to Akinyemi read in part: "We are Solicitors to Mr.

Olusegun Agbaje, the REC of INEC, Lagos State, and a former ADG of the DSS on whose instruction we write in respect to the above subject.

"Our instruction is that you wrote a publication which was made available to the general public on 12th February, 2023, by Sahara Reporters, wherein you made libelous and defamatory statements about our client.

"In the said publication, you besmirched the character and integrity of our client, in the following terms: “Segun Agbaje was the head of INEC in Osun, the umpire who enable the people’s empire to be raided by a gang of political robbers who have hardly won any election free, fair

and square but ever having their way without the majority!

“Amid accusation of INEC in Lagos by the public for demanding state-owned identity cards before PVC registration and rejection of certain tribe for flimsy excuses without providing data, these allegations seem to be true if the revelation of Segun Agbaje that Igbos are immigrants from the South Eastern part of Nigeria is anything to go by.”

Consequently, Agbaje requested the retraction of the libelous statements and publication, as well as a genuine and elaborate apology in two major newspapers and online news outlets.

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COURTESY VISIT BY FBFT TO THE NCC...

L-R: Head, Corporate Communications, Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Nnena Ukoha; Director, Public Affairs, Reuben Muoka; Executive Director/Chief Executive Officer, Food Basket Foundation International (FBFT) and Chairperson, Safeguarding Online Civic Space Group, Dr. Funmi Akinyele; Project Officer, FBFT, Chidinma Okpara, and Head, Digital Media, NCC, Nafisa Rugga, during a courtesy visit by FBFT to the Commission in Abuja ... recently

World Bank: Global Economy’s 'Speed Limit' Set to Fall to 30-Year Low Urges countries to align monetary, fiscal, financial frameworks

Ndubuisi Francis in Abuja The global economy’s 'speed limit', the maximum long-term rate at which it can grow without sparking inflation, is set to slump to a three-decade low by 2030, the World Bank has stated in a new report, 'Falling Long-Term Growth Prospects: Trends, Expectations, and Policies.'

This comes as the Organisation for Economic Development and Cooperation (OEDC) has explained that persistent inflationary pressures in services and cost pressures from tight labour markets would require many central banks in the world to maintain high policy rates until well into 2024.

In its latest report, the World Bank stated that an ambitious policy push was needed to boost productivity and the labour supply, ramp up investment and trade, and harness the potential of the services sector.

The report, which offers the first comprehensive assessment of longterm potential output growth rates in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic and the Russian invasion of Ukraine, noted that these rates could be thought of as the global economy’s “speed limit.”

It laid out an extensive menu of achievable policy options, breaking new ground in several areas. It introduced the world’s first comprehensive public database of multiple measures of potential GDP growth—covering 173 economies from 1981 through 2021.

The report highlighted specific policy actions at the national level that could make an important difference in promoting long-term growth

prospects.

It urged different countries to align monetary, fiscal, and financial frameworks, adding that robust macroeconomic and financial policy frameworks could moderate the ups and downs of business cycles.

It also admonished policymakers to prioritise taming inflation, ensuring financial sector stability, reducing debt, and restoring fiscal prudence.

These policies, the report stated, could help countries attract investment by instilling investor confidence in national institutions and policymaking.

The World Bank report also underscored the need to ramp up investment in areas such as transportation and energy, climate-smart agriculture and manufacturing, as well as land and water systems, adding that sound investments aligned with key climate goals could enhance potential growth by up to 0.3 percentage point per year as well as strengthen resilience to natural disasters in the future.

The report equally prescribed cut in trade costs, stressing that trade cost, mostly associated with shipping, logistics, and regulations effectively double the cost of internationally traded goods today.

It stated: "Countries with the highest shipping and logistics costs could cut their trade costs in half by adopting the trade-facilitation and other practices of countries with the lowest shipping and logistics costs.

"Trade costs, moreover, can be reduced in climate-friendly ways—by removing the current bias toward carbon-intensive goods inherent in many countries’ tariff schedules and

by eliminating restrictions on access to environmentally friendly goods and services."

Also prescribed for countries was the need to capitalise on services, noting that the services sector could become the new engine of economic growth, saying that exports of digitally-delivered professional services related to information and communications technology climbed to more than 50 per cent of total services exports in 2021, up from 40 per cent in 2019. The shift could generate important productivity gains if it results in better delivery of services.

Increased labour force participation also featured as a recommendation in the report, which noted that half of

the expected slowdown in potential GDP growth through 2030 will be attributable to changing demographics—including a shrinking workingage population and declining labour force participation as societies age.

The report also underscored the need to strengthen global cooperation, explaining that international economic integration has helped to drive global prosperity for more than two decades since 1990, but has faltered.

"Restoring it is essential to catalyse trade, accelerate climate action, and mobilise the investments needed to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs),” it stated.

The new World Bank report was the first to assess how a range of short-term economic disruptions—

The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has said it would continue to consult stakeholders on issues affecting telecommunication services deployments and developments, in line with its culture of inclusiveness, collaboration and partnership as predicated in its strategic focus.

The Executive Vice Chairman (EVC) of the Commission, Professor Umar Garba Danbatta, who was represented by the Director of Public Affairs at NCC, Mr. Reuben Muoka, gave the assurance while receiving a delegation of Food Basket Foundation International (FBFI), led by its Chief Executive Officer, Funmi Akinyele, during a

courtesy visit to NCC Headquarters in Abuja, yesterday.

He affirmed the commission's commitment to strengthening regulation of the telecommunication sector, particularly providing the solid infrastructure and general industry regulations.

While commending the commission’s regulatory excellence, highlighting its effort in ensuring there are regulations, frameworks and guidelines to guard the telecoms sector and online civic space, Akinyele expressed concerns about the state of the social media with uncontrolled content.

She said the visit to the regulator was to explore areas of collaboration in its programme to protect the digital civic space by combating

steeper in the event of a global financial crisis or a recession, the World Bank said in the report.

The bank's Chief Economist and Senior Vice President for Development Economics, Indermit Gill, said: “A lost decade could be in the making for the global economy.

“The ongoing decline in potential growth has serious implications for the world’s ability to tackle the expanding array of challenges unique to our times—stubborn poverty, diverging incomes, and climate change. But this decline is reversible. The global economy’s speed limit can be raised—through policies that incentivise work, increase productivity, and accelerate investment.”

Diphtheria Outbreak: EU Allocates N75m to Combat Spread in Nigeria Michael Olugbode in Abuja The European Union (EU) has released €150,000 (N75 million) in humanitarian funds to prevent the spread of diphtheria and assist the most affected communities in the states of Kano, Katsina, Lagos, and Osun.

A statement yesterday, explained that the EU funding would enable the Nigerian Red Cross provide emergency assistance to reduce the impact of diphtheria on affected and

at-risk communities through risk communication, outbreak control activities, surveillance, patient referral and hygiene promotion, and early case detection in affected areas.

There has been significant increase in diphtheria cases in Nigeria since the beginning of the year.

According to the statement, humanitarian assistance would directly and indirectly target around 1,585,080 people, with particular focus on vulnerable

NCC Restates Commitment to Industry Collaboration, Inclusiveness Emma Okonji

such as recessions and systemic banking crises—reduce potential growth over the medium term.

It paints a disturbing trend that nearly all the economic forces that powered progress and prosperity over the last three decades are fading.

It stated that as a result, between 2022 and 2030 average global potential gross domestic product (GDP) growth is expected to decline by roughly a third from the rate that prevailed in the first decade of this centur, to 2.2 per cent a year.

For developing economies, it said the decline will be equally steep, from 6 per cent a year between 2000 and 2010 to 4 per cent a year over the remainder of this decade.

These declines would be much

misinformation and disinformation while mitigating risks to the digital civic space to ensure electoral integrity before, during and after the 2023 General Elections.

The initiative, according to her, comes under one of FBFI’s projects, dubbed, Safeguarding Digital Civic Space for Electoral Integrity (SDSEI).

Speaking further, Muoka informed the team that the commission is not responsible for the content of the social media as there are other government agencies that are responsible for that.

However, the commission has engaged in several aspects of protection of the users of the Internet, such as initiatives towards Child Online Protection, COP, deployment

of the Computer Security Incident Response Team, NCC-CSIRT, set up to monitor cyber-attacks in the Nigerian cyberspace, in addition to the activities of the Commission’s department of New Media and Information Security set up to address issued of cybersecurity, Muoka said.

“We have tried not to be a closed organization. We give lots of premiums to consultations and collaborations, especially in the areas that will ensure that the consumers and stakeholders understand what is going on and to make input that enriches the quality of regulations, as well as being able to access information they may require to safeguard themselves and the society,” he noted.

people at risk of diphtheria, those living in sheltered communities or hard-to-reach locations.

The funding was part of the EU's overall contribution to the Disaster Relief Emergency Fund (DREF) of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC).

The statement recalled that on January 20, 2023, the Nigerian Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) officially declared an outbreak of diphtheria in Kano and Lagos states after several suspected cases appeared a month earlier.

The disease then spread rapidly to other states. From 136 cases in the first week of 2023, the country recorded a total of 733 suspected cases and 89 fatalities.

The outbreak was described as one of the most serious occurrences in Nigeria in recent years with children aged between 5 and 18 years being the most vulnerable group.

Diphtheria is a highly contagious bacterial infection transmitted between humans. It causes an infection of the upper respiratory tract, which could lead to breathing difficulties and suffocation. Those most at risk are children and people who have not been fully vaccinated against the disease.

The EU, together with its Member States, is the leading donor of humanitarian aid in the world.

The relief assistance was an expression of EU’s solidarity towards people in need around the world. It aimed to save lives, prevent and alleviate human suffering and safeguard the integrity and human dignity of populations affected by natural disasters and man-made crises.

The EU through its Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid department helps millions of victims of conflicts and disasters every year.

Through its headquarters in Brussels and its global network of field offices, the EU provides assistance to the most vulnerable people based on humanitarian need alone.

The European Commission had signed a €3 million humanitarian delegation agreement with the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), to support the Federation's Disaster Relief Emergency Fund (DREF). Funds from the DREF are mainly allocated to 'small-scale' disasters, those that do not give rise to a formal international appeal.

The Disaster Relief Emergency Fund (DREF) was established in 1985 and is supported by contributions from donors. Each time a National Red Cross or Red Crescent Society needs immediate financial support to respond to a disaster, it can request funds from the DREF.

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WTO Report: Trade Facilitation Agreement Increased Commerce By over $230 Billion Oluchi Chibuzor The World Trade Organisation (WTO) Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA) has led to a $231 billion increase in trade, particularly in agriculture.

Disclosing this in a statement yesterday, the WTO stated developing members and leastdeveloped country (LDC) members that have made commitments under the landmark agreement posted the most gains, with the estimates suggesting so.

At the meeting, the Committee also considered notifications from members regarding TFA measures, presentations of national experiences and suggestions to enhance trade facilitation implementation, and specific concerns on customs

procedures.

Interestingly, the estimates further pointed to a 16-22 per cent increase in agricultural trade between developing members that had made TFA commitments.

The statement read in part: “Stronger increases for manufacturing trade may still be detected after more years of TFA implementation for developing members as well.

“The latest estimates are part of the Secretariat's ongoing work tracking the impact of the TFA. The TFA, which entered into force on 22 February 2017, contains provisions for expediting the movement, release and clearance of goods, including goods in transit.

“It also sets out measures for effective cooperation between customs and other appropriate

authorities on trade facilitation and customs compliance issues.

It further contains provisions for technical assistance and capacity building in this area.

“The TFA is the first WTO agreement in which developing members and LDC members can determine their own implementation schedules and seek to acquire

implementation capacity through the provision of related assistance and support. Developed members were required to implement all provisions of the TFA from its entry into force.

"As of 22 March 2023, notifications submitted by WTO members indicate that they have committed to implement 76.1 percent of TFA obligations."

Buhari Rejoices with Minister of State for Budget, Agba, at 59 Deji Elumoye in Abuja President Muhammadu Buhari has joined family, friends and associates of the Minister of State for Budget and National Planning, Mr. Clem Ikanade Agba, in celebrating his 59th birthday anniversary today.

The president, in a statement issued yesterday, by his Media Adviser, Femi Adesina, recognised the brilliance and innovativeness of

the public officer, who had served the nation in many capacities.

Buhari felicitated with Agba for dedicating his life to service of God, country and humanity, leaving his well-paid job at the private sector, to take up responsibilities as a Commissioner of Environment and Public Utilities and Ministry of Lands, Survey and Housing in Edo State, “where he made an indelible mark including setting up

the Edo Geographic Information Services (EGIS).”

Buhari affirmed the loyal and noble roles of Agba as a member of the Federal Executive Council (FEC) since August, 2019, where he has supervised national planning, early budget submission to the National Assembly and strengthening the Department of Monitoring and Evaluation in order to effectively drive the

National Monitoring and Evaluation process.

Buhari noted the kindheartedness of the minister, who set up the The Clem Agba Foundation (TCAF) to cater for the needs of vulnerable members of society, with great impact on funding of education and health for many.

The president prayed that the Almighty God will uphold Prince Agba and his family.

of the People's Democratic Party (PDP) having lost membership of the party, pending the hearing and determination of Motion on Notice already filed."

"The application is supported by a fifteen (15) paragraph affidavit to which is annexed three exhibits as Exhibits A1, A2 and B which are the Applicant's membership card of the 2nd defendant, receipts for payment of dues and a vote of no confidence passed on the 1st Defendant/Respondent by the Igyorov Council Ward of the 2nd Defendant in Gboko Local Government, Benue State.

"Upon hearing Mr. M. T. Assoh of Learned Counsel ably move the

application and upon a dispassionate consideration of the facts placed before me in the pool of the affidavit evidence, and again, upon the consideration of the issues distilled in the written address by M. T. Assoh of Learned Counsel, it is my candid view that this is a proper case to grant the interim injunction as craved.

"Consequently, this application is hereby granted in terms of the reliefs captured in the motion papers as herein before reproduced. It is so ordered.”

The suit was adjourned to 17/4/2023 for hearing, and signed

by Awuse Emmanuel Msughter, registrar of the court.

AYU: ONLY PDP NEC CAN SUSPEND ME, THOSE GOADING WARD EXCO ARE IGNORANT Chuks Okocha in Abuja National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Dr. Iyorchia Ayu, yesterday, reacted to his purported suspension by the executive committee of his ward in Igyorovo, Gboko Local Government Area of Benue State, saying it was of no effect as only the National Executive Committee (NEC) of the party that has the constitutional right to suspend him.

But the Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, has expressed support for Ayu’s suspension, saying ordinarily the national chairman should have left on his own volition without prodding, because he led the party to colossal failure.

This is as a Benue High Court, has restrained Ayu from parading himself as the national chairman of the party.

In a statement by his Special Adviser on Media and Communications, Simon Imobo-Tswam, Ayu reiterated that as national chairman and indeed, national officer, only the NEC of the party as contained in section 57(7] could suspend him.

"For starters, Article 57(7) of the PDP Constitution as Amended in 2017 expressly prohibits any organ of the party or executive committee of the party at the Ward or State Level from taking any disciplinary measure against any member of the party's National Executive Committee," he explained.

Accordingly, Ayu said the purported suspension is, "Therefore, an exercise in futility as it derives its strength majority from gross illiteracy, ignorance, gambling and

desperation. It has only mischief, drama and propaganda value.

"But more than this, the so-called suspension letter was written by an illiterate before hand, and only given to the coerced members to sign somewhere in Makurdi.

"This is why the original date is tippex and 24 March imposed on it. And this is also why it states that the presidential/NASS and Governorship/State Assembly elections held on 25th and 18th March, 2023 respectively.

“From what we know, the document itself is fraudulent as the signatures of the Ward Executives were forged or obtained under duress. The chairman, his deputy and legal adviser didn't sign. The 14th person on the list didn't sign too. She was at NKST Ambighir for the Holy Communion.

"In fact, the same applies for Nos. 5, 8 and 16. At the time, they were supposed to be in Makurdi with the other coerced, intimidated and induced members of the Exco; they were actually in their villages, going about their normal businesses," Ayu declared.

Speaking further, Ayu said, "Up till now, about nine members of the Ward Exco are still being held hostage in a location in Makurdi for obvious reasons. And expectedly, their mobile numbers have been switched off. It is instructive.

"The general public is hereby advised to ignore rumours to this heinous effect. Those behind the plot are only investing in expensive illusions," he stated Ayu said his purported suspension was the handiwork of those he

described as "some members of the Exco are only being teleguided by political gamblers to cause mischief and nothing more."

Nevertheless, the Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, has said he was in support of Ayu’s suspension.

Wike, who spoke on a television programme, stated that he supported the move because Ayu played a major role in the colossal failure of the PDP in the 2023 general election.

“First of all, if you are a member of the party, will you be happy with the way the party is today? It is only in this country that you see someone, who has failed woefully and without any conscience would still like to occupy the position,” he said.

He noted that in advanced countries, once as the head of the party, he had led the party to such colossal failure, he did not need anybody to tell him to quit honourably.

“So those in his ward from Benue are angry. Why are they angry before now? Ayu ought to have left that office. People were saying we were pushing for Ayu to leave and that we had a hidden agenda to make PDP fail.

“Ayu remained and PDP didn’t win. You lost your unit. As national chairman, you lost your ward; as national chairman, you lost your local government; as national chairman of the party, not only did you take a distant third in the presidential election, you also lost in the state gubernatorial election,” Wike explained.

A Benue High Court has

restrained Ayu from parading himself as the national chairman of the party.

The restraining order with particulars SUIT NO. MHC/85/2023.

MOTION NO. MHC/633M/2023 between Conrad Yerhide Utaan as the plaintiff and Senator Ayu, as plaintiff applicant and M. T. Assoh, Esq. for Plaintiff/Applicant J. Idu Court Clerk, dated March 27 2023, with Justice W.I. Kpochi presiding stated, "By this ex-parte application the Plaintiff/Applicant principally seek the order couched thus: "An order of interim injunction restraining the 1st defendant Senator Dr. Iyorchia Ayu from parading himself as the National Chairman

BORIS JOHNSON TO NIGERIA’S LEADERS: ALLOW PEOPLE FREELY CHOOSE THOSE TO LEAD THEM at Marriot Hotel, Ikeja, yesterday.

Mr. Bola Tinubu was recently declared winner in what had been described as a controversial presidential election.

Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC) had polled 8.8 million votes to defeat Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party and Peter Obi, who scored 6.9 million and 6.1 million, respectively, to emerge president in a disputed election that was heavily criticised by international observers.

Also, the governorship election that held thereafter recorded electoral violence, intimidation and suppression of voters in some state.

Owing to these, Johnson said the job of politicians was to create the condition in which the people would be able to unleash their potential.

ICC ACCEPTS PETITION AGAINST ONANUGA, OTHERS OVER ALLEGED INCITEMENT “Please note this acknowledgement letter does not mean an investigation has been opened, or that an investigation will be opened by the Office of the Prosecutor. As soon as a decision is reached, we will inform you, in writing, and provide you with reasons for this decision.”

The petitioner, Christian, had in his petition titled: "Request to Investigate the Election and PostElection Violence in Nigeria as Well as Incitement to Ethnic Hate by Mr. Bayo Onanuga" invited the Office of the prosecutor to conduct an investigation into series of ethnically motivated violence resulting in injuries and death during the just concluded presidential and governorship elections in Nigeria.

He alleged that Onanuga issued a threat on Twitter warning individuals from the Igbo ethnic group that 2023 should be the last time they would be interfering in Lagos politics.

According to him, promoting attacks against individuals from a particular ethnic group residing in a particular area was a clear violation of international law, adding that the international community must not only take action to prevent such acts from reoccurring but should also hold to account individuals involved in such international wrongdoing.

The petition was brought Pursuant to Article 15 of the Rome Statute and read: "Pursuant to art.15 of the

Rome Statute, please accept this communication to the International Criminal Court (the Court) requesting the Office of the Prosecutor to conduct an investigation into series of ethnically motivated violence resulting in injuries and death during the just concluded Presidential and Governorship elections in Nigeria.

"The European Union Election Observer Mission in Nigeria which observed both elections, in their interim report on 20th March 2023 noted multiple incidents of ‘organised violent attacks’ which resulted in ‘many casualties and fatalities.

"These incidents where the results of incitement to ethnic hatred by Nigerian politicians and their agents, who actively (directly and indirectly) incited groups of individuals to inflict harm on other individuals from a targeted ethnic group (the Igbo) as well as individuals who ‘look like’ people from that ethnic group.

"It is on record that prior to the elections, very influential individuals and politicians especially in Lagos, had publicly warned members of the Igbo ethnic group in Nigeria not to show up to exercise their constitutional rights to vote.

"While this complaint is not strictly about the deprivation of that right (which admittedly this Court has no jurisdiction), it is evident that in an effort to deprive members of this ethnic group of

their right to vote, these politicians and influential individuals incited ethnic hate that resulted in ‘many casualties and fatalities’ to individual from the Igbo ethnic group including those who ‘looked like them. Mr. Bayo Onanuga was clearly one of such persons.

"Following the completion of the governorship election Nigeria in which individuals from the Igbo ethnic group and others who ‘looked like them’ suffered ‘many casualties and fatalities’ especially in Lagos, Mr. Bayo Onanuga, a very influential journalist turned politician and now Director of Media and Publicity in ruling political party’s presidential campaign organisation issued a threat on Twitter warning individuals from the Igbo ethnic group that 2023 should be the last time they will be interfering in Lagos politics.

"Mr. Onanuga’s concept of interference arose from the legitimate act by individuals from the Igbo ethnic group in Lagos in exercising their constitutional right to vote anywhere in Nigeria. This statement was issued after individuals from this ethnic group have been attacked and killed in Lagos during the governorship election. The attacks continued after Mr. Onanuga’s tweet.

"What is more disturbing about Mr. Onanuga’s tweet is the threat of future harm to individuals from the Igbo ethnic group in future

elections in 2027,” the petitioner said, and also attached a copy of Onanuga’s alleged tweet which he claimed has been viewed over 5.5 million times.

He added: "Mr. Onanuga is a well-educated journalist and a prominent member of the ruling political party. His conduct in inciting ethnic hate, which fuelled election and post-election violence against individuals from the specific ethnic group, who were the target of his incitement needs to be investigated to prevent a repeat of what happened in Rwanda and Burundi in the 90s.

"Promoting attacks against individuals from a particular ethnic group residing in a particular area is a clear violation of international law. That violation falls within the jurisdiction of this Court, and the international community must not only take action to prevent such acts from reoccurring but should also hold to account individuals involved in such international wrongdoing.

"I, therefore, request this Court to investigate the conduct of Mr. Onanuga and other individuals in Nigeria, who directly and indirectly organised, incited, aided and abated the ethnically motivated election and post-election violence in Nigeria and take appropriate action to hold them responsible for their actions. This will prevent future conducts that will breach rules of international law."

Johnson explained: “Imagine the Russian police arresting Vladimir Putin? Can you imagine the Chinese police doing the same to Xi Zing Ping? It shows to me that the law is enforced in my country without fear or favour.

“Whether you are rich or poor, you will receive the same scrutiny and the same protection, the same protection in the UK that is the first and most crucial freedom and the precondition for economic growth and investment. “Freedom under the law. Freedom to live your life as you choose within the law, provided you do no harm to others. With extreme freedom and indispensable freedom is the right to choose those who govern you.

“You have the right to remove them and it's very precious, and it works. And it's under attack the whole time. Why did Vladimir Putin decide to launch his evil and criminal attack on Ukraine triggering the worst war in Europe 80 years?

It was because he could see that with the Ukrainians choosing a different path and going towards an open liberal democratic system as different from the one that he was committing the Russian people to, if Ukraine succeeded and align more closely with Western democracy, the Russian people will themselves demand change. That would be under threat.

“Why, by the way, do you think he miscalculated so bad? Why did he fail to foresee the heroic resistance of Ukrainians? I'm pretty proud of what the Ukrainians did.”

“If we care about human development, we would give everyone the chance to express the talents that the Lord has given them,” he added.

Besides, Johnson insisted that democracy still remains the best option for the people, adding that it was the fear that the Russian people may go the democratic way that forced Vladimir Putin to invade Ukraine.

He stressed the importance of human capital and how best to maximise the potential of the citizens.

He stated that government must ensure some criteria if it hopes to enhance human capital, in order to stimulate economic growth. These according to him include: Safety

and equality under the law; the right to choose and remove those who govern them; freedom to live as they wish provided within the law; guaranteeing a society that is open and without discrimination.

The Former British Minister also added the government should ensure a seamless and cost-effective transportation system in the state and provide qualitative education for both male and girl children to avoid the extinction of human talents.

He, therefore, called for further collaboration and synergy between Nigeria and Britain in order to tackle similar challenges together and do more together.

Speaking further, Sanwo-Olu, who was represented by the Deputy Governor, Dr. Kadri Obafemi Hamzat said: “We should not as a people undermine our society by always looking at our negatives, rebroadcasting our negatives and pushing down our positives.

“It is for us to understand that as a nation, we make mistakes but we must look at the good side and continue to build our nation.”

Sanwo-Olu added that until everyone was free from poverty, war and violence, “no one is free and the topic is a clarion call and challenge that must be taken up collectively by all of humanity, for all of humanity.”

Earlier in his remarks, the former Secretary General of the Common Wealth, Chief Emeka Anyaoku urged political leaders across the world to effectively pursue the theme of the lecture by making the comprehensive welfare of the people the bedrock of policies and actions that will make the world more habitable for everyone.

In his welcome address, the Coordinator General Osigwe Anyiam Osigwe Foundation, Charles Anyiam-Osigwe stated that the purpose of the organisation was to realise a better world order which could be made possible with the potential built-in man.

He noted that, “in earth-bound existence, whether in the development of the sciences, technology, architecture, environment, economics and economic policy, agriculture, industry, ethical sustainability, man is the factor in giving direction and determining the depth of development.”

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NEWS

ERNST AND YOUNG ENTREPRENEUR GALA NIGHT...

L-R: West Africa Regional Managing Partner, Anthony Oputa; Founder of Interswitch Group West African, Mitchell Elegbe; Minister of Trade and Investment, Otunba. Adeniyi Adebayo; CEO Nairametrics, Ugo Obichukwu; with Senior Partner Ernst and Young, Ashish Bakshi; during the Ernst and Young Entrepreneur Gala night in Lagos... recently

Current Political Rascality Threatening Nigeria's Democracy, Says Coalition Group Oluchi Chibuzor A coalition of five civil society organisations, has condemned the current political tension in the country describing it as, “a political rascality, irresponsibility, crudity, recklessness," which threatens the nation's democracy and national security.

They noted that they have watched recent events in the nation's polity with keen interest and had observed a negative trend since the end of the recently held 2023 general election.

Speaking at a press conference in Lagos, yesterday, on the outcome of the general election, on behalf of the coalition, the convener, campaign for Dignity in Governance, Razak Olokun, said current political class must not throw caution in the air.

He said enough of political rascality over the 2023 general elections, and urged all stakeholders to galvanise the nation into good

governance.

According to him, “We want to start by passing our warmest regards and salute to Nigerians for their commitment to the unity of Nigeria by coming out to express their democratic right in the just concluded general elections.

“Enough of political rascality over the 2023 general election. We in the civil society community have watched recent events in the nation's body polity with keen interest. We have observed this negative trend since the end of the recently held 2023 general election, notwithstanding the inconclusiveness of two states gubernatorial elections, with deep feeling of anger and disbelief regarding the effect that the country seems to be moving away from the path of sanity and civility to a steady descent to anarchy and chaos."

He maintained that due to this, “we as democrats, can no longer fold our arms and do nothing as

responsible stakeholders in the Nigerian project.

“For the purpose of emphasis, what the country has been passing through since the 2023 general election is nothing more than political rascality, irresponsibility, crudity, recklessness, insensitivity and treasonable acts which threaten our nation's democracy and national security.

“As you all know, we have been active players in Nigeria's political life since the days of military despotism in the 80's and 90's."

The coalition which include, Co-convener, Committee for the Protection of people's Mandate, Nelson Ekujumi; Co-convener, Center for 21st Century Issues, Titi Akosa; Co-convener, Movement for Democratic Change, Raji Oyewumi; Co-convener, Center for Human and Socio-economic Rights, Alex Omotehinse, said Nigeria remains a project for all.

They noted that they have been very active since their tertiary educa-

tion days as young adults till now noting that the Nigeria they hoped for remained a proverbial eldorado.

The group also noted that, “For the avoidance of doubt, our series of advocacy have brought us to

follow in the footsteps of leading lights in the civil society movement such as the likes of Chief Gani Fawehinmi, Beko Ransome Kuti, Anthony Enahoro, Baba Omojola, Alfred Ilenre, Chima Ubani, Admiral

NEMA Distributes Saudi King's Food Items to 500 Kano Households Ibrahim Shuaibu in Kano The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) has commenced the distribution of food items donated by King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Centre (KSrelief) to 500 vulnerable households in Kano State.

The Director-General of the agency, Mr. Mustapha Habib, disclosed this yesterday, while flagging off the distribution in line

with the provision of humanitarian service to persons that had been impacted by natural and human induced disasters.

Habib, who was represented

by NEMA Planning Research and Forecasting, Hajiya Fatima Kassim, said the donation was timely considering that it was during the holy month of Ramadan.

"The 500 affected by disaster in Bunkure communities and other local governments of Kano State

Alleged N1.4bn Fraud: Court Orders Interim Forfeiture of Properties, $50,000 Linked to Maize Growers' President, Edwin Wale Igbintade Justice Tijjani Ringim of the Federal High Court sitting in Lagos yesterday granted an order of interim forfeiture of seven properties, three vehicles and $50,000 cash belonging to the National President of the Maize Growers, Processors and Marketers Association of Nigeria (MAGPAMAN) Prof. Uche Chigozie Edwin Justice Ringim made the order sequel to an application filed and argued by counsel to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) Chineyenwa Okezie, who informed the court that the EFCC traced the properties to Edwin and that it reasonably suspected that the defendant acquired them with the proceeds of an unlawful activity.

The EFCC prosecutor prayed the court for an order, "directing the publication in any widely circulated national newspaper to enable any interested party appear before the court to show cause within 14 days why the final order of forfeiture of the properties should not be made in favour of the federal government of Nigeria.”

The properties are a fourbedroom detached duplex at House 13, Road 2, Setraco at Gwarinpa II Estate, Abuja, purchased at the sum of N120 million, all the property

situated at plot 284a, road 7, No.11 Okeikpe Street, Aladinma Housing Estate, Owerri, Imo State; a plot of land situated at Mkporo Isiojabi, at Umuofor Eziobo, Eziokele Autonomous Community, Owerri West, Imo State; a plot of land known as Okwu-odajuruba (Njikatu) at Umunbiakwa, Umudukwo, Umuagwo in Ohaji/Egbema LGA Of Imo State Others included a plot of land known as Ishiawom Farmland at Umunebo Obokwu Obinze, Owerri West LGA in Imo State; three Toyota Hilux worth N34, 010, 500 and cash sum of $50,000.

Justice Ringim also ordered interim forfeiture of N1,473,367,046.04 kept in different bank accounts belonging to different firms.

The EFCC prosecutor argued that the court had the statutory powers under the provisions of Section 17 of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Related Offences Act, 2006 to grant the reliefs.

Granting the prayers, Justice Ringim held: "I have perused the motion and affidavit with the written address just adopted by learned Silk for the Applicant.

"I'm satisfied with all the averment in the affidavit. Consequently, prayers one and two are hereby granted."

On March 16, the anti-graft

agency had arraigned Edwin and three of his firms - Visionary Integrated Consulting Limited, NEMAD Associates Limited and Revamp Global Enterprise - before Justice Nicholas Oweibo on an 11-count charge of conspiracy, retention and conversion of funds to the tune of N1, 473,367,046.04.

The EFCC alleged that the money belonged to maize growers and marketers, adding that the defendants committed the offences "sometime in 2021 in Lagos."

One of the counts on the charge claimed they, "conspired to use the sum of N1, 473,367,046.04 property

Ndubuisi Kanu, Cmdr. Dan Suleiman, Alao Aka Bashorun, Hajiya Gambo Sawaba, Ola Oni, Arthur Nwankwo, Prof Jadesola Akande, Alhaja Raliat Daniju, all of blessed memory.”

of the Maize Growers, Processors and Marketers Association of Nigeria (MAGPAMAN), which sum you reasonably ought to have known forms part of the proceeds of your unlawful activity to wit: fraud; and you thereby committed an offence, contrary to Section 18(a) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) (Amendment) Act, 2012 and punishable under Section 15(3) of the same Act.” He added that Central Bank of Nigeria disbursed through Ecobank Plc a facility in the sum of N10, 005, 614, 954.74 billion, on behalf of 54, 837 farmers in 36 states in

Nigeria including the Federal Capital Territory, code named ‘MAGPMAN FARMERS’, He averred that Ecobank Limited has so far disbursed a total sum of N8, 557, 606, 253.13 to the input suppliers/service providers in tranches under instructions of MAGPAMAN, adding that the respondent was one of the directors of Visionary Integrated Consulting Limited, a company to which he awarded contracts to without following the modalities for the selection of their vendors, and also used to launder funds gotten illegally.

were profiled by NEMA in collaboration with Kano State Emergency Management Agency(SEMA).

"Each household will get a total of 59.8kg of food items which include rice 25kg, beans 25kg, masa Vita flour 4kg, tomato paste two kg, vegetable oil two liters and Salt 0.8kg" According to him, NEMA in collaboration with KSrelief between 2018 and 2021 donated food baskets to 8,050 IDPs in Borno, Yobe and Zamfara states.

"The food items will go a long way in contributing the recovery process of the beneficiaries that have been impacted by the insurgency," he added.

He commended King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Said, the crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammad bin Salman the Manager KSrelief as well as good people of Saudi Arabia for the continued concern and support.

In his remarks, the Deputy Consul General of Saudi Embassy Kano, Nawaf Muhammad, said the donation was to cushion the difficulties the beneficiaries are facing and pledges to continue with the gesture.

Abdulaziz Muhammad, speaking on behalf of the beneficiaries commended the agency and KSrelief for the gesture and called for sustainability of the program.

Tinubu Calls for Prayers, Thanksgiving to Mark 71st Birthday Adedayo Akinwale in Abuja The President-elect, Bola Tinubu, has directed that special prayers and thanksgiving service be held tomorrow, Wednesday, instead of the yearly birthday colloquium to mark his 71st birthday.

Tinubu, in a statement yesterday by his Media Aide, Tunde Rahman, said the special prayers would be held in Lagos and in other parts of the country.

The president-elect indicated that for the main event in Lagos, special

prayers would be offered at the Central Mosque in each of the five divisions in the state including the Central Mosque, Alausa, Ikeja, adding that during the prayer sessions, special prayers would be offered for the peace, unity and progress of Nigeria.

Also to receive prayers among others were President Muhammadu Buhari and the First Lady, Aisha Buhari, Tinubu and his wife, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, Vice President-elect Senator Kashim Shettima and Hajia Nana Shettima,

Governor Babajide Sanwo-olu, other state governors, as well as members of National and State Houses of Assembly.

According to an announcement by the organisers of the prayer sessions issued by Imam Akeem Kosoko, the session at Alausa Central Mosque would begin at 10am on Wednesday and would include delivery of sermons and reading from the Holy Quran.

Tinubu said this year would be the third in recent times the birthday colloquium would not

hold in deference to developments in the country.

In 2020, the 12th edition of the colloquium marking Tinubu 68th birthday was put off to empathise with those who lost their lives or affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Last year, the birthday symposium was also called off by Tinubu right at the venue of the event when news emerged of the terror attack on the Abuja-Kaduna train in which several persons died and many others abducted.

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NEWS

NEW BLOCK OF OBSTETRICS AND GYNAECOLOGY FOR LUTH...

L-R: Acting CMD, LUTH, Prof. Wasiu Adeyemo; former GM, External relations and Sustainable Development, Nigeria Liquified Natural Gas Limited, Mrs. Eyono Fatayi-Williams; Minister of State for Health, Hon. Ekumankama Joseph Nkama; former Board Member, NLNG Ltd; Dr Mrs Cordelia Agboti, Board Chairman, LUTH, Alhaji Isa Bello Sali and GM, Finance, NLNG, Mr. Alkali Bashir during the commissioning of Block C (Obstetrics and Gynaecology PHOTO: ABIODUN AJALA Wards) of the Lagos University Teaching Hospital, ldi Araba renovated and equipped by NLNG as part of it's sustainable development program in Idi Araba, Lagos ...yesterday.

Elections: Police Move to Prosecute 781 Electoral Offenders, Record 489 Infractions

IG says security forces will not tolerate incitement, acts capable of threatening national security Warns political actors, supporters Meets with DIGs, AIGs, CPs to review election performance

Kingsley Nwezeh in Abuja The police high command said yesterday disclosed that plans were afoot to commence the prosecution of 781 electoral offenders from 489 infractions recorded in the last general elections.

Speaking at a meeting with the Deputy Inspector-Generals

of Police (DIGs), Assistant Inspectors-General of Police (AIGs) and Commissioners of Police (CPs) in the 36 States and FCT, the Inspector-General of Police, Usman Baba, also warned that security forces would not tolerate incitement or acts capable of threatening national security.

At a meeting held at the

Defence Minister, Irabor Mourn Diya Kingsley Nwezeh in Abuja The Minister of Defence Maj Gen Bashir Magashi, (rtd) yesterday described the death of the former Chief of General Staff, Lt Gen Oladipo Diya (rtd) as a monumental loss to the military constituency and the nation at large.

In the same breath, the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), Gen Lucky Irabor expressed sadness over the sudden death of the former second- in-command to late military Head of State, Gen Sani Abacha.

Gen Diya, who was also the fifth chief of defence staff died on Sunday, March 26, 2023.

The minister mourned Diya, who died at the age of 79.

He condoled with President Muhammadu Buhari, the people of Ogun State, late Diya’s family, friends and associates in Nigeria and the diaspora.

"The military constituency has lost one of its finest and best retired senior officers at a time when his wisdom and wealth of experience are much needed most", he said.

The defence minister, who served as member of the Provisional Ruling Council (PRC), where Diya was second-in-command to General Sani Abacha, described his contributions to national development as indelible.

While recalling that his path crossed with the late Diya in several ways while in the military said they were both alumnus of the faculty of Law Ahmadu Bello University Zaria where they bagged LLB. The minister prayed to God for the repose of the soul of the deceased whom he said will be missed greatly as a great nationalist, who dedicated his life to serving the nation.

He also prayed God to grant his family and the entire nation the fortitude to bear the irreparable and irreplaceable loss.

Meanwhile, in his condolence message, the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), Gen Lucky Irabor, expressed sadness over the sudden death of the former second- in-command to late military Head of State, Gen Sani Abacha.

Force Headquarters, Abuja, he assured of effective collaboration with the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to ensure expeditious prosecution of offenders.

He maintained that there would be, "effective collaboration with the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to expeditiously and transparently prosecute the 781 electoral offenders apprehended from a total of 489 major electoral

infractions across the nation, as all commands were tasked with submitting Case files centrally at the electoral offences desk at the Force Headquarters, Abuja, for coordinated processing to INEC legal section."

He warned all political actors and their supporters to submit to democratic norms, peaceful means, and legal procedures in advancing their interests as the police and other security agencies shall not tolerate the resort to incitement

The National Population Commission (NPC), has reassured Nigerians of its resolve to conduct a transparent and credible head count in this year’s national population census.

The Chairman of the 2023 Census Standing Committee, Dr. Ipalibo Harry, gave the assurance yesterday, while addressing journalists shortly after inaugurating the Rivers State Chapter of the Census Publicity Committee at a workshop for members of the commission on census operations and processes in preparation for the 2023 population and housing census in Port

Harcourt.

Harry, who is also the Federal Commissioner, Representing Rivers State at the National Population Commission, said the 2023 census would be different from the previous ones that were reportedly marred by controversies, stressing that the processes will be digital or electronically and not manual.

He noted that technology would make it difficult for anyone to manipulate the exercise, adding that the entire country and the census questionnaires had been mapped out to direct the enumerators on how to conduct the census.

"We assure Nigerians that the census of 2023, will be real, it will

routine law enforcement duties.

The police chief commended the senior police officers and commanders and other ranks for their resilience, sacrifices, and professionalism which, "ensured the containment of the pockets of election security breaches across the country during the electioneering process and enhanced the overall credibility of the elections in line with the police reform initiatives of President Muhammadu Buhari."

Bauchi Police Denies Attack onYakubu’s Residence Segun Awofadeji in Bauchi

The Bauchi State Police Command, has declared that news making the rounds, alleging that the house of the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, in Bauchi was under attack by hoodlums, was fabricated and false.

The command stated that its attention was drawn to a viral video in sections of the media purporting that the residence of the INEC chairman was attacked in Bauchi by some "angry Nigerians."

PPRO of the command, SP Ahmed Wakili, in a statement, weekend, stated: "We wish to clarify that such an incident never occurred in the state as the report is fake and should be disregarded by Nigerians.

"Being mindful of the negative impacts of disinformation on public peace, and security, particularly

during the post-election period, the Commissioner of Police, CP Aminu Alhassan, has immediately ordered a discreet investigation to unravel the origin of the viral video and to bring anyone found behind the fabrication of the video to face the wrath of the law."

not be imaginary. The figures we got in 2006 were not real figures.

This time around, figures that will emerge from the exercise is going to be real figures, because we need the real data to do real planning.

“This census is going to be different from past censuses. It is going to be digital. In previous ones, we see cases where communities come together, agree on what they want, get people around and get them to thumbprint, and add their numbers, but this one will be different, the total count cannot be influenced.

"We have mapped out the whole country to know the total number of EAs that are in every ward and every community. And that is the

“For the sake of emphasis, the Command wishes to unequivocally state that there was no attack of any nature on the residence of the INEC Chairman and in Bauchi in general," he stated.

Members of the public were, therefore, enjoined not to panic

and that the viral video should be disregarded in its entirety.

The Command also warned and urged members of the public to jettison such habit of either fabricating or feasting on fake news and eschew such unprofessional conduct of journalism and society at large.

FG Unveils Federal Public Service Entrepreneurship Programme Olawale Ajimotokan in Abuja The federal government yesterday in Abuja launched the Federal Public Service Entrepreneurship Programme (FPSEP), to prepare workers for life after retirement.

The Head of Civil Service of the Federation, Dr. Folasade

NPC Reassures Nigerians of Credible Population Census Blessing Ibunge in Port Harcourt

or any act designed to threaten our national security".

The IG said the meeting was convened to evaluate the performance of the Nigeria Police during the 2023 general election as well as highlight lessons and strengths and dissect complex dynamics for subsequent optimal performance.

Baba charged the senior officers to readjust strategies and operations towards ensuring a stable post-election security order and refocus policing attention on

reason it will be difficult for anyone to falsify, or tamper with the figures.

"There are so many peculiarities in this year's census. It will no longer be exactly as it used to be because, all EAs (from the states, LGAs and Ward levels) are in the device and will be adequately followed up because, they are receptor for the population. And that strongly restricts manipulation and that is part of the reason for our continuous training at different levels."

Noting that citizens could be counted for their states at their various work place or states of residence, Harry also solicited for cooperation from Nigerians to achieve a successful census.

Yemi-Esan, said her dream was for the emergence of a skillful and more productive workforce that would contribute meaningfully to the development of the country as employees as well as employers of labour within the provisions of extant rules.

Yemi-Esan, who was represented by the Permanent Secretary of the Service Welfare Office, Dr. Ngozi Onwudiwe, tasked civil servants to plug the knowledge garnered from their training at FPSEP into agriculture and other business ventures that would enable them to create multiple sources of income for self-sustenance while in service and after exiting the service.

She encouraged the trainees to take advantage of these laudable programmes and ensure they get maximum value for money invested by their respective organisations to develop their human capital.

Yemi- Esan said the setting up of the agripreneurship start-up scheme was premised on the provisions of Section 2(b) Part 1 of the Fifth Schedule of the 1999 Constitution of Nigeria, which permits Nigerian public servants to engage in farming while in service.

A pre-retirement training and business start-up scheme was also incorporated into the FPSEP which was a sub-initiative of one of the six pillars of the Federal Civil Service Strategy and Implementation Plan 2021 - 2025 (also known as FCSSIP 25).

The pre-retirement training and business start-up scheme tailored towards preparing public servants for life post-service by providing opportunities for them to acquire new skills for new career choices.

According to her, the public service entrepreneurship programme was developed out of the need to pay greater attention to the welfare of the public servants who constituted the administrative machinery for implementing government policies and programmes.

She stressed that some aspects of the programme create window for those in service to earn supplementary income to improve their quality of life, enable those retiring to cope with life after service while at the same time contributing to the development of the other sectors of the economy and by implication increase the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of the country.

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OPI NION

OPI NION

LAGOS AND THE POLITICS OF NATIVISM

BBC News Pidgin can be better done, reckons PAUL NWABUIKWU

The militarisation of nativism in Lagos sends negative signals to investors, argues JIDEOFOR ADIBE

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THE IMPUNITY OF ‘GO TO COURT’ JOSEF OMOROTIONMWAN beckons the court to right the wrongs committed during the elections

See page 19

EDITORIAL Illicit guns in the Lake Chad Basin

See page 20

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opinion@thisdaylive.com

www.thisdaylive.com

See page 19

Tuesday 28 March, 2023 Vol 27. No 10212.

DEAR BBC PIDGIN, BAD SPELLING IS NOT PIDGIN

ast week, following the latest legal victory of Isiaka Adeleke, the ebullient helmsman of Osun State, BBC Pidgin posted an arresting photo of the “dancing governor” on its Twitter handle. Adeleke was holding a microphone, in a face cap, right hand raised and a determined, triumphant expression, rather than the usual saccharine smile on his face. The photo had a visual punch. It captured a moment that synchronized nicely with the announcement of Adeleke’s triumph at the Appeal Court.

But even more arresting than the photo was the caption that accompanied it. “Appeal Court uphold election of Ademola Adeleke as govnor of Osun State”, it said. Before I saw the BBC Pidgin logo, I thought that the caption was a poorly-edited job from the BBC’s more famous “Queen’s English” and “Received Pronunciation” headquarters in Bush House, London. But it wasn’t.

The concoction of “big grammar” and deliberate bad spelling is just one more example of BBC Pidgin’s rather odd conception of pidgin English, Nigeria’s true lingua franca and the linguistic thread that holds the nation together.

As I said in a subsequent Twitter engagement, the BBC Pidgin headline is actually a parody of pidgin, not the real thing. And that’s a real shame.

Pidgin, a hybrid of English and our local languages whose roots can be traced to the Atlantic slave trade but which fully came into its own after the amalgamation of the Northern and Southern Protectorates in 1914, despite its popular association with humour and skits, is no joke. It has earned the right to be treated with respect, no less than “Queen’s English”. Pidgin English, along with Highlife music, is perhaps one of the most powerful expressions of Nigerianness and the feisty Nigerian spirit that have attracted global popularity and notoriety. Both were produced in the hot house of British colonialism when millions, in communities within the boundaries now known as Nigeria, were forced out of their ancient lands into urban centers in pursuit of the interests of the British Empire.

Pidgin English started out as a practical solution to a practical problem: how to communicate and engage despite OLQJXLVWLF GLͿHUHQFHV LQ WKH FRORQLDO %DEHO It eventually morphed into a rich, soulful vehicle which captured not only everyday meaning, but also the energy and creativity of the peoples of the new nation. It served

for pidgin English speakers and writers is to avoid words that uneducated or poorly educated people, statistically its original DQG FXUUHQW RZQHUV ZRXOG ÀQG GL΀FXOW $OZD\V EHVW WR NHHS LW simple.

And that is why the BBC Pidgin approach, captured in the recent headline, needs to change. It is a less than rigorous style that treats pidgin as decoration, a mere ornament. And by the way, it is QRW D RQH RͿ H[DPSOH +HUH LV D short list of some recent headlines: as a tool for mobilization and expression RI SROLWLFDO GHÀDQFH DJDLQVW WKH FRORQLDO overlords, a medium for socializing across ethnic boundaries and the eternal dance of the sexes, and a repertoire of old wisdoms and new ideas forged out of common experiences.

It is no surprise that pidgin English, garnished by colourful cousins from other parts of Africa and the Caribbean became the language of the Nigerian street and of Highlife music and its many variants. It was subsequently adopted by Afrobeat, the genre that captured, in less sentimental fashion, the gritty social and political realities of the lives of ordinary people, whose interest was the life-long passion of Fela Anikulapo-Kuti, a child of privilege who became a musical champion of the downtrodden.

Though still primarily a child of the Nigerian street, pidgin English now wears hoodies and sneakers, and prances the stage with American rappers which is ÀWWLQJ EHFDXVH UDS LV DOVR D FKLOG RI WKH American street, the ghettoes in which poverty and popular culture exist side by side. Nigeria’s young musicians have taken the world by storm and their fans across the globe dance to pidgin lyrics

by Burna Boy, Wizkid, Rema, P-Square, Davido, Kaycee and Flavour.

Pidgin, once viewed with contempt by previous generations of educated Nigerians, has acquired a certain glamour and is now the hip vehicle of Nigeria’s music and identity. The 100m or so Nigerians who speak it remain its bastion but it is making progress across the world, breaching the barricades of the world’s entertainment hotspots.

But its heart remains local and very Nigerian. It is important to clarify that pidgin English is NOT an exotic device for entertaining educated persons who are bored with regular news. It is much more than that. To capture the spirit and meaning of something in pidgin English, one must go deeper than mangling a few words. In fact, a good rule of thumb

“Meet Alex Otti wey dislodge 24 year reign of PDP for Abia state” “Video show last moments of man wey die for US Police custody” “At least 23 pipo die as tornado rip through Mississippi” “State by state breakdown of 2023 governorship election results” “Kane and Saka lead England comfortable victory over Ukraine”

to

Like the Adeleke headline, these and other examples are obviously written by people who either don’t really understand Pidgin English or don’t have the interest or time to do a better job. The words “dislodge”, “last moments… police custody”, “rip through”, “state by state breakdown of governorship election results” and “comfortable victory over Ukraine” are plainly regular news words adjusted slightly to produce something that bears a tenuous resemblance to real pidgin English. A little more knowledge DQG HͿRUW ZLOO KDYH SURGXFHG EHWWHU results.

For instance, the Adeleke headline could have done without the “heavy grammar” word “uphold” to produce something less jarring. Two possible alternatives: “Adeleke don win Oyetola for Appeal Court” and “Appeal Court say na Adeleke win govanor for Osun”. “Confam”, a pidgin derivative that has become more popular in recent years could also have replaced “uphold”.

Let’s end this with the words of that unforgettable pidgin English icon, the great Boma Erekosima of Radio Rivers fame: “My people, advice no be curse o”.

Nwabuikwu is a member of THISDAY Editorial Board

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T H I S D AY ˾ TUESDAY MARCH 28, 2023

POLITICS

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

2023 Poll Amid Ethnic and Religious Sentiments Udora Orizu x-rays the recent assertion by the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila, that this year’s presidential and national assembly poll was characterized by ethnic and religious sentiments rather than competence.

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ast week, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila opined that the just concluded presidential and national assembly elections were mainly about ethnicity and religion rather than performance and competence of the candidates.

The Speaker who made the assertion when the House of Representatives Press Corps visited him in his office, lamented that the National Assembly elections in particular was determined by factors besides the performance of the lawmakers.

He said, “It was a hard won battle not just for me but for many of our colleagues on the floor there. All 360 of us. Many were unlucky. Some were lucky. I used the word ‘lucky’ deliberately because this election was not as it should be, not so much about the performance of members whether on the floor or in their constituencies.

It was about a lot of other things. It was about religion. It was about ethnicity. It was about so many other things which I hope that as we develop as a nation, one’s election would be based solely, or at least mostly on his or her performance on the floor and in the constituency.

“That is what I hope would happen as we move along and that is why he mentioned the Electoral Act that was just passed. That is why I fought tooth and nail to make sure the Electoral Act adopted strictly the direct mode for primaries because of elections. So we lost a lot of legislators even at the primaries level, and that does not help our democracy. So hopefully moving forward, we would perfect that document, the Electoral Act, which many people have celebrated but still not perfect

Gbajabiamila

yet. Hopefully we would be able to perfect it.”

The above opinion can be seen to be true as every election season politicians tend to exploit tribal loyalty to advance personal gain, parochial interests and cronyism.

As a big country, Nigeria is well endowed with both human and material resources, but, unfortunately, is largely divided along ethnic and religious lines.

On a normal day, the citizens are loving and have nothing against each other on issues of religion or tribe.

But at any given opportunity such as the election campaign

Onanuga

season, politicians exploited these two factors, whipping up sentiments and thereby creating disaffection and ill-feeling.

Instead of issue-based campaigns which define politicking in civilized societies, the political candidates over here, while talking to the electorate, hit at their weakest points which are religion and ethnicity.

Rather than compete on the basis of development ideas, they revert to tribal identities as foundations for political competition. This now turns the contest to a “war of where is the candidate from and their religious belief”.

During the campaign season last year, and despite signing the peace accord, some leaders and supporters of the ruling All Progressive Congress and main opposition People’s Democratic Party were primarily focused

on pursuing their tribal interests rather than issue- based campaigns.

For instance, the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar, said the North as an ethnic bloc, did not need Yoruba or Igbo to lead Nigeria as president. Rather, he said, they need a panNigerian, which he claimed to be.

He made the remarks while responding to a question posed to him by the spokesman of the Northern Elders Forum, NEF, Hakeem Baba-Ahmed, during an Interactive Session with Arewa Joint Committee held in Kaduna State.

According to Atiku, Northerners need to vote for him rather than a Yoruba or Igbo candidate because he was a Pan-Nigerian with a northern extraction that had built bridges across the country.

His words, “What the average Northerner needs is somebody who’s from the north who also understands that part of the country and has been able to build bridges across the country. This is what the Northerner needs, it doesn’t need a Yoruba or Igbo candidate, I stand before you as a Pan-Nigerian of northern origin.”

In the same vein, APC presidential candidate, Ahmed Bola Tinubu, told the Yoruba who gathered for the inauguration of the new governor of Ekiti State, Biodun Oyebanji, that they should disregard Atiku Abubakar of the PDP and Peter Obi of Labour Party (LP) since these are not their kinsmen.

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

APC Trounces PDP in Ondo Assembly Election Fidelis David reports that violence was reported during last Saturday’s House of Assembly poll with the All Progressives Congress winning 22 out of the 26 seats in the Sunshine State of Ondo.

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ndo is one of the eight states where governorship election did not hold on Saturday because the incumbent Governor, Mr Oluwarotimi Akeredolu will complete his second term in office in 2024.

Last Saturday, voting was generally peaceful in parts of the state during the House of Assembly until a police officer whose identify is yet to be ascertained and another resident of Idanre, in Idanre Local Government Area of the state, were hit by stray bullets.

The Bloody Clash in 2019 Similar tragic incident came into play in the March 9, 2019 House of Assembly election in the state, where six persons, including a member of National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) died during the election across the state.

The dead included two suspected thugs that were shot dead while they attempted to overrun the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) collation centre in Oba-Akoko area of the state.

Destruction of Ballot Boxes in Ute On the latest incident, the cause of the shooting

was yet to be ascertained as at the time of filing in this report but there were reported cases of snatching of ballot boxes in the area.

At Ute, in Ose Local Government Area of the state, THISDAY gathered that some thugs hijacked and destroyed ballot boxes and other voting materials at nine voting points during the state Assembly election.

THISDAY gathered that the voting points where ballot boxes were destroyed included 1, 2, 3, 6, 8, 10, 12, 14 and 15, of Ward 12 at Ute. According to eyewitness who preferred anonymity, the thugs stormed all the nine units to destroy the ballot boxes having realised the direction at which the voters were casting their votes. It was also learnt that the thugs belonging to a political party had earlier threatened the voters that any attempt to vote for the other political parties in the area would be resisted by all means. Despite the threat, voters were said to have cast their votes for the other political party

hence the destruction of ballot boxes.

The source added that some INEC officials were also attacked on their way to the collation center and ballot papers and other election materials in their custody were destroyed.

The Arrests of Suspect, Recovery of Pump Action, Cartridges Swiftly, the Police Public Relations Officer in the state, Funmilayo Odunlami-Omisanya, confirmed the attack on the police officer, saying “the suspect involved in the shooting at Idanre has been arrested while a pump action with two live cartridges were recovered”.

Responding to the snatching of ballot boxes in Ute, the Police image maker said, “No info from that side that there is a problem”.

She said the Command under the leadership of Oyeyemi Oyediran arrested suspects involved in various offences on election day, in different parts of the state with some currently with the military.

According to her: “They were arrested in connection with cases of unlawful possession of firearm, snatching of ballot boxes, attempted murder and serious assault. All cases relating to electoral offences will be harmonized and would

be dealt with in accordance with the Electoral Act after completion of investigation. The Command appreciates the collaboration of sister agencies and that of the law abiding citizens in the state for the maintenance of law and order through out the election period”.

Low Turnout of Voters Meanwhile, apathy marred the Assembly election held across the 3,933 polling units and 203 political wards across the 18 local government areas of the state.

It was observed that many residents of the state failed to exercise their franchise as many of the polling centres were deserted, particularly in Akure, Ore, Ondo, Ikare, Igbara-Oke and Isarun.

For instance at unit 64, ward 05, in Ilula-Sijuade, in Akure South LGA, where the total number of registered voters was above 500, only 52 voters were accredited.

Also, at Alagbaka Primary School, Akure, where 1,702 were registered, only 70 were accredited.

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

T H I S D AY TUESDAY MARCH 28, 2023

OPI NION

The militarisation of nativism in Lagos sends negative signals to investors, argues JIDEOFOR ADIBE

LAGOS AND THE POLITICS OF NATIVISM

The violence, aggressive voter suppression and Igbophobia that characterized the 25 February 2023 Presidential and National Assembly elections and the 18 March 2023 Governorship and State Assembly contests respectively in Lagos State have raised several concerns. These attributes of Lagos politics, hitherto nuanced, EHFDPH ÀUVW ZHDSRQL]HG LQ WKH UXQ XS WR WKH 2015 Presidential and Governorship elections in WKH 6WDWH ZKHQ WKH 2ED RI /DJRV ZDV TXRWHG DV WKUHDWHQLQJ WR GURZQ WKH ,JERV LQ WKH /DJRRQ LI they failed to vote for his political preference. $W WKH URRW RI WKLV FRQÁLFW LV WKH WHQVLRQ EHWZHHQ QDWLYLVP DQG FRVPRSROLWDQLVP ² D WUHQG GLVFHUQLEOH LQ PDQ\ PHJDFLWLHV DFURVV WKH ZRUOG 1DWLYLVP LV WKH TXHVW WR SURWHFW WKH DVVXPHG LQWHUHVWV RI QDWLYH ERUQ RU HVWDEOLVKHG LQKDELWDQWV against those regarded as immigrants. Its antonym is the aspirational notion of cosmopolitanism ZKLFK LV SUHPLVHG RQ WKH LGHD WKDW KXPDQ

EHLQJV FDQ DQG VKRXOG EHFRPH ¶ZRUOG FLWL]HQV· LQ D ¶XQLYHUVDO FRPPXQLW\· :KLOH LQ WKH :HVWHUQ ZRUOG WKH SXVK EDFN WR FRVPRSROLWDQLVP LV WKH PDLQVWUHDPLQJ RI DQWL LPPLJUDQW GULYHQ ULJKWZLQJ SROLWLFV LQ 1LJHULD·V PHJDFLWLHV OLNH /DJRV ZKHUH 'LDVSRUD RULHQWHG HWKQLF JURXSV like the Igbos are disproportionally represented, WKH LGHD RI D ¶XQLYHUVDO FRPPXQLW\· LV FRQIURQWHG E\ WKH JODULQJ IDLOXUHV LQ WKH FRXQWU\·V QDWLRQ building processes.

There has been a tendency to mischaracterize the Igbophobia in Lagos as a response by the <RUXED WR DQ DOOHJHG ,JER FODLP WKDW /DJRV LV ¶1R 0DQ·V /DQG· RVWHQVLEO\ DV D SUHOXGH WR WKHLU taking it over. The truth is that the Igbophobia LQ /DJRV KDV QHYHU EHHQ D SXUHO\ <RUXED YHUVXV ,JER FRQÁLFW EXW ODUJHO\ D VFDUHPRQJHULQJ WDFWLF by the Tinubu political machine in Lagos. The aim has been to ensure that the Igbos are prevented IURP LQÁXHQFLQJ HOHFWRUDO RXWFRPHV LQ WKH 6WDWH )ROORZLQJ WKH )HEUXDU\ SUHVLGHQWLDO HOHFWLRQ LQ ZKLFK 7LQXEX ORVW WKH VWDWH WR 3HWHU 2EL·V /DERXU 3DUW\ WKH VFDUHPRQJHULQJ DERXW VXSSRVHG ,JER SODQV WR WDNHRYHU /DJRV ZDV DPSOLÀHG DQG ZHDSRQL]HG E\ FORXW VHHNLQJ SVHXGR LQWHOOHFWXDO FORZQV OLNH )HPL )DQL .D\RGH DQG %D\R 2QDQXJD DQG WKHLU DJEHUR HQIRUFHUV OLNH 0& 2OXRPR %XW ZKDW KDSSHQV LQ /DJRV ZLWK HYHU\ HOHFWLRQ cycle since at least 2015 also brings to fore the unresolved conversation on the relationship EHWZHHQ FLWL]HQVKLS ULJKWV DQG WKH ULJKWV RI indigenes. Chapter Four of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) outlines the Fundamental Rights of all Nigerians, including the right to be free from GLVFULPLQDWLRQ ZKLOH 6HFWLRQ JLYHV HYHU\ FLWL]HQ WKH ULJKW WR ´PRYH IUHHO\ WKURXJKRXW Nigeria and to reside in any part thereof.” Section JXDUDQWHHV HYHU\ FLWL]HQ ´WKH ULJKW WR DFTXLUH DQG RZQ LPPRYDEOH SURSHUW\ DQ\ZKHUH LQ Nigeria.” These are citizenship rights. There are rightly no constitutional provisions that make these rights dependent on indigene status. +RZHYHU ZKDW WKH &RQVWLWXWLRQ IDLOV WR WDNH into consideration is that the basis of nationhood remains contested across the country, making host communities generally suspicious of outsiders. :KLOH LW LV QRW D NQRZQ SUDFWLFH LQ DQ\ GHPRFUDF\ that residents in communities must adopt the

voting preferences of their host communities, ZH PD\ KDYH WR UHYLVLW WKH FRQYHUVDWLRQ DURXQG ¶LQGLJHQH ²VHWWOHU· GLFKRWRP\ DQG FRQVLGHU ZKHWKHU WKH DVSLUDWLRQDO SURYLVLRQV RI citizenship rights in our Constitution should be WHPSRUDULO\ WLQNHUHG ZLWK WR DOOD\ WKH IHDUV RI KRVW communities.

7KH IHDU RI EHLQJ ¶VXͿRFDWHG· E\ QRQ LQGLJHQHV LV ZRUVHQHG E\ ZKDW $P\ &KXD 3URIHVVRU RI /DZ DW <DOH /DZ 6FKRRO FDOOHG ´PDUNHW GRPLQDQW minorities”. In her very important book, World RQ )LUH +RZ ([SRUWLQJ )UHH 0DUNHW 'HPRFUDF\ %UHHGV (WKQLF +DWUHG DQG *OREDO ,QVWDELOLW\ &KXD H[SORUHG WKH LQKHUHQW WHQVLRQV DQG HWKQLF FRQÁLFW FDXVHG LQ PDQ\ VRFLHWLHV E\ WKH GLVSURSRUWLRQDWH HFRQRPLF RU SROLWLFDO LQÁXHQFH ZLHOGHG E\ VRPH ´PDUNHW GRPLQDQW PLQRULWLHVµ such as overseas Chinese in Southeast Asia, Whites in Latin America and South Africa, Croats LQ WKH IRUPHU <XJRVODYLD DQG <RUXED ,JERV Kikuyus, Tutsis, Indians and Lebanese, among RWKHUV LQ 6XE 6DKDUDQ $IULFD $V VKH SXW LW ´$V PDUNHWV HQULFK WKH PDUNHW GRPLQDQW PLQRULW\ democratization increases the political voice and SRZHU RI WKH IUXVWUDWHG PDMRULW\ µ ,Q HVVHQFH nativism in Lagos may actually be part of the problems of globalizing the markets in an era in ZKLFK OLEHUDO GHPRFUDF\ KDV EHFRPH WULXPSKDQW ,Q WKH FDVH RI /DJRV LW RQO\ EHFDPH ZHDSRQL]HG E\ SROLWLFV )RU WKH ,JER LQ /DJRV WKH FRQÁLFW LV QRW KHOSHG E\ WKH DFKLHYHPHQW RULHQWHG FKDUDFWHU RI Igbo culture and the lack of subtlety by some in celebrating their successes.

7KH SROLWLFDOO\ PRWLYDWHG QDWLYLVWV ZKR GULYH the Igbophobia during election cycles in Lagos DUH KRZHYHU XQZLWWLQJO\ GRLQJ LQFDOFXODEOH harm to both Lagos State and their mentor, Bola 7LQXEX 7KLV LV EHFDXVH WKH /DJRV WHPSODWH ZLOO JUDGXDOO\ EH FRSLHG DFURVV WKH FRXQWU\ DV ZH GR ZLWK DOPRVW HYHU\WKLQJ ² IURP NLGQDSSLQJ WR our sartorial tastes. This means that if the courts HYHQWXDOO\ D΀UP WKH HOHFWLRQ RI 7LQXEX DV 3UHVLGHQW KH ZLOO PRYH WR $EXMD ZKHUH KH ZLOO EH D QRQ LQGLJHQH DQG ZKHUH WKH LQGLJHQHV KDYH probably also been studying the Lagos template.

Besides, the militarization of nativism in Lagos sends negative signals to investors, both foreign DQG ORFDO ² LQFOXGLQJ WKH OLNHV RI 'DQJRWH 7RQ\ (OXPHOX -LP 2YLD DQG $OOHQ 2Q\HPD WKDW WKHLU investments outside their ethnic homelands in the country may not be safe. Additionally, the push by the nativists increases the apprehension DERXW D 7LQXEX SUHVLGHQF\ DOUHDG\ GRJJHG E\ QXPHURXV FRQWURYHUVLHV DQG VFDQGDOV RQ ZKHWKHU KLV SUHVLGHQF\ ZRXOG WUDQVSRVH WR $EXMD WKH VRUW RI ¶JDQJVWHU GHPRFUDF\· ZH VHH LQ /DJRV GXULQJ HOHFWLRQV ² ZLWK WKXJJHU\ YLROHQFH DQG money as the propellants.

Bigotry is an attitude of mind that must have victims to continue to thrive. Like in the class idiot WKHRU\ ZKHQ RQH FRQWULYHG FODVV LGLRW LV IRUFHG WR OHDYH WKH FODVV TXLFNO\ LQYHQWV DQRWKHU LGLRW WR WDNH KLV KHU SODFH 7KH VDPH ZLWK ELJRWU\ And this reminds one of the famous lines by 0DUWLQ 1LHP|OOHU LQLWLDOO\ DQ DQWL 6HPLWLF 1D]L VXSSRUWHU EXW ZKRVH YLHZV RQ 1D]LVP FKDQJHG ZKHQ KH ZDV LPSULVRQHG LQ D FRQFHQWUDWLRQ FDPS for speaking out against Nazi control of churches.

According to Niemöller: ´)LUVW WKH\ FDPH IRU WKH &RPPXQLVWV $QG , GLG QRW VSHDN RXW EHFDXVH , ZDV QRW D &RPPXQLVW ´7KHQ WKH\ FDPH IRU WKH 6RFLDOLVWV $QG , GLG QRW VSHDN RXW EHFDXVH , ZDV QRW D 6RFLDOLVW ´7KHQ WKH\ FDPH IRU WKH WUDGH XQLRQLVWV $QG , GLG QRW VSHDN RXW EHFDXVH , ZDV QRW D WUDGH unionist ´7KHQ WKH\ FDPH IRU WKH -HZV $QG , GLG QRW VSHDN RXW EHFDXVH , ZDV QRW D -HZ ´7KHQ WKH\ FDPH IRU PH $QG WKHUH ZDV QR RQH left to speak out for me.”

Adibe is Professor of Political Science and International Relations at Nasarawa State University, Keffi

319

JOSEF OMOROTIONMWAN beckons the court to right the wrongs committed during the elections

THE IMPUNITY OF ‘GO TO COURT’ ,Q 1LJHULD HYHU\ PDMRU HOHFWLRQ LV ULJJHG ELJ WLPH 7KDW DOVR H[SODLQV ZK\ HYHU\ HOHFWLRQ \HDU KDV EHFRPH D \HDU RI ZDU D ELJ ZDU ,W·V VLPSO\ D VXUYLYDO RI WKH ÀWWHVW LQ ZKLFK WKH PDMRU SROLWLFDO SDUWLHV HQG up rigging themselves into big trouble and these things must keep happening so that the big political parties can have their fun. What a bunch of sadists ZKR EHQHÀW RQO\ IURP FRQIXVLRQ %HIRUH WKH 131 FRXOG VHWWOH GRZQ WR WDNH WKH HXSKRULD RI WKHLU ZDU YLFWRU\ SRVW ZDU KRVWLOLWLHV KDG EURNHQ RXW LQ PDMRU SDUWV RI WKH FRXQWU\ SDUWLFXODUO\ LQ WKH :LOG :LOG :HVW 7KHVH KRVWLOLWLHV ÀQDOO\ FRQVXPHG WKH HQWLUH FRXQWU\ culminating in the intervention of the military by the end of that year.

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7KH\ DUH QRZ KHUH ZLWK XV 7KHUH DUH QR HVFDSH routes for anyone. :H DVNHG IRU DQ (OHFWRUDO $FW DQG ZH JRW RQH 2XU (OHFWRUDO $FW KDV EHHQ DGMXGJHG ZRUOGZLGH DV the best for our situation. Rigging has all along been the bane of our elections.

Among other things, the Act makes it mandatory for election results to be transmitted electronically direct from the polling booths and uploaded into WKH %9$6 LQ ZKLFK FDVH WKH FKDQJLQJ RI UHVXOWV DW WKH &ROODWLQJ &HQWUHV XVXDOO\ DVVRFLDWHG ZLWK PDQXDO WUDQVPLVVLRQ ZRXOG EH DYRLGHG 7KLV HOHFWURQLF WUDQVPLVVLRQ ZDV WR EH GRQH LQ UHDO WLPH LPPHGLDWHO\ DIWHU YRWHV DUH FRXQWHG DQG SXEOLFO\ announced at each of the over 176,000 polling centres throughout the federation. :H VPHOW D UDW DW WKDW WLPH ZKHQ ZKDW ZDV WKRXJKW to be a permanent cure to the ills of our elections ZDV VWL΁\ RSSRVHG E\ WKH UXOLQJ SDUW\ WKH $3& 6R VWLͿ ZDV WKH ÀJKW KHUH WKDW VRPH PHPEHUV RI WKH 1DWLRQDO $VVHPEO\ HYHQ H[FKDQJHG EORZV GXULQJ WKH KHDWHG GHEDWHV WKDW WRRN SODFH RQ WKH ÁRRU )LQDOO\ KRZHYHU WKH ELOO ZDV SDVVHG DQG 3UHVLGHQW 0XKDPPDGX %XKDUL TXLFNO\ JDYH KLV DVVHQW WR LW 7KH 3UHVLGHQW SDUDGHG WKH (OHFWRUDO $FW WR WKH United Nations and the International Community DV D VLJQ WKDW KH ZDV JRLQJ WR EHTXHDWK WR 1LJHULD D legacy of a free, fair and credible electoral system at the end of his tenure.

Managers of our electoral system at the ,QGHSHQGHQW 1DWLRQDO (OHFWRUDO &RPPLVVLRQ ,1(& VWRRG WDOO DQG DVVXUHG 1LJHULDQV DQG WKH HQWLUH ZRUOG WKDW WKH HUD RI IUHH IDLU DQG FUHGLEOH HOHFWLRQV KDG ÀQDOO\ DUULYHG LQ 1LJHULD :H EHOLHYHG them. )URP WKH SDUDJUDSKV WKDW IROORZ DOO WKH FULPHV and atrocities committed by the APC pursuant to the HQIRUFHPHQW RI WKH (OHFWRUDO $FW ZHUH VLPSO\ SUH PHGLWDWHG $W QR WLPH GLG WKH\ EHOLHYH WKDW WKH ODXGDEOH LQQRYDWLRQV LQ WKH QHZ (OHFWRUDO $FW ² ZHUH meant for enforcement.

2Q ZKDW ZRXOG HDVLO\ SDVV IRU D WHVW UXQ RQ WKH (OHFWRUDO $FW DQG DOO WKH ORIW\ SURPLVHV DQG DVVXUDQFHV ÁRZLQJ WKHUHIURP 1LJHULDQV trooped out in their millions, like never before for the 2023 presidential and National Assembly

(OHFWLRQV RQ )HEUXDU\ 7KH \RXWKV LQ SDUWLFXODU D EXON RI ZKRP ZHUH YRWLQJ IRU WKH YHU\ ÀUVW WLPH KDG EHHQ DVVXUHG WKDW WKHLU YRWHV ZRXOG FRXQW Alas, their gallant gamble ended in the dust! :KDW ZDV H[SHFWHG WR EH WKH EHVW HOHFWLRQ HYHU VRRQ WXUQHG RXW WR EH WKH ZRUVW LQ WKH KLVWRU\ RI HOHFWLRQV LQ 1LJHULD ,Q DFWLYH FRQQLYDQFH ZLWK the electoral umpires, the Ruling Party had ZDONHG WKH HQWLUH YRWLQJ SURFHVV RQ LWV KHDG 7KH\ KDG MHWWLVRQHG WKH PXFK WDONHG DERXW transmission of results by electronic means and resorted to the manual transmission of results.

Most results had allegedly been manipulated and altered. And they had resorted to the allocation of votes to themselves and other candidates in the opposition parties.

At the National Collation Centre, agents of WKH 2SSRVLWLRQ 3ROLWLFDO 3DUWLHV SRLQWHG RXW WKH IRUHJRLQJ DQRPDOLHV DQG LQIRUPHG WKH ,1(& &KDLUPDQ ZKR DOVR GRXEOHV DV 5HWXUQLQJ 2΀FHU IRU WKH 3UHVLGHQWLDO (OHFWLRQ 3URIHVVRU 0DKPRRG <DNXEX EXW KH LQVLVWHG WKDW WKH FROODWLRQ PXVW FRQWLQXH VR WKDW WKH QHFHVVDU\ UHYLHZ SURYLGHG for can be done after the completion of collation. $W WKLV SRLQW WKH DJHQWV RI WKH PDMRU RSSRVLWLRQ ZDONHG RXW RQ WKH FKDLUPDQ 3URI FRQWLQXHG KLV FROODWLRQ SRVW KDVWH DQG LQ WKH ZHH KRXUV RI :HGQHVGD\ )HEUXDU\ 29, under the candlelight, he announced Bola $KPHG 7LQXEX WKH $3& &DQGLGDWH ZLQQHU RI WKH 3UHVLGHQWLDO (OHFWLRQ $ IHZ KRXUV ODWHU 7LQXEX ZDV JLYHQ WKH &HUWLÀFDWH RI 5HWXUQ :LWK UDZ LPSXQLW\ WKH $3& LV DVNLQJ WKH RWKHU SDUWLHV WR ´JR WR FRXUWµ 7KH $3& WRGD\ has in its hands, a victory that it is unable to celebrate. In spite of all the rigging, the Labour Party had constructively denied the APC of the FHOHEUDWLRQ YHQXHV 7KDW·V ZKDW KDSSHQHG ZKHQ WKH /DERXU 3DUW\ VZHSW WKH $3& RͿ LWV IHHW LQ DOO WKH SRVVLEOH FHOHEUDWLRQ YHQXHV %HIRUH ZH ZHUH IDLUO\ DZDUH RI ZKDW ZDV KDSSHQLQJ WKH HQWLUH /DJRV 6WDWH KDG EHHQ VZHSW FOHDQ E\ WKH /DERXU 3DUW\ 1DVDUDZD WKH KRPH VWDWH RI WKH 1DWLRQDO Chairman of the APC had similarly fallen to WKH /DERXU 3DUW\ %RWK 'DXUD WKH KRPH RI WKH 3UHVLGHQW DQG $VR 5RFN KDG EHHQ VZHSW FOHDQ ,Q WKH HQG WKH $3& IRXQG WKDW LW ZDV EHWWHU not to celebrate than to be celebrating in shame.

Who is afraid of going to court? Certainly not WKH /3 DQG WKH 3'3 ZKR KDYH EHHQ EHQHÀFLDULHV RI WKH -XGLFLDU\ DW YDULRXV WLPHV /3 DQG 3'3 DUH DOUHDG\ LQ &RXUW WR FKDOOHQJH WKH SURFHVV WKURXJK ZKLFK 7LQXEX KDV EHHQ GHFODUHG 3UHVLGHQW HOHFW $GPLWWHGO\ WKH ,1(& PD\ KDYH VLQFH EHFRPH D JUDYH\DUG RI reputations. The same cannot be said of the -XGLFLDU\ LQ 1LJHULD :KLOH 3URI $WWDKLUX -HJD remains the only one standing on honour on WKH ,1(& VLGH WKH\ DUH VWLOO VWDQGLQJ FOHDQ LQ WKH -XGLFLDU\ ,Q WKH IDFH RI WKH SUHSRQGHUDQFH RI WKH HYLGHQFH ZKR VD\V WKH MXGLFLDU\ PD\ QRW ÀQDOO\ XVH WKLV FDVH WR À[ D IHZ GHQWV EURXJKW upon it by some unscrupulous elements that have passed its corridors? <HV WKH .LQJ·V &URZQ LV VWROHQ %XW ZH DUH \HW WR VHH ZKHUH WKH WKLHI ZLOO ZHDU WKDW FURZQ 1LJHULD KDV KDSSHQHG WR %XKDUL ,Q D VLQJOH VZRRS KH PD\ KDYH VTXDQGHUHG DOO WKH JRRGZLOO KH DFTXLUHG DOO WKHVH \HDUV +H SUHVLGHG RYHU DQ (OHFWLRQ 5LJJLQJ 5LQJ DQG ZDV VRRQ FRQVXPHG E\ LW $W WKH YHU\ SHDN RI LW DOO KH DWWDLQHG WKH FRPSXWHU KHLJKW RI &23< $1' 3$67( ,Q KLV YHU\ EDFN\DUG D result resurfaced in the same polling booth in 7ZR VWDWHV LQ WKH VDPH UHJLRQ DUH VLWWLQJ HOHJDQWO\ RQ 0DKPRRG <DNXEX·V UHWXUQ ZLWK H[DFWO\ WKH VDPH VFRUHV 7KH ÀQDO LFLQJ RQ WKH FDNH FDPH RQ WKH SUHVLGHQWLDO HOHFWLRQ GD\ ZKHQ RXU ([HFXWLYH 3UHVLGHQW GLVSOD\HG KLV YRWH IRU WKH HQWLUH ZRUOG WR VHH 7UXH HYHQ LQ ODZEUHDNLQJ ² 7KHUH LV D President. :H·UH DOO LQ WKLV WRJHWKHU 7KH VDPH VXQ PXVW beat the tortoise and its seller!

Omorotionmwan writes from Canada

4 20

T H I S D AY TUESDAY MARCH 28, 2023

OPI NION

EDITORIAL

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

ILLICIT GUNS IN THE LAKE CHAD BASIN Countries in the region must collaborate and address the challenge decisively

I

t is remarkable that the federal government is just coming to terms with the danger of the proliferation of small arms and light weapons (SALW) in the Lake Chad Basin. At a multilateral meeting with stakeholders in Abuja last Thursday, Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Boss Mustapha said countries in the region should establish a network and synergy to curb what he described as “weapons of mass destruction”.

Harping on the consequences of weapons’ proliferation to the economic and social development of the countries in the region, Mustapha said we must put an end to “the senseless and mindless violence of Boko Haram and other violence mongers that are widespread in the region.”

For years, we have repeatedly warned that violent crimes in Nigeria and neighbouring countries have ceased to be just social deviance but a thriving enterprise with dire consequences for peace and security within the region. Even more frightening is the calibre and quantum of lethal weapons in the hands of non-state actors and contestants of territorial control.

In parts of the Northeast where Boko Haram and the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) operate, the arsenals in the hands of these lawless groups range from AK 47 to machine guns, rocket propelled grenades to rockets and rocket launchers.

Given the overwhelming level of insecurity in the region, proliferation of SALW has always been a serious challenge. Sources of these dangerous weapons range IURP WUD΀FNLQJ DFURVV SRURXV ODQG ERUGHUV WR OHDNDJHV in lax import procedures that have encouraged black PDUNHW DUPV WUD΀FNHUV 6LQFH WUDQVDFWLRQDO NLGQDSSLQJ KDV HPHUJHG LQ UHFHQW WLPHV DV DQ XQR΀FLDO VXE VHFWRU of the economy, especially in Nigeria, families and friends of victims are being tasked to come up with ransoms in hundreds of millions of Naira.

At the Lake Chad Basin meeting, Nigeria’s National

Security Adviser (NSA), Babagana Monguno called for collaboration and “decisive action to address this menace” if we must protect citizens of countries in the region. “This is not a problem that any one country can solve alone. We must work together as a region to address the root causes of this problem including poverty, underdevelopment, and poor governance,” said Monguno who advocated better border control measures.

While the challenge is regional, the greater problem is within our country. Nigeria, according to most reports, accounts for at least 70 per cent of the illegal SALWs circulating within the West African sub-region most of them in the hands of sundry criminal cartels and lone wolves. It stands to reason that with access to abundant illegal weapons the rogue elements in our midst have EHFRPH PRUH IRUWLÀHG DQG hence less amenable to entreaties to make peace. Yet, as we have repeatedly pointed out, it was such easy access to SALWs by some unscrupulous elements that resulted in total breakdown of law and order in some of the failed states in Africa of which Somalia is a prime example.

The task of protecting the people remains that of the state. But it is a task that can only be performed in tandem with strengthening the security of citizens WR PDNH LOOHJDO SRVVHVVLRQ RI ÀUHDUPV XQDWWUDFWLYH and unnecessary. Countries in the Lake Chad region must proceed through a programme of illegal arms decommissioning and recovery plus the reinforcement of existing gun laws to penalise illegal possession of arms within their respective jurisdictions. It is QRW HQRXJK WR EH KROGLQJ UHJXODU PHHWLQJV WR RͿHU lamentations. There must be concrete actions to deal with the challenge of arms proliferation within the Lake Chad Basin area.

Ordinarily, peace and order are only guaranteed because citizens surrender their right of self-defence to the overarching force of the state.

We must work together as a region to address the root causes of this problem including poverty, underdevelopment, and poor governance justice being served T H I S D AY EDITOR SHAKA MOMODU DEPUTY EDITORS WALE OLALEYE, OBINNA CHIMA MANAGING DIRECTOR ENIOLA BELLO DEPUTY MANAGING DIRECTOR ISRAEL IWEGBU CHAIRMAN EDITORIAL BOARD OLUSEGUN ADENIYI EDITOR NATION’S CAPITAL IYOBOSA UWUGIAREN MANAGING EDITOR BOLAJI ADEBIYI THE OMBUDSMAN KAYODE KOMOLAFE

T H I S D AY N E W S PA P E R S L I M I T E D EDITOR-IN-CHIEF/CHAIRMAN NDUKA OBAIGBENA GROUP EXECUTIVE DIRECTORS ENIOLA BELLO, KAYODE KOMOLAFE, ISRAEL IWEGBU, IJEOMA NWOGWUGWU, EMMANUEL EFENI DIVISIONAL DIRECTORS SHAKA MOMODU, PETER IWEGBU, ANTHONY OGEDENGBE DEPUTY DIVISIONAL DIRECTOR OJOGUN VICTOR DANBOYI SNR. ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR ERIC OJEH ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR PATRICK EIMIUHI CONTROLLERS ABIMBOLA TAIWO, UCHENNA DIBIAGWU, NDUKA MOSERI DIRECTOR, PRINTING PRODUCTION CHUKS ONWUDINJO TO SEND EMAIL: first name.surname@thisdaylive.com

Letters to the Editor Letters in response to specific publications in THISDAY should be brief(150-200 words) and straight to the point. Interested readers may send such letters along with their contact details to opinion@thisdaylive.com. We also welcome comments and opinions on topical local, national and international issues provided they are well-written and should also not be longer than (950- 1000 words). They should be sent to opinion@thisdaylive.com along with the email address and phone numbers of the writer

LETTERS

SPEAKERSHIP: BETARA IS A BETTER OPTION

James Madison, America’s fourth president (1809–1817), who made a major contribution to WKH UDWLÀFDWLRQ RI WKH &RQVWLWXWLRQ E\ ZULWLQJ 7KH Federalist Papers, once said, “No man can be a competent legislator who does not add to an upright intention and a sound judgment a certain degree of knowledge of the subject on which he is to legislate.

Legislators represent people, not trees or acres.

Legislators are elected by voters, not farms, cities, or economic interests.” The above quote speaks volumes about the inevitability of the legislature in any innovative and progressive society. The knowledge that a legislator brings to the table can bring about an incredible change in the wellbeing of a nation. The sponsoring of bills, the passing of laws, establishing the government’s budget, FRQÀUPLQJ H[HFXWLYH DSSRLQWPHQWV UDWLI\LQJ treaties, etc., have to be rightly handled by a crop of intelligent, credible, and patriotic lawmakers who have the nation’s interest at heart above their own.

Honorable Muktar Aliu Betara, the current Chairman of the Appropriations Committee in the House of Representatives, is one lawmaker who has the legislative acumen and has done frighteningly well in his leadership position. He is brilliantly representing Biu/Bayo/ Shani federal constituency RI %RUQR 6WDWH DQG H[FHOOHQWO\ SLORWLQJ WKH DͿDLUV

of the Appropriation Committee in the Green Chamber. In the discharge of duty, he has employed fear of God, nationalistic spirit, vigor, and wisdom.

He is a leader who has really left indelible prints on the sands of time. The Green Chamber veteran is truly the man of the people and has a penchant for WUXH IHGHUDOLVP VHOÁHVV OHDGHUVKLS DQG RI FRXUVH a nation of greatness. If you are looking for a man of unquestionable character and strong-willed determination, you can rightly point to Betara. The people of his constituency hold him in high esteem.

The reason is that he has proven to them all without doubt that true leadership still exists in the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

Last year, Betara won the APC return ticket unopposed for Biu Federal Constituency. Before then, Betara received overwhelming support from the people of his constituency, who also contributed money to purchase the nomination and expression of interest form for him. Market women, artisans, and youth came out in their numbers to surprise him with this. Those gathered D΀UPHG WKDW KH KDV DFKLHYHG ZHOO HVSHFLDOO\ LQ WKH areas of road construction, scholarships, education, and women empowerment, among others. This struck me when I heard it and later watched the video. It takes a good leader to enjoy such support.

:KHQ KH ZDV ÀQDOO\ DQQRXQFHG WKH ZLQQHU WKHUH was excitement in the air, and various solidarity songs were chanted in his honor. Also, in the just concluded general elections, Betara won with a very wide margin. In June of this year, when he is VZRUQ LQWR R΀FH LW ZLOO DOUHDG\ EH KLV ÀIWK WHUP LQ R΀FH /HW XV HYHQ ORRN DW LW ORJLFDOO\ ,I KH ZDVQ·W performing to the expectations of his constituents, KH ZRXOG KDYH EHHQ YRWHG RXW RI R΀FH D ORQJ WLPH ago.

Without mincing words, Betara has recorded QRWHZRUWK\ DQG VLJQLÀFDQW DFKLHYHPHQWV QRW MXVW as the Chairman of the Appropriation Committee but also as a member who has sponsored a lot of bills and motions in the House of Representatives VLQFH KH ZDV ÀUVW HOHFWHG LQ ,W LV DXGLEOH WR WKH deaf and visible to the blind that he is one man who has gathered legislative experience for 16 years now. Being an accountant with years of experience and currently the Chairman of the Appropriation Committee, one would deduce that he must have HPSOR\HG VLJQLÀFDQW NQRZOHGJH LQ EXGJHWDU\ matters as they concern the nation.

0XNWDU $OL\X %HWDUD SOD\HG D VLJQLÀFDQW UROH in the appropriation of funding for the many programs and projects of the Nigerian government serving as the Chairman of the Committee on

Appropriations in the House of Representatives.

He led the committee in charge of examining and approving the federal budget, making sure that the money was allocated in accordance with the nation’s development priorities. The budget’s timely passage and accurate representation of the needs of the Nigerian people were both made possible in large part by Betara. He collaborated closely with other committee members and pertinent government agencies to determine funding priorities and made sure the money was used as intended.

Betara was renowned for managing the appropriations process with openness and responsibility. In order to guarantee that the EXGJHW DFFXUDWHO\ UHÁHFWHG 1LJHULDQV· QHHGV DQG ambitions, he pushed for open discussion and collaboration with all relevant parties, including civil society organizations.

Muktar Aliyu Betara was committed to making sure that the Nigerian government’s resources ZHUH XVHG ZLVHO\ DQG HͿHFWLYHO\ IRU WKH EHQHÀW of the nation and its citizens, which was evident during his time as the chairman of the Committee on Appropriations.

David Tolulope, Lagos.

LAWYER TUESDAY, MARCH 28, 2023

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WEEKLY PULLOUT

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CONSTITUTIONAL COURT, SOUTH AFRICA

Does Nigeria Need a Constitutional Court?

N

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TUESDAY, MARCH 28, 2023 ˾ T H I S D AY

IN THIS EDITION

Effect of Omission or Procedural Irregularity in a Charge on a Conviction Page IV

QUOTABLES ‘The Senate had been converted to a resting home for former Governors. This time around, many of the Governors lost their seats in the elections.’ - Femi Falana, SAN ‘‘Datti Baba Ahmed is telling the Judiciary that “I have interpreted the Constitution, the Nigerian people have interpreted it too; and, if you say anything different, they will come after you.” They are setting up a scene for rebellion; a scene to blackmail the Judiciary.’ - Festus Keyamo, SAN

Lagos Election Petition Tribunal Receives Over 25 Petitions Page V

‘We worked for the unity of Nigeria.’ - Ezenwo Nyesom Wike, CON, Life Bencher, Governor of Rivers State

COLUMNIST

Ex-JAMB Registrar and His Four Children Arraigned for Money Laundering Page V

LAWYER

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

III THE ADVOCATE

T H I S D AY ˾ TUESDAY, MARCH 28, 2023

How Nigeria Can Heal

I

t seems that some of the progressive provisions of the less than adequate 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended in 2018)(the Constitution) are seriously being put to the test after the 2023 general elections, particularly the Preamble which states inter alia thus: “TO LIVE in unity and harmony as one indivisible and indissoluble sovereign nation under God……”, and Section 42 thereof which prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex, ethnic origin and religion, amongst other things. The atmosphere has become so toxic, that one can barely find any fresh air to breathe. Nigeria has regressed at least 56 years in terms of unity and cohesion, to the extent that a hot topic of conversation today is those who were killed in the 1966 military coup and who killed them (I was a one year old baby at the time - how many of us partook in this coup? Do they speak for us? No!), and this unnecessary type of conversation is not only dangerous, but a cause for disaffection, disunity and disharmony. We should stop it, if we want our country to heal.

And, I lay the blame for this rancour squarely at the feet of the politicians, who have for their own selfish reasons and purposes, used the Machiavellian approach to cause division amongst the people. It has become so bad that when people make fair comments based on the realities of our society, they are accused of being tribalistic or biased.

I, Abimbola Onikepo Braithwaite, for one, shall however, not be discouraged or repressed by anyone, from giving objective analyses and legal opinions, because some people do not wish to face the truth.

The Truth And a truth is that, one of the reasons why the PDP was able to maintain its lead over and above any of the other political parties for so long (apart from spicing things up with electoral malpractices/rigging to stay in power), is the fact that it was really the only party with a national spread for so many years. No matter how popular candidates were, they were unable to move beyond their comfort zones until they spread out.

When the President-Elect was elected Governor of Lagos State in 1999, his Party, AD (Alliance for Democracy), was a sectional, Yoruba Party that only won elections in the South West. AD subsequently extended to the Mid-West, following an alliance with the Justice Party and others to form the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), with Comrade Adams Oshiomhole emerging as the Governor of Edo State on the ACN platform. Ditto for President Buhari. His CPC was a Northern Party that won elections only in the Northern regions.

With all the fabulous number of votes he got in the North, President Buhari was unable to win three national Presidential elections. Hence, what has become a new national joke, that President Buhari “lu lè lè mèta” (hit or beat the ground three times) until he, the PresidentElect, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, and other Politicians from different parts of the country got together to form a Party that reached across the Northern and South West regions, the South South and gradually crept into the South East.

The same goes for APGA, which is a South East Party. It is instructive to note that without enjoying a comfortable national spread across the whole of Nigeria, no Political Party has been able to win the general elections in this Fourth Republic.

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

The

Advocate “Every Nigerian matters, no matter their ethnicity, religion, sex, ability or disability.

We all need each other, and tribal, religious etc acrimony is simply fruitless and antithetical to being elected to the office of President of our country” The first moral of the story therefore, is that any Party that is interested in winning the Presidential election in Nigeria, must play national inclusive politics, and not sectional/ethnic, religious, divisive or discriminatory politics. Every Nigerian matters, no matter their ethnicity, religion, sex, ability or disability.

We all need each other, and tribal, religious etc acrimony is simply fruitless and antithetical to being elected to the office of President of our country. Unfortunately, contrary to the Preamble of the Constitution, presently, Nigeria seems to be in a state of ethnic disharmony. The 2023 Presidential election revealed how tribalistic we Nigerians still are, or at least it revved up tribal sentiments in many, just like Donald Trump’s time as President of the United States of America revealed how racism is still very rife over there.

Hopefully the incoming administration will do the needful and form an all-inclusive government of the brightest and the best, with the requisite geographical spread, women, youths and those with physical challenges. Sections 1(2) & 14 (3) of the Constitution prohibit the governance of Nigeria from being concentrated in a group of persons except in accordance with the Constitution, and mandates

Federal character in the composition of Government, in order to promote national unity. If this is reflected in the formation of the new government, it will be a step in the right direction, and in the process of healing amongst the Nigerian people.

SGF’s Alleged Discrimination Against Women When I saw a message allegedly tweeted by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha (SGF), I was shocked.

I’m hoping that it’s a fake tweeter account operated by a mischief maker. The tweet read: “I’m not against Binani becoming Governor, but it would be a shame to all the people calling themselves ’men’ in Adamawa to let a woman lead them”. How disgusting! Why would it be a shame for a woman to be a Governor? Yet another parallel to be drawn between USA and Nigeria, when before the 2008 American Presidential election in which Barrack Obama and Hilary Clinton were both trying to secure the ticket of the Democratic Party, the white supremacists, the KKK (Ku Klux Klan) actually said that they would ”rather vote for a Nigger than a Bitch” (I do apologise for the terrible, derogatory words - KKK’s words, not mine). For these ignorant racists

and male chauvinists, it didn’t really matter how qualified Senator Hilary Clinton was for the job; for them, being female excluded her from occupying such an exalted position, so much so that even though she is of the same race as them, they preferred to choose a man, irrespective of their hatred for his mixed race, because they hate the thought of a female President even more.

However, in the case of the SGF, I found the statement attributed to him as somewhat bizarre and unbelievable, because unlike the ignoramus KKK, as a senior Lawyer and Cabinet Member, not only should he be well aware that women form a large chunk of the electorate, he must be familiar with Section 42(1)(a) of the Constitution which guarantees the right of every citizen to freedom from discrimination on the basis of sex, ethnic group, religion and so on. See Lafia Local Government v Government of Nasarawa State (2012) LPELR-20602(SC) per Olabode Rhodes-Vivour JSC; Anekwe & Anor v Nweke (2014) LPELR-22697(SC) per Olukayode Ariwoola JSC (now CJN); Ukeje & Anor v Ukeje (2014) LPELR-22724 (SC). In a traditional and conservative country like Pakistan, late Benazir Bhutto was the first woman to head a Muslim majority nation and was elected as Prime Minister twice, in 1988 and 1993, while in a closed and also somewhat conservative country, China, Soong Ching-Ling was Acting President 1968-1972, serving with Dong Biwu. So, why can’t Aisha Binani be a Governor or President?

Luckily, I see no reason why the President-Elect who was a pioneer in appointing women as Deputy Governors, will not appoint women to even more important positions in his cabinet. This is his opportunity to build upon what Kwara and Ekiti State have begun, even putting legislation in place to secure the position of women in governance.

Conclusion I believe that if we set our minds to it, there is a road to recovery. If Rwanda could do it, so can Nigeria. For those who feel offended that they have been asked to ventilate their electoral grievances in court, by virtue of Section 6(6)(b) of the Constitution this is the only lawful way to seek redress in Nigeria - through the courts. People had started to make snide remarks that the outcome of the Adeleke v Oyetola case would depend on the Party that won the Presidential election. So far, they have been proved wrong, and the will of the people of Osun State backed by the law, was upheld by the Court of Appeal, giving Senator Adeleke of the PDP his well deserved victory, even though the incoming administration is APC and Governor Oyetola is a relative of the President-Elect. Governor Ademola Adeleke certainly showcased his popularity by securing the victory of the PDP in Osun State, in both the February 25 and March 18 elections.

Doing substantive justice to the pending election petitions, will in no small measure contribute to Nigeria’s healing process. More serious public education on the benefits of integration of the people will also be invaluable in the healing process, starting from the grassroots level right up to those of us that are educated. We all need it. I have been taken aback by the considerable amount of illogicality, ethnic bias and bitterness, baseless presumptions, assumptions, claims and assertions, which I have read on various fora populated by educated people!

IV LAW REPORT

TUESDAY, MARCH 28, 2023 ˾ T H I S D AY

Effect of Omission or Procedural Irregularity in a Charge on a Conviction Facts The Respondent and two other persons were arraigned before the High Court of Niger State on a four-count charge of conspiracy to commit robbery, robbery, unlawful possession of firearms and receiving stolen property. The charge against them was placed before the trial court by an application for leave to prefer a charge dated 03/04/2013, signed by Baba Aliyu, Esq., Resident State Counsel, Bida. Among the documents annexed to the application, was the charge sheet containing the four-count charge against the accused persons. The trial court granted the Appellant’s application. Thereafter, the charge sheet attached to the application granted by the court was read and explained to the accused persons, and they pleaded not guilty.

Subsequently, the Appellant amended the charge, and the trial court took the plea of the Respondent and the others to the amended charge. At the conclusion of evidence by the Appellant, counsel for the Respondent and the other accused persons decided not to call any evidence in defence, but raised an objection to the competence of the charge on the ground that it was not separately signed by the Resident State Counsel who personally signed the application, and no separate charge was filed after leave was granted by the trial court. After final addresses by parties, the trial court delivered its judgement in which it decided that the charge was valid; and convicted the Respondent as charged. Dissatisfied, the Respondent appealed to the Court of Appeal.

The Court of Appeal allowed the appeal on the ground that both the original and the amended charge were not signed, and were thus, incompetent.

The charge was struck out and the Respondent was discharged. Aggrieved, the Appellant lodged an appeal at the Supreme Court.

Honourable Mohammed Lawal Garba, JSC

Issues for Determination The Supreme Court considered the following issues in its determination of the appeal.

1. Whether the Court of Appeal was right, when it held that the charge was incompetent.

2. Whether the Court below, not being a final court, was right when it failed to make pronouncement on issues 2 and 3 formulated by the parties and adopted by the court.

Arguments On the 1st issue, the Honourable Attorney-General of Niger State (HAG) on behalf of the Appellant, submitted that since the charge was annexed to the application to prefer a charge which was duly signed, the charge derived its authenticity from the application, and it is not a requirement under Section 185(b) of the CPC or any other applicable law that a separate charge needs to be filed after the grant of leave to prefer a charge.

He submitted that the charge was valid for the arraignment of the Respondent who was physically present and also represented by counsel, and who understood the charge before entering his plea to the same, and was not in any way confused as to the charge against him or misled throughout the trial. He argued further that, even if the charge was not signed, it is an irregularity which the Respondent had regularised by participating in the trial, thereby waiving his right to complain.

He submitted that it is the law that an objection to a defect in a charge must be raised before or at the time the plea is taken, and where it is not so taken or raised, the right to object to any defect in the charge subsequently, will be lost.

The HAG cited ARIORI v ELEMO (1983) 1 SCNLR, 1 at 13 in support of his argument.

Conversely, counsel for the Respondent argued that the charge which formed the basis of the

In the Supreme Court of Nigeria Holden at Abuja On Friday, the 13th Day of January 2023 Before Their Lordships Musa Dattijo Muhammad Chima Centus Nweze Uwani Musa Abba Aji Mohammed Lawal Garba Helen Moronkeji Ogunwumiju Justices, Supreme Court SC.858/2016 Between THE STATE

APPELLANT And

MOSES ISIJOLA

RESPONDENT

(Lead Judgement delivered by Honourable Mohammed Lawal Garba, JSC)

Respondent’s arraignment, trial and conviction was unsigned, hence, it is an incompetent originating process. He submitted that the charge was never filed after the grant of leave to prefer it, and the grant of leave is not the same as preferring a charge. He contended that trying an accused person on an unsigned charge is not a mere irregularity which can be waived, as it goes to the jurisdiction of the court for being an incompetent originating process. He cited OKAFOR v NWEKE (2007) 3 SC (PT. 2) 60.

On the 2nd issue, the HAG submitted that the Court of Appeal had the duty to consider and make pronouncements on all

“…..by the provisions of Sections 381(1) and 382 of the CPC, no finding or sentence, after a conviction pronounced or passed, shall be deemed invalid merely on the ground of even the absence of a charge before the trial court, unless an appellate court or reviewing authority is of the view of opinion that a failure of justice, has in fact, been occasioned in the case”

the issues raised by the parties, even after arriving at the decision that the trial court has no jurisdiction to try the Respondent.

In response, counsel for the Respondent submitted that having decided the first issue placed before it; the Court of Appeal was at liberty not to make any further pronouncement on other issues which were based on the fundamentally defective charge.

Court’s Judgement and Rationale In its determination of the 1st issue, the Court referred to the provision of Section 185(c) of the Criminal Procedure Code, Laws of Niger State (Revised Edition) 1989, which makes it mandatory for the leave of a trial High Court to be obtained before a charge is preferred before that court against an accused person, as in the instant case. The Court also referred to Sections 200 – 202 of the CPC which contain essential requirements as to what the form and content of a charge drafted under the CPC should be, to constitute a proper and valid charge as provided therein. The Court held that from these provisions, there is no requirement that the charge or each counts set out thereon must be separately signed by the person who drafted the charge, or by any other person apart from the person who signed and filed the application for leave to prefer a charge before the trial court.

There is also no provision which requires that a separate charge must be filed after

the leave to prefer a charge duly annexed with the application, has been granted by a trial court. Although, it may be desirable for a separate charge to be filed or preferred by the Appellant after the grant of leave to prefer the charge by the trial court, there is no provision in the CPC that makes it a specific requirement for the validity and competence of a charge.

The Court held further that by the provisions of Sections 381(1) and 382 of the CPC, no finding or sentence, after a conviction pronounced or passed, shall be deemed invalid merely on the ground of even the absence of a charge before the trial court, unless an appellate court or reviewing authority is of the view of opinion that a failure of justice, has in fact, been occasioned in the case.

The Court held that in the instant case, the trial court granted the request to prefer the charge on a valid application duly dated and personally signed by an identifiable officer in the department of the Attorney General of Niger State. There was no doubt that the charge annexed thereto, was drafted and filed by the said Resident State Counsel whose name and signature was clearly subscribed on the Application. There is no dispute about the authority and the authenticity of the signature of the Resident State Counsel, to make the application to prefer the charge and to draft the charge which was annexed thereto. The Respondent, who understood the charge against him and was also represented by counsel, pleaded to the charge and participated at full trial.

There can therefore, be no question as to the validity of the charge. Even if any irregularity existed, no objection was raised at the time the plea was taken; hence, the Respondent had waived the right to complain at the later stage of trial or at the Court of Appeal.

There was also no dispute that after the amendment of the charge, the amended charge was read and explained to the Respondent who was represented by counsel throughout the proceedings, and his plea was taken.

The Court held that it was apparent in the Record of Appeal that the Respondent was afforded the fullest opportunity to defend himself of the offences he was charged with, in strict compliance with the constitutional guarantee for a fair hearing; and apart from the bare assertion on the non-signing of the charge, there has been no serious allegation of any prejudice in the trial of the Respondent which can reasonably be said to constitute a real failure of justice in the case to justify an interference by an appellate court with the findings, conviction, sentence or order of the trial court.

On the 2nd issue, the Apex Court held that the Court of Appeal as a penultimate and intermediate court whose decisions are constitutionally made subject of a further appeal to the Supreme Court, has the duty and judicial obligation to always consider and make definite and specific pronouncements on all issues properly placed before it in an appeal by the parties, even where, as in the Respondent’s case, it decided that the trial court lacks the requisite jurisdiction to adjudicate over a case in respect of which an appeal was brought. The reason for this is that, the decision of the court below on the issue of jurisdiction may be faulted by the Supreme Court in a further appeal. The Court relied on its decision in IKPEAZU v UTTI (2016) 8 NWLR (PT. 513) 38 at 79.

The Court held that the Court below clearly abdicated its primary judicial obligation to consider and make pronouncement on all the relevant and material issues raised before it by the parties in the appeal, when it failed to consider the other two issues before it.

Appeal Allowed. Judgement of the trial court restored.

Representation Nasara Danmallam Esq. A-G Niger State with others for the Appellant.

George E. Ukaegbu Esq. and D. Okorie Esq. for the Respondent.

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

V

TUESDAY, MARCH 28, 2023 ˾ T H I S D AY

NEWS

L-R: Founder and Chancellor, Christopher University, Dr Christopher Ezeh; Director of Academic Planning, National Professor Dibu Ojerinde Universities Commission (NUC), Dr Noah Saliu and Dr Dr Anthony Idigbe, SAN

Lagos Election Petition Tribunal Receives Over 25 Petitions Stories by Steve Aya

Petitions from Labour Party candidates, top the number of received petitions the National and State House of Assembly Election Tribunal sitting in Lagos

has received. The Tribunal has so far collected over 25 petitions filed by the aggrieved parties across the State, for the Federal House of Representatives and one for a Senatorial seat.

The candidates of Labour Party for Federal House of Representatives in seven constituencies in Lagos, are challenging the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), All Progressives Congress

(APC) and the declared winner of each constituency.

This includes the petition filed by Hon. Adeola Damilola Adebanjo and the Labour Party against Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila, Speaker of the house of

No Development and National Integration Without Social Justice A Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Dr Anthony Idigbe, has said there can be no development and national integration without social justice. He said national integration is crucial for the stability and prosperity of any country, and requires the coming together of ethnic, linguistic, religious and regional groups to promote unity and cohesiveness.

He said everyone has a role in upholding national integration, adding that decisive action begins with the citizens.

Idigbe, Senior Partner at the law firm of Punuka Attorneys and Solicitors, stated this in a convocation lecture he delivered at the Christopher University, Mowe, Ogun State, during the institution’s First, Second and Third Convocation ceremony at the weekend.

Its theme was “Social Reengineering, Justice, Ethical Reorientation as Panacea for Nigeria’s Quest for National Integration”.

The Senior Advocate noted that social inequality results, where sections of the society are left behind.

He said: “Achieving social justice is essential for national integration, as it ensures that all members of the society feel they are being treated fairly and with respect.

“There must be an enthronement of the rule of law, and a constitutional arrangement that does not perpetuate inequalities and injustice. These are sine qua nons for national integration.”

Idigbe emphasised that it behooved citizens to make national integration a reality, while advocating for more of what he called “norm entrepreneurs”.

He said: “We are ultimately

responsible for developing our country, Nigeria. As with the digital transformation of businesses, innovation in social re-engineering, justice and ethical reorientation towards national integration need not come from politicians and government.

“It can come from the people as norm entrepreneurs working individually and collaboratively to generate and cascade the norms, by the socialisation of a critical mass of norm leaders who will then socialise the rest of the population into adopting and internalising the norms.

“There is a glimmer of hope, even from our recent experiences.

Any observer would have noticed that a phenomenon with no structure transformed into some system, and a political tsunami swept through many places.

“The young norm entrepreneurs made their voices heard. They confirmed that everyone matters, and that you do not need a structure to make an impact. The democratisation of the media, enables norm entrepreneurs to circumvent structures.

“We should stop blaming others, whether imperialists, their local collaborators or our weak leaders”, he said.

Idigbe urged Nigerians at all levels, and as “the salt of the earth”, to preserve values that would prosper the entire nation, not sectionally or individually.

He added: "Nigerians must also use their positions and influence, to get their government to allocate more resources to address the needs of forgotten and marginalised portions of the society.

“Nigerians must focus on building common and shared grounds for national integration

and development through social justice, reorientation and re-engineering."

The Senior Advocate said he was involved in the case of Ukeje v Ukeje that lasted for 34 years, from the High Court to the Supreme Court. It was a case where a female child was excluded from inheriting from her father’s estate. Though he won the case at the Supreme Court, he said getting the Plaintiff’s fair share has been difficult.

Idigbe praised Christopher University for making great

strides towards becoming “the premier business school, national management powerhouse, and centre of excellence in the West Africa region”.

He admonished the graduands to be change makers, saying: “You are the next generation of leaders, the salt of Nigeria and the products of this great University - the first focused management University.

“As you leave this citadel into the world, you must deliberately pursue change wherever you find yourself, using the skills, values and norms imbued here.”

Representative, where the Petitioner alleged that INEC failed to comply with the provisions of the law.

The Party’s candidates from Oshodi, Isolo, Kosofe, Lagos Mainland, Shomolu, Mushin and Ikorodu, are all challenging the qualifications of winners of the election, as well as INEC’s non-compliance with the provision of Electoral Act 2022 in their petitions filed by their counsel, Chief Wakeel Olawale Liady.

They alleged that INEC unlawfully excluded them from the election held on February 25 for the National Assembly, House of Representatives position.

There were petitions from PDP candidates from Agege Federal and Eti-Osa Federal constituencies, as well as the petition for the Senatorial election which is from

the People Democratic Party (PDP) and it's candidate for Lagos West Senatorial District, Mr Adewale Segun Sunday popularly called Aeroland, who filed petition against the former Deputy Governor of Lagos State, Idiat Oluranti Adebule over the alleged submission of a forged certificate to INEC. So also Hon. Moshood Adegoke Salvador and his party, Labour Party, are challenging the declaration of Oluranti Adebule, as the winner of the Lagos West Senatorial District election on the grounds of multiple thumb printing and ballot stuffing, during and after election.

The Tribunal which is located at Court 6, Rosaline Omotosho Court House in Ikeja, is yet to fix a date for the commencement of sittings.

Ex-JAMB Registrar and His Four Children Arraigned for Money Laundering The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission, ICPC, has filed N5 billion money laundering charges against the former Registrar of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board, JAMB, Professor Dibu Ojerinde, and his four children before a Federal High Court in Abuja.

ICPC filed seven count charges against Ojerinde, alongside his four children; Mary Funmilola, Olumide Abiodun, Adedayo and Oluwaseun Adeniyi, before Justice Inyang.

This is even as Ojerinde and his companies are currently facing a money laundering charge to the tune of N5

billion, before Justice Obiora Egwuatu.

He was accused of having diverted public funds while he served as National Examinations Council and JAMB Registrar.

However, in this fresh charge marked: FHC/ABJ/CR/119/23, the ex-JAMB boss and his four children were included.

Also joined in the charge are all his companies which include: Doyin Ogbohi Petroleum Ltd, Cheng Marbles Ltd, Sapati International Schools Ltd, Trillium Learning Centre Ltd and Standout Institutes Ltd. Ojerinde and the ten Defendants, are yet to take a plea.

Four Kidnappers Sentenced to Death by Hanging Justice Lateef Lawal-Akapo of Lagos State High Court sitting in Ikeja, has sentenced four men to death by hanging for conspiracy, armed robbery and the kidnapping of Mrs Gloria Emole, the younger sister of Emzor Pharmaceuticals Managing Director, Chief Ebuka Okafor.

The four convicted men are Victor Chukwunonso, Ifeanyi Maduaka, Obinna Nwankwo, and Richard Nwabueze.

Justice Lawal-Akapo in his judgement held that the Prosecution was able to prove its case beyond reasonable doubt. The Judge also held that he found that the offence of armed robbery, had been established

against the accused persons.

“The first convict was arrested after the IMEI number of the victim’s Nokia phone number which got lost was inserted in another phone, and it brought out all the information. After he was arrested, he made a confessional statement that led to the arrest of 2nd convict.

“The provision of the law is that, in the instant case, I have tested the statement and it passed all conditions. The confessional statement that the first Defendant worked with the victim’s elder brother, was collaborated by other witnesses.”

The convicts were first arraigned on a three-count charge bordering on conspiracy, armed robbery, and kidnapping preferred against them

by Lagos State on July 13, 2013, and had been remanded in prison custody since then.The Director of Public Prosecution, (DPP), Dr Babajide Martins, told the court during their arraignment that they had kidnapped the victim who was about to leave her house at 7, Unity Street, Ogudu GRA, Lagos.

The DPP had told the court that the victim was kidnapped, blindfolded thrown inside the booth, and was driving to an unknown area in Ikorodu.

According to the Prosecutor, the offences committed are contrary to and Punishable Under Sections 297, 285(2) (a), and 291, of the Criminal Law of Lagos State 2015.

The victim was later released on November 22, 2012, after a ransom of $70,000 (Seventy Thousand US dollars) was paid, by her husband.

During the trial, the Prosecution called four witnesses, who testified against the Defendants.

The first convict Chukwunoso, was a former employee of the victim’s elder brother, who was sacked after he went against company rules by fighting within the premises of the company.

#upjudicialsalaries "The Committee notes the need to review the existing package of benefits and allowances currently available to judicial officers, in recognition of the peculiar demands of the judicial office. The current official allowances are inadequate, in view of the status and work schedule of a judicial office.” - NBA Working Committee on Judicial Remuneration and Conditions of Service

VI COVER

TUESDAY, MARCH 28, 2023 ˾ T H I S D AY

Constitutional Court, Indonesia

Does Nigeria Need a Constitutional Court?

For every election cycle in Nigeria, hundreds, maybe even over a thousand or more petitions go to the Election Petition Tribunals set up in all the 36 States of the country and FCT, to be adjudicated upon, not forgetting preelection matters that travel through the various levels of the courts as well - all of them time-bound. The 2023 general election cycle is no different, and this has seen the State Judiciaries empty and practically grind to a halt, short-staffed, as many Judges get drafted to election petition duty to sit on these Tribunals, with the resultant effect that justice delivery gets annoyingly slowed down to almost zero. Ordinary Litigants constantly get the short end of the stick and suffer the consequences of the avoidable delays, caused by election matters. Some have suggested that as election petitions continue to arise from virtually every election in Nigeria, the creation of a Constitutional Court manned by Judges strictly appointed for that task, is what is required to stop Judges of the State Judiciaries from being taken away from their already overloaded dockets. In this Discourse, Chief Ferdinand Oshioke Orbih, SAN, Anthony Aikhunegbe Malk, SAN, Stephen Kola-Balogun and Dr Sam Amadi examine this idea of a Constitutional Court, and suggest how best Nigeria can take advantage of this novel proposition A Constitutional Court to the Rescue?

Chief Ferdinand Orbih, SAN, FCArb Introduction An election is the process of choosing by popular votes, a candidate for political office, in a democratic system of government. The process in an elec-

tion starts from the voting by political party members to choose candidates to represent the political party at the ward level and the primaries, up to the polling day when these political party candidates are presented by the political party to the electorate. The process of election includes the accreditation of voters, the voting, collation, recording on all relevant INEC forms and the declaration of results; Collation of results must be concluded, before

“If we cannot trust our High Courts to handle a simple question as to who scored the highest number of valid votes cast at a House of Assembly or National Assembly election, then let us create Constitutional Courts to handle both pre-election and post-election matters”

the results can be declared. That step cannot be jumped, in the election process. In the normal course of events, the process ought to end with the issuance of certificate of return to the successful candidate, but does it? In Nigeria, the election process usually ends with an election petition. Professor Chidi Odinkalu recently reminded us of this reality in his recent piece titled As Nigeria’s Judges Get Set to Begin Voting wherein he poetically opined as follows: “This week, the opening salvo will be fired to signal the onset of the final round of voting, in Nigeria’s electoral marathon. This is not a reference to the State-level ballots that occurred around the country on Saturday, 18th March. I refer instead to something far more consequential. Democracy may be about choices and decisions in theory. As practised in Nigeria, however, citizens are mostly spectators. In every election, Nigeria’s Judges have the final vote”.

It is factually inexact to say that Judges have the final vote in “every election in Nigeria”, because they neither have the final say nor

vote in elections whose outcomes are not presented to them for adjudication. For instance, no Judge had a say or vote in their judicial capacity in the Presidential election of 2015, as the outcome of that election was not subjected to any judicial challenge. However, there is no disputing the fact that Judges have the final vote in all elections submitted to them for resolution, by way of election petitions. Thus, a man who came fourth in a Governorship election can become the winner of the same election, if the court so finds. Similarly, a man whose name was not on the ballot, and who did not campaign for votes and was not voted for can become a State Governor by judicial pronouncement in Nigeria. Under the Electoral Act, disputes are submitted to Tribunal or Court by way of an election petition. The Act provides that no election or return at an election shall be questioned in any manner other than by a petition complaining of an undue election or undue return (in the Act referred to as an ‘election petition’) presented to the competent tribunal or court.

What is an Election Petition?

It is therefore, safe to define an election petition, as a court process complaining of an undue elec-

VII COVER

TUESDAY, MARCH 28, 2023 ˾ T H I S D AY

Does Nigeria Need a Constitutional Court? tion or undue return presented to a competent tribunal or court.

In Nigeria, the right to present an Election Petition is governed by Section 134 of the Electoral Act which provides that an Election Petition may be presented by a candidate in an Election or a political party which participated in the Election.

Election Tribunal or Court The Election Tribunals, are a creation of the Constitution itself. Section 285(1) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as amended) which creates the Tribunals, provides as follows: “There shall be established for each State of the Federation and the Federal Capital Territory one or more Election tribunals to be known as the National and State House of Assembly Election Tribunals which shall, to the exclusion of any court or tribunal, have original jurisdiction to hear and determine petitions as to whether(a) Any person has been validly elected as a member of the National Assembly; or (b) Any person has been validly elected as member of the House of Assembly of a State.”

The Court of Appeal acts as a Court of first instance in election Petitions challenging the election or Return of a President and/or VicePresident. It will be difficult to understand the adverse impact of Tribunals and Election Courts on the country’s adjudicatory system, without a knowledge of their composition.

Composition of Tribunals The 6th Schedule to the Constitution provides that a Governorship and Legislative Houses Election Tribunal shall consist of a Chairman and two other members. The Chairman shall be a Judge of a High Court and the three other members shall be appointed from among Judges of a High Court, Kadis of a Sharia Court of Appeal, Judges of a Customary Court of Appeal, or members of the Judiciary not below the rank of a Chief Magistrate.

The Court of Appeal as an election court of first instance, consists of 5 Justices of the Court.

Negative Impact of Electoral Adjudication on the Justice System Firstly, the large number of pre-election and post-election cases is overwhelming the entire justice delivery system, to the extent that it may collapse if urgent steps are not taken to rescue it. Let’s look at the numbers to buttress this point. As of 6th January 2023, about forty days to this year’s general elections, the INEC had been joined in 791 intra-party lawsuits in different courts of law. This was 61 suits less than the 852 recorded in the build-up to the 2019 general elections. Professor Yakubu, the INEC Chairman told Chatham House recently that: “In the 2019 general elections, the Commission was involved in 1,689 cases, made up of 852 pre-election matters and 807 post-election and 30 electoral offences cases.”

The pre-election matters, are usually determined by the Federal High Court. Given the time limit of 180 days constitutional provision within which they must be completed, the pre-election matters practically shut down most divisions of that court to any other business during the period leading to the elections under review.

Secondly, as we have already pointed out, the election petitions pertaining to the Governorship and legislative houses are to be determined by the Election Tribunals. These three-man Tribunals are constituted by the President of the Court of Appeal, and sworn in by the Chief Justice of Nigeria. On Monday, the 7th of November 2022, 307 serving Judges drawn from High Courts, Sharia Courts of Appeal, Customary Courts of Appeal and Magistrates Courts were sworn in by the Chief Justice of Nigeria, well ahead of the current 2023 Election Tribunal season. That may not signal the end of recruitment exercise, as more Tribunals are likely to be appointed as the need arises depending on the number of Election Petitions that will be filed by aggrieved politicians and their political parties. The effect of withdrawing these Judges away from their normal stations to perform Tribunal duties is staggering. For the next six months-for the

Chief Ferdinand Orbih, SAN

remaining part of this legal year till the beginning of the next one, their courts will be closed to the litigating public. And, if any of them was involved in hearing pre-election matters, their courts would have shut down for one year, if we take the prescribed six-month period to hear and determine pre-election matters at their stations and the succeeding six months, they would be away on Election Tribunal duties outside their usual stations. If you add the period of their annual leave which they usually take when they return from Tribunal duties, some courts would have been shut down for at least 13 months because of election-related matters. Yet, we complain of delays in our justice delivery system.

Thirdly, any Lawyer who practices at the Court of Appeal will agree with me that, because of the deluge of the pre-election matters (that journeyed from the Federal High Court to the Court of Appeal), that Court, especially its Lagos, Kaduna, Enugu, and Abuja divisions has dealt with little else other than pre-election matters in the last six months. A more chaotic situation is playing out at the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court which is functioning at less than its established capacity because the failure of the system to fill existing vacancies, is so inundated with pre-election matters that it had to create three panels of Justices from its extremely lean human resources to hear pre-election matters. Every other category of matters, is at a standstill.

As a result of the deluge of pre-election matters, the Supreme Court Cause List now looks more congested than that of a typical Lagos Magistrates Court. The quality of justice even in the election related

“I hold the strong view that the benefits derivable from the operation of special courts, far outweigh whatever disadvantages one may contemplate.

Accordingly, a further amendment to the Constitution is what is required, to bring about this revolutionary change”

matters that is engaging the attention of our courts under the present dispensation, is also bound to suffer. The Judges of the Federal High Court and the Appellate Courts who are attending to the pre-election matters, are not robots. As human beings, fatigue is bound to set in under the above circumstances, and with fatigue comes errors and mistakes. We have seen such unusual errors of judgement, in recent times. The Judges, though responsible for some of these avoidable errors, are not to be blamed. A motor car driver, no matter how skilful, who embarks on twenty-four-hour journey without rest is an accident waiting to happen.

Fourthly, the disruption to the Justice administration system, occasioned by our Electoral Litigation Management architecture, is not only at the High Court level and the Supreme Court. It is even more chaotic, at the Court of Appeal. Very soon, as the as the election petitions move from the Tribunals to the Court of Appeal, the President of the Court of Appeal would have to create special panels to hear appeals arising from the Governorship Election Petitions. Justices of the Court of Appeal will be moved from their judicial divisions to other divisions, to constitute these panels. In some cases, some election petition appeals pertaining to legislative houses, will suffer because of this.

It is clear from the foregoing that our justice delivery system is gasping for breath under the crushing weight of pre-election and election petition litigation. We are at a cross-roads. So, what is the way forward?

The Way Forward To do the same thing repeatedly and expect a different result, is what psychiatrists call insanity. Our electoral litigation management architecture has been in place since 1999. And, it is not working, period. We must accept that.

The system is beyond reformation. It must be dismantled and rebuilt, for it to have some semblance of order in the following manner: a. Reconstitute the Courts We have often paused to ponder why a tribunal of three Judges uprooted from jurisdictions other their usual ones, should be constituted to hear Election Petitions arising from a State House of Assembly election or the National Assembly elections. There is no rationale or justification for it. We do not know what specific problem this has solved. Does it lead to better judgments? We very much doubt this. Does it check the much talked about corruption? This is also doubtful. The fact that you are sitting alone as a Judge or with other Judges, cannot stop you from being corrupt, if you are inherently corrupt.

If a High Court Judge sitting alone is given exclusive original power to determine commercial disputes involving billions of Naira, criminal jurisdiction to sentence a human being created

by God to death, civil jurisdiction to determine the actual parentage of a child whose paternity is in issue: why can’t such a Judge be clothed with jurisdiction to determine a simple question (in our humble opinion) of whether or not a member of a State House of Assembly or of the National Assembly was validly elected? Why can’t a High Court Judge determine whether a political party complied with the provisions of the Electoral Act, in conducting its party primaries to determine its candidates at an election. We see no reason why a panel of three High Court Judges from the State where an election was held, cannot be empaneled to hear and determine an election petition arising therefrom. b. Create Constitutional Courts If we cannot trust our High Courts to handle a simple question as to who scored the highest number of valid votes cast at a House of Assembly or National Assembly election, then let us create Constitutional Courts to handle both pre-election and post-election matters. Let’s not kid ourselves, about whether there will always be election petitions. Of course, there will always be election petitions. It is a culture ingrained in the minds of the average Nigerian politicians. To them (except for a few), the only acceptable outcome of an electoral contest, is their own victory. Nothing more, nothing less. And, since there can only be one victor, the defeated will always go to Court or Tribunal with or without justification.

Some colleagues have argued that Constitutional Courts will be idle, since elections only come up once in every four-year circle. That argument is not valid, because our court business is seriously disrupted for election-related matters in more than thirteen months of those four years. Besides, jurisdiction over other purely constitutional matters such as violation and enforcement of fundamental rights can in addition, be donated to the Constitutional Courts if created. That will, in no small measure, also decongest the High Courts and the Federal High Courts, who currently have power to hear and determine such matters.

Conclusion The problems associated with our electoral litigation management system, are enormous. We cannot solve them by ignoring them, or by papering over the cracks while hoping that they will simply walk away. No. We must tackle this hydra-headed monster head-on, lest it consumes us.

cont'd on page VIII

VIII

TUESDAY, MARCH 28, 2023 ˾ T H I S D AY

COVER Does Nigeria Need a Constitutional Court? cont'd from page VII

Chief Ferdinand Oshioke Orbih, SAN, FCArb, DSSRS

Time for a Specialised Constitutional Court to Determine Election Cases Chief Aikhunegbe Anthony Malik, SAN Although, the aphorism “justice delayed is justice denied” is one of universal acceptance and application, the apophthegm, nonetheless, seems to have acquired a monstrous notoriety in relation to the Judiciary in Nigeria. The unfortunate situation, is precipitated by the inordinate delays that generally bedevil judicial proceedings in Nigeria.

Sadly, and despite the existence of a High Court in all the States of the Federation as well as the Federal Capital Territory, the Federal High Court and the National Industrial Courts with special and exclusive jurisdictions to deal with specific disputes, not much has been achieved in the area of quick dispensation of justice. The situation is not any different in Courts of summary jurisdiction.

The natural result being an unwholesome public disenchantment in and total distrust for judicial processes, resort to jungle justice, resignation to fate in the face of clear violation of [even] constitutionally guaranteed rights, etc. The foregoing have made the aphorism “the Judiciary is the last hope of the common man” , to become nothing but a mere figure of speech!

Establishment of a Special Court In recent times, there have been sustained calls for the establishment of special Courts to deal exclusively with or handle election cases, including but not limited to pre-election matters, election petitions and electoral offences. The calls are accentuated by the conviction that such specialised courts, will bring about the desired speed and efficiency. Indeed, the fact that election cases are sui generis in nature, makes more pungent the argument for the establishment of a special or constitutional court[s] to handle or adjudicate over election cases where the special set of rules shall be applied. Being in a class of their own, it appeals to common sense and logic that electoral matters should be tried in special courts. Additionally, the indubitable fact that the 1999 Constitution, by dint of Section 285, prescribes time limits or time lines within which disputes arising from pre-election cases, election petitions and resultant appeals must be commenced and disposed of, lends credence to the agitation for the creation of the specialised courts.

In our legitimate quest to abide by the constitutional stipulation as to time in disposing of election cases, regular matters in our various High Courts now wittingly or unwittingly suffer neglect or outright abandonment, while the election related matters are prioritised. The situation is even worse, in relation to cases pending in courts ordinarily manned by Judges who are drafted by the President of the Court of Appeal into election tribunals. The litigants whose cases are in such courts, often feel the brunt more. This unfortunate situation, engenders delay in the dispensation of justice.

On the flip side, the expertise and effectiveness which specialisation would most likely bring about for the Judges appointed to man the special Courts, would naturally lead to a high level of uniformity in the decisions in electoral disputes.

The gains made in the area of labour related disputes by the establishment of the National Industrial Court of Nigeria by virtue of Section 254c of the Constitution, is a ready testament to this fact. It is my view that by establishing specialised courts for election-related disputes, the menace of forum shopping by politicians would be permanently and completely eradicated.

I hold the strong view that the benefits derivable from the operation of special courts, far outweigh whatever disadvantages one may contemplate. Accordingly, a further amendment to the Constitution is what is required, to bring about this revolutionary change. The amendment will take into cognisance and embody provi-

Chief Aikhunegbe Anthony Malik, SAN

sions relating to mode of appointment, qualifications, salaries and emoluments, training and re-training of Judges and support staff, etc,, etc.

Chief Aikhunegbe Anthony Malik, SAN

Clamour for a Constitutional Court and the Justifications Stephen Kola-Balogun Overview Now that our National elections have come and gone, our courts, once again, in the aftermath of those elections, are about to become besieged with election petition cases.

Judges and Lawyers will be distracted from their usual daily routine of handling civil, criminal and commercial matters, to attend to those election petition cases. This will no doubt result in a massive build up, culminating in a back log of cases for our Judges to resolve both administratively and in open court. This may also take years to address or overcome. It’s for these reasons that many have began to clamour for the 1999 Constitution to be amended once again, in order to make provision for a Constitutional Court.

A Constitutional Court would be a first instance court in the country when it comes to the interpretation, protection and enforcement of the Constitution. It would deal exclusively with constitutional matters, particularly those cases that raise questions about the application or interpretation of the Constitution. Ideally, the Constitutional Court will have unlimited jurisdiction to determine all causes relating to the enforcement of or connected with the interpretation of the Constitution, enforcement of fundamental rights of citizens, determination as to whether any person has been lawfully elected into

“…..a National Constitutional Court is not only desirable, but imperative….. I would differ slightly from BOSAN, and instead, advocate that appeals from a newly established Constitutional Court should go directly to a newly constituted constitutional arm of the Supreme Court”

any office from the President, to State Governors, National Assembly Members, State Houses of Assembly Members and the conduct of Party Primaries, in so far as there are issues that relate to the interpretation of specific provisions of the 1999 Constitution as amended, and judicial review applications as they relate to specific constitutional bodies.

The main advantage of a Constitutional Court is that it will provide the easiest way to achieve finality and uniformity in constitutional interpretation which may not be forthcoming in a diffused system, where different courts at the same or different levels may decide on different interpretations of the Constitution. A Constitutional Court would also facilitate access to justice, promote constitutionalism, the rule of law and respect for human rights.

Historical Basis for a Constitutional Court The first real constitutional crisis in Nigeria stemmed from the Western Regional crisis in the 1st Republic, that led to the Privy Council decision in Adegbenro v Akintola, [1963] 3 All E.R. 544. In this case, the Governor of the Western Region of Nigeria, Sir Adesoji Aderemi had removed Chief Akintola from office as Premier of the Western Region, and appointed Adegbenro as the new Premier of the Region. Chief Akintola then sued the Governor and Adegbenro, claiming that he had been wrongfully removed, since, in his opinion, the Governor had no right to remove him from office as Premier without a prior resolution of the House of Assembly reached on the floor of the House of Assembly, to the effect that the Premier no longer commanded the support or confidence of the House. The proceedings were commenced by a Writ of Summons dated 21st May, 1962. The High Court of Western Nigeria in which the suit was instituted referred the matter to the Federal Supreme Court for a decision, since it involved a constitutional question. The decision of the Federal Supreme Court was in favour of Akintola, but Adegbenro took the decision to the Privy Council on appeal.

The appeal from the decision of the Federal Supreme Court of Nigeria was dated 7th July, 1962, and it was on the same issues referred to the Federal Supreme Court by the High Court of Western Nigeria. The Privy Council allowed the appeal, and reversed the decision of the Federal Supreme Court which had earlier given its own answers to the questions referred to it by the High Court of Western Nigeria in favour of Akintola. The Privy Council was of the view that, the Constitution did not specifically state that the Premier had to be removed on the floor of the Western Region House of Assembly.

The Privy Council also pointed out that the convention of removing a Premier on the floor of Parliament as was done in the UK did not apply in our case, because there was now a written Constitution in place, which specified the procedure to be adopted in removing a Premier and, as such, parliamentary convention no longer needed to be applied.

It is interesting to note that the Western Nigeria High Court, instead of assuming jurisdiction in the case cited above, decided to refer it to the Federal Supreme Court since the issues involved a constitutional question on the interpretation of the Western Region of Nigeria Constitution. In other words, we recognised as far back as then, the importance and need for certainty in the interpretation of constitutional questions, by referring them to the Federal Supreme Court which effectively was a Constitutional Court.

It is equally interesting to note that, even though eventually there was a political reversal of the Privy Council decision when the Federal Government decided to retrospectively abolish all appeals to the Privy Council from the Federal Supreme Court, the fundamental principle seemed to be recognised and fully established by the decision of their Lordships of the Privy Council, to the effect that it’s the actual words of the Constitution that are to be construed, and not those conventions which were mistakenly deemed to have been impliedly attached to the Western Region Constitution. The Constitution perhaps, did not in terms say what the people of Western Nigeria had become accustomed to, but neither did it imply that the terms must be changed. This constitutional principle was once again adopted, even if not specifically stated as such, in the 2nd Republic case of Awolowo v Shagari & Ors (1979) 6-9 S.C. 37.

This was an appeal requesting that the 1979 Presidential election that was conducted by the Federal Election Commission (FEDECO), be nullified. The matter was first heard at the Presidential Election Tribunal in Lagos.

Chief Obafemi Awolowo of the Unity Party of Nigeria (UPN ) alleged that as far as the records showed, no candidate scored up to 25% of the votes cast in 13 States of the Federation.

The 3rd Respondent FEDECO, nevertheless, declared that the 1st Respondent, Alhaji Shehu Shagari, had won the Presidential Election. Chief Awolowo disagreed with the result as declared, and appealed.

Chief Awolowo as Appellant, requested that the election be declared void, and that FEDECO should hold a run off election, which should ordinarily have followed upon the failure of any of the candidates to win at the first ballot.

Alhaji Shehu Shagari was a member of the 2nd Respondent Party, the National Party of Nigeria (NPN). He polled 5,688,857 votes. He also scored at least 25% of votes cast in each of the twelve States namely, Bauchi, Bendel, Benue, Borno, Cross River, Gongola, Kaduna, Kwara, Niger, Plateau, Rivers and Sokoto and in the thirteenth State – Kano, he scored 19.94%.

Chief Awolowo scored 4,916,651, in total.

Issue for Determination The correct interpretation of Section 34A(1)(c) (ii) of the Electoral (Amendment) Decree No. 32 of 1979 and the relevant provisions of the 1979 Constitution. cont'd on page IX

IX COVER

TUESDAY, MARCH 28, 2023 ˾ T H I S D AY

Does Nigeria Need a Constitutional Court? cont'd from page VIII

Held The appeal was dismissed and costs were awarded against the Appellant, on the grounds that Alhaji Shagari was lawfully declared the winner, and that he satisfied the requirements of Section 34A(1)(c) (ii) of the aforementioned Decree and the relevant sections of the 1979 Constitution. Also, that even if he didn’t get more than one third in the 13th State, Section 111 & Section 110 of the Decree would have come to his aid, and that judgement would have still been given to him.

If we had a Constitutional Court at that time, the Presidential Election Tribunal might have almost certainly referred this question to the Supreme Court directly for interpretation as the High Court of Western Nigeria did in Adegbenro v Akintola (Supra). Secondly, if we are to follow the reasoning of the Privy Council in Adegbenro v Akintola (Supra), the Supreme Court appears correct in determining that 2/3 of 19 States is not 13 in that, 13 is more. In truth, it is actually 12 2/3. There was substantial compliance with the Constitution. If the Constitution wanted 13 States, it ought to have been specific by stating that in the event of a fraction, you must round off to the nearest whole number; but the 1979 Constitution made no such reference. Wasn’t this the lesson we ought to have learnt in Adegbenro v Akintola (Supra)?

The two cases cited above reinforce the need for a Constitutional Court, in order to provide certainty in constitutional interpretation. The cases also highlight the advantages of having a Constitutional Court. In Akintola v Adegbenro (Supra), we noted that cases that raise constitutional questions should ordinarily be referred to Constitutional Courts for interpretation. This, is in addition to the other overall benefits of a Constitutional Court as already highlighted above.

Calls for a Constitutional Court by BOSAN The Body of Senior Advocates of Nigeria (BOSAN) last December, joined the argument for a Constitutional Court and called for its immediate establishment, in order to address the issue of undue delay in court cases occasioned by the prioritisation of political cases. The proposed Constitutional Court, according to BOSAN, would handle all constitutional, political and election matters.

Chief Adegboyega Awomolo, SAN, who spoke on behalf of BOSAN, added that the court would be a Federal Court, and of equivalent status to that of a High Court with divisions in all the States of the Federation and the Federal Capital Territory.

Chief Awomolo, SAN further explained that the judicial system had reached a stage where the National Assembly, the Judiciary and other stakeholders in the administration of our Justice sector need to urgently consider establishing a National Constitutional Court of Nigeria. He pointed out that all decisions of the court would be appealable to the Court of Appeal, and all appeals would end at the Court of Appeal. He claimed that if, or when the Court was eventually established, there would no longer be the need to take away about 500 Judges from their normal court responsibilities to sit on Election Tribunals all over the country, and that the cost of establishing and maintaining this court would more or less be equal to the sums being expended and wasted on provision of logistics, convenience and security for Judges along with hundreds of support staff who are made to traverse the length and breadth of Nigeria to adjudicate on political and election cases.

Stephen Kola-Balogun

that arise can be referred directly to the Supreme Court at the first instance. In fact, in the 1st Republic we only had four regions, the Federal Capital Territory of Lagos and the Federal Government to contend with.

Now we have 36 State Governments, the Federal Capital Territory of Abuja and the Federal Government to contend with. Since disputes between States, between States and the Federal Government, and disputes between the National Assembly and the Federal Government can be referred directly to the Supreme Court, I would differ slightly from BOSAN, and instead, advocate that appeals from a newly established Constitutional Court should go directly to a newly constituted constitutional arm of the Supreme Court. Overall, a Constitutional Court would undoubtedly help in ensuring that both Judges and Lawyers become better acquainted with constitutional aspects of our laws, while the Constitutional Court itself would become the first guardian of the Constitution and all other democratic institutions established under it.

Stephen Kola-Balogun, Legal Practitioner, Lagos

A Better Electoral Justice Administration

Dr Sam Amadi

dangerous turn this time, if the President-Elect is sworn in before the Court of Appeal delivers its verdict. Think about a scenario where the Tribunal nullifies the election, or decides that either Mr Peter Obi or Mr Atiku Abubakar won the 2023 Presidential election. Mr Bola Ahmed Tinubu appeals the decision. The appeal is not heard before May 29. Who will be sworn in as President?

Tinubu, who was declared President-Elect by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) but subsequently invalidated by the Courtvof Appeal, or either Peter Obi or Atiku Abubakar, who is now declared as elected by the Tribunal, but which decision is now contested at Supreme Court?

This possible scenario, underscores the importance of speedy and just administration of electoral justice in Nigeria. We have seen a high number of election cases, in previous elections. 2015 election has the lowest number of cases because of the improved quality of electoral management. With the worst election in Nigerian history in 2023, we should expect an avalanche of election cases, as everything from failure to hold elections in constituencies where results were declared to be outright falsification of results, will be on offer for Judges to resolve.

Many stakeholders are concerned about how to ensure speedy resolution of these cases, so that election cases would be conclusively decided before inauguration of new governments. The gravest concern for me, will be Presidential election disputes.

The Quagmire This uncertainty and anxiety may take a

Call for Constitutional Court There is call for a constitutional court, that will be saddled exclusively with the adjudication of election cases. I think this proposal is faulty. The assumption is that, a specialised court will be faster in dispensing electoral justice. But, this is not true. A specialised court created by a statute, like a constitutional court, may end up getting cluttered with so many cases, such that it grinds like the tribunals in dispensing justice. That single court will be overwhelmed. Again, the concept of a constitutional court is one that determines broad issues of utmost constitutional importance.

Issues that border on sharing of power between components of a Federal State, especially where the history of distrust or segmented cleavages require a special court to protect the constitutional framework of cooperation and shared powers.

That is not the nature of electoral disputes.

“The assumption is that, a specialised court will be faster in dispensing electoral justice. But, this is not true. A specialised court created by a statute, like a constitutional court, may end up getting cluttered with so many cases, such that it grinds like the tribunals in dispensing justice”

Nature of Electoral Disputes The nature of electoral disputes is that, they are often procedural and relate more to statistical disputes. So, the special tribunals established administratively by the President of the Court of Appeal as specified under the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution, is the way to go. The problem is that the procedures and the manner of judicial craft, may be the real cause of delay in electoral adjudication. Many of the cases that come before the tribunals need not come to tribunal, if there is proper management of election by the election management body. The court has been at the receiving end of the many failures of the election management board. If some of the lapses and

Conclusion For all the reasons already highlighted, especially those of particular concern to BOSAN, a National Constitutional Court is not only desirable, but imperative. Ideally, it should be established similarly to the Federal High Court and the National Industrial Court, to deal specifically with constitutional law matters and in determining whether laws that are challenged are in fact unconstitutional, or whether they conflict with constitutionally established rules, rights and freedoms, amongst other matters. We referred constitutional matters of significance to the Federal Supreme Court in the past as noted in Adegbenro v Akintola (Supra), and now in this 4th Republic, we will almost certainly continue to have several breaches and infractions to the Constitution. It’s not in all cases, that many of the constitutional questions

Dr Sam Amadi The judicialisation of Nigerian elections, has reached a dangerous level. With the shambolic 2023 election, we expect that we will have record numbers of cases filed at different tribunals. Apart from the obvious problem with judicialisation, which is that the judicial branch illegitimately gets to choose leaders for the people, the prolonged litigation past the period those elected should be sworn in, creates unusual anxieties and uncertainties that are bad for stable governance. It is never good for social stability, for an administration to resume with uncertainty whether its tenure will be cut short by the courts.

deliberate mistakes are resolved, there will be less cases for adjudication. We saw the possibility of this situation in the 2015 general election, whose management was more transparent and credible. The result was a smaller number of election cases. This was an indicator of public trust, in the electoral management system and its outcomes.

Judicial Approach to Electoral Justice The judicial approach to dealing with the problem of administration of electoral justice, can take two approaches. First, there is a structural approach that improves the management of elections by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), and restructures court procedures and rules to allow for more judicial control of proceedings.

If INEC sees itself more as a regulator and less as a transaction manager, it will invest in regulatory tools and procedures that will allow it make decisions that will be respected by the court and accepted by candidates. For example, pre-election cases will be less if INEC issues more detailed guidance to parties, on how to conduct their primaries. Such guidance will reduce some of errors and irregularities that plague elections in Nigeria and reduce the number of election cases.

It is important to reform judicial procedure.

Judges should be less inclined to allow Lawyers to argue before it, matters that need to be argued before the election management body in its quasi-adjudicatory jurisdiction. INEC as a regulator has adjudicatory powers, and must determine electoral issues before they come to the court. For example, disputes about qualification to stand for election, should be determined administratively by INEC through fair procedures. It is after this transparent and due process determination, that such a matter can come to court. If the INEC develops fair procedures and adjudicates fairly, many of such disputes will not make their way to the tribunal or court.

But, a constitutional solution for the Presidential election cases could be to legislate that when the disputes relate to a point of law or a challenge to the legality of the procedure, or interpretation of the Constitution or the electoral law, the matter should go straight to the Supreme Court, so that it can be adjudicated quickly. When it is about numbers or allegations of contested facts, then the matter will go through the usual tribunals established under Section 285 of the Constitution.

This twin approach of escalating disputes on law and constitutional interpretation directly to the Supreme Court in its original jurisdiction, is to ensure speedy resolution of such disputes before the inauguration of the President-elect.

But, it will not necessarily reduce the number of election cases that come to court for adjudication. What will reduce the number of election cases, is better management of elections. And, strengthening the regulatory techniques and processes of INEC is one way of better managing elections in Nigeria, and reducing the incidence of election disputes.

Dr Sam Amadi, Abuja

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TUESDAY, MARCH 28, 2023 ˾ T H I S D AY

INSIGHT ABUBAKAR D. SANI

XL4sure@yahoo.com

08034533892

T

his question is prompted by the confusion generated by the obviously conflicting decisions of the Supreme Court, on the applicability of Section 97 of the Sheriffs & Civil Process Act (S & CPA) to originating processes issued by the Federal High Court. That provision - which requires such processes issued by a court in a specific State of the Federation to be endorsed for service in another State - has recently attracted public scrutiny, in the light of such processes issued in several pre-election matters and election petitions arising from the recent general elections which did not bear such endorsements. Before proceeding further, though, it is necessary to set out the exact provisions of Section 97 of the S & CPA. It goes thus: "Every writ of summons for service under this part out of the State or the Capital Territory in which it was issued shall, in addition to any other endorsement or notice required by the law of such State or the Capital Territory, have endorsed thereon a notice to the following effect (that is to say) - "This summons (or as the case may be) is to be served out of the . . . . . . . . . . State ( or as the case may be) . . . . . . . . . . . and in the . . . . . . . . . . State (or as the case maybe)".

Focus of Section 97 of the S & CPA It can be seen that the essence of Section 97 of the S & CPA is political or geographical, rather than judicial. In other words, the intention behind its enactment, is the division of Nigeria into 36 States and a Federal Capital Territory, instead of the hierarchy of its courts. This can clearly be gleaned from the unambiguous words of the provision: accordingly, they need no interpretation. What the provision simply says is that any originating process issued by a court (any court) in State A, which is intended to be served on a Defendant who resides in another State, other than the issuing State (State B), must bear an endorsement to that effect.

The section does not mention the type of the issuing court - whether Federal or State; it is silent on it. I believe that this distinction is significant, because, a lot of energy has been dissipated by commentators (and, lately by the Apex Court, itself - with respect) in apparently conflating the two, that is, ‘Court’ and ‘State’. I believe that this is a mistake - as the analysis of relevant decisions of the Supreme Court where the issue Directly arose, will presently show.

Precedent The provisions of Section 97 of the S & CPA have been pronounced upon by the Apex Court over the years, in the following cases, inter alia: 1. ADEGOKE MOTORS v ADESANYA (1989) 20 NSCC, pt.II, pg. 327; 2. NWABUEZE v OKOYE (1988) 19 NSCC, pt.III, pg.53; 3. SKENCONSULT v UKEY (1981) 12 NSCC, p.1; 4. OWNERS OF M.V.ARABELLA v NAIC (2008)11 NWLR, pt. 1097, pg. 182; 5. IZEZE v INEC (2018) LPELR-44284(SC) pg. 17-23, parag.B;

Is Section 97 of the S & CPA Applicable in Federal Courts?

6. FAYEMI v ONI (2019) LPELR49291(SC) pg.12-19, parag. B; pg. 28-33, parag. B; 7. OMAJALI v DAVID (2019) 17 NWLR, pt. 1702, pg. 438; and 8. SAMUEL v APC, Appeal No: SC/ CV/1482/2022, Unreported, delivered on 13th June, 2023; 9. PDP v UCHE, Appeal No: SC/ CV/1402/2022, Unreported, delivered on 6th Jan. 2023; 10. BIEM v SDP (2019) 12 NWLR, pt.1687, pg 377; 11. BOKO v NUNGWA (2019) 1NWLR, pt.1654, pg. 395 It will be noted that, in all these cases, the court in question was the Federal High Court, that is, the issue was whether Section 97 of the S & CPA was applicable to an originating process issued by a Federal High Court in one State, for service on a Defendant resident in another State of the Federation. Whilst the Apex Court held in the cases of IZEZE, FAYEMI and OMAJALI that the provision was applicable to such processes, in the subsequent cases of SAMUEL, UCHE, BIEM and BOKO, the court went in the other direction, and held that the provision was inapplicable to that court. In this regard, the reasoning of the Apex Court in its most recent decision

“Whilst the Apex Court held in the cases of IZEZE, FAYEMI and OMAJALI that the provision was applicable to such processes, in the subsequent cases of SAMUEL, UCHE, BIEM and BOKO, the court went in the other direction, and held that the provision was inapplicable to that court…. the reasoning of the Apex Court in its most recent decision (SAMUEL v APC) is instructive….the court consciously chose the latter in time (that of PDP v UCHE)…”

(SAMUEL v APC) is instructive: having recognised the two conflicting lines of its own decisions, the court consciously chose the latter in time (that of PDP v UCHE), for that reason alone, that is, it’s novelty.

Beyond the confusion and uncertainty which such conflicting decisions of the Court creates, the circumstances in which that choice was made (the fact that it, ultimately, did not avail the 'winning' party, as the court declined to pronounce on the merits of the appeal) suggests - to all intents and purposes - that it was a hollow victory, one that conferred no benefit at all on the ostensible judgement-creditor. In other words, it was an academic exercise, bereft of any utilitarian value to the 'victor'.

I believe that this much is clear from the contributions of Jauro and Ogunwumiju, JJSC, in that case, as follows, respectively: "Notwithstanding the foregoing, I am afraid that this is as far as this court can go concerning the issues raised in the instant appeal. I say this because a consideration of the other issues in the appeal will amount to nothing more than an academic exercise, since whatever decision that is arrived at will not confer any benefit on the successful party"; “I am of the view that this appeal being statutorily incompetent, should be struck out. In the first place, the issue of the applicability of Section 97 of the Sheriffs & Civil Process Act had been settled by this court hitherto, to the effect that the section is not applicable to the Federal High Court and that an originating summons is valid and can be served validly without the endorsement of a notice for service outside jurisdiction. This is because the Federal High Court exercises jurisdiction over the whole country . . . The point on which this appeal turns, however, is on the issue of whether this court can still exercise jurisdiction over this matter, in view of the fact that the trial court is now divested of jurisdiction through effluxion of time."

So much for the Federal High Court.

What about other courts and tribunals, such as Election Petition Tribunals and the National Industrial Court of Nigeria? In this regard, while I concede that it is tempting to extrapolate and conclude from the decisions in SAMUEL v APC and PDP v UCHE

that Section 97 of the S & CPA is applicable to other courts with similar 'nationwide' jurisdictions as the Federal High Court, I, however submit that that would be simplistic. This is because, as previously submitted, to do that would be to confuse physical territory (territorial jurisdiction) with judicial status or level of court – either Federal or State. Yes, Nigeria is one, in terms of the geographical or territorial jurisdiction of the Federal High Court, the National Industrial Court and, indeed, the Court of Appeal when it sits as the Presidential Election Tribunal.

But, that would be missing the point, which I believe – with respect – was the case when the Apex Court held in the aforesaid cases that the nationwide territorial jurisdiction of the Federal High Court, ipso facto, meant that Section 97 of the S & CPA was inapplicable to the processes of that court. I respectfully submit that, the ordinary grammatical meaning of ‘State’ as used in that provision simply refers to one of the 36 States recognised under Section 2(2) of the Constitution (which, incidentally also mentions the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja - just like Section 97 of the S & CPA does).

I submit that to interpret Section 97 of the S & CPA as inapplicable to All Federal courts or tribunals, would be conflating 'State' as used in that provision with that status under Public International Law - that is, Nigeria as a sovereign, independent State. It is obvious that that notion is a fallacy. Unfortunately, the S & CPA does not define 'State'. However, it's definition of 'court' (in Section 19(1) and 95), leaves no doubt that it includes the Federal High Court.

Conclusion Hopefully, in the not-too-distant future, the Apex Court will review its position on the scope of Section 97 of the S & CPA. That would be an opportunity for the court to make a holistic and comprehensive assessment of the S & CPA vis-à-vis the intention of the Legislature.

Should the interpretation of Section 97 thereof be based simply on the definition of 'State' in terms of Public International Law, or should it, rather, be based on its meaning under the Constitution? Should the definition of 'Court' in the S & CPA be restricted to only State High Courts and High Court of the FCT, or should it include non-State courts, such as the Federal High Court, the National Industrial Court, the Court of Appeal, Election Petition Tribunals, etc? That is the question.

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IMAGES

XIII Photo Editor Abiodun Ajala Email abiodun.ajala@thisdaylive.com

L-R: Chairman, Dorman Long Engineering Limited, Dr. Timi Austen-Peters; Chairman, Petroleum Technology Association of Nigeria (PETAN), Mr. Nicholas Odinuwe; Executive Secretary, Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB), Simbi Kesiye Wabote; and Chairman, Oil and Gas Trainers Association of Nigeria (OGTAN), Mazi Sam Azota Onyeche, at the first Annual Assembly and Conference tagged: ‘Welding and Allied Processes: Blue Print Africa’, held in Cairo, Egypt…recently

L-R: Graduating student of Entrepreneurial and Business Management, National Open University, Ifetayo Adeniyi; Deputy Director, Lagos Mainland Centre, National Open University, Mr. Athanasius Onyeokuro; Director, Lagos Study Centre, Associate Prof. Alero Akujobi; and Director, Badagry Study Centre, Lagos, Dr. Julius Paul Eyanuku, during 20th convocation ceremony of the National Open University of Nigeria held at the Lagos Study Centre...recently

The Director-General of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), Brigadier-General Yusha’u Dogara Ahmed, presenting a cheque of the insurance benefit for corps member, Omale Victor with number: EB/21A/1487, who went missing in 2021 during his service year in Ebonyi State, to his father, Mr. Omale Samuel, at his residence in Lokoja, Kogi State…recently

Former President, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, being received by the Anambra State Governor, Prof. Charles Soludo, as he arrives in the state for a Town hall meeting in commemoration of Soludo’s one-year anniversary in Akwa…recently

L-R: Director, Science, Technology and Vocational Education, Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Education Secretariat, Abuja, Hajiya Ramatu Habu; first place winner, Ukwuoma Uchechukwu Chidera from Government Secondary School, Dutse; third place winner, Egwu Favour Onyekachi from Government Secondary School, Kurudua; second place winner, Chiemeke Emmanuella, from Government Secondary School, Kubwa; PR Lead of 9mobile, Chineze Amanfo; and Director, Network Operations of 9mobile, Abdulmutallib Mohammed, at the grand finale of the 9mobile Essay Competition on ‘Environment’ in Abuja…recently

L-R: Special Adviser to the Lagos State Governor on Islamic Matters, Hon Jebe Abdullahi Ahmad; Deputy Governor, Dr. Kadri Obafemi Hamzat; state Commissioner for Home Affairs, Prince Anofiu Olarewaju Elegushi; and Representative of Chief Imam of Lagos, Chief Imam Mohammed Saba, at the 2023 Annual Ramadan Prayer (1444 A.H) with the theme: ‘Indeed, After Difficulty, Comes Ease (Q94:5)’, held at the State House Mosque Complex, Ikeja, Lagos…recently

XIV

TUESDAY, ͺ΀˜ ͺ͸ͺͻ ˾ T H I S D AY

THE ALTERNATIVE

with RenoOmokri

Making Peter Obi a Rahul Gandhi T

he petition by the Minister of State for Labour and Productivity (ironically, he has been a most unproductive minister), Festus Keyamo, to the Department of State Services (DSS), calling for the arrest and prosecution of Peter Obi, the Labour Party Presidential candidate, and his running mate, Senator Datti Baba-Ahmed, is an ill wind that blows no one any good, and his boss, President Buhari, should display leadership by calling him to order.

First of all, nothing Peter Obi has said is inciting, treasonable, or of such a concern that he should be prosecuted. Mr. Obi is usually prudent in his choice of words, and his only major issue is misstating facts, or just outright exaggeration, when he is excited.

But incitement and treason are very out of character for him.

His running mate is another matter. I do agree that his comments describing the future swearing-in of Bola Tinubu as the "end of democracy" in Nigeria are borderline treasonable. But that being said, he is talking of a future event that may become a moot point, depending on the verdict of the courts.

And it is most reckless for Festus Keyamo to raise such an alarm. He works for a man who, in and out of government, has made some of the most treasonous and inciting comments ever by a public official or public figure in Nigeria.

For example, his May 15, 2012 comment as follows: “If what happened in 2011 (alleged rigging) should again happen in 2015, by the grace of God, the dog and the baboon would all be soaked in blood."

Or then again, his June 3, 2013 comment condemning the military offensive against Boko Haram anti North.

What about his June 2, 2021 genocidal threat against the Igbo, to talk to them in a language that they would understand? A comment so offensive that it was deleted by Twitter?

Or again, his June 10, 2021 "dot in a circle" comment?

The fact is that this administration lacks the moral authority to go after either Mr. Obi, or Senator BabaAhmed.

It would be a good time to draw the attention of the Buhari regime to what is happening in India.

The Modi-led government instigated the trial of opposition leader, Rahul Gandhi, who is the son and grandson of former Indian Prime Ministers, for defamation.

He was convicted and sentenced to two years’ imprisonment and lost his Parliamentary seat. But the heat generated by his conviction is causing serious tensions in India.

Protests have broken out, unease has arisen amongst India's castes (especially the OBCs or other backward castes), and the tension is proving difficult for the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party to handle, and has even divided opinions within the BJP. And instead of focusing on its remarkable economic achievements, India is now focused on Rajiv Gandhi and his Indian National Congress, in a way that is increasing Mr. Gandhi's popularity.

Is that what the sass mouthing Mr. Keyamo wants for Nigeria?

Even if Buhari is blind to the consequences of entering the rabbit hole that Mr. Keyamo is taking him into, Mr. Tinubu cannot allow himself to be so

in Nigeria. That is why prudent Nigerians are cautious with their public comments at this critical stage of our nation's development.

We have seen an incumbent President lose to an opposition. That is one major democratic milestone.

Now perhaps, we may soon see the courts, for the first time, having the balls to declare the last Presidential elections null and void and ordering a new one.

Nothing is impossible.

As we all wait with bated breath, let us remind the Festus Keyamos of the world that no condition is permanent.

On Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu

Obi deluded.

Mr. Keyamo is the spokesperson for his Presidential Campaign Council and is seen by the public to speak for him.

In the unlikely or likely event that he is successful at the Election Petition Tribunals, would he not want to start on a clean slate and unite the country?

Is arresting a major opposition leader the type of opening gambit he wants to start his government with?

Even the existence and public awareness of the petition undermines Nigeria's democracy and would have an impact on our next Corruption Perception Index and our ranking on The Economist Magazine's Democracy Index.

And the question the international community would be asking is why would Buhari and Tinubu, who both protested against the Jonathan administration during Occupy Nigeria, and made some ill-advised comments, cannot be as tolerant as the governments they succeeded.

Already, the Southeast feels left out in the cold, and completely shut out of the power dynamics in Nigeria, with the continued detention of Nnamdi Kanu, despite a court judgment ordering his release.

And now, Festus Keyamo wants to add insult to injury by calling for Peter Obi's arrest? Is Nigeria deliberately provoking the Igbo or what?

Nnamdi Kanu and Peter Obi are the most popular Igbo men on planet Earth. And Peter Obi happens to be massively popular beyond the Southeast. With Kanu in detention, the Southeast is under pressure, with one full day being lost to commercial activities every week.

And now, Keyamo wants Peter Obi in jail? If either Buhari or Bola Tinubu tries it, they may end up uniting Southern Nigeria behind Peter Obi, and they do not want that at all. In fact, very, very at all as the late Fela Kuti would say.

Where was the same Keyamo when Sheikh Gumi was consorting with bandits and calling for Nigeria to accede to their demands? Where was he when the All Progressives Congress Majority Leader in the House of Representatives, Honourable (?) Alhassan Ado Garba threatened his constituents to either vote APC or be dealt with?

Buhari needs to call Keyamo to order. He is doing too much. And this much of muchness is not much good to Buhari, to Tinubu, and to the nation.

Right now, Buhari and Tinubu ought to be putting heads together to see how they can coax the Southeast to end the Monday sit at home. They certainly should not be allowing Keyamo to use their heads to deepen the problem by calling for Peter Obi's arrest!

Nobody knows the spark that can ignite the tension

I do not know if he actually meant to call Yoruba people "rascals", or it was a slip of tongue, and he is now trying to walk that back, but I watched the video myself. Let me give Chief Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu the benefit of the doubt. He is an elder statesman and could have been misquoted.

Yes, there were pockets of violence in Lagos during #NigerianElections2023 but they were overblown and over reported. I know of states where people died.

Some in the North, but a lot in the South. I just do not want to mention the states, because some people will turn it into a contest, and it will just lead to an argument. However, let me say that in terms of peaceful elections, the Southwest led the way.

Trying to stigmatise the Yoruba, especially the Yoruba of Lagos (you heard me right) in borrowed colours of intolerance for others will not work. In terms of liberalism, accommodation of others, and largeness of heart, we must give it to the Southwest. And this goes even beyond politics and quotidian life.

Even spiritually, the Yoruba are ahead of the rest of us, in a sense.

The conduct of the Yoruba is a credit to both major religions in Nigeria. Look at the way Yoruba Muslims behave. They make Islam look so cool and appealing.

And then look at Yoruba Christians. RCCG, Winners, Deeper life. The clash between Catholics and Anglicans that happen elsewhere is absent in Yorubaland.

Their live and let live worldview is a study in peaceful coexistence. The Yoruba understand and manage diversity so well. If we all had such an outlook, Nigeria's state would be far better than where she is today.

Reno’s Nuggets Carry your mother in her old age, just as she carried you during your pregnancy and infancy. Carry her financially. And emotionally.

Respect her in her twilight years. Don't use a sweet voice to talk to your girlfriend or wife, and use a harsh voice on your mother! If there is only one woman that can die for you, that person is your mother. Yet, you are telling a girl you have known for less than a year you will die for her. Die now! She will move on to the next romantic. After God's Love, it is mother's love. Honour your mother! #RenosNuggets #FreeLeahSharibu

NEWS

Musa: I'm Ready to Sacrifice My Senate Presidency Bid on Religious Grounds Considers deputy senate president position Sunday Aborisade in Abuja A frontline contender for the position of the 10th Senate Presidency, Senator Sani Musa, has expressed his willingness to sacrifice his ambition in the interest of unity and peaceful coexistence of Nigeria.

Musa, who is representing the Niger East Senatorial District in the National Assembly, stated this on Monday, when he appeared on the Morning Show of Arise News Channel.

He said the only condition that could make him to consider the position of the Deputy Senate President was if a competent Christian aspirant, who is running for the office of Senate President convinced him to step down, with genuine reasons.

The senator, who will formally declared his intention to contest the Senate Presidency today (Tuesday), described Nigeria as

a secular nation and stressed the need to ensure balance between the two main religion in the country.

He noted that the tension that heralded the Muslim-Muslim ticket of the All Progressives Congress presidential candidate and his running mate, should be avoided in the race for the Senate Presidency.

"For the exigencies of our time, looking at the volatile situation of what has generated the MuslimMuslim ticket in this country, I am one person that believes in the secularity of one Nigeria. I am one person that believes that, for every reason, there should be give and take in this country.

"We have lived with both Christians and Muslims. Some of us still have relatives that are still Christians and Muslims. We have lived in a society, where there’s intermarriage; we have lived for so long. Our forefathers envisaged a country where we would all

live together.

"I will not have any problem seeing a qualified, competent personality like me in the Senate,who has also presented himself for the office of the Senate President and asked me please to drop my ambi-

tion for him. I will do it.

"There is a position of Deputy Senate President, which also is a presiding officer in the National Assembly. I will be willing to do it if it’s going to be in the best interest of Nigerians and if it’s going to

be in the best interest of the zone I am going to represent. There’s no commitment or sacrifice too much to make to keep the unity this country deserves,” he said Musa, who is the Chairman, Committee on Senate Services,

said the fact that the National Chairman of the APC, Senator Abdullahi Adamu, was from the same geopolitical zone with him did not affect his emergence as a Presiding Officer of the red chamber.

Appeal Court Verdict: Osun PDP Tackles Oyetola Yinka Kolawole in Osogbo Aftermath of the Appeal court ruling that vindicated the government of Senator Ademola Adeleke in Osun State, the Osun People's Democratic Party (PDP) has urged the former Governor of Osun State, Gboyega Oyetola to leave the people of the state with their choice, face his business interest squarely and attend to his immediate family as well.

The PDP in a statement admonition by the Acting Chairman

of the party in the state, Dr. Akindele Adekunle enjoin the former governor to understand there were time and season in life and as such, this was the time of PDP in the state.

Moreso, as a son of an Islamic cleric, the party Chairman urged Oyetola to use the time of Ramadan to do a personal life reflection and realised there is a hand of God in the government being led by His Excellency, Governor Ademola Adeleke in the state which infers, it is a divine mandate the Governor

enjoys. " As a concerned member of Yoruba tribe where we have an inbuilt trait of looking after our neighbours, we want to ask what does former Governor Gboyega Oyetola really want? " Governance is about service to the people, and the people you wish to serve or have once served have stated loud and clear through their votes that they don't want you to serve them again as they've seen a better and more appropriate option.

"Not only that, the judiciary which is the arbiter of law and conclusive stage of electoral contest have also shown and clearly stand by Osun people's will even when all crude means were tried to subvert that. Our thanks to the Lord Justices of the appellate court that did justice to the Osun People's electoral case.

"By all this indices, it is only a man who wants to lose all his goodwill that will still be hell-bent in forcing himself on people that doesn't want you as a person.

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T H I S D AY ˾ TUESDAY MARCH 28, 2023

PROPERTY & ENVIRONMENT ‘Trade Essential to Develop New Economics of Water to Reduce Waste’ Bennett Oghifo

point of leverage for investment in, and action on, the water-related Sustainable Development Goals as well as climate change.”

She said as one of the co-Chairs, she has had the honour “to work on this report. We hope policy makers will use those recommendations so that this report makes sense for all people and all communities.”

T

he World Water Conference came to a close in New York, U.S.A at the weekend, with a call on the global community to develop a new economics of water to reduce waste, increase efficiency and equitable distribution, adding that trade will be essential for this to be realised.

This is contained in a message sent to the World Water Conference by Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, a co-Chair of The Global Commission on the Economics of Water, which was launched a year ago to outline a new economics of water.

According to a statement by officials, The Global Commission on the Economics of Water presented its first report during the UN 2023 Water Conference. “Interest was great when the first results were shared at the UN 2023 Water Conference by the four co-chairs Professor Mariana Mazzucato, WTO Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Professor Johan Rockström and Singapore Senior Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam.”

In her virtual message, ‘Turning the Tide on the World Water Crisis’ Okonjo-Iweala, Director-General of the World Trade Organisation, said, “At a time of demographic shifts, and climate change, among other stresses, we need to develop a new economics of water that will help us reduce water waste, improve water efficiency and provide opportunities for greater water equity.”

She said, “We also urgently need a new science of water, focused on green water, including water vapour transportation of green plants and atmospheric rivers, making rivers not just a local resource, but one with important regional and even global dimensions. In this regard, one of the most important conclusions of our work is that water efficiency should not be seen as in tension with equity goals. To the contrary, efficiency is what makes possible the reallocation of water to those who are currently underserved.”

According to Okonjo-Iweala, “We know that if water supply falls short of demand, it will almost certainly be the poor that will bear the burden. Global cooperation is essential to the success in managing water as a global common good, just as it is to a successful international response to climate change.”

She said, “Fragmentation in the trading

Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala

system or pull back from international commerce threatens to push nations away from from the collaborative spirit required not only to keep trade flowing, but also to ensure that nations work together on shared challenges, including water management and availability, as well as climate change.”

And that “Without cooperation, there are risks to poverty and falling prosperity with developing countries losing out more. Developing and emerging nations, especially those countries that are in water stressed areas, need to, one, better manage their water resources to ensure water access for all. And two, attract financing for the water infrastructure that they need to build to expand access.”

She said this was why the Global Commission report puts such emphasis on the need for a new economics of water that provides incentives for water efficiency and for investment in water projects. “Trade will be essential.

It promotes dissemination and speed of the best production practices, new technologies and innovations more boldly. Trade policy and the WTO are thus positioned to be an important

SIWI Mobilises to Support Follow-up to UN 2023 Water Conference The UN 2023 Water Conference initiated a new era for water where it is considered as a global common good. Next, the world must embark on a mission to change the governance and economics of water at both the local and the global levels. Here, SIWI shares seven reflections on what lies ahead.

Twelve Heads of State, 80 Ministers and 6,500 non-state actors converged on New York for the UN 2023 Water Conference 22-24 March. SIWI played an active role in the conference and its year-long preparation, with 21 experts on-site to discuss, collaborate and share their expertise.

While in-depth analysis of the outcomes will take a bit more time, here are seven immediate take-aways from the historic water conference.

1. Today’s many interconnected global crises can only be solved through improved water governance.

Many discussions at the UN 2023 Water Conference, and the first report from the Global Commission on the Economics of Water, shows that water governance is the key to future water security for all. A growing body of research indicates that we are facing a new magnitude of the global water crisis and that we need to profoundly transform how we use, manage and value water.

“We all depend on the same water cycle and must, therefore, treat water as a global common good. In coming years, we need to transform our political and economic systems to create the right incentives and innovations for a more sustainable and just future. To achieve this and deliver on the whole 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, we need a systemic shift in our thinking, at both the global and the local levels.”

Water is a powerful tool for ambitious climate action The UN conference showed how fast the

climate debate is now changing, with water increasingly at the core of both adaptation and mitigation discussions. But when it comes to implementation, many obstacles remain, often due to a lack of enabling environments, such as finance, capacity, information and political will.

For the water-climate nexus to work seamlessly, incentives and regulations in both areas need to be harmonized. There is also a need for better cooperation between global and local levels.

SIWI shared insights about how water can play a key role in climate mitigation, not least in cities, a topic which has so far received very little attention.

The water and climate agendas are increasingly connected, and water will likely again feature prominently at this year’s UNFCCC COP28 climate conference. SIWI is again playing a leading role in the coordination of the Water Pavilion, where a growing number of organizations are advocating for more water-wise climate policies.

3. The source-to-sea approach can help us restore the water cycle There has been significant interest in sourceto-sea management during the conference, as evidenced in Interactive Dialogue 3, as well as many side events. We seem to be starting to take the next step, moving from the question about what the source-to-sea approach is to how to implement it. The discussions are increasingly concrete, and as a leading expert in this field, SIWI has been able to contribute knowledge and experience and continue to provide support to the Action Platform for Source-to-Sea Management.

4. We need much stronger commitments to achieve universal access to water and sanitation We have not seen any significant new commitments to improve water and sanitation services. Many countries have stated what they already do, and that is a good reminder, but from a WASH perspective we need to see much stronger and more forward-looking initiatives than what this conference has provided us with. The financing gap for water and sanitation remains significant, especially for sanitation services and wastewater treatment, and especially in least developed countries. Strengthened cooperation and partnership in this domain can make a difference!

Infinity Power Launch into Nigeria Market with Sustainable Power Solution Products Fadekemi Ajakaiye

W

ith continued challenges in the energy sector and simultaneous growth of various industries in Nigeria, the industries have become increasingly dependent on technology for their fundamental operation, necessitating the need for availability of quality power for sustained growth of their businesses.

Hence, to meet up these needs, Infinity Sustainable Power Solutions Limited, (ISPL) was established in 2017 as a part of Infinity Group diversification program into green energy, and over the last 5 years, ISPL has made significant inroads into standby and motive power solutions, and offering premium

quality standby power solution for homes, offices and industries.

ISPL has worked towards bridging the gap between the customer’s aspiration of quality and dependability and the average run off the mill products available in the Nigerian market.

The company has painstakingly worked with its design team over the last two years to provide the customers with engineered solutions for Energy Efficient Environmentally Sustainable UPS Systems & End to End Power Quality, Energy Storage & Hybrid (Solar-Wind-Battery-UtilityDiesel) Solutions for Data Centers,

ICT, ITES, BFSI, Medical, Diagnostics, Mission Critical, Continuous Manufacturing processes & other Industrial Applications.

The Group’s technology and manufacturing partners are based in India who are working closely with ISPL engineering team to provide customized solutions for Solar and Standby Power Solutions, backed by impeccable after sales service, installation and training support and over 95% of spare parts back up at all times.

ISPL is already providing standby power solutions to key sectors, like Telecom, Banking, Data Centers, Hospitals, Hotels, Broadcasting and continuous manufacturing processes of medical, food processing, petroleum and CNC controlled heavy industries.

Infinity Sustainable Power Solutions Limited, which can be reached on ISPL at customercare@infinitytyres.com, offers unique advantages for its customers across the various spectrum of industries. These include: Ex. Stock Deliveries, Capability to absorb and deliver modern technologies, Widespread Presence in various key Industrial segments, as well as Sales and Service Support manpower backed by nationwide network.

Other advantages offered by the company include Exposure to Marketing and Servicing of Diagnostics and Power products (up to MW+), Trained Support Manpower for handling Power Conditioning Products unto MW+, Customer need Analysis and customized Power solutions for specific applications.

Laws of Contract and Tort in the Construction Industry Charles M. Maduka

A

ccording to Henry David Thoreau, an American Naturalist, Poet, and Philosopher; ‘ It is not desirable to cultivate a respect for the so much as for the right.

Law is a prerequisite for orderliness, peace, and harmony in society. A lawless society is unimaginable and alien to the modern world.

Besides, the significance of law in society can’t be over-emphasized.

Howbeit, the law acts as a code of conduct.

What then is law, one may ask? The Collins English Dictionary defines law as’ A rule or body of rules made by the legislature; It’s a rule of conduct!

Going forward, the construction industry

provides shelter and infrastructure.

The shelter is one of the necessities of life while infrastructure is the stock of basic facilities and equipment needed for the functioning of a country or area.

In most definitions, construction covers the entire stages associated with the delivery of buildings and infrastructure. The trajectory involves and begins too with planning, design, and financing and continues until the property is developed and ready for use. It traverses repairs and maintenance works, alteration and restoration et al.

Nigeria is a common-law country.

Common law is a body of law based on court decisions rather than on codes and statutes. Suffice it to stress that

offer, acceptance, consideration, and intention to create relations and legal capacity are the ingredients required to beget a legally binding contract in Nigeria. In other words, there are four basic elements of a valid contract namely – offer, acceptance, consideration, and intention to enter a legal relationship.

Conversely, the concept of tort plays an important role in contract administration and project management, especially in negligence, fraud/deceit, assault, and trespass ( to land and property ) among others. The tort may be defined as a civil wrong involving a breach of duty fixed by the law, such duty being owed to persons generally and its breach being redressible primarily by an action for damages.(Prof.I E Sagay) Furthermore, the original intention of tort is

to provide full compensation for proved harm.

Tort lawsuits as civil litigation are classified thus: Intentional tort, Negligence and strict liability.

Negligence is by far the most common type of tort. Examples include but are not limited to physical harm; Slip- fall accidents due to wrong use of building materials like floor tiles; faulty scaffolding and even failure to carry out simple concrete quality -control test such as slump test.

It is pertinent to emphasize that the process of housing and infrastructural development is complex and capital-intensive. Given the above, a well – written contract agreement is vital to the success of any construction project. It should contain everything that is agreed upon by the Employer( Client) and the contractor.

-Maduka, Architect, writes from Lagos

T H I S D AY ˾ TUESDAY, MARCH 28, 2023

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BUSINESSWORLD R A T E S MONEY MARKET

A S

REPO

A T

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

08056356325

M A R C H

S & P INDEX

2 7 , 2 0 2 3

S & P INDEX

EXCHANGE RATE

OPR

11.25%

CALL

10.25%

INDEX LEVEL

613.31%

1/4 TO DATE

-0.85%

N416.86/ 1 US DOLLAR*

OVERNIGHT

11.50%

1-MONTH

9.56%

1-DAY

0.16%

YEAR TO DATE

7.64%

*AS AT LAST FRIDAY

3-MONTH

10.52%

MONTH-TO-DATE

0.44%

Despite N8trn Subsidy Payment, Petrol Price Jumps 54% in One Year

Emmanuel Addeh in Abuja Despite the expenditure of a cumulative sum of N8 trillion on petrol subsidy in 2022 and the projection till June 2023, Nigerians spent an extra 54 per cent of their incomes buying the product during the period, a new report by the state-controlled National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) has indicated.

According to the February data released by the NBS, the average retail price paid by consumers

for Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), popularly known as petrol in February 2023 was N263.76, indicating a 54.76 per cent increase when compared to the value of N170.42 recorded in February last year.

The price of petrol, a key fuel used in Nigeria, has however, more than doubled since 2015 when the Muhammadu Buhari administration took over the reins of government, increasing from the N87 official rate at the time to N194, although

Nigerians now rarely get it at the official price at the pumps.

But comparing the average price with the previous month, that is, January 2023, the average retail price of petrol increased by 2.58 per cent from N257.12, according to the NBS report.

In 2022, the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC) said it spent 4.39 trillion naira ($9.7 billion) on a petrol subsidy. It also did not remit funds to federal accounts last year.

Incapable of refining a drop of fuel for its 200, million people, Nigeria imports nearly all its products because local refineries have been shut down due to years of neglect.

In the first half of this year, during which the government expects to halt the largely opaque spending, the Buhari government has made a provision of N3. 36 trillion for the purpose after an 18-month extension announced in early 2022. In total, Nigeria will spend N8 trillion during

the period.

However, on a state profile analysis, the NBS stated that Jigawa state had the highest average retail price for petrol during the period, with N329.17, followed by Rivers and Ebonyi with N323.33 and N317.14 respectively.

On the other hand, Niger State had the lowest average retail price with N198.50, followed by Plateau with N198.71 and Abuja with N200.00. In addition, analysis by zone showed that the South-East

had the highest average retail price in February 2023 with N306.86, while the North-Central had the lowest with N215.01.

Similarly, the average retail price for refilling a 5kg cylinder of Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) or cooking gas increased by 0.26 per cent on a month-on-month basis from N4,588.75 recorded in January 2023 to N4,600.57 in February 2023.

NOTE: The story continues online on www.thisdaylive.com

Sanda: Discos Unable to Attract Funding Due to Liquidity Challenge in Power Sector Peter Uzoho The inability of power distribution companies (Discos) in Nigeria to access necessary external funding required for capital projects has been attributed to the liquidity issues plaguing the electricity sector in the country.

The Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of the Eko Electricity Distribution Company (EKEDC), Dr Tinuade Sanda, stated

this during an exclusive interview with THISDAY. She explained that Nigerian banks were not disposed to giving Discos long-term lending facility but instead; offer them loans on a short and medium term basis, which she said was not enough for them.

“What you have today is that, we are not able to attract necessary funding that is required because of the issues the sector is plagued

with. Lending from the banking sector in Nigeria is short to medium term, none of them is ready for the long term funding which is what the sector needs,” Sanda explained.

To continue to improve power supply to consumers, she said the company was no longer relying on the grid that was not sufficient, as they devised alternative sources of power for distribution to the consumers.

FOOD

Sanda, however, pointed out that the current regime of the power regulators has been very collaborative with the operators.

According to her, the regulators are forward-thinking and look for innovative ideas that would help improve the sector’s liquidity and address the challenges the sector is facing.

She said one of the major challenges the sector is facing is metering, noting: “you keep hearing

COMMODITIES

NAME OF COMMODITY

SIZE

STATE

PRICE

NAME OF COMMODITY

RICE

100KG

ABUJA

N35,000 – N45,000

SORGHUM

50KG

OYO

N35,000 – N45,000

50KG

PLATEAU (JOS)

N32,500 – N42,000

50KG

KWARA

N24,000–N27,000

50KG

LAGOS

N35,000 – N45,000

50KG

RIVERS

N36,500 – N46,500

50KG

SOKOTO

50KG

EDO

PRICE

consumers shouting estimated bill, it’s real and it’s a concern even for us as Discos. I also want to sell my energy and be able to bill accurately what consumers have utilised.”

She said the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) was now addressing the metering challenge with the introduction of a meter asset fund, which is a tariff model where 75 kobo is deducted from every kilowatt hour

of energy supplied.

“So, that fund is what they are going to build up where Discos can go to that fund, take a loan and meter consumers,”Sanda explained.

She said that one of the company’s plans was to ensure that they were able to meter about 30 per cent of unmetered consumers within their network area.

Continued on page 22

T O D AY

STATE

PRICE

NAME OF COMMODITY

SIZE

STATE

PRICE

100KG JIGAWA

N30,000

BEANS

MAIDU GURI

N22,000 – N30,000

100KG

BENUE

N32,000

50KG BAG

100KG

N32,000

100KG LAGOS

N36,000

KADUNA

50KG

ENUGU

N24,000

100KG

KANO

N35,000

50KG

LAGOS

N26,000

100KG

DELTA

N36,000

N60,000 – N70,000

100KG

DELTA

N35,000

N17,000–N20,000

100KG

ABIA

N36,000

100KG

ABIA

N35,700

SIZE

22

TUESDAY, MARCH 28, 2023 ˾ T H I S D AY

BUSINESSWORLD

NEWS FOOD

NAME OF COMMODITY

PALM OIL

COMMODITIES

SIZE

STATE

PRICE

NAME OF COMMODITY

SIZE

LOCATION

PRICE

100KG KANO

N20,500

ONIONS

100KG

IBADAN

N60,000

MAIZE

100KG

OYO

N10,000

N24,000 – N35,000

100KG BENUE

N27,000

100KG KANO

N30,000

100KG ENUGU

N16,500

100KG BENUE

N65,000

100KG DELTA

100KG LAGOS

N32,000

N14,000

25CL IBADAN N22,000 — N35,000

100KG PLATEAU

N45,000

100KG

ABIA

N11,000

PRICE

25CL LAGOS N20,000-N35000 25CL

PH

STATE

GROUNDNUT

T O D AY

PRICE

STATE

SIZE

PRICE

NAME OF COMMODITY

SIZE

NAME OF COMMODITY

25CL

IMO

N24,000 – N36,500

100KG DELTA

N34,000

100KG DELTA

N50,000

50KG

LAGOS

N9,000

25CL

EDO

N20,000 – N35,000

100KG

ABIA

N27,000

100KG LAGOS

N60,000

100KG KANO

N9,400

100KG ENUGU

N23 000

100KG ENUGU

N45,000

50KG

N6,000

25CL ABUJA N25,500 – N35,000

BENUE

Chad Nationalises Exxon Mobil Assets after Sales Disagreement Emmanuel Addeh in Abuja Chad has nationalised all the assets and rights including hydrocarbon permits and exploration and production authorisations that belonged to

a subsidiary of Exxon Mobil, the Central African nation’s energy and hydrocarbons ministry said in a statement.

Exxon Mobil said in December that it had closed the sale of its operations in Chad and Cameroon

to London-listed Savannah Energy in a $407 million deal, but the Chadian government contested the agreement, saying the final terms were different from what Exxon Mobil had presented.

It warned that it may ask

the courts to block Savannah’s purchase of Exxon’s assets in the country and take further steps to protect its interests, Reuters reported.

Exxon’s assets included a 40 per cent stake in Chad’s Doba

oil project, which comprises seven producing oilfields with combined output of 28,000 barrels per day (bpd).

It also included Exxon’s interest in the more than 1,000 kilometre (621 mile) Chad/Cameroon pipeline from the landlocked nation to the Atlantic Gulf of

Guinea coast through which its crude is exported.

The finance and budget minister must make sure the said decree is implemented from the date of its publishing,” said the Government’s General Secretary, Haliki Choua Mahamat, on state media and quoted by AP.

FG Commits to Effective Animal Welfare Management S & P : A f r i c a n O P E C

Gilbert Ekugbe

The Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (FMARD), has reaffirmed its commitment to effective animal welfare management practices in the country during emergencies and natural disasters to boost national food security and wealth creation.

The Director OF Veterinary and Pests Control Services/ Chief Veterinary Officer of Nigeria (CVON), Dr. Musa Inuwa, said that the essence is to provide a platform for effective engagement and interaction among relevant stakeholders

to stipumulate their interest on implementing policies concerning the general care of animals during emergencies and disaster situations.

Inuwa said this during a national stakeholders meeting that was organised recently in Nassarawa State in collaboration with F&A Engineering Construction Links Limited, He added that the meeting would also serve as a medium for awareness creation on good animal welfare practices.

Inuwa pointed out that the ministry had stepped up efforts towards introducing global best practices in the Nigeria’s animal welfare strategy in line

with guidelines and standards provided by World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH).

He, therefore, tasked the stakeholders to share their experience and serve as credible animal welfare ambassadors within the spheres of their influence.

Earlier, the Head of Quality Assurance and Standards Division (QAS) of the Department of Veterinary and Pest Control Services, Dr. Abdulkareem Durosinlorun, said that the department has identified the need to develop a response strategy for animals during emergencies and disasters.

In her remarks, the National President of the Nigerian Veterinary Association, Dr. Oluwatoyin Adetuberu, revealed that the meeting was of great importance because when there are disasters only humans are rescued without anyone taking cognisance of the animals.

Adetuberu pointed out that the meeting was about rescuing and rehabilitating animals during disasters and emergencies, and also on how to include animals into the responsibilities of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) and to have veterinarians that are trained on ‘rescue.’

$1.8bn Business Deals Sealed as Nigeria, Others Brainstorm on Energy Challenges at Summit Peter Uzoho The recently held Middle East, Africa Energy Summit in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, where Nigeria’s energy access and infrastructure challenges were deliberated has succeeded in facilitating business deals worth $1.8 billion in a three-day showcase, THISDAY has learnt.

The 48th edition of the summit organised by the Dubai-based Informa Markets, assessed the challenges and opportunities for Nigeria’s natural gas in the energy

Group Business Editor Eromosele Abiodun Deputy Business Editor Chinedu Eze Comms/e-Business Editor Emma Okonji Asst. Editor, Money Market Nume Ekeghe Senior Correspondent Raheem Akingbolu (Advertising) Correspondents Emmanuel Addeh (Energy) KayodeTokede(CapitalMarkets) James Emejo (Finance) Ebere Nwoji (Insurance) Reporters Nosa Alekhuogie (ICT) Peter Uzoho (Energy) Ugo Aliogo (Development)

transition dispensation.

Speaking during one of the panel sessions, which focused on “Energy Transition Priorities for Nigeria’s Energy Sector”, Managing Director of the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) and Chairman of the West Africa Power Pool, Dr Sule Abdulaziz, harped on Nigeria’s ability to develop its energy infrastructure and the partnerships needed to solve its challenges.

He said the number one challenge facing the power sector in Nigeria was funding, especially for the TCN, adding that the generation and distribution arms of the sector were owned by private companies, hence their ability to source funding through various investors and banks.

Energy expert and Senior Aide to

the Senate President, Mr. Olabode Sowunmi, in his intervention, expanded the discussion on the current gap in Nigeria’s energy infrastructure, which has caused stagnation in development.

According to him, “Many times, what has been noticed is a disconnect between policies and the private sector, for whom the policies are intended.”

“This is because there have been inadequate opportunities for interactions and effective constructive engagement between beneficiaries.

For sustainable development, there must be consistent, regular, and effective communication between the private sector and policymakers,” he added.

Chief Executive Officer, Tetracore

Group, Mr. Olakunle Williams, who shared his thoughts on the future of energy infrastructure and development in Nigeria, stated that in the next five years, Nigeria would need to improve its energy access by getting more people connected to the grid.

“We will also need to considerately step up our gas-based industries because as we continue to meet power needs, we have huge requirements to industrialise in a very short time.

“Regarding solar power and other renewable energy sources, I want to see a situation where we can incorporate them more into our national energy mix and be a major player when it comes to expanding clean energy across Africa, ”he said.

H e av y we i g h t s o n Growth Path Despite Crude Underproduction Emmanuel Addeh in Abuja Nigeria and Angola are seemingly unable to return to pre-pandemic levels of production, where Nigeria would produce between 1.7 and 1.8 MMbo/d and Angola between 1.4 & 1.5 MMbo/d.

However, African countries fared well in the first few months of the new year with growing production in Nigeria, Congo and initially Angola, S&P Global Commodity Insights, said in a report.

According to the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), Nigeria pumped 1.38 MMbo/d in February, up 109,000 bpd from December and the highest since February 2022.

This is as the key grade, Agbami returned from maintenance and recently troubled flows of Forcados and Bonga saw continued rebounds.

In addition, Congo was also a

big gainer in the first few months of the year, boosting its monthly production by 36,000 bpd over December 2022, the report added.

“This is positive, but as of February 2023, Nigeria was over 350,000 bo/d less than its quota of 1.74 MMbo/d and Angola was around 370,000 bo/d below its quota of 1.45 MMbo/d.

“March production will be affected by an expected decline in Angola output related to a five-week maintenance block at the Dalia Floating Production Storage and Offloading (FPSO),” S&P stressed.

S&P attributed the underproduction to years of underinvestment, political uncertainty, country unrest, ageing infrastructure and producing assets which are combining to make it almost impossible for certain African producers to return to their prepandemic production level.

SANDA: DISCOS UNABLE TO ATTRACT FUNDING DUE TO LIQUIDITY CHALLENGE IN POWER SECTOR “I’ve done the metering plan for the next three years and one of the plans is that, year-on-year for the next three years, I close that metering gap. And of course, you must know that as I’m closing the gap, some meters are also due for replacement because of their useful life.

“So, we also planned that, on a

year-to-year basis, the ones that are due, we also replace them. But the gap that we currently have, I want to close that out in the next three years and then, subsequently start addressing the inaccurate meters that have expired their useful life.

So, those are the things we are doing, “she added.

Lagos Finance Commissioner Wins Prestigious 40 Under 40 Africa Awards Oluchi Chibuzor Nigeria’s very own Dr. Rabiu Olowo emerges winner, Forty under 40 Africa Awards, one of only few winners represented from the country.

The prestigious award organized

by Black White Hover Law Practices, celebrates the continent’s most influential and accomplished young business leaders under the age of forty who are committed to business growth, professional excellence, and community service.

Held on the 25th of March 2023 in Johannesburg - South Africa, the event hosted around 126 nominees and delegates from 23 countries including Eritrea, Egypt, Zimbabwe, Uganda, Nigeria, Kenya, Ghana,

Tanzania, Cameroon, South Sudan, Morocco, Benin, Mauritius, Sierra Leone, Ethiopia, Rwanda, Algeria, Botswana, Tunisia, Eswatini, Lesotho, Gambia, and South Africa.

The event is aimed at identifying an impressive cross-functional and successful people from a wide range of industries who have risen through the ranks of their organizations, industries, and careers at a relatively young age with verifiable records of meaning impact to Government, Business and Society.

Consequently, the 37-year-old Commissioner for Finance in Lagos State, was awarded for his stellar track record in the Governance category.

His role as Honourable Commissioner for Finance cuts across Revenue Management, Expenditure Management, Investment Management, Debt Management as well as Reporting geared towards attaining improved transparency and accountability for the 5th largest economy in Africa.

The Lagos State Ministry of Finance under the strategic leadership of Dr. Rabiu Olowo assisted the Lagos State Government to achieve an unprecedented height of triple A (AAA nga) ratings by International Rating Agency FITCH. This is a reflection of the State improved Accountability and Transparency in the management of public funds for the purpose of

delivering Infrastructural projects., including the management of debts.

The Lagos State Finance Commissioner has demonstrated impassioned commitment working with Ministries, Departments and Agencies under the leadership of Governor Babajide Sanwoolu to making Lagos State the best city to live, work and do business.

He works across boundaries to providing strategic alliances which includes the financial and technical close of West Africa’s first metro line - Lagos Blue Line which will move hundreds of thousands of people as a part of the strategic transport master plan of the State.

He also demonstrated strategic finance partnering working with the

Ministry of Agriculture to deliver the biggest Rice mill on the African continent, the *Imota Rice Mill*.

I’m the last 4years, Dr. Rabiu Olowo has continued to champion the revenue acceleration process that has seen Lagos State revenue increased by double digits, evidenced by a CAGR 12%.

His role working with and assisting the Ministry of Health as a member of the Governor’s War Cabinet during the worst pandemic of this century - COVID 19 is impressive. Working with the Governor and members of the War cabinet to making decisions for over 20m Lagosians, thereby striking a balance between between their lives and livelihood.

T H I S D AY ˾ TUESDAY, MARCH 28, 2023

23

BUSINESSWORLD

PERSPECTIVE

Dissecting Seplat’s Corporate Governance Flaws Under Omiyi Bayo Akinleye

London office, attending meetings on Seplat’s behalf and making decisions that affect the Nigerian company. What an effrontery and disrespect to Nigeria.

As many posit, is Mr Brown by any stretch of imagination expected to still lead over this same employees, who are glad to have been liberated of his racist acts? What sort of work environment now prevails in this company? It can also be authoritatively stated that neither Basil Omiyi nor the Board, and note even the Management has deemed it necessary to address the staff matters. Rather, they gloss over them and take to press to defend the indefensible, provoking staff to run riot in the social media space with their concerns.

Social media has been bustling with this subject matter since it broke. Provoked staff of the company, with many other concerned Nigerians, have taken to the social media to rip the company apart.

They accuse the company’s leaders of pouring petrol on the raging fire by trying to bully and coerce the staff into supporting the fight for confidence in the CEO, whom they are elated to see long gone.

T

he first law of holes states: “When you are in a hole, you stop digging.” But for those at the helms of affairs at Seplat Energy Plc. appear hell-bent on observing the rule in breach. For several weeks now, the company has been in the news for the bad reasons, with what appears a clear absence of leadership or strategic crisis management at all levels in the company. From ambiguous corporate announcements to seemingly sponsored media articles in their favour, it has reached the extent that the company’s employees boldly take to the social media to call out the foremost independent indigenous oil and gas company listed on both the London and Nigerian Stock Exchanges.

First was the news of the revocation of the visa, residence permit and work permit of Seplat’s CEO, Mr. Roger Brown, by the federal government following his indictment by the Ministry of Interior for not having the appropriate permits (CERPAC) and for racist practices, discrimination against Nigerian workers at the company, favouring of foreign employees, and breach of the Nigerian Code of Corporate Governance. Other allegations by Nigerian employees of Seplat that triggered the federal government’s sanction include intimidation, bullying, and sacking of Nigerian staff of Seplat; relegation of host communities, relocation of Seplat technology office to Aberdeen; intimidation of senior members of staff and management; and bullying of Nigerian employees by their expatriate counterparts; and constant abuse and derision of the President of Nigeria, among other allegations. To worsen matters, Roger Brown, according to the federal government, “declined to attend despite two invitations, claiming to be unavailable even though we learnt he was in Abuja for other purposes at the time”.

On the heels of the above, a Federal High Court in Lagos restrained Roger Brown from parading himself as the CEO of Seplat. The court equally barred the Board Chairman, Mr. Basil Omiyi, and the Independent Non-Executive Directors of the Board from continuing to run the affairs of Seplat in an illegal, unfair, prejudicial, and oppressive manner pending the hearing and determination of the lawsuit filed by some shareholders of the company over all these developments.

HOST COMMUNITIES REVOLT A few days ago, Seplat’s host communities took to the streets of Sapele, while others stormed the head office of the company in Lagos demanding the removal of the Chairman, Board of Directors of Seplat, Mr. Basil Omiyi and members of the board over their refusal to sack the CEO, Mr. Roger Brown. They also protested against the alleged mistreatment of the youths of the host communities and told Seplat to “employ youths as full staff, not slave contract staff, stop bullying staff, bring back the Technical Department of Seplat from Aberdeen to Nigeria”, among other demands.

Before Nigerians could digest these developments, the Omiyi-led Board that seemed to be solving their problems majorly in the press, sued the co-founder and pioneer Chairman, Dr. ABC Orjiako, and his firm, Amaze Ltd. to Federal High Court, Abuja, for initiating a letter to the federal government over a business transaction worth over $300 million towards closing the lingering $1.3 billion

ALLEGED STAFF ENSLAVEMENT

Omiyi

Mobil deal without consent of the Board. That is not all, the company is equally asking for N5 billion in damages from the respondents and, among others, a declaration that the December 22, 2022 letter “constitute a grave act of deceit and false representation especially as it is intended to bind the plaintiff in a transaction worth over $300 million, which act is unlawful as it negates the provisions of Section 90 (1) of the CAMA, 2020 and the Articles and Regulations of the plaintiff”.

Questionably, the law Suit comes four months after the said offence occurred.

In all this, what is palpable is absence of leadership. For instance, the lawsuit filed against the co-founder and Pioneer Chairman of the company is a good example of poor leadership.

Orjiako’s response makes the following points clear: He has the mandate under the written authorisation of the Board of Directors of Seplat to see the Mobil transaction he started to the end; the letter was written following appropriate discussions and was strictly for and in the best interest of Seplat; he clearly identified himself as the Pioneer Chairman (not incumbent Chairman) in his letter to the President. The Bloomberg report on the matter further vindicates the Co-founder of the company and collaborates some of the facts including that his appointment was to negotiate the long lingering transaction.

But even more striking is that while Omiyi was quick to drag to court a man, who co-founded Seplat and laboured for 13 years to build it into the success story that it is today to court, the company did not deem it fit to do a counter letter to the Presidency to disown the 10 per cent of the deal/ assets conceded to the NNPCL. Instead, the company is ironically making efforts to consummate the deal before the end of President Muhammadu Buhari’s tenure, relying on the same

letter for which they took Orjiako to court! Who does that? What then is the essence of the lawsuit?

LACK OF CORPORATE GOVERNANCE Meanwhile, emerging facts reveal that Omiyi did not follow Seplat’s good governance code that clearly states that the Board must meet and unanimously agree before any Board member is sued. Board members read his unilateral decision on the pages of the newspaper. In Omiyi’s haste to smear Orjiako, he sensationalised the news in the press before even informing the stock exchanges and his directors. Interestingly, the company was not obliged or bound by any regulation to report the lawsuit and Omiyi’s unilateral termination of Orjiako’s contract over the Mobil deal to the Exchanges. Seplat or rather Omiyi left no one in doubt of the malice intended by the lawsuit and publications on Orjiako.

Again, one wonders what manner of Board would allow the grave matters raised by the Nigerian employees in Seplat unattended to until they invited the Ministry of Interior to intervene. Or what manner of Board would allow an employee, the British CEO of Seplat, to ignore the Ministry’s invitation, only to turn around to lie on his behalf that he was never communicated; a lie that media reports had since settled.

It is equally instructive that the only thing the Omiyi-led Board could immediately think of after the sanction was communicated to Seplat was to swiftly pass a vote of confidence in Mr. Brown whose continued stay in the country the federal government has designated a threat to national interest. Even now, Seplat workers allege that no serious attention has been given to the grievous human issues raised in their petition. Rather, Mr. Brown is still allowed to run the affairs of the company from their

A Sapele-based staff wrote: “The truth they say is biter, but one cannot run away from the truth. Large enslavement is happening in Seplat Energy. Can you imagine a professional firefighter in the company still under contract for over 11 years now? What do you call that?

No standard or willful act? Whoever breaks the law of the land should face his own music. Essential workers like firefighters, operation support, medics are still on contract”.

This leaves one wondering whether the leaders, if any, in the company are seeking real or organic solutions to the issues and loud disquiet in the company.

This is because when all the unforced or avoidable crisis bedevilling Seplat are carefully considered, one will have no choice than to begin to believe those who say that Seplat’s crisis, from the Roger Brown issue to the lawsuit against Orjiako, might have been contrived by Omiyi to elongate his tenure.

Omiyi was only appointed in office as an interim Chairman, following Orjiako’s exit last year. Section 12.10 of the Code clearly provides that “the tenure for Independent Non-Executive Directors should not exceed three terms of three years each”. But Omiyi, who claims to be corporate governance-driven in his actions, has refused to go after ten years, even after major shareholders of the company have notified him in writing to do so.

He has spent the one year plotting at all costs with Roger Brown on how to extend his stay and that of the South African based director Charles Okeahelam, who also has served for ten years too.

Little wonder, why they are hell bent on saving Brown.

Interestingly, many Nigerians who have watched this drama keenly believe that Omiyi is desperately clinging on in order to either be in total charge of the Mobil transaction or see through the sale of Seplat to some South African interests or both.

But whatever it is, what is not in doubt is that Seplat under Omiyi and Brown, have become a house of commotion where personal interests are taking pre-eminence over corporate interest, national interest, and the Nigerian Code of Corporate Governance. Seplat needs to be saved from their crippling grips. t "LJOMFZF XSJUFT GSPN 8BSSJ

24

TUESDAY, MARCH 28, 2023 ˾ T H I S D AY

BUSINESS/MONEYGUIDE

Global Money Transfer Index: Nigerian Consumers Canvass Greater Innovation for Future Remittance Needs Kayode Tokede

Western Union’s inaugural Global Money Transfer Index in its latest report has disclosed that Nigerian consumers are demanding for greater innovation from money transfer providers to support their future remittance needs.

The index also revealed that about 89 per cent of consumers who receive remittances in Nigeria want services integrated into a ‘super app’ with which they can manage all personal finance needs.

According to the index, 79 per cent consumers want platforms with local-language capabilities.

The Global Money Transfer Index asks consumers how, when and why they use international money transfer capabilities today, as well as their expectations for tomorrow. The results bolster Western Union’s ‘Evolve 25’ strategy to combine high-value, accessible retail and digital financial services for all.

The Regional Vice President, Africa at Western Union, Mohamed Touhami El Ouazzani in a statement said, “Nigeria’s Government and Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN)’s efforts in developing the necessary infrastructure has boosted connectivity and inclusivity. As a result, consumers have become attuned to the opportunities and flexibility innovations can bring. We expect this to continue, underscored by a strong emphasis on speed, convenience and reliability.”

The Index reflects Nigeria’s fast-paced economy, as the country’s government continues to implement its National Digital Economy Policy and Strategy.

According to the Index, evidence of its influence may be why 61per cent of consumers who receive money prefer using digital methods from start-to-end today.

Speed of transfer here is key and ranks as the most important factor considered by consumers

when deciding which provider to select for collecting transfers.

When asked about the future, the balance starts to shift, with more receivers (53per cent) desiring choice between receiving money in-person or digitally.

In 2022, Nigeria’s inbound remittance flows were estimated to be $21 billion, making the nation the biggest receiving market in Africa, and ninth largest globally.

At present, 63 per cent of consumers in the country receive money at least once a month. As consumers further adapt to higher global cost of living, 85per cent expect to receive more money within the next 12 months.

Nigeria’s senders also agree they will need to transfer more in the 12 months ahead (82per cent). However, they also face a cost of living dichotomy: Threequarters (75per cent) say global economic condition mean they cannot transfer as much as they did previously.

R-L: Head of Accounting Department, Mountain Top University (MTU), Dr Joshua Omokehinde; Director, Global Business Development, Chartered Institute for Securities and Investment (CISI), Kelvin Moore; Vice Chancellor, MTU, Professor Elijah Ayolabi; Country Representative (Nigeria), CISI, Dr. John Osuoha, and Lecturer, Accounting Department, MTU, Mr. Samson Oladipo, during collaboration between MTU and CISI at Lagos -Ibadan Expressway, Ogun State...recently

MARKET INDICATORS MONEY AND CREDIT STATISTICS (MILLION NAIRA)

Industrialization: Stakeholders Seek Govt, Private Sector Collaboration Kemi Olaitan ÓØ ÌËÎËØ The Executive Secretary, Petroleum Technology Development Fund (PTDF), Dr Bello Aliyu Gusau; Vice Chancellor, University of Ibadan (UI), Prof. Kayode Adebowale and Chief Executive Officer, Jola Global Industry Limited, Dr. Moses Omojola, have called for collaboration among government, the academia and the private sector to achieve industrial revolution the country.

This is just as they emphasized that the tripartite collaboration through research and development of commercialisation of raw materials and local production would engender development.

They made the call in Ibadan, at the Knowledge Sharing Workshop, organized by the University of Ibadan in

collaboration with the PTDF with the theme, “Nigerian Petroleum Industry and Energy Transition: Opportunities for Research, Innovation and Development.”

The PTDF boss represented by the Deputy General Manager, Strategic Planning and Documentation, Mr. Olayinka Agboola, said PTDF as an agent of government focuses on building capacity in the Oil and Gas industry through human capacity building, institutional support and funding research and development, stating that the workshop was one of the outcomes of the researches that the Chair of its endowment fund in the university conducted over the years. According to him, “We tried to expand the frontiers of knowledge based on the outcome of research and development efforts which we have funded.

To us, you don’t do research in isolation as you have to work with stakeholders because at the end of the day the researches are supposed to translate into products in the market.”

Omojola, one of the lead presenters at the event, identified industrialisation as the way out from the present economic challenges facing Nigeria, noting that the government must encourage industrialisation by addressing the energy challenge.

Speaking in the same vein, Prof. Sunday Isehunwa, of the Department of Petroleum Engineering, said Nigeria can address its carbon targets if it looks inward through research, innovation and development, noting that energy demand would keep rising because it is linked to development.

Sterling One Foundation, UNIDO, Others Celebrate IWD Nume Ekeghe In partnership with the United Nations Industrial Development Organization’s (UNIDO) Investment and Technology Promotion Office (ITPO) in Nigeria, the Sterling One Foundation hosted players within the Nigerian technology and art spaces to discuss ways to boost women’s participation and impact in both sectors.

The event, hosted in commemoration of International Women’s Day focused on highlighting the work being done by women to grow the economy and how digital tools can be used to scale this work.

This year, International Women’s Day is being celebrated under the theme - “DigitALL: Innovation and technology for gender equality”, with the focus being thrown on the many ways women and girls are missing out on the digital revolution.

While sharing her opening remarks at the event, UNIDO’s Head of Investment and Technology Promotion in Nigeria, Ms. Abimbola Olufore Wycliffe, highlighted some of the strategic work being done by her organization to reposition more women for success and give them the tools to tap into the many opportunities available

in the technology space.

The CEO of the Sterling One Foundation, Mrs Olapeju Ibekwe, in a statement reiterated the importance of such strategic work explained that her organization has gone even further to start their outreach from secondary schools as a means of getting girls invested in science and technology from the very early stages.

She also highlighted the work her organization has done in using entertainment to raise more awareness about gender-based violence which continues to pose a threat to the achievement of gender equality.

Unity Bank Holds Financial Literacy Training for Students Nume Ekeghe Unity Bank Plc has facilitated financial literacy training in thirty-one schools across Nigeria as part of its activities marking Global Money Week, 2023.

The Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of Unity Bank Plc, Mrs. Tomi Somefun took part in the programme by facilitating training on financial literacy at Kabayi Secondary

School, Mararaba, Nasarawa state recently Represented by the Group Head, Customer Engagement, Unity Bank Plc, Mrs. Titilayo Abraham, the participants gained useful insights on wealth creation, which have money, saving, investing, and entrepreneurship remain the common denominator.

Stressing the need to enhance financial education and financial

inclusion, Mrs. Somefun’s interaction with the students was aimed at inculcating basic principles for financial management.

Students who stood out in the course of the Training were rewarded.

Global Money Week is a Child and Youth Financial International initiative observed annually in over 178 countries between March 22 and 28 by corporate organisations globally.

AUGUST 2022 Money Supply (M3)

49,356,443.6

-- CBN Bills Held by Money Holding Sectors

50,601.36

Money Supply (M2)

49,305,842.3

-- Quasi Money

27,869,678.3

-- Narrow Money (M1)

21,436,164

---- Currency Outside Banks

2,680,236.81

---- Demand Deposits

18,755,927.2

Net Foreign Assets (NFA)

5,074,909.92

Net Domestic Assets(NDA)

27,869,678.3

-- Net Domestic Credit (NDC)

61,195,142.4

---- Credit to Government (Net)

21,001,401.5

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

0.00

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

0.00

---- Credit to Private Sector (CPS)

40,193,740.9

--Other Assets Net

6,785,979.22

Reserve Money (Base Money

14,040,351.9

--Currency in Circulation

3,210,664.98

--Banks Reserves --Special Intervention Reserves

10,829,686.9 390,557.8

˾ ÙßÜÍÏ ̋

Money Market Indicators (in Percentage) Month

July 2022

Inter-Bank Call Rate

13.00

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

14.00

Treasury Bill Rate

2.76

Savings Deposit Rate

1.42

1 Month Deposit Rate

3.64

3 Months Deposit Rate

4.96

6 Months Deposit Rate

5.87

12 Months Deposit Rate

5.76

Prime Lending rate

12.10

Maximum Lending Rate

27.61

˾ ÙØÏÞËÜã ÙÖÓÍã ËÞÏ ̋ ͯͱϱ

OPEC DAILY BASKET PRICE AS AT 8 MARCH, 2023

The price of OPEC basket of thirteen crudes stood at $84.37 a barrel on Tuesday, compared with $84.59 the previous day, according to OPEC Secretariat calculations.

The OPEC Reference Basket of Crudes (ORB) is made up of the following: Saharan Blend (Algeria), Girassol (Angola), Djeno (Congo), Zafiro (Equatorial Guinea), Rabi Light (Gabon), Iran Heavy (Islamic Republic of Iran), Basrah Medium (Iraq), Kuwait Export (Kuwait), Es Sider (Libya), Bonny Light (Nigeria), Arab Light (Saudi Arabia), Murban (UAE) and Merey (Venezuela).

25

T H I S D AY ˾TUESDAY, MARCH 28, 2023

MARKET NEWS

United Capital Shareholders Approve N9bn Dividend Payout Kayode Tokede The shareholders of United Capital Plc, yesterday approved a dividend payout of N9billion at the company’s Annual General Meeting held in Abuja.

The approved dividend translates to a dividend of N1.50 for every 50 kobo ordinary share, much to the satisfaction of shareholders.

It was a dual celebration as

the company marked its 10th year as a listed company on the Nigerian Exchange Limited (NGX).

Providing context for the financial performance at the meeting, Chairman of the Board of United Capital, Prof.

Chika Mordi said “Despite the macroeconomic pressures of 2022, United Capital reported an outstanding financial performance.

P R I C E S MAIN BOARD

DEALS

F O R MARKET PRICE

“The Group’s Return on Average Equity (RoAE) for the 2022 financial year was one of the highest among listed financial services institutions, signifying solid growth in the overall profitability of the Group and its subsidiary businesses.”

He added that, “We are confident in our ability to deliver consistent superior returns as we have put in place appropriate strategies to respond to possible

scenarios that the year 2023 could throw at us.”

In addition to its outstanding financial performance, United Capital’s subsidiaries individually recorded significant milestones during the year. The Investment Bank acted as Joint Issuing House to Dangote Industries Limited (DIL) $1 billion bond issuance, the largest bond issuance in the Nigerian Debt Capital Market by a corporate entity. Its Asset

S E C U R I T I E S

T R A D E D

QUANTITY TRADED

VALUE TRADED ( N )

MAIN BOARD

Management subsidiary won the award for the Fastest Growing Investment Management Company in Nigeria at the 2022 International Finance Awards and remains among the top three fund managers in Nigeria.

The Trustees business cemented its industry leadership as the number one Trustee business in Nigeria in terms of Funds under Management (FUM) and its Consumer Finance business

A S O F

disbursed over 130,000 loans totalling N21 billion.

Speaking on the company’s outlook for the 2023 financial year, Mr. Peter Ashade, Group Chief Executive Officer said, “This year marks our 10th year as a publicly quoted company on the Nigerian Exchange and I am delighted to affirm that it has been a decade of excellence and progress for both the organisation and its shareholders.

2 7 / 0 3 / 2 3 DEALS

MARKET PRICE

QUANTITY TRADED

VALUE TRADED ( N)

26

TUESDAY, MARCH 28, 2023 • T H I S D AY

MARKET NEWS A Mutual fund (Unit Trust) is an investment vehicle managed by a SEC (Securities and Exchange Commission) registered Fund Manager.

Investors with similar objectives buy units of the Fund so that the Fund Manager can buy securities that willl generate their desired return.

An ETF (Exchange Traded Fund) is a type of fund which owns the assets (shares of stock, bonds, oil futures, gold bars, foreign currency, etc.) and divides ownership of those assets into shares. Investors can buy these ‘shares’ on the

floor of the Nigerian Stock Exchange.

A REIT (Real Estate Investment Trust) is an investment vehicle that allows both small and large investors to part-own real estate ventures (eg.

Offices, Houses, Hospitals) in proportion to their investments. The assets are divided into shares that are traded on the Nigerian Stock Exchange.

GUIDE TO DATA: Date: All fund prices are quoted in Naira as at 24Mar-2023, unless otherwise stated.

Offer price: The price at which units of a trust or ETF are bought by investors.

Bid Price: The price at which Investors redeem (sell) units of a trust or ETF. Yield/Total Return: Denotes the total return an investor would have earned on his investment. Money Market Funds report Yield while others report Year- to-date Total Return.

NAV: Is value per share of the real estate assets held by a REIT on a specific date.

DAILY PRICE LIST FOR MUTUAL FUNDS, REITS and ETFS MUTUAL FUNDS / UNIT TRUSTS AFRINVEST ASSET MANAGEMENT LTD aaml@afrinvest.com Web: www.afrinvest.com; Tel: +234 818 885 6757 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Afrinvest Equity Fund 200.03 201.18 5.77% Afrinvest Plutus Fund 100.00 100.00 11.49% Nigeria International Debt Fund 331.27 331.27 7.11% Afrinvest Dollar Fund 107.21 108.31 1.69% AIICO CAPITAL LTD ammf@aiicocapital.com Web: www.aiicocapital.com, Tel: +234-1-2792974 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn AIICO Money Market Fund 100.00 100.00 12.98% AIICO Balanced Fund 3.88 3.94 13.93% ANCHORIA ASSET MANAGEMENT LIMITED info@anchoriaam.com Web:www.anchoriaam.com, Tel: 08166830267; 08036814510; 08028419180 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Anchoria Money Market 100.00 100.00 6.44% Anchoria Equity Fund 154.41 156.01 6.53% Anchoria Fixed Income Fund 1.26 1.26 2.36% ARM INVESTMENT MANAGERS LTD enquiries@arminvestmentcenter.com info@anchoriaam.com Web: www.arm.com.ng; Tel: 0700 CALLARM (0700 225 5276) Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn ARM Aggressive Growth Fund 23.34 24.04 6.35% ARM Discovery Balanced Fund 548.04 564.56 5.14% ARM Ethical Fund N/A N/A N/A ARM Eurobond Fund ($) 1.14 1.14 1.22% ARM Fixed Income Fund 1.13 1.13 1.63% ARM Money Market Fund 1.00 1.00 10.26% ARM Short Term Bond Fund 1.05 1.05 1.45% AVA GLOBAL ASSET MANAGERS LIMITED info@avacapitalgroup.com Web: www.avacapitalgroup.com; Tel 08069294653 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn AVA GAM Fixed Income Dollar Fund 93.51 93.51 -1.67% AVA GAM Fixed Income Naira Fund 1,127.91 1,127.91 0.13% AXA MANSARD INVESTMENTS LIMITED investmentcare@axamansard.com Web: www.axamansard.com; Tel: +2341-4488482 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn AXA Mansard Equity Income Fund N/A N/A N/A AXA Mansard Money Market Fund N/A N/A N/A CAPITAL EXPRESS ASSET AND TRUST LIMITED info@capitalexpressassetandtrust.com Web: www.capitalexpressassetandtrust.com; Tel: +234 803 307 5048 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn CEAT Fixed Income Fund 2.16 2.16 4.14% Capital Express Balanced Fund(Formerly: Union Trustees Mixed Fund) 2.39 2.44 7.85% CAPITALTRUST INVESTMENTS AND ASSET MANAGEMENT LIMITED halalfif@capitaltrustnigeria.com Web: www.capitaltrustnigeria.com; Tel: 08061458806 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Capitaltrust Halal Fixed Income Fund N/A N/A N/A CARDINALSTONE ASSET MANAGEMENT LIMITED mutualfunds@cardinalstone.com Web: www.cardinalstoneassetmanagement.com; Tel: +234 (1) 710 0433 4 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn CardinalStone Fixed Income Alpha Fund 1.02 1.02 1.95% CHAPELHILL DENHAM MANAGEMENT LTD investmentmanagement@chapelhilldenham.com Web: www.chapelhilldenham.com, Tel: +234 461 0691 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Chapelhill Denham Money Market Fund 100.00 100.00 11.38% Paramount Equity Fund 20.01 20.38 4.65% Women's Investment Fund 154.26 156.51 4.74% CHD Nigeria Bond Fund 102.12 102.12 12.04% CHD Nigeria Dollar Income Fund 1.00 1.00 10.67% CORDROS ASSET MANAGEMENT LIMITED assetmgtteam@cordros.com Web: www.cordros.com, Tel: 019036947 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Cordros Money Market Fund 100.00 100.00 8.38% Cordros Milestone Fund 143.65 144.57 4.33% Cordros Fixed Income Fund 107.75 107.75 9.71% Cordros Halal Fixed Income Fund 104.67 104.67 6.03% Cordros Dollar Fund ($) 114.62 114.62 5.77% CORONATION ASSETS MANAGEMENT investment@coronationam.com Web:www.coronationam.com, Tel: 012366215 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn 1.00 1.00 9.85% Coronation Money Market Fund 1.23 1.24 3.04% Coronation Balanced Fund 1.39 1.39 -1.26% Coronation Fixed Income Fund EDC FUNDS MANAGEMENT LIMITED mutualfundng@ecobank.com Web: www.ecobank.com Tel: 012265281 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn EDC Nigeria Money Market Fund Class A 100.00 100.00 9.05% EDC Nigeria Money Market Fund Class B 1,000,000.00 1,000,000.00 10.97% EDC Nigeria Fixed Income Fund 1,130.51 1,136.72 2.22% EMERGING AFRICA ASSET MANAGEMENT LIMITED assetmanagement@emergingafricafroup.com Web:www.emergingafricagroup.com/emerging-africa-asset-management-limited/, Tel: 08039492594 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Emerging Africa Money Market Fund 1.00 1.00 13.71% Emerging Africa Bond Fund 1.09 1.09 10.22% Emerging Africa Balanced Diversity Fund 1.13 1.13 23.44% Emerging Africa Eurobond Fund 106.08 106.08 4.62% FBNQUEST ASSETS MANAGEMENT LIMITED invest@fbnquest.com Web: www.fbnquest.com/asset-management; Tel: +234-81 0082 0082 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn FBN Bond Fund 1511.25 1511.25 11.97% FBN Balanced Fund 209.47 211.01 4.90% FBN Halal Fund 126.37 126.37 12.54% FBN Money Market Fund 100.00 100.00 11.07% FBN Dollar Fund 122.20 122.20 6.97% FBN Smart Beta Equity Fund 174.64 176.96 5.46% FBN Specialized Dollar Fund 106.44 106.44 9.40% FCMB ASSET MANAGEMENT LIMITED fcmbamhelpdesk@fcmb.com Web: www.fcmbassetmanagement.com; Tel: +234 1 462 2596 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Legacy Money Market Fund 1.00 1.00 7.46% Legacy Debt Fund 3.53 3.53 -11.83% Legacy Equity Fund 2.09 2.14 20.42% Legacy USD Bond Fund 1.28 1.28 6.10% FSDH ASSET MANAGEMENT LTD coralfunds@fsdhgroup.com Web: www.fsdhaml.com; Tel: 01-270 4884-5; 01-280 9740-1

Fund Name Coral Balanced Fund Coral Income Fund Coral Money Market Fund

Bid Price 4,378.14 3,777.20 100.00

Offer Price 4,406.17 3,777.20 100.00

Yield / T-Rtn 17.79% 7.71% 10.85%

FSDH Dollar Fund 1.15 1.15 5.66% GUARANTY TRUST FUND MANAGERS LIMITED enquiries@investment-one.com Web: www.gtcoplc.bank; Tel: +234 812 992 1045,+234 1 448 8888 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Abacus Money Market Fund 100.00 100.00 8.86% Vantage Balanced Fund 3.18 3.24 7.19% Vantage Guaranteed Income Fund 1.00 1.00 7.21% Kedari Investment Fund (KIF) 0.00 0.00 0.00% Vantage Equity Income Fund (VEIF) - June Year End 1.29 1.33 6.10% Vantage Dollar Fund (VDF) - June Year End 1.08 1.08 8.08% LOTUS CAPITAL LTD fincon@lotuscapitallimited.com Web: www.lotuscapitallimited.com; Tel: +234 1-291 4626 / +234 1-291 4624 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Lotus Halal Investment Fund 1.82 1.85 4.16% Lotus Halal Fixed Income Fund 1,182.93 1,182.93 1.94% MERISTEM WEALTH MANAGEMENT LTD info@meristemwealth.com Web: www.meristemwealth.com/funds/; Tel: +2348028496012 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Meristem Equity Market Fund 12.95 13.02 5.77% Meristem Money Market Fund 10.00 10.00 12.05% NORRENBERGER INVESTMENT AND CAPITAL MANAGEMENT LIMITED enquiries@norrenberger.com Web: www.norrenberger.com, Tel: +234 (0) 908 781 2026 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Norrenberger Islamic Fund (NIF) 102.82 102.82 10.12% Norrenberger Money Market Fund (NMMF) 100.00 100.00 11.42% PAC ASSET MANAGEMENT LTD info@pacassetmanagement.com Web: www.pacassetmanagement.com/mutualfunds; Tel: +234 1 271 8632 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn PACAM Balanced Fund 1.67 1.71 -40.60% PACAM Fixed Income Fund 11.59 11.72 65.00% PACAM Money Market Fund 10.00 10.00 10.34% PACAM Equity Fund 1.52 1.54 -22.00% PACAM EuroBond Fund 122.91 127.13 13.00% SCM CAPITAL ASSET MANAGEMENT LIMITED info@scmcapitalng.com Web: www.scmcapitalng.com; Tel: +234 1-280 2226,+234 1- 280 2227 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn SCM Capital The Frontier Fund 131.26 134.36 4.41% SFS CAPITAL NIGERIA LTD investments@sfsnigeria.com Web: www.sfsnigeria.com, Tel: +234 (01) 2801400 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn SFS Fixed Income Fund 1.02 1.02 11.02% STANBIC IBTC ASSET MANAGEMENT LTD assetmanagement@stanbicibtc.com Web: www.stanbicibtcassetmanagement.com; Tel: +234 1 280 1266; 0700 MUTUALFUNDS Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Stanbic IBTC Balanced Fund 3,825.42 3,853.29 12.81% Stanbic IBTC Bond Fund 247.36 247.36 5.00% Stanbic IBTC Ethical Fund 1.50 1.52 19.84% Stanbic IBTC Guaranteed Investment Fund 337.26 337.26 7.71% Stanbic IBTC Iman Fund 278.82 281.85 19.30% Stanbic IBTC Money Market Fund 1.00 1.00 9.21% Stanbic IBTC Nigerian Equity Fund 12,920.40 13,075.22 18.33% Stanbic IBTC Dollar Fund (USD) 1.39 1.39 7.31% Stanbic IBTC Shariah Fixed Income Fund 122.73 122.73 4.98% Stanbic IBTC Enhanced Short-Term Fixed Income Fund 117.33 117.33 10.30% Stanbic IBTC Absolute Fund 4,663.43 4,663.43 9.62% Stanbic IBTC Aggressive Fund 3,427.17 3,469.32 23.26% Stanbic IBTC Conservative Fund 4,385.83 4,402.25 15.20% UNITED CAPITAL ASSET MANAGEMENT LTD unitedcapitalplcgroup.com Web: www.unitedcapitalplcgroup.com; Tel: +234 01-6317876 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn United Capital Equity Fund 1.06 1.08 11.06% United Capital Balanced Fund 1.58 1.61 15.26% United Capital Wealth for Women Fund 1.27 1.29 9.41% United Capital Sukuk Fund 1.13 1.13 9.93% United Capital Fixed Income Fund 1.98 1.98 7.25% United Capital Eurobond Fund 126.89 126.89 5.45% United Capital Money Market Fund 1.00 1.00 9.48% QUANTUM ZENITH ASSET MANAGEMENT & INVESTMENTS LTD service@quantumzenithasset.com.ng Web: www.quantumzenith.com.ng; Tel: +234 1-2784219 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Zenith Balanced Strategy Fund 14.52 14.66 4.71% Zenith ESG Impact Fund 16.52 16.69 4.53% Zenith Income Fund 23.94 23.94 1.63% Zenith Money Market Fund 1.00 1.00 9.66% VETIVA FUND MANAGERS LTD funds@vetiva.com Web: www.vetiva.com; Tel: +234 1 453 0697 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Vetiva Banking Exchange Traded Fund 4.32 4.42 7.60% Vetiva Consumer Goods Exchange Traded Fund 6.91 7.01 18.14% Vetiva Griffin 30 Exchange Traded Fund 19.82 20.02 12.00% Vetiva Money Market Fund 1.00 1.00 9.67% Vetiva Industrial Goods Exchange Traded Fund 25.29 25.49 26.44% Vetiva S&P Nigeria Sovereign Bond Exchange Traded Fund 143.47 145.47 -9.00% REITS NAV Per Share

Yield / T-Rtn

115.40 53.52 101.31 9.93

1.31% 4.74% -13.05%

Bid Price

Offer Price

Yield / T-Rtn

17.09 138.34 110.84 17.40 16.40

17.19 140.75 112.77 17.50 16.50

10.38% 8.41% 10.86% -4.46% -1.94%

NAV Per Share

Yield / T-Rtn

106.75

0.00%

Fund Name

SFS REIT Union Homes REIT Nigeria Real Estate Investment Trust UPDC REIT

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

INFRASTRUCTURE FUND Fund Name Chapel Hill Denham Nigeria Infrastructure Debt Fund

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

27

TUESDAY, ͺ΀˜ ͺ͸ͺͻ ˾ T H I S D AY

NEWS

MAKINDE INSPECTS ONGOING PROJECTS...

Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde (second left); Commissioner for Public Works and Infrastructure, Prof Dahud Sangodoyin (second right), Special Adviser on Public Works and Infrastructure, Seyi Adeleye (middle) and others during the inspection of ongoing project of Onipepeye bridge, Old Ife road, Ibadan. PHOTO: Oyo Gov's Media Unit.

NLC Leadership Meets to Decide on Nationwide Protest Today Ngige, Emefiele move to avert industrial action Onyebuchi Ezigbo in Abuja Barely 24 hours to the deadline given by the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) for the federal government to end the currency and petrol scarcity in the country, the leadership of the labour movement has summoned a meeting of its National Executive Committee

today, to assess the situation and decide whether to proceed with the national protest or not.

THISDAY learnt that the NLC intends to brief the media and members of public on plans for the picketing of CBN Offices Nationwide scheduled to begin on Wednesday.

But the federal government made

a move yesterday to dissuade the workers from embarking on the picketing of the Central Bank offices nationwide by arranging a meeting between the Minister of Labour and Employment, Senator Chris Ngige, the CBN Governor, Godwin Emefiele and NLC leaders in Abuja.

Sources said the NLC has sum-

moned a meeting of its NWC today to deliberate on burning national issues and to review the progress made at restoring normalcy in currency availability and petrol distribution.

THISDAY gathered that at the meeting held at the conference room of the Labour Ministry, both Ngige and Emefiele explained to

INEC Announces Supplementary Elections will Hold April 15 Observer group faults declaration of Yusuf as Kano governor-elect PDP alleges plot to cancel collated results ahead Adamawa’s rerun Insists re-run will take place in 69 polling units Chuks Okocha and Adedayo Akinwale in Abuja The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), has announced that all outstanding governorship, national and state assembly supplementary elections would take place on Saturday, April 15.

But a coalition of accredited INEC Domestic Observer Group, has faulted the declaration of the candidate of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), Alhaji Abba Yusuf, as winner of the recently held governorship election in Kano State.

This is as the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has accused INEC of planning to cancel already collated results in the Adamawa State governorship, insisting that the supplementary elections could only take place in 69 polling units in Fufore Local Government Area of the state.

INEC National Commissioner and Chairman, Information and Voter Education Committee, Festus Okoye, in a statement yesterday recalled that 26 state governorship, 104 Senatorial, 329 Federal and 935 State constituency elections had been concluded and winners declared.

Consequently, the commission said supplementary governorship elections would be held in Adamawa and Kebbi States, five

senatorial districts, 31 federal and 58 state assembly constituencies.

Okoye stressed that owing to the competitive nature of the elections, especially for legislative seats, supplementary elections would be held in just a few polling units in some constituencies.

He said, ''The Commission met today Monday 27th March 2023 and reviewed the areas,where supplementary elections are required to conclude the outstanding Governorship, National and State Assembly elections across the country.

"A comprehensive list of the polling units by State, Local Government, Registration Area, registered voters and PVCs collected will be published on our website on or before Wednesday 29th March 2023.

"Meanwhile, the Commission has fixed Saturday 15th April 2023 for the conduct of the supplementary elections in the affected polling units nationwide."

INEC, therefore, appealed to all political parties, candidates and stakeholders to note the date and locations of the supplementary elections, adding that the earlier accreditation for polling and collation agents, observers and the media still subsists for the supplementary elections.

The Commission again urged political parties, candidates and their supporters to see the exercise as an

election and not war, saying they should avoid incendiary statements and negative mobilisation so that the elections could be conducted and concluded as scheduled.

However, chairman of a coalition of accredited INEC Domestic Observer Group, Ali Abacha, in a statement, has called on INEC to examine Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) machine deployed to verify the figures on the results sheets Form EC8As in Gwarzo, Tudun Wada, Bagwai, Dala, Fagge, local councils of Kano State.

The coalition said there were reported cases of irregularities of some state actors and non-state actors that undermined the process of election in the aforementioned local councils.

The coalition argued that there was no way the declaration of Yusuf

as winner of the election would stand since the margin of lead, which was put at 128,897 votes was less than total number of cancelled votes of 273,442.

It noted that Section 65 of the Electoral Act 2022 as amended was very clear on cases like this.

In a related development, PDP National Publicity Secretary, Debo Ologunagba, at a press conference, said, the PDP had evidence of reported complicity of the Adamawa State REC Mallam Hudu Yunusa Ari, in which he was allegedly caught on tape directing the Electoral Officer of Fufore Local Government Area in Hausa Language to alter results in favour of the APC governorship candidate.

Continues online

the labour leaders efforts being made to alleviate the current cash crunch and progress so far made in reducing the currency drought across the country.

On Monday, the Minister of Labour and Employment, Senator Chris Ngige took steps to avert the impending nationwide protest by the workers.

Ngige brokered a meeting between the NLC and the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) over the scarcity of the naira in the country.

The congress had threatened to embark on the nationwide industrial action, if the cash crunch, fuel scarcity and electricity tariff increase were not addressed.

A statement signed by the Director, Press and Public Relations Nr. Olajide Oshundun said that NLC was represented by a 10-man delegation led by its President, Joe Ajaero and the General Secretary, Emmanuel Ugboaja while the CBN Governor, Godwin Emefiele was accompanied by two Deputy Governors, Kingsley Obiora (Economic Policy) and Ade Shonubi (Operations).

The statement said that Ngige in his opening remarks refuted the allegation of the NLC that his Ministry did nothing about the matter.

He said that on receiving the letter from NLC, he forwarded same to the CBN Governor before travelling out of the country for an International Labour Organisation (ILO) Governing Board meeting and directed the Permanent Secretary and Trade Union Services and Industrial Relations Department to follow-up.

He maintained that his Ministry took the necessary step by sending the letter to CBN Governor who received the letter and assured that action would be taken.

The minister however assured all

that whether the NLC is embarking on dispute of right or dispute of Interest, the dispute has been apprehended and can only result to more dialogue and not strike.

On his own part, Emefiele explained that when he received the letter from the Labour Ministry, he called the President of NLC to brief him on steps taken to alleviate the sufferings of the masses and equally made appointment and had discussion with NLC president and had fruitful discussion which resulted in the large volume of funds made available to the deposit money banks.

He said the banks were directed to open their branches on Saturdays and Sundays and they complied under strict supervision by the CBN. Earlier, Ajaero said they only got a reply to their second letter to the ministry and subsequently, an invitation to the meeting.

He said there had been some improvement in the currency circulation, but urged the CBN to improve on its services.

He noted the information gap in the implementation of the Naira Redesign policy.

Ajaero said: "NLC could not have stopped CBN from taking good decisions and implementing them in the interest of the nation.

If stakeholders were invited and briefed on the policy, when the people complain, NLC would explain everything to them.

“But in this case, the CBN did it alone. Moreover, it is a wrong time for administering such a national policy."

He assured that the National Executive Committee (NEC) of NLC would meet today, where members from states and Local Government Areas were expected to report on availability of money, after which a decision will be taken on the strike.

Police: Alkali Goofed over Position on Handling of Doguwa’s Case Ibrahim Shuaibu in Kano The Police authority in Kano, yesterday, dismissed accusation of inaction by the National Chairman of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), Professor Rufai Alkali, in handling the House of Representatives Majority Leader, Alhassan Ado Doguwa’s alleged culpable homicide.

Spokesman for the police in

Kano, Abdullahi Haruna Kiyawa, explained that, “The state counsel has taken over the prosecution from the Police. After legal advice, the case has already been charged to court, and the case file was also handed over to them.

"Those of you in Kano are very aware of the case and the happenings in the court. The case is no longer with the Police. The state counsel has taken over the

prosecution from the Police."

Kiyawa, who appeared baffled

by Alkali’s outburst admonished the professor on the "need to know the situation of the case before commenting," saying, "I think the Police are supposed to be commended for their proactiveness in handling the case. The arraignment is by the State Counsel and not by the Police. Be guided, please."

Alkali, had yesterday flayed

the Police for not doing enough to bring to Justice, Doguwa, following his alleged role in the attack on NNPP supporters in Kano State.

He regretted that the lawmaker, who was allegedly seen on a viral video with a shotgun, shooting at an NNPP supporters, and instigating attacks on the party’s facility in the state, “is still walking the street as a free man”.

28

TUESDAY, ͺ΀˜ ͺ͸ͺͻ ˾ T H I S D AY

NEWS

GLOBAL MONEY ENLIGHTENMENT CAMPAIGN...

L-R: Assistant Senior Prefect, Ajao Estate Senior Grammar School, Chima Divine Chidera; the Principal, Ajao Estate Senior Grammar School, Mrs. Olabiran Ademola Agenla; Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director, 9 Payment Service Bank, Branka Mracajac; Assistant Senior Prefect Female, Olagoke Azeezat Precious; Senior Prefect, Ajao Estate Senior Grammar School, Awwal Mustapha Ayomide and Head, Product Management, 9PSB, Akeem Salam, during the Global Money Week enlightenment campaign at Ajao Estate Senior Grammar School Lagos...recently

Ogun to Give Diya State Burial as Osinbajo, Oyebanji Mourn Deji Elumoye in Abuja, James Sowole in Abeokuta and Gbenga Sodeinde in Ado Ekiti Ogun State Governor, Dapo Abiodun, yesterday, paid a condolence visit to the Lagos residence of former Chief of General Staff and Military Governor of Ogun, General Oladipo Diya, who died Sunday at the age of 78, disclosing that the late military top brass would be given a state burial by the state.

This is as Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo and Ekiti State Governor, Biodun Oyebanji, yesterday, joined hundreds of Nigerians, who had since Sunday mourned the passing of the general.

Abiodun, who led a delegation to Diya’s family house, said a committee made up of some State Executive Council members would be set up to liaise with the family to give the former military governor of the state a befitting burial, while describing his death as a great loss to Ogun in particular and the country in general.

With the delegation, which included members of the State Executive Council, the governor said, "General Diya was a man of many parts. His life epitomised integrity and character. He was a soldier and gentleman, a lawyer with an eventful career. He rose to the peak of his career as the Chief of General Staff."

Abiodun, who said Diya lived an impactful life worthy of emulation, noted that he held many command and administrative positions while in the military and continued to make an impact on humanity after

retirement from active service.

He acknowledged his commitment to his community, especially, in the Odogbolu Local Government Area, adding that the history of Ogun State would not be complete without the mention of his name.

Praying for the repose of the soul of the deceased, Abiodun urged the family members not to grieve over his death as he impacted his generation and had gone home to rest with his Lord.

Responding on behalf of the family, one of Diya’s sons, Oyedamola, thanked the governor for showing concerns to the family at this trying time through the visit, saying his father while alive, had deep affection for the present administration because of its good works.

Osinbajo: He Was a Deeply Committed Nigerian Patriot

Vice President Yemi Osinbajo has mourned Diya and described him as a patriot, who showed deep love and commitment to Nigeria during and after his service to the military and the nation.

Osinbajo, who is officially away to London, the United Kingdom, in a statement personally signed, said, "I received with sadness, the news of the passing of (rtd) Lt- General Donaldson Oladipo Diya, the former Chief of General Staff and number two official in the administration of the Federal Military Government of the late General Sani Abacha.

"General Diya was not only a distinguished Nigerian patriot, and an illustrious son of Odogbolu in Ogun State, he was also a states-

man, who showed deep love and commitment to our country even after his illustrious service to the nation. General Diya was a forthright, brilliant officer and a devoted family man.

"His passing is a loss to the people of Ogun State and Nigeria.

Our prayer is that God comforts the family, friends, associates and the people of Ogun State. May his

memory always be blessed," the vice-president further said.

Oyebanji: Diya's Death Has Robbed Nigeria of a Finest officer

Ekiti State Governor, Mr. Biodun Oyebanji, has expressed condolences on the death of Diya, saying his passing has robbed Nigeria of one

Nwosu, said the company established the virtual learning campus in response to constant changes, following years of research and development.

According to him, it was an innovation that puts the visionary company ahead of the rest.

“Ambong already has a unique track record in services and the delivery of technology and manpower to the industry: through an innovative capacity building programme for African youths.

“This provides a pathway to indigenous young people to get a foothold in the Energy industries,’’ he added.

positions and political offices he held in his lifetime.

While praying God to grant the family the fortitude to bear the loss, and urging them to be consoled by worthy legacies he left behind and for being on the positive side of history, he also commiserated with the government and the people of Ogun State on the loss of an illustrious son.

DSS Arrests Retired Col, Lawyer, Seven Others, Recovers Arms in Kogi, Adamawa, Abuja, Plateau Kingsley Nwezeh in Abuja The Department of State Services (DSS), yesterday, said it intercepted a retired colonel, a legal practioner and eight members of a criminal gang and recovered arms in Kogi, Adamawa, Abuja and Plateau States.

The agency, had last week, raised the alarm over plans by some unnamed individuals and groups to unleash violence across the country, saying the operation, which was conducted in collaboration with other security agencies led to the arrest of nine criminal suspects including gun runners.

A statement by the spokesman of the DSS, Dr Peter Afunanya, said the agency carried out a joint operation with other, security agencies in Kogi State on March, 26, 2023.

"During the operation, the security team intercepted a six-man criminal gang at Gegu Beki, along the Lokoja-Abuja Road. The Department of State Services (DSS) hereby

informs the public that it carried out a joint operation with sister security agencies in Kogi State on March 26, 2023. During the operation, the security team intercepted a 6-man criminal gang at Gegu Beki, along the Lokoja-Abuja Road.

"While the gang includes Col AU Suleiman (rtd), Barr. MK Aminu, Kabir Abdullahi, Isah Umar, Kadir Echi and Adama Abdulkarim, items recovered from the members are one pump action rifle, four catridges, one AK47 empty shell and the sum of N11,030,” he said.

It stated that on March 25, the service operatives apprehended 20-year-old suspected notorious kidnapper, Haruna Adamu, at Fotta village in Gombi LGA, Adamawa State.

"At the point of arrest, one AK47 rifle, one magazine and four rounds of 7.62mm live ammunition were recovered from the suspect.

On March 23, 2023, one Aminu Ibrahim, a suspected gunrunner was

Firm UnveilsVirtual Learning Campus for Oil, Gas Professionals Ambong Energy has set up the Ambong Global Online Campus, an innovation to assist the oil and gas professionals in learning to keep up with changes in the sector.

The initiative is expected to deliver worldwide online courses that are innovative and future proof with the latest technologies and new approaches to the energy, oil and gas sectors.

In a statement, the Managing Director, Ambong Energy, Mr John Nwosu, said as the world moved in a never-ending and rapid evolution, fast training became more important for oil and gas professionals to be abreast with changes.

of the finest military officers.

In a statement by his Special Adviser on Media, Yinka Oyebode, the governor, who said Diya was one of the military officers, who fought gallantly for the unity of the country, noted that the deceased used the most productive part of his life to serve his fatherland with uncommon commitment and made a success of all the command

Nwosu said it was achieved through diverse educational and industry partnerships as well as critical support from the Nigeria government local content organisation.

He, however, said Ambong was not just a training organisation but an innovator in the development of vital human resources.

Nwosu said track record and expertise gained by decades of experience in service, technical and business aspects of the oil and gas industry, gave the organisation an edge.

“This means that the essential skills, technologies and new

developments are covered in all its courses,’’ he added.

Nwosu noted that the company had tracked trends in energy, oil and gas sectors and offered unique but necessary developments, covering major areas of change such as sustainability and better environmental protection.

He listed others as social responsibility and inclusive employment and training, digitalisation and digital transformation, massive pressure and demand for better productivity, maximum returns from every operation project and enhanced safety and environmental protection.

arrested along Kubwa Expressway, Abuja, by the service operatives while on his way from Nasarawa State to deliver four 432 rounds of 7.62 x39mm caliber ammunition concealed in a four litre gallon of palm oil to a bandit in Niger State. The sum of N21,400 was also recovered from the suspect," it said.

The statement said earlier on March 22, 2023, Babangida Ibrahim, an arms courier to bandits in Zamfara State was apprehended along Bukuru in Jos South LGA, Plateau State, even as the team recovered 468 rounds of 7.62 x 39mm ammunition and the sum

of 21, 090.

It said the suspects were taken into custody and would be prosecuted accordingly while disclosing that relevant security agencies were also carrying out further investigations into related matters in parts of the country.

The statement further stated service would continue to collaborate with relevant stakeholders to curb crime in the country.

"Members of the public are enjoined to avail the agencies relevant information for counter actions against criminal and subversive elements," the DSS stated.

Court Restrains Gombe Govt, Police from Arresting Publisher Segun Awofadeji in Gombe Gombe State High Court, yesterday, restrained the state government and the police from arresting the publisher of an online News medium, Daylight Reporters, Dahiru Hassan Kera.

In his ruling on the case with the suit no: GM/145M/2022, Justice H. H Kereng of the Gombe State High Court, warned the state government against arresting the publisher.

The court ruled that, the invitation and threats to arrest the publisher was a breach of his fundamental rights, "Especially the provisions of Sections 34, 35, 39 and 41 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) and the African Charter on Human and People's Rights and Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

"The continued invitation and intimidation of the Applicant by the Officers/Agents of the 1st Respondent is likely infringement of his Fundamental Rights as enshrined

in the 1999 Constitution (as amended).

"The publication by the Applicant of 22 May, 2021 based on the facts stated therein is not pregnant with any criminal offence whatsoever as to warrant the involvement of the -4 Respondents or any other police officer whatsoever," he said.

The judge, therefore, ordered the state government and its agents to stop any invitation, threat, arrest, intimidation or harassment of the publisher, "as he has not committed any offence under any law whatsoever.

"The respondents are hereby perpetually restrained by themselves, agents, officers, servants, and/or privies acting on their behalf, from harassing, restricting the movement or freedom of expression, the press and violation of any of his Fundamental Rights as guaranteed under the 1999 Constitution (as amended) in relating to the case in this application," the court ruled.

TUESDAY MARCH 28, 2023 ˾ T H I S D AY

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NEWS

UNITED CAPITAL PLC HOLDS ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING...

L-R: Company Secretary, United Capital Plc, Mr.Leo Okafor; Non-executive Directors, Mr. Oluleke Ogunlewe, Mr. Emmanuel Nnorom, Non-executive Director; Group Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Peter Ashade; Chairman, Professor Chika Mordi; Deputy Group Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Sunny Anene; Independent Non-executive Director, Mr. Stephen Nwadiuko; Non-executive Director, Mr. Oladipupo Fatokun, and Independent Non-executive Director, Mr. Sunny Iroche, during the 10th annual general meeting of the company held in Abuja…yesterday

Umahi Not Qualified to be Senate President, Says Ebonyi LP Senatorial Candidate BenjaminNworieinAbakaliki

Ebonyi South Senatorial candidate of the Labour Party(LP), Hon. Linus Okorie, has said that the outgoing Governor of Ebonyi State, David Umahi was not qualified and competent to occupy the office of the President of the Senate.

In a statement issued in Abakaliki, Okorie noted that Umahi’s intention for the senate presidency was not only incongruous, deceptive and a caricature, but definitely dead on arrival.

He added that Umahi had craftily drafted Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike into the project,

stressing that no senator-elect or politician would accord any seriousness to the ambition. Okorie: “We note with amusement Umahi’s backdoor craftiness in drafting

Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, yesterday inspected ongoing works on the ApataAkala expressway linking the Ibadan-Abeokuta road and the Onipepeye-Saw-Mill underpass, noting that the state government is satisfied with the quality of works done on the projects so far.

The governor, while addressing journalists shortly after the inspection, said the projects were in tandem with his promise to the people of the state that he would work till the last moment of his first tenure in office.

He indicated that his administration would inaugurate a lot of projects by the end of the year, as many ongoing projects will be completed within the

next few months.

According to him, “As you all can see, work is ongoing on the roads. We promised the people of Oyo State that we would work for them till the last moment of this first tenure.

We don’t want to shortchange our people, because we believe they must have value for their money, and that is why we are out here.

“The election is behind us now and we have to do the work that the people of Oyo State have given to us.

“I am glad that this(Akala expressway) linkage is through and work is ongoing. I believe it will be projects inauguration galore in Oyo State for the rest of this year.

Stress Disorder: Army Organises Seminar for Personnel in Sokoto Onuminya InnocentInSokoto

In order to curb post traumatic stress disorder(PTSD) among troops the Nigerian Army yesterday held a seminar for soldiers and officers of 8 Division Sokoto to address the prevalent cases of PTSD among troops.

The seminar was organised by the Army Headquarters Department of Transformation and Innovation.

The Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lt.-Gen. Faruk Yahaya said that PTSD often results from their engagements in various operations within and outside the country.

He said that the myriad of emerging security threats in the country had necessitated security agencies to deploy troops in various operations to contain the situation.

Yahaya, who was represented by the General Officer Command (GOC) 8 Division, who also double

as Commander, Joint Taskforce in the North-west operation Hadarin Daji, Maj General Godwin Mutkut, said that the operations exert significant pressure on the troops.

He explained that their involvement in those operations had the resultant effect of high casualty rates, injuries, damage to equipment and accumulated stress as well as other mental disorders such as PTSD. According to him, the seminar is a step in the right direction to raise awareness to address PTSD amongst troops.

“And this is in consonance with my command’s philosophy of prioritising the Nigerian soldier.

It is envisaged that drawing the awareness of disorder at the strategic level will help in the formulation of the right strategy for the management of affected troops welfare and administration.

“This same Wike that Umahi then described as one who was “packing money that is public funds, not intellectual material, but just packing public funds”. Matter of

fact, no Senator-elect, political group or platform of worth will accord any seriousness to this over ambition, save as a material for after-hours political comedy.”

Bajowa Warns against Politics of Religion, Says Nigeria Can’t Afford Another Civil War

Fidelis David in Akure

retired Nigerian Army Makinde Inspects Ongoing AGeneral, Olu Bajowa, has warned particularly leaders Road, Bridge Projects Christians, of churches, against politics of

Kemi Olaitan in Ibadan

Nyesom Wike, governor of Rivers State, to perhaps help him on the soon to be stillbirth ambition. The same man he once called “a thief with no intellectual content in politics.”

religion warning that such was a threat to the fragile peace and unity of Nigeria.

He said the nation must live

in unity and hope for a better future, stressing that the bond of unity that existed in the nation and the body of Christ should not be compromised.

Bajowa made this known during the 90th Founding Day Anniversary Thanksgiving Ceremony and N50 million Fundraising for the renovation

of Mission House, tagged “The Lord’s Foundation Standeth Sure” held at the Holy Cross Church of Cherubim & Seraphim, Ilutitun, in Okitipupa Local Government Area of Ondo State. His words: “ There is no doubt that our beloved country is now in dire need of revival and reawakening in all facets of life. I honestly appeal to

all religious leaders, particularly Christian leaders, to spread and promote the principles of peace, the love of Christ, patriotism, and tolerance among our people, and across the diversities of our great nation, to enhance mutual understanding and harmony, with a view to minimising conflicts among our people.

Rivers Youths Reject Guber Poll Results, Protest Death of 15 Blessing Ibunge in PortHarcourt Hundreds of Rivers State youths yesterday protested at the state office of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Port Harcourt, expressing their disapproval to the announcement of the results for the March 18, 2023, governorship and House of Assembly elections in Rivers State,

as declared by the commission.

The youths under the aegis of National Youth Council of Ogoni People (NYCOP) in collaboration with the Rivers State Ethnic Youth Leaders Council demanded that the announced results be cancelled over alleged irregularities, violence, killings, hijack of ballot boxes that marred the election.

The protesters with their

different placards alleged that 15 deaths were recorded in Ogoni during the last governorship and House of Assembly elections, stressing that the outcome of the election was a rape on the Nigeria’s democracy.

Some of the inscriptions on the placards included: ‘INEC, stop killing our democracy’; ‘Rivers INEC, an extension of Governor

Wike’s office’; ‘Our democracy is not safe with INEC’; ‘WE rejects results uploaded after declaration of results by INEC’; “Our votes must count’.

The President of NYCOP, Barinuazor Emmanuel, who spoke at the venue of the protest, accused INEC of conniving with some political parties to subvert the will of the people.

Aduda Pledges FCT Constituency Projects’ Completion Despite Losing Election Sunday Aborisade in Abuja The Minority Leader of the Senate, Senator Phillip Aduda, has promised residents of Abuja that he would complete all the constituency projects he started in various districts of the Federal Capital Territory

before the end of the 9th National Assembly in June.

Aduda, who is representing the FCT at the Nationl Assembly, made the pledge while inspecting his constituency projects in the Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC) and Bwari

Area Councils on Friday and Saturday.

In AMAC, series of road projects with drainages, medical centres, schools renovation and sports centres built in Jikoyi and Nyanya for talent discovery, were inspected.

Other projects he inspected included the six kilometre Global Suite Road in Sabon Gari Area of Bwari, which was awarded at a cost of N1.4 billion and network of roads within the Nyanya area of the FCT, also awarded at a cost of N1.4 billion.

Adamawa Guber: Binani Pleads for Review of Results by INEC The Governorship Candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Adamawa State, Sen. Aishatu Dahiru Ahmed (Binani) has demanded equity, fairness and justice from the Independent National Electoral Commission(INEC) on the governorship poll results in the

state.

She asked INEC to review the results of the 18th March Governorship election in some Local Government Areas in Adamawa State and called for the total cancellation of the election results in Fufore Local Government Area.

She said if election reviews were conducted in Enugu, Abia and Doguwa Constituency in Kano State, why should Adamawa be left out.

Binani, who made her position known in a statement in Abuja, said she had petitioned INEC to press home her demands.

She said: “My lawyer has submitted a petition to the Chairman of Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof.

Mahmood Yakubu calling for a review of the election results of the 18th March governorship election in a number of local government areas in Adamawa State.

Ekiti Women Group Seeks Partnership with ADP Chieftain, Elebute-Halle Gbenga Sodeinde in Ado Ekiti Ekiti Elders Forum, Women’s Wing at the weekend urged the Gubernatorial candidate of Action Democratic Party (ADP) in 2022, Mrs. Kemi Elebute-Halle to join the group to promote the development

of the state.

The President of the group, Mrs. Florence Ogunsakin gave the advice when she paid a courtesy visit to the residence of the ADP chieftain in AdoEkiti.

Ogunsakin said the major purpose of the visit of the

members of the group was to urge her to identify with the women’s wing so as to benefit from her wealth of experience in women empowerment and development globally.

She explained that the forum was not a political gathering but it was formed by women

towards promoting the progress and development of Ekiti.

Ogunsakin added that the forum comprises women from different parties such as PDP, APC, SDP as well as ADP but they all work for the common goal of making the state better.

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NEWSXTRA

Abductors Demand N50m Ransom for INEC Officials Kidnapped in Kogi

Ibrahim Oyewale in Lokoja

The abductors of six ad-hoc staff of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Kogi State have demanded N50 million before they would release their kidnap victims.

The victims were kidnapped while returning from Kupa North and South under Lokoja Local Government Area in Kogi State before they were attacked by armed hoodlums.

An Assistant Presiding Officer II, (APO II) in the March 18th Kogi House of Assembly election identified as Babalola Oluwatobi Peter said his sister was part of those who are still held in captivity.

He mentioned those still in

the hands of the kidnappers as Muhammed Maimunat, and Abdulrahman Raji, who are two serving Corps members.

INEC ad-hoc staff, who are still in captivity according to Peter, are Oyaniran Atinuke Ruth, Florence Shayo Ajayi, Opara Tina and Blessing.

Explaining how the ugly incident occurred on that day, Peter said: “We were coming from Kupa North and South for the Kogi State House of Assembly election.

“I worked in the North, so we left North some minutes past six and we got to the South at 8:03 pm in which we were asked to move to Lokoja by our SPOs. I told them personally that we are not going, that they should allow

us to sleep, and that by 4 am the next day, we should pick up and go just like the way we did during the presidential election,” he said.

Meanwhile, the NYSC Kogi State management has appealed to corps members serving in the state not to take laws into their hands over the missing colleagues.

“The attention of NYSC Kogi State management has been drawn to a planned protest by some corps members in respect of two corps members held hostage by robbers on their way to Lokoja last week Sunday.

“We would like to caution you on this planned protest because it is against the rules and regulations guiding you as corps members.”

Bauchi Assembly Pledges Support for World Bank’s Project Segun Awofadeji in Bauchi The Bauchi State House of Assembly (BAHA) has pledged to support the State Project Management Unit (SPMU) of the Agro-climatic Resilience in Semi-Arid (ACReSAL), a World Bank supported project for the successful implementation of all the components of the project in the state.

The Chairman of the House Committee on Environment, Hon Musa Wakili Nakwada made the pledge at a sensitisation workshop for members of both steering and technical committees of the project held in Kano.

Wakili Nakwada described the ACReSAL project as a welcome development, and assured of the assembly’s cooperation and total

support to all the legislative policies that would add value to the smooth implementation of the ACReSAL project in benefiting communities.

He expressed confidence that implementation of the ACReSAL project would address challenges in environment, agriculture and water resources and stressed the need for all the stakeholders to cooperate with the SPMU to achieve the desired objectives.

“First let me commend members of the State Project Management Unit led by the Project Coordinator, Dr Ibrahim Kabir who is doing well in ensuring Bauchi deliver the project as expected. In the Bauchi State House of Assembly, we are determined to support the SPMU to make a difference just to be the best in implementation,” he

added.

Also speaking, the chairman of the Steering Committee and Commissioner for Environment and Housing, Hon Hamisu Mu’azu Shira pointed out that, the ACReSAL project which is well-articulated and timely, was in tandem with the cardinal principles of Governor Bala Mohammed’s administration of prioritizing sectors of environment, agriculture and water resources.

Shira believed that ACReSAL project which was aimed at increasing sustainable landscape of management practices in targeted watersheds in Northern Nigeria and strengthen Nigeria’s long term enabling environment for integrated climate- resilient landscape management, it implementation would go a long way in providing solutions to the state’s lingering ecological problems.

Group Vows to Resist Attempt to Foist Interim Government on Nigeria

Adedayo Akinwale

A group, The Natives, has vowed to resist any attempt to foist an interim government on the country.

The group, which embarked on a peaceful walk on the streets of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), also warned the opposition parties and their candidates against the thought of interim government.

Addressing journalists yesterday in Abuja before they stage a walk to the national headquarters of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC),the leader of the group, Hon. Smart Edwards, appealed to the international community and all Nigerians to declare support for the Presidentelect.

He said: “Those calling for an

interim government are jokers because when (Ernest) Shonekan was brought in, in the past, the people rejected it. Africa’s base for democracy is Nigeria. We have Goodluck Jonathan who is a symbol of democracy, we had the late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua, he was a symbol of democracy, we have General (Yakubu) Gowon who is also a symbol of democracy. Other Nations in Africa are learning from Nigeria. So, what I am saying is that the Natives of Nigeria are of all tribes and colouration, it is impossible for anybody to attempt an interim government. President Muhammadu Buhari has spoken clearly and that’s why we came out today in solidarity of what President said that he will handover to Asiwaju Tinubu.”

Edward declared that contrary to the insinuations by the opposition parties, no mandate was stolen, stressing that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) performed creditably and the election was free and fair.

He added that the election saw the New Nigerian Peoples Party (NNPP) win election in Kano state, while the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) won election in Rivers, Enugu, Taraba, Delta, Plateau states and others, whereas APC won Benue overwhelmingly against the incumbent.

He added: “We saw Peter Obi won election in Lagos state against the Landlord, that’s democracy.

We saw the Labour Party win an election in FCT Abuja, that’s democracy.”

NADECO Faults Buhari’s Decision to Restructure The National Democratic Coalition (NADECO) has called to question the motive behind President Muhammadu Buhari’s decision to restructure Nigeria towards the closing stage of his administration.

A statement signed by the organisation noted that after eight years of Buhari forcefully refusing and opposing all incessant calls by groups and citizens to embark restructuring as a way to save Nigeria, suddenly the president has gone into a frenzy of signing last-minute bills on step with restructuring.

The statement said most shocking is the last-minute census headcount now shifted from March to early May 2023, at the end of his eight years, as he exits on May 29, 2023.

The statement revealed that an enormous bill of N1trillion ($2.4 billion) has been penciled down for

the census, averaging five thousand naira per 200 million citizens, adding that it was a waste of funds at a time of abject nationwide poverty and national debt of about N77 trillion ($172 billion).

It said: “Here is a man who is still stuck with sham elections and a bungled naira exchange, presently considering a national census exercise. Absolutely this is a suspicious timing and motive.

Buhari as a lame-duck president should stop assenting to so many midnights bills he had ignored prior to 2023.

“These bills appear to have ulterior agenda or motives. The timing of the signing these bills has been programmed to occur while the political class and citizens are distracted by the ongoing sham elections and power shift. Clearly the motives are self-serving and

public attention must be paid to them, hence NADECO’S cry.”

NADECO revealed that Buhari also recently signed into law the constitutional amendment allowing states in the country to licence, generate, transmit, and distribute electricity.

The statement added: “What could be his reason for taking this step in support of restructuring on the eve of his 2023 departure from office? Nigerians should keep their eyes open here too.

Along with the Civil Society Organisation, they should be vigilant because a president who was unable to conduct simple, routine elections should not continue to pile up assignments with potential disasters that could continue to haunt the country after he has left office in May 2023.

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TUESDAY, ͺ΀˜ ͺ͸ͺͻ ˾ T H I S D AY

TUESDAYSPORTS

Group Sports Editor: Duro Ikhazuagbe Email: duro.ikhazuagbe@thisdaylive.com

0811 181 3083 SMS ONLY

Super Eagles Claw G’Bissau’s Wild Dogs to Reclaim Top of Group A Duro Ikhazuagbe Moses Simon’s 30th minute goal from the penalty spot was all Nigeria’s Super Eagles needed in Bissau yesterday evening to ease pressure on them and move back to the top of their 2023 Africa Cup

A F C O N 2 0 2 3 Q UA L I F I E R of Nations qualifying Group A. The 1-0 win against Guinea Bissau inside the Estadio 24 de Setembro in Bissau, was a big relief for Coach Jose Peseiro and

his wards after the Wild Dogs snatched a famous win by same margin in Abuja last Friday.

The Napoli front man, Victor Osimhen, and Samuel Chukwueze

of Villarreal in the Spanish LaLiga could not convert the many chances that came their ways in the first half, before Moses Simon made good from six yards to put Nigeria in front for the first time in the fixture.

The Wild Dogs looked dangerous as they did in the first leg in

Abuja but failed to unscramble the new Kenneth Omeruo/Semi Ajayi equation in the centre of Nigeria’s defence, even as Bright Osayi-Samuel again showed plenty of evidence that he has come to stay at the Super Eagles’ right back.

Osimhen was denied by the upright in the 59th minute when he flashed a shot past Guinea Bissau goalkeeper, Jonas Mendes. Four minutes later, the leading goals scorer in Italy again blew simply blew it skywards after being put through by Samuel Chukwueze.

In the 69th minute, Osimhen was again foiled by the alertness and diligence of Mendes after Simon sliced one from the left flank. Two minutes later, substitute Joe Aribo was also cracking his knuckles after Mendes got a strong hand to push over his fierce shot from

just outside the box.

Victory meant the Eagles returned to the top with nine points, with Guinea Bissau second on seven and Sierra Leone, who spanked Sao Tome and Principe earlier on Wednesday, third on five points.

The next round of the qualifiers will be in June, when Nigeria travel away to Sierra Leone and Guinea Bissau take on bottom-placed Sao Tome and Principe.

RESULTS G’Bissau CAR Angola Niger S’Sudan

0-1 Nigeria 2-0 Mad’gascar 1-1 Ghana 0-1 Algeria 0-1 Congo

GROUP A TEAM Nigeria G’Bissau S’Leone São Tomé

P 4 4 4 4

W 3 2 1 0

D 0 1 2 1

L 1 1 1 3

GF 13 8 7 3

GA 2 4 6 19

GD PTS 11 9 4 7 1 5 -16 1

Goldberg, Life, Zagg Hail Nigeria’s Win over G’Bissau

Super Eagles defeated Guinea-Bissau 1-0 in a reverse fixture of the AFCON 2023 qualifiers in Bissau yesterday to reclaim the top spot of Group A on nine points. Unfortunately, goalkeeper, Francis Uzoho (standing, left) has been ruled out of Nigeria’s next game against Sierra Leone in June

Afrikings Promises Quality Re-grassing work on Abuja Stadium Turf The Chairman of Afrikings Homes, Ltd, Kingsley Awodi, has reassured football stakeholders that the company will deliver a quality re-grassed training pitch inside the Moshood Abiola Stadium in Abuja to the Federal Ministry of Youth and Sports in eight weeks.

Afrikings, last week adopted the Practice Pitch 1 of the Moshood Abiola Stadium, Abuja with the intention of completing the job before the tenure of the current administration expires on May 29.

The plan is to re-grass the pitch under the Adopt-A-Pitch initiative of Sports Minister, Sunday Dare, and hand over to the ministry after which the company (Afrikings Homes Ltd) will be responsible for its maintenance for two years.

Awodi, excited about the initiative of his organization said at the weekend that it was an opportunity for Afrikings to show its quality class to the Nigerian public.

“We are noted for quality delivery and that is what we are going to do with the re-grassing of the Practice Pitch of the National Stadium in Abuja.

“The Ministry of Sports has done well to involve the private sector in boosting sports all round in the country and what we are doing is to play our role to put smiles on the faces of Nigerians.

“We saw the efforts government

is making to develop sports through its adopt initiative and decided to partner with the ministry to further drive the opportunities provided by government for our teeming youth to excel in sports."

In a reaction, Minister of Sports,

Dare said: “We started the AdoptA-Pitch-Initiative which we have seen delivered the Moshood Abiola National Stadium, Abuja, where we have seen more than 14 international matches played there already.

“The National Stadium in

Surulere, Lagos is coming up but we just have to be patient to get it right because after 19 years of neglect, things have rusted, things were stolen and we have to get it right. We have also seen Daura Stadium done.”

The trio of Goldberg, Life Continental beer and Zagg Energy Drink have congratulated the Super Eagles for their brilliant outing yesterday against Wild Dogs of Guinea Bissau in the Match-day four fixture of the AFCON 2023 qualifying series.

The Eagles on Monday showed great promise as they battled to a lone win over their opponent at the Estadio 24 de Setembro in Bissau.

Goal from the spot and neatly converted by Moses Simon in the 30th gave Nigeria maximum points and returned the team back to the top of the table in Group A. Goldberg and Life Continental are the official beer of the Nigerian national football team and had galvanised teeming football fans and consumers to stand behind the Super Eagles in their quest for the qualification for AFCON 2023.

While congratulating the Super Eagles, the Senior Brand Manager, Goldberg, Oluyemi Ekudayo, charged the team to remain focused on their ultimate goal of qualification for the main

tournament.

He said: “Of course, we are very happy with the victory, the Super Eagles demonstrated the true Naija spirit which is always championed by Goldberg and other brands on our stable. We enjoin the team to take each game as it comes while we countdown to lifting the trophy next year in Cote d’ Ivoire.”

In its usual tradition and style on match-days, the brands engaged millions of soccer fans across several digital platforms urging them to stand by the team in spite of the upset by the Wild Dogs at the MKO Abiola Stadium last Friday.

Zagg Energy Drink, a recent addition to the Nigerian Breweries portfolio, is focused on providing its consumers with a boost of energy and mental focus.

The Energy Drink aims to energies the team and the Nigerian fans, fuelling their passion and drive for success.

The Super Eagles will be up against Sierra Leone in Freetown in June and will host Sao Tome in the final qualifying match in September.

An unnecessary time wasting antic has knocked out Francis Uzoho from Super Eagles’ next Africa Cup of Nations qualifying match against Sierra Leone in June.

The Omonia Nicosia safe hands was flashed a second yellow card in the 90+2 minute of the clash with Guinea Bissau yesterday by the Moroccan referee.

He had earlier been cautioned for the same reason in the Matchday 1 against Sierra Leone in Abuja last June.

That caution came in the 86th minute as Nigeria precariously held their slim 2-1 lead over Sierra Leone in Abuja.

Incidentally, it is the reverse leg against Sierra Leone that Uzoho will miss. This is in accordance to Article 42.1 of the Regulations of the Africa Cup of Nations, “a player who receives two cautions shall be automatically suspended from playing the following match.

Other Super Eagles players on ‘danger’ list include: Calvin Bassey, Kenneth Omeruo and Oghenekaro Etebo who are all on one yellow cards each.

Calvin Bassey and Oghenekaro Etebo were cautioned in Nigeria’s opening match with Sierra Leone while Omeruo got his yellow card in the 36th minute of the match in Guinea Bissau.

Unity FC Emerges Winner of ‘Yellow Card’ ANEEJ Football Tournament Second Knocks out Uzoho from S’Leone Clash Adibe Emenyonu in Benin

The Unity Football Club in Oredo Local Government of Edo State has won the football competition organised by a non-governmental organisation, African Network for Environment and Economic Justice (ANEEJ), in Benin City, Edo state.

The football club emerged winner of the four-team tournament held at the Edo State College of Health Technology sport complex, Benin after defeating Black Stars Football Club 3-2 on penalties.

Regulation time ended in a deadlock Nevertheless, Global Stars FC also defeated Ogua Community FC 2-0 to win the third placed match.

Presenting medals to the winners at the weekend in Benin,

the Deputy Executive Director of ANEEJ, Mr. Leo Atakpu, said the tournament with the theme: "brighter future" is aimed at building youths resilient against organised crimes.

He said, "We identified football as one sporting activities that can engage the youths and keep them away from crimes such as human trafficking, irregular migration, armed robbery, cultism among others.

"Before the commencement of the tournament, We had indoor discussion on organised crimes so as to change youths mindset towards something positive by bringing experts, such as religious leaders, doctors, security agents to talk to them on the need to stay away from criminality and focus on something positive".

He said the project being implemented in Oredo and Ikpoba Okha local governments is a three- year programme, adding that ANEEJ is putting measures in place to ensure its sustainability through community participation and ownership of the project.

"The project is about partnership, we have brought in institutions involved in organised crime such as police, NDLEA, NAPTIP, EFCC ICPC, Oredo and Ikpoba Okha local governments because the project is being implemented in the two local government," he said.

Atakpu, further noted that aside the football competition, the organisation had also trained youths in various skill of their choices, adding that quite a good numbers of youths have already benefited from the skill acquisition.

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Tuesday, March 28, 2023

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MISSILE

SERAP to INEC Chairman

“In several states, political thugs, with the support of law enforcement officials, disrupted and sent back voters intending to vote for opposition parties. Party agents were reported to be directing people who to vote for, while those unwilling to do as directed where denied ballot papers and forced to leave the polling units. Identifying, arresting, investigating and prosecuting...the electoral offenders during the 2023 general elections would act as a deterrent in future elections” --SERAP ‘s Deputy Director, Kolawole Oluwadare, calling INEC Chairman, Mahmood Yakubu, to do the needful.

TUESDAY WITH REUBENABATI abati1990@gmail.com

More Notes On The Elections T

he prevalence of the comic spirit is one of those distinctive features of Nigerian life and society – one of those things that make us who we are – our capacity to turn every season, every occasion, serious, not so serious, even sombre, into an opportunity for mirth, that is - plain rambunctious, defiant or deprecating laughter.

In my earlier life as a teacher of comic theory, it was an interesting time teaching the special veins of wit and humour and how the aesthetics of laughter defines national character and culture, a people’s capacity for word-play, and satire or parody. This trend, embodied in the Nigerian character, North or South, East to West is in part responsible even in an electronic age, for the fantastic humour that Nigerians create on social media. There was so much of this on display during the recent Nigerian election and indeed perhaps, a documentation of the process would be incomplete without recalling some of the highlights of the humour that marked it, from the macabre to the grotesque, the irrational to the verbal magic of some of the key political players and their supporters. This account is merely representative; it is by no means exhaustive.

The place to begin is the verbal gem that the Presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress, then an aspirant, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu dropped in Abeokuta on June 2, 2022 when he used certain words which may well end up as part of Nigeria’s political lexicon viz: “Emilokan. Literally, the Yoruba word means “it is my turn” or “I’m next”. Asiwaju Tinubu had categorically told his audience that it was his turn to become President of Nigeria, having helped the incumbent President Muhammadu Buhari to gain power. Highly rated as a kingmaker in Nigeria’s power politics, Tinubu on that occasion announced that the kingmaker was tired of anointing others, he would rather ascend the throne personally. He was firm, assertive and throughout the season that followed, he did not waver despite criticisms that his was an expression of a sense of entitlement and disregard for the right of the electorate to choose.

Tinubu’s supporters felt inspired by his confidence.

To illustrate his determination, Tinubu said when Buhari failed thrice to become Nigeria’s President – O lu le, once, twice, thrice, he was the one who told the President to wipe his tears, and he helped him in 2015 to achieve his dream. In other words, the auto-suggestion by the APC Presidential aspirant was that it was pay-back time – one good turn, as the cliché states, deserves another. He wanted his goodwill reciprocated. If anyone was in any doubt, Tinubu turned towards the sitting Governor of Ogun State, Prince Dapo Abiodun and told his audience that even “Eleyi” (This One) could not have been Governor without him.

The three phrases in Yoruba and the underlying rhetoric captured public imagination and caught on like wildfire. Musicians in various genres have turned Emilokan into lyrics – each singer adapting the phrase to suit his or her taste and creativity.

The National Association of Seadogs – the Pyrates Confraternity, during the group’s 70th celebration in September 2022 came up with an adaptation of the Emilokan phrase in a highly personal, satirical song. Professor Wole Soyinka, father-figure of the Confraternity dismissed the song as distasteful. In a subsequent statement, the group said it was not out to mock or discriminate against the subject and that it was apolitical. The apology was rather late.

Disc jockeys, musicians, notably the Afro-beat singer, Dede Mabiaku had done their own re-mix versions of the song. Several other remixes also showed up on social media platforms. But as many would recall, Tinubu’s Emilokan turned out to be prophetic. Days after the Abeokuta incident, he went on to win his party’s primaries in Abuja scoring 1, 271 votes. He defeated 13 other contestants, with some of the original total of 23 aspirants stepping down for him before

INEC Chairman, Mahmood Yakubu the commencement of voting. The closest person to him – Rotimi Amaechi then Minister of Transportation scored 316 votes! Tinubu also received the endorsement of President Muhammadu Buhari who raised his hand at several campaign rallies and who voted for him on February 25, enthusiastically showing off his ballot paper to prove that he voted for the APC, even if that gesture amounted to a violation of the Electoral Act 2022. Asiwaju Tinubu was later declared winner of the Presidential election by Nigeria’s Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) with 8, 794, 726 votes, beating 17 other candidates.

Four political parties – PDP, LP, AA and APM and their candidates have since gone to the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal to challenge the results.

Anyone who in interested in a position now borrows the phrase - Emilokan in the hope that just as Asiwaju Tinubu willed his ambition into reality, their own dreams would also come to pass. The other day, the Senate Chief Whip, Senator Orji Uzor Kalu, freshly re-elected (Abia North) generated not a little laughter when he too announced that it is now his turn, and the turn of his village, Igbere, to produce the next Senate President of Nigeria. Our democracy is now becoming “turn by turn” but let’s see if the Emilokan magical word would work for Senator Kalu. In Ogun State, Tinubu’s host who was called “Eleyi” (This One) has been re-elected.

Prince Abiodun can now confidently say that he is more than an “Eleyi” in Ogun State, having secured a second term without any Godfather pulling all the strings for him.

Next to Tinubu’s verbal inventiveness would be the memorable exertions of the Governor of Rivers state, Nyesom Wike and his colleague-PDP -Governors – Samuel Ortom (Benue), Seyi Makinde (Oyo) Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi (Enugu) and Okezie Ikpeazu (Abia) who took a principled stand that it was the turn of the South to produce Nigeria’s next President, and that it was wrong for their party to have elected a Presidential candidate from the North, and also the Chairman of the party from the North in the person of Senator Iyorchia Ayu. They wanted Ayu to step down as party Chairman at the minimum pre-condition for dialogue. The party refused. Wike was accused of sour grapes, having lost his bid to be the party’s Presidential standard bearer at the primaries. The G-5, as the group was known stood its ground. It later expanded into a bigger body known

as the Integrity Group. Publicly, they taunted the PDP and their presidential candidate Atiku Abubakar.

Wike, the obvious leader and main spirit openly identified with members of the APC and Labour Party. Whereas he invited members of those two parties to Rivers State to commission projects and treated them to generous receptions, he snubbed the PDP candidate and members of his own party at the state level who were pro-Atiku.

He made it clear that he would only support the PDP in the state elections, and that he and his colleagues in G-5 would not leave the party. Daniel Bwala, PDP Presidential Council spokesperson derisively referred to the G-5 as the Jackson 5. Other PDP spokespersons – Aare Dele Momodu and Senator Dino Melaye were also convinced that the PDP would not be affected at the polls by the G-5 rebellion. In the just concluded general elections, the PDP paid heavily for this disunity within its ranks. On February 25, it lost in states where it should ordinarily have won because the five Governors did not lift a finger to help their own party’s Presidential candidate. In Enugu, Abia and Benue the PDP Governors lost their bids to go to the Senate- in a karmic sense perhaps.

In Oyo State on March 18, Governor Seyi Makinde, also of the G5 survived and was re-elected; in Rivers, Governor Wike fulfilled his promise of installing his own successor (a puppet?) although other parties in that election insist that what happened in Rivers state was not an election.

Before, during and after the election, the G5 would be remembered for introducing to the grammar of politics a song titled: “As e dey sweet us, e go dey pain dem.” It is a triumphal song of defiance and self-assertion. Wike gained much attention with his unique style of dancing to this song and with his usual riposte: “Enough is Enough”. When the dust settles, Wike will not be forgotten for his many colourful displays, sometimes bordering on the farcical and the grotesque. For example, drinking a 40-year-old bottle of whiskey at 11. 30 am and boasting that he would even drink a 50-year-old bottle. Rotimi Amaechi who originally accused Wike of using state resources to consume alcohol has not said anything further on that matter. Any other response has been swallowed!

Wike’s response of course would probably be: “As e dey pain dem, he go dey sweet us”. This line has gained currency across the country. When Alex Otti was declared winner of the gubernatorial election in Abia State, after a suspension of the collation of results to resolve alleged irregularities in Obingwa LGA, his supporters trooped to the streets in jubilation.

One of the songs on their lips was: “as e dey sweet us, e go dey pain dem.” Nigerians have not heard the last of that song.

Yet another creative figure on the scene is the current Governor of Osun State, Senator Ademola Adeleke of the PDP. The Osun Gubernatorial election was held on July 16, 2022, and he was declared winner. The APC challenged the victory at the State Election Petition Tribunal. The three-man panel at that Tribunal upturned the election, and handed victory to former Governor Adegboyega Oyetola of the APC. Adeleke and the PDP promptly filed an appeal at the Court of Appeal, which has now ruled in favour of Adeleke, upholding his victory. The APC has vowed to go all the way to the Supreme Court.

A major thing in Nigeria today is to tell aggrieved election losers to go to Court! Governor Adeleke says he is confident that the Supreme Court would rule in his favour. With Seyi Makinde of Oyo state having joined the G5, and former Governor Ayo Fayose of Ekiti aligned with the same group, the lot fell on Adeleke of Osun State to lead the PDP in the South West. On February 25, he won Osun State for Atiku. On March 18, the PDP further won 25 out of the 26 seats in the Osun State House of Assembly, losing only in Boripe/Boluwaduro LGA where former Governor Oyetola hails from. But what is most noteworthy about Governor Adeleke is his passion for dancing. He became popular as a Senator

of the Federal Republic for his dancing prowess. He and his erstwhile colleague, Dino Melaye turned dancing into a tool of political communication. I have it on good authority that the first day he reported for duty as Governor, the civil servants of Osun asked him to dance for them.

The Osun State Election Petition Tribunal in the lead judgement delivered by Justice Terse Kume, in fact mocked him for always dancing to “Buga” – the song by Kiss Daniel. The Court of Appeal through Justice Mohammad Shuaibu while acknowledging that a judge can speak “obiter” was however of the view that this comment by the lower court was “uncalled for”. The truth is that Governor Adeleke loves to dance. He has even added drumming to it. There is a video in circulation showing him, in the company of others, drumming away with a Bandiri local drum.

When he came to The Morning Show (TMS) on Arise TV on Monday, March 27, I had raised the question about dancing and drumming, and whether he is planning to launch a musical band, like his sons - B-Red and Sina Rambo - and his nephew, Davido. His response was that there is a time for everything, thus echoing Ecclesiastes 3: 1 – 11. He also quoted Shakespeare’s Macbeth. I was tempted to ask him to show our viewers a few dance steps.

But I let him be. Without doubt, he will be noted for the colour lent to contemporary politics by him and the likes of Dino Melaye - who has since added acrobatic falls to his displays and who now says he wants to be the next Governor of Kogi State.

There is possibly no way I would leave out: “Eluu Pee 74, Eluu Pee 75, 76, 77, Obi 78, Kererenke 79, Obi 80, Obi Nwannem 81..” – a very catchy tune created

by Mr. Kleb and Obidients to promote the Labour Party and its Presidential candidate, Peter Obi. The word is a play on the local, Igbo pronounciatiion of the 12th and 16th letters of the English alphabet.

Turned into a song, it became an instant hit. The imitative pronounciation was not an issue but the sub-text, and in many instances, Obi’s supporters rounded up the Eluu Pee, antiphonal-responsorial with another song - “Obi kererenke, Obi”. This is an old folk song adapted with reverberating effect as Disc Jockeys and party members turned it into a popular song from Nigeria to Ghana, to Kenya.

Peter Obi joined the Labour Party on May 27, 2022.

In less than one year, he has transformed a hitherto marginal party into a vote-winning, game changer in Nigerian politics. This should be a useful case study for students of the making of political parties in Africa.

The general, on-cycle elections of 2023 have been concluded except in Kebbi and Adamawa states still declared inconclusive and a few outstanding constituencies in the National Assembly, and over 100 election petitions already filed but one remaining highlight is how the candidate of the PDP, Pastor Umo Eno won the Gubernatorial election in Akwa Ibom State by promising the people: “Happy Hour,” every Friday.

His promise is that every Friday, selected restaurants and bars in the state would serve the people food and drinks at a subsidized rate to make the people happy. In his acceptance speech after his declaration as Governor-Elect his key message to the people was: “Happy Hour is Here”. It has been reported that indeed, last Friday, even without a formal take-over as Governor, a “serve them round”, “come and eat”, Happy Hour was declared in the state with people enjoying pepper soup, edikang ikong, tombo and other delicacies at cheaper rates. Pastor Eno has a programme of action called “Arise Agenda” but he has successfully found his way to Government House by grabbing the people through their stomachs. Can he sustain it? How would he ensure fairness, equity and transparency? And would Akwa Ibom close its borders every Friday, because if the “food is ready” programme is sustained, no one should rule out the possibility of people in neighbouring states and even farther away showing up on Fridays in Akwa Ibom.

We are effectively in the season of hunger, hypocrisy and political opportunism.

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