FRIDAY 7TH JULY 2023

CBN Warns of Risks to International Financial System

FATF flags Cameroon, Croatia, Vietnam Apex bank sensitises Bauchi business community, other stakeholders on its policies

James Emejo, Aisha Kabiru in Abuja and Segun Awofadeji in Bauchi

The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) yesterday urged banks and other financial institutions to be vigilant

and alert to possible emerging risks resulting from the circumvention of measures taken to protect the international financial system. The central bank stated this in an administrative circular dated June 6, 2023, and signed by CBN Director,

Financial Policy and Regulations Department, Chibuzo Efobi, which was addressed to banks and Other Financial Institutions (OFIs) following the outcome of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) plenary held between June 21-23, 2023.

The CBN further alerted the banks on the addition of Cameroon, Croatia, and Vietnam to the list of jurisdictions under increased monitoring by FATF. The apex bank further stressed that the Democratic People’s

Republic of Korea, Iran, and Myanmar remained on the list of high-risk jurisdictions subject to “Call for Action”, urging that enhanced due diligence should be applied, and in severe cases, countermeasures may need to be implemented to

safeguard the international financial system.

The bank emphasised that the suspension of the Russian Federation’s membership in the

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We’ll Require Additional N225.2bn to Conduct National Census, NPC Tells Tinubu... Page 32

www.thisdaylive.com

COMMENDATION SERVICE OF LATE SUBOMI BALOGUN...

Diphtheria Outbreak: NCDC Rolls Out Fresh Measures to Prevent Epidemic in Nigeria

Onyebuchi Ezigbo and Juliet Akoje in Abuja.

Following the first reported confirmed case of Diphtheria in

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To Ease Tax Burden on Businesses, Tinubu Signs Four Executive Orders

Suspends 5% telecom tax, finance act, customs tariff Step aimed at alleviating hardship on Nigerians, says Alake Adedeji: Move meant to increase productive activities, not tax poverty Telcos, NACCIMA, NECA, MAN hail president Nigeria safe for foreign investors, says Akpabio

Deji Elumoye, Sunday Aborisade in Abuja, Emma Okonji, Dike Onwuamaeze and Gilbert Ekugbe in Lagos

President Bola Tinubu has signed four Executive Orders deferring and suspending the commencement of certain taxes paid by individuals and companies in the country. Special Adviser to the President on Special Duties, Communications and Strategy, Mr. Dele Alake, made this known yesterday, while speaking with newsmen at the State House, Abuja.

The new policy ostensibly responds to concerns recently raised by THISDAY. In a recent publication on Tinubu’s first 30 days in office, THISDAY had highlighted multiple taxation as one of the challenges the president needed to address.

Alake said the latest step by the president was aimed at reducing tax burden on Nigerians and their businesses. It was also meant to address concerns raised by manufacturers and other stakeholders

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CBN MEETS NGF...

Acting Governor of Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Folashodun Shonubi in a handshake with Kwara State Governor/Nigeria Governors' Forum (NGF) Chairman AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq during a meeting at the NGF Secretariat in Abuja.

Presidency Disowns Ministerial List Being Bandied Around... Page 33

L-R: Wife of Ex-Head of State, Mrs Victoria Gowon; her husband, Retired General Yakubu Gowon; wife of former Governor of Ogun State, Yeye Olufunke Daniel; her husband, Otunba Gbenga Daniel and Lagos State Governor, Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu during the commendation service of late Otunba Olasubomi Balogun at the Cathedral Church of Christ, Marina,... yesterday

Stock Market Gains N711bn in Two Days on Sustained Positive Sentiments

Kayode Tokede

Following a price uptick in high-capitalised stocks as well as sustained bullish trading by investors on the floor of the Nigerian Exchange Limited (NGX), the market capitalisation has risen by N711 billion in two consecutive trading sessions.

The market’s gaining streak had come to a halt on Tuesday, owing to profit-taking in Total, Presco, and 31 others.

However, renewed interest in the shares of BUA Cement, AccessCorp, and Guaranty Trust Holdings Plc (GTCO) drove the benchmark index

1.33 per cent higher at the close of trading on Wednesday.

Extending gains for the second consecutive session, the domestic bourse yesterday, closed higher as the All Share Index (ASI) gained 0.81 per cent to close at 62,019.88 basis points on the back of gains in Dangote Cement, Zenith Bank, and Stanbic.

Furthermore, market capitalisation, which had nudged higher by N440.4 billion to close at N33.500 trillion, from N33.059 trillion in the previous trading session, gained N270 billion to close at N33.770 trillion.

This meant that the fortunes of investors have now risen to N711

billion. Accordingly, the market remained on track for the first weekly gain in the trading month, as the year-to-date (YTD) return currently stands at 21.01 per cent.

Reacting to the development, analysts and market operators said the new administration’s foreign currency and economic reforms were bringing investors back to the stock market.

This was evident in the market’s share trading volume as the total volume and value of stocks traded increased significantly by 543.2 per cent and 821.8 per cent to 5.4 billion and N95.0 billion, respectively.

This was against 846.3 million

units and N10.3 billion, which changed hands in 9,815 deals.

Banking stocks had emerged as the biggest winners, with an index of shares rising by 23 per cent last month, the most since 2018.

This has continued this month with banks dominating the activity chart in trading sessions. FBN Holdings sold 4.69 billion shares valued at N87.8 billion, FCMB was next, selling 126.76 million shares valued at N744.09 million while AccessCorp transacted 56.48 million shares valued at N1.02 billion.

Investors’ appetite for stocks was huge, as 54 equities appreciated in value while 18 others depreciated.

Conoil Plc and Eterna led the gainers’ chart with 10 percent gains to close at N102.30 and N25.85 per share, respectively. Learn Africa followed with 10 percent to close at N3.52, MRS Oil garnered 10 percent to close at N91.30, and Union Bank of Nigeria gained 10 percent to close at N8.25.

Managing Director, Morgan Capital Securities Limited, Mr. Rotimi Olubi, in a chat with THISDAY said, “The factor which has rallied the market has been the easing in the political risk post-election, pro- oil& gas downstream regulatory reforms, suspension of the CBN governor, as well some pronouncements by

the new administration.

“Speculations around reductions in cash reserve requirement (CRR) debits have tilted bullish sentiment towards banking stocks, with expected increased liquidity, yields in the fixed income market should take a hit.”

He added that “Going forward, we expect the market to see positive sentiment, but could be halted upon the release of the Q2:2023 GDP, fading of the new administration jolt to the market, and retained hawkish stance on monetary policy.

“On the balance of factors, the market is expected to see a positive close, albeit less than 2022.”

regarding recent tax changes, Alake said.

The new rules were, yesterday, commended by Nigerian Association of Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (NACCIMA); telecoms operators under the aegis of Association of Licensed Telecoms Operators of Nigeria (ALTON); Nigeria Employers Consultative Association (NECA); and Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN).

Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, also yesterday, assured foreign investors of the safety of their investments in Nigeria. Akpabio restated the commitment of the President Bola Tinubu government to the provision of a conducive business environment for foreign investors in the country.

Others with Alake at the media briefing were Special Adviser to the President on Revenue, Mr. Zacc Adedeji; a member of the Presidential Advisory Council on Finance and other Related Matters, Ms. Doris Aniettie; and Adenike Laoye from the Office of the Chief of Staff to the President.

According to the team, the latest changes became necessary as a response to the need for clarity and adequate notice for tax adjustments, as specified in the 2017 National Tax Policy.

Shedding more light on the new economic policies, Alake said the first Executive Order was the Finance Act (Effective Date Variation) Order, 2023, which deferred the commencement date of the changes contained in the Act from May 23, 2023 to September 1, 2023 to ensure adherence to the 90 days minimum advance notice for tax changes as contained in the 2017 National Tax Policy.

The second order, Alake stated, was the Customs, Excise Tariff (Variation) Amendment Order, 2023, which shifted the commencement date of the tax changes from March 27, 2023 to August 1, 2023, also in line with the National Tax Policy.

Thirdly, Alake said the president gave an order suspending the five per cent Excise Tax on telecommunication services as well as Excise Duties escalation on locally manufactured products.

Fourthly, the presidential adviser disclosed that the president ordered the suspension of the newly introduced Green Tax by way of Excise Tax on Single Use Plastics, including plastic containers and bottles. He added that the president also ordered the suspension of Import Tax Adjustment levy on certain vehicles.

He said Tinubu's intention was to listen to the concerns of the Nigerian people and alleviate the negative effects of the tax adjustments, rather than exacerbate the challenges faced by citizens.

Alake said, "The president wishes to reiterate his commitment to reviewing complaints about multiple taxation, local and anti-business inhibitions. The federal government sees business owners, local and foreign investors as critical engines in its focus on achieving higher GDP growth and appreciable reduction in unemployment rate through job creation.

"The government will, therefore, continue to give requisite stimulus by way of friendly policies to allow businesses to flourish in the country.

“President Bola Tinubu wishes to

assure Nigerians by whose mandate he is in power that there will not be further tax raise without robust and wide consultations undertaken within the context of a coherent fiscal policy framework."

According to him, some of the problems identified with the tax changes include the 2017 National Tax Policy approved by the former President Muhammadu Buhari administration prescribing a minimum of 90 days notice from government to tax-payers before any tax changes can take effect.

Alake stated, “This global practice is done with a view to giving taxpayers and businesses reasonable time to adjust to the new tax regime. However, both the Finance Act 2023 and the Customs, Excise Tariff Order 2023 did not give the required minimum notice period, thus putting businesses in violation of the new tax regime even before the changes were gazetted.

“As a result of this, many of the affected businesses are already contending with the rising costs, falling margins and capacity underutilisation due to the various macroeconomic headwinds as well as the impact of the Naira redesign policy.”

Alake also noted that the Excise Tax increases on tobacco products and alcoholic beverages from 2022 to 2024, which had already been approved, were also being implemented.

The special adviser maintained that a further escalation of the approved rates by the current administration presented an image of policy inconsistency and created an atmosphere of uncertainty for businesses operating in Nigeria.

He said, “The Excise Tax of five per cent on telecommunication services has generated heated controversy. There is also a lack of clarity regarding the status of this tax, just as players in the sector also complain about the imposition of multiple taxes on their operations.

“We have also seen that the Green Taxes, including the Single Use Plastics tax and the Import Adjustment Levy on certain categories of vehicles require more consultation and a holistic approach to the country's net zero plan in a manner that does not impact the economy negatively.

“In his inaugural speech, His Excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, promised to address business unfriendly fiscal policy measures and multiplicity of taxes."

Alake explained that it was in fidelity to the pledge to put Nigerians at the centre of government policies that Tinubu signed the executive orders.

Answering question on whether the president’s action would affect the Petroleum Tax and if new taxes would be introduced, Adedeji said the intention of the president was to lighten tax burdens, harmonise and manage already existing taxes in the best interest of Nigerians.

The special adviser on revenue said, “As you rightly said that there’s plan or possibly proposal for Petroleum Tax, if you look at the current price templates, that has already been included, so this suspension has nothing to do with that. So the pricing structure that you have for PMS today, all those have been included, there are no new taxes that we're bringing in.

“Like my colleague has said, one of the key focus of this administration is to harmonise our taxes, the way we

collect it. Mr. President actually wants to simplify and make it friendly to business, the way we operate taxes in Nigeria.

“As we know, when we talk about the revenue management, it’s not only in tax collection, the starting point is our economic policy because our aim is not to tax poverty.

“Our aim is not to tax production. Our aim is to increase our productive activities, capacity to produce, then we can tax our consumption and that is the direction of our economic planning and then we want to increase the trust that we have in the government.

“If you have observed what has happened last month that we’ve been here, we’ve kept our words, part of what we are doing today, just to increase this trust that we're here to do what's best for the country.

“Lastly is that we have robust plan to improve our collection management, the compliance management, because that is what is needed. So we're not going to impose new taxes, it’s the one that have that we’ll improve the collection, the management and the efficient use of those resources.

“That is the pledge and promise of Mr. President, which we’re here to make sure comes to reality.”

Telcos, NACCIMA, NECA, MAN Hail President

NACCIMA lauded the Tinubu administration for some of the recent tax reforms.

The organised private sector (OPS) noted that the tax changes were intended to raise revenue while addressing important public health and environmental concerns.

In a statement yesterday, National President of NACCIMA, Dele Oye, stated, "We appreciate the administration's commitment to ensuring that Nigerian businesses are not unduly burdened by unfavourable policies."

FATF remained in effect.

In light of the development, the central further directed financial institutions to note all additions to jurisdictions under “Increased Monitoring” as well as high-risk jurisdictions subject to a “Call for Action” and take necessary measures to mitigate these risks effectively.

The FATF is the global money laundering and terrorist financing watchdog which sets international standards that aim to prevent illegal activities and the harm they cause to society.

the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja, the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) said it has rolled out measures to check it's spread.

This was just as the House of Representatives yesterday, urged the Federal Ministry of Health and the NCDC to ensure that the outbreak of the disease was contained effectively as well as reduce the fatality ratio in confirmed cases.

The NCDC stated that so far, a total of 80 deaths have been recorded among all confirmed cases in the country with a case fatality rate of 10.0. The centre said it was aware of the

Oye commended the decision by Tinubu to sign executive orders deferring the commencement of the tax changes as contained in the Finance Act and Customs, Excise Tariff (Variation) Amendment Order.

He said, "We also support the suspension of the five per cent Excise Tax on telecommunication services, the Excise Duties escalation on locally manufactured products, the Green Tax on Single Use Plastics, including plastic containers and bottles, and the Import Tax Adjustment levy on certain vehicles."

Oye urged the federal government to prioritise and increase continuous engagement with stakeholders and implement policies that were businessfriendly and promoted sustainable economic growth.

The NACCIMA president stated, "We believe that the private sector is essential to achieving the government's goal of higher Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth and reduced unemployment rate through job creation. “We look forward to collaborating with the government to create an enabling business environment that will attract more investment into the country and enhance the competitiveness of Nigerian businesses."

ALTON also commended Tinubu for the suspension of the five per cent excise duty on telecoms services.

Chairman of ALTON, Gbenga Adebayo, told THISDAY that the five per cent excise duty on telecoms services was one of the 39 taxes imposed on telecoms operations across networks, which operators and subscribers had been battling with.

Adebayo said, “The suspension is a good development for telecoms subscribers and the telecoms industry. The Nigerian public should be grateful to the current government for being brave enough to suspend the five per cent excise duty on telecoms.

“As operators, we had been instructed to collect that tax from telecoms subscribers and remit it to

THISDAY however, gathered that the jurisdictions under increased monitoring are actively working with the FATF to address strategic deficiencies in their regimes to counter money laundering, terrorist financing, and proliferation financing.

“When the FATF places a jurisdiction under increased monitoring, it means the country has committed to resolve swiftly the identified strategic deficiencies within agreed timeframes and is subject to increased monitoring. This list is often externally referred to as the

TO EASE TAX BURDENS ON BUSINESSES, TINUBU SIGNS FOUR EXECUTIVE ORDERS CBN WARNS OF RISKS TO INTERNATIONAL FINANCIAL SYSTEM DIPHTHERIA OUTBREAK:

death in June 2023, of a four-year-old with diphtheria in the FCT.

A statement signed by the Director General of NCDC, Dr. Ifedayo Adetifa, stated that the Centre has activated the diphtheria Incident Management System (IMS) in the FCT to coordinate outbreak response activities. He said the Centre since December 2022, reported multiple diphtheria outbreaks in different states across the country.

"As of June 30th, 2023, there have been 798 confirmed diphtheria cases from 33 Local Government Areas (LGAs) in eight States including the FCT.

the federal government, but with the suspension order, operators will no longer collect such tax and the subscribers will be free from the tax burden.”

The federal government, last year, introduced the five per cent telecoms tax and revisited it in April this year, after agitations from telecoms industry stakeholders, who initially rejected it because they considered it as multiple taxation that would negatively affect telecoms subscribers.

The federal government had said it would begin the implementation of the five per cent excise duty on all voice calls, SMS and data services, adding that the five per cent excise duty has been in the Finance Act 2020 but has never been implemented. Similarly, NECA commended the federal government for announcing the four new executive orders and suspension of the five per cent excise tax and duties on telecommunication services, among others.

Speaking in Abuja yesterday, Director-General of NECA, Mr. Adewale-Smatt Oyerinde, commended the intervention by Tinubu through the new executive orders.

Oyerinde said, “We are, indeed, elated with the news of the executive orders, particularly with the suspension of the 5.0 per cent excise tax on telecommunication services; suspension of excise duties on Tobacco (30 per cent ad valorem rate with the introduction of specific rate of N4.2 per stick of cigarette for 2022; N4.7 per stick for 2003; and N5.2/stick in 2024); Beer (N40/litre in 2002; N45/litre in 2023 and N50/ litre 2024); and Wine/Spirit (20 per cent ad valorem rate with a specific rate of N50/litre in 2022) as proposed in the 2022 Fiscal Policy Statement.

“The suspension of 10 per cent green tax by way of excise tax on Single Use Plastics (SUPs), including plastics containers and bottles; Import Tax Adjustment (IAT) of 2.0 per cent on imported motor vehicles of 2000 cc to 3999 and 4.0 per cent on 4000

grey list,” it noted in a statement posted on its website.

Essentially, the high-risk jurisdictions have significant strategic deficiencies in their regimes to counter money laundering, terrorist financing, and financing of proliferation.

“For all countries identified as high-risk, the FATF calls on all members and urges all jurisdictions to apply enhanced due diligence, and, in the most serious cases, countries are called upon to apply countermeasures to protect the international financial system from the money

“Most of the cases (782) were recorded in Kano. Other States with cases are Lagos, Yobe, Katsina, Cross River, Kaduna, and Osun.

"The majority (71.7 percent) of the 798 confirmed cases occurred among children aged 2 – 14 years. So far, a total of 80 deaths have been recorded among all confirmed cases (case fatality rate of 10.0),” the statement added.

“Diphtheria caused by a toxin produced by the bacteria Corynebacterium diphtheriae, is a vaccine-preventable disease covered by one of the vaccines provided routinely through Nigeria’s childhood

cc engines.”

The director general of NECA further said, “The new orders will, no doubt, support the efforts at improving the operating environment and mitigate the high cost of doing business in Nigeria, particularly, with the aftermath of the removal of fuel subsidy.”

Oyerinde stated that the issue of multiplicity of taxes had become a major challenge to organised businesses in the country.

He stated, “Currently, businesses are made to pay over fifty different taxes and sundry charges, among which are Corporate Income tax, Import duties, Export duties, Excise duties, Rents, Capital Gains tax, Personal Income tax, Value Added Tax, Stamp Duties, Property tax, Licenses, Motor Parking fee, Motor Vehicle fee, Withholding tax, Land tax, Market License fee, Road tax, Business Premises, dividend tax, NHIS levy, Advert fee, Regulation fees, the new NYSC levy, as well as the regular user charges such as electricity, water, disposal fee, etc.

“This huge tax burden, no doubt, has been a clog in the wheel of overall performance of organised businesses over the years.

“We had at numerous fora expressed concern on the escalation of taxes, including excise duties and its adverse implication on the business operating environment.”

Oyerinde added that NECA had argued that beyond the definitive pronouncements by Tinubu, the president should also reconsider the VAT imposition on Automated Gas Oil (AGO), among other urgent interventions.

Oyerinde pointed out, “The reversal of the VAT will in no small measure ameliorate the escalating cost of energy and transportation cost currently being witnessed.

“As a follow-up action, we urge government to publish the list of approved harmonised taxes and

Continued on page 10

laundering, terrorist financing, and proliferation financing (ML/TF/PF) risks emanating from the country.

“This list is often externally referred to as the ‘black list’. Since February 2020, in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, the FATF has paused the review process for Iran and DPRK, given that they are already subject to the FATF’s call for countermeasures”, the task force added.

Meanwhile, the CBN has organised

Continued on page 33

immunisation schedule.

“Despite the availability of a safe and cost-effective vaccine in the country, the majority i.e., 654 (82 per cent) of 798 confirmed diphtheria cases in the ongoing outbreak were unvaccinated. Unfortunately, this also included recently announced FCT case," he said.

On the likely reason for the resurgence of the disease, the NCDC said historically sub-optimal vaccination coverage was the main driver of the outbreak given that the most affected age group (2-14-year-

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AVON HMO MARKS 10TH ANNIVERSARY...

ICAN Calls for Timely Appointment of Substantive Apex Bank Governor

Says floating naira’s exchange rate will cause short-term pains, yield long-term gains

Dike Onwuamaeze

The Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN) has called on the federal government to ensure the timely appointment of a substantive Governor for the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) in order to provide certainty, boost investors’ confidence and ensure the attainment of objectives that dictated the unification of the country’s multiple foreign exchange rates.

The call by the institute was contained in a statement titled, “ICAN Position Paper on the Unification of Exchange Rates in Nigeria,” issued yesterday and signed by the President of ICAN, Dr. Innocent Okwuosa.

The professional body also stated that the appointment of a substantive CBN’s governor would provide a credible long-term direction for monetary policies’ formulation and implementation.

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu had suspended the CBN Governor, Mr. Godwin Emefiele, from office on June 9, 2023, with immediate effect and had appointed Mr. Folashodun Adebisi Shonubi as the acting governor of the central

bank.

Owing to this, Okwuosa stated that the, “timely appointment of a new CBN’s governor will provide a credible long-term direction for this policy. This will provide certainty and stability, and boost investor’s confidence in ensuring inflow of capital into the country.”

He, however, pointed out that floating the exchange rate was not a silver bullet because it would, “generally lead to short-term pains that will yield long-term gains.”

ICAN, therefore, provided a number of recommendations that would ensure the attainment of the policy objective of unifying the foreign exchange rates. These included, the “effective and consistent implementation of the policy to ensure that no uncertainty is created by the mode of implementation and there is constant communication with key stakeholders such as businesses and investors amongst others.”

Other recommendations included the review of the prohibited list of goods that are barred from accessing the official FX market to ensure that, “demand is not segmented. This should be complemented by

adopting appropriate fiscal and/ or trade policies where necessary, for example, by increasing import tariffs etc., following a data driven analysis and robust stakeholder engagement.

“Review and amend certain tax laws that require taxes to be paid in foreign currency thereby creating artificial demand for foreign exchange.

“Complement this policy with fiscal reforms and discipline, i.e., removal of the petrol subsidy (which was recently executed), reduction in the cost of governance, harmonisation of multiple tax laws etc.

“And benchmarking the Nigerian foreign exchange market with emerging international foreign exchange markets such as Malaysia, Mexico, South Africa, Brazil and Colombia including learning lessons to achieve macroeconomic stability and integration into global value chains.”

ICAN also recommended supplementary policies and initiatives that would boost supply of FX, which, “should include increase in our crude oil production to meet OPEC quota, local refining

of petroleum products to reduce our import bill, and incentives to aggressively revamp our agricultural and manufacturing sectors for local and exportation purposes.”

Okwuosa also noted that the new CBN FX rates’ unification policy has its implications even though that it was still at its early stages of implementation and has been greeted with positive reactions from the investment and professional communities.

He highlighted key implications of the unification on the Nigerian businesses and economy to include: “It is expected that the unified exchange rate will serve as a catalyst for investment flows into the country, which will boost our foreign exchange reserve, grow the economy, create employment, and improve the quality of life.

“Foreign portfolio investors are expected in the near term whilst foreign direct investors that require more investment appraisal time will come in subsequently.

“The inflow of capital from foreign portfolio investors into the Nigerian capital market will help to grow the market and allow companies to raise capital efficiently

Student Loan: House Urges Tertiary Institutions Not to Increase Tuition Fees

Moves to investigate compliance of MDAs, corporate bodies with ITF Act

Probes Customs, NPA, NRC others over alleged illegal disposal of multi-billion naira FG’s assets

Juliet Akoje in Abuja

The House of Representatives yesterday urged public tertiary institutions in the country, not to take advantage of the introduction of the Students Loans and Access to Higher Education in Nigeria Act to increase tuition fees. The resolution followed the adoption of a motion moved by Hon. Terseer Ugbor at plenary yesterday.

Ugbor, stated that the use of students loans and educational credit schemes in most countries of the world was often justified on the grounds that it guarantees greater access to higher education for the less privileged citizens and was further predicated on the notion that education remains an investment in human capital.

He noted that while the objectives and intention of the Students Loans (Access to Higher Education) Act, 2023, were patriotic, there were several critical omissions and identifiable bottlenecks that would stultify or frustrate the successful implementation of the Act if immediate further legislative action is not taken to ensure its efficient implementation.

"The House notes that while financial support from family members and relatives is often considered a traditional source for funding higher education globally, recent trends in the past sixty years indicate that governments in both developed and developing countries have in place various Students loan and Educational Credit Schemes to enable students to borrow towards the funding of higher education,"

he added.

The lawmaker however, added that after several years of unsuccessful attempts by successive administrations to introduce students loans, scholarships and other educational credit schemes, the 9th National Assembly passed the Students Loans (Access to Higher Education) Bill, 2023 which was recently signed into law by the President to provide the legal and institutional framework for implementation of a Students Loan Scheme in the country.

The House while adopting the motion resolved to constitute an Adhoc Committee to convene a Legislative summit on students loans and access to higher education with all stakeholders in the education sector.

Also yesterday, the House set up an Ad hoc Committee to investigate

the level of compliance of Ministries, Departments and Agencies of the Federal Government and Corporate bodies with the Industrial Training Fund Act and other encumbrances affecting the success of the Scheme from 2010 — 2023 and report back within four weeks for further legislative action.

This resolution followed the adoption of a motion moved by Hon. Taofeek Ajilesoro at plenary.

Ajilesoro noted that Section 6 (1) and (3) of the Industrial Training Fund Act provides that "Every employer having either five or more employees in his establishment or having less than five employees but with a turnover of N50 million and above per annum, shall in respect of each calendar year and or the prescribed date, contribute to the fund one per cent of his total annual payroll.

to finance their growth ambitions.”

In addition, “government’s revenue will increase in Naira terms resulting in a higher tax/ revenue to GDP ratio. Corporate tax collection may, however, decline as many businesses crystallise foreign exchange losses due to the higher exchange rate,” he said. Nevertheless, ICAN added that, “the service cost of the government’s external debt, which are denominated in foreign currency i.e., $42billion will increase by N12 trillion.

“The total debt to Gross Domestic Product ratio will also increase by

5.0 per cent due to the total debt rising to N90 trillion. On the other hand, there should be some cost savings as government discontinues with the various foreign exchange interventions e.g., Naira4Dollar, RT200 etc., which cost tens of billions of Naira.

“Finally, the national budget will need to be evaluated with the new foreign exchange rate. The likely impact is a possible reduction in budget deficit if government’s foreign exchange revenue exceeds foreign exchange obligations, an increase in budget deficit will arise if otherwise.”

Senate Probes Buhari's Airport Concession, Advocates Stakeholders' Involvement

Sunday Aborisade in Abuja

The Senate yesterday, commenced the investigation of all the federal airports put up for concession by former president Muhammadu Buhari's government.

The red chamber condemned the process adopted and declared that the exercise was not done in public interest.

It therefore demanded a comprehensive review of the exercise which was carried out at the twilight of the Buhari's administration.

Senators in their various contributions lamented lack of adequate involvement of critical stakeholders in the process that led to the concession of the two major airports.

The Senate took the decision after robust deliberations on a motion titled, "Urgent Need to Reverse the Concessioning of Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport, Kano," sponsored by Senator Suleiman Kawu Sumaila (Kano South)

The lawmakers urged President Bola Tinubu to, lf need be, review the entire exercise and give a level playing field to all stakeholders.

Senators in their various contributions to the debate described the concession as a reflection of executive recklessness

They were unanimous in their condemnation of the entire exercise and insisted that the Buhari administration did not do due diligence in the concession deal.

Senate Chief Whip, Ali Ndume, who is representing Borno South Senatorial District, said, "Some of

government agencies and officials that did the concession took advantage of Buhari's passiveness at that time."

Senator representing Niger East, Sani Musa, noted that concession had become an international best practice.

He, however, said those who carried out the exercise threw global process of concession into the gutters.

The Deputy Senate President, Jibrin Barau, who presided over the plenary noted that concession remained the best practice all over the world.

He said major airports in Europe have been concessioned including the Heathrow Airport in the United Kingdom which was being managed by a Nigerian. He maintained that there should be an overall investigation of concessions done.

Moving his motion earlier, Kawu said the Federal Executive Council, had on May 17, 2023, approved the concessioning of Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport, Kano for 30 years, to Messrs Corporaci6n America Airports Consortium.

He noted that the Federal Ministry of Aviation (and Aerospace) does not own, or run, any airport in Nigeria.

He said by the dictates of the governing Act of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), ownership and management of all federal government airports are fully vested in the Authority.

L-R: Chairperson, Avon HMO Board, Dr. Awele Elumelu; Group Chairman, Heirs Holdings, Mr. Tony Elumelu, and Managing Director/CEO, Avon HMO and Healthcare Sector Head of Heirs Holdings, Adesimbo Ukiri, at the 'MyCity MyWalk' event held in celebration of Avon HMO's 10th Anniversary in Lagos...recently

OPENING CEREMONY/DINNER OF THE 17TH NIGERIAN BAR ASSOCIATION BUSINESS LAW CONFERENCE...

Chairman, NBA Section on Business Law (NBA-SBL), Dr. Adeoye Adefulu; General Counsel, Old Mutual, Mrs.

dinner of the 17th NBA Section on Business Law

Elon Musk's Twitter Threatens to Sue Zuckerberg's Meta over New Threads App

Emmanuel Addeh in Abuja

Twitter has expressed reservation over Meta's Threads app, a new text-based Instagram sibling and has therefore threatened legal action against the company, accusing it of poaching former employees and unlawfully misappropriating trade secrets and intellectual property.

“Twitter intends to strictly enforce its intellectual property rights, and demands that Meta take immediate steps to stop using

any Twitter trade secrets or other highly confidential information,”

Alex Spiro, Elon Musk's personal lawyer, wrote in a letter to Meta.

“Twitter reserves all rights, including, but not limited to, the right to seek both civil remedies and injunctive relief without further notice to prevent any further retention, disclosure, or use of its intellectual property by Meta,”

Musk added.

Spiro, who is acting on behalf of Twitter parent X Corp, claimed that

Stanbic IBTC Announces

New Appointments to its HoldCo, Subsidiary Boards

Stanbic IBTC Holdings Plc, a member of Standard Bank Group has announced various Board appointments across the Group.

The financial institution disclosed this in a statement yesterday, saying the appointments were a reflection of the Group's commitment to strengthening its leadership teams and driving continued growth and innovation in the financial services sector.

According to the statement, “Mrs. Ndidi Nwuneli, a highly accomplished businesswoman and social entrepreneur, was appointed Independent Non-Executive Director of Stanbic IBTC Holdings Plc.

“With an extensive experience and deep understanding of business development and sustainability, Ndidi will contribute invaluable insights to the Board's strategic decision-making processes.

“Mr. Yinka Sanni also joined the Board of the Holding Company as a Non-Executive Director. Yinka brings a wealth of experience in the financial services industry, and a strong track record of leadership.

“His robust industry experience and strategic insight will be instrumental in shaping the company's growth trajectory. In addition to this role, Yinka will serve as a Non-Executive Director of Stanbic IBTC Bank.”

Also, Mrs. Funeka Montjane was appointed Non-Executive Director of Stanbic IBTC Bank Plc.

“Her rich expertise in banking and financial services across Africa

and beyond will be instrumental in achieving the Bank's strategic objectives and ensuring its continued success.

“Mr. Efe Omoduemuke joined the Board of Stanbic IBTC Asset Management as an Executive Director. With broad knowledge in investment management and risk management, Efe will play a pivotal role in driving the next growth phase and development of the asset management business.

“Mrs. Joyce Dimpka was appointed Non-Executive Director of Stanbic IBTC Insurance Brokers. Her vast background across the financial services industry at Senior Management and Board levels will provide valuable insights and guidance to the company's operations.

“Similarly, Mrs. Temitope Popoola was recently appointed as an Executive Director of Stanbic IBTC Insurance Brokers Limited.

Temitope’s wealth of experience, which traverses Finance, Operations, Customer Service, Internal Audit, and Human Capital will be instrumental in achieving the Company’s strategic objectives in delivering excellent service and innovative insurance solutions to clients.

“Mr. Oladele Sotubo was appointed as Executive Director on the Board of Stanbic IBTC Capital Limited. With his expertise and experience in the capital markets, Oladele will bring valuable insights and contribute to the growth and success of Stanbic IBTC Capital Limited.

Meta has hired dozens of ex-Twitter employees over the last year.

He claimed the company "deliberately assigned" them to work on Threads "with the specific intent that they use Twitter's trade secrets and other intellectual property in order to accelerate development of Meta's competing app."

According to Twitter , this violates state and federal laws as well as those employees' obligations to their former employer. In addition, Spiro said Meta is prohibited from scraping Twitter data relating to who people follow.

Meta has refuted Spiro's claims.

“No one on the Threads engineering team is a former Twitter employee — that’s just not a thing," Meta communications director Andy Stone wrote on Threads.

For the time being, Threads users need to sign up for the app with their Instagram profile. It's an easy process that helped Meta quickly sign up tens of millions of users.

Meta CEO, Mark Zuckerberg said

that 30 million people had joined Threads by Thursday morning, just over 12 hours after the app went live, Associated Press reported. “I write on behalf of X Corp., as successor in interest to Twitter, Inc. Based on recent reports regarding your recently launched ‘Thread’ app. Twitter has serious concerns that Meta Platforms has engaged in systematic, willful a d systematic misappropriation of Twitter’s trade secrets and other intellectual property.

“Over the past year, Meta has hired dozens of former Twitter employees. Twitter knows that these employees previously worked at Twitter; that these employees had and continue to have access to Twitter’s trade secrets and other highly confidential information; that these employees owe ongoing obligations to Twitter; and that many of these employees have improperly retained Twitter documents and electronic devices.

“With that knowledge, Meta

deliberately assigned these employees to develop, in a matter of months, Meta’s copycat ‘Threads’ app with the specific intent that they use Twitter's trade secrets and other intellectual property in order to accelerate the development of Meta’s competing app, in violation of both state and federal law as well as those employees’ ongoing obligations to Twitter.

“Twitter intends to strictly enforce its intellectual property rights, and demands that Meta take immediate steps to stop using any Twitter trade secrets or other highly confidential information.

“ Twitter reserves all rights, including, but not limited to, the right to seek both civil remedies and injunctive relief without further notice to prevent any further retention, disclosure, or use of its intellectual property by Meta,” part of the letter read.

Further, Twitter said that Meta is expressly prohibited from engaging in any crawling or scraping of its

followers or following data.

As set forth in Twitter’s Terms of Service, it said that crawling any Twitter services — including, but not limited to, any Twitter websites, SMS, APIs, email notifications, applications, buttons, widgets, ads, and commerce services — is permissible only “if done in accordance with the provisions of the robots.txt file”

“Please consider this letter a formal notice that Meta must preserve any documents that could be relevant to a dispute between Twitter, Meta, and/or former Twitter employees who now work for Meta.

“That includes, but is not limited to, all documents related to the recruitment, hiring, and onboarding of these former Twitter employees, the development of Meta’s competing Threads app, and any communications between these former Twitter employees and any agent, representative, or employee or Meta,” Musk stated.

65 Nigerians Sponsored By CCECC to China Return with Degrees

To be deployed in Nigeria’s transport sector

Sixty-five Nigerians sponsored by the CCECC Nigeria Limited to study at Chinese universities have returned to the country after graduation to contribute to the development of the transport sector.

The programme is a joint effort between CCECC Nigeria Limited, and two Chinese ivory tower, Central South University and Chang'an University.

The latest graduates make it 197 Nigerians that have benefitted from the sponsorship that commenced few years back.

Among the returned 65 students were 49 undergraduates and 16 postgraduates, majoring in Civil Engineering, Transportation Engineering, and Road, Bridge, and River-crossing Engineering, amongst others.

They were received at a colourful ceremony held at the CCECC Nigeria

Limited headquarters in Abuja, on Wednesday evening.

Speaking at the ceremony, Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Transportation, Dr. Magdalene Ajani, said they would contribute to the current move of the government to revatilise the railway system in the country.

She recalled that the federal government had moved railway construction to the concurrent list to allow the state governments to invest in the sector as a result of its importance to the development of the transport system in particular and the economy in general.

Ajani, while noting that there were many railway projects currently ongoing across the country, said the projects could only be sustained when there was capable manpower to man them.

The Permanent Secretary therefore called on the graduates to see their involvement in actualising the federal

government's agenda as a call to service to Nigeria, assuring them of a remarkable career path.

The Managing Director of CCECC Nigeria Limited, Mr. Wang Xixue, said the company had been working with the government of Nigeria, Central South University and Chang’an University in China in selecting and sponsoring young Nigerians to further their education in China since 2018.

He said: “In 2018, the first batch of 45 students who started their five-year undergraduate program in Ahmed Bello University were selected to attend this 3+2 program, which means that after 3-year study in Nigeria, they will be sponsored by CCECC to continue their study in Central South University, China.

"Among these 45 young talents, 25 students have already returned to Nigeria after their graduation in 2020. 20 are continuing their study for master’s degrees, and now these

20 students are also standing here after their successful graduation this year.

"Also, in the same year of 2018, CCECC started its 1+4 cooperation program with Chang’an University, China. Under this program, the students sponsored by CCECC will attend 1-year language study in China before they are officially enrolled in their 4-year study as undergraduate students in Chang’an University."

The Chairman of CCECC Nigeria Limited, Zhang Zhichen, in his speech, congratulated the students on the successful completion of their studies, calling on them to join the company.

Zhichen also charged them to apply the knowledge and skills they learned in China to their work and contribute to the economic and social development of Nigeria, while urging them to become the ambassadors of friendship between the Chinese and Nigerians.

L – R: Country Director for Nigeria, World Bank, Shubham Chaudri; President, Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Yakubu Chonoko Maikyau Secretary to the Lagos State Government, ‘Bimbola Salu Hundeyin;

Derin Adefulu; and General Secretary, NBA, Adesina Adegbite; at the opening ceremony and

conference and exhibition, held in Lagos…Wednesday

Michael Olugbode in Abuja

COURTESY VISIT TO THE DEPUTY SPEAKER...

NGF VISITS WORLD BANK COUNTRY DIRECTOR...

NDDC Seeks Private Sector Collaboration to Complete N1.5tn Ongoing Projects

Contracts KPMG to strengthen corporate governance systems MD tells funding partners commission not a criminal organisation Projects worth N2.5tn completed since inception

Emmanuel Addeh in Abuja

The Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) yesterday continued its efforts at wooing the private sector and international funding organisations for many of its ongoing uncompleted projects, valued at over N1.5 trillion.

The interventionist agency during a one-day policy dialogue with development partners and donor agencies themed: “Deepening Governance through Transparency and Value-added Partnership,” in Abuja yesterday, also disclosed that since inception about 20 years ago, projects valued at about N2.5 trillion had been completed.

Speaking during the event, the Managing Director of the organisation, Dr Samuel Ogbuku, maintained that the perception that the NDDC was a rogue agency was untrue, explaining that to strengthen its governance system, the NDDC was working with world renowned KPMG.

Ogbuku insisted that NDDC has not failed in its entirety as many Nigerians are wont to believe, stressing that many of the ills that bedevilled the agency in the past were being dismantled by the current management.

“NDDC has not failed. The NDDC has done very well. You don't judge a child from the baby steps...many people have a blinded perception about NDDC.

“But from the presentation, you can have an idea of how much NDDC has received so far and what NDDC has done so far. I am not saying we are at 80 per cent or 70 per cent.

“But at least if someone has done 60 per cent, you cannot be classified to be a failure. We know

there are so many hitches, political influences that have also slowed the growth of NDDC. But from what we have seen, you know that even in spite of all that, NDDC has tried. I wouldn't be the one to start saying NDDC has failed,” he pointed out.

Acknowledging that the NDDC may have made mistakes in the past, Ogbuku noted that the continued disruption in previous managements of the commission also added to the challenges faced by the organisation.

“Previous administrators came with their visions of NDDC. Sometimes, these visions were truncated halfway. We believe if these people were there to complete their vision, probably we wouldn't have been where we are today because you'd have been holding them responsible for their four-year tenure. But because sometimes they do not complete it, they have excuses,” he added.

The MD stressed that if in the past, development partners had fears of insecurity, it was time to return to the Niger Delta and partner the organisation since the region is now more secure.

“We have tried, we have gone ahead to reorganise our internal administration in NDDC and having reorganised our internal administration, we have said let us come out and put in certain policies in place that will strengthen our corporate governance. That is why we're also engaging KPMG to come and put together our internal corporate governance system so that we can all operate at the same frequency,” he noted.

Assuring that the NDDC is henceforth open to proper international best practices of

corporate governance, Ogbuku urged the partners to trust the organisation to deliver this time.

In his remarks, the Director and Chairman, Public Private Partnership (PPP) Committee, Dr Emmanuel Audu-Ohwavborua, stated that 80 per cent of the nation’s wealth currently resides in the Niger Delta, describing the region as a sea of opportunities.

He assured the development partners that there’s no way they can put their money in the Niger Delta and lose, explaining

that the commission to meet its targets was diverting its attention to private funding rather than overdependence on government.

He added that the NDDC has so far built over 5,000 kilometres of roads, comprising 42 bridges, explaining that there’s currently 3,000 ongoing projects, costing over N1.5 trillion, which need the support of development partners.

He added that since inception, the commission has awarded contracts worth N5.2 trillion, but has only received about N2.5

trillion during the period, including overheads.

Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs, Dr Shuaib Belgore, in his comments, said the plethora of abandoned projects in the region was not only negatively impacting the developmental efforts but also giving a worrisome concern to the ministry.

He noted that the meeting therefore presented another opportunity for stakeholders and development partners to assist on the best mechanism to be evolved

and adopted at ending the unkind narrative in order to continue to jointly develop the Niger Delta region.

“In the 2022 and 2023 fiscal years, the sum of N21,149,342,457.00 and N11,948,769,209 were approved respectively, for the ministry for capital projects and programmes in the Niger Delta region. The yearly budget of the ministry has continued to dwindle, thus making it difficult to meet the ever increasing financial needs of the region,” he noted.

NSIA, Other African, Global Investors Sign on to New $500m Infrastructure Fund

Ndubuisi Francis in Abuja

Prominent African and global institutional investors, including the Nigeria Sovereign Investment Authority (NSIA) have signed on to the new $500 million Africa50 Infrastructure Acceleration Fund - a move described as an unprecedented milestone for Africa.

The fund is the first private vehicle infrastructure platform launched by Africa50.

The Africa50 Infrastructure Acceleration Fund is a 12-year closedend infrastructure private equity fund that mobilises large and long-term institutional capital from African and international institutions.

The fund will make equity and quasi-equity investments— primarily taking majority stakes—in infrastructure projects across Africa.

The collaboration brings together a diverse group of influential stakeholders from Africa and outside

the region.

It comprises 17 African shareholders—including sovereign wealth funds, development finance institutions, banks, pension funds, asset managers, and retirement agencies—and two international institutional investors.

Other entities are expected to join this first transaction.

To affirm their interest, the shareholders signed subscription agreements and letters of intent to invest in the fund on Monday, during the Africa50 Infrastructure Forum and General Shareholders Meeting in the Togolese capital.

The fund would catalyse further investment flows to the development of critical infrastructure across the African continent, including energy, transportation, telecommunications, and water, among other areas.

Speaking at the signing event, African Development Bank President, and chair of the Africa50 board, Dr

Akinwumi Adesina said: “This is impressive and a first for Africa. It is remarkable and unprecedented to have 17 African institutions participating in such a transforming initiative to invest in an African infrastructure fund.

“With the Fund, we are positioning the Africa50 Group to play a lead role in helping to tap into the more than $98 trillion of global assets under management.”

The African Development Bank is investing $20 million in equity in the Africa50 Infrastructure Acceleration Fund.

Other investors include the International Finance Corporation, the Nigeria Sovereign Investment Authority, the Arab Bank for Economic Development in Africa, the West African Development Bank, CDC Sénégal, CDC Benin, CNSS Togo, CDG Invest, and Attijariwafa Bank of Morocco.

The chief executive officer and managing director of Nigeria Sovereign

Wealth Fund, Aminu Umar-Sadiq, said his agency’s priority focus on sustainable infrastructure was consistent with its vision to contribute positively to Africa's economic growth and development, including investing profitably, responsibly, and sustainably.

Umar-Sadiq added: “The Nigeria Sovereign Wealth Fund has a clear mandate to bring development to Nigeria, and by extension the continent, and our investment in the Africa50 Infrastructure Acceleration Fund is an opportunity to increase our development impact in Africa while generating attractive financial returns.”

Arab Bank for Economic Development in Africa CEO Dr. Sidi Ould Tah said: “Africa is a region with tremendous potential and a key priority for us, so we are delighted to join a credible partner like Africa50 in this groundbreaking partnership to scale up infrastructure development on the continent."

Edo Govt, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation Train over 500 Youth on Digital Skills

Adibe Emenyonu in Benin City

The Edo State Government and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation have trained over 500 youths in the State to build their skills for the future workforce.

The one-day intensive digital skills programme tagged, ‘Digi Link’, held at the University of Benin (UNIBEN) Main Campus, in Benin City, was executed in partnership with ACIOE Associates and Public Digital to help the state

government improve its digital capabilities.

Speaking at the workshop, the Focal Person, Edo State Social Investment Programme, Ms. Osayueamem Aladeselu, said the programme would prepare the youths for the future world of work, fostering entrepreneurial skills and inspiring enthusiasm about their future paths.

According to her, the programme aims to create a digitally empowered citizenry for the state, expand

learning opportunities and bridge the academia-industry gap, and establish a talent pipeline for the public sector and digital ecosystem, in line with the visions of the Edo State Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki. She noted, “We want to ensure that young persons begin to take their place in the digital transformation process, acquiring the right skills needed to succeed in the future workplace.

“The training today targeting over 500 youths in the university

community in no small means has contributed to enhancing their employability, academic performance, earning potential and productivity, and fostering responsible digital citizenship.

“It also provided a fine platform for conversations around leveraging innovation and technology to proffer solutions to societal problems, tapping into the various opportunities provided by the state government to expand its digital space, including the Edo Innovation

Hub, and how they can participate and take advantage of training as such facilities to improve their skills and contribute their quota to development of the State and country.”

Also speaking, the Program Director, Digi Link, Mr. Ekenem Isichei, said the Learning Series for the university students would go round every university in Edo State, to prepare the students for a digital future and create a pipeline of talents to grow the digital landscape of

Edo State.

The programme also featured a panel session, themed, “Digital Transformation: Unlocking Opportunities for Career Growth,” with Chioma Obiokolo, Head, Technology, Products & Consulting, Viisaus; Ifedayo Durosinmi-Etti, CEO/Founder, Herconomy; Mr. Donatus Igiekhume, Head of Unit, Citizen Service and Content Management, EDSG, and Precious Ekome, Faculty Lead, Innovation Hub, as panelists.

L-R: Chief Operations Officer, Nigerian Economic Summit Group (NESG), Dr. Tayo Aduloju with Deputy Speaker, House of Representatives, Hon Benjamin Kalu, during a courtesy visit to the Deputy Speaker by the NESG’s National Assembly Business Environment Roundtable (NASSBER) in Abuja…yesterday

Chairman, Nigeria Governors’ Forum AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq; with World bank Country Director, Shubhan Chaudhuri du the NGF Chairman paid a courtesy visit to the World office in Abuja,... yesterday.

SPECIAL BRIEFING ON TAX INTERVENTION...

L-R: Presidential Policy Advisory Council (National Economy ) Dr. Doris

and Senior Special Adviser

Communications

Kano Withdraws Suit Seeking to Stop EFCC from Investigating Ganduje over Alleged Dollar Saga

Do not honor invitation, state APC tells former governor

Ahmad Sorondinki in Kano.

The Kano state government has filed a notice of withdrawal of a suit before Federal High Court in Kano, against the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) seeking to restrain it from further inviting, investigating, or interrogating the immediate past Governor of Kano state Abdullahi Umar Ganduje.

In a notice of discontinuance with the case, instituted by Mrs. Amina Yusuf Yargaya, Solicitor General Kano State Ministry for Justice, the application was brought pursuant to Order 50 of the Federal High Court Civil Procedure Rules 2019 ad amended. A letter signed by the Kano Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Haruna Isa Dederi, dated July 4, 2023, and addressed to Sanusi Musa read: “We write to notify you that Kano State Government and the Attorney General of Kano State wish to debrief you of the earlier instructions, given to you to handle the case NO: FHC/ KN/71/2023 Between Attorney General of Kano State and the EFCC.

“You and your team members are

therefore instructed note to take any further steps on the matter, either by appearing in court or filing any processes in respect of the case.”

Kano State government under Ganduje, through the Ministry of Justice had issued a fiat instrument to Musa, from Aliyu & Musa Legal Practitioner, a law firm to institute the case, seeking to restrain EFCC to investigate the controversial dollar video. However, the new Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf, has instructed the Ministry under the present Attorney General to discontinue the case.

Earlier, the Federal High Court in Abuja, restrained the defendant, (the EFCC) from taking any further step in respect of the invitation, interrogation and investigation of Executive Chairman, Director of State Universal Basic Education, (SUBEB) and Accountant General of Kano State in connection with the video clips of bribery allegations against Ganduje.

Meanwhile, the APC in Kano State has asked Ganduje not to honour the invitation extended to him by the state Public Complaints and Anti-Corruption Commission

Oba of Benin Upholds Court Judgement on Inheritance

Adibe Emenyonu in Benin City

His Royal Majesty, Oba Ewuare II, CFR, the Oba of Benin has upheld the judgement of an Edo State High Court, sitting in Benin which ordered Madam Enoghayin and Miss Otasowie Ogiemwonyi to take legal and physical possession of late Mr. Washington Osaretin Ogiemwonyi's property known as 7A, Upper Sokponba Road in Benin City, after granting approval for his burial rites in accordance with Benin customs and tradition.

Justice H. A. Courage-Ogbebor had on July 29, 2022, delivered a judgement in a suit No. B/421/2021 between the Claimants — Thomas Ogbomo Ogiemwonyi and Mrs Odion Ogbomo (who sued on behalf of the Children of Madam Igbinomwanhia) and Madam Enoghayin Osunde and Miss Otasowie Ogiemwonyi (Defendants). The court had declared late Washington Osaretin Ogiemwonyi as the eldest son of his late father, Ogiemwonyi Agbonkpolor and having performed the final burial of his father, inherited exclusively

the house known as No, 7A Upper Sokponba Road, Benin City to the exclusion of the claimants and siblings being the Igiogbe (family house) of the late Ogiemwonyi Agbonkpolor.

Justice Courage-Ogbebor ordered that the defendants immediately bury their husband/father in conjunction with Ogiemwonyi's family as they have desired.

The court thereafter restrained the claimants by themselves, their agents, servants, or thugs and privies from interfering with the planning, preparing and burial of the late Washington Osaretin Ogiemwonyi at No. 7A, Upper Sokponba Road, Benin City, by the Defendants.

Unsatisfied with the decision of the court, which is not status barred, some aggrieved family members of the Ogiemwonyi family dragged Washington Ogiemwonyi's widow (Madam Enoghayin Osunde) and his eldest daughter, Miss Otasowie Ogiemwonyi before the Palace of the Oba of Benin, seeking to upturn the judgement of the High court.

(PCACC).

The party stated this in a statement jointly signed by the Chairman and Secretary of the party, Alhaji Abdullahi Abbas and Alhaji Zakari Sarina respectively.

According to the statement, the party realised that the reenactment of

the politically motivated issue of the video by the New Nigeria People's Party (NNPP) which was before a court of law, “was part of a sinister ploy to dent the image of the former governor.”

It further explained that similar scenario was played to scuttle the

former governor's chance of securing ticket for the party's gubernatorial election in 2019.

The statement added that this time, “the detractors are engaged in this campaign of calumny to draw a wedge between President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Ganduje,

one of the president's strongest allies in the north."

The APC stated that while Ganduje's contributions to the Tinubu political project right from the conduct of the primary election, was widely appreciated, his relationship with the President remains cordial.

INEC: Prosecution of Suspended Adamawa REC, Ari Begins July 12

Adedayo Akinwale in Abuja

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has revealed that the prosecution of the suspended Adamawa state Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), Hudu Ari, would commence on Wednesday, July 12.

INEC National Commissioner and Chairman, Information and Voter Education Committee, Festus Okoye, in a statement issued yesterday, stated that the decision to commence the prosecution of Ari was taken at its regular weekly meeting held last Thursday, having reviewed the case file from the Police which established a prima facie case against Ari.

Ari had in April, illegally and wrongfully announced the

governorship candidate of All Progressives Congress (APC) Aishatu Dahiru Binani, as the winner of the governorship election in the state. Ari had declared Binani as the winner of the supplementary poll held on April 15, 2023, even though the collation of results of the supplementary election had yet to be completed.

However, the Commission has filed a six-count charge against him at the Adamawa State High Court sitting in Yola, while the Court has fixed Wednesday 12th July 2023 for commencement of trial.

Okoye said: "INEC held its regular weekly meeting today, Thursday 6th July 2023, and discussed, among other issues, the progress with the prosecution of electoral offenders.

“It would be recalled that at the meeting with the Resident Electoral Commissioners (RECs) two days ago on Tuesday 4th July 2023, the Commission confirmed the receipt of case files from the Nigeria Police following the conclusion of investigation into alleged electoral offences during the 2023 General Election, including the one involving the REC deployed to Adamawa State, Barr. Hudu Yunusa Ari. The Commission also assured Nigerians of immediate action on the matter."

The National Commissioner said as provided by Section 145(1) of the Electoral Act 2022, an offence committed under the Act shall be triable in a Magistrate Court or a High Court of a State in which the offence is committed, or the Federal

Capital Territory, Abuja. He added that Section 145(2) of the Act also provides that a prosecution under the Act shall be undertaken by legal officers of the Commission, or any legal practitioner appointed by it.

Okoye added: "Having reviewed the case file from the Police which established a prima facie case against Barr. Hudu Yunusa Ari, the Commission has filed a six-count charge against him at the Adamawa State High Court sitting in Yola. Consequently, the Court has fixed Wednesday 12th July 2023 for commencement of trial.

"Meanwhile, the Commission is working with the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) for the diligent prosecution of other cases."

TO EASE TAX BURDENS ON BUSINESSES, TINUBU SIGNS FOUR EXECUTIVE ORDERS

levies by the Joint Tax Board (JTB) to address the issues of multiple taxes and levies and also design and implement measures that would draw informal sector businesses to the formal sector so as to widen the tax net for increased tax revenue.”

MAN also described the new executive orders as another commendable pronouncement by the Tinubu administration.

Director General of MAN, Mr. Segun Ajayi-Kadir, said Tinubu had again shown that it was important to take the views of stakeholders in the economy into consideration when policies that would affect them were being made.

Ajayi-Kadir said, “The unwarranted and clearly disingenuous escalation of excise and introduction of new taxes in the 2023 Fiscal Policy Measures needed to be discarded and President Tinubu has just done the right thing and we commend him.”

He added, “Existing manufacturers in the affected sector are pleased and we can now reconnect with our projections and plans made in the beginning of the year.

“We are expecting that the customs will stand down the requirements for compliance with the excise escalation and the registration for the green tax.

“So the clarity should be that those escalations have been suspended and would not be implemented. It is those that are not inimical to business and wrongly commenced, that are being programmed to commence at the September date

“We look forward to further engagements that will give fillip to the new policy measures he has enunciated, so that the challenges that would emerge would be effectively mitigated. For instance, one can see the possibility of inadequacy of foreign exchange and a lot of pragmatism is needed to ensure a massive inflow and strategic release.”

Nigeria Safe for Foreign Investors, Says Akpabio

Akpabio, yesterday, assured foreign investors of the safety of their investments in Nigeria.

Akpabio, according to a statement by his media office, stated this while

receiving the Jampur International Group, led by the Chief Executive Officer, Mohammed Shafiq.

The senate president told the visitors, “I welcome you on behalf of the Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. Nigeria is very safe and ready for investors.

"I am aware you are already investing in Nigeria in the area of mining, power and trading. Thank you for employing Nigerians in your companies."

Akpabio noted that the decision of the federal government to put in place a single rate for foreign exchange was a deliberate attempt to further assure foreign investors of the safety of their investments anywhere in the country.

He stated, "The current administration has been able to normalise our foreign exchange rate by having only one window. Investing in Nigeria is worth the while because of the returns on investments based on our population of over 200 million and the land mass.

"The president is ready to ensure that people get value for

their investments, himself being a strong businessman. "He has a track record of achievements in Lagos State, when he was the governor. Lagos, today, has become one of the largest economies in Africa because of the foundation he laid."

Akpabio assured his visitors of the safety of their investments through legislations.

He said, "I assure you that the federal government will do everything humanly possible to protect your investments by putting in place enabling laws on investments and security for its citizens and foreign investors. "

Shafiq, in his remarks, said he was at the senate to formally congratulate the president of the senate on his emergence as Chairman of the National Assembly and to wish him well in office.

"We are here to congratulate you on your election as the president of the senate and to intimate you on our readiness to continue to partner with the government in the area of mining, agriculture and power," he added.

Uzoka- Anite ; Special Adviser Special Duties,

and Strategies to the President , Dele Alake ; Special Adviser, Revenue , Zachaues Adedeji

( Finance) , Adenike Laoye during the press Conference on President Tinubu intervention on Tax Changes held at the Presidential Villa , Abuja …yesterday. GODWIN OMOIGUI

POLITICS

Battle for the Soul of Bayelsa

Segun James writes that the fight for the soul of Bayelsa state during the forthcoming governorship poll in November, 2023 will be fierce and intriguing as the battle has began in earnest.

For some palpable reasons, the impending battle for the governorship election in Bayelsa state is not just about ambition, but that of political survival and dominance and a battle for the soul of Bayelsa.

The second slant to the election is that it will be more of a flexing of political muscle between the incumbent, Senator Douye Diri and former Governor, Chief Timipre Sylva, a situation that will make the battle very fierce and intriguing.

The Bayelsa election is very crucial to the country. The state is important to the economic well-being of the nation and houses many strategic economic infrastructures.

It will be the first election, along with that of Kogi and Imo states, to be held under President Bola Tinubu. Thus, how this elections are handled will certainly set the tone for what to expect in other elections.

Although the stage is set for a battle royal in Bayelsa state for the governorship election, the battle is principally between the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the All Progressives Congress (APC), and on the fringe, however, is the Labour Party.

Ordinarily, politics in Bayelsa state is centered around individuals and not the party they belong to. Since most people belong to the PDP, elections in the state were always within the PDP and whoever emerges the PDP candidate wins.

That was the situation until the political upset of 2019 when the APC won a highly disputed election. But the court returned the mandate to Governor Douye Diri, who, not surprisingly is today called the miracle governor.

Politics in the state is intriguing and action packed. The two major gladiators are formidable and have the capacity to deploy the resources to contest in a very hostile environment.

However, the three candidates are former members of the PDP and each of them has enough foot soldiers to go the whole hog.

Bayelsa is an unusual state. It is 100 percent riverine, sits squarely on the delta, and one of the few fairly homogeneous states in the country. Politics in the state revolves around individuals and not the party they belong to.

Ordinarily, the belief in Bayelsa state is that the race for the governorship is between the PDP and the PDP.

The major candidates at a glace

Douye Diri

Since he entered office as the Miracle Governor, Bayelsans have prided Diri as the “talk-na-do” governor and an achiever who more than any other governor before him has practically turned the state fortunes around in terms of developmental projects.

This has held him in high stead among the people despite the fact that he came to power through court’s pronouncements.

According to Mr. Godfrey Nazuan, a member of the PDP, the Governor by a deliberate and determined deployment of a combination of legislation, policy, decisive and clear headed leadership, faced head-on the state of insecurity he met, and has made the state bandit-free in the last four years.

Nazuan said cultism and drug-fueled murders, kidnappings and militancy are all a thing of the past in the state.

Within this period, Bayelsa is now practically one of the safest states in the federation, a situation which makes it a safe haven for investment, he further stated.

Diri’s emergence as the governor is nothing short of a miracle, hence, the appellation the Miracle Governor. In a surprise upset, the APC candidate in the election who had been declared winner, Mr. David Lyon, was stopped from assuming office, barely 24 hours before he was to be sworn into office.

The surprise ruling of the Supreme Court which upturned the election of Lyon ensured that Diri was sworn in as the Governor.

Since becoming the governor, Diri has spent his time proving to the people that he is capable and has tried to earn their trust.

One critical area which the state needed badly is infrastructural development. The

governor has always claimed that the goal of his administration is to hit the shores of the Atlantic Ocean with roads since this is where the wealth of the nation comes from.

According to data, only 47 percent of the state’s communities are motorable. Diri said he intends to get it to 70 percent by the end of his second term in office.

Since coming to power in February 2020, he has advanced the three senatorial roads started by previous state governments in conjunction and cooperation with interventionist agencies like the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) to almost completion. These roads, the Governor insisted, will ensure that over 400 communities and villages which are in the deep backwaters of delta are accessible.

He said he intends to hit Brass Island in the Bayelsa East Senatorial District, a strategic city on the fringe of the Atlantic Ocean where the Brass LNG project and the Brass Fertilizer project are located by the end of his first term. Also work on the Sagbama-Ekeremor-Agge road in the Western District, a distance of over 110 kilometers where a deep seaport project is

on-going is almost completed.

The third flank of the project is the YenagoaOporoma-Koluama in the Central District which houses the agricultural belt of state. Works on this project has also reached advanced stage and Diri is expected to tout these projects as part of his achievements.

The Governor believes that governance is a continuum and that all projects left uncompleted by his predecessor must be completed at all costs. He has practically lived up to these promises.

Right at the inception of his administration, Diri had declared a state of emergency on the educational sector; and today education is free from primary to secondary schools in the state.

He has also made significant improvement in the health sector.

These are some of records he’s counting upon to do the magic for him as he goes for a second term in office.

Advantage

The 2022 flood that engulfed the state which is the flood basin of the Niger Delta afforded Diri the opportunity to prove to the people not

only as a caring Governor but also a man of the people. While the federal government was busy trying to determine what to do in view of the devastation wrought across the states and communities along the River Niger, Diri quickly seized the initiative to evacuate the people at the low-lying areas to upper grounds, he wasted no time in setting up camps for the several thousands of refugees who had lost properties to the raging flood waters.

Unlike the 2012 flooding, the 2022 flood was particularly devastating cutting off the state from the rest of the nation. But undeterred, the Governor immediately activate the state’s emergency management system which waded into the needs of the people.

Disadvantage

The belief is that one of Diri’s advantages is also his one of his major disadvantages. The Governor does not believe in frivolities, unnecessary spending and unmerited giving. At the political circle in the state, this is his only disadvantage. Most politicians who want political patronages without working for it have found the Governor as hostile and rigid.

Timipre Sylva

Former Governor Timipre Sylva who was the immediate past Minister of State for Petroleum Resources is the candidate of the APC in the November election. But will he be able to take advance of the last upset?

This is a question that will only be answered by how he plays his politics.

To most people in Bayelsa state, Sylva is a Diaspora Bayelsan as he is resident in Abuja and very faraway from the reality of the situation in the state. They believe that he should not have presented himself as the APC candidate. To them, since leaving office as governor, he has no legacy to point to and that the people’s memory of his time as governor is not very good.

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Ribadu: Imperatives of Intelligence-led Security

Oluchi Chibuzor writes on what is expected of Mallam Nuhu Ribadu in his new role as National Security Adviser to the President.

The recent appointment of Mallam Nuhu Ribadu as the National Security Adviser (NSA) by President Bola Tinubu appears to be the fulfilment of the long held belief by progressives in the security sector that for once, in a long while, a man with the requisite background and experience to deliver on the national security imperatives, has mounted the saddle.

With global, intelligence fundamentals tilting towards timely intelligence gathering and intelligence-led security, it has become imperative to redirect the focus of national security.

It has been restated in several security fora and expert opinions that the one single factor missing glaringly in Nigeria’s war against insurgency and other criminalities in the past 14 years remained poor intelligence gathering and delivery hence the devastating impact of insurgency, banditry, kidnapping and oil theft, the collateral damage in terms of lives of the citizenry and security personnel, who died in their thousands within the period.

As the first Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), having served as a senior police officer that rose to the rank of a Deputy Inspector-General of Police (DIG), Ribadu has extensive knowledge of the nation’s internal security set-up and the intelligence training and background required to contain crimes, criminalities and security challenges bedeviling the nation.

It is said that the approach and investigative skills of the new NSA as EFCC chair were reminiscent of the long tradition of the special

branch of the police which later metarmophosed into the National Security Organisation (NSO) which in turn, birthed the nation’s intelligence agencies, schooled in high level intelligence gathering and whose impact at the time was a safe and secure nation.

As chair of the anti-graft agency, it is on record that he had the highest prosecution record of high profile, politically exposed persons, going after corrupt, sitting and former state chief executives in an unprecedented manner that shook the nation.

As the nation’s anti-corruption czar, Nuhu Ribadu had extensive contacts with global investigative agencies and actually signed several partnership agreements with the London Metropolitan Police, the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the International Police (Interpol), European Police (Europol),

global financial task forces among others.

Such relationships and partnerships will come in handy in Ribadu’s new role as the nation’s top security man.

Speaking at the handover ceremony signalling his assumption of office as the National Security Adviser, Ribadu, who was appointed to the position by President Bola Tinubu on June 19, 2023, laid out clearly what the nation required at this time.

Ribadu took over from former NSA, Major General Babagana Monguno (rtd).

He said the time had come for Nigeria to enjoy peace and stability.

He said it was a collective duty of all Nigerians to secure the nation and “we intend to continue with what has been done”.

“We will stabilise this country, we will secure our country and we will make Nigeria peaceful because we believe time has come for this country to enjoy peace, restore order and rule of law just like any other country in the world.

“Securing the nation is a continuous process. We will look at what has been done and build on it. We will count on your support in the course of discharging our responsibilities.

“Mr. President has a huge commitment to securing every inch of our country. We will work with all stakeholders to deliver on this vision. This enormous task of securing our country is that of all Nigerians, and all friends of Nigeria,” he said.

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I E T I E U S EN

The governor is off to a good start, writes AN

UMO ENO: WINNING THE HEARTS OF FRIENDS AND FOES

Godwin James is a renowned architect and a very unrepentant critic of the extravagant lifestyle of Nigerian politicians. For him, the Nigerian democracy is a government of the politicians, by the politicians and for the politicians, at the expense of the long Idorenyin James, is a politician and one of the PDP governorship aspirants in the last governorship elections, Mr. James usually their greed and crass accumulation of ill-gotten wealth that has virtually turned Nigerians into paupers.

On Tuesday, June 27, 2023, Godwin James, who is also a National Secretary of the RCCG, sent me a lengthy and surprising WhatsApp time in the history of Akwa Ibom State, a new government has hit the ground running, from day one on a very positive note. This is exciting, comforting and highly commendable.

about Governor Umo Eno”, he began. “He is a very good man and he has a very good idea has a burden. He has a vision and he has a direction...He has a good heart for the people... He has established himself as someone who this is fantastic. I can tell you this for free...that these fundamentals are more important to me than his activities. I watch fundamentals. I don’t watch activities. Once the fundamentals are right, activities that follow will (have a bearing)”, Nyaetok said.

Akwa Ibom people have used in measuring his performance, which has already endeared the new governor to the people in such a short time. Coincidentally, these activities are products of Eno’s “heart for the people”, which Nyaetok singled out as one of the greatest attributes of the Governor.

CHUKS ILOEGBUNAM argues that Lasisi Olagunju piece is mischievous

RE: A SERVICE CHIEF FOR THE IGBO

Lasisi Olagunju published on June 26, 2023, an article entitled A Service chief for the Igbo, in his Monday Lines column of the Nigerian Tribune. The piece was outrageously Igbophobic. Predictably it elicited disapproving reactions.

A rejoinder from Dr. Okey Iheduru, a USbased professor of political science, said: “I’m always surprised how otherwise intelligent Nigerians of other ethnicities can’t pass up any opportunity to totalise, homogenise and psycho-analyse an ethnic group numbering over 60 million.

How on earth does Mr. Olagunju justify this hate speech based on the rantings of a few people he came across on social media and his two acquaintances in the “brown envelope” profession? There are over 60 million Ndigbo in Nigeria and in the Diaspora. Where and when did all these people collectively disown the new CNS? Couldn’t he have at least referenced the

Chief?

Never has it been noted, as it is now, that the general public is excited and full of praise for Governor Umo Eno...It is my sincere prayer that the momentum of these good strides be sustained and the actions and decisions of his administration continue with the noticeable Architect James said. That was just one-half of the message. The remaining part, which I may return to later, was his disagreement with the governor on ‘Happy Hour’ and suggestions on how to better the lives of poverty stricken Akwa Ibom people.

The next day, Wednesday, June 28, 2023, I got another very lengthy WhatsApp message from another architect, a world class expert on social housing development and governorship candidate of the ADC in the last governorship election, Mr. Ezekiel Nyaetok. Like James, he is my age-long friend and of the political campaigns as he jumped into the governorship race in his second or third quests for the Hilltop Mansion in Uyo. Though a family friend of Pastor Eno for years, what God had joined together, the governorship race had to put asunder. He had even gone to the Election Tribunal to challenge the victory of Governor Eno. But his lengthy WhatsApp message to me, which was actually directed at the governor, was salutary and politically salubrious. He divided politicians into two categories: those he said desire the ultimate betterment of the society and those who see politics as a money-making enterprise. He concluded that he and Governor Eno belong

I put a call quickly across to him to celebrate his statesmanship. As we are accustomed to, the call turned out to be a marathon. Just like Governor Eno, the Nyaetok I know is a man of depth and insight on many critical issues of development. “Let me tell you the truth

Three times in three weeks and in three convoy to halt suddenly just for the sake of poor women who are street traders, selling everything from bananas to cucumbers and from roasted corn to fried bean cake, in order to eke a living. He shares words of respect, encouragement and admiration for these hardy women. He also shares some token gifts of money, prompting these women to break into spontaneous joy and wild jubilation. “Do you know the last time I held N50,000 in my hands?”, Rita Okon, a roadside trader in Ekpene Ukim, Uruan LGA, shouted. “This governor is too good. Since I started this roadside trading 10 years ago, no governor has stopped here to buy from us let alone empower us. Can you believe the governor actually came down from his vehicle, bought fruits from me and gave me N50,000, so that I can expand my business and buy something for myself and my children? May Almighty God bless him and his family”, she said Fruit Market in Uyo, spoke along the same vein. While Theresa Edet said she would quickly use the money the governor gave her to go to the hospital for the treatment of a lingering ailment, Mary Friday said she would increase her stock of diverse fruits.

selling here for the past 16 years and have never seen anything like what Umo Eno has done. No governor has ever stopped here to buy from us... Instead, the Task Force trying to drive us away, not minding how we survive with our children in these hard times. But this governor has remembered us and wiped our tears today. He has drawn us to himself, knowing that we are poor and struggling people who are labouring to feed our families... ”, Mama Friday said. Governor Eno may not fully grasp the impact of his style yet. But in the short span of than those who gave him a landslide victory in the February 18, 2023 election. In that election, he won hands down in 29 out of 31 LGAs. Since May 29, when he assumed duties, his leadership style is disarming, simple and rare. He sees himself as a servant leader. He has no air of superiority whatsoever around him. He relates with everyone in genuine deference and reverence. He loves the big crowds and audiences he shows up.

Usen is Senior Special Assistant on Media to the Governor

“Mr. Olagunju may be deluded about “Yoruba unity” vs “Igbo self-hate,” but someone needs to remind him that such “discrimination”

unsurprising. Two examples validate this assertion. On Monday, September 12, 2022, Olagunju published The Igbo and death of a queen. In it, he mentioned Uju Anya, a US-based Igbo professor of Linguistics and Chief Emeka Anyaoku, the former Commonwealth Secretary General. Ms. Anya had cursed Queen Elizabeth for Britain’s role in the Nigerian civil war. But Chief Anyaoku had adulated the departed monarch. Yet, Olagunju passed this comment: “Igbo people anywhere are very enterprising people. But my people have a saying about strong, enterprising people who talk too much about their supposed strength and who lack good strategy. They say such are the fathers of the weak. The there by turning everyone into your enemy.” He continued: “Probably, a consequence of Queen Elizabeth’s death is a reopening of the Nigerian wound. Nigeria fought a civil war which ended in January 1970. The Igbo who lost the war believe it has not ended. They think they deserve explanations and apologies from Nigeria for defeating them. They also believe other parts of Nigeria are

of ethnic identity brokerage and narratives around the world. There’s more in-group division among the Jews than between them and the Arabs. Yorubaland is replete with such divisions and stereotypes – from Ijebuland to the northern outskirts in Kwara and Kogi States. So is Ijawland, Idoma, Tiv, Zulu, the English, Russians, etc. This doesn’t excuse the sometimes-tragic consequences of this aspect of “imagined community” making. To make it the exclusive heritage of the Igbo by Igbophobic public intellectuals is the height of dangerous ignorance that often softens the ground for ethnic demonisation and eventually ethnic cleansing and even genocide.”

We shall return to Professor Iheduru. Meanwhile, what was the meat of A service chief for the Igbo? Its impetus was Rear Admiral E. I. Ogalla’s appointment as the Chief of the the handle: “But while Nigerians from other parts of the country rejoiced with the East, Igbos not an Igbo name.” Thus, based on social media

He said the Igbo spent the civil war years eating lizards, mice, rats, bush rats and snakes, not forgetting their drudgery of pedalling bicycles on metal wheels instead of tyres. “You would think that a people who went through all that experience of horror (of the civil war) would learn. No.”

That was not all. Olagunju called up Ebenezer Williams (Abiodun Aloba) and Tai Solarin, two long-dead Yoruba columnists, to support his pet theory that, if Ndigbo got the chance, they would decimate the rest of the country.

To the informed, Olagunju’s wildness is

Chief Anyaoku has a Yoruba spouse. He has never said a word amiss of the Yoruba. Perhaps, for Olagunju, they were these enough reasons to conjure the elder statesman into a Yoruba man whose views may not draw comments because they are a fait accompli? Given his national and international standing, Chief Anyaoku’s kind words for Queen Elizabeth should have had far more import than Uju Anya’s barbs. Ms. Anya was born years after the civil war, and until the controversy generated by the queen’s transition, was unknown in Nigeria. But Olagunju didn’t want to know. He latched on her opinion to excoriate Ndigbo. He probably didn’t notice that the social media of his wanton reliance also recorded scores of Britons (including the English) who had unkind words for the departed monarch, and none of whom was as much as tut-tutted for their views.

On March 13, 2023, just before the Lagos State gubernatorial ballot, Olagunju published another column entitled The Scramble for Lagos. He said: “The political owners of Lagos have reached out for the magical wand of crying wolf where there is actually one. They are saying voting for Rhodes-Vivour is equal to handing over Lagos to the Igbo because his mother is Igbo. And, I continue to ask if that makes sense. Gbadebo is an ìbílè Èkó (original Lagosian). Who locks out an omo onílé (child of the house owner) because his mother is from the other village? But Gbadebo has also been his Igbo support base. As an ‘aje butter’, he may not know what it is to be vulnerable to kókó (protrusions) and be seen not only feasting on the head of Ìmòdò (warthog) but also carelessly rolling with club-wielding gangsters.

Is it fair for Olagunju to characterise the Igbo as wolves and club-wielding gangsters simply because they would vote in their country? Has the vote transformed from a democratic instrument to an assault weapon? Is it appropriate for a great newspaper established by the great Chief Obafemi Awolowo to become a ready megaphone for vilifying Ndigbo based on Internet rats?

Editor, Editorial Page PETER ISHAKA

Email peter.ishaka@thisdaylive.com

EDITORIAL

OLASUBOMI BALOGUN (1934 - 2023)

Olasubomi Balogun, banker, philanthropist and a detribalised Nigerian, dies at age 89

For Otunba Michael Olaotan Olaonipekun Olasubomi Balogun, the urbane entrepreneur, consummate philanthropist, suave banking icon and quintessential patriarch of the Balogun clan in Ijebu Ode, Ogun State, the story ended on 18th May 2023. But this was a life that embedded the saying that while good men must die, death cannot kill their names. By a combination of sheer grit and hard work, Balogun left indelible footprints in various spheres of life and his death has robbed Nigeria of one of the foremost boardroom icons and doyen of banking industry.

Born on 9th March 1934 at Ijebu-Ode in Ogun State, Balogun graduated from Igbobi College and studied Law at the London School of Economics, United Kingdom. After earning his law degree, Balogun returned to Nigeria to join the Ministry of Justice, Western Region. From the regional Ministry of Justice where he was a crown counsel, Balogun found a new post as a parliamentary counsel in the Federal Ministry of Justice.

After the January 1966 coup, Balogun joined the Nigerian Industrial Development Bank (NIDB). At NIDB, his interest in investment banking led him to advocate for the establishment of a merchant bank.

was established in 1973 as a subsidiary of NIDB, Balogun became the pioneer director of operations. Securities, a stock broking and issuing house, which developed relationships with Mobil, Texaco, and Total petroleum marketing companies, handling the

Imbued with a huge ambition to break new grounds, Balogun in 1979 applied for a merchant banking licence to establish First City Merchant Bank. The statutory requirement at the time was for a bank promoter to have a foreign partner, which Balogun did not have. Inspired by the entrepreneurial

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Letters to the Editor

works of Siegmund Warburg, Balogun visited the co-founder of S.G. Warburg in London prior to establishing his merchant bank. When the bank commenced operations in 1983, Balogun established an entrepreneurial culture as an owner-managed bank in contrast to other existing banks at the time. The First City Merchant Bank later metamorphosed into a universal bank as First City Monument Bank (FCMB), which has today become a premium brand legacy to Balogun’s over-decorated cap.

The story of this octogenarian icon who died at 89, one year shy of entering the nonagenarian club, is not about his exploits in the banking world alone. He was also a consummate philanthropist. One of his outstanding public-spirited acts of giving is the National Paediatric Centre in Ijebu-Ode which he built and donated to Ibadan’s University College Hospital (UCH). Balogun was also credited with providing regular donations and lending support to several worthy cause across the country.

His famed relationship with Second Republic Vice President Alex Ekwueme provides practical expression to his strength of character. Balogun himself told the story of how he took care of the house of Ekwueme, after he ran to the Southeast Nigeria following the outbreak of the civil war in 1967. That singular act of a detribalised man was to lead to a the late vice president who was instrumental to Balogun securing a banking license.

mother earth, Otunbà Subomi Balogun who was conferred with the national honour of Commander of the Order of the Niger (CON) as well as many chieftaincy titles and academic laurels epitomises The Talmud: “So live that people may speak well of thee at thy grave. The just needs no memorial, for his deeds are his monument.”

May the gentle soul of Otunba Olasunbomi Balogun rest in peace.

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

LETTERS

THE EFFECT OF COLORADO DRUG ON NIGERIAN YOUTH

The use of Colorado drug, also known as synthetic cannabinoids or “Spice,” has been on the rise among Nigerian youth in recent years. This article aims to shed light on the detrimenof young individuals in Nigeria. Additionally, it will explore potential solutions and strategies to address this growing concern.

of Nigerian youth. Synthetic cannabinoids are chemically engi-er, these drugs are often more potent and unpredictable, leading to severe physical consequences. The use of Colorado drug can result in rapid heart rate, high blood pressure, seizures, and even organ failure. The lack of regulation and quality control in the production of these substances further exacerbates the risks. Nigerian youth who experiment with Colorado drug are exposing themselves to potential life-threatening health complications.

The impact of Colorado drug on the mental health of Nigerian youth cannot be overlooked. Synthetic cannabinoids can cause hallucinations, paranoia, anxiety, and even psychosis. The unpredictable nature of these drugs can lead to severe

psychological distress and long-term mental health issues. Nigerian youth who use Colorado drug may experience mood swings, memory problems, and impaired cognitive function, hindering their overall well-being and potential. It is essential to address the mental health consequences of Colorado drug use to ensure the long-term mental well-being of Nigerian youth.

To combat the growing use of Colorado drug among the youth, a multi-faceted approach is necessary. Firstly, raising awareness about the dangers and risks associated with synthetic cannabinoids is crucial. Educational campaigns targeting schools, communities, and parents can provide accurate information and dispel misconceptions about these drugs. Additionally, implementing stricter regulations and enforcement measures to curb the production, distribution, and sale of Colorado drug is essential. Collaboration between law enforcement agencies, healthcare professionals, and policymakers can help create a comprehensive framework to tackle the

health services is vital in addressing the underlying factors contributing to Colorado drug use. Counseling, therapy, and

support groups can assist Nigerian youth in overcoming addiction and managing the mental health challenges associated with substance abuse. Investing in rehabilitation centers andbinoid addiction can also provide a pathway to recovery for

ing concern that requires immediate attention. The physical and mental health consequences of synthetic cannabinoid use young individuals. By implementing a multi-faceted approach that includes awareness campaigns, stricter regulations, and accessible mental health services, Nigeria can work towards mitigating the impact of Colorado drug on its youth. It is imperative for stakeholders, including government agencies, healthcare professionals, educators, and parents, to collaborate and prioritize the well-being of Nigerian youth, ensuring a healthier and brighter future for the nation.

Dr Adebayo Adekunle, CEO, Adebayo Specialist Hospitals, Lagos and Ogbomosho, thedradebayo@gmail.com

One of his outstanding public-spirited acts of giving is the National Paediatric Centre in Ijebu-Ode which he built and donated to Ibadan’s University College Hospital

As Zenith Bank Crosses N1tn in Market Capitalisation

Oluchi Chibuzor

Following investors’ renewed interest amid the Central Bank of Nigeria’s (CBN) foreign exchange reform, Zenith Bank Plc’s market capitalisation crossed the N1 trillion mark on the Nigerian Exchange Limited (NGX).

The development, which attracted applause from investors and market participants, was clearly a reflection of the quality of leadership at the bank which is headed by Ebenezer Onyeagwu as its Group Managing Director.

So far, investors who invested in Zenith Bank, the most profitable bank in Nigeria have gained over N250 billion, when the stock price opened for trading this year at N24 per share.

Zenith Bank has now joined MTN Nigeria Communication (largest company in market capitalisation) , Airtel Africa, Plc, Dangote Cement Plc, BUA Foods Plc, BUA Cement Plc with market capitalisation in trillion of naira on the bourse. The six companies contributed 67 per cent or N21.560 trillion to market capitalisation that closed June 23, 2023 at N32.237 trillion.

Commenting on the development, the Vice President, Highcap Securities Limited, Mr. David Adnori, also attributed hike in Zenith Bank performance on banking stocks rally amid unification of the foreign exchange and fuel subsidy removal.

“These two policies have awakened the fundamentals of the macro-economy and it reflected in the Zenith Bank’s stock lately. These policies are masterstroke as market stakeholders have been clamouring for it a long time.

“We have been clamouring for full unification of the foreign exchange so that there will be clear rates for everyone to see.

“With the unification of foreign exchange, we have seen the full value of naira and if the naira is floated, it means foreign direct investors can seamlessly come-in and exit the stock market.”

In its unaudited results for the first quarter (Q1) ending 31st March 2023, Zenith Bank recorded an exceptional double-digit growth of 41 per cent in gross earnings, increasing from N191.5 billion in Q1 2022, to N270 billion in Q1 2023.

The statement of account submitted to the NGX indicated that the significant double-digit growth in the topline also boosted the bottom line, with the Group experiencing an impressive 27 per cent year-on-year (YoY) increase in Profit Before Tax (PBT), which rose from N68 billion in Q1 2022, to N86.6 billion in Q1 2023. It also showed that Zenith Bank’s Profit After Tax (PAT) grew by 13 per cent, from N58.2 billion to N66 billion during the same period.

The growth in the topline was propelled by substantial increases in both interest income and non-interest income. Interest income surged by 52 per cent from N126.4 billion in Q1 2022, to N191.6 billion in Q1 2023, while non-interest income expanded by 27 per cent from N57.2 billion to N72.8 billion.

The growth in interest income was attributed to the impact of risk asset repricing, while the increase in non-interest income primarily resulted from loan recoveries and foreign currency revaluation gains.

Regarding efficiency, the cost-to-income ratio improved from 55 per cent to 53.4 per cent in the current period, supported by a bolstered income line.

The cost of risk also moderated from 0.8 per cent to 0.7 per cent during the same period due to an enlarged loan book. However, Zenith Bank’s cost of funding doubled YoY from 1.3 percent in Q1 2022 to 2.7 percent in Q1 2023, owing to a considerable spike in interest rates between both periods as interest expense grew from N25.8 billion in Q1 2022 to N70.8 billion in Q1 2023.

This impacted the net interest margin (NIM), which reduced from 7.3 per cent to 6.9 per cent over the same period. Total assets expanded by nine per cent from N12.29 trillion in December 2022, to N13.36 trillion in March 2023, primarily driven by growth in customer deposits and other funding sources, such as borrowings. In addition, the results showed that in the

review period, Zenith Bank’s customer deposits increased by two per cent from N8.98 trillion in December 2022, to N9.14 trillion in March 2023. Loans and advances also experienced marginal growth of one per cent from N4.12 trillion in December 2022, to N4.15 trillion in March 2023 as customers continued to adjust to the full impact of higher rates on risk assets.

Zenith Bank’s consistent record of outstanding performance under Onyeagwu, has garnered numerous accolades for the brand, including being acknowledged as the Number One Bank in Nigeria by Tier-1 Capital for the 13th consecutive year in the 2022 Top 1000 World Banks Ranking published by The Banker Magazine.

True leaders such as Onyeagwu, are gifted with exceptional influencing and charismatic qualities which can drive others towards delivering their best. Inspirational leaders like him play crucial role in inspiring their teams and motivating them towards

achieving superior performance. Such persons are also passionate about their environment and keep communicating the vision of the organisation in a way as to excite and encourage others towards delivering their best performances.

No wonder, he was recently adjudged the ‘Best Banking CEO of the Year in Africa’ in the International Banker 2023 Banking Awards. The award, published in the Spring 2023 Issue of the International Banker Magazine, saw Onyeagwu honoured alongside other individuals and banks from the Middle East and Africa.

Expressing gratitude over the recognition, Onyeagwu, commended Publishers of the International Banker for considering him a fitting recipient of the ‘Best Banking CEO of the Year in Africa’ award.

He stated, “This award reflects the bank’s position as a leading financial institution in Nigeria and the African continent. It also attests to our commitment to principles of sustainability and high ethical standards, which have become integral to our overall strategy as an institution.”

He dedicated the award to the Founder and Chairman, Jim Ovia, CFR, for his guidance and mentorship; the bank’s management team and staff, for being the shoulder upon which his achievements and success as CEO rests; and the bank’s customers for making Zenith Bank their bank of choice.

Onyeagwu’s outstanding career has led to him receiving multiple awards, including Bank CEO of the Year (2019) by Champion Newspaper, Bank CEO of the Year (2020, 2021 & 2022) by BusinessDay Newspaper, CEO of the Year (2020 and 2021) – SERAS Awards, and CEO of the Year (2022) – Leadership Newspaper.

As Group Managing Director/CEO, Onyeagwu has led Zenith Bank to achieve tremendous feats and milestones in financial performance, financial inclusion, corporate governance and sustainability.

These efforts have culminated in several local and international awards and recognitions including being recognised as Number One Bank in Nigeria by Tier-1 Capital, for the 13th consecutive year, in the 2022 Top 1000 World Banks Ranking published by The Banker Magazine; Bank of the Year (Nigeria) in The Banker’s Bank of the Year Awards 2020 and 2022; Best Bank in Nigeria, for three consecutive years from 2020 to 2022, in the Global Finance World’s Best Banks Awards; Best Commercial Bank, Nigeria 2021 and 2022 in the World Finance Banking Awards; Best Corporate Governance Bank, Nigeria in the World Finance Corporate Governance Awards 2022; ‘Best in Corporate Governance’ Financial Services’ Africa, for four consecutive years from 2020 to 2023, by the Ethical Boardroom; and the Most Responsible Organisation in Africa 2021 by SERAS Awards.

Onyeagwu is the Chairman of the Body of Banks’ Chief Executive Officers, Nigeria and Chairman of Zenith Pensions Custodian Limited and Zenith Nominees Limited. He is also on the Board of Zenith Bank (UK) Limited, FMDQ Holdings Plc and Lagos State Security Trust Fund (LSSTF). Onyeagwu is a member of the International Monetary Conference (IMC), the Wall Street Journal CEO Council, member of the African Trade Gateway Advisory Council of the Africa Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank), and member of the Governing Council of the Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria (CIBN). He also served on the board of Zenith Bank Ghana Limited, Zenith General Insurance, Zenith Securities Limited, Zenith Assets Management Company, Zenith Medicare Limited, and Africa Finance Corporation (AFC).

On March 25, 2023, he was conferred with a Doctorate Degree in Business Administration by the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Nigeria’s first indigenous University, in recognition of his immense achievements as Group Managing Director/CEO of Zenith Bank as well as his contributions to the growth of the financial services sector in Nigeria and across the African continent. The award was given during the 50th convocation ceremony of the University.

In his acceptance speech, Onyeagwu expressed his gratitude to UNN for finding him a worthy recipient of the honorary doctoral degree in Business Administration of one of the leading universities in Nigeria, considering the rigorous selection process of awardees by the institution. He said, “For me to have been considered and to have passed through the meticulous selection process makes it more dignifying because I have no connection with the university.”

Presenting the citation of Onyeagwu to the assemblage at the 50th convocation for the conferment of the doctorate in Business Administration, the orator of the university, Dr Ikenna Onwuegbuna, noted that the Zenith Bank CEO “is an alumnus of Auchi Polytechnic, the University of Oxford, England and Salford Business School, University of Salford, Manchester, United Kingdom, Delta State University, Abraka.”

He added, “Also, he is an alumnus of Wharton Business School of the University of Pennsylvania, Columbia Business School of Columbia University, and the Harvard Business School of Harvard University in the United States.”

Zenith Bank blazes the trail in digital banking in Nigeria; scoring several firsts in the deployment of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) infrastructure to create innovative products that meet the needs of its teeming customers.

Driven by a culture of excellence and strict adherence to global best practices, the Bank has combined vision, skillful banking expertise, and cutting-edge technology to create products and services that anticipate and meet customers’ expectations; enable businesses to thrive and grow wealth for customers.

With a team of dedicated professionals, the bank leverages its robust Information and Communication Technology (ICT) infrastructure to provide cutting-edge solutions and products through its network of branches and electronic/ digital channels.

Onyeagwu

“With a team of dedicated professionals, the bank leverages its robust Information and Communication Technology (ICT) infrastructure to provide cutting-edge solutions and products through its network of branches and electronic/digital channels.”

PMI Report: Productivity Dropped in June as Fuel Subsidy Removal Heightened Inflationary Pressures

Dike Onwuamaeze

The productivity of the Nigerian economy dropped in June following the removal of fuel subsidy on May 29 this year by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, which stirred sharp accelerations in   price inflation and worsened the fortunes of wholesale and retail traders.

These are contained in the Stanbic IBTC Bank Nigeria’s Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) for the month of June 2023, which stated that business confidence dipped during the month.

The headline figure derived from the survey is the PMI and readings above 50.0 signal an improvement in business conditions on the

previous month, while readings below 50.0 show a deterioration.

But although the headline PMI remained above the 50.0, the report showed that productivity of the private sector declined slightly to 53.2 in June from 54.0 that was recorded in May.

According to the PMI, “the pace of expansion was marked, but softened for the second successive month to the weakest in the current growth sequence.

“Some panelists linked the slowdown to issues related to the ending of the fuel subsidy. Three of the four monitored sectors recorded increases in output, the exception being wholesale and retail.”

The report also stated that, “the

rate of overall input cost inflation hit a 10-month high in June, largely reflective of a marked acceleration in the pace at which purchase prices increased.”

It added that close to half of all respondents reported a rise in overall input costs during the month.

It said: “Nigerian companies signaled a sharp acceleration in the rate of purchase cost inflation in June, with prices up by the largest degree in six months.

“The announcement of the removal of the fuel subsidy and subsequent increase in prices was the main factor leading to higher purchase costs, according to respondents. Manufacturing posted

the sharpest rise in prices.”

According to the PMI’s report, “the steep increase in purchase costs caused by the removal of the fuel subsidy led to a rapid acceleration in the pace of output price inflation as companies passed on higher costs to their customers. After easing to a 37-month low in May, the pace of increase rebounded to the sharpest in the year-to-date. More than 48 per cent of panelists noted a rise in selling prices, against just 1.0 per cent that lowered charges.”

Commenting on the PMI’s report, the Head of Equity Research West Africa at Stanbic IBTC Bank, Mr. Muyiwa Oni, said that the removal of the fuel subsidy in Nigeria

caused a sharp strengthening of price pressures in June.

Oni said: “While overall business conditions remained on a positive trajectory, firms faced a much stronger inflationary environment at the end of the second quarter of the year, linked to the removal of the fuel subsidy.

“Purchase prices increased at the fastest pace since last August (2022), while the rate of selling price inflation accelerated sharply to the steepest in the year-to-date as firms passed higher costs on to their customers.

“Issues around the ending of the fuel subsidy also acted to limit the pace of output growth, according to respondents, although

activity was still up markedly in the latest survey period,” adding that “wholesale and retail bucked the wider trend and posted a drop in activity.”

He added that rates of expansion in output and new orders lessened, but remained marked nonetheless while business confidence dipped to a near record low. According to him, “intensifying inflationary pressures encouraged companies to expand inventories to try and get ahead of further price increases. Meanwhile, employment was up modestly for the second month running.”

The story continues online on www.thisdaylive.com

Outbound International Flights Surpassed Inbound

Chinedu Eze

In the first quarter of 2023, outbound international flights surpassed inbound passenger flights, indicating that more people are leaving the country than those coming in.

This is as international and local airlines recorded high flight delays within the same period.

Documents made available to THISDAY by the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), showed that international

operators recorded 375, 700 inbound flights and 495, 076 outbound flights, totaling 870, 776 in the first quarter of 2023.

The number of international airlines that operated in Nigeria within the first quarter was 25 with total flights of 3, 073 and a high number of delays put at 1, 193, with 24 cancelled flights.

For the local airlines, there are 11 operators with 18,288 flights with 1, 193 delays, 284 cancellations and 28 air return

Fl ight Delays Persist

(when the flight returns to the airport of departure due technical issues).

Domestic operators within the period recorded 1, 391, 560 inbound passenger movement and 1, 400, 031 outbound passenger movement, bringing to a total of 2, 791, 591.

Some of the major international carriers recorded delays higher than what they recorded during the same period last year.

African World Airlines

(AWA) recorded 314 flights with 97 delays; Air Cote D’Ivoire 171 flights with 92 delays; Air France, 130 flights with 25 delays and Asky Airlines 275 flights with 107 delays.

Also, British Airways recorded 178 flights with 83 delays; Delta Air Lines, 91 flights, 17 delays; Egypt Air recorded 142 flights with 96 delays; Ethiopian Airlines 270 flights with 115 delays and Kenya Airways with 82

flights and 47 delays.

There were also KLM, which recorded 75 flights with 22 delays; Qatar Airways, 295 flights with 65 delays; Rwand Air recorded 128 flights and 65 delays; Turkish Airlines 100 flights with 43 delays and Virgin Atlantic, 77 flights and 11 delays.

Major foreign airlines that operate to Nigeria recorded inbound and outbound flights as follows: AWA, 9014 inbound and 9677 outbound

passengers; Air Code D’Ivoire, 13868 inbound and 14366 outbound passengers; Air France, 19823 inbound and 25340 outbound passengers; Air Peace, 15962 inbound and 20, 346 outbound passengers; Asky, 22433 inbound and 26709 outbound passengers and British Airways, 28,944 inbound and 37, 423 outbound passengers movement.

The story continues online on www.thisdaylive.com

Building on Existing Airport Infrastructure

enable Nigeria vaunt of state-of-the-art facilities at airports, the ongoing infrastructural renewal must continue, writes Chinedu Eze

The aviation industry has achieved high level of safety in recent times, and air passengers have experienced peace of the mind within the period.

In the last eight years of the Muhammadu Buhari’s administration, there was no record of major air accident involving scheduled airlines. The last major accident that led to loss of lives was the tragic accident of Associated Aviation Flight 361, which crashed on take-off from the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, on October 3, 2013, killing 16 out of 20 persons on board.

Effective regulation by the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) and the commitment of Nigerian carriers to safety, must have ensured high safety standard in flight service in Nigeria. What also made it possible was that the runway at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, which at a time became death-trap was rehabilitated and new instrument landing systems were installed. Doppler weather radar and other equipment were installed to have accurate weather forecast and airfield lighting were also installed at the runways of different airports.

THE FIRST EFFORT

When the former Minister of Aviation, Senator Hadi Sirika was appointed as Minister of State, Aviation in the first tenure of the Buhari administration, the first project he executed that endeared him to stakeholders in the industry was the rehabilitation of the runway at the nation’s second busiest airport, the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja.

In late July 2016, South Africa Airways flight was damaged when it landed on the runway of the Abuja airport. The severe damage incurred prompted the airline to stop flying to the Federal Capital Territory. And that was not the first time the airline’s flight recorded damage on landing at the airport. Then, the runway was decrepit and precarious and many international and local aircraft were damaged on landing at the airport. It became an emergency situation. But the challenge was that the airport had one runway and if major rehabilitation would be done on the facility, the airport must be closed. It is not like the current situation where the international runway at the Lagos airport R18R is on rehabilitation and the second runway, known as the local runway,

Runway 18L is providing services to all flights. Thanks to the former Minister of Aviation who installed state of the art airfield lighting at the facility last year. Now, flights can land and take off at any time at the airport.

At the Abuja Airport runway, the level of damage and the fact that there was indication that a major accident might happen to aircraft while landing, prompted the then minister to decide to comprehensively repair the runway. Criticism followed that decision because it was obvious that airlines, the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) would lose billions of naira in revenue. The inconvenience could not be quantified. Federal government immediately designated Kaduna airport international an alternative to the Abuja airport. First, Kaduna facilities had to be upgraded. Many in the industry saw it as tough challenge but within weeks Kaduna Airport Safe Tower was upgraded, the runway was expanded and the terminal was rehabilitated, preparing the airport to take bigger aircraft and more passengers. Foreign airlines shunned the airport. It was only Ethiopian Airlines that agreed to operate to the Kaduna airport.

The Abuja runway rehabilitation was completed earlier than scheduled to the astonishment and satisfaction of many industry stakeholders. That earned Sirika a sobriquet, “Action Man”. Sirika extended that action to the total rehabilitation of the Enugu airport runway, which was also a death-trap for several years.

NEW AIRPORT TERMINALS

Some aviation industry observers have at different fora wondered what the situation would have been if the new airport terminals in Abuja, Kano, Lagos, Port Harcourt were not built, as passenger traffic has been on steady growth, only interrupted by the COVID-19 hiccups. First, kudos should go to the Jonathan administration and to the former Minister of Aviation, Senator Stella Oduah who amidst criticism decided to build new terminals at the major airports instead of embarking on concessioning them. But the projects were at infant when the administration was succeeded by the Buhari’s administration.

The Buhari’s administration should be commended for its policy of continuity, which made it possible for those facilities to be completed. It could be recalled that passenger facilitation

BASL Moves to Stem Grievances over Drop Off Zone

Chinedu Eze

Recently a media practitioner, Mr. Theophilus Akatugba did a video explaining how he was treated by those who enforce the drop off zone rule at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport domestic terminal, known as MMA2 and complained how he was forced to make double payment and how shabbily he was treated.

The incident brought to the fore the similar complaints by different terminal users about the way the officials of Done Right company, a concessionaire that manages the car park and drop off zone, treat people that use the facility.

The terminal was built and is being operated by Bi-Courtney Aviation Services Limited (BASL), but the aforementioned services were given out in concession to Done Right Limited and there are indications that the concessionaire may not have embraced tact, etiquette and the right protocol in dealing with the terminal users, going by the complaints of passengers and others that use the airport.

THISDAY investigation showed that the enforcers of the drop off zone charge different penalties for the same office, especially on weekends and also extort some people, going by the reports journalists receive from those who use the airport. Also, when there are hitches in the payment system, the company does not respond quickly to passengers’ complaints and such cases could last

for long, prompting some persons involved to give up and lose their money.

“They seem detached from the problem they know. Their POS machine could have hitches but whenever it happens, they will harshly ask you, go to your bank to rectify it. Businesses these days deploy POS machines that are very active, efficient and reliable, especially the ones operated by online banks. They can acquire them; so that these problems they have with their customers will reduce,” a terminal user who had similar experience, told THISDAY.

But when Akatugba’s complaint went virile, BASL reacted to the allegations that he threw up in the video and explained that Akatugba did not follow the rules.

A statement signed by Head, Corporate Communications,

was taking place in a tent for arrival passengers in Port Harcourt, which made international rating agency to describe the Port Harcourt airport as one of the worst airports in the world. But looking back, the action and wait were worth it because Port Harcourt airport has one of the best terminal facilities in Nigeria today.

Although the initial cost of the projects was $500 million from China Exim bank and $100 million counterpart funds from the Nigerian government, but inside sources told THISDAY that the projects cost more than three times of the initial budget because of the weakening of the naira, the fact that the terminals did not have important facilities built into them in the initial plan and even the terminals in Lagos and Abuja were located in places that made it difficult for the air traffic control at the control towers to clearly see aircraft at the ramp. So many facilities have to be added.

THISDAY learnt that the variations to remedy structural deficiencies and to expand the facilities cost as much as the initial budget of the projects.

A study on the infrastructural limitation of the airport, funded by the then Ministry of Transportation in 2018, disclosed that there were many facilities that must be relocated before the terminal would become operational.

The study, which was carried out by Arcaid, Architects and Environmental Consultants, revealed that the new airport terminals built at the cost of $600 million (N2.16 billion in 2018) were inadequate for targeted passenger traffic and lacked essential facilities.

The report of the studies made available to THISDAY, disclosed that to provide the facilities that were lacking in the terminals, government had to deploy over $500 million. But today, all the terminals are functional and the terminal at the Abuja airport has encompassed ultra-modern car park with beautiful landscaping that the Abuja airport has become unarguably the best airport in Nigeria. Port Harcourt was the first to start operation, followed by Abuja, then Lagos and finally Kano. It has to be noted also that the Buhari

administration met the international terminal of the Akanu Ibiam International Airport, Enugu at foundation and built it to full blossom. Today, the facility is over 90 per cent competed, only short of some internal structures.

SPECIAL ECONOMIC ZONES

Many Nigerians believe the Bola Tinubu ledfederal government will promote business and investment and in the aviation industry this would be enhanced by what the Buhari administration did by designating five international airports Lagos, Abuja, Enugu Kano and Port Harcourtas Special Economic Zones.

The former minister said the benefits of special economic zones include more efficient and businessfriendly trade environment with less bureaucratic red tape because of the associated fiscal incentives and packages; that it would attract world class international and local airlines/companies into the Nigeria aviation industry. There would be attraction of investment incentives, which include; investment policies and protection, general tax-based incentives, sector specific incentives and tariff-based incentives and export incentives. Other benefits include the fact that the special zones would attract Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) and generate employment opportunities and human capital development, thus stimulating the overall improvement of the sector; improving the overall ease of doing business in Nigeria in line with federal government’s com mitment towards national economic development. The special economic zones would fast track the upgrade and development of new infrastructure/facilities at the airports. It would also generate additional non-aeronautical source of revenue to the aviation industry and harness the social-economic benefits derivable from civil aviation.

The story continues online on www.thisdaylive.com

BASL, Oluwatosin Onalaja, said the operator has been striving to maintain a disciplined environment, adding that there are signages within the drop-off zone that warn airport users not to pick up passengers in the area.

The statement added that Akatugba picked up a passenger from the said drop-off zone, even though he was cautioned and warned not to do so.

“Thus, he contravened clearly displayed regulations. If we allow passengers to be picked up at the drop off zone, it will create serious traffic and probably a stampede at the terminal. Our actions are in the best interest of the traveling public. It should also be noted that the No Pick- Up law was effected at the MMA2 terminal in July 2021 and it is not a new law,” the statement said.

To

WATCH

Anticipated ICAO Audit on Nigeria’s Aviation Industry

Chinedu Eze

The International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) will in August this year, carry out audit of Nigeria’s air transport industry to ensure it abides by international safety standard and recommended practices.

ICAO audits the aviation safety and aviation security oversight capacities of its 193 member states. In the safety domain, the audits are carried out under the Universal Safety Oversight Audit Programme (USOAP). During a USOAP audit, ICAO assesses the effective implementation of the critical elements of safety oversight system and conducts a systematic and objective review of a state’s compliance with the provisions of the convention or national regulations and its implementation of ICAO Standard and Recommended Practices (SARPS) procedures and aviation safety best practices.

ICAO, which conducts the audit about every three or four years, would be auditing Nigeria at a time its air safety is one of the best in the world in terms of flight operations. Since 2016, Nigeria had only lost three persons in aircraft accident involving civil aviation. That had to do with helicopter accidents. Since 2014 Nigeria has not recorded any major accident involving schedule flight service. This is the area where many industry operators give kudos to the past Buhari’s administration.

But what made this possible is the collaboration

between the Accident Investigation Bureau (AIB), which is now Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB) and the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA). Nigeria air safety improved significantly when NCAA began to effectively implement the recommendations of NSIB, especially after Captain Musa Nuhu took over as Director General of the regulatory body and Akin Olateru took over the then AIB. He is now the Director General of NSIB.

The two critical agencies in aviation worked in sync to significantly improve safety in Nigeria’s airspace; that now the country is projected to be the safest airspace in Africa in terms of rate of major incidents and accidents in civil aviation followed by Morocco, Egypt and South Africa.

Last year Olateru spoke on how prepared NSIB was prepared to sustain its coverage of the aviation industry in accident investigation and spread its tentacles to maritime and rail. He disclosed further that the Bureau achieved 82 percent of implementation of safety records so far, adding that it worked with stakeholders in the implementation of the recommendations.

“We achieved 82 percent implementation. That is not different from what the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) can achieve, we collaborate with stakeholders on the implementation,” Olateru said.

Spokesman of NSIB, Mr. Tunji Oketunbi explained to THISDAY why Nigeria improved

significantly in air safety and also said that Nigeria is prepared for the forthcoming ICAO audit.

“The industry is prepared for the audit. NSIB and NCAA are ready. There has been a lot of improvement in terms of safety recommendations because if you carry out investigations you will notice areas that need to be improved on to enhance safety; so, you make safety recommendations to NCAA and the airline operators. We have a mechanism to monitor the implementation of the safety recommendations. We have also tried to make sure that it is not only that the recommendations were implemented but that the implementation achieved the desired goals,” Oketunbi said.

When asked why the then AIB delayed most of the report of the accidents before 2017, he said that there were many factors that were responsible for that. He attributed

the delay to human and other factors in the system, including lack of funding.

“But when Olateru came in he devised creative ways of getting funding. Also, then we had personnel that were not galvanized enough to be up to the task. What is important, however, is that we have made a lot of progress. There were other factors that were brought to bear, which enhanced quick investigation by the Bureau,” he said.

On the combining rail and maritime with air, which is multi-modal accident investigation, Oketunbi said the Bureau has enough trained personnel and if it wants more it would source from experienced persons on rail and maritime, but on air investigation, it has enough hands. He also disclosed that many of the personnel trained overseas on accident investigation were also exposed to air, maritime and rail; so, many of the Bureau’s technical personnel have the right skills to investigate the three modes of transportation.

“We have more than enough personnel. For air transport, we have enough investigators to serve the whole Africa, but we have to address maritime and rail transport. The ab initio training our personnel were exposed to incorporated accident investigation in air, maritime and rail. However, all we need to do is to recruit those who have experiences in those two other areas. Over the years we have garnered experience in air accident investigation. All we need is to develop maritime and rail. The residual knowledge is there and the facilities are there,” Oketunbi said. He said that NSIB has been helping other countries in Africa in accident investigation. The Bureau deploys personnel whenever it is called upon by some countries on the continent, which it has Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with.

“We are helping other countries to lift up their own investigation bodies. We have MoU with Benin Republic; that in case anything happens they contact us and we will go and help them. We also have MoU with Sao Tome and Principe. We had helped them conduct accident investigation and whenever they call us, we go and help them. We are still signing agreements with more countries and we have enough personnel we can deploy to conduct investigation for other nations in air transport,” Oketunbi also said.

Sam Obafemi: ‘The Octopus’ Known for Unconventional Problem-solving Approach

Sam Obafemi, known as ‘The Octopus’ for his unconventional problem-solving approach, sheds light on his background and the driving forces behind the merger that led to the establishment of Cerca Africa. With over two decades of experience in diverse industries and a wealth of certifications and qualifications, Obafemi, in this exclusive interview with MARY NNAH, discusses his role as a Business Community and Membership Specialist, his advisory focus areas, the significance of his educational background, his accomplishments as an author and speaker, and his aspirations for the future. He also delves into the mission, values, and unique offerings of Cerca Africa, positioning the company as a trusted partner dedicated to delivering exceptional solutions in an ever-evolving business landscape.

Can you tell us about your background and how you became known as ‘The Octopus’?

My primary focus has always been on problem-solving and helping people avoid them whenever possible. This unconventional approach earned me the nickname ‘The Octopus.’ I have over two decades of experience in various industries, including manufacturing, oil and gas, ICT, and payment card infrastructure. With a background in computer science and certifications in different areas of expertise, I have a wealth of resources that form the foundation of my solutions.

You have a diverse range of certifications and qualifications. How do these contribute to your work as a Business Community and Membership Specialist?

My certifications, such as being a CISCO Certified Network Associate (CCNA), Oracle Certified Associate (OCA), Oracle Certified Professional (OCP), and CompTIA Certified Security Expert (S+), provide me with a strong technical foundation. As a Business Community and Membership Specialist, I focus on leveraging communities, tribes, and memberships to create wealth for members. These certifications, combined with my expertise in stress management, emotional intelligence, anger mastery, and peak performance coaching, enable me to provide comprehensive solutions in business strategy, operations advising, and business systems enhancement.

You have consulted for various corporate organisations and individuals, what are some of the key areas you focus on in your advisory and training sessions?

In my advisory and training sessions, I concentrate on business process engineering, strategy development, and operational improvements. I develop content for capacity building, training, and development, as well as life coaching. My aim is to enhance business models, culture, and processes, helping organizations and individuals achieve peak performance and success. I have also provided guidance to SMEs through my role as a YouWiN Monitor and Consultant.

With your extensive educational background, including an MBA and ongoing DBA studies, how does this enhance your role as a business advisor?

My educational journey, which includes an MBA from the University of Business Innovation and Sustainability (UBIS) in Geneva and ongoing studies for a Doctorate in Business Administration (DBA), has deepened my understanding of business principles and strategies. It allows me to approach advisory roles with a comprehensive and researchbased perspective. The academic knowledge complements my practical experience and enables me to provide well-rounded and effective business advice.

In addition to your work as a business advisor, you are also an accomplished author. Could you tell us about some of the books you have written?

I have authored several books, each with its own unique focus. Some of my titles include ‘Fans Don’t Pay,’ ‘Based on Logistics,’ ‘But What Do I Know?,’ ‘Fearless Seed,’ ‘Rebellion is a Need,’ ‘The Vexed God,’ and ‘My Valleys.’ These books cover a range of topics, including personal development, mindset, and overcoming challenges. Through my writing, I aim to inspire and empower

individuals to unlock their potential and achieve success in various aspects of life.

As a public speaker and teacher, what are some of the key messages you strive to deliver to your audience?

When I speak and teach, my key messages revolve around the power of mindset, personal growth, and self-mastery. I encourage individuals to challenge societal limitations, embrace their true potential, and strive for excellence in their endeavours. I also emphasize the importance of continuous learning, resilience, and taking ownership of one’s life and success.

Are there any specific initiatives or organizations you have been involved with that have made a significant impact?

I have served on advisory boards for organizations such as Civitas Tunisia, Side Brief (with a presence in over 40 African countries and the USA), Rehoboth Center for Elderly Care (RCEC) Nigeria, and School Resource Centre (SRC) Nigeria. These involvements have allowed me to contribute to meaningful initiatives and make a positive impact on various sectors, including education, elderly care, and community development.

With your wealth of experience and expertise, what are your future aspirations and goals?

Moving forward, I aim to continue making a difference through my work as

a business advisor, speaker, writer, and teacher. I strive to empower individuals and organizations to achieve their full potential and drive positive change. Additionally, I am dedicated to ongoing personal and professional growth, as well as expanding my contributions to global platforms.

Can you tell us more about the merger between the Sam Obafemi Behavioral Change Academy (SOBCA) and Business Study Group (BSG) that led to the establishment of Cerca Africa?

The merger between SOBCA and BSG represents an exciting milestone for both organizations. It is a result of our shared vision to make a profound impact on individuals and businesses across Africa and beyond. By combining our exceptional expertise, vast resources, and unwavering dedication, we have created Cerca Africa—a unified entity committed to delivering unparalleled solutions in strategy, processes, change management, marketing and sales outcomes, behavioural change, and coaching.

What motivated the decision to consolidate SOBCA and BSG into Cerca Africa?

Our decision to merge SOBCA and BSG was driven by a common goal to provide comprehensive, innovative, and tailor-made business solutions. We recognized the strength and synergies that would arise from combining our

expertise and resources. By joining forces, we can better serve our clients, empower them to overcome obstacles, maximize their potential, and achieve resounding success.

How does Cerca Africa differentiate itself in the market and what sets it apart from other consulting firms?

Cerca Africa stands out by offering exceptional solutions in strategy, processes, change management, marketing and sales outcomes, behavioural change, and coaching. We take pride in our commitment to being close to our clients, actively listening to their needs, and providing unwavering support as they navigate the challenges of daily business and life. Our team of experts, led by Sam Obafemi, brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to every client engagement, ensuring that we deliver outstanding services that cater to their diverse needs.

Can you tell us more about the mission and values of Cerca Africa?

At Cerca Africa, our mission is to simplify our clients’ journeys by offering exceptional solutions that drive their success. We are dedicated to providing comprehensive and innovative business solutions that empower individuals and organizations to overcome challenges, maximize their potential, and achieve their goals. We firmly believe in the principles of community, tribe, and membership, and how they can contribute to wealth creation. Our values include integrity, excellence, collaboration, and unwavering support for our clients.

How does Sam Obafemi’s expertise and background contribute to the success of Cerca Africa?

Sam Obafemi’s expertise as a trained computer scientist turned behavioural change therapist and business community strategist is instrumental to Cerca Africa’s success. His extensive certifications in life coaching, positive psychiatry, anger management therapy, NLP, and emotional intelligence bring a unique perspective to our services. Sam’s leadership and wealth of experience in driving personal and professional transformations make him an invaluable asset to our team and clients.

What are some of the educational qualifications and achievements that Sam Obafemi brings to Cerca Africa?

Sam Obafemi holds an MBA from the University of Business Innovation and Sustainability (UBIS) in Geneva, an MSc in Management from College De Paris in Paris, and is currently pursuing a Doctor of Business Administration (DBA) with UBIS. These qualifications, combined with his extensive experience and certifications in various areas, position him as a thought leader in the industry. Sam’s educational background and the ongoing pursuit of knowledge contribute to Cerca Africa’s ability to deliver exceptional solutions.

How does Cerca Africa plan to support individuals and businesses in an everevolving business landscape?

Cerca Africa aims to be a trusted partner to individuals and businesses by equipping them with the necessary tools, guidance, and unwavering support. We understand that the business landscape is constantly changing, and we are committed to helping our clients navigate these changes successfully. Through our comprehensive solutions, we empower our clients to adapt, innovate, and thrive in an ever-evolving environment. Our goal is to ensure their long-term success and growth.

Obafemi

NESG’s Creative EconomyThematic Group Holds General Assembly

Precious Ugwuzor

The Creative Economy Thematic Group of the Tourism, Hospitality, Entertainment, Creatives and Sports as a business Policy Commission (THECS) of the Nigerian Economic Summit Group (NESG) on Tuesday, July 4, 2023 held a general assembly to discuss Nigeria’s Creative economy.

The facilitator of the THECS policy commission, Dr Ikenna Nwosu, in his welcome remarks, said that all presidents of professional associations in the creative sector were present to discuss the future of the creative economy, particularly relating to governance, policies, regulations, institutional framework and human resources.

While delivering the opening remarks, a Board member of the NESG, Mr Udeme Ufot MFR, stated that according to the National Bureau of Statistics, Nigeria’s creative sector comprises five sectors: Media and Entertainment, Beauty and Lifestyle, Visual Arts, Tourism and Hospitality.

He noted that the Federal Ministry of Information and Culture (FMIC), the principal policy maker for the sector, has a more extensive categorisation

of the Creative industry.

Furthermore, Mr Ufot noted that Nigeria’s Creative sector is at the forefront of the creative industry in Africa, and if its immense potential is realised, its impressive contribution to Nigeria’s economy can still improve to take a leading role in the non-oil sector’s contribution to GDP.

“Over 4.2 million people are currently employed across the five sub-sectors, potentially creating more employment and contributing more to the national GDP than the 12.2 per cent currently delivered by the telecommunication and information sector.

“If fully harnessed, and considering Nigeria’s huge demographic of highly talented youths, the Creative Economy could even outperform the oil industry,” he stated.

Mr Ufot reiterated that the dominance of Nigeria’s creative industry in Africa had promoted diverse Nigerian culture and drove inward/outward tourism, including reverse tourism, to diaspora Nigerians.

“To optimise the potential of Nigeria’s Creative Economy, we must move the sector from its current disconnected, informal model, to a more structured and

connected industry, with formal systems and interconnected protocols that meet the aspirations of the Creative Economy component of our Medium Term National Development Plan (NDP) 2021 – 2025, the recommendations of the longer term National Development Plan 2050 as well as recommendations of various international developmental organisations; there needs to be a pulling together of critical stakeholders in the Nigerian Creative and Entertainment Space, cutting across all sectoral segments of the NESG THECS,” Mr Ufot stated.

In his presentation on Mandate, Strategy and the Future of Advocacy, the Head of Think Tank Operations, NESG, Mr Sijuola Olanubi, said that the NESG believes in public-private dialogue for sustained advocacy.

He stated that the NESG’s engagement occurs through the political dimension, administrative transition process and policy dimension, which brings together priority policies used to engage government and all stakeholders, noting that the NESG guides against vested interests and aligns her values in the national interest.

The director-general of the Nigerian Copyright Commis-

sion (NCC), Dr John Asein, who Ms Lynda Alphaeus represented in her presentation titled “The Nigerian Copyright Act 2022 in Perspective”, said that the NCC launched the process for reform of the Act in 2012 and it took about ten years for the new Act to be passed and signed into law.

She noted that the Nigerian Entertainment industry has witnessed phenomenal growth, which has led to the creative industry becoming a significant contributor to the Nigerian economy.

She revealed that the new Act improves on the old Act and allows authors to become more reliant and have trust in the legal regime, which will lead to enhanced creativity and legal and administrative governance in traditional and digital space.

The director Entertainment and Creative Services Department, Federal Ministry of Information and Culture (FMIC), Ms Ugochi Akudo-Nwosu, said that the Nigerian creative industry is a strong force and that necessitated the mandate of the department to promote public and private sector collaboration, promote entertainment and innovative services and formulate policies that will embolden the Nigerian creative space.

Apperito Wins Bitter Beverage Award at AFRIBIS 2023

JACQUELINE AKI CALLS FOR GOVERNMENT SUPPORT IN NIGERIAN INTERIOR DESIGN INDUSTRY

Stories by Mary Nnah

Apperito, a premium bitter

aperitif from Grand Oak Limited, has won an award for Africa’s Most Innovative Premium Bitter Appetiser Beverage at the African Brand Innovators Summit (AFRIBIS) 2023, for raising the bar on product innovation and excellent service delivery.

The event which took place in Lagos, Nigeria during the weekend brought together prominent corporate bodies, industry leaders and innovators from across Africa to celebrate and recognise exceptional brands that are raising the bar in their respective industries.

Director, Prime Business,

Grand Oak Limited, Stanley Obi, attributed the brand’s success to the team’s approach to innovation in the past years, reiterating its role as a key ingredient in the brand’s smooth progression and success in the market. He said, “Our approach to leveraging innovation and resolve to deliver an all-round drinking experience, always stands out. We adopt the best practices from across the globe to deliver quality beverages, like our premium bitter aperitif, and unique wholesome experiences. Similar to all of our beverages, we ensure that every drop of the Apperito leaves our consumers with a reason to come back for more.”

The recognition at AFRIBIS

2023 further solidifies Grand Oak Limited’s position as a leader in the alcoholic beverage industry and affirms its dedication to delivering exceptional pr oducts that elevate consumers’ drinking experience.

Speaking on the company’s relentless efforts to keep producing a spirit aperitif of impeccable quality, Temitope Benjamin, Business Brand Manager - Calypso & Apperito, Grand Oak Limited said, “Apperito, as a unique alcoholic beverage, has been crafted to deliver a taste of two worlds to consumers who would like to create their own experiences. Whether sweet or bitter, you

IWS Advocates Better Opportunities for Widows

The International Women Society (IWS) has advocated better opportunities for widows while also calling on Nigerians to raise more awareness about widows’ issues.

The IWS’s President, Mrs IzabellaAbia-Okon appealed recently during the group’s International Widows Day (IWD) celebration with the theme, “DigitAll Widows”.

International Widows Day, celebrated every June 23, is a special day established by the United Nations (UN) dedicated to addressing the poverty and

injustice faced by millions of widows and their dependents.

According to Abia-Okonr, the latest statistics by the UN show that 258 million widows and 585 million children need support globally.

The president who said that widows face many challenges, noted that IWD was significant because it is a day to acknowledge the struggles of widowed women and demand better facilities for them.

She explained that Widows Day empowers all widows by

demanding better facilities and opportunities for them as well as acknowledging the struggles of widowed women.

“It also addresses the regressive mentality of people regarding women and their place in society while advocating the upliftment of women by making them self-sufficient,” she said.

Abia-Okon said that as part of events marking the Day, widows would be trained on how to maximise opportunities with innovation and technology, adding that through the

will love it”.

“This award reflects the business’s dedication to delivering on its promise of bringing an enjoyable experience to consumers. This promise is ingrained in the most minute processing detail of the aperitif and serves as a reminder of why we need to keep innovating to ensure that our consumers love and want Apperito.” Benjamin noted.

Grand Oak Limited has captivated the market with its premium bitter aperitif - Apperito, characterized by its distinctive red colour, intense aroma, unique flavour and pleasantly bittersweet flavour, all of which have garnered widespread appreciation and recognition among consumers.

training many of the widows will understand the difference between working smart and working hard.

“Technology makes it easier to connect to the world and you can begin to produce marketable goods worldwide,” she said.

In her remarks, Mrs Nkoli Obi-Ogbolu, a member of IWS, said the association had trained widows on how to use their phones to empower their businesses and also gave palliatives to almost 300 widows. (NAN) (www.nannews.ng)

Director of Strategic Partnerships at Green Building Council Nigeria and Managing Partner of James Cubitt Interiors, Jacqueline Aki, has urged the federal government to provide support and collaboration in the interior design sector, to enhance its productivity. She made this appeal during the Abuja Interior Design Summit 2023, held recently at the FCDA Conference Hall in Area 11 - Garki, Abuja, in celebration of the international 60th anniversary of World Interiors Day.

The Abuja Interior Design Summit 2023, organised by the Interior Designers Association of Nigeria (IDAN), Abuja Chapter, aimed to address the crucial role of interior designers in designing for the future while considering sustainability, design, and beauty. The summit provided a platform for interior designers, decorators, brand owners, trusted suppliers, and sustainability experts across various sectors, including residential, commercial, hospitality, institutional, and retail designers, to exchange ideas and foster collaboration.

AJOKE ALAMALA SET TO MAKE AFRICAN CUISINES A GLOBAL INTEREST

Tosin Clegg

From a humble beginning in Lagos, Nigeria to her early days of cuisines exposure, Ajoke Adeosun Barakat popularly known today as Ajoke Alamala desires to take african meals to the world and gain its rightful acceptance.

With a food business started about five years ago she has risen over the years to become a household name for a lot of local dish lovers, serving variety of tasty options seasoned with timeless artistry of food making.

The dream for Ajoke is to make African dishes acceptable for everybody in the world. She notes that, “Despite the fact we are not Chinese we eat Chinese meals and we even go as far as eating tacos even as aren’t Mexicans.

“For me, I want people to eat Amala the way we eat their food as well as eat other food options we make so as to take away the stereotype that only black people eat this or that. I just want African dishes to be recognized because our food is beautiful and gives a unique experience to it.”

“ I want people to eat our local food as well as we eat theirs as african dish gives a unique experience. “in five years I see myself having to have managed my headquarters well enough to be able to run smoothly with or without me, so I can fully concentrate on working on outlets abroad. African dish tells a story and we need to tell the story to everyone in the world.” She added.

NGC, ARTSTIER STUDIO COLLABORATE TO HOST ART EXHIBITION IN ABUJA

The Nigerian-German Centre for Jobs, Migration and Reintegration (NGC), in collaboration with Artstier Studios is hosting its made in Nigeria art exhibition in Nigeria’s capital city, Abuja, for young and aspiring artists to sharpen their skills and promote their works.

This year’s exhibition started from Thursday, July 6 and and will end on July Saturday, July 8 at the Discovery Museum, Abuja. The exhibition is the fourth edition the NGC is supporting and the second implemented in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) under the Programme Migration for Development (PME). GIZ’s Programme Migration for Development (PME) is commissioned by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and implemented by the Deutsche Gesellschaft fürInternationale Zusammenarbeit GmbH (GIZ).

In Nigeria, the PME programme has established a structure for migration and reintegration advice, the Nigerian-German Center for Jobs, Migration and Reintegration (NGC).

NGC provides support and one -to-one advice on employment, business, vocational and educational perspectives in Nigeria.

The support is intended both for returnees who need help with their social and economic reintegration and for local people seeking to improve their career prospects. PME works in close partnership with the Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment of Nigeria

L-R: Digital and E-commerce Manager, Grand Oak Limited, Arthur-Marcus Obiene; Brand Promoter, Apperito, Umakeiso Miracle and Brand Business Manager, Calypso and Apperito, Temitope Benjamin at the award ceremony

Jacqueline Aki

First Bank, SMEDAN Sign MoU to Promote SMEs

Nume Ekeghe

First Bank Nigeria has entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Small and Medium Enterprise Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN) in a bid to enhance business activities for Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) and drive the digital transformation and growth of the sub-sector in Nigeria.

The MoU was signed at First Bank’s headquarters in Lagos.

The Chief Executive Officer, First Bank, Dr Adesola Adeduntan, who was represented by the Executive Director, Chief Risk Officer, First Bank, Mr Segun Alebiosu said, “This is a great honour to have you here with us as we jointly embark on this remarkable and highly rewarding journey that

is set to change not just our bank and your organisation, but the fortune of our dear nation, Nigeria.

“At FirstBank, we understand the critical roles that SMEs play in the growth of a nation’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) through diversification of the economy, job creation, wealth distribution and social stability. This is one of the driving forces behind our SME connect initiative through which we offer bespoke financing and non-financing solutions to meet the needs of our growing SME community.

“For instance, in 2022, we disbursed about N455billion in value, via tailor-made loan products to support SMEs in various industry segments and we have also continued to deploy various innovative

e-payment products and services to aid SMEs’ trade and collections and in the process, create a seamless experience of doing business.”

In his response, the Director General, SMEDAN, Olawale Fasanya, stated that SMEDAN is happy to be partnering with First Bank in promoting the group SMEs in the country.

Fasanya observed that trust is the major issue affecting the growth of SMEs and most times when the people know that the government is involved, they see it as a dividend of democracy not to pay back.

“However, we are trying our best to play a lot of advocacy to let SMEs know that there is no free money anywhere and also to discourage the government being directly involved in lending to SMEs, “he said.

TAJBank Sets New Record, Pays Shareholders Dividend

Kayode Tokede

TAJBank Limited has set a new record in the nation’s banking system with the payment of dividend to its shareholders just three years of its operations.

TAJBank made history early this year as the first corporate entity in Nigeria’s history to list Sukuk Bond on the Nigerian Exchange Limited (NGX) after its successful issuance.

Addressing the shareholders, the Board chairman, Tanko Gwamna, recounted the global economic whirlwinds in the past two years as well as the

macroeconomic developments in the nation’s economic space, especially the surging inflation rate, with the attendant negative impacts on businesses. Gwamna maintained that despite the inclement operating environment, the board and management of the bank were able, through innovation and proactive strategies, sustain the bank.

In his report, the bank’s Managing Director/CEO, Mr. Hamid Joda, described the FY 2022 as a significant milestone in the journey of the non-interest lender despite the headwinds that characterized

MARKET INDICATORS

the operating environment as the management was able to deliver on key strategic goals through relentless execution, backed by a positive culture and delivery on high-impact projects.

On the bank’s financial performance in FY 2022, Joda reported that TAJBank recorded remarkable growth across key indices during the year as its balance sheet grew by over 93per cent from N110 billion recorded in FY 2021 to N212 billion while its Profit Before Tax (PBT) also surged from N1.6 billion in FY 2021 to N5.081 billion in 2022 financial year.

Ecobank Gets IFC, NGX Recognition for Promoting Equality

Nume Ekeghe

Ecobank Nigeria limited has been recognised as one of Nigeria’s key private sector players promoting gender balance and equality in the workplace at the Nigeria2Equal Gender Leader awards organized by the International Finance Corporation (IFC) and Nigerian Exchange Group (NGX Group).

The Gender Leader Awards, which is being implemented under the Nigeria2Equal (N2E) program, is designed to recognise, and celebrate private sector companies leading the way in Gender Equality Performance across a broad range of indices. Ecobank Nigeria was an awardee in the Gender Diversity in Supply

Chain category at the highlevel event by private sector company chief executives, business leaders and dignitaries including the Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu. Speaking during the award ceremony, IFC’s Regional Director, Central Africa, Liberia, Nigeria and Sierra Leone, Ms. Dahlia Khalifa, commended the progress of Nigeria2Equal’s participating companies in advancing the role of women in their organizations.

Khalifa said, “As we celebrate the accomplishments of these organizations who have shown outstanding leadership in closing the gender gaps within their own organizations, we acknowledge the power of collaboration and the transformative impact

that specific, measurable, and time-bound commitments can have on achieving gender parity in Nigeria’s private sector. IFC remains resolute in our commitment to sustain the momentum and support the private sector to scale up its efforts for a more genderbalanced, prosperous future.”

Receiving the award, Deputy Managing Director, Ecobank Nigeria, Carol Oyedeji said Ecobank has policies and structures in place that promote gender balance in its employment, stressing that the recognitions are a testament of Ecobank Nigeria’s significant contributions to advancing gender equality within the organization and by extension, in Nigeria’s private sector.

Golden Terra Oil Wins Best Cooking Oil Brand

Golden Terra Soya Oil, one of Nigeria’s prominent cooking oil brands, has won the prestigious award of the Best Premium Cooking Oil Brand at the recent African Brand Innovation Summit. This highly anticipated event brought together industry leaders, experts, and innovators from across Nigeria to recognize and celebrate outstanding brands that demonstrate innovation, excellence, and a strong commitment to customer satisfaction.

This year’s event saw an impressive pool of nominees, all vying for recognition as the

top brand in their respective categories. However, Golden Terra Soya Oil emerged as the undisputed winner in the highly competitive Cooking Oil Brand category, solidifying its position as a trailblazer and a paragon of excellence within the industry.

According to the organizers of the summit, AIPM Nigeria, each brand was carefully assessed based on the set criteria such as innovation, quality, customer satisfaction and market presence. “Golden Terra Soya Oil excelled in all these areas, establishing its position as the leading cooking

oil brand that consistently goes above and beyond to meet the evolving needs of consumers by embodying the perfect balance of taste, health and nutrition” it noted.

Group Executive Director – TGI, Deepanjan Roy said, “We are honoured to receive this award and be recognized for our efforts to create a superior value cooking oil, we believe that cooking oil should be more than just a basic ingredient and this award is a testament of our efforts to provide consumers with a healthier heart-friendly cooking oil that they can trust.”

Money Market Indicators (in Percentage)

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).

OPEC DAILY BASKET PRICE AS AT 16 JUNE, 2023

L-R: Managing Director JumiaPay Nigeria, Mr. Adedamola Giwa; CEO, Jumia Nigeria, Mr. Massimilano Spalazzi; and Head of PR and Communications, Jumia Nigeria,Mr. Robert Awodu, at the launch of Jumia’s ‘E- Commerce in Rural Report’ held in Lagos recently ETOP UKUTT

International Breweries Reiterates Commitment to Delivering Value, Innovation

Kayode Tokede

The management of International Breweries Plc (IBPLC) has reiterated its commitment to deliver value to shareholders and drive innovation and contribute positively to the communities in which it operates.

This was stated by Managing Director, International Breweries, Carlos Coutino, at the company’s Annual General Meeting (AGM) held recently in Lagos.

The company’s leadership team at the 46th AGM presented a comprehensive roadmap for sustainable growth, emphasizing its commitment to innovation, customer satisfaction, and responsible business practices.

Coutino, however, appreciated shareholders for their commitment while stating the company’s challenges occasioned by the government’s increase of excise duty from N40 per litre of excise to N75 per litre, noting that there

will be a further increase to N100 in 2024. According to him, “We foresee that the business sector may witness a reduction as consumer disposable income has reduced significantly. What have we done so far? We have had the support of the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN) and we call on the government and our president to look into these challenges in the beer sector. We request a new and positive policy to mitigate the excessive increase and any

form of double taxation. We also ask the government to give the industry a three to six months moratorium to plan and adjust to new policies.”

The Chairman, Board of Directors, HRH, Obi of Onitsha, Nnaemeka Achebe, welcomed the shareholders to the meeting which according to him has been the most attended since the COVID-19 pandemic. Achebe noted that “The company continues to sustain its production volumes

despite inflation. 2022 was a year that tested the global economy with multiple challenges. 2022 was a year of transformation for us, and we want to commend the Board of Directors for their courageous decision to embark on multiple initiatives to position our Company for better returns.”

According to Finance Director, International Breweries, David Tomlinson, “IBPLC has continued its transformation journey that began 3 years ago. Our focus remains setting

the business on the path to profitability as we continue to invest in aggressive marketing and rigorous research that will consolidate our position as a leader indeed in Nigeria’s brewery sector.”

Speaking from a shareholder perspective, the National Chairman, Progressive Shareholders of Nigeria, Chief Boniface Okezie, said “IBPLC has one of the best product lines in the country. Government should remove double taxation.

PRICES FOR SECURITIES TRADED ASOF JULY/06/23

PRESS BRIEFING BY POPULATION COMMISSION...

We’ll Require Additional N225.2bn to Conduct National Census, NPC Tells Tinubu

Deji Elumoye in Abuja.

The National Population Commission (NPC), has approached President Bola Tinubu for an additional N225.2 billion to conduct a hitch-free national population and housing census in the country.

NPC Chairman, Nasir Isa Kwarra, who tabled the request yesterday while briefing the president about the activities of the Commission at the State House, Abuja, requested the President's approval for the additional N225.2 billion to cover training and fieldwork allowances, retraining of trainers, and the conduct of a second-class trial census.

According to a release by the Special Adviser to the President on Special Duties, Communications and Strategy, Mr Dele Alake, President Tinubu, while receiving the NPC team, noted that population in the urban centres across the country have continued to escalate as a result of the extreme poverty and unemployment in the rural areas.

He also pledged his unwavering support for the Commission in its task to conduct an accurate census exercise.

The president, who will personally come up with new dates for the national population and housing census that was postponed last April emphasised the need for the commission to be prudent in its assignment and work towards producing census data that would be credible and reliable.

The president also expressed concern over the delay in conducting another enumeration in the country since the last exercise done in 2006,

and urged the NPC to view this delay as an opportunity to cash-in on the advantages of the current electronic and digital age.

“It is disappointing that up until now we have not been able to conduct another enumeration of our people. I hope that this delay will be converted to a great opportunity in this electronic and digital age.

“The challenge is yours and I hope that during the demarcation you did, you would have noticed the migration of people to urban centers because of the extreme poverty and unemployment.

“Digitalising the process will make your job easier and I don’t see why we don't, by now, have a reliable database in Nigeria to identify ourselves and ascertain our numbers for planning purposes and in time of disaster.

“I have listened to you and we will support you. Accuracy and integrity of your data is very important to Nigerians and for our national economic development programmes. We will support you but you have to be prudent and be determined to make a name for yourself. Goodluck,” he said.

Earlier, the NPC Chairman noted that the Commission was on the verge of conducting the final training for the Census before they were caught up with the transition programme for a new government and funding challenges, necessitating the postponement of the exercise by the immediate past president, Muhammadu Buhari.

He briefed the President on the implementation status of the 2023 Population and Housing Census, requesting the issuance of

Tinubu Writes House, Seeks Confirmation of Service Chiefs

Juliet Akoje in Abuja.

President Bola Tinubu yesterday wrote to the House of Representatives, seeking the confirmation of the newly appointed Service Chiefs.

Tinubu's request was contained in a letter addressed to the Speaker of the House, Rt. Hon. Tajudeen Abbas, which was read at plenary yesterday.

The service chiefs are: Maj. Gen. C.G Musa, Chief of Defence Staff; Maj. T. A Lagbaja, Chief of Army

Staff; Rear Admirral E. A Ogalla

Chief of Naval Staff and AVM H.B Abubakar, Chief of Air Staff.

According to the letter, the request was in compliance with the provisions of Section 18(1) of the Armed Forces Act. Cap A20 Laws the Federation of Nigeria 2004.

The President asked the House to act expeditiously on the request, considering the level of insecurity in the country.

Tinubu had appointed the Service Chiefs when both Chambers of the National Assembly were on recess.

a proclamation for a new Census date later this year or early next year.

Kwarra also highlighted the funding challenges faced by the

Commission, saying they were waiting on the president to support NPC and give the go-ahead for the conduct of the census.

He said the commission had demarcated the entire country, stating that only one or the two places were left and that this would be done

soon. He also said the commission had trained 60,000 instructors that would further train enumerators and supervisors.

Fayose to Tinubu: I’ll Move against You If You Derail

Expresses support for president's action to salvage Nigeria Insists he’ll never join the APC

Deji

Elumoye in Abuja

Former Ekiti State governor, Ayodele Fayose, has said he would not hesitate to move against President Bola Tinubu if he derailed from his campaign promises to Nigerians.

Fayose, who spoke with newsmen yesterday after paying a courtesy visit to the president at the State House, Abuja, however, commented on his character consistency, saying although he was supporting the president, he would, however, not hesitate to attack him if he failed in his promises to Nigerians.

Insisting he remained a member of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and never to join the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), he said, "I want to say to you that Nigerians know me very well, when President Buhari was to come. From day one, I made it very clear that the president would not do well. I did not hide, I was open to it and I said it repeatedly.

“May I say to you, ladies and

gentlemen of the press, let me tell you, if Asiwaju turns back on his promise, all he said when he was campaigning, I will be the first to talk. I am not timid o and I don’t shy away from facing challenges.

“But the man I have seen today, I don’t eulogise and I don’t praise to curry favour, I am no more a small boy. Let me tell you, the man I saw today and for the actions we have seen, means well for Nigeria.

“But if there’s any reason to derail, it will not be deliberate and we will all be able to draw his attention to his brief as the President and Commander-in-Chief of our country. Let us be optimistic, let us be hopeful and let us believe that there will be a turn around,” he said.

The former Ekiti governor, who recalled that he had always respected Tinubu, pointed out that he had done so well in his last one month in the saddle, and called on all Nigerians to rally round him to do more.

Asked if his visit was part of making the president’s nomination

list, Fayose said, he was not after appointment, and that one didn’t have to be in government to contribute to the success of the administration.

He said though he and some opposition party leaders such as Oyo State governor, Seyi Makinde and former Rivers State governor, Nyesom Wike, were working with Tinubu, he could never join the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) as he remains a member of the main opposition party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

Fayose reiterated his commitment to the PDP, urging politicians to move ahead with elections over.

Further commenting on the performance of the President since he assumed office, Fayose said, “The steps so far taken can readily give us the direction of this government. Elections have come and gone, without prejudice to the courts.

“But it's no more time for campaign or selling a political party, it is time to govern Nigeria

for the benefit of children yet unborn and those of us that are still here and to equally let you know that I had a very wonderful time with the President. You will see him very alert and very clearly in the direction he wants to take the country. But he can’t do it alone, he needs all of us.

“Whosoever is in this saddle is Nigeria on the saddle and we must stand by him, we must give our best and I want to tell you that people like me, others like Governor Wike, Governor Makinde and other wonderful Nigerians, we have made up our minds that it is better to stand with a man of vision and to stand with Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, for the betterment of our country. That is why I’m here,” he said.

Asked again if he was still in the opposition PDP, he said: “I’ve said it in several fora. I will never be a member of the APC. I am a PDP man, if anything takes me out of the PDP or if I don't do partisan politics again, I will be the husband of my wife at home.

Firm to Launch First Fleet of Electric Taxis in Abuja

Oghenevwede Ohwovoriole in Abuja

An indigenous firm, Possible Electric Vehicle Services (PEVS), is set to launch Nigeria's first fleet of electric taxis that are 100 per cent electricity-propelled in Abuja.

The Chief Executive Officer of PEVS, Mosope Olaosebikan, who disclosed this in a statement, said his organisation was thrilled by leading a transformation in the transportation sector.

He said: "In a groundbreaking move towards sustainable and eco-friendly transportation, Possible EVS is set to launch Nigeria's first fleet of electric taxis with an initial fleet of 30 units.

"As a socially responsible and forward-thinking organisation, we’re thrilled to lead this transformative journey.

"We believe our pioneering efforts will inspire other players in the transportation industry to embrace sustainable practices and contribute to a cleaner, greener, and more prosperous Nigeria," he stated in a statement issued by the Media and Publicity Officer, Jeremiah Igrami.

He noted that as a way of supporting the operation of the electric taxis, Possible EVS would establish charging stations across Abuja, serving as a pilot programme for future expansion.

According to him, these charging stations would ensure that the electric taxis have access to reliable and convenient charging infrastructure, enabling seamless operations and reducing any concerns about range anxiety.

"With the introduction of Nigeria's first electric taxi fleet, Possible EVS sets a promising example for the

nation and the African continent as a whole, demonstrating the feasibility and benefits of electric mobility.

"As the fleet expands and more electric taxis hit the streets, Nigeria's urban areas will witness a positive transformation in terms of reduced emissions, improved air quality, and enhanced passenger experiences," he said.

Olaosebikan noted that Possible EVS's electric taxi initiative not only contributes to Nigeria's sustainable development goals but also aligns with global efforts to combat climate change and create a more sustainable future for all.

He said as the nation embraces electric mobility, Possible EVS leads the way in driving the transition toward a cleaner and greener transportation ecosystem.

Nigerians, he stated could look forward to a seamless and

comfortable commuting experience, adding: "Our vehicles are equipped with state-of-the-art features, including spacious interiors, advanced safety systems, and user-friendly technology, and our plans to install fast-charging infrastructure across key locations will ensure convenient access to charging stations and minimise any concerns about range anxiety."

He stressed that with its commitment to sustainability, innovative solutions, and a vision for a cleaner future, Possible EVS was poised to revolutionise public transportation and pave the way for a greener Nigeria.

He stated that "the transport sector in Nigeria represents about 24 per cent of in-scope carbon emissions every year, noting that 72 per cent of these emissions come from passenger vehicles.

Poverty, unemployment driving more people into urban centres, president observes Promises support for commission on next exercise Charges population body on data integrity

L-R: Population Commissioner, Anambra state, Chidi Ezeoke; Population Commissioner of River state, Ipalibo Itarry Macdonald; Chairman , National Population Commission , Nasir Isa Kwarra and the Population Commissioner of Ogun state, Yeye Aderinoku Olusanya, during the Press briefing shortly after meeting with President Bola Tinubu at the Presidential Villa, Abuja…..yesterday. GODWIN OMOIGUI

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L-R:

of Best

... yesterday

Presidency Disowns Ministerial List Being Bandied Around

Dismisses it as mere fabrication Explains Tinubu's meetings with Wike's group,

Deji Elumoye in Abuja and Emma

Okonji in Lagos

The presidency has dismissed all names being touted as possible members of the yet-to-be constituted Federal Executive Council (FEC) of President Bola Tinubu.

It, therefore, described as mere fabrications, various reports on the formation of the new cabinet by Tinubu.

The presidency also said the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) was reaping from the crisis in the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), adding that Tinubu was operating an open door policy that has endeared him to people within and outside the country.

There had been recent media reports speculating on who might have been penciled in for ministerial appointments, citing alleged intense lobbying by interested Nigerians.

Addressing newsmen yesterday at the State House, Abuja, Special Adviser to the President on Special Duties, Communication and Strategy, Dele Alake, said there was no truth in what had been put in the public space about those being toutedfor ministerial appointment.

According to him, the president was within the stipulated 60 days period by the Constitution to submit the list of ministerial list, adding that it was only the president that knows who and who should make his cabinet.

Alake emphasised that the responsibility of appointing ministers rested solely on the president, who would do so when he chose to.

“About the ministerial list. But the simple truth is that, you know, this is an executive presidency, we're not running a parliamentary system. So, the President, the bucks stops on his table, and he decides when it's fit and proper for him to make his cabinet list known.

"We are not unaware of all the speculations, and innuendos and rumours, all kinds of things in the media. But, I as a media man, I chuckle to myself that people want to sell, so they just fabricate.

"I can tell you all of those things you've been reading in the media are mere fabrications. There is no iota of truth in all of those things. When the President is good and ready, you will be the first to know about his intentions."

Alake also informed that Tinubu’s meetings with opposition party figures hadnothing to do with the formation of his cabinet, saying it was in line with his decision to run an open government.

According to him, Wednesday's visit to the president by former

Secretary to the Government of the Federation under the President Goodluck Jonathan's administration, Senator Anyim Pius Ayim, and former Peoples Democratic PartyNational Publicity Secretary, Chief Olisa Metuh, was to commend President Tinubu for the steps he had taken so far.

He praised them for their courage and sincerity just as he flated other opposition members for failing to appreciate the efforts of the new administration.

Alake said the issue of Wike, was a matter of harvesting from

others Says APC reaping from PDP's crisis

the internal crisis of the PDP

According to him, "Wike's case is self-explanatory. It was the tempestuous nature of the PDP internal political wrangling that caused Wike's issue and you are all aware of that. So that one has no issues with Wike's thing, it's an internal affairs of the PDP.

"However, if as a political party your enemy is fighting itself, you reap whatever gain from it without lifting a finger, that's what happened.

"Now about the PDP people that came, you know the President said

his administration is running an open door policy and he is a unifier, he is a symbol of unity of the country. So, if anybody from any angle wishes to see the president and has some salient point to raise or issues or observations or even suggestion, the president opens his doors.

"So those people, Pius Anyim and Olisa Metuh came purposely to commend Mr. President. They came to commend the President for his positive policy initiatives that have put Nigeria back to the global stage and it is not just their

own saying, it is not what they say they observe, we have received the same accolades and encomium from all parts of the globe.

"So, it's not restricted to the PDP people. I think we should commend them for being quite honest and sincere with their views because there are some of the opposition people who also acknowledge this very laudable initiative of Mr. President but they are too prejudiced or myopic or parochial to acknowledge it publicly, so we need to commend those people for having the guts."

Delta Court Adjourns Suit against Uduaghan, Okowa on 13% Derivation Fund to October 24

Sylvester Idowu in Warri

A Delta State High Court in Warri has adjourned till October 24, 2023, for the trial of a suit filed by members of the oil and gas-producing communities in the state against two former governors, Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan and Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa.

The plaintiffs had gone to court to compel the two former governors to give accounts of the 13 per cent oil derivation funds that accrued to the state during their tenures.

Aggrieved members of the oil and gas producing communities in Delta State, led by a human and development advocate, Sheriff Mulade, recently staged a peaceful protest at the headquarters of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in Abuja, and had urged the anti-graft agency to investigate and recover their missing and misappropriated funds back to Delta State Oil Producing Area Development Commission to enable the state commission to carry out developmental projects.

Lead plaintiff, Sheriff Mulade had approached the court seeking the interpretation of Section 162 (2) of the 1999 Constitution and Section 13 (1) of the DESOPADEC Law 2006

(as amended) 2007, 2015 and 2018. Specifically, the plaintiffs are praying the court to direct the erstwhile governors “to account for over N1.8tn of the 13 per cent oil derivation funds to oil producing communities of Delta State during

their administration.”

At the sitting yesterday, representatives of Itsekiri, Ndokwa and Isoko ethnic nationalities filed to join the suit seeking interpretation and accountability of 50 per cent of the 13 per cent oil derivation fund

to Delta State under the two former governors.

Speaking with journalists shortly after the court session, Mulade, the former Chairman of the oil-rich Kokodiagbene Community in Gbaramatu Kingdom, Warri South

West Local Government, noted that the immediate past Commissioner for Information in Delta State, Charles Aniagwu, had confirmed to Arise TV that former governor Okowa remitted only N208 billion against N538,725,142,776.085.

Nigeria Excluded as 12 African Countries Set to Receive Anti-Malaria Vaccine

Ugo Aliogo with agency report Nigeria has been exempted from the list of 12 African countries set to receive the 18 million doses of the first-ever malaria vaccine.

The Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, the World Health Organisation, and the United Nations Children’s Fund disclosed this in a joint press statement on Wednesday.

The Director-General, World Health Chief, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, said Malaria remains one of Africa’s deadliest diseases, killing nearly half a million children under the age of five every year.

The statement noted that the the Mosquirix (RTS,S) vaccine, developed by British pharmaceutical giant GSK, had already been

CBN WARNS OF RISKS TO INTERNATIONAL FINANCIAL SYSTEM

a fair to sensitise business owners and other residents in Bauchi State on the policies and strategic interventions of the bank aimed at ensuring sustainable economic development in the country.

Similarly, the apex bank urged the business community and other stakeholders in the state to partake in its mission of returning the nation to the path of greatness.

In his opening remarks at the CBN Fair which was held at Gombe, the Director, of Corporate Communications Department of the Bank, Dr. Isa Abdulmumin stated that

the event was designed to serve as a platform to interact with members of the public on the policies and strategic interventions of the apex bank for a sustainable economic development in Nigeria.

According to him, "The objectives of this engagement are among others, to sensitise members of the public on how the bank's interventions can grow their businesses and contribute to Nigeria's economy.”

Represented by Esu Imo, Assistant Director in the Department, Abdulmumin also said the "the bank, as a responsible and responsive

corporate citizen, has demonstrated the most passionate commitment to supporting businesses and promoting diversification through the array of interventions in agriculture, health, manufacturing, and other key sectors of the economy.

"The CBN will sustain efforts towards ensuring the availability of currency. We, however, urge you to see naira as our critical symbol of national identity. Respect and keep it clean. Do not spray, hawk, mutilate, or counterfeit the naira," he added.

Speaking further, the CBN spokesman said: "While soliciting the

administered to more than 1.7 million children in three African countries-Ghana, Kenya and Malawi — as part of a pilot programme.

“It has been shown to be safe and effective, resulting in a substantial reduction in severe malaria and a fall in child deaths,” Tedros said.

The statement remarked that in addition to the three test countries, which would continue to receive doses, nine other countries will benefit from supplies, WHO, UNICEF and the Vaccine Alliance (Gavi), adding that the countries included Benin, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Liberia, Niger, Sierra Leone and Uganda.

The statement also hinted that

support and cooperation of everyone to partake in our mission to return Nigeria to the path of greatness, I wish to crave your indulgence to be attentive as we sensitise you on the various modern payment infrastructures for ease of business transactions."

In his welcome address, the Branch Controller (BC), CBN, Bauchi, Haladu Idris Andaza, said that the fair was to also explore the vital roles of the CBN in shaping the Nigerian economy and ensuring financial stability as well as fostering prosperity.

The Branch Controller

the first vaccines were expected to arrive in the last quarter of 2023, and be deployed in early 2024.

Tedros disclosed that a second malaria vaccine, the R21/Matrix-M developed by Oxford University and produced by the Serum Institute in India (SII), “is under review for pre-qualification” by the WHO, a procedure aimed at ensuring that health products to be supplied to low-income countries are safe and effective.”

The Director, WHO Immunisation and Vaccines Division, Kate O’Brien, stated that it was really important to remember nearly every minute a child dies of malaria. (vaccines are) an additional tool in the toolbox to fight against the severe disease, the deaths that occur.

represented by the Acting Branch Controller, Salahu Bello Mohammed said, "the CBN is saddled with the responsibility of ensuring monetary price stability, issuing legal tender currency in Nigeria, maintaining external reserves to safeguard the international value of the legal tender currency among other mandates.”

According to him, "I am also happy with the presentations of this year's fair arranged to sensitise the public on the eNaira, payments system, consumer protection, currency operations and other policies and

She added: “It is a really essential step forward. The vaccine is a step absolutely in the right direction, and it’s the preview of many more millions of doses that will go out.”

The statement averred that the WHO, UNICEF and Gavi estimate that the global demand for malaria vaccines is expected to reach 40-60 million doses annually by 2026 and then between 80-100 million doses annually by 2030.

The statement explained that in 2021, 96 percent of the world’s malaria deaths occurred in Africa, noting that Malaria is a disease transmitted to humans by the bites of certain types of mosquitoes- killed 619,000 people worldwide in 2021, according to the latest WHO figures.

programmes initiated by the bank.

"The whole essence of the fair is to ensure that Nigerians are educated about the bank's policies and programmes and learn how they can benefit from them.

This fair will provide a unique opportunity to delve into the intricate workings of the CBN, understand the challenges faced, and exchange knowledge and best practices. It will also serve as a beacon of innovation, showcasing the transformative power of technology and digital advancement within the central banking domain."

Father

Graduating Student 2021/2022, Lagos State University, LASU, Mr Yusuf; his daughter, Aminat Yusuf; Lagos State Governor, Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu and Aminat’s Mother, Mrs Yusuf during a visit to the Governor at the Lagos House, Marina,

REAL ESTATE CONFERENCE AND EXHIBITIONS...

L-R:

I'll Resume Duties Soon, Says Akeredolu

Fidelis David in Akure

Ondo State Governor, Mr Oluwarotimi Akeredolu, yesterday, assured residents of the state that he was in high spirits and had full faith in the expertise of his Doctors with a promise to return to official duties as soon as possible.

Akeredolu had embarked on a 21-day medical leave on June 7 and was expected to return home on July 6, 2023 (today) to start performing his constitutional duties.

affection, prayers and solidarity from the people.

The statement read: "I pen this message with a heart overflowing with immense gratitude and deep appreciation. Your dedication, understanding, ceaseless prayers and messages of goodwill during my journey to recovery have been nothing short of a soothing balm for my soul.

genuine affection have sustained my determination to renewed vigor and, most importantly, to continue serving you, the good people of Ondo State.

of Assembly for their unwavering support."

GWR: Oyebanji Bans Planned Kiss-A-Thon in Ekiti, Threatens to Prosecute Propagators

Gbenga Sodeinde in Ado Ekiti

Governor Biodun Oyebanji of Ekiti State has issued a notice that he would prosecute owners of facilities that would be used for a proposed three-day Kiss-A-Thon programme which was aimed at breaking a Guinness World Record (GWR) in the state.

According to a Prohibition notice signed by the State Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr. Dayo Apata, in Ado- Ekiti, yesterday, any person or corporate body that allows himself/ herself and facilities to be used in executing the proposed programme in the state would be prosecuted before an appropriate court.

Apata said the state government considered the proposed programme as, “an indecent act, absurd, unhealthy and capable of denigrating the image of Ekiti State and same is contrary to the law of Ekiti State.”

The Attorney General added that the planned Kiss-A-Thon programme was contrary to sections 148 and 150 of the

Criminal law (2021) which prohibits indecent acts and practices in the State, and anyone who violates the law is guilty of felony and is liable to imprisonment for three years.

“The Ekiti State Government has been inundated with a proposed planned 3-day prograamme by some individuals in Ekiti State tagged KISS-A-THON (a programme meant to be a 3-day kissing marathon event planned towards setting a Guinness World Record).

"The State Government has considered the proposed planned event as an indecent act, absurd, unhealthy and capable of denigrating the image of Ekiti State and same is contrary to the law of Ekiti State, particularly sections 148 and 150 Criminal Law no 21 of 2021 which prohibits indecent acts and practices in Ekiti State.

“That pursuant to the provisions of the law and any other relevant laws applicable in Ekiti State, the proposed programme tagged KISS-A-THON is hereby prohibited throughout the breadth and length of Ekiti State.

“Your unwavering support and

"I am profoundly grateful to our esteemed president and Commanderin-Chief of the Armed Forces, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, and his team, as well as all political party leaders, my brother governors, the State Executive Council, and the members of the State House

spirits and have full faith in the expertise of my doctors. I will return to you ALL as soon as they deem it expedient.

However, the governor, in a statement personally signed, expressed appreciation for the extraordinary outpouring of genuine olds). The NCDC DG said a national survey of diphtheria immunity showed that less than half (41.7 percent) of children under 15 years old were fully protected from diphtheria.

The governor noted that the collective strength and solidarity of the people had uplifted his spirit and reaffirmed his commitment to the shared vision for progress and development.

"While I remain on the path to recovery, I eagerly await the moment when I will stand among you once again. Rest assured, I am in high

"My dear people, once again, your prayers, support, and the rejuvenating elixir of goodwill you have bestowed upon me have fortified my resolve. I am resolute in my dedication to serving you and working tirelessly for the betterment of our beloved Ondo State," Akeredolu added.

Abba Kyari Gets N50m Bail in Non-assets Declaration Charge

Alex Enumah in Abuja

Justice James Omotosho of a Federal High Court in Abuja, yesterday, admitted to bail in the sum of N50 million, the suspended Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP), Abba Kyari.

The bail was in respect of his trial in alleged failure to declare his assets, wherein he was recently arraigned with two of his siblings. Beside this fresh suit, Abba Kyari is standing trial alongside four of his

colleagues in the Inspector General special Intelligence Response Team (IRT) over alleged drug deals.

The once celebrated 'supercop' and two of his siblings in the fresh suit marked: FHC/ABJ/CR/408/2022, were specifically accused of failing to declare their assets at the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA).

The anti-drug agency had last month arraigned the suspended DCP and his siblings; Mohammed Baba Kyari and Ali Kyari, on a

24-count charge.

They pleaded not guilty and prayed the court to admit them to bail so as to adequately prepare for their trial.

Delivering ruling in the bail application of Abba Kyari, the court observed that the charge were bail-able and that bail was also at the discretion of the court, adding that there was no evidence that Abba Kyari was a flight risk and would not attend trial if released from custody.

The judge subsequently admitted

the 1st defendant to bail in the sum of N50m with two sureties in like sum.

He, however, clarified that even when Abba Kyari meets the bail conditions, the endorsement of his release warrant was subject to developments in the drug related trial before a sister court.

According to him, Kyari's release warrant in respect of the case before him, would only be signed if the other pending criminal cases were concluded or that he was granted bail in those cases.

$20m Judgment Debt: Court Fixes July 20 to Hear Suit Seeking to Wind Up Eroton Exploration

Wale Igbintade

Justice Akintayo Aluko of the Federal High Court sitting in Lagos yesterday adjourned till July 20 a motion seeking to advertise the winding up and the objection of Eroton Exploration & Production Company, for alleged inability to pay Brightwaters Energy a consent

judgment debt of $20 million.

Justice Akintayo Aluko fixed the date after refusing the application of Eroton praying the court to give priority to the application seeking to commit two journalists to prison for publishing the court proceedings.

Brightwaters Energy's counsel, Olumide Aju (SAN) in submissions

DIPHTHERIA OUTBREAK: NCDC ROLLS OUT FRESH MEASURES TO PREVENT EPIDEMIC IN NIGERIA

He said: "Just like in other States reporting cases, we are working with the FCT Health and Human Services Department to implement control measures and avert the further spread of the disease.

"We urge the public to remain vigilant and ensure persons with symptoms of diphtheria present early to health facilities for prompt diagnosis and treatment. Early diagnosis and institution of effective treatment are key predictors of a favourable outcome. Healthcare workers are urged to immediately notify LGA disease surveillance officers once they see a suspected case."

While giving update on Diphtheria outbreak in the FCT, the NCDC said the FCT Health and Human Services Secretariat had activated the diphtheria Incident Management System (IMS) to coordinate outbreak response activities.

It listed key activities against the outbreak to include active case finding in health facilities and communities, and risk communication and community engagement (RCCE) activities to raise awareness of diphtheria. Sample collection is also ongoing among suspected cases of diphtheria.

The NCDC stated that as at July 3, 2023, only one confirmed case had been detected in the FCT with seven suspected cases testing negative while others were awaiting laboratory results. “No other death was recorded apart from the laboratory-confirmed case," he added.

On NCDC’s response to Diphtheria outbreak in the country, the Centre said it activated a multi-sectoral national Diphtheria Technical Working Group in December 2022, as a mechanism for coordinating surveillance and response activities across the country.

The response activities included coordination, surveillance, laboratory investigation, risk communication, case management and immunisation

activities.

Coordination, establishment of a multisectoral National Diphtheria Technical Working Group (TWG), bringing together relevant stakeholders to regularly meet and monitor the disease trend and coordinate response activities in the country.

The NCDC also said it has deployed the Rapid Response Teams (RRT) to some of the affected states (Kano, Katsina, Lagos, Osun, Yobe) to support response activities in the states and supported the establishment of a diphtheria IMS in the affected states.

The Centre further said it has embarked on the development and dissemination of surveillance tools across the country – case definition, case investigation form (CIF), line listing template and support for active case finding across affected states.

In addition, the Centre said it had developed draft diphtheria surveillance and response guidelines, embarked on sensitisation/training of clinical and surveillance officers on the presentation, prevention, and surveillance of diphtheria and

harmonisation of surveillance and laboratory data from across states and laboratories.

Adetifa said it has commenced the building of capacity of stateowned public health laboratories for diphtheria diagnosis and strengthening the capacity of states for sample collection, transportation, and laboratory confirmation for diphtheria with the support of the United Kingdom Health Security Agency through the following: Other response measures embarked upon by NCDC include; training of laboratory physicians and scientists from selected states across the country at the National Reference Laboratory (NRL), Abuja, on laboratory methods for diphtheria confirmation, supply of diphtheria laboratory and sample collection consumables (transport media, reagents, sample collection materials etc.) to states across the country, supply of biosafety cabinets to some of the affected states, supporting the States in confirming cultures and toxin production testing (ELEK test and PCR) at the NRL on specimens

argued that the motion to advertise the winding up petition should be heard before all other applications.

"Motion to advertise with the full prayers on it has already been ordered by court to be made public. The bailiff has posted it publicly on the gate of the respondent. Press did nothing wrong in publishing it," he argued.

sent in from States and performing drug susceptibility testing (DST) at NRL on isolates sent in from states.

In the area of case management, the NCDC stated that for the first time in over two decades, the country with support from World Health Organisation, procured and prepositioned diphtheria antitoxin (DAT) in-country and distributed it to the affected states.

Meanwhile, the House of Representatives has urged the Federal Ministry of Health and the NCDC to ensure that the outbreak of Diphtheria is contained effectively as well as reduce the fatality ratio in confirmed cases.

The House also called on the Ministry and the NCDC to intensify its sensitisation and enlightenment campaign to prevent and eradicate the scourge of Diphtheria and other related diseases across the country.

The resolutions followed the adoption of a motion on the ‘Need to Address Emerging Outbreak of Diphtheria in Nigeria,’ moved by Hon. Muktar Tolan Shagaya, during

Another party seeking to be joined, Librod energy limited also informed the court through their lawyer, Mr. A. Akpan, that their client had a judgment of N15million and $74,000 against Eroton Exploration. He also urged the court to set the case down for hearing and discountenance any form of distractions.

plenary yesterday.

Shagaya noted that the sporadic increase in the number of Diphtheria cases in Nigeria based on the recent reports of the World Health Organisation (WHO).

He noted that Diphtheria remains a highly contagious vaccine-preventable disease which spreads between people mainly by direct contact or through the air via respiratory droplets.

He, however, expressed concern that the cases were being underreported in Nigeria despite the threats it poses to public health, including respiratory complications, heart rhythm problems and other fatal outcomes in situations of late detection.

"The federal government needs to intensify its efforts in sensitising and educating the public, especially those living in rural areas on the prevention, control and treatment of Diphtheria," he added. The House thereafter mandated its Committees on Healthcare Services and Legislative Compliance to ensure compliance.

Director, CSR-in-Action Limited and Cordinator, Vantage Forum, Meka Olowola; Global Co-Lead Pastor, The Elevation Church (TEC), Bollarinwa Akinlabi; , President and Founder, Pistis Life & Leadership Institute and Global Co-Lead Pastor, TEC, Godman Akinlabi; Senior Pastor, The Summit Bible Ministries (SBC), Abuja, Dr. Andy Osakwe, and Senior Pastor, SBC, Ndidi Osakwe, at the Skyborne Real Estate Conference and Exhibitions organised by Vantage Forum, the innovative business incubation and enterprise support platform of TEC, held in Lagos… recently

HEINEKEN AT 150 CELEBRATION IN NIGERIA...

Senate Shields Buhari's Finance Minister from Multi Billion Dollar Gas Project Probe

Sunday Aborisade in Abuja

The Senate, yesterday, initiated the process to investigate the gas supply contract agreement awarded to a private firm, Acugas Limited during the administration of former president Muhammadu Buhari.

This was sequel to a motion moved by Aniekan Bassey (PDP, Akwa Ibom) at the plenary presided over by Deputy Senate President, Barau Jibrin.

Bassey's motion claimed that, in 2017, Niger Delta Power Holding Company (NDPHC) entered into agreement with Acugas Limited for supply of Gas to Calabar Generation Company Limited (Calabar Genco).

The Akwa Ibom Senator

revealed that the agreement on the gas supply contract was that the federal government will commit over $10 million monthly to Acugas Limited for supply of gas to the Calabar Generation Company Limited.

The Senator noted that the agreement on gas supply to the Calabar Genco was coordinated by former Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Zainab Ahmed.

He said the huge sum of money committed to the supply of gas to the Calabar Genco has become a major concern to the public because the agreement and payment methods for the project were not transparent.

Bassey, therefore, urged the Senate to mandate its committee

Nwoko: Nigerians Overrating Wike over Senate Minority Leadership

Chuks Okocha in Abuja

Senator representing Delta North Senatorial District, Ned Nwoko, has said Nigerians were overrating a former governor of Rivers State, Nyesom Wike’s influence in the emergence of minority leaders of the 10th National Assembly.

Describing the speculated influence as baseless, Nwoko who spoke while addressing journalists, said Wike could not represent seven political parties that made up the minority, stressing that the opposition senators decided on their own before Tuesday’s plenary.

“The minority parties in the 10th assembly consist of seven political parties. This becomes the requirement

for those parties to nominate who will be the minority leader, and the question is this, is Wike a member of seven political parties?” he asked, explaining that a number of signatures were required before the minority leaders were unveiled.

He said, “Over two weeks now, some people were going about to collect signatures of Senators for this exercise and have met the requirements. So, there is nothing anybody can do.

“PDP as a party knows when the 10th Assembly was inaugurated, and if they want to participate in the nomination of the leadership, how many times have they called for meeting? So nobody should cry over spilled milk,” he said.

on Power when constituted to probe and unravel the parties involved in the gas supply, payments made so far, status of the gas supply agreement and interrogate all authorities involved in the project.

He also prayed the senate to urge the office of Attorney

General of the Federation to ensure due diligence in the preparation and execution of transaction agreements with companies and stakeholders involved in the gas supply agreement.

The Deputy Senate President, Barau Jibrin, who presided over

the plenary granted prayers of the motion to mandate the Senate committee on Power when constituted to probe the gas supply agreement and ensure due diligence on transaction of the gas supply agreement.

However, the Senate, in a unanimous decision kicked

against the invitation of the immediate past finance minister on the excuse that she did not act on her own authorities. The red chamber said whoever emerges finance minister in the Tinubu administration should be summoned since government is a continuum.

Abbas Stands Down Proposal Seeking Kanu’s Release

HURIWA

The Speaker, House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas, yesterday, stepped down an amendment motion seeking to release Nnamdi Kanu, leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB).

This was as the Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA), has urged President Bola Tinubu to fulfill his campaign promise to dialogue with agitators, including the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) as a way of restoring lasting peace in the country, especially in the South East geopolitical zone.

However, House’s decision was sequel to a recommendation by Hon. Ginger Onwusibe (LP-Abia) following a motion by Hon. Eze Nwachukwu Eze (PDPEbonyi) on the need to Forestall Further Killings in Ebonyi Local Government Area, and the Rising Insecurityi in Ebonyi/Ohaukwu Federal Constituency, Ebonyi State. Onwusibe, representing Isiala

Ngwa North of Abia State, during the debate asked the House to amend the motion to ensure the release of Kanu so as to end the disturbing cases of killings in the south eastern part of the Country. Eze while presenting the motion urged President Bola Tinubu-led administration to consult with Political, Traditional and Religious Leaders in Ebonyi State and South East to find a lasting solution to the Insecurity in the South East.

He urged the Acting Inspector General of Police to mobilise Armoured Personnel Carriers to strategic Points across Ebonyi State to forestall future attacks and that the Nigeria Police Force and other relevant security agencies to ensure effective policing of Ebonyi/Ohaukwu Federal Constituency of Ebonyi, other States of the South-East and the entire country.

The amendment to the motion to include the release of Nnamdi Kanu was, however, rejected and deferred by the Speaker who said the subject matter should not come under the motion on

Ebonyi killings.

But Onwusibe argued that the insecurity was as a result of the prolonged detention of Kanu, adding that the government should consider a way of releasing him so as to restore peace to the region.

Yet, the Deputy Leader of the House, Hon. Ibrahim Halims, rejected the amendment, saying, "matters like that are always determined by court and not by parliamentary decision."

The Deputy Speaker, Hon. Benjamin Kalu, said the motion moved by Onwusibe was to find an amicable way of resolving the issue with regards to Kanu, but that what the prayer of the amendment should read was to urge the president to use any other diplomatic or political approach to find a lasting solution on this issue and that those from the region know where the shoe is pinching us.

The speaker, in his ruling, stated that, "This is a topical issue. My ruling on this is that I will defer ruling on this at this particular time and I will invite both the

minority and majority leaders to consult and see what the law says before making his own position known.

"So while I rule on other motions and amendment that have been proposed, that particular one is suspended for ruling next week after due consultation," he added.

Meanwhile, HURIWA, in a statement by its National Coordinator, Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko, urged Tinubu not to follow the path of his predecessor, Muhammadu Buhari, who refused to free Kanu despite an Appeal Court judgement granting freedom to Kanu.

The group asked Tinubu to prove to Nigerians that he was a democrat by respecting the rule of law and the dispensation of justice.

HURIWA also implored the president to respect the sanctity of his promise made on November 24, 2022 during the presidential campaign of his party, the All Progressives Congress (APC), in Abakaliki, the Ebonyi State capital.

NADCEL 2023: Tinubu Assures Nigerians of Protection of Lives, Property

Kemi Olaitan in Ibadan

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, yesterday, restated the commitment of his administration to ensure protection of lives and properties of all Nigerians across the country.

The president, who was represented by the Vice-President, Senator Kashim Shettima, gave the commitment at the Sports Arena of the 2 Div Nigerian Army Headquaters, Oojo, Ibadan, during the Grand Finale of the 2023 Nigerian Armed Forces Day

Celebration (NADCEL 2023).

In his keynote address, the president, while assuring Nigerians of his determination to protect lives and properties, equally promised better funding, equipment and robust welfare packages to advance the professional efficiency of the military.

He urged the Army personnel to adhere to international best practices in their operations as well as military-civilian relationship while tasking them on the need to be resolute as their sacrifices

would not be in vain.

“Nigerian Army has remained one of the strongest pillars of hope for the Nigerian citizenry as we forge ahead to achieve a united, peaceful and prosperous nation. My administration will continue to do everything within the constitution and power to ensure the safety of the law abiding citizens as well as unity of our dear country.

“As for the members of the Nigerian Army and the entire Armed forces, I assure you of

untainted commitment to your welfare. I’m aware of the issue of inadequate equipment and insufficient funding among other factors constraining your efficiency, the federal government under my leadership has instituted a mechanism that will address all these shortfalls.

“My remarks will be incomplete without commending the Chief of Army staff for his proactive measure in organising this well package NADCEL 2023, especially as he only recently assume office,

this also showed his readiness in support to tackle all the security challenges, I assure you, I will continue to support all the laudable initiatives put in place in the pursuit of national defense and security of our nation.”

Earlier, the Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Major General Taoreed Lagbaja, in his welcome address, re-emphasised the theme of the celebration titled: “Sound administration as panacea for effective military operations,” and vowed to lead the Army

with loyalty and support to democratic governance in the country.

“The Nigerian Army is indeed one of the potent tools of the nation building. It is on this note that I proudly state that this celebration remains a very important platform for us all to remember the invaluable sacrifices that our personnel have continue to keep Nigeria a united, indivisible and prosperous nation additionally while reflecting on the past,” he said.

L-R: Brand Manager Heineken, Azuka Ijenebe; Sales Director, Nigerian Breweries Plc (NB), Ayodele Lawal; Corporate Affairs Director, NB, Sade Morgan; Managing Director, NB, Hans Esaadi; Digital and Technology Director, NB, Philomena Aneke, and Head, Premium, Sessionable Portfolio, Sampson Oloche; at a press conference announcing the Heineken at 150 celebration in Nigeria, held at NB’s office in Lagos… yesterday

Chuks Okocha and Juliet Akoje in Abuja.

PROMOTING HOUSING…

L-R: Sales Manager, Victron Energy, David Alsina; Founder, Citadel Views Estate, Dr. Kennedy Okonkwo, and Head, Strategic Business Unit, Victoria Crest Homes, Chiamaka Okonkwo, at a press briefing on the 205 units of solar-powered homes in Citadel Views Estate in Ajah, Lagos....yesterday ETOP UKUTT

Court Remands Couple for Using Underage Girls for Prostitution in Anambra

David-Chyddy Eleke in Awka

A Children, Sexual and Gender-Based Violence Court, sitting in Anambra State, has ordered the remand of one Mrs. Ekpereamaka Okonkwo, 39 years, and her husband, Mr. Okechukwu Okonkwo, 36 years, in prison.

Ekpereamaka was arrested last week after her brothel was busted by youth of Oba community in Idemili North Local Government

Area, for using underage girls for prostitution.

She, however, escaped to Asaba, Delta State, and later sent her husband, Okechukwu, to bribe the commissioner for Women’s Affairs and Children’s Welfare, Mrs. Ify Obinabo, with the sum of N300,000, to enable her return to business.

Obinabo, who played along, accepted the money and asked her husband to bring her for settlement, but Ekpereamaka was

RMAFC Commends Sule for Seeking to Diversify Nasarawa’s Economy

IgbawaseUkumbainLafia

The Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC) yesterday commended Nasarawa State governor, Abdullahi Sule, for his remarkable efforts aimed at diversifying the economy of his state.

Chairman of the commission, Mohammed Shehu, made the commendation when he led a delegation from the RMAFC on a courtesy call on the governor, in Lafia. Shehu specifically lauded the governor for his strides in seeing that Nasarawa State becomes an

oil producing state, especially with the official flag-off of oil drilling at the Ebenyi-A oil well in Obi Local Government Area of the state.

He equally extolled Sule’s latest foray, particularly the mining of lithium by a Chinese company in Nasarawa Local Government Area of the state.

“We have seen now that very soon Nasarawa will be declared an oil producing state and eventually alongside that there will be the 13 per cent derivation that is given constitutionally to every producing state.”

Abiodun: Ogun to Deliver 250 Housing Units

James SowoleinAbeokuta

Ogun State Governor, Prince Dapo Abiodun, has stated that his administration would make available, about 250 semi-detached and fully-detached duplex at the President Muhammadu Buhari (PMB) Estate before the end of the year.

Abiodun, who stated this during an inspection of the first phase of the 60 mixed development scheme at Kobape, Abeokuta, yesterday, said the project, when completed, would have a recreation park, shopping centre, and security post among

other facilities.

He said: “I am sure that between now and the end of this year, we will have nothing less than 200 to 250 units that will be completed here with the complementary landscape and all other pieces of furniture that are required to make this place an ideal place to live.”

Abiodun, while disclosing that the project is among several ones inherited from the past administration, noted that the contractor, who, according to him, had taken the state government to court and was about to get a judgment against the state, has been paid off.

Delta Gov, Service Chiefs Expected as Ika People Welcome Irabor

Governor Sheriff Oborevwori of Delta State and the top brass of the nation’s Armed Forces are expected to grace a reception for the immediate past Chief of Defence Staff(CDS), General Lucky Irabor at Agbor tomorrow, July 8, 2023.

The reception, being organised by the people of Ika Federal Constituency, is expected also to be graced by the Speaker of the Delta State House of Assembly,

arrested when she showed up.

The charge, which was read to the defendants during yesterday’s court sitting at the Magistrate Court, Awka, included committing official corruption,

prevention of course of justice and procurement of about five underage girls for prostitution purposes in Oba.

Their offences were said to be punishable under section

495 (a) of the Criminal Code Cap 36 Vol II, Revised Laws of Anambra State of Nigeria, 1991.

The Media Assistant to Commissioner for Women’s Affairs and Children’s Welfare,

Miss Chidinma Ikeanyionwu, who monitored the court sitting told journalists that the defendants pleaded not guilty to all the nine charges preferred against them.

Ogun: Tribunal Defers Objections to Adebutu’s Documents Till Final Addresses

The Ogun State Election Petition Tribunal, yesterday, said that objections to documents tendered as exhibits by counsel to the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) and its candidate, Hon.

Ladi Adebutu, be reserved till the final written addresses.

The Justice Hamidu Kunaza stated this as the tribunal admitted the documents, tendered from the bar by the PDP as exhibits. Adebutu and the PDP had on

Tuesday attempted to tender the documents in court to have them admitted but the respondents requested that they inspect the documents before being admitted.

The tribunal, therefore, gave both the petitioners and the respondents Tuesday and

Wednesday to scrutinise all documents and re-present same on Thursday (yesterday).

At the resumed sitting, counsel to the petitioners, Mr. Goddy Uche, informed the tribunal that the respondents had inspected the documents as ordered.

Host Communities Urge NLNG to Comply with Senate’s Order on N18.3bn Compensation

Blessing Ibunge inPortHarcourt

Some landowners, under the aegis of United Pipeline Host Families and Communities Association of Rivers State have urged President Bola Tinubu to compel the management of Nigeria Liquified Natural Gas Company Limited (NLNG) to obey

the order of the 9th Senate of the National Assembly and pay them their due compensation for forcefully acquiring their lands. The aggrieved landowners who cut across over 74 host communities in eight Local Government Areas of Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni, Ahoada West, Ahoada East, Abua Odual,

Emohua, Akuku-Toru, Degema and Okrika areas of Rivers state, decried NLNG’s refusal to pay them the N18.3billion compensation as directed by the Senate. They claimed that the compensation was for acquiring their land illegally and loss of use of the affected land to Pipeline

Right of Way (ROW) through the communities for over 25 years.

The 9th Senate had on October 4, 2022, during plenary, after NLNG allegedly failed to show proof of payment for acquisition of 210 kilometre of land belonging to the landowners, resolved and approved the people’s claim.

Mbah Inaugurates Enugu JAAC for Funds Utilisation

Gideon Arinze in Enugu Enugu State Governor, Peter Mbah yesterday inaugurated the state’s Joint Accounts Allocation Committee (JAAC) as part of efforts to ensure that funds meant for grassroots development are utilised.

The 16-member Committee

has Comrade Anthony Udeh as Chairman, Dr. Peter Aneke as Secretary, while other members include the Accountant General of the State, Mr. Tony Okenwa, and the Chairman of the Association of Local Governments of Nigeria, Enugu State chapter, Hon. Okechukwu Edeh.

Inaugurating the Committee

in Enugu, Mbah described the local government as the layer of government closest to the people, saying those charged with the management, monitoring, and distribution of local government funds must be men and women of integrity to ensure that the people are sufficiently and positively impacted.

“Local government account for us, is a very important account and we believe we must ensure that the people who will manage and ensure the allocation, monitoring, and distribution of this account are credible people because the local government is that arm of our government that is closest to the people,”he said.

‘Lagos Lacks Power for Film, Video Censorship under 1999 Constitution’

Gboyega Akinsanmi

The contention over the production of Gang of Lagos has taken a new dimension with Amazon Web Services Nigeria challenging the power of Lagos State to censor films and videos

under the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999.

Amazon, a subsidiary of Amazon Inc and founder of Prime Video Nigeria, further contended that the Cinematograph Law of Lagos State, 2004 “is not applicable to

film and video censorship in the state.”

This position was canvassed in a preliminary objection to a suit filed by the Isale-Eko Descendants Union (IDU), Chief Ayodele Bajulaiye and Chief Abdul-Waheed Ayeni

(claimants) against the producers. The producers include Jadesola Osiberu, Kemi Lala Akindoju, Adesegun Adetoro, Demi Olubanwo, Olumide Soyombo, Bankole Wellington, Adesua Etomi-Wellington, Kola Aina and Greoh Limited.

Rt. Hon. Emomotimi Guwor, the Chief Judge of Delta State, Honourable Justice Tessy Diai, the immediate past Governor of Delta State, Senator Ifeanyi Okowa, among several other eminent personalities in the land. Also all 11 monarchs from the Federal Constituency are expected to grace the ceremony and give a touch of tradition to the homecoming taking place at the Public Field, Agbor.

Sunday Okobi

The management of Citadel Views Estate (CVE) has officially handed over 205 housing units out of 306 to its customers in Lagos within a year of commencement of the project.

Disclosing this to journalists

MichaelOlugbodeinAbuja

The federal government has cautioned Nigerians to refrain from dumping waste indiscriminately and to promote good hygiene practices in order to arrest the ravaging flood.

The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) had

yesterday during the inspection tour of the expansive estate in Ajah area in Lagos State, the Founder and Chairman of the estate, Dr. Kennedy Okonkwo, stated that facilities in the estate, which make it unique, were borne out of consideration for climate change, taste, aesthetics, and security challenges in Nigeria,

recently raised the an alarm that 14 states and 31 communities across the country might witness heavy rainfall that may lead to flooding between July 4 and 8. There have also been instances of flooding in some part of the country so far.

The Ministry of Environment

“because the estate is solar powered, functional and highly secured.”

Okonkwo, however, noted that there would be mortgage facilities for those willing to subscribe to the estate by way of purchase, adding that they have also invested in cooperative with the host community, which has seen

them as partners.

“The Citadel Views estate, which is at Ogombo road, Abraham Adesanya area, boast a justifiable array of timeless design elements intertwined seamlessly with cutting-edge innovations, resulting in a harmonious blend of past and present.”

Dumping

has also promised to immediately commence sensitisation of residents of the federal capital territory (FCT) on the need to curb indiscriminate dumping of waste.

The Permanent Secretary in the ministry, Mallam Ibrahim Yusufu made the revelation at a news briefing in Abuja towards

of Waste

Firm Hands Over 205 Solar-powered Housing Units to Customers in Lagos Flooding: FG Warns against Indiscriminate

the commemoration of this year’s national environmental sanitation day. Yusufu, who attributed the recent flood in parts of the capital city to lack of awareness on sustainable environmental practices, said something drastic needed to be urgently done to arrest flooding during this rainy season.

James Sowole in Abeokuta

‘Tinubu May Perform Better than Buhari, But Not on Anti- Corruption’

James Sowole in Abeokuta

A university don and Professor of Political Science and International Relations, Babafemi Badejo has predicted that the President Bola Tinubu-led administration would perform better than former President Muhammadu Buhari on other issues affecting Nigeria, but not on the fight against corruption. Babafemi declared that even though Buhari failed woefully, in the fight against corruption, Tinubu may not do any better in that regard.

Babafemi stated this while

delivering the maiden Inaugural Lecture of the Chrisland University, Abeokuta, Ogun State.

The lecture entitled, “Interests,” was delivered at the auditorium of the university and attended by the Chancellor of the institution, Mrs. Winnifred Awosika, members of the academic community both from within and outside the university including students.

He argued that, Tinubu’s silence on anti-corruption war since assuming office had proven that the president may not be serious about fighting

WORLD OF ISLAM

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

corruption.

Babafemi said, “It is my own view that former President Muhammadu Buhari failed woefully on the issue of anti-corruption. He did start by wanting to implement the UN anti-corruption’s strategy and went further to appoint a committee and that committee did nothing till today.

“On President Tinubu, it is too early to give a conclusion, but I can say that from what he has done in one month, he will do far better than Buhari, but not on fight against corruption.”

Osun Reassures Pensioners, Denies Half Salary, Mass Sack Speculations

Yinka Kolawole in Osogbo

Osun State Government yesterday denied a statement credited to a pressure group within the Nigerian Union of Pensioners (NUP) about plans to sack workers, describing it as fake news.

A statement issued by Mallam Olawale Rasheed, spokesperson to the state governor said: “We affirm that there is neither a plan to sack workers nor any re-introduction of half salary. This was old fake news sponsored by agents of the opposition which the public is implored to ignore.”

The statement also noted that:

“Governor Ademola Adeleke is available to meet all stakeholders for the development of the state. As a responsive leader, the governor has met many groups and associations since assuming office. Many of such groups are also lined up for appointments with the state chief executive officer, including the protesting pensioners.

“It is, however, important to

CHANGE

OF NAME

I formerly known and addressed as AKPE HAPPY OVIGUERAYE now wish to be known and address as MRS ABADA HAPPY OVIGUERAYE. All former documents remain valid. The general public should please take note.

I formerly known, called and addressed as MISS IROEGBU IMMACULATE ONYINYE now wish to be known, called and addressed as MRS NNADI DIVINE IMMACULATE. All former documents remain valid. The general public should please take note.

I formerly known, called and addressed as MISS OJO VIVIAN OBAKPORORO now wish to be known and addressed as MRS JOHNSON VIVIAN OBAKPORORO. All former documents remain valid. The general public should please take note.

I formerly known, called and addressed as SALAM FATIMOH AKEEM OMOTOSHO now wish to be known and addressed as SULAIMAN FATIMOH TITILOPE. All former documents remain valid. The general public should please take note.

I formerly known, called and addressed as KENNY GRANVILLE now wish to be known and addressed as KELLY GRANVILLE. All former documents remain valid. The general public should please take note.

CORRECTION OF NAME

This is to notify the general public that PRECIOUS DIKE, PRECIOUS O.N DIKE, and PRECIOUS ORIEAHA NKAYA DIKE refers to one an same person. Any documents bearing any of these names remain valid. The general public should please take note

Blame Postmodernism for the Immorality Explosion (I)

Spahic

Omer/IslamiCity

Islam is not a religion in the conventional sense of the word. Rather, it is a complete way of life. It is a heavenly ontological design at the heart of which resides man in his capacity as the crown of God’s plan for creation, plus the acme of God’s creative willpower. This makes perfect sense because people have been created by the Almighty Creator, have been placed on His earth within His universe to carry out the honorable task of vicegerency instituted by none other than God, have been subjected to His physical (existential) laws (divine will), and because to Him, ultimately, everyone will return to be held accountable for his or her performances.

note that the government of Governor Adeleke has remained committed to meeting its financial obligations to workers, both in and out of service. The

government can however not pay off all outstanding salaries and pensions at once due to paucity of funds which is known to all stakeholders.

CSO Tasks Political Parties on Women’s Participation

Ibrahim

Oyewale in Lokoja

Ahead of November 11th governorship election in Kogi State, a civil society group, Conscience for Human Rights and Conflict Resolution (CHRCR) has urged political parties in the state to encourage women participation in political party activities by enabling them to emerge as party candidates for elections at all levels.

The CHRCR also tasked political parties to institutionalise anti-corruption policy in their constitutions and manifestoes to curb corrupt practice during next gubernatorial election.

This was contained in a communique that was issued at a one-day review of post 2023 elections in Kogi State.

It said: “The opposition

Islam and the Objectivity of the Truth

In other words, man came from God, lives because of Him and for Him, belongs to Him, and to Him, he returns – fulfilling thus both the human mission and destiny. The truth of Islam is the objective truth, transcending the vicissitudes of time and space and also the variables of man’s material and immaterial highs and lows. Man and the world are to be governed by the authority of that truth, not the other way around.

political parties must perform their functions of holding the ruling party accountable.

“IPAC must reorganise and re-energise their activities towards performing its roles of holding its members accountable

“Internal party democracies should be strengthened by collaboration with Civil Society Organisations and other relevant stakeholders during primaries and other party activities

“Political parties and their candidates need to include anticorruption transparency and accountability in their campaign activities and manifestos.

“Political parties and their candidates should ensure that they use their campaign activities to promote their manifestos to their members and the general public.

God is the Creator, man a creation; God is the Master, man a servant; God is the Sovereign Disposer of all things, man is the heritor of divine providence. It, therefore, appears reasonable that in the spheres of man’s moral, spiritual, and even intellectual developments, too, man should take counsel with the highest echelon. Indeed, under no circumstances should there come to pass an exchange of titles.

Man cannot follow the natural and physical laws of God but reject His spiritual and moral laws. Man cannot be an obedient servant in matters of no choice, but whenever and wherever he has a chance – in matters of choice – he turns into a disobedient and big-headed wretch. As a wise man once said, a person can do such a thing only if he could be his own creator, his own provider, and his own sustainer. If he could control his own destiny, and if he could live on his or somebody else’s – other than God’s – earth.

What is more, man is a weak, disoriented, reckless, and evanescent creature endowed with little knowledge – irrespective of what the proponents of secular humanism would like us to believe. After thousands of years of existence, fenced off from the revealed knowledge and guidance, man is yet to answer the most fundamental questions pertaining to his own existence and to existence taken together, the most embarrassing of which, certainly, are those questions apropos of gender, marriage, family, and race. If man cannot answer the questions of who or what he is, how and why he is here on earth, what, as well as why, he is supposed to do, and why people are different, then by what means and through what medium or agency is he supposed to tackle the questions about the rest of the aspects of creation, the mind-bogglingly vast and complex universe, and the possibility of the existence of other dimensions?

All this after thousands of years of philosophizing, ideologizing, moralizing, and proselytizing – i.e., enlightening, acculturating, and civilizing - for which some of the greatest minds of homo sapiens have been frittered away. The meaning and purpose of life, happiness, bona fide progress, and contentment are ever more elusive - and the clock is ticking.

Postmodernism as an Unnecessary Evil

Here we are at the beginning of the 21st century when people are expected to be the most enlightened, most advanced, and most civilized, standing at the threshold of the end of history and the endpoint of humanity’s ideological and sociocultural evolution, however, the situation is anything but. Man has gone through so much ideological uncertainty and so many civilizational ups and downs that all that has now converged on himself and his real world, bearing down on his fragility. Life has been a roller-coaster of constructions and misconstructions and clashes of narratives, resulting in nothing more remarkable than post-modernism and its unbroken love affair with the curse of relativism: metaphysical, epistemological, and ethical. Does not man deserve more and better than cynicism and anarchism? Did he not since time immemorial yearn for something more exciting and more consequential?

At the end of everything – wittingly thoughman came to know nothing for sure, neither about himself nor other animate and inanimate realities. Be that as it may, what man has been created for? to find, embrace, internalize, and live the truth, is neither known nor knowable. Life, too, as the most consequential, meaningful, and beautiful concept, as well as actual experience, has been downgraded and rendered one-dimensional, aimless, and vain. Itisasifpostmodernismhasbeendeliveredasan

affliction, perhaps for all the religious subversions and misdoings of man in the past. It could yet be the biggest scourge of the (post)modern man and his evolutionary curve. It could be a doom, a “life sentence.”

Brian Duignan from Encyclopaedia Britannica said in his article “Postmodernism and Relativism”: “Postmodernists deny that there are aspects of reality that are objective; that there are statements about reality that are objectively true or false; that it is possible to have knowledge of such statements (objective knowledge); that it is possible for human beings to know some things with certainty; and that there are objective, or absolute, moral values. Reality, knowledge, and value are constructed by discourses; hence they can vary with them” (Brian Duignan, Postmodernism and Relativism).

Terry Eagleton also wrote in his book “The Illusions of Postmodernism”: “Postmodernity is a style of thought which is suspicious of classical notions of truth, reason, identity and objectivity, of the idea of universal progress or emancipation, of single frameworks, grand narratives or ultimate grounds of explanation. Against these Enlightenment norms, it sees the world as contingent, ungrounded, diverse, unstable, indeterminate, a set of disunified cultures or interpretations which breed a degree of scepticism about the objectivity of truth, history, and norms, the givenness of natures and the coherence of identities” (Terry Eagleton, The Illusions of Postmodernism).

Postmodernism as the Nemesis of Authentic Goodness and Virtue

In short, postmodernism is associated with skepticism, distrust, contrariety, and philosophical critiques of the possibilities of absolute truths and objective realities. It yet turned against its precursor: modernism – despite the latter’s equally rebellious mood, nihilism, and total rejection of traditions and established religions, together with moral principles – for it was based on idealism and glorification of reason and science. As fresh and ground-breaking as those approaches had been, postmodernists felt that not even they could go unchallenged. Postmodernism’s credo of anti-authoritarianism and anti-conventionalism in belief, thought, and style (practice) was on a collision path with modernism, which, after all, still believed in certain ultimate universal principles connected with its utopian vision of human life and society based on material science driven and reason guided progress. That is to say, modernism’s crime was its self-glorification and its perception of itself as an end in its own right – essentially ascertaining a form of truth – which was incompatible with postmodernism’s spirit of perennial doubt and non-truth. Individual experiences and interpretations of those experiences were favored over abstract and external doctrines, and inner individual voices were placed on a pedestal at the expense of the external and supposedly authoritative ones.

In any case, the idea and portents of postmodernism are anticlimactic, despondent, and a symptom of man’s existential failure of cosmic proportions. It is inconceivable that all the positivity and optimism of classical antiquity (the period of cultural history between the 8th century BC and the 5th century AC), and all the (neo)optimism and (neo)excitement of the Renaissance, Enlightenment, and Scientific Revolution, have boiled down to celebrating postmodernist ignorance (the lack of objective knowledge) and uncertainty (the lack of objective truth), and have been cut down to the postmodernist abandonment of moral and intellectual responsibilities, constructive moral and intellectual progress, and any genuinely productive dialogues or debates.

In like manner, postmodernism celebrates and fosters anarchy, confusion, and lethargy, in that everyone who can think by definition is right and every society that agrees on something is also right; beliefs are merely personal and collective opinions; nobody can criticize or persuade anybody concerning anything; and there is no reference frame a person can measure himself and his views against because subjective and socio-cultural preferences are the only measuring sticks.

One then wonders how a person can be wrong, censured, tried, and imprisoned, given that whatever (s)he has done was his or her choice and preference (hence, (s)he was right), or how a society can be blamed for its collective choices and decisions; how, for example, to blame Hitler and Nazi Germany for their wrongdoings (their choices and their interpretations of right and wrong), or how to convince anybody today that Vladimir Putin and his regime are guilty of invading Ukraine when such happened on the basis of their collective opinions, preferences, and interpretations of historical as well as current actualities. Doing so would imply the imposition of objective truth, which, however, is unacceptable and so, is blasphemous.

BACKPAGE CONTINUATION

EMEFIELE: SCAPEGOATING A BUHARI PROXY

Eight years of his presidency to the bargain, the man had launched a grenade to explode the myth of his abstemious integrity. Never call a man great until the end of his life, cautions the bard. To the contrary, Tinubu is coming to office with the baggage of a deserved reputation as ‘a corrupt political fixer’. Now, he has an opportunity to make amends and poked the middle fingers at the sceptics. Personally my prayer is that like Buhari, he would undo this earned reputation.

Beyond the unravelling of Buhari’s reputation as a man of integrity, the myth of his naive innocence is controverted by his freudian slip declaration of intent he let loose in faraway Washington at the early days of his presidency. He solemnly swore to adopt parochial discrimination in favour of those who gave him ninety-seven of their votes. He then proceeded to double down on this policy with his request from the World Bank president, Jim Yong Kim. “In my very first meeting with President Buhari the president specifically said that he would like us to shift our focus to the northern regions of Nigeria and we’ve done that,” said Mr. Kim.

On his penchant for literally zoning the office of the chief of army staff position to the pan Islamic North, this was his revealing rationalisation. “People who have been there for 18 years or even for 10 years, they trained in Zaria or in Abeokuta, they come through the ranks.“And because they served under all the circumstances, the crises and everything and they gradually rise to that status and you think you just pick somebody just to balance

up? These positions have to be earned”.

So here was Nigeria’s commander in chief making the dubious claim that, of the lot of Nigerian army officers of Christian North and Southern Nigeria origins, none merits appointment as chief of army staff. It did not occur to him that were this truly the case, the Nigerian army will willy lilly stand accused of the practice of apartheid in the upward mobility of officers. This is not the language and logic of a man blissfully unaware of the world around him. It is the mindset of a cunning mischief maker set on an ulterior agenda. If this segment of the Nigerian army were so lacking in qualification, where, then, did his successor find the newly appointed chief of army staff.

To further prove the point of his malicious capacity for full engagement with selective policy issues was his ideological agitation over IPOB and Biafra. “IPOB (said the purportedly empty minded simpleton) is just like a dot in a circle. Even if they want to exit, they will have no access to anywhere. And the way they are spread all over the country, having businesses and properties, I don’t think IPOB knows what they are talking about. In any case, we say we’ll talk to them in the language that they understand. We’ll organise the police and the military to pursue them.”

From what we know of Nigeria’s power politics and how it impacts the tenure of appointees from outside the ranks of the exclusive favoured captive enclave, Emefiele should be reckoned to have compensated for his retention in office with a sworn oath

NIGERIA: RELIGION, POLITICS AND POWER

what we experience in our country, is the constant whittling away at the wall of this separation by politicians and special interest groups.

Only recently, some of our political leaders with somewhat checkered history of religious bigotry, have deployed strong determination to entangle religion with the affairs of the state, ignoring the long-proven fact that each function better, if left untrammeled by the other. Without any doubt, these actions gravely impede the functions of government and distort national cohesion, unity and peaceful coexistence. To think that the salubrious religious culture and atmosphere that we enjoyed in the distant past have given way to a collapse that undermines and breeches this separation, is rather bewildering and utterly disturbing.

A certain Governor was caught on hot mic berating Christians from his State, and threatening and boasting that he has perfected a devilish strategy on how to ensure that his State will only produce Muslim governors and deputies. This Governor succeeded in polarizing this State that once boasted some semblance of parity along religious lines. The sins of this Governor did not stop with the feckless treatment of his citizens, but he took his insouciant hubristic noise further by announcing to the country that his, and his accomplices goals was to Islamize Nigeria. These pronouncements were not only disgusting but also mirrored the rise of religious nationalism, and shows that by politicizing religion, it has completely lost its revered and prophetic voice, required for nurturing and advancing human coexistence and world peace. The Governor, whether he realises it or not, has done an incalculable harm, through his privileged position, to national peace and democracy. His radical ethic of using his religion to promote his politics, I will assure him, will wither and die. I can also assure others here, or in America, who utilize their religious privilege in the pursuit of their political agenda by yielding to the seduction of political power, and the benefits of the alliance with state, that they have lost both their dignity as humans and honor as followers of the God they proclaim to worship and promote.

For those who have boasted and celebrated about how they have dispossessed Christians and others of their rights, they must know that their actions are nothing but shams and an unholy license to political power of dominance. That, also, their sounds of rejoicing over their evilness and gross injustice, are empty swelling vanities. We must remind them, that their impudence and victimization of those they are meant to govern, are bombastic impiety of hypocrisy and ignorance.

During this past Presidential elections, a certain Presidential candidate was captured on tape speaking to one of these Pentecostal Pastors. The essence of the conversation was the politician seeking the help of the magical Pastor to reach out to members of his congregation to vote for him. The implication of this taped conversation, if it was authentic, was a pandering of a Christian candidate to a priest to sway his Christian followers to him based on religious affinity.

The pursuit of political power and the desire for privileges by Christians have become rather degrading in my sight. I believe that as Christians we must submit to the tenets of our religion where the scripture enjoins Christians to pursue their goals, be it political or otherwise, through the spiritual disciplines of prayer, worship, fasting and believing. The desperate and corrosive effects of seeking political powers through ungodly ways compromise the Christian faith. We must recall how Donald Trump became some sort of a salvific figure directed by the Christian God to save America and reclaim America’s Christian heritage. With the exposition of the mountains of scandals that followed his regime, it became apparent that God never sent him, and that his evangelical followers and their morality propositions, were nothing but hot air and unnecessary political privilege peddling.

Those who would oppose my opinion here, and believe that the church should deploy its moral authority or influence to seek political empowerment, must not fail to realize that the church itself and its practitioners are even more susceptible to the leavening and corrosive effect of political power. That is to say, that, instead of the church reforming or transforming the state, the corruptive tendencies of the state will transform and deform the church. Despite the avowedly overwhelming influence of religion in our political establishment, and the apparent unity between both, the existence of that extraconstitutional phrase “separation of religion and State” still remains the guiding principle, or if you may, the governing documents. Even when we debate to the absence of this in pure and strict terms and letters, it remains infused in our innert constitutional thinking and values.

of servitude to the Buhari writ large cabal. He remained in office at the sufferance of a president loath to tolerate any strategic office holder not bearing a pan arabic northern identity. Thus sworn to mindless sycophancy to the Buhari cabal, it was how high he would jump whenever self-enrichment requests to compromise his office were made from the Villa.

There is absolutely no reason to doubt that pervasive corruption was the order of the day during the pendency of Emefiele at the CBN but such comitance was coterminous and coextensive with the agenda of his principal. With specific regards to the monetary policy that got the goat of then candidate Tinubu, (the currency redesign policy), the vested interest fingerprints of Buhari are boldly implanted all over the policy instrument. Such indicators are ‘”President Muhammadu Buhari has approved the appointment of Ahmed Halilu as the Managing Director of Nigerian Security Printing and Minting Company, NSPMC Plc, DAILY NIGERIAN reports. Halilu, an elder brother of First Lady Aisha Buhari’’. “I am aware that this new monetary policy has also contributed immensely to the minimization of the influence of money in politics,”

Former governor and former minister of aviation, Isa Yuguda, may not have had Buhari in mind when he went public with his committee report on the Nigerian national petroleum corporation, NNPC. Inter alia he said “I am sad to let Nigerians know what I saw; we came across situations where subsidy

was claimed on pipelines that never existed. They (NNPC and Marketers) just claim that they have pumped X amount of either finished products or crude”

“Those that claimed to pump the products and those that are in the subsidy scam, they just fill papers, invoices and they claim subsidy on it” When asked again if it was indeed the NNPC that was making these claims, Yuguda replied in the affirmative. “Who else is doing it,”. Yet, Buhari was the minister of petroleum.

And in the spirit of the Bulkachuwa confession culture, the former president pointedly unveiled his culpability in the subsidy scam a week ago. Playing dubious politics with the lives of Nigeria, he confessed “Finally we must be politically honest with ourselves. My administration in its last days could not have gone the whole way in removing the subsidy because the APC had an election to win. And that would have been the case with any political party that was seeking election for another term with a new principal at its head. Poll after poll showed that the party would have been thrown out of office if the decision as envisaged by the new Petroleum Industry Act was made”.

From our standpoint, the sum of the Buhari personae is his mastery of the art of hypocrisy, convenient memory lapse and looking the other way pretending to be unaware of the Nigerian fire he relentlessly stoked. This, for me, is his primary DNA to which incompetence, incapacity and ignorance of arrogance are adjunct genetics.

is abysmal to say the least.

For many Nigerians who can see deeply into our affairs, it is not difficult to know with certain level of certainty, that there has been a long-drawn-out intension by some political miscreants to falsify and distort the religious, and even the tribal and ethnic equilibrium that have for long been the stabilizing pillars in our body politic. What would one call the Moslem-Moslem partnerships and tickets in our political contests? Whatever happened to the balance in our political and religious process? The inclination for one religion to dominate the affairs of the State with sufficient instigations and temptations by taking the road of uncanny perilousness, portends nothing but danger for the growth and unity of the Country.

To be clear, I hold a strong view that Christian leaders as well as other religious leaders while seeking to participate in the political process through their alliances to their countries with a moral responsibility to reform and transform their political systems, must entrust their ultimate loyalty to God in propagating those virtues as enshrined in the holy books and scriptures. To do otherwise will degrade the basic known ethic of religion, and deprive us the glorious role reserved for our various religions in being the conscience of the world. What is the business of our government in our religion? Is it to use it to secure national morality and cohesion, or for the basis of prosperity, life, or freedom? Isn’t religion a matter which lies solely between man and his God? Why is our government interested in sponsoring and paying for private citizens to go to Mecca, Jerusalem and Rome for religious pilgrimages? Is it to mend their minds, or to control their lives? Where are the positive effects of these government actions? It must appear that the more we visited God’s tabernacles and mosques on these pilgrimages, the more we perfected our acts of wickedness once we returned home. Specifically, the forewarned adverse effects of government intrusion into religion can only be imagined.

There are several rungs on the ladders of religious cruelties that have occurred in our country. To begin to mention them, will be to needlessly open up old, but festering sores. My fear hangs dangerously on an incurable pessimism which compels me and many other well-meaning citizens to question if we will ever turn the corner from this animality. Now, to behold our politicians and their accomplices saddling religion as a tool to (mis)rule us with deliberate degeneration,

Someone sent me a blog purportedly written by the revered and erudite Bishop Matthew Kukah. I am not sure if he wrote it or not, but I will take the risk of quoting some of the contents as they represent certain feelings I habor on the subject. Bishop Kukah wrote: “After independence, in order to build a great nation, each country went to work... but in Nigeria... our people went to pray and fast... while we were praying, Malaysia came and took our palm seedlings and built great factories of it, …while we were praying Singapore went into investment in technology... India went into ICT, China went into massive industrialization. …while we were shouting Alakuba and going to Mecca, UAE went into massive infrastructural development... while we were mounting huge speakers and building gigantic mosques and churches, America was mounting man on the moon...”. I apologize in advance to Bishop Kukah if these quotes ascribed to him are not actually his, although I find in them, very useful narratives.

As we ponder roles of religion and politics in our affairs, we must recognize that there exists an inherent contradiction when citizens battle to figure out if they are under the authority of God or the state. Voluntary consent to God (religion) as the higher authority, compels citizens to require that public officials (politicians) govern in a manner reminiscent and consistent with divine justice, equity, rightness and goodness. At the same instance, citizens will stand against the same state intruding in the affairs of their religion, no matter under whatever reasons or pretences.

The choice to write about this subject as simple as it may appear, renders confounding episodic attempt throughout our history to subvert our freedom and liberty. I see clear dangers of state interference in religion, and on the other hand, the potent dangers that religious interests pose to the political order (the state). I believe that political stability can exist alongside religious vitality in our society with each acting independently, but in synergy for the attainment of a stable and progressive human society. Our institutions will benefit from the mutual exclusivity of our religions and state, if our powerful politicians will learn to obey our Constitutions and obey God.

•Dr. Okey Anueyiagu Writes from Ikoyi, Lagos

President Tinubu

14 Days to Kickoff of World Cup, Falcons’ Coach Throws ‘Bomb’ at

Where is $960,000 Preparation Money from FIFA?

Duro Ikhazuagbe

With barely 14 days to Super Falcons’ first game of the 9th edition of the FIFA Women’s World Cup against Canada at the Melbourne’s Rectangular Stadium in Australia, there appears to be no peace in sight between the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) and its senior women’s team’s Head Coach, Randy Waldrum.

In the past two weeks, the otherwise taciturn American gaffer has lost his cool, shooting from the hip at any person that resembles officials of the federation.

Waldrum whose performance on the job has been far from satisfactory,

led Falcons to finish fourth at the last African Women’s AFCON in Morocco and barely scraped through to the Mundial to be jointly hosted by Australia and New Zealand.

He in turn accused the federation of not allowing him to bring on board one of his trusted assistants to the team while also trying to impose players on him. In addition, the former university coach claimed he was being owed 14 months wages and allowances.

The NFF was not happy with the manner Waldrum took the issue of his owed salaries to the public domain two weeks ago.

Football chiefs at the Sunday Dankaro secretariat of the NFF

called Waldrum’s bluff and appear to be stalling for his contract to expire after the World Cup before giving him the boot.

But in his latest outburst yesterday on the ‘On the Whistle’ podcast which is a direct response to the statement issued by the federation, Waldrum insisted that “Up until about three weeks ago, I had been owed 14 months salary, and then they paid seven months salary.”

He revealed further that he is not the only one that is being owed. “We still have players that haven’t been paid since two years ago when we played the Summer Series in USA...It’s a Travesty!”

Waldrum queried what the NFF

has done with the $960,000 FIFA paid to each of the 32 countries that qualified for the World Cup in Australia/New Zealand.

“I’m not going to be quiet anymore...In October, every country (that qualified for the World Cup) was given $960,000 from FIFA to prepare for the World Cup. Where’s that money?” queried the Super Falcons Coach.

To prepare the minds of Nigerians not to expect any miracle from his team, Waldrum insisted that he has not been allowed to have enough hands to help him scout on other teams in the same group as Super Falcons.

“FIFA allows your staff to have

up to 22 people but we only have

11. We don’t have scouts to watch the teams in our group or potential opponents,” Waldrum emphasized amongst other accusations leveled against the Ibrahim Gusau led NFF.

There was no immediate reaction to Waldrum’s latest podcast from the NFF secretariat in Abuja even as most football stakeholders in the country were pissed by inability of the federation to fire the coach from the Nigerian job.

The Super Falcons who are currently on 15-day training tour of Gold Coast in Australia, had earlier traveled to Japan, Mexico and Turkey for preparatory tournaments leading to the World Cup.

Apart from playing Canada on July 21, the nine-time African champions will clash with co-host nation Australia and Republic of Ireland on Thursday, 27 Julyand Monday, 31 Julyrespectively, at the Lang Park in Brisbane.

Kanu, Okocha, Mikel Make Premier League Best Africa XI

Super Eagles and Arsenal Football Club legend, Nwankwo Kanu; for- mer Chelsea midfielder, John Mikel Obi; and former Bolton Wanderers and Super Eagles Captain, Austin Jay Jay Okocha, have been included in the Premier League greatest Africa XI.

The list was announced by SuperSport, the official broadcast rights owner of the Premier League in Africa, at a Gala Night in Lagos on Thursday evening.

Premier League Africa XI was voted by football fans across Africa, as part of activities marking the 30th anniversary celebration of the Premier League.

Other African Premier League legends on the list include; former Arsenal defender, Kolo Toure; former Chelsea goalkeeper, Edouard Mendy; Manchester City winger, Ryad Mahrez; Chelsea legend, Michael Essien; former Liverpool striker, Sadio Mane; Liverpool winger, Mohamed Salah; Chelsea legend, Didier Drogba and Manchester City legend, Yaya Toure.

Speaking on the essence of Premier League Africa XI project, CEO Designate, SuperSport, Rendani Ramovha said: "It has been an amazing journey. To have a partnership of 30 years with the Premier League and bringing the trophy to Lagos is special.

“It has been 12 months of consistency. Our core objective is to be obsessed with the fans. Our objective at SuperSport is to impact people's lives through sports. This is about giving the fans a voice and the fans have made their choice. All I feel about this is gratitude,” stressed the SuperSport CEO designate.

Between March 24 and June 30, a 30-man list was presented to football fans across Africa to vote for their best African footballers to have graced the EPL, on SuperSport website. Players with the highest number of votes were announced as Premier League's greatest Africa XI.

Enyimba, Remo Stars Light up Lagos as Naija Super 8 Begins

The Nigeria Premier League (NPL) champions, Enyimba International of Aba and runner-up, Remo Stars of

Ikenne, will this afternoon (4.30pm) kick off the maiden edition of the multi-million Naira Naija Super 8 Football

Tournament at the Mobolaji Johnson Arena, Onikan, Lagos, with the opening fixture.

2023

Olukoya Women’s

Basketball to Tip off July 10 in Lagos

The 3rd edition of Dr & Dr (Mrs)

D. K Olukoya Women Basketball Championship has been scheduled to hold from July 10 through July 15, 2023 at the National Stadium in Lagos.

Some of the participating teams at this edition include; First Bank of Lagos, MFM, Sunshine Angels of Akure, Bayelsa Achievers, Dolphins of Lagos, Ekiti Angels, Heartland

Queens of Imo State, among others.

The annual event is part of activities lined up to celebrate the Mountain of Fire and Miracles Ministries General Overseer, Dr Daniel Olukoya and his wife Dr Shade Olukoya on their birthday which coincidentally is same July 15.

One of the participating teams is MFM Women Basketball Club,

founded by Dr Olukoya in 2018 as part of his 70 points youth repositioning agenda. They’re the second best women basketball team in Nigeria and have represented the country on the continent.

Matches are to be played at the Indoor Hall of the National Stadium and the National Institute for Sports (NIS) gymnasium in Surulere, Lagos.

According to the Chief Executive Officer of Flykite Productions, Jenkins Alumona, the 10-day tournament will feature 15 matches and live music performances by Afrobeats artistes.

Other clubs participating in the tournament include; newly promoted Sporting Lagos and Katsina United, Rivers United, Lobi Stars, Akwa United and Yobe Desert Stars.

Going by the price money outlay by the organisers, each of the clubs at the tournament will earn N3 million per match at the group stage. “Semi-finalists will earn an

additional N3 million, the runners-up will earn N9 million, while the winners will go home with N25 million. All the matches will be broadcast live on SuperSport Football (DStv ch 205 & GOtv ch 61),” observed Flykite Productions in a statement yesterday.

Alumona said Naija Super 8 finals will be a carnival of music and football. “The Play-off at the Eket Township Stadium has given us snippets of what to expect at the Lagos finals. We are in for 10 days of spectacular football displays from Naija Super 8 teams.

“We are also making this tournament a carnival of football and music for the fans. An Afrobeats artiste has been

scheduled to perform live on each matchday. At the same time, fans will also be able to refresh themselves at different refreshments stands around the stadium, courtesy of our sponsors, Pepsi and Hero Lager,” Alumona said. Set to perform at the opening match today is the popular Zazuu crooner, Portable. Other artistes scheduled to perform at the tournament include 9ice, Daddy Showkey, Lil Kesh, Pheelz, Bella Shmurda, Peruzzi, and Crayon.

Naija Super 8 is organised in partnership with MultiChoice Nigeria and sponsors, MTN, Hero Lager, DStv, GOtv, SuperSport, Moniepoint, Pepsi and Custodian Assurance.

L-R: Nwankwo Kanu, John Mikel Obi and Austin Jay Jay Okocha were listed in Premier League’s Africa’s Greatest XI unveiled in Lagos last night

Randy Waldrum...no holding back any more

Group to Armed Bandits

“To successfully end armed banditry business in Nigeria, all bandits’ camps in our forests must be dislodged as anything short of this will not bring lasting solution. Negotiating with armed bandits will never yield positive outcomes...armed bandits often exploit negotiations to buy time, regroup, and strengthen their positions. They view negotiations as a sign of weakness of government” –Chairman, Birnin-Gwari Emirate Progressives Union(BEPU), Ishaq Kasai, advising President Tinubu to ignore calls to negotiate with bandits.

Emefiele: Scapegoating A Buhari Proxy AKIN OSUNTOKUN

“The man is in the hands of the authorities. Something is being done about that. They will sort themselves out.The financial system was rotten. Few people were making away with our money…that is gone now; the man (Emefiele) is in the hands of the authorities,”-President

Bola Ahmed Tinubu

The extant grooming of the Nigerian public to focus its angst on the former central bank, CBN governor, Godwin Emefiele, serves the purpose of making the banker a scapegoat for the bigger culprit, former President Muhammadu Buhari, on whose desk, the buck stops. Moreso, in this specific instance, when the bank was effectively reduced to the status of an Aso rock villa annex. At the level of generalisation, this is a universal political phenomenon in which deniability is a strategic component of reducing the vulnerability of presidents to hostile inquiry in and out of office. Deniability is plausible and effective when it is minimally deployed, not when it becomes the raison d’etre of the totality of a benighted presidency.

In the instant, we are led to believe that Buhari is a daft empty minded sovereign who sees no evil, hears no evil and does no evil.That his minions and proxies, from top to bottom, are the ones exploiting the leadership vacuum, to wreak havoc on Nigeria. A misrepresentation is all but summed up in the frivolous exculpation that Buhari is not

personally corrupt. What are the parameters for making the determination that a president is not personally corrupt? Would a president be deemed personally corrupt or not corrupt if he, by omission and commission, set up his

family and friends to serve as fronts? What would be the implicit utility of the billions allegedly accumulated by the likes of Tunde Sabiu and the eighty two years old nephew of the president, Maman Daura?

If a president’s cronies took a cue from their principal’s body language to gorge themselves senseless with public resources, would this exculpate Buhari from being judged personally corrupt? How much was his security vote and how was it expended? For what reason would a president resolutely retain so called juicy appointments for ethno regional confederates, if not a dog whistle of a tacit acquiescence to plunder as they wish. Hobbled by a number of circumstances, the regret is that his successor, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, cannot be realistically expected to avail the Nigerian public of the extent to which his predecessor is personally not corrupt. There is the constraining intervening variable of intra-party succession made worse by the fact that the party itself is corruption personified. It is the rule globally, much more so in Africa, that the inclination to probe a predecessor positively corresponds to the degree of the ‘hostile takeover’ by a successor. Were Jonathan to have been succeeded by a Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, president, it is improbable, his government would have been subjected to the public show trial conducted by his All Progressives Congress, APC, successor. This partisan abetment is reinforced by the implication of Tinubu in the story of

OKEYANUEYIAGU

GUEST COLUMNIST

institutional corruption in Nigeria. As such he is not expected to readily don the toga of anti-corruption crusader, were he to be otherwise persuaded, in the first place. There is the additional hamstring of anticipatory or aspirational corruption in which a government turns a blind eye to prior acts of corruption and tamps down on anti-corruption rhetoric (in the interest of its own potential fignalling with the public till).

President Tinubu bore witness to this scenario when he publicly identified a personal opportunity for corrupt enrichment in the legacy of the hitherto two tier window of dealing in foreign currency. “I could afford to share the benefit by participating in the arbitrage, but God forbid! That’s not why you voted for me,” he said. There are, even now, reports of incoming public officials swearing to ownership of fictitious trillions in their declaration of assets as alibi for what they intend to steal from public coffers, going forward.

There is a morality tale for the president here. In the Nigerian corruption perception index at the inception of their presidency, Tinubu is the opposite of Buhari. At that stage, the latter enjoyed national and international acclaim as an anti-corruption crusader. At the time, this seemed a fair albeit generous assessment

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Nigeria: Religion, Politics and Power

Throughout our country’s history, we have had to face some sort of chicanery, unpleasant, and oftentimes, some devastating truths about our existence as a people living in a so-called nation. One of the many truths we have faced and endured, is the role of religion in our politics, and how this element manipulates our lives and our actions without any compunction, empathy or understanding.

In our Constitution, as in most other Constitutions of other democracies, there is a clear separation of religion from politics. There has always been religious neutrality in public affairs, despite the many pragmatic expediencies of politics and religion mixing in our political experiments. The ways politics is infused with values and in other concepts of our lives have become far more contemptuous now, than ever before in our country.

From my study and teaching of the science of politics, it has been abundantly clear that the virtue associated with religion has always manifested as being good for government, and that despite the associated concept of separation between religion and state, the role of religion in upholding virtue and morality in our societies, and in the functioning of

government, is still perceived as necessary. If separation, however, was thought of as a measure to prevent the good essence and role of religion in government, I will presume that it was not the pure intention of the crafters and drafters of our Constitutions.

However, it is today evident, that religion and its various practitioners have polluted the affairs of the state. The possibility that our religions have exerted immense influence over public matters, is more prevalent now in many climes around the world, than ever before.

From as far as my memories can carry me, and to the present times, our politicians and religious extremists have continued to endanger our secular democracy. From America, Europe, around the world, and to Nigeria, religious zealots are aggressively targeting, for prohibition and banning, laws and issues that do not square with their beliefs and extreme conservative ideologies. These attacks have put in jeopardy, the constitutional principle of the separation between religion and government; principle that shields our democracy and safeguards our cherished liberty and freedom. The big question now, is how to keep religion out of government?

In writing this essay, it is necessary to focus on the conflicts generated by religion-state dicotomy. In my opinion, there is something more worthy of the religion-state separation issue, in terms of the good/evil polarity and how our Constitutions view the justification and necessity of its practical structure. Realizing that the metaphor of a wall separating religion and state is written into our Constitution, it becomes intricately difficult not to see how religious beliefs cannot be established in schools run by religious groups or owned by government. The rights enshrined in the Constitution to the effect that everyone has a right to determine one’s own religious belief and also a right not to be force-fed a belief with which one might disagree, is sacrosanct and cannot be abridged by any government. But the question does exist to probe this proposition, and I doubt if any self-evident truth holds strong here.

Many believe today, with anecdotal evidence, that the United States of America’s Supreme Court has sold its soul to the Christian Right and to the Conservative party. The court in its stride, is overturning precedents and shifting many old laws to the religious right. As in America, many religious issues in Nigeria have

permeated the laws of the land. The sharia laws introduced by some state governments in complete override to the Constitution, is a case in point. It didn’t matter to the politicians propagating these religious laws that they could be harmful to, and damaging to the country’s constitution, in endangering the principle of the separation of religion from the state.

The theoretical wall of separation between religion and state is layed shakily with hypocrisies. The wall is not as high and impregnable as our weak and feeble Constitution makes it out to be. The transcendent moral high grounds of the secularity in our Constitution insinuate much less than it says. In fact, there are conflicts waiting to be sorted out and resolved on this unprecedented experiment in religion-state relations. It is frightening that despite our constitutionally codified principle that the government should have or play no role in favouring or supporting any religion, our political actors are indulging in flouting this statue. Instead of this provision shielding the government from religious factionalism,

Continued on page 38