FRIDAY 22TH APRIL 2022

INEC Proposes One Million Staff Deployment for 2023 Elections Says it’s determined next national polls must hold Declares timetable, schedule of activities fixed Advises parties to plan properly, insists PVC doesn’t expire NSA: We’ll protect electoral body, Nigerians during voting Chuks Okocha in Abuja The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), yesterday, said it would require about one million

electoral officials – a combination of permanent, temporary and ad hoc staff – to be deployed to man the 176,846 polling units in 8,809 wards and 774 local government

areas across the country, for the 2023 general election.

INEC, which claimed it was determined to make sure the 2023 elections hold, however,

said the dates for all activities in the timetable and schedule of activities for the 2023 polls were already fixed, and therefore advised all stakeholders, particularly the

political parties, to take that fact into consideration in planning their activities.

Speaking at the presentation of INEC 2022 to 2026 strategic Plan

and 2023 Election Project Plan, National Chairman of INEC, Prof.

Mahmood Yakubu, also reiterated Continued on page 5

Nigeria's Neighbour, Cameroon Signs Strategic Military Deal with Russia... Page 11 Friday 22 April, 2022 Vol 27. No 9873. Price: N250

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Google, WIOCC Unveil Open Access Subsea Cable in Nigeria... Page 5

APC Women Leader: N100m Presidential Form Meant to Shut Out Unserious Aspirants Says ruling party can't afford to joke around Osinbajo popular enough to pool donations to raise N100m, supporters insist Ebri: prohibitive cost vitiate very principles upon which party rose to power Ayu tackles APC over outrageous nomination forms Ozekhome: Buhari, APC corrupting democracy Chuks Okocha and Adedayo Akinwale in Abuja Following public outrage over the

high cost of nomination forms for aspirants in the All Progressives Congress (APC), the ruling party yesterday explained that the fee was

pegged at the rate needed to lock out unserious contenders.

APC’s defence of the price of its nominations forms, which was

announced Wednesday, came as Chairman of The Progressive Project (TPP) and senator for Kano South, Senator Kabiru

Gaya, expressed confidence in would facilitate the pooling of his Vice President Yemi Osinbajo’s supporters’ token donations to candidacy. Gaya said, unlike the Continued on page 5 moneybags, Osinbajo’s popularity

Buhari: Military Not Doing Enough to End Insecurity Despite Logistics Provided Fears situation may linger except citizens offer information Orders release of kidnapped Kaduna train passengers IG justifies police presence in South-east, says attacks on officers no longer tolerated Deji Elumoye and Kingsley Nwezeh in Abuja In a clear indictment, a disappointed President Muhammadu Buhari, yesterday, told the security agencies that they were not doing enough to end the security challenges in the country, despite enormous logistics provided by his administration.

Buhari frowned on the fact that his previous directives to the military to end insecurity in the country had not yielded much results.

He directed all the operational

and intelligence agencies to rescue unhurt, all persons kidnapped by terrorists, including those in the recent Kaduna-bound train.

That was as the the InspectorGeneral of Police, Usman Baba, explained the basis for heavy security presence in the South-east, saying the police would no longer tolerate attacks on their men.

National Security Adviser (NSA), Major General Babagana Monguno (rtd), expressed the president’s reservation while speaking with newsmen yesterday Continued on page 6

AT THE IMF/WORLD BANK SPRING MEETINGS...

L-R: Governor, Central Bank of Nigeria, Mr. Godwin Emefiele; Director General, World Trade Organisation, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, and Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Mrs. Zainab Ahmed, at the ongoing International Monetary Fund/World Bank Spring Meetings in Washington Dc…yesterday

Emefiele Defends Nigeria’s Exchange Rate Policy, Says Country Facing Peculiar Challenges... Page 10

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Google, WIOCC Unveil Open Access Subsea Cable in Nigeria Emma Okonji and Segun James Google, in collaboration with its cable landing partner, WIOCC, yesterday in Lagos, celebrated the landing of Equiano subsea internet broadband cable, in Lekki, Lagos, which is the first open access subsea cable to berth in Nigeria.

The Equiano subsea cable, which has a capacity that is 20 times larger than any other cable currently serving the African region, would have a direct impact on connectivity, resulting in faster internet speed, reduced internet prices and improved user experience in Nigeria.

The state-of-the-art Equiano subsea cable, was designed to become a critical element in meeting Nigeria’s current and future international connectivity demands.

The Equiano cable, which has its route from Portugal in western Europe, would run more than 12,000km along the West Coast of Africa and initially land in Lomé, Togo; Lagos, Nigeria; Swakopmund, Namibia; Rupert’s Bay, Saint Helena and Melkbosstrand, South Africa.

It is expected to establish a valuable new high-capacity connection between the African continent and Europe.

Named after Nigerian-born writer and abolitionist, Olaudah Equiano, the Equiano cable would help support further digital transformation in Nigeria, which has produced five start-up unicorns companies now valued at more than $1 billion, in the past five years.

According to Google, the open access subsea cable, when fully operational in September, this year, would create 1.6 million jobs by 2025; increase internet speeds by a factor of six; reduce internet retail prices by 21 per cent; increase internet penetration by six percentage points; boost GDP by $10.1 billion by 2025; and save 2.8 million tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions per annum.

Speaking on the landing of the subsea cable, Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babajide SanwoOlu, welcomed Equiano subsea cable to Lagos and thanked Google and WIOCC for investing in Equiano and for berthing the internet broadband cable in Lagos, which he said, would create more job opportunities and technology innovation in Lagos and Nigeria.

The Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Dr. Isa Ibrahim Pantami, who was represented by the Executive Commissioner, Stakeholder Management at the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Adeleke Adewolu, also welcomed Equiano to Nigria and assured the company of government support. Pantami therefore encouraged other investors to invest in Nigeria's broadband initiative, that is driven by the National Broadband Plan.

Also, The Director, West Africa at Google, Juliet Ehimuan, while speaking on the landing of Equiano in Nigeria, said: “Google is committed to supporting Africa’s digital transformation and we are excited to see the impact of the landing of Equiano in Nigeria.

We have worked with established partners and in-country experts to guarantee that Equiano has the greatest potential effect in Nigeria and throughout Africa.

“Equiano is set to make an enduring contribution towards the development of Nigeria’s communications infrastructure and today marks another major step in its development.

We look forward to honouring

our commitment to be part of Africa’s digital transformation.”

Also, the Chief Executive Officer of WIOCC, Chris Wood, said: “We are proud to have been selected

by Google as the landing partner for the Equiano cable in Nigeria, landing the cable directly into the Lagos data centre. From there it will be extended to other data centres across Lagos.

“The Equiano cable will deliver

improved internet quality, speeds and affordability to the people of Nigeria. However, for the benefits to be fully felt throughout Nigeria, hyperscale connectivity needs to be extended from the Lagos area to the rest of the country.

To make this happen, WIOCC is also deploying a comprehensive, hyperscale national fibre network.

“The network will go live in phases, starting in June and

continuing through to the end of the year. When combined with the Equiano cable this network will deliver transformational benefits across the country.”

Last month, the Equiano subsea cable made its first landing in Africa in Lomé, Togo, as a confirmation of the commitment made at the Google for Africa 2021 event to help increase internet access across Africa.

Global Financial Watchdog to Evaluate Countries' Anti-money Laundering Systems More Frequently Ndubuisi Francis in Abuja Amid the recent controversy over Senate's plan to enact a new anti-money laundering law, the global financial watchdog, the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) has said it would assess its member countries more frequently to assist them further in tackling money-laundering and combating terrorism financing.

According to Wall Street Journal, FATF found that out of the 120 countries it has assessed so far, 76 per cent of them have set up a broad set of anti-money laundering (AML) rules and regulations that would enable them to “follow the money” in combating crimes and terrorism, compared with about 36 per cent in 2012.

FATF, a Paris-based organisation which sets anti-money-laundering law standards, said it would shorten its coming fifth round of mutual evaluations to a six-year cycle, according to a report on the

state of countries’ effectiveness and compliance published Tuesday.

The current mutual evaluation is usually held around once every 10 years, according to a FATF spokesman.

FATF’s mutual evaluations consist of peer reviews in which members from different countries assess the effectiveness and implementation of one another’s anti-money-laundering measures.

FATF said the evaluations entail a description and an analysis of a country’s financial safeguards to prevent the illicit abuse of its financial system and recommendations to further strengthen it.

For the next round of mutual evaluations, FATF said it would also focus more on each countries’ highest risks and adopt a follow-up process that would emphasize the specific actions countries need to take.

But FATF said many countries continue to adopt laws and

regulations in a “tick box” approach, which makes it difficult for countries to take effective measures to tackle the specific illicit finance risks they face. FATF said countries would need to make significant improvements to their AML systems in the next round of peer reviews.

In addition, countries also need to focus on tangible results. FATF said many national authorities still face challenges in investigating and prosecuting complex, high-profile cross-border cases. Countries also still need to focus on the prevention of illicit use of anonymous shell companies and trusts, FATF said.

Rick McDonell, FATF executive secretary between 2007 and 2015, said a shorter evaluation cycle is a good thing and would help countries improve the effectiveness of their AML systems faster.

“More frequent testing of the country’s system, it focuses the mind and it focuses the government’s policies,” Mr.

McDonell said.

The report, which was based on the fourth round of evaluations with a focus on the strengths and weaknesses of countries’ AML frameworks, was the first of its kind, according to FATF President Marcus Pleyer. The public report was produced as part of FATF’s strategic review to make its mutual evaluation process timelier and more effective, he said.

The group also published on Tuesday, the methodology and procedures it intends to adopt for the fifth round of mutual evaluations.

“We will put an even greater focus on ensuring that countries not only pass the relevant laws and regulations, but also effectively implement these laws,” Mr. Pleyer said in the report. “This will help prevent and prosecute money laundering, terrorist financing and financing of proliferation of weapons of mass destruction in a manner consistent with their risks.”

APC WOMEN LEADER: N100M PRESIDENTIAL FORM MEANT TO SHUT OUT UNSERIOUS ASPIRANTS raise the N100 million nomination fee for his presidential bid.

However, National Chairman of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Dr. Iyorchia Ayu, and former Governor of Cross River State, Chief Clement Ebri, condemned the high nomination cost for elective offices announced

by APC. Human rights activist and lawyer, Chief Mike Ozekhome, also criticised APC for “corrupting democracy” with the high nomination fee, saying the N100 million fixed for its presidential nomination form “rightly sent shock waves of righteous indignation across the country.”

Meanwhile, indications emerged yesterday that President of the Senate, Dr. Ahmed Lawan, was under intense pressure from a section of the northern elite to run for president in 2023.

The ruling party had during its 11th National Executive Committee

(NEC) meeting held in Abuja pegged its presidential nomination form at N100 million, governorship at N50 million, Senate at N20 million, House of Representatives at N10 million, and House of Assembly at N2 million.

APC National Women Leader, Beta Edu, featuring on “The Morning Show” on Arise News Channel, yesterday, said the high rate of the ruling party’s nomination forms was to curtail the activities of persons with jokey ambitions. Edu said the APC National Working Committee (NWC) had consciously fixed the rate as part of a mechanism to ensure only serious aspirants were on the ballot.

She said the ruling party could not afford to waste time, especially considering the fact that it was working in line with the timetable of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

Edu stated, "Everywhere around the world, running for elections has

never been cheap and the party must be able to have means to guard several other issues that may arise. You find people who are not interested in running for elections just standing up, picking up forms and just waiting to constitute a kind of barrier or put a stud in the entire process as it goes on.

"These are not things that we want to see as a party. We are the ruling party, the largest party in Africa, a party where if you pick their nomination form and you are the candidate, the probability of you becoming the elected person for that position is almost hundred per cent.

"So, we cannot afford to dabble or joke around or gamble around. We want only serious people who are interested in running and representing different persons to run."

Edu claimed the cost of forms for House of Assembly was fair.

She stated, "For all we care, N1.5

million for a House of Assembly nomination form is fair to the general population. It's very fair and for women it's free, for the disabled, it is free; for young people, it is 40 per cent off, that’s really very fair.

"And, of course, going for the other positions, we know what it was before and what it is now and we are trying to prevent certain persons who sometimes are not the members of the party. They just get their way in or they're being used as syndicate to pick up forms at the beginning to constitute a kind of stud in the way of the whole electoral process and they pull the party backwards."

Asked to explain her definition of fairness with regard to the ruling party’s high nomination fee in a country where over 98 per cent of the population did not have N500, 000 in their bank accounts, the APC women leader stated that

running for elective office was not an all-comers affair.

Edu said, "Let me say this and very clearly, coming to run for a governorship election is not an allcomers affair. Governorship election is serious business, for you to run through all the local governments, consult people, reach out to people and, indeed, be able to campaign through the local governments requires some good amount of resources. And when you make up your mind that you want to run, you should be able to prepare adequately for that race.

"Beyond that, there are many ways for young people to generate funding for elections. It must not be your money and they are not paying the same amount others are paying."

On rising disunity within the party, Edu said as part of the reconciliation committee, headed

by Senator Abdullahi Adamu, she

others to violate the law," the INEC chairman warned.

According to him, INEC relied on three key elements to reach its strategic plan for the 2022 and 2026 Election Project, adding that, "First is the knowledge and experience gathered from the conduct of previous elections. Second is the use of innovations to enhance electoral integrity and improve voter experience. Third is the institutionalisation of the culture of planning.

"These elements have guided the Commission through three successive general and several off-cycle and bye-elections.

Consequently, our elections are getting better, electoral outcomes less contentious, and voter experience of the electoral system increasingly more participatory and inclusive."

He explained that the Strategic Plan 2022-2026 and the 2023 Election Project Plan, drew lessons from, and thoroughly reviewed, the level of implementation of the last plans.

His words: "They build on the successes of the preceding plans, especially, in the planning and conduct of the 2019 General Election as well as off-cycle and bye-elections.

Against the backdrop of the impact

of the COVID-19 pandemic and the current security situation in the country, both plans had to prioritise the institutionalisation of the Commission’s processes for the effective delivery of its mandate by focusing on capacity-building.”

This, he added, included, “The promotion of professionalism, encouraging greater synergy among departments, improving efficient utilisation of resources, increased deployment of technology as well as greater sensitivity to threats to the electoral process as well as election personnel and infrastructure."

These concerns, he posited were reflected in the Plan’s five strategic objectives, each of which identified several key actions, key activities and key outcomes that constituted a broad guide to the vision of the Commission to provide electoral operations, systems and infrastructure to support the delivery of free, fair, credible and inclusive elections.

He noted also that, the plan further formed the basis for the Election Project Plan, which focused on five key objectives identified by the Commission as critical for the successful conduct of the 2023 General Election.

INEC PROPOSES ONE MILLION STAFF DEPLOYMENT FOR 2023 ELECTIONS that claims doing the rounds that the Permanent Voter’s Card could expire was misleading, because there was no such thing.

At the same time, the National Security Adviser, Major-General Babagana Munguno, has assured INEC and Nigerians in general of adequate protections during the elections.

While explaining that double registration by any voter remained an electoral offence, Yakubu said, "As you may be aware, the election will be conducted for 1,491 constituencies nationwide, made up of one presidential constituency, 109 senatorial districts, 360 federal constituencies, 28 governorship elections and 993 state constituencies.

"The election will involve an estimated one million electoral officials (both permanent and temporary or ad hoc staff) deployed to 176,846 polling units in 8,809 Wards and 774 Local Government Areas across the country.

"The election will be governed by a new Electoral Act 2022, which contains many progressive provisions that, will enhance the capacity of the Commission to conduct elections and manage the electoral process better," he

explained.

To this end, the INEC chairman said, "Let's once again reiterate that the dates for all activities in the Timetable and Schedule of Activities for the 2023 General Election are firm and fixed and all stakeholders are advised to take this into consideration in planning their activities."

He said the ongoing Continuous Voter registration (CVR) exercise would end on June 30, 2022, while all eligible voters that were yet to register should do so on or before that date if they intended to vote.

Stressing that the PVCs of validly registered voters from the first and second quarters were ready and available for collection at designated centres nationwide, Yakubu said, "I would like to appeal to all Nigerians, who registered between June and December 2021 to collect their Permanent Voters Cards (PVCs) in person as no PVCs will be collected by proxy.

"Let me also reassure those who registered between January and March 2022 as well as those who are doing so until the end of the exercise that their PVCs will be ready for collection long before the 2023 General Election.

"For emphasis, the Commission once again reiterates that PVCs have no expiry dates. We want to assure all registered voters that PVCs issued by the Commission remain valid for all elections.

"We have encouraged those whose lost their voters cards or whose cards are damaged to approach any of the registration centres to apply for replacement.

Similarly, voters who had issues with their accreditation in previous elections have been encouraged to revalidate and update their information.

"In addition, those who wish to transfer their registration from one location to another within a particular state or to relocate entirely to another state of the federation can do so at any of the registration centres nationwide. These steps are in compliance with the law in order to serve Nigerians better.

"The claim that PVCs expire is misleading. Citizens are, therefore, advised not to register more than once as multiple registration is an offence under the Electoral Act. Anyone engaged in the act of double or multiple registration is liable to prosecution. No citizen should engage in it or encourage

believed his view that most of the crises in the states were fuelled by ego clash between serving and former governors.

According to her, "We went through all the states in Nigeria and we understood the issues and concerns about unity or some disagreements among members of the party and, of course, like the chairman clearly stated yesterday (Wednesday), if we work together, we can to overcome it soon."

She said, as the party moved closer to the elections, more aggrieved members would be reconciled.

Osinbajo Popular Enough to Pool Donations to Raise N100m, Supporters Insist Gaya said Osinbajo was popular enough to pool supporters’ token donations to raise the N100 million nomination fee with ease.

Addressing a press conference in Abuja, yesterday, Gaya said consultations by members of various support groups, eminent political leaders, and citizens, too numerous to mention, culminated in his decision to lead the Osinbajo supporters’ group.

He noted that for the vice president, the race was not about personal ambition, but a positive response to a popular call from a citizen-driven mobilisation that began without input from him or his office.

The lawmaker stressed that people from other parties and even millions of non-partisan citizens, who did not belong to any political party, had strong interest and involvement with the campaign for Osinbajo’s candidature.

Gaya stressed that his specific assignment here was to lead a process of recalibration of all pro-Osinbajo forces towards electoral victory on the platform of APC. He said without doubt, all knowledgeable people in the country could attest to the qualities and competence of Osinbajo.

Gaya noted that his chosen method redefined presidential declarations in Nigeria, adding that the vice president clearly signalled that noble citizens had no need to descend into gutters. No touts were Continued on page 6

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T H I S D AY • FRIDAY, APRIL 22, 2022

NEWS BUHARI: MILITARY NOT DOING ENOUGH TO END INSECURITY DESPITE LOGISTICS PROVIDED after a three-and-a-half hour meeting of the National Security Council at the State House, Abuja, presided by Buhari.

Monguno said there was no way the president would be happy, when people were being killed on a daily basis. He said the last straw was the recent attack on the Abuja-Kaduna train, which led to the death of some passengers, with scores kidnapped.

The NSA added that the president was of the belief that enough was not being done by the security agencies, despite the logistics being provided.

Monguno stated, “We've just concluded a sitting of the National Security Council, a three-and-ahalf hour meeting, which was presided over by the President, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces. This meeting is the first for 2022 and the meeting deliberated on several issues, at the strategic and operational levels, as well as other issues that are broader.

“In his opening remarks, he (Buhari) spoke about his sadness in respect of the recent developments in the country, the recent security challenges we've had, in particular, the incident in which several Nigerians lost their lives and many more have been taken into captivity by criminals and bandits.

“If ten times something happens, ten times (we) will be unhappy and as the leader of this country, the father of the nation, he has to express his displeasure. You know, he is just at the managerial level, he gives us instructions.

“And his displeasure is probably, because he feels enough is not being done. So, we can't put this thing on his shoulders completely. He's at the strategic level, he takes the decisions. But when these things become endless, he has to express concern. And that's just what he did.

“Mr. President has directed all the operational and intelligence elements to rescue these innocent people immediately and unhurt.

This is the basis, which other issues were discussed. Obviously, the Chief of Defense Staff, and the service chiefs, as well as the Inspector-General of Police, all briefed the President on the occurrences in their respective organisations.”

The NSA stressed that the president alone could not be blamed for the insecurity in the country, saying his part is to make strategic decisions, which the NSA said he has been doing even though he said that the military has secured the nation’s maritime domain.

Monguno said, “I submitted a memo to council and my recommendations are being looked into by the president. My recommendations are wide ranging and they touch on all aspects of security, starting with the level of security of our land borders, as well as within the country itself.

“In terms of securing the nation, we've recorded a lot of successes in the maritime domain and obviously, the problem now has shifted to our borders from outside. As a result of that, there's a need for us to configure how we're going to make our borders more secure because of the threats coming from outside the borders.”

Monguno said the surrendering of Boko Haram elements, especially in the North-east, had not engendered the desired result in stemming insurgency in the country, as the threat had shifted to the Northwest and North Central.

According to him, “Now, the issue in the North-east, there's been a lot of improvement and that has been attested to by the governor of Borno State during our last National Council of State meeting. But, nevertheless, the fact that the North-east is becoming much more stable, more and more people from the terrorists have started surrendering to government, has not really brought to an end the way we would want the situation in the country, because the threat is now shifted from the

North-east, to the North-west and to the North-central, and this threat has to be contained.

“It has to be contained collectively by both the armed forces as well as the constabulary forces: the Nigeria Police, Civil Defense, but the intelligence agencies also have been directed to enhance the acquisition of intelligence.”

The NSA stressed the imperative of intelligence from ordinary citizens as he noted that unless the wider society was willing to provide the necessary intelligence, the problem of insecurity would linger beyond the time frame intended to end menace.

He said, “The present situation in the country calls for collective effort by all, not just those that have been charged with the responsibility of physically securing the country, the most important thing for now is acquisition of intelligence and the type of intelligence that is needed is human intelligence and I need to make it very clear.

“I have to be very honest; unless the wider society, right down to the local governments, are willing to give the type of information that is needed to block the activities of these criminals, this situation will continue to linger beyond whatever timeframe we're looking at, towards ending this great problem.

“A lot of lives are being lost, the president is not happy about this situation, he’s made it very clear.

The first assignment he’s given to the security agencies, especially, the armed forces and the police is to rescue those that are in captivity, not just those that were captured during the last train incident, but those that have been in captivity in other parts of the country. That is the first thing that has to be done.

“On the other hand, my memo dwells on the prevailing situation within the security outfits; their needs, their challenges and the President has decided to look into these things and might as well call for another meeting in the near future.”

On why the country had not deplored technology to tackle the menace of terrorism and banditry, Monguno said effort was being made to deploy technology to tackle insecurity but submitted that the required technology was expensive and would take time to acquire.

According to him, “The first question has to do with, why is it so difficult to deploy technology.

One, technology is expensive.

Technology takes time to acquire these things, since inherently we do not produce these very, very delicate equipment.

“It's not as if the government is not making any effort to acquire but we need to know who to acquire this technology from, where, when and there are certain processes. For now, I know we have, but the plight is that they are inadequate, so, to the government, it's a continuous process. That's what I can say about the issue of deploying technology.”

On alleged sabotage within the military in the fight against terrorism, Monguno said the possibility of having rogue elements could not be ruled out.

Asked whether he would draw a correlation between the threats from the border and the level of insecurity in the country and whether there was any suggestion that foreigners might have been responsible for the insecurity in the country, he said, “Obviously, we have very extensive borders, and I'm not going to deceive anyone.

“All of us know that we have problems of infiltration by virtue of the fact that we have a very large economy. It attracts a lot of people from outside and they come in illegally, not just through the land borders, but also through the maritime waters.

“Of course, in the case of the maritime borders, most of things have been done in the last one year, to secure the maritime domain up to the point that the International Maritime Bureau has acknowledged the fact that in 27 years, our maritime borders have

not been as secure and peaceful as they were in the last one year.

“That is a fact; it’s not a conjecture. I didn’t cook up this thing. So, we want to see how we can replicate that type of efforts to put in the maritime domain on our land borders. That is something that counsel is looking into.”

The IGP addressed the question of massive police presence in South-east. Baba said, “I think the question is about deployment.

Deployment is being determined by a lot of issues or yardsticks.

“Just like two states may have different number of local governments, so also there can be different number of formations in that state or in that formation. We have formations, we have commands, we have

zonal commands and so forth.

So, deployment should not be based on either size or number of persons or threat assessment tool in that place.

“It is all about how you police a particular place based on the number of people you have, based also on your ability to gather that manpower. If your command, for instance, Kaduna command has, let's say 3000 personnel. For now, I know already that 3,000 personnel cannot take care of Kaduna.

“What we normally do is to deploy from other states to come and complement the efforts of Kaduna by what we are calling, let's say, special duty. We can take from states, where we feel the threat is not as eminent or as bad as what they have in Kaduna, so that

you can complement Kaduna. So, also you can complement Imo, Anambra. It’s based on your threat analysis.”

To that extent, Baba, has warned that the police high command would no longer tolerate incessant killing of police officers in the country especially, the South-east.

He condemned the recent spate of attacks on police officers, facilities and other police operational assets across the country.

A statement by Force Headquarters, consequently, ordered the immediate deployment of additional operational assets to complement officers and men attached to Operation Restore Peace in the South-east and other operations launched with the aim of flushing out criminal

elements, who hide under the guise of aggrieved citizens to perpetrate criminal acts.

"The IG warned that attacks on police officers in the line of duty would no longer be tolerated under whatever guise as the force holds the lives of its personnel sacrosanct and such unwarranted attacks would be strictly treated in accordance with extant laws," the statement said.

The statement also said the IG reiterated the commitment of the force to protection of lives and property, while stressing that it was vital to respect the lives and fundamental rights of police officers and other security operatives, in order to enable them advance their sacred mandate of serving and protecting the citizens better.

APC WOMEN LEADER: N100M PRESIDENTIAL FORM MEANT TO SHUT OUT UNSERIOUS ASPIRANTS hired by anyone and his message effectively reverberated across the entire country and the Diaspora, he stated.

According to Gaya, "Even an internal issue of the price of our party’s nomination form is being deliberately misinterpreted in some circles, when we feel confident that, unlike moneybags, our truly populist candidate is popular enough to pool supporters’ token donations and raise such money with ease.

"Just one youth group with TPP, the Progressive Group alone, says that they can raise N100 million with rough voluntary contributions of N10, 000 each by 10, 000 of their supporters, who are keen about seeing a better future.

"Our populist mathematics is flawless and very strong; moneybags within or outside APC will only lose their dollars in any contest against the people’s will."

Furthermore, Gaya said, unlike other political parties, records show that neither the APC presidential ticket nor its vice president’s slot had ever been won by throwing money around, but by populist endorsements from the north and south.

He said the TPP noted the fear of the people’s genuine power had made some elements to resort to heightened propaganda in the past few days.

Gaya added, "We will not descend low to play gutter politics and we have continued to warn our supporters against involvement in insults and vilification. We are democrats, we believe in uniting people and in submitting ourselves and competing ideas to the people’s evaluation and decisions through the ballot box."

The APC chieftain emphasised that the popular forces behind Osinbajo feared no foe and hated no one, saying they are focused without compromise on the unity, progress and development of Nigeria and would not descend into gutter fights with any person or group.

Lawan Under Pressure to Join Presidential Race Indications emerged yesterday that the senate president was under intense pressure to contest for president in 2023. The ruling party released the timetable and schedule of activities for the 2023 elections, but maintained sealed lips on the issue of zoning.

Although, following the emergence of Adamu as National Chairman of the party at the March 26 convention, observers believed it was an indication that the ruling party would zone its presidency to the south.

National Publicity Secretary of the party, Mr. Felix Morka, had said that the party was yet to take any decision on the zoning of the presidency to the south.

However, a reliable source told THISDAY that some elements within the northern elite were mounting pressure on Lawan to join the presidential race.

The source said, "Yes, he is under intense pressure to run for president.

Some northern leaders are making the moves, asking him to run. It's so serious. But it is not certain yet.

It's an option he's still considering."

Interestingly, two businessmen from Igbere, Bende Local Government Area of Abia State, have promised to obtain presidential nomination forms for Chief Whip of the Senate, Senator Orji Kalu, and Lawan. The businessmen disclosed this in a statement issued yesterday and signed by Mr. Ukaegbu James and Mr. Nnanna Kalu.

They said they were convinced that with their track record, managerial skills, experience, and leadership acumen, both Kalu and Lawan had the competence to succeed President Muhammadu Buhari to drive the economy. James and Kalu were of the opinion that APC needed a unifier with deep knowledge of the country's multi-ethnic, lingual and religious settings.

Ayu Tackles APC over Outrageous Nomination Fee, Extends Sale, Submission of Forms to Accommodate Defectors PDP extended the sale of its nominations forms to Friday, to accommodate some APC defectors, like Senator Babba Kaita and his supporters. This was to enable them purchase any form of their choice for the 2023 general election.

Commenting on the high price of the APC nomination forms, Ayu, in a statement by his media aide, Simon Imobo-Tswam, said, "Nigerians can all see what the APC is: a fragmented alliance put together to capture power and inflict maximum pain on Nigerians, including their own members."

Ayu urged Nigerians to recall how in 2014, President Muhammadu Buhari and leader of APC had told Nigerians then that he borrowed N27 million to buy his nomination form.

"The same man, as leader of his party, has now sanctioned the sale of the same forms at N100 million!

I am told that's an increase of 370 per cent,” Ayu said.

He added, "But in 2014, the PDP was in power and the economy was still booming. The incompetent APC presidency has now run the economy aground, making Nigeria the ‘Poverty Capital of the World.’

"How then can impoverished APC aspirants buy nominations at such prohibitively high costs? And yet, only recently he preached ‘Equal Opportunity’ to them."

The national chairman of PDP said, "By this latest insensitive action, the APC has disenfranchised thousands of her youths, and dashed the hopes of millions of Nigerian youths who applauded President Buhari when he signed the Not Too Young To Run Bill into law in 2018. It is most insensitive, and mind-boggling. In fact, all those buying the N100 million and N50 million nomination forms should be investigated for fraud."

He further stressed, "We, the PDP, are different. We are a mass movement for the Nigerian people.

This is why our nomination fees are soft and democratic. When you compare us with the APC, the difference is clear. This is why we must return to power to save Nigerians from this insensitive government."

Similarly, a former governor of Cross River State, Clement Ebri, condemned the high cost of

forms for Expression of Interest and nomination for elective offices announced by the ruling party. Ebri said it vitiated the principles upon which APC campaigned and was voted into power.

He called on the NWC of the party to rethink the party’s position on the matter.

Ebri, in a statement issued yesterday, said some people might have argued that the reason for the exorbitant cost of nomination forms was simply to prune the number of contenders, or to delineate the pretenders from the contenders, saying, "Then I think that argument is flawed."

The former governor said true party men and women should be concerned that the party, which was founded on the values and ideals of progressive philosophy, would make pre-qualification for elective offices – at state and national level – the exclusive preserve of party members with either great personal wealth or that have unlimited access to other sources of funding.

Ebri added, "With reference to the recent announcement by the APC concerning the cost of Expression of Interest and Nomination forms for various elective positions, the APC owes it to itself and the teeming numbers of Nigerians who voted it into power for two consecutive terms, to remain a party of true progressives and a true party of progressives.

"The current party position on the cost of forms for Expression of Interest and Nomination for elective offices appears to vitiate the very principles upon which the party campaigned and was voted into power.

"The danger this poses to the party is that many prospective and otherwise eminently qualified office seekers that do not possess enormous personal wealth will in every practical sense, be precluded from seeking party nomination, regardless of the depth and breadth of their popular support."

Ebri said there were ample objective and progressive criteria, such as integrity, experience, character, political antecedents, empathy, intelligence, goodwill, etc, which could be employed to enable the emergence of genuinely qualified candidates.

He said it was a known fact that personal wealth was not the yardstick of assessment that enabled Buhari to emerge as standard-bearer of the party in 2015 and 2019.

The party chieftain noted that a comparative analysis of the cost of Expression of Interest and Nomination forms in APC and that of the main opposition PDP showed that a member of APC with governorship aspiration would not only be spending more than twice what his/her counterparts in the opposition are, but would also be spending more to vie for governorship office than the opposition candidates vying for the office of president.

Ebri stressed that as laudable as the concession of 50 per cent reduction for youths might seem, it was worthy of note that the youth in the APC that were vying for governorship would still be paying more than their opposition counterparts.

He added that youths vying

for the presidential ticket would be paying more than what the opposition presidential aspirants were paying for nomination. The party chieftain wondered if APC had inadvertently been made a party of the wealthy by the wealthy for the wealthy.

Meanwhile, in an apparent move to accommodate defectors from APC, PDP extended the sale and submission of its nomination forms for the 2023 general election.

A statement by National Publicity Secretary of PDP, Debo Ologunagba, said, "After a thorough consideration of various issues and concerns in the party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has further adjusted its Timetable and Schedule of Activities to extend the closing dates for the purchase of Expression of Interest and Nomination Forms for the 2023 general elections to Friday, April 22, 2022.

"Under the reviewed timetable, the last day for the submission of already completed Forms has been extended to Monday, April 25, 2022 "Consequently, the following new dates have been fixed for the screening as well as Appeals arising from the screening of aspirants for various positions: "State House of Assembly and National Assembly: Wednesday, April 27, 2022; Governorship: Thursday, April 28, 2022; Presidential: Friday, April 29, 2022. Appeals on all screening exercised: Monday, May 2, 2022.

"Under the updated timetable, the three-man Ad Hoc Ward Congress has been fixed for Saturday, April 30, 2022 while the Local Government Area National Delegates Congresses will now hold on Thursday, May 5, 2022."

The statement added, "All dates for primary election into various positions remain the same. Please, note that all duly completed State Assembly Forms are to be submitted at the various states secretariat of the party.

"All aspirants, critical stakeholders and party members should be guided accordingly."

Ozekhome: Buhari, APC Corrupting Democracy Ozekhome accused the president and the ruling party of debasing democracy in a statement yesterday titled, “President Buhari and the APC are corrupting democracy.”

The statement was in response to Wednesday’s announcement by the ruling party fixing various high fees for its nomination forms, which had outraged many Nigerians.

Ozekhome stated, “The staggering sum of N100 million fixed by the APC NEC for its presidential nomination form has rightly sent shock waves of righteous indignation across the country. The APC had fixed N30 million for the ‘expression of interest form’ and N70 million for the ‘nomination form’, making a total of N100 million.

“The party hopes to rake in N1.5 billion from the 15 aspirants that have so far declared interest in the presidential race. By this singular act, the APC has shown a shocking insatiable bacchanalian propensity to corrupt democracy, democratic ethos, and also scam the entire country.

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

MARKING THE LANDING OF GOOGLE EQUIANO CABLE SYSTEM IN NIGERIA...

L-R: Representative of Minister of Communication, Executive Commissioner (Stakeholder Management), Nigeria Communications Commission, (NCC), Barr. Adeleke Adewolu; MD/CEO, Nigeria Sovereign Investment Authority, (NSIA), Mr. Uche Orji; Director, Google West Africa, Juliet Ehimuan; Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu; CEO of West Indian Ocean Cable Company (WIOCC), Chris Wood and the Minister of Industry, Trade & Investment, Niyi Adebayo, during a reception marking the Landing of the Google Equiano Cable System in Nigeria, at the Open Access Data Centre, Lekki, Lagos...yesterday

Again, House Summons Kyari, Sylva, Others over Poor State of Refineries Udora Orizu in Abuja The House of Representatives Adhoc Committee investigating the state of refineries in the country has for the third time summoned the Group Managing Director of Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited, Mele Kyari and Minister of State Petroleum Resources, Timipre Sylva to appear before it unfailingly on Thursday, 28th April, to give account of the true state of refineries and why they are not functioning despite $3.7 billion awarded for their rehabilitation.

The Committee also extended the summon to other relevant key government stakeholders including the Accountant-General of the Federation, Auditor-General of the Federation, Director

General, Budget Office of the Federation, the Governor, Central Bank of Nigeria, the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission, the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Authority, the Port Harcourt Refining Company Limited (PHRC), the Kaduna Refining and Petrochemical Company Limited (KRPC), the Warri Refining and Petrochemical Company Limited (WRPC), National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) and Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI).

The Speaker, Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila had on January 26, constituted the Adhoc committee mandating them to work with the NNPC, the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission, the Nigerian

Osayande Backs Call for Buhari’s Resignation, Condemns Recent Pardon Adibe Emenyonu in Benin City A Retired Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG), Parry Osayande yesterday backed the call by a northern group that President Muhammadu Buhari should resign following failure by his administration to secure the lives of Nigerians.

He also condemned the recent presidential pardon given to some convicted persons, particularly former governors Joshua Dariye of Plateau State and Jolly Nyame of Taraba State, describing it as criminal conspiracy.

Speaking to journalists in Benin City, capital of Edo State, Osayande said the coming 2023 general elections was the right time for Nigerian youths to vote the right people by cashing in on the provisions of the new Electoral Act which tried to reduce the possibility of rigging.

On the call for Buhari's resignation, he said: "Somebody is talking about interim government, is there any government here? In any case why can’t the president resign if he cannot carry out his functions?"

Osayande said granting pardon to Dariye and Nyame was a

criminal conspiracy, saying, "that (pardon) is absolute rubbish. How can you do a thing like that?

Somebody who has stolen public funds, people are dying and then you say you have pardoned such a person?

“What about somebody who was dying of hunger and stole chicken to go and feed his family and he was given nine months’ imprisonment, was such a person pardoned? This is criminal conspiracy; it is not done in a civilized society they have taken us about 200 years backward."

According to the former chairman of Police Service Commission (PSC), "all the politicians are jokers and they are taking us for a ride. It is high time the youth which form the majority should forget about money and use their votes with the improvements made by the new electoral law because by bringing in technology, rigging will not be as easy as it used to be therefore, the youths have a more formidable weapon to use in the new Electoral Act. Vote the charlatans out of office.

“So, if the government is not sufficiently responsible to come and carry out the functions defined by the constitution then vote it out."

Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority, and other relevant stakeholders to obtain the needed information in order to carry out the assignment.

The Committee therefore in two separate letters, on February 24th and March 17th, 2022 requested the GMD of the NNPC for a Status Report on the Nation's Refineries. The lawmakers specifically requested the GMD to provide, "Appraisal of the current state of refineries in the Country: from year 2012 to date, Copies of annual budgets on rehabilitation by the refineries from year 2012 to date, list of approvals/fund releases for rehabilitation of refineries from year 2012 to date, list of all Contracts awarded for rehabilitation of refineries and award letters issued to service providers and contractors from year 2012 to date, actual Cost of Projects (Contracts) and

Review (if any) stated in naira, Work Completion Certificates issued on rehabilitation projects carried out on refineries from year 2012 to date and Evidence of payments made for all such contracts awarded from year 2012 to date.”

Others are list of service providers and contractors that handled the rehabilitation of refineries from year 2012 to date and any other relevant information to assist the Committee in the course of the assignment."

At the investigative hearing, rescheduled for the third time, the NNPC GMD and relevant stakeholders were absent.

Frowning at the development, Chairman of the Committee, Hon. Ganiyu Johnson said the lawmakers were aware that the NNPC recently awarded contracts for Rehabilitation of Refineries to the tune of $3.7 billion.

According to him, the contract was said to have been executed, but the refineries are still not working.

He alleged that for Kyari, Sylva and others to fail on three occasions to appear before parliament meant that they have something to hide.

He therefore summoned them to appear before the Committee next week, adding that failure to do so, legal, constitutional and parliamentary measures would be taken against them in order to compel them to appear.

Johnson said, "We are compelled to make this press statement because of the continued refusal and flagrant disregard of the GMD of the NNPC, the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources and the General Managers of Port Harcourt, Warri and Kaduna Refineries to the invitations to appear before the Committee.

“We consider this continued refusal and negligence to appear before the Committee as disrespect to the Leadership of the National Assembly of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

The Committee is worried that the Port Harcourt Refining Company (PHRC), Warri Refinery and Petrochemicals Company (WRPC) and Kaduna Refinery and Petrochemicals Company (KRPC) had all been operating at gross losses since 2010 before they were finally shut down in 2019.

"It is worrisome that the GMD of the NNPC, the Hon. Minister of State for Petroleum Resources and the General Managers of Port Harcourt, Warri and Kaduna Refineries have refused on three invitations to appear before the Committee to account for the Billions of Doilars spent on the rehabilitation of the refineries over the years.”

Ahead of Presidential Primary, Osinbajo Begins Second Nationwide Consultation, to Meet with Party Delegates Gaya emerges support groups' DG Emameh Gabriel in Abuja The Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo is expected to begin his second round nationwide consultation ahead of the presidential primary of the All Progressive Congress (APC) slated for June 1, 2022, THISDAY gathered yesterday.

The move, according to the source in the vice president’s camp, was designed to cement efforts already put in place by Osinbajo in a bid to fortify his chances of clinching the party's presidential ticket.

He said the vice president would be meeting with APC delegates in the all the local governments across the country and might start this weekend in Oyo State.

"Consultations are already in progress across the country and yes we might be intensifying the engagements very soon, the sources told THISDAY. Osinbajo who had after a recent

nationwide consultation, declared intention to succeed Buhari after months of nationwide consultation, was expected to meet with APC delegates from his home state, Ogun.

Meanwhile former governor of Kano State and senator representing Kano South Senatorial District, Senator Kabiru Gaya, has been appointed the Chairman of The Progressive Project (TPP), an umbrella body of various support groups of Vice President Osinbajo across the 36 states and the FCT. The Kano State federal lawmaker who was at the headquarters of the TPP yesterday, to address Osinbajo's supporters, assured them that the vice president would succeed Buhari next year.

Gaya described TPP as a mass-based, citizen-driven project and that he decided to take the responsibility to lead a process of recalibrating all pro-Osinbajo populist forces towards electoral victory under the banner of APC.

He said: "Our duty is the coordination of all support groups: this is not the Campaign Council.

For Professor Yemi Osinbajo, this race is not about personal ambition but about a positive response to populist call from a citizen-driven mobilisation that began without input from him or his office.

“Note that people from other parties and even millions of non-partisan citizens who do not belong to any political party have strong interest and involvement with this campaign for Osinbajo’s candidature.

"Without an iota of doubt, I am certain that all the knowledgeable people here can attest to the qualities and competence of Professor Yemi Osinbajo. You will also agree with me that his chosen method redefines presidential declarations in Nigeria; he has clearly signaled that noble citizens have no need to descend into gutters - no touts were hired by anyone and his message effectively reverberated across the

entire country and the Diaspora.”

On fund to obtain the vice president’s nomination form, he said: "We feel confident that unlike moneybags, our truly populist candidate is popular enough to pool supporters’ token donations and raise such money with ease.

“Just one youth group with TPP, the Progressive Group alone say that they can raise N100m with rough voluntary contributions of N10, 000 each by 10, 000 of their supporters who are keen about seeing a better future.

“Our populist Mathematics is flawless and very strong; moneybags within or outside APC will only lose their dollars in any contest against the people’s will.

"Unlike the history of some other political parties, records show that neither APC presidential ticket nor its VP slot had ever been won by throwing money around but by populist endorsement from north and south.”

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REVVING OSINBAJO'S PRESIDENTIAL BID...

L-R: Member, The Progressive Project 2022, Senator Mohammed Bulkachuwa; Director, TPP, Sen. Kabiru Gaya; member, TPP, Dr. Kayode Ajulo, and another member, Mr. Beffa Hadeja, during KINGSLEY ADEBOYE a press conference on Osinbajo's 2023 Presidential Bid in Abuja... yesterday

Emefiele Defends Nigeria’s Exchange Rate Policy, Says Country Facing Peculiar Challenges Insists he remains focused on his job Finance minister banks on Dangote Refinery to reduce petrol subsidy fiscal burden Obinna Chima in Washington DC Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Governor, Mr. Godwin Emefiele, yesterday defended the apex bank’s managed-float exchange rate system, stressing that it was adopted to address the peculiar challenges the country faces.

In addition, Emefiele, reiterated that he was focused on his job and remains committed to supporting the fiscal authorities in ensuring that the country surpasses the 3.4 per cent Gross Domestic Product (GDP) for 2022, that had been predicted for Nigeria by the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

This was just as the Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Mrs. Zainab Ahmed, yesterday, expressed optimism that once the Dangote Refinery becomes functional, the burden of petrol subsidy would be lifted from the country.

They both spoke during an interview with journalists on the sidelines of the IMF/World Bank Spring Meetings in Washington DC, United States of America.

The President of the World Bank Group, Mr. David Malpass, had on Wednesday, said there was need for Nigeria to do away with its multiple exchange rate system, which according to him was often, “complicated and is not as effective as it would be if there were a single exchange rate.”

Malpass, had also faulted the country’s petrol subsidy policy, which is expected to gulp N4 trillion this year.

But responding to a question on the call for a single exchange rate window, the CBN Governor stressed that, “different countries have different challenges and must develop solutions that would help address their challenges.”

He added: “Both the IMF and World Bank are our prime development banks, and we have receive support from them at different times in resolving some of our economic challenges, particularly bothering on finance.

“Nigeria’s situation is very peculiar and that is why we have continued to engage the IMF and World bank to show understanding in our local problems. And they are indeed showing understanding.

“Yes they want us to freely float the exchange rate and you do know that this will have some

impact on the exchange rate itself in the sense that when you allow that to happen, you will have some uncontrollable spiral in the country’s exchange rate.”

According to Emefiele, what the CBN had been doing was to ensure that, “even as we run the managed float, there should be some interventions put in place to really control exchange rate.”

He, noted that as long as the demand for forex exceeds the supply, the challenge would persist, saying, “we are doing everything possible to restructure the base of the economy through some of the policies that we have put in place to deepen the production of goods in Nigeria.”

Emefiele, pointed out that the central bank would continue to make the IMF and World Bank understand the peculiar situations that Nigeria faces and how to tackle them to see the progress of the economy.

Responding to a question on the commendation received by the IMF over the positive momentum in Nigeria’s non-oil sector, Emefiele said: “I am happy that the IMF and World Bank are seeing efforts to drive non-oil exports. Before now, we have always relied on earnings from crude oil as well as foreign portfolio investments and foreign direct investments.

“We will continue to look at how to improve non-oil exports, particularly through export proceeds and so on. I am happy that other people outside Nigeria are seeing these efforts and this means we will continue to do more to ensure that we really deepen this and fund imports with proceeds from exports and with less reliance on the central bank.”

Commenting on the global concerns about surging inflation, Emefiele said: “I must say that in the last two years, the CBN has adopted price stability that is conducive to growth. This means that generally, that we have been tightening, but again in some priority sectors of the economy, like agriculture and manufacturing, we have adopted somewhat of accommodative monetary policy stance and this is why you can see that people can raise 10-year loan with two years moratorium at singe interest rate for agriculture and manufacturing.

“That is why you can see that whereas inflation is coming down

gradually, the output, which is growth is increasing at the same time, which is a good result for Nigeria. Consequently today, as a result of global challenges we face, the geopolitical tensions between Russia and Ukraine, the main issues is rising energy and commodity prices which has led to acceleration in the rate of inflation and at the same time dampening growth globally.

“What I am saying is that we are tightening generally, the banks can confirm this, but at the same time, we are adopting some of accommodation to support growth through some priority sectors of the economy.”

Emefiele reiterated that he remains focused on his job as a central banker, assuring the central bank would continue to support the fiscal authorities to ensure the country records positive economic growth.

“We remain focused on our job and we are happy that we are playing our role in supporting the Nigerian economy. We have been on this since 2015, when inflation rate was almost at 19 per cent, it came down to almost about 11 per cent because of the increase in energy prices as well as electricity prices.

“It went up to almost 18 per cent again and we have managed

to bring it down to below 16 per cent. I believe we would continue to rein in inflation.

“On the other hand, we are doing everything possible to support the fiscal authorities by putting in place facilities to support households, businesses and others at single-digit interest rate and that has helped in accelerating output and we feel delighted that even at this meetings, amongst other countries, the IMF has held a positive position about Nigeria’s growth prospect at 3.4 per cent and we believe that all things being equal we are going to surpass it. So, what we are doing is to continue

to focus on our job and nothing more,” he explained.

Meanwhile, Ahmed, while responding to Malpass comment that the country should reconsider the huge payments to petrol subsidy, said: “The decision to remove the subsidy was deferred.

We have information from Aliko Dangote himself that the refinery would become functional by the end of this year, and we are hoping that it walks out that way because it will be in our interest. It means now that we can have the refined products locally as opposed to importing them, it will definitely reduce the cost on the citizens.”

Elumelu: Power Sector Key to Economic Development, Hampered by Infrastructural Gaps Transcorp shareholders approve nomenclature change James Emejo in Abuja The Chairman, Transnational Corporation Nigeria Plc, Mr. Tony Elumelu, yesterday said the Nigerian power sector was crucial for the country’s economic transformation and remained a major catalyst for industrialisation.

But he said the sector is currently plagued by infrastructure challenges across the value chain including generation, transmission and distribution as well as metering and revenue collection.

Elumelu at the company’s 16th Annual General Meeting (AGM) in Abuja, added that it was impossible for the country to make any significant progress without addressing challenges in the power sector.

He, however, commended the federal government for the steps taken so far in response to the massive oil theft in the Niger Delta.

Elumelu said, “They’ve responded well so far,” adding that “We hope the motion will lead hopefully to movement.”

He also lauded the government for paying part of its liabilities to the power sector and hoped this would be improved upon going forward.

He said appropriate measures must be taken to ensure that “what is generated can get to the last mile.”

This came as shareholders at the meeting passed a resolution to change the name of the company from Transnational Corporation Nigeria Plc to Transnational Corporation Plc to adequately reflect its posture as an international company.

The investors also approved a two Kobo dividend for every ordinary share of 50 Kobo for the 2021 financial period.

Elumelu, nevertheless, said the corporation recorded “good performance” across all sectors of operations including power and hospitality.

He said Transcorp Power Limited’s revenue improved by 14 per cent from N65.1 billion to N74.3 billion or 70 per cent of total Group revenue.

Profit After Tax (PAT) also increased by 92 per cent from N12 billion to N23.1 billion.

“This excellent return again validated our investment and commitment to this critical sector,” Elumelu said, adding that its investment in Trans Afam Power Limited was further consolidated in the Group financials in 2021, accounting for 15 per cent of revenue and 25 per cent of the Group’s total assets as at December 2021.

He said the hospitality business returned to profitability which further enhanced both the Group and company’s performance

during the period under review.

He said for 2022, Transcorp Energy would accelerate minimum work programme activities to retain OPL 281 License in 2022 and achieve planned production in the fourth quarter of 2023.

Among other things, he said, “We will focus on completing the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) and appraisal well drilling in 2022, thereby completing minimum work obligations. We will deploy a two-pronged strategy (explore while developing) to fast-track production on December 31, 2023.”

On the Trans Afam Power, the chairman told shareholders that the management would “ramp up available capacity from an average of 116MW to 349MW through the recovery of GT 19 and 20 by Q2, 2022 and Afam Fast Three Power later in the year.

“Also, utilisation rate is expected to improve from 62 per cent to 75 per cent through operational efficiency and process automation.”

Elumelu added that the 2021 financial performance represented a recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic compared to the previous year, especially in the power and hospitality segments.

According to him, hotel occupancy in Transcorp surged by about 90 per cent after spending about $130 million to upgrade the facilities.

He assured shareholders that the group has a strategic investment plan with long-term orientation in the interest and benefit of investors and urged them to continue to investment in Transcorp shares as the future remained bright.

On her part, President/Group Chief Executive, Transcorp, Owen Omogiafo, said 2021 was rewarding and revealed the strength and tenacity of the people.

She said, “Achieving our successful performance despite the uncertainty during the year is a noteworthy achievement. It entails being innovative and resilient, particularly in the challenging times that businesses are facing.

“It is also a delight to know that the year ended 31st December 2021 was indeed a successful year, hence giving us a platform to go forth and do more in the years to come.”

She added, “We look forward to an exciting 2022 as we work collectively towards consolidating, sustaining and surpassing our 2021 performance.”

Omogiafo added that the Transcorp is currently driving a strong integrated energy strategy as well as building for future generations.

Shareholders also satisfaction over the Group's performance and urged them to do more in subsequent years.

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RENDERING ACCOUNT TO SHAREHOLDERS… Group Chairman, Transnational Corporation Plc (Transcorp), Mr. Tony O. Elumelu (right) and President, Transcorp Group, Mrs. Owen Omogiafo, at the 16th Annual General Meeting of the Group held in Abuja...yesterday

Nigeria's Neighbour, Cameroon Signs Strategic Military Deal with Russia Bayo Akinloye Cameroon and Russia have signed a strategic military pact amid the latter's ongoing invasion and bombardment of Ukraine.

The two countries signed the military agreement on April 12, according to reports by Cameroon's defence minister Joseph Assomo and his Russian counterpart Sergei Shoigu.

THISDAY checks on understandingwar.org revealed that this was not the first time Cameroon would enter into a military deal with the European nation.

In April 2015, Russia and

Cameroon signed a militarytechnical cooperation agreement.

Also, in 2013, Cameroon signed a contract with Russia to deliver Mil Mi-17 multi-role military transport helicopters. The contract was signed with Russian state-arm-exporter Rosoboronexport, a unit of Russian Technologies.

"The Government of the Republic of Cameroon and the Government of the Russian Federation hereinafter referred to as the Parties: Recognising the strengthening of friendly relations between the States Parties on the principles of sovereignty, equality, respect for interests and non-intervention in internal

affairs," stated a document seen

by THISDAY detailing the security agreement.

"The action of this agreement is automatically renewable for one following period of five (05) years, in the absence of any notification from one party to the other, in writing, of its intention to terminate it, at least six (06) months before the expiration of the initial or subsequent period of five (05) years," it added.

"The denunciation of this agreement does not affect the implementation of the projects and cooperative activities agreed or initiated under this agreement unless the Parties agree otherwise."

Fashola Directs New FMBN Board to Exit All Improperly Contracted Deals Warns against mixing personal and public interests Emmanuel Addeh in Abuja Minister of Works and Housing, Mr Babatunde Fashola (SAN) yesterday directed the new board of the Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria (FMBN) to begin the process of exiting all businesses entered into outside the provisions of the law setting up the 40-year-old bank.

Speaking during the inauguration of the new board and management of the bank in

Abuja, the former Lagos state governor urged the board to separate personal wants from the public interest.

He warned against hiding under the part of the laws guiding the bank’s operations which allows the members to: “Do anything and enter into any transaction which in his opinion is necessary to ensure proper performance of his functions under the act,” maintaining that the provision had been abused.

Buhari Names Mmegwa SSA on Employment, Job Creation Deji Elumoye in Abuja With barely 13 months to the end of his tenure, President Muhammadu Buhari, yesterday, approved the appointment of Mrs. Matilda Mmegwa, as Senior Special Assistant on Employment and Job Creation (Office of the Honourable Minister of Labour and Employment).

According to a release by his Media Adviser, Femi Adesina, the new Senior Special Assistant, who has held a number of posts in the private sector in Canada and international organisations, would work under the leadership of the Minister of Labour and Employment on issues of job creation.

Mmegwa, who brings to the position over 30 years experience in the field of strategic leadership, corporate

governance, social inclusion and economic development, is an internationally decorated Presenter/Keynote Speaker, who was the lead discussant at the Commonwealth Association for Public Administration and Management (CAPAM) conference in Tanzania in 2009.

She has served as Senior Consultant and Strategy Advisor with the Ghana Agricultural Sector Investment Programme (GASIP), an initiative of the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and the Government of Ghana.

The new SSA holds a degree in Industrial Chemistry, professional qualifications as Chartered Accountant, both in Nigeria and Canada, as well as a Master’s degree in Strategy and Corporate Governance.

Aside Mr Ayodej Gbeleyi, a Chartered Accountant, who was earlier appointed as Chairman of the board, others include the Chief Executive Officer, Mr Hamman Madu, representing the North-east zone as well as Umar Zubaida, Executive Director, Finance and Corporate Services – representing the North-west.

Also on the board are Chukwuma Kingsley, Executive Director, Business Development and Portfolio Management – representing the South-south zone; and Lukman Olayiwola, Executive Director, Loans and Mortgage Services– representing the North-central zone.

Others include: Abimbola Asein from the South-west zone – representing the Federal Ministry Of Works And Housing; Ejezie Sandra Nkechi, South-east – representing the public, as well as two representatives of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) The minister reminded the board that their performance will determine their future on the board.

“If you act individually or collectively to make the bank do something outside of what the law empowers you to do, you have become liable,” he warned.

According to him, some boards in the past had gone beyond their call of duty to enter into deals that were clearly outside the law setting them up.

The military deal was sealed in Moscow.

Apart from Cameroon, other West African nations have longstanding military pacts with Russia, including Nigeria and Ghana.

In October 2019, President Muhammadu Buhari and President Vladimir Putin in Sochi, Russia, had signed agreements on military cooperation on the sidelines of the ongoing Russia-Africa Summit. The two leaders agreed to start new infrastructure projects and expand trade and investment, security and military cooperation.

Buhari had agreed to renew the Nigeria-Russia Military Technical Agreement, eventually leading to signing a contract for 12 Mi-35 attack helicopters to fight the Boko Haram insurgents.

“I have directed the Minister of Defence to work with the Ministry of Justice to conclude this matter within the shortest possible time," the Nigerian president had stated.

Buhari expected the military cooperation agreement to give impetus to further cooperation

in direct procurement of military hardware on a government-togovernment basis at a lower cost, training the military personnel and modernisation of armed forces.

On August 23, 2021, Nigeria signed a 'Military-Technical Cooperation Agreement' with Russia. This agreement terminated the earlier pact between the two countries signed on March 6, 2001.

The military pact provides a legal framework for supplying military equipment, providing after-sales services, training personnel and technology transfer, etc. Earlier in 2017, both countries had signed a cooperation agreement on military training, peacekeeping, counterterrorism, and anti-piracy operations.

In 2016, Russia and Ghana signed a military-technical cooperation agreement for weapon supplies and joint training. That same year, it signed a cooperation agreement with The Gambia.

In a related development, yesterday, the Central African Republic said it would host a Russian military base, but Moscow

has not decided yet, according to TASS, the Russian news agency.

"When the State Duma chairman (Vyacheslav Volodin) visited our country, he was asked to convey a request for the creation of a Russian base in the Central African Republic to the relevant Russian officials," CAR’s ambassador to Russia, Leon Dodonou-Pounagaza, told TASS. "I contacted Volodin in December, and we even talked about it with (Russian defence minister Sergey) Shoigu. No decision has been made yet."

The Russian Foreign Ministry said earlier that Moscow had sent an additional group of 300 instructors to train the CAR's troops in response to the authorities’ request for assistance in repelling the onslaught of illegal armed groups.

More than 500 Russian military instructors and advisers are currently active in CAR. Moscow has repeatedly claimed that Russian instructors are stationed in the African nation on legal grounds, training the country's troops but not participating in military activities.

2022 Hajj: FG Allocates 1,537 Slots to FCT Olawale Ajimotokan in Abuja The federal government has allocated 1,537 seats for this year’s hajj to the Federal Capital Territory.

The Director of the FCT Muslim Pilgrims Welfare Board, Mallam Muhammad Nasiru Danmallam, disclosed this yesterday, while briefing top management staff of the Board in his office, after a meeting with the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) and states chief executives of States Muslim Pilgrims Welfare Boards, commissions and agencies.

He advised those who made deposit in respect of the Hajj to ensure that their deposits reach up to N2.5 million before the

conclusion of the final hajj fare.

He explained that due to current realities, the cost for this year’s hajj was projected to be about N2.5 million for this year’s hajj exercise.

He, therefore, emphasised the need for the intending pilgrims to top up their deposit and await final hajj fare after conclusion with service providers in Saudi Arabia.

He also advised those who registered with the Board to raise their deposit via a bank draft to the officials of the board across the six area council secretariats of the territory and the headquarters where they made their initial deposits.

He similarly advised those who enrolled into the Hajj Savings

Scheme with Ja’iz bank to ensure that their deposits were up to N 2.5 million which would ease their balance as soon as the hajj fare was finalised.

The Director said the Board and other officials would soon travel to Saudi Arabia to finalise arrangements on accommodation, feeding and transportation as well as other services with relevant service providers to conclude the component of hajj fare for the 2022 hajj exercise.

He said the Board would continue with its preparation for the 2022 hajj with the second phase of education and orientation exercise on May 7th and 8th, which is immediately after Eid Fitr festivity.

Edo Begins Fresh Recruitment into Civil Service Edo State Government has commenced the process for the recruitment of agricultural superintendents into the Edo State Civil Service Commission, as part of ongoing reforms of its civil service.

In a statement, the Chairman of Edo State Civil Service Commission, Mrs. Ekiuwa Inneh, urged interested and qualified candidates to, “apply by visiting the Civil Service Commission Recruitment Portal at: csc.edostate.gov.ng and complete

the online application form.”

Reassuring that the recruitment process would be free, fair and merit-driven, Inneh said candidates were not required to make any payments to any person or organisation in respect of the recruitment exercise.

The statement read: “Applications are hereby invited from suitably qualified candidates to fill some vacant posts in the Edo State Civil Service.

"Candidates for the posts must possess the minimum qualifications specified for the posts of Higher Agricultural Superintendent on Grade Level 8 and Assistant Agricultural Superintendent on Grade Level 6.”

The chairman said candidates for the posts of Higher Agricultural Superintendent must possess a Higher National Diploma (HND) in Agriculture from a recognised Institution.

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FRIDAY APRIL 22, 2022 •T H I S D AY

FRIDAY APRIL 22, 2022 • T H I S D AY

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T H I S D AY ˾ FRIDAY APRIL 22, 2022

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POLITICS

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

The God of Udom Emmanuel Umo Robinson states clearly the God-factor in the politics of Akwa Ibom State “Oh God, if indeed there is God; please save my soul, if indeed I have a soul”

T

hat is the popular prayer of the agnostic or moderate atheist, specifically associated with such philosophers as T. H. Huxley and George Berkeley.

Like every genuine philosophical position, it is at once an honest confession of the need for spiritual help, and admission of limitation in the knowledge of spiritual matters.

The virtue of the agnostic attitude is in its honest and humble declaration of lack of indubitably certain knowledge in the existence of God in the rigid epistemological sense in which we know what we know as a matter of fact. This is because admission of ignorance on a particular issue is the first condition for the acquisition of true knowledge on that issue.

After all, “he who knows not, and does not know that he knows not, is a fool”.

But in Akwa Abasi Ibom State, you risk being the odd one out if you as much as broach agnosticism. And why should you when the name of the state itself is a glib and implicit declaration that God does not only exist, but is the owner of Akwa Ibom. From that premise, it is easy to see why the name of God can be dropped in everything, including ordinary day-to-day business transaction. Of course, the purpose of such name-dropping is often to scramble the need for personal integrity and commitment which are the sine-qua-none for successful business in places where people are prepared to exhaustively do their part before bringing God into an issue.

The real test of this God-hype, however, comes

CHOGOM22 and Rwanda: a Win-win Opportunity for the Commonwealth Maureen Chukwura highlights the benefits of the impending Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Rwanda

R

wanda will, in June 2022, host the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM22) in its 26th edition. The bi-annual meeting provides a platform for leaders of the 54 member states to explore how they could pool their resources and innovations to transform joint challenges into exalting opportunities.

The event officially opens on the 24th of June in Kigali after two postponements, in 2020 and 2021, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

CHOGM22 is significant, being the first time that a member State without historical ties with the United Kingdom is hosting the meeting.

Rwanda joined the Commonwealth in 2009 with a pledge to strengthen shared values and aspirations with opportunities for enhancing cooperation and mutual prosperity.

The theme of the June high-level meeting: “Delivering a Common Future: Connecting, Innovating and Transforming,” could not have been more apt given the reality of the COVID-19 pandemic, which has underscored the interconnectedness of the international community and the imperative for multilateral cooperation and partnerships.

-Chukwura is the Communications Officer, Rwanda High Commission in Nigeria NOTE: Interested readers should continue in the online edition on www.thisdaylive.com

when there is a crisis bordering on threat to vested interest. As Martin Luther King Jr. put it, “the true measure of a man is not how he behaves in times of comfort and convenience, but where he stands in times of controversy and challenges”.

A top Akwa Ibom politician whose name even begins with “God” once taunted a Goddependent governorship candidate in the state thus: “I will see how God will make you governor without me.” Unfortunately, the candidate did not make it to Government-House. Obviously, that revealed the God-craze for what it truly is in the state: a perfunctory ritualism.

Fast forward to 2015, the year of the advent of Deacon Udom Gabriel Emmanuel and the sounding of the Dakkada bugle: “Akwa Ibomites, rise to the faith of greatness! Rise to the faith that with God all things are possible.

Rise to the faith that Akwa Ibom was created

by God out of greatness. Rise to the faith that as a people we can move beyond ethnicity, religion and gender….”

Why “beyond religion”? Most likely because

hitherto our religion had consisted in “a form of godliness, but a denial of the power thereof”.

In the dakkada creed, the Governor was thus introducing a new and radical octave to our religious attitude, one espousing “faith that with God all things are possible”. And the opportunity to prove this absolute belief in God did not take long to come.

In 2019 - alienated by his erstwhile mentor – Governor Udom Emmanuel had to prosecute his second-term bid against the teeth of a hostile Federal Government, his arsenal consisting in just the “Only-God” battle-cry. Though the battle went all the way to the Supreme Court, the Governor surprised the entire country as he proved that “one with God” is in fact a” majority”.

Through all these, he seized the initiative in demonstrating the efficacy of faith in God for divine intervention in the affairs of men, and spear-headed a refreshing departure from the ineffectual jingoism and commercial blitz to which religion had been reduced by prayer contractors in the state. Yes, Mr. Emmanuel seized

the initiative and can justifiably be considered today as not just the prophet-governor in Nigeria, but one with a national patent on how to win the collaboration of heaven for political ends.

No wonder that in June 2020, Governor Godwin Obaseki, reminiscent of the Queen of Sheba’s visit to King Solomon of old, came seeking Governor Emmanuel’s “best kept secret” at the height of his own second-term-bid quandary. As formidable a foe as Governor Obaseki was up against at the time, the “God of Udom Emmanuel” saw him through and the “OnlyGod” mantra clearly got nationally vindicated and canonized as a veritable weapon of war.

What then do we say to current hostilities to “That Same God” who began a new thing in 2015, proved himself in an historic way in 2019 and has now in his omniscience decided to put up one of our very illustrious sons, Pastor Umo Bassey Eno, as the next governor of the state, using his proven and tested vessel, Governor Udom Emmanuel, to communicate the decision?

The fronts for the opposition in the state against the idea of “Divine Choice” range from a section of the clergy; competing aspirants, their supporters, to other assortments of unbelieving believers. This small clique of clergies should be ignored as persons who had forfeited their presumed role as the mouth-piece of God. For, rather than exploit the “power of the Resurrection” and establish themselves as “vessels of honour meet for the Master’s use”, theirs has been “cunningly devised fables” with an eye solely on lucre.

Those who balk at the idea of God choosing a candidate as governor, while at the same time promoting their own aspirations with such slogans as “Akwa Ubok Abasi”; “One with God”, and “Amazing Grace of God”, unwittingly canvass a theocracy with regulated Divine involvement. For them, God can be used to window-dress a project for selfish ends, but He must not be allowed to take ownership of the project to the point of making an obvious personal choice. God is merely to rubber-stamp their fantasies - period!

-Robinson writes from the Office of the Akwa Ibom State Deputy Governor NOTE: Interested readers should continue in the online edition on www.thisdaylive.com

Didn’t Tinubu Just Goof On MC Oluomo?

Felix Oboagwina opines that the All Progressives Congress strongman and former governor of Lagos State, Senator Bola Tinubu has shown clear bias in handling the crisis between the National Headquarters of the National Union of Road Transport Workers and leadership of its Lagos State arm

W

ho are those counselling Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, National Leader of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC)? They just goaded the presidential hopeful to make a major miscalculation that may cost him politically.

Not a few believe that the godfather of Lagos politics and the state government goofed over the handling of the transport workers’ local crisis. Now everywhere is boiling. In this crisis, Tinubu and his handlers had a choice between furthering his “lifelong ambition” of becoming Nigeria’s President as opposed to propping up the career of his strongman, Alhaji Musiliu Akinsanya.

Instead of Tinubu to summon his legendary talent as a visionary strategist, he succumbed to myopia and banked on Akinsanya, alias “MC Oluomo.”

Background to Impunity What happened? A stiff squabble had raged (is still raging) between “MC Oluomo,” suspended Lagos State Chairman of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), and some chapters of the labour body in Lagos. Unlike his predecessors, Oluomo wanted absolute monopoly to superintend all transporters in Lagos, including the “Okada” commercial motorcycles as well as the “Keke Marwa” tricycle that erstwhile ran their own affairs inde-

some counter initiatives. r -BHPT 4UBUF T (PWFSOPS #BCBKJEF Sanwo-Olu banned NURTW in all state motor parks r 5IF (PWFSOPS JOTUJUVUFE UIF -BHPT Parks and Garages Management Committee with “MC Oluomo” as Chairman, a former Perm Sec, Dr. Taiwo Salaam, as Secretary, and former Police Assistant Inspector General of Police, AIG Hakeem Odumosu, as Liaison Officer between the government and the committee.

pendent of the bus section that Oluomo supervised. National NURTW intervened and gave instructions to maintain status quo. He refused. When the National body formally queried him, Oluomo did not bother responding. Instead, he arrogantly proclaimed the independence of the Lagos chapter from the national body.

Miffed at this open defiance, the National fired disciplinary measures: r *U TVTQFOEFE i.$ 0MVPNPu BT -BHPT State Chairman of NURTW r *U EJTTPMWFE UIF -BHPT /6358 executive council that he headed r *U BQQPJOUFE UIF 4UBUF 4FDSFUBSZ BT Interim Coordinator of an ad hoc supervisory leadership.

Lagos rubbished all this by rolling out

Of the Foolish Fly and the Corpse If you know, you know: Sanwo-Olu was the hand of Esau acting according to the dictates of the puppeteer, Tinubu.

Tinubu is today touring the nooks and crannies of Nigeria, marketing his 2023 presidential ambition. However, he has made a tactical error in this affair. As the Nigerian proverb says, “It is the foolish fly that gets buried with the corpse.”

Tinubu, in bailing out his embattled unionist godson may have succeeded in damaging his own ambition.

-Oboagwina, an author and journalist may be reached via foboagwina@ gmail.com NOTE: Interested readers should continue in the online edition on www.thisdaylive.com

FRIDAY APRIL 22, 2022 • T H I S D AY

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FRIDAY APRIL 22, 2022 •T H I S D AY

T H I S D AY ˾ FRIDAY, APRIL 22, 2022

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BUSINESSWORLD R A T E S MONEY MARKET

A S

REPO

A T

Group Business Editor Eromosele Abiodun Email oriarehu.eromosele@thisdaylive.com

08056356325

A P R I L

S & P INDEX

2 1 , 2 0 2 2

S & P INDEX

EXCHANGE RATE

OPR

8.0%

CALL

6.56%

INDEX LEVEL

610.09%

1/4 TO DATE

-1.37%

N417.09/ 1 US DOLLAR*

OVERNIGHT

8.83 %

1-MONTH

7.53%

1-DAY

0.10%

YEAR TO DATE

7.07%

*AS AT LAST FRIDAY

3-MONTH

7.94%

MONTH-TO-DATE

-1.37%

NCAA, Stakeholders Bicker over Economic Regulation of Nigerian Airlines

Chinedu Eze Aviation industry stakeholders have chided the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) over what they described as the lack of effective economic regulation of Nigerian airlines.

This, they stressed, is attributable the short life span of Nigerian carriers.

According to industry analysts, the average lifespan of 10 years of

Nigerian carriers is a s a result of their poor financial health stressing that many Nigerian airlines are not well capitalized.

Nigerian airline, they added, easily succumb to financial shocks when they go for major checks or when a few of their aircraft are grounded at the same time.

The analysts alleged that some airlines do not pay their workers on time adding that such situation could be precarious because of the

sensitive nature of flight operations.

But the General Manager, Public Affairs, NCAA, Sam Adurogboye is aghast by the assumption of some industry stakeholders that the regulatory authority is not conducting effective economic regulation of the airlines.

According to him, “If we are not effectively carrying economic regulation of the airlines, planes will be dropping from the air. I always said that those who believe that we

are not regulating the industry economically should come and tell us what we should do. We monitor the airlines to know their financial health. If we see a red flag we report it immediately. The safety that we have is not by accident.”

Commenting, Former Managing Director of the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) and also former CEO of Aero Contractors, Captain Ado Sanusi said that NCAA has done well in its safety regulation

but should continue to strive to do more, “because safety is not a destination, it is a continuum. While maintaining and improving on ensuring safety of flight operations, it should also enforce its economic regulation mandate.

“The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority has not perfected its economic regulation, but this should not be done at the expense of its safety regulation. Economic oversight has not been well developed to have

the processes for it to have an edge as safety oversight has done. So, NCAA should employ more people to look at the financial health of the airlines and you have to agree with me that good financial health of airlines translates to safety,” Sanusi said.

On his part, the Managing Director of Finchglow Travels and Chairman, Association of Approved Training Continued on page 19

Surging Food Prices: FAO Calls For Import Financing Facility for Poorer Nations Oluchi Chibuzor The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) has called for a global Food Import Financing Facility (FIFF) to help poorer countries deal with surging food prices worsened the war in Ukraine.

The body, through its DirectorGeneral QU Dongyu at the G20 meeting, made the call while addressing finance ministers and

central bank governors in Washington.

Qu was invited to illustrate the economic consequences of the war in Ukraine, especially on the food security, by Indonesia, the current holder of the G20 presidency.

The FIFF, which is also aimed at increasing global agricultural production and productivity in a sustainable way, is one of six policy proposals put together by FAO in response to the crisis.

The UN’ body in a statement

stated, “Russia and Ukraine are important players in the global food market, with almost 50 countries dependent on them for at least 30 per cent of their wheat import needs. Russia is also a key exporter of fertilizers. In 2020, it ranked as the top exporter of nitrogen fertilizers, the second leading supplier of potassium, and the third largest exporter of phosphorous fertilizer.

Energy prices have also been rising, mostly due to market conditions.

“With the COVID-19 pandemic already squeezing budgets, the conflict in eastern Europe has pushed FAO’s Food Price Index to an all-time high, hitting the vulnerable the most.

Higher fertilizer prices, meanwhile, are putting future harvests at risk globally.”

According to FAO simulations, the conflict could result in as many as 13.1 million more people going hungry between 2022 and 2026, compared to the baseline.

For the FAO Director-General who spoke via a video message, “The war can have multiple implications for global markets and food security.

The FIFF, which would complement existing mechanisms within the UN system, would be strictly based on urgent needs and limited to low and lower middle-income net food-importing countries. In addition, it is designed to increase future resilience by asking eligible countries to commit to invest more

in sustainable agrifood systems.”

Qu said the FIFF has been stress-tested by FAO for its impact on the global markets and would be convenient to administrate and scale up.

“The lesson learned is that we need to increase agricultural production and productivity in the world while being sustainable. It is high time to work together for ending hunger and malnutrition in the world, “he said.

M A R K E T D ATA A S AT T H U R S D AY, A P R I L 2 1 , 2 0 2 2 BILLS

BONDS DESCRIPTION 12.75 27-APR2023 14.20 14-MAR2024 13.53 23-MAR2025 12.50 22-JAN2026 16.2884 17MAR-2027

Price

Yield

107.93 4.92 111.64 7.60 112.41 8.68 107.24 10.14 120.75 10.76

Change Updated Time (%) 08, -0.02 April 2022 April 08, 0.27 2022 08, –0.20 April 2022 April 08, 0.00 2022 April 08, 0.31 2022

MATURITY NTB 28-Apr22 NTB 12May-22 NTB 9-Jun22 NTB 14-Jul22

307,00 307,00 0.00

April 8, 2022

313,00 313,00 0.00

April 8, 2022

188,00 188,00 0.00

April 8, 2022

288,00 290,00 0.00

April 8, 2022

NTB 11Aug-22

318,00 322,00 0.00

April 8, 2022

Yield

OTC F X F U T U R E S

C Ps

Change Updated Time (%)

Discount

MATURITY

Discount Yield

Change Updated Time (%)

UNCP CP VI 2-MAY-22 NEVE CP I 24-MAY-22 DANC CP II 25-MAY-22 TRBH CP V 26-JUL-22 FSDH CP VI 1-AUG-22

8.93

8.93

-0.09

April 8, 2022

16.46

16.81 0.07

April 8, 2022

8.65

8.75

0.08

April 8, 2022

11.15

11.53 0.30

April 8, 2022

7.78

7.97

April 8, 2022

0.28

CONTRACT TENOR Contract (MONTH) NGUS APR 27 1 2022 NGUS MAY 25 2 2022 NGUS JUN 29 3 2022 NGUS JUL 27 4 2022 NGUS AUG 31 5 2022

Current Rate ($/₦)

Updated Time

427.24

April 8, 2022

428.93

April 8, 2022

430.63

April 8, 2022

432.32

April 8, 2022

434.02

April 8, 2022

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FRIDAY, APRIL 22, 2022 ˾ T H I S D AY

BUSINESSWORLD

NEWS AFRICAN QUALITY ACHIEVEMENT AWARDS…

L-R: Manager Public Relation Communications, Grant Thornton Nigeria, Ms. Merrilyn Okeleke; Managing Partner/ CEO, Dr. Ngozi Ogwo; Senior Director Advisory, Mr.James Okarimia; and Senior Manager Support Services, Mrs. .Mirian Anyanwu, when Grant Thornton Nigeria won Africa’s most outstanding Tax and Advisory firm Award at the African Quality Achievement Awards (AQAA) held at the Sheraton Hotels in Lagos… recently PHOTO: ETOP UKUTT

Insecurity Discouraging Equity Flow into Nigeria, Experts Warn Olawale Ajimotokan in Abuja Stakeholders have warned that the gale insecurity across the country is discouraging the flow of foreign equity into the economy and compounding the infrastructural deficit in the country.

Managing Partner of DPH, Dr. Onuoha Nnachi, issued the admonition when he was addressing newsmen in Abuja,

with other stakeholders ahead of the national dialogue on infrastructure, scheduled for the nation’s capital on April 27.

He said the situation has become alarming as foreign investors now see Nigeria as a market where they can dump their products rather than a place where they can produce.

He urged stakeholders to come up with practical ways of fixing the infrastructural

deficit as only few countries are now willing to lend the country money as it has exceeded its debt obligations as its total debt stock is over N4 trillion.

“Our debt is with the Chinese and other Asian nations are on the high side. We have also explored and exhausted the Islamic option of financing, which is the Sukuk bond.

And you can imagine when the debt is running to N4 trillion

in terms of total debt. That is why experts are coming together to discuss on infrastructural deficit. We must finance our infrastructure development from different perspectives and the only institution that is firm is the capital market,” Nnachi said.

He also quantified the country’s infrastructure deficit that was done in the last evaluation stood at $3.01 trillion

across all economic sectors and the six geo- political regions.

“I was part of those that did the work. We also came out with a recommendation on how to fund this infrastructural deficit. Government was supposed to take responsibility of 80 per cent while the other percentage was to be borne by the private sector. The mechanism for the private sector to do that was also

developed But, whether government has adopted that has become a secondary case,” he said.

He said the infrastructure dialogue will address how to raise funds through the capital market to finance the widening infrastructure deficit in the country adding the experts will brainstorm and make their recommendations to the government.

NGX Regulation CEO Tasks Market Stakeholders on Improved Climate-related Financial Disclosure NGX Regulation Limited has urged all market stakeholders to come up to speed with recent trends in climate disclosure by paying closer attention to climate related financial risks and opportunities in their business operations in line with the recommendations of the Financial Standards Board (FSB) Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD).

The Chief Executive Officer, NGX Regulation Limited, Ms. Tinuade Awe stated this during a virtual training on climate

Group Business Editor Eromosele Abiodun Deputy Business Editor Chinedu Eze Comms/e-Business Editor Emma Okonji Asst. Editor, Money Market Nume Ekeghe Senior Correspondent Raheem Akingbolu (Advertising) Correspondents Emmanuel Addeh (Energy) KayodeTokede(CapitalMarkets) James Emejo (Finance) Ebere Nwoji (Insurance) Reporters Nosa Alekhuogie (ICT) Peter Uzoho (Energy) Ugo Aliogo (Development)

disclosure jointly hosted by Nigerian Exchange Limited and NGX Regulation in collaboration with UN Sustainable Stock Exchanges (SSE) Initiative, International Finance Corporation (IFC) and Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP) in Lagos.

Awe noted that the training

is timely due to increased pressures from policy makers on climate disclosure from listed companies.

In her opening remarks, she said, “for Nigeria, these policy pressures emanate from the Climate Change Act 2021 which was signed into law

by President Muhammadu

Buhari in November 2021.

This is also consistent with Nigeria’s vision to be a lowcarbon, climate-resilient, high growth circular economy that reduces its current level of emissions by 50% by 2050, as captured in the 2050 Long-Term vision for the Nigerian economy which was

issued by the Department of Climate Change, Federal Ministry of Environment in November 2021.”

She stated that the world is in a race to rapidly decarbonize, and investors and providers of finance are increasingly interested in how companies are moving

towards achieving net-zero emissions. Consequently, companies that do not effectively navigate the climate transition and provide adequate disclosure on climate action may experience increased friction in accessing long-term sustainable capital.

Firms Announce $3m Partnership to Drive Financial Inclusion Among Independent Commercial Drivers Ugo Aliogo Clean mobility platform MAX and vbank, a leading digital bank, powered by VFD Microfinance bank have announced a strategic partnership aimed at increasing access to financial services to independent motorcycle taxi (okada) drivers on the MAX platform.

As part of the agreement, VFD Microfinance Bank will be extending a $3 million line of credit that will enable MAX drivers to finance their vehicles.

Through this process, more than 5,000 MAX drivers will also gain access to digital financial services offered by VFD Microfinance bank.

In particular, the collaboration

between the two entities will allow MAX drivers to build full credit profiles and histories that will enable further access to more advanced banking products.

The Chief Executive Officer, Max, Adetayo Bamiduro, said: “This collaboration is a key enabler for MAX’s impact agenda for transport operators

and commercial drivers in Nigeria. We are committed to providing independent commercial drivers with the solutions to their main painpoints - and ensuring access to the formal financial system has long been something we wanted to bring to our drivers.”

The Managing Director of VFD Microfinance bank, Gbenga

Omolokun, said: “Financial inclusion is the core of what we do, therefore, working with Max to figure out new age ways to bring access to finance closer to those who need it easily aligns with our ethos. We will facilitate the access of the riders to full banking services which will open these riders up to new opportunities.”

Fidelity Bank Clears Air over Viral Video on AUPCT RE’s Live Ban d P ro t e st Kayode Tokede Fidelity Bank Plc, has cleared air over a viral video of Amalgamated Union of Public Corporation, Civil Service, Technical and Recreational Employees (AUPCTRE) members performing with a band outside one of its branches at an undisclosed location in Nigeria.

The labour union said it carried out the action against the bank over its refusal to pay the sum of N472 million to the union.

In a swift response, the Divisional Head, Brand and Communications, Fidelity bank, Meksley Nwagboh in a signed statement explained that contrary to media reports claiming that the men were

wrongfully debited by the bank, the video emanated from a picketing exercise organized by the AUPCTRE over a dispute they had with the Anambra State Urban Water Holding Corporation and Anambra State Waste Management Authority.

He said, “To this end, we had earlier issued a statement explaining that while the

Union obtained a garnishee Order against the accounts of Anambra State Government in Fidelity Bank, we are unable to honour it as the Judgment Debtors, Anambra State Urban Water Holding Corporation and Anambra State Waste Management Authority, immediately filed a Notice of Appeal as well as a Motion for Stay of

Execution of the Order of Court dated the Garnishee Order was granted.

“The Union is aware of these processes as they were served on them. The Motion for Stay of Execution is still pending and had not yet been heard and determined when the Union took the law into its hands to attack Fidelity Bank.”

T H I S D AY ˾ FRIDAY, APRIL 22, 2022

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BUSINESSWORLD

AIR WATCH

Air Peace Relocates Regional Operation to New Terminal at MMIA Chinedu Eze Nigeria’s major carrier, Air Peace has become the first airline to operate a flight from the newly commissioned international terminal of the Murtala Muhammed Airport, Lagos, known as Terminal 2.

Air Peace operated its 7:00 am Lagos-Accra flight from the new facility on Tuesday, April 19, 2022.

In a statement issued by airline’s spokesman, Stanley Olisa, Air Peace said it had notified the flying public that from April 19, 2022, its international and regional flight departures would

now be at the new terminal.

“We are delighted to be the first airline to operate a flight at the newly commissioned MMIA Terminal 2 and going forward, all our regional and international departures will be from this new terminal. We commend the Federal Government for the feat, and Air Peace will continue to blaze the trail”, the statement said.

It added that passengers flying to Accra, Banjul, Freetown, Douala, Dakar, Johannesburg and Dubai are henceforth expected to proceed to the new terminal for ticketing, check-in and boarding.

“Our ground personnel are ready to assist the passengers to ensure they seamlessly adjust to this new development”, the airline said.

The new terminal was inaugurated last month by President Muhammadu Buhari and it is one of the four new terminal facilities built at the four major airports in the country.

The terminal has the capacity to process 14 million passengers per annum and it was built with stateof-the-art facilities with expanded space for Immigration, passengers waiting lounge, bigger departure and modern avio bridges.

Green Africa Introduces N27,500 Fare for Ramadan Green Africa, Nigeria’s Lagos-based value airline has introduced special fares for travellers in the season of Ramadan starting from N27, 500 only across all routes.

These special fares are available for bookings between April 20 and May 4, 2022 and travel between April 21 and June 30, 2022, allowing customers to live the essence of the season with friends and loved ones while enjoying low airfares.

Speaking on the offer, Chief Commercial Officer, Green Africa,

Obiukwu Mbanuzuo said, ‘Ramadan emphasizes values such as charity, sacrifice, empathy and acts of generosity. Thus, in the spirit of the season, we have made available airfares starting from as low as N27, 500 so our customers can have a memorable Ramadan with loved ones”.

The Ramadan offer from N27, 500 is applicable on the gSaver flight ticket which is recommended for customers who travel light or who would like to pay for luggage

separately. The gClassic ticket which offers 15kg checked-in luggage starts at N34, 500 while the gFlex ticket with 23kg checked-in luggage has a starting fare of N43, 500 only across all Green Africa routes.

Customers are encouraged to take advantage of this offer and book flights up to 30th June 2022 at these special rates.

Customers are advised to visit greenafrica.com between 20th April and 4th May to enjoy these special fares while limited seats are available.

NANTA President Hosts Nigerian Teachers to Tourism Adventure Participants and winners of Nigerian Teachers reality show, will be hosted to hands on and practical tourism experience by President, National Association of Nigerian Travel Agencies (NANTA) Mrs. Susan Akporiaye.

The itinerary for the teachers picked from the six geographical zones of the country, will span three days, with destination Lagos tourism in focus, and a practical certificated classroom engagement organised by Aerovessel Aviation school in conjunction with Topaz Travel group.

The first ever private sector tourism

give back project to Nigerian Teachers, is designed to educate and create awareness to the vast tourism industry and get the teaching profession to buy in to the project, targeting Nigerian students at their prime.

Teachers Niaja TV Reality show, packaged by ANUB Media, had ran two sessions with another one, up for public outing in August, 2022, with Topaz Travels exclusively sponsoring the tourism segment which engages housemates on quizzes on Nigerian destinations, culture, industry icons, Nigerian history, traditions, fashion and food.

Apart from the support collaboration from Aerovessel Aviation school, foremost boat services firm, Tarzan Marines, has promised to expose and provide water tourism experience to the teachers in what may turnout as a cheering multi collaboration industry effort to market the deep gains of tourism to Nigerian organised teaching profession.

The Reality Nijia Teachers show has the backing of Teachers Registration Council of Nigeria, Nigerian union of Teachers and the Federal Ministry of Education.

NCAA, STAKEHOLDERS BICKER OVER ECONOMIC REGULATION OF NIGERIAN AIRLINES Organisations, Nigeria, Bankole Bernard, acknowledged that NCAA has done well in the area of safety, remarking that safety is critical, “that is why the International Air Transport Association (IATA) has Operational Safety Audit (IOSA).

“The NCAA needs to start looking at the airlines beyond safety. I think, over the years safety has been the major problem, which I think we have been able to surmount as it were. Can we look into their commercials? Does their commercial make sense? Yes, their finances are part of their commercials because when they do not have money they may be tempted to cut corners in their maintenance schedule, thus threatening safety. So if you see that an airline is not financially strong, why you do now want to continue to put their safety at a compromise? So we need to look into their commercials, their finances to say yes, they are liquid enough to be able to keep the bird in the air, “Bernard said.

Also speaking, the Managing Director of Flights and Logistics Solutions Limited, Amos Akpan said NCAA has set of parameters to determine the economic health status of an operator, noting that the regulatory authority issues forms for airlines to fill and return.

“The information from the filled form gives indication of the economic health status of the airline, adding that it is the responsibility of the airline to supply correct and current data in the forms. Data includes quantity of fuel uplift and the price of the fuel and the payment status; salaries and the payment status;

maintenance cost etc.

“The NCAA has a department designated as the economic regulatory and monitoring unit (ERM). The staff of this department gives the forms to airlines and collects the completely filled ones monthly.

They distill indices that point to the financial and the economic performance of the operator from their collated data.

“The ERM advises the director of Directorate of Air Transport Regulations (DATR) who takes the advice to the Director General for discussion agenda in the safety council. The DG has the final say on this matter based on reports and advice from the DATR and the safety council.

‘Staff of ERM department of NCAA are authorised to carry out checks by asking on the spot questions to airline staff and management. Answers to these questions form part of information to be processed. Yes! NCAA has installed regulatory and monitoring parameters, but it depends on effective implementation in the field and the honest supply of information by the operators. Like they say in computer programming: ‘garbage in equals to garbage out, “he said.

Akpan said that it is the business man/ the entrepreneur that must know the financial and the economic status of his airline, observing that there is something wrong if the operator will watch his business going down financially and he keeps manipulating vital financial figures, adding that the regulator and the operator must know it is in their

interest that the airline remains in positive economic status.

“Therefore, regulatory monitoring should not stop at the findings.

The result must be supplied to the investors for determining ways forward, and to re-strategise.

It might just require a regig of business module. It might require tax holidays etc. Someone or an office must be empowered to call the airline management to order when the financial red flag shows. Airlines going under is a bad image for the whole industry, and this has been going on while we all complain and helplessly re echo the problems,” Akpan said.

Meanwhile, NCAA spokesman insist the regulatory agency is doing its job.

“But we are not going to regulate airlines out of business. Maybe that is what some people want us to do. We cannot over fine the airlines because if we do they wont exist tomorrow. If you say that they fine airlines $2 million in America, here is not America. It is not the same environment. These people will like to castigate us but they don’t want to listen to us. “Some Nigerians will want airlines to pay them immediately when they cancel flights, but you paid electronically, you did not pay cash. Airlines and banks will have to reconcile the account before the money will be ready, but Nigerians don’t want that.

They want you to just punish the airlines. To sit down with an airline and reason together is an offence to many Nigerians. Nigerians want NCAA to be enemies of airlines,” Adurogboye said.

A I R WATCH

‘NCAA Needs to Protect Consumers against Airlines’ Chinedu Eze The immediate past President of the National Association of Nigeria Travel Agencies (NANTA) and the Managing Director of Finchglow Group, Bankole Bernard has called on the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) to strengthen its consumer protection department to protect travellers from exploitation by airlines.

Bernard said that since the department was downgraded to a department from a directorate, it has become ineffective in its duty of protecting travellers so they have to go outside the industry to seek for redress.

Bernard who is also the Chairman Airline and Passenger Joint Committee (APJC) who spoke to THISDAY on Wednesday said that the regulatory authority is in the best position to protect the passengers.

“We know that there is consumer protection body for the country but NCAA is responsible for protecting the interest of air travellers and that was why when they collapsed the consumer directorate in NCAA, it was with the position that somebody will be responsible.

Because everywhere around the world, the CAA of every country is autonomous and they operate without fear and favour for them to be able to discharge their duties efficiently, according to the laid down rules.

“So, who is protecting the consumer?

Nobody is really protecting the consumer because even the consumer unit that has been set up, they are overwhelmed. Go to their office you will see a lot of cases that they cannot even attend to. So, I believe that NCAA needs to bring back to life the consumer protection unit that will be extremely active under a particular directorate. This is because it is very necessary. Aviation industry is a very peculiar one; you cannot classify entire consumer needs and leave it under a general department. It is not possible. There are rules, guiding consumer protection. They are constantly being violated every day. When flights are delayed, nothing happens. They get away with it. Nobody, even NCAA last time in Kano, their staff were delayed for about six to eight hours. Nothing happened after. So abnormality has now become the norm. Who is going to bring us back to where we should be?”

He said that there was no need for passengers to take their issues to court if there is effective consumer protection in NCAA. “That is exactly what we are saying, how it got outside in the first place is a wrong approach. There is a law protecting the aviation industry and CAA must have the autonomy to take certain decision checkmating these airlines where they have violated the rules. So, the CAA needs to be empowered to function based on the laws that is backing in it. And what is happening is that quite a lot of people have seen the weakness and everybody is just doing whatever they like. And until we get to that point where we allow the CAA to operate autonomously within the armbit of the law, for them to do what should be done in the aviation industry, we are going to continue like this.

If the airlines wake up tomorrow again and say that the cost of fuel has gone up and premised on that they want to increase the fare, there is absolutely nothing you and I can do. You and I will never go to Abuja by road because it is not safe. We

Bankole Bernard would rather fly. And if we are going to fly, we are left with little or no choice because the airlines have formed an alliance, which is not allowed. They are allowed to have an association, and the association is not to discuss fare, it is to discuss their welfare and how they operate within the industry but not discussed fare or general pricing as it were, which is violation. But the question is, are they even aware of what they can discuss and what they can’t? Until we get to that point where consumers are not violated simply because the airline lacks the knowledge of what they can do and what they cannot, we are going to continue talking about this,” Bernard said.

He said that there has been tremendous improvement in passenger throughput since the downgrade of COVID-19 protocol and although traffic is not yet at pre-COVID-19 era, the industry is moving fast.

“We are not back but we are moving fast towards improving passenger traffic.

We are already doing about 75 per cent to 80 per cent of 2019 figures, both local and foreign, which is quite commendable.

As a matter of fact, evidence showed that Nigeria is one of the fastest growing in terms of growth post COVID-19. So it means that we quickly adapted to the new and we are already moving, which is quite good for us and good for the industry.

“However, the industry deserves more than the fact that when we see that such a thing has happened, there are two ways that airlines make their money. They make that money via volume at their yield. So the question is this, the moment the volume increases then there should be some sort of reduction in fares, so that people will be encouraged to fly more and you still make your money. It is when you find out that the volume is going down that you apply the use of yield so that you can still stay profitable. So we want NCAA to look into the fares filed by these foreign airlines as well. Is it competitive? Or they are just taking advantage of the system? If it is competitive then it is all well and good.

And again from what I have gathered some of these airlines have not really increased their fares. It is just that our currency has depreciated against theirs because they are really not getting money from CBN like they should,” he said.

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BUSINESSWORLD

AVIATION

How Aviation Industry Contributes to Naira Depreciation The aviation industry makes huge forex demand and contributes significantly in pressuring the Naira, from aircraft insurance, foreign airlines revenue, aircraft maintenance, and importation of equipment. Chinedu Eze writes that government could cut back forex demand by localizing some aviation activities through policies and actions

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very aviator will readily tell you that most aviation activities are denominated in foreign currency; that apart from manpower, aviation fuel, catering, overhead costs and related services, which are paid in the local currency, other expenses are done in foreign currency.

Many stakeholders argue that the Nigerian government over the years has lackadaisical disposition towards radically changing the status quo by localising most of these aviation activities. For example, the Nigerian government could build major maintenance facility directly or using private investors. It could expand the Nigerian College of Aviation Technology (NCAT), Zaria to offer commercial pilot licence (CPL) in addition to commercial private pilot licence (PPL) by acquiring more equipment and aircraft. It has started offering type rating to pilots on particular aircraft types, Boeing 737 but it can acquire simulator for Embraer and Airbus to capture those students who travel overseas for further training.

THISDAY gathered that when most Nigerians finish their training at NCAT and obtained PPL certificate they travel overseas to obtain their commercial license and also type rate on particular aircraft types before returning to the country or staying abroad to seek for jobs.

Take Ethiopia for example, everything about pilot training is done in Ethiopia. Ethiopia Airlines training school has full bouquet. Ironically, it was established at the same time with NCAT but the facility has been so expanded that it encapsulates all kinds of pilot training to type rating and also cabin crew training, engineering, avionics at advanced level.

From training as commercial pilot, the Nigerian students start demanding dollars to pay for training overseas. When they later get engaged, they still travel overseas for simulator (recurrent) training, thus making further demand for the green back.

But these trainings can be domesticated. Earlier this year, the Rector of NCAT, Captain Modibbo Alkali Mahmud told journalists that with the newly acquired Boeing 737 aircraft, the school would start recurrent training for pilots. That would save foreign exchange for Nigeria.

Ominyi said there are many costs associated with ferrying the aircraft overseas for maintenance, which include over flight permit, depending on which country the airline is going to.

“You need to seek the over flight permit of the country. And then, depending on the distance you have to pay for fuel. But I know it will not be less than $50, 000. You also will have to pay for landing and fueling, which is called technical stop,” he said.

Ominyi explained that generally MROs could charge $600, 000 for C-check, depending on the scope of work, but noted that at the end of the day the airline may end up paying up to a one million dollars or more because there could be findings that would be beyond what was captured in the agreement in the C-Check and then the airline would have to pay for it.

“When they open the engine and they open the side wall panels they may see cracks that are beyond what is agreed on, which they have to rectify and this will be at extra cost.

By carrying out C-checks in Nigeria, Aero would be saving Nigerian airlines millions of dollars every year and reduce pressure on the Naira, as every expenses outside fueling and salaries is done in foreign exchange and that is dollars,” he said.

The Managing Director/ CEO of 7 Star Global Hangar Nigeria Limited, Isaac Balami told THISDAY, “Establishment of MRO in Nigeria will be relevant to our quest for indigenous capacity building only if it will be operated by local personnel, both in terms of operation and maintenance of equipment on the one hand, and technical manpower to operate the MRO itself on the other hand.

In other words, local personnel will have to be trained to fit the various assignments under the MRO. If that happens, then Nigeria will be in for good times with the coming of such MRO, particularly in respect to the highly required human capacity building.

Establishment of an MRO will also aid Nigeria’s quest for technology transfer.”

MRO

AIRCRAFT INSURANCE

Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO) is capital intensive investment, which is highly rewarding. Nigeria does not have major MRO facility but recently Aero Contactors maintenance facility and 7 Star facility have emerged, in addition to the one at Execujet, Lagos that caters for private jets. But a major maintenance facility that can undertake comprehensive maintenance, repair and overhaul of aircraft is yet to be established.

It is projected that Nigerian airlines, including scheduled, private and cargo operators spend about $1.5 billion annually on aircraft maintenance overseas.

The Base Manager of Fixed Wing and Head of Aircraft Maintenance Organisation (AMO) in Aero Contractors, James Ominyi told THISDAY recently that local maintenance of aircraft up to the level of C-check would save Nigerian airlines huge amount of money in foreign exchange.

It is a well known fact that because of the huge cost involved, Nigerian insurance companies cannot undertake the coverage of aircraft insurance, maritime and oil and gas insurance. So these sectors insure their equipment overseas. Insurance premium takes away about $2 billion annually, according to insurance experts.

Nigeria’s insurance premium on aircraft is recognised as the highest in West Africa and every aircraft parked at the ramp of any airport is guarded by security operatives at the expense of the airlines and this is added to the cost of operation and also cost of leasing, especially wet leased aircraft.

Speaking on the development, immediate past CEO of Aero Contractors and former Managing Director of the Nigeria Airspace Management Agency (NAMA), Captain Ado

Sanusi, said insurance premium and cost of leasing are determined by country risk; the higher the country risk, the highest of the premium and cost of leasing.

He said that country risk is the aggregation of many factors, which include credit rating of the country, strength of the financial institutions, the strength of the aviation industry regulatory agency, which is the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), past history of repatriation of aircraft and the ability of foreign commercial airlines to repatriate their revenue earned from ticket sales.

Industry analysts regret that most of these transactions are done in foreign currency.

Insurance sector has also frowned at the fact that due to high premium, Nigerian airlines now undertake monthly insurance of their aircraft instead of doing so annually because the financial requirement for the premium is very high.

BLOCKED FUNDS

THISDAY confirmed from the International Air Transport Association (IATA) on Wednesday that by end of March, 2022 Nigeria owed foreign airlines $282 million. This is known as blocked funds because Nigeria has been unable to allow foreign carriers to remit the funds to their countries. This latest amount accrued after the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) allowed airlines to remit their revenues last year. These funds are from ticket sales revenues, which Nigeria was unable to remit to the airlines due to paucity of foreign exchange.

The Managing Director of Finchglow Travels and also the Chairman, Association of Approved Training Organisations, Nigeria, Bankole Bernard revealed that the CBN recently helped the airlines to repatriate their revenues, but it has started piling up again.

“Foreign airlines funds have started piling up again. CBN helped to remit their revenue recently and that encouraged them to continue to open up seats and sell more but it has started piling up. Because you know that we are very low on our reserve. So government will now have to prioritise the little foreign exchange that they have to be able to satisfy the needs of everybody. But be that as it may, I believe that it has not gotten to an alarming stage, like it was before. So I think it is something that will still be able to work with and ensure that this industry stays safe.

However, he noted that the amount of blocked funds would continue to increase because the Naira continues to depreciate in value daily.

“The increase is inevitable in the sense that the naira keeps depreciating against the major currencies like dollar. And you and I know that as at today even Jet A1 (aviation fuel) is being imported. So rather than us producing it locally we are importing what we should have been producing. So that automatically puts the cost of the product high. And who are the users and consumers of this Jet A1?

They are actually airlines.

“Now, unfortunately, for the international carriers, Jet A1 still appears to be cheaper here in Nigeria than everywhere else around the world.

So the foreign airlines would rather prefer buy the product here because the price is competitive, it is better for them as it were. But for the local carriers, that will have to adjust their prices, their fares in naira, it is a bit difficult. This is why government is subsidizing petrol (premium motor spirit) because they know it is a major ingredient that can trigger economy downtown. So they have to be careful in the approach to petrol and that is why they subsidize it, ”Bernard said.

GOVERNMENT INTERVENTION

Industry stakeholders have suggested at different fora that the federal government can use policies to enable Nigerian airlines share in the huge funds that are repatriated annually from Nigeria and one way of doing this is to allow each foreign airline to land at one international airport in the country and partner with local carriers to distribute passengers to other destinations in a code-share arrangement.

A senior executive of one of the airlines told THISDAY that Nigeria has one of the strongest air passenger destinations in the world. Nigeria has high load factor made up of 99 per cent Nigerians. Nigeria is one of the most profitable routes in the world with one of the highest yields, but this market is dominated by international carriers that generate revenues and repatriate them to their countries.

“If you want to grow your airlines, you have to let them exploit their domestic market. You cannibalise domestic market when you give multiple destinations to foreign airlines,” the top airline official said.

Another way of cutting down the high forex demand in the aviation sector is to ensure that major aircraft maintenance is conducted locally for most of the aircraft types. 7 Star Global Hangar Nigeria Limited Chief Executive, Balami said there is no doubt that establishing an MRO in Nigeria would have a major positive impact on the balance sheet of indigenous airlines.

“Aside from savings from the hitherto high cost of foreign exchange, it is expected that the cost of mandatory maintenance will be significantly reduced due to lower cost of labour than in the western countries. Government’s present policy of free import duty for aircraft – related equipment and parts when applied to MRO – related equipment is a big incentive for investment in such ventures. It is advisable for government to also extend tax holidays for such ventures considering the huge capital outlay required vis-à-vis the expected long incubation period associated with such ventures,” he said.

It is worthy of note that the federal government promised, under the Buhari administration, that it would establish major MRO in the country. But there is hope because Akwa Ibom before end of this year may unveil its major maintenance hangar located in Uyo, capital of Akwa Ibom state.

With that and other aforementioned training facilities, Nigeria could save foreign exchange of over $1.5 billion annually.

T H I S D AY ˾ FRIDAY, APRIL 22, 2022

BUSINESSWORLD

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DEVELOPMENT

Eliminating Barriers to Women Participation in Labour Market Ugo Aliogo and Oluchi Chibuzor posits that Nigeria can adhere to the concept of gender equality and remove all barriers that restricts women

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ccording to the United Nations, Nigeria lags behind African countries such as Tanzania, Kenya, Rwanda, Tunisia, Senegal, Uganda and Cape Verde, which have adopted constitutions and other national laws that provide for equal rights and opportunities, including the special seats or proportional representation system.

Giving women a chance, however, to contribute to the economic welfare of themselves and their families through labour force engagement has been proven to bring gains in nearly all areas of development, including poverty reduction, the spread of reproductive rights and associated declines in fertility and the redistribution of responsibilities and rights within the household.

The statement by the United Nations is certainly a first step in building a society based on the concept of gender justice. A poll conducted by NOIPolls to take a closer analysis on economic issues alone showed that lack of empowerment (42 percent), poverty (35 percent) and gender discrimination in employment (17 percent) were the top three economic challenges faced by women in Nigerian.

Nigeria is however taking steps to address the problem. For instance, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) regulations mandate a minimum of 30 per cent of females on boards of Nigerian commercial banks. MSMEs development fund guideline mandates that 60 per cent of the loans be given to women. Also, the national financial inclusion strategy recommends increasing female staff of microfinance banks to 30 per cent.

Despite the efforts that has been put in place to reduce the gap, a new report by Jobberman in partnership with Mastercard Foundation and Women in Management, Business and Public Service (WIMBIZ) paints a different picture.

At an event tagged: Gender Roundtable 2022 with the theme, “Unmasking the barriers to Women’s Participation In Nigeria’s Labour Market,” which was held in Lagos recently, the Chief Executive Officer, Jobberman, Oreoluwa Boboye, said his otganisation will continue to combat youth unemployment in the country by training and placing three million youth in decent jobs by 2025 with critical focused on women.

The report showed that out of Nigeria’s population of over 200 million, only about 46.4 million are actively employed and that despite Nigeria’s large and diverse pool of labour, only 51 percent of Nigeria’s full human capital potential was fully captured, with women mostly at the receiving end.

The research took a survey of three States – Kaduna, Kano and Lagos, was held at engaging strategic stakeholders across private, public and development sectors on how to build a gender-balanced society as suggested by the Global Gender Gap 2021 report.

In response to these unfavourable structural conditions and marginalisation, the report revealed that women are creatively redefining work in ways that reinforce their identity, values, talents and skills.

NIGERIA’S LABOUR MARKET

The report, which gives an overview of Nigeria’s labour market said young people’s ability to secure dignified employment remains the most significant challenge Nigeria will have to grapple with into the next decade.

The report showed that Nigeria has the largest and most diverse pool of labour, compared to other African countries, owing to its vast and youthful population.

“With a 4.3 per cent increase by Q4 2020, the number of Nigerians in the economically active or working age population between 15 and 64 years of age was 122 million, with the labour force estimated to be 69.7 million people and about 43.5 percent of these populations said to be women. It is quite clear that the growth rate of Nigeria’s labour force significantly outweighs the rate of job creation, a reality that is truer for women.

“For instance, in 2018, about 450,000 new jobs were created while over 5 million people joined the labour force. With a staggering unemployment rate of 33.3 per cent only 46.4 million of her population of 200 million people are in active employment.

“Unfortunately, Nigeria only captures 51 percent of its full human capital potential with women mostly at the receiving end. In Q4 2020, the female unemployment rate stood at 35.2 percent compared to 31.5 percent for men. This implies that 7 in every 10 economically active women are unemployed,” the report stated.

Nigeria’s labour market dynamics have been further disrupted by the push into the 4th industrial revolution spurred by the COVID-19 pandemic and globalisation policies. These have exposed the

precariousness of the labour market and fueled the rage of unemployment.

According to the International Labour Organisation (ILO), women are grappling with the negative impact of these realities and the implications have a far-reaching effect on the outlook of both the formal and informal sectors of Nigeria’s economy.

BREAKING CONTEMPORARY CHALLENGES

Across the world, most women juggle work with family and care responsibilities, and Nigeria is no exception.

It has been recognised that early marriage and family formation play a critical role in women’s access to jobs and it is a more significant issue for young women from poorer households than others.

Although girls are more likely to leave school early than boys, they do not then get a job. Instead, young women are much more likely to marry early than men are.

Over the years, there are barriers to entry into the labour market for women and to their successful participation within the labour market as girls’ entry into the workforce is conditioned by early marriage and the pressure in starting a family.

The gender gap in education limits the choice of occupation for women because completion rates of primary education for boys is about 80 per cent while only 66 percent for girls.

Similarly, lack of education and marginalisation from schools and skills acquisition programmes make it especially difficult for women with disabilities to gain employment, whereas Muslim women are less able to participate in a visible work force when compared with women in other religions.

Women in Nigeria are less likely to be active in the labour market because more are likely to be in lower-earning opportunities like farming and informal jobs; and earn less for a given level of education and experience than men of the same level.

According to World Bank Women’s Labour Market Participation 45.5 per cent of the Nigerian labour force is females as women’s participation in formal and informal labour markets is on a positive trajectory and has been rising in both rural and urban areas through the period 1990-2009 but remains lower than that of males.

CHANGING THE NARATIVE

According to the Jobberman report, in the last decade, Nigeria has seen a growing number of women joining the labour force both in rural and urban settings.

The report emphasised that this can, in part, be attributed to programme outcomes from initiatives anchored around financial inclusion, education for girls, entrepreneurship and delayed child bearing.

It revealed that nevertheless, women are still under-represented in the labour force as they find it harder to get dignified and fulfilling jobs and access economic opportunities within the formal sector, relegating them to the informal sector.

“Why have women remained under-represented in the labour force and what is the nature of the constraints to women’s labour force participation and access to formal employment? Although it is better understood today than it was two or more decades ago, the barriers that limit women’s transition into the world of work remains an issue whose discussion is embroiled in its own complexity and in the precariousness of poverty, patriarchy and policy.

“While these barriers are well established within the literature, the dynamics of COVID-19 and the reality of tech advancements may have shifted the dynamics in ways that require a re-examination.

Much of the literature that has dwelt on this subject have associated the barriers with a wide range of issues including access to education and training, sexuai and reproductive health, teenage pregnancy, marriage, domestic responsibility and sexual harassment.

“These barriers do not only have real meaning for women’s livelihoods and employment choices. but also have implications on the efficiency and productivity of the labour market. At the same time the pandemic may have broadened the precariousness of these issues making the possibility of realising the aspirations of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) a much distant prospect to contemplate,” the report stated.

WOMEN WORK INTEREST

The combined effects of COVID-19, and insecurity may be responsible for a larger share of women seeking formal wage jobs. There is evidence of heightened precariousness and huge economic losses

T H I S D AY ˾ FRIDAY, APRIL 22, 2022

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DEVELOPMENT

ELIMINATING BARRIERS TO WOMEN PARTICIPATION IN LABOUR MARKET

especially in small businesses where women are largely dominated.

For instance, businesses that involve physical contact and touch; such as cooks, masseuses, makeup artists, have been exposed to huge economic losses, forcing women to consider searching for stable alternative income sources.

Insights from the Jobberman’s report suggest that there is likely to be a higher unemployment rate among women in regions where self-employment or entrepreneurship activities are low.

“For instance, Kano state recorded the highest number of unemployed women (12.23 percent) as well as the lowest number of women in self-

employment (11.29 percent). Data from 968 women surveyed across Lagos, Kano and Kaduna shows that self-employment and contracts continue to serve as a critical buffer against high unemployment rates across the three states as only 26 percent of women surveyed across the three states are in full time employment.”

BEING A WOMAN

Delivering her keynote speech, the former executive secretary and chief executive officer at Nigerian Investment Promotion Commission, Yewande Sadiku, maintained that women need equity and not equality in terms of access to opportunities in the country.

“Women must develop a reputation for hard work, high quality delivery and be very aggressive and intentional in investing and building passive income. Women must be shameless in breaking barriers that come in different forms around them,” she said.

The Lagos State Commissioner for Education, Folasade Adefisayo, noted that workplaces that have better environments are made of more women.

“Women are hardworking, creative, interesting, innovative and disciplined when they put their heart to it and have not been belittled by social expectations. Bring up your girls to be different

and stand out. In breaking the barriers, let us work together with an open mind and be ready to work with anybody,” she advised.

THE STRATEGIES

The Jobberman report also suggested that investment in the care economy reduces the burden of care and domestic work on women in order to enhance the quantity and quality of labour market participation.

It recommended statewide investment in the provision of affordable and dependable care services including childcare, people with disabilities and the elderly.

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T H I S D AY FRIDAYFriday APRILApril 22, 2022 22, 2022 Vol 27. No 9874 TR

See page 24 COUNTDOWN TO CHOGM22 IN RWANDA Rwanda makes history by hosting the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting, writes MAUREEN CHUKWURA

See page 24 IPOB/ESN FULFILS A TROUBLING PROPHECY It is time the government and the separatists find a middle ground, argues CHRISTIAN CHIMA See page 25 CORPORATE NIGERIA AND DRIVING SUSTAINABILITY BENEDICT ELUJOBA reckons that sustainability initiatives by corporations help to accelerate attainment of sustainable development goals See page 25 EDITORIAL

THE MENACE OF PSYCHOTROPIC DRUGS

See page 26

& RE A S O

N

opinion@thisdaylive.com

www.thisdaylive.com

IS BUHARI A RELUCTANT POLITICAL GODFATHER? FREDRICK NWABUFO contends that Buhari does not show exceptional preference for any candidate

UT H

Consensus and high nomination fees constricting political participation, writes BOLAJI ADEBIYI

INCREASING RESTRICTION OF THE DEMOCRATIC SPACE When President Muhammadu Buhari refused to assent to the 2010 Electoral Act Amendment Bill on the ground that the National Assembly, by imposing a mono primaries system on the political parties, was restricting the democratic choices of their members, not a few analysts supported his standpoint. The federal legislature had in an attempt to curb the excesses of the executive, particularly at the state level, imposed direct primaries as the only mode of selection of candidates by political parties.

Faced with the stout presidential opposition and adverse public opinion, the federal legislature expanded the choices to include indirect primaries and consensus modes of selection. But to forestall the propensity of the executive to be overbearing, the legislature legislated D GHÀQLWLYH GHÀQLWLRQ RI FRQVHQVXV WR mean a written consent by all aspirants to concede a position to a particular candidate. Fair enough you might say.

However, the recent special national convention of the ruling All Progressives Congress showed how LQÀQLWHO\ PLVFKLHYRXV DQG DXWRFUDWLF the Nigerian politicians could be. It had been suspected that the president refused to sign the amendment bill because consensus, his preferred mode of the candidate selection process, was excluded from the document. It was thought that consensus would enable KLP WR H[HUW KLV LQÁXHQFH RQ WKH SDUW\ LQ RUGHU WR DͿHFW WKH FKRLce of not only its national leadership but also its presidential candidate.

Those who were in doubt about the president’s motive had their doubt cleared by the outcome of the special national convention where aspirants who had spent precious time and ÀQDQFLDO UHVRXUFHV WR H[SUHVV WKHLU aspirations were compelled to stand down for the preferred choice of the executive arm of the government at the federal and state levels.

Although this was nothing new in the political space, the electoral law had provided the legal framework for this agelong autocracy which in the main strengthens the tendency of political oligarchs to restrict the democratic space.

Perhaps encouraged by their successful outing at the special national convention the APC oligarchs have tried to extend their exploit to the upcoming primaries for the selection of candidates for the 2023 general elections. Talks of consensus candidacy have rented the air with FKLHIWDLQV KDUSLQJ RQ LWV H΀FDF\ IRU the unity of the party. The argument is

made that contested primaries tend to divide the party ahead of the general election making eventual victory DW WKH PDLQ FRQWHVW PRUH GL΀FXOW attainment.

The drawback though is that generalisation and enforcement of consensus, which is obviously being done under duress, tend to constrict the democratic space and deny the party the opportunity to deepen its internal democratic processes and culture. For if one or two or more aspirants contend, it opens the internal process to test of contestation of ideals and the ensuing debate and activities KDYH WKH SRWHQWLDO RI UHÀQLQJ WKH policies and programmes of the party.

It is, however, fair to say that this malady is not native to the APC as the main opposition Peoples Democratic Party is equally bitten by this bug even if to a more subtle extent. Fortunately, and given the calibre of the presidential aspirants in the leading parties, the scheme appears to be failing and is bound to founder at the end of the day.

With the electoral act 2022 compelling voluntary withdrawal in writing, it remains to be seen how Bola Tinubu, a former senator and two-term governor of Lagos State, and Atiku Abubakar, former vice-president and governorelect of Adamawa State, would be muscled out of the internal contests in their respectful parties.

With the leading aspirants resisting the restriction of the democratic space, the political oligarchs have employed other means. They have introduced prohibitive nomination fees as a way of fencing aspirants. The PDP

Notwithstanding the despicable silence within the parties, it should be clear that the democratic space could only shrink to the detriment of the majority of the people who though interested in participating, are unable to step forward because of lack of cash

was earlier in this gaming method.

Those who want to be president on its platform would cough out N40million only. Governorship aspirants would do N21 million, while senatorial hopefuls would obtain forms for N3.5 million. The House of Representatives and House of Assembly forms go for N2.5 million and N600,000 respectively. The party was lenient with the youth, granting a 50 per cent discount.

Social critics who took to the media space to pillory the PDP for its high nomination fees soon found out that it was, in fact, kind. The APC came out with its scales of fees earlier in the week. It was simply scandalous.

Presidential aspirants were asked to buy forms for N100 million; governorship contestants would do N50 million; would-be senators would pay N20 million; House of Representatives, N10 million; and House of Assembly, N2 million. Like the PDP, it showed mercy to the youth of 25 to 40 years at a 50 per cent discount.

Expectedly, public outrage has come in a torrent. “The current price placed on participation is the very height of political insensitivity and an open invitation to thievery by anyone who could only corruptly meander himself to power,” Afenifere, the Yoruba socio-cultural group, said through Sola Ebiseni, its general secretary, adding, “How can the poor members of the party who are so blatantly discriminated against, on the basis of their situation in life, contrary to Section 42 of the constitution, participate in the governance of the country, particularly in a country ZKHUH RQO\ D SROLWLFDO SDUW\ FDQ ÀHOG a candidate and no independent candidate allowed.”

While the social critics have been hauling inventive at the political oligarchs, the victims in both parties have been mute. Already the PDP has reaped N640 million from 17 presidential aspirants alone. The APC result is yet out but it would be mouth-gaping. Notwithstanding the despicable silence within the parties, it should be clear that the democratic space could only shrink to the detriment of the majority of the people who though interested in participating, are unable to step forward because of lack of cash.

Adebiyi, the managing editor of THISDAY Newspapers, writes from bolaji.adebiyi@ thisdaylive.com

2 24

T H I S D AY

Rwanda makes history by hosting the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting, writes MAUREEN CHUKWURA

FREDRICK NWABUFO contends that Buhari does not show exceptional preference for any candidate

IS BUHARI A RELUCTANT POLITICAL GODFATHER? ‘’It’s not my problem.’’ – This was President Muhammadu Buhari’s immutable response to a question on his thoughts on the 2023 elections.

Buhari has been coerced and blandished to assert himself like former President Olusegun 2EDVDQMR ZKR DVVXPHG WKH GH IDFWR R΀FH RI godfather and technically installing the late Umaru Musa Yar’Adua as president in 2007.

But the president has remained stolid to these sweet temptations.

Buhari has unremittingly warned members of his party – the All Progressives Congress ² ZKR DUH UXQQLQJ IRU SROLWLFDO R΀FH WR desist from merchandising his name in their campaigns. At a meeting with party leaders in 2019, for instance, he said those running IRU R΀FH VKRXOG ZRUN KDUG DQG FRQYLQFH WKH electorate to vote for them by dint of personal example. Using himself as a representative case, he said he ran for president multiple times but failed.

The president said he would not interfere or diddle with the electoral process to secure political advantage for anyone.

His words: “Well, what I want to promise Nigerians is that I will work very hard on

A leader who will not want a puppet to succeed him and who will not try to maintain control of the government after him ensuring free and fair elections. All those that are going to succeed the National Assembly and the presidency, they better work very hard because I will make sure I use the law enforcement agents to ensure that elections are free and fair (and that) nobody uses his R΀FH RU KLV UHVRXUFHV WR IRUFH KLPVHOI RQ KLV constituency.’’

He has again and again stated this position as regards the 2023 elections. Buhari is not the archetypal politician. He is placid and disinterested in ensconcing a political hegemony. He is empty of chicanery, and perhaps, full of childlike candour. He is politically guileless. His administration and whatever political edge that comes with it ends with him. I think this is the making of a democrat. A leader who will not want a puppet to succeed him and who will not try to maintain control of the government after him.

Buhari said he would return to Daura to tend his farm at the end of his tenure, and he appears to be working according to his word. The only way up from the presidency for Buhari is Daura. If the president stays on this path, then it will be a new precedent – sepulchring the old 2007 Obasanjo/Yar’Adua paradigm.

Buhari is very reluctant about becoming a political godfather – even when it seems political knights-errant need him to be one.

During the APC leadership crisis involving Adams Oshiomhole, former national chairman, the president sequestered himself from the party and all the intrigues. He refused to be involved in the melee or take sides with any group. Some party insiders said he told them to ‘’behave themselves’’ and deal with

FRIDAY APRIL 22, 2022

the issues.

And during the national chairmanship tussle involving Mai Mala Buni, the president refused to move a hand. While there were plots and counterplots on the national

convention, he totally unlooked. The party wobbled and tottered to purgatory, but the president was unfazed. He was even reluctant to name anyone as national chairman. The APC governors eventually had to impress it on Buhari why he should intervene and save the rocky boat.

At the meeting with the APC governors, the president was said to have nominated Abdullahi Adamu as national chairman. That was the only person he named for a position in the APC national working committee (NWC).

But lists with names of certain persons for VRPH R΀FHV SXUSRUWHGO\ HQGRUVHG E\ WKH president were already in circulation weeks to the national convention. Evidently, some acquisitive interests exploit Buhari’s name to pursue their own agenda within the party.

7KH SUHVLGHQW·V UHDVRQ IRU EHLQJ VWDQGR΀VK according to those who know, is that he believes the party should be self-sustaining and self-governing; so that when he leaves R΀FH WKH SDUW\ FDQ VWLOO IXQFWLRQ ZLWKRXW KLV intervention. He just wants to go and rest in Daura after 2023.

In the build-up to the Edo governorship election of 2020, when the APC gave Godwin Obaseki the heave-ho, the governor who joined the PDP to actualise his ambition, still found support in Buhari. A few hours after his defection to the PDP, the governor was seen at the presidential villa grinning from ear to ear with Buhari.

At the 2019 governorship campaign rally in Imo, the president told residents to vote for any candidate they liked regardless of the party – this is to the stupefaction of the APC candidate and other party leaders present.

His words: “You can vote for whosoever you ZDQW 'R QRW DOORZ LQWUD RU LQWHU SDUW\ DͿDLUV stop you from voting for the candidates of your choice.’’

Buhari has shown rare political expansiveness. He does not interfere in or LQÁXHQFH HOHFWLRQV IRU DQ\RQH KH GRHV QRW show exceptional preference for any candidate against another. But he gives the customary support to his party’s candidates no doubt.

He meets, smiles and take photographs with every candidate – whether PDP, APC or PRP. On political matters, Buhari has really lived up to his 2015 pledge: ‘’I belong to everybody and I belong to nobody.’’

Nwabufo LV D ZULWHU DQG MRXUQDOLVW

COUNTDOWN TO CHOGM22 IN RWANDA Rwanda will, in June 2022, host the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM22) in its 26th edition. The bi-annual meeting provides a platform for leaders of the 54 member states to explore how they could pool their resources and innovations to transform joint challenges into exalting opportunities.

7KH HYHQW R΀FLDOO\ RSHQV RQ WKH WK RI June in Kigali after two postponements, in 2020 and 2021, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. &+2*0 LV VLJQLÀFDQW EHLQJ WKH ÀUVW time that a member State without historical ties with the United Kingdom is hosting the meeting.

Rwanda joined the Commonwealth in 2009 with a pledge to strengthen shared values and aspirations with opportunities for enhancing cooperation and mutual prosperity.

The theme of the June high-level meeting: “Delivering a Common Future: Connecting, Innovating and Transforming,” could not have been more apt given the reality of the COVID-19 pandemic, which has underscored the interconnectedness of the international community and the imperative for multilateral cooperation and partnerships.

Rwanda - which managed to surmount the negative impact of the 1994 genocide against the Tutsis to achieve significant development breakthroughs - will certainly use the occasion of the CHOGM22 to share the experiences of its socio-economic transformation and offer participants its cultural and lucrative tourism potential Discussions during the meeting will focus on these sub-themes: Sustainability (economy and environment); Health; Technology and Innovation; Youth; Governance and the Rule of Law, which expands beyond the concerns of the commonwealth family and considers the connectivity with broader global challenges.

Four pre-summit forums will feature representations by critical stakeholders of the Commonwealth populace. A Youth Forum (19 - 21 June): - will provide young persons with a platform and a voice for shaping their future; the Women’s Forum (20 - 21 June): - will address gender equality/ women’s rights advocacy and their direct

contribution to development, while the People’s Forum (21-22 June): -will bring together civic voices from around the world to debate key global development issues facing Commonwealth people.

Equally important will be the Business Forum (21-23 June), a unique gathering of business leaders from developed and

emerging markets to promote trade and investment.

This summit is an ample opportunity for citizens of the Commonwealth, particularly in Africa, to leverage the OHYHO SROLWLFDO SOD\LQJ ÀHOG WR FRQWULEXWH to shaping global opinions more HͿHFWLYHO\ Rwanda - which managed to surmount the negative impact of the 1994 genocide against the Tutsis to achieve VLJQLÀFDQW GHYHORSPHQW EUHDNWKURXJKV - will certainly use the occasion of the CHOGM22 to share the experiences of its VRFLR HFRQRPLF WUDQVIRUPDWLRQ DQG RͿHU participants its cultural and lucrative tourism potential.

As is customary, at the summit, Rwanda will be taking over from United Kingdom DV &KDLU LQ 2΀FH RI WKH &RPPRQZHDOWK for the next two months. This will enable Kigali to contribute even more towards consolidating the organization’s shared values and aspirations of a fairer, more secure, sustainable, and prosperous future for the organization and its people.

Meanwhile, preparations are in top gear for a safe, seamless and productive CHOGOM22, including adequate protective measures to ensure that COVID-19 induced threats are contained.

The country-wide vaccination is one illustration among other safeguards undertaken.

Also, preparatory meetings have been ongoing at various levels, including by WKH /LDLVRQ &RPPLWWHH IRU WKH ÀQDOL]DWLRQ of logistics and protocol guidelines.

Advance visits to Rwanda by the Commonwealth member state have also been ongoing to assess the country’s readiness for the event.

By and large, CHOGOM22 promises to be a win-win opportunity for the Commonwealth as an organization and Rwanda as a history-making host.

Chukwura LV &RPPXQLFDWLRQV 2΀FHU 5ZDQGD +LJK &RPPLVVLRQ LQ 1LJHULD

325

T H I S D AY FRIDAY APRIL 22, 2022

It is time the government and the separatists find a middle ground, argues CHRISTIAN CHIMA

IPOB/ESN FULFILS A TROUBLING PROPHECY It is now beyond debate, all is not well with Nigeria’s southeast region. Activities of certain, yet suspectedly disparate armed groups have unsettled security arrangements in the former peaceful region.

The cracks have always been there.

Riotous conclusion of the otherwise peaceful #EndSARS protest was only a marked announcement of a season of harvest.

To be sure, “unknown gunmen,” like many other armed ideological groups before it, initially enjoyed the support of D VLJQLÀFDQW SHUFHQWDJH RI WKH PDVVHV Federal government’s inept reaction to herdsmen terrorism, an often unspoken yet palpable fear of domination, strong feeling of marginalisation, aloofness of southeast’s political elite, and other issues watered the ground for mass acceptance of any group WKDW ZDV VXSSRVHGO\ ÀJKWLQJ IRU WKH SHRSOH·V “freedom.”

Expectedly, not all southeasterners fell for the eloquent, often acerbic, but decidedly H΀FLHQW PHGLD MXVWLÀFDWLRQ RI WKH SXUVXLW RI D desired future. Nigeria’s federal government has to respond, one way or the other, to the uncouth charges of unfair treatment and a pronounced unwillingness to continue with the union.

The federal government had better options.

It could genuinely attempt to make sense of the deep-seated feelings which prompted what looks like a brazen demand. Nigeria’s metaphoric sick child, it appears, has asked for the wrong medication. And the mother decides to either strangulate or let him die of sickness because his demand was unwise.

If you come to think of it, the child is not any less sick because he asked for the wrong medication. Well, that is the exact way DJLWDWLRQV ZRUN 7KHLU VSHFLÀF PHWKRG PD\ EH rash, but their pains, hunger, aspirations and resultant demands come from very deep and often irrepressible sources.

The federal government had only one job - “to understand those deeper demands and WR ÀQG FLYLOL]HG VDWLVIDFWLRQV IRU WKHP µ 2U better still to reason with the sick child and then provide him the right medication. Led by a retired soldier who has a civil war experience under his belt, Nigeria made almost no attempt to look beyond the rash manifestations of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) and get to the deeper impulses which inspire them.

The federal government instead deployed the full levers of the state to torture those impulses, shooting at them, disappearing them, enacting laws, making judicial pronouncements and lifting its heavy hand against them — doing everything but sifting carefully to understand them.

No one’s previously recorded insight on PDWWHUV OLNH WKLV FRXOG KDYH RͿHUHG 1LJHULD·V policymakers better value than the immutable Walter Lippman’s.

“Yet when government was asked to handle the question it had for wisdom an ancient conception of itself as a policeman. Its only method was to forbid, to prosecute, to jail--in short, to use the taboo. But experience has shown that the taboo will not solve “moral and social questions”--that nine times out of ten it aggravates the disease. Political action becomes a petty, futile, mean little intrusion when its only method is prosecution.”

Nigeria’s federal government did not apply itself to this wisdom. Of all the tools in its governance arsenal, it chose to call up the one which seemed most convenient yet had more damning consequences. %\ RSWLQJ IRU ÀUH DQG EULPVWRQH 1LJHULD·V

federal government presented itself as an organisation which speaks mostly in the language of brute force. Current situation in the southeast is nothing but the crude reaction of some citizens attempting to speak to their government in the only language the government is perceived to understand.

As the federal government rounded up separatists and tried to forcefully shut them up, it inadvertently armed them with a practical instead of a rhetorical argument against the government. Any careful analyst can quite easily plot a straight-line graph from the point of federal government’s response to separatist agitations in the southeast to present day occurrences in the region.

Since the federal government proscribed IPOB and designated it a terrorist organisation, certain armed groups have emerged, appearing WR EH LQ D KDVWH WR MXVWLI\ WKH QHZ WDJ DQG IXOÀO that troubling prophecy.

Today, Nnamdi Kanu and IPOB/Eastern Security Network (ESN) is squarely in the place the federal government wants it to be. This writer is pretty much convinced that the federal government is also in the exact spot IPOB/ESN wants it to be. Both entities suspectedly set traps for each other and interestingly hit their targets.

Nnamdi Kanu mastered his script. He deliberately set out to make social demands so strong and compelling that Nigeria will be literally forced to deal with them. As the government tries to tactfully arrive at their preferred destination, separatist rhetoric and YLROHQW ÀHOG FDPSDLJQV FRQWLQXH IPOB/ESN keeps denying its involvement in the ongoing terror in the southeast. Their arguments, no matter how weak, should be considered, even if they are not going to be accepted. One thing is clear however; the people terrorising the southeast today are acting in the name, and metaphorically speaking the language, of IPOB/ESN. That in itself is both revealing and potentially misleading.

Neither IPOB/ESN nor the federal government is right in their zero sum approach.

Both seem eager to ruthlessly show their might while also trying to play the victim card, especially to the international community. I suspect that both entities grossly underestimate each other’s inherent capacity for evil. I also suspect that both, especially the weaker power, overestimates the attention and assumed benevolence of the international community.

UnfROGLQJ VZRUG ÀJKWV ZLOO EH ORQJ GUDZQ ,W will be bloody. There will be no winner.

What will emerge is a country at an avoidable but very costly war with itself. If mediation HͿRUWV IDLO WR \LHOG LPPHGLDWH UHVXOWV WKH RQO\ achievements will be broken bones, mangled bodies and orphaned children.

One doesn’t have to stretch the imagination too far before coming to the conclusion that both the government and the governed will at some point grow weary of armed confrontations.

When that time comes, both will stop speaking through the barrels. They will agree to talk to each other in the language of civilised men and women.

War is costly. Power has decayed. We can draw this conclusion from our experiences and perhaps from piles of research papers documenting other people’s experiences. Nigeria and the separatists can painstakingly look for DQG ÀQG WKDW DOO LPSRUWDQW PLGGOH JURXQG QRZ ,W FDQ DOVR GHFLGH WR ÀQG LW DIWHU ZDVWLQJ HDFK other. May sound reasoning prevail.

Chima, a good governance advocate and a public policy analyst, writes from Awka, Anambra State

BENEDICT ELUJOBA reckons that sustainability initiatives by corporations help to accelerate attainment of sustainable development goals

CORPORATE NIGERIA AND DRIVING SUSTAINABILITY In pursuit of a more sustainable future for humanity, the United Nations (UN) established the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The collection of 17 interlinked goals that make up the SDGs has been described as a universal call to action to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure that all people enjoy peace and prosperity.

The United Nations states that achievement of the SDGs requires commitment from governments, civil society and corporations.

More stakeholders (including investors, creditors, regulators, and environmental enthusiasts) continue to demand that companies become accountable and prioritize sustainability criteria in the areas of environmental, social and governance (ESG). For countries that are taking on the sustainability challenge, the ESG FRQVLGHUDWLRQV KDYH EHFRPH VLJQLÀFDQW WR WKHLU operations. Environmental criteria consider how infrastructure and production operations impact the environment, and includes attention to energy use, waste, pollution, and natural resource conservation. Social criteria examine how employers manage their relationships

A commitment to ESG strategies involves significant investment and corporate will, but this investment ultimately yields considerable returns for the company, boosts quality of life in the host communities and by extension, the nation. with employees, vendors, suppliers, customers, and the communities where the organizations operate. Governance relates to leadership, audits, ethics, internal controls, shareholder rights, and more.

Nigeria adopted the SDGs (also known as the 2030 agenda for sustainable development) in 2015 to comply with the global call to put an end to poverty, secure the planet and ensure that every citizen enjoys peace and prosperity by 2030.

Nigeria seeks to further align these priorities in partnership with civil society organizations (CSO) and the private sector, and in 2020, President Muhammadu Buhari presented Nigeria’s voluntary national review (VNR) of progress on the SDGs to the United Nations. The President shared updates on the nation’s progress towards ending poverty (SDG-1), creating an inclusive economy (SDG-8), health and wellbeing (SDG3), quality education (SDG-4), gender equality (SDG-5), enabling an environment of peace and security (SDG-16), and partnerships (SDG-17).

Nigeria’s plan to align its development priorities with the support of the private sector raises the question: how is corporate Nigeria responding?

Some corporations in Nigeria are blazing the trail in their commitment to their ESG priorities.

The Coca-Cola System in Nigeria (comprising Nigerian Bottling Company Limited and CocaCola Nigeria Ltd) is a case in point, where sustainable manufacturing is an ongoing priority.

The company is demonstrating its commitment to reduction of energy, water consumption, emissions and waste through investments in new installations such as combined heat and power SODQWV H΁XHQW WUHDWPHQW SODQWV DQG K\EULG VRODU power installations in its manufacturing plants.

They have also re-stated a global commitment to make all consumer packaging 100% recyclable by 2025 and to enhance the collection of all packaging material by 2030 through its World Without Waste program. The System has trained over 30,000 youths on entrepreneurship and

HPSOR\DELOLW\ VNLOOV DFURVV GLͿHUHQW FLWLHV LQ 1LJHULD LQ WKH ODVW ÀYH \HDUV FRQVWUXFWLQJ RU renovating several classroom blocks in over 30 schools and impacting 30,000 students, among other corporate social investment initiatives.

In 2019, Standard Chartered launched the Women-in-Tech Incubator programme to support and promote the economic and social development of women engaging in WHFKQRORJ\ OHG HQWHUSULVH 6HOHFWHG EHQHÀFLDULHV go through a rigorous bootcamp where they are trained by seasoned business leaders and coaches after which they receive grants of up to $10, 000 to scale up their businesses. This is LQ VXSSRUW RI 1LJHULD·V HͿRUWV WR GULYH JHQGHU equality (SDG-5) British American Tobacco (BAT) announced its evolved strategy in March 2020, which revealed the company’s commitment to building A Better Tomorrow™ by reducing the health impact of its business and putting sustainability front and centre of its operations.

The company’s ESG priorities include becoming a carbon neutral business by 2030, making all plastic packaging reusable and recyclable by 2025, achieving ZERO waste to ODQGÀOO E\ UHGXFLQJ ZDWHU ZLWKGUDZQ and increasing water recycling by 2025. A year later, BAT Nigeria announced that it had achieved 100% recycling of all factory waste SURGXFWV DQG =(52 ZDVWH WR ODQGÀOO DW LWV factory in Ibadan Oyo State. It is quite laudable that this feat was accomplished four years ahead of the global target of 2025, with several byproducts of the recycling process obtained simultaneously. These include organic manure which further nourishes the environment, tissue paper, throw pillows, egg crates, and local farming implements such as machetes and hoes. These are proudly displayed in the Factory’s Sustainability Corner. In 2021, BAT Nigeria also completed a $350,000 investment to upgrade its facility in a move that transitioned the company’s energy source from diesel to compressed natural gas (CNG) in its independent power plant (IPP). CNG, which is a cleaner fuel than diesel, now accounts for 80% of the company’s energy source. The IPP also incorporates heat recovery capacity, and the recovered heat is used to drive the factory cooling systems, further extending the energy H΀FLHQF\ RI WKH IDFWRU\ ZKLOH KHOSLQJ WKH environment. With the new system, noxious fumes are not released along with steam into the atmosphere.

At Sahara Group, the strategic focus is on access to energy and a sustainable environment.

The company is committed to promoting access to energy through business and social projects while creating a sustainable environment for stakeholders and the society at large (SDG – 7).

The group launched The Green Life Initiative in 2019 to foster sustainable environments and promote holistic wellness within and outside the company. This initiative marked the commencement of an extensive recycling SURJUDPPH DFURVV 6DKDUD R΀FHV ZKLFK converts paper, plastic and aluminum waste into ÀEHU WLVVXH SDSHU DQG 3(7 SHOOHWV IRU FRQWLQXHG use. Through the Green Life Initiative, Sahara set up a Recycle Exchange Hub in Ijora Oloye community, one of their host communities ZKHUH SODVWLF ZDVWH LV H[FKDQJHG IRU ÀQDQFLDO EHQHÀW DQG LQFOXVLRQ 7KH JURXS IXUWKHU KRSHV to drive home the message of recycling through partnerships with stake holders, volunteers, and the public (SDG - 17).

The examples of these companies demonstrate that sustainability initiatives by corporations help to accelerate the attainment of a country’s sustainability goals.

Elujoba is of the Centre for Promotion of Enterprise and Business Best Practices

4 26

T H I S D AY

FRIDAY APRIL 22, 2022

EDITORIAL

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

THE MENACE OF PSYCHOTROPIC DRUGS All the critical stakeholders must do more to contain the menace

T

he National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) could not have been more apt when it recently linked the current challenge of internal security within WKH FRXQWU\ WR XQFRQWUROOHG LQÁX[ DQG use of psychotropic substances such as Tramadol and other drugs. This much was corroborated by Sheik Ahmad Gumi after his interactions with some bandits. “Hard drugs could be diverted for terrorist activities,” the NAFDAC Director-General, Mojisola Adeyeye had warned.

We support NAFDAC for its commitment and resolve to contain the LQÁRZ RI SV\FKRWURSLF medications, which DUH GUXJV WKDW DͿHFW behaviour, mood, thoughts, and perception.

We also appeal to our regulatory authorities to see this warning as a wake-up call. The Nigeria Customs Service and the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) must attend to regulatory compliance and prevent fake and substandard pharmaceutical consignments from being cleared at the nation’s ports and borders as well as ensure that only safe and quality products are available for distribution.

Abuse of drugs and substance is a global SKHQRPHQRQ 7KH 8QLWHG 1DWLRQV 2΀FH RQ 'UXJV and Crime (UNODC) has consistently warned that the use of psychotropic medications and illegal drugs result in public health issue, leading to addiction, psychiatric and somatic disorder, and even death.

7KH :RUOG +HDOWK 2UJDQLVDWLRQ :+2 ([SHUW Committee on Drug Dependence had similarly reported that the growing abuse of Tramadol by some African and West Asian countries may lead WR LQWR[LFDWLRQ OLNH RWKHU RSLRLG DQDOJHVLFV ZLWK WKH consequence of the breakdown of central nervous system (CNS), depression, coma, cardiovascular collapse, seizures, and respiratory depression up to a respiratory arrest.

The consequences of abusing drugs can be dire. :H DUH DOUHDG\ VHHLQJ WKH HͿHFW RI KRZ VHYHUDO years of violence, insurgency, and now banditry can destabilise a country and undermine its development. The military adventure in the northHDVW DQG RWKHU SDUWV RI WKH FRXQWU\ LV DQ H[SHQVLYH operation while many people have either been killed or displaced. There is also a profound threat to food VHFXULW\ JLYHQ WKDW PDQ\ IDUPHUV QRZ ÀQG LW ULVN\ WR JR WR WKH ÀHOG WR SODQW DQG KDUYHVW FURSV &ULPLQDO JURXSV XQGHU WKH LQÁXHQFH RI QDUFRWLFV and other drugs are also gaining notoriety by ganging up with terrorists, GUXJ WUD΀FNHUV DQG pirates in the Gulf of *XLQHD 6HQLRU R΀FLDOV RI the current administration KDYH DW GLͿHUHQW WLPHV LGHQWLÀHG VFDYHQJHUV XQGHU WKH LQÁXHQFH RI hard drugs as catalysts for many criminal activities, including kidnapping which are on the rise. They are deemed a threat to security as these homeless people have no means of livelihood and are willing WRROV WR EH H[SORLWHG IRU DUVRQ DQG EUHDFK RI SXEOLF peace and order.

In many parts of the country, abduction of people is now a thriving business as hardly a day passes by without news of people being kidnapped for ransom either in their homes or on their way to work or while travelling on the road. And unfortunately, some of these insurgents, bandits and kidnappers are hooked to psychotropic drugs which they consume before carrying out their despicable acts.

Government has a shared responsibility to address this problem in a manner that will ensure that those addicted to psychotropic drugs are prevented from H[SORLWLQJ WKH ZHDN 7KHUH LV DOVR DQ XUJHQW QHHG WR review our value system, particularly at home and in schools. Parents have the obligation to discreetly vet the kind of company their children keep, and safeguarding them from being introduced to drugs and crimes.

Parents have the obligation to discreetly vet the kind of company their children keep, and safeguarding them from being introduced to drugs and crimes

T H I S D AY EDITOR SHAKA MOMODU DEPUTY EDITORS WALE OLALEYE, OBINNA CHIMA MANAGING DIRECTOR ENIOLA BELLO DEPUTY MANAGING DIRECTOR ISRAEL IWEGBU CHAIRMAN EDITORIAL BOARD OLUSEGUN ADENIYI EDITOR NATION’S CAPITAL IYOBOSA UWUGIAREN MANAGING EDITOR BOLAJI ADEBIYI THE OMBUDSMAN KAYODE KOMOLAFE

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

Letters to the Editor Letters in response to specific publications in THISDAY should be brief (150-300 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 (750- 1000 words). They should be sent to opinion@thisdaylive.com along with photograph, email address and phone numbers of the writer.

LETTERS THE PARADOX OF THE WAR AGAINST CORRUPTION Corruption is an endemic virus that hampers the growth and development of Nigeria. Since the attainment of independence in 1960, Nigeria has been battling with corruption as resources meant for national development are diverted or squandered by those entrusted with leadership DW DOO OHYHOV ,Q WKH ODVW VL[ GHFDGHV FRUUXSWLRQ LV VR HQWUHQFKHG LQ VXFK D manner that the country has continued to lose trillions of naira. No wonder many countries which attained independence with Nigeria such as Malaysia and India have recorded speedy developments in contrast with WKH VR FDOOHG JLDQW RI $IULFD 1LJHULD WKH VL[WK ODUJHVW SURGXFHU RI FUXGH oil in the world imports petroleum for its domestic consumption. The four UHÀQHULHV ZKLFK ZHUH EXLOW WR SURYLGH SHWUROHXP IRU LQWHUQDO DQG H[WHUQDO consumption were allowed to rot. While Nigerians blamed military administrations for high cases of corruption, the return to democracy in 1999 has failed to stop the monster.

In 1999 when the Obasanjo administration came on board, it carried out institutional reforms aimed at dispensing democracy dividends which the country was yearning for. In other to tackle corruption which had eaten deeply into the fabrics of the country, Obasanjo established the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and Independent Corrupt Practice Commission (ICPC). These sister agencies were charged with the UHVSRQVLELOLWLHV RI LQYHVWLJDWLQJ DSSUHKHQGLQJ DQG FRQÀVFDWLQJ SURFHHGV

of corruption believed to have been corruptly acquired by government R΀FLDOV RUJDQL]DWLRQV RU FRUSRUDWH ERGLHV ()&& GXULQJ LWV IRUPDWLYH years was led by a hardworking and fearless boss, Nuhu Ribadu. The fear of Malam Ribadu was the beginning of wisdom among the corrupt individuals. The commission was able to arrest and prosecute highly corrupt JRYHUQRUV PLQLVWHUV EXVLQHVV PRJXOV DQG RWKHU JRYHUQPHQW R΀FLDOV Until it was later politicised by Obasanjo to achieve political gains, EFCC recorded remarkable achievements.

The successive administrations failed to strengthen the war against corruption in the country. EFCC which was established to go after corruption suddenly turned to a toothless bull dog. The commission became a tool for political intimidation. Government used it to harass or witch-hunt perceived political opponents. Upon assumption of the Buhari adminisWUDWLRQ PDQ\ 1LJHULDQV H[SHFW D SDUDGLJP VKLIW LQ WKH ZDU DJDLQVW FRUruption. However, the war against corruption under Buhari has become a joke taking too far. The recent pardon granted to former Plateau and Taraba States governors by the Council of States has been condemned by Nigerians. Joshua Dariye stole N1.6 billion while his former colleague Jolly Nyame diverted N1.4 billion from their respective states.

Ibrahim Mustapha, Pambegua, Kaduna State

PETROL SUBSIDY IS A SCAM

An investigation in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, has revealed that fuel sells for between N180 and N250 per litre depending RQ WKH DUHD , FDQ DOVR FRQÀUP WKDW WKH EHQFKPDUN SULFH LV always at N190 despite the subsidy and the rate nationally pegged at N165. Only the NNPC station in Yenagoa sells petrol for N165 per litre. The attention of the Minister of State for Petroleum has been drawn to it and he declared it an illegality; despite this, petrol is still selling for N190. Industry watchers say this is an indication that the subsidy is failing as various measures put in place to stop sharp practices have not yielded any result.

This is why I keep making the argument that subsidy is not needed. It is obvious that oil marketers just sell petrol and sell DW ULGLFXORXV UDWHV DW WKH H[SHQVH RI WKH SHRSOH ,W LV VDG WKDW Nigeria will pay N4 trillion to subsidise petrol. Just imagine if that money was ploughed into education, I am sure ASUU will not be on strike. I am tired of mismanagement of resources in the name of subsidies. It is time to stop the madness.

Rufai Oseni, rufaioseni@gmail.com

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FRIDAY, APRIL 22, 2022 • T H I S D AY

FOCUS

Ebenezer Onyeagwu: Keeping Eyes on the Prize at Zenith Bank Zenith Bank Plc has not only been winning more customers through its digital capability and its arrays of irresistible product offerings, but it has also succeeded in maintaining the confidence of its teeming shareholders with mouth-watering returns on investment, a feat which its current Group Managing Director, Ebenezer Onyeagwu described as unstoppable, reports Festus Akanbi

I

of the bank’s commitment to consistently deliver superior value to them.

n Nigeria today, the pulse of the banking industry is determined by developments in five Tier-1 Banks namely, Zenith Bank Plc; Guaranty Trust Bank (Guaranty Trust Holding Company Plc); First Bank of Nigeria (FBN Holdings); Access Bank Plc, and United Bank for Africa Plc. In the ensuing rat race among these frontrunner banks, recourse is being made to core competence, innovation, and boldness to explore and satisfy the specific needs of bank customers as these industry leaders cover new grounds in Nigeria, other parts of the African continents, and Europe.

ZENITH BANK UNSTOPPABLE

ZENITH BANK: STAYING ON TOP OF LADDER This is the competition where Zenith Bank has continued to stay on top of the ladder, in defiance of the growing difficult operating environment in Nigeria. And this is why some chroniclers of the emerging trends in the Nigerian banking industry are showering praises on the current Group Managing Director of Zenith Bank, Mr. Ebenezer Onyeagwu for not only maintaining the we-can-do-it attitude of his predecessors in the bank but for revolutionising the way the bank goes about its operations ever since 2019 when he came to the saddle. Zenith Bank Plc, through its subsidiaries, provides banking and other financial products and services in Nigeria, the rest of Africa, and internationally.

For his efforts and those of his management team, Zenith Bank was ranked as the Number One Bank in Nigeria by Tier-1 Capital in the 2021 Top 1000 World Banks Ranking published by The Banker Magazine. For the third consecutive year, the bank retained its position as the number one Tier-1 bank in Nigeria with a Tier-1 Capital of $2.64 billion, emerging as the 454th bank globally and the only Nigerian bank in the top 500.

The ranking, which was published in the July 2021 edition of The Banker Magazine of the Financial Times Group, United Kingdom, was based on the 2020 year-end Tier-1 capital of banks globally.

CULTURE OF PROFITABILITY However, judging by its latest results, which covered its 2021 operation, Zenith Bank can be described as a hugely profitable bank. In its 2021 full-year audited financial statement, the bank reported a profit after tax of N244.5 billion, the highest on record. This reflects a 6.07% increase year on year.

The bank also reported earnings per share of N7.79, which is six per cent higher than the N7.34 reported a year earlier. This means that Zenith Bank has now grown its earnings per share every year since 2016.

The financial statement revealed a 7.05% growth in Interest Income from N420.81 billion to N427.60 billion in the current period. Zenith Bank’s profit performance is on the back of an impressive all margin growth as income from interest and trading income all rose year on year.

An analysis of the result showed that the Net Interest income which it earns from its lending business rose 7% to N320.8

Onyeagwu

billion. As a result of its innovation, the bank’s commission and fees rose 31% to N103.9 billion year on year.

It also raked in N167.4 billion in net trading income, representing a 37.6% increase year on year.

Still, within the period under review, Zenith Bank grew its deposits by 21.2% to N6.4 trillion while its total asset is now N9.4 trillion. Net assets rose 14.4% to N1.27 trillion.

MARKET CAPITALISATION Zenith Bank gained N62.79 billion w-o-w after its market capitalisation appreciated N784.91 billion from N722.12 billion at the end of last week.

This appreciation can be attributed to the 8.70% growth in its share price, from N23.00 traded at the end of the previous week, to N25.00 at the end of last week.

SHAREHOLDERS’ ENDORSEMENT Expectedly, the feat was loudly celebrated by the bank’s shareholders at its annual general meeting that took place in Lagos on April 6. They expressed their delight at the final dividend payment of N2.80 per share which brings the

total dividend for the 2021 financial year to N3.10 per share with a total value of N97.33 billion.

In his reaction, Chairman Emeritus of the Independent Shareholders Association of Nigeria (ISAN), Sir Sunny Nwosu, expressed the delight of shareholders over the consistent payment of dividends

by Zenith Bank, noting that the bank’s shares remain the toast of investors because the bank has never failed to pay dividends to shareholders.

Another shareholder activist, who is also the President of the Association of the Rights of Nigerian Shareholders (AARNS), Dr. Faruk Umar, said: “The bank is doing very well. All the ratios and indices have gone up. The leadership of the bank has been very effective; we thank Jim Ovia for the leadership he has been giving, he has increased the dividend despite the economic hardship in the country, and I believe the GMD is doing very well.”

It was a testimony time for the Founder and Chairman of Zenith Bank Plc, Mr. Jim Ovia, who thanked the shareholders for their unflinching loyalty, which has enabled the bank to rise to the pinnacle of the nation’s financial services industry, and assured them

Speaking on the bank’s performance, the Group Managing Director/Chief Executive, Mr. Ebenezer Onyeagwu, said: “if you look at the bank’s history over the years, Zenith Bank has always grown, and even within the pandemic, we have maintained a reasonable positive growth trajectory. Growth is coming from the fact that we are deploying our digital capability to grow more businesses, simplify our service processes, make our processes more efficient, and deal with customers’ complaints. Apart from developing new products, we are discovering new business verticals, especially within the retail segment, which have significant revenue.” He added that: “meeting the expectation of shareholders means we have to work harder. The team is dodged, hardworking, resilient, and above all, we have a very supportive board that comes with superior guidance”.

Onyeagwu, who has been in the driver’s seat since June 1, 2019, is a graduate of Accounting from Auchi Polytechnic, Nigeria. He qualified as a Chartered Accountant (ACA) of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN) in 1989 and became a Fellow (FCA) of ICAN in 2003. He is also a Fellow of the Institute of Credit Administration (ICA) in Nigeria. He is an alumnus of the University of Oxford, England, where he obtained a Postgraduate Diploma in Financial Strategy and a certificate in Macroeconomics. He also undertook extensive executive-level education at Wharton Business School of the University of Pennsylvania, Columbia Business School of Columbia University, and the Harvard Business School of Harvard University, in the United States.

Apart from his transformative leadership in Zenith bank, Onyeagwu is also the Chairman of Zenith Pensions Custodian Limited and Zenith Nominees Limited. He is also on the Board of Zenith Bank (UK) Limited, FMDQ Holdings Plc, Shared Agent Network Expansion Facilities (SANEF) Limited, and Lagos State Security Trust Fund (LSSTF). He also served on the board of Zenith Bank Ghana Limited, Zenith General Insurance, Zenith Securities Limited, Zenith Assets Management Company, Zenith Medicare Limited, and Africa Finance Corporation (AFC).

For his uncommon leadership style, Onyeagwu has won many awards chief among which were Bank CEO of the Year 2019 by Champion Newspapers and Bank CEO of the Year 2020 by BusinessDay Newspapers.

Apart from his recognition, Oyeagwu has led the bank to win several awards too. For instance, Zenith Bank, under his stewardship was named Most Valuable Banking Brand in Nigeria 2020 (The Banker), Biggest Bank in Nigeria by tier-1 capital 2020 (The Banker), Best Bank in Nigeria 2020 (Global Finance Magazine), Best Corporate Governance ‘Financial Services’ Africa 2020 (Ethical Boardroom), Bank of the Decade (People’s Choice) – THISDAY Awards 2020, Bank of the Year 2020 (Independent Newspapers), and Retail Bank of the Year 2020 (BusinessDay Newspapers).

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FRIDAY APRIL 22, 2022 •T H I S D AY

THIS WEEKEND TR

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& R E ASO

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WEEKLY MAGAZINE

NEWS METRO THISLIFE ART WEEKEND ENTERTAINMENT Group Features Editor: Chiemelie Ezeobi chiemelie.ezeobi@thisdaylive.com 07010510430

Nneka Onyeali-Ikpe: Executing the Next Growth Phase for Fidelity Bank

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T H I S D AY ˾ ͰͰ, ͰͮͰͰ

COVER

Nneka Onyeali-Ikpe: Executing the Next Growth Phase for Fidelity Bank Nneka Onyeali-Ikpe is the Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of Fidelity Bank Plc, a position she attained by sheer dint of hardwork and experience garnered over three decades of being in the banking industry. For the Honorary Senior Member of The Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria, her key derivative, alongside the management team, has been to consolidate on the already laid foundation and track record of performance, to execute the next growth phase of the bank. Recently, her disciplined execution of work strategy across board paid off with superior wins for all, especially the shareholders, as the bank recorded 35.7 per cent growth in PBT to N38.1bn and proposed dividend of 35 kobo per share for the 12 months which ended on December 31, 2021. Chiemelie Ezeobi writes that there is no stopping this amazon as she continuously breaks the bias in consolidating the gains of the bank

W

hen Nneka Onyeali-Ikpe assumed work as the fourth Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of Fidelity Bank Plc. on January 1, 2021, she also made history as the first female to occupy the position since the inception of the bank in 1988.

Upon assumption of duty after she took over from the erstwhile MD/CEO, Nnamdi Okonkwo who retired on December 31, 2020, she had assured customers that the bank “under her leadership will consolidate on the already laid foundation and track record of performance, to execute the next growth phase”.

ETHOS Operating all over Nigeria with over 6.5 million customers who are serviced across its 250 business offices and various digital banking channels, Fidelity Bank Plc provides outstanding online, personal banking, SME Banking, corporate, investment, agric and private banking services to its teeming customers.

Built on the ethos of “Integrity” the moto of the bank is “We keep our Word”, a spin off of the name of the bank.

Known as the most caring, trusted, and respected source of financial guidance and solutions in the communities, Onyeali-Ikpe has sustained this ethos, with the result being more dividends for the bank and its teeming consumers.

FOCUS The bank is focused on select niche corporate banking sectors, small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and has rapidly implemented a digital-led retail banking strategy which led to over 300 per cent growth in savings deposits in the last six years, 56.0 per cent customer enrollment on its flagship mobile / internet banking products and 90.0 per cent of customer-induced transactions now done on its digital banking platforms.

Fidelity began operations in 1988, as a merchant bank but converted to commercial banking in 1999 and then became a universal bank in February 2001. Fidelity Bank is today ranked the 6th largest Nigerian Bank, with presence in every commercial hub and key business centres in Nigeria.

The bank is led by a stable, experienced, and highly regarded management team. The team has built the bank on sound corporate governance with robust enterprise-risk management at the core of the bank’s operations.

It has also voluntarily subjected itself to the NGX Corporate Governance Rating System (CGRS) and compliance.

GROWTH TRAJECTORY Under her watch, Fidelity Bank Plc announced a 35.7 per cent growth in PBT to N38.1bn and proposed dividend of 35 kobo per share for the 12 months which ended on December 31, 2021.

The Audited Financial Statements for the 12 months showed a growth trajectory across board, which underscored an exponential explosion.

KEY RATIOS Some of the key ratios recorded was the Return on Avg. Equity (RoAE) which stood at 12.5 per cent compared to 10.5 per cent in 2020FY. Also, Net Interest Margin (NIM) was 4.7 per cent compared to 6.3 per cent in 2020FY; Cost of Risk (CoR) was 0.5 per cent compared to 1.4 per cent in 2020FY; Cost to Income Ratio (CIR) at 64.9 per cent compared to 65.1 per cent in 2020FY; Non-performing Loans Ratio (NPL) at 2.9 per cent compared to 3.8 per cent in 2020FY; and Capital Adequacy Ratio (CAR) at 20.1 per cent compared to 18.2 per cent in 2020FY. DISCIPLINED EXECUTION For the MD/CEO, these wins did not come by chance but by a disciplined execution of their work strategy across board, adding that it paid off with superior wins for all, especially the shareholders.

Commenting on the results, Onyeali-Ikpe

Onyeali-Ikpe enthused that they closed the financial year with strong double-digit growth in profit and across key balance-sheet lines, “which reflects the disciplined execution of our strategy and the capacity to deliver superior returns to shareholders.

“Our profit before tax grew by 35.7 per cent to N38.1bn from N28.1bn in 2020FY, which translates to an increase in RoAE to 12.5 per cent from 10.5 per cent in 2020FY. Gross Earnings increased by 21.6 per cent YoY (23.2 per cent QoQ) to N250.8bn driven by a combination of 60.3 per cent growth in non-interest revenue (NIR) and 15.2 per cent increase in interest and similar income.

“The growth in NIR reflects the significant increase in customer transactions resulting in 84.9 per cent growth in trade income, 48.1 per cent in account maintenance charge, and 47.2 per cent increase in digital banking income etc.

“Digital Banking gained further traction driven by new initiatives in our retail business and the enhancement of existing digital banking products. We now have 56.0 per cent of our customers enrolled on the mobile/internet banking products and 90.0 per cent of total customer-induced transactions done on digital platforms with digital banking business contributing 27.6 per cent to net fee income.

“Net Interest Margin came in at 4.7 per

cent from 6.3 per cent in 2020FY, as average funding cost inch up to 4.2 per cent from 3.6 per cent in 2020FY while average yield on government securities remain low. In absolute terms, total interest and similar income increased

by N26.8bn while total interest expenses increased by N36.1bn, leading to N9.2bn decline in net interest income.

“Total Deposits increased by 19.2 per cent to N2,024.8bn from N1,699.0bn in 2020FY, in line with our guidance for 2021FY. The increase was driven by double-digit growth across all product lines (Demand | Savings | Tenor).

Local currency deposits grew by 16.0 per cent and accounts for 80.3 per cent of total deposits while foreign currency deposits increased by 33.9 per cent and accounts for 19.7 per cent of total deposits from 17.5 per cent in 2020FY. “Net Risk Assets increased by 25.1 per cent to N1,658.4bn from N1,326.1bn in 2020FY. However, the combination of on-lending facilities and the impact of foreign currency rate change was responsible for 31.7 per cent of the absolute growth in loan book . Non-performing loans (NPL) ratio dropped to 2.9 per cent from 3.8 per cent in 2020FY, which led to a decline in cost of risk to 0.5 per cent from 1.4 per cent in 2020FY. “Other Regulatory Ratios are above the required thresholds with liquidity ratio at 40.4 per cent and capital adequacy ratio (CAR) at 20.1 per cent. We have commenced the rendition of Basel III returns under the

“We closed the financial year with strong doubledigit growth in profit and across key balancesheet lines, which reflects the disciplined execution of our strategy and the capacity to deliver superior returns to shareholders”

parallel implementation guideline (Basel II & III) as required by the CBN. “We remain well above the minimum requirement.

We are committed to achieving the long-term strategic objectives of Fidelity Bank while we look forward to sustaining the current performance trend and delivering another strong set of results for the 2022FY.” EXPERIENCE For the uninitiated, Onyeali-Ikpe boasts of a wide range of experience. She was formerly the Executive Director, Lagos and South West Directorate of the bank and has been an integral part of management in the last six years.

She joined the bank in 2015 and spearheaded the transformation of the Directorate, leading it to profitability and sustained its impressive year-on-year growth across key performance metrics, including contributing over 28 per cent of the bank’s PBT, Deposits and Loans.

She is vastly experienced and has spent over 30 years working across various banks including Standard Chartered Bank Plc, Zenith Bank Plc and Citizens International Bank/Enterprise Bank, where she held several management positions in Legal, Treasury, Investment Banking, Retail/ Commercial Banking and Corporate Banking.

As an Executive Director at legacy Enterprise Bank Plc, she received formal commendation from the Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria (AMCON), as a member of the management team that successfully turned around Enterprise Bank Plc. She holds Bachelor of Laws (LLB) degree from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka; a Master of Laws (LLM) degree from Kings College, London; and has attended executive training programmes at notable global institutions including Harvard Business School; The Wharton School University of Pennsylvania; INSEAD School of Business; Chicago Booth School of Business; London Business School and IMD. She is also an Honorary Senior Member (HCIB) of The Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria (CIBN).

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T H I S D AY ˾ ͰͰ, ͰͮͰͰ

NEWS

Master’s Touch Reaches the Vulnerable with Give a Blanket Initiative Stories Mary Nnah Master’s Touch (MsT), a USbased humanitarian organisation, officially registered in Nigeria founded by Pastor Abby Daramola and Co-founded by Laide Daramola is currently leaving indelible imprints in the thoughts and lives of others as it constantly embarks on various humanitarian projects to further better the lives of the less privileged and vulnerable within the society.

Consequently, Master’s Touch officially rolled out the Give A Blanket Project in Lagos, Nigeria distributing 2500 blankets to children, new moms, and expecting mothers in different parts of Lagos.

The Give A Blanket project is aimed at providing warmth and comfort to vulnerable children who sleep with their

bodies exposed to harsh conditions that can affect their health and general wellbeing.

Working through local beneficiary organisations in Lagos, Master’s Touch visited a total of 11 hospitals and 10 orphanages/humanitarian centres during the duration of the project to donate blankets and other relief materials.

There was also a private distribution on subsequent days by Abi and Vivi, twin children of Laide Daramola.

Some of the hospitals and orphanages visited include; Lagos State University Teaching Hospital, Ikeja, Gbagada General Hospital, Lagos University Teaching Hospital, Redeemed Maternity Clinic, Lagos Island Maternity, Massey Children’s Hospital, Living Fountain Orphanage, Little Saints Orphanage, Hearts of Gold Hospice, and Crimson

Bow Sickle Cell Initiative amongst others.

Speaking about the Project, the CEO of Master’s Touch, Ms. Ronke Bolutayo said being able to participate physically in the first round of blanket distribution is an eye-opener.

“I saw a sickle cell warrior going through a crisis shivering and using a scarf to cover herself. We immediately covered her with one of the blankets which provided immediate warmth to her compared to the scarf which she was using.

That made me realise we are on the right course with the blanket distribution.”

The Give A Blanket Project was made possible by the collaborative efforts of its partners: Mt. Washington Pediatric Hospital, Intellectual Concepts, Glory Tabernacle, Trinity House, Sara O Decor, Robert Taylor Media, Best 4 Shipping,

BCI BOSS HARPS ON IMPACTS ON CORPORATE SECTOR

Restoration Center, Crimson Bow SCI, Olorisupergal, Bella Naija and Lagos Today.

The founder of Master’s Touch, Pastor Abby Daramola said, “We currently have another 2500 blankets ready for distribution and we are looking to reach women and children in the North, South West, and SouthSouth Nigeria.

“We are also looking to expand the stay connected programme to Nigeria; an initiative that provides phones, tablets, and chargers to help children stay connected while receiving medical treatment in the hospital.”

“Lastly, we are also expanding the Abi and Vivi Give Life Initiative which focuses on children with blood diseases and cancer”, she added.

BCI Boss, Olugbodi.

Master’s Touch beneficiaries

LBS, Semicolon Africa, Henley Business School Partner to Drive ‘Nexus Project’ In line with the commitment of Lagos Business School (LBS) to develop responsible entrepreneurs and promote business sustainability, the institution has partnered Semicolon Africa and Henley Business School on the Nexus Project, funded by the British Council.

The objective of the project is to unlock the potential of African youths and transform job seekers into sustainable job creators to help in bridging the unemployment gap and reducing the failure rate of startups.

In the first phase of the project, a total of 30 African techpreneurs representing 15 projects/business ventures with

great entrepreneurial ideas will be trained, mentored, and supported to transform their ideas into investable and sustainable ventures.

The beneficiaries who are selected for the training will undergo a six-month (April to August 2022) management programme which delivers specialist knowledge transfer, education, coaching, and mentoring to propel their venture ideas to investment readiness and connect them to a nexus of investors.

Speaking at the formal launch of the project which was held virtually on March 30, 2022, the Project Director

and LBS Faculty, Dr. Adun Okupe said; “The Nexus project provides the opportunity for management education to address the emerging need for entrepreneurship development in Africa and a chance to improve the success rates of startups in Africa.”

Jean-Pierre Choulet, ViceDean Africa, Henley Business School said there was a critical need to provide the required platform for African youths to jumpstart their entrepreneurial journey while providing them with adequate support to scale their businesses.

“Through this partnership, the beneficiaries will have req-

uisite coaching, mentoring support as well as access to relevant information to enable them to make informed decisions while connecting them to a pool of investors who can propel their ideas to the next level.”

Speaking on Semicolon’s participation in the project, the CEO of Semicolon Africa, Mr. Sam Immanuel stated that; “We are pleased to collaborate with the Lagos Business School (LBS) and Henley Business School on this initiative that sets to increase the success stories of African youths who are boisterous, creative, and desirous of building sustainable businesses to last a lifetime.”

US-NigerianTech Firm Ups Digital VotingTechnology Digital Voting System (DVS), a digital service provider owned by US-based Nigerian, has announced that it is adding more security options to its virtual voting system.

DVS, the brainchild of US-based Emmanuel Aba, is a virtual platform created to offer digital voting options to clients, including countries and institutions for voting and data management.

Aba who returned to the United States recently after spending some time studying the Nigerian electoral system said the improvement in the system’s security was a sequel to the events that characterised the last elections in the United

States.

According to the DVS Founder/Chief Executive Officer, the American lesson proved very useful, as it helped the firm improve its security.

“DVS was designed to solve a lot of problems, especially as they relate to voting and other electoral processes. The accusations of rigging which in a way meant some level of failure of the American system was a key lesson for us.

“As we seek to export DVS to countries like Nigeria that desire credible elections, we thought it expedient to create additional security plugins for the system. That is what we have been doing since I returned to the

United State,” Aba said.

According to him, ‘DVS is now foolproof,” hence is unable to be cracked.”

“This is exactly what Nigeria needs at this time when insecurity is rife across the country. The country is in dire need of credible elections that could be trusted by the people. This is the only way we can correct the governance failure of the past,” Aba said.

“We need credible persons to manage this country and only a credible voting system could give us that,” he added.

He said the system is now fully upgraded, safer and better now, adding, “my desire is to see the Buhari administration adopt this

as we look forward to full electronic voting system being signed into law.

“This administration has done fairly in this regard though but general Buhari needs to understand that this voting system is a legacy he cannot afford to ignore”.

DVS is conditioned to work with the Bank Verification Number (BVN), a unique bank code that is owned by every one with a bank account in Nigeria.

He said DVS was also created to ensure the safety of the voters, adding, “Safety and voters’ interest will certainly return if this electronic voting system is given a chance, votes would count, and the election would be truly free and fair”.

Chief Executive Officer of Background Check International (BCI), Kola Olugbodi has said that BCI, which was established primarily to bring back integrity and proper recruitment process to the corporate sector, has over time been able to checkmate wrong hiring and ensure that employers checkmate those who can defraud their organisations.

Speaking recently with pressmen, Olugbodi empahsised that Background Check is not about hiring at face value, not just employed by what the resume of individual states, rather for 17 years of pioneering background check operations in Nigeria, the organisation has supported several organisations in eliminating fraud and criminal tendencies amongst their staff.

“A major impact of Background Check International is KYS - Know Your Staff and this is not all about what they said or what they claimed to be but corroborating and verifying the claims.

“It is also about knowing more about their staff. This makes organisations know whether the staff has the requisite skills to secure employment.

“Background check also helps ensure that some prospective staff does not have criminal records. It is also to ensure that those who claim to have work experiences have solid character and proper conduct while they were in previous employment”, he noted.

The BCI boss said further that Background Check has saved several corporate organisations from blind hiring and also making employment decisions with empirical and statistical evidence.

With BCI’s pioneering efforts, Background Check is now widely accepted both in the corporate sector and other segments in Nigeria.

“Considering the breakdown of our clients and the volume of requisitions being handled, Background Check International currently functions in every sector of the economy-Banking, Oil and Gas, manufacturing, real estate, etc.”

It has become highly important for corporate organisations to see the background check as a critical tool that will aid corporate hiring. In essence, the background check will save organisations from fraudulent and criminally-minded elements who create bottlenecks”, he added.

Founded 17 years ago, BCI, a groundbreaker of the industry in Nigeria, was the pioneer and to date, remains a leading light in the industry.

FIRM OFFERS SCHOLARSHIP TO 100 IMO YOUTHS To curb hard drugs, violence, thuggery, cybercrime, and rape, the principal partner of Prince Joel & Associates, Dr. Prince Joel has offered scholarships to 100 Imo youths to take up a career in real estate entrepreneurship and digital marketing at the just concluded ‘Imo Youth Conference’ held recently in Owerri.

Speaking on the theme ‘Imo Youth Arise, The Future Is Now’, Prince Joel who was the guest speaker at the event organised to sensitise the youth from the societal menace and perpetrating criminal acts, narrated the difficulties he faced while growing up and how he overcame them to become an impactful person in the society today.

He enjoined the Imo Youths to shun the intake of hard drugs, cybercrime, violence, and thuggery, adding, “Embrace digitisation which is prevalent in our time”.

As a real estate investment coach and a renowned blogger, Prince Joel volunteered to assist Imo Youths in taking up a career in real estate entrepreneurship and digital marketing.

He concluded his lecture by offering scholarships to the first set of 50 attendees in digital marketing and another scholarship to the second set of 50 attendees in his real estate mentorship master class, which commenced in the first week of this month.

T H I S D AY ˾ ͰͰ, ͰͮͰͰ

ͱͰ

Mushin to Manhattan: Nigeria’s Padman Chaste Inegbedion Honoured with President’s Award Stories by Chiamaka Ozulumba

F

or his passion to educate, raise awareness, and, most importantly, generate opportunities for dignified conversations about a young girl’s journey from menarche to menopause, Chaste Inegbedion was recently honoured with the President’s Award at the 1000 Shades of women 6th Tribute of Excellence Award and the President’s Volunteer Service Award in collaboration with AmeriCorps.

Born and raised in Mushin, Lagos State, Chaste Inegbedion has been nothing but an extraordinary example to follow.

Scholar from Pan Atlantic University Social Sector Management programme, Graduate Certificate in Public Relations, and a Degree in Computer Engineering, Chaste has gone on to add his advocacy drive on Ending Period Poverty to his To- Do- List of Feats for the Global Goals.

Chaste Inegbedion have just been honored with the prestigious President’s Award at the 1000 Shades of women 6th Tribute of Excellence Award and the President’s Volunteer Service Award in collaboration with AmeriCorps against the backdrop of the 66th Session of the UN Commission on the Status of Women (CSW66) Chaste was bestowed with the honor on Saturday, March 19, 2022, at 1 united Nation Plaza in New York city. The President’s Award aims to recognise those who have demonstrated special achievement and distinguished public service.

The fem-tech founder is also a recipient of the Afrifamu Community Achievement Award and Manevia African Leadership Award for Social Innovation.

“2022 is going to be the year we say period to Periods with Period Innovations,” The creation, ‘Sanicle’ aims to be the “Google” for Periods and has since raised $165,000 in a round of funding that values the fem-tech at $1M. Inegbedion describes Sanicle as a Period Knowledge service company, adding that Sanicle’s innovative initiatives and campaigns that include The Period Passport Book, Period Genie game and the Period Genie Animated Short film are all produced to educate, raise awareness, and, most importantly, generate opportunities for dignified conversations about a young girl’s journey from menarche to menopause.

The innovation is a Plant-based Organic Period box, created by Sanicle, as an excellent solution for that time of the month that is kind to the planet and people, and it include items that help with symptoms that girls and women experience during menstruation.

In addition, this care box helps girls understand the benefits of plant-based period products. It also addresses specific period-related concerns such as painful, heavy, or irregular periods and self-care techniques.

As the author of ‘The Period Passport’, Chaste

is just one of several authors behind new books about women’s bodies written, not by doctors or nurses, but individuals more neatly lumped together as social activists, who are unsettled by how little women know.

Some of these books are journalistic (Lynn Enright’s Vagina: A Re-education; two separate books called Period by Natalie Byrne and Emma Barnett, It’s Only Blood by Anna Dahlqvist); some are polemic (Ask Me About My Uterus

by Abby Norman, Nadya Okamoto’s Period Power, Heavy Flow by Amanda Laird); others are more about reframing menstruation as an experience that could be more efficient and fulfilling (In the Flo by Alisa Vitti and Hill’s book Period Power).

He is excited the book gets to drag ‘Men into Menstruation’ discussions, amidst the danger of a single story with Gender Equality.

The book is available in Kindle, Paperback, Hardcover, and audiobook.

With this book, Chaste takes you deep into

the heart of his own obsession with Period Poverty, radical writings on Devoted Hollywood Dads, Glamorous Grandma and Period Genie.

The highly informative book, which covers all aspects of menstrual period in girls and women, was co-written by Yetunde Oluwafunmilayo Tola, a registered nurse and midwife based in Hong Kong.

This COVID Times Best Seller “Periods Don’t Pause during Pandemics” attributes to a masterly feat for Men in Menstruation, is now being turned into a short animation film for Amazon Prime by Sanicle, creators of the Book.

“One of the many virtues of this book is to move beyond a sterile debate between advocates of Dads with Daughters and its even relatable for someone like the actor Sylvester Stallone – famous for the Rocky and Rambo franchises – and his three daughters and those who regard Period Poverty as a myth that has never

existed,” added Roxanne Stewart, the CEO of Sanicle.

“If you want a short, readable guide to a field you feel you need to know more about, and an argument to react to as well, then this is the book for you.”

The author also shared the excitement of speaking at a conference on women’s health hosted by the Center for Diversity and Inclusion at Southern Utah University.

The Mayor of Menstruation presented a copy of his book t0 Dr. Naomi Barber Luther King and the Mayor of the City of Cambridge, MA Mayor Sumbul Siddiqui Period poverty is a big problem globally.

Approximately 40 per cent of people with periods have trouble affording the sanitary products they need. But the problem goes deeper than that. Most conventional sanitary hygiene products contain toxic materials that can cause health and fertility issues in some women.

L-R: Chaste Inegbedion, Sylvester Stallone, Roxanne Stewart and Tosin Oni

Vitafoam Champions Good Mental Health, Physical Wellbeing

t%FMJHIUT DVTUPNFST BU &BTUFS 'JFTUB In pursuit of its commitment to human wellbeing , Vitafoam Nigeria Plc, Nigeria’s leading manufacturer of flexible, reconstituted and rigid foam products hosted the Vitafoam Easter Fiesta 2022.

The target was also to delight its customers, as well as champion good mental health and physical wellbeing for Nigerians.

Tagged “ Enjoy Vital Comfort with Vitafoam”, the largest foam manufacturing and distribution network in West Africa, held the event across its Comfort Centres in Lagos and its head office annex at Oba Akran Avenue, Ikeja At the Vitafoam Easter Fiesta 2022, customers and the general public were given the opportunity to walk into any of the selected Comfort centres in Lagos to have a one-onone free consultation with an Orthopedic Sleep Consultant, Dr Charles Uzodinma, who educated them on practical ways to improve quality sleep, the right choice of mattress and pillows, general physical

L-R: Head, Business Development, Towncriers Limited, Ndanusa Amihere; Orthopedic Sleep Consultant and Trauma Surgeon, Dr Charles Uzodinma; Vitafoam’s Loyal Customer, Engineer Enejo Onaji; and Products Group Manager, Vitafoam Nigeria Plc, Moses Mogbolu, at Vitafoam Easter Fiesta 2022 tagged “ Enjoy Vital Comfort with Vitafoam “, in Lagos, at weekend wellbeing and healthy living.

According to Uzodinma, “we need quality sleep for sound mind and optimum productivity as various factors affect the quality of our sleep.

“The factors internal to our body include safe exercises,

healthy feeding, adequate water intake, optimum blood volume, normal blood sugar level, low alcohol intake, no smoking, avoidance of drug abuse, and so on.

“Other factors outside the body include sleeping mat-

tress and pillows, sleeping room condition, timing and duration of sleep, and so on.”

He stated further, “Vitafoam has made it possible, as a trailblazer in the foam manufacturing business for me, an Orthopedic Sleep Consultant

and Trauma Surgeon to be available to take clients through these factors affecting quality sleep, especially the choice of right mattresses and pillows fit for individual’s weight, height and shape.”

Dr. Uzodinma said, “The appropriate mattresses and pillows ensure that they hug the body curves; maintaining the natural curves and normal straight alignments of neck and back bone; provide support in the neck, back, pelvis, hip and knee joints; and finally relieve pressures and provide comfort. “ He called on Nigerians to make deliberate and conscious effort by utilising the rare opportunity created by Vitafoam to have a free consultation with the sleep expert in choosing the right mattresses and pillows fit for everyone.

“This truly shows that Vitafoam is indeed a caring brand who is fully interested in the general wellbeing and healthy living of Nigerians.”

Corroborating, Vitafoam’s Products Group Manager, Mr. Moses Mogbolu said, “Vitafoam as a true Nigerian brand is 100 per cent com-

mitted to ensuring Nigerians achieve quality sleep, good mental health and physical wellbeing to be productive in all their endeavours.

Hence, Vitafoam is devoted to producing quality and innovative products that will support quality sleep to enable Nigerians to achieve a great night’s rest, for a better world.” “ In celebrating this year’s Easter, our focus is to delight our customers and encourage Nigerians to maintain healthy living. Hence our partnership with an Orthopedic Sleep Consultant and Trauma Surgeon to educate Nigerians. “ At our Comfort Centres, while adults were having free consultation with the Orthopedic Sleep Consultant, children were having free face painting as part of the Easter Fiesta. .

“Also, customers were given the opportunity of up to 80 per cent discount on selected products at the Vitafoam Head Office Annex to mark the Vitafoam Easter Fiesta 2022.

Vitafoam is truly the fine art of living.”.

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FRIDAY, APRIL 22, 2022 • T H I S D AY

PERSONALITY

Akah Nnani: On Becoming ‘Man of God’ and Living His Purpose Stepping into his first lead role in the new Bolanle Austen-Peters film ‘Man of God’ on Netflix, TV and Nollywood actor Akah Nnani talks about his character and the essence of his personality in an encounter with Vanessa Obioha

H

is first reading was a disaster.

His acting was barely convincing, but somehow, director Bolanle Austen-Peters was persuaded Akah Nnani was the right man for her new feature film ‘Man of God’, now showing on Netflix.

She was right. Nnani, who stepped into his first lead role in the film, depicted his character Samuel Obalolu with dexterity and vulnerability.

The first time he filled the screen was to portray the Afrobeat legend Fela Anikulapo-Kuti. It was an arduous task, the actor admitted.

“That was the hardest part for me because I’m not a Fela’s fan. I like him and his ideology, but I have never been a fan of his music. He is not my era. I love what he stood for, but I am not a fan. I didn’t know his mannerisms like that. He died when I was a kid, and I had just 24 hours to prepare and get into Fela. I had gotten Samuel, but there was a part of his life where he was impersonating Fela in school.

So I had 24 hours. I didn’t even know the songs we were going to perform. I didn’t know anything,” Nnani explains.

“And I go on set the first day. BAP (Austen-Peters) says, ‘Oh, we are doing Fela.’ I was shocked. I think she just wanted to know if I was going to mess up. That was hard. That was crazy. Went on to do Fela for four days. But that first day on set was the hardest part of the script. So that was tough. And I had a couple of hours to just embody that huge person called Fela. I don’t even think I did a great job.

But she was impressed.”

‘Man of God’ is centred on Samuel’s struggle to overcome his harsh Christian background or pursue his dreams. He fancies himself a musician but the women surrounding him have a version of who they want him to be. While Rekya (Dorcas Shola Fapson) is his partner-in-crime, Teju (Osas Ighodaro), a childhood friend, sees him as the perfect man for her. However, Samuel’s dream girl Joy (Atlanta Bridget Johnson), has doubts about their relationship.

Inside, Samuel is conflicted. Having been raised harshly by his preacher father, who expects him to walk in his shoes, his rebellious nature pushes him away from his family.

Throughout the nearly two-hour film, Nnani navigated the intricacies of his character meticulously. He had to read the script twice, prayed and gradually began to understand his character. By the time he met Austen-Peters again for another reading, the remarks were spectacular. Two weeks later, Nnani had embodied Samuel.

He learnt not to judge his character but found some similarities between them to enable his interpretation.

“One thing I learned early in my career was never to judge my character. Because I knew that no one, in reality, is completely evil. No one is completely good. So I found the similarities between myself and Samuel.

And I think that everybody, every young person or old person, has gone through some period in their life where they were rebellious or asking questions, and I held on to that and amplified that phase in my life,” says the actor.

“So it’s the same thing with Samuel. He had a harsh upbringing, he decided, you know what, I’m going to take laws into

Nnani

my own hands, I will live my life the way I want to, and the only difference is someone didn’t come back to his senses in time.”

One of the things that intrigued him about Samuel was his ability to achieve things he set his mind to.

“He is a doer, which a lot of people aren’t,” says Nnani. “A lot of people are planners, thinkers, and laze around a lot, especially in our country. People talk a lot. Not many people are doers.

So I like that about him. Whether it’s bad or good, when he wants to do something, he does it. I like that he’s determined. He’s into music and knows his stuff. He knew how to get a crowd going. He had charisma. And he was a fine boy like me.”

Nnani has a humorous side to his character, whether explaining a point or sharing a memory. His facial expressions were mostly animated and, within

“I just wanted to be on TV and do what Oprah was doing. Do something good for the people, and not basically for fame. But it was just the way she was able to touch people’s lives, how she gave out the best gifts, and I’ve tried to do that on my YouTube channel.”

seconds, had everyone in stitches.

Usually, people tend to assume characters in front of a camera, but it is the reverse for Nnani. What you see on screen (that is, when he is not acting) is probably what you see behind the scenes: easygoing, jovial, purpose-driven and determined.

Within seven years in the entertainment industry, he has accumulated several titles. He is an actor, YouTuber, content creator, producer, and TV host. As a child, Nnani, who hails from Imo envisioned himself being the next Oprah Winfrey. He was so enamoured by her charisma and ability to draw conversations with people — traits he said he shared too — that he thought himself the Nigerian version of Oprah.

But when he saw her acting, he was mesmerised. Again, he found himself thinking of taking a similar path.

“I just wanted to be on TV and do what Oprah was doing. Do something good for the people, and not basically for fame. But it was just the way she was able to touch people’s lives, how she gave out the best gifts, and I’ve tried to do that on my YouTube channel,” he notes.

Even though he knew his talents were in the arts, like any young man embracing adulthood, Nnani was bent on making money. He dreamt of working in the oil industry but ended up in telecoms. Still, his acting star illuminated brightly that his colleagues often told him he was in the wrong field.

“I think the eye-opening moment for me was when my manager told me I was bigger than this place. She

said it in passing, but she didn’t know that her words sank deep into my heart,” recalls Nnani. “My classmates in school often wondered why I was in the telecoms industry because they knew my talents.

I think the reason is that I didn’t believe in myself. I had standards and compared myself to Oprah and Denzel Washington.”

Like Oprah, Washington holds a special place in Nnani’s heart. The American actor is his role model. He sees himself becoming nothing less than Washington because of the actor’s effortless way of interpreting characters. To keep up that status, Nnani revealed that he is selective in the films he accepts, mainly because he doesn’t want to be stereotyped. He likes scripts that challenge and give him range.

After leaving the telecoms industry, Nnani travelled to Dubai, looking for inspiration and came back broke. However, he landed his first gig on a TV station as a presenter.

Interestingly, he did not scale through the audition because one of the applicants stole the spotlight, so by the time it was his turn for the interview, all the confidence he mustered had vanished. Yet, Providence had a plan for him. He was called later to replace the applicant.

Other opportunities followed, leading to his latest ‘Man Of God’.

Stepping into his first lead role, Nnani said he found the opportunity taxing because of the weight of expectations.

“BAP has a very strong and overpowering personality, especially when it comes to work. If she gives you a chance and you don’t get it, boom,” says the actor, snapping his fingers, “you are out.”

He adds, “If she is not convinced after three weeks of shooting, she will change the character. She will forget the money and she would just go with someone else and start again. She doesn’t mind. So that was always at the back of my mind.”

The day we met was the eve of the film’s premiere on Netflix, and the butterflies in his stomach were already settling down as he awaited the audience’s reaction.

The feedback he got from the trailer was uplifting. But he need not worry as the film, since its premiere, has retained the number one spot on the Netflix Top 10 in Nigeria. His major takeaways from the film he said were that people should be allowed to be who they really are.

“Especially for parents. The children have their lives, and they are not an extension of you even though biologically they are, but they wouldn’t make your mistakes if you give them the right tools and the right environment. Your calling is not your child’s calling,” Nnani points out.

Now a father, family comes first for the Mass Comm graduate. When his daughter was born last year, he took a three-month break from work. For him, who he is is anchored on his spiritual core and the things that matter to him most.

“I am a son of God. And I am a father and a husband. When I was younger, one of the things that when people ask me what do I want to become and I say lawyer, and then what else, and I tell them, I want to be the best father,” intones Nnani. “That gives me more fulfilment than even being the best actor. That’s who I am basically.

Those are the two things that give me meaning; my relationship with God, and how good I am to my family.”

34

FRIDAY APRIL 22, 2022 •T H I S D AY

FRIDAY APRIL 22, 2022 • T H I S D AY

35

36

T H I S D AY ˾ ˜ APRIL 22, 2022

BUSINESS/MONEYGUIDE

ETAP Secures $1.5m Pre-seed Funding, to Drive Insurance Penetration in Africa Sunday Ehigiator ETAP, an insurance-technological startup that makes it easier to buy and claim insurance, has revealed that it has secured $1.5 million in pre-seed funding to grow its team and drive the adoption of much-needed car insurance across Africa.

The company’s CEO and Founder, Ibraheem Babalola in a statement revealed that the new funding will support the rollout of ETAP’s game-changing app which allows drivers to buy insurance in 90 seconds, complete claims in 3-minutes or less and get rewarded for good driving and avoiding accidents.

According to him, “the preseed funding round was led by Mobility 54 (the Venture Capital arm of Toyota Tsusho and CFAO Group), with participation from Tangerine Insurance, Graph Ventures (invested in

Clubhouse), Newmont, and other angel investors.

“Working with a wide range of automotive value chain players, ETAP will also explore other opportunities to deliver much-needed insurance services for car owners in other countries across the continent.”

He equally revealed that despite the longstanding regulation-making car insurance compulsory and more than 100,000 car accidents reported between January 2019 and December 2021, only one in five cars in Nigeria are currently insured.

He said the complexities of buying and claiming insurance have led to widespread apathy for traditional insurance companies and products, with many car owners opting to go without insurance.

“With ETAP, the entire process of buying and claiming insurance happens exclusively on a smartphone, enabling a seamless

and enjoyable insurance experience for users.

“ETAP uses machine learning to build intelligent risk profiles that determine appropriate premiums for each driver, allowing them to achieve lower premiums by driving safely.

Using advanced telematics, the driving experience is gamified to improve driving behaviour and drivers can earn Safe Driving Points that can be exchanged for shopping vouchers for the most in-demand retail outlets, fuel, cinema and concert tickets, and other exciting experiences.

“Drivers also have flexible coverage options, including daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly, and annual plans depending on their needs. In the unfortunate event of an accident, they simply need to take a picture of the affected part of the car via the app, and artificial intelligence processes the claim based on previously uploaded images.

MARKET INDICATORS

SON: FCMB Offerings Meet Customer, Regulatory Requirements The Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) has again validated the capacity of First City Monument Bank (FCMB) to provide best-in-class products and services that always meet consumer and regulatory requirements.

FCMB in a statement said, SON, the only regulatory body vested with the responsibility of standardising and regulating the quality of all products in Nigeria, has audited and revalidated its Quality Management System, ISO 9001: 2015, certification.

“The regulatory body did a thorough audit and evaluation exercise, which recently covered all departments and branches of the Bank. It reviewed how FCMB executes its Quality Management

System (QMS) and how well the framework guarantees continuous improvement and operational efficiency to meet customer and stakeholder needs consistently.

“First City Monument Bank accomplished full conformity in all aspects of operations and service delivery review, including leadership, policies, processes, and procedures in line with global best practices. This shows that the Bank has a strong management team that ensures fact-based decisions drive continuous improvement and has a customer-focused process and culture, “it stated.

Commenting on the recertification, the Managing Director of FCMB, Mrs Yemisi Edun,

described it as another proof of the customer-centric focus of the Bank, quality of offerings and overall commitment to best practices.

According to her, “we are pleased that the Standard Organisation of Nigeria has again validated our Quality Management System. This revalidation affirms our commitment to continuous improvement and the agile way we conduct business to meet the ever-changing needs of our esteemed customers. We will continue to live up to our pedigree as an organisation committed to excellence, professionalism, and best practices for the ultimate benefit of our customers and stakeholders.”

‘Biotechnology Remains Nigeria’s Engine-room for Food Security, Zero Hunger’ The Director General (DG) and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the National Biotechnology Development Agency (NABDA), Prof. Abdullahi Mustapha, weekend said the future of Nigeria’s food security lies in its ability to adopt necessary technologies (Biotechnology) as its engine room for fight against hunger.

Addressing a cross section of stakeholders at the unveiling of the highly improved PBR Cowpea/Bean variety at the: Eat is Believing-Biotech Beans Advocacy Programme at the NABDA Headquarters in Abuja, which which include delegates from Ghana led by the Chairman Parliamentary Select Committee on Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation (MESTI),

Dr. Emmanuel Marfor and the Ranking Member, Parliamentary Select Committee on Prof. Ebenezer Okletey Terlarbi, Policy Makers, Farmers, Regulators on PBR Cowpea/Bean with a view to further enhancing scientific bilateral collaboration across Africa for food sustainability.

Biotechnology, according to the NABDA boss, is a cutting-edge technology of the 21st century that has proven world -wide to enhance productivity, reduce drudgery, and increase yields, explaining that it has brought about enhancement of food security in agriculture and economic growth.

Mustapha, said: “NABDA, based on her mandate, is therefore at the forefront of Biotechnology deployment and domestication

in Nigeria in the four sectors of the economy-Agriculture, Health Environment and Industry in order to respond positively to national aspirations on food security, job/wealth creation, affordable healthcare delivery, industrialization and sustainable environment.

He was excited that the PBR Cowpea/Bean is a classic example of how the technology can provide solutions to one of the major challenges confronting cowpea farming.

“Needless, I bother you with the long history of several attempts by cowpea breeders who tried to find solutions to ravaging attacks of Maruca. For many years without success in the past, this technology has taken care of that and its potentials to

NGO to Spend N100m Intervention Fund to Support Artisans, Market Women

By Hammed Shittu ÓØ ÖÙÜÓØ A Non Governmental Organisation (NGO) based in Kwara State, KOZ has said that, plan is underway to provide intervention support worth N100m to all categories of rural residents so as to boost the economic stability of the state The organisation said that, the move is also aimed at lending support to the administration of Governor AbdulRahman

AbdulRazaq at making more life bearable to the residents of the state.

Speaking with journalists in Ilorin, the Director General of KOZ, Mr. Olawale Gbadeyan said that, “This Intervention will provide small grants for the petty traders, group loan for market women and support for farmers as an effort to create more wealth amongst our ever industrious people”.

He stated that, “the develop-

ment is also borne of our founder commitment at providing all forms of support to the current administration in Kwara State owing to her pro-masses focus and even distribution of projects since assumption of office about three years ago. We shall be providing a support of N100m for a period of time through artisans, traders and farmers. Those categories of people shall be our primary focus.

We will consider other layers of the society as well.

MONEY AND CREDIT STATISTICS

(MILLION NAIRA)

JANUARY 2021 Money Supply (M3)

38,779,455.43

-- CBN Bills Held by Money Holding Sectors

1,039,129.55

Money Supply (M2)

37,740,325.88

-- Quasi Money

21,779,302.69

-- Narrow Money (M1)

15,961,023.19

---- Currency Outside Banks

2,364,871.13

---- Demand Deposits

13,596,152.06

Net Foreign Assets (NFA)

7,414,275.50

Net Domestic Assets(NDA)

31,365,179.93

-- Net Domestic Credit (NDC)

42,916,586.63

---- Credit to Government (Net)

12,304,773.44

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

0.00

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

0.00

---- Credit to Private Sector (CPS)

30,611,813.19

--Other Assets Net

3,892,112.74

Reserve Money (Base Money

13,264,585.14

--Currency in Circulation

2,831,167.19

--Banks Reserves --Special Intervention Reserves

10,433,417.96 317,234.17

˾ ÙßÜÍÏ ̋

Money Market Indicators (in Percentage) Month

March 2018

Inter-Bank Call Rate

15.16

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

14.00

Treasury Bill Rate

11.84

Savings Deposit Rate

4.07

1 Month Deposit Rate

8.82

3 Months Deposit Rate

9.72

6 Months Deposit Rate

10.93

12 Months Deposit Rate

10.21

Prime Lending rate

17.35

Maximum Lending Rate

31.55

˾ ÙØÏÞËÜã ÙÖÓÍã ËÞÏ ̋ ͯͱϱ

OPEC DAILY BASKET PRICE AS AT THURSDAY APRIL 21

The price of OPEC basket of thirteen crudes stood at $107.97 a barrel on Wednesday, compared with $110.52 the previous day, according to OPEC Secretariat calculations (view archives).

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).

37

T H I S D AY ˾ ˜ ͰͰ˜ ͰͮͰͰ

Stock Market Sustains Positive Momentum for Third Consecutive Session, Adds N46bn Kayode Tokede The stock market of the Nigerian Exchange Limited (NGX) sustained its positive momentum for the third consecutive session yesterday as market capitalisation gained N46 billion over investors buy interest in Guaranty Trust Holding Company Plc (GTCO) that gained 1.69 per cent and Zenith bank 1.25 per cent, to keep the market in positive terrain.

The gained recorded lifted the NGX All Share Index (ASI) by 85.15 basis points o 0.18 per cent to close at 48,223.86 basis points, the highest point since September 16, 2008.

Consequently, the overall market capitalisation value gained N46 billion to close at N25.998 trillion.

The stock market in its Monthto-Date and Year-to-Date returns

P R I C E S MAIN BOARD

F O R DEALS

increased to 2.7per cent and 12.9per cent, respectively.

Performance across sectors was broadly positive, as the NGX Oil & Gas appreciated by 1.6per cent, NGX Banking that gained 0.5per cent, NGX Insurance that gained 0.4 per cent, NGX Consumer Goods added 0.2per cent, and NGX Industrial Goods rose by 0.1per cent.

As measured by market breadth, market sentiment was

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

QUANTITY TRADED

positive as 28 stocks gained relative to nine losers.

Berger Paints and Eterna recorded the highest price gain of 10 per cent each to close at N7.70 and N6.05 respectively, while Oando followed with a gain 9.90 per cent to close at N5.33, per share.

MEYER Plc rose by 9.84 per cent to close at N2.12, while Skyway Aviation Handling Company appreciated by 9.83

T R A D E D

VALUE TRADED ( N )

MAIN BOARD

A S

per cent to close at N6.37, per share.

On the other hand, SCOA Nigeria led the losers’ chart by 9.77 per cent to close at N1.94, per share. Associated Bus Company followed with a decline of 6.45 per cent to close at 29 kobo, while Neimeth International Pharmaceuticals depreciated by 3.55 per cent to close at N1.36, per share.

May & Baker Nigeria declined

O F

2 1

by 2.95 per cent to close at N4.27, while AIICO Insurance depreciated by 1.45 per cent to close at 68 kobo, per share.

Meanwhile, the total volume traded decreased by 30 per cent to 244.694 million units, valued at N3.151 billion, and exchanged in 4,859 deals.

Transactions in the shares of Custodian Investment topped the activity chart with 38.704 million shares valued at N255.452 million.

/ 0 4 / 2 0 2 2 DEALS

MARKET PRICE

QUANTITY TRADED

VALUE TRADED ( N)

38

T H I S D AY • FRIDAY, APRIL 22, 2022

Friday, April 22, 2022

Thisday Afrinvest 40 Index 25bps Thisday Afrinvest 40 Index fell byAdvanced 14bps The dŚŝƐĚĂLJ ĨƌŝŶǀĞƐƚ ϰϬ /ŶĚĞdž ĚĞĐůŝŶĞĚ ďLJ ϭϰďƉƐ ƚŽ ƐĞƩůĞ The dŚŝƐĚĂLJ ĨƌŝŶǀĞƐƚ ϰϬ ƌŽƐĞ ϮϱďƉƐ ƚŽ Ϯ͕ϭϱϱ͘ϲϳ

THISDAY AFRINVEST 40 INDEX

at 1,674.89 points dueto to sell-pressure on ZENITH index points due buying interest in(-0.6%), GTCO WAPCO (-1.3%), and UBA (-0.7%). These stocks cumula-

(+1.7%), ZENITH (+1.3), and WAPCO ;нϬ͘ϵйͿ͘ ƵͲ

Fundamental Performance Metrics for THISDAY AFRINVEST 40 Index

ƟǀĞůLJ ĂĐĐŽƵŶƚ ĨŽƌ ϭϯ͘Ϯй͘

ŵƵůĂƟǀĞůLJ͕ ƚŚĞƐĞ ƐƚŽĐŬƐ ĂĐĐŽƵŶƚ ĨŽƌ ϭϯ͘ϵй ŽĨ ƚŚĞ

Current Price

Ticker

index.

ASI up 11bps as DANGCEM Gains 3.3%

THISDAY AFRINVEST 40

WƌĞǀŝŽƵƐ ĚĂLJ͕ ƉƌŝĐĞ Upbeat... ƵƉƟĐŬ ASI ŝŶ up,KEz&>KhZ Local Bourse Remains 0.2% (+9.8%), E' D ;нϯ͘ϯйͿ͕ ĂŶĚ & E, (+0.7%) bol-

zĞƐƚĞƌĚĂLJ͕ ƚŚĞ ůŽĐĂů ďŽƵƌƐĞ ĞdžƚĞŶĚĞĚ ŝƚƐ ƉŽƐŝƟǀĞ stered ƉŽƐŝƟǀĞ ƉĞƌĨŽƌŵĂŶĐĞ ŽŶ the local bourse as the All-

performance as the benchmark index advanced Share

index

rose

2155.67

1 Airtel Africa PLC 2 MTN Nigeria Communications PLC

by

3 BUA Cement Plc 4 Guaranty Trust Holding Co PLC 5 Zenith Bank PLC 6 Dangote Cement PLC 7 Nestle Nigeria PLC

Ϭ͘Ϯй ƉŽŝŶƚƐ ĚƵĞ ƚŽ ďƵLJ zd ŝŶƚĞƌĞƐƚ ŝŶ 11bps ƚŽ to ϰϴ͕ϮϮϯ͘ϴϲ 39,550.36 points. ŽŶƐĞƋƵĞŶƚůLJ͕ ůŽƐƐ ŝŵͲ

8 FBN Holdings Plc 9 Lafarge Africa PLC

GTCO (+1.7%), ZENITH (+1.3%), and ƌŽƐĞ FCMB proved to -1.8% while ŵĂƌŬĞƚ ĐĂƉŝƚĂůŝƐĂƟŽŶ ďLJ

10 Access Holdings PLC 11 United Bank for Africa PLC 12 Stanbic IBTC Holdings PLC

േϮϯ͘ϰďŶ ƚŽ ĐĐŽƌĚŝŶŐůLJ͕ േϮϬ͘ϲƚŶ͘ dƌĂĚŝŶŐ ĂĐƟǀŝƚLJ ǁĂƐ ŵŝdžĞĚ ĂƐ ǀŽůƵŵĞ ;нϵ͘ϴйͿ͘ zd ƌĞƚƵƌŶ ŶƵĚŐĞĚ ƵƉ ƚŽ ƚƌĂĚĞĚ ĚĞĐůŝŶĞĚ ďLJ Ϯϭ͘ϲй ƚŽ ϭϭϬ͘ϴŵ ƵŶŝƚƐ ǁŚŝůĞ value

ϭϮ͘ϵй ;ƉƌĞǀŝŽƵƐůLJ ϭϮ͘ϳйͿ ĂƐ ŝŶǀĞƐƚŽƌƐ ŐĂŝŶĞĚ

13 Nigerian Brew eries PLC 14 SEPLAT Energy PLC

ʬϰϱ͘ϵďŶ͕ ƉƵƐŚŝŶŐ ŵĂƌŬĞƚ ĐĂƉŝƚĂůŝƐĂƟŽŶ ƚŽ by volume were dZ E^ KZW ;ϭϭ͘ϵŵ ƵŶŝƚƐͿ͕ & E, (11.1m

15 Ecobank Transnational Inc 16 International Brew eries PLC 17 Okomu Oil Palm PLC

ʬϮϲ͘ϬƚŶ͘ ĂĐƟǀŝƚLJ ǁĞĂŬĞŶĞĚ ĂƐ ;േϮ͘ϮďŶͿ͕ ǀŽůƵŵĞ ƵŶŝƚƐͿ͕ ĂŶĚ dƌĂĚŝŶŐ K E K ;ϳ͘ϯŵ ƵŶŝƚƐͿ ǁŚŝůĞ E ^d>

18 Flour Mills of Nigeria PLC 19 Fidelity Bank PLC

and value;േϭϰϱ͘ϬŵͿ͕ ĂŶĚ 'd K traded dipped by ;േϭϯϰ͘ϴŵͿ ůĞĚ ďLJ ǀĂůƵĞ͘ 30.0% and 14.8% re E' D

20 AXA Mansard Insurance PLC 21 Dangote Sugar Refinery PLC

ƐƉĞĐƟǀĞůLJ ƚŽ Ϯϰϰ͘ϳŵ ƵŶŝƚƐ ĂŶĚ ʬϯ͘ϮďŶ͘

22 FCMB Group Plc 23 United Capital PLC 24 Guinness Nigeria PLC

ƚƌĂĚĞĚ ƌŽƐĞ ďLJ ϴϴ͘ϱй ƚŽ േϯ͘ϭďŶ͘ The most traded stocks

Bearish Sector Performance

1,320.00

Price Previous Price Current Change Price Change Weighting Index to Change YTD Date

0.25% 0.0%

ROE

16.2% 115.6% 39.4%

38.2%

15.0%

ROA

P/E

3.5%

5.6x

38.2%

Dividend Earnings Yield Yield

P/BV

0.8x

6.1%

ot Applicable

1.4%

15.9%

213.00

0.0%

8.2%

8.1%

8.1%

134.7%

14.1%

14.5x

22.4x

6.2%

70.75

0.0%

6.7%

5.5%

5.5%

19.1%

11.2%

34.0x

6.4x

4.0%

2.9%

24.10

1.7%

5.6%

-7.3%

-7.3%

20.7%

3.3%

3.9x

0.8x

12.5%

25.6% 32.0%

6.9%

24.30

1.3%

5.3%

-3.4%

-3.4%

20.4%

2.7%

3.1x

0.6x

12.8%

285.40

0.0%

4.5%

11.1%

11.1%

39.2%

16.3%

13.5x

5.0x

7.0%

7.4%

1,395.00

0.0%

2.9%

-10.4%

-10.4%

106.8%

15.6%

27.1x

31.8x

3.7%

3.7%

11.95

0.0%

3.3%

4.8%

4.8%

8.4%

0.8%

7.0x

0.6x

3.8%

14.2%

23.25

0.9%

3.0%

-2.9%

-2.9%

11.6%

8.4%

8.7x

1.0x

8.5%

11.5%

9.60

0.0%

2.6%

8.00

0.0%

2.0%

-0.6%

-0.6%

15.8%

1.4%

2.4x

0.4x

12.5%

42.3%

33.25

0.0%

1.4%

-7.6%

-7.6%

15.1%

2.1%

7.5x

1.2x

9.0%

13.4%

48.15

0.3%

1.4%

-3.7%

-3.7%

7.6%

2.7%

30.2x

2.2x

3.3%

3.3%

1,030.00

0.0%

2.3%

58.5%

58.5%

8.7%

4.1%

9.4x

0.8x

3.7%

10.6%

11.95

-0.4%

1.7%

37.4%

37.4%

16.9%

1.0%

2.7x

0.4x

5.6%

4.90

0.0%

1.0%

-1.0%

-1.0%

-10.3%

-3.9%

153.90

0.0%

1.1%

8.4%

8.4%

36.5%

23.3%

10.4x

3.5x

5.2%

9.6%

31.00

0.0%

1.0%

9.3%

9.3%

15.9%

4.5%

4.7x

0.7x

5.3%

21.1% 34.0%

3.2%

7.3%

0.9x

37.0% -11.6%

3.87

0.5%

0.9%

51.8%

51.8%

13.3%

1.3%

2.9x

0.4x

9.1%

2.59

-0.4%

0.6%

11.6%

11.6%

9.3%

3.0%

8.0x

0.8x

9.7%

12.6%

15.95

-0.3%

0.4%

-8.3%

-8.3%

17.4%

6.9%

8.8x

1.5x

6.3%

11.4%

3.60

9.8%

0.5%

20.4%

20.4%

10.2%

1.1%

13.50

0.0%

0.5%

36.4%

36.4%

82.25

0.0%

0.7%

110.9%

110.9%

13.3%

6.0%

17.3x

2.2x

0.6%

5.8%

1.00

-1.0%

0.3%

4.2%

4.2%

11.1%

2.3%

5.3x

0.6x

2.0%

18.8%

0.3x

5.6%

3.4x

11.1%

Bullish Sector Performance

25 Transnational Corp of Nigeria 26 Presco PLC

132.90

0.0%

0.4%

51.4%

51.4%

2.8x

0.8%

Across sectors within our coverage, performance

27 NASCON Allied Industries PLC 28 AIICO Insurance PLC

12.00

0.0%

0.3%

-9.1%

-9.1%

21.3%

6.9%

11.3x

2.3x

3.3%

0.68

-1.4%

0.2%

-2.9%

-2.9%

14.0%

2.2%

23.0x

0.7x

2.9%

4.3%

was bullish as 5 indices gained while the AFR-ICT ŝŶĚĞdž ƌĞŵĂŝŶĞĚ ŇĂƚ͘ dŽƉƉŝŶŐ ƚŚĞ ůĂŐŐĂƌĚƐ ĂƌĞ ƚŚĞ ŽŶƐƵŵͲ

29 TotalEnergies Marketing Nigeri 30 Custodian and Allied Insurance

238.50

0.0%

0.2%

7.5%

7.5%

48.0%

9.5%

4.8x

2.0x

8.0%

20.7%

6.60

1.5%

0.2%

-16.5%

-16.5%

19.5%

5.5%

3.9x

0.7x

7.6%

25.8%

er 'ŽŽĚƐ ĂŶĚŇĂƚ͘ Insurance ŝŶĚĞdž ĐůŽƐĞĚ dŚĞ Oilindices, Θ Gasdown index4.6% led and the

31 Vitafoam Nigeria PLC 32 Unilever Nigeria PLC

22.40

0.0%

0.2%

-0.4%

-0.4%

38.7%

16.0%

5.7x

2.1x

6.7%

17.4%

12.20

0.0%

0.1%

-15.9%

-15.9%

7.8%

4.9%

27.1x

1.1x

4.1%

3.7%

ϭ͘Ϯй ƌĞƐƉĞĐƟǀĞůLJ ŽŶ ƚŚĞ ďĂĐŬ ŽĨ ƉƌŽĮƚ-ƚĂŬŝŶŐ ŝŶ E ^d> (ŐĂŝŶĞƌƐ͕ ƵƉ ϭ͘ϲй ŽŶ ĂĐĐŽƵŶƚ ŽĨ ƉƌŝĐĞ ƵƉƟĐŬ ŝŶ

33 Julius Berger Nigeria PLC 34 Union Bank of Nigeria PLC

27.00

0.0%

0.2%

20.8%

20.8%

18.9%

2.4%

4.1x

0.8x

9.3%

24.5%

4.0%

Across sectors under our coverage, performance was

bearish as 4 indices lost, 1 index gained ǁŚŝůĞ ƚŚĞ &Z-/ d

9.1%),

hE/> s Z

(-3.5%),

>/E< ^^hZ

(-6.4%),

K E K ;нϵ͘ϵйͿ ĂŶĚ d ZE ;нϭϬ͘ϬйͿ͘ &ŽůůŽǁŝŶŐ͕

35 Oando PLC 36 Wema Bank PLC

the ĂŶŬŝŶŐ and Insurance indices advanced

37 NEM Insurance PLC 38 Sterling Bank PLC

Ϭ͘ϱй ĂŶĚ Ϭ͘ϰй ƌĞƐƉĞĐƟǀĞůLJ ĚƵĞ ƚŽ ŝŶǀĞƐƚŽƌƐ͛ upŽīƐ ŝŶ K E K (-0.8%), E/d, (-Ϭ͘ϮйͿ͕ ĂŶĚ 'd K ;-Ϭ͘ϮйͿ͘

39 Notore Chemical Industries Ltd 40 Transcorp Hotels Plc

and D E^ Z (-Ϯ͘ϮйͿ͘ ^ŝŵŝůĂƌůLJ͕ ƚŚĞ Kŝů Θ 'ĂƐ ĂŶĚ ĂŶŬͲ

ing indices fell by Ϭ͘Ϯй ĂŶĚ ϮďƉƐ ƌĞƐƉĞĐƟǀĞůLJ ĚƵĞ ƚŽ ƐĞůů-

ŽŶǀĞƌƐĞůLJ͕ ƚŚĞ /ŶĚƵƐƚƌŝĂů 'ŽŽĚƐ ŝŶĚĞdž ǁĂƐ ƚŚĞ ůŽŶĞ ŐĂŝŶͲ ďĞĂƚ ŝŶ E/d, ;нϭ͘ϯйͿ͕ t D E< ;нϮ͘ϮйͿ͕

6.25

0.0%

0.1%

5.9%

5.9%

7.1%

0.8%

7.0x

0.7x

5.33

9.9%

0.1%

20.6%

20.6%

14.5%

2.6%

2.3x

0.3x

3.19

2.2%

0.0%

343.1%

343.1%

14.1%

0.8%

13.9x

1.9x

7.5%

7.2%

4.01

0.0%

0.1%

-10.9%

-10.9%

21.5%

12.8%

4.6x

0.9x

5.5%

21.9%

1.9x

0.3x

6.7%

1.49

0.0%

0.1%

-1.3%

-1.3%

9.4%

0.9%

62.50

0.0%

0.1%

0.0%

0.0%

-28.3%

-6.1%

4.95

0.0%

0.0%

-8.0%

-8.0%

T ic k er

ƟŽŶ in E' D (+3.3%).

2.4x 0.8x

1.5%

T ic k er

Vo lum e

P ric e C hg %

P ric e C hg %

ET ER N A

6.05

10.0%

C UST OD IA N

38.7

1.5%

B ER GER

7.70

10.0%

OA N D O

19.5

9.9%

;нϬ͘ϯйͿ͕ t W K ;нϬ͘ϵйͿ͕ ĂŶĚ hd/y ;нϰ͘ϬйͿ

OA N D O

5.33

9.9%

F ID ELIT YB K

17.3

0.5%

M EYER

2.12

9.8%

NB

15.3

0.3%

drove the Consumer and Industrial Goods up by

SKYA VN

6.37

9.8%

T R A N SC OR P

13.9

-1.0%

/ŶǀĞƐƚŽƌƐ ƐĞŶƟŵĞŶƚ͕ ĂƐ ŵĞĂƐƵƌĞĚ ďLJ ŵĂƌŬĞƚ ďƌĞĂĚƚŚ

FCM B

3.60

9.8%

Z EN IT H B A N K

10.8

1.3%

9.2

-0.4%

/ŶǀĞƐƚŽƌ ^ĞŶƟŵĞŶƚ ^ƚƌĞŶŐƚŚĞŶƐ

Ϭ͘Ϯй ĂŶĚ Ϭ͘ϭй ƌĞƐƉĞĐƟǀĞůLJ͘

;ĂĚǀĂŶĐĞͬĚĞĐůŝŶĞ ƌĂƟŽͿ͕ ƐƚƌĞŶŐƚŚĞŶĞĚ͕ ƐĞƩůŝŶŐ Ăƚ 1.6x ĨƌŽŵ ϭ͘ϯdž ƌĞĐŽƌĚĞĚ ŝŶ ƚŚĞ ůĂƐƚ ƚƌĂĚŝŶŐ ƐĞƐƐŝŽŶ ĂƐ Ϯϰ stocks

Outlook

advanced while 15 stocks declined. MRS (+9.9%), MAY-

F T N C OC OA

0.34

9.7%

M A N SA R D

C OR N ER ST

0.61

8.9%

F T N C OC OA

8.5

9.7%

7.6

0.0%

7.4

0.0%

PZ

10.10

7.4%

UB A

R EGA LIN S

0.34

6.3%

A C C ESSC OR P

/ŶǀĞƐƚŽƌ ƐĞŶƟŵĞŶƚ͕ ĂƐ ŵĞĂƐƵƌĞĚ ďLJ ŵĂƌŬĞƚ BAKER (+9.8%), and HONYFLOUR (+9.8%) led gainers

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

ďƌĞĂĚƚŚ͕ ŝŵƉƌŽǀĞĚ ƚŽ Ϭ͘Ϯϳdž ĨƌŽŵ Ϭ͘ϭϭdž ŝŶ ƚŚĞ ƉƌŝͲ while ABCTRANS (-8.3%), LASACO (-6.7%), and LIVE-

T ic k er

P ric e

P ric e C hg %

T ic k er

Value

SC OA

1.94

-9.8%

NB

733.0

0.3%

STOCK (-4.8%) led losers. Previous day, we expect the Žƌ ƐĞƐƐŝŽŶ ĂƐ Ϯϵ ƐƚŽĐŬƐ ĂĚǀĂŶĐĞĚ͕ ϵ ĚĞĐůŝŶĞĚ

A B CTRA NS

0.29

-6.5%

M TNN

399.7

0.0%

N EIM ET H

1.36

-3.5%

Z EN IT H B A N K

261.0

1.3%

255.5

1.5%

165.8

1.7%

ŵĂƌŬĞƚ ƐĞŶƟŵĞŶƚ ƚŽ ƌĞŵĂŝŶ ŵŝdžĞĚ͕ ĂƐ earnings season

ǁŚŝůĞ ϳϰ ĐůŽƐĞĚ ŇĂƚ͘ /Ŷ ƚŚĞ ĮŶĂů ƚƌĂĚŝŶŐ ƐĞƐƐŝŽŶ ŽĨ

M A YB A KER

4.27

-3.0%

C UST OD IA N

gradually winds up.

A IIC O

0.68

-1.4%

GT C O

ƚŚĞ ǁĞĞŬ͕ ǁĞ ĂŶƟĐŝƉĂƚĞ ƚŚĞ ŵĂƌŬĞƚ ƚŽ ĐůŽƐĞ ƉŽƐŝͲ ƟǀĞ ĂƐ ŝŶǀĞƐƚŽƌƐ ĐŽŶƟŶƵĞ ƚŽ ŚƵŶƚ ĨŽƌ ďĂƌŐĂŝŶƐ͘

Afrinvest West Africa Limited

51.4% -13.8%

P ric e

>ŝŬĞǁŝƐĞ͕ ƉƌŝĐĞ ĂƉƉƌĞĐŝĂƟŽŶ ŝŶ W ;нϳ͘ϱйͿ͕ E

14.2% 43.6%

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

T o p 10 G a in e r s

er, up 1.8% driven by price apprecia KZE Z^d ;нϴ͘ϵйͿ͕ ĂŶĚ h^dK / E ;нϭ͘ϱйͿ͘

8.9%

P ric e C hg %

T R A N SC OR P

1.00

-1.0%

N GXGR OUP

113.3

0.0%

ET I

11.95

-0.4%

OA N D O

101.3

9.9%

M A N SA R D

2.59

-0.4%

T OT A L

95.6

0.0%

D A N GSUGA R

15.95

-0.3%

WA P C O

85.3

0.9%

GUIN N ESS

79.4

0.0%

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

Damilare Asimiyu | dasimiyu@afrinvest.com

39

FRIDAY, APRIL 22, 2022 • T H I S D AY

MARKET NEWS A Mutual fund (Unit Trust) is an investment vehicle managed by a SEC (Securities and Exchange Commission) registered Fund Manager.

Investors with similar objectives buy units of the Fund so that the Fund Manager can buy securities that willl generate their desired return.

An ETF (Exchange Traded Fund) is a type of fund which owns the assets (shares of stock, bonds, oil futures, gold bars, foreign currency, etc.) and divides ownership of those assets into shares. Investors can buy these ‘shares’ on the

floor of the Nigerian Stock Exchange.

A REIT (Real Estate Investment Trust) is an investment vehicle that allows both small and large investors to part-own real estate ventures (eg.

Offices, Houses, Hospitals) in proportion to their investments. The assets are divided into shares that are traded on the Nigerian Stock Exchange.

GUIDE TO DATA: Date: All fund prices are quoted in Naira as at 20Apr-2022, unless otherwise stated.

Offer price: The price at which units of a trust or ETF are bought by investors.

Bid Price: The price at which Investors redeem (sell) units of a trust or ETF. Yield/Total Return: Denotes the total return an investor would have earned on his investment. Money Market Funds report Yield while others report Year- to-date Total Return.

NAV: Is value per share of the real estate assets held by a REIT on a specific date.

DAILY PRICE LIST FOR MUTUAL FUNDS, REITS and ETFS MUTUAL FUNDS / UNIT TRUSTS AFRINVEST ASSET MANAGEMENT LTD aaml@afrinvest.com Web: www.afrinvest.com; Tel: +234 818 885 6757 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Afrinvest Equity Fund 181.78 182.93 8.91% Afrinvest Plutus Fund 100.00 100.00 5.68% Nigeria International Debt Fund 319.47 319.47 4.19% Afrinvest Dollar Fund 105.02 106.17 6.46% 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 8.45% AIICO Balanced Fund 3.59 3.65 1.25% ANCHORIA ASSET MANAGEMENT LIMITED info@anchoriaam.com Web:www.anchoriaam.com, Tel: 08166830267; 08036814510; 08028419180 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Anchoria Money Market 100.00 100.00 6.79% Anchoria Equity Fund 144.87 146.54 4.04% Anchoria Fixed Income Fund 1.19 1.19 4.30% ARM INVESTMENT MANAGERS LTD enquiries@arminvestmentcenter.com info@anchoriaam.com Web: www.arm.com.ng; Tel: 0700 CALLARM (0700 225 5276) Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn ARM Aggressive Growth Fund 21.38 22.03 5.42% ARM Discovery Balanced Fund 486.17 500.83 7.76% ARM Ethical Fund 41.45 42.70 6.39% ARM Eurobond Fund ($) 1.06 1.06 -1.97% ARM Fixed Income Fund 1.03 1.04 2.00% ARM Money Market Fund 1.00 1.00 5.60% AVA GLOBAL ASSET MANAGERS LIMITED info@avacapitalgroup.com Web: www.avacapitalgroup.com; Tel 08069294653 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn AVA GAM Fixed Income Dollar Fund 104.8 104.8 7.68% AVA GAM Fixed Income Dollar Naira 1,096.40 1,096.40 9.64% AXA MANSARD INVESTMENTS LIMITED investmentcare@axamansard.com Web: www.axamansard.com; Tel: +2341-4488482 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn AXA Mansard Equity Income Fund N/A N/A N/A AXA Mansard Money Market Fund N/A N/A N/A CAPITAL EXPRESS ASSET AND TRUST LIMITED info@capitalexpressassetandtrust.com Web: www.capitalexpressassetandtrust.com; Tel: +234 803 307 5048 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn CEAT Fixed Income Fund 2.11 2.11 9.75% Capital Express Balanced Fund(Formerly: Union Trustees Mixed Fund) 2.27 2.32 14.03% CAPITALTRUST INVESTMENTS AND ASSET MANAGEMENT LIMITED halalfif@capitaltrustnigeria.com Web: www.capitaltrustnigeria.com; Tel: 08061458806 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Capitaltrust Halal Fixed Income Fund 1,010.84 1,010.84 3.32% CARDINALSTONE ASSET MANAGEMENT LIMITED mutualfunds@cardinalstone.com Web: www.cardinalstoneassetmanagement.com; Tel: +234 (1) 710 0433 4 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn CardinalStone Fixed Income Alpha Fund 1.03 1.03 2.57% CHAPELHILL DENHAM MANAGEMENT LTD investmentmanagement@chapelhilldenham.com Web: www.chapelhilldenham.com, Tel: +234 461 0691 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Chapelhill Denham Money Market Fund 100.00 100.00 7.18% Paramount Equity Fund 19.14 19.5 9.77% Women's Investment Fund 148.74 150.47 4.71% CORDROS ASSET MANAGEMENT LIMITED assetmgtteam@cordros.com Web: www.cordros.com, Tel: 019036947 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Cordros Money Market Fund 100.00 100.00 6.03% Cordros Milestone Fund 141.98 142.91 7.40% Cordros Dollar Fund ($) 108.89 108.89 4.87% CORONATION ASSETS MANAGEMENT investment@coronationam.com Web:www.coronationam.com, Tel: 012366215 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Coronation Money Market Fund N/A N/A N/A Coronation Balanced Fund N/A N/A N/A Coronation Fixed Income Fund N/A N/A N/A 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 4.42% EDC Nigeria Money Market Fund Class B 1,000,000.00 1,000,000.00 6.01% EDC Nigeria Fixed Income Fund 1,162.20 1,171.23 -0.38% EMERGING AFRICA ASSET MANAGEMENT LIMITED assetmanagement@emergingafricafroup.com Web:www.emergingafricagroup.com/emerging-africa-asset-management-limited/, Tel: 08039492594 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Emerging Africa Money Market Fund 1.00 1.00 7.90% Emerging Africa Bond Fund 1.03 1.03 6.86% Emerging Africa Balanced Diversity Fund 1.03 1.03 13.60% Emerging Africa Eurobond Fund 102.01 102.01 3.95% FBNQUEST ASSETS MANAGEMENT LIMITED invest@fbnquest.com Web: www.fbnquest.com/asset-management; Tel: +234-81 0082 0082 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn FBN Bond Fund N/A N/A N/A FBN Balanced Fund N/A N/A N/A FBN Halal Fund N/A N/A N/A FBN Money Market Fund N/A N/A N/A FBN Dollar Fund (Retail) N/A N/A N/A FBN Nigeria Smart Beta Equity Fund N/A N/A N/A 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 N/A N/A N/A Legacy Debt Fund N/A N/A N/A Legacy Equity Fund N/A N/A N/A Legacy USD Bond Fund N/A N/A N/A 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 Balanced Fund 4,036.60 4,100.47 3.73% Coral Income Fund 3,532.45 3,532.45 1.85%

Coral Money Market Fund

100.00

100.00

6.07%

FSDH Dollar Fund 1.10 1.10 1.06% 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 N/A N/A N/A Vantage Balanced Fund N/A N/A N/A Vantage Guaranteed Income Fund N/A N/A N/A Kedari Investment Fund (KIF) N/A N/A N/A Vantage Equity Income Fund (VEIF) - June Year End N/A N/A N/A Vantage Dollar Fund (VDF) - June Year End N/A N/A N/A 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 1.52 1.55 5.59% Lotus Halal Fixed Income Fund 1,146.13 1,146.13 2.98% 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 12.88 12.97 9.22% Meristem Money Market Fund 10.00 10.00 8.46% NORRENBERGER INVESTMENT AND CAPITAL MANAGEMENT LIMITED enquiries@norrenberger.com Web: www.norrenberger.com, Tel: +234 (0) 908 781 2026 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Norrenberger Islamic Fund (NIF) 101.23 101.23 9.65% Norrenberger Money Market Fund (NMMF) 100.00 100.00 8.35% 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 1.64 1.66 1.86% PACAM Fixed Income Fund 11.59 11.49 3.11% PACAM Money Market Fund 10.00 10.00 6.66% PACAM Equity Fund 1.48 1.49 4.29% PACAM EuroBond Fund 116.29 119.00 1.03% 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 128.73 131.55 4.99% SFS CAPITAL NIGERIA LTD investments@sfsnigeria.com Web: www.sfsnigeria.com, Tel: +234 (01) 2801400 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn SFS Fixed Income Fund 1.02 1.02 9.25% 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 N/A N/A N/A Stanbic IBTC Bond Fund N/A N/A N/A Stanbic IBTC Ethical Fund N/A N/A N/A Stanbic IBTC Guaranteed Investment Fund N/A N/A N/A Stanbic IBTC Iman Fund N/A N/A N/A Stanbic IBTC Money Market Fund N/A N/A N/A Stanbic IBTC Nigerian Equity Fund N/A N/A N/A Stanbic IBTC Dollar Fund (USD) N/A N/A N/A Stanbic IBTC Shariah Fixed Income Fund N/A N/A N/A Stanbic IBTC Enhanced Short-Term Fixed Income Fund N/A N/A N/A UNITED CAPITAL ASSET MANAGEMENT LTD unitedcapitalplcgroup.com Web: www.unitedcapitalplcgroup.com; Tel: +234 01-6317876 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn United Capital Equity Fund N/A N/A N/A United Capital Balanced Fund N/A N/A N/A United Capital Wealth for Women Fund N/A N/A N/A United Capital Sukuk Fund N/A N/A N/A United Capital Fixed Income Fund N/A N/A N/A United Capital Eurobond Fund N/A N/A N/A United Capital Money Market Fund N/A N/A N/A QUANTUM ZENITH ASSET MANAGEMENT & INVESTMENTS LTD service@quantumzenithasset.com.ng Web: www.quantumzenith.com.ng; Tel: +234 1-2784219 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Zenith Balanced Strategy Fund 13.66 13.79 3.76% Zenith ESG Impact Fund 15.77 15.94 7.23% Zenith Income Fund 22.46 22.46 2.02% Zenith Money Market Fund 1.00 1.00 5.52%

REITS NAV Per Share

Yield / T-Rtn

122.16 53.16

1.62% 0.82%

Bid Price

Offer Price

Yield / T-Rtn

14.43 137.55 109.10 20.07 22.18

14.53 140.92 111.47 21.17 22.28

3.31% 4.48% 5.27% 0.00% 0.00%

Fund Name SFS REIT Union Homes REIT EXCHANGE TRADED FUNDS Fund Name Lotus Halal Equity Exchange Traded Fund SIAML Pension ETF 40 Stanbic IBTC ETF 30 Fund MERGROWTH ETF MERVALUE ETF

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

4.22 5.71 18.54 1.00 21.50 167.28

4.32 5.81 18.74 1.00 21.70 169.28

5.08% -2.30% 4.81% 4.62% 7.53% 5.99%

INFRASTRUCTURE FUND

Fund Name NAV Per Share Yield / T-Rtn Chapel Hill Denham Nigeria Infrastructure Debt Fund 107.55 10.80% 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.

40

FRIDAY APRIL 22, 2022 •T H I S D AY

41

T H I S D AY • FRIDAY, APRIL 22, 2022

NEWSXTRA

MAKING A CASE FOR THE YOUTHS...

L-R: Director General, All Progressives Congress, (APC) Support Group, Obidike Chukwuebuka; APC National Youth Leader, Dayo Israel, and APC Youth Leader, North Central, Zubair Aliyu, during a press conference at the party's national secretariat in Abuja… yesterday ENOCK REUBEN

Insecurity: Govs Express Concern over Drug Related Inducement NDLEA, DSS seal off Abuja hotel to stop launch of new psychoactive drink Chuks Okocha and Michael Olugbode in Abuja The Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF), yesterday, at the end of their fourth meeting this year, expressed concern over the connection between drug use and rising insecurity across parts of the country.

A statement by the Chairman of NGF, and Governor of Ekiti State, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, stated that the governors reached this conclusion, because of the briefing on Drug Abuse and Insecurity – Relationship and New Perspectives by the Chairman/Chief Executive of the National Drug Law Enforcement

UN Allocates $15m to Address Food Insecurity, Malnutrition in North-east Michael Olugbode in Abuja The United Nations (UN) has allocated $15 million to support humanitarian assistance in northeastern part of Nigeria.

A statement by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) yesterday, disclosed that the Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, Mr. Martins Griffiths allocated $15 million emergency funding from the UN Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) to support urgently needed humanitarian assistance in north-east Nigeria.

The statement quoted the UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator (a.i) for Nigeria, Mr. Matthias Schmale, to have said: “The food security and nutrition situation is deteriorating, with more and more families pushed towards vulnerability, and forced to resort to negative coping mechanisms including child labour and early marriage.”

He added that: “As desperation pushes extremely vulnerable people to the edge, food and nutrition assistance is critical for their survival.

"The $15 million CERF allocation comes right on time to respond to the most urgent needs of people at extreme risk as we appeal to Member States to provide the resources we urgently need.”

According to the statement, the CERF allocation would enable humanitarian agencies improve and strengthen timely and coordinated access to appropriate

food and cash aid to the most vulnerable in crisis-affected areas.

Schmale said: “Thanks to the support of humanitarian agencies and donors, a catastrophic food insecurity was averted in 2021.

However, danger looms again for the people of north-east Nigeria if efforts are not sustained and the urgently needed resources are not made available, to enable us to take immediate action for the people of north-eastern Nigeria.”

The statement revealed that the $15 million allocation to the humanitarian response in Nigeria was part of $100 million that the UN allocated to fight hunger in Africa and the Middle East, as the spill-over effects of the war in Ukraine threaten to push millions even closer to famine and exacerbate humanitarian needs.

Violence and conflict over the last 12 years have turned northeast Nigeria into a prolonged and alarming humanitarian crisis which has displaced 2.2 million people.

According to the Cadre Harmonisé food and nutrition analysis published in March 2022, about 600,000 people were projected to be in an emergency situation, not knowing where their next meal would come from.

They are among 4.1 million people projected to be food insecure in the crisis-affected states of Borno, Adamawa, and Yobe, during the peak of the June to August 2022 lean season.

This was a 19 per cent increase in the number of people in need of food security assistance since the October 2021 analysis, including an alarming 28 per cent increase in the number of people in the emergency category.

Agency (NDLEA) Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd).

This is as a joint team of NDLEA and the Department of State Services (DSS), raided and sealed off Diplomatic Suite Hotel, Asokoro, Abuja, to stop the launch of new psychoactivedrink.

However, according to the communique, the governor’s meeting was in furtherance of its March 2021 commitment to the agency, when the NDLEA Chief Executive first presented the case to the governors The communique said that the governors reiterated their commitment to maintain logistical support to the agency, and provide additional opportunities for operational synergy, including bringing the agency into the State’s Security Council meetings, and providing land for barrack operations.

Also, the communique stated

that governors received an update on the States Fiscal Transparency, Accountability and Sustainability (SFTAS) Programme-for-Results from Samer Matta, Senior Economist and Co-Tax Team Leader of the World Bank.

The communique explained that the update that was part of measures taken to improve public financial management outcomes in the country covered ongoing state-level reforms to promote the adoption of e-procurement and open contracting data standards, records for state property taxation, and the publication of audit laws and audited financial statements.

It further claimed that the governors’ secretariat would be positioned to coordinate a series of sustainability projects to maintain the positive outcomes

achieved under the SFTAS programme.

The governors also received a presentation on Improving Health Financing and Universal Health Coverage from Eduardo Gonzalez-Pier, Senior Technical Advisor for Palladium, an implementing partner for USAID’s Integrated Health Programme, where it shared its vision to achieve Universal Health Coverage by 2030 (SDG3).

The communique stated also, that among the set of actions pushed forward and adopted, was the continued release of equity fund to cover the vulnerable population in all states of the federation, onboarding of civil servants not yet covered under any health insurance scheme and preserving health sector spending amidst the current contraction in fiscal space for governments.

The governors believed these changes would help stem the country’s declining labour productivity caused by illness.

Relatedly, a statement by the NDLEA spokesman, Femi Babafemi, said the Abuja hotel was sealed off to stop a cannabis party and the launch of new psychoactive drink.

The statement read in part: “Operatives of the NDLEA have raided and sealed Diplomatic Suite Hotel, Asokoro, Abuja in a joint operation with men of the Department of State Services, DSS to stop a cannabis party and the launch of a suspected new psychoactive drink.”

Babafemi disclosed that about 200 attendees including three young ladies, who organised the hemp party were currently being profiled and interviewed while bottles of the new drink have been taken for lab analysis.

Ekiti Pensioners Go Spiritual over N37.8bn Unpaid Gratuities, Pensions Want special ministry for senior citizens Victor Ogunje in Ado Ekiti The Nigerian Union of Pensioners (NUP), Ekiti State chapter, yesterday, began a prayer session, seeking God's face for swift intervention for the payment of their N37.8 billion gratuities and several months arrears of pensions.

The pensioners also expressed anger over alleged non-compliance of the state government over the review of pensions in conformity with section 210, Sub-section 3 of the 1999 constitution, which mandated that, "pensions shall be reviewed every five years alongside the Civil Service Salary."

The pensioners also appealed to Governor Kayode Fayemi to establish the Ministry of Elderly and Senior Citizens, to administer the affairs of elder statesmen and tackle their plights in a manner akin to what the

Ministries of Youth and Women Affairs were saddled with.

The pensioners spoke at a press conference held in Ado Ekiti,yesterday, by its Chairman, Mr. Joel Akinola.

Akinola, in his speech titled: "Pensioners Are Angry and Seeking Divine Intervention of the Supreme Being for An urgent Solution," lamented that many of their members received gratuities last in 2012, thereby subjecting them to hardship and unwarranted deaths.

The NUP leader said: "As at December 2021, the state pensioners were owed N18 billion and last paid in 2013.

The local government pensioners were owed N19.8bn and last paid September, 2012.

"State pensioners are owed three months arrears of pensions and the local government are owed seven months. We want to say enough is enough. Let them give whatever is due

to Ceasar onto Ceasar.

"We have written to all party candidates to come here and tell us how they want to offset the indebtedness. We are their fathers, senior citizens and we are apolitical. We won't allow them to come here and make promises they will never fulfil.

"In 2018, they came here to make promises to clear the indebtedness within six months, but rather than clearing it, it was increasing. The APC candidate will be here soon.

"We made this state the 'Fountain of Knowledge,' they will come here to sign a Memorandum of Understanding with us and if they fail, we will go their families and churches to report them."

Cataloguing the sufferings and hardships being experienced by members, Akinola, said many homes had broken when male Pensioners could no longer meet their domestic obligations and

witnessed untimely deaths due to inability to pay their medical bills.

Other challenges, according to Akinola included, "failure to pay the school fees of their children in different institutions of learning. inability to eat nutritious food for survival and depression and hopelessness.

"We request for the establishment of the Ministry of the Elderly and Senior Citizens. It is our belief that the establishment of the ministry like the ministries of Youths and Women Affairs, will be an avenue for the pensioners to lay bare their plights to government."

Akinola alleged further that the inability of the state government to implement the consequential adjustment had consequently caused disparity in the payment of pensions between old and new Pensioners.

42

T H I S D AY • FRIDAY, APRIL 22, 2022

NEWSXTRA

SECURITY ON THEIR MINDS… L-R: Inspector General of Police, Usman Alkali Baba; National Security Adviser, Maj-Gen Babagana Monguno, rtd, and Minister of Defence, Bashir Magashi, during the press briefing GODWIN OMOIGUI after the security council meeting chaired by President Muhammadu Buhari at the Presidential Villa, Abuja...yesterday

Obasanjo: State Police is Solution to Nigeria’s Worsening Insecurity Serial leadership failure responsible for national woes, says Obi James Sowole in Akure and Emmanuel Ugwu-Nwogo in Umuahia Former President Olusegun Obasanjo, yesterday, said multilevel policing otherwise called state police was the solution to the nation’s concerning security situation.

Obasanjo, who stated this when the leadership of the National Association of Ex-local Government Chairmen in Nigeria, paid him a courtesy visit in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital, said state police would be a better option to community policing.

This is as a frontline presidential aspirant and former governor of Anambra State, Mr Peter Obi, said the serial leadership failures in the country was responsible for the intractable security problems and other woes plaguing the nation.

However, Obasanjo, whose position was contained in a statement by his Special Assistant on Media, Kehinde Akinyemi, commended the initiative behind the formation of ALGON, saying it showed that some local chairmen were better than some top elected

leaders.

While responding to one of the speakers, Chinwe MonuOlarewaju's submission on creation of community police to curb the wave of insecurity, the former president said the idea needed to be changed.

"Our situation in Nigeria concerns everyone, particularly, the case of terrorism. The case has gotten over the issue of community police. It is now state police. It is from that state police that we can now be talking about community police," he said.

Obasanjo also spoke on the need to strengthen the traditional system and the local government administration, "which I prepared during the popular Murtala/ Obasanjo administration, because I believe that there is need to enable that tier of government to work truly as a local government. They have their own Executive, Judiciary and Legislature.

"They were working and they were very visible, building and managing roads, looking into education, health, local administration, agriculture, but they were all gone," Obasanjo said.

He explained that the experience that the former chairmen had in local government administration, was enough to aspire for higher posts, stressing that some of them had the competence, ability and integrity to get to these posts.

Obasanjo, who was presented with a letter of a life patron, assured them that he would look into their request, further noted that he would be available on request for their needs at all times.

Leader of the delegation and pioneer National chairman of the association, Hon. Albert Asipa, told Obasanjo, that they decided to come together in all the 774 local governments in the country, so that they could also contribute to the economy and political developments of the country.

He said it was in realisation of Obasanjo's position as father of local government in Nigeria, that made them to visit him in order to actualise their goals.

Accompanying the chairman were the Ogun State chapter Chairman, Shoyemi Coker, Board of Trustees (BoT) Chairman, Hon. Chinwe Monu-Olarewaju (Delta State), the traditional ruler of

Odogbolu, Oba Toye Mojeed Alatise, and Gbegande of Ososa, among others.

On his part, Obi, a Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) member, who spoke while addressing Abia State PDP delegates in Umuahia, yesterday, said there was an urgent need to arrest the drift, otherwise, things would keep getting worse.

He noted that Nigeria had been a victim of bad governance

churning out bad development indices that were antithetical to its huge resources and potentials, using statistics to point out that 98 million Nigerians were living under poverty and not sure of food, while the number of unemployed persons accounted for 35% of the population.

The presidential aspirant said it remained a sad story that Nigeria had 15 million out of school

children, just the county's debt profile, which as at 2017 stood at about N57 trillion, had kept piling up and might have hit between 135 and 140 trillion soon.

Worse still, Obi said Nigeria's huge debts could not be repaid since they were incurred "for consumption and not production", adding that over 90 per cent the revenue were being used to service debts.

Edo Excites W'Bank Delegates with Interventions in Communities

The Edo State Nigeria Erosion and Watershed Management Project (NEWMAP) has rolled out the impact of the government’s intervention in flood and gully erosion ravaged communities across the state to the World Bank and 23 other NEWMAP benefitting states.

The Coordinator of Edo NEWMAP, Dr. Tom Obaseki, who led other officials of the Edo NEWMAP to an Implementation Completion and Result Mission (ICRM) meeting with the World Bank Project Management team, in Awka, Anambra, showcased the gains of the project’s intervention

on communities and residents of the state.

The event was an important part of the winding-down process of the NEWMAP intervention in states. The meeting was an opportunity for the 23 NEWMAP participating states to furnish the World Bank project management staff with details of various projects executed during the project period to enable the preparation of a comprehensive Implementation Completion and Result Report (ICRR) by the Bank.

The NEWMAP is a World Bank-funded intervention, implemented in partnership

with the Federal Ministry of Environment and other partner agencies, to address gully erosion and flooding in states.

Obaseki said there are 15 intervention sites in various communities in Edo State that have continued to positively impact on residents, opening up communities and improving the livelihoods of people in the state.

He disclosed that the sites are located in Ekehuan, Queen Ede, Oshiobugie - Auchi, Igbei-Auchi, Edo College, Ogiso, Gapiona, Urora, Iguosa, Fugar-Agenebode, Ewu, Emu, Ibore, and EmuOhordua, among others.

Seriki Adinoyi in Jos

comprise 40 automatic weapons and 477 locally fabricated firearms.

The automatic weapons include 26 AK-47 rifles, one FN rifle, two Beretta rifles, three G3 rifles, six Beretta pistols, one Harris Burg pistol, and one SMG. Others include 183 locally fabricated Rifles, 163 Dane Guns, 102 Locally Fabricated pistols and 19 locally fabricated SMGs, six Single Barrel Guns and one Pump Action.”

Gen Ali also used the opportunity to dispel the unfounded campaign of calumny trending on some social media platforms that he has been compromising and taking side with a particular ethnic group in the conflict between farmers and herders in Plateau.

He said, “Contrary to this falsehood, it is pertinent to note that as a member of the Armed Forces, I have sworn my allegiance to defend the country and protect the lives and properties of all

citizens devoid of any ethnic, religious or pecuniary sentiments.”

He appreciated citizens that provided credible information that led to the success of the arms recovery and urged the troops to sustain the tempo in order to decisively curtail the activities of criminal elements.

Receiving the weapons, Gen. Bature appreciated the troops and urged the public to always give necessary information to mop out illegal firearms from the hands of criminals.

“I encourage the Operation Safe Haven to step up the tide to ensure that we recover all firearms from the society, knowing that we are moving towards the election and we want everybody to be on the same page.”

He expressed hope that more weapons would be recovered from the public as they continue to collaborate for the recovery of small arms and light weapons.

2023 Polls: Exorbitant Cost of Nomination Forms Worries Yiaga Africa Military Recovers 517 Weapons from Bandits in Plateau Chuks Okocha in Abuja Yiaga Africa has expressed concern over the high cost of nomination forms being charged by political parties ahead of the 2023 general elections.

In a statement by the Executive Director of Yiaga, Samson Itodo, the group championing youths involvement in elections said, "We note that this is a huge disservice to teeming women, youth and persons with disabilities (PWDs) who nurse the ambition to run for elective office in next year’s general elections.

"It is imperative to state that this practice does not bode well for Nigeria’s fledgling democracy as it further marginalises women and youth, two vulnerable groups who make up the largest demography in the country from participating

in the political process."

The group said the expensive nature of Nigeria’s politics had been established to be a structural barrier to women and youth political participation, adding, "it is saddening to see that political parties, which remains the primary medium for contesting elections in the country, continue to perpetuate this injustice. " Itodo said with the passage of the age eligibility (Not Too Young To Run) bill into law close to the 2019 general elections, it was envisaged that young people would take advantage of the Not Too Young To Run Act and contest for office en-masse in the 2023 general elections, as this would give them ample time to prepare for the elections.

However, he said going by the high cost of nomination forms that had been announced so far by some political parties

ahead of the 2023 general elections, "it is safe to say that this is a deliberate attempt to marginalise women, youth and persons living with disabilities (PWDs) from participating in the political process as candidates in the forthcoming general elections."

He said it was no news that the marginalised groups were economically disadvantaged to compete fairly with the old guard, who have accumulated resources to be able to afford the cost of running for office.

Accordingly, the executive director of Yiaga said, "We welcome the concessions made by some political parties to women, youth and PWDs and call for a further downward review of the cost of nomination forms to allow for an inclusive process without discrimination to any group or demography of the society. "

Military Taskforce in Plateau (Operation Safe Haven, OPSH) has recovered and handed over 517 recovered arms and light weapons from bandits and criminal elements within its area of operation.

Commander of the taskforce and General Officer Commanding, 3rd Armoured Division, Jos, Major Gen. Ibrahim Ali disclosed this on yesterday during a press briefing preceding the handover of the weapons to the North-central Zonal Coordinator of National Centre for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons (ACCSALW), Major Gen. Hamza Bature (Rtd).

Major Gen Ali said that the operational successes recorded by troops of the taskforce recently have led to the recovery of the small arms and light weapons from criminal elements.

The arms and light weapons

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BIDDING FINAL FAREWELL TO MRS. NJIDEKA EZEIFE… PDP presidential aspirant and former Governor of Anambra State, Mr. Peter Obi, (left) and presidential aspirant of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) and former Deputy Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Professor Kingsley Moghalu, at the funeral of late Mrs. Njideka Ezeife, wife of Dr. Chukwuemeka Ezeife, former Governor of Anambra State, in Anambra State … recently

2023: Aisha Buhari to Host Presidential Aspirants of All Parties to Iftar Tomorrow Deji Elumoye in Abuja The First Lady, Mrs. Aisha Buhari, will on Saturday, host presidential aspirants from all political parties to an Iftar at the State House, Abuja.

An Invite to this effect, sighted yesterday by THISDAY, instructed the aspirants/guests not to come along with their mobile devices, except their invitation cards which would serve as entry pass.

It was, however, clarified that the 'drop your phone' instruction might not apply to some of the attendees, including Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, governors and ministers that wouldbe attending.

Commenting on the issue in a telephone interview, Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Office of the First Lady, Aliyu Abdullah, said it was standard protocol for guests at events holding at the State House which would be graced by either the President,

Vice President or the First Lady, to be asked not to go in with phones.

Abdullahi, who confirmed the meeting/dinner, said,

“There is nothing here. This is a standard operational protocol in the Villa, when you are having either of the three occupants of

the presidency. If they are coming for an event, this is supposed to be DSS-enforced.

"Whether the president is having an event or the

vice-president is having an event or the first lady is having an event, because outsiders will come. That’s the security and standard

protocol. That does not apply to the vice-president. How can you expect that to apply to the vice-president or even to ministers," he said.

Pantami Lists Measures to Reduce Unemployment in Nigeria Oghenevwede Ohwovoriole in Abuja The Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Isa Pantami has stated that the best way to address the country’s high unemployment and employability rates was to create digital entrepreneurs who would be employers and wealth creators He spoke yesterday, at the World Creativity Day celebrated by the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) with the theme, "Creativity and Innovation: Powering Collaboration for a Sustainable Digital Economy."

Speaking on the

importance of creativity and innovations he said: "Today in the world, skills are more important than paper qualifications that are empty. It is because of this that higher institutions in some developed countries and even the developing countries; the priority and preference is no more given to your class of degree but the innovative ideas that you will be able to graduate with.

"The approach today is that when a student gets admitted into a higher institution, he would be directed to come up with his start-up within a year.

He will be working on this till he graduates with his own company and becomes

a potential employer.

"And that is the best way of managing the challenge of unemployment and particularly in Nigeria where we have the challenge of unemployment and employability."

The minister stated that the Buhari-led administration had discovered that innovation and entrepreneurship were the two prerequisites in developing an indigenous digital economy, adding that no county can develop its digital economy without prioritising digital innovation.

On his part, the Director General, NITDA, Kashifu Abdullahi, said in order for NITDA to help the federal government achieve its

national digital economy policy, the agency has put in place necessary initiatives and framework towards its actualisation.

"We came up with two major initiatives: The Bridgesmart challenge and Ihash challenge. The Bridgesmart challenge is to develop a framework for innovation challenge in our country. We normally use the framework to challenge our innovative youths to solve a problem in Nigeria. We are targeting security, agric, health, education, and FinTech," he said.

The NITDA boss stated that most of the start-ups were there to showcase what they had done in

collaboration with the agency to solve problems in the economy.

"We have many of them here showcasing what they have done in collaboration with the centre. This is in line with the national policy and strategy for a digital Nigeria. That will help Nigeria create and capture value from innovation.

“Innovation is the wealth of the 21st century economy and it's only through innovation that we can solve problems, create wealth and prosperity for our country.

Therefore, NITDA and the centre are doing what Wis going to transform Nigeria into a leading digital economy," he emphasised.

With Second Term in Bag, Sanwo-Olu Focuses on More Projects Segun James Following his endorsement for a second term by the leadership of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state, the Lagos State Governor, Babajide SanwoOlu, would nowfocus on more projects, Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Mr. Gbenga Omotoso has disclosed.

"The Governance Advisory Council (GAC), the highest decision-making body of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Lagos, endorsed Sanwo-Olu for re-election, but this will not make the Governor shift his focus away from the state's numerous

projects," Omotoso said.

The commissioner, who spoke on "Lagos State in Focus" on a television station, averred that the endorsement was based on Sanwo-Olu's achievements in projects execution, adding that it was not unexpected, because the governor “has done well”, as the leader of government in the state.

His words: "The GAC must have based their decision to endorse Sanwo-Olu on the future of Lagos, as the governor has been building on what his predecessors have done. The governor is a man of vision, good character and a good party man. The decision to let

Sanwo-Olu contest for another term is not about personal glorification; the aim is to deliver for the people of Lagos."

Omotoso, who also described Sanwo-Olu as a man of integrity, stated that the governor's response during the COVID-19 pandemic, his infrastructure strides in road construction and transportation management, improvement in schools infrastructure and massive renovation of hospitals, were some of the projects and programmes responsible for the GAC decision.

Asked if the push for another term would not

cause a shift in focus, he said no such thing would happen, even as he spoke about the projects that Sanwo-Olu needed to complete.

This, he said, included the Blue Line and Red Line rail projects, LekkiEpe Expressway, General Hospital, Ojo and the many roads in Ikorodu, such as Oba Sekumade Road, Agric-Ishawo Road, Bola Tinubu-Igbogbo Road, and the Regional Road, adding that, "The Fourth Mainland Bridge is also in the works."

He reiterated that the religious community, traders, artisans and other stakeholders were all in support of Sanwo-Olu’s

endorsement.

Asked for comments on the planned resumption of tolling by the Lekki Concession Company (LCC) at the Ikoyi Link Bridge toll gate, Omotoso said consultations with the stakeholders were still ongoing.

"The consultation is to seek the understanding of stakeholders and all those involved. A list of concessions the stakeholders requested for has been tabled. The Company has financial obligations, which must be discharged so that future opportunities for investments in the state, will not be affected," he said.

He also explained why the

government set up a Parks Management Committee, saying it was all to ensure peace.

Speaking on the Chrisland School sex scandal involving a 10-year-old, which he described as “a monumental family and societal tragedy”, he said it was all emotionally disturbing for parents, the school and the government.

The Commissioner said the government's swift response to the matter was to stop its escalation, with the warning against the sharing of the video.

He, however, declined further comments “because the matter is still under investigation.”

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At Ramadan Iftar, Buhari Canvasses Support of Traditional, Religious Leaders to Tackle Insecurity Deji Elumoye in Abuja President Muhammadu Buhari has declared that no responsive government can ignore the role of religious and traditional rulers in tackling insecurity in the country.

Speaking at an Iftar dinner yesterday with religious and traditional rulers, the president said his administration would continue to count on the invaluable advice and guidance of members of the revered institutions towards improving the current security challenges in the country.

President Buhari noted that moving Nigeria forward remains a collective responsibility, urging leaders at all levels to contribute meaningfully in making the country a better place.

According to him: ‘’Today, insecurity is one of the greatest challenges facing Nigeria’s existence. This administration has invested more resources than any other to tackle insecurity. ‘’We have acquired advanced equipment for our armed forces and the police to strengthen their

capacity to confront terrorism and banditry. We have made adequate budgetary allocations for security.

‘’Whatever the security agencies request I make it available to them immediately.

‘’But insecurity is a world-wide phenomenon. The cure and the answer is for all sections of society

to do their bit and confront the criminals head-on. ‘’The success of our armed and

other security forces also depends on intelligence about the activities of bandits and terrorists.

NIKE DIOCESAN HOSPITAL INAUGURATED…

L-R: Wife of Anglican Bishop of Nike Diocese, Enugu, Mrs. Nneka Onyia, his husband, Rt. Rev. Dr. Christian Onyeka Onyia, Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Enugu State, the member representing Enugu East/Isi-Uzo Federal Constituency, Hon. Cornelius Nnaji; former member, Enugu State Universal Basic Education Board (ENSUBEB), Pastor Beloved Dan Anike, and the member representing Enugu North Constituency, Hon. Ibenaku Onoh, during the inauguration of Nike Diocesan Hospital, in Enugu… yesterday

A’Ibom Imposes Curfew NSCDC Busts Illegal Bunkering Syndicates on Ibeno as Indigenes, in Ondo, Arrests Eight Suspects Ilaje Fishermen Clash Fidelis David in Akure

OkonBasseyinUyo

Akwa Ibom State Government has imposed a çurfew in Ibeno Local Government Area of the state following a bloody clash between the migrants fishermen of Ilaje of Yoruba extraction and the natives of Ibeno.

The dust to dawn curfew announced yesterday by the LGA Chairman, High Chief Henry Mkpa, is to stop further escalation of the conflict which has led to the killing of scores and many houses burnt.

The local government boss imposed the indefinite dusk to dawn curfew with full restrictions of both

individual and vehicular movements within the troubled oil rich riverine communities from 7:00pm to 6:00am in a statement issued yesterday.

The chairman warned that those apprehended during the curfew period would be prosecuted.

“Following the violent clash between the Yoruba community and indigenes of Mkpanak group of communities in Ibeno council area, which has resulted in the loss of lives and properties, the Executive Chairman of Ibeno Local Government Area has declared a dusk to dawn curfew from 7:00pm to 6:00am with immediate effect till further notice.

Stakeholders Tasked to Eradicate Female Genital Mutilation in Osun Code of Osun State which stated Yinka Kolawole inOsogbo

In an effort to eradicate female genital mutilation(FGM), civil societies organisations (CSOs), non-governmental organisations, government workers, and media practitioners in Osun State have been charged to advocate for the end of the practice in the state.

Female genital mutilation and cutting were passed as direct legislation to prohibit the practice under the Osun State Law 2004 and assented to by the Governor to become enforceable on the 12th day of April 2005.

The circumcision of the female girls became illegal and punishable under Section 335, the Criminal

that any person who is guilty of the felony is liable to imprisonment for seven years.

To have zero practice of female genital mutilation in all 30 LGA and one Area Office of Osun, Hacey Health Initiative organised a threeday of capacity building workshop for stakeholders on female genital mutilation, policies, and laws in Osogbo, Osun State capital.

Speaking at the workshop, Director of Legal Drafting, Ministry of Justice, Osun state, Barrister Kayode Titiloye said that female genital mutilation or cutting is grievous bodily harm to the private part of the victim that is against the consent of the victim.

Operatives of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps(NSCDC) yesterday arrested an eight-man syndicate who allegedly specialises in vandalism of petroleum pipelines, illegal bunkering activities and dealings in illegal adulterated petroleum products at Olowo Community, Odigbo Local Government Area, Ondo

state.

According to a statement made available to journalists in Akure by the Corps Public Relations Officer in the state, Daniel Aidamenbor, exhibits recovered from the suspects include: a black Toyota Sequoia with registration number Lagos APP 134 DX loaded with 70 kegs of 25 litres of adulterated AGO; 28 kegs of 25litres each of suspected adulterated AGO

and six pumping machines and one counting machine.

The statement reads: “At the dump site which has been sealed and secured, the following exhibits were also recovered: 19kegs of 25litres of adulterated AGO, 5 drums of 200 litres of suspected AGO, 2 drums of 200 litres capacity that is half filled and two drums of 200litres capacity that is about quarter filled.

“Others are: two storage tanks with 3500 litres of adulterated AGO each. An underground storage tanks with four compartments were also discovered at the crime scene.

The first compartment was empty , the second compartment has 2,800 litres , the third compartment contain 1,500 litres while the fourth compartment has 16,500 litres of adulterated Automated Gas Oil (AGO).

Police Arrest Five Terrorists in Kebbi Ismail Adebayo in Birnin Kebbi

Kebbi State Police Command has arrested five suspected terrorists at Bunza, Suru and Dandi Local Government Areas of the state.

The Command’s Public Relations Officer (PPRO), SP Nafi’u Abubakar, while briefing journalists at the force headquarters in Birnin Kebbi yesterday said arms were recovered from the terrorists.

He said the five terrorists were nabbed by operatives of the command acting on tip-off.

He said: “The suspects had been terrorising communities in Bunza, Suru and Dandi areas of Kebbi State for sometime now before their arrest.

“During investigation, one AK47 rifle, nine rounds of 7.62X39mm ammunition, one Dane gun, cutlasses were recovered from them. The suspects have been charged

to court for prosecution.”

In another development, the state police said it intercepted five magazines of K2 assault rifle, 30 round of 7.6 2x39mm ammunition and six rounds of 99mm ammunition of Barreta pistol as it was about been transported into Kebbi from Kaduna.

The command PPRO said: “On April 17, at about 6:00 pm, a bag was given to a driver from Kaduna Park to be delivered to

one Abubakar Maishanu, 35, of Bedi town in Zuru LGA of Kebb State.

“The said bag was suspected and subsequently, on April 18, at about 8:30 am, the suspect was called to take delivery of the bag and was arrested.

“When the bag was searched, five magazines of K2 assault rifle, 30 round of 7.6 2x39mm ammunition and six rounds of 99mm ammunition of Barreta pistol were recovered.

CSOs: FG Needs to Deploy Technology to Tackle Electoral Violence Michael Olugbode in Abuja The federal government has been advised to use digital technology to address violence during the upcoming electoral season.

The advised was given yesterday in Abuja by a Civil Society Organisation (CSO), named Stand To End Rape (STER), which lamented that many incidences of electoral violence were against women in the country.

The Executive Director of STER, Ms. Oluwaseun Osowobi, during a press briefing and launch of Strategic Innovation Fund (SIF), project report, titled: “Vulnerable and Outside the Margins: From Challenges to Informed Inclusion,” said national and state governments including communities should leverage technology to tackle electoral violence.

Osowoba argued that

a nationwide awarenessraising initiative on the use of platforms to report apps and training should be implemented across the country, noting that this would aid data tracking on incidences of violence during elections in real-time and also equip security agencies to track persons in precarious situations, intervene and make available prompt support.

She also called on federal government to double its

effort in combatting violence against women, particularly on the domestication and implementation of all international and regional human rights treaties to protect women’s rights.

She pointed-out that there is a need for the state Houses of Assembly to ensure the adoption and implementation of the violence Against Persons Prohibition Act (VAPP) and Child Right Act.

Governorship aspirant of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Jibrin Muhammad Barde, has called on the good people of Gombe State to visit the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Local Government Area offices where their polling units are domiciled and collect their Permanent Voter’s Card (PVC) if they have not done that.

He also called on those who are yet to register to do so within

the ongoing windows provided

by INEC. In a statement signed by his Media Office yesterday, the governorship hopeful, stated that the only way to change the fortunes of the people and rescue them from bad governance is through voting during elections.

This call, is against the backdrop of a circular by INEC Public Affairs officer in Gombe State,

Mohorret Bigun, announcing the reception of 23,871 new PVCs from the headquarters in Abuja.

He said: “The INEC, Gombe State, wishes to inform the general public that it has received 23,871 new PVCs from the national headquarters of the commission.These cards are for those who registered newly or requested for information update, transfer or replacement of lost/damaged PVCs during

the first and second quarter of the ongoing Continuous Voters Registration (CVR) which lasted from 28th June to 20th December, 2021.

“Therefore, all those who registered or requested for replacement of their PVCs during the period are encouraged to visit the INEC LGA office where their polling units are domiciled to collect their PVCs from Thursday 21st April, 2022.

Firm Pledges to Maximise Lagos Tourism Potential Get Your PVCs Now, PDP Guber Aspirant Urges Gombe Residents The ministry in its goodwill AyodejiAke The Lagos State Ministry of Tourism, has hailed Napmantronix Limited, on its launch of Napmantronix Events and Lounge, and pledged that it would in turn support the 20-year tourism master plan officially launched by the Lagos State Government in 2020.

Napmantronix Events and Lounge is the first of its kind in the Ibeju Lekki axis of Lagos State with enormous entertainment and tourism potential.

message noted that under the THEMES of the current Lagos State administration setup post-COVID-19 strategies towards the revitalisation of the state’s economy through the Ministry of Tourism,Arts and Culture.

Addressing newsmen at the recent media parley, Chairman Napmantronix Limited, Mr. Napoleon Agbelogode, noted that the new initiative would put a footprint firmly on the Lagos State entertainment map.

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Ngige Accuses ASUU of Snubbing FG Renegotiation Panel Onyebuchi Ezigbo ÓØ ÌßÔË The Minister of Labour and Employment Senator Chris Ngige has blamed the leadership of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) of frustrating efforts by the federal government to resolve the ongoing dispute with the university lecturers.

He accused ASUU of boycotting the sitting of the re-negotiation committee set up to look into grey areas of the contentious 2009 agreement.

As one of the presidential aspirants of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Ngige said he would, if elected president, take measures to fix challenges facing the country including insecurity by restructuring the command and control system of the Police Force to the remotest hamlet.

He also said if given the opportunity, he would use the experience he had gathered throughout his nearly 40 years of public service to make the difference in governance in the country within two years.

The former governor of Anambra state who spoke yesterday, during an interview

on Channels Television, said for the current crisis in the university system to be resolved fast, ASUU has to come down from its high horse.

“I am a conciliator and arbitrator and we drew up agreements and in those

agreements, some of them are money issues while others are not money issues.

He said that ASUU is trying to force its demands down the throat of the government whether they are acceptable or not. For instance, he

said that ASUU is seeking the approval of it’s choice salary payment platform, University Transparency and Accountability Solution (UTAS) even when it has failed integrity and vulnerability test conducted

by the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA).

“UTAS according to the report I got from NITDA and Federal Ministry of Communication and Digital Economy had gone through

series of tests and among these tests are the user acceptability test involving University Bursar’s and the second test which is the integrity and vulnerability test, NITDA said that UTAS failed the test,” he said.

CONFERENCE ON ARBITRATION…

L-R: Secretary General, International Chambers of Commerce (ICC) Nigeria, Mrs. Olubunmi Osuntuyi; Chairperson, ICC Nigeria Commission on Arbitration and Alternative Dispute Resolution, Mrs. Dorothy Ufot,SAN; Chairman, Planning Committee, 6th ICC Africa Conference, Prof. Gbolahan Elias,SAN;and Managing Partner,

A’Ibom: NAPTIP Rescues 1,444 Human Trafficking Victims, Convicts 62

Report: Global Economy Loses $32bn to Natural Disasters in Q1

OkonBassey ÓØ ãÙ

Preliminary economic losses from natural hazards across the world during the first quarter (Q1) of 2022 totaled $32 billion, of which less than 50 per cent ($14 billion), was covered by public and private insurers, a report published by global data and services analytic company, Aon has stated.

Although the first quarter of the year was typically the quietest, Q1 2022 marked the sixth consecutive year to

No fewer than 1,444 persons have been rescued by the Uyo Zone of the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons, (NAPTIP) since last year.

A breakdown of the number showed that 723 of the victims were from Akwa Ibom while 413 from Cross River , 282 from Bayelsa and 16 from Rivers State .

Zonal commander of the agency in the state, Mrs Tina Ugwu, disclosed this to journalists in Uyo yesterday.

Within the period, Ugwu said the agency investigated over 568 of the 1,035 cases it received, convicted

62 traffickers while 11 were still pending court.

“For the number of cases received, the command received 1,035 cases with 1,035 suspects.

It investigated over 568 cases.

The command convicted about 52 traffickers in the zone with 11 cases still in court at different levels of prosecution.

“Then, specifically for my assumption that’s from the beginning of March, the commandant has had about 17 cases . We have about 10 of them under investigation, and three are fully investigated. We have about three cases with our legal elite which they are going to file today,” she said.

2023: Jonathan’s Campaign Posters Flood APC ‘s Secretariat AdedayoAkinwale ÓØ ÌßÔË

Former President Goodluck Jonathan appeared to have stepped up his comeback bid as his campaign posters have flooded the national secretariat of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Abuja.

The Governor Mai Mala Buni-led Caretaker/Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee (CECPC) along with some APC governors had paid a courtesy visit to Jonathan in Bayelsa, fueling suspicion of moves to woo the former president to the party.

The caretaker committee was alleged to have muted the idea of dragging Jonathan to contest the 2023 presidential election under the platform of the party. But the

defunct Caretaker Committee debunked the allegation.

However, Jonathan’s campaign posters pasted on the fence of the party’s secretariat carrying an inscription which reads: “Goodluck Jonathan You Must Run” are currently occupying a conspicuous position on the wall of the party secretariat.

THISDAY gathered that the former president will interact with political journalists any moment from now to intimate them of his intention to contest.

It was also gathered that the interaction would be a private discussion meeting between journalists and the former president and his friends which is believed will hold in Abuja.

Ndubuisi Francis ÓØ ÌßÔË

record more than $10 billion in insured losses, said the report titled ‘Global Catastrophe Recap – Q1 2022.’

Some of the most significant natural hazard activity during the quarter occurred in Western and Central Europe windstorms (Dudley/Ylenia, Eunice/Zeynep and Franklin/ Antonia), Australia’s east coast floods, the Japan earthquake on March 16, and the severe convective storms (SCS) seen in the United States in March.

The Asia Pacific (APAC)

region accounted for the highest percentage of Q1 economic losses at $15-plus billion, followed by the Europe Middle East and Africa (EMEA) at $8 billion and the United States at $6 billion.

Economic losses, or the overall costs of natural catastrophes to economies, included the insurance price tag.

Aon explained that these Q1 totals would likely be revised upward, perhaps considerably, in the coming weeks and months, as this type of loss

development is standard and expected in the aftermath of larger scale events.

For public and private insurers, the $36 billion in Q1 weather-related insured losses in 2021 and 2022 represented the second-highest twoyear total on record – second only to 2020 and 2021, which tallied $40 billion and was primarily driven by the $25 billion of losses seen in Q1 2021, said Aon. In third place was $33 billion for Q1 events in 1990 (dominated by major European windstorm events) and 1991.

Stop Demoralising Anti-corruption Agencies, Northern CSOs Tell Buhari Francis Sardauna ÓØ ËÞÝÓØË

Civil society organisations (CSOs) under the auspices of Conference of Northern States Civil Society Networks, has urged President Muhammudu Buhari to stop demoralising the nation’s anti-corruption agencies and focus on tackling its pressing economic woos.

The CSOs described the granting of pardon to former

Governors Joshua Dariye and Jolly Nyame of Plateau and Taraba States by President Buhari as unfortunate and shocking.

In a statement issued to journalists yesterday by its Chairman, Ambassador Ibrahim Waiya, the group admonished Buhari to, as matter of urgency, reverse his decision on state pardon granted to the corruption convicts in the interest of Nigerian citizens.

The group added that failure

of the president to reverse his decision, the conference would be left with no option but to canvass for the support of other CSOs within and outside the country to pass a vote of no confidence on the federal government.

“And this measure we believe may lead to a total loss of public trust, and by implication the government may lose its integrity and support of the Nigerian,” said. The noted that the decision taken by President

Buhari, through the Council of State, has dampened the anticorruption agencies’ resolve to contain the cancer of corruption in the country.

Regrettably, they said, President Buhari, who rode to the corridor of power under the guise of fighting corruption, his government’s actions and policies are against the efforts to support and strengthen the anti-graft institutions in the country.

160m Nigerians Lack Basic Sanitation, Say UNICEF, WHO Dike Onwuamaeze A joint report by the United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF) and the World Health Organisation (WHO) titled: “Progress on Drinking Water, Sanitation and Hygiene in Africa 2000 to 2020: Five Years into the SDGs,” has shown that Nigeria leads the rest of Africa on open defecation and non-availability of basic hygiene services in 2020.

The report, which was released recently by the two United Nations’ agencies, presented a snapshot of regional estimates for WASH (Water, Sanitation and Hygiene) in households, schools and health care facilities in the African Union and assessed progress of five years into the SDG period (2015-2020).

It added that “achieving SDG WASH targets in Africa will require a dramatic acceleration

in current rates of progress.”

The report stated that 160 million Nigerians lacked basic sanitation services between 2015 and 2020, which were the years reviewed by the report.

According to the report, only 43 per cent of Nigerian population had access to safely managed sanitation services while 33 per cent could practice hand washing within the period under review.

It also stated that only 22 per cent of Nigerian population had access to safely managed drink water while 56 per cent and 6.0 per cent had access to basic and surface water respectively.

The report also showed that 19 per cent of Nigerian population practiced open defecation in 2020 while 31 per cent and 12 per cent had access to safely managed and basic sanitation respectively.

Info Digital Africa (ID Africa), a Nigerian public relation, marketing communications, and strategic advisory company, has announced the launch of its operations in Ghana and Kenya. The announcement coincides with the company’s seventh-anniversary celebrations.

The company was founded in 2015 by Ayeni Adekunle as part of BHM, an Africafocused International PR and

communications network with offices in Nigeria and the United Kingdom.

The company said in a statement that it would serve as BHM’s Pan-African advisory and execution firm; helping consumers, brands, organizations, and governments make sense of the world’s most promising continent.

Commenting, Chief Executive Officer (CEO), ID Africa, Femi

Falodun, said: “After seven years of building and perfecting our unique approach to marketing and communications in Nigeria, we are now taking this distinctive proposition to other parts of Africa. With a combination of owned media consumer insights, proprietary technology, editorial expertise, and advisers, we are positioned to deliver truly impactful work across the continent.

“ID Africa has come a long way from humble beginnings as a three-person digital media unit of BHM that was spun off and incubated, to becoming one of Africa’s fastest-growing communications companies.

Today, we employ almost 40 full-time professionals, work for 10 clients across six industries, in four countries and own media assets with a combined user base of over a million.”

Nigerian Embassy in Russia Suspends Passport Production ID Africa Marks 7th Anniversary, Expands to Ghana, Kenya The federal government has linked to the production suspended the production of passports in Russia for Nigerian nationals, according to a memo seen by THISDAY. Specifically, the Nigerian embassy in Russia announced the suspension in a memo dated April 1, 2022.

It was unclear as of the time of filing going to press if the suspension of passport production at the immigration section of the embassy was

equipment.

The memo signed by the Nigerian embassy immigration attache (I) said: “To the general public: Notice of temporary suspension of passport production. This is to inform of the temporary suspension of passport production at the immigration section of the embassy between 4th - 24th April 2022, due to routine maintenance of the production equipment.

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Afe Babalola Explains His Demand for Controversial Interim Govt Emmanuel Addeh in Abuja

A Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Mr Afe Babalola, yesterday reiterated his call for an interim national government to be set in motion by the current administration, insisting that the security, economy as well as the entire machinery of government has collapsed.

Babalola, who is the Founder, Afe Babalola University, speaking on Arise Television, THISDAY’s broadcast arm, maintained that the current Nigerian constitution remains a fraud which is null and void or at least voidable.

He called on the Muhammadu Buhari administration and the

National Assembly to organise and put in place a temporary government which shall oversee the enactment of a new constitution, insisting that the current administration has failed in its duty to ensure that the welfare of Nigerians remains its primary purpose of existence.

The elder statesman argued that the interim government will comprise persons nominated by various professional groups like the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), noting that all living past presidents and selected governors as well as ministers will be part of the new arrangement.

The legal icon had come under severe fire from a cross

section of Nigerians for his controversial position, including the Governor of Imo State, Mr Hope Uzodinma, who noted that the call was an invitation for anarchy.

But Babalola argued that many parts of the world who were at a crossroads at a point in their national life, had instituted interim governments to salvage their countries, stressing that Nigerians should be worried about the deteriorating state of the nation.

Having addressed several letters to the authorities, Babalola stated that it was time to go public and pressure the government to do, what in his opinion, is right.

Insecurity: Plateau Resident Doctors Protest Incessant Members’ Kidnap Seriki Adinoyi in Jos Resident doctors at the Jos University Teaching Hospital (JUTH) yesterday protested the incessant abduction of members, describing it as unacceptable.

The group stressed that the development could hinder its members from delivering efficient services to patients.

The doctors, who took a peaceful protest walk from the gate of the hospital through the administrative building, and round the entire premises of the hospital bore placards with various inscriptions in their hands, such as: ‘Enough is Enough, Stop Kidnapping of Doctors, Save us from Kidnappers, Stop the Harassment of Doctors, Stop Insecurity.’

They lamented that doctors were no longer safe in Plateau

state and in Nigeria.

Addressing journalists, spokesman of the National Association of Resident Doctors (NADR), JUTH chapter, Dr. Noel Nnaegbuna lamented that the recent abductions of two of its members in Jos, and the poor and unacceptable response they got from government and security agents was disheartening.

Nnaegbuna said the doctors were grieved that their colleagues and their families had suffered

African Bishops Urge Global Finance Leaders to End Isolation of Poor Ndubuisi Francis in Abuja African bishops under the aegis of Symposium of Episcopal Conferences of Africa and Madagascar (SECAM) have

CHANGE OF NAME CHANGE OF NAME I, formerly known and addressed as MISS FAGBEMI OLUWATOSIN YETUNDE, now wish to be known and addressed as MRS AKINYEMI OLUWATOSIN YETUNDE. All former documents remain valid. General public should take note.

I, formerly known and addressed as MISS BAKARE OLAIDE SEKINAT, now wish to be known and addressed as MRS OKEGBENRO-BAKARE SEKINAT OLAIDE. All former documents remain valid. General public should take note.

I, formerly known and addressed as UWHA EMEKA BARTHOLOMEW, now wish to be known and addressed as SUNDAY EMEKA BARTHOLOMEW. All documents remain valid. The general public should please take note I, formerly known and addressed as MISS OGHENETEGA SHARONROSE EGBEROMOH, now wish to be known and addressed as MRS OGHENETEGA SHARONROSE EDORHE. All former documents remain valid. General public should take note.

physical, mental, psychological, and emotional trauma in the hands of abductors in recent days, calling on the state and federal government to come to their rescue.

He noted that the protest was to draw government’s attention to the deteriorating security situation in Jos and Plateau State, and to let government know that if the insecurities persist, doctors may not be able to give their best in the current circumstance.

I, formerly known and addressed as MISS UFUOMA EVY EDEKI, now wish to be known and addressed as MRS UFUOMA EVY OMOGBARA. All former documents remain valid. General public should take note.

I, AGBOOLA ALIRA BOSEDE, my name was wrongly written as AGBOOLA BOSEDE instead of AGBOOLA ALIRA BOSEDE, now I wish to be known and address as AGBOOLA ALIRA BOSEDE.All former documents remain valid, the general public should please take note.

I, formerly known and addressed as MISS OZOYA PROMISE AOYE, now wish to be known and addressed as MRS AKPUMA PROMISE AOYE. All former documents remain valid. General public should take note.

CONFIRMATION OF NAME

This is to notify the general public that UBAH ROSELINE MAJEM LV UHÀHFWHG LQ P\ NIN. While my BVN UHÀHFWV UBAH ROSE. This LV WR FRQ¿UP WKDW LW¶V WKH VDPH person. All former documents remain valid. General public should take note.

CONFIRMATIONS OF NAMES: This is to notify the general public that the following names AKINOLA IFEDAYO JOSEPH; Akinola Dayo Ife; AKINOLA DAYO JOE; Akinola Dayo Joseph; AKINOLA IFE; Akinola Ife Dayo; AKINOLA IFE JOE; Akinola Ife Joseph; AKINOLA IFEDAYO; Akinola Ifedayo Joe; AKINOLA DAYO; Akinola Joe; AKINOLA JOE DAYO; Akinola Joe Ife; AKINOLA JOE IFEDAYO; Akinola Joseph; AKINOLA JOSEPH DAYO; Akinola Joseph Dayo Ife; AKINOLA JOSEPH IFE; Akinola Joseph Ifedayo; DAYO AKINOLA; Dayo Akinola Ife; DAYO AKINOLA JOE; Dayo Akinola Joseph; IFE AKINOLA; Ife Akinola Dayo; IFE AKINOLA JOE; Ife Akinola Joseph; IFEDAYO AKINOLA; Ifedayo Akinola Joe; IFEDAYO AKINOLA JOSEPH; Joe Akinola; JOE AKINOLA DAYO; Joe Akinola Ife; JOSEPH AKINOLA IFEDAYO; Joseph Akinola; JOSEPH AKINOLA DAYO; Joseph Akinola Ife is same person, and now wish to be known as AKINOLA IFEDAYO JOESEPH. All former documents remain valid. General public take note.

called on global financial institutions meeting in Washington DC, United States of America to, “help shape an economy that better protects the dignity and basic human rights of our sisters and brothers all around the world.”

The bishops also called on the finance ministers and other leaders to implement viable wide-ranging plans to help Africa emerge from its economic crisis as well as to resume progress toward meeting the current list of the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the Paris climate agreement, and the African Agenda 2063 plan for economic and human development.

In a statement, SECAM’s first vice president, Bishop Sithembele Sipuka of Umtata, South Africa, said the April 20 meeting of finance ministers from leading rich and developing nations and the spring meetings of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank provided an opportunity for financial leaders to adopt measures that end isolation of poor and vulnerable people.

Sipuka who chair’s SECAM’s Justice, Peace and Development Commission said: “We are hopeful that delegates at the meetings are not meeting to merely discuss the global economy in terms of what it produces, but also.… how it touches and promotes life, protects the dignity of the human person and protects the integrity of creation.”

The spring meetings of the Group of 20 finance ministers and the IMF and World Bank came as the world continued to recover from the global pandemic, faces high inflation and responds to a war in Ukraine that has generated a worldwide response through wide-ranging economic sanctions of Russia.

WORLD OF ISLAM

Edited by: MJO Mustapha Email deji.mustapha@thisdaylive.com

Don’t Miss the Last 10 Days of Ramadan!

By: Salman Al-Oadah/OnIslam/IslamiCity

O

bserving a retreat in the mosque (or home during a pandemic) is of the best things we can do during the last ten nights of Ramadan. The last ten nights of Ramadan are very special.

The first of these nights occurs on the eve of the 21st day of Ramadan. In other words, it is the night that commences after the completion of the 20th day of fasting.

Sometimes there are only nine nights, whenever the month of Ramadan lasts for only 29 days.

Nevertheless, they are still traditionally referred to as “the last ten nights”.

The last ten nights of Ramadan are very special.

These are the nights that the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) would spend in constant worship. Among these nights is Laylat al-Qadr (the Night of Power) - a night more blessed than a thousand months.

The Prophet (pbuh) used to single these nights out for worship and the performance of good deeds.

He would exert himself in worship during these ten nights more than any other nights of the year.

Aisha (ra) tells us: “During the last ten nights of Ramadan, the Prophet (pbuh) would tighten his waist belt and spend the night in worship. He would also wake up his family.” (Al Bukhari) Aisha also says: “I had never known Allah’s Messenger (pbuh) to read the entire Quran in a single night, or to spend the whole night in prayer up until the morning, or to spend a whole month in fasting - except in Ramadan.” (An Nasai’ & Ibn Majah) When we say that the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) spent the whole night in worship, we should qualify it. This is because he would spend some time eating dinner, partaking of his pre-dawn meal, and other similar activities. However, he would spend most of the night in worship.

Waking Up the Family

During the last ten nights of Ramadan, Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) would wake up his wives to pray for a much longer portion of the night...

Aisha (ra) informs us that the Prophet (pbuh) used to wake up his family during the last ten nights of Ramadan. Indeed, he used to wake up his wives for prayer throughout the year, but that was so that they could pray for a small fraction of the night.

We know this, because Umm Salamah (ra), the Prophet’s wife, relates that the Prophet (pbuh) woke her up one night and said: “Glory be to Allah. What has been sent down of trials during this night? What has been sent down of treasures, so that the denizens of the bedchambers will be awakened? O Lord! To be clothed in this world by naked in the Hereafter.” (Al Bukhari) During the last ten nights of Ramadan, Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) would wake up his wives to pray for a much longer portion of the night than during the rest of the year.

Exerting Oneself in Worship

Aisha (ra) tells us: “The Prophet would exert himself in worship during the last ten nights more than at any other time of the year.” (Muslim) The great jurist, Al-Shafi’i, declares: “It is Sunnah for one to exert greater efforts in worship during the last ten nights of Ramadan.”

When Aisha tells us that Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) would “tighten his waist belt”, she is speaking figuratively. The phrase means to set about to devote oneself fully and wholeheartedly to the task at hand.

Seeking Out Laylat al-Qadr (Night of Power)

One of the greatest distinctions of these ten special nights is that one of them is Laylat al-Qadr. This is the greatest night of the year - better than a thousand months. This means that a Muslim can earn more rewards on the Night of Power than he would if - excluding this special night - he were to worship his Lord for eighty-four years straight.

This is one of the immense favors that Allah has bestowed upon the Muslim community.

Imam Ibrahim Al-Nakha`i says: “Good works performed on this night are better than those performed consistently for a thousand months.”

Abu Hurayrah relates that the Prophet (pbuh) said: “Whoever spends Laylat al-Qadr in prayer, believing in Allah and seeking His reward, will be forgiven all of his past sins.” (Al Bukhari& Muslim) “Believing in Allah”, in this hadith, means not only to believe in Allah, but to believe in the reward that we are promised for observing prayer on this night.

Laylat al-Qadr (the Night of Power) is on one of the odd nights. Aisha relates that Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) said: “Seek out Laylat al-Qadr in the odd nights during the last ten nights of Ramadan.” (Al Bukhari &

Muslim) It is most likely one of the last seven odd nights. Ibn Umar relates that Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) said: “Look for it in the last ten nights. If one of you falls weak or unable to do so, then he should at least try on the seven remaining nights.” (Muslim) A Muslim should seek out this special night by spending the last ten nights of Ramadan engaged in various acts of worship.

The most likely candidate for Laylat al-Qadr is the 27th night of Ramadan. This is indicated by the statement of Ubayy ibn Ka`b: “I swear by Allah that I know which night it is. It is the night in which Allah’s Messenger (peace be upon him) ordered us to observe in prayer. It is the night on the eve of the 27th of Ramadan. Its sign is that the sun will rise in the morning of that day white without exuding any rays.” (Muslim) A Muslim should seek out this special night by spending the last ten nights of Ramadan engaged in various acts of worship. These include reciting the remembrances of Allah, reading the Quran, and begging Allah’s forgiveness.

It is best for us to strive hard on all ten nights, because the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) said: “The way we “look for” Laylat al-Qadr is by engaging in extra worship.”

When the Prophet (pbuh) said: “Look for it in the last ten nights” he did not mean that we should literally “look for” signs and indications that distinguish Laylat al-Qadr from other nights. The things that distinguish this night from other nights are part of the Unseen.

Allah (SWA) says: {Surely We revealed it on a blessed night. Surely We ever wish to warn (against evil) - On this night, every wise matter is made distinct.} (Ad-Dukhan 44: 3-4) Allah (SWA) says in the Quran: {Laylat al-Qadr is better than a thousand months. The angels and the Spirit descend therein, by the permission of their Lord, with every decree. (This night is) peace, until the rising of the dawn.} (Al-Qadr 97: 3-5) These are the ways in which Laylat al-Qadr is special. They are not things that we can see with our eyes. No one after the Prophet can see the angels.

Observing a Retreat in the Mosque (I`tikaf)

Observing a retreat in the mosque is of the best things we can do during the last ten nights of Ramadan. Aisha tells us: “The Prophet (pbuh) used to observe a retreat in the mosque during the last ten nights of Ramadan up until he died. His wives continued to observe this practice after his death.” (Al Bukhari & Muslim) The practice of i`tikaf is a strongly recommended act. It is defined as remaining in retreat in the mosque for the express purpose of worship. The purpose of doing so is to devote one’s heart exclusively to Allah (SWA). The person engaging in i`tikaf keeps this intention close to mind and seeks Allah’s blessings.

He should not forget the reason why he is observing this retreat.

A person observing i`tikaf does not leave the mosque except for what is absolutely necessary (like going to the bathroom). While in the mosque, he should busy himself with the remembrance of Allah (SWA).

He should make sure to offer the remembrances of the morning and evening and the prescribed remembrances for the five daily prayers. He should perform all of the Sunnah prayers. He should read as much of the Quran as he can.

He should spend less time eating and sleeping as little as possible. He should avoid unnecessary talk. However, he should engage in advising his fellow Muslims and in enjoining them to truth and to patience.

Generosity It is encouraged for us to be extra generous during the last ten nights of Ramadan, without being extravagant or ostentatious in our giving. Ibn `Abbas relates that: “Allah’s Messenger (peace be upon him) was the most generous of all people in doing good, and he was at his most generous during the month of Ramadan. Gabriel used to meet with him every year throughout the month of Ramadan, so the Prophet could recite the Quran to him. Whenever Gabriel met with him, he became more generous than a beneficial breeze.” (Al Bukhari & Muslim) Al-Nawawi, the Muslim scholar, states: “Generosity and open-handedness are strongly encouraged in Ramadan, especially during the last ten nights. By doing so, we emulate the example of Allah’s Messenger (peace be upon him) as well as of our Pious Predecessors. Also, this month is noble, and good works carried out in this month are more blessed than they are at any other time.

Also, during this month, people are preoccupied with fasting and worship, and this distracts them from their livelihood, so they might need some assistance during this time.”

47

FRIDAY, ͺͺ˜ ͺ͸ͺͺ ˾ T H I S D AY

FRIDAYSPORTS

Group Sports Editor: Duro Ikhazuagbe Email: duro.ikhazuagbe@thisdaylive.com

0811 181 3083 SMS ONLY

NPFL: Rivers Utd, Plateau Slump as Enyimba, Akwa Utd Record Goals Feast

The quests of Rivers United and Plateau United to consolidate as they target the 2021/2022 Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) title suffered massive blow yesterday as both front runners lost their Match-day 24 games yesterday.

Instead, it was former champions Enyimba FC and Akwa United that recorded big wins yesterday.

Victories for the People’s Elephant and the Pride of Rivers People accounted for 10 of the 15 goals scored in the five matches played on Thursday.

At the Nest of Champions in Uyo, reigning champions Akwa United dismantled Nasarawa United 6-1.

The Promise Keepers led 4-0 at half time courtesy of goals from Ubong Friday, Adam Yakubu and Wisdom Fernando (2).

Babatunde Bello and Franklin Matib added two more in the second half, after King Osanga had pulled one back for the visitors.

It was tale of woes for Kano Pillars in Aba as Enyimba decimated the Sai Masu Gida 4-0.

Striker Victor Mbaoma netted a brace to get to 10 league goals this term before substitutes Emeka Obioma and Godwin Emmanuel added their names to the score sheet.

To add insult to injury, Pillars

who have now dropped to 19th on the log had their goalkeeper Joshua Enaholo sent off in stoppage time.

At the Ondo State Sports Complex in Akure, Sunshine

Stars made it a sweet return back home from Ijebu-Ode where they had sojourned and made hay while the sun shine, beating Rivers United 1-0 courtesy of Ugochukwu Leonard Aputazie's

5th minute strike. The defeat ended Rivers United's 12-match unbeaten run and marked only their second loss this season.

The only positive for Rivers United would be that their

four-point cushion over Plateau United still subsists after the Jos based side went down 0-1 at basement team Heartland FC. Homeboy Chukwudi Nwaodu scored the game's only goal in

the 16th minute to render Fidelis Ilechukwu's return to the Dan Anyiam Stadium fruitless.

Match Day 25 actions hold on Sunday and Monday across 10 centres.

MATCH DAY 24 Akwa Utd 6-1 Nasarawa Enyimba 4-0 Kano Pillars Sunshine 1-0 Rivers Utd Heartland 1-0 Plateau Utd MFM FC 0-2 Wikki Tourists Lobi Stars 2-1 Gombe Utd Katsina Utd 3-1 Shooting Tornadoes 2-1 Rangers Kwara Utd 1-1 Abia Warriors Remo Stars 4-1 Dakkada FC

Erik ten Hag has left Ajax to formerly take over at Manchester United at the end of the season.

Man Utd Appoints Erik ten Hag as Next Manager

Amstel Malta Remains Okpekpe Race’s Official Malt Drink Organisers of the World Athletics Elite Label Okpekpe International 10km road race have confirmed that Amstel Malta, will remain the official malt drink of the eighth edition of the race which comes up next month in Okpekpe near Auchi, Etsakor East Local Government Area of Edo State.

Mike Itemuagbor, CEO of Pamodzi Sports Marketing, organisers of the historic race said yesterday that Amstel Malta, brewed by Nigerian Breweries Plc, the pioneer and largest brewing company in Nigeria will remain as the official malt drink for the first World Athletics Label road race in West Africa.

“We are delighted to announce that Nigerian Breweries has renewed its partnership as a friend and strategic partner of the Okpekpe international 10km road race,' said Itemuagbor.

The Pamodzi boss said Nigerian Breweries and Okpekpe race have a lot in common.

“Nigerian Breweries Plc is the

Harry Maguire...receives bomb threat at family home

pioneer and biggest brewing company in Nigeria while one of its products, Amstel Malta is a premium malt drink with rich international heritage.

“Okpekpe race is also the first road running event to be granted a World Athletics label status in Nigeria which means the race is the first road race in Nigeria to be granted international recognition.”

“World Athletics Label Road Races are races that the World Athletics designates as one of the leading road races around the world,” said Itemuagbor.

Okpekpe road race is the first in Nigeria to have its race course measured by a World Athletics and Association of International Marathons and Distance Races (AIMS) accredited course measurer.

The race, first organised in 2013 and granted a label rating in 2015 is organised by Pamodzi Sports Marketing and supported by the Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN) and Edo State government.

Harry Maguire receives bomb threat Manchester United have appointed Ajax coach Erik ten Hag as their next manager.

The Dutchman, 52, will take over from interim boss Ralf Rangnick at the end of this season on a three-year deal which can be extended by a year.

Rangnick, who replaced the sacked Ole Gunnar Solskjaer in November, is set to move into a consultancy role.

Ten Hag will become United's fifth permanent manager since Sir Alex Ferguson retired in 2013.

"It is a great honour to be appointed manager of Manchester United and I am hugely excited by the challenge ahead," said Ten Hag. "I know the history of this great club and the passion of the fans, and I am absolutely determined to develop a team capable of delivering the success they deserve."

United are sixth in the Premier League with five games remaining this season, three points behind Tottenham, who occupy the fourth Champions League spot.

Ajax are top of the Dutch

Eredivisie - four points clear of PSV Eindhoven - with five matches left, although they lost to their rivals in the Dutch Cup final.

Ten Hag, who took over as Ajax head coach since December 2017, led them to the league and cup double in 2018-19 and 2020-21.

They reached the semi-finals of the 2018-19 Champions League

and were within a minute of making the final, only to be denied by a remarkable Tottenham comeback.

Meanwhile, Cheshire Police were called to the home of Manchester United's Harry Maguire after the centre-back received a bomb threat via email.

Maguire has faced significant criticism from United supporters and rival fans alike this season

for some underwhelming form, with Ralf Rangnick and Gareth Southgate both speaking out to condemn booing of the 29-yearold during games.

UK’sThe Sun revealed yesterday that an email had been sent to Maguire claiming there was a bomb in his family home, with police called and sniffer dogs deployed to ensure there was no danger.

Delta Crushes Rivers, Lagos Fly over Kwara at Baseball, Softball Tourney in Asaba Team Delta defeated Rivers 8-2 yesterday in the opening match in the maiden edition of Victor Chukwudumebi Achakpo 2022 National Division 1 Baseball and Softball championship in Asaba.

Lagos State baseball team also started well by beating Kwara 7-6 in a close contest. Team Delta also recorded victory in their second baseball game against Niger which ended 15-3.

In the Softball event, Delta also

started on victory note, beating Kwara 8-0.

The competition will end on April 24. It is being attended by Baseball Division 1 teams from Delta, Kwara, Lagos, Ekiti and Niger state, while Division 1 teams from Delta, Rivers, Kwara and Lagos will fight in the Softball event.

Over N1million cash prizes have been dangled for the teams.

Today, Rivers baseball team

will face Niger and Lagos against Ekiti in the morning fixtures.

The afternoon games will see Lagos softball team do battle with Delta, while Kwara will face Rivers.

The semifinal will hold later today, while the third place match and final game hold on April 24.

The sponsor, Victor Chukwudumebi Achakpo, a former athlete, is providing feeding for 17 persons (15 players and two coaches).

Friday April 22, 2022

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MISSILE APC Chieftain to Tinubu’s Supporters “Asiwaju’s campaigners are playing a risky game…Attacking the VP’s official capacity and his achievements in the same APC’s government is tantamount to biting one’s nose to spite one’s face. The same way Asiwaju has a right to aspire so does anyone else in the country, especially a sitting Vice President with Prof. Yemi Osinbajo’s credentials and record” –APC Chieftain and former Kano State Deputy Governor, Prof. Hafiz Abubakar, telling Tinubu to rein in his supporters.

CHIDI ANSELM ODINKALU GUEST COLUMNIST

The Curse of an Incapable State N

igeria’s response to the onset of murderous mass violence has evolved through phases of co-optation, brutal reprisal, appeasement, and state incapacity. The two options that have never quite been attempted with conviction are effective accountability and civic inclusion.

Through phases of anti-terrorism, counterterrorism and, now, interminable and metastasizing counter-insurgencies, the country has found itself mired in chronic mass violence as the only language of political dialogue. With many reluctant to acknowledge how the country quite ended up in this denouement, it is important to look back briefly in order to look forward.

Outlawry in post-colonial Nigeria has a long and tawdry history. Stephen Ellis, who spent a lifetime researching and analyzing this in some detail, recounted in his final book, This Present Darkness: A History of Organised Crime in Nigeria, when the spike started: “shortly before the civil war, when government broke down in some parts of the Western Region and there was a blurred line between political violence, crime, and organized insurgency.” Many would argue that Nigeria has been one long insurgency since then in what has been - on close inspection - a long war against the logical consequences of chronic leadership failure.

The post-war continuation of the error that we can shoot our way out of this failure of both leadership and national inclusion can be traced back to the public executions by firing squad of armed robbers, which began at the former Bar Beach in Lagos on 26 April, 1971. The spike in armed robbery in Nigeria coincided with the mismanagement by the Yakubu Gowon regime of demobilization in the aftermath of the Nigerian Civil War. With neither preparation for post-military life nor skills to survive in the rough and tumble of civilian existence after the war, the tens of thousands of hurriedly demobilized men found alternative uses for their arms and skills, often not in the most civil way possible. Public execution did not end armed robbery. If anything, violent robbery escalated in both frequency and brutality.

The onset of presidential politics in 1979 did not just make civilians of soldiers, it also made civilians of armed robbers, who provided the violent brawn to complement the political brains of politicians in savage electoral brigandage. The numbers confectioned by this criminal tag-team, as acknowledged by the Bolarinwa Babalakin Judicial Commission of Inquiry into the Federal Electoral Commission (FEDECO), often received judicial benediction from election tribunals. Senior Police officers, including former Inspector-General of Police, Sunday Adewusi and former Police Commissioner in the old Anambra State, Bishop Eyitene, both now sadly late, compiled infamous records of electoral joint enterprise with these merchants of violence.

With the return of the military to government in 1983, we had a gradual escalation of violence to the point where, by the mid-1990s, the regime of General Abacha

Buhari fully deployed criminal gangs and networks against peaceful civic advocacy in the Niger Delta. In institutions of tertiary education, vice-chancellors in various universities and rectors of polytechnics did the same.

By the time the country returned to civil rule in 1999, the politicians were happy to resume their marriage with violence and its unlicensed suppliers. This time, as former senator, Shehu Sani, recalls in the title of his book, in addition to using them to rig elections, they were also freely deployed as tools of political assassination.

When the police liquidated a little known Islamic Cleric, Mohammed Yusuf, and hundreds of his followers in Maiduguri, north-east Nigeria, in July 2009, they did not realise how swiftly or steeply the violence would switch gears. Law enforcement, hitherto used to deniable means of committing such atrocities, had become fully converted to the methods of outlawry. The blowback ended any pretence to a law enforcement response to Nigeria’s violence and launched the country into an interminable season of mass atrocities.

In 2011, President Goodluck Jonathan, embattled in the north-east, invited a blueribbon panel to help the country understand the issues and think through its options. To

lead this task, he tapped Gaji Galtimari, a former public administrator and diplomat and leader of the Borno Elders Forum, who died in 2019. When it reported at the end of 2011, the Galtimari Committee “traced the origins of private militias in Borno State, of which Boko Haram in particular is an offshoot, to politicians who set them up in the run up to the 2003 general elections. The militias were armed and used extensively as political thugs. After the elections and having achieved their primary purpose, the politicians left the militias to their fate since they could not continue keeping them employed. With no visible means of sustenance, some of the militias gravitated towards religious extremism, the type offered

by Mohammed Yusuf.”

The Galtimari Report recommended that the government should “beam their searchlight on some politicians who sponsored, funded and used the militia groups that later metamorphosed into Boko Haram and bring them to justice.” In its White Paper issued in May 2012 on the report, the Federal Government accepted this recommendation and directed the National Security Adviser to co-ordinate compliance. One decade later, nothing has come of this recommendation.

Instead, what followed has been a descent into sovereign abdication followed by capitulation. Three years later, in 2015, the crisis in north-east Nigeria had become a source of earnings not merely for elements in the security services but also for mercenaries imported by government and paid with public funds. This, notwithstanding that Nigeria was one of the prime movers behind the Convention for the Elimination of Mercenarism in Africa adopted in 1977, which criminalises mercenarism and renders liable to punishment all persons involved in it.

As candidate in 2015, Muhammadu Buhari cashed in on this and promised to provide the kind of leadership to end it.

Far from keeping his word, Buhari doubled down on the abdication, and scaled it up to capitulation before replacing it with barefaced coddling of terror and insurgents.

This appears to have led the rest of the country to the conclusion that insurgency was the only path to dialogue. So, from the north-east, mass violence has been replaced by an epidemic of mass atrocity and from

The New Humanitarian memorably reported around the time of the Galtimari Whitepaper, the conclusion was inescapable that “Nigeria’s criminal justice system has failed under the strain, with security force abuses not being investigated and those responsible for Boko Haram attacks not being prosecuted.” One decade later, the situation is inestimably worse, not better

the north-east, the sites of these atrocities under him have spread to all of the country.

As The New Humanitarian memorably reported around the time of the Galtimari Whitepaper, the conclusion was inescapable that “Nigeria’s criminal justice system has failed under the strain, with security force abuses not being investigated and those responsible for Boko Haram attacks not being prosecuted.” One decade later, the situation is inestimably worse, not better.

In what looks like an ultimately doomed effort to divert attention from capitulation to mass atrocity this past week, the Chief Judge of Nigeria’s Federal High Court issued new rules directing that all terrorism trials “shall be held in camera.” This is a breathtaking assertion by one judicial officer of power to re-write with administrative ink the clear provisions of the constitution and of international treaties on human rights to which Nigeria is party. Section 36(4) of that constitution requires that every accused person is “entitled to a fair hearing in public” and the only person or authority who can order trials in camera under section 36(4) (a) is “the court or tribunal” before whom the accused is charged.

Indeed, in its 2017 Report, the Justice Biobele Georgewill Presidential Investigation Panel on the Compliance with Human Rights Obligations and Rules of Engagement by the Nigerian Armed Forces, insisted in a recommendation accepted by the Federal Government that “an arrest under the Terrorism Prevention Act 2015 as amended or any other Acts of Parliament, must be followed by expeditious prosecution within a reasonable time before a court of competent jurisdiction as prescribed by the provisions of Chapter IV of the Constitution of Nigeria 1999 as amended.” As important as his office is, the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court lacks powers to blithely amend the constitution or so cavalierly expropriate rights granted by it.

This mis-step by the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court is the latest in a series of symbolic acknowledgements of the far reaching collapse of state capacity to guarantee that most basic affirmation in section 14(2)(b) of the 1999 Constitution that “the security and welfare of the people shall be the primary purpose of government.”

By the beginning of this century, the police and security agencies in Nigeria had come to adopt the methods of the people whom they were supposed to hold accountable.

Two decades later, the courts appear keen converts to outlawry in a pretence to fight outlaws. The politicians and their families had for long lived by the mantra that all is fair in the rat race to power. With all of Nigeria’s rulers so committed to denuding it of legitimacy, is it little wonder that the curse of state incapacity in Nigeria is delivering that which communism failed to deliver - a proletarian Nirvana - in which all are joined by the assurance of painful death in mass atrocity or decapitation following mass abduction? 2023 will be interesting.

•A lawyer and a teacher, Odinkalu can be reached at chidi.odinkalu@tufts.edu

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