WEDNESDAY 17TH MAY 2023

Presidency: Rising Inflation Not Peculiar to Nigeria, Challenge Global

IMF: African currencies under pressure, depreciated by 8% since January 2022

Deji Elumoye, Ndubuisi Francis in Abuja and Segun James in Lagos

The Presidency yesterday rose in stout defence of the rising inflation rate in the country, saying the menace

is global, and not peculiar to Nigeria. Presidential spokesperson, Mallam Garba Shehu, said this in a statement,

Ghana, S'Leone currencies suffer over 45% drop

titled, "Re: Buhari Leaves Inflation at Highest in 17 Years." The presidential assertion came

as the International Monetary Fund (IMF), in a report yesterday, stated that most sub-Saharan African cur-

rencies had weakened against the

Continued on page 12

Gunmen Kill Two US Embassy Staff, Two Security Officials in Anambra... Page 12

BBC Investigations, Like Premium Times Show Obi, Not Tinubu Won in Rivers Contrary to Wike’s Loud Claims

Results from IRev in Rivers alone may not have altered outcome of presidential poll

Emmanuel Addeh in Abuja

Just like a recent Premium Times findings, a BBC investigation yes-

terday indicated that it had found evidence suggesting some results from Nigeria's February 25 presidential election were manipulated, with

significant anomalies in Rivers state, a key battleground during the poll. The BBC stated that from its investigation into the issue, Peter

Obi of the Labour Party (LP), won the election in that state, rather than the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC),

Stressing that though not sufficient to change the overall national out-

Continued on page 12

How Jibril Brokered Tinubu, Kwankwaso Meeting in France

Ex-Kano governor may join government of national unity President-elect allegedly proposes reconciling Ganduje, predecessor

Adedayo Akinwale in Abuja

More details have emerged on Monday’s meeting, reportedly, in Paris between President-elect Bola Tinubu and leader of New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), Rabiu Kwankwaso. A House of Representatives member-elect from Kano State, Abdulmumin Jibrin, was said to be at the centre of it all.

Although details of the meeting were still sketchy at the time of filing this report last night, THISDAY reliably gathered that it was largely brokered by Jibril, a close as- sociate of Kwankwaso and the first Director General of Tinubu's presidential campaign. Jibrin had resigned from that position to join the then fledgling NNPP under which he contested and won a return to the House of

Continued on page 12

BUHARI BACK FROM UK...

L-R: Director General, DSS, Bichi Magaji; DIG Danmallan M.; Minister of FCT, Mallam Mohammed Musa Bello; Chief of Staff to the President, Prof. Ibrahim Gambari and President Muhammadu Buhari, during the president’s return from the UK … yesterday

Arewa Youths: Naira Redesign Policy Has Reduced Banditry, Terrorism...

PHOTO: SUNDAY AGHAEZE

Bola

Tinubu, contrary to claims by Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, that he worked for the victory of the former Lagos governor.

Yari Rejects APC’s Zoning Formula for 10th Senate, Says Party’s Choice Not Binding

A former Governor of Zamfara State and Senator-elect representing Zamfara West, Abdulaziz Yari, yesterday, rejected the All Progressives Congress (APC) zoning arrangement for the incoming 10th senate, insisting that the party’s choice of candidates was not binding on the upper chamber. Speaking on Arise News Channel’s breakfast programme, The Morning Show, Yari posited that the North deserved more stake in the Bola Tinubu administration set to be inaugurated on May 29, arguing that the region delivered over 60 per cent of the

president-elect’s votes. “I haven’t seen where in the constitution that says a Christian must be president or a Muslim must be president or vice president. If president-elect decides to do a Muslim-Muslim ticket, that is the business of the president and the executive. And if the parliamentary decides to do a Muslim-Muslim, it is the business of the parliament,” he maintained.

Yari contended that key positions in the incoming administration were already from the south, insisting that it was unfair for the APC to expect the North to be satisfied with just the vice presidency of the country.

The former Zamfara governor

had recently doubled down on his criticism of the zoning arrangement of the APC for the leadership of the 10th national assembly, maintaining that it was wrong to handpick leaders for the lawmakers.

The APC had nominated Godswill Akpabio and Jibrin Barau as president of the senate and deputy senate president respectively, a development that has riled some other aspirants for key leadership positions in the Senate and House of Representatives.

Yari argued the APC’s zoning arrangement was not a product of wide consultation, positing that the implication was that all three arms of government would be controlled by the south of Nigeria.

“Right from the beginning, the party has had a tradition of widening the consultations, meeting with the president and all the members of the national assembly because it is not the party’s business but that of the country.

“But the party did not do any of the above, and what we saw in the media was that they had two meetings, and we were given names to adopt. That is not adequate.

“Because all of them are just advisory bodies, the constitution gives the right to choose national assembly leaders to only the parliamentarians. The party can zone, but it is left for the individual to accept or reject. APC has zoned and now we are asking them

Speakership: 107 Opposition Members-elect With Us, Says Abbas

Don't forget North Central if you win, Lalong urges Governors appeal for respect for party's authority Zulum tasks duo on inclusive leadership

Udora Orizu in Abuja

The speakership candidate of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) for the 10th House, Hon. Tajudeen Abbas, has disclosed that not less than 107 members-elect from opposition parties had agreed to back him and Hon. Benjamin Kalu to emerge speaker and deputy speaker respectively.

Abass made the disclosure, when he and Kalu visited the official residence of the Plateau State Governor, Simon Lalong, in Abuja.

Briefing the governor on reasons for the visit earlier, both Abbas and Kalu, as well as the Joint Task Coalition Chairman, Hon. Bello Kumo congratulated him for a job well done at the just concluded presidential election.

They expressed appreciation for the sacrifices he made to take on the challenges of marketing the party's presidential ticket even in the face of mounting pressure.

The duo, however, informed the governor that theirs was a unity project that sought to reestablish national loyalty and cohesion in the polity.

"So, we are here, Your Excellency, in spite of the fact that you have two candidates, to plead with you to support our course, because our course is a Nigerian course. We are a unity project members here.

“We have membership across all the eight political parties. And I can tell with confidence, sir, that our last count as at yesterday (Sunday), we have 107 minority party members onboard this project," he said.

Lalong, while congratulating members for winning their elections, called on the speakership and Deputy Speakership candidates to remain true to the attributes that endeared them to the party's leadership which informed their selection and endorsement.

He stressed the need for respect and loyalty to the party at all times irrespective of personal political interest, and further appealed to the duo not to forget North Central if they emerge Speaker, Deputy in June.

"As DG campaign, I was very loyal, and I remain loyal to the President-elect, who was my boss and also the Vice President-elect and also to the leader of the party for now, the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. So, today we have elected a President, and have elected a Vice President. Definitely, their words will be our wisdom.

“So I will say that I have listened to you. I can say you are even the first person to have come to me, in spite of the fact that I have two of my own that also indicated interest. But I granted you audience to see you. And I saw you. When I said

I saw you, you know what I mean. But if you become the Speaker and deputy, look at some of our interests too in the North Central Zone.

“Not that they are crying, they are crying on our behalf. So if you get it please don't forget us in the North Central. But as I have received this message, I want to assure you that I will carry it forward. Even in the absence of the President-elect, the Vice President-elect is already moving and the DG must support him for us to move forward," Lalong said

The Borno State Governor, Babagana Zulum, also called on the candidates for the presiding officers' positions in the 10th assembly to do

something about endemic political corruption in the country, when they assume leadership of the House.

Zulum made the call when a campaign delegation of the duo led by the chairman of the Joint Task–10th Assembly Coalition, Hon. Usman Bello Kumo paid him a courtesy visit in Abuja.

The governor noted that little development is being achieved in the country at the moment due to political corruption that has robbed the people of the benefits of abundant resources, urging the duo to extend hands of fellowship to other aspirants seeking the same position when God willing they get there.

questions: On what basis? Have you taken into cognisance of the federal character?,” he asked.

The politician insisted that the constitution did not recognise Christianity or Islam as criteria for choosing the country’s leaders.

“The present Chief Justice of Nigeria is from Oyo State; Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the President-elect is from Lagos State, and Akpabio is from Akwa Ibom State at the same time. While the next Chief Justice of the Federation (Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun) is also

going to be from the South-West.

“So, have you ever seen, let’s say since 1960, whether this kind of thing has happened during the Shagari era, coming to Obasanjo, Yar’Adua and Jonathan? It only happened during Buhari’s time slightly before CJN Onnoghen took over the Judiciary for some time.

“Now it happens that all the three arms of government are in the southern part of the country. How could that be fair to Northern Nigeria?” he queried.

North Central Govs Not against APC’s National Assembly Leadership Zoning, Kwara Governor Declares

Hammed Shittu in Ilorin

Kwara State Governor, Alhaji AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, has said governors from the north central region of the country under the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC) are not against the position of the national leadership of the party on National Assembly zoning.

AbdulRazaq, however said the governors were instead holding strategic meetings with different stakeholders to secure a better deal for the region.

In a statement issued in Ilorin, yesterday, signed by the governor’s Chief Press Secretary, Mr. Rafiu Ajakaye, the governor stated that, "the governors from the zone have not made any public statement on the zoning formula for parliamentary positions."

AbdulRazaq who denied a media report quoting them as rejecting the position of the party leadership on the issue said that, "the Governors, being party leaders from the region, cannot adopt confrontational posture against the party’s position but are instead holding strategic meetings with different stakeholders to secure a better deal for the north central."

He said, “Media reports that we reject the party’s position are therefore a stretch of our approach. They are not factual.

"We have our channels of communication, and that is what we are exploring."

The governor therefore said, “We are party people and will not make any public statement or do anything that will rubbish its leadership or cause avoidable tension in the polity. That is not our way.”

APC's Choice against What Our Party Stands for, Says Gagdi

Juliet Akoje in Abuja

One of the frontline speakership aspirant in the House of Representatives, Hon. Yusuf Gagdi, yesterday, said the All Progressives Congress (APC)’s choice of speakership negated what the party stood for and lacked justice and equity amongst the six geo-political zones of the country.

Speaking to journalists yesterday in Abuja, Gadgi who is a strong member of the G-7, a group of aggrieved speakership aspirants, stressed that

the party's decision so far on the endorsement of Hon. Tajudeen Abass and Hon. Benjamin Kalu was not known to the President-elect, Bola Ahmed Tinubu. He opined that Tinubu, as a true democrat, would not deliberately be in bed with injustice.

Gadgi, who is the Chairman, Committee on Navy, Pankshin/Kanam/Kankerepresenting federal constituency of Plateau State, insisted that the APC zoning formula lacked equity, justice and fairness especially to the North-central geo-political zone

which he said contributed immensely to the victory of the party in the February 25 general elections.

He argued that it was not fair to ignore the North Central zone that produced five out of six governors for APC, 11 out of 18 Senators and gave the second highest number of votes to Tinubu, stressing that out of the six key offices in the executive and legislature, the zone was not rewarded with one.

"The principle of our presidentelect whom I so much respect and up till today I don't believe

that what is happening today the president-elect is aware of, or it is his own idea? That is why we keep on challenging the party. Asiwaju Ahmed Bola Tinubu has promised that he would reward loyalty and commitment.

“He would reward those who bring something to the table. He won only one local government in Kaduna State – Birnin Gwari – because he visited them when bandits were attacking them. The man said he would stand with you through thick and thin.

Yari

APC Natinal Chairman, Abdullahi Adamu

Emmanuel Addeh and Onyebuchi Ezigbo in Abuja

INDUCTION FOR NEW AND RETURNING GOVERNORS...

L-R: Edo State Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki; Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu; Ogun State Governor, Mr. Dapo Abiodun, and Minister of Works and Housing, Mr. Babatunde Fashola, during the 2023 induction for new and returning governors, at the Presidential Banquet Hall, State House, Abuja ... yesterday

Senate Passes N876bn NDDC 2023 Budget

Okays N451m for aides of 12 board members Approves N576m for running office of commission’s chairman, N546.597m for MD’s office

The Senate yesterday approved the 2023 budget of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), totaling N876bn. The sum of N451 million was

also approved as provisions for aides of 12 NDDC board members.

The approved budget also contains N576 million earmarked for running the Office of the Chairman of the Commission, Laurreta Onochie.

The breakdown for the office of the Chairman showed that the personnel cost would gulp - N156 million, overhead -N312 million and Internal capital - N108 million. For the Managing Director's Office, N546.597 million was earmarked

for personnel cost, N747.500 million for overhead cost and N163.504 million for Internal Capital. Others were Executive Director Finance & Administration Office, personnel cost N133.337million, Overhead cost N457.465 million

and N163.504 million for internal capital .

The Corporate Affairs Department of the Commission also got N1.061billion from the votes, out of which N431.076million is for personnel cost, N845.566 million

FG Unveils Revised National Agricultural Seed Policy

New framework gives farmers unrestricted access to quality seeds for increased productivity

James

Emejo in Abuja

The Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Dr. Mohammad Abubakar, yesterday launched the Revised National Agricultural Seed Policy to boost farmers’ unrestricted access to best genetics to enhance their productivity.

The minister pointed out that the revised framework has expunged the ambiguous areas in the erstwhile 2015 national seed policy, strengthened the identified weaknesses and introduced innovations that optimised the regulatory, promotional and protection roles of the National Agricultural Seeds Council (NASC) in ensuring that farmers have access to improved quality seeds.

Speaking at the ceremony which was attended by stakeholders and development partners including the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), Seed Entrepreneurs Association of Nigeria (SEEDAN), among others, the minister noted that seed remained a critical input in enhancing farmer’s productivity and boosting the country’s GDP through agriculture.

He commended the immense contributions of stakeholders at both the public and private sectors in enriching the contents of the new policy document.

Abubakar, further explained that following the critical review of the 2015 National Seed Policy, the progressive and positive changes in the operations of the seed industry had necessitated the review exercise, especially after the enactment of the

National Agricultural Seed Act, No. 21 of 2019 and the Plant Variety Protection Act, No. 5 of 2021 that confined new responsibilities and widened the scope of operations of NASC.

He said Nigeria is currently confronted with a number of challenges ranging from economic uncertainty, policies inconsistency, rising oil prices, population explosion, insecurity and of recent, the armed conflicts in many countries of the world.

He said, “All these factors are

already having its effect on the agricultural system and food security of the nation. To this end, the present administration has identified the agricultural sector as the most viable sector for the proposed diversification plan of the economy.

“Many reforms and policies have been put in place in the sector to facilitate its development as well as attract the necessary investment to the sector.”

In his remarks however, the Director General, NASC, Dr. Philip

Ojo, said the revised policy would invigorate the national seed system, trigger growth and development to consolidate on the gains and reforms made in the industry in recent times.

He said the seed sub-sector of Nigeria’s agricultural economy had undergone different stages of development since the country’s independence in 1960.

He pointed out that despite the attainment of such critical institutional structure for agricultural development, the seed landscape

has evolved over the years.

Ojo, expressed optimism that the new regulation would further enhance government efforts at ensuring that the country was not only food secured, but a net exporter of agricultural produce among the committee of nations.

He also commended President Muhammadu Buhari and members of the Federal Executive Council (FEC) and the minister in particular, for their doggedness in ensuring that the policy got all the necessary approvals.

for overhead and N63.081million for Internal Audit.

In the overall budget of the commission, personnel expenditure is to gulp N34.2 billion while overhead expenditure would gulp N17 billion. Also, Internal Capital expenditure would gulp N3.7 billion, Development projects - N490 billion and Federal government intervention in the Niger Delta - N330 billion. The revenue sources to finance the budget are revenue brought forward of N5 billion; Federal government contribution - N119 billion; Federal government contribution (unpaid areas) - N430 Billion; Oil companies’ contributions - N297 billion, Ecological funds - N20 billion and other Internally Realised income - N500 million.

Report for consideration and approval of the budget , was presented by Senator Bulus Amos in his capacity as Vice Chairman, Senate Committee on Niger Delta Affairs . President of the Senate Ahmed Lawan said the exercise was very expedient in order not to let the people of the region suffer from further delays.

Afenifere Hails Police, US Stance on May 29 Handover

Appeals to aggrieved parties to allow democracy grow peacefully in Nigeria

The pan-Yoruba socio-political organisation, Afenifere, has praised the security agencies and the United States government over their stance to ensure that no-one, no matter how highly placed, prevents the swearing-in of Bola Tinubu as President on May 29, 2023.

This was even as the group appealed to all aggrieved parties to play by the rules and allow the process of democracy in the country flourish.

Afenifere stated this in a press statement issued by its National Publicity Secretary, Jare Ajayi, who asserted that the journey to the present democratic dispensation had been hectic, “thus, nothing should be done to truncate it.”

Since the conclusion of the presidential election on February 25, 2023, and the announcement of Tinubu as winner of the election, there have been allegations of moves to prevent the inauguration of the president-elect on May 29th. Some had even advocated for an interim government which has been largely condemned.

The Afenifere spokesman recalled that the Department of State Security (DSS) and the military in April, had alleged move to scuttle the scheduled inauguration and had warned those who may be contemplating such to perish such thoughts.

He said, currently, four residents of Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) led by one Mr. Ayanegbunam Ubala Okoye, are presently in court to use the legal process to stop the

inauguration.

He said: "It could be that there were other clandestine efforts along the same line hence the warning issued on May 4, this year by the Defence Headquartes of the Nigerian Army to those it described as ‘unscrupulous politicians’ who were bent on disrupting the May 29 inauguration.”

Ajayi said it appeared, "that those making the move are still hell-bent in their unpatriotic contemplation, hence the strong warnings that were again issued separately by the IGP, Mr. Usman Alkali Baba and Mr. Antony J. Blinken, US Secretary of State, on Monday this week.” He said for the Secretary of State who is a top ranking officer to make a statement about an issue outside the US, “indicates how serious the

matter was taken."

"The organisation appeals to all those who are aggrieved to be patient and allow the legal process they have already initiated to take its normal course,” the statement added.

In a similar vein, Afenifere seized the opportunity to caution the outgoing government of President Muhammadu Buhari to have a rethink on the $800 million facility it had secured from the World Bank for the provision of palliatives, “because it would be adding more to the already huge debt burden presently put at over N77 trillion according to the government-owned Debt Management Office (DMO).”

The World Bank had said that Nigeria spent 96.3 per cent of its revenue on debt service in 2022,

although the Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Mrs. Zainab Ahmed, claimed that only 80.6 per cent of Nigeria’s revenue was spent on debt servicing that year.

Ajayi, who recalled that Nigeria’s debt burden in 2015, when Buhari came to power was N12.6 trillion, but now hovering around N80 trillion, described the undesirable development as regrettable, “in view of so much infrastructural deficit, cut-throat insecurity and economic dislocation that are ravaging the land.”

He expressed optimism and confidence that in spite of such debt profile, the incoming Tinubu’s administration would be able to meet the high expectations of Nigerians and bring the country back from the precipice.

Sunday Aborisade in Abuja

Emameh Gabriel in Abuja

FACES AT INDUCTION PROGRAMME FOR GOVERNORS...

L-R:

Arewa Youths: Naira Redesign Policy Has Reduced Banditry, Terrorism

Urge Tinubu to stay away from Matawalle Blast governor for promoting fake news against Emefiele

Emmanuel Addeh in Abuja

The Arewa Youth Assembly (AYA) yesterday lauded the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Godwin Emefiele, over the recent naira redesign policy, insisting that the decision stopped insecurity, curtailed corruption, and dropped the prices of commodity immediately.

In a statement signed by the Publicity Secretary of the group, Alhaji Aliyu Sani, the youths assembly stressed that the problems only returned after cash started flowing.

“People were no longer safe and bandits hit Zamfara, Kaduna, Minna, and other parts of the country. For this alone, Emefiele should be given a gold medal and celebrated. He helped President Muhammadu Buhari abide by the constitution that states that the security of lives of citizens is paramount,” the group stated.

It also took a swipe at ye Governor of Zamfara State, Bello Matawalle over his reported attack on Emefiele, insisting that the policy was only rejected by people like the governor because of his ‘selfish interest'.

“In all that Emefiele has done with the blessings of the Commanderin-Chief, his activities have been completely transparent and accountable. The records are there. The world is digital, every naira, every kobo is accounted for how it comes in and how it is spent.

“For the record, even if there were requests for study leave, it

is legal. The Public Service Rules make ample provision for the training and development of civil servants, to enhance the officer’s performance, adding value to the Service, and encourage professionalism in the dispatch of their duties (PSR 100223),” the group added.

It maintained that the statement attributed to Matawalle wherein he was quoted as saying: "If the leave has been approved, as reported in the media, the president should cancel it in the interest of peaceful transfer of power, accountability, and good governance" was embarrassing.

The group wondered that a sitting governor will allow himself to be swayed into believing and acting on a baseless rumour, ‘concocted from the pit of hell', that Emefiele had been granted study leave to flee from the country before Bola Tinubu is sworn in.

Stressing that the office of the president, through one of its spokespersons, Mallam Garba Shehu, had denied the existence of the ‘imaginary’ study leave, the youths stated that Matawalle decided to believe in the lies released to the public by an online medium.

“For Matawalle to swallow every content emanating from the media outfit, it shows that their publications on Zamfara alleging that the Matawalle-led government in Zamfara awarded multi-billion naira contracts in Zamfara without following due process is not far from the truth.

“Instead of him to be afraid of his fate when he leaves office, he is more concerned about the destiny of Mr. Emefiele who is serving Nigerians diligently.

“We wish to challenge Matawalle to make public the number of persons kidnapped in Zamfara state when the naira was not in excessive circulation and the reintroduction of the naira following his pyrrhic victory in court that forced the CBN to recirculate naira notes.

“If he can answer this in public, Nigerians will know who has the solution to the problem of insecurity in the country,” it added.

As a governor, the group stated that Matawalle has failed to guarantee the right to life provided for in the 1999 Constitution of Nigeria (as amended) in Sec 33, which clearly

states that every person has a right to life and Article 3 of the Universal Declaration on Human Rights that states that everyone has a right to life, liberty, and security.

“Your failure to provide security in the state has halted educational activities, with the closure of schools. At least 75 secondary schools in the state are still shut because of security, tagging the state as an educationally backward state.

“Zamfara state has a total of 61.4 per cent of children out of school, with boys at 57.4 per cent and girls at 66 per cent.

“Zamfara is one of the poorest states in the world and the poorest in Nigeria. A report by the national social registry stated that Zamfara has the highest number of poor and vulnerable people in Nigeria, with

a record of 3,836,484 people from 825,337 households.

“While you couldn't do anything about the situation of your people, Emefiele was busy working hard, feeding the nation, your people inclusive, boosting the economy by impacting all sectors,” it stated.

It listed some of the programmes as; Anchor Borrowers’ Programme, Commercial Agriculture Credit Scheme, CBN’s Intervention Programmes and Schemes for MSMEs, CBN’s Intervention Programmes and Schemes for Manufacturing, CBN’s Intervention Programmes and Schemes for Export.

alleviating poverty, and recreating Nigeria's image before the world,” the youths contended.

The group also called call on President-elect, Tinubu to note that the North voted for him when the sound of gunshots from bandits went silent, urging him to stay far from the Zamfara state governor.

“Insecurity is the reason why our people rejected the PDP, we saw a workable solution to our number one problem. If he chose to rally obvious failures like Matawalle around him, we will sadly accept that he has failed before his inauguration and nothing good will be expected from his tenure.

“This has helped in increasing revenue generation outside crude oil, thus helping this administration to actualise its diversification agenda, creation of employment,

Ahmed Calls on EITI to Respect Sovereignty of Member Nations

Urges next administration to fight corruption

The Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Dr Zainab Ahmed, yesterday called on the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI) to respect the sovereignty and complexities of member countries.

Speaking during her visit to the permanent office of Nigeria’s

version of EITI, called NEITI, in Abuja, Ahmed also charged the next administration to make it a duty to fight corruption and strengthen the anti-corruption war.

Having previously served as NEITI's executive secretary, Ahmed who also launched the Gender and Environmental Reporting Frameworks of the organisation, noted that she was proud of all

Mamora Canvasses Ban on Foreign Goods That Can Be Produced in Nigeria

Says nation moving towards knowledge-based economy

Deji Elumoye in Abuja

Science, Technology and Innovation

Minister, Senator Olorunnimbe

Mamora, has called for a total ban on all foreign goods that can be produced in Nigeria.

The Minister, who said this yesterday, while addressing a news conference at the State House, Abuja, also said the federal government had been working round the clock to move the nation from a resourcedriven one to a knowledge-driven economy.

Mamora, who suggested the ban as part of ways to protect local productions and inventions, regretted that most of the inventions by agencies under his ministry were lying fallow because there had been a drought of investors and investments.

The minister emphasised the need for Nigerians to be aware of the local inventions and desire them, and for investors to be willing to embrace the products and get them introduced to the consumers' market.

"We are also looking at how we can compel, as it were, a little bit of legislation that once these things are available, particularly if they are protected because we also need to protect the intellectual property, we can just push them to the markets.

"So, the challenge is about getting investors that will take these inventions out there and these things can then be useful to our people. Again, we also have a duty in terms of our own nationalism.

"One of the challenges again is that we have developed taste that is not local. Rather, taste that is alien.

We have this tendency to want to get something from abroad.

"Again, I think government will need to really come hard in terms of a total banning, as it were, of things that we have capacity to do locally. That is why nationalism comes in," the minister said.

He said the ministry was having a challenge taking research output to the market, stressing that it was only when that was done that it would be seen as doing something.

According to him, while the ministry would continue to engage relevant stakeholders, it was also thinking of a legislation to compel protection of the inventions before pushing them to the market.

On what was being done with all the several inventions by the ministry, Mamora said, "what do we do with

all these inventions? It's a question that we have also been pondering about. It will interest you that virtually all our agencies have come up with one invention or the other.

"But the challenge had always been taking these research outputs to the market. Because until and unless we are able to take them to the market, we would not be seen to have been able to do something."

While noting that the ministry's gradual steps may be slow, the Minister added, "we need to do more in terms of having that handshake between the research institutions and the market through investors and those who are interested - people that move around with their capital and would want to invest. So, it's a challenge that we know we are still facing which we will need to do more.

“The North has many qualified and respectable persons that will fit into the presidency of Tinubu, Bello Matawalle is not part of them,” the youths maintained. that the agency had achieved.

“The development of these frameworks are commendable, not just for the purpose of meeting Nigeria's obligation to the global EITI, but to help resolving the lingering negative impact of oil, gas and mineral exploration in our host communities, as well as reducing the widening gender disparity in our extractive industries.

“I wish to call on the international EITI to always consider and respect the sovereignty, peculiarities, context, uniqueness and diversities of each member's state in the implementation of the global initiative in their respective countries, particularly during the validation exercise being conducted by the international body every three years.

“Let me also use this opportunity to appeal to the incoming administration to strengthen anti-corruption agencies and reform-minded institutions like NEITI in its economic policy agenda, considering the agency's unique national and international mandates,” the minister said.

She added that through its regular oil, gas and mining audits, publications of timely policy papers, NEITI was well positioned to guide and shape government policies in the energy sector and contribute to robust economic and public finance management in Nigeria.

Executive Secretary of NEITI, Dr Ogbonnaya Orji, in his remarks, stated that the two reports being

launched were direct responses to its readiness to move into the issues of gender and the environment in view of the strong connection and linkage to the EITI desired impact in the lives of its citizens.

“Host communities in the country today currently face complex challenges of environmental degradation. In these host communities, the girl child, women and children suffer the most environmental degradation in terms of deprivation of their livelihood, access to farming and petty trading.

“In most of these communities, most of the rural dwellers are women and children. They suffer the worst health challenges arising from emission and environmental pollution. The two reports you will launch centres on these issues,” he stated.

He added that the NEITI Act was currently being reviewed to seek ways and means of augmenting government support.

“ The tragedy that we face is that we incentivised revenue generation but while our reports may lead to revenue generation to sister agencies who also take some percentages, NEITI walks home empty handed.

“The review of the NEITI Act is focused on innovations that will enable NEITI operate with less government funding and dependency and function more effectively as the watchdog of the extractive sector,” Orji said.

Emmanuel Addeh in Abuja

Hon Aminu Tambuwal, Governor of Sokoto State; Mr Donald Duke, former Governor of Cross Rivers State; Mr Terry McAuliffe, the 72nd Governor of Virginia; Mr Boss Mustapha, Secretary to the Government of the Federation; Engr Seyi Makinde; Governor of Oyo State; immediate past Governor of Ekiti State, Dr Kayode Fayemi and Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu, during the Nigeria Governors' Forum (NGF) 2023 Induction programme for governors, at the Presidential Banquet Hall, State House, Abuja,... yesterday

MINISTRY OF SCIENCE BRIEFING...

Adamu on 10th N’Assembly Leadership: Final Decision Will Be Taken On Senate, House Floors

Adedayo Akinwale and Sunday Aborisade in Abuja

The National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Senator Abdullahi Adamu, yesterday, said in spite of whatever position or measures the party might have taken on the leadership of the 10th National Assembly, the final decision would be taken on the floor of the Senate and the House of Representatives. Adamu, who said this, when he met with 42 senators-elect led by Senator Godswill Akpabio as parts of consultations on the controversial zoning arrangement released last Monday by the National Working Committee (NWC) of the party, said the process of electing the leadership of the legislature was democratic and as such, people were entitled to their opinions and aspirations.

He, however, advised the senators-elect and those aspiring to the various leadership positions in the 10th National Assembly not to be late to the National Assembly on the day of inauguration, if they must avoid a repeat of the 2015 experience.

In 2015, the APC had endorsed Senator Ahmed Lawan as Senate President and Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila as the Speaker, but Senator Bukola Saraki would not back down as he defied the party and courted members of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the Senate.

Thus, on the day of inauguration, Saraki and his loyalists were seated in the red chamber before 10am, when the inauguration was expected to start, but Lawan and his group were absent. They had gone for a meeting at the International

Conference Centre (ICC) and Saraki was elected in their absence.

The leadership of the APC had last Monday officially endorsed a former Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Senator Godswill Akpabio, (from Akwa Ibom State in Southsouth) for Senate President, and Tajudeen Abbas (from Kaduna State in North-west) for Speaker of the House of Representatives.

The zoning arrangement has however created acrimony within the party with aggrieved lawmakers describing the zoning as unconstitutional and undemocratic and above all, a disregard to them as they were not consulted.

However, the 42 lawmakerselect Senators arrived at the party secretariat in Abuja around 12:55 pm in two coaster buses for a meeting with the NWC. The meeting that

…How Tinubu, N’Assembly Will Tackle Nigeria's Debt Burden

Godswill Akpabio has assured Nigerians that the incoming administration of Bola Tinubu would work with the federal parliament to address the nation's debt burden with creative and innovative ideas.

Akpabio made the pledge, when he met with the Forum of the APC Non-Serving Senators, who hosted him and the party's anointed deputy Senate President, Barau Jibrin in Abuja, yesterday.

The meeting, which was convened by Senator Basheer Lado had over 78 former senators in attendance.

Akpabio lamented the current debt crisis rocking Nigeria and pledged that the Tinubu administration would think outside the box to generate internally generated revenue in collaboration with the National Assembly.

He also said his administration in the red chamber, if elected, would ensure that all former senators were included in the running of the Senate as consultants.

Jibrin described the endorsement of the non serving senators as the second most important after that of the APC National Working Committee.

"As former lawmakers, you already know our pedigree having

known the institution of legislation very well. This has proven what we have been telling our colleagues to be patient. We have a tradition of seniority.

"If we want to maintain the credibility of the institution, we must respect its values. Surprised that first comers wanted to become the Senate President, when he doesn't even know what it takes to move a motion," he said.

Speaking on behalf of his colleagues, the Governor of Cross River State, who served in the Seventh Senate, Ben Ayade, noted that the independence of the legislature was guaranteed in the Constitution but that it was derived from the Executive.

"Leadership takes time to mature, let us support the nominee of Mr. President. I always support somebody with capacity and I know that Akpabio has the capacity. Let us move away from the emotional calculation on what my zone is going to head.”

Lado, the Convener of the Forum, said, "As critical stakeholders, we assure the leadership of the APC, the president-elect, the vice president-elect, Senator Godswill Akpabio and Senator Barau Jibril of our unflinching commitment and

support towards the actualisation of this objective.

"We, therefore, respectfully, once again, appeal to other aspirants to step down their ambition in the interest of national unity, peace, national stability of Nigeria and party cohesion."

started about 1:10p.m ended at about 2:30 p.m.

Some of the those at the meeting were Olamilekan Adeola, Ibrahim Geidam, Opeyemi Bamidele, Ali Ndume, Jibrin Barau, Gbenga Daniel, Salihu Mustapha, Mohammed Monguno, Senator Tokunbo Abiru; Deputy Governor Rivers State and Senator-elect, Rivers West, Danibo Ipalibo, Darlington Nwokocha, Asuquo Ekpeyong, Salihu Mustapha, and Rufai Hanga, among others.

Adamu, while speaking, said the leadership of the party made it clear that there was need for further and better consultation.

"From what you just said, there is ample evidence that there has been consultation and we will not relent to ensure that if it were possible for all senators-elect to agree. Whatever we do, whatsoever signature we collect, the final decision will be on the floor of the Senate and also the House.

"All these efforts are very good and important but we are in a democracy and people are bound to have opinions and we have no right to stop them. I'm happy that we are heeding the advice and directives we gave to make consultations and it is good that is going on and I'm happy that it has been very fruitful. We wait till on the 13th of June on the floor of the house.

"I want us to have a rancour-free election on the floor, because even if everybody says it is Akpabio or Y or X, the rules of the game say there must be election. Those who are in

the Senate are aware of the rules. On the day of the proclamation by the president and the clerk makes the proclamation. So I do hope and pray that we will carry the day and be victorious. But let me warn, don't be late. I hope I am communicating. Don't be late. Once bitten twice shy."

While speaking, Akpabio said they were at the party secretariat to show solidarity and appreciation for the endorsement after wide consultation with stakeholders in Nigeria.

He stressed that the South-south part of the country last had a Senate President in 1979, which was about 44 years ago, when Joe Wayas, was elected on the platform of National Party of Nigeria (NPN), while the the South-east has held the position since 1999 for about eight years and also producing the Deputy Senate President for 12 years.

The former Minister of Niger Delta added that the North Central produced Senator David Mark for 12 years, and Saraki and Senator Ibrahim Mantu.

"Since the president is from the South and the Vice is from the North, it is right that the Senate President is coming from the South. Of course, the South-west is out, left with the South-south hoping that their brothers from the East will support them.

"The wise men from the National Working Committee graciously zoned it to the South-south. And as a party man, who served six years in the executive, eight years as governor,

served as the Minority Leader of the Senate and Minister to lead the 10th senate," he said.

Akpabio stressed that the 10th Senate was going to be totally different from all other senates, considering the fact that it was made of eight political parties, and added that his team intended to visit the chairmen of other political parties that made up the tenth senate.

On his part, Barau assured the party that they would abide by the manifestos and programmes of the APC, because according to him, “We want to assure you that we shall continue to be loyal and stand for everything this party stands for knowing that it is for the good of Nigerians. We shall by every means draw the attention of our colleagues who are yet to identify with this endorsement. This administration that will be sworn in in two weeks by the grace of God will bring unprecedented development to this country."

Bamidele said there was nothing the APC was doing that the other minority party would not do, adding that there was nothing illegal that the ruling party was doing.

"There is no better place to appeal that you speak to the twelve remain- ing members of this party who are yet to join the decision of the party. That's through you sir, while not taking away from them the right to contest but stop divisive statements or anything that can further heighten tension in this country,” he said.

National Assembly Complex Renovation Gulped N19bn, Says FCDA

Olawale Ajimotokan in Abuja

The Federal Capital Development Authority (FCDA) has disclosed that N19 billion has been expended on the renovation of the two chambers of the National Assembly.

The Executive Secretary FCDA, Shehu Ahmad, disclosed this yesterday, at a press briefing on approval by the Federal Executive Council (FEC) to the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) to execute nine out of 18 major projects.

The National Assembly renovation project was awarded in 2021, to Messrs Visible Construction Nigeria Limited, at the cost of N30. 2 billion with the completion date of August 15, 2023.

Ahmad also put the level of renovation work at 60 per cent,

while saying the project would not be completed before the inauguration of the 10th National Assembly in June.

The federal government awarded the renovation after the leakage of the chambers' roof resulted in its flooding by rainwater.

“The project was awarded last year and the completion date is August 15, 2023. It was awarded at N30.2 billion and as at date we have expended N19 billion on the project. And it is currently about 60 percent completed.

“The project will not be completed before the inauguration. Their anticipation is that we should deliver the project before the end of the 9th assembly. We know that it is not possible to deliver. We will do what is supposed to be done to meet the delivery date,” Ahmad said.

He touted the decision of the FCT Minister, Malam Muhammad Bello, on completing ongoing or abandoned infrastructural projects as the reason for the progress of the project.

He said paucity of funds for infrastructure development was not just a problem of the FCT alone, but rather a national issue noting that the continued depletion of Federal allocation has continued to affect infrastructure development in the Territory.

"Infrastructure development is not a bane of Abuja alone, but a national problem. As it is, funding for infrastructure in Nigeria currently runs into trillions of naira and Abuja, as we all know getting funding for infrastructure projects from national budget which is not enough.

"That is why the FCT Administra-

tion is the engaging private sector through the land for infrastructure swap like we have in Gwagwa District and we are looking at other Districts like Buru Shareti where we have received interest," Ahmad said.

He said out of 18 projects proposals that were before FEC, nine were given approval for award of contracts, to be delivered in the phase of sequence, in line with the policy of executing infrastructure of most impact on the city.

FEC on Monday gave approval for the revised estimated total cost of the contract for the construction and equipping of the 220-bed Gwarimpa District Hospital (Phase I), awarded to Messrs Mabelt Construction Company Limited at the total cost of N5,652,680,046.09.

Says it’s democracy, people have rights to their opinions, aspirations

Advises senators not to be late to inauguration, meets 42 of them After 44yrs, we deserve the position of senate president, says Akpabio

L-R: The Minister of Science , Technology and innovation , Senator Olorunnimbe Mamora; the Minister for State for Science, Technology and Innovation, Henry Ikoh; permanent secretary of the ministry, Mrs. Monilola Udoh and the Director, Planning Research and Policy Analysis, Mohammed Ndadolco, during the State House Ministerial briefing at the Presidential Villa, Abuja ….yesterday

PHOTO: GODWIN OMOIGUI

Gunmen Kill Two US Embassy Staff, Two Security Officials in Anambra

David-Chyddy Eleke in Awka

Two staff of the United States Embassy in Nigeria and two security men attached to them were yesterday shot dead by gunmen in Ogbaru Local Government Area of Anambra State. Sources said the convoy of the embassy officials came under fire as they were passing through the area.

A source said they were on humanitarian mission to the area while another source said the at-

tacked officials wanted to connect their destination through Ogbaru.

The source added: “At least four persons were killed in the attack while others sustained injuries. Troops have taken over the community.” Details of the attack were not available as of the time of filing this report, but DSP Tochukwu Ikenga, Police Public Relations Officer in Anambra, confirmed the incident,

“The joint security forces have embarked on a rescue/recovery

operation in Ogbaru LGA, following an attack on a convoy of staff of US Consulate today May 15, 2023 by 3:30 pm along Atani, Osamale road.

“The hoodlums murdered two of the Police Mobile Force operatives, and two staff of the Consulate, and set their bodies ablaze alongside their vehicles.

“Also, the arsonist/murderers on sighting the responding joint security forces abducted two police operatives, the driver of the second vehicle and took to their heels. No

US citizen was in the convoy.”

He added: “Following the information of the shooting incident within Ogbaru community, the Commissioner of Police, CP Echeng Echeng has deployed a police team led by the deputy commissioner of police in charge of operations to arrest the situation.

“Meanwhile, the details of the incident are still sketchy, I will get back to you as soon as I can, please.”

The US mission Nigeria also

PRESIDENCY: RISING INFLATION NOT PECULIAR TO NIGERIA, CHALLENGE GLOBAL

United States dollar. IMF the situation fanned inflationary pressures across the continent as import prices surged.

The presidency cited statistics from nations across the world to back its claim that the current rising inflation was a global concern worsened by the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic three years ago and the Russia/Ukraine war.

Shehu, while alluding to the fact that Nigeria’s current 22 per cent inflation rate was high and worrisome, however, submitted that the Buhari administration was taking serious steps to stem the global cost of living crisis.

The presidency stated, "These days, the newspaper (not THISDAY) is at its best when it comes to twisting politically sensitive facts to suit its preconceived notions.

"In one of its highest fallacies, the paper this morning is tying the rise of inflation to its 17-year high to the person of the president, Muhammadu Buhari, who leaves office in exactly two weeks from this day.

"Anybody who promotes this kind of thinking is telling the whole world that they either don’t know what is happening all over the world or they are not paying attention to the facts.

"This stubbornly high inflation is a world-wide problem and no nation is immune to it since the global economic downturn triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic.

"Inflation was boosted everywhere by the COVID-19 lockdowns with severe impact on national economies due to the dislocation of manufacturing and supply chains.

"This is what led to fewer goods and the rises in prices of those goods reaching the market.”

The presidency added, "Considering that Nigeria relies heavily on imports for essential products like petroleum, cooking oils, fertilisers, crop chemicals, and others, international price fluctuations significantly impact local prices. The government, unless it chooses to disregard the principles of free trade, has limited manoeuvrability in this regard.

"France, which enjoyed a stable average inflationary regime of 4.1 per cent from 1960-2022 is today reporting price increases of up to 1,080.36 per cent.

"At 10.1 per cent, UK inflation is

at a 41-year high. Ghana’s inflation rate had hit a two-decades high of 54.1 per cent before a recent decrease.

"Turkey’s rate is 45 per cent, Pakistan has also reported an alarming high inflation rate comparable to countries with similar profiles.

"The war in Ukraine meant a rocketing in foodstuff prices leading to fear of famine in many countries, never mind inflation!

"While Nigeria's reported inflation rate of 22 per cent is undoubtedly high and worrisome, it would be incorrect to suggest that the Buhari administration is not making efforts to address the volatile global cost of living crisis.

"President Buhari has consistently prioritised efforts to control inflation and continues to do so."

IMF: African Currencies Under Pressure, Depreciated by 8% Since January 2022

Most sub-Saharan African currencies weakened against the United States dollar, fanning inflationary pressures across the continent as import prices surged, the IMF stated yesterday.

The IMF stated in its Regional Economic Outlook for Sub-Saharan Africa that the average depreciation for the region since January 2022, was about eight per cent, adding that the extent varies by country, with Ghana’s cedi and Sierra Leone’s leone depreciating by over 45 per cent.

The currency depreciation in the region, together with a growth slowdown, leaves policymakers with difficult choices as they try to keep inflation in check with a still-fragile recovery, the IMF added.

According to the multilateral lender, the depreciations across the region are mostly driven by external factors. It said lower risk appetite in global markets and interest rate hikes in the United States pushed investors away from the region towards safer and higher paying US treasury bonds.

It stressed that foreign exchange earnings took a hit in many countries as demand for the region’s exports dropped because of the economic slowdown in major economies.

At the same time, high oil and food prices, partly due to Russia’s war in Ukraine, pushed up import costs in 2022.

The IMF noted that large budget deficits had compounded the effects of these external shocks by increasing the demand for foreign exchange.

About half of the countries in the region had deficits exceeding five per cent of Gross Domestic Product in 2022, putting pressure on their exchange rates, it added.

Commenting on the implications of the currency depreciation in SubSaharan Africa, the IMF stated that when currencies weakened against the US dollar, local prices rise, as much of what people buy, including essential items like food, are imported. More than two-thirds of imports are priced in US dollars for most countries in the region. IMF stated that a percentage point

increase in the rate of depreciation against the US dollar leads, on average, to an increase in inflation of 0.22 percentage points within the first year in the region.

IMF said in the report, “There is also evidence that inflationary pressures do not come down quickly when local currencies strengthen against the US dollar.

“Weaker currencies also push up public debt. About 40 per cent of public debt is external in sub-Saharan Africa and over 60 per cent of that debt is in US dollars for most countries.

“Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, exchange rate depreciations have contributed to the region's rise in public debt by

confirmed the incident, saying its personnel were collaborating with Nigerian security operatives to get to the root of the matter.

The personnel who were killed were not US citizens, according to the White House.

“No US citizens were involved and therefore there were no US citizens hurt,” said John Kirby of the US National Security Council.

“We are aware of some casualties, perhaps even some killed. The States Department is looking into it,” he

about 10 percentage points of GDP on average by end-2022, holding all else equal.

“Growth and inflation (which reduces the real value of existing debts) helped to contain the public debt increase to about six per cent of GDP during the same period.

“Many central banks in the region have tried to prop up their currencies by supplying foreign exchange to importers from their reserves,” it added.

It noted that with reserve buffers running low in many countries, there was little room to continue intervening in foreign exchange markets.

“Countries have also applied administrative measures such as

said during an interview.

Also, a US Mission Nigeria spokesperson said, “We confirm there was an incident on May 16 in Anambra state. U.S. Mission Nigeria personnel are working with Nigerian security services to investigate.

“The security of our personnel is always paramount, and we take extensive precautions when organising trips to the field. We have no further comment at this time.”

foreign exchange rationing or banning foreign currency transactions. These measures can be highly distortive and create opportunities for corruption.

“Given that the external shocks are expected to persist, countries where exchange rates are not pegged (fixed) to a currency have little choice but to let the exchange rate adjust and tighten monetary policy to fight inflation.

“Countries with pegged exchange rates will need to adjust monetary policy in line with the country of the peg. In both country groups, fiscal consolidation can help to rein in external imbalances and limit the increase in debt related to currency depreciation. Structural reforms can help to boost growth.”

BBC INVESTIGATIONS, LIKE PREMIUM TIMES SHOW OBI, NOT TINUBU WON IN RIVERS CONTRARY TO WIKE’S LOUD CLAIMS

come of the election, the international broadcast organisation noted that there are also questions over the identity of an election official who read out some of the unexplained results.

For the first time in a Nigerian election, BBC recalled that photographs of the polling station results sheets were published online by the electoral commission, which made it possible to add up all the polling station sheets and to compare them with the results declared at the state level.

But after adding up the voting tally sheets from over 6,000 polling stations in Rivers state, where many of the opposition complaints had been made, BBC stated that while the official result in the state gave a clear majority to Tinubu of APC, its tally suggested that Obi of LP had actually received most votes in the state by a wide margin.

“We found an increase of just over 106,000 in Mr Tinubu's vote in the official declaration when compared with our polling station tally - almost doubling his total in the state. In contrast, Mr Obi's vote had fallen by over 50,000,” the report added.

However, it noted that although it searched through the election website for every single one of the 6,866 polling stations in Rivers state, it was not able to obtain results from all of them.

The BBC explained that some were incorrectly uploaded, others were missing, even after a month

HOW JIBRIL BROKERED TINUBU, KWANKWASO MEETING IN FRANCE

Representatives in the February 25 elections.

A source, who pleaded anonymity because he was not authorised to speak on the issue, said Jibrin’s relationship with both Tinubu and Kwankwaso provided him the vantage position to broker the meeting.

"Yes, he was in the middle of it, don't forget Kwankwaso is his political mentor and, of course, he was Tinubu's first campaign DG,” the source said of Jibril. “So, he was able to broker rapprochement between them after some calls back and forth, a deal was reached that culminated in the meeting in France," the source added.

After the meeting, which some allies of the two political leaders believed to be privy to the discussions described as successful, Kwankwaso was said to have agreed to work with Tinubu and be part of his proposed Government of

National Unity (GNU).

In addition, THISDAY gathered that one of the highpoints of the meeting was a proposal by Tinubu to reconcile the outgoing Kano State Governor, Abdulahi Ganduje, and Kwankwaso. The two men had fallen out about eight years ago, after Ganduje succeeded Kwankwaso.

A source, who was privy to the meeting, said Kwankwaso’s wife and Jibrin accompanied the former Kano State governor to the meeting, while Tinubu’s wife and Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, were also part of the meeting.

The meeting, it was gathered, started about 12.30pm and ended about 4.45pm on Monday.

The source said, “The president-elect and Senator Kwankwaso met for over four hours behind closed doors in Paris on “SenatorMonday.

Oluremi Tinubu was

also there to receive Kwankwaso’s wife, Hajia Salamatu, who came with her husband.

“Discussions were centered around their long term friendship since their days in the National Assembly in 1992, national unity and development, priorities for the new government, National Assembly contests, and the plan by the president-elect for a government of national unity, which Kwankwaso has in principle accepted to join.”

It was gathered that Tinubu told Kwankwaso to reach out to his political associates on the need to work together, as they later agreed to hold subsequent meetings.

The source revealed that Tinubu also hinted at reconciling Ganduje and Kwankwaso. Ganduje succeeded Kwankwaso in 2015, but the duo, who had been together for about 15 years, fell apart shortly after.

from the date of polling, stressing that for about 5 per cent of polling stations, the photos of tally sheets were too blurred to read.

“ It's reasonable to assume that the official count would have included these as they would have had the original documents,” the report stated.

In another 17 per cent, BBC said that there were no results at

all. “Many of these would have been places where no voting took place due to security issues or the non-arrival of voting materials. Others had technical problems preventing officials uploading the documents,” it posited.

In terms of the biggest discrepancies, the BBC reported that two areas stood out, the first being Oyigbo local government area, where it found that

the vote for Tinubu was six times larger in the officially announced results compared with the its polling station count. “Peter Obi's votes had been cut in half,” it stated.

According to the BBC report, the second local government area where it found major discrepancies was in nearby Obio/Akpor where the official result for Tinubu was 80,239 votes, but it counted just 17,293 votes from polling station tallies.

“The count for Mr Obi was announced officially as just 3,829 votes, but the BBC counted 74,033 votes for him on the tally sheets,” it said.

BBC said its investigation also raised doubts over the person of an Oyigbo election official, Dr Dickson Ariaga, who announced his name and that he worked for the Federal College of Education in Omoku. While other results matched those on the collation sheet the BBC had obtained, it stated that when he reached Mr Tinubu's APC, instead of saying 2,731 as written on our photograph of the sheet, Ariaga read out "16,630".

“Then for Mr Obi's party (LP) the figure changed again - instead of the 22,289 seen on the sheet, he announced "10,784", more than halving his vote,” it stated.

Indicating that there was some mystery surrounding Ariaga, it said it sent a reporter to the Federal College of Education in Omoku, about two hours drive north of Port Harcourt, where he'd said he worked when introducing himself.

“The Deputy Provost Moses Ekpa told the BBC: "From our records, both from our payroll and from our human resources, there is no such a name in our system and we don't know such a person."

When its findings were put to Nigeria's Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), it noted that Johnson Sinikiem, INEC’s regional spokesman in Port Harcourt, told the news medium that due to a "gross shortage of time and personnel" INEC had needed to take on some people without verifying their identity documents.

"If he had presented himself as a lecturer from (the college in Omoku) and it's otherwise, then he is dishonest," the INEC’s regional spokesperson was quoted as saying.

“We also approached INEC’s headquarters in Abuja for a response to our findings of discrepancies in the results in Rivers state. We were told that they were unable to comment due to ongoing legal challenges.

“This is just one case in one state in southern Nigeria where the evidence points to the results having been manipulated,” the BBC said.

Still on Atiku’s Request for Live Broadcast of Court Proceedings

The tasks before the five-member panel of Justices of the Court of Appeal, handling the 2023 Presidential Election cases is no doubt herculean but still surmountable, if the justices can abide by one of the greatest and most relevant principles of justice as presented by Lord Hewart, one of the great legal luminary of all times who stated that, “It is not merely of some importance but is of fundamental importance that justice should not only be done but should manifestly and undoubtedly be seen to be done”.

The 2023 presidential election is the seventh election in the Fourth Republic and the 10th since Nigeria gained independence in 1960, however, the heat generated or is generating seems to have surpassed previous elections. Its tension could be compared to that of the 1993 election, although won by the late business mogul and philanthropist, Chief Moshood Kashimawo Abiola, which was declared inconclusive.

While in the instant case, the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Asiwaju Ahmed Bola Tinubu, has been declared president-elect by the electoral umpire, efforts are on to ensure Tinubu is not sworn in come May 29, until some constitutional benchmarks relating to his declaration are met.

Besides the suit filed by some aggrieved voters in the Federal Capital Territory, (FCT), Abuja, before a Federal High Court, Abuja, seeking the suspension of Tinubu’s inauguration on account that he did not score 25% in the FCT as required by the Constitution, there are three pending petitions before the Presidential Election Petition Court (PREPEC) following the withdrawal of two.

Five political parties and their

presidential candidates had initially filed petitions before the court, they include the Action Alliance (AA), Action Peoples Party (APP), Labour Party (LP), Allied Peoples Movement (APM), and People’s Democratic Party (PDP). However, the AA and APP have withdrawn their petitions.

The petitioners mainly hinged their case on the alleged failure of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to comply with its guidelines as well as the deployment of the Bi-modal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) machine to upload results real-time on INEC Result Viewing (IReV) portal. They had also alleged corrupt practices and non-qualification of Tinubu to participate in the poll as well as faulting INEC for announcing Tinubu winner having not scored 25% in the FCT.

INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmoud Yakubu, had boasted with the BVAS and IReV technologies as the game changer that would produce

Nigeria’s most credible, freest, and fairest elections devoid of violence, ballot box snatching, vote buying, and manipulation among others. Unfortunately, the election to some stakeholders has been adjudged the worst so far since this republic. Hence, the current petitions at the PREPEC.

However, as the PREPEC commences sittings, the PDP and its presidential candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, brought an “innocuous application” as his lawyer, Chief Chris Uche, SAN, puts it before the court.

His simple prayer is for the court to permit live broadcast of the PREPEC proceedings. The application “is innocuous, it will facilitate the hearing of the case”, Uche said while urging the court to step it down for adoption.

Much Ado About N’Assembly’s Zoning Template

Ibrahim Tajudeen justifies the recent zoning by the leadership of the ruling party, the All Progressives Congress, of both the Deputy Senate President and House Speaker positions of the 10th National Assembly to the North Western zone of the country.

The uproar that followed the zoning of leadership positions in the 10th National Assembly is unnecessary given the much expected for the next administration to succeed.

If the protest is based on the need for equity and fairness, then the resolve of the APC to zone the position of Senate President to the SouthSouth; Deputy Senate President to the North West; Speaker of the House of Representatives to the North West and Deputy Speaker to the South East is in order.

Though the convention most times follows a pattern where the six geopolitical zones of the country take one each of the top positions in the executive and legislative arms of government and it is expected that since the South West and North East have produced the President-elect and Vice President-elect respectively, the positions of the Senate President, Deputy Senate President, Speaker and Deputy Speaker of the House of

Representatives should be shared among the other four geopolitical zones namely the North Central; South-South; South East and North West zones, the present situation calls for a deeper understanding due to its peculiarity.

This is because the commitment to national cause is tested not based on the allocation of political offices but on the willingness to make sacrifices for the betterment of the country.

The agitation by the North Central that it has been sidelined in the scheme of things is therefore hasty and cannot be conclusively substantiated because the Bola Ahmed Tinubu administration is yet to be inaugurated.

The call for the review of the zoning by the governors in the North Central on Monday wouldn’t be necessary if the chief executives had waited to see

what Asiwaju has in stock for the zone.

Besides, as it is, the North Central has been the first to benefit from the zoning arrangement of the APC with the decision to allocate the office of the national chairman of the party to the zone in 2022.

When that was done, other zones respected the arrangement and did not present candidates to contest against the decision of the APC even though there were leaders of the party from the zone that wanted to contest.

That was the sacrifice the other zones made for the unity of the country and for the growth and cohesion of the APC which the North Central benefitted from.

Regarding the National Assembly leadership, other zones have in the past also made similar sacrifices for a harmonious blend in the interest of the nation.

In the 7th Assembly, it was all agreed that the South West should have the position of the Speaker, but because it was the understanding then that the

North West needed to be supported to consolidate the efforts of the progressives, the South West made the sacrifice and Aminu Tambuwal from the North West was returned as Speaker even though the North West with Namadi Sambo, had the vice presidency.

In that dispensation, while the South-South with Goodluck Jonathan had the presidency, the North West, had the vice President; while the North Central had the Senate President; the South East with Ike Ekweremadu had the Deputy Senate President; the North West despite having the Vice President, also took the position of Speaker and the South East with Emeka Ihedioha, took the Deputy Speaker position.

-Tajudeen writes from Abuja

Adamu

In a situation where there are concerns over the outcome of the 2023 general elections with individuals daily losing confidence in the country and its various institutions, it behoves on the judiciary saddled with the responsibility of deciding who takes over from President Muhammadu Buhari come May 29, 2023, to make that process of decision very transparent for acceptability by all. Alex Enumah writes.

Ariwoola

Atiku Tinubu

Obi

Barau

Abass

Clarion Call to Achieve a Noiseless Lagos

As part of moves to commemorate the eight edition of the Annual Stakeholders Forum on a 'Noiseless Lagos', the state government made a clarion call for all relevant stakeholders to be actively involved in ensuring the attainment of a serene and safe environment that is commensurate with its vision of a smart city. Chiemelie Ezeobi reports

Noise pollution is an unwanted sound in excess of the permissible limits. In its prevalent state, noise pollution is mostly anthropogenic but is not limited to transport, religious, commercial, industrial, entertainment, and power generating.

Often prevalent in Lagos, this causes stress with severe health implications, with long term exposure causing hearing loss that is detrimental to human health.

This is because any sound that’s 85 decibels or higher can cause hearing problems like tinnitus (a ringing sound in the ears that won’t go away). This high decibels of noise is often dangerous to one's hearing if appropriate measures are not taken.

While it's understandable that noise is an essential component of urban development that cannot be eliminated, experts however posit that it can be controlled to an acceptable level. Thus, the need to moderate the noise level of Lagos as a mega city was the focus at the recently commemorated 2023 Noiseless Lagos. At the event, the Lagos State government made a clarion call for all relevant stakeholders in the environment sector to be actively involved in ensuring the attainment of a serene and safe environment that is commensurate with its vision of a smart city.

The Commissioner for the Environment and Water Resources, Mr. Tunji Bello, who was represented by the Permanent Secretary, of the ministry, Dr Omobolaji Gaji made the call while speaking at the 8th Edition of the Annual Stakeholders Forum put together by Lagos State Environmental Protection Agency, LASEPA in collaboration with Ministries of Health and Transportation, to promote a sustainable environment on “Noiseless Lagos, with the theme: “Vehicular Noise and Hearing Deficit.” Bello, while addressing a cross section of relevant stakeholders at JJT Park, Alausa, Ikeja on Tuesday, said the state government will continue to partner relevant stakeholders to ensure improvement in the standard of living of residents of the state by advocating self-compliance in all facets of the environment.

According to him, the ultimate objective of the administration of Governor of Lagos State, Mr. Babajide Olusola Sanwo-Olu is to improve the quality of lives of its citizens and develop a culture of sustainable noise management in all sectors of the economy.

In his words, Mr. Bello reiterated that “This 8th edition of the annual stakeholders’ forum on “Noiseless Lagos’’ Campaign is to emphasise the need for active contribution and commitment of all, and for everyone to see it as a collective responsibility towards ensuring a serene and safe environment that is commensurate with a smart city, with trees adorning our neighborhoods and butterflies returning to its natural place in the environment.

“Today’s theme, “Vehicular Noise and Hearing Deficit” is centered on Vehicular Noise, as a result of indiscriminate honking on the streets of Lagos by motorists, and this stakeholder’s engagement

is to proffer solutions as well as provide free hearing tests for everyone.”

In his welcome address, the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Health, Dr Olusegun Ogboye reaffirmed the competence of the doctors on ground and urged the people to avail themselves of the golden opportunity of free hearing test as early diagnosis would protect further hearing loss.

"The earlier an audiologist can identify any issue through hearing test, the easier the hearing loss is treated.

Treating problems when they first arise can prevent long term and Permanent damage to your hearing. Any serious cases of hearing defects will be referred to our government hospitals for necessary attention " he reiterated.

During a paper presentation at the event, the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Transportation, Engr. Abdulhafiz Toriola, informed that the Ministry of Transportation, having realised the implication of inappropriate honking from motorist in Lagos State, introduced the annual October, 15th safety campaign week initiative tagged “Horn Free Day” which commenced in 2014.

He explained that the objective of the “Horn Free Day” in the State was to eliminate noise pollution coming from vehicles by discouraging the

indiscriminate use of horns and sirens as well as ultimately improve the health condition of Lagosians.

While noting that transport is a significant and growing contributor to noise pollution globally, the permanent secretary, maintained that there is need to promote a data gathering initiative for enhanced policy direction to address the development.

He said that even though there is not available statistics to locally show the contribution of noise pollution to the global health impact on human wellbeing in term of percentage, Engr. Toriola, said concerted efforts and synergy are required by all stakeholders in a bid to promote a healthy environment devoid of noise pollution and significant investment in this regards will be necessary.

The Permanent Secretary also advocated stronger institution, partnership, stakeholder’s engagement, political will, legal framework and implementation that will be beneficial to achieving a noiseless environment, mandate of the UN decade of action and meet up with best practices.

Also speaking at the event, the General Manager of LASEPA, Dr. Dolapo Fasawe, affirmed that the annual “Noiseless Lagos” campaign usually organised by LASEPA to sensitise and create awareness on the menace of noise pollution due to the fact that noise pollution has become a recurring decimal in the state environmental protection activities, attracting more public complaints and conflicts over the years.

She described noise pollution as an unlaw-

ful act as stated in the State’s Environmental Management and Protection Law of 2017, Section 177 which clearly stipulates the prohibitions on wilful actions to cause noise pollution in any environment in Lagos State, adding that LASEPA has the responsibility of protecting and safeguarding the environment of Lagos and its citizens from all forms of environmental pollution and degradation.

The General Manager emphasised that the International Noise Awareness Day (INAD) celebrated every last Wednesday of April, has put Lagos State on the World Map as the first City in West Africa to take steps in doing something about bothersome noise.

“LASEPA, being the implementing organ of the State Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources for regulating noise pollution amongst others, domesticated the campaign and tagged it “Noiseless Lagos”.

Corroborating the earlier submission by the Commissioner, Dr. Fasawe revealed that 81.8 per cent of the total number of complaints received at the agency yearly are on noise pollution. This, according to her, made the agency to explore Alternative Dispute Resolution method of settling environmental disputes, as a result of the number of noise pollution complaints received.

The General Manager recalled that the agency in an attempt to address noise pollution partnered the State Ministry of Transportation and the National Union of Road Transporters (NURTW), where free hearing tests was conducted for transporters, commuters and other road users, saying that the outcome of the rest results culminated in the announcement of the ban on the use of Public Address System at motor parks and garages to call passengers.

Fasawe listed other efforts by the agency in addressing noise pollution to include awareness walks on possible loss of hearing from excessive exposure to noise pollution, school advocacy on noise pollution, installation of the no noise/no honking zone signage within the premises of some schools and government hospitals to promote the serene ambience of the environment required for learning and good healthcare.

Meanwhile, to wrap up her achievements in Sanwo Olu's administration, Dr. Fasawe distributed 250 free ear plugs to beneficiaries to prevent hearing loss or damage to ears while at noisy places.

In his earlier presentation titled " Vehicular Noise and Hearing Deficits", Director, Special Projects, Ministry of Health, Dr Tolu Ajomale expressed that continuous noise level will result to hearing damage and could lead to permanent or temporary loss.

According to him, loud noise can cause ringing, hissing, or roaring in the ears (a condition called tinnitus) which occurs immediately after exposure to the loud noise which can be an indication of early hearing damage.

"Let us prevent our ears from damages as permanent hearing loss can neither be corrected by surgery nor a hearing aid. Seek early medical attention if constantly exposed to extremely loud noises, " he advised.

Noiseless Lagos campaign usually organised by LASEPA to sensitise and create awareness on the menace of noise pollution due to the fact that noise pollution has become a recurring decimal in the state environmental protection activities, attracting more public complaints and conflicts over the years

The PS Ministry of Health, Dr. Olusegun Ogboye; PS, Ministry of the Environment (OES), Dr Tajudeen Gaji; General Manager, LASEPA, Dr Dolapo Fasawe and the PS, Ministry of Transportation, Engr. Abdul Hafiz Toriola displaying the free ear plugs presented to the attendees to prevent damages to the ear

The PS, Ministry of Transportation, Engr. Abdul Hafiz Toriola; PS Min. of Health, Dr Olusegun Ogboye; PS, Ministry of the Environment, Dr Tajudeen Gaji; General Manager, LASEPA, Dr Dolapo Fasawe; GM Lagos State Water Ways, Mr Oluwadamiloa Emmanuel; GM Lagos State Aids Control, Dr Monsurat Adeleke; representative of PS Civic Engagement, Mr Omotayo Babatunde; and the LASAA, Prince Adedamola Docemo

Dr Owolawi conducting hearing test for one of the attendees

And the Top Cop Goes Tough

Tunde Olusunle

He was acting in the line of duty, but I came off from my first and only encounter with him, not particularly liking him. It was in December 2016. My very good friend, maybe alter-ego, Tivlumun Nyitse and I were driving into the premises of *Louis Edet House* Nigeria Police Force Headquarters, (NPF-HQ), Abuja, to catch up with an appointment in the multistorey complex. Donald Ngorngor Awunah of blessed memory, who was the force public relations officer, (FPRO) at the time, a mutual friend of Nyitse and I, had invited us for a morning meeting in his office. Ibrahim Kpotun Idris was the Inspector General of Police, (IGP) and he entrusted the very urbane and cosmopolitan Awunah to help cultivate a more positive public perception for the Force.

Awunah was a perfect fit for the job, a rounded Nigerian. His mother is Igbo from Delta State, and he began formal education in Ogwashi-Uku his mother's birthplace. He had regular conversations in fluent "Delta Igbo" with his mother. His father was Tiv from Benue, and he obtained his first degree from the University of Lagos, (Unilag). He underwent the National Youth Service Corps, (NYSC) in Jos, Plateau State and his career in the police took him around the country and beyond. He had friends around and about.

Don Awunah took every assignment very seriously. Nyitse and I are senior and experienced mass communications professionals and Awunah believed his official brief will be enriched by our insights. On a regular basis therefore, he compelled us to come have "coffee" in his office so we could exchange ideas. He always jocularly threatened Nyitse who shared his official accommodation, with eviction and we all had good laughs. Indeed, he received approval from his Principal to have us accredited as "media consultants" to ensure seamless access into the restricted FHQ. And so on this day, we had been cleared at the various checkpoints en route the premises of the organisation when we were stopped by security personnel in plain clothes. They said they had "orders from above" to deny us admission into complex, for two hours. We wouldn't know what was going on therein and nobody explained to us.

One of them gestured conspiratorially to a prosperously-built top cop who was pacing about in the background. Every officer in view deferred to him via a smart salute or an impulsive freeze. That top gun was Usman Alkali Baba who was an Assistant Inspector General, (AIG). I would later get to know that Baba and Awunah were indeed course mates in the 1988 batch of police cadets, much as Awunah was at that time a Deputy Commissioner of Police, (DCP). He eventually made the rank of AIG before his unfortunate transition last year. His last brief was superintendence over the brother states of Bayelsa and Rivers.

Usman Alkali Baba was appointed Inspector General of Police, (IGP), by President Muhammadu Buhari, April 6, 2021, to replace Mohammed Abubakar Adamu. He thus became Nigeria's 20th indigenous IGP. His appointment for me seemed routine and perfunctory. It could have passed for any regular civil service appointment to the position of Permanent Secretary or Head of the Civil Service of the Federation. One can't seem to place too many appointees to this position, whose performances were markedly exceptional. Tafa Balogun, the second IGP under the administration of former President Olusegun Obasanjo was probably the last "all action IGP" who readily comes to mind.

In the military too, Ibrahim Attahiru, of blessed memory, the immediate past Chief of Army Staff, (COAS), for example, was one recent occupant of that office who gave us some excitement and optimism about prospects for the rebirth and rediscovery of the Nigerian Army of yore. I'm glad my brother John Obasa, a retired army general, invited me to the first anniversary memorial of Attahiru last year. He knows how passionate I was about Attahiru, much as the departed COAS and I never met. Before him, Paul Dike, arguably Nigeria's first Air Chief Marshal, (ACM), a four star airforce General was another top military professional

I deeply admired. Dike who rose to become Chief of Defence Staff, (CDS), was an exemplary military chief. Megalopolitan, urbane, thoroughly hands-on and amiable, I followed his trajectory from the State House where, as a Group Captain, he was Commander of the Presidential Air Fleet, (PAF), all the way to the apex of his career.

I'm uninspired by President Buhari's recent celebration of Nigeria's military's ascension by three places in the classification of militaries in Africa. According to him, we are now in the Number Four position, up from Number Seven before the advent of his administration in 2015. Wasn't our military the high-flying African *Numero Uno* under the leaderships of Ibrahim Babangida, Sani Abacha, through Olusegun Obasanjo? It used to be said those good old days in Liberia, Sierra Leone, Guinea, Somalia, among others, that "the fear of Nigerian troops was the beginning of wisdom." It has been suggested that Nigeria's "air show of force" through the flypast over Banjul, of Nigerian airforce jets, January 2017, compelled the intransigent Yahya Jammeh to step down from office. He had previously lost his presidential reelection, after three terms to Adama Barrow late 2016.

Back to IGP Alkali Baba. I've always admired southpaws. Maybe that's one reason I'm having a rethink about my hitherto minimal expectations of him. Former United States Presidents Bill Clinton to Barack Obama, through Works Minister, Babatunde Fashola, to

my brother, namesake and silent revolutionary Babatunde Irukera of the Federal Consumer Competition and Protection Commission, (FCCPC), fit into this description. Same for my brother and diligent editor, Bolaji Afolabi, my little nephew Oluwatise Adetona-Alao, and my "grand-daughter," Jomiloju Aiyegbusi. Maybe because I'm not. IGP Alkali Baba falls into this category of special breeds and somehow I've begun to take an interest in his enterprise in the sanitisation of the Force. It may not be as bad, afterall. True he may be chubby-cheeked and smooth-skinned. But Alkali Baba has so far demonstrated capacity to be professional and independent-minded. Not for him those representations from the high and mighty seeking preferential postings and placements for their wards or candidates. You report and serve wherever it is you've been deployed as a police personnel. He can be strict and tough and has evidently prioritised professionalism and discipline, both imperatives for a respected and respectable Force. He is cognisant of the uninspiring public perception of the Force, arising from the indiscretions and lawlessness of just a fraction of personnel in the organisation. He's not sleeping over this reality.

The propensity of some officers towards indiscipline, misconduct and overzealousness, are regularly coming under his direct binoculars. Extortion of road users and members of the public, roughing up and manhandling of law-abiding citizens, the penchant for bullying by some cops at the slightest provocation in certain instances, are beginning to catch his attention. The social media has been a notable enabler and Alkali Baba is taking advantage of the opportunities it offers in detecting and recalling such errant characters.

More frequently than in recent memory, Force Headquarters plays host to erring operatives who are paraded before the cameras and summarily disciplined before the public. The rule books are diligently applied and defaulters have been dismissed from service, demoted, have their promotions delayed, or sanctioned as their offences may require. They are subsequently handed over to appropriate security agencies for appropriate interrogation and further punishment as may be necessary. Such reprimands are to serve as deterrents to potential offenders. There is no hiding place for them under the sun.

I also get a feeling that Alkali Baba is taking the matters of remuneration, motivation, reward and promotion in the Force very seriously. I understand that the pay-packets of officers and men enjoyed a 30% fillip last year. He is equally concerned about appropriate placement of members of the Force as evidenced by their elevation, as and when due. There seems to be new synergy between the Force, and the Police Service Commission, (PSC), now headed by Solomon Arase, a former IGP himself. Arase for me, holds the record of being the most accessible holder of that office. As serving IGP, he took his calls and responded to text messages. He refused to outsource his responsibilities preferring to be first to get the information for good, or for not so pleasant. Issues of promotions can be quite touchy and emotional and one is glad the Alkali Baba regime is managing this. It's heartwarming that some good friends in the system have earned their ranks under Alkali Baba's watch. I should betray my interest here, because I have good friends who have been beneficiaries at various levels.

Not a few times have I recently gleaned reports too, of the payments of entitlements to families of service personnel who are felled in the line of duty. This is one area the NPF needs to reform as a matter of urgency and priority. Figures often quoted as gratuities for professionals who lose their lives for the rest of us to live, are ridiculous jokes, juxtaposed with existential realities. Service to fatherland should not be rewarded with the manner of measly tokenism which retiring cops or the survivors of those who are caught in the line of fire are paid. This is one issue requiring urgent review and re-evaluation by the police authorities under the Alkali Baba regime.

Alkali Baba we understand, has been gifted a two-year extension by the President which should keep him in office till 2025. His successors, according to a new legislation will be appointed for a term of four years each. This accords the incumbent IGP ample latitude to pursue, implement and entrench multilayered reforms in the Service. The Alkali regime has been commended for providing accoutrements for serving personnel, for example. I've visited very senior police officers on their desks, who personally furnished and equipped their offices, all the way to sanitary ware. This and of a whole lot of other issues require remediation in the Force for which should be initiated by a proactive IGP.

Substandard will be a mild description of the quality of official accommodation in place for our police personnel. There are frequent expositions on this subject in the media and the matter commends spontaneous action. For all their exertions in the rain and sun, on the streets and lonely highways in an era where policing is at best manual and somewhat pristine, these compatriots should retire each day to liveable homes. The same applies to operational automobiles imperative for the mobility and effectiveness of serving personnel. A sustainable template must be developed for the management of such assets which rapidly fall decrepit ever so often. Regular training, retraining and tune-ups are imperative for officers and men. These needn't wait until there is a national emergency, an election or an invitation for participation in a foreign mission. Nigerians earnestly look forward to a holistic makeover for our police force, to enhance performance, effectiveness and acclamation at home and abroad. The ball is on your side of the field, IGP Usman Alkali Baba.

-Olusunle, PhD, poet, journalist, scholar and author is a Member of the Nigerian Guild of Editors, (NGE).

True he may be chubby-cheeked and smooth-skinned. But Alkali Baba has so far demonstrated capacity to be professional and independent-minded...He can be strict and tough and has evidently prioritised professionalism and discipline, both imperatives for a respected and respectable Force. He is cognisant of the uninspiring public perception of the Force, arising from the indiscretions and lawlessness of just a fraction of personnel in the organisation. He's not sleeping over this reality

IG Usman Alkali Baba

Wednesday May 17, 2023 Vol 27. No 10262

HOUSING

FOR ALL IN LAGOS

MORUF AKINDERUFATAI writes that a structure is being built for massive housing development in the state

See page 21

KUTI AND THE BURDEN OF POLICING NIGERIA Seun Kuti’s act is despicable, contends

ZAYD IBN ISAH

See page 21

EDITORIAL

FARMING WITH TOXIC PESTICIDES

Since he became governor in circumstances which remain fuzzy over seven years ago, Yahaya Bello, the governor of Kogi State, has left no one in doubt about his totalitarian grip on the north central state. He is the be-all-and-end-all of the potentially rich, but pathetically indigent and decrepit state, whose style reminds of that of the infamous King Louis XIV in French history. Louis XIV it was who boastfully declared in 1655: *L’Etat, c’est moi,* meaning “I am the state; the state, that is me.” That phrase denotes absolute monarchy and absolutism, the type Yahaya governor of Kogi State. Default, yes because of the uncanny ingenuity with which he inherited the votes and mandate of the actual contestant for the governorship who was coasting home but died mysteriously before being adjudged winner.

And since his inauguration January 2016, Bello’s administrative style, has been unequalled both in the political history of Kogi State, and unparalleled elsewhere since the dawn of the Fourth Republic. For a state which is primarily sustained by the civil service and teaching employees, life has never been as dreary, rough, tortuous and despairing. Bello’s government entered the *Guinness Book of Records* within one year of his ascendancy as one which paid hapless civil servants incomprehensible percentage salaries! Senior bureaucrats receive informing them that N18,500 has been credited to their accounts as their take home salaries for a month!! It’s been that horrendous under Bello. Please put a call through to Kogi State. And kindly take the statistics of automobiles hitherto owned by civil servants, now dust-caked furniture at the front approaches of many homes in the state capital and other communities.

If the situation is this bad for public servants in the employment of the state government, the plight of local government employees is best imagined. The Joint Account Allocation Committee, (JAAC), which polls resources from the Federation Accounts Allocations Committee, (FAAC), cannibalises the funds at the level of the state governments and reverts measly tokens to the local government areas, (LGAs). Chairmen at that level simply pocket their own bits, the ubiquitous “security votes” and exhort their employees to “go back to land” and farm. Same way hopelessness, desperation and depression pervade the state level, gloom, doom, despair parade the alleys and bush paths of our localities.

under the Nebuchadnezzar -style governance in Kogi State, that people only discuss their were on the upsurge at some point in time, when individuals who had built their lives on their careers in public service, suddenly found themselves naked and exposed in literal terms. The inability to foot basic obligations like medical expenses, maternity bills, house rents, payment of school fees and examinations bills for their children and wards, have unwittingly humiliated many parents under Yahaya Bello’s

Bello’s coercive administration breeds mass discontent. Many are waiting to exact their pound of flesh, writes TUNDE

OLUSUNLE

YAHAYA BELLO, LOUIS XIV AND THE LIMITS OF ABSOLUTISM

lot of resources legitimately belonging to Kogi State, whose people thirst and hunger, while their entitlements are being tossed about like Russian roulette.

grimace. Juxtaposed with the regimes of all of Bello’s predecessors: Abubakar Audu, Ibrahim Idris and Idris Wada, Kogi State has never had it so bad.

associates are savouring safari rides of a lifetime. Rashidat Bello, said to be the governor’s senior wife, was captured on camera last year, gifting her personal aides protocol, domestic and so on, received cash gifts of one million naira each. A news story noted that Mrs Bello’s bazaar was a followup to an earlier exercise where she presented loyalty. All of these are happening in a state where not too many people are sure of one meal a day. In February this year, the same S-Class Luxury Sedan 2022 edition, said to be valued at N200 million. Bello by the way, is polygamous with other wives. It is either they are genuinely conservative, or information about their closets are not as yet in the open.

Amidst all of these, Yahaya Bello’s proxies were last December, arraigned for fraud to the tune of N10 Billion. Bello’s nephew, Ali Bello and one Dauda Sulaiman, were arraigned before Justice James Kolawole Omotoso of the Federal High Court, Maitama, Abuja, on a 10-count charge of misappropriation and money laundering. It is very strongly believed that the money in question belongs to Kogi State, especially because a third suspect in the saga, Abdulsalami Hudu, hitherto a cashier in Government House, Lokoja, is on the run. Very conspicuously, Ali Bello and Rashidat Bello also feature in yet another three billion naira matter being prosecuted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, (EFCC).

Mrs Bello, named as an accomplice in the heist, was said to be on the run, while Ali Bello, Abba Adauda, Yakubu Siyaka Adabenege and Iyada Sadat were docked before Justice Obiora Egwuatu of the Federal High Court in Abuja, also for money laundering and misappropriation. The December 2022 and February 2023 episodes seemingly had the imprimatur of Yahaya Bello, given the involvements of his wife and nephew. Following a similar pattern, the funds so misappropriated were purportedly being converted into foreign currency, in various bureau de change in Abuja. Such has been the

Yahaya Bello recently accentuated his proprietorship on Kogi State, in the run up to the November 2023 gubernatorial election. Singlehandedly, he picked the candidate for his party, the All Progressives Congress, (APC), Ahmed Usman Ododo, the little known auditor-general for local governments in the state. Ododo is reputed as the “executioner-in-chief” in the impoverishment of local government workers many of whom lost their jobs and livelihoods in a meanexercise” conducted in the early years of the Bello government. Ahead of the gubernatorial primary, Bello paid for the nomination forms his administration at state expense. This was to create a facade of provided a level playing out his joker. It is bad enough that Bello has demonstrated insensitivity to the loud clamour for the rotation of the governorship. It is the height of nepotism in the multicultural,

the state. Besides being a political neophyte and paperweight, Ododo’s naivety and provinciality sparkle from his visage.

Since the inception of the state in 1991, its politics has been dominated by the preponderantly *Igala*-speaking Kogi Eastern part of the state. The zone produced three governors in succession and logged over 18 years at the helm. Bello’s Ebira kinsmen in Kogi Central zone, had been joined in advocacy for power rotation with the Okun Yoruba-speaking Western zone, for power shift. Bello’s fortuitous ascent it was assumed, had opened a window to the reordering of the existing power imbalance in the state. But Bello thinks otherwise. His politics is that of “winner Ebiras aspire to retain power in 2024, possibly all the way to 2032!

It would seem that Bello has always had a of hindsight, the “choicest” appointments in his government are not just from Kogi Central, they are from his home local government area, Okene. This has been so skewed as to “empower” his own kinsfolk even within the framework of the sociopolitical dynamics Commissioners for Works and Housing; Justice; Rural Development; AccountantGeneral; Chairman, State Pensions Board; Senator representing Kogi Central, are all from Okene. Yet, Kogi Central has three other Ebira-speaking LGAs, as well as the non-Ebira local governments in the senatorial zone. Olusunle, PhD, poet, journalist, scholar and author is a Member of the Nigerian Guild of Editors

MORUF AKINDERU-FATAI writes that a structure is being built for massive housing development in the state

HOUSING FOR ALL IN LAGOS

Lagos, as a major economic hub and Africa, attracts a lot of people from various parts of the world.

swelling demography. Providing adequate population has always been a key challenge for successive governments in Lagos.

also been initiated at Abraham Adesanya Estate, Ajah. New collaborations were also brokered with viable partners, particularly those with innovative building technology.

been completed. These include Lateef Kayode Property Corporation) and Prince Abiodun Government Area.

The vice president shares similar sentiments said that policing Nigeria in the era of social capacity building workshop for Police Public president and the former IGP. From personal

attached to the Lagos State Rapid Response Squad, ASP Sunday Erharbor, was assaulted was only trying to arrest a man for driving

people most about the aforementioned incident was that ASP Sunday never even man unleashed a barrage of blows on him. And that earned him an award from the Lagos State Government. Whenever anyone killers,” I often refer them back to this record conduct.

policy under his administration targets both embarked upon by previous administrations, increased housing supply and promote easy access to homes through convenient mortgage plans. Cheerfully, both strategies have yielded great gains.

led government has accelerated housing development in the state by deliberately increasing the available housing stock.

In order to consolidate on the gains of the past, housing projects inherited from past administrations were completed and strategy, unwarranted wastage, which would have resulted from continued abandonment of such housing projects, was curtailed.

allocation housing schemes, comprising over

the scheme sites are Igando, Igbogbo, Ibeshe, Odo Onosa/Ayandelu, Agbowa, Sangotedo, and Epe to mention a few. It gladdens the heart to note that over 95% of these schemes are completed now. They are now livable cities with enviable community life.

partnership with the state in developing some housing schemes.

The involvement of the private sector in It helps in reducing direct governmental bridging other infrastructural gaps. Some of Lekki, Iponri, Ibeshe, Owutu, Ijora, Ipaja and Ajegunle.

completed and delivered, while more have

are Ndubuisi Kanu Estate, Gbagada, and Equally, more schemes in Sangotedo

Others that are in progress under Joint Venture Scheme include Ilubirin Foreshore

Other Joint Venture Schemes by the

Island, The Avenue Ogudu Scheme II., Suite Ilupeju Gardens at Esther Osiyemi

Apartments, Olorogun/Allen Way, Ilupeju. The question to ask at this point is: what is massive housing challenge, particularly Nothing short of mass housing will solve the problem. Now, the focus must be on building homes in thousands. That means production of homes involving multilevel or vertical homes that are well built and safe.

It is important to stress that more emphasis is to be placed on safety. We have in the pipeline, the proposed Imota Workers City, which will provide 3456 homes with convenient mortgage arrangements.

Secondly, the homes to be built must be This means interest rates for funds must be both the government and private investors. Thirdly, the government may now be more actively involved in the rental system. Private sector investors must also look into as opposed to outright sales. Why the rental

Lastly, our old and declining estates across the state must be regenerated, thus achieving a dual goal of upgrading the facilities and also bringing more people on the home ownership ladder.

is Commissioner for Housing, Lagos State

do. Consider the fact that most Nigerians often complain about policing, but see no problem them or comes with no consequence. And that even in the face of unruliness, disrespect and animosity.

The viral video of Seun Kuti attacking a why policing in Nigeria is a herculean task. Oluwaseun Kuti, widely known as Seun Kuti, is a Nigerian musician, singer and the youngest son of Afrobeats pioneering legend, Fela Anikulapo Kuti. outrage on social media, with many concerned Nigerians already calling for his head. This

and possible prosecution. The Chairman, Police Service Commission, has also released response and imploring that the law must take due course.

While reacting to the calls for his prosecution, “kill him” and his family members, causing him to react in what he believed to be an act of this statement is up to his lawyers, because in the widely circulated video, the policeman in question appears to be unarmed. And even after being slapped, the policeman incredibly kept his cool. This outstanding detail alone earned him the respectful commendation of the PSC Chairman.

Nigerian citizens who have assaulted police

a video posted on his social media page that what he did on Saturday, in broad daylight, was nothing compared to past encounters

be seen whether he will escape the long arm of the law this time around.

The job of policing in Nigeria is not

If Nigerians hold other civil/public servants to these same high standards, this then, their wish for a police institution in the all, there is no organized country without world country. The only way we can have an intelligently advanced, highly sophisticated and logistically competent police force is through strategies to utilize proper funding, adequate manpower and state support. least. And that this is happening at a time the IGP and PSC Chairman are poised to rid the Force of its bad eggs. After all, no one can disrespect a police uniform more than the symbolic uniforms are often earned at great of authority and duty they represent. If we allow them to be undermined and disrespected by lawless individuals, the end result could spell destruction on an unimaginable scale.

Another thing we need to do to curb to review the law criminalizing assault on may interest you to know that the penalty for assaulting a civilian is 25 years under the years imprisonment under the Criminal Code. If one of the main aims of imposing punishment is deterrence, then such term of imprisonment for the assault of police simply not good enough.

Isah

is the Media Aide to the Chairman, Police Service Commission. He can be reached via: isahzayd@gmail.com

Osinbajo, GCON

KUTI AND THE BURDEN OF POLICING NIGERIA

Seun Kuti’s act is despicable, contends ZAYD IBN ISAH

Editor, Editorial Page PETER ISHAKA

Email peter.ishaka@thisdaylive.com

EDITORIAL

FARMING WITH TOXIC PESTICIDES

Regulators must be alive to their responsibilities

While pesticides are vital to the production of healthy food crop, they must be safe and wellregulated for those using them not to die needlessly. We are concerned by latest reports that pesticides which contain toxic ingredients harmful to both humans and animals are still being imported and used in Nigeria. “Based on the research that we have done on pesticides in Nigeria, we have found that what is particularly concerning about the high use of pesticides in the country is that many of the pesticides that are being used especially by small-scale farmers are those that are in the category of highly toxic pesticides,” said Jochen Lucksheiter, director of Heinrich BÖLL Stiftung Foundation in Nigeria.

Unfortunately, this is a recurring challenge. Last year, a survey found that about 80 per cent of pesticides used by women in some Northcentral states in the country are highly toxic to humans and require additional regulation. The survey was conducted in Nasarawa, Benue, Plateau, and Abuja by Small Scale Women Farmers Organisation of Nigeria and Alliance for Action on Pesticide in Nigeria (AAPN) with support from a German Green Foundation. A similar report in 2021 by AAPN found that 40 per cent of all the pesticides used in Nigeria had been banned by the European Union (EU) due to high toxicity.

About 40% of the registered pesticides in Nigeria have been withdrawn from the European market, partly due to toxicity. This represents 57 active ingredients in 402 products that are still in use. Some of these, including carbofuran and diazinon, have been found in high levels in green vegetables. This has resulted in negative health, environmental and economic consequences in our country. Available reports indicate that 65 per cent of the active ingredients (26 out of 40) used by farmers in Nigeria

BOLAJI ADEBIYI THE OMBUDSMAN KAYODE KOMOLAFE

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

Letters to the Editor

Because the global market for pesticides is highly agrochemical companies are expanding their control. At the forefront are European companies like Bayer and BASF. As the largest pesticide export market in the world, EU companies are now investing more in countries like Nigeria, where regulation is lax. Between 2015 and 2019 for instance, about 822 pesticides were registered in Nigeria by NAFDAC of which China had the largest share of 50% followed by India. Also, between 2020 and 2021, Glyphosate, a kind of organophosphorus compound, holds the highest share of all imported hazardous pesticides. Data majority of imported and/ or registered pesticides in Nigeria are not safe.

As of today, there is no government approved certifying body yet to standardise products and ensure compliance with the Organic Production system. Awareness or advocacy on organic agriculture must be raised to de-emphasise conventional agricultural practices. Organic agriculture should be inculcated into the educational curriculum. Specialised institutions involved in training for The federal government should facilitate access to National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency (NESREA) should immediately gazette the ‘Hazardous Pesticides Chemicals

The Federal Ministry of Agriculture should also for Nigeria’ which has been formulated since 2019. Over and above all, the recent pronouncement by the African Union in the development of organic agriculture in the continent, should be implemented at both the national and local level.

Letters in response to specific publications in THISDAY should be brief (150-300 words) and straight to the point. Interested readers may send such letters along with their contact details to opinion@thisdaylive.com. We also welcome comments and opinions on topical local, national and international issues provided they are well-written and should also not be longer than (750- 1000 words). They should be sent to opinion@thisdaylive. com along with photograph, email address and phone numbers of the writer.

LETTERS

CONFLICT IN SUDAN: LESSONS FOR NIGERIA

has yielded multiple victims, many of them across borders.

It was in February 2022 that the world was shaken by a new Union, which is one of the most important regional organizations in the world.

Russia’s decision to invade Ukraine immediately sent shockwaves across the world, sending refugees pouring over the border into neighboring countries.

ance from Russian President Vladimir Putin was characteristically harsh, with sanctions springing up from every corner of the world, targeting Russia’s most powerful men and threatening to

The war continues even today as the world continues to hold its breath over the bread basket of Europe. The war in Ukraine immediately sent food prices soaring across the world and plunging millions far removed from the epicenter of the world into hunger.

cally identical, impact in Africa. As two military men have meta-

morphosed into monsters, the peril pelting innocent civilians in Sudan has not just been reserved for the Sudanese. Nationals

Many countries have had to evacuate their citizens from Sudan. Nigeria is not left out. Nigerian students, and businessmen have had to be evacuated amidst much tension.

sion of basic amenities. One of the evacuees stated that in Sudan they were always assured of 18 hours of power supply. Can the same be said of Nigeria?

-

When the government announced that the humongous sum of $1.2 million had been budgeted for buses for the evacuation, there was an uproar at home over the amount. The uproar is yet to die down, despite the best explanations of the Nigerian government. It appears that every Nigerian who wanted to return from Sudan has since returned. But what exactly have they returned to? What manner of life have they returned to?

There is admittedly a lot of dysfunction in Nigeria. While Nigerians like to think they are better than other Africans, as aptly observed by gifted author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, many African countries are doing quite well for themselves. Take Rwanda, Senegal, Mauritania and even the Seychelles.

While they may be far smaller countries compared to Nigeria, they are proving they can out do the giant of Africa in the provi-

What is it that works in Nigeria apart from chaos and corruption? It was striking that as some Nigerians were forced to evacuate from Ukraine in the thick of the war, some preferred to remain in detention centers in Poland than return to the country. Others who returned only grudgingly have since predictably struggled to piece their lives together in a bid to go again. It is as if they had an inkling of what awaited them here.

There are not a few Nigerians who believe that one of the main reasons Nigerians are found all over the world, including in some of the most remote countries imaginable, is that things are not working as they should in their country.

The standard of living was well on a downward spiral due to poverty before things suddenly became complicated by insecurity which has rocked the country. Today, things have only gone from bad to worse, with many of those who live in the country struggling to cling on to dear life.

Ike Willie-Nwobu, Abuja

As the largest pesticide export market in the world, EU companies are now investing more in countries like Nigeria, where regulation is lax

RATES AS AT MAY 16,2023

Nine DMBs Failed to Meet CBN’s 65% LDR Requirement in 2022

Kayode Tokede

Following a tough operating environment, leading banks in the country failed to meet the Central Bank of Nigeria’s (CBN) 65 per cent Loans-to-Deposit Ratio (LDR) in the 2022 financial year.

In a bid to increase lending to the real sector and create job opportunities, the CBN had in July 2019, announced an increase in the required minimum LDR to 60per cent effective end of September 2019.

The banks are; Access Holdings Plc, Guaranty Trust Holdings

Company Plc (GTCO), United Bank for Africa Plc (UBA) and Zenith Bank Plc. Those in the Tier-2 category that met the CBN’s LDR include FCMB Group, Union Bank of Nigeria Plc, Stanbic IBTC and Fidelity Bank Plc with Sterling Bank reporting LDR below 60 per cent in 2022.

THISDAY analysis of the banks’ results revealed that most of the bigger banks have in the last four years defied the LDR policy that mandated lending to real sector and stimulate economic growth.

Upon review of the results of the policy, the CBN decided to raise the

ratio higher to 65 per cent which banks were expected to comply with by the end of December 2019.

A breakdown showed that Access Holdings in 2022 reported 58.70 per cent LDR as against 50.80 per cent in 2021, as Zenith Bank plc (Bank) LDR’s dropped to 51.6 per cent in 2022 from 62.6 per cent in 2021.

The group’s LDR of Zenith Bank dipped to 45.9 per cent in 2022 from 54.1 per cent amid 18per cent and 39per cent increase in gross loans and customers’ deposits in the year under review.

For GTCO, it closed the year with 39.8 1per cent LDR as from 42.08 per

cent reported in corresponding period of 2021 as UBA’s LDR dropped to 34.87 per cent LDR in 2022 from 38.17 per cent in 2021.

UBA in 2022 reported N8.99 trillion Customer Deposits, an increase of 28.1 per cent from N7.02 trillion in 2021, while its loans to customers increased to N3.44 trillion, up by 21.4 per cent from N2.83 trillion in 2021.

Despite aggressively growing customers’ base, and sustained increase in loan & advances to customers, these Teir-1 banks between 2019 and 2020 have come short of meeting the LDR policy of CBN.

However, the likes of Sterling Bank

Analysts Foresee Further Increase in

Nume Ekeghe

Following the recent numbers released by the Nigeria Bureau of Statistics (NBS), which saw headline inflation grew higher by 0.18 per cent to 22.22 per cent, analysts have predicted a further increase in the Monetary policy Rate (MPR).

The increase in inflation was mainly due to a surge in the food basket to 24.61 per cent from 24.45 per cent in March. The headline inflation has now increased for the 4th consecutive month as at April

this year, an 18-year high.

However, the inflationary trend in Nigeria is consistent with both the global and regional directions. The commodities that witnessed the highest spikes are tomatoes, yam and other tubers. A basket of tomatoes jumped by 100 per cent to N70,000 from N35,000 in March.

Consequently, analyst at Financial Derivatives Company predicted a further hike in MPR rates.

In their economic bulletin, they stated, “There are two major uncertainties that have

been impacting inflation expectations & psychology in the past few months. These are the price of diesel and the temporary appreciation of the Naira in the forex market. In April, the price of diesel fell by 35 per cent to N640/litre while the Naira appreciated by 1.33 per cent to N740/$ in the parallel market. The pass-through effect on domestic prices has been relatively muted. This is because according to Keynes, prices are usually sticky downwards.

“The MPC meets next

week for the last time in this administration and expectations are for a 25 basis points increase in the monetary policy rate (MPR), in line with most other Central banks.”

On their part, analysts at Cordos Securities Limited, added that they expect inflation figures to continue trending upwards.

According to Cordos Securities, “ According to Famine Early Warning Systems Network (FEWSNET), the month of May marks the start of the planting season in the

reported 54.10 per cent LDR in 2022 from 58.50 per cent in 2021, while FCMG group closed 2022 with 60.30 per cent LDR compared with 65 per cent in 2021.

Lenders have been cautious of extending credit to the private sector due to the country’s macro economy downturn, occasioned by the impact of post-COVID-19 and central banks hiked interest rates to combat inflationary pressures (particularly energy & food).

The 2022 banking sector performance is coming on the heels of global economy that is on a tight rope – ongoing global

banking crisis (Silicon Valley Bank, Signature Bank, Credit Suisse with a possible trickledown effect on emerging economies including Nigeria; ongoing impact of Ukraine/Russian war; knock on effect of supply chain constraints from China lockdowns.

Despite Nigeria’s annual Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth rate slowing to 3.10 per cent in 2022, compared to 3.40 per cent in 2021, these five banks declared a significant increase in customer loans and advances and deposits.

northern parts of the country, running concurrently with the off-season harvest of April to June. However, planting season started in April in the southern region and continues into May

Given the preceding, we expect the food demand-supply gap to remain wide, supporting high food prices. Against that backdrop, we look for a 2.15 per cent month-on-month (m/m) increase in food inflation, translating to a year-on-year print of 24.78 per cent.”

“While pressures are currently subsiding in the core basket

amidst lingering currency pressures, we believe the 2023 Fiscal Policy Measures and 2022 Finance Act introduce fresh risks to the core inflation over the short term. Accordingly, we forecast the core inflation to settle at 1.55 per cent m/m. with the favourable base effects from the prior year cascading to 19.75 per cent year-on-year (y/y). Tying all together, we now look for a 1.89 per cent m/m headline inflation rate, cascading to a y/y print of 22.35 per cent in May, “they added.

Achieving Insurance Penetration in Nigeria

Successive reports by local and international rating agencies point to the fact that Nigerian insurance industry has not taken its pride of place among global committee of fast growing insurance industries especially in the area of insurance services spread and penetration through mass patronage.

Using its own parameter as the industry’s regulator, the National Insurance Commission (NAICOM) affirms that the industry’s growth van has been on fast lane.

One of the key areas insurance industry in Nigeria is rated low in terms of growth pattern is in the area of spread and product distribution which in turn reflects in turn over, profit and contributions to the GDP.

Year in year out, the number of Nigerians buying insurance falls much below the number patronising other sister sub sectors in the same finance services sector like banking, pension and even stock market.

Today, the percentage of insurance penetration remains 0.5 per cent.This means that out of over 200 million population of the country, only 0.5 per cent of the entire population buy insurance.

INSURANCE PENETRATION TODAY

Even a compulsory insurance like the Motor Third Party Insurance backed by law, statistics by the Nigeria Insurers Association (NIA) show that out of 12 million vehicles plying Nigerian roads, only three million vehicles have genuine insurance cover despite the Nigeria Insurance Industry data base initiative of the industry meant to encourage Nigerians to buy the compulsory insurance. These rating agencies’ reports insist that Nigeria is grossly under insured due to poor distribution of insurance products among its populace which has resulted in poor premium generation.

One of such reports released by the A.M Best few years back said considering its huge population of 200 million people and very low insurance penetration of less than 1 per cent, Nigeria is underinsured.

OPERATORS’ VIEWS

The rating agencies are not alone in their views, the insurance industry operators themselves bear witness to poor penetration of insurance in Nigeria.

In one of the insurance forums in Lagos, the Chairman Mutual Benefit Assurance, Dr Akin Ogunbiyi said that 96 per cent of Nigerians have no insurance cover and that less than 5 per cent of the entire population of Nigeria have one form of insurance cover or another. This includes life insurance cover which in other countries, is fast becoming part of compulsory insurance.

At the NAICOM’s Micro Insurance Learning and Knowledge Workshop, held in Abuja, the former NAICOM Head of Strategy, Babajide Oniwinde, said that although insurance penetration in Nigeria was low, compulsory insurance policies would change the peoples’ perception.

He mentioned the compulsory insurances as Motor Third Party, Builders Liability, Healthcare Professional Liability, Group Life, and the Occupiers Liability Insurance . Having made these observations both insurers and their regulator strongly believe that introduction of micro insurance would do the magic of accelerating insurance penetration in the country.

Apparently, insurance service in the country have remained the exclusive of the high class while the low class who dominates the population of the country has remained unserved.

This explains why NAICOM had insisted on the implementation and introduction of micro insurance .

MICRO INSURANCE GUIDELINE

NAICOM had in 2013 released the Micro insurance guidelines and staged the launch shortly after. But contrarily to the high hope on the Micro insurance, 10 years after, insurance penetration in Nigeria is said to have remained at below one per cent while life insurance sales in the country is still one of the lowest in the world. In a recent statistics on the industry Augusta &Co said only 0.5 percent of the population has insurance.

Data analyst, Dataphyte said only 3 per cent of Nigerians have health insurance policy provided by their employers and out of the figure men have 56.7 per cent coverage against 43.3 per cent that are female. Men also have

three percent insurance on employer base insurance coverage while female had 1.99 per cent.

INDUSTRY CHALLENGES

According to Leadway insurance in a recent report titled, “12 insurance statistics you should know,” major causes of low insurance penetration in Nigeria include inadequate access to information technology, weak regulatory frame work, lack of skilled personnel, poor knowledge or ignorance of insurance value by the masses and poverty or low standard of living.

Leadway in the report listed challenges confronting the industry as inappropriate pricing, poor product fit,inadequate distribution channels,poor public perception and confidence

Other challenges of the industry highlighted by other operators include: poor patronage of insurance products by Nigerians and inability of the regulator and government to effectively enforce the various compulsory insurances, continued faking of insurance certificates by touts at motor parks, licensing offices and ports despite the industry’s data base also does no small harm to the insurance sector.

Inability by operators to participate in the insurances of oil and gas and aviation as large chunk of businesses from these sectors still go abroad as well as the need to achieve success in micro and retail insurance penetration among Nigerians also posed challenges.

Perhaps the quest to address these challenges and break more grounds in insurance penetration was part of the reason the regulator few days back released three new guidelines on Takaful Insurance. Takaful insurance is one of the Micro insurances for the low income earning masses.

OPERATORS AND RETAIL INSURANCE

Former Chairman of NIA and former Managing Director Leadway Assurance, Mr Oye HassanOdukhale, had while addressing the media on insurance patronage by the masses and insurance penetration challenged Nigerian insurance managers on the need to improve on the level of insurance penetration in Nigeria by selling insurance products to a larger number of Nigerians in different parts of the country.

Hassan- Odukhale wants insurers to shift from the current trend of selling insurance to commercial entities and pay attention to retailing insurance by selling to a large number of people.

He said insurers were not taking advantage of large population of Nigeria in insurance distribution but were comfortable with their usual attitude of collecting millions of Naira premium from a single commercial entity to grow their premium income regretting that this did not encourage the growth of the industry.

According to him,this is so whereas Nigeria’s foreign neighbours were taking advantage of the huge population of the country to invest in insurance industry in Nigeria.

“Insurance is a business that you do with a large number of people. You want to make sure that you touch people one of the things we have been accused of in Nigeria is not reaching large number of Nigerians.That is low insurance penetration in the country.

“Nigeria has a population of over 200 million people; so where we look at it that the market is tough, people outside Nigeria see it as opportunity because they look at the number of people we have and if you can sell products to them you know you have penetrated the market.

“So it is a matter of time we are looking at it also that we need to look at our backyard. There are people to reach there, I look at it that we in insurance industry, we have been a bit lazy I will be frank with you .We are not trying to reach people enough with insurance. When it comes to overall premium income of insurance industry, it is not all that bad but most of them come through commercial insurance because you can sell one policy to an organisation for a couple of millions,” he stated.

He however acknowledged that distribution of retail insurance could be expensive therefore discouraging, adding that insurers need perseverance to conquer the situation.

TRADITIONAL CHANNELS OF DISTRIBUTION

Managing Director Riskguard Africa and Technical Adviser to NAICOM on the Market Development and Restructuring Initiative (MDRI), Chief Yemi Soladoye said at the current low stage of insurance spread in Nigeria, the regulators would have to recognise the non-tradition operators at least as distribution channels if it truly wants to provide access to mcroinsurance in Nigeria.

He listed some of these non traditional channels as existing multi-purpose cooperative societies in Nigeria which according to him have as many as 3.0million members across the country.

‘’Before the Federal Ministry of Agriculture introduced the CODAS (Cooperative Data Analysis System) there were 125,000 cooperative societies in Nigeria. According to the Bye Law 8(8) of the National Corporative Insurance Society (NCIS), it provides insurance among its members, had 103 registered Underwriters with over 70,000 Insureds as at 2012. This existing structure of the society provides easy access to Insurance by the cooperative societies who are over 3.0m in number,” he said.

He also noted that microfinance banks are the “low-hanging fruits” in microinsurance distribution. According to him,they have wider and grassroots

NINE DMBS FAILED TO MEET CBN’S 65% LDR REQUIREMENT IN 2022

Finance experts have blamed slow growth in banks’ LDR to macro economy challenges.

Amid Tier-1 weak performance in LDR, total gross credit increased by N5.14 trillion or 20.93 per cent between the end of December 2021 and December 2022, from N24.57 trillion to N29.72 trillion, due to the increase in the industry funding base as well as the CBN’s directive on LDR, which has encouraged banks to increase lending to the real sector of the economy, and business strategy and competition.

“The increase in credit to the key sectors of the economy is expected to bolster aggregate demand and promote economic growth, job creation, and poverty alleviation, “said Deputy Governor, Economic Policy, Kingsley Obiora in his personal statement at the first Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) meeting in 2023.

The Vice President, Highcap Securities Limited, Mr. David Adnori stated that the demand by CBN on 65 per cent LDR is a difficult task, stating that, “Loans are granted to

borrowers’ in-line with the cannon of lending.

According to him, “Every bank has it peculiarity of lending to real sector in terms of existing exposure to client; how those funds are performing? Also, the kind of deposit they have to extend lending to real sector. Lending to real sector is not something that can be regulated.”

Speaking with THISDAY, Chief Research Officer, InvestData Consulting Limited, Mr. Omordion Ambrose blamed these Tier-1 banks caution at lending to real sector

amid Non-performing Loans (NPL) reduction.

According to him, “Most of these Tier-1 banks are being careful with the level of their non-performing loans and this is the reason why they have NPL that is below five per cent, which falls within the CBN regulatory requirements.”

However, the CBN had pointed out that failure to achieve the target would continue to attract levies of additional cash reserve requirement of 50 per cent of the lending shortfall of the target LDR.

spread than the Commercial Insurance Companies. He observed that as at December 2012, they had about 871 banks with over 20.0 million depositors, aggregate loan of over N70.0 billion and aggregate deposit of over N1.0 trillion adding that these channels needed to be recognised as distributors or providers to achieve access to microinsurance by the low-income people in Nigeria.

He listed other non traditional distribution channels as Faith-Based Organisation (FBOs) such as churches and mosques, churches and mosques,mutual and community based organisation (MCBOs) such as funeral, associations, age groups, market women association etc., insisting that they could be organised and recognised through their esusu and monthly contribution collectors.

He also listed other such channels as non-governmental organisations (NGOs) which he said tend to focus primarily on the low-income groups and are not primarily driven by profit.

He also said governments and ministries, departments and agencies of the government are veritable tools for the distribution and even provision of microinsurance.

He cited example with the Federal Ministry of Agriculture, saying that through its farmers groups such as Cassava Growers Association of Nig (CGAN), Fish Farmers Association of Nigeria, they can be good channels of distribution for micro insurance.

He said NAICOM could ride on Nigeria Health Insurance scheme in provision of micro insurance.

‘’There is need for NAICOM to collaborate with these MDAs in order to provide access to insurance mechanism by the low-income people in Nigeria’’, Soladoye said. Also Civil Society Organisations (CSO), such as trade unions and artisans as well as insurance providers themselves can be used to spread micro insurance services among Nigerians.He also said telecommunication companies will serve as the fastest distributors and enablers to Micro insurance distribution.

‘’It will serve as a trusted brand to which micro insurance products can be embedded. Nigeria has four major GSM telecoms companies with subscriber’s level of over 110.0m as at 2013,’’ he observed.

NAICOM’S INDUSTRY GROWTH VIRDICT

On his assessment of the industry, the Commissioner for Insurance, Mr Sunday Olorundare Thomas said the industry has been recording positive ground shifting. According to him, this could be noticed in the performance indices between 2020 to 2022.

He further revealed that the insurance market indeed remained profitable during the year, recording an overall industry average of 56.9 percent, maintaining a relative position of 57.7 per cent recorded in the corresponding period of preceding year.

The non-life segment loss ratio stood at 43.6 percent while the life business stood at 68.8 per cent, depicting a less profitable scenario comparatively over the same period. Consequently, the industry recorded an expansion to about N2.3 trillion assets at the end of first half year 2022, growing at a size of 12.0 per cent YoY. Giving further breakdown of the statistics, he revealed that out of the total gross premium income, non-life segment maintained its primacy at 59.3 per cent.

“Motor insurance stood third at 14.8 per cent while Marine & Aviation, Gen. Accident and Miscellaneous reported a share of 12.3 per cent, 10.9 per cent and 8.9 per cent respectively. Life business on the other hand recorded 40.6 per cent of the insurance market production as its share contribution, gradually closes up. The share of annuity in the life insurance business stood at about 24.7 per cent, while individual life held a major driver position at 41.8 percent of the premium generated during the period.

“For the fourth quarter, the Commission said the gross premium figure in the fourth quarter 2022 represents a growth proportion of about thirty-six per cent quarter on quarter and indeed, about 18 per cent (17.8 percent) year on year, adding that this was a remarkable situation compared to the real growth (3.5 percent of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) over the same period and could attributable to consistent regulatory measures being carried out by the Commission, “he said.

“The CBN has noticed remarkable increase in the size of gross credit by deposit money banks (DMBs) to customers. “Accordingly, the CBN has decided to retain the minimum 65 per cent LDR in the interim. All DMBs are required to maintain this level and are further advised that average daily figures are to be applied to assess compliance going forward.

“The incentive which assigns a weight of 150 per cent in respect of lending to SMEs, retail, mortgage and consumer lending shall continue

to apply, while failure to achieve the target shall continue to attract a levy of additional cash reserve requirement of 50 per cent of the lending shortfall of the target LDR on or before March 31, 2020.

“DMBs (Deposit Money Banks) are further encouraged to maintain strong risk management practices regarding their lending operations. The CBN shall continue to monitor compliance, review market developments and make further alterations in the LDR as it deems appropriate,” it stated.

Low penetration of Insurance in Nigeria and the resulting slow growth in premium and profitability has been a major concern to the industry operators. In this report, Ebere Nwoji presents experts’ views on how insurers can achieve higher penetration in the country.

Boosting Non-oil Exports With RT200

Last year February, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) in an effort to boost non-oil foreign exchange earnings in the country launched the RT200 FX programme, which is targeted at raising $200 billion in Foreign Exchange (FX) earnings from Non-oil Proceeds for the country over the next three to five years. At the launch of the programme in Lagos, the CBN Governor, Godwin Emefiele explained that the RT200 Programme was hinged on five key anchors namely Value-Adding Exports Facility, Non-Oil Commodities Expansion Facility, Non-Oil FX Rebate Scheme, Dedicated Non-Oil Export Terminal and Biannual Non-Oil Export Summit. More than a year after the launch of the programme, foreign exchange repatriation into the country had improved by 40 per cent from $3 billion in 2021 to $5.6 billion at the end of 2022. Asides this, as at the end of the first three months of 2023, available data showed that the RT200 programme had raked in $1.7 billion in exports proceeds.

RT200 COMPONENTS

According to the CBN, the Value-adding Export Facility is expected to provide concessionary and long-term funding for businesspeople who are interested in expanding existing plants or building brand new ones for the sole purpose of adding significant value to our non-oil commodities before exporting same.

A major anchor of the program, it added, is the Non-Oil Export proceeds repatriation Rebate Scheme.

“The rebate scheme is designed to incentivize exporters in the non-oil export sector to encourage repatriation and sale of export proceeds into the forex market. It was borne out of the need to develop new strategies aimed at earning more stable and sustainable inflows of forex, in order to insulate the Nigerian economy from shocks and forex shortages.

“Only exporters of finished and semi-finished goods are eligible for this incentive, adding that exporters whose proceeds are sold at the Investors’ & Exporters’ Window (I&E) would be eligible. Under the rebate scheme, exporters who are eligible would get a rebate of N65 for every $1 repatriated and sold at the I&E Window for other third-party use, and N35 for every $1 repatriated and sold into I&E for own use on eligible transactions only.

“However, the spread should not be more than 10 Kobo. Payment of the incentive shall be made on quarterly basis. The accounts of exporters that qualify for rebates shall be credited latest one week after the end of the quarter, ‘the CBN said.

It however warned that any exporter that presented fraudulent document(s) or tries to undermine this Scheme shall be banned from accessing the incentive for 24 months and all accounts shall be placed on Post No Debit (PND).

Speaking at the last bi-annual Export Summit of the RT200 FX programme, the CBN Governor, Godwin Emefiele, noted that the programme had become expedient considering the challenges facing Nigeria. According to him, these challenges require the enactment of unconventional, innovative, supportive and complementary macroeconomic policy actions that are inclined towards a market-based financing system.

He said: “Some of these innovative ideas could spring from deep system thinking and powered by technology to engender growth and rapid transformation. Unfolding global economic development suggests that monetary policy was reaching its limit and would need complementary help from other spheres of

the economy to propel for sustainable advancement. Our Naira-for-Dollar and RT200 initiatives are all attempts in that direction, to drive long-run economic development.

“Today, I am happy to note that the RT200 programme has made good progress in export proceed repatriation since its establishment in February 2022. Available data shows that repatriation due to the programme increased by 40 percent from $3.0 billion in 2021 to $5.6 billion at the end of 2022. The momentum for 2023 is equally showing strong numbers and impressive prospects. In the first quarter of 2023, a total of $1.7 billion was repatriated to the economy while about $790 million was sold at the I&E window year-to-date.”

CHALLENGES

Citing the examples of what is obtainable in other climes, Emefiele said, “In Ghana for example, export earnings must be repatriated to the country, at least 40 percent of which must be converted to the domestic currency within 15 working days of repatriation. Exporters may hold the remainder in a Foreign Exchange Account (FEA).

“In some countries, the period of repatriation ranges from less than six months from the exportation of the product and could result in prosecution if the proceeds are not repatriated on time. In India, the Foreign Exchange Regulation Act permits the realisation and repatriation of export proceeds within nine months from the date of export.

“For any export to a warehouse established outside India, with the permission of the Reserve Bank of India, export proceeds can be repatriated within 15 months from the date of shipment.

Many countries of the world have these requirements to ensure effective export repatriation.”

However, he said in Nigeria it had become a matter of compulsion, noting that the apex bank in its little way has towed the path of encouraging, monitoring, and appealing to exporters as well as local manufacturers to export and also repatriate the proceeds of their exports

for the good of their company and the country in general.

He said, “We keep hearing cases of people trying as much as possible to sidestep the process and all I can do now is to appeal to those of us who want to export without documentation to please try as much as possible to desist from this practice. We will continue to engage customs; we will continue to engage Nigeria Ports Authority and we will continue to engage the shipping lines and agents to ensure that we need to nip in the bud the incidences of exporting without documentation.

“What this does is reduce the export earning potential of the country. About three years ago when we had a meeting at the CBN in Lagos with the shipping lines, I had said that the CBN will be beaming searchlight on undocumented exports and we had advised the shipping lines at that meeting that we will also be monitoring and if we find that they export without documentation we will fine them by placing their accounts on post no debit (PND).

“We have so far not done anything like that, because we feel that our shipping lines will be responsible to do what is right but if we do not see the kind of cooperation that we expect, I will have to insist that we do what we need to do.”

RT200 GAINS

Speaking on the gains of the RT200, Managing Director and Chief Executive of Fidelity Bank, Mrs. Nneka OnyealiIkpe noted that the bank’s lending experience has been great, saying that it was mainly because the bank took its time to understand the business and also made significant investments in the area of business management capacity development.

“Our flagship export management programme has run for over six years and has graduated over 600 trainees who are now active exporters. Building on our understanding of the space, we then created lending programmes that de-risks the risks of lending to businesses in this space.

“This has translated into a strong

performance of our loans in this area with zero NPL. We also support in the area of market access. Our flagship market access platform FITCC connects exporters to buyers overseas. More importantly, it helps to provide guidance in the area of product quality and standard improvements.

“The platform also helped in the development of a working relationship between UK product quality agencies, UK retailers, and a cohort of Nigerian exporters with the aim of providing guidance frameworks to improve the quality of Nigeria’s exports to the UK, ”she said.

On his part, the CBN governor said, “Nigeria used to import fertilizer, there were a lot of scams involving the importation of fertilizer into Nigeria, today, Indorama has 3 million metric tonnes capacity, Dangote fertilizer has 3 million metric tonnes capacity.

“Nigeria has grown to being a country that has 6.5 million metric tonnes capacity we have grown from being a country that imports fertilizer, Nigeria’s own requirement is only one million metric tonnes, so the country has grown from importing fertilizer a country that has achieved import substitution in fertilizer production and is now exporting fertilizer to the world.

“So, we have transitioned from being an importer to a country that produces for its use and we have transited further down to being exporters of fertilizer. There are many other products that are being exported but the giant of them all comes on May 22 when that fertilizer plant begins to flair and a few weeks after that we will feel that Nigeria now produces its own petroleum products. That is what goes into a commitment that translates into action.

“We are ready to break our backs for exporters to achieve this goal and that is the reason we said when we launched this programme that we have about N500 billion available for you as facilities to be able to do whatever you want to do to process your export materials. The disbursement of that facility is sub-optimal.

“By being responsive to exporters we are able to source export proceeds that help our economy, we are able to generate export proceeds that weans us away from depending on the CBN as our source of forex to meet our imports.”

Nume Ekeghe writes on the Central Bank of Nigeria effort at boosting non-oil earnings using RT200 and the laudable triumphs it has recorded since inception

Bank Chief Task Incoming Governors of Internal Revenue Generation

Chuks

Okocha in Abuja

The Managing Director of Premium Trust Bank Emmanuel Emefienim, has joined Director General of the World Trade Organisation, Dr Ngozi Okonjo Iweala, to call on

governors to increase internally generate revenue in their states.

He said that is the only way th incoming governors can meet their financial challenges and be able to improve the Internally generated revenue.

Speaking on the sidelines of the event, he urged the state executives to stop the over dependence on the center to develop their states.

“They should come up with innovative ways of raising IGR that they can use to drive development

Africa50, Bayobab Collaborate to Develop $320m

Pan-African Terrestrial Fibre

fibre over the coming three years.

digital world.”

Emma Okonji

Bayobab and Africa50, yesterday, signed a partnership to develop Project East2West, a terrestrial fibre optic cable network connecting the eastern shores of Africa to those on the continent’s west.

In a statement released yesterday, both companies said the partnership would invest up to $320 million connecting ten African countries over the years 2023, 2024 and 2025.

Bayobab is wholly owned by MTN Group and the nvestment is within MTN’s previously announced Ambition 2025 plans and will contribute to Bayobab reaching the Group’s target of having 135 000km of proprietary

MTN Group President and CEO, Ralph Mupita, said: “The partnership with Africa50 comes at an opportune time, just as we rebrand MTN GlobalConnect to Bayobab to position the business as an Africa-focused open-access digital infrastructure platform. The alliance is more than cables and connections; it is about building bridges of connectivity that span nations and bring people closer together.”

According to him, “For landlocked African countries, Project East2West will improve latency by almost two-thirds and increase capacity to support highquality broadband access. In this way, it will level the playing field and ensure that everyone has a fair chance to succeed in the

The partnership will offer substantial improvements in data traffic for internet service providers, mobile network operators and hyper scalers operating in these countries. It will also bridge the bottlenecks in global internet traffic landing in and going out of Africa. It is expected to cut latency by up to 65% on the east-to-west route.

Bayobab CEO, Frédéric Schepens said: “Guided by the belief that everyone deserves the benefits of a modern connected life, we see the provision of digital infrastructure as critical in driving digital transformation, weaving African countries together and connecting them to the rest of the world.”

WAICA President Promises to Transform

Anglophone W’African Insurance Market

Ebere Nwoji

New President of the West Africa Insurance Companies Association (WAICA), Mr Eddie Efekoha has said that he would use his new office to make the insurance industry of Anglophone West African States the envy of other insurance markets in terms of how insurance should be practiced for profitability, unity and integrity.

Efekoha stated this during his acceptance speech as the 40th president of WAICA at the WAICA’s 2023 Education conference held in Eko Hotel Victoria island Lagos.

Efekoha said during his tenure,professionalism, hindsight and foresight will be the watch word in the sub-regional organisation.

He thank all members of WAICA and stake holders for the rare opportunity and said that his immediate task would be to ensure proper restructuring and staffing of the Secretariat! work with the West Africa Insurance Supervisors Association(WAISA) to harmonise policies and regulations within the subregion, and make WAICA a repository of information on insurance in West Africa.

“To achieve this, the West African Insurance industry

need to collectively, and in unity, step up its actions by being the backbone of the various economies, provide the much-required peace of mind for all stakeholders in these crucial times and create an enabling environment for industries and economies in the sub-region. I promise solemnly that we will work hard to reinvent WAICA for more value addition”, he said.

Efekoha said his administration would work closely with other stakeholders including the Regulators across the sub-region to give WAICA the required impetus and support to serve the insurance industries and the nations better.

Sanlam Life Rewards Sales Team Holds Customer Forum

Ebere Nwoji

Sanlam Life Insurance Nigeria Limited, formerly FBN Insurance Limited, has rewarded outstanding members of the company’s Sales force at the 2022 MD/CEO Ember Championship and The Retail Annual Competition (TRAC) held in Jos, Plateau State. Sanlam Life boasts a potent sales force with thousands of vibrant men and women all over Nigeria. According to the insurer, the sales force is in different categories ranging from Financial Advisors to Area Sales Managers.

In his comment, the Executive Director, Retail Distribution, Sanlam Life Insurance Nigeria Limited, Odinakachi Umekwe, commended the efforts of the retail team for the outstanding performances they put forward despite the macroeconomic headwinds of the year 2022.

Umekwe said; “Our sales champions all over Nigeria have sold insurance under the

most challenging environment to ensure the company stays ahead in the retail space. This TRAC ceremony is to adequately recognise and reward the overall top sales men and women for the year and motivate others to strive for more.”

The Managing Director/ Chief Executive Officer, Sanlam Life Insurance Limited, Tunde Mimiko, presented a brand-new Hyundai Accent car to the overall winner of the 2022 TRAC Award (Financial Advisors category), Agene Jacob Israel. Winners in other categories got cash prizes, return tickets to United States of America, a trip to Dubai as well as training opportunity at the South African Business School, University of Stellenbosch.

Receiving his award, an elated Agene Jacob Israel, thanked his Manager, Vivian Ibeawuchi, for encouraging him, and also the management of Sanlam Life Insurance for the kind gesture.

“I am so happy to be the overall

in their states.

“The moment you are less depends on the center the more you have the capacity to do more for your people and once that is done, infrastructural development will take place, you will deliver

more dividends of democracy to the betterment of the people.”

On areas the state executives should concentrate on to generate IGR, Emefienim said, “It differs from state to state. What could be the major drivers for revenue in an oil

producing state may not be the same for a state like Anambra or Abia, where you have retail businesses. It is for the governor’s determine what work for them and how best they can harness the opportunities available in their environment.”

FMBN Seeks Enugu Govt’s Support, Ugwuanyi Gives Assurances

The Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria (FMBN) has sought the continued support of the Enugu State Government towards the actualisation of its mandate of providing decent and affordable housing for residents of the state and beyond.

The FMBN acknowledged the unflinching support the state under the leadership of Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi has given to it in actualising its mandate in the last eight years.

The bank, therefore, stressed that it would continue to count on the unwavering support and cooperation of the state government to enable it provide decent and affordable housing for all.

Speaking when he led the leadership of the Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria (FMBN) to pay a courtesy call on Governor Ugwuanyi at the

Government House, Enugu, shortly after the inauguration of FMBN-I-Connect House Estate in Enugu, the Chairman, Board of Directors of the FMBN, Mr. Ayodeji Ariyo Gbeleyi, stated that the Federal Mortgage Bank is working hard towards actualising a common goal.

Gbeleyi said, “we will continue to count on your state’s support in this regard and we are committed to do more.”

He explained that the FMBNI-Connect Housing Estate is a 254 units housing project known as Winners Estate, located at Legacy Layout, behind New GRA, Trans Ekulu, Enugu, and was developed under the Cooperative Housing Development Loan (CHDL) window of the Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria. The housing project, according to Mr. Gbeleyi, was financed

by the FMBN and developed by I-Connect Investment Limited, and is completed and already being occupied to the delight of the home owners.

The inauguration was performed by Governor Ugwuanyi who was represented by his deputy, Hon. Mrs. Cecilia Ezeilo, and supervised by the Minister of Works and Housing, Babatunde Raji Fashola and the Minister of State, Works and Housing, Hon. Umar Ibrahim El-Yakub.

Welcoming the delegation to the Government House, Enugu, Governor Ugwuanyi reiterated the state government’s commitment to the success of the FMBN in actualising its mandate.

The governor assured the leadership of the bank that the incoming administration of Dr. Peter Ndubuisi Mbah will continue to give the bank the support and cooperation to thrive in the state.

winner this year. This award is proof that, indeed, hard work pays. I thank my supervisor, Vivian Ibeawuchi, for her support and words of encouragement. Winning would have been impossible without her guidance. I also appreciate the Management of Sanlam Life Insurance for boosting our confidence to do better with this award, year in, year out,” Agene said.

Speaking on the second set of awards, the ED, Retail, Odinakachi Umekwe reiterated that the MD/CEO Ember Championship was designed to push new premiums and increase persistency between September and December of every year. “We know how tough hard it is to get people to buy insurance, especially as the year ends. To encourage sales and get new businesses, this competition was set up to reward the Sales Area that meets certain sales criteria during this period,” he said.

A Mutual fund (Unit Trust) is an investment vehicle managed by a SEC (Securities and Exchange Commission) registered Fund Manager. Investors with similar objectives buy units of the Fund so that the Fund Manager can buy securities that willl generate their desired return.

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

floor of the Nigerian Stock Exchange. A REIT (Real Estate Investment Trust) is an investment vehicle that allows both small and large investors to part-own real estate ventures (eg. Offices, Houses, Hospitals) in proportion to their investments. The assets are divided into shares that are traded on the Nigerian Stock Exchange.

GUIDE TO DATA:

Date: All fund prices are quoted in Naira as at 12May-2023, unless otherwise stated.

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

Bid Price: The price at which Investors redeem (sell) units of a trust or ETF.

Yield/Total Return: Denotes the total return an investor would have earned on his investment. Money Market Funds report Yield while others report Year- to-date Total Return.

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

DAILY PRICE LIST FOR MUTUAL FUNDS, REITS and ETFS

AFC Expands Footprint in Benin, Botswana, DRC, Somalia

Nume Ekeghe

The Africa Finance Corporation (AFC), the continent’s leading infrastructure solutions provider has continued to expand and diversify its membership and shareholder base, recently welcoming Benin, Botswana, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Somalia.

Accession to membership by Botswana and Somalia advances AFC’s mandate by conferring privileges and diplomatic immunities in line with the Corporation’s multilateral status and provides support for meaningful engagement in these key African economies.

A statement quoted Botswana’s Minister of Finance & Economic Development, Peggy Serame to have said:

“We are pleased to invest in AFC, as the Corporation has demonstrated its commitment as an African entity dedicated to infrastructure growth. We are proud to be a part of this panAfrican triumph and looking forward to developing more critical infrastructure in the future.”

Somalia’s Minister of Finance, Dr. Elmi M. Nur, commented: “As Somalia continues to rebuild and grow, our membership in the Africa Finance Corporation will play a crucial role in securing the financial support needed to drive our nation’s development forward. We look forward to this exciting partnership.”

Additionally, the equity investments in AFC by existing members Benin and DRC enhance the Corporation’s pan-

African spread of shareholders, which include governments, development finance institutions, and institutional investors.

Benin’s Minister of Economy and Finance, Romuald Wadagni said: “Our investment in the Africa Finance Corporation reaffirms our commitment to addressing Benin’s infrastructure and socio-economic challenges with endogenous financing solutions. We are optimistic that this new synergy will catalyze growth and development for our people.”

Minister of Finance of the DRC, Nicolas Kazadi, commented: “We are looking forward to leveraging our relationship with the AFC to sustainably build critical supporting infrastructure that will maximise our resources.”

Ahead of Commissioning, WACOT Hosts Govt Officials at Newly Expanded 240,000-MT Mill

WACOT Rice Limited, a member of the Tropical General Investments (TGI) Group and one of Nigeria’s leading economic contributors, hosted the Kebbi State government to a pre-commissioning visit at its newly expanded 240,000-ton rice mill in Argungu, Kebbi State, on Saturday, 13th May 2023.

The expansion project began in 2021 and is 95% complete, with full milling operations set to begin in August 2023, thus boosting Nigeria’s food security and Kebbi State’s economy.

The original 120,000- metric tonnes rice mill was commissioned in 2017 by Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, Governor

of Kebi State Atiku Bagudu in company of the Governor-elect, Dr Nasir Idris, and other dignitaries were part of the Kebbi State Government Delegation that visited the factory.

Whilst expressing his delight on the progress of the project, Governor Bagudu highlighted its positive impact on the nation and Kebbi State’s suitability for agricultural investments, “This is another milestone by WACOT Rice. In spite of a very challenging world economy where Nigeria battled two recessions, amazingly this company believed in Nigeria, and they invested in Nigeria, and they showed that Nigeria is

a destination for all investors.”

The Kebi State governor-elect, Dr Nasir Idris, commended WACOT Rice for its substantial investments across the state, noting that they have vastly improved the economy while empowering people.

Chairman of WACOT Rice, Farouk Gumel, thanked the Kebbi State Government for the support provided and assured continuous investment in the state. “On behalf of the management and board of WACOT Rice, I thank the Kebbi State Government under the able leadership of Governor Atiku Bagudu for the support.”

Coca Cola Rallies Support for Safer Environment

Gilbert Ekugbe

The Coca Cola Company has reaffirmed commitments to ensuring a safer environment for humanity, calling on stakeholders to join hands to raise awareness on the negative effect of degradation on planet earth.

In a statement to join the rest of the world to celebrate this year’s World Earth Day tagged “Invest in our Planet”, the company said the World Earth Day celebrated on every April 22nd to raise awareness on the degradation and possible extinction of planet earth, is a call to action by all and sundry to put in deliberate and conscious efforts to protect the environment.

The statement added that according to environmentalists and climate change experts, one of the rising concerns of the earth is the climate change phenomenon which it said is attributed to the

release of hazardous gaseous substances into the air and the indiscriminate disposal of industrial waste.

“However, leading organisations around the world are now taking initiative to preserve the earth by advocating for energy and water reduction, pollution, and waste management. Leading this charge is the Coca-Cola Company, who through its longstanding mission of making a difference in communities across the world, continues to deliver on this promise through its diverse sustainability commitments,” the statement added.

According to Coca Cola, in 2022, Coca-Cola launched its Africa Sustainability Platform, focusing on three strategic pillars where it has made considerable progress to deepen its ESG impact; water leadership, women and youth economic empowerment and packaging

waste management. With its focus on water, climate, energy, and waste management among others, The Coca-Cola System in Nigeria comprising Coca-Cola Nigeria and its bottling partner, Nigerian Bottling Company (NBC), consistently displays its commitment to investing in the planet by supporting a better shared future for communities and minimising its impact on the environment.

Coca Cola added that as one of the key players in the global business space, in 2018, it announced its World Without Waste commitment to help collect and recycle the equivalent of a bottle or can for every one the company sells by 2030 in its bud to make 100 per cent of its packaging recyclable by 2025 while using at least 50 per cent recycled material in its packaging by 2030.

TGI Underscores Value of Terra Seasoning Cubes

When it comes to cooking, seasoning cubes are a real delight, they are an integral part of any cuisine. Not only do they add taste and aroma to your variety of meals, but also create a delicious flavour profile to dishes making them a staple in any kitchen.

Amongst the array of seasoning cubes in the market, very few have stood apart like Terra Seasoning Cube. Speaking on the product, Group Executive Director TGI, Deepanjan Roy said the success of the products is a result of the

company’s resolve to put the interests of its consumers first by seeking ways to continually excite them with products that add value to their lives.

“At TGI Group, we understand the importance of superior value to our customers. That is why we have continued to invest in research and innovation to create a seasoning cube that stands out with a distinctive taste, flavour and aroma like Terra Seasoning Cubes,” he said For Chief Marketing Officer,

L-R: Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Mrs. Zainab Ahmed, and the Global President and Chairman of the Board of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA), Joseph Owolabi during ACCA team courtesy visit to the Ministry of Finance in Abuja... recently

MARKET INDICATORS

TGI Group, Probal Bhattacharya, the company will continue to maintain the standards that have positioned Terra Seasoning Cubes as the fastest-growing seasoning in the Nigerian market.

“I would say quality and value are, primarily, the essential components for success with consumers. Our range of Terra Seasoning Cubes resonates with our consumers because of both the quality & consistency it delivers and the value it adds to everyday cooking,” he said

Money

OPEC DAILY BASKET PRICE AS AT 8 MARCH, 2023

The price of OPEC basket of thirteen crudes stood at $84.37 a barrel on Tuesday, compared with $84.59 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), Zafiro (Equatorial Guinea), Rabi Light (Gabon), Iran Heavy (Islamic Republic of Iran), Basrah Medium (Iraq), Kuwait Export (Kuwait), Es Sider (Libya), Bonny Light (Nigeria), Arab Light (Saudi Arabia), Murban (UAE) and Merey (Venezuela).

FCMB Group Records 25% Growth in Digital Revenues as Customer Base Hits 11.4m

Kayode Tokede

FCMB Group Plc has announced its financial results for the first quarter of 2023, demonstrating the continued success of its digital banking initiatives across various business segments.

The company in a statement said its digital banking initiatives have gained significant traction within FCMB Group, contributing to its overall per-

formance. In the first quarter, digital revenues accounted for 12.0% of gross earnings, equivalent to N10.0 billion.

“This substantial growth highlights the Group’s commitment to leveraging digital solutions to enhance customer experiences and drive financial inclusion. The impact of digitalisation was evident across FCMB Group’s various business lines. In terms of interest income,

digital revenues accounted for 8.0% (N5.2 billion), reflecting customers’ increasing adoption of digital banking services. Furthermore, digital initiatives contributed 6.4% (N76.3 billion) of the loan book, showcasing the Group’s focus on digital lending solutions. In addition, digital channels accounted for 7.0% (N10.0 billion) of the Assets Under Management (AUM) in the Group’s Asset Management business, reflect-

ing the strength of its digital investment platforms, “it said.

Commenting on the results, the Group Chief Executive, Mr Ladi Balogun, said: “We continue to leverage our unique group structure to build a technologydriven ecosystem that is fostering inclusive and sustainable growth in the communities we serve. This strategy enables us to deliver robust performance despite the challenging domestic and global environment. Barring

unforeseen circumstances, we believe our growth trend will be sustained and accompanied by improving efficiencies arising from greater scale and ongoing digitisation.

“Remarkably, during the period under review, FCMB Group achieved a significant 50% increase in gross revenue. Gross revenue rose to N87.4 billion, compared to N58.3 billion in the corresponding period of the previous year.

This growth was driven by a substantial 41.4% increase in interest income and an impressive 84.2% rise in noninterest income. These results highlight FCMB Group’s ability to generate significant revenue across its diverse business lines.

“Furthermore, FCMB Group witnessed a substantial 25.1% year-on-year increase in total assets, reaching an impressive N3.1 trillion at the end of the first quarter of 2023.

PRICES FOR SECURITIES TRADED ASOF MAY/16/23

Ikenna Okafor: Developing Education in Communities through Philanthropy

While the government has a bigger share of the responsibility of improving education, in Anambra, individuals are making the same contribution in huge measures. David-Chyddy Eleke reports that Chief Ikenna Okafor is one of them

Anambra is said to be one of the states in Nigeria with the richest individuals. These individuals are mostly businesspeople, and even though many see educational development as mainly the government’s responsibility, in Anambra, some have partnered the government to support their communities in education.

Successive administrations in Anambra have always called for the adoption of schools by well-to-do individuals as their way of giving back to society. During the administration of Peter Obi, he travelled to various states of the country and even overseas to solicit partnerships from Anambra indigenes for support to various educational institutions. He capped it by giving back schools to missions to run, paying subventions running into billions because of his belief that such schools were better run when they were under the missions than the government.

Today, Prof. Chukwuma Soludo has continued the same call, preaching his example when he adopted a school in his community, Isuofia, many years ago and has catered for the remuneration of staff of the schools. His pleas seemed to have attracted at least one Anambra philanthropist, Chief Ikenna Okafor, who is today, changing the face of many educational institutions in the state through his NGO, Nzekwuabuo Foundation.

Last month, Okafor, popularly known by his traditional title, Ide Akwaeze, performed the foundation laying ceremony of the UNIZIK Business School (UBS) ultra-modern building. The businessman provided N100 million for the take-off of the building, which, when completed, is expected to provide space for conducive academic interaction and make available classrooms and office space for assistant directors and facilitators of the UNIZIK Business School.

During the foundation laying ceremony, the university community gathered and eulogised Okafor for his gesture. The businessman stated that his action was prompted by the need to promote knowledge, especially in business education which has suffered neglect, emphasising the need for business education to be done with a business mindset.

“It is my wish to propagate knowledge, as knowledge not shared will perish. Business education has been neglected, and many people prefer to choose other professions, which now creates a void as the society now has a lot of persons without business ideas with the hunger and passion for venturing into business,” stated Okafor.

He added, “I have training in business school, and I know what is required to do business, having received training from one of the best schools in the world. I am challenging UBS to develop a curriculum that should be domiciled in our environment, and the UBS should possess the traits and capacity to teach local and practical skills that students can relate to so that when they go outside the shores of our country, they can excel very well. It is my wish to partner UBS as a way of giving back to society, and we will do much more in the university in the future.”

An avid lover of education, Okafor, again in May, donated classroom blocks, hostels, and laboratory, among other things, to some communities in Anambra.

In the Akwaeze community of Anaocha LGA, where he hails from, Okafor recently donated a 250-bed capacity female hostel to Community High School, Akwaeze. In the same school, the foundation renovated classroom blocks, laboratories, library blocks, an e-library, a multipurpose hall, an ICT hub, and a 60KVA diesel-powered generator set to power the entire institution.

The event attracted Soludo, the

ODeLAN: NUC Pledges Increased Access to Varsity Education

Funmi Ogundare

The Executive Secretary of the National Universities Commission (NUC), Prof Abubakar Rasheed, says NUC is reviewing its 2022 guidelines to expand access to university education in Nigeria.

This, he noted, will be achieved through the instrumentality of Open Distance and e-Learning.

Rasheed disclosed this at the inaugural conference of the Open, Distance and e-Learning Association of Nigeria (ODeLAN), held recently at Babcock University, Ilishan- Remo, Ogun, stating that once the guidelines for the

establishment of private open universities in Nigeria were ready for use, NUC would begin to approve interested promoters to start floating open universities in the country.

The NUC executive secretary said with the guidelines for the provision of Transnational Education (TNE), the commission was working with six-model guideline models.

Rasheed explained that as part of efforts to mainstream the integration of ICT tools into the activities of Nigerian universities, NUC conducted the first phase of e-learning readiness assessment visits to 30 universities in October 2021, adding that the commission

had completed the 2022 eLearning Readiness Survey.

“In addition to the release of guidelines for e-Learning, Nigeria has been revered as one of the nations of the world that has its policy for Open Educational Resources (OER). Guidelines for the implementation of OER policy have also been developed,” he stated.

The NUC boss added that capacity building remained one of its critical interventions in promoting ODeL in the university system and, as a result, is working closely with institutions and organisations to build human capital through training and retraining, workshops, conferences, symposium and so on.

Bishop of Awka Catholic Diocese, Rt. Rev. Paulinus Ezeokafor, the community ruler, Anaocha LGA chair, and other personalities.

The guests eulogised Okafor and gave testimonies of his philanthropy. Soludo referred to Okafor as a great son of Anambra, who is a blessing not only to the people of Akwaeze but to the state as a whole.

“We are not unaware of what you are doing at Peter University, Achina, which is still under construction. We have come to celebrate you while you are still alive, living a life with purpose,” said the Anambra governor. “We advice that you establish an endowment fund for this foundation so that the good works would outlive you and your generations.”

Soludo further explained, “You are giving back to the people all of the resources and wisdom that God has blessed you with. I use Ide Akwaeze as a point of contact to reach out to other great ndi Anambra. More than 75 per cent of our non-land assets are domiciled outside of the state. We have made the conscious decision to build our homeland in order for it to be livable and prosperous. Anywhere you live outside of the state, you are an economic refugee, and this is one of the reasons I ran for governor of this state.”

The Anambra governor pointed out that he had been encouraging “great men and women of Ndi Anambra” to return to their village and adopt a school since 2010.

“To put my words into action, I went to my village and adopted a primary school, providing free and high-quality education while paying the teachers’ salaries, which has been a rewarding experience for me. I’ve been doing this for over twelve years,” Soludo stressed.

The governor added, “What you’ve done today is long-lasting! You are indeed paying to serve. You have no idea how many destinies you have changed by the children you see here today being moulded. You never know what will become your legacy, but the seeds you plant today will bear fruit tomorrow. Education is the foundation of everything.”

The event, which was an epoch-making one in the community, also witnessed the laying of the groundwork for the male hostel by Soludo, the handing over of the key of a security vehicle to Anaocha LGA chairman for Anaocha Security Group, the inspection of the well-equipped science laboratories, an e-library, a multipurpose hall, an ICT hub, and a 60KVA diesel-powered generator donated by the foundation.

Also, the philanthropist touched the Akpo community in Orumba South LGA by donating a multimillion-naira laboratory and ICT complex to St. Dominic Savio Seminary, Akpo, a faith-based institution. The complex was named Ide Akwaeze Laboratories and ICT Complex and handed over to the Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Ekwulobia, His Eminence Peter Ebere Cardinal Okpaleke, who in turn handed the keys of the building to Very Rev. Fr. Anthony Akabogu, the Rector of the seminary.

At all the events, Okafor always reiterated his love for education and the need to bequeath the coming generation with a solid background in education. At Akwaeze, Okafor said, “This students’ hostel building is being handed over to Anambra State Government today, in continuation of my foundation’s goal of ensuring that we have modern schools, beginning from primary to secondary schools.”

In Akpo, while donating the laboratory and ICT complex, the businessman said, “I was moved to undertake the project because of my conviction that education is the best gift one can give to a child, and if one fails to give education to the younger generation, it will be very easy to manipulate them.”

A successful businessman, technocrat, and entrepreneur, Okafor is the managing director and CEO of Keves Global Leasing Limited, Keves Inn and Suites, and Arthur Services Limited, among others.

Akeredolu to Deliver Adeyemi College’s Founders’ Day Lecture

Governor Rotimi Akeredolu will on Saturday deliver the 59th Founders’ Day Anniversary Lecture of Adeyemi College of Education (ACE) Ondo.

The anniversary organised by the institution’s alumni association, in collaboration with the school’s management, has outlined a series of activities for the anniversary, which will begin on Friday with a jumat service at the College Central Mosque by 1:30 p.m., and a novelty football match at College Sport Centre by 4: p.m.

National President of Adeyemi’s Alumni Association, Dr Olowogboyega Oyebade, who disclosed this in a statement,

further said that the anniversary would also involve the presentation of awards to Akeredolu, five outstanding members of the association, and the presentation of Education Support Grants to 10 outstanding students of the college.

The event will feature a thanksgiving service at Christ Chapel interdenominational church in the college, on Sunday by 9:00 a.m., and the inauguration of the multimillion-naira Alumni Event Centre on Monday will be followed by another public lecture titled, ‘Moving Away from the Past; Revitalising Tertiary Education in Nigeria’.

The lecture will be deliv-

ered by an alumnus of the institution, Prof Bimbo Adesoji of the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, under the chairmanship of Prof (Mrs.) Adenike Temidayo Oladiji, the Vice-Chancellor of the Federal University of Technology Akure.

Adeyemi College of Education, Ondo, was established in 1963 but officially opened on May 22, 1964, by the defunct government of the Western Region with 93 students comprising 69 males and 24 females.

The institution was named after an Ondo indigene, Reverend Canon Moses Craig Akinpelumi Adeyemi, a renowned educationist.

Chief Ikenna Okafor, his wife, Anambra State governor, Chukwuma Soludo and Bishop of Awka Catholic Diocese, Rt Rev. Paulinus Ezeokafor, inspecting a facility donated to Community High School, Akwaeze

FOREIGN DESK

African Heads of State to Present Peace Initiative to Russia and Ukraine

South Africa’s president, Cyril Ramaphosa, says a delegation of African leaders will soon travel to Russia and Ukraine to present a peace plan.

Ramaphosa announced the planned trip on Tuesday during a media briefing with visiting Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. He said a group of African heads of state want to put forward a peace initiative that could contribute to a solution to the Russia-Ukraine conflict.

“We have been talking about as African leaders because we concluded that that conflict in that part of the world, much as it does not affect Africa directly in the form of deaths and destruction to infrastructure, it does have an impact on the lives of many Africans with regard to food security, the prices of fertilisers have gone up, the prices of cereals have gone up and the prices of fuel,” he said.

Ramaphosa said he spoke to presidents Putin and Zelensky, who agreed that they would be willing to receive a mission of the African heads of state in both their capitals, Moscow and Kyiv.

In addition to South Africa, Zambia, Senegal, Congo Brazzaville, Uganda, and Egypt are all part of the initiative.

US: Iran, Russia Are Expanding Military Ties

The United States said Monday there are signs that Russia and Iran are expanding their military cooperation.

State Department spokesperson Vedant Patel told reporters that Iran “remains Russia’s top military backer, and Iran has already provided Russia with artillery and tank rounds for use in Ukraine.”

Patel said that since August, “Iran has provided Russia with more than 400 UAVs, primarily of the Shahed variety, and Russia has expended most of these UAVs using them to target Ukrainian critical infrastructure inside Ukraine.”

“The deepening of this cooperation is a threat and a danger to not just Ukraine; it’s a threat and a danger to Russia’s neighbours, Iran’s neighbours, and the international community broadly,” Patel told reporters.

During a Monday briefing, White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told reporters that the Russia-Iran ties allow Russia to kill more people in Ukraine while enabling Iran to stockpile military hardware and pose a greater threat to its neighbours.

South Africa Military Delegation in Russia to Discuss Combat Readiness

South Africa’s main opposition party is demanding to know why a high-level defence delegation in Moscow is discussing increased cooperation and combat readiness. The news comes just days after the US ambassador accused South Africa of selling weapons to Russia in violation of its claims of non-alignment in Moscow’s war on Ukraine.

The Democratic Alliance’s spokesperson on defence and lawmaker Kobus Marais said the visit led by the chief of the South African army, Lieutenant General Lawrence Mbatha was unannounced.

“The visit is the latest in a string where the South African government clearly and unashamedly demonstrates its support for Russia,” said Marais.

US ambassador to South Africa, Reuben Brigety, made headlines last week when he said he would bet his life that South Africa had supplied arms to Russia.

Marais, the shadow minister for defence and military veterans, says the Democratic Alliance has intelligence on what Brigety referred to. He says something worthy of being guarded by men in uniform was loaded onto a Russian cargo ship, the Lady R, when it was docked at Simon’s Town Naval Base in December.

Humanitarian Aid Reaches Sudan

The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies said Tuesday a badly needed batch of humanitarian supplies reached Port Sudan, as more violence was reported amid the conflict between Sudan’s army and a rival paramilitary group.

The shipment included blankets, kitchen sets

and mosquito nets for 500 families, the IFRC said in a statement.

Another shipment was expected in the coming days containing medical supplies.

“Most of our aid supplies were already distributed to people in need, despite some being looted in Khartoum and Darfur,” said IFRC Regional Director for Africa Mohammed Mukhier. “So, this international humanitarian shipment comes at a crucial time as it will help the Sudanese Red Crescent Society to assist people caught between the conflict and the next flooding, which is typical in the country.”

Since the fighting broke out more than a month ago, at least 600 people have been killed, according to the World Health Organisation.

The conflict has displaced more than 700,000 people within Sudan, while the United Nations said another 200,000 have fled to neighbouring countries.

Biden, Congressional Leaders Meeting Again on Debt Ceiling

US President Joe Biden, House Speaker Kevin McCarthy and other top congressional leaders are meeting Tuesday at the White House in a new effort to reach an agreement on raising the country’s debt ceiling so the government can borrow more to pay its existing obligations.

Biden has insisted that Congress raise the current $31.4 trillion debt ceiling without conditions on future spending. McCarthy and congressional Republicans have called for substantial cuts in future government spending in exchange for raising the debt limit for a year.

That scenario would require a new round of debt ceiling negotiations amid the early phase of the 2024 presidential primary elections.

Although the current debt limit was reached in January, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and US financial officials have taken what they describe as “extraordinary measures” to juggle US spending accounts to keep paying the government’s bills. She says the US could run out of cash to meet all its obligations by June 1 and then could default on some of them.

The US has never defaulted on its debt. Yellen and other top government officials have warned that doing so would have immediate and widespread consequences, including calamity on US and global stock markets, massive US worker layoffs and delayed payments to US pensioners, government contractors and health care providers treating older Americans.

Russia Barrages Kyiv with Missiles

A Ukrainian official said Tuesday that Russia carried out an aerial attack on Kyiv

has brought ties to their lowest point in six decades.

Analysts say the volatility along their 3,500-kilometre-long disputed boundary appears to widen as a new flashpoint emerges.

In December last year, soldiers from both sides scuffled in India’s northeastern state of Arunachal Pradesh – a territory also claimed by China. The region is thousands of kilometres away from Ladakh in the western Himalayan region, where deadly clashes in 2020 triggered the present standoff.

Last month China renamed 11 places in Chinese in Arunachal Pradesh which it refers to as South Tibet – it is the third time in six years that it issued new names for mountains, rivers and other points in the territory.

Cyclone Mocha Death Toll Rises to 41 in Myanmar

The death toll in cyclone-hit Myanmar’s Rakhine state rose to 41 on Tuesday, local leaders told AFP, as villagers tried to piece together ruined homes and waited for aid and support.

involving drones and missiles, calling the barrage “exceptional in its density.”

Serhiy Popko, head of Kyiv’s city military administration, posted on Telegram that the attack featured “the maximum number of attack missiles in the shortest period of time.”

Ukraine’s air force said it shot down an unspecified number of drones and all 18 missiles Russia launched at Kyiv, including six hypersonic Kinzhal missiles.

Popko said that according to preliminary information, Ukrainian forces were able to detect and destroy “the vast majority of enemy targets in the airspace of Kyiv.”

He said the aerial attack was the eighth targeting Kyiv since the beginning of the month.

Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko reported falling debris caused damage in several of the capital city’s districts, including in Solomyanskyi district, where three people were injured.

Namibia Court Endorses Recognising Same-Sex Marriage from Other Countries

The Supreme Court of Namibia has ruled in favour of recognising same-sex marriages from other countries, making Namibia only the second nation on the continent to do so after South Africa.

A small group of LGBTQ activists gathered at Namibia’s Supreme Court Tuesday, where justices ruled in a 4 to 1 vote that Namibians married to foreign nationals in foreign jurisdictions must be recognised as any other couple within the country.

One of the judges, JA Mainga, dissented on the basis that the laws of Namibia do not recognise same-sex relationships. The other four judges, however, ruled that not recognising same-sex couples infringes on their rights to dignity and equality.

VOA spoke to the legal counsel of the two same-sex couples, Carli Schickerling, who appealed an earlier judgement of the High Court of Namibia not to recognise their same-sex marriages.

“Today, after a six-year battle, we finally won, and the court has ruled that the Ministry of Home Affairs has to recognise these marriages by foreign spouses to Namibian spouses,” said Schickerling.

Over the past few months, the Supreme Court of Namibia has been hearing similar cases dealing with homosexuality.

India-China Military Standoff Enters Fourth Year

A military standoff between India and China has entered its fourth year, but despite talks between their senior ministers and military commanders, there is no sign of a resolution to the dispute that

With winds up to 195km per hour, Mocha made landfall on Sunday, downing power pylons and smashing wooden fishing boats to splinters.

At least 41 people died in the villages of Bu Ma and nearby Khaung Doke Kar, inhabited by the persecuted Rohingya Muslim minority, local leaders told AFP reporters at the scene.

Mocha was the most powerful cyclone to hit the area in over a decade, churning up villages, uprooting trees and knocking out communications across much of Rakhine state.

Myanmar’s junta said on Monday that five people were killed without specifying where.

It was unclear if that toll included those killed in Bu Ma and Khaung Doke Kar.

AFP has contacted a junta spokesman for comment on the new death toll.

Germany: 5 Sentenced to Prison for $129m Jewelry Heist

A German court convicted five men Tuesday of breaking into a Dresden museum and stealing 21 pieces of jewellery containing more than 4,300 diamonds.

The men, ages 24 to 29, received prison sentences ranging from four years and four months to six years and three months, the German news agency dpa reported. One defendant was acquitted.

The Dresden state court ruled that the five were responsible for stealing 18th-century jewellery from the Green Vault Museum on November 25, 2019. Officials said at the time that the stolen items included a large diamond brooch and a diamond epaulette.

The crime was considered one of Germany’s most spectacular jewellery heists in recent history. The pieces taken had a total insured value of at least $129 million.

The men were accused of starting a fire just before the break-in to cut the power supply to street lights outside the museum and also setting fire to a car in a nearby garage before fleeing to Berlin. They were caught several months later during raids in Germany’s capital.

The court convicted them of particularly aggravated arson in combination with dangerous bodily injury, theft with weapons, damage to property and intentional arson.

The judges who heard the case observed that some of the men had acted with “considerable criminal energy,” dpa reported. The aim was “to get rich,” the judges said.

The Green Vault is one of the world’s oldest museums. It was established in 1723, containing the treasury of Augustus the Strong of Saxony, comprising around 4,000 objects of gold, precious stones and other materials.

THE ANOINTED FOR SENATE PRESIDENT...

Alleged Racism: Court Strikes Out Suit against Seplat’s CEO, Brown, Omiyi, Others

Awards N1m cost against plaintiffs

Wale Igbintade

Justice Chukwuejekwu Aneke of the Federal High Court in Lagos, yesterday, struck out the suit filed by some aggrieved shareholders against Seplat Energy, its Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Roger Brown, and the Chairman, Board of Directors, Mr. Basil Omiyi, over alleged racism.

Justice Aneke struck out the suit after lawyer to the stakeholders, Mr. Ayodele Arotiowa, informed the court of his clients' intention to withdraw the suit.

The aggrieved stakeholders who were petitioners in the suit marked FHC/L/402/2023, included Moses Igbrude, Sarat Kudaisi, Kenneth Nnabike, Ajani Abidoye, and Robert Ibekwe, with Seplat Energy Plc, Mr. Brown and Omiyi listed as first to third defendants.

The petitioners were asking the court for an order of mandatory injunction restraining the second respondent (Brown) from parading himself as the Chief Executive Officer of Seplat or work for Seplat in any other capacity.

They equally sought an order restraining Seplat and the company's Board Chairman from retaining Brown as the CEO of Seplat or retaining his services for Seplat in any capacity.

The plaintiffs’ allegations against Brown was that he running the affairs of the company in an illegal, unfairly prejudicial and oppressive manner.

They also sought orders restraining the Managing Director and Independent Non-Executive Directors of the company from allegedly running

its affairs unfairly. The orders were granted by the court on March 8, 2023. However, upon the hearing of the argument of respective counsel to Seplat and its Directors as to why the interim application should not have been granted and why it was necessary for it to be set aside, on April 6, 2023, Justice Aneke vacated the ex-parte order earlier made on March 8, 2023.

The court had thereafter adjourned the matter to May 16, 2023, for hearing of the petitioners’ motion on notice seeking to join certain Independent Non-Executive Directors of Seplat as parties to the suit.

But at the resumed hearing of the substantive suit yesterday, counsel to the petitioners, Mr. Ayodele Arotiowa, surprisingly informed the court that his clients had filed notice

of withdrawal and were no longer willing to continue with the suit.

Addressing the court, Seplat's counsel, Mr. Uzoma Azikiwe, told the court that his client had filed an appeal challenging the jurisdiction of the court to entertain the suit and urged the court to suspend all proceedings pending determination of the appeal.

For his part, counsel to Seplat's

CEO, Mr. Kayode Adesina, informed the court that the notice of withdrawal filed by the petitioners was served on him in court, after the appeal challenging the jurisdiction of the court had been entered at the Court of Appeal, Lagos Division. He submitted that the petitioners filed their notice of discountenance on April 18, 2023, but decided to serve the respondents in court.

While not opposing the notice of discontinuance, he asked the court to award the sum of N10 million as cost against the petitioners for the delay in serving the notice of discontinuance, which counsel to the petitioners blamed on the court’s bailiff. In his ruling, Justice Aneke struck out the suit and ordered the petitioners to pay N1 million to the second and third respondents.

Obaseki Hails Family Role in Nation-building

Pledges to sustain policies to guarantee better welfare, opportunities Edo, Radisson seal deal for a 172-room hotel in Benin

Edo State Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki has stressed the importance of family to nation-building, reassuring that his government would continue to prioritise policies to strengthen the family unit, ensuring that they are provided with the right infrastructure and environment to succeed and contribute to the growth and development of the state and nation.

Obaseki said this in commemoration of the 2023 International Day of Families, celebrated by the United Nations and its sister agencies with the theme, “Demographic Trends and Families.”

According to a statement yesterday, the governor, who described as indispensable the role of the family in nation-building and social development, noted that building strong

families with solid moral values was crucial in achieving sustainable growth and development in society.

“Today, we join the global community in celebrating the 2023 International Family Day, an occasion that highlights the significance of families in our society.

“Families are the foundation upon which our society is built, and their strength and well-being are essential for the progress and prosperity of any society, which is why we have in the past six years placed families at the forefront of our government’s agenda, prioritizing reforms and policies to create an enabling environment to support their well-being and growth.”

He added, “We understand that families face diverse challenges, and are committed to sustaining

our programmes and policies in education, healthcare, agriculture, technology, and economy, among other sectors to ensure that families are provided with the right infrastructure and environment to realise their fullest potentials and contribute adequately to societal advancement.”

Speaking on the theme of this year’s celebration, Obaseki reiterated the need for increased collaboration among stakeholders to urgently harness and maximise the advantages of the country’s changing demographic trends.

He charged, “While harnessing the immense potential of our expanding population, we must acknowledge the collective responsibility that rests upon the government, citizens, and other stakeholders.

How Edo Government Insisted on Resolution of Benin Traditional Council Face-off with Enigie

The suspended Enigie who were recently recalled and feted by the Oba of Benin, Oba Ewuare II, the Chairman of the Benin Traditional Council (BTC) were readmitted into the BTC in the wake of moves by the Edo State Government to harmonise the traditional system in the state.

Sources with knowledge of the resolution of the impasse noted that the truce was reached, “in pursuit of harmony within the traditional administration system in the State.”

The Enigie were suspended after a letter signed by the Dukes in November 2022, was made public.

The traditional rulers had called

for proper functioning of the BTC across the seven Benin-speaking Local Government Areas in Edo South Senatorial District.

This resulted in their suspension, with rumours spreading that the action of the Enigie was tantamount to a ‘palace coup.’

Few days ago, the Enigie were feted at the Oba palace and went home with gifts.

It has since emerged that the State government had insisted that, “more of the resources allocated to the BTC should be allowed to spread to all the actors within the system just as is obtained in Edo Central and Edo North.”

The norm was that the state

government related with the traditional councils of the three senatorial districts in the State through their chairmen.

It was gathered that the system operated seamlessly in Edo Central and Edo North, but not so well in Edo South.

The source, who noted that the move by the state government was intended to restore order, said: “As far as Edo State Government is concerned, traditional rulers are part of institutions that ensure social cohesion which leads to enhanced security and peaceful co-existence in communities.

“For this to happen, the institutions must be harmonised and all

resources, both man and material, must be seen to be percolating to the lowest organs within the traditional system. This was not the case before and had to be corrected.

“It was against this backdrop that the move was initiated to ensure order and harmony within the BTC in Edo South. This has led to this resolution and a truce within the council. The Edo state government has committed to support the Oba of Benin, as the leader of the council as well as all the other traditional leaders in Edo South and ensure that they live up to their obligations to serve the people within their domain.”

“Together, we must establish comprehensive systems, build resilient infrastructure, and implement dynamic socio-economic policies that not only address the immediate needs of our people but also lay a strong foundation for a secure and inclusive society.”

The International Day of Families, according to the United Nations, provides an opportunity to promote awareness of issues relating to families and to increase knowledge of the social, economic, and demographic processes affecting them. Meanwhile, Obaseki, has said his government’s ease of doing business

reforms has continued to drive the influx of investments into the state. Owing to this, he disclosed that the state has sealed a deal with Radisson Hotels, an international hotel chain headquartered in the United States, for development of a 172-room hotel in Benin City. Obaseki, while disclosing this in Benin City, the Edo State capital, was quoted in a separate statement, to have said the government would sustain efforts to make the state more conducive for business and attract investment, urging the collaboration of the private sector and other stakeholders.

Aregbesola: FG to Procure Aircraft for Fire-fighting in Six Geopolitical Zones

Michael Olugbode in Abuja

The federal government is planning to procure aircraft in each of the six geopolitical zones of the country to fight wildfires, bushfires, and other large-scale fires, the Minister of Interior, Rauf Aregbesola disclosed yesterday.

Aregbesola said this at the inauguration of the Metropolitan Fire Station, Kubwa in Abuja.

The minister said: “The prime challenge of the Federal Fire Service (FFS) is on combating wildfires, bushfires and other largescale fires requiring aerial attacks.

"We have initiated an arrangement with the Nigeria Airforce to use their planes to water-bomb fires of that nature from the air. It is my sincere hope that the Service will see this through.

"Our projection is to have our own aircraft in the six geo-political zones of the country.”

Aregbesola explained that the Metro Fire Station was positioned strategically in the suburban Kubwa District for rapid fire and rescue interventions to the community in a much shorter life-saving time.

He said: “One can almost be sure of a rise in the awareness level of people in the community of fire protection and prevention through fire safety enlightenment campaigns that would be on the steady in and around the axis.

"This beautiful edifice housing the Metropolitan Fire Station is the first of its kind in the history of Nigeria. We have all gathered here today to commission one of the 13 Metropolitan Stations spread across the country and at various stages of completion," he said.

Aregbesola had earlier in the day while inaugurating the Fire House at the National Fire Academy, Sheda, Abuja, described it as the heart and soul of the fire academy.

L-R: Senate President aspirant, Senator Godswill Apkabio; APC National Secretary, Sen. Iyiola Omisore; APC National Chairman, Sen. Abdullahi Adamu, during a meeting between the aspirants and the APC National Working Committee, (NWC) at the Party’s National Secretariat in Abuja .... yesterday

PHOTO: ENOCK REUBEN

LAUNCH OF REPORT OF BAYELSA OIL AND ENVIRONMENTAL COMMISSION...

MAN Demands Rescinding of 2023 Fiscal Policy Measures

Says manufacturing in acute recession Guinness Nigeria, Nigeria Breweries, BATCO anticipate boom in illicit trade

Dike Onwuamaeze

The President of the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN), Mr. Francis Meshioye, yesterday urged the federal government to rescind the 2023 Fiscal Policy Measures (FPMs) scheduled to come into effect on June 1, 2023.

Meshioye made the call in Lagos, yesterday, at a press conference by MAN on the “Increase in Excise Rates for Alcoholic Beverages and Tobacco, as contained in the 2023 FPMs dated 20th April 2023,” which was attended by the Managing Director Nigeria and Area Director West & Central Africa at British American Tobacco Nigeria (BATCO) , Mr. Yarub Al-Bahrani; the Chairman of Nigeria Breweries Plc, Mr. Asue Ighodalo; the Managing Director/

CEO of Nigeria Breweries Plc, Mr. Hans Essaadi; the Chief Executive Officer of Guinness Nigeria Plc, Mr. John Musunga and Non-Executive Director of International Breweries Plc, Mr. Michael Onochie Ajukwu, amongst others captains of industries.

Meshioye pointed out that the rate of the excise increase was exponential and excessively burdensome as the FPM increased the excise for beer products by about 200 per cent, while the tobacco industry was being taxed five times more than average the average for other industries.

He stated that the increases on excise duties on beer and tobacco as contained in the FPM were, “an increase on an increase,” since there was already an existing approved increase for 2023.

He said: “The rate of increase

is exceptionally excessive and not consistent with best practice globally. For instance, the excise for beer was effectively increased by about 200 per cent, translating to a tripling of excise on the product.

“This is coming against the backdrop of the huge tax burden on the tobacco and beverage sectors, with the tobacco industry being taxed five times more than the average for other industries.”

The president of MAN based his argument on the claim that it was not the appropriate time to effect the increases because the manufacturing sector was in acute recession and proceeds from sales are no longer sustaining business’ overheads and operating expenses.

He added that the acute recession was constraining manufacturers to

scale down their operations which would result in factory closures, job losses, decline in exports and much more.

He said: “The increase is coming at a time when the manufacturing sector is immersed in unprecedented crisis and an acute recession, due to extraordinary challenges, namely: sustained scarcity of naira (which has led to a crash in consumer purchases); limited access to foreign exchange (which has led industry to purchase foreign exchange from the parallel market, thereby increasing costs); record inflation (which further drive-up cost of operation and prices of products) and a struggling economy.

“These extraordinary challenges have led to a massive decline of -169 per cent in profit before tax

Agora Policy: Why FG Should Grant Varsities Full Autonomy, Amend NUC Law

Calls for establishment of education bank

Emmanuel Addeh in Abuja

Agora Policy, an Abuja think-tank, has recommended that the federal government should grant full autonomy to public universities in the country and amend the National Universities Commission Act (1974) Act to release tertiary institutions from the stranglehold of the commission.

In a policy brief released yesterday, the Waziri Adio-led organisation, which is supported by the MacArthur Foundation, urged the government to step back and allow universities develop at their pace, rather than the current overregulation.

“Federal government needs to step back. Less government is best for universities. Government should grant full autonomy to its public universities, and allow each university to develop its own identity and grow at its own pace.

“The National Universities Commission Act (1974) should be amended to release its stranglehold of NUC on the universities and assign it a coordinating and monitoring role rather than a directive or prescriptive role,” the think-tank said.

The brief was written by Bolaji Abdullahi, an education enthusiast, former Commissioner for Education in Kwara State and ex-Federal Minister for Youth Development and Sports.

In keeping with the principle of autonomy, the report stated that government should cede its role as

employers of university lecturers to each university.

This, it maintained, would empower the universities to negotiate terms and conditions of service with their respective employees in line with their local reality and the value expected of each lecturer.

It further argued that a realistic annual cost for each student should be determined and the universities should be funded by government based on the number of students rather than personnel or administrative needs of the university.

“Universities should be allowed to charge tuition fees within the parameters set by government, but the Education Bank needs to be established to offer federal government-backed loans to students who may require them.

“Government and institutional scholarship awards are another opportunity for talented but indigent students to pay tuition. Most government scholarships now are targeted at students studying abroad. This should be reversed,” the group argued.

According to Agora Policy, workstudy also presents another option for indigent students which can carry out most of the work currently being done by non-academic staff and even contract staff in the universities.

Besides , it contended that endowment funds could be a major way for universities to expand their pool of funds, opining that currently, the

universities are not tapping into it as much as they should do.

“ They need to bring their alumni closer and give them incentives to contribute to their university endowment programmes and to establish scholarship schemes and give back in other ways.

“A new framework for tertiary education funding needs to be developed that will set objective parameters for allocation of funds from the TETFUND based on verified outputs in teaching, research and community service,” the organisation advised.

Furthermore, it argued that

a semi-autonomous National Higher Education Quality Assurance Agency (NHEQAA) needs to be established to monitor the quality of teaching and research in the universities, and evaluate them in terms of their responsiveness to the nation’s manpower requirement and economic development plan.

Titled: “Repositioning Nigeria’s Public Universities for National Growth and Competitiveness,” the paper noted that in seeking to realign Nigeria’s public university system with its national development objectives, it must ask four critical questions.

for the brewing sector in Q1 2023. Industry turnover for non-alcoholic beverages and tobacco declined by -15 per cent, while gross profit and profit before tax declined by -31 per cent and -96 per cent within the same period, respectively.”

He went further to state that, “the Nigerian manufacturing sector recorded a 36 per cent downturn in profit margins from 2021 to 2022 and over 400 per cent increase in energy costs, further constraining growth of the sector.

“In addition, the tobacco sector has actively begun to reduce its export production from Nigeria as it has over N39 billion trapped in Export Expansion Grant (EEG) incentive not yet released to it by the federal government to manage its operations. Thus, this is not the time to impose additional increases in excise.”

Meshioye argued that the excise increase was a direct attack on Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) into Nigeria, which had been tumbling for three years now as the National Bureau of Statistics’ data has indicated that FDI into Nigeria fell by 33 per cent in 2022 and would continue in this trajectory should the excise increase be implemented as planned in June 2023.

“It is important to note the negative decline in 2022, with the biggest decline since the implementation of the 2022 roadmap. The World Bank noted a 59 per cent fall in FDI over the last 11 years with an FDI depreciation from $5.97 billion in 2010 to $2.45 billion in 2021,” he said.

The manufacturers association, therefore, plainly told the federal government to “suspend the 2023 FPM on excise duty and retain the 2022 -2024 excise duty roadmap as approved in the 2022 FPM, to foster stability in the affected sectors and their value chain, in the interest of

the national economy;

“Reverse the tax on Single Use Plastics and engage with relevant stakeholders to facilitate ongoing initiatives, which have a better prospect of achieving the desired environmental objectives. A good example of this is the Food & Beverage Recycling Alliance, approved by the federal government; and

“Consider, with input from the sector and other critical stakeholders, alternative measures to achieve revenue and other objectives of the government in a sustainable manner.”

The president of MAN warned that it would be illusory for federal government to persist on implementing the 2023 FPM on the hope that it would garner more revenue, adding that the measures would spike illicit trade in tobacco products its current levels of 15 per cent to undesirable levels of above 50 per cent of the sector that government would receive no revenue from.

“The decline in profitability of the industry will result in a decline in the industry’s total tax contribution to the government, because companies’ income tax (CIT), value added tax (VAT) and education tax are directly tied to the performance and profitability of the company.

“In Q1 2023, while tobacco manufacturer’s contribution to excise grew by 7.0 per cent, its VAT contribution dropped by -36 per cent compared to the same period in 2022,” Meshioye said.

He further argued that the manufacturing sector’s value chain would be severely impacted as a crash in sale volumes and consequent cuts in production would severely impact these businesses in the value chain, which will have a multiplier effect on the national economy.

The Nigeria Broadcasting Awards Holds Today

The maiden edition of The Nigeria Broadcasting Awards (TNBA) ceremony will be held today at the Eko Convention Center, Lagos. TNBA, organised by Broadcasting Organisations of Nigeria (BON), is aimed at recognising and rewarding excellence in the broadcast media industry. The awards, according to BON Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of MultiChoice Nigeria, John Ugbe, would inspire up and coming talents and spur broadcast professionals to do more for the industry.

"The awards will recognise and reward the talents that abound in

the Nigerian broadcasting industry, spur them to be better and inspire up and coming professionals to excel in the knowledge that they will someday be recognised and celebrated.

“Broadcasting in Nigeria has come a very long way and it is time we started celebrating broadcasters for their sacrifices.

“At this maiden edition, we will also celebrate those who excelled in the past and made huge contributions to the growth of broadcasting Nigeria. Congratulations in advance to all winners," a statement yesterday, quoted Ugbe to have said at the unveiling of TNBA last May.

Awards would be given in 12 competitive categories in television and eight in radio. Distinguished figures who made huge contributions to the industry will also be recognized.

Among those to be celebrated with Life Achievement Awards in Broadcasting are Dr. Christopher Kolade, former Managing Director, National Broadcasting Corporation; Mr. Vincent Maduka, former Director-General, Nigerian Television Authority (NTA); Mallam Mohammed Ibrahim, former Director General of the Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria (FRCN) and NTA.

Chief Raymond Dokpesi, founder DAAR Communications and Mr. Michael Ajegbo, founder, Minaj Broadcasting, Obosi, would also be celebrated for their contributions to the growth of broadcasting in Nigeria, while posthumous awards will be given to Ambassador Segun Olusola, Mr. Mike Enahoro, Alhaji Dahiru Modibbo and Mr. Kunle Olasope, for their meritorious contributions to the broadcast industry. The awards ceremony will be broadcast live today, at 6:30pm on Africa Magic Family available on DStv and GOtv, NTA, AIT, Channels TV, TVC, Arise TV, Silverbird TV and other BON member stations.

L-R: Member of the House of Lords, Baroness Valerie Amos; Chairman, Bayelsa State Traditional Rulers Council and Ibenanaowei of Ekpetiama Kingdom, King Bubaraye Dakolo; Bayelsa State Governor, Senator Douye Diri; Amanyanabo of Okpoama Kingdom, King Ebitimi Banigo, and former Military Administrator of Bayelsa State, Col. Edor Obi (rtd), during the launch of the report of the Bayelsa State Oil and Environmental Commission at the House of Lords in London ... yesterday

MOST OUTSTANDING REGULATOR...

Senate Passes Independent Candidacy Bill, Transmits to Buhari for Assent

Sunday Aborisade in Abuja

The Senate, yesterday, passed a bill seeking to provide for independent candidacy in presidential, governorship, national and state assembly, as well as local government elections. The upper chamber subsequently asked the Clerk to the National Assembly to transmit the bill to President Muhammadu Buhari for assent in line with the provisions of the Authentication Act.

The proposed legislation was the constitution alteration bill No. 58. The Clerk was also directed to transmit to the president constitution amendment bill No. 46, which sought to include the presiding officers of the National Assembly in the membership of the National Security Council.

The two proposals were part of the constitution alteration bills transmitted to state Houses of Assembly for concurrence last year, but not part of the 35 that secured the required approval of 24 of 36 state assemblies.

Deputy Senate President, Ovie Omo-Agege, in a motion during yesterday's plenary, informed his colleagues that Gombe State House of Assembly had approved the Constitution Alteration Bill Nos. 46 and 58 and forwarded its resolution

to the National Assembly.

Omo-Agege, who is Chairman of the Senate adhoc Committee on Constitution Review, said with the approval of the Gombe State Assembly, the bills on the independent candidacy and inclusion of National Assembly presiding officers in the National Security Council membership had met the provisions of Section 9(2) of the Constitution for passage.

The Senate, after adopting the

motion, directed the Clerk to the National Assembly to transmit the bills to the president for his assent.

The National Assembly had earlier transmitted 35 constitution alteration bills to the president for assent, out of which 19 were rejected and 16 were signed into law.

The National Assembly on May 2, 2023, approved a uniform retirement age for judicial officers after it met constitutional requirement. The state assemblies that were

yet to forward their resolutions on the constitution amendment bills included Jigawa, Kebbi, Kwara, Plateau and Taraba.

The bill provided that for any Nigerian national to contest the presidential election as an independent candidate, he or she must obtain the verified signatures of at least 20 per cent of registered voters from each state of the federation, provided that a registered voter shall not sign for more than one

independent candidate in respect of the same office.

For governorship, the independent candidate must obtain the verified signatures of at least 20 per cent of registered voters from each of the local government areas of the state.

The bill also stated that anyone willing to contest National Assembly elections must obtain the verified signatures of at least 20 per cent of registered voters from each

of the local government areas in the respective senatorial district or federal constituency.

The proposed legislation further empowered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to prescribe the payment of administrative fees by independent candidates for respective elections. It equally mandated the electoral body to waive 50 per cent of the administrative fees for female candidates.

Educational Backwardness in North Self Imposed, Says Minister

Kuni Tyessi in Abuja

The Minister of Education, Mallam Adamu Adamu, yesterday, declared that the present educational backwardness in the northern part of the country was caused by people of the area.

The minister stated this at the public presentation of Core Curriculum Minimum Academic Standards (CCMAS) Book 1 series for Nigerian universities and a book in his honour, in Abuja.

Adamu, who commended the National Universities Commission (NUC) for its drive in ensuring

the springing up of more private universities in Nigeria, said the Commission's effort was paying off with the establishment of more of such institutions in Northern Nigeria in recent times.

"The north is in self-imposed education backwardness because the interest of the north is Islam, and Islam is the greatest promulgator of knowledge.

"In 859 AD, one Fatima Al-Fihri (sic), a Muslim woman established the first university in the world, at the time, the Italian universities, Oxford, Cambridge universities have not started, the first university is still

existing there, it is now in Morocco.

"And about 100 years after that one, another university was established, the second university in the world before the universities of Europe, in Cairo. And just like the first one, this university was established by a Muslim woman, Fatimatu Zahara (sic).

"So the first two universities in the world were established by Muslim women and here people are using Islam to keep women at home. I think it does not make sense," the minister said.

Adamu, however, expressed delight that out of the 37 new private

British MP, Report Slam Oil Firms, Allege Environmental Genocide in Bayelsa

Say $12bn required for clean-up in 12 years Diri pledges support, lauds predecessor on oil commission

Oil pollution in Bayelsa State was on the international focus yesterday, as the report of the state’s Oil and Environmental Commission (BSOEC) was launched at the House of Lords in London.

The 211-page report titled: “An Environmental Genocide: Counting the Human Cost of Oil in Bayelsa, Nigeria,” is a detailed documentation of the over 60 years of oil exploration and pollution in the state where oil was first discovered in commercial quantity in Nigeria by Shell.

The BSOEC was established in March 2019, by the immediate past Senator Seriake Dickson administration.

It had as chair, a former Anglican Archbishop of York and member of the House of Lords, Dr. John Sentamu, alongside former president of Ghana, John Kufuor and another

member of the House of Lords, Baroness Valerie Amos, as honorary commissioners.

Baroness Amos, in her remarks, said the pollution of Bayelsa by oil multinationals was scandalous and shameful, calling on the international community to take action against polluters of the environment.

She said: “The research and the evidence contained in the report tell the stories that are so important. The community impact of the pollution comes through so clearly and it is devastating.

“This has been on for so long. It is an absolute scandal and we should all be ashamed that we have got to this point. Those responsible, including our international oil companies, should be ashamed of the roles they have played in their refusal to take responsibility.

“Talking about this being the fault of the local communities, who can see the result of this long-standing neglect and not be moved? And yet, that is what exactly happened. There has been no accountability on the part of the oil multinationals.

“I understand that there are a lot of people who might not even have heard about Bayelsa. But I hope what people would be able to connect to and see as a result of this report is the scale of the human impact.”

The MP stressed the need to take collective action now, saying the international community had to rally to save Bayelsa from the impact of what could be described as an environment genocide.

While presenting the report, chair of the commission’s Expert Working Group, Dr. Kathryn Nwajiaku-

Dahou, said the document was the product of four years of tireless work put in by researchers, scientists and professionals in different fields, who went round Bayelsa communities gathering samples.

“This helped us to bring to light what the commission describes as environment genocide that plagues Bayelsa today.

“The Commission’s findings shine light on the pollution catastrophe engulfing the state and its underlying causes. Chief among them are the systemic failings of international oil company operators with the complicity of Nigeria’s political class and a dysfunctional Nigerian regulatory state.

“The report sets out a proposal to end decades-long cycles of contamination and neglect by the oil and gas industry.”

universities approved by the Federal Executive Council on Monday, a large number of them would be situated in the north.

Speaking on the CCMAS, the minister said the new curriculum would go a long way in adding value to graduates being churned out from Nigerian universities.

"We must continue to ensure graduates from Nigeria universities are equipped with needed skills, knowledge and expertise in order to succeed in the 21st century.

“We must consistently strive to improve our educational programmes and learning with the reality of global best practices. The CCMAS book series is aimed at achieving this goal, " he said.

While saying the launch of CCMAS in 17 disciplines was one of the greatest steps taken by NUC to ensure Nigerian universities meet current global demands, Adamu called for its full implementation.

"The implementation of CCMAS requires dedication, hard work and willingness to embrace change by every one, therefore it is important we embrace training and equipping our academics with the necessary skills and knowledge to implement CMAS," he said.

The outgoing minister also used the event to call for the establishment of Federal Teachers Service Commission, saying such move would ensure reforms put in place in the teaching profession yield desired results.

"I want to leave one legacy in your hands (heads of education agencies and others), we wrote a letter and the President approved everything, but there is one yet to come into fruition, that will make education totally different

"It was recently I realised we need a Federal Teachers Service Commission, so I want to leave this in your hands, so that all those

things approved by Mr. president, the teachers will be able to get it, and education will begin to attract the best brains," Adamu said.

Also speaking, the Executive Secretary of NUC, Prof. Rasheed Abubakar, commended the minister for achievements recorded under his watch, especially in the area of universities development.

"As at yesterday morning, there were 111 private universities in the country, as of yesterday evening, the number had risen to 148 private universities in the country. That is of the 148 private universities in Nigeria, 87 or 60 percent came during Adamu Adamu as Minister of Education, " the NUC boss said.

Also speaking, former chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Attahiru Jega, described the CCMAS as a step in the right direction.

"This is very important contribution to the repositioning of the Nigerian education system.

"The new curriculum is no doubt a tremendous value addition to repositioning our education system and it is wonderful that this has happened under the current minister of Education, Adamu Adamu," he said.

The event which also witnessed tributes to late Prof. Idris Abdulkadir and Prof. Nimi Briggs, also saw to the unveiling of a book in honour of the minister titled : 'Repositioning Nigerian Educational System; the Ministerial Footprints of Adamu Adamu."

Former Minister of Education, Professor Ruqqayattu Rufa’i, exExecutive Secretary of NUC, Prof Julius Okojie, Executive Secretary of Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund), Sonny Echono, Registrar of Teachers Registration Council of Nigeria (TRCN), Professor Josiah Ajiboye, among others, were also. present at the event.

L-R: Governor of Osun State, Ademola Adeleke; Executive Vice Chairman/Chief Executive Officer, Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Prof Umar Garba Danbatta, and Director-General, Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, Dr. Bashir Jamoh, during The ChampionNewspapers Awards programme where Danbatta received Most Outstanding Regulator of the 2022 Award held in Lagos... recently

SEPLAT ENERGY 10TH ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING...

May 29: Security Forces Ramp Up Raids on Terror Enclaves

FCT, other parts placed on red alert, suicide bomber blows self up in Kaduna NSA, DSS, police give advisory to incoming governors

Chuks

Okocha and Kingsley

Nwezeh

in Abuja

Ahead of the May 29 handover of date, security forces have intensified raids on terror enclaves to ensure a successful transfer of power.

This comes as the Department of State Security (DSS), yesterday, said a terrorist targeting fighting forces blew himself up during a raid in Kaduna.

At the same time, the National Security Adviser, General Mohammed Monguno, the Director General of the DSS, Bichi Mogaji and the Inspector General of Police, Usman Baba Alkali, yesterday, gave security advisory to the new governors.

THISDAY gathered that security forces were deployed massively across the country in a renewed

bid to neutralise potential threats to the presidential inauguration and contain a resurgence of terror attacks.

Military authorities, the police high command and the intelligence agencies, had at different fora, restated security forces' preparedness for a seamless transition, a situation that prompted the launch of a massive, ongoing joint security operation.

THISDAY also learnt that there was a security red alert in the nation's capital and some parts of the country ahead of the inauguration.

"There is a round-the-clock operation in place to ensure a smooth inauguration. We are ready for any eventuality," a security source said.

Meanwhile, a statement by the spokesman of the DSS, Dr Peter Afunanya, said its operatives, police and troops raided hideouts of

insurgents in parts of Kaduna and Kano States.

"The Department of State Services (DSS) hereby informs the public that the service and troops of the Nigerian Army and Police Force, in the early hours of 15th May, 2023, simultaneously raided hideouts of insurgents and terrorists in parts of Kaduna and Kano States.

"During the raid in Kaduna State, the terrorists deployed Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) against the fighting forces. One of the terrorists, who wore suicide jacket blew himself up while three suspects were arrested. Items recovered upon a search on the group’s accommodation, after Police EOD had diffused other IEDs, were two suicide jackets, one AK-47 rifle, a pistol and one laptop," it said.

In Kano State, the agency said,

Doctors to FG: We Won't Guarantee Industrial Peace After May 29

To begin warning strike

Onyebuchi Ezigbo in Abuja

Resident Doctors in the country have threatened to embark on industrial action that couldcripple the health sector nationwide if the federal government failed to grant their demands before May 29 presidential inauguration.

The doctors under the auspices of the National Association of Resident Doctors NARD,accused the government of ignoring the ultimatum they issued and failing to reach out for dialogue.

In a communiqué at the end of its virtual meeting held on Monday, NARD said it has resolved to embark on a five-day warning strike action from 8:00 am on Wednesday.

In a communiqué jointly signed by NARD President, Dr. Emeka Innocent Orji and Secretary General, Dr. Chikezie Kelechi, NARD stated: "After a long deliberation on the observations made, NEC resolved to embark on a five-day warning strike action from 8:00 am on Wednesday, 17th May 2023 to Sunday, 21st May 2023. Work resumes by 8:00 am on Monday, 22nd May 2023.

"Call on the federal government to address the issues raised before the May 29th hand over date as further industrial harmony cannot

be guaranteed after the warning strike should the issues be left unresolved."

The doctors said they were to review the progress made during and after the strike at the Ordinary General Meeting (OGM) of NARD slated to hold in the next two weeks and decide the next line of action.

Among the demands of the doctors were the commencement of payment of all salary and other arrears owed their members including 2014, 2015 and 2016 salary

arrears as well as arrears of the consequential adjustment of the minimum wage.

"Immediate withdrawal and jettisoning of the ill-conceived bill by Hon. Ganiyu Johnson seeking to enslave young Nigerian Doctors. Immediate implementation of CONMESS, domestication of the Medical Residency Training Act (MRTA), and review of hazard allowance by all he state governments as well as private tertiary health institutions, where Residency Training is done," it stated.

two suspects were arrested while the following items were recovered: a pistol, 11 mobile phones, two hand grenades, one fully charged AK-47 magazine, two empty AK-47 magazine, one Peugeot 307 car and an ID card belonging to a suspect that escaped.

"Intelligence had earlier revealed that high profile terrorist targets were regrouping in the North-west to carry out dastardly acts in the area. Notably, the steady military operations in the North-east have necessitated the insurgents’ escape to the North-west and North-Central zones, where they are establishing active cells.

"The service commends the Nigerian Military and Police for their resilience and support, which led to the success of the operation. The sustained inter-agency synergy is, without doubt, a game changer in the counter-threat actions.

"The service wishes to state and very clearly, that it will continue to collaborate with sister agencies to rid the nation of criminal elements particularly at this transition period and even beyond.

"This is more so that certain persons are desperate to undermine the process. But the service will resist this and ensure a seamless event. It will always cooperate with stakeholders to achieve a peaceful environment critical to the pursuit of legitimate businesses by law abiding citizens and residents," the DSS said.

NSA, DSS, Police Give Security Advisory to Incoming Govs

In continuation of the induction seminar for the re-elected and new governors, the National Security Adviser, General Mohammed Monguno, the Director General of the Department of State Security

FG Approves Abuja Cosmopolitan University, 36 Others

Kuni Tyessi in Abuja

President Muhammadu Buhari has approved 37 new private universities, including the Cosmopolitan University, Abuja.

Minister of Education, Adamu Adamu disclosed this after a meeting presided over by the Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo.

Speaking on the approval of the new universities, Prof. Ibrahim Katampe, one of the promoters of Cosmopolitan University, said the new institution was out to expand knowledge through research integrated with education and

active engagement with industry and society.

He said the university would be student-centred, offering applied and innovative experimental programs to prepare graduates to make a positive impact in their respective workplaces, environment, and communities.

“The university will be taking off from Central Business District Abuja, with future expansion in the main campus at IDU,” he said.

“The programmes be offered with an emphasis on innovation and will cover a wide range of

areas in science, engineering, computing, and management.

“The university is promoted by a distinguished and celebrated Nigerian academics, inventor, and entrepreneur Ibrahim Katampe from the United States and in collaboration with seasoned Nigerian technocrats, as well as experts in higher education from Nigeria and overseas.”

Katampe added that Cosmopolitan University aims at creating a unique brand that will bridge the skills gaps between Nigerian graduates and job requirements both locally and internationally.

(DSS) Bichi Mogaji and the Inspector General of Police, Usman Baba Alkali, yesterday, gave security advisory to the new governors.

In the same vain, the Governor of Anambra State, Charles Soludo, and his Imo State counterpart, Hope Uzodimma, yesterday, described the governors as "generals without troops", and as such, advised that they be on the same page with the president on issues of security as he is the commander-in-chief.

Speaking at the second day of the induction seminar for incoming governors by the Nigeria Governors Forum (NGF), the NSA represented by Joseph Dahwuep appealed to the incoming governors to adopt good governance as a policy, saying part of the security issues in the states were fallout of some of the polices from the states.

He also advised that the governors should form an inclusive cabinet and not stereotype any group as opposition to their administration.

"Election are over. This is the time for good governance. Please endeavour to ensure an inclusive government to enable you have a good governance at the state levels.

"Nigeria is not an exception to insecurity. Insecurity is a global item now. Security includes good governance and human rights of all. Security includes reducing poverty and unemployment at the state levels. Without security, there won't be security."

In his advisory, the DSS DG represented by Mohammed, called on the new governors to always work on early warnings and endeavour

to go through reports presented to them by their special aides.

He gave an instance of a state in 2003, where a sitting governor lost election because he failed to listen to the report of scarcity of water but his opponent saw the report and used water tankers to provide water to the community and at the election, the governor lost.

He also urged the governors to listen to traditional rulers and informants, asking to pay attention to when people who don't speak their languages or dialect enter their towns or state, stating that they should find a way to find out who they are.

The Inspector General of Police represented by an Assistant Inspector General of Police, Gala Ciroma, called on the governors to endeavour to reduce poverty and unemployment as a hungry man is an angry man.

The Police boss urged them to be technology-efficient as criminals now use telephones and other technological equipment in their dangerous trade.

Speaking, Soludo said that all crimes are now localised and so, "my central point here to make is that security or insecurity is largely a local issue. Every locality has its own peculiarities and the most fundamental issue, I think for those of us who are governors, and the governors-elect, a major concern that we need to get onto is that the national security architecture and the moderator aptly pointed that out, places much of the kinetic architecture almost exclusively on the shoulders of the federal government.

Buhari Back in Abuja After Two-week Stay in London

Deji Elumoye in Abuja

President Muhammadu Buhari yesterday, arrived the presidential wing of the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja, from London, the United Kingdom (UK).

The president was welcomed at about 4.45pm by top government officials including his Chief of Staff, Prof Ibrahim Gambari.

Buhari left Nigeria on May 3, for the UK to participate in the Coronation ceremony of King Charles III and his Queen Consort, Camilla, of the United Kingdom.

The president, who was initially scheduled to return to Abuja last week had to postpone his return by

another week as he was billed to see his dentist for dental check-up.

Announcing Buhari's decision to stay another week in London, the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, in a statement last week had stated: "President Muhammadu Buhari will be in London, United Kingdom, for an additional week, at the behest of his Dentist, who has started attending to him.

"The Specialist requires to see the President in another five days for a procedure already commenced. "President Buhari had joined other world leaders to attend the coronation of King Charles lll on May 6, 2023".

L-R: Director External Affairs & Sustainability, Seplat Energy Plc, Chioma Afe; Acting Chief Executive Officer, Sam Ezugworie; Vice-President, Finance, Eleanor Adaralegbe; Board Chairman, Basil Omiyi; Company Secretary/General Counsel, Edith Onwuchekwa and New Energy Director, Effiong Okon at the Seplat Energy 10th Annual General Meeting (Virtual) in Lagos....recently

RETIREMENT AND BIRTHDAY THANKSGIVING…

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Residents Flee Plateau Communities over Massive Attacks, Killings

Seriki Adinoyi in Jos

Residents of Mangu villages in Mangu Local Government Area of Plateau State affected by the incessant attacks and killings in recent days have fled their homes, abandoning their properties and farmlands to seek refuge in the local government headquarters.

Though no official figure was given by the authorities, residents

said that the attacks claimed over 30 lives.

A source from the communities said: “For fear of further attacks, women and children from the affected Fungzai and Kubwat villages have fled their homes and farms to the local government headquarters. They are calling on government to come to their aid.”

Meanwhile, the state Governorelect, Caleb Mutfwang, has said

Nine Killed by Suspected Herders in Benue

George Okoh in Makurdi

Suspected Fulani herders have killed nine persons in separate attacks on communities in Apa and Gwer West Local Government Areas of Benue State. While six people were killed in Uchen community in Gwer West LGA, three people were said to have been killed in Apa LGA.

The National Chairman of the Apa Development Association, Mr. Eche Akpoko, said three villages were attacked on Friday and Saturday by suspected herdsmen who invaded Akpanta, Ochumeko and Ijaha villages.

He said: “Akpanta and Ogwuji villages were burnt down and the attackers killed three people at Ijaha village.

Speaking of the attack on Ucheen community, the traditional ruler of Makurdi, Vincent Aule, said that the herders killed six persons in the village, adding that a family member of the deceased fell and died on seeing his relatives’ dead bodies.

The traditional ruler said: “Yes it happened at Ucheen village, after Adaka, a border community in Makurdi. They came around 2:30 am on Monday and killed about six people.

Adron GMD Tasks Tinubu on Social Housing Scheme

Ayodeji Ake

The Group Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Adron Homes and Properties, Adetola Emmanuel-Kings, has tasked the incoming administration to embrace social housing scheme in order to reduce the burden of housing deficit.

He made the call in Lagos while addressing journalist. EmmanuelKings expressed his worries, stating that his company, for the past 10 years, had been committed to providing affordable housing scheme for middle and lower classes

citizens, and presently in eight states of the country. He, however, noted that President-elect, Bola Tinubu’s administration need to complement their efforts to reduce housing deficit through social housing scheme, making properties almost free for Nigerians with flexible mortgage payment plans.

He said: “We want the government to implement Social Housing Scheme. This is coming because there are millions of Nigerians who can’t afford to buy properties. Through these initiatives, government will give almost free.”

Gunmen Abduct FCTA Worker, 14 Others in Abuja

Olawale Ajimotokan in Abuja

Fifteen persons were yesterday abducted by gunmen at 1, 000 Housing Estate in Pegi community in Kuje Area Council of the Federal Capital Territory.

The Chairman of the Residents Association of Pegi, a notorious hotspot for kidnapping in Abuja, Taiwo Aderibigbe, confirmed the attack and abduction. He said the attackers struck on Sunday night around 11.30 and made away with their victims after rounds of sporadic gun shots.

Aderibigbe said one the victim

that he received the news of the bloody attacks with rude shock.

Mutfwang, in a condolence message, signed by his Special Assistant on Media, Mr. Gyang Bere, condemned the attack, which also left several persons injured

and houses with valuables worth millions of naira destroyed.

He, however, appealed for calm and charged security agencies to rise up to their constitutional responsibility of protecting and securing citizens, particularly rural

dwellers.

While admonishing communities to strengthen community relations and activate internal security mechanisms such as the vigilance groups and hunters’ associations, to protect

and secure them, Mutfwang also appealed to peace-loving and patriotic communities in the state and environs to be committed to peaceful co-existence, and unite for maximum protection and safety of their citizens.

INEC’s Adhoc Staff Members Protest Non-payment of Allowances in Anambra

David-Chyddy Eleke in Awka

Over 150 adhoc staff members of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), who worked in Anambra during the just concluded elections have protested non-payment of their allowances.

The visibly angry protesters, who thronged the INEC

Headquarters in Awka, carrying placards, called for the immediate payment of their allowances.

The protesters carried placards with inscriptions that depicted their disenchantment with the commission such as; ‘pay us our money’, ‘INEC you cannot eat out money’, ‘labourers are worth their wages’, among several others.

Chanting derogatory songs

against INEC, the protesters blocked the gate to the commission, refusing most vehicles entry and exit.

One of the protesters, who spoke to journalists on condition of anonymity said: “We were only paid N3,000 as feeding allowance on the day of the election while the balance of N14,000 is being owed us for each

of the two elections (presidential and national assembly, and state house of assembly election).

“They are about to conclude the issue of payment, yet we have not been paid. They told us that the problem was with Access Bank and Zenith Bank and we were told to submit other bank accounts, which we did, yet they are have not paid us.

Oyebanji Won’t Muzzle Media Professionals in Ekiti, Says Deputy Gov

GbengaSodeindeinAdo

The Ekiti State Deputy Governor, Mrs. Monisade Afuye, has assured media professionals in the state that the Governor Biodun Oyebanji’s administration would give them unfettered opportunity to practice their profession without being muzzled or harassed.

Afuye described the media as the mirror of any democratic society,

which should be given the leeway to operate for good governance to be realisable in the system, saying Oyebanji perceives the media as good allies, rather than enemies.

The deputy governor said this in Ado Ekiti while being presented with an Award of Excellence by the management of the New Cruse 92.7 FM station, Ikere Ekiti, yesterday.

Afuye in a statement by her Media Aide, Victor Ogunje,

applauded the radio station for positively projecting the image of the government, saying the media outfit has not reneged on its promise to embrace journalism ethical values through unbiased reportage.

She saluted the courage of the owner of the radio station, who is a respectable legal Icon, Chief Wole Olanipekun (SAN), for believing in Ekiti State, saying the spirit of patriotism spurred him to

establish the medium in the state to propel development at the grassroots.

The deputy governor said: “In Ikere today, Chief Olanipekun has proved that he is a frontline leader, who has been contributing well to the development of that town and the state through scholarship awards, empowerments for the poor and in the area of industrial development, part of which is the new Cruise FM.

Court Remands Seun Kuti, Orders Police to Conclude Investigation in 48 Hours

Sunday Ehigiator

Magistrate Adeola Olatunbosun of the Yaba Magistrate Court, yesterday, remanded popular Afrobeat musician, Seun Kuti, for 48 hours in police custody for allegedly assaulting a police officer on Third Mainland Bridge over the weekend in Lagos

In a 12-second video clip that went viral on May 13, 2023, Seun Kuti, son of Afrobeat legend, Fela, was captured assaulting a policeman in uniform.

The defendant later turned himself in at the Lagos State Police Command, Ikeja, on Monday, following an order for his arrest by the Inspector-General of Police,

Usman Baba. He was later transferred to the state’s Criminal Investigation Department, Panti and was, yesterday, arraigned before a Yaba Magistrate’s Court for assault on a police officer, an offence contrary to Section 356 of the Nigerian Criminal Code Act.

The prosecution led by

S. A. Adebese and Morufu Animashaun, prayed the court to remand the defendant for 21 days pending legal advice from the Directorate of Public Prosecutions.

However, Kuti’s counsel, led by Femi Falana, prayed the court not to remand his client, stating that they (the counsel) were not aware of the remand application.

Zone 5 AIG Solicits Cordial Working Relationship with Oba of Benin

Adibe Emenyonu in Benin City

Delta and Bayelsa State police commands.

was a staff of the FCT Department of Development Control under Abuja Metropolitan Management Council (AMMC).

“Gunmen abducted 15 persons along the abandoned 14 kilometres Pegi road. One of those kidnapped is one Shuaibu Misa, a staff with the Federal Capital Territory Administration.

“We also observed that a husband of the woman who sells second hand clothes at the main entrance to the estate was among the people kidnapped while they were returning from work,” Aderibigbe said.

The new Assistant Inspector General (AIG) of Police, Zone 5 Headquarters, Benin City, Arungua Udo Nwauzei, has solicited for a good working relationship with the traditional institution in zone.

The zone 5 comprised Edo,

Accompanied by senior Police officers in the Zone, AIG Nwauzei said: “Police are here for us to have a safe society and at the same time, to bring to your attention that we are still here as servants in this Kingdom. In any situation

where we may err, we plead with you to speak to us as your own subjects, not throwing away the baby with the bathwater.

“We also want to assure you that going forward, we are ready to deepen our relationship with you in service, especially, so that this era of your leadership will forever be remembered for

being a peaceful one,” he said. He pleaded with the Oba of Benin over any alleged misconduct of Police officers.

In his remarks, His Royal Majesty, Ewuare II, Oba of Benin, pledged the support of the traditional institution in the security of lives and property of Nigerians.

Protest Rocks NACETEM over Appointment of DG/CEO

Yinka Kolawole in Osogbo

The National Centre for Technology Management (NACETEM), Ile-Ife, Osun State, yesterday was engulfed in crisis as the Non-Academic Staff Union of the Educational and Associated Institution

(NASU) called on President Muhammadu Buhari to check what they called, the alleged “evil agenda” of the Minister of State for Science, Technology and Innovation, Chief Henry Ikoh, on the appointment of DG/CEO of the institution.

During the early morning

protest in the institution, the Union also made it cleared that the minister was planning to dissolve the existing Board put in place by the federal government, yesterday, to have his way by imposing his candidawte as Director General of the Institute in

Ile-Ife.

The union spokesperson, Comrade Olumide Fadakinte, urged the president to quickly check Ikoh’s evil agenda to avert disaster in the institution and warned him not to dissolve the existing Board put in place by the federal government.

Deputy Superintendent of Immigration, Dapo Aina; Superintendent of Immigration, Omotoyosi Momoh; Assistant Superintendent of Immigration 1, Sikiru Sanusi; Assistant Comptroller of Immigration, Ayoola Malaolu; Comptroller of Immigration, Chukwuemeka Pius Obua; his wife, Violet Obua, and Assistant Superintendent of Immigration 1, Murphy Adeyemo, during the retirement and birthday thanksgiving service for Obua, in Lagos...recently ABIODUN AJALA

Guinean Passport: Advocacy Group Seeks Tinubu’s Investigation, Prosecution

AlexEnumahinAbuja

A civil group, the Incorporated Trustees of Advocacy for Societal Rights Advancement and Development Initiative (ASRADI), has called for the investigation and subsequent prosecution of the President-elect, Asiwaju Bola

Tinubu before the May 29 swearing-in over alleged perjury regarding his possession of a Guinean Passport.

The position of the group was contained in an ‘Affidavit of Urgency’ in support of a motion ex parte filed before the Federal High Court, Abuja, seeking the court’s permission to apply for an order compelling the

Impersonators on the Prowl, Lagos Safety Commission Warns Public

Segun James

The Lagos State Safety Commission has raised the alarm that impersonators parading themselves as officials of the commission and demanding gratification in the name of the state government are on the prowl, warning that any money paid into individual’s account other than designated government accounts is at payer’s risk. Director-General of the Commission, Lanre Mojola,

said that the warning became imperative in view of reported cases of unscrupulous individuals parading themselves as officials of the commission, extorting unsuspecting members of the public and giving false impression about the commission.

According to Mojola, the state government does not operate individual accounts and that anyone asking to pay money into such accounts should know that the agents or officials do not represent the Commission.

Bank Staff Members Arrested for Murder in Ogun

Becky Uba Umenyili

The Ogun state Commissioner of Police, Olanrewaju Oladimeji, has ordered the immediate prosecution of four bank staff members over the death of the wife of the bank’s client following a misunderstanding on the issue of loan.

The incident, which occurred recently was triggered off by the visit of the bank’s officials to the residence of the client, Mr.

Omofor over the repayment of the loan he took from the bank, ZEFA Microfinance Bank, situated at AbuleIjokoLemode area of Ifo Local Government. The bank officials met the wife of their client, Vivian Omo who said that she didn’t know the whereabout of her husband. However, her continued silence irked the bank’s officials who resorted to carting away the electronics and other belongings in the house.

Inspector General (IG) of Police to investigate and recommend Tinubu for prosecution if found guilty of perjury regarding his Guinean citizenship.

ASRADI in the motion ex parte with number FHC/ABJ/ CS/669/2023 and filed yesterday,

May 16, 2023, is claiming that the president-elect lied on oath when he refused to give information regarding his Guinean citizenship in his Form EC9 submitted to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in aide of his qualification for the 2023 presidential election.

It is the case of the plaintiff that applicant that, “The non-disclosure by Bola Ahmed Tinubu in the INEC Form EC9 of his dual citizenship of his voluntary acquisition of the citizenship of Guinea amounts to Perjury”.

While stating that they “only

became aware of the perjury committed by Bola Ahmed Tinubu on April 16, 2023” from an online publication, the group pointed out that its request on the police to investigate the matter has not yielded result hence, t he resort for the court’s intervention.

Police Arrest Armed Robbery, Kidnap Suspects in Rivers

Blessing IbungeinPortHarcourt

The Rivers State Police Command has arrested about nine suspects allegedly involved in armed robbery and kidnapping in the state. The suspects, according to the state Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), SP Grace Iringe-Koko, were arrested last Monday by

operatives of C4i Intelligence Unit of the command after months of investigation on a recent crime they committed.

Parading the suspects yesterday at the C4i Unit office in Port Harcourt, the police spokesperson, explained that following a reported armed robbery attack that occurred in January, the police team sent

a signal to other states across the country for the arrest of the suspects.

Iringe-Koko said in the process of the investigation, the chief suspect, Abdullahi Ibrahim, was arrested in Kano on May 12, who led them to arresting his accomplice on May 15, 2023, in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.

The PPRO said: “Operatives of the C4i Intelligence Unit of the Rivers State Police Command, in the course of investigating a case of kidnapping and armed robbery reported on January 15, 2023, travelled to Kano State. On May 12, the police successfully effected the arrest of Mr. Abdullahi Ibrahim.

Flood: Two Residence Approach Recommended for People Living in Riverine Areas

Laleye Dipo in Minna

As a result of the attachment of people in the riverine areas to their ancestral homes, a two residence approach has been recommended as solution to the annual displacement of the people from their homes as a result of flood.

The suggestion entailed that

the riverine people should retain their homes in the river beds while also having homes upland where they can relocate to as a result of flood.

The Director General of the Niger State Emergency Management Agency (NSEMA), Mr. Ibrahim Ahmed Inga, made the suggestion in Minna yesterday in a message he sent to a one-day

stakeholders workshop organised by the Hydro Power Producing Areas Development Commission (HYPPADEC).

Inga said that the two-residence approach has been experimented in some flood prone areas of the state and found to have reduced the number of casualties associated with flooding.

Inga who was represented by the

Director in Charge of Resettlement in the Agency, Mr. Garba Salihu, also told the meeting that the state government through the agency has established 11 resettlement sites across flood prone areas, adding that the resettlements were provided with basic health facilities which have be handed over to the ministry of Health as well as educational institutions.

AbdulRazaq Lauds Outgoing Cabinet Members for their Contributions

Hammed Shittu in Ilorin

Kwara State Governor, Alhaji AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, has lauded the contributions of the members of the outgoing State Executive Council to the development of the state in the last four years.

AbdulRazaq stated this yesterday during his valedictory meeting with members of the state executive council.

The valedictory meeting will come ahead of the May 29 inauguration of the governor for another term following his

‘impressive win’ at the March 18 election.

The governor said the cabinet members were instrumental to the success of the administration as well as the success of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the 2023 general election.

He said: “We have done so well together, and I thank you all for your services to the state.

“This is the valedictory meeting of the cabinet, but we are going to have some other (informal) meeting in the coming week to further show appreciation to one another.

Inter Reach First Champions League Final in 13 Years

Duro Ikhazuagbe with agency report

Internazionale defeated AC Milan 1-0 last night to qualify (aggregate 3-0) for the final of the 2022/23 UEFA Champions League to be played in Istanbul, Turkey on June 10.

Inter’s Argentine striker, Lautaro Martinez, finished Romelu Lukaku’s flick from between melee of legs right inside AC Milan’s box in the 74th minute. That goal killed off any hope of Stefano Pioli’s men staging a comeback with aggregate three goals down.

For the three-time winners of the European Cup or Champions League, but have not reached the final since they last lifted the trophy 13 years ago, Inter will now wait for the winner of tonight’s battle between

treble-chasing hosts Manchester City and defending champions Real Madrid. The first leg ended in a one-all stalemate last Tuesday in Bernabeu.

Heavily backed at a feverish San Siro as the designated home team, Inter were made to absorb early pressure as a determined start by Milan ensured the match began at a frenetic pace.

Theo Hernandez fired marginally over with a ferocious strike and Brahim Diaz was denied by Andre Onana as Pioli's men attempted to undo the damage done by conceding two goals inside 11 minutes last week.

The talented Rafael Leao, absent for Milan in the first leg because of a thigh injury, displayed flashes of inspiration on his return but shot

...‘Exceptional’ Guardiola Awaits Real Test at Etihad

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has said that his "legacy is exceptional" as he prepares for tonight’s Champions League semifinal second leg against Real Madrid.

Treble-chasing City, who have never been European champions, drew 1-1 at the Bernabeu in last Tuesday's first leg.

Guardiola has won two Champions Leagues as a manager, with Barcelona in 2009 and 2011.

"I have been here many times," he said. My legacy is exceptional already. I have told the players to enjoy the moment - we are incredibly lucky to be here.

"It's in our hands, it depends on us, we don't have to do something exceptional - just win one game to reach the final.

"I have an incredible feeling about them. Whatever happens - thank you so much to them for bringing me and the City fans here again”.

Statisticians Opta give Manchester City, who are unbeaten in 22 games, a 69% chance of reaching the final and 45% chance of winning the tournament, making them favourites.

They say Real have a 15% chance of becoming European champions for an unprecedented 15th time.

City are one win away from the Premier League title - which would

be their fifth in six years - and face Manchester United in the FA Cup final. They are looking to match United's league, cup and Champions League Treble of 1999.

Guardiola, who won the Treble with Barcelona in 2008-09, got City to the Champions League final two years ago where they lost to Chelsea.

Last year they lost 6-5 on aggregate after extra time in the semi-finals to Real Madrid having led by two goals in the 90th minute.

"I said when I signed the contract seven years ago, they didn't tell me to win the Champions League. All the people said the reason why they brought me here with my staff was to do the best possible," Guardiola said.

"But of course, we cannot deny we have won all the titles except this one. Of course we want it. It is another opportunity from two seasons ago when we lost the final against Chelsea, against Madrid the season before. Of course we want it with all the desire.

"People say we are close enough, I think we are far away.

"It's a dream come true to be here. Nobody in the future can guarantee we will be here. Nobody can assure us. So once we are there, let's go. With our people, I am pretty sure will do it."

agonisingly wide of the far post after driving in from the left. Inter asserted themselves as the first half progressed and the tie would have been effectively

over before the interval had it not been for Mike Maignan's stunning reaction save from Edin Dzeko's close-range header. Inter had starved Milan of

encouragement in a largely uneventful second half, before Martinez squeezed the ball under Maignan and into the bottom corner with 16 minutes remaining to send the

Inter fans into raptures. The full-time whistle was greeted by a deafening noise as Inter's first shot at European glory since their 2010 success was confirmed.

Balogun Snubs England, Nigeria for USA

Arsenal loanee and Nigerian-born Folarin Balogun has officially committed to the U.S. men's national team after FIFA approved the request to switch his affiliation from England to the United States.

The striker was born in New York to Nigerian parents but spent most of his childhood in England, making him eligible for all three national teams. Though he represented the Three Lions in youth competitions while rising through Arsenal’s academy, he has now had a change of heart.

Balogun made headlines during the March international window when he was originally called up to England's Under-21 team before dropping out due to injury and traveling to Florida to train independently.

USMNT interim manager, Anthony Hudson, later confirmed he held talks with Balogun in Florida in a bid to convince the player to

Pep Guardiola...on the verge of qualifying Manchester City for the final of the only trophy missing from the club’s chest of honour

SWAN Felicitates With Sani Toro @70

The National Executive Committee (NEC) and the entire members of the Sports Writers Association of Nigeria (SWAN) felicitate with one of the foremost sports administrators the country has ever produced, Alhaji Ahmed Sani Toroas he marks his 70th birthday.

In his goodwill message, SWAN President, Dr. Honour Sirawoo,recalled that Nigeria during the era of SaniToroas the General Secretary of the Nigeria Football Association (NFA) recorded numerous successes due to his sterling leadership qualities.

Sirawooparticularly noted that it was during the tenure of Sani Torothat Nigeria shocked the world by becoming

the first African country to win the Olympic Soccer Gold courtesy of the “Dream Team”, at the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta, USA.

Torowho was the first Executive Secretary/CEO of the Nigeria Professional Football League was also instrumental to the Super Eagles winning the Tunisia 1994 Africa Cup of Nations tournament.

“SWAN is happy that Toroalso diversified himself by going into partisan politics where he was elected as a member of the House Representatives.

“We are happy that the likes of Toroare still around to continue to render his fatherly advice to the nation.

switch international allegiances.

"As I've said before, we've had dialogue. We've spoken. He's out here having a bit of a break and then some training, and we've had some discussions," Hudson said in

March.

"I think it's been good because it's been an opportunity for us just to share about our program and who we are and what we do and that's it. I hope we get the chance to

speak to him again. It's been good and I know a few of the guys have spoken to him as well."

And now, the move is official.

"Let's make history," posted Balogun to Twitter with a picture of the US men's national team logo and video confirming his switch attached.

Balogun gained international attention for his involvement with Arsenal's youth team and Middlesbrough. He has since impressed while on loan in France with Reims, scoring 20 goals in 36 matches in all competitions. His decision to represent the United States comes just five weeks before he was set to join England U21s at the European Championship hosted by Romania and Georgia. Now, he's likely to join the USMNT in their summer CONCACAF tournaments that include the Nations League semi-finals and 2023 Gold Cup.

300 Players Eye CBN Senior Tennis Tourney

Olawale Ajimotokan in Abuja

The 2023 edition of Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) sponsored Senior Open Tennis Championship, will serve off tomorrow at the Tennis Complex of the Moshood Abiola National Stadium, with over 300 players expected to compete.

While briefing journalists yesterday in Abuja, the Acting Director, Corporate Communication Department, CBN, Dr. Isa AbdulMumin, said the players will square up in the men’s singles, women’s singles, men’s doubles and women’s doubles, as well as in the wheelchair men’s singles and wheelchair women’s singles.

He said the final of the one-week tournament, which is now in its fifth consecutive year, will be played on hard court on May 27.

He reiterated the commitment of the bank’s management to sustaining the sponsorship of the tournament, which it had done

since 1978, saying the tournament remains a platform for discovering, harnessing and grooming young talents to represent Nigeria at various international tennis meets. He also tasked participants at this year’s edition to take the

opportunity of the championship to showcase their talents at the tournament which over the years had produced stars in both the male and female categories such as Sunday Maku, David Imonite, Veronica Oyibokia-Iwebema, Clara

Udofa, Christy Agugbom, Sarah Adegoke and Sylvester Emmanuel, and more recently, Imeh Joseph, Oparoji Uche, Nonso Madueke, Henry Atseye, Oyinlomo Quadri, and Marylove Edwards, among others.

Odebode Elected New PCN President

The two-day Elective Congress of the Paralympic Committee Nigeria (PCN) has in Asaba, Delta State with Mr. Sunday Odebode emerging as the new President. Odebode, a seasoned sports administrator who contested on the platform of Para Table Tennis, polled 12 out of the total 19 votes cast to defeat three other contestants.

Mr Paul Maduakor, (President, amputee football) polled five votes, Mr. Charles Ezenwanne who is Powerlifting President secured only two votes while Commissioner of Police (CP), Anderson Bankole( Para Table Tennis), had no vote.

In other elected positions, Shodipo Ayinde Lateef (Tennis) was elected 1st vice president unoposed with 17 votes while Flora Ugwunwa(Para Athletics) scored 15 votes to also emerge as the 2nd vice president unopposed.

The incumbent Secretary General, Mr Issah Suleiman, retained his position. He scored 11 votes as against 8 votes polled by his challenger, Mr Kayode Ladele (President, Sitting Volleyball).

Mr Douglas Agbado was elected as Assistant Secretary General unopposed with 17 votes while Hon. Etti Olawale( President, Para

Athletics) had 12 votes as against the 7 votes polled by Hon Amobi Chikwendu Emmanuel( President Para Swimming) to emerge as treasurer.

Mr Silver Ezeikpe, representing the South East region was also elected to the new board.

The newly elected board was immediately inaugurated by the Federal Ministry of Youth and Sports Development(FMYD).

In his acceptance speech, the newly elected President Odebode, said he will involve the private sector and run an all-inclusive administration.

Lautaro Martinez (right)...was the hero of the night as Inter defeated AC Milan 1-0 (aggregate 3-0) to reach the final of the 2022/23 UEFA Champions League

Folarin Balogun...switches to USA

MISSILE Senate to Justice Ministry

“ExaminationoftheBudgetoftheFederalMinistryofJusticerevealedthatthesumofN460.95m wasappropriatedforpaymentof judgmentdebtsfor2016andN10bnfor2017,totalling N10.46bn.Furtherexaminationrevealedthatthecommitteesaddledwiththeresponsibilityof managingthefundwasdissolvedafterthe2013financialyearandisyettobereconstituted afterthe2016and2017appropriations.However,theministryhasbeendisbursingthissum withoutacommitteeinplace.Lackofcontrolcouldleadtolossofpublicfunds“ --SenatePublic AccountsCommittee,chairedbySenatorMatthewUhroghide,indictingtheministry.

DAKUKU PETERSIDE

GUEST COLUMNIST

Resolving Nigeria’s Electricity Conundrum

Every Nigerian knows that we have an electricity problem. It has been a recurrent sound bite in development discourse in Nigeria post- independence. This challenge is generational and has defied all attempts in the past to solve it. And Nigerians are gleefully looking to the incoming administration to end the search for the solution to this hydra-headed problem and terminate Nigeria’s electricity conundrum. Whether this administration will succeed where others have failed in unravelling the electricity conundrum depends on its careful study and understanding of the problem. It will entail an in-depth review of all previous initiatives to solve the problem, and the current state of the whole electricity value-chain in Nigeria as well as providing bespoke strategies to provide sustainable electricity supply that meets the massive demand in Nigeria. Electricity, especially in Africa, connotes light, which signifies progress, knowledge, and awareness. Therefore, literarily, the absence of light is darkness; metaphorically, the lack of electricity connotes the dominance of darkness, which Africans associate with everything negative – witchcraft, poverty, stagnation, and even death. Little wonder the availability of electricity, or lack thereof, is significant to Nigerians.

However, several studies have empirically proved that a lack of electricity correlates with poor human development indices. And on the flip side, access to reliable power can dramatically unlock higher quality of life. Three pertinent questions merit consideration: what is the current state of our electricity challenge ? What are some of the negative consequences of Nigeria’s electricity conundrum? And what solutions can the new administration pursue to solve the problem? Answers to these questions, though limited in detail and a rather snapshot of the current realities, provide a clear picture of the way forward for Nigeria and a bird’s eye view of the electricity ecosystem in Nigeria.

The current state of electricity generation, transmission and distribution in Nigeria is a study in crisis. This crisis has become endemic and defied logic and common sense. First, Nigeria’s installed electricity generation capacity is said to be about 13,000 MW. However, actual generation capacity delivered to the national grid for transmission to Nigerians has during the past 8 years stagnated at an average 4100MW – 4200MW daily, even though during the past 2 years there has been a marginal improvement in energy quantities delivered to the grid reaching 4,753MW on February 2023. The consistent inability to deliver much beyond 33% of total installed generation capacity is a function of fairly long- standing market, infrastructure and regulatory challenges. This is for a population of over 200 million. Egypt’s installed electricity generation capacity was approximately 58,000 MW, making it one of the highest in Africa, with 100% access, for a population of about 80 million people. As of 2021, the installed electricity generation capacity in South Africa was approximately 58,000 MW, with 84.4% access for a population of about 60 million people. These two countries, with a similar economic

size to Nigeria, produce and distribute about 15 times more MW than Nigeria, whose population is almost three times more.

Second, Nigeria’s electricity distribution infrastructure needs to be updated and requires substantial investment. Transmission and distribution losses are high, resulting in a significant waste of generated electricity. Frequent system failures, such as blackouts and voltage fluctuations, are common due to inadequate infrastructure. Third, the regulatory framework for the Nigerian electricity sector has faced criticism for needing to be more effective and conducive to attracting investments. Inconsistent policies, bureaucratic hurdles, and difficulties enforcing regulations have hindered progress in the power sector. Fourth, electricity theft and non-payment of bills pose significant financial challenges for power distribution companies in Nigeria, affecting their ability to invest in infrastructure improvements and sustain operations effectively.

Fifth, lack of a systematic, integrated approach to investment in the sector and a need for sufficient diversification among gas, solar, wind, nuclear, and hydro sources. And finally, inadequate planning in anticipation of demographics, domestic and industrial power needs, and sabotage of public power supply to favour the generator lobby. These factors compound our electricity conundrum and render most efforts in improving electricity ineffective.

The consequences of this electricity quagmire are dire. Nigeria’s failure to actualise its full potential is partially attributed to this electricity conundrum. Studies have shown how the lack of reliable, affordable, and quality electricity has systematically underdeveloped our country in the past 30 years. And I will point out a few ways lack of electricity has stagnated our development or underdeveloped us.

The first is that it impaired economic productiv-

ity. Electricity is a fundamental requirement for industrial and commercial activities. Without reliable power, businesses face operational difficulties, reducing productivity and competitiveness. Lack of electricity also limits the establishment and growth of new industries, hindering job creation and economic growth. As a result, the country’s inadequate power supply has induced low economic development and a high unemployment rate. The Africa Industrial Index Report and World Bank data show Nigeria has had a low industrial growth rate over the past two decades.

The second is that it significantly limited access to essential services. Electricity is a fundamental aspect of modern life and vital in providing critical services such as healthcare, education, food security and clean water supply. Without electricity, healthcare facilities struggle to operate medical equipment, schools face challenges in delivering quality education, and communities may lack access to safe drinking water. This limited access to essential services hampers human development and perpetuates the country’s poverty cycle. This partially explains why our poverty rate is one of the highest globally.

The third is that it creates social and political tensions. The lack of reliable electricity can exacerbate political instability, particularly in fragile or conflict-affected states, and it can limit the government’s ability to provide essential services and create a sense of angst and frustration among electricity consumers. This has led to social unrest, political instability, and sometimes violence in the country.

The fourth is the environmental consequences. The reliance on fossil fuel-based generators as an alternative power source contributes to increased carbon emissions, air pollution, and ecological degradation. Inadequate electricity infrastructure impedes the development and adoption of renewable energy sources, slowing the transition to a more sustainable and lowcarbon energy system.

The final impact is on security. Power outages and unreliable electricity supply have security implications. In urban areas, the absence of street lighting during blackouts can increase crime rates and compromise public safety. It can also negatively impact the operations of security systems, such as surveillance cameras and alarm systems, affecting overall security measures.

We appreciate this electricity challenge and how it has played a crucial role in our stagnated development, and we keep trying to fix it. However, we have been making cyclic movements - “motions without movement” in the same spot. The government created NEPA, embarked on massive electricity power sector reforms in 2005, started Nigeria Bulk Electricity Trading Company in 2010, privatised Distribution Companies in 2013 and Generation Companies in 2014. Yet the challenge remains. Progress has been marginal. Power generation on the grid rose from a meagre 3,183 MW in 2013 to 4,753.9 MW in 2023. With about a sixth of our population, even Ghana has a dependable electric power generation of 4,710 MW, with the access of 85.9% against our 57%.

How can the incoming administration rescue

Nigeria from this intractable and malignant malady of electricity poverty?

The new administration must understand the four-fold snags the electricity industry faces: an exponential increase in the demand for electricity due to a rapidly increasing population without commensurate investment in the supplyend; pervasive insecurity threats to power installations and gas infrastructure given that about 80% of grid-tied generation are gas fired; high electricity transmission and distribution losses; over-reliance on generators which last year cost more than $5.2billion for importing and running generators; and liquidity challenges faced by distribution companies due to low collection efficiency and theft.

This understanding must lead them to declare a state of emergency on electricity. We can only imagine the multiplier effect of the government getting electricity right on our way of life. Nigerians over the generations have yet to experience sufficient electricity. The culture shock most Nigerians have when they go abroad is experiencing a constant electricity supply, and it takes a while to get used to it. This government must take Nigeria out of this “self-inflicted” electricity conundrum and put us on the road to sustainable electricity sufficiency.

I will suggest a cocktail of options available to the government. The government must create the right policy environment and framework for increased private investment in power generation, leading to the modernisation of transmission infrastructure and management. It must work towards greater diversification of energy sources, emphasising renewable and clean energy sources. It is time the government considered nuclear energy as an option. If South Africa , Iran and Turkey can build nuclear power plants , we have no excuse not to. Government must review existing distribution concessions with greater due diligence on the financial health of distribution companies. It must implement a steep upward review of tariffs on generator imports after a given period of grace to discourage generator dependency, and the government must do this simultaneously with improvement in power supply. The government must upgrade and modernise the national grid to make it more flexible and compliant with current global trends. State Governments , with the new constitutional provisions must play a critical role in our drive towards power sufficiency .

I am unconvinced that Nigeria is doing enough to fix this intractable electricity challenge that has held our development down from pre- independence. It’s from one tell-tale to another. Like a new chapter, the beginning of a new administration is not a time to blame past governments, the private sector, contractors, or consumers for our serial failure to fix power. It is time to assemble our best hands wherever they may be, be single-minded and drive the optimisation of electricity as a national project to unlock our true potential. The leadership of our country must show real commitment and strong will to improve the generation, transmission, and distribution of electricity. Nigerians expect nothing less. Failure is not an option—Nigeria’s economic, social, and political future hinges on solving our electricity conundrum .

Minister of Power, Abubakar Aliyu