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FG Targets $30bn from Export of Services, Agric Products Each state to submit one product Eromosele Abiodun The federal government has developed strategies to harness its potential in services, which include entertainment

and related sectors, and agricultural products for exports to recover the over $30 billion loss occasioned by the crash in oil revenue due to the price volatility induced

by the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.

To actualise the plan, the government said yesterday that it would now accelerate the implementation of its zero

oil plan, developed in 2016.

It has also adopted the recommendation by Mckingsey & Co to capture services for export.

The Executive Director/

Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC), Mr. Segun Awolowo, unfolded the plans during a web conference titled, “Non-Oil Exports: Disrupting

Nigeria’s Growth Cycle,” organised by BudgiT. According to him, Nigeria has greatly improved in nonContinued on page 9

INEC Bars Staff above 57 Years from Resuming Duty... Page 8 Friday 8 May, 2020 Vol 25. No 9160. Price: N250

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COVID-19: Cases Rise by 381 in 24 Hours as Nigeria Expands Testing Centres to 21 Total cases now 3,526 with 601 discharged, 107 dead FG deploys teams in Cross River, Kogi, Rivers for massive testing Reports indict security agents for aiding violation of interstate travel ban FG unveils guidelines for reopening of offices, markets NAFDAC evaluates claims on curative drugs Lockdowns may worsen tuberculosis infection by 6.3m, say experts Chiemelie Ezeobi, Chinedu Eze, Martins Ifijeh in Lagos Kingsley Nwezeh, Olawale Ajimotokan, Adedayo Akinwale in Abuja, Ibrahim Shuaibu in Kano and Kayode Fasua in Abeokuta Nigeria’s confirmed cases of COVID-19 pandemic have risen by 381 in 24 hours, making it the highest single

daily rise as the country expands active testing laboratories to 21.

This is coming as the federal government yesterday said reports at its disposal indicted security agents for aiding the rampant violation of its ban on travels across state boundaries.

President Muhammadu Continued on page 9

5G Network Not Inimical to Human Health, NCC, Telcos Insist

Welcome Senate’s planned probe

Emma Okonji The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) and the Association of Licensed Telecoms Operators of Nigeria (ALTON) have reiterated that electromagnetic emission from 5G network has no adverse

effect on human health.

They also said the technology had no link with COVID-19 pandemic currently ravaging the world.

They spoke in separate telephone interviews with Continued on page 9

NEW MONARCH ON BOARD...

Borno State Governor, Prof. Babagana Zulum (left), and new Shehu of Bama, Alhaji Umar Ibn Shehu Kyari, during the new monarch’s visits to the governor in Maiduguri…recently

FG to Evacuate 270 Nigerians from US Tomorrow... Page 5

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

Buhari Elated as AfDB Clears Adesina of Alleged Fraud, Impropriety Holds talks with Pakistan’s prime minister on debt relief

Omololu Ogunmade in Abuja President Muhammadu Buhari yesterday welcomed the exoneration of the President of the African Development Bank (AfDB), Dr. Akinwumi Adesina, by the bank’s board, from allegations of impropriety and fraud levelled against him by some officials of the continental bank.

The president also held talks with the Prime Minister of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, Imran Ahmed Khan, on the campaign for debt relief for Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) members.

The president, in a statement by his spokesman, Mr. Femi Adesina, hailed the outcome of the investigation into the allegations of wrongdoing against the AfDB president, saying that Adesina had not only served Africa well but had made his nation, Nigeria, proud.

Adesina had been under investigation since April by the Office of Integrity and AntiCorruption (PIAC) as well as the Ethics Committee and Audit and Finance Committee of the continental bank following

allegations by "concerned staff members� of the bank who accused him of “various cases of alleged breaches of the code of conduct� of the bank in some appointments and several contracts "approved by Adesina’s team supposedly in violation of the AfDB’s statutory and ethical rules."

According to reports, 16 of the allegations were documented in English while several others were made in French, including what the employees described as "unusual managerial style," “dominance of impunity and nepotism,� "chaotic management of human resources� and the “financial waste and lack of budgetary discipline.�

However, a report signed by the Chairman of the Bureau of the Board of Governors of AfDB, Niale Kaba, on Tuesday, absolved Adesina of all the allegations "which were thoroughly investigated by the Ethics Committee of the Board of Directors."

Buhari, in his statement, quoted Kaba as saying that "on the basis of the results contained in the report of the committee, I am of the view that

we should adopt its conclusions by declaring that the president is totally exonerated of all the allegations made against him.�

The president lauded the clearance of Adesina, who is seeking a second term of five years in office, and wished him "greater successes in the position of responsibility he occupies."

Talks with Pakistan’s Prime Minister on Debt Relief The president also yesterday discussed with the Pakistani prime minister on the quest of NAM members for debt relief.

Adesina, in another statement yesterday in Abuja, said the talks between the two leaders

centred around the Global Initiative on Debt Relief canvassed by leaders of the NAM Contact Group.

The Non-Aligned Movement Contact Group is an alliance of 120 countries.

The statement added that the discussion between Buhari and the Pakistani leader occurred yesterday afternoon through a phone conversation. “During an online summit held on Monday, leaders of the 120-nation organisation, the largest after the United Nations had agreed that a debt relief campaign be launched for developing countries to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic and unprecedented health and socio-economic challenges

facing most of them,� it stated.

The leaders also believed that the debt relief would also help to address the unprecedented health and socio-economic challenges facing most of the member countries of the NonAligned Movement Contact Group.

During the virtual summit of heads of state and government of NAM, Buhari had said national, regional and global strategies would be required to tackle the pandemic.

He urged international financial institutions to assist member states in cushioning the negative impact of the pandemic in the spirit of solidarity. “Within the spirit of south-

south cooperation, we must also assist one another, particularly the less developed and less endowed member states with technical, medical and financial assistance. “It is by so doing that we can rightly claim to uphold the Bandung Principles of equality, mutual interests and cooperation,� he had said.

Buhari had also suggested that international financial institutions offer concessional loans, technical support, lowering of tariff on medical equipment and consumables, sharing of expertise in case management, adopting open trade policies, as well as outright debt cancellation to help developing countries.

FG to Evacuate 270 Nigerians from US Tomorrow

Adedayo Akinwale in Abuja

The federal government has moved forward the planned evacuation of the first batch of Nigerians from the United States from Sunday to tomorrow.

The Consulate General of Nigeria in New York said in a statement that the Nigerians would be evacuated by Ethiopian Airlines, which will depart the Newark Liberty International Airport, New Jersey, tomorrow and arrive at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, on Sunday.

The consulate, in the statement given to journalists yesterday, said only 270 passengers would be accommodated in the first batch.

It stated that the missions would, therefore, attend to applicants on a first come, first served basis and would prioritise the list of evacuees according to their immigration status.

This, it said, included consideration for those stranded with proof of short stay visas, the elderly, families with children and returning students.

"The Consulate General of Nigeria in New York, on behalf of the Nigerian Missions in United States of America (USA), wishes to refer to our earlier public notice dated on May 3, 2020 and to announce a change in the flight plans. "Accordingly, the new flight will be Ethiopian Airlines - No. ET 8509 on Saturday, May 9, 2020. The flight itinerary for the evacuation is as follows: "This new arrangement replaces Ethiopian Airlines flight ET 509, which was earlier scheduled on May 10, 2020.

However, those already booked on ET 509 will now be transferred by the airline to the new flight ET 8509 on Saturday, May 9, 2020.

The Ethiopian Airlines regrets any inconveniences this change might cause travellers.

"Consequently, all intending

evacuees are expected to book and pay for their one-way economy class ticket with Ethiopian Airlines flight no: ET 8509.

"The consul advised evacuees to be at the airport four hours in advance, as temperature checks would be carried out in accordance with Pre-Departure Infection Prevention Control (lPC) measures," it added.

It noted that any prospective evacuee with a temperature above 38 degrees centigrade or visually observed to have any symptoms suggestive of COVID-19, would not be allowed to check in, adding that Ethiopian Airlines' rules would apply for the flight.

It explained that the rules included a baggage restriction that only allows for two pieces of 23 kilogrammes each as checked-in baggage and seven kilogrammes for a carry-on piece.

It said while onboard, all prospective evacuees would be required to have a hand sanitiser, which should be applied before boarding and intermittently throughout the flight duration, and they should wear face masks during the journey.

Besides, on arrival at the airport in Abuja, all passengers would be required to fill in a self-reporting/health assessment form; which would be submitted along with their passports to the Nigeria immigration Service (NIS).

The returnees are also expected to adhere strictly to all instructions of Port Health Services (PHS) officials and observe other entry screening protocols.

The statement said on arrival in Abuja, all the returnees would be transported by the federal government from the airport to designated quarantine centres where they would be placed under observation for 14 days to ascertain their COVID-19 status.

COURTESY CALL...

Chief of Air Sta, Air Marshal Sadique Abubakar (left), and Minister of Foreign Aairs, Chief Georey Onyeama, during the visit of the military chief to the minister in Abuja‌yesterday

THISDAY Judiciary Correspondent, Akintunde, Laid to Rest Company unveils composition of foundation, other welfare reliefs Peter Uzoho The remains of the judiciary correspondent of THISDAY, Mr. Akinwale Akintunde, were interred yesterday at his family residence in Lagos.

Akintunde, in his early 40s, died on Monday at the Lagos Island General Hospital, Lagos, where he was rushed to after a truck hit him on his way home after work.

He had finished production for the Tuesday Law pages of the newspaper on Monday night and had set off for home to meet his son and pregnant wife. He didn’t make it.

The late journalist was laid to rest in the presence of family and friends; representatives of THISDAY Newspapers, who took an active part in his burial arrangements; his professional colleagues and church members amid an outpouring of encomiums on him.

The officiating minister at the funeral and Senior Pastor of Youth Province II, Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), Ajao Estate Parish, Lagos, Pastor Charles Awoyele, in his homily, said Akintunde died a good man.

He said Akintunde, who was a devoted pastor in his parish, had performed and finished his race on earth and that there was no reason for people to remain in

perpetual sorrow because of him.

Awoyele urged people to rather use his death as a time for sober reflection and a time to amend their ways.

He said: "A time like this calls for sober reflection. This is not a time we should be weeping; it is not a time we should be gnashing our teeth. God knows best. He did not die an unbeliever. If he had died an unbeliever, maybe many of us will not be here. You can see dignitaries from all walks of life here present today. It shows us that this brother has lived a good life; it shows us that life is not assessed by duration. He has impacted lives.

"There is need for encouragement; there is a need for all of us not to join this woman in weeping. Let's not sensitise her into more weeping, rather let her continue to thank God." He urged everyone to live cautiously as no one knows when his death would come and admonished mourners to try and live their lives for others as demonstrated by Akintunde.

At the funeral, THISDAY Newspapers reiterated its commitment to setting up a foundation to cater to the needs of his family.

Giving details of the foundation, the Managing Editor of THISDAY, Mr. Joseph Ushiageli, said in line with the

long-standing tradition of the organisation and as directed by the Chairman/Editor-in-Chief, Prince Nduka Obaigbena, the foundation would be administered by a five-man board of trustee.

Members of the trustee would comprise THISDAY representative, Akintunde's wife, his next-of-kin as deposed by him, representative of judiciary correspondents, a representative of his church, and any other interested party.

He said the foundation would be registered with the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) and that a lawyer would be hired to do the necessary work so that the process would be completed within two weeks.

According to him, the targets of the foundation include training Akintunde's children up to university level, paying his full salary for at least the next two years.

Ushiageli said: "Our chairman has sent me here to make a pronouncement. We have a tradition and that tradition is: ‘We are setting up a foundation for the benefit of Akintunde's family.’ "Now, the foundation will be administered by a trustees represented by THISDAY, the wife, the next-of-kin, (the nextof-kin will be somebody he

filled in his form), the church, the correspondent chapel (judiciary correspondents), and also interested people from the judiciary.

"We are looking at a maximum of five members to run that trustee. And also, Akintunde's salary will be paid for a minimum of two years. We will dedicate an account for that so that the wife will have it to deal with.

Between now and next week we are contacting a lawyer to come and do the paper works. By the time all that is done, we will get them to do the signatures and all that. Also part of the package is that we will train his children up to university level.

"The foundation will be registered with the Corporation Affairs Commission (CAC) with the signatories of the trustees.

It's going to be very swift and very quickly. So, hopefully, in a fortnight we should be through with all these and then we move on with it. Whatever outstanding salaries he had we are going to deal with all that."

Some of the top THISDAY management team at the burial were Managing Director, Mr. Eniola Bello; Deputy Managing Director, Mr. Kayode Komolafe; Ushiageli; Deputy Editor (Daily), Mr. Davidson Iriekpen; and Assistant Editor of Sunday Glitterati, Ms. Funke Olaode.

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INEC Bars Staff above 57 Years from Resuming Duty Starts operations Monday Chuks Okocha in Abuja The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) met yesterday and deliberated on protocols for the resumption of activities and operations, telling staff above the age of 57 and others with serious underlining illness not resume duty yet.

"Only the staff below 58 years of age with no serious underlying health issues will resume, while pregnant women, nursing mothers and all other staff with underlying health conditions should remain at home for the time being," the commission said in a statement by the

National Commissioner in charge of Voter Education and Public Information, Mr. Festus Okoye.

The commission, which said its operations would start on Monday, said it had also discussed preparations for the conduct of the Edo and Ondo governorship elections and other pending legislative bye-elections.

According to Okoye, the commission will also resume engagement with political parties, civil society groups and organisations, the media and other stakeholders in relation to the Edo and Ondo state governorship elections.

"The modalities for these

engagements will be worked out and considered at its next meeting on May 14, 2020," the commission stated.

Okoye added that the commission will work out modalities for the ramping up of activities in Edo and Ondo States where it has governorship elections and will liaise with the security agencies and health authorities on the resumption of work in the two states as soon as possible.

He said the commission

would issue comprehensive guidelines for the first phase of its resumption in compliance with the directives of the federal government and health authorities, adding that these guidelines will be posted on its notice boards and uploaded on the website of the commission on Monday.

Other resolutions of the management of INEC included carrying out a comprehensive decontamination of its national headquarters, the annex at Blantyre Street, the Electoral

Institute and its Area 10 office housing its staff clinic.

He said the commission would follow the federal government’s guidelines on resumption protocols and procedure by providing infrared thermometers, soap, and water at entrances and installing hand sanitiser dispensers at strategic points in its office.

The commission said it would train its staff, particularly the cleaners and office assistants, on

cleaning protocols and strict compliance with the federal government’s guidelines as well as its own specific protocols for resumption.

"National commissioners, directors and other designated staff of the various departments will resume at the national headquarters on Wednesday, May 13, 2020, after the decontamination of the premises and provision of necessary amenities as outlined earlier in this statement."

Buhari Reconstitutes Board of NBET Plc

President Muhammadu Buhari has approved the reconstitution of the Board of Directors of the Nigeria Bulk Electricity Trading Company Plc (NBET).

The reconstituted board has the Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Mrs. Zainab Ahmed as the Chair.

It also has a Non-Executive Director from Ministry of Power, to be represented by a staff not below the level of a director; Mr. Alex Okoh, as Non-Executive Director from Bureau of Public Enterprises (80 per cent Shareholder in NBET); Ms. Patience Oniha, Director-General, Debt Management Office Nigeria, as

Non-Executive Director; and Mr Ben Akabueze, DirectorGeneral, Budget Office of the Federation, as Non-Executive Director.

Also appointed are: Suleyman Ndanusa, former Director-General of Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), as Non-Executive Director (Independent); Mr. Mustapha Balarabe Shehu, former President Nigeria Society of Engineers (NSE), as Non-Executive Director (Independent); Mr. Adeyeye O. Adepegba as Non-Executive Director (Independent); and Dr. Marilyn Amobi, as Managing Director/ Chief Executive Officer.

HELPING HAND...

L-R: Assistant lnspector of lmmigration, Ms. Olaide Nasredeen; Deputy Comptroller, Mr. Mohammed Abubakar; and Comptroller of lmmigration, Lagos State Command, Ms. Doris Braimoh; during the distribution of palliatives to members of sta by the comptroller to cushion the eect of partial lockdown to curb the spread of Covid-19 pandemic in Lagos... yesterday abiodun ajala

Chinda: Infectious Diseases Bill Draconian

Eromosele Abiodun, Nume Ekeghe in Lagos and Udora Orizu in Abuja

A leader of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) caucus in the House of Representatives, Hon. Kingsley Chinda, has warned that the controversial Infectious Diseases Bill, if passed and signed into law in its current form, will be too draconian.

He added that the bill could encourage abuse of power considering the political history of Nigeria.

While supporting calls to rejig the bill, he stated that Section 15 of the bill gives powers to the Director-General of Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) to acquire any property in any state on mere suspicion, adding that the clause contravenes the Land Use Act, which vests that power on state governors.

Chinda spoke when he appeared on the Morning Show, a breakfast programme of ARISE News Channel, the broadcast arm of THISDAY Newspapers.

The lawmaker, who commended the sponsors of the bill for their foresight, however, stated that its provisions were draconian,

with various sections grossly abusing the constitution and rights of citizens. “By the wording of that bill, it will be politicised considering the political history of Nigeria. Anybody who becomes director-general of NCDC and is given these powers - of course, the person that appointed him belongs to a political party. We practice a multi-party system, unlike Singapore where they have a one-party system. “It will be politicised and I think that’s the area we have to look at. Even where you want to give such powers, it should be tied to conditions so that when you exercise it, it is not completely discretionary.

I don’t think it’s proper to leave it the way it is now, besides the fact that it will encroach other existing laws; it will lead to serious abuse. “Section 15 empowers the DG to issue a notice and take over a citizen’s property and declare it an isolation centre without the consent of the owner. What this means is that the DG enjoys so much power even against the provisions of Land Use Act. So without the consent of the governor, the federal government through the DG

can acquire any property in any state under this law,� he added.

The lawmaker, however, said the bill was in the interest of the public, and shouldn’t be thrown away but reviewed to suit the local need.

According to him, “Nigeria needs a new bill that will take care of emergency situations, particularly as it pertains to infectious diseases because of our experience during the Ebola era and the present COVID-19. Of course, we have heard the criticisms that the bill was copied from the Singaporean version and there’s nothing wrong with that as far as issues of plagiarism are concerned, statutes and legislations do not fall within that purview. “But in adopting foreign statutes, you must consider local circumstances. So when you build them in, you must adopt them in line with the local circumstance.

This particular bill didn’t consider that at all. Nigeria is operating a multi-party system and it’s a federation so there will be serious need to adjust that bill to our own local circumstance,� he said.

Reacting to the view that the timing of the bill is wrong,

he said: Chinda said: “I agree with the DG of NCDC, Dr. Chikwe Ihekweazu, that the timing of the bill is not right because we are in the middle of a pandemic. There are things that we could still learn as we go on. “By the time we conclude with this whole pandemic, I’m sure that there are new revelations, which need to be captured in that bill. We need to open it up so that people can make contributions and at the end of the day, we come up with a very quality bill.�

On what he would like to be reviewed in the bill, he said: “First of all, the title of the bill is too long. If you look at the title, the impression is that the bill has to do with only infectious diseases. But Section 5.1 of that bill also gives powers to the minister to move into any other disease, which means it goes beyond infectious diseases. “If you also look at the office of the DG of NCDC, which was not created by this bill, all the powers to administer this bill were given to the office of the director-general of NCDC. And you know that the director-general’s office was created by another law, which is the Nigeria Centre

for Disease Control Act 2018.

Under the present Infectious Diseases Control Bill, some of the powers of the board in NCDC Act of 2018 were given directly to the DG alone, which runs contrary to that other bill. “Also, if you look at sections of the constitution, particularly, chapter 4 of the constitution is grossly abused by the contents of this bill. I will also come to the argument that section 45 allows for that which I do not agree with. “Firstly the president is given the power to declare a public emergency in the present bill that’s being considered. I think under section 3 of that bill, the bill now went further to say that the president will publish such declaration but didn’t determine what form the publication will take. What stops the bill from telling us exactly how this should be done? “Section 6 also provides for compulsory testing on mere suspicion. The DG has the right to order for compulsory testing of persons residing within an area if he suspects.

My own concern is, yes, if you fail to undergo that testing you commit an offence but

again how do you publish?

That it is also not spelt out in the bill. “Section 7 empowers postmortem tests based on suspicion. It also empowers the DG to stop even a wake based on suspicion. So, my worry is that most often burials have religious correlation. If you are conducting a wake and the suspected corpse is not there, why do you need to stop that? That clearly infringes on constitutional rights to freedom of thought, religion, worship, association. “And then section 12 empowers the DG on mere suspicion to stop the wake or burial of any person.

Section 14 empowers the DG to place a citizen under surveillance on mere suspicion, I keep emphasising on ‘mere suspicion’ because what that means is discretionary. “Section 24 empowers any enforcement officer to get the order from a court to destroy any building where an infectious disease would have occurred. My worry and concern are do you need to destroy a building to curb an infectious disease? That’s not a solution, of course, you can sanitise the building or disinfect; this is too draconian.�

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PAGE NINE COVID-19: CASES RISE BY 381 IN 24 HOURS AS NIGERIA EXPANDS TESTING CENTRES TO 21 Buhari, as part of series of regulations to slow down the spread of COVID-19, had imposed a nation-wide ban on inter-state travels, safe for the movement of essential goods and services.

But as the spread of the pandemic worsened across states, governors complained that security agents, who were posted to enforce the ban, were aiding its violation by unscrupulous citizens.

The virus afflicted 381 more Nigerians yesterday, raising the total confirmed cases to 3,526 with 601 persons discharged and 107 dead in 34 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

The 381 new cases were reported from 18 states- Lagos 183, Kano 55, Jigawa 44, Zamfara 19, Borno nine, Bauchi 19, Katsina 11, Kwara eight, Kaduna seven, Gombe six, Ogun five, Sokoto four, Oyo three, Rivers three, Niger two, Akwa Ibom one, Enugu one, and Plateau, one.

The Chairman of the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19, Mr. Boss Mustapha, confirmed the governors’ allegation at a press briefing in Abuja yesterday, regretting that the misconduct of the security agents was undermining the efforts to curb the pandemic.

In spite of this, he enjoined every citizen to take responsibility, saying every Nigerian should be a combatant in the ongoing war against the pandemic.

His task force unveiled fresh guidelines for the gradual opening of public and private offices, adding that the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) was evaluating the various claims of discoveries of curative drugs for the disease.

The federal government also said it had sent teams to Kogi and Cross River States to ensure that the states have adequate testing capacity and also to advocate for the engagement of traditional rulers and community leaders in the surveillance efforts of the two states.

The government also disclosed that the country now has 21 active laboratories nationwide, revealing that it had stopped the policy of self-isolation, especially

for returnees, explaining that it had replaced it with compulsory quarantine.

Mustapha said the federal government was displeased with the role of security operatives in the mass violation of the ban on interstate movement.

He said reports received indicted some security operatives of compromise, urging the various commands of the security agencies to enhance their monitoring machinery to ensure that the virus is not spread as well as prevent the good name of the services from being tarnished.

"I, however, commend the security agencies for their vigilance in apprehending and prosecuting violators. It is, worrisome, however, to note reports received about isolated cases of compromise by some security operatives. We urge the various commands of the security agencies to enhance their monitoring machinery to ensure that we do not only achieve the objective of stopping the spread of the virus but also prevent the good name of the services from being tarnished,� he said.

He implored Nigerians to alert the security agencies whenever they witnessed the violation of the guidelines.

"It is important to remember that this is a war in which every Nigerian is a combatant and must resist any effort by a few individuals or groups, to endanger our collective survival," Mustapha said.

The Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) had lamented the laxity in the enforcement of the lockdown order by security agencies.

However, the FCT Police Command said it had commenced investigation into illegal movements in all entry points around the boundaries of the FCT and contiguous states.

In a chat with THISDAY, the Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Anjuguri Manzah, said all major roads leading to Abuja were manned by policemen from the command.

He said the command was directing its searchlight on some unmanned areas in villages and bush-paths through which the violators of the lockdown order

gain entry into Abuja.

"Our patrol is an ongoing operation. Today (yesterday), we intercepted a truck that sought to enter the territory illegally. We escorted them back to Niger State.

"All major roads are covered by our men, but the command is beaming its searchlight on unmanned roads connecting neighbouring villages and bush-paths through which these people gain entry," he said.

In Lagos, the police command disclosed that it was partnering its Ogun State counterpart to enforce total compliance.

The move by both commands was not unconnected with the massive inter-state movement that saw an influx of motorists and travelers move in and out of the states.

Lagos State Police Command spokesman, DSP Bala Elkana, said the command and its Ogun State counterpart, had on Wednesday, put measures on the ground to stop inter-state movement.

Elkana said the police had tightened up measures with the partnership between the two states.

He said the Commissioner of Police, Lagos State Command, CP Hakeem Odumosu, and his counterpart in Ogun State, CP Kenneth Ebrimson, visited checkpoints jointly manned by both states in boundary communities.

Elkana said the move was to replicate the measures adopted for easy movements of essential service workers and at the same time, tighten the border around the boundary communities to prevent non-essential inter-state movements.

When asked about the allegations of bribery leveled against the police manning the borders, Elkana, who said he was not aware, reiterated that with the new measures put in place through the collaboration, compliance will be total.

Addressing the issue of noncompliance to compulsory use of face masks and curfew in Lagos, Elkana said the command had been making arrests since Monday when the directive kicked off.

Giving a breakdown of the figures, he said the command

arrested 189 persons on Monday night, adding that while 121 were arrested for being on the road after curfew hours, 68 others were arrested for not wearing their face masks.

He added that by Wednesday, 134 persons were arrested for not wearing face masks and staying beyond curfew hours, while 162 others were arrested yesterday without face masks.

FG Unveils Guidelines for Reopening of OfďŹ ces, Markets The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) yesterday issued guidelines for the reopening of offices and markets for normal business operations in Lagos and Ogun States as well as the FCT, Abuja.

Giving details of the guidelines for safe reopening of public offices, businesses and markets, the Director-General of the NCDC, Dr. Chikwe Ihekweazu, said at the press briefing that employers and owners of businesses should ensure extensive temperature checks of everyone on entry into the office and business premises.

He said there should be mandatory use of non-medical face mask/covering for all staff at all times; and the development of physical distancing strategies within the office or business environment to safeguard the health and safety of employees, in line with guidelines set out by the NCDC. Where staff members have regular face-to-face contact with customers, Ihekweazu said the guidelines requires that the staff ensure they have the necessary protective equipment to keep them safe and for their health to be protected.

The guidelines also require offices and owners of businesses to develop an infectious disease preparedness action plan to reduce the risk of exposure in the workplace and communicate it to all staff members.

This includes identifying a central person focused on coordinating COVID-19 matters, ensuring that the contact details and emergency contact details

of all staff members is kept up to date and is always easily accessible.

Others include ensuring that staff members know how to spot the symptoms of COVID-19 and have a clear understanding what to do if they feel unwell.

Ihekweazu said the sick employees should stay at home.

Employers are further required to display signage in their office or business premises reminding staff and visitors to maintain good and respiratory hygiene.

The guidelines also discourage the sharing of work equipment, tools, computers, phones and desks.

On how employers and business owners can best protect themselves and their staff, the NCDC said they may have to develop policies and practices that enable employees to work more flexibly and remotely such as working from home and leveraging on technology to arrange virtual meetings with employees and clients.

They are also to ensure adequate space between employees (minimum two metres), and limiting staff to about 30 per cent - 50 per cent of the normal workspace capacity.

They are to limit customers in the business premises to about 30 per cent - 50per cent capacity at any one time and decide on the level of staff required to come to work, as the business re-opens.

NAFDAC Evaluates Claims of Drug Producers On the claims of inventions and cures related to COVID-19, the PTF re-iterated its position on the need for such discoveries to undergo the scientific validation processes.

He disclosed that the Complementary and Alternative Medicine Department, of the Federal Ministry of Health, has been evaluating such claims and has forwarded some that have met the preliminary requirements to the NAFDAC to carry out the necessary procedures for listing.

FG Deploys Teams in Kogi, Cross River

government has also sent teams to Kogi and Cross River States to ensure that the states have adequate testing capacity and also to advocate for the engagement of traditional rulers and community leaders in surveillance efforts of the two states.

In his presentation at the briefing, the Minister of Health, Dr. Osagie Ehanire, disclosed that the team had left en route to Lokoja to work with the Kogi State government.

He said the team included officials of NCDC and Department of Hospital Services of the Ministry of Health.

"They will ensure that the state has adequate testing capacity and shall also advocate for the engagement of traditional rulers and community leaders in surveillance efforts of the state.

I appreciate the collaboration promised by the Governor of Kogi State. A similar team will also travel to Cross River State for the same purpose," he said.

FG Stops Policy of Selfisolation Ehanire also admitted that federal government’s policy of self-isolation, especially for those coming into the country by air, land or sea, had failed because at that time, there was a multiplication of cases from such persons.

In order to curb the incidence of such cases, the minister said the provision of self-isolation has now been replaced with quarantining of returnees on arrival. “The policy we have now is that anybody arriving Nigeria from anywhere whether by air, land or by sea will go into quarantine for 14 days.

During those 14 days they will be observed for any signs or symptoms of COVID-19 disease. They will be tested at the beginning and at the end. “We don’t have a provision for isolation at home. At the very beginning, we had that provision that if you came in and did not have a symptom, you isolate at home. Since then, all the cases we are dealing with now came in and multiplied.

federal

Continued on page 12

in my view is a welcomed development because it is all about information gathering that will help them to be better informed about 5G network. “There is no iota of truth that 5G technology is the cause of the COVID-19 pandemic and it has no adverse effect on human health. The virus is also spreading in places without 5G networks like Nigeria. “There are many parts of the world that do not have 5G coverage yet, but are still affected by the virus,� Adebayo said.

5G is a fifth generation mobile technology, which is an improvement on today's

4G technology with enhanced capabilities. It is a technology developed as a protocol for mobile network, with higher speed of internet connectivity.

5G technology provides the platform for new and emerging technologies such as Internet of Things (IoT), Artificial Intelligence (AI) and big data to improve the way people live and work.

Meanwhile,

the

5G NETWORK NOT INIMICAL TO HUMAN HEALTH, NCC, TELCOS INSIST THISDAY, while reacting to a recent call for the suspension of 5G rollout in Nigeria by the Senate, pending the outcome of investigation by its committees detailed to assess the health implications of 5G network.

The Senate had called for the suspension of 5G deployment in the country until after a probe to ascertain the technology’s suitability to human health.

The decision to probe 5G and its implications for Nigerians' health was adopted following a motion sponsored by the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Science and Technology, Senator Uche Ekwunife, PDP, Anambra

Central senatorial district.

Reacting to the development, the Director, Technical Standards and Network Integrity at NCC, Mr. Bako Wakil, welcomed the move by the Senate, saying the NCC would be ready to give further explanations on 5G, if invited. “We will wait for the Senate’s invitation and answer them appropriately in line with global standards for the deployment of 5G network. The invitation should be extended to all stakeholders and experts in the field of telecommunications because Nigerians must be educated on the economic relevance of 5G,� Wakil added.

Wakil explained that there were no scientific studies to show that electromagnetic emissions from telecoms facilities, including mobile phones, could cause health hazard to humans.

Also, the Director, Public Affairs at NCC, Dr. Henry Nkemadu, said NCC was yet to licence any operator to deploy 5G network in Nigeria, even though most countries have commenced rollout of 5G network. “There is no deployment of 5G in Nigeria at the moment.

NCC had in November 2019, approved trial test for 5G for a period of three months and the

trial has been concluded and installation decommissioned.

"The trial, among others, was to study and observe any health or security challenges the 5G network might present,�

Nkemadu said.

Chaiman of ALTON, Mr. Gbenga Adebayo, told THISDAY that the plan by the Senate to investigate 5G network in Nigeria should be commended.

He said the move was part of their oversight functions, adding that the outcome would be for the benefit of all Nigerians.

According to him, “Senate is only trying to seek more understanding about the operations of 5G, which

FG TARGETS $30BN FROM EXPORT OF SERVICES, AGRIC PRODUCTS oil export as the government has raked in over $153 million from Sesame seed export alone since 2016.

He explained that the federal government has accelerated the Export Expansion Grant (EEG) while Nigeria is working out modalities to match Cote d'Ivoire and Ghana with two million MT and one million MT in cocoa export as against its current 300,000MT. He said: “Disruption is the new economy and 35 per cent of the jobs that are going to exist by 2030 has not been created.

We commenced the efforts to move Nigeria away from over dependence on oil revenue for foreign exchange. As part of our effort to drive the zero oil, we have contacted states and asked that each state submits at least

one product for export. “There has been deliberate effort to increase export. A lot is going on and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has also confirmed that Nigeria’s export has increased. The government’s zero oil initiative will transform Nigeria from import dependent to export dependent country.�

In her contribution, the Managing Director of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Ms. Hadiza Bala Usman, said 78 per cent of total export through the port was crude oil export, adding that a decline in oil export will result in low port utilisation and decline revenue from the port for government.

She added that government had created priority time for export goods to get to the port despite the gridlock on

port access roads.

She, however, accused most exporters of doing their documentation when they get to the port, stressing that doing so before moving goods to the port will preserve the cargo. “About 191 MT tonnes of cargo were exported through the port in 2019 and 78 per cent of it was crude oil export. We are prioritising non-oil export but the exporters have to know that you don’t get to the port before doing documentation. “We must also know that multi-modal means of transportation is what will solve the problem of congestion.

This is why the Ministry of Transportation is aggressively working on deploying railway at the port. Also we must utilise the inland water ways and move

cargo by barges and we have signed an agreement to that effect," she stated.

The Executive Director, Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Investment Promotion Commission (NIPC), Ms. Yewande Sadiku, advised the government to look inwards and encourage local investors with incentives such as taxes. “COVID-19 has move from public health crisis to global economic crisis. The United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) has predicted that FDI could fall by 30-40 per cent from now to 2021. There is an increasing need for domestic production and not relying on any country.

The G20, which accounts for 68 per cent of global GDP, accounts for 78 per cent of global FDI.

Nigeria should encourage local investors because a number of sectors that were attractive to foreign investors before are no longer attractive because of COVID-19. “We are seeing a flight to safety by investors and their focus now is on countries where their investment will not be threatened.

The competition for capital is now more competitive. In our interaction with local investors, we discovered that what they want is incentives especially tax, which also have implication for government in terms of revenue.

"Whether for local consumption or export, investors are looking for a compelling case and everyone in government must work hard to ensure a conducive environment for investors," she said.

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NEWS

Lockdowns May Worsen Tuberculosis Infection By 6.3m, Say Experts Onyebuchi Ezigbo in Abuja A non-governmental organization (NGO), Stop TB Partnership, has projected an additional 6.3 million cases of tuberculosis between 2020 and

2025 and 1.4 million more TB deaths during the same period as a result of global COVID-19 lockdowns.

The group said in a statement yesterday that a report released on Wednesday found that

IATA: Aviation Contributes $1.7bn to Nigeria’s GDP Chinedu Eze The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has called for aviation-specific financial relief measures from the government of Nigeria to address the severe impact of the COVID-19 crisis on the air transport sector.

The global body said air transport has ground to a halt in efforts to stop the spread of COVID-19, noting that along with the direct impact on jobs and companies in aviation, related industries, including tourism, hospitality and trade have been hit hard and these sectors play an essential role in creating jobs and powering economies.

IATA said prior to the crisis, aviation contributed $1.7 billion to Nigeria’s GDP and supported 241,000 jobs.

IATA estimates that the COVID-19 crisis puts 124,000 Nigerian jobs at risk and some $900 million of the country’s GDP. The body noted that the

Nigerian government has introduced broad economic relief packages to mitigate the devastation caused by COVID-19 but IATA now “urges the government to implement specific financial relief measures for aviation to ensure that, the sector will be capable of driving the recovery.”

“Nigeria has announced general relief measures for sectors affected by COVID-19, but not specifically for aviation. Given the importance of air transport for Nigeria’s economy and connectivity, the government must not let aviation fail. The industry faces a liquidity crisis.

Without a viable aviation sector Nigeria’s eventual recovery from COVID-19 will be longer and even more painful. Aviationspecific financial relief measures are urgently needed as a matter of survival,” said IATA’s Regional Vice President for Africa and the Middle East, Muhammad Albakri.

Court Halts Move to Extradite Kashamu

AlexEnumahinAbuja

The Abuja Division of the Federal High Court yesterday restrained the federal government from initiating processes on its planned extradition of a chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Senator Buruji Kashamu to the United States ofAmerica over alleged involvement in illicit drug trade.

Justice Okon Abang, in a judgment, held that neither the federal government nor any of its agents could validly initiate extradition proceedings against Kashamu in view of subsisting restraining orders and judgments in his favour, which have remained unchallenged.

Justice Abang particularly noted that the judgment given by the Federal High Court, Lagos on January 6, 2014 (in suit No:49/2010)

and another judgment of July 1, 2016 given by the Federal High Court , Abuja (in suit No: 479/2015), which prohibited Kashamu’s extradition on account of the US drug allegation, are still subsisting.

The judgment was on a suit marked: FHC/ABJ/CS/530/18 filed by Kashamu, with theAttorney General of the Federation (AGF) and the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) as defendants.

Kashamu had, in the suit challenged the propriety of a letter

by Shehu Bodinga of the Central Control Unit in the AGF’s office, requesting the United States’ embassy in Nigeria to forward a fresh extradition application after the judgment by Justice Gabriel Kolawole (then of the Federal High Court, Abuja) in suit No: 479/2015 voiding an earlier extradition proceedings.

CSOs Advise House on Public Hearing of Infectious Diseases Bill Peter Uzoho Satisfied by the decision of the House of Representatives to put the controversial Control of Infectious Diseases Bill before the Nigerian public for inputs, Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) in the country have stepped up with a number of recommendations to enhance public interest, participation and transparency in the discourse.

The CSOs in a statement collectively signed by no fewer than 69 different organisations,

presented a five-point recommendation which they want the House of Representatives to factor in as it considers new modalities for the bill’s hearing process.

According to them, the House should provide information on the committee responsible for the coordination of public hearing, adding that it should provide clarity on the committee(s) entrusted with the responsibility of coordinating the public hearing to ensure effective engagement with citizens and stakeholders.

the global response to the COVID-19 pandemic was having unintended yet drastic consequences on tuberculosis services.

It stated that lockdowns and limitations on diagnosis, treatment and prevention services were expected to

increase the annual number of TB cases and deaths over the next five years such that “at least five years of progress on TB response will be lost.”

The report added, “The modelling analysis released by the Stop TB Partnership shows that under a three-month

lockdown and a protracted 10-month restoration of services, the world could see an additional 6.3 million cases of TB between 2020 and 2025 and an additional 1.4 million TB deaths during that same period.”

The Executive Director of the

Stop TB Partnership, Dr Lucica Ditiu, was quoted as saying, “We never learn from mistakes.

For the past five years, TB, a respiratory disease, has remained the biggest infectious disease killer because the ‘TB agenda’ consistently became less visible in front of other priorities.

MORE INTERNATIONAL SUPPORT.…

L-R: Israeli Ambassador to Nigeria, Mr. Simone Ben-Shoshan; Deputy Chief of Mission, Mr. Yotam Kreiman; Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Health, Alhaji Abdulaziz Mashi; and Minister of Health, Dr. Osagie Ehanire, during the donation of protective face masks by the Embassy to the Nigerian government to help curb the spread of COVID-19 pandemic, in Abuja ...yesterday

Tribunal Reserves Judgment on Kogi Guber Poll The Kogi State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal, sitting in Abuja yesterday reserved judgment on the petition filed by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and its candidate in the November 16, 2019 election in the state, Mr. Musa Wada.

The petitioners are challenging the victory of Governor Yahaya Bello of the All Progressives Congress (APC) at the poll.

The three-man panel of judges

headed by Justice Kashim Kaigama reserved judgment in the case after parties adopted their final written addresses yesterday.

Petitioners’ lawyer, Mr. Jibril Okutepa (SAN), in his closing argument, urged the court to uphold the petition and order Wada to be returned as the duly elected Governor of Kogi State.

Okutepa, who contended that Wada and his party, won the

majority of lawful votes cast in the election, urged the tribunal to reject the objection raised by the respondents in the case.

But the respondents in the petition – the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Governor Yahaya Bello, and his party, the APC, urged the tribunal to dismiss the petition.

The respondents were represented by their lawyers, Dr. Alex Iziyon (SAN), Mr. Joseph

Daudu (SAN), and Mr. Ahmed Raji (SAN).

They noted that that the petitioners disputed the results of the election in 2,548 polling units in seven out of the 21 local government areas of the state, yet they only presented 32 witnesses to prove cases of alleged election malpractices, substantial non-compliance to electoral rules and other forms of irregularities

Rivers to Auction Vehicles Impounded for Flouting Lockdown Wike DCP of sabotaging lockdown Ernest Chinwo in Port Harcourt The Rivers State Government has directed its Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice to auction all vehicles that were impounded for violating the state’s lockdown directive.

Also, as residents of Port Harcourt City and Obio/ Akpor Local Government Areas of Rivers State began the first day of the lockdown ordered

by the state, the state Governor, Nyesom Wike, has accused the state Deputy Commissioner of Police, Adamu Abubakar, of attempting to sabotage the directive by issuing waivers to some companies.

The government also warned residents of ward 20, Amadi-Ama in Port Harcourt local government area (LGA) and Mgbuosimini, Rumueme in Obio/Akpor LGA to desist from flouting the

directives on lockdown.

In a statement issued yesterday the state Commissioner for Information and Communications, Mr. Paulinus Nsirim, the state government said it would “deal decisively” with any residents found guilty of such action.

It directed those interested in the auctioned vehicles to get more details in some selected newspapers.

“Government will deal

decisively with the residents of these areas if they are found to default again,” it said.

“Anyone parading exemption letters except the one issued by the Governor is doing so at his or her own risk as such permits are invalid.

“The Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice has been directed to auction all the vehicles that violated the lockdown order.

Judge Who Annulled June 12 Election is Dead The judge who annulled the June 12, 1993 presidential election, Justice Dahiru Saleh, is dead.

A family source, who disclosed this yesterday, said Saleh was buried at the palace of the Emir of Azare around 4:30pm yesterday.

Until his death, he held the

title of “Mutawalle” of Katagum emirate in Bauchi State.

He was the Chief Judge of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court.

The Social Democratic Party (SDP) presidential candidate, Chief MKO Abiola was leading Bashir Tofa, his the National Republican Convention rival,

by a wide margin in the June 12, 1993 Presidential Election when the exercise was cancelled ahead of the final announcement of results.

Saleh had annulled the election based on the order of the Military President, Gen. General Ibrahim Babangida (rtd). died in detention.

Born on August 22, 1939, he attended Azare Primary School between 1948 and 1951; Azare Senior Primary School between 1952 and 1955; and Barewa College, Zaria from 1956 to 1960.

He then proceeded to Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria and later Council of Legal Education London.

Agric Exports also Vulnerable to External Shocks, Says CBN James Emejo in Abuja The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Deputy Governor, Operations, Mr. Folashodun Shonubi yesterday warned that the country’s agricultural exports are vulnerable to external shocks, and called for the development of the

commodities’ value chain through value addition.

He said the country currently lacked control over demand and supply of export commodities, thereby exposing it to the dictates of external forces.

“But again, if we are to export just cocoa, it is still vulnerable to external shocks

and we don’t have control over demand; we don’t have control over supply.

“In 2014 for instance, Africa earned about $2.4 billion exporting coffee to Europe while Germany alone earned about $3.8 billion exporting Africa’s coffee. And what is the difference? Value addition.”

Speaking during a web

conference on “Financing Agribusiness Post-COVID-19: Opportunities, Threats and Options” which was organised by the Nigerian-British Chamber of Commerce, he said while it is good to diversify the economy into agriculture and pursue primary production, value addition remained the cash cow for the sector.

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NEWS

50 Persons Missing, 300 Injured in Anambra Communal Clash David-Chyddy Eleke in Awka

At least 50 people were reportedly missing in Anambra State communities of Omor and

Umubo in Ayamelum Local Government Area after a communal crisis between both communities.

Also, about 300 persons from

Lawyers Ask Buhari to Reject NJC’s Nominees as FCT Judges Tobi Soniyi A group of lawyers, under the aegis of the Open Bar Initiative (OBI), has asked President Muhammadu Buhari not to approve the list of 33 candidates recommended to him by the National Judicial Council (NJC) on April 26, for appointment to the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

OBI described itself as an association of hundreds of lawyers in Nigeria dedicated to the goal of defending the integrity of the legal profession and advancing the high constitutional principle of open, impartial, and fair justice.

In a petition to the president, OBI said at least 17 of the lawyers recommended for appointment were not qualified.

The group also submitted similar petitions to the President of the Senate, Dr. Ahmad Lawan, and the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila.

The petitioners said: “On 23 July 2019, the Chief Judge of the FCT High Court, Hon.

Justice I.U. Bello, issued a notice Ref. FCT/JSC/SEC/ 107/217 opening recruitment for 15 judges. Now, at the conclusion of the process, they purport to have recruited 33 judges.

How?” According to the lawyers, the NJC’s recommendation to Buhari for the appointment of the judges was flawed and should not be allowed to stand because “the selection process violated the National Judicial Council’s laid-down rules and procedures and is fraught with judicial insider dealing, which risks turning the judiciary into an instrument for advancing narrow personal interests and patronage.”

“Out of the 33 candidates recommended, at least 17 were unqualified, according to the NJC’s own rules and standards.

“On the basis of our own checks, nearly all of the unqualified nominees got on the list for appointment on the basis of their relationships or affinity by blood or marriage with serving or retired, senior judicial figures.

both communities, mainly farmers, were also said to have been injured during the crisis, resulting from a disagreement over land.

This was made public yesterday by some members of the communities after security agents were drafted in to restore normalcy in the area.

Members of Omor community, who spoke to journalists yesterday, said the crisis which started three days ago cost scores of persons their lives, stating that after calm returned to the community, it was found out that some members of the communities were still

missing, while over 300 people sustained injuries within the period of the crisis.

THISDAY gathered that peace returned to the community after the Speaker of the state House of Assembly, Hon Uchenna Okafor, who is a representative of the area in the assembly, led fully armed security agents, including soldiers, mobile policemen and others, to restore peace in the area.

A member of the community, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said: “This one (crisis) is recent. Some people who lost their loved ones during the initial crisis which started last year were

pushed to take revenge, and that was what started this one. Many houses were destroyed within the one week that this crisis lasted, and thank God, it has come to an end.”

Meanwhile, the state government has condemned both communities for engaging in fresh crisis, after a truce had initially been met.

The state Commissioner for Information and Public Enlightenment, Mr. C. Don Adinuba, in a statement made available to THISDAY in Awka, said the government is saddened by the loss occasioned by the

crisis.

According to him, “The Anambra State Government notes with profound sadness the conflict among the people of Umumbo and their neighbours in Omor community over land ownership.

“Security agents drawn from the Nigeria Police Force, the Nigerian Army and the National Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) have since been drafted to the area to stabilise the situation and maintain law and order.

In addition, a curfew has been imposed in the two communities from 6p.m. to 6a.m.

TAKE HEART....

The widow of the deceased, Mrs. Happiness Akinwale Akintunde (middle), and sympathisers, at the funeral service for THISDAY Judiciary Correspondent, Mr. Akinwale Akintunde, held at Iba New Site, Ojo, Lagos... yesterday ETOP UKUTT

COVID-19: CASES RISE TO 381 IN 24 HOURS AS NIGERIA EXPANDS TESTING CENTRES TO 21 In order to reduce the incidence of cases coming in and then forming clusters of new infections, the provision has now changed to what we call isolation-one or quarantine.

“Quarantine is for those who have not been confirmed or who are under isolation. If during the period, signs and symptoms show up, they will be tested.

If they are positive they will go to treatment centres,” he explained.

He urged states to embark on preparing at least 300-bed spaces for COVID-19 isolation and treatment.

The minister also gave update on facilities for testing, saying that 21 laboratories nationwide are now operational for COVID-19 testing.

Returnees from UAE Begin 14-day Quarantine Mustapha also disclosed that the first batch of the 256 Nigerian returnees from the United Arab Emirates, who arrived Lagos via Dubai on Wednesday, have been taken into isolation for a 14-day quarantine at designated facilities in Lagos State in line with PTF protocol.

The SGF said the NCDC will conduct appropriate tests to determine the status of the evacuees within the period of isolation.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Chief Geoffrey Onyeama, urged the evacuees to comply with directives and protocols laid down by the health authorities and see their quarantine as a sacrifice,

assuring that 14 days will pass without mishap.

He said another flight would arrive from UK today with the second batch of returnees. The flight would arrive in Lagos before departing for Abuja.

Ehanire confirmed that the returnees had been quarantined in two hotel facilities in Lagos where they were to serve the 14-day isolation preparatory for a test.

He said any person who tests positive would be invited to a treatment facility.

He said: “They have entered into mandatory supervised 14-day quarantine, in two designated hotels, in line with the laid down protocols. They will be tested for COVID-19 and any person testing positive shall be invited to a treatment facility.

I appeal to our returning citizens to bear with us and cooperate with authorities, especially if they perceive imperfections in our arrangements, as this is a test run, the first of these exercises.”

Lagos Discharges 48 More Patients Meanwhile, the Lagos State government has discharged 48 more COVID-19 patients from its isolation centres, bringing to 406 the total number of successfully treated persons in the state.

Announcing this yesterday, the Incident Commander on COVID-19 in Lagos State, Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, said the discharged patients were 32 males and 16 females.

He said: “All discharged

patients are Nigerians. 28 were discharged from the Mainland Infectious Disease Hospital, Yaba, 13 from the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH) Isolation Centre, six from Lekki Isolation Centre and one from Onikan Isolation Centre.

“With this new development, the number of COVID-19 confirmed cases that have been successfully managed and discharged in Lagos stands at 406.”

10 Staff of Lagos Govt House Test Positive, Sanwo-Olu, Wife Test Negative However, at least 10 staff of the Lagos State Government House in Marina have tested positive for COVID-19.

Announcing this yesterday in a Tweet, the Commissioner for Health, Lagos State, Prof. Akin Abayomi, said the development had made Sanwo-Olu and his wife, Joke, to undergo three COVID-19 tests at different times and that the tests have all returned negative.

He said: “I am glad to announce that COVID-19 Incident Commander Governor of Lagos State, Sanwo-Olu, and the First Lady of Lagos have consistently tested negative to COVID-19 following three consecutive tests conducted on them recently.

“However, 10 persons associated with Lagos State House in Marina have tested positive to COVID-19. On behalf of Lagos State, I, therefore, implore you all to continue to embrace the Mask Up

Lagos Initiative and observe all precautionary measures,” he said.

Ganduje’s Former Commissioner Tests Positive In a related development, a former Commissioner for Works in Kano State, Mr. Muazu Magaji, who was sacked for mocking the late Chief of Staff to the President, Malam Abba Kyari, has tested positive for COVID-19.

He announced on his Facebook page that he had tested positive for the virus.

Ganduje had on April 18 sacked him for making derogatory statements over the death of Kyari.

Black People Four Times More Likely to Die, Says Report People from black heritage are more than four times likely to die from COVID-19, according to an analysis by Britain’s Office for National Statistics (ONS).

The new report showed that black males in England and Wales are 4.2 times more likely to die if they contract the deadly virus; the risk is 4.3 times more for black women.

People with Bangladeshi, Pakistani, Indian backgrounds and mixed ethnicities have also a higher risk of death from the virus than white people, the ONS suggested.

Until April 17, 83.8 per cent of people dying were of white ethnicity, but black people became the biggest ethnicity group in victims with six per

cent, the statistics office said.

The ONS said a “substantial part of the difference in COVID-19 mortality between ethnic groups is explained by the different circumstances in which members of those groups are known to live, such as areas with socio-economic deprivation.”

“Geographic and socioeconomic factors were accounting for over half of the difference in risk between males and females of black and white ethnicity,” it said.

“However, these factors do not explain all of the difference, suggesting that other causes are still to be identified.”

80,000 New Cases Reported Daily, Says WHO In another development, the Director-General of World Health Organisation (WHO), Dr. Tedros Ghebreyesus, has said an average of 80,000 new cases of COVID-19 is being reported daily since the beginning of April.

Ghebreyesus disclosed the figure in his speech at a news conference in Geneva.

The speech was posted on WHO website.

According to him, more than 3.5 million cases of COVID-19 and almost 250,000 deaths have now been reported to WHO. “But these are not just numbers – every single case is a mother, a father, a son, a daughter, a brother, sister or friend.

“Although the number of cases reported from Western Europe is declining, more cases are being

reported every day from Eastern Europe, Africa, South-East Asia, the Eastern Mediterranean and the Americas,” he said.

ECOWAS Commission Denies Endorsing Madagascar Tonic The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has denied endorsing and ordering of Madagascar tonic, also called COVID Organics (CVO), for the treatment of the pandemic.

Madagascar had last month officially launched the CVO, an herbal mixture, developed by the Malagasy Institute of Applied Research, claiming that it can prevent and cure patients suffering from the COVID-19.

However, the commission in a statement issued yesterday said it was aware that several claims of a COVID-19 cure had been made in different parts of the world, but insisted that it could only support and endorse products that had been shown to be effective through scientific study.

ECOWAS said that for this reason, its health Institution, West Africa Health Organisation (WAHO) was collaborating with relevant partners including WHO, Africa Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, national, regional and international research consortia to promote the scientific search for a cure.

The commission also revealed that it is working with member states on some of the medications available for clinical trials and for use on a compassionate basis in selected severe cases.

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COMMENT

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

CONTROL OF INFECTIOUS DISEASE BILL There is no sinister move at Gbajabiamila’s House, writes Michael Abulu

T

he outbreak of novel Coronavirus pandemic which is currently ravaging nations has obviously put everyone on the edge. Conspiracy theories fly daily on the origin of the dreaded virus. Most of the narratives peddle via social media are conjectures lacking scientific backing. However, the messages are doing the intended damage to the minds of vast majority.

The saturated atmosphere of false stories and rumour suffocated the good intended proposed bill titled, “Control of Infectious Disease Bill� introduced on the floor of the green chamber by the Speaker, Hon Femi Gbajabiamila.

The is intended to replace the obsolete National Quarantine Act which provides guidelines for the management of infectious diseases and protection of other citizens from contracting the deadly disease.

The pronounced criticism of critics of the bills was that it is dictatorial and undemocratic. Yes, the nation’s grundnorm which is the constitution guarantees freedom and rights, privileges for citizens but these rights are not absolute. In other words, the government as the manager of peoples’ affairs has the duty to ensure that in exercising those rights, right to life of other citizens is not endangered.

That is exactly what the law intends to do. We have seen in recent times how certain people behave as if they were immune from COVID-19. They flagrantly violate rules and guideline of conduct during this trying time and carried on as business as usual. No responsible government will not intervene through a legislation to arrest the looming danger.

Nigerians must show understanding and cooperation at this moment. We can’t afford to a have full blown pandemic in our land.

It will be disastrous and overwhelming. To start with, we have grossly inadequate health facilities and personnel to contain a massive outbreak.

Secondly, there is global shortage of medical gadgets, supplies as every nation struggles with the scourge.

The speaker buttressed the above argument when he submitted that, “In the recent uproar, certain fundamental truths have been lost and are worth remembering. Our current framework for the prevention and management of infectious diseases is obsolete and no longer fit for purpose. “The current law severely constrains the ability of the Federal Government of Nigeria and the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) to take proactive action to prevent the entry into Nigeria of Infectious diseases and the management of public health emergencies when they occur. “Even now, the government remains vulnerable to claims that some directives already being implemented to manage the present crisis do not have the backing of the law and therefore cannot withstand judicial scrutiny�. He argues further, “I disagree wholeheartedly with the suggestion that this is not the ideal time to seek reforms of the infectious diseases and public health emergency framework in the country.

The weaknesses of the present system have already manifested in the inability of the government to hold to proper account those whose refusal to adhere with NCDC guidelines led to the further spread of the coronavirus in Nigeria. We have had people break out from isolation centres, and others, who fully aware of their status chose to travel

WE HAVE SEEN IN RECENT TIMES HOW CERTAIN PEOPLE BEHAVE AS IF THEY WERE IMMUNE FROM COVID-19. THEY FLAGRANTLY VIOLATE RULES AND GUIDELINE OF CONDUCT DURING THIS TRYING TIME... NO RESPONSIBLE GOVERNMENT WILL NOT INTERVENE THROUGH A LEGISLATION TO ARREST THE LOOMING DANGER

across state lines on public transport. “The number of those currently infected by the coronavirus continues to rise alongside the number of those who have died. There is no timeline for when this disease will pass, and nobody can predict when the next public health crisis will occur, just as nobody predicted the present predicament. It bears restating that we do not have in our country, a healthcare system or for that matter, a national economy that is sufficiently robust to withstand the dire consequences of a sustained infectious disease pandemic. We cannot tie our own hands in the fight against this disease�.

We need both moral suasion and strict orders to save the people from collective peril. In advanced democracies, that is the practice.

People were implored to wear face masks in public, maintain physical distance and keep good respiratory hygiene. And in few cases, the strong arm of the law deployed to keep defiant in checks.

By the way, the House of Representatives would still subject the bill to public hearing which is the custom. The people will have input in the law making process.

The speaker captures aptly, ‘ We may sometimes disagree with the how and the why of policy proposals. The parliament of the people is not an echo chamber. It is a marketplace of ideas where only those proposals that gain currency with the majority should carry the day. “However, our disagreements must be grounded in a shared recognition that our present travails demand urgent interventions.

And we must not allow ourselves to become victims of the cynical assumption that every policy proposal or response is a result of personal inducement or a grand conspiracy to bring harm to the people on whose behalf we hold political office. “The Control of Infectious Diseases Bill will be put forward to a public hearing where stakeholder contributions will be sought to make improvements to the bill before it is reviewed and debated by the Committee of the whole. “It is from the accumulation of these myriad views, suggestions and good faith critiques from within and outside the House that we will arrive at final legislation that meets the present and future needs of our country, and which we all can support in good conscience�.

Gbajabiamila since inception as leader of the 9th House of Representatives has left no one in doubt that he is out to champion the cause of the Nigerian people. It is preposterous for some characters to then allege without any iota of proof that Gbajabiamila and his men had been compromised by western interests to use Nigerians as Guinea pigs to experiment COVID-19. “Suffice it to say that none of these allegations are true. Unfortunately, we now live in a time when conspiracy theories have gained such currency that genuine endeavours in the public interest can quickly become mischaracterised and misconstrued to raise the spectre of sinister intent and ominous possibility. “This House of Representatives will never, take any action that purposes to bring harm to any Nigerian here at home or abroad. As we have thus far shown by our conduct, the resolutions and actions we take in this 9th House of Representatives will always be in the best interests of the Nigerian people who elected us, and no one else�, the speaker refutes baseless allegations.

Abulu wrote from Abuja

GOVERNANCE OR MANAGEMENT BY DECEIT Victor C. Ariole argues the need to probe further the origins of Covid-19

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o those who, in the depths of the Great Depression, said that market forces would eventually prevail and restore the economy to full employment; Keynes retorted to the effect that‌ but in the long run we’re all dead. ‌Joseph E. Stiglitz Antonio Guterres, the United Nations Secretary General, is at loss as he laments that the pandemic had created no world leader to coordinate a fight against it. Short of saying that a lot of deceits is going on among the veto power members of the UN to really face the pandemic. However, like water always finds its level, the truth will find its level at the end. But will it be Keynes’ or Mao’s reality?

Keynes seems to be responding as proactive stance to what Chairman Mao Zedong had envisaged in his own coinage of “Great Leap Forward�. At first it was a thought that famished to death over 30 million people as reported by Ian Morris, 2010. From that thought emerged the move to exterminate imperialism/capitalism so that new human beings could emerge, straitjacketed in their neurosis to imbibe socialism/communism.

For Mao, if it takes eliminating half of the world population to happen, so be it.

Whether it is called “new normal� or “reset the world�, the ignorant majority

seems to be at the receiving end. Even when the governance process know that it is deceiving the majority, it still likens it to the best approach of saving their lives. Here, it is the struggle of WHO’s Director General and WHO’s main paymaster.

When it was raging that market forces would regulate the market even when it was evident that supply is overwhelming demand as people had no means of buying to keep up their basic needs, it took a “new normal�, as Keynes preached, to shift the curve and create more inscribed isosceles image than peaked-inscribed equilateral one; so much peaked that supply axis overwhelmed weak demand axis, in effect greatly skewed to the negative, just like crude supply peaked and, as no demand, it was let out for free to show that it is still useful for the people and had better result in its value chain demand than its crude state. So, you hear the price is zero dollar. But did countries like Nigeria learn anything from it so as to cause “new normal� to happen? Where are the modular refineries that could create the “new normal� in Nigeria? Is it not still exportable to other Africans? This is where Keynes view helps the majority as against proposing stimulus for businesses to restart when in deed the small business entities in Nigeria just need energy with a supply “flattened curve�, not equilibrium, this time

around, to feel undeceived and uncheated, unlike claiming that Covid-19 infection curve must be flattened when in deed there is no possibility of effort or supply of testing kits to even test one million people not to talk of a whole population; that is also a deceit as lockdown is used to create more problem to the majority who would have been spared if known travellers who imported Covid-19 had proved sincere in isolating themselves.

And most of them are part of the deceit process, like the deceit in not telling the world when it, in deed, started in Wuhan.

Let just emphasize, more physical distancing and hand-washing as well as nose-mouth covering.

At least United Kingdom acknowledged that no fewer than 20,000 people imported Covid-19 to their space and they still admit the challenges of tracing those they had contacts with, as well as having sufficient testing kits to carry out 100,000 tests a day so as to confine the positive ones and quickly open their economy; an expected feat that would never be available to Nigeria, like the PTF Chairman insinuated in one of his outings; so why the pains for further lockdown?

More lockdowns could definitely mean that Africa could go the way of chairman Mao – let half of the population go for “Great Leap Forward� – either to force a new mindset of people who must not

expect living as social beings any longer but “robots�; and expansion to other territories seems to be better managed by robots in the “new normal� expected. Robot factories are everywhere in the developed world and China.

Africa must not sit down and allow others to decide their fate as lockdown seems not affecting either Chinese miners in Africa or oil exploitation in Africa. What is more, with almost the same population as China, the whole Africa, it is reported, has 700 million Africans who do not have access to banking or meet half of their calorie needs of 1,500.

So, like Keynes mentioned, on the long run, expect extinction. The way the novel virus is operating, it seems it is still at experimental stage looking for how it could hurt most and, still within the Wuhan axis more research efforts go on, as any probe to understand further what went wrong outside Wuhan seems to be thwarted; the latest being the assassination of a Chinese in USA who is carrying out a research on such probing.

The Japanese Nobel Laureate in Science acknowledges the fact that the virus was not behaving the way natural viruses behave.

Hence the need to probe further so as not to continue in governance or management of the virus by deceit.

Ariole is Professor of French and Francophone Studies, University of Lagos

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T H I S D AY ˾ FRIDAY, MAY 8, 2020

EDITORIAL PUTTING AN END TO KEROSENE EXPLOSIONS The relevant authorities should be alive to their responsibilities

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t is quite ironic that kerosene, which is a common domestic fuel among the society’s poor, is today one of the most expensive of all the petroleum products in Nigeria. Even worse is the fact that the product has progressively become the source of death and bodily injuries for innocent users. On a regular basis, kerosene explosions have occurred either from cooking stoves or lanterns, and given the dismal energy crisis in Nigeria, a complete escape from the use of the product is difficult. Even people who do not use kerosene for cooking may have to use it to fuel their lanterns which have become essential household appliance in many homes across the country especially in rural and semiurban homes.

Despite assurances from the authorities, of increasing concerns are these explosions and the number of lives that are lost as a result. Ironically, the intense campaigns on the need for Nigerians to drop kerosene for gas as a cheaper and cleaner means of cooking KEROSENE EXPLOSION have not achieved HAS CLAIMED LIVES any meaningful ACROSS NIGERIA AND results. Meanwhile, there have also WHEN IT HAPPENS, been many fatal gas NOTHING LOGICAL explosions across COMES OUT OF THE the country, killINVESTIGATION ing hundreds of our citizens and injuring several others. But the present concern is about kerosene that is fast becoming a bomb for many of our citizens who rely on it as their main source of energy.

Last week in Choba town, Obio/Akpor Local Government Area of Rivers State, a woman and her two children lost their lives when the stove the deceased mother was using to prepare food exploded. Worried by the incessant explosions, the Cross River chapter of the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN)

has banned the sale and purchase of kerosene by surface tanks in the state. “I want to warn all our members that nobody should put kerosene (DPK) in a surface tank outside the filling stations. I want to know the area this problem is coming from so I can block it,”, said Edet Umana who argued that the ban was necessary given the number of lives that had been lost as a result of such explosions.

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ime and again, kerosene explosion has claimed lives across Nigeria and when it happens, nothing logical comes out of the investigation. And perhaps because the victims are usually poor people, there is never a response from relevant regulatory authorities like the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR), Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) and its subsidiary, Pipelines and Products Marketing Company Ltd (PPMC). These agencies of government have never taken responsibility for the rising trend in kerosene explosion nor has it come in aid of the victims. All that they have done has been to give excuses for what is clearly a failure of their oversight responsibility.

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

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

Up till now, the identification of the elements involved with the sale of adulterated kerosene is unknown and so it is quite difficult to even arrest and prosecute anybody unless credible surveillance efforts are mounted to unravel whatever mysteries there is in the ugly development. It would be nice to also note that it is not so clear if the PPMC, the government agency in charge of the distribution of petroleum products in the country, has functional and direct channels of communication with the end users. The fact that adulterated kerosene which kills people continues to be imported into the country by some unscrupulous marketers without any sanctions is very unfortunate indeed. Therefore, something has to be done quickly to protect the poor who rely on kerosene as an energy source.

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Let’s Talk About Death

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et us talk about an integral part of human existence. Let us talk about an item that has sprung up different meanings and emotions in all strata of known social classes, in ages gone by. Let us talk about a phenomenon that has aroused phenomenal interest among medics and non-medics, scholars and non-scholars, philosophers and scientists, researchers and laymen alike, over time. Let us talk about death, a subject that evokes fear, joy, hurt, ignorance or understanding in the human mind. Let us talk about death as the final stage in human development.

The image I had about death whilst growing up on the dusty streets of Abeokuta in the seventies ran parallel to the symbol of death expressed in Greek mythology.

In Greek mythology, Thanatos, a winged and grit youth, personified death and represented the concept of non-violent death. In Abeokuta, the folkloric utterances of my grannies guided the impression I had about death.

My grannies personified Iku (the Yoruba word for death) as a merciless, brash, incorruptible and mystical beast in skeletal form, going around homes with a gigantic club clutched in the palm of one of his hands to strike his victims.

Those folklores on personalization of death sank into my system with palpable fear, forming an aspect of my young mind’s software; a software that was devoid

of contamination by external viruses for many years.

In later years, the bulk of that perception changed; influenced by exposure to extensive literature on death and living creatures, including experiences garnered from different environments, I lived in. I grew more in knowledge and understanding about the subject: Death is neither an opponent to avoid nor an enemy to conquer. In the physical realm, death is as invisible as it is inevitable.

I have learnt that death can come to humans through violent and non-violent means. I have learnt that you do not need to wait until death is at your doorstep before you start to really live. I have learnt that the impact of death goes beyond the pains, tears, grief and sorrow you experience when someone you love dies. I have learnt as Elisabeth Kubler-Ross (1926 - 2004), a world acclaimed psychiatrist, put it - that death should be viewed as ‘one of the most constructive, positive and creative elements of culture and life’. It follows from this that mankind should seek to understand death and prepare for it.

How do you understand death? How do you prepare for a subject that has adorned the toga of a taboo in some cultures, over the years? First you have to seek for the meaning of physical death and spiritual death. You have to accept the inevitability of death and its reality as the optimal level you can attain in physical growth.

Adegbola Sobogun, Lagos

5G And Health Concerns

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G is the fifth generation mobile technology network designed to provide support for new and emerging technologies such as Internet of Things (IOT), Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Big Data (BD) for improved living and work. The roll out of 5G in Wuhan, China has been traced to the outbreak of Covid-19. Therefore, countries globally are halting the roll out of 5G for health concerns. For instance, Switzerland, one of the world’s leaders in the rollout of 5G mobile technology, has placed an indefinite moratorium on the use of its new network because of health concerns. In Slovenia 5G had been halted and officials are taking more time to investigate health effects of the new technology. In the Netherlands, the parliament is concerned about the health risks of radiation from the new 5G network. Political parties urgently want to know what the state of affairs is regarding possible dangers before masts are installed on a large scale. In early April 2019 the Rome resolution asks “the mayor to stop the 5G trial and not to raise the limit values in the threshold of electromagnetic radiation avoiding the positioning of millimeter

microwave antennas on homes, schools, day centers, recreation centers, street lamps and more.” Telecompaper.com reported that a petition asking the German parliament to stop the award of 5G frequencies has reached 54,643 signatures, surpassing the quorum. The petitioners request the German parliament to suspend the procedure to award 5G frequencies based on scientifically justified doubts about the safety of this technology. In an appeal to the European Union, more than 180 scientists and doctors from 36 countries warn about the danger of 5G, which will lead to a massive increase in involuntary exposure to electromagnetic radiation. The scientists urge the EU to follow Resolution 1815 of EU Council, asking for an independent task force to reassess the health effects and halt installation of the technology. Therefore, I hereby call on the 9thth National Assembly of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and COVID-19 economy team to prevail on the presidency to immediately halt installation of 5G in Nigeria for health reasons and concerns. Let the technology be suspended for now till proper investigation is carried out.

Pedro Ukokobili, Lagos

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FRIDAY MAY 8, 2020 •T H I S D AY

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FRIDAY MAY 8, 2020 ˾ T H I S D AY

24 HOURS...

Suspected Herdsmen Kill Two Local Vigilantes in Delta Omon-Julius Onabu in Asaba Tension is mounting around Asaba and environs in Delta State following the killing yesterday of two members of a vigilance group in Okpanam, a community adjoining Asaba, the state capital, by suspected armed herdsmen.

A third member to of the vigilance group, which was on a rescue mission, survived the attack by the gunmen with gunshots wound in the leg.

THISDAY learnt that the two members of the community’s

volunteer security group were gunned down yesterday morning when they went on the trail of kidnappers who reportedly abducted a female resident in the area along with her young daughter at night.

The local security outfit members had taken it upon themselves to comb the nearby bushes for the abductees by apparently walked into the waiting hands of the armed criminals.

The incident was coming a day after Hausa traders resisting the

demolition of illegal structures in the popular Abaraka Market in Asaba by officials of Oshimili South Local Government Council, beheaded one of the environmental sanitation officials.

On the Wednesday killing, the Chairman, Oshimili South LGA, Mr. Uche Osadebey, was quoted as saying that traders in the market, which is considered by the state government as an illegal market site and a hideout for criminals, had been duly notified of the demolition order about two months ago.

Bill on Quarantine Order for Second Reading at Senate on Tuesday Deji Elumoye in Abuja The Protection Against Infectious Diseases Bill which passed through first reading at the Senate last Tuesday and seeks to empower the National Assembly with the right to annul the President’s Quarantine Order will go for second reading next Tuesday.

The bill sponsored by the Chairman of the Senate

Committee on Primary Healthcare and Communicable Diseases, Senator Chukwuka Utazi, is divided into six parts with 78 clauses, and is similar to the controversial one introduced last week in the House of Representatives by the Speaker, Hon Femi Gbajabiamila, which had since passed first and second reading.

The bill was stalled after its first reading at plenary last Tuesday as

former Deputy President of the Senate, Ike Ekweremadu, raised objection to the bill, saying he had not seen a draft of the bill and won’t want the Senate to go the way of the House.

The Chairman of the Senate Committee on Environment had said: “Recall that we have a controversial bill in the House on quarantine act amendment.

So I want to be sure that we don’t go the same route.”

NBC Launches Food Relief Intervention for Families In a further demonstration of its support for the COVID-19 fight and commitment to providing relief to vulnerable Nigerians, the Nigerian Bottling Company Limited (NBC) has commenced the distribution of food items to thousands of households across the country to help them mitigate the impact of the pandemic.

The first phase of the NBC Food Relief Intervention will see over 2,000 households in 14 locations across the country receive essential

food items, including rice, noodles and cooking oil amongst others.

The intervention, which commenced on Thursday, April 30 in Ota, Ogun State and Asejire, Oyo State, saw 300 beneficiaries receive foodstuff with an additional 150 households each set to benefit in Abuja, Port Harcourt, Maiduguri, Makurdi, Warri, Enugu and Minna.

Two hundred households each will also get relief packages in Benin City, Owerri, Challawa

and Ikeja as the NBC continues reaching out to families during these difficult times. The social interventions and volunteering campaigns is expected to run through the end of the quarter.

Receiving some of the household supplies on behalf of 150 families in Ota, Ogun State, Chairman of Nice Estate Community Development Association, Pastor Eric GbibgiJackson, commended the gesture

by NBC.

Group Hails Dankaka’s Appointment as FCC Chair Sunday Okobi

The Federation of West African Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FEWACCI), and Nigerian Association of Chambers of Commerce Industry Mines and Agriculture (NACCIMA) have hailed President Muhammadu Buhari for appointing a major industrialist, Hajiya Muheeba Dankaka, as the chairperson of the board of the Federal Character Commission (FCC).

They described it as an expression of government

confidence in private sector input into governance and a major victory and measure of confidence in public private partnership (PPP) and as a win for women in government.

In separate letters addressed to President Buhari, they described the appointment as a significant gesture towards the Organised Private Sector in Nigeria and the West African sub-region at large. he letter, which was signed by its Chief Executive Officer, Aminou Akadiri, on behalf of its President, Hajiya Saratu Iya

Aliyu, added that the regional body’s interactions with Dankaka, through the NACCIMA have always been wholesome and productive and “we can attest to her industry and depth of experience cultivated from consistent participation in the Organised Private Sector in Nigeria for over 40 years and her excellent performance in various leadership positions, including as the immediate-past president of the Kaduna Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (KADCCIMA).”

Ochuwa: Lawyer Making Affordable Jewellery Vanessa Obiora What started as a passion for lawyer and entrepreneur Aisha Ochuwa has evolved into a notable jewellery brand, catering to hundreds of people across the country The first thing that catches one’s attention on Aisha Ochuwa’s Instagram page is the beautiful array of jewellery. From anklets, pendants, rings to earrings, the social media page of the lawyer is home to different ornamental pieces.

However, the affordable prices of the jewellery is a major attraction to customers who besieged her page. An accessory can cost as low as N500. For instance, one can get small silver hoop earrings at that price. The ornaments come in different designs and are from notable brands like Gucci.

Gradually, Ochuwa’s passion for jewellery which started as a

person-to-person sales has become a booming online and offline jewelry wholesale and retail store known as Everything Beautiful

by Aisha Ochuwa.

It was in 2017 that the lawyer who is an associate with Prescott Parsons Partner Lagos, in its corporate and commercial department, took the bold steps to foray into business.

“I’ve always had a flair for business, and this interest made me want to have a solid legal knowledge about how businesses work. Since I wanted to venture into business, I saw studying law as a tool to enhance and solidify my productivity in business ventures,” she explained.

The registered company caters to the fashion needs of all sexes, delivering unparalleled quality fashion products like bracelets, earrings, necklaces, waist chains, and others to millennials at very affordable prices created with the customers in mind.

As the Creative Director of her brand, Ochuwa is keen on building a strong online presence.

Already, she has over 38,000 followers on Instagram.

“We are leveraging on this to expand into an E-commerce store that will offer a plethora of the same unparalleled and super comfortable jewelry quality to everyone. That way, people can visit our sites and pick out items they want, checkout, and have them delivered.”

Ochuwa

T H I S D AY ˾ FRIDAY MAY 8, 2020

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POLITICS

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

The World of Work as Lockdown Eases Nwachukwu Obidiwe explains that the recent easing of lockdown by President Muhammadu Buhari was a move to save the economy from total collapse and stave off restiveness and revolt from hunger stricken citizens in a nation that thrives on informal economy

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he world of work has never been so challenged as it currently is, as formal and informal businesses barely breath the world over. Public health, livelihood and well-being are seriously threatened. COVID-19 has convulsed and brought the world on its knees as the global battle on the pandemic bears little fruits only.

The Federal Government of Nigeria termed it an “invisible enemy,” a situation so dire, do or die! Daily, the world counts thousands of heads downed as the global infection rate crossed three million, and death toll, over 400000. The geometric spread of the pandemic in Nigeria did not go against global predictions after all.

With over 2000 cases and 68 deaths in two months, the nation sits on the edge as government eases the lockdown that has taken adverse effects on the economy.

But government’s decision to ease the five weeks old lockdown that made a ghost of the nation’s commercial capital, Lagos and its next door, Ogun state as well as Abuja was informed by reasons that have nothing to do with a drop in the number of infections or capacity of the nation to helm the ravaging pandemic that has hobbled even the more prepared western nations. It was rather to save the economy from total collapse and stave off restiveness, revolt from hunger stricken citizens in a nation that thrives 80% on informal economy. President Muhammadu Buhari captured the situation succinctly in his address on April 27. “No country can afford the full impact of sustained lockdown while awaiting the development of vaccines.”

But even as many, especially selfaccount businesses and daily earners happily return to work places, a dimming optimism grips even the most enthusiastic. The experience of Ghana and Germany who just suffered the worst second wave of the pandemic with numbers spiking unprecedentedly following relaxed lockdowns, stares at the nation. It is a specter the Chairman of the Pandemic Taskforce and Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha acknowledged in one of the daily briefings. President Buhari, renowned for taciturnity though, has been a beaming ray of hope since his first COVID-19 broadcast to the nation on February 29. His second address two weeks later which extended the lockdown was a balm on the soul of a troubled nation.

An aside, Buhari is an unlucky Nigerian President. A man who waited for over one decade of fierce presidential election battles with successive three losses, his vision of transforming Nigeria is here, viciously challenged by vicissitudes, latest being the raging pandemic. He remains unbowed notwithstanding.

His confidence that Nigeria would rise with the world from the ashes of the evil pandemic is expressive and reawakening. “Nigeria continues to adopt and adapt to these new global realities on daily basis … despite drastic increase in the number of cases recorded in the past two weeks, the measures we have put in place thus far have yielded positive outcomes.” He further assures of measures that will “ensure the economy continues to function while maintaining aggressive response to

the pandemic.”

The return of workers to stations across the federation, calls for risk assessment of work places in line with occupational safety standards,

to avoid turning workers vendors of community spread. “In the face of an infectious disease outbreak, how we protect our workers now clearly dictates how safe our communities

Searchlight on Mr. President’s New Chief of Staff Ahmad Sajoh, a former Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Adamawa State outlines the qualities the most valued staff of Mr. President must embody

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he death of Mallam Abba Kyari is a very big blow to His Excellency Mr. President, the government and indeed the country at large. He left a very big vacuum which will be hard to fill.

While it is indeed wrong to speak ill of the dead, I find some of the testimonies bandied around by people who claim to have been too close to the late Chief of Staff as equally wrong.

Where were all these people when the man was alive and so many unsavory things were said about him? Some of the testimonies do not even add up at all when juxtaposed with what transpired under the presidency when he was alive. Like I said earlier, we have all accepted this cultural norm that it is bad to talk ill of the dead. But It is equally wrong to say things not true about a man who passed away. In all honesty, we should have been more concerned with designing a template for the President to use in selecting a replacement rather than spending so much time and energy in portraying the late Chief of Staff as an irreplaceable super human.

For me, the most important thing we all should be doing is to help the President identify a suitable replacement that will serve the best interest of the President as the leader of the country and the citizens who have a service contract with the President.

According to the President, one of the qualities that stood Mallam Abba Kyari apart was his close relationship with Mr. President for over four decades. This means that whoever

will replace the late Chief of Staff must have been close to the President for a long time, long enough to understand the President’s person and temperament as well as to appreciate him both as a leader with all the burdens of the office and as a human with personal needs. Such a replacement must understand national politics very well while still remaining completely apolitical without pandering to the political whims of the different political tendencies in the polity. This way, the different roles of the office of the President cannot be compromised on the altar of political expediency or to satisfy a particular individual or group political interests.

In addition, the replacement must appreciate working 24/7 all year round without let or rest within the President’s demands. This must have been cultivated over the years dating to periods long before Muhammadu Buhari became the President. This is why such an appointee should be the choice of the President this time around not one supposedly imposed on the President as was speculated with the late Chief of Staff. And it is easy for the President to find such a person within his inner circular. Most importantly such a person’s appointment should erase all the speculations about the office serving as the extension of a supposed cabal manipulating the governance process. This is necessary for confidence building.

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

are, and how resilient our businesses will be, as this pandemic evolves,” says Guy Ryder, the Director General of the International Labour Organisation (ILO). The message is not lost on Nigeria as guidelines for the re-opening of offices came in a manner that ensures reduced physical interactions, improved ventilation, adequate facilities for hand washing and cleaning of surfaces in line with COVID-19 protocol. The work days and hours have also been reduced too. This, however, has implications as the ILO warned that “1.6 billion workers in the informal economy which is half of the global workforce, stand in the immediate danger of losing their livelihood.”

No doubt, strong national programme for the health, safety and wellbeing of workers, especially those at the frontier expresses the resolve of the Federal Government.

It has in place, a special hazard and inducement allowance, Group Life Insurance Policy and Employees’ Compensation for injuries, disabilities sustained and even death in the course of discharge of duties according to the Minister of Labour and Employment, Sen. Chris Ngige .

He said government would “extend social protection to the most needy, protect incomes, jobs, as well as rebuild, reshape and re-organise the economic and social infrastructure and priorities beyond the crisis.”

These are steps that align with the theme of the 2020 World Day for Safety and Health at Work entitled, “Stop the Pandemic : Safety and Health at Work Can Save Lives.”

However, this bold response will have to contend with the aggressive pessimism, a reality that many workers currently face. Though the Presidential Economic Sustainability Council is already engaging employers to save jobs and strategize on unique module for jobs creation, a gloomy signal emerged from the financial sector as some banks are already considering throwing out workers. But Sen. Ngige has warned against unilateral declaration of redundancy. “I wish to state that employers will not be encouraged to disengage staff without prerequisite social dialogue and clearance from the Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment,” he said on Workers Day. It was a strong national response which led to the resolution of the Central Bank and the Bankers Committee to put retrenchment on hold. Is this just postponing the doomsday, many have asked? The former Anambra Governor is not known for frivolous statements and has his charismatic way of weathering the storm of trade disputes. A similar situation at the inception of the administration in June 2016, had the Minister threatening financial institutions with withdrawal of operational licenses. The matter was later resolved by the National Assembly with applauses for the steps he took.

Nonetheless, the locale of the battle this time is certainly different.

The COVID-19 pandemic has kept the world on tenterhooks, ruined businesses. Nevertheless, the Minister remains confident even as the ILO warned that nearly half of the global workforce is at risk of losing livelihoods. Ngige insists Nigeria is taking a job-rich strategy and has strong employment policies.

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BUSINESSWORLD R A T E S MONEY MARKET OBB OVERNIGHT

A S

A T

REPO 2.25 % 2.75 %

CALL 1-MONTH 3-MONTH

2.0 % 2.0 % 2.0 %

A P R I L S & P INDEX INDEX LEVEL 1-DAY MONTH-TO-DATE

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

3 0 , 2 0 2 0 502.76 % 1.03 % 7.96 %

S & P INDEX 1/4 TO DATE 7.96 % YEAR TO DATE 4.49 %

EXCHANGE RATE N361/1US DOLLAR* ĚŠ

Quick Takes Ethiopian Introduces Digital Services

Ethiopian Airlines has introduced a mobile app and chatbot-assisted shipmenttrackingservicetoelevatecargocustomers’experience.The mobileapp,whichisnowavailableonbothAndroidandiOS,wouldbring conveniencetoEthiopianCargoandLogisticsServicescustomersthrough arangeofself-servicefeaturesincludingcheckingflightschedule,cargo trackingandcharterrequestsattheswipeofafinger,whiletheEthiopian Chatbotenablescustomerstoaccessup-to-dateinformationandtrack theirshipmentonMessengerandTelegram. “Asacustomer-centricairline,wealwaysseekwaystobetterserveour customers and bring more digital options to their fingertips,� Director Group Integrated Marketing Communications at Ethiopian, Miretab Teklayesaid. “The newly unveiled cargo mobile app and chatbot-assisted cargo trackingservicewillbringconvenienceforourcustomersallowingthem toaccessreal-timeupdatesabouttheirshipmentsandtoprocesstheir charterrequests. “Asthenumberofmobileappsandmessagingplatformsusersgrows globally,wewillleverageourin-housedigitalcapabilitiestofurtherelevate customers’experiencebytakingourdigitalservicetotheplatformsof theirchoice,�Teklayeadded.

Ibom Air Acquires Fourth CRJ 900

BOOSTING PORT EQUIPMENT

Head of Terminals, Africa and Middle East region of APM Terminals, Mr. David Skov (left) and Managing Director of Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Hadiza Bala-Usman during the inauguration of two new Mobile Harbor Cranes acquired by APM Terminals, at Apapa, Lagos...recently

Airlines Fear Passengers May Shun Flights on Resumption Chinedu Eze Nigerian airlines have expressed concern that despite the efforts being made to protect passengers on resumption of flight operation after the lockdown that was occasioned by the COVID-19, travellers may still shun the airports until vaccine against the virus is approved and made available.

As announced by the federal government, flight operations are expected to commence in June.

Some airline operators who spoke to THISDAY said the reason passengers might shun the airports could be because the spread of the virus had been associated with air travel. Owing to this, they said fear would

AVIATION still linger.

But the International Air Travel Association (IATA) has said air travel poses low risk of transmission of the disease.

One of the operators who spoke to THISDAY said without the vaccine many people may not be confident travelling, especially as the average age of people who travel for business and government transactions in Nigeria are about 50 years and above, the age bracket that face more threat with the virus.

The airline officials said if airlines don’t resume operations early, some of them might not be able to resume again and

even those that would resume might not operate for a long time; unless there would be funds to inject in the business for effective start-up.

The official who spoke to THISDAY said when the airlines resume, they might not be operating to many destinations as they did before the lock down.

For example, before the lockdown, Air Peace was operating about 90 flights a day on domestic routes. There are projections that it might cut down flight operations significantly.

But the Chief Operating Officer of Dana Air, Obi Mbanuzuo expressed optimism that Nigerians would be willing to fly.

“We are optimistic that passengers will return,� he said.

Dana Air said it might start operation with two aircraft first and responds to passengers’ demand, while Aero Contractors may also kick-off with two aircraft, while its maintenance facility would become a buzz of activities, as many airlines would seek to conduct their aircraft checks there.

However, the Director of Consumer Protection, the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), Adamu Abdullahi, said what is important is that passengers and other airport users are protected from the virus and that was why the Continued on page 20

IbomAirhastakendeliveryoftheairline’sfourthBombardierCRJ900 aircraft in Lagos. The aircraft arrived Lagos from Calgary, Canada on Tuesday. “Weareverypleasedtoreceivethefirstofourtworecentlypurchased BombardierCRJ900aircraft,inlinewithourfleetexpansionstrategy.

Withthisaddition,ourfleetgrowstofouraircraft.Thisparticularaircraft, withregistrationnumber5N-BXP,madeitsmaidencommercialflight inMay2014(justsixyearsago). “Thus, Ibom Air continues to operate the lowest average fleet age amongst Nigeria’s airlines. This fleet strategy is in line with our vision tobeaworld-classAfricanregionalairline,�theairlinesaid.

A key benefit of Ibom Air’s very modern fleet of Bombardier CRJ 900 aircraftisthattheyallcomefittedwithHighEfficiencyParticulateAir (HEPA)filters.HEPAfiltersarehigh-intensityfiltersthatdonotjustfilter dust, but effectively capture greater than 99 per cent of the airborne microbesinthefilteredair,includingmicroscopicparticlessuchasbacteria andviruses.CabinairinHEPAequippedaircraftgenerallypassthrough the filters 20-30 times per hour, removing contaminants and greatly enhancingthequalityofairinthecabin.

The airline thanked the Minister of Aviation, Senator Hadi sirika, the FederalMinistryofAviation,theaviationagenciesandtheAkwaIbom State Government, for making it possible for the company to ferry in thisaircraftduringthisperiod.

Qatar Rebuilds Network

Qatar Airways has announced that it will begin a phased approach to expandingitsnetworkinlinewithpassengerdemandevolutionandthe expectedrelaxationofentryrestrictionsaroundtheworld.

The airline said having maintained flights to at least 30 destinations during this crisis, helping to take over one million people home, it has beeninauniquepositiontocloselymonitorglobalpassengerflowsand bookingtrendstoconfidentlybeginplanningthegradualreintroduction ofadditionalflightsanddestinationstoitsnetwork.

QatarAirwaysGroupChiefExecutive,Mr.AkbarAlBakersaid,“Throughout thiscrisisourpassengershavebeenatthecentreofourfocus.Ourairline hasimplementedindustry-leadinghygienepracticesandcommercial policiesenablingourpassengerstobookandtravelwithconfidence. “Wehavemaintainedaflexibleandagilenetworktohelptakeover1million peoplehomethroughourstateofthearthubinDohaandtotransport morethan100,000tonnesofessentialmedicalandaidsuppliestowhere theyareneeded.

Virgin Sacks 3,150 Workers

FG Urged to Direct Automation of Invoicing, Payments at Ports Eromosele Abiodun Following the hardship faced in clearing cargoes during the total lockdown ordered by the federal government to halt the spread of COVID-19, customs agents in the country have called on the federal government to order all the terminal operators, shipping companies and some relevant government agencies to automate all their processes and make them interactive, such that all transactions by cargo interests can be done online.

The Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA) stated this in an open letter to the federal government titled: “The several man-made and sustained afflictions of the

MARITIME Nigerian port system, their effects on ease of doing business, trade facilitation and escalation of cost of business transactions.�

ANLCA in the letter signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Adumaza Joe Sanni, stated: “Whilst the ports were open for business during the lockdown, other stakeholders who cannot get to the ports due to restriction of persons and vehicular movements order, could have carried out their transactions online. “This way, all stakeholders stay out of harm, stay safe and obey government’s directives on COVID-19, avoiding human contacts in physical/social

distancing rule and also ensures that the imminent congestion in the ports never occurs.�

The agents also decried the lack of data gathering, collation and analysis for projecting port variables at the nation’s seaports across the country.

They added: “Times without number, proposals have been made for a set up to collect data, collate the data, analyse it and make results available to the public to dissect to make informed decisions or analysis.

One cannot understand why it is so difficult to approach the nagging problem and solve it. “Data is required gathered on imports’ country of origin, commodity freighted, means of carriage, weight, commodity

code, Duty paid, DN paid, exemptions, prohibited items, contraventions, etc.� “We would like to suggest that the presidency should send an executive bill to the National Assembly to establish a Data Gathering Commission specifically for the maritime industry with bias for cargo movements in the ports and border stations. This, on the long run, will provide a basis for making projections, with or without a Force Majeure. Data collected and documented must be shared among stakeholders’ in the industry and the public periodically,� the agents added.

They called on the federal

UK-basedcarrier,VirginAtlantichasannouncedstrategiestoreshape itsbusinessandcomeoutofthepresentcrisisstronger.Theairlinesaidit plannedreductionof3,150jobsacrossallfunctions,justasitalsodisclosed that from today, it would no longer use all of its seven 747-400s, with fourA330-200aircraftretiringinearly2022asplanned.

By2022,theairlinesaidthesimplified,greenerfleetwouldcomprise36 twin-engineaircraftreducingcarbondioxideemissionsbyanestimated furthertenpercent,buildingonthe18percentefficiencyalreadyachieved between2007and2019.

“AON is shocked and disappointed by the decision taken by the federal government to evacuate Nigerians back to our country with foreign airlines�

Chairman, Airline Operators of Nigeria (AON),

Captain Nogie Meggison Continued on page 20

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AIRLINES FEAR PASSENGERS MAY SHUN FLIGHTS ON RESUMPTION

Seafarers to be Paid for Extended Services

Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) is providing protective facilities that would enable airport users protect themselves against coronavirus. “The best we can do is to ensure that the enabling environment is ensured.

Airport authorities need to sanitize and fumigate as well as provide protective gear to its staff. Airlines are expected to sanitize and fumigate aircraft, ensure safety of the crew. “Social distancing and other directives of health authorities must be strictly adhered to. This is then to be followed by massive public awareness campaign to reassure passengers that it is safe to fly. Airports, airlines and indeed the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) are all putting heads together to achieve this,� Abdullahi said.

Meanwhile, IATA has said it approved the use of protective gear by the flight crew, including face masks, but rejected the decision to keep the middle seat of aircraft empty as form of social distancing.

IATA said it supports the wearing of face coverings for passengers and masks for crew while on board aircraft as a critical part of a layered approach to biosecurity to be implemented temporarily when people return to traveling by air, noting that it does not support mandating social distancing measures that would leave ‘middle seats’ empty.

Eromosele Abiodun

FG URGED TO DIRECT AUTOMATION OF INVOICING, PAYMENTS AT PORTS government to ensure the enforcement of Presidential Executive Order No.1 on port operations.

The agents added that the Presidential Enabling Business Environment Council (PEBEC), in conjunction with the ports advocacy groups/ associations must collaborate to ease out all government agencies not captured in the Executive Order 1 from the ports, particularly Quarantine, Standards Organisation of Nigeria and NDLEA. “As the directive further requires, the lead agency in the ports- Nigeria Customs Service (NCS)– will have to invite relevant agencies to the Ports, when their attention is needed.�

Group Business Editor

Obinna Chima

Capital Market Editor

Goddy Ogene

Comms/e-Business Editor

Emma Okonji

Senior Correspondent

Ă‹Ă’Ă?Ă?Ă— Ă•Ă“Ă˜Ă‘ĂŒĂ™Ă–Ă&#x; (Advertising) Correspondents

Ă’Ă“Ă˜Ă?ĂŽĂ&#x; äĂ? (Aviation) ĂœĂ™Ă—Ă™Ă?Ă?Ă–Ă? ĂŒĂ“Ă™ĂŽĂ&#x;Ă˜ (Maritime) James Emejo (Finance) Ebere Nwoji (Insurance) Chineme Okafor (Energy) Reporters

Ă&#x;Ă—Ă? Ă•Ă?Ă‘Ă’Ă? (Money Market) Ă™Ă?Ă‹ Ă–Ă?Ă•Ă’Ă&#x;ÙÑÓĂ? (ICT)

The National Seafarers Welfare Board (NSWB) Nigeria has assured that seafarers on board ships as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic that they would receive wages due them for the extra days.

Chairman, NSWB, Kunle Folarin, stated this while responding to the fears of some Nigerian seafarers on a television programme.

During the virtual meeting, Folarin, who addressed the challenges and fears of Nigerian seafarers during the COVID-19 pandemic, expressed the readiness of the board to provide assistance to Nigerian seafarers facing any kind of difficulties presently, saying seafarers who toil to keep the economic balance deserve their pays.

Where employers attempt to short-change seafarers, he urged victims of such ill treatment to lodge complaints directly to regulatory bodies, saying such matters would be dealt with decisively.

He explained that seafarers have a right to escalate such issues even to the International Labour Organisation (ILO) when they are not handled properly.

The NSWB chairman, who also referred to seafarers as, “the engine that propel international trade,� said they deserve support through a collective bargaining agreement as, “Ni-

gerian seafarers should receive remuneration comparable with their counterparts all over the world.�

He disclosed that a tripartite agreement on seafarers’ welfare in which government represented by the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria (MWUN) representing

seafarers and Ship owners was reached in 2019 and signed by the parties.

On how the travel ban has weighed on crew changes, Folarin, who said that the shut airports and land borders have adversely affected the repatriation of seafarers said shore passes are no longer issued by the Nigerian Immigration Service so as

to protect seafarers from contracting COVID-19 by coming ashore.

He assured seafarers that in extreme matters like health crises, and upon the recommendation of the Port Health, evacuation of anyone person with a delicate case can be arranged.

The ILO had recently, in a white paper called on

governments to treat seafarers respectfully and to allow crew changes and travels for seafarers.

Folarin, also thanked organisations like Women’s International Shipping & Trading Association (WISTA) Nigeria and Women in Logistics and Transport (WILAT) for supporting seafarers at during the pandemic.

CSR IN ACTION

L-R: Seriki for the Blind, Adamu Jibril; Seriki for People with leprosy, Destitute Home, Yaba, Lagos, Ahmadu Gaya; President, Association of Bureau De Change Operators of Nigeria (ABCON), Aminu Gwadabe; and National Treasurer, Gbadamosi Muritala, during the donation of essential food and relief items to the destitute home by ABCON to support the COVID-19 ďŹ ght in Lagos... recently

NIMASA Investigates Cause of Dead Fish along Niger Delta Coastline Eromosele Abiodun The Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) has commenced inquiry to identify the cause of the recent shoals of dead fish washed ashore along the Niger Delta coastline states of Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa, Cross River, Delta, and Rivers, and other places within the region.

The agency, in a statement, also put up a warning to the general public, especially the fishermen in the affected areas, about the dangers of consuming or selling the dead fish to unsuspecting members of the public.

Director-General of NIMASA, Dr. Bashir Jamoh in the statement said: “We are working with relevant scientific experts to isolate the cause of the abnor-

mal issue of dead fish along the Niger Delta coastline. We want to identify the cause and establish what can be done to alleviate the adverse effect of this occurrence on the people and the marine environment in the affected areas. “While we are working to decipher and mitigate this strange incident, we appeal to locals in the affected communities

and those who trade in aquatic animals to avoid consumption and sale of the dead fish, as such acts may carry criminal liabilities, especially with regard to deliberate sale of the dead fish to the public.�

Jamoh said the tripod investigation would involve an examination of the dead fish as well as water and sediment analyses.

“NIMASA has the mandate to regulate and protect the country’s marine environment as provided for in the Merchant Shipping Act 2007 and in compliance with the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships, 1973, as modified by the Protocol of 1978 (MARPOL 1973/78), and other relevant instruments aimed at protecting the maritime domain,� he added.

ABCON Donates Relief Materials to 2,000 Families The Association of Bureaux De Change Operators of Nigeria (ABCON) has donated essential food items to 2000 families across the six geopolitical zones as part of its contribution to mitigate the impact of the COVID – 19 pandemic.

Furthermore, the association has donated N10 million to the private sector led Coalition Against COVID-19 (CACOVID) Relief Fund, spearheaded by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).

ABCON President, Aminu Gwadabe, disclosed this while speaking at the donation of essential food items to the

Destitute Home in Yaba, Lagos State.

He said while the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted severely on the economy and the livelihood of millions of people across the world, it was also an opportunity to demonstrate love and support to the poor and vulnerable members of the society.

He said that ABCON, in this regard and as a socially responsible organisation, decided to focus its support on the poorest of the poor in the society, stressing that this prompted the donation of essential food items to over

2000 families representing the poorest of the poor families in the country. “Today in Lagos we are donating food items to over 200 families through the Destitute Home, Yaba, and Lagos. The items include bags of rice, cartons of noodles and macaroni. “Similar donations were made by the ABCON zonal executives in Abuja, Kano, Kano State, Awka in Anambra State, Benin, Edo State, and Maduguri in Borno State.�

In addition to the support to these families, Gwadabe disclosed that ABCON has

joined other private sector organisations to support the going efforts of the federal government to curb the spread of the coronavirus.

He said: “In this the Association has donated N10 million to the CBN inspired CACOVID Relief Fund. “We have also taken measures to protect BDC operators and their customers from the coronavirus. “For this purpose ABCON has distributed over 20,000 face masks, hand sanitisers and infra-red thermometers to over 5,000 BDC members in all our cash disbursement

centers across the country.� “Also in compliance with the social distancing guidelines, we have implemented automation of our queuing/ crowd management system in all disbursements centres across the country to ensure minimum crowd gathering�.

While commending the federal and state governments for the decisive steps taken to curb the spread of the coronavirus and mitigate its impact on the economy, Gwadabe said: “ABCON believe that Nigeria will emerge from the COVID-19 challenge as stronger and more united.

COVID-19: NAFDAC Issues Guidelines on Substitute Products’ Donations The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has said companies that market breastmilk substitutes should not provide free products, samples or reduced-price foods to families through health workers or health facilities, except as supplies distributed through government or officially sanctioned health

programmes.

The agency said the directive was in keeping with the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) International Code of Marketing of Breastmilk Substitutes (BMS).

It stated that the clarification became necessary due to donations of breastmilk substitutes (BMS) as palliatives in the national response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

According to a statement, the guideline was also in pursuant to provisions of the NAFDAC Act, Cap N1 LFN 2004 and the Marketing (Breast-Milk Substitutes) Act Cap M.5 LFN 2004 and the BMS regulations. “The WHO International Code of Marketing of Breastmilk Substitutes (BMS) requires that products distributed in such programmes should

not display company brands. “In this specific instance, the unbranded packaging is to focus on the need to support the response to the COVID-19 pandemic, where necessary in terms of infant and young child feeding, rather than use the pandemic as a platform for brand promotion. “Through this medium the agency wishes to advise

all infant food manufacturers/distributors and nongovernmental organisations (NGOs) wishing to make foods for infants and young children (BMS) available for distribution, through officially sanctioned health programmes, to adhere to the clarification provided above and approach NAFDAC for the necessary guidance,� it explained.

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IATA, UNWTO, AFRAA, Seek $10bn Relief for Travel,Tourism Sectors Chinedu Eze Five international air transport and tourism bodies have launched an appeal to international financial institutions, country development partners and international donors to support Africa’s travel and tourism sectors with at least $10 billion relief.

They said the sectors employ about 24.6 million people on the African continent and may soon collapse if there is no rescue in sight.

The bodies said without urgent funding, the COVID-19 crisis could see a collapse of the sector in Africa, taking with it millions of jobs. The sector contributes $169 billion to Africa’s economy combined, representing 7.1 per cent of the continent’s GDP. The request was made by the International Air Transport Association (IATA), the World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) of the United Nations, the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC), the African Airlines Association (AFRAA) and the Airlines Association of Southern Africa (AASA).

These organisations are jointly calling on international financial institutions, country development partners and international donors to support the African Travel and

Tourism sector through these tough times by providing $10 billion in relief to support the travel and tourism industry and help protect the livelihoods of those it supports directly and indirectly.

Others include access to as much grant-type financing and cash flow assistance as possible to inject liquidity and provide targeted support to severely impacted countries; financial measures that can help minimise disruptions to much-needed credit and liquidity for businesses.

This includes the deferral of existing financial obligations or loan repayments; and ensuring that all funds flow down immediately to save the businesses that need them urgently, with minimal application processes and without impediment from normal lending considerations such as creditworthiness.

Some African governments are trying to provide targeted and temporary support for hard-hit sectors such as Travel & Tourism. However, many countries lack the necessary resources to help the industry and the livelihoods it supports through this crisis.

The situation is now critical.

Airlines, hotels, guesthouses, lodges, restaurants, meeting venues and related businesses

face mounting losses. Typically, tourism is comprised of 80% of small and mediumsized enterprises (SMEs). To preserve cash, many have already begun laying off or placing staff on unpaid leave. “The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic is being felt across the whole tourism value chain. The sector and the millions of livelihoods it supports across the world, including vulnerable communities are particularly exposed.

International financial support is key to ensuring that tourism can lead to wider economic and social recovery in these communities,� said UNWTO Secretary-General, Zurab Pololikashvili. “Airlines are at the core of the Travel & Tourism value chain that has created quality jobs for 24.6 million people in Africa. Their livelihoods are at risk. Containing the pandemic is the top priority. But without a lifeline of funding to keep the Travel & Tourism sector alive, the economic devastation of COVID-19 could take Africa’s development back a decade or more. Financial relief today is a critical investment in Africa’s post-pandemic future for millions of Africans,� said IATA’s Director-General and CEO, Alexandre de Juniac.

Emirates Prepares Ahead of Flight Resumption Emirates has said it is busy protecting and preparing the world’s largest all wide-body fleet to take to the skies. This could have proved daunting, but Emirates Engineering, a division of the airline and one of the world’s most technologically advanced aircraft maintenance facilities, has it all covered – literally.

Emirates’ Divisional Senior Vice President Engineering, Ahmed Safa said, “Emirates moves to a different drumbeat – one where the highest standards are absolutely fundamental to our entire organisational rhythm.

Everything we do ladders up to ensuring the best customer experience and people feeling safe and reassured while flying with us. “That philosophy also extends to our Engineering team and how we maintain and secure our multibillion dollar fleet with

the world’s largest number of Airbus A380s and Boeing 777s. “We don’t just cover our engines, but have a comprehensive aircraft parking and reactivation programme that strictly follows manufacturers’ guidelines and maintenance manuals, and we have enhanced standards and protocols of our own. “We also have the enviable challenge of a full wide-body fleet – 115 A380s and 155 B777s – and the most sophisticated systems and avionics in the industry. While a narrow-body aircraft only requires around 3-4 employees working for eight hours or so to cover it, our aircraft need 4-6 employees working a 12-hour shift. And taking extra precautions while maintaining social distancing adds its own interesting twist to the proceedings.�

Of the 270 aircraft in its fleet, Emirates had initially parked

and wrapped up 218 aircraft – 117 at Dubai World Central and 101 at Dubai International airport – that involved more than 15,500 man-hours of work.

Now around 75 Emirates aircraft, both passenger and freighter, are crisscrossing the planet carrying people on repatriation and cargo on essential missions. These continue to be maintained as per standard operating procedures.

Some aircraft are undergoing scheduled heavy maintenance in Emirates Engineering’s hangars.

Routinely, Emirates covers all aircraft that are taken out of operations for more than 48 hours. Much before the pandemic, Emirates has had to cover a significant part of its fleet during the runway closures at Dubai International airport, and even during the 2010 volcanic ash cloud disaster that partially grounded the fleet.

COVID-19 Comair Enters Business Rescue Comair has announced that the group will enter business rescue to safeguard the interests of the company and its stakeholders after the Covid-19 crisis disrupted the implementation of a turnaround plan.

Comair CEO, Wrenelle Stander, said the company, which reported a half-year loss of R564 million for H1 F20, faced an unprecedented situation following the Covid-19 lockdown. “While we had started making good progress to fix the

financial situation six months ago, the crisis has meant we have not been able to implement it as we intended. “We completely understand and support the government’s reasons for implementing the lockdown, however as a result we have not been able to operate any flights. Now that the phased lockdown has been extended the grounding is likely to endure until October or even November. These extraordinary circumstances have completely eroded our revenue base while we are

still obliged to meet fixed overhead costs. The only responsible decision is to apply for business rescue.�

In terms of the lockdown Comair was required to stop flying on 26 March and has not operated any passenger services since. The Covid-19 crisis has also severely affected the global airline industry. A number of carriers have gone out of businesses. Others such as Virgin Australia and Air Mauritius have implemented restructuring processes, similar to business rescue.

Aviation Stakeholders Kick against Oronsaye Report Chinedu Eze Aviation industry stakeholders and members of organised labour have kicked against the planned merger recommended in the Oronsaye Report, which recommended that the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA), the Nigeria Meteorological Agency (NIMET) should merge with the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) to become Federal Civil Aviation Authority (FCAA).

The stakeholders faulted the recommendation on the grounds that it does not dovetail with the regulation of the International Civil Aviation Organsiation (ICAO), which canvasses that the regulatory agency, NCAA should be autonomous so that it would be insulated from the encumbrances of service providers, which it is established to regulate their activities.

The federal government recently announced plan to implement recommenÂŹdations of the Presidential Committee on Restructuring of Government Agencies and Commissions, known as Oronsaye Report.

The committee submitted its whitepaper to the governÂŹment in 2014, but the then governÂŹment could not implement the recommendations before it left office.

The committee also recÂŹommended that the Federal Airports Authority of NigeÂŹria (FAAN) be privatised, but the government rejected this, citing the security situation in the country.

The committee further mentioned the Nigerian ColÂŹlege of Aviation Technology (NCAT), Zaria, and the AcÂŹcident Investigation Bureau (AIB) in its report and issued various recommendations on them.

Last week, the Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Mrs. Zainab Ahmed, said PresiÂŹdent Muhammadu Buhari has approved the implementation of the Oronsaye Report, which further recomÂŹmended the abolition of 38 federal agencies, merger of 52, and the reversion of 14 agencies to departments in relevant ministries, which signified its implementation any moment soon.

However, in the aviation industry, stakeholders said the merger recommended by the report would bring confusion and run counter to ICAO rules in addition to attendant job losses.

Industry consultant and CEO of Belujane Konsult, Chris Aligbe said the federal government cannot merge a regulatory body with service providing agencies. He recalled that sometime in the past what is known as NAMA and FAAN today merged and the result was high accident record, which prompted government to separate the two agencies.

Aligbe, said that NIMET cannot be merged with other aviation agencies because besides providing weather report to air transport, it also services other sectors of the economy, including maritime, agriculture and environment.

I don’t think the merger will be successful in the aviation industry.

There is already plan to concession the airports. That will remove the burden from government

Sirika

“Accident Investigation Bureau (AIB) cannot be merged with other agencies; rather, there is already plan to expand the Bureau into a multimodal accident investigation agency to include road and maritime. AIB was merged in the past but all of us knew the consequences, series of tragic accidents. “I don’t think the merger will be successful in the aviation industry. There is already plan to concession the airports. That will remove the burden from government,� Aligbe said.

Former Managing Director of NAMA, Nnamdi Udo, warned that if airspace management is subsumed, especially air traffic control, it would give rise to inefficiency that might compromise air safety. He remarked that the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), is all encompassing, but air traffic control is under a chief executive. “If you merge FAAN and NAMA it will be like the Agency for Aerial Navigation Safety in Africa and Madagascar (ASECNA), but air traffic control will be made a specialised service unit, but this will be unlikely marriage because it may not be successful. “FAAN already has huge burden on its head and it would continue to be sluggish until it is unburdened. Merger goes with loss of jobs. How many people in NAMA and FAAN are resourceful and skilled manpower?� he said.

However, the President of the National Union of Air Transport Employees (NUATE), Ben Nnabue told THISDAY that the possibility of merger of aviation agencies was remote, especially NCAA, “which is completely impossible to merge with any other agency for the singular reason that the Authority is aviation’s regulatory body.� “Any attempt to merge services providing agencies with the NCAA would amount to the regulator regulating itself which would make mockery of objectivity as a cardinal principle in regulation. \ “Besides, it raises the possibility of appointment of persons of doubtable personnel in charge of regulation considering that other proficiencies would compete for such appointment on the basis of multiple services on offer. “Most importantly, Nigeria will risk becoming a pariah aviation state and most likely lose all global certifications earlier obtained on the basis of falling short of ICAO specifications on independence and objectivity standards expected of a state regulatory body. All thoughts of merging the NCAA with any other aviation agency must simply be buried unless the promoters of such ideas wish to precipitate an earth shaking crisis in Nigeria’s aviation industry,� he said.

Nnabue added that any plan to merge NiMet with any aviation agency cannot stand because NiMet services is beyond aviation, agriculture, military, others.

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Ngoka: Travel Will Decrease by 40% after COVID-19 Pandemic Tourism Consultant and Vice President (South East), Federation of Tourism Association of Nigeria, Ngozi Ngoka, in this interview, says tourism is the worst hit sector by COVID-19 pandemic due to the nature of its business. Chinedu Eze brings the excerpts:

W

hat impact do you think COVID-19 will have on the tourism industry in Nigeria?

The tourism industry was the first and has been the worst hit so far. This is mostly because the industry is primarily involved in the provision of accommodation, transportation, entertainment, food and other services to individuals who move from place to place for business and pleasure.

The very first step taken to curb the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic was to restrict movement, gathering of people and eventual closure of borders between states. These are all tourism activities that have been basically put to a halt. Airlines, accommodation facilities, ground transportation, event centers, restaurants, beaches, nightclubs, museums, game parks/ reserves and all tourism facilities are currently in limbo and even when restrictions are lifted, it will be a long and gradual process for tourists to have the confidence to move around or congregate freely. In fact, it is estimated that travel will decrease by 30-40 per cent after the pandemic restrictions are removed.

Consider the fact that the National Bureau of statistics puts tourism industry’s contribution to Nigeria’s employment creation at 20 per cent and its contribution to the GDP at 34 per cent, then you will begin to understand the huge social and economic losses from the tourism sector alone.

What is your projection of outbound tourism post-COVID-19?

Things will not be the same for sure because what has happened is that we have all discovered new ways of doing things. We now have more people signing on to zoom meetings, online fitness classes and paying to watch 3D enactments of their favorite destinations. I do not imagine that many people will be willing to travel for business when they can have zoom meetings or place orders for and receive their goods via mail- at least until a vaccine for COVID-19 is found. Business outbound travellers will explore other options before deciding to travel. Those who must travel may be limited by the internal and global travel bans and other restrictions imposed by many countries. These restrictions, I expect will stay in one form or another until last quarter of 2021 or until a vaccine is found. On another level, quite a few airlines have closed shop and more will declare bankruptcy before the pandemic is over so outbound travel may be reduced by as much as 70-90 per cent also bearing in mind that the cost of travel will increase exponentially due to other indices like expected increase in cost of fuel, fewer passengers, insurance and so on. What will stand the test of time, I expect, will be leisure travel. Nothing can ever take the place of being physically present to something or a destination. Leisure travel will pick up faster probably by the third quarter of 2021. It is worth noting that none of our clients that booked River Cruises for 2021 has called to cancel.

Leisure travelers are adventurous. They will take all precautions but they will still travel.

Many believe that even if passenger trafďŹ c returns, it will take longer time for tourism to bounce back. Do you agree with that?

Yes, it does make sense to postulate that it will take a while before airlines start to operate at full capacity. Travel will increase depending on people’s perception of safety. But you know that in times of crisis, people feel safe in environments they are familiar with-a place that gives them comfort. So those that get the urge to travel may choose to explore their immediate vicinity before attempting to

ment for example is offering to pay part of the cost of flying tourists to their country in order to sustain the tourism industry, which contributes to a large part of their GDP. Also recall that after 9/11, people were encouraged to travel after airlines, helped by their home governments, began to offer very low fares to the public. People that didn’t even have any plans to travel were incentivised to do so and gradually, tourists started to gain confidence.

In the long run, the government should get more involved in tourism and plan for the future. When all else fails, tourism survives in one form or the other. We cannot continue to rely on oil and agriculture. Tourism is the new oil. To attract inbound tourism, health and safety measures have to be put in place and should align with WHO and other international standards. Some tourism segments will recover faster than others. The airline industry may take a little longer because they need to put social distancing measures in place to gain customer confidence. Road travel will become popular again in the short term. Group travel, cruises and destination events and conferences will also be badly hit at first.

Ngoka further climes. Some local tourism products may experience a boom once the restrictions are lifted because people are tired of staying home.

Restaurants, event centers, hotels, nightclubs, should use this period to prepare their facilities for post quarantine boom.

But how can the tourism industry recover after the global lockdown?

The virus, and its spread, has had a massive impact on travel demand—the likelihood of taking a trip in the next six months has declined by about 90 per cent and airlines, cruise liners and accommodation facilities are also closed so there are no tourism products to sell at this time and this situation is not likely to change soon. But looking forward, I think people may be persuaded to travel to destinations they perceive as comfortable and safe. Therefore, I think a lot of people would prefer to travel domestically when they begin to get the travel bug again. I hope that state governments that have included tourism in the economic planning consider this in their post COVID-19 recovery plans and make concerted efforts to boost the state tourism industry. The Nigerian government, through its ministry of information should also champion a campaign to encourage our citizens to travel within Nigeria.

Of course, the security situation would have to be tackled and our elected representatives and leaders would have to live by example.

I encourage travel agents and tour operators to start looking at forging relationships with other businesses in the tourism chain to produce inclusive made in Nigeria tourism packages for the Nigerian market. This is a good time to develop strategies to tap into the various opportunities for home grown tourism. Nigerians are very well informed and sophisticated tourists. If we can attract Nigerians, we can attract the rest of the world.

A few years ago, I went round the country, training travel agents on tour packaging and how to sell travel ancillary services, rather than just tickets. This is the time to pull into those resources.

Do you agree that the travel sector deserves a bailout from government?

Truth be told, the whole tourism industry should be first on the bail out list. As I said

earlier, the Industry is totally crippled by this lock down and all the employers and employees are not only out of work, they are not even sure of having jobs when the lockdown is over What kind of bailout would you expect?

I am aware that the Federation of Tourism Associations of Nigeria (FTAN), which is the umbrella body of all tourism associations in Nigeria, through the national President, is making a comprehensive presentation to the Nigerian government. But as far as I can tell, the government, despite the huge negative impact of the COVID-19 pandemic to the Nigerian economy, has not set up an impact assessment team to monitor the damage to the tourism industry in Nigeria. FTAN, representing the private sector, has gone ahead to collate useful data in this regard and would like to be included in the process. Among other things, we are asking for monetary and fiscal measures like tax reliefs, interest free loans, tax holidays and loan moratorium. We would also like the government to provide for a N95 billion intervention fund and financial grants to support some struggling micro-scale tourism and hospitality businesses.

It is said that the virus would reset the world and its economy, how can the tourism sector look inwards to revamp itself?

If we go by what is unfolding daily, you will find that the first set of travellers we will lose will likely be business travellers (both local and inbound) who are already using technology to hold virtual meetings, sign documents and network. So, in the interim, until a vaccine is found and people start getting comfortable about venturing away from their comfort zone, my advice is that tourism providers should focus on the leisure domestic market.

Tourism suppliers should also explore the idea of slashing the cost of their products in order to entice and attract customers. This will be possible if the government agrees to the bailout measures that FTAN is proposing and will keep the industry active. The tourism industry needs to remain active for socio-economic reasons. The Italian govern-

How can state and federal government use this opportunity offered by COVID-19 to develop the sector?

Government should use this opportunity to encourage and support the establishment of specialised tourism financial institutions particularly a tourism micro finance bank, funded by a tourism development endowment fund. We shall get through this if government taps into long term tourism planning and investment and include core tourism professionals in the economic planning for states and federal government. We should use this opportunity to develop tourism policies at the national and state levels in order to provide a framework for tourism development and management in the country. In doing this, government should constantly engage the different tourism stakeholders and in economic planning, recognise the linkages between infrastructure, environment, sports, culture, transport and tourism. There is a complex interaction between these sectors that when fully utilised, provides for a clearer and more productive tourism environment.

What speciďŹ c tourism sites and destinations in Nigeria do you think can attract international tourists and what should government do for this to happen?

I do not necessarily think that we need sites to attract international tourists but we do have so many attractions that could be harnessed depending on the market we want to attract. There are different types of tourists and there are many destinations all over the world competing for the same international tourists. All destinations in West Africa have beaches, forests, and wildlife that are better preserved than we currently have. In order to break out, we have to identify and develop on our strengths and uniqueness, using what we already have. What do we have that other destinations in West Africa do not? We could use our movie, music/entertainment and fashion segments to attract international tourists by constantly planning themed events and shows.

We lure them with things they cannot get elsewhere. When they arrive, we then introduce them to our food, our cultural and historical sites. The truth is that we have many tourism initiatives in Nigeria, most of which have evolved without any planning. We do not have a coordinated and consistent approach to positioning and promoting Nigeria as a destination. If we did, you will not be asking this question as all our options would have been harnessed by now.

FRIDAY MAY 8, 2020 • T H I S D AY

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THIS WEEKEND WEEKLY MAGAZINE

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

Tobi Kukoyi: :The Sex and Beauty Therapist

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COVER

Tobi Kukoyi: The Sex and Beauty Therapist Not every woman has the audacity to discuss sex much more claim to be a professional in the act. But Tobi Kukoyi, a certified sex and beauty therapist, does both and much more. She is the brain behind the brand, “My Aphrodisiac�, an offshoot of Goldrush Beauty Concept. Her sudden rise and success in the Aphrodisiac business lends credence to the sex therapist’s high level of professionalism. In this interview with MARY NNAH, she bares it all while dispelling the myth surrounding the use of Kayanmata, a word originating from the Northern part of Nigeria, which refers to herbs or potions that act as sex or love enhancers

T

ell us a bit about yourself and the journey into selling sex enhancement herbs xx to women, especially?

I am from Ondo state, Mahin to be precise, in Ilaje local government area. I grew up in Ijebu Ode, Ogun state, married to an Ijebu man. Marriage brought me to Lagos State, where I currently reside. I am the last of seven children. My dad was an Anglican priest and my mum is an Associate Professor in the university. I had my primary education at Adeola Odutola Elementary School, Ijebu Ode; secondary at FGC Odogbolu, Ogun State; and my tertiary education at Olabisi Onabanjo University Ago Iwoye, Ogun State, where I studied Mass Communication. As a student, I was an entrepreneur, opened a nail studio in school and I was selling cosmetics and gold jewelry. I graduated in 2006 and decided to take my beauty business seriously. I took some professional courses in skincare, makeup and weight management, home and abroad.

With all the knowledge I acquired, I took my beauty career to a pro level in 2008, got a structured plan and finally registered the business with Corporate Affairs Commission in 2010 as Goldrush Beauty Concept, which is now an umbrella company for my businesses.

In the course of my career, I have had more female clients than male, and we get to share personal experiences based on trust, most on sexuality and how it affects relationships, and my clients commend me of always giving the best advice.

Unlike many women, I never had issues with my sexuality until 2012 after I had my first child, I became really frigid and sex was a problem for me. I started conducting research on my issue and found out about some fruits and vegetables that I could mix to help my sexual problems. I started mixing and drinking, alas! I got my groove back; this was my first encounter with aphrodisiacs. I began making great recipes myself to help boost my libido.

How long have you been in Aphrodisiac business?

Like I said, from my previous experience I knew exactly what to do. In early 2018, during my second pregnancy, I discovered that we had herbs locally made here in Nigeria that could help with sexuality. I immediately started my research which led me to the North and I got introduced to ‘Kayanmata’, which means a woman’s thing in Hausa, fell in love with the ones I used and I couldn’t help but share with friends.

They also used it and gave great testimonies. At this point sexuality was beginning to look like a passion for me, seeing the joy and satisfaction in the eyes of my friends.

It would definitely be a good way for me to help others with sexual needs and my experience, positive testimonials from friends, would make this easy to sell.

The first thing that I did was to understudy the business so I could understand it properly. I researched about those already in the business, and was so glad to see women as bold as myself, doing well in the business. I finally decided to become a distributor to one of the best in the game, Tomiwa Akinola of Miwa Signature Pal-

What challenges have you faced in the Aphrodisiac business?

My major challenge is acceptance since many people say kayanmata is jazz or fetish. Some don’t want to associate with you, either because of their belief or they don’t want anyone labeling them as ‘fetish’ Most of the time we have to package the products to look like fancy cosmetics or bottled soda, to be acceptable. On my social media pages, clients are too shy to follow, like or comment while some hide under their business page or an unknown account. Like I said earlier, more and more people are becoming aware, and gradually the mindset will change.

We sell some spiritual mantles too, which unavoidably goes with the business, these are prayer mantles for favours and attraction because some people complain that they have lost their relationship to another or don’t have any relationship at all, so these mantles are used to pray for what you want.

What stands your brand out from other competitors?

What stands me out is my customer relationship skills. I personally respond to my clients either through chats or calls, because to me this business is more personal, and people need to feel your presence before they can be comfortable sharing their personal life with you. I can delegate processing of orders and delivery, but I never joke with production and customer’s one on one sessions. It can be overwhelming at times, because I chat with averagely 50 people on a daily basis.

I don’t move around much, so it’s easy for me to be on the phone responding to clients all day, and my clients love me for it. I make women queens in their homes and in their relationships, and I make men dragons in bed. I am a mother of queens and dragons! You can call me Khaleesi.

Kukoyi

ace, it was an awesome experience. During this period, I also did an online course on Sex Therapy, so I could be well grounded.

After I had my baby, I started working on my brand, Mydsiac, a short form for ‘My Aphrodisiac’. The brand was fully launched in August 2018, and is geared towards using herbs and organic products to help both men and women achieve the best in sex and beauty.

Would you consider the business to be an untapped goldmine in the country?

It is a goldmine that’s not fully tapped.

Many people are already in the business, but just a few understand the core motives of the business. Now that more and more people are becoming free to express their sexuality issues, this industry is going to get even larger than we can imagine.

You have a sound knowledge and application of Kayanmata herbs, can you expound on its usefulness and importance in sex therapy?

The usefulness of Kayanmata cannot be overemphasized, because everyone at a point in life will need an aphrodisiac. As we grow, our hormones begin to malfunction due to the lifestyle we live-diet, stress, pregnancy, responsibilities and health

issues affects the libido, which results in poor or low sexual performance. I gave example of how childbirth affected my sexuality, it was a serious issue, I was completely disconnected from my vagina, I didn’t have sex for six months straight, the urge for it wasn’t there at all, and because I gave birth through cesarean section, my husband didn’t want to push, he wanted me to be ready.

I had to use aphrodisiacs to correct my hormones, before I could be active again, and I have helped thousands of cases like mine achieve the same result.

Are there side effects of using Kayanmata herbs?

Kayanmata is from nature, they are herbs, roots, fruits and vegetables, and they have absolutely no negative effect.

Like I mentioned earlier, I mix some of the products myself, and ensure proper hygiene. The ones sourced from the North, go through heating process to kill any form of bacteria during transportation.

How different or similar are Kayanmata based products from regular so called energy drinks?

Kayanmata is purely organic with no chemical additives, they’re like food, you can’t overdose on them.

Which of your products are typically in high demand from customers?

My best seller is the Vjay knots, it’s a sex sweetener, boosts the libido to make a woman very wet and helps her orgasm well, also the attraction oils, breakthrough kit and favour soap, they sell out all the time. I recently launched a figurine for wealth, called The Money Tree, this also immediately joined the list of top selling products, and it’s always sold out.

What level of engagement do you undertake to ensure products are safe for use?

I ensure I handle the production myself under good hygienic conditions. I produce weekly so they don’t stay too long on the shelf, and I monitor packaging. All my outsourced items go through re-heat, so we’re sure to kill any bacteria or germs that may cause infection.

What advice do you offer customers who might want to indulge in excessive use of same?

Kayanmata is super effective, a little of it goes a long way, and consistent use of it will correct your system, so there’s no need to over use it. As much as there’s no overdose, remember too much of anything isn’t good either, so use when necessary and as instructed.

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BUSINESS/MONEYGUIDE

African Banks Find Solace in 12% Bond Yields Nume Ekeghe åÓÞÒ Ă‹Ă‘Ă?Ă˜Ă?ĂŁ ĂœĂ?ĂšĂ™ĂœĂž Measures by some African countries to get money flowing into the real economy aren’t working yet, with banks parking cash in government bonds as the economic slowdown cuts demand for credit. According to Bloomberg, lenders have little choice but to invest in government securities as opportunities to deploy unprecedented amounts of liquidity provided by their central banks dry up. Lockdowns aimed at containing the spread of the coronavirus have brought trade to a halt, leaving lenders to focus on helping existing customers

with payment holidays or loan restructurings. “In this kind of environment, where you have weak economic activity and high risk profile, it is very difficult to grow your loan book,� an analyst at Chapel Hill Denham, Omotola Abimbola said. “Many banks will want to preserve their capital by taking as little risk as possible and then invest in government securities.�

Central banks in South Africa, Kenya, Ghana have released billions of dollars from lenders’ balance sheets by easing measures on how much capital lenders need to set aside. Deep interest-rate cuts means banks make less money on loans, while rising

impairments and a reduction in fee and transaction income will also weigh on lenders’ earnings, Moody’s Investors Service said in an email. “At best, profitability will stay flat year-on-year,� the chief executive officer of Callstreet Research and Analytics, George Bodo said. “Credit risks were already elevated across the region. Covid-19 just exacerbated everything.�

While banks are required to hold a certain amount of high-quality liquid assets such as government securities, regulators in Nigeria, Kenya and Ghana have berated lenders for not doing enough to support their economies in the past.

SONUrgesStakeholderstoEmbraceAutomatedServices Chris Uba The Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) has enjoined its stakeholders and customers to take advantage of its automated service offerings to help control the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic. It listed these services to include, certification for locally manufactured and imported products, product registration, ports and borders clearance and service charge payments among others. A statement from the office of the Director General, Osita Aboloma attributed the advice

to customers and stakeholders to the need to reduce physical presence at its offices to the barest minimum, for the safety and wellbeing of all.

The statement directed staff all over the nation on grade levels 14 and above to resume work thrice a week on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.

It enjoined the staff to observe all the guidelines provided by the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19, including use of thermometer to check body temperature, physical distancing, use of barrier masks and basic hygiene

such as regular washing of hands with soap and water as well as use of alcohol based hand sanitisers.

Departmental Heads and State Coordinators were directed to draw up rosters to ensure rotational attendance by the staff, to avoid overcrowding of the office spaces while providing basic services to stakeholders.

The statement enjoined staff of SON in the 42 offices across the 36 states to ensure strict compliance with all guidelines and directives by the government in their respective States.

Oilserv Donates Medical, Food Items to Three States Peter Uzoho The Oilserv Group of Companies has donated medical supplies and food items in support of government and communities as the country battles the COVID-19 and its socio-economic impact.

While the group channels large numbers of personal protective equipment (PPE), sophisticated devices for rapid medical tests, and other medical supplies to the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19, it is also supplying communities across the country with tons of foodstuff to help

families cope with the pains of city lockdowns imposed by government to break the chain of infection.

The company, under the sponsorship of Sir Emeka Okwuosa Foundation, has already delivered over 3, 500 bags of rice and 8, 000 yam tubers to a number of communities in Rivers, Abia and Anambra States as it tours selected communities across the country with food palliatives for families impacted by the lockdown.

The Oilserv Group and Sir Emeka Okwuosa Foundation

declared that it became necessary to rise in support of the government and the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) in the collective effort to contain the spread of the disease and also palliate the impact on Nigerians.nAccording to a statement, while the medical supplies would be donated to the federal government through the NNPC, which coordinates the Oil Industry Intervention on the COVID-19 pandemic, the group has already started distribution of the food supplies to communities through the Foundation.

BEDC Donates Food Items to Franchise States The BEDC Electricity Plc (BEDC) has announced a donation of 6,000 bags of rice and 4,000 cartons of Indomie noodles to the state governments of Delta, Edo, Ekiti and Ondo, for distribution to vulnerable groups and households in these coverage states.

The breakdown is 1,500 bags of rice each per state and 1,000 cartons of Indomie noodles to each of the state, respectively.

The donation according to the company, was a demonstration of its sensitivity to residents of its

franchise states with a view to cushioning the effect of lockdown over the Coronavirus (COVID 19) pandemic.

A statement quoted the company’s Executive Director, Commercial, representing the MD/CEO, Mr. Abu Ejoor, to have made the announcement at a media briefing held in Benin, recently.

He said in addition, BEDC would be ensuring that the various government established COVID 19 centers and related hospitals have good power

supply of up to 24hours.

This Ejoor disclosed, has already commenced in Irrua Specialist Hospital in Uromi, Edo state, where “we also intend to look at other supports we can give in ensuring that some of their vehicle/ ambulances are fully operational. Also for the centers under preparation in Oba Adejuyigbe Specialist Hospital, Ado-Ekiti in Ekiti State and Warri in Delta State, BEDC has already commenced working with the government to ensure adequate electricity.�

IPMANCondemnsPetroleumTankerDrivers’Strike inAnambra Amby Uneze Ă“Ă˜ ĂĄĂ?ĂœĂœĂ“ The Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) has distanced itself from the purported strike embarked upon by members of the Petroleum Tankers Drivers Union (PTDU), Eastern zone in Anambra State, describing as illegal and an act of sabotage.

IPMAN Chairman of Enugu depot, Mr. Tagbo Osita Nnamani,

who stated this in a statement, also described the action of the union as uncalled for and an established act of economic sabotage against the Nigerian nation. He urged IPMAN members who are the owners of the trucks driven by the drivers to seek alternative means to convey their products to their respective destinations and not to allow members of the PTDU to promote the antics of illegal bunkerers using the window of

unionism. Nnamani, called on law abiding members of the public to note that the PTDU which alleges operates under the purported chairmanship of Mr. Peter Modebelu, had asked its members to park their trucks at the bridge head end of the commercial city of Onitsha because he does not want a routine check of the products they carry to ascertain whether adulterated or not.

MARKET INDICATORS MONEY AND CREDIT STATISTICS

(MILLION NAIRA)

SEPTEMBER 2019 Money Supply (M3)

35,029,779.72

-- CBN Bills Held by Money Holding Sectors

7,374,356.91

Money Supply (M2)

27,655,422.82

-- Quasi Money

116,533,891.21

-- Narrow Money (M1)

11,121,531.60

---- Currency Outside Banks

1,625,047.69

---- Demand Deposits

9,496,483.91

Net Foreign Assets (NFA)

13,911,335.83

Net Domestic Assets(NDA)

21,118,443.89

-- Net Domestic Credit (NDC)

35,918,179.45

---- Credit to Government (Net)

10,452,199.38

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

11,007,422.79

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

25,465,980.07

---- Credit to Private Sector (CPS)

-14,799,735.56

--Other Assets Net

7,000,253.07

Reserve Money (Base Money

2,005,600.83

--Currency in Circulation

4,677,530.81

--Banks Reserves

317,121.43

Ëž Ă™Ă&#x;ĂœĂ?Ă? Ě‹

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

Ëž Ă™Ă˜Ă?ĂžĂ‹ĂœĂŁ ÙÖÓĂ?ĂŁ Ă‹ĂžĂ? Ě‹ ͯ͹Ϲ

OPEC DAILY BASKET PRICE AS ATWEDNESDAY, 6 MAY 2020

The price of OPEC basket of thirteen crudes stood at $22.40 a barrel on Wednesday, compared with $21.43 the previous day, according to OPEC Secretariat calculations.

The OPEC Reference Basket of Crudes (ORB) is made up of the following: Saharan Blend (Algeria), Girassol (Angola), Djeno (Congo), ZaďŹ ro (Equatorial Guinea), Rabi Light (Gabon), Iran Heavy (Islamic Republic of Iran), Basra Light (Iraq), Kuwait Export (Kuwait), Es Sider (Libya), Bonny Light (Nigeria), Arab Light (Saudi Arabia), Murban (UAE) and Merey (Venezuela).

SOURCE: OPEC headquarters, Vienna

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MARKET NEWS

NSE Commits N100m to Support Fight against COVID-19 Goddy Egene The Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) has committed N100 million to support the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic in Nigeria. The NSE disclosed this yesterday in a statement, noting that N60 million out of this sum would be donated to the Capital Market Support Committee for COVID-19 (CMSCC), while the balance N40 million would be devoted to the “Masks for All

Nigerians� campaign.

The CMSCC is a Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) led committee, comprising the capital market community and set up to galvanise the capital market ecosystem to play an active role in curbing the spread of COVID-19 in Nigeria.

On the other hand, “Masks for All Nigerians� campaign will see the NSE donate over 100,000 reusable face masks to states most affected by COVID-19.

Commenting on the initiative,

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the Chief Executive Officer, NSE, Mr. Oscar Onyema, said: “At the exchange, we recognise the health and economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Nigerians and the need to adopt more proactive steps in stemming the tide. In line with our tradition of supporting the communities where we operate, we have launched the “Masks for All Nigerians� campaign to ensure that protective masks get into the hands of citizens in the more vulnerable places.�

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“Through our media enlightenment engagement, we will raise awareness on the proper use of masks, continue to encourage adherence to the guidelines that have been provided by relevant agencies and emphasise that wearing of masks alone is not enough protective measure against COVID-19. We have also been deliberate with this intervention by patronising local manufacturers in our efforts to support indigenous businesses,

T R A D E D MAIN BOARD

A S

who we have mandated to comply with the mask production specifications provided by the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) and the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC),� Onyema added.

Also speaking, the President of the National Council, NSE, Otunba Abimbola Ogunbanjo said: “We are facing an unprecedented existential threat that requires us to adopt a more collaborative approach in fighting

O F

this pandemic especially where social interaction is inevitable.

As we work to encourage the use of personal protective equipment (PPE) through adequate production and distribution of reusable face masks, we call on the capital market ecosystem to support this initiative by wearing a mask when in public settings and donating masks especially to those at the bottom of the pyramid so as to protect lives leading to the reactivation of our economy.�

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˾ FRIDAY, MAY 8, 2020

28

ଂ ଂ

ଂ ଂ ଂ

ଂ

7 R S 7 U D G H V E \ 9 R O X P H

7 R S * D L Q H U V T ic k er

P ric e

R OYA LEX

0.22

10.0%

-4.1%

9.8%

Z EN IT H B A N K

75.9

-3.8%

9.8%

GUA R A N T Y

54.9

-2.0%

A R D OVA

15.30

9.7%

ET I

39.6

6.4%

C H IP LC

0.36

9.1%

M B EN EF IT

31.0

0.0%

UA C -P R OP

1.00

8.7%

UC A P

10.8

-2.3%

7.1%

UB A

10.5

-1.6%

9.0

-5.0%

4.50

WA P IC

0.32

6.7%

R ED ST A R EX

ET I

5.00

6.4%

FCM B

8.2

-3.4%

5.9%

T R A N SC OR P

8.2

1.4%

2.70

7 R S 7 U D G H V E \ 9 D O X H

7 R S / R V H U V

ଂ ଂ

T ic k er

P ric e

LIN KA SSUR E

ଂ ଂ

ଂ

0.44

T ic k er

Value

-8.3%

N EST LE

1350.9

2.6%

1221.6

-2.0%

1139.9

-3.8% -4.1%

P ric e C hg %

P ric e C hg %

R ED ST A R EX

2.85

-5.0%

GUA R A N T Y

A F R IP R UD

3.71

-4.6%

Z EN IT H B A N K

ST ER LN B A N K

1.26

-4.5%

FB NH

543.1

F ID SON

2.30

-4.2%

ET I

197.3

6.4%

FB NH

4.70

-4.1%

D A N GC EM

186.4

4.3%

Z EN IT H B A N K

15.20

-3.8%

M TNN

92.4

0.0%

OA N D O

2.75

-3.5%

UB A

64.9

-1.6%

GUIN N ESS

18.30

-3.4%

F LOUR M ILL

-3.4%

A C C ESS

FCM B

Afrinvest West Africa Limited

P ric e C hg %

115.6

1.12

C A VER T ON

ଂ

Vo lum e

FB NH

19.10

PZ

ଂ

T ic k er

C ON OIL

UP L

ଂ

P ric e C hg %

1.71

61.1

0.0%

52.0

-3.1%

Brokerage

Asset Management

Investment Research

Ayodeji Ebo | aebo@afrinvest.com

Ola Belgore | obelgore@afrinvest.com

Abiodun Keripe | AKeripe@afrinvest.com

Adedoyin Allen | aallen@afrinvest.com Oluwarotimi Ashimi | oashimi@afrinvest.com

Adedayo Bakare | abakare@afrinvest.com

29

FRIDAY, MAY 8, 2020 ˾ T H I S D AY

MARKET NEWS

Balogun Retires as Lafarge Africa Chairman, Adefioye Takes Over Goddy Egene The Chairman of Lafarge Africa Plc, Mr. Mobolaji Balogun is to voluntarily retire as chairman of the company and step down as member of the board of directors effective June 4, 2020. Balogun served for the first 10 years as a

non-executive director and was appointed chairman in May 2015.

However, in a notification to the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) yesterday, Lafarge Africa said its board had received yesterday announced Mr. Mobolaji Balogun has signified his intention to retire voluntarily as chairman

A Mutual fund (Unit Trust) is an investment vehicle managed by a SEC (Securities and Exchange Commission) registered Fund Manager.

Investors with similar objectives buy units of the Fund so that the Fund Manager can buy securities that willl generate their desired return.

An ETF (Exchange Traded Fund) is a type of fund which owns the assets (shares of stock, bonds, oil futures, gold bars, foreign currency, etc.) and divides ownership of those assets into shares. Investors can buy these ‘shares’ on the

and step down as a member of the board after the conclusion of the 2020 annual general meeting (AGM).

The company has announced that Mr. Adebode Adefioye will succeed Balogun. Lafarge Africa explained that Adefioye, a non-executive director of the company is the chairman and

floor of the Nigerian Stock Exchange.

A REIT (Real Estate Investment Trust) is an investment vehicle that allows both small and large investors to part-own real estate ventures (eg.

Offices, Houses, Hospitals) in proportion to their investments. The assets are divided into shares that are traded on the Nigerian Stock Exchange.

GUIDE TO DATA: Date: All fund prices are quoted in Naira as at 06May-2020, unless otherwise stated.

member of some of the company’s board committees.

He has over 32 years work experience in different industries and is a graduate of the University of Lagos with Masters of Science degree.

Commenting, Balogun said: “Having overseen the progress in

our transformation plan, the cleanup of our balance sheet, its return to robust profitability, streamlining of our operations, the renewal of our board and the smooth chief executive officer (CEO) and chief financial officer (CFO) succession plan, it is with a deep sense of gratitude to God, that I feel fulfilled,

in retiring as chairman, knowing that the board and our company is in very good shape. My thanks to all our staff, my colleagues on the board for their unwavering commitment and support.

Lafarge Africa has enjoyed strong shareholder and market support, for which I remain grateful.

Offer price: The price at which units of a trust or ETF are bought by investors.

Bid Price: The price at which Investors redeem (sell) units of a trust or ETF. Yield/Total Return: Denotes the total return an investor would have earned on his investment. Money Market Funds report Yield while others report Year- to-date Total Return.

NAV: Is value per share of the real estate assets held by a REIT on a specific date.

DAILY PRICE LIST FOR MUTUAL FUNDS, REITS and ETFS MUTUAL FUNDS / UNIT TRUSTS AFRINVEST ASSET MANAGEMENT LTD aaml@afrinvest.com Web: www.afrinvest.com; Tel: +234 818 885 6757 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Afrinvest Equity Fund 113.58 117.21 -22.48% Afrinvest Plutus Fund 100.00 100.00 3.76% Nigeria International Debt Fund 306.01 306.01 -2.12% ALTERNATIVE CAPITAL PARTNERS LTD info@acapng.com Web: www.acapng.com, Tel: +234 1 291 2406, +234 1 291 2868 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn ACAP Canary Growth Fund 0.91 0.92 1.26% ACAP Income Funds 0.79 0.79 10.44% AIICO CAPITAL LTD ammf@aiicocapital.com Web: www.aiicocapital.com, Tel: +234-1-2792974 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn AIICO Money Market Fund 100.00 100.00 6.79% AIICO Balanced Fund 2.61 2.66 5.90% info@anchoriaam.com ANCHORIA ASSET MANAGEMENT LIMITED Web:www.anchoriaam.com, Tel: 08166830267; 08036814510; 08028419180 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Anchoria Money Market N/A N/A N/A Anchoria Equity Fund N/A N/A N/A Anchoria Fixed Income Fund N/A N/A N/A ARM INVESTMENT MANAGERS LTD enquiries@arminvestmentcenter.com Web: www.arm.com.ng; Tel: 0700 CALLARM (0700 225 5276) Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn ARM Aggressive Growth Fund 13.85 14.26 -9.61% ARM Discovery Fund 328.00 337.89 -5.05% ARM Ethical Fund 27.39 28.22 -5.80% ARM Money Market Fund 1.00 1.00 5.81% AXA MANSARD INVESTMENTS LIMITED investmentcare@axamansard.com Web: www.axamansard.com; Tel: +2341-4488482 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn AXA Mansard Equity Income Fund 92.90 93.55 -3.31% AXA Mansard Money Market Fund 1.00 1.00 6.29% CAPITAL EXPRESS ASSET AND TRUST LIMITED info@capitalexpressassetandtrust.com Web: www.capitalexpressassetandtrust.com ; Tel: +234 803 307 5048 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn CEAT Fixed Income Fund N/A N/A N/A CHAPELHILL DENHAM MANAGEMENT LTD investmentmanagement@chapelhilldenham.com Web: www.chapelhilldenham.com, Tel: +234 461 0691 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Chapelhill Denham Money Market Fund 0.07 0.05 6.88% Paramount Equity Fund 10.15 10.34 -18.88% Women's Investment Fund 104.57 105.27 -5.39% CORDROS ASSET MANAGEMENT LIMITED assetmgtteam@cordros.com Web: www.cordros.com, Tel: 019036947 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Cordros Money Market Fund 100.00 100.00 5.58% Cordros Milestone Fund 2023 96.75 97.04 Cordros Milestone Fund 2028 104.89 105.30 CORONATION ASSEST MANAGEMENT investment@coronationam.com Web:www.coronationam.com , Tel: 012366215 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Coronation Money Market Fund N/A N/A N/A Coronation Balanced Fund N/A N/A N/A Coronation Fixed Income Fund N/A N/A N/A EDC FUNDS MANAGEMENT LIMITED mutualfundng@ecobank.com Web: www.ecobank.com Tel: 012265281 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn EDC Nigeria Money Market Fund Class A N/A N/A N/A EDC Nigeria Money Market Fund Class B N/A N/A N/A EDC Nigeria Fixed Income Fund N/A N/A N/A FBNQUEST ASSET MANAGEMENT LTD invest@fbnquest.com Web: www.fbnquest.com/asset-management; Tel: +234-81 0082 0082 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn FBN Fixed Income Fund 1,346.06 1,348.99 4.26% FBN Balanced Fund 142.00 143.02 -3.28% FBN Money Market Fund 100.00 100.00 5.34% FBN Nigeria Eurobond (USD) Fund - Institutional 111.17 112.03 -6.77% FBN Nigeria Eurobond (USD) Fund - Retail 111.70 112.56 -6.78% FBN Nigeria Smart Beta Equity Fund 112.37 113.70 -13.65% FCMB ASSET MANAGEMENT LIMITED fcmbamhelpdesk@fcmb.com Web: www.fcmbassetmanagement.com; Tel: +234 1 462 2596 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Legacy Money Market Fund 1.00 1.00 6.41% Legacy Debt Fund 3.74 3.74 2.45% Legacy Equity Fund 1.03 1.06 -8.53% Legacy USD Bond Fund 1.10 1.10 1.63% FSDH ASSET MANAGEMENT LTD coralfunds@fsdhgroup.com Web: www.fsdhaml.com; Tel: 01-270 4884-5; 01-280 9740-1 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Coral Growth Fund 2,793.08 2,821.21 -6.38% Coral Income Fund 3,156.88 3,156.88 15.16% FSDH Treasury Bills Fund 100.00 100.00 6.16% GREENWICH ASSET MANAGEMENT LIMITED assetmanagement@gtlgroup.com Web: www.gtlgroup.com ; Tel: +234 1 4619261-2 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Greenwich Plus Money Market Fund 100.00 100.00 5.42% Nigeria Entertainment Fund 118.71 119.21 9.66%

GROWTH & DEVELOPMENT ASSET MANAGEMENT LIMITED assetmanagement@gdl.com.ng Web: www.gdl.com.ng ; Tel: +234 9055691122 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn GDL Money Market Fund N/A N/A N/A INVESTMENT ONE FUNDS MANAGEMENT LTD enquiries@investment-one.com Web: www.investment-one.com; Tel: +234 812 992 1045,+234 1 448 8888 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Abacus Money Market Fund 100.00 100.00 4.84% Vantage Balanced Fund 2.20 2.23 0.19% Vantage Guaranteed Income Fund 1.00 1.00 10.22% Kedari Investment Fund (KIF) 142.19 142.73 -0.85% LOTUS CAPITAL LTD fincon@lotuscapitallimited.com Web: www.lotuscapitallimited.com; Tel: +234 1-291 4626 / +234 1-291 4624 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Lotus Halal Investment Fund 1.19 1.21 1.98% Lotus Halal Fixed Income Fund 1,120.50 1,120.50 3.96% MERISTEM WEALTH MANAGEMENT LTD info@meristemwealth.com Web: http://www.meristemwealth.com/funds/ ; Tel: +234 1-4488260 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Meristem Equity Market Fund N/A N/A N/A Meristem Money Market Fund N/A N/A N/A PAC ASSET MANAGEMENT LTD info@pacassetmanagement.com Web: www.pacassetmanagement.com/mutualfunds; Tel: +234 1 271 8632 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn PACAM Balanced Fund 1.44 1.46 17.10% PACAM Fixed Income Fund 11.94 11.98 5.89% PACAM Money Market Fund 10.00 10.00 3.62% PACAM Equity Fund 1.04 1.05 PACAM EuroBond Fund 104.17 106.30 SCM CAPITAL LIMITED info@scmcapitalng.com Web: www.scmcapitalng.com; Tel: +234 1-280 2226,+234 1- 280 2227 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn SCM Capital Frontier Fund 109.44 111.27 -16.48% SFS CAPITAL NIGERIA LTD investments@sfsnigeria.com Web: www.sfsnigeria.com, Tel: +234 (01) 2801400 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn SFS Fixed Income Fund 1.01 1.01 3.72% STANBIC IBTC ASSET MANAGEMENT LTD assetmanagement@stanbicibtc.com Web: www.stanbicibtcassetmanagement.com; Tel: +234 1 280 1266; 0700 MUTUALFUNDS Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Stanbic IBTC Balanced Fund 2,521.35 2,532.80 0.98% Stanbic IBTC Bond Fund 210.33 210.33 2.60% Stanbic IBTC Ethical Fund 0.88 0.89 -5.06% Stanbic IBTC Guaranteed Investment Fund 273.87 273.95 2.89% Stanbic IBTC Iman Fund 154.92 156.64 -3.36% Stanbic IBTC Money Market Fund 100.00 100.00 5.25% Stanbic IBTC Nigerian Equity Fund 7,674.15 7,756.30 -4.89% Stanbic IBTC Dollar Fund (USD) 1.16 1.16 1.98% Stanbic IBTC Shariah Fixed Income Fund 118.18 118.18 0.00% UNITED CAPITAL ASSET MANAGEMENT LTD Web: www.unitedcapitalplcgroup.com; Tel: +234 803 306 2887 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn United Capital Balanced Fund 1.10 1.12 -7.48% United Capital Bond Fund 1.79 1.79 3.54% United Capital Equity Fund 0.60 0.62 -12.64% United Capital Money Market Fund 1.00 1.00 7.28% United Capital Eurobond Fund 114.46 114.46 2.35% United Capital Wealth for Women Fund 1.04 1.05 -3.96% QUANTUM ZENITH ASSET MANAGEMENT & INVESTMENTS LTD service@quantumzenithasset.com.ng Web: www.quantumzenith.com.ng; Tel: +234 1-2784219 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Zenith Equity Fund 10.02 10.14 -2.49% Zenith Ethical Fund 11.48 11.60 -1.17% Zenith Income Fund 23.41 23.41 5.26% Zenith Money Market Fund 1.00 1.00 4.00%

REITS NAV Per Share

Yield / T-Rtn

3.40 114.44 52.79

-64.85% 2.22% 1.42%

Bid Price

Offer Price

Yield / T-Rtn

8.17 83.17 65.74

8.27 84.89 66.94

-6.08% -10.09% -10.85%

Fund Name FSDH UPDC Real Estate Investment Fund SFS Skye Shelter Fund Union Homes REIT

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

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

funds@vetiva.com Bid Price

Offer Price

Yield / T-Rtn

2.87 3.84 11.11 10.11 179.93

2.91 3.92 11.21 10.31 181.93

-18.94% -34.75% -8.20% -2.63% -4.24%

NAV Per Share

Yield / T-Rtn

108.29

16.90%

INFRASTRUCTURE FUND Fund Name Chapel Hill Denham Nigeria Infrastructure Debt Fund

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

FRIDAY MAY 8, 2020 ˾ T H I S D AY

30

WORLD OF ISLAM Ikeja Oba-elect Dies after Six 24 HOURS...

Edited by: MJO Mustapha Email deji.mustapha@thisdaylive.com

The Inner Dimensions of Fasting Tasawuf.org/IslamiCity

Three Grades It should be known that there are three grades of fasting: ordinary, special and extra-special.

Ordinary fasting means abstaining from food, drink and sexual satisfaction.

Special Fasting means keeping one’s ears, eyes, tongue, hands and feet - and all other organs - free from sin.

Extra-special Fasting means fasting of the heart from unworthy concerns and worldly thoughts, in total disregard of everything but God, Great and Glorious is He. This kind of Fast is broken by thinking of worldly matters, except for those conducive to religious ends, since these constitute provision for the Hereafter and are not of this lower world.

Inward Requirements As for Special Fasting, this is the kind practiced by the righteous. It means keeping all one’s organs free from sin and six things are required for its accomplishment.

See Not What Displeases God A chaste regard, restrained from viewing anything that is blameworthy or reprehensible, or that distracts the heart and diverts it from the remembrance of God, Great and Glorious is He. Said the Prophet, on him be peace: ‘The furtive glance is one of the poisoned arrows of Satan, on him be God’s curse. Whoever forsakes it for fear of God will receive from Him, Great and Glorious is He, a faith the sweetness of which he will find within his heart.’

Jabir relates from Anas that God’s Messenger, on him be peace, said: ‘Five things break a man’s Fast: lying, backbiting, gossiping, perjury and a lustful gaze.’

Speak Not..

Guarding one’s tongue from idle chatter, lying, gossiping, obscenity, rudeness, arguing and controversy; making it observe silence and occupying it with remembrance of God, Great and Glorious is He, and with recitation of Quran. This is the fasting of the tongue. Said Sufyan: ‘Backbiting annuls the Fast.’ Layth quotes Mujahid as saying: ‘Two habits annul Fasting: backbiting and telling lies.’

The Prophet, on him be peace, said: ‘Fasting is a shield; so when one of you is Fasting he should not use foul or foolish talk. If someone attacks him or insults him, let him say: “I am Fasting, I am Fasting!”’

According to Tradition: ‘Two women were Fasting during the time of God’s Messenger, on him be peace. They were so fatigued towards the end of the day, from hunger and thirst, that they were on the verge of collapsing. They therefore sent a message to God’s Messenger, on him be peace, requesting permission to break their Fast.

In response, the Prophet, on him be peace, sent them a bowl and said: “Tell them to vomit into it what they have eaten.” One of them vomited and half filled the bowl with fresh blood and tender meat, while the other brought up the same so that they filled it between them. The onlookers were astonished. Then the Prophet, on him be peace, said: “These two women have been Fasting from what God made lawful to them, and have broken their Fast on what God, Exalted is He, made unlawful to them. They sat together and indulged in backbiting, and here is the flesh of the people they maligned!”’

Hear Not..

Closing one’s ears to everything reprehensible; for everything unlawful to utter is likewise unlawful to listen to. That is why God, Great and Glorious is He, equated the eavesdropper with the profiteer, in His words, Exalted is He: ‘Listeners to falsehood, consumers of illicit gain.’ [al- Ma’idah, 5:42] God, Great and Glorious is He, also said: ‘Why do their rabbis and priests not forbid them to utter sin and consume unlawful profit?’ [al-Ma’idah, 5:63] Silence in the face of backbiting is therefore unlawful. God, Exalted is He, said: ‘You are then just like them.’ [al-Nisa, 4:140] That is why the Prophet, on him be peace, said: ‘The backbiter and his listener are co-partners in sin.’

Do Not..

Keeping all other limbs and organs away from sin: the hands and feet from reprehensible deeds, and the stomach from questionable food at the time for breaking Fast. It is meaningless to Fast - to abstain from lawful food - only to break one’s Fast on what is unlawful. A man who Fast like this may be compared to one who builds a castle but demolishes a city. Lawful food injurious in quantity not in quality, so Fasting is to reduce the

former. A person might well give up excessive use of medicine, from fear of ill effects, but he would be a fool to switch to taking poison.

The unlawful is a poison deadly to religion, while the lawful is a medicine, beneficial in small doses but harmful in excess. The object of Fasting is to induce moderation. Said the Prophet, on him be peace: ‘How many of those who Fast get nothing from it but hunger and thirst!’ This has been taken to mean those who break their Fast on unlawful food. Some say it refers to those who abstain from lawful food, but break their Fast on human flesh through backbiting, which is unlawful. Others consider it an allusion to those who do not guard their organs from sin.

Avoid Overeating Not to over-indulge in lawful food at the time of breaking Fast, to the point of stuffing one’s belly. There is no receptacle more odious to God, Great and Glorious is He, than a belly stuffed full with lawful food. Of what use is the Fast as a means of conquering God’s enemy and abating appetite, if at the time of breaking it one not only makes up for all one has missed during the daytime, but perhaps also indulges in a variety of extra foods? It has even become the custom to stock up for Ramadan with all kinds of foodstuffs, so that more is consumed during that time than in the course of several other months put together. It is well known that the object of Fasting is to experience hunger and to check desire, in order to reinforce the soul in piety. If the stomach is starved from early morning till evening, so that its appetite is aroused and its craving intensified, and it is then offered delicacies and allowed to eat its fill, its taste for pleasure is increased and its force exaggerated; passions are activated which would have lain dormant under normal conditions.

The spirit and secret nature of Fasting is to weaken the forces which are Satan’s means of leading us back to evil. It is therefore essential to cut down one’s intake to what one would consume on a normal night, when not Fasting. No benefit is derived from the Fast if one consumes as much as one would usually take during the day and night combined. Moreover, one of the properties consists in taking little sleep during the daytime, so that one feels the hunger and thirst and becomes conscious of the weakening of one’s powers, with the consequent purification of the heart.

One should let a certain degree of weakness carry over into the night, making it easier to perform the (tahajjud) and to recite the praises (awrad). It may then be that Satan will not hover around one’s heart, and that one will behold the Kingdom of Heaven. The Night of Destiny represents the night on which something of this Kingdom is revealed. This is what is meant by the words of God, Exalted is He:’We surely revealed it on the Night of Power.’ [al-Qadr, 97:1] Anyone who puts a bag of food between his heart and his breast becomes blind to this revelation. Nor is keeping the stomach empty sufficient to remove the veil, unless one also empties the mind of everything but God, Great and Glorious is He. That is the entire matter, and the starting point of it all is cutting down on food.

Look To God With Fear And Hope After the Fast has been broken, the heart should swing like a pendulum between fear and hope.

For one does not know if one’s Fast will be accepted, so that one will find favor with God, or whether it will be rejected, leaving one among those He abhors. This is how one should be at the end of any act of worship one performs.

It is related of al-Hasan ibn Abil Hasan al-Basri that he once passed by a group of people who were laughing merrily. He said: ‘God, Great and Glorious is He, has made the month of Ramadan a racecourse, on which His creatures compete in His worship. Some have come in first and won, while others have lagged behind and lost. It is absolutely amazing to find anybody laughing and playing about on the day when success attends the victors, and failure the wasters. By God, if the veil were lifted off, the doer of good would surely be preoccupied with his good works and the evildoer with his evil deeds.’

In too full of joy to indulge in idle sport, while for one who has suffered rejection laughter will be precluded by remorse.

Of al-Ahnaf ibn Qays it is reported that he was once told: ‘You are an aged elder; Fasting would enfeeble you.’ But he replied: ‘By this I am making ready for a long journey, Obedience to God, Glorified is He, is easier to endure than His punishment.’

Such are the inwardly significant meanings of Fasting.

Years without Installation Kayode Fasua

The Oba-elect of Ikeja, Lagos State, Prince Samsondeen Adeleye, is dead.

The 65-year-old monarchin-waiting, who had been clamouring to be installed for close to six years, reportedly died last Monday after a brief illness, and had been buried according

to Muslim rites.

A leading member of the Gbobaniyi Royal Association, a frontline body in the community, confirmed the passage of Adeleye to THISDAY yesterday.

The association’s official, who craved anonymity owing to the sensitivity of the issue, said members of the group were currently meeting with

a view to communicating the death of Adeleye to the Lagos State Government officially.

In the same vein, a prominent member of the Council of Kingmakers in Ikeja, also confirmed the death, lamenting that despite repeated calls on the Lagos State Government to install Adeleye for the past six years, nothing was done on the matter.

DANGOTE REFINERY: THE AUDACITY TO DREAM The fertilizer project alone is expected to save the country $500 million and provide $400 million export revenue. It is also expected to spur activities in the agriculture sector. The supply of fertilizer would be enough for the Nigerian market and neighbouring countries. For decades, Nigeria has been accused of polluting the atmosphere by flaring gas while the country itself has been facing shortage of gas.

The majority of IOCs’ gas development in the last 10-15 years has been for the export market. The huge gas resources are not being developed to meet domestic demand. The government has been unable to attract investors and its execution model is flawed.

However, through Dangote’s construction of the East-West Offshore Gas Gathering System (EWOGGS), the pipeline will solve this paradox by unlocking significant gas supply for industries and will considerably reduce flaring.

Power plants, fertilizer, refinery and petrochemical projects and others will benefit from it.

Gas is key fuel to the federal government’s transformation agenda and Nigeria’s economic growth.

The refinery and petrochemical plant is a humoungous project with a promise; one that is already creating massive jobs and opportunities for Nigerians and putting food on the table for thousands of families. The company will be a major foreign exchange earner for Nigeria. The company is partnering the Lagos State government and Siemens in skills development of the local community for employment at the construction site and has already trained and employed 250 artisans.

But why is the federal government, through the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) not taking a stake in the strategic project?

What about Lagos State, the host of this massive project, or any other state in the federation?

Is it that they can’t see the vast potential here? However, I learnt the company is going to be listed on the Nigerian Stock Exchange to give Nigerians the opportunity to be shareholders.

When this is done, it will by far dethrone another Dangote company, Dangote Cement from its position as the biggest company by market capitalisation on the bourse.

I have taken the pains to go into these details to show the enormity of what is at stake and also to show clearly the capacity of an individual to achieve the extraordinary, even with the not-too-favourable business environment and policies.

Now let’s go back in time: In 2007 to be precise, Dangote and his friend, Femi Otedola, jointly acquired the Port Harcourt and Kaduna refineries for $750million towards the end of the Olusegun Obasanjo administration.

Immediately the late Umaru Musa Yar ‘Adua assumed office

as president, vested interests who had profited from the misery of the country over the years and ensured that the refineries never really functioned, instigated the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the public against the transaction.

The media was awash with all sorts of tales by moonlight, all in a bid to force a reversal of that transaction. Sensing the body language of the new administration, which was basking in public adulation led by the mob, Dangote and his partner dumped the refineries. The government quickly refunded the $750 million they had paid. Thirteen years later, those refineries are in a worse state than they were then despite successive governments sinking hundreds of millions of dollars on their repairs and several turnaround maintenance (TAM) programmes. They are not functioning and Nigeria is still importing 100 per cent of its refined petroleum needs.

Those who truly want Nigeria to remain a laughing stock of the world sure know how to go about it.

Dangote has since moved on. He is setting up his own brand new mega refinery and petrochemical plant, the biggest in the world. While the sorry state of the nation’s refineries continues remind us of the tragedy of Nigeria. It is a cruel irony that the Nigerian public is now eagerly looking forward to the Dangote Refinery to rescue them/Nigeria from the organised theft that has been going on for decades. How can a people be that gullible? Now, how much are those obsolete refineries worth today? Next to nothing. They are a monument to waste, corruption and the failure of successive governments.

Despite the massive undertaking by the Dangote Group in the construction of its refining and petrochemical complex, it is sad that the access roads to the refinery are in a sorry state. The Lagos State government has not seen the need to complement this prodigious project by providing good access roads as well as renovating the surrounding network of roads - that are bound to carry increased traffic. Yet the state government is primed to reap bountifully through revenues from the citing of the project by way of taxes, levies and other charges. The massive spin-off businesses to follow are going to change the face of the Lekki/Ajah Epe axis for good.

Yet, the state government doesn’t seem ready for the enormous business opportunities soon to turn that axis into a major industrial and export hub. The entire infrastructure in that axis in its current form is third rate.

The Ajah/Epe section remains in a pitiable, pathetic state. It is a crying shame that the state government does not get it.

How on earth can Lagos not see what is to come and get its act together? It is not by just collecting taxes from businesses.

The state government must wake up from its slumber and upgrade the infrastructure – the roads with drainages, schools, games centres, parks, provide stable electricity, pipe-borne water, hospitals, etc., to cope with the influx of people and commercial activities that the zone is about to witness.

Fellow Nigerians, the audacious dream of a business colossus and Africa’s richest man, Aliko Dangote that seemed so far-fetched a few years ago is gradually becoming a reality.

The Dangote Refinery and Petrochemical Plant is raring to get started.

CHANGE OF NAME I Olugbeminiyi Modupeola Ozojiofor declare that if name appears on other documents as Olugbeminiyi Modupeola Thomas-Ozojiofor is the same (me) person. PenCom/ Arm Pension and the general public should take note.

I, formerly known and addressed as MRS LINDA EJIROGHENE UDOAFA, now wish to be known and addressed as MRS FAITH EJIROGHENE ODOAFA. All former documents remain valid. The general public should take note.

I, formerly known and addressed as MISS KUNRUNMI ESTHER DAMILOLA, now wish to be known and addressed as MRS BOLARINDE ESTHER DAMILOLA. All former documents remain valid. The general public should take note.

I, formerly known and addressed as PAUL YAKUBU, now wish to be known and addressed as DAMARAYA ADAJI. All former documents remain valid. The general public should take note.

I, formerly known and addressed as IKECHUKWU JOHN, now wish to be known and addressed as IKECHUKWU JOHN CHUKWUKA UCHE. All former documents remain valid. The general public should take note.

Ëœ ΀˜ ͺ͸ͺ͸ Ëž T H I S D AY

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FRIDAYSPORTS

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

Oshoala Picks Perpetua Nkwocha to Lead Her Dream Team Claims her first league title in Europe with Barcelona Femeni Duro Ikhazuagbe Super Falcons’ Captain, Asisat Oshoala who on Wednesday earned her first Europe league title along with FC Barcelona Femeni in the Spanish Primera Iberdrola, has picked four-time African Player of the Year, Perpetua Nkwocha, to lead her dream five-a-side team.

Speaking on NFF’s Instagram Live Page yesterday, Oshoala who last year matched Nkwocha’s African feat, admitted that she has always been an admirer of the coach of Clemensnäs IF in the Swedish women’s division two league. “My favourite players ( in the Super Falcons) were Mercy Akide and Perpetua Nkwocha,â€?

Oshoala announced.

She also admitted to be a big fan of Nkwocha’s style of playing her role in the senior national team. “I love Perpetua’s style of

play. I followed her closely when I was first called up to the Super Falcons camp and I learnt a lot of things from her,� the former Dalian Quanjian forward in the Chinese Women’s League further stressed.

Oshoala insists that Nkwocha will be the link between the midfield and attack in her dream team. “She will be the link between the midfield and attack. She plays more like a No 10, she likes to get the ball and bring it forward,� Oshoala further eulogized the power player who dominated the African crown until this her compatriot matched her feat, winning her fourth crown in 2019.

A fifth African title is now almost within the touching distance of Oshoala following this first league title achievement I. Europe.

Oshoala completed her dream five-a-side team with

Dikko Dismisses Report of Concluding NPFL Season in China Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) stakeholders and fans have been urged to descountence a fake news report that suggested that the suspended 2019/20 season would be concluded in China.

The purveyors of the news which seem to have enjoyed viral circulation in the social media claimed that Chairman of League Management Company (LMC), Shehu Dikko disclosed the decision to a Lagos based Radio Station.

But Dikko said he could not have said so after a recent online conference meeting of the LMC and chairmen of the 20 NPFL club’s which agreed on possible options to

conclude the season. “Why would I suggest that we will conclude the season in China with all the logistics nightmare and attendant cost this would entail�, began Dikko in reaction to the story and declared, “ this is an absurd attempt at fake news�.

The LMC Chairman said the decision reached at the meeting with Club Owners still stands and “we will continue to liaise with the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), the Sports Ministry and relevant government agencies working on the COVID-19 pandemic for advise on when it is safe for football to return�.

Egbe Hails Ekeji’s Appointment as Uzodimma’s Aide Sports Facility Expert, Ebi Egbe, has hailed the recent appointment of Dr Patrick Ekeji, former Director General of defunct National Sports Commission (NSC) as the Deputy Chief of Staff to Imo State Governor, Hope Uzodimma.

Egbe who is the Chief Executive Officer of Monimichelle, in a statement made available to the media in Yenagoa, noted that Ekeji, an ex international and football legend is an astute administrator who would add value to Imo State government. “Ekeji’s appointment as Deputy Chief of Staff to His Excellency Hope Uzodimma is well deserved. Ekeji is an sound and astute administrator that would add value to governance

in Imo state. Hope Uzodimma has brought on board a man that would help him drive his vision of accelerated development of Imo State,� Egbe stated.

He pointed out that Ekeji’s appointment would also rob off positively on Imo sports, since sports remains Ekeji’s primary constituency. “Ekeji may not be holding a sports position, but he would definitely not abandon his primary constituency which is good for Imo sports. Again, he is working with a governor that is a sportsman...a former President of the Nigeria Wrestling Federation (NWF).

Imo sports is definitely going to enjoy a new lease of life under the administration of Governor Hope Uzodimma,�

Egbe concluded.

the inclusion of Akide, Onome Ebi and former Falcons coach and captain Florence Omagbemi.

Oshoala won the Spanish league title with Barcelona Femeni following the abrupt ending of the 2019-20 season by the Royal Spanish Football Federation on Wednesday.

Barcelona emerged champions with 59 points from 21 matches and Oshoala made an incredible mark for Luis Cortes’ team as she scored 20 goals in 19 outings.

RSFF made attempts to complete the 2019/20 season but the inability to meet the

government’s health protocol dashed their hopes, hence the termination.

The announcement saw Oshoala’s team reclaim the league crown for the first time since 2015 despite being unable to see out their remaining games due to the Covid-19 crisis.

Oshoala, who won her fourth African Women’s Player of the Year crown in January, made an unsuccessful bid to win a league title on her previous spells in Europe with Liverpool and Arsenal ladies.She also suffered on her initial loan spell at Barcelona in 2019.

Oshoala (first left)ºº, squatting), along with her FC Barcelona Femeni teammates when they won the Spanish Cup early this year

Pulev Drags Joshua to Roman Amphitheatre for Mandatory Clash Anthony Joshua’s next bout could take place in a Roman amphitheatre in Croatia, the manager of mandatory challenger Kubrat Pulev announced yesterday.

Briton Joshua, 30, was meant to defend his IBF, WBA and WBO world heavyweight titles against Bulgaria’s Pulev at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on 20 June.

The fight was postponed because of the coronavirus pandemic and no alternative date or venue has since been set. “We are discussing Croatia,� said Pulev’s manager Ivaylo Gotsev. “There is a unique Roman stadium - Pula Arena - and we are in active talks.�

Gotsev claims both camps have set aside four weeks to find a new venue if coronavirus measures in place in England do not change, with targets set

Joshua (left) and Pulev were earlier scheduled to fight next month

to deliver the bout in August or September.

Boxing is currently shut down in the UK and the British Boxing Board of Control is preparing for bouts to return behind closed doors in July.

Joshua’s promoter Eddie Hearn has said staging the world title bout behind closed doors was only going to be considered a

“last resort�.

And Gotsev believes the Croatia venue would allow fans to attend if the necessary safety measures were in place. “We like this option because it is in Europe, in the middle of the continent,� Gotsev added. “There will also be an opportunity for spectators with the right measures taken.

“There needs to be a mutual agreement. We want the terms and conditions to be beneficial for both parties. They can’t meet in Bulgaria because Joshua will not agree.�

Pula Arena has staged notable concerts featuring Foo Fighters, Luciano Pavarotti and Elton John.

Joshua was initially scheduled to fight Pulev at Cardiff’s Principality Stadium in October 2017 but the 34-yearold Bulgarian, known as “The Cobra�, withdrew after suffering a shoulder injury in sparring.

Pulev, one of Bulgaria’s most popular sportsmen, suffered his only career defeat when he challenged for the IBF world heavyweight title in 2014, losing to Wladimir Klitschko in Hamburg on a fifth-round knockout.

His record stands at 28 wins from 29 bouts, while Joshua has 23 wins from 24.

NFF Gives out COVID-19 Palliatives to Clubs in Abuja Set to distribute masks, gloves, sanitizers in Lagos, Abuja

The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) yesterday handed out palliatives to representatives of 14 different clubs and two communities in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja as token support in the wake of the novel coronavirus pandemic ravaging the entire world presently.

The clubs, spread across Nigeria National League, Nigerian Nationwide League One and FCT League (academies) cadres, included

Supreme Court FC, EFCC FC, Abuja Female United, FOSLA FC, Bimo Sporting Club, Wazobia FC, Setraco FC, Goodland FC, Fire Service FC, NYSC FC, FWC Champion Club, Abees Academy, Casmat Academy and WACO Academy.

Garki Village and Karamajiji communities also benefitted from the package.

At the presentation of packed items such as rice, beans, Indomie noodles, groundnut

oil and tin tomatoes at the football body’s headquarters inside the MKO Abiola National Stadium, NFF General Secretary, Dr. Mohammed Sanusi clarified that the palliatives were the initiatives of the NFF as its own relief to a number of stakeholder-clubs and not procured from the $500,000 that world body, FIFA has promised to send to each of its Member Associations. “This package is the initiative

of the NFF to, in its little way, support some stakeholderclubs and communities within the FCT as a result of the COVID-19. This did not come from the money that FIFA is sending to NFF and its Member Associations. When that money comes, it will come with clear instructions on how it should be spent, though we have already got the hint that it will be principally on operations of the Federation.

Friday May 8, 2020

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Group to Buhari “On the basis of our own checks, nearly all of the unqualified nominees got on the list for appointment on the basis of their relationships or affinity by blood or marriage with serving or retired, senior judicial figures” – A group, Open Bar Initiative (OBI), asking President Buhari not to approve the list of 33 candidates recommended for appointment as judges of the FCT High Court.

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Dangote Refinery: The Audacity to Dream

A

mid the Nigerian conundrum and the raging Covid-19 pandemic which has seized our attention is a breath of fresh air, the soon-to-be-inaugurated Dangote Petrochemical Refinery. It was Kahlil Gibran in The Garden of the Prophet who wrote this powerful poem long ago but it speaks perfectly to the Nigerian conundrum today. Here it goes: “Pity the nation that is full of beliefs and empty of religion.

Pity the nation that wears a cloth it does not weave and eats a bread it does not harvest.

Pity the nation that acclaims the bully as hero, and that deems the glittering conqueror bountiful.

Pity a nation that despises a passion in its dream, yet submits in its awakening.

Pity the nation that raises not its voice save when it walks in a funeral, boasts not except among its ruins, and will rebel not save when its neck is laid between the sword and the block.

Pity the nation whose statesman is a fox, whose philosopher is a juggler, and whose art is the art of patching and mimicking.

Pity the nation that welcomes its new ruler with trumpeting, and farewells him with hooting, only to welcome another with trumpeting again.

Pity the nation whose sages are dumb with years and whose strongmen are yet in the cradle.

Pity the nation divided into fragments, each fragment deeming itself a nation.”

It is hard not to feel sorry for Nigerians. It’s even harder not to feel pity for this blessed land of our fathers which unfortunately has become the graveyard of ideas and dreams. The trouble with Nigeria is that it does not produce most of the things it consumes. In truth, it’s hard to see passion in its dream. Those who should drive the future are instead engaged in showboating activities and playing politics with the destiny of the country. Since independence in 1960, the country has been shortchanged by the same calibre of people who have had the privilege to pilot its affairs. Successive leaders have been more content with Nigeria as a potentially great country. They have no vision and will not tap the talent and vision of others in policy formulation and implementation.

Many of our country’s peers that started off about the same time have either exited the “potentially great club” to the great club or are moving purposefully in that direction.

Unfortunately, Nigeria is stuck in a rot, thanks to a feudal mindset in the ranks of the ruling elite.

There is no gainsaying the fact that the future of Nigeria’s economy lies in industralisation driven by sound and coherent policies, the creation of an enabling business environment complemented by a rugged determination to achieve results. But our leaders are yet to understand the real purpose of leadership. The Ajaokuta Steel complex was supposed to leapfrog the country into its own version of an industrial revolution. Since that project, like many others, has become a white elephant, the country has largely stumbled and fumbled, only mouthing intentions to industrialise without a road map.

But a lightning rod of sorts for an industrial renaissance or revolution is in the offing. It is not led by government that seems never able to get its act together, instead by a private initiative and funding. Enter The Dangote Refinery and Petrochemical Plant started six years ago and is 85 to 90 percent complete. It comprises a mega size oil refinery, fertilizer and petrochemical plants all three assembled in one vast location. Isn’t the economy set to get a boost? What better way to become self-sufficient in refining, fertilizer and petrochemical production than to have three

Dangote strategic areas rising simultaneously from the ashes like a phoenix? The multiplier effect is beyond comprehension.

For Aliko Dangote, the promoter and financier of the multibillion dollar complex, it appears it might just be merely a matter of habit to continue to invest in a country whose political leaders revel in incompetence and whose allegiance is to their personal or group interests rather than progressing the big picture of developing the country. Despite the perception in some quarters of Dangote as an artful player of any government in power, his default tendency has been to keep expanding the frontiers of his business empire.

He did this with his daring venture into cement production.

Armed with concessions from a government that understood how central local production is to the nation’s economic progress – the backward integration policy has paid off handsomely and the country has moved from a net importer of cement to producing all its cement needs and surplus for export. This has conserved Nigeria’s foreign exchange reserves and stabilised the prices of cement. Imagine for a moment what would have happened to our foreign reserves and the prices of cement if we were still importing it, at a time like this.

A recent plea by Alhaji Ahmed Joda to our leaders captures what Nigeria should be doing to move the country forward instead of the overdependence on foreign investors. His stark warning? No Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) has ever taken any country out of poverty. Joda hailed Dangote for his dedication to Nigeria’s development, saying if the country could have more people like him, Nigeria would be a better place. “In short, I always say, create 10 to 15 Dangotes and see what will happen in our country,” he stated.

He recalled that before Dangote ventured into the cement business, the two biggest cement companies in the world were operating small plants, with the biggest at the time doing about 300,000 MT per annum in Nigeria. The two companies were Blue Circle (UK) and Lafarge (France), which later merged. Joda stated that the companies were producing only small quantities of cement in Nigeria and preferred to flood the country with cement from all over the world.

He posited further and I agree that Dangote saw the opportunity that the foreigners knew, but was not in their interest to take because they don’t care about Nigeria, and he took it.

He pointed out that Dangote decided to increase the capacity of the cement plant he bought to 2,000,000 MT per annum. Thereafter, he built a new plant (Obajana) with initial capacity of 5,000,000 MT per annum, expanded it to 10,000,000MT

per annum, and other companies had no choice but to follow suit.

He commended Dangote for building one of the largest oil refineries in the world in Nigeria, whereas the multinational oil companies that have been operating in Nigeria for more than 60 years never deemed it fit to build a refinery (except the 60,000 barrels per day refinery in Port Harcourt by Shell built in the 60s). Instead, for selfish reasons, they take the crude oil to the refineries around the world, refine it and then, sell it back to us.

By far, Dangote’s most audacious and formidable venture yet is the Dangote Refinery and Petrochemical Plant. A gigantic undertaking that trumps all others. It is perhaps the most significant, breathtaking investment undertaken by one man in his quest to harness the vast potential in Nigeria and change the narrative of this country, nay Africa for good. It is a story of rugged individualism amid policy inconsistency in Nigeria. And the two pull in opposite directions.

Clearly, this is not a project for the faint-hearted, it is simply beyond the scope and capacity of many countries. It is the kind of mammoth undertaking that big developed countries or major multinational oil companies dare to venture into.

This is what one man is single-handedly building and is nearing completion. Who says dreams can’t come true in Africa? Dangote has gone this far despite the headwinds from volatile economic realities, including repeated devaluation of the Naira which made borrowing cost higher and the seeming lack of support from government.

The plant will be a game changer for the Nigerian economy which is seriously gasping for breath. It will rewrite the story of our country and make every Nigerian proud and most importantly, sound the death knell for the criminality that has bedeviled the importation of refined petroleum products. I have written several articles on precisely the blind stealing and indefensible corruption in the oil sector, viz. the unbelievable fraud in the subsidy regime, the massive theft and round-tripping that has gone on for too many years without abatement and the never-ending turnaround of our obsolete refineries without results. The unexplained quadruple increase in the volume of petrol consumed daily has provided a coterie of local and international swindlers with riches far beyond their wildest imaginations. But the end is nigh! This refinery, which will soon be operational, will reveal Nigeria’s true daily consumption of all petroleum products and expose the humongous stealing that has gone on in the past several years. The plant when completed, can meet 100 per cent of Nigeria’s requirement of all liquid products. These include gasoline, diesel, kerosene, aviation jet fuel and fuel oils, and also would have surplus of each of these products for export.

In all, a total of $12 billion investment had been estimated by the Dangote Group to have been committed to the project. The refinery is expected to create a market of $11 billion per annum for Nigerian crude. It has been designed for 100 per cent Nigerian crude grades, with flexibility to process others which include all the African crude grades, a range of Middle Eastern crude grades and those from the United States. In a recent presentation, the Group Executive Director of the Dangote Refinery and Petrochemical Plant, Mr. Devakumar Edwin, pointed out that the project remains the largest single train petroleum refinery in the world, with a capacity of 650,000 barrels per day and 838 KTPA polypropylene plants.

When completed, Edwin added that the plant would encompass the world’s biggest fertilizer plant with a capacity of 3 million tons per annum;

the largest sub-sea pipeline infrastructure in any country in the world spanning 1,100 kilometres, to handle 3 billion standard cubic feet (SCF) of gas per day. In that presentation, he also revealed that the facility would have world-scale gas treatment stations; a world-class petrochemical complex; and a 480MW power plant in the refinery and fertilizer complex.

The plant will maximise gasoline which is in high demand – 53 per cent of the production capacity compared to 22 per cent of the existing refineries in Nigeria. It would also help maximise value added petrochemicals polypropylene and polyethylene; and minimise low-value fuel oils.

Another benefit of the refinery and petrochemical plant to the Nigerian economy is in the area of job creation as over 100,000 indirect jobs through retail outlets would be created as there are 26,716 filling stations and 129 depots in Nigeria; it would bring about ease of availability of products and help open up service stations; and 2,600 trucks for transport would create additional jobs. Currently, there are about 3,580 Nigerian personnel at the site. This excludes employment by the various contractors and sub-contractors at the site.

The challenge of skills gap which has over the years stunted growth in the oil and gas industry, is one that the Dangote Petrochemical Refinery is expected to address by providing a platform for overseas specialist training. Not to be caught napping, the training of the first and second batch of engineers has been completed and they are being acclimatised at the site, while the third batch has left for India for training.

Edwin further disclosed that the Dangote Group bought 300 cranes to ramp up equipment installation capacity, since the current capacity in Nigeria is extremely low and presently has the world’s largest granite quarry to supply coarse aggregate, stone column material, stone base, stone dust & material for break water. It also bought over 750 equipment to enhance the local capacity for site works, since even Julius Berger, Dantata & Sawoe, Hi-Tech, etc., were unable to handle even small portions of the construction requirements.

Furthermore, it bought 1,000 trucks and tippers exclusively to cater to bringing aggregates, stones and sand and has set up the world’s largest ready-mix concrete capacity at any given location to produce ready-mix concrete including 72 concrete pumps and 141 transit mixers since the annual concrete manufacturing capacity in the country is inadequate. It is also setting up large oxygen and acetylene plant to manufacture wielding gases since the current capacity in Nigeria is inadequate and currently, 120 local contractors are at the site with orders of $368 million.

Presently, Dangote Refinery is the only company in Nigeria handling its engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) of the refinery. Globally, with the exception of about three companies, no one has done complete EPC. In Nigeria, NNPC, GTL and NLNG have not done EPC. In the area of fertilizer production, Dangote Industries Limited is constructing a breathtaking fertilizer plant.

In Nigeria, the current consumption of urea is 700,000 tons. This year, Nigeria’s population was estimated at about 207 million which would lead to increased food consumption. Estimates point out that around 5 million tonnes of fertilizers are required per year in Nigeria, in the next five to seven years bifurcated into 3.5 million tonnes of urea and 1.5 million tonnes of NPK. The Dangote Fertilizer project is the largest granulated urea fertilizer complex coming up in the entire fertilizer industry in the world, with an investment of $2 billion to produce 3 million tonnes per annum.

Continued on page 30

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