THURSDAY 21TH APRIL 2021 by THISDAY Newspapers Ltd

CBN Guarantees Exporters Unfettered Access to Sales Proceeds Zenith Bank disburses N33bn to exporters

Obinna Chima and Dike Onwuamaeze

The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has assured exporters that they will continue to have unfettered access to their

export proceeds. CBN Governor, Mr. Godwin Emefiele, during a presentation at Zenith Bank’s 2021 Export Seminar, which held via a virtual platform yesterday, however, urged

them to reciprocate the good gestures of the central bank by repatriating their funds. According to him, supporting greater trade within Africa and the global community is vital to the

CBN’s objectives of enabling greater economic growth and creating employment opportunities for the country’s growing population. He said the COVID-19 pandemic and its resulting

implications on crude oil prices in 2020, which led to a significant decline in government revenues and forex earnings, had strengthened the case for the diversification of the economy.

Emefiele expressed optimism that the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AFCFTA) offers opportunities for the Nigerian private Continued on page 10

Presidency Brushes oﬀ Secessionists’ Threats, Says No Need for Confab... Page 45 Wednesday 21 April, 2021 Vol 26. No 9509. Price: N250

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Bandits Deserve Death Not Ransom, Says el-Rufai Irabor urges media to tone down reports on insecurity

FINANCING SAFE SCHOOLS... L-R: Acting Inspector-General of Police, Mr. Usman Alkali; Sokoto State Governor, Hon. Aminu Tambuwal; Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Mrs. Zainab Ahmed; Minister of Aviation, Senator Hadi Sirika; and Chairman Governors’ Forum and Governor of Ekiti State Dr. Kayode Fayemi, at the national dialogue on ﬁnancing safe schools in Nigeria in Abuja…yesterday godwin omoigui

Kaduna State Governor, Malam Nasir el-Rufai, yesterday restated his opposition to negotiation with, and payment of ransom to bandits, saying the federal government should apprehend and kill the outlaws. “Nobody living in the forest is innocent, and we must kill them all,” he said, adding: “The Chief of Air Staff has been doing well and this has led to a reduction in the activities of bandits in recent Continued on page 45

Govs Plead with CBN, Finance Minister to Shelve Loan Deductions Stakeholders rally support as FG moves to develop national plan on safe schools Ndubuisi Francis in Abuja Governors Aminu Tambuwal (Sokoto State) and Kayode Fayemi (Ekiti State) yesterday pleaded with the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and the Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Mrs. Zainab Ahmed, to

shelve deduction of loans obtained by states from the federal government via the apex bank's budget support facilities. The governor spoke at a national dialogue with the theme: "Financing Safe Schools in Nigeria: Creating Safe Learning Communities,"

Brown promises global assistance

organised by the Ministry of Finance, Budget and National Planning in Abuja. Apparently speaking for their colleagues, the two governors, who are officials of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) said the deductions would worsen the fiscal positions of the states.

Tambuwal, who is the deputy chairman of the forum appealed to the CBN and the federal government not to deduct the loans from states’ monthly allocations at this time. The Sokoto State governor, whose appeal was echoed by Fayemi, the chairman of the

forum, said such deductions at this time would compound the states' fiscal problems. Meanwhile, the federal government is to develop a national plan on safe schools as stakeholders from the public and private sectors of the economy, donor agencies and development partners across

the globe rose yesterday to galvanise financing support in the renewed effort to ensure safe schools in Nigeria. A former British Prime Minister, Mr. Gordon Brown, who was part of the discussions on the Safe Schools Initiative Continued on page 10

Buhari Mourns as Chadian President, Deby, Dies Fighting Rebels... Page 5

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NEWS

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

Buhari Mourns as Chadian President, Deby, Dies Fighting Rebels

Deji Elumoye in Abuja President Muhammadu Buhari has mourned President Idriss Deby of Chad, describing him as a gallant leader. Deby, who was newly re-elected for the sixth term, died yesterday from injuries sustained while fighting rebels. Buhari, in a condolence message by his media assistant, Malam Garba Shehu, expressed sadness over "the sudden and tragic death of President Deby on the front line, fighting against rebel soldiers." He said: "I'm deeply shocked and devastated by the sudden death of Idriss Deby on the battlefront to defend the sovereignty of his country. "The late Deby had played a very active role in our regional joint collaboration in the military campaign against the Boko Haram terrorists." Buhari described the late Chadian leader as “a friend of Nigeria who had enthusiastically lent his hand in our efforts to defeat the murderous Boko Haram terrorists that have posed grave security challenges not only for Nigeria but also our African neighbours, particularly Chad, Cameroon and Niger Republic." He added that "the death of Deby will surely create a big vacuum in the efforts to jointly confront the Boko Haram terrorists and the Islamic State West Africa Province." While condoling with the people of Chad and their new leader, Buhari called for greater collaboration to defeat the terrorists. The late Chadian leader had in July 2020 joined the country’s soldiers in the frontline to fight Boko Haram

terrorists. Deby had appeared in military fatigue as he led an operation to drive out the terrorists from Chadian territory. The operation codenamed “Operation Wrath of Bomo,” came after terrorists dealt the heaviest blow to the Chadian military after an assault killed over 90 soldiers. The offensive took place at Kelkoua bank and Magumeri where the Chadian army destroyed several Boko Haram bunkers recovered cache of arms and arrested a top Boko Haram commander. The Chadian troops were also said to have set free some Nigerian soldiers held captive by terrorists at Magumeri LGA of Borno State. Deby had later announced that Boko Haram had been completely removed from Chadian territory. “I went down this morning to Kaiga-Kindjinria. No element of Boko Haram is present in the islands of Lake Chad. Congratulations to our defence and security forces who have cleaned up the entire island area,” he had tweeted. Deby also met with the Commander of the Multinational Joint Task Force fighting Boko Haram in the Lake Chad region, Nigeria’s Maj. Gen. Ibrahim Yusuf, in Kaiga-Kindjinria, where they discussed security deployments on the islands of Lake Chad. Meanwhile, following the death of Deby, his four-starGeneral son will replace him at the head of a military council, the army has announced. “A military council has been set up headed by his son, Gen. Mahamat Idriss Deby Itno,” the army’s spokesman, Gen.

Azem Bermandoa Agouna, said on state radio, shortly after the announcement that the newly re-elected president had died of wounds while fighting rebels. The late Deby, who had been in power for three decades, died from injuries while fighting rebels in the north of the Sahel country, the army said. He was aged 68. A two-week national mourning period was declared amid a dusk-to-dawn curfew. All the land and air borders in the country have also been shut “until further notice.” The military council said

the transitional period would last for 18 months while the cabinet and the parliament would be dissolved. Like his father, Deby, 37, has also been involved in the fight against rebel forces and Boko Haram insurgents. There has been a prolonged battle in the African country between government forces and the rebel Front for Change and Concord in Chad (FACT). The unrest had escalated in recent days as antigovernment fighters approached N’Djamena, the capital city. The Chadian army

spokesperson said the country’s forces “defeated a group of terrorists who had ventured into the north of the Kanem province.” The army had on Monday announced that fighting left some 300 rebels of FACT dead, while FACT claimed in a statement that Deby had been wounded. Deby “has just breathed his last, defending the sovereign nation on the battlefield over the weekend,” Agouna, said in a statement read out on state television. The career military man who seized power in the

former French colony on the back of a 1990 coup had been declared re-elected late Monday with nearly 80 per cent of the vote. Ministers and high-ranking military brass had said Monday that Deby was in the region on Saturday and Sunday after rebels launched an offensive from rear bases in Libya on the day of the election, April 11. The result was never in serious doubt, with a divided opposition, boycott calls, and a campaign in which demonstrations were banned or dispersed.

ENHANCING YOUTH SERVICE... L-R: Chairman, National Youth Service Corps Governing Council, Ambassador Fatima Balla-Abubakar; Ogun State Governor, Prince Dapo Abiodun; a member of the NYSC Governing Council, Mr. Dayo Ajibola, during the council members’ courtesy call on the governor in Abeokuta…yesterday

NPC Awaits Buhari’s Approval to Conduct Census in 2022 Demarcates 629 LGAs for headcount Onyebuchi Ezigbo in Abuja The National Population Commission (NPC) has said that it is awaiting President Muhammadu Buhari’s approval to conduct a national census by the first quarter of 2022. The Federal Commissioner and Chairman of the Public Affairs Committee of the Commission, Mr. Abdulmalik Durunguwa, while featuring on 'The Morning Show,’ a breakfast programme on ARISE NEWS Channel, THISDAY's broadcast arm, said NPC was strategising and working hard to ensure that the mistakes of the past were corrected by conducting an accurate and reliable census. He stated that Buhari recently approved N10 billion intervention fund to enable the commission to carry out the Enumeration Area Demarcation (EAD) of the country. According to him, the demarcation, a prelude to the conduct of the national census, is gaining momentum nationwide.

He said the commission was targeting to complete the enumeration by July. Durunguwa added that with the approval of the intervention fund, NPC has demarcated 629 local government areas. "So far by God's grace, with the programme of the commission, we hope to ensure that before the end of July, that we are able to demarcate the entire country and to conveniently conduct the national census. "We are hoping that by the time we finish the demarcation, which is the foundation of the census, we will be able to say yes, we are good to go and by the first quarter of 2022, honestly speaking, the NPC based on preparations on the ground, can be able to conveniently conduct a census in this country provided that Mr. President has given us the approval through a proclamation that the census should commence. “We are pleading with all Nigerians to give us the support

so that we can see if we can conduct this census by 2022; that is the first quarter. That is our target. “We hope the government and Mr. President will give us the go-ahead so that we can carry out this exercise,” he said. Durungowa explained that the enumeration of the local government areas would help the commission to have a proper picture of how many census enumerators would be deployed in the coming national census. He said what was preoccupying the minds of the current leadership and personnel of the NPC was to deliver to Nigerians a population figure that would not only be accurate and believable but also one that would be devoid of ethnic, religious and other mundane sentiments. He said the NPC had introduced some innovations in its activities, adding that it is also undertaking

the computerisation of the enumeration. He said the NPC had developed customised software to help in fast-tracking the demarcation, adding that it is kick-starting phase 14 of the household enumeration on April 25 with the target of reaching 34 local government areas. "We are adopting computerised processes, using hand-held devices, PDX and high imagery resolution satellite technology, to improve the work of the commission," he said. On how the population commission intended to avoid the anomalies of the past census, Durunguwa said the technological innovations being introduced would go a long way to resolve issues that created doubts and lack of trust in the final outcome of the census. “The latest technology we are using is a technology that is giving us no much question to be asked because

it is already tried, tested by this our enumeration of area demarcation. “I wish we’ll have time where we’ll display it to Nigerians to see what we are doing and it will go a long way in convincing people that the population commission is ready by what we have to be able to conduct a census that cannot be disputed. “This world is going technologically and we can’t be left behind in this country; we also have to key in; so, that is why we are deploying the latest technology in trying to make sure that the exercise we are doing right now is well taken care of so that when Mr. President gives us the go-ahead to conduct the census, we can say it’s good to go. “The government cannot plan without having the actual figure you are working with and that is why it is very important with the kind of president we have on the ground to be able to have this go-ahead to conduct this census,” he stated.

According to him, the NPC's website is being repositioned to enable it to provide information to the public. He regretted the challenges the country has to face over inaccurate and doubtful census figures, adding that it is high time that Nigerians began to thing positive about issues affecting the survival of the country. When asked about the position of NPC on population control, Durunguwa said there was no doubt that the rate of growth of Nigeria's population was alarming. He identified some factors such as religion and culture as affecting efforts at implementing policies on population control in the past. He said: “We are working tirelessly and we have sent a reviewed national policy on population control to Mr. President and any moment from now, the federal government is going to look at critically and approve a population policy for the country."

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Fuel Queues Persist in Abuja despite NNPC’s Intervention Queues will fizzle out soon, says Kyari Deji Elumoye, Chuks Okocha and Emmanuel Addeh in Abuja Despite the intervention of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) to halt the strike by tanker drivers, the chaos occasioned by the return of fuel queues in Abuja worsened yesterday as many filling stations experienced long queues, causing anguish and heavy traffic on streets in Abuja and its environs. The Group Managing Director of the NNPC, Mallam Mele Kyari, had on Monday told journalists that the fuel queues would soon disappear after brokering a deal with the petrol tanker drivers. Kyari also yesterday told journalists after meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari at the Presidential Villa in Abuja, that there was nothing to worry about over the fuel queues, as the situation would soon normalise. The emergence of the long queues occurred about two months after a similar round of petrol scarcity hit major cities across Nigeria as marketers alerted that access to the product was becoming hectic amid complaints that they couldn’t continue to sell at N162 when the landing costs were increasing by the day. While many filling stations were shut yesterday, the few that sold the product had long queues of motorists waiting to buy fuel. It was learnt that the Petrol Tanker Drivers (PTD) had suspended the strike after a meeting with officials of the NNPC. The Total filling station along Sultan Abubakar Way was busy when THISDAY visited, while the NNPC filling station on Olusegun Obasanjo Way, in Wuse Zone 3 had a long queue of motorists.

It was the same story in Idu in the town’s outskirt at Major Oil Filling station, as black market sellers had a field day selling petrol between N200-N300 per litre. Also, As of yesterday, no fuel station sold petrol to motorists along Lugbe Airport Road and Kubwa expressway. At Lugbe, along airport road, the Mobil filling station there was shut, while a Forte Oil filling station at Life Camp junction was opened but commercial drives and other customers were not attended to under the guise that there was no stock. The story was not different at Danmarna petroleum limited, located along Airport Road and Conoil filling station located beside the NNPC fuel station in Lugbe as none of them opened for business. The situation was further compounded by persons who wanted to buy fuel in containers to power their generators, following the deteriorating power supply in the country. Around 17 of the nation's 25 power plants are currently down due to either lack of gas supply or routine maintenance. Long queues also returned to retail outlets in Wuse, Gwarimpa, Wuye, Garki, Gwagwa, Karimu, Jabi, Italian and Kubwa expressway while other outlets were not selling the product. An Uber cab driver, Ahmad Sani, while lamenting the return of the long queues, called on the federal government to put measures in place to bring sanity to the oil sector. “They encourage parallel market and most times their fuel is bad. We don’t need to always face this problem in buying petrol every month, we need a permanent solution,” he said. A taxi driver, Sunday Adaji, said he had been at the petrol

station since 8:00 a.m. and was yet to buy petrol as of 10:30 am. But Kyari yesterday assured motorists that the fuel queues would soon disappear, stressing that the “scarcity” was a consequence of the suspension of operations by tanker drivers who were protesting some labour issues with their employers. The NNPC boss, who spoke with journalists after meeting with Buhari, said there was nothing to worry about. He attributed the queues to the industrial action embarked upon by the petrol tankers drivers, adding that following

the intervention of the NNPC, the strike had been suspended for one week to enable a resolution of the issues at stake. “These queues will go away. It is because there was industrial action by petroleum tanker drivers against their employers, the National Association of Road Transport Owners around their compensation package. “And those issues were not resolved up till yesterday until we intervened to ensure that there's an amicable settlement between the parties so that they will have peace and then normal loading operations will commence from the depots.

“As I speak to you at this moment, loading has commenced in all depots in the country, dispatches of trucks are ongoing in all the depots in the country and they have called off the strike for a period of one week to enable us to intervene and find a solution. So, there's really nothing fundamental that is happening now,” Kyari stated. On the contentious issue of petroleum subsidy, Kyari said work on it would continued to ensure that when the nation exits the policy, it would be fair for all and sundry. He said: “Subsidy is a policy matter. I'm sure you're aware

of this. There are engagements going on within the government to get the best framework for having a fully deregulated PMS market. As this is going on, we are engaging all parties and all stakeholders and to make sure that at the end of the day, there's an exit that is beneficial to the ordinary man. “That is why we know we will not be able to complete that in the month of May and therefore, we declared that there will be no increase in fuel price. I have no update in hand now. This is beyond me, but we're engaging to make sure that we have the right timeline.”

BOOSTING LIFE AFTER RETIREMENT... Commandant, Nigerian Armed Forces Resettlement Centre, Oshodi, Air Vice Marshal Mohammed Idris (left), and Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu, during a courtesy visit by the commandant to the governor in Lagos…yesterday

FG Won’t Surrender Nigeria’s Sovereignty to Terrorists, Says SGF Olawale Ajimotokan in Abuja The Secretary to the Government of the Federation, (SGF), Mr. Boss Mustapha, has vowed that no matter the circumstances, the federal government would not surrender the country’s sovereignty to terror groups that were causing political instability in some parts of the country. Mustapha made the remarks yesterday evening in Abuja at

a peace walk against incessant invasion and kidnapping of students in the educational institutions. The SGF was the Special Guest of Honour at the occasion organised by the Peace Corps of Nigeria (PCN) in collaboration with African Union (AU) and other stakeholders to create public awareness of the menace of banditry and terrorism, which have escalated in the country.

In his speech which was delivered by the Director of Nigeria National Volunteer Services in the OSGF, Mrs. Olusola Aina, the SGF assured that the federal government would effectively deploy an approach with protective measures to tackle the menace of terrorism and banditry. He urged all well-meaning Nigerians to collaborate with the federal government and its

security agencies to prevail in the battle against the twin scourge of banditry and terrorism. The SGF lamented that over 10.5 million schoolchildren had been forced out of schools in some parts of the country by criminal elements while several schools have also been shut as a precaution against the students being abducted by kidnappers, who habitually demand a ransom before releasing the students.

He referred to the North-east as the worst hit by insecurity, adding that the situation had been compounded because the region was noted for low school enrolment before the banditry. He pleaded with Nigerians not to wait until they fall victims before rising to the challenge adding that an injury to one should be considered as injury to all. “We must not allow bandits

and terrorists to threaten our unity. Safe school initiative of the federal government will be strengthened to safeguard our children in their schools,” Mustapha said. Earlier, in his remark, the National Commandant of the Corps Ambassador, Dickson Akoh said that 1,179 school children were abducted in the recent past by bandits in various schools.

Nigeria’s Business Environment Over-regulated, Says NESG Ndubuisi Francis in Abuja Nigeria Economic Summit Group (NESG) has described the business space in Nigeria as over-regulated, and urged the federal government to navigate the economy from the current doldrums. NESG said in its report of the 26th Nigeria Economic Summit (NESG26) that all tiers of government must lead the way towards economic recovery and resilience. Submitting the report to the Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Mrs.

Zainab Ahmed, the NESG Chairman, Mr. Asue Ighodalo, said attaining economic recovery was achievable by expanding economic opportunities for all Nigerians through sound policies, strong institutions, and responsible public investments, especially pro-poor investments. He also urged governments at all levels to unlock more private sector participation by removing sectoral rigidities that inhibit the potential of businesses to drive economic growth. These and more were part of the recommendations of NESG's 26th Summit recommendations

presented. The 26th edition of NESG was held in November last year amidst the Covid-19 pandemic. Other areas listed by NESG for urgent action include its challenge to the civil society groups to mobilise Nigerians to take civic responsibility and hold leaders accountable. The NESG observed that the unprecedented turmoil unleashed by the global COVID-19 pandemic as well as the aftermath of the #EndSARS protests by Nigerian youth, which it said was paramount in the minds of Nigerians as the NESG

#26 was convened. "The summit discussions were dimensioned around five subthemes: mapping the future; new trends, new opportunities, new horizons; embracing technology and innovation; building resilience; and charting the path to recovery," NESG chairman said He tasked the government on policies that would lead to macroeconomic stability, economic growth that would outpace population growth, creates jobs, stabilises inflation and reduce poverty. He also advised the federal government to unify forex rates

into single and market-driven window. The NESG called for an improvement on coordination of fiscal, monetary and structural policies, aggressively attract foreign direct investment (FDI), deregulation of the oil and gas sector by passing the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB); tighten fiscal coordination and intensify public investments in social sectors amongst others. Receiving the report, the minister promised to deliver the recommendations to President Muhammadu Buhari. She said: "We have noted

your detailed recommendations. We will transmit your recommendations to Mr. President who will, in turn, present them to the Federal Executive Council. “Appropriate agencies of the government would be tasked with the implementation of your recommendations," said the minister of finance, budget and national planning. While commending the Joint Planning Committee for the success of the Summit, she said it was important to point out the urgent need to further strengthen the collaboration between the NESG and her ministry.

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PAGE TEN GOVS PLEAD WITH CBN, FINANCE MINISTER TO SHELVE LOAN DEDUCTIONS launched in May 2014 in the aftermath of the kidnapping of over 270 Chibok schoolgirls promised to rally global support for the programme. Converging on Abuja at the national dialogue on financing safe schools in Nigeria participants described the increasing abduction of schoolchildren in the North as a dangerous trend for the present and future well-being of Nigeria that must be addressed forthwith. Participants at the event included governors, ministers, service chiefs, United Nations agencies, the United States Ambassador to Nigeria, Mary Beth Leonard; a former British Prime Minister, Dr. Gordon Brown, and representatives of donor agencies, among others. In her address at the event, the Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Mrs. Zainab Ahmed, said the dialogue recognised the need for a decisive action and for a coordinated approach to the financing and implementation of an integrated safe school programme across the country, which is government-led and is tailored to the current realities on the ground. The minister, who observed that the citizens are looking to the government to lead the way added that "we must

heed the call to action, and we must all work together to realise the promise of safe school environments." Providing a background to the Safe Schools Initiative (SSI), she stated that it followed the abduction of over 200 girls by Boko Haram from a secondary school in Chibok in 2014, stressing that the Nigerian government alongside the then United Nations Special Envoy for Global Education, Mr. Gordon Brown, and development partners and private sector stakeholders launched the initiative. She said while much progress had been made through the SSI and other programmes, much still had to be done to achieve the objectives. She also stressed the need to reimagine, institutionalise and scale up the safe school programmes. Ahmed stated that the COVID-19 pandemic and the resultant economic crisis have posed unprecedented challenges globally as well as in Nigeria, stressing that while the government has been proactive in its response to the pandemic by establishing and implementing the Economic Sustainability Plan (ESP) and other interventions (including the scaling up of

social safety net programmes, and increased investments in health and education), the pandemic has deepened insecurity across the country and resulted in an alarming spate of school attacks and mass kidnappings. She said: "These actions are a direct attack on our children’s fundamental human rights to an education without fear of violence or attack, as described in the Safe Schools Declaration, to which Nigeria is a signatory. In fact, we were amongst the first 37 United Nations member states to endorse the declaration. "Even before the pandemic, Nigeria accounted for approximately 20 per cent of the global out-of-school population. With an estimated 13 million children currently out of school in the country, we sit on the precipice of a socio-economic disaster and a full education crisis, if we do not act in a coordinated manner to stop the current wave of systematic attacks on the fundamental rights of our children to a safe learning environment. "Parents are increasingly more nervous about sending their children, and particularly their young girls, to school with some choosing to withdraw existing students.

The time to act is now." The minister said the current effort to reinvigorate the safe school initiative would be holistic and would cut across the country, adding that her ministry will develop a national plan on safe schools, defining the roles of and contributions of all stakeholders. Such stakeholders, she stated, include the federal and state governments, security agencies, communities, donor agencies and development partners. Although she would not divulge the cost implication of the national development plan, the minister said such a cost could only emerge after all the stakeholders, including the security agencies, had done their cost analysis. She, however, stated that the implication of not putting such a plan in place and ensuring safe schools could cost the nation N32 billion annually. In his contribution, Brown who joined the event virtually said he was happy to be part of the discussions on the Safe Schools Initiative. He said: "Safe schools started from investments from diverse business fellowships for education across the globe and supported by the charity, raising funding from business

meetings, governments and government donors." Brown assured the gathering that such donors were all already and willing to help in the latest move to re-energise the initiative. He said the Safe Schools Initiative was able to help 2,400 students relocate from high-risk areas from some of the states to 43 unity schools. Fayemi said what the country was facing was a much more serious and complex security issue that needed every collective approach to handle. Fayemi stated that governors were facing the direct heat of the security problems in the country amid tough economic pressures. Lamenting that before insecurity compounded the problems facing the country, one of the biggest challenges confronting the nation was how to ensure enough enrolment in schools, he added that adding insecurity to the mix was a far more complex problems to grapple with. According to him, the abductions and kidnappings in schools have provided enough excuse for parents to keep their children away from schools, and called for urgent steps to stem the tide. He said: "At the Nigeria

Governors' Forum, we are committed to working with other partners to ensure that we keep our schools safe. In all our states, we are conducting vulnerability assessment of all our schools. The state security services have been helping in the states on this." He regretted that over N41 billion is sitting idle with the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) because of part-funding, adding that a pathway to surmount that challenge must be found. In his submission, the Chairman of the Nigeria Economic Summit Group, (NESG), Mr. Asue Ighodalo, lamented that insecurity has been fuelled by a high unemployment level. He appealed to the government to put measures in place to create employment for the youth. While expressing the support of the private sector for the Safe Schools Initiative, Ighodalo said the economy is over-regulated and needs to be loosened to attract investment. The event was also attended by the Chief of Naval Staff, Rear Admiral A.Z Gambo; Chief of Air Staff, Air-Vice Marshal Oladayo Amao and the acting Inspector-General of Police, Mr. Usman Alkali Baba.

sustaining the CBN’s emphasise on the growth of non-oil exports. Oramah said Nigeria could become a hub for labourintensive manufacturing in Africa and could take the space China’s migration to less labour intensive manufacturing would create in Africa. “China is gradually moving away, opening opportunities for African countries to replace. If China exits and nobody steps in to fill the void another nonAfrican entity will take the $65 billion trade. Only fools will sit on their palms and let such an opportunity pass by,” Oramah said. The Director-General of the Nigeria Export Promotion Council (NEPC), Mr. Segun Awolowo, who was represented by the Director of Policy and Strategy of NEPC, Dr. Ezra Yakusak, described AfCFTA as an opportunity for Nigeria’s SMEs to grow and become major actors in Africa’s export market.

and lower denominations of the US dollars that are legal tender for deposit from their customers.” It further stated that it would not hesitate to sanction any bank or other authorised forex dealers who refuse to accept old or lower dollar denominations of US dollar bills from their customers. “In addition, all authorised forex dealers are advised to desist from defacing/stamping US dollar banknotes as such notes always fail authentication test during processing and sorting.” The central bank recently took some measures to encourage forex inflows through Diaspora remittances into the country. Part of the policies included the granting of unfettered access to forex from Diaspora and other money transfer remittances as well as the introduction of the “CBN Naira 4 Dollar Scheme,” an initiative aimed at incentivising senders and recipients of international money transfers. The CBN had explained that the new policies were expected to attract diaspora remittances through the official foreign exchange channels as well as support forex stability in Nigeria.

CBN GUARANTEES EXPORTERS UNFETTERED ACCESS TO SALES PROCEEDS sector to expand into new markets and seek new export opportunities, particularly in the area of manufacturing, ICT, agriculture and financial services. He stated that the full implementation of AFCFTA would give Nigerian firms preferential access to markets in Africa worth $504.17 billion in goods and $162 billion in services. He said: “I believe that we should seize this opportunity to ensure that Nigeria serve as a significant hub for international and domestic manufacturing companies seeking to serve the West, Central and East African markets. “In addition, we have a very young energetic and technological savvy population that has been leveraging technological applications to improve service delivery in the areas of finance, logistics and agriculture to consumers in Nigeria. “I believe the AFCFTA will provide an opportunity for these young talented Nigerians to expand their services across the African region. Developing trade portals that could support instant sales of goods manufactured in Nigeria to consumers in other parts of Africa is one aspect that can help to support the creation of jobs in Nigeria and improve foreign exchange inflows for the country." He said Nigerian banks were expanding across Africa, just as he encouraged financial institutions to also leverage their presence in other parts of Africa to support Nigerian businesses seeking to expand into new markets in Africa by providing trade facilities to those with strong potentials for growth. He said: “At the CBN, we have taken considerable steps to improve the productive capacity of businesses, which would enable them to take advantage of export opportunities in Africa. “Our intervention programmes in the agriculture and manufacturing sectors are helping to enable businesses to

expand their scale of production, which is meeting growing domestic demand for goods, but also providing goods for the export market. “In addition, we have set up a N500 billion non-oil export stimulation facility with the Nigerian Export-Import Bank (NEXIM). This initiative will also help to enable greater exports of processed agriculture commodities into other markets in Africa and in the global market.” Emefiele, however, added that improving the business environment in Nigeria would be vital if the country was to harness the gains from AFCFTA. According to him, the CBN, through its Trade Monitoring System portal (TRMS), has been helping to reduce the time it takes to complete the export documentation process, as the faster turnaround time could help to reduce delivery time for goods destined for exports and enable businesses to expand their output. “Today, businesses can complete their NXP applications on the TRMS portal in 30 minutes relative to two years ago, where it could take as much as two weeks to complete the process. “We are also working with stakeholders in repositioning the Nigerian Commodity Exchange, which would help to support greater trade for operators in these vital sectors earlier mentioned. “Once the exchange becomes fully operational in the second half of the year, international buyers of raw and processed agricultural commodities will be able to enter into forward contracts with domestic suppliers on the exchange, and they can be assured of not only the quality of the goods sold through the exchange, but on the expected date of delivery. “We believe these forward contracts will help to support improved productivity for farmers and agro-processors, it will also help to improve access to credit for these entities using the forward contracts as collateral,” he added.

According to him, supporting greater trade within Africa will also require the presence of a viable payment settlement system. He added that the CBN is working with key stakeholders in Africa, particularly AfreximBank, to improve the underlying payment infrastructure to support greater intra-regional trade, through the Pan African Payments and Settlement System (PAPSS). He said: “This initiative will enable payments in our local currency for goods in other African countries and vice versa, without the need for a thirdparty currency. This initiative will help to reduce the cost of cross-border trade, improve convertibility of the naira and increase trade opportunities for Nigerian businesses in Africa. “Although Nigeria stands to gain from expanded trade, I believe it is also important that we pay attention to the cost that expanded trade through the AFCFTA could have on local businesses and communities. “Smuggling of goods produced in non-African countries into Nigeria, and abuse of rules of origin have often resulted in significant job losses and displacements of workers in key sectors of our economy such as agriculture and manufacturing. It is vital that we work with the governing body of the AFCFTA in addressing these concerns, as it has profound implications on unemployment and security in Nigeria.” In his remarks, the Group Managing Director of Zenith Bank, Mr. Ebenezer Onyeagwu, urged Nigerians to take advantage of the federal government’s economic diversification initiatives, with particular reference to non-oil exports. Onyeagwu said the CBN’s emphasis on exports improved the value of non-oil exports from four per cent in 2017, to 13.21 per cent in 2019, before it declined to 11.45 per cent in 2020, due to the COVID-19 disruption. He said Zenith Bank was

supporting the drive in so many ways by identifying emerging opportunities in stimulating non-oil exports. “We were able to identity 100 SMEs that we are incubating. None of them has done any export when they commenced with us. “But we are happy to announce that 100 of these SMEs we incubated since last year are today doing exports and generating export proceeds no matter how little. “The discounted cash reserve requirement lending facility; Zenith Bank has accessed N200 billion from this window and disbursed about N33 billion to support export customers. The bank has the will to continue to avail this opportunity to exporters who are ready to make use of it to grow and increase the volume of their export business with single-digit long term finance,” he stated. Also speaking at the forum, the Director-General of the AfCFTA Secretariat, Mr. Wamkele Mene, said reliance on the export of commodity products had become a scourge on Africa’s prosperity, adding that the transformation of the African economy should be driven by the non-oil sector. Mene said agriculture would play an important role in Nigeria’s quest for economic diversification as it did in the past when it contributed 75 per cent of the country’s foreign exchange, with appropriate policies put in place. He said: “By focusing on providing infrastructure like energy and transport for agriculture, Nigeria will chart its way from the boom and burst circles of oil economy… even though the zero oil initiative targeted at boosting non-oil exports is yet to make the desired impact.” The President of the African Export-Import Bank, Professor Benedict Okey Oramah, urged Nigeria to exploit the wider African market, adding that Nigeria could become the manufacturing hub of Africa if appropriate policies and incentives are introduced while

Don’t Reject Old dollar, CBN Tells Banks, BDCs Meanwhile, the apex bank yesterday directed banks and Bureau De Change operators to henceforth desist from rejecting lower and old dollar denominations. It also advised banks and other authorised forex dealers to stop defacing or stamping US dollars. The central bank gave the directives in a circular dated April 9, 2021, which was signed by its Director, Currency Operations Department, a copy of which was posted on its website. It explained that in recent times, the banking sector regular had been inundated with complaints from members of the public on the rejection of lower/old denominations of US dollar bills by banks and other authorised dealers. Owing to this, the CBN stated that, “all deposit money banks and authorised dealers should henceforth accept both old series

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% 9.2 9.3 9.3 9.2 8.8 % 10 7.8 5.0 4.5 4.5

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T H I S D AY • WEDNESDAY, APRIL 21, 2021

COMMENT

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

FAILED POLITICAL FOLLOWERSHIP

Sonnie Ekwowusi argues that failed followership begets failed leadership

lawyer friend has just returned from his trip abroad. Something happened to him over there which I think is worth sharing. He was in a round-table ‘social distancing’ meeting with distinguished men from other countries. When it was his turn to introduce himself, he did so, adding that he was a Nigerian. On learning he was a Nigerian, all the meeting attendants hummed. One cheeky fellow among them bent his head low and whispered, “that is the country where an Attorney-General was assassinated and to this day no clue about those who killed him”. My friend felt humiliated. He felt ashamed. He wished the ground could open and swallow him. But little did he know that the worst was yet to come. At lunch all the attendants boycotted his table. My friend sat alone, unsure of the next insult to be hurled at him. How do they say it again? If one finger is oily, it soils the others. If a handful of corrupt and dishonourable Nigerian public office holders had sinned, all had sinned as well. The iniquities of these corrupt office holders have so stained the good image, integrity and reputation of Nigeria and Nigerians to the extent that being a Nigerian or carrying a Nigerian passport have become a liability or in the words of Chinua Achebe have become so abysmally frustrating. No doubt about it, Nigerian immigrants abroad are excelling. For instance, the Nigerian professionals in the U.S. outshine their counterparts from other countries year after year. Ditto for Nigerians in other countries. Now, given Nigeria’s ingenious human capital, why is the country ruled by misfits? How did you and I find ourselves in this sorry pass? Failed political followership. The people are their own enemies. The Nigerian crisis, I insist again and again, is also a crisis of failed political followership otherwise how can you explain that despite his disastrous four-year outing President Buhari was still brought back to power in 2019? I jokingly tell friends that those who voted for Buhari the second time in 2019 despite witnessing his calamitous first term should go to my corner and kneel down and raise their hands up in punishment, reminiscent of the punishment meted out to erring junior students in those good secondary school days. In all democracies especially in a presidential democracy like ours, sovereignty resides with the people. At periodic elections the people reassess the candidates running for political posts and vote out those who had failed in their promises. In our democracy most voters are not politically enlightened enough to evaluate the political issues at stake and the character of the candidates running for political posts before casting their votes on Election Day. Most Nigerian voters do not vote with their heads. Prior to casting their votes most voters do not sit down to ask themselves the following basic questions: Why should I vote for a candidate who is so clueless that he doesn’t have the foggiest idea that the essence of wielding power is to render service to the people? Why should I vote for a man who perceives power as his personal fiefdom? Why should I vote for a man who is only interested in foisting ethnic hegemony? Why should I vote for a bigot who is shamelessly interested in giving key political appointments only to people who come from his own part of the country in violation of the Federal

IF THE PEOPLE FAIL TO MAKE THEIR LEADERS ACCOUNTABLE THEN THEY SHOULD STOP WONDERING WHY THEIR LEADERS ARE MAKING A SHOW OF THEIR INCOMPETENCE IN PUBLIC

Character Principle enshrined in our Constitution? The answers to the above questions explain why the Nigerian democracy has been churning out undisciplined rabble and thieves. Let me repeat here once again what really shocked me during the last Presidential election in Lagos. Some area boys and area fathers were seen masquerading and forcing voters to vote for candidate Muhammad Buhari, failure which they threatened to unleash violence on such conscientious objectors. Even some ballot boxes containing the votes cast for Atiku Abubarkar and other candidates were snatched from polling booths and destroyed. The interesting aspect however is that while those area boys and fathers who were used to rig the last elections are now roaming about the streets of Lagos their mentor and idol is ceaselessly trying to acquire all the wealth in Lagos. The people who complain that many Nigerian politicians are thieves are complicit in the thievery. It is said that a people gets the kind of government they deserve. During the 2015 presidential campaigns, we were warned that candidate Muhammed Buhari would not make a good president. We ignored the warning. At that time, newspaper advertorials with titles such as “Buhari is a Soldier: Once a Soldier always a Soldier”, “Buhari is not qualified to rule Nigeria”, “Buhari cannot be trusted” were constantly inserted in our daily newspapers. Yet some people proceeded to vote for Buhari. Even after it was obvious to all sundry that the man’s first term was a big disaster yet some people and institutions facilitated his return power in 2019. Consequently you and I are reaping the tragic repercussions of Buhari’s return to power. Serves us right? The saddest aspect is that rather than hold the government accountable for its misrule some parasites applaud the government just for selfish reasons. As far as these parasites are concerned, winning an election in Nigeria is synonymous with winning a big lottery with plenty of free money to dole out to the people. A few years ago, one federal legislator (name withheld) strongly advocated for an increase in the money paid to federal legislators as security vote. Why? Because according to him he was not the only one “chopping” the security vote money; his friends and town’s men and women also partook in “chopping” the money. You see, failed leadership is inversely related to failed followership. Failed followership begets failed leadership and vice-versa. If the people fail to make their leaders accountable then they should stop wondering why their leaders are making a show of their incompetence in public. Mere lamentation on social media that some politicians are incompetent or stealing government money is not enough. Action not words alone. To begin with, do you know the name of your local government councilor? Do you know the name of the person representing your Senatorial District or federal constituency at the National Assembly? When was the last time you complained to your representative in government about the oddities around you? Do you partake in the sharing of ill-gotten wealth or proceeds from corruption? Do you demand for accountability from members of your State House of Assembly? Do you pay tax? Do you demand from the government to account for the use of tax payers’ funds? Do you vote for incompetence on Election Day or do you refrain from voting? We need responsible citizenry.

LEADING FROM THE FRONT

The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila is redefining leadership in Nigeria, writes Efe Edafe

e came on the scene with a different approach to public service. The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila has redefined political leadership in

Nigeria. Gbajabiamila has shown with his interventions on several impasses in the polity that the essence of holding the mandate of the people in trust is to make life more meaningful to the people. As the leader of the arguably most vibrant House since 1999, Gbajabiamila extended the frontiers of national duty beyond legislative business. He has been an ‘Executive’ legislative leader. When the chips are down, always count on Gbaja. He will definitely intervene with mostly desirable results. Like he has done in time past, last week, Gbajabiamila displayed capacity and unparallel leadership when he visited striking doctors under the aegis of National Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) at their secretariat to appeal to them to call off the strike. The Speaker came down on his high horse and did not invite the leadership of the striking doctors but rather went in to negotiate with them. He knew the health of the mass of Nigerians were at risk; many of whom are already devastated by Coronavirus pandemic. Household incomes have plummeted across board, private healthcare has become a luxury for many. Gbajabiamila waded in fulfillment of social contract as an elected public officer. That is being responsible and shows a great deal of

sensitivity to the plight of the downtrodden in the society. He said: “The decision to visit you is a clear message that we are with you because the role of doctors cannot be understated and to thank you for calling off the strike because of what we have done. We are here to encourage and thank you for calling off the strike and give you assurances that the House will be there with you, talking with the executive on what needs to be done. “Even the constitution talks about essential services, but there’s nothing as essential a service than that which seeks to save and protect lives. “We’ll monitor issues being processed, the IPPIS, training fund, hazard allowances which the House championed at the peak of the Covid-19 crisis. All the issues will be addressed. We’re looking to come to a reasonable and acceptable hazard allowance as well as the training fund, which when the supplementary budget is introduced, we hope and expect to justify why this should be accommodated. “I think it was an oversight in the last budget, but we will do everything we need to do to see how we can capture that. We are inviting Finance Minister next week so that we can talk and see how best we can accommodate all these issues and cement the Memorandum of Action”. He wasn’t at the NARD secretariat to cajole or play to the gallery. The speaker engaged the striking doctors with the honest intention of salvaging the dire situation. The doctors believed him because they are accustomed to the statesmanship disposition of the speaker. He has

served as a strong stabilizing force in the centre. In his honour, the doctors returned to work. Immediately, the speaker got to work at ensuring that doctors who saved the nation at the peak of COVID-19 pandemic got their dues. Not a few medical personnel lost their lives while trying to save lives. So, it is unacceptable for the speaker that these great patriots will be breaking sweat to get their entitlements. True to his words, Gbajabiamila-led House of Representatives summoned the Minister of Finance, Mrs Zainab Ahmed to appear before the House to speak to grievances of the doctors. In the same order, the speaker also waded in when legislative aides who were reportedly owed wages protest non-payment of their entitlements. The distraught legislative aides accused the Clerk to the National Assembly (CNA), Olatunde Ojo, of failure to pay their salary arrears dating back to 2019 and the non-implementation of Consolidated Legislative Salary Structure (CONLESS). Other grievances include non-payment of minimum wage, duty tour allowance and lack of training and conditions of service. In his compassionate remarks, the speaker who was moved by the plight of the legislative aides said, “I believe that every labourer should be paid his wages. We are looking into it. While These things can be protracted, not paying wages of 2019 is inexcusable. I will just ask that you be patient. We plead for your understanding. We know there are financial constraints but one thing I know is that this will be resolved amicably and your arrears will be paid. We appreciate you for bringing these demands

to our attention and we will attend to them accordingly”. These gestures are the latest in the series of sustained interventions on crises that could threaten the overall wellbeing of Nigerians. On more than a few occasions, the speaker had to enlist himself as peace envoy both locally and outside Nigeria. When Nigerian traders in Ghana were facing existential threats occasioned by the draconian trade policy of the country, Gbajabiamila rose to the occasion. He stormed the Villa for President Muhammadu Buhari’s permission to engage the Ghanaian authorities on the controversial trade policy. Thereafter, he flew to the neighbouring country and spoke frankly with the authorities. Frayed nerves were calmed and a looming diplomatic row was averted by the timely action of the speaker. What of when the hazard allowances of health workers who were battling COVID-19 pandemic hung in the balance? He spoke out in defence of the essential workers and got the federal government to act on their legitimate demands. During the lockdown, he advocated for free two-months electricity for hapless Nigerians who had been devastated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Gbaja led by example by mobilizing his fellow lawmakers in the Green Chamber to donate for the course of the poor. So far, Gbajabiamila has proven that elected officials can truly be accountable and responsive to the yearnings of the electors. He has to a large extent restored the confidence of Nigerians in public stewardship.

T H I S D AY • WEDNESDAY, APRIL 21, 2021

EDITORIAL THE ISA PANTAMI CONTROVERSY The Pantami incident is a serious indictment on screening of public officers

hen in July 2019, President Muhammadu Buhari sent to the Senate his nominees for the Executive Council of the Federation, there were expectations that their confirmation hearing would be conducted in an open, transparent and solemn manner; as these ladies and gentlemen will be members of the highest policy and decision making council of the government. Sadly, it turned out to be another disgraceful outing. The Senate deliberately and casually abdicated its responsibilities to Nigerians by either asking most nominees to ‘bow and go’ or pass with light routine and superficial interrogation. As we said at the time, the lack of rigour by the Senate had raised questions that were likely to burden some of the new ministers. Even worse, as we also wrote, “the security agencies that cleared some of these nominees for the president may have an enduring difficulty in proving their political neutrality and professional DID THE DSS integrity.” The conDELIBERATELY troversy surrounding OVERLOOK THE SECURITY the Minister of BACKGROUND OF Communications and Digital Economy, PANTAMI OR WAS IT THAT THEY SUBMITTED A Isa Pantami has conclusively proved REPORT TO THE SENATE that point. The basic AND IT WAS IGNORED? aim of screening nominees for such appointments is to verify the background of the person in question and to ensure that they do not pose any security threat to the country. Also, the screening is to check the academic background and vet them for character, which would then include their positions on critical issues. The Department of State Services (DSS) is empowered to conduct this exercise under the law titled, “Instrument Number One, an amended version of the National Security Agencies Decree of 1986, Cap 278, Law of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Section 2, Sub-Section 3”.

Letters to the Editor

This very act was amended in the twilight of the General Abdulsami Abubakar administration with a view to strengthening the national security requirement of any prospective public ofﬁce appointee. By this amendment, one of the requirements of the Senate before calling any nominee for conﬁrmation is a security report emanating from the DSS. For instance, one of the reasons why the former acting chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Ibrahim Mustapha Magu was not cleared by the Eighth Senate under Senator Abubakar Bukola Saraki was due to the damning security report presented against him. Unfortunately, there are serious doubts about the integrity of the whole security clearance which many now see as no more than an elaborate charade.

F 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

ollowing the circulation of video and audio clips from some of his past sermons which were supportive of extremist sects like AlQaeda and Taliban and sympathetic to Boko Haram insurgents who have in the past 12 years killed thousands of Nigerians and rendered millions homeless, Pantami has had to recant. “Some of the comments I made some years ago that are generating controversies now were based on my understanding of religious issues at the time, and I have changed several positions taken in the past based on new evidence and maturity,” he said. We admire the candour of Pantami. Others in his position would obfuscate by denying or claiming that the videos were faked. He admitted making the statements and that his views have since changed. We also concede that people do change their positions on issues. But this is a serious national security issue. The big question begging for answer is, did the DSS deliberately overlook the security background of Pantami or was it that they submitted a report to the Senate and it was ignored? How can someone with such a serious security background be screened and conﬁrmed as a Minister without some level of compromise? On Pantami, President Buhari now has a decision to make. Whatever he decides would be seen as his position on terrorism, not only in Nigeria but globally.

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.

WHY PANTAMI SHOULD RESIGN NOW

errorism is as old as man. All through the ages man has always had the unbridled quest for domination and control through any available means no matter how obnoxious and repugnant. The invincibility of the United States who became a global power in 1945 after the Second World War was broken through the September 11, 2001 attack on her World Trade Centre in New York which led to the loss of thousands of lives. The reign of terror spread to London in 2004 when the famous Underground train station was bombed. Our own erudite Professor Pat Utomi narrowly escaped the cold hands of death in the blast. The advent of Boko Haram in 2002 and its militant approach in 2009 has brought terrorism closer to the doorsteps of Nigerians. Every day the press regales us with suicide bombings making mincemeat of a former assertion that we were once the happiest people on earth. To be associated with terrorism is worse than a mortal sin even if it is a mere joke. Ask Prince Harry who faced public opprobrium when he once wore a Swastika on Halloween day. A national newspaper first blew a story on April 11 that the Minister for Communication and Digital Economy, Dr. Isa Pantami was a terrorist sympathizer. The paper credited

“Western Intelligence” with linking Pantami with Al-Qaeda leaders and paying glowing tributes to them in YouTube videos. It also cited “Middle Eastern Intelligence” sources that photos of Pantami and his jihadist allies are trending. Other media dug up old videos which showed some amount of sympathy to international terrorist groups. Such headlines such as “We are all happy whenever unbelievers are being killed”; “I support terrorist groups like Taliban, AlQaeda, not Boko Haram”; as well as “Boko Haram terrorists are our Muslim brothers, shouldn’t be killed like pigs,” were credited to Mr Pantami. Some Twitter influencers took to the micro blogging site to create a hashtag #ResignIsaPantami. Pantami bowing to public pressure said that he once had extremist views in his youth but had ‘repented’. Some of his supporters opined that the reason for his persecution is because he stepped on some powerful toes in the current NIN registration as sim cards were not sold for some months leading to massive loss of revenue by the telecommunications companies. A counter thread was created on Twitter opposing the call for him to resign. Terrorism is a grave issue and there should be zero tolerance for its sympathizers. The critical question to ask is, how come Pantami made it to the Buhari cabinet when

the Department for State Services (DSS) is saddled with the onerous responsibility of screening potential ministers and other political appointees through rigorous security checks? Terrorism has cost the loss of millions of lives and millions more have been greatly set back by becoming refugees and internally displaced persons. His admission of guilt at uttering those reprehensible statements should make President Muhammadu Buhari show him the door. In sane countries, he would have resigned after his guilt admission for the DSS to conduct unbiased investigations. But alas we are unfortunate to be domiciled in a state where the theatre of the absurd reigns supreme! Nigerians who fought with their blood for this joke of a democracy shouldn’t give up in their cry for Pantami to be forced to resign. The DSS will be biased in investigating him while he is still a minister. If former Minister of Finance Kemi Adeosun could resign, then Pantami should not be spared. What is sauce for the goose should be sauce for the gander! Public office holders should be mindful of their statements in public and private. I join my countrymen in the loud cry that #Pantamimustresign! Tony Ademiluyi, co-founder, The Vent Republic Media, Lagos

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T H I S D AY ˾ WEDNESDAY APRIL 21, 2021

MIDWEEKPOLITICS

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

‘The South-east Needs Unity, Consensus to Produce Next President in 2023’

The jostle by the geo-political zones over which zone would produce the next President in 2023 is underway. In this encounter with Ugo Aliogo, Ebonyi State Commissioner for Information, Mr. Uchenna Orji insists that the South-east geo-political zone must be united and rally behind a consensus candidate to produce the next president

n the past, politicians from the South-east have been blamed for putting their personal ambitions far and above the interest of the zone when it came to jostling for the presidency. This was documented in the number of aspirants who usually indicated interest from the zone. Although Ebonyi State Commissioner for Information, Barr. Uchenna Orji says nothing is wrong in that he acknowledged that in a democratic setting especially in a republic such as Nigeria, you don’t rule out the possibility of multi-interests for any particular position. He explained that “It is not an aberration that in the South-east there are many people contesting for one position, that is the presidency. What is important is that, at this point in our history as a people, we need to look back and see what we have suffered and be sincere to ourselves that the next president of this country should be someone who will unite the country.” Calling on the ruling class to insist on choosing someone with established pedigree to lead the country in the next dispensation, Orji stated that “We need someone who has the capacity and competence to lead us to the desired destination. We need someone who will look at our ethnic comparative advantage and see how to build on it to enable our nation to move on in prosperity, as an egalitarian society. We want a situation whereby whoever is going to emerge should be able to tackle the issue of security and know fundamentally what the problem .” He called on stakeholders to settle for someone who will be able to solve economic problems such as unemployment, adding that it is only when that is done, that we can be sure that the future as a people will be bright. Orji pointed out that during the process of looking for the right one, many people may come and boast, making it diificult to know the best candidate. He profeered that stakeholders need to look at the antecedent and track record of people before they contest for this much-sort after position of the presidency. “I think without fear or favour, we should look at those persons that have made a mark as leaders in their own time. It is the only way to go,” he insisted. Speaking on the groundswell of support that followed Governor Dave Umahi’s defection from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC), Orji said in Ebonyi State, the people speak only one language that is to support the governor. He insisted that wherever he goes “we shall go and his people shall be our people.” He explained that the groundswell of support is underpinned by the realization that the governor is doing justifiably well. He added that “the APC, the stakeholders in the 13 Local Government Areas (LGA) are with the governor. APC in Ebonyi State is very strong and viral, the party will make it 100% in 2023, and APC in Ebonyi state has no rival.” He dismissed the pockets of protest and opposition to the governor as mere rantings of flies. According to him “The only rivals that we have are a few people some of whom are already expiring as politicians; some of these politicians have no track record of performance, those are the people that decided to single themselves out and stay like Lords of the manor in their own kingdoms.” He said those seemingly opposing the governor nurse the idea that now that they are lords of their own kingdoms, they will have opportunities of having automatic tickets in the PDP. Orji however remarked that these same politicians have a a day of reckoning ahead of them because the people of Ebonyi have resolved that after getting their automatic ticket in PDP, that they are coming home to face them and “they will chase them away with their votes, which is the mandate of the people of Ebonyi State.” He predicted doom for PDP in Ebonyi State, stressing that “from what they are doing, they have signalled that there is no vacancy. So all the

Umahi

Orji

supporters of the so-called National Assembly members are going to be disillusioned, they are going to pull out because these people are going for the automatic tickets. “There is no vacancy for PDP in the governorship, Senate and House of Representatives positions because they already have automatic tickets. All these people following the PDP sheepishly will soon turn around and say now, we know that you are in PDP for your own aggrandizement. Those people you’re seeing in PDP are a gathering of strange bedfellows who will clash, because when they remember the issue of 2001 and 2003, that will lead to the history of 2021 and 2023, it is history repeating itself,” he recalled. Commending the governor for his selfless work for his people, Orji said,, “today, we have the biggest light tunnel that has not been built by any government in Africa, not yet commissioned. We also have 13 flyovers that will soon be completed yet to be commissioned. We have the Ecumenical Centre that looks like heaven on earth, we have 1,500 kilometre state-owned roads, (he did some of these roads in concrete pavement), yet to be commissioned. His thinking is that the cost of commissioning should be deployed to doing the project, in such ways, we will have more projects and the state will be developed.” Lamenting the destruction of lives and property by unknown gunmen in the state recently, Orji stated that “In the history of Ebonyi State, especially under the current democratic dispensation, there have been cases of violent clashes between communities especially intra and interstate boundary disputes.” He explained that the governor swung into action when he came on board in 2015, “there was the perennial Eziulu- Ezza crisis that was going to be a national concern. The governor with his skills in negotiation had to take the

bull by the horn by determining the issue and ensuring permanent resolution.” He disclosed that the governor went further to create permanent boundary demarcation and the area has been in peace now. “Since the governor came on board, he has been opening up rural communities; the nooks and crannies have opened up and that has raised the consciousness of rural dwellers on issues of boundary and ownership of land. “You will recall that even before now, we have had unsolved boundary disputes between communities within and outside the state especially within Ebonyi and Enugu, Ebonyi and Abia, Ebonyi and Cross-River, Ebonyi and Benue States. The governor has been handling the situation in a way that lives will not be lost. Recently, we have had some pockets of violence despite how monumental these pockets of violence may be, we feel that the governor’s efforts so far have been very commendable,” he stated. Asked to comment on whether the recent spate of security challenges could be from within provoked by the governor’s decampment to the APC? Orji said “This is an issue that security agency need to unravel and that is where intelligence comes into play. As a responsible and responsive government, we don’t want to go into alleging what we are not sure of. But the truth of the matter is that when we were in PDP the situation was very quiet. But by the mention that we are defecting to the party of national colouration, then we are beginning to experience this. “So it appears somebody out there will allude it to the fact we joined APC that is to say the fact that some people are behind it. We have gotten no evidence, but what is important is that we need to look at the menace of social media. Security and intelligence group should be able to know the people behind it or persons who are

There is no vacancy for PDP in the governorship, Senate and House of Representatives positions because they already have automatic tickets. All these people following the PDP sheepishly will soon turn around and say now, we know that you are in PDP for your own aggrandizement. Those people you’re seeing in PDP are a gathering of strange bedfellows who will clash, because when they remember the issue of 2001 and 2003, that will lead to the history of 2021 and 2023, it is history repeating itself,” he recalled

peddling those social media lies and see how to get them to a round table to stop this because there are a lot to it and it is aimed at provoking and inciting the people. We don’t know where all these are coming from, but I think that with time all these will be unraveled,” he stated. The Commissioner acknowledged that although there was a recent security challenge, the governor remains highly focused and cannot be distracted. “I say this without any fear of equivocation. All our projects are going on, if you enter the streets of Ebonyi State, you will realise that everywhere is quiet, except these isolated places that are being handled in such a way that very soon normalcy will return in those places otherwise, Ebonyi state is fine. But it is only the flashpoints that are boiling, but very soon, given the efforts of government in bringing security especially by engaging the stakeholders, all these will be a thing of the past. But if you go into Ebonyi state, you will not see much negative impact of the situation as it were,” Orji pointed out. Orji praised the governor for deploying the issue of engagement with stakeholders and security agencies alongside sensitisation processes to ensure that the people understood the need to live together, despite what may be their differences. He expressed the optimism that in no distant time, the governor’s efforts in all of these will resolve the problem. He named the Effiong-Ezza crisis, Abomege crisis, and Enyibuchiri which at the moment are about land demarcation as among the crises areas that have been settled and peace is gradually returning. On the issue of herdsmen carnage in communities within the South-east which is a source of concern, Orji maintained that the government is doing a lot to ensure that there is no reoccurrence of violent attacks on the people of Ebonyi state and it is to be done through investigation, tracking, and cracking down of criminal cartels. He disclosed that plans are underway to engage with the leadership of Myetti-Allah to ensure that perpetrators are brought to book. On insinuations in the social media that the President endorsed the recent attacks on some communities in Ebonyi by fulani militia, Orji said Umahi will be the last person to promote anything against the unity of the country. He stressed that the governor has been very emphatic and continuously spoke on the need for people to live together, regardless of where they are coming from. He clarified that despite what is shared on social media, every stranger including herdsmen’ have the confidence to stay in the state. “We have a cordial relationship with every stranger living in our state, even the herdsmen. Even in the case of herdsmen, we have a committee at the local government level, set up by the state government and aimed at ensuring peaceful coexistence and resolving matters and problems when they come. We have also integrated some of the herders into the governance structure. Some of them are technical assistance on herdsmen matters, others have been given vehicles to see how they can be helping us coordinating and monitoring farmers’ and activities of herdsmen within the state. “We feel strongly that the people who are doing these things are not good citizens, therefore the herdsmen who are good citizens are in Ebonyi state and doing their legitimate business without any hindrance or embarrassment from the people of the state. We do know also that our people are in the North and West, so we must preach peaceful co-existence, and let me say that the people that are doing all of these things are criminals. I want to say that intelligence gathering is ongoing to unravel the masterminds of these criminal elements, some of whom are natives and non-natives,” he affirmed. NOTE: Interested readers should continue in the online edition on www.thisdaylive.com

T H I S D AY ˾ WEDNESDAY APRIL 21, 2021

POLITICS

Approaching Anambra Gov’ship Contest with Victory Mentality

GOVERNANCE IN PHOTOS

The Senator representing Anambra South in the Senate, Senator Ifeanyi Ubah is taking a shot at the Anambra governorship seat, reports David-Chyddy Eleke

Ubah

il mogul and lawmaker, Senator Ifeanyi Ubah won his seat in the Red Chamber of the National Assembly in 2019, on the platform of the Young Progressives Party (YPP). He is a first timer in the Senate, but is shinning bright with motions and bills to his credit, to the level of being referred to as the Prince of the Senate in a very short while. Ubah will in November this year be slugging it out with governorship candidates of other political parties in the Anambra State. Already, there are over 40 aspirants currently jostling for the Anambra governorship seat from various political parties, all of which are waiting for the primary elections of their political parties to know if they will proceed with their contest or not. But one man who one can surely predict without fear of failure that he would be the candidate of his political party is Senator Ifeanyi Ubah. Before now, there had been rumours that Ubah after using the platform of the YPP to ascend to the Senate may dump it for a better known political party to actualize his governorship ambition, but so far, events have shown that the Prince of the Senate as he is recently known is not in a hurry to leave the YPP, rather, he intends to actualize his governorship ambition on its platform. Many political analyst have stated that Ubah, coming from a minority party in Anambra is approaching the contest with an assurance of victory, something that is known to be rare in Anambra. Most analyst who try to espouse on the chances of the parties in the state have most times listed only the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the ruling All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) and the All Progressives Congress (APC) as the dominant political parties in the state, giving Ubah’s YPP no chance at all. As much as many acknowledge that Ubah is a force to reckon with, they have always added that he is running on a less known party, fueling the belief that Ubah may dump the YPP for a more known political party when the proper contest begins. But as the elections draw close, he has remained steadfast in the YPP to the point of dismissing rumours of his jumping ship. Recently, rumours that Ubah was negotiating to join the APC flooded the media, but reacting on behalf of the senator, his Media Aide, Chuks Kamen insisted that the rumours was unfounded. He said in a press release, “My attention has been drawn to the news making the rounds that the Distinguished Senator Dr Patrick Ifeanyi Ubah, who is the National Leader of Young Progressives Party,

has defected from YPP and pitched tent with All Progressives Party (APC). I would have laughed this off for what it is , which is the usual pranks of a frightened opposition that is almost running out of fresh ideas, having tried several evil plots , propaganda and hatchet stories, all deliberately planted in the hope that it will reduce or whittle down the massive appeal that the Distingushed Senator currently commands in the State. “Unfortunately we have received several calls from our friends, political allies and well wishers all trying to find out the veracity or otherwise of the story hence this rebuttal. I wish to categorically state, that the Distingushed Senator, Dr Ifeanyi Ubah is the National leader of Young Progressives Party (YPP) and has no intention whatsoever of leaving the party for any other platform . YPP is the next vehicle that Ndi Anambra have zeroed in on, and Senator Dr Patrick Ifeanyi Ubah is the driver of that incoming status quo change, poised to trigger the economic revival of Anambra.” In the release, Ubah claimed that he had rejected the ticket of the APC two months to the 2019 Senatorial election, and settled for a then little known YPP and still won the Senate election with a landslide. He called on his teeming supporters to disregard the latest attempt by an obviously frightened opposition to trigger confusion amongst his supporters, saying that he remains in the YPP, and that his membership of the party was sacrosanct and unshakeable as the party remains the vehicle for the emancipation of Anambra. A number of factors have however positioned themselves to work for Ubah, irrespective of which platform he chooses to actualise his political ambition. Ubah has over the years built a well oiled political structure in Anambra which is mostly populated by young people whose life he has touched. There is no doubt that Ubah’s philanthropy in the state has remained unequalled, and this is strongly linked to his political structure, which is named - Afa Igbo Efuna, Igbo words which means ‘let the Igbo name not go into extinction’. Ubah ranks as one of the aspirant for the governorship seat of Anambra State who has a cultlike following from young people and women, all of whom are ready to swim and sink with him. Another of Ubah’s selling point is his performance in the Senate and the ability to touch lives. Within two years in the Senate, Ubah has moved from just moving quality motions and sponsoring bills that will impact on the people to executing serious projects, not only within his Anambra South senatorial zone, which is known to be the largest senatorial zone in the state, but beyond as his projects can be seen in all parts of the state. His projects include roads, Bridges and other infrastructural projects, which he has embarked upon for the public and sometimes for institutions. Besides all other advantages, Ubah is feared by many for his deep pocket. In 2019 when Ubah ran for the Senate seat in YPP against many known names and political parties, chief among was Senator Andy Uba of APC, Chief Chris Uba of PDP and Evang Nicholas Ukachukwu of APGA, he showed his might, and has steadily stated in many fora that the will to finance his governorship aspiration was no problem of his. Though Ubah has a challenger; Chief Emma Nkwocha in the YPP, where he will expectedly vie for the ticket of the party, it is already clear that Ubah remains the only aspirant who for now is sure of the ticket of his party for the election. As the election which is slated for November draws close, Ubah has also started to mobilize for the election, giving members of the party the hope that victory is assured for him.

From left- Former President Chief Olusegun Obasanjo; Osun State Governor, Mr. Adegboyega Oyetola and his wife, Kafayat, during a courtesy visit to the Governor, at the Government House Osogbo

Speaker, House of Representatives, Rep. Femi Gbajabiamila (2nd left) led Deputy Speaker Ahmed Idris Wase, Majority Leader Alhassan Ado-Doguwa and lawmakers to pay their last respect to late Rep. Ossy Prestige after a valedictory session in his honour at plenary

L-R: Wife of the former Chief of Defence Staﬀ, Dr (Mrs) Omobolanle Olonisakin; former Chief of Defence Staﬀ, General Abayomi Olonisakin (rtd); and Ekiti State Governor, Dr Kayode Fayemi; during a State Reception in honour of the former CDS in Ado-Ekiti

From Left: Chairman, House Committee on Diaspora, Rep. Tolulope Shadipe Akande; Chairman, House Committee On Foreign Aﬀairs, Rep. Yusuf Yakub; Speaker, House of Representatives, Rep. Femi Gbajabiamila; and Chairman, Senate Committee on Foreign Aﬀairs, Sen. Muhammed Bulkachuwa during the opening of a three-day Conference on the Review of Nigeria’s Foreign Policy at the NIA headquarters, Abuja

T H I S D AY ˾ Ͱͯ˜ ͰͮͰͯ

FEATURES

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

Analysing Ethnicity, Ethnic Crises in Nigeria and its Management Given the increasing cases of ethnic crisis across geopolitical zones and states in Nigeria, the Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Group in collaboration with the Friedrich Ebert Stiftung and the European Union recently held a multi-stakeholders' consultative forum on peace and security challenges in Nigeria themed "Ethnicity, Ethnic Crisis and National Security: Implications and Consequences". Chiemelie Ezeobi reports

Cross section of participants at the stakeholders consultative forum on peace and security in Nigeria

igeria has over 400 ethnic groups, which ordinarily should amplify its rich culture but the reverse seems to be the case. These groups are broken down between religious, languages, and tribal lines. These divisions existed ever since but were further broken down at independence to a multi-ethnic nation state. With the divisions, the nation has been battling with the problem of ethnicity on the one hand, and the problem of ethnoreligious conflicts on the other, as has been witnessed severally when ethnicity and religious intolerance lead to ethno-religious conflicts. According to historians, it was these conflicts that gave birth to many ethnic groups like the O' dua People Congress (OPC), Bakassi Boys, Egbesu Boys, Ijaw Youth Congress (IYC), Igbo People Congress (IPC), Arewa Peoples Congress (APC), and Movement for the Actualisation of the Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB). Since independence, Nigeria has experienced an avalanche of ethno religious conflicts that resulted in loss of lives and unquantifiable damages on properties. No doubt, the violent nature of ethno-religious conflicts, which often take the form of riots, sabotage, assassination, armed struggles, guerilla warfare and secession in Nigeria, have implications on the political and economic development of the nation. Ethnic Conﬂict According to reports, ethnic conflict is an issue that, particularly during the last decade or so, has crept to the forefront of international political debate. According to Stremlau (1999-03-26:1), "polarisation between ethnic groups and resulting conflict between them as they compete for resources, political and economic power and other goals, has spawned negative consequences of tremendous proportions, of which genocide, ethnic cleansing and civil war are but a few examples, have caused several loss of lives, livelihoods, displacements as well as properties". Causes Ethnic conflicts in Nigeria and Africa in

general arise as result of scarcity of political resources, multi-culturalism, religion, militarisation of ethnicity among others. These conflicts cannot be ignored as they are most times often initiated by people who benefit from control of state resources and power which are the bases of their patronage networks, thus they seek to instigate violent ethnic conflict. They often get away with this because of the high rate of unemployment, illiteracy, marginalisation and an unequal distribution of the national wealth in their areas dominated by their ethnic groups. Consequences Undoubtedly, the consequences of such ethno-crises have been far reaching. According to paper on Ethnic Conflict in Nigeria: Causes and Consequences by Ali Usman and Yahaya Garba of the Department of Public Administration, Taraba State University, "the consequences of ethnic conflict on women, aged and children had the most damaging impact, thousands of women, the aged and children have been compel to desert their homes and seek refuge in neighboring villages, towns and countries due to the ethnic conflict, they are internally displaced persons (IDPs) in their own country". The paper which was found on International Journal of Scientific Research in Multidisciplinary Studies further posited that "violence against women, the aged and children is devastating which include emotional and physical injuries, rape as a traumatic injury, sexually transmitted diseases, maternal mortality, unwanted pregnancy, unsafe abortion and the use of child soldiers’ to fight in ethnic conflict. "Ethnic conflict have affected the government and the people generally and have resulted to political and economic instability, weakened patriotism, breed suspicion, lack of trust and true relationship among different ethnic groups in the country, it is believed that responsive and responsible government would restore confidence among the population and promote de-Ethnicsation policy among the competing ethnic groups in Nigeria".

Recent Wave in Nigeria In Nigeria, and the recent wave ethnocrises have become alarming as it has become a daily routine across practically across all geopolitical zones and states. Aside the raging war between farmers and herdsmen, with the former bearing the brunt of the menace, gunmen recently attacked the Police Headquarters in Imo State, set several vehicles ablaze, and executed a jailbreak at the Nigerian Correctional Service (NCoS) facility in the state capital, Owerri, where over 1,800 inmates escaped. In Anambra, they attacked the Police Zonal Headquarters at Ukpo and killed two policemen while setting a found in the compound. In Ebonyi State, over 18 people were killed in an ethnic clash between locals and armed herdsmen. Same was also witnessed in Enugu State. In Shasha in Oyo State, an ethnic war followed the killing of a cobbler by a cart pusher that escalated to Ibarapa and some other parts of the state, leaving many people dead and properties destroyed. In Ogun State, AK47-wielding herdsmen sacked remote agrarian villages in Yewa North and Imeko Afon Local Government Areas (LGAs) such that surviving locals were reported to have fled to neighbouring Benin Republic. Practically across states in the South, bandits and and terrorists masquerading as herdsmen have resorted to raping, killing and kidnapping natives with reckless abandon without recourse to justice. Also in some Northern states, these armed brigands have carried out mass kidnapping for ransom and cold blood murder of school pupils, travelers and anyone. Stakeholders Forum It was in a bid to address these that the Civil Society Legislative and Advocacy Centre (CISLAC) in collaboration with Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung (FES) Nigeria with support from the European Union recently held a stakeholders consultative forum on Peace and Security Challenges in Nigeria. Themed "Ethnicity, Ethnic Crises and National Security: Casual Analysis and Management Strategies", the stakeholders drawn from both military, lawmakers,

security and paramilitary organisations, as well as civil societies, tackled the causes of such ethnic crisis which is presently breeding security challenges across the country and in essence threatening the corporate existence of Nigeria. Essentially, the stakeholders advocated for dialogue of all ethnic nationalities and inclusiveness if the issues are to be addressed holistically. Objectives According to the organisers, the objective of the forum was to cross fertilise ideas, analyse gaps and the threats of separatists’ agitation across the country and its implication on national security and develop a policy recommendation; raise awareness on implication of ethnic champions and its threats to national security; and enhance cooperation and collaboration between state and non-state actor as a collective response to unism. Deﬁnitive Constitution In his speech, Executive Director CISLAC, Auwal Ibrahim Musa (Rafsanjani) said there was need for a new constitution that defined rights and privileges of citizenship in terms of residency rather than nativism, ancestry and religious background, adding that the new constitution must devolve power over resource distribution and development from an all-powerful central government to local constituencies to enthrone economic justice and equity. In his opening remarks, he said: "This periodic event brings together key players within the security space to look critically and think of ways to resolve the ongoing fiasco on ethnicity and its implication on national security, which currently undermines human security in Nigeria and has largely become a threat to socio-economic and political culture of our co-existence. "Nigeria with over 300 ethnic groups, over 1000 dialects, practicing several religions, with different cultures and histories came under the British imperialist in the 19th century. With the 1st of January, 1914 amalgamation of Southern and Northern Protectorate the foundation of a nation now called Nigeria was laid. Nigeria is now populated by over 200 million people

T H I S D AY ˾ APRIL 21, 2021

FEATURES

L-R: Assistant Inspector General of Police (AIG) Operations, Johnson Kokumo; representative of Defence Minister, Major General Benson Akinroluyo; Executive Direcror of CISLAC, Auwal Ibrahim Musa; and Chairman, House Committee on Army, Abdulrazak Namdas at the forum

and has adopted the federal system of government with 36 States and a Federal Capital Territory. "Mismanagement of national resources and misrule by multi ethnic and multireligious coalitions of successive rulers since independence have impoverished and denied opportunities to the majority of Nigerians. As a result, religious rhetoric blaming of members of other religious communities and proposals for religious reform as a solution to society's ills have found purchase among the masses. This genuine, if misplaced, quest for a religious utopia has given some opportunistic political gladiators an excuse to curry legitimacy through politicised appeals to piety and religious fervor. "Official graft needs to be tackled headlong, a new constitution that defines rights and privileges of citizenship in terms of residency rather than nativism, ancestry and religious background also needs to be crafted. This new constitution needs to devolve power over resource distribution and development from an all-powerful central government to local constituencies. "This will ensure economic justice and equity. It will also make central political power less attractive, less corrupt, and the contests over national political offices less contentious. The use of religious and ethnic appeals as tools of political mobilisation will become less attractive and it will find a diminished reception in a climate of justice, equitable resource distribution, and equal opportunities for all. "Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC), in collaboration with Friedrich Ebert Stiftung (FES) with the support from European Union (EU) has worked collectively to institutionalise a participatory system that is vibrant, robust and effective. One of the expected deliverables for today would be to equip participants with sound understanding on how to mitigate ethnic gaps within the security framework, processes, practices and spending. "Ethnic champions have now arrogated to themselves powers to issue quit notices. This is very unhealthy, dangerous and a big threat to national security. urge all of us in this room this morning to come up with knowledge based solutions that can support the recovery from what is considered a bad case. We must do something to rescue this country and corridor it from those misery vendors and merchants of death." Kinetic and Non-kinetic Approaches In his remarks, Defence Minister, Major General Bashir Magashi (rtd), highlighted some of the issues causing further division among the people including absence of social justice, feelings of marginalisation and lack of equality. The minister who was represented by

Major General Benson Akinroluyo, advocated the use of kinetic and non-kinetic approaches in addressing the issues, noting that force alone would not yield positive result, just as he called for dialogue, noting that the implications of separatist agitations and other forms of insecurity on Nigeria were enormous. According to the minister, there was no doubt the country was confronted with multiple security challenges that were affecting socio-economic wellbeing and threatening the survival of the nation state. He listed the implications to include under development, social tension, displacement of citizens, destruction of private and public property, disruption of means of livelihood and educational system. He said: "I am aware that this meeting is being organized in collaboration with the House Committee on Army and FriedrchEbert Stiftung (FES) Nigeria with support from the European Union to share ideas, proffer solutions and develop a policy recommendations on the threats by several separatist agitations across the country and its implication on national security. "In this regard, there is no doubt that Nigeria is confronted with multiple security challenges, notably the Boko Haram terrorists in the North-east and militancy in the Niger Delta, increasing violence between herders and farmers, banditry and kidnapping especially in the North-west and Central regions as well as separatist agitations for Biafra and now Oduduwa Republics in the South Eastern and Western parts of the country respectively. "The implications of these separatist agitations and other forms of insecurity on Nigeria are enormous. These include socio-economic implications such as under development, social tension, displacement of citizens, destruction of private and public property, disruption of means of livelihood and educational system. Others are fanning the embers of disunity, overstretching of security agencies and loss of lives. Therefore, the combination of the above implications is continuous cycle of insecurity that has led to heighten tension and violence that is capable of affecting the survival and corporate existence of the country. "The Armed Forces of Nigeria and other security agencies who are constitutionally saddled with the responsibility of protecting the territorial integrity of Nigeria as well as maintaining law and order have continued to confront these challenges through both kinetic and non kinetic instruments. "Specifically, Sections 217 - 220 of the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (1999) charged the Armed Forces with the primary role of defending Nigeria from external ggression and maintaining its territorial integrity as well as securing is borders from violation on land, sea and air. The Constitution passes the Armed

Forces the secondary role of suppressing insurrection and act in aid of civil authorities to restore law and order when called upon to do so by the President. This secondary role provides the basis operations in the country. "However, it is worth noting that the efforts of the Armed Forces and other security agencies using kinetic means alone may not bring the peace and security we all desire in the country. Kinetic and non kinetic measures must be applied to complement each other. "The non- kinetic measures could take the form of addressing all the major causes of insecurity and discontent through genuine dialogue, economic empowerment, good governance, provision of employment and social infrastructure. Other non-kinetic means include fighting corruption, extreme poverty, hunger and maladministration, provision of equal opportunities to all citizens as well as addressing perceived to the current multi-dimensional security challenges facing our nation. " The timing of this meeting is very apt as it is coming at a time when some of these security challenges are posing serious threats to the corporate existence of our country will assist appropriate authority to address all forms of insecurity implementabir solutions that would engender effective policies towards addressing the myriad of security challenges facing Nigeria today." A Lawmaker's View In his remarks, Chairman, House Committee on Army, Hon. Abdulrazak Sa'ad Namdas, who also doubles as Chairman, Technical Working Group on Protection of Civilian and Civilian Harm Mitigation in Armed Conflict, decried that tribalism has been elevated to dominate national discourse, control how people think, talk and determines who they oppose or support. He said: "It is promoted by the political elites, embraced by the young and the old, passed from generation to generation, and even has base in the constitution. This explains the assumption that conflicts in Nigeria is motivated by ethnic competition Nigerians must ask, "How did we get here, what and who are responsible'? "Why are other countries (India, Indonesia, Brazil, United States, Switzerland, Belgium, China, etc.) which are as diverse as Nigeria not half as obsessed with their diversity? The ethnic diversity of Nigeria has more or less been a threat rather than a source of national pride and development as countries above have experienced. Why? "Ethnic tensions are boiling over. At the centre of it all are herdsmen who for as long as anyone can remember have roamed the country grazing their cattle. Even as a little boy, growing up in my community in Adamawa, I recall coming across the harmless looking herders who usually

only had a stick slung languidly across their shoulders. "These days, a new generation ply their trade caressing AK47 rifles to ward off threats. Over the years the damage done to farmlands as they traversed the land became a flashpoint. Now, they are regularly accused of being involved in the booming kidnapping business. "It's hard to dismiss this accusation because of testimonies of countless victims on the Abuja-Kaduna Expressway and other parts of the country as to the ethnicity of their captors. Unfortunately, despite public outcry in many states, official response has never adequately addressed the problem. This is not the best time to succumb to sentiments. Refusing to address the issues at stake in an honest and unbiased way is the worse form of injustice. For instance, to suggest that what is happening is just a blind attack or ethnic profiling on any ethnic group is unhelpful. "Finally, the constant reference to tribal animosities and differences affects the youth's psyche and has created a pattern or legacy of hate and suspicion which the successive generation carries like a mantle. Ethnic and religious intolerance has exposed the nation to bizarre conflict experiences with loss of lives and properties, creating uncertainties in the polity. "Boko Haram insurgent group is a classic example of the outcome of a long stretch of ethnic distrust and rivalry. Nigeria must not go the way of Sudan, Central Africa Republic, Mali, Somalia, etc. Nigeria has a testimony of resilience and the fact that, even though there are so many distrust and suspicion, the people still believe in the indivisibility of the country." About CISLAC CISLAC is a non-governmental, non-profit legislative advocacy, information sharing and research organization in Nigeria. CISLAC works towards bridging the gap between the legislature and the electorate; by enhancing strategies; engagement of bills before their passage into law; manpower development for lawmakers, legislative aides, politicians and the civil society, as well as civic education on the tenets of democracy and Human Rights. About FES FES began to work in Nigeria in 1976. In 2002 the main office was moved from Lagos to Abuja but FES still maintains an office in Lagos. Throughout its presence in Nigeria, FES has collaborated with human rights and pro-democracy groups, the labour movement, researchers and many civil society organisations. The priority areas of FES Nigeria are: good Governance and Democracy Promotion; Trade Union Cooperation; and Nigeria’s Role in International Affairs.

WEDNESDAY APRIL 21, 2021 •T H I S D AY

T H I S D AY ˾ Ͱͯ˜ 2021

BUSINESSWORLD R A T E S MONEY MARKET OVERNIGHT OBB

A S

REPO 28.33 25

CALL 1-MONTH 3-MONTH

21.75 17 18

A T

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

A P R I L

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

522.34% -0.83% - 6.52%

1 6 ,

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

2 0 2 1

- 6.52% - 22.07%

EXCHANGE RATE N379/1US DOLLAR* ̩

Quick Takes Reward Scheme Beneﬁciaries Unveiled

WOOING INVESTORS

L-R: Director/Lead Issuing House, AVA Group, Adekunle Samson; Company Secretary, VFD Group Plc, Gbeminiyi Shoda; Chairman, Olatunde Busari (SAN); GMD/CEO, Nonso Okpala, and Managing Director, Kairos Capital, Sam Chidoka, during the signing ceremony of VFD Group Plc’s rights issue of 7,452,054, and private placement of 7,985,090 ordinary shares of 50 kobo each in Lagos… yesterday

Consumer Credit Hits N1.6tn in January Obinna Chima

ECONOMY

The value of consumer credit in the Nigerian economy fell by four per cent to N1.593 trillion in January 2021. The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) revealed this in its monthly economic report for January. It noted that at the aforementioned level, consumer credit constituted 8.2 per cent of credit to the core private sector, compared with 8.9 per cent in December 2020. It stated that the decrease in the ratio largely reflected the decline in personal loans and advances by other depository corporations. According to the report, a breakdown of consumer loans in January 2021, showed that

personal loans accounted for the largest share of 69.4 per cent, but represented a decline of 1.3 percentage points from the level in December 2020, while retail loans accounted for 30.6 per cent and rose by 1.3 percentage points. “Despite the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, bank customers demonstrated continued confidence in the banking system. “Accordingly, increased demand, savings, time and foreign currency deposits by bank customers led to the one per cent and 0.2 per cent growth in transferable and other deposits of the depository corporations, respectively, at end-January 2021,” it added.

Furthermore, it stated that currency outside depository corporations fell by 5.2 per cent, indicating an improvement in intermediation efficiency. “The modest growth in liabilities to other depository corporations which reflected the adequate liquidity in the banking system, solely, explained the rise in reserve money,” it added. The report noted that at N10.433 trillion, liabilities to other depository corporations grew by 2.3 per cent in January 2021, in contrast to a decline of 1.4 per cent in the corresponding period of 2020. Also, currency-in-circulation declined by 2.7 per cent, compared with 7.9 per cent at end-January 2020. Consequently, reserve money

grew by 1.2 per cent to N13.264 trillion in contrast to a decline of 3.2 per cent at the end of January 2020. The drivers of growth in reserve money were growth in net foreign assets, claims on other depository corporations, and claims on other sectors, which grew by 4.9 per cent, 3.2 per cent, and 0.2 per cent, respectively. In the month under review, crude oil spot prices, of all the crude streams, rose to an 11-month high, amid the announcement of a voluntary output cut of one million barrels per day (mbpd) by Saudi Arabia, which was expected to bring the oil market into deficit for most of 2021. “The monthly average spot Continued on page 24

‘Private Investments in Solar Power Will Cut Energy Bills’ Emmanuel Addeh in Abuja

ENERGY

The federal government has said that with the collaboration of the private sector in renewable energy sources across the country, the bills paid by Nigerians who deploy solar as an alternative would be significantly reduced. The Minister of State for Power, Mr. Goddy Jedy-Agba, who spoke when he inspected the 609 kilowatts peak (kWp) Jabi Lake Mall hybrid solar power plant in Abuja, built by Actis, a United Kingdom firm, advised Nigerians to embrace the off-grid option.

Jedy-Agba further called on investors to build more partnership with the Distribution Companies (Discos) who have the franchise so they can work together on similar projects to the benefit of all parties. “Actis is proving that one can cut down energy bills through this project and this should be replicated in other places. The solar hybrid project at Jabi Lake Mall is another example of Nigeria’s pioneering role in clean energy transition,” he stated.

The minister who recently inaugurated several such projects across the states, noted that he was impressed with the work done on the facility and encouraged Nigerians to borrow a leaf from the Mall. Speaking at the event, the Managing Director of the Rural Electrification Agency (REA), Mr. Ahmad Salihijo Ahmad, stated that as a key stakeholder in the renewable energy space, the REA supports such solar solutions. He described solar energy as clean, safe and reliable, noting that a lot was being done to make such sources of energy available

to power the Nigerian economy. Ahmad said the federal government through the REA was implementing the Energising Economies Initiative (EEI) to deploy clean renewable energy to thousands of businesses across markets, shopping centres and industrial facilities. According to the REA helmsman, closing the energy gap with renewable energy will automatically cut down on the cost of running businesses in Nigeria, which will ultimately improves the country’s business Continued on page 24

The first set of beneficiaries in Ecobank Nigeria’s Super Reward scheme has emerged. In all, 50 customers would receive N25, 000 each. According to a statement, the four-month reward scheme which will run till July this year, was launched in March this year. “50 customers are expected to be rewarded with cash prizes worth N25, 000 weekly, so a total of 200 customers have an opportunity to earn cash gifts monthly. “In addition, four customers will be paid N1 million each, at the end of the campaign,” it added. A breakdown of the list showed that the beneficiaries cut across various segments of the bank’s customer base. Announcing the winners, Head, Consumer Banking, Ecobank Nigeria, Korede Demola-Adeniyi, was quoted to have said the reward scheme was part of the bank’s reward strategy for its customers, urging customers to increase their banking activity to get rewarded. She observed that the spread of the beneficiaries across customer segment and geographical locations is an indication that the bank is accepted all over the country. She reiterated that participation is open to both new and existing individualcustomersofthebank,stressingthatthisistheperfecttime toopenanEcobankaccountorreactivateandfundadormantaccount to qualify for the reward and enjoy a first-rate banking experience. Ecobank had announced the super reward scheme last month. New customers are expected to open an account with a minimum of N5, 000 and maintain the deposit for a 30-day period; the same condition applies to existing customers, who only need to fund their active account with a minimum of N5, 000 or reactivate their dormant account with a minimum of N5,000 and maintain the deposit for a 30-day period.

UPDC Appoints Managing Director

The Board of Directors, UACN Property Development Company has announcedtheappointmentofMr.OdunayoOjoasManagingDirector. According to a statement, Ojo has over 20 years experience in the property development, assets management and housing industry, working in diﬀerent property companies across three continents. He has at various times worked with Eagle Hills, Abu Dhabi, Ocean & Oil Holdings (Oando) and most recently, as the Chief Executive Oﬃcer, Alaro City, Lagos, Nigeria. HeholdsaBachelorofSciencedegreeinRealEstatefromtheUniversity of Lagos, a Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree also from the University of Lagos’ Business School. He is a member of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors, UK, Nigerian Institution of Estate Surveyors & Valuers, Nigeria and International Facilities Management Association, USA. Ojo was announced as the Managing Director of UPDC resulting from the company’s strategy to reposition the Group.The statement also thanked Deborah Nicol—Omeruah for a good job in steering the company aright whilst she acted as the Managing Director.

Remita Enables UTME Registration

Remita, an electronic payment platform has commenced the sale of 2021 UniversalTertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) ePINs to prospective candidates seeking admission into tertiary institutions in Nigeria. This follows a recent announcement by the examination body, the Joint Admission and Matriculations Board (JAMB), of the sale of ePINs for UTME and Direct Entry registrations till May 15, 2021. Prospective candidates are to commence the process by registering theirNationalIdentificationNumber(NIN)bytypingtheword‘NIN’,then space, adding their 11-digit NIN and sending as an SMS to 55019, e.g (NIN00123456789).Theywouldreceivea10-characterconfirmation code on the telephone number that would be used to purchase their ePIN.They are to then proceed to the Remita website and click ‘Buy JAMBform’,select‘UTME’or‘DirectEntry’andinputtheirconfirmation code, registered phone number, and other necessary details. Candidatescanmakepaymentsusingtheirdebit/creditcard,internet banking, mobile wallet, USSD and others options. Once payment is completed, PIN is delivered to the candidate’s phone number and also displayed on their Remita receipt.

“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

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BUSINESSWORLD CONSUMER CREDIT HITS N1.6TN IN JANUARY price of Nigeria’s reference crude oil, the Bonny Light (32.9° API), rose by 8.7 per cent to $54.69 per barrel (pb) as at January 22, 2021, compared with $50.33pb in the preceding month, but declined by 18 per cent from the $66.69pb recorded in the corresponding period of 2020. “In addition, the UK Brent at $54.40pb, Forcados at $54.89pb, WTI at $52.94pb, and the OPEC Basket of thirteen selected crude streams at $54pb, exhibited a similar trend as the Bonny Light. “Traders expect that Saudi Arabia’s plan to voluntarily cut one million barrels per day of its output would bring the oil market into deficit for most part of the year 2021. “Other reasons for the rise in crude oil prices included: supply cuts from Iraq and Libya; a weaker US dollar (which made crude oil cheaper for holders of other currencies); and expectations of large stimulus package, by the Biden Administration in the US and other economies,” it added. ‘PRIVATE INVESTMENTS IN SOLAR POWER WILL CUT ENERGY BILLS’

survival index. “This project as well as others being sustained across the country by innovative private developers is in sync with the federal government’s renewable energy objective. “Energising clusters with high economic activities and potential enables us to achieve positive environmental and economic impact using renewable energy. The critical role reliable energy plays in the life of a business cannot be over-emphasised. “By closing the energy gap in the business landscape in Nigeria through the optimisation of renewable energy solutions, we automatically cut down on the cost of running a business in Nigeria, which ultimately improves our business survival index,” he stated. Actis Investment Principal, Mr Tolu Sokenu, in his comments, explained that Actis/Jabi Lake Holdings Limited, was marking the one year anniversary of the plant.

NEWS

Kwara Generates N9.6 Billion IGR in Q1 Hammed Shittu in Ilorin The Kwara State Internal Revenue Service (KW-IRS) yesterday disclosed that it has raked in a total of N9.5 billion in the first quarter of 2021, out of the N29 billion target it had set for the year Speaking at an interactive session with journalists in Ilorin, the Executive Chairman of the agency, Mrs. Shade Omoniyi, said the achievement recorded was due to adoption of technology and steady blockage of leakages within the tax administration system. According to her, “The increase in the revenue generated under review remain its figure highest ever collected by the agency without any extraordinary item at any quarter since its founding in 2016.” She said, “The first quarter collections show steady and significant growth, monthon-month as indicated below: January- N2, 984,312,074.60; February - N3,058,746,474.21; March - N3,555,446,391.09; totaling N9,598 billion “This feat of KW-IRS in Q1, 2021 was a great improvement over the N6, 227,099,973.42 raked in, in the last quarter of 2020. It is a reflection of the relentless efforts of the Service in bringing seamlessness to Tax Administration through automation and introduction of online payment platforms to ease payment of all taxes.”

Omoniyi also explained that the drop in revenue in 2020 was expected because of the COVID-19 restrictions, Kwara’s uncompromising adherence to tax break and waivers for businesses during the period, and the fact of its operations being majorly manual as at last year. She said the hugely manual nature of its operations as of last year meant that its staff were unable to move around to collect taxes as COVID-19 hit harder. Omoniyi said the feat was

recorded without any new raise in the tax rate, even as the agency made deliberate steps to tackle multiple taxation. She stated that, “Kwara State Internal Revenue Service (KWIRS) since inception has operated a manual tax administration system. “This means assessment and collection of relevant taxes payable to the State Government from both KW-IRS and other MDAs are on contact basis. “Despite this, the Service has

recorded steady IGR growth over the years. Upon its assumption of office in October 2019, the Service’s new management began working tirelessly to sustain this momentum. These efforts culminated in the IGR growth from N23billion as at 30thSeptember to N30.7billion as at the end of the year, 2019”. Omoniyi opined further that, “the Service did not rest on its oars as various revenue and cost-cutting

initiatives were immediately implemented to shore up the State IGR while it worked assiduously to automate its revenue and tax administration processes. “The various revenue leakage blockages paid off when in quarter one of 2020, the service generated N7 billion. However, with the spread of the coronavirus and subsequent lockdown of the state by the government towards the end of March and up until May, the State IGR plummeted to N2 billion.

FACILITYTOUR

L-R:NasarawaStateGovernor,AbdullahiSule;Chairman,DangoteGroup,AlhajiAlikoDangote;MinisterofTrade,IndustryandInvestment,NiyiAdebayo; CBNGovernor,GodwinEmefiele,andExecutiveSecretary,NationalSugarDevelopmentCouncil,Mr.ZacchAdedeji, duringafacilitytourofDangoteSugar RefineryandSugarcaneFarm,inAwe,NasarawaState…recently

Report: Africa Recorded $5bn Capital Flight in Q1 2020 Dike Onwuamaeze The African Trade Finance Report (ATFR) has revealed that Africa suffered more than $5 billion capital flight in the first quarter of 2020, due to the impact of COVID-19 pandemic disease. A statement from Afreximbank on Monday, stated that the ATFR, was commissioned by the African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank), in collaboration with the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA), the African Development Bank and the Making Finance Work for Africa Partnership, to provide a better understanding of the trade finance landscape across Africa

and how it has evolved during the COVID-19 pandemic. The President of the Afreximbank, Professor Benedict Oramah, attributed the capital flight to the tightening of global financial conditions. Oramah said: “The tightening of global financial conditions triggered massive capital outflows from Africa, exceeding $5 billion in the first quarter of 2020. “These massive capital outflows strained African banks, many of which recorded sharp drops in their net foreign assets. This further exacerbated liquidity constraints and undermined the capacity of banks to finance African trade.”

It noted that the tightening of financing conditions heightened balance of payment pressures and liquidity constraints, which affected the supply of trade finance between January and April 2020, the period covered by the survey. According to the report, the number of correspondent banking relationships fell across the region, and the rejection of L/C requests increased, with about 38 per cent of local/privately-owned banks and 30 per cent of foreign banks reporting an increase in rejection rates, respectively. The report highlighted the role trade finance could play in overcoming the social and economic fallout of the COVID-19

pandemic to quicken the process of economic recovery through trade and investment growth. It also pointed out that African trade amounted to $1,077 billion but that banks intermediate $417 billion of this, approximately 40 per cent, whilst the global average is 80 per cent. The report recommended greater engagement between central banks and industry, increased digitalisation and take up of technologies as well as better data that would help better understand and price risk. The Senior Vice Chairman for Africa at Standard Chartered, Ms. Bola Adesola, stressed during the launch of the report, the need to increase businesses on the

continent in order to help drive trade extra- and intra-African trade and banks’ intermediation. She added that the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA), could provide a platform to help drive greater businesses. The Executive Vice President, Business Development and Corporate Banking at Afreximbank, Mr. Amr Kamel, highlighted the role of Development Finance Institutions during downturns, pointing out that, “Afreximbank’s Pandemic Trade Impact Mitigation Facility (PATIMFA) provided timely support to banks, which enabled them to clear payments falling due and avert payment defaults.”

Mutual Benefits Assurance, Partners Odua Investment Ebere Nwoji

Group Business Editor

Obinna Chima

Capital Market Editor

Goddy Egene

Comms/e-Business Editor

Mutual Benefits Assurance Plc has gone into a franchising arrangement with the Odua Investment for insurance distribution in the south-west states. The Odua investment is owned by the six south-west states. The company in a bid to increase insurance participation by

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)

Nigerians in the region recently inaugurated its South-west Region Franchise Operation at Ibadan, Oyo State. Speaking at the event, Mutual Benefit Assurance Managing Director, Femi Asenuga, said opening the office in Ibadan was part of its efforts at developing insurance business and creating value addition. “The role we all have to play

is to be ambassadors of Mutual Benefits. He said in developed economies, insurance firms own banks, but regretted that this is not the situation in Nigeria. He said the firm would provide stakeholders with the platform and support to make them excel as a member of the group. “A franchise is a well-known

word and the way Mutual Benefit practice franchise is in our normal style of creating and adding value,” he stated. Also speaking, the Group Managing Director Odua Investment, Mr Adewale Raji, said the company is interested in seeing businesses and investment spread across the south-west states. “This is an opportunity for us

to strengthen insurance penetration within the south-west states. This is why Odua investment is interested in a venture like this because it is helping the economic development of the south-west. “Beneficiaries are privileged to be associating with a credible brand and it is important they equip themselves with the right knowledge and competencies to relate with the public.

Analyst Seeks More Incentives for Businesses James Emejo in Abuja The Managing Director/Chief Executive, Dignity Finance and Investmemt Limited, Dr. Chijioke Ekechukwu, has called on the federal government to as a matter of urgency, improve all sector of the economy, adding that, “if the sectors of the economy are not doing well, of course, the economy itself will not do well”.

Speaking in an exclusive interview with THISDAY, he stressed that it is only when the sectors of the economy are doing well that the economy could be adjudged as performing. “But the problem that we see today is that we are not seeing any improvement in all these sectors of the economy,” he said. He also said it will be difficult

for the government to attract Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) into the country when the, “local investors cannot even do business in the country.” According to the former Director General, Abuja Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ACCI), there are presently too many problems confronting businesses in the country, which the government had continued

to pay deaf ears to. Ekechukwu, particularly pointed out that the menace of multiple taxation at both the federal and states levels remained a major source of concern to investors especially start-ups. He said: “When a new business starts and there are too many taxes coming on their heads, of course, you don’t

expect that business to grow. “Many times, taxes or levies we’ve never heard about will be imposed on businesses that are just starting today or tomorrow.” He pointed out that though business opportunities abound for Nigerians, but the problems working against them are numerous and depressing including the costs.

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Demutualised for Economic Development The demutualisation of the Nigerian Stock Exchange has positioned it to provide a better platform for capital formation for economic growth, writes Goddy Egene

ince March when the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) completed its demutualisation following the receipt of approval from the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC), it has been excitement among stakeholders in the capital market. After over 60 years of operating as mutual exchange, it has demutualised to become a profit-making and limited liability company. This led to a new structure comprising a non-operating holding company, the Nigerian Exchange Group Plc (NGX Group) with three operating subsidiaries. The subsidiaries are: Nigerian Exchange Limited (NGX Limited), which is the operating exchange; NGX Regulation Limited (NGX REGCO), the independent regulation company; and NGX Real Estate Limited (NGX RELCO), the real estate company. Considering the new vision, mission and core values of the exchange, expectations are very high that stakeholders would get a better deal from the market in the near term and beyond. The NGX Group’s vision is “to be Africa’s preferred exchange hub”, while its mission is “to provide investors and businesses a reliable, efficient and an adaptable exchange hub in Africa, to save and to access capital.” The demutualisation has received positive assessment and comments as stakeholders believe the exchange is now positioned to perform a more sustainable role in the economic growth and development of the nation. The Chairman of NGX Group, Otunba Abimbola Ogunbanjo, said: “Successful demutualisation was one of my fundamental objectives when I assumed the presidency of the exchange. The SEC’s decision to approve the NSE’s demutualisation plans brings this aspiration to a successful conclusion in a process that included the passage of the Demutualisation Act through the National Assembly. “We are elated that this milestone has been achieved as we celebrate the 60th anniversary of the commencement of trading at the exchange and now look forward to the future public listing of its shares on NGX Limited. “On behalf of the NSE, I would like to warmly thank all those that have worked assiduously to achieve this watershed event on our journey to make the NSE a multifaceted exchange that extends across various markets and geographical regions.” Also commenting, the Group Chief Executive Officer (GCEO) of NGX Group, Mr. Oscar Onyema said: “The Nigerian capital markets should play a role commensurate with Nigeria’s status as Africa’s largest economy. At the exchange, we have a vision that the new group will become the premier exchange hub for Nigerian businesses and for the African economy. “We are implementing a series of measures towards this goal, demutualisation being a critical milestone. The completion of demutualisation is a truly significant moment, and we welcome the new possibilities that have opened up for us today.” On his part, the Chairman of Association Securities Dealing Houses of Nigeria (ASHON), Chief Onyewenchukwu Ezeagu, said it was one of his happiest moments. “The development is one of my happiest moments as the chairman of ASHON having along with other critical stakeholders delivered on the mandate to demutualise the exchange. Demutualisation will enhance the effective transformation of not only the NSE but also the entire securities ecosystem in particular,” Ezeagu said. Speaking in the same vein, President, Chartered Institute Stockbrokers (CIS), Olatunde Amolegbe, said the long awaited approval would herald a new vista in the growth trajectory of the NSE. “This is a process that already enjoys the support of all market stakeholders because of the immense benefits that we expect that it will bring to investors and the Nigerian economy at large. “We expect increased innovation and growth among market participants to follow

NSE trading ﬂoor the demutualisation,” Amolegbe said. Also speaking, the Executive Director, NOVA Merchant Bank, which has a securities trading subsidiary, Funke Okoya, said the demutualisation of the NSE had birthed a new vista of opportunity for the Nigerian capital market. According to her, the ownership structure should infuse greater efficiencies and enhanced operational bandwidth, which will ultimately help to drive liquidity, expand the scope of its operations and deepen the market. “The NSE is undoubtedly a critical element in the Nigerian capital market and plays a critical role in the development of the market. With our subsidiary as a broker/ dealer on the NSE and of course a shareholder of the new NGX Group, I look forward to new offerings, efficiency gains and renewed service orientation from the leadership, with optimism that such would be complementary to the growth strategies of our securities trading subsidiary and other capital market operations, including asset management and investment banking,” Okoya said. Adding his voice, the Managing Director, Highcap Securities Limited, Mr. David Adonri, said the demutualisation was remarkable because the idea was muted over 10 years ago. “From now, the NSE has become a company which is driven by profit motive. Instead of ordinary and dealing members, it has shareholders now. Erstwhile dealing members are now clients of the exchange. “The NSE can henceforth exploit all avenues for raising capital, instead of relying on the meagre contributions of its members. It is a big transformation wherein the possibilities are endless,” he said. Adonri explained that the transformation would be monumental, saying that its relationship with stakeholders would change and become more commercially oriented. “Its activities will become taxable and it can be acquired or merged with any other company as situation arise. The holding company may be publicly quoted. “In which case, its shares can be traded in the capital market. This will open it up as an investment outlet that will help deepen the capital market. “This development can increase investors’ confidence in the capital market considering

the enhanced corporate governance that will ensue. It is hoped that the new NSE will be competitive and also be more efficient in service delivery,” he declared. Apart from Onyema, who is the GCEO of the holding firm, experienced and competent CEOs have also been appointed for the other subsidiaries, who will ensure the realisation of new vision and mission statements and meet the high expectations of all stakeholders. For instance, CEO of NGX Limited, Mr. Temi Popoola, is a successful C-suite leader whose unique blend of business acumen, financial expertise, global market growth and operational insight has earned him a reputation built on verifiable career achievements. A Wall Street trained investment banker, Popoola joined the exchange from Renaissance Capital (Rencap) where he was MD and CEO for West Africa. The CEO of NGX REGCO, Ms. Tinuade Awe was an Executive Director, Regulation at the NSE. She also served as the General Counsel and Head of the Legal and Regulation Division as well as Council Secretary before becoming an Executive Director. Prior to the exchange, Awe worked with the United Nations in The Hague and Geneva as well as the New York offices of global law firm, Simpson Thacher & Barlett and Banwo & Ighodalo in Lagos, Nigeria. Having shown so much resilience and contributed to the economic growth through provision for capital to the federal and state governments and corporates, it is the believed that with its new structure, the NGX Group has the capacity to provide more funding given its innovations and strategies slated for execution. Leading corporates such Dangote Cement Plc, BUA Cement Plc, Seplat Petroleum Development Company Plc, Zenith Bank Plc, Access Bank Plc, FBN Holdings Plc, United Bank for Africa Plc, Guaranty Trust Bank Plc among others have raised funds from the market to boost their operations. Last year, for instance, governments and corporates raised about N4.015 trillion from the market using the exchange’s platform. Apart from companies that benefitted by raising funds, investors also had a good outing last year despite the covid-19 pandemic. The market delivered a return of over 50 per cent, which was the best global performance.

When the pandemic hit the globe last year, the exchange took steps to preserve the health and safety of its stakeholders by activatingits Business Continuity plan which saw the transition to working from home and remote trading in response to the spread of the virus. The exchange maintained seamless working and trading operations, experiencing zero down time. The exchange leveraged its existing digital assets to ensure a continuous flow of information and activity in the market and continues to explore creative solutions to enhance stakeholders’ experience during that period. Consequently, all brokers have access to the requisite platforms to trade remotely and seamlessly including FIX Protocol, X-NET and VPN. Also last year, the exchange released an upgrade to its Data Portal, X-Data Portal; Issuers’ Platform, X-Issuer; and its whistleblowing portal, X-Whistle. Ahead of its formal launch at the end of April, NGX Group has unveiled its new corporate brand identity and website. According to the exchange, the NGX brand identity follows a monolithic brand architecture, which will facilitate the formation of any new subsidiary by leveraging existing brand equity. The identity is inspired by the arrows of the stock exchange ticker tape as well as monetary exchange between a buyer and seller. Onyema said influenced by the dynamism and resilience of our market in both good and challenging times, the new identity, which builds “on its rich heritage, reflects who we are today, our ambitions for the future, and our resolve to deliver superior value to our stakeholders. As we step into the NGX era, we remain committed to achieving the highest level of competitiveness, both in African and global capital markets.” According to him, together with the new vibrant, modern and responsive website, NGX Group offers an enriched user experience. “Accessible via ngxgroup.com, information about the group and the various subsidiaries are independently situated but featured as one website. “With its centralised home page and clearly delineated tabs for each subsidiary, the new site delivers relevant content in a a clean and organised way to provide visitors easy access and navigation to all the information they require,” the exchange said.

T H I S D AY ˾ Ͱͯ˜ ͰͮͰͯ

BUSINESSWORLD

ANALYSIS

Improving Flow of Diaspora Remittances Obinna Chima writes on recent measures to incentivise Diasopora remittances flows in the country

igeria remains the largest recipient of remittances in Africa and the seventh largest recipient among low and middle-income countries (LMICs). Recognising this, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has in recent times been designing policies to encourage further inflows of the foreign currencies. CBN Governor, Mr. Godwin Emefiele, said reforms to increase diaspora remittances into the country will support the economy and help reduce the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. He said if the country could have inflows of about $10 billion to $15 billion, this could have significant effect on the economy amidst the current fiscal constraints. The central bank has been insisting that all diaspora remittances must go through the deposit money banks rather than mortgage or fintech institutions. The CBN governor said: “Since I became the CBN governor, I have been hearing about the size of diaspora remittances; some say $20 billion, in fact some say it’s about $30 billion. Honestly, I have been looking for the $30 billion or $20 billion, I have not seen it. “But this time I have decided that I will focus to see those billions of dollars. You know what, I am not only expecting $20 billion, if we get even up to $10 to 15 billion, I can tell you it can help the Nigerian economy. “Pakistan, Indonesia and others generate average of $2 billion monthly in diaspora remittances and this has helped to reduce the impact of COVID-19 on their economy.” He also emphasised the need to introduce transparency in the administration of diaspora remittances. Some other measures introduced recently included the granting of unfettered access to forex from Diaspora and other money transfer remittances. The policy allows beneficiaries of Diaspora remittances through International Money Transfer Operators (IMTOs) to henceforth receive such inflows in the original foreign currency through the designated bank of their choice. The central bank had explained that the new regulation was part of efforts to liberalise, simplify and improve the receipt and administration of Diaspora remittances into Nigeria. Naira 4 Dollar Scheme Also, in order to encourage Diasopora remittances inflow through the right channels, the central bank last month introduced the “CBN Naira 4 Dollar Scheme.” It is an initiative aimed at incentivising senders and recipients of international money transfers. Commercial banks in the country have since been implementing the initiative. The CBN in a circular dated March 5, 2021, signed by A.S. Jibrin, on behalf of the Director, Trade and Exchange Department, stated that the initiative which became effective on March 8, 2021, would end on Saturday, May 8, 2021. In line with this initiative, all recipients of diaspora remittances through CBN’s licensed International Money Transfer Operators (IMTOs) would be paid N5 for every $1 received as remittance inflow. The apex bank had explained in the circular, “The CBN shall through commercial banks, pay to remittance recipients the incentive of N5 for every $1 remitted by sender and collected by the designated beneficiary. “This incentive is to be paid to recipients whether they choose to collect the United States dollar as cash across the counter in a bank or transfer same into their domiciliary account. In effect, a typical recipient of diaspora remittances will at the point of collection, receive not only the USD sent from abroad, but also the additional N5 per USD received.” Providing more insight into the new policy, Emefiele said it would offer Nigerians in the diaspora a convenient way to send remittances, adding that it would also aid diaspora investments. He explained, “Our policy on the administration of remittance flows is aimed at increasing the transparency of remittance inflows, reducing rent-seeking activities, and providing Nigerians in the diaspora with cheaper and more convenient ways of sending remittances to Nigeria.” However, Emefiele said, “Yet, the introduction of the new policy presented new challenges, as operators and remittance service providers were initially unable to integrate with the agent banks.”

bank. This rebate will be provided to the bank accounts of beneficiaries, following receipt of remittance inflows. “We believe this new measure will help to make the process of sending remittance through formal bank channels cheaper and more convenient for Nigerians in the diaspora. This new policy is expected to take effect on the 8th of March 2021. “Accordingly, the CBN strives to constantly improve our remittance infrastructure, ease the process of international money transfer and simplify the experience for senders and recipients.”

Emeﬁele He said the central bank would continue to work to resolve the intermittent interface challenges in the market. Emefiele disclosed that the average cost of sending $200 worth of remittance to Nigeria from the US was about 4.7 per cent, saying studies have shown that even a one per cent decrease in cost of sending remittance can result in a significant boost in inflow. He added, “Countries in South Asia, such as Pakistan and Bangladesh, are aware of this impact and they introduced reimbursement schemes to support inflows. “In Pakistan, the scheme, which is known as free send, has enabled record amount of inflows of over $2 billion a month even during the COVID-19 pandemic. Bangladesh introduced its own scheme in June 2019, which is a two per cent rebate on remittance inflows. Following this action, they have also seen a 20 per cent boost in remittance inflows. “On the topic of round tripping, there is a maximum amount that you can remit through an IMTO. You can’t send a $100,000 through an IMTO. The CBN’s action, while it does not go far enough in offering total reimbursements, is a step in the right direction in reducing the cost burden for Nigerians remitting funds to Nigeria.” Emefiele also disclosed that the central bank had been engaging the IMTOs and the banks to ensure more convenience in fund remittance. He further highlighted the importance of diaspora inflows to the economy, saying the country would be in a position to reap its benefits if remittance infrastructure improves. He explained, “Furthermore, in an effort to reduce the cost burden of remitting funds to Nigeria by working Nigerians in the Diaspora, the Central Bank of Nigeria has introduced a rebate of N5 for every $1 of fund remitted to Nigeria, through IMTOs licensed by the central

Channel for Improving Inﬂows Members of the organised private sector (OPS) and some analysts have hailed the Naira 4 Dollar Scheme. Also, Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo believes the policy would aid more investment from Nigerians living abroad. Osinbajo added, “We noticed that 70 per cent of remittances go into family support and only 30 per cent of the inflows go into investments and in that 30 per cent, a bulk of it goes into real-estate. “But what Nigerians in the diaspora indicated would be useful for them is to undertake more investments into Nigeria in specific engagements that promote investment opportunities led by the private sector. From government, what they asked for was improvement in the enabling business environment. “The effort of government in recent years has been on improving the business environment and initiatives, such as this, driven by the private sector, to attract investment from the diaspora is one of the key things they asked for “We are delighted with the new CBN policy that makes it easier for diaspora Nigerians not just to transfer funds to Nigeria but to have greater control over the funds they transfer to Nigeria. “And I know that when statistics would be released, we would see the material impact it would have had on the diaspora remittances from Nigerians to Nigeria.” Also, the Executive Secretary/Chief Executive Officer, Nigerian Investment Promotion Commission (NIPC), Ms. Yewande Sadiku, noted that Nigerians in diaspora represent an indomitable force, describing them as flag bearers of Nigeria’s image, Nigeria entrepreneurial energy and Nigeria’s incredible can-do attitude. “We realise the role of the diaspora and the potential that they represent. “For several years, the remittances from Nigerians in diaspora exceeded Nigeria’s oil revenues, which translated sometimes as high as six per cent of GDP. “We are interested in understanding exactly how to translate this potential to investments,” she added. On his part, the President of Afreximbank, Dr. Benedict Oramah, suggested ways to boost diaspora participation in the Nigerian economy through specialised funds and accounts that would encourage them to save their long-term funds in Nigeria. He said, “Africans and Nigerians can consider allowing special diaspora foreign currency accounts with higher interest rates than

the US or Europe and with an inbuilt guarantee against potential losses from bank failures and country risks. “Afreximbank would be happy to work with authorities to put in place a country risk guarantee that can be retailed to diasporans depositing money in such foreign currency account. We have done something similar in Zimbabwe. “Secondly, designated commercial banks may be encouraged to implement diaspora targeted certificates of deposits that can be liquidated in local currencies or foreign currencies with built in incentives to encourage liquidation in local currencies. “Thirdly, is a properly structured diaspora fund that can be issued with eligible bond holders encouraged to open coupon payment accounts locally in Nigeria to enable them cover local expenses and support their relatives at home.” Oramah stated that by creating the requisite environment, diaspora remittances could become a catalytic force that would break the development barriers and rapidly transform the country and the continent. In his contribution, the Director-General of the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI), Dr. Muda Yusuf, described the initiative as a laudable move to encourage forex inflows into the economy and ease the current liquidity challenges in the country’s foreign exchange market. Muda said: “This would surely have a positive impact on inflows and ultimately on the exchange rate. But the CBN should go a step further by allowing exporters unfettered access to their export proceeds, whether in foreign exchange or naira. “The current practice of imposing the NAFEX rate on export proceeds should be discontinued in the spirit of the current move to provide an incentive for foreign exchange inflows.” Similarly, the Director-General of the Nigerian Association of Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (NACCIMA), Ambassador Ayo Olukanni, stated that the scheme would have a positive impact on Nigeria’s modest exit from recession, boost foreign exchange input and reduce the pressure on the naira. Olukanni, however, called for the introduction of a similar scheme in order to attract proceeds from non-oil exports’ earnings. He said: “We are of the view that other areas which deserve attention in the quest to increase forex inflow is our non-oil exports which are yet to be fully tapped due to reasons we all know. “We hope to see appropriate incentives to boost foreign exchange by scaling up our non-oil exports as we grapple with what should be done to ensure the inflow of forex and also shore up the naira.” Also, the Head of Research of the United Capital, Mr. Wale Olusi, said the scheme would discourage patronage of the parallel market and would be a game-changer in revamping the economy. The Association of Bureau De Change Operators of Nigeria (ABCON) has expressed support for the scheme, saying it is capable of ensuring a competition in the Diaspora remittance market.

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Enforcing Best Practices among BDCs TheAssociationofBureauxDeChangeOperatorsofNigeriarecentlyorganisedawebinar where issues around regulatory compliance were discussed with the President, Alhaji Aminu Gwadabe listing major steps taken by the association to ensure that all licensed BDCs comply with extant regulations. Hamid Ayodeji provides the excerpts:

he Association of Bureaux De Change Operators of Nigeria’s (ABCON) recently held Annual General Meeting was opportunity for the President,Alhaji Aminu Gwadabe to restate the role played by Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN)-licensed BDCs in promoting exchange rate stability, forex liquidity and forex sale to retail end of the market. Gwadabe spoke extensively about the N1 trillion turnover milestone achieved by BDCs which he said reaffirms the sector’s prime position in the economy. He also listed the challenges facing the sub-sector, especially the low transaction margins on dollar sales, which continuously threaten the survival of BDCs businesses. The meeting, which had the backing of CBN Governor, Godwin Emefiele was also attended by the apex bank directors, Representatives of Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU), Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Financial Action Task Force (FATF), DataPro CEO and over 550 top BDC directors, traders and other attendees nationwide. All the financial sector regulators, watchdogs and facilitators at the event took turns to chart a formidable future for BDCs. They were confident of a future for BDCs built on regulatory compliance, fight against illicit financial flows, and support for CBN’s exchange rate stability mandate. The ABCON boss further highlighted the urgent need to foster better and positive image for the BDC sub-sector. He said the BDCs needed a positive and rewarding image different from what the nay sayers have fed the public with. “We need to tell everyone that ABCON members are different. Majority of BDCs are not criminals. We need respect from members of the public,” he stated. He said with over 20,000 Nigerians employed by the sub-sector, there was need to support the BDC business for sustained economic growth and employment generation. Gwadabe who spoke on the theme: “BDCS Operations: A Trillion Naira Sub-sector, Issues of Formalisation, Regulation & Way Forward,” said foreign currencies being transacted on by BDCs are derived from private sources and other sources which may include the CBN window as determined by the regulator from time to time for the purpose of funding Business Travel Allowance (BTA), Personal Travel Allowance (PTA), School Fees Payment abroad, Medicals, mortgage and subscription. There are also other autonomous sources such as Diaspora Remittances, walk in customers and bank sources. He said ABCON is now training compliance officers to ensure they are acquainted with what is required of them, especially on monthly rendition of results and tracking illicit capital flows through compliance. According to Gwadabe, BDCs are complying with the rendition of suspicious transactions reports as directed by NFIU, CBN, and EFCC. “Directors of BDCs are being trained, and after training, whoever is found wanting will be recommended for sanctions,” he said. He said BDCs are required to comply with all extant rules & regulations prescribed by the CBN, while the CBN closely supervises and monitors their operations. “In compliance with the provisions of Bank and Other Financial Institutions (BOFIA) as amended, every BDC renders returns to the CBN in prescribed format and within the deadline stipulated by the CBN. The records of the BDCs are made readily available to the CBN examiners as and when requested including carrying out customer due diligence, corporate governance and tax returns,” he said. He said ABCON has over the years established itself as a key player in the BDC industry, and has also made several commitments and sacrifices to ensure that the sector continue to thrive despite all odds. “The recognition of the role of BDCs in Nigeria financial sector remains the first step to building a sustainable and viable forex market that

Gwadabe is comparable to what is obtainable in other developed economies. “But getting the Nigerian BDC sector to where it is desired to be demands hard-work, quality leadership, regulatory foresight and sound government policies,” he said. Digitaliisation/Transaction Margin Review Gwadabe said BDCs have achieved major success with the digitalisation of their operations, saying operators can now file their reports from convenient point without clustering at CBN’s offices. He said ABCON digitised BDCs operations with the official launch and take off of the ABCON Live Run Automation Portal in Lagos. The project, which has the backing of the CBN ended decades of manual filling of regulatory reports by BDCs and enhanced global competitiveness of operators. The portal, which he described as a game changer in the Nigerian BDC Industry, is the final phase of automating all BDCs’ operations and integrating them with the operations of CBN, NFIU and Nigeria Inter-Bank Settlement System (NIBSS) for improved compliance with regulation and seamless operations. He said ABCON was working with its consultants to revamp the naijabdcs.com to MyBdc. com. This would make the site transactionary and informative. Gwadabe also called on the CBN to review the transaction margin for BDCs to enable operators stay in business as the sector needs profitable margin to sustain operators’ businesses. He disclosed the N2 per dollar margin currently earned by BDCs was discouraging insufficient to sustain their operations and discourages foreigners from investing in the sector. Making BDCs Payments Agents of Diaspora Remittances ABCON President, Gwadabe also suggested to the CBN to make BDCs Diaspora Remittances Pay Agents. He disclosed that the CBN introduced the Investors and Exporters (I &E) Window which allows foreign investors to freely bring their funds into the economy at a rate of their choice. Similar plan was implemented by the CBN in 2016 /2017 and the impact was massive in boosting foreign capital flows to the economy and deepening exchange market liquidity. Therefore, ABCON suggested that the CBN allows investors and Diaspora Remittances senders to freely interact with the BDCs bid and offer rates and make the BDCs pay out agents for remittances. CBN, NFIU, NIBSS Speak In his presentation, CBN Director, Williams

Kanya, said the apex bank acknowledges the support of BDCs under ABCON adding that the apex bank has key interest in ABCON operations. He said: “I am happy that BDCs and ABCON have become more professional. The ABCON team has understanding beyond what they do and this makes CBN’s work easy. “We are happy with what they are doing to keep the exchange rate stable and promote sustained economic growth. The CBN remains the biggest supplier of dollars to BDCs and has pumped enough liquidity to the sector”. Continuing, Kanya said the CBN stands with ABCON on balancing of rates. “Speculation will be bad business going forward as people will keep losing money. Also, we need rendition of returns from BDCs not to witch-hunt anyone, but to take decisions that will favor the economy with the data”. Acting Associate Director, Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU), Mohammed Jiya, urged BDCs to always file their returns on time, and even where there are no transactions to report, they can file Nil report. He said the agency needs the data from BDCs returns to know what is happening in the sector and take decision that would favor the economy. “The guideline clearly states that every BDC shall have an AML/CFT policy in compliance with AML/CFT Act 2011 for, amongst others, identification of customers using relevant means before carrying out a transaction or establishing a business relationship,” he said. He said Compliance Officers are to ensure that there is a compliance programme, prepare suspicious transaction report and render returns on same to the NFIU and where there are no such transactions, a “Nil Return” shall be rendered monthly. “All Licensed/Registered BDCs operating in the country are expected to register on goAML and NIL Reporting Portal to enable them respectively render Statutory Returns (STRs, SARs, CTRs and AIF) or NIL Return when there is no report for a given period,” Jiya advised. He said the NFIU was poised to collaborate with ABCON in providing the needed Training and Technical Support for all the ensure compliance, registration on the NFIU Portals and rending the Statutory Returns of AML/CFT Reports as at when due. In its presentation, DataPro, said data Protection is about data security. It ensures that personal data is safeguarded from unlawful access by unauthorised parties. The firm said that BDCs that collect personal data, have the responsibility of protecting same from unauthorised access. Also, representatives of Other Financial Institutions Department of the CBN, Nigeria Interbank Settlement System, FATF, among others called

for vigilance on the part of BDCs to ensure they follow regulations by conducting customer due diligence on all their transactions. Challenges Before BDCs Gwadabe said BDCs suffer from low level of formalisation of operations, whereby street traders are now competing for the forex market with CBN-licenced operators. “The challenge of poor formalisation of BDCs operation makes us inefficient and difficult to fulfilling CBN’s mandate. We want the CBN to step in and formalise BDCs operations and make it difficult for street forex traders to operate,” he said. Gwadabe said getting a BDC license costs around N40 million in Nigeria, when it costs only $5,000 to get same license in Kenya. Yet, both the public and regulators have continued to castigate Nigerian BDCs. “We also appeal to the CBN to approve the ABCON Training Institute to provide more avenues for continues training of our members on current trends in illicit financial flows and anti-terrorist financing. “ABCON appeals to the CBN to issue Letter of Consent to our proposed training institute. This is going to boost the current ABCON Management commitment to capacity building of its members meant to stimulate competency in the sector,” he said. He said there was no way over 6,000 people can be trained in one hall, making the need for training institute crucial to achieve the desired capacity building gains for the industry. Regulatory Compliance Despite these challenges, Gwadabe advised BDCs to continually comply with all extant rules & regulations prescribed by the CBN, as the regulator closely supervises and monitors their operations. “In compliance with the provisions of BOFIA as amended, every BDC renders returns to the CBN in prescribed format and within the deadline stipulated by the CBN.” “The records of the BDCs are made readily available to the CBN examiners as and when requested including carrying out customer due diligence, corporate governance and tax returns. “Where a BDC fails to provide the required records, appropriate sanctions shall be imposed. Every Director of BDC signs and executes the Code of Conduct and ensure strict adherence to the code,” he told the participants. He said ABCON would continue to sensitise its member to comply with (CFT) guidelines which include registering on NFIU Portals and rendering returns. Compliance will be in the best interest the Operators, the Association and the Country’s Financial System.

WEDNESDAY APRIL 21, 2021 •T H I S D AY

WEDNESDAY APRIL 21, 2021 • T H I S D AY

WEDNESDAY APRIL 21, 2021 •T H I S D AY

WEDNESDAY APRIL 21, 2021 • T H I S D AY

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Photo Editor ÌÓÙÎßØ ÔËÖË Email ËÌÓÙÎßØ˛ËÔËÖË̶ÞÒÓÝÎËãÖÓàÏ˛ÍÙ×

L-R: Former General Overseer Foursquare Gospel Church in Nigeria, Rev Felix Meduoye; General Overseer, Sam Aboyeji; Chairman Planning Committee, International Conference for Ministers and Leaders (ICML) Rev Ben Taiwo and National Secretary, Rev Abayomi Oyinloye during the closing ceremony of the conference held at the National Headquarters, Yaba, Lagos...recently

L-R: Commissioner/Ambassador Designate to Jamaica, Haiti, Belize, Dominican Republic & Permanent Representative of the International Seabed Authority, Dr. Dame Maureed Piribonemi Tamuno and Osun State Governor, Mr. Adegboyega Oyetola, during a courtesy visit to the Governor in his oﬃce, Abere, Osogbo...recently

L-R: Executive Vice Chairman and Chief Executive Oﬃcer (EVC/CEO) Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Professor Umar Garba Danbatta; MD/CEO SecureID Limited, Mrs. Kofo Akinkugbe; Head SID Digital, Stanley Anetoh, and Managing Director/Chief Executive, GalaxyBackbone Limited, Prof Muhammad Bello Abubakar, during the presentation of GSMA Certiﬁcation and launch of SID Digital in Lagos...recently

Members of communities in Ibafo, Magboro, Orimerunmu, Makogi areas of Ogun State protesting epileptic power supply and the exploitative tendencies of the Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company IBEDC to the communities. ..recently PHOTO: KOLAWOLE ALLI

L-R: Former Governor of Ogun State, Chief Olusegun Osoba and Widow of late Secretary of Afenifere, Mrs. Josephine Okei-Odumakin, during the condolence visit of Chief Osoba to the family of late Yinka Odumakin in Lagos...recently PHOTO: KOLAWOLE ALLI

Controller-General of the Federal Fire Service, Dr Ibrahim Liman (R), presenting a souvenir to the Olubadan of Ibadan, Oba Saliu Adetunji during the visit of the FFS Controller-General to Olubadan Palace after his inspection of the Agodi Gate Spare parts Market which caught ﬁre in Ibadan...recently

L-R: National President, Ansar-Ud-Deen Society of Nigeria, Alhaji Abdul-Raﬁu Ade Sanni, Deputy Governor of Lagos State, Dr. Kadri Obafemi Hamzat; National Missioner, Ansar-Ud-Deen Society of Nigeria and Overseas, Sheikh Abdur-Rahman Olanrewaju Ahmad and a guest during the 2021 Annual Ramadan Lecture of the Ansar-Ud-Deen Society of Nigeria, Lagos State Council held at the Tafawa Balewa Square, Lagos...recently

Residents wades through the ﬂooded Lagos/Abeokuta Expressway by Ile-Epo market after the downpour in Lagos. ..recently

WEDNESDAY APRIL 21, 2021 • T H I S D AY

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EDUCATION Stimulating Old Boys Support to CMS Grammar School Mr. Olu Vincent is the President of Old Grammarian Society, CMS Grammar School, Lagos. He explained to some journalists including Funmi Ogundare how he has been able to galvanise support from the Old Boys to put up various projects for the development of the 162 year old school, as well as sustain the interest of the younger generation in its activities for the development of the school

MS Grammar School is no doubt the oldest secondary school in Nigeria and has produced some of the country’s notable individuals who have played major roles in shaping its political and economic development. With various multi-million naira projects in the faith-based school’s portfolio, its Old Grammarian Society (OGS) has continued to make concerted effort to give its alma mater its pride of place. The OGS headed by the President and a former Director, Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Mr. Oluwatoyin Vincent explained how it has been able to put up various projects through annual dues paid by the Old Boys in different sets and fund raising programmes, while ensuring accountability in the process. According to him, “every set is supposed to pay a certain amount on an annual basis of N10,000 and we have about 30 to 40 sets as a group every year. Then, every old boy is supposed to pay his own personal individual dues of N2,000 every year. We made it so low so that those who came to the school and are still struggling to survive in life can still meet their financial obligation. “But the main source of revenue is on true dedicated activity, like we have a fund raising programme, which is a of merit award where we raise funds annually. And it is a major source of income for us. Then we make pleas, we approach Old Boys who have big companies that can do CSR for us. “ There are some old boys on their own who can willingly decide to take up a project in the school and sponsor and run through with it. So that is how we have been able to do most of the things that we have done in the school.” Asked if there had been clashes among the Old Boys in the process of contributing towards any project, he said this has never occur as the OGS makes it mandatory for sets celebrating a milestone, to execute projects. “Every year, we have the celebrating set. For example, we are going to do the 162nd anniversary of the school. So what we normally do every year is this; we have those that will celebrate 25 years of leaving school, then we have those that will celebrate 30 years of leaving school. We also have those who will celebrate 40 years of leaving the school and those who celebrate 50 or 60 years. And for each year, the celebrating sets, must execute a project. “However, for those celebrating 50 years and 60 years of leaving school, we exclude them from serious projects because they are old. And at times some of them on their own will just willingly pay some money to the purse of the OGS as their own contribution. So, when we have sufficient funds in the account of the OGS, we can pick a project and run through with it.” The OGS has nonetheless, set up a project monitoring committee saddled with the responsibility of ensuring that the projects are of standard and to assist in the proper maintenance of the facilities in the school. With the Covid-19 pandemic affecting global economy worldwide, the president said some of the projects the society had planned to execute such as its digitisation project was temporarily brought to a halt, due to paucity of funds, adding its America chapter came to its rescue when the economy picked up. “There are two major projects that we are working on gradually, we are just looking for the funding. There is a digitization programme being sponsored by OGS America. It is a multi-million naira programme and there is a Landing Management System (LMS), which is the first leg of the digitization programme. Incidentally, we were just about to sign-off when Covid-19 started. And easily OGS America paid the money and we are able to deploy the LMS, so we are among the

Vincent first set to start online training among the secondary schools in Nigeria. “Similar to the digitization project, is power, because it is critical. We are working on a solar power system entirely for the school. Once that is done we will not need anything from government, we can generate our own power, “ Vincent who is running for a second term stressed. Other impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic which the OGS experienced he noted, was the crash in the money market which incapacited the Old Boys from contributing meaningfully to development in the school. According to him, “Some of our supporters could have done much, but for the fall and the crisis in the money market. We have somebody that pledged N250 million and the N250 million was placed in the money market. We were supposed to be spending the interest, but the treasury bill crashed from 15 per cent to about one per cent. That was a major blow to us. So what we are doing now is just to gather ourselves together and make sure that we raise funds to be able to do all the projects that we needed to do. Somebody had given us about N20 million for a football filed. “We are working on the football field to convert it to a mini stadium. We are looking for about N300 million. We hope and pray that as we go forward, we will be able to raise the money. Like last year we couldn’t

do the founder’ day and merit award which was one of the major source of income for the OGS. But now that the issue of Covid-19 is gradually being eased out, we are hoping and trusting God, that we should be able to hit the ground running this year and get things sorted out.” Since he came on board since 2019, Vincent said he had been able to consolidate on the vision of his predecessor, by ensuring that at least 75 per cent of the staff are resident on the school premises so that they can better monitor the students, instill discipline and improve on their academic wellbeing. The president disclosed its plans to kick-off the commemoration of the 162nd anniversary in May this year. As part of the activities, a prize-giving day ceremony will be held and award of performance would be given to teachers. Other activites he noted include; instituting scholarship for brilliant but indigent students at the point of entry, mentoring of students, human capacity training for the teachers and incentives depending on how well they are able to ensure the success of the SS three students. “Just this last week, more than one million naira, was given to the school for scholarships for some indigent students, and two weeks ago, OGS UK and Europe decided to give scholarship to the best students at the point of entry, so that we can get the best of the

So if we are looking forward to Arica being great, we must start from Nigeria by investing in education. It is the greatest asset any nation can have

best to develop ourselves. Then we are doing mentoring for the students too by asking the old boys to come around and talk to and encourage them that the sky is the starting point not the limit for them. So they have no reason to fail in this school. “We are in talks with the management of the school, the principal gives us a report every month when we meet. If the report is not good enough we tell the principal. In fact, we ask for the redeployment of some teachers. In other to encourage the teachers especially if you are teaching SS three and your student gets a distinction, you are given N5,000, so if you have 10 students getting a distinction, you get N50,000 bonus. So the teachers must be motivated. “As part of our own activities too, we organise on an annual basis, human capacity training for the teachers. There is a project for that, and there is an Old Boy that gives us one million naira annually for that particular project. We had five million naira invested in treasury bills for capacity training. We were getting about N200,000 . So the teachers are rotated for the capacity training, “ The president disclosed his administration’s readiness to set up a foundation that will further strengthen the society and also address the challenges of unemployment among Old Boys who are currently unemployed. This, the president noted, would be achieved by approaching those who have viable businesses to help its graduates, adding that those who have skills are also encouraged. The move, he added, will help to bridge the gap between the older and younger generations. “Rather than giving you fish, let us teach you how to fish. I can tell you that there is one that we need to celebrate, he had a spinal cord injury and cannot walk. By the OGS constitution, every set is supposed to have a chairman, the secretary and one other person at the CAC committee which is the highest policy making body. So every set has a voice in that committee and that committee comprises of all the sets and those in Diaspora. He got across to his set, and he said he is not ready to go to the street and start begging that he wants something doing. “So we got him a wheelchair. He said he needed a house, and we got a place, a very big compound where he was doing poultry and rabbitry. We got him a place for N500,000 per annum. He is currently running the poultry and the rabbitry in Ife even while moving on a wheelchair and he is happy. Unfortunately by the constitution of OGS, we cannot use our funds for such things, we had to generate money internally. So one of things we want to do now going forward is to create a foundation that can address those challenges.” He ascribed the commitment of the Old Boys to their passion for the school song especially the last stanza which he said is a source of strength for most of them, adding that they believe that the African continent shall rise and ensure its maximum potential. “So we are all looking forward to see Africa rise. We have a hope for the future, so those are the words that keeps us going, that Africa will surely rise. And that is the source of our strength. So if we are looking forward to Arica being great, we must start from Nigeria by investing in education. It is the greatest asset any nation can have. So that is what keeps us on. And for every old boy, it is a passion, you feel proud and you feel happy.” The OGS who emphasised on his plans if re-elected for the second term, said he would amend the constitution of the society to address challenges such as dispute resolution and electronic voting. “We want to entrench the processes that we have in place and make it as part of our constitution so that nobody comes in and change,” he said.

T H I S D AY ˾ APRIL 21, 2021

EDUCATION

Bells Varsity Confers Education: Okebukola Calls for National Honorary Doctorate Blueprint to Address Challenges of New Normal Degree on NB Chairman Uchechukwu Nnaike

The Chairman of Nigerian Breweries Plc, Chief Kolawole Jamodu has been honoured with the award of Honorary Doctorate Degree, Doctor of Science (DSC), by Bells University of Technology, Ota, Ogun State. Jamodu was honoured at the 12th convocation ceremony of the institution recently, in recognition of his contributions to the institution, the business ecosystem and national development. Presenting the award to him, the Vice-Chancellor of the university, Professor Jeremiah Ojediran stated that the choice of Jamodu as one of the awardees was in recognition of his exceptional contribution to the development of the university and economic governance in Nigeria. “Chief Kola Jamodu, no doubt, is a corporate board guru per excellence by every standard moving from the position of employee into several executive roles and becoming the chairman of several bluechip companies scattered in different sectors of the economy. His role in the phenonemonal growth of the Bells University of Technology till date remains evergreen. Given what he has contributed to the institution, the corporate community and Nigerian economy at large, he certainly deserves to be specially recognised, which informed why we have chosen to honour him with this award,” Ojediran said. In his acceptance speech, Jamodu thanked the university

for the honour, saying that the recognition would further drive him to do more to help businesses thrive and overall national development. “I am very proud to be associated with this great institution. As immediate past Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of Council, I appreciate the opportunity to serve in various capacities in the university. I sincerely thank the council, the University Senate for adding value to my contribution through the conferment of this honorary degree. I sincerely appreciate The Bells University of Technology for this award. I believe the only way to show appreciation is to continue to contribute my quota to the development of this university especially in its quest to attain greatness as a world-class university.” He pledged his commitment as an alumnus, to continue to support the university and impact lives as service to humanity. In his remarks, the Managing Director, Nigerian Breweries Plc, Jordi Borrut-Bel congratulated Jamodu for the well deserved honour saying, “we are all very proud of you and wish you more great accomplishments in future.” An alumnus of the Harvard Business School, Boston, USA, Jamodu is a fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria; a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Cost and Management Accountants,

Following the impact of COVID-19 on the education sector, a Professor of Science and Computer Education at the Lagos State University, Peter Okebukola, has called for urgent development of a national blueprint to address the challenges of the new normal. He said the slow growth of the economy, post-COVID-19 may worsen the future of the education sector in Nigeria, adding that corruption is not freeing money for investment in education. Speaking at the maiden edition of public lecture series, organised by the Corona College of Education (CCED), Lagos, themed, ‘Quality, Standard and Curriculum Delivery in Tertiary Education in a COVID-19 Era’, Okebukola noted that committed leadership is a huge challenge in Africa that has refused to go away. He said good curriculum delivery is key to quality education, adding that adulterated blended learning, incessant strike action by unions are among the challenges facing the country’s education system today. Giving the policy options for post- Covid-19, Okebukola, a former Executive Secretary, National Universities Commission (NUC), called for the development of an e-learning-compliant mobile application, power and connectivity for the development

of the sector, adding that there is need for capacity building for all stakeholders and training for teachers for quality e-learning process. In his recommendations for CCED, the don urged the management and staff of the institution to work relentlessly towards producing a breed of teachers who score high in content knowledge. He also advised the college to conduct a gap analysis of its teaching staff in the skills desired to have in the new breed of teachers; also to organise training programmes to bridge the desired gap. He said the college should “set up 21st century classrooms for micro-teaching practice for the Nigeria Certificate of Education (NCE) trainees; ensure that the curriculum of the college surpasses provision of the NCE minimum academic standards and a model.” In her remarks, the Provost of the college, Dr. Olajumoke Mekiliuwa, said virtual learning has conferred on all flexible learning opportunities and wider access to education; just as it has placed an immense burden on all stakeholders to evaluate resources and capacity for virtual curriculum delivery, as well as the assurance of quality. “It is against this backdrop that the topic for today’s lecture was carefully crafted to capture the concerns of stakeholders amidst the lockdown and its

aftermath and the need to ensure qualitative delivery of instructions, which seems to have been jeopardised by identifiable deficiencies in the delivery of virtual education in Nigeria today. “The idea of a public lecture became imperative, first as an integral part of the college’s academic tradition to generate discourses around pertinent issues in Nigeria today. Secondly and more so, by the reason of emergent issues in education, engendered in recent times by the COVID-19 pandemic. The Covid-19 has been described as a re-engineering virus, which has reconfigured the traditional modes of learning, changed the ways faculty and students access, produce and share knowledge,” she said. Mekiliuwa listed other concerns to include technology, data, connectivity, poor power supply, effective delivery of online classes, monitoring/ supervision of students in the virtual classroom and examination integrity, among other issues. Also speaking, the Chairman, Governing Council of the college, Mr. Dotun Sulaiman noted that the public lecture series was apt, “given where we are at this point.” He said the pandemic has in the last 15 months disrupted activities, particularly education, adding that up to two billion students had their education

disrupted. “It is pertinent therefore as stakeholders in education that we re-examine ways teaching and learning are carried out in this dispensation because the experience in the last one year taught us many things we didn’t know before - new possibilities, new ways, among others. “It is time for us to sit back and think through exactly on how to do it, particularly with respect to standards of education. It is with this view in mind that I find the theme of today’s lecture a fascinating one.” The CEO, Corona Schools Trust Council, Mrs. Adeyoyin Adesina expressed delight at hosting the first lecture of the college, saying that the institution is determined to ensure qualitative delivery of virtual education amid the COVID-19 era, thus the theme of its first public lecture is appropriate. The public lecture was attended by professors, rectors, provosts, heads of faculties, deans of universities, proprietors, heads of schools/ administrators, students and well-meaning Nigerians from all nooks and crannies of the society. Aimed at evaluating resources and capacity for virtual curriculum delivery, as well as the assurance of quality, participants at the event were of the view that there is need for effective monitoring of the e-learning process occasioned by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Special Needs Students Unveils Pop-up Store from Recycled Materials In what has been described as an unprecedented accomplishment, special needs students of Anthos House, Lagos, have opened an online store called Anthos Treasures. The online store features pieces of jewellery, furniture, and artworks made from recycled materials during their vocational classes. Expressing her excitement about the store, the head of Anthos House, Dr. Kimberley Scollard, said the school is committed to changing the narrative that special needs children don’t have anything to offer the society. “Indeed Anthos House is a unique place to learn and grow and we are happy with the growth and accomplishments of our students. Before the launch of Anthos Treasures, one of our students who want to become a coach has been given the opportunity to intern as a football coach, and he is making tremendous progress. “In the past in Nigeria, special needs children were usually locked at home because their parents didn’t believe they could make valuable contributions to society. Things started changing when inclusive schools such as our mother school, Greensprings, started admitting and providing learning support for kids with special needs. Today, at

Anthos House, we are happy that our special needs students are not just in school to learn about only academics; they are fast becoming as independent as possible because they are acquiring the skills needed to take their place in society,” she said. On how the idea of the online pop-up store was birthed, Scollard said, “Our students engage in vocational training every week, but no one thought of selling the products made during the classes until a student suggested it. The suggestion came before the COVID-19 pandemic, and we initially had plan to open a brick-and-mortar physical store to showcase and sell these products. But as a result of the lockdown and other COVID-19 restrictions, we decided to go online, and that was how Anthos Treasures was born. The store can be accessed through our website, www.anthoshouse.org.” She added that all proceeds made from the sales of the products will be reinvested back to exposing special needs children to a wider variety of vocational skills training. The vocational skills teacher, Mr. Moses Nwosisi confirmed that most of the items listed in the store are made from recycled materials. “The materials we used in

A cross-section of oﬃcials of Lagos State Universal Basic Education Board (LSUBEB) and Lagos Waste Management Authority (LAWMA) at the inaugural teacher training programme held recently

LAWMA, LSUBEB Move to Incorporate Waste Management in Schools’ Curriculum Funmi Ogundare The Lagos Waste Management Authority, (LAWMA) has partnered with the Lagos State Universal Basic Education Board, (LSUBEB), to incorporate waste management in the curriculum of primary schools in the state, aimed at re-orientating the youths on sustainable environment. Speaking during the inaugural training of teachers, themed’ Waste Education in the 21st Century,’ held recently, the Managing Director/CEO of LAWMA, Mr. Ibrahim Odumboni, said by incorporating waste management into the academic curriculum of primary schools,

it will shape the environmental consciousness of the younger generation. He said the initiative became necessary, to mitigate reckless dumping of waste around Lagos, adding that, it was not enough to keep the streets of Lagos clean, but to arrest indiscriminate dumping around the city. He commended Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu for his consistent support and effort at repositioning LAWMA, saying, “we have decided to change the narrative of waste management through the children, by catching them young. We understand that teachers are the best advocates and change agents whose impact cannot be shoved aside, we are

optimistic that incorporating waste management into primary school curriculum, would not only be taught, but put into practice, for the students and with time, become a tradition.” Reiterating the need to catch the pupils young for them to serve as change agents, Odumboni noted, that LAWMA Academy, a knowledge hub of waste management operated by the agency, was borne out of the need to manage waste in a smart and modern way, and to instill sound understanding of waste management, in them and turn waste to wealth. “The challenge of improper waste management among Lagos residents, is as a result of not

having proper understanding of waste management, and not being environment friendly. Therefore, we need to teach these children how to understand sorting of waste and keeping their environment clean, while regional trainings will be held in schools from time to time. This will no doubt help them develop a positive attitude towards waste and in future, we would have proud waste managers and business experts among them”, the managing director stressed. In his remarks, the Chairman of LSUBEB, Wahab AlawiyeKing, thanked LAWMA, for the initiative, describing it as the first of its kind in sub-Sahara Africa.

T H I S D AY ˾ APRIL 21, 2021

EDUCATION

Edo BEST: Pupil Emerges One-day Bogoro, Others Receive ISSS Security SUBEB Chairman Funmi Ogundare A pupil of Owina Primary Idunmwowina, Ovia Northeast Local Government, Edo State, Miss Florence Patrick, 10, has emerged the Executive one-day State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB) Chairperson for winning the reading and fluency competition, organised for pupils in public primary schools as part of effort aimed at commemorating the third anniversary of Edo State Basic Education Sector Transformation( Edo BEST). She was able to read 189 words per minute beating other pupils in other schools who had contested. As part of her function as the chairperson, she approved the transfer of her teacher, Mrs. Roseline Eke-Obiyo who lived far from the school. Addressing journalist, recently, in Edo State, the Chairperson of the board, Dr. Joan Osa Oviawe

expressed excitement about Patrick’s success, saying the average reading rate in other developing countries, is about 180 words per minute, adding that when she was given a passage to read, she emerged the fastest reader without any mistake and won the competitition. “Miss Patrick was able to read 189 words per minute. As her reward for her outstanding academic ability, she was made the one-day SUBEB Chairperson. As part of her function as chairman for the day, she was given an opportunity to take some decisions.” She acknowledged the role of teachers in impacting the lives of their pupils, adding that Mrs. Eke-Obiyo has been wanting to be transferred for many years because where she lives and teaches are quite far. “So when we asked the one-day SUBEB chairperson what she would like to do, she

said she would like to facilitate the transfer of her teacher. So effective next term, she is moving to a school closer to her home where we believe that she will continue to teach well and be a role model to her pupils in the classroom. “It takes a good teacher to educate a child, so in everything that we do, we also want to cascade it down to acknolege the role of their teacher in that process.” She listed some of the challenges her board faced in ensuring the success of the Edo BEST to include; the lopsidedness of teacher distribution in the state, the practice of having multiple schools in one compound, as well as teacher’s attitude to work. According to her, “In an environment where accountability and transparency were not the typical norm, trying to introduce those two important attributes

into any system,you are bound to face resistance and backlash. For instance, when we came in, the distribution of teachers across the 18 local government areas was very lopsided. We had the bulk of our teachers from the urban centres, so we had up to 40 excess teachers, so they will just create arms of classes and in each class, they don’t have more than 10 or 15 pupils. “There was a massive waste of resources. Another thing we encountered when we came in, was the practice of having multiple schools in one compound, so a compound will have four different schools and four different sets of uniforms and teachers and four sets of administrations and so in trying to do a more wholistic transfer of teachers, we discovered that in pushing the teachers to semi-urban areas, there was still resistance.”

Personality Fellowship Kuni Tyessi in Abuja The Executive Secretary of the Tertiary Education Trust Fund, TETFund, Prof Suleiman Bogoro, has been conferred with the security personality fellowship of the Institute of Security and Strategic Studies (ISSS), Abuja. Other fellows inducted were the Governor of Kogi State, Yahaya Bello, Former Governor of Abia State, Sen. Theodore Orji, Postmaster General of Nigeria, Dr. Ismail Adewusi, Director Sergeant At-Arms, National Assembly, Air CDRE Sani Zakari, among others. Speaking at the first annual lecture/fellowship night and third investiture ceremony of the Institute in Abuja, with themed, ‘Our National Security Predicament: Implication for the Current Democratic Order’. The Secretary, Governing Council of the Institute, Danladi Abdulhameed, stressed the importance of national security against all forms of threats including, war, terrorism or espionage. Abdulhameed said 22 years after Nigeria’s uninterrupted democracy, several challenges have continued to besiege its democratic system, chief of it being insecurity which has claimed the lives and livelihoods of civilians, foreigners, security personnel and threatened the

socio-economic and political stability of the country. He stated that in 2020 the Global Terrorism Index listed Nigeria as third most terrorised country in the world after Afghanistan and Iraq, adding that the classification is because Nigeria has been in a state of war following the activities of the terrorist groups including, Boko Haram, fulani extremist, farmers/herdsmen clashes, bandits and kidnappers. “The continued state of insecurity has threatened the very fabric of our national integration and created the ecology of fear, distrust and anxiety,” he said, adding that the call for national security is a collective one. In a lecture titled , “Beauty and Dangers of Democracy’, former Director General of the Nigerian Institute of Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPPS), Prof Danfulani Ahmed, condemned the arrogance of majority syndrome, political terrorism and other vices bedeviling the country’s democracy. Ahmed stressed that the duty of national security is so important that it should not be relegated to the background, adding that national security includes structures, economy, sociopolitical and religious aspects and given this situation, it cannot be considered without relating with the most important factors.

Kano: US Embassy, DRPC Support 100 English Teachers on Language Translation The Chairperson of Edo State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB), Dr. Joan Osa Oviawe (right), presenting a portrait to the one-day chairperson of the board and a pupil of Owina Primary Idunmwowina, Edo State, Miss Florence Patrick, at a ceremony to commemorate the third anniversary of Edo State Basic Education Sector Transformation( Edo BEST) recently

Mental Arithmetic System to be Part of School’s Curriculum, Says Solarin A former Director, National Mathematical Centre (NMC), Professor Adewale Solarin has disclosed that the Abacus system of mental calculation will soon be introduced into the Nigerian primary and secondary school curriculum. The Professor of Mathematics and Head, Education and ICT Directorate, Growth and Development Foundation(GDF), made this known, recently, during the closing ceremony for the two-hands system of Abacus Mental Arithmetic Training for secondary school teachers training in Remoland, Ogun state, themed, ‘Advancing the Education Landscape in Remoland’. The programme was organised by the Remo Growth and Development Foundation(GDF) in partnership with the International Academy for the Gifted Programs(IAGIFTED). Speaking on the reason for introducing the Abacus system of mental calculation, Professor Solarin said its origin in Nigeria and Africa dated to about 10 years ago or a little earlier,

when the Chief Executive of the National Mathematical Center then, Professor Sam Allen; having seen the importance of this invited some Asians to train some students and teachers at the center. “At that time I was the trainer of the Nigerian team for the international maths Olympia, so when we went for the Olympia, for two three years, I observed that the Asians were always leading and getting all the gold medals. I now did a further investigation and found out that the mental arithmetic they used during the competition. They started from age five and running through the basic education to age 15 and that’s why when I became Chief executive. I then decided to train and develop the concept of the Nigerian version, so everything you are seeing here is totally Nigerian except the Abacus.” He said what the trainers achieved in two weeks was more than what the original trainers achieved in four weeks. “Infact when we gave them

reports of this they couldn’t believe it because they wanted us to have a franchise so that all the materials will be coming from them. We said no because if we where to go with that actually, public school children would not have been able to be part of this, but only private schools would have been able to afford it . So that’s why we developed the Nigerian concept and it’s fantastic.” On how to get the Abacus, Solarin said the previous ones used had been imported, adding that making it here in Nigeria would not be difficult for plastics companies in the country. Continuing on the history of Abacus in Nigeria, he said,“It started about 10 years ago in Nigeria and since then, we have been developing it. When I was Chief Executive of the National mathematical center, we actually ran this program in most of the states and right now I think NMC, currently the Chief Executive is still pushing it further and now it is going into the curriculum

so you would soon see it as part of the curriculum for mathematics from primary school to secondary schools all over Nigeria,”said Professor Solarin. In the same vein, National Coordinator IAGIFTED, Oyebola Fabowale, lauded the initiative and the two weeks training program, “over the years we have been having something like this. This twoweek program is designed to bring up to speed these children when it comes to this mental arithmetic thing, just like if you have a recap to the olden days where you have this arithmetic multiplication table once you are asked a question, you are asked to respond immediately.” On the relevance of Abacus in the current educational curriculum, Fabowale said, “It is relevant, relevance in the sense that it energises the inner mind, the brain, the mental alertness is there and secondly, the children that tend to be docile, the seemingly lethargic ones you know they get themselves tuned to apt responses.”

The United States American Embassy, in collaboration with the Development Research and Projects Centre (DRPC), is training 100 English teachers in 10 public schools in Kano State to improve their competences in the transition from Hausa to English as part of the teacher development project funded under the USAID Northern Education Initiatives Plus project. The Project Director, Hajiya Aisha Bello who made this known, in a statement issued to journalists in Abuja, said as part of the programme, a team of 11 leading Kano state officials worked for three days in Bauchi state to study the practice of teacher development for language transition of the

USAID funded Northern Education Initiative (NEI) Plus project. According to her, “the 11-member team of officials consisted of staff from the Kano State Universal Basic Education Commission; the Kano State Library Board; and the Association of Nigerian Authors (ANA).” The programme, anchored in the American Corner of the Kano State Library Board, the teacher development for transition to English, aims to improve the English language competences of 100 SUBEB Grade three English teachers in the transition from Hausa to English in 10 government primary schools, five rural and urban local government areas in Kano State.

NGO Gives Free JAMB Form to Badagry Youths A non-governmental organisation aimed at assisting the less privilege in actualising their dreams, is giving out 200 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) forms to youths in Badagry Division to enable them further their education. The Founder, Mr. Wusu Babatunji-Ejalonibu described education as the key to development for youths in Badagry youths, adding that it is a starting point to helping those who are financially constrained to further their academic pursuit in a tertiary institution. “Youths are key elements to developing a community.

When you develop them,you are building a community, for the foundation,this is our contribution to humanity.” The Co-ordinator of the foundation and Free JAMB Committee, Grace Popoola, the education-support system of the free JAMB forms is to encourage youth who can’t afford to obtain the forms. She appealed to youths to take the advantage presented by the foundation saying candidates who have attained the age of 16 years before next admission, have NIN, as well as youths whose O’level results are not yet released, but input awaiting result, are eligible to take the form.

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Enugu: NAPPS Move for Scrapping of Uniform Examination National Association of Proprietors of Private Schools (NAPPS) in Enugu State, has called for the scrapping of uniform examination in the state, currently being made a precondition before students in primary schools, as well as JS two and SS two could write terminal examinations. For instance, the proprietors alleged that the state government in collaboration with the state chapter of the National Association of Proprietors of Private Schools (NAPPS) mandated pupils in primary four and five in private schools to write the uniform exams at the cost of N400 per pupil. They also alleged that pupils who refused to write the exam were prevented from sitting for the common entrance examination and first school leaving certificate examinations. Similarly, students of private schools in JS2 and SS2 who refused to write the uniform examination were prevented from sitting for BECE, WASSCE and NECO examinations respectively. The concerned proprietors of private schools who spoke to journalists in Enugu on condition of anonymity for fear of being victimized, said the state is the only one in the South-East where students are subjected to uniform examination, which they said has no value addition and it was not recognised by anybody. They claimed that the schools that write the uniform exam have not done exceptionally well in external examinations, but that the Airforce Secondary School Enugu, which does not write the uniform examination has won laurels in external exams. Besides the private school owners said that the uniform examination, aside adding additional financial burden to parents and stress to students runs

contrary to the National Policy on Education( NPE) which prescribes two tests and one examination for students every term as part of their assessment for a session. But reacting to the allegations, Enugu State Commissioner for Education, Prof. Uche Eze and the State Chairman of NAPPS, Mr. Ike Ernest Ugwu said that the uniform examination has come to stay, insisting that the exam was compulsory not only for students of private schools, but all the schools in the state, including public schools, Catholic Education Commission, Anglican Education Commission and Methodist Education Commission. They maintained that uniform examination was written by other states in the South East, noting that the exam helps to prevent jumping of classes by students as well as migration of students from one school to another especially during terminal examinations. “Uniform examination helps the state keep a database of all the students and pupils in the state who are given a registration number and that it also helps in improving the quality of teaching and learning. “Uniform exam was introduced in Enugu state in 2016. It was a decision of the Enugu State Executive Council after considering a number of things and searching for a way to improve the quality of education, decided to institute a unified promotion examination for all primary and secondary students in the state,” Eze said. He added that contrary to insinuations, Enugu state has always been ranked within the first 10 states in every external examination even as students have won laurels and prizes due to exceptional performance in exams.

NUC Okays Part-Time Programmes for Caleb Varsity The National Universities Commission (NUC) has approved four part- time courses for Caleb University, imota, Lagos. The courses are. B.Sc. Economics, B.Sc. Political Science, B.Sc. International Relations and B.Sc. Criminology and Security Studies. According to a circular from the National Universities Commission (NUC) addressed to the Vice Chancellor, Prof Nosa Owens-Ibie and signed by Dr N. B. Saliu, Director Academic Planning of NUC, made available to journalists,“I am directed to inform the Vice-Chancellor that the Executive Secretary has considered and approved the establishment of the following part-time undergraduate

degree programmes to be run in the Main Campus of the University only, effective from the 2020/2021 academic session: It will be recalled that Caleb University recently got an approval from the NUC for the take-off of its law degree programme at its City Campus, Magodo, Lagos. The University is making progress on all fronts, building and developing landmark infrastructures at its campuses, the modern and world class moot court, fully equipped physical and e-libraries, one of the best and biggest mass communication building, engagement of globally rated professors and lecturers for all its programmes.

NPA Donates ICT Center, Computers, E-Library to ATBU Segun Awofadeji in Bauchi The Nigeria Ports Authority (NPA) has donated an Information, Communication Technology (ICT) centre to Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University(ATBU), Bauchi, for use by remedial students as part of it’s social responsibility to promote research and development. The centre is equipped with 40 computer units, as well as an e-library. Speaking during the commissioning of the project, held recently, the Senior Procurement Officer, NPA, Tukur Buba appealed to the university to put the project to good use, adding that the gesture was to help the

remedial students improve on their knowledge of ICT and also encourage other forms of academic researches for development. “Make good use of these facilities so that our children unborn will come and use these facilities. The management of Nigerian Ports Authority is behind you, eager and anxious to see you succed in all your endeavours and we want these facilities to be used for the upliftment of education in this institution.” “People regard government properties as nobody’s properties, but this time around, I want you to regard these properties as if they are your own personal properties

because in doing that, generations to come, will come and make use of it even with a better technology” Tukur said. In his response, the Vice Chancellor of ATBU, Professor Muhammed Abdulazeez, commended the NPA for coming to the rescue of the institution by donating the ICT center, saying that it will help the students reduce the search for physical books and aide the lecturers in their academic . According to him, most students fail the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UMTE) mainly because of their lack of the knowledge of ICT. It will help the university transition from analog to digital.

“We have remedial students who are about writing the UTME, most students fail not because they don’t know the answer, but because they don’t have knowledge of ICT. This is an advantage to such students as they will be able to practice using these facilities. The VC disclosed that all tests for remedial would now be by CBT, adding that the library is very critical to the development of education. “Any academic institution without a library is completely irrelevant as the library has migrated to an information science where you can communicate, get latest information and access latest books activities.

Students of Anthos House, Lagos producing items from recycled materials during their vocational classes, recently

Nigerians Should Visit ICCR Portal for Academic Scholarship, Says Indian High Commission Michael Olugbode in Abuja High Commission of India in Nigeria has called on Nigerians to visit Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) portal for scholarship to study in India. Speaking at the celebration of the 71st founders day of the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR), recently by the High Commission of India in Nigeria, the acting High Commissioner Shri VSDL Surendra noted that ICCR is all about cultivating an enlightened understanding of Indian culture. He added that when the entire global community is facing an unprecedented challenge, feeling lonely and disconnected, the message of Indian philosophy

(Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam), or the world, is that a family has become more relevant than any time in the past. He said it’s portal is opened and people across the globe can start applying for the scholarship. “Over the years, through this cross fertilization of ideas, ideals and cultures, ICCR has taken our millennia old civilizational and cultural values to the world and has fostered the goal of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam the world as a family.” Indian Council for Cultural Relations with a mandate of administering scholarship programmes of government of India annually awards about 3,940 scholarship under 26 different schemes to foreign students from about

140 counties. Amongst these 23 schemes, six are funded by ICCR from its’ own grant and others are administered on behalf of MEA and Ministry of Ayush. The courses offered for studies are for undergraduate, postgraduate and M. Phil /PhD levels. In every academic year ICCR holds about 6000 + foreign students who are studying at various Central/States University, Institutes, NITs and Agricultural Institutions, among others. Launched on January 17, 2018 by Honorable external affair Ministry Smt. Sushma Swaraj, the portal contains all relevant information regarding ICCR sponsored scholarship schemes and other information like name of the Indian uni-

versities, courses offered by them and guidelines of scholarship schemes. In the academic year 2018-19, approximately 2,150 new foreign students have been confirmed for admission in various universities of India. Present at the founder’s day, were; Mrs. Director, International Cultural Relations Federal Ministry of Information and Culture, Director National Council for Arts and Culture (NCAC), Memunat LadiduLah, Otunba Olusegun Runsewe represented by Dr. Hajara Njidda and Ms. Dorothy Esiri, Director, Office of the DG, Centre for Management Development (CMD). The occasion featured the launch of Sanskrit learning app: Little Guru

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CITYSTRINGS

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Championing Cases for Women in Leadership ElectHER in partnership with African Women on Board and AGS Tribe recently raised funds for women in leadership. Rebecca Ejifoma reports

lectHER in partnership with African Women on Board (AWB), and AGS Tribe has charged women home and abroad to strengthen the sister's keeper narrative, and amplify women’s leadership across the country. This is just as it launched the WomenForWomen Fund, a $1million crowdfund to support women ahead of the 2023 general elections. This was the tone set at the Women for Women conference in Lagos on Tuesday, March 30 this year. Among issues tabled through moderated sessions included politics, equality and equity across governance, financial inclusion, business and entrepreneurship, with support from Platform Capital Group, One Women by Sterling Bank, GAIA Africa and Auroe scents hosted by Laila Johnson-Salami. With the theme “Women for Women Conference; Partnering for Parity”, the Co-founder and Executive Director of ElectHer, Ibijoke Faborode inspired the audience about reinforcing the idea of sisterhood among the women, and most paramount, partnership. She emphasised: “It is paramount we understand the critical role we play as women. That is why this conference is pushing the narrative instead of demystifying the myth that women don’t support each other. “I kind of feel as women rise and evolve as we overcome barriers and succeed in our field, it is important we grow with a sense of coming together with one common vision and purpose, to start harnessing our talents and resources.” To bring other women on board, the organisation has employed social media – Instagram and Twitter as ElectHER_ng, and its websites. According to Faborode, they have lined up various innovative and instructive activities. “We had an art exhibition three weeks ago, where we commissioned about 10 artistes. "They created their interpretation of women leadership and it was over good food, conversations, wine but immersing the private sector and growing their social consciousness subconsciously.” On March 1 this year, she recalled, "we launched our 10 million dollar fund to fund women for office in 2023 so it has been a rollercoaster really and I think that because we are still passionate about the work we do, because we have a purpose we are very fixed

L-R: Founder AGS Tribe, Ife Durosinmi-Etti; Co-founder and Executive Director; ElectHER, Ibijoke Faborode; and Program Mananger, African Women on Board, and Inem King on how to tackle the non representation ahead of 2023". Although ElectHER hosts more programmes physically in Lagos and virtually, Faborode revealed, “We are hoping we can scale up the scope from across Nigeria and also pan African wise as well.” While lending a voice to the women folk, she tasked the women, “Be very unapologetic about who you are; focus on your competence." Meanwhile, a key highlight of the conference was the historical launch of a first of its kind collaborative fund the WomenforWomen Fund, a crowdfunding initiative led by a collective of three women’s organisation – ElectHER, African Women on Board, and AGS Tribe, with a goal to raise $1 million from Nigerian women home and abroad, for fellow women seeking to run for elective office in 2023. The fund is a sub-fund under ElectHER’s Agender35 campaign- which has an overarching goal to raise a $10 million fund to empower 1000 women to Decide to Run and directly fund 35 women to competitively run for elective office in the forthcoming Nigerian general elections. In her view, Abosede George-Ogan, Co-founder of ElectHER stated, “In US, organisations like Emily’s list have raised over $600 million to

support thousands of pro-choice women to run for office. It is time to start building a similar funding base in Nigeria for women who will represent the interest of women and girls in political leadership positions.” She, however, hinted that the unregulated growing costs of running elections in Nigeria, financial inclusion to de-risk the process of running and mobilise more for political leadership is more crucial than ever. Reacting to this feat, Nkiru Balonwu, chair, African Women on Board (AWB), bemoaned that the lack of funding and campaign support are key factors that limit the political ambitions of women. “As we advocate for measures to increase the representation of women in governance, and as the general elections draw closer, there is no better time than now for frameworks to be put in place to ensure that female candidates in 2023 get the support they need,” she emphasised. Also airing her views, Ife Durosinmi-Etti, founder AGS Tribe, outlined that there is a serious need for more women in elective office and if “we really want to move the needle to get real change, we need to pull all our resources together to make this happen”. For Vera Ebhohon, Business and Product

Manager, Sterling Bank, they are aware that women are very important in the art space and make up 75 per cent of the agricultural work force. “So we have gone ahead to develop custom made products for the women. We have also gone ahead to partner development organisations to train these women. “We are trying to change the narrative. For too long agriculture has been given this bad narrative of pain, poverty and penury. Meanwhile this is the sector that creates most wealth and economic growth.” She also noted that Sterling Bank has gone ahead to develop products to support and sponsor programmes that push women at the forefront of happenings in the economy, especially in the agricultural sector that employs more than 35 per cent of Nigerians. As clearly defined at the conference, ElectHER said the fundraising for would be carried out through a dedicated digital platform which would enable both naira and dollar donations. The donations will be carried out as pledges, ranging from N5000 to N500,000 with flexibility for anonymous and higher donations. All donations will be recorded on the portal through a weekly report, for full transparency and proper tracking.

'UK Remains Committed to Supporting Nigeria’s Culture, Creative Industries' Chiamaka Ozulumba The Deputy British High Commissioner to Nigeria, Ben Llewellyn-Jones has restated the country’s commitment to Nigeria’s rich cultural heritage and her creative industries, in further enhancing the Nigerian-British relationship. He made this remarks recently at a private performance by the Lagos Theatre Festival organised by the Nigeria-Britain Association (N-BA) in conjunction with the Lagos Theatre Festival, at the residence of the British Deputy High Commissioner In his remarks, the commissioner said he was particularly happy about the partnership between the Nigeria-Britain Association and the Lagos Theatre Festival. “It’s good to see that the work British Council started by establishing the Lagos Theatre Festival and handed over to the independent board has made commendable progress. “Nigeria has a large economy across Africa, and is home to rich cultural heritage and offers great opportunities in the areas of dance, film, music, theatre and visual arts. “The Nigerian cultural and creative industry has grown over the years and stood the test of time. This is evident in its contribution to the Nigerian economy through its increased job creation and export earnings. “The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) estimates that the movie industry generates between $500 million and $800 million annually, and accounts for about 2 per cent of the GDP.

L-R: N-BA President, Sola Tinubu; Veteran Actor, Joke Silva; British Deputy High Commissioner, Ben Llewellyn-Jones; Executive Director Lagos Theatre Festival, Bikiya GrahamDouglas; Vice Patron N-BA, Chief Bintan Famutimi and Vice President N-BA, Mr. Stephen Forbes “However, there is still a lot to be done, as there are specific challenges faced by the industry. Unfortunately, over the past year, the pandemic has also had its negative effects on the industry as stage plays and live concerts were put on hold. “Regardless, even in these challenging times, we have seen a shift in the music industry as two Nigerian artistes – Burna Boy and Wizkid won the Grammy Awards this year, hence there is no doubt that other sectors in the creative

industry will excel more with the right levels of exposure and partnerships. “The UK remains committed to supporting the Nigerian cultural and creative industries and I hope discussions from today’s event helps to strengthen the UK-Nigeria relationship,” he said. Also speaking, the President, Nigeria-Britain Association (N-BA), Mr. Shola Tinubu noted that N-BA has a rich heritage that dates back over 51 years. “The N-BA was incorporated as a non- profit

trust, with the primary objective to develop relationships between individuals and organisations in Nigeria, Britain and the Commonwealth resident in Nigeria through the exchange of culture and encouragement of sponsorship for the common good. “This evening, we proudly present a drama presentation by the Lagos Theatre Festival (LTF). LTF is the largest performing arts festival in West Africa. It grew from the need to promote theatre in a unique way. “Practitioners (producers and content makers) are encouraged to create art works that can adapt to unconventional spaces beyond mere traditional theatre stage spaces. “The Festival was founded by the British Council in 2013 and sought to strengthen relationships between Britain and Nigeria through theatre. It has continued to grow and is now being managed by a Board of Directors comprising actors, arts entrepreneurs, producers/ directors and arts enthusiasts. “The N-BA is proud to be involved with the 2021 edition of the Festival, tagged 'Reckless Art' as it presents an opportunity for creators to be innovative in driving creativity and performances without any limits.” Tinubu concluded that, in the associations drive towards encouraging arts, creativity, culture and youth development, the association partnered with the LTF “in an exclusive/private drama presentation to drive N-BA objectives in the area of arts, culture and youth development in collaboration with the British Deputy High Commission.”

T H I S D AY ˾ Ͱͯ˜ ͰͮͰͯ

CRIME&SECURITY

Tackling Sexual, DomesticViolence across Lagos LGAs Rebecca Ejifoma reports that the International Visitors Leadership Programme Alumni Association recently organised sensitisation campaigns in Ejigbo and Somolu Local Government Areas of Lagos for students, parents, and guardians on achieving a rape, child molestation and domestic violence-free community

L-R: IVLPAA President, Adetoun Tade; Chairman of Somolu, Hon. Abdulrasheed Salawu; and Member representing Somolu I, Lagos House of Assembly, Hon. Rotimi Olowo

IVLP Alumni and Somolu LCDA Staﬀ at the event

IVLP Alumni

IVLPAA President and Chairman, Ejigbo LCDA, Hon. Mosuru Oloyede Bello

ach day, the traditional newspapers and the social media are inaundated with tales of sexual and domestic violence. Although these vices seem to be on the increase, nothing brought it further home that the revelation by the then Inspector General of Police, Mohammed Adamu, that the police recorded 717 rape cases in five months (between January and May of 2020). As alarming as the figures are, that is the reality the society lives in. Meanwhile, it's imperative to note that these figures might be more as it only accounts for those reported cases. Also, the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent lockdown exacerbated sexual violence in Nigeria. Unfortunately, incidents of rape and other sexual crimes have multiplied across the geopolitical zones as rape cases abound daily with many unreported because of stigimitisation and sometimes, intimidation. Apart from the trauma and injuries sustained in the process, sexual violence of all kinds is a gross violation of the fundamental human and natural rights of the victims. In fact, it was so bad that some Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) working in the area of security, justice sector and human rights called on the federal and state governments as well as the Nigerian Police to treat the increasing cases of Sexual and Gender Based Violence (SGBV) as a security threat. According to an earlier report by THISDAY, they posited that incidents of sexual violence are on the increase because "they are yet to be considered as a security issue, and when it is, it does not rank high as a priority", adding that "to really see change, we need to see shifts in how the government, police and others understand sexual violence as a security issue that impacts everyone and the society".

They further posited that reasons why people seem to tolerate or overlook sexual violence are; attitude, lack of awareness on existing laws, family attachments (to the perpetrator), fear of public opinion/shame, insecurity, social and economic dependency, stereotypes or myths, prejudice, fear of retribution, feeling of helplessness, religious and cultural beliefs amongst others. It was in a bid to lend their voice and even action to the fight against sexual violence that the International Visitors Leadership Programme Alumni Association (IVLPAA), recently organised sensitisation campaigns in Ejigbo and Somolu Local Government Areas of Lagos for students, parents, and guardians. On each occasion, IVLPAA President, Mrs. Adetoun Tade, called on children and teenagers across the country to speak out, and break the culture of silence caused by sexual violence among others. Tagged “Achieving a Rape, Child Molestation and Domestic Violence-free Community”, Tade stressed the need why every child must learn to “Soro soke” (speak out). According to her, the campaign is about fighting rape and child molestation, which is becoming rampant, especially in Nigeria. “Because we do mentorship programme, we hear a lot from them. We talk to the children, their parents and their caregivers. We hope and look forward to winning the war against sexual violence. That is why we are spreading awareness and passing knowledge". The president, who promised that their campaign would reach every LGA in the state, while encouraging the children present at the campaign to say no to sexual intimidation, further urged parents to protect their children from sexual abuse at home, schools and in the society.

In her address, the Assistant Director, Cece Yara Foundation, Mrs. Bisi Ajaiyi-Kayode, enlightened the students about knowing their private parts. She added: “You should know your private part. Your mouth is for eating and talking, not kissing. Your eyes are your private body. Don’t allow anyone show you what will destroy you; nobody has the right to show you anything that will ruin your dignity.” Ajaiyi-Kayode said it was best to report to trusted adults like parents, neighbours, uncles, and aunties. Sadly, she said, “We found out that most of these trusted adults are the ones abusing the children". The child advocate and lawyer charged the children never to be threatened into silence, imploring them to call Cece Yara Foundation on the children free telecom line on 08008008001. “Our lines are manned by professional child care experts. Our customer caregivers speak Yoruba, Igbo, Hausa and other Nigerian languages too. We give free medical treatment, free legal services,” she highlighted. She also lamented that these children have been abused where they go to find succour, noting that it is easier to manage a broken child than a damaged adult. She strongly suggested: “We need to amplify our voices. Let’s break that vicious circle of that number of children that are depressed and take to drug substances. These children have the right to be protected and a right to normal life.” In her views, Nigeria needs more of sexual assault response centres, professional service response that will build the confidence of the populace to patronise them because often times running from one agency to the police station before they attend to them and the victim is tiring. “So it is everybody’s responsibility. It is the

responsibility of adults to protect children. Often times we see parents shaming and blaming the child. No! A child is vulnerable. There is no way a child can protect himself or herself against a perpetrator,” she cautioned. When the campaign trained moved to Somolu, the Chairman of Somolu, Abdulrasheed Salawu said, “Our administration has done a lot to end this dreaded injustice against our female gender. Several enlightenment and sensitisation programmes assisting the survivors for proper justice.” While commending IVLPAA for putting up such initiative of practical knowledge on rape and sexual violence, he said such would enhance the knowledge of the community and empower them with the necessary tools to fight injustice against female without fear or silence. While commending the organisers, Salawu, who promised that the administration would build on the IVLP foundation, acknowledged continuous sensitisation as solution to curbing sexual violence in Somolu. “We are sensitising the young and old. They should not let our children be scared of us. If not when something happens to them they won't tell us". In his reaction, the Chairman House Committee on Finance Lagos State House of Assembly representing Somolu Constituency I, Rotimi Olowo, harped on the need for parental mentoring. He said this would help their children appreciate peace, which would in turn be beneficial to the homes, society and the nation. “What they are doing today will go a long way to build a very peaceful nation we all pray for, where we appreciate ourselves, differences, background, dispositions and our individual preferences. It is only when we appreciate and tolerate others that we can have a very peaceful nation,” he emphasised.

T H I S D AY ˾ Ͱͯ˜ 2021

BUSINESS/MONEYGUIDE

Report Reveals Increased Productivity in March Dike Onwuamaeze The productivity of the Nigerian private sector recorded sustained growth in March as business conditions improved in the first quarter of 2021 than it did in five months. This was the verdict of the Stanbic IBTC Bank’s Nigeria PMI (purchasing manager index) report for March 2021, which stated that the sub-sector PMI readings, “indicated that manufacturing posted the fastest rise in output in March, followed by services and agriculture respectively while wholesale and retail recorded a decline in activity.” It stated that rising output encouraged firms to increase their purchases and employment in March, which allowed firms

to complete outstanding work. The report stated that, “output and new order growth strengthened for the second successive month which led to a solid rise in purchases. Employment meanwhile rose marginally, and firms continued to reduce their backlogs at near-record rates. Looking forward, firms remain hopeful that their output levels will increase over the next 12 months.” The report also stated that input price inflation remained robust with material shortages driving a sharp increase in purchase costs. In turn, firms raised their selling prices at a faster pace. It added: “At 52.9 in March, up marginally from 52.0 in February, the headline seasonally adjusted PMI signaled expansion,

and one which extended the current sequence of growth to nine months. “Higher customer numbers led to a rise in new orders with the rate of growth the strongest since last October. This supported another expansion in output, and one which was solid overall.” The PMI report further stated that sustained growth in new orders encouraged sharp accumulation in the stocks of purchases while supplier delivery times continued to shorten. It stated that material shortages weighed slightly on vendor performance, adding that, “as a result of a shortage in the supply of raw materials, purchase prices rose at the joint second-sharpest rate in the series.

Unity Bank’s Gross Earnings Hit N42.71bn Unity Bank Plc grew its assets base to N492.02billion representing an increase of 67.90 per cent from the N293.05 billion recorded in 2019. This is even as the agricfocused lender declared gross earnings of N42.71 billion within the period under review. A review of the bank’s audited results for the full year ended December 31, 2020, by its Executive Director/Chief Financial Officer, Mr. Ebenezer Kolawole, during an interactive session with journalists held via a virtual platform on Monday, showed that the bank improved its bottomline marginally as its profit after tax stood at N2.09 billion.

Also, its profit before tax closed at N2.22 billion, in a year that was defined by the unmitigated impact of global pandemic characterised by disruptions in business activities and general downturn that resulted in revenue/returns dip in major leading sectors globally. The bank equally grew its customers’ deposit portfolio to N356.62 billion, up from N257.69 billion in the corresponding period of 2019, representing a 38.4 per cent growth. This affirmed positive market uptake of the bank’s product offerings, as well as the lender’s growing customer base to its recent aggressive push with agile customer-centric products, which

has played a role in deepening financial services penetration especially to a wider world, underserved spectrum of the retail market. Other major highlight of the audited financial statement included growth in its net operating income which rose to N25.46 billion, from N23.21 billion in the corresponding period of 2019. This represented a 9.71 per cent increase. This was even as the net interest income recorded a significant jump, as it rose by 7.6 per cent to N17.75 billion, from N16.49 billion in the corresponding period of 2019. Earnings per Share closed at 17.85 Kobo.

FBNQuest Advises Corporates on Commercial Papers, Bonds Goddy Egene FBNQuest Merchant Bank, the investment banking and asset management group of FBN Holdings Plc, has recommended commercial papers (CPs) and bonds to corporate issuers seeking to raise working capital, expansion capital, refinance expensive debt and better match their cash obligations with revenues. Speaking at the Leading Conversations with FBNQuest webinar series, Head Capital Markets, FBNQuest, Oluseun Olatidoye, noted that many companies do not take advantage of Nigeria’s growing CP and bond market to access stable funds that match their capital needs. He said: “Even though interest rates have trended higher in the

first quarter of this year, there is still significant scope for many companies to access cheaper and more stable funding from investors who are seeking wellrun businesses with predictable cashflows to invest in.” Nigeria’s capital market has recorded a flurry of corporate commercial papers and bond issues since a sharp decline in interest rates in the third quarter of 2020. And Olatidoye said: “We think the market conditions have just cast the spotlight on a financing option that discerning companies should consider. “We look forward to working with our clients to navigate the process to issuing CPs and bonds and therefore unlocking the efficiency and convenience

that these instruments offer.” The webinar with the theme: ‘Funding through Commercial Papers and Bonds’ was hosted to engage corporates and investors on the opportunities within issuing and investing in commercial papers and bonds. Other speakers included Senior Executive Director at Valency International, a leading food ingredient supply chain company, Sumit Jain. He echoed the sentiment about the benefits of issuing commercial papers. “We believe that corporates can lower the interest paid on bank debts by up to 4 percentage points by issuing commercial papers. Loans also offer other tremendous benefits in the current macroeconomic environment,” Jain said.

Sovereign Trust Grows Profit By 37% Ebere Nwoji Sovereign Trust Insurance Plc said it achieved a growth of 37 per cent in its profit after tax for the year ended December 31, 2020. Precisely, the company said it grew its profit after tax from N503 million in 2019 to N687million in 2020.The gross premium written in 2020 stood at N11.1 billion compared to the N10.8 billion written in 2019. This represented a marginal increase of two per cent. Similarly, its total assets grew from N13.4 billion the previous year to N14.8 billion in 2020, representing an 11 per cent

increase. A statement from the company’ Deputy General Manager/Head Sales and Corporate Communications, Mr. Segun Bankole, said as the company grew its balance sheet in 2020, so did it also increase its claims payout. According to him, in 2020 the company paid a total of N3.48 billion claims against the N2.2 billion that was paid in 2019. “This in a way underscores the company’s claims’ paying ability coupled with the company’s renewed attention at delighting our customers. “The net premium income also grew by 10 per cent from

N5.9 billion to N6.5 billion in 2020,” he stated. Describing this as a commendable performance, the company’s Managing Director, Mr. Olaotan Soyinka, said the above achievement was made in spite of the challenging operating environment that characterised operations of most businesses in the country in 2020, which was largely due to the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic and the seeming lull in the insurance sector in the year. Olaotan, said the development was an encouraging one considering the level of work that was put in place in 2020.

MARKET INDICATORS MONEY AND CREDIT STATISTICS

(MILLION NAIRA)

JANUARY 2021 Money Supply (M3)

38,779,455.43

-- CBN Bills Held by Money Holding Sectors

1,039,129.55

Money Supply (M2)

37,740,325.88

-- Quasi Money

21,779,302.69

-- Narrow Money (M1)

15,961,023.19

---- Currency Outside Banks

2,364,871.13

---- Demand Deposits

13,596,152.06

Net Foreign Assets (NFA)

7,414,275.50

Net Domestic Assets(NDA)

31,365,179.93

-- Net Domestic Credit (NDC)

42,916,586.63

---- Credit to Government (Net)

12,304,773.44

---- Memo: Credit to Govt. (Net) less FMA

0.00

---- Memo: Fed. and Mirror Accounts (FMA)

0.00

---- Credit to Private Sector (CPS)

30,611,813.19

--Other Assets Net

3,892,112.74

Reserve Money (Base Money

13,264,585.14

--Currency in Circulation

2,831,167.19

--Banks Reserves --Special Intervention Reserves

10,433,417.96 317,234.17

˾ ÙßÜÍÏ ̋

Money Market Indicators (in Percentage) Month

March 2018

Inter-Bank Call Rate

15.16

Minimum Rediscount Rate (MRR) Monetary Policy Rate (MPR)

14.00

Treasury Bill Rate

11.84

Savings Deposit Rate

4.07

1 Month Deposit Rate

8.82

3 Months Deposit Rate

9.72

6 Months Deposit Rate

10.93

12 Months Deposit Rate

10.21

Prime Lending rate

17.35

Maximum Lending Rate

31.55

˾ ÙØÏÞËÜã ÙÖÓÍã ËÞÏ ̋ ͯͱϱ

OPEC DAILY BASKET PRICE ˜ ͯͷ ͰͮͰͯ

The price of OPEC basket of thirteen crudes stood at $65.10 a barrel on Monday, compared with $65.21 the previous Friday, according to OPEC Secretariat calculations. The OPEC Reference Basket of Crudes (ORB) is made up of the following: Saharan Blend (Algeria), Girassol (Angola), Djeno (Congo), Zaﬁro (Equatorial Guinea), Rabi Light (Gabon), Iran Heavy (Islamic Republic of Iran), Basra Light (Iraq), Kuwait Export (Kuwait), Es Sider (Libya), Bonny Light (Nigeria), Arab Light (Saudi Arabia), Murban (UAE) and Merey (Venezuela). SOURCE: OPEC headquarters, Vienna

T H I S D AY ˾ Ͱͯ˜ ͰͮͰͯ

Stock Market Sustains Gains as Q1 Results’Expectations Spur Demand Goddy Egene Buying interest in MTN Nigeria Plc, Zenith Bank Plc and Guaranty Trust Bank Plc led to gains that made the local bourse to sustain its positive performance yesterday. The NGX All-Share Index rose 0.43 per cent to close at 39,015.58. Similarly, the market capitalisation added N87.7 billion to close at N20.4 trillion. The bulls were fully in control of the trading as 24

stocks appreciated compared with the 13 that depreciated. Market analysts said the renewed demand could be linked to high expectations among the investors as first quarter earnings season kicked in. According to operators, most people are upbeat on the Q1 results, especially the banks, a development that may have been explained the number of banks among the price gainers yesterday.

P R I C E S MAIN BOARD

F O R DEALS

Out of the 24 gainers, eight were banks. However, Honeywell Flour Mills Plc and PZ Cussons Nigeria Plc led the price gainers’ table with 10 apiece. The banking stocks that appreciated were Sterling Bank Plc(4.9 per cent); Fidelity Bank Plc (3.8 per cent); Ecobank Transnational Incorporation Plc (3.0 per cent); Zenith Bank Plc (2.7 per cent); Wema Bank Plc (1.7 per cent); Unity Bank Plc (1.6 per cent); GTBank Plc (1.6 per cent) United

S E C U R I T I E S MARKET PRICE

QUANTITY TRADED

VALUE TRADED ( N )

Bank for Africa(UBA) Plc (0.7 per cent). UBA on Monday released its Q1 results, showing improvement in performance indicators and indicating what should likely be expected from other banks. The bank grew its gross earnings to N155.4 billion in 2021, up from N147.2 billion recorded in the corresponding period of 2020. The bank leveraged on modest growth in both interest and non-interest income as well

T R A D E D MAIN BOARD

A S

as increased efficiency to deliver an impressive 24 per cent in profit before tax (PBT), which printed at N40.6 billion, compared with N32.7 billion in 2020. Profit after tax (PAT) grew faster by 26.8 per cent from N30.1 billion to N38.2 billion. Commenting on the performance, Group Managing Director/CEO of the UBA Plc, Mr. Kennedy Uzoka, said it reflected bank’s capacity to sustainably grow earnings even in a highly uncertain macroeconomic

O F

environment. He said: “This impressive 2021 Q1 results reflect the capacity of our business to sustainably grow earnings even in a highly uncertain macroeconomic environment. We remain upbeat on the macroeconomic outlook of the countries in which we operate, especially as the COVID-19 vaccine distribution gains traction globally, whilst commodity prices and currencies continue to stabilise.

2 0 / 0 4 / 2 0 2 1 DEALS

MARKET PRICE

QUANTITY TRADED

VALUE TRADED ( N)

˾ WEDNESDAY, APRIL 21, 2021

Wednesday, April 21, 2021 Thisday Afrinvest 40 Index Gains 0.5% The dŚŝƐĚĂǇ ĨƌŝŶǀĞƐƚ ϰϬ /ŶĚĞǆ ĂƉƉƌĞĐŝĂƚĞĚ ϰϵďƉƐ ƚŽ ƐĞƩůĞ

THISDAY AFRINVEST 40 INDEX

at 1,745.96 points. This was on the back of gains in GUARANTY (+1.7%), ZENITH (+2.8%), and MTNN (+1.0%). These

Fundamental Performance Metrics for THISDAY AFRINVEST 40 Index

ƐƚŽĐŬƐ ĐƵŵƵůĂƟǀĞůǇ ĂĐĐŽƵŶƚ ĨŽƌ ϭϵ͘ϲй ŽĨ ƚŚĞ ŝŶĚĞǆ͘

>ŽĐĂů ŽƵƌƐĞ ^ƵƐƚĂŝŶƐ ƵůůŝƐŚ ^ĞŶƟŵĞŶƚ͘͘͘ ^/ ƵƉ Ϭ͘ϰй

Ticker

THISDAY AFRINVEST 40

1,745.96

0.49%

19.0%

74.6%

12.6%

3.2%

930.00

0.0%

34.6%

9.2%

7.9%

2.8%

72.70

0.0%

10.7%

-6.0%

19.1%

11.2%

34.9x

6.6x

2.6%

2.9%

30.00

1.7%

8.7%

-7.3%

27.1%

4.6%

4.2x

1.1x

9.9%

23.7%

Buying interest in MTNN (+1.0%), ZENITH (+2.8%), and GUARANTY (+1.7%) buoyed market performance as the

3 Guaranty Trust Bank PLC 4 Zenith Bank PLC

ĐĐŽƌĚŝŶŐůǇ͕ zd ůŽƐƐ ŵŽĚĞƌĂƚĞĚ ƚŽ -ϯ͘ϭй ǁŚŝůĞ ŵĂƌŬĞƚ ĐĂƉŝƚĂůŝƐĂƟŽŶ ŝŶĐƌĞĂƐĞĚ ďǇ ʬ87.7bn to ʬ20.4tn. Trading ĂĐƟǀŝƚǇ ĚĞĐůŝŶĞĚ ĂƐ ǀŽůƵŵĞ ĂŶĚ ǀĂůƵĞ ƚƌĂĚĞĚ ĨĞůů ϯϯ͘ϰй ĂŶĚ ϵϭ͘ϲй ƌĞƐƉĞĐƟǀĞůǇ ƚŽ ϯϯϵ͘Ϭŵ ƵŶŝƚƐ ĂŶĚ ʬ2.7bn. The ŵŽƐƚ ƚƌĂĚĞĚ ƐƚŽĐŬƐ ďǇ ǀŽůƵŵĞ ǁĞƌĞ FIDELITY (125.3m units), ZENITH (26.2m units), and UACN (25.8m units) ǁŚŝůĞ GUARANTY (ʬ683.1bn), ZENITH (ʬ575.0m), and UACN (ʬϮϴϬ͘ϯŵͿ ůĞĚ ďǇ ǀĂůƵĞ͘

as 4 ŽĨ ƚŚĞ ϲ ŝŶĚŝĐĂƚŽƌƐ ĐůŽƐĞĚ ŝŶ ƚŚĞ ŐƌĞĞŶ͘ The Banking ŝŶĚĞǆ ůĞĚ ŐĂŝŶĞƌƐ͕ ƵƉ ϭ͘ϴй ĚƵĞ ƚŽ ƉƌŝĐĞ ĂƉƉƌĞĐŝĂƟŽŶ in ZENITH (+2.8%) and GUARANTY ;нϭ͘ϳйͿ ǁŚŝůĞ ƚŚĞ /ŶƐƵƌͲ ance index rose 1.1% on account of buying interest in NEM (+7.5%) and CUSTODIA (+4.4%). ^ŝŵŝůĂƌůǇ͕ ƚŚĞ &ZICT and Consumer Goods indices inched higher by 0.5% ĂŶĚ Ϭ͘ϰй ƌĞƐƉĞĐƟǀĞůǇ ĂƐ investors took ƉŽƐŝƟŽŶ ŝŶ MTNN (+1.0%), INTBREW (+1.8%), and PZ ;нϭϬ͘ϬйͿ͘ ŽŶͲ ǀĞƌƐĞůǇ͕ ƚŚĞ Kŝů Θ 'ĂƐ ŝŶĚĞǆ ǁĂƐ ƚŚĞ ůŽŶĞ ůĂŐŐĂƌĚ͕ ĚŽǁŶ ϯďƉƐ ĨŽůůŽǁŝŶŐ ƉƌŝĐĞ ĚĞƉƌĞĐŝĂƟŽŶ ŝŶ OANDO

;ĂĚǀĂŶĐĞͬĚĞĐůŝŶĞ ƌĂƟŽͿ͕ ƐƚƌĞŶŐƚŚĞŶĞĚ ƚŽ Ϯ͘Ϭǆ ĨƌŽŵ ƚŚĞ 1.5x recorded in the previous session ĂƐ Ϯϰ ƐƚŽĐŬƐ ĂĚͲ vanced

ĂŐĂŝŶƐƚ

ϭϮ

ĚĞĐůŝŶĞƌƐ͘

(+10.0%),

HONYFLOUR (+10.0%) and SOVRENINS (+8.0%) were the

ƚŚĞ ƉŽƐŝƟǀĞ ƉĞƌĨŽƌŵĂŶĐĞ ŝŶ ƚŚĞ ůĂƐƚ ƚǁŽ ƚƌĂĚŝŶŐ ƐĞƐƐŝŽŶƐ͕ ǁĞ ŵĂŝŶƚĂŝŶ ŽƵƌ ďĞĂƌŝƐŚ ŽƵƚůŽŽŬ ŐŝǀĞŶ ƚŚĞ ĞǆƉĞĐƚĞĚ ƌŝƐĞ ŝŶ ŵĂƌŐŝŶĂů ƌĂƚĞƐ Ăƚ ƚŚĞ ďŽŶĚ ĂƵĐƟŽŶ ƚŽŵŽƌƌŽǁ͘

0.6x

5.8%

13.1%

1.4%

6.1%

-10.3%

22.4%

3.1%

3.0x

0.6x

13.8%

33.0%

-10.2%

31.2%

14.6%

13.6x

4.3x

7.3%

165.00

1.0%

4.8%

-2.9%

16.4x

18.8x

5.7%

6.1%

1,420.00

0.0%

3.8%

-5.6%

38.4x

4.9%

3.5%

20.50

0.0%

3.3%

-2.6%

7.50

0.0%

2.5%

-11.2%

10 United Bank for Africa PLC 11 FBN Holdings Plc

7.10

0.7%

2.2%

-17.9%

7.65

0.0%

2.6%

7.0%

12 Nigerian Brew eries PLC 13 Stanbic IBTC Holdings PLC

50.10

0.0%

1.9%

46.00

0.0%

2.1%

8 Lafarge Africa PLC 9 Access Bank PLC

14 International Brew eries PLC 15 Flour Mills of Nigeria PLC 16 SEPLAT Petroleum Development C 17 11 PLC 18 Okomu Oil Palm PLC

23 Sterling Bank PLC 24 NASCON Allied Industries PLC 25 Transnational Corp of Nigeria 26 Presco PLC 27 Unilever Nigeria PLC 28 PZ Cussons Nigeria PLC 29 United Capital PLC 30 Guinness Nigeria PLC 31 Custodian and Allied Insurance 32 AIICO Insurance PLC 33 Total Nigeria PLC 34 Julius Berger Nigeria PLC 35 Wema Bank PLC

17.8%

28.7x

-2.6%

8.8%

6.1%

10.7x

0.9x

4.9%

9.3%

-11.2%

15.6%

1.3%

2.5x

0.4x

10.7%

40.1%

7.0%

12.6%

1.3%

3.7x

0.4x

5.9%

-10.5%

4.5%

1.8%

54.3x

2.5x

1.9%

1.8%

4.4%

24.3%

3.7%

6.1x

1.4x

8.7%

16.3%

-15.5%

-3.4%

5.70

1.8%

1.5%

-4.2%

0.0%

1.3%

19.2%

7.3%

1.0x

-8.2%

0.8x

4.7%

550.00

0.0%

1.4%

36.7%

-6.5%

-3.4%

0.5x

7.2%

-15.5%

0.0%

0.8%

0.0%

7.4%

3.2%

27.9x

2.1x

3.6%

90.00

0.0%

0.8%

-1.1%

24.6%

16.0%

10.9x

2.5x

2.18

3.8%

0.6%

-13.5%

9.9%

1.0%

2.5x

0.2x

10.1%

40.1%

9.1%

5.00

3.1%

0.6%

-16.7%

0.3%

0.0%

131.4x

0.2x

17.00

1.5%

0.6%

-3.4%

25.5%

12.6%

7.0x

1.7x

8.8%

14.3%

2.90

-0.7%

0.5%

-12.9%

10.4%

1.0%

3.0x

0.3x

5.2%

33.9%

1.50

4.9%

0.3%

-26.5%

9.2%

0.9%

3.7x

0.3x

3.3%

27.0%

15.20

0.0%

0.4%

4.8%

18.4%

5.8%

8.8x

3.3x

2.8%

11.4%

0.78

-1.3%

0.3%

-13.3%

-1.3%

-0.3%

0.5x

1.3%

-2.7%

72.00

0.0%

0.3%

1.5%

17.9%

7.3%

2.3x

2.9%

12.95

0.0%

0.2%

-6.8%

-2.4%

-1.6%

13.7x

0.8%

1.1x

4.95

10.0%

0.2%

-6.6%

5.40

3.8%

0.2%

14.6%

35.5%

4.2%

31.85

0.0%

0.3%

67.6%

-17.8%

-9.0%

6.00

4.3%

0.2%

2.6%

25.0%

7.8%

3.1x

0.7x

1.26

0.0%

0.2%

11.5%

21.4%

3.3%

2.8x

0.6x

2.0% 4.1x

1.3x

13.0%

1.0x

24.2% -20.4%

9.2%

32.7% 35.3%

0.0%

0.2%

4.5%

4.6%

4.9%

19.00

0.0%

0.1%

6.7%

3.2%

0.4%

22.2x

0.7x

2.1%

4.5%

-15.9%

35.5%

1.8%

0.1%

0.0%

-1.6%

0.1%

-17.6%

20.5x

-15.9%

6.8%

0.5%

2.8x

0.4x

6.9%

-100.0%

7.4%

0.9%

5.6x

0.5x

5.3%

-17.6%

14.5%

2.6%

1.3x

0.2x

62.50

0.0%

0.1%

0.0%

-29.7%

-8.5%

54.00

0.0%

0.1%

-2.5%

9.4%

6.4%

3.25

0.0%

-9.7%

-10.6%

-5.5%

1.8x 8.0x

-18.4%

0.7x

2.1%

0.5x

T o p 10 T r a d e s b y V o l u m e T ic k er

Vo lum e

P ric e C hg %

4.95

10.0%

F ID ELIT YB K

125.3

3.8%

H ON YF LOUR

1.43

10.0%

Z EN IT H B A N K

26.2

2.8%

SOVR EN IN S

0.27

8.0%

UA C N

25.8

-2.3%

N EM

2.15

7.5%

GUA R A N T Y

22.8

1.7%

J OH N H OLT

0.54

5.9%

FB NH

21.1

0.0%

ST ER LN B A N K

1.50

4.9%

A C C ESS

20.4

0.0%

12.4

-1.3% 10.0%

C UST OD IA N

6.00

4.3%

T R A N SC OR P

UC A P

5.40

3.8%

H ON YF LOUR

8.9

F ID ELIT YB K

2.18

3.8%

UB A

8.6

0.7%

ET I

5.00

3.1%

5.1

10.0%

T o p 10 T r a d e s b y V a l u e

T o p 10 L o s e r s

0.36

P ric e C hg % -10.0%

T ic k er

Value

P ric e C hg %

GUA R A N T Y

683.1

1.7%

575.0

2.8%

P OR T P A IN T

2.64

-9.9%

Z EN IT H B A N K

F T N C OC OA

0.41

-8.9%

UA C N

280.3

-2.3%

CHA M S

0.21

-4.5%

F ID ELIT YB K

265.6

3.8%

LIVEST OC K

1.80

-2.7%

FB NH

161.6

0.0%

UA C N

10.60

-2.3%

A C C ESS

153.0

0.0%

J A IZ B A N K

0.60

-1.6%

M TNN

100.0

1.0%

-1.6%

D A N GSUGA R

65.0

1.5%

64.5

0.0%

61.0

0.7%

3.05

12.5% -24.7%

P ric e

18.0% 76.1%

R OYA LEX

7.3% -2.2%

135.90

T o p 10 G a i n e r s

T ic k er

26.9%

228.00

3.05

38 Notore Chemical Industries Ltd 39 Beta Glass PLC 40 Transcorp Hotels Plc

104.8%

31.00

0.58

36 Union Bank of Nigeria PLC 37 Oando PLC

OA N D O

Afrinvest West Africa Limited

Divindend Earnings Yield Yield

5.5%

ƚŽƉ ŐĂŝŶĞƌƐ ǁŚŝůĞ ROYALEX (-10.0%), PORTPAINT (-9.9%) and FTNCOCOA (-8.9%) were the ƚŽƉ ĚĞĐůŝŶĞƌƐ͘ ĞƐƉŝƚĞ

5.2x

P/BV

2.8%

T ic k er

/ŶǀĞƐƚŽƌ ƐĞŶƟŵĞŶƚ͕ ĂƐ ŵĞĂƐƵƌĞĚ ďǇ ŵĂƌŬĞƚ ďƌĞĂĚƚŚ

P/E

0.0%

1.6%). &ŝŶĂůůǇ͕ ƚŚĞ /ŶĚƵƐƚƌŝĂů 'ŽŽĚƐ ŝŶĚĞǆ ĐůŽƐĞĚ ŇĂƚ͘

/ŶǀĞƐƚŽƌ ^ĞŶƟŵĞŶƚ tĞĂŬĞŶƐ

ROA

22.25

21 Dangote Sugar Refinery PLC 22 FCMB Group Plc

ĐƌŽƐƐ ƐĞĐƚŽƌƐ ƵŶĚĞƌ ĐŽǀĞƌĂŐĞ͕ ƉĞƌĨŽƌŵĂŶĐĞ ǁĂƐ ďƵůůŝƐŚ

ROE

220.00

5 Dangote Cement PLC 6 MTN Nigeria Communications PLC 7 Nestle Nigeria PLC

19 Fidelity Bank PLC 20 Ecobank Transnational Inc

ƵůůŝƐŚ ^ĞĐƚŽƌ WĞƌĨŽƌŵĂŶĐĞ

Price Change Index to Date

Current Price

1 Airtel Africa PLC 2 BUA Cement Plc

ůů-^ŚĂƌĞ ŝŶĚĞǆ ƌŽƐĞ ϰϯďƉƐ ƚŽ ĐůŽƐĞ Ăƚ ϯϵ͕Ϭϭϱ͘ϱϴ ƉŽŝŶƚƐ͘

Price Previous Change Current Price YTD Weighting Change

T R A N SC OR P

0.78

-1.3%

D A N GC EM

M A N SA R D

0.90

-1.1%

UB A

Brokerage

Asset Management

Investment Research

Adedoyin Allen | aallen@afrinvest.com

Robert Omotunde | romotunde@afrinvest.com

Abiodun Keripe | AKeripe@afrinvest.com

Taiwo Ogundipe | togundipe@afrinvest.com Christopher Omoh | comoh@afrinvest.com

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 21, 2021 ˾ T H I S D AY

MARKET NEWS

International Breweries’ Board Meets to Approve Q1 Results Goddy Egene

International Breweries Plc will meet on Wednesday 28, 2021, to deliberate on

The Board of Directors of A Mutual fund (Unit Trust) is an investment vehicle managed by a SEC (Securities and Exchange Commission) registered Fund Manager. Investors with similar objectives buy units of the Fund so that the Fund Manager can buy securities that willl generate their desired return. An ETF (Exchange Traded Fund) is a type of fund which owns the assets (shares of stock, bonds, oil futures, gold bars, foreign currency, etc.) and divides ownership of those assets into shares. Investors can buy these ‘shares’ on the

the company’s unaudited financial statements (UFS) for the quarter ended March

floor of the Nigerian Stock Exchange. A REIT (Real Estate Investment Trust) is an investment vehicle that allows both small and large investors to part-own real estate ventures (eg. Offices, Houses, Hospitals) in proportion to their investments. The assets are divided into shares that are traded on the Nigerian Stock Exchange. GUIDE TO DATA: Date: All fund prices are quoted in Naira as at 19Apr-2021, unless otherwise stated.

31, 2021. Consequently, the company said all insiders and related persons are prohibited

from selling any of its shares or other securities until 24 hours after the announcement of the

company’s result has been made public through the Nigeria Exchange Limited (NGX).

Offer price: The price at which units of a trust or ETF are bought by investors. Bid Price: The price at which Investors redeem (sell) units of a trust or ETF. Yield/Total Return: Denotes the total return an investor would have earned on his investment. Money Market Funds report Yield while others report Year- to-date Total Return. NAV: Is value per share of the real estate assets held by a REIT on a specific date.

DAILY PRICE LIST FOR MUTUAL FUNDS, REITS and ETFS MUTUAL FUNDS / UNIT TRUSTS AFRINVEST ASSET MANAGEMENT LTD aaml@afrinvest.com Web: www.afrinvest.com; Tel: +234 818 885 6757 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Afrinvest Equity Fund 151.63 153.11 -6.28% Afrinvest Plutus Fund 100.00 100.00 3.83% Nigeria International Debt Fund 307.28 307.28 -16.62% Afrinvest Dollar Fund 110.52 110.52 -1.39% ALTERNATIVE CAPITAL PARTNERS LTD info@acapng.com Web: www.acapng.com, Tel: +234 1 291 2406, +234 1 291 2868 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn ACAP Canary Growth Fund N/A N/A N/A ACAP Income Funds N/A N/A N/A AIICO CAPITAL LTD ammf@aiicocapital.com Web: www.aiicocapital.com, Tel: +234-1-2792974 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn AIICO Money Market Fund 100.00 100.00 4.15% AIICO Balanced Fund 3.33 3.49 -6.14% ANCHORIA ASSET MANAGEMENT LIMITED info@anchoriaam.com Web:www.anchoriaam.com, Tel: 08166830267; 08036814510; 08028419180 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Anchoria Money Market N/A N/A N/A Anchoria Equity Fund N/A N/A N/A Anchoria Fixed Income Fund N/A N/A N/A ARM INVESTMENT MANAGERS LTD enquiries@arminvestmentcenter.com Web: www.arm.com.ng; Tel: 0700 CALLARM (0700 225 5276) Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn ARM Aggressive Growth Fund N/A N/A N/A ARM Discovery Balanced Fund N/A N/A N/A ARM Ethical Fund N/A N/A N/A ARM Eurobond Fund ($) N/A N/A N/A ARM Fixed Income Fund N/A N/A N/A ARM Money Market Fund N/A N/A N/A AVA GLOBAL ASSET MANAGERS LIMITED info@avacapitalgroup.com Web: www.avacapitalgroup.com Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn AVA GAM Fixed Income Dollar Fund 103.67 103.67 1.93% AXA MANSARD INVESTMENTS LIMITED investmentcare@axamansard.com Web: www.axamansard.com; Tel: +2341-4488482 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn AXA Mansard Equity Income Fund 122.69 123.55 -2.76% AXA Mansard Money Market Fund 1.00 1.00 3.74% CAPITAL EXPRESS ASSET AND TRUST LIMITED info@capitalexpressassetandtrust.com Web: www.capitalexpressassetandtrust.com ; Tel: +234 803 307 5048 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn CEAT Fixed Income Fund 1.98 1.98 -26.61% Capital Express Balanced Fund(Formerly: Union Trustees Mixed Fund) 2.17 2.21 -8.01% CHAPELHILL DENHAM MANAGEMENT LTD investmentmanagement@chapelhilldenham.com Web: www.chapelhilldenham.com, Tel: +234 461 0691 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Chapelhill Denham Money Market Fund 100.00 100.00 3.27% Paramount Equity Fund 15.26 15.55 -4.55% Women's Investment Fund 129.85 131.20 -2.48% CORDROS ASSET MANAGEMENT LIMITED assetmgtteam@cordros.com Web: www.cordros.com, Tel: 019036947 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Cordros Money Market Fund 100.00 100.00 3.18% Cordros Milestone Fund 2023 127.35 128.22 Cordros Milestone Fund 2028 N/A N/A Cordros Dollar Fund ($) 110.82 110.82 CORONATION ASSEST MANAGEMENT investment@coronationam.com Web:www.coronationam.com , Tel: 012366215 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Coronation Money Market Fund 1.00 1.00 1.31% Coronation Balanced Fund 1.14 1.15 -5.19% Coronation Fixed Income Fund 1.34 1.34 -15.56% EDC FUNDS MANAGEMENT LIMITED mutualfundng@ecobank.com Web: www.ecobank.com Tel: 012265281 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn EDC Nigeria Money Market Fund Class A 100.00 100.00 2.49% EDC Nigeria Money Market Fund Class B 1,000,000.00 1,000,000.00 2.28% EDC Nigeria Fixed Income Fund 1,173.42 1,178.85 -2.11% FBNQUEST ASSET MANAGEMENT LTD invest@fbnquest.com Web: www.fbnquest.com/asset-management; Tel: +234-81 0082 0082 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn FBN Fixed Income Fund N/A N/A N/A FBN Balanced Fund 183.10 184.33 -2.44% FBN Halal Fund 110.72 110.72 4.26% FBN Money Market Fund 100.00 100.00 3.87% FBN Nigeria Eurobond (USD) Fund - Retail 124.31 124.31 3.01% FBN Smart Beta Equity Fund 147.00 148.96 -2.76% FCMB ASSET MANAGEMENT LIMITED fcmbamhelpdesk@fcmb.com Web: www.fcmbassetmanagement.com; Tel: +234 1 462 2596 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Legacy Money Market Fund 1.00 1.00 1.88% Legacy Debt Fund 3.92 3.92 1.27% Legacy Equity Fund 1.54 1.57 0.86% Legacy USD Bond Fund 1.15 1.15 1.44% FSDH ASSET MANAGEMENT LTD coralfunds@fsdhgroup.com Web: www.fsdhaml.com; Tel: 01-270 4884-5; 01-280 9740-1 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Coral Growth Fund N/A N/A N/A Coral Income Fund N/A N/A N/A FSDH Treasury Bills Fund N/A N/A N/A

GREENWICH ASSET MANAGEMENT LIMITED assetmanagement@gtlgroup.com Web: www.gtlgroup.com ; Tel: +234 1 4619261-2 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Greenwich Plus Money Market Fund N/A N/A N/A Nigeria Entertainment Fund N/A N/A N/A GROWTH & DEVELOPMENT ASSET MANAGEMENT LIMITED assetmanagement@gdl.com.ng Web: www.gdl.com.ng ; Tel: +234 9055691122 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn GDL Money Market Fund N/A N/A N/A INVESTMENT ONE FUNDS MANAGEMENT LTD enquiries@investment-one.com Web: www.investment-one.com; Tel: +234 812 992 1045,+234 1 448 8888 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Abacus Money Market Fund 100.00 100.00 2.98% Vantage Balanced Fund 2.71 2.77 18.02% Vantage Guaranteed Income Fund 1.00 1.00 4.50% Kedari Investment Fund (KIF) 148.08 148.53 -4.71% Vantage Dollar Fund (VDF) - June Year End 1.08 1.08 5.87% LOTUS CAPITAL LTD ﬁncon@lotuscapitallimited.com Web: www.lotuscapitallimited.com; Tel: +234 1-291 4626 / +234 1-291 4624 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Lotus Halal Investment Fund 1.37 1.39 0.69% Lotus Halal Fixed Income Fund 1,129.68 1,129.68 2.32% MERISTEM WEALTH MANAGEMENT LTD info@meristemwealth.com Web: http://www.meristemwealth.com/funds/ ; Tel: +234 1-4488260 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Meristem Equity Market Fund N/A N/A N/A Meristem Money Market Fund N/A N/A N/A PAC ASSET MANAGEMENT LTD info@pacassetmanagement.com Web: www.pacassetmanagement.com/mutualfunds; Tel: +234 1 271 8632 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn PACAM Balanced Fund 1.57 1.61 7.54% PACAM Fixed Income Fund 12.16 12.30 -0.57% PACAM Money Market Fund 10.00 10.00 2.30% PACAM Equity Fund 1.56 1.58 -1.25% PACAM EuroBond Fund 109.74 112.61 0.39% SCM CAPITAL LIMITED info@scmcapitalng.com Web: www.scmcapitalng.com; Tel: +234 1-280 2226,+234 1- 280 2227 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn SCM Capital Frontier Fund 128.28 130.28 6.07% SFS CAPITAL NIGERIA LTD investments@sfsnigeria.com Web: www.sfsnigeria.com, Tel: +234 (01) 2801400 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn SFS Fixed Income Fund 1.00 1.00 2.16% STANBIC IBTC ASSET MANAGEMENT LTD assetmanagement@stanbicibtc.com Web: www.stanbicibtcassetmanagement.com; Tel: +234 1 280 1266; 0700 MUTUALFUNDS Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Stanbic IBTC Balanced Fund 3,085.06 3,109.16 -4.08% Stanbic IBTC Bond Fund 228.29 228.29 1.53% Stanbic IBTC Ethical Fund 1.14 1.16 -2.54% Stanbic IBTC Guaranteed Investment Fund 299.13 299.13 1.52% Stanbic IBTC Iman Fund 210.35 212.91 -3.75% Stanbic IBTC Money Market Fund 100.00 100.00 2.61% Stanbic IBTC Nigerian Equity Fund 9,791.05 9,913.47 -6.78% Stanbic IBTC Dollar Fund (USD) 1.25 1.25 1.68% Stanbic IBTC Shariah Fixed Income Fund 113.16 113.16 1.87% Stanbic IBTC Enhanced Short-Term Fixed Income Fund 100.54 100.54 UNITED CAPITAL ASSET MANAGEMENT LTD Web: www.unitedcapitalplcgroup.com; Tel: +234 803 306 2887 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn United Capital Balanced Fund 1.30 1.33 -4.62% United Capital Bond Fund 1.93 1.93 1.84% United Capital Equity Fund 0.87 0.89 0.54% United Capital Money Market Fund 1.00 1.00 4.38% United Capital Eurobond Fund 119.54 119.54 2.10% United Capital Wealth for Women Fund 1.06 1.08 -2.60% United capital Sukuk Fund 1.03 1.03 2.91% QUANTUM ZENITH ASSET MANAGEMENT & INVESTMENTS LTD service@quantumzenithasset.com.ng Web: www.quantumzenith.com.ng; Tel: +234 1-2784219 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Zenith Equity Fund 11.98 12.08 0.93% Zenith Ethical Fund 13.27 13.35 8.44% Zenith Income Fund 24.29 24.52 1.74% Zenith Money Market Fund 1.00 1.00 2.81%

REITS NAV Per Share

Yield / T-Rtn

122.53 53.06

1.48% 1.26%

Bid Price

Offer Price

Yield / T-Rtn

12.40 118.78 93.37

12.50 118.78 95.10

-6.20% -2.43% -6.05%

Fund Name SFS Skye Shelter Fund Union Homes REIT

EXCHANGE TRADED FUNDS Fund Name Lotus Halal Equity Exchange Traded Fund SIAML Pension ETF 40 Stanbic IBTC ETF 30 Fund

VETIVA FUND MANAGERS LTD Web: www.vetiva.com; Tel: +234 1 453 0697 Fund Name Vetiva Banking Exchange Traded Fund Vetiva Consumer Goods Exchange Traded Fund Vetiva Grifﬁn 30 Exchange Traded Fund Vetiva Money Market Fund Vetiva Industrial Goods Exchange Traded Fund Vetiva S&P Nigeria Sovereign Bond Exchange Traded Fund

funds@vetiva.com Bid Price

Offer Price

Yield / T-Rtn

3.56 5.49 16.64 1.00 18.83 164.03

3.60 5.57 16.74 1.00 19.03 166.03

-5.54% -3.47% 1.82% 2.42% -8.18% -25.19%

NAV Per Share

Yield / T-Rtn

107.30

13.11%

INFRASTRUCTURE FUND Fund Name Chapel Hill Denham Nigeria Infrastructure Debt Fund

The value of investments and the income from them may fall as well as rise. Past performance is a guide and not an indication of future returns. Fund prices published in this edition are also available on each fund manager’s website and FMAN’s website at www.fman.com.ng. Fund prices are supplied by the operator of the relevant fund and are published for information purposes only.

WEDNESDAY APRIL 21, 2021 • T H I S D AY

WEDNESDAY, ͺ͹˜ ͺ͸ͺ͹ ˾ T H I S D AY

NEWS

Presidency Brushes off Secessionists’ Threats, Says No Need for Confab FG opposes UK's planned asylum for IPOB, MASSOB chiefs Chuks Okocha and Adedayo Akinwale in Abuja The Presidency yesterday shrugged off threats of Nigeria's balkanisation by advocates of Biafra and Oduduwa Republics, saying that President Muhammadu Buhari cannot be bullied into giving in to their demands. It also dismissed calls for the convocation of a national conference to address perceived imbalances in the nation’s structure, with a call to agitators to take their grievances to the National Assembly. Besides, the federal government has rejected the alleged plan by the United Kingdom to grant asylum to members of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) and the Movement for the Actualisation of the Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB). The Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Mallam Garba Shehu, while giving a scorecard of the Buhari administration at an event organised by the All Progressives Congress (APC) Professional Forum in Abuja, described the secessionists as mercantile agents who are only out for pecuniary gains. Shehu said Buhari would not open the treasury to share money with anyone.

He added that with the National Assembly in place, the clamour for the convocation of a national conference is a misnomer. Shehu also said Boko Haram terrorists were currently fighting for survival as the federal government had cut their supply chain. Speaking on the unity of the country and the calls for secession, Shehu faulted the insinuation that the presidency was not talking, as it has been doing so. He said: “And our position is clearly that this country is one, is united, and by the grace of God, will continue to be united. “Look, one thing with this president and the national secretary of the party has said a bit of that, you cannot intimidate Buhari. You cannot bully him. A lot of these people who are calling for secession are the problem of this country and I am happy that reasonable opinion, reasonable voices are now rising. Is it not only yesterday we were reading Afenifere, the most credible faction of Afenifere, saying they were not for secession? “The Ohanaeze Ndigbo has said this over and over again. So this thing about secession is, they had used it in the past. You create secession and break up Nigeria and then you intimidate the sitting leader and then he opens the vaults and he brings

money to settle people. "President Buhari will pay no one. He is not going to pay and now it is clear that having ignored all of that, reasonable opinions are coming from those states and from those regions.” Shehu stated that while criminals are fighting to gain the upper hand, no criminal or terrorist would be bigger than Nigeria. According to him, none of them is mightier than the Nigerian armed forces. “This structure has been there. They were certificated and praised for World War One, World War II; they stabilise the entire West African region. Without Nigeria, would there be Liberia in its present form? Would there be Sierra Leone in its present form? Even the Gambia? So just give it time and support and pray we will win against these forces. “The governors in the Southwest, we have all heard them, they have denounced all of these things. So it is a sham, Nigerians want to be one, they want to continue,” he added. He cknowledged that there were challenges in the country but as people united and love one another, the problems would be solved. On the question of whether or not there should be a national conference, he said: “What can a national conference do more

than a parliament? Anyone who is a democrat at heart, in practice in their beliefs they should believe in the tripartite structure of government. "Governments that are democratic, there must be a parliament, the executive arm of the government and the judiciary, each one being independent and cooperating with another. We have an elected parliament, which mandate is to be the custodian of the sovereignty of the Nigerian people,” he said. Shehu stated that many of those clamouring for secession are unelectable. “If you think you are electable, go around for a parliamentary seat, whether House of Representatives or Senate and come and table an amendment to the constitution. The process is ongoing as we speak now under the deputy Senate president. They are calling for memoranda. Why can’t you present what you want? So, the issue is that people who are not democrats want a parallel parliament to be set up and this constitution does not recognise two parliaments in this country. We have one parliament that is sovereign; that is the custodian of the sovereignty of the Nigerian people. If your member representing you has failed to present this request that you want; whether it is a change of the structure at

the state, local government or national level, pull him out four years after. Don’t vote for him. Put another representative who will do what you want. This is how democracy works, periodic elections,” he stated. He also described Buhari’s onslaught against corruption and other social vices as total and unsparing, saying not even his family members who run afoul of the law would be spared. Also speaking, the National Secretary of the Caretaker Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee (CECPC) of the APC, Senator John Akpanudoedehe, said Buhari would never shy away from the problems of the country. “The president is a listening man that many of the things you complain about, he already knows them. Once you bring anything or those issues before him, he will take it with commitment. Another thing we have achieved recently is the issue of the pump price of petroleum. The party said no to it even though they had discussed it. It doesn’t matter the circumstances. The party said the time was not ripe. That is the position of the party. And they listened. We have tabled the matter,” he stated.

FG Kicks against Granting Asylum to

IPOB by UK The federal government yesterday took on the United Kingdom over alleged plans to grant asylum to the members of IPOB accused of undermining Nigeria’s security. The Cable had reported that the UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) had released new guidelines on how to treat asylum applications by members of Biafran secessionist groups. In the guidelines, asylum would be granted to “persecuted” members of the proscribed IPOB and the MASSOB. But reacting to the development at a forum organised by the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja yesterday, the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, said the decision amounted to sabotaging the fight against terrorism. Mohammed said the the decision was unacceptable and disrespectful to Nigeria. “Let me say straightaway that this issue is within the purview of the honourable minister of foreign affairs and I am sure he will handle it appropriately. “But as the spokesman for the Federal Government of Nigeria, I will say that if indeed the report that the UK will grant asylum to supposedly persecuted IPOB and MASSOB members is true, then something is wrong somewhere.

OPEC+ May Downgrade Ministers’ Meeting, Leave Output Unchanged Emmanuel Addeh in Abuja with agency report The Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and its allies are discussing downgrading next week’s the full-scale ministerial meeting, delegates said, a signal the coalition may stick with plans to gradually revive oil production. The OPEC+ coalition led by Saudi Arabia and Russia may go ahead with just the meeting of its monitoring committee on April 28, rather than the full gathering that’s currently also planned for

that day, the delegates said. The talks are continuing and nothing has been decided yet, they added, asking not to be named because the discussions are private, Bloomberg reported. The Joint Ministerial Monitoring Committee (JMCC) was established to make recommendations for the full ministerial group, rather than set or change policy. Holding the JMMC meeting alone may indicate members don’t see much need to revise the current strategy. OPEC and its allies already

agreed at the start of this month to carefully restore some halted production between May and July. The alliance will revive just over two million daily barrels of the eight million they’ve been keeping offline to shore up global markets. Three OPEC+ delegates, speaking anonymously, said they didn't expect any changes to the scheduled supply increase at next week’s gathering. Saudi Arabia, the group’s most influential member, has said it’s comfortable with the strategy.

The kingdom’s Energy Minister, Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman, said on April 15 that he didn't “see anything yet that disturbs us, me or my colleagues at OPEC+.” Global markets are also signalling that OPEC+ is following the right course, restoring just enough supply to meet the fragile recovery in demand. Brent crude futures, the international, traded near $67 a barrel yesterday, close to their highest level in a month. OPEC+’s output restraint,

combined with the tentative demand rebound has cleared the vast majority of the oilinventory glut that piled up when consumption collapsed during the pandemic. Storage tanks in developed economies now hold barely a fifth of the excess that amassed in the middle of last year, according to the International Energy Agency. With many OPEC+ members currently celebrating the Islamic holy month of Ramadan, holding a session of the JMMC rather than a full-blown ministerial conference may be easier, some

of the delegates said. Still, the market is a far cry from where it was a year ago when an unprecedented crisis saw U.S. benchmark crude futures closing at negative $37.63 a barrel. The historic plunge came as lockdowns savaged demand and key producers, Saudi Arabia and Russia flooded the market in a price war. A restoration of OPEC+ unity marked by deep supply cuts, as well as vaccine distribution around the world, have helped prices to climb back.

Senate Seeks Policies to Encourage Local Investors in Cement Production Deji Elumoye and Udora Orizu in Abuja The Senate has called on the federal government to provide more industrial incentives and protections such as concessionary loans and larger tax incentives for new entrants into the local cement production with a view to boosting production, reduction of price and encouragement of more valuable producers in the country. The Senate passed a resolution at yesterday’s plenary, following the adoption of a motion, entitled, 'Need for Liberalisation of Cement

policy in Nigeria,' sponsored by Senator Ashiru Yisa (Kwara South) and five others. The co-sponsors are Senators Muhammad Bima (Niger South); Adelere Oriolowo (Osun West); Samuel Egwu (Ebonyi North); Kabiru Gaya (Kano South); and Michael Nnachi (Ebonyi South). Moving the motion, Yisa said cement was of strategic importance to the country's infrastructure such as roads, bridges, drainages as well as in the construction of residential and public buildings. He stated that the cement market was oligopolistic in nature

with three players (Dangote Cement (60.6 per cent); Lafarge Africa Plc (21.8 per cent) and BUA Group (17.6 per cent) largely dominating the scene therefore making it susceptible to pricefixing practices. According to him, the significant rise in cement prices in the country and the low purchasing power of Nigerians may result in substandard building construction and non-completion of planned infrastructural works. He added that the situation called for urgent need to encourage more local production

of cement to satisfy demands with a steady growth rate of approximately three per cent per annum; a housing deficit of 30 million units and less engagement of over 10.5 million workforce of the building. He said unfavourable government policies such as the imposition of multiple taxes, erratic power supply, government ban on importation in violation of ECOWAS Trade liberalisation Scheme (ETLS) and subsequent lifting of importation in favour of few producers had negative implications on the growth infrastructures.

The sponsor of the motion added that if the status quo persists, the negative consequences of high prices on the economy will outweigh the benefits of producing cement locally; He said: ''Cement is one of the few building materials in which Nigeria is self-sufficient. As of 2018, the installed capacity of cement producers was about 47.8MMT, which is far above the estimated (2018) consumption of about a 20.7million metric tonnes. Yet, the prices of cement in Nigeria (N380) are about 240 per cent higher than the global average.

''Cognisant that cement takes a large share of domestic expenditure, and the price of such commodity; significantly impacts the government’s ability to provide muchneeded infrastructural works required for the growth of our economy. Further cognisant that the recent increase in price of cement ( from N2,600 N3,800) slowed down the amount of construction work being embarked upon thus negatively affecting labour engagement and almost collapsed the procurement plan of the governments in 2020 Appropriation Act.”

issues. He said the narratives found within the media were misleading, adding that the reportage on insecurity causes fear among the people. He added: “The narratives that you find within the media space are misleading. I will rather that the media begin to tone down the hype that

they give to issues that have to do with insecurity. “The reason is this: it starts stoking fear amongst the people. There’s some sense of confusion that is also introduced such that it would appear that everyone is no longer focused and thinking right to be able to understand what needs to be done at a particular point in time.

“I would rather urge the media to understand that a failed nation is actually not also good for the business of the media. And it’s only when you have a better understanding of the impacts that one is able to make progress. “We desire to live in an environment where peace and security prevail.”

BANDITS DESERVE DEATH NOT RANSOM, SAYS EL-RUFAI times." He spoke during a panel discussion on "The Economic and Social Impact of Insecurity on Education," at the national dialogue on financing safe schools in Nigeria, organised by the Ministry of Finance, Budget and National Planning in Abuja. Explaining that the target of kidnappers and bandits were

girls and boarding schools, el-Rufai said there should be no form of negotiations with the outlaws, adding that anyone found in the forest should be killed. He advocated the purchase of drones in addition to aircraft in the fight against insecurity, even as he explained that another way to discourage banditry is

to stop negotiating with them and paying a ransom. Speaking in another panel discussion, the Chief of Defence Staff, Irabor, pledged the support of the military for the initiative and other measures to tackle the general insecurity in the land. He, however, appealed to the media to be more responsible in their reportage of security

WEDNESDAY APRIL 21,2021 ˾ T H I S D AY

NEWSXTRA

Fire Razes INEC’s Data Processing Centre in Kano Chuks Okocha in Abuja and Ibrahim Shuaibu in Kano A fire outbreak yesterday destroyed a section of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC)’s headquarters in Kano State. The Public Relations Officer of the state Fire Service, Mr. Saminu

Abdullahi, confirmed the incident in a telephone interview yesterday, saying that the fire started at about 10:30 am. According to him, the fire outbreak affected the ICT office and a section of the administrative department of the commission. “Even though no life was lost, the inferno destroyed the ICT office

Umahi Confirms Killing of Two Persons in Fresh Ebonyi Communal Clash Benjamin Nworie in Abakaliki Ebonyi State Governor, Mr. David Umahi, has confirmed the killing of two persons in a fresh communal land dispute between Ezillo and Iyonu communities in Ishielu Local Government Area of the state. Briefing journalists after an enlarged security meeting in Abakaliki, the governor explained that the land had been declared as a buffer zone because of the land dispute which had last for 100 years. Umahi, who admitted that the state was still under high tension because of the killings in the state, also directed the Myetti Allah to still stay out of the state until such a time that the state would be declared safe. The governor, who also warned that the state would confront any herdsman with AK-47 in the state, further ordered local government

chairmen to enforce ban on open grazing in the state. He further explained that the councillor of Ezillo ward took an expatriate investor to the disputed land which resulted to the shootings and killing of two persons. Meanwhile, the governor has announced that normalcy has returned to the area with the intervention of the Catholic Bishop of Abakaliki Diocese, Most Rev Father Michael Okoro. According to Umahi, “There have been differences for over 100 years and the land has been declared a buffer zone. But unfortunately out of greed, one councilor from Ezillo took an expatriate investor to the disputed land and it resulted to shootings and killing of two persons.” The governor also condemned the killing of policemen and burning of police stations in the South-east zone.

and a block in the administrative office of the commission,” he said. Abdullahi said it was the quick intervention of the state Fire Service and the Federal Fire Service as well as the Airport Fire Service that saved the building from being burnt down. Meanwhile, INEC yesterday confirmed that fire razed down its data processing centre in Kano. The commission said that the Resident Electoral Commissioner for Kano State, Prof. Riskuwa

Shehu reported a fire incident at the Data Processing Centre (DPC) located at the premises of the commission’s state office in Kano. According to a statement by the INEC’s National Commissioner in charge of Publicity and Voter Education, Mr. Festus Okoye, the fire engulfed the said Data Processing Centre before it was contained by the Federal Fire Service. Okoye explained that the

staff made spirited efforts to bring the fire under control using fire extinguishers, but they were overwhelmed until the arrival of officers of the Federal Fire Service which subsequently quenched the fire. “The physical items burnt include Industrial Printers used for the printing of the voter register, Laser Jet Printers, Dell and Blade Servers, Desk Top Computers, Laptops for training, inverters and other accessories and fittings.” “All the data in the Voter

Register for the State, as well as all other sensitive documents of the State Office are backed up offsite and therefore safe. They will be recovered swiftly.” He assured members of the public that this incident would not in any way affect the operations of the Commission. Okoye also said that investigation into the cause of the fire incident had commenced and measures would be put in place to avert future occurrence.

WORK IN PROGRESS…

L-R: Oyo State Deputy Governor, Mr. Rauf Olaniyan; Governor Seyi Makinde; and Secretary to the State Government, Mrs. Olubamiwo Adeosun, during the State Executive Council meeting at Governor’s Office, Secretariat, Ibadan…yesterday

Judiciary Workers’ Strike Continues as FG Buhari Seeks Senate Confirmation Postpones Meeting with Union of Justice Abdullahi as FCT CJ Deji Elumoye and Udora Orizu in Abuja The Senate has received a request from President Muhammadu Buhari, for the confirmation of the appointment of the Acting Chief Judge of the FCT High Court, Justice Salisu Garba Abdullahi, as substantive Chief Judge. The request was contained in a letter read yesterday at plenary by the President of the Senate, Dr. Ahmad Lawan. According to Buhari, the request was made pursuant to Section 256 subsection 1 of the 1999 Constitution as amended. The letter read in part: “Request for the confirmation of the appointment of Hon. Justice Salisu Garba Abdullahi as the

Chief Judge for the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory Abuja. “Pursuant to Section 256(1) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended). “I hereby request for the Senate’s confirmation of the appointment of Hon. Justice Salisu Garba Abdullahi, the acting Chief Judge of the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory Abuja, as substantive Chief Judge of the Court. “I trust that the Senate will favorably confirm Hon. Justice Salisu Abdullahi as substantive Chief Judge of the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, in the usual expeditious manner.”

NDLEA Arrests Undergraduate, Boyfriend over Sale of Drug Cookies to School Children Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have arrested a 300-level university student, Miss Rhoda Agboje and her boyfriend, Mr. Ifeanyi Nwankwo, for producing and selling drug cookies to school children and other unsuspecting members of the public in Abuja. Spokesman of NDLEA, Mr. Femi Babafemi said in a statement yesterday that narcotics agents with the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Command of the NDLEA had also launched a manhunt for another member of the syndicate involved in producing the cookies with Arizona, a highly psychoactive variant of cannabis;

alcohol and rohypnol among other ingredients. According to the statement, their lid was blown open following the arrest of Rhoda Agboje with four pieces of the drug cookies on Sunday, April 18, 2021. The statement added that she was arrested at the NNPC Cooperative estate, opposite Gaduwa estate in Abuja based on a complaint that she gave an unsuspecting young girl the cookies to eat. “After eating the drug cookies, the girl lost her mind and could not sleep, making incoherent utterances due to the effects of the cookies.

Leaders stage walk-out Onyebuchi Ezigbo in Abuja The strike embarked by the Judicial Staff Union of Nigeria (JUSUN) continued yesterday as the federal government postponed a meeting between its officials and the leaders of the union. Following the failure of the representatives of the federal government to attend the meeting at the scheduled 3pm, the union leaders staged a walk-out. The Minister of labour and Employment, Senator Chris

Ngige later said that the meeting with the combined unions of JUSUN and the Parliamentary Staff Association of Nigeria( PASAN) was postponed to enable the federal government’s negotiating team to harmonise all issues from the Memorandum of Understanding reached at separate meetings with the other tiers and arms of government. Addressing journalists in his office, shortly after the union representatives walked out in protest, the minister said the

decision became necessary to ensure that the meeting with the unions can come up with a Memorandum of Action (MoA), which is implementable with time lines. “There is no point rushing to do a meeting that will be fruitless. The Judiciary, the Governors Forum and even the Presidency are involved in this negotiation because the meeting held yesterday was at the Office of the Chief of Staff to the President. “The arising documents are not

yet properly harmonised. It will therefore not be fruitful to hold a negotiation where people speak from irreconcilable positions. It won’t help us and it won’t help the unions either,” he said. According to Ngige, “the reason is to ensure that the agreement reached at the end of our meeting here is put into action, with timelines for implementation. So, if we don’t have a paper that is ready to go, then there will be no point for the talk shop.

Nigerian, Nigerien Army Field Commanders Meet over Worsening Insecurity Francis Sardauna in Katsina The field commanders of the Nigerian Army and their counterparts from Niger Republic yesterday met in Katsina State to review security situations and come out with operational guidelines that would improve the security of the two countries. The Nigerian Army Commanding Officer of 8 Division, Sokoto, Major-General Usman Abdulmumini Yusuf, who

led the multinational security team to Government House, Katsina State, said they agreed to share intelligence and harmonise their operations in tackling the nefarious activities of bandits in North-west region of Nigeria and the two countries in general. Farming communities in the North-west that shared boundary with Niger Republic have been under persistent attacks by invading gunmen and kidnappers, especially in Katsina, Zamfara,

Sokoto and Kebbi States where people are being killed and abducted almost on a daily basis. Yusuf said both the Nigerian and Nigerien soldiers would rekindle their efforts in conducting clearance operations in border communities in order to flush out the mercenaries terrorising the communities. He explained that the soldiers have vowed to strengthen the ongoing Operations Hadarin Daji of the Nigerian Army and

Bishiyar Daji of the Nigerien Army in border communities in order to end the bloodletting, rape and kidnapping of innocent citizens afflicting the two countries. He said: “On the sixth of this month the defence headquarters of Nigeria lead by the Chief of Defence Staff, Major General Lucky Irabo, led a team to Niger Republic to discuss bilateral issues and most importantly the security along our common borders.

Anyim Calls for Strengthening of Institutions in Nigeria Peter Uzoho An erstwhile Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Senator Anyim Pius Anyim, has emphasised the need for Nigeria to urgently strengthen the core institutions of the state to enable the country record meaningful progress.

Anyim listed such institutions in the country which are currently weak and not delivering optimally as core pillars of democracy as the judicial arm of government, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), law enforcement and security agencies, among others.

He made the call yesterday while delivering a lecture at the Distinguished Annual Public Lecture of the Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN), Enugu State, with the topic, “Political Succession and Nation Building in Nigeria: Problems and Challenges”.

He said those institutions played critical roles in political succession and nation building, regretting however, that political leaders have over time rendered them weak, such that they were unable to effectively discharge their responsibilities.

WEDNESDAY APRIL 21, 2021 ˾ T H I S D AY

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Senate, NBA Investigate CCT Chairman’s Alleged Misconduct Deji Elumoye and Udora Orizu in Abuja The Senate has ordered an immediate investigation into the assault allegations levelled against the Chairman of the Code of Conduct (CCT) Tribunal, Danladi Umar. The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) has also written to Umar, asking him to respond to the many petitions against him over alleged improper conducts within seven days. The decision by the Senate to investigate Umar was sequel to a petition brought to that effect at yesterday’s plenary by Senator Istifanus Gyang (PDP, Plateau North). The President of the Senate, Dr. Ahmad Lawan, referred the petition to the Senate Committee on Ethics, Privileges and Public Petitions headed by Senator Ayo Akinyelure for immediate investigation. Gyang, while giving a summary

of the petition said, “that Justice Umar Danladi assaulted the petitioner, Mr. Clement Sargwak, brutalised him and slapped him on the face, and asked him to kneel down and used his leg to hit him on the chest and inflicted bodily harm on him. According to the lawmaker, the petitioner “is asking this Senate to investigate this matter to ascertain the role of the Justice Danladi in this allegedly unwholesome happening to ensure justice to Mr. Clement Sargwak.” The security guard, Mr. Clement Sargwak, in the petition to the Senate signed by his lawyer, Timzing Venyir Ramnap, urged the upper chamber to investigate the matter in keeping with its duty of oversight on the Executive and Judicial arms of Government. He also requested the upper chamber to prevail on President Muhammadu Buhari to take disciplinary action against the CCT Chairman or call on the Inspector General of Police,

Alkali Usman, and the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami to investigate, arrest and prosecute Umar for his actions. Meanwhile, the NBA has also written to Umar and asked him to respond to the many

petitions against him over alleged improper conducts within seven days. In the letter dated April 10, 2021, but received and acknowledged yesterday afternoon at the office of the CCT chair – a copy of which was exclusively obtained

by THISDAY – the NBA through its newly constituted disciplinary committee, demanded Umar’s response within seven days of receiving the letter. Signed by its chairman, Mr. Yunus Ustaz Usman (SAN), Co-chair, Funke Aboyade (SAN)

and Secretary, Mr. Ikenna Onwusika, the NBA also sent along with its letter, three petitions dated April 2, 3 and 6, respectively for Umar’s consideration – all of which he was expected to respond to within the seven days ultimatum.

THE SCORECARD… Lawmakers Probe Customs’ GIVING L-R: National Secretary of the Caretaker and Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee (CECPC) of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Senator John James Akpanudoedehe; Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Mallam Garba Shehu; Invasion of Rice Traders’ and Chairman of APC Press Corps, Mr. Jide Orintunsin, during a meeting of the APC Young Professionals Forum at the party’s national secretariat in Abuja… yesterday ENOCK REUBEN. Shops at Ibadan Market The traders in the petition are Deji Elumoye and Udora Orizu Saraki Moves to Reconcile Cross River PDP Members demanding that the NCS should in Abuja The Senate has mandated its Committee on Ethics, Privileges and Public Petitions to investigate the alleged invasion of rice traders shops at Bodija market in Ibadan, Oyo State capital by men of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) that resulted in the carting away of goods worth N85 million. The upper chamber at yesterday’s plenary also confirmed the nomination of Mr. Muhammad Dattijo Usman as a Federal Commissioner of the National Population Commission (NPC). The probe came on the heels of a petition from the Ibadan Foodstuff Sellers Association addressed to the President of the Senate, Dr. Ahmad Lawan and routed through Senator Kola Balogun representing Oyo South senatorial district. According to the lawmaker, 3,046 bags of rice worth N79,196,000; 25kg vegetable oil numbering 14; cash of N4,862,000; and 15kg bags of Gari were carted away by men of the NCS during a forceful invasion of shops in the absence of the traders.

be warned against the use of the crude and cruel method of infringing on traders’ properties and products. They said the action of the NCS was seriously infringing on their rights to trade in legitimate items within the country as the midnight invasion violated all democratic principles. The petition read in part, “the above-named association write to report the unfortunate night invasion of the Bodija International Market, Ibadan and the forceful breakage of the Rice traders’ shops by men of the Nigeria Customs, Ikeja Unit, Lagos on March 31, through April 1, 2021. “Our shops and warehouses were forcefully opened in our absence and the following items were carted away: 3,046 bags of Rice at N26,000 per bag – N79,196,000; 14 (Nos) 25kg Vegetable Oil; Cash of N4,862,000.00; and One (Nos) 15kg Bag of Garri. It is pertinent to report to you, Sir, that five shops still remain under special white padlock, the same that were put on the forcefully broke ones.

Minister Laments Decline in Nigeria, South Korea’s Trade James EmejoinAbuja The Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Mr. Niyi Adebayo, yesterday expressed concern over the decrease in volume of trade between Nigeria and South Korea. According to him, trade between both countries fell from $5 million in 2018 to $1.3million in 2019. Speaking when he received the South Korean Ambassador to Nigeria, Kim Young-Chae, in his office, Adebayo noted that both countries had shared strong economic and investment ties with over 20 Korean companies,

including Samsung and Hyundai Heavy Industries, presently operating in the country. He stressed the need for the South Korean embassy, Federal Ministry of Foreign Affairs and his ministry to work closely towards improving the volume of trade between the two countries. Specifically, the minister called on Korean investors to take advantage of the country’s involvement in the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA) to invest in Nigeria so that they would have access to the large market on the African continent.

Chuks Okocha in Abuja

In line with the directives of the National Working Committee (NWC) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the party’s National Reconciliation and Strategy Committee headed by the former Senate President, Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki, yesterday night met with the National Assembly caucus from Cross River State. The objective of the meeting was to reconcile the National Assembly members, including other stakeholders, with the state governor, Prof. Ben Ayade, who

was already threatening to defect to the All Progressives Congress (APC). Last week, 18 elected local government area chairmen and 196 councillors came to the PDP national secretariat to serve notice of defection should the PDP not order a fresh congress and ensure that the governor as the leader of the party controls all the party structures in the state. Moments after the notice of defection was served by the 18 council chairmen and 196 councilors, it was gathered that the NWC mandated the Saraki-

led Reconciliation and Strategy Committee to wade into the matter and ensure proper reconciliation of issues raised. THISDAY gathered that in line with this, Saraki and members of his team moved towards reconciling the factions in the state. The PDP committee yesterday at Saraki residence met with all PDP members of the National Assembly to find an amicable resolution of the crisis. The two contending members of the National Assembly, Senator Steve Odeh and Hon. Jarigbe Agrom Jarigbe, it was gathered,

attended the meeting. Jarigbe, a serving House of the Representatives member, is laying claims to the seat in the Senate which Odeh have already been sworn in. “Last night, the PDP Reconciliation and Strategy Committee met with the PDP National Assembly caucus from Cross River State. At the meeting, we listened to the concerns of the legislators, and discussed strategies to unite all the leaders and key stakeholders of our party in the state,” he stated.

Technical Issues Delaying Lagos- Ibadan Rail Project, Says Amaechi Sunday Okobi and Oluchi Chibuzor The Minister of Transportation, Hon. Rotimi Amaechi, yesterday attributed the delay in inaugurating the Lagos-Ibadan rail project to infrastructural and technical issues within the seaport in Apapa. This, according to him, would be resolved at a meeting involving all stakeholders and experts to proffer solutions to the problem. Amaechi, during an inspection

tour of the project within the seaport axis yesterday in Lagos, said he could not say exactly when the project would now be launched. He said: “This project is very technical. If I have given you a timeline, how would I have found a solution to the customs building, so we are working hard to find these solutions; it is only after when the engineers have come up with proper solutions and time-based solutions that I can

speak on time. Now I cannot speak on time until when that happens. “You know, you can actually commission this project without that because it is not just one track, there are several tracks; that is one of the tracks we are going to fix. I am not an engineer, am just a policymaker; I am the head of the ministry.” Amaechi, however, expressed the determination of the government to complete the project despite the challenges.

“AlI I am doing is to make sure that out of the three tracks one or two can get to the quays so that we can commission, pending when the other ones are completed as a result of challenges we are meeting inside the seaport. It means this is the difficulty we are having and we want to face them. The fact that we have not gone to other places means other places are functioning. But this one we have this crisis and we have to find a solution to it.

Estate Owners Ask FG to Review AMCON’s Conduct Ugo Aliogo Following the reported seizure of some plots of land at Victory Park Estate in Lekki, Lagos State, by the Assets Management Corporation of Nigeria (AMCON), the estate owners’ association yesterday called on the federal government to review the corporation’s conduct. The association alleged that AMCON violated court orders

when it sold some plots of land within the estate. Speaking to journalists at a media briefing organised by the Association of Victory Park Estate Bare-land Owners in Lagos yesterday, the Managing Partner of Pistis Partners law firm, Mayowa Owolabi, who represented some of the affected members of the association, claimed that the association acquired several plots of land within the estate from

a company called Knight Rook Limited through an affiliated company called Grant Properties Limited in 2002. According to him, “Upon acquiring the land, his clients proceeded to register the title deeds at the land registry, paid all registrations fees and statutory charges and procured the consent of the Lagos State governor.” He stated that in 2017, one Mr. Lanre Olaoluwa placed a

signage on the perimeter fence around the estate indicating that AMCON was entitled to take possession of some plots of land within the estate based on the orders of the Federal High Court issued on June 16, 2016, in suit No: FHC/AB/ CS/69/2016 – AMCON v Havilah Villas Limited and 10 Ors, and suit No: FHC/L/CS/744/2017AMCON v Knight Rook Limited and 5 Ors.

WEDNESDAY APRIL 21, 2021 ˾ T H I S D AY

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2023: Group Rallies Support for Tinubu Peter Uzoho The A group that identified itself as the Network for National Stability (NENSTAB) has described the National Leader of the All Progressives Congress

(APC), Senator Bola Tinubu who turned one year shy of a grand septuagenarian recently, as a man with borderless charity, deep in leadership deposits, and blessed with a fecund national stamina and absorbing presence.

PDP Screens 16 Aspirants for Anambra Governorship Race David-Chyddy Eleke in Awka The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) yesterday revealed that it has screened a total of 16 aspirants for the Anambra State governorship election. The state Chairman of the party, Mr. Ndubuisi Nwobu, revealed this to journalists yesterday at the party’s secretariat where an aspirant, Dr. Godwin Maduka, presented 25 vehicles to the party. The party chairman said: “We are waiting for the screening committee to present its report very soon. The screening was very thorough, and besides what they filed as their qualifications, they were asked to bring the originals of their credentials for sighting. “We hope that soon, the result would be out, and we will know those cleared, but I hope that they

will all make it.” All the aspirants of the party, who were screened, according to Nwobu, are Dr. Godwin Maduka, Mrs. Genevieve Ekwochi, Hon Tony Nwoye, Mr. Godwin Ezeemo, Chief Chuma Nzeribe and Mr. Valentine Ozigno. Others are Dr. Obiora Okonkwo, Mrs. Chidi Onyemelukwe, Senator Uche Ekwunife, Hon Chris Azubogu, Senator Ugochukwu Uba, Dr. Winston Udeh, Emeka Etiaba, Ubaka Okeke, Chief Johnny Maduafokwa and Ifedi Okwenna. Maduka, while presenting the vehicles to the party, said there were specially procured for all the 21 local government secretaries of the party, while the remaining four would be given to the state executives.

In a statement issued by the Executive Secretary of the group, Mr. Steve Ugwu, the group stated that “it is our considered respect to join other well-meaning Nigerians to felicitate with a man whose page in politics, governance and leadership is carved in determined consistency for national stability and a clear thirst for a better Nigeria”. According to the group, Tinubu

“has been extra remarkable by sheer weight of purpose, conviction and articulation, to sustaining the solid base of hope, that Nigeria will not only outpace her challenges, but can do that faster together, not asunder”. “As a body of concerned statesmen, development entrepreneurs and broad nationalists ourselves, we request more Nigerians to borrow from Tinubu’s resilient spice, to help us

as a nation brews a content we can all sip and be content, away from the paralysing absurdities of plain vanity,” “A country with prospects as ours should not be hanging on the cliff perpetually, while leaders fiddle in silence, hug reckless propaganda, while the people sleep and wake to a routine of expanded agony. The building of a redemption

consensus, we advise is urgent, because the spiralling disciples of separation, waging ferocious wars at our fragile heartbeat, demand specialised intensive treatment, to arrest festering sores from becoming dangerous cancer. Amputation of Nigeria we dare say, should not be romanced where cure is possible and available,” the group explained.

EFFECTIVE PARTNERSHIP...

L-R: Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Science and Technology, Mr. Edet Akpan; Minister of State for Science and Technology, Alhaji Mohammed Abdullahi; Minister of Science and Technology, Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu; and Director of Research, National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS), Prof. Dung Pam Sha, during the visit of the Executive Course 43 of NIPSS Kuru Jos, to the minister’s office in Abuja ... yesterday

Kidnapped Ekiti Monarch Released, Hospitalised

FUOYE Governing Council Suspends Registrar for Alleged Gross Misconduct

Victor Ogunje in Ado Ekiti

Victor Ogunje in Ado

The Obadu of Ilemeso Ekiti, Oba David Oyewumi, who was kidnapped by suspected gunmen last Thursday, has been released from captivity. Oba Oyewumi was kidnapped in his palace by gunmen, who scaled the fence and invaded his apartment around 8.30p.m. The kidnappers later contacted the family last Saturday and demanded a N20 million ransom to secure his release. The Police Public Relations Officer, Ekiti Command, ASP. Sunday Abutu, confirmed that the monarch had been left off the hook and has reunited with his family. Abutu said: “I can confirm to you that the monarch had been released from captivity. He had also reunited with his family. “However, he is presently

receiving medical care in one of the facilities in the state as a result of the trauma he passed through”. He denied awareness of any ransom paid to secure release of the monarch, saying his freedom was necessitated by the concerted actions taken by the police and other security agencies. Also, the Ekiti Amotekun Corps Commander, Brig Gen. Joe Komolafe, said the release of the traditional ruler was secured at Obbo Ayegunle, Ekiti Local Government area of Kwara State with the support of the vigilante members in Kwara State. Komolafe said: “When we went into the bush, we tracked the traditional ruler to the area, the vigilante from Kwara State joined our team and we were able to rescue him in the night in the forest at Obbo-Ile, Kwara State.

Jonathan Mourns President Debby Former President Goodluck Jonathan has commiserated with the Chadian people over the death of their President Idriss Debby, describing him as a leader who made considerable contributions to the efforts to stabilise the Sahel region and bring peace to the continent. In Jonathan’s condolence message, the former president said: “I am saddened by the sudden death of Chad’s President Idriss Déby. As a leader, he made great efforts to stabilise the Sahel Region and bring peace to the continent. “ Through the Multinational Joint Task Force, the late President Déby, and the Republic of Chad partnered with Nigeria and our neighbours to address issues of

terrorism and other challenges affecting the Lake Chad Region. “He played a prominent role on the African continent, and his Chairmanship of the African Union saw the progress of the African Continental Free Trade Agreement, which the Republic of Chad ratified under his leadership. “I will remember him for the role he played in helping our two nations build positive cooperation that mutually benefited our peoples, and his death is mourned. “On behalf of my family, and the Goodluck Jonathan Foundation, I condole with the government and people of the Republic of Chad over his death, and pray for peace, progress and prosperity for Chad.”

The Registrar of the Federal University Oye-Ekiti (FUOYE), Mr. Olatunbosun Odusanya, has been suspended for alleged misconduct. The suspension was contained in a statement made available to journalists in AdoEkiti yesterday, by the Special

Adviser on Media Matters to the Vice-Chancellor, Mr. Wole Balogun. Sequel to the development, the Deputy Registrar in the VC’s office, Mr. Mufutau Ibrahim, has been appointed by the University Council as acting registrar. The statement revealed that Odusanya was suspended by

the University Governing Council chaired by Dr. Mohammed Yahuza. Balogun said the suspension became expedient to allow for proper investigation into allegations of misconduct and irregularities in recent appointments conducted by the university leveled against Odusanya.

The statement further revealed that Odusanya’s suspension was conveyed to him in a letter dated April 20, 2021, and signed by the Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Abayomi Fasina. Balogun said the letter was also copied to all appropriate quarters of the university community.

Nigeria, Netherland to Partner on Advocacy on Illegal Migration Olawale Ajimotokan in Abuja The Federal Government of Nigeria and the Embassy of The Netherlands have agreed to partner to resolve migration issues in Nigeria. The Federal Commissioner of the National Commission for Refugees, Migrants and Internally Displaced Persons (NCFRMI), Senator Basheer Garba Mohammed, and the

Ambassador of the Kingdom of The Netherland, Harry van Dijk, agreed to increase advocacy for sensitisation of migrants against illegal migration when they met yesterday. Mohammed said NCFRMI is committed to steadfast advocacy for safe and orderly migration that would ensure more lives are saved and not lost by ramping up sensitisation of Nigerians to

promote regular migration within the country. He stressed that by the middle of this year, the commission intends to launch the Resettlement City Rehabilitation and Reintegration Project in Borno, Kano, Katsina and Edo States. The commissioner said the Edo State facility was selected for use as a transitional migrant centre for rehabilitation and reintegration of

migrants who have returned from abroad and need support before going back to their homes. According to him, “We have listened to the numerous calls from migrants and believe that this is one way for the commission to promote safe return and reintegration of migrants that is free of stigma, especially for those who have returned from gruesome experiences.”

Buhari Observes Annual Tafsir At State House Mosque DejiElumoyeinAbuja President Muhammadu Buhari, who returned from a two-week trip to the United Kingdom last Thursday joined Muslim faithful in the State House mosque yesterday for the Ramadan Tafsir (explanation of the Qur’an).

The President, who was accompanied by personal aides, was attending the Tafsir for the first time in twoyears, following the closure of the Mosque throughout the Ramadan last year due to the restrictions in public gatherings put in place by the Presidential Task Force (PTF) on COVID-19, now Presidential

Steering Committee (PSC). In a sermon before the commencement of the exercise, the Chief Imam of the Presidential Villa, Sheikh Abdulwahid Abubakar Sulaiman lamented that groups and individuals have been spreading concocted and fake stories regarding COVID-19, thereby misleading a

large number of people. He called the epidemic ‘‘a trial from the Almighty, as well as a leveller and equalizer of humanity.’’ Sheikh Sulaiman urged Nigerians to continue to observe the regulations put in place by the relevant authorities to help prevent the spread of coronavirus.

Kano Police Rescue Girl Detained for 10Years by Parents Ibrahim Shuaibu in Kano The Kano State Police Command has rescued a 15-year-old girl, Aisha Jibrin, who was kept in solitary confinement by her parents for 10 years in Fagge Local Government Area of the state. The Police Public Relations

Officer (PPRO) of the state, Abdullahi Haruna Kiyawa, in a statement issued yesterday, said the victim was rescued at her family house at Darerawa quarters in Fagge LGA. Kiyawa said the victim was locked up by her father, Mohammed Jibrin, and mother, Rabi, for 10 years without proper

care. The PPRO said the victim was set free following a tip-off by some good Samaritans in the area. On receipt of the report, according to the police spokesman, the state Commissioner of Police, Sama’ila Shu’aibu Dikko, ordered a medical team as well as

detectives to proceed to the scene, rescue the victim and arrest the culprits. The teams immediately swung into action and rescued the victim, who was in a harsh condition, adding that she was rushed to the Murtala Muhammed Specialist Hospital where she was admitted.

WEDNESDAY APRIL 21, 2021 ˾ T H I S D AY

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Senate in Heated Debate over Livestock Control Bill Deji Elumoye and Udora Orizu in Abuja The Senate at plenary yesterday had a heated debate on a Bill for an Act to provide for the National Livestock Bureau to ensure protection, control and management of livestock, registration and cattle rustling in the country. The Bill which scaled through second reading is sponsored by Senator Bima Muhammad Enagi

(Niger South). Leading the debate on its general principles, Enagi said the Bill seeks to ensure livestock health and disease management through disease surveillance, prevention and quick response to disease outbreaks. According to him, the proposed legislation when passed into law will deter animal theft, especially as it affects the incessant cattle rustling crisis; and aid intelligence gathering by security agencies

EFCC Grills Ex-Zamfara Gov, Yari Kingsley Nwezeh in Abuja The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) yesterday interrogated former Governor of Zamfara State, Hon. Abdulazeez Yari, over his alleged handling of transactions relating the Paris Club Fund refund while he served as chairman of Nigeria Governors’ Forum. Yari was said to be facing questions over other allegations of corruption.

Spokesman of the EFCC, Mr. Wilson Uwujaren, confirmed that the former governor was invited by the commission’s office in Sokoto. He could not confirm whether Yari was released last night. “We extended an invitation to him; He has been with interrogators in our Sokoto office,” he said. THISDAY gathered that Yari was granted bail but was yet to perfect the bail conditions last night.

towards mitigating the incessant conflicts between herders and farmers. While five senators from the North, including the President of the Senate, Dr. Ahmad Lawan, spoke in favour of the Bill, Southern Senators kept mum

except the Senate’s spokesman, Senator Ajibola Bashiru who spoke against it. Opposing the Bill, while relying on the provisions of the 1999 Constitution, as amended, Senator Bashiru, said no aspect of the Exclusive and Concurrent

components of the Constitution gives the National Assembly the powers to legislate on Livestock. He said such matters, according to the Constitution, should be handled by State Houses of Assembly. According to him, proceeding

with the consideration and passage of the Bill will be unconstitutional. His position was opposed by a Senator from Kebbi State, Bala Ibn N’Allah, who contended that the National Assembly could legislate on the matter.

Abiodun: I Inherited Only Five Functional Ambulances Governor Dapo Abiodun of Ogun State yesterday disclosed that his administration inherited only five functional ambulances serving the entire state when it assumed office on May 29, 2019. Abiodun, who declared that his administration placed high premium and value on the health and emergency response as an important sector in the state, said 12 additional ambulances had since

been bought by his government. According to him, his administration was aiming at making at least an ambulance available in each of the 26 state constituencies. The governor who made this known when he received the Governing Board of the National Youth Service Scheme Governing Board(NYSC), led by its chairman, Ambassador Fatima Balla Abubakar in his Oke Mosan, Abeokuta office,

said plans were also underway to grow the number of ambulances in the state to over 30 from the initial five he met on ground. Abiodun added that the state government recently launched its 24 hours ambulance response service across the state, noting the service would avail the people of the state the opportunity to call the emergency number and get emergency responses on time.

“The issue of health and emergency response is an important sector to us. When this administration came into office, I think we had about five ambulances, today, we have seventeen ambulances, but we are not even their yet. I demanded the commitment of a few of our public private sector partners and I believe that between now and the next 30 days, we should have about thirty ambulances in the state.

Showmax Reduces Subscription Fees on Mobile Plan Streaming service Showmax, has reduced the cost of its mobile-only entertainment plan by nearly 20 per cent while all other prices remained unchanged with effect from last Monday. Speaking about the price reduction, MultiChoice Group CEO for Connected Video, Yolisa Phahle,

said: “We know that consumers are under pressure at the moment and we believe this change will be appreciated by our mobile customers as will the decision not to increase any of our other prices. We have our most exciting slate of Showmax Originals this year and look forward to more

Nigerians enjoying our proudly African stories.” The company has so far this year, already released its first Showmax Nigeria Original, I Am LAYCON; a reality show on Big Brother Naija Season 5 winner Lekan Agbeleshe, which broke first day streaming records on Showmax Nigeria.

Other Showmax Originals that have been released this year include the follow-up to the very popular Tali’s Wedding Diary: Tali’s Baby Diary; the small-town psychological thriller DAM and the Kenyan police procedural Crime and Justice, a co-production with CANAL+.

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WEDNESDAY APRIL 21, 2021 ˾ T H I S D AY

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Akeredolu Declares ‘No Victor, No Vanquished’ as Tribunal Dismisses Jegede’s Petition The Ondo State Governor, Mr. Oluwatotimi Akeredolu, yesterday declared that there was ‘no victor and no vanquished,’ as the Election Petition Tribunal, that looked into complaints that emanated from the October 10, 2020 gubernatorial election in the state, dismissed the petition of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and its candidate Mr. Eyitayo Jegede (SAN). The petition, was dismissed by the tribunal, which delivered its judgment via a Zoom link and based its decision for want of jurisdiction. The PDP and its candidate,had approached the tribunal, alleging that the election was characterised by irregularities and that the All Progressives Congress (APC)

candidate, was not properly nominated. During the tribunal proceedings that lasted about four months, petitioner and respondents engaged in legal fireworks. Reading the judgment via Zoom Link, the Chairman of the three-man panel, Justice Umar Abubakar, stated that “issue raised therein in this petition are settled issue of internal affairs and management of a political party. The tribunal ruled that Akeredolu and his deputy, Mr. Lucky Aiyedatiwa were duly nominated and sponsored by the APC in line with Section 177 of the Constitution and Section 31 of the Electoral Act. “The tribunal cannot

determine whether Mai Bala Buni, the Governor of Yobe State is illegally occupying the seat of Caretaker Chairman of the Panning Committee of the extraordinary convention of the APC, ” the court ruled. He said the Akeredolu and Aiyedatiwa demonstrated without the benefit of the doubt that they were duly sponsored by a political party. The Tribunal further said that Buni’s membership of the APC was also not disputed by the petitioners. “There is also evidence to confirm that the APC as the sponsor complied with the law in the process for the submission of the names of its Candidates, Akeredolu and Aiyedatiwa”.

Nine Fleeing Nigerian Inmates Arrested in Ghana Nine fleeing Nigerian inmates who allegedly broke jail have been arrested by the Ghanaian Police force at Ada Foah. BBC Pidgin quoted the Ada Divisional Police Commander, Chief Superintendent, Francis Somian, as saying that they got a tip-off that led them to Clinic

Junction Lorry Station where the arrest was made on Monday. The suspects were believed to be fugitive jailbreakers from Nigeria, who entered Ghana through ferry, across River Volta into Ada Foah. The suspected had intended to continue their journey to Accra

via commercial bus. In a report, 3news Ghana identified as Emmanuel Obinnah Chiedozie, 27; Steve Eyenuku, 33; Enebeli Lucky, 29; Yommi Usmah, 29; Keli Ekureni, 33; Freedom Yusuf, 25; Obi Onuora, 38; Patrick Chanar, 47; and Bless Eyenuku, 25.

Falana-backed New Movement Unveils Agenda to Liberate Nigeria A new radical political movement, The Peoples Alternative Political Movement, (TPAP-Movement) has rolled out several socio-political programes to save Nigeria from imminent economic and moral collapse in the hands of what it described as corrupt and visionless elite. In a statement issued yesterday by a human rights lawyer and Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Mr. Femi Falana; Mr. Jaye Gaskiya and Prof. Toye Olorode, the group said it would mend a divided country and bring hope where there was despair. It called on Nigerians, workers, students, women, youths and

defenceless people alike to be ready to confront the exploitative system in order to secure eternal freedom from anguish and misery. According to the statement, the new political movement was being promoted by a rainbow coalition of labour, civil society and community-based organisations spread across the country. The group said only a radical intervention would save the country from shipwreck. “The founders of the new movement are the country’s labour movement, farmers unions, women groups and hundreds of civil society organisations spread across the country,” the

statement said. TPAP-Movement said Nigeria was at a perilous crossroads with the deteriorating socio-economic situations in the face ridiculous living conditions of citizens and extremely poor quality of life. “We have started to build alliances in the creeks, in the forest lands, in the savannah, in the desert, in the plateau and plain fields where poor and toiling masses of Nigerians live,” it said. The movement said since the inauguration of the current 4th Republic in 1999, Nigerian has been a gradual slid into possible implosion.

Passenger Expresses Gratitude as MMA2 Security Personnel Return Missing N2.3m An Uyo-bound passenger on Ibom Airline, Mr. George Etuk has commended the Aviation Security (AVSEC) personnel at the Murtala Muhammed Airport Terminal two (MMA2), operated by Bi-Courtney Aviation Services Limited (BASL) after receiving his lost baggage containing the sum of N2, 350, 000 and other vital documents. The incident, according to BASL AVSEC Manager, Mr. Olatubosun Okeowo, occurred at about 1715hours recently while the passenger who just returned from the United States of America was at the terminal to link up

with an Uyo-bound airline. It was gathered that the passenger was at the Ibom Airline check-in counter alongside other intending passengers when he got carried away and lost concentration on his bag. During the CCTV investigation by BASL AVSEC Team, it was discovered that the bag was accidentally picked up by a fellow passenger. According to Okeowo, “during our CCTV investigation, it was discovered that the bag belonging to Mr. George Etuk was accidentally picked up by another intending passenger with

the same airline. They were not aware at all. But after the flight was delayed, and the passengers had to find means to relax ahead of the rescheduled time, the anomaly came to the fore. “The other passenger who took the baggage unknowingly, too, had disappeared. On receiving the prompt message, our AVSEC Team immediately swung into action to unravel what went wrong. With the aid of the CCTV, we were able to identify what happened and my duty supervisor and his team quickly went after the man who picked the bag.

WEDNESDAY APRIL 21, 2021 • T H I S D AY

WEDNESDAY APRIL 21, 2021 •T H I S D AY

WEDNESDAY APRIL 21, 2021 • T H I S D AY

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WEDNESDAYSPORTS Imaobong Listed as Youngest Quarter-miler as Nigeria Enters for Five Events in Poland

Group Sports Editor Duro Ikhazuagbe Email duro.ikhazuagbe@thisdaylive.com 0811 181 3083 SMS ONLY

W O R L D A T H L E T I C S R E L AY S

Duro Ikhazuagbe Nigerian quarter-miler, Imaobong Nse Uko, 17, has been listed as the youngest athlete to compete at the World Athletics Relays scheduled to hold in Silesia, Poland between May 1 and 2. Spain’s Angel David Rodriguez, who turns 41 later this month, is the oldest athlete entered for the competition. Nigeria is to compete in five relay events that includes the men and women’s 4x100m and the 4x400m while the fifth event is the mixed relay. Imaobong who is the former National Youth Games 400m queen with a 52.07 this season

Imaobong Nse Uko...youngest entry at the World Athletics Relays in Poland

is to join the likes of Patience Okon-George, Uwemedino Akpan Abasiono, Opeyemi D. Oke, Glory Patrick and Osaretin Usembo in the women’s 4x400m relay team at the two-day relay fiesta in Poland. Nigerian’s two-time African 100m champion, Blessing Okagbare is leading the cast of Tobi Amusan, Ese Brume, Grace Nwokocha, Joy Chinenye Udo-Gabriel and Tima Seikeseye Godbless to hunt for a place in the final 16 teams of Tokyo 2020 Women’s 4x100m event. In the men’s 4x100m relay event, Nigeria has forwarded the names of Enoch Adejoke, Alaba Akintola, Usheoritse Itsekiri, Jerry Jakpa, Divine Oduduru and Seye Ogunlewe to battle for the quartet to fly the country’s flag in the event. As at Tuesday, 127 relay teams from 37 countries have put in their entries to be part of the relay fiesta. Double Olympic champion Elaine Thompson-Herah, three-time world indoor champion Pavel Maslak and African 100m champion Akani Simbine are among the big names on the final entry list for the World Athletics Relays Silesia 21. Thompson-Herah, who is named on Jamaica’s 4x100m and 4x200m teams, will be making her third

World Relays appearance. She anchored Jamaica to 4x200m victory in 2017 in national record time, then finished third in the same event in 2019. Jamaican teammate Shericka Jackson, the world and Olympic 400m bronze medallist, will feature in the women’s 4x400m. Maslak will aim to keep the Czech men’s 4x400m team in a qualifying position for the Tokyo Olympics. They currently occupy the 16th and final spot in the list of provisional qualifiers for the

Games, but a lane in the final in Silesia will secure their place in the Japanese capital. Simbine, who has produced three sub-10-second performances already this year, will be reunited with two of his other South African 4x100m teammates from the World Athletics Championships Doha 2019. Thando Dlodlo and Clarence Munyai joined Simbine in setting a national record of 37.65 in the heats before going on to finish fifth in the final. In Doha they finished just 0.01

behind Brazil, winners of the 4x100m at the World Athletics Relays Yokohama 2019. Three members of that Brazilian sprint relay squad have been named for Silesia. Several newly minted winners from the recent European Indoor Championships are slated to compete in Silesia. European indoor 400m champion Femke Bol leads a strong Dutch 4x400m team, which includes all of the women who contributed to their relay success indoors. European indoor 60m champions

Marcell Jacobs and Ajla del Ponte, meanwhile, are named on the Italian and Swiss squads respectively. The newest addition to the World Athletics Series, the World Relays were held in the Bahamian capital of Nassau for the first three editions, while Japanese city of Yokohama hosted the fourth edition. The 2021 World Relays will be used as a qualifying competition for relay teams aiming to compete at the World Athletics Championships Oregon 2021.

C O N F E D E R AT I O N C U P

Gov Ikpeazu Flies Enyimba on Private Jet to Libya for Al Ahly Benghazi Tie Nigeria’s last team in continental campaign this season, Enyimba FC flew out to Libya last night on a chartered fight for a decisive CAF Confederation Cup game against Al Ahli Benghazi. The People’s Elephant were at the point of losing hope of making the trip due to logistics problems but Abia State Governor, Dr Okezie Ikpeazu, intervened by hiring a private jet to ferry the players and officials to Libya. Before the team left Nigeria, CAF had earlier turned down their request to postpone the match due to the flight and visa hitches they faced. With the governor’s intervention, the team is now scheduled to honour the match-day five fixture at 10pm on Thursday April 22. “I am deeply grateful to the governor for this very kind and generous gesture,” the Enyimba Chairman, Felix AnyansiAgwu stated before the team left Lagos last night. “His intervention has averted what could have brought embarrassment and ridicule, not just to Enyimba but to Nigeria as a country. “The timely manner in which he (Gov Ikpeazu) intervened in the matter is a clear indication that he has Enyimba at the centre of his heart, and God will continue to bless him. “I also want to thank the NFF President, Amaju Pinnick,

for the role he played in ensuring that we are now at this point where we are sure of playing the match in a convenient atmosphere. “He took it upon himself to ensure that everything is fine for us to honour the match, and we are very grateful to him.” Enyimba are second in Group A with six points from four matches, two points behind leaders Orlando Pirates who the People’s Elephant will face on the final matchday. The Libyans are third on four points. Meanwhile, Enyimba are likely to play their final,Group A tie against South Africa’s Orlando Pirates outside Nigeria as they are yet to get approval from the health authorities to stage the game in Aba. Enyimba will play host to Orlando Pirates on April 28. They had on February 24, 2021, written to NFF, PTF, CAF and Federal Ministry of Sports to seek clearance for the game to be held in Aba, but they are yet to get a final decision on that. Benin, Ghana or Cameroon could be the venue for this game, if their home ground is not approved by the health authorities. Fellow Nigerian club side, kRivers United played a Confederation Cup qualifier against another South African club, Blomfontein Celtic, in Benin Republic after the health authorities refused to give the South African club a waiver as regards quarantine.

Enyimba FC Players left for Libya by chartered ﬂight last night

FC Robo Shock Bayelsa Queens in NWFL Super Six Playoff Edo Queens concede second defeat to narrow chances of winning FC Robo of Lagos who are the least favourites for the Nigeria Women’s Football League Premiership title and ticket for the WAFU B qualifiers for the CAF Women Champions, shocked Bayelsa Queens of Yenagoa 2-0 in one of the games of Match-day two of the Super Six Playoff in Ijebu-Ode. The Coach Emmanuel Osahon girls defeated NWFL Premiership top-rated team and multiple champions, Bayelsa

Queens in the most shocking manners. FC Robo’s goals were scored by Lawal Taiwo in the 35th minute and Monday Gift in the 37th minute. They were two quick goals. It was a game, Bayelsa Queens Chief coach Moses Aduku, never had a clue of how best to checkmate the ladies from Lagos, who were in the class of their own playing a fully attacking game. FC Robo clearly

outclassed their opponent from Bayelsa. Bayelsa highly rated to win the Super Six after emerging tops at the end of the first round, played a 1-1 draw against Sunshine Queens in their first game and lost 2-0 in the second game. They now have just one point out of a maximum six points. While FC Robo have four points from the 1-1 draw against Rivers Angels on Monday, and 2-0 win over

Bayelsa Queens. Similarly, another favorites Edo Queens football club of Benin lost their second game of the playoff to now narrow their chances of having their dream come true. Edo Queens, this time in the absence of the Deputy Governor, Philip Shuaibu, lost Tuesday’s game, which was their second game in the series, against Sunshine Queens of Akure 2-1.

All Six Premier League Teams Withdraw from ESL All six Premier League teams involved in the European Super League have formally withdrawn from the competition. Manchester City were the first club to pull out after Chelsea had signalled their intent to do so by preparing documentation to withdraw. The other four sides - Arsenal, Liverpool, Manchester United and Tottenham - have all now followed suit The 12-team Super League was announced on Sundayto widespread condemnation. Manchester City confirmed

they have “formally enacted the procedures to withdraw” from the Super League. Liverpool said their involvement in the proposed breakaway league “has been discontinued”. Manchester United said they had “listened carefully to the reaction from our fans, the UK government and other key stakeholders” in making their decision to not take part. Arsenal apologised in an open letter to their fans and said they had “made a mistake”, adding they were

withdrawing after listening to them and the “wider football community”. Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy said the club regretted the “anxiety and upset” caused by the proposal. Chelsea confirmed they have “begun the formal procedures for withdrawal from the group” that they only joined “late last week”. UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin welcomed the reversal, adding: “They are back in the fold now and I know they have a lot to offer not just to

our competitions but to the whole of the European game. “The important thing now is that we move on, rebuild the unity that the game enjoyed before this and move forward together.” English football’s ‘big six’ were part of a group, also containing Spain’s Atletico Madrid, Barcelona and Real Madrid and Italy’s AC Milan, Inter Milan and Juventus, that announced plans to form the breakaway league, which they hoped to establish as a new midweek competition.

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WEDNESDAYSPORTS

Man City, Chelsea Withdraw from New European Super League WHILE WE WAIT TO DIE

Sunday Dare...sports minister inspecting Sports-city with Gov Babajide Sanyo-Olu

Chelsea fans protesting the involvement of the Blues in the proposed ESL...yesterday

Manchester City have withdrawn from the European Super League (ESL) and Chelsea were also preparing to do so at press time. Efforts to leave come just two days after both were announced as two of six English clubs to sign up to the controversial new competition. The ESL has been widely criticised since being announced on Sunday. Around 1,000 fans gathered outside Chelsea’s Stamford Bridge home ground before their game against Brighton yesterday to protest their involvement. Chelsea and City were part of English football’s ‘big six’ clubs - alongside Arsenal,

Liverpool, Manchester United and Tottenham - to have agreed to join the new league. In total, 12 European clubs announced their intentions to form the breakaway league, which they hoped to establish as a new midweek competition. It was condemned by football authorities and government ministers in the UK and across Europe by UEFA and leagues associations. Chelsea were the first club to indicate they will not press ahead by preparing documentation to withdrawn. City withdrew soon after. Chelsea and City were not drivers of this plan, they were the last to sign and feared being

left behind. It is not clear how easy it is or how binding the contracts are. The decision to try have Chelsea leave was taken by owner Roman Abramovich and the club’s board board after witnessing negative global reaction to the Super League. There was a fear that it could do reputational damage to the club and undermine some of its campaigning and community work. Questions were raised internally as to whether fans would respond to the club if it continued with a proposal which has gone down so badly. The decision was made earlier on Tuesday before protests

started outside Stamford Bridge. Earlier in the day, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson met with the Football Association, Premier League officials and fans’ representatives, after which the government said it will take “whatever action necessary”, including legislative options, to ensure the proposals were stopped. Johnson’s stance is supported by Labour and the Liberal Democrats. A statement released after a meeting between the Premier League and the 14 clubs not involved said they “unanimously and vigorously” rejected plans for the competition.

EUROPEAN SUPER LEAGUE

Leaked Documents Reveal US-style Plan to Transform Elite Football’s Finances Leaked plans for the European Super League show an unprecedented effort to cap spiralling player wages and share wealth between football’s richest clubs. The measures, which range from revenue-sharing arrangements to strict spending limits, have been confirmed by the Financial Times and closely resemble the structure of top US sports leagues. A dozen top clubs including England’s Manchester United, Spain’s Real Madrid and Italy’s AC Milan, have signed up to join the breakaway contest that threatens to shatter the existing power structures in the world’s most-watched sport. Despite uproar among fans, European politicians and football pundits, the Super League clubs are pushing ahead with a project they believe will raise upwards of €4bn a season from global broadcasting and sponsorship rights. That figure is roughly double that of the Champions League, the continent’s top club contest, which the Super League is designed to supercede. According to those familiar with the plans, the 15 “founding clubs”

of the Super League would share 32.5 per cent of these commercial revenues. A further 32.5 per cent would be distributed between all 20 participating teams, including the five sides invited to play in the competition each year. Twenty per cent of revenues would be allocated on “merit” or be dependent on performance in the competition. The final 15 per cent would be shared based on broadcast audience size. A person directly involved in the deal told Financial Timesthat the distribution model ensured the competition winner would receive just 1.5 times more than the bottom side. By comparison, that ratio in Spain’s La Liga is closer to 3.5 times. However, clubs will be also allowed to retain all revenues from gate receipts and club sponsorship deals. The model is closer in design to North American sports leagues such as the National Basketball Association (NBA) and National Football League (NFL), in which franchises strike joint commercial agreements, and use collective bargaining agreements with players and other measures to level the playing field.

Those competitions are “closed”, meaning that teams are guaranteed their place every year, ensuring reliable revenues and steady profits for owners. But the Super League structure represents a fundamental break with how European football has been governed for years, with its “pyramid” structure that ensures any team, through on-pitch success, can reach for the top prizes. Many of the Super League’s main architects, such as Manchester United, Liverpool and AC Milan have US owners, while the €3.25bn launch cost is financed by a debt deal underwritten by US investment bank JPMorgan Chase. Yet the driving force behind the project is Florentino Pérez, Real Madrid’s president who has been named chair of the Super League. He has pointed to the financial crisis at top clubs, many of which have suffered steep revenue shortfalls due to the pandemic and are heavily indebted, saying in a Spanish TV interview that they “are ruined”. Another common feature of US franchises is strict spending limits. Super League clubs have committed to using only 55 per cent

of their revenues on “sport spending”, such as player salaries, transfer and agent fees, according to people familiar with the terms. European clubs typically spend 70 to 80 per cent of their income on footballers’ wages alone. Super League clubs have also signed up to a “tax equalisation” clause so that “income tax on salaries shall be normalised and calculated at a rate of 45 per cent”, according to people with direct knowledge of the contracts. This would ensure clubs in Spain, where footballers pay a higher top rate of tax than in Italy or England, are not at a competitive disadvantage when the spending limits are assessed.

Florentino Perez...Real Madrid President tipped to head the new ESL

Death, the final terminator of a particular existence, is now a more regular presence in our daily life. Everything is touched. Nothing is spared. Its inevitability is now both a domineering and dominating consciousness in our daily life. The regularity of its invasion has made it a cheap commodity. The awesome power it had to instill fear and dread is all but gone because it has become irresponsibly regular in inflicting terror and pain. So now not many people fear Death. We know it will come uninvited like urchin gatecrashers at a wedding party. Like a thief in the night. Or loudly with outriders pronouncing its presence. We have in succumbing to its rascally regularity learnt to dare its arrival. Like saying “welcome, you took your time in coming. Am packed, let’s go.” The situation we now find ourselves is one which imposes the reality of the fact that our journey through this world has a timeline that is largely immutable. I got encouraged to write this piece last week when I received a call from a friend of mine who wanted me to give him some money (which I don’t have) “Tayo Balogun (he always calls me that), would you be kind enough to give me some money so I can manage to enjoy this waiting to die game?” “Waiting to die game?” “Yes, what else is there to do?” He thereafter went on to narrate how what we do after being born is literally wait for death. It doesn’t matter what you have or who you become after being born you must at some point depart this world. What we do with ourselves during the period we are here would determine how we enjoy our wait. According to him, if we worry less about an inevitable passage and do more to recreate our situation to our own tendencies, we are likely to enjoy our stay here on earth. Of course, there are forces beyond our control which limit our ability to dominate our environment and pursue our desire to enjoy our waiting period before eventual transition. First, we have a government that appears to want to hurry most of its citizens to early death through misery and deprivation. We have never been so badly served as is being done by this grossly incompetent administration. Daily we watch our country hurtle towards an abyss that houses our Hell. Standard of living is the lowest it has ever been. Our schools have gone back to being makarantawhere decent learning can not take place. Policies of government seem specially formulated to torment the citizenry. They have taken the joy of living away. To eke a living has become a near impossibility. Sports that used to be the opium we smoke to ease our pain is being destroyed. We no longer benefit from the joy of seeing our athletes beat the best in the world. Would anyone believe we were once rated the second best entertaining team at our premier football World Cup outing? That we were once rated 5th in world of football? Our boxers were making waves. We had Dick Tiger, Hogan Bassey and Rafiu King Joe (all of blessed memories) to be proud off. Our country was even good enough to be the best in the world in some events at the Olympics! We had fantastic sports edifices. The National Stadium in Abuja was one of the best in the world. Its older sister in Lagos was an architectural delight. Together with the stadiums in Ibadan, Kaduna, Enugu and several other cities we had the best collection of world-class sporting arenas in the world. Now what is the situation with us? We went to the last Olympics almost not winning a single medal until John Obi Mikel-led Nigeria’s Under 23 team won that consolatory bronze medal in the football event at Rio2016. We were woeful. In truth we had no cause to expect anything less. The decline in our sports had been obvious and the writings on the wall were all in capital letters. Successive governments continue to pay lip service to developing sports. The lesson that sports can serve to galvanize our nation is either unlearnt or unknown. So the rot continued. While officials is sports development mouth a desire for change they walk in the streets of Indiffence and greed. Now, 80 per cent of our world-class stadiums are in abject state of disrepair and abandonment. Our showpiece sport arenas in Lagos, Abuja and Ibadan have become a very pale shadow of what they once were. The stadium in Ibadan once reputed to have one of the best playing pitches in the world now looks like a relic of an inglorious past. Yet, it was in the same stadium that Dick Tiger bettered Gene Fulmer to win a world title in boxing a few decades ago. The National Stadium in Abuja cost a whopping $360million to build. It had excellent world-class sporting facilities for swimming, cycling hockey, football etc. Now, almost everything is in a state of disrepair at the stadium. But the rot is not limited to our infrastructures. Earlier this month, we had the 20th National Sports Festival in Benin City, Edo State. Despite the strenuous effort of the host state it was a draw down on the NSF hosted in Kaduna, Rivers and Lagos... The failures of government has imposed a double jeopardy situation on us all: We are condemned to die by the immutable laws of nature and are at the same time suffer in waiting for death to happen. Sports can improve our situation but not much is being done to make this happen. Those who manage our affairs either don’t know how to ameliorate the pain we feel or just don’t care. The coming Olympics, no matter the protestations to the contrary, would also serve as yet another failed opportunity to make us enjoy our wait. Can you imagine what would happen if we win the FIFA World Cup next year? It is possible but we do not have the dreamers to make it happen. I was expecting Sunday Dare to steer our sports ship deftly back to glory times . Now, I am not too sure if he can. Reply Reply all Forward

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MISSILE

Obiozor to FG “The 2014 national conference was another missed opportunity. That confab was another failed attempt at remodeling our federalism. They didn’t want restructuring, they didn’t want federalism” – President-General of Ohanaeze, Prof. George Obiozor, while canvassing for Igbo presidency in 2023.

KAYODEKOMOLAFE THE HORIZON

kayode.komolafe@thisdaylive.com

0805 500 1974

The Death of Deby in Battle T

he fall of Chadian President Idris Deby yesterday to the bullets of rebels marked a frightening dimension not only to the instability of his poor country, but also insecurity in the countries of the Sahel including Nigeria. Deby had not even given an acceptance speech after his sixth election as president before he visited troops battling the rebels in the northern part of the country. He had made in the past similar appearances in the battlefield to boost the morale of the soldiers; but yesterday’s was to be his last as he died in battle. Not a few have justifiably hailed Deby as a Commander-in-Chief who truly led the troops from the front. The 68-year old president was always proud of the Chadian army. Only in July last year, Deby joined Chadian soldiers in a frontline assault on Boko Haram. At the end of the “Operation Wrath of Bromo,” Deby declared that Boko Haram was no more operating in Chad. Bordered by Nigeria to the southwest, Niger to the West, Libya to the northwest, Cameroon to the southwest, Sudan to the east and Central African Republic, Chad is important in the consideration of the security of those countries. The resonance of a national collapse of Chad would be felt among the neighbours who have their own respective security problems. What with the activities of Boko Haram, the Islamic State in West Africa (ISWA) and other terrorist groups in the region. In a sense, Chad has been a bulwark against the insurgents in the Lake Chad Basin. As a matter of fact, in the course of his 30 years in power, Deby was at various times accused of playing some roles in the crisis in, Mali, Libya, the Central African Republic and Sudan. He was at a time an ally of Libya’s Muammar Gaddafi who helped him to overthrow his former boss, Hissen Habre in 19990. Deby’s Chad has been a strategic ally in the fight against terrorists in the northeast of Nigeria. In 2015, Deby sent Chadian troops to help in the fight against Boko Haram. Chadian soldiers

Derby crossed Lake Chad in armoured vehicles to drive out the insurgents from Malumfatori, a border town in in Borno State. Chad deployed air and ground forces for the remarkable assault. This was after the Chadian troops employed mortar and air strikes to fight in securing Gamboru, another border town in Borno state. The insurgents used Gamboru to launch attacks until the Chadian intervention happened. In response to the impressive military activities of the Chadian, African union expressed support for the creation of a 7, 500 - strong force in the Lake Chad Basin. In July last year, Deby sent troops to fight the insurgents in the Cameroon. Similarly, Chadian troops fought in parts of Nigeria and Niger. Earlier in April last year, Deby notably sent Chadian troops to liberate a part of Nigerian territory captured by the Boko Haram insurgents. On that occasion, Deby proudly announced that the Nigerian town liberated from Boko Haram would be held for a month by Chadian troops for Nigerian soldiers to turn up to reclaim. He ordered his soldiers to prevent the troops from having access to the weapons until the arrival of Nigerian soldiers.

With one of the most formidable armies in Africa, Deby survived a lot coup plots and the activities of the rebels in the warfront. The West respected him for the Chadian military capability in the fight against terrorists operating particular in the Sahel region. His opponents accused him of ethnic chauvinism while marginalising members of other groups in the affairs of the state. Deby lacked the socio-political dexterity to cement national integration. So he held the country together by sheer force and demagoguery. The authoritarian streak of the administration also meant that democratic growth has been stunted in Chad. Chad has been a battle ground for myriad rebel groups. The particular rebel group that killed Deby was fighting in the north of the country. It was founded five years ago by some disaffected officers forced out of the army. The group called Front for Change and Concord in Chad (FACT) accused Déby of political subjugation before the election which Deby won by 80%. With a base in Libya in the Tibesti mountains located in the north of Chad and southern part of Libya, the group has sustained attacks on locations in Chad. It has fought a bitter battle with the Chadian army. In fact, the rebels attacked border towns on the election day, but they could not advance to the national capital, N’Djamena. Under Deby’s watch Chad began in 2003 to earn revenues from petroleum resources. However, the oil wealth has not been invested to develop Chad and improve the condition of the people because of gross mismanagement. Some critics would even say that the oil wealth has been “squandered.” Apart from Nigeria and Chad other countries having parts of their territories located in the geographically transitional region of Sahel are Niger, Mali, Burkina Faso, Mauritania, Senegal and Sudan. In all these countries, climate change has accentuated the socio-economic and political crises plaguing their lands. With low rainfall food insecurity is an existential threat in many areas.

For instance, about a third of the Chad is desert in the north. The implication is that only few people could live in the arid area. The shrinking of Lake Chad is a crippling factor in the analysis of insecurity and underdevelopment in the region. With millions lacking access to water, poverty is exacerbated with social pressures on the streets. Chad is rated low in all human development indices – healthcare, education, food security, housing, etc. The natural tendency is that of southward movement by poor people with all the consequences for security. Deby could not resolve the political and socio-economic crises in Chad before his death yesterday as the country slipped back into military rule. His son, General Mehamet Idris Deby, replaced him as transitional head of the military government. It is not clear if the junior Deby could be politically savvy enough to confront the demons of poverty, insecurity and inequity threatening the future of Chad. Chad’s neighbours must be contemplating what the death of Deby means for their own security and stability. In particular, the Nigerian defence and security authorities must gird their loins in strategically responding to the developments in the nation’s northeast neighbour. With Chad facing a greater threat of instability, it cannot just be assumed that the regional partnership established with Deby would still subsist. The dynamic of things might have changed dramatically with the fall of Deby in battle. This should be viewed against the background of the deteriorating security situation in Nigeria. While the battle with terrorists continues in the northeast, the wave of insecurity in the southeast is rising. Police stations are being attacked and bloodletting is reported almost on a daily basis in the zone. The reign of bandits continues in the northwest and north central. Like other zones in the country, kidnappers and armed robbers are on the prowl on the roads in the southwest and south exacting ransom from their victims. In this light, the development in Chad cannot be ignored.

Interrogating Nation-Building Pat Okedinachi Utomi To engage on effectively on the subject, it is important to lay down a few caveats. One is that there is no one right path to nationhood. Different societies have travelled different modes of transportation to get to the same destination. So, it is important to have an open mind and a listening ear to process what different people are arguing. The Americans, the first new nation, chose the melting pot approach. Even if imperfections may be identifiable in the ideals they professed and conduct of their founding fathers, it should be a thing of pride that their founding founders were careful enough to draft a constitution that enshrined individual liberties, states rights, and the protection of minority groups in the making of that document. Many still marvel at the ideals captured in electoral college votes that can give the presidency to a person with several million less popular votes. The much regarded contemporary British historian, Niall Ferguson, in his book, Civilization, advanced the view that the making of the US constitution is perhaps the greatest effort at

Institution building in human history and I must admit that I agree with him to a large extent. But the Europeans travelled a different path. From the Defenestration of Prague in 1618 when the Emissaries of the Holy Roman Emperor were thrown out of the window, triggering the war of European Princes, pretending to be fighting a religious war for 30 years, even though Catholic Princes in France sided often with Protestants against the German Catholic Emperor. These battles for balance of power in Europe largely led all to the table of negotiation which in 1648 changed the dominant order. The outcome, the Peace of Westphalia enthroned the doctrine of non-interference in internal affairs and inviolability of national boundaries which we keep referring to, when we say; the unity of out country is non-negotiable. Note, however, that the Americans encoded the right to breakaway or secede. Few expect that will be contemplated, but the clause puts the pressure on politicians and state institutions to drive popular culture towards justice, equity, fairness and a system that has integrity. Let us be clear and unequivocal about this, the reason so many groups are saying they want out of Nigeria

today is that the country is so badly governed they feel they will be better of outside this. Compared to the benefits of the larger Customs union called Nigeria it should seem absurd but they can do the math and calculate that at this rate they are better of outside it. But are they? Well if being in makes them feel they are slaves anything else would be better than such a loss of dignity. What Bush path did we journey to 1960 from? Why and how did Nigeria travel a track in which many in colonial times, built friendships and even political partnership across ethnic lines. The reason a Fulani man was elected Mayor of Enugu and Igbos went to Parliament from Lagos? Understanding these patterns and why things changed has been made difficult by the retreat of rational public conversation in favour of emotional trading of insults and effort to put one spin on history as against another in a suffuse of factual counterpoints. The trouble with avoiding rational conversation in favour of the emotional trading of insults that characterize the market place of ideas or public square comes out quite clearly in the work of Joshua Greene who combines Psychology,

Neuroscience and Philosophy in probing why and how we act, our attitudes and behaviour. His book, Moral Tribes, explains how emotion and reason play in the gap between us and them.

A STRUCTURED APPROACH To run away from a stream of factual counterpoints in the interpretation of history, I have chosen to examine the nationality question from the horizon of members of society on what determines their goals and how those align with the common good. My favourite frame here is the Greek hierarchy ranking members of society from a base of people who think only of themselves, who they, the Greeks, call idiots, those who think only of their kit and kin, bound by parochial bonds, who they call Tribesmen, and those at the peak of civilized society who recognize man’s shared humanity and are motivated to act based on it. This category they call citizens. The direction of evolution of society ideally should be from Idiots upwards to citizens. NOTE: This piece continues in the online edition on www.thisdayliive.com

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