THURSDAY 28TH APRIL 2022 by THISDAY Newspapers Ltd

THISDAY Presents Video Evidence of Wike’s Unreliability: Praising Amaechi, Obaseki Yesterday, Attacking Them Next Day Says publishing governor's character flaws in public interest

Blessing Ibunge in Port Harcourt

At the resumed hearing on the

suit by Governor Nyesom Wike against THISDAY newspaper and others on alleged libel yesterday, the

defense witness, Mr. Jude Igbanoi, presented more video evidences to show the unreliability of the

state governor. The video further showed that the newspaper’s publication of

June 23, 2020, with caption: "With a Friend Like Wike, Obaseki Meets His PDP’s Waterloo; Almost,” was

not libelous. Igbanoi also rejected Continued on page 34

Amosun Writes Senate, to Declare for President May 5… Page 36 Thursday 28 April, 2022 Vol 27. No 9879. Price: N250

www.thisdaylive.com TR

UT H

& RE A S O

Nigeria will Sink If It Doesn’t Substantially Change Leadership in 2023, Baba-Ahmed Warns… Page 34

Senate Amends Terrorism Act, in Bid to Stave Off Sanctions Prohibits payment of ransom to kidnappers Amendment aims to prevent terrorist groups from laundering money through the banking system and other financial networks To align with the required standard as obtainable in other jurisdictions NDLEA wants political parties to include drug test in screening process for aspirants Umar urges FG to ensure immediate release of kidnapped victims of Kaduna-bound train attack Michael Olugbode, Sunday Aborisade in Abuja and John Shiklam in Kaduna

As part of efforts to avert the imminent placement of Nigeria in the International Cooperation

and Review Group Process of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) and its looming sanctions on the

economy, the Senate yesterday passed a bill seeking to amend the Terrorism (Prevention) Act, 2013, as

well as prohibit payment of ransom to kidnappers in the country. That was as former military

governor of Kaduna State, Col. Continued on page 34

Tinubu Joins Political, Business Leaders in S'Arabia for Prayers and Networking Atiku, Dangote, Rabiu, others meet, strategise for 2023 Chuks Okocha in Abuja With the presidential primaries of political parties about a month from now and the election proper less than a year away, some of the nation’s prominent political and business leaders, have literally moved to Saudi Arabia for lesser Hajj, not just prayers but to ponder the options open to them and the nation ahead of the 2023 general elections. The latest personality and political heavyweight to join other Nigerian leaders in prayer at a high octane networking, is the former governor of Lagos State and frontline presidential hopeful, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, who was though in Mecca for the Umrah as with others, however, found the atmosphere conducive for political networking, as usual. Apart from Tinubu, who just arrived Saudi Arabia for the conventional last 10 days of Ramadan

as an optional Islamic practice, others who also left for lesser hajj were former Vice-President, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar; Africa’s richest man and Chairman of Dangote Group, Alhaji Aliko Dangote; Founder and Chairman of BUA Group, Abdul Samad Rabiu and former Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Malam Nuhu Ribadu. Some of the other known political names seen in Saudi Arabia, included former Nigeria’s High Commissioner to Ghana, Senator Musiliu Obanikoro, who is itching to be redistricted to Lagos West, from Central, where he initially represented, for another senatorial bid and a former two-time Senator for Lagos West, Ganiyu Olanrewaju Solomon. Traditionally, while some devout Muslims travel for Umrah to seal Continued on page 34

Thousands Storm APC Secretariat as Yahaya BELLO'S JOURNEY TO PRESIDENCY BEGINS... Kogi State Governor, Yahaya Bello being presented presidential nomination form by the National Chairman of the All progressives Congress, Bello Picks Nomination Forms... Page 36 APC, Abdullahi Adamu, at the party secretariat after paying the N100 million nomination fee, … yesterday

THURSDAY APRIL 28, 2022 • T H I S D AY

THURSDAY, APRIL 28, 2022 • T H I S D AY

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

NEWS

COURTESY VISIT TO IPNX... L-R: Regional Manager, Financing and implementation for sub Saharan Africa, US Trade and Development Agency, Sarah Whitten; Regional Director, sub Saharan Africa, US Trade and Development Agency, Heather Lanigan; Group Managing Director, ipNX Nigeria, Ejoiv Aror; Country Manager, West African Region, US Trade and Development Agency, Jillian Foerster; and Group Executive Director Commercials PHOTO: SUNDAY ADIGUN Infrastructure ipNX. Bimpe Olaleye, during US Trade and Development agencies courtesy visit to ipNX Nigeria oﬃce in Victoria Island, Lagos…. yesterday

FAAC Shares N725.571bn March Revenue to FG, States, LGs Ndubuisi Francis in Abuja

The Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) yesterday shared a total sum of N725.571 billion to the federal government, states and local government councils as March 2022 Federation Account revenue.

Citing the communiqué issued at the end of a virtual meeting of the FAAC for April 2022, the Director (Information, Press and Public Relations), Office of the Accountant General of the Federation, Mr. Henshaw Ogubike said the N725.571 billion total distributable revenue comprised distributable

statutory revenue of N521.169 billion and distributable Value Added Tax (VAT) revenue of N204.402 billion. The total deductions for cost of collection amounted to N44.411 billion while the total deductions for statutory transfers, refunds and savings stood at N382. 826 billion.

From the total distributable revenue of N725.571billion, the federal government received N277.104 billion, the state governments received N227.201 billion while the local government councils received N167.910 billion. A total of N53.356 billion was shared to the relevant sates as 13

NLC Meets over Lingering ASUU Strike Says children of the poor suffering Onyebuchi Ezigbo in Abuja The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has slammed the federal government as well as the political class for abandoning university students to their fate to face the brunt of the strike by workers in government-owned tertiary institutions. At the meeting of its Central Working Committee in preparation for the May Day Commemoration on May 1st, 2022, the NLC described the situation as injustice on the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), and by extension the children of the underprivileged who attend public universities. NLC President, Ayuba Wabba, who addressed the opening ceremony of the CWC meeting held yesterday in Abuja said, “We are facing a period of great injustice on the downtrodden of the society, children of the poor are at home but the children of the rich are going to school, we have written several communications to the government but no response till date, rather they are busy discussing politics.” ASUU and the federal government is having a lingering face-off over dispute bothering on funding of Nigerian universities, poor welfare packages, among others, which had led to closure of public universities for over two months. Speaking further, Wabba said: “I think it’s very clear we have not had it rosy, we just got out of COVID-19 but we have more serious challenges centred around education. “As you all know; the children of the poor are at home while those

of the rich are going to school. To date, we have communicated through recommendations to the government but no response. “This is most disheartening because people in our generation benefited from free education, from primary to tertiary level. This is not acceptable, instead of the politicians discussing these issues as a national

emergency they are occupied with the 2023 elections. “We at this CWC meeting would be looking at the upcoming political dispensation. A lot of broken promises. No worker should sit down and just watch, certainly, that will not be our portion. We must engage politicians, making sure the downtrodden is accommodated

in the next political dispensation." THISDAY gathered that the meeting which lasted till late evening, would come up with a communiqué stating definite position on measures to take compel ASUU and the federal government to find amicable solution to the crisis in nation's universities in order to reopen the institutions.

per cent derivation revenue. In the month under review, gross statutory revenue of N933.304 billion was received which was higher than the N429.681 billion received in the previous month by N503.623 billion. The sum of N35.631 billion which was cost of collection and N376.504 billion being amount for transfers, refunds and savings were deducted from the N933.304 billion gross statutory revenue, resulting in the distributable statutory revenue of N521.169 billion. From the N521.169 billion distributable statutory revenue, the federal government received N246.444 billion, states got N125.000 billion and the local government councils received N96.369 billion. The sum of N53.356 billion was shared to the relevant states as 13 per cent derivation revenue. Also in the month of March, the gross revenue available from

the Value Added Tax (VAT) pool was N219.504 billion, which was higher than the N177.873 billion available in the preceding month by N41.631 billion. The sum of N6.322 billion which was allocation to NEDC and N8.780 billion cost of collection were deducted from the N219.504 billion gross VAT revenue, resulting in the distributable VAT revenue of N204.402 billion. From the N204.402 billion distributable VAT revenue, the federal government received N30.660 billion; state governments received N102.201 billion while the local government councils received N71.541 billion. Also, Petroleum Profit Tax (PPT), oil and gas royalties, import and excise duties, Companies Income Tax (CIT) and VAT recorded tremendous increase in March. The balance in the Excess Crude Account (ECA) was $35.372 million as at April 27, 2002.

Stakeholders Seek Women Inclusion, Diversity in Oil, Gas Industry Emmanuel Addeh in Abuja Several industry stakeholders yesterday called for an increase in diversity and inclusion in the oil and gas industry in Nigeria to create a balance in human development in the sector. Speaking during the Annual General Meeting/Lecture Series of the Oil and Gas Trainers Association of Nigeria (OGTAN) in Abuja, top players in the industry noted that inclusion and fairness in distribution of positions in the industry will lead to even growth in the industry. With the theme: “Diversity & Inclusiveness in Human Capital Development”, Executive Secretary, Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB, Simbi Wabote, who spoke during the event, stressed that women rights are also human rights. Industry data recently revealed an uneven gender distribution as women make up just 18 per cent of the workforce, while men constitute 82 per cent of employees in the oil and gas sector. A report recently released by the Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI)

disclosed that of the 60 entities in the oil and gas industry that provided employment data for the 2020 audit, 18,712 employees were captured out of which 15,266 were male, while just 3,446 were female. According to NEITI, of the 18,712 total employees in the industry, 1,495, about 8 per cent was on the top-level employment cadre in the industry; 9,475, made up 51 per cent middle level, while 7,742, approximately 41 per cent, was lower-level employees. The report showed that out of 40 executive management positions in the petroleum industry, only 10 were occupied by women, signifying 25 per cent of total appointments. The lower level employment record showed that out of 7,742 employees, 6,395 were men while the remaining 1,347 were women. The International Labour Organization (ILO) said more than half of the professionals in the oil and gas industry will reach retirement age in the next decade, a situation which it said posed a major threat to the industry. Wabote argued that women make up 49.3 per cent of Nigeria’s population, saying this underscored

the need for women to take a centre stage in major areas of professional activities in the country. Stressing that the role of women needed to be recognised, he however noted that significant measures had been taken to implement policies where they can have same opportunities as their male counterparts. “Women’s rights are

human rights,” he said. He noted that with the modest efforts being made in Nigeria, data has shown that it is the second country in the world where a female could possibly emerge boss, saying that human capacity development remains of critical value to the energy sector. He urged companies in Nigeria

to imitate the NCDMB which has engendered gender fairness and diversity in its activities making available $40 million specially for women entrepreneurs in collaboration with the Nigerian Import-Export Bank (NEXIM). Continued Online

Badagry Deep Seaport: FG Receives Full Business Case Compliance Certificate from ICRC Kasim Sumaina in Abuja The federal government through the Ministry of Transportation yesterday received the Full Business Case Compliance Certificate on the Badagry Deep Seaport and the Modular Floating Dockyard from the Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission (ICRC). This was revealed when the Minister of Transportation, Mr. Rotimi Amaechi, received the Director, Transportation, ICRC, Dr. Emmanuel Onwodi, in Abuja, who presented the minister the certificate. Speaking on the projects, a

statement quoted Onwodi to have said it would among other benefits, create a total ecosystem in terms of shipping, transportation, job creation. He added: "Most notable attribute of the Badagry port is that it will enable the country compete favourably with the Contonou seaport." He further said with respect to the Dry Dock which is handled by NIMASA, "the revenue that will come to the federal government within that period is $65 million and it's going to create a job opportunity of over 800,000." He also said when the project

becomes operational, it had been estimated to generate $2.6 million for the country. The minister thanked the ICRC for its diligence, noting that the presentation reflects that the project was financially viable. Amaechi in the statement by the ministry's Director of Press, Eric Ojiekwe, further stated that the Ministry would write to the Federal Executive Council (FEC), for approval of the projects. Present at the function was the Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Transportation, Dr. Magdalene Ajani.

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TAKING THE OATH OF OFFICE... L-R: Beatrice Ejodamen Jedy-Agba; Kacholom Shangti; Shehu Ibrahim and Mary Ada Ogbe, taking their oath of oﬃce during the swearing in ceremony of the newly appointed Permanent Secretaries PHOTO: GODWIN OMOIGUI . at the Presidential Villa, Abuja...yesterday .

Toriola: MTN Spent N3.4trn on Capital Investments, Paid N3.5trn in Taxes, Levies in 21 Years Plans 5G rollout before December

Emma Okonji MTN Nigeria said it spent N3.4 trillion on capital investments and paid N3.5 trillion in taxes and levies to the federal government since it commenced operations in the country 21 years ago. It also disclosed that it had paid N2.5 trillion to its stakeholders as dividend in the last 21 years ago. The CEO of MTN Nigeria, Mr.

Karl Toriola, who disclosed these yesterday, in Lagos, during the launch of its Media Innovation Programme (MIP) in partnership with Pan Atlantic University (PAU), Lagos, also disclosed that the telco would roll out its 5G network across Nigeria in the second half of this year. He said MTN would build the largest and most valuable platforms, which is part of its strategic priori-

ties in its 2025 Ambition Plan. "With our 2025 Ambition Plan, we will drive industry-leading connectivity operations, create shared value and accelerate portfolio transformation," Toriola said. Speaking on the MTN Nigeria and PAU MIP initiative, Toriola said the programme would be handled by PAU’s School of Media and Communication (SMC). "The six-month, fully funded

fellowship for Nigerian media practitioners is designed to support the sustainable development of the nation’s changing media scene. “It is open to media practitioners across the spectrum, including print, electronic, online platforms and social media content creators. "The course is designed to give participants a greater understanding of Nigeria’s technology sector and the nexus between media and

Adesina: AfDB to Support Nigeria's AgroIndustrial Processing Zones with $540m Deji Elumoye in Abuja The President of African Development Bank (AfDB), Dr. Akinwumi Adesina, has disclosed that the Bank would support Nigeria to develop Special Agro-Industrial Processing Zones, as part of the quest for food security in the country. A statement yesterday by the

Media Adviser to President Buhari, Femi Adesina, quoted Adesina to have disclosed this while briefing President Muhammadu Buhari at the State House, Abuja on Tuesday. According to Adesina: “We have decided to mobilise $540 for the program. The African Development Bank has approved a total of $210 million.

The Islamic Development Bank, and the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) have approved $170 million, and $160 million respectively, towards the program.” The AfDB President indicated that the processing zones would initially be rolled out in seven States, including Kano, Ogun, Oyo, Kaduna, Kwara, Imo, Cross River,

and the Federal Capital Territory. “I look forward, Your Excellency, to your formal launch of these Special Agro-Industrial Processing Zones, very soon,” the AfDB boss added. Responding, President Buhari commended AfDB for being foresighted and proactive about food security on the continent, and Nigeria specifically.

CBN Laments Low Participation of Anambra in its Intervention Programmes State has only 44, 374 beneficiaries since inception David-Chyddy Eleke in Awka The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has lamented the low participation of people of Anambra State in its intervention programmes. The controller of Anambra branch of the CBN, Mr. Benedict Maduagwu disclosed this during a sensitisation fair organised by the apex bank in Awka. He lamented that despite the abundance of skills and talent in the state, only 44,374 persons from the state have benefitted from its intervention schemes. He, however, said the bank has intensified efforts to bring together and speak to people in the state to get them up to date about requirements for some of the organisations programmes, so that they can get funds to expand their

businesses. "Anambra people have been participating in various CBN intervention programmes, but the truth is that the number has not been encouraging. "Since inception, only 44,374 beneficiaries have been registered in Anambra State, in CBN intervention programmes, yet Anambra is a state with abundance of talent, skills and inventors. "That is why we have decided to hold this sensitisation workshop for people in the state, including; farmers, artisans, students and the general public, to convey some of these programmes and simplify the language, for people to be able to participate. "Our efforts have yielded fruits, and if you check, since the last two years, Anambra has picked up, and

24,954 persons in the state have benefitted. This number is a huge increase, but it is still not up to what other states witness. That is why we are here to speak to you people," Maduagwu told participants. Representative of the Anambra State government, Hon. Pauly Onyeka, who is the Commissioner for Housing, applauded the bank for organising the fair, saying Anambra should not for any reason be lagging behind, because it is a state that talents and skills abound. "In fact, if CBN has a N10 trillion budget for a programme, Anambra should get N1trillion, because we have people who can utilise such fund well. We are hopeful that with this workshop, our people will learn to apply for programmes like this," he added. He encouraged youth corps

members who were participants in the programme to pay attention and see reason to apply for funds that can finance their ideas and turn them into employers, instead of job seekers upon conclusion of their mandatory one-year service. Some of the participants who spoke to THISDAY included Mr. Onyekachukwu Isi, the Managing Director of EN Farms Limited and chairman of Anambra State Chapter of Poultry Farmers Association lauded the CBN for their interventions. "I'm a beneficiary of the Commercial Agricultural Credit Scheme 2022 of the CBN. The programmes of CBN require a lot of processes, and follow-ups, but there are real. I believe that with this workshop, people will learn further and become beneficiaries too."

technology; it will also leave participants better able to adapt to changing realities. Fellows will also have access to professional resources and mentorship from the SMC faculty," Toriola said. Toriola added: “We are driven by our belief that everyone deserves the benefits of a modern connected world and are driving accelerated growth by leading digital solutions for Nigeria’s progress. “Against this backdrop, the media landscape continues changing at remarkable speeds, boosted by new technologies. Thus, it is only fitting that we support developments in the Nigerian media space with our infrastructure and enable capacity building initiatives to enable innovation in media practice. “It’s a delight to partner with the PAU, who, through their

expertise, have contributed to the professional development of the media industry, not only in Nigeria but across Africa.” Speaking about the importance of the media training, the Vice Chancellor, PAU, Prof. Enase Okonedo, said: “The School of Media and Communication was established to train professionals who will uphold the highest intellectual, ethical and professional values that promote creativity, critical knowledge, social responsibility and the spirit of enterprise. “The MTN MIP could not have come at a better time for Nigerian media practitioners to imbibe these pertinent values.” The media training, which would be fully sponsored by MTN Nigeria, would be available to 20 successful applicants.

Lawan Frustrates Efforts to Stop Sokoto Senator, Danbaba's Defection to APC Sunday Aborisade in Abuja

The president of the Senate, Dr. Ahmad Lawan, yesterday, frustrated efforts to stop the Deputy Minority Whip of the Senate, Ibrahim Danbaba, from defecting from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC). The senator, who is currently representing Sokoto South in the red chamber, in a letter read during plenary by the Senate President, Ahmad Lawan, hinted of his intention to leave the PDP for the APC. He was nominated by the PDP on July 15, 2022, for the position of Deputy Minority Whip, following the defection of the former deputy Whip, Senator Sahabi Alhaji Ya’u. Ya'u, who is representing Zamfara North, had also left the PDP for the APC. However, Danbaba’s defection has brought the total number of APC Senators in the upper chamber to 71. PDP has 37 while the Young Peoples Party has one member. The lawmaker, in his letter, explained that his decision to leave PDP was informed by the lingering and multifaceted crisis at the zonal level. His letter read in part: “I write to formally inform you and distinguished colleagues of my decision to join the All Progressives

Congress (APC) from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). “My decision is anchored on the continuing multifaceted crisis that has bedeviled the PDP, especially, at the zonal level, which has created not only credibility problems, but has undermined party discipline, cohesion and focus. “The situation at the state level has not helped matters either as depicted by lack of political sanity, focus and credible leadership. I have in APC, the political ideology in consonance with my personal political philosophy. This Ideology also seems the best suited to meet the expectations and aspirations of my constituents. “While thanking you, Mr. President, please, accept the assurances of my highest consideration.” Attempts by Senators Philip Aduda (PDP, FCT) and Lilian Uche Ekwunife (PDP, Anambra Central), to rely on point of orders to stop his defection were unsuccessful as Lawan ruled them out of order. Ekwunife, who relied on the provisions of Section 68(g) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), requested that Danbaba’s seat be declared vacant. The Senate President, however, ruled her out of order, explaining that the reasons advanced by Danbaba were valid and excusable under the law.

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NEWS

ADDRESSING GLOBAL VACCINE HISITANCY... L-R: AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) Country Director, Dr. Echey Ijezie; Health Committee Member, Federation of Muslim Women Association of Nigeria, Hajia Habiba Umar; Director, Advocacy, Policy Marketing , Africa Burau AHF, Oluwakemi Gbadamosi, and Executive Secretary, NINERELA+ Mrs. Amber Erinmwinhe, during the Engaging Religious Leaders to Address COVID-19 Vaccine Hesitancy and Global Vaccine Inequity in Abuja.. yesterday

UBA Posts 18% Growth in Earnings, N44.5bn Profit The United Bank for Africa (UBA) Plc has released its unaudited results for the first quarter ended March 31st, 2022, recording growth across its income lines. The bank’s result which was released to the Nigerian Stock Exchange, according to a statement yesterday, showed that gross earnings rose by 18.3 per cent from N155.4 billion in 2021 to N183.9 billion; while operating income which stood at N106.6 billion as at March 2021, grew by N18 per

cent to N125.9 billion in the year under consideration. The results revealed that the bank’s total assets also rose by 4.1 per cent to N8.9 trillion in the period under review, compared to N8.5 trillion recorded at the end of the 2021 financial year; while its shareholders’ funds grew by 2.6 per cent to N825.7 billion from N804.8 billion in the same period. Leveraging on the growth in both interest and non-interest income, the bank’s profit before tax rose to

N44.5 billion as at March 2022, up from N40.6 billion a year earlier, while profit after tax stood at N41.5 billion. Also, UBA sustained its strong profitability recording an annualised 20.4 per cent Return on Average Equity (RoAE). UBA’s Group Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Kennedy Uzoka, explained that despite the myriad of economic challenges on the global front which shaped the first three months of

the year, the bank’s business model continued to show resilience. These challenges among others, he noted included the ongoing crisis between Russia and Ukraine that has resulted in a huge supply shock, pushing up commodity prices; and the hike in the interest rates in most advanced countries aimed at tackling spiralling inflation, sparking capital flow reversal from emerging and frontier markets. “Notwithstanding these developments, we were able to leverage

CSO Laments over 10.5 Million Out-of-School Children in Nigeria Hammed Shittu in Ilorin A civil society organisation (CSOs) focused on the protection of education in emergency situations and keeping schools and students safe in Nigeria, the Brain Builders Youth Development Initiative (BBYDI), has lamented the over 10.5 million out-of-school children in Nigeria. The Director of the organisation, Mr. Abideen Olasupo, made the disclosure in Ilorin, yesterday, during a media briefing to mark the 2022 Global Action Week for Education (GAWE). He, however, called on government to take more proactive measures to improve security within and around schools, in order to arrest the growing number of out-of-school children in the country. Olasupo stressed that attacks on schools and students were threats to the realisation of the Sustainable Development Goal 4 which focuses on ensuring inclusive and equitable quality education and promotes lifelong opportunities for all. He added that the number of children being prevented from accessing education was on the increase due to partial and total

closure of schools occasioned by attacks on schools and abduction of students. The group, working in partnership with the Kwara State Ministry of Education and Ford Foundation, urged the government to provide safe and accessible learning environments for children in emergency situations, especially in isolated schools and vulnerable areas where attackers can get away easily, saying that, "children and young people are our greatest assets; we must, therefore, provide a safe environment where they can acquire education and skills they need to realise their potential." Olasupo also said teachers should be protected, adequately trained and remunerated, adding that government should organise regular training for teachers and students on what to do during emergency situations. "In the event of an attack on schools, leading to destruction of school facilities, the government should ensure quick fixing of these facilities. "Increase funding for education. Bullying has been identified as a form of violence that makes schools unsafe for children. We, therefore, call on the government to implement policy and take

actions that end bullying and other related vices at schools. "Schools must also have security plan and survey," he said. The group, which commended efforts of the Kwara state government at making schools and students safe in the state, said ensuring security in schools and among students was the responsibility of every stakeholder. "Keeping our schools safe should not be seen as the duty of

the government alone. We all have a role to play; community and religious leaders, security agencies, civil society organisations, people with special needs, parents, and community-based groups must all get involved. "In matters of security, we are all stakeholders. We must assist security agencies with information and intelligence gathering, which is key to preventing some of these attacks on schools".

gains from our large customer base and vast geographical spread to bolster earnings. We recorded double-digit growth of 18 percent in our gross earnings to N183.9 billion, with our Nigerian operation raking in 65 percent of the revenue while our operations in other countries accounted for the remainder, showing the diversity in our operations,” Uzoka said. The GMD pointed out that amid the resignation wave that had seen a record number of employees across the globe quit their jobs, disrupting the performance of many businesses, “UBA, in the last quarter of 2021, thoughtfully reviewed upwards, the salaries of its staff as part of broad measures to retain talents. “We believe our staff is part of our success story with their welfare as a top priority.” Emphasising the bank’s commitment to sustain value for its shareholders in the 2022 financial year, the GMD said, “With strategies in place to further increase revenue and drive cost lower, we are determined to achieve our Cost-to-Income ratio target of below 60 per cent by year-end; and for 2022, we are committed to consolidating on the strong start,

surpassing our goals and targets, as we look forward to delivering stronger returns to our esteemed shareholders. Breaking down the figures, UBA’s Group Chief Finance Officer(GCFO), Ugo Nwaghodoh, said, “Our Q1’22 financial numbers show we are off with a good start. Particularly, 1 am pleased with how we deployed our balance sheet in the period to grow revenues and increase our market share in a number of West African markets. “Driven majorly by interest from customer loans and our investments in long-dated instruments, we grew interest income by an unprecedented quarterly rate of 15 percent to N125.1 billion. “We drove down our annualised cost of funds by 11 basis points to 2.1 per cent. This was achieved despite the uptick in the interest rate environment in the period,” the GCFO said. He expressed confidence that the bank would meet and surpass its target for the remaining three quarters of the year, adding that, “we remain well-capitalised and liquid to fulfil our growth strategy, take up opportunities in key sectors, whilst navigating impending macroeconomic headwinds.”

FCT Recorded 289,957 Malaria Cases in 2021 Olawale Ajimotokan in Abuja

The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) has reported that it recorded 289,000 malaria cases in 2021. The Mandate Secretary, Health and Human Service Secretariat (HHSS), Dr. Abubakar Tafida, made this disclosure yesterday, at a stakeholders’ interactive forum, organised by the Secretariat as part of activities to mark the 2022 World Malaria Day. He said malaria accounted for 70 per cent of outpatient visits, 40 per cent of admissions and a malaria prevalence rate of 35.4 per cent. He said Nigeria accounts for 32

per cent of malaria related deaths, as the disease was responsible for 60 per cent of admissions, 11 per cent of maternal mortality, 25 per cent of infant mortality and 30 per cent of under-five mortality. He described this year's theme as apt, saying it was a clarion call by the World Health Organisation (WHO), for new investments and innovation to speed up the pace of efforts to control the malaria menace. He decried the situation in the FCT where the ever-enlarging slums cause stagnant waters and breed mosquitoes that cause cause malaria. He said the FCTA has adopted

a multi-pronged approach towards controlling the menace of the disease such as free provision of prophylaxis medicine, sulfadoxine pyrimethamine for pregnant women and free treatment and diagnostic testing of malaria cases in some selected primary health care facilities. "Free distribution of 168,000 long lasting insecticides treated nets to communities and health facilities across the six FCT area councils for target population; and comprehensive and continuous public and community sensitisation programmes. "Integrated supportive supervi-

sory visits to health facilities across the FCT, to ensure quality malaria control service delivery; as well as quarterly review of malaria control activities in the FCT," he affirmed. In her remarks, on controlling malaria in Nigeria, Dr. Olusola Oresanya, of the Malaria Consortium, disclosed that Nigeria has the highest contributor of malaria burden (55.2 per cent) WHO African region. She said malaria is a treatable and curable disease, which could be controlled through sustained net campaign and bringing in mechanisms to build up existing interventions for health issues.

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THURSDAY APRIL 28, 2022˾ T H I S D AY

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Abia Pensioners Protest Non-payment of 38 Months Pension Arrears Emmanuel Ugwu-Nwogo in Umuahia

Abia State pensioners yesterday took to the streets of Umuahia, the capital city to protest the non-payment of pensions and gratuities running into 38 months. The languid senior citizens marched under the aegis of Concerned Abia Pensioners, in what they said was the beginning of a two-day protest across the state. Evoking pity and hopelessness as they lamented the unpaid 38 months pension arrears, 20 years of non-payment of gratuities and non-harmonization of pensions from 1998 to 2010, the pensioners disrupted vehicular movements on their route to government house. With placards and solidarity songs that were barely audible the angry pensioners took their protest to government house where they were addressed by the state Commissioner for Finance, Dr Aham Uko. Some of the placards read: “Let Governor Ikpeazu cut his security vote and pay pensioners”, Abia

Pensioners: 38 months of unpaid pensions”. Coordinator of the group of pensioners, Chief Emeka Okezie, reeled out the pathetic condition of the senior citizens, saying,

“we have been dehumanized and subjected to unimaginable suffering as our death toll ranges between 10 to 15 pensioners every month”. According to him, in rare

occasions when their pensions were paid it only amounted to a quarter of their salaries hence it made no meaning to their needs. “We have no money to buy drugs, especially our diabetic

and hypertensive pensioners”. We have children to look after, especially those in the universities. We are retired and don’t have any work to do,” he said.

Okezie said that the pensioners have suffered so much and have resigned to their fate, adding “We are only looking up to God and don’t know where we are heading to”.

PHARMACENTRE LAUNCHED...

L-R: Chairman, Association of Community Pharmacists of Nigeria (ACPN), Lawrence Ekhator; Co-founder, Digital Encode Limited, Dr. Obadere Peter; Managing Director/CEO, Wellness Healthcare Group and Founder, Pharmacentre, Adetutu Afolabi; National President, Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria, Prof. Cyril Usifo; CEO, Hazon Holdings, Victor Gbenga Afolabi; Director, Pharmacists CouncilofNigeria,LagosState, Dr.(Mrs)UkamakaOkafor,and Chairman,PharmaceuticalSocietyofNigeria,LagosStateChapter, IyiolaGbolagade,atthelaunchofPharmacentreinLagos..yesterday

Adamawa Assembly Declares Ogun PDP Aspirant Vows to Probe Past Corrupt Govs, Others Lawmaker’s Seat Vacant for Defecting from PDP to APC James Sowole in Abeokuta

Daji Sani in Yola Adamawa State House of Assembly yesterday declared the seat of the member representing Michika state constituency, Joseph Ayuba, vacant for defecting from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the state to the All Progressives Congress (APC). During yesterday’s plenary presided by the Speaker of the Assembly, Rt. Hon Aminu Iya Abbas, the Assembly, while citing Section 109 1(G) of the constitution, declared the seat of

the lawmaker vacant by virtue of leaving his party on whose platform he was elected. Presenting the issue before the plenary attended by 13 out of the 25 members, the Deputy Speaker, Pwamwakeno Mackondo, cited Section 109 of the constitution, and urged the Assembly to declare the seat of the lawmaker vacant. Abbas then requested Mackondo to present the section of the constitution after which he put a motion for the declaration of the member’s seat vacant.

Angry Constituents Chase Ondo Lawmaker over Alleged Poor Performance Fidelis David in Akure

Angry youths have booed and chased out a member of the Ondo State House of Assembly, Hon Oluwole Emmanuel Ogunmolasuyi, popularly known as (West) from his constituency over alleged poor performance. Ogunmolasuyi, who is the Majority Leader of the State Assembly represents Owo Constituency 1, in Owo Local Government Area of the State. In the viral video shared yesterday by a Facebook user, Tosin Fapohunda II, he wrote: “An Ondo state lawmaker was

chased like a thief in broad daylight today by youths of his constituency over nonperformance and absolute isolation from his constituency since he was voted in to represent them at the Ondo State House of Assembly. In the video, Ogunmolasuyi was nearly lynched by the angry constituents, who were carrying sticks and stones saying “It will not be well with West. We dare you to come here again.” Also, an eyewitness who sought anonymity, said the lawmaker escaped unhurt because of his security guards.

MTN, Pan-Atlantic University Launch Media Innovation Programme Dike Onwuamaeze

The MTN Nigeria and PanAtlantic University (PAU), Lagos State, yesterday announced the launch of the MTN Media Innovation Programme (MTNMIP), which would be run by PAU’s School of Media and Communication (SMC). The programme, which was announced by the Chief Executive Officer of MTN Nigeria, Mr. Karl Toriola, is sixmonth, fully funded fellowship

for Nigerian media practitioners that is designed to support the sustainable development of the nation’s changing media scene. It is also open to media practitioners across the spectrum, including print, electronic, online platforms and social media content creators. The course is designed to give participants a greater understanding of Nigeria’s technology sector and the nexus between media and technology.

As scheming for the ticket of various political parties continues, a leading Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Gubernatorial Aspirant for Ogun State, Segun Sowunmi, has said that he would push for a diligent probe and prosecution of those who have governed the state and plundered its resources, if elected in 2023. The governorship aspirant declared that he would ensure

that looters of the state’s resources are jailed, saying he should also be jailed if found to have also stolen from the state. Sowunmi, who made the declaration at his Abeokuta, Ogun State residence, during Iftar (breaking of Ramadan fast) said he should be jailed if he steals the state money. The aspirant expressed worry that the state had been plunged into unnecessary debts, stating that a new administration, would have to renegotiate the state’s

debt for it to survive. He said: “I’m chasing immortality by the policies and programmes that we will run here. And if one day you find me a thief, jail me, because I will jail those who have stolen before me. “Let nobody be deceived, I’m not asking to lead Ogun so that we can pamper ourselves. No. “Government business is a sacred trust which you hold on behalf of all the collectives. “This is Ogun. The vast

majority of people living here are bona-fide citizens of this place whose parents are the owners of this land. You cannot be in charge of our land, assets, taxes and goodwill, and all you will do is to steal and they will not probe you? You must be joking.” He also declared that the gubernatorial election in the state can never be for the highest bidder, rather there should be issue-based campaigns on how to fix the state and inspire the younger generation.

2023: Amaechi Meets APC Delegates in South-eastern States Presidential aspirant on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Rt Hon. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi has met with party delegates from the five South-eastern states, to seek their support and votes in the primaries. The consultation visit, hosted by Imo State Governor, Sen. Hope Uzodinma at the APC Secretariat in Owerri, Tuesday, had party chairmen, state executives, local government executives and delegates from Enugu, Anambra,

Imo, Abia and Ebonyi States. Amaechi pledged that if given the opportunity, his experience in dealing with insecurity as Governor of Rivers State, will count in tackling same in the country. “If you ask ‘why will they support us?’ I’m a young man, a bridge between the young and the old, a son of the soil, and I am approachable.” “I may be one of the youngest, but I’m the most experienced. As governor of Rivers State, what

you’re currently facing here now, I faced in Port Harcourt, and I dealt with it and overcame it. Rest assured that if we are given this power, we will overcome this crisis by God’s grace.” Reiterating that he is not a sectional candidate, but a Nigerian candidate, Amaechi recounted his recommendations for appointments as being spread out to different parts of the country. “And when I was giving those recommendations, I never thought I would go for presidential

consultations, I just felt there was need for balancing, because we are Nigerians, and if you see my team, it’s made of nearly every zone in the country.Give me this opportunity and you will see the difference. Trust me. Once you give me this opportunity, I will be sincere to you and to everybody. We will do our best to make sure that the Igbos are protected, the Yourubas will be protected, the Hausa/Fulani would be protected, everybody will be protected,” Amaechi said.

PDP Rakes in N113.2m as 90 Aspirants Pick Forms in Bayelsa Olusegun Samuel

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has raked in N113.2 million from the sale of nomination and expression of interest form for the 90 aspirants for the state and National Assembly seats. THISDAY gathered that 67 aspirants have declared interest in the 24 seats of the State House of Assembly. On the other hand, 23aspirants have declared

interest for the Federal House of Representatives and Senate seats. Among the leading aspirants for the state House of Assembly include the Speaker of the State Assembly, Hon. Abraham Ingobere, his Deputy, Micheal Ogbere, the Chairman of the House Committee on Information, Hon. Tari Porri. Others include: an aide to Gov. Douye Diri on Legislative Matters, Hon. Alfred Belemote. He is expected to slug it out with two

others in Brass constituency 2. Leading the pack of aspirants for the Federal House of Representatives is an incumbent member of the Federal House of Representatives, Hon. Fred Agbedi. But he was also reported to have picked the form for the Senate seat and dumped the idea after a resolution by the caucus of the party led by Gov. Douye Diri who resolved that former Governor, Seriake Dickson be

allowed to return to the Senate for second term. A check through the list of aspirants for Federal House of Representatives showed a former Commissioner for Information, Hon. Daniel Markson Iworiso, former Education Commissioner, Jonathan Obuebite and two Local Government Chairmen, Hon. Perekeme Bertola (Ekeremor) and Ebiyoun Marvin Turner (Ogbia) respectively.

Bauchi Imposes Curfew on Gudun Hausawa over Clashes Governor Bala Abdulkadir Mohammed of Bauchi State yesterday directed with immediate effect, enforcement of curfew in Gudum Hausawa community , outskirts of Bauchi Metropolis following a community clashes which claimed lives of three persons, many people injured and houses burnt. The governor announced

the directive when he led heads of security agencies and top government officials on an assessment visit to the affected communities. Governor Mohammed said already security agencies have arrested perpetrators of the community clashes and assured the people that his administration will not relent in providing lasting peace and

security, not only in the area, but across all the communities in the state. He directed security agencies to conduct intensive surveillance in order to identify the root cause of the incident and condemned burning of houses and other properties by unsuspected hoodlums. He said: “I have come here to commiserate with my

brothers and sisters over the ugly incident that happened in this area and some of the perpetrators were arrested and we are in the process of prosecuting them. We are going to support those who their houses were burnt and the families of those who lost their lives with palliatives to cushion the effect of the incident.”

THURSDAY APRIL 28, 2022 • T H I S D AY

T H I S D AY ˾ THURSDAY APRIL 28, 2022

POLITICS

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

Awosika: Our Leaders Have Not Done a Good Job at Bridging the Gaps in the Nation Dr Tola Awosika who is seeking the Ondo Senatorial ticket of the All Progressives Congress is passionate about giving back. His most recent project is a medical factory. Additionally, he is on the board of the Christian Benevolence Foundation. With a Master’s degree holder in Marketing from the University of Coventry, it makes him a well-rounded asset to any company and team. Awosika is a serial entrepreneur, economist, political enthusiiast who owns 355 Group, which has interests in Power, Oil & gas, Marine services, Construction, Pharmaceuticals restaurant and lounge. He spoke with Nseobong Okon-Ekong

hy do you think Nigeria’s leadership is still wobbly? I think it is important for us to look at history and look at where Nigeria is coming from and look at where we are today. What we have been able to establish is post-independence and post-military rule to democracy; what our previous leaders have been able to do is take us from Phase 1 to Phase 2 , Phase 1 being giving us a democratic system of government and then stabilizing democracy. I think those things have been achieved by previous governments and we are grateful to people like President Olusegun Obasanjo who sacrificed a lot to achieve that stability. What we now have is trying to sustain our democracy. The reason I say our current government has been on wobbly ground is because we have not quite gotten the system of government correct-a system of government that works for us, a system of government that is not as expensive or as complex. I think the idea of federalism is good, but we are in such a complex country, with so many different tribes and languages and religious divides. We see that reflect in our political system. There is a need to take a closer look at our system of government and see how best we can restructure our system as a country. How do we share our resources? How are we executing this system of government. The current system of government creates a lot of confusion and that is why there’s several meetings and discussions on restructuring. We are going to continue to be on wobbly grounds until we are able to restructure our entire system. Once we are able to do that any government that comes into power will be successful in terms of governance and executing true democracy and true federalism. Until we get some of those restructuring principles correct, it will be very difficult for us not to constantly take two steps forward and five steps back. I think that is one of the major issues for the inconsistencies we find in our country today. Why is there so much hopelessness in Nigeria today? Ironically, Nigerians are very resilient, tough and hopeful people. We strive for our daily bread. We strive for survival. It is the nature of Nigerians. It is the nature of Africans to always look for something that can make them survive; something that can make them a better life. We are naturally hard working people dedicated and devoted people, but we tend to get demotivated and tend to get a bit hopeless when we feel that our system of government, our leaders are not encouraging us. We put in so much into development, trying to give our families and our loved ones a better life and then the government keeps coming back with things that are just discouraging. People work tirelessly on three, four or five jobs and they have to deal with transportation issues, bad power infrastructure, bad telecommunications, poor health care and more recently diesel, cost of food-all those things are

the same thing and they will never get the results.

Awosika

going up and it almost feels like every single time you feel the bucket, the bucket leaks and all the waters drains out; so, that is what gives people this sense of, “we are never going to get to the point where are are comfortable and we are not scared about tomorrow.” I think what the government needs to do now is to try and close the gap as far as some of those basic that can help society gain confidence in it’s government and its people-the infrastructure, benefits of being a citizen, good health care, education,

access to clean water, good road network, welfare, minimum wage. These are the basic things that create hope. It will be very easy for Nigerians to feel comfortable and a lot more motivated when some of those things are put in place. As it is now, none of those things exist and people still get up every morning, go to work. People still go to churches, pray for our country and pray for our leaders. These are not hopeless people, it is just the situation they find themselves with the lack of a helping hand or the lack of drive or motivation from government that has caused people to feel like no matter what they do, they (people in authority) are going to keep doing

I feel that my brand and what I represent that brand that character, that commitment, the bold ideas, the attitude to serve, to always want to give back and make society better is what has led me into this race and that is what is going to make me sustain those principle, because you can’t give what you don’t have and these are that I have built as a young businessman, as a young adult. This is what I have to bring to the table. I am going to be carrying all those diﬀerent characteristics into the public sector as I have proven in the private sector that it can be done. I believe in the public sector, it won’t be a challenge to do so

How can we get Nigerians to focus on nationalism and patriotism, rather than having so much conversations around ethnicity? First of all we have to embrace our cultures in our multi-religious environment and unify it. Our leaders have not done a very good job at bridging the gap, in terms of those divisions. In fact, they have done the opposite. Nigeria is split into multiple countries and that is a result of leadership. What we need is to get leaders that unify this country. Leaders that will see a Nigerian as a Nigerian and not see a Nigerian as Yoruba-Nigerian or Hausa-Nigerian; a Christian-Nigerian or Moslem-Nigerian. We need to have that leader who will ensure that these divides are closed. Some of those things are the reasons we are where we are today. We have to unify. Unity is what leads to patriotism. When you are unified as a country, you are patriotic to the flag. When there is no sense of unity that flag is already divided which means you are not going to get a lot of patriotic people. Our system of government, our current situation hasn’t really allowed people to be as patriotic as they want to be because they like government has not done its own part to secure the future of its citizens so it is not worth fighting for. If you look at the on-going war between Russia and Ukraine, you saw how citizens-billionaires, businessmen, ex-politicians stood up grabbed an AK-47 and put on a bulletproof vest to fight for their country. This can only happen when a country is united and it’s people are on the same page and the country’s government has done what it needs to do to ensure that the people are secure and the people’s interest comes as Number One. Unfortunately, we don’t have that in Nigeria. We are not there yet. Until we become more servant-leasers as opposed to the people serving the leaders; until that narrative changes where true service is about the needs and the desires of the people; until that narrative changes where politicians don’t feel like they are doing people a favour, things are not going to change and we are not to be able to change any narrative. That narrative of divide and rule basically embodies what we are talking about. People don’t have that sense of patriotism because of the system of government. What our leaders have produced is segregated and one-sided leadership and until we are able to unite as a people; as one country. People don’t have confidence in the system. They have segregated us as a people. Until we are able to unite and move as one country, we are never going to be able to get that patriotism to the flag. That is what needs to change and only genuine leaders, compassionate leaders, selfless leaders are able to that. NOTE: Interested readers should continue in the online edition on www.thisdaylive.com

T H I S D AY ˾ THURSDAY APRIL 28, 2022

POLITICS

Why Adamu is in a Hurry to Succeed

Nseobong Okon-Ekong writes that the new leadership of the All Progressives Congress with Senator Abdullahi Adamu in-charge is in hurry to prove that members of the party made the right choice in picking them for the job

Adamu

he path to the March 26th APC national convention of the All Progressives Congress (APC) was long and tortuous, from the time it unceremoniously ousted the combative National Working Committee led by Comrade Adams Oshiomhole. Then came the Governor Mai Mala Buni Caretaker administration which shifted the date of exit many times and kept an air of melancholy surrounding the party. Many people doubted that APC will be able to hold its convention or if it did, it could be successful and signal an end to its problems of internal schism. In the event, the convention turned out to be a big success and the election of Senator Abdullahi Adamu as the National Chairman was not only smooth but has set the party on the path to genuine amends. Late last year, APC’s Caretaker/Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee [CECPC] led by Yobe State Governor Mai Mala Buni finally set a date for the convention which held after postponement of its initial February date. Fortunately for the party, the Mai Mala Buni had appointed Adamu as chairman of a national reconciliation committee, which many argue was a ploy to give him undue advantage over aspirants who had long shown interest in the office. The task was urgent because following ward, local government and state congresses that it conducted, many APC state chapters were enveloped in crises and factional executives emerged in several states. It was a very good trial run, because it enabled Adamu to see just how intricate the problem was. As the committee went about its job traversing the length and breadth of the country, many became convinced that added to experience and maturity, Senator Adamu’s sense of justice, fairness and audacity to stand for the truth with diplomatic tact would go a long way in not only resolving the many conflicts within the party. Many recalled how, as Governor of Nasarawa State, Adamu organized a smooth transition and won elections to go to the Senate without rancour and has been able to manage all the state governors that came after him. Widespread regard for his choice ultimately won President Muhammadu Buhari’s endorsement. The eruption that some expected to follow the convention due to varied interests however thinned out as it became clear that Senator Adamu was going to be the choice of the party. Endorsement by the President also helped as initial protests from co-con-

testants died down as they gradually began to withdraw from the race. As the party delegates converged at Eagle Square for the convention on March 26, it was more or less an affirmation for Senator Adamu as all the processes went on without rancor until he was sworn in as the national chairman of APC. Standing on the podium on that day, Adamu pledged to heal the wounds in the party. He said, “We shall effect lasting reconciliation among our members and we shall go into the next general elections as a strong and united party. I offer my hands of friendship to all our members. I want to assure you that my colleagues and myself will run an open-door policy for all members of the party”. He added: “We need to renew our faith in our party and its leadership at all levels to herald a new dawn. We need to commit to the resolution of our crisis within the confines of our party constitution. “We must resist the temptation to blow every minor personal disagreement into a major party crisis. It is time for us to do things differently. When we quarrel, we open our flanks to our rival political parties that are only too eager to exploit them for their benefit.” Weeks since he took over as chairman, it is clear that the expectations of party leaders would be met as the new national chairman has hit the ground running. In his first week, he caused the national secretariat to be reconfigured in such a way that the office of the national chairman would be more accessible to the people. On Tuesday, 5th April, 2022, Adamu met with the United Kingdom chapter of the APC Diaspora, during which he called for more synergy between the party’s secretariat and its Diaspora wing. He commended the chapter for its relentless efforts in shaping public perception of the APC-led administration through continuous engagement on its various social media handles. On Wednesday, the 6th of April, the new APC helmsman met with former governors under the party’s platform, during which he assured them that the NWC, under his leadership, will strengthen internal democracy within the party, and also ensure fairness to the party members at all levels. He is already dousing the tension within the party with his intervention and consultations with stakeholders. He is also re-establishing contacts with the top leaders of the party in public office and has been assured of their cooperation and support. The national chairman has also sent signals across that the party would be just to all members. The big one of all was the convocation of the National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting of the party, held on April 20, where key decisions including the approval of the timetable and schedule of activities for the ruling party’s primaries were approved. To stakeholders of the party, the path to victory of the APC has been laid with the event. For Senator Adamu, it could be said that the morning that heralds his new position as national chairman, has all the positive signals for a bright future for APC. The hopes of various leaders of the party and its teeming supporters are being rekindled by the strategic steps being taken by the new national chairman to give all and sundry a great sense of belonging in the party.

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T H I S D AY THURSDAY APRIL 28,28, 2022 Thursday April 2022 Vol 27. No 9880 TR

See page 20 2023, NGIGE, ASUU AND THE LIMITS OF FALSEHOOD CHEKWUBE CHUKWUNYERE argues that Ngige has what it takes to steer the nation out of crisis

See page 20 SUPPORTING GRADUATE TRANSITION INTO THE JOB MARKET Nigeria must consider investing in building local skills, writes GEORGE ASAMANI See page 21 NIGERIA AND THE TAUNTS OF TERRORISTS KENE OBIEZU contends that the ‘giant’ of Africa is naked

See page 21 EDITORIAL

THE N20 BILLION ‘CASH TRANSFERS’

See page 22

& RE A S O

opinion@thisdaylive.com

www.thisdaylive.com

OSINBAJO: EXPERIENCE, LOYALTY AND CHARACTER Yemi Osinbajo is well-groomed to succeed as President of Nigeria, writes ETIM ETIM

UT H

MONDAY PHILIPS EKPE canvasses a determined war against drug abuse

STEMMING THE ONSLAUGHT OF HARD DRUGS The scene had all the trappings of an assembly of a groping generation on edge. Setting: A hotel in Asokoro, a highbrow area of Abuja, home to a sizable portion of Nigeria’s extravagant and immensely pampered, privileged political class. Some smart ladies who knew a lot about marketing and the easiest ways to sell fun to young people decided to package a night to remember. Their customers would have enough enjoyment and satisfaction while they would laugh to the banks. What’s ZURQJ ZLWK EXVLQHVV LGHDV WKDW PLQH SURÀWV anyway? Isn’t that a major dream that drives most people? If the operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) had not obstructed, exposed and arrested that gathering, however, the event would certainly have found its way to the social media and celebrated as a hit, a social and economic success. That special congregation of lovers of cannabis most likely was not WKH ÀUVW RI LWV NLQG LQ 1LJHULD EXW LI ZH needed another wake-up call concerning the increasing patronage of hard drugs in the country, that was it. Two hundred youths gathered in one place, all united by Indian hemp, other banned substances and an unnamed drink of equal strength that was due for launch at the occasion. Just imagine the outcome if the potentialities present at that venue were deployed to achieve cultural, intellectual, economic, political, or other noble goals. What makes the growing preoccupation of our young population with these addictive items even more painful and dreadful is the fact that they possess manifest capacity for positive pursuits. The End SARS campaign that shook the nation last year is only one of the notable examples. Many of them have been clamouring for enhanced participation of younger Nigerians in politics to literally UXQ WKH ROGHU EULJDGH RXW RI SXEOLF R΀FHV Now that another period of political transition is here, rather than mobilising strongly to actualise that objective, some of them give in to the kind of shame witnessed last week. Happily, the NDLEA appears to have rediscovered its teeth. The quality intelligence which nailed that scarlet party and the rapid response that followed should give right thinking members of society reasons to be hopeful. Recent investigations and other actions by the drug body are also yielding results that are noteworthy but, as a nation, we are not anywhere near freedom in this regard. After many decades of declared intentions on the part of government and the VRPHWLPHV FRPPHQGDEOH HͿRUWV RI UHOHYDQW RUJDQLVDWLRQV WKH DQWL GUXJ DGGLFWLRQ ÀJKW may as well have only just begun. My THISDAY article on May 11, 2018 titled, “Sad Romance with Mind Bending,” puts the dilemma thus: “The sad reality before us now is that people, young and old, embrace and utilise drugs beyond the

dictates of rational medicine. Both hard substances and prescription drugs have put many lives in chains. In some other cases, young people smoke or inhale latrines, industrial gum, lizard droppings, paint; just about any smell that can get them on a ‘high’. End result: complicated, shattered lives. Why do they go through dark, treacherous paths to euphoria, sense of self-worth and enhanced sexual drive?” Providing answers to that poser should make tracing the root causes a priority. Like in various societies around the world, the factors responsible for dependence on illicit drugs range from personal to external. The overwhelming social and economic challenges facing Nigeria today do not help matters. They compound them instead. People, especially young Nigerians, are compelled to make a meaning out of WKHLU ORQJ VXͿHULQJ OLYHV :KLOH WKHUH LV nothing new about embracing acceptable or awkward behaviours to escape unwanted realities, our circumstances have now made it more appealing and, perhaps, inevitable in numerous cases. Take situations of partial or complete parental failure, for instance. Teenagers and young adults are then left to their own devices, sometimes at the mercy of predatory peers, false friends, fake life FRDFKHV DQG RWKHU VRFLDO PLVÀWV 7KH OLIH RI DQ DGGLFW FDQ EH D YHU\ GL΀FXOW and complicated one indeed. Recovery Crossroads Where You Can Never Walk Alone, a website dedicated to victims of drug abuse, captures a very pathetic psychological state. According to it, “As an addicted person needs an increasing amount of their substance of choice to get the same high, they become more and more preoccupied with procuring and using substances. This is what leads to the PRVW GDPDJLQJ HͿHFWV RI DGGLFWLRQ 7R WKH VXͿHUHU IULHQGV IDPLO\ ZRUN DQG EHLQJ DQ upstanding citizen become less important WKDQ LQHEULDWLRQ µ ,Q HͿHFW OLIH ORVHV LWV YHU\ HVVHQFH DQG ÁDYRXU 7KH SHUVRQ ÀUVW becomes useless to himself or herself and also a burden to the family, acquaintances and the rest of the community. And what can

Whether by sniﬃng, smoking, chewing, swallowing, injecting or drinking, an adventurous youth or confused adult can actually sign away his or her life while existing

someone whose thinking faculty has been UHFRQÀJXUHG RͿHU WR WKH KXPDQ VRFLHW\" Interestingly, addiction does not occur VXGGHQO\ ,W LV D MRXUQH\ WKDW KDV GLͿHUHQW starting modes. Not to set out on it at all is the best bet, but if the initial steps have been taken, the earlier the potential addict or someone else notices it, the better. The general progression is that when habits are fully formed and have taken hold on a person, they assume the status of strongholds, taking control of critical areas of the brain. Dislodging them at that point FDQ EH YHU\ WRXJK :KHWKHU E\ VQL΀QJ smoking, chewing, swallowing, injecting or drinking, an adventurous youth or confused adult can actually sign away his or her life while existing. The very nature of the trade that sustains and promotes these ruinous habits points to something sinister, intricate and entrenched. And the sheer magnitude of the problem demands that we must look far beyond the drug agency for salvation even though we expect it to provide leadership. Where do we go from here? All over the globe, people patronise the internet in ways no medium of mass communication had ever been engaged. The larger portion of this clientele is the youth population. In Nigeria, the level of social media indulgence is very high. That is where to take the battle to, of course, while not ignoring the orthodox platforms like newspaper, radio and television. Content creation in the form of texts, videos, still pictures and graphics to drive home well-tailored messages should be the focus of government agencies, schools, NGOs, worship organisations, concerned individuals and others. It is sad that over time, sports and other recreational activities have been pushed to the background. Whole residential zones are designed without making provision for them. Even many educational institutions that host a chunk of the vulnerable class fail to plan for these facilities. Nigerians love sports, not only football. Getting the younger ones involved, not just as viewers but also as active participants, could result in a more productive rechanneling of the exuberant energies that are sometimes diverted to harmful engagements like drug misuse. Unprecedented unemployment in the country is no longer news. Before jobs arrive either publicly or privately, human dignity can and should be preserved. Nothing tramples on it faster and more viciously than the use of destructive items. Everyone should self-enlist into the army to tackle this menace head on as no one will have immunity from the consequences in the long run.

Dr Ekpe is a member of THISDAY Editorial Board

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T H I S D AY

CHEKWUBE CHUKWUNYERE argues that Ngige has what it takes to steer the nation out of crisis

Yemi Osinbajo is well-groomed to succeed as President of Nigeria, writes ETIM ETIM

OSINBAJO: EXPERIENCE, LOYALTY AND CHARACTER With just a little over a month to the national convention of APC, the true character of the presidential aspirants and their messages are emerging. While Bola Tinubu is harping on his entitlement to the presidency as a ‘’lifelong ambition’’, and is incessantly mouthing the issue of betrayal, Vice President Yemi Osinbajo is carefully building his brand as the candidate with a deep experience and exposure who would be ready for the job from day one.

On-the-job experience is the main thrust of his campaign, and he is presenting this as his XQLTXH VHOOLQJ SRLQW WKDW GLͿHUHQWLDWHV KLP from the pack. In his declaration speech, the VP noted that ‘’in this period of seven years, I have served this government in several capacities, and have at the direction of Mr President, represented our country in sensitive high level international engagements’’. Speaking to APC delegates in Ibadan last week, he emphasized the same theme, noting that the experience he has garnered in the last seven years has become a divine opportunity to serve the country. Said he: ‘’God is deliberate in everything he does, and by giving me all these opportunities to understand governance…at the highest level of our country, all of it was not just so that I can sit down and write a memoir. No. It was to come in handy one day, and I believe the time has come’’. At the Palace of the Deji of Akure in the Ondo State Capital, Prof Osinbajo stressed that being Vice President, and at some point, Acting President, he had acquired invaluable experience which, invariably, is akin to a training to be president. He said: ‘’I have served for the past seven years as Vice President of Nigeria, and I have also acted within that period when the President was away… In that capacity, I am probably the only person trained to be President, because if you’ve been a Vice President and also acting President, then you’ve been trained, and I must say with utmost humility that that is exactly how I feel’’. Undoubtedly, cognate experience counts in all levels of governance and leadership, and this is why HR managers always train their eyes to pick the guy with the most suitable experience for the job. In a business school class about two decades ago, the American facilitator announced to my class: ‘’You were hired for your experience and the contacts you brought to the job; and you can only continue to keep your job if you continue to put them at the disposal of your employers’’. The old adage

THURSDAY APRIL 28, 2022

says ‘’experience will never go out of fashion’’. %\ VKRZLQJ RͿ KLV FUHGHQWLDOV DV WKH PRVW experienced and deeply involved VP in the country, Prof Osinbajo is assuring the nation that when he becomes President, his learning curve would be very short, and he would have very little or no need for handover notes. In our subregion, the VP is already well known to the ECOWAS leaders as he has represented the country many times at their meetings. In the domestic front, the VP has been involved in all the major decisions, policies and actions of the government. For instance, his role in the resolution of the #EndSARS crisis in October 2020 eventually led to the setting up of the judicial panels across the country. As the Vice Chairman of the National Security Council, the VP is at home with all the security problems plaguing our nation, LQFOXGLQJ WKH GL΀FXOW\ LQ SURFXULQJ ZHDSRQV for our military. He is familiar with the security FKLHIV WKH PLGGOH OHYHO R΀FHUV DQG HYHQ WKH challenges our troops and law enforcement agencies face. I know for a fact that the President has recently asked the VP to lead a committee and liaise with the service chiefs to work on the complete overhaul of the nation’s security architecture. With the little time left to the end of this administration, it is logical that the report and recommendations of this body would be implemented by the new commander-in-chief. Prof Osinbajo would most likely implement the recommendations of the report than any of these other aspirants. This is the kind of hands-on experience that WKH 93 ZRXOG EH WDNLQJ WR R΀FH LI RU ZKHQ he’s elected President, whether in terms of our national focus on food production and DWWDLQPHQW RI VHOI VX΀FLHQF\ LQ VRPH VWDSOH food crops, tackling insecurity, building infrastructure, tackling unemployment and poverty or attending to the huge demands of foreign policy issues in the sub region, Africa and across the Atlantic. These experiences will also help Osinbajo to avoid some mistakes made by this administration. Yes. President Buhari has, in my fair assessment, made some mistakes. He is human. As I said in my last article, every government the world over has its own share of achievements and shortcomings. It is the duty of the successor to learn from the past and avoid repeating them. I should however point out that experience LV PRUH HͿHFWLYH LI LW LV UHLQIRUFHG E\ WKH JRRG character of the man at the top. Qualities like good communication skills, vision, competence, ethical and moral character, empathy, compassion, energy and drive, decision making skills, accountability and ability to delegate all work together with experience to produce a good leader. They constitute the contents of his heart and the nature of his character. Those who know Prof Osinbajo very well have attested to his character and noble motivations. President Buhari has publicly attested to ‘’his wisdom and loyalty’’. Statesmen like Gen. Babangida, emirs and other traditional rulers; religious and political leaders across the country have also praised him for possessing the requisite qualities, in addition to ability to bring people together and keep the country united. I hope Nigerians will make a wise decision and choose the VP as the next President. Etim writes from Abuja

2023, NGIGE, ASUU AND THE LIMITS OF FALSEHOOD As an active labour activist, I have read with dismay the sustained campaign of calumny against the Minister of Labour and Employment, Senator Chris Ngige since he declared his intention WR FRQWHVW IRU WKH R΀FH RI WKH 3UHVLGHQW RI WKH Federal Republic of Nigeria on the platform of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC). After months of consultations with political stakeholders across the country, Ngige declared his intention penultimate Tuesday before a mammoth crowd of APC members and other supporters at his hometown, Alor in Idemili South local government area of Anambra State. But, rather than look at Ngige’s enormous OHDGHUVKLS SRWHQWLDO ÀIWK FROXPQLVWV LQ WKH traditional and social media are taking advantage RI WKH RQJRLQJ VWULNH RI WKH $FDGHPLF 6WDͿ Union of Universities (ASUU) to undermine this

noble ambition. For instance, less than 24 hours after his declaration, an Abuja based national newspaper came out with a headline that “Ngige’s presidential ambition is dead on arrival.” The report did not emanate from any authoritative or credible source but a handful of posts on the social media, insinuating that if Ngige could not resolve the ASUU strike, then he was incapable of vying for the president of Nigeria. As somebody conversant with developments in the labour sector, such conclusion above is both irrational and infantile and must have been borne out of either crass ignorance or malice. Without any fear of contradiction, let me say that the problem with most critics in Nigeria is that they don’t have foresight and yet, adamantly refuse to make use of hindsight. If Ngige’s hecklers had engaged in a little retrospection, it would have occurred to them that the ASUU crisis in Nigerian public universities SUHGDWHG KLV ÀUVW DSSRLQWPHQW LQ DV WKH Minister of Labour and Employment. In fact, incessant ASUU strikes dated back to the era of the military in Nigerian politics. Between 1988 DQG XQLYHUVLW\ OHFWXUHUV HPEDUNHG RQ ÀYH nationwide strikes to protest one thing or the other. After the return of democracy in Nigeria in 1999, ASUU became more restive. Between 1999 and 2022, the union embarked on strike 16 times (the ongoing strike inclusive). Out of the 16 ASUU strikes, seven occurred under the presidency of &KLHI 2OXVHJXQ 2EDVDQMR ÀYH RFFXUUHG XQGHU Umaru Musa Yar’Adua and Goodluck Jonathan and the remaining four took place under the current administration of President Muhammadu Buhari. These facts are out there for everyone to see. 7ZR \HDUV DIWHU 3UHVLGHQW %XKDUL DVVXPHG R΀FH ASUU embarked on strike in 2017. Ngige rose to the occasion and quickly truncated the industrial action in one month. ASUU later embarked on three months strike in 2018 and a record nine months strike in 2020. The ongoing strike has so far lasted more than two months. It is important to point out that all the issues in dispute emanated from agreements signed between the union and previous governments, some dating back to 2009. The disputed issues included the Revitalization Funds, Earned Academic Allowances/ Earned

Allowances, Renegotiation of the 2009 agreement on conditions of service of university workers, appointment of visitation panels to the universities, the payment platform for paying university lecturers between the Integrated Personnel Payroll Information System (IPPIS) approved by the government and University Transparency Account Solution (UTAS), preferred by ASUU, as well as the proliferation of state universities. Since coming into the picture, Ngige had never wavered in his belief in continuity of government and that agreements are bound to be kept. On the other hand, leveraging on his membership of several federal FDELQHW FRPPLWWHHV ZKLFK DͿRUGHG KLP the opportunity to have an insight into the government treasury, he had equally never hesitated to make ASUU and other unions to XQGHUVWDQG WKH SRRU ÀQDQFLDO VWDQGLQJ RI WKH government, caused by diminishing crude oil earnings. Following Ngige’s interventions, everything contained in the December 2020 agreement between the federal government and ASUU was religiously executed to the extent that the government aggregately paid N92b from 2021 budget to cover the revitalisation funds and Earned Allowances/Earned Allowances IRU QRQ WHDFKLQJ VWDͿ 7KH LVVXH RI YLVLWDWLRQ panels to the universities had since been buried. Regarding the renegotiation of the conditions of service of university lecturers, Ngige has always maintained that the renegotiation must be guided by the International Labour Organisation (ILO) principle of ability to pay. Being a realist, he does not believe in giving percentages on paper that nobody can pay. In 2016-2017, the federal government appointed a committee headed by Wale Babalakin SAN, the then Pro-Chancellor of University of Lagos to renegotiate the conditions of service of university workers. Following protest by ASUU, Babalakin was replaced by Prof. Jubril Manzali. The Manzali committee proposed 200 percent rise in emoluments of university workers, but the federal government through relevant ministries and departments, UHMHFWHG WKH SURSRVDO EHFDXVH RI WKH ÀQDQFLDO implications. The National Salaries, Incomes and Wages Commission (NSIWC) in particular said the proposal did not comply with its established template for wage increase. As it stands today, the Manzali document remains a proposal as neither ASUU nor the government side endorsed it. When the Labour minister was approached, he saw nothing wrong with renegotiation because even after signing a Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA), it could be renegotiated. This was the situation when the Manzali committee elapsed. At the last meeting of the government side and ASUU, Senator Ngige reprimanded the Federal Ministry of Education for not living up to expectation. He reduced the timeline of the new renegotiation committee headed by Prof. Nimi Briggs, from three months to six weeks to ensure a speedy resolution of the matter. Similarly, he has been up to his neck on the issue of payment platform for the lecturers, vis-à-vis IPPIS versus UTAS. Information provided by the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) indicated that ASUU’s preferred platform, the UTAS passed user acceptability test, which is not surprising since the process involved only members of the union. Chukwunyere writes from Abuja

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T H I S D AY THURSDAY APRIL 28, 2022

Nigeria must consider investing in building local skills, writes GEORGE ASAMANI

SUPPORTING GRADUATE TRANSITION INTO THE JOB MARKET If you have witnessed a football game before, you will notice that the coach plays KLV KHU SOD\HUV LQ GLͿHUHQW SRVLWLRQV RQ WKH ÀHOG JRDONHHSHU GHIHQGHU PLGÀHOGHU and forward. Each player in their respective SRVLWLRQV KDV D VSHFLÀF UROH WR SOD\ GXULQJ the game, their collective responsibility however remains the same, score more goals WKDQ FRQFHGH 7KH\ DUH VSUHDG RQ WKH ÀHOG DV per the coach’s tactics based on the desired outcome. Like football, project management needs teams that can think on their feet and play their part in the formations. The world today is more dynamic than we have ever known. The constant change, propelled by global megatrends KDV UHGHÀQHG MREV EHQGLQJ UROHV DQG accommodating new ones. Inevitably, the culture in businesses today is tilting towards QRW GHÀQLQJ ZRUN E\ LWV UHJXODU IHDWXUHV but in terms of what needs to get done and

To take advantage of the new Project Economy, in part fuelled by global commitments to ‘build back better’ and in-country eﬀorts to spur economic growth, companies need a new approach to project management and Nigeria - a fast recipe for skills development

ÀQGLQJ WKH EHVW ZD\V WR GR LW Picture a scenario – a striker being marked by three or more opposition players to deny him/her the opportunity to convert any goal scoring opportunity. Still, a good striker is DOZD\V DEOH WR ÀQG D SDLU RI VWHDG\ OHJV LQ D PLGÀHOGHU WR SDVV WKH EDOO WR DQG FUHDWH more opportunities. In project management, managers also deal with ‘markers’ like lack of communication, budgeting issues, inadequate skills, scope creep, etc., and like D VWULNHU PXVW FRQVWDQWO\ UHDG WKH ÀHOG DQG keep moving the ball to ensure the success of the project. Writing in the Harvard Business Review, PMI’s former chairman Antonio NietoRodriguez, a leading expert in project management and strategy implementation, says operations created tremendous value in the 20th century and they did so through DGYDQFHV LQ H΀FLHQF\ DQG SURGXFWLYLW\ %XW for most of the current century, productivity growth in Western economies has been DOPRVW ÁDW GHVSLWH WKH H[SORVLRQ RI WKH internet, shorter product life cycles as well as exponential advances in AI and robotics. He also observed that projects are increasingly driving both short-term performance and long-term value creation through more frequent organisational transformations, faster development of new products, quicker adoption of new technologies, amongst others. This is a global phenomenon. In Germany, projects have been rising steadily as a percentage of GDP and in 2019 accounted for almost 41%. The

percentages are probably higher in leading Asian economies, where project-based work has long been an important source of growth. As the world of work changes to a more project-based business model, businesses will need to invest in talent who can identify, plan and deliver projects successfully. The Project Economy is one in which people have the right skills and mindset to turn ideas into reality. It is where organisations deliver value through successful completion of projects, delivery of products, and alignment to value VWUHDPV ERWK ÀQDQFLDO DQG VRFLHWDO YDOXH According to PMI’s Talent Gap Report, project management-oriented employment (PMOE) is predicted to rise by 40% during this decade in sub-Saharan Africa. The report is indicative of the importance of projects to industry and economic progress. It also predicts that the overall GDP of projectised industries with a large need for project management skills will rise from $24.7 trillion in 2019 to $34.5 trillion in 2030. With this huge market demand in view, Nigerian universities will serve the national economy well and enable The Project Economy by producing job-ready youths ZKR FDQ EHQHÀW IURP WKH JOREDO GHPDQG IRU 25 million new project professionals by 2030. This translates to 2.3 million project managers ZLOO QHHG WR ÀOO SURMHFW PDQDJHPHQW RULHQWHG roles every year. To successfully transition youth into The Project Economy job market, Nigeria must consider investing in building a local skills pool. This can be achieved by businesses by giving opportunities to young project professionals to expand their skills, knowledge and network, as well as mentoring and training on the use of project management tools and techniques. Like in football, bench strength is of strategic value in project management. The easiest way to build this is through partnerships with universities to formalise project management education. &HUWLÀHG 3URIHVVLRQDO LQ 3URMHFW 0DQDJHPHQW &$30 WKDW LV RͿHUHG LQ many institutes on the continent like Mount Kenya University, University of Pretoria LQ 6RXWK $IULFD LV D JDWHZD\ FHUWLÀFDWLRQ into the world of project management. The &LWL]HQ 'HYHORSHU ZKLFK 30, RͿHUV IUHH WR universities in partnership with Microsoft and $JLOH FHUWLÀFDWLRQV IRUP WKH WULXPYLUDWH RI job ready skills, bridging the chasm between education and employability. Acquiring job ready skills is just a warm up, to use football parlance. PMI’s unique VWUXFWXUH ZKLFK VHUYHV LWV DGYRFDF\ HͿRUWV well in the regions is chapters. The PMI Nigeria Chapter, one of its biggest on the continent, is actively involved in coaching and mentoring of young graduates entering SURMHFW PDQDJHPHQW ÀHOG NH\ WR DFFHOHUDWLQJ the rate of learning. To take advantage of the new Project Economy, in part fuelled by global commitments to “build back better” and inFRXQWU\ HͿRUWV WR VSXU HFRQRPLF JURZWK companies need a new approach to project management and Nigeria - a fast recipe for skills development. Or risk scoring an own goal. Asamani, Business Development Lead, Africa, Project Management Institute

KENE OBIEZU contends that the ‘giant’ of Africa is naked

NIGERIA AND THE TAUNTS OF TERRORISTS Paradoxically, the darkness cast by terrorism over the Giant of Africa has been lightening, lurid and lacerating all at once. It has caused a giant to grope and stutter LQ WKH GDUN XQWLO ÀQDOO\ IRUFLQJ LW WR VLW RQ its rear as Nigeria now does. On March 28, 2022, a day before the Super Eagles of Nigeria hosted the Black

Africa into submission, the terrorists released four photos of their captives. In the photos,62 of the kidnapped victims were seen in four groups. The victims LQFOXGHG ÀYH FKLOGUHQ Nigerians share the heart break of the families whose loved ones have now become pawns in perverse waiting

Stars of Ghana to a World Cup Qualifying second leg match at the Moshood Abiola National Stadium that promptly ended in jarring disappointment, terrorists stormed a Kaduna-bound train on its way from Abuja. They successfully immobilized the train before unleashing horror on the passengers. Nine persons were killed, many injured and scores abducted. An entire nation has since been deafened by the defeatist reaction of the government to the national disaster. A full month is about to go by since the heinous attack on Nigeria and its

game the terrorists are playing with the authorities. However, the released of those held for committing acts of terror against Nigeria must be ruled out of the question. The country cannot again release into the wild the same Tasmanian monkeys who had hitherto decimated the avian population. Every other day, in a country that once knew only great promise and prosperity, life loses its meaning just a bit and with it, the desire of many in Nigeria to enjoy it. Insecurity and the attendant anxieties are now the realities of many in a country whose only problems used to be niggling hunger and intractable corruption. Now, with the images of their victims who should be with those they love, terrorists besiege the psyche of Nigerians. It has long been suspected that there are many highly placed people in Nigeria who are feeding the crocodiles calling the shots in the reign of terror roasting Nigeria. Nigerians want to know them. Because there is credible evidence that some of them are known to the authorities, Nigerians want to know who their enemies truly are. They are not imaginary enemies and Nigerians are not known for tilting at the windmills or paranoia. If there is now an unwavering belief, it is because there is conclusive evidence that the carnage has been chillingly coordinated by coldblooded operatives at the highest level. The images released include children – the children of Nigeria. Somewhere in Nigeria, some of those who must necessarily form part of the future are now being held in the thrall of terror, and those who hold them have the temerity to make demands of the Giant of Africa. The nakedness of any country has never been this noisome.

The images released include children – the children of Nigeria. Somewhere in Nigeria, some of those who must necessarily form part of the future are now being held in the thrall of terror, and those who hold them have the temerity to make demands of the Giant of Africa

citizens, but the full moon is yet to cast its illuminating shadows into the den of the terrorists to dispel the darkness and break the fetters of those held captive. As part of the humiliating hangar atop which the helicopter of a country dictated to by terrorists must now hang, the terrorists have served some demands on the Nigerian government chief of which is the release of their members in some kind of weird exchange. Expectedly, Nigeria has balked at the sickening demand. 2Q $SULO WR VKRZ RͿ WKHLU PHUFKDQGLVH DQG ÁH[ WKH PLJKW ZLWK which they hope to bend the Giant of

keneobiezu@gmail.com

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T H I S D AY

THURSDAY APRIL 28, 2022

EDITORIAL

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

THE N20 BILLION ‘CASH TRANSFERS’ The funds should be transparently administered

e understand the cynicism that has greeted the recent statement that two million Nigerians will from June this year start receiving N5,000 each under the conditional cash transfer programme. This implies that the federal government would be spending N20 billion on the EHQHÀFLDULHV ,Q WKH SDVW ÀYH \HDUV WKH DGPLQLVWUDWLRQ has implemented a slew of programmes, targeted at supporting the most vulnerable and poorest Nigerians under social investment scheme. But just as it was in the past when the idea of conditional cash transfer was tried under various schemes with unpleasant tales for the LQWHQGHG EHQHÀFLDULHV the situation has not changed. Against the background of the virtual collapse of the welfare state that has accentuated poverty in Nigeria, the idea of conditional cash transfers is ordinarily commendable. With the deprivation in many of our rural areas (and in some of our urban slums), such social interventions can make a whole world RI GLͿHUHQFH LI LPSOHPHQWHG IDLWKIXOO\ %XW WKH FDVK transfer process has over the years become essentially money to be shared for political patronage while accountability remains a grave challenge. While we subscribe to the idea that a social programme is important to provide temporary relief in a country where more than 40% of the population is categorised as poor, we insist that it is well targeted and there should be transparency and accountability. ,Q WKH SDVW WZR \HDUV WKH 0LQLVWHU RI +XPDQLWDULDQ $ͿDLUV 'LVDVWHU 0DQDJHPHQW DQG 6RFLDO 'HYHORSPHQW 6DGL\D )DURXT KDV DGPLQLVWHUHG WKH sharing of billions of Naira without any appreciable GLͿHUHQFH LQ WKH OLYHV RI 1LJHULDQV ´%\ -XQH ZH would be paying two million people N5,000 basic cash transfer and an additional N5,000 on conditional cash transfers, which is conditioned on good health-

seeking/behaviour, school retention, good water and hygiene conditions in their environment/homes,” )DURXT VWDWHG Under President Goodluck Jonathan, there was a SURJUDPPH FDOOHG 685( 3 ZKLFK ZDV D UHVSRQVH WR WKH public demand for judicious utilisation of the savings from the partial removal of petrol subsidy at the time. $W WKH HQG RI WKH GD\ 685( 3 IDLOHG WR PDNH LPSDFW RQ WKH OLIH RI 1LJHULDQV ,W LV SDUWLFXODUO\ QRWHZRUWK\ WKDW the conditional cash transfer component under the 685( 3 ZDV WKH 0LGZLIHU\ 6HUYLFH 6FKHPH 066 ,W was designed to tackle maternal deaths in the country which are traceable to lack of accessible, acceptable, DQG DͿRUGDEOH SULPDU\ secondary and tertiary health care; lack of drugs, a dearth of skilled personnel, lack of access to skilled birth attendants; lack of consumables, and other related issues. Beyond the issue of accountability, the time of implementation also calls WR TXHVWLRQ WKH VLQFHULW\ RI WKH SURJUDPPH 4XHVWLRQV are also being asked on why the programme usually crops up close to election period, suggesting that it is a sort of vote buying strategy. Coming at a period the political parties are preparing for the nomination of candidates ahead of the 2023 general election, there are fears that this may just be another money for the boys. On accountability, the programme does not lend itself to any thorough process of independent validation, and that is a common way to misappropriate funds LQ WKH SXEOLF VHFWRU %HVLGHV ZKDW GLͿHUHQFH FDQ 1 PDNH WR DQ\ERG\ LQ WRGD\·V 1LJHULD" 0RUH importantly, without the necessary safeguards against entrenched corruption and cronyism, how is anybody sure that the real targets are getting this money? There is no doubt that cash transfer can soothe the economic burden on the extremely poor. But the process must be transparent and those in charge should be accountable. That precisely is the challenge of the moment.

Without the necessary safeguards against entrenched corruption and cronyism, how is anybody sure that the real targets are getting this money?

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

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LETTERS JONATHAN AND THE 2023 SHOE LENDERS Continued from backpage , DP QRW D ODZ\HU EXW , DP DZDUH WKDW WKHUH LV DOVR D OHJDO DQJOH WR -RQDWKDQ·V DVSLUDWLRQ WKDW LV TXLWH XQFOHDU 6KRXOG KH GHFLGH WR MRLQ WKH SUHVLGHQWLDO UDFH , IRUHVHH D VLWXDWLRQ LQ ZKLFK VRPH SHRSOH PD\ DSSURDFK WKH FRXUW IRU WKH LQWHUSUHWDWLRQ RI 6HFWLRQ RI WKH &RQVWLWXWLRQ RI WKH )HGHUDO 5HSXEOLF of Nigeria, 1999 (4th alteration) signed into law on WK -XQH E\ 3UHVLGHQW %XKDUL ,W VWDWHV WKDW ´$ person who was sworn-in to complete the term for which another person was elected as president, shall QRW EH HOHFWHG WR VXFK R΀FH IRU PRUH WKDQ D VLQJOH term.” 7KLV QRZ EULQJV PH EDFN WR GDQFLQJ ,W LV D VHULRXV art form, a meaningful ritual, and a culturally significant pursuit which a ‘naughty’ old man who is now late once described as the ‘vertical expression of a KRUL]RQWDO GHVLUH· 5DQG\ /DLVWLV D SURIHVVRU RI (Qglish at Goodwin University in Connecticut, United

6WDWHV UHPLQGV XV LQ KLV HVVD\ ¶:KDW GR VKRHV GR"· that footwear can sometimes stand as a symbol of LGHQWLW\ RU DV D V\QHFGRFKH RI WKH ZHDUHU ´7R WDON about being in someone’s shoes or to think about what it’s like to walk a mile in someone’s shoes, HYHQ WR LPDJLQH WKDW \RX KDYH VRPH ELJ VKRHV WR ÀOO LV WR FRQWHPSODWH VWHSSLQJ LQWR D GLͿHUHQW LGHQWLW\ – as if the shoes, not the person wearing them, determines who you are.” To extrapolate, it can be dangerous to build a political career or nurture a serious ambition on the benevolence of shoe lenders. They do not always mean ZHOO DV ZH VDZ LQ ¶$JRJR (HZR· DQG DV $EDWL DOVR alluded in his 2012 intervention. Therefore, President Jonathan should carefully examine the motives of those who are trying so hard to lend him their VKRHV IRU WKH JHQHUDO HOHFWLRQ , VLQFHUHO\ GR QRW believe it is in his interest to dance to their tune! Olusegun Adeniyi, Abuja

PONZI SCHEMES AND THEIR NEVER LEARNING VICTIMS 2QH ZRXOG KDYH WKRXJKW WKDW DIWHU 000 crashed in 2016, Nigerians would have learnt WKHLU OHVVRQV ZKHQ LW FRPHV WR WKLV TXLFN UHWXUQ on investment schemes. But this is not the case as we have seen the growing cases of ‘crashed’ or ‘frozen investments’. What is even more worrisome is that despite WKH UHSHDWHG ZDUQLQJV E\ 6HFXULW\ DQG ([FKDQJH &RPPLVVLRQ 6(& 1LJHULDQV VWLOO JHW to ‘invest’ or buy into these schemes with the hope of ‘cashing out’ before it crashes. A lot of people have attributed the high and zealous patronage of these schemes to poverW\ 5HFHQW UHSRUW E\ WKH :RUOG %DQN QRWHG WKDW the number of poor persons in Nigeria will rise to 95.1 million in 2022. This would mean that 6.1 million more persons would have fallen beneath the poverty line between 2020 and 2022, a 6.7% increase. There’s no doubt that people are becoming increasingly desperate to looking for

alternative sources of income to augment their PDLQVWD\ 5HJUHWWDEO\ RIWHQWLPHV WKHVH ¶LQYHVtors’ are swindled. /DWH 2FWREHU 1LJHULDQV ZRNH XS WR WKH news of the Ajetumobi Couple whom it was alleged had swindled Nigerians of over N22 bilOLRQ 7LOO GDWH WKH\ DUH VWLOO DW ODUJH ,Q 0DUFK 2022, it was the news of Chinmark Group, who was alleged to have swindled over 4000 investors to the tune of undisclosed billions of naira. /LNH WKH $MHWXPRELV KH DOVR FRQYHQLHQWO\ ¶VXFcessfully disappeared’ leaving behind sad tales of loss, sorrow, tears, and even death. As some ‘investors’ have reportedly committed suicide. Just as Nigerians were trying to catch their EUHDWK WKH QHZV RI D ¶IDPRXV· )DFHERRN HQWUHSUHQHXU ,PX 2YDLR]D <XQXVD EURNH RQ KRZ she has defrauded Nigerians of over N3 billion. Ijeoma Njoku, Lagos

T H I S D AY ˾ THURSDAY, APRIL 28, 2022

BUSINESSWORLD R A T E S MONEY MARKET

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INDEX LEVEL

610.44%

1/4 TO DATE

– 1.31%

N416.75/ 1 US DOLLAR*

OVERNIGHT

7.17%

1-MONTH

9.66%

1-DAY

0.03%

YEAR TO DATE

7.13%

*AS AT LAST FRIDAY

3-MONTH

1028%

MONTH-TO-DATE

– 1.31%

ITU Puts Priority on Access, Safety for Girls in ICT, Says Males Dominate Females in Cyberspace GLOBAL INTERNET USAGE RATE BY GENDER

Emma Okonji As the world celebrates International Girls in ICT Day today, the International Telecommunications Union (ITU), the United Nations specialised agency responsible for driving innovations in Information and Communications Technology (ICT), has stressed the need for safety

of girls online and for ubiquitous access to the internet. According to ITU, the need for online safety and ubiquitous internet access for girls globally, became important because of the clear domination of men in cyberspace. The global body said it would continue to partner in order to foster Science, Technology, Engineering

and Mathematics (STEM) learning, including engagement and careers for girls worldwide. Today, ITU is celebrating International Girls in ICT Day, which is observed annually during the last week of April, with a focus on ‘Access and Safety’ as key elements to engage the next generation with information and communications

technology. This year’s theme, ITU said, reflects the world’s shared interest in empowering youth and girls to safely benefit from an active digital life. ITU said it recognises the need to ensure girls and women enjoy equal access to digital learning opportunities, particularly in least developed countries.

According to ITU’s latest data globally, 57 per cent of women use the internet compared to 62 per cent of men. Worldwide only 30 per cent of tech science and technology professionals are women. ITU Secretary-General, Houlin Zhao, said: “If women are unable to access the internet and do not feel safe online, they are unable to

develop the necessary digital skills and engage in digital spaces, which diminishes their opportunities to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics related fields. “Girls in ICT Day is a call to action to inspire the next generation Continued on page 24

NGF: Weak Social Contract, Threat to Tax Legitimacy, Blames Insecurity for Low Revenue Drive James Emejo in Abuja The Director-General, Nigerian Governors’ Forum (NGF), Mr. Asishana Okauru, has said the perceived weak social contract between citizens and the government had continued to threaten the legitimacy of taxation in the country. He also said tax compliance is

affected by weak transparency and accountability by the government and state revenue agencies. Okauru, spoke at a workshop organised by the States’ Fiscal Transparency Accountability and Sustainability (SFTAS) Programme Coordination Unit of the Federal Ministry of Finance, Budget and National Planning in Abuja. In his presentation on,

“Improving Internally Generated Revenue (IGR): Trend and Emerging Reforms,” he said the development had made tax collection difficult as many feel discouraged to pay because they doubt the monies would be well-utilised for developmental purposes. The Senior Programme Manager, NGF/SFTAS, Lanre Ajogbasile, represented the NGF DG.

He also blamed the worsening insecurity and challenging economic environment for the states’ low collection of internally generated revenue (IGR). He said the effectiveness of the social contract between the government and its citizens would determine the quality of public services and the public’s willingness to pay or evade taxes.

According to him, the government must play its part of fulfilling the social contract by judiciously utilizing tax revenues for developmental purposes. Okauru, said the country was still recovering from the impact of a number of negative fiscal and macroeconomic conditions that had influenced fiscal sustainability at all levels of governments, adding

that the pressure on the states remained enormous. He reiterated calls for states’ financial autonomy adding that their over-dependence on the monthly allocations from the federation accounts had been affected by the unpredictable Continued on page 24

M A R K E T D ATA A S AT W E D N E S D AY, A P R I L 2 7 , 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

106.42 6.12 111.52 7.54 110.84 9.20 105.46 10.68 120.08 10.89

Change Updated Time (%) April 22, 1.15 2022 April 22, 0.05 2022 April 08, 0.00 2022 April 08, 0.00 2022 April 08, 0.31 2022

Discount

NTB 12May-22 NTB 9-Jun22 NTB 14-Jul22 NTB 11Aug-22

289,00 289,00 0.00

April 22, 2022

304,00 305,00 0.00

April 22, 2022

323,00 325,00 0.00

April 22, 2022

350,00 354,00 0.00

April 22, 2022

NTB 8-Sep22

348,00 353,00 -0.08

April 22, 2022

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OTC F X F U T U R E S

C Ps

MATURITY

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MATURITY

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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

8.62

8.64

0.00

April 22, 2022

16.44

16.68 0.00

April 22, 2022

8.56

8.63

0.08

April 22, 2022

11.51

11.86 0.30

April 22, 2022

8.12

8.30

April 22, 2022

–0.01

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 22, 2022

428.93

April 22, 2022

430.63

April 22, 2022

432.32

April 22, 2022

434.02

April 22, 2022

THURSDAY, APRIL 28, 2022 ˾ T H I S D AY

BUSINESSWORLD

NEWS

AFFORDABLE HOUSING FOR AFRICA…

L-R:: Ag. Managing Director, FCMB Capital Markets Limited, Abimbola Kasim; Managing Director, FSDH Capital Limited, Tolu Osinibi; Ag. Managing Director, Shelter Afrique, Kingsley Muwowo; Managing Director, Investment Banking, United Capital Plc, Gbadebo Adenrele, and Taiwo Olatunji, formerly of FSDH Capital during the Signing Ceremony & Press Conference announcing the N46billion Bond Issuance for Shelter Afrique, Financing Affordable Housing for Africa in Lagos… recently

Declare CTG Sector National Asset, NACOTAN Tells FG James Emejo in Abuja

The President, National Cotton Association of Nigeria (NACOTAN), Mr. Anibe Achimugu has urged the federal government to declare the Cotton, Textile and Garment (CTG) sector as a national asset. This, he said, had become inevitable given that the country is projected to hit the 400-million population mark by 2050. He said for a sector, which contributes over $8 billion in annual turnover, and accounting for over 10 per cent of corporate income tax, the CTG remained critical for

economic sustainability and growth. Achimugu, in an exclusive chat with THISDAY, also said the federal government’s intervention in the sector through the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN)’s Anchor Borrowers Prgoramme (ABP) had been a watershed in current efforts aimed towards repositioning the sector. Specifically, he said the apex bank’s intervention has increased the participation of local and foreign investors, leading to the expansion and emergence of new ginneries, textile mills and garment factories.

According to him, through the ABP, the number of registered farmers had increased to over 200,000 from 67,000 while the number of participating states also increased to 33 covering the country’s six geo-political zones. Further highlighting the positive outcomes of the CBN intervention in the sector, the NACOTAN president said seed cotton production had averaged 150,000 metric tons (MT) from 80,000 MT as well as the availability of better planting seeds, and the reactivation of ginning companies which rose to 23 as well as seven textile companies among others.

He said the sector has the capacity to drive the industrial revolution in the country as evidenced in some advanced economies. He added that CTG sector could drive massive job and wealth creation thereby addressing Nigeria’s socioeconomic challenges. Achimugu said, “The CTG sector will address the huge textile import bill thereby saving significant foreign exchange and stopping Nigeria from being a dumping ground, especially for second-hand clothing. “The CTG sector will generate huge foreign exchange earnings

for Nigeria and generated upwards of 600,000 jobs, being second to the federal government in employment.” He added that the sector could “generate significant jobs and wealth, and provide the answer to the current unemployment crisis”. He, however, pointed out that the provision of good quality planting seeds and the need tto enforce rules and regulations remained key challenges in the sector. According to him, the Institute for Agricultural Research (IAR) needed significant support to be able

to produce large quantities of breeder and foundation seeds. He said massive land clearing was needed not only to boost the cultivatable hectare for cotton but for various agricultural produce in the country. He said, “Access to affordable power that will help reduce costs drastically and make Nigeria cotton products competitive is key. There is a need to further strengthen the repositioning efforts by establishing and enforcing rules and regulations. This will bring the much-needed sanity to the sector.”

AFF, African Fintechs Call for Collaboration to Address Specific Challenges Emma Okonji African Fintech Foundry (AFF), and the entire African Fintech ecosystem, have stressed the need for collaboration among African regulators, legislators, private and public sectors, including the entire Fintech ecosystem in Nigeria and Africa, in order to develop technology solutions that will address specific challenges in Nigeria and Africa. They made the call recently, during the ‘Big Tech Show’ organised by AFF in Lagos, which brought together some members of the African Fintech

ecosystem. The Fintech players were of the view that Nigeria and Africa lost out in the first, second and third industrial revolution, insisting that Nigeria and Africa must be part of the ongoing fourth industrial revolution, which is about technology innovation that is driven by knowledge. The Fintech players therefore called for collaboration, adding that working in silos will not achieve the desired result. CEO of Sparkle, a Fintech player, Mr. Uzoma Dozie, said what AFF did with the ‘Big Tech Show’, was to bring African Fintech players together to brainstorm on technology ideas and solutions that would address Africa’s specific

challenges. “The idea is to create awareness in technology innovation that will make life better for everyone. The ‘Big Tech Show’ will enable African Fintech players to showcase their solutions and collectively develop solutions to address African challenges, instead of working in silos. “Nigerian Fintech players are doing well in the technology space, but we need to do more through collaboration and that is the idea behind ‘Big Tech Show’. Nigeria has a population of over 200 million people and we have challenges in different sectors of the economy like education, health, transport, manufacturing, banking, telecommunications among

others and we need homegrown technology solutions to address them,” Dozie said. Co-Founder/General Partner, Future Africa, Mr. Inyioluwa Aboyeji, said: “Young entrepreneurs in Nigeria and Africa, need a lot of support, mentorship and encouragement to grow their Fintech business and that is what AFF is trying to achieve through the ‘Big Tech Show’. The Fintech ecosystem in Nigeria has been very innovative in the last five years, and the ecosystem has received tremendous support from AFF, which is powered by Access Bank, as well as from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).” He said with innovation

from the Fintech ecosystem, banks were able to serve their customers digitally and in a better way. “Fintech players have developed solutions that have made financial transactions in the banking sector seamless and a lot easier, where people can perform different financial transactions from the comfort of their homes and offices, using mobile phones that are internet enabled,” Aboyeji further said. Group Executive Director, Technology and Operations at Access Bank, Adeolu Bajomo, explained that Nigeria missed out in the first, second and third industrial revolution, insisting that the country cannot miss out in the ongoing fourth industrial revolution.

“What AFF is doing is to enable the Fintech ecosystem participate effectively in the fourth industrial revolution, which is about technology innovation that is driven by knowledge. We need to collaborate to develop solutions that will solve our collective challenges as Nigerians and Africans, and to make Nigeria the technology hub for digital innovation in Africa,” Bajomo said. Co-Founder, Bluechip Technologies, Olumide Soyombo, said: “Nigerians have the talents to build technology solutions and the Fintechs are doing well. AFF is investing in talents and people that will drive technology development in Nigeria and Africa.”

NGF: WEAK SOCIAL CONTRACT, THREAT TO TAX LEGITIMACY, BLAMES INSECURITY FOR LOW REVENUE DRIVE 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)

movements in the earnings from crude oil exports as a result of the volatility in crude oil prices at the international market. He said, “The impact of this

pressure has been exacerbated by long years of increases in government permanent expenditures arising from increased cost of governance,

new minimum wage, rising debt service and mounting fuel subsidy payments.” According to him, the global COVID-19 pandemic had taken

a huge toll on the economic activities of governments globally thereby impacting the IGR capacity of the sub-national governments.

He said as a result, the IGR of the states and the FCT, declined by N28.15 billion, or 2.1 per cent, between 2019 and 2020, primarily as a result of the pandemic.

ITU PUTS PRIORITY ON ACCESS, SAFETY FOR GIRLS IN ICT, SAYS MALES DOMINATE FEMALES IN CYBERSPACE of young women and girls to enter STEM careers. I call on all government, business, university leaders and others to do their utmost to support young women and girls and give them the chance to achieve their dreams.” The global celebration and associated worldwide Girls in ICT Day events underline ITU’s commitment to encourage girls and young women everywhere to consider pursuing STEM career paths. To date, over 600,000 girls and young women have taken part in more than 12,000 celebrations of

Girls in ICT Day in 195 countries worldwide. Addressing the need for girls to be part of the digital revolution, Director of ITU’s Telecommunication Development Bureau, Doreen Bogdan-Martin, said: “All over the world, girls and young women want to join the digital revolution. When we remove barriers of access and safety, women and girls can make remarkable contributions to and be empowered by ICTs. To put it simply: tech needs girls, and girls need tech. “Through International Girls in ICT Day, we want to use the power

of partnerships to stimulate solutions and innovation. We invite partners to join the Partner2Connect Digital Coalition to help bridge key gaps to ensure the active participation of girls in ICT related careers, and achieve our goal of fostering meaningful connectivity and digital transformation globally.” ITU revealed that an interactive global dialogue on ICT access and safety for girls would take place today as part of the 2022 World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) Forum. ITU also said its regional offices would be holding Girls in ICT

Day events to encourage girls and young women everywhere to learn about technology and find STEM career paths. During the regional virtual and hybrid events, which will hold in the Arab States, Africa, the Americas and Europe today, women regulators and ministers within the Network of Women for the World Telecommunication Development Conference (WTDC), will connect with young women to share their experiences and inspire them to continue or start a career in tech. In Asia, Thailand’s

National Broadcasting and Telecommunication Commission and the Ministry of Digital Economy and Society are working with the ITU Asia and the Pacific Regional Office to organize celebrations today as well as events and training programmes throughout June. In the Americas, Generation Connect and the Network of Women for WTDC will collaborate to celebrate Girls in ICT Day. More events are planned in Argentina, Brazil, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Mexico and Nigeria to celebrate Girls in ICT Day.

THURSDAY, APRIL 28, 2022 ˾ T H I S D AY

BUSINESSWORLD

INTERVIEW

Mumick: Business Messaging Will Offer Opportunities for Growth, Expansion Executive Vice President and CEO, Dotgo Business Unit at Gupshup, Dr. Inderpal Singh Mumick, speaks about how the growth of high-speed data in Nigeria has enhanced business communication as well as the new growth opportunities that business messaging offers brands. Emma Okonji brings the excerpts: As a telecoms expert, how will you describe the type of services offered by Dotgo in Nigeria and Africa? otgo specialises in the field of rich communication services (RCS) and business messaging. I have been working in the African market, particularly in Nigeria for over a decade and we have been offering services in business messaging. Dotgo is focused on business messaging services such as WhatsApp Business Messaging and Rich Communications Services messaging in Nigeria, Ghana and other African countries. With the acquisition by Gupshup last year, Dotgo will help to strength Gupshup’s conversational messaging platform, which helps businesses and developers build customer experiences. It will help to expand our business messaging platform and to further strengthen our brand in the African continent. In the last six months, Dotgo has grown its traffic and revenue in the Nigerian market and we have doubled our traffic in Nigeria. We are servicing the needs of the Nigerian market and the African market, by providing WhatsApp Business Messaging, Instagram Business Messaging, Google Business Messaging, SMS Business Messaging and Rich Communications Services (RCS). We service the needs of big telecoms operators, insurance companies, banks and other financial institutions, including medical institutions in Nigeria and Africa.

link their National Identification Number (NIN), with their Subscriber Identification Module (SIM). So what we did was to use business messaging to address some of the challenges of NIN-SIM linkage in Nigeria. So through our business massaging, customers were able to read and understand how to link their NIN with their SIM, and this is just one of the kind of challenges that our business messaging seeks to address. So our kind of business offering is quite different from the situation where people write an article and send such article through various social media platforms that could incite others, and which of course attracts policy regulation. Nevertheless, we understand the different policy regulations of different African countries where we operate and our business offering aligns with the different policy regulation of the countries were we operate. Africa countries have their Data Protection Regulation and we comply with such regulation.

Want is the importance of business messaging to brands, and how has it impacted business growth in Nigeria and Africa? When mobile phones were first introduced for communication purposes, Short Message Service (SMS) was used to send brief information to people and at a point, SMS became very popular for sending person-to-person messages. So SMS became the first successful way of sending messages to people globally. But over the last decade, newer forms of sending messages in a more robust and attractive way, have also been introduced. The newer form of sending messages include the use of pictures, videos, and the channel through which the robust messages are sent, allow people to receive messages and send messages through the same platform. Today, WhatsApp, Instagram, Google Business Messaging and SMS App have become popular channels for person-to-person messaging. These newer channels offer much more than what the normal SMS messages used to offer and for this reason, coupled with the fact that people can now upload and add videos to messages, consumers automatically fell in love with business messaging. Airline operators, for example, can send the budding pass of passengers via WhatsApp, and e-commerce companies can send catalogs of their businesses to customers via WhatsApp, Instagram, Google Business Messaging, among other channels, while customers can respond via the same channels to ask questions of make payment for the purchase of items displayed in the catalogs. In Nigeria, many organisations are taking advantage of business messaging services offered by Dotgo to meet the demands of their customers and to grow their businesses. For us at Dotgo, we call such service which we offer on either WhatsApp, Instagram or Google Business Messaging, as Conversational Engagement, because through our services, businesses can engage with their customers, using conversations over messaging and this makes it a lot more easier for customers to discuss business or make purchases of products and services on any of the social media platforms, instead of going to the website or physical store of the company. Telecommunications operators in Nigeria are using Dotgo to offer telecoms services and to sell their products and services. What informed the decision to offer business messaging services and how has the service transformed businesses in Nigeria? At Dotgo, we are motivated to offer business messaging services, based on the need of business owners and their customers. Again, we have a close business relationship with telecoms operators in offering SMS messages. We started by providing SMS messages but later saw a huge opportunity to help the Nigerian market upgrade its SMS messaging to Rich Communications Services (RCS), which is the next generation of SMS. We work with Google, which is one of the leading

Mumick companies in RCS, to bring communication services into Nigeria and Africa. We also have partnerships with MTN, Airtel and 9mobile. We have been able to put together, a common platform for Nigerian businesses to communicate effectively with their customers. We help telecoms operators to manage their communication business from SMS to RCS. So we offer their customers a two-way conversation with rich messaging. We have helped telecoms operators to developed the infrastructure for RCS in Nigeria and Africa. We also have partnership with WhatsApp to enable us offer business messaging services, using the WhatsApp platform. We saw the need for businesses to upgrade from the usual SMS messages to business messages that will help grow and expand their businesses. So what we do is to offer rich business messaging across the popular social media platforms. What is your view about data protection policy and how secured are the several data that Dotgo manage across the different social media platforms? Security is key for us because some of the data transactions that we manage on the different social media platforms, are financial in nature. The social media platforms that we use, do send one-time password to their customers, just to beef up security around their data and this makes our kind of service offering more secured. WhatsApp for instance, has end-to-end encryption for person-to-person messaging and such messaging is also encrypted on the Dotgo platform. So when organisations use our platform to send messages via WhatsApp, they are rest assured that their data is well protected and cannot be easily hacked. Again we have verification authority, which is the Global System for Mobile Communication Authority (GSMA) and all telecoms operators in Nigeria, including Google, work with GSMA to verify every business report before pushing messages to customers. So Dotgo ensures high reliability and trust from the customers. Anytime a business message is sent out to customers, it is accompanied with the logo of the company, the name of the business and a trust mark that inform the customer that the message has been fully verified. How do you cope with the different African policies and regulations in countries where you operate? Dotgo is a publishing platform that pushes messages to customers of different businesses and any subscriber can read them and be well informed. For example, Dotgo in partnership with MTN Nigeria, launched a service that helps customers to

How can customers of different organisations effectively use their mobile phones to connect with Dotgo business messaging platform? Ok, let me explain how it works. From an android mobile phone, customers can receive business messages that are accompanied with videos and pictures. Organisations use the platform to push messages to their customers directly to their mobile phone devices, via different social media platforms like WhatsApp and others. Many businesses in Nigeria are using Dotgo to send messages to their customers directly through their mobile phone devices. Any message sent through the Dotgo platform, has our logo on it and customers can see the logo and know that such message is verified and safe for their use. The messages are meant to educate customers and also to introduce new products and solutions to customers, and this makes customers to become well informed about certain products and solutions. Most of the messages show different support services from organisations and it gives consumers the opportunity to make informed choices. Customers also have the opportunity to chat with organisations about different concerns that they may have. How does Dotgo control the contents that are pushed to customers via the Dotgo platform, to ensure that customers are protected from harmful and unwanted messages? Yes, we have control over the contents that are pushed through the Dotgo platform to customers. Before any message is sent through our platform, we must first carry out our on-boarding and verification processes. The processes help us to identify what the organisation wants to achieve with the business messaging, the type of business messaging that they want to send. It will also help us to know the identity and operations of the organisation that is sending the message. We also ensure that the business messaging is in conformity with the policies and regulations of the country were we operate. For example, we do not allow business messaging that promotes gambling, illicit trading, pornography, among other things that are not in conformity with a country’s policy regulation. Some of the social media platforms that Dotgo work with, also have features in the platform that allows customers to complain and report any objectionable messages and spam messages. How will you describe the business growth of Dotgo in Nigeria and how has it impacted on businesses and their customers? Our business messaging has been growing at a very fast pace. In the last two years, we have experienced ten-fold increase in business messaging globally. Every month, we send over one billion WhatsApp business messages globally, and several hundreds of million RCS business messages every month globally. Our projection this year is to see our business messaging exceed five billion monthly on a global scale, the reason being that there has been increase in the use of smartphones. In Nigeria, we have also doubled

our traffic in the last two years. Businesses need to be digitised and taken to the consumers who are now using smartphone devices to access information on the go. In the area of business growth, Gupshup does business with enterprises in almost very vertical like banking, insurance, telecommunications, eCommerce, hospitality, restaurants, airlines and government, because they all have need to deliver business messages to consumers. Gupshup alone runs over 40,000 businesses globally and the number is still growing, and Dotgo subsidiary is used in enabling the RCS business for telecoms operators. What is your business model, and what kind of partnership arrangement do you have in Nigeria? We have a business model with operators, that allows us to manage their infrastructure and the mobile operators in Nigeria are our business partners. We also parter with other aggregators who further resell our communication services to enterprises. So WhatsApp for instance, charges certain fees for business messaging, and any organisation that patronises our business messaging platform via WhatsApp, will pay the WhatsApp fee and additional fee to Gupshup for the service that we render to the organisations’ customers. On top of our services, we also provide marketing dashboard and support dashboard, which are additional layer of support from our business offerings. Do you have provision for the distribution of bulk messages from your platform? Yes we do provide bulk messaging capabilities. In fact we provide multiple tools that enable businesses to send bulk messages. We enable the entire lifecycle of a consumer journey, from prepurchase, which is marketing, to actual purchase, which is commerce and to post purchase. So with our bulk messaging capability, we enable tens and hundreds of thousand messages to customers. Our platform gives room for business conversation between the customers and the organisations. So what are some of your business challenges in the African market and how have you been able to overcome them over the years? Businesses Messaging is a very fast growing business, but not without some challenges. We are faced with some challenges as we try to expand the business into Africa. For example, we are faced with the challenge of different price points in different markets, some of them very expensive. Again we face the challenge of increased investments in technology, that will allow for easy migration from SMS to WhatsApp and RCS, but in all of these challenges, we try to ensure that organisations have good return on investments in their business. To address theses challenges, we developed a single Application Programming Interface (API) that allows businesses to invest once and be connected to different social media platforms, instead of investing in different social media platforms. What makes business messaging services unique and attractive? It is unique because it offers services from a variety of platforms, and connects the customers to different social media platforms. The model comes with an app that is already download on the smartphone, and it removes the stress of developing new apps. So it uses a single app to push messages across different platforms, and this makes it unique and attractive. How will you describe the rate of emerging technology adoption in Africa? In the last 20 years, Africa has been seen as followers and slow to adoption of new technologies, but with the emergence and growth of smartphones, the situation is fast changing. Africa, which has a high growth rate of smartPhones, is fast adopting new technologies, through the use of mobile phone devices. We have seen that the adoption of new technologies has helped Africans in growing their businesses in a much faster way. The widespread of mobile money in Africa, beginning with Mpesa in Kenya, and fast spreading in Nigeria and other African countries, is a good example of how technology adoption is growing fast on the African continent. Again, the cost of adopting technology has really reduced globally.

T H I S D AY ˾ THURSDAY, APRIL 28, 2022

BUSINESSWORLD

BRAND

Sterling Bank and ‘Agege Bread’ Controversy Raheem Akingbolu reviews the Easter day advert of Sterling Bank and the debate that trails the creative idea, considered a misrepresentation of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ.

he furore generated by the Easter day advert of Sterling Bank has brought to the fore the banana peel that often confront the business of creatives anywhere in the world. In the said copy, which was published in major dailies on Sunday April 17, the bank had likened the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ to ‘Agege Bread’, a popular brand of bread that is very common in Agege, a suburb of Lagos. As expected, many adherents of the Christian faith saw the copy as not just being offensive and insensitive; they also felt it was a denigration of the status of Jesus Christ, the symbol of the Christian faith all over the world. “It was insensitive and unimaginable to liken the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ to Agege bread. I wonder what those behind the copy were thinking when they were conceptualising the advert,” Ezekiel Morakinyo, a pyramid marketer complained. What was shocking was the fact that the copy must have passed through quite a number of approving persons; both on the side of the advertising agency that developed the copy and the client, which is the bank. That no one saw the negative reception that copy got was unimaginable. It was also strange that no one, on both sides, realised the comparison between Agege bread and Lord Jesus Christ would be offensive to adherents of the Christian faith. In fact, many commentators on social media platform, Facebook, averred that if it had been the symbol of the Islamic faith that had been that compared, some fanatics would have taken to the street in serious protest. Chido Nwakama, a marketing communications expert, in a very scathing rebuke of the bank, said every member of the bank’s corporate communications team should be sacked. Perhaps, he had every reason to be livid as a professional. This was due to the fact that the bank did not deem it fit to apologise initially; saying: “Let the one who has never sinned throw the first stone.” It later issues an apology saying: “For our recent errors, we sincerely apologise. We humbly celebrate his resurrection, the defeat of death and the hope of salvation.” Later, the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of the bank, Abubakar Suleiman, personally signed a public apology letter where he averred that

the bank had no malicious intention in the said advert. While the furore was understandable, the error also showed that creatives are a double edged sword that can either entertain and inform if you get them right and also put those behind them in a very serious and unpalatable situation if they don’t get it right. All over the world, there have been stories of offensive adverts that created a rather unwanted negative publicity for those behind such adverts. Coca-cola, the world’s leading soft drink brand, nearly got its fingers burnt when one of its copies were exposed in an Arab countries and the images were misinterpreted due to the fact that

Arabic language is read from right to left unlike other languages. During the early days of GSM revolution in Nigeria, MTN rolled out ‘Mama Na Boy’ campaign, which recorded instant success but it soon became a burden on the brand. Analysts and feminists condemned it because it laid emphasy on the male child and underrated the girl child. The campaign ended up giving both the brand and its spin-doctors some sleepless nights. The body charged with regulating advertising practice in the country, the Advertising Practitioners Councild of Nigeria (APCON) had waded into the matter. In a statement signed by its Registrar and Chief Executive Officer, Dr. Lekan Fadolapo,

the Council said the controversial advert copy was not approved by the Council. “The distasteful advertisement was neither submitted nor approved for exposure by the Advertising Standards Panel (ASP) the statutory panel charged with the responsibility of ensuring that advertisements conform with prevailing laws of the federation as well as code of ethics of advertising in Nigeria,” the Council stated. But reacting to the APCON position, an analyst, Samuel Ajayi, was of the opinion that the regulatory body did not have enough moral justification to take Sterling Bank and the agency behind the copy up. He said: “From all indications, APCON was actually reacting to public outcry over the copy and not that the Council was actually being proactive. So many copies have been exposed without the approval of the Council and have not been able to do anything to it. Perhaps, if there had not been public outcry over the offensive advert, APCON would have been silent as usual.” In a similar way, the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) appeared to have yielded to pressure from many Christians, who have consistently called for the removal of the bank’s MD. In a statement, CAN dismissed the apology of the Chief Executive of Sterling Bank, Abubakar Suleiman and the bank, saying it did not come from a “penitent heart’’, and called for Suleiman’s removal as CEO. CAN, which is the umbrella body of Nigeria’s Christian community, called the advert “blasphemous” and “insulting”. “In case the management of the Sterling Bank is not aware, the resurrection of Jesus witnesses the immense power of God Himself. To believe in the resurrection is to believe in God. If God exists, and if He created the universe and has power over it, then He has power to raise the dead,” CAN said. Expectedly, the position of the religious body has generated debate, from those who shared their sentiments and others who felt the reaction was not Christ like. Whichever way, Sterling Bank still remains in the news, albeit for the wrong reason. Perhaps tomorrow, the CEO of the creative agency that handled the campaign may also be dragged online or be asked to resign too.

The Future of Sustainable Investments Global stakeholders are looking to African governments and corporations to deliver on long-term investments that generate economic returns, and top investors are pushing for metrics that show positive estimates, reports Raheem Akingbolu

ince 2006, the United Nations has consistently advocated for investments that take into account ESG issues. The gradual transition to a green world, on the other hand, has been laboured by many developing countries, which require massive capital and technology to carry out. Nigerian businesses are now implementing environmental, social, and corporate governance (ESG) policies that promote sustainable management, responsible investment, and economic development. VFD Group Plc, a sector-agnostic proprietary investment firm, is toeing that line. The ESG Policy of VFD Group Plc provides solutions to the renewed interest in sustainable investments that protect financial performance while also contributing to global issues such as climate change.

INSIDE THE ESG PORTFOLIO

ESG policies require corporations to consider environmental, social, and governance realities in addition to shareholder wealth in order to achieve long-term growth. The term ESG is widely understood as a topic that includes environmental issues such as deforestation, biodiversity, and greenhouse gas emissions, pollution (air, land, and water), natural resource usage, and waste management. Human rights, labour standards in the business and supply chain, occupational and community health and safety, stakeholder engagement, a grievance mechanism, and social opportunities are examples of social issues. Governance issues include a set of rules or principles that define human rights, responsibilities, and expectations among various stakeholders in corporate governance (corporate governance and corporate actions). VFD Group Plc’s ESG policy applies to all three sectors, ensuring compliance, good corporate governance, and transparency in its operations.

IMPACT OF GREEN ECONOMY

Sub-Saharan Africa is expected to experience some of the most extreme temperatures. According to a World Bank analysis, “the region is directly and indirectly exposed to the transition risks associated with climate change,” which is exacerbated by the region’s reliance on minerals, energy, and mining. Furthermore, financial sector regulations that are rapidly being implemented in the European Union and are being harmonised globally will have an impact on

all companies involved in supply chains that intersect with African countries.’ Global stakeholders are looking to African governments and corporations to deliver on long-term investments that generate economic returns, and top investors are pushing for metrics that show positive estimates. According to the International Finance Corporation’s analysis of African markets, transitioning to a greener economy will increase profits for manufacturers, create more jobs, and attract more investment to the continent. A green economy, in essence, creates healthier businesses in African countries such as Nigeria. According to a report by the Global Sustainable Investment Alliance, sustainable investments now account for more than $39 trillion in five major global markets, a 34% increase in two years. Other studies show that over a ten-year period, sustainable investments outperformed general markets. This implies that ESG funds can generate higher long-term investment returns. A good ESG integration in a company like VFD Group Plc will naturally assist investors in adapting to the risks of economic, social, and governance changes, as well as taking advantage

of green investment opportunities. Through effective relationships with relevant stakeholders, activists, and global organisations, the Group can accelerate economic growth for the country and its businesses. Few organisations have developed green investment plans to keep up with the times, but corporate organisations such as VFD Group Plc, PwC, Reckitt Benckiser, and some oil and gas companies have taken up the baton and established ESG policies.

THE GROUP’S MANDATE

VFD Group Plc is at the forefront of developing future sustainable investments by implementing policies that are in line with global standards and delivering the best investment results to investors and clients. The Group’s ESG policy prioritises managing the interests of stakeholders such as governments, regulators, clients, investors, the board, and other stakeholders. Driven by risk management, business opportunities (market access and revenue growth), cost savings, innovation, productivity through improved management, and brand enhancement,

the Group will champion the adoption of best corporate governance practises while performing fiduciary duties by ensuring financial and non-financial risks are modelled into its investment feasibility analysis and decision-making process to ensure long-term sustainable value for all shareholders. In terms of human capital, VFD Group Plc intends to foster a unified culture based on innovation, inclusion, and diversity, as well as to ensure the recruitment, development, and retention of the best talent across the firm and investments. The Group will ensure that all investments, loans, leases, and other services aim to reduce negative environmental impacts while enhancing positive effects, and that customers are well informed about the financial and non-financial risks associated with its savings and investment services. The Group is dedicated to delivering the necessary innovative strategies to improve opportunities in equity investments, mortgages, leases, loans, and asset management. “As a member of the investment sector, we recognise the importance of working with stakeholders and governments to build globally healthy economies.” As an organisation concerned with the conditions of the country’s economic growth, we promote the tenets of diversity, integrity, transparency, and sustainability,” Nonso Okpala, Group Managing Director of VFD Group Plc stated. By aligning with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UNSDGs), the Paris Agreement, and Africa Agenda 2063, the Group will advocate for public policies that are in the long-term interests of its clients and support local communities and global society toward sustainable development. These will be accomplished through the development of services and products that promote sustainable development, as well as through corporate social responsibility. VFD Group Plc will conduct business responsibly by joining the United Nations Global Compact (UNGC) and the Principles for Responsible Investment (PRI). The ESG policy will be implemented across the VFD Group’s portfolio companies while adhering to each company’s corporate strategy, value, and economic and financial growth model. The Group has repeatedly demonstrated its ability to overcome competitive challenges, reduce risks, and improve investment performance across a wide range of markets.

THURSDAY APRIL 28, 2022 • T H I S D AY

T H I S D AY ˾ , APRIL 28, 2022

HEALTH & LIFESTYLE

ÜÙßÚ ÏËÞßÜÏÝ ÎÓÞÙÜ˝ Chiemelie Ezeobi ×ËÓÖ chiemelie.ezeobi@thisdaylive.com, Tel: 07010510430

FCTA’s Initiative Toward Creating Autism Awareness As a developmental disorder characterised by difficulty in social interaction and communication, Autism is a condition which can be severe or slight in different people. The spectrum was a focal subject when the FCT Minister, Musa Bello visited an autistic home as part of activities to mark Autism Awareness Month, Olawale Ajimotokan reports

FCT Minister Mohammed Musa Bello, meets children at the Brain Bloom Centre, Abuja during activities to mark the Autism Awareness Month

here are several misconceptions that border on ignorance about autism. Some members of the public erroneously perceive the lifelong, non-progressive neurological disorder that typically appears before the age of three as a psychiatric illness and a spiritual condition. It was the desire to shatter those myths and create proper knowledge about autism that the FCT Minister, Malam Muhammad Musa Bello, visited the Brain Bloom Centre, Apo, Abuja, a centre dedicated to the care of children with special needs and at the forefront of creating awareness for autism. The minister visited the centre which was founded by Mrs. Rahanatu Yusuf as part of activities to mark Autism Awareness Month held from the April 1-30 every year with a view to rendering necessary support. He pledged continued support of the FCT Administration to improving the well-being of persons with autism and other neurological disorders to enable them live normal lives. “We feel highly delighted to have come here and I share with what you are doing because autism is a reality actually. It is probably just recently that we know autism as a name. Sometimes, you get to know it rather early and sometimes, you don’t know about it till it is very late. “ I encourage you not to lose hope. Let us just keep on pushing. I will continue to give you publicity, and from time to time, I encourage you to do some activities. You don’t need to make it only an annual event during the autism month. If there is any need for support, you can contact my office and we will see what we can do”, he said He lauded Yusuf for creating a forum where parents of autistic students can come and share ideas, noting that through idea sharing, solutions can be found for any challenge. On the need for an inclusive environment, the minister revealed that the FCT Administration was working on making public buildings to conform to the Disability Act recently signed by President Muhammadu Buhari, so as to cater for persons with disabilities and other special needs. This, he noted and coupled with the planned installation of lifts at the rail stations would provide easy access and movement to persons

with disabilities in these facilities. In her remarks, Yusuf appealed for greater understanding, patience and acceptability of autistic persons to build a much more inclusive world that protects the rights of all children, particularly those with neuro-diversity. She urged governments at all levels and citizens not to forget the vulnerable populations by implementing the Disability Act and ensuring that proper diagnostic centres are established. “We want to make autism awareness more centre stage and topic of conversation which is why we are bringing this to the attention of the Honourable Minister who has the capacity to make impactful policies to achieve this herculean feat,” Yusuf said. Yusuf, who trained as a Chemical Engineer, found practice and passion in special education while researching and building her capacity to support her eighteen months old son, Usman, who had a slow start. Her son Usman is now 14-year-old and in a mainstream school breaking barriers. Now Yusuf has decided it was time to help others take care of their children with similar challenges. She pointed out that though symptoms of autism may be similar to other neurological disorders, children with autism are different. “They all have different clusters because

autism hardly exists on its own. There is usually a co-morbidity along with it. Some of them have attention hyperactivity disorder -very short attention span. They cannot focus on one activity for more than five minutes. Some have anxiety issues. They get scared when they want to try something new. “Some even have dietary issues and cannot deal with certain kinds of food. Some of them have epilepsy, some of them have seizures because they are all related to the brain”. She appealed to well-meaning Nigerians and corporate bodies to come to the aid of the children, noting that the centre is small and needed to be expanded, while new outlets be established across the Territory in areas easily accessible to the needy. Her partner and childhood friend, Mrs. Olayinka Afolayan, a Computer Scientist by profession and special needs children advocate, stressed the need for acceptance by the society. Afolayan, though not having a child with special needs, regretted that society tends to stigmatise anything it does not understand, calling for more awareness to reduce stigma and increase the possibility of early detection and care. Narrating her experience where she was told to seek help to get more male children when she had her second female child, Afolayan lamented that such stereotype causes

“On the need for an inclusive environment, the minister revealed that the FCT Administration was working on making public buildings to conform to the Disability Act recently signed by President Muhammadu Buhari, so as to cater for persons with disabilities and other special needs”

more harm than good in relations to special needs children as early detection was key to resolving most issues surrounding caring for the children. Some parents of autistic children narrated their ordeals, ranging from lack of diagnostic centres for neurological disorders, financial strain to physical and mental stress. One of such parents, Mrs. Jamila Ruma Bawa, lamented that the challenge started from when they didn’t even know what the problem was with their child, then to finding a suitable place that understands and cares. She concluded: “Autism, is tasking emotionally, physically, and particularly financially. “You have to pay school fees, as some of the kids go to mainstream school. They come here for therapy, so you pay for therapy, pay for mainstream education, pay for some special therapies pay for special diets, pay for supplements, pay for doctors’ appointments and all these are being borne by parents”. For Usman Ahmed Modibbo, another parent, it was equally challenging for his family as they faced facts they didn’t want to accept when their son was hyperactive and couldn’t speak a word at three. “But we have seen progress and the best decision we’ve ever made is coming to this Centre”, he said. On her part, Mrs. Fatima Zarau appealed for inclusion of autism treatment in the national health insurance scheme (NHIS): “We as parents of special needs children have a lot of demands. Government should meet us halfway because most of the interventions our children need are very expensive”. She also called for inclusion of special needs treatment on the NHIS. One of the centre’s teachers, a verbal behaviour therapist, Mr. Manji Danjuma, explained that verbal behaviour therapy was the most suitable method adopted in teaching the children since conventional learning methods were unsuitable for them. He stressed that the therapy was an approach that applied behaviour analysis and theories of behaviorists in teaching children with autism in communication and language. Simply, verbal behaviour therapy is a Montessori teaching method involving use of images and sounds that represent those images.

T H I S D AY ˾ , APRIL 28, 2022

NEWS

Wellness Medical Distribution Launches Pharmacentre, FERTILITY an Online Marketplace For Pharmaceuticals VAGINITIS (INFLAMMATION Wellness Medical Distribution recently launched its online integrative marketplace for pharmaceutical products, to enable ease of access to quality medicines and medical supplies in Nigeria. Over 253,000 deaths happen yearly in Nigeria, due to insufficient access to quality healthcare. While a good number of these casualties come from inadequate health systems, others stem from little or no access to medicines. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, major disruptions have visited pharmacy markets globally, through the power of technology and online commerce, in a bid to facilitate easier and safer access to drugs, for all. As such, getting medicines online affords consumers the benefit of quick, easy, convenient, and private access to medical needs, with the click of a mouse. As part of its dedicated efforts to improve access to quality healthcare in the country, Wellness Medical Distribution has launched its online integrative marketplace for pharmaceutical products. The launch event was held on the 20th of April, 2022, with top dignitaries in the pharmaceutical industry in Nigeria in attendance. Pharmacentre is an online platform that enables licensed medical professionals to sell quality medical products to businesses and consumers alike. As an integrative marketplace, Pharmacentre integrates consumer-facing (business to consumer selling) and providerfacing (business to business selling) models. Through its interactive and easy-to-use platform, Pharmacentre will leverage the huge stock of pharmaceutical products from different licensed pharma merchants to supply to online consumers/businesses via e-orders, as well as serve as a link between consumers and existing physical pharmacies.

Pharmacentre stands to be the one-stop-shop for quality and accessible medical supplies. Speaking during the launch of the platform, Mrs. Adetutu Afolabi, the MD/CEO of Wellness Healthcare Group, says: “Today’s world is filled with uncertainty, broken infrastructure, and numerous supply chain challenges. As affordability and accessibility to pharmaceutical supplies when needed, in Nigeria, has become a strong pain point, having a value-driven platform like Pharmacentre that enhances collaboration amongst pharmacists and other healthcare providers will improve the wellbeing of our people.” “Nobody should be left stranded because they do not have a pharmacist in their network.” For Pharmacentre, it’s all about accessing medical products with ease and convenience. Many persons, within the country, battling chronic health conditions or having challenges in accessing traditional pharmacy services search for relevant platforms for access to quality medical products. While a number of e-platforms in Nigeria exist to cater to this need, there are still very significant gaps in linkages between all points of the pharmaceutical supply chain. Also, a bulk of these existing platforms are largely consumer-facing and do not seamlessly solve the need for pharmacies looking to stock medical supplies as well. The Pharmacentre platform, however, enables users to either register as individuals or businesses. Registered users are further required to indicate if they would be interacting on the platform as a customer or as a vendor. However, only licensed vendors are authenticated to sell on the marketplace. Through the platform, us-

ers, whether as individuals or businesses, will be able, not only to get quality medicines from licensed vendors but also be able to get these delivered conveniently to their doorsteps, with the least hassle. Using the ‘Talk to a Pharmacist’ feature as well, users on the platform can easily get first-hand recommendations and prescriptions from licensed pharmacists before purchasing drugs online. Vendors on the platform get to benefit from the ease of listing their medical products on the platform, thereby, broadening the visibility of their business and brand. They also get to track how their products are faring via real-time marketing reports/ dashboards showing sales on the platform. Vendors likewise are able to run promotions on the platform to market their products to a wider viewership as well as flexibly offer discounts on their products. The platform offers a great opportunity for all stakeholders within the pharmaceutical space to operate effectively and collaboratively towards the goal of enhancing access to medical supplies and products. At the heart of this objective, is the overarching interest in improving health and wellness, a primary motivation for the parent company, Wellness Healthcare Group. Early this year, Wellness HMO, launched its mobile app, Wellness Plus, to revolutionize healthcare service delivery in Nigeria. The mobile app affords users the power to choose health and wellness for themselves, through options to request healthcare services, and monitor their health, from the comfort of their homes. Wellness Healthcare Group is committed to providing good and affordable healthcare to all, through its robust innovative healthcare solutions.

L-R: Pharm. Lawrence Ekhator ( ACPN chairman, Lagos State); Dr. Obadere Peter (Cofounder, Digital Encode Limited); Pharm. Adetutu Afolabi (MD/CEO Wellness Healthcare Group and Founder, Pharmacentre); Prof. Cyril Usifo (Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria National President); Pharm. Victor Gbenga Afolabi (CEO Hazon Holdings); Dr. (Mrs) Ukamaka Okafor (Director, Pharmacists Council of Nigeria, Lagos State) and Pharm. Iyiola Gbolagade (Chairman, PSN, Lagos State Chapter)

Medical Guild Sets to Reposition for Better Healthcare, Says President Kuni Tyessi ÓØ ÌßÔË For better medical delivery, the President of the Guild of Medical Directors (GMD), Dr Raymond Kuti, saif the guild is being repositioned to remain a strong partner in the Nigerian healthcare sector. In a statement issued last Tuesday in Abuja, Kuti said members of the GMD were the owners of private health facilities and deliver most of the care to Nigerians. According to him, the private health sector is wholly complimentary to

the public health sector and comparatively, better equipped to deliver quality care. As part of efforts to ensure the repositioning, he said the guild had concluded plans to hold a leadership and business summit in Abuja from May 12 to May 15. He said “the summit aims to bring guild members in Nigeria together as we reposition the association for strategic engagements. “The guild is desirous of stimulating a vibrant and dynamic private sector able

to withstand the current economic downturn and still deliver superlative health care. “There will be didactic training on style, class, business planning, financial strategies, succession planning and politics. “The GMD needs to be at the table with government and its agencies when critical policy decisions are being made”, he added. Kuti said the summit was also to strengthen the footprints of the GMD and ensure viability of private health facilities.

With Dr. Kemi AILOJE drkemi@lifelinkfertility.com www.lifelinkfertility.com +2348033083580

OF THE VAGINA) PART 3

n the last few editions we have been talking about Vaginitis, explaining the types, causes, signs and symptoms, complications and prevention. This week, we will conclude with diagnosis and treatment.

DIAGNOSIS OF VAGINITIS The most appropriate individual to discuss the symptoms and probable causes of Vaginitis is the Clinician.The symptoms noticed will determine if one has vaginitis or not.Tests are to be perform to determine the type and cause of vaginitis as it is possible to have one or more types co-occurring. There are various precipitating factors that can induce vaginitis, each of which must be treated separately. The clinician will first diagnose before prescribing the most appropriate treatment.This usually involves the following procedures: r 1IZTJDBM &YBNJOBUJPO " QIZTJDBM examination can assist in determining the site of involvement (vulva, vagina or cervix). It is important to examine the external genitalia for inflammation, lesions, masses, atrophic tissue, redness, or soreness around the vagina and vulva. The lymph nodes are also checked for any enlargement. The pelvic region is checked for the presence of any abnormality. The physician s also examines the patient for uterine or tubo-ovarian abscess and use a speculum to look for erythema (rednedss), edema(swelling), or lesions.

the following: r 5IF XBJU BOE TFF TUSBUFHZ *O XIJDI the physician may urge you to wait out the infection, particularly if it is caused by tight clothes, douching, or other vaginal allergic reactions. The physician will recommend lifestyle adjustments as well as home remedies to help relieve these symptoms. r #BDUFSJBM WBHJOPTJT SFRVJSFT UIF VTF PG antibiotics and cream, all of which require a prescription from the physician, during treatment, make sure to use a condom during sex or not have sex at all. r :FBTU JOGFDUJPOT BSF UZQJDBMMZ USFBUFE with antifungal cream or drug that is injected into the vaginal canal. r5SJDIPNPOJBTJT JT USFBUBCMF XJUI B TJOHMF dosage of antibiotics, however, both partners should be treated to prevent reinfection. r 'PS WBHJOBM BUSPQIZ UIF DMJOJDJBO NBZ prescribe estrogen creams, pills, or rings. The treatment will be based on the risk factors and any potential issues that may arise as a result of estrogen use.

r :PV NVTU EFUFSNJOF XIJDI QSPEVDU is causing your vaginitis if it is caused by an allergy or sensitivity to it. It might be a new product you have just started VTJOH :PV TIPVME RVJU VTJOH UIF QSPEVDU once you have figured it out. To limit the chance of recurrence, effective r Q) UFTU 5IF Q) PG UIF WBHJOBM GMVJE JT vaginitis treatment may include screening assessed to see if an infection is present. and treating your sexual partner(s).To The pH level can be determined by placing treat the illness in adolescents, adequate litmus paper in the pooled vaginal secretions cleanliness, antibacterial medicine, and or against the lateral vaginal wall. The steroids may be administered. Infections color is then compared to the colors and in pre-pubescent girls, on the other hand, corresponding pH values on a standard resolve on their own throughout puberty chart. A normal vaginal pH is between 3.8 as a result of hormonal changes and and 4.2.A pH greater than 4.5 is found in the regulation of vaginal pH by vaginal 80 to 90 percent of patients with bacterial discharge. vaginosis and frequently in patients with trichomoniasis.The pH level is also high CONCLUSION in those with atrophic vaginitis. Vaginitis is a common female condition for which therapy is readily available. r 7BHJOBM EJTDIBSHF FWBMVBUJPO &YDFTT Vaginitis, like most infections and condibacteria or yeast, as well as the presence of tions, has distinct symptoms that can be STI-causing organisms like Trichomonas, can quite unpleasant. As a result, it is critical be detected by taking a sample of vaginal to pay attention to your body, recognize discharge and analyzing it. the symptoms, and get medical help as soon as possible to begin treatment. The r 7BHJOBM DVMUVSF 4BNQMFT PG WBHJOBM ultimate goal of vaginitis prevention is to fluid are obtained for culture, allowing avoid it, but this requires careful attention for the discovery of pathogenic organisms. to certain details, such as maintaining a Vaginal culture is also known as a wet healthy lifestyle and making wise sexual mount test or a vaginal smear test. decisions. Also, keep in mind that certain clothing and beauty products may include r #JPQTZ " CJPQTZ PG UIF BGGFDUFE BSFB irritating substances that disrupt the may be done if the other tests indicate vaginal hormonal balance. As a result, that there is no infection. paying attention to these aspects may aid in the prevention of this condition. TREATMENT OF VAGINITIS Childbearing women, on the other hand, The physician’s treatment strategy will be should take extra precautions because they determined by the origin of the illness, are more prone to vaginitis-related issues, medical history and products you may which can endanger their pregnancy. It be consuming. However it may involve is advisable to visit the physician if the

T H I S D AY ˾ , APRIL 28, 2022

NEWS

World Malaria Day: DOAM Foundation Partners Bond Chemicals, Offer Free Medical Service to Mushin Community

DOAM Foundation Medical Outreach held in Mushin... recently Funmi Ogundare Daniel Ogechi Akujobi Memorial (DOAM) Foundation, recently partnered Bond Chemicals Pharmaceutical to offer free medical outreach to people living in Mushin community, Lagos. This was part of efforts aimed at commemorating the World Malaria Day set aside globally to control the scourge. At the programme, members of the community were sensitised on the causative factors of malaria fever, complications and prevention, while medical test on blood sugar, blood pressure and test for malaria were conducted on them. The Programme Officer on Education, Ms Ruth Nwachukwu, said the essence is give medical attention to the less privileged, touch lives and put smiles on their faces.” According to her, “the

foundation embarks on this effort to touch lives. So far, we have touched more 8,000 lives in communities within Lagos and put smiles on their faces.” A pharmacist with Bond Chemicals, Mr. Isaac Melfa emphasised on the partnership with Doam foundation to provide free medical services to those who have been infected with malaria fever, adding that it was the organisation’s way of giving back to the society. “We provided the diagnostic and medical facilities to treat patients free of charge. This is our own way of giving back to the society and also ensuring those who cannot afford the drugs are given free of charge.” He said malaria is preventable if communities can work together to ensure a clean environment and using insecticide treated nets to reduce the scourge. “ Studies have shown that

using of insecticides treated bed nets have been able to reduce malaria. It may be inconvenient but you can sleep with such nets which can last for like three to five years. “The next stage is ensuring a clean environment and removing stagnant water to prevent malaria fever,” he said. A medical doctor with the Directorate of Naval Services, Victoria Island, Lagos, Dr. Uchechukwu Ukoh said the essence is to create awareness about malaria pandemic common in the tropics especially of Africa. “We live with it. We actually know about malaria, but we have not made much effort to prevent them by focusing more on our environment. “Malaria is caused by mosquitoes and if they are not controlled, it could get out of hand.” She emphasised on the complications of the parasite saying that it could lead to

cerebral malaria which could result to feats or convulsion; kidneys problem and hypoglycemia, as well as anaemia. “ The red blood cells will be eaten up and there will be no blood circulation. This could eventually lead to death,” Ukoh said. On what government/ community can do on the the pandemic, she stressed the need for the government to ensure that the operators of Lagos State Waste Management Authority ( LAWMA), work effectively to clear dirt on our roads so as to guide again the spread of malaria fever, adding that it gives room for the multiplication of mosquitoes. “ Members of the community should also help to clear their gutters around their environment as that could be a good breed for mosquitoes. They could create good sewage disposal for that to reduce the risk of malaria fever.”

PCN Bags International Certification in Pharmacy Regulatory Standards Onyebuchi Ezigbo ÓØ ÌßÔË The Pharmacy Council of Nigeria (PCN) has attained the ISO-9001:2015 Quality Management Standards Certification for the regulation of drug manufacture and distribution in the country. Speaking on the significance of the achievement, shortly after the Public presentation ceremony of ISO 9001:2015 Certificate issued to the PCN by NECA’s Global Certification Limited in Abuja, the Registrar of PCN, Dr. N.A. Mohammed said that ISO-9001:2015 international certification will establish credibility and trust between customers and stakeholders and other business partners.

“In this case this ISO9001:2015 certification guarantees identity for PCN over pharmacy regulations to the satisfaction of stakeholders,” he said. Mohammed said PCN had over the years strived to improve standards in pharmaceutical practice in the country in keeping with its mandate. According to him, the journey towards the attainment of the ISO certification began following the assessment visit of the WHO officials in 2019 for global bench marking exercise for Nigerian regulatory authority during which it was recommended should institutionalise quality management systems.

He said that the actual process towards attainment of the certification began in 2021 through PCN collaboration with USP when a base line assessment of the PCN facilities was conducted. He also said that there were series of capacity building to improve quality documentation of processes. “The PCN collaboration with USP/PQM+ programme began in 2021. This collaboration necessitated the need to conduct a baseline assessment of the PCN Head office/ Registry with respect to the requirements of ISO 9001:2015 standards. This was followed by series of capacity building, review and developments of PCN

documents and conduct of internal audit,” he said. The Senior Vice President, Global Public Health, United States Pharmacopoeia (USP), Emily Kaine said the attainment of the international certification of ISO - 9001-2015 by PCN demonstrated it’s strong commitment to maintaining strong management systems and ensuring that right processes are maintained. She also said that the attainment of the ISO- 9000 was also instrumental to the recent Level 3 certification granted to National Agency for Food Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), adding it would ensure that Nigeria has access to quality medicines and health services.

UI Students Partner Firm, OHealth on Efficient Health Delivery Kemi Olaitan ÓØ ÌËÎËØ Towards ensuring better health delivery by bridging the gap between students and health personnel in the campus’ clinic, the Students Union Government (SUG), of the University of Ibadan, has entered into partnership with an online health company, OHealth. The Students Union President, Adewole Adeyinka, while signing the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the health company, expressed delight because it will ease the stress students usually pass through before seeing physicians at the campus’ clinic (Jaja). He added that the students union is glad to welcome the package into the campus which they believe will be a bridge between students and doctors and the scheme is also going to increase health viability within the students community. According to him, “Having our students standing for so long to see a physician in ‘Jaja’ the campus clinic has always been an issue for us, not that our doctors are not working, but they are always overwhelmed with a lot of work because there is no proper scheduled but if OHealth can come in between the students and the doctors, it will give students opportunity to schedule their appointment with ease. “It was in my manifesto when campaigning to be SUG President that I have a blueprint for the University, which is to ease the suffering of students in securing good medics. “ Students do not need to reach the clinic (Jaja) before securing a medical appointment through a dedicated mobile application and students should be able to fix appointment without leaving the hall of residence.” The initiator of the new health digital app, OHealth, Dr. Temitope Farombi, a consultant neurologist, in his remarks, said the idea is to bring health closer to people by continuing to support health initiatives among students on the campuses hence having some of the student unions executives of the University of Ibadan as ambassadors of OHealth. “Today we have come to the University of Ibadan to partner the students union government and we have the students union’s executives as ambassadors of OHealth. Now we are bringing health to the hands of the students and changing the course of health issues even among the students. “We have a mobile app called ‘OHealth’. This is a Telehealth application that allows students and everybody to come close to doctors through their mobile phones in the comfort of their homes anytime, anywhere. Not only access to doctors but they can also have access to buy medications on the platform and also have access to laboratory bookings on the platform.

Pfizer Raises Awareness on Adult Vaccines to Prevent Diseases Ayodeji Ake Pfizer recently held a media roundtable to discuss the need for adult vaccination, the burden, as well as the management of vaccines to prevent diseases in older people. Speaking at the virtual Media Roundtable held recently, Medical Director, Sub-Saharan Africa, Pfizer, Kodjo Soroh, stressed the importance of adult vaccination to prevent them from deadly bacterial infections. “Pfizer has a long history in vaccine research and development. By developing innovative delivery systems and technologies, we’ve created scalable solutions that address the prevention of deadly bacterial infections. “ The key to maintaining and building on these advances is constant vigilance and continued access to immunisations is essential to preserving the progress we’ve made against vaccinepreventable conditions and strengthening our ability to address emerging health threats.” A Consultant Physician at the Lagos State University College of Medicine Ikeja Lagos, Professor Olufunke Olayinka Adeyeye, and Chief Consultant and Head of Geriatrics Unit at the National Hospital Abuja, Dr. Ogugua Osi-Ogbu, who emphasised the importance of adult vaccination as well as the challenges and gaps in adult vaccination as these individuals have a decreased immunological response when they are exposed to infections. The duo revealed in their different presentations adult pneumococcal disease, the importance of adult vaccination, and the challenges and gaps in adult vaccination. Adeyeye said: “A systematic review of infections in individuals older than 65 years found that coronary heart disease, diabetes mellitus, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, were all associated with a significantly higher risk of acquiring pneumococcal infections. “Pneumococcal disease is an important cause of morbidity and mortality in older adults. “Many high-income countries recommend pneumococcal vaccination in older adults, but coverage is often low even where policies are in place. “Very few low and/or mid-income countries currently provide pneumococcal vaccination to older adults as a part of a routine program. “Vaccine-preventable diseases are infectious diseases caused by viruses or bacteria that can be prevented with vaccines. “Vaccines are not just for kids; adults need vaccines too. Even if fully vaccinated as a child, adults may be at risk for other diseases due to age, job, lifestyle, travel, or a health condition.”

T H I S D AY ˾ , APRIL 28, 2022

NEWS

Famacare Offers Free Malaria Test, Treatment in Lagos Communities Rebecca Ejifoma As part of activities to celebrate its third anniversary and commemorate the World Malaria Day, Famacare, a healthcare provider committed to providing primary healthcare services to residents of densely populated areas, conducted free malaria testing in Egbeda and Abule-Egba communities in Lagos State. Residents were tested, treated, enlightened, and empowered with knowledge on some preventive and protective measures towards controlling malaria and its carrier, anopheles mosquitoes. The free testing was to reduce the scourge

of Malaria in the areas. Speaking at the event, the CEO of Famacare, Uzor Ofulue, noted that the free medical exercise is part of the organisation’s efforts to give back to the society. She said: “Malaria is one of the most severe diseases in tropical and subtropical regions. It is a leading cause of death and disease in many developing countries, including Nigeria, where children and pregnant women are most vulnerable.” Citing 2021 World Malaria Report, Ofulue said almost half of the world’s population, 7.9 billion, live in areas at risk of malaria transmission in 87 countries and

territories. She told newsmen that Africa is unarguably the most affected due to poverty and low living standards. In her words, “The World Health Organisation (WHO) estimates that no less than 600,000 people die from Malaria every year.” According to the National Association of Hospital and Administrative Pharmacists of Nigeria (AHAPN), Nigeria has approximately 100 million cases of Malaria and over 300,000 deaths reported annually. The WHO said this is about 50 per cent of the total malaria burden in Africa, with 97 per

cent of the total population (approximately 173 million) at risk of infection. “In commemoration of this year’s World Malaria Day,” the CEO said Famacare decided to test residents for free and treat those who tested positive for the malaria parasite. “This is because, like most diseases, early detection is vital to reducing complications. While we always advocate for prevention, we don’t deny that one significant risk factor for Malaria is living in overpopulated environments.” On his part, the Clinical Director of Famacare, Dr. Seyi Awolope, listed some of their

strategies during engagement with host communities. “We talk to them about early treatment, personal and environmental hygiene,” he outlined. Awolope emphasised the need to free drainage so there can be free flow. “Afterwards, sprinkle kerosene in the drainages to ward off mosquitoes.” The experts also encouraged Nigerians in general to visit the clinic more for their basic health needs like headaches, and stomach discomfort among others. World Malaria Day is observed every April 25th. This year, however, it has the theme, “Harness innovation to reduce

the malaria disease burden and save lives.” And Famacara says it is planning some innovative ideas to help protect Nigerians from mosquito bites. The Executive Director, Zainab Alibaba, echoed the words of her team members about the facilities they’ve put in place to further help with treatment and diagnosis. For the third anniversary celebration, Famacare presented 12 members of staff with certificates of appreciation for their contributions to the organisation while newsmen were given a tour of the Flagship Centre in Egbeda.

NOW YOU KNOW

Six Reasons You Shouldn’t Clean Earwax with Cotton Buds Using earbuds or cotton buds as many know it to be is a common practice. Many use them to clean out wax from the ears. It’s something everyone has done at some point. It is habitual like brushing teeth. Many enjoy the tingling feeling they get when using cotton buds in their ears. In most cases, the ear canal does not need to be cleaned. The skin in the ear canal naturally grows in an outward, spiral pattern. As it slips off, ear wax goes with it. Most of the time the wax will loosen and be absorbed by the body. Thus, the need for a cotton swab becomes absolutely unnecessary.

L-R: Lions Club members, Toyin Sanni, and Abimbola Shopeju; Zonal Chairperson, TPL Soledotun Abdulkarim-Yusuf; President Lagos Ikoyi Lions Club, Abdulkarim Yusuf; 2nd VP Lagos Ikoyi Lions Club, Grace Nene Osunwa and District Governor 404A1, Fortune Wagbatsoma at the event

Here are six reasons why you shouldn’t use cotton buds to clean out wax from your ears:

Lagos State, Lions Club Inaugurate Recreational Garden to Ease Psychosocial Stress

Ear wax serves a protective purpose for the ears Ear wax is there for a reason. It protects your ear canal from dust, microorganism and foreign particles. It also lubricates the skin of your ears and prevents infections due to its antibacterial properties.

Mary Nnah In a bid to continue with its service to humanity and to ensure that human beings live healthy and well-balanced lives in the environment they find themselves, Lagos Ikoyi Lions Club in conjunction with Lagos State Parks and Gardens Agency (LASPARK), last week, set in motion a recreational garden. This will afford Lagosians, especially those residing and working in Ikoyi, Lagos, a place for relaxation. The Oye Williams Garden named after the Lagos Ikoyi Lions Club Chartered President and founding member, late Lion Oye Williams, is located on Awolowo Way, Ikoyi. Governor, Lions Club International, District 404A1, Lion Fortune Wagbatsoma, explained that one of the ways to relieve bottled up emotions, physical and psychological stresses acquired from societal and workplace pressures is being

able to get balanced mentally, emotionally, and physically in a world surrounded by so many ups and downs. Wagbatsoma, said therefore that the garden is of great importance to the lions as well as to the community where it is situated. “People might see it as nothing and may not understand how important this is. We have created a special place where people can actually walk in and relax. We have also been able to help people to relax.” Speaking further, Wagbatsoma lamented that a lot is happening in today’s world - the hustling and bustling, a lot of hardships, inflation, depression, killings, and so on, so if one can take out time. “Even if it is once in a week to have somewhere like the Oye Williams Garden to sit and just relax your nerves and forget every burden you may have, it will do a lot of good to our general wellbeing especially the

wellbeing of our mental health.” The District Governor said the issue of relaxation is very important not just in Nigeria but all over the world because everyone all over the world is going through a whole lot of tensions right now. “There is s a lot of restiveness all over the world, so it is a very important project as it will help people to rest their nerves and as we know, relaxation is very good for the human body”, she added. Speaking further on the essence of the garden, she said, ‘I understand that in this part of Lagos, sometimes after work, people tend to stay back so that traffic can ease off. So, they can actually walk into the garden and relax because it is open-air and then have some drinks and over drinks, they will ask questions and understand what Lions Club is all about. “It is a project that projects the environment, so we have been able to also help to beautify the

environment. The project is second to none. It is very important to the health of everyone to find time to relax from all tension of the day’s work.” “Secondly, we have built a legacy, a lasting one, by immortalising one of our leaders who though is late, was instrumental to the formation of the Ikoyi Lions Cub.” The President of Lagos Ikoyi Lions Club, Abdulkarim Yusuf reiterated the importance of the garden, noting that one of the five focus areas of the Lions was the safety of the environment. Apart from the environment other areas of focus, he said were pediatric cancer, feeding the hungry, vision, and diabetes. He noted however that before any activity is carried out; the club would conduct a community service assessment to ascertain what actually the need of each community is and for Awolowo road, he said the recreational garden was apt.

Hepatitis: Africa’s 2030 Strategic Elimination Plan Esther Oluku With the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) vision to eliminate the Hepatitis virus from Africa by 2030, countries across Africa are taking the message to the grassroots to ensure a healthy and hepatitis free world in the near future. The disease which has several variants of A, B, C, D and E respectively is an inflammation of the liver caused by the Hepatitis virus. In severe cases, this can lead to full breakdown of this organ of the body causing health complications such as liver cancer and

ultimately death if not properly managed. The methods of transmission include; sexual intercourse, sharing of sharp objects with an infected person, blood transfusion, from a pregnant mother to an unborn child, etc. Abbot Laboratories international while spearheading the discussion on Africa’s Strategic plan called together medical practitioners leading the fight against Hepatitis in various countries across Africa to draw a consensus on the progress thus far. The discussion which centered around Hepatitis B

Virus (HBV) and Hepatitis C Virus (HCV), drew specific recommendations from Prof. Spearman whose focus was on HCV with Dr. Beyagira and Dr. Serumondo focusing on HBV. Since the discovery of the HCV variant in 1989, WHO statistics record 5.3 per cent prevalence in Sub- Saharan Africa with areas of high prevalences recording 6 per cent prevalence in Central Africa, 2.4 per cent prevalence in West And 1.6 per cent in Eastern and Southern Sub-Sahara. Spearman therefore opined that although sensitisation and

vaccination campaigns have been led by the WHO, a lot of Africans still need to be aware. A large proportion of Africans still need to be screened to ascertain their health status. People advocacy is what changes the outcomes. Also, more importantly access to health care. The general knowledge among the public and caregivers is that there is no cure. In earlier times, doctors couldn’t treat them and if they could, they didn’t have access to the vaccines or it was unaffordable for most people. So it comes down to education.

Ears have its’ own wax removal mechanisms The ears have its own mechanisms for cleaning out wax. Usually, ears get cleaned when you take a shower. As water and soap enter the ears, it loosens the accumulated ear wax aids the loosened wax to come out on its own. The skin present in the ears grows in a spiral pattern so when the dead skin is shed, the ear wax also comes out with it. The wax is also pushed out due to a person’s jaw movements like chewing, yawning and talking. Cotton buds pushes wax further into the ears Using cotton buds to clean the other part of the ears is cool but not the inner part. When you attempt to do this, you end up pushing the wax further down into the ear canal. Sometimes, with the earwax, you are also pushing down foreign particles present in them. More so, you are also driving the wax against the eardrum in the process. This can lead to problems like ear pain and loss of hearing. By using a cotton bud you are creating more issues for your organs (ears) and senses (hearing) than forestalling one. Pushing the wax further down the ear carnal can cause earwax blockage As you continue using cotton buds to clean your ears, you keep pushing the wax further down the ear canal, this can ultimately result in earwax blockage. Earwax blockage can in turn lead to dizziness, itching, pain in the ears and eventual loss of hearing. Excessive removal of ear wax can lead to dryness As mentioned earlier, ear wax also lubricates the skin of your ears. So, when you remove the wax, the skin becomes dry and itchy. More importantly, your ears will also become more prone to infections. The delicate nature of the ear drum Because the eardrum is so delicate, it can be easily ruptured if a cotton bud is accidentally pushed too deep. Sometimes during the cleaning of the ear canal, somebody could come along and hit the ear. At this moment the ear canal might experience trauma and it can also lead to the bleeding of the ear resulting in complications that could eventually damage one of your crucial sensory organs. Note: Although, there are persons who have heavy wax build-up, a trip to the doctor may be needed. Doctors can easily remove ear wax with a suction machine. The process is virtually painless and is very effective in removing impacted wax.

T H I S D AY ˾ ˜ APRIL 28, 2022

BUSINESS/MONEYGUIDE

Development Bank Disburses N482bn to Boost MSMEs James Emejo ÓØ ÌßÔË The Development Bank of Nigeria Plc (DBN), said it has disbursed a total sum of N482 billion to Micro, Small, and Medium Scale Enterprises (MSMEs) in the country since inception. The bank disclosed that 65 per cent of the beneficiaries were women and youth-owned businesses. The Managing Director/Chief Executive of the bank, Mr. Tony Okpanachi, disclosed this at its 2021 Annual General Meeting (AGM) held in Abuja. He informed stakeholders that the fundamentals of the bank’s financials remained robust adding that total gross earnings closed at N38.18 billion, while Profit Before

Tax (PBT) stood at N22.76 billion representing, an increase of 25 per cent over the previous year. The bank’s total assets also increased by 1.4 per cent from N492.3 billion in 2020 to N499.2 billion in 2021. Okpanachi, further attributed the bank’s financial performance to “its robust corporate governance framework, business model as well as its top-notch enterprise risk management coupled with highly committed board of directors, management and staff. This is something that I am very proud of.” He said, “We continued to focus and deliver on our mandate of providing access to finance through our PFIs to Nigeria’s most critical, but underserved

Micro, Small, and Medium Scale Enterprises building their capacity and that of the PFIs in addition to the provision of partial credit guarantee to encourage lending to this very important sub-sector of the economy.” “Our cumulative disbursement of N482Billion especially to women-owned or managed businesses; is something that we are particularly delighted about from the perspective of women empowerment and poverty alleviation.” A Partner with KPMG Professional Services, Kabir Okunlola, who is the external auditors of the bank said that the summary of the financial statement complied with the relevant statutory requirements.

CIBN Donates 160-seater Lecture Theatre to ATBU Segun Awofadeji ÓØ ËßÍÒÓ As part of its contribution to the development of banking and finance education in the country, the Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria (CIBN) has officially commissioned a newly constructed multi- million Naira 160-seater lecture theatre it bequeathed to Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University (ATBU), Bauchi. The theatre which is fully furnished and equipped with ultra - modern facilities is named “ THE CIBN BANKERS HALL” will serve as the melting pot for the training and development of future ready bankers. In his address during the official commissioning ceremony of the Hall at the Gubi campus of the University, President and Chairman of Council of CIBN,Dr. Bayo Olugbemi said that the institute embarked on the project to encourage and

motivate students of northern extraction to take Interest in the banking profession,as a catalyst for growth and development in the region. The President who lamented the short supply of competent professional bankers from the northern part of the country, said the project will help build the capacity and competency of northern youth with a view to nurturing knowledgeable, skilled and competent workforce for the Nigerian banking industry in line with the competency framework for the banking industry in Nigeria. According to him, “ More specifically, the institute embarked on this project to promote and sustain the interest of students of northern extraction in the banking professional examinations thereby accelerating the pace of production of professional bankers (Chartered

Bankers) whilst addressing the issue of low number of chartered bankers from the region.” “Mr. Vice Chancellor sir, I want to specifically request that you kindly help to drive the Linkage Programme in this Institution. All students of Banking and Finance department and other related social science disciplines are expected to register as members of the institute, write the professional banking examinations and pay the annual subscription”, he pleaded. While stating that the institute as the conscience and moral compass of the banking and finance industry is resolute and committed to the observance and maintenance of ethics and professionalism among practitioners in the industry, he therefore called on all practitioners in the industry to remain steadfast to the ethos of the profession and maintain the tenets of trust and honesty, which is the hallmark of the profession.

Nigeria’s FastCash Celebrates 2m PersonalLoans Worth N59bn FastCash, the fastest-growing instant loan solution in Nigeria, has announced its two millionth loan disbursement. FastCash in a statement said all the loans disbursed are worth N59 billion and have helped customers from different walks of life meet urgent financial needs and achieve their short-term objectives. Commenting on the achievement, the Divisional Head, Personal Banking of FCMB, Mr Shamsideen Fashola, said, “the amount of trust placed in FastCash by our customers is

humbling. We will continue improving on this product to deliver exceptional customer experience. The success we have achieved thus far is a testament to our commitment at FCMB to support our customers through financial technology products that are convenient and accessible.” Launched by First City Monument Bank (FCMB) in 2018, FastCash is a personal digital loan product that makes credit up to N200,000 available to existing customers and non-customers of the Bank in less than five

minutes. In addition to FastCash, FCMB also offers a Salary Plus Loan, a consumer credit scheme available to salary account holders. Through this scheme, qualified FCMB customers can access short or medium-term funding before salaries to meet urgent needs, such as school fees payment for their children. Existing customers on Salary Plus can also top up their loans when they require additional financial support. In vast numbers, Nigerians have adopted FastCash and SalaryPlus.

Cascador Opens 2022 Application for Nigerian Entrepreneurs Cascador, a ground-breaking program helping mid-stage African entrepreneurs grow their businesses and improve their leadership skills by working with successful American and Nigerian entrepreneurs, has announced the 2022 application opening for Nigerian entrepreneurs. Cascador, launched in 2019 and now in its third year, will host 10 entrepreneurs at the Lagos Business School from October 31st – November 4th 2022 while the application deadline for interested participants is slated for July 1st 2022. The Cascador program has elevated two successful cohorts of entrepreneurs and their companies through a unique blend of education, mentoring, pitch training and personalized support. Commenting on the initiative, A

US-based biotech entrepreneur, Cascador Co-Founder and CEO of Immunext, Dave DeLucia, noted that “Cascador was founded to fill a notable gap in the accelerator space between start-up-oriented programs and accelerators for more mature businesses that extend capital and take equity upon acceptance. “Every Cascador faculty member and mentor is driven to help African entrepreneurs succeed by leveraging our years of experience and knowledge base. Many of our fellows have participated in early-stage accelerators and use Cascador as a springboard to fast-track organic business growth or to prepare for global accelerators like YC, Harambe and TechStars. It really meets a unique need.” “Preliminary coaching in

business fundamentals precedes an intensive week of in-person training, sharing and practice. After the live program at Lagos Business School from November, 1st through 5th, we follow up with 6 months of post-program mentoring and quarterly group learning sessions. It’s a formula designed to turbo-charge small businesses and make a powerful impact on their leaders personally,” he noted. Explaining the focus of Cascador and how it differs from traditional startup accelerators in Africa, Cascador Faculty and former Managing Director of GlaxoSmithKline Nigeria, Chidi Okoro, noted that “We consciously target mid-stage entrepreneurs who have a track record of sales and fundraising.

MARKET INDICATORS MONEY AND CREDIT STATISTICS

(MILLION NAIRA)

JANUARY 2021 Money Supply (M3)

38,779,455.43

-- CBN Bills Held by Money Holding Sectors

1,039,129.55

Money Supply (M2)

37,740,325.88

-- Quasi Money

21,779,302.69

-- Narrow Money (M1)

15,961,023.19

---- Currency Outside Banks

2,364,871.13

---- Demand Deposits

13,596,152.06

Net Foreign Assets (NFA)

7,414,275.50

Net Domestic Assets(NDA)

31,365,179.93

-- Net Domestic Credit (NDC)

42,916,586.63

---- Credit to Government (Net)

12,304,773.44

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

0.00

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

0.00

---- Credit to Private Sector (CPS)

30,611,813.19

--Other Assets Net

3,892,112.74

Reserve Money (Base Money

13,264,585.14

--Currency in Circulation

2,831,167.19

--Banks Reserves --Special Intervention Reserves

10,433,417.96 317,234.17

˾ ÙßÜÍÏ ̋

Money Market Indicators (in Percentage) Month

March 2018

Inter-Bank Call Rate

15.16

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

14.00

Treasury Bill Rate

11.84

Savings Deposit Rate

4.07

1 Month Deposit Rate

8.82

3 Months Deposit Rate

9.72

6 Months Deposit Rate

10.93

12 Months Deposit Rate

10.21

Prime Lending rate

17.35

Maximum Lending Rate

31.55

˾ ÙØÏÞËÜã ÙÖÓÍã ËÞÏ ̋ ͯͱϱ

OPEC DAILY BASKET PRICE

Ͱͯ˜ ͰͮͰͰ

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).

T H I S D AY ˾ ˜ ͰͶ˜ ͰͮͰͰ

Africa Prudential Reports 15% Increase in PBT to N0.55bn Kayode Tokede Africa Prudential Plc has announced its unaudited results for first quarter ended March 31, 2022 with profit before tax increasing by 15per cent. The company on the Nigerian Exchange Limited (NGX) reported profit before tax of N0.55billion in Q1 2022 from N0.48billion reported in

Q1 2021, while profit after tax grew by six per cent to N0.40billion in Q1 2022 from N0.38billion in Q1 2021. Africa Prudential also grew revenue from contracts with customers to N0.45 billion, in Q1 2022 compared to N0.36 Billion in Q1 2021, driven by driven by a 212per cent year-on-year growth in digital technology services despite

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the 60per cent decline in Fees from corporate actions. Commenting on the result, the Managing Director/CEO of Africa Prudential, Mr. Obong Idiong, in a statement said, “We are pleased to start the year with the positive Q1 results. The recorded growth in our business is a testament to the impact of our deliberate effort at enhancing

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our traditional mono revenue lines to multiple income lines, innovating new ways to deliver value in an agile manner, and adopting cost efficiency in every facet of our operation. “The 212per cent growth in digital technology income reiterates the effectiveness of our switch to a new business model and we remain positive

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about the potential growth from this revenue stream in the coming quarters and long term. As the year progresses, we remain focused on increasing shareholder’s wealth and commit to delivering an exceptional customer experience to our expanding clientele base.” Africa Prudential’s value of total assets grew nine per cent year-on-year to N17.10

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billion, driven by an 11per cent increase in cash and cash equivalents and a 28per centincrease in Trade and other receivables. In addition, total liabilities also increased by 28per cent year-on-year to N8.94billion due to a 27per cent growth in customers’ deposits and a 110per cent growth in creditors and accruals.

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THURSDAY, APRIL 28, 2022 • T H I S D AY

THIRTY-FOUR

Nigeria will Sink If It Doesn’t Substantially Change Leadership in 2023, Baba-Ahmed Warns Says her survival depends on quality persons elected National unity government is way to go, Afenifere advises James Sowole in Abeokuta and John Shiklam in Kaduna The Director of Publicity and Advocacy of the Northern Elders Forum (NEF), Dr. Hakeem Baba-Ahmed, has warned that Nigeria might sink if she did not substantially change leadership in 2023. He, however, said the quality of leaders that would emerged from the 2023 elections would determine her survival. At the same time, a pan-Yoruba Socio-Political Organisation, Afenifere, yesterday, advocated for a Government of National Unity to midwife a new democratic government. Speaking at the 2022 Pre-May Day Symposium organised by the Kaduna State chapter of the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC), with the theme: “Labour, Politics and the Quest for Good Governance and

Development in Nigeria", BabaAhmed urged Nigerian workers to rise up to determine the right leaders for the country. He also called on President Muhammadu Buhari to talk to the relations of those kidnapped in the Abuja-Kaduna train attack to let them know about government’s efforts in trying rescuing their love ones. Baba-Ahmed said, “The 2023 elections is not an ordinary election, if we don't substantially change the leadership of this country in 2023, this country is sunk. The politicians would use religion, party lines to divide us but in the end, what will be left is a broken country of divided people.” According to him, “Nigeria has to go through a major reform and part of the process has to start now. We need to improve the quality of

our leadership. In the last 10 years, we have elected poor leaders. “We need to elect good leaders, who will care about the poor, about the children of the poor, about the education of the poor, about security of everybody. We need to elect good leaders in 2023 or this country is finished.” The NEF spokesman said, Nigeria needed organisation, stressing that organised bodies like the NLC, needed to raise their voices to demand good governance. His words: “Why is labour quiet about issues affecting the country? Why is labour not talking in the face of the challenges facing the country? Advise President Buhari to invite the families of those kidnapped Abuja-Kaduna passengers train to tell them what government is doing and give them words of encouragement.

“Whatever government is doing, it should be improved upon. We cannot demand to know every detail of the negotiations with the bandits. But one of the things they should demand is that President Buhari should sit down with the relations of these people and talk to them about what government is doing so that they can be relieved. “Where is the President's empathy? The wife of the president recently hosted politicians in the Villa, why can't the President host the relations of the abducted train passengers in the Villa? We are about to get new government, labour needs to get involved as a participant not as a bystander. “NLC should determine, who becomes President, who becomes governor, so that we won't have leaders, who don't care about teachers and who treat teachers as they want. Everybody is moving

SENATE AMENDS TERRORISM ACT, IN A BID TO STAVE OFF SANCTIONS Abubakar Umar (rtd), appealed to the federal government to do more to secure the release of passengers abducted by terrorists during the Kaduna train attack. Umar made the appeal in a statement yesterday in Kaduna. The passage of the Terrorism (Prevention) Act 2013 (Amendment) Bill, 2022, followed the consideration of a report by the Committee on Judiciary, Human Rights and Legal Matters. Chairman of the committee, Senator Opeyemi Bamidele (APC, Ekiti Central), explained, “The need to comprehensively review the Terrorism Prevention Act arose from the unfavourable ratings of FATF recommendations of Nigeria’s Mutual Evaluation Report and consequent placement of Nigeria in FATF’s International Cooperation and Review Group Process with its impending sanctions on Nigeria’s economy.” He stated that the National Task Force on improving Nigeria’s AntiMoney Laundering and Countering the Financing of Terrorism (AML/ CFT) regime in Nigeria had proposed improvement on the Act in order to address the deficiencies noted in its provisions and align it with the required standard obtainable in other jurisdictions. Two months ago, the federal government disclosed that it had uncovered 123 companies and 96 other entities linked to terrorism financing. Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, said the companies included 33 Bureaux De Change (BDC). Mohammed also stated that the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit uncovered the suspected companies and individuals. The companies, which were alleged to be conduit for movement of money by terrorists, are yet to be tried by the federal government. In the past few days, there have been increasing attacks by different terrorist groups across the country, with several lives lost, scores injured, and many kidnapped or missing and unaccounted for. Curbing terrorism financing has remained a hard nut to crack for the Nigerian government either due to lack of political will or gaps in legislation. This has exacerbated insecurity and fear, what with the attempted attack on the Kaduna airport, attack on a Kaduna-bound train, and attack on security personnel and formations, all recently, as well as other nefarious activities by terrorist groups. A recent report by the Financial Derivatives Company Limited revealed that in the past decade, an estimated 87,903 persons had died through assaults by Boko Haram, sectarian actors, and other armed bandits in the country, with a lot of Nigerians now living in fear. Bamidele, in his presentation, said the Terrorism (Prevention) Act 2013 (Amendment) Bill, 2022, sought to outlaw the payment of

ransom to abductors, kidnappers, and terrorists for release of any person who had been wrongfully confined, imprisoned or kidnapped. According to the lawmaker, “The overall import of this bill is to discourage the rising spate of kidnapping and abduction for ransom in Nigeria, which is fast spreading across the country.” He disclosed that in the memoranda presented to the committee, a plethora of issues relating to terrorism and terrorism financing, in line with global best practices, were raised. He assured that the amendment to the terrorism law would set standards and the regulatory system intended to prevent terrorist groups from laundering money through the banking system and other financial networks. Bamidele added, “Having policies in place to combat financing of terrorism will surely reduce or eliminate privacy and anonymity in financial and other sundry transactions as it relates to the subject in our society.” Furthermore, he emphasised that the proposed repeal and enactment bill was geared towards improving the effectiveness of countermeasures against terrorism, terrorism financing, and proliferation financing. The senator noted that the repeal was aimed at providing adequate framework for improved international collaboration, inter-agency cooperation, and freezing of terrorist funds/assets. Bamidele stated, “The passage of this bill will save Nigeria from being included among countries in the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) Grey List with its attendant negative consequences, which might ultimately result to international sanctions that would affect the image of the country in the comity of nations.” Senate President Ahmad Lawan, in his remarks after the passage of the bill, said it would complement the federal government’s efforts in the fight against insecurity, when signed into law by President Muhammadu Buhari. Lawan said, “It is our belief here in the Senate that this bill, by the time signed into an Act by Mr. President, will enhance the efforts of this government in the fight against terrorism, kidnapping, and other associated and related vices. “This is one piece of legislation that can turn around not only the security situation in Nigeria, but even the economic fortunes of our country. “We have done so much as a government, in terms of infrastructural development across all parts of this country, but because the security situation is not the kind of situation that we all want, this tends to overshadow all the tremendous and massive developments in our country. “I believe that the executive will waste no time in signing this bill into law, and it is our hope that

this additional piece of legislation will achieve the purpose for which it has been worked upon by the Senate, and, indeed, the National Assembly, and for which it would also be signed by Mr. President. “Let me make it very clear here, that the fight against insecurity, whether it is kidnapping, terrorism or whatsoever, is not the sole role of a government. “The contribution and support by citizens is essential, because our security agencies need vital and critical information against terrorism and other things that make life difficult for us.” The upper chamber passed the bill after it scaled Third Reading on the floor. Meanwhile, the Senate, thereafter, adjourned plenary till May 10, for the Sallah break.

NDLEA Wants Political Parties to Include Drug Test in Screening Process for Aspirants

Also, the Chairman/Chief Executive of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Brig. Gen. Buba Marwa (rtd.), yesterday urged political parties to make drug integrity test part of the screening requirements for aspirants seeking to contest political offices on their platforms in the 2023 general election. A statement quoted Marwa to have said this during the 2022 First Quarter Best Performing Commands Awards ceremony, held at the agency’s national headquarters in Abuja. According to Marwa, “For politicians, we have long advocated and I take the opportunity again to repeat the advocacy that when they run for public office it demands a lot of responsibility from the person and we need to be certain if he's a person that is already a drug addict/user who will spend all the money he's given for public service to consume cocaine and his head will not be in a stable condition to handle the affairs he has been entrusted with. “For this reason, we have advocated and will continue to advocate that drug test be conducted for politicians; some state governments, like Kano State, is already doing this. “Not just politicians, but government appointees, and I've just sent a letter this morning to the National Chairman of APC, who will be the first of the National Working Committee (members) I wish to pay an advocacy visit on this issue. “I recommended that drug tests be incorporated in the screening process for all those interested in running for public office; we will do the same to the PDP and other important parties.” While addressing officers and men of the agency present at the event, Marwa said the ceremony “has become part and parcel of our corporate culture. Recognising and

rewarding hard work and excellence has always been a pragmatic way of stimulating productivity and enhancing the attainment of organisational goals; making it a tradition for the agency is our way of enshrining meritocracy in the system.” He pointed out that statistics from the first quarter (Q1) report indicated, “our performance level has not dropped off.” Marwa said, “Indeed, achieving 3, 539 arrests, 677 convictions, and seizures of 65, 916 kilogrammes of drugs in three months is no mean feat. Little wonder our performance continually earns the agency deserved accolades from the right quarters within the country as well as from abroad, especially from international partners and peers. While we have not yet achieved the utopia of a drug-free society, the results showed that we are getting it right.” He told the officers that the awards and commendations were expected to spur them to surpass their current feats at the next ceremony. He stated, “The ceremony should be a poignant reminder for us not to forget where we are coming from. And there is no better way to say it other than for us to be mindful of the saying that success has a hundred fathers, but failure is always an orphan. No organisation would understand this adage better than NDLEA in the light of our past rock bottom experience. “Therefore, we should all be mindful that we hold the fate of NDLEA in our hands, and that fate will be determined by our patriotism and dedication to duty, as well as our collective resolve to work towards the attainment of the agency's mandate.” Marwa told the officers and men to continue to propagate the agency’s War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) programme in their various commands. “There is much we can achieve when our communities are working hand-in-hand with us,” he said. Continued Online

away and leaving government to deal with people the way they want. Get involved, participate in the change of leadership. If you get a government, who will commit in writing not to send their children to private schools, no teacher will send their children to private school. “Demand that teachers are the highest paid public servants, demand that anybody, who wants to hold public office must send their children to public schools and not private schools,” Baba-Ahmed said. Further on the challenges in the education sector, he said, "millions of Nigerian children of the poor are not being taught and those being taught are poorly taught by poorly trained and poorly motivated teachers. “The class gap is widening.

Children of the poor, who are not educated will end up making life difficult for children of the rich, who are well-educated. No rich or powerful person is sending their children to LEA schools, even teachers, who teach in public schools are sending their children to private schools. “Issue that affect teachers is a national issue, not an issue between ASUU and federal government. This administration won't solve problems of Nigerian education.” Kaduna State Chairman of the NLC, Comrade Ayuba Suleiman, who was represented by Comrade Galadima, said the symposium was part of activities to mark the 2022 May Day. Continued Online

THISDAY PRESENTS VIDEO EVIDENCE OF WIKE’S UNRELIABILITY: PRAISING AMAECHI, OBASEKI YESTERDAY, ATTACKING THEM NEXT DAY the assertion by the complainant’s counsel that the publication was reckless, insisting that the publication was fair comment on a matter of public interest. The court watched video of Wike as the Director General of Godwin Obaseki Campaign Organisation campaigning for Obaseki's re-election and saying good things about Obaseki only to turn round a few years later to be attacking his character. The court also watched video clips of Wike as the Director General of Rotimi Amaechi's campaign organisation, where he was praising the former governor of Rivers State to high heaven only for him to change and started attacking him which THISDAY argued buttresses his (Wike's) unreliability. During the cross examination, the witness, Igbanoi, argued that the publication by THISDAY did not make Wike's political associates and friends to shun or abandon him. The publication did affect his relationships and did not make him lose any privilege or opportunities that would have come his way. He was appointed Director General of Obaseki Campaign Organisation despite the publication an indication that the publication clearly did not injure his public perception. The court at the end of the cross examination of the first witness for the defendant adjourned till May 20, to begin cross examination of the second witness. Speaking with THISDAY outside the courtroom, the defense counsel, Tuduru Edeh, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, explained that: "The sitting yesterday concentrated on playing exhibit F and L, which were videos namely where Wike was campaigning for Amaechi as his campaign director for his governorship election and he praised Amaechi to high heavens. "It was played to demonstrate that, that was the position he had, but it is a different story today having fallen out with Amaechi. "The first video was to show that even though the man claimed libels but going through the videos you see a man who was made Director

General of Obaseki's campaign." Edeh added that: "The witness emphasised that he (Wike) was not shunned, political associates did not abandon him as a result of the publication he is complaining about. "The matter was adjourned till May 20 for continuation of hearing, for us to bring our second witness." Justice Adolphus Enebeli of the Rivers State High Court sitting in Port Harcourt, adjourned till May 20, 2022 to continue hearing on the suit. At the resumed hearing on the matter, the lead counsel to Wike, Emmanuel Ukala, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, put to the witness for the defendant that the publication made by THISDAY was reckless and could negatively affect the image of the claimant. Last month, the Rivers State High Court sitting in Port Harcourt had also watched video clips tendered by THISDAY. Then, in the video clips presented by Igbanoi and played in the courtroom, he had in a heated argument informed the court that Wike’s various public statements opened his character and integrity to public scrutiny and fair comments. He had argued that Wike’s character since coming into public office had shown him to be such that he would say certain things about someone one day and turn 360 degrees a few months or years later to say the contrary. The governor had filed a N7 billion suit against THISDAY and three of its staff, claiming that the newspaper publication of June 23, 2020, with caption:”With a Friend Like Wike, Obaseki Meets His PDP’s Waterloo; Almost,” was intended to damage his character. The governor had claimed during his appearance in court that the publication portrayed him as deceitful, untrustworthy person. Wike had also claimed that THISDAY accused him of undemocratically exerting influence on the primaries process of PDP in Edo State in aid of his ally, Omoregie Ogbeide-Ihama, who was the beneficiary of the court order restraining Obaseki from participating in the PDP primaries.

TINUBU JOINS POLITICAL, BUSINESS LEADERS IN S'ARABIA FOR PRAYERS AND NETWORKING the last 10 days of Ramadan in supplication to Allah, Nigerian politicians, have also found in the practice, an opportunity to broker and seal political deals, design strategies for elections, and mull options open to them, either collectively or individually. Particularly, this has become a political culture in Lagos State, where Tinubu was governor for eight years and has continued to dominate its politics in the last 23 years. During political seasons, an average Lagos politician with ambition struggles, almost compulsorily, to be at the lesser hajj, since it is most likely the place, where crucial politi-

cal decisions, relating to the career and future of others, would be taken, and often, whatever deal sealed in Saudi remains unchangeable. Thus, Tinubu, who described his presidential aspiration as a life-long ambition, had set the standard for the campaign pattern ahead of 2023, when he started traveling round the country for consultations and to seek the blessings of prominent Nigerians for his aspiration. It was not surprising, therefore, that for an avowed kingmaker, who decided to throw his hat into the ring, joining other like-minds for Umrah, both for prayers and political networking, was almost a question of when.

Seen exchanging banter with others in Saudi after a video of him and Ribadu went viral, many believed that this meeting in the holy land before the elections, would afford Tinubu an opportunity to review his ambition and consider some of the options still open to him. “Obviously we all met in Mecca here for Umrah by accident and. Not that this was planned. But, as usual, such a gathering always affords us the opportunity to critically look at the state of the nation, particularly, now being an election season. Yes, we’re – all networking and programming for the 2023 elections,” said one of the political leaders, who is also in Saudi for Umrah.

THURSDAY, APRIL 28, 2022 • T H I S D AY

NEWS

CONSULTATIVE MEETING ON HIS AMBITION... L-R: Chairman, State Council of Obas and Akarigbo of Remoland, Oba Babatunde Ajayi, Vice President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo and Ogun State Governor, Dapo Abiodun during the consultative meeting of the Vice President with the Ogun stakeholders for his 2023 Presidential ambition in Sagamu... on Tuesday

Nigerian Fraud Suspect Extradited to US over Alleged $148,000 Scam, Risks 20 Years Imprisonment Court jails four internet scammers in Edo Kingsley Nwezeh in Abuja A wire fraud suspect, Adedunmola Gbadegesin, was on Monday, April 26, 2022, extradited to the United States where he is wanted in a case of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and money laundering. The offences contravene Title 18, US Code, Section 1349 and 1956 (h) and carries a maximum jail term of 20 years. A statement by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) said his extradition was coordinated by the commission following a request from the office of the Attorney General of the Federation, pursuant to a February 11, 2022, Order by Justice D.E Osiagor of the Federal High Court, Lagos, in Suit No. FHC/L/ CS/765/21, which granted a request to extradite the suspect to the United States to answer to criminal charges bordering on romance scam, wire fraud and money laundering. Gbadegesin who was arrested on September 2, 2021, was alleged to have defrauded an America lady living in Kentucky, United States, of over $148,000. Upon arriving in the United States, the suspect was billed to appear before a United States District Court for the District of

New Mexico, where two counts of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and conspiracy to commit money laundering had been filed against him. Meanwhile, four internet fraudsters, Omokhua Bright, Nosakhare Uyi, Endurance Omonefe and Osasenaga Desmond, were yesterday convicted and sentenced to various jail terms by Justice Efe Ikponmwonba of Edo State High Court, Benin City. The quartet were arraigned separately by the Benin Zonal Command of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission on one count charge of impersonation and obtaining by false pretence. The charge against Uyi read: "that you Nosakhare Uyi sometime in February 2022 in Benin City within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court with intent to defraud falsely represented yourself as one Carey Stephen Bernard (an American soldier) on the WeChat Platform and you thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 484 of the Criminal Code law Cap 48, Laws of Bendel State of Nigeria (as applicable in Edo State) 1976 and punishable under the same section.” Also, the charge against Bright read: “that you Omokhua Bright sometime between year 2020 to 21st

February 2022 in Benin City within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court did fraudulently impersonate the identity of one Micole, an American on your Instagram account with intent to defraud unsuspecting investors in bitcoin business and thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable under Section 484 of the Criminal

Code Cap 48, Laws of Bendel State of Nigeria (as applicable in Edo State) 1976.” A separate statement by EFCC upon arraignment of the defendants pleaded guilty to the charges. In view of their pleas, the prosecution counsel, Austin Ozigbu, K.Y. Bello and I. K. Agwai prayed the court to convict and sentence

The Senate yesterday urged the President Muhammadu Buhariled government to encourage the establishment of local refineries to avoid further disasters in the Niger Delta and boost Nigeria's revenues. The Senate's resolution was sequel to a point of order raised by Senator Rochas Okorocha representing Imo West Senatorial District. Okorocha, had while relying on order 42 of the Senate Standing Order, 2022 as amended, during plenary, drew the attention of his colleagues to the recent death of 110 persons. He said those affected lost their lives following an explosion at the

site of an illegal refinery in Abaezi community, Ohagi-Egbema Local Government Area of Imo State on Friday, April 22, 2022. He said the tragic incident had thrown the state into mourning. The lawmaker, then called on the federal government to consider a legislation to provide for local technology for artisanal and modular refinery considering the gap in Nigeria’s refining capacity. Corroborating the submissions of Okorocha, the Senate President, Ahmad Lawan, underscored the need for local refining of petroleum products to boost the nation’s revenue. He called on the federal government to take prompt action through the introduction of regulatory policies to prevent disasters as-

N150, 000. The duo of Bright and Uyi are to forfeit their cars, Lexus 350 SVU and Mercedes Benz C300, to the federal government of Nigeria. All the defendants are also to forfeit their phones to the federal government of Nigeria and undertake in writing to be of good behaviour.

FG Okays N853m Contracts for Concessioning of Ajaokuta Steel Company, National Iron Ore Complex Approves N10.48bn, $27.09m to boost power supply nationwide Deji Elumoye in Abuja The Federal Executive Council (FEC) has started the process of concessioning the Ajaokuta steel company and the Nation Iron Ore Mining Complex in Itakpe, both in Kogi State. Owing to these, FEC approved contracts worth N853 million for the revitalisation and operation of both companies. The Council also okayed contracts worth N10.48 billion and $27.09 million respectively for the Federal Ministry of Power, as part of the government’s effort at repositioning the nation’s power sector.

Briefing newsmen yesterday, after the weekly virtual FEC meeting, which was presided over by President Muhammadu Buhari at the State House, Abuja, the Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, who reported the approval granted by Council for the Ajaokuta and Itakpe companies, said the contract, worth N853.25 million, were about appointing contractors that would run the process of concessionning the companies. Mohammed said Council’s decision was in response to one of the two memoranda presented by the Federal Ministry of Mines

Approve Local Refineries to Boost Nigeria's Revenue, Senate Tells Buhari Sunday Aborisade in Abuja

them accordingly. Justice Ikponmwonba convicted and sentenced the duo of Uyi and Desmond to three years’ imprisonment or a fine of N200, 000 and N300, 000 respectively. Bright bagged five years imprisonment or a fine of N300, 000, while Omonefe bagged two years imprisonment or a fine of

sociated with the illegal refining of crude oil in Nigeria. Lawan said, “We cannot in any true sense benefit in a practical way from the oil and gas resources we have in Nigeria if we don’t add the value of refining it. “Of course, we know what it means as at today, even though crude oil sells for higher, but because we have to import the refined products, the increase in price at the international market does not seem to confer any advantage to our country. “So, that speaks volumes that we have to refine our petroleum products in Nigeria if we would have to enjoy the benefits of an endowment like that. “And for Nigerians who get engaged and involved in this

kind of illegal refining activities, I think government will have to take action. “It is for government to come to decision on how we should be able to deal with these illegal activities. “On one hand, we may encourage private participation, in fact, that is the best way to go. But illegal refining again, at the moment, is causing a lot of damage to our country. “So, it is a very dicey situation, but we have to utilise the ingenuity of our citizens who are creative and innovative, but in a much regulated way, so that we don’t experience these kind of disasters.” The Senate, thereafter, observed a minute silence to mourn the victims of the explosion in Imo State.

and Steel Development. According to him: “Council approved the engagement of transaction advisors for consultancy services for the concession of Ajaokuta Steel Company limited and also the National Iron ore mining complex in Itakpe in favor of mrses CPCS Transform Consortium in the sum of N853,266, 644.4 inclusive of 7.5 per cent VAT. “I am sure we are all familiar with the story of the history of Ajaokuta Steel complex. The contract was awarded in 1979 to a Russian company called TPE. By the end of 1983, the contract had reached advanced stage, regrettably, since then it has been suffering and by 1994, TPE demobilised from site and 1996, the contract was determined. “Subsequently, various administrations have tried to revive the Ajaokuta steel complex without much success. However, you will recall that Mr. President was on a state visit to Russia on the 22nd and 24th October 2019 and here it was resolved that Ajaokuta steel complex which the Federal Government has made massive investment must be resuscitated. “Regrettably COVID-19 has slowed down the efforts of the ministry of mines to bring this to fruition. However, today, the council has approved the award of contract not just for Ajaokuta but for the iron ore in Itakpe. “We believe that with this development, we would have made significant step in bringing back to life both the Ajaokuta and the iron ore company in Etakpe and move forward the industrial revolution of Nigeria because when these two complexes begin to function, then, not only are we going to save money in terms of foreign

exchange, but we are going to see a lot of industrial development and also technology transfer.” He added: “The FEC also approved revised fees payable for Mining Engineering and Geoscientific Services, which set benchmarks for professionals in the mining sector to enable them get fair remuneration for their services.” FEC also approved contracts worth N10.48 billion and $27.09 million respectively for the Federal Ministry of Power for the power sector, in order to boost electricity supply across the country. Minister of Power, Abubakar Aliyu, said the three memoranda presented to Council, including one seeking variation for an old contract, sailed through, explaining further that the approvals were for the purchase of major electricity transmission equipment. “I presented three memos today, the first one was a variation of a subsisting contract for the Katampe to National Stadium, 132 direct circuit line which is about 90 per cent completed. “The contractor sought the variation because of some delays on the project. All the necessary due processes have been followed and the variation approved by FEC today is N201,949,811.00,” he added. The Minister further disclosed that the council approved two contracts for the procurement of two sets of power transformers and the construction of a transmission line in Kebbi State. “The second approval was for the design, manufacture and supply of two 60 MVA 132/33 KV power transformers. The cost has two components; the offshore is $1,294,447 then the onshore is N16,485,000.

THURSDAY, APRIL 28, 2022 • T H I S D AY

NEWS

I AM DESPERATE TO FIX NIGERIA... Bayelsa State Governor, Senator Douye Diri (left) and Peoples Democratic Party presidential aspirant, Mr. Peter Obi, during the latter’s courtesy visit to Government House, Yenagoa,...yesterday

Amosun Writes Senate, to Declare for President May 5 Thousands storm APC Secretariat as Yahaya Bello picks Nomination Forms Nwajuiba pays N100m for form Ngige: Why I’m yet to resign as minister

Deji Elumoye, Adedayo Akinwale and Kuni Tyessi in Abuja The Senate, yesterday received from Senator Ibikunle Amosun, representing Ogun Central, a letter intimating the upper chamber of the legislature, his intention to run for president and at the same time, inviting his colleagues to his formal declaration, slated for May 5 in Abuja, the nation’s capital. This is as both the Kogi State Governor, Yahaya Bello, and the Minister of State for Education, Hon. Chukwuemeka Nwajuiba, yesterday, picked their expression of interest and nomination forms for N100 million each, in readiness for the presidential primaries of the APC billed to hold later next month. In another breath, Bello, apparently reacting to speculations that former President Goodluck Jonathan, might contest for president again in APC, said he was not scared of the pedigree of anyone, much less the former president. Meanwhile, the Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr. Chris Ngige, has ruled out the possibility of resigning as minister in lieu of his presidential aspiration, because he has yet to receive any specific and official communication from the party on the matter. The APC had set up a canopy, where the forms for Senate and House of Representatives were being sold to prospective aspirants. However, at about 4p.m yesterday, the canopies were hurriedly removed by the party, which directed the staff to continue the sale at the International Conference Centre, Abuja. "The chairman also complained about the crowd at the party secretariat and asked the staff selling House of Representatives and Senate forms to move to ICC. The governorship and Presidential forms will be sold at the secretariat to be able to control the crow. These are the reasons we were told informed the removal of the canopies."

Amosun Writes Senate, to Declare for President May 5

The invitation was extended to the upper chamber in a letter dated 25th April, 2022, and read at plenary by the Senate President, Dr. Ahmad Lawan. According to Amosun, the event which is scheduled to take place on May 5, 2022, would hold at the

Shehu Musa Yar’Adua Centre, Abuja, at 11a.m (NGT). The invitation letter, addressed to the Senate President, read in part, “It is with great respect that I write to notify you and my Distinguished Colleagues of my intention to contest for the Office of the President of our dear country, the Federal Republic of Nigeria and to respectfully invite you and my Distinguished Colleagues, to the formal declaration ceremony. “I have been blessed by God to serve as Senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria between 2003 and 2007 and as two-term Governor of Ogun State between 2011 and 2019. I have also had the privilege to be elected a second time to the Senate of the Federal Republic in 2019,where I currently serve the good people of Ogun Central Senatorial District. “My varied experience in private and public life, has imbued me with requisite insights, experiences and network of relationships adequate to provide a leadership that will galvanize our dear country to achieve her manifest destiny as leader in Africa and of the black race.”

Bello, Nwajuiba Pick N100m Forms as Kogi Gov Says He’s Unperturbed About Jonathan

The Governor of Kogi State, Yahaya Bello, yesterday, obtained the N100 million APC presidential nomination form ahead of the party's primary slated for May 30 and June 1. He, however, said he was not scared of the pedigree of other aspirants, including former President Goodluck Jonathan, who was being speculated as likely to contest for president in APC. Addressing journalists after obtaining his form, Bello said since he was the man of the moment, and was ready to secure and unite the country, assuring the people also that he would restore hope to the hopeless Nigerians. "I'm aware Nigerians from all walks of life joined me today to celebrate and as such, one or two skirmishes are expected but since I'm the man of the moment, I will be glad to unite and secure this country. I'm urging each and everyone of you to put it behind us and let us roll together in the joy of today and by the special grace of God, we shall take care of the rest. "We give glory to God almighty the creator of the universe, who has created today and made today a reality. Today, I have with me my nomination and expression of interest forms to contest as the presidential flag bearer of this great party, the All Progressives

Congress,” Bello stated. He noted that he was coming not only to unite and to secure the country, but also to put the country and its people on the path of progress and prosperity. On Jonathan, he noted, "That is the beauty of democracy. In democracy anybody can support anyone but I am assuring you that our great party, the APC is a party that has its own ethics, rules and regulations and I know surely that all of these are in my favour and I am not in any way scared of the pedigree of anyone whatsoever.” Nwajuiba was the first person to pick the APC presidential form after a group of Nigerians raised over N100 million for him. Addressing journalists yesterday in Abuja after picking the nomination form for the minister, a member of the House of Representatives, Hon. Chidi Wogu, described him as a reliable politician and that they decided to coordinate as a group to get him the form, when they saw the seriousness in Nwajuiba. Wogu said: "He's one of the oldest and most reliable politicians. Not oldest in terms of age, he's actually a young person. And you can see a young group, who are supporting him. This is actually a young group because of the not-too-young-to-run act. "The president promised that this time around, anyone who is

going to run for presidency must be under 60 and these young people come together. "When I saw their seriousness, I decided to coordinate with one group, we put together the money and we have come today to show the seriousness by being the first to purchase this form and they find him credible, they find him hard working," To that extent, Nwajuiba has accepted to run for the presi-dent on the platform of the APC, saying his decision was in-formed by the fact that many citizens were still outside, hungry and unemployed. While noting that many others were threatened by unwarranted and unnecessary internal security and economic challenges, he said, "I now solemnly accept to run for us all, and bear our party's flag into the elections and become our next President. “I do this recognising that in the last seven years, President Muhammadu Buhari has performed extraordinary feats in ensuring that our progressive ideas have been established; physical infrastructure of every type and inclusive policies reaching out to our poor and less privileged, as we strive to uplift Nigeria and Nigerians into a developed state. "Our calling today invites me to take up a work path that builds on the solid foundations that have

been laid thus far. Provide different paradigns for new challenges and provide the platform for a vista that accommodates subject experts to pull together forces to meet our Nations challenges. "This is the path I propose to thread, having been properly schooled, experienced and tested in the last 30 years of active politics. They have gathered resources from every part of the country and purchased the form for which the APC will nominated a candidate to fly its flag in the presidential elections in February 2023, they have now presented this to me.”

Ngige: Why I’m Yet to Resign as Minister

In a related development, the Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr Chris Ngige, has said the reason he has yet to resign his portfolio was because he had not received any specific instruction from his party, the APC, with respect to that. Speaking shortly after the weekly Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting at the State House, Abuja, yesterday, Ngige, denied knowledge of his party's directives that all appointees should resign ahead of the May 30, 2022 presidential primaries of the party. Continued Online

Disregard Petition Against Abiodun, Babalola's Firm Writes APC James Sowole in Abeokura

A foremost law chamber, Afe Babalola & Co, has written to the National Chairman of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Senator Abdullahi Adamu, asking it to disregard a petition before his office, seeking the disqualification of Ogun State governor, Dapo Abiodun, from participating in the 2022 governorship primaries in the state. The law firm, in the letter responding to the petition and dated April 19, 2022, described the petition dated 12th April, 2022, as full of spurious and unfounded allegations meant to mislead the party into disqualifying the governor from participating in the 2023 gubernatorial election. In the letter received at the National Secretariat of the APC by

Ambassador Samuel Jimba on April 26, the law firm, said the petition was not served on the governor, which according to it, "was a deliberate move to deprive him of the opportunity to set the records straight and knowing full well that the petition was characterised by falsehood and malice." The law firm noted that the petitions were nothing more than the machinations of political jobbers and saboteurs sponsored by desperate opposition elements to disrupt the peaceful political atmosphere in Ogun, spread rumours/propaganda about the governor and mislead the APC. It said the petitioner relied on hearsays, and urged Adamu and the national leadership of the APC to "disregard the hearsays". According to firm, the allegation of discrepancies in Abiodun's INEC

Form CF001 for 2015 and 2019 elections, were statute-barred, arguing that the allegation could only form the basis of a cause of action in court 14 days from the day the governor filed and deposed to the forms. It further stated that the alleged contradiction in the two INEC Forms could no longer be a ground to disqualify Abiodun in the upcoming 2023 gubernatorial election, adding that, Forms CF001 for 2015 and 2019 were spent and could not be used to determine the eligibility of the governor to contest in the next governorship election. It recalled that court cases were filed in court and petitions filed at the Governorship Election Tribunal seeking to disqualify the governor based on allegations of falsehood and inconsistency in the two INEC

Forms, saying both the Tribunal and courts were unanimous in their decisions not only that the allegations were status-barred, but held that the said Forms CF001 of 2015 and 2019 did not contain any false statement. It maintained that in the matter, the Supreme Court had also affirmed the decisions of the Tribunal and the Appeal Court, by dismissing the petition of false statement against the governor. On the allegation that the governor had been convicted for an offence in 1986, the chamber said the petitioner failed to attach any court judgment to the petition to this effect, hence, the allegation was baseless, asking the APC top echelon to discountenance such. The firm denied the allegation in the petition that the governor had a former name, but insisted

Abiodun has always been known as Prince Adedapo Oluseun Abiodun, adding: "He never bore the name 'Shawn Michael Davis' or any other name however described. His name is reflected in all his certificates and other former documents. We urge Your Excellency to disregard the petitioner's unfounded allegation." The law firm, however, concluded that, "Your Excellency, it is not in doubt that all the allegations in the petition relate to our client's Forms CF001 for 2015 and 2019 are baseless and unfounded. As shown above, the High Court of the FCT, Governorship Election Tribunal, Court of Appeal and Supreme Court, have all held that the said allegations are unfounded and status-barred, so that there would be no basis for disqualifying our client.

THURSDAY, APRIL 28, 2022 • T H I S D AY

NEWS

ON FINANCIAL INCLUSION... L-R: Head of Think Tank Operations, Nigerian Economic Summit Group (NESG), Ms. Titilope Oni; Mr. Oluseyi Akinbi; Chief Financial Officer, Standard Chartered Capital Advisory, Mr. Oseikhueme Anao; Group Managing Director, Zedcrest, Mr. Adedayo Amzat; Chief Operating Officer, Zimvest, Ms. Rena Osieme; Convener, Lagos SME Boot camp, Mr. Ayo-Bankole Akintujoye; CEO, Graeme Blaque Group, Mr. Zeal Akaraiwe, and MD/CEO Primera Microfinance Bank, Mr. Unwana Essang, at the NESG and Zedcrest forum on financial inclusion held in Lagos… recently

I'm Desperate to Make Nigeria Work, Says Obi Diri Restates Call for Power Shift Umeh calls for zoning of presidency to the south Emma Okonji, Nosa Alekhuogie in Lagos and Olusegun Samuel inYenagoa A Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential hopeful, Mr. Peter Obi, has said he was desperate to be president but eager to see Nigeria work. The two-term governor of Anambra State and vice presidential candidate of the PDP in 2019, stated this yesterday, when he paid a courtesy visit to Governor Douye Diri of Bayelsa State, at the Government House, Yenagoa. But, Diri, who admitted that Obi had proven his worth as governor of Anambra, especially, when he saved and handed over N75bn to his successor, Willie Obiano, however, restated the call for power shift to the south. Also, former National Chairman of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), Senator Victor Umeh, has joined others to call for the zoning of presidency to the South in 2023, saying it would promote unity and understanding among Nigerians. However, Obi, who said Nigeria was a great country with untapped potentialities, noted also that he was desperate to move the nation away from a consumption economy to a productive one. He stressed that Nigeria was not working, because of its unproductive state, which he said was unacceptable to the nation’s young, intelligent and smart population. The presidential hopeful, who reeled off the statistics of agricultural

value chain to Nigeria’s economy as against oil revenue, decried the level of neglect of food production in the country. Obi asserted that if elected Nigeria’s president, he would end the current oil revenue sharing formula and introduce a production formula, particularly, in agriculture and ICT. He said the $18bn Nigeria gets from oil monthly could not be compared to Facebook or Twitter, which was just sold for $44bn. “I am aspiring to lead this country. For me, it is not a desperate aspiration but I am desperate to see Nigeria work. This is a great country and I have a simple thing to do. I want to move it from consumption to a productive country. It is not working, because it is not a productive country. “We cannot see our children, millions of young people that are smart and intelligent stay at home doing nothing and we keep quiet. I was in Niger State with 76,363sq km of land but the people cannot feed themselves and Nigeria. They are also exporting nothing. “Whereas Netherlands is 33,100sq km of land, they are exporting agricultural materials of $120bn, while we earn only $18bn from oil. All we do here is sharing formula. I want to stop it. We must have production formula. Let the people produce the oil and keep it. There are so many things people can do.” Obi also condemned continuous borrowing under the All Progressives Congress (APC)-led federal

government, saying in four years, the country had borrowed almost $100bn with nothing to show for it. The presidential aspirant, who promised to change the country’s debt profile, lambasted the government at the centre for making excuses for why Nigeria could not work. On his part, Diri, who made a case for power shift to the south, said Nigeria needed well-equipped and knowledgeable people like Obi to rescue the country from those who have failed to fix it. He emphasised that anyone voted to lead must take the responsibility of addressing the challenges inherited rather than putting the blame on previous administrations. The governor commended Obi for his bright ideas geared towards fixing the country and noted that the PDP had eminently qualified presidential aspirants cut out for the job than anyone the ruling party would present. “Indeed you cannot doubt it that Peter Obi has proved his worth as a two-term governor who handed over N75bn to his successor. Nigeria needs those who will rescue this country as it is going down and we all know it. So, our country needs to be rescued from those giving excuses rather than fixing the problems and challenges. “Our party must unite. We have several of you (aspirants) well qualified. As you stated, anyone of you would be better than anyone from the other side. The experience,

intellectual capacity and pedigree that you would bring to bear in correcting the wrongs and inability of the current serving government is not in doubt,” he said. Meanwhile, Umeh who spoke yesterday on the Morning Show of ARISE NEWS Channel, said the country was getting polarised along the interests of various groups in Nigeria. “If you want to be the president of Nigeria, you must be hoping to preside over a united country and the only thing that can unite Nigeria is the patronage of all parts of Nigeria,” he said, explaining that it was right for people to look at the historical sharing of power in Nigeria to determine, where the right candidate to come from in 2023. He maintained it was important that the presidency should be rotated between the North and South of Nigeria. His words: “We looked at all the issues concerning power sharing in Nigeria, every part of Nigeria wants to produce president for Nigeria, and also, because of the way the country has been run over the years, at the National conference, I agreed unanimously that power should rotate between the North and the South, and then across the geopolitical zones. "If a president comes from the northern part of Nigeria, and that president serves for eight years, the power, or the presidency should rotate to the south, and when the presidency rotates to the

Speedy IP Reform, Youth Empowerment, Key to National Development, Says Prof. Adewopo Alex Enumah in Abuja A former Director-General of Nigerian Copyright Commission (NCC), Prof. Adebambo Adewopo, SAN, has said for Nigeria to guarantee sustainable national wealth creation and development, there was the need to speed up the reform of the nation’s Intellectual Property(IP) legal regime for effective IP protection and empowerment of the youth population. Adewopo stated this on Tuesday in Lagos, at a two-day Intellectual Property Symposium organised as part of activities commemoration the World Intellectual Property Day. The symposium was organised by the Office of International Computer Hacking and IP (ICPH)

with the Bureau for International Narcotics Enforcement and Control, United States Embassy, Abuja. Adewopo noted that the theme: IP and Youth: Innovating for a Better Future" was apt and particularly instructive for Nigeria and its vibrant youth population. The Senior Advocate of Nigeria, therefore, called on all stakeholders in the creative industry to rally support for urgent enactment of the Copyright Amendment Bill 2022, which was recently passed by the Senate, awaiting the concurrence of the House of Representatives. He said, “It is as if WIPO has launched a prognosis into the Nigerian demographic strength and enormous creative force for development as a point of reference.

“Given the current state of affairs, there is assurance that the innovative youths will benefit enormously from a significantly improved IP framework, including enhanced enforcement measures that would not only harness their creativity but also protect their products in both the copyright and innovation space. “This, for instance, has been wellcanvased through the introduction of legal regimes of digital copyright, traditional knowledge (TK), collective trademark, geographical indications (GI), service marks, and utility models, among other IP reform provisions," he added. He stressed the need to address those imperatives in developing an up-to-date and effective IP legal and policy infrastructure as part

of the national innovation agenda for unlocking the full potential of the present and future generations of the innovative Nigerian youth population.” He also pointed out that current statistics showed that Nigeria had one of the largest youth populations in the world, considering that they constitute 60 per cent of the Nigerian population of over 200 million. Therefore, for any nation, he said those demographic data constituted one of the most formidable human assets to harness the transformation of society, adding that knowledge was the fabric of creativity and innovation, which constituted the nation’s greatest national endowment.

south, when a zone produces a president for eight years, the power will return to the north. And when it gets back to the north, it will go to zone that has not produced the president. So, this was an agreement reached conscientiously." Umeh said he still didn’t know what the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) was trying to do to Nigeria as it is obvious that the next President should come from the southern part of Nigeria on the principle of rotation of presidency to keep Nigeria together. “What is paramount in this choice we are going to make will be to keep Nigeria truly united. Today, we have many countries inside Nigeria and the only thing that we can do is to take conscious efforts to unite Nigeria. Now, if the presidency is to come to the southern part of Nigeria, PDP has no reason to say they wouldn’t zone the presidency. "In PDP constitution, they have zoning. So, the justice of the matter at this time is that the presidency

must come to the Southern part of Nigeria. Power should go to the southeast or the president should come from the south east of Nigeria and not necessarily Igbo people; it’s a zonal arrangement. “I can tell you that anybody, who is saying that the South-East is not justified in their quest to produce the next president for Nigeria is paying lip service to the unity of Nigeria and this is something we should not encourage. As for the All Progressives Congress, (APC), they said they've zoned the presidency to the south, but we are looking for an affirmative action in the next primary they will conduct. “Let us see if they will exclude everybody from the north in the primary that they are going to conduct. We have people from the South Eastern APC that are running for president, but increasingly, again there are other people who are there waiting for Mr. president to give them the nod, and then they will declare. Some are showing interest," he stated.

Bayelsa Gov Orders Manhunt for APC Chieftain’s Killers Dissolves community leadership over arson

Bayelsa State Governor, Senator Douye Diri, has directed the police in the state to fish out killers of a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Mr. Sunday Frank-Oputu. Frank-Oputu was assassinated by yet to be identified gunmen on Tuesday night at his Yenagoa residence. Diri, who condemned the killing during the 73rd state executive council meeting yesterday, described the incident as most unfortunate and unacceptable. A statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Mr Daniel Alabrah, quoted him as calling on politicians to play politics devoid of violence. While assuring the people that those behind the dastardly act would be unmasked and made to face the wrath of the law, he expressed his condolences and that of the government to the immediate family of the deceased. The governor also condemned the burning of the houses of a serving House of Representatives member and that of his brother in Aghoro Community in Ekeremor Local Government Area, describing it as uncalled for. He also assured the people that

the perpetrators would be brought to book to serve as deterrent to others. However, as an immediate measure to maintain security, the leadership of the community has been sacked until further notice and called on the people of the state to embrace peace at all times as well as learn to be their brother’s keeper. "We received the sad news of the assassination of Sunday Frank-Oputu. Let me say that killing does not settle scores. We cannot bequeath a state of killings to our children. Let us build our brothers and sisters, and not to assassinate them. On behalf of our government, we send heartfelt condolences to the family. "We have put the security agencies on their toes to go after the killers. We will do everything within our powers to track down those responsible. Our state, has been very peaceful and there is no reason for any man to take the life of another. "In Aghoro, the homes of a member of the House of Representatives and that of his brother were razed. I hereby disband the leadership in that community.”

THURSDAY APRIL 28, 2022 ˾ T H I S D AY

NEWSXTRA

Northern States Top Shortlisted Candidates for Police Recruitment Exams PSC says South-east, Lagos showed apathy

Kingsley Nwezeh in Abuja Northern States topped the list of shortlisted candidates for the conduct of computer-based test for recruitment into the constable cadre of the Nigeria Police held in the 36 States and the Federal Capital Territory. States in the South-east and Lagos State showed apathy and turned up in lower numbers. A statement by Police Service Commission (PSC) said the exercise witnessed huge disparities between the North and South in terms of interest shown to join the police constable cadre. Interest to join the force was more pronounced in the North-east, North-west and North-central while the South-east and Lagos witnessed “sustained apathy” as was the case in past recruitment exercises. The statement affirmed that in the North-east, 4,063 applicants were shortlisted in Borno while

3,948 sat for the exams; 2,163 were shortlisted in Taraba while 2,082 showed up. In Gombe State, 2,204 were

shortlisted and 2,117 applicants sat for the exams; Adamawa had 4,295 shortlisted and 4,161 sat for the exams while 3,317 candidates

were shortlisted in Bauchi and 3,226 sat for the exams. Yobe state had 1,839 shortlisted candidates and 1,841 sat for the exams.

In respect of the North-west, 3,733 candidates were shortlisted for Kaduna State and 3,585 sat for the exams, Kano had 3,816

shortlisted candidates and 3,689 sat for the exams; Katsina, 4,167 applicants shortlisted while 4,051 sat for the exams.

COURTESY VISIT…

L-R: Chairman, Alumni Association of the National Institute(AANI) for Policy and Strategic Studies, Lagos Chapter, Ms Omolara Balogun; President, Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN),Mrs.ComfortEyitayo,andMember,AANI,Mr.AdetutuBuraimo,duringacourtesyvisittoICANpresidentinLagos…recently SUNDAYADIGUN

8th AMVCA Voting Group Laments 10.5m Out-of-School Children in Nigeria to Close April 29 Hammed Shittu in Ilorin

Voting for the 8th Africa Magic Viewers’ Choice Awards closes on April 29. Voting opened on March 19, following the announcement of nominees during the live broadcast on all Africa Magic channels. The categories open for voting include Best Actor in a Comedy (Movie/TV Series); Best Actor in a Drama (Movie/ TV Series); Best Actress in a Comedy (Movie/TV Series); Best Actress in a Drama (Movie/TV Series); Best Supporting Actor (Movie/TV Series); and Best Supporting Actress (Movie/TV Series).

Others are Best Short Film or Online Video, Best Online Social Content Creator, Best Africa Magic Original Drama Series, and Best Africa Magic Original Comedy Series. Some of the nominees include Funke Akindele, nominated in the Best Actress in a Comedy category for her performance in Omo Ghetto (The Saga); Nancy Isime, nominated for Best Actress in a Drama for her role in the movie Superstar; and Mercy Johnson, for Best Supporting Actress in the movie The New Normal.

Gombe Gov Visits Tunfure, Commiserates with Victims of Electrocution Segun Awofadeji in Gombe The Gombe State Governor, Mr. Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya, yesterday, in Tunfure quarters commiserated with the families of those who lost their loved ones as a result of electrocution. Yahaya said at the residence of one of the deceased, Mr. Andrew Abu Yaro, that he received the news of the unfortunate incident with great shock and sadness. He, therefore, consoled the parents and the immediate family of the deceased to take the incident as an act of God. The governor said: “On behalf of the government and people

of Gombe State, I extend our sincere commiserations with all those who have lost loved ones; we would ensure that there is no repeat of this kind of unfortunate incident in the state. “At the level of government, I assure you that we shall take adequate measures to prevent such from happening and we shall equally seek justice for the victims.” Responding on behalf of the family, the Elder Brother of the Deceased, DSP. Yusuf Abu, expressed gratitude to the governor for the prompt visit and the cash donation.

2023: Abe Urges Rivers People to Choose Credible Leaders Blessing Ibunge inPort Harcourt

Ahead of the 2023 general election, a governorship aspirant on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Rivers State, Senator Magnus Abe, has urged Rivers State people to choose credible and selfless leaders. Abe said if elected as governor to succeed Governor Nyesom Wike, he would give the people to the opportunity to take control of the state. He said in the interest of justice, fairness and equity, the people of Ogoni ethnic nationality should

be allowed to be governor of the state in 2023. Abe spoke at Giokoo community in Gokana Local Government Area of the state during a visit to the Gberemene of Gokana Kingdom, King Festus Paago-Bagia, Gberesaakoo XIII, in his palace. The senator said: “A lot of people have said several things and sometimes, people make the argument that you should be voted for; you should be put in office because of where you come from, oh, it is the turn of your people and all that.

A civil society organisation, which focuses on the protection of education in emergency situations and keeping schools and students safe in Nigeria, the Brain Builders Youth Development Initiative (BBYDI), has lamented that the number of out-of-school children in Nigeria stood at 10.5 million. The Director of the organisation, Mr. Abideen Olasupo, made the disclosure in Ilorin yesterday at

a press conference to mark the 2022 Global Action Week for Education (GAWE). He, however, called on the government to take more proactive measures to improve security within and around schools to arrest growing number of out-of-school children in Nigeria. Olasupo stated that attacks on schools and students are a threat to the realisation of the Sustainable Development Goal 4

which he said focuses on ensuring inclusive and equitable quality education and promotes lifelong opportunities for all. He added that number of children being prevented from accessing education was on the increase due to partial and total closure of schools occasioned by attacks on schools and abduction of students. The group, working in partnership with the Kwara State Ministry of Education

and Ford Foundation, urged the government to provide safe and accessible learning environments for children in emergency situations, especially in isolated schools and vulnerable areas where attackers can get away easily, saying: “Children and young people are our greatest assets; we must, therefore, provide a safe environment where they can acquire education and skills they need to realise their potential.”

Court Remands Four Teenagers, Three Others for Armed Robbery in Ondo Fidelis David in Akure A Chief Magistrates Court in Oke-Eda, Akure, the Ondo State capital, yesterday remanded four teenagers, two of their mothers and one other for armed robbery. The juvenile defendants adopted names of notorious armed robbers in the country. They are: Timilehin Femi (Anini), 13; Ojo Sunday (Oyenusi), 16; Omoniyi Ogundere

(Osunbor), 17; Odeyemi Ayodele 18; Timilehin Ojo, 22; Iyabo Femi, 30, and Kehinde Ayodele, 36. Oyenusi and Anini were remanded alongside their mothers Iyabo Femi, 30, and Kehinde Ayodele, 36, respectively, who were alleged to make charms to fortify them for operations and prevent their arrest. THISDAY reported that operatives of the Ondo State

Security Network Agency also known as Amotekun Corps had arrested the defendants for allegedly committing the crime at Ilara-Mokin on April 10, 2022. They were charged to court and arraigned on 13 counts bothering on conspiracy, burglary and stealing. The state prosecution led by Mr. Oluwasegun Akeredolu informed the court that the

defendants, Anini, Oyenusi and Osunbor, stole a mini POS and other valuable items from one Mrs. Grace Falaye. The charge read in part: “That you, Sunday Ojo, Timilehin Femi, and Omoniyi Ogundere on or about April 10, 2022, at about 9:30 a.m. at llara-Mokin, a place within the criminal jurisdiction of this court, did steal a mini-POS, property of Mrs. Falaye Grace.”

Zamfara Deposes Two Emirs, District Head over Banditry The Zamfara State Government has deposed the of Emirs of Zurmi and Dansadau, Alhaji Abubakar Atiku and Alhaji Hussain Umar Dansadau, respectively, for alleged involvement in banditry activities in the state. The Zamfara State Commissioner for Information, Alhaji Ibrahim Dosara, disclosed this to newsmen yesterday as part of the resolutions of the state executive council meeting, held

in Government House, Gusau. The state executive council meeting was chaired by the Zamfara State Acting Governor, Senator Hassan Nasiha. According to the commissioner, the two Emirs were deposed based on recommendation of the investigative committee, set up by the state government to ascertain the level of their involvement in banditry cases in the state. He, further said the two Emirs would be banished from their

domain. The information commissioner mentioned that the District Head of Birnin Tsaba, Suleiman Ibrahim, has also been removed over similar offences. According to Dosara, all land allocations done during the reigns of the two Emirs no longer valid as they are now revoked. He said the Ministry of Justice and Office of the Secretary to the State Government have been directed to ensure total

compliance in carrying out the directives. The government had set up two committees to investigate and provide recommendations on how to tackle the insecurity in the state. The Head of one of the committees, Mamman Tsafe, who is the state’s Commissioner for Security Affairs, formally presented the report to Zamfara State Deputy Governor Hassan Nasiha.

FRSC Deploys 1,530 Personnel in Kano State for Eid-el-Fitr Celebration Ibrahim ShuaibuinKano

The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Kano Command, has said that it has deployed 1,530 personnel for Sallah special operation in the state. The Sector Commander of FRSC, Mr. Zubairu Mato, stated this in a media statement made available to reporters in Kano yesterday. The statement explained that four ambulances, 23 patrol vehicles, one heavy duty tow truck and

other operational equipment will be deployed on major routes and highways to facilitate effective smooth operations. “These were to ensure the free flow of traffic on critical road junctions, safety of lives and properties on highways, the Eid-el- fitr special patrol operations will commence on April 29 to May 4,” he said. The sector commander said that the deployed personnel include 994 regular marshals and 536 special

marshals on major routes. He said that they would ensure safe, smooth vehicular movement, traffic control as well as to give prompt attention to victims of road traffic crashes within the festive period. According to the statement, “station officers in the 44 Local Government Areas of Kano State are fully involved in the operations. “Outpost, Zebra and Road side clinics located along Kano – Zaria road will work round the clock to

ensure safety of lives and properties in the state.” He assured motorists of personnel from sector command and eight units of the command would be available. He, however, warned drivers to desist from committing traffic offenses such as driving under the influence of alcohol, drug, dangerous overtaking, overloading, over speeding, wrongful overtaking, route violation, under age driving and use of phone while driving.

THURSDAY, APRIL 28, 2022 • T H I S D AY

THURSDAYSPORTS

Group Sports Editor: Duro Ikhazuagbe Email: duro.ikhazuagbe@thisdaylive.com

0811 181 3083 SMS ONLY

Chukwueze Fires Blanks as Liverpool Grab Two-goal Advantage

Duro Ikhazuagbe

Samuel Chukwueze’s dream of silencing Anfield faithfuls in Villarreal’s UEFA Champions League semi final first leg clash with Liverpool remained a mere wish yesterday as the English team won the encounter 2-0 to have one foot in the final. The reverse fixture next week may turn out easier than expected given how the Reds played on Wednesday night. For 72 minutes, Chukwueze was in action and sought in vain to repeat his feat against Bayern Munich when his winning goal sent the Bundesliga giants crashing out of Europe’s most prized club competition. After the Reds finally broke through with Jordan Henderson's

cross deflected into Villarreal's goal Pervis Estupinan in the 53rd minute and Senegalese Sadio Mane doubled the lead, poking home Mohamed Salah's pass two minutes later, the Super Eagles winger was replaced by Boulaye Dia. Liverpool would have

CHAMPIONS LEAGUE increased the tally if only Thiago didn’t hit the post and Fabinho

and Andy Robertson’s goals were not disallowed for offside. It

was obvious that Juergen Klopp‘ s Red armies were not relenting in their pursuit of a quadruple this term. With two goals deficit from

this first leg, Chukwueze and his Yellow Submarine teammates now have more work at hand if their dream of playing in the Final will materialize.

EUROPA LEAGUE @8:00pm RB Leipzig v Rangers West Ham v E’Frankfurt

EUROPA CONFERENCE @8:00pm Feyenoord v Marseille Leicester v Roma

PREMIER LEAGUE@7:45pm Man Utd v Chelsea

30 Days To Go: New Course Record Expected at 8th Okpekpe 10km Road Race With 30 days to go to the start of the eighth edition of the Okpekpe International 10km road race, organisers of the historic event have predicted a new men's course record. Ethiopia’s Teshome Mekonnen ran 28:35 to set the men's course record at the second edition of the race in 2014. Race Director, Zack Amodu, said yesterday that the new rules guiding invitation of athletes and the quality of the elite cast so far confirmed for the race point to only one direction: a new men and probably women's course records come May 28, 2022 in Okpekpe. “One of the requirements for World Athletics elite label races is that each race must have at least five athletes per gender, irrespective of their country or territory representation, who have recorded in 2020, 2021 or 2022 at least one World Athletics legal performance within the standard set for the classification,” revealed Amodu. “For a World Athletics elite label 10km race, the standard for men is 28.27 while for women it is 33.07.

“The standard for men is better than the 28.35 record Mekonnen set in 2014 and to have at least five athletes who have ran faster than that within the last three years among the elite cast for the Okpekpe race, your bet is as good as mine.” Amodu is also confident a new women's course record also looks achievable judging by the quality of the cast of the elite women that will be in Okpekpe on May 28. “This year's race promises to be very explosive as far as the actions over hills and tarred roads, starting from Apana Road and ending in Okpekpe town,” added Amodu who says the quality of organization is never in doubt. The historic Okpekpe International 10km Road Race is organised by Pamodzi Sports Marketing, a leader in sports marketing, sponsorship, hospitality and rights acquisition business with operations in Nigeria. It is the first road race in West Africa to be granted a label rating (bronze) and the first in West Africa to be upgraded to a silver label race.

Two Nigerian Teams for Red Bull Neymar Jr’s Five World Final in Qatar While many are still ruing the Super Eagles’ failure to make it to the Qatar 2022 FIFA World Cup, the country is set to be represented by two teams at the Red Bull Neymar Jr’s Five World Final this year in Qatar. Holy Sons FC and She United are the two teams that will be flying Nigeria’s flag in Qatar. The two teams sealed their place in the World Final where they will have a chance to play with Brazilian superstar Neymar after emerging champions in last weekend’s National Final in Lagos. According to the organisers, more than 1600 teams began the journey that saw Holy Sons FC and She United emerge as the champions in the Boys and Girls categories respectively. Holy Sons won the Boys category following a 5-0 demolition of Kaizer Chiefs while She United dominated in the Girls’ final with the same scoreline over Gasfast FC. Generally acclaimed as one of the biggest events on the grassroots sporting calendar since debuting in Nigeria in 2017, the Red Bull Neymar Jr’s Five has continually

provided thousands with a chance to exhibit their talents. Executive Chairman of the Lagos State Sports Commission, Sola Aiyepeku, commended the organizers of Red Bull Neymar Jr’s Five; describing it as unique and fun-filled. He also wished the two Nigerian teams taking part in the World finals in Qatar the very best. “The exposure will be good for many of the players and if they can overcome stage fright and do their best, who knows what might happen? These types of things are platforms to expose their talents and skills,” Mr Aiyepeku stated. For the captains of the winning teams, Holy Sons FC, Tomisin Alasiri and Olasubomi Ogundele of She United, they are both eager to make an impact in the World Final which will be a gathering of the very best globally. Even Neymar Jr himself has revealed his excitement, saying: “I can’t wait to see who comes out on top in this special ‘Super Final’.

Liverpool players celebrating their 2-0 advantage over Spanish team Villarreal in the UEFA Champions League semi ﬁnal...yesterday

Bosso Picks 28 Flying Eagles for WAFU B Tourney in Niamey Olawale Ajimotokan in Abuja Head Coach of the Flying Eagles, Ladan Bosso, has selected a team of 28 players who will compete against Ghana’s Black Satellites and the Young Etalons of Burkina Faso in Group B of this year’s WAFU B U20 Championship taking place in Niamey, Niger Republic between May 7th and 20th. The seven-time African champions have high expectations as they fly into Niamey today and the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), has arranged two friendlies in Niamey to put the team in premium shape and readiness for the competition proper. Hosts Niger Republic, Benin Republic, Togo and Cote d’Ivoire will battle in Group A. The Flying Eagles will confront familiar foes Ghana in their first match of the competition on Sunday, 8th May, before they take on Burkina Faso three days later. Both matches hold at the General Seyni Kountche Stadium in Niamey. Two teams will sail into the semi finals from each group, with the two finalists qualifying to represent the WAFU B zone at the 2023 Africa U20 Cup of Nations. Egypt will host the 2023 Africa U20 Cup of Nations while Indonesia will host the 2023 FIFA U20 World Cup finals. All four semi finalists from the tournament in Egypt will qualify to represent Africa in Indonesia. All the 28 Flying Eagles Goalkeepers: Nathaniel Nwosu (Water FC); Chijioke Aniagboso (Giant Brillars); Saheed Jimoh (Adoration FC) Defenders: Opeyemi Omooloyi (Akure City); Abubakar Babaji (Niger Tornadoes); Lekan Oyedele (Remo Stars); Oluwatosin Adegbite (Enyimba FC); Augustine Njoku (Abia Warriors); Chikezie Okolie

(Giant Brillars); David Sholumade (Akwa United); Benjamin Frederick (ABS FC) Midfielders: Anas Hassan (Vandrezzer FC); Daniel Daga (FC One Rocket); Oluwaseyi Falodun (Jossy United); Samson Lawal (Katsina United); Onuche

Ogbelu (Fosla Academy); Muhammad Aminu (Gombe United); Muhammad Shehu (Katsina United); Frederick Godwin (City FC) Forwards: Adams Olubi (FK Zalgris Vilnius, Lithuania); Tolulope Ojo (Remo Stars); Ibrahim

Muhammad (Maikunkele FC); Ibrahim Yahaya (Gombe United); Rilwanu Haliru Sarki (Mahanaim FC); Divine Nwachukwu (Adoration FC); Ahmed Abdullahi (HB Academy); Abdullahi Adam (Nasarawa United); Albert Hilary (Plateau United)

Nigeria’s Under-20 men’s team, the Flying Eagles and their oﬃcials are due to ﬂy into Niamey, Niger Republic for the WAFU B tournament

Lagos Agog as 2nd AFN All Comers Begins The sports ground of Yaba College of Technology, Yaba, Lagos will come alive this morning when the 2nd Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN) All Comers competition begins. The competition is serving as official selection trials for the 22nd African Senior Champioinships in Athletics scheduled to hold between June 8 and 12, 2022 in Mauritius. The Technical Director of the AFN, Samuel Onikeku, said yesterday that the two-day competition will not only give athletes the opportunity to gauge how far they have gone with their training, it will also give them the chance to secure the qualification

standard for the flagship event of the Confederation of African Athletics (CAA). “The qualification window closes on Saturday 30th of April and this competition is serving as the final opportunity for those who have not met the standard for the competition to do so,” said Onikeku, a former sprinter. Onikeku is also confident the event will throw up some world-class performances like Nigerians witnessed last year. Some of the athletes to watchout for at the event include Praise Ofoku, the World U20 100m finalist and 4x100m bronze medal winner who ran a new 11.49s personal best in the 100m

event at the first AFN All Comers in Benin City last month. Tima Seikeseye Godbless, a World U20 4x100m bronze medal winner is also one to watchout for, same as Ogheneovo Nicholas Mabilo, the 19-year-old who improved his personal best twice from the 10.41 he ran at the Nigerian Championships last year first to 10.37s and an impressive 10.24s in Benin last month. Another teenager, Adekalu Nicholas Fakorede also showed a bit of consistency, opening his season with 10.26s last month in Benin to equal his personal best he first set at the Nigerian Championships last year in Lagos.

Thursday, April 28, 2022

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Chris Ngige to ASUU “There is nothing new about ASUU strike. It has been a recurrent decimal. In the last 20 years, ASUU has gone on strike 16 times. So, there is nothing new as such”--Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr Chris Ngige, saying he has done everything he possibly can to forestall the ongoing industrial action by the Academic Staﬀ Union of Universities (ASUU)

OLUSEGUNADENIYI Jonathan and the 2023 Shoe Lenders THE VERDICT

olusegun.adeniyi@thisdaylive.com

resident Goodluck Jonathan rode to power in 2011 on the strength of popular national support, particularly from younger voters. But barely eight months in office, then presidential spokesman, Dr Reuben Abati had concluded that Jonathan was being unfairly harangued by the media and certain stakeholders. He located these harsh criticisms in “the circumstances of President Jonathan’s emergence: how he was the underdog without shoes that nobody gave a chance, the man that everyone helped all the way to the throne, and now that he is there, he no longer remembers those who made him king!” In what he wrote as a rejoinder to the column by Chief Dele Momodu (Bob Dee), Abati concluded that President Jonathan “asks for one favour: the ‘shoe-givers’ should allow him to walk with the shoes and effectively implement his agenda for national transformation...” That metaphor of the ‘shoe giver’ by Abati became the central thesis of my column, ‘The Borrowed Shoes’ a few days later, (on 9th February 2012) and I used Tunde Kelani’s film, ‘Agogo Eewo’ (The Gong of Taboo) to illustrate my point. ‘Agogo Eewo’(where the allegory of a dancer and some shoe givers was deployed) is a sequel to ‘Saworoide’ which ended with the death of the military usurper, Lagata. In the movie, the process of installing a new king was hijacked by two corrupt but powerful chiefs within the community who imposed a prince they thought they would be able to manipulate. But the moment their man was enthroned, the falcon could no longer hear the falconer. The new king started by curtailing the excesses of his wife who wanted to exercise the powers of a ‘First Lady’. Having won the battle at the home front, the monarch began to deal with the rot within the community to the consternation of these corrupt chiefs who decided to fight back. While still perplexed about how to handle the chiefs, the king had a dream in which a sage recounted to him the story of a poor but very good dancer who went for a dancing competition with borrowed shoes. Distracted by the ‘shoe-givers’, he decided to call their bluff by dancing barefooted. This show of defiance so impressed the crowd that people began to offer the dancer their shoes. The moral of the story, as I explained more than ten years ago, is that the king had a choice to make: either embrace self-serving ‘shoe givers’ or pitch tent with the people. As I reflect on the exchange between Abati and Momodu as well as my own intervention at the time, recent events in the polity offer new perspectives on the allegory of the dancer and the shoe lenders. Last Friday, supporters of President Jonathan besieged his Abuja office, demanding that he declare interest in the 2023 presidential election. Responding to the agitators, Jonathan said: “The political process is ongoing; just watch out. The key role you must play is that Nigeria must get somebody that will carry young people along.” Barely 48 hours later, Abati tweeted: “Jonathan set to declare for 2023 presidency under APC.” And there has been no official denial of the report. “In politics,” according to former American President, Franklin D Roosevelt, “nothing happens by accident. If it does, you can bet it was planned that way.” To that extent,

Jonathan

we can conclude that the placard-carrying persuaders at Jonathan’s residence were acting on behalf of powerful ‘shoe givers’. But I see a problem here. Since 1999, Jonathan has been a member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) under which he served as deputy governor and governor in Bayelsa State as well as vice president and ultimately president of Nigeria. He was defeated in 2015 by the incumbent President Muhammadu Buhari who flew the flag of the then main opposition All Progressives Congress (APC) cobbled together by a number of strange bedfellows. That same party—where more than a dozen titans are currently jostling for the presidential ticket—is where we are told Jonathan wants to actualize his aspiration. Let’s be clear, Jonathan has not officially thrown his hat into the ring. And all the talk about joining APC remains speculative. But should he eventually dance to the tune of the persuaders, here are five scenarios that could play out. One, Jonathan could join the APC, obtain a waiver to contest the presidential primaries and lose. That would be humiliating and not a few people would condemn the opportunism of such a failed attempt. Two, as improbable as it may seem, party undertakers could force the ‘consensus’ option of Jonathan as flagbearer on the APC. This would require a presidential sleight of hand of maximum proportion. Will Buhari do that? I doubt. Three, should that happen, and Jonathan becomes the presidential candidate of the ruling party, there is a possibility that he could lose the election. That would also result in great reputational damage for the former president. Four, Jonathan could contest as APC’s candidate and defeat whomever is fielded by the main opposition PDP. While some may argue that only the end justifies the means, I will come to this point shortly. Five, although I am not a lawyer, I am aware that there is also a legal angle to Jonathan’s aspiration that is quite unclear. Should he decide to join the presidential race, I foresee

a situation in which some people may approach the court for the interpretation of Section 137 (3) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (4th alteration) signed into law on 11th June 2018 by President Buhari. It states that “A person who was sworn-in to complete the term for which another person was elected as president, shall not be elected to such office for more than a single term.” Meanwhile, I do not subscribe to the notion that Jonathan should not accept the APC offer on grounds that the ruling party has spent the past seven years demonizing him. For me, that is precisely what makes the ticket attractive. A combination of the way he conceded in 2015 even before the result was declared, his educational background and relatively young age have helped to raise the global profile of Jonathan. At home, many of his clever supporters are already selling the idea that the APC Mandarins have suddenly realized how difficult the job of running Nigeria is hence they are now begging Jonathan to come back and rescue the country from the mess they (APC members) have created. So, if I were a Jonathan handler and had the option of choosing for him the platform to return as president, the APC would be ideal. If only to permanently shut the mouths of his traducers! This now brings me to the implications of the foregoing scenarios. In my presentation at the annual conference of the Nigeria Union of Journalist (NUJ) Lagos Chapter last October, I illustrated my point with the famous refrain by Afenifere leader, Chief Ayo Adebanjo. Whenever he calls me on phone as he regularly does: “Owo yin ni Nigeria de ku si bayi. Awa ti se ti wa” (Nigeria is now in the hands of your generation. Members of my generation have done our bit). But apparently not satisfied with telephone conversations, Adebanjo (who clocked 94 on 10th April) had been persistent in saying we needed to see. On 8th March this year, I heeded that invitation by going to Lagos and returning to Abuja immediately after our session that lasted about three hours. Quite naturally, our discussion centred on the past, present and future of Nigeria and we agreed to disagree on many issues, as they say. To put it mildly, the elder statesman can be quite rigid about his convictions. But I was not surprised when, after a meeting of socio-political groups from different parts of the country, Adebanjo said the Igbo people should produce the president of Nigeria in 2023 in the interest of equity, justice, and fairness. That was the same argument he canvassed at my session with him and it was an issue on which we both agreed. But Adebanjo also added something on Tuesday: “The unfortunate thing is that President Goodluck Jonathan allowed himself to be disgraced by mentioning the fact that he was considering whether to be president. For what?” That should mean something to Jonathan’s handlers. As president, Jonathan enjoyed more support from the Southeast than any other part of the country. With Adebanjo and Ijaw leader, Chief Edwin Clark on the train of those who argue that in the interest of equity in the distribution of opportunities in a plural society such as ours it is the turn of the Southeast, how does the aspiration of Jonathan fit into this clamour? Even if, as Senator Orji Kalu

has already concluded, the Southeast may not get the slot in 2023, a formal bid by Jonathan could be considered a plot in the efforts to scuttle it. Especially given reports of the cold calculation by a number of hegemons that the main attraction is the former president being the only southerner who is statute-barred from seeking a second term should he win. As things stand, most southern politicians can see the sectional machination behind the sponsored lobby to have President Jonathan back. And it will be vehemently resisted by APC aspirants who include the sitting vice president. Other leading politicians who facilitated the formation of the APC will also view the co-opting of Jonathan as a grand betrayal by Buhari should it happen. They are likely to immediately gang up against the former president. In the aftermath, the party will implode and splinter. At the end, even if these political undertakers succeed in their plot, a Jonathan presidency under such a compromised arrangement will be seen as a gross betrayal and cultural exploitation by people of the Southeast who have always stood by him. Continued on page 22

The Passage of Alaaﬁn

The late Alaaﬁn of Oyo

ollowing last Friday’s passage of the 44th Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Lamidi Olayiwola Adeyemi Alowolodu III, there have been several tributes on the life and times of the deceased monarch. The Premium Times obituary by Taiwo-Hassan Adebayo is by far the best of them all. “He was 83 and had ruled for nearly 52 years, the longest of any Alaafin in modern history. He thrived against adversities that marked his way from childhood, survived storms, and championed the culture and tradition of the Yoruba,” Adebayo wrote. “He was a mortal. He fought battles, most times conquering. He was intentionally tough and brutal, apparently due to his experience, which shaped his insecurities and determination to prevent the injustice and difficulties his father suffered from befallen him. But many of his harshest critics will agree he delivered on his original role as a traditional ruler and custodian of the culture and tradition of his people.” May God comfort the family Oba Adeyemi left behind and may He grant him eternal rest.

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