WEDNESDAY 31TH MARCH 2021

Barkindo Blames COVID-19 Uncertainties for 14% Drop in Oil Price NNPC, NCDMB, others sign share subscription deal on $670m Brass fertiliser Emmanuel Addeh in Abuja The organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) Secretary-General, Dr. Sanusi Barkindo, yesterday attributed the persisting uncertainties

over the COVID-19 pandemic to the 14 per cent decline in oil price in recent weeks.

Barkindo said at the 50th Meeting of OPEC's Joint Technical Committee (JTC) that although the last month

came with many positive developments, the decline in the price of the commodity from a high of $70 to the $60 territory was a reminder that the market still remained fragile.

He listed the positives to include the passage of more than $20 trillion worth of economic stimulus around the world, administration of approximately 550 million vaccinations worldwide and

upgrading of global growth forecasts by some central banks.

He mentioned the recent revision of OPEC’s global GDP growth forecast to 5.1 per cent for 2021, compared

with the previous 4.8 per cent last month and the upgrade of world oil demand by 5.9 mb/d during the year as some other signs of recovery.

Continued on page 10

AMCON Establishes New Airline to Recover Arik’s Debts... Page 8 Wednesday 31 March, 2021 Vol 26. No 9488. Price: N250

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Take Out Bandits, Kidnappers, Sponsors, President Orders Security Chiefs Says undesirable elements frustrating ban on Zamfara mining Deji Elumoye in Abuja President Muhammadu Buhari yesterday renewed his order

to security chiefs to take out bandits, kidnappers and their sponsors.

The president also reiterated

the ban on mining and no-fly zone order on Zamfara State, accusing some "undesirable elements" of flouting the

prohibition.

The National Security Adviser (NSA), Maj. Gen. Babagana Monguno (rtd),

told reporters yesterday at the end of the National Security Council meeting presided over by Buhari at the State

House, Abuja, that the meeting reviewed the nation's security Continued on page 10

Buhari’s Medical Trip Reinforces Need to Equip Nation’s Hospitals, Says Tomori FG budgets N2.25tn for health in six years Obinna Chima, Nume Ekeghe, Ebere Nwoji in Lagos and Onyebuchi Ezigbo in Abuja President Muhammadu Buhari’s medical trip to the United Kingdom has returned to the front burner the need for Nigerian hospitals to be equipped in line with global best practices, a foremost virologist and infectious disease expert, Prof. Olawale Tomori, and other health professionals have said.

Their intervention comes as THISDAY’s investigation shows that the federal government budgeted N2.55 trillion for the health sector from 2015 to 2019.

However, the figure is below the World Health Organisation (WHO)’s recommendation, which is nine per cent of the country’s N59.660 trillion for the six years, amounting to N5.4 trillion.

This is despite the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and the private sector’s intervened in the country’s health sector by providing additional funds during the period under review.

Buhari yesterday left Abuja for London for a routine medical check-up.

He is due back in the country in the second week of April.

Reacting to the frequent foreign medical trip of Nigerian political leaders, Tomori told THISDAY yesterday that the successful performance of the country's health sector would need trained professionals with reliable, dedicated, trustworthy and committed support.

"It is also about infrastructural resources; facilities, equipment supplies, reliable electricity etc. You need both. Nigeria has Continued on page 10

APC Considers Extension of Membership Revalidation, Registration... Page 5

BUHARI GOES TO LONDON...

President Muhammadu Buhari boards presidential plane, Nigerian Air Force One, en route to London from Abuja for medical check-up…yesterday

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NEWS APC Considers Extension of Membership Revalidation, Registration

Group News Editor Ejiofor Alike

Email Ejiofor.Alike@thisdaylive.com, 08066066268

Adedayo Akinwale in Abuja The All Progressives Congress (APC) may bow to pressure to extend the ongoing membership registration and revalidation, THISDAY learnt yesterday.

The exercise, which started on February 9, is expected to end today.

THISDAY, however, gathered that the party is considering a further extension, due to the fact that the exercise is still ongoing in many of the state chapters of the party.

A source in the party told THISDAY yesterday that while the leadership of the party has not taken a decision on the extension, there is a possibility that it would be extended because the exercise has not been completed in many state chapters.

He said: "They have not sat to decide if it will be extended or not. We are still waiting for the communiqué to know if it will be extended or not. We

will know by tomorrow if it will be extended because the exercise is still going on in most of the states. There is a possibility that the exercise will be extended."

On Monday, a group of protesters under the umbrella of Coalition of Political Action Group, had stormed the national headquarters of the party in Abuja to demand an indefinite extension of the membership registration and revalidation.

The protesters, in a letter of appeal for an extension of the registration handed over to the National Secretary of the APC Caretaker/ Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee, Senator John Akpanudoedehe, said the exercise should be extended indefinitely because it has helped in uniting party members.

The letter signed by Mr. Habeeb Mutallib stated: "We are here in relation to the ongoing membership registration and revalidation exercise scheduled to end in two days' time, March

Tinubu Advocates Policy to Tame Unemployment, Insecurity Clarifies FG should recruit 5m youths, not 50m Ejiofor Alike Former Lagos State Governor, Senator Bola Tinubu, has advocated national employment and security policy to combat unemployment and insecurity.

According to a statement yesterday by his media office, the policy seeks the recruitment of five million youths, including 50,000 into police, army, other security agencies, and not 50 million announced in error by Tinubu at the 12th Bola Tinubu Colloquium held in Kano on Monday.

The statement said the colloquium marking Tinubu’s birthday was a well-attended event that focused on the important theme of national cohesion during these challenging times.

It added that this was the first time the colloquium was held in Kano.

It said the choice of venue was most appropriate given the theme and the underlying objective of highlighting the oneness of the country and the need for unity so that Nigeria may attain its best destiny.

Speaking at the event, Tinubu had canvassed the need to combine employment and national security policy by the recruitment of five million youths in all aspects of nation-building, ranging from infrastructural development to agricultural modernisation.

He stated that the more job opportunities were presented to the youth, the less some of them would be tempted into illegal and dangerous activities.

“As part of this overall approach, he believes that eligible youth should be recruited into the armed forces, police and other security agencies to augment the functional capacity of our security apparatus thus ensuring the better security and safety of our people.

"Asiwaju seeks the expansion of security personnel by 50,000 for the armed forces, not the 50 million that was mentioned in error. It was an accidental verbal mistake of which we all commit from time to time, especially when reciting a series of large numerical figures.

“He did not mean 50 million, which is almost a quarter of our total population,” the statement said.

Tinubu also observed that such strong recruitment would serve the twinpurpose of helping to tackle unemployment and enhancing the security of Nigerians.

“It is in the spirit that we hope you view and assess his proposal for it seeks to provide a way for more youths to participate in building a greater, safer and more prosperous country,” the statement added.

31, 2021. It is our firm expectation and demand that the exercise should be

extended indefinitely until such a time as it becomes incompatible with the

electoral laws and timetable."

Akpanudoedehe had told THISDAY that the

party leadership was under pressure from Kano State, to extend it by one week.

PLOTTING AGAINST INSURGENTS...

L-R: National Security Adviser to the President, Maj. Gen. Babagana Monguno (rtd); Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Attahiru Ibrahim; and Chief of Defence Staff, Gen. Lucky Irabor, during the National Security Council meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari in Abuja...yesterday godwin omoigui

Kwankwaso, Jubrin, Others Harp on Unity among PDP Members North-central zone rejects suspension of ex-Niger gov, Aliyu Chuks Okocha in Abuja and Laleye Dipo in Minna A former governor of Kano State, Senator Rabiu Kwankwaso; the Chairman of the Board of Trustees (BoT) of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Senator Walid Jubrin; former Women Leader of the party, Mrs. Inna Ciroma, and other stakeholders have called on members of the party to unite, and take advantage of the crisis in the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and ride to victory in 2023.

They spoke yesterday in Maiduguri, the Borno State capital, at the inauguration of a new executive committee for the state chapter of the party in compliance with a recent judgment of the Supreme Court.

Also yesterday, the Northcentral zone of the party rejected the suspension of a former governor of Niger State, Dr. Babangida Aliyu, saying that those who suspended the former governor, who is also a member of the BoT of the party have no constitutional power to do so.

Kwankwaso described the ruling APC as a party in crisis, adding that it is using its failures to campaign for the PDP in the 2023 general election.

The stakeholders, in their

various remarks at the inauguration of the Borno State executive committee of the party, urged members of the party to unite, adding that it is only through unity that the PDP could regain power.

Kwankwaso said: "APC is campaigning for PDP because it is a failed party. Everything the APC is doing due to the misgovernance in the country would be to the advantage of PDP if we are united.

"APC is in a total shamble.

The ruling party is in a crisis.

So, we need to unify the party for the progress of PDP. Politics is a game of numbers.”

He stated that no victory is achieved in a divided house.

"The Supreme Court has given the party a brand new executive and we are, therefore, bound to accept as a law-abiding party," he said.

He urged PDP members in the state to support the new chairman to enable to him succeed.

The Deputy National Chairman of the PDP, Senator Nazif Suleiman, who represented the National Chairman, Prince Uche Secondus, urged the party in the state to unite for victory of PDP in subsequent elections.

He said the PDP had learnt its mistakes and would never again go to elections as a divided party.

Meanwhile, the Publicity Secretary of the North-central Zonal Caretaker Committee, Mr. Sulaiman Mohammed, in a statement given to journalists in Minna, Niger State, stated yesterday that those parading what he described as the fake news about the suspension of Aliyu were enemies of the PDP, who are bent on promoting disunity in the party.

He said: "While we feel it is worthless taking issues with social media fake news peddlers, we deem it necessary to put the records straight so as not to confuse our teeming and loyal party faithful in Niger State and elsewhere.

"Truth is that Dr. Babangida Aliyu, a former governor, who is a serving member of PDP BoT and NEC member, is not and cannot be suspended by his local government chapter of the party.

"Those parading the fake news are enemies of the PDP, bent on fanning the flames of disunity in our great party.”

It urged party members and the public to ignore the suspension, which it said was the handiwork of mischiefmakers.”

He also appealed to party leaders and stakeholders in Niger State to close ranks and work together to restore peace in the party.

The Chairman of the PDP in Chanchaga LGA where Aliyu comes from, Alhaji Jemilu Saudi; the former governor's Ward Chairman, Alhaji Yahaya Ebbo; and the state Women Leader of the party, Hajia Habiba Haruna, also dismissed the suspension, describing the promoters as faceless people without any political base.

They distanced themselves from the suspension, saying if Aliyu is to be suspended the action should start from his ward.

"Serious action will be taken against all those that took the illegal action," they said in a statement.

The former governor has also described his suspension as a joke of the century, noting that he is the leader of the party in the state.

He stated that the party's National Reconciliation Committee had visited the state and made recommendations on how to resolve differences among members.

Aliyu was accused of funding APC to the tune of N450 million in the 2015 elections and working against the victories of the then President Goodluck Jonathan and the party's governorship candidate in Niger State, Alhaji Umar Mohammed Nasko.

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AMCON Establishes New Airline to Recover Arik’s Debts

Chinedu Eze

The Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria (AMCON) has said that in order to recover its huge debts from Arik Air, it injected over N375 billion in the airline and established another carrier, NG Eagle, which in the future would run along with Arik Air. AMCON stated that it sustained Arik Air operations since it took it over in 2017, in order to stabilise the aviation industry and save jobs.

It added that after recovery of its debts, it might sell NG Eagle to private investors or through the stock exchange if the government does not take it over.

Arik Air Receiver Manager, Mr. Kamilu Omokide, in exclusive interview with THISDAY, said: “AMCON came into Arik in February 2017, during the economic recession. At that time, Arik did not have operational funds.

"The workers faced an uncertain future. All the aircraft were grounded because their insurance premium had expired; that at a time the airline did not operate because of insurance.

"Before AMCON came, Lufthansa, which provided technical service to the airline, had walked away. The airline was no more creditworthy to the extent that fuel suppliers shunned the airline.

"It was only MRS that allowed credit to the airline and it had a maximum of N33 million. This was too small for an airline of that size of Arik. So there was no fuel to operate the flights.”

Omokide, who was seconded to Arik by AMCON, said the airline would be operated along with NG Eagle, at least till the end of 2021, adding that with the support of AMCON, plans have been concluded to acquire three aircraft for Arik through wet leasing.

He said: “Arik does not plan to get out of business. It will operate side-by-side with NG

Eagle for a while. We have been able to access wet leases and we have been able to run them very professionally.

AMCON is not taking all the planes. We have a plan to bring three more planes with the support of AMCON on wet lease, ACMI. “We are not rushing to kill Arik. We cannot pull all of our aircraft from Arik. Arik will be sustained throughout this year. Arik has a very big space at its headquarters that can take in four airlines on a good arrangement where costs can be shared.

"So Arik has huge facility, it has good workers who are experienced and we have been training staff since AMCON took over, something that was rare in the past. In fact, we have exposed the workers to all kinds of training. Our pilots are some of the best in the industry. Experience is very important,” he added.

He said Arik Air would have gone under without the intervention of AMCON in 2017, noting that the corporation adopted a different strategy in Arik, otherwise, it would have closed the company and sold the assets.

However, he said because of the sensitive nature of the aviation industry and the critical role of the sector as a catalyst to the nation’s economy, it decided to sustain the airline's operations.

He stated that when AMCON took over, many of the aircraft in the fleet of the airline were overseas on mandatory maintenance because there was no money to bring them back.

He added that creditors were closing in on the airline, with flight cancellation as high as 40 per cent to the extent that passengers mobbed the headquarters of the airline demanding refund of their fares.

“So, the decision of AMCON to intervene was nationally imperative in order to save the airline because of the critical role it was playing;

to stabilise the industry and to rescue our funds. AMCON realised that it would take a lot of stabilisation and decided to take its own planes and move them to NG Eagle,” he said.

According to him, Arik has goodwill, good staff and fantastic pilots but without AMCON’s intervention, they would have killed the airline.

“Currently we are doing very well with operational expenses. So, AMCON exercised its right to take its own planes to NG Eagle and possibly to other airlines,” Omokide said.

He said NG Eagle would be a formidable airline, which would eventually be sold to either government or other investors.

According to him, AMCON will treat the NG Eagle as a private sector initiative.

“If the government decides to buy it that will be good or we go for the private sector

option or we sell it through the stock exchange,” he added.

Omokide said AMCON might not repair all the aircraft it inherited.

He, however, said the corporation had identified the ones it would repair, and it would either sell the Airbus A340-500 or convert them to cargo planes.

“We do not think we can repair all the planes we met on the ground. We have identified the ones we can repair and sell the other. We plan to sell the A340-500 or convert it to cargo planes. One of the two A340-500 is being preserved.

So we are looking at options of cargo,” he said.

THISDAY investigations also revealed that one of the major factors that led to the bankruptcy of Arik was that the airline used $268 million to buy two A340-500, but the aircraft came into Nigeria when it was commercially obsolete.

“Acquisition of A340-500 at that whooping sum was a single most important error.

Another of the mistakes was the zeal to commence international operations to London, New York and Johannesburg.

"But at the end of the day, they could not charge fares that were comparable to what other major carriers charged on the routes. It was a strategic error. The aircraft (Airbus A340-500) was a killer. It could not generate enough revenue to offset its operational cost. That was due to a lack of corporate governance. Airbus A330 was also leased at a very high-cost rate. They were very expensive leases that Arik became unable to pay,” an insider told THISDAY. The informed source also told THISDAY that what AMCON met on the ground when it took Arik over in 2017 was a company that

was struggling.

“AMCON gave Arik Air $150 million between 20122015. All the aeroplanes in the fleet were already mortgaged when AMCON came in in 2017. The aeroplanes were at midlife, but there was no financial reserve for their maintenance.

“Arik was a phenomenal opportunity. With the right concept and corporate governance, it should have been competing with Ethiopia Airlines if it was properly run and with the right partnership for connectivity. People that travel from Nigeria are more than those that travel from South Africa. So Arik was a lost opportunity for Nigeria,” a source said.

However, a former senior Arik Air official had said the debt the airline owed AMCON was exaggerated and that it left about 10 airworthy aircraft when the government agency took over the airline.

FIRST CLASS GRADUATE...

Bayelsa State Governor, Senator Douye Diri (left), and First Class Law graduate, Rivers State University, Port-Harcourt, Miss Pere Amazige, during a visit to the governor in Yenagoa…yesterday

Senate Demands More Information on Proposed $1.5bn, €995m Loans Suspends approval of N8.5bn 2021 FCT - IRS budget Deji Elumoye in Abuja The Senate on Tuesday requested additional information on the proposed $1.5 billion and €995 million (Euro) foreign loans to be taken by the federal government to execute some agricultural projects across the country.

It also suspended approval for the N8.5 billion 2021 budget of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Internal Revenue Service (IRS) due to discrepancies in the figures contained in the proposals.

The Senate committee on local and foreign debts at an interface with the Ministries of Agriculture, Finance and Debt Management Office over €995million and $1.5billion foreign loans directed them to furnish it with more details before approval can be given.

This was due to the inability of both the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Mr. Mohammed Nanono, and the Director-General of the Debt Management Office (DMO), Mrs. Patience Oniha, to give the committee satisfactory answer on government preparedness for the loans.

The plan of actions tabled before the committee by the Minister of Agriculture on the 995million Euros loans being sought for Agricultural Mechanization across the 774 local government councils in the country, was faulted by most members of the committee headed by Senator Clifford Ordia.

The minister had in his submission said since out of the 92million hectares of cultivable land available in

the country, only 34 million hectares are utilized now, 780 service centres have been set up across the country for mechanized farming.

He said: "The Ministry is seriously in bilateral partnership with Brazil where 300 tractors are to be bought and imported for the project this year once the loan is approved. The country as it is today is in a deficit of 60,000 tractors, the reason why the Ministry is planning for procurement of 5,000 tractors every three, three years. All these plans of ours, are geared towards food security in the country the population of which will be 400 million in about 40years from now".

But the committee members including Senators Uba Sani, Birma Enagi, Adelere Oriolowo, Francis Alimikhena

told the Minister that beautiful plans are different from practical Implementation.

Senator Oriolowo told the Minister that based on personal experience, the plans he tabled before them will not yield any positive results.

According to him, "the tractors you are planning to bring from Brazil, will in no distant time run aground by people who are not trained for proper usage of such machines as it happened in Osun and Borno States recently.

"Capacity building is very important for people to be engaged in the Mechanised farming which we didn't hear from your presentation and besides, are you in touch with the real farmers who if actually involved will make the project impactful.

"Beautiful plans like the

ones you have just unfolded, are not new in this country.

Please rejig the plans to be in tune with productivity needs of the real or rural farmers if you don't want the money being sought for to go down in drains".

On the $1.5billion loan being sought for the 36 states government and the Federal Capital Territory, for the execution of critical infrastructure against the resurgence of COVID - 19 pandemic, the committee Chairman, Senator Ordia, directed the DG of DMO, to furnish them with the creditworthiness of the states which she couldn't provide.

The Committee, therefore, resolved that the DG, DMO, must furnish it with such information before approval can be given for the loan.

Said Ordia: "We have listened to the presentations made by the Minister of Agriculture on the need for the approval of the 995m Euros loan and the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Finance, Aliyu Ahmed, on the need for the approval of $1.5bn loan meant for the 36 States and the Federal Capital Territory, but the required details of planned execution requested for must be given before the approval".

Also on Tuesday, the Senate Committee on FCT suspended the approval of the N8.5 billion FCT-IRS budget proposal based on series of discrepancies in the proposals.

The parastatal was, however, directed to appear before the Committee headed by Senator Abubakar Kyari, on Thursday for a re-presentation of the budget estimates.

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PAGE TEN BUHARI’S MEDICAL TRIP REINFORCES NEED TO EQUIP NATION’S HOSPITALS, SAYS TOMORI talented people but not the enabling and conducive environment for the talented people to function efficiently and maximally. This is our problem," he said.

President of the National Association of Resident Doctors (NARD), Dr. Uyilawa Okuaihesuyi, also told THISDAY that most major hospitals in the country lack basic equipment to deliver effective healthcare.

"In most hospitals in Nigeria, you cannot find any that equals the global best practices.

In most of these hospitals, you can hardly find the basic tool to work. I give you an example, in any hospital abroad, you have the MRI system, which is the basic tool for initiating patient's treatment but in most federal health institutions, you can hardly find any in a functional state," he said.

He said it appeared that the government did not pay attention to the health sector funding and infrastructure development as it often said.

“It is sad that rather than take a serious look at how the country's health sector can be revitalised and funded properly, our leaders find it more comfortable to jet out to other countries for medical treatment,” he said.

Speaking on the grievances that led to the threat by resident doctors to embark on strike, Okuaihesuyi accused the government of neglecting their welfare to the extent that many of the doctors doing their housemanship are being owed up to four months' salaries.

He stated that government has not fulfilled the promise to raise doctors' hazard allowance pegged at N5, 000.

Okuaihesuyi said NARD decided to give an ultimatum to the government because the Memorandum of Understanding entered with the federal government is yet to be implemented many months after it was signed.

He added that the government has not concluded

action on the enrolment of the doctors on the health insurance scheme as part of measures to cushion the hazardous impact of COVID-19 pandemic.

The Chairman of the Senate Committee on Primary Healthcare and Infectious Disease Control, Senator Chukwuka Utazi, told THISDAY: "Our doctors are among the best in the world,” adding: “Their only handicap is the absence of world-class medical equipment and incentives. Once the government can handle this, our Nigerian Diaspora doctors will have no option than to head home back to Nigeria.”

Utazi stated that the health needs of an individual, no matter whosoever is involved, are personal and private between the person and the medical doctor of his choice.

"It is psychological. It has to do with mindset and trust.

As it concerns President Muhammadu Buhari, it is the same. It's his choice and I feel Nigerians should oblige him.

All that we need to do is to pray for his good health and wish him well. My concern is that the federal government must prioritise health and education as the main thrust of this administration,” Utazi said.

Chairman of the Resident Doctors at LUTH, Dr. Hassan Oluwafemi, also said a visit to government hospitals in most parts of the country would explain why Nigerian leaders embarked on foreign medical trips.

He said: “If you compare what you see in our hospitals with what you see in foreign hospitals when you are watching movies, you will see that there is no basis for comparison in terms of facilities, equipment and working instruments.

“In terms of experience, Nigerian doctors at home can stand firm in competition with any other doctor elsewhere but the equipment to work with is not there. The gadgets are not available because of

BARKINDO BLAMES COVID-19 UNCERTAINTIES FOR 14% DROP IN OIL PRICE However, Barkindo stated ahead of the curve.”

Managing Director of BFPCL, Others Sign Share that the month also saw some Barkindo added that the Subscription Deal Mr. Ben Okoye, signed for unexpected builds in crude industry is playing and will their respective companies. and product inventories, continue to play a critical role on $670m Brass The Final Investment but praised the rigorous in helping the world become Fertiliser Decision (FID) for the conformity levels with OPEC’s voluntary adjustments in production which acted as a stabilising influence in the market.

According to him, the coronavirus variants are the reason that many nations are re-implementing lockdown measures to curb more mutations and stop the pandemic from wrecking more devastating effects.

He said: “These uncertainties related to COVID-19 and demand recovery have contributed to the 14 per cent decline in oil prices seen in recent weeks, which oscillated from the low 60’s to above $69/b then back to lower levels, including a touch of contango in the front month.

“It is always prudent to strike the right balance between the market fundamentals and the expectations that usually runs

vaccinated, stressing that the undertaking is estimated to require between eight to 10 billion syringes.

“These are often plastic, single-use and specialised syringes-essential products produced by petroleum.

Transportation fuel will be critical in logistics to disseminate the vaccines throughout the globe. Lifesaving and personal protective equipment continues to come from petroleum products,” he stated.

In this context, the OPEC helmsman explained that a stable oil market is essential at this hour of need and urged members to contribute to it.

He said the analysis that the JTC committee provided remained vital in ensuring a stable market.

NNPC, NCDMB,

Meanwhile, the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB), Brass Fertiliser and Petrochemical Company Limited as well as DSV Engineering yesterday signed two agreements in their push for the construction of the 10,000 tonnes per day methanol plant.

A statement from the NCDMB stated that the deal which was signed in Abuja also involved the production of a 500 million standard cubic feet per day gas processing plant in Odeama, Brass in Bayelsa State.

While the Executive Secretary of NCDMB, Mr. Simbi Wabote, signed for the board; the Chief Operating Officer, Gas & Power, NNPC, Mr. Usman Yusuf; and the

construction was signed in January with the commitment of an equity investment of $670m.

Accordingly, the first deal means that NCDMB has subscribed to the terms and conditions contained in the company’s share subscription agreement while the second confirmed the allotment of 18 per cent of the authorised share capital of the BFPC to NCDMB. Speaking at the event, Yusuf said the project is in tandem with the recent declaration of a decade of gas and would help to correct the current anomaly whereby 100 per cent of the nation’s methanol needs are currently imported.

He maintained that gas was becoming increasingly important to Nigeria’s sustainability and would also play a key role in the energy

underfunding of the health sector. Doctors have been talking about this over the years but we have not seen any change.”

He said government officials know that the facilities are not there at home, adding that that is why they run to foreign hospitals to get medical attention for even the simplest ailment.

According to him, the government is aware that it has not made enough investment in the health sector.

“They know that their hospitals are in a shambles and when there is no investment, and then you can't get the right treatment because doctors don't work in a vacuum.

“The way forward, is to let them invest massively in the health sector and monitor money or fund released for investment in the sector.

Nigerian masses should also put pressure on their government to invest in the sector that is the only way forward otherwise, they will

keep on running to foreign hospitals to meet the same category of doctors they have at home,” he added.

Immediate past President of the National Association of Nigerian Nurses and Midwife (NANN), Mr. Adeniji Alani, also told THISDAY that the frequent medical trips abroad

by Nigerian leaders showed that the government has failed to drive the policies that would improve the quality of healthcare and restore the confidence of the people.

Alani said the high rate of medical tourism by Nigeria’s political leaders was a direct reflection of the policy failure in the country's health sector.

He said it was also evidence of failure in the implementation of measures to improve standard of healthcare infrastructure and manpower.

Alani noted that despite all the professed interests by various administrations to improve the situation of

transition, adding that the two Methanol projects would help Nigeria to save foreign exchange and significantly enhance local production.

The NNPC chieftain congratulated the NCDMB for supporting the methanol projects, which would create a gas hub, petrochemical industry fertiliser plants and condensate refinery and expressed delight that the funding for the critical project was being sourced in-country.

In his remarks, Wabote highlighted the need for indigenous institutions and companies to initiate projects that would create in-country value and employment opportunities for young Nigerians.

He said that the Nigerian oil and gas industry cannot continue to wait for only international operating oil and gas companies to introduce projects, stressing that creating job opportunities for young Nigerians was the best strategy to curtail restiveness and

insecurity in the polity.

Wabote said the 10,000 tonnes/day methanol plant will upon completion position Nigeria as one of the top 10 producers of methanol.

“The opportunities provided by this project in jobs creation, gas utilisation and local availability of methanol for primary and secondary users are massive and we are excited to serve as a catalyst for the realisation of the project,” he added.

He disclosed that the project would create 15,000 jobs during the construction stage and an additional 5, 000 jobs during the operations phase, saying that methanol can serve as a key chemical agent in pharmaceutical and agro-chemical industries.

Managing Director of BFPCL, Okoye stated that methanol can be used to produce 67 items that are used in households daily, adding that the company had acquired 600 hectares of land and aspires to attract other entities to the Brass free zone.

all kinds of underhanded, unscrupulous, mischievous and deceitful practices, people who are working with those that are in government, in particular, critical agencies of government, we have been able to identify certain areas that are weak and these areas have to be strengthened so that these characters who are engaging in acts that you can describe as outright acts of brigandage, people who are behaving in a manner that portends a lot of danger to innocent lives, have to be fished out.

“It is extremely important for these people; I'm sending out a message to them, anybody who thinks he can continue to pool whatever resources he has at his disposal, to frustrate the efforts of the central government in bringing about peace and security will have himself to blame.

"This is the directive from the president. I am to send a warning to those people who think they're in close proximity with those who have the instruments to make the space easy for criminals, those people who think they have some kind of authority,

those people will be brought down to their knees. The new service chiefs, as well as the intelligence community, and the constabulary forces have been given clear directives by the president to target those people who are the ones leading in creating chaos, disunity, and disharmony."

Continued on page 12

TAKE OUT BANDITS, KIDNAPPERS, SPONSORS, PRESIDENT ORDERS SECURITY CHIEFS situation.

The meeting also stressed the need for security agencies to do more to secure the country.

He said it was based on the recent security brief the president got from the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), Gen. Lucky Irabor, that he mandated the service chiefs to fish out the kidnappers, bandits and their sponsors.

He said: "The president is particularly delighted that from what he has received from the Chief of Defence Staff, there is now a renewed vigour, there is now a willingness on the part of all the operational elements to work together, as well as also working hand-in-hand with the intelligence organisations.

"On the issue of kidnapping and banditry, this menace still persists, especially in the North-west and the Northcentral zones. Mr. President has been very emphatic, he has stated very clearly that this problem must be brought to an end, by using the traditional methods that the armed forces have been trained to deploy.

"Mr. President has made it very clear to both the

intelligence and operational elements that the first assignment will be to identify the leaders of these bandits, kidnappers and take them out, in order to restore confidence in those areas."

Monguno added that the president also directed that the military should henceforth be proactive and not reactionary in its operational activities, adding that the bandits and kidnappers should not be allowed to dictate the pace in fighting security challenges facing the country.

"Mr. President has said that he will no longer tolerate a situation whereby bandits and kidnappers are the ones dictating the pace and setting the tone and he will not also, condone a situation in which our own operations are reactionary rather than being proactive.

"He has also indicated his willingness to provide all the resources required by our own troops in order to put down these criminals.

They must be brought down with all the ruthlessness that is required and whoever is working in collaboration with them will be brought

to book," he stated.

According to him, the president from briefings he got from the CDS and the service chiefs was glad that the new service chiefs were taking off on the right footing with a pledge that all the operational requirements for them to perform better would be made available to them.

He said: "Mr. President, in particular, emphasised that the comprehensive reports he had received from the Chief of Defence Staff and the service chiefs, following their recent appointments have illuminated the need for him to look deeper into certain aspects that need to be taken care of.

"He is particularly inspired and impressed by the way the new service chiefs have started their assignment, with all the operational visits they've made to the theatre, where they've been able to address the troops, look into their immediate needs and come up with immediate, medium and long term proposals. Mr. President is going to look into these things with the urgency they require".

He stated that Buhari, while expressing concern about some individuals frustrating the ban on mining in Zamfara State, however, affirmed the readiness of the federal government to effectively implement the ban.

"A ban has been placed on mining and that has to be enforced, people have to comply with whatever the president has laid out. Of course, we, in the intelligence domain, are aware that there are individuals and groups who are planning to link up with all kinds of non-state actors in order to frustrate the efforts of government in implementing the ban on mining, as well as enforcing the no-fly-zone so that no rotary aircraft will land, drop whatever and pick up whatever. That has to be enforced," he added.

Monguno cautioned those undermining the nation's security to desist forthwith from such acts or be ready to face the wrath of the law.

He said: "I'm also to send out a warning to those people who think they can continue to behave in a manner that undermines national security.

Those people engaging in

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WEDNESDAY MARCH 31, 2021 • T H I S D AY

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WEDNESDAY, ͻ͹˜ ͺ͸ͺ͹ ˾ T H I S D AY

NEWS

18 Killed in Abia, A’Ibom Communal Clash, Herdsmen’s Attack on Ebonyi Benjamin Nworie in Abakaliki and Okon Bassey in Uyo No fewer than 18 persons were killed in a clash between communities in Abia and Akwa Ibom States and attacks on Egedegede, Obegu and Amuzu communities in the Ishielu Local Government Area of Ebonyi State by herdsmen.

THISDAY gathered that at least 11 persons were on Monday night killed by suspected herdsmen in Egedegede, Obegu and Amuzu communities in the Ishielu LGA of Ebonyi State.

Also, seven indigenes of Ikpanya clan in Ibiono Ibom LGA of Akwa Ibom State were said to have been killed following renewed hostilities by neighbouring Ugbo community of Arochukwu in Abia State Although THISDAY counted 11 dead bodies in the Ebonyi State incident, a source from the community put the death toll at 18.

“We are mourning; we are

in serious mourning since the late hour of Monday.

Herdsmen invaded our communities and massacred our people. As we speak, 18 persons were slaughtered like animals. They macheted many of our people, burnt vehicles, motorcycles and looted our properties,” the residents said.

He listed those killed to include a priest in the Methodist Church, whose car was burnt to ashes.

Chairman of Ishielu Local Government Area, Hon. Sunday Eze and Ebonyi State Commissioner for Business Development, Dr. Stephen Odo, who hail from the local government, yesterday led a team of security agents to the communities and condoled with the bereaved families.

The delegation assured them that the state government would investigate the invasion.

However, at the time of filing the report, the Police Public Relations Officer in the state, Loveth Odah, a Deputy Superintendent of

Police (DSP), confirmed six persons dead.

“The commissioner of police delegated a team of policemen for on-the-spot assessment because of peace talks going on in the town. So, the commissioner of police delegated them; deputy commissioner of police in charge of Operations and others went for an on-the-spot assessment to enable us to get the detail of the report. So, they are yet to come back.

“We are still waiting for our men to come back to tell us their findings. I am already preparing a press release on the incident but their report too will assist us in giving you detailed information about it,” Odah said.

The state Governor, Chief David Umahi, accompanied by his deputy, Mr. Kelechi Igwe, and security chiefs in the state have also visited the area.

Also, seven indigenes of Ikpanya clan in Ibiono Ibom LGA of Akwa Ibom

State have been killed following a renewed attack by the neighbouring Ugbo community of Arochukwu in Abia State.

The attack was believed to be another of the perennial clashes between Ikpanya and its Arochukwu neighbours over a parcel of land.

THISDAY gathered that six houses were burnt, and four other persons were declared missing. A female member in the community was said to have been gang-raped.

The Clan Head of the community, Chief Isaac Ononson, described the attack as unfortunate.

In an interview with journalists in Ibiono Ibom, he decried the constant attacks on his community.

He said: “Ikpanya shares boundaries with eight villages of Arochukwu in Abia State, but the perennial and incessant crisis is always with the one village, that is the Ugbo people.

"And, it has always been during every farming season that the people of Ugbo will

attack our people as they go to farm.

"They will beat our women and chase them away, packing the palm fruits. These people have continued to trouble our people year in, year out.

"Recently, when my people went to cut palm fruits, the Ugbo people went and beat them, destroyed the palm and burnt them,” he said.

According to him, three boys and one girl were arrested and kept in their village square, until the intervention of security operatives from both states.

Ononson expressed worry that the authorities of Ibiono Ibom LGA were not taking any action on the incident.

“I reported the matter to the chairman of the local government area, and he told me that they would have a security meeting, after that, he will answer me. He didn’t say anything other than that.

"He has never visited the area, and there’s no police station. I have been writing

to the government, since the reign of the last clan head; we have been writing to the government to give us a police post, but none,” he added.

The native king called on the government to come to the aid of victims by providing them with relief materials.

Presenting the matter on the floor of the Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly, the member representing Ibiono Ibom State Constituency, Hon. Godwin Ekpo, lamented the wanton killings and destruction in Ikpanya.

Ekpo, in his motion, decried the attacks on the people by communities both in Abia and Cross River states.

The lawmaker called on the state emergency management agency to provide relief materials to the affected people.

He also called on the state government to deploy security agencies in the area in order to protect the people.

Okonjo-Iweala Urges WTO Members to Improve Ordinary People’s Living Standards Obinna Chima The World Trade Organisation (WTO) Director-General, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, has called on members of the global trade body to deliver concrete results that promote the WTO’s founding objectives.

Some of these she listed include using trade to improve the living standards of ordinary people, creating better jobs, and contributing to sustainable development.

According to a statement posted on the WTO’s website, Okonjo-Iweala made the remark while speaking at an informal General Council meeting yesterday.

The meeting was called by the WTO General Council Chair, Ambassador Dacio Castillo (Honduras)

to initiate a process of consultations on the nature of the prospective outcome document for the Twelfth Ministerial Conference (MC12), which would take place in Geneva the week of November 29th.

With only seven working months until the 12th Ministerial Conference (MC12), Okonjo-Iweala called on members to, “create a recipe for success upfront,” starting with “two or three or four concrete deliverables,” in areas such as fisheries and agreeing on work programmes for other items where differences remain.

She noted that MC12 would come at the end of a series of international policy discussions aimed at “examining the lessons from

this pandemic and trying to put the framework for tackling the next.” If trade ministers emerge at the end of the year, “with no agreement, no contributions to the meaningful issues that are being faced by the world today, nothing to add in terms of a framework for tackling the next pandemic, it will not look good.”

“My wish is for all the Ambassadors, Ministers and Leaders on trade to come out of MC12 looking good. Looking good means being seen by the world as having delivered for today's problems," she said.

Okonjo-Iweala also said she plans to convene an event in mid-April to discuss ramping up COVID-19 vaccine production and how the WTO could contribute

to more rapid and equitable distribution of vaccines.

The event, to be held under Chatham House rules, will include all regional member groups, representatives from vaccine manufacturers from developing and developed countries, civil society groups working on access to medicine, and other relevant stakeholders.

“The idea is to move us along on our quest to solve this unacceptable inequitable access of poor countries to vaccines,” she said. “At the bottom of this is a very serious scarcity in supply.

And how to solve it is to look at how we expand manufacturing in all its ways.”

She stressed that the event would help advance global discussions on access to

vaccines. She expressed hope both for increased vaccine manufacturing in the short- to mediumterm, and a longer-term framework agreement that would provide for automatic access to vaccines and other medical products for developing countries in future health crises, including a way forward on the TRIPS waiver proposal, many of them support.

“We also need to look to the future and agree on a framework where countries do not need to stand in the queue in order to get access to life-saving vaccines, therapeutics, and diagnostics,” she said, emphasizing that this can be done while still incentivising research and development.

Earlier, Castillo described

the options in front of members, based on the documents that emerged from earlier Ministerial Conferences: a consensus Ministerial Declaration, a summary issued under the conference chair's own responsibility, and a “hybrid” document containing elements of the two.

Members “may wish to start thinking about what type of outcome document we might realistically envisage for MC12, including its structure and elements,” the General Council Chair added, announcing he would begin consultations on these issues with interested delegations. He cautioned that this process should not divert attention from ongoing substantive negotiations.

Court to Decide IG’s Fate on Tenure Extension April 16 Alex Enumah in Abuja

Justice Ahmed Mohammed of a Federal High Court, Abuja yesterday fixed April 16 to decide whether the Inspector General of Police (IG), Mr. Mohammed Adamu could continue to operate in the office as the Inspector General of Police.

Justice Mohammed fixed the date to deliver his judgment in the suit seeking to remove Adamu as IG, after lawyers in the matter adopted and

argued their written addresses for and against the suit.

A legal practitioner, Mr. Maxwell Okpara, had dragged the federal government to court over the elongation of Adamu's tenure in office despite attaining the compulsory retirement age on February 1, 2021.

President Muhammadu Buhari, Adamu, Attorney General of the Federation and Nigeria Police Council are first to fourth respondents, respectively in the suit.

At the resumed hearing yesterday, the plaintiff's lawyer, Mr. Ugochukwu Ezekiel, told the court that hearing notice, as well as other court processes, had been served on all respondents in the suit.

He urged the court to uphold his submissions and grant all the reliefs being sought by his client.

However, lawyer representing Buhari, AGF and the Police Council, Mr. EV Elodimuo, urged the court

to dismiss the suit for being incompetent.

Adamu's lawyer, Dr. Alex Izinyon (SAN), similarly urged the court to dismiss the suit for lacking in merit.

After listening to submissions of all lawyers for and against the suit, the trial judge adjourned till April 16 to deliver his judgment.

Adamu, appointed IG in 2019, was expected to leave office on February 1, this year having clocked the mandatory 35 years in service.

But President Buhari on February 4, announced an extension of Adamu's stay in office by three months pending the appointment of a substantive IG. Plaintiff by the suit is therefore asking the court to order the removal of Adamu from office, having spent the mandatory 35 years in service.

According to the suit, by virtue of section 215 of the Nigerian constitution and Section 7 of the Nigeria Police Act, 2020, Adamu

cannot continue to function as the IG, having retired as a serving member of the force.

But in his response, Adamu argued that the new Nigeria Police Act gave him a fouryear tenure, which would only lapse in either 2023 or 2024.

In their own arguments both Buhari and the AGF agreed with Adamu's submission that the law permits the IG to remain in office until either 2023 or 2024.

BUHARI’S MEDICAL TRIP REINFORCES NEED TO EQUIP NATION’S HOSPITALS, SAYS TOMORI the health sector not much has been realised in terms of infrastructure development and manpower.

For instance, he said out of the projected 800,000 nurses required to cater for the over 200 million Nigerian population, only 250,000

professionals are available.

Alani said more qualified nurses were leaving the country for greener pastures due to poor remuneration and conditions of service.

"Our policies are not coordinated; both the formulation and

implementation are always lopsided. If people are going out of the country to seek medical treatment, it is a reflection of the level of efficiency in policy formulation in our health sector and how its implementation has resulted

in accessible and affordable healthcare services in the country. We cannot get it right the way things are now," he said.

The WHO’s recommended benchmark of national budget for the health sector in developing countries is

between nine per cent and 13 per cent of the country's Gross Domestic Product.

However, Alani said that the country's budget for the health sector has remained six per cent and below, adding that this year's budget was a paltry four per cent.

The federal government budgeted N2.555 trillion for health from 2015 to 2021 out of a total budget of N59.660 trillion.

However, nine per cent of this total budget which was the recommendation of WHO is N5.4 trillion.

WEDNESDAY MARCH 31, 2021 • T H I S D AY

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COMMENT

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

DETENTION OF PATIENTS IN HOSPITALS Sonnie Ekwowusi writes that the detention of patients by hospitals is wrong

L

ast week I found myself in a certain big hospital in Lagos (name withheld) trying to assist a terminally-ill patient who had been detained by the hospital for non-payment of hospital bills. That was not the first time I was encountering such a patient being maltreated by a hospital. Over the years I have been encountering patients who had been detained by hospitals for non-payment of bills. Increasingly hospital managers in Nigeria are detaining their patients for their inability to pay hospital bills. As far as the managers of these hospitals are concerned, the most effective way of compelling poor patients to pay their hospital bills is to detain them at the hospital immediately after treatment or midway during treatment. Que barbaridad!

The dying patient who solicited my assistance last week underwent a major surgery at the hospital. Prior to the surgery, the patient, with the assistance of many charities and generous public donors, paid the hospital in question a gargantuan sum of N17.5 million. The sum covered all pre-surgical and surgical expenses. But unfortunately the surgery was unsuccessful. Before he was wheeled into the hospital operating room he wasn’t experiencing any severe pains in his stomach. But since he underwent surgery he had in the last one month been writhing in great pain. As at last week, the patient could hardly eat, let alone sleep at night due to the intense pain. Not even his wife, children, brother and friends frequenting the hospital to accompany him could console him or cheer him up. The pain seems unbearable. The pathetic aspect is that the hospital is unsure of the time the patient would be relieved from the intolerable pain. To add insult to injury, the hospital had slammed additional N6.2 million post-surgery bills on the patient. To avoid incurring more hospital bills and expenses, the family and friends of the patient had applied last week to the hospital to temporarily discharge the patient from the hospital so that he could go home and be attending hospital from home. The hospital turned down the application. Instead of acceding to the application, the hospital insisted that the patient must pay at least 50% of the N6.2 million additional post-surgery bills. Before I left the hospital last week the patient was still being detained despite all pleadings. I even had a meeting with the hospital management wherein I pleaded with them to allow the dying patient to go home. As we struggle to live with multiple perceptions of the truth, we should aim at building one world rooted in common humanity in which care for the sick occupies a primordial place. The sick are always with us and we cannot afford to remain in our respective cocoons unmindful of their plight.

Clearly the detention of the patient by the hospital is unconstitutional and illegal. By placing the patient under a false imprisonment for non-payment of bills, the hospital had flagrantly violated his right to freedom of movement and right to human dignity as enshrined in our 1999 Constitution and African Charter on People’s and Human Rights. Secondly, by acting as the offended party, complainant, accuser, prosecutor and the judge in their own case, the hospital had violated the rule of natural justice expressed in the well-known Latin maxim Nemo judex in causa sua.

You see, two wrongs cannot make a right. If the hospital was aggrieved that the patient had not settled his hospital bills before

WE CANNOT LIVE IN OUR LITTLE COCOONS UNMINDFUL OF THE PLIGHT OF THE SICK IN OUR MIDST

applying to leave the hospital, all it could have done was to request the patient or his relatives to enter into a written undertaking agreeing to the mode of and precise date of settling the bills. Subjecting the patient, who had earlier paid the hospital a whopping sum of N17.5 million, to psychological torture and humiliation simply because he was unable to pay his post-surgery bills is, in my humble view, inhumane. More importantly, recourse to force and self-help in settling disputes is a recipe for chaos and anarchy. A hospital not governed by the rule of law poses great danger to society. This probably explains why the law court has been vested with the jurisdiction to determine or settle all matters relating to the civil rights and obligations of the citizens.

Consequently, Nigerian hospitals should stop detaining patients for non-payment of bills. Aggrieved patients should approach the law court to seek remedy. Nigeria and Cameroun, I gather, are holding the world record as countries with hospitals where patients are routinely detained for non-payment of hospital bills. Why is Nigeria always featuring bad things? I also gather that some Nigerian pregnant women who had been detained in some hospitals for non-payment of hospital bills had died. Remember Mrs. Folake Oduyoye, a pregnant lady who was detained at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH) for non-payment of her hospital bills despite the entreaties of her husband that the bills would be paid in due course? Sad to say, Mrs. Oduyoye eventually died at LUTH on December 13, 2014 while still in detention.

It is high time Nigerian governments understood that access to affordable health care is no longer a privilege: it is a human right of the citizenry. Nigeria’s greatest challenge over the years is making basic primary health care accessible to her citizenry. Come to think of it, provision of basic primary health care is no rocket science. All it takes the government to achieve that laudable goal is for it to get its priorities right. For example, instead of wasting $2 billion in constructing a railway line from Kano to Niger Republic, the Buhari administration should have spent the aforesaid amount in re-equipping public hospitals in Nigeria or providing affordable public health Insurance for Nigerian citizens. After assuming power in 2015 President Buhari promised that he would ensure that many Nigerians had unimpeded access to primary health care services. In one speech, President Buhari said: “Our goal of revitalizing the Primary Health care Centres is to ensure that quality basic health care services are delivered to the majority of Nigerians irrespective of their location in the country”. Till date, the President has not fulfilled this promise and other promises.

Beyond the government, the citizens cannot turn their back on their fellow citizens who are sick. To achieve this goal, it is imperative that we establish a broader consensus about the meaning of humanitarianism, and about its role in the promotion of human welfare. We need to identify common values from which to erect an ethical framework for human solidarity. In identifying this ethical framework, the pitiable situation of the sick particularly merits top priority. The citizens should build a strong solidarity for the welfare of the sick. We must set out in earnest to set up formidable blocks of social institutions to alleviate the sufferings of the sick in our midst. No man is an island unto himself.

We cannot live in our little cocoons unmindful of the plight of the sick in our midst.

LAGOS REVOLUTIONISES BASIC EDUCATION WITH EKOEXCEL EKOEXCEL has democratised knowledge acquisition, writes Abolaji Adeyeye

F

rom the times of Lateef Kayode Jakande as governor, Lagos has been fortunate to be among the progressive states in terms of leadership. Whether under democracy or military rule, the state has enjoyed a high dose of excellence in service delivery among other states in Nigeria.

I can’t but remember LKJ’s revolutionary strides in the space that is currently tagged ‘Centre of Excellence.’ Like someone possessed, he went on developing schools, housing, public transportation among other public goods. But for this piece, I am more interested in the spark the man fondly known as Baba Kekere brought about in public education.

His critics were loud that he minimised frills but splurged on the basics. Yes, they said the classrooms he built were like poultries, lacking aesthetics. But school children, particularly children of the nonelites, had schools to attend. The government also employed qualified teachers to impart knowledge.

In addition, the students got free books. They learnt, added value to their lives and kept abreast with the world. As LKJ built primary and secondary schools across Lagos, he also built higher institutions. All this he did in just four years. Little wonder that more than 40 years later, beneficiaries and followers of that scheme heaped praises on him at his recent passing.

His legacy lives in the minds of the students he empowered.

While there may be little need for the crazed construction of schools Jakande did in the 80s, the state did not reduce its pace for quality education.

Though Jakande has been long out of governance, I see another revolution silently creeping in public education in Lagos. But it is a digital affair this time around. Enter EKOEXCEL, a government intervention to introduce e-learning in public primary schools.

Started last year, EKOEXCEL, which means excellence in child education and learning, is aimed at bridging the gap in quality education delivery, through the use of technological devices such as teaching tablets and smartphones in public primary school pedagogy. It was deployed in the 1016 primary schools in the state to ‘drive excellence in learning’ for over 500, 000 pupils. But the beauty of the programme derives from the fact that over 14, 000 government teachers and 1016 head teachers are being re-trained and upskilled with digital skills.

In addition, there is a rollout of digital tools for the pupils which have been integrated into the classrooms. The gadgets are preloaded with audio learning aids for mathematics and literacy according to grades. Accompanying them are textbooks.

And combining both, the pupils can follow up lessons from the book by listening to instructions already preloaded in the gadgets with the aid of an earphone.

In this age where knowledge is key and the computer is central to life and living. It’s on its backbone the future rests. And no child should be left behind. And while such learning experience may still be a novelty for even some Nigerian adults, it’s a way of life that has come to stay. Pupils in affluent schools really enjoyed e-learning during the lockdowns brought about by coronavirus. It was sad watching their poor peers wasting away, hence the joy I found in the introduction of EKOEXCEL. For the scheme, in addition to textbooks, the primary school pupils are given small electronic devices preloaded with audio-academic content according to their grades.

A neighbour whose child attends a public primary school in Agege told me of the impact of EKOEXCEL on his six- year- old son. “He likes to use the device most times that he is free and will not forget

to charge it when the power is depleted,” he said of his son’s enthusiasm. “The gadget compensated for lost school time when Lagos introduced attendance schedules for public schools because of coronavirus precautions.”

Indeed, the EKOEXCEL devices ensured the students could still study at home and with minimal supervision too. My neighbour also said that his son now understands his English and mathematics better. That is exactly the intention of the Lagos State government.

And as reported by The Nation newspaper of March 26, 2021, that was what Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu expressed to some lawmakers and other stakeholders. In the audience were members of the House Committee on Basic Education led by their Chairman, Professor Jullius Ihonvbere, Commissioner for Education, Folashade Adefisayo and Chairman, Lagos State Universal Basic Education Board (LSUBEB), Wahab Olawale Alawiye-King.

“In the last couple of years, we have built strong foundations and this fiscal year, we increased our budget on education from eight to 12 per cent,” Governor Sanwo-Olu said.

“We invested in curriculum development through EKOEXCEL to change learning outcomes from our schools. We believe a solid foundation for our children starts with qualitative primary education hence our deliberate focus on primary school education and reform. Our administration will continue to increase investment to bring up the standard of education across the board.”

I think EKOEXCEL is a right way to go by focusing on primary school education as it forms the bedrock for all future academic learnings or life pursuits. And by deploying technology to this, the children - future workers and leaders - will be earlier

exposed to confidence-building technology. Also, the teachers would be more empowered to help the children learn more, faster and in an interesting manner.

Basically, what EKOEXCEL has done is to democratise and simplify knowledge acquisition.

Now, there is no excuse why a child in low income areas cannot study and aspire to be greater than his or her surroundings. It would also boost their confidence to know that all they need to learn is within easy reach – a plug and play – always at their disposal anytime of the day.

Without quality basic education guaranteed for everyone interested, the quality of Nigeria’s fortunes – her people – would continue to diminish. But this is not what progressive-minded Nigerians want.

But the Lagos State government must not see this as a one-off. It’s a given fact that once people embrace technology and experience the ease it brings, they hardly revert. Personally, while I don’t despise people that use the basic mobile phones, I would find it difficult to revert to it, considering my experience with intuitive smart phones. That is also a reality for many people. As Lagos journeys to retain its spot of envy in Africa, the government must continue such interventions in basic education. We cannot afford to raise children deficient in relating to modern life. Also, other governments would do well to copy Lagos in this regard. At least, they owe the children a good education.

Concluding, I commend the Lagos State government for providing this timely digital access for students in public primary students. And to Sanwo-Olu, for birthing EKOEXCEL, I say, you’ve just written your name on the hearts of these impressionable children. They won’t care about you now but in the future, just like LKJ, you’ll be loved and fondly remembered by them.

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T H I S D AY • WEDNESDAY, MARCH 31, 2021

EDITORIAL THE $1.5BN WASTEFUL VENTURE The expensive plan is unlikely to revive the Port Harcourt refinery

N

igeria relies solely on imported petroleum products to meet its domestic energy needs as its three refineries have remained in a state of disrepair for so many years. In the current scheme of things, the plants in Kaduna, Port Harcourt and Warri have been shut down for more than a year for rehabilitation. The consequence of this is that petroleum products are imported from abroad, subsidised with funds the country can hardly afford while jobs that could have come from functional refineries are unavailable. Besides, perennial repairs of the nation’s refineries are replete with unpleasant tales of corruption, deceit and even missed opportunities.

Shortly after assuming office as the Group Managing Director (GMD) of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) in 2019, Melee Kyari announced that the corporation has adopted a phased repair of the refineries all the refineries.

He disclosed that an agreement reached with their original builders (ORB) would restore the refineries to at least 90 per THE REFINERIES HAVE cent efficiency levels BECOME HUGE COST between 2020 and CENTRES TO THE 2022. Furthermore, GOVERNMENT AND according to a COUNTRY AND SHOULD statement from BE HANDED TO CREDIBLE NNPC, a $50 million PRIVATE ENTITIES TO contract to undertake RESTORE THEIR FULL full integrity check PRODUCTIVE CAPACITIES and equipment inspections of the Port Harcourt refinery was reached with Tecnimont SPA and Tecnimont Nigeria Ltd (TNL). The planned revamp was said to begin with Port Harcourt and the scope of this deal included a six-month onsite assessment of the refinery as well as engineering and planning activities which will lead to the second phase of the refinery revamp to a minimum of 90 per cent capacity utilisation.

Letters to the Editor

Without the fulfilment of that pledge by the NNPC, the federal executive council recently approved $1.5 billion for the repair of the Port Harcourt Refinery. Assurances from government officials that the money which will be borrowed will be well spent do not elicit confidence of the public. “Even with the paucity of funds, we continue to ramp up government involvement in sectors that ought to be left to the private sector; with the latest being the ill-advised $1.5bn so-called rehabilitation of the Port Harcourt refinery that has failed to turn a profit for years”, said former Vice President Atiku Abubakar whose views resonates with that of many Nigerians.

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T H I S DAY EDITOR BOLAJI ADEBIYI DEPUTY EDITOR YEMI AJAYI, DAVIDSON IRIEKPEN, MANAGING DIRECTOR ENIOLA BELLO DEPUTY MANAGING DIRECTOR KAYODE KOMOLAFE CHAIRMAN EDITORIAL BOARD OLUSEGUN ADENIYI EDITOR NATION’S CAPITAL IYOBOSA UWUGIAREN MANAGING EDITOR JOSEPH USHIGIALE

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

e fear that history could repeat itself. It has happened several times before. If we may ask, why is the federal government adamant on throwing money to repair the Port Harcourt refinery when it can sell it and save itself lots of troubles? How much could it possibly profit from selling the refinery after spending $1.5 billion for its repair? Wouldn’t it be economically realistic to allow private funds to revamp the refineries since the NNPC has failed woefully to keep them running profitably?

Our position on the state of the nation’s refineries is clear and has not changed. We have always argued that the refineries have become huge cost centres to the government and country and should be handed to credible private entities to restore their full productive capacities. Private businesses are better commercial managers than governments. A quick visit to the Port Harcourt refinery and its neighbour, Indorama Eleme Petrochemical Industry which was taken from the NNPC and privatised in 2006 reinforces this.

If Eleme can be restored to efficiency with private funds and still pays out dividends to the government, privatising Port Harcourt should not be a problem.

We believe that borrowing $1.5 billion to repair the Port Harcourt refinery is not smart economics.

This government should do well to resist the lure for borrowing and heaping debts on the country on such patently wasteful ventures.

TO OUR READERS Letters in response to specific publications in THISDAY should be brief (150-200 words) and straight to the point. Interested readers may send such letters along with their contact details to opinion@thisdaylive.com. We also welcome comments and opinions on topical local, national and international issues provided they are well-written and should also not be longer than (9501000 words). They should be sent to opinion@thisdaylive.com along with the email address and phone numbers of the writer.

Bawa And The Moral Imperative

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am yet to meet a domiciled Nigerian in some type of authority (in public and private sectors) that has verbally and openly showed this type of diction. See below: “We need to change our attitudes in Nigeria.” “I will continue to do what is right.” “We are in the habit of worshipping people that have money in the society, but never bother to ask questions about their source of income.” “The Commission under my watch will continue to abide by the rule of law. If anybody asks me to do anything contrary to my conscience or against the rule of law, I will resign my appointment.” The above words of moral imperative come from Abdulrasheed Bawa, the newly appointed chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).It is my hope that every Nigerian, regardless of where he or she lives, will take the time, and examine his or her conscience about these words. He reminds us that corruption is primarily a moral issue we are confronted with.

Bawa tells us in a psychological manner that it is critically important that corruption be framed as a moral issue. In doing this he puts the onus on every Nigerian citizen to do the right thing, that is, support this cause with both expressions and actions. Bawa seems to be reminding us that a problem like corruption is so large that it could not be solved through law alone. But It must be solved in the homes and schools of every Nigerian in every community

across our country. Bawa seems to be saying that corruption is neither a regional, tribal, ethnic, or partisan issue nor one of organisations versus individuals. It is, however, a concern that requires us to work together to achieve a goal greater than ourselves.

Bawa seems to be saying that we must redirect our efforts away from quarrel and toward collaborative action. Do not be surprised to see many Nigerians dismiss him and even put words and beliefs in his mind just to say, “ e de talk nonsense”. If truth be told the Nigerian collective are the real ones defending psychopathic leadership and sociopathic institutions. The psychology of Bawa will face the complex psychology of corruption within the entrenched diabolical leadership in Nigeria. On institutional grounds, one good side of his appointment in terms of his directorship and responsibility is that he should answer directly to the people through the President and the legislature. And must not be to the Nigeria Police and its leadership structure, historically known for its opaque, chaotic, and centralised environment.

Bawa must not be part of any of that in terms of being subject to dependence, manipulations, and distractions. He is not an angel, but his words speak volumes philosophically, psychologically, ethically, spiritually, and emotionally. We can restructure regionally and economically all we want but as long as the Nigerian people are driven by feelings

of religious corruption and emotional elements of “make I get my own first” the national yeyeism or idiocy continues.

This is a first truly. Indeed, this is good. May the Good God/Allah always be your frontline image against the “god’ of Nigeria and his/her chaotic institutions. By the particularly good references of yours I noted here, potentially you have put your life on the line. In every socio-political atmosphere be it in idealistic America or Nigeria known for its traditional animistic practices and religious superstitions, important personages such as high executive leaders like you, quite honestly must always stay alert. For every cup of water and plate of food before you, look at it longingly as if you need a taster first.

To some extent always draw boundaries and be extraordinarily critical and suspicious of anyone’s motives that comes around you. It matters not if they directly or indirectly played a part in terms of your ascension to your new position. I must add that for this unusual, corrective, ethical, and bold move by the President Muhammadu Buhari and his special advisers, Femi Adesina and Garba Shehu, and others they deserve our applause. Nigeria will get there institutionally and democratically.

Prof John Egbeazien Oshodi is an American-based Police/Prison Scientist and Forensic/Clinical/Legal Psychologist

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WEDNESDAY MARCH 31, 2021 • T H I S D AY

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T H I S D AY ˾ WEDNESDAY MARCH 31, 2021

MIDWEEKPOLITICS

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

AbdulRazaq’s Silent Transformation of Kwara State Despite Party Crisis Adedayo Akinwale examines how Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq of Kwara State is gaining the confidence of his people with developmental projects, not minding, the crisis rocking the state chapter of the All Progressives Congress

Abdulrazaq

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will ensure seamless supply of water in the state. These include; rehabilitation of Lafiagi Water Works, rehabilitation of Asa-Dam Water Works, rehabilitation of Patigi Water Works, rehabilitation of Igbaja Water Works, rehabilitation of Kaiama Water Works, rehabilitation of Gwanara Water Works, rehabilitation of Up Kwara Water.

The Governor also ensured the refurbishment of Agbabiaka Water Tanks Ilorin, rehabilitation of Yashikira Waterworks, rehabilitation of Oro-Ago Water Works, Inter-connection of Eastern Reservoir and Awolowo Road in Tanke, diversion of ductile iron pipes across Alagbado stream, repair of Lafiagi Water Works and its environment, among others.

A former member of Kwara State House of Assembly Hon. Abdulmumin Katibi said, “In May 2019, water tankers were the source of potable water in most parts of Ilorin, the capital city, even in the Government House.

Today, pipe-borne water is back and stable in the metropolis while nearly 500 boreholes have either been dug or rehabilitated across the state. No fewer than nine water works have been fixed since this governor came on board while contracts for more have been awarded.”

The governor has also given priority to the education sector in the state. The sector had hitherto suffered neglect by previous administrations leading to the state being blacklisted from accessing from the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) fund for more than seven years before his emergence as the governor.

Nevertheless, Abdulrazaq’s intervention in the education sector has ensured that the state accessed a backlog of N7.1 billion UBEC counterpart funds with a matching grant of N7.1 billion to gradually reposition the schools.

The state is also carrying out renovation works in, at least, 43 basic schools. With the grants from UBEC now in the state coffers, about 600 basic schools are to get facelifts while teachers are also to be trained.

In order to increase the quality of education in the state, the governor has recruited 4,701 qualified and competent teachers into the

public primary, junior and senior secondary schools in the state.

Also, the private school owners have also tasted his developmental efforts in the sector.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Proprietors of 1,119 privately owned schools in the state were given soft loans to help cushion the effects of the pandemic due to shutdown.

Moreso, since AbdulRazaq assumed office, urban and rural road infrastructure has continued to receive attention. The largest road reconstruction and rehabilitation projects across the nooks and cranny of the state was embarked on through his rural-urban renewal initiative project with a view to bridging the wide infrastructure in rural communities across the state and boost economic growth and development.

The administration has fixed over 100 rural and urban roads/culverts/bridges. Many agrarian communities are now getting standard roads, while those hitherto cut off from civilisation are being linked. About 500 rural roads are to be fixed under the World Bank-enabled Rural Access and Agricultural Marketing Project (RAAMP) arrangement for which the administration had earlier paid counterpart funds. These road projects are spread across the senatorial districts, deliberately linking agrarian areas to the urban centres.

Some of these road projects have either been completed or nearing completion as at today. The projects include: Construction and repair of box culvert at Pampo Town, Asa Local Government Area; construction of 1.1km Market Junction, Emir’s Palace Road, Gwanara; construction of 33km Ilesha Baruba, Gwanara Road, Baruten (ongoing), construction of 87km Kaiama Kosubosu Rural Road Reconstruction, Baruten/Kaiama (ongoing); construction of 1.5km Secretariat Road, Lafiagi, Edu; Construction of 1.5km Tsaragi Market -Batakpan Box Culvert, Edu. Others are: Construction of 3.5km Osi Township road (3.5km), Ekiti; construction of 2.3km Oro Ago - Oyate Road, Ifelodun; rehabilitation of 1.7k.CAC,Ogere, Babanloma road, Ifelodun; construction of Oriza bridge

- Oro-Ago, Ifelodun; rehabilitation of 1.2km Zango Akerebiata Road, Ilorin East; construction of 2km Sobi Specialist Hospital Road, Gaa Osibi - Medina (2km), Ilorin East; construction of 1.3km Awolowo- Danialu Road, Ilorin South, among several other ongoing projects.

A chieftain of the party and a former presidential candidate of Allied Congress Party of Nigeria (ACPN), Mr. Ganiyu Galadima, said the governor is redefining leadership and governance in Kwara State in an unprecedented manner.

He stated: “First is his simple and humble approach to leadership which has distinguished him from the previous leaders produced by the state. He carries himself with all simplicity that demystified the office he is occupying.

Sometimes you wonder if he is a governor save for the authority inherent in his office. He goes about his official duties quietly without harassing or intimidating anyone. He is a low profile and a meticulous resource manager; a goal getter and a result oriented leader. A very sincere leader of his people that is not trapped by the aura of the office he is occupying, but providing services that will benefit the entire people of the state.”

“The achievements of Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRasaq in less than two years cut across all the sectors of governance. From health to water, education, agriculture and rural development, roads and unrivaled social safety nets and empowerment for the most vulnerable members of the society and the old people in Kwara State. His rural transformation agenda is second to none and I believed that on completion of his first tenure of four years in office he would have achieved in concrete terms, what the previous governments could not achieve in 16 years of projects and programmes that benefits the people directly.”

The health sector is not left behind in the ongoing transformation of the state by AbdulRazaq’s administration. At the moment, massive rehabilitation and equipment of some major general hospitals in the state with modern gadgets will be covered. Dozens of primary health care facilities will be upgraded and equipped – in addition to those already undergoing similar facelifts. The upgrade will include an electronic medical record system for the state, significantly boosting the quality of healthcare delivery in the state. Kwara holds the unattractive trophy as the state with the highest prevalence of open defecation.

A massive anti-open defecation campaign, or Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH), worth N500 million would be funded with the bond to complement some existing initiatives that recently won Kwara State a pledge of 1000 pour-flush toilets from the private sector stakeholders.

uring the 2019 general election, the All Progressives Congress (APC) did what many thought was impossible in Kwara State when it pulled off one of the most surprising results of the election with the demolition of former Senate President Dr. Bukola Saraki’s dynasty in the State of Harmony.

Though the revolution against the Saraki dynasty did not start in 2019, it dated back to 2007 or thereabout, but it was not meant to be until an amalgam of politicians disenchanted with the political hegemony of the Saraki dynasty under the ‘O to Ge’ movement dismantled the 40-year reign of the Saraki family in the state.

It wasn’t long after the victory of APC at the polls that a war of supremacy started between the governor’s camp and the Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, Minister of State for Transport, Senator Gbemisola Saraki, Prince Sunday Fagbemi and Akogun Iyiola Oyedepo.

The Kwara APC was further neck-deep in crisis in December 2020 when the deadline for every state chapter of the party to pick its Caretaker Committee members ahead of the party’s June 2021 national convention.

Expectedly, the governor, who is trying to hold a firm grip on the party structure in the state pushed for the chairmanship of Fagbemi, his long-time political ally. But the proposal did not sail through. Eventually Bashir Bolarinwa who was the chairman when the ‘O to Ge’ movement emerged victorious was retained.

However, the disharmony in Kwara APC degenerated from bad to worse a few days to the commencement of the ongoing party membership revalidation and registration exercise. The governor had written a petition intimating the Caretaker Committee led by the Governor of Yobe State, Mai Mala Buni of his discomfort working with Bolarinwa as the state party chairman. Instead, he opted for Bolarinwa’s deputy, Abdullahi Samari.

Due to the supremacy battle for the control of the party, there has been a well coordinated and sustained campaign of calumny by the opposing camp aimed at bringing the government of AbdulRazaq into disrepute.

This, however, has not stopped the governor who has the determination to turn the state around. He has quietly been gaining the confidence of his people with various developmental projects going on in the state.

For instance, before his administration came into being, pipe-borne water was hard to come by in the state. Most residents relied on water tankers for their daily usage, while some who have the means provided. Even the Government House was not left out as it equally patronised the water tankers.

To put an end to this ugly situation, within his first year in office, Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq embarked on projects that

Due to the supremacy battle for the control of the party, there has been a well coordinated and sustained campaign of calumny by the opposing camp aimed at bringing the government of AbdulRazaq into disrepute. This, however, has not stopped the governor who has the determination to turn the state around. He has quietly been gaining the confidence of his people with various developmental projects going on in the state

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

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T H I S D AY ˾ WEDNESDAY MARCH 31, 2021

POLITICS

Tackling All Sides of the State Police Debate

GOVERNANCE IN PHOTOS

Segun James considers the implications of a discentralised policing system on the polity

Governor Udom Emmanuel of Akwa Ibom State consoling family members of the departed Peoples Democratic Party State Chairman, late Obong Udo Ekpenyong during the recent funeral service in Ikot Oku Usung, Ukanafun Local Government Area

Buhari

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intelligence got to Governor Samuel Ortom about a possible attack on some communities in Benue state by armed Fulani herdsmen at night as the predominantly Christian people of the state go to church for prayers to usher in the New Year, he became alarmed. This was not the first of such intelligence he had received, and on every occasion, it has proved correct.

He immediately alerted the state police commissioner and the head of the army formation in the state – both of whom are members of the state security council – of the possible attack asking them to mobilize to the areas to forestall such attack, his calls were ignored.

By the morning the nation woke up to the grim news of the bloodbath that had taken place. The people had been massacred their communities razed and properties worth millions of naira destroyed by the rampaging killer-herdsmen.

At the mass burial of the victims, Ortom cried. Seventy-three persons, including women and children, were killed in the attack. Yet, Ortom is the chief executive and supposed chief security officer of his state, but he had to beg the president and security chiefs each time crisis occurs in his domain; it was a pathetic situation.

Governor Ortom’s case is not peculiar.

The same situation is replicated all over the country. All the governors go through the same problem each time they are faced with an urgent security situation.

It was in the light of these that the call for the creation of state police that will be under the control of the governors has become strident in recent times. The call gained more strategic converts in the Chairman of the Nigerian Governors’ Forum (NGF), Dr. Kayode Fayemi, tired of having to beg each time there are emergency security situation in his state created the Amotekun security outfit to deal with situations the Nigerian police will not take on in time. Ortom has also thrown his weight behind the idea that has been variously thrown up as the panacea for the worsening insecurity in the country.

But hope that a rethink of the issue was gaining ground rose last week with the Tambuwal and his colleague governor’s positions. Even the Vice-President, Prof.

Yemi Osinbajo at the opening of the security summit in 2018 made a strong case for states to establish their police, saying it holds the key to reducing the high level of violent crimes and insecurity in the country.

Can state police be properly funded and maintained in Nigeria? Will it affect the unity of Nigeria as a nation? What means can be used to curb the excesses of the state governors/ politicians? Is the general public in support of it? Are there ways of restoring the people’s confidence in the Nigerian Police Force to meet the security challenges of the country?

These and other questions are what must be answered as the debate for the creation of state police continues.

n overwhelming opinion in the public space about most Nigeria’s Police Force paints a picture of widespread corruption, crime and extrajudicial murder.

It is also believed that the security agency is open to political machination. The police, to many discerning members of the public, is the embodiment of all that is wrong in the Nigerian system.

Last year, the people, especially the youths rose up against police brutality in a nationwide campaign called #EndSARS. It resulted in killings, disruptions, arson and vandalism of private and public property. It was a move against the official actions or inactions of the police across the country.

Following the outcome, several states set up panels to determine the remote and other consequences of the protest. In the end, several complaints were filed against the police, mostly for assault and murder.

But several months into the probe, the trail seems to be cooling and the interest in it waning.

Meanwhile, in the political sphere, the call for state-controlled police service is becoming strident. Recently on Aljazeera, a cable television network, both Governors Aminu Tambuwal of Sokoto state and another governor from a state in the North joined the call for the creation of state police in the country. They insisted that Nigeria is the only country with its population and size that still operates a centralized police system.

They claimed that this centralized police system is not only inadequate but cannot meet the security need of the country and the people. They insisted that the police should be under the control of the state governments since they are closer to the people instead of the Federal Government.

This is where the problem begins. Will state police be apolitical? Will it not be used as a tool by unscrupulous state governors? Will it not be used as an army of occupation in the event of a political disagreement between the federal and state government? That is the fear the Federal Government habours.

During a rare moment of truth, a former Inspector General of Police once conceded that every year, several hundreds of Nigerians are not only brutalized by unscrupulous police officers but are indeed maimed and killed in cold blood by policemen without repercussions. Many innocent bystanders were also shot dead and sometimes accused of being armed robbers by policemen.

One police unit that was accused of being notorious for such action is the Special Anti Robbery Squad (SARS) which was accused of the assassination of scores of suspects and innocent people and the focal point of the Endsars protest. According to most of the Endsars protesters, the rate of killings by the Nigerian Police is among the world’s highest.

Corruption is rampant and “normal” within the police system given that the salary of the average police officer is nothing to write home about.

But will a state police right the wrong in the system? This is the question.

When, on the eve of the New Year in 2018,

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

From left- Project Manager, Oginni Gabri, Deputy Chief of Staff to the Governor, Prince Abdullahi Binuyo; Commissioner for Finance, Mr. Bola Oyebamiji; Governor Adegboyega Oyetola; his Deputy , Mr. Benedict Alabi and Accountant General, Mr. Sunday igbaroola, during the official launching of the State Integrated Financial Management Information System (SIFMIS), Project, at Accountant General’s office, State Secretariat, Ososgbo

L-R: Ekiti State Governor, Dr Kayode Fayemi; Director General, National Council of Arts and Culture, Otunba Segun Runsewe; and Ekiti State Commissioner for Arts, Culture and Tourism, Prof Rasaki Ojo Bakare; during the inauguration of members of the Local Organizing Committee for the National Festival of Arts and Culture 2021, in Ado-Ekiti

L-R: Akwa Ibom State Depity Governor Mr Moses Ekpo, receiving a certification card from Ekaette Ukpong, a nurse after being administered the Astra Seneca COVID-19 vaccine. With them is Akwa Ibom State Health Commissioner, Prof. Augustine Umoh

T H I S D AY ˾ ͱͯ˜ ͰͮͰͯ

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FEATURES

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

Multinational Collaboration in Addressing Maritime Crimes in Gulf of Guinea Chiemelie Ezeobi writes that in a bid to secure the nation's maritime domain, the Nigerian Navy recently participated in the eleventh edition of Exercise Obangame Express, an annual multinational maritime exercise borne out of the need for Gulf of Guinea Navies to work together for regional maritime safety and security

NNS THUNDER during the recently concluded Exercise Obangame Express

The Chief of the Naval Staff (CNS), Vice Admiral Awwal Gambo flagging off the 2021 Exercise Obangame Express

The CNS with the Flag Officer Commanding (FOC) Western Naval Command, Rear Admiral Jason Gbassa at the flag off

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or the Nigerian Navy (NN), its constitutional responsibility has always been mapped out; protecting the nation's maritime domain from internal or external threats, which might come in form of piracy, crude oil theft and trafficking. As expected, the navy constantly seeks ways to hone its skills in carrying out their constitutional duties and one of such ways is participating in sea exercises or operations, either local or international.

Thus for the eleventh time, they actively participated in the international and regional Exercise Obangame Express, a maritime interdiction and interoperability exercise, designed to not only boost the capacity of individual navies that participate, but also provide opportunity for partner nations to work together, share information and refine tactics, techniques and procedures to assist African maritime nations in building capacity to monitor and safeguard their territorial waters and Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ).

This year, for the Nigeria Navy,

their focus was majorly on anti-crude oil theft, anti-piracy, and protection of oil and gas facilities.

Sponsored by the United States Africa Command (AFRICOM), the exercise is designed to improve regional cooperation, maritime domain awareness, information-sharing practices and tactical interdiction expertise to enhance the collective capabilities of Gulf of Guinea (GoG) and West African nations to counter sea-based illicit activity.

Objectives The multi-national annual maritime exercise was sponsored by U.S Africa Command and is designed to improve regional cooperation, maritime domain awareness, information-sharing practices and tactical interdiction expertise to enhance the collective capabilities of GoG and West African nations to counter sea-based illicit activity.

In essence, the purpose of Exercise OBANGAME EXPRESS is to create realistic scenarios that reflect past maritime incidents. During the exercise, the Maritime Operations Centres (MOCs) are challenged to recognise

these illicit acts appropriately and share with other MOCs. Additionally, the exercise will test each individual maritime force to patrol their EEZ and detect and prosecute illegal activity accordingly.

Also, the operation seeks to assess and improve GoG law enforcement capacity, promote national and regional security, inform African Maritime Law Enforcement Partnership planning and operations, and shape security force assistance efforts.

Therefore, it won't be out of place to state that to a large extent, Exercise Obangame Express has been effective in terms of boosting surveillance at sea, given that each member nation in the region has specific exercises geared towards tackling the prevalent maritime challenges in their domain.

Participating Countries This year, the exercise was conducted in phases within the territorial waters of the participating nations and being the eleventh edition, the exercise had 32 participating countries from four continents with scheduled and specific pre-planned scenarios initiated

by the Exercise Control Group (ECG) and Maritime Observation Centres (MOCs), who tracked suspect vessels through Regional Maritime Awareness Centres (RMAC), Falcon Eye and other maritime capability gadgets.

The nations include Angola, Belgium, Benin, Brazil, Cabo Verde, Cameroon, Canada, Cote d’Ivoire, Democratic Republic of Congo, Denmark, Equatorial Guinea, France, Gabon, Gambia, Germany, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Italy, Liberia, Morocco, Namibia, Netherlands, and Niger.

Others include Nigeria, Portugal, Republic of Congo, Sao Tome & Principe, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Togo, and the United States. Also participating will be the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS).

NN Fleet Contribution For this operation, six NN ships, two tugboats, and two helicopters were deployed by the NN. The ships include Nigerian Navy Ship (NNS) THUNDER, PROSPERITY,

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FEATURES

NN helicopter landing on NNS THUNDER

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KARADUWA, NGURU, EKULU, and OSE, while the tug boats were TUG DOLPHIN RIMA and TUG DOLPHIN MIRA, which participated alongside the French Navy Ship DIXMUDE. Additionally, a Nigerian Airforce ATR42 aircraft joined the exercise, including an element of the NN Special Boat Services (SBS). The Nigerian phase of the exercise was conducted in the nation’s waters.

Exercises at Sea At sea, the fleet conducted several exercises including Anti-Piracy Operations, Protection of oil and gas facilities, fleet maneuvers, communication, Vessel Board Search and Seizure (VBSS), Search and Rescue, among others, in conjunction with other regional navies and international partners.

Although the vessels were at sea, there was a behind the scene Maritime Operations Centres (MOCs), monitoring activities and telling them what has happened, which cuts across all stakeholders within ECOWAS and ECCAS. Flag Off At the flag off onboard NNS THUNDER, at the Naval Dockyard Limited, Victoria Island, Lagos, the Chief of the Naval Staff (CNS), Vice Admiral Awwal Gambo, who declared the 11th edition of Exercise Obangame Express 2021 open, noted that the multinational maritime exercise was birthed for regional maritime safety and security.

Reiterating that the event was an annual multinational maritime exercise, borne out of the need for GoG Navies to work together for regional maritime safety and security, he added that "this is as a result of the huge resources and vast potential being continuously undermined by multifaceted domestic and cross border threats. This challenges the dwindling prosperity of member states".

Stressing that the exercise presented an ample opportunity for the Nigerian Navy to work together with other national and regional navies in the spirit of the Yaounde Code of Conduct, Gambo noted that "this code is designed to improve operational readiness, maritime domain awareness, information sharing practices and tactical interdiction expertise.

“This will enhance the collective capabilities of Gulf of Guinea and West African nations to counter seabased illicit activities. It will also enhance the operational capability of the Nigeria Navy in its fight against various forms of maritime crime through information and intelligence sharing".

While appreciating President Muhammadu Buhari for his untiring support to the development of the Nigerian Navy, the CNS also appreciated the United States of

Cross section of the CNS, U.S. Consular General, Ms. Claire Pierangelo, senior naval officers and personnel of sister services

America government through the U.S. African command and other international partners for facilitating and sustaining Exercise Obangame Express over the years, adding that the sustenance of the exercise was critical to Nigeria’s national interest, given the huge contributions of the nation’s strategic maritime resources to national prosperity and development.

Decentralised Deployments According to the Flag Officer Commanding (FOC) Western Naval Command, Rear Admiral Jason Gbassa, said the exercise was focused on maritime crime hotspots to improve maritime security operations in the GoG, adding that it involves decentralised deployments of assets by all the GoG navies and international partners, including the USA, Brazil, France, Italy and Canada, amongst others, to conduct a combined Maritime Security Operation in the GoG. He said: "The exercise, therefore, is an avenue for participating Gulf of Guinea nations and international partners to collaborate towards addressing the maritime security concerns in the Gulf of Guinea.

Exercise OBANGAME EXPRESS comes against the backdrop of piracy cases, illegal unreported and unregulated fishing, illegal exploitation of mineral resources, the proliferation of small arms and light weapons and other local and international threats in the Gulf of Guinea.

"Within this context, maintaining Nigeria's strategic deterrence posture and influence in the maritime environment is critical to our economic prosperity and regional stability. It is my firm belief that OBANGAME EXPRESS 2021 will give additional impetus to our overall operational maritime combat experiences to ensure that the nation's territorial integrity is

maintained in line with the Nigerian Navy constitutional mandate. On our part, we will continue to work with our regional navies and partners to stamp out criminalities in the Gulf of Guinea in general and our maritime domain in particular."

Role of US Government The role of the United States government in this operation cannot be ignored as it is sponsored by the United States Africa Command (AFRICOM).

According to Director of Maritime Headquarters, U.S. Naval Forces Africa, Rear Admiral Michael Baze, "Obangame Express allows us to develop skills, with our regional partners, that will have a lasting impact on regional security in the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean. Our past exercises led to tangible, real-world success stories and OE21 is a chance for us to build upon those successes.”

Meanwhile, at the flag off in Lagos, U.S. Consular General, Ms. Claire Pierangelo, who noted that maritime threats in the GoG had continued to evolve and were becoming increasingly difficult to address, noted that a secured maritime environment is integral to other dimensions of security.

About Exercise Obangame Express Since Nigeria relies heavily on the sea for commerce and international trade like any other maritime nation, the kick off of Exercise Obangame Express was timely and quite germane given the need to jointly tackle the security challenges of piracy, poaching, smuggling, oil theft, trafficking and other transnational crimes. Thus, the exercise entailed interoperability and creating a maritime domain awareness, as part of a multinational training organised

by America and African Partnership

Station (APS).

The exercise is a maritime interdiction based on simulated scenarios of the most prevalent transnational crimes at sea, also designed to improve cooperation among participating nations for the benefit of the GOG. Its core objectives is geared towards improving the maritime domain awareness capability of concerned nations, enhancing the maritime interdiction capabilities of maritime forces and inculcating the spirit of interagency and sub-regional co operations amongst maritime forces and concerned countries. This is because the insecurity in the Gulf of Guinea, has led to the loss of billions of dollars by countries within the coast of West Africa, particularly countries like Nigeria which relies on sea for commerce and international trade.

Thus, it gives cause for concern when such huge resources and potentials in the Gulf of Guinea are being undermined by multifaceted domestic, regional and international threats and vulnerabilities. So collaborative opportunities like this seek to curb maritime illegalities, which is also in line with the navy's vision of zero tolerance to such maritime illegalities.

Started in 2010 as one of the four United Nations Naval-Forces EuropeAfrica-facilitated regional exercises, it focuses on increasing capabilities to deter piracy, illicit trafficking and other maritime threats. Over the years, it has gone from basic tactics to regional cooperation, with the core essence being to improve the capacity of the African navies to combat crime in order to allow economic activities at sea to flourish.

The exercise serves as an aim to increase the collective ability of African, European, South American and United States maritime forces to work together in order to increase maritime security and sustain global commerce. Furthermore, it was an avenue to buttress the cliche that 'there is strength in numbers', as well as strengthened regional cooperation to help address challenges that no nation is capable of tackling alone.

In all, this year, the operation afforded the navy the opportunity to sharpen their skills on anti-piracy operations, test their ability to share information and contend criminalities within the GoG. It also tested the tactical skills in Vessel Boarding Searching and Seizure (VBSS), seamanship and Communication Exercises (COMMEX).

Thus, having participated in this year's exercise despite the hitches, it behooves the Nigerian Navy to tap into the benefit of the exercise, especially as regarding training and capacity building, which in effect will be a force multiplier in tackling head long maritime illegalities and criminality on the GOG waters.

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WEDNESDAY MARCH 31, 2021 •T H I S D AY

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

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Quick Takes AIICO Redefines Corporate Vision

STAKEHOLDERS’ RETREAT

L-R: Secretary to the Ondo State Government, Oludunni Odu; President of Cooperative Federation of Nigeria, Oriyomi Ayeola; Director, Cooperative Mortgage Bank, Oluwole Okunuga; and Group Managing Director, CapitalSage Holdings, John Alamu, at the 2021 Odua Cooperative Conglomerate Stakeholders’ retreat held in Akure... recently

NAICOM Harps on Insurance Cover for FG’s Assets Stories by Ebere Nwoji The National Insurance Commission (NAICOM) has charged insurance officers of Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) of federal government to ensure the procurement of adequate insurance cover for government assets under their watch.

The Commissioner for Insurance, Sunday Thomas, who gave the charge at the sensitisation workshop for insurance desk officers of MDAs said it was worrisome that most assets and liabilities of government were not adequately and appropriately insured.

This, according to him accentuated the need for measures to be put in place by the commission to ensure that government gets

INSURANCE value for money in the purchase of insurance by MDAs. “It is the desire of NAICOM to change this narrative for good. The essence of insurance of government assets and liabilities is to cushion the impact and reduce the burden that the government would have to bear in likely occurrences of catastrophic events such as natural disasters, fire, accidents, building collapse, injuries or death to third parties, etc, thereby saving the government money which can be channeled towards augmenting the needs of the citizenry, providing infrastructure, and creating employment, among others,” Thomas explained.

According to him, it was im-

perative to put in place measures to guide MDAs on procuring adequate insurances for assets under their watch.

He pointed out the provision of Section 7 (d) of the NAICOM Act 1997, which stipulates that the commission shall ensure adequate protection of strategic government assets and other properties, adding that Section 7 (f) of the Act, equally provides that the commission shall act as adviser to the federal government on all insurance related matters.

He noted that NAICOM had in 2009, launched the Market Development and Restructuring Initiative (MDRI) project which aimed at creation of awareness on compulsory insurance products, education of the public on the long-term benefits of insurance to policyholders and the economy

at large, among others.

He said while NAICOM bore the responsibility of disseminating key messaging on the benefits of compulsory insurance, there was reliance on government ministries, departments and agencies to help domesticate the initiative in their respective offices and perhaps, serve as the primary vehicles for enforcement of compulsory insurances in their various MDAs. “As follow-up to the success of previous nationwide awareness campaigns for compulsory insurance, NAICOM is moving the bar a notch higher. Therefore, this sensitisation workshop is aimed at equipping insurance desk officers with the necessary tools to ensure that all MDAs Continued on page 24

Report: Civil Unrest Major Political Exposure for Insurers The Allianz Global & Speciality (AGCS), in its 2021 Risk Barometer has said significant increase in the number of riots, demonstrations and vandalism have made civil unrest the main political risk exposure for companies.

AGCS, said this has resulted in significant losses and increase in insurance claims.

The report noted that the impact of political violence could cause business disruption beyond physical property damages.

This being the case, the AGCS said it sees increasing public interest in specialist political violence cover to mitigate risks.

Citing country-by-country instances of civil unrest with attendant damages to businesses, the AGCS in the report stated that the violence that trailed the #EndSARS demonstrations in Nigeria, student protests in South

INSURANCE Africa or clashes in Ethiopia with their damages, disturbances and ultimately, losses from riots, protests, vandalism or other forms of civil unrest were among the main political risk exposure for companies.

It further said with ongoing impact of the Covid-19 pandemic likely to drive further activity, business continuity planning needed to proactively address political violence risks, particularly in highly-exposed sectors such as retail.

The report, however noted that fortunately, large scale terrorism events have declined drastically in the last five years. But it observed that the number, scale and duration of riots and protests in the last two years was staggering and has seen businesses suffering

significant losses.

According to Head of Global Political Violence and Hostile Environment Solutions of AGCS, Bjoern Reusswig, civil unrest has soared, driven by protests on issues ranging from economic hardship to police brutality which have affected citizens around the world.

Furthermore, he said the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic was making things worse, saying with little sign of an end to the economic downturn in sight, the number of protests was likely to continue climbing.

He viewed civil unrest as a current key business risk, adding that it causes physical damage, business interruption or loss of revenues, and maintained that civil unrest incidents are becoming a more significant risk for companies in the world business environment.

According to Reusswig, in the AGCS annual global risk survey, ‘political risks and violence’ has returned to the top 10 risks for the first time since 2018.

He noted that this risk trend was supported by recent research findings which predicted the ranks of global protesters to swell over the next two years.

The AGCS report quoted a research firm, specialising in global risk analytics, Verisk Maplecroft, as saying that it expects 75 countries to experience an increase in protests by late 2022, adding that of these, more than 30 – largely in Europe and the Americas – will likely see significant activity.

“Political violence also caused significant insurance claims in 2020. While the protests, following the death of George Floyd at the Continued on page 24

AIICO Insurance Plc has expressed its determination to take up industry leadership and market dominance in the insurance sector through a customer-centric and value-driven approach to business.

The company said the new corporate aspiration has led to the redefinition of its vision and mission statements.

The company’s Managing Director and Chief Executive officer Mr. Babatunde Fajemirokun, said the company’s new vision statement reads: “To be the dominant insurer in Sub-Saharan Africa, built on a deep understanding of customer needs and world-class digital experience.”

Also, he said the company’s new mission statement is: “To create the mostcompellingcustomerexperiencebyofferingbest-fitproductsto drive wholesome peace of mind through a dynamic, highly motivated workforce and innovative technology.”

Fajemirokun, said at the core of the strategic move was AIICO’s customer.

“Wearereengineeringouroperationstodriveawholenewexperience, leveraging an in-depth understanding of their needs through various life stages.

“We will anticipate their needs and exceed their expectations. As we embed customer experience within the culture of the company, we will strengthen our ability to listen and engage customers across our spectrum of touch-points,” he added.

Sterling Bank Introduces SocialPay

Sterling Bank Plc has introduced SocialPay, a secure and convenient solution that allows buyers and sellers to make and receive payment on social media with just a link.

The newly introduced solution provides secure online payment solutions to physical store owners and retailers selling on Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, and Twitter.

According to a statement, once subscribed to the solution, they can create and share payment link to get paid instantly for their products and services.

Divisional, Head Retail and Consumer Banking, Sterling Bank Plc, Shina Atilola, said SocialPay was introduced to make payment easy for Nigerians engaging in digital commerce.

“Ourcustomers,bothretailersandbuyers,arenowsellingandmaking purchasesthroughsocialnetworks.Followingthiscue,weintroduced SocialPaytomakeitconvenienttomakeandreceiveapaymentwithin that same ecosystem,” Atilola disclosed.

According to Atilola, SocialPay is a secure payment solution for businesses selling online through websites, social media pages/ handles, or WhatsApp for Business.

“With social media networks becoming the centre of everyday life for almost 25 million Nigerians, SocialPay will ensure that these digital natives can make quick purchases and receive payments from social stores.

FEDA Gets Acting CEO

The Board of the Fund for Export-Development in Africa (FEDA), an equity, development impact-oriented subsidiary of African ExportImport Bank (Afreximbank) has appointed Mr. Emmanuel Assiak as Acting Chief Executive Officer (CEO).

The appointment became effective on March 11, 2021, until the recruitment of a substantive CEO is finalised. Assiak has more than 28 years of financial service experience, spanning private equity, banking, and manufacturing. He joined Afreximbank in 2019 as Investment Director for FEDA. HisappointmenttoActingCEOcomesafterthedeathofformerCEO Dr.PhilipKamau,inJanuary2021,wholedtheorganisationsince2018.

Prior to joining Afreximbank, Assiak was a Principal at African Capital Alliance, an African-focused private equity firm, with presence and networks across the continent. Prior to his joining the private equity organisation, he worked at leading Nigerian banks, including Zenith Bank Plc and Continental Trust Bank, now part of United Bank for Africa (UBA), where he had responsibility for banking operations, trade services, process management and product development.

Assiak holds a Bachelor’s and a Master’s Degree in Economics from UniversityofUyoandUniversityofLagosrespectively,bothinNigeria

“Our major objective for the gas sector is to transform Nigeria into an industrialised nation with gas playing a major role and we demonstrated this through enhanced accelerated gas revolution

President Muhammadu Buhari

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T H I S D AY ˾ ͱͯ˜ ͰͮͰͯ

BUSINESSWORLD NAICOM HARPS ON INSURANCE COVER FOR FG’S ASSETS have adequate insurance coverage for all government assets and liabilities to curb wastage occasioned by losses of uninsured assets,” he added.

He said at the end of the workshop, it was expected that insurance desk officers would have the capacity to gauge the insurance protection needs of government assets under their purview and provide their principals with technical advice on the required insurance coverage for government assets and liabilities.

He said the commission has taken up the responsibility of building the capacity of insurance desk officers, enthroning transparency and accountability to ensure that government gets value for money in the purchase of insurance thus taking a step further in contributing effectively to the economic growth and development of Nigeria.

REPORT: CIVIL UNREST MAJOR POLITICAL EXPOSURE FOR INSURERS

hands of the Minneapolis police, which occurred in 140 US cities over the spring, were mostly peaceful, the arson, vandalism and looting that did occur will cost the insurance industry at least $1 billion to $2 billion in claims,” the report added.

The report noted that the Covid-19 pandemic was a key driver behind the rise of civil unrest, adding that it has both magnified underlying long-standing grievances and given them a focal point.

“The pandemic has negatively affected political stability, increasing polarisation and bringing into sharp relief issues surrounding equality, worsening labor conditions and civil rights,” it added.

The report further quoted a risk consultant for North America, Michael Stone, as saying that unfortunately, the risk of riots and violence was likely to become more acute because of Covid-19.

It noted that the measures governments had used to combat the coronavirus have had a significant socioeconomic impact and frustration is growing in large population segments.

NEWS

NNPC: Smuggling Strengthening Case for Market-led Petrol Pricing Peter Uzoho The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) has said incessant smuggling of petrol out of the country was strengthening the case for a realistic and market-determined price for the product in the country.

The Group General Manager, Group Public Affairs Division of NNPC, Dr Kennie Obateru, said this in response to THISDAY’s question.

Obateru was reacting to a marketer’s view on a certain anonymous televised report in circulation at the weekend, which reported how Cameroonians were gaining from buying and selling petrol smuggled into their country from Nigeria.

The NNPC spokesman said the corporation’s products are sold to bona-fide marketers, who own petrol stations and who in turn sell to Nigerians.

Obateru, however, noted that it was unfortunate that products were being smuggled to neighbouring countries owing to the subsidised rate of petrol in Nigeria.

“Our products are sold to bonafide marketers who have retail stations through which to

sell to Nigerians.

“Unfortunately, we have products being smuggled to neighboring countries because of the subsidised rate of petrol in Nigeria, thus strengthening the case for a realistic and market determined price for petrol “So, we do not continue to subsidise petrol consumed by neighboring countries,” Obateru told THISDAY in an

SMS response.

The marketer who spoke on condition of anonymity, had accused the NNPC of being the major cause of smuggling.

He accused the NNPC of allocating products to some entities way beyond their capacity, alleging that the entities now dispose the excess supply by smuggling.

This, the marketer said,

contradicts the ‘Operation White’ project, a transparency initiative of the federal government established in October 2019, to check smuggling and track the importation and distribution of petroleum products in and out of the country.

Operation White, which was at the time, launched separately in Abuja and Lagos, has an 89-man monitoring team drawn from

the NNPC, the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR), Petroleum Equalisation Fund (PEF), Petroleum Products Pricing Regulatory Authority (PPPRA) and the Department of State Security (DSS), with the NNPC asked to drive the project.

The marketer said: “As for operation white, some entities are being allocated product way beyond their capacity.”

THANKSGIVINGSERVICE

L-R: Former Chairman, Board of Directors, Fidelity Bank Plc, Mr. Ernest Ebi; Executive Director, Lagos & South-West, Fidelity Bank, Dr. Ken Opara; his wife, Ngozi Opara; Former Governor, Anambra State, Peter Obi; and Chief Executive Officer, GMO Group, Collins Chikeluba, during a thanksgiving service organisedbytheOparafamilyinLagos...recently

Gas Revolution Will Boost Industrialisation, Job Creation, Says Minister James Emejo in Abuja The Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Mr. Niyi Adebayo, has said realising the federal government’s gas mandate could make the manufacturing sector a dominant employment generator in the country as well as boost the country’s quest towards industrialisation.

Speaking during his goodwill

message to the pre-summit virtual conference of the Nigeria International Petroleum Summit to launch the Decade of Gas Mandate, the minister stressed the need to harness the potential that gas presents for Nigeria’s industrialisation.

The minister who was represented by his Technical Adviser, Kamal Bakrin, said gas could become a source of competitive advantage for

Nigeria’s manufacturing sector.

He expressed confidence that gas could become a source of competitive advantage for Nigeria’s manufacturing sector and provide strong lever to position itself as the preferred manufacturing hub in Africa.

Adebayo said, this was particularly important as the country implement measures that could leapfrog the economy to the frontline as the destination

for manufacturing for the rest of Africa.

In a statement by his media aide, Mr. Ifedayo Sayo, the minister added that the manufacturing sector could be a dominant job creator and source of foreign exchange for the country with an affordable source of gas.

He said: “The manufacturing sector has the potential of becoming Nigeria’s dominant job creator, a viable source of foreign

exchange and the channel for long term economic security.

An affordable source of gas is one of the enablers for realising this vision.

“We have been in deliberations with the Ministry of Petroleum Resources on how to improve the availability and cost of gas for the manufacturing sector and I trust this is one of the issues this conference will discuss and hopefully address.”

Union Bank CEO Assures Stakeholders of Greater Value Creation Goddy Egene The incoming Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Union Bank of Nigeria Plc, Mr. Emeka Okonkwo, has assured shareholders, customers and other stakeholders that the financial institution will continue to create greater value for them.

Okonkwo stated this when the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) honoured him and the outgoing CEO, Mr. Emeka Emuwa with the closing gong ceremony on

Monday.

According to him, over the past eight years, a significant amount of work has gone into building the Union Bank of today, saying he was glad to have been a part of this process.

“As we move ahead, our focus remains to create greater value for all our stakeholders particularly our customers and shareholders.

We have a clear vision to be Nigeria’s most reliable and trusted partner and we will continue to drive customer acquisition and

channel optimisation through reliable dig channels and selfservice platforms.

“We will also continue to provide compelling and innovative products to drive customer transaction growth and service delivery, whilst deepening our relationship with key stakeholders including NSE as we move towards our goal,” he said.

In his remark Emuwa said it was an honour to be at the NSE to ring the closing gong as he stepped down.

“When I joined the bank, the mission was clear to transform the bank and return it to the path of sustainable growth and profitability, and increase shareholder value. This involved the redefinition of our strategy which resulted in robust investments in our protocols and platforms.

“Looking back, I am proud to see how far we have come and the progress we have made to transform Union Bank into a leading provider of fin services today. It has been a collective

effort by many in the bank and what we have today is an institution that is properly positioned to compete favourably in the market and in the hearts of our customers,” he said.

Speaking at the event, the Divisional Head, Listings Business, NSE, Mr. Olumide Bolumole, said it was his pleasure to welcome Emuwa to their digital closing gong ceremony as they paid tribute to his illustrious career at Union Bank.

Group Business Editor

ÌÓØØË ÒÓ×Ë Capital Market Editor

Goddy Egene

Comms/e-Business Editor

××Ë ÕÙØÔÓ Asst. Editor, Money Market ß×Ï ÕÏÑÒÏ Senior Correspondent

ËÒÏÏ× ÕÓØÑÌÙÖß (Advertising) Correspondents

ÒÓØÏÎß äÏ (Aviation) ÜÙ×ÙÝÏÖÏ ÌÓÙÎßØ (Maritime) Ë×ÏÝ ×ÏÔÙ (Finance) ÌÏÜÏ áÙÔÓ (Insurance) ÒÓØÏ×Ï ÕËÐÙÜ (Energy) Emmanuel Addeh (Energy) Reporters

ÙÝË ÖÏÕÒßÙÑÓÏ (ICT) Peter Uzoho (Energy)

ACCI Urges Govt to Enhance Support for Businesses James Emejo in Abuja The newly appointed President of the Abuja Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ACCI), Dr. Al-Mujtaba Abubakar, has appealed to the government to deepen collaboration and support for businesses adding that his administration will work to sustain a tradition of creative engagement in the interest of Micro Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs).

Speaking recently at his

inauguration dinner in Abuja, he said his administration would be committed to sustaining the legacy of policy innovations for the various ministries, departments and agencies and well as strenghthen engagement with the government through various platforms and structures.

He further disclosed that as part of the drive to give the chamber a strong voice, there are plans for the establishment of the ACCI radio and television stations.

He said he will also adopt

a deliberate policy of capacity building for the ACCI alongside development of management processes to enhance efficiency and productivity and improve the chamber’s membership base to align with its prime position as a Grade A national chamber in the country.

Abubaker, at the occasion chaired by the Emir if Gummi, His Royal Highness Justice Lawan Hassan Gumi, among other dignitaries, however, commended the federal government for

its robust support for the business sector so far.

He said: “Our target is to enhance our capacity to influence policies in favour of business. We are recommitting ourselves to providing data driven proposals from which government can tap for economic prosperity through facilitation rather than regulation of business sector.”

He vowed that the new executive members will take the chamber’s legacy projects to the next level

adding that as a system that adores continuity gor stability, critical projects will be fast tracked going forward.

He explained that both will take off through the chamber’s podcast and YouTube channels and will later migrate to dedicated programmes on national radio and television through a PPP partnership.

He pointed out that both the podcast and youtube channels will help to project policy issues affecting businesses while also airing interviews with chamber

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Okonkwo: Our Focus is on Union Bank’s Next Growth Phase The incoming Chief Executive Officer, Union Bank, Mr. Emeka Okonkwo, in this interview speaks about how he plan to propel the financial institution’s growth as well as plan to leverage technology to provide more value to customers. Nume Ekeghe presents excerpts: Nigerian banks have done quite a lot to drive financial inclusion in the country, especially through the Financial Literacy and Public Enlightenment (FLPE) sub-committee of the Bankers Committee. But we need to do even more to reach and serve the unbanked and under-banked. At Union Bank, we have approached this from several angles. First, we have developed products and services that serve the needs of low-income earners, as well as the banked and under-banked. Our UnionDaiDai account lowers the entry barriers for people in this demographic group and offers them the opportunity to open accounts and gain access to the financial system. UnionDirect, our agent banking network is another way in which we continue to deepen our impact in this area. We grew our network from 3,100 enrolled agents in 2019 to over 18,000 agents in 2020. Going forward, we will continue to expand our UnionDirect footprint to reach more underserved communities, shrink the size of the unbanked population in Nigeria, and ultimately drive economic growth in Nigeria.

Can you give us a background to your banking career, leading up to your appointment as CEO of Union Bank effective April 2021?

I have always been a banker, even though I have a Bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, an MSc in Construction Management from University of Lagos and an MBA from Warwick Business School, UK. I began my career in banking about 30 years ago at Citibank Nigeria, where I started off at officer level. By 2009, I had risen to the role of Executive Director in charge of Commercial Banking and Global subsidiaries. During my time at Citibank, I worked in Corporate Finance, Credit Risk Management, Marketing, Treasury and Strategic Management, both in Nigeria and the United Kingdom; and was later appointed the Head of Corporate and Investment Banking Division in Citibank Bangladesh in 2011. I joined the team at Union Bank in 2013, as an Executive Director responsible for rebuilding and leading the Corporate Banking Business.

Your predecessor has done remarkably well in growing the bank’s balance sheet and customer base, as well as revamping the image of the bank. What will you do differently to continue the growth trajectory?

Emeka Emuwa has done an incredible job here at Union Bank. He took over the reins in 2012, on a mission to transform and to re-establish the bank as a leading provider of financial services in Nigeria. Today, we are a solid mid-tier bank, going toe-to-toe with our competitors within the industry. Emeka and I have worked very closely together as I joined the bank a year after him to head the Corporate Banking business. We have been in the trenches together as we navigated the very challenging journey of transforming and rebuilding this institution. Due to our strong collaboration over the last seven years and our joint refresh of our bank’s strategy late last year, our priority now is to focus on the next phase of growth for Union Bank. I am proud to say a solid foundation has been set and I am confident that we will build on this to accelerate our growth. As we move ahead, our focus will be on turbocharging customer acquisitions and transactions, while we continue digitalising our operations to ensure we remain a truly ‘simpler, smarter bank’. We will also sustain our investments in robotics, artificial intelligence and data analytics to automate key processes and deliver personalised experiences.

In addition to these, we will ensure cost control through operational efficiency and an effective cost optimisation program. Finally, we will be taking a ‘beyond banking’ approach to engaging with our customers and stakeholders, to ensure we are truly Nigeria’s most reliable and trusted partner.

What would you do differently to increase your retail banking customer base?

Our retail strategy has been consistent over the years. We have continued to emphasise a ‘customer first’, digital-led approach to serving customers. This has led to significant growth in our retail base, transaction volumes and even our deposit and loan books. As we move ahead, we are focused on customer acquisition and channel optimisation through reliable digital channels and self-service platforms. We will also continue to provide compelling and innovative products - especially lending and transactional offerings - to drive customer transaction growth and service delivery.

Predictive data analytics will continue to be a strong element of our strategy. We will leverage predictive / proactive data analytics for relationship management, cross-selling, up-selling and risk management. We will also be interested in broadening our partnerships with tech companies, telcos, merchants, and fintechs to ensure our brand is embedded in our customers’ lifestyle, goals and aspirations.

For a long time, Union Bank was perceived as a bank for the older generation.

Okonkwo However, we have begun to see a shift in perception. What strategies will you put in place to cultivate the youth market?

We pride ourselves on being able to marry the wisdom of age with the agility of youth in a way that appeals to all age groups. This combination is possible because we realise the importance of innovation, and over the years, we have focused on reinventing ourselves to continue to satisfy the existing customer base as well as those we intend to attract. Through continued investments in our people, processes and structures, we will maintain excellent service delivery across all our touchpoints and deliver on our brand promise ‘to provide simpler, smarter banking services.’ Lastly, in line with our customer-led approach to banking, we will continue to build tailored propositions and products that best suit our customers’ needs and enable their success.

Technology was a big step for your predecessor in terms of enhancing banking processes and automation, how do you intend to exponentially increase market share with the use of technology?

I believe technology will remain critical in our next phase of growth and I am happy that our investments are yielding positive results. As mentioned earlier, we will continue to invest heavily in data analytics, AI and use robotics to automate processes that are repetitive in nature. We have done with well with refunds, reconciliations, and term deposit booking –these processes are now done within minutes. We have migrated a lot of our products and services to our digital channels. For example, accounts can now be fully opened and operational on our mobile app with cards delivered to customers’ home and activated remotely. This ensures that we can exponentially grow our base. Customers are also able to apply for loans online with the funds disbursed within minutes. We will continue to invest in technology to deliver simpler, smarter experiences to our customers.

We will also continue to refresh our system at intervals to ensure that the network is always optimal and reliable, reducing the possibilities of system downtimes and ensuring faster processing of transactions.

What is Union Bank doing to attract more customers and contribute to the growth of the economy in terms of lending to the

critical sectors of the economy?

At Union Bank, our customers are at the heart of our business. In line with our mission to ‘make lives better by providing the simplest, smartest solutions and guaranteeing the best experience every time’, we are dedicated to continuous investment in our people, processes, and platforms to deliver this mission. Our customer acquisition strategy has technology at its core to provide self-service, personalised and tailored solutions that support our customers’ goals and aspirations. We believe this strategy will retain existing customers and attract new ones. We have been building a digital-led bank over the last three years and the current situation with the coronavirus pandemic has only accelerated the momentum. In line with our strategy, we have grown our customer base from 5.8 million in 2019 to 6.6 million in 2020 with a corresponding increase in transaction volumes. Approximately 94 per cent of all our customer transactions are also now done digitally. In terms of lending to critical sectors of the economy, we continue to prioritise this in executing our strategy, fully supported by our robust risk management practices. This has led to a gross loan book of N736.7 billion as of December 2020, a 24 per cent growth from N595.3 billion in December 2019. We have witnessed increased activities in the manufacturing, general commerce and retail sectors and we expect to do even more with emerging opportunities in those sectors as we will continue to grow our lending base while being prudent.

Union Bank has chosen to focus on the Nigerian market as it builds for the future.

Why have you taken this path when most banks seem to be keen on exploring beyond the shores of Nigeria?

We have a clear vision to be Nigeria’s most reliable and trusted partner. This vision is based on the distinct long-term opportunities that the Nigerian market provides, as well as our strengths, competencies, and the solid investments we have made in broadening and deepening our roots here over the years. We are confident that our Nigeria-centric strategy will pay off for us in the long run.

Do you think banks are doing enough in the area of financial inclusion? If no, what would your bank do differently to deepen financial inclusion?

What is your general assessment of the regulatory environment as banks appear to be facing serious headwinds due to the regulatory environment; what is your take?

Our regulatory environment will always be present, and we need to understand that the importance of regulation is to ensure proper functioning and stability of industries and the economy. Banks, just like other industries have faced headwinds over the last year and conquering those headwinds will require resilience and innovation. At Union Bank, we have those qualities in spades. As we know, where there are headwinds, there are opportunities and those who win take advantage of these opportunities will come out tops in the end.

We will continue to work with our regulatory agencies to advocate for policies that will benefit all concerned. At the same time, we will continue to innovate and strengthen our corporate governance and business practices to ensure we are here for the next 100 years.

What should your customers expect from Union Bank when you assume the leadership?

Our commitment to our customers is to be that reliable and trusted partner committed to enabling their success. We have also promised to make lives better by providing the simplest, smartest solutions and delivering the best experience every time! This is our mission, and this is what our customers can expect from us.

What is your general outlook for the economy in 2021 and Union Bank in particular?

In 2020, Nigeria’s GDP declined by 1.9 per cent, but it was a relief to see a 0.11 per cent GDP growth in the fourth quarter of the year, thanks to the non-oil sector. The positive growth implies that the Nigerian economy is technically out of the pandemic-induced recession that disrupted economic activities for most of 2020. In 2021, we expect Nigeria’s GDP to rebound by 1.5 – 2.0 per cent, fueled by increased economic activities in the non-oil sector. And the different government interventions and economic recovery and growth plan, as well as improvements in the oil market.

Agriculture, ICT and Trade remain the biggest sector contributors to GDP and will continue to present opportunities for growth. At Union Bank, we see opportunities in some sectors that witnessed increased activities last year or remain the focus for our government’s economic growth plans including agriculture, manufacturing, trade, information and communications. We will seize emerging opportunities in those sectors as we will continue to create selective risk assets that meet our risk assessment criteria. We are confident in our growth strategy, and we are confident that we are on the right path to being a leading financial institution in Nigeria.

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Boosting Government’s Tax Revenue Goddy Egene writes that Dangote Cement continues to lead other listed companies to boost federal government’s revenues through corporate tax payments

Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Zainab Ahmed There is no doubt that Nigerians and businesses operating in the country are very resilient. While there are many investment opportunities, few companies are encouraged to establish their businesses due to poor infrastructure and high cost of doing business among other factors.

It is believed that if the necessary infrastructure are put in place, more direct investments would be attracted to the country. With many companies operating profitably, employment would be created, dividends paid to shareholders while more money goes into government coffers as corporate tax.

However, despite the challenging operating environment, listed companies have been striving to beat the odds to remain in operations.

Corporate results released for the year ended December 31, 2020, have shown that amidst the headwinds in the economy, some of the companies have contributed significantly to government’s revenue in the form of corporate tax.

This became obvious last week when Dangote Cement Plc announced its results, showing that it paid a corporate tax of about N97.2 billion.

Further analysis showed that the pan-African cement manufacturing firm has paid N236.6 billion as tax in the last three years. The payment which covers 2018, 2019 and 2020, amounts to a yearly average tax of N79 billion. During the three years, Dangote Cement Plc recorded a profit after tax of N867 billion, translating to an average profit of N287 billion a year.

Dangote Cement Plc is the clear leader in terms tax payment in spite of the fact it is not the best in terms of profitability. BUA Cement Plc, which became one of the leading cement manufacturing companies last year following merger of Cement Company of Northern Nigeria Plc and Obu Cement Plc, recorded a profit of N131.1 billion in 2019 and 2020. The firm posted an average profit of N65.5 billion in the last two years and paid a combined tax of N14.1 billion or an average tax of N7.1 billion.

Similarly, Lafarge Africa Plc, which recovered from losses in 2019, posted a combined profit of N46.3 billion in 2019 and 2020 and paid a tax of N6.7 billion in 2020. Nestle Nigeria Plc paid a tax of N21.426 billion in 2019, which was lower than the N25.4 billion in 2020.

Looking at the banking sector, it has also been a great contributor in terms of tax to government going by the figures of the some of the banks that have announced their audited 2020 results. However, compared to the manufacturing

sectors, it lags behind.

About 11 banks paid a total of N123.3 billion in taxes even though they are said to be more profitable than the 10 manufacturing firms who paid a combined N157.17 billion in taxes in 2020.

But Zenith Bank Plc has paid a total of N81.8 billion as tax from 2018 to 2020, translating to an average tax of N27.3 billion year. The bank ended with a combined profit of N631billion and an average of N210 billion every year in the last three years.

In the same vein, Guaranty Trust Bank Plc has paid a tax of N102.3 billion from 2018 to 2020 or an average of N34.1 billion and posted a profit of N582.9 billion in three years, which amounts to N194.3 billion on yearly average.

Pan-African financial institution, United Bank for Africa Plc, has contributed a total of N68.5 billion to government coffers as corporate tax in the last three years, meaning that it has contributed an average of N23 billion every year. The bank has ended up making a profit of N281.5 billion in three years and an average of N93 billion a year, from where it recommended dividend for shareholders.

As the largest cement manufacturer in Nigeria, and one of the largest employers in Sub-Saharan Africa, we understand the challenges posed by the high rate of unemployment across the continent, particularly among the youth population

Chairman, Dangote Cement Plc, Aliko Dangote Stanbic IBTC Holdings Plc, which also released its results last week, has paid a total of N41.1 billion as tax in three years and made a profit of N234.6 billion in three years or N77.5 billion yearly average.

Analysts believe that if the government can improve the operating environment and make it more conducive for businesses to thrive, it will impact positively on its revenue as more profit would be made and more tax paid.

For Dangote Cement Plc to pay a whopping N97.2 billion as corporate tax, the firm recorded impressive performance, growing both its top and bottom-lines.

Dangote Cement sold 15.9Mt in 2020, including both cement and clinker sales, implying a 12.9 per cent growth above the 14.1Mt in 2019.

Looking at the domestic sales alone, Nigerian operations sold 15.6 Mt, up by 14.3 per cent year on year and resulting in an increase in market share.

Revenues for the Nigerian operations increased by to N720 billion, owing to demand in the domestic market. The Nigerian business recorded a strong earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) of N421.4 billion indicating a margin of 59 per cent.

Commenting, Chief Executive Officer, Dangote Cement Plc, Michel Puchercos, said: “2020 was a good year for Dangote Cement across board. Several firsts made 2020 a productive year such as our maiden clinker shipment, maiden bond issuance and successful buyback programme. We increased our capacity by 3.0 Mt in Nigeria, inaugurated our two export terminals and inaugurated our gas power plant in Tanzania. All these were achieved whilst we focused on protecting our people, customers and communities from the impact of the pandemic.

“Dangote Cement recorded strong top-line growth supported by strong cement demand.

Profitability was further bolstered by our disciplined cost control measures in what we believed to have been a highly inflationary and volatile year. These measures resulted in a profit after tax to N276.1 billion.

“Looking ahead, we have strengthened our alternative fuel initiative which focuses on leveraging the circular economy business model and reducing exposure of our cost base to foreign currencies fluctuations. We continue to embed Dangote Cement’s seven sustainability

pillars into every aspect of our operation and culture.

“We remain committed to keeping safe our staff and communities by being fully compliant with health and safety measures in all our territories of operation. We are focused on adapting to the rapidly evolving markets in which we operate.”

The CEO said the company remained committed to keeping safe our staff and communities by being fully compliant with health and safety measures in all our territories of operation. We are focused on adapting to the rapidly evolving markets in which we operate.”

However, the tax paid by Dangote Cement did not come to some market stakeholders as a surprise given the commitment to tax payment.

The cement firm had said in its sustainability report for 2019 that as a responsible corporate citizen, it ensured timely compliance with tax regulations in all the countries where we operate.

“This commitment enables us to support socioeconomic development in the African continent. By paying our taxes responsibly and transparently, we support government’s plans for infrastructural development in our different markets. We also contribute towards the attainment of SDG 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities). We report annually on our tax payments to governments. This way, we are transparent about how we manage our financial obligations,” it said.

Apart from boosting revenues of governments the countries where it operates, Dangote Cement has also been a large employer of labour on the continent.

“As the largest cement manufacturer in Nigeria, and one of the largest employers in Sub-Saharan Africa, we understand the challenges posed by the high rate of unemployment across the continent, particularly among the youth population. Throughout our operations, we have created jobs for thousands of Nigerians and Africans in nine other countries,” it said.

According to the company, aside from direct job creation, its activities support thousands of jobs in its supply chain, by way of indirect and induced impacts. “According to our 2019 socioeconomic impact assessment study specifically on our operations in Nigeria, Ethiopia, Senegal and South Africa, we sustained 54,005 jobs (direct, indirect, induced ) in these four markets in the year under review,” he said.

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BUSINESSWORLD

INTERVIEW

Kitan-David: Nigeria Has Comparative Advantage in Technology Talents Aboluwarin Kitan-David, who is the Co-Founder, Future Academy Africa, in this interview speaks on the future of technology as well as reasons why companies and government agencies must adopt it.

Ugo Aliogo presents the excerpts

C

an you give an insight into your computer coding and technology startup journey?

I graduated from Federal University of Science and Technology Akure (FUTA) with a degree in Computer Science. But before gaining admission to the University, I had already started coding. I think my coding dream started before the technology startup journey. The journey of coding first started with my father, a missionary and a computer enthusiast, though because of financial constraints we could not afford a computer in the house.Then passion for computers grew stronger and I wanted to learn how they worked, how a clicked button shuts down hardware and so on. So, I started visiting cyber cafes to surf the internet overnight while I was still in secondary school. But after secondary school, I didn’t get admission into University, because I didn’t pass the Unitary Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) until after four attempts. During those periods of staying at home, I got a form to go to NIIT and I learnt how to code in Java and then I started teaching myself how to code other things.

Then I gained admission to study computer science. University provided me with the opportunity to attend a lot of events. Every month, I visited CCHub in Yaba, Lagos. So I got to attend a lot of events both the ones that were necessary and not necessary and I got fascinated about the technology dream. Then I joined the Institute of Software Practitioners of Nigeria (ISPON) and I met the chairman of ISPON, Chris Uwaje, who introduced me to Omobola Johnson who was the former Minister for Communication who encouraged me. In that same meeting, I met the head of Nokia Research Center West Africa (Moses Acquah) too and became an ambassador for the company, running programmes for tertiary institutions in Nigeria, Benin Republic and Ghana. By my third year at the university, I was already running educational programmes and this experience influenced my decision to organise training in web design, web development and basic programming for students in my free time too. I was never interested in school politics, but the drive to do more led me to contest for the position of computer science president (NACOSS) and I won—during my one-term tenure, I ensured that there was a training programme every week.

After I graduated from school, I started learning about the Future of Work technologies: artificial intelligence, data science, UI/ UX and machine learning and launched the #futureofworkAfrica initiative with stories to drive people to the reality of what the workplace of the future will look like.

My passion now is to see how to train young people in soft skills that will prepare them for job offers with international companies and I have worked to achieve this under different umbrellas.

What is the future Africa Initiative all about?

There are some technologies known as the future of work technologies. The major leading technologies are artificial intelligence, machine learning, data science, and UIUX. These are technologies that will transform the workplace totally. So I started talking about those technologies online and organising open house conversations with the name, future of work Africa. Later on, I decided to build a structure around it instead of just organising open house conversations and writing stories on social media; which is what we have today as Future Academy Africa(FAA).

At future Academy Africa, what we do is to train Africans in future of work technologies and subsequently get them jobs. Most of the times, I describe it to people as a three-year Doctorate Degree journey. It doesn’t mean you will not get a job in three years, but three

you might code or might code depends on what aspect of data science you’re using, so it is just for everybody.

What should state governments do to drive increased adoption of AI and machine learning among youths?

States governments need to give soft landing to the youths. For instance, the Edo state government is doing increased adoption of AI and machine learning in the state, but it is a partner led initiative. The state government collaborated with coven labs and requested them to do certain things for them. The state government was not setting parameters for the coven labs on what to do or not to do. So when you allow a partner to lead the initiative and then you support that is the first step. Then the second step is providing the soft landing for the individuals coming to learn. So if a group of 100 youths are coming to learn in Bauchi State, and these youths are coming every day to learn, we should know that they are humans and they need to eat. My experience with this initiative is when 100 youths come during the opening day and first class, by the second week, we have like 35 persons in class and the rest have dropped out not because they don’t like what they are learning, but because they need to survive. Giving them a stipend to survive on will go a long way, it will make the students more dedicated and everybody more aligned. The work is exciting and the person wants to come everybody, but when if there is nothing to survive on the people will not come. Government should look at giving support and autonomy to partners lead the initiative. The participants should also be given some soft landing.

Kitan-David years is what I always advise you to put in.

In your 8th or 15th months, you might start getting jobs. But don’t let your aim be getting jobs in the first three years because there are jobs and jobs will come. Recently, I secured a job for one of our students at FAA where he is paid N23 million yearly. The future of work academy Africa started off from my campaign of talking about the future of work technologies and using #futureofworkafrica on Instagram. I’m also in conversations with state governments on the need to adopt it and sit on the board of Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) that are doing similar training.

Do you think there is increased adoption of Artificial intelligence and machine learning among organisations and government agencies?

I will say no because most of the organisations on the continent still rely on manual labour to execute their tasks. Although industries such as financial institutions are using AI and machine learning, at a slow pace if I may add.

I still think the adoption is slow because there are a lot of youths that are ready to work. For instance in construction, China has machines and robots that can build skyscrapers

Most of the organisations on the continent still rely on manual labour to execute their tasks.

Although industries such as financial institutions are using AI and machine learning, at a slow pace if I may add

within a short period, then you ask yourself why aren’t construction companies in Nigeria buying those machines, because there are a lot of youths who want to work and the construction companies prefers to use these youths to work than relying on those machines.

Even construction companies in Africa that says they don’t want to use the future technologies; they will have no choice in the end, but to buy those machines. Now when they buy these machines, the 200 boys that come to the construction site will become jobless. It is behavioural psychological when people are unemployed that is when they will fall back to crime. So the adoption rate of AI and other future technologies by corporations in Nigeria is very slow though they are adopting it.

The fact remains that regarding the future of work, we don’t have a choice; we are going to adopt it. For instance, I consulted for a company and built software for a department in the company. The software replaced the work of 200 staff in that department. So now they are looking for way to lay off those 200 staff off because the software does what they do basically.

One unique feature about future technologies is that they don’t go on break, request for payment or salary increment.

They have been designed to deliver on every task given to them. When it comes to making industry decisions, it is machine over humans, but then humans need to step up their game because it is humans that will create these machines. One of our alumni just moved to Canada in December, 2020, with AI skill and he is receiving 80,000 Canadian dollars yearly as starting salary because he is a foreigner, if he was Canadian, he will be paid more. But in another five years, he will be building a machine that we are using, so there are different ways to enter this, you don’t have to code that is why there is UIUX, if you can code there is AI, and to code in AI, you need to understand mathematics very well. For UIUX you don’t need to write any form of code, Data science,

What is the long term plan for future Academy Africa?

The long-term plan for the academy is to have a university campus that can accommodate 4,000 students at every point in time go through a programme whether they are PhD, University undergraduate or SSCE students. These students will be well trained and become sorted after by companies because of the curriculum and the way things are done.

The future Academy African is running the future of work campaign on the continent with a desire to sensitise people, drive adoption for government and sensitise large corporations to automate some of their processes so that we get Africa to be part of the global trend, even if it is through outsourcing. For instance, government will never come to my school, but while people are in my school, or outside my campus, I want to drive a conversation that will make government to start automating things such as Local Government Identity card. Even if they are talking about AI in the world, even if Africa is not the one creating the framework, they should think of Africa as a place they can get the job done. If someone else is coming up with this initiative, 400 of us are not enough.

What do you think is the future of Africa especially Nigeria, in the development of technology startups; can we compete with some of the technology capital of the world?

We cannot compete with the technology capitals of the world, but we can be unique in our own way. The place where I feel we have strength to compete is outsourcing. In the 1970s, China didn’t try to be like America, there had conversations to carve out a niche, and decided to position herself in such a way that when America wants to create computer and electronic devices, they go to China. So Africa can position herself in the technology talent, and human resources in such a way that if they require technology software engineers and designers in UIUX, AI, Data science and machine learning, they can come to Africa and I think with that we can compete. Think Talent, Think Africa, Think and Outsourcing.

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WEDNESDAY MARCH 31, 2021•T H I S D AY

WEDNESDAY MARCH 3 1, 2021 • T H I S D AY

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BUSINESSWORLD

Anchor Insurance to Sponsor Stage Play In Akwa Ibom Ebere Nwoji The management of Anchor Insurance Company Limited has disclosed plan to sponsor a life stage play titled: “Ibiom: When Doves Fly,” which would hold in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State between April 30 and May Ist, this year.

Disclosing this during a chat with the media in Lagos, Anchor Insurance Managing Director, Mr. Ebose Augustine, explained that the company would further be supporting the producers, Duke of Shomolu Productions, in providing free theatre clinic for 500 selected youths of Akwa Ibom State origin during the two-day stage play.

According to him, “as a corporate citizen with high respect for social responsibility, Anchor Insurance sees it as an opportunity to support events of this sort which aims at restoring, keeping and giving meaning to our culture as well as using such events to impact on the lives of the people.

“As a people, we are fast losing our culture and history to Western narratives. Any race without a sustained culture and history has lost her identity. It is our passionate resolve at Anchor Insurance to be part of any programme that will help to project and ensure that the histories and cultures of the Nigerian ethnic components do not die.”

Ebose, said the support was one of the company’s ways of giving back to the society.

“In fact, we became very excited when we knew the play was about a rich story of the tribes that make up present day Akwa Ibom State where we are a notable corporate citizen and a beneficiary of first class business considerations.

“It was, therefore, not out of

NEPZA Hails PSIN on Human Capital Devt James Emejo and Folalumi Alaran in Abuja The Managing Director, Nigeria Export Processing Zones Authority (NEPZA), Prof. Adesoji Adesugba has expressed satisfaction over the human capacity development programme of the Public Service Institute of Nigeria (PSIN) used in retooling professionalism in the public sector.

He made the remark when the Administrator/Chief Executive of the institute, Dr. Abdulganiyu Obatoyinbo, paid him a courtesy visit in Abuja.

Obatoyinbo, was represented by the institute’s Director of Studies and Learning, Mrs. Bola Thomas.

The NEPZA boss said the institute was greatly assisting the authority in developing the right capacity aimed at actulising the economic policies of the federal government.

In a statement by Head, Corporate Communications NEPZA, Mr. Martins Odeh, the MD further said greater percentage of staff of the authority who wrote the 2020 promotion examinations for senior officers conducted by the institute had expressed delight on the outcome of the exercise, adding that the results were fair assessments of the candidates.

place for us to give the support we could to ensure the success of the show.”Ebose said.

Commending the company for its supports, the Chief Executive Officer of Shomolu Productions Limited, Mr. Iniobong Joseph Edgar, said Anchor Insurance has been there for the people for over three years now.

“We salute the impeccable Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) reputation of the organisation in promoting arts and culture in Nigeria.”

“This unrelenting and constant patriotism by the company has continued to set it apart from other corporate bodies in the country, we are convinced that through the organisation’s continued support, we will weave a tapestry of hope for our arts and culture,” he said.

NEWS

ITF to Train Seven Million on Agric, Construction, Others Seriki Adinoyi in Jos As a way of saving the country from its rising unemployment and poverty rates, the Industrial Training Fund (ITF) has said that it is set to train over seven million Nigerians in the areas of agriculture, construction and facility maintenance, information and communication technology, manufacturing and services between 2021 and 2031.

Disclosing this in Jos during an interactive session with the journalists, the Director General of ITF, Sir Joseph Ari noted that, “skill acquisition remains the most sustainable solution to increasing poverty and unemployment, and the catalyst to economic growth and development.”

According to him, the ITF was among the few agencies requested by the federal government to forward submissions on lifting of 100 million Nigerians out of poverty in 10 years.

“If our proposal, which is currently receiving attention of the authorities, is assented to, the ITF will train over seven million Nigerians in the Agriculture, construction and facility maintenance, information and communication technology, manufacturing and services sector between 2021 and 2031.”

He said that the Fund has implemented several skills intervention programmes, including the National Industrial Skills Development Programme (NISDP), Special Skills Develop-

ment Programme (SSDP), Federal Government Skills Empowerment Programme (FEGOSEP), Info-Tech Skills Empowerment Programme (ISEP), and Agric-preneurship Training Programme (ATP) with which it has trained thousands of Nigerians that were empowered with start-up packs to set up on their own.

He added, “This year, which we have declared as the year of “ skills Escalation for Prosperity”, we have commenced processes for the implementation of more skills intervention programmes namely: the National Industrial Skills Development Programme (NISDP), the Skills Training and Empowerment Programme for the Physical Challenged (STEPP-C), the Construction Skills Empower-

ment Programme (CONSEP), the Passion to Profession Programme ( P2PP), and the Agri- preneurship Training Programme (ATP).

He added that the programmes would train about 12,000 Nigerians between three and six months in web design and programming, advance computer networking, mobile app development, iron bending, masonry, crop production, aquaculture, air-conditioning and refrigeration, plumbing, GSM repairs and ladies wig cap making.

Ari added that, in appreciation of their efforts to equip Nigerians with requisite skills and contributions to the development of the Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) sector in Nigeria.

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How FMBN is Ramping up Affordable Housing Delivery John Mark Ikyaave

were delivered within the period under review.

The second component is the creation of mortgage loans to individual beneficiaries where FMBN approved over N120 billion.

This includes the creation of 4,644 NHF mortgage loans totaling over N69 billion and origination of 58,176 home renovation loans totaling over N50 billion.

I

t is no longer news that Nigeria faces a huge housing challenge that will take decades and trillions of naira in sustained investments to fix.

A 2016 report by the World Bank stated that as a result of increasing urbanisation, Nigeria’s housing demand is expanding rapidly with Nigeria’s housing stock production far below 100,000 resulting in an overall accumulated deficit of around 17 million units as of 2013 that would require N60 trillion to fix.

The Bank estimated that up to 700,000 housing units in different market segments would be needed annually not only to replenish decaying housing stock, but also to meet rising demand and avert a further housing crisis.

We are now in 2021, and the sum of efforts from both government and private sector does not come even close to what is required.

It is against this background that the efforts of the Ahmed Musa Dangiwa-led management of the Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria (FMBN) to ramp up financing for the construction and delivery of affordable housing stock is a timely and necessary addition to much needed collective to reverse the disturbing trend. Dangiwa and his team of professionals, who took charge of the nation’s apex mortgage institution in April 2017, have taken remarkable steps to ensure completion of housing projects that were started but abandoned mid-way in the past.

They have also reformed the Bank’s framework for the design, financing, and monitoring of housing projects by closing systemic gaps that gave room for internal and external abuse by unscrupulous elements and introducing structural and procedural efficiencies.

The result has been a historic increase in the number of new FMBN funded housing units delivered annually by the Bank.

More Affordable Houses First, let us consider the performance statistics of the Bank, especially as it relates to housing construction since the current management team were appointed by President Muhammadu Buhari in April 2017.

Official data show that FMBN financed the construction of a record 9,211 units between April 2017 and December 2020 averaging over 3,000 units annually in several locations across the country.

The housing projects comprise 1-, 2- and 3-bedroom units with selling prices ranging from N4 million to N11 million respectively, to ensure that those who fall within the low to medium income brackets can afford.

It is easy to dismiss FMBN’s delivery of over 9,000 affordable housing units within a three-year time span as small and inconsequential.

This is especially so given the Bank’s position as a focal affordable housing delivery institution, the country’s massive housing deficit and the need to deliver at least 700,000 annually.

However, that line of thought and logic would be simplistic and defective.

While the ideal target should remain the ultimate goal, it is important to judge FMBN performance based on its history and the financial resources available to it per time.

In this wise, when you consider the Bank’s trend of housing stock development over the preceding 25-year period – 1992 to 2017 – and the limited resources that it possesses to create impact at scale, you would see a clear pattern that tells an interesting story of a remarkable turnaround and progress in the delivery of housing stock.

Specifically, as of April 2017, when the current management team came on board, the total number of housing units financed

by FMBN since the commencement of the National Housing Fund (NHF) Scheme in 1992 stood at 20,435, thus representing an average annual delivery rate of a mere 817 housing units! By hitting a 3,000-annual housing provision average, through the optimisation of available internal financial resources, ensuring efficiencies and without

Completion of Abandoned Housing Projects The ability of the FMBN management team to revive and finance the completion housing projects that had been initiated but abandoned halfway in the past has also added boost to its housing production activities.

As of April 2017, when they came on board, they met over 21 housing projects that developers who were contracted to build had abandoned in many locations across the countries. The sad thing about these abandoned projects was that FMBN had already disbursed funds cumulatively running into several billions to developers. Most of these projects have now been completed with several others at various levels of completion.

Dangiwa any additional external financing inflows, the Dangiwa-led team have opened a new vista of possibilities in the capacity of the Bank to create a wider role in government’s efforts to tackle the housing deficit.

Innovating for Impact and Efficiency FMBN’s ability to achieve this milestone stems from a business-driven, creative, and innovative style of leadership. The management team have combined a transparent approach to managing the National Housing Fund (NHF) Scheme as a source of cheap housing finance, focused drive to complete abandoned projects and the overhaul of housing project design, implementation, and the monitoring process that were lacking in its operations.

In 1992, when the National Housing Fund (NHF) Scheme was established, it was primarily in recognition of the vital role that affordable housing finance plays in the construction of housing stock and the need for the country to have an institutional pool of such funds to drive delivery of affordable housing outside of government budgetary provision.

To achieve this, the architects of the NHF scheme built three key sources of long-term, low-cost funding for it. First was the mandatory contributory savings of 2.5 percent of monthly income by Nigerian workers earning above N3,000 per annum.

The N3,000 has been reviewed to minimum wage standards today. Second was investments by commercial banks of 10 percent of their loan portfolio and investments by insurance companies of 40 percent and 20 percent of life and non-life funds, respectively. Additionally, the federal government was also required to make periodic financial injections into the scheme to further bolster its ability to stimulate the provision of affordable housing in the country.

Unfortunately, besides the mandatory monthly savings by workers, none of the other sources of funds have worked out as originally conceived by the designers of the NHF Act. Left with only the mandatory workers’ contributions to make a difference in affordable housing financing, the current

FMBN management team made transparency, stakeholder engagement and efficient utilization of funds their watchword.

As a result, they were able to win stakeholder confidence, increase the number of subscribers to the NHF Scheme with a resultant momentous surge in the size of funds that have accrued to the fund over the past three years. Five states that had stopped participation in the NHF Scheme rejoined and the Bank’s mobilization efforts added 611,249 contributors.

Unmatched Results The impact of these positive trends on the FMBN’s financial statement over the past three years has been massive. Between 2017 to December 2020, the current FMBN management team recorded inflows of over N205 billion into the NHF scheme at an estimated average of N68 billion annually.

To get a better sense of how notable this feat is, it is important to recall that previous managements spanning over 25 years of FMBN’s history could only muster N232 billion in NHF collections at an average of N9.28 billion annually.

The implication is that the Dangiwa team have delivered in just over three years, what previous FMBN administrations could only muster in 22 years!

The boost in financial firepower has meant greater impact along key FMBN performance indices.

From the N205 billion NHF Collections, over N174.4 billion was approved along key FMBN product lines. FMBN approved over N54 billion to drive affordable housing stock construction in the past three years at an average of N18 billion per annum versus the N111 billion that was approved by previous managements at an average of N4.4 billion per annum.

The sum covers the totals approved for FMBN housing stock construction loan windows including Estate Development Loan (EDL), Ministerial Pilot Housing Scheme (MPHS) and the Cooperative Society Development Loan (CSDL).

Over N35 billion of the approved amount has already been disbursed to developers accounting for the 9,211 housing units that

Funding Housing Stock Experts agree that an essential part of making housing finance work for the poor is the availability of houses at lower prices in the market.

The United Nations Habitat defines affordable housing as, “housing which is adequate in quality and location and does not cost so much that it prohibits its occupants meeting other basic living costs or threatens their enjoyment of basic human rights.”

In fact, households are expected not to spend more than 30 per cent of their income on housing. This puts access to affordable housing finance by government and other development finance institutions at the heart of housing construction.

Besides several other issues such that have prevented growth of housing such as foreclosure, cost of title registration, there is a dearth of financial institutions in Nigeria with the capacity to provide sustainable long-term loans to developers to deliver affordable housing units.

Currently, apart from other government housing interventions using the Family Homes Fund (FHF), FMBN occupies a unique position as one of the few institutions that provide long term finance at low interest rates to estate developers to build housing stock.

A CBN report showed that while Nigeria has 84 Primary Mortgage Banks (PMBs) and 20 Deposit Money Banks (DMBs), lending by the DMBs for mortgage loans accounts for less than 1 percent of their total assets.

Oil and gas receive the most lending, representing about 22 percent of total credit to the private sector. Looking at the whole banking sector, data for the 10 largest banks in Nigeria show that an average of 84 percent of overall liabilities are short-term customer deposits. The remaining funding is primarily equity. Other sources of long-term funds are extremely limited, representing on average of just 11 percent of the balance sheet.

Over the past three years, the current FMBN Management team have bolstered the capacity of its housing loan construction windows to fill this housing finance gap by using the funds accruing to the NHF Scheme to provide developers with low interest loans. A notable example is the revamp of the Cooperative Housing Development Loan (CHDL), which enables a cooperative society, whose members contribute to the National Housing Fund (NHF) Scheme, that has acquired a plot of land to develop houses for allocation to its members. The loan window provides up to N500million at an interest rate of ten percent. Key features include tenors of up to 24 months with a moratorium of 12months. Once built, FMBN packages mortgage loans to enable the members to own the houses.

The good news from FMBN inspires hope. The housing crisis is huge, and it is imperative that all relevant public and private institutions show the urgency, understanding and capacity to maximize

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Photo Editor ÌÓÙÎßØ ÔËÖË Email ËÌÓÙÎßØ˛ËÔËÖË̶ÞÒÓÝÎËãÖÓàÏ˛ÍÙ×

L-R: Board member and trustee, JBS Elderly Health & Wellbeing Foundation African,Otunba Bimbola Ashiru; Chairperson/CEO, Dr Toyin Ajala; Wife of Ogun State Governor/Patron of the JBS Elderly Health & Wellbeing Foundation African, Mrs Bamidele Abiodun and former Minister of Health/Guest Speaker, Prof. Issac Adewole, during the official lunching of the JBS Elderly Health & Wellbeing Foundation Africa in Abeokuta Ogun State...recently

L-R: Navy Secretary, Rear Admiral Francis Isaac, Chief of Logistics Naval Headquarters, Rear Admiral Mohammed Nagenu and Chief of the Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Awwal Gambo on inspection of facilities at the Naval Shipyard in Port Harcourt...recently

L-R: Chairman, House of Representatives Committee on Industry, Dr Enitan Dolapo-Badru; MD, Bank of Industry, Dr.Olukayode Pitan, and Deputy Chairman, House Committee on Industry, Hon. Gibeon Goroki, during the committees oversight visit to BoI and its supported project in Lagos...recently

L-R: Ist Runner-up Malta Guinness Creative Challenge, Ekene Mukolu; Assistant brand manager, Malta Guinness, Ufele Cynthia; Winner, Malta Guinness Creative Challenge, Peter Orok Edet-Inwang and 2nd Runner-up Malta Guinness Creative Challenge, Alister Oduah at the award ceremony in Lagos...recently

L-R: Special Adviser to the Governor on Tourism, Arts and Culture, Mr Solomon Bonu; Secretary to the State Government, Mrs. Folashade Jaji; Commissioner for Tourism, Arts and Culture, Pham. Uzamat Akinbile-Yussuf; one of the Beneficiaries of N1Billion loan by Lagos State Government for Tourism and hospitality Practitioners, Olowe-Rowaye Olufunke Olaitan of Al Concepts Limited receiving cheque of 5million naira, and the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry, Princess Adenike Adedoyin-Ajayi, during the Lagos Tourism, Hospitality, Arts and Culture Economic Summit, (LATHACE), at Eko Hotels, Lagos...recently PHOTO: ETOP UKUTT

Belgian Ambassador to Nigeria, Mr Daniel Bertrand (left) and Gov.ernor of Rivers State, Nyesom Wike during the Ambassador’s visit to the Governor’s Office in Port Harcourt...recently

L-R: Vice Presidential candidate of the PDP in the 2019 election, Mr. Peter Obi; Celebrant and Methodist Archbishop of Umuahia Diocese, His Grace, Most Revd. Chibuzor Raphael Opoko; Speaker of the Abia State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Chinedum Enyinnaya Orji; and Prelate of the Methodist Church, His Eminence, Dr. Samuel Chukwuemeka Kanu Uche (JP), during the Eucharistic service for the celebrant’s 60th birthday thanksgiving/reception and presentation of a book held in Umuahia...recently

L-R: Assistant Secretary,Oni Afolabi; Treasurer, Fred Okoligwe; Financial Secretary, Akinkunmi Farinto; Secretary, Bunmi Ogunyale; Vice Chairman, Oluchi Tobechukwu, and Chairman, Debo Osundun, during the swearing in of the new Exco of Sports Writer Association of Nigeria Lagos Chapter at SWAN Secretariat National Stadium Surulere Lagos...recently

WEDNESDAY MARCH 31, 2021 • T H I S D AY

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EDUCATION SEPLAT: Promoting Quality Education through Investment in Teachers, Students To boost teachers’ creative thinking, for higher student engagement, an indigenous energy company, SEPLAT Petroleum Development Company PLC, inaugurated the SEPLAT Teachers Empowerment Programme last November, which trained 100 secondary school teachers and 43 Chief Inspectors of Education from Edo and Delta States. At the certificate presentation ceremony recently, the company also hosted a roundtable to further explore the right policy formulation for quality education. Uchechukwu Nnaike and Adibe Emenyonu in Benin City report

I

t has been said that a student is only as good as his teacher because the performance of the student is dependent on the teacher’s knowledge and input. This teacher’s continuous capacity development cannot be overemphasised.

Thus teachers’ brought their creativity to bare during the COVID-19 lockdown era, when they had to employ several methods of educating their students, a lot is expected of them post COVID-19 and subsequently, so any programme that seeks to boost teachers’ creative abilities should be applauded.

An indigenous energy company, SEPLAT Petroleum Development Company Plc (SEPLAT), set out to improve teachers’ creative thinking, allowing for higher student engagement, through its SEPLAT Teachers Empowerment Programme (STEP). The programme, which aims to promote and offer a well-rounded education for its recipients commenced in Benin City, Edo State on November 23, 2020.

Beginning with a five-day residential workshop introductory, STEP ushered a six-month programme specially designed for teachers, providing training on teaching applications for Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics (STEAM), as well as leadership and self-improvement training.

The company stressed that raising a generation of critical thinkers whose education is rooted in their problem-solving abilities is critical to national development.

“Also, the importance of STEAM cannot be overemphasised as it has been proven to help teachers incorporate multiple disciplines, and at the same time promote learning experiences that allow children to explore, question, research, discover, and exercise innovative building skills.”

According to the Director, External Affairs and Communications, SEPLAT, Dr. Chioma Nwachukwu, the company is poised to play an invaluable role in enhancing the quality of education with the many educational programmes offered through its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiatives. “With the STEP programme, the company now has a full boutique of programmes to address the entire education value chain.

“Our programmes now cover improving school infrastructure, enhancing the academic performance of students and building the skills and competencies of teachers. A total of 100 teachers and 43 Chief Inspectors of Education (CIEs) drawn from Edo and Delta States are benefitting from this maiden edition,” Nwachukwu said.

She disclosed that after the maiden edition, the training continued online for over six months with teachers receiving customised training modules on efficient pedagogical methods for STEAM education, as well as leadership and self-improvement training. In keeping with the times, SEPLAT has developed an Online Teachers Resource Centre which provides the teachers access to inclusive learnings highlighting best techniques and practices for implementing STEAM teaching methods and assists them to learn to use such methods in the classrooms.

The e-platform provides and connects teachers to a collection of STEAM resources to enable them to understand, teach and demonstrate effectively to their students.

The company also went a step further to provide electronic devices and internet data for the teachers for the period of the training.

According to a recent report, through STEAM education, students are engaged in several activities in their daily lives aimed at establishing communication skills like critiquing art, presenting research, collaborating with peers for group projects, and communicating results in research papers.

L-R: Director, Centre for Gender Security Studies and Youth Advancement, University of Abuja, Prof. Ocholi Fehintola; Professor of Educational Management, University of Ibadan, Benedict Emunemu; Director, External Affairs and Communications, SEPLAT, Dr. Chioma Nwachuku, Prof. Pat Utomi; former Edo State Commissioner for Education, Prof. Ngozi Osarenren; Professor of Guidance and Counselling, Ambrose Alli Universty, Ekpoma, Oyaziwo Aluede; and Principal Managing Partner , Teach Smart Eduservices, Sola Okunkpolor, at the Seplat Education Roundtable/STEP awards ceremony held in Benin City...recently Along with creative thinking, STEAM education creates an environment where students can learn to express themselves in a supportive and accepting climate in the classroom, giving them the chance to explore more of themselves.

There are also indicators that point to the fact that teachers who are well-equipped to teach STEAM, play an important role in guiding children, resulting in superior performance than less experienced teachers. These, among others, the company said has spurred it to continue making notable strides with its drive to improve the standard of education in the country, particularly for its host states.

The Chief Executive Officer, SEPLAT, Roger Brown, noted that the STEAM programme is not the company’s only foray into the Nigeria education sector, as it has invested significantly in various educational CSR programmes that support goal 4 of the Sustainable Development Goals(SDGs).

The SDG4 of the United Nations, aims to ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all.

Achieving inclusive and quality education for all reaffirms the belief that education is one of the most powerful and proven vehicles for sustainable development. This goal ensures that all girls and boys achieve free primary and secondary education by 2030. It also aims to provide equal access to affordable vocational training, to eliminate gender and wealth disparities, and achieve universal access to a quality higher education. According to findings from a survey conducted by the Nigerian Centre for Reading Research and Development (NCRRD), only 1.5 per cent of children surveyed were able “to read and answer comprehension questions.” It further states that over 72 per cent of them cannot read a word in the English Language. The national average is 60 per cent. The findings by NCRRD helps to put in proper perspective the Human Capital Index (HCI) launched by the World Bank in 2018. HCI conveys the productivity of the next generation of workers compared to a benchmark of complete education and full health by measuring the amount of human

capital development a child born today can expect to attain by age 18.

The company recently concluded another flagship educational programme, SEPLAT PEARLs Quiz, which had 574 participating schools from Edo and Delta States. The competition aims to promote and reward academic excellence among secondary school students; it runs for six months with the students and schools contesting to win the coveted prizes.

This he said is rooted in Seplat’s belief that education is the bedrock for national growth.

The STEP initiative is also in line with the underlying philosophy of the founders of the organisation, like its Chairman, Dr. A.B.C Orjiako.

To commemorate the certificate presentation ceremony recently, Seplat hosted an education roundtable with the theme: ‘Provision of Quality Education: A National Priority’; to further explore the right policy formulation for quality education.

The Seplat certificate award ceremony, alongside the education roundtable, featured educational experts and professionals in an engaging panel session moderated by Professor Pat Utomi. The keynote speaker for the day was the former Edo State Commissioner for Education, Prof. Ngozi Osarenren.

Brown, who was represented by Nwachukwu at the event, stated: “Seplat has invested significantly in various educational CSR programmes which support Sustainable Development Goals, Goal 4, because of our strong belief that education is the bedrock for national growth. Worldwide, having a team of competent teachers is a critical success factor for achieving quality education.” That easily tells the impetus behind the well-targeted programmes.

And while we all agree that this is indeed a laudable initiative, and look forward to future editions, and more teachers and students being empowered through the programmes, here is a call on more organisations, corporate bodies, groups and well-meaning Nigerians to join in the drive to take Nigeria’s education sector out of the doldrums and set it on albeit slow, but steady path towards joining the rest of the world to provide quality education for our children, the leaders of tomorrow.”

Utomi, while commenting on the state of education in the country, said society must appreciate and show esteem for teachers, adding that the impact teachers make in the lives of students and community remains immeasurable.

He said teachers need to continue to exhibit a strong passion for their profession with the undying commitment to sustaining the future generation, adding that misery amongst the people could only be effectively addressed by quality education.

In the same vein, a Professor of Guidance and Counselling, Ambrose Alli Universty, Ekpoma, Oyaziwo Aluede said education is critical to combating poverty, and that qualified teachers are the genuine agents needed to actualise this in Nigeria. He therefore stressed the need for the right curriculum, the requisite skill sets and effective partnership among stakeholders, as is being exhibited by Seplat.

Also speaking, Professor of Educational Management, University of Ibadan, Benedict Emunemu urged everyone who needed to become a teacher to acquire the minimum qualifications, pointing out that failure to do so would only result in wrong output from the sector.

The Principal Managing Partner , Teach Smart Eduservices, Sola Okunkpolor, in her submission, advocated for a robust database in the education sector to allow for good planning, monitoring and decision making.

“Continuous data mining process is needed to enable us to know how many children are in school, how many are graduating, how many are progressive, how many are being engaged upon leaving school, and so on,” Okunkpolor added.

On her part, Nwachukwu cited the high numbers of out-of-school children in the country, the poor budgetary allocation to education, misplaced priorities leading to value erosion in the society as significant setbacks that must be addressed for an improved standard of education. She noted that technology advances must be applied appropriately to schooling, as new competencies could become game-changers for the country and the Nigerian people.

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EDUCATION

Learning Difficulty: Encomiums as Professor Shobowale LakeField Boss Canvasses Celebrates 80, Unveils Autobiography Teacher Empowerment Oluchi Chibuzor Programmes Funmi Ogundare The Head of School, Lakefield Schools, Badore, Lagos, Mrs. Kemi Hamilton has stressed the need for schools to expose their teachers to training programmes that would enable them identify children with learning difficulties in their care, noting that such move will bring about a solution that would help them through it.

Hamilton who spoke recently, during a media parley in Lagos, expressed concern that most teachers tend to write-off such children too quickly because they are not trained to identify their challenges.

According to her, “In education, every child matters, how do you help a child to attain the level of success? In our school, we don’t write-off children, because we believe that every child can learn and every child matters.”

She said every school either public or private must make it mandatory for their teachers to go through training so that they can identify children with such challenges, adding, “once the teacher who is a professional is able to identify that and tell their parents, the solution is very close.”

She said the school’s closure due to Covid-19 pandemic, had made most pupils to struggle academically, and that all a teacher needs to do, is to continue to refresh

their learning through project assignments on what they had done in the class previously with a lit bit of patience for the first one or two weeks of resumption.

The effort, the head of school noted, will make even slow learners to pick up quickly.

Hamilton who had worked in a bank for almost 22 years, said she found herself in the teaching profession because of the passion she had for the job and also find a lasting solution for her second child who was dyslexic.

“The moment I started having my children, I asked myself, how can I be part of their learning? People establish schools for profit and you still have some set up because of their passion. I can work on this business for years without being paid and my passion and drive will not reduce. I have helped schools restructure and I know that they can’t pay my bills, but because of that passion, every child matters to me. So for me it is not about the money.

“When I enrolled my second child in a school, I kept getting complaints from the school that he could not spell, that he is lazy. If you say so as a teacher, that means, you are being mean. You should look at other areas and find out why the child is not learning. Fortunately for me then, I worked in a school which had international standard.”

Celebration rented the air, recently as a former Lagos State Commissioner for Education and father of contemporary journalism in Nigeria, Professor Idowu Shobowale, turned 80 years.

The birthday celebration was also an opportunity for the icon who introduced opinion polling to journalism in Nigeria, to launch his autobiography titled, ‘The Unexpected Turns’ which x-rays the lows and highs of his endeavors in farming, journalism, education and how he was able to overcome many challenges.

The event which was marked virtually and physically, saw family members, contemporaries, friends, mentees, and well wishers, eulogising the man Who founded the department of Mass Communication in Lagos State

University (LASU) and developed postgraduate studies in same field for Olabisi Onabanjo University, Ago-Iwoye, Ogun State.

Giving testimonies in honour of the celebrant, guests described him as a man who despite his shortcomings and circumstances in life emerged as the pioneering founder of opinion writing in the country, while shining the beacon of journalism education in Nigeria.

Mr. Oluremi Beckly, who spoke on behalf of class 64 of Baptist Academy, which Pa Shobowale belongs, noted that attaining the new age in a country where life expectancy for men and women was 62 and 58 respectively, calls for celebration.

According to him, “You were detribalised in nature and always encouraged many young ones to aspire to their greatest height in life and we are greatful to God for keeping you and the

work you have been doing in the house of God.” In his remarks, a Professor of Mass Communication, Lagos State School of Communication, Lai Oso recalled the several occasions when the octogenarian played critical roles in the development of Mass Communication in some universities in the country.

“I stand here as one of your many academic children. He cares a lot for those under him prompting us to see him as a leader and not as a boss.

He is our academic research consultant because he is always ready to teach anybody and I am blessed to have you as a leader.

I remember how you helped a young lady to finish her Phd.” On his part, Professor Oluranti Olurinola said despite his wealth of knowledge, he brought humility to bear anytime they both

had an opportunity to interact.

“He is a man of impeccable character, down to earth and a man who loves God. At an encounter in our university when I was the dean, he would always come to my office even when I told him to call me. He will say we do not neglect the head, with this, I learnt a lot in the areas of humility, character and living a good quality life.

“Because we know he is our father, he still humbles himself to follow protocols,” he said.

One of his daughters described him as “a sweet man, but a disciplinarian who made us know five definitions to every word: we are better off for it.

Having a man who wants to be a farmer only to be persuaded to have some education by the community, only comes with pride and adherence to good ethics and manners.”

Enugu Community Frowns over Dilapidated Classrooms Aguobia-Nomeh Community in Nkanu East Local Government Area of Enugu State, has expressed concern over the dilapidated condition of the Community Junior and Senior Secondary School.

Residents of Aguobia have, several occasions lamented the chronic state of the school, calling for urgent repairs of the classrooms, but all efforts yielded no result.

According to an indigene of the community, Michael Chigbo, the school was largely known as one of the best in the area before now.

He recounted: “Community Secondary School, Aguobia Nomeh used to be one of the dream learning places most indigenes of Nkanu East LGA had wished to attend.

“But today, it has become a different story. The information of the very dilapidated infrastructures at Community Secondary School Aguobia Nomeh led to an unscheduled visit to the state-owned school.”

Although Chigbo said the situation of CSS is almost the same in most of the public schools in Nkanu East local government area, he wondered where the funds allocated to schools are going to.

While noting that residents of the community had beckoned

on the government to urgently renovate the dilapidated structures to enhance learning for the pupils and teachers, the concerned resident lamented: “The United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) identified poor schooling conditions as an impediment to accessing quality education.”

Globally, the UNESCO Institute of Statistics described the disparities in the availability of facilities at the basic education level as a global learning crisis affecting over 617 million adolescents and adults.

Whereas data from the Federal Ministry of Education shows that about 30 per cent of basic education schools across Enugu State are in deplorable states.

Chino recalled,“Ugwuanyi had during the inauguration of solar energy supply system sponsored by Dr. Theodora Kay-Njemanze, in collaboration with Queen’s School Enugu Alumni, North East Chapter, United States of America (USA), reiterated his administration’s commitment towards raising the standard of education in the state through recruitment of more qualified teachers, construction, renovation and equipping of schools.”

L-R: The Lagos State Commissioner for Education, Mrs. Folasade Adefisayo, winner, national gemale JETS competition, Miss Felicia Kubode of Government Senior College, Ajara, Badagry, Director, Science and Technology, Ministry of Education, Mrs. Grace Akinfoyewa at the presentation of awards held at the Ministry of Education, Conference Room, Alausa, Ikeja...recently

Industrialist Pledges Ultra-modern ODL Centre for UNICAL Bassey Inyang in Calabar An Industrialist and Chief Executive Officer of KAM Holdings, Nigeria Limited, Dr. Kamoru Yusuf, has pledged to construct an ultra-modern Open and Distance Learning (ODL) Centre for the University of Calabar.

The groundbreaking ceremony for the construction of the proposed centre was performed recently, as part of activities marking the 34th convocation ceremony of the university.

Speaking on the importance of the project, Yusuf said his decision to build and equip the ODL centre stemmed from his desire to fulfill part of the corporate social responsibility he owes the society as an industrialist, adding that he was sure that at completion and use, the facility would add to the advancement of the society.

“What contributed to the

growth of western countries is because the people wholeheartedly embraced education. I am passionate about education, and we have to teach our youths and provide the necessary facilities like this building for them all over Nigeria,” Yusuf said.

The industrialist who was among the few dignitaries conferred with Doctorate Degree in Business Management (Honoria Causa) by the University of Calabar, expressed optimism that the new ODL centre, would encourage more Nigerians to embrace education. Yusuf called on other philanthropists in Nigeria to do same for educational advancement in the country.

Deputy Governor of Kwara State, Kayode Alabi, who was one of the dignitaries that graced the convocation lauded Yusuf for the initiative to encourage distance learning.

He said the centre would serve as part of his contribu-

tion towards development and growth of education in Nigeria.

“I am not surprised because Dr. Yusuf is a first class industrialists and lover of education.

So, deciding to build a centre for the educational development of young Nigerians is worthy of emulation,” the deputy governor said.

In her remarks, the Vice Chancellor of the University of Calabar Prof. Florence Obi, commended the Kwara Stateborn business mogul and industrialist for his contribution to the advancement of education.

She said the university remained grateful to Yusuf for deciding to sponsor the building of the ODL Center.

“When we went to meet him, we presented our challenges to him ,especially that we wanted to start our distance education programme, which will provide access to many more Nigerians, who do not have the opportunity

of coming to do face-to-face contact in the university. He quickly obliged us, and today he is here in person to perform the ground breaking for the construction.

“One of the criteria given by the National Universities Commission (NUC) to approve any ODL Center for a iniversity is that, they must be a stand-alone structure. This will enable us meet the benchmark of the NUC,” she remarked.

At the 34th convocation, the university management awarded diplomas, first, second and doctorate degrees to about 4,000 students of the university.

A total of 4,558 students graduated with first degrees and national diplomas in various programmes, out of which, 22 finished with first class honours, 1,073 students had second class upper, 2,763 had second class lower, 547 had third class while 26 graduated with pass.

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EDUCATION

UBEC Intervention: Reps Inspect Lagos Schools Project Funmi Ogundare The Federal House of Representatives committee members on Basic Education, recently paid a three-day scheduled visit to Lagos to inspect school building projects supported by UBEC intervention under the State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB).

Some of the projects include; Anwar-Ul-Islam Primary School, Ogba, Sogunle Primary School, Ikeja, Salvation Army Primary School, EbutteMeta, St. Paul, St. Peters, St. Augustine and Jehovah Shalom Primary Schools, all in Shomolu, St. Francis Primary School, Maryland, among others.

During the visit, the team had observed some structural defects in some of the projects, lack of water and power supply, as well as absence of perimeter fencing in some of the schools.

House Committee Chairman on Basic Education and Services, Professor Julius

Ihonvbere who gave his asssement on the tour, expressed concern that most of the schools did not incorporate landscaping , play ground and recreational facilities which is very critical for the development of children.

“They have very beautiful buildings, but the environment is not spacious enough, which needs to be addressed. But we are still concerned about playing ground and playing facilities for children as play is an integral part of children development . We are looking at the perimeter fencing particularly in these days of extensive insecurity and invasion of our schools.

Perimeter fencing is critical, “ he said .

He called the attention of the board to the challenges, adding that it would also do same for the Universal Basic Education Board ( UBEC) Abuja so that they could relate the state’s matching grants to its deployment.

On the issue of poor

power supply in the schools, Ihonvbere said though it is a national problem, but if it is left in the hands of the private sector, the country, will be better for it.

According to him, “The power issue is a national problem, we have deregulated the sector, but even after deregulating the sector, there are still a lot of inefficiency in the system. I think people have advocated alternative energy . Most of the schools UBEC is intervening in these days, include solar-powered lighting and people have talked about other forms of energy. So I think the issue is for there to be investment in the private sector, so that we can move the government away from the supply of power for it to go round.

“It is like petrol until the refineries were privatised, the turn around maintenance was a waste of time, we have done it before, it didn’t work. If you compere it to other sectors, it is the issue of proper privati-

sation. Let the private sector achieve its ultimate capability and provide Nigerians with power. They are ready to pay.

The schools are suffering , they still need power to work in the laboratory and other units. I saw that there are generators, it is a stop gap measure, not a permanent solution to the problem.”

The Executive Chairman, SUBEB, Wahab AlawiyeKing who emphasised on the essence of the visit, said It was part of their constituency responsibility to ensure that the intervention from UBEC has been effectively utilised, adding that the board would be inviting the Lagos State Building Control Agency (LASBCA) to asses the faulty structure .

Hon. Mufutau Egberongbe, representing Apapa Constituency, stressed the need for collaboration between government and the private sector so that adequate provisions can be made for landscaping and waste disposals in public schools.

CIPRMP Confers Lifetime Fellowship on Yabatech Rector Oluchi Chibuzor The Chartered Institute of Public Relations Management and Politics (CIPRMP), Ghana, has conferred Lifetime Fellowship and award on the Rector, Yaba College of Technology, Obafemi Omokungbe.

Speaking at an investiture ceremony, held recently, in Lagos, the Executive Director for the West African Region of CIPRMP, Mr. Richard Kpoku, noted that the fellowship was bestowed on citizens of all nations who have proven themselves as embodiments of integrity.

Kpoku noted that the Council having carried out over two years of extensive research with regards to the rector’s public service and national development , is indeed, very proud of his “unassailable statesmanship pedigree, vast manegerial acumen and shrewd administrative capabilities.”

“It is our firm belief that as a Fellow of this institute, you will impact positively your wealth of uncommon leadership successes, challenges and also cross-fertilise developmental ideas and policies with our notable corporate technocrats, public servants, professionals and veteran statespersons to move the African continent forward.”

In his response,

Omokungbe thanked the institute for the recognition, adding that he was overwhelmed that his work was receiving recognition not just in the country, but also from an international body like CIPRMP. “I am delighted to be nominated for this fellowship. It is practically impossible for me alone to do it without the support of supportive staff. This award is not only for me, but for all of us “Now that I know that what we are doing is not only noted in Nigeria, but also outside the country, It gives me a kind of joy to do more and of course to see that the challenges ahead are worth facing.

There would be distractions, but once one’s work is being recognised, that gives you the happiness to do more. I am enjoying the co-operation of members of staff. That is why I say together, we can achieve more.

“The greatest thing that people resist is change.

So, when we came in, because we want to make an impression, we have to change from the normal way that they were doing before. That is a kind of challenge when you look at the resistance of people.

I give all the glory to God; I will not change. I will continue to be myself and I will continue to uphold the truth that I am known for,” he stressed.

Bauchi Spends N350m on Abandoned Secondary School Project Renovation The Executive Chairman Lagos State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB), Alawiye-King, House Committee Chairman on Basic Education and Services, Prof. Julius Ihonvbere (middle) and the state Governor, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu, during the visit of the committee members on Basic Education, at Government House, Alausa... recently

Varsity Don Advocates Policies to Address Insecurity James Sowole in Akure A Professor of Criminology and Security Studies at Achievers University, Owo, Ondo State, Prof. Joseph Odekunle Fayeye, has appealed to the federal government to formulate and implement policies and programmes that will address the root cause of insecurity in the country.

Specifically, the don said the federal government needs to initiate and implement policies that would address poverty, unemployment, injustice, corruption, porous borders and proliferation of arms and weapons.

Fayeye who made the appeal, while delivering the third inaugural lecture of the university, titled, ‘Welfare Deficit : The Achilles’ Heel and Cobra Effects in Nigeria National Security’, said government and policies makers should

focus on homeland security, freeing citizen from fear by pushing forward development and progress that would meet the needs and desires of the people. “ The purpose of good government is to provide security and welfare for its citizens, unfortunately, there is worsening insecurity in the country, especially the kidnapping for ransom.”

He stressed the need for government at all levels to initiate the processes to increase living standard and welfare of citizens through enhanced life expectancy, food security, housing and job creation, among others as antidote to insecurity challenges in the country He maintained that every government has three responsibilities towards its citizens, which include; protecting, providing for and investing in its people for the country

to move forward. “ In line with international best practices, Nigerians must continue to measure goverance along the four indicators of: security and rule of law, participatum and human rights, sustainable economic opportunities and human development.

“Government at all levels should prioritise good governance of accountability, transparency equitable distribution of resources, poverty reduction and effective management of insecurity.

“Government should organise through the National Orientation Agency an extentensive national debate to identify security issues, involve all sections of society, develop realistic and workable strategies, assess needs and design medium and long term action against insecurity.

“Policy makers, law enforcement and other key stakeholders

in judicial matters should address issues of welfare deficit, social exclusion, corruption and abuse of power.”

Fayeye also advocated that “the informal sector should collaborate with the government through Public-Private -Partnership (PPP) by creating and providing jobs, cooperating with regulatory authorities and security agencies to fight crime “Civil Society Organisation( CSO) in Nigeria should advance the process of security management through constructive criticism, and being the catalysts and advocates of public interest He also called on religious organisations to ensure that social values and norms governing mutual trust are not distorted, violated and compromised and should promote national security through values re-orientation, tolerance and joint problem solving.

Segun Awofadeji in Bauchi Bauchi State Governor, Senator Bala Abdulkadir Mohammed has disclosed that his administration is spending over N350 million to renovate Government Secondary School, Zaki in Zaki Local Government Area of the state.

The governor who made this known, recently, during an inspection of projects awarded by his administration across the state, said 12 more schools will be built and 12 others in dilapidated condition will also be renovated across the 20 LGAs. “We were here a year ago and we saw the dilapidation of the school. It has been abandoned and neglected for 40 years and we decided, because of this school and in recognition of the support and assistance that the people of Zaki has given us, to make this place an example of how we are going to do the educational renewal of Bauchi.

“We have the highest number of out-of-school, we have the highest number

of dilapidated schools, we decided to start with Zaki and we are spending about N350 million and we are going to add more because there are areas that have not been procured,” he stressed.

The governor added that his administration had also observed that 12 more schools needed to be renovated.

“This procurement will be done this year. In order to catch-up with our neighbours and our counterparts as states, we are building 12 more schools because we want to borrow, we want to copy our leader and father, Alhaji Tatari Ali of blessed memory.

“Everything you see in terms of infrastructure services in education and health, it was him, the former governor of Bauchi, who showed us the way.

He built schools in every local government, he was the one who built all the local government headquarters, he was the one who built all the roads we are enjoying today in Bauchi,” Mohammed stressed.

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T H I S D AY ˾ ͱͯ˜ ͰͮͰͯ

Orphan Sponsored

by Greensprings’ IB Students Makes First Class at Anambra Varsity An orphan, Precious Emmanuel, who was sponsored for university education by Greensprings’ International Baccalaureate (IB) diploma students has graduated with a first class in Economics from Anambra State University.

Emmanuel who is among the 2021 graduating set of the university, expressed his appreciations via a video to the students, thanking them for supporting him financially throughout his stay at the university.

“I want to use this opportunity to appreciate Greensprings School, especially the IB Diploma students of the school for supporting me through school. It was a time of hopelessness for me, but they showed up.

I appreciate what they did for me because God moved through them. And for making me happy and giving me hope about the future, I pray that God will continue to bless them,” he said.

Celebrating Emmanuel’s brilliant academic performance, the Wider Curriculum Principal of the school, Mrs Jennifer Sunkanmi-Qaazzeem, said the school’s community is delighted to hear about his achievement, adding that Emmanuel is one among several undergraduates that the IB diploma students are supporting financially through school.

“It gives us great joy to hear that Precious Emmanuel graduated with a first class.

For our IB diploma students, it feels like a pleasant reward for their Creativity, Activity, Service (CAS) project, under which the sponsorship was made. The decision by the IB students to provide financial support for undergraduate students started over a decade ago, and since then, they have successfully

sponsored a good number of students in private and public universities,” she said.

Sunkanmi-Qaazzeem added: “these undergraduates are usually students in dire need of financial support to get an education, and in the case of Emmanuel, he is an orphan who didn’t have anyone to financially support him to pursue his dream of studying Economics. Hence, our IB diploma students took over his sponsorship as part of their community service programme.”

Asked how the IB Diploma students got the fund used for the sponsorship, SunkanmiQaazzeem said they worked for the money and saved it to an account set up by the school.

“The fund used for the sponsorship is not from the pocket money of the students.

They have been trained in entrepreneurship and fundraising, so they worked to generate the fund and seek out donors within the school’s community.

Some of the things they do to get money include making and selling snacks and gift packs, organising movie nights, and getting involved in jumbo sales. They also earn income by providing car wash services, and during school events, they seek donations towards their community service projects, and all income realised from donations and creative crafts of the students are put into a bank account set up for students’ charity projects.”

She noted that he IB diploma charity project is continuous and a requirement for every student that passes through the programme, as it teaches them about humanity and helps them to be better prepared for university life.

Shun Cultism, Examination Malpractices , VC Warns New Students Ibrahim Oyewale in Lokoja As the management of Federal University , Lokoja matriculated no fewer than 1880 students into various degree programmes of the institution, the Vice Chancellor, Professor Olayemi Durotimi Akinwunmi has warned students to shun cultism, examination malpractices and all form of acts inimical to the progress their academic career.

Professor Akinwunmi gave this charge while speaking during the matriculation ceremony, held recently, at temporary site , Adankolo in Lokoja , urged the new intakes to always remember the children of whom they are .

The VC who described cultism as a cankerworn that has eaten deeply into students in higher instItutIons In Nigeria, warned that the university has zero tolerance for cultism and cult related matters .

He also warned that the unIversIty will not spare anyone caught In examInatIon malpractices , noting that the

institution frowned at improper dressing Akunwunmi advised them to dress well at all tImes and that females do not expose the areas of theIr bodies that may lead to issues of rape while the male students should not wear tattered clothes/ jeans and untIdy haIr. The VC told the new students that obedience to all the provisions of rules and regulations in the student handbook will save them from unnecessary embarrassment.

“I, hereby, welcome you to the various degree programmes you have been admitted Into.

As you matriculate today, I am sure that some of you will end in first class honours, others will be in second class honours and some In third class, while some may not even graduate from this university.

“Whatever will be the end result of your academic career here in FUL depends on how you determine to commence this programme because “As you lay your beds is exactly how you lie on them.”

Varsity Develops Expertise to Boost Nigeria’s War Aainst Internet Criminals Emmanuel Ugwu-Nwogo in Umuahia As Nigeria battles internet fraudsters whose nefarious activities have continued to dent the nation’s image, the Clifford University (CLU), Ihie, Abia State, has intensified efforts to provide the needed manpower and expertise to checkmate the cyber criminals.

To achieve this goal, the privately owned ivory tower has introduced a degree programme in Cyber Security, which was among the additional 10 new programmes the National Universities Commission(NUC) officially approved for the institution in 2019.

The Vice-Chancellor, Professor Chimezie Omeonu made this known at a press conference to usher in activities lined up for the forthcoming maiden convocation ceremony of the

five year old institution, billed for March 28, 2021.

The U.S Federal Bureau of Investigation(FBI) in its 2020 Internet Crime Report released during the week placed Nigeria 16th on the list of countries worst affected by cybercrime with 444 reported cases. Only South Africa surpassed Nigeria in the African continent.

But with the B.Sc degree programme in Cyber Security being offered at CLU, Professor Omeonu believes that, in due course, Nigeria would have enough expertise to curb the worrisome trend of internet crime and its attendant harm to the economy.

He noted that the institution has reached out to partner institutions in the US and other parts of the world to tap knowledge and skills from cyber security experts.

‘The specialists would assist in to raising the army of experts

Nigeria needs to put at bay the criminals that operate in the cyber space.”

The CLU VC further stated that the institution was poised to carve a niche in training of nurses and midwives following the commencement of B.NSc. degree programme in Nursing, adding that it would produce high quality nurses and midwives not only for local needs but also for export.

He assured that the CLU, which is the second university, after Babcock University, owned by the Seventh Day Adventist (SDA) church, in Nigeria, was grounded in the international standard of SDA’s tertiary education, noting that it is open to all.

“Clifford University is colour blind, racial blind, ethnicity blind, and state of origin blind, “ he said, adding, “we believe in unity in diversity. We believe we are singular in plural.

“The university belongs to all men and women who have something good to offer in consonance with the time tested philosophy of education of the Adventist Church,” the VC asserted.

Professor Omeonu recalled the various hurdles encountered along the way during the formative stages of the institution.

However, he pointed out that “God has fought and won the battle for his people” as CLU successfully took off in 2016 at the famous Adventist High School, Ihie with a second campus underway at Owerrinta.

According to him, CLU had hit the ground running hence from a modest beginning with three faculties, 10 departments and 15 degree programmes, the institution has blossomed to five faculties(including the newly accredited Law Faculty) and runs no fewer than 23 degree programmes.

A student of Queens College Laos and winner of art competition highlighting women’s rights, Miss Olatokunboh Eniola, receiving her prize from the Principal of the college, Dr.Tokunbo Yakubu-Oyinloye during the matriculation ceremony of new intakes held recently

EY, Edinburgh Varsity Engage Stakeholders on SDGs Data Analytics EY Nigeria and University of Edinburgh recently engaged stakeholders on the Sustainable Development Goals Data Analytics, with participants drawn from the public and private sectors, as well as developmental institutions, civil societies and NGOs. The three-day workshop with the theme ‘SDGs Data Management for enhanced Corporate Sustainability Performance’, sought to understand the current efforts to implement the SDGs in Nigeria, set goal and agreed on a collaborative implementation roadmap for SDGs data management required for sustainable socio-economic development.

At the end of the interactive and insightful workshop, participants generally called for the creation of a multi-stakeholder initiative for mainstreaming SDGs data gathering, impact measurement, tracking and reporting in Nigeria.

In his opening remarks, EY Regional Managing Partner for West Africa, Anthony Oputa,

said the workshop was aimed at identifying gaps and rallying both the public and private sector stakeholders for a unified SDGs data metrics.

He said the workshop, among others, was to harness the power of data analytics for the attainment of the SDGs, as well as build an expert working group on it.

While explaining the rationale behind the workshop, Professor Christina Boswell of Edinburgh University, noted that the workshop was in line with the strategic goals of the institution, which is big on harnessing and tapping data for social goals.

She stated that the university is currently collaborating with organisations like UNICEF, MEDELIN in Colombia to build a wide range of database to address urban planning.

“University of Edinburgh is partnering with organisations like UNICEF and MEDELIN in Colombia to address the SDGs, while aiming to use data analytics/big data in partnerships with

public and private sectors to develop products, services and to develop data literacy in an inclusive and socially progressive way,” Boswell said.

Participants at the workshop commended EY and University of Edinburgh for the initiative, noting that the workshop could not have come at a more favourable and better time.

The Head of Sustainability, Access Bank, Omobolanle VictorLaniyan, while making a case presentation on sustainability and SDGs implementation at Access Bank, provided it’s practices, measurement and reporting as obtain within the bank.

Dr. Ndidi Nnoli-Edozien, Private Sector Advisory Group on SDGs, Nigeria, who co-led the discussion session, called for increased collaboration among stakeholders to ensure inter-connectedness in SDGs data gathering, measurement and reporting.

According to her, the workshop has set the tone for an

important dialogue around SDGs implementation that would make the difference in improving the wellbeing of the Nigerian society.

Mrs. Soromiday George, Director of Corporate Affairs and Sustainable Business, Unilever (Ghana/Nigeria), gave a case presentation on Unilever Sustainable Living Plan (USLP) and the alignment between USLP and the SDGs. On his part, Dr. Simon Harry, Director, Corporate Planning, National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), while presenting a paper on the role of the bureau in ensuring efficient management of data for the SDGs, said the bureau would ensure a strict compliance of context and localisation of data, while working towards data monitoring and tracking.

He catalogued some challenges to include, among others; lack of political will, apathy towards statistical implementation, poor culture of good record keeping, as well as slow pace of ICT development.

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T H I S D AY ˾ ͱͯ˜ ͰͮͰͯ

CITYSTRINGS

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Promoting Kinetic Operations for Counter Terrorism, Insurgency in Nigeria Ona Ekhomu

O

n Monday 22nd March 2021, the Chief of Defence Staff, General Lucky Irabor hosted a brainstorming session for the conical apex of military, security and intelligence leadership in Nigeria at the National Defence College Abuja.

The purpose of the one-day summit was to generate powerful ideas on the application of kinetic operations to restore peace to Nigeria in the wake of an inexorable and implacable terrorist/insurgent onslaught.

The summit combined two structured analytical methodologies for idea generation – structured brainstorming and virtual brainstorming. The goal of the conference was to find innovative and creative solutions to Nigeria’s endemic insecurity using the kinetic approach.

Stakeholders The Special Guest of Honour was the Minister of Defence, Major General Bashir Magashi (Rtd). Other Special guests included Delta State Governor, Sen. Ifeanyi Okowa, Ekiti State Governor and Chairman of the Nigerian Governors’ Forum Dr. Kayode Fayemi (virtual), Information Minister Alhaji Lai Mohammed, Niger Delta Affairs Minister Senator Godswill Akpabio, Minister of State for Petroleum Chief Timipre Sylva, the National Security Adviser Major General Babagana Monguno (Rtd), the Chief of Staff to the President represented by Presidential Spokesman Chief Femi Adesina. Service Chiefs included the Chief of Army Staff represented

by Major General Ben Ahanotu, Chief of the Naval Staff Vice Admiral AZ Gambo, Chief of Air Staff Air Marshall Isiaka Arnao, the Inspector General of Police represented, Chief of Defence Intelligence Major General Samuel Adebayo, Director General of National Intelligence Agency Amb. Abubakar Rufai, Chief of Defence Space Administration Rear Admiral Williams Kayoda, Commandant of the National Defence College Rear Admiral Oladele Daji.

Former service chiefs in attendance included former Chiefs of Defence Staff, Admiral Ogohi (Rtd.), General Alexander Ogomudia (Rtd.), Admiral OS Ibrahim (Rtd.). Former Chiefs of Army Staff present included Lt. Gen. ML Agwai (Rtd), Lt. Gen. Onyeabor Ihejirika (Rtd). Traditional rulers included the Gbong Gwom Jos and the Ooni of Ife represented by Chief Adebisi Layade.

Summit Objectives The Chief of Defence Staff General Lucky Irabor referenced the presidential mandate to the military to restore peace in the land at the shortest possible time.

He said that the summit was adopting the whole of society approach to fighting insurgency. General Irabor said that the summit was leveraging on the collective wisdom of stakeholders such as the military, the police, intelligence community, the military, politicians, traditional rulers, the media, para-military organization, civil society organizations, the diplomatic corps, academia to generate usable and practical knowledge and ideas for prosecution of the CTCOIN Operations. He gave the objectives as follows: a) To create functional awareness of the kinetic approach and its implication. b) Promote buy-in and support of critical stakeholders c) Promote civil-military relations (CMR) d) Promote credible deterrence e) Facilitate strategic communications f) Consider other measures to sustain security and stabilize the polity.

Kinetic Operations The lead paper presenter Ambassador

CDS, General Lucky Irabor Abdullahi Omaki of the Savannah Centre in Abuja defined kinetic operations as “the targeted application of military force.” He contended that since military operations often resulted in collateral damage (i.e. unintentional deaths of civilians), the use of kinetic operations was intended to find “a balance to the proportionate use of force (Kinetic) to contain, stamp out and deter terrorists and insurgents, before a return to soft power approach is possible.” While kinetic operations aim at restoring peace and security, economic approaches (soft power) aim to restore social stabilization.

He contended that Nigeria was beset by a galaxy of threats including Boko Haram/ ISWAP insurgency in the North East; banditry, cattle rustling, farmers-herders clashes, ransom kidnap in the North West and North Central; cultism, communal clashes, resource-control agitations, as well as IPOB challenges in the South of the country. He said: “security agencies seem not able to keep pace with wide public demands for better protection of lives and properties of citizens” Amb. Omaki contended that he broad spectrum of threats have contributed to agitations for state police and community policing leading to the emergence of regional security outfits such as the Amotekun (South West) Shege Kafasa, (North West), Odinigwe (South East).

The lead presenter then recommended that the military should make conscious efforts to win hearts and minds (cognitive operations), conduct robust intelligence operations, engage in stability operations (peace building efforts), utilize small tactical teams in combat operations and utilize external support such as use of the MultiNational Joint Task Force (MNJTF). He further recommended that the government should work with regional neighbors to increase the security of our porous borders.

Interventions The paper was then dissected by six discussants and other participants in an explosive intervention session moderated by the former Commandant of the National Defence College Abuja Rear Admiral Mackson Kadiri (Rtd.). In the first intervention, Major General Niyi Oyebade (Rtd.) former Commandant of the Nigerian Defence Academy Kaduna and also former General Officer Commanding (GOC) 1 Division of

the Nigerian Army with headquarters in Kaduna recalled the strategies that served him well in his role as GOC. He said he made extensive use of locals to gather intelligence for kinetic operations. He said that there was a major role for traditional rulers in CTCOIN operations.

The former Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Prof. Attahiru Jega described kinetic operations as active military warfare. He said that politicians do not like to use the word “war” so they use the term “kinetic.”

Prof. Jega said that armed bandits were contesting the legitimacy of the state. “They are challenging the state” he added. So the military must neutralize the non-state actors, stabilize the security situation and promote law and order.

Intervening from the viewpoint of law enforcement, the former Inspector-General of Police Dr. Solomon Arase called for inclusion of police personnel in intelligence fusion centres. He said that based upon the whole of government approach police personnel should be included in kinetic operations to govern liberated areas. He advised the military to allow the police create case files and prosecute captured enemy combatants. He observed that military personnel were not adapt in prosecutorial strategies. He also called for witness protection for witnesses and judicial officials in terrorism cases.

Professor Isaac Albert of the University of Ibadan introduced a conceptual model for conflict resolution in kinetic operations.

The nine step model included the role of government, the role of professional conflict resolution civil society organizations, the role of businesses, the role of private citizen, the role of research and training institutions, the role of activists, the role of religious organizations, the role of funding and the role of public opinion/communication.

A former media executive Dr. Okey Okechukwu wondered why there were no media executives in attendance at the summit. He said that the military should focus on visibility of operations and dominate the media space. He called for “incestuous communication” between the military and the media such that there is responsible and patriotic reportage of news.

In my intervention I called for the use of force multipliers to enable prompt response

to call for service (CFS) by citizens. I explained that force multiplication refers to a factor or a contribution that gives the military the ability to accomplish greater feats than without it. I said that giving dedicated CUG lines to selected person in rural communities would help them make distress calls to military Command and Control Centre (C3) which would enable the military to respond promptly in the event of an attack. At present, communities come under prolonged attacks by bandits and insurgents but they are unable to contact the authorities. Since the military cannot be everywhere, the force multipliers will sharpen kinetic operation to enable neutralization of threats and safety of citizens. I also called for the scrapping of Operation Safe Corridor which I described as “recycling of fighters in the North East”.

Former Director of Naval Intelligence, Rear Admiral (Barrister) Peter Ebhaleme (Rtd.) called for proper funding of the military and massive recruitment to prosecute CTCOIN operations.

The Gbong Gwom Jos, HRH Dr. Jacob Gyang Buba called for a constitutional role for traditional rulers. He said that prior to the Local government reforms of 1976, the security of the rural areas was competently handled by the traditional leadership institutions.

The National Security Adviser Major General Babagana Monguno (Rtd.) said that he had collated a wide array of ideas, suggestions and strategies to move forward the CTCOIN operations and restoring peace and security to Nigeria.

In his remarks, the Minister of Defence described the security situation in Nigeria as “critical”. I was asked by a national television network on 25th March why the Minister described security situation in those stark terms. I explained that the term “critical” is used in risk assessment in rating the impact of loss of an asset.

In a criticality assessment rating, a critical asset is one that involves human life and or catastrophic financial loss. So, since insurgency and terrorism result in the loss of human lives and large scale destruction of property. The security situation is in fact critical, I averred.

Drawing the curtain on the highly successful summit, the Minister of Defence said he would take the recommendations back to the President and Commander in Chief for further necessary action.

Conclusion The vision of the Chief of Defence Staff, General Lucky Irabor (who was from 2015 to 2017 the theatre commander of Operation Lafiya Dole) to organize the summit was a sound one as it generated usable and powerful ideas that would shape future kinetic operations in the theatre of internal military operations throughout the country. The summit was a refreshing return to the use thought as a precursor to action -- rather than reacting to stimuli.

The terrorists/insurgents have tended to demonstrate the initiative in hostile encounters with the military – using roadside bombs, person-borne IEDs, vehicle-borne IED, ambushes, using of fresh gear such as AA guns in projectile encounters. The CDS and the military high command must now invent new tactics and strategies to take the war to the enemy and bring the various conflicts to an end. Unfortunately the threats are a legion. They include Boko Haramism, northwest banditry, farmerherder internecine violence, cultism, rabid kidnapping, ethnic militias, piracy, etc. The bottom line is that ongoing low intensity conflicts in Nigeria must be contained, the threats neutralized or incapacitated and peace restored so that Nigerians can once again enjoy the Aristotelian good life. ...Dr. Ekhomu is the National President Association of Industrial Security and Safety Operators of Nigeria (AISSON).

WEDNESDAY MARCH 31, 2021 • T H I S D AY

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T H I S D AY ˾ ͱͯ˜ 2021

40

BUSINESS/MONEYGUIDE

Nigerian Banks’Outlook Remains Negative, Says Moody’s Obinna Chima The outlook for Nigeria’s banking system remains negative, reflecting expectations of rising asset risk and weakening government support capacity over the next 12 to 18 months, Moody’s Investors Service stated in a report published yesterday.

Analyst at Moody’s and the co-author of the report, Peter Mushangwe, predicted that Nigerian banks’ loan quality would weaken in 2021 as coronavirus support measures implemented by the government and central bank last year, including the loan repayment holiday, are unwound.

Mushangwe added: “The negative outlook also captures the weakening capacity of the government of Nigeria to support the country’s banks

in case of need, as reflected by the negative outlook on the government’s credit rating; on the other hand, Nigerian banks hold robust capital buffers and foreign-currency shortages will ease.”

According to the report, banks in Africa’s biggest economy face higher asset quality risks as coronavirus support measures are withdrawn amid large singlename and sectoral concentrations and as banks hold a large volume of foreign currency loans.

Furthermore, it stated that banks’ balance sheets are also burdened by large volumes of stage two loans.

The rating agency estimated that between 40 to 45 per cent of banking loans were restructured in 2020, easing pressure on borrowers following the outbreak of the pandemic.

“Still, the government’s capacity to support banks may weaken, as it has an extremely low revenue base, which has remained below 10 per cent of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) since 2015.

“However, the government’s willingness to provide support to large banks in the event of a crisis and to sustain financial stability will remain high,” it maintained.

Also, Moody’s expects economic activity to rebound in Nigeria, with real GDP growth of 2.1 per cent this year and 3.1 per cent in 2022, following a 1.9 per cent contraction in 2020. The current high oil prices, if sustained, would further boost economic activity; however, the economy will remain sensitive to oil price movements, it stated.

UPDC Seeks Approval for Loan from Majority Shareholders Goddy Egene UACN Property Development Company Plc is seeking the approval of its shareholders to enter into loan agreement with its majority shareholders, Custodian Investment Plc and UAC of Nigeria Plc to discharge its outstanding debt obligations.

UPDC, which used to be a subsidiary of UAC of Nigeria Plc became a subsidiary of Custodian Investment Plc when the investment firm acquired 51 per cent stake last November.

The company was recording losses in recent time until it strengthened its capital structure with completion of the N16 billion rights issue, leading to an 80 per cent reduction its debt from N21 billion to N6 billion.

However, in order to discharge its outstanding debt obligations,

the board of UPDC is requesting that the shareholders approve that the firm be allowed to enter into a loan agreement with its majority shareholders.

In a special resolution being put before the shareholders at its forthcoming annual general meeting(AGM), the directors have proposed: “That the company be and is hereby authorised to enter into a shareholder loan agreement with Custodian Investment Plc and UAC of Nigeria Plc for the provision of a shareholder loan required by the company for the discharge of its outstanding debt obligations; that in furtherance of the foregoing resolution, the company be and is hereby authorised to create a charge over such asset(s) of the company as the directors may determine, in favour of the majority shareholders as security for the shareholder

loan.”

The directors are also seeking the authorisation to raise additional capital via the issue of debt instruments, preference shares or ordinary shares or a combination of any of these options whether by way of private placements, rights to existing shareholders or offer for subscription at a quantum and price upon such other terms and conditions to be determined at the discretion of the directors and subject to any requisite regulatory approvals.

“That the directors be and are hereby authorised to do all such acts as the board may deem necessary or incidental to effect the above resolutions, including without limitation, entering into the necessary agreements and complying with directives of any regulatory authority,” the directors said.

Shell, UNIPORT Inaugurate Aret Adams Chair for Petroleum Engineering Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria Limited (SPDC) and the University of Port Harcourt (UNIPORT) in Rivers State have appointed Sunday Ikiensikimama, a professor of Petroleum and Gas Engineering, on a fouryear term to the SPDC JV Aret Adams Professorial Chair in Petroleum Engineering at UNIPORT. Making the announcement at a ceremony recently, a statement revealed that the two organisa-

tions said the new Aret Adams Chair Professor came tops in a keenly contested selection process.

SPDC General Manager, External Relations, Mr. Igo Weli, was quoted to have said: “SPDC Joint Venture endowed the professorial chair in honour of foremost Petroleum Engineer and former Group Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Aret Adams, to highlight the company’s commitment to human capital development

in the Niger Delta.

“Experts have said, an endowed chair is among the most important gifts to higher education. It is a vital tool to ensure excellence. As a result, SPDC continues to support education initiatives,” Weli added Weli, who is also the Alternate Chairman for the Board of Directors for the SPDC Aret Adams Professorial Chair, said SPDC believes that educating Nigeria’s young population is critical to the success of the country.

StanbicIBTC Insurance Seeks Improved Technology Adoption Ebere Nwoji The Chief Executive Officer of Stanbic IBTC Insurance, Mr. Akinjide Orimolade, has advised the National Insurance Commission (NAICOM) to collaborate with service providers in the use of technology in insurance product distribution.

Orimolade, who gave the advice while introducing his newly licensed company, Stanbic IBTC Insurance to the media, noted that there are bountiful opportunities in Nigerian insurance market, even as he noted that less than 10 per cent of the

population have insurance cover.

He noted that currently, more and more small and medium enterprises (SMEs) are seeking out insurance solutions, which he said was a clear indicator of room for growth in the industry.

He noted that to improve on the present low level of insurance penetration in the country, there was need for operators to partner with telcom companies.

“The industry will develop as there will be an increasing need for business owners to prioritise insurance to protect their properties and lives,” Orimolade stated.

He further highlighted the need to innovate and evolve to meet the changing needs of the insurance ecosystem, adding that this is where Stanbic IBTC Insurance comes in.

“The birth of Stanbic IBTC Insurance can be described as meeting a pressing need at the right time. The journey of a thousand miles, they say, begins with a single step and for us, several giant strides have been made.

“We are positive that this venture will bring smiles to the faces of our customers,” Orimolade stated.

MARKET INDICATORS MONEY AND CREDIT STATISTICS

(MILLION NAIRA)

JANUARY 2021 Money Supply (M3)

38,779,455.43

-- CBN Bills Held by Money Holding Sectors

1,039,129.55

Money Supply (M2)

37,740,325.88

-- Quasi Money

21,779,302.69

-- Narrow Money (M1)

15,961,023.19

---- Currency Outside Banks

2,364,871.13

---- Demand Deposits

13,596,152.06

Net Foreign Assets (NFA)

7,414,275.50

Net Domestic Assets(NDA)

31,365,179.93

-- Net Domestic Credit (NDC)

42,916,586.63

---- Credit to Government (Net)

12,304,773.44

---- Memo: Credit to Govt. (Net) less FMA

0.00

---- Memo: Fed. and Mirror Accounts (FMA)

0.00

---- Credit to Private Sector (CPS)

30,611,813.19

--Other Assets Net

3,892,112.74

Reserve Money (Base Money

13,264,585.14

--Currency in Circulation

2,831,167.19

--Banks Reserves --Special Intervention Reserves

10,433,417.96 317,234.17

˾ ÙßÜÍÏ ̋

Money Market Indicators (in Percentage) Month

March 2018

Inter-Bank Call Rate

15.16

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

14.00

Treasury Bill Rate

11.84

Savings Deposit Rate

4.07

1 Month Deposit Rate

8.82

3 Months Deposit Rate

9.72

6 Months Deposit Rate

10.93

12 Months Deposit Rate

10.21

Prime Lending rate

17.35

Maximum Lending Rate

31.55

˾ ÙØÏÞËÜã ÙÖÓÍã ËÞÏ ̋ ͯͱϱ

OPEC DAILY BASKET PRICE AS AT MONDAY, 29 MARCH 2021

The price of OPEC basket of thirteen crudes stood at $62.86 a barrel on Monday, compared with $62.56 the previous Friday, according to OPEC Secretariat calculations.

The OPEC Reference Basket of Crudes (ORB) is made up of the following: Saharan Blend (Algeria), Girassol (Angola), Djeno (Congo), Zafiro (Equatorial Guinea), Rabi Light (Gabon), Iran Heavy (Islamic Republic of Iran), Basra Light (Iraq), Kuwait Export (Kuwait), Es Sider (Libya), Bonny Light (Nigeria), Arab Light (Saudi Arabia), Murban (UAE) and Merey (Venezuela).

SOURCE: OPEC headquarters, Vienna

41

T H I S D AY ˾ ͱͮ˜ ͰͮͰͯ

Cadbury Nigeria Posts N932m Profit after Tax, to Pay N338m Dividend Goddy Egene Cadbury Nigeria Plc yesterday announced a profit after tax (PAT) of N932 million for the year ended December 31, 2020 as well as a dividend of N338 million for its shareholders.

The dividend, which translates into 18 kobo per share is lower than the 49 kobo paid the previous year. The reduction was due to the decline in profit for the

company.

The audited results showed that Cadbury Nigeria Plc recorded a revenue of N35.407 billion, down from N39.327 billion in 2019. Cost of sales reduced from N31 billion to N29.508 billion, bringing the gross profit to N5.899 billion, compared to N8.326 billion.

The company reduced selling and distribution expenses by 12.1 per cent to N4.578 billion, as

P R I C E S MAIN BOARD

F O R DEALS

against N5.209 billion. Administrative expenses witnessed a 36 per cent reduction from N1.818 billion to N1.160 billion. The firm ended the year with a profit before tax (PBT) of N408.065 million, showing a decline of 73 per cent from N1.538 billion in 2019.

However, PAT was boosted to N932 million following a tax credit of N523 million.

The share price of Cadbury rose 1.8 per cent to close higher at 8.25

S E C U R I T I E S MARKET PRICE

QUANTITY TRADED

VALUE TRADED ( N )

yesterday, as investors reacted positively to the dividend declaration.

But the equities market closed on negative note due to negative performance due to sell-offs in Dangote Cement Plc, Ecobank Transnational Incorporated and Fidelity Bank Plc. The Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) All-Share Index fell 0.57 per cent to close at 39,267.11, while market

T R A D E D MAIN BOARD

A S

capitalisation shed N118.4 billion to be at N20.5 trillion.

Trading activity waned as volume and value declined 35.6 per cent and 69.3 per cent respectively to 336.1 million shares and N3.3 billion. The most traded stock by volume was Union Bank of Nigeria Plc with 78.9 million shares.

The incoming Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Union Bank of Nigeria Plc, Mr. Emeka Okonkwo,

O F

had on Monday told the stock market community that the financial institution would continue to create greater value for all stakeholders.

We will also continue to provide compelling and innovative products to drive customer transaction growth and service delivery, whilst deepening our relationship with key stakeholders including NSE as we move towards our goal,” he said.

3 0 / 0 3 / 2 0 2 1 DEALS

MARKET PRICE

QUANTITY TRADED

VALUE TRADED ( N)

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MARKET NEWS

Infinity Trust Mortgage Bank Forecasts N102m Profit in Q2 Goddy Egene

Plc has made its earnings forecast for the second quarter ending June 30, 2021,

Infinity Trust Mortgage Bank 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

projecting gross earnings of N331.817 million. Interest income is put at N232.256

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 29Mar-2021, unless otherwise stated.

million, while net revenue from funds will be N194 million, while net operating

income is expected to be at N185.248 million. The bank said it would end the period

with profit before tax of N102 million and profit after tax of N91.9 million.

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 154.42 155.95 -4.55% Afrinvest Plutus Fund 100.00 100.00 3.58% Nigeria International Debt Fund 332.72 332.72 -16.35% Afrinvest Dollar Fund 108.24 108.24 -3.39% ALTERNATIVE CAPITAL PARTNERS LTD info@acapng.com Web: www.acapng.com, Tel: +234 1 291 2406, +234 1 291 2868 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn ACAP Canary Growth Fund 1.04 1.06 16.18% ACAP Income Funds 0.65 0.65 -10.99% 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 2.67% AIICO Balanced Fund 3.42 3.58 -3.54% ANCHORIA ASSET MANAGEMENT LIMITED info@anchoriaam.com Web:www.anchoriaam.com, Tel: 08166830267; 08036814510; 08028419180 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Anchoria Money Market N/A N/A N/A Anchoria Equity Fund N/A N/A N/A Anchoria Fixed Income Fund N/A N/A N/A ARM INVESTMENT MANAGERS LTD enquiries@arminvestmentcenter.com Web: www.arm.com.ng; Tel: 0700 CALLARM (0700 225 5276) Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn ARM Aggressive Growth Fund 18.42 18.97 1.55% ARM Discovery Balanced Fund 405.58 417.81 1.30% ARM Ethical Fund 35.52 36.59 5.37% ARM Eurobond Fund ($) 1.19 1.20 -2.45% ARM Fixed Income Fund 1.04 1.05 -6.87% ARM Money Market Fund 1.00 1.00 2.09% AVA GLOBAL ASSET MANAGERS LIMITED info@avacapitalgroup.com Web: www.avacapitalgroup.com Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn AVA GAM Fixed Income Dollar Fund 103.30 103.30 1.56% AXA MANSARD INVESTMENTS LIMITED investmentcare@axamansard.com Web: www.axamansard.com; Tel: +2341-4488482 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn AXA Mansard Equity Income Fund N/A N/A N/A AXA Mansard Money Market Fund N/A N/A N/A CAPITAL EXPRESS ASSET AND TRUST LIMITED info@capitalexpressassetandtrust.com Web: www.capitalexpressassetandtrust.com ; Tel: +234 803 307 5048 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn CEAT Fixed Income Fund 2.04 2.04 -22.25% Capital Express Balanced Fund(Formerly: Union Trustees Mixed Fund) 2.18 2.22 -7.80% CHAPELHILL DENHAM MANAGEMENT LTD investmentmanagement@chapelhilldenham.com Web: www.chapelhilldenham.com, Tel: +234 461 0691 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Chapelhill Denham Money Market Fund 100.00 100.00 3.10% Paramount Equity Fund 15.53 15.82 -2.88% Women's Investment Fund 131.13 132.57 -1.49% CORDROS ASSET MANAGEMENT LIMITED assetmgtteam@cordros.com Web: www.cordros.com, Tel: 019036947 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Cordros Money Market Fund 100.00 100.00 2.54% Cordros Milestone Fund 2023 128.41 129.32 Cordros Milestone Fund 2028 N/A N/A Cordros Dollar Fund ($) 110.55 110.55 CORONATION ASSEST MANAGEMENT investment@coronationam.com Web:www.coronationam.com , Tel: 012366215 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Coronation Money Market Fund N/A N/A N/A Coronation Balanced Fund N/A N/A N/A Coronation Fixed Income Fund N/A N/A N/A mutualfundng@ecobank.com EDC FUNDS MANAGEMENT LIMITED 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 2.24% EDC Nigeria Money Market Fund Class B 1,000,000.00 1,000,000.00 2.14% EDC Nigeria Fixed Income Fund 1,161.25 1,165.54 -3.17% FBNQUEST ASSET MANAGEMENT LTD invest@fbnquest.com Web: www.fbnquest.com/asset-management; Tel: +234-81 0082 0082 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn FBN Fixed Income Fund N/A N/A N/A FBN Balanced Fund 185.01 186.33 -1.42% FBN Halal Fund 110.44 110.44 4.49% FBN Money Market Fund 100.00 100.00 0.00% FBN Nigeria Eurobond (USD) Fund - Institutional N/A N/A N/A FBN Nigeria Eurobond (USD) Fund - Retail N/A N/A N/A FBN Smart Beta Equity Fund 148.22 150.20 -1.96% FCMB ASSET MANAGEMENT LIMITED fcmbamhelpdesk@fcmb.com Web: www.fcmbassetmanagement.com; Tel: +234 1 462 2596 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Legacy Money Market Fund 1.00 1.00 1.48% Legacy Debt Fund 3.91 3.91 1.03% Legacy Equity Fund 1.55 1.59 2.04% Legacy USD Bond Fund 1.15 1.15 1.19% FSDH ASSET MANAGEMENT LTD coralfunds@fsdhgroup.com Web: www.fsdhaml.com; Tel: 01-270 4884-5; 01-280 9740-1 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Coral Growth Fund 3,785.87 3,836.25 1.01% Coral Income Fund 3,349.18 3,349.18 2.23% FSDH Treasury Bills Fund 100.00 100.00 1.80%

GREENWICH ASSET MANAGEMENT LIMITED assetmanagement@gtlgroup.com Web: www.gtlgroup.com ; Tel: +234 1 4619261-2 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Greenwich Plus Money Market Fund 100.00 100.00 0.87% Nigeria Entertainment Fund 127.27 126.73 17.68% GROWTH & DEVELOPMENT ASSET MANAGEMENT LIMITED assetmanagement@gdl.com.ng Web: www.gdl.com.ng ; Tel: +234 9055691122 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn GDL Money Market Fund N/A N/A N/A INVESTMENT ONE FUNDS MANAGEMENT LTD enquiries@investment-one.com Web: www.investment-one.com; Tel: +234 812 992 1045,+234 1 448 8888 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Abacus Money Market Fund 100.00 100.00 2.18% Vantage Balanced Fund 2.70 2.76 17.64% Vantage Guaranteed Income Fund 1.00 1.00 4.50% Kedari Investment Fund (KIF) 145.88 146.26 -6.15% Vantage Dollar Fund (VDF) - June Year End 1.08 1.08 5.10% LOTUS CAPITAL LTD fincon@lotuscapitallimited.com Web: www.lotuscapitallimited.com; Tel: +234 1-291 4626 / +234 1-291 4624 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Lotus Halal Investment Fund N/A N/A N/A Lotus Halal Fixed Income Fund N/A N/A N/A MERISTEM WEALTH MANAGEMENT LTD info@meristemwealth.com Web: http://www.meristemwealth.com/funds/ ; Tel: +234 1-4488260 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Meristem Equity Market Fund N/A N/A N/A Meristem Money Market Fund N/A N/A N/A PAC ASSET MANAGEMENT LTD info@pacassetmanagement.com Web: www.pacassetmanagement.com/mutualfunds; Tel: +234 1 271 8632 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn PACAM Balanced Fund 1.59 1.62 7.47% PACAM Fixed Income Fund 12.36 12.49 1.05% PACAM Money Market Fund 10.00 10.00 1.74% PACAM Equity Fund 1.55 1.57 -1.59% PACAM EuroBond Fund 109.83 112.60 0.42% SCM CAPITAL LIMITED info@scmcapitalng.com Web: www.scmcapitalng.com; Tel: +234 1-280 2226,+234 1- 280 2227 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn SCM Capital Frontier Fund 128.67 130.93 3.84% SFS CAPITAL NIGERIA LTD investments@sfsnigeria.com Web: www.sfsnigeria.com, Tel: +234 (01) 2801400 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn SFS Fixed Income Fund 1.01 1.01 3.31% 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 3,121.03 3,145.32 -2.96% Stanbic IBTC Bond Fund 227.62 227.62 1.23% Stanbic IBTC Ethical Fund 1.14 1.16 -2.54% Stanbic IBTC Guaranteed Investment Fund 298.14 298.15 1.18% Stanbic IBTC Iman Fund 208.46 211.13 -4.58% Stanbic IBTC Money Market Fund 100.00 100.00 1.86% Stanbic IBTC Nigerian Equity Fund 9,754.51 9,879.59 -7.11% Stanbic IBTC Dollar Fund (USD) 1.24 1.24 1.39% Stanbic IBTC Shariah Fixed Income Fund 112.88 112.88 1.62% UNITED CAPITAL ASSET MANAGEMENT LTD Web: www.unitedcapitalplcgroup.com; Tel: +234 803 306 2887 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn United Capital Balanced Fund 1.32 1.34 -3.35% United Capital Bond Fund 1.92 1.92 1.43% United Capital Equity Fund 0.89 0.91 2.94% United Capital Money Market Fund 1.00 1.00 3.87% United Capital Eurobond Fund 118.83 118.83 1.49% United Capital Wealth for Women Fund 1.07 1.08 -1.62% United capital Sukuk Fund 1.03 1.03 2.58% QUANTUM ZENITH ASSET MANAGEMENT & INVESTMENTS LTD service@quantumzenithasset.com.ng Web: www.quantumzenith.com.ng; Tel: +234 1-2784219 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Zenith Equity Fund 12.05 12.16 1.55% Zenith Ethical Fund 13.35 13.46 9.22% Zenith Income Fund 24.24 24.24 1.08% Zenith Money Market Fund 1.00 1.00 2.47%

REITS NAV Per Share

Yield / T-Rtn

121.90 52.85

0.96% 0.86%

Bid Price

Offer Price

Yield / T-Rtn

12.36 119.14 94.28

12.46 119.14 96.05

-6.49% -2.14% -5.12%

Fund Name SFS Skye Shelter Fund Union Homes REIT

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

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

funds@vetiva.com Bid Price

Offer Price

Yield / T-Rtn

3.81 5.36 16.95 1.00 19.17 173.96

3.85 5.44 17.05 1.00 19.37 175.96

0.85% -5.68% 3.65% 2.09% -6.55% -21.09%

NAV Per Share

Yield / T-Rtn

107.40

13.11%

INFRASTRUCTURE FUND Fund Name Chapel Hill Denham Nigeria Infrastructure Debt Fund

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

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NEWSXTRA

Catholic Priest, Cook, Others Abducted in Kaduna Police rescue eight kidnap victims

John Shiklam in Kaduna A Catholic priest, Rev. Fr. Anthony Dawah; his cook; the Catechist’s wife and unspecified number of people have reportedly been abducted by bandits in Kushe Makaranta village, Kagarko Local Government Area of Kaduna State.

But in another incident, the state police command said it had rescued eight kidnap victims and recovered an AK-49 rifle from bandits.

The abductions came barely four days after eight members of the Redeem Christian Church of God (RCCG), were kidnapped by gunmen on Friday last week, along the Kaduna- Kachia road.

The latest incident was said

to have occurred at about 2am yesterday when the hoodlums invaded the community.

Kaduna State Chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Rev. Joseph Hayap, who confirmed the incident in a telephone interview said, “Reverend Father Dawah was kidnapped in the early hours of the day (Tuesday), around 2am, along with his cook, the Catechist’s wife and some other people around” Hayap said another incident of kidnapping had occurred on Sunday in Kachia, adding that “the Catholic Church in Kachia will come up with details.”

Speaking further, Hayab said the abducted Catholic priest “was

supposed to have come to Kaduna town, from Kagarko , but he said he had a mass this morning and promised to come after the mass.

“That mass could not be conducted as he was Kidnapped.”

Hayab added that the clergyman was “still with the bandits now, adding that they have not called back to give details of the whereabouts of the Priest and others who were Kidnaped”.

Spokesman of the Kaduna State Police Command, Muhammad Jalige did not respond to telephone

calls when contacted.

In another incident, the state police command said it had rescued eight kidnap victims and recovered an AK-49 rifle from bandits.

Spokesman of the command, Jalige, who disclosed this in a statement issued yesterday, said the victims were abducted sometimes on February 28, along Zaria –Kaduna expressway aboard a luxurious bus on their way to Delta State.

He said the bandits were

intercepted on Monday by the police during a patrol along Galidamawa/Kidandan area of Giwa Local Government Area of the state.

According to Jalige, “On March 29, 2021 at about 0600hrs men of Operation Puff Adder II attached to Kaduna (Police) Command, while on routine patrol along Galidamawa/Kidandan area of Giwa LGA, intercepted a group of armed bandits alongside some victims in their possession.

“On sighting the (police)

operatives they took to their heels abandoning their victims and one AK-49 rifle and in the process eight kidnap victims were rescued unhurt”.

The statement said the eight people rescued, including a female are: Bala Ibrahim, Gloria Ede (from Ebonyi state), Japheth Sani (Kebbi State, Kinsley Edgbue (Delta State), Anthony Okafor (Anambra State, Gabriel Agu (Anambra State), Chibuzo Nwokorie (Anambra state) and Ifeanyi Samuel (from Enugu State.)

Gunmen Kill Another Priest in Benue George Okoh in Makurdi Gunmen suspected to be bandits yesterday attacked St. Paul’s Catholic Church in Sai, Kastina-Ala Local Government Area in Benue State and killed the Catholic Priest, Reverend Fr. Ngugban Fanen.

According to a local source, the bandits stormed the church and started shooting at those in the church, including the priest, who was in the church house.

Some of the worshipers sustained bullet injuries, but the priest was unlucky and was killed in the process.

Meanwhile, the state police command has confirmed the incident.

According to a statement from the state police command, which was signed by its Public Relations Officer (PPRO), DSP Sewuese Anene, the priest corpse has

been deposited at the General Hospital in Kastsina-Ala while a joint operation of police and other security agencies in the state are on the trail of the gunmen.

“We confirmed the attack on St. Paul’s Catholic Church in Aye-Twar village, Agu centre, Kastina-Ala LGA by bandits, where Fr. Nguban Fanen lost his life during the attack.

“The corpse has been deposited at the General Hospital in KastsinaAla while a joint operation of the police and other security agencies in the state is on the trail of the hoodlums,” the police said.

Also confirming the incident, the chairman of Katsina-Ala LGA, Mr. Alfred Atera, said the priest was killed in his resident.

Recently, gunmen suspected to be Fulani herdsmen attacked the state Governor, Samuel Ortom, in Tyo Mu in Makurdi LGA but he escaped narrowly.

House Summons FIRS Boss over Issuance of Tax Clearance to Company Udora Orizu inAbuja The House of Representatives Committee on Public Account yesterday summoned the DirectorGeneral of the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), Muhammad Nami, to explain tax clearance issued to a United States company, Proctor and Gamble (P&G), operating in Nigeria without paying tax to the federal government.

The invitation was sequel to a unanimous adoption of a motion

by Hon. Zakaria Nyampa at an investigative hearing in Abuja.

The committee is investigating revenue remittances of the company between 2016 and 2018 based on a query raised by the Office of the Auditor General of the Federation (AuGF).

Moving the motion, Nyampa said the years under review, the turnover of P&G was N42 billion, N41 billion and N48 billion respectively, while its profit is nil.

He said there was need for FIRS to come and authenticate the clearance certificates paraded by P&G, and explain reasons for the issuance.

The lawmaker said: “Chairman please permit me to take this as a motion, some of these years under review-2017, 2016, and 2018-where their turnover was N42 billion, N41 billion and N48 billion and their

profit were nil; FIRS went ahead to give them tax clearance, I want to move a motion that we invite FIRS to authenticate these certificates.

And what are their financial returns, the things they find that FIRS was convinced that these people should not pay tax for those years under review, I so move the motion Mr. Chairman.’’

In his ruling, the Chairman of the committee, Hon. Wole Oke, while directing the Clerk of the House to ensure compliance, said issuance of tax clearance certificate does not always depend on payment of taxes.

He also said there was need to look into the import duty documents of P&G, adding that the company imported equipment worth N6.4 billion in 2017.

The lawmaker said: “If you look at the acceptance given to you, which was dated March 6, 2017, your foreign content value was N6.4 billion for machinery and equipment. We need to look at their asset register in their versions audited account and their value on this certificate of acceptance along with their import duty paid on the equipment imported worth N6.4 billion.

The document you need to give us now is your import duty on the plant equipment and machinery.

WOMEN AND YOUTHS IN FOCUS…

L-R: Executive Director, Corporate Services, Nigeria Import Export Bank (NEXIM), Dr. Bala Bello; Executive Director, Business Development, Hon. Stella OKotete; Minister of Women Affairs, Ambassador Paulen Talen; and Managing Director, NEXIM Bank, Mr. Abubakar Bello, during the Women and Youth Export Facility (WAYEF) programme in Abuja…yesterday

To Avert Strike, FG Meets Doctors Today Onyebuchi Ezigbo in Abuja In a last-minute effort to avert the industrial action planned by the National Association of Resident Doctors (NARD), the federal government has invited the leaders of the union to a meeting to resolve their grievances.

According to a notice of the meeting signed by the Director of Press, Minister for Labour and

Employment, Mr. Charles Akpan, the minister, Senator Chris Ngige will meet the executive of the National Association of Resident Doctors and representatives of the federal government today (Wednesday) by 3 p.m.

NARD had threatened to embark on strike tomorrow.

National President of NARD, Dr. Uyilawa Okuaihesyi also told THISDAY yesterday that

government had neglected their welfare to the extent that many of the doctors doing their housemanship were being owed up to four months’ salaries.

He also said that government had not able fulfill the promise it made to effect an upward review of the doctors’ hazard allowance which had been pegged at N5,000.

Okuaihesuyi said that NARD decided to give an ultimatum

to the government because the Memorandum of Understanding entered with the federal government was yet to be implemented many months after it was signed.

He further said that the government had not concluded action on the issue of enrollment of the doctors on the health insurance scheme as part measures to cushion the hazardous impact of COVID-19 pandemic.

Oshiomhole: Tinubu, a Champion of Progressive Politics, Groomer of Leaders Immediate past National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and former Edo State Governor, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, has described the National Leader of the party, Senator Bola Tinubu as a champion of progressive politics and a prolific groomer of leaders.

The accolades were contained in a statement issued yesterday

by Oshiomhole congratulating

the former Governor of Lagos State on his 69th birthday.

“I join millions of others in celebrating Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu on the occasion of his 69th birthday.

“Considering his sterling antecedents, there is no doubt that he has distinguished himself as a courageous politician with the strength of conviction in the pursuit of his beliefs.

“As public office-holder, he proved himself as a man of innovation who deployed the power of ideas to bring about positive and visible change in Lagos.

“His uncommon capacity to organize and mobilize came handy in the formation of All Progressives Congress in 2014 and in the party becoming the first opposition party in

Nigeria’s history to defeat a ruling party.

“Even more significant is his uncommon talent in discovering talents and mentoring them to leadership positions in various spheres as evidenced by a long parade of leaders including past and serving governors, ministers and even the Vice President,” Oshiomhole explained.

Nigerian Professor Emerges America’s Top Physician Emmanuel Addeh in Abuja A Nigerian-born medical professional, Prof. Iyalla Peterside, has emerged one of America’s best physicians for the year 2020.

Peterside who was named by the United States National Consumer Advisory Board and Todaysbestphysician.com, is a professor of paediatrics and neonatology at the University of Pennsylvania Medical School and a consultant at the Children’s Hospital, Philadelphia.

The health facility is considered one of the best children’s hospitals in the world and he has worked there for over 20 years.

The medical doctor was until recently the medical director of the neonatal intensive care unit at the University of Pennsylvania Hospital and the president of the Philadelphia Perinatal society.

He is a recipient of many awards from his colleagues and professional associations in the US, while his area of expertise is in the care of complex surgical neonates,

infants needing extracorporeal support and babies with chronic lung disease.

He graduated from the University of Ibadan in 1985 and has practiced medicine in four continents of Africa, Europe , Asia and North America.

Peterside is among Nigerian professionals who constitute the most celebrated diaspora community in the US with Nigerians being top on the table of the most highly educated of all diaspora groups in the US.

Sixty one per cent of them hold at least a bachelor’s degree compared with 31 per cent of the total foreign-born population and 32 per cent of the US-born population, according to 2017 data from the Migration Policy Institute.

More than half of Nigerian immigrants (54 per cent) were most likely to occupy management positions, compared with 32 per cent of the total foreign-born population and 39 per cent of the US-born population.

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NSCIA Faults CAN on Hijab, JCAs Appointments, Seeks Headcount of Workers Olawale Ajimotokan in Abuja The Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA) has accused the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) of morbid hatred for Islam and Muslims and the use of propaganda and mischief especially over the raging Hijab crisis in some mission schools in Ilorin, Kwara State and the recent appointment of 20 Justices of the Court of Appeal.

The NSCIA’s position was

contained in a statement issued yesterday by its Acting Director of Administration, Prof. Salisu Shehu and Deputy Secretary General, Haruna Zuberu Usman-Ugwu.

The Islamic affairs body also reiterated its earlier call on the federal government to urgently conduct a full-scale religious census of the entire workforce in the Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) to reveal the state of origin and religious affiliation of the country’s

workforce.

It accused CAN of always being economical with the truth as part of the sinister strategy of heating up the polity anytime a Muslim is at the helm of the nation’s affairs.

NSCIA noted that although religion preaches love, honesty, sincerity, tolerance, good

neighbourliness and kindness, among other virtues, CAN had succeeded in creating a Nigerian version of Christianity, which is anchored on morbid hatred, undisguised dishonesty, caustic insincerity, religious intolerance, perennial hostility and outright wickedness.

NSCIA insisted that the use of Hijab by Kwara Muslim students is guaranteed under Section 38, Subsections 1and 3 and sub-section 4 of the Nigerian Constitution (as amended in 2011) that stipulate that no religious community or denomination shall be prevented from providing religious instruction

for pupils of that community or denomination in any place of education maintained wholly by that community or denomination.

According to NSCIA, the Mission schools in question in Ilorin are public schools that are financed and administered by the Kwara State Government.

Report: I13 Military Officers Own 216 Assets in Dubai, UK

Says UK, UAE fertile ground for illicit assets Adedayo Akinwale in Abuja The Human and Environmental Development Agenda (HEDA) has revealed that 13 military top brass in the country own about 216 property in both the United Kingdom and United Arab Emirate (UAE).

The Chairman of HEDA, Mr. Suraju Olarenwaju, disclosed this yesterday in Abuja at the public presentation of a report titled, ‘Fixing Illicit Financial Flows: A Critical Review of UK and UAE Policies, Laws and Practices in Financial and Non-Financial Institutions.’

He explained that the report was borne out of the need to review some of what they considered as loopholes in the laws and policies governing the financial and the non-financial system in the UK and the UAE and especially the concern over the rate at which illicit property and funds flowed from Nigeria to the UK and UAE. Olarenwaju noted that several recent reports showed that between 2004 and 2013 Nigeria lost about $178 billion in illicit financial flow, saying it means the country is losing $17.8 billion

annually to illicit financial flow.

He stated: “So, the illicit financial flow does not just disappear; it goes to certain jurisdictions and the point is that UAE and UK are being shown to have a huge percentage of these funds. It is only natural that we review what is responsible, not just that we have politically exposed persons, even law enforcement officials are attracted to these jurisdictions.

“It is also something clear that the system there permits the flow of the illicit funds.

We’ve painstakingly over the period of two years reviewed these laws and policies to see how it is possible for just 13 law enforcement officers in Nigeria to have about 216 property in the UAE.” He assured that the report would be sent to the embassies of both countries in Nigeria and to the parliament in UK and UAE in order for them to put in place not just laws and policies that prevent illicit financial and nonfinancial assets from Nigeria, but also to put in mechanism to sanction their own system that allow for such flow to their country

Court Restrains Kwara from Taking over Ile-Arugbo Hammed Shittu in Ilorin A Kwara State High Court in Ilorin yesterday restrained the state government from taking over ‘Ile-Arugbo’, the three plots of land and property belonging to late Abubakar Olusola Saraki.

Justice A.O Akinpelu gave the interim order in suit No: KWS/112/2021 filed by Asa Investment and one other against the state Governor, AbdulRazaq AbdulRahman, Kwara State House of Assembly, Attorney General of the state, the directorgeneral of the state Bureau of Lands, and the Inspector General of Police (IG).

The court also restrained the state government from commencing any construction works on the said plots of lands pending the final determination of the case.

Recall that an earlier court judgement had given order to the state government to use the landed property for the construction of another phase of the state secretariat.

According to the court order, “The state high court in suit No: KWS/112/2021 filed by Asa Investment and one other

against Governor AbdulRazaq AbdulRahman, the state House of Assembly, the state AttorneyGeneral, the director-general of the state Bureau of Lands, and the IG, gave interim injunction restraining the defendants/ respondents either by themselves, their officers/employees, servants, contractor/construction company.

Others restrained are the state government agents, privies or their successors in-title or any other person known or unknown claiming in trust or in contractual reference/services for the defendants/respondents from taking over possession or occupation and entering the plots of land in dispute in this suit with intention/desire to construct, build, erect or commence any type of building, office or structure on the plots number 1, 3 and 5 with TPS/MISC.129A survey plan No: KWSH927 and land G1071 situated, lying and at Ilofa Road, GRA Ilorin, Kwara State, beside Civil Service Clinic, pending the hearing and determination of the motion on notice for interlocutory injunction.

SIGNED AND SEALED…

L-R: Chief Operating Officer, Brass Fertilizer and Petrochemical Company Limited, Mr. Ben Okoye; Executive Secretary, Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board, Mr. Simbi Kesiye Wabote; and Chief Operating Officer, Gas & Power, Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Mr. Usman Yusuf, after signing key agreements for the construction of 10,000 tonnes per day methanol plant and the 500 million standard cubic feet per day gas processing plant in Odeama, Brass, Bayelsa State, in Abuja… yesterday.

Nigerians Can Get Int’l Passport in 24 Hours, Says Aregbesola Michael Olugbode in Abuja The Minister of Interior, Rauf Aregbesola, has stated that Nigerians can now be issued international passport in 24 hours.

Speaking at the launching of a new automated fast passport processing centre at the Maitama Passport Express Centre (MPEC) in Abuja yesterday, Aregbesola said it was the vision of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Nigeria Immigration Services (NIS)

to build such centre in every local government area of Nigeria.

He said the new automated fast passport processing centre is aimed at eradicating the challenges Nigerians face in the administration of international passport in the country.

The minister noted that the MPEC in Abuja, which was established in partnership with IRIS Smart Technology, is to run on premium service delivery to Nigerians who desire to obtain

international passport within 24 hours after successful applications.

Aregbesola said during the inauguration of the centre that the establishment of the passport processing centre was in concordance with the Executive Order 1 signed by President Muhammadu Buhari in 2017, which is designed to aid ease of doing business in Nigeria and in response to the yearning of Nigerians to ease the stress of passport processing and

administration in Nigeria.

He noted that the new centre was designed towards eliminating any form of corrupt practices in the issuance of passports and minimise human contact in respect of the COVID-19 pandemic safety protocol, adding that it was the vision of the ministry and Immigration Services to build such centre in every local government area to suit the necessity of passport application in the various regions of Nigeria.

Nigeria Seeks Integrated, Coordinated Approach against Hunger in Africa Ndubuisi FrancisinAbuja The federal government has called on the global community to adopt an integrated, targeted and well-coordinated approach to combat hunger in Africa.

Speaking at a roundtable in the ongoing virtual World Bank-IMF 2021 Spring Meetings on ‘Food Security in Africa: A Resilient Food System Beyond COVID-19’, the Minister

of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Mrs. Zainab Ahmed called on the international community, particularly the multilateral institutions and the private sector to assist Africa to build food resilience.

She said: “We invite the international community,particularlythemultilaterals and the private sector to key in and to assist Africa to build food resilience and pursue the attainment of the Sustainable Development

Goals (SDGs) number two and the goals of African Union (AU) Agenda 2063.”

In her opening remarks, Ahmed noted that a robust and secured food system is central to the health of both humans and the economies of nations, adding: “As the main source of nourishment and jobs for millions of the population, the conversation around the topic is critically well set.”

According to her, the food system is far from achieving its goal of feeding everyone, especially with sustainable diet, adding that the COVID-19 pandemic had exacerbated the perennial food shortages in Africa.

Some 230 million people in Sub-Saharan Africa, she noted, were still prone to chronic food insecurity, even when about one-third of food produced globally was regularly wasted.

Ikpeazu Mourns Abia’s Deputy Chief of Staff Emmanuel Ugwu-Nwogo in Umuahia The Deputy Chief of Staff in the Abia State Governor’s Office, Chief Ukpai Agwu Ukpai, is dead.

He died in the early hours of yesterday after a sudden illness.

The death of Ukpai, who has been a visible and strong member of Governor Okezie Ikpeazu’s

government, was announced in a terse statement signed by the state Commissioner for Information, Chief John Okiyi Kalu.

According to the statement, “It is with sadness and deep sense of loss that Abia State Government wishes to announce the death of Chief Ukpai Agwu Ukpai, the deputy chief of staff, Office of the Governor, who passed on in the

early hours of today (yesterday) after a brief illness.”

Kalu said the state Governor, Ikpeazu, “is in deep shock, as he mourns the untimely exit of Ukpai who has been a long term associate, friend and irreplaceable partner in progress.”

The government spokesman stated that the late deputy chief of staff “will be sorely missed

by everyone in government in particular and Abia people in general.”

While condoling with the immediate family of the deceased, the people of Ohafia Local Government Area and the Abia people in general as well as the state government prayed to God to grant the family the fortitude to bear the loss.

30 Cows Die Mysteriously in Ondo James Sowole in Akure Apprehension has gripped residents of Akungba Akoko and its environs in Akoko North West Local Government Area of Ondo State following the mysterious death of more than 30 cows.

A source in the area said that

the incident occurred on Monday evening at Ibaka area of the community.

The latest incident would be the third time residents in the state would witness mysterious death of cows after a similar one in Ijare, Ifedore Local Government, where lightning struck 36 cows dead and

another one at Ikare in Akoko North East Local Government, where eight cows died mysteriously in 2019.

A witness known simply as “Asiwaju Ojumo,”who alerted the community about the incident, advised the people to be wary of the source of meat they bought from the market this week.

He posted on the social media: “Good morning, Akokos. Please some set of cows (about 30 cows) naturally died without knowing what kill them in Akungba yesterday. Please guide your household not to buy cow meat in Akoko and its environment this week. God bless you.”

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NEWSXTRA

Lawan: Two Terms in Office Enough for the President Cautions govt officials against misleading Buhari on bills awaiting assent Deji Elumoye and Udora Orizu in Abuja President of the Senate, Dr. Ahmad Lawan has stressed that he was not in support of unlimited term of office for President Muhammadu Buhari, saying he stood by the constitutional two-term limit for the President.

Lawan has also warned top federal ministry officials against misadvising Buhari on bills passed by the National Assembly and forwarded to him for his assent.

In a purported tweet, the Senate President was quoted as saying he would not mind a constitutional amendment to allow unlimited term of office for Buhari if he wished to remain in office beyond 2023.

But Lawan, in a statement yesterday denied ever making such statement, before or after 2019, stressing that he stood firmly by provision of the constitution and appealed to members of the public to ignore the old fabricated statement mischievously being circulated by mischief makers.

The statement reads, ‘’The Office of the President of the

Senate has noted a tweet by one Cmr Mayor attributing a fabricated statement to the Senate President, Ahmad Lawan. Our initial reaction was to ignore the ignoble mischief especially since it is not new, having been posted two years ago on 27 March 2019.

But because the tweet has been trending again on social media, it becomes necessary to issue a formal rebuttal of its purport. ‘’The old tweet which was entirely the handiwork of mischief makers is now being circulated again on social media by purveyors of fake news. The 1999 Constitution has a firm position on the tenure of the President that reflects the popular stand of Nigerians. Section 137(1)b states as follow: A person shall not be qualified for election to the office of President if (b) he has been elected to such Office at any two previous elections.

Meanwhile, Lawan has warned top federal ministry officials against misadvising Buhari on bills passed by the National Assembly and forwarded to him for his assent.

This is just as he flayed the absence of the Minister of Health,

Dr. Osagie Ehanire and the Minister of State for Health, Dr. Adeleke Mamora, at the public hearing on three health-related bills.

Lawan handed down the warning at a public hearing organised by the Senate Committee on Health on three bills presently before the Upper Chamber.

The bills are: A bill for an Act to Amend the Orthopedic Management Board Act No 91, 1979 and for other related matters and to provide for the establishment of Federal Orthopedic Hospital KUTA, Bill 2021 (SB. 279); the National University of Health and Medical Sciences Suleja (establishment etc (SB. 633); and Federal University of Health and Medical Sciences Abeokuta, Ogun State (establishment etc) Bill 2021 (SB. 26).

According to the Senate President, some ministry officials had made it their business to frustrate bills passed by the National Assembly by ensuring they were denied presidential assent.

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COVID-19: Lagos, Ogun, Kaduna Lead as 638,291 Persons Receive Vaccine Jabs A total of 638,291 eligible people have taken their first dose of the Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine in Nigeria, the National

Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), has said.

In its latest update, the NPHCDA said more people had

NEXIM Seeks More Participation of Women,Youths in Global Agro-export Market Announces $50m agro-export fund for women, youths The Nigerian Export-Import (NEXIM) Bank yesterday announced a partnership with Afreximbank, which it plans to mobilise $50 million Project Preparation Fund for Nigeria to provide technical assistance to bankable Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs), including those promoted by women and youths.

The Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of NEXIM Bank, Abubakar Abba Bello, made this known in Abuja at the launch of Women and Youth Export Development Fund (WAYEF) with the theme: ‘Unlocking Export Market Opportunities for Women and Youths’.

Bello said the launch of the facility was in commemoration of the 2021 International Women’s Day celebrated globally on March 8.

He added that the project would increase women and

youths participation in the global agro-export market.

Bello explained that the bank has provided enormous support for many export-oriented industries that are high employers of women and youths such as cashew, Shea, hibiscus, ginger among others, where a lot of women are involved in cleaning and packaging of the products for export.

He said WAYEF would provide more financial support for women and youths-owned businesses operating in various aspects of the export value chain under a more dedicated and focused arrangement.

According to him, “WAYEF, however, seeks to do more by supporting women and youthsowned businesses operating in the various aspects of the export value chain under a more dedicated and focused arrangement.

continued to receive the vaccine jabs across all states of the country and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), except in Kogi State where authorities had yet to commence vaccination.

Channels TV reported that the latest figure indicates that 124,665 more eligible people took the vaccine jabs in the last

two days, following the 513,626 total figure that was reported on Sunday.

It also shows an increase of 6.2 per cent of the proportion vaccinated, compared with the 25.5 per cent earlier reported.

A further breakdown of the figure reveals that Lagos has the highest number of eligible people

who have taken the vaccine jabs with a total of 122,714.

The state, which is described as the epicentre of the pandemic in Nigeria, maintains its status as the only state to have surpassed the 100,000 mark.

Coming after Lagos as states with the highest number of people that have received the vaccine

are Ogun, Kaduna, and Katsina States where 50,052; 43,601; and 36,075 eligible people have been vaccinated, respectively.

Other states are Bauchi – 33,157; Kwara – 28,681; Kano – 27,980; Ondo – 25,035; Jigawa – 23,424; FCT – 21,005; Osun – 18,160; Edo – 17,627; Yobe – 16,681; Ekiti – 15,291; and Adamawa – 15,156.

House Minority Caucus Rejects FG’s PDP is Party to Beat in Approval of $1.5bn for PH Refinery Anambra, Says Okonkwo Udora Orizu in Abuja The Minority Caucus in the House of Representatives yesterday described the approval of $1.5 billion for the rehabilitation of the Port Harcourt refinery as a ‘huge scam and a ploy by unscrupulous elements to siphon public funds’.

The Federal Executive Council (FEC) at its virtual meeting recently presided by President Muhammadu Buhari approved $1.5 billion for the rehabilitation of the refinery.

But the House Caucus in a statement issued by its Leader, Hon. Ndudi Elumelu, while rejecting the amount, said the figure is outrageous and heavily inflated, demanding an immediate review of the cost.

The lawmakers noted that while they are in support of any genuine effort to bridge energy deficit in

Nigeria, such should not be used as a ploy by corrupt individuals to fleece the country.

The caucus called for immediate decisive steps towards providing required incentives to private organisations, which have shown manifest interest in establishing refineries in the country, as a sure step to meet the national energy need.

It said: “This over bloated $1.5 billion cost has again brought to the fore the prevailing unpatriotic proclivity of treasury looting and criminal diversion of public funds through inflated contracts by officials of the government for their selfish interests. It is completely unexplainable that the sum of $1.5 billion, which belongs to Nigerians, is to be funneled towards the rehabilitation of a non-profitable refinery, which has already been slated to be

Chuks Okocha in Abuja One of the leading governorship aspirants on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Anambra State, Dr. Obiora Okonkwo, yesterday said PDP is the party to beat in the November 6 governorship election.

He added that it would be in the interest of the PDP to ensure that the candidate of the party comes from Anambra Central senatorial district as the district controls over 60 percent of the voting population in the state.

The aspirant claimed that his local government area of Idemili has 25 percent of the votes in the state.

Okonkwo stated this yesterday when he returned his governorship nomination form to the PDP national secretariat in Abuja.

According to him, “Anambra remains a PDP state, but since 2003, we have remained in opposition, however, this time around, we are poised to reclaim our mandate from the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA). In every election, we have always won two of the senatorial seats and greater number of the House of Representatives.

“Even in the 2019 election, Anambra Central won its senatorial seat and the three seats of the House of Representatives.

We won two of the senatorial seats and the Young Progressives Party (YPP) won one senatorial seat. We won the greater number of the members of the state Assembly, but where is APGA? This governorship election is for the PDP to lose, but we will win it squarely.”

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Nanono, Adebayo, Emefiele Upbeat on New Dairy Policy Say blueprint will save $1.8bn in annual milk importation James Emejo in Abuja The Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Alhaji Muhammad Sabo Nanono; his counterpart in the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment,

Mr. Niyi Adebayo, as well as the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Mr. Godwin Emefiele, yesterday expressed optimism that the emergence of the proposed National Dairy Policy, will save the country

Buhari’s Foreign Medical Trip, Badge of Failure, says PDP Chuks Okocha in Abuja The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) yesterday said that the routine overseas’ medical checks

by President Muhammadu Buhari was a direct indictment of his Presidency over its failure to fix the healthcare system, which has been wrecked by his administration.

In a statement by the National Publicity Secretary of PDP, Mr. Kola Ologbondiyan, the party said it was indeed worrisome that under Buhari, even the hitherto highly rated State House Clinic, has become so moribund that it could not provide a simple medical check-up service for the president.

According to Ologbondiyan,

demand, available information suggested that the country has a cattle stock of over 20 million cows, pointing out that only 2.3 million cows are utilised for large scale dairy production.

Represented by Deputy Director, Industrial Development Department, Mrs. Achinam Fidel, Adebayo said the government was ready to address impediments in the upstream, midstream and downstream dairy value chain to boost its growth potentials.

L-R: Board Chairman, Lagos State Teaching Service Commission (TESCOM), Mrs. Elizabeth Ariyo; Chairman, Lagos State Universal Basic Education Board (LSUBEB), Hon. Wahab Alawiye-King; Lagos State Deputy Governor, Dr. Obafemi Hamzat; Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu; Commissioner for Education, Mrs. Folashade Adefisayo; and Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Education, Mrs. Abosede Adelaja, during the presentation of car gifts to 13 outstanding teachers, at the 2020 Lagos State Teachers Merit Award, held at Lagos House, Alausa, Ikeja…yesterday

breaking into the facility.

An eyewitness said the gunmen also attacked a nearby police station where three persons were shot dead.

As of the time of filing this report, the Delta State police command The Presidency yesterday was yet to comment on defended President Muhammadu the incident.

Buhari’s medical trip to the United Kingdom, insisting that the President is not a medical tourist.

Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, He commended the Malam Garba Shehu, made the Muhammadu Yahaya Presidency’s position known while administration for the featuring on Channels Television’s transformation brought to the State in the areas of road construction, agriculture, and the health sector.

Also speaking, governor Yahaya said the Vice President’s visit was Ejiofor Alike a special one because when he visited the state during campaign The Ijaw Youth Council, days in 2019, so much has taken Worldwide has urged the federal place that has transformed the government to apologise to a State due to his administration. former Minister of Petroleum He said, “Gombe State is the Resources, Mr. Dan Etete for centre for commercial activities in wrongly accusing him of bribery the North-East which is the reason and fraud in the Oil Prospecting why it has gained a cosmopolitan Lease (OPL) 245 deal. status and assured that the State The demand of the Ijaw youths will give the Federal Government followed the Italian court ruling all the necessary support to fulfill in Milan, which absolved Shell, their programmes.”

Eni and the former minister of Responding, Emir of Gombe, bribery or any fraud in the Malabu Oil Deal.

A Milan court had earlier this month acquitted Eni and Royal Dutch Shell, along with

Presidency Defends Buhari’s London Trip, Says President Not Medical Tourist ‘Politics Today’ programme.

Buhari left the Nnamdi Azikwe International Airport, Abuja, for London yesterday afternoon and is expected back in the country by the second week of April after his medical check-up in Britain.

The president had been accused by his critics of embarking on medical tourism.

But Shehu said, “I think there is a misconception of the President’s trip seen in the context of medical tourism. President Buhari is not a medical tourist.

“If someone has kept retainership with medical experts, you are talking about 30 years and plus to examine you and they give you a pass. Would you

be changing your doctors every other year because there is a chance that the distance will be shortened? No. I think that the President is wise and quite correct in his decision that he retains some set of doctors who have insured good health for himself.”

Malabu Oil Deal: IjawYouths Urge FG to Apologise to Etete

NIN: Court Bars FG from Blocking SIM Cards A Federal High Court in Lagos State has barred the Federal Government from blocking SIM cards not linked to National Identity Numbers next month.

The Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy had, through the Nigerian Communications Commission, asked operators to block all SIM cards not linked to NIN by April 9, 2021.

The deadline had caused many Nigerians to gather at offices of the National Identity Management Commission in disregard of

job creation.

He added that the apex bank “will ensure the dairy policy works because we have started the journey already”.

On his part, Adebayo, said the dairy sector had been identified as one of the critical sectors that would support government’s economic diversification initiatives.

He said while estimated annual milk production stood at 672 million litres compared to 1.2 million litres in annual

RECEIVING THE REWARD ON EARTH…

Osinbajo: Nigeria Won’t Break up Vice President Yemi Osinbajo yesterday stated that Nigeria would not break up, stressing that expectations of those wishing Nigeria well outnumber those wishing for the country’s break-up.

Osinbajo stated this at the Palace of the Emir of Gombe Alhaji Shehu Abubakar, during his official visit for the 27th edition of the Micro Small Medium Enterprise Clinic held in Gombe.

He explained that those praying for the success and growth of the country are far more in number than those praying for the break-up of Nigeria.

Osinbajo said, “This country will remain one. Those praying for Nigeria’s break up will not succeed because those praying against such are much in number.”

remained “deeply interested in seeing the emergence of a vibrant private sector- driven dairy sector in Nigeria”.

Represented by his Special Adviser on Development Finance, Mr. Anthony Ifechukwu, the CBN governor, particularly noted that he would want to see a situation where the country would save the $1.8 billion currently spent on milk importation and channel same into other aspects of the economy to boost growth and

“while the PDP has nothing against any person, including President Buhari, seeking his or her medical services anywhere, our party is worried that the Buhari Presidency is taking no decisive steps to fix our health care system, ostensibly because Mr. President can afford overseas medical treatment at tax payers’ expense.”

The PDP said that it was disturbed that while the President travelled out for medical treatment in well-equipped hospitals abroad, hospitals and medical personnel in Nigeria were in very sorry situation while millions of Nigerians suffered, with many dying on daily basis from conditions that had simple medical solutions.

Three Persons Killed in Delta Robbery Attack Three persons were feared killed yesterday when armed robbers attacked a bank at Issele-Uku community in Aniocha South Local Government Area of Delta State.

Channels Television gathered that the gunmen attacked the commercial bank earlier in the day shooting sporadically before

about $1.8 billion in annual importation of milk and dairy products and reduce pressure on foreign exchange as well as boost job creation.

The trio, who spoke at the opening of a two-day wider stakeholders’ engagement on the draft National Dairy Policy in Abuja, pointed out that the document would also boost the economic diversification agenda of the present administration.

Emefiele said the CBN

COVID-19 protocols.

However, a former second National Vice-President of the Nigerian Bar Association and human rights lawyer, Mr Monday Ubani, filed an originating motion and asked the court to stop the Nigerian Communications Commission from disconnecting all SIM Cards not linked to NINs. The first to fourth defendants in the suit are the Federal Government, Attorney General of the Federation, The NCC and the Minister of Communication and Digital Economy.

some of their past and present managers, including Eni’s Chief Executive, Claudio Descalzi, in the OPL 245 deal, described as one of the oil industry’s biggest corruption scandals.

The judgment read out in court

by Judge Marco Tremolada, came more than three years after the trial first began and after a total of 74 hearings The judge said the companies and defendants had been acquitted as there was no case to answer.

Etete had in the past three years faced trials in Italy and United Kingdom after it was alleged that he was involved in

graft during the Malabu oil deal.

But following the clean bill of health given to him by the Italian court, the IYC in a statement issued yesterday by its Spokesman, Mr. Ebilade Ekerefe, argued that with the court ruling, Etete, Bayelsa State, where he hails from and the entire Ijaw nation had been vindicated.

The IYC spokesman added that apart from apologising to Etete, the federal government should as a matter of urgency return seized property belonging to Etete to him.

Ijaw youths accused the federal government of always

looking for any loophole to drag the names of prominent Ijaw persons with opportunities at the federal level to the mud.

Ekerefe added that northerners involved in mega corruption deals had been protected.

He recalled that similar unfair treatments were meted out on a former DirectorGeneral, Department of State Services (DSS), Mr. Seiyefa Mathew; a former NIMASA Director General, Mr. Patrick Akpobolomemi and foremost Ijaw Leader, High Chief Government Ekpemukpolo also known as Tompolo.

FG Plans to Educate 10m Nigerians under Alternate School Programme Olawale Ajimotokan in Abuja The federal government has commenced plans to educate over 10 million out-of-school children in different parts of the country under the Alternate School Programme (ASP).

The Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, Ms. Sadiya

Umar Farouq, disclosed this yesterday at the second meeting of the National Steering Committee of the ASP. Farouq said that the meeting was in line with the directive that was issued by President Muhammadu Buhari that all Nigerians of school age must acquire basic education.

She said efforts were currently ongoing in collaboration with the

Ministry of Education, to identify and engage the children and collate data from the National Bureau of Statistics, which said recently that there were over 10 million out of school children in the country.

She also appealed to the steering committee to quickly adopt and ratify the Concept Note to enable them to forge ahead as swiftly as possible after spending last

few weeks in engagements with various stakeholders for the successful implementation of the programme.

The minister urged the committee to remain committed to the cause and work together to ensure the success of the ASP so that the beneficiaries would be able to enjoy very successful outcomes.

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WEDNESDAY MARCH 31, ͺ͸ͺ͹˾ T H I S D AY

WEDNESDAYSPORTS

Group Sports Editor ßÜÙ ÕÒËäßËÑÌÏ Email ÎßÜÙ˛ÓÕÒËäßËÑÌÏ̶ÞÒÓÝÎËãÖÓàÏ˛ÍÙ× ͸΀͹͹ ͹΀͹ ͻ͸΀ͻ

AFCON 2021 QUALIFIERS

Super Eagles Conclude Campaign with 3-0 Defeat of Lesotho in Lagos Duro Ikhazuagbe Super Eagles finished their 2021 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying campaign with a runaway 14 points after defeating Lesotho 3-0 in the last game of the series yesterday at the Teslim Balogun Stadium in Lagos.

After two decades, Eagles returned to Lagos for their first competitive game and left the ground smiling with all three points in the kitty.

On a day Head Coach of the Nigerian senior national team coach, Gernot Rohr, rested his first choice goalie Maduka Okoye and started Tyronne Ebuehi at right back instead of Olaoluwa Aina, Oghenekaro Etebo started in place of Joseph Ayodele-Aribo and Alex Iwobi

picked shirt ahead of Henry Onyekuru after the Everton defender tested negative to Covid-19, Eagles got the job done with relative ease.

Napoli forward, Victor Osimhen, benefitted from a well-placed lob from Kelechi Iheanacho, to outfox Lesotho goalkeeper Moerane Sekhoane for Nigeria’s first goal in the 22nd minute.

Samuel Chukwueze, Kelechi Iheanacho and Osimhen threatened again as the game wore on, but at the other end, Uzoho had to be alert as Thabo Lesaoana picked the far angle from a free kick 22 yards out.

But five minutes into the second half, Oghenekaro Etebo made it two for

Nigeria following a counter attack orchestrated by Wilfred Ndidi and ended with Samuel Chukwueze and Victor Osimhen routing the Lesotho rearguard for the energetic midfielder to place the ball

beyond Sekhoane.

In the 70th minute, Ndidi spearheaded another fast break and conscripted Osimhen and Iheanacho into his plan, but the Crocodiles cleared their lines even after Sekhoane had

been beaten.

Substitute Paul Onuachu, scorer of the only goal against Benin Republic in Porto Novo last Saturday, lashed in the third goal in the 83rd minute as the Eagles

swept forward once more, taking Sekhoane completely unaware.

Next up for the Eagles is the 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifying race, which starts at the end of May.

Peak Celebrates Eagles Qualification with Breakfast Peak, the Official Milk of the Super Eagles, is leading the celebration of the Super Eagles’ qualification for Cameroon 2021 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON).

Nigeria’s foremost dairy brand and first choice milk on the breakfast table hosted the national senior football team and the President of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), Mr Amaju Pinnick to a sumptuous breakfast at the team’s Eko Hotel, Lagos camp on Monday.

The NFF helmsman was recently elected into the Executive Council of the Federation of International Football Associations (FIFA), becoming the third Nigerian to occupy such significant position in the world’s football ruling council.

For the team and their officials as well as NFF officials, who accompanied their President to the event, it was a moment to treasure as Peak milk delivered top-notch hospitality to its guests.

Marketing Manager Peak, Grace Onwubuemeli rationalised the decision to honour the squad and the NFF President: “The brand will always celebrate excellence and will not relent in its efforts to support Nigerian football to reach the peak of global reckoning”.

Overwhelmed by the brand’s immutable gesture, team captain Ahmed Musa and stand-incaptain William Troost-Ekong eulogised Peak, describing it as a formidable partner in progress.

“We greatly appreciate Peak’s support for the team and we need more Peak to boost our efforts as we proceed to the next AFCON,” Musa said.

Super Eagles Coach Gernot Rohr, who repeated his 2018 feat of qualifying Nigeria for the continental tournament ahead of the last match in the series, expressed gratitude to Peak for “energising and motivating the players with nourishing breakfast for peak performance”.

On his part, Pinnick praised Peak for sustaining its strong bond with Nigerian football with the recent renewal of its sponsorship contract with the federation as “Official Milk of the Super Eagles”.

By signing the contract renewal last month, Peak milk sustained a relationship with the Super Eagles, which has now lasted over two decades. Football fans will recall that Peak first inspired the national team as far back as 1998 when it assumed the role of the Official Milk of the Super Eagles ahead of the FIFA World Cup later that year.

This is the second time in three years that Peak will host the team to a special breakfast. In 2019, the brand treated the Super Eagles to a breakfast session inAsaba, Delta State prior to their departure to the Africa Cup of Nations in Egypt.

Peak provided all the support when the Super Eagles faced Lesotho yesterday at the Teslim Balogun Stadium in Lagos.

Hero of Nigeria’s 1-0 defeat of Benin Republic, Paul Onuachu (left) was also on the scorer’s sheet yesterday as Nigeria defeated Lesotho 3-0 to round off campaign for AFCON 2021

Sports Minister Assures PowerWeightlifters of Support to Paralympics The victorious Team Nigerian power-lifters who finished tops at the World -Power Weightlifting competition in Manchester, United Kingdom, have been assured of support to commence early preparations for the Paralympic in Tokyo, Japan.

Speaking during a reception for the team at the Moshood

Abiola National Stadium, Abuja on Tuesday, Sports Minister, Chief Sunday Dare, said the performance can be described as excellent and superlative winning 10 gold, two silver and setting two new world records.

“We couldn’t have asked for something better as a country, it can only get

better. You have kept the spirit of excellence which you are known for alive. “This country is proud of you, you have put Nigeria on the global map. This signposts what to expect at the Paralympics in August, we expect you to make the country proud,” observed the minister.

On funding for the team, Dare said, “In the last one year we have worked to improve support to the team.

We are going to work with the federation to ensure they get proper support to attend all the Qualifiers. They are going to get higher funding as they prepare for the Paralympics”.

Gusau Remains Suspended As AFN President, Says Beyioku The Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN), has reaffirmed the suspension of Ibrahim Shehu Gusau as its president following the appeal lodged at the Supreme Court by the Federal Ministry of Youth and Sports Development over the reliefs got by its suspended president at the Court of Appeals.

In a statement signed by the AFN Secretary General, Prince Adisa Adeniyi Beyioku said: the injunction pending appeal lodged by the FMYSD has made unenforceable the reliefs got by Engr Gusau at the Appeal Court until the determination of the case at the apex court.

“Our attention has been drawn to a news report in a national daily

purportedly threatening to drag the organisers of the Making of Champions Grand Prix to court for an imaginary contempt of court.

“The AFN under the leadership of acting President, Olamide George wishes to state unequivocally that Engr Ibrahim Gusau has been suspended as president of the federation following the appeal filed by the FMYSD at the Supreme Court over the judgement our now suspended president got first at the High Court and later at the Appeal Court.

“TheAFN is aware that the reliefs got by Engr Gusau was declarative but this has been restrained by the injunction pending appeal lodged

by the FMYD. “The AFN also wishes to state that one Sunday Adeleye quoted in the story as the Technical Director of the federation is no longer a member of the board of the AFN after his recall by his constituency, the athletes union in 2019,” the AFN wrote in the statement and assures athletes and officials who were at the MOC Grand Prix to focus on the competition.

“The MOC Grand Prix holding at the Yaba College of Technology sports ground enjoys the support of the AFN which is partnering the organisers to ensure our athletes get the required competitions to help their preparations for the forthcoming

events including the World Relays in Poland in May, the African Athletics Championship in Algeria in June and the Olympic Games in Tokyo in July/August this year,” Beyioku stated further and assures the athletes of more competitions after the 20th National Sports Festival.

“We have held two events so far this year and the ongoing MOC Grand Prix in Lagos has the full support of the federation.

TheAFN said it will not be distracted by threats from disgruntled elements who are hell bent at destabilising the sport which has given Nigeria 13 out of the 25 medals won at the Olympic Games including two gold medals.

Fosla Academy Wins National Principals’ Cup Trophy

Minister of Youth and Sports Development, Chief Sunday Dare (left), presenting the winners’ trophy of the revived National Principals’ Cup to captain of Foslad Academy ...yesterday in Abuja

Fosla Academy Karishi, Abuja yesterday emerged champions of this year’s National Principals’ Cup finals held at the Moshood Abiola Stadium, Abuja.

The Sani Lulu boys defeated Christ Comprehensive College, Kaduna 2-0 in an entertaining final dominated by the FCT boys.

The Kaduna lads who started the game on a fast pace fizzled out midway in the first half as the Fosla boys took control of the game.

Tukura Joel struck twice in the 23rd and 24th minutes to swing victory to his side with their opponents finding it difficult

Be

to get penetrate the Fosla defence line.

The first stanza ended 2-0 in favour of Fosla and all efforts by the Kaduna boys to come back into the game in the second half was futile as the Karishi boys ran away with the trophy.

Speaking at the end of the encounter, Fosla Coach, Mary Godspower dedicated the victory to God and hard work. She said she was not surprised with the performance of the boys who lived up to the billing.

“We have worked hard to get this far and it would have been disappointing if we had failed

to lift the trophy.

She thanked their Proprietor, Alhaji Sani Lulu Abdullahi a former Nigeria Football Federation President for providing the platform for them to achieve the result.

“Our Proprietor was very supportive. He gave us both moral and financial support to make sure we excel,” the former Super Falcons player said.

Events were also held in table tennis, athletics with participants featuring in the relay races and high jump, long jump and other field events.

In the table tennis event,

Timileyin Ajibade won the boys singles event while Saidat Akeem emerged champions in the girls singles. John Mathew and Samuel Boboye won the Boys Doubles event while the girls doubles was won by the pair of Saidat Akeem and Ayoola Kabira.

Present at the event were Minister of Sports, Sunday Dare, Former FIFA Executive Committee member, Dr Amos Adamu, Former Director of Sports, Alhassan Yakmut, and former Principal’s Cup players Joseph Dosu and Tajudeen Disu.

WEDNESDAY MARCH 31, ͺ͸ͺ͹˾ T H I S D AY

55

WEDNESDAYSPORTS

Both Legs of Chelsea, Porto UCL Q’final Games to be Played in Seville Both legs of Chelsea’s Champions League quarterfinal against Porto will be held in Seville, Spain, because of international coronavirus restrictions.

The matches will be played at the Ramon Sanchez-Pizjuan Stadium, the home of La Liga club Sevilla.

The dates - 7 April and 13

April - remain unchanged, as does the 20:00 BST kick-off time.

The first leg of Chelsea’s last-16 victory of Atletico Madrid was played in Bucharest for similar reasons.

Meanwhile, a decision on a planned new Champions League format, with a 10-match first phase from

2024, has been delayed.

The proposal, which has been under discussion for almost two years, had been expected to be signed off by UEFA’s executive committee today but has been pushed back to 19 April.

Under the new format, the current group phase would be scrapped.

In its place, the number of qualifiers will be expanded from 32 to 36, with space for two ‘wild card’ entries.

The wild cards will be

reserved for clubs with the highest UEFA coefficient - points used to rank clubs based on past European success - who have not qualified for the competition through their league position.

If the format was being used now, based on the current table it would mean Liverpool would gain a Champions League spot despite being seventh in the Premier League.

AFCON QUALIFIERS

Kouyate Rescues Senegal from Embarrassing Eswatini Loss

Senegal fought back to hold Eswatini to a 1-1 draw in the 2022 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualification Group I match at the Stade Lat-Dior in Thiès on Tuesday evening.

As a result the Lions of Teranga finished a successful qualifying campaign undefeated, while a courageous Sihlangu Semnikati side remained fourth on the group standings.

Sihlangu Semnikati got off to a dream start as they grabbed an early goal after the Lions of the Teranga’s defence was exposed on the right-hand side.

Sandile Gamedze beat Senegal’s debutant goalkeeper Seny Dieng with a superb first-time shot which his left foot to hand Eswatini a 1-0 lead.

A second-string Lions of the Teranga side tried to respond with a goal with centre forwards Mame Thiam and Mbaye Diagne leading their attack.

However, Sihlangu Semnikati, who are ranked 153rd in the Fifa world rankings, were leading 1-0 at the interval having contained the top 20-ranked Lions of Teranga in the first half.

Eswatini did not sit back after the restart as they introduced TS Galaxy attacker Justice Figuaredo eight minutes into the second half as the visitors looked to double their lead.

With his side trailing 1-0, Senegal coach Alilou Cisse introduced his best player, Sadio Mane, who was tasked with rescuing the hosts.

The Lions of Teranga then upped the tempo in the closing stages of the match and they managed to grab a late equalising goal through Cheikhou Kouyate.

The towering defendercum-midfielder netted his third international goal for his nation in stoppage time to ensure that the encounter ended in a 1-1 draw.

Serbia’s Alessandra Mitrovic (centre) celebrating his equalizing goal against Azerbaijan with teammates. The Serbs eventually won the game 2-1...yesterday

Japan Score 14 Goals in World Cup Qualifier Liverpool’s Takumi Minamino scored as Japan put 14 goals past Mongolia in a World Cup 2022 qualifier yesterday.

Minamino, who is on loan at Southampton, opened the scoring while Werder Bremen’s Yuya Osako netted

a hat-trick.

Japan’s other scorers included Daichi Kamada, Hidemasa Morita and an own goal by Khash Erdene Tuyaa.

Sho Inagaki (2), Junya Ito (2), Kyogo Furuhashi (2) and Takuma Asano also netted.

The win means Japan will advance to the next phase of Asia’s qualifying tournament for the 2022 World Cup if they defeat Myanmar when the teams meet in Yokohama on 3 June.

The game took place in Chiba, Japan, after Mongolia,

ranked 190th in the world, were forced to relinquish hosting rights due to quarantine regulations at home.

On Monday, Canada beat the Cayman Islands 11-0 in a World Cup qualifier.

Polaris Bank Raises the Stakes in Golf with Unity Cup Pius Anakali To many people, the idea of hosting golfers from across the country in a tournament tagged the ‘Unity Cup Golf Championship’ was an adventure; Others simply maintained the ‘siddon look’ posture. But to the man behind the dream, no hill can be too high.

He is broad-minded, a thinker and a doer. Anytime Dr. Meckson Innocent Okoro dreams, it must come to pass. Though it might take a while, and difficult atimes, as it is always the case on the golf course, it is the result that matters.

Okoro dreams unity, he dreamt oneness, he admires any opportunity to gather golfers from across the country as a unifying force. To achieve this, he came up with the idea of the ‘Unity Cup Golf Championship’.

However, he also reasoned, “no matter how beautiful an idea is, it needs fund to succeed”.

In an economic climate where Covid-19 pandemic has dealt many individuals and corporate organizations huge blow, funding such unique idea is sure to be tough. However, Okoro found worthy partner in Polaris Bank Nigeria Limited, a financial force in Nigeria’s banking industry.

Golf, like every other sport, brings people together. In it, it does not matter whether you are

black or white - from the North or South - Yoruba or Hausa, Igbo or Fulani; it matters not whether you are a Christian or a Muslim or even a traditionalist.

It cares less about your age; it does not matter whether you are young or old, come from a rich family or from a poor background. Once you step on the course, ‘you are a golfer’.

Golf has the power to change the world and unite people. Golf creates friendships between people who would not normally communicate.

The game does not have a language. It does not need words; the attraction is the bonding it creates. That was the dream Polaris Bank bought into and with the bank’s backing, Okoro set up a committee.

He found Peter Eben-Spiff, a former Lagos Open Champion; a Golfer with numerous other trophies to show for his prowess in the game to lead his Planning Committee. Tade Adekunle: experienced amateur and the current Golf Section’s Competition Secretary was with him on the Planning Committee, so also were others. Vice Captain, Tony Oboh. He was not only visible, but active.

Being a technical sport, MI, as the Captain is fondly called, brought in Falcon Golf Development Company, an agency that organizes and promotes golf.

Being the first of its kind,

Okoro tells whoever cares to listen that that the Unity Cup; the committee Inaugural tournament, will be a huge success. Barely one month in office, putting together such event, was definitely a herculean task, but MI remained undaunted.

Well, with the machineries in motion, invitations were sent out to all clubs in the country. Invites went to as far as Kano, tJaji in Kaduna, Eket in Akwa-Ibom states. NAF Golf Club in Kaduna was not left out. Even golfers from Riverine Bonny Island were glad to be invited. Golfers from IBB International Golf and Country Club in Abuja led by its Captain, Sola Awoyungbo in company of Julius Fadairo flew in early. Alex Shaiyen and 9-handicap Austin Aigbotsua were in his team.

Expectedly, they all showed up for the mini golf festival. Okoro was happy, the guests were impressed. With the immense backing of Polaris Bank, the game was soon on auto-pilot.

But the most interesting thing was the race for the tournament’s coveted trophy; the first of its kind in Nigeria. Naturally, in an event of this nature, names like; Tim Ayomike, Remi Olukoya, Ewi Akpata always pops up.

Atimes, it’s easy to predict where the leaderboard would be heading in a tournament of this nature. Yet, golf can be unforgiving. But when the god of golf smiles on you, every bad

shot turns positive, doglegs become open fairway and every bad putt finds the Cup. Golf is no respecter of name nor age, it has produced the least expected as champions and promoted the most unlikely winners across the globe.

Now, Rotimi Obajimi is not an unknown quantity in golf, not only in golf but in sports generally. He is a former athlete and former athletics coach; one that produced some of the most popular athletes of yesteryears.

For most part of 2020, golf was the last thing on the mind of the man.

However, sometime in January, he returned to golf, looking very fit though. Of course being a former athlete, nothing less is

expected.

He headed to the course early Saturday morning, happy and friendly as usual, hoping for a good day on the course. Playing off handicap-12, Obajimi cannot be discountenanced, yet not many gave him the chance of winning. After four hours on the course, Obajimi carded 81-gross score for 69-net. With the result, he became the man to beat. But by the time the last player holed out, no other golfer that came behind or before him could better his score. He won.

Everyone present was happy, the sponsors; Polaris Bank were elated, Okoro was impressed.

“Ladies and Gentlemen”, Okoro roared into the dark dead night at the event’s closing ceremony.

“It’s been a wonderful week”, he said at the well-attended gala night.

“When you look at this country today, you’ll notice that there are challenges bedeviling us a country. Thus, we felt we should also do something that will help unify this country. Our belief is that if you play golf with someone for four-to-five hours there will be some kind of bonding that goes beyond religion, region and ethnicity. If we all take this message home, then we would have achieved some form of unity that should be built on”, he urged everyone present to replicate the idea in their various clubs.

Ikoyi Golf Club Captain, Dr. Meckson Okoro; Unity Cup Champion, Rotimi Obajimi; and Mr. Innocent C. Ike in a group photograph shortly after the event...recently

Wednesday March 31, 2021

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MISSILE

CAN to Federal Govt “The way the issue of insecurity is being handled in Nigeria suggests that those in power don’t know what to do again.

They give assurances, but it seems they don’t have the things to bring the assurances to pass” – Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) President, Rev. Supo Ayokunle, lamenting the pervading insecurity in the country.

KAYODEKOMOLAFE THE HORIZON

kayode.komolafe@thisdaylive.com

0805 500 1974

Pandemic Questions, Multilateral Answers

I

n many respects, yesterday was remarkable in the global calendar of the coronavirus pandemic.

A major thread running through some of the coronavirus news is the sobriety compelled by the lessons to be learnt from the public health crisis caused by the pathogen.

To start with, a draft report on the origins of the virus is reportedly being considered by experts. According to the report of a joint study by the World Health Organisation (WHO) and China, it is most likely that the virus came to human beings from some animals. The virus is said to have come from bats to man through another animal. Although it is still subject to confirmation, the report puts it as “extremely unlikely” that humans got infected in China from a leak in a laboratory where some scientists were allegedly experimenting with the pathogen. A huge conspiracy theory has been built around this claim.

However, the report coming after 15 months that the outbreak of the virus was reported in China is expected to be a subject of discussions in the coming days. For instance, the renowned American infectious diseases expert, Dr. Anthony Fauci, has asked for more details on the study so as to reach definitive conclusions on the provenance of the virus.

No nation was prepared for the outbreak of coronavirus in 2019; but world leaders are already preparing for future pandemics. A serious country that plans for its future would not like to be caught unprepared again by another pandemic.

The leaders seem to have learnt a deep lesson from the public crisis caused by the virus and its socio-economic consequences.

It was probably in this spirit that 24 world leaders signed a joint statement yesterday calling for an international treaty in preparation for future pandemics. Among the leaders who signed the newspaper article are Senegalese President Macky Sall, Rwandan President Paul Kagame, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, French President Emmanuel Macron, Indonesian President Joko Widodo, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta and the director-general of WHO, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.

In a tone reminiscent of the global mood after World II, the leaders entitled the statement like this: “No government can address the threat of pandemics alone – we must come together.”

In sum, the statement encapsulates the basic lesson of the present crisis. It is the way to have a global vision of things.

Although the names of the United States President Joe Biden and that his Chinese opposite number, Xi Jinping, are conspicuously missing in the list of the signatories to the statement, yet it is clear that COVID-19, the disease caused by coronavirus, has spurred a resurgence of the spirit of multilateralism among countries.

The leaders have called for a multilateral approach in preparing for future pandemics.

When the Spanish influenza happened a century ago, such a projection into the future was hardly made given the level of development at the time. Doubtless, the world has witnessed the adoption of the multilateral approach since then at different stages of history. In the period between the last pandemic and the present one, the United Nations and its agencies and other multilateral institutions were born. However, the resurgence of right-wing populism and nationalism in America, Europe and parts of Asia in the last few years have undermined the multilateral systems put in place. Former American President Donald Trump dramatised this retrogressive tendency by pulling America out of the climate change agreement and stopping America’s funding of

President Muhammadu Buhari (left) and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi the WHO among other myopic acts.

In the context of the present crisis, vaccine nationalism and competition among pharmaceutical companies represent traces of this tendency towards isolationism in international order.

It must, therefore, be a relief when the 24 signatories to the statement reminded the world of the purpose of the multilateral system put in place after World War II. According to them, the system was “to bring countries together, to dispel the temptations of isolationism and nationalism and to address the challenges that could only be achieved together in the spirit of solidarity and co-operation, namely peace, prosperity, health and security.”

Reassuringly, the 24 leaders added: “We are, therefore, committed to ensuring universal and equitable access to safe, efficacious and affordable vaccines, medicines and diagnostics for the future pandemics “Immunisation is a global public good and we will need to be able to develop, manufacture and deploy vaccines as quickly as possible.”

More global voices should join in the call for the international treaty that could provide the framework for an effective response to future pandemics. From the global experience of the last 15 months, it is clear that such a treaty would constitute a platform for a cross-border cooperation in dealing with public health emergencies. The world needs effective instruments for coordination of efforts. Such a treaty would be one of them.

If world leaders fail to fashion such instruments from experience, it would mean that not enough lesson has been learnt from the current public health crisis.

With the exception of a few, most leaders across the world seem to be learning the lessons fast.

In effect, while some experts are immersed in finding scientific solutions to the crisis of COVID-19, political leaders and other experts are rethinking strategies in the direction of multilateralism. The language of discussion on the pandemic of the should be that of cooperation and not that of cut-throat nationalism of vaccines.

Incidentally, the centrality of multilateralism in tackling the coronavirus pandemic was also yesterday in focus in an inter-continental conversation among diplomats, generals, strategists, technocrats other experts in Nigeria and from India.

Beside identifying areas of cooperation between Nigeria and India in putting an end to the pandemic, the forum explored the larger question of Indo-African cooperation.

The conversation took place at a webinar jointly staged by the Kaduna-based think tank, the Gusau Institute, and the Monohar Parrikar Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses (MP-IDSA) of India.

The founder of the Gusau Institute, former Defence Minister and former National Security Adviser, Lt. Gen Aliyu Gusau Mohammed (rtd.), struck the same chord as the director-general of MP-IDSA, Ambassador Sujan Chinoy, on the purpose of the collaboration between the two think tanks : harvesting ideas to solve practical problems of humanity.

In the circumstance, the theme of the webinar was apt: “India-Nigeria: Facing the COVID-19 Pandemic Together.”

Cooperation and solidarity between the two countries could be of mutual benefits in a manner consistent with what promises to be the paradigm of the post-COVID world order, that is multilateralism.

So the Gusau Institute made a relevant choice in collaborating with an Indian centre of ideas on the subject of COVId-19. That is a good example of strategic thinking in seeking solutions to problems.

The secretary to the government of the federation and chairman of the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19, Mr. Boss Mustapha, gave a fair overview of Nigeria’s nationally coordinated response to the public health emergency. Mustapha, who was represented at the event instructively pointed out that Nigeria’s organisational efforts in the war against COVID-19 have been informed by the experience of the battle against Ebola in 2014. The federal government has given leadership at critical moments of the pandemic and the subnational governments have largely cooperated. What ‘s more, structurally Nigeria is a federation like India.

India is one of the Asian countries in which coronavirus has wreaked enormous havoc. A fellow of the Indian institute, MP-IDSA, Mr. Vinod Kumar, told the story of India’s battle strategy against COVID-19. Just imagine the operational challenge of a lockdown in a country of over a billion people! It is an inspiring story of a supposed third world country giving a world class response to a public health crisis in which there was no where to turn to for help. India looked inward to summon the capacity needed for testing and providing remedies.

As one of the speakers, former Managing Director of The Guardian, Mr. Emeka Izeze, put it, the reality of the global environment should make Africa in general and Nigeria in particular to cultivate a synergy of purpose with

India in combatting the pandemic and as well as solving security problems such as terrorism and cybersecurity.

Come to think of it, India is one of the largest producers of COVID-19 vaccines in the world.

India produced 60% of world vaccines for other diseases even before the advent of COVID -19.

In the specific case of coronavirus, experts say that India is only second to America in the capacity to produce the vaccine against the virus.

According to the consulting firm Deloitte, it is projected that India could produce 3.5 billion doses of coronavirus vaccines this year while the United States has the capacity for the production of 4 billion.

In other words, India can produce vaccines for its own population of 1.3 billion and also export vaccines to other developing countries. Apart from its proven record as the global vaccine factory, India’s coronavirus vaccines are reportedly cheaper and easier to transport; yet they have been proven to be as good as the ones produced in Europe and America. Some experts say that they appear to be more suitable for poor countries’ needs.

Indian speakers at the webinar all emphasised the Indian spirit of cooperation with African countries. For instance, the India’s fund for public health programmes in Africa was mentioned by Ms Ruchita Beri of MP-ISDA as she elaborated on the areas of cooperation between India and African countries. India is already looking beyond its borders and helping others to defeat coronavirus.

As another member of MP-ISDA, Vice Admiral Shekhar Sinha, posited, there are manufacturing opportunities for Indian pharmaceutical companies in Africa As a matter of fact, India and South Africa are prominent among the developing countries asking for a waiver on the global rules put in place to protect patent owners of the recipes and technology for manufacturing vaccines.

The relaxation of the rules is necessary for India and other developing to bolster their capacities for vaccines production.

The conversation was enriching from both sides. It is, for instance, noteworthy that Dr. Nasidi Abdulsalami said India could learn from the Nigerian experience in the development of software for disease surveillance. Abdulsalami was the director of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) and Executive Director, ECOWAS Regional Centre for Disease Control (RCDC).

Resistance to lockdown along with vaccine hesitancy is a global phenomenon. But as Ambassador Majeev Puri advised, “any vaccine is better than no vaccine at all.” Puri was India’s ambassador to the European Union.

It is the remit of the think tanks – Gusau Institute and MP-IDSA – to generate ideas. How to make use of the ideas is the prerogative of the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari and the government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi of India. One of the speakers, Dr. Nasiru Sani Gwarzo, emphasised the urgency of countries translating workable ideas into action plans, especially the manufacturing of vaccines, in the face of the public health emergency. Gwarzo is the permanent secretary in the federal ministry of industry. He led the presidential technical team last year to solve the riddle of reported many deaths in Kano amid the pandemic.

All told, as quoted in the statement of the 24 leaders, in the face of a pandemic, “no one is safe until everyone is safe.” The chairman of the first session at the webinar, Brigadier. Gen Saleh Bala (rtd.), put it in other words when he said that COVID-19 should remind all of our common humanity.

A lot of emergent global problems including pandemics can be solved by strengthening a multilateral system.

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