FRIDAY 14TH AUGUST 2020 by THISDAY Newspapers Ltd

Nigeria Risks Debt Sustainability Crisis, FG Warns Says economy may slide into second recession in four years Udora Orizu in Abuja The federal government has warned that Nigeria faces medium-term fiscal challenges, especially with

respect to its revenues, which could snowball into a debt sustainability crisis if not immediately addressed. It also said that with the negative growth in the

country’s second-quarter GDP, the economy could slide into a second recession in four years, with significant adverse consequences, unless the third-quarter economic

performance showed better results. It projected that Nigeria's nominal Gross Domestic Product (GDP) will rise to N138.415 billion by 2023

and will also increase from N130.836 billion in 2020 to N 132.1254 billion in 2021. The Minister of State for Budget and National Planning, Mr. Clement Agba,

reeled out the data yesterday while presenting the draft 2021-2023 MTEF/FSP to the House of Representatives Continued on page 9

Buhari Inaugurates Tallest Building in South-south, South-east... Page 8 Friday 14 August, 2020 Vol 25. No 9258. Price: N250

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Outrage as NBC Fines Radio Station N5m for Hate Speech Commission’s board says code illegal, rejected by 55 stakeholders Atiku, Falana, NUJ flay penalty Iyobosa Uwugiaren, Chuks Okocha, Olawale Ajimotokan and Udora Orizu in Abuja The National Broadcasting

Commission (NBC) yesterday triggered a public outcry for slamming a N5 million fine on a private radio station based in Lagos, Nigeria Info 99.3FM, for airing views it categorised

as hate speech. No sooner had the NBC penalised the radio station over the views expressed by a former deputy governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN),

Dr. Obadiah Mailafia, on one of its programmes, “Morning Cross Fire,” on August 10, than Nigerians, including a former vice president, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, condemned it.

Lagos-based lawyer and human rights activist, Mr. Femi Falana SAN, also condemned the fine, describing it as illegal. The NBC had penalised the radio station based

on the revamped Nigeria Broadcasting Code (NB Code), which jacked up the fine for hate speech from N500,000 to Continued on page 9

FG Seeks Vital Weapons from World Powers to End Insurgency Ejiofor Alike The federal government yesterday said it needs vital weapons to end the insurgency ravaging the North-east of the country, expressing concerns that delays in getting armaments from world powers were hampering the push against the insurgents. It said the refusal of some world powers to sell weapons to the country and the delay in supplying those the country had already paid for were undermining its anti-terror campaign. The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, while fielding questions when he featured on the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) Forum in Abuja, said he believed the international community could help Nigeria in fighting terrorism better than they were doing now. He spoke a couple of days after President Muhammadu Buhari had said Nigeria was expecting to take delivery of

military weapons and aircraft from Jordan, China and the United States to reinvigorate its anti-terror war. Buhari had on Tuesday at a virtual meeting with the Security Committee of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF), represented by one governor from each of the six geo-political zones of the country urged Nigerians to be patient and not to expect a dramatic change in the ongoing efforts to combat insurgency because fighters and pilots to operate the new weapons and aircraft must first be trained. The president had also used the opportunity to dismiss assumptions that Boko Haram was better equipped and funded than the armed forces, saying that the military has greater resources to fight the terrorists even though they may need more. But Mohammed yesterday alleged that some world powers have refused to sell Continued on page 9

HISTORIC MONUMENT... L-R: Bayelsa State Governor, Senator Douye Diri; Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Chief Timipre Sylva; and Executive Secretary, Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board, Mr. Simbi Wabote, during the inauguration of the 17-storey Nigerian Content Tower in Yenagoa…yesterday

Digital Identification to Replace Plastic National ID Card... Page 5

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

Digital Identification to Replace Plastic National ID Card Buhari says Nigeria striving to reverse US visa restrictions

Omololu Ogunmade in Abuja The federal government yesterday announced plans to replace the issuance of plastic national identity cards with digital forms of identification. This decision was contained in the report of the Citizen Data Management and Harmonisation Committee submitted to President Muhammadu Buhari in Abuja. The committee, chaired by the Minister of Interior, Mr. Rauf Aregbesola, was set up in February following the imposition of temporary visa restrictions on Nigerian passport holders by the United States on February 21. During the meeting yesterday, Buhari said Nigeria was making progress in its effort to reverse the suspension of the issuance of “immigrant visas” to Nigerian passport holders, adding that two of the six areas of concern raised by the US had been addressed. Briefing journalists after submitting the report, Aregbesola said henceforth, holding cards would only be a matter of convenience, as only the issuance or possession of identification number would be mandatory. According to him, once a national identification number (NIN) is issued to anyone, he is already captured in the data bank domiciled with the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) and can be tracked anywhere. "The card is just for convenience; the real thing is the number you have. With that number, you are on the databank. Everything about you is there. We are just upgrading it such that your DNA too will be there very soon. "Even if you are in a car, I will know if you are the one in the car with your DNA. It's already captured. You are already captured, you cannot run away anymore," he said. Minister of Digital Communications, Dr. Ali

Pantami, also said the era of card issuance was gone, adding that the emphasis is now on digital identification. The minister stressed the need for people with digital identification to comprehend their numbers, adding that the digital identification number is already introduced into the international passport issuance. According to him, cards henceforth will only be for record purposes and hence, anyone with digital identification has all that is required for identification without having to hold a card any longer. He said: "What the chairman is saying now is that we are no more talking about cards. The world has gone digital so that card is no more. Our priority now is the digital ID. It will be attached to your database wherever you are. "So, if you can memorise it by heart, wherever you go, that central database domiciled with NIMC will be able to provide the number and every of your data will be provided. “Now, our focus is no longer on producing cards. That card is only for record but what is important is the digital ID and if you notice, we have started using the digital ID on the international passport. Once you have the digital ID but not the card, we are 100 percent done with you." Also, the Director-General of NIMC, Mr. Aliyu Azeez, who explained that the newly-introduced digital identification is otherwise known as social security in the US and the United Kingdom, said 1.3 billion people could be controlled by digital identification in just about seven minutes. He added that digital identification would save foreign exchange while other forms of identifications by relevant agencies have equally been linked to NIMC. "With your national ID, you are already identified. In the US, it is called social security

number, the same with the UK and... They can control more than 1.3 billion people in about seven minutes. So, we have found that this card is strenuous. "It is forex that is going out of the country, and we are in the 21st century and that is why we are focusing on national identification number and other identifications by other agencies have been linked to NIMC," Azeez said. In his remarks, while receiving the report, Buhari commended the committee for what he described as its sense of patriotism in the discharge of its mandate as he highlighted two areas also certified by the US. ‘‘I also note the progress made by Nigeria towards the removal of the visa restrictions as two out of the six areas of concern raised by the United States had been fully addressed, two are substantially satisfied while some progress is being made on the remaining two.

‘‘I am delighted that this progress, especially the uploading of lost and stolen passport and travel documents has been acknowledged by the United States Government,’’ he said. A statement by the president's media adviser, Mr. Femi Adesina, explained that the Aregbesola committee, among other things, recommended the establishment of a National Criminal Information Management, patterned after the INTERPOL model, and a National Criminal DNA Laboratory, to facilitate criminal investigation, administration of criminal justice and sharing of relevant information. Buhari, who said citizens' data management, was critical for socio-economic planning and effective service delivery assured the committee that the recommendations would be considered. The president said: ‘‘An effective citizen data

management system is critical for socio-economic planning, improved service delivery and good governance, as well as national and global security. It also has the overarching benefit of enhancing the integrity of the nation’s citizens’ identity instruments for the purpose of information sharing. ‘‘Accordingly, the committee’s recommendations on the strategies for harmonising existing databases, improving the infrastructure for the national identity database as well as a review of the supervisory mechanism of the National Identity Management Commission would be given serious consideration. ‘‘The implementation of the recommendations as estimated by the committee would require enormous resources. In this regard, an implementation committee would be constituted to further study the recommendations

and develop a workable implementation plan.’’ The president expressed the federal government's commitment to sustaining the follow-up for the removal of the visa restrictions by the US and simultaneously developing a credible harmonised national identity data management system. "The concerns raised cast doubts on the credibility of the nation’s citizen identity data management system," he said, adding that "the scope of the committee’s assignment was expanded to include strategies to harmonise the various citizen identity data held by different government ministries, departments and agencies." The statement added that Aregbesola, in his remarks, expressed optimism that if the committee's recommendations are fully implemented, visa restrictions imposed on Nigeria will be lifted and a lasting identity management system would be established.

MANAGING CITIZENS’ DATA... President Muhammadu Buhari (left) and Minister of Interior, Mr. Rauf Aregbesola, during the submission of report of Citizen Data Management and Harmonisation Committee to the president by the minister in Abuja…yesterday

Gbajabiamila Seeks Cut in Cost of Governance Adedayo Akinwale in Abuja The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila, has stressed the need for Nigeria to cut the cost of governance and improve internal revenue generation in order to build the infrastructure required to lift Nigerians out of poverty. The speaker, at the commencement of Medium Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF) and Fiscal Strategy Paper (FSP) revenue considerations with revenue-

generating agencies organised by the House Committee on Finance yesterday in Abuja said the country was facing a fiscal crisis, compounded by the intense disruption caused by COVID-19 pandemic. He added that countries all over the world, including those rightly considered to be leading lights, are facing challenges redefining the way the government operates. He stated that the National Assembly had to review 2020 Appropriation Act while at the same time

borrowing more to fund urgent development needs and implement interventions to help the most vulnerable citizens get through these trying times. Gbajabiamila stated: "All of us in the House of Representatives recognise that the challenges we now face will not abate in the medium term. Yet, we are committed to using the appropriations process as a tool for accomplishing our nation’s most pressing development objectives.

"We have a responsibility to act with urgent determination to build the infrastructure of opportunity that is required to lift millions of our fellow citizens out of poverty. "We recognise that we cannot accomplish these objectives using loans and outside financing alone. Therefore, we need to impose deep cuts in the cost of governance and improve internal revenue generation and collection so that we can free up resources that can then be deployed to fund

policy initiatives that will enhance the lives of our people." He stated that revenuegenerating agencies of the federal government have a vital role to play in helping Nigeria out of its challenges. Gbajabiamila lamented that there has been a consistent failure to adhere to the revenue remittance agreements to which many of the agencies have committed. “We have credible reports that these desperately needed funds have in many cases,

been diverted to finance unnecessary trivialities. At the same time, the government is left scrambling for alternative sources to fund priority projects. We cannot afford this dynamic, and we will not tolerate it anymore,” Gbajabiamila warned. He noted that the legislature remains the keeper of the public purse, with broad constitutional authority to act on behalf of Nigerians to ensure that resources are efficiently administered in service of the public good.

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Buhari Inaugurates Tallest Building in South-south, South-east Says expect more infrastructure, local content

Emmanuel Addeh in Abuja President Muhammadu Buhari yesterday inaugurated the 17-storey Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) headquarters in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, reputed to be the tallest building in the South-south and South-east, assuring Nigerians that his administration will spend more on infrastructure and local content. The president reiterated the need for the country to produce what it consumes as well as for export, saying sustaining the current push for local content in all areas of the country’s economy is non-negotiable. The president at virtually ceremony said COVID-19 had shown that self-sufficiency was important if the country must occupy its deserved position in the comity of nations. Buhari was assisted by former President Goodluck Jonathan; Bayelsa State Governor, Senator Douye Diri; President of the Senate, Dr. Ahmad Lawan; his deputy, Senator Ovie Omo-Agege; Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Chief Timipre Sylva; Group Managing Director, Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Mr. Mele Kyari; traditional rulers and heads of agencies under the petroleum ministry. Others who witnessed the occasion included Minister of Transportation, Mr. Rotimi Amaechi; his information counterpart, Alhaji Lai Mohammed; Executive Secretary, NCDMB, Mr. Simbi Wabote, his predecessors, Mr. Ernest Nwapa and Mr. Denzel Kentebe, among others. Buhari said the recent approval by the Federal Executive Council (FEC) of a N2.3 trillion Economic Sustainability Plan (NESP) was also in line with his administration’s drive to grow local content, create jobs, pump money into the economy, support local small businesses and prioritise locally-made goods. “The plan is aimed at the

promotion of local production, local services, local innovation and the use of local materials” the president added. He also attributed the current insecurity in the country to unemployment. Buhari said with the completion of the building, it would remain a point of reference to the people of the Niger Delta that the exploitation of oil and gas was not in vain. While promising to do more for the region, Buhari noted that the fact that the project was completed in record time underscored his government’s resolve not to abandon projects. He expressed delight that the construction of the edifice was almost wholly carried out by Nigerian engineers, contractors and consultants, adding that it underlines what are possible if Nigerians wholeheartedly focus on carrying out a task. He said: “This commissioning brings to the fore the importance of local content in all the facets of our national life, especially with the prevailing COVID-19 pandemic. “I believe strongly in local production and patronage of our goods and services as one of the surest ways to empower our citizens and give them the opportunity to excel in their chosen professions and businesses. “That is why two of the executive orders issued under our government are related to the enforcement of local content in procurements and contracts to further replicate the successes in the oil and gas industry. “The impact of the pandemic has shown the imperative that we must produce what we eat and produce enough for our requirements and more for export. All these policy directives and programmes are also meant to address some of the causative factors of insecurity.” In a separate statement issued yesterday by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Mr. Femi Adesina, the president assured Nigerians that his government will spend

more on infrastructure across the country. Buhari described the 17-storey building, known as the Nigerian Content Tower, as a reflection of his administration's drive to provide infrastructure nationwide to attract investments, create jobs and eradicate poverty. In his remarks, Sylva said the completion of the project was a key achievement in the portfolio of priorities given to the ministry, adding that with the ongoing developments in the oil and gas sector, the narratives are being changed from obscurity to transparency and from despair to development. “The commissioning of this building is symbolic in many ways: It shows that Mr. President is keen to see infrastructural development in every part of the country; it shows that skyscrapers and other laudable infrastructure can be built in the Niger Delta. "It shows that indigenous contractors can perform wonders when given the right opportunities; it shows that

the people of Bayelsa and indeed the entire Niger Delta are receptive to development, and it shows that Nigerian content is here to stay,” he said. He described the 10MW gas-fired power plant in partnership with NAOC JV to service the new headquarters building and the NCDMB industrial park under construction as a landmark. Sylva said: “This gas-fired power plant is just a tip of the iceberg as the ministry under the direction of Mr. President is set to unlock the opportunities in our gas resources instead of just quoting the statistics of our gas endowments every year. “Our declaration of the Year 2020 as the Year of Gas is no fluke. Throughout the year 2020 and beyond, our focus on gas development will be significant: from export gas to domestic gas, from LPG to CNG to mini-LNG, from power to fertiliser. "We will devote our energy to unlock the gas below the ground and eliminate the wastage at the flares. I call on local and international

investors to join us in these efforts for the benefit of all." The Executive Secretary, NCDMB, Wabote, in his address, stated that about half of the surface of the building was buried below to keep it standing and provide structural foundation support, using 207 piles, each at 800 millimetre diameter, driven to 30 metres depth. He said: “We put a lot of thought into the design of the building not only to bring out a magnificent edifice but we also focused on the subsequent usage covering the ergonomics, acoustics, security, safety, energy efficiency and maintenance. “Some of the specifics include the use of fire-retardant façade, intelligent building management system that cuts down power consumption by 25 per cent, the provision of an over-hanging cradle on the roof slab to clean the four sides of the building, zero voice transmission through the walls of the conference centre, scissors design in the ramp of the multi-level car park to avoid head-on collision, and

many others too numerous to mention. “The materials used are 76 per cent Nigerian content with the tiles, electrical cables, granite, and many other building materials produced in Nigeria. The manpower used for services and labour is over 95 per cent Nigerian content. The skills transferred to the local workforce in the construction of a high-rise building have been unprecedented." NNPC boss, Kyari, described the completion of the building as a testimony to the fact that with the right mindset, anything can be delivered in the country. He said skills had been deployed in building the edifice and pledged the corporation’s support for the NCDMB and the Niger Delta people. Bayelsa State Governor, Diri, who commended the president for not abandoning the project, urged him to pressure the oil companies to move their headquarters to the state where they do a large chunk of their business.

SOLVING TANK FARM CHALLENGE... L-R: Chairman, House of Representatives Committee on Relocation of Tank Farms, Hon. Sergilis Ogun; Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu; and Deputy Chairman of the committee, Hon. Miriam Oruoha, during the committee’s courtesy visit to the governor in Lagos…yesterday

INEC Engages 20,000 Ad-hoc Staff for Edo Gov Election 1,735,910 PVCs collected; 483,868 uncollected

Chuks Okocha in Abuja

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) is to deploy no fewer than 20,000 ad-hoc staff for the conduct of the September 19 governorship election in the 2, 627 polling units and 192 wards in Edo State. Also, of the 2,210,534 registered voters in the state, 1,735,910 voters have collected their Permanent Voters’ Cards (PVCs) while the number of uncollected PVCs is 483,868. The Technical Advisor to INEC Chairman, Prof. Bolade Eyinla, said yesterday at a virtual meeting with

journalists, which was organised by the International Press Council (IPC), that the recruitment of the 20, 000 ad hoc staff was being done through INEC’s portal. He said the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members serving in the state would constitute a larger percentage of the ad-hoc staff while others would be selected from the INEC ad-hoc recruitment portal. He said: “The youth corps members will constitute the larger percentage because they will be deployed mostly as presiding officers. The online recruitment is essentially to

create a database of election workers towards the conduct of the election. “Also ongoing is the training of all security personnel to be deployed for the election. INEC has also come up with a code of conduct and rules of engagement for the security agencies. “The code of conduct and rules of engagement will be distributed to all the security personnel deployed for the election to guide them properly.” He explained that the commission has designed an election policy within the context of the conduct

of election in a pandemic. “We are aware that as at today, Edo State has 2,399 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and recorded a total of 100 deaths. “So, with these statistics from the NCDC, INEC has come up with a policy book with strict adherence to COVID-19 preventive measures and guidelines on the election so that everyone, including the media can be guided. “The uncollected PVCs have been deposited with the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) for safe keeping so that nobody can have access to

them,” he stated. Eyinla added that 14 political parties had fielded candidates for the governorship election. He said 12 of the political parties presented male candidates while two presented females. According to him, the commission has deployed non- sensitive materials for the election while the sensitive ones will be kept with the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) two days to the election for deployment to the local government areas and polling units. He added that the

commission will post-election results on the viewing portal from various polling units. “It is not anything near what we call electronic transmission of results. The portal was created to bring results recorded on form EC8 and pasted at the various polling units. “It is that same result pasted at the various polling units that INEC will upload to the portal for everybody to see,” he said. Eyinla urged the electorate to make good use of the portal, adding that it would help clear their doubts where necessary.

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PAGE NINE OUTRAGE AS NBC FINES RADIO STATION N5M FOR HATE SPEECH N5 million. The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, had earlier this month approved the new NBC code, despite opposition from stakeholders in the industry, including Nobel laureate, Prof. Wole Soyinka. But the board of NBC yesterday described the new broadcasting code as illegal, saying it cannot be used in regulating broadcasting in Nigeria. Notwithstanding the controversy around the new broadcasting code, the NBC activated it yesterday to penalise Nigeria Info 99.3FM, Lagos. The commission, in a statement, expressed concern over what it described as the unprofessional conduct of the station to provide its platform for Mailafia to promote what it labelled as unverifiable views that could encourage or incite people to crime and lead to public disorder. The commission added that broadcasters hold licences in trust for the people and no broadcast station should be used to promote personal or sectional interests at the expense of the public. It noted that Mailafia’s comments on the Southern Kaduna crisis were devoid of facts and by broadcasting same to the public, Nigeria Info 99.3FM violated the Nigeria Broadcasting Code. The NBC said: “By virtue of the provisions of some of the sections, stations are not allowed to broadcast contents that could incite to crime or lead to public disorder or programmes

that contain anything that amounts to subversion of constituted authority, capable of compromising the corporate existence of Nigeria as a sovereign entity. “Broadcasters are to balance all issues in the public interest and ensure that information given in a programme, in whatever form is accurate. ''Consequent on these provisions and in line with the amendment of the 6th Edition of the Nigeria Broadcasting Code, Nigeria Info 99.3FM Lagos has been fined the sum of N5,000,000.00 (Five Million Naira), only. ''This is expected to serve as a deterrent to all other broadcast stations in Nigeria who are quick to provide a platform for subversive rhetoric and the expositions of spurious and unverifiable claims, to desist from such.'' It threatened to suspend the licence of broadcast stations that breach the code and warned broadcast stations to desist forthwith from airing unwholesome content, or they should be ready to face sanctions. But addressing a press conference yesterday in Abuja over the purported amendment of the code, the Chairman of NBC Board, Mr. Ika Bilbis, along with other members, said the only NB code, which the board and other stakeholders recognise and which they shall work with, in the setting of operating policies and standards for the NBC, was the 6th edition, launched in 2019 in Kano. The board added that 55 institutions and stakeholders, including the Broadcasting

Organisations of Nigeria (BON), Independent Broadcast Association of Nigeria (IBAN), private media outfits, broadcasters, notable media intellectuals, communication experts such as Soyinka, had, in different letters to the board, rejected the new code. It said: ‘’The board of the NBC wishes to make it quite clear that as long as it is in place, the only NB code that we recognise and which we shall work with, in the setting of operating policies and standards for NBC is the 6th edition of the NB Code, which was launched in 2019 in Kano. Any other purported review has no board endorsement and, therefore, cannot be utilised in regulating broadcasting in Nigeria. ‘’The danger of allowing the unilateral amendment of the NB Code to stand is that investors in the industry will lose confidence in the stability the broadcast ecosystem has enjoyed till date before the advent of the current Minister of Information. ‘’Our president and his team have worked so hard to galvanise local and foreign investment in Nigeria. Allowing obnoxious policies to take root in our investment culture will spell doom for creativity, enterprise, diversity and the general development of broadcasting in Nigeria.’’ Reviewing the recent negative developments concerning the purported amendment of the NB code, the board explained that the wellbeing of the broadcast media has direct relevance to the stability of the nation's

‘’After the 2019 presentation of the 6th code (which is the present one), the Hon. Minister has acted alone with just a handful of his loyalists who have written a new NB Code that has created uproar in the industry, threatening to destroy investments and lead to job losses. ‘’The Honourable Minister has constantly dropped the name of President Muhammadu Buhari as having approved his own version of the code review. The NB Code is a regulatory framework put together jointly by stakeholders to guide their operations in the industry.’’ It accused the minister of dropping the name of Buhari to unlawfully review the code, stating that the president is a ‘’stickler for due process’’ and he always insists on organisations doing the right thing. ‘’The Honourable Minister’s version of the revised NB code does not meet any known criteria of due process and inclusiveness of stakeholders. ‘’The director overseeing the office of the DG of the NBC has equally made insinuations that the board endorsed the amendments culminating in its ‘public presentation’ on 26th March, 2020 at the L’eola Hotel in Lagos. Nothing can be farther from the truth. ‘’The “public presentation” was actually attended by serving directors in the NBC, one former DG of the NBC, a member representing the Ministry of Information and only four selected stakeholders. When compared with over

60 stakeholders that attended 2019 presentation in Kano, there is a wide gap in industry representation,’’ it added. The board said there were serious and disturbing amendments unilaterally carried out by the minister, which had attracted criticisms with threats of litigation from concerned organisations and individuals. The board said the controversial portions of the purported amended code aimed at destroying hard work and enterprises, taking people’s freedom and intellectual property as well as depriving hard-working entrepreneurs to empower new entrants who have not cut their teeth. Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) also described the new NB code as a calculated attempt to muzzle the media and Nigerians’ right to freedom of expression. Speaking with THISDAY yesterday in Abuja, the National Secretary of NUJ, Mr. Leman Shuaibu, urged Nigerians and the media to rise up and defend their inalienable right to freedom of expression. “As a union, we don’t support the fine and new NB code; we believe it is an attempt to muzzle the media and suppress Nigerians from exercising their freedom of speech,” NUJ stated. Atiku also described the newly introduced NBC Code as an attempt to gag the media. In a statement released yesterday by his office, the former vice president

the efforts of the federal government in the fight against insecurity, they should compare where the country was pre-2015 and today. He said to better appreciate what the government was doing to secure the country, the people should take a global survey to understand that unrest, and terrorism and mindless violence had become

a global phenomenon. “People should recognise the fact that today, people have weaponised the issues of religion and ethnicity. “We are dealing with extremely unreasonable people, whether in the North-west or in the North-east. “They should not forget that we are fighting a nonconventional war and at

the same time, these people have contacts everywhere,” he added. Mohammed stated that besides kinetic deployment, the government is using a non-kinetic approach to tackle insecurity like the economy and social intervention programmes meant to empower and engage the youth.

directive, been limited to a maximum of 60 per cent to 70 per cent, while regular monitoring and reporting of revenue and expenditure performance of GOEs will be undertaken by both the Budget Office of the Federation and the Office of the Accountant General of the Federation. "The Finance Bill 2020, which will accompany the 2021 Budget proposal, will contain measures to advance the SRGI. We shall also work closely with the National Assembly to amend relevant laws that need to be amended to help with the SRGI.'' Earlier, Chairman of the House Committee on Finance, Hon. James Faleke, said under no circumstances would an agency of government fully or partially funded by the Appropriations Act would be allowed to spend the revenue it generates. He said the National Assembly would henceforth expect the Accountant General of the Federation to deduct from the accounts of any defaulting ministry, department and agency such revenues. According to Faleke, ''Going forward and in line with its

constitutional powers, the National Assembly will continue to engage GOEs, MDAs and revenue-generating agencies (RGAs) to generate more funds to fund the national budget. ''Particularly, the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) must devise all strategies and technology to focus more on non-oil revenue. It is our understanding that the country is blessed with huge revenue sources apart from oil. “The FIRS has the responsibility to ensure these revenues are tapped and remitted to the government coffers. The Office of the Accountant General of the Federation (OAGF) is hereby charged to exhibit some levels of improvement on fiscal reporting, especially special accounts. "Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) must be seen to meet the production targets and manage approved cost/deductions as per the MTEF/FSP provisions. Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) on the other hand, needs to be more responsible in the reports of oil production and exports.

National Petroleum Investment Management Service (NAPIMS) must imbibe the culture of being more transparent in oil and gas costing and management.''

democracy. Explaining that the NBC Act empowers the commission to establish and disseminate a code, which sets standards for the quality and content of broadcast materials, the board accused Mohammed of unilaterally reviewing the regulations without the input of other stakeholders. It said: ‘’Code review is undertaken every four years and involves the staff of the NBC, former DGs, retired directors of the commission and all other relevant stakeholders in broadcasting. ‘’These include Broadcasting Organisations of Nigeria (BON), Independent Broadcast Association of Nigeria (IBAN), Private Media outfits, Broadcasters, notable media intellectuals, communication experts, digiteam and the academia.’’ It stated that following 2019 national elections, some members of the Federal Executive Council (FEC) made observations to Mohammed at a FEC meeting about the divisive programmes by some broadcast stations before, during and after the elections and the need to strengthen the operations of the NBC to avert such future occurrence. This ‘’noble observation’’ of the president, according to the board, was ‘’unfortunately misunderstood’’ by the minister whom it accused of unilaterally amending the code. The board said: ‘’From the history, traditions and the convention of the NBC, no Honourable Minister of Information has ever interfered in any NB Code review.

Continued on page 32

FG SEEKS VITAL WEAPONS FROM WORLD POWERS TO END INSURGENCY to Nigeria weapons needed to fight insurgency in the country. He, however, did not name the affected nations. He said: “I want to use this opportunity to say that the international community can help us better than they are doing right now. “To fight terrorists we need platforms and weapons. “When the international

community is weighed by unsubstantiated arguments to deny the country of vital platforms and weapons to fight insecurity, you cannot turn round to accuse the country of not fighting terrorism. “Certain world powers have refused to even sell to us certain vital weapons. “For more than two to three years now, we have paid for

certain vital weapons that they have not released to us and they even refused to give us spare parts. “I think our appeal to them is that they should please help Nigeria to provide us with these sensitive platforms so that we can fight insecurity more effectively.” According to him, for Nigerians to fairly assess

NIGERIA RISKS DEBT SUSTAINABILITY CRISIS, FG WARNS Joint Committees on Finance, Appropriation, Budget and Economic Development as well as Loans and Debt Management. According to him, the consumption expenditure, which is projected to remain flat at N118.735 billion in 2020, will increase to N 118.468 billion in 2021. It will also grow to N124.358 billion by 2023, reflecting a gradual steadiness in the recovery. Agba, who represented the Minister for Finance, Budget and National Planning, Mrs. Zainab Ahmed, projected that inflation will remain above single digit over the medium term, given the structural issues impacting on the cost of doing business, including the high cost of food production. He said the 2021-2023 MTEF/FSP was based on the assumptions that the oil price benchmark would be $40 per barrel with daily production standing at 1.86 million barrels and N360 to the dollar exchange rate. The minister stated that the economy faced serious challenges in the first half of 2020 with the microeconomic environment significantly

disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic. He added that Nigeria is currently exposed to spikes in risk in the global capital markets, which will put further pressure on the foreign exchange market as foreign portfolio investors exit the Nigerian market. He said: ''Crude oil prices declined sharply in the mild market with Bonny Light crude oil price dropping from a peak of $72 per barrel on January 7, 2020, to below $20 in April 2020 as a result of which the $57 crude oil price benchmark on which the 2020 budget was based became unsustainable. ''Massive output cut by OPEC and its allies to stabilise the world oil market was another key development in the international crude oil market with Nigeria contributing about 300,000 bpd of production cuts.'' He said Nigeria‘s secondquarter GDP growth was negative, adding that unless the country achieves a strong thirdquarter economic performance, its economy is likely to lapse into a second recession in four years, with significant adverse consequences. He stated that the disruptions

in global trade and logistics would negatively affect Customs duty collections in 2020, while the COVID-19 containment measures have inhibited domestic economic activities, with a consequential negative impact on taxation and other government revenues. He said to manage the fiscal crisis in the country, improving the tax administration framework to optimise government revenue had been a major thrust of the present administration's Strategic Revenue Growth Initiative (SRGI). Agba said: ''To enhance independent revenue generation and collection, the government will aim to optimise the potentials, operational and collection efficiency of Government Owned Enterprises (GOEs) with a view to generating significantly higher revenues required to fund the FGN budget. Current revenue performance of GOEs will be addressed through the effective implementation of the enhanced Performance Management Framework. "The cost-to-revenue ratio of GOEs has, by a presidential

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FRIDAY AUGUST 14, 2020 â&#x20AC;¢T H I S D AY

FRIDAY AUGUST 14, 2020 â&#x20AC;¢ T H I S D AY

FRIDAY AUGUST 14, 2020 â&#x20AC;¢T H I S D AY

FRIDAY AUGUST 14, 2020 • T H I S D AY

13th August, 2020

APPRECIATION On behalf of ourselves and families, we wish to humbly and most respectfully register our appreciation to His Excellency President and Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces, Federal Republic of Nigeria, President Muhammadu Buhari GCFR who served as Guardian (Waliy) represented by the Attorney General and Minister of Justice Abubakar Malami (SAN) for and on behalf of the Groom. Our heartfelt appreciation equally goes to the presidential delegation at the wedding fatiha led by the Hon. Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami (SAN), Hon. Minister of Police Affairs, Alh Maigari Dingyadi (Katukan Sokoto). Special thanks also go to the Chief Hosts His Excellency Rt. Hon. Aminu Waziri Tambuwal (Governor of Sokoto State), The Chairman, APC Governors Forum and Governor of Kebbi State His Excellency Sen. Abubakar Atiku Bagudu, Royal Father of the day His Eminence Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar III CFR Mni the Sultan of Sokoto. Other Governors present at the wedding were, the Executive Governor of Gombe and Edo States, Honourable Ministers, Distinguished Senators and Hon. Members House of Representatives, former State Governors, Royal Highnesses and religious leaders. Of special mention is the Inspector General of Police IGP M.A. Adamu Mni and his entourage who despite tight schedules found it necessary to attend to our wedding fatiha. We are also grateful to the DG DSS Alh Yusuf Magaji Bichi for all his support and prayers. Special appreciation to my father Alhaji Lawal Bawa AIG Rtd. CON Mni, friends, family and all other dignitaries including but not limited to His Excellency, the former Governor of Zamfara state Alh Abdulaziz Yari. Chief Emmanuel Oritsejolomi Uduaghan. The Alema of Warri Kingdom, Hon. Dr. Tony Nwoye, Alhaji Musa Daura. His Excellency former Sokoto State Governor Alhaji Attahiru Dalhatu Bafarawa, Wazirin Sokoto, Prof. Sambo Wali Junaidu, Jarman Sokoto, Alhaji Ummarun Kwabo A.A., Special thanks to the father of the Bride Ambassador Shehu Malami CON, OFR (Sarkin Sudan of Wurno), Sokoto State Deputy Governor His Excellency Hon. Manir Dan Iya (Sardaunan Kware), Distinguished Senators Adamu Aliero and Rochas Okorocha to mention but a few for rejoicing and attending to our wedding fatiha. Special recognition to the National Executives of the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS), National Youth Council of Nigeria with their stakeholders and other youth groups. We are humbled and delighted. It’s indeed a great moment of joy and pleasure to receive such an immeasurable show of love, support and prayers. We pray Allah SWT to reward you all abundantly. Please accept our deepest thanks and appreciation. Once again, thank you Mr. President!

ABUBAKAR UBAKAR MUSA A (GROOM) & ZAINAB SHEHU FODIO (BRIDE)

T H I S D AY Ëž Ë&#x153; ÍŻÍ˛Ë&#x153; 2020

COMMENT

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

LAI AND THE MEDIA

Lai Mohammed has to do more to prove he is on the side of the people, writes Fredrick Nwabufo

igeriaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Ministry of Information was once occupied by public servants like Chukwuemeka Chikelu, the late Dora Akunyili and Frank Nweke Jr â&#x20AC;&#x201C; and not propagandists. I recall vividly the bold undertakings of the ministry under Chikelu, â&#x20AC;&#x153;the debonair and cool-ruling ministerâ&#x20AC;?. At the time, Nigeria was just five years out of the clutch of the military with foreign perception liabilities. The country had chalked up a binder of negative depictions. The minister saddled up to the exigency of the situation; he applied himself to re-imaging Nigeria. Though his quest elicited some scepticism, it was a sorely needed intervention at a time the country was seeking debt forgiveness from Paris Club and the like. Chikelu also deployed himself to enhancing the promotion of broadcast on HIV/AIDS prevention and control by asking media executives to cut down charges on health-related broadcast messaging. He was also committed to the campaign against female genital mutilation, asking journalists that they â&#x20AC;&#x153;should make it a covenant to write at least a story on the evils of the practiceâ&#x20AC;?. But I think he is most remembered for his effort in re-portraying Nigeria. I also recall the hefty exploits of Akunyili as minister of information with her â&#x20AC;&#x153;Re-branding Nigeriaâ&#x20AC;? campaign. She said the campaign was to amend the â&#x20AC;&#x153;faulty perception and assault on the reputation of the ordinary Nigerianâ&#x20AC;?. The late minister was concerned about how Nigerians were fixed on abroad for abuse. Nweke did his bit as well â&#x20AC;&#x201C; bringing poise and charisma to the office of the spokesman of the federal republic. Among these three ministers, you could see their genuine commitment to the country. Their campaigns were never targeted at Nigerians but at redressing the challenges faced by citizens owing to the soiled image of the country. But what is Lai Mohammedâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s game? Since Lai became minister of information five years ago, he has been on an offensive against citizens. He has applied himself more as Joseph Goebbels, Hitlerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s propagandist, than as a spokesman of the federal republic. Like Goebbels, he appears dutiful in virulently clamping down on alternative voices. Again, since he became minister, his campaign has been to conscript the media into a regiment and to effectuate a holocaust of independent voices. Unlike his predecessors, Laiâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s docket as minister is zeroed in on propaganda, agency espionage and citizen gag for the state. He started with his duplicitous â&#x20AC;&#x153;change begins with meâ&#x20AC;? campaign â&#x20AC;&#x201C; a furtive attempt to absolve the government of blame over its gypped â&#x20AC;&#x153;changeâ&#x20AC;? agenda. The Buhari administration rode to power on the Pegasus of change. But after it took the mantle, it cast overboard every pretension, and asked citizens to seek the change themselves in

IN THE NEW CODE, THE FINE FOR SOCALLED â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;HATE SPEECHâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; WAS JACKED UP FROM N500,000 TO N5 MILLION. THIS IS ULTIMATELY TO MENACE BROADCAST STATIONS AND TO FORCE THEM INTO A REGIMENT OF COMPLIANCE AND FEAR

their unlit homes, decrepit hospitals and perilous roads. After his â&#x20AC;&#x153;change campaignâ&#x20AC;? suffered an unintended abortion â&#x20AC;&#x201C; obviously for being integrity challenged â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Lai deployed himself robustly to gagging citizens and the media. Though he said social media will be â&#x20AC;&#x153;regulated and sanitisedâ&#x20AC;?, it appears this is an adventure too unwieldy for the minister to see through. But he is still on the prance to â&#x20AC;&#x153;sanitiseâ&#x20AC;? social platforms. By the way, social media is the only citizen agency that has not been functionally annexed by the Buhari government. Lai took his artifices to the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC). He summarily amended the broadcasting code, laying mines in the new canon for broadcasting. Broadcast industry stakeholders have faulted the new code which is essentially a gag code. Speaking on the issue, Tonnie Iredia, a former director-general of the NTA, said the NBC code, which â&#x20AC;&#x153;was supposed to be a professional guide and masterpiece that promotes professional excellence in broadcasting is now filled with sanctions and what you will do and not doâ&#x20AC;?. He also asked why the minister, who is a politician and never practised in the industry, was spearheading the process which naturally should be midwifed by professionals. In the same vein, Ikra Aliyu Bilbis, chairman of the NBC board, said Lai amended the broadcasting code â&#x20AC;&#x153;unilaterallyâ&#x20AC;?. In Bilbisâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; words: â&#x20AC;&#x153;Instead of studying and following the law, relevant rules and regulations, and direct the appropriate authorities as stipulated by the law to act on, he (Lai Mohammed) erroneously embarked on the review alone.â&#x20AC;? In the new code, the fine for so-called â&#x20AC;&#x153;hate speechâ&#x20AC;? was jacked up from N500,000 to N5 million. This is ultimately to menace broadcast stations and to force them into a regiment of compliance and fear where only broadcast favourable to the administration will air. Nigeria Info, 99.3 FM, Abuja, which the NBC just fined N5 million for interviewing Obadiah Mailafia, former deputy governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), who alleged that a northern governor is the leader of Boko Haram, is the first casualty of Laiâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Goebbelian pursuit. A memo by the NBC warning broadcast stations of sanctions against insult on the president, governors and members of the national assembly by their guests â&#x20AC;&#x153;because it is not in our cultureâ&#x20AC;? to insult elders, surfaced online on Thursday. This further accents Laiâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s desperate agenda to garrison the media. At this point, it is either â&#x20AC;&#x153;hell or the lake of fireâ&#x20AC;? (all the same). The broadcast industry and the Nigeria media must rise against the new Goebbels in Buhariâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s cabinet. They have only their chains to lose. Nwabufo is a writer and journalist

WHY THEY ARE AFTER AKPABIO Jackson Ugbechie Ă&#x2039;Ă&#x153;Ă&#x2018;Ă&#x;Ă?Ă? Ă&#x17E;Ă&#x2019;Ă&#x2039;Ă&#x17E; Ă&#x2014;Ă&#x2039;Ă&#x2DC;ĂŁ Ă&#x2122;Ă? Ă&#x2022;Ă&#x161;Ă&#x2039;Ă&#x152;Ă&#x201C;Ă&#x2122;ËŞĂ? Ă&#x2039;Ă&#x17E;Ă&#x17E;Ă&#x2039;Ă?Ă&#x2022;Ă?Ă&#x153;Ă? Ă&#x2039;Ă&#x153;Ă? Ă&#x2039;Ă?Ă&#x153;Ă&#x2039;Ă&#x201C;Ă&#x17D; Ă&#x2122;Ă? Ă&#x17E;Ă&#x2019;Ă? Ă&#x2122;Ă&#x2DC;Ă&#x2018;Ă&#x2122;Ă&#x201C;Ă&#x2DC;Ă&#x2018; Ă?Ă&#x2122;Ă&#x153;Ă?Ă&#x2DC;Ă?Ă&#x201C;Ă? Ă&#x2039;Ă&#x;Ă&#x17D;Ă&#x201C;Ă&#x17E; Ă&#x2122;Ă?

ince his appointment as Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Godswill Akpabio, a lawyer, senator and former governor of Akwa Ibom State has come under the most virulent attacks and orchestrated media lynching. The same man who was the toast of the Nigerian media and even political associates and opponents on account of his uncommon leadership that wrought uncommon transformation in his state has suddenly become the subject of media hounding. So, what went wrong? To the uninformed, cerebral Akpabio may have committed some infractions to warrant the arrows from the clan of critics. But to the informed and those conversant with Nigerian public service mannerisms, Akpabio has done no wrong; neither has he been involved in any of the usual misdemeanours that often paved the path of most politicians. His offence was being himself, showing a willingness to fulfil the mandate of his ministry and showing determination to bring development to the poor, famished people of the Niger Delta. And you wonder: who is afraid of Akpabio? Why are they after him? Wonder no more. Only the guilty are afraid of a man whose history and political trajectory is a complete dossier of sterling performance. Truly, the guilty will always be afraid of even their own shadows. Shortly after Akpabio was announced as Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, some conspirators hiding under the veil of altruism succeeded in ensuring that the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), which they have over the years converted to their ATM, was removed from the supervision of Akpabioâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s ministry. That was their first jerk of desperation. This tribe of crooks who had turned NDDC to their personal cash cow knew what was about to befall them with Akpabio on board. They quickly went on overdrive to shield their shady deals at NDDC from a man who is never afraid to fight on the side of the poor.

But their scheme backfired. Their momentary â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;victoryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; of removing NDDC from Akpabioâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s supervision was thoughtfully reversed by the Presidency. And then came the real clincher. The mandate to the Interim Management Committee, IMC, to conduct a forensic audit of the activities of the NDDC from inception to 2019. It was a directive from President Muhammadu Buhari, whom, having seen the despoliation of the Niger Delta region and the ravaging poverty ripping through communities in the oil-rich region, directed a no-holds-barred forensic audit of the activities of the interventionist commission. No sane Niger Deltan would fault President Buhari on this directive; neither could any sound mind differ with Akpabio on his determination to carry out the audit as directed by Mr. President. Akpabioâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s antecedents lend him to making the most of the moment. Heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a leader for whom development is a tradition. A man who as a routine fights on the side of the downtrodden, a gifted manager of men and resources who was once described by Wikileaks, the spunky whistleblower, as a â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;man to watchâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;, an obvious inference to Akpabioâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s peerless service delivery and transcendental transformation of Akwa Ibom State from a civil service state to a commercial hub and tourist destination. Heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s an infrastructure leader whose signature projects in Akwa Ibom have remained unmatched. Some have argued that Akpabio achieved so much as governor in Akwa Ibom because receipts from crude oil sale at that time was high. But if you consider that both the federal government and other Niger Delta states at that time received the same oil windfall but did little compared to Akpabioâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s bullish performance, then you will appreciate this leader of uncommon candour and chutzpah. Akpabio is not a man who walks with his head bowed. He is bullish with development, especially

infrastructural development. He acquitted himself in Akwa Ibom where he left imprints of uncommon transformation. He was a five-star performer among his generation of governors. Now as Minister of Niger Delta Affairs directly supervising the NDDC, Akpabio is determined to arrest the incubus of corruption that has haunted the development interventionist commission. He has served notice in no unmistakable term that the IMC was going ahead with the forensic audit. This is exactly why the guilty elite of the Niger Delta region and their cronies who plundered the NDDC in the past have bared their claws against Akpabio. But the minister need not worry. He has the backing of President Buhari. Vested interests in the NDDC both serving and retired and their platoon of conspirators are hauling pellets at Akpabio. Only a man who has dirty linen would guard his cupboard even with a bayonet. The guilty are already afraid. And they are taking their anger and bile on Akpabio. They want to frustrate the audit. They want to protect their loot from the prying eyes of the auditors. It cannot work. Even the gods of the abused land are angry with the clan of looters. Akpabio had earlier described the NDDC as some peopleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s ATM. He would clarify this to mean that some people erroneously see the NDDC as a place where money grows as low-hanging fruits which they must pluck even before they are due for harvesting. He once said: â&#x20AC;&#x153;Some people just collect money from the commission; they have no skill, no capacity for the job but they are awarded contracts and they pocket the money and disappear. We want those money to be accounted for. There must be an end to such situation.â&#x20AC;? To use his exact words: â&#x20AC;&#x153;I think people were treating the place as an ATM, where you just walk in there to go and pluck money and go away, I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t think they were looking at it as an interventionist agency.â&#x20AC;? Upon assuming office, Akpabio raised a red flag: There were 12,000 abandoned projects littering

the region. Incredible! And then more revelations: The IMC has released its preliminary findings. And they are as messy as they are startling, to wit, that a past NDDC management awarded 1,921 â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;emergency contractsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; at N1.070 trillion in just seven months, against an annual budget of about N400 billion. Contracts that do not qualify as â&#x20AC;&#x153;emergency contractsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; were converted to â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;emergencyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;; some contracts only existed on paper but cheques were raised for payments, the report said. In 2015, the then Auditor General of the Federation, Samuel Ukura, affirmed that over N183 billion was missing from the accounts of the NDDC despite denials by officials of the commission. The NDDC is a nest of scam. How do you justify that a senator would have the â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;privilegeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; of handling 300 contracts for the NDDC? These are clear incongruities that have reduced the commission to a conduit for milking the people. The persons behind these heists are powerful. Empowered by their loot, they must do all in their power to undermine Akpabio and the Acting Managing Director of the commission, Professor Keme Daniel Pondei. They are intent on frustrating the IMC from its primary mandate of exposing the diary of financial scandals that defined the NDDC. Strangely, they have found cheap recruits in the media space. Akpabio and his team must strive to rise above the muckrakers and those raking the muck. The media blackmail to abort the forensic audit must be seen for what it is: desperate kicks from a gang afflicted by the guilt of their misdeeds; misdeeds that have robbed the Niger Deltans of development over the years. Akpabio is on the right path. He must stand tall and fight for the masses of the Niger Delta. But I trust Akpabio not to budge. He must rally his team at the IMC to salvage whatever is left of a commission that was created solely to bring light to a people mired in the blackness of darkness. Ugbechie, public affairs analyst, wrote from Abuja

T H I S D AY ˾ FRIDAY, AUGUST 14, 2020

EDITORIAL ELECTORAL LAW AND CAMPAIGN FINANCES There is need for transparency in campaign expenses

n the build up to the 2019 general election, some shadowy groups paid, on behalf of prominent presidential candidates, the prohibitive nomination costs in both the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and the main opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). This was despite that section 91 (9) of the 2010 Electoral Act (as amended) states that “No individual or other entity shall donate more than N1,000,000.00 to any candidate.” The punishment for those who violate this provision is spelt out thus: “A candidate who knowingly acts in contravention of this section commits an offence and on convictions shall be liable – (a) in case of presidential election to a maximum fine of N1,000,000.00 or imprisonment of 12 months or both.” The rationale behind the finance campaign laws may be many but two stand out. One, to prevent office seekers from being captured by special interest groups should they win. Sadly, nobody knows the memberships of these shadowy groups, their main objectives and how they came about the money they are donating THE LAW ON CAMPAIGN to these aspirants FINANCES HAS ALWAYS as well as their own expectations. Two, BEEN TREATED in a milieu where WITH CONTEMPT BY political godfathers PRACTICALLY ALL POLITICIANS AND THE BIG sponsor candidates PARTIES IN OUR COUNTRY for executive offices as business investments for which they expect bountiful rewards, a N1 million donation cap was considered a way to reduce the corrupting influence of anonymous money. However, in typical Nigerian fashion, the responsibility for violating campaign expenses law has already been shifted from the office seekers to their accountants. Where a politician who violates the law has the option of paying some ridiculous out-of-pocket fines upon conviction, “an accountant who falsifies, conspires or aids a candidate to forge or falsify a document relating to his expenditure at an election or receipt or donation for the election or

Letters to the Editor

in any way aids and abets the breach of the provision of this section of this Act commits an offence and is liable on conviction for imprisonment for a term of 10 years.”

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

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FG LOANS: Protest Is Not The Answer

n the last few weeks, Nigeria has witnessed protests and threats of protests by organized labour and civil society groups in the country over Federal Government’s borrowing. In particular, they have criticized the Chinese loans and other loans obtained by the federal government for the execution of concrete infrastructure projects in the country. Revolution Now, a civil society group had last week embarked on civil protest over the loans and have vowed to continue to protest until the federal government stop taking loans. Although no Nigerian has the right to stop anyone from protest over any issue including taking of loans by the government, resorting to threats and blackmail is irresponsible and unacceptable irrespective of who is involved. It is however unfortunate to note that some individuals and civil societies have resolved to join the bandwagon in organizing civil unrest to show their grievances over government’s borrowing without a proper understanding of the entire issue. Protests, civil unrest and threats are not the best options in dealing with a national issue of this nature but rather dialogue. It is important

nfortunately, the law on campaign finances has always been treated with contempt by practically all politicians and the big parties in our country. For instance, the electoral act prescribes limits to how much candidates can spend on their elections but there is neither a way to monitor such expenses nor a method to enforce compliance. According to the electoral act, a presidential candidate can spend a maximum amount of N1 billion while the spending limit for a governorship candidate is N200 million. A senatorial candidate can spend only a maximum amount of N40 million while the limit for a House of Representatives candidate is N20 million. For State Assembly election, the limit is N10 million; chairmanship, N10 million and councillorship, N1 million. However, not only has the law been observed in the breach with elections more or less a bazaar where stupendous amounts of money are spent, the whole issue of campaign expenses in Nigeria is riddled with unwholesome practices. Besides, in almost all instances where an incumbent president or governor is seeking re-election, it is public money that is used for such purpose. Far more worrisome is what the accumulated funds are most often used for: To buy consumables which are distributed at campaign rallies, pay off some local operatives, procure the services of muscle men, compromise electoral and security officials and then buy votes on election days. To the extent that this anomaly has alienated many ordinary Nigerians from participation in politics that now looks like a cult of the wealthy, there needs to be a provision for independent audit of campaign finances to aid accountability. If our democracy is to make any meaning, donations to political campaign organisations by corporate bodies and voluntary organisations should come under the purview of such an audit requirement.

to note that the federal government borrow not to pay salaries but for the execution of concrete projects. Several of the infrastructure projects executed with the structured loans have had and are having positive impacts on the economic growth of the country. The ordinary Nigerian is the immediate beneficiary of these loans. Rather than condemn the government for this, those who are planning protests and civil unrest should think twice and see how they can form partnership with government in making quantum leap in infrastructure development for the overall benefits of the electorate. Loans taken by Nigeria have followed due process and also have similar conditions over the years. What obtained in 2010 when Nigeria kickstarted the loan process is still what obtains today. Nothing has changed. So why the renewed interests in civil unrest and disobedience if not for political gains? So let’s sheath our swords, understand the issues to enable us make informed decisions. Nigeria belongs to all of us and we should not allow a few individuals for personal benefits ruin the progress we have so far made as a nation. Let’s be guided. Dr Joseph Ejemhen, Abuja

The Killings In Southern Kaduna

he Kaduna State government recently imposed curfew in Zango-Kataf and Kauru local governments due to the escalation of tension in the affected areas. However, there is uproar by the Southern Kaduna Peoples Union (SOKAPU) and Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) over what they alleged as ethnic cleansing by suspected Fulani marauders. These ethnic and religious associations have blamed Kaduna State government for not doing enough to arrest the situation. The accusation came barely after the executive governor of the state, Malam Nasiru El-Rufai, promised to implement the 1992 Zangon- Kataf crisis White Paper to the logical conclusion. While Kaduna has been experiencing bandits’ attacks in recent times, the southern part’s killings have taken an ethnic and religious colouration. There is no gain saying the fact that southern Kaduna’s killings predated the El-Rufai administration. The crisis is over land ownership between the predominant Christians majority and the muslim minority who are tagged as “settlers”.

For the Fulani nomads who are accused as the main culprits of the daily attacks, their aggression towards the natives is based on the killing of their loved ones by ethnic militias and the rustling of their cattle. After the 2011 election in which late Patrick Yakowa won, Fulani herdsmen who were on transit through the southern Kaduna were maimed, attacked and killed by the southern Kaduna militias. The committee set up by late Yakowa to find out the remote causes of post elections violence in Kaduna State recommended that compensation be paid to the Fulani herdsmen who suffered incalculable loss during the post elections crisis in the state. I think the current unfortunate killings is connected to reprisal attacks by those Fulani who were unjustifiable murdered in 2011 election or by bandits. The inability of government to prosecute those found wanting in the cobweb or circles of killings in southern Kaduna has aggravated tension, ignited revenge and fractured genuine commitment to finding lasting peace in the troubled area. Ibrahim Mustapha, Pambegua, Kaduna State

T H I S D AY ˾ FRIDAY AUGUST 14, 2020

POLITICS

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

In Zulum’s Shoes, What Else Would You Do? Isa Gusau, Special Adviser on Public Relations and Strategy to Governor Babagana Zulum of Borno State chronicles his principal’s sustained strategic intervention to end insurgency

efore reacting to that questionheadline, please, take a little while to walk in the ‘shoes’ of Borno governor, Professor Babagana Umara Zulum. A few persons have been writing to condemn what they perceive as Zulum’s political incorrectness. They refer to the governor’s expression of concern over ceaseless killings of the people he serves and swore to protect; and on gun shots directed at him and his convoy in Baga. “The governor plays to the gallery”, one of them wrote. In my understanding, the problem of these critics is not the merit of Zulum’s concern, but that ‘he speaks in public to undermine the military.’ In other words, Zulum should only raise security issues at closed-door meetings. Well, if my school mate, Pastor Samuel were to respond to one of the articles, he would certainly employ a prayer-quote: “Father forgive them for they know not what they do [or write about Zulum].” Anyway, here is what we know. It is a quick and chronicled background to being in Zulum’s ‘shoes’. On Thursday, May 30, 2019, Zulum’s first activity as Governor, was a closeddoor meeting in Maiduguri with the military’s top command, leading the fight against Boko Haram. Afterwards, he summoned a security meeting with traditional rulers. On Friday, June 7, 2019, Zulum attended an expanded national security meeting chaired by President Muhammadu Buhari at the Villa. It was Zulum’s first. As expected, Boko Haram topped the presidential closed-door meeting. On Wednesday, June 19, 2019, Zulum requested and met President Buhari for one-on-one closed-door meeting, during which the governor tabled issues on Boko Haram’s resurgence in Borno. On Friday, August 23, 2019, in the wake of simultaneous killings by Boko Haram in Gubio, Magumeri and Konduga LGAs, Zulum returned to the presidential villa for a second one-on-one closed-door meeting with President Buhari. Zulum expressed reservations over the military’s new idea of concentrating troops in ‘supercamps’ rather than the operational strategies they used in gaining grounds back in 2016. The previous day, Thursday, August 22, Zulum had met the Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo, over the same issue. On Wednesday, February 12, 2020, Zulum had private sessions with President Buhari in Maiduguri. The President had paid empathy visit to Borno, over Boko Haram’s massacre of 30 travellers at Auno. On Thursday April 9, 2020, Zulum was back to the Villa for another one-on-one closed-door meeting with President Buhari, to discuss implications of President Derby’s led Chadian onslaught on Boko Haram. Zulum was concerned that insurgents in Chadian territory were fleeing into Nigerian portion in the shores of Lake Chad. On Monday, June 15, 2020 (an interval of five weeks) Zulum returned to the presidential villa for another one-on-one closed-door meeting with President Buhari. This time, Boko Haram attacked and massacred more than 80 villagers in Gubio. In 15 months, Governor Zulum had at least five one-on-one closed-door meetings with Nigeria’s President, Commander-inChief, over security issues in Borno, and at least 20 private sessions with the Chief of Army Staff, Lt. General Tukur Buratai. These were aside regular phone calls. Zulum has held series of one-on-one meetings with other service chiefs, and the Minister of Defence. Zulum has held hundreds of one-on-one

meetings with successive theater commanders, GOCs, brigade commanders and other top military officers in charge of ‘Operation Lafiya Dole’, the 7 Division of the Nigerian Army, and brigades across

Borno. In January 2020, Zulum had travelled to N’Djamena, Chad, for closed-door meetings with commanding officers at the headquarters of the Multinational Joint

Is the Noose Tightening on Obaseki? Mike Obetoh, a Political Analysts and an indigene of Edo State writes that many aides of Governor Godwin Obaseki have jumped ship

here are indications that Governor Obaseki’s ambition for a second term in office is fast becoming an unending nightmare as his party members, political appointees leave in droves. “A leader without followers is simply a man taking a walk.” In that one quote, former Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, John Boehner explicitly paints a picture of a leader whose followers or allies have lost confidence in. But why do so many people lose faith in their political leaders or politicians at a time - as in the current situation with Edo State Governor, Godwin Obaseki and his once passionate followers including close associates and appointees? Does it mean they reject his ideas on “leadership?” Although Obaseki and his “leaning” fan base want everyone to believe otherwise, basic knowledge of political behaviour suggests to every discerning mind that the massive depletion of the Governor’s camp is an indication that the noose is getting tighter on his second term ambition. Those who hold such view are quick to point to recent incidences of resignation of appointments by key officials of his government in a worrisome manner. For instance, Director, Obaseki/Shaibu Movement and a hitherto member of the state Waste Management Board, Mr Patrick Iyoha announced his resignation from his appointment to the amazement of many on July 28. Although Iyoha did not give reasons for his resignation in his letter dated 28 July, 2020. But those who are close to him said he did so as a protest against the Governor Obaseki’s lackluster administration and stack disregard for democratic tenets. Besides Iyoha, two members of the State Post Primary Education Board:

chairman of the board, Mr Gabriel Oiboh, and a member Mr Osanyemwere Osawe appointed by Governor Obaseki also resigned their appointments about 24 hours after Iyoha threw in the trowel. According to them, they left because they could not bow to pressure to defect to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) from the All Progressives Congress (APC). On Monday, July 29, three commissioners of the Edo state Oil and Gas Producing Area Development Commission reigned their appointments. The commissioners — Osamwonyi Atu, Emmanuel Odigie and Rilwanu Oshiomhole — represented Edo South, Edo Central and Edo North senatorial districts. Several state commissioners have also resigned. “Can someone tell Obaseki to leave the position when the ovation is loud than to be humiliated at the end of the day? It is a pity that Obaseki is not sensing it that his time is up in Edo Politics. He has refused to do the needful at the right time only to be fighting elders in the state and refused to inaugurate Edo State House of Assembly,” a political analyst, Asia Jones said in reaction to the depletion in the Governor’s cabinet and mass defection from the PDP into the APC. The resignation of Mr Iyoha is one that sent some shivers down the spines of Obaseki’s supporters. The tsunami list of many appointees of Governor Godwin Obaseki who have parted ways with the governor ahead of the September 19 gubernatorial election in the state is swelling each day. The list is becoming endless, giving credence to those who say Obaseki may just be on his way out of government house. NOTE: Interested readers should continue in the online edition on www.thisdaylive.com

Task Force. Zulum had declared an official day of statewide fasting and prayers (Monday, February 24, 2020) to seek divine intervention for the military’s peace building efforts to succeed. Muslims and Christians in Borno and beyond, responded to the governor’s call with a fast that Monday. To match prayers with action, in barely 15 months, Zulum approved the procurement and deployment of almost 400 Toyota Hilux vehicles to the fight against Boko Haram. These vehicles are critical to the operations of the military, other security forces and volunteers in the fight against Boko Haram. The Borno State Government regularly supports these operational vehicles with fuel and maintenance. Zulum also supports families of soldiers, especially those killed in combat. The governor makes it a habit to pay morale boosting visits and to offer welfare support to military formations in all his many humanitarian trips across the 27 local government areas in Borno. Openly, Zulum pays tribute to gallant soldiers. At the government house in Maiduguri, Zulum accords special treatment to military commanders and heads of other security establishments. With or without appointments, military heads walk to Zulum’s office anytime the need arises, and the governor suspends everything else. He attends to requests, often for ‘logistics’, brought by security heads, and he is particular about the military’s. So much is the governor’s commitment that the Chief of Army Staff, Buratai, on Sunday, May 24, 2020, publicly described Zulum’s support for the military as being “immeasurable.” Before the COAS, Nigeria’s Minister of Defence, Major General Bashir Magashi (rtd) said on Monday, December 16, 2019, that the Nigerian military was happy to have in Zulum, “a governor that is very versatile and dedicated in the operational activities of fighting Boko Haram.” Magashi also spoke in public. Zulum’s commitment transcends the military. In his first week as governor, Zulum increased the monthly allowances of thousands of volunteers in the Civilian JTF, hunters and vigilantes. Zulum re-equipped the volunteers and recruited more across all LGAs. He knows they critically support the military. Zulum even created a rapid response squad, equipped with operational vehicles, and armed volunteers. The governor also established a security trust fund, hosted a north-east strategy summit on security, and when invited, attends all security related programmes, in and outside Borno. However, in the midst of all these strategic meetings, series of security interventions and politically-correct consultations, one thing remained unchanged – hundreds of people in Borno are continually massacred by Boko Haram and communities sacked. Gun shots were directed at the governor in Baga, where army commanders confirmed to Zulum, that there was no Boko Haram. So, who fired the shots: non-existent Boko Haram, soldiers, or ghosts? Yet, abductions and videotaped executions continued. Now, which leader, with undiluted conscience, would remain silent because of political-correctness? Who would speak for bereaved and displaced communities? Whose voice, above the governor’s, would loudly call for the decisive action needed in Borno? In a nutshell, if in Zulum’s shoes, what else would you do?

T H I S D AY ˾ FRIDAY AUGUST 14, 2020

PERSPECTIVE VIEW FROM

AMERICA

chido@usafricaonline.com@Chido247

Walter Carrington, the U.S Ambassador Who Was a Nigerian Chido Nwangwu , Founder of USAfrica multimedia, pays tribute to the former Ambassador of the United States to Nigera, Dr. Walter Carrington who passed on recently

he United States former Ambassador to Nigeria, Dr. Walter Carrington, died at 90 years on Tuesday, August 11, 2020.. In the middle of 1993, shortly after he took charge as U.S chief diplomat in the country, the decision by Gen. Ibrahim Babangida and all the hawks around him to “annul “ the June 12 election forced Nigeria into some complicated political Iogjam and geopolitical tussle. The election of the Nigerian President that year which was adjudged to have been free and fair seemed to have been in the favour of Chief M.K.O Abiola. It took place under the leadership of National Electoral Commission by Prof. Humphrey Nwosu. In December 1993, amidst the upheaval, I had the privilege of meeting him at the embassy of the United States in Lagos. I had two goals for flying almost 6550 miles to Lagos from Houston, Texas — the headquarters of the multimedia networks and public policy organization, USAfrica. First, to chat and then go on record (interview) Ambassador Carrington about the bilateral business, democratization struggles in Nigeria, and the strategic and security interests of the U.S and Nigeria. The second, to introduce and present to him and the key mission diplomats the first edition of USAfrica magazine. This was done with USAfrica Executive Directors Eni Kanu and Christopher Chukwu Carrington was very cordial, encouraging and supportive. He supported activists for democratization amidst the rapid transition and power-play in Nigeria since 1993. The sheer force and, in most cases, the dishonesty and crudity of the warring groups especially the army never made him lose sight of what he told me to be his “determination to use my unique position as ambassador to encourage the respect of the rights of all Nigerians and foster democracy in this resourceful and endowed country.” On July 8, 1998 he weighed the circumstances of the unfortunate and unexpected death of Chief Abiola on July 7, in Abuja, and asserted, pointedly, that by keeping Abiola as long as they did, the military leaders of Nigeria were “accessories to Abiola’s death.” Although in another breadth, Carrington commended Gen. Abubakar as a professional soldier who held some promise. He had known Abubakar for almost a decade. Abiola’s daughter, Hafsat who appeared on the same programme did not share Carrington’s warm compliments about Abubakar. She stated that Gen. Abubakar’s regime was “responsible for my father’s

death. I don’t care what anybody says about who Abubakar is; he was leading Nigeria when my father died. He was not elected by the people.” Carrington was very familiar with the rough and tumble of Nigeria’s politics and military harassment having been at the receiving end of the brutal, undiplomatic excesses of the Abacha regime. Without surprise, Carrington’s concerns and pan-African goodwill fell on the deaf and tyrannical ears of the Abacha junta. Rather than cooperate with him to move Nigeria forward, Abacha’s zombies physically assaulted Carrington’s personal space and breached all protocol to intimidate him. They misread his resolve and commitment to Nigeria. Why? The African-American diplomat did not consider himself an outsider, having also married into a Nigerian family and resided at different times in three of the major cities in Nigeria since the late 1960s. Despite Carrington’s continued interest and effort to move Nigeria forward, I still need to know the answer to an issue which I’ve been pondering, especially while I was travelling as the only African-American newspaper publisher with U.S President Bill Clinton during his March 23-April 2, 1998 tour of Africa. The issue remains whether the Clinton White House did its very best to give full support and backing to Ambassador Carrington while he was being maligned and insulted and assaulted by the late Gen. Sani Abacha’s cronies and goons. I ask this question because when I recall President Clinton’s ill-advised statement at his joint presidential conference at Tuynhuis in Cape Town, South Africa that then Nigerian dictator Sani Abacha can run for president as a candidate in the same election he (Abacha was referee, score keeper, linesman and major domo). Why did Clinton alter U.S policy, even with the full knowledge of Abacha’s reckless, untoward, banal and devious acts against the ambassador of the U.S in Nigeria, Carrington. What if Abacha did not die “suddenly”, on June 8, 1998? Since he returned to the academic and policy analysis community in Boston, Carrington remained consistent and principled in opposing military rule in Nigeria. He refused to keep silent on the Abiola saga and other issues regarding human rights in Nigeria and parts of Africa. The last time I met him was at the Harvard Conference on Christopher Okigbo, almost eight years ago. Professors Chinua Achebe and Wole Soyinka were there. Remarkably, he wrote books, articles and notes for humanity. I like his 2010 compilation, ‘A Duty to Speak: Refusing to Remain Silent in a Time of Tyrannt.’ When I interviewed Carrington, he was “concerned at the abuse of human rights, and the unfortunate descent of Nigeria under the military into a police state. I will continue to raise these issues with the regime because Nigeria represents many things to many people whose nationality are elsewhere.” The latter is an apparent reference to his unique role as an AfricanAmerican in the most consequential and powerful Black-ruled country in the world -despite its many hydra-headed problems. Ambassador Carrington, may your lineage, as my Aro/Igbo elders would have prayed, be long.

The Interesting Connection Between Nigeria and Lebanon Iboro Otu connects the recent tragedy in Lebanon with the situation in Nigeria which promotes discontent with the economic structure and other socio-political issues

rtyom is the name of a brave Russian character in one the most interesting adventure video games I ever played on PlayStation 4. The video game franchise is known as Metro, it is developed by an Ukrainian company called 4A Games and tells a captivating story about a post-apocalyptic Moscow devastated by nuclear war. Ironically, Metro played out in Lebanon last week with striking similarities, overlapping names and storylines. Back to real life. Igor Grechushkin, an international businessman, never envisioned he would be this popular, I’m sure many of you have never heard of him until now. He is an adventurous Russian living in the city of Limassol, Cyprus. In September 2013, his ship named, ‘Rhosus’, sailing under a Moldovan flag, carried cargo from Batami in Georgia to Beira in Mozambique. Moldova, an Eastern European country and former Soviet Republic, is blacklisted by international naval organizations as most of their ships are considered medium to high risk because of the numbers of inspections and detentions they undergo. As such, it is quite easy to understand why certain businessmen choose to register and sail their ships under the Moldovan flag; because the registration of foreign vessels is effortless due to corrupt practices. En route to Mozambique, Rhosus’s commander called for an emergency stop due to technical problems and docked in Beirut, Lebanon. Upon inspection, it was discovered the ship had other problems and so the Lebanese State Control technicians banned the Rhosus from resuming its voyage. Unable to leave Lebanon, Igor abandoned his ship, crew and cargo. On board the Rhosus was the 2,750 tonnes of Ammonium Nitrate which has since exploded, releasing toxic fumes and killing hundreds, wounding over 5, 000 people with dozens still missing. Many mothers lost their daughters, many fathers have lost their sons. Igor Grechushkin is a father of one, his son’s name is Artyom. Contrastingly, I’m sure many of you have heard of a convenience store called ‘’Seven-Eleven’’ or “7-Eleven”? It is a very popular international convenience chain and got it’s name by opening from 7am to 11pm. It has an interesting story. This store actually started out as Tote’m Stores in Dallas in 1927 but it is now

Nigeria could have been anything, until the Lebanese came. It was as if our destinies were tied at the umbilicals. We share many similarities; epileptic power supply, a government system mired by graft, sectarianism and corruption, and most importantly, the most industrious, innovative and resourceful people on earth

Japanese owned. 7-Eleven’s business to date is simply about making basic items such as bread and milk very reachable and purchasable in convenience stores. A beginning couldn’t be humbler. Marathon Petroleum Corporation on the other hand is an American petroleum refining, marketing and transportation company spun from Marathon Oil in 2011, it stood as the largest petroleum refinery operator in the United States, with 16 refineries and over three million barrels per day of crude refining capacity. You can’t be bigger than that. Marathon Petroleum owns Speedway LLC retail chain which has over 4, 000 retail outlets, it is the second largest retail gasoline and convenience stores in the USA. A humongous beginner. But check this out, just last week, 7-Eleven convenience store decided to buy out all 4, 000 Speedway retail chains for 21 Billion dollars, and not for the oil, but for the minimarts - in order to use their unique store locations to sell it’s ‘bread and milk’ - with petroleum sales as side hustle. One couldn’t make this up. Let me put it this way, 7-Eleven’s ‘bread and milk’ business/market is so successful it doesn’t need to sell fuel, it bought the fuel stations at a price of $21 billion in order to sell groceries. If someone ever told Speedway its side hustle would one day make its main petrol business a side hustle, they would’ve screamed, ‘gerarahiaaaaa!’ Why I’m I telling you all these stories? Vision. Vision and Linkages. It doesn’t matter who you are, where you are, what you are selling and where you are starting from, what matters is how. What starts well, whatever it is, most usually ends well. I’m wondering what excuse we can give to someone who left oil for bread business, that we are not successful. Nigeria could have been anything, until the Lebanese came. It was as if our destinies were tied at the umbilicals. We share many similarities; epileptic power supply, a government system mired by graft, sectarianism and corruption, and most importantly, the most industrious, innovative and resourceful people on earth. With all our setbacks, both our peoples have the uncanny ability of turning shit to gold - but only in foreign lands. We give away what’s ours and keep what’s not. Did the Lebanese government need to keep, for seven years, a ship laden with probably illegal and near nuclear content, in its volatile country? Only they can answer this. All I can say is this; when you play stupid games, you win stupid prizes, but today isn’t a day for blame, it’s for mourning. Today is Lebanon’s, tomorrow might be ours. Having said all these, I realize there are many missing links in this story and realize it isn’t my job to link them. My job is to tell a story. Your job is to connect the dots, or not.

FRIDAY AUGUST 14, 2020 â&#x20AC;˘T H I S D AY

BAUCHI STATE GOVERNMENT

PRESIDENCY, APC:

PLEASE LEAVE AHMADU FINTRI AND BALA MOHAMMED ALONE Of all the histrionics that have been stirred by the despicable nomination of Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu, as the flagbearer of the All Progressive Congress (APC), in the forthcoming governorship elections in Edo State, none seems as ridiculous as the statement purportedly issued by the Presidency, admonishing the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), to sack Governor Ahmadu Fintri of Adamawa State and his Bauchi State counterpart, Senator Bala Mohammed, both of whom had cases against them, before they were elected. The Presidencys statement was a response to the call on the President, in line with his avowed zero tolerance for corruption, to withhold or withdraw his support for Osagie Ize-Iyamu. Obviously, the Presidency has been boxed into a corner in the melodrama surrounding the curious emergence of Osagie Ize-Iyamu, a man who had been so irredeemably deconstructed by Adams Oshiomole, former chairman of the APC, that his electoral value has diminished to almost zero. It is perfectly understandable that the APC is in damage control mode, desperately clutching to every and any conceivable straw, in a doomed effort to rescue the sinking boat of its Edo gubernatorial ticket. But little did we expect that the party will descend so low, hiding under the esteemed office of the President who may not be aware of their shenanigans, as to attempt to rewrite the nations recent history. Whereas people are now accustomed to the penchance of representatives of this Government for telling lies, we never expected that they would descend to the ridiculous extent of claiming to be the original promoters, talk less of possessing a monopoly of anti-corruption effort. How can the APC Administration that has become a haven for those fleeing justice, mislead Nigerians into believing that the party has the franchise over the anti-graft war when both the Independent Corrupt Practices Commission (ICPC) and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), the statutes it has deployed in the anti-graft campaign, were creations of the PDP ? For the records, the ICPC was inaugurated on 29 September 2000, following the recommendation of President Olusegun Obasanjo while the EFCC bill was passed into law by an overwhelmingly PDP-controlled National Assembly in 2003 and signed into law by President Olusegun Obasanjo. Or does the APC, in all its self-conceit, believe that Nigerians are now so daft, even in the face of excruciating hunger, to accept that the tail will now wag the head? Nigerians will be wondering if the APC is so inured to the truth that it cannot admit that the first big shot to be jailed, following a diligent prosecution by the ICPC was Sunday Afolabi, despite the fact that he was a serving minister of internal affairs during Olusegun Obasanjos presidency and one of his closest allies. Does the APC-led Federal Government want to be reminded that the trial of some former governors started under the PDP-led Federal Government, when they were still members of the PDP before they switched over to the APC, probably for their alleged sins to be washed away ? On Senator Bala Mohammed and related issues, it has become necessary to make the following clarifications, if only to stop the APC from continuing to rub salt into the injury already inflicted on Nigerians and the people of Edo State:1Unlike Pastor Ize-Iyamu who is the candidate of the ruling APC, a party that professes the eradication of corruption as its mantra, as the unimpeachable cornerstone of its national revival programme; Bala Mohammed was the candidate of the opposition party, a man who was ready to subject his integrity to electoral scrutiny without passing through the same moral crucible as the candidate of the ruling party. The electorate believed him; set his prosecution and persecution aside; and got him elected, defeating an incumbent Governor. 2Not only had Bala Mohammed vigorously contested, denied and defended all the allegations against him in a court of competent jurisdiction before his election, as Governor which subsequently conferred immunity on him, it should be placed on record that prior to that, he had recorded some landmark victories over the EFCC in all the cases that had been decided. For the records, we reproduce below some of the cases decided in favour of Senator Bala Mohammed: (i) Suit No. FCT/HC/CV/220/2016 Sen. Bala Mohammed vs. EFCC judgment in favour of Governor Bala Mohammed. (ii)

Charge No. CR/43/2016 - FRN vs. Sen. Bala Mohammed withdrawn.

(iii) Suit No. FCT/HC/CV/416/2017 - Sen. Bala Mohammed vs Aso Savings- judgment in favour of Governor Bala Mohammed. (iv) Charge No. CR/177/2017- FRN vs. Bala Mohammed -abated due to prosecutions lack of evidence to proceed and adjourned sine die. 3-

We concede, as has been correctly argued, that only the courts

can pronounce an accused guilty. We also concede that under our laws, an accused is presumed innocent until he is proven guilty. These are not the issues in contention here. Yet, no sane or honest person will fail to recognise that it is tantamount to a contradiction of byzantine proportions, that the same Administration that accused and is prosecuting Osagie Ize-Iyamu of corruption, sees nothing wrong or awkward, in nominating him to run for office of Governor of the state he is accused of plundering. This raises pertinent questions: Has the court pronounced him innocent? Or has the APC suddenly discovered that he is innocent? Is the Administration suggesting that he was falsely accused? If that is assumed but not conceded, how many more people would have been framed up, to achieve purely partisan political motives? Could that be the case of Senator Bala Mohammed who, at some point, was subjected to the horrendous but totally false accusation of having stolen N1.3 Trillion by the EFCC, under the leadership of Ibrahim Magu ? 4. In its warped logic, rather than descend on the former Chairman of the party, Chief Adams Oshiomole who was the repeater station transmitting and orchestrating the alleged character defects of Osagie Ize-Iyamu, the rudderless APC has embarked on a voyage of obfuscation and deception. But we want to assure the APC and its spin doctors that, gone are the days when it succeeded in adopting diversionary strategies to blindfold an unwary electorate into seeing the party as holding the key, to unlocking the door to Nigerias emancipation, from corruption and the attendant underdevelopment. After five years of inconsistency, double standards, insecurity and grinding poverty, today, the veil of deception has fallen off and Nigerians can see through the hubris. 5. We are scandalized that rather than face the salacious allegations and counter allegations of corruption, marked by fainting sprees, within the ranks of the APC, the troubled party is busy diverting the attention of the public by referring to Governors whose trials are understandably on hold, because the prosecuting agencies shamelessly failed to provide any evidence to merit any prosecution up to the point they contested and won election which now conferred on them constitutional immunity. 6. That the APC is conveniently overlooking the fact that some highly placed leaders of the party are still holding strategic national positions while either facing trial or allegations of gross financial impropriety, is the height of hypocrisy and clear evidence that the ruling party is taking Nigerians for a ride. 7. We consider it in the overall national interest that Presidency officials desist from the unpatriotic practice of using Mr. Presidentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s name, as an arsenal, to hit perceived political adversaries. It is even worse to use the Presidents name for protecting some members of the Buhari Administration whose background, demeanour, motivations and actions, are diametrically opposed to the professed moral code of the President. Needless to emphasize that while, as responsible citizens, we respect both the office and person of President Buhari, we are concerned that the cordial relationship that ought to exist between the Presidency and the federating states, is being wantonly eroded and jeopardized by some unscrupulous and overzealous Presidency officials whose stock-in-trade is to unnecessarily start or stoke the embers of conflict between the President and the Governors. For, no matter the perceived differences between the ruling party, at the centre and some of the federating states, it should never be forgotten that, times such as these, demand that both the Presidency and the states reduce areas of conflict; that all hands should be placed on deck, to tackle and overcome the myriad party-less, tribe-less, gender-neutral and faith-blind problems being faced by the country. 8. Finally, we wish to remind the Federal Government that, at the onset of his ordeal in the hands of the EFCC, Bala Mohammed voluntarily submitted himself to trial in the firm belief that history will vindicate the just. Besides, he remains unequivocally supportive of the anti-corruption campaign of President Muhammadu Buhari, a trend that was started by the PDP-led Administration of President Olusegun Obasanjo with the proviso that there should be no sacred cows as appears to be the case presently, despite subterfuges to the contrary. It also goes without saying that the same Federal Government should lose no sleep over his case, trusting that, as in the past, he will willingly report to defend himself when it pleases God that his tenure as Governor should end. However, as one whose principle is not to step on a man who is already down, he regrets that Ibrahim Magu, the instrument being used by his traducers, is now tasting a dose of his own medicine. How true it is that, indeed, the world is, a stage. A word is enough for the wise.

Signed

MUKHTAR GIDADO Senior Special Assistant Media to Governor Bala Mohammed. 13/08/2020.

T H I S D AY ˾ AUGUST 14, 2020

BUSINESSWORLD R A T E S MONEY MARKET OBB OVERNIGHT

A S

A T

REPO 6.33 % 7.17 %

CALL 1-MONTH 3-MONTH

7.50 % 6.75 % 8%

A U G U S T S & P INDEX INDEX LEVEL 1-DAY MONTH-TO-DATE

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

7 , 2 0 2 0

586.61 % 0.21 % -4.48 %

S & P INDEX 1/4 TO DATE 4.23 % YEAR TO DATE 21.92 %

EXCHANGE RATE N381/1US DOLLAR* ̩

Quick Takes BAGAIA Plans COVID-19 Air Safety

PROJECT INAUGURATION

L-R: Minister of State, Power, Mr. Goddy Jedy Agba; Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Dr. Isa Patami; Chairman of Occasion and Governor of Imo, Senator Hope Uzodinma; and Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, arriving for a virtual commissioning of 11 completed projects for the digital economy sector, held in Abuja...recently

NAHCO Clariﬁes N1.1bn Gratuity Payment to Ex-workers Chinedu Eze The Nigerian Aviation Handling Company (NAHCO) Plc and the Pension Transitional Arrangement Directorate (PTAD) are mired in a controversy over the N1.1 billion gratuities paid to the ex-workers of the company as severance package during the privatisation of the foremost handling firm. The gratuities were supposed to be paid by the Bureau for Public Enterprise (BPE) then, from proceeds of the sale of the company in 2005, but the liability was later inherited by PTAD. The ground handling company said it paid the entire gratuities due to its 936 staff

AVIATION who were either retrenched or re-absorbed back into the system, according to its Condition of Service (CoS) as at the time, after waiting for BPE to offset the huge bill of the ex-workers. This was disclosed to THISDAY by the Head, Human Resources of NAHCO, Mr. Ganiyu Afolabi, during a chat in Lagos, recently. Afolabi, explained that after the privatisation of NAHCO in 2005, the new management commenced payment of gratuities to disengaged and reabsorbed staff from 2008. He said the new management rather than wait for BPE to pay its workers

who were either disengaged or reabsorbed, commenced the payment of severance packages with the hope of getting a refund from Bureau. The company, however, said between 2008 and 2020, no fewer than 11 correspondences had emanated from it to the BPE and the Pension Transitional Arrangement Directorate (PTAD), a directorate that BPE transferred the case to. The first of such correspondences according to Afolabi, was on May 15, 2008, while it sent a reminder letter to the bureau on April 2, 2009. Others were July 27, 2009; January 13, 2010; March 8, 2010; October 27, 2010; September 7, 2011; February 22,

2012; July 19, 2012; February 19, 2019 and July 16, 2019. He disclosed that a July 19, 2012 letter from NAHCO eventually led to a major response from BPE, which in 2013, in a letter signed by Mr. Benjamin Dikki, its then Director-General of BPE, led to audits of NAHCO’s claim in 2013 and 2015. “There were audits in NAHCO in 2013-2015 by BPE. Finally in 2015 the company was informed that the matter was transferred to PITAD,” Afolabi explained. The Head of Human Resources explained that the case was eventually transferred to PTAD in 2015 after the comprehensive audits of NAHCO by BPE.

Agencies Move to Enforce 24 Hours Port Operation Eromosele Abiodun and Oluchi Chibuzor Following the Executive Order on ease of doing business across the nation’s seaports that was signed by the Vice President, Prof Yemi Oshinbajo in 2017, heads of federal government agencies in the maritime sector have resolved to implement actionable plans towards a 24 hours port operations. The agencies, which include Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Nigerian Port Authority (NPA), National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA), and the Nigerian Shippers’ Council (NSC), disclosed this at the second meeting of all the heads of maritime parastatals in the country in Lagos, recently. They believed that port efficiency and effectiveness

MARITIME cannot be achieved without integration and synergy of stakeholders in the maritime sector. Speaking at the meeting, the Director-General of NIMASA, Dr. Bashir Jamoh said the agencies acknowledged the significance of having a workable multimodal transport system across the Nigerian seaports. The meeting, he said, affords the chief executives of the federal government agencies the opportunity to deliberate areas where they have common challenges and to move the industry forward, while looking at ways to improve the safety of the waterways. He intimated that the agency was in process of ensuring that floating duck are utilised in moving cargo out of ports into

various dry ports location and the eastern part of the country. “Part of the issue we deliberated today is on the issue of port community systems; what we did is that we agreed that we are going to have a committee that would look into the operationality of the port community systems, whereby the community would have a say in what we do in the Nigerian maritime domain. “That committee would look into possibility of reaching out to ports operators and stakeholders alike and by extension look into the issue of 24 hours of the operationality of Nigeria’s port systems. “The committee of the chief executives observed that port efficiency and effectiveness in any country cannot be achieved with 24 hours ports operation systems.” On her part, the Managing

Director, NPA, Hadiza BalaUsman, reiterated the need for urgent implementation of the report of the Presidential Council on ease of doing business across government’s agencies. According to her, “The NPA and some government agencies set about to commence 24 hours port operations, but as you know port operations cannot be done in isolation all agencies of the government and other stakeholders must come together.” She said the CEO’s noted the need to give incentives for people to come and clear their cargo within 24 hours. “This involves trans versing port locations at night, moving your cargoes outside all this location would enable consignees to be comfortable in coming to pick their cargoes within 24 hours, “she explained.

TheBanjulAccordGroupAccidentInvestigationAgency(BAGAIA)hassaid itismappingoutstrategiestoensurecompliancetoglobalbestpractices asairlinesreturntotheskiesdespitetheCOVID-19. Atanonlinemeetingrecently,theBAGAIACommissioner,CharlesIrikefe Erhueh,whochairedthesession,saidtheCOVID-19situationcouldconstitute anopportunitytofurtherrestructuretheindustryandallowittofullyplay itseconomic,anddevelopmentalroleglobally. The commissioner, in one of his submissions, posited that the present pandemichadstalledanyillusionofcontinuingbusinessasusual,adding thatpreparationsneededtobemadetoensuresafetyintheskies.Erhueh said the aviation sector, which is vital for socio-economic advancement, international commerce, tourism, and regional alliance has been worst hitbythecurrentCOVID-19crisis. “Unprecedentedhealththreatsandrelatedtravellimitationsdonotallow continuingthebusinesswiththeBAGAIAMemberStatesintheusualform. Thiswillprobablytakeconsiderablenumberofyearsforthetransportby airtoregainthelevelithadbeforethispandemic. “Furthermore, due to our size in Africa, aviation will remain vital industry thatwillconnectusallacrosstheworld.Soineverythingwedoasaviators’ personalhygieneaswellassafetymustbeourconcernswhilewecarry-out ourdailyactivities,”headded. Erhuehsaidthiswouldonlybepossiblewithanefficientaviationindustry andanimprovedlevelofsafety.TheCOVID-19situationcanconstitutean opportunitytofurtherrestructuretheindustryandallowittofullyplayits economic,anddevelopmentalroleglobally,hesaid.

Qatar to Resume Flights to Lisbon

QatarAirwaysissettoresumefourweeklyflightstoLisbon,Portugal,from August 14, 2020. The flights would be operated by the airline’s modern, fuel-efficientBoeing787Dreamlineroffering22seatsinBusinessClass and232seatsinEconomyClass. Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive, Mr. Akbar Al Baker, said, “We are pleased to resume flights to Lisbon, further expanding our European network.Lisbonisrenownedforitsextensivehistoryandculture,boasting a rich artistic and gastronomic heritage and we look forward to support therecoveryofitstourismandtradeindustries. “PassengersfromPortugalcanalsolookforwardtoconnectingseamlessly andsafelyviatheBestAirportintheMiddleEasttomorethan30destinations acrossAfrica,Asia-Pacific,theMiddleEastandSouthAsia.” The airline said resumption of Lisbon services would see its operations expandto225weeklyflightsto33gatewaysinEurope. Theairline’smixofmodernfuel-efficientaircraftmeantitsnetworkhasnever fallenbelow30destinationsthroughoutthepandemicandhasenabledit toadaptitsplansandquicklyresumeroutestorebuilditsglobalnetwork. By optimising its mix of aircraft and grounding its A380 fleet, the airline continuestoflyonlytherightsizedaircraftonallroutestoEurope,reducing its environmental impact by offering sensible and responsible capacity tomeetbothpassengerandcargodemand.

Lufthansa Plans Compulsory Lay-oﬀs

LufthansahasputGermanworkersonnoticeofcompulsorylay-offs,saying tumbling air travel and slow progress in union negotiations meant cuts wereunavoidableafteritlost1.7billioneuros($2billion)inasinglequarter, Reutersreported. “Asairlinesareplanningtocomebackintofulloperations;thereisaserious needtobeincompliancewithglobalbestpractice. “RecentlyFAAissuedanEmergencyAirworthinessDirective(AD),warning that both B737 engines could shut down after take-off, this was which was prompted by four recent reports of single-engine shutdowns due to engine bleed air 5th stage check valve – which get stuck if faulty as most aircraft has been on-ground some were even on storage during thispandemic,”itadded. TheGermanairline,whichsecuredaninebillioneurostatebailoutinJune, flew just four per cent of prior-year passengers between April and June as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and expects capacity to increase to only around 50 per cent by the end of the year and two-thirds of last year’slevelin2021. ItsoutlookismorepessimisticthanrivalssuchasAirFrance-KLMwhich expectstofly80percentofitspre-crisisflightsnextyear,andBritishAirways andIberiaownerIAGwhichforecastscapacitytobe24percentlowerin2021.

“Evacuations would come to an end by the end of this month and afterwards, anybody coming back will pay for his or her ticket” Chairman, Nigeria in Diaspora Commission,

Abike Dabiri-Erewa

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Again, Unions Threaten Aviation Agencies, Airlines over Workersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Welfare Stories by Chinedu Eze Aviation industry unions have threatened another showdown with aviation agencies and airlines over the welfare of workers. The unions said their grievance was based on all sundry issues that affect the aviation industry, from the COVID-19 intervention fund, condition of services for certain agencies to minimum wage as well as relocation of headquarters of agencies. Therefore, it gave the agencies and airlines a two-week ultimatum to comply with labour laws or face the consequences of their action. The unions include the National Union of Air Transport Employees (NUATE), the Air Transport Senior Staff Services Association of Nigeria (ATSSSAN) and Association of Nigerian Aviation Professionals (ANAP), which in a press briefing on Wednesday insisted that despite the current meltdown in the industry, the organisations must take care of their workers. The General Secretary NUATE, Ocheme Abba; Deputy General Secretary ATSSSAN, Frances Akinjole, and Secre-

tary General of ANAP, Abdul Rasaq Saidu, in a statement tagged, â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Aviation is in a State of Emergencyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; said they were compelled to raise alarm about an impending implosion and looming crisis in the aviation industry. The unionsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; agitation with regards to relocation and the COVID-19 bailout funds was premised on timing and the current trend of borrowing among agencies to pay salaries, stating that the Minister did not heed any advice as this was neither the time or was there budgetary provision. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We have variously protested the order given by the Hon. Minister of Aviation for the relocation of the Headquarters of FAAN, NAMA, NCAA and AIB from Lagos to Abuja at this time. While submitting to government the right to determine the appropriate location of its agencies (though there is ample room for debate on the matter), we have, however, pointed out to government the need to be circumspect in pursuing this particular objective at this particular time. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We pointed at the present

crisis of COVID-19, the absence of budgetary provision for most, if not all the agencies in the current budget cycle, the unavailability of office buildings in Abuja, the absence of any real pressure to do so, and other extenuating circumstances which we had hoped would cause a change of strategy to a more pragmatic approach. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Unfortunately, our efforts in this regard have been to no avail. But, now the vexing issue of refusal of the various managements to engage with us on the labour implications of the relocation has become a new crisis point. The only exception to this is FAAN. We have a responsibility to the workers of these agencies to insist that their genuine rights and interests with regard to relocation are adequately protected. No one should expect that our Unions will shirk that responsibility,â&#x20AC;? it said. On the COVID-19 Intervention Fund, the unions said the modalities for the intervention was yet to be known and aviation, the most negatively impacted by COVID-19 is yet to be impacted by these interventions.

Stakeholders Advocate Right Pricing for Ground Handling Nigeriaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s leading aviation ground handling companies; Aviation Handling Services (AHS), Nigerian Aviation Handling Company Plc (Nahco Aviance) and the Skyway Aviation Handling Company (SAHCO) Plc have been urged to consider price adjustment in order to survive the effects of the pandemic. A former Director General of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), Dr. Harold Demuren, made the call recently during a webinar organised by the Association of Aviation Ground Handlers (AGHAN). The webinar titled, â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;The Impact of COVID -19 on the Nigerian Aviation Ground Handling Industry: Safety, Rates, Regulation,â&#x20AC;&#x2122; was well attended by key players in the aviation industry. Demuren, who was one of the panelists, emphasised that foreign airlines should pay

the dollar equivalent for ground handling services rendered to it in order to ensure the survival of the Aviation Ground Handling companies. In his opening remarks, Chairman of AGHAN, Mr. Olaniyi Adigun, who is also the Executive Director, Sales and Marketing of SAHCO Plc explained that AGHAN was created to represent, advocate policies and regulation for the overall interest of the members of the association. He stated further that the creation of AGHAN would foster an enabling environment to build and reach a consensus on critical aviation ground handling matters. On his part, the Commissioner/Chief Executive Officer of the Accident Investigation Bureau of Nigeria (AIB), Akin Olateru, enjoined AGHAN to stop the price war. He encouraged the Aviation Ground

Handlers to collaborate more and improve on their service delivery to airlines and other clients. He also said SAHCO and NAHCO should synergise to get appropriate pricing for the services they provide. He enjoined ground handlers to improve on their service delivery by reducing turnaround time for carriers while also applying new innovation that will break the operational silos from the traditional primary services to innovative secondary and tertiary services. Group Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer NAHCO Plc, Mrs. Olatokunbo Fagbemi in her remarks, called on all stakeholders to work together for the survival of the industry, according to herâ&#x20AC;? the aviation industry is the worst hit by the pandemic, and by extension, the ground handling companiesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;â&#x20AC;&#x2122;.

Skyward Loyalty Scheme to Reward More Members Emirates Skywards members in Nigeria amongst other travellers world-wide can now enjoy over 1500 new ways to earn miles. The loyalty programme of Emirates and flydubai introduced a thousand new ways to earn Miles, while shopping online with popular UK and US brands. According to a statement, members can now visit the website, choose from more than 1,500 brands and splurge on shopping, while racking up Miles that can be used for discounted flight tickets and other rewards.

â&#x20AC;&#x153;In order to start earning Miles, the skyward member would have to shop online through the website which can be accessed on the Emirates app. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Members can then browse through a list of fantastic offers across fashion, lifestyle and other retail stores. To shop from participating brands, log in using Emirates Skywards account details and continue to the partner brandâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s website to complete the purchase. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Emirates Skywardsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; 27 million members worldwide can earn and spend Miles for an extensive range of rewards,

including flight tickets on partner airlines, flight upgrades, hotel stays, tickets, hospitality at sporting and cultural events, tours and money-canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t-buy experiences,â&#x20AC;? it stated. Emirates Skywards offers four tiers of membership: Blue, Silver, Gold and Platinum, with each tier earning exclusive privileges. Skywards Miles can be redeemed for an extensive range of rewards, including flight tickets on partner airlines, flight upgrades, hotel stays, tickets, hospitality at sporting and cultural events, tours and money-canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t-buy experiences.

Adjusting to New Realities in Aviation Sector

MMIA Chinedu Eze Last week, the management of the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) confirmed that it was broke. The agency revealed that it had borrowed money to pay salaries for the previous month. Similarly, it was difficult for the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) to pay its workers in April, May and June, which were periods under COVID-19. There was even a time the agencies contemplated the payment of half salaries, which the workers resisted through the labour unions. So the aviation industry is facing serious financial challenges like other sectors of the economy due to coronavirus pandemic devastation, but the air transport industry seemed to be the most impacted. THISDAY learnt that despite the continued ban on international flights, as government weighs the impact of the effect of COVID-19 in Nigeria, the aviation agencies really relied on the revenues that would accrue from the charges paid by international airlines for their sustenance. So the continued ban is really affecting them, as the Managing Director of NAMA, Captain Fola Akinkuotu noted last week. In fact, a FAAN official told THISDAY that it is only one major Nigerian carrier that contributes significantly to the agencyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s revenue because of the high number of flights and its tendency to pay promptly, but others operate fewer flights and some owe the agency for a long time. â&#x20AC;&#x153;So we are all hoping that things will get better and international airlines will resume operations. We really donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t make much from domestic airlines, except one and now, flight operations have not really picked up; so in terms of revenue, we are not making much progress,â&#x20AC;? a source at FAAN said. Aviation economist and the lead consultant at ETIMFRI Group, Amos Akpan in interview with THISDAY, recommended ways in which the airlines, the agencies, handling companies and other organisations can make adjustments in order to survive post-COVID-19 era.

My advice now is for businesses to adjust their investment portfolios to the new realities. We donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t understand the pains and difficulties they are bearing because only he that wears the shoes knows where his toe is pinched

He said salary cut, compulsory retirement of staff above 55 years, services no longer required, stoppage of new projects, stall of ongoing projects, labour crisis, stall of certifications, renegotiating existing financial programs, right sizing for survival are frequently used lexicons in the management of aviation institutions in 2020. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Things are not normal and no signals to return to normal in eighteen months. Adjustment programs calculated for three years. Three years is a long period; anything can happen within three years. We better get into the new normal in all we do in the aviation institutions in Nigeria. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I refuse to sound like a cracked record about certain policies and programs. My advice now is for businesses to adjust their investment portfolios to the new realities. We donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t understand the pains and difficulties they are bearing because only he that wears the shoes knows where his toe is pinched. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We can adduce diverse theories and we are good at it. We must also realise that the board and management are not dumb, they are wise investors and managers. We must know they knew the risk they took as they choose aviation instead of other lucrative business sectors. We cannot stay outside to judge those who had the courage to try.â&#x20AC;? He said adjustment to realities should be paramount to the managers of aviation businesses in Nigeria. â&#x20AC;&#x153;As managers you donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t control fuel price, you donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t control foreign currency exchange rates, you donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t control cost of financing, you donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t control policies, etc. But you control the type of equipment suitable for your business module, you control staffing, you control your operations apparatus; therefore, you can draw boundaries and parameters against loss incursions. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Like the International Monetary Fund and Nigeria, your financial supports will tell you on the renegotiation table about cutting costs to be off red. All of us commentators are like football fans that are not on the pitch yet know what to play to win in an ongoing game. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The business manager knows the current price of tyre, brakes, the frequency you change them, and the rate you buy forex to procure them. All the critical components used to produce the services have increased in cost. What they see in the field operations cannot be said on television or read in print media,â&#x20AC;? Akpan said. He remarked that the government had the opportunity to plan during the lockdown and execute their plans immediately the lockdown was lifted, but whether they did so and have done so, â&#x20AC;&#x153;we will be seeing the result as events unfold in the industry. History will judge because that is the record of past events.â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x153;There must be change, in this case we should also change with the tide. Managers of aviation businesses should not be afraid to change; they should embrace change because change is the only option to surviving the current scenario,â&#x20AC;&#x2122; Akpan also said.

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As Airlines Battle for Survival The low passenger traffic and industrial disruptions are making it extremely difficult for the airlines to continue as going concerns, writes Chinedu Eze

hen Nigerians airlines were pushing for the resumption of flight operations after the coronavirus lockdown, many of them knew that passenger traffic would be low, but there were others who were sanguine. Practically the economy was still on lockdown when airlines resumed domestic flights. The hotels were still closed, most government offices were still closed, business were still low and few people were travelling. In the first three weeks, passenger traffic was put at 30-40 per cent. After losing revenue for over four months and still spending money to maintain aircraft on storage, active personnel who were still working during the lockdown and acquiring kits and other facilities to meet covid-19 safety protocols, airlines were spending money without replenishing. That was why they yeaned for palliatives, which did not come. They needed financial support from government, but the signal for such help is dim. So the airlines are struggling in the face of travellersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; apathy, high cost of operations and other obligations. For example, Nigeriaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s biggest carrier, Air Peace operated over 120 flights before COVID-19 lockdown but that has come down to about 20. Yet it has workforce of over 3000 and multiple taxes that are not easing out. The airlines are all closer to the brink than when they started. Labour Beyond their projections, the airlines never thought that labour would constitute the major problem they would have upon resumption. This is because during the lockdown, many airlines in different parts of the world had reduced their workforce and airlinesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; personnel understood that it was a perilous time; that Coronavirus has literally strangled the global economy so significant adjustments have to be made in order for the airlines to survive. So currently, the demands of aviation workers, especially the pilots and engineers, poses a grave challenge to the survival of the airlines. While many airlines worldwide were getting laid off, local pilots are insisting on regular pay despite the obvious global economic meltdown that affected the aviation industry most. Last week labour disrupted the operations of Bristow Helicopters and forced the company to lay off over 100 pilots and engineers. Earlier, in order to survive, Air Peace had decided to restructure its operations in the wake of new realities and eased out 69 pilots who could not agree with the inevitable change. They insisted on earning the same salary they were earning post-COVID-19. On Monday, labour had issued a statement that it would picket the operations of Arik Air on August 17, 2020. The National Union of Air Transport Employees (NUATE) and the Air Transport Senior Staff Services Association of Nigeria (ATSSSAN) said barring any last minute changes to the status quo, the unions in a notice to all staff of Arik Air signed by NUATE General Secretary, Ocheme Aba and ATSSSAN Deputy General Secretary, Frances Akinjole maintained that the action would take place. The unions said they were miffed that there has been no payment of staff salaries in the airline since April after placing 90 per cent of the workforce on compulsory leave. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Subsequent to the failure of Arik Air to address the issues raised in the 15-day ultimatum our unions issued to the airline since July 21, 2020 and realizing that the window of the 15-day came to an end on Wednesday, 5th August 2020, we are now left with no choice than to inform the management of Arik Air that there is going to be a total withdrawal of services from the airline as from the next seven days,â&#x20AC;? the unions said in the letter they wrote to the management of the airline. Air Peace The unions also threatened to disrupt Air Peace operations unless it recalled the pilots it laid off last week, insisting that both Air Peace

Air Peace pilots and cabin crew and Bristow must recall the laid off workers. But the Director of Flight Operations, Air Peace, Captain Victor Egonu spoke to THISDAY and explained the situation in the airline that prompted the lay off of the pilots. He said that the airline had to embark on restructuring in order to survive the hard times. To this end, it had to cut workersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; salary from maximum of 40 per cent for very senior personnel and 30 for the middle income earners and 15 for the low income earners. Those who earn lower wages were left untouched. The salary cut was stipulated to last for only three months after which the airline would review operational climate and its own finances to take the next decision. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Under the COVID-19 economic meltdown we want the airline to survive so there was salary cut by 40 per cent, some 30 per cent and some 15 per cent, just for three months. By then we will know where the industry is headed and we make changes. We have been the airline that is known to increase salaries. â&#x20AC;&#x153;About three years ago we increased salary by 100 per cent because of the low value of the naira then. Six months after that we had another increase. Our pilots are the highest paid in Nigeria and our salary is competitive with the mega carriers of the world. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The essence of the airline was to create jobs. That was the reason it was established and we have created over 3000 jobs in the last six years. We have trained over 80 pilots and engineers. This year was supposed to be explosive year for us in the positive sense, but COVID-19 disrupted that plan. â&#x20AC;&#x153;But some people did not agree with our restructuring plan to survive; they wanted the airline go under instead of making necessary adjustments. They could not understand how an airline that was planning to expand by 100 per cent decided to cut operations by 50

Under the COVID-19 economic meltdown we want the airline to survive so there was salary cut by 40 per cent, some 30 per cent and some 15 per cent, just for three months

per cent. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We tried to explain to them as much as possible, but some people seemed to have made up their minds. But majority of the staff at all levels have bought our plan so we are working with them,â&#x20AC;? Egonu said. Surviving the Airline Egonu said that the management of Air Peace cannot sacrifice the existence of the airline and the loss of 3000 workers in order to please the few pilots that disagreed with the airlineâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s restructuring plan, adding that other companies that have businesses with nationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s biggest carrier are over 3000. These also would lose their means of livelihood if the airline goes under. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We cannot put the workforce back to where they were in January after the Coronavirus pandemic. Every airline around the world is laying off staff. British Airways, KLM, Etihad recently and so many others. Since we started operation we have never delayed the payment of salary to another month. But now, we cannot promise what we cannot deliver and then sacrifice the airline. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The average salary is N3.6 million monthly for captains. Some of them earn N4 million. We said, we give you base of about N2.2 million, which is 60 per cent of what you were earning before for 90 days and after we sit down and review it. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Even with this adjustment, Air Peace salary is one of the best, if not the best. What is important is what we can pay you and the airline survives. The aviation industry is very sensitive because it deals with human lives. We cannot work with those who are not happy. We work with the people who believe in what we want to do,â&#x20AC;? Egonu said. Anger Some industry workers were peeved with the agitation of the labour unions over personnel issues with the airlines. But the unions had argued that some of the issues they were agitating for preceded the COVID-19 lockdown, but the industry observers said that whatever that was under discussion that concerned finances before the lockdown should not even be raised because airlines are financially in the worse situation after the lockdown. The Secretary of Aviation Round Table (ART) a think-tank group in the industry and former Commandant of Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, Group Captain John Ojikutu (retd), warned the unions that their attack and campaign against the airlines might force some of the operators to go under. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Hope these unions know where we are; where the Nigeria civil aviation is right now compared to where those of the developed countries are; even where contemporary African

countries are? We are at the edge of the cliff of a mountain. He, who has ears, let him hear. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The lockdown of operations by unions is another reason why the flights will drop more or disappear from the sky. We never had anything near 25 per cent of what you find in Europe, Asia or America before now or pre COVID-19. What the unions are doing now in Nigeria is to kill the industry,â&#x20AC;? Ojikutu said. Also industry stakeholder and consultant, Amos Akpan urged labour and airlines to reach amicable resolution over issues concerning personnel welfare so that the airline would be able to survive after the COVID-19 lockdown. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Now we leave the real threat to the existence of our industry and engage in fights we donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have control of how it will end; even as it is obvious it is an all losersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; fight. Workers will stop work, which means no operations, which translates to nil income. As businesses do not earn income, the unpaid fixed costs keep piling. Companies cannot meet obligations, redundancy sets in, and industry is in comatose. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Some of the issues raised now were ongoing before COVID-19 set in. So using them now to cripple the operations is below the belt punch. We could be having ongoing discussions so that companies do not become bankrupt. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Bankruptcy in Nigeria is not the same as it is in America or Europe. The company closes and does not resurrect like the proverbial Phoenix,â&#x20AC;? Akpan said. State of Global Industry By April, international carriers had started to reduce their workforce in recognition of the economic damage wrought by the COVID-19 pandemic. Reports indicated then that Virgin Atlantic fired more than 3,000 personnel, including 600 pilots; Finnair returned 12 planes and laid off 2,400 people, while You grounded 22 planes and fired 4,100 people. Ryanair also grounded 113 planes and got rid of 9,00 pilots for the moment and indications showed 450 would be sacked in the coming months, while Norwegian completely stopped its long-haul operations and the Boeing 787s it earlier leased have been returned to the lessors In the same vein, SAS returned 14 planes and fired 520 pilots, but the Scandinavian states are studying a plan to liquidate Norwegian and SAS to rebuild a new company from their ashes Also Ethiad had cancelled 18 orders for A350, grounded 10 A380 and 10 Boeing 787 and laid off 720 staff Emirates has grounded 38 A380s and cancelled all orders for the Boeing 777x (150 aircraft, the largest order for this type) and 56 members of the workforce may retire. It is expected that governments and labour unions should do everything possible to enable airlines to survive because air transport remains the catalyst to economic development of every country.

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RedeďŹ ning Freight Forwarding in Nigeria Eromosele Abiodun reveals how an online platform is changing the way freight forwarding, marine insurance, customs brokerage, shipment and warehousing services are accessed and delivered in Nigeria

arly this year, the Executive Secretary of Nigerian Shippersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Council (NSC) Hassan Bello challenged stakeholders in the Maritime industry to embrace virtual ports operation as part of measures to fast track development in the sector and the larger economy. Bello, while speaking during the webinar had described the present port operations as cumbersome. According to him, the ports can operate optimally 24 hours like the airport if adequate measures are put in place to make it services less of human contact and paperless. He said in order to achieve the above, there was need for an integration of all stakeholders in the maritime sector such as Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Nigerian Shippers Council, Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), importers, terminal operators, freight forwarders, among others. Bello also decried the physical and monotonous means of examinations at the ports, that stakeholders must brainstorm on ensuring that the ports develop an inter modal transport system. He challenged freight forwarders to embrace technology and move their operation online so as not to be left behind by the rest of the world. He also said the congestion currently being experienced at the ports is not good for businesses as the multiplier effects have adversely affected all stakeholders in the sector as operators are losing huge resources day in day out. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The council is working round the clock to ensure ease of doing business for stakeholders in the sector, adding that adequate automation of ports services and employment of multi modal means of evacuation of cargoes will enable ease of doing business for operators and investors in the sector,â&#x20AC;? he said. On Covid-19 challenges and the way forward, Bello said: â&#x20AC;&#x153;From the onset, we realised that It was important to strike a balance between ports operations, services and safety. This is why we

credible route to economic growth and national development, the need for the Nigeria ports system to embrace paperless operation cannot be overemphasised. However, change has come already as a revolutionary online platform is changing the way freight forwarding, marine insurance, customs brokerage, shipment and warehousing services are accessed and delivered in Nigeria. Owned and managed by OnePort 365, a Nigerian based start-up, the platform combines years of experience, research and technology to address inefficiencies common to the global freight forwarding industry as well as the unique process and infrastructure challenges confronting Africa. With over 13,000 tonnes of containerised cargo facilitated within the last eight months from across Nigeria, OnePort 365 is facilitating international trade through its platform in an operating environment that still grapples with bottlenecks and infrastructure challenges.

Sola-Usidame are calling on freight forwarders to embrace technology and go paperless. â&#x20AC;&#x153;During the lockdown when we experienced initial challenge of banks not opening to provide financial services within the ports, freight forwarders could not do anything because most of them could not make online payment. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Also, there were so many negative impacts as big markets like the Onitsha, Aba markets were shut hence problems of where goods stuck at the ports would be moved to. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Restriction on interstate movement was also another down time for businesses in the Port as goods were stuck in the ports leading to loss of huge resources for both shippers and owners.â&#x20AC;? OnePort Provides Solution Belloeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s call is tenable because in an era where increased trade is being projected as a

Through the Eye of a Needle Much inefficiency common to international trade exists in Nigeria. Lack of short term warehousing arrangements puts pressure on businessmen and women engaged in international trade. Standard rental agreement for warehouses in Nigeria still remains yearly rent. Also, commodity traders and seasonality are synonymous. Therefore, a system, which is purely built on yearly rent is uneconomical and significantly reduces profitability. Sadly, that is the situation in the Nigerian port system today Additionally, international traders are faced with the vagaries and uncertainties associated with transporting cargo in Nigeria. Often, they have to grapple with truckers who provide inaccurate information on location of cargo and arrival dates during the transportation process. In worst-case scenarios, the cargo and driver go missing completely. In Nigeria, only about three in 10 truckers

are what can be called corporate truckers that tend to operate professionally. Apart from these professionals, truckers tend to set prices at whatever rate they want to. Unfortunately, a rate guide introduced by the Nigerian Shippers Council, for shipments via trucks with destinations within Lagos, is not being followed by many truckers. Beyond these challenges, activities around arrangement for shipping, marine insurance and customs brokerage can be fraught with bottlenecks, leading to frustration for international traders who are interested in service delivery that is prompt and reduces costs. â&#x20AC;&#x153;OnePort 365â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s platform handles all of these challenges using its state-of-the-art technology that has been vetted by users across Nigeria. The model is simple. Anyone with cargo designated for export, import or inland transportation, can log on to the OnePort 365 platform, book for trucks, rail or barge transportation to deliver the cargo to Lagos or other ports including Onne Port in Port Harcourt for shipment; look for a suitable warehouse to store the cargo for any specific period of time; arrange insurance and shipment to whatever part of the world, â&#x20AC;&#x153;said Lead Partner and CEO, OnePort 365, Hio Sola-Usidame. OnePort 365, he said, provides a customer experience that includes seamless quotation and booking processes with comprehensive online documentation. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The platform also includes a dashboard with a holistic view of shipment locations and other shipment information throughout the shipment process. With these, customers gain competitive advantage by saving associated freight transaction costs and time by being able to track live data for better freight planning and quicker decision making.â&#x20AC;? NOTE: Interested readers should continue in the online edition on www.thisdaylive.com

FRIDAY AUGUST 14, 2020 â&#x20AC;¢ T H I S D AY

THIS WEEKEND WEEKLY MAGAZINE

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

Leslie Oghomienor: Opening Up Opportunities for Nigerian Kids in Global Football

T H I S D AY ˾ ͯͲ˜ 2020

COVER

Leslie Oghomienor: Opening up Opportunities for Nigerian Kids in Global Footbal Leslie Oghomienor, Chairman, Russell Smith Group Nigeria and philanthropist, has been in the forefront of assisting youths fulfil their dreams in football. Passionate about sports, he has so far offered the opportunity to over 80 kids to travel for football tournaments around the world. In this interview with MARY NNAH, he talks about his cravings, contributions to the Barca Academy Group, Nigeria franchise, which is the flagship FC Barcelona School aimed at boys and girls between six and 18 years of age with the main objective to provide a comprehensive training environment for pupils

What kind of boy were you as a teenager? At a certain point you drive off the lane. You are doing the opposite of what you were taught growing up. At the level of secondary and post-secondary, I was all over the place. When I was younger, we had a tutor teaching us the keyboard and piano. I was playing piano when I was younger and when I left university I said let me give it a shot. The time I won the sound track award my mum did not believe it was me. I did a sound track with RMD; it was for a movie, ‘Out of Bounds.’ It won the award in 1998. She was watching the award on TV but she didn’t know it was her son she was watching. The story goes like this: I used to go to the studio at night when everyone was already sleeping and I come home very early in the morning about 5-6am just before she leaves for work. She probably thought I was sleeping all night in the room and when she’s going to work she sees me sleeping. On the day of the award, she saw me on the television. I got home that evening and she said I saw someone on the TV collecting an award. Are you sure? I asked. She said yes, I then told her I was the person. She said it couldn’t be me, that I’m a lazy man always sleeping. I walked into my room and brought out the award. She said what? At their award, I didn’t use my real name, I coined my name. I was doing that and they didn’t know in my house. ‘Hope this is not the job you want to do. From tomorrow, go and look for a job’, my mum said. I then got a job at a company called Accenture Consulting. It was an intellectual boot camp. There, I learned dedication, diligence, promptness, customer relations and service, hard work, strategic planning and thinking .The skills I learnt during that time still works. All the creative skills I still use them till date. In oil and gas anytime we want to do things like promotion, marketing, advertising, ideas around creativity I was always the number one guy to get that done. The oil and gas company (Russell Smith) was a sheet of paper when we started. Now it’s a multi-billion-naira company. I was CEO of Russell Smith for 15 years and in 2018, I became the chairman but before then, we have started the sports thing in 2017. In sports, we have lots of clubs that are approaching us, on how they could get involved in our project - clubs from Spain, from England. Tell us about your involvement with F.C Barcelona I was active in sports while I was in school. I was one of the Barcelona fans. Somehow, I got to know the members of the board of the Barcelona Football Club. One day, one of them came to Nigeria and told me they would want to have a meeting with me in Barcelona. So, I went there for the meeting and they said they want to have a big launch in Nigeria and asked if I would be interested. They said they want to open a school in Nigeria and they want me to be the promoter. I said, why not. It’s my club. I like the club. I also felt, it’s going to

person has problem of accommodation and that the person would stay with us for a while. We are used to sharing the small food we had with other people. We are used to that so, that developed something in me as a person. My belief is that God blesses you to bless others; when you are blessed by God you need to reciprocate by blessing other people because God will not come from heaven to bless those people. He will use people, His agents on earth to distribute the wealth and I want to be one of those people. I was brought up in a strict Roman Catholic family background whose values swing on the hinges of selflessness, love, integrity, truth, discipline, the spirit of giving, good character, respect for elders, humility, trust in God, who is the ultimate and total commitment to one’s life purpose when discovered and pursue in love and genuine selfless service.

Oghomienor

be a great opportunity for Nigerian kids to have a club like F.C Barcelona come to Nigeria to bring its philosophy here and train them. Along the line, I was moved from being the CEO of Russell Smith Group Nigeria, an oil company, to become the chairman of the company. I felt if I’m going to be the chairman, I might as well drive the energy into the sports. In the Academy, we have an after school and day school. We are running one in Lekki, Gbagada, Lagos Island and Teslim Balogun stadium. We have been able to expand the game, train young kids who have no hope of playing football. They have played in Barcelona’s World Cup in the past three years. They have gone to Spain; we have taken about 80 kids to Barcelona to play football. We have also taken parents that can afford to pay because we have two programmes for the school. We have the ones for the elite children, they pay the fees. The ones that don’t pay fees are the ones we pick from the community. We look for very talented kids and we take care of their bills, when we are travelling, we travel with them. That to me is the key area of the sports program. Being able to give hope to one child in one community and the parents come to us and sing praises and thank us because they have never had that kind of opportunity. Some of them have two, three kids playing under our scholarship. It is that journey that has put the Barcelona brand into this area where it is touching lives. We also go to schools and do football clinics for them. The school is not just an academy for kids alone. When they get to 15, 16, 18 years, we start giving them exposure on the local

league. They play in Division 3 under a league called FC Bulmaro. We have another set of coaches there that train them on professional football. It’s no longer academy anymore. We get the opportunity of sending their videos to foreign scouts. The league makes them competitive, it’s not as if they are playing friendly match and training, we give them bonuses and an upkeep allowance. We are trying as much as possible to see how we can impart on the Nigerian youth. They don’t all have to be lawyers, doctors or engineers. Footballers are big influencers these days. You can see them during this COVID-19 pandemic, they came out much more. Other professionals, besides the doctors that are on the frontline, are the sportsmen, besides the journalists that are reporting daily occurrences. What makes me happy is seeing people progress. I have people that I mentor even outside football that I try to share values with. What makes me sad is the opposite of it. When the person is getting all the help and not utilising it, it makes me sad. You seem to have an incomparable passion for helping people, does that have anything to do with your upbringing? Yes. It has a lot to do with my background and also my own personal experience. The way I saw my parents affected my lifestyle today. My mother was very accommodating. She was more into looking after people that don’t have. Not that she has a lot but she’s always willing to share, she’s always willing to provide for people. Sometimes, we used to wake up in our house and see someone strange staying with us. She tells us, this

What lessons has life taught you as a person? Being simple as best as possible in life is one lesson life has taught me as a person. Most of the crimes people commit today is because they are under pressure to be or do what is not necessary, then put unnecessary pressure on themselves. Humility and service are very important to me. Money is a good vehicle for selfexpression, but accumulating money beyond a certain point amounts to greed. You must distribute your wealth. After it reaches a certain time your cup will be full you have to be pouring it down for other people around you. You can’t be looking for more containers to keep the money. I have also learnt that this world is transient, we are here today and gone tomorrow, whatever you accumulate and you didn’t distribute will be collected after you have left. What is the other side of you people don’t know? I like to do things without all the fanfare. If it were some people they will be advertising how many children they take abroad every year. They go to their village and probably, make noise about these so that they could become Senator or Representative of their constituency. To be honest with you, these kids we sponsored I don’t know where they come from, sometimes, I don’t know most of them by face. They go for their trials, the foreign coaches pick them. For me, that is how you can actually do God’s work. I don’t believe in the logic of this guy is from my village, choose him over this one. Each guy comes in and they all come in on the same level playing field. If we all tend to do that, we will have a better environment. Whether the person is Yoruba, Igbo, Hausa, once you have what we require and the white man that is choosing them does not know the difference; as far as he’s concerned he’s looking out for one thing he needs to choose from. A lot of scam going on, like telling parents to bring N2 million to take their kids to Europe and then they dump the kids in one hotel and disappear. Some people are using this kind of gesture as a political tool, but we are very silent about what we do, action speaks louder than words. As a journalist, you can find out all the things we have done.

T H I S D AY ˾ ͯͲ˜ 2020

POLSCOPE

áÓÞÒ ÎÎã ÎÓàáÜÓ ÏÎÎã˛ÙÎÓàáÜÓ̶ÞÒÓÝÎËãÖÓàÏ˛ÍÙ×˜ ͸΀͸ͽ ͻ͸; ΁ͻͽ;

Insecurity: How Many Rivers Do we Have to Cross?

hose who are very close to President Mohammadu Buhari say that he reacts negatively to public opinion. They explain that whenever there is a public demand or outcry for something and President Buhari hears of it, he will then proceed to do exactly the opposite of what is being publicly demanded. The posture is aimed at demonstrating that he is not easily persuaded by the hue and cry of the public or put differently, that he has a mind of his own; that he is neither fickle-minded nor easily moved by what people say. I hear that was how the late Chief of Staff, Mallam Abba Kyari got re-appointed after the end of the first term, wherein President Buhari had mulled replacing him. President Buhari was said to have woken one day and saw women (suspected to have been mobilized by the First lady) carrying placards around his residence demanding the sacking of Abba Kyari. Mr President simply drove past them quietly and got to the office and ordered that Abba Kyari be announced as having been re-appointed. Psychologists describe it as self-conceit complex. Mr President may be carrying this complex, perhaps farther than what common sense can explain. Those who so understand Mr. President further explain that the refusal of the president to sack or change the security chiefs in the country, more than five years after they have been appointed and have performed poorly, is because majority of Nigerians have decried the abysmal performance of the service chiefs and have called for a change. The Nigerian senate, traditional rulers, the Nigeria Governors’ Forum, many other stakeholders have, on several occasions, called for the sacking of the tired service chiefs, who themselves are (most likely) willing to go. But just so it would be seen as not being stampeded into taking any action, Mr. President has paid deaf ears to the rising cry for the rework of the security architecture in the country. But in recent weeks, Mr. President seems to be waking up to the reality of the situation. First, he had summoned the meeting of the Security Chiefs where he had told them that though they may be trying their best, but that their best was not good enough for Nigeria. Yet, he didn’t do anything significant, weeks after. Penultimate Tuesday, another security council meeting ended with the talk about “re-engineering and restructuring” of the security architecture in the country. Many had thought that after ordering a restructuring and re-engineering of the security architecture, it would be closely followed by the appointment of a new set of service chiefs. But a week after, it was yet another “talk-talk” security council meeting with state governors, which came out with nothing new or spectacular. But while the President is taking his time to do the needful, Nigerians are being killed in their dozens and hundreds. The other day, elder statesman, Chief E.K Clarke had rightly said that the number of people being killed daily by bandits, terrorists and kidnappers in Nigeria in recent years is far more than the number killed during the Nigerian civil war. Very true! Perhaps one would have accused the president of paying little attention to the urgency of the situation if the state of insecurity is prevalent

NSA...Maj Gen Babagana Mungono

in the part of Nigeria where the president did not come from. But no. The entire North-west states are practically under the siege of bandits. It is perhaps even worse in the President’s home state of Katsina where the governor, Aminu Masari confessed that nine out of the 34 Local Government Areas (more than a quarter) of the state are under the firm control of bandits. In the reign of the bandits, people are being killed and burnt along with their houses and properties, cows are being rustled, people are being kidnapped and there is general reign of terror and insecurity. So daring are the bandits that they once abducted the traditional ruler of Mr. President’s home town of Daura. They also abducted the father of Mr. President’s ADC. Just how close can it come before a decisive action is taken! In Zamfara State, a mix of the bandits and illegal gold miners have conspired to make life unbearable to the native folks who get shot either in their farms or in their homes at night or just anywhere. Nowhere is a haven of safety, except the Zamfara Government House. If all else is ignored, what shall we say of the heinous pogrom taking place in Southern Kaduna, allegedly by Fulani herdsmen? In this same state, the governor, Mallam Nasir el Rufai had entered into some negotiation with the known killers to halt the killings. He confessed to having offered them money to stop the killings. The terms of agreement needed to be serviced regularly. But it appears that when

Gov el-Rufai refused to perpetually service those terms that the killings have resumed. And everybody, including the military, is wringing their hands in helplessness. Everyday, there are stories of how families and communities are wiped out by armed marauding herdsmen. Homes are burnt, properties destroyed, people displaced and everything looks as if nothing is amiss. While the killers are hardly arrested and prosecuted, the police are efficient in arresting Zango Kataf youths who protest the killing of their kinsmen. How unfair can a government be! Hey, in all these years of mindless killings in Southern Kaduna, how many killers have been arrested, prosecuted an jailed? Or is it to suggest that the lives of the people of Southern Kaduna count for nothing? Until recently, the entire stretch of 188 kilometers between Abuja and Kaduna was completely a no-go area as it was clearly a den of robbers and kidnappers. Those who dared the road did not live to tell their stories, not even military generals. The same pall of insecurity had fallen on the Benin-Lagos highway as kidnappers suspected to be Fulani herdsmen had seized the highway, kidnapping, maiming and even killing travellers. It only abated in recent months. Just everywhere, there is fright, insecurity, feeling of being unsafe etc. Little wonder many foreign countries have taken great pleasure in issuing travel advisory

against travelling to Nigeria. It is this haplessness of the nation’s security architecture that has led to the formation of regional security outfits like the Amotekun in the South West and Shege Ka Fasa in the north; while people like Gov Samuel Ortom of Benue State is crusading for the citizenry to have licensed weapons—like AK47-- that can enable them defend themselves when attacked, since the Police and other security agents are hardly available to defend the unarmed citizenry. Not long ago, a traditional ruler was shot and killed right in his palace in Nasarawa State. Last Sunday, a school proprietor, Danlami Shamaki was shot and killed in an ambush in Taraba State. A day after, in the same Taraba, gunmen invaded a quiet community and began to shoot into the homes of the natives. The neighbouring Benue State had had a fair share of killings by Fulani herdsmen aka Miyetti Allah. The running volume of carnage in the Northeast, the operational base of the Boko Haram terrorists, hardly make front pages anymore. But not when the convoy of a serving governor (Professor Babagana Zulum of Borno State) gets attacked by terrorists even when the convoy has a long retinue of security men: soldiers, Police, Civil Defence Corps etc. The governor who seemed very stunned at the audacity of the brigands identified sabotage as the reasons for the attack. Long before now, many have said that the military henchmen who are in the commanding height of prosecuting the war against terrorists may be profiting from the unending war, hence the war has dragged on endlessly. Zulum queried why battalions and platoons of soldiers do not have the capacity to over run a community seized by just a handful of Boko Haram terrorists. There are moles in the military who divulge classified operational information to the bandits and terrorists. And that usually makes the soldiers vulnerable. The questions are a legion. Nigerians are dying everyday. The echoes of hope for the remaining kidnapped Chibok girls plus Leah Sharibu have long faded. Nobody still talks about them except on the anniversary of their abduction. But President Buhari is ensconced in the presidential Villa, or so it seems, little caring that human lives are being wasted. Nigerians are hoping that the spate of security meetings he had recently convened should result in the promised rejig of the security apparatchik in the country. How else does it have to be said and proven that the present security chiefs have run out of ideas and should be allowed to go? What sense does it make leaving them there while innocent Nigerians are just falling like slaughtered flowers? Didn’t the government promise to fight insecurity as one of its cardinal agenda? If the strategy hitherto employed is not yielding fruit, can’t we change it, if nothing else, to save lives? Kings have been killed, plebeians have been killed, soldiers have been killed, civilians have been killed, aide workers have been killed, the aided have been killed, students have been killed, teachers have been killed. Both the governor and the governed have ben attacked. The rich, the poor, the educated and the illiterate have been killed. Pastors have been beheaded, Imams have been burnt alive. What other price is yet unpaid to wake the government from this prolonged anesthesia? Indeed, how many more rivers do we have to cross to get assured of safety?

Muscle-Flexing in UNILAG

efore the sun set last Wednesday, the news broke that the Vice Chancellor of the University of Lagos, Professor Oluwatoyin Ogundipe has been removed. It was obviously the end point of the fight between the school’s management on one side and the school’s Pro-Chancellor, Dr Wale Babalakin, on the other side. Both Ogundipe and Babalakin had been on each other’s throat since last March when suddenly the 51st convocation ceremony of the institution was called off, even when some ceremonies had started. At the time, insiders had blamed Dr Babalakin of being power drunk and determined to breathe down the neck of the senate of the university. At the Wednesday meeting which strangely(?) held at the NUC Building in Abuja and presided over by Babalakin, it was said that while six members voted for the removal of Ogundipe, four voted against while one suggested suspension.

Those who objected argued that the process of removal of the Vice Chancellor has been violently breached, especially as Ogundipe was not given a chance to defend himself, surmising that due process has not been followed. But Babalakin who was determined to do Ogundipe in, ignored the calls for due process and went ahead to order the announcement of the removal of the Vice Chancellor. Although the Federal Ministry of Education has affirmed that the University’s Council has the right and powers to hire and fire a Vice Chancellor, it noted that such an action must follow due process. So, the question is how much of due process was followed by Babalakin in the purported removal of Ogundipe? He had been accused of trying to micromanage the running of the institution by dictating the tempo of the day-to-day running of the university, a move which the senate and the Vice Chancellor had resisted.

Already, the local chapter of the Academic Staff Union of Universities, in a statement by its Chairman, Dr Dele Ashiru accused the Pro Chancellor of plotting to destabilize the university with the purported action. The ASUU passed a vote of confidence on Professor Ogundipe as the Vice Chancellor of the University of Lagos and dismissed the purported removal as illegal.. Right now, the stage looks set for another round of trouble that is bound to plague the university in the nearest future, what with the senate and the ASUU on the side of the Vice Chancellor Ogundipe while a slim majority of the University’s Council members is with Babalakin in his complex fight against the authority of the institution. It is hoped that the all stakeholders, including the federal government, will use this period of COVID-19 imposed holiday to properly sort out this leadership tussle in the institution so that it will not affect the smooth running of the university when schools eventually resume.

Wale Babalakin

T H I S D AY ˾ ͯͲ˜ 2020

TRIBUTE

Garlands for Peter Odili at 72 For former Governor Rivers State, Dr Peter Odili and his family, there is every reason to be grateful to God for His grace as he marks his 72nd birthday tomorrow and steadily climbing the septuagenarian ladder of life, Davidson Iriekpen writes

n biblical terms, 70 years is a milestone age. An age which not everyone is privileged to reach given that life expectancy in Nigeria is put at 55. So attaining 72 is a grace that calls for special celebration and thanks

to God. This is what former Governor of Rivers State, Dr. Peter Odili, will do tomorrow as he reflects on his journey on earth as he clocks 72. Typically, Odili would wish no one remembers the day, given his self-effacing nature and especially this COVID-19 period but this wish, however, hardly ever gets fulfilled. His professional accomplishments, political clout and humanitarian inclination mean he cannot possibly have a quiet birthday, no matter how he longs for it. For those who may not possibly see him tomorrow due to the pandemic, they will inundate the former governor with phone calls, text messages and advertorials. But, indeed, Odili has ample reasons to be happy. His life has been strewn with God’s abundant grace and mercies. The years he has spent on earth have been eventful and full of achievements that many, including his peers, can only dream of. The former governor’s philanthropic imprints are legendary. The number of persons he helped; the school fees he has paid; the hospital bills and house rents he assists in paying; the land, community disputes he helped resolve and the broken homes he salvaged, are mere minuscule glimpses of his philanthropy. Odili may have been quiet for a while, but he continues to be politically-relevant, nonetheless, due to how he impacted his community and transformed lives. Despite the fact that he seldom interferes with the politics and governance of Rivers State, he is still very much relevant in the state. At the occasion to mark his 70th birthday last year, eminent personalities including his former governor colleagues were all in Port Harcourt to rejoice with him. Because of the inclusive nature of his administration, everybody who served under him in the state, whether as local government chairmen, in the civil service and political appointment, still rally round him. Any time PAMO University of Medical Sciences - the new institution he promotes- has major programmes, he still attracts a galaxy of eminent persons. For instance, last July when the institution held its second matriculation ceremony, the occasion was a carnival of sorts. Born on August 15, 1948, in Ogba, Egbema, Ndoni Local Government Area of Rivers State, his parents, Chief Philip Celestine and Princess Janet Okwei Odili, may never had imagined the great heights their then little child was destined to attain. Like the legendary Professor Chinua Achebe would say, a chick that will grow to be a cock is known the day it was hatched. This wise saying would later become manifest in the boy, Peter, when he enrolled in St. Michael’s School, Oguta II and Sacred Heart School, Onitsha, between 1953 and 1960 marking the commencement of his intellectual quest that saw him pass through the famous Christ the King College in Onitsha and the prestigious University of Nigeria, Enugu Campus, where he studied Medicine. After his mandatory internship at the University of Benin Teaching Hospital, Benin, he moved on to be a Resident Staff Physician, Medical Consultation Centre, Port Harcourt, between 1979 and 1980. Not one to shy away from new challenges, he went into private medical practice by establishing

Odili

PAMO Clinics in 1980, serving as its Resident Clinician-in-Charge between 1980 and 1982. Still eager to add some sheen to his academic laurels, he went in pursuit of a specialist programme at the University of Liverpool in the United Kingdom. It was an opportunity for him to hone his skills, and so he grabbed it. The knowledge so acquired made his proficiency in Medicine much sought after in Port Harcourt and around the country, and even beyond. Indeed, it is a testament to his expertise in the medical field that Odili emerged as personal nominee of then President of the United States of America, Bill Clinton, to a 10-member roundtable committee charged with the responsibility of formulating the methodology for addressing the HIV/AIDS crisis in the workplace in Africa. But medicine was by no means his last bus stop. He is too versatile to be so pigeon-holed, and strongly believed his experience and leadership qualities must be deployed in serving his people. Public service, for him, was the appropriate way to prove that he can replicate his knowledge of medicine in the field of politics and governance. But the military were still in charge and he bided his time. In 1988/89, Odili was elected member and leader of Rivers State Delegates to the Constituent Assembly and was elected to the National Constitutional Conference, where he served as the Chairman of the Conference Committee on State Creation. In 1992, he was elected as the Deputy Governor of Rivers State. At the peak of the struggle for the laying of the foundation for the Fourth Republic, Odili first served as National Vice Chairman (South-south) Democratic Party of Nigeria (DPN), and later as National Secretary. He was Founder and Leader of Rivers Platform, 1998; Founder and Leader, Restoration

Team as well as the State Leader of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP); elected Executive Governor of Rivers State in 1999 and served two terms. It was in that capacity that he took the country by storm and became a reference point in the nation’s political calculations. He was at various times the National Chairman, PDP Fund Raising Committee (2000); and Chairman, Presidential Committee on Housing and Urban Renewal (2001). Even his ardent critics concede to him that his sojourn in office yielded stellar accomplishments that have till date remained a yardstick for measuring performance in that resource-rich state. Before him, substantial parts of Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital, were not connected to the national grid. The National Independent Power Project (NIPP) which later became a federal fad had Odili, in his capacity as governor of Rivers State, as one of its pioneers. Before him, also, Government House, the seat of the Governor, was no better than a guest house and that’s being charitable. He built a grand and befitting edifice that remains a major architectural landmark. Other landmark projects and policies of his administration are there today as Odili’s legacy of excellence in governance. They include the free HIV treatment designed to achieve some of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs); his intensive commitment to mother and child healthcare; investments in banks; the Eleme petrochemical industry and the now aborted Port Harcourt refinery deal. One will not forget to mention that by sheer strength of character and personality, he was able to tame troublemakers and secure lives and property in the state. One positive part of the Odili phenomenon is his kindness and large heartedness as well as his proclivity to mentor successors. But it has also led to some personal regrets as

captured in his autobiography, Dr. Peter Odili: Conscience And History – My Story. A close associate of his commented that an area that one could easily empathise with the former governor is his expressed disappointment over the numerous betrayals by those he so trusted and brought up socially, politically, financially, academically and even religiously. Regardless, he has remained the issue in the politics of Rivers State. One may agree or disagree with him. In fact, one is either for or against him, but there is no room for neutrality on matters of Odili’s politics. Always standing to be counted when it comes to issues affecting the state, in May, 20202, the former governor heeded the clarion call by Governor Nyesom Wike for privileged indigenes of the state contribute to the fight against COVID-19 pandemic by donating a Reverse Transcriptase-Polymerase Chain Reaction, Reagents and Busters for RT-PCR COVID-19 Test, to the state government for use at the Rivers State University Teaching Hospital, Port Harcourt. He announced that the donation of PCR Test Machine and three thousand test kits and reagents by Pamo Clinics and Hospitals were to enhance the fight against the virus. Dr. Odili is married to another achiever and distinguished professional, Her Lordship, Justice Mary Ukeago Odili, a Justice of the Supreme Court. Their marriage is blessed with four children. To some, 72 can hardly be said to represent a milestone. But it is not the number of years that count. It is the impact one is able to make on existence. It is often said that in between birth and death are legacies. Looking critically at his journey of life in the past seven decades, Odili has had his own fair share of those by which he would be judged by posterity. As they say, time and posterity will not fail to recognise his enduring service to humanity.

T H I S D AY Ëž ÍŻÍ˛Ë&#x153; 2020

BUSINESS/MONEYGUIDE

Fitch: CRR Rule to Weigh on Nigerian Banksâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Income Fitch Ratings has predicted that the Central Bank of Nigeriaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s (CBN) cash reserve requirement (CRR) policy will hurt Nigerian banksâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; earnings. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The Central Bank of Nigeria has been highly interventionist,â&#x20AC;? Bloomberg quoted senior director for Europe, Middle East and Africa bank ratings at Fitch, Mahin Dissanayake, to have said during an interview. Where peers like South Africa and Kenya followed the global trend of giving banks more room to lend, Nigeria hasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t budged, with CRR at 27.5 per cent. Failure to meet the threshold results in the regulator debiting banksâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; accounts with the shortfall. The central bank also dips into the accounts when lenders fail to extend 65 per cent of their deposits as loans, a measure that was introduced to stimulate credit. That and other penalties push

the effective hit on capital to between 40 per cent and 50 per cent, Dissanayake said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The CRR is unique and hugely punitiveâ&#x20AC;? because the cash couldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve been put to better use than lying idle with the central bank. The Chief Executive Officer, Nova Merchant Bank, Mr. Anya Duroha, expressed some sympathy for the central bank, which he said was â&#x20AC;&#x153;trying to solve all kinds of problems in the economy.â&#x20AC;? Fitch revised its outlook for Nigerian banks to negative toward the end of last year as the economy started slowing and the central bank ramped up intervention. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Nigerian banks compared to other markets operate in a volatile environment,â&#x20AC;? Dissanayake said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The banks have to deal with economic shocks, short credit

cycles and persistent problems in the oil sector. They also have to deal with policy actions, policy uncertainty and regulatory risks.â&#x20AC;? There are some positives. Having about 21 major banks serve a population of about 200 million in a $450 billion economy gives lenders a solid market position, he said. This strong revenuegenerating capacity enables lenders to absorb the higher cost of risk even when income from interest charges on loans deteriorate. The first half of the year saw banks book large trading and foreign-exchange reevaluation gains that shielded them from lower yields on government-bond holdings, slower loan growth and less client activity. But the fallout from the Covid-19 outbreak may show in the second half, weighing on 2020 earnings.

MARKET INDICATORS

Tony Elumelu Foundation Celebrates International Youth Day The Tony Elumelu Foundation (TEF) said it joined the United Nations and other global organisations to mark the International Youth Day on August 12, 2020, with a line-up of pan-African speakers discussing the theme, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Investing in Africaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Future: Youth Empowerment through Entrepreneurship.â&#x20AC;? According to a statement, the event emphasised the, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Youth Engagement for Global Action,â&#x20AC;? agenda and the role of African entrepreneurs in pushing for sustainable development. It also examined the critical role of the youth in igniting their potential, population, and influence to create mechanisms for sustainable development across the continent. Moderated by TEF CEO,

Ifeyinwa Ugochukwu, the event featured a line-up of pan-African entrepreneurs and speakers from the development sector. Addressing the audience, Ugochukwu drew attention to the plight of start-ups in Africa during the pandemic while highlighting the importance of SMEs. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The SMEs are the major contributors to African economies. We must not underestimate the level of disruption and uncertainty that young people all over the world have faced as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic in Africa.â&#x20AC;? She emphasised the need to empower the youth to tackle the menace of poverty on the continent. Also, the acting Vice President, Agriculture, Human, and Social Development, African

Development Bank, Wambui Gichuri, was quoted to have said: â&#x20AC;&#x153;Entrepreneurship is an essential part of Africaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s employment challenge and it is where we have to put our focus as a multilateral development bankâ&#x20AC;?. She added: â&#x20AC;&#x153;We need to do whatever it takes to empower our youth because they are the future of the continentâ&#x20AC;?. The Director, Human, Youth and Social Development, African Development Bank, Martha T.M. Phiri, stated that the $5 million partnership between the African Development Bank (AfDB) and the Tony Elumelu Foundation in 2019 to empower additional young African entrepreneurs, was a step in the right direction to create jobs on the continent.

NAQS, Others Move to Strengthen Weak Link in Cowpea Value Chain James Emejo Ă&#x201C;Ă&#x2DC; Ă&#x152;Ă&#x;Ă&#x201D;Ă&#x2039; The Director General, Nigeria Agricultural Quarantine Service (NAQS), Dr. Vincent Isgebe, has stressed the need for collaboration among stakeholders to address the weak link in the cowpea value chain in order to establish continuity of market access for Nigerian beans. He said the country losses foreign exchange and thousands of jobs when export of cowpea or any other agricultural commodity is suspended on account of a steady trend of intolerable quality defects.

Speaking during a strategic engagement with the President of Cowpea Association of Nigeria, Alhaji Shitu Mohammed, the NAQS boss said operators in the cowpea value chain must form a network of cooperatives and embrace the principle of scrupulous self-regulation. He said as the people who benefitted most when the business is brisk, it behooves on all value chain players to take the initiative to ensure that good agricultural practices are observed in the entire process of producing export-destined cowpea. In a statement by Head Media, Communications and Strategies,

NAQS, Dr. Gozie Nwodo, Isegbe said:â&#x20AC;?The pattern of boom and bust in cowpea export owes to the ingrained issue of high pesticide residue. The pesticides are largely introduced during the storage phase. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The residue levels in the cowpea tend to rise above the maximum threshold set by certain customs union and this makes the product unacceptable in crucial destinations. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We need to make a clean break from imprudent application of storage pesticides and consolidate a reputation for producing and delivering cowpea that satisfy relevant quality criteria.â&#x20AC;?

â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Infant Formula Market to Hit N200bn by 2030â&#x20AC;&#x2122; Dike Onwuamaeze The infant formula (baby food) market in Nigeria has been projected to reach N200 billion in 2030. This projection was given by the Deputy Director, Food Safety and Applied Directorate Division, the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), Mrs. Eva Edwards, during a recent Webinar organised by the Federal Ministry of Health in collaboration with the Arise and

Thrive Initiative (ATI), to mark the World Breastfeeding Week 2020 with the theme â&#x20AC;&#x153;Support Breastfeeding for a Healthier Planet. Edwards, warned that the growth in the infant market should be discouraged to avert its environmental challenges to the society through waste and pollution. A Professor of Maternal and Child Nutrition, Department of Family Nutrition and Consumer Sciences, Faculty of Agriculture,

Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Professor Beatrice Ogunba, stated that mothers who are COVID-19 positive should breastfeed their babies skinto-skin without any fear of infecting their babies with the disease. Ogunba, who is also a member of the Nutrition Society of Nigeria (NSN), stated that breastfeeding mothers should not entertain â&#x20AC;&#x153;fear about breastfeeding because there is no link between the transference of COVID-19 and breast feeding.â&#x20AC;?

MONEY AND CREDIT STATISTICS

(MILLION NAIRA)

SEPTEMBER 2019 Money Supply (M3)

35,029,779.72

-- CBN Bills Held by Money Holding Sectors

7,374,356.91

Money Supply (M2)

27,655,422.82

-- Quasi Money

116,533,891.21

-- Narrow Money (M1)

11,121,531.60

---- Currency Outside Banks

1,625,047.69

---- Demand Deposits

9,496,483.91

Net Foreign Assets (NFA)

13,911,335.83

Net Domestic Assets(NDA)

21,118,443.89

-- Net Domestic Credit (NDC)

35,918,179.45

---- Credit to Government (Net)

10,452,199.38

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

11,007,422.79

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

25,465,980.07

---- Credit to Private Sector (CPS)

-14,799,735.56

--Other Assets Net

7,000,253.07

Reserve Money (Base Money

2,005,600.83

--Currency in Circulation

4,677,530.81

--Banks Reserves

317,121.43

Ëž Ă&#x2122;Ă&#x;Ă&#x153;Ă?Ă? Ě&#x2039;

Money Market Indicators (in Percentage) Month

March 2018

Inter-Bank Call Rate

15.16

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

14.00

Treasury Bill Rate

11.84

Savings Deposit Rate

4.07

1 Month Deposit Rate

8.82

3 Months Deposit Rate

9.72

6 Months Deposit Rate

10.93

12 Months Deposit Rate

10.21

Prime Lending rate

17.35

Maximum Lending Rate

31.55

Ëž Ă&#x2122;Ă&#x2DC;Ă?Ă&#x17E;Ă&#x2039;Ă&#x153;ĂŁ Ă&#x2122;Ă&#x2013;Ă&#x201C;Ă?ĂŁ Ă&#x2039;Ă&#x17E;Ă? Ě&#x2039; ÍŻÍąĎą

OPEC DAILY BASKET PRICE Ë&#x153; ÍŻÍ° Í°ÍŽÍ°ÍŽ

The price of OPEC basket of thirteen crudes stood at $45.08 a barrel on Wednesday, compared with $45.21 the previous day, according to OPEC Secretariat calculations. The OPEC Reference Basket of Crudes (ORB) is made up of the following: Saharan Blend (Algeria), Girassol (Angola), Djeno (Congo), ZaďŹ ro (Equatorial Guinea), Rabi Light (Gabon), Iran Heavy (Islamic Republic of Iran), Basra Light (Iraq), Kuwait Export (Kuwait), Es Sider (Libya), Bonny Light (Nigeria), Arab Light (Saudi Arabia), Murban (UAE) and Merey (Venezuela). SOURCE: OPEC headquarters, Vienna

T H I S D AY Ëž ÍŻÍ˛Ë&#x153; 2020

Prestige Assurance Shops for N6.8bn from Shareholders Goddy Egene Prestige Assurance Plc is shopping for N6.82 billion from existing shareholders through a rights issue. The move is part of efforts to meet the new minimum capital requirement stipulated by National Insurance Commission (NAICOM). To this end, Prestige Assurance is offering 13.636 billion ordinary shares of 50 kobo each

to shareholders at a par value of 50 kobo. The rights have been pre-allotted on the basis of 38 new ordinary shares for every 15 held as at January 31, 2020. The offer opened last Monday and expected to close on Tuesday, September 17, 2020. Some market analysts said the rights issue would be a smooth sail for the company considering the calibre of its shareholders and its track record.

P R I C E S MAIN BOARD

F O R DEALS

For instance, New India Assurance Company Limited, Mumbai, which is the precursor and founder of the company, holds 69.50 per cent majority equity stake. Also, Leadway Assurance Company, an unlisted Nigerian insurance company, holds 11.47 per cent equity stake, while the remaining shares are held by other individuals. Shareholders of Prestige Assurance had created additional

S E C U R I T I E S MARKET PRICE

QUANTITY TRADED

VALUE TRADED ( N )

new 14 billion ordinary shares to create headroom for the new capital raising. Shareholders of the company had increased its authorised share capital from N3 billion of six billion ordinary shares of 50 kobo each to N10 billion of 20 billion ordinary shares of 50 kobo each through the creation of more 14 billion ordinary shares of 50 kobo

T R A D E D MAIN BOARD

A S

each for more headroom for the new capital raising. The shareholders had authorised the Board of Directors of the company to raise â&#x20AC;&#x153;capital by way most suitable to the company in line with the recapitalisation requirement of the NAICOM.â&#x20AC;? The commission had last in May 2019 issued new capital requirements for insurance businesses, directing operators to

O F

shore up their minimum capital base to the required level. The minimum paid-up share capital of a life insurance company was increased from N2 billion to N8 billion, non-life insurance from N3 billion to N10 billion, composite insurance from N5 billion to N18 billion while re-insurance companies were directed to raise their capital base from N10 billion to N20 billion.

1 3 / 0 8 / 2 0 2 0 DEALS

MARKET PRICE

QUANTITY TRADED

VALUE TRADED ( N)

˾ FRIDAY, AUGUST 14, 2020

Friday, August 14, 2020 Thisday Afrinvest 40 Index Advances... Up 0.5%

THISDAY AFRINVEST 40 INDEX

The Thisday Afrinvest 40 Index closed 48bps higher in yesterday͛s trading session to close at 1120.27 points, following price ĂƉƉƌĞĐŝĂƟŽŶ ŝŶ MTNN (+0.8%), ACCESS (+1.6%) and NIGERIAN

Fundamental Performance Metrics for THISDAY AFRINVEST 40 Index

BREWERIES (+5.9%). These stocks account for 37.1% of the index.

ƋƵŝƟĞƐ ^ƵƐƚĂŝŶ Gains... ASI up 0.4% Gains in MTNN (+0.8%), NIGERIAN BREWERIES (+5.9%) and STANBIC ;нϮ͘ϰйͿ ĚƌŽǀĞ ƚŚĞ ďĞŶĐŚŵĂƌŬ ŝŶĚĞǆ ƵƉ ϯϴďƉƐ ƚŽ ƐĞƩůĞ at 25,236.97 ƉŽŝŶƚƐ͘ ŽŶƐĞƋƵĞŶƚůǇ͕ ŝŶǀĞƐƚŽƌƐ ŐĂŝŶĞĚ േϰϵ͘ϵďŶ ĂƐ ŵĂƌŬĞƚ ĐĂƉŝƚĂůŝƐĂƟŽŶ ĂĚǀĂŶĐĞĚ ƚŽ േϭϯ͘ϮƚŶ ǁŚŝůĞ zd ůŽƐƐ ŵŽĚͲ erated to -ϲ͘Ϭй͘ ĐƟǀŝƚǇ ůĞǀĞů ǁĂƐ ŵŝǆĞĚ ĂƐ ǀŽůƵŵĞ ƚƌĂĚĞĚ ĂĚͲ vanced 26.2% to 258.1m units while value traded declined

Ticker

Current Price

THISDAY AFRINVEST 40

Price Previous Current Change Price Weightin YTD g Change

Price Change Index to Date

ROE

ROA

P/E

P/BV

Divindend Earnings Yield Yield

1,120.27

0.48%

-23.7%

12.0%

17.9%

4.2%

4.0x

0.5x

7.2%

18.3%

1 MTN Nigeria Communications PLC

119.50

0.8%

32.4%

13.8%

9.6%

163.8%

12.2%

12.3x

17.5x

5.8%

8.1%

2 Airtel Africa PLC

380.00

0.0%

19.0%

27.1%

9.4%

3.1%

3 Guaranty Trust Bank PLC

24.80

-0.2%

9.7%

-16.5%

-15.1%

31.1%

5.2%

3.5x

1.1x

11.3%

28.2%

4 Zenith Bank PLC

16.75

0.0%

6.2%

-9.9%

-10.4%

24.5%

3.2%

2.5x

0.6x

16.7%

39.8% 4.4%

5 Nestle Nigeria PLC 6 Dangote Cement PLC 7 Access Bank PLC

3.1%

1,175.00

0.0%

4.2%

-20.1%

106.4%

23.1%

22.6x

29.4x

6.1%

136.00

0.0%

4.5%

-4.2%

26.9%

12.0%

11.1x

3.2x

11.9%

9.0%

6.50

1.6%

2.9%

-35.0%

-35.6%

16.1%

1.4%

2.3x

0.4x

10.0%

44.0%

8 United Bank for Africa PLC

6.50

0.0%

2.8%

-9.1%

-9.7%

15.6%

1.5%

2.6x

0.4x

15.4%

38.9%

9 FBN Holdings Plc

5.05

0.0%

2.4%

-17.9%

-22.3%

14.2%

1.4%

2.4x

0.3x

7.5%

41.1%

10 Nigerian Brew eries PLC

36.00

5.9%

1.8%

-39.0%

7.8%

3.3%

34.3x

1.7x

5.6%

2.9%

11 Lafarge Africa PLC

11.85

-0.4%

2.3%

-22.5%

-14.1%

44.7%

24.1%

8.3x

0.5x

8.4%

12.0%

385.00

0.0%

1.5%

-41.5%

-35.0%

8.2%

4.9%

18.3x

0.3x

9.7%

5.5%

13 Stanbic IBTC Holdings PLC

33.80

2.4%

TRANSCORP (105.5m units), ZENITH (25.7m units) and

1.8%

-17.6%

-15.5%

25.9%

3.7%

4.8x

1.1x

8.9%

21.0%

14 Flour Mills of Nigeria PLC

19.85

2.3%

1.1%

0.8%

3.6%

1.3%

15.4x

0.6x

7.1%

CHAMS (22.9m units) while ZENITH ;േϰϯϬ͘ϬŵͿ͕ GUARAN-

15 International Brew eries PLC

3.10

0.0%

0.3%

-67.4%

-30.1%

-8.6%

16 Ecobank Transnational Inc

4.05

-1.2%

0.6%

-37.7%

-38.2%

11.0%

0.7%

1.6x

0.2x

17 Fidelity Bank PLC

1.89

3.3%

0.7%

-7.8%

-6.4%

12.4%

1.3%

2.0x

0.2x

10.6%

50.2% 11.4%

ϱϲ͘Ϯй ƚŽ േϭ͘ϳďŶ͘ dŚĞ ƚŽƉ ƚƌĂĚĞĚ ƐƚŽĐŬƐ ďǇ ǀŽůƵŵĞ ǁĞƌĞ

TY ;േϯϭϭ͘ϬŵͿ ĂŶĚ MTNN ;േϭϱϮ͘ϮŵͿ ůĞĚ ďǇ ǀĂůƵĞ͘

12 SEPLAT Petroleum Development C

18 11 PLC

0.5x

6.5% -87.2% 62.6%

175.00

0.0%

0.8%

18.3%

18.7%

8.5%

8.8x

1.5x

4.7%

19 Okomu Oil Palm PLC

80.00

0.0%

1.0%

43.9%

23.5%

15.8%

10.9x

2.4x

2.5%

9.2%

Bullish Sector Performance

20 Dangote Sugar Refinery PLC

11.90

0.0%

0.5%

-12.5%

-15.0%

21.2%

11.5%

6.2x

1.2x

9.2%

16.0%

0.60

-4.8%

0.3%

-39.4%

-43.9%

0.4x

1.7%

Performance across sectors was bullish as all indices under our

22 Unilever Nigeria PLC

13.00

8.3%

0.3%

-40.9%

-37.2%

-11.5%

-7.2%

23 Guinness Nigeria PLC

15.40

0.0%

0.2%

-48.8%

3.0%

1.6%

13.0x

0.4x

9.9%

7.7%

24 FCMB Group Plc

2.04

2.0%

0.5%

10.3%

12.1%

9.5%

1.1%

2.0x

0.2x

7.0%

49.1%

25 Sterling Bank PLC

1.15

-4.2%

0.2%

-42.2%

-39.5%

8.4%

0.8%

3.2x

0.3x

2.6%

31.1%

26 UAC of Nigeria PLC

6.20

0.0%

0.2%

-27.9%

-30.3%

-6.3%

-3.0%

2.5x

0.3x

1.6%

39.8%

5.00

0.0%

0.2%

-16.7%

13.0%

4.7%

4.6x

0.6x

9.0%

21.6%

51.50

0.0%

0.3%

8.4%

12.5%

5.3%

9.8x

1.7x

3.9%

10.2% 14.8%

21 Transnational Corp of Nigeria

coverage gained save the Industrial Goods index that declined 12bps due to sell-ŽīƐ ŝŶ BUACEMENT (-0.3%) and WAPCO (0.4%). The Insurance and Consumer Goods indices were the ďĞƐƚ ƉĞƌĨŽƌŵĞƌƐ͕ ƵƉ Ϯ͘ϲй ĂŶĚ ϭ͘ϱй ƌĞƐƉĞĐƟǀĞůǇ ĚƵĞ ƚŽ ďƵǇŝŶŐ interest in MANSARD (+9.7%), PRESTIGE (+8.2%), NIGERIAN BREWERIES (+5.9%) and UNILEVER (+8.3%). The AFR-ICT and Oil Θ 'ĂƐ ŝŶĚŝĐĞƐ ƚƌĂŝůĞĚ͕ ŐĂŝŶŝŶŐ Ϭ͘ϰй ĂŶĚ Ϭ͘ϯй ƌĞƐƉĞĐƟǀĞůǇ ŽǁŝŶŐ ƚŽ ƵƉƟĐŬƐ in MTNN (+0.8%) and OANDO (+3.3%). Lastly, gains in FIDELITY (+3.3%) and ACCESS (+1.6%) saw the Banking index close higher by 3bps.

/ŶǀĞƐƚŽƌ ^ĞŶƟŵĞŶƚ tĞĂŬĞŶƐ

27 Custodian and Allied Insurance 28 Presco PLC 29 Union Bank of Nigeria PLC

1.1x

-11.1%

5.40

0.0%

0.2%

-10.0%

-10.7%

8.6%

1.2%

6.8x

0.6x

4.8%

80.00

0.0%

0.1%

-27.9%

5.7%

1.1%

18.3x

1.1x

8.4%

2.48

3.3%

0.1%

-37.8%

14.5%

2.6%

1.1x

0.1x

32 NASCON Allied Industries PLC

10.00

0.0%

0.1%

-22.8%

15.1%

4.9%

6.9x

2.3x

3.9%

14.5%

33 Julius Berger Nigeria PLC

15.05

0.0%

0.1%

-9.2%

-24.4%

22.6%

2.6%

6.0x

0.6x

10.6%

16.8%

0.50

-3.8%

-26.5%

9.3%

0.7%

2.6x

0.3x

8.0%

38.0%

0.0%

0.1% 0.1%

-32.4%

12.75

-29.6%

-29.2%

6.5%

1.9%

30 Total Nigeria PLC 31 Oando PLC

34 Wema Bank PLC 35 Ardova PLC

5.5% 93.7%

1.0x

-3.2%

36 Continental Reinsurance PLC 37 Beta Glass PLC

61.55

0.0%

0.1%

14.4%

17.2%

11.7%

38 Notore Chemical Industries Ltd

62.50

0.0%

0.1%

0.0%

-17.3%

-5.1%

39 AXA Mansard Insurance PLC

1.59

9.7%

0.0%

-19.7%

13.7%

3.7%

40 Transcorp Hotels Plc

4.00

0.0%

-18.4%

-0.6%

-0.3%

/ŶǀĞƐƚŽƌ ƐĞŶƟŵĞŶƚ ĂƐ ŵĞĂƐƵƌĞĚ ďǇ ŵĂƌŬĞƚ ďƌĞĂĚƚŚ ;ĂĚǀĂŶĐĞͬ

6.7x

3.5x

0.9x

0.0x

14.9%

1.6x

-6.7%

0.6x

28.3%

0.5x

0.0x

-11.7%

T o p 10 T r a d e s b y V o l u m e

T o p 10 G a i n e r s

ĚĞĐůŝŶĞ ƌĂƟŽͿ ĚĞĐůŝŶĞĚ ƚŽ Ϭ͘ϴǆ ĨƌŽŵ ƚŚĞ ϭ͘ϲǆ ƌĞĐŽƌĚĞĚ ƉƌĞǀŝŽƵƐůǇ

T ic k er

P ric e

P ric e C hg %

Vo lum e

P ric e C hg %

as 15 stocks gained against the 18 decliners. The top gainers

M A N SA R D

1.59

9.7%

T R A N SC OR P

105.5

-4.8%

C H IP LC

0.37

8.8%

Z EN IT H B A N K

25.7

0.0%

UN ILEVER

13.00

8.3%

CHA M S

22.9

0.0%

P R EST IGE

0.53

8.2%

GUA R A N T Y

12.5

-0.2%

36.00

5.9%

FB NH

7.8

0.0%

OA N D O

2.48

3.3%

WA P IC

6.7

3.0%

F ID ELIT YB K

1.89

3.3%

J A P A ULOIL

6.6

0.0% -0.4%

were MANSARD (+9.7%), CHIPLC (+8.8%) and UNILEVER (+8.3%) while IKEJA HOTEL (-9.9%), ACADEMY (-9.1%) and CHAMPION (9.0%) lost the most. We expect the market to close on a slightly bullish note for the week.

T ic k er

0.34

3.0%

WA P C O

5.1

ST A N B IC

33.80

2.4%

UB A

5.0

0.0%

F LOUR M ILL

19.85

2.3%

UA C N

3.9

0.0%

WA P IC

T o p 10 L o s e r s T ic k er

P ric e

P ric e C hg %

T ic k er

Value

IKEJ A H OT EL

0.91

-9.9%

Z EN IT H B A N K

430.0

0.0%

A C A D EM Y

0.30

-9.1%

GUA R A N T Y

311.0

-0.2%

C H A M P ION

0.71

-9.0%

M TNN

152.2

0.8%

UN IT YB N K

0.54

-8.5%

D A N GC EM

99.9

0.0%

P ric e C hg %

N EIM ET H

1.90

-5.0%

OKOM UOIL

80.2

0.0%

T R A N SC OR P

0.60

-4.8%

N EST LE

70.7

0.0%

R EGA LIN S

0.23

-4.2%

ST A N B IC

69.9

2.4%

1.15

-4.2%

T R A N SC OR P

61.4

-4.8%

LA SA C O

0.24

-4.0%

WA P C O

60.0

-0.4%

WEM A B A N K

0.50

-3.8%

FB NH

39.6

0.0%

ST ER LN B A N K

Afrinvest West Africa Limited

T o p 10 T r a d e s b y V a l u e

Brokerage

Asset Management

Investment Research

Ayodeji Ebo | aebo@afrinvest.com

Ola Belgore | obelgore@afrinvest.com

Abiodun Keripe | AKeripe@afrinvest.com

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

Adedayo Bakare | abakare@afrinvest.com

FRIDAY, AUGUST 14, 2020 ˾ T H I S D AY

MARKET NEWS

ASHON, CIS Pledge Cooperation for Capital Market Development Goddy Egene The Chairman Association of Securities

Dealing Houses of Nigeria (ASHON), Chief Onyenwechukwu Ezeagu, has expressed the willingness of ASHON to partner with the

A Mutual fund (Unit Trust) is an investment vehicle managed by a SEC (Securities and Exchange Commission) registered Fund Manager. Investors with similar objectives buy units of the Fund so that the Fund Manager can buy securities that willl generate their desired return. An ETF (Exchange Traded Fund) is a type of fund which owns the assets (shares of stock, bonds, oil futures, gold bars, foreign currency, etc.) and divides ownership of those assets into shares. Investors can buy these ‘shares’ on the

Chartered Institute of Stockbrokers (CIS) Institute in bid to strengthen professionalism and move the market forward.

floor of the Nigerian Stock Exchange. A REIT (Real Estate Investment Trust) is an investment vehicle that allows both small and large investors to part-own real estate ventures (eg. Offices, Houses, Hospitals) in proportion to their investments. The assets are divided into shares that are traded on the Nigerian Stock Exchange. GUIDE TO DATA: Date: All fund prices are quoted in Naira as at 12Aug-2020, unless otherwise stated

Ezeagu said the new CIS president, Mr. Olatunde Omolegbe, is one the architects and proponents of a reinvigorated institute

of stockbrokers. “He has the strength of character to lead the Institute and we have no doubt in his

ability to keep turning the momentum of growth which his predecessors had initiated despite all odds.

Offer price: The price at which units of a trust or ETF are bought by investors. Bid Price: The price at which Investors redeem (sell) units of a trust or ETF. Yield/Total Return: Denotes the total return an investor would have earned on his investment. Money Market Funds report Yield while others report Year- to-date Total Return. NAV: Is value per share of the real estate assets held by a REIT on a specific date.

DAILY PRICE LIST FOR MUTUAL FUNDS, REITS and ETFS MUTUAL FUNDS / UNIT TRUSTS AFRINVEST ASSET MANAGEMENT LTD aaml@afrinvest.com Web: www.afrinvest.com; Tel: +234 818 885 6757 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Afrinvest Equity Fund 122.92 124.07 -17.04% Afrinvest Plutus Fund 100.00 100.00 2.25% Nigeria International Debt Fund 349.64 349.64 18.99% ALTERNATIVE CAPITAL PARTNERS LTD info@acapng.com Web: www.acapng.com, Tel: +234 1 291 2406, +234 1 291 2868 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn ACAP Canary Growth Fund 0.92 0.93 1.86% ACAP Income Funds 0.78 0.78 10.06% AIICO CAPITAL LTD ammf@aiicocapital.com Web: www.aiicocapital.com, Tel: +234-1-2792974 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn AIICO Money Market Fund 100.00 100.00 6.03% AIICO Balanced Fund 2.99 3.06 21.63% ANCHORIA ASSET MANAGEMENT LIMITED info@anchoriaam.com Web:www.anchoriaam.com, Tel: 08166830267; 08036814510; 08028419180 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Anchoria Money Market 100.00 100.00 6.36% Anchoria Equity Fund 98.01 98.35 -4.00% Anchoria Fixed Income Fund 1.27 1.27 10.24% ARM INVESTMENT MANAGERS LTD enquiries@arminvestmentcenter.com Web: www.arm.com.ng; Tel: 0700 CALLARM (0700 225 5276) Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn ARM Aggressive Growth Fund 14.41 14.84 -5.95% ARM Discovery Fund 340.05 350.30 -1.56% ARM Ethical Fund 30.45 31.37 4.72% ARM Eurobond Fund ($) 1.14 1.15 14.55% ARM Fixed Income Fund 1.08 1.09 8.38% ARM Money Market Fund 1.00 1.00 4.54% AXA MANSARD INVESTMENTS LIMITED investmentcare@axamansard.com Web: www.axamansard.com; Tel: +2341-4488482 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn AXA Mansard Equity Income Fund 96.50 97.18 0.44% AXA Mansard Money Market Fund 1.00 1.00 4.69% CAPITAL EXPRESS ASSET AND TRUST LIMITED info@capitalexpressassetandtrust.com Web: www.capitalexpressassetandtrust.com ; Tel: +234 803 307 5048 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn CEAT Fixed Income Fund 2.12 2.12 16.92% Capital Express Balanced Fund(Formerly: Union Trustees Mixed Fund) 1.84 1.87 2.34% CHAPELHILL DENHAM MANAGEMENT LTD investmentmanagement@chapelhilldenham.com Web: www.chapelhilldenham.com, Tel: +234 461 0691 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Chapelhill Denham Money Market Fund 100.00 100.00 5.41% Paramount Equity Fund 11.24 11.45 -10.17% Women's Investment Fund 110.19 111.15 -0.21% CORDROS ASSET MANAGEMENT LIMITED assetmgtteam@cordros.com Web: www.cordros.com, Tel: 019036947 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Cordros Money Market Fund 100.00 100.00 4.96% Cordros Milestone Fund 2023 104.49 104.82 Cordros Milestone Fund 2028 108.48 108.78 Cordros Dollar Fund ($) 102.36 102.36 CORONATION ASSEST MANAGEMENT investment@coronationam.com Web:www.coronationam.com , Tel: 012366215 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Coronation Money Market Fund 1.00 1.00 3.55% Coronation Balanced Fund 0.95 0.96 2.65% Coronation Fixed Income Fund 1.55 1.55 16.90% EDC FUNDS MANAGEMENT LIMITED mutualfundng@ecobank.com Web: www.ecobank.com Tel: 012265281 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn EDC Nigeria Money Market Fund Class A 100.00 100.00 4.24% EDC Nigeria Money Market Fund Class B 1,000,000.00 1,000,000.00 4.46% EDC Nigeria Fixed Income Fund 1,187.77 1,197.68 6.94% FBNQUEST ASSET MANAGEMENT LTD invest@fbnquest.com Web: www.fbnquest.com/asset-management; Tel: +234-81 0082 0082 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn FBN Fixed Income Fund 1,390.60 1,392.17 13.98% FBN Balanced Fund 151.40 152.56 3.12% FBN Halal Fund 107.02 107.04 7.02% FBN Money Market Fund 100.00 100.00 4.58% FBN Nigeria Eurobond (USD) Fund - Institutional 119.20 119.62 3.17% FBN Nigeria Eurobond (USD) Fund - Retail 119.50 119.92 2.91% FBN Nigeria Smart Beta Equity Fund 114.98 116.79 -11.64% FCMB ASSET MANAGEMENT LIMITED fcmbamhelpdesk@fcmb.com Web: www.fcmbassetmanagement.com; Tel: +234 1 462 2596 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Legacy Money Market Fund 1.00 1.00 3.84% Legacy Debt Fund 3.80 3.80 4.09% Legacy Equity Fund 1.13 1.15 -0.34% Legacy USD Bond Fund 1.12 1.12 3.14% FSDH ASSET MANAGEMENT LTD coralfunds@fsdhgroup.com Web: www.fsdhaml.com; Tel: 01-270 4884-5; 01-280 9740-1 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Coral Growth Fund 3,117.46 3,151.47 2.51% Coral Income Fund 3,180.63 3,180.63 3.41% FSDH Treasury Bills Fund 100.00 100.00 4.52% GREENWICH ASSET MANAGEMENT LIMITED assetmanagement@gtlgroup.com Web: www.gtlgroup.com ; Tel: +234 1 4619261-2 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Greenwich Plus Money Market Fund N/A N/A N/A Nigeria Entertainment Fund N/A N/A N/A

GROWTH & DEVELOPMENT ASSET MANAGEMENT LIMITED assetmanagement@gdl.com.ng Web: www.gdl.com.ng ; Tel: +234 9055691122 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn GDL Money Market Fund N/A N/A N/A INVESTMENT ONE FUNDS MANAGEMENT LTD enquiries@investment-one.com Web: www.investment-one.com; Tel: +234 812 992 1045,+234 1 448 8888 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Abacus Money Market Fund 100.00 100.00 4.12% Vantage Balanced Fund 2.21 2.25 0.98% Vantage Guaranteed Income Fund 1.00 1.00 8.60% Kedari Investment Fund (KIF) 149.42 150.17 4.25% LOTUS CAPITAL LTD ﬁncon@lotuscapitallimited.com Web: www.lotuscapitallimited.com; Tel: +234 1-291 4626 / +234 1-291 4624 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Lotus Halal Investment Fund 1.24 1.26 6.23% Lotus Halal Fixed Income Fund 1,127.10 1,127.10 6.49% MERISTEM WEALTH MANAGEMENT LTD info@meristemwealth.com Web: http://www.meristemwealth.com/funds/ ; Tel: +234 1-4488260 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Meristem Equity Market Fund N/A N/A N/A Meristem Money Market Fund N/A N/A N/A PAC ASSET MANAGEMENT LTD info@pacassetmanagement.com Web: www.pacassetmanagement.com/mutualfunds; Tel: +234 1 271 8632 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn PACAM Balanced Fund 1.39 1.42 13.83% PACAM Fixed Income Fund 11.90 11.97 5.67% PACAM Money Market Fund 10.00 10.00 3.29% PACAM Equity Fund 1.07 1.08 PACAM EuroBond Fund 106.67 109.15 SCM CAPITAL LIMITED info@scmcapitalng.com Web: www.scmcapitalng.com; Tel: +234 1-280 2226,+234 1- 280 2227 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn SCM Capital Frontier Fund 115.45 117.61 -5.44% SFS CAPITAL NIGERIA LTD investments@sfsnigeria.com Web: www.sfsnigeria.com, Tel: +234 (01) 2801400 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn SFS Fixed Income Fund 1.01 1.01 6.08% STANBIC IBTC ASSET MANAGEMENT LTD assetmanagement@stanbicibtc.com Web: www.stanbicibtcassetmanagement.com; Tel: +234 1 280 1266; 0700 MUTUALFUNDS Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Stanbic IBTC Balanced Fund 2,521.35 2,532.80 2.51% Stanbic IBTC Bond Fund 210.33 210.33 0.77% Stanbic IBTC Ethical Fund 0.88 0.89 2.87% Stanbic IBTC Guaranteed Investment Fund 273.87 273.95 0.94% Stanbic IBTC Iman Fund 154.92 156.64 2.07% Stanbic IBTC Money Market Fund 100.00 100.00 4.47% Stanbic IBTC Nigerian Equity Fund 7,674.15 7,756.30 0.69% Stanbic IBTC Dollar Fund (USD) 1.16 1.16 0.59% Stanbic IBTC Shariah Fixed Income Fund 118.18 118.18 0.00% UNITED CAPITAL ASSET MANAGEMENT LTD Web: www.unitedcapitalplcgroup.com; Tel: +234 803 306 2887 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn United Capital Balanced Fund 1.15 1.17 -3.91% United Capital Bond Fund 1.84 1.84 6.38% United Capital Equity Fund 0.65 0.67 -7.43% United Capital Money Market Fund 1.00 1.00 4.86% United Capital Eurobond Fund 113.84 113.84 4.21% United Capital Wealth for Women Fund 1.02 1.03 -2.54% QUANTUM ZENITH ASSET MANAGEMENT & INVESTMENTS LTD service@quantumzenithasset.com.ng Web: www.quantumzenith.com.ng; Tel: +234 1-2784219 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Zenith Equity Fund 10.27 10.38 -0.12% Zenith Ethical Fund 11.63 11.69 -0.13% Zenith Income Fund 24.49 24.49 10.00% Zenith Money Market Fund 1.00 1.00 4.15%

REITS NAV Per Share

Fund Name SFS Skye Shelter Fund

Yield / T-Rtn

117.23

4.56%

53.32

2.44%

Bid Price

Offer Price

Yield / T-Rtn

9.07 85.73 66.63

9.17 87.54 67.82

4.11% 0.87% 0.94%

Union Homes REIT

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

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

funds@vetiva.com Bid Price

Offer Price

Yield / T-Rtn

N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A

NAV Per Share

Yield / T-Rtn

108.03

15.02%

INFRASTRUCTURE FUND Fund Name Chapel Hill Denham Nigeria Infrastructure Debt Fund

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

FRIDAY, ͹ͼ˜ ͺ͸ͺ͸ ˾ T H I S D AY

NEWS

Gbajabiamila, Sanwo-Olu Mourn Elder Statesman, Folarin Coker

Udora Orizu in Abuja

The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila, and the Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu, have expressed sadness over the passing of elder statesman, Chief Folarin Coker. Coker, a retired pioneer Permanent Secretary of Lagos State, who was born on July 22, 1923, died on August 12, 2020, according to a statement issued yesterday by Folorunsho Folarin-Coker, on behalf of the Folarin Coker family. It stated: “A life beautifully lived; it is with a heavy heart and a deep sense of appreciation to Almighty God that we announce

Coker the translation to eternal glory of our beloved father, grandfather, uncle and patriot Chief Nathaniel Folarin Coker (OON). “He died comfortably and peacefully in his sleep in Lagos at 6.45 pm on the 12 of August 2020 at the ripe old age of

97 years. “His, was a life so beautifully lived which deserves to be beautifully remembered. He dutifully and meritoriously served his state and country in his lifetime, we, his family are very proud of his service. “We are comforted by the fact that his good name is worth more than gold and that his memory will always be a blessing to each and every one of us all. Burial arrangements will be announced in due course.” The family also requested that all messages and tributes be posted at www. Nathanielfolarin coker. forevermissed.com/about Meanwhile, in a condolence message by his Special Adviser

on Media and Publicity, Mr. Lanre Lasisi, the House speaker said Coker, who was Baba Eto of Lagos and Bobagunwa of Igede-Ekiti would be sorely missed by many Nigerians. He recalled how the Coker served as the first Permanent Secretary, Lagos State, adding that his service to fatherland would not be in vain. He condoled with the Coker family, the people and Government of Lagos State over the loss, while praying God to grant the late nonagenarian a peaceful resting place. Sanwo-Olu in a condolence message issued by his Chief Press Secretary, Mr. Gboyega Akosile, described the passing of the late elder statesman as

a great loss to the state and the country. Sanwo-Olu said Coker was one of the front-runners in the race towards making Lagos a leading state in Nigeria and the West Africa sub-region. The governor said his contributions to the state’s public service as permanent secretary in several ministries were exemplary. He said the late administrator effectively combined work and social life in a way that impacted the state positively. Sanwo-Olu said: “The late Folarin Coker lived a very good life. His demise, though a great loss to our dear state, should be celebrated. He served Lagos meritoriously as

a public servant in various capacities, contributing his quota to the growth narratives of Lagos. “The late Chief Coker was also a socialite of note. I remember that as a young man, I always admired his candour whenever he spoke at social gatherings. He was a representation of the true spirit of Lagos. “His service to our dear state as permanent secretary took him to various ministries such as Education; Youth, Sports and Social Development, Trade, Mines and Natural Resources as well as the ministry of information and tourism, where he contributed meaningfully to the better and bigger Lagos narrative.”

Gunmen Kill 14 People in Niger Community DHQ deploys special forces in Southern Kaduna Kingsley Nwezeh in Abuja and Laleye Dipo in Minna The Niger State Police Command yesterday confirmed the killing of 14 persons by gunmen at Ukuru Village in Mariga Local Government Area of the state. Also, following the unabated killings by suspected terrorists in Southern Kaduna, the Defence Headquarters (DHQ) has deployed more troops, including Special Forces in the communities. Niger State Police Command’s Public Relations Officer, Mr. Wasiu Abiodun, an Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP), in a statement issued yesterday in Minna, the state capital said the attack occurred on Wednesday during which the gunmen also rustled cattle. He added that in addition to the 14 people confirmed dead, five others sustained various degrees of injury. He said the injured were receiving treatment at Mariga General Hospital. The police spokesman added that policemen and local vigilante were on the trail of the gunmen. It was gathered that the gunmen, riding on motorcycles,

began shooting sporadically when they stormed the village. According to an eyewitness, the attack could have been a reprisal because a few days before the incident, men of the local vigilante had repelled an attack by the bandits during which they reportedly killed four of the attackers. "They waited for most of the strong men to go to the farm before launching the attack," the eyewitness told THISDAY. He also confirmed that the bandits escaped with some animals. Meanwhile, following the unabated killings by suspected terrorists in Southern Kaduna, the DHQ has deployed more troops in the communities. DHQ said personnel of the Special Forces embedded with Operation Safe Haven were patrolling the various flashpoints in the communities, noting that the move is expected to curtail the bloodshed in the area. Speaking in Abuja yesterday on measures to address the violence and criminality in Southern Kaduna settlements and other parts of the country during the weekly press conference at the DHQ, the Coordinator of Defence Media Operations, Maj. Gen. John

Enenche, expressed optimism that the atrocities in the NorthWest would soon be curbed. He said the military was mapping out strategies aimed at countering the movement of terrorist organisations, al-Qaeda and ISIS to Nigeria. This, according to him, followed an intelligence alert issued last week by the United States Africa Command (AFRICOM) that the terrorist groups have begun moves to re-establish themselves in West Africa while exploiting, local grievances and strife. “In a bid to curb the recent attacks and isolated killings in Southern Kaduna, troops of Operation Safe Haven have continued to intensify efforts aimed at securing the lives and property in the general area. “Particularly, Special Operations Forces have been deployed in the joint operations area covering the various flashpoints. This move is expected to achieve the desired result with the provision of credible and actionable intelligence specifically from primary sources,” he stated. On the situation in the North-west zone, Enenche said the aggressive operations by troops of Operation Hadarin Daji had led to a reduction

in banditry in Katsina, Kebbi, Zamfara, Sokoto and adjoining states. He added: “Most of these criminal elements have been decimated. Gradually, there is the restoration of human activities in the zone. Farmers have returned to their farms while other economic activities have picked up across the zone. “The troops have continued to dominate the general area with clearance patrols,

aggressive fighting, and confidence-building patrols. “The high military command congratulates the troops for the feat recorded and encourages the good people of the zone to continue to provide credible information to the troops.” Responding to the allegations that troops on counterinsurgency in the North-east were engaged in illegal fishing and other commercial activities in Baga, the coordinator

described the accusation as baseless, noting that “in line with military procedures, it was investigated and found to be baseless.” Eneche added that sequel to the warning by United States Africa Command that extremists had begun deploying strategies to silently re-establish themselves, the armed forces and other security agencies were leaving nothing to chance.

Ex-Justice Minister, Akinjide, Buried in Ibadan Kemi Olaitan in Ibadan The remains of a former Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Chief Richard Akinjide, were yesterday laid to rest at his The Rock, Idi Ishin in Ibadan residence. The former minister, who served between 1979 and 1983 under the administration of former president, Alhaji Shehu Shagari of the defunct National Party of Nigeria (NPN), was buried after a private funeral

service by the family at The Chapel of St. Peter, The Rock, Ibadan, within the family estate. The Senior Advocate of Nigeria died in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital on 21 April 2020. A statement by his son, Mr. Abayomi Akinjide, and made available to THISDAY yesterday, said the burial was done in consultation with the Archbishop of Ibadan, Anglican Communion and the Oyo State government in

accordance with the prevailing global public health crisis. He said at the appropriate time, a Celebration of Life, Church Service, and public events would be held in his honour. He also lauded the federal and state governments, royal fathers and traditional institutions, the legal community comprising the Bar and the Bench, friends, and well-wishers for their prayers and support since the demise of the legal luminary.

convict and impose a fine on him. The investigation being conducted into Dr. Obadiah's interview by the State Security Service has not been concluded. So, why was the NBC in a hurry to violate the fundamental right of the broadcasting station to a fair hearing? “Section 33 (4) of the Constitution provides that anyone charged with a criminal offence shall be tried before a competent court or tribunal. Only a competent court of law is empowered to try, convict and impose a fine on a criminal suspect after a trial has been conducted before a competent court. “In Mobil Producing Nigeria Unlimited in Suit FHC/UY/CS/1623/2016 – National Oil Spill Detection &

Response Agency (NOSDRA) vs. Mobil Producing Nigeria Unlimited the Federal High Court per Hon. Justice Ojukwu held that the imposition of fines by regulatory agencies was unlawful. The judgment of the learned trial judge was upheld by the Court of Appeal in the case of Nosdra v Exxon Mobil (2018) JELR 41137 (CA). “In view of the fact that the imposition of the N5 million fine was anchored on a purported amendment of the code and since the NBC lacks the legal competence to impose a fine on any broadcasting station without a finding of guilt by a properly constituted criminal court, the NBC should suo mutu quash the illegal fine.”

OUTRAGE AS NBC FINES RADIO STATION N5M FOR HATE SPEECH acknowledged the danger of hate speech to journalism and the workings for a free society. He, however, explained that it is repugnant that the government would instrumentalise the prevention of hate speech as a means of constricting free speech. He urged the NBC to reverse the penalty against of 99.3 Nigeria Info FM. Atiku added that it is globally acknowledged that one of the core functions of the mass media is to inform the society on all ranges of issues, not even to the exclusion of national security issues. According to him, the mass media has a role to play in ensuring that all possible shades of opinions are given

access to the media platform. "In many advanced democracies the world over, criminals on even wanted lists of law enforcement agencies have reached out to the media to express their opinions about the crimes that they had perpetrated and the media space was not denied to them. "As a matter of fact, it seems somewhat contradictory that a country like ours, which is in the throes of national security skirmishes, would choose to shrink media access to critical information. It is not known if any society had won the war against terrorism by placing a restriction to access to information, in the way the NBC had done," he said. Atiku said it was

disappointing that under the watch of the All Progressives Congress (APC) the media was being targeted for extermination. The Coalition of United Political Parties (CUPP) condemned the N5 million fine on the radio station and accused NBC of promoting dictatorship. CUPP in a statement yesterday by its spokesman, Mr. Ikenga Ugochinyere, said NBC was leading the new war against the media and the right to free speech. According to it, what NBC has not told Nigerians are the details of what constitutes offensive speech. ''This is the highest degree of oppression - beating up a child and asking that child should not cry is an

abuse. If you do not want the child to cry, then do not beat the child. Fix the system and Nigerians will quit complaining,” it stated.

Fine Illegal, Says Falana Also reacting to the NBC code, human rights lawyer and Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Mr. Femi Falana, described the N5 million fine as illegal. He said with the NBC board’s position, the amendment of the code had not come into force. He said: “Assuming that the code was properly amended, the board cannot charge a suspect with criminal offences, prosecute,

FRIDAY JAUGUST 14, 2020 ˾ T H I S D AY

NEWS

Police Kill Two Bandits, Rescue Kidnap Victims in Katsina Francis Sardauna in Katsina The Katsina State Police Command yesterday said it killed two bandits and rescued two kidnapped victims in Kwaro village of Dutsin-ma Local Government Area of the state. The spokesman of the command, Gambo Isah, in a statement said the bandits were killed by the operatives of Operation Puff Adder after a serious gun duel with the hoodlums, which also led to

the rescue of the kidnapped victims. Isah, a superintendent of police, said the police received a distress call on August 12, 2020 at about 10:30 a.m. that bandits with AK47 rifles attacked the village and killed one Mohammed Auwal as well as rustled unspecified number of cattle. He said the Operation Puff Adder team led by the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) in charge of Dutsin-ma police station, CSP Muhammad

Makama, moved to the area and engaged the miscreants. He said: “The team went after the hoodlums and engaged them in a gun duel, killing two of the

bandits while the rest escaped into the forest abandoning seven of their motorcycles. “The two kidnapped victims, Musa Rabiu and Rabiu Sani,

were also rescued unhurt. One empty magazine of AK 47 rifle was also recovered. Many of the bandits were suspected to have escaped with gun shots

wounds, as search parties are still combing the area with a view to arresting and recovering more dead bodies of the hoodlums.”

Nigeria’s COVID-19 Cases Rise By 373 to 48,116 Martins Iﬁjeh Nigeria has recorded 373 new cases of COVID-19, bringing to 48,116 the number of confirmed cases in the country. It has also recorded 10 COVID-19- related deaths within the last 24 hours, raising the tally from 956 to 966 in a single day. Announcing this yesterday, the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) said Lagos recorded 69 new cases; Osun,

41; Kaduna and Oyo, 40 each; Federal Capital Territory (FCT), 35; Plateau, 22; Rivers, 19; Kano and Ondo, 17 each; Ogun, 15; Abia 14; Gombe 12; Imo, nine; Enugu, seven; Kwara, six; Delta, five; Niger, two; while Borno, Bauchi and Nasarawa states, recorded one each. It said: “Nigeria has so far recorded 48,116 cases of COVID-19. 34,309 patients have been discharged, while 966 persons unfortunately died.”

NJC Recommends Appointment of 22 Judicial Officers Alex Enumah in Abuja The National Judicial Council (NJC) has recommended the appointment of 22 judicial officers into various levels of courts in the country. The decision was taking at the 2nd Virtual Meeting of the council held on August 11 and 12, 2020, according to statement by the NJC’s Director of Information, Mr. Soji Oye. Other decisions taken at the meeting included a reprimand handed down to a judge of the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) for delaying to issue copy of his judgment to a petitioner. “Similarly, at the meeting, council considered the report of its interview committee and recommended twenty-two (22) judicial officers as justices of

the Supreme Court of Nigeria, heads of court, judges of High Court of states, Kadis of states’ Sharia Courts of Appeal and judges of Customary Courts of Appeal,” he said. Oye noted that the meeting which held under the chairmanship of the Chief Justice of Nigeria, (CJN) Justice Ibrahim Muhammad, after it considered the report of its investigation committee on allegation of misconduct against Justice KN Ogbonnaya of High Court of the FCT, “resolved to issue warning letter to the judge, following its findings on the petition written against him by Dr. Uchechukwu Ogah, that His Lordship refused to release a copy of judgment delivered to the petitioner within the constitutionally prescribed period of seven (7) days.

APC Has Failed Nigerians, Wike Insists Ernest Chinwo in Port Harcourt Rivers State Governor, Mr. Nyesom Wike, has said Nigerians are fed up with the All Progressives Congress (APC) as it has failed the country on all fronts of its governance. Wike spoke yesterday when the state executive of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) paid him a courtesy visit at Government House in Port Harcourt. The governor recalled how the APC promised to solve most challenging national issues, insisting that the ruling party has continued to give excuses for their failure. “Nigeria is hoping for PDP; APC has failed Nigerians. This is no more time for promises. You have promised and you

have failed. There is nothing to try again. “Nigerians have realised that it is better they stay with the PDP that has the interest of Nigeria at heart than a party that gives excuses everyday. “You know there are problems in Nigeria and you made promises, asking Nigerians to vote for you and for five years, nothing has changed,” he stated. He stated that he is focused on governance and delivering service to the people, adding it was no more time to play politics but to deliver on promises made to the people. He added: “It has never happened in the history of this country. Within one year, a state government will construct five flyovers at the same time.

SIGNED AND SEALED...

L-R: Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas; Managing Director of Nigerian Export and Import Bank (NEXIM), Alhaji Abba Bello; and Director of Information, Naval Headquarters, Commodore Suleiman Dahun, during the endorsement of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the Nigerian Navy and NEXIM Bank at the Naval Headquarters, Abuja...yesterday ENOCK REUBENNAVYN

FG Vows to Prosecute Suspect for Destruction of Enugu Airport’s Fence Ejiofor Alike The federal government yesterday vowed to apply all lawful means to prosecute one Mr. John J. Emejulu, who was alleged to be responsible for the destruction of the concrete perimeter fence, covering about two kilometres, being erected at the Akanu Ibiam International Airport, Enugu, as part of the ongoing rehabilitation of the airport. Speaking to journalists after inspecting the site to ascertain the level of the destruction, the Minister of Aviation, Senator Hadi Sirika, expressed deep sadness that the perpetrator could take such an unlawful

act by destroying a “national security asset,” at a time the federal government was in the course of delivering the Enugu Airport, on August 30, as promised. Narrating what transpired, Sirika disclosed that “while the procurement (of the Enugu airport rehabilitation) was going on, a certain cantankerous individual by name J J Emejulu came with bulldozers and hundreds of armed thugs and destroyed more than two kilometres of our fence”. The Minister, who described the action as unfortunate, unbecoming and unacceptable, said that “he (Emejulu) has given the government the opportunity

to show how not to willfully destroy public asset belonging to over 200 million people”. While reiterating the commitment of the federal government to the reopening of the Enugu airport on August 30, as earlier promised, Sirika, expressed dismay that in spite of the efforts of President Muhammadu Buhari, to bring the airport back to its glory, with the nation’s limited resources and “at this very austere time,” “a certain cantankerous individual appeared from nowhere with bulldozers and destroyed this national security asset. “It is a wrong time to test our resolve. The individual

will certainly be dealt with maximally without recourse. I am sure he will regret doing this and of course this is also an opportunity for government to show that no one can take the law into his hands and willfully destroy national asset belonging to 200 million of all of us. “This will certainly be the end of this kind of recklessness. We will not forgive him. The Chief of Air Staff, the Inspector General of Police, the Director General, DSS, others, will be directed to do the needful and bring him to book, so that anybody who would contemplate doing something like this in future will have a rethink.

Execute Lekwot, Others to End S’Kaduna Killings, Islamic Group Tells FG John Shiklam in Kaduna The Supreme Council for Shari’ah in Nigeria (SCSN) yesterday attributed the incessant killings in the Southern part of the state to the failure of the government to execute Maj. Gen. Zamani Lekwot (rtd) and others sentenced to death over the 1992 Zango-Kataf riot. This is coming as Governor of Kaduna State, Malam Nasir el-Rufai has reviewed the 24hour curfew in two of the four Local Government Areas in the Southern part of the state.

The governor has also alleged that the study carried out on the crisis in the state for over four decades has shown that the main drivers of violence are a few clerics that use their platforms to preach against peaceful co-existence or promote the common humanity. At a press conference held yesterday in Kaduna, the Secretary of the SCSN, Abdulrahaman Hassan insisted that the death sentenced passed on those “convicted” in the Zangon Kataf crisis should be revisited.

Lekwot, a former military governor of Rivers State; a former Chairman of Zangon Kataf Local Government Area, Maj. James Atomic Kude (rtd) and several Zangon Kataf leaders were sentenced to death “for their involvement in the riot” by the late Justice Benedict Okadigbo’s tribunal set up by Gen. Ibrahim Babangida (rtd)’s administration to try those involved in the crisis, which led to many loss of lives and destructions of property. They were later pardon by the administration of the late

General Sani Abacha. “We want those pardoned in 1992 during Zango-Kataf crisis, after being condemned to death to be executed now, because that is the only way peace will return to the area,” Hassan said. Hassan said “till now Zonkwa is still a ghost town. Surprisingly, Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Southern Kaduna People’s Union (SOKAPU) and their allies had never cried foul in the massacre of innocent law abiding citizens on the account of their faith”.

Boko Haram: 4.3m People Face Hunger in North-east, Says UN Michael Olugbode in Maiduguri The United Nations (UN) has raised the alarm that 4.3 million people were facing hunger and food insecurity in troubled North-east. This revelation came out of a high-level online briefing on the Humanitarian Situation in North-East Nigeria which was held yesterday. The briefing was titled: “NorthEast Nigeria: Act Now, Avert the Worst,” which was facilitated by

the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, Hajiya Sadia Umar-Farouq and United Nations Resident Representative and Humanitarian Coordinator for Nigeria, Mr. Edward Kallon. The United Nations Humanitarian Coordinator said: “Nigeria today, and particularly the conflict affected states of Borno, Adamawa and Yobe - the so- called BAY states, are facing unprecedented challenges. A resurgence in violence continues

to ravage entire communities eleven years into a protracted conflict. We are also facing extraordinary challenges from the COVID-19 pandemic - a global health crisis – that no country was adequately prepared for.” He said: “A few years ago, our rapid joint mobilisation succeeded in reversing a situation where hundreds of thousands of people were on the verge of famine. Not only was famine averted, but many people who had seen their lives shattered by the conflict were

starting to rebuild their lives and communities. There were hopes that we had turned a corner and we could start focusing on recovery and development. “Today, these hard-won gains are in jeopardy. Ladies and gentlemen, as we speak, the number of people needing humanitarian assistance in the BAY states, is the highest ever recorded in the five years of a joint humanitarian response. At least 10.6 million people need our assistance to survive.

FRIDAY AUGUST 14, 2020 ˾ T H I S D AY

NEWS XTRA

FG: Data will Determine Reopening of Tertiary Institutions Says youths account for 46% of COVID-19 cases Eight states, FCT account for 70% of tests Olawale Ajimotokan and Onyebuchi Ezigbo in Abuja The federal government through the Minister of State for Education, Mr. Emeka Nwajiuba has said the decision on the full reopening of tertiary institutions and others, will be reached after the Presidential Task Force (PTF) on COVID-19 evaluates all the necessary data presented before it. This is coming as the government has also said that 46 per cent of those that have tested positive to the pandemic in the country are the youths, just as only eight states of the federation and the FCT accounted for 70 per cent of the tests carried out so far, with Lagos State accounting for 25 per cent of the 70 per cent tests. Nwajiuba made this clarification yesterday when the members of the Presidential Task Force (PTF) on COVID-19 addressed the media. The minister said he held a meeting with some owners of private universities yesterday in relation to the reopening of the tertiary institutions. He also reiterated the appeal which some stakeholders had made to the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), to place

a moratorium on strike actions for the next three years, in order to allow the Nigerian university system to rebuild itself before they start further agitations. “We are working with science and data and when the country is ready to reopen, I do not believe that ASUU will be unreasonable or illogical about resuming. They have over 10, 000 professors out of nearly 65, 000 lecturers and I am almost confident that they would know as well as we do that the children need to go back to school as long as we are ready,” Nwajiuba said. The eight states accounting for the 75 per cent COVID-19 tests alongside the FCT, include, Lagos, Kano, Plateau, Oyo, Kaduna, Edo, Ogun and Rivers. The federal government said that it is currently investigating healthcare-associated infection in a health facility in Kaduna State. Speaking during the media briefing, the Minister of Health, Dr. Osagie Ehanire said that COVID-19 has had significant impact oN the young people. He said: “As at yesterday, (Wednesday) 46 per cent of positive cases in the country are young people between of ages 21-40”. Ehanire also expressed concern

over the resurgence of infection among healthcare workers. He said that in a bid to sustain the gains the country has made in reducing the rate of infection among the health workers, the ministry has embarked training and retraining of health workers

on infection prevention and control. In Abia state, Ehanire said the ministry has concluded the training of 594 healthcare workers from private and public health facilities on infection prevention and control. “We are currently investigating healthcare associated infection in

a health facility in Kaduna State. Lessons learnt from this will be used to improve service delivery. Ehanire spoke of the plan to carry out tests on at least one percentage of the country’s over 200 million population. “Our target remains to test

one per cent of our population across the country. As of today, more than 70 per cent of all the tests conducted have been in nine states including Lagos, Kano, FCT, Plateau, Oyo, Kaduna, Edo Ogun Rivers with 25 per cent of the tests in Lagos alone.

GOING DIGITAL...

L-R: Nigeria’s candidate for the post of Executive Secretary of West African Telecommunications Regulatory Assembly (WATRA), Mr. Yusuf Aboki; Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Dr. Isa Ali Ibrahim Patami; Executive Vice Chairman, Nigerian Communications Commission( NCC) , Prof. Umar Garba Danbatta; and Director, Special Duties, NCC, Mr. O Y Asagu, during a courtesy visit to the minister in Abuja ... yesterday

PENGASSAN, NUPENG NBC Threatens to Sanction Broadcast Stations over Threaten to Disrupt Oil, Gas Messages that Insult President, Govs, Senators Operations The National Broadcasting programmes. “Monitoring activities indicate provisions of the Broadcasting Sylvester Idowu in Warri

The Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association (PENGASSAN), and the Nigerian Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) have threatened to disrupt oil and gas operations across the country by Sunday, August 16, if the federal government fails to pay their salaries by today (Friday). The protesting senior oil workers, who commenced the peaceful protests on Wednesday, gathered at the Petroleum Training Institute (PTI), Effurun, Delta state, yesterday in continuation of their three-day warning strike. The protesters, clad in red attires, bore placards with inscriptions such as “No To Forceful Enrollment into IPPIS;” Release Our Salaries Now or No Dialogue;” and “We Are Not Against IPPIS but Create Another Platform That Addresses Our Peculiarities,” amongst others. Addressing the members, Vice

Chairman of the Warri Zonal Council of PENGASSAN and Secretary of Regulators Forum, Prince Audu Oshiokhamele warned that if their salaries are not released by today then all oil operations will be shut down by midnight of Sunday. “I want to assure you, our union members, that if our salaries are not released before Friday (today), by 12 midnight, on Sunday we will shut down the whole nation. What we are just doing now is a warning protest, but by Sunday, the music will change,” he warned. Oshiokhamele, who was in company of PTI branch Chairman of PENGASSAN, Mr. James Esiomor, and the Chairman of PTI branch of NUPENG, Mr. Ejokirhie Jahpurpose expressed surprise that the Federal Ministry of Finance claimed ignorance of non-payment of their salaries in the last three months, but are now making efforts to placate the Union.

NSCIA Directs Mosques to Reopen in Ekiti Today Victor Ogunje in Ado Ekiti After five months of closure and the recent lifting of ban on congregations not more than 20 persons by the Ekiti State Government, the Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA) has ordered mosques to reopen for services today. The council, however, insisted that only mosques that meet all the conditions, which include fumigation of premises, provision of infra-red thermometer, hand sanitizers, hand-washing facilities and strict compliance with the COVID-19 protocols would be

allowed to open. The state Governor, Kayode Fayemi, had in a statewide broadcast last week Thursday declared that from all indications, churches and mosques in the state have substantially complied with the provision of some COVID-19 precautionary facilities, and that they would be allowed to open on August 14. In a statement issued by the NSCIA President, Ekiti State chapter, Alhaji Yakubu Sanni, he said investigation by the religious body confirmed that substantial numbers of mosques operating in the state are ready for reopening.

Commission (NBC) has threatened to sanction broadcast stations over messages that “insult” Nigerian leaders and elders. In a letter to broadcast stations, the Zonal Director of the NBC Lagos office, Mr. Chibuike Ogwumike, warned against such messages from guests during radio

The Cable reported that the letter is dated August 3. Ogwumike referred broadcasters to sections of the NBC code that provides for “professional rules” against content that “denigrates the social norms, values and culture of the society”.

that in the recent time, some broadcast stations have abdicated their editorial responsibilities such that guests and callers on programmes abuse and insult leaders and those in authority freely and without caution,” he said.“May I please draw your attention to the following

Code: Section 3.1.: Professional Rules: 3.1.1: No broadcast shall encourage or incite to crime, lead to public disorder or hate, be repugnant to public feelings or contain an offensive reference to any person or organisation, alive or dead or generally be disrespectful to human dignity.

Ooni Condemns #BBNaija, Recommends Replacement Yinka Kolawole in Osogbo The Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi, Ojaja II, has criticised the Big Brother Naija (#BBNaija) reality show and suggested a replacement of the programme. Speaking while playing host to members of the National Youth Council of Nigeria in his palace at Ile Ife, Osun, the revered monarch said the reality

show was “misrepresenting the goodness and integrity of the Nigerian youths”. He suggested a reality show that would project the country’s values, cultures, and traditions. The monarch also suggested that the new show could be tagged “The Big Nigeria Reality Show”. “The proposed show will be structured in a way that young professionals, talented individuals,

and others across several fields of endeavour will be showcased and helped to reach their peak. “This would help the participants and also help viewers to have access to people that can be seen as role models,” Ooni added. The royal father, who stressed the need for participation of more youths in leadership, lamented that the youths have misplaced their priorities and must redress

it as a matter of urgent public importance. A statement from the Ooni’s media aide, Moses Olafare, quoted the monarch as saying, “Nigerian youths are fond of accusing and abusing our leaders, stop abusing them contribute your own quota. Let’s wear our thinking caps and begin to act like the real future leaders that we are.

Fayemi, Akinyemi Laud Carrington’s Role in Nigeria’s Democracy Eromosele Abiodun, Nume Ekeghe in Lagos and Victor Ogunje in Ado Ekiti The Governor of Ekiti State, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, and a former Minister of External Affairs, Professor Bolaji Akinyemi, yesterday lauded the late former United States Ambassador to Nigeria, Mr. Walter Carrington, for the key role he played in

the enthronement of democratic rule in Nigeria. Fayemi said Carrington diligently served humanity in his lifetime using the instrumentalities of the law, academia and diplomacy in his home country and other parts of the world where he worked. In a statement issued yesterday, the governor said the history of restoration of

democracy in Nigeria would not be complete without a worthy mention of Carrington’s courageous interventions during the period of military dictatorship. Fayemi described Carrington as a towering figure in the struggle for democracy in Nigeria because of his courage, tact and commitment to its enthronement. He hailed the deceased for

giving the human rights and pro-democracy movement necessary moral support to ensure the return of civil rule to Africa’s most populous country. Fayemi credited Carrington with solving some problems encountered by the prodemocracy movement in the course of freeing Nigerians from the jackboots of the then military junta.

Ogun Pays over N5bn to Pensioners in Six Months Kayode Fasua in Abeokuta The Ogun State Government yesterday said it has paid a total of N5.017billion to about 12,191 pensioners captured in its database under the noncontributory pension scheme between January and June this year. The Permanent Secretary,

Bureau of Local Government Pensions, Mrs. Irene Kokumo, stated this before members of the state House of Assembly Committee on Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, led by Hon. Akeem Balogun, at the ongoing 2020 budget appraisal held at the Assembly Complex in Oke-Mosan, Abeokuta, yesterday.

Kokumo said the bureau, which was poised to make life more abundantly for retirees through effective coordination and prompt payment of monthly pensions, had compiled all outstanding gratuities and death pensions till date. Explaining that the contributory pension scheme, which commenced in 2008

in line with the state Pension Reform Law, 2006, and was amended in 2013, the permanent secretary noted that a total number of 6,872 workers were projected to retire on Transition Pensions Scheme, while 16,527 were scheduled to retire on contributory pension scheme, which would be fully operational in the state by July 2025.

FRIDAY AUGUST 14, 2020 ˾ T H I S D AY

NEWS XTRA

FG Meets NLC, Airlines over Industrial Dispute in Aviation Sector Onyebuchi Ezigbo in Abuja The federal government has intervened in the brewing dispute between airline companies and unions in the aviation industry over retrenchment of workers. Addressing the meeting involving the Ministry of Aviation, union leaders and airline companies in Abuja, the Minister of Labour and Employment, Senator Chris Ngige, said the federal government is determined to ensure that there is industrial peace in all sectors of the economy. He said the meeting was called to discuss the disquiet in the aviation sector between the airlines and their employees. Ngige said there was no doubt that the airline industry has been

hard-hit by the disruptions occasioned by the COVID-19 pandemic, but that workers should not be made to bear the brunt alone. The minister stated that discussion would be centred on the issue of threat of pay cut and outright sack of airline workers by their employers. According to Ngige, “Before any organisation embarks on retrenchment of staff, it must have to negotiate it with them and make sure it conforms to the terms of employment.” Ngige said though the government is yet to release the funds meant for palliative to airlines, they are already getting tax rebates, adding that the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) is offering some COVID-19 stimulus package. He said the federal

government is not in support of any sack, instead such organisations are encouraged to negotiate reduced pay package as a means of ameliorating the present harsh economic situation. The Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) President, Ayuba Wabba, thanked the minister for being very proactive in apprehending industrial disputes. He said the congress has always encouraged collective bargaining dialogue in resolving labour disputes. The NLC boss accused some of the organisations of hiding under COVID-19 pandemic to declare staff redundancy. Wabba said there is a law on redundancy, adding that in the event of application of policy, organisations must be made to adhere strictly to the provisions of the law.

Falana Petitions CP over Rape of Minor in Ekiti Victor Ogunje in Ado Ekiti A group, Women Empowerment and Legal Aid, led by Mrs. Funmi Falana, wife of the Lagos human rights activist, Femi Falana (SAN), has petitioned the Ekiti State Commissioner of Police, Mr. Babatubde Mobayo, over alleged rape of a 16-year-old girl in the state. Falana, the chairperson of a group, in a petition dated August 11, 2020, and addressed to the police commissioner, alleged that the girl, a groundnut hawker, was alleged to have been sexually molested by a commercial motorcyclist in Ado Ekiti metropolis. The petition, which was

signed by a legal practitioner, Taiwo Omidoyin of Falana and Falana Chamber, revealed that the victim was allegedly raped in a bush within the vicinity of the state secretariat in Ado Ekiti while hawking groundnut on August 10, 2020. Falana stated that the teenager was approached by the motorcyclist, who promised to give her a ride to a waiting customer, but allegedly took the victim to another location, where he allegedly molested the girl sexually. “We received a complaint from the family members of our client, Miss Folasade, 16, who was a victim of rape, assault, and inhuman treatment. “Our client was around

the vicinity of the Secretariat Road in Ado Ekiti on August 10, 2020, when a motorcyclist approached her and told her that someone wanted to buy groundnut, which she was selling at that time. “The motorcyclist offered to convey her to the purported customer. As soon as the girl joined him, the motorcycle rider rode off to an unknown destination, tricked, threatened, assaulted her and forcefully had carnal knowledge of her after robbing her of some money. “It was some good Samaritans who heard her cry that rushed to the said apartment and apprehended the perpetrator and handed him over to the police.

Obiano Suspends 12 Monarchs Who Travelled with Arthur Eze to Abuja David-Chyddy Eleke in Awka The Governor of Anambra State, Chief Willie Obiano, has placed a one-year suspension on 12 traditional rulers in the state who went on a trip to Abuja with oil magnate, Prince Arthur Eze, to see President Muhammad Buhari. The monarchs were alleged to have traveled with Eze to report the governor to the president over his nonconduct of local government elections in the state among other complaints. Commissioner for Local Government, Chieftaincy and Community Affairs, Mr. Greg Obi, listed the affected traditional rulers as

follows: Igwe Alex Edozieuno of Mkpunando; Igwe Mark Anthony Okonkwo of Alor; Igwe Chukuwma Bob Vincent Orji of Ezinifite, and Igwe G.B.C Mbakwe of Abacha. Others are Igwe Chijioke Nwankwo of Nawfia; Igwe Nkeli Nelly of Igbariam; Igwe Anthony Onyekwere of Owelle; Igwe A. N Onwuneme of Ikenga; Igwe Simon Ikechukwu Chidubem of Umumbo; Igwe S. O Uche of Ezira; Igwe Dr. Emeka Ilouno of Ifitedunu, and Igwe Peter Ikegbunem Udoji of Eziagulu Otu. The suspension took effect from August 11, 2020, the circular stated. According to him, “The

suspended Igwes are not to parade themselves as traditional rulers, and should desist from discharging their functions as traditional rulers in their communities or anywhere within the state and beyond with immediate effect. “Also revoked are their membership of the Anambra State Traditional Rulers Council and any appointment they may be holding in government committees until the suspension is lifted. “The suspension may be lifted at the end of one year, renewed or upgraded in the intervening period depending on the government’s review of the conduct of the errant royal fathers.”

Ireland to Return Frozen Abacha Funds to Nigeria Ireland has signed an agreement with Nigeria for the return of funds misappropriated by Nigeria’s former leader, the late General Sani Abacha, who ruled the country from 1993 until his death in 1998. The Criminal Assets Bureau (CAB) took part in an international operation linked to the case which led to the freezing of over $1 billion of assets worldwide, of which

approximately €5.5 million was identified in a Dublin-based bank account. The funds were frozen in a bank account in Ireland by CAB in October 2014. After an application by the Nigerian authorities last year, the High Court earlier this year made an order providing for the return of these assets to Nigeria, subject to a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between

the two governments. Minister for Justice Helen McEntee said the return of the assets would be “a concrete demonstration” of Ireland’s commitment to international cooperation in the fight against corruption. The MoU, a first for Ireland, is in line with its international obligations as a signatory to the UN Convention Against Corruption.

FRIDAY AUGUST 14, 2020 ˾ T H I S D AY

WORLD OF ISLAM

24 HOURS...

Bank Confirms Adoke’s $2.2m Was for Loan How to Realize and Test Repayment Latent Human Potential?

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

Alex Enumah in Abuja Former acting Managing Director of Unity Bank Plc, Mr. Rislanudeen Mohammed, yesterday admitted that the $2.2 million the bank received from former Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice, Bello Adoke (SAN), was for the repayment of a N300 million loan he obtained from the bank. This is coming as the trial judge, Justice Inyang Ekwo, warned journalists to stop linking the trial with the Malabu Oil issue, adding that they have access to court records and should ask if they need clarification.

Adoke and a businessman, Mr. Aliyu Abubakar, are standing trial on a 14-count amended criminal charge bordering on alleged money laundering and corruption preferred against them by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). Mohammed, a second witness of the EFCC, in his evidence, told the court how Adoke obtained a loan of N300 million from the bank and the efforts he made to ensure that Adoke repays the loan. He said the money was finally liquidated after Adoke handed him the sum of $2.2 million, and when converted to naira, exceeded the principal loan.

Mohammed further disclosed that the former AGF collected the balance and closed the account after the bank deducted all necessary interest in the transaction. Under cross examination by Adoke’s lawyer, Chief Kanu Agabi (SAN), the witness admitted accepting $2.2 million on behalf of the bank to liquidate the loan. He further stated that the $2.2 million was not a proceed of crime because it was in repayment of a loan Adoke obtained from the bank. “I received the money as an agent of the bank. The money is not available to be confiscated because it is not a proceed of crime.

FG Signs MoU to Concession Calabar, Kano Economic Zones Ndubuisi Francis in Abuja The federal government yesterday signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with multinational professional services company, Ernest & Young, the preferred transaction partner for the planned concessionning of the Calabar and Kano Special Economic Zones (SEZs). The agreement was signed in Abuja by the Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Mr. Niyi Adebayo and the Director General of the Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE) Mr. Alex Okoh on behalf of the federal government while Mr. Damilola Aloba signed

for Ernest & Young. The National Council on Privatisation (NCP) at its meeting on June 12, 2018 approved the reform of the two Special Economic Zones (SEZs). Ernest & Young, the transaction adviser was selected through a competitive tendering process. A total of nine firms were shortlisted from the national database to compete for the provision of transaction advisory services for the reform of the two SEZs. At the event, the BPE DG said getting the transaction advisers was borne out of a determination to help concession the two federal

government-owned outfits, which have been sub-optimally managed. He said: “What we are looking at is to have a three-tier structure for the concessioning of the two outfits. One is the selection of a property ownership company that will have the legal ownership of the two outfits (economic zones) .We will then approve a concessionaire through a competitive bidding process which Ernest and Young will guide us through, and then the concessionaire will sign a management company that will be in the process of managing the tenants and all the people who are going to be operating there.”

Yiaga Africa Tasks INEC, Security Agencies on Safety Standards in Elections Chuks Okocha in Abuja The Yiaga Africa has urged the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and security agencies to ensure that the COVID-19 safety standards are observed in the

forthcoming Edo and Ondo states’ governorship elections The group said that this became necessary in view of its observations of the justconcluded August 8 by-election in the Nasarawa State Central constituency election.

CHANGE OF NAME

I formerly known and address as MISS YETUNDE FOLASHADE ADEGOKE, now wish to be known and address as MRS YETUNDE FOLASHADE ANUFORO. All former documents remain valid. The general public should please take note. I formerly known and addressed as ORISUN-OWO AJOBI AKINRINSOLA. Now wish to be known and addressed as ORISUN-OWO AJOBI BROWN. All former documents remain valid. The general public should please take note.

I formerly known and addressed as MISS ANIETIE SUNDAY REUBEN, now wish to be known and addressed as MRS ANIETIE NASHIM MUHAMMED. All former documents remain valid. The general public should please take note. I formerly known and addressed as CHRISTIANA CHINWE ELENDU, now wish to be known and addressed as CHRISTIANA CHINWE BISHUNG. All former documents remain valid. The general public should please take note.

I. Formerly Known and addressed as FRIDAY HARRY UDOHEKPENE, now wish to be known and addressed as ISAIAH HARRY EKPENE. All documents remain valid. The general Public to take note.

I formerly known and addressed as OGUNSANYA OLUWAFUNMILOLA MOPELOLA, now wish to be known and addressed as OGUNSANYA FUNMILOLA MOPE. All former documents remain valid.

I,formerly known and addressed as MISS OLUWAFUNKE ELIZABETH OBANYA now wish to be known and addressed as MRS OLUWAFUNKE ELIZABETH OKAFOR. All formal documents remain valid. General public please take note.

The general public should please take note. I formerly known and addressed as HENRIETTA EKPO YELLOW-DUKE, now wish to be known and addressed as HENRIETTA EKPO BASSEY. All former documents remain valid. The general public should please take note.

The civil society group in a statement by its Executive Director, Mr. Samson Itodo, said, “it is evident that INEC and other health institutions will need to take measures based on lessons learned from this election to guarantee the enforcement of safety guidelines during subsequent elections amidst COVID-19, particularly for the upcoming off-cycle governorship elections in Edo and Ondo”. He further stated, “Electoral technology can enhance electoral transparency as observed with the IReV platform; however, it has the potential to undermine the credibility of elections and decrease voter participation if the tools and systems are not tested, verified and deployed in line with Open Election Data principles coupled with adequate public sensitisation on their functionality and efficiency”. The recommendations, Yiaga Africa said became necessary for improvement since INEC said the by-election served as a precursor to the upcoming 2020 governorship elections in Edo and Ondo states. The by-election was conducted in 44 polling units across seven wards in Nasarawa Local Government Area (LGA) with a total of 71,919 registered voters.

Mansoor Alam/IslamiCity We normally hear that Allah tests His pious servants. The question begs as to what it means by “testing His pious servants?” One only tests someone who claims to be one’s friend because one is not sure about his sincerity. If one is confident and knows that he is sincere then one trusts and relies on him for his support whenever the need arises. But that cannot be said about Allah. Allah’s knowledge is infinite. He knows everything hidden inside human hearts: (36:76) – Verily, We know all that they keep secret as well as all that they bring into the open. [Asad] Therefore, Allah doesn’t need to test humans to find out the hidden realities inside their hearts. There are so many hidden powers, qualities, and faculties in every human in potential form that most of us are not even aware of. These can only be realized by struggle, confrontation and friction. Whether it is the fire hidden in a flint or the music concealed in a string – it requires friction or jerk to realize these hidden qualities. The purpose of human life according to the Quran is to practically actualize these hidden qualities. For this, the word is “self-actualization” or “self-realization.” One can also call it realization of humanity. It is only through the realization of these hidden human qualities that humanity gradually advances forward. These powers do not come from outside but reside inside humans, as if they were hidden in their DNAs – and they require some jolt and exertion to be realized. In fact, Allah provides opportunities so that humans can test themselves; so that they can find out for themselves how much power they have within themselves to overcome the challenges of life; so that they do not remain under the illusion of having those qualities that when they are confronted with challenge they buckle under pressure. Likewise, those who have the abilities but are suffering from inferiority complex, these opportunities provide them to become confident about their abilities. That is why confrontation is so critical in bringing out the truth of those qualities; that is why it is so important to test one’s own self to expose self-delusion or to confirm self-affirmation. Human self-delusion It is important that we test our strength and not remain under self-delusion. Self-examination is a great thing. That is why we need confrontation; we need to be jolted; we need to be pushed and pressed, and passed through challenging situations to test ourselves. Then only will we know what our real strength is. This is the secret of success and the essence of dignified life. If there are no opposing confrontational forces requiring human struggle and challenge, the latent human potentials will never be realized. (2:214) – [But] do you think that you could enter paradise without having suffered like those [believers] who passed away before you? Misfortune and hardship befell them, and so shaken were they that the apostle, and the believers with him, would exclaim, “When will God’s succor come?” Oh, verily, God’s succor is [always] near! [Asad] (3:142) – Do you think that you could enter paradise unless God takes cognizance of your having striven hard [in His cause], and takes cognizance of your having been patient in adversity? [Asad] Striving hard in the cause of Allah Striving hard in the cause of Allah requires confrontation between THE TRUTH (Al-Haq) and FALSEHOOD (Baatil). This is a comprehensive term of the Quran. Within THE TRUTH (Al-Haq) is contained the entire Islam, the entire Deen. Opposed to this is FALSEHOOD (Baatil) consisting of all other powers. These are only two words – THE TRUTH (Al-Haq) and FALSEHOOD (Baatil) – but their account is spread throughout the entire Quran. The Quran sums up the entire edifice of THE TRUTH (Al-Haq) and FALSEHOOD (Baatil) and delineates the crux of this matter by its opening and closing statements concerning nourishment and sustenance of all humankind: (1:1) – All praise is due to Allah, the Lord of the Worlds And (114:1) – Say: I seek refuge in the Lord of men The Quran starts and ends with this universal goal: Nourishment and development of all humankind. This is the heart of the Quran’s message. Nowadays, everyone is worried about one’s own benefit. And the society thinks one is clever who always thinks of his own benefit, not of others. And the circle of benefits from the individual keeps on expanding to one’s family, to one’s tribe, to one’s nation. That is where humanity stands today – focused on the concept of one’s own circle of benefits not of others’, resulting in collective hell. The present situation in the world is the creation

of the mindset of – me, my family, my tribe, my nation. This is FALSEHOOD (Baatil). What is THE TRUTH (Al-Haq) then? It is universal benefit, a policy of welfare for all humankind. What is the starting point for this? We should think of benefiting the person standing next to us when we think of our own benefit; we should think of other family’s or other tribe’s or other nation’s benefits when we think of our own family’s benefit, our own tribe’s benefit, or our own nation’s benefit. This way by enlarging the circle further and further the circle of benefit encompasses the entire humankind. Thus the benefit becomes universal in character and scope by breaking all local, regional, and national boundaries. These boundaries only exist as along as the distinction of “I and You” is there. When this distinction disappears then the question of “us vs. them” disappears as well. The Quran simply wants to enlarge the concept of family to a universal family because Quran’s Allah is Sustainer of all the worlds and He is the Provider and the Nurturer of all humankind– (Rabbil Aalameen); and (Rabbil Naas). The Quran advocates universal sustenance for all humans without any distinction of any kind. This is the only way the benefits will remain forever for all humankind everywhere on earth. This is the only way to avoid human hell on earth. The Quran says: (13:17) – that which is of benefit to humankind abides on earth [Asad]. Selfish intellect vs. the Cosmic intellect The root of confrontation of all human problems on earth is selfish intellect. Renowned poet Allama Iqbal has put this beautifully: the intellect that looks for only its own benefits is unaware of the benefit of others. The reason Iqbal gives for this is that: selfish-intellect and cosmic-intellect are two different things. Iqbal does not go after intellect as religious scholars do to denigrate and condemn it. He accepts intellect as a great power; but says that intellect is of two types: 1) selfish intellect and 2) cosmic intellect. The universal sustenance does not happen by extinguishing the light of intellect but by using it at the cosmic level – the intellect that works under the guiding light of Allah’s revelation. Then it becomes cosmic-intellect, holisticintellect, or higher-intellect. When this happens the selfish-intellect submerges into cosmic-intellect as their benefits then get synchronized with each other. This is the essence of the Quranic message – human intellect is essential but it must work under guiding light of the revelation. This is Deen. This is Islam. This is THE TRUTH (Al-Haq). End of the matter. Confrontations that happened with all the Prophets (PBUT) were essentially about this: humankind benefit vs. individual benefit. This is really the bottom line. When the curtain lifts in the very first scene of this confrontation, what do we see? We see the confrontation between THE TRUTH (Al-Haq) and FALSEHOOD (Baatil).

David vs Goliath Looking at the very first recorded period of human history, that of Prophet Noah (PBUH), what do we see? We see a society where the rich and powerful class rules and controls the rest of the people; where the upper class elites do not even want to sit with those whom we now call the working class people. The elite class complained to Noah (PBUH) that you are giving importance to workers and treating them with dignity. This cannot happen. First, you have to get rid of these people before we would listen to you. This was the confrontation that Noah (PBUH) faced. And this was the case with every prophet in every period. This confrontation had reached its apex during our Prophet’s (PBUH) time. Tribe, race, predatory capitalism, priesthood – all these evils based on extreme selfishness were simultaneously present in the society. And the confrontation with Prophet (PBUH) kept on steadily increasing in intensity during his 23 years of life as Prophet (PBUH). Prophet Muhammad’s (PBUH) life story is the story of this confrontation. So is the story of all the previous Prophets (PBUT). This is the history of humankind. Today, it is the same old confrontation going on in every department of life. Everyone tries to trample on others for the sake of his own benefit. Everyone thinks of how to advance oneself by putting roadblocks in the path of others. This has become a systemic problem. As a result, nothing works according to rules and regulations. Corruption has taken over the society like a cancer. If things worked smoothly without any hindrance then people wouldn’t behave so desperately. This is what happens when roadblocks and hindrances are erected in the path of everyday life. To move forward in the path of THE TRUTH (Al-Haq) by overcoming all the barriers and hindrances is the Deen.

FRIDAY AUGUST 14, 2020 â&#x20AC;¢ T H I S D AY

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FRIDAYSPORTS

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

Makinde Begins Plans to Give Lekan Salami Stadium Face Lift Duro Ikhazuagbe The home ground of Shooting Stars Sports Club (3SC), the Lekan Salami Sports Complex in Adamasingba, Ibadan is to be upgraded from its present seating capacity of 8,000 to

10,000 while its facilities will also be given face lift to world-class standards. Governor of Oyo State, Seyi Makinde made this promise yesterday at the inauguration of the remodeling of the sports complex in Ibadan.

Osimhen is an Exceptional Player, Says Canadian who Replaced Him at Lille Canada international Jonathan David, who is the direct replacement for Victor Osimhen at Lille, has described the Super Eagles striker as “exceptional”, but maintained they are different players and he will not be under pressure in taking over from him. Lille broke their transfer record when they paid more than 27

Victor Osimhen...left behind a big vacuum at Lille

million Euros to Belgian club KAA Gent for David to replace Osimhen, who has moved to Napoli on a record-breaking transfer. However, David, 20, has insisted he is a different player from the Nigeria star. “Osimhen is an exceptional player who has had a great season here, but we are different players and each has their own background,” he told L’Equipe. “Yes, I may have been influenced to opt for Lille because Osimhen also came out of Belgium and we could say that we have a similar background. It played a bit. “Maybe it will go very well for me, as it did for him.” David also said he does not expect the fact that he is replacing Osimhen and his huge transfer fee to put undue pressure on him. “It doesn’t bother me at all. It’s nothing at all.”

The project estimated to gulp about N5.6billion is to be funded through the Alternate Project Funding Approach (APFA) and is expected to be completed in 18 months. Makinde admitted he was moved to to do something about the facility after attending a 3SC game at the stadium and witnessed first hand the sorry state of its dressing room. “When the history of this sports complex was being traced just now, they said the construction of the stadium was 44 years ago and that it was inaugurated 32 years ago. “I came here once to watch a 3SC game and at half time, I went to the changing room to talk to and encourage the players but I could not believe

what I saw. Players sat on the bare floor. And I asked myself. Is this where we want to mould world-class athletes?” observed the governor. It was there and then that Makinde made up his mind to do something about the facility. “I said no, things can’t continue like this. I felt for both the players and the crew. “After that episode, I decided to, on my own, visit this place and look at all of the facilities that we have in here. They were all in a state of dilapidation,” recalled the governor. Makinde said now was the “ right time to make decisions that will cushion the effect of the Covid-19 pandemic on our economy. “We must double our efforts to put infrastructure in place

that will support the growth of IGR in the state. “And this is why we are here today, to flag-off the remodelling of the Lekan Salami Sports Complex, Ibadan.” The governor restated Oyo State’s rich sporting history when the first WBA World Middleweight Boxing title fight in Africa between Dick Tiger Ihetu and Gene Fullmer was held in Oyo State. “We were able to host that fight and benefit from all the tourism revenue because we had the facilities to do so. “And so, we are remodelling this sports complex now, so we can reap the benefits in IGR. If there was a call for cities to host a national sporting event today, can Oyo State boast of having the facilities to do so?”

he queried. A representative of Messers Peculiar, the contractor handling the project, Mr. Olarenwaju Adeleke, hinted that the benefit that would be derived from remodelling of the stadium would be unquantifiable, bearing in mind the stadium was planned to be a place for discovery and nursing of talents. He disclosed that the present capacity of the stadium which was put at 8,000 would be increased by 25 per cent to 10,000 capacity, adding that all existing facilities in the stadium would also be upgraded. “By the time we are done in 12 months, the stadium will be fully certified for local and international events,” he assured stakeholders in Oyo sport.

UEFA Champions League: Man City v Lyon Live on GOtv The appetite of football fans will be satisfied this weekend as they have access to a key match in the UEFA Champions League, with the clash between Manchester City and Olympique Lyonnais wrapping up the quarterfinals on the evening of Saturday, 15 August 2020. GOtv announced yesterday that its subscribers can look forward to a potential thriller kicking off at 8pm on SuperSport Select 2 (channel 32), when City and Lyon meet at Estadio Jose Alvalade in Lisbon and battle for the last place in the semifinals. The teams met in the group stage of the competition last season and put up two thrilling clashes, with the Ligue 1 side winning 2-1 at the Etihad Stadium, while the return game at the Groupama Stadium ended in a 2-2 draw – both matches notably saw goals from Lyon’s Ivorian attacker Maxwel Cornet. The French side upset Juventus on away goals. Their tie ended 2-2 on aggregate, with the Italian giants winning 2-1 in the match in Turin last Friday but exiting on the back of Memphis Depay’s controversial penalty for OL. Lyon are the clear outsiders

for the mini tournament in Portugal , but Cameroonian forward Karl Toko Ekambi has warned that they should not be underestimated: “City are a very big club, but we have a chance; I wouldn’t say we’re the underdogs. If we are here, it is because we are among the top eight teams in Europe.” City, meanwhile, were able to complete an impressive triumph over La Liga champions Real Madrid last week, winning 2-1 at the Etihad Stadium (thanks to goals from Raheem Sterling and Gabriel Jesus) to take their round of 16 tie 4-2 on aggregate. The Citizens look more than capable of winning the Champions League for the first time in their history, and defender Kyle Walker believes being able to focus solely on this competition at the end of the season favours the English club. Walker is also hopeful City can win the tournament to give club veteran David Silva, who will be leaving once the campaign is complete, a perfect parting gift: “We missed the Premier League, which would have been a nice send off for him, but hopefully we can repay him with the Champions League.”

The 3D drawing of the new Lekan Salami Sports Complex at Adamasingba, Ibadan expected to be completed in 18-month

AFN: We Have Not Amended 2017 Constitution A member of the board of the Athletics Federation of Nigeria, Rosa Collins, has said that the 2017 constitution of the federation remains the working document guiding the activities of its officials and stakeholders. Collins, a former African triple jump record holder said yesterday that the clarification becomes necessary following reports that the constitution was amended at the AFN Congress in Awka, Anambra State last December. “Engr Ibrahim Gusau wrote in a letter dated August 7, 2020 and addressed to chairmen of state associations that the AFN constitution was amended in Awka and that it is that amended constitution that is now the working document of the federation.This is far

from th truth ,’ said Collins. “To start with, there was no AFN Congress in Awka. The AFN constitution (2017) is clear on how a Congress can be convened and the charade in Awka did not comply with article 6.1.4 of the federation’s constitution which stipulates a 60-day notice must be given before a congress can be convened,’ said the 1995 African Games triple jump champion. ‘’And article 6.1.5 of the same constitution goes further to state when all documents relating to the congress should be sent.It says all the documents related to the congress shall be sent to the Secretariat of each member association at least 30 days prior to the congress,” the four-time Nigeria triple

jump queen said and further revealed that the notice for the congress was issued on November 5, 2019, meaning it was just in 29 days to the date of the purported congress in Awka. “Let us, for the sake of argument even assume the Congress was legally convened, was the procedure for amending the constitution followed? The answer is simple: it was not,’ she explained and revealed that articles 10.1.2 and 10.1.3 of the AFN constitution (2017) state the procedure to follow if the constitution is to be amended. “For the avoidance of doubt, article 10.1.2 states that the proposal to amend the constitution must be sent to the AFN Secretary General at least six months

to the date of the Congress where the amendment has been scheduled to take place. “And article 10.1.3 says all proposals as well as recommendations of the AFN board related to such proposals shall be sent to member state association by the Secretary General at least three months prior to the congress. The question to ask Gusau is: was there a proposal to amend the constitution? If he says there is, then he should show proof that it was sent by the AFN Secretary General to member state associations on or before September 4, 2019, that is not later than three months to the date of the Congress where the amendment has been scheduled to hold’, said Collins.

Leipzig Shock Atletico 2-1 to Reach UCL S’final RB Leipzig pulled themselves into the Champions League semi-finals for the first time in their short history with an unlikely 2-1 win over the highly experienced Atletico Madrid in Lisbon on Thursday

night. United States midfielder Tyler Adams snatched victory in the 88th minute with a strike from outside the box which took a heavy deflection off Atletico defender Stefan

Savic to flummox goalkeeper Jan Oblak. The German side went ahead early in the second half with a header from Spanish forward Dani Olmo but a disjointed Atletico were shaken into life

when record signing Joao Felix came off the bench, earning and scoring a penalty to level in the 71st minute TODAY @8pm Barcelona v B’Munich

FRIDAY AUGUST 14, 2020 â&#x20AC;¢ T H I S D AY

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MISSILE

Bilbis to Lai Mohammed

“The NBC was set up by law and there is an Act that guides its operations. The Honourable Minister therefore cannot usurp the powers of the board as clearly stated in the Act. Any such action by the Honourable Minister is illegal” – Chairman, Board of the National Broadcasting Commission, Ikra Aliyu Bilbis, accusing the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, of unilaterally amending the country’s broadcasting code.

AKINOSUNTOKUN Mailafia and the New Nigeria Normal DIALOGUE WITH NIGERIA

uite frankly the bad news is not that my good brother and friend, Obadiah Mailafia has been invited by the security services, it is the plausibility of the allegations that he made and the indications for Nigeria that worry me. Before him, there was the precedent of the ultimate insiders, former President Olusegun Obasanjo and General Theophilus Danjuma. The former President warned “It is no longer an issue of lack of education and lack of employment for our youths in Nigeria, which it began as, it is now West African Fulanisation, African Islamisation and global organised crimes of human trafficking, money laundering, drug trafficking, illegal mining and regime change.’’. No one was deceived by the obligatory understatement of the reality and danger he was projecting. Years before him, Danjuma had chosen the occasion of the convocation ceremony at the Taraba State University to alert his ‘people’ “You must rise to protect yourselves from these people, if you depend on the Armed Forces to protect you, you will all die.This ethnic cleansing must stop in Taraba, and it must stop in Nigeria. These killers have been protected by the military, they cover them and you must be watchful to guide and protect yourselves because you have no any other place to go. The ethnic cleansing must stop now otherwise Somalia will be a child play. I ask all of you to be on your alert and defend your country, defend your state” he said. Were these ultra Nigerian nationalists and status quo bulwarks crying wolf where there is none? Against this backdrop and the (corporate Nigeria) subversive standards of contemporary Nigerian political leadership, there is nothing particularly exceptional about the political status update given by Mailafia. Increasingly sacrificing himself as a desperately needed lightning rod for the salvation of the Middle Belt region he had a radio interview that tugged at the individual and collective soul of conscientious Nigerians. He concluded that “By 2022 they (the Fulani militia) want to start a civil war in Nigeria.The phase two is they will start moving from house to house to kill prominent people in Southern Nigeria; and accused the government of complicity. ‘They are not only unable and unwilling to arrest the crisis but they are part and parcel of the killings’. This summation is consistent with a prior Vanguard report that “The Nigerian President, Muhammadu Buhari, and the Nigerian Army Headquarters have been silent since the media reported that ISIS and al-Qaeda groups are planning to infiltrate Southern Nigeria and expand across West Africa.The warning of the infiltration by the terrorist groups was stated in a virtual media briefing by Dagvin Anderson, the Commander of the US special operations command, Africa” There is something appalling and benumbing about the normalisation of the prevailing Nigerian dispensation of spiralling crisis in all aspects of national life; the tendency to accept incipient catastrophe as the new normal. Before now, there are a number of historical tragedies I’m incapable of living down or come to terms with. The ones that readily come to mind are the slave trade, the holocaust, the Nigerian civil war, and the Rwandan genocide. I have

Mailaﬁa read almost all the accounts of these tragedies I could lay my hands on yet I’m repeatedly struck anew at the pathos of their blight on the conscience of humanity. To this list I’m now compelled to add the deepening and unfolding tragedy in the Middle Belt region of Nigeria. Who feels it, knows it and so I have to defer to the sense of acute personal injury that Nigerians of this regional origin must necessarily experience at a higher degree. In the words of Mailafia “The greatest weapon of the oppressor is silence. People are killed. Silence. Rape and rapine are committed on a staggering scale. Again, silence. Thousands upon thousands of strangers are taking over the ancestral lands of the Middle Belt. Silence. Today, a new breed of herdsman has emerged: an aggressive and murderous terrorist bearing sophisticated firearms such as AK47s and even

Despite running the most nepotistic and narcissistic government in known history, there are no answers to the millions of young children on the streets in Northern Nigeria, the North still has the worst indices of poverty, insecurity, stunting, squalor and destitution

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rocket launchers. And they become the mobile avant-garde army of political Islam in Nigeria. Given the country’s porous borders, many of them are recent immigrants from neighbouring countries. Herdsmen from Niger, Chad and Mali can walk across the border and immediately lay claim to all the sacrosanct rights appertaining to bona fide Nigerian nationals. They can demand land rights and even get registered to vote in elections for which they are not entitled. During the lockdown, killings have been going on in the Middle Belt and beyond. Most affected are Kajuru, Adara and Godogodo in Kaduna State. They have been at the receiving end of genocide, rape, rapine and brutalisation. This is also why thousands of mercenaries camouflaged as Almajirai are being herded South. The game-plan is to station them in strategic outposts in the impenetrable rainforest in readiness for attacks, killings and occupation”. The greater tragedy is the way we are normalising the crisis. It begs the questionwhen last did the news of the butchering of several families in a Middle Belt village made front page news in a Nigerian newspaper? Yet, it is not the fault of the newspapers, they are merely reflecting the grim fact that such reports are no longer of news value to you and l. In Danjuma, the Middle Belt victims have the most consequential representation, yet after the proportionate response he gave more than three years ago, we have waited on him in vain to rise to the occasion- without prejudice to the actions he might have taken in other theatres. Nigerians appear to have become desensitised and inured to monumental tragedies. Reinforcing this trend is that, beyond the enormity of its equivalence bloodshed, the routine beastly massacres perpetrated by Boko Haram and its mutants are serving the gory purpose of minimising the genocidal violence in central Nigeria. While all this is going on and in the spirit of the new normal and attendant mindless selfishness, we are busy talking of 2023 to the point of the audacity of power broker Mamman Daura coming out to openly fly the kite of retaining the Presidency in the Katsina writ large Northern region. In kindred spirit of normalising absurdities, did Professor Itse Sagay not say that there is nothing unique about corruption in Nigeria? “There is no gain saying the fact that there is corruption in every society in this world. The Nigerian phenomenon is not unique” pontificated the philosopher king of Nigeria’s anti-corruption campaign. If the Nigerian corruption incidence is not unique what then is the meaning of the refrain popularised by his principal that Nigeria needs to kill corruption before corruption kills Nigeria? What is more unique than the concurrence of Buhari with the citation by British Prime Minister David Cameron that Nigeria is fantastically corrupt? Rather than bury his head in shame and be ostracised from decent society, Governor Ganduje of Kano State has become something of Buhari enabled political poster boy credited with such feats as peremptory deposition of a whole Emir of Kano and charged with leading the national campaign effort at winning Edo State governorship for APC. Another better forgotten negative role model of the corruption variant, Madam Diezani Allison Madueke has been rearing her head in faraway Dominican republic

where she recently purchased a citizenship and cabinet minister position to boot. If it is possible to name just one individual attributable with the downfall of the Goodluck Jonathan presidency, to her must go the undiluted honour and credit. Bishop Matthew Kukah, once had this to say of contemporary Nigeria “No one could have imagined that in winning the Presidency, General Buhari would bring nepotism and clannishness into the military and the ancillary security agencies, that his government would be marked by supremacist and divisive policies that would push our country to the brink. This president has displayed the greatest degree of insensitivity in managing our country’s rich diversity. He has subordinated the larger interests of the country to the hegemonic interests of his co-religionists and clansmen and women. The impression created now is that, to hold a key and strategic position in Nigeria today, it is more important to be a Northern Muslim than a Nigerian. The irony is that in all of this, neither Islam nor the North can identify any real benefits from these years that have been consumed by the locusts that this government has unleashed on our country. The Fulani, his innocent kinsmen, have become the subject of opprobrium, ridicule, defamation, calumny and obloquy. His North has become one large grave yard, a valley of dry bones, the nastiest and the most brutish part of our dear country. Despite running the most nepotistic and narcissistic government in known history, there are no answers to the millions of young children on the streets in Northern Nigeria, the North still has the worst indices of poverty, insecurity, stunting, squalor and destitution. On our part, I believe that this is a defining moment for Christians and Christianity in Nigeria.” Kukah further observed “We Christians must be honest enough to accept that we have taken so much for granted and made so much sacrifice in the name of nation building. We accepted President Buhari when he came with General Idiagbon, two Muslims and two northerners”. Kukah needs to update this allegation with the fact that since his earlier observation, two Northern Muslims have been appointed the head of the Nigerian judiciary and legislature respectively thus rounding up the capture of the three organs of the Nigerian government. In an unprecedented step, 16 socio-cultural leaders from southern Nigeria have instituted a suit against President Muhammadu Buhari for allegedly marginalising the people of the southern region from appointments in his administration. The plaintiffs are praying the court to determine whether the president has acted in compliance with Section 1(2), Section 14(3) Section 217(3) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) in appointing top officials since the inception of his administration in 2015. It is uncanny how the fiction of so-called American omniscient prediction of the disintegration of Nigeria by 2015 is being imitated by the reality of Nigeria today. Without putting a specific date, the probability that Nigeria may not survive has always remained extant. Ironically, it is after and not prior to 2015 that the apocalypse prediction has become more probable. It is from 2015 that the new vocabulary of Nigeria being more divided than any other period of the troubled history save the visitation of the civil war.

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