WEDNESDAY 7TH APRIL 2021 by THISDAY Newspapers Ltd

IMF Raises Nigeria’s 2021 GDP Growth Forecast to 2.5% Obinna Chima The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has revised upward its growth forecast for the Nigerian economy in 2021 from one per cent it had predicted in January to 2.5 per cent.

IMF, in its latest World Economic Outlook titled: "Managing Divergent Recoveries," that was released yesterday, however, expects a 2.3 per cent economic growth for the country in 2022. For Sub-Saharan Africa generally, the IMF also

anticipated growth of 3.4 per cent this year, higher than its earlier forecast of 0.2 per cent. "The pandemic continues to exact a large toll on Sub-Saharan Africa (especially, for example, Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, South Africa). Following

the largest contraction ever for the region (1.9 per cent in 2020), growth is expected to rebound to 3.4 per cent in 2021, significantly lower than the trend anticipated before the pandemic. Tourism-reliant economies will likely be the most affected," the IMF said.

inflation rates in some regions, including sub-Saharan Africa and Asia,” it added. According to the Washington-based institution, global prospects remain uncertain a year into the

It stated that some countries have continued to observe high and volatile inflation and may be limited in the monetary accommodation they can provide without risking destabilising inflation. “Rapidly rising food prices have already lifted headline

Continued on page 48

Nigeria Heading for the Brink, Mohammed Warns, Urges Restraint... Page 47 Wednesday 7 April, 2021 Vol 26. No 9495. Price: N250

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DPR Revokes Addax Petroleum’s Four Oil Blocks for Non-performance NNPC, Italian firm sign $1.5bn Port Harcourt refinery rehabilitation deal Obinna Chima in Lagos and Emmanuel Addeh in Abuja The Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) has revoked four Oil Mining Licences

(OMLs) belonging to Addax Petroleum due to the nondevelopment of the assets by the petroleum company. The affected assets are OML 123, 124, 126 and 137.

The Director/Chief Executive Officer, DPR, Mr. Sarki Auwalu, told journalists in Lagos yesterday that it was discovered that over 50 per cent of the assets had remained

underdeveloped. He said the nondevelopment of the assets led to the loss of revenue by the federal government. “Addax refused to develop

the assets and Addax was, therefore, not operating the assets,” he said. He said going by the country’s Petroleum Act, “the first reason for a revocation is

when you discover that the asset is not being developed, according to the business guidelines, because it is Continued on page 48

Audacious Assault on Imo Police HQ Forces Buhari to Remove IGP Adamu DIG Baba appointed in acting capacity Deji Elumoye, Olawale Ajimotokan, Kingsley Nwezeh in Abuja and Amby Uneze in Owerri Monday's coordinated attacks on the Imo State Police Command headquarters and the Nigerian Correctional Service (NCoS) facility in Owerri by gunmen claimed its first major casualty yesterday with President Muhammadu Buhari firing the Inspector-General of Police, Mr. Mohammed Adamu. THISDAY checks showed that the president was so angry with the audacious assaults on two key security points in the state that he approved the immediate replacement of Adamu with a Deputy Inspector-General of Police, Mr. Alkali Baba, in an acting capacity. Adamu, who was on the spot assessment of the

scenes of the attack, was in Owerri when his tenure was peremptorily cut short. Adamu was billed to retire on February 1 but Buhari on February 4 extended his tenure by three months and he had about 27 days to the end of the extended tenure when the president removed him from office. The extension triggered national outrage with some citizens challenging the extension in court and describing it as illegal. During the attacks on the police headquarters and the custodial facility, over 100 vehicles were destroyed and 1,844 inmates freed. Outraged by the level of destruction, the outgoing IG yesterday charged the police not to allow IPOB and other attackers of security agents Continued on page 48

SANs Urge Buhari to Confirm A'Court Justices’ Appointment... Page 6

$1.5 BILLION DEAL… L-R: Vice President, Sub-Saharan Africa Region, Maire Tecnimont, Mr. Davide Pelizzola; Group Managing Director, Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, Malam Mele Kyari; and Managing Director, Port Harcourt Reﬁnery Company, Mr. Ahmed Dikko, during the signing of the $1.5billion deal to rehabilitate the reﬁnery in Abuja…yesterday

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NEWS

Group News Editor Ejiofor Alike Email Ejiofor.Alike@thisdaylive.com, 08066066268

SANs Urge Buhari to Confirm A'Court Justices’ Appointment Malami: Process on course

Alex Enumah in Abuja

Saying further delay is hampering effective delivery of justice, some Senior Advocates of Nigeria yesterday urged President Muhammadu Buhari to confirm the nomination of 18 high court judges to the Court of Appeal. The Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Ibrahim Mohammad, had in his capacity as the chairman of the National Judicial Council, recommended the judges to fill the vacant positions at the appellate court that had been underperforming as a result of the dearth of justices. However, several weeks after the CJN’s request made pursuant to Section 238 (2) of 1999 Constitution as amended, the president has not responded. But the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice, Mr. Abubakar Malami (SAN), yesterday allayed fears over the perceived delay by the federal government in concluding the process for the appointment of the 18 candidates recommended as justices of the Court of Appeal. “The three months constitutional time limit has not lapsed," he told THISDAY yesterday in Abuja. THISDAY, however, gathered that the delay might have been due to a memo from a top aide of the president, which presumed that the nominees need Senate for confirmation before approval by the president. Meanwhile senior lawyers

who spoke to THISDAY yesterday urged the president to take immediate action as the constitution does not require him to do further screening outside the recommendation of the NJC. Mr. Dayo Akinlaja (SAN), who stated that the appointment of the justices of the Court of Appeal does not require Senate's confirmation, urged the president to speed up the appointment process in order to enhance the efficiency of the appellate court. "Concerning the appointment of the Court of Appeal justices, the constitution does not subject their appointments to approval by the Senate. It is only in respect of the appointment of the president of the court that approval by the Senate is required. "That said, all that is being expected is the appointment to be made by the president. Whatever the situation may be, it is very crucial that the process of appointment is concluded with promptitude as the Court of Appeal is in dire need of their services," he said. Similarly, Mr. John Baiyeshea (SAN) described the delay as unnecessary. He said: "The 18 justices nominated for appointment to the Court of Appeal do not need the approval of the National Assembly. "The delay of presidential approval is uncalled for." The 18 judicial officers according to a statement by the Director, Information, NJC, Mr.

Soji Oye, have been considered for appointment by the NJC's Interview Committee at the NJC's 94th Meeting held on December 17 and 18, 2020. Among those recommended for appointment into the bench

of the appellate court are: Justice Bature Gafai, Justice Muhammad Sirajo, Justice Waziri Abdul-Azeez, Justice Yusuf Bashir, Justice Usman Musale, Justice Jauro Wakili, Justice Abba Mohammed

and Grand Kadi Mohammed Danjuma. Others include: Justice Danlami Senchi, Justice Mohammed Abubakar, Justice Hassan Sule, Justice Amadi Ikechukwu, Justice Peter

Affen, Justice Sybil Gbagi, Justice Olasumbo Goodluck, Justice Banjoko Ibironke, Justice Olabode Adegbehingbe and Justice Bola Ademola. They are expected to be sworn in after approval by Buhari.

GATEWAY TRADE FAIR… L-R: President, Ogun State Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture, Alhaji Babatunde Olaleye; Commissioner for Investment, Trade and Industry, Mrs. Kikelomo Longe; Ogun State Governor, Prince Dapo Abiodun; and the ﬁrst female President of the Nigeria Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture, Chief Alaba Lawson, at the opening ceremony of the 10th Gateway International Trade Fair in Abeokuta…yesterday

Courts Grounded as Judiciary Workers Begin Strike Govs to meet over financial autonomy May challenge Executive Order 10 at Supreme Court Our Correspondents Judiciary workers yesterday made good their threat to embark on industrial action to press home their demand for the implementation of financial autonomy for the judiciary. Reports from states showed that a task force raised by the Judiciary Staff Union of Nigeria (JUSUN) to enforce the strike, went from courtroom to courtroom to ensure compliance with the directive. However, as part of efforts to resolve the industrial dispute, governors of the 36 states of the federation will meet soon to discuss the implementation of the Executive Order 10 signed by President Muhammadu Buhari in May 2020, which seeks to enforce financial autonomy for the judiciary and legislature in states. It was also learnt that the governors might challenge the order at the Supreme Court. The Executive Order No. 10 of 2020, made it mandatory for all states to include the allocations of both the legislature and the judiciary in the first-line charge of their budgets in line with the provisions of the 1999 Constitution as amended. The order also mandates the Accountant-General of the Federation to deduct from source amount due to the state legislatures and judiciaries from the monthly allocation to

each state, in the case of states that refuse to implement the autonomy provision. But the governors have not complied with the executive order, hence the decision of the judicial workers to go on strike. A visit to courts in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) revealed total compliance with the strike. The strike disrupted activities at the Supreme Court, the Court of Appeal, the Federal High Court Abuja and the headquarters of the FCT High Court, Abuja. Their premises were shorn of the regular human traffic as the gates were all locked. A JUSUN official, who refused to give his name on the grounds that he was not authorised to speak for the union, said the leadership of JUSUN as at the time of the interview was in a meeting with the National Judicial Council (NJC). He stated that a positive outcome of the meeting could speed up the resolution of the dispute leading to the strike, which the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) and some lawyers believed was untimely. In Kano State, the federal, state and magistrate's courts were shut down by members of JUSUN. Chairman of the state branch of JUSUN, Mr. Mukhtar Lawan, told reporters in Kano that the lockout was in compliance with the instruction given by the national headquarters of their union.

Rabiu said: “There is no going back. We have begun the strike and all courts within the state have been shut.” When THISDAY visited some courts, it was observed that staff members, litigants and their lawyers were locked out. At the Federal High Court in Kano, the union officials also shut down the premises and directed workers to go back home and await further instruction. Also at the State High Court, workers were seen under trees discussing the industrial action. The Sokoto State chapter of JUSUN also joined its counterparts to embark on the indefinite strike. Members of JUSUN in the state locked out staff members, litigants and their lawyers from entering court buildings. The Vice-Chairman of JUSUN, North-west zone, who also doubled as the Sokoto State Chairman, Mr. AbdulNasir Muhammad, said the lockout was in compliance with the instruction given by the JUSUN national headquarters. In Katsina, all courts in the state were shut-in compliance with the nationwide strike. JUSUN members locked out staff members, litigants and their lawyers. The Katsina State Vice Chairman of JUSUN, Mr. Yusuf Sani, told journalists that the lockout was in compliance with the instruction given by the

JUSUN national headquarters. In Osun State, all cadres of the courts were locked up. Osun State Chairman of JUSUN, Mr. Gbenga Kunle Eludire, in an interview with journalists, said: "This is an indefinite strike and no state has any right to negotiate with any government except for the National Working Committee of the JUSUN." In Ekiti State, the state High Court, Court of Appeal, magistrate's courts, Customary Court and the Federal High Court in Ado Ekiti, were all locked up. Vice-Chairman of JUSUN in the state, Mr. Kunle Afolayan, said their actions were premised on the decision of the National Executive Council (NEC) of the union. However, judicial workers in Edo State, yesterday refused to comply with the directives of their national body. Efforts to reach the Edo State Chairman of JUSUN, Uyi Ogeriakhi, proved abortive as calls to his mobile telephone line didn't go through.

Courts in Ebonyi State also sat yesterday. But the activities at the various courts in Kwara State were also paralysed as the premises of both the Federal High Court and the state High Court in Ilorin were under lock and key.

The Kwara State Chairman of JUSUN, Mr. Sambo Ibrahim, told THISDAY that the government should respond to their demands if it wants the strike called off. "The courts now are totally grounded and nothing is working. Various departments, including commissioner for oaths, are all affected and there will not be any adjudication of rule of law for now because even the judges are affected and nobody will be allowed to come into the court premises,'' he said. Anambra State judicial workers also joined the strike when THISDAY visited major courts in the state. Courts in Ondo State were also shut down following industrial action embarked upon by the judiciary workers. When THISDAY visited courts in Akure, Ondo State capital, there were no activities in any of the offices. The State High Court, Court of Appeal, magistrate's courts, National Industrial Court and the Federal High Court in Akure were shut by the JUSUN led by the state Chairman, Mr. Femi Afolabi.

Govs Plan Meeting to Resolve Logjam THISDAY learnt yesterday that governors would soon meet to resolve the impasse over the quest for financial autonomy

for the judiciary. Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice, Mr. Abubakar Malami (SAN), told THISDAY yesterday that out of the desire to ensure strict compliance with the constitutional provisions of financial autonomy of states’ judiciary and the legislature, the Buhari administration came up with Executive Order 10 to enforce Section 121(3) of the 1999 Constitution. Malami, who spoke through his media aide, Dr. Umar Gwandu, said: "This, if complied with, will ensure the democratic doctrine of separation of powers, bring grassroots development and accelerate the much-needed dividends of democracy to the teaming Nigerian masses who clamoured for change." It was gathered that the next meeting of the governors may resolve to either challenge the constitutionality of the Executive Order 10 at the Supreme Court since the governors have not been able to resolve it with Malami. A source told THISDAY that the governors are billed to address the matter. "I know it is part of the Executive Order 10, signed in May 2020 and a committee was set up by the governors to address this matter holistically. Not until this is done, the governors will not have a position.

WEDNESDAY APRIL 7, 2021 • T H I S D AY

WEDNESDAY APRIL 7, 2021 •T H I S D AY

Notice Of 33rd Annual General Meeting Notice is Hereby Given that the 33rd Annual General Meeting of members of Fidelity Bank Plc will hold at the Africa-Asia Meeting Room, Eko Hotel & Suites, Plot 1415 Adetokunbo Ademola Street, Victoria Island, Lagos at 10:00 a.m. on Friday, April 30, 2021 to transact the following business: Ordinary Business 1.

To lay before the members, the Audited Financial Statements for the year ended December 31, 2020, the Reports of the Directors, External Auditors and Audit Committee thereon.

To declare a Dividend.

To elect the following Directors who were appointed since the last Annual General Meeting:

(i) (ii) (iii) (iv) (v) (vi) (vii)

Mr. Mustafa Chike-Obi, Non-Executive Director/Chairman. Engr. Henry Obih, Independent Non-Executive Director. Mrs. Amaka Onwughalu, Non-Executive Director. Mr. Nelson Nweke, Non-Executive Director. Mr. Chinedu Okeke, Non-Executive Director. Mr. Kevin Ugwuoke, Executive Director. Dr. Kenneth Opara, Executive Director.

To re-elect the following Directors retiring by rotation:

(i) (ii)

Pst. Kings Akuma, Non-Executive Director. Mr. Chidi Agbapu, Non-Executive Director.

To approve the appointment of Messrs. Deloitte & Touche as the Bank’s External Auditors in place of the retiring External Auditor (Ernst & Young).

To authorize the Directors to fix the remuneration of the External Auditors for 2021.

To disclose the remuneration of the managers of the Company.

To elect Members of the Statutory Audit Committee.

(B)

To ensure the safe conduct of the AGM, the meeting will be convened and conducted in compliance with guidelines issued by the Government, the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) and health authorities to curb the spread of COVID-19, particularly extant regulations on limitations on public gatherings and the holding of Annual General Meetings by proxy. Premised on the foregoing, Shareholders are hereby notified that attendance at the AGM shall only be by proxy and shall be limited to the maximum of 50 persons permitted under the Corona Virus (COVID-19) Health Protection Regulations of 2021. The Company has made adequate arrangements to bear the cost of stamp duties on all instruments of proxy that are submitted to the Registrars within the stipulated time. In line with the CAC’s Guidelines on holding AGMs by proxy, Shareholders are required to appoint a proxy of their choice from the proposed proxies below:

Special Business 9. To consider and if thought fit, pass the following as an Ordinary Resolution “That Non-Executive Directors’ remuneration for the financial year ending December 31, 2021 and succeeding years until reviewed by the Company in Annual General Meeting, be and is hereby fixed at N20,000,000.00 for each Non-Executive Director and N27,500,000.00 for the Chairman of the Board of Directors”. Proxy A member entitled to attend and vote at the Annual General Meeting (AGM) may appoint a Proxy to attend and vote in his/her/its stead. A Proxy need not be a member of the Company. A blank proxy form is attached to the Annual Report and can be downloaded from the Bank’s website at www.fidelitybank.ng To be valid, the completed and duly stamped proxy form should be emailed to info@ firstregistrarsnigeria.com or deposited at the office of the Registrar, First Registrars & Investor Services Limited, Plot 2, Abebe Village Road, Iganmu, Lagos, not later than 48 hours before the time fixed for the meeting.

(C)

By Order Of The Board

(D)

Notes (A)

Compliance with Covid-19 Related Guidelines Fidelity Bank Plc, as a responsible corporate citizen, is aware of the unique challenges posed by the COVID-19 Pandemic and mindful of the need for all to take action to check the spread of the virus. To this end, the Bank activated its internal COVID-19 Response Plan in March 2020 and continues to implement the safety measures recommended by the Government and health authorities. Additional information on the Bank’s COVID-19 response plan can be obtained from the Directors Report in the Annual Report. Similar measures will be deployed to ensure the wellbeing of persons attending the AGM, including use of sanitisers, face masks and social distancing.

S/N Name Of Proxy

Designation

Mr. Mustafa Chike-Obi

Chairman

Mrs. Nneka C. Onyeali-Ikpe

Alhaji Isa Mohammed Inuwa

Independent Non-Executive Director

Sir Sunny Nwosu

Shareholder

Chief Timothy Adesiyan

Shareholder

Mrs. Bisi Bakare

Shareholder

Mr. Alex Adio

Shareholder

Mr. Nornah Awoh

Shareholder

Mr. Gbenga Idowu

Shareholder

Mr. Boniface Okezie

Shareholder

Mrs. Adetutu Siyonbola

Shareholder

Dr. Umar Faruk

Shareholder

Managing Director/Chief

Dividend If the proposed dividend of 22 kobo per Ordinary Share is approved, dividend will be paid (net of withholding tax at the applicable tax rate) on April 30, 2021 to all Shareholders whose names appear in the Register of Members at the close of business on April 16, 2021. Shareholders who have completed the e-Dividend mandate will receive direct credit of the dividend to their bank accounts on April 30, 2021.

Dated the 7th day of April, 2021

Ezinwa Unuigboje Company Secretary FRC/2014/NBA/00000008909 No. 2 Kofo Abayomi Street Victoria Island, Lagos State.

Attendance By Proxy

Closure of Register of Members The Register of Members and Transfer Books of the Company will be closed from April 19 - 23, 2021 (both days inclusive) to enable the Registrar prepare for dividend payment.

(E)

Statutory Audit Committee As stipulated in Section 404(6) of the Companies and Allied Matters Act, 2020, a Shareholder may nominate another Shareholder for election to the Audit Committee by giving notice in writing of such nomination to the Company Secretary at least twenty-one (21) days before the Annual General Meeting. Section 404 (5) of the Companies and Allied Matters Act 2020 provides that all the members of the Audit Committee shall be financially literate and at least one (1) member shall be a member of a professional accounting body in Nigeria established by an Act of the National Assembly. The Code of Corporate Governance issued by the Financial Reporting Council of Nigeria also provides that members of the Audit Committee should be financially literate and able to read and interpret financial statements. Consequently, a detailed curriculum vitae affirming the nominee’s qualifications should be submitted with each nomination.

WEDNESDAY APRIL 7, 2021 • T H I S D AY

Notice Of 33rd Annual General Meeting (Cont’d) (F)

(f)

Unclaimed Dividend Warrants and Share Certificates Some share certificates were returned to the Registrars as unclaimed, while some dividend warrants are yet to be presented for payment or returned for revalidation. Affected Shareholders are advised to contact the Registrar, First Registrars & Investor Services Limited www.firstregistrarsnigeria.com.

(G)

(g) Mr. Chinedu Okeke was appointed as a Non-Executive Director on December 16, 2020 and approved by the Central Bank of Nigeria on January 4, 2021. He will be presented for election at the 33rd Annual General Meeting.

E-Dividend Notice is hereby given to all Shareholders who are yet to mandate their dividends to their bank accounts to kindly update their records by completing the e-dividend mandate form and submitting same to the Registrars, as dividend will be credited electronically to Shareholders’ accounts as directed by the Securities and Exchange Commission. Detachable application forms for e-dividend mandate, change of address and unclaimed certificates are attached to the Annual Report for the convenience of all shareholders. The forms can also be downloaded from the Company’s website at www.fidelitybank.ng or from the Registrar’s website at www.firstregistrarsnigeria.com. The completed forms should be returned to First Registrars & Investor Services Limited, Plot 2, Abebe Village Road, Iganmu, Lagos, or to the nearest Fidelity Bank Plc Branch.

(H)

Election and Re-Election of Directors:

(i)

Election of Directors: (a) Mr. Mustafa Chike-Obi was appointed as a Non-Executive Director and Chairman of the Board of Directors on June 15, 2020 and approved by the Central Bank of Nigeria on July 2, 2020 to take effect from August 15, 2020. He will be presented for election at the 33rd Annual General Meeting.

(ii)

The profile of all the Directors including the Directors for election/re-election is in the Annual Report and on the Company’s website www.fidelitybank.ng (I)

Right of Securities Holders to Ask Questions Securities holders have the right to ask questions at the Annual General Meeting and may also submit written questions to the Company prior to the meeting. Such questions should be sent by electronic mail to info.investor@fidelitybank.ng or addressed to the Company Secretary and delivered to The Company Secretariat, Fidelity Bank Plc, Block B, No. 2 Kofo Abayomi Street, Victoria Island, Lagos on or before Friday, April 16, 2021.

(J)

Live streaming of the Annual General Meeting: The 33rd Annual General Meeting will be streamed live online on the Bank’s website and social media platforms, to enable Shareholders and Stakeholders who will not be attending the meeting physically, to follow the event and be part of the proceedings. The link for the live streaming will be made available on the Company and the Registrar’s websites.

(K)

E-Annual Report The electronic version of this notice as well as the annual report (e-annual report) for 2020 financial year can be downloaded from the Company’s website www.fidelitybank.ng. The e-annual report will be emailed to all Shareholders who have provided their email addresses to the Registrars. Shareholders who wish to receive the e-annual report are kindly requested to send an email to info.investor@fidelitybank.ng or info@firstregistrarsnigeria.com.

(d) Mrs. Amaka Onwughalu was appointed as a Non-Executive Director on October 30, 2020 and approved by the Central Bank of Nigeria on December 15, 2020. She will be presented for election at the 33rd Annual General Meeting. (e) Mr. Nelson Nweke was appointed as a Non-Executive Director on November 20, 2020 and approved by the Central Bank of Nigeria on December 15, 2020. He will be presented for election at the 33rd Annual General Meeting.

Re-election of Directors In accordance with the provisions of Article 95(1)(a) of the Articles of Association of the Company, the Non-Executive Directors to retire by rotation at the 33rd Annual General Meeting are Pst. Kings Akuma and Mr. Chidi Agbapu.The retiring Directors, being eligible, have offered themselves for re-election.

(b) Mr. Kevin Ugwuoke was appointed as an Executive Director on June 29, 2020 and approved by the Central Bank of Nigeria on July 28, 2020. He will be presented for election at the 33rd Annual General Meeting. (c) Engr. Henry Obih was appointed as an Independent Non-Executive Director on June 29, 2020 and approved by the Central Bank of Nigeria on September 21, 2020. He will be presented for election at the 33rd Annual General Meeting.

Dr. Kenneth Opara was appointed as an Executive Director on June 29, 2020 and approved by the Central Bank of Nigeria effective January 1, 2021. He will be presented for election at the 33rd Annual General Meeting.

(L)

Website A copy of this Notice and other information relating to the meeting can be found at www.fidelitybank.ng.

WEDNESDAY APRIL 7, 2021 •T H I S D AY

WEDNESDAY APRIL 7, 2021 • T H I S D AY

WHY THE SENATE PRESIDENT, HIS EXCELLENCY, AHMED LAWAN MUST STOP AN ILLEGAL OCCUPANT OF A SENATE SEAT, STEPHEN ODEY, FROM ATTENDING PLENARY

It is obvious that from the Judgements of the Appeal Court and the Supreme Court, Stephen Odey is no longer the Senator Representing Cross River North, in the Senate.

Assembly have advised the Senate President to Swear in Rt. Hon. Jarigbe Agom Jarigbe, in obedience to Court Judgements, INEC Compliance and Issuance of Certificate of Return to Jarigbe and in total compliance with the Rule of Law.

It is a known fact that the Independent National Electoral Commission, has obeyed the Judgement of Courts and has issued a Certificate of Return to Rt. Hon. Jarigbe Agom Jarigbe (MHR), which automatically invalidates the Certificate of Return earlier issued to Stephen Odey, after the By- Election.

The question is – is the Senate President competent to Interpret Judgements of Courts, or question the actions of INEC? Can the Senate President possibly ask for Results of an Election, before swearing in an Elected Senator, after a Certificate of Return has been issued to an elected Senator? So why should The fact that, the Apex Court has ruled on who was the the Senate President Dwell on Court Judgements and Authentic Candidate of the People’s Democratic Party the Interpretation thereof, when there is a valid and is incontrovertible. The candidate remains Rt. Hon. authentic Certificate of Return Issued? Jarigbe Agom Jarigbe, as affirmed by the Supreme Court, which struck out the Appeal filed by Stephen What is going on in the Senate, in the case of Stephen Odey, challenging the decision of the Appeal Court. Odey and Rt. Hon. Jarigbe Agom Jarigbe, is an illegality taken too far. The Senate President is wrong The Appeal was struck out, due to a defective Notice and should retrace his steps to avoid bringing the of Appeal, on the 25th of February, 2021. Institution of the Legislature to disrepute. We are reminded that Stephen Odey sought to be joined as an interested Party to the Suit and was joined at the Appeal Court. He went ahead to Appeal the Judgement of the Appeal Court to the Supreme Court. He sought some reliefs from the Supreme Court, including his affirmation as the authentic candidate of the People’s Democratic Party in the December 5th, 2020 Senate By-Election for Cross River North. The Appeal to the Supreme Court by Stephen Odey was Incompetent and was struck out. The Appeal failed and Stephen Odey now claims, he was not part of the Suit. This is an attempt to Approbate and Reprobate. These guys have gone gaga.

The General Public should advice Barr Daniel Bwala, who has been hallucinating on this issue, to accept defeat, instead of prevaricating and coming up with half-truths. These are issues that would have been canvassed in Court. At this point, it is too late to cry wolf. It is Professional misconduct to attempt impugning and criticizing a Judgement of the Supreme Court, whose Judgement is final and infallible.

The Case of Hon. (Mrs) Dorathy Mato V. Hon Iorwase Herman Hembe (2017) is a locus classicus on who the authentic candidate of a Party is. Hembe was declared winner by INEC but the Supreme Court gave the Victory to Dorathy Mato, who took over the Seat of The man that Appealed to the Supreme Court was House of Reps in 2015. Both Hon. Herman Hembe Stephen Odey and not Chief John Alaga. Chief John and Hon. Dorathy Mato were members of the APC Alaga was one of the Respondents at the Supreme and the Suite was a Pre-Election Matter. Court. Chief John Alaga lost his case at the Trial Court and Appeal Court. The Appellant at the Supreme It is the Party that contest elections and not the Court was Stephen Odey and he lost the case to the candidate. Rt Hon Jarigbe Agom was declared winner Respondents. On that note, the subsisting verdict of the PDP Primary election, monitored by INEC in of the Trial and Appeal Courts are affirmed and yet line with section 85, 86 and 87 of the electoral act. to be upturned. It cannot be upturned because the Judgement of the Supreme Court is final and infallible. Rt. Hon Jarigbe Agom Campaigned and took part This is the “Truth” that is incontrovertible. in all stages of the election but Stephen Odey was erroneously declared. Many thanks to the Judiciary, It is not the duty of the Senate to look at Court the last hope of our Democracy. Rt Hon Jarigbe’s Judgements or interpret Court Judgements. The Clerk Victory has been affirmed by the Judgment of the of the Senate is supposed to verify the Certificate of Supreme Court. Return issued by INEC and document the Elected Senator, in line with the Certificate of Return (Latest in The citations of Barr Daniel Bwala are academic time) for swearing in. The Senate President’s duty is to and inconsequential at this point. These citations can act in line with the advice of the Clerk of the National be applied in Future Litigations, if admissible. The Assembly, based on the Legal brief and advice of the Supreme Court is final and infallible. Legal Department. It is worthy of note that, with the evidence before us, the Legal Department and the Clerk of the National

Signed

OMANG C. OMANG (KSM) ESQ

WEDNESDAY APRIL 7, 2021 •T H I S D AY

WEDNESDAY APRIL 7, 2021 • T H I S D AY

T H I S D AY • WEDNESDAY, APRIL 7, 2021

COMMENT

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

DANLADI UMAR’S DISGRACEFUL BEHAVIOUR A judge who fights in public cannot earn any respect, writes Sonnie Ekwowusi

ast week the Chairman of the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT) Danladi Umar was found fighting in public. Umar threw decency to the wind and engaged a security guard in an open street brawl at the Banex Plaza, Wuse, Abuja, to the astonishment of the bemused onlookers who could be heard admonishing Umar, “Go away, go away, oga go inside your car, respect yourself, You are not the most powerful person here, they will beat you here”. The video which captured the fight is still making the rounds. Umar fought the security guard. He gave the young man a heavy blow in the face which sent him reeling on the ground. After the young man regained consciousness and got up from the ground, Umar still sprang to his feet, ran to his car, brought out a lethal object and stretched his hand to smash it on the head of the security guard but was prevented from doing so by his two police escorts, driver and some good Samaritans who swiftly used their hands to block him from probably committing murder. I gather that the security guard has been hospitalised. At the time of scribbling this piece there were insinuations on social media to the effect that the security guard was the aggressor and assaulter of Umar. But Umar’s misdemeanor is that he fought in public regardless of whether he was the aggressor or not. He cannot deny that. The video clip making the rounds is not lying. It is the evidence nailing Umar. Assuming the security was the aggressor, Umar should not have fought him in public. The legal profession is a conservative profession that extols decency, public decorum, social comportment as the hallmark of excellence and success in the profession. By their special vocation as an unbiased empire in the dispensation of justice, judges ought to be the most disciplined officers in the temple of justice. Like Caesar’s wife, judges should not only live and behave above board but manifestly seen to live and behave above board. Judges are honoured and revered because of their impeccable character. This is why judges refrain from joining issues with their critics in the media and public space. This is why judges do not attend any public events or make unguarded public utterances. For example, Master of Rolls, Rt. Hon. A. T. Denning was distinguished by both his exceptional lucidity of thought and character. If Umar can fight in public what advice is he giving to his children or grandchildren? Or, what impressions will Umar’s children or grand-children have watching their father or grandfather fighting in public? No matter the provocation, a judge of a court of law or chair of a Tribunal must not descend to the low level of fighting in public. Therefore Umar’s disgraceful behavior last week stands unequivocally condemned. Not only is it ethically, professionally and judiciously despicable, Umar’s behavior has brought the Bar and Bench into public ridicule, odium and opprobrium. The security guard was simply exercising his lawful duty at the Banex Plaza. Umar’s car had pulled up and was wrongly parked. The security man on duty indicated to the driver of the car that the car was wrongly parked. That was all. And the only way Umar felt he could show to the guard that he (Umar) was a big man or a big judge was to alight from his car and started fighting the guard. As if the fight was not shameful enough, Umar through his personal assistant subsequently issued a statement casting aspersions on the security guard and other boys who rallied to his help during the fight. He also contemptuously labeled the boys as “Biafran boys’’. Shocked by the ethnic profiling, a visibly-angry co-convener of Bring Back Our Girls movement Aisha Yesufu has, in her video, demanded for the immediate dismissal of Umar as CCT Chair. It beats the imagination that a chair of the CCT should throw decency and decorum over board in order to engage a small boy as

JUDGES ARE HONOURED AND REVERED BECAUSE OF THEIR IMPECCABLE CHARACTER. THIS IS WHY JUDGES REFRAIN FROM JOINING ISSUES WITH THEIR CRITICS IN THE MEDIA AND PUBLIC SPACE

young as his son in a physical combat in the street contrary to the Code of Conduct of Judicial officers and the Judicial Oath which Umar not only swore to uphold but made other judges to uphold as well. Why the ethnic profiling? Why was Umar fanning the ember of secession at a time the federal government is preaching against secession? As I earlier said, assuming the security guard was at fault, Umar should not have turned himself into an area boy and start fighting him in public for that matter. The function of the judiciary as a dispenser of justice or as sustainer of good governance is endangered when a chair of the CCT who ought to be an unbiased mortal in the causes of the citizenry, throws decency overboard and engages in open street brawl. Umar shot into public limelight in 2019 owing to his poor performance as the CCT chair. His poor performance, in my respectful view, stems from his character deficit - his incestuous narcissism, sheer arrogance, and pride. For instance, after initially announcing in open court during the trial of former Chief Justice of Nigeria Walter Onnoghen that he would not grant an ex-parte order, Umar secretly went behind Onnoghen’s lawyers and concocted a black-market ex-parte order which President Buhari relied on in illegally removing Onnoghen. Also contrary to law, Umar threatened to jail journalists reporting the CCT proceedings. He actually boasted in an open court that the journalists will languish in prison and may remain there until he (Umar) retires from service after about 28 years. Now, the same Umar was caught last week fighting in public. Umar’s disgraceful behavior brings to mind the lingering debate about the protection of the integrity of the judiciary vis-à-vis appointing unworthy persons to the Bench. The late eminent Justice Akinola Aguda was a tireless advocate of appointing worthy persons to the Bench. He believed that a single error in appointing unworthy persons to the bench could ruin the whole administration of justice. I remember a paper he presented at the Lagos Island Club in January 1990. The title of that paper was: In Danger of Fiend and the Ghoul. In the aforesaid paper, he gave five reasons why the judiciary wobbles. Among the five reasons was the appointment of unworthy people as judicial officers. Justice Aguda was right. In most countries, only the best and the brightest are appointed judges. Not so in Nigeria. In Nigeria what counts most in the appointment of judges is prebendalism. This is why we were not surprised that a justice of the Supreme Court of Nigeria who did not know the meaning of the notion “technicality in law” during the Senate screening/clearing exercise was still elevated notwithstanding his palpable misfit. Therefore the National Judicial Council (NJC) henceforth should ensure that only men and women of character are appointed judges in Nigeria. We need judges adored with the breastplate of decorum and discipline. We need judges whose public utterances are salted with the virtues of temperance and mortification. In this regard, the NJC should wield the big stick and suspend or dismiss Umar for fighting in public. On March 15 2010 Hon. Justice Idris Habib Shall of the Bauchi State High Court was suspended by the NJC for fighting in public. Our judges should be people whose public conduct, public behaviour and public utterance are incapable of eroding the confidence of the public in the judiciary. The era of Justices Kayode Eso, Chukwudifu Oputa, Andrews Obaseki, Augustine Nnamani, Anthony Aniagolu, George Adesola Oguntade, Muhammad Lawal Uwais, Niki Tobi at the Supreme Court is termed the golden era of the Supreme Court. Why? Because the aforesaid justices were men of intellectual versatility and impeccable character. Respect is reciprocal. Honour is reciprocal as well. A chair of the CCT who fights in public cannot earn any respect.

‘COMPASSIONATE USE’APPROACH TO VACCINE Victor Ariole writes that for Covid-19 Vaccine, produce more even when in doubt

iral vector can easily be outfitted with therapeutic genes that encode the cas9 protein and its guide RNA specialised viruses have been completely retooled to deliver DNA to the body but can’t infect their host with anything except the therapeutic payloads that researchers give them… Doudna, J. and Sternberg, S.( 2018:168) According to the two specialists in CRISPR and RNA (clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeat (and) ribonucleic acid, respectively) quoted above, there is the need to believe that based on pressure on hospital facilities-- though not in disorganised or unplanned African hospitals -- what their colleagues in the research group had termed “compassionate use” of research workin-progress, is what the world is witnessing with vaccines’ roll-out. It is like Adam Smith and John Maynard Keynes economics in contentions as the latter worries that failure to inject stimulus to get the economy working could result in “at the long run all humans would have died.” For experts in the developed world, the rigid process of vaccine trials must be tinkered with if the hospitals are to remain effective and efficient as their optimum capacity to care for patients is no more guaranteed. And, what is more, the savings in the National Health Insurance Scheme seems to be leading to bankruptcy level. Here are issues that proactive and caring

government are mindful of and are ready to tackle for the best interest of their people and their nation. Hence, they could ask their people to go on lockdown and provide what is necessary to care for them during lockdown, as against having most of them in the hospital, as the facilities could not withstand it. Such issues are not what Africans could be bothered with as there are neither such hospital facilities nor provisions for people in a lockdown situation. However, as vaccines are made available the thinking process of the African governments, Nigeria in particular as the most populous, ought to be directed to African travellers, and they should be made to pay at points of entry to save the population that stay at home, and are possibly going to be infected by the travelling ones. As the NAFDAC director expatiated, the available vaccine brand for Nigeria, the AstraZeneca is about 68% effective and are taken in two doses and that it is viral vector mRNA preparation, capable of doing the same work as the Johnson and Johnson model that is taken only once; even when it is stated that the latter is over 95% effective. For the one that is 95% effective and the one that is 68%, though both are said to be 100% effective in not allowing hospitalisation, the experts say that mRNA type is like sending a drone to hit at a specific target in the DNA, causing a modification as directed by the RNA guide so as to make it

impossible for the virus never to see what to latch -- on and penetrate the host’s cell. Whereas the other variant is planned to reside in the DNA as a watchman that could trigger alarm whenever the virus attempts to penetrate the DNA and raise soldiers, like antibody, to fight it off. In effect the latter is a déjà-vu in vaccine preparation. While the former is jamais-vu in vaccine preparation, hence an innovation. That innovation is what the CRISPR experts, mentioned, linked to either targeting for deletion or insertion in DNA letters so as to enhance or knock - off elements that make for the effectiveness of the spread of the virus in humans. What African experts need to tell their populace is: what are the best options for them just as the USA intends to have AstraZeneca for people above 50 years while reserving Johnson and Johnson for the younger age group? According to the same experts, over three billion letters for the human DNA had been at war with viruses for over million years; and such wars have enabled the viruses to evolve with either wicked or benign forms in their attack to human cells, to an extent that the deletion of certain DNA letters in the Africans, or that the untouched letters of DNA in Africans, had helped them to survive some attack of some evolving viruses. Hence the greater research efforts going on now, on how to use CRISPR - which is RNA guide to the DNA - to fight diseases. So, what has mRNA vaccine preparation got to

do with African population? It is evident that it has CRISPR approach to tackling viruses. Furthermore, it seemingly involves deleting or reworking the letters of human DNA. Hence, between encoding information in the DNA that could propel antigens to attack when danger is felt and deleting some, or attractive, letters of the DNA so as to kill the virus “as dead on arrival to the human tissue”, which one should be contemplated for the younger age Africans whose DNA is still active and can still encode more information and, as well do more fighting to save itself. Like Doudna and Sternberg posit, these are issues of germ- like diseases distinct from the one that involves transplant; hence, scientists would do well to involve more people in the discussion of how, intellectually and morally, humans could be guided in the modification - deleting or editing or inserting or knocking - off - the letters of human genomes. One of the ethics of journalism is “when in doubt leave out” but that seems the reverse in vaccine production as it remains the last resort for the avoidance of mass hospitalization, and quite resonant of “if you wait for thorough clinical trials, at the long run humans would have gone extinct”. So, compassionate use of vaccine remains the last resort. Ariole is Professor of French and Francophone Studies, University of Lagos

T H I S D AY • WEDNESDAY, APRIL 7, 2021

EDITORIAL PSYCHOTROPIC DRUGS AND INSECURITY The abuse of mind altering substances enhances criminality

he National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has linked the current challenge of internal security in the country to uncontrolled influx and use of psychotropic medicines such as Tramadol and other chemicals. This much was corroborated by Sheik Ahmad Gumi after his interactions with Fulani bandits in Zamfara recently. “The challenge of internal security within the country was traced to the uncontrolled influx and use of psychotropic medicines such as tramadol and chemicals that could be diverted for terrorist activities,” the NAFDAC Director-General, Mojisola Adeyeye, warned in Abuja. We support NAFDAC for its commitment and resolve to contain the inflow of psychotropic drugs which affect behaviour, mood, thoughts, and perception. We also appeal to our regulatory authorities to see this warning as a wake-up call. The Nigeria Customs Service and the Standard Organisation of Nigeria (SON) must attend to regulatory compliance and prevent fake and substandard pharmaceutical consignments from WE ARE ALREADY SEEING being cleared at the THE EFFECT OF HOW nation’s ports and SEVERAL YEARS OF borders as well as VIOLENCE, INSURGENCY, ensure that only AND NOW BANDITRY CAN safe and regulated DESTABILISE A COUNTRY products are available for distribution. AND UNDERMINE ITS Abuse of drugs DEVELOPMENT and substance is a global phenomenon. The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) in its 2016 report alluded that the use of psychotropic medications and illegal drugs result in a public health issue, leading to addiction, psychiatric and somatic disorder, and even death. The World Health Organisation (WHO) Expert Committee on Drug Dependence, had warned some years ago that the growing abuse of Tramadol by some African and West Asian countries may lead to intoxication similar to other opioid analgesics with

Letters to the Editor

the consequence of the breakdown of central nervous system (CNS), depression, coma, tachycardia, cardiovascular collapse, seizures and respiratory depression up to a respiratory arrest. The consequence of ignoring the danger of prescription but commonly misused drugs can be dire for our nation. We are already seeing the effect of how several years of violence, insurgency, and now banditry can destabilise a country and undermine its development. The military adventure in the north-east and other parts of the country is an expensive operation while many people have either been killed or displaced. There is also a profound threat to food security given that many farmers now ﬁnd it risky to go to the ﬁeld to plant and harvest crops.

C 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

riminal groups under the influence of narcotics and other drugs are also gaining notoriety by ganging up with terrorists, drug traffickers and pirates in the Gulf of Guinea. Recently the FCT Minister singled out scavengers under the influence of hard drugs as catalysts of many criminal activities, including kidnapping which are on the rise in the territory. He declared them a threat to security as these homeless people have no means of livelihood and are willing tools exploited for arson and breach of public peace and order. In many parts of our country, abduction of people is now a thriving business as hardly a day goes by without news of people being kidnapped for ransom either in or out of their homes. And unfortunately some of these insurgents, bandits and kidnappers are hooked to psychotropic drugs which they consume before carrying out their despicable acts. Government has a shared responsibility to address this problem in a manner that will ensure that criminals addicted to psychotropic drugs are prevented from exploiting the weak. There is also a need to review our value system, particularly at home and in schools. Parents have the obligation to discreetly vet the kind of company their children keep to safeguard them from being introduced to drugs and crime.

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.

Uprising In The East, Uproar In The North

igeria is at a tempestuous crossroads. It will be a failed attempt at casuistry to play down the multi-pronged encumbrances the country is contending with. All is not well. It appears when attention is turned to one problem, another irritation materialises angling for notice. Nigeria has never been this tried and tested by in situ tribulations since the return of democracy in 1999. Troubling times. While the country is still held in solitary grief by the violent pursuits of Boko Haram, bandits and kidnappers, another deadly insurgency rises, like the sun on its most vexed day, in the south-east. Nigeria is at war on all fronts. The country is like the biblical Israel hedged about by hostile neighbours. However, Nigeria’s case is quite peculiar. Those assaulting the nation are not aliens but citizens born and raised in the country. One of the most fragile defence operations to prosecute is that involving the state and its citizens -- because in this case the adversary is an insider who blends with the civil population. Also, there are limitations in the application of force in dealing with internal crisis. A government must not be seen to be ruthless against its own people. It is must be seen to be measured in its response to internal threats. An escalation of state force could tick off the alarm of humanitarian agencies and wary citizens. So, it is a tough call dealing with internal conflicts. We cannot excuse our own role in this cataclysm. Years of directionless, insensitive, duplicitous and reactionary leadership from the 1960s to date led us down this primrose path. It will be uncharitable to stack

up the blame for the parlous state of things on any single Nigerian leader. All the leaders, past and present, have a sizeable share in the blame pile. For example, we cannot excuse the disingenuity of those who poisoned Nigeria’s federal structure by abrogating regionalism and foisting a unitary system on the country in the 1960s. We cannot obviate the duplicity of those who created states to be unequal and who carved out portions of the country in a quest for vengeance and native politics in the late 60s; 70s, 80s and 90s. States were not created out of economic viability but for concerns by the prevailing insular interests. We cannot also dismiss the underhandedness of those who infected the federal civil service with the virus of corruption and who polluted the political system with the introduction of the presidential system of the government in the 1970s. And of course, we cannot consign to oblivion those who palmed off a military document to the nation as constitution in 1999. It took years of cancerous growth and attrition decay to get us here. There is enough blame to go around. Nigeria is like a beat-up Danfo at which different drivers take turns. Each driver comes with his own manual and cannibalises the vehicle without care for the passengers on it. The drivers leave with a part of the jalopy at every turn until nothing but the carcass is left. The leaderships over the years have butchered and cut up the country so violently that it will take an outlier to do the healing. Really, it is puzzling that some brilliant minds who pontificate on leadership find themselves in government but end up going against

everything they once gospelised. And when they are out of government they return to their pastime of attacking another government and retailing ‘’sound ideas’’. There must be something in government that addles the mind. But, Nigeria is not a lost cause. It is salvageable. Like I said earlier it will need an outlier to retool the country. The good news is there are many outliers who can provide leadership for the country. Leaders are not in short supply here. There is a need for mass mobilisation of consciences and citizens’ engagement on electoral choices ahead of the 2023 elections. We end up with mediocre leaders because the followership is equally deficient, divided, corrupt, and vacuous. The task to save Nigeria must not be left to a select group – everyone must put their hands on the wheel. Yes, Nigeria needs leadership. A surgeon-leader to perform life-saving debulking; it needs an architect-leader to redesign the structure; it needs a mechanic-leader to rework the engines, and it needs a physician to heal the divided country. It needs an outlier – not messiah. I recall the song by Veno Marioghae, ‘’Nigeria go survive’’. Growing up in Lagos I would listen to the song boom from the stereos at barber shops and nostalgic corners: ‘’Nigeria go survive, no matter all the trial, Nigeria go survive; my people go survive o, Nigeria go survive’’. Nigeria survived a civil war; it survived militancy; it survived many civil unrests and riots, it will survive this current crisis. Nigeria go survive. Fredrick Nwabufo is a writer and journalist

WEDNESDAY APRIL 7, 2021 •T H I S D AY

WEDNESDAY APRIL 7, 2021 • T H I S D AY

T H I S D AY ˾ WEDNESDAY APRIL 7, 2021

MIDWEEKPOLITICS

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

Why APC’s Careraker Committee Keeps Shifting the Goalposts Events of the last few days have shown that the June deadline for the National Caretaker/ ExtraOrdinary Convention Planning Committee of the All Progressives Congress to conduct congresses and organise a national convention is no longer feasible, Adedayo Akinwale writes

Buni

embers of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) who still believe that the National Caretaker/Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee led by the Governor of Yobe State, Mai Mala Buni will conduct the party’s congresses and also the national convention of the party in June as initially scheduled should better have a rethink. This is because events of the past few weeks and the additional three weeks extension of the party’s membership registration and revalidation exercise, which was supposed to end on March 31, as well as the permutations ahead of the 2023 presidential election have shown that the Caretaker Committee would seek another six months extension for it to complete its assignment. Caretaker committee plans another six months extension It is believed that another six months extension which the Caretaker Committee is planning to seek from the party will end in December 2021 when the party will finally conduct its convention. Fortunately for the Caretaker Committee, some APC governors are fighting tooth and nail to gain control of the party structure in their respective states and they will not oppose the idea. Also, APC caretaker chairmen in the states who are under the direct control of the governors are also in the league as the plot to seek another six months extension thickens. The Caretaker committee which came into being last year after the sack of the Adams Oshiomhole-led National Working Committee (NWC) was mandated to reconcile the aggrieved members of the party and also conduct the party’s national convention to usher in a new NWC of the party. Rather, the Caretaker Committee has further ventured into tasks that were not part of its mandate when it was inaugurated by the National Executive Council (NEC) of the party. The ongoing registration and revalidation exercise and the inauguration of the constitution review committee of the party are perfect examples. When the party leadership inaugurated an eight-man committee last month to review the party’s constitution, some members of the party knew it was part of the committee’s ploy to seek another six months extension and perpetuate itself in office. With the constitution review committee in place, aggrieved leaders claimed that it was a pointer “to the extension of the tenure of the caretaker committee,” which they argued would create a constitutional crisis for the party. APC extends registration/ revalidation exercise However, after the initial dilly-dally, the party leadership for the second time extended its ongoing membership registration/revalidation

Akpanudoedehe and update exercise for three weeks. The National Secretary of the Committee, Sen. John Akpanudoedehe, in a statement said the audit of the reports received from the National Membership Registration, Revalidation and Update Committee; the States’ Registration Committees; and that of the party situation room indicated that most states, for varied reasons, started late and require additional time to conclude the exercise. He added that the party’s decision was also sequel to the avalanche of applications from critical stakeholders including all states Caretaker Chairmen for an extension of time to capture Nigerians who are still desirous of joining the fold of the progressives. Akpanudoedehe stated: “The Caretaker/ Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee under the leadership of Hon. Mai Mala Buni had done everything possible to keep to the earlier timeline, however, it has become imperative to extend the duration of this very important party activity. “Consequently, the committee has approved the recommendation of the National Committee for the Membership Registration, Revalidation and Update to extend the duration of the exercise for three weeks.” Akpanudoedehe had in an interview with THISDAY hinted that the national convention may not hold as planned in June, because the party is not in a hurry to hold the national convention, as rushing into its congresses could lead to mistakes and fuel litigations and factionalisation. However, he stated that while the committee would strive to keep to the June deadline for the national convention, to mark the conclusion of its assignments, it would not hesitate to approach the NEC of the party for a tenure

Fayemi extension should plans to hold the national convention as scheduled fall through. The Secretary added that the committee would not release the timetable for the party’s congresses until the nationwide registration and revalidation of members are concluded. He said, “The caretaker committee, headed by Governor of Yobe State, Mr. Mai Mala Buni, is waiting for the conclusion of the revalidation/ registration of members exercise by the state chapters of the party before planning for the convention. “We will do everything humanly possible to meet the deadline. We are not liars to Nigerians. If we have a need to do anything, we will go to the National Executive Committee (NEC); it is not a public matter. “I’m asking you a simple question, if we are going to conduct congresses, what are we going to use to conduct congresses? The materials must come; we must have a database in the party to sort out those things.” “We will do what we say we will do. If we are going to extend, we will go to NEC and we will extend it; there is nothing you can do about it. If we are not extending, why are you pre-empting that we are extending when we are not?” “When you are doing congresses, what are you going to use for congresses? Is it not the registration? Allow them to return the materials. We will look at the materials; don’t forget we are going to print membership cards. When we print the membership cards, we will give them to the people. So, when you go, you know who you are going to vote for. Then we will elect officers,” he said. Akpanudoedehe said those spreading the rumour that the committee was seeking to elongate its tenure have lost out.

Investigations reveal that while party members have been looking forward to a National Convention to produce new party leaders in June, some forces in the party are perfecting plans to give another lifeline to the Buni Committee. It was learnt that the tenure extension plot will begin with the approval of additional extension for the ongoing membership registration and revalidation. The idea of dragging membership registration and revalidation for additional few weeks was hatched by some party leaders and a few APC governors to hijack the party’s structure ahead of the primaries for the 2023 general election

According to him, “They lost out. Everyone that is on this committee is busy. With due respect, we are rich men. The governor does not live on the money of the party. All the committee members – we don’t take salary; we take sitting allowance. Everyone here is healthy on his own; they are employed; you can go and check.” Hope for June convention fades But as part of the politicking in the party to ensure that the June deadline given to the Committee to complete its assignment is not realizable, a highly placed source told THISDAY the committee will ensure that the data and provided by members were verified by the party after the exercise has been concluded. The source said: “This committee wants everybody to see, even the doubting Thomases, the most extreme critics will see that what we are doing is real. Talking about thirty something million people and you have to verify whether it is real. You have to check the NIN number, you have to check the fingerprints, you have to check if the INEC card they have given is real, that is what we are talking about here. Never in the history of this party will you be sure that these are your members.” “You don’t expect us to come and lie, if we have need to extend, we will go to the public and give them the reason to do that. Meanwhile, we will keep the deadline of June.” How 2023 permutations delays APC conventions Investigations reveal that while party members have been looking forward to a National Convention to produce new party leaders in June, some forces in the party are perfecting plans to give another lifeline to the Buni Committee. It was learnt that the tenure extension plot will begin with the approval of additional extension for the ongoing membership registration and revalidation. The idea of dragging membership registration and revalidation for additional few weeks was hatched by some party leaders and a few APC governors to hijack the party’s structure ahead of the primaries for the 2023 general election. Investigation further revealed that some of the forces have recruited loyal state APC chairmen, to work for the extension of membership registration. The source said: “Some governors have subscribed to both the extension of membership registration and tenure elongation for the Caretaker Committee. What some governors are saying is that a National Convention in June may expose APC too early on its zoning formula for 2023. They said the opposition parties, especially the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) may easily read through APC permutations for the next general election. NOTE: Interested readers should continue in the online edition on www.thisdaylive.com

T H I S D AY ˾ WEDNESDAY APRIL 7, 2021

POLITICS

Was there Ever a Zoning Arrangement in the Coal City State?

GOVERNANCE IN PHOTOS

As the politics of 2023 picks up in Enugu State, Chinenye Ugwu interrogates the contentious issue of zoning of the governorship seat

Ugwuanyi

he Nazi propaganda machine, Joseph Goebbels, offered one of the most popular rubrics of propaganda: “If you tell a lie big enough and keep repeating it, the people will eventually come to believe it.” Often referred to as the “illusory truth effect,” this is a cognitive bias and glitch in the human psyche, which tends to equate repetition with truth. Enugu politicians have tried to put this to full use. They saturate the media and social media with a fairy tale of how Enugu’s founding fathers agreed on governorship zoning in the politics ushering in the current democratic dispensation and threaten anybody that wants to truncate it. But the question is: how could anybody truncate what does not exist? Unfortunately, when challenged to name participants and venue of this meeting that birthed Enugu’s zoning pact, the promoters resort to expletives, tantrums, and reckless threats. Nigerians know about the 1958 Lancaster/ London Conference where likes of Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa, Chief Obafemi Awolowo, Dr. Nnamadi Azikiwe, Sir Ahmadu Bello, Professor Eyo Ita, Sir Adesoji Aderemi, Oba Aladesanmi, HRH Emir Muhammadu Sanusi, Chief Nyong Essien, and Chief S.E Onukogu, etc. adopted a federal structure for Nigeria ahead of independence. Much as Enugu does not necessarily need an elaborate conference like London’s on the issue, but governorship zoning agreement presupposes that people met at a known venue at a known time to reach a written or gentleman agreement. But these ones resort to threats and insults because the most difficult job in the world is to defend that which you know to be false. Even Goebbels, the father of the Big Lie Theory, forewarned that “truth is the mortal enemy of the lie.” Meanwhile, to interrogate and establish the existence or otherwise of governorship zoning arrangement in Enugu, Nigerians only need to review the facts around Enugu’s governorship contest since 1999. Chief Jim Ifeanyichukwu Nwobodo, a former Governor (old Anambra State), Minister, Senator and a founding father of the Peoples Democratic Party and Dr. Okwesilieze Nwodo, a former Governor (Enugu State) and first National Secretary of PDP qualify as elders of Enugu State in 1998. Interestingly, in 1998/1999, Dr. Nwodo championed the governorship aspiration of Nduka Agu in PDP (from Udi in Enugu West zone), while Nwobodo championed the aspiration of Dr. Chimaroke Nnamani, who hails from Agbani, Enugu East zone. Chimaroke eventually got the PDP ticket and went on to beat All Peoples Party, APP’s candidate, Gbazuagu Nweke Gbazuagu (GNG) from Akpugoeze, Enugu West zone, in the main election. The point is, if there was any agreed zoning arrangement, how come the two foremost elders of Enugu sponsored candidates from different senatorial zones, while Gbazuagu, a key political player, who was a governor-in-the-waiting before the death of Sani Abacha and the General’s

transition programme, flew APP’s flag? The 2003 governorship race was a straight fight between Ambassador Fidel Ayogu of the ANPP (Enugu North) and incumbent Nnamani. Barr. Peter Okonkwo (Ohamadike) and Chief Anayo Onwuegbu (Omeiheukwu) from Enugu North and West, respectively, also tried their luck. Under a zoning arrangement, nobody outside Enugu East could have contested against Nnamani in 2003. It is common to hear lies like: “Chimaroke picked his successor from Enugu West in line with the zoning agreement by the elders of the state.” But the truth is that the 2007 governorship was not ceded to Enugu West. It was keenly contested, right from the primaries, by interested aspirants from all the zones (except the outgoing Governor’s zone). True, Chimaroke anointed his Commissioner for Justice, Sullivan Chime (Enugu West), but it had nothing to do with an agreed zoning cycle, but pure political interest. It is easily recalled that even Chimaroke’s Deputy, Dr. Okechukwu Itanyi (Enugu North) contested against Chime in the PDP primary, which held at the Nnamdi Azikiwe Stadium on 10th December 2006. Indeed 12 out of the 17 LGAs had already voted when four aspirants, namely, Itanyi (Enugu North) Dr. Osita Ogbu (Enugu North), Anayo Onwuegbu (Enugu West) and Dr. John Nwokeabia, marched to the table of the Alhaji Shehu Sambo-led PDP Electoral Panel to protest alleged “manifest fraud” in Chime’s favour. They thereafter staged a walkout and later addressed newsmen at Zodiac Hotels, Enugu. The main gubernatorial election was contested by a coterie of candidates like Chief Ugo Agbala of the All Progressives Grand Alliance backed by Senator Ken Nnamani, Rev. Oscar Egwuonwu of Democratic Peoples Party; Chief Dubem Onyia of the Action Congress, AC (all Enugu West), and most significantly, Barr. Okey Ezea (Ideke) of Labour Party (Enugu North), who was Chime’s main challenger and came second with 22,502 votes and Ambassador Fidel Ayogu of ANPP (Enugu North), who came third with 19,550 votes. They also launched a plethora of petitions leading to the annulment of Chime’s election by the Tribunal on 18th January 2008. It took the Court of Appeal (highest appellate court for governorship petitions at the time) to save Chime’s mandate. In 2011, Chime snatched PDP’s ticket for his second term from the jaw of defeat. Okwesilieze Nwodo, now PDP’s National Chairman, was out to undo him over irreconcilable political differences. He had God and the likes of Goodluck Jonathan and Senator Ike Ekweremadu to thank. He battled Labour Party’s Chief Ezea (Ideke), Dan Shere of the Peoples Democratic Congress (a party promoted by Chimaroke), and Chief Robert Eze of the ANPP (all from Enugu North) in the 26th April 2011 governorship election. In 2015, Enugu North was the only zone yet to produce a governor since 1999 and equity favoured them. But the more important factor was that Enugu West senatorial seat, not the governorship position, was the real bone of contention. While the outgoing Governor Chime and Senator Ekweremadu were locked in an epic supremacy battle over senatorial seat, they converged on the candidacy of Hon. Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi. Although Chime believed he had anointed his successor, he obviously didn’t know that Ugwuanyi and Ekweremadu have been long allies. This friendship worked for Ugwuanyi, as Ekweremadu threw his political weight, including the delegates structure, which Chime had lost, behind Ugwuanyi to ensure the unity of Enugu PDP and Ugwuanyi’s emergence in the 8th December 2014 governorship primary. Onwuegbu (Enugu West) later withdrew for Ugwuanyi. But Senator Ayogu Eze (Enugu North) tried a parallel primary and waged an unsuccessful judicial battle up to the Supreme Court. NOTE: Interested readers should continue in the online edition on www.thisdaylive.com

Prince Tonye T.J.T Princewill on a tour of his ancestral community in Buguma, Rivers State with his unit and ward women leaders, after revalidating his All Progressives Congress membership

L-R :Former Parliamentary Staff Association of Nigeria (PASAN) Chairman, Mr. Bature Musa, PASAN National President, Muhammed Usman, Clerk to the National Assembly, Ojo Olatunde Amos, Secretary, Human Resources and Staff Development, Elder Felix Orunwense, Secretary, Finance and Accounts, Sani Magaji Tambuwal and PASAN Chairman, NASS chapter, Mr. Sunday Sabiyi after the Inauguration of the Committee on the Implementation of the Condition of Service for staff of the National Assembly

Governor Udom Emmanuel (wearing a hat) watches a demonstration by the Commissioner for Agriculture, Dr. Glory Edet (2nd left) during an inspection of the Onion Plantation at the Green House Farm, Airport Road, Uyo

President, Lagos4Lagos Movement and prominent member of the All Progressives Congress in Laos State, Dr. Abdul-Azeez Olajide Adediran (in red track suit) arriving the venue of the recent Makoko Day celebrations

T H I S D AY ˾ ͵˜ 2021

FEATURES

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

Need to Remodel Almajiri System in Northern Nigeria Francis Sardauna writes on the need for Northern Governors to urgently put measures in place for the banishment or positive remodeling of the Almajiri system in order to save Nigeria from humanitarian crisis

Some almajirai at Central Market, Katsina

he prevailing insecurity in the country, particularly in the Northern region has forced many Nigerians to have a more than cursory look at the Almajiri system of education and how it affects national security. Thus, many believes that the system is nursing criminals. It was perhaps to avoid a situation whereby the large pool of uneducated children would be ready tools for hoodlums that the then of President Goodluck Jonathan built schools that would accommodate the large pool of Almajiri in some northern states. Though the attempt was at best a failure, many northerners have expressed concern about the implication of the large number of beggars in the north on the economy and security of the region as well as the future of the young children who are often pen-named leaders of tomorrow. The almajiri system of education which started as noble course to imbibe in young children, the knowledge of Islamic education several years ago, has become an albatross, a threat to the security of lives and breach of fundamental rights of children in many northern states. Through the system, children between the ages of 5 to 10 years are plucked from the loving comforts of their parents and sent to faraway places where they are placed under an Islamic teacher (Mallam) to learn knowledge about Islam and Islamic religion. Although, this practice endured over time, abuse of the system began to set in as the teachers (Mallams), who are in most cases not remunerated by parents of the children nor the government, began to lose grip of the unusually large number of children that are dumped on them by parents. Apart from roaming the streets with cups and begging while dressed in rags, scavenging for food remnants, the children are involved in various kinds of forced labour and sleep in uncompleted houses, road sides, motor parks, mosques or market stalls. This further exposed them to different kinds of health, physical and psychological hazards. The awful practice has resulted to anti-societal behaviours with many of

the almajiri children losing their lives to violence, accidents, jungle justice, hunger and diseases. Sadly, after successful completion of the Holy Qur’an, they are condemned to menial jobs to earn a living since they have no skills at hand. Unfortunately, the age-long system of education has transformed into a negative phenomenon where the under-aged who were sent to read the Holy Book are recruited to do all sorts of criminal activities like banditry, armed robbery, kidnapping, sodomy among other crimes by criminally minded individuals. More worrisome is that a section of the region's elite has over the years been indifferent to this ugly trend. Rather than deploy the power at their disposal to take beggars off the streets by promoting childeducation, many of them have exploited the misfortune of beggars to their religious advantage. Apparently, the heinous activities of some of these almajiri compelled the federal government throught the National Security Adviser, Babagana Monguno to advocate for the proscription of almajiri system to stem rising insecurity in the country. Monguno, during a joint press conference in Abuja said: “It is very important to proscribe certain groups ultimately running around under the guise of maybe getting some kind of education that is not really formal and then begin to cause a lot of problems for society. “Ultimately, government will have to proscribe this Almajiri phenomenon because we cannot continue to have street urchins, children roaming around, only for them in a couple of years to become a problem to society". Although Monguno's pronouncement generated mixed reactions from the government circle, many opinion leaders considered it as the sacrament of the truth. Also, the outbreak of COVID-19 in the country early last year, had forced governors of the 19 northern states to banned the ‘Almajirai from the streets and embarked on the repatriation of thousands of them from the streets back to their state of origins within the zone. But the decision by the northern governors to tackle the street begging and evacuate the beggars from the streets seems to have hit

the rock, as the practice continues unabated in some cities in Katsina, Kaduna, Kano, Nasarawa and other northern states with most of the children seen moving around in search of food. In Katsina, the predicament has been compounded by the influx of foreign almajirai from the neighbouring Niger Republic and other countries into the state, thereby stifling the resolve of the state government to end the scenario. Most of the beggars are often used by disgruntled elements to unleash mayhem in the state. To conclude that the system has deviated from its original purpose and is currently giving the state a bad image in the international community is to admit the obvious as most of these innocent minors are often transported from Katsina to other states or countries by their teachers to undergo various hard labour. For instance, in November, 2019, the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons and other Related Matters (NAPTIP) handed over 23 almajirai to the state government. The victims were convyed in a 18-seater bus by one Malam Akilu Limam Umar with the intend of moving them to Nasarawa State before they were intercepted at AYA Junction in Abuja. The NAPTIP Zonal Commander, Mr Shehu Umar, while handing over the victims to Governor Aminu Bello Masari at the Government House, said sixteen of the victims were from Kaita local government of the state, four from Katsina town and three were foreigners from the neighbouring Niger Republic. Dissatisfied with the development, Governor Masari has taken a bold step to address the menace in the state. He constituted a technical committee which has since came out with recommendations on how to remodel the almajiri system of education as a way of arresting the issue of children roaming the streets and begging. The 17-member committee for Data Collection on Almajiri Pupils, Schools and Reformation of Allo System of Education, was saddled with the responsibilities of repatriating, collecting data of the almajiri schools, comprising the names of the schools,

tutors, propriators, pupils, the location of the schools, the pupils’ background, place of origin and where they are studying, had since submitted it detailed report to state government for considering. Chairman of the committee, Husseini Adamu Karaduwa, told THISDAY in an exclusive interview that the committee had identified 106,000 almajirai across 5,558 Islamic schools in a bid to modernise the almajiri system of education and avert the menace of street begging in the state. Karaduwa said: "At the end of the committee's assignment, we discovered that the state has 106,000 almajirai. 7,893 are none indigenes studying Qur'an at various Qur'anic schools across the state, out of this, we have 2,058 who are from Niger Republic. So, 7,893 are the ones that are due for repatriation right now". He affirmed that the committee had submitted its report to the state government and plans have been concluded to repatriate 7,893 almajirai to their respective home states, saying 2,058 out of the number are from Niger Republic. The recommendation for the repatriation of the pupils is in accordance with the terms of references assigned to the committee. To sustain the transformation plan, the state government is in the process of reviewing the law that established the stateowned Islamic Education Bureau in order to implement the intending reformation of the almajiri system of education in the state. The Masari-led administration is also making adequate workable measures while modernising the system so that children, especially from the vulnerable background, do not have to go to streets for begging in the name of acquiring Islamic education. He banned street begging and urged parents not to send their children outside the state for Islamic education, but to enrol them in Islamiya schools within their domains. Therefore, there is urgent need for northern governors to banish the Almajiri culture to save these innocent minors from perpetual abuse. Unless it is banned or adequately reformed to meet the modern day demands, challenge and realities, the problems of underdevelopment, educational backwardness in the north will continue to worsen.

T H I S D AY ˾ APRIL 7, 2021

FEATURES

Why Development in Sub-Saharan Africa is Lagging Tolu Oyekan

was born in Nigeria in the early 1980s. Based on forecasts at the time, I should be starting the final decade of my life now. But my odds have improved quite a bit. Indeed, it is a testament to the advances over these past 40 years in healthcare and standards of living – in the overall quality of life for at least some people – that the average life expectancy for a person born today in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) has increased by 10 years. In some countries, like Rwanda, which was beset by a devastating civil war in the 1990s, the life expectancy gains are even more dramatic. Part of the reason for the rise in average life expectancy is the fall in early childhood mortality. Death rates among SSA children under five have declined to fewer than 80 per 1000 live births in 2018 from more than double that figure in 1990. This progress is laudable. But despite these gains, there is much further to go. Even with the advances in life expectancy, subSaharan Africa lags behind most of the rest of the world in this regard. In fact, the life expectancy in Africa’s most populous country, Nigeria, is only 55 years. And perhaps more disconcerting is the region’s alarming poverty rate. About 40% of sub-Saharan Africa, or over 400 million people, live on less than $1.90 a day, defined as the extreme-poverty line. That is more than double the poverty rate in South Asia, another region struggling with widespread destitution. Moreover, the COVID-19 disease may set the region back even more. Recent separate reports from the World Health Organization and the World Bank estimate that globally, the number of preventable child deaths and poverty rates will regress to previous high levels before the pandemic is over, particularly in countries already struggling the most. We already had a long journey ahead of us and now the distance has been stretched. Clearly, the emergence of subSaharan Africa as an economic success offering a decent quality of life and a better future for its population is at best in its very infantile stages. In virtually each category of the 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) – covering healthcare, hunger, education, jobs, fair wages, economic growth and the environment, among other critical dimensions – sub-Saharan Africa trails well behind the rest of the world. Perhaps the most problematic issue is that while we have a long distance to travel, we have to get there at a record pace. The UN has set a target of 2030 to reach the SDG’s goals and in effect, eliminate the developmental obstacles to growth and minimum livelihoods that hold back SSA and other countries around the world. For SSA, that is an ambitious deadline. To just take one example, the ratio of people living in extreme poverty in sub-Saharan Africa dropped from around 50% a decade ago to today’s 40%. Going from 40 percent to zero in the next nine years would require a development campaign far exceeding anything tried before in these countries. Yet, as difficult as that sounds, we can at least make significant progress if we avoid wasted efforts and inefficiencies. We must optimize our development efforts for faster impact. We must optimize for speed.

Oyekan

Over a series of articles, I will explore the critical facets of development activities in the region that must be emphasized and improved upon to achieve quicker and more permanent progress. Initially, I will focus on three areas that can be addressed immediately and produce results in a relatively short time: We must gather more and better data and utilize it more effectively; we must increasingly adjust the developmental techniques we employ to ensure they sufficiently address local concerns and issues while taking advantage of existing best practices, even from other disciplines; and we must enlarge the tent to bring a wider and more diverse group of people into the design and implementation process. Looking at these three areas more closely, there are significant gaps between how we view them today and how we should both enhance our understanding of them and improve how we use them to make real developmental gains: Data: Good data about the SSA region is essential. It would allow us to fully understand current conditions and livelihood challenges, compare ourselves against other regions that are attempting to be innovative in solving the same problems, and measure our progress in granular intervals against goals – including the UN SDGs – so that we can take corrective action quickly where needed to keep ourselves on track. Unfortunately, sub-Saharan Africa is data challenged and has been so for a while. But if we try to build our data aggregation capabilities slowly, following the path that regions with inherently more data have taken, we will not be

able to move as fast as we must. Therefore, we must identify and implement pragmatic approaches to dramatically improve our data gathering procedures and methods. Techniques: In attempting to solve specific development challenges, we often make the mistake of adopting tried and tested technical approaches that perhaps have worked in other places but are insufficiently tailored to the specific needs of the sub-Saharan region. As a result, we forfeit the opportunity to consider methods and strategies that are aligned with unique regional needs. For instance, behavioural techniques can encourage desirable actions by sub-Saharan individuals and groups, which in turn can help in local development. Or digital solutions can leverage software to make a development programme more cost-effective. For instance, advancing the use of telemedicine so physicians from outside SSA can efficiently and inexpensively supplement local medical services. These are just two possibilities and the more we think about innovative techniques well suited to the region, the better we will get at designing and implementing them. People: Although there appears to be a push to increasingly widen the participation of African people in the campaigns to solve Africa's problems, I believe that we are still ignoring many potential beneficiaries. In other words, even in our attempts to enlarge the tent, we still fail to address the needs of key stakeholders that are pivotal for the success of SSA development efforts; among them, women, young people, the bottom of the economic pyramid, the private sector and small businesses. Perhaps

a more provocative perspective on this is that we must expand the tent of people taking part in designing developmental solutions and overcome our challenges with the help of beneficiaries – rather than trying to provide answers to or for the beneficiaries. So, how should we approach development in sub-Saharan Africa during this decade? Africans favour the expression, ‘If you want to go quickly, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.’ I would add that we must actually go further than we had thought pre-COVID, and we must also go fast. Over the coming weeks, I will share my thoughts about some of the things we can do to address the three areas I mentioned that must be immediately analyzed, improved upon and tailored for a sub-Saharan solution. I hope we can debate these issues and that collectively, we can produce an exhaustive and workable series of steps to begin a viable developmental journey for SSA. So, what do you think? Do you agree that we have a long way to go despite the progress? Is there a case for maintaining the status quo and continuing to attempt development across the region as we have before? In addition to Data, Techniques, and People, are there other aspects of development designs that we should be considering and fixing? In my view, the gap between where we are today and where we must get to by 2030 is far. I look forward to exploring together how we achieve these bold goals quickly. ...Oyekan is partner at Boston Consulting Group (BCG).

WEDNESDAY APRIL 7, 2021 •T H I S D AY

T H I S D AY ˾ ͵˜ 2021

BUSINESSWORLD R A T E S MONEY MARKET OVERNIGHT OBB

A S

REPO 32.50 30

CALL 1-MONTH 3-MONTH

25 28 30

A T

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

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

A P R I L 558.78% 0.00% - 0.67%

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

1 ,

2 0 2 1 -16.64% -16.64 %

EXCHANGE RATE N379/1US DOLLAR* ̩

Quick Takes Afrinvest Appoints Onaghinon COO

COURTESY VISIT

Managing Director, Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Hadiza Bala- Usman (left), presenting the authority’s corporate plaque to the Senior Special Assistant to President on Public Sector Matters/Secretary, National Action Committee on Africa Continental Free Trade Area (AfCTA), Francis Anatogu during a working visit to the management of the NPA in Lagos…recently

PIB Will Resolve Oil Sector’s 70Year Underdevelopment, FG Insists Stories by Emmanuel Addeh in Abuja

ENERGY

The federal government has said that when passed, the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) will resolve most of the knotty issues that have hindered the development of the oil and gas sector in the country since the 50s. Speaking when he rounded off a panel discussion at a presummit conference in Abuja, the Minister of State, Petroleum Resources, Chief Timipre Sylva,

argued that Nigeria has been going in the wrong direction since the discovery of oil and gas in the country. He stated in spite of global shift to renewable energy, Nigeria would continue to rely on natural gas as transition fuel for its power generation while pursuing renewables for off-grid power. Sylva, vowed that the federal government would conclude the

review of the gas master plan to accommodate the current realities and continue to support de-carbonisation efforts and energy substitution. “One thing is very clear, that we went in the wrong direction in the oil and gas business since the 50s and it’s not too late from all that has been said, to as usual try to trade blames, as to who was responsible. “Some will say it’s from the government side or that investors decided to focus on oil and shut

in gas, so that sector was not explored adequately. Or that the fiscal framework was not there to enable the development of the gas sector, but today I want to say that the solution to all these is in sight and that solution is in the PIB. “The National Assembly has shown commitment that PIB will be passed in April or a few months from now and then all the blame game will Continued on page 24

‘Nigeria Can Export $3bn Worth of Cocoa Derivatives Under AfCFTA’ The federal government has disclosed that by taking advantage of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), Nigeria has the capacity to export $3 billion worth of derivatives from cocoa and $300 million from the sale of the raw unprocessed commodity. Speaking on Arise News Channel, THISDAY’s broadcast arm, recently, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Public Sector Matters, Mr. Francis Anatogu, who is also the Secretary of the National Action Committee (NAC) for Nigeria’s AfCFTA implementation, noted that there is massive opportunities in the area if well harnessed. He argued that it was in the interest of the federal government to make sure that the policies that it puts in the public space make it easier for businesses to thrive, saying it is only then that they can make money and pay

ENERGY taxes to the government. “During the recession of 2016, not only did revenue from oil drop, our tax revenue also dropped. That tells you the implication of the complex ecosystems that we’ll need to build to take Nigeria to the 21st century,” he explained. With AfCFTA, Anatogu stated that compliance would be critical because there are some risks that if all stakeholders don’t comply, there will be issues. While stating that there has to be a balance between trade liberalisation and protection of local industries, he noted that with a big market like Nigeria, it would not only hurt industries, but also revenues, explaining that for instance the closing of the borders recently helped in the growth of the rice market.

“The message is that we will not hesitate to take whatever decision that is necessary to protect ourselves as a country. Even as we get into AfCFTA, we are calling on everybody to obey the rules and make sure we all move in sync,” he said. “This will be a very difficult agreement to implement. It will take years to implement. There are problems along the way and it will take trust among ourselves,” he added. Anatogu, argued that though there are issues to be resolved, it still does not take away the objectives and the opportunities that the AfCFTA holds. He emphasised that coordination remains an area for improvement for the AfCFTA, between MDAs, the private sector and the public sector as well as coordination between federal and state governments. The president’s aide explained

that there are efforts being made in that direction to improve coordination and joint planning, saying that the process would get better as the country moves towards export orientation and non-oil growth. He added that individuals and businesses are already taking advantage and moving into Africa. “We cannot be competitive in every sector or on every product. So, we need to focus on areas where we have competitive advantage and build an ecosystem system around it. “So, our approach is that we grow the value chain in areas we have the advantage, for example in Cocoa, we need to start exporting chocolate and other derivatives and we can target to export $300 million worth of cocoa per annum which Continued on page 24

Afrinvest West Africa Limited, has announced the appointment of Mrs Onoise Onaghinon as its Chief Operating Officer (COO). Onaghinon joined Afrinvest (then SecTrust) in 2003, as an Analyst in the firm’s investment banking division. According to a statement, with diligence, commitment and professionalism, she rose through the ranks to become an associate, then Vice President and eventually Executive Director & Head of Investment Banking. “She is a seasoned veteran in the Nigerian capital markets and investment landscape with over 18 years of experience in capital raising, mergers and acquisitions, and restructurings across many industries. “In 2017, Mrs Onaghinon took a sabbatical from the Firm to head the Public Private Partnership Agency of the Edo State Government. Having acquitted herself creditably in the public sector, she has rejoined the firm to resume as the new COO,” it added. According to the Group Managing Director of Afrinvest, Ike Chioke, “over the years, Mrs Onaghinon has demonstrated great leadership, professionalexcellenceandoutstandingclientcommitmentindriving thefirm’sbusinessunits,particularlyourInvestmentBankingdivision. “We are delighted to have her back and we look forward to leveraging her cross-disciplinary experience across the Afrinvest group.” In her new role, Onaghinon will oversee human resources, legal & compliance, internal control and general services while leading the firm’s initiatives to improve efficiency across its subsidiaries. Afrinvest (West Africa) Limited is a wealth advisory firm involved in investment banking, securities trading, asset management and investment research with a focus on West Africa.

Linkage Engages Northern-based Brokers

Linkage Assurance Plc said it is engaging its broker partners in Kano State and environs for better product distribution and increased consumer service. The company, said in order to achieve this, it has concluded plans to pay visit to the northern area committee of the brokers’ umbrella body, the Nigerian Council of Registered Insurance Brokers (NCRIB) Northern Area Committee (NAC) which has already consented to play host to top management of the company. A statement by the Managing Director/CEO of Linkage Assurance, Mr. Daniel Braie, explained that Linkage Assurance will use the opportunity to explain some of its products that have made marks intheunderwritingmarkettothenorthern-basedbrokersandintimate them on how they could use the company’s multi-channel platforms to increase distribution. Braie, said insurance brokers are key partners of the company in the ever competitive insurance business, adding that this was why the company has continued to work closely with them for the beneﬁt of its customers across the country. Linkage Assurance had previously held similar partnership meetings withtheNCRIBLagosAreaCommittee,NCRIBAbujaAreaCommittee as well as NCRIB Port-Harcourt Area Committee, and has planned to take the meeting across the six geopolitical zones of the country.

Network Appoints Regional President

Network International, an enabler of digital commerce across the Middle East and Africa (MEA) has announced the appointment of Egyptian national, Hany Fekry as its Regional President – Northern and Sub-Saharan Africa. In his new role, Fekry will be responsible for all aspects of Network’s acquiringandissuingbusinessinEgyptandNigeria,andfordeveloping and implementing a comprehensive strategy to drive Network’s business growth and increase digital payments adoption in Northern and Sub-Saharan Africa. Fekry joined Network in 2016, as Managing Director for Egypt and DeputyManagingDirectorforAfrica,leadingthecompany’sbusiness developmentactivitiesacrosstheNorthernandSub-Saharanregion. Previously, he served as the Chief Commercial Oﬃcer of Emerging Markets Payments (EMP) Africa, which was acquired by Network International in 2016. He’s more than 20-year career has included developing business in markets including Egypt, Nigeria, Pakistan, Afghanistan and Iraq.

“Recent studies have shown the significant role women play in promoting social unity and economic advancement”

Minister of State for Industry,Trade and Investment

Maria Katagum

T H I S D AY ˾ ͵˜ 2021

BUSINESSWORLD

NEWS

PIB WILL RESOLVE OIL SECTOR’S 70-YEAR end,” the minister maintained. Still on the PIB, Sylva posited that the government has bent over backwards in a lot of provisions in its engagement with investors, but queried whether the businessmen were ready to stay committed despite government’s efforts. He added: “For example, a company will agree to invest $15 billion in a challenged environment like Mozambique, just as challenged as Nigeria, more or less and will be stalling on an investment in Nigeria where he’s not actually spending any money because most of it is from debt. “We must see commitment from our investors that when we bend over backwards, they will also be bending over backwards and encourage us and that’s why the PIB will ensure the growth of the sector in Nigeria because global developments now mean we have to begin to pay attention to the race to renewables, move away from oil and concentrate on gas.” ‘NIGERIA CAN EXPORT $3BN WORTH OF COCOA DERIVATIVES UNDER AFCFTA’

is a huge target or we can focus on market of over $3 billion of same cocoa but looking at the value chain,” Anatogu argued. He said that stakeholders such as the Nigeria Export Promotion Council (NEPC) were carrying out training and development programmes on how Nigerians can take advantage of the programme. Anatogu had said being successful with the AfCFTA would mean achieving a diversified and sustainable Nigerian economy with strong linkages with neighbours and the top economies in Africa as well as a globally accepted country brand. According to him, concerns of rules of origin was being addressed by stakeholders on the continent, stressing that only goods produced in the continent will benefit from the AfCFTA. He stated that authorities to administer the rules of origin rules were being established and the concept has been agreed upon.

FG Cautions Nigerians against Abuse of Road Infrastructure Emmanuel Addeh in Abuja The federal government has appealed to road users to stop the misuse of the infrastructure, saying it remains a threat to their safety and could lead to unnecessary loss of lives and properties. Director of Highway Construction and Rehabilitation in the Federal Ministry of Works and Housing, Funsho Adebiyi, made the appeal while speaking in Abuja on the state of federal roads. Specifically on the Enugu Onitsha expressway, Adebiyi complained that drivers were using pavements of the highways which are being mistaken for a third lane while heavy duty trucks were park for days on the road to carry out maintenance work, stating that the practice was capable cutting short the life span of the roads. “The heavy duty trucks park on the shoulders of the road and carry out maintenance work thereby spoiling it. The parking on the road is a threat to the safety of our roads, in addition our people still overspeed,” he lamented.

Obinna Chima

Capital Market Editor

Goddy Egene

Comms/e-Business Editor

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

ËÒÏÏ× ÕÓØÑÌÙÖß (Advertising) Correspondents

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

ÙÝË ÖÏÕÒßÙÑÓÏ (ICT) Peter Uzoho (Energy)

are being fixed over speeding, overloading and reckless driving had become threats to life. On the Umuomi-Awka road in Anambra, he said he was aware that people were complaining that the pavement was not marked, but stated that binders are not marked until pavement is completed.

He added that the pavement was opened for use even as work was yet to be completed to ensure smooth traffic flow and test running of the under laying materials while using it so that if there is any error it would be detected and promptly corrected. Adebiyi stated that the ministry was taking steps to do

the shoulder markings, adding that a mini speed breaker would also be put in place to check over speeding. He noted that the ministry has projects in virtually every section of the trunk A roads which run across the country with engineers in each of the sections working simultaneously.

SON Offers to Support Healthcare Delivery James Emejo in Abuja The Director General/Chief Executive, Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON), Mr. Farouk Salim, has said the agency is prepared to partner stakeholders in the healthcare delivery sector to enhance the quality of equipment, machinery and services being offered in the country. He said health practitioners should take due advantage of the offshore conformity assessment programme for SON-regulated imports (SONCAP) to improve the quality of products being offered to Nigerians.

Speaking at the 45th National Convention of the Pharmaceutical Association of Nigerian Students (PANS), held recently in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Salim said the assessment provides a window of import permit for raw materials equipment and machinery. Represented at the occasion by SON chief executive, Mr. Ugochukwu Nwachukwu, he pointed out that local manufacturing of medical equipment and machinery stood to gain a lot in accuracy of measurements from the calibration services being offered by SON-promoted National Metrology Institute (NMI) located

in Enugu with outreaches across the country. Salim, therefore, invited all public and private sector organisations in Nigeria to take advantage of its internationally accredited Management Systems Certification services to guarantee improvements in their processes and systems in line with international best practices. According to him, the internationally accredited laboratory services being offered by the standards agency provides seamless international acceptance for all commodities and products tested at very competitive prices,

especially for members of the organised private sector to promote National self-sufficiency, increased export and foreign exchange earnings. He said the theme of the Convention, “Indigenous Drug Production: Bottlenecks/ Challenges,” was apt, particularly in view of the economic diversification agenda of the federal government aimed at ensuring steady and sustainable growth of the nation’s wealth. The SON boss, in a statement by its spokesman, Mr. Bola Fashina, further expressed hope that the insights to be gained from the knowledge and wealth

of experience in indigenous drug manufacturing among others, would propel many of the pharmaceutical students into local manufacturing and entrepreneurship to create more job opportunities and greater wealth for Nigeria, in spite of the daunting challenges. He said: “I wish to challenge you all as students of pharmacy to begin to focus your minds beyond the production and administration of drugs to the business models required to sustain pharmaceutical studies, practices and research to underscore your key role in the health care delivery sector.”

Micro Pension Operators Register 3,663 Contributors in Two Years Ebere Nwoji

Group Business Editor

The director pointed out that from the reports of the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC), reckless driving accounted for about 35 per cent of road accidents while bad roads account for only 1.3 per cent. Adebiyi said when the roads were bad people were clamouring for the repairs but now that they

The National Pension Commission (PenCom) has disclosed that two years after its launch of the micro pension scheme, a total of 3,663 contributors have been enrolled in the scheme as at the last quarter of 2020. The micro pension scheme was officially launched by President Muhammadu Buhari on March 28, 2019, to enable informal sector operators not accommodated in the contributory pension Scheme (CPS) participate in the scheme. According to PenCom, so far

a total of N25, 024,528.08 has been remitted to the Retirement Savings Accounts (RSAs) of the contributors. PenCom, in its fourth quarter 2020 report posted on its website said although 20 licensed pension fund operators qualify to participate in the micro-pension scheme only five PFAs are active in the scheme. These it listed to include AIICO, ARM, Premium, AXA, PAL and NLPC Pension Fund Managers. PAL Micro Pension Fund has the highest return of 5.46 per cent followed by ARM

Micro pension with 5.15 per cent and AIICO with a return of 2.95 percent. PenCom, through the Pension Reform Act (PRA) 2014, had expanded coverage of the CPS to the self-employed and persons working in organisations with less than three employees. PenCom in doing this said it reasoned that as this category of workers constitute the larger percentage of the working population in the country, there was no doubt that to achieve the pension industry’s strategic objective of covering 30 per cent of the working population

in Nigeria under the CPS by the end of 2024, all efforts should be on deck to extend coverage to this important segment of the Nigerian economy. It further said due to their widely dispersed nature and generally low and irregular incomes, there was need to provide a pension plan that would meet their special characteristics. In this regard, the micro pension scheme was launched. To implement the initiative, the commission, segmented the informal sector into three broad categories.

These included the low income earners, the high income earners and the SMEs. It said each of these categories was going to be targeted with appropriate pension products and sensitisation programmes that meet their peculiarities. The commission also drew plan for a robust technological platform that would support the provision of customer services to effectively and efficiently register, collect contributions, provide RSA support, pay benefits and provide financial advisory services to the micro pension contributors.

‘Technology, Key to Achieving Efficiency in Insurance Industry’ Ebere Nwoji Stakeholders in the insurance industry have identified investment in technology, knowledge acquisition as key to achieving work flow efficiency in the delivery of services to consumers. The stakeholders made the remarks at the April edition of

the Nigerian Council of Registered Insurance Brokers (NCRIB) Lagos Area Committee meeting held in Lagos. The meeting, which had the theme, ‘Work Flow Efficiency,’ was sponsored by Cornerstone Insurance Plc. The forum witnessed presentations on work flow efficiency tied

to motor policy, as well as marine business, and how insurance consumers could be served better from a knowledge background. Speaking at the meeting, the Chairman, NCRIB Lagos Area Committed, Rotimi Olukorode, in his welcome remarks said it was the first empowerment series to equip members with the

right knowledge and skills that would enhance their efficiency in the profession. President and Chairman of council, NCRIB, Bola Onigbogi, said the empowerment programme was an innovative idea that would impact members positively and enhance their professionalism, urging the Lagos Area Committee to continue

improving the knowledge base of her members. Also speaking Group Managing Director, Cornerstone Insurance Plc, Ganiyu Musa, said work flow efficiency was critical in driving growth and sustainability, stating that this was why Cornerstone Insurance attaches a lot of importance on technology.

T H I S D AY ˾ ͵˜ 2021

BUSINESSWORLD

ANALYSIS

Stanbic IBTC Insurance and Yawning Industry Gap Oluchi Chibuzor

ife is all about choices and these choices give rise to the average human decision-making that comes with taking risks. Risks come in varying kinds – minor to fatal. While one can never truly eliminate risks from life’s equation, it is reassuring to at least have an insurance policy to mitigate against potential losses. The insurance industry in developed countries is advanced and risk mitigation through insurance is a well-entrenched culture and way of life. Unfortunately, that is not yet the case in Nigeria as the insurance industry continues to struggle to convince vast majority of Nigerians of the need and benefits of taking up insurance policies. One common refrain amongst most Nigerians is “God is my insurance” or “Na God dey protect us”. This belief in the supernatural as a good risk mitigating factor is one of the reasons insurance penetration is still low in the country decades after its introduction. However, AM Best, a global credit rating agency reports that it is not all doom and gloom. Its 2020 Market Segment Report stated that the gross written premium (GWP) generated in 2018 represented a growth of 14.5 per cent over the previous year by the industry. The report further estimated Nigeria’s insurance industry’s compound annual growth rate at 8.6 per cent per annum, to be between 2014 and 2018. While this significant growth is encouraging, the report stated that the insurance industry is riddled with lapses that have constituted a major obstacle to the acceptance and adoption of insurance by much of the populace. These issues range from the volatile nature of the economy, negative perception about claims payments, inadequate information, and cultural beliefs entrenched within many Nigerians, to mention a few. The average Nigerian has inadequate knowledge of insurance nor what he/she stands to gain from purchasing insurance policies. Some would argue that purchasing insurance

Orimolade policies negates their religious faith and welcomes the introduction of misfortune in their lives. Additionally, given the generally low standard of living, with the majority struggling to survive on little, the need to take up insurance is relegated to the lowest rung of the ladder in the hierarchy of needs of the average Nigerian. Other issues are clearly institutional such as apathy due to perceived tedious processes involved in buying insurance policies, ambiguous hidden clauses in insurance contracts, and disheartening stories of claims payment denials. However, all hope is not lost. The Nigerian insurance landscape is gradually overcoming these challenges, especially in the last few years due to regulatory improvements and word-of-mouth testimonies of people with insurance policies. According to the Chief Executive, Stanbic IBTC Insurance, Akinjide Orimolade, who cited data by the National Insurance Commission (NAICOM), the sector made payment of claims of N490 billion in 2019, which is a growth of 18.6 per cent, compared to N413 billion in 2018. This figure was projected to rise due to the uncertainties and disruptions brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic and destruction of properties across the country during the nationwide protests against police brutality.

As the saying goes, “Everything happens for a reason,” 2020 with all its unusual events, offered salient positive lessons and a growth opportunity for the insurance industry. On the one hand, the protests seemed to have shown the importance and practicability of life and non-life insurance, as well as the importance of having the support of experienced insurance brokers. These recent activities have cast the industry in a positive light and created a positive perception of the Nigerian insurance industry. Motor and marine cargo products were introduced by the Nigeria Insurance Industry Database (NIID). This is intended to help reduce fake insurance certificates in circulation. These steps have revealed how the industry is gradually living up to its expectations and the increased level of confidence, especially following the recapitalisation exercise. Despite the improvements in the Nigerian insurance industry, there are still loopholes to be plugged, especially in the area of smart service delivery and accessibility of insurance products. Akinjide stated that this was one of the reasons the group set up an insurance arm. Stanbic IBTC has over the years displayed excellent expertise in insurance brokerage. While this subsidiary is fully functional, the addition of an insurance subsidiary makes it easier to purchase insurance policies without prolonged correspondence. Akinjide, expressed the need for technological advancement and innovation in the sector and the readiness of Stanbic IBTC Insurance to make insurance more attractive by simplifying policy documents for its clients and enabling access to every information on insurance at

their fingertips through the Stanbic IBTC mobile app. The new insurance subsidiary, the Chief Executive said, also intends to leverage its wealth of experience to make available simple products that will provide solutions for clients, ensure timely claims payments and satisfactory services. He cited the opportunity for growth in the insurance industry since less than 10 per cent of Nigerians are currently insured; as well as the rise in the number of SME registration and need for business owners to ensure their properties and lives. Stanbic IBTC Insurance has set a rather highperformance benchmark for itself. If those expectations are achieved, it will no doubt set the tone for what is achievable in the industry. As the government and the industry regulators continue to pursue ways to improve the sector, it may not be long before the negative perception under which the industry has struggled for so long, is finally broken and insurance becomes a way of life even in Nigeria.

T H I S D AY ˾ ͵˜ 2021

Overcoming the Headwinds Goddy Egene writes that Access Bank overcame the rigours of merging with Diamond Bank, survived the headwinds in 2020, to record an improved bottom-line and declared higher dividend

ast year when the Covid-19 pandemic was ravaging the world, investors in Nigeria were highly apprehensive over what would become of their investments at the end of the year. The lockdown that brought economic activities to halt further raised the anxiety among many. It was expected that the performance of companies would be impacted negatively and thus, returns on investments would equally be affected. However, most of the companies, including banks, have shown resilience and delivered improved results despite the challenging operating environment. Last week, Access Bank Plc released its audited results, delivering solid and resilient top-line figures despite a challenging economic and regulatory landscape. The bank did not only post improved profit but also rewarded shareholders with higher dividend. Access Bank Plc posted gross earnings of N764.7 billion, showing a growth of 15 per cent from N666.8 billion in 2019. Interest and non-interest income contributing 64 per cent and 36 per cent respectively. Profit before tax (PBT) grew by 13 per cent to N125.9 billion, from N111.9 billion in 2019, while profit after tax (PAT) rose from N94.1 billion to N106 billion on the back of on the back of a 32 per cent growth in operating income which offset the rise in impairment charges and operating expenses. Impairment chargers stood at N62.893 billion, compared with N20.189 billion in 2019. According to the bank, net impairment charge of near N43 billion arose principally from a Structured Trade Finance (STF) portfolio in the Access Bank UK. It explained that the STF impairment is one-off/COVID related and recoverable over the next 12-18 months against insurance cover from world class insurers. Given the improved bottom-line, the board has recommended a final dividend of 55 kobo per share bringing the total dividend to 80 kobo per share for the year. Commenting on the results, the Group Managing Director/ CEO of Access Bank Plc, Mr. Herbert Wigwe, said the institution’s resilient performance was testament to the effectiveness of their our strategy and capacity to generate sustainable revenue. “The strategic actions that the bank has taken over the past 12 months evidence a strong focus on retail banking and financial inclusion, an African expansion strategy and a drive for scale for sustainable value creation. In 2020, Access Bank proudly opened its doors for business in Kenya and Mozambique, further increasing our footprints across the African Continent. Access Bank Zambia also concluded the acquisition of Cavmont Bank Limited in January 2021 and the group recently announced the approval by relevant regulatory authorities for the acquisition of Grobank Limited, creating an inroad into the South African market in realisation of the group’s strategic ambitions,” he said. According to him, in view of the opportunities that exist in the market, Access Bank would be transitioning to a HoldCo structure. “The bank has received the ApprovalIn-Principle from the Central Bank of Nigeria(CBN) for the restructuring and the HoldCo will consist of four subsidiaries in order to tap into the market opportunities that are available in the consumer lending market, electronic payments industry and retail insurance market,” he said. Wigwe added that the HoldCo structure would enable it to further accelerate its objectives around business diversification, improved operational efficiencies, talent retention as well as robust governance. “Going into the fourth year of our 5-year cyclical strategy, our focus remains on consolidating our retail momentum and expanding our African footprint in a sustainable manner,” he said. The CEO explained that Acccess Bank Plc recorded a consistent growth in its retail

Wigwe. banking business, reporting a 5.8 million growth in customer sign-on during the year through its financial inclusion efforts. “This increase in customer base led to a retail revenue of N177.2 billion, a 64.4 per cent increase from its 2019 figures of N107.8 billion. The bank’s customer deposits also grew by 31 per cent to N5.59 trillion in December 2020 with savings account deposits standing at N1.31trillion. Similarly, net loans and advances grew by 18 per cent to N3.61 trillion in comparison to 2019 figures of N3.06 trillion,” Wigwe said. He disclosed that as the bank intensified recovery efforts, undertook significant write off and leveraged its robust risk management practices, its asset quality improved to 4.3 per cent compared to its 2019 report of 5.8 per cent, noting that this is expected to continue to trend downwards as it strives to surpass the standard it had built in the industry prior to the merger with Diamond Bank. “Finally, I would like to thank our people, shareholders, and other stakeholders as we could not have achieved these results without their dedication, commitment, and support,” he said. .Assessing the numbers, analysts at Cordros Securities, said the bank recorded an interest income decline of 8.9 per cent to N489.22 billion in the period, pressured by the decline in income from investment

The strategic actions that the bank has taken over the past 12 months evidence a strong focus on retail banking and ﬁnancial inclusion, an African expansion strategy and a drive for scale for sustainable value creation

securities (-20.1 per cent to N154.64 billion). According to them, the decline in income from investment securities was expected given increased capital allocation to risk asset creation given the CBN’s LDR policy and the precipitous decline in yields on assets during the year. “Similarly, the bank recorded a decline in income from loans and advances to customers (-5.8 per cent to N309.54 billion. These declines were steep enough to offset growth in other contributory lines – cash and balances with banks (+29.8 per cent to N11.96 billion) and loans and advances to financial institutions (+134.8 per cent to N13.09 billion),” they said. Cordros Securities added that interest expense declined over the period by 12.8 per cent to 226.27 billion, as the bank recorded declines in expenses on deposits from customers (-29.7 per cent to N118.44 billion) and debt securities (-15.7 per cent to N19.31 billion), which may be tied to the bank’s improved CASA (64.6 per cent . 2019FY: 58.1 per cent) as well as lower net debt outstanding after repayment of a portion of debt in 2019. However, non-interest income grew by 125.8 per cent to N253.17 billion, supported by strong income growth from investment securities (85.6 per cent to N122.69 billion), primarily driven by derivative instruments, which offset the substantial FX revaluation loss recorded (N52.23 billion vs. N19.05 billion of 2019). This growth in non-funded income was strong enough to offset the decline in funded income, leading to a 22.8 per cent expansion in operating income. Operating expenses increased during the period by 29 per cent to N327.30 billion, as all major contributory lines recorded spikes, save for personnel expenses – AMCON levy (+56.3 per cent to N35.44 billion) and NDIC premium (+18.3 per cent to N15.48 billion). On the other hand, personnel expenses declined by 4.9 per cent to N73.17 billion.. Consequent to the growth in income relative to expenses, the bank recorded a profit before tax growth of 9.1 per cent to N125.92 billion. However, PAT settled 8.7 per cent higher at N106.01 billion, given the higher income tax expense (+11.4 per cent).

“The bank’s performance was generally in line with our expectations. The deterioration in core income growth was expected given the slowdown in economic activities due to the pandemic as well as regulatory pressure,” they said. Meanwhile, Access Bank is working towards the realisation of its target to become the key financial services aggregator in the region and take advantage of the Africa Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA). According to Wigwe, the bank’s approach and strategy would be to enhance its product offerings, strengthen its settlements infrastructure, as it supports continental financial flows (the intra-Africa trade potential could rise by +54 per cent). He said Access Bank hoped to leverage the markets in eight of the countries on its expansion line-up to explore the opportunities of AfCTA. He noted that the lender would utilise the fewer trade restrictions, removal of a couple of regulatory bottlenecks and other trade liberalisation features that the AfCTA offers in tapping value from some economies of high potential on the continent. Having consummated a string of acquisitions across the continent last year in Cameroon, Kenya and Zambia, the bank said it was targeting nine markets, comprising South Africa Egypt, Ivory Coast, Senegal, Morocco, Angola, Namibia, Algeria and Ethiopia. And recently, Access Bank announced that it received approval from South African and Nigerian regulatory authorities to acquire South African-based Grobank Limited. According to the announcement, the approvals constitute a significant milestone in achieving completion of the transaction by the second quarter of 2021. This milestone further solidifies Access Bank Plc’s outside revenue plan especially after the announcement that its Zambian subsidiary (Access Bank Zambia) has finalized the acquisition of Cavmont Bank Limited. Wigwe said the announcement represented significant progress in delivering on their strategic intent of becoming Africa’s Gateway to the World in pursuit of their vision to be the world’s most respected African Bank.

T H I S D AY ˾ ͵˜ 2021

Simplifying Nigeria’s Payment System Obinna Chima writes on the benefits of the recently introduced Nigeria Quick Response Code in the country, which is expected to improve settlement, promote financial inclusion, help bring cash-related activities into the ecosystem for a better economy and reduce the cost of processing cash

here is no doubt that over the years, Nigeria has made noticeable progress in its desire to create a robust payment system through several reforms targeted at restoring conﬁdence in the system. Indeed, a sound payment system infrastructure, where operators and customers can transact business with confidence and convenience, trust and timeliness, underpins many of these reforms. For instance, in 2007, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) launched the Payment Systems Vision 2020 which identified series of recommendations to increase the resilience of the payment system infrastructure and work-streams to encourage the usage of electronic payment methods were inaugurated. Since then, the country has continued to introduce initiatives that would help simply payments and deepen financial inclusion. One of such was the recent launch the Nigeria Quick Response (NQR) Code, a Quick Response (QR) code-driven payment solution by the Nigeria Interbank Settlement System Plc (NIBSS) and the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN). The solution is expected to aid financial inclusion in Nigeria. Globally, QR codes are a kind of matrix barcode representing information presented as square grids, made up of black squares against a contrasting background, which can be scanned by imaging device, processed and transmitted by appropriate technology. These codes can be used to present, capture and transmit payments information across payments infrastructure. The technology further enables the mobile channel to facilitate payments and presents another veritable avenue for promoting electronic payments for micro and small enterprises. From restaurants and hospitality, to government and safety information, QR codes have empowered anyone with a smartphone to easily access information and content. In addition, QR codes have also become a way for companies to tell brand stories, from packaging, luxury, fashion, artists, among others. In 2020, Ghana launched a universal QR code payment solution, which made it the first African country to introduce a universal QR code. The importance of QR codes when it comes to digital and cashless payments is why some payments companies have been working over the years to increase its adoption across the world, for both merchants and consumers. Beneﬁts of the NQR The Deputy Governor, Financial System Stability Directorate, CBN and Chairman of NIBSS, Mrs. Aishah Ahmad, hailed the introduction of the payment solution. She pointed out that the Nigerian payment system has evolved significantly over the past decade with wide spread technological advancement supported by deliberate enabling regulation. This, according to her, had facilitated the growth and proliferation of innovative financial products, services and channels. “Indeed, Nigeria has leapfrogged a number of advanced economies in the area of financial innovation. “Covid-19 pandemic has also accentuated the situation with more opportunities for financial institutions and other players within the payment ecosystem to innovate and provide more options for payments and settlements. “Globally, there has been a major shift from contact to contactless options with a number of countries like china Thailand, Malaysia, India Singapore, Ghana and Nigeria pioneering groundbreaking solutions in this regard,” she said. She added: “The CBN in response to these market developments released the response to development released the framework for QR code payments for Nigeria in January 2021, as part of efforts to further deepen the adoption of electronic payments in the country. “The framework stipulates acceptable standards for implementation and interoperability roles and responsibility of participants for QR code schemes in the Nigerian system amongst others. “The NQR payment solution coming soon after

Ahmad the QR code framework would bridge an urgent gap within Nigeria’s fast evolving payment landscape. “It would unify QR code scheme across the country, offer a robust payment platform that delivers instant value from p2b and B2B transactions and a more improved customer experience. “The scheme would also allow a more convenient and integrated process leveraging Application Programming Interface (API).” Furthermore, she said this would reduce the cost of financial services, deepen financial inclusion and grow economic and business activities to increase payment activities and merchant outlets. To the CEO of NIBSS, Mr. Premier Oiwoh, with more people being able to pay for goods and services with just their smartphones, the NQR payment is about recreating the Nigerian payment experience whilst deepening financial inclusion in the country. Digital transactions supported through the NQR code payments will promote and enhance consumer payment experience while driving growth for business owners, Oiwoh added. The payment solution made available by banks and other financial institutions has also been hailed by financial experts as the ‘future of payments’. It is expected to unlock a wealth of extra benefits that will transform the way Nigerians choose to pay for goods and services at all levels. “As consumers and merchants alike move towards technology-driven solutions, QR Codes are growing increasingly important. “Nigeria demonstrates yet again that it has a forward-looking financial services industry, as it drives towards a truly cashless and contactless society with NQR,” Oiwoh further said. The NIBSS boss stressed that the NQR is an alternative to cash transaction. According to him, most SMEs and service providers in the country

Covid-19 pandemic has also accentuated the situation with more opportunities for ﬁnancial institutions and other players within the payment ecosystem to innovate and provide more options for payments and settlements

Oiwoh today require instant payment and that is why people still rely on cash. Therefore, to solve cash problem in the society, the NQR was developed to meet a lot of Nigerians’ needs by understanding the ecosystem and working to ensure that the product meets the needs of the ecosystem. The payment platform is faster in terms of payment process. The buyer does not need to reveal his/her account number to the seller. It just requires scanning and the payment is done and the buyer and seller get their alert instantly, he said. “In the area of value, we are looking at efficiency. It is faster and safer means of payment. With the pandemic, the product provides a better means of payment rather than touching cash or any other device. “The consumer is in control of his/her mobile phone and from the phone, the buyer can just scan and make the payment,” he explained. He added: “NIBSS will be working with banks as we don’t have direct interface with merchants. Basically I am providing a platform to support payment system. “The banks understand the logic behind this. Everybody in the banking system today needs NQR. Today, there are 113 million accounts in the industry and if this is reduced, you can get the ration per bank. “If those banks decide to focus on their customers, a lot of banks today are uploading and the merchants are, I think the banks will devise strategies to go in to the ecosystem. “It is all about safety nets and understanding. I believe that most traders who understand the value to adopt the system for payment than carrying cash. He anticipates that in two years, the NQR would be available everywhere in the country. “It is all about experience, user friendliness and simplicity. It just requires three steps to make payment which are scan, confirm the amount and put your pin. “The way we designed it, we don’t have to build a technology that will scare people, it is a technology very simple and easy to use with the right safety net embedded. “My greatest joy will be farmers as well being able to use it to sell their produce. It will definitely happen because it is all about awareness, adoption and comfort. We need to understand the local market and design product and services that meet the market,” he insisted. The Quick Response Code Framework Acknowledging the significance of this solution, the Central Bank of Nigeria in January 2021, unveiled a framework for QR code payments, directing all issuers, acquirers, switches, processors and other participants in the country to ensure full

interoperability of the schemes. The CBN stated that the guidelines were in furtherance of its mandate to ensure the safety and stability of the Nigerian financial system, promote the use and adoption of electronic payments and foster innovation in the payments system. The framework provides regulatory guidance for the operation of the scheme and aims to ensure the adoption of appropriate QR code standards for safe and efficient payments services in Nigeria. The apex bank, in a circular titled: “Framework for Quick Response (QR) Code Payments in Nigeria,” stipulated the acceptable QR code standards for implementing QR payments in Nigeria; interoperability of QR payments; roles and responsibilities of participants as well as risk management principles for QR code payments. The CBN, however, warned that it will sanction any party that fails to comply accordingly with the QR regime, adding that all consumer complaints shall be resolved in accordance with the CBN Consumer Protection Regulation. The guidelines provide that issuers and acquirers shall clearly define risk management policy and guidelines for the operation of the QR code scheme. It stated: “QR codes shall, at a minimum, be encrypted (AES) and/or signed; QR codes payments applications, updates and patches shall be duly certified by the Payment Terminal Service Aggregator (PTSA); issuers and acquirers, shall agree minimum due diligence guidance for merchant on-boarding without prejudice to the KYC/AML requirements of the bank; issuers and acquirers shall ensure that only PTSA certified QR code shall be utilised; issuers and acquirers shall ensure behavioural monitoring and fraud management systems are implemented to prevent, detect and mitigate fraud and money laundering.” Conclusion Clearly, the NQR code is expected to be a gamechanger in retail proximity payments, and this may have real consequences for large-scale adoption of digital financial services among financially underserved populations. Given their frequency, retail payments have greater potential to get people into the habit of using digital financial services. Indeed, with this solution, users do not need financial education to use QR codes for payments. They simply launch an app, scan a QR code and enter their e-PIN. If using a printed QR code, they also enter their transaction amount. The fact that a user’s phone vibrates when a transaction is completed, and that he or she gets a visual receipt on their phone, adds immediacy and physicality to the payment experience in a way a card purchase never could. And the effort required of the merchant to complete a transaction is close to zero.

WEDNESDAY APRIL 7, 2021 •T H I S D AY

WEDNESDAY APRIL 7, 2021 • T H I S D AY

T H I S D AY ˾ ͵˜ 2021

Banner Energy Begins Conversion of Vehicles to LPG-powered Peter Uzoho The Managing Director of Banner Energy Limited, Mr. Nuhu Yakubu, has said his company has started converting petrol and diesel-powered vehicles to Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG)-powered. Yakubu disclosed this in a chat with THISDAY, explaining that the project was essentially aimed at converting vehicles nominated solely by the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC). He listed the benefiting vehicles as those of the NNPC, Ministry of Petroleum Resources, selected mass transporters, labour unions, the Abuja-KadunaKano (AKK) project vehicles, amongst others. “Banner Energy Limited has built the most and currently operates the largest network of LPG Autogas retail filling infrastructure in Nigeria, operated as BannerGas. “The role of BannerGas is to support the Federal Government of Nigeria in achieving its objective of ensuring smooth and quick transition to Autogas use by a critical mass of road users, by the expansion of its franchise network of LPG retail filling plants network, as the faster deployment option to achieve improved accessibility and market penetration. “BannerGas recently completed construction of Autogas filling plants for NNPC to flag off the federal government’s Autogas policy. With the success of the launch, BannerGas is furthering its collaboration with NNPC for a vehicle conversion to use Autogas”, he said. Yakubu further stated that the exercise which is being conducted in phases is currently on-going in Abuja, where young technicians are being taught in batches to acquire special skills on Autogas conversion. He said the plan was to expand the project to other states of the federation, where the company has ongoing plans to set up Autogas conversion centres. Yakubu, however advised Nigerians to take advantage of the federal government’s autogas policy and move from using the high cost petrol and diesel to Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LP), arguing that gas is cheaper and cleaner than petrol and diesel. He noted that the federal government’s autogas policy has significantly impacted the nation’s gas sector, adding that the policy portends huge savings for families and businesses. “The policy is aimed at enthroning gas as preferred

energy for the domestic economy because it’s comparatively cheaper. “While a litre of government subsidised petrol under extant price regime actually retails for between N165 and N200 per litre, depending on the part of the country, the average deregulated retail price per litre of LPG delivered to Abuja – FCT falls between N100/litre for propane specification to N195/Litre for butane specification. “The cheaper of the two, being Propane spec LPG is the industry-approved standard for Autogas in Nigeria, which portends huge savings for families and businesses”, he said. According to him, Autogas use, with deep market penetration and with a reasonable switch from petrol and diesel, will save Nigeria huge foreign exchange spending on fuel importation; expand Nigeria’s domestic energy mix with improved accessibility for LPG as a cleaner and cheaper energy source, with multiple applicable uses. He explained that this would, in great measure, help the consumers especially, the low-income Nigerian families with their fast-eroding purchasing power in an increasingly difficult economic environment. “Apart from savings on the unit price per litre or kg of gas, there is also much savings on gas, with respect to engine servicing and overall maintenance cost, compared to petrol or diesel engine maintenance cost. “And it is environmentally friendlier than petrol and diesel, in terms of greenhouse gas emissions. Autogas use will help trigger the much-needed demand intensive use of gas, with the multiplier benefit effect on improved in-country production and supply sources,” Yakubu stated. He further said the policy has the potential to reduce gas flaring, cause a marked increase in foreign direct investments in LPG production plants, trading and distribution infrastructure and equipment manufacturing in Nigeria, which has been on the decline in recent years. He contended that LPG as a broad spectrum substitute fuel for petrol, kerosene, and diesel and that if its broader applications and deeper penetration were properly encouraged, it would reduce demand pressure on the foreign currencies for financing importation of petroleum products, which currently accounts for over 70 per cent of Nigeria’s foreign exchange demand.

Firm Loses N288m to Alleged Neglect, Vandalism by Sallaum Shipping Lines Eromosele Abiodun Sallaum Lines Shipping Company is in the eye of the storm after it allegedly failed in its duty of care to a customer, Substead Nigeria Limited, which conveyed CAT excavators, truck heads, krone flatbed, Kaiser lowbed and a Hitachi Crawler Crane, into Nigeria through the company. It was learnt that the consignments were transported via a vessel named “Silver Ray” in a bill of lading marked SL00549774 which arrived on April 8, 2020, at Five Star Logistics Port terminal Lagos, and were found to have been vandalised when checked on arrival, with losses amounting to about N288 million since then. It was discovered that the MAN truck (074116) attached with a lowbed conveying the Hitachi Crawler Crane and another MAN truck (418183) attached with a flatbed carrying the boom part of the crane were completely vandalised. “The ECU (Electronic Control Unit), power windows electronics on both equipment were removed and the front of the trucks and other body parts were badly

damaged in the course of the shipping company pulling it out of the vessel because they made use of ropes against the normal towing accessories therefore damaging the bodies of the equipment. “This action was due to lack of value for people’s investment and having a nonchalant attitude towards their customers, especially Nigerians,” a source who preferred anonymity stressed. THISDAY checks showed that all the equipment belonging to Substead were driven on board Sallaum Lines vessel, Silver Ray, in perfect working conditions, but arrived Nigeria in a bad state. A source said several mails dated 19th May, 2020, 27th May, 2020, 28th May, 2020 and 4th June, 2020 communicating the claims on the damaged equipment were relayed to Sallaums lines informing them of the damages, without any response. It stated that Sallaum lines requesting that Substead limited provides the Vehicle Inspection and Observation report which is their own internal document goes to prove that there’s a deliberate attempt to avoid taking responsibility for their

negligence and their usual way of frustrating Nigerians, something the source said the company cannot do outside the shores of the country. In a letter dated 19th May, 2020, Substead Limited had demanded that all the missing parts from the equipment should be replaced and fixed by Sallaum lines and that the shipping line and the port terminal demurrage incurred during the incident should be borne by Sallaum lines. It was further learnt that the aggrieved company said the damages on the equipment should be swiftly assessed and funds for the fixing be made available, stressing that the complete keys to each equipment should be made available to them when taking delivery. Substead was said to have maintained that the continuous delayed responses to their various letters to Sallaum lines was meant to achieve more accumulated demurrage and charges from them as it had become the company’s habit. “Even after being directed by Sallaum Lines to contact and refer their updated letter of the damages claimed to Five

Star Logistics which was sent with picture evidence and other relevant documents both via mail and hard copies through DHL services, Five Star Logistics denied taking responsibility for the damages’’, the source stated. The source further alleged that there was a clear indication that Sallaum Lines and Five Star Logistics were both working in synergy to muddle up the matter and deprive the company of its appropriate compensation on the matter. “Up till date, after almost one year since our equipment arrived at Lagos port terminal, the damaged equipment have not been repaired neither have we been paid for the damages and losses caused by Sallaum Lines and their cohort which has amounted to N287,922,864.03. We are currently in serious indebtedness. “These incessant delay tactics and frivolity exhibited by both Sallaum Lines and Five Star Logistics go to show the extent of their collaboration in trying to frustrate all our efforts in trying to reach them and get compensated for our damaged equipment,” said the source.

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NALDA Builds Farmers’Capacity on Rice Irrigation James Emejo in Abuja Determined to boost food security in the country and create jobs, the National Agricultural Land Development Authority (NALDA) said it has improved the capacity of over 100 rice farmers in Niger State in the area of irrigation farming. The NALDA state coordinator, Mr. Aminu Umaru, during a tour of the 417 hectares of land acquired by local farmers for the irrigation farming in Paikoro Local Government Area of the state, pointed out that the farmers were specifically exposed to irrigation rice farming and upland rice farming in order to harness the potentials of the River Kaduna as well as

improve the income of the indigent community, which was restricted to fishing alone before the intervention if the authority in January. The initiative was part of efforts by the authority to strengthen President Muhammadu Buhari’s commitment to make the country food sufficient as well as create jobs for the teeming youth population through agriculture. It further signals the flag off of the NALDA dry season farming in five states of the federation including Adamawa, Yobe, Bauchi, Taraba and Niger. Umaru pointed out that with NALDA’s presence in the community, many young farmers have indicated interest

to be trained in rice planting and the handling of farm tools and equipment which was solely provided to assist the farmers. He said: “Over 10 pumping machines two tractors, 50 planters, sprayers, transplanters, seedlings, gloves and other farming tools have already been provided, while about 10 women from the community were also trained in the programme.” He noted that over 70 hectares of land also been ploughed with rice nursery already in place adding that transplanting of the irrigation rice from the nursery will soon begin. The NALDA coordinator also said the dam used for the rice

irrigation farming was made possible through the abandoned water dam embarked upon by the River Basin Authority years ago, assuring that the programme will be sustained even after the irrigation farming. The state coordinator reiterated that farmers were not asked to pay money before the training or after the training and that NALDA would recoup all expenses spent during the farming season and further promised to provide available markets for the produce when harvested. One of the beneficiaries of the irigation programme, Salisu Noma, they had been ignorant of the river, adding that with the coming of NALDA, they are now

WEDNESDAY APRIL 7, 2021 • T H I S D AY

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T H I S D AY ˾ ͵˜ 2021

EDUCATION ‘Ahman Pategi Varsity Needs Competitive Researchers to Attract Funds’ Professor Mahfouz Adedimeji is the pioneer Vice Chancellor of the newly approved Ahman Pategi University(APU), Kwara State. In this interview with Hammed Shittu, he emphasised on its vision and mission of the institution, which is to get highly competitive researchers that will be able to attract funds to the university, among other issues. Excerpt:

vision fly. The third factor he mentioned was favourable governance to make the university operate the way it should. When these three factors are established, there is no doubt that a university is on its way to the top. So, being acquainted with some of these things, we believe that this is not going to be a tea party since it is something we are starting afresh. We are going to build on nothing, because as a pioneer vice-chancellor, we know that the challenges will be there, but we are prepared with the support of the Governing Council, Board of Trustees and Founder, Aliyu Ahman Pategi. We believe that it is achievable. Whatever a person can conceive and believe, he can as well achieve it.

hen does the university intends to take off? The take-off time is April 5, 2021. That is what we have in our plan, and we are starting with 100 level students, as well as pre-degree classes (remedial students). We have already interfaced with the JAMB and now on its portal. We are going to admit students, who were not admitted in their schools of first choice. As long as those people are qualified and they approach us as we are appealing to them to do, we are going to consider them for admission. Everything we do now is just to create awareness and let people know that there is one university to beat in Pategi. When you get to the institution, you will appreciate the vision of the proprietor in terms of the physical facilities that we have on ground that are even more than some well established universities.

What academic programmes do you intend to run? When the university develops fully, we hope that the vision will not be an illusion. We are going to have as many as 20 faculties. But for now and in line with the extant rules of the regulatory body, we are starting with two faculties and 15 academic programmes. We have the Faculty of Humanities, Social and Management Sciences and Faculty of Sciences and Computer. We have programmes in Accounting, Computer Science, Cyber Security, Economics, English, Entrepreneurship, Forensic Science, Industrial Chemistry, International Relations, Mass Communication, Microbiology, Plant and Biotechnology, Software Engineering, Physics with Electronics and a programme in Taxation. We are going to start with full blast, because we want to get the best in the field to come and lay a solid academic foundation for our students. Considering the economic situation in the country, how affordable would the tuition be for the students so that the aim of making APU community, can be achieved? We are conscious of the harsh reality the national economy is impacting on lives and livelihood. As we said that the university will be a university for the community, the idea is to make it one of the most affordable universities around. We already have a programme of creating discounts for all the courses. There are some courses in which we have a discount of 20 per cent and others like that just to make education accessible and affordable, and then to develop the human capacity of Kwara North, the entire Kwara State, the north central geopolitical zone, Nigeria and Africa at large. What is your vision for the institution while coming on board? As I articulated to the governing council members at the inaugural meeting that we held, my vision is what I called ‘Vision 5-2550-500. The vision is to within the next five years of my tenure, make APU one of the best 25 universities in Nigeria, one of the best 50 Africa and one of the best 500 in the world. There are thousands of universities in the world, but our vision now is to activate strategies towards making the new university stand out among its peers. That is the general framework of which I am having. In order to unbundle this vision, we want to make Ahman Pategi University, a university with a difference. Universities all over the world are established for three main reasons; teaching, research and community development. Every other thing is ancillary. In terms of teaching, we want to focus on using the latest inventory in modern technology, and that is why our teaching will be different. Now people know the reality with the advent of Coronavirus. We are going to recruit the best. We are already in talks with some of our colleagues in North America, mainly the US and Canada. They will be in Pategi and our lecturers will be teaching our students all over the world apart from those that are going to be on ground. So, we have the physical as well as the virtual components of the teaching that we want, so that our students will be well prepared for the world of work. At the level of research, we just want to be a hub of research activities. The location of the university is very strategic. Kwara North happens to be a place where

Adedimeji such a university is needed, and then we want to be like a magnet that will be able to attract the local and international talents to the university, so that we will be able to galvanise the abundant resources that we have for the benefit of humanity. When we talk in terms of community development, it is not going to be a university that will be the classical ivory tower in which people will just be looking at it from afar. It will be a university for the community and the community will also be part of the university. Because we believe that it is high time that universities impacted on the communities in which they are existing. So, our vision is that APU will transform not only the immediate community in Pategi, but the entire landscape of Kwara North through our engagement with the community and participation in socio-economic activities that the university will bring to bear on the community. Where do you draw your inspiration and role models in terms of what you really want to achieve in the university? Somebody said that I’m able to see beyond my peers because I’m standing on the shoulders of giants. I think that is what really applies to me. I have been fortunate in my career to interact and interface with people at the highest level of university management. I was part of the management team of the University of Ilorin at the time the university was ranked one of the best 20 in Africa and the best in Nigeria during the tenure of Professor Is-haq Oloyede and the successive administrations that have also been improving on what was on ground. I also have as a mentor, the current Executive Secretary of National Universities Commission (NUC), Professor Abubakar Rasheed, who has also succeeded tremendously as a Vice-Chancellor of Bayero University, Kano. Based on my ability to understudy these two professors and eminent administrators, and through my interaction with people like Emeritus Professor Michael Omolewa and Professor Peter Okebukola, these are people with whom I have been able to engage at various levels. I know what it really takes to take the university to the highest level. Dr. Jamil Salmi wrote a book in 2009 titled ‘Challenges of World Class Universities’ and since we want to be world class, he identified three factors that can make any university in the world to be world class. He used to be the director of tertiary education at the World Bank. The first factor he identified was concentration of talents. This is to have quality academic staff and attracting quality students that will be the university alumni. If you are able to do that, you are on your way towards being a world class university. The other one that he mentioned was abundant resources. When the resources are abundant, forget it. It wouldn’t be that the internet is not really working. We do not have this and that. Though we know as private university, even public universities too are complaining of poor funding and some other things like that, we are still going to leverage on our goodwill to be able to attract the funding and resources that we need that will make the

Your appointment as VC came barely two years after your elevation to the professorial rank at the University of Ilorin, would you say it was accidental or coincidental? Everything in this life is either a lesson or a blessing. And life itself is not all about how long it is, but it is a quality of life that really matters. That is why you have people becoming president or governors before the age of 40 and then you have some other people at the age of 70 or 80 still struggling to become local government chairman. So what is fundamental is capacity to deliver, ability, integrity, goodwill and competence that would be brought to bear into the service. To be honest with you, I was not expecting it the way it came, but when it came, I said definitely they (appointing authority) did their own research and fortunately enough, when I was engaging with the stakeholders the day I was invited, what everybody was telling me was that we have read much about you. We have googled and we believed that you have all the qualities that are needed including the youthful energy, experience, research profile and integrity. I think these were the factors that they put into consideration and everybody was just telling me that you are the type of person that we needed to make this university bright. I think it is instructive to other forthcoming universities that we are in a period that we say it is time of the youth. I believe if the idea of ‘Not too Young to Run’ is also injected into the university, it will really be wonderful. Because at the end of the day, it is just about what have you been able to achieve as an academic regardless of the number of years that you are putting into the career. I think those are the decisive factors. There has been a call for the federal government to support private universities in the area of infrastructure through TETfund as done in public universities, what is your view on this? I think TETfund as a government interventionist programme, has made its own position known, the lobby will still continue. But what is available now is still manageable. It is said that if the desirable is not available, you make the available desirable. TETfund does not discriminate in terms of research grant. It is only intervening in physical structures in public universities. That is noted for now. But we are going to key into the research intervention of TETfund, because anybody, regardless of ownership, can actually write to get grants with proposals and then you will be able to attract research funding from TETfund regardless of your ownership. Maybe, a time will come in future when TETfund will be intervening in terms of erecting physical structures. For now, what we have is still manageable, and that is why for us, what we want to get is highly competitive researchers that will be able to even attract funds to the university. We have a lot of money with funders. It is only that if you are not competitive enough, you will not be able to attract the funds. In public universities, the number of years of attainment of professorship among other things, are usually considered for the appointment of VC, do you think ‘Not too Young to Run’ is applicable to them too? That one has to do with the situation in which we find ourselves. It is just a way of reducing the competition. Quite a large number of candidates competed to be VC of the University of Ibadan. There was a

time that we didn’t need Post-UTME. But a time came when it was needed to fill gap. Maybe it is good within the context of public universities, because you are dealing with the universities that have been established 40 years ago. And then we have people that want to reach the peak of their careers. I think each institution, ultimately and in line with the university autonomy, should be in the position to determine what is the best for it based on its peculiarities. It is believed that Kwara North is disadvantaged educationally. Have you factored in quota system in the allocation of admission for prospective students? The quota system is an arrangement of the federal government. It is not actually obtainable in the context of private university system. But we are conscious of the fact that it is a university for the community and it is a university for the world. A university is actually a universal city. That is why you talk of the concept of the universe in the university. We considered the North Central geopolitical zone to be our primary constituency. Definitely, we are going to pay attention to Kwara State, Benue, Plateau, Abuja, Kogi, Niger and Nasarawa. Those ones will be our priority. But that does not really mean that we are not spreading our tentacles to all parts of Nigeria, all parts of Africa and all over the world. All classes of people are being attracted to the university to make it truly universal. In terms of town and gown relationship, what are your immediate plans? I can say that we have about five plans for the immediate community. The first one has to do with the area of agriculture. Agriculture is going to be very crucial in our focus knowing that the members of the immediate community are mainly into agriculture, especially in the area of animal husbandry, farming and fishing. So, the university will be strong in agriculture, knowing that there is no way that we want to focus on agriculture without benefitting the immediate community. Number two, the university will also benefit the immediate community in terms of IT infrastructure that the university will be bringing. We are already interacting with the relevant stakeholders with a view to giving the university a very strong IT backbone. It is only for the university itself, but the immediate community can also benefit. Let me tell you. How many people know Oxford? It is the university that makes Oxford. By the time you remove Oxford University, your conception of Oxford will be different. The same thing is applicable to Cambridge and other universities. Our intention is to brand the community with the university so that what people associate with the university will be brought to bear on the community. Another area of intervention that we believe we will be able to impact on the community is improving what is on ground. Pategi is a very good community and so it is going to be a tourist attraction. The Pategi Regatta has been in existence since early 50s, and then you have River Niger very close by. This should be money spinning ventures that people will be coming from far and near, have a cruise on River Niger, cross to the other side to Niger State and then proceed to Abuja. So, at the level of tourism, we are also going to intervene by making Pategi to be a tourist hub, drawing people to the community. Then, we are also talking in terms of socio-economic development. We want to see ourselves contributing to the economic development of the community through our staff and researchers that will be coming to live in the community, engage in buying and selling, buying land and developing structures. That is at the level of socioeconomic development. The last component that we are dealing with, is at the level of cultural development. We are in an era where everybody seems to be lost in the sea of globalization. We believe in glocalisation. Without being local, you cannot actually be global. So, we want to be part of the cultural life of the Pategi community. And one of the courses that we will be focusing on is Performing Arts. We will develop the local culture so that everybody will be willing to identify with practices and cultures of the community. Those are the five areas I believe we are going to be relevant to the Pategi community.

T H I S D AY ˾ APRIL 7, 2021

EDUCATION

Research Funding: Lagos Rewards Outstanding Teachers Committee of Provosts, with Car Gifts Deans Canvass Funmi Ogundare Collaboration with Multinational Companies Funmi Ogundare Members of the Committee of Provosts and Deans of Postgraduate Colleges and Schools (CPDPGCS) in Nigerian universities, recently, converged on the Babcock University Teaching Hospital Hospital, Ilishan-Remo, Ogun State, for its 59th meeting, where they stressed the need for members to diversify the sources of research funding by encouraging multinational companies operating in Nigeria to invest in research in addition to their contributions to TETfund for global competitiveness and development. The meeting which was aimed at carrying out a critical assessment of postgraduate education in the country and ensuring strategies for improvement, also witnessed a training workshop for secretaries of postgraduate colleges and schools in Nigerian universities. The committee stressed the need for every administrator of postgraduate programmes in Nigerian universities to improve the quality of their PhD graduates, by ensuring that the quality assurance system in the universities is relevant particularly, the internal and external elements, to cover teaching, research and community service. “The Postgraduate colleges and schools in Nigerian universities must continue to engage in innovative research through collaborative efforts with the research supervisors while placing emphasis on areas of their specialisations and making it to be in tandem with the research interest of the students they

supervise and needs of the society.” The committee in a communique, noted that every university must stay focused on the vision, mission, philosophy, goals and aims for which their universities were established as loss of focus could adversely affect standards and the quality of their graduates. Speaking with journalists, the Chairman Committee of Provost and Deans of Poatgraduate Collges of Schools of Nigerian Uniersities, Professor Jonathan Babalola disclosed that the committee was planning to establish the Nigerian Doctoral Academy(NDA) which will ensure the training of PhD students and young lecturers on how to write grants and get international funding to establish themselves. Babalola who is also the Provost, Postgraduate College, University of Ibadan said Ghana has already started a similar academy and training its PhD students on how to write grants, thesis, proposals and carryout experiments, adding that training PhD students in the field of science, funding research and carrying out state of the art experiments is a big challenge in Nigeria. According to him, “Its really unfortunate for many of us who are actually publishing well, we have to beg for money from outside Nigeria. Training PhD students in the sciences and doing state of the art experiments is a big problem. For instance, there is none of my PhD student who graduated without going out for at least a year or two to do their experiments outside Nigeria.”

With their outstanding ideas, creative solutions and commitment to enhance learning outcomes among pupils and students of public schools, the Lagos State government, recently, rewarded a total of 13 teachers with brand new cars at the 2020 Teachers Merit Award, aimed at ensuring that they contribute to the development of education in the state. Excitement rented the air as they recieved the keys to their cars, an iPad and plaques for their efforts. The honourees were part of the 23 teachers who made it to the semi-finals, out of a total of 3,700 entries recieved by the nomination committee. Others received a chest freezer, an ipad and plaque as consolation prizes. Earlier in his remarks, the State Governor, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu expressed excitement about the honour for the teachers, saying that the teaching profession is not a thankless job in the state. “ It is a proof that the state appreciates their contributions which is why we are committed to rewarding selfless teachers who are inculcating in children the value, training and equipping them with knowledge.” He opined that if teachers have

such exceptional qualities, pupils will not only excel in academics but will also exhibit innate sterling abilities in cognitive, psychomotor, affective and co-curricular areas of learning. Sanwo-Olu urged them to continue to uphold the ethics of the teaching profession and display an uncommon sense of responsibility and greater commitment to duty. The governor affirmed that the group of awardees will serve as Lagos State ambassadors of excellence in education for the next one year, while advising them not to see the initiative as a contest, but a way to motivate them to continue to put in their best. In her remarks, the State Commissioner of Education, Mrs. Folashade Adefisayo commended the governor for elevating the teaching profession to an enviable height, through improvement of their welfare. The Chairman Nomination Committee, Mrs. Lai Koiki recalled how it was instituted in March last year, by the Governor, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu with support from the commissioner of education, adding that the committee is impressed by the quality of entries recieved from staff in the public sector. Speaking to journalists, she expressed excitement about the

programme, noting that there are quality teachers in the sector and the system needs to continue to encourage, motivate and provide the resources for them to enhance their profession. The criteria that stood out the teachers at the end of the day, she noted, was their passion, adding that they were genuinely interested in their students. “Can you imagine how the teachers were following their students through their secondary school to the university and workplace! Its incredible. These were not things that we were told, they showed us evidence.” Asked how can it be replicated to ensure more teachers participate, Koiki who is also the Executive Director of Greensprings School said the teachers need to form more learning communities, in other for them to empower others within the community. A member of the nomination committee and Director, Edumark, Mrs. Yinka Ogunde opined that with the potentials within the public sector ,the private sector needs to look for ways to work on the teacher’s mindset so that they can be more global in outlook and encourage them to develop thirst for learning. “ The teachers should not just see the merit award as a routine exercise. We saw the

vibrancy that the private sector brings into the public sector when we took the teachers to Radisson Blu, to expand their thoughts. That for us, is exciting. We have experienced what the public school teachers can offer, but there is a need for them to know that they are there to transform the lives of children in poor communities.” A teacher in Akinlade Primary School , Eti-Osa , Mrs. Abosede Padonu-Daniel expressed excitement about the car gift saying that the profession brought out the best in her despite the fact that she was posted to an educationally disadvantaged community to teach. “I was privileged to grow as I meet every child. At times, they will take me to educationally disadvantaged rural community in Okunmopo in Eti-Osa local government. I am very optimistic about life and I also maintain positivity in whatever am doing.” The graduate of French and Social Studies, Adeniran Ogunsanya College of Education, Lagos and Ekiti State University (EKSU), Ekiti State, thanked the governor for the opportunity saying that though she had an accident in January which almost claimed her two legs, the car would not only enhance her mobility, but would also spur teachers to work harder.

PTA Urged to Deepen Standardisation of Educational Processes Oluchi Chibuzor The Parents Teachers Associations (PTA) of schools, have been urged to deepen the standardisation of educational processes in the country through effective collaboration and inclusiveness within their respective locality. The newly elected PTA Chairperson Dansol Nursery and Primary School, Ikeja, Mrs. Blossom Isika, who made this call, recently in her acceptance speech, said if it is implemented among stakeholders across the spectrum of the nation’s education system, it will lead to advancement of the sector and ultimately improve the lives of the learners She said the acceptance of the new executive was to foster collaboration amongst parents and teachers, grow unity of purpose and advance the course of the school. “We are here to establish and promote unity, cooperation and understanding among the parents, staff and the pupils

of the school.” Isika added that her team will assist the teachers to open up opportunities for the pupils in order to effectively prepare and equip them for a bright and constructive future, promoting discipline and good exemplary character Earlier in her remarks, the immediate past Chairperson, Mrs.Victoria Anyanwu said the school and parents must be involved in the education of their children which is key. “So, collaboration is important and when we focus on this through team spirit we will be able to build. Like the PTA constitution we developed to hold everybody accountable in order to check all the processes and ensure quality in the school is not compromised.” On deepening the educational quality and standardising processes, Isika stated that it is imperative that PTAs assist, cooperate with the entire management for effective, efficient and constructive running of the schools across the country.

A cross section of teachers being presented with car gifts at the 2020 Lagos State Teachers Merit Award held recently

Unilever’s Ideatrophy Contest Produces Winner Team Itesiwaju from the University of Lagos (UNILAG) has emerged winner of the nineth edition of Unilever Nigeria Ideatrophy challenge. This year’s competition with the theme ‘More Than You Expect’, got entries from various universities across Nigeria. The competition is a business-oriented challenge that targets undergraduates across universities in Nigeria. Participants were provided opportunities to develop ideas on real-life business scenarios, which were then reviewed by a panel of judges. This year’s competition was focused on the Sunlight brand where the finalists were tasked to ‘Light Up

Africa with Your Ideas’, by proposing product idea options for it. Speaking at the virtual event, the Managing Director, Unilever West Africa, Carl Cruz, said the organisation remains committed to creating a bright future for Nigerian youths and will continue to contribute to the improvement of knowledge in the younger generation through Ideatrophy. “The aim of the nineth edition Unilever Ideatrophy challenge,is to reinforce the role of Unilever in contributing to employment creation. The event is a skill building and learning opportunity, a way to challenge youths to come up with ideas while they are mentored

by seasoned professionals. Therefore, the competition’s focus is on the development of personal, leadership and entrepreneurial business competence amongst university undergraduates,” he stated. Also speaking at the event, Unilever Human Resources Director, West Africa, Ola Ehinmoro said, “at Unilever, we believe that education is a process and a lifelong experience, this is why we equip the youths through the competition with necessary knowledge, expertise and experience to become great business leaders.” Expressing his joy, a member of Team Itesiwaju, Bright Nwaneri thanked Unilever Nigeria for an opportunity

to showcase their ideas and talents on a global scale. “This event has indeed exposed Team Itesiwaju to a lot of potential and life changing experiences. We look forward to applying everything we have learnt in the business world. This competition is indeed one every student should plug into for knowledgeable and professional experience.” The winners have also earned internship positions with Unilever alongside other fantastic prizes. As winners of this year’s edition, Team Itesiwaju will proceed to represent Nigeria at the 2021 Unilever Africa IdeaTrophy and then if successful, at the global future leaders league.

T H I S D AY ˾ APRIL 7, 2021

EDUCATION

Former Unilorin Alumni National President Remains Suspended from Office Over Alleged Misconduct, Says Abdullahi Hammed Shittu in Ilorin The acting National President of University of Ilorin Alumni Association, Dr. Musa Abdullahi has insisted that the former National President of the association, Dr. Wale Fasakin remained suspended from office over an alleged gross misconduct and abuse of office. Speaking at the emergency national meeting of the association, held at the main campus of University of Ilorin, recently, Dr. Abdullahi accused Dr. Fasakin of singlehandedly and unilaterally awarding a N3 million contract for the production of scrolls to a phantom company without the approval of the National Executive Committee

(NEC) of the association. “Up till now, the scrolls have not been delivered to the association and the contract was awarded at a time the university could not hold the convocation ceremony due to the coronavirus lockdown.” He added that, “It is no longer news that the office of Dr. Stephen Olawale Fasakin as the National President of University of Ilorin Alumni Association has ceased to exist on the ground of gross misconduct and abuse of office. “Fasakin has also turned himself to be an impostor by unilaterally writing a letter to the Vice Chancellor, Prof. Sulyam Age Abdulkareem, casting aspersions on a legitimate process of convening

the meeting of convocation to elect its representative to the governing council of the university. “This to say the least is uncalled for and a flagrant breach of our constitution. For the avoidance of doubt and for this great congress to appreciate the raison de tre for the chapter chairmen to call this emergency congress.” Dr. Abdullahi noted that, apart from this, “though a sum of N4,214,861.30 was handed over to the Dr. Fasakin-led executive, by the immediate past NEC, he unilaterally reduced staff salary by 50 per cent and presently, he finds it difficult to pay few of the staff he purportedly retains and doles out association’s money to his cronies with

impunity and without the approval of NEC. “Fasakin also uses the association as a weapon of vendetta to settle old scores. For example, he suspended a duly elected member of the NEC at its inaugural meeting led by him. To this effect, it is pertinent that we rise up to save the sinking ship of the alumni by coming up with a stand and come out with resolutions so that this ship will not sink. “It is of no doubt that our best days as an association are still to come. With your support, the oneness of purpose and the collective selfless determination to continue to uphold the brand ‘Unilorin’, our association shall grow from strength to strength.”

L- R: Executive Chairman, Osun State Universal Basic Education Board ( SUBEB), Akinola Famurewa, Executive Chairman, Ekiti SUBEB, Prof. Femi Akinwumi, Executive Chairman, Oyo SUBEB and Dean South West, Dr. Nureni Adeniran, Executive Chairman Lagos SUBEB, Wahab Alawiye-King, and Executive Chairman Ogun SUBEB, Dr. Femi Majekodunmi, during a meeting of chairmen of South West states SUBEB, held in Lagos... recently

South-west SUBEB Resolve to Tackle Insecurity in Schools Funmi Ogundare The Southwest states Executive Chairmen of Universal Basic Education Board (UBEB) has stated its readiness to collaborate with security agencies in their respective states, so that schools can be protected from hoodlums and teachers and pupils are kept safe from attacks. The Dean and Executive Chairman, Oyo SUBEB, Dr.Nureni Aderemi Adeniran who disclosed this, recently during their meeting in Lagos, said it will also take the issue of perimeter fencing of its public schools seriously to protect its facilities from being vandalised. According to him, “we are not going to take the issue of insecurity very lightly. We know that kidnapping of students enmasse in some parts of the country are common, so we are putting heads together to ensure that we have our approach that we can table before our governors to ensure security of teachers and students, and prevent their abduction in the southwest. We

cannot afford to play lip service to it because it is happening elsewhere. “ It is better to put in place preventive measures rather than curative after the deed would have been done. It transcends primordial sentiments because it bothers on the lives of our teachers and pupils.” He regretted that during the Covid-19 lockdown, a lot of facilities in most of its schools in the southwest, were vandalised and taken over by hoodlums. “We discovered that most of our schools do not have perimeter fencing especially the public primary schools. We have included it in our initial plan to fence our schools because we believe that if we have it , insecurity would have been reduced to the barest minimum as it will prevent hoodlums from gaining entrance to disturb the pupils or teachers. We don’t want the facilities provided to be vandalised, “Adeniran said. He said the meeting was imperative in other to seek ways of further improving

on basic education in the southwest states. According to the Oyo SUBEB boss, “we are not looking at ethnic background, but the major interest is in the development of basic education especially when we know that the Universal Primary Education (UPE) and free education programme emanated from the southwest which has always been the pace setting zone in the area of education. “We don’t want to relinquish that position for any other thing which explains the reason why at the basic education, all the chairmen have decided to come together to look at issues commonly so that whatever we want to demand from UBEC or the federal government, we can speak with one voice without any discrimination.” Adeniran however, expressed concern about the funding of education by the government and called on all stakeholders including old student’s associations and parent bodies to throw their weight on the board so as

to promote education especially at the foundation level. “ We know that even if the entire budget is devoted for education, it still may not be enough and that is why from the government agencies, we also welcome the stakeholders like old students association, parents bodies to come and join hands with us to promote education especially at the foundational level. This is very important. We want to continue to improve because we are actually the ones setting the pace.” The Executive Chairman, Lagos SUBEB, Wahab AlawiyeKing said since the southwest states are known for education, it is imperative to lift it out of the doldrums for the benefit of the children. The chairmen of the southwest SUBEB are drawn from Lagos, Osun, Ekiti, Ogun, Oyo and Ondo States. The Executive Chairman of Ondo SUBEB, Princess Oladunni Odu has been appointed as SSG to Ondo State governor.

KEHINDE OMORU www.kayomoru.com

Pets and Autism A number of preliminary clarifications need to be made before looking at what autism is in children. A very significant topic that I love bringing to the front burner at all times. So, this is not a new topic in the series of my weekly articles. First, research has shown that companion animals in the home have been shown to aid families of children with autism. A HABRI-funded study that investigated the impact of a pet dog on families with a child with autism found that families showed significant reductions in family difficulties and in parental stress over the long-term. Secondly, a review published in the journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine has also shown evidence that therapy dogs can play a crucial role in helping autistic patients develop communication and social skills. The team reviewed six published studies that covered the effects of dogs on children with autism. Now when your child want to be alone, it’s alright if this isn’t always the case. In children, the inability to relate with others in socially acceptable ways gets teachers querying autism amongst other likely problems. The diagnosis of autism is more popularly made on the basis of behavioral assessments. A collation of your child’s teacher’s observations and of course yours, are crucial for these behavioral assessments. When therefore, your doctor suggests that your child has autism, your immediate reaction might be of panic, denial, fear, disbelief and the urge to seek repeat medical opinions. Autism is different in every child and could be a dodgy disorder to diagnose. Notwithstanding, there are a few key ways in which doctors identify autism in children. If your infant or toddler is showing any of the signs of autism, you should visit your child’s doctor immediately with your concerns. Autism occurs at a young age and can be detected around age two or three. Clear autistic signs are many times even noticeable much earlier. The first signs of autism are typically delays or regression in speech and communication. Another early sign is abnormal behavior in group play situations and other social situations. The first step to diagnosing autism is a thorough physical examination as well as a review of family history by a specialist. Although your regular pediatrician should be able to spot unusual behavior, you should want your child to be examined by a professional who specialises in autism and other similar disorders to ensure your child is properly diagnosed. The next step should include hearing tests. It is important to make sure that your child is hearing clearly. If you’ve noticed that he/she is displaying language and social skill delays, it could be that he/she is experiencing inadequate auditory sensations. There are two types of auditory tests. The first records the tones the child can hear. The other requires sedation and measures the brain’s response to certain tones. Of course, the first method is preferred, since it does not require any use of a sedative. After auditory testing, your doctor may encourage testing your child for Fragile X syndrome because this disorder often times goes hand in hand with autism. Your child’s metabolism can also be evaluated. To do this, your doctor would need their blood or urine sample. An MRI, CT or CAT scan can also be helpful in diagnosing autism. These days, many brain imaging analysis have revealed that there are differences in the grey matter between children who have and do not have autism. Available scientific literatures report that there are findings suggesting that children who experience the most severe autism, have the most profound brain structure differences. Using brain imaging is finding that specific networks within the brain that’s associated with social communication skills, have a peculiar structure in children within the Autistic Spectrum Disorder. Autism is difficult to diagnose and even more difficult to manage. There is mega useful information out there. You should begin to learn as much as possible about the disorder as soon as your medical practitioner identifies it. If you haven’t spoken with your doctor about the abnormal behaviour you’ve noticed in your child, do so immediately. By detecting autism early, you would give your child a better chance of becoming a high-functioning individual with much more opportunities to access more social and life-skills. Finally, children that have been successfully diagnosed can now be aided with the company of animals like pet dogs as stated supra. Therapy dog can ease bout of restlessness and anxiety in children. They are known to offer relief from stress for children and a form of a full covered security .

Omoru is a freelance writer, education, health and social care advocate

WEDNESDAY APRIL 7, 2021 • T H I S D AY

T H I S D AY ˾ ͵˜ 2021

CITYSTRINGS

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Championing an Environmentally-sustainable Lagos In maintaining its drive for a cleaner environment, the Lagos State government recently inaugurated some projects aimed at making the state more environmentally sustainable. Chiemelie Ezeobi reports that the projects have been handed over to the Lagos State Environmental Protection Agency for efficient use

L-R: The Permanent Secretary, Drainage Services, Engr. Lekan Shodehinde; General Manager, LASEPA, Dr Dolapo Fasawe; the Special Adviser, Drainages and Water Resources, Engr. Joe Igbokwe; the Permanent Secretary, Environmental Services, Mrs Belinda Odeneye and the Hon. Commissioner for the Environment and Water Resources, Tunji Bello during the commissioning of Clean Environmental practices projects at LASEPA

The newly commissioned E- digital Library

GM LASEPA, Dolapo Fasawe; HC Environment and Water Resources, Tunji Bello; PS Oﬃce of the Environmental Services, Mrs. Odeneye and Engr Joe Igbokwe during the commissioning of LASEPA projects

The hybrid bus on gas

agos as the commercial nerve centre of Nigeria has proven to be one of the fastest growing megacities with its rapid urbanisation and industrialisation. But with its rapid growth comes challenges which includes those on the environment. However, beyond rhetorics, the state government has continuously put plans in motion to accelerate interventions targeted at achieving a cleaner environment, thereby turning Lagos into a clean city in line with best global standards. This they have done by instituting policies and action plans in place. Recently, the state government reiterated its commitment to maintaining a lead role in environmental management in the country by commissioning four projects aimed at making the state more environmentally sustainable. Commissioning and handing over the projects to Lagos State Environmental Protection Agency (LASEPA), the state Commissioner for Environment and Water Resources, Mr Tunji Bello noted that the four projects - a mini effluent treatment plant, air monitoring station, Hybrid Bus on Gas and a digital library, are very significant to the wellbeing of residents and also promote clean environmental practices and healthy living in the state. Mini Effluent Treatment Plant Bello explained that the mini efflu-

ent treatment plant would serve as an abatement facility for the treatment of industrial effluents to regulatory standards before being discharged into the environment. He added that the effluent treatment plant was as a result of the need to treat waste water and left over samples of industrial wastewater from the LASEPA's laboratory. He emphasised that the plant has capacity to handle both industrial and hazardous waste water from companies that lack the capacity to treat their own waste to the state permissible standard limits and that many organisations have already indicated readiness to partner LASEPA.

step up efforts to equip the library with state of the art facilities.

is responding adequately to its job as the policemen of the atmosphere."

Hybrid Bus On the final but not the least project- the hybrid bus on gas, the commissioner said the hybrid bus on gas is a reflection of the future and part of sustainable transport/ environment schemes. Essentially, according to Google, a hybrid combines at least one electric motor with a gasoline engine to move the car, and its system recaptures energy via regenerative braking. The result is less gasoline burned and, therefore, better fuel economy. Also, adding electric power can even boost performance in certain instances.

Air Quality Monitoring Stations The second project which is the Air Quality Monitoring Stations was built in six different locations including LASEPA headquarters in Alausa Ikeja; Ikorodu, Abesan, Unilag (Akoka), NCF ( Lekki) and Jankarai (Lagos Island) in collaboration with the World Bank. The aim is to measure the air quality and aid better policy formulation on the state’s environment.

Commendation The commissioner further expressed his gratitude to the management as they continue to adequately carry out their job as policemen of the environment which helps in ensuring a healthy and clean environment for the people of the state. He said: "Kudos to the general manager of the agency, the very ebullient Dr Dolapo Fasawe for driving the process that has seen renewed vibrancy in the agency in terms of the delivery of its core mandates. I feel proud of what LASEPA has become today due to the innovative and shrewd management of resources of the general manager and her management team and it is worthy of commendation now that LASEPA

LASEPA's Role Earlier in her address, the General Manager LASEPA, Dr. Adedolapo Fasawe, sated that the vital projects commissioned would further help in promoting a clean and healthy environment for the people of the state in line with the THEMES Agenda of the present administration. "Today's event therefore brings to realisation, the need for the collective responsibility of all, to ensure environment friendly solutions towards mitigating all environmental concerns and infractions we are daily exposed to. "As the police of the atmosphere, we are committed to the protection and improvement of the environment by adopting best available technology and urge everyone to embrace the same in order to make Lagos safe and conducive for sustainable development and business growth," Dr. Fasawe stressed. She further stated that the projects are confirmation of the agency's readiness to partner relevant stakeholders, both local and International to achieving the Lagos "we all desire". She commended the contributions and involvements of international agencies , the likes of UNIDO, World Bank and UNO towards sustainability and management of the environment and further urged all other establishments to emulate this noble gesture.

Electronic Library The third project, an E- Library, according to the commissioner would assist LASEPA in monitoring, controlling and regulating the environment to make it safe and healthy. He further noted that the government would

WEDNESDAY APRIL 7, 2021 • T H I S D AY

T H I S D AY ˾ ͵˜ 2021

BUSINESS/MONEYGUIDE

Elumelu: Youth Restiveness Ticking Time Bomb for Nigeria, Others Obinna Chima The Chairman of the United Bank of Africa (UBA), Mr. Tony Elumelu, has stressed the need to unlock the potential of youths in Nigeria and other countries in Africa, in order to catalyse the socio-economic development of the continent. According to Elumelu, youth restiveness remains a ticking time-bomb in the continent, noting that countries in the region continue to face issues around extremism, banditry, robbery, senseless killing, kidnapping and political thuggery, among others. The founder of the Tony Elumelu Foundation said this in an address he delivered to the Anglican Church Youth in an ongoing event in Nzukka, Enugu State, yesterday. He pointed out that Africa is the world’s youngest continent, saying that almost 60 per cent of the country’s population is under the age of 25. In Nigeria, youths of 35 years and under are estimated to constitute 70 per cent of the population of the country, he said. “However, the jobless rate in Nigeria has now risen to about 30 per cent in March 2021. Some

states have as high as 56 per cent of all their youth population as unemployed. In Africa, the situation is not much different: We have 65 per cent of all Africans below the age of 35 and many of these people are not gainfully employed. “The Covid-19 pandemic and resulting lockdowns have exposed the vulnerabilities in our population structure. We now have, as a continent, the largest young generation in history – this youthful population is Africa’s hope, it is our pride and it is our potential. The urgency and need to unlock the potential of this generation is imperative for the security of our collective future.” To the Chairman of Heirs Holdings, to address this challenge, there is need for a high sense of urgency, a dissatisfaction to what is happening presently as well as a commitment to improving things. “We must accept that we face a crucial period in our history where youth issues must be the main and central issue of our time. Millions of our young people are entering the job market every year; and 20 million jobs are needed to be created annually to absorb new entrants in the

labour market. Only about three million formal jobs are being created annually across Africa and this was even before the outbreak of Covid-19 pandemic outbreak,” he added. While speaking on the power of entrepreneurship, Elumelu said: “For me and my colleagues at UBA, at TEF and the across the HH Group, we have come to believe that entrepreneurship-the power of entrepreneurship- is key to harnessing the potential of these young Africans “By so doing, we secure our own future. This comes from our own experience, first as entrepreneurs ourselves. And secondly as people that have committed a lot of resources at TEF (capital, time, personnel) tin helping create a new generation of African entrepreneurs. We are helping to give economic hope and opportunities to young Africans. And we speak not just as people that do this in Nigeria but in all 54 African countries, the TEF intervention cuts across all sectors and gender across the 54 African countries because we believe that prosperity should be shared as much as possible across board and that poverty anywhere is a threat to us all everywhere.

LCCI Partners Future Project to Tackle Unemployment Dike Onwuamaeze The Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI), in collaboration with The Future Project (TFP) would train1, 000 young Nigerians under the Future Africa Internship Programme (FAIP). The initiative is expected to train youths in organisations for three to six months on N150, 000 monthly. This was announced yesterday by the President of the LCCI, Mrs. Toki Mabogunje, who stated during a news conference that skill mismatch was one of the major contributors to persistent worsening unemployment situation in the country. The LCCI President, who was represented at the conference by the Vice President of the LCCI, Mrs. Daramola Bamidele, said the training was part of efforts to improve the nation’s employment

rate. Mabogunje said: “At the LCCI, we have realised that skill mismatch contributes to persistent worsening of the Nigeria’s unemployment situation. “It is, therefore, not surprising employers of labour lament about the skill deficiency of job seekers, especially fresh graduates. The discordance between school curriculum and industry needs affirms why many young people are unemployed. “This initiative is anchored on the conviction that Africa’s growth requires a generation of skillful and highly productive young people as the youth accounts for sizeable proportion of Africa’s population.” She said the programme would enable thousands of young Africans to achieve economic sustainability through internships and also address the discordance between school

curriculum and industry, to engender more skilled and employable youths in the country. The president of the LCCI said the scheme was an industryfocused programme that would equip young graduates and make them employable in the job market. In his remarks, the Founding Partner of the TFP, Mr. Adebola Williams, said the internship would provide young Nigerians with an opportunity to be closer to their dreams. Williams said: “The FAIP creates a multidiscipline avenue and opportunity for young people to have real and quality experience. “There is nothing more powerful than the hopeful and empowered human being, as that person can do anything and Nigerians are unrepentantly hopeful. “We are looking to train 1,000 youths between now and 2023, and with talent and hard work, great achievement is sure.

Ogun Inaugurates 10th Gateway Trade Fair Kayode Fasua in Abeokuta Ogun State governor, Prince Dapo Abiodun, yesterday kicked off the 10th Gateway International Trade Fair and declared that the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) Development Fund to provide easier credit facilities, will soon be launched in the state. The governor equally disclosed that innovation fund for techbased MSMEs in the state will be launched with the view to encouraging and promoting digital economy. Abiodun noted that trade fair had grown beyond just a meeting point for business communities, but a veritable platform that affords operators of MSMEs, manufacturers, businessmen and women, managers of corporate organizations and the government He added that it was also an

opportunity to come together and showcase locally-made products and services, saying the avenue provides a unique opportunity to cross-fertilize ideas; explore new business innovations and make credible business contacts. Abiodun, however, said the state has started developing MSMEs clusters across the state that will be provided with full infrastructure of roads, drainage, power, fiber optics, which will be offered at attractive pricing and flexible payment terms to further encourage to and provide incentives for business operators. The governor further reiterated his administration’s commitment towards the promotion of a private sector driven economy, industrial development, investment friendly environment, commercial activities and empowerment and promotion of MSMEs in the State. “We will soon be launching

the Ogun MSMEs Development Fund geared towards providing easier credit facilities. We will also be launching an innovation fund for Tech-based MSMEs. We will continue to be deliberate and methodical in our approach to support our resource based industrialization of Ogun State. “Ogun State is the largest industrial hub in Nigeria, we are determined to uphold this position. No doubt, the theme for this year’s Fair: ‘Transforming Agriculture and Commerce in a Highly Competitive Global Market’ at this trying period could not have been more appropriate. It is coming at a time when we are all working hard towards diversifying Nigeria’s economy from our over-reliance on the oil sector by developing other sectors such as agriculture, trade and manufacturing.

Elumelu

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

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OPEC DAILY BASKET PRICE ˜ ͳ ͰͮͰͯ

The price of OPEC basket of thirteen crudes stood at $61.70 a barrel on Monday, compared with $61.77 the previous Thursday, according to OPEC Secretariat calculations. The OPEC Reference Basket of Crudes (ORB) is made up of the following: Saharan Blend (Algeria), Girassol (Angola), Djeno (Congo), Zaﬁro (Equatorial Guinea), Rabi Light (Gabon), Iran Heavy (Islamic Republic of Iran), Basra Light (Iraq), Kuwait Export (Kuwait), Es Sider (Libya), Bonny Light (Nigeria), Arab Light (Saudi Arabia), Murban (UAE) and Merey (Venezuela). SOURCE: OPEC headquarters, Vienna

T H I S D AY ˾ ͵˜ 2021

FMDQ Exchange to Commence Derivatives Trading Soon Goddy Egene FMDQ Securities Exchange Limited yesterday said that the implementation of its derivatives market development project was nearing completion to enable investors transact exchange traded derivatives. The exchange disclosed this to capital market correspondents during its Academy Derivatives

Market Webinar series themed: ‘Understanding Exchange Traded Derivatives Market in Lagos. An exchange traded derivative is a financial contract that is listed and trades on a regulated exchange and have become increasingly popular because of the advantages they have over over-the-counter (OTC) derivatives. Speaking during the event, the Vice President, Market Ar-

P R I C E S MAIN BOARD

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chitecture at the FMDQ, Jumoke Olaniyan, said the project started about two and half years ago as the exchange saw the need to introduce derivatives into the capital market. According to Olaniyan exchange traded derivatives can be used to hedge exposure or speculate on a wide range of financial assets like commodities, equities, currencies, and even interest rates, adding that the

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global market is now moving in the direction of derivatives. She noted that the gross market value of OTC derivatives which provides a measure of amounts at risk rose from $11.6 trillion to $15.5 trillion during the first half of 2020, led by increases in interest rate derivatives. She said with the introduction of derivatives, the government could leverage the products to hedge against crude oil prices.

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“The exchange derivatives space remains to be tapped by the government. We have a 91 per cent focus on OTC derivatives while it is nine per cent on the part of the exchange traded derivatives and the globe is now shifting to this aspect due to the fact that it performed impeccably well during the global financial crisis. “It is this form of exchange

O F

that is being implemented by the FMDQ in which we have been working on its implementation status which is now in Phase II. “Once it is introduced and takes off, it would present an opportunity for our own government to leverage on traded derivatives and use it to hedge risks. In actual fact, the capital market needs derivatives to hedge against market volatilities”, Olaniyan said.

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WEDNESDAY APRIL 7, 2021 •T H I S D AY

WEDNESDAY APRIL 7, 2021 • T H I S D AY

WEDNESDAY APRIL 7, 2021 •T H I S D AY

WEDNESDAY APRIL 7, 2021 • T H I S D AY

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WEDNESDAY, Ϳ˜ ͺ͸ͺ͹ ˾ T H I S D AY

NEWS

Nigeria Heading for the Brink, Mohammed Warns, Urges Restraint Meets opinion leaders tomorrow Abdulsalami peace committee convenes today Iyobosa Uwugiaren in Abuja With growing insecurity across the country, secessionist agitations and ethno-religious crisis, the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, has warned that Nigeria is heading for the brink, urging that there is an urgent need to pull it back. “Despite huge human and material resources the country is heading for the brinks and there is an urgent need to pull it back from this catastrophe,” he said in a letter inviting leaders of opinion to a town hall meeting scheduled for tomorrow in Kaduna. Also concerned by the raging strife across the land, the Gen. Abdusalami Abubakar (rtd)-led National Peace Committee (NPC) is also convening a meeting today in Abuja to discuss the way forward. Nigeria has recently witnessed increasing insecurity, leading to the killing of security agents and innocent citizens by bandits. The security crisis has made many Nigerians and members of the international community to express concerns about the state of the nation. Mohammed, in a letter, inviting prominent Nigerians for a town hall meeting in Kaduna tomorrow said

the manifestations of the general state of insecurity in the country, especially with secessionist narrative, crass politicisation of ethnic and religious differences need to be addressed urgently. He said with the situation, the country is heading for the brink. He said: “As you may observe, Nigeria has failed to manage its diversity. Despite huge human and material resources the country is heading for the brink and there is an urgent need to pull it back from this catastrophe. “Increasingly, we are seeing this lack of capacity to manage our diversity manifesting in a general state of insecurity as witnessed in the heightened incidences of farmers/herders clashes, Boko Haram insurgency, banditry, ethno-religious clashes and intolerance, cultism, drug addiction and kidnapping. “Closely tied to all these are the dangerous threat to the unity of the country and its continued existence as one indivisible nation. But the story of Nigeria has not always been this negative. How did we get here and what can we do to change the narrative to present our country in the best of light? This requires teamwork, reflecting all diversities, leveraging on

Union Shuts Down FCTA, Insists Perm Sec Office Illegal Olawale Ajimotokan in Abuja Workers under the aegis of the Joint Unions Action Committee (JUAC) in the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) and Federal Capital Development Administration (FCDA) yesterday embarked on a three-day warning strike over their call for the abrogation of the office of the Permanent Secretary and the implementation of the FCT Civil Service Commission Act. The warning strike grounded activities at the Abuja Environmental Protection Board (AEPB), Department of Development Control and Abuja Geographic Information Systems (AGIS). It was also learnt that school teachers and health workers were contemplating joining the ongoing strike. The workers accused the FCT Administration of double standards, saying that government that claimed to be transparent cannot continue to retain a Permanent Secretary deployed from the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation. They argued that this is contrary to the spirit and intent of the FCT Civil Service Commission Act, already signed three years ago by President Muhammadu Buhari.

They insisted that the substantive Permanent Secretary, Mr. Olusade Adesola, who was deployed from the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation is occupying an illegal position because the Act provided for an FCT Head of Service, instead. They also accused Adesola of stifling administrative procedures and creating bottlenecks that the workers are not very comfortable with. Chairman of the JUAC, Mr. Matilukoro Korode, accused the FCTA of ignoring the workers’ agitation for the implementation of the Act and other issues that border on workers’ welfare for too long. He threatened that the strike actions would likely be indefinite until the FCTA heeds the call to implement the Act. Korode noted that while the JUAC had severally drawn the attention of government and other stakeholders to the existence of Executive Order 1 of 2004, even before the passage of the FCT Civil Service Commission Bill by the National Assembly and its subsequent signing into law. He said the refusal to implement the law is having very adverse effects on workers.

all our collective creativity to pursue with diligence the project of rescuing Nigeria.’’ Mohammed added that the correct starting point towards addressing the problems is building an elite consensus on the security, unity, indissolubility and peaceful existence of Nigeria. He said such elite consensus had worked in the past and there is a need to find out why it is not working again as well as to proffer solutions because Nigeria is truly at a

tipping point. In the invitation letters sent to many opinion moulders nationwide, the minister said a broad-based and inclusive town hall meeting has been fixed for Kaduna tomorrow to discuss some of the manifestations of the general state of insecurity in the country, especially with secessionist narrative, crass politicisation of ethnic and religious differences. “The proposed town hall meeting will aim

at developing concrete implementable resolutions because a lot of theoretical talks and postulation had taken place with little or no requisite outcome. “The event will be declared open by President Muhammadu Buhari. Reputable scholar, Prof. Jibril Ibrahim, will be the lead presenter and will set the tone for discussion with Prof. Saka Nuru, Prof. Chudi Uwazurike and Prof Kokunre Eghafonaas as guest

discussants,’’ the letter stated. The meeting is expected to be attended by the leadership of the legislature, governors, ministers, Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Mr. Boss Mustapha, Chief of Staff to the President, Prof. Ibrahim Gambari, service chiefs, Inspector-General of Police, heads of security agencies, religious and traditional leaders and members of the international community amongst others.

CONDOLENCE VISIT… L-R: Ekiti State Governor, Dr. Kayode Fayemi; daughter of the deceased, Chidinma; widow, Mrs. Josephine Chukwuma; and the governor’s wife, Bisi, during the governor’s condolence visit to the residence of the late Ford Foundation, West Africa boss, Mr. Innocent Chukwuma, in Lagos...yesterday

Moghalu: Terrorists, Kidnappers Demanding Ransom in Cryptocurrency Peter Uzoho A former Deputy Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and former presidential candidate, Prof. Kingsley Moghalu, has said that cryptocurrency has become attractive to kidnappers and terrorists who demand to be paid a ransom in the virtual currency because it is not easily traceable and is also uncontrolled by governments and central banks. He said at the Cybertech Global 2021 conference on cybersecurity in Dubai that sub-Saharan Africa has emerged as the world’s leader in mobile financial services. Besides Moghalu, other speakers included former Director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), General David Petraeus; Director-General of Israel’s National Cyber Directorate, Yigal Unna and the former Supreme Commander of NATO Forces in Europe, General Wesley Clark. He added that the booming fintech sector could accelerate the continent’s post-COVID-19 economic recovery. Moghalu said the extraordinary growth of the

sector presented new security challenges, which should be addressed to ensure that public confidence in emerging technology remained high. According to him, the rise of cryptocurrency, in particular, has heightened awareness of fintech security risks, “with kidnappers and terrorists increasingly demanding that ransoms are paid in it.” Moghalu stated that the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) barred cryptocurrency platforms and bank accounts from its banking system. He, however, added that despite the restrictions, Nigeria remained one of the world’s highest traders in cryptocurrency, in particular Bitcoin, coming in third behind only the United States and Russia with over $400 million in trades in 2020. “Overall, African countries suffer from an under-qualified cybersecurity workforce. The level of investment in cybersecurity in the fintech sector is still relatively low, although it is rising, and African banks are still vulnerable to cyber-attacks. “There is inadequate protection of ICT infrastructure and relatively weak cybercrime laws. There is a strong need

for educational campaigns for fintech users and the private sector, which hosts most fintech networks, needs to work more closely with governments in Africa to prevent and combat cybercrime. “There is also significant opportunity for peer-to-peer exchange of best practices in cybersecurity between market players in technologically advanced countries and African countries that lead the world in fintech, but not necessarily in fintech security or regulatory technology,” he stated. He said Africa could be proud of its world-leading role in mobile financial services, which left it well-placed to take advantage of the fintech revolution – with appropriate regulation. “Over 50 per cent of 282 mobile money services in the world today are operating in Africa. The fintech sector in the continent has exploded over the past two decades, enabling Africa to leapfrog into the digital age as it became the world’s fastest mobile telephone market in the 2000s. “The continent jumped from severely inadequate landline telephone infrastructure to 750

million mobile phone lines in a continental population of one billion people. Nigeria, for example, had less than 100,000 landlines in 2001, managed by the Nigerian Telecommunications Ltd. (NITEL), an inefficient and corruption-ridden state monopoly. “Today, 20 years later, the country has 160 million mobile phone lines for its population of 200 million, following the introduction of the Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) with licences given to private sector companies after the deregulation of the telecommunications sector," Moghalu added. Citing reports by the World Bank and the African Development Bank, he stated that in some African countries, more people have access to mobile phones than to clean water, electricity, or a bank account. According to him, the fintech sector in Africa is almost entirely driven by home-grown innovation, after the innovation the M-Pesa mobile payment system in Kenya and the development of numerous payment platforms in Nigeria.

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PAGE FOURTY-EIGHT

Buhari Approves Transition of PTF to PSC on COVID-19 Olawale Ajimotokan in Abuja President Muhammadu Buhari has approved the transition of the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 to Presidential Steering Committee (PSC) on COVID-19 effective from April 1, 2021 with a modified mandate to reflect the nonemergent status of COVID-19 as a potentially long-term pandemic. The Chairman PTF, Mr. Boss Mustapha, announced the restructuring in Abuja yesterday at the PTF press briefing. This transformation also came at a time a consignment of 100,000 doses of Covishield vaccines was donated by the government of India to Nigeria. The new mandate to the PTF followed the submission of the report to the President

after the expiration of the three months’ mandate extension granted to it. It would be recalled that the President had on December 22, 2020 received the end of the year report of the PTF and authorised the extension of the mandate of the body by three months. The tenure of the PSC shall end on December 31, 2021. Mustapha, who is the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, said the structure of the PSC would reflect the new focus of the response with a targeted approach on vaccine oversight, risk communication, international travel quarantine processes and sub-national engagement. He added that the PSC would maintain the present constitution, functions and

strategies of the PTF and is to be supported by a slim technical and administrative structure. One of the sweeping changes, however, is that the current National Incident Manager, Dr. Mukhtar Mohammed, will replace Dr. Sani Aliyu, who was the National Coordinator and Head of Technical Secretariat as the member of the PSC. The PSC will coordinate the vaccine rollout, deployment and administration, while a private sector supported Transition Consultant will sustain the multi-sectoral relations and policy guidance. Mustapha disclosed that the PSC would meet less frequently while maintaining effective communication with Nigerians and also monitor and audit ongoing systems,

reforms and infrastructure development in the health sector. “As we close this phase of the National Response, the PTF wishes to express its profound gratitude to every individual and organisations that played a part in the National Response. It has not been an easy journey, but your companionship and support helped us forge ahead and accomplish these modest successes. Given the developments around the world, we must recognise the fact that the next phase will be challenging, critical and would require extreme vigilance/collaboration,” Mustapha said. While thanking all the partners that assisted in the National Response, he urged the public against vaccine hesitancy, fake news,

vaccine nationalism and all such challenges blocking the achievement of overcoming the pandemic. The SGF also reiterated that Nigeria received about 3.92 million doses of AstraZeneca vaccines on March 2, 2021, which represented the first tranche of about 16 million doses allocated to the country thorough COVAX facility aimed at vaccinating an initial 20 per cent of the population. He also noted that as at April 5, 2021, 963, 802 persons have received first dose of the COVID-19 vaccines. The Acting Indian High Commissioner to Nigeria, Mr. Velagalerti Surendra presented the 100,000 doses of the vaccines manufactured at the Serum Institute of India, Pune, the world's largest vaccine manufacturing facility

to the federal government. The consignment arrived at the Abuja airport from Mumbai via Addis Ababa on 26 March, 2021. Surendra said that the bilateral donation of 100,000 doses of Covishield vaccines was in keeping with India's longstanding, age-old and time-tested ties with Nigeria, based on close friendship and deep mutual trust. He said that nearly 36.5 per cent of all vaccines supplied to the world, as of mid-March, including AstraZeneca, were made in India. He added that India would produce other vaccines such as Novavax and Sputnik, but has also developed its own indigenous vaccine, Covaxin, by Bharat Biotech, which too is highly effective and has been supplied to many countries.

On his vision for the police, the acting IG pledged in his curriculum vitae to give credible motivational leadership to the police force. "To enhance police primacy in Nigeria through the provision of a motivational and credible leadership driven by professional knowledge, ethics, emotional intelligence tools, and strategic planning and operational models that are directed at stabilising internal security and modernising police operations, facilities and standards within the framework of citizens, consent, trust, and rule of law," he said. THISDAY gathered that the new IG is the most senior DIG with only one year left in service. Section 7 (6) of the Police Act states that the person appointed to the office of Inspector-General of Police shall hold office for four years. Baba has held various command and senior management positions in the police force. Baba, who joined the Nigerian Police in 1988, holds a Master's Degree in Public Administration (MPA) and Bachelor of Science Degree in Political Science.

An alumnus of Bayero University, Kano, and the University of Maiduguri, (UNIMAID), he is also a fellow of the National Defence College. The new IG is a member of the International Association of Chiefs of Police and was at various times the Assistant Inspector-General of Police in Charge of Zone 4, Makurdi; Zone 7, Abuja and Zone 5, Benin. Baba was also the Commissioner of Police in charge of Delta State and the Federal Capital Territory. He also served as Acting Deputy Inspector-General of Police in charge of Finance and Administration and Force Secretary.

In a related development, the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) yesterday signed an Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC) contract with Maire Tecnimont of Italy for the rehabilitation of the Port Harcourt refinery in Rivers State. At the ceremony in Abuja, NNPC Group Managing Director, Mallam Mele Kyari, said unlike, in the past, the current exercise isn’t turnaround maintenance, but an overhaul and rehabilitation

of the plant. Yesterday's ceremony followed the approval by the Federal Executive Council (FEC) in March of $1.5 billion for the rehabilitation of the facility, which is expected to be delivered in three phases, with the last phase due in 44 months. According to the federal government, the project will be jointly funded with Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) from the NNPC, budgetary allocation and loans from Afreximbank. However, the FEC's approval generated controversy as many stakeholders faulted the propriety of committing $1.5 billion to the rehabilitation of the loss-making refinery amidst competing national needs. Kyari again defended the

decision to rehabilitate the refinery yesterday, saying in the past, turnaround maintenance projects were mismanaged, leading to the complete deterioration of the refineries. He added that many of the questions being raised by Nigerians remain valid due to unfulfilled promises in the past. He stated that the signing of the agreement for the Kaduna and Warri refineries will take

“Global growth is projected at six per cent in 2021, moderating to 4.4 per cent in 2022. The projections for 2021 and 2022 are stronger than in October 2020 WEO. The upward revision reflects additional

fiscal support in a few large economies, the anticipated vaccine-powered recovery in the second half of 2021, and continued adaptation of economic activity to subdued mobility. “High uncertainty

surrounds this outlook, related to the path of the pandemic, the effectiveness of policy support to provide a bridge to vaccine-powered the normalisation, and the evolution of financial conditions.”

AUDACIOUS ASSAULT ON IMO POLICE HQ FORCES BUHARI TO REMOVE IGP ADAMU to exist. Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, who visited the scenes of the attacks yesterday in Owerri, said the federal government had intensified the search for masterminds of the jailbreak which he said led to the release of dangerous criminals. The Minister of Interior, Mr. Rauf Aregbesola, offered amnesty to the fleeing inmates if they voluntarily return. But the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, raised the alarm that the attackers were bent on triggering anarchy and chaos nationwide. THISDAY gathered that Buhari, who is in the UK for a medical checkup, held consultations virtually with top presidency officials before Adamu’s removal was announced. Adamu had blamed the twin attack in Imo State on IPOB and its security arm, the Eastern Security Network (ESN). THISDAY gathered that the federal government was embarrassed by what a senior presidency official called the "strange" attack on the security formations in Imo State. The presidency source told

THISDAY that the government was alarmed by the Imo attacks. "His handling of the postEndSARS reorganisation was not satisfactory. The abolition of SARS and its replacement, SWATT, was not satisfactorily carried out because the SARS offices were still operational in disguise. "How can an entire state police command be destroyed and vehicles set ablaze without any resistance? To add to it, hoodlums set close to 2,000 prisoners free and burnt Owerri correctional facility. This is not acceptable," the source said. THISDAY also learnt that the escape of 55 suspects in police custody in Ebonyi State also counted against Adamu. They were suspected to be mercenaries hired from Jukun in Taraba State and other northern states by communities fighting over land dispute in Ebonyi State. "In Ebonyi State, 55 suspects escaped from police custody. There seemed to be a disconnect between the IG and the CPs in the states," the source stated. Minister of Police Affairs, Mr. Maigari Dingyadi, who

announced Adamu’s removal said it was part of the moves to address the security challenges facing the nation. He told State House reporters in Abuja that the change in the leadership of the police was in line with the resolve of Buhari to rejig the country's security architecture. He said: "These changes are in line with the determination of Mr. President to rejig the security architecture of the country to ensure that the security challenges bedevilling the nation are brought to an end." The minister stated that Buhari charged the new appointee to rise to the challenge by ensuring the implementation of the police reform policy of his administration to enable the police to perform most effectively for the security of lives and property. He added that the president had earlier extended the tenure of Adamu to enable a detailed process of appointing a new IG, in line with section 15 (A) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended). According to him, between February 1 and yesterday, eligible senior police officers

of the rank of DIG and AIG were screened for appointment as IG. He said in line with Section 7 (2) of the Nigeria Police Act (2020) and based on seniority, professionalism, record of service and competence, "Mr. President approved the appointment of an Acting IG, in the person of Usman Alkali Baba, with immediate effect." Dingyadi added that Buhari thanked Adamu for his professionalism and dedication to duty while his tenure lasted and wished him well in his future endeavours. Asked why the president did not allow the outgoing IG to finish his extended tenure, the minister said Buhari was in charge of appointing or extending tenures. "He has now decided to appoint a new person. So please allow him that responsibility and we cannot do anything about it," he said. Born on March 1, 1963, in Gaidam, Yobe State, the acting IG enlisted in the Nigeria Police on March 15, 1988. He was until his appointment the DIG in charge of the Force Criminal Investigation Department, Force Headquarters, Abuja

Osinbajo: Search Has Begun for Cowards Vice President Yemi Osinbajo yesterday expressed the determination of the federal government to fish out masterminds of Monday's attacks on security formations in Owerri, the Imo State capital, and bring them to49justice. Continued on page 49

DPR REVOKES ADDAX PETROLEUM’S FOUR OIL BLOCKS FOR NON-PERFORMANCE economic sabotage.” He added: “You (Addax) know the potential of the asset, but you refused to develop it. This state of underdevelopment is against the principle of the Petroleum Act and constitutes revenue loss to the government.” Auwalu said the situation was due to a lack of investment by Addax, which he said was also against the spirit of the Petroleum Sharing Contract (PSC). “One of the assets – OML 137 – holds a gas reserve of more than three trillion cubic meters (tcm). This has the potential for us to increase our gas reserve and it can support the integration of gas development of the asset. The entire OML 137 holds about five tcm in two key

reserves, but the company failed to develop this asset in line with the government’s gas revolution policy and it was, therefore, necessary to take a step to attract willing and capable investors to under the development of the assets both for our domestic use and exports,” he stated. According to him, the average reserve profile of the assets showed that oil reserves have remained essentially flat. Since Addax took over, its oil reserves have remained flat, Auwalu said, adding that the company never made effort to grow the reserves. He said crude oil in all three producing assets had been declining over the years due to inadequate investment by the company. “There has also been

significant gas flaring in all the assets, with no viable gas monetisation solution in place – either for domestic or export – which is contrary to our desire to make our economy’s gas-based by 2030. Above all, Addax has never supplied gas to the domestic market, even though they were given domestic gas supply obligation,” he said. Auwalu stated that the revoked licences have been awarded to Kaztec and Salvic Consortium after due process, based on the same terms and conditions given to Addax. Kaztec is owned by Sir Emeka Offor. The consortium will meet with the DPR for an official handover of the assets. Addax Petroleum had declared a force majeure on

its operations in 2015.

NNPC, Italian Firm Sign $1.5bn Port Harcourt Reﬁnery Rehabilitation Deal

place by June, adding that he will ensure the transparency of the entire process. He said: “This is not turnaround maintenance; this is complete rehabilitation work. We are going to have major engineering work, Continued on page 49

IMF RAISES NIGERIA’S 2021 GDP GROWTH FORECAST TO 2.5% pandemic. It said new virus mutations and the accumulating human toll raised concerns, even as growing vaccine coverage lifted sentiments. The IMF said economic

recoveries were diverging across countries and sectors, reflecting variation in pandemic-induced disruptions and the extent of policy support. It added: “The outlook depends not just on the

outcome of the battle between the virus and vaccines—it also hinges on how effectively economic policies deployed under high uncertainty can limit lasting damage from this unprecedented crisis.

WEDNESDAY, Ϳ˜ ͺ͸ͺ͹ ˾ T H I S D AY

NEWS

Despite Meeting with FG, Poly Lecturers Continue Strike Onyebuchi Ezigbo and Kuni Tyessi in Abuja National President of the Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP), Mr. Anderson Ezeibe, yesterday disclosed that the union would continue its strike, which commenced 12 midnight of yesterday despite meeting with the federal government. Ezeibe, who stated this at the Federal Ministry of Education after the union's meeting with the minister, Mallam Adamu Adamu, said the strike was not suspended.

He said the meeting with the minister was just the beginning of a negotiation, adding that until the issues were satisfactorily resolved, the strike would continue. He said the union believed in dialogue, hence its ultimatum of 15 days, which was issued in March 2020, calling on the government to look into the negotiations and do the needful. "The expiration of the union’s ultimatum issued since March 2020 as well as the development of new issues of concern in the sector due to the negligence of the government.

DPR REVOKES ADDAX PETROLEUM’S FOUR OIL BLOCKS FOR NON-PERFORMANCE major procurement and major installation work and ultimately the commissioning of the works. “I have said it over and over that, we have not taken care of these refineries over the years; that we have mismanaged the turnaround maintenance work overtime in the last 20+ years and these plants have degenerated to a level that today, we are not turning around but resuscitating them, which is different from TAM.” According to him, resuscitating the plant means that some of the parts have become obsolete and have to be replaced while other parts will be upgraded, noting that these come with additional costs attached. But he said Nigerians would have the opportunity to assess what is being done to revamp the refineries, as the process would be opened to a public audit during and after the rehabilitation. “We should have no fear because there’s a scope of work and we will publish that scope of work. There’s also a question as to why this is different, which is a very valid question. We have done TAM on these refineries over the years. There have been so many interventions that have taken place. There are so many

things we didn’t do it right and we have to admit it. “But what is different today is that we have a clearly defined scope of work. We went through a clear competitive process, we did scoping and examination and we know what to fix,” he stated. According to him, in a clean break from the past, there’s now a contract with clear conditions as to the level of performances in relation to time, including other indemnities. He said if the contractor fails to deliver, there are clauses on how the matter will be dealt with, adding that those details were non-existent in the past contracts, resulting in the deterioration of the refineries. On the remaining nonfunctional refineries, he said: “Our schedule is to select the right contractors for Warri and Kaduna refineries and award the contracts by the end of June latest.” The Managing Director, Port Harcourt Refinery Company, Mr Ahmed Dikko, stated that the first phase will see the rehabilitation of the facility to the desired capacity of 90 per cent and above. He said with the experience of Tecnicmont and the local content part of the project, it would be the beginning of the country’s effort to end product importation.

"Today, therefore, marks day one of the execution of the resolutions of our union. The strike has not been suspended as it is just a few hours old. The meeting with the minister is just the beginning of a resolution and until it has been satisfactorily resolved, the strike must go on." He enumerated their grievances to include: “Nonrelease of the 10 months arrears of minimum wage owed our members in Federal Polytechnics and non-implementation of same in several state-owned institutions. “This is despite the presidential directive for the payment of these arrears since December 2019. "Non-payment of salaries in some state-owned institutions as our members are owed their legitimate emoluments ranging from five to 24 months in Abia, Ogun, Osun,

Edo, Benue, Plateau states, continued victimisation of officials of our union as seen in Institute of Management and Technology (IMT), Enugu, Federal Polytechnic Mubi as well as Rufus Giwa Polytechnic, Owo." He said the situation had degenerated to the clamping down and brazen illegal seizure of the properties of the union by the Rector of Federal Polytechnic, Nassarawa. He said the nonimplementation of the approved 65 years retirement age in the sector by some state governments, notably Kano, as well as the continued appointment of unqualified persons as rectors of polytechnics in some states must be addressed. Speaking at a separate conference in Abuja yesterday, Ezeibe listed other grievances of the

The gunmen invaded the police station located in Ehime Mbano Local Government Area yesterday and burnt it down. A report yesterday by TheCable said police officers fled when the station was attacked. The gunmen were also said to have freed detainees at the police station. Spokesman of the Imo State Police Command, Mr. Orlando Ikeokwu, confirmed the attack to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN). He, however, added that no death was recorded during the invasion. “Yes, I can confirm to you that the police facility was attacked today by bandits. No casualty on the part of the police, no loss of arms, but three vehicles were burnt in the process,” he said.

Gunmen Attack Another Imo Police

FG Offers Imo Custodial Centre's Escapees Conditional

to also help its students. He however lamented that government perceived its decision as a sign of weakness, adding that new issues of concern had developed as a result of the government’s negligence to the polytechnic sector. However, the Education Minister, Adamu, after a meeting with the union, said nothing was impossible in reaching an agreement with the union while disclosing that the governing council had been selected and would be inaugurated in no distant time. "For the governing council, I can assure you that it is set already. We were just waiting for the break to be over and they will be announced and inaugurated. “All the points will be looked into carefully and I give you the assurance that all will be attended to," he said.

50TH GOLDEN JUBILEE... L-R: Akwa Ibom State Governor, Mr. Udom Emmanuel; Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Mrs. Zainab Ahmed; ICAN President, Dame Onome Joy Adewuyi and Oyo State Governor, Mr. Seyi Makinde, at the 50th Golden Jubilee Annual Accountants conference held yesterday in Abuja

AUDACIOUS ASSAULT ON IMO POLICE HQ FORCES BUHARI TO REMOVE IGP ADAMU Osinbajo, who inspected the Formation Amnesty facilities condemned the attacks Perpetrators planning on the federal prison and police For the second time in 24 hours, The federal government Nationwide Anarchy, command headquarters. gunmen have attacked another yesterday assured any of the 1,884 inmates of the custodial Says FG He also condemned the police station in Imo State. jailbreak which he said led to the release of “dangerous criminals”, adding that the search for the escaped inmates “has begun in earnest.” He said: “An attack on the critical institutions of law enforcement, police stations and prisons is an attack on the safety, security and wellbeing of the citizens. “It is not merely an attack on law and order. It is a mindless attack on the people and the way of life of the people. When you attack police stations and free dangerous criminals, you put women, men, children and their possessions and livelihoods at risk.” Osinbajo, however, assured Imo residents that security presence has been enhanced to ensure that peace reigns in the state.

Polytechnic lecturers to include: non-implementation of NEEDS assessment report of 2014; non-release of any revitalisation fund despite assurances since 2017, nonreconstitution of governing councils, non-release of 10 months arrears of minimum wage, and non-payment of salaries in some state Polytechnics. Also under the contention was non-release of arrears of promotion, renewed attempts to insert "offensive" provisions in the scheme of service and conditions of service, and alleged plans to force ASUP members in some monotechnics out of the union. Ezeibe noted that the 15-day ultimatum issued to the federal government since March 2020 had long expired, adding that the union decided to give the government enough time to address the issues raised, and

centre in Owerri, freed during Monday's attack on the facility of a pardon if they voluntarily return to custody. According to Minister of Interior, Mr. Rauf Aregbesola, who was in Owerri for an inspection of the facility, although unlawful escape from custody is a crime, willing returnees will be exempted from prosecution. The minister said he would ensure that those involved in the attack face justice. Aregbesola expressed the federal government’s determination to fish out the attackers. He said: “Unlawful escape from custody is a crime but the government in its magnanimity will grant amnesty to prisoners who willfully return. “They will no longer be charged with an unlawful escape but only for the initial crimes that took them to prison. So we urge all escapees to return before they are caught on the run.”

The federal government has raised the alarm that those behind the attacks on the Imo State Police headquarters and the custodial centre in Owerri were bent on imposing anarchy on the country. The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, at a press briefing yesterday in Abuja described the attacks as the most unfortunate, dastardly, condemnable and unacceptable. He said the attacks fitted into the growing pattern of inexplicable and anarchical acts by some malcontents, seeking to trigger chaos in the country. He also urged all persons of goodwill, especially traditional, religious and political leaders to condemn the anarchists before they set the country on fire. The minister also appealed to compatriots to expose those who are acting as 'agent provocateur' for reasons best known to them,

by volunteering information that can lead to their arrest and prosecution. He warned that those inflaming violence must not be allowed to win.

Don’t Allow IPOB to Exist, Outgoing IG Tells Police Meanwhile, the outgoing IG, Adamu, has directed officers and men of the Nigeria Police Force to use brute force against members of the IPOB and ESN who he described as outlaws. Adamu, who was at the Imo State Police Command headquarters yesterday to assess the damage caused by the gunmen, directed that police personnel must not give insurgents and criminals free rein. “The attackers will not go scotfree. You should deal ruthlessly with those that take delight in attacking security agencies. Don't allow them to exist; they should be annihilated from society because they are criminals. And from now, henceforth you have to change your tactics in order

to curtail their activities. "The local authorities should feel concerned about the activities of these outlaws and there is the need for all of us to work together to fish out those criminals by providing the police with information about their activities, their sponsors so that we can effectively end their illegal operations. "Those who were released from the Owerri correctional service centre are members of the indigenous people of IPOB/ Eastern Security Network; don't hide them because if you do you may also fall victim of the attack," he stated. He added that the police would soon commence the renovation of the Imo State Police Command Headquarters and the burnt operational vehicles replaced. "We will commence the renovation of the damaged offices and the operational vehicles will also be replaced so that officers and men of Imo State command will continue with their duties. We will not be deterred by the attacks of criminals," he said.

WEDNESDAY APRIL 7, 2021 ˾ T H I S D AY

NEWSXTRA

Osinbajo: Cowards Attacked Imo Correctional Centre, Police Command Says attacks were against Nigerians Amby Uneze in Owerri Vice President Yemi Osinbajo yesterday described the gunmen who carried out Monday’s attacks on Owerri Correctional Centre and the Imo State Police

Command, as cowards. Osinbajo promised that the federal government would strengthen security at Correctional Centres across the country by rejigging its design. The vice president also

Southern, Middle Belt Leaders Declare 30-day Mourning Period for Odumakin Deji Elumoye in Abuja The Southern and Middle Belt Leaders Forum (SMBLF) has declared a 30-day mourning period for the late National Publicity Secretary of the pan-Yoruba sociopolitical group, Afenifere, Mr. Yinka Odumakin. The Forum, in a statement issued yesterday by its leader, Chief Edwin Clark, also announced the suspension of all official engagements during the mourning period. The group therefore apologised to those organisations and bodies that had extended invitations to it over its inability to attend those functions during the period. SMBLF further stated: “During

the period, we will refrain from engaging in public activities, including our periodic meetings. This we believe is a modest and fitting honour to one of the most outspoken, inspirational and patriotic Nigerian ever. ‘We, therefore, like to make a public apology to various groups who have invited our participation in meetings, conferences and similar activities. “We will like to once more convey our deepest condolences to his widow, Mrs. Joe Odumakin; his aged parents, the rest of the Odumakin family and our compatriots of Afenifere. “May Yinka’s courageous soul rest in peace”.

disclosed that the federal government was adopting measures to stop further attacks on security formations in the state. Addressing journalists in Owerri, the state capital, after inspecting the level of damage at the Custodian Centre and Police Headquarters, Osinbajo also said that the federal government would strengthen security at correctional service centres, police formations and the state at large to combat rising security challenges in the country.

“This incident is cowardly. Any attack on institutions of law and order is an attack on the well-being of the citizens,” he said. “When you attack institutions of law and order, it is evident that it is not just an attack on justice, it is an attack on the welfare and well-being of the people, especially when you free prisoners, persons who are dangerous, dangerous to our people. This is definitely bad. This is indeed condemnable. “Government has already

taken steps to enhance security here at the correctional facility in the state and nationally and that is a continuing process.” The vice president, who condemned the attacks on the Correctional Centre and Police headquarters in Owerri, said that the security architecture of the country would be rejigged. He vowed that all those responsible for the attacks would be fished out and made to face the full weight of the law, insisting that the attacks were against the Nigerian people and

her government, adding that it must not be condoned. “Perpetrators of this act will definitely be brought to book. They must not go scot-free. They are cowards and will be discovered and duly prosecuted. “We will rejig the security architecture of the country and strengthen security at correctional centres nationwide,” he said. The vice president however urged security agencies not to relent in the fight against banditry, irrespective of the challenges involved.

Bandits Kill Nine Persons, Abduct others in Kaduna John Shiklam in Kaduna No fewer than nine people were killed by bandits while an unspecified number were abducted along the KadunaKachia road in Kaduna State by bandits. The attack was said to have taken place at about 10:30pm on Monday, near Kasuwan Magani, in Kajuru Local Government Area of Kaduna State. According to sources in Kasuwan Magani, many vehicles were heading towards Kaduna when the bandits opened fire at them, killing nine people on the spot. The sources were however, not specific on the number of people abducted, saying it would be difficult to determine the figure because the vehicles were many and that it was possible that some people may have escaped.

One of the sources said there were commercial and private vehicles which were coming from the Kachia axis, heading towards the Kaduna axis. Spokesman of the Kaduna State Police Command, Muhammad Jalige, did not respond to telephone calls and a text message sent to his mobile telephone on the incident. Kasuwan Magani, is about 40 kilometres away, from Kaduna, the state capital. The Kaduna-Kachia highway is a route connecting to southern Kaduna, Plateau, Nasarawa and Benue states and Abuja. Following the deployment of more security personnel along the dreaded Kaduna- Abuja road, the bandits seemed to have shifted base to the Kaduna -Kachia road. There had been persistent cases of attacks and abductions along the highway.

Imo Attacks: 36Vehicles Burnt, 68 Escaped from Custody, CP Tells former IG Imo State Commissioner for Police (CP) yesterday told the then Inspector General of Police, Mr. Mohammed Adamu that 36 vehicles were burnt during the attacks on the police facilities by gunmen on Monday while 68 suspects escaped from detention cells. Conducting Adamu round the scene of the attacks, the CP thanked him for promptly deploying additional personnel and described the visit as a morale booster. He regretted that the recent attacks on the command’s divisions in Obowo and Isiala Mbano Local Government

Areas of the state and called for continued support from the police authorities. “We are grateful for the IG’s fatherly disposition and his prompt action following the attacks. “36 vehicles were burnt and 68 suspects escaped from detention. A part of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) was set ablaze and there was one casualty who is currently receiving treatment. “One inmate lost his life from stampede at the correctional centre. Out of 1,844 inmates who escaped, 16 have been rearrested,” he said.

WELL-DESERVED HONOUR…

L-R: Emir of Bauchi, Dr. Rilwanu Suleiman Adamu; former President Goodluck Jonathan; and Bauchi State Governor, Senator Bala Mohammed, during the inauguration of newly-constructed Goodluck Ebele Jonathan road in Bauchi... yesterday SEGUN AWOFADEJI

Buhari Loses Driver, Commiserates With Family Deji Elumoye in Abuja President Muhammadu Buhari has commiserated the family of his official driver, Master Warrant Officer Sa’idu Afaka, who died yesterday after a prolonged illness at the State House Clinic, Abuja.

The President, in a condolence message issued yesterday evening by his Media Assistant, Malam Garba Shehu, also expressed his condolences to the Government and people of Kaduna State. He described the late Afaka as an honest, capable and reliable

person who handled his job with utmost care and responsibility. Buhari recalled that in 2016 the soldier, while on pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia, picked up a bag containing a large amount of foreign currencies and turned it over to the National Hajj Commission, an action which

earned him praises from the Saudi and Nigerian authorities. He prayed the Almighty Allah to ‘‘bless the soul of the departed with an elevated place in heavens,’’ while committing the family and friends to divine comfort and patience.

Gunmen Attack Another Imo Police Station Barely 24 hours after gunmen attacked the Imo State Police Command Headquarters and the Owerri Correctional Centres, and freed 1,884 inmates, bandits yesterday razed the Ehime Mbano Local Government Area Divisional

Police Headquarters in Imo State. The attack came few hours after Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, and the outgoing Inspector-General of Police (IG), Muhammed Adamu, and other Government functionaries visited the state to

inspect the level of damage on the attacked security facilities. The gunmen were also said to have freed all the suspects in detention before setting the Police Divisional headquarters ablaze.

No resistance was received from policemen Channes TV reported that the state police spokesperson, Orlando Ikeokwu, said that he could not confirm the development.

House Loses Another Member, Lere Udora Orizu in Abuja Barely four days after the death of a member of the House of Representatives, Hon. Haruna Maitala; another lawmaker representing Lere Federal Constituency of Kaduna State, Hon. Suleiman Aliyu Lere, has passed on at the age of 53. Lere died yesterday at the Barau Dikko Teaching Hospital, Kaduna State after a brief illness. In January, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila, had sworn in

the deceased, who won his case at the Court of Appeal, as candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and winner of the House of Representatives election for Lere Federal Constituency, Kaduna. Speaking to THISDAY, the late lawmaker’s personal assistant, Mr. Tukura Abdulazeez said he died yesterday morning after battling fever. He added that Lere would be buried this evening in his home town, Lere, Saminaka Local Government Area of Kaduna State. Meanwhile, the Deputy Speaker

of the House of Representatives, Hon. Ahmed Idris Wase has expressed sadness over the death of Lere. In a condolence message by his Chief Press Secretary, Umar Muhammed Puma, the Deputy Speaker described Lere as a disciplined and upright politician who contributed immensely to the development of his constituency and the country at large. Wase said he and the deceased shared a special bond that he would personally miss. ‘’Hon. Lere was a patriot and

an exceptional politician whose dream was always about making his constituency and Nigeria a better place. My condolences go to his immediate family, the Kaduna state government and the good people Lere federal constituency. I pray that God accepts his good deeds and forgive his shortcomings and reward him with Jannatal Firdaus.’’ About eleven federal lawmakers have died since the inauguration of the ninth assembly in 2019.

WEDNESDAY APRIL 7, 2021 ˾ T H I S D AY

NEWSXTRA

Pinnick Faults Emami’s Position on Emergence of Warri Monarch Emmanuel Addeh in Abuja President of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), Mr. Amaju Pinnick yesterday faulted the position of the Ologbotsere of Warri Kingdom, Chief Ayiri Emami, on the emergence of new Olu of Warri, who succeeded the late monarch, Ogiame Ikenwoli. Some kingmakers had a few days ago selected Prince Tsola Emiko as the Olu of Warridesignate, a development that did not go down well with the

rival group led by Emami, who insisted that picking him was a breach of the rules. The announcement made by the Iyatsere of Warri Kingdom and acting Chairman of Olu’s Advisory Council, Chief Johnson Atserunleghe, at a traditional ceremony in Ode Itsekiri, had since divided the kingdom into factions. Pinnick insisted that the 1979 edict which purportedly states that whoever must be the king must either be fully Itsekiri or

at the least have his mother hail from Bini, is inferior to the Nigerian Constitution, which says that nobody should be discriminated against on account of the circumstances of his birth. The Olu-designate’s mother is reportedly from Yoruba. Speaking when he appeared on ARISE NEWS Channel, THISDAY’s broadcast arm, Pinnick who is a supporter

of Emiko, maintained that the king designate would right the wrongs in the kingdom when he takes over in the next three months. He noted that it was sacrilegious for Emami to describe the process as null and void, stressing that it was not only that the process was irreversible, majority of the entire Itsekeri nation wanted

Emiko to ascend the throne of his forefathers. “We are talking about destiny and destiny has behoved on Prince Tsola Emiko to mount that saddle of responsibility, which perhaps was erroneously denied him five years ago,” he added. But in his argument, Emami insisted that the reported emergence of Emiko was illegal, null and void, adding that the

responsibility for announcing the demise of the late king was strictly his as the prime minister. He posited that the edict outlining the process and procedure for making public the demise of an Itsekiri monarch, vis-â-vis the selection of an Om’oba or Olu-designate has been duly ga z e t t e d , s a y i n g t h a t t h e re i s n o argument about it.

Gunmen Kidnap Family of Five in Ondo James Sowole in Akure A family of five was last Sunday kidnapped by gunmen in Ajowa Akoko, Akoko North West Local Government Area of Ondo State. The victims, Mr. Ibrahim Olusa, a native of Ajowa Akoko, his wife and three children, were returning to Abuja after Easter break when they were abducted. They were abducted at gun point by hoodlums between Ajowa Akoko and Ayere in Kogi State Their abduction has, however, thrown the town into apprehension and confusion. Family sources said the kidnappers have contacted

the family and are demanding N10million ransom to release them. A resident of Ajowa Akoko and the immediate-past Chairman of Ajowa Akoko community council, Mr. Ajayi Bakare, attributed the kidnapping and robberies on the road to the deplorable section linking Ajowa in Ondo State and Ayere in Kogi State. Bakare appealed to the government to rehabilitate the road to enhance free flow of vehicles would be possible. When contacted, the Ondo State Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) Mr. Tee Leo Ikoro, said he had not been briefed about the incident.

Buhari: Digital Technology will Boost Economic Transformation Ndubuisi Francis and James Emejo in Abuja President Muhammadu Buhari yesterday urged Nigerians in all professions to embrace digital technology in order to take advantage of the enormous opportunities presented by the Fourth Industrial Revolution, towards achieving economic growth and sustainability. Buhari said despite claims that the advent of technology would lead to job losses as well as rendering professions, including accounting and audit services redundant, there are “uncountable opportunities for those with knowledge of the new world order triggered by digital

technologies.” Speaking while declaring the 50th annual accountants’ conference with the theme: ‘The Fourth Industrial Revolution: Boom for the Accounting Profession and Panacea for pandemic’, open in Abuja yesterday, Buhari said though the fourth industrial revolution would inevitably affect industries across economies, it could greatly engender the country’s economic growth in the future, given its developing services sector. Specifically, he said trade, transportation, and other market segments could benefit from disruptive technology, especially given that new rewarding jobs will be created.

Dangote Launches Drivers’ Training Centre to Curtail Crashes As part of measures to curb road traffic crashes (RTC), the Dangote Cement Plc has launched a drivers’ training centre at the Dangote Cement Plant (DCP) at Obajana, Kogi State. The new centre is charged with the responsibility of attending to all training needs of the Dangote Cement Plc drivers. Meanwhile, the new centre at the weekend convoked its first graduates of 50 trainee drivers. Speaking to journalists on the sideline at the convocation at Obajana, Head of the Dangote Drivers Training Centre, Mr. Harisson Pepple, said the training was in line with the company’s zero tolerance policy for auto crashes. Pepple said the trainee drivers were drawn from the existing Motor Boys, and that the training period is six months. He expressed optimism that the “days of crashes involving Dangote

trucks are numbered. “The trainee drivers’ programme is all encompassing. The first 12week period is theoretical. Then there is three months attachment,” he said. Pepple said the idea for the new Drivers’ Training Centre was conceived in June 2020 with the aim of training, retraining and constantly engaging the Dangote drivers. He also announced that the company was engaging another set of qualified drivers with Class G licences, stressing that the company is doing everything possible to rid itself of road crashes. According to him, the company is collaborating with the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) in most of its activities, adding that the trainee drivers were also taught defensive driving techniques which involve driving to save lives, time and property.

PASTORAL VISIT…

L-R: Wife of the fifth Archbishop, Metropolitan and new Primate of the Church of Nigeria, Anglican Communion, Mrs. Angela Ndukuba; her husband, the Primate, Most Rev. Henry Chukwudum Ndukuba; Enugu State Governor, Hon. Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi; Archbishop of Enugu Ecclesiastical Province, Most Rev. Dr. Emmanuel Chukwuma; and his wife, Joyce, when the Primate and his entourage visited the governor, at the Government House, Enugu … yesterday

Two Soldiers Feared Missing as Bandits Attack Troops in Benue George Okoh in Makurdi Military troops yesterday began the search for suspected bandits who ambushed soldiers while on patrol at Bonta village in Konshisha Local Government Area of Benue State. The soldiers were said to be on routine patrol in Konshisha and Oju LGAs of the state last Monday when they came under severe attack by the bandit at about 5p.m.

According to local sources in the area, the bandits, known as ‘Bonta boys’, attacked the soldiers who were there to destroy the illegal road blocks they had mounted. It was further gathered that at the time of this report, no fewer than two soldiers on patrol were missing in the area while one of them have being found as at yesterday morning. According to the source who did not want his name mentioned in print, the soldiers were on patrol

around Ukpute village when they were ambushed by the bandits, who opened gun fire on them. Another source disclosed that a team of a special military Operation Whirl Stroke quickly responded to a distress call by the troops and swiftly repelled the bandits. “When it happened, we immediately alerted members of the Operation Whirl Stroke (OPWS), who responded swiftly and dispelled the gunmen,” the

source said. He said the troops of the OPWS are already on the trail of the bandits in an attempt to find the missing soldiers. The source further hinted that the OPWS troops slept overnight in Konshisha, and were continuing with the operation yesterday. “I believe this was carried out probably to intimidate the military operatives who are doing a great job in the state,” the source added.

Paris Club Refund: Malami Denies Pushing for Payment of Contractors AlexEnumahinAbuja The Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice, Mr. Abubakar Malami (SAN), has debunked media report that he has been pushing for suspicious payment to some contractors involved in the Paris and London Club refunds to local government councils in the country. Two online newspaper outfits had accused Malami of pushing for payments of judgments sums

awarded to Took Nigeria Limited and Ted Edwards/Edwards & Partners against theAssociation of Local Governments of Nigeria (ALGON). HetoldjournalistsinAbujayesterday thatthemediareportswere“mischievous and perfidious.” Malamisaidthatheinitiallywantedto ignorethereportsbecauseanydiscerning mind could easily see “that the report lacks merit as evidenced by not only contradictory submissions but also a hasty collection of feeble fabrications, unsubstantiated concoctions and

figment of imagination of the writer.” He noted that the current administration has been applying extra-ordinary due diligence to avoid anything suspected to be suspicious liability whose antecedent rooted in past administration. The AGF disclosed that he had requested security agencies to investigate the veracity of the claim in view of the lessons learnt from the fraudulent P&ID case. “The genesis of the said judgment debts was based on the fact that some

affected local governments and the ALGON instituted action against the Federal Government of Nigeria in suit no: FHC/ABJ/CS/130/13 – LINAS International LTD & 235 ORS V. Federal Government of Nigeria & 3 ORS to recover the sum of $3,188,079,505.96. Judgment was delivered in favour of the plaintiffs on December 3, 2013, (that is years before President Muhammadu Buhari came to office and long before Malami was made a Minister).

2023: Reciprocate Tinubu’s Efforts on Buhari, Ondo Monarchs Tell the North James SowoleinAkure Prominent traditional rulers in Ondo State yesterday asked the North to reciprocate what Yoruba and the national leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, did to ensure the emergence of Muhammadu

Buhari as the president of Nigeria in 2015, by supporting Tinubu’s ambition in 2023. The traditional rulers, who were paramount rulers in their kingdoms, stated these separately in their palaces yesterday when delegation of South West Agenda for Tinubu (SWAGA) paid them

courtesy visits to rally support for the former governor of Lagos State. The SWAGA delegation, which visited the palace of Abodi of Ikale, Oba George Faduyile, where traditional rulers in Ikale land gathered, said the team had visited over 50 traditional rulers in Yoruba land, adding that over 100

monarchs had endorsed Tinubu. Speaking on behalf of the traditional rulers in Ikaleland, the Abodi of Ikale, Faduyile, who said Tinubu had done a lot for Nigeria and Nigerians irrespective of the geopolitical zone, noted that leadership is a major problem of Nigeria.

Jonathan Taught Me Art, Science of Leadership, Says Bauchi Gov Segun Awofadeji in Bauchi The Bauchi State Governor, Senator Bala Mohammed, has disclosed that former Nigerian President, Dr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, impacted his life greatly by teaching him the art and science of leadership, which he said had manifested in the results he has achieved

in the last two years in office. Meanwhile, the state government has named Sabon Kaura road in the state capital after the former president. Mohammed, who spoke during the inauguration ceremony of Goodluck Ebele Jonathan road yesterday, said naming of the road after the former president was the least

he could do to honour him as his mentor. The governor, who described the road as his legacy project among the numerous ones being executed since his assumption of office in the state, said it was completed within six months after its commencement. He said at the inception of his administration in May

2019, the government hit the ground running by embracing good governance as a deliberate policy for developmental administration, to create the desired impact, adding that his administration policy thrust is predicated on global best practices of implementing programmes targeted at improving the quality of lives of the people.

WEDNESDAY APRIL 7, 2021 ˾ T H I S D AY

24 HOURS...

Atiku’s Supporters Tackle Malami over Citizenship Claim, Say AGF Blinded By 2023 Ambition Chuks Okocha in Abuja The Amalgamated Atiku Support Group has reacted to the affidavit by the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mr. Abubakar Malami (SAN) that Atitku, who was vice president for eight years and the presidential candidate of the PDP in the 2019 general election, Atiku Abubakar was not a Nigerian. Malami had told a federal high court in Abuja that Atiku was not eligible to run for president in Nigeria.

Malami said this in an affidavit in support of a suit marked FHC/ ABJ/CS/177/2019 and filed before the court by the Incorporated Trustees of Egalitarian Mission for Africa (EMA). But the Atiku group said Malami was blinded by the 2023 general election, adding that he was behaving like the Attorney General of the APC. In a statement by signed by the Director of Media,Amalgamated Atiku Support Group, Mr. Remi Adebayo, the group said that ordinarily, and in accordance with

the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, the Attorney General of the federation and Minister of Justice, is expected to be the Chief Law Officer of the entire nation and must be neutral in the interpretation of the laws of the federation.

“As the Attorney General of the Federation, it becomes a huge source of concern when the occupant of the exalted office is acting as if he is the Attorney General of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC). “For Malami to join the suit

filed by a hurriedly put together group known as Trustees of Egalitarian Mission for Africa (EMA) begs the question as to what the interest of Malami the AGF is”. The Atiku group said that the suit before the court

challenging the citizenship of Atiku had been exhaustively dealt with by the Court of Appeal and affirmed by the Supreme Court at the final judgment during the Presidential election petition tribunal.

Drug Baron Nabbed in Nasarawa as NDLEA Intercepts 1,330kg Skunk in Edo Notorious supplier to Abuja drug joints arrested It was indeed a bleak Easter for the most wanted drug baron in Nasarawa state, Sami Ashoko as he did not only spend the festive season in custody, his warehouse filled with skunk was also raided and 100 bags of the illicit drug weighing 1,095.3kg seized. According to a statement by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), the same fate also befell members of another cartel who were arrested in Iyamho, Etsako West Local Government area of Edo state and their illicit consignment weighing 1,330kg meant for Bauchi State equally seized. Both syndicates were busted on Friday while trying to distribute their illegal substances for the Easter sales. In Nasarawa, Ashoko, 39, who hails from Ibilo in Akoko Edo area of Edo State, was arrested in Shinge, Lafia based on actionable intelligence. A team of operatives had stormed his warehouse in Lafia and recovered 100 bags of

cannabis weighing about 1.1 tons or 1095.3 kg. According to the Commander, Nasarawa State Command of the NDLEA, Justice Arinze, “Sami Ashoko is the most wanted drug baron who has been on our watch list in Nasarawa state. This seizure has beaten the previous record of 45 bags weighing about half ton recovered in January 2021 as the highest singular seizure of cannabis since the inception of the Command in 1999. The seized consignment was meant for Easter sales, and which he expects to sell out in two weeks.” In a related development, two members of another drug cartel, Adamu Badamasi and Adamu Abba were also arrested same day in Edo State while trying to move About 950 compressed blocks of cannabis weighing 1,330kg, procured from Uzeba, Owan West Local Government Area of the state to Bauchi State for Easter sales.

WAEC Releases WASSCE 2021 Results Funmi Ogundare West African Examinations Council (WAEC) has announced the release of the results of private candidates who sat for the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) 2021 first series. The Head of Nigeria National Office, Mr. Patrick Areghan, who briefed journalists in Lagos yesterday, said out of 7,289 candidates that sat for the examination-3,593 males and 3,696 females-representing 49.29 per cent and 50.71 per cent respectively, a total of 2,195 candidates representing 30.11 per cent, obtained credits and above in a minimum of five subjects, including English Language and Mathematics. Of this number, 1,074 representing 48.93 per cent are male candidates, while 1,121 representing 51.07 per cent are female candidates. An analysis of the percentage of candidates in this category in the WASSCE for private candidates for 2019 and 2020, and those who obtained credit and above in a minimum of five subjects, including English Language and

Mathematics, according to Areghan, were 26.08 per cent and 32.23 per cent respectively. “Thus, there is a marginal decrease of 2.12 per cent in performance in this regards,” he said. Areghan noted that the number of candidates, who had five credits, including English Language and Mathematics, may not necessarily be a basis for judging the level of performance in the examination, as it is more or less a remedial one. “Some candidates may just need only one or two papers, other than English Language and or Mathematics, to remedy their admission deficiencies,” he added. A further analysis of the statistics of the performance of candidates shows that out of the total number of candidates that sat for the examination, 2,938 candidates representing 40.31 per cent obtained credit and above in a minimum of any five subjects (with or without English Language and or Mathematics; out of which 1,396 are male and 1,542 are female representing 47.52 per cent and 52.48 per cent respectively.

SIXTY-ONE HEARTY CHEERS…

L-R: Guest of the Author, Ms. Thelma Lassa; Chief Executive Officer, Goalgate Printers, Mr. Sunday Ameh; former Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Power, Ambassador Godknows Igali; and Publisher, The Bridge News, Mr. Horatius Egua, during a presentation of Igali’s new book ‘The Diplomacy of Economic Development: The Nigerian Experience,’ at a private event to mark his 61st birthday in Abuja… yesterday

Odumakin’s Death Shocking, Says Lagos Govt Lagos State Government has described the death of the late spokesperson of the pan-Yoruba socio-political organisation, Afenifere, Mr. Yinka Odunmakin as very shocking and a great loss to the nation. The Deputy Governor, Dr. Kadri Obafemi Hamzat stated this yesterday when he led other officials of the State on a condolence visit to the Omole home of the Odunmakins on

behalf of the state government. Hamzat, according to a statement issued yesterday by his media aide, Mr. Tunde Alao, further described the late Afenifere spokesman as a patriotic and genuine Nigerian, adding that the human right activist will be greatly missed. Hamzat said, “Yinka was a true Nigerian, patriotic and genuine. He will be missed greatly. May the good Lord grant him eternal

rest.” Expressing the condolences of the state government, Hamzat stated that the demise of Odumakin is more painful and a big loss bearing in mind that the deceased still has aged parents. He prayed that God gives the family the fortitude to bear the loss. He however, admonished the family to take solace in the fact that while alive he fought for the masses and contributed

immensely for a developed and better Nigeria. While stating that COVID-19 is not a hoax, the Deputy Governor implored Nigerians to understand and take caution as the Coronavirus is still much with us and that they should observe all COVID-19 protocols. Prayers were later offered for the repose of the soul of the deceased and wellbeing of the family.

MTN, Banks to Resume Talks over USSD Charges Today Emma Okonji The meeting between MTN and Deposit Money Banks (DMB) that was held in Lagos ended inclusively yesterday and would continue today. One of the regulatory sources, who confided in THISDAY, said the meeting was a hybrid one, because it was held physical in Lagos, but was joined virtually from Abuja by the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Dr. Isa

Ibrahim Pantami; the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Mr. Godwin Emefiele, and the Executive Vice Chairman of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Professor Umar Garba Danbatta. The officials of the banks and the MTN, according to the source, were physically present at the meeting while Pantami, Emefiele and Danbatta joined virtually. “The issues surrounding the commercial dispute between banks

and the MTN, were discussed but the discussion was inclusive and the meeting was adjourned to today,” the source said. The source however added that the meeting was not likely going to be concluded today, because of the grey issues in the commercial dispute. The source was, however, optimistic that a resolution on the issue might be reached by tomorrow (Thursday). The banks had on Thursday last week disconnected the MTN

customers from accessing the USSD code on airtime vending from all bank channels that were linked to USSD code. The banks, it was reported, took the decision to disconnect the MTN because it reduced the discount offered to banks on airtime sales from 4.5 per cent to 2.5 per cent, which did not go down well with banks considering the cost of managing the infrastructure and other operational costs they incurred.

Imo Jailbreak: FG to Pardon Escaped Inmates who Return Voluntarily, Says Aregbesola The Minister of Interior, Mr. Rauf Aregbesola, has said the fugitives who escaped from the custodial centre in Owerri, the Imo capital, will be granted amnesty if they return voluntarily. He said this during the inspection of the centre on Tuesday after it was attacked by unknown

gunmen. During the attack, over 1,880 inmates were said to have escaped while 36 stayed back. According to the minister, escape from custody is unlawful, and a crime. He explained that if those who escaped return willingly,

they would be pardoned from a trial for unlawful escape. However, they would still be made to face a trial for their actual offence and serve their jail term, if convicted. He said, “unlawful escape from custody is a crime but the government in its magnanimity

will grant amnesty to prisoners who willfully return “They will no longer be charged with an unlawful escape but only for the initial crimes that took them to prison. So we urge all escapees to return before they are caught on the run.”

Afenifere Chieftain Backs Tinubu’s 2023 Presidential James Sowole in Akure A chieftain of the pan-Yoruba Socio-political group, Afenifere, Chief Reuben Fasoranti, has reportedly endorsed the ambition of the national leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, to

contest in the 2023 presidential election. He expressed the support of the group yesterday when a delegation of the South West Agenda for Tinubu (SWAGA) led by Senator Dayo Adeyeye paid him a courtesy visit at his Ijapo, Akure residence in

Ondo State. Fasoranti said: “You have my total support on the project. Tinubu has what it takes to be president of Nigeria in terms of activities and commitment. He has my total support.” Earlier, the SWAGA Chairman, Adeyeye, highlighted why

Tinubu deserves to be the next president of Nigeria, adding that Tinubu had paid his due in the country, and he has what it takes to be president. The SWAGA team comprised of delegates from Oyo, Ondo, Lagos, Ogun, Osun and Ekiti States.

WEDNESDAY APRIL 7, 2021 ˾ T H I S D AY

24 HOURS...

Lawan Urged to Bar Illegal Occupant of C’River North Senatorial Seat Ugo Aliogo President of the Senate, Dr. Ahmad Lawan has been urged to stop the current occupant of the Cross River North senatorial seat, Dr. Stephen Odey from attending plenary on grounds that the apex court has ruled that Hon. Jarigbe Agom is the bona fide and authentic winner of the seat. In a passionate letter to Lawan, a legal luminary, Mr. Omang Omang argued that “It is obvious that from the Judgments of the Appeal Court and the Supreme Court, Stephen Odey is no longer the Senator Representing Cross River North, in the Senate. It is a known fact that the Independent National Electoral Commission

(INEC), has obeyed the judgment of Courts and has issued a Certificate of Return to Hon. Jarigbe Agom Jarigbe, which automatically invalidates the Certificate of Return earlier issued to Stephen Odey, after the by-election.” According to Omang, “the fact that the apex court has ruled on who was the authentic candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party is incontrovertible. The candidate remains Hon. Jarigbe Agom Jarigbe, as affirmed by the Supreme Court, which struck out the Appeal filed by Stephen Odey, challenging the decision of the Appeal Court. The appeal was struck out, due to a defective Notice of Appeal, on February

25, 2021. “We are reminded that Stephen Odey sought to be joined as an interested party to the suit and was joined at the Appeal Court. He went ahead to Appeal the judgment of the Appeal Court to the Supreme Court. He sought some reliefs from the Supreme Court, including his affirmation as the authentic candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party in the December 5, 2020 Senate by-election for Cross River North. The appeal to the Supreme Court by Stephen Odey was incompetent and was struck out. The appeal failed and Stephen Odey now claims, he was not part of the suit. This is an attempt to approbate and reprobate,” he stated.

Report: Nigerian Graduates Living from Hand to Mouth Dike Onwuamaeze The Financial Times of London has reported that millions of Nigerian graduates are living from hand to mouth on menial jobs due to the prevailing high unemployment rate in the country. The Financial Times in an article published yesterday stated that unemployment rate had quadrupled to 33

per cent since the inception of President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration in 2015. It said: “The unemployment rate has more than quadrupled since President Muhammadu Buhari took office in 2015, to 33.3 per cent. The more than 60 per cent of the workforce that is under 34 years old has it even worse: more than half (53.4 per cent)

of people aged 15-24 and 37.2 per cent of people aged 2534 were unemployed in the fourth quarter, according to government figures. “Nigeria pumps out hundreds of thousands of fresh university graduates each year, and millions more young people lacking degrees enter an economy that cannot produce enough jobs to absorb them.

WHO: COVID-19 Has Driven 124m People into Extreme Poverty Onyebuchi Ezigbo in Abuja The World Health Organisation (WHO) has said that between 119 million and 124 million more people were driven into extreme poverty last year by the COVID-19 pandemic. In order to avert looming health calamity, WHO said that an estimated $22.1 billion would be required to provide COVID-19 commodities such as medical oxygen and personal protective equipment (PPE), as well as reliable diagnostic tests

and medicines. In a statement issued by the WHO’s Director General, Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, to mark the 2021 World Health Day, the world body lamented that COVID-19 had unfairly impacted some people more harshly than others, exacerbating existing inequities in health and welfare within and between countries. He said the organisation seeking an urgent action by countries to improve health for all people. Speaking on the economic crisis caused by COVID-19, Ghebreyesus

said that many countries, illness and death from COVID-19 have been higher among groups who face discrimination, poverty, social exclusion, and adverse daily living and working conditions - including humanitarian crises. He said: “The pandemic is estimated to have driven between 119 million and 124 million more people into extreme poverty last year. And there is convincing evidence that it has widened gender gaps in employment, with women exiting the labourforceingreaternumbersthanmen over the past 12 months.

Ebonyi Killings: Group Demands Investigation into the Escape of 55 Suspects Adedayo Akinwale in Abuja A group under the auspices of Association of Ebonyi State Indigenes in the Diaspora (AESID) has demanded a thorough investigation into the circumstances surrounding the escape of 55 suspects arrested in connection with the killings in Effium communities of Ebonyi State.

The President of the group, Mr. Paschal Oluchukwu, in a statement issued yesterday, said those implicated after the conclusion of investigation should be dismissed. The group lamented that the information about the escape came hours after the suspects were handed over to the state Commissioner of Police, Aliyu Garba, for their onward movement to the state Police Command

Headquarters in Abakaliki. It stated that: “The report that 55 out 66 hired militias, who were successfully arrested last Saturday afternoon at Okpoduma village in Effium by the Nigerian military led by the GOC, Commanding 82 Division, Maj. Gen. Taoreen Lagbaja, escaped from the custody of the Nigeria Police Force is outrageous.

MultiChoice Talent Factory Graduates Class of 2020 MultiChoice Talent Factory (MTF) West Africa Academy graduated 20 students after 18 months intense training in film and television production. The students’ academic course, which was extended from 12 months to 18 months due to the pandemic gave them the opportunity of acquiring the MTF Academy qualification as well as an equally illustrious

qualification from the prestigious New York Film Academy of Visual and Performing Arts (NYFA), making them more sought-after as they re-enter their respective local film and TV sectors as highly qualified industry professionals. The students completed an intensive 3-week online NYFA course on the production of micro-documentaries, Public

Service Announcements (PSAs), music videos and also worked with the United Nations on the global #PledgeToPause campaign. These exposed the young creatives to global networks, making them a part of the MTF alumni network, while also connecting them with industry professionals from across the continent through the MTF Portal.

WEDNESDAY APRIL 7, ͺ͸ͺ͹˾ T H I S D AY

WEDNESDAYSPORTS

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N AT I O N A L S P O R T S F E S T I VA L

Rainstorm Stops Osinbajo from Landing in Benin, Edo 2020 Ofﬁcially Begins Okowa excites Team Delta with presence during march past* State leads in Swimming Duro Ikhazuagbe The 20th edition of the National Sports Festival was officially declared open yesterday by Edo State Governor, Godwin Obaseki. Vice President Yemi Osinbajo who was scheduled to perform the ceremony in addition to inaugurating the refurbished Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium complex was unavoidably absence as his plane could not land in the city’s airport due to the storms that accompanied the torrential rain that nearly marred activities yesterday evening. Speaking while performing the opening ceremony of Edo 2020, Gov Obaseki recalled the events that led to the creation of the National Sports Festival were aimed primarily at unifying the country after the bitter experience of the civil war. He praised the founding fathers like former Head of State General Yakubu Gowon, former Governor of Midwest Region and later Bendel State, then Brigadier-

General Samuel Ogbemudia, former IOC member, Major General Henry Adefope for conceiving the idea of the festival. Obaseki urged the athletes to compete fairly in the spirit of sportsmanship. Sports Minister, Chief Sunday Dare, praised the state for providing world-class facilities for the festival that suffered several postponements due to the Covid-19 pandemic since March last year. One of the highlights of the evening was the participation of the Governor of the defending champion state, Delta, Senator Ifeanyi Okowa in the match past. Meanwhile, after three days of hostilities, Team Delta currently leads the medal table in the swimming events of the 20th National Sports Festival in Benin City with seven gold medals. Despite having same 13 medals with Bayelsa State, Delta is leading with seven gold, three silver and three bronze medals while Bayelsa has five gold, four silver

BBNaija Star Storms Edo for Team Rivers Big Brother Naija Pepper Dem gang runner up, Mike Edwards, is one of the stars of the ongoing National Sports Festival in Benin, Edo State, as he will be competing in the men’s High Jump field event for Team Rivers. Speaking with reporters in Benin City yesterday, the Permanent Secretary, Rivers State Ministry of Sports, Honor Sirawoo, said the state was ready to go all the way to the title. He revealed that it was a coup of a sort for the state to be able to secure the services of the 2018

winner of the BBNaija event. “Edwards will be the face of Rivers State at this year’s festival,” he said. “He will be competing for our state and we are expecting him to defend the title won in 2018 during the last festival in Abuja,” stressed the Rivers State permanent secretary. Edwards represented Delta State in Abuja but with the reduction in numbers of athletes due to the Covid-19 pandemic Edwards therefore , therefore decided to compete in colours of Rivers state

and four bronze medals. Host Edo State is currently third on the swimming medals table after winning two gold, four silver and four bronze medals. Kano State have three silver medals to show so far. Other states who have also

registered their presence on the swimming medals table include; Cross River and Gombe states with two and one bronze medals respectively. Also yesterday, a pregnant female athletes from Lagos State, Aminat Idrees, won

a gold medal for the state in Taekwondo. Team Lagos yesterday claimed its first gold in the mixed poomsae of taekwondo as Aminat Idrees became the cynosure of all eyes after showing her class in the event.

Apart from being part of the team that claimed gold, Idrees won individual medals with one silver and one bronze medals in individual women and poomsae events for Lagos to claim one gold, one silver and two silver medals.

Governor Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta State (2nd left) with the state’s contingent during the Match Past of the oﬃcial opening ceremony of the Edo 2020 National Sports Festival... On Tuesday night in Benin City

A C C E S S L A G O S C I T Y M A R AT H O N

Muazu, Kefas Vows to End Dominance of East Africans Two of the country’s top elite road race runners, Adamu Muazu and Williams Kefas have assured Nigerians that it would no longer be business as usual for the East Africans; especially Kenyans at this year’s Access Bank Lagos City Marathon. Unlike in the women’s category where a Nigerian has actually broken into the ranks to finish among the top 10, the men have

watched helplessly as the Kenyans and Ethiopians cart away the thousands of dollars set as prize money for the fastest runners. Iliya Pam in 2019 became the closest in breaking into the top 10 but his winning time of 2:32:24 in the Nigeria category was only good for 15th position overall. Ahead of the 2021 edition of the Lagos Marathon, there have been fewer competitions

for the runners due to the coronavirus pandemic. On suggestions that he Kefas should take things easy so as not to burn out before the commencement of the Lagos City marathon, he revealed he has had more training time without burning himself out before the big race in Lagos. He said: “This marathon, I am very ready to achieve a lot in Lagos. I have been training so hard for it and at the moment, my wife even

said she cannot understand me again because all I do now is train, train and train every time. I am looking for my best, I really want to enter the top 10. We want to get a time that will make the AFN see that we the long-distance runners have been training hard. The sixth edition of the Access Bank Lagos City Marathon will be taking place on Saturday, April 10 with only 300 elite runners on parade.

CHAMPIONS LEAGUE

Real Madrid Outclass Liverpool, Foden Scores Late Winner for City Liverpool will need to produce another huge European display at Anfield if they are to reach the last four of the Champions League after suffering a crushing 3-1 quarter-final first-leg loss to Real Madrid last night. Elsewhere, Phil Foden’s last-gasp strike gave Manchester City a crucial slender 2-1 advantage over Borussia Dortmund. Liverpool were largely second best throughout an entertaining game in Spain against a Real team missing their first-choice centre-back pairing, but packed with impressive attacking talent. Much of the damage was done in the first half, begun when Vinicius Junior took down a brilliant long-range

pass from Toni Kroos on his chest before firing the opener past Alisson. Marco Asensio doubled the lead, taking advantage of a lose header from Trent Alexander-Arnold to chip the ball over Alisson and then tap into an empty net. Liverpool came out fighting after the break, pulling a goal back through Mohamed Salah’s close-range finish off the crossbar to spark their best 20-minute spell of the contest. But they were stung when Vinicius found the net via a first-time shot following a fine attacking move with 25 minutes to go. It leaves them with a mountain to climb in the return leg at an empty Anfield on 14 April.

In the Manchester City clash with Dortmund, Foden’s last-gasp strike gave the hosts a crucial slender advantage in their Champions League quarter-final first leg at Etihad Stadium. City’s hopes of reaching the semi-final looked to be in the balance when Marco Reus gave Dortmund what looked like a priceless away goal with a cool finish from Erling Haaland’s pass six minutes from time. Kevin De Bruyne, who had given City the lead with a crisp finish after 19 minutes, played his part once more in the final minute of normal time when his fine cross was touched back by Ilkay Gundogan for Foden to stroke a finish past

Marwin Hitz. It was a bitter blow for an enterprising Dortmund side, who will leave

Manchester nursing a burning sense of injustice directed towards Romanian official Ovidiu Hategan

after he controversially ruled out Jude Bellingham’s second-half goal with City leading 1-0.

Riyad Mahrez celebrating with Phil Foden shortly after the last-gasp winner for Man City...last night

WEDNESDAY APRIL 7, ͺ͸ͺ͹˾ T H I S D AY

WEDNESDAYSPORTS CHAMPIONS LEAGUE...CHAMPIONS LEAGUE...

Revenge Least on Pochettino’s Mind as PSG Take on Bayern Paris Saint-Germain coach, Mauricio Pochettino, insisted yesterday that last year’s final defeat at the hands of Bayern Munich will not feature in his pre-match team talk when the teams clash again in the last eight of this season’s competition tonight. “Honestly it is not a reference point for us. We were not there, we were just spectators. I don’t think that one-off game has much to do with this two-legged quarterfinal,” Pochettino told reporters from Munich on Tuesday. The Argentine was appointed by the French champions along with his

backroom staff in January to succeed Thomas Tuchel, who oversaw their narrow 1-0 defeat against Bayern behind closed doors in Lisbon last August. “Bayern are the European and world champions and have shown they are the best team in Europe just now so the challenge of beating them motivates us,” Pochettino added. Bayern have cruised to this stage of the competition and are on course to win the German Bundesliga for the ninth season running, but their prospects of beating PSG appear compromised after leading scorer Robert Lewandowski was ruled

out of the tie with a knee injury. German international winger Serge Gnabry is also set to miss both legs after testing positive for Covid-19. However PSG, who are three points behind leaders Lille in Ligue 1, are also missing several players, with Marco Verratti absent with Covid-19 and the likes

of Mauro Icardi, Leandro Paredes, Layvin Kurzawa and Alessandro Florenzi also sidelined. “We live in a difficult world with this virus and with injuries. For every coaching team, the best quality you can have is the ability to adapt and we will adapt to these absences,” insisted Pochettino. Meanwhile the former

Tottenham Hotspur coach said Neymar was feeling no ill effects from his late sending-off against Lille at the weekend in his first start in a month and a half after injury. “After six weeks he has started to play again. On Saturday he was very excited to play, but of course he’s a very emotional player,” Pochettino said.

“He loves to play, he’s very competitive, but of course he didn’t deserve the red card. “I think he knows how he needs to manage himself and we hope Wednesday evening everything goes well,” concludes Pochettino. TODAY Bayern Munich v PSG FC Porto v Chelsea

Porto Coach Not Fooled by Chelsea’s Capitulation Against West Brom Porto coach Sergio Conceicao has said he is uneasy about facing Chelsea in today’s Champions League quarterfinal first leg so soon after they endured a shock 5-2 defeat at home to West Bromwich Albion. Saturday’s thumping at the hands of relegation-fighting West Brom was Chelsea’s first defeat in 15 games in all competitions under Thomas Tuchel. It was all the more surprising as the Blues had conceded only twice in their previous 14 games. “I wished they had won the last game rather than lost,” Conceicao told a news conference. “A defeat like that serves as a warning, it sets the alarm bells off and makes everyone more alert to danger. Chelsea had been very strong until this game, they have the secondbest defence in the Champions League and are a strong side. “Their last game barely formed part of our analysis of them, I’m more focused on what they did against Atletico

Madrid in the Champions League, for example. Chelsea have several strengths that will be a real challenge for us to overcome.” The first leg is Porto’s “home” game in the tie, although both matches are being played in Spain at Seville’s Estadio Sanchez Pizjuan due to restrictions on travel between Portugal and England. Conceicao’s side knocked out Juventus in the last 16 on away goals, and the coach described Chelsea as a similar calibre of club to the Serie A champions. “They are two of the best teams in the world with players that need no introduction, but we’re prepared,” he said. “We’re a historic club who can beat anyone with our spirit and quality, even though we don’t have the money they do.” Porto will have to make do on Wednesday without Iranian striker Mehdi Taremi, who was sent off in the second leg against Juve, plus Portuguese midfielder Sergio Oliveira, who scored both strikes in that game and is also suspended.

Balogun Seeks Return to Bundesliga If Rangers Fail to Extend His Deal Super Eagles and FC Rangers centre-back, Leon Balogun, has said that he is open to returning to Germany, although he would like to continue his stay with his Scottish Premiership club. The defender teamed up with the Gers last summer after leaving Wigan Athletic, signing a one-year contract with an option of a one-year extension. Balogun has spent most of his career in Germany, playing for Turkiyemspor Berlin, Hannover 96, Werder Bremen, Fortuna Dusseldorf, Darmstadt 98 and Mainz 05 before moving to England in 2018 to join Brighton and Hove Albion. The 32-year-old has stated he would consider returning to Germany, where his family is based, after ending his stay with Rangers.

It’s just a matter of form, I don’t have to worry about that - I definitely want to stay (at Rangers),” Balogun told Bild. “Germany is my Home. I sacrificed so many moments with my family in order to pursue my career. If there was a chance to get closer to them again, I would listen to it.” Balogun has been delivering impressive performances for Steven Gerrard’s men, having already featured in 28 appearances across all competitions. His contributions helped the Ibrox Stadium outfit clinch their 55th Scottish Premiership title and he is delighted with his decision to team up with the club. “When my advisor called me a year ago, he immediately said: “I have one thing here that is huge for you: the Rangers’,” he continued.

Pochettino (centre, facing the player) is not seeking to revenge PSG’s last year’s ﬁnal defeat against Bayern Munich as the Parisienne ﬁle out this evening at the Allianz Arena

North Korea to Skip Tokyo Olympics over Covid-19 Fears North Korea has announced it will not take part in the Tokyo Olympics this year, saying the decision is to protect its athletes from Covid-19. The decision puts an end to South Korea’s hopes of using the Games to engage with the North amid stalled cross-border talks. In 2018, both sides entered a joint team at the Winter Olympics which led to a series of historic summits. Pyongyang says it has no cases of the virus but experts say this is unlikely.

The country’s health system is thought to be completely inadequate for dealing with the Covid pandemic, the BBC’s Tokyo Correspondent Rupert Wingfield-Hayes reports. The announcement makes North Korea the first major country to skip the delayed 2020 Games because of the pandemic. The event is due to begin on 23 July. This will be the first time North Korea has missed a Summer Olympics since 1988, when it boycotted the Seoul Games during

the Cold War. Pyongyang’s decision was made at an Olympic committee meeting on 25 March, according to a report by the state-run site Sports in the DPRK. However, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) said it had not “received an official application” from North Korea to step back from the Games. It added that despite repeated requests, the country’s National Olympic Committee had failed to “hold a telephone

conference during which the Covid-19 situation in North Korea should also have been discussed”. North Korea has taken stringent measures against the virus since it broke out last year. It shut its borders in late January and later quarantined hundreds of foreigners in its capital. Since early last year, trains and wagons have been forbidden to enter or leave North Korea, with most international passenger flights stopped as well.

TRANSFER NEWS....

AC Milan Target Fikayo Tomori on Permanent Deal AC Milan hope to negotiate a lower price tag for Chelsea’s Fikayo Tomori with a view to a permanent move for the loanee this summer. Tomori joined the Rossoneri on loan with an option to buy in January having struggled for minutes under Frank Lampard in the first half of the season, and has seriously impressed since arriving at San Siro. The defender has settled in seamlessly and forced Stefano Pioli to bench regular captain Alessio Romagnoli, meaning a permanent deal is an attractive option. Italian journalist Nicolo Ceccarini spoke to milannews. it (as quoted by sempremilan. com) and claimed that Tomori’s

form is not a surprise to the Milan camp, who had been interested in him prior to the January transfer window. “If Maldini and Massara move towards a target it means that they are very convinced of his physical and technical qualities,” he claimed, before discussing the intricacies of a permanent deal. “Tomori has done very well and I believe that Milan will try to sign him, but trying to lower the amount agreed for the option to buy with Chelsea.” Milan initially managed to agree on an option to purchase the 23-year-old at the end of the loan spell for a fee of around £25m plus add-ons, but would

prefer to negotiate a lower fee and legendary defender Paolo in order to secure him beyond Maldini, who has been quick the end of the season. to praise his impact since his Ceccarini insisted that arrival. Milan see him as ‘right’ and are convinced by the England international, thus confirming that he doesn’t have doubts over the Rossoneri’s wishes to sign him permanently. Tomori had made just one Premier League appearance this season for Chelsea before deciding to move abroad in January. He has already made eight appearances in Serie A and played every minute of all four of Milan’s Europa League knockout stage fixtures. His performances have quickly impressed Pioli, but Fikayo Tomori...wanted on also Milan’s technical director permanent deal at AC Milan

Wednesday April 7, 2021

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MISSILE

Umahi to Killer Herdsmen “Let this madness stop. No one has the monopoly of violence, but we assure the Federal Government that there will be no retaliation, believing that justice will be done” – Ebonyi State Governor, David Umahi, warning and lamenting the unprovoked killings of his people by herdsmen.

KAYODEKOMOLAFE THE HORIZON

kayode.komolafe@thisdaylive.com

0805 500 1974

As Doctors Go on Strike… I t is certainly a measure of the premium placed on the delivery of social goods that the seven-day old strike by doctors has not elicited a sense of emergency on the part of the government and the public alike. The strike took a turn for the worse on Monday when the National Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) ordered its members in the COVID-19 isolation centres to join the strike. The doctors undergoing residency training to become consultants are estimated to constitute about 40% of doctors in Nigeria. With the population of NARD members in the healthcare delivery system, a labour action embarked by them is expected to have a significant impact on the sector. As an affiliate of the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA), NARD’s action would have consequences on the work of other groups of doctors. It would be illusory to think otherwise in the unfortunate circumstance of the healthcare system. In any case, the NMA has given a moral backing to the strike. Yet the government is busy threatening to invoke the obnoxious rule of “no work, no pay” to delegitimise the doctor’s exercise of their right to protest. This is despite the battle cry of NARD as espoused by its president, Dr. Uyilawa Okhuaihesuyi. He said: “I know some people may think we are selfish but this strike is about improving the health sector and improving service delivery.” Ultimately, the society bears the brunt as patients remain in pains while others die in the public hospitals. Instead of mounting pressure on the government to be socially responsible in policy conception and implementation, the segment of the public that can afford it are content with their resort to a private solution to the problem. So in some privileged quarters you hardly notice a feeling that something is seriously amiss, much less a palpable social concern for the seeming collapse of public healthcare system. This is a tragic trend. Things cannot be assumed to be normal in a country in which doctors are on strike even for a day! The demands of NARD are those that should not require a national strike to be met in the first place. This is more so that this country is in the midst of a public health crisis like every other nation. For those who care about the efficient delivery of public goods by government it must be a national embarrassment that doctors are owed arrears of salaries by a country that is supposed to be battling a pandemic. If that is not sufficiently scandalous, you wonder what else would embarrass the government. A government that is alert to its primary responsibility would not expect doctors to work without pay. Besides, members of NARD are also demanding an “upward review of the current hazard allowance to 50 per cent of consolidated basic salaries of all health workers and payment of the outstanding COVID-19 inducement allowance especially in state -owned tertiary institutions.” It is incredible that the hazard allowance in contention is N5,000! To imagine that Nigeria is prosecuting the war against COVID-19 by paying a doctor as a frontline worker N5,000 as hazard allowance! NARD also had to fight for insurance for the doctors

President Muhammadu Buhari who are exposed to a disease whose science is not yet fully understood. Now, critics of the doctors’ strike are wont to invoke the Hippocratic oath taken by this category of medical professionals. Perhaps, such critics should also be reminded of Karl Marx’s materialist argument in The German Ideology that “mankind must first of all eat, drink, have shelter and clothing, before it can pursue politics, science, art , religion, etc… “In other words, the well-being of the professional is important as the society expects ethical conduct from him at work. At least, the doctor himself must be healthy and well-nourished before he could ably attend to his patient. In the last one year of COVId-19, dozens of doctors have died of the disease after getting infected with coronavirus in the course of duty. The welfare of the doctor is important for policy as the society invokes the Hippocratic oath. One of the least reported developments during the national lockdown a year ago was that NARD was protesting amid the public health emergency the lack of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE). Did the authorities expect doctors to work in the isolation centres without adequate protection and according to the universal standards? A combination of lack of PPE and the absence of insurance for health workers during a pandemic is nothing short of callousness. That’s why the doctors’ demands should be paid a greater attention than the government is doing at the moment. The government has naturally called for an end of the action to allow issues to be resolved at the negotiating table. Interestingly, Labour Minister Chris Ngige, Health Minster Osagie Ehanire and Minister of state for Health

Things cannot be assumed to be normal in a country in which doctors are on strike even for a day

Olorunnimbe Mamora are all doctors. They are quite familiar with the context of the issues in dispute. To be fair to the trio, they have been fairly measured in their official pronouncements on the clearly unacceptable situation in the health sector generally. They seem to be walking a tight rope. Professionally, it is unpardonable for a doctor in government to rationalise the unjust remuneration or non-payment salaries to those who labour to keep the system going for now. But the ministers are also talking like political office holders in a crisis-ridden system. For instance, Dr. Ngige accused NARD at the weekend of presenting the government with a fait accompli while denying the doctors’ allegation that their members were not insured. The minister said: ”We signed a memorandum that says NARD will go back to its members to educate them on what has been agreed, the timelines placed on them, with a view not to disturb the industrial milieu in the health sector. ”We also agreed to reconvene after four weeks” However, the doctors do not appear to have the patience for four weeks for matters to be resolved. After all, the less patient colleagues of the striking doctors have long voted with their feet. They are in north America, Europe, the Gulf and even other African countries flourishing professionally and well compensated for their labour. A number of them have actually been making waves from their various posts. During this pandemic, countries with advanced healthcare system have been recruiting doctors and other professionals in the medical workforce from Nigeria. The responses of Nigerian doctors have been instructive despite the obvious risks in working in those places that have been sometime epicentres of COVID-19. The pull in the better organised societies is simply the legitimate pursuit of welfare along with professional fulfilment. The irony of the Nigerian situation is that the very few who can afford medical services abroad sometimes become patients of some of the doctors who emigrated from this country. A relief of sorts is that the NMA has not embarked on a national strike for some years. This maturity of purpose of NMA , as the parent body of doctors, has lessened the shocks on the system. The past heroic struggles of the professional organisation were meant to prevent the brain of doctors from a country with a poor doctor-patient ratio by international standards. It is hoped that government would pay heed to the patriotic advocacy of NMA to reverse the negative trends in the heath sector and put things on the path of progress. Meanwhile, the NARD action is just one among the strikes going on in various sectors. The polytechnic teachers have declared a strike because government reneged on agreements. Workers in the judiciary are protesting poor conditions of work and neglect. So the courts are shut down on the basis of the “injunction” caused by the labour action. Meanwhile, the government would require more than legal technicalities to lift the “injunction.” The NARD strike is symptomatic of the malaise in the sectors in which the government is expected to deliver on public goods for the benefits of the people, the poor in particular. It is the poor that suffer when doctors are not on duty in public hospitals. The few who

have the means could have easy access to quality medical attention in private hospitals. The neglect of the welfare of members of NARD is typical of what happens to other categories of the workforce in the healthcare delivery system. The same dispiriting story of lack of welfare of the workforce is also being told about the education system and the security sector. The condition of the human agents who drive the system is hardly the priority of those in power (who, by the way, take good care of themselves). The three sectors – health, education and security – have been isolated, in passing, for this reflection because of their primacy in social policy formulation and execution. A government that cannot deliver on public goods in these sectors which are central to human development can as well be deemed to be absent in the lives of the people especially the poor majority. The poor cannot have access to those things classified as public goods (healthcare, education, security etc.) unless government deliberately directs policies for that purpose. This is also a response to the neo-liberal standard alibi that “government cannot do everything” or that “there are competing needs for government’s limited resources.” Pray, what exactly can government do if it cannot ensure adequate welfare of the medical workforce for hospitals to be properly run, pay teachers’ salaries to give quality education or properly kit and reward policemen sufficiently to protect the society? Even in the headquarters of global capitalism these public goods still remain the primary purpose of governance. Elections are fought in western countries on the basis how government could deliver on public goods. For instance, in Britain, the country of the patron saint of the Right, Adam Smith, the National Health Service (NHS) is an institution that has defined the character of governance in that country for decades regardless of the party in power. The other day, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson was treated as a COVID-19 patient in an NHS hospital just like other citizens. On his recovery, Johnson showered praises effusively on the NHS staff who cared for him in the most competent fashion. The staff could not have done that if they were owed arrears of salaries like their counterparts in Nigeria. The pundits who instinctively rationalise the indefensible abdication of responsibility by the state are not taking a systemic view of the retrogressive trends. Efficient running of public hospitals and schools and maintaining a security and defence system are basic responsibilities of government. Those who are in power today enjoyed these public goods at certain stages in their lives. It is, therefore, immoral for those who are products of quality public schools to now give excuses for government’s failure to run public schools efficiently. Similarly, it is a matter of social conscience that those whose lives have been saved in their early lives in public hospitals now give lectures on why government cannot run hospitals. Public hospitals can, of course, be run given an effective health policy. Doubtless, the welfare of those who labour to make the system work should be the nucleus of a health policy.

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