THURSDAY 6TH AUGUST 2020

Akpabio Mounts Pressure for Release of N20bn for East-West Road Project gulps N433bn from inception Olawale Olaleye The Ministry of Finance, Budget and National Planning has come under intense pressure by the Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Senator

Godswill Akpabio, to release to his ministry, the N20billion lifeline approved by President Muhammadu Buhari for the completion of the East-West Road, THISDAY learnt yesterday.

But finance ministry sources said the minister, Mrs. Zainab Ahmed, is insisting on due process and proper approvals before the fund could be released.

There have been concerns

that the N20 billion might be misappropriated just like previous funds released to the Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs for the construction of the road as well as others that had been given to the

Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), an agency under the ministry.

THISDAY had exclusively reported yesterday that Akpabio had been working round the clock to get his

hands on the N20 billion working capital for the EastWest Road whose completion has become open-ended, after costing the federal Continued on page 9

NNPC Nets N2.36tn from Petrol Sales in 13 Months... Page 6 Thursday 6 August, 2020 Vol 25. No 9250. Price: N250

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Nwodo: Opposition to Zoning Self-serving, Restructuring Way Forward for Nigeria Says it'll be unfair to deny South-east presidency in 2023 Emma Okonji and Nosa Alekhuogie The President-General of the apex Igbo socio-political organisation, Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Chief John Nnia Nwodo, yesterday weighed in on the raging debate on power shift, saying the argument

for competence against zoning is self-serving, therefore, not sustainable in the face of the electoral history of the country.

He contended that it was denigrating to talk of competence as a criterion for choosing the president in 2023 when it's the turn of the South-east to take a

shot at the presidency.

He said it would be unfair not to zone the next presidency to the South-east, adding that it was time to renegotiate the basis of the coexistence among the component units of the federation and to restructure the country's political system.

Nwodo, who was a guest

on The Morning Show, the flagship breakfast programme on ARISE NEWS Channel, the broadcast arm of THISDAY Newspapers, described the call for competence as a yardstick for choosing leaders of the country rather than the agreed zoning system as misconceived.

President Muhammadu Buhari's nephew, Mallam Mamman Daura, considered an influential figure in government, had stirred the hornet's nest last week when, in an interview with the Hausa Service of the BBC, he canvassed that competence, rather than zoning, should

determine the choice of Buhari's successor in 2023.

Daura's advocacy had elicited widespread criticisms from top politicians and other regional interest groups such as Afenifere, Southern and Middle Belt Leaders' Forum Continued on page 8

ISWAP, Al-Qaeda Taking over West Africa, US Warns We’ll curb banditry in North-west, says Masari

Omololu Ogunmade and Kingsley Nwezeh in Abuja The US-backed AFRICOM has warned that the Islamic State and Al-Qaida terrorist groups are gradually taking over the West African region after being displaced in Syria and Iraq.

Speaking during a virtual media briefing with journalists on Tuesday, the Commander of the US Special Operations Command, Africa, Maj. Gen. Davin Anderson, noted that the extremist groups have

begun deploying strategies to re-establish themselves in the region and expand further in the continent without drawing attention.

He said Al-Qaida had expanded in Mali and had moved into northern Burkina Faso, where they attacked infrastructure, took out local governance and security forces, and are now controlling the local economy and exerting control over the population.

“We are seeing them Continued on page 8

SEEKING SOLUTION TO BANDITRY...

Katsina State Governor, Hon. Bello Masari (left), and President Muhammadu Buhari, during the visit of the governor to the president in Abuja…yesterday

INEC Meets over Threats of Violence in Edo... Page 5

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

INEC Meets over Threats of Violence in Edo

Chuks Okocha in Abuja

Worried by the threats of violence in the upcoming governorship election in Edo State, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) is to hold an emergency meeting today to discuss the matter.

INEC’s Chairman, Prof.

Mahmood Yakubu, who disclosed this yesterday, expressed worries over the drums of war among the political parties involved in the state governorship election.

Speaking to journalists after meeting with stakeholders in the Nasarawa State House of Assembly election in Nasarawa, Yakubu said the commission will hold an emergency meeting of the Election Management Body (EMB) today to discuss the threats of violence.

"We are worried about the threats of violence and luckily the Election Management Board will meet tomorrow (today) over this and we may likely summon the political parties campaign councils over this," he said.

Yakubu said that Saturday’s State House of Assembly election in Nasarawa State would be used as a test to see the level of preparations by the commission to implement COVID-19 election protocols it had developed for use in the Edo and Ondo States’

governorship elections.

The INEC chairman added that voters without a face mask would not be allowed to vote.

He urged voters to avoid wearing branded face masks as such voters would not be allowed to vote.

The INEC chairman urged the voters to lower their face masks for ease of identification by approved officers.

After inspecting voting materials for the state constituency election, Yakubu said that the Saturday election is going to be the first election to be conducted

by INEC within the COVID-19 era.

"We are here to look at the level of preparations for the Nasarawa House of Assembly State Constituency election. This election would be a test run for our level of preparations for the Edo and Ondo States governorship elections.

"We are here to see how prepared that the commission is in compliance with the representative of the Presidential Task Force on the COVID -19.

This election is the first election to be conducted by INEC since the outbreak of the pandemic,” the INEC chairman said.

He also said the election will take place in seven wards between the two candidates of the All

Progressives Congress (APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

The INEC chairman said the election will take place in 44 polling stations and few voting points.

By the INEC data distributed later, staff required for the election are 673, while the number of registered voters is 71,919 in 44 polling units.

The INEC chairman also visited the Emir of Nasarawa,

Alhaji Ibrahim Jubril.

At the palace, Yakubu assured the traditional ruler that the commission will conduct a transparent and fair election.

In his response, the Emir of Nasarawa, who was a former

minister, commended the INEC chairman for his stewardship of the affairs of the commission.

He assured the INEC chairman that history will judge him favourably for his efforts to strengthen democracy in Nigeria.

DEVELOPMENT STRATEGISTS...

Minister of State for Finance, Budget and National Planning, Prince Clem Agba (left), and Executive Director of the African Centre for Leadership, Strategy and Development, Mr. Monday Osasah, during a courtesy visit to the minister in Abuja…yesterday

Magu: SANs Okay Presidential Panel’s Procedure We will follow rule of law, says suspended EFCC chair's legal team Kingsley Nwezeh and Alex Enumah in Abuja Some senior lawyers have faulted the criticism of the ongoing investigation of the suspended Acting Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Mr. Ibrahim Magu, saying that there is nothing wrong with the way and manner the Justice Ayo Salami-led presidential panel is going about its task.

Magu's lead counsel, Mr. Wahab Shittu, has, however, said the legal team would follow the rule of law to ensure that his client received a fair hearing at the panel.

A member of the Magu’s legal team had queried the perceived secrecy surrounding the proceedings of the sevenman presidential panel probing allegations of malfeasance against Magu.

Magu’s counsel, Mr. Oluwatosin Ojaomo, had also raised posers over why the media was barred from covering the panel, since its inception in spite of the constitutional provisions that allow the media unfettered coverage of

the panel’s proceedings in Section 36 of the constitution.

But some senior lawyers told THISDAY that the investigation at this stage should not be public to avoid sensationalism.

The four Senior Advocates of Nigeria (SANs) who noted that Magu is only being investigated and not tried advocated that the panel be given a free-hand to successfully complete its assignment.

They said since the panel allowed Magu to appear before it with his team of lawyers, he could take any legal measures if and when he deemed it necessary.

One of the senior lawyers, Professor Yemi AkinseyeGeorge (SAN), said: "There were allegations against Magu.

Therefore, the probe is in order if it is aimed at finding facts and providing him the opportunity to say his own side of the story.

"But it should not be limited to Magu alone. The case has opened the Pandora box of serious allegations against some other highly placed individuals and public office holders.

"Justice Salami and his team

must be given a free hand to do a thorough job. People should give them information. The probe needs not to be made public for now because of sensationalism, which is part of what the EFCC is accused of. But the reports must be made public when the facts have been collated, analysed and documented by the probe panel.

"That’s the only way the panel can find facts and evidence which can ground prosecution in court."

Akinseye-George, however, added that there appears to be an attempt to draw conclusions when the panel has not finished its assignment.

According to him, the media is awash with stories calculated to condemn Magu when the panel is still sitting.

"This is very unfair. We must wait for the panel to finish its investigative work," he added.

Another senior lawyer, Mallam Ahmed Raji (SAN), shared Akinseye-George' views, saying: "Since it is a probe and not a trial, it may be conducted discreetly for maximum results.

"It is only upon conclusions and trial is recommended, then

such trial must be in the open as prescribed by the constitution of the country."

Raji said many probes were ongoing without any fanfare, especially those involving real security issues.

"The Salami panel could have been set up and it could have been conducting its business without the knowledge of the public. But courts of trial must sit in the open and not in the Villa," he stated.

Also speaking, another senior lawyer, Mr. Dayo Akinlaja (SAN), said: "Regarding the probe of Mr. Magu, what I can fathom as being done at the moment is a sort of administrative exercise. If it is a criminal trial, it is mandatory under the constitution for it to be done in public. But since it is not aimed at finding him guilty or innocent in the legal sense of the words “guilty” and “innocent,” there is no constitutional imperative to conduct the proceedings in public.

"The good thing to note is that the gentleman has his legal team with him in the conduct of the ongoing proceedings. If there

is anything like denial of fair hearing to him, his legal team would definitely know how to handle the situation."

Mr. John Baiyeshea (SAN) while noting that the exercise cannot be said to be secret from what he had seen, heard or read so far, expressed confidence that Magu will be given ample opportunity to defend himself in respect of all the allegations against him.

"I verily believe that the principle of fair hearing would be upheld. I say with a high degree of certainty that the integrity of the chairman of the panel or the committee can be relied upon for assurance, that the right things would be done.

"The Chairman, Justice Ayo Salami, stands for truth and righteousness and justice, anytime, anywhere, any day. He will do a thorough job, I'm very sure of that. Let's, therefore, wait and see," he said.

According to him, the whole world, and not just Nigerians, is waiting for the outcome of the probe.

"On final note, the issue may not be about Mr. Magu alone at

the end of the day. He did not work alone; other government agencies and officials are involved.

Mr. Magu said so himself. He has said with confidence that he will be vindicated. That will be nice because he has worked so hard to confront corruption headlong.

It will not be good at all if he is 'consumed' by the same Nigerian corruption, which we all know is as deadly as coronavirus in this country," Baiyeshea added.

But Shittu has said Magu's legal team will follow the rule of law to ensure that his client received a fair hearing at the presidential panel.

The panel resumes today after the Sallah break.

Responding to queries on the way forward in view of his allegation that the panel did not allow Magu access to the allegations or the opportunity to render his defence, Shittu said the legal team would follow the path of constitutionalism and the rule of law.

"We will follow the rule of law and the path of constitutionalism.

The only thing going for my client is his innocence," he said.

Presidency: No Plan to Conscript Repentant Terrorists into Armed Forces Omololu Ogunmade in Abuja No repentant Boko Haram terrorist has been conscripted into the armed forces, the presidency said last night, adding that there is no plan to enlist any of them in future.

The presidency made this clarification last night in a reaction to widespread condemnation of the alleged absorption of deradicalised members of the terrorist group into the military as well as the rejection of their integration into the society by victims of their heinous acts.

A statement by presidential spokesman, Malam Garba Shehu, described those making the insinuations as accomplices to fake news.

He emphasised that none of

the 601 deradicalised ex-members of the Boko Haram group would be recruited into the armed forces despite the completion of the deradicalisation process.

According to Shehu, the deradicalisation process, otherwise known as “Operation Safe Corridor," was an imitation of an initiative adopted by countries with similar terrorism experience.

He said they also enjoy an educational package supported by the European Union and United Nations.

He accused unnamed religious leaders and lawmakers of buying the dummy sold by fake news merchants, a situation he said necessitated the clarification.

He explained: "Now that groups with hitherto proven bona fides, some religious leaders

and a few in the legislature have joined the supply chain of fake news, it is important that we step in to clear the false reports that the administration is absorbing repentant Boko Haram terrorists into the military.

"It is important for the public to know that nobody has ever been absorbed into the military from the deradicalised Boko Haram and there is no such plan for their absorption.

None of the 601 former Boko Haram members who voluntarily laid down their arms, and have recently graduated from the federal government's deradicalisation and rehabilitation programme is going into the military. This is the fourth such graduation of repentant Boko Haram fighters and not one of such

graduates has been absorbed into the military.

"The public needs to be reassured that the deradicalisation, rehabilitation and reintegration of violent extremists of the Buhari administration code-named 'Operation Safe Corridor,' follows an established example from countries with similar experiences, and is supported academically and materially by the European Union and the United Nations."

He disclosed that an international agency, International Organisation for Migration, is the lead agency implementing the programme in Gombe State.

He said hardened terrorists are ruled out of the deradicalisation process, while beneficiaries of the process were rather those

forced into violent extremism against their own will.

He admonished community members to stop rejecting the deradicalised ex-terrorists if they don't want them to return to violence.

Shehu stated: "The lead agency for the implementation of the programme in Gombe is the International Organisation for Migration, a leading intergovernment organization which is represented in Nigeria.

"It is also important to note that this programme does not have a place for hard-boiled, ideologically hardened terrorists.

It only admits, after careful scrutiny, repentant fighters that were captured and forced to bear arms in the first instance, and there are many who have been drafted by force.

"At the point of their graduation, a determination is made that the former combatants have repented and are better citizens, imbued with genuine nationalism. They must no longer represent a danger to society or to themselves.

"There they are certified as such, communities have the duty of accepting them. Unless they want them to take up arms and resume terrorism from which they have repented, community leaders must work with the relevant agencies to end their rejection.

"The Buhari administration is a responsible one and is conscious of its duty to the state and society, and to the victims of terror as well as to those who inflicted these pains and losses on our people."

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FG Begins Negotiation for COVID-19 Vaccine Supply We’ll prioritise Nigeria in Africa, says Pfizer Omololu Ogunmade in Abuja The federal government has commenced negotiations with prospective distributors of COVID-19 vaccines to Nigeria ahead of their availability.

Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo Osinbajo kickstarted the negotiations yesterday on behalf of Nigeria at a virtual meeting with representatives of the BNT162 COVID-19 vaccine candidate on the progress of vaccine development across the world, including Africa.

At the meeting, the vice-president told his codiscussants that Nigeria must be given priority when COVID-19 vaccine is ready for distribution.

According to him, the federal government will explore every possible

option in the development and distribution of a vaccine against COVID-19 pandemic because health and safety of Nigerians is the priority of the federal government.

The vice-president's spokesman, Mr Laolu Akande, in a statement, said the meeting was attended by the Minister of Health, Dr. Osagie Ehanire, and the Executive Director of the National Primary Health Care Development Agency, Dr. Faisal Shuaib, with representatives of Pfizer and Biotech, the international pharmaceutical firms promoting the BNT162 vaccine candidate.

Osinbajo said interaction between the federal government and promoters of the vaccine candidate “is an important conversation and it is important for us that we are prioritized-as the

largest country in Africa-in the distribution of the best COVID-19 vaccine when it’s eventually ready."

He added: "Our priority is the health of the Nigerian citizens. We continue to engage and intend to look at every possible option -from all manufacturers- of a good vaccine. We want to do the very best for our people in

this regard.”

Akande said during the meeting, the vice-president asked several questions about COVID-19 vaccine candidate including how quickly Nigeria can get the vaccine once it’s safely ready.

He said Pfizer Country Manager and Representative in Africa, Mr. Subair Olayinka, who spoke on

behalf of promoters of the vaccine, assured the vicepresident that “Nigeria will be a priority,” for the vaccine supply to Africa.

Akande said although COVID-19 vaccine trials are not going on in Nigeria at present, the trials are nonetheless ongoing in some parts of Africa and will be entering the third

phase, having concluded the first two phases successfully.

He said Ehanire in his remarks, disclosed that the federal government would consider quality, appropriate volume and how well and quick a vaccine could be delivered to Nigeria as the deciders of the choice of manufacturers to make the supply to Nigeria.

Senate Not Deterred By UBA’s Threat over Alleged N41bn Fraud, Says Akinyelure Deji Elumoye in Abuja The Chairman of the Senate Committee on Ethics, Privileges and Public Petitions, Senator Ayo Akinyelure, has said the Senate will not be deterred by the threat by the United Bank for Africa (UBA) not to honour the invitation extended to it over the planned probe of N41billion allegedly withdrawn by the bank without authorisation from accounts of the Nigerian Telecommunications Limited (NITEL) and Mobile Telecommunications Limited (MTEL).

Akinyelure said yesterday that his committee would go ahead with the probe irrespective of whether or not the bank honoured the invitation.

Akinyelure had last week alleged that UBA, based on petitions before his committee, withdrew N41 billion out of N42billion liquidators’ fund of NITEL and MTEL deposited in the bank without any authorisation from the liquidators.

The committee, therefore, summoned the Group Managing Director of UBA, Mr. Kennedy Uzoka, to appear before it yesterday to clear its name.

But the UBA management led by its Chairman, Mr. Tony Elumelu, threatened Akinyelure with litigation if he failed to withdraw the allegation within seven days.

Elumelu said the bank would not honour the committee's invitation since the issues at stake were already subject of litigation

before the Supreme Court.

In his reaction to the bank's threat, Akinyelure yesterday vowed not to retract his statement or apologise.

In a statement signed by his Special Adviser on Media, Mr. Charles Akinwon, Akinyelure said the threat from UBA would not stop his committee from forging ahead with the planned probe.

He said neither apology nor retraction, would be made by him, as his committee was in possession of a petition alleging that UBA committed the N41 billion fraud.

"It has become necessary to let Nigerians know that the threat of UBA Chairman, Mr. Tony Elumelu, against Senator Ayo Akinyelure cannot debar the senator, who is the Senate Committee Chairman on Ethics, Privileges and Public Petitions from carrying out his legislative duties.

"Inasmuch as the senator appreciates those that had called since the news of Elumelu’s threat was made public in some dailies, he has assured the people of his constituency in particular and Nigerians in general that he is not perturbed and will not because of a mere threat to jettison the oath of office he had sworn to.

"Akinyelure, who is a chartered accountant of over 30 years in practice, has always been on the side of truth and justice and that was why the Senate President, Dr. Ahmad Lawan, found him worthy to reappoint him as the ombudsman of the Senate and voice of the voiceless Nigerians," he added.

LEGISLATIVE VISIT...

L-R: Members, Senate Committee on Science and Technology, Senator Alkali Ahmed and Senator Obinna Ogba; Enugu State Governor, Hon. Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi; committee Chairman, Senator Uche Ekwunife; and Senator Istifanus Gyang, the committee paid a courtesy visit to the governor in Enugu…yesterday

NNPC Nets N2.36tn from Petrol Sales in 13 Months Pipeline vandalism drops by 43%

Emmanuel Addeh in Abuja The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) sold petrol worth N2.366 trillion to Nigerians between May 2019 and May 2020, the national oil company said in its Monthly Financial and Operations Report (MFOR) released yesterday.

The corporation also recorded an encouraging 43 per cent drop in cases of willful damage of its oil pipeline infrastructure by suspected oil thieves in May 2020, as compared to the previous month when 65 points on its pipelines were breached.

However, the organisation noted that the total sale of fuel between May 2019 and May 2020 stood at 19,865.80 million litres with petrol accounting for 19,704.49million litres or 99.19 per cent of total sales.

The report stated that N92.58 billion was made from fuel sale by the Petroleum Products Marketing Company (PPMC) in May 2020, while revenue generated from the sales of white products for the period May 2019 to May 2020 stood at N2, 393.88billion. Petrol

contributed about 98.84 per cent of the total sales with a value of N2, 366.15 billion.

In a statement by its Group General Manager, Group Public Affairs Division, Dr. Kennie Obateru, the corporation explained that 37 pipeline points were vandalised in May, with Mosimi-Ibadan pipeline axis accounting for 38 per cent of the vandalised points while Atlas CoveMosimi axis recorded 19 per cent of the vandalism.

It added that SulejaKaduna logged 16 per cent of the breaks, while other locations made up for the remaining 27 per cent.

The NNPC’s May MFOR indicated that the corporation had continued to diligently monitor the daily stock of petrol, to achieve smooth distribution of the product to ensure zero fuel queues across the nation.

It stated that to this end, 950.67million litres of white products were sold and distributed by the corporation’s downstream subsidiary, the PPMC in May 2020.

This comprised 950.67million litres of petrol only with no diesel or kerosene, adding that

there was no sale of special product in the month.

In the gas sector, the corporation said natural gas production in May 2020 increased by 2.38 per cent at 226.51 billion cubic feet (BCF) compared to the output in April 2020; translating to an average daily production of 7,480.36million standard cubic feet of gas per day (mmscfd).

Similarly, it noted that the daily average natural gas supply to gas power plants increased by 5.87 per cent to 834 mmscfd, equivalent to power generation of 3,128MW. The NNPC’s May report stated that the group’s operating revenue, compared to April 2020s, increased by 15.33 per cent or N31.68 billion to stand at N238.33 billion, while expenditure for the month decreased by 0.76 per cent or N1.81 billion, to stand at N235.66 billion.

“May 2020 report indicated a trading surplus of N2.68 billion compared to the N30.81billion deficit posted in April 2020 when the effect of COVID-19 was at the peak, leading to reduced demand with fluctuating

prices” it added.

The NNPC report said the 109 per cent rise in revenue in the month under review was the cumulative result of improved performances by some of the corporation’s Strategic Business Units (SBUs) It said: “While the Nigerian Petroleum Development Company (NPDC) posted a surplus due to substantial growth in the market fundamentals as demand began a slight recovery; the Nigerian Gas Marketing Company (NGMC) recorded 257 per cent increased profit attributed to improved debt collection.

“Similarly, PPMC’s surplus rose 250 per cent from investment dividend received and significant drop in average product landing cost. In addition, corporate headquarters deficit ebbed by 47 per cent in May, compared to last month’s.

“NNPC Retail, Integrated Data Services Limited (IDSL), NNPC Shipping and Ventures also contributed positively to the month’s performance, leading to the significant NNPC group surplus position during the period under review.”

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PAGE EIGHT NWODO: OPPOSITION TO ZONING SELF-SERVING, RESTRUCTURING WAY FORWARD FOR NIGERIA (SMBLF) and Pan Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF), which insisted on zoning and restructuring.

Nwodo expressed similar sentiments yesterday as he described restructuring of Nigeria as the only way to save the country from total collapse and loss of confidence from the youths.

He expressed the readiness of the South-east to produce a president of Igbo extraction in 2023.

He said: “Our priority is about restructuring of the federation and returning Nigeria to its old system before the Second World War, where every sector of Nigeria has sovereignty over its natural resources.

Those calling for competence as a yardstick for choosing leaders of this country rather than the agreed zoning system are not sincere to themselves. Their agitations for competency shows they do not believe in the competence of Nigerians in the various zones of the country.

“I am confident that we have competent people in different zones of the country and the Easterners, whose turn it is to produce the next president of the country in 2023, have a lot of competent people that can rule our great country Nigeria. If the Easterners are given their rightful chance, Nigeria as a country will smile again.

The restructuring we are talking about is to make state governments independent of the federal government in terms of control of natural resources in the state.

“Nigeria must develop its agricultural sector and should be able to export products out of her plenty cassava produce. The idea of importing virtually everything should be discouraged. We have cattle in abundance in Nigeria yet we still import milk, we have cassava in abundance and we still import flour. In today’s digital technology era, there are growth opportunities for agriculture, solar power and we are not exploring the opportunities around them.”

Restructuring, he added, would promote national unity and dilute the ethnic factions in Nigeria as well as the craze for who becomes the next president of the country.

According to him, it is wrong for anybody to say that qualification and competence should be used as criteria for selecting the president in the 2023 general election when people are rooting for a president of Igbo extraction.

He explained that such advocates are assuming that competence belongs to a particular set of people in the country.

Nwodo said Nigeria had

many competent people across all parts of the country.

According to him, “The challenge I see about selecting the president of Nigeria is in the process of selection. The process of selecting the president and leaders of the country is corrupt because it is monopolised by a few people in the country.

“It is so corrupt that people do not become even local government councillors without the nomination by a class of people who think they should be the ones to decide the fate of Nigeria.

So, election into political positions have nothing to do with the competence and popularity of the candidate in his or her constituency and as such, the political parties have gained control of our electoral process in a manner that is difficult for new political parties to emerge and rise and it will take strong protests on the part of the people to change the game.”

He described Nigeria as the only country in the world where election disputes linger for one year after the conclusion of the election.

He cited the gubernatorial election in Imo State as a typical example.

Nwodo also lamented the docility of the youth, adding that although this may be

due to the fact that they're fed up with the system, they have to do something to show they're angry.

He explained that in 1959, Nigerian students came out en mass to fight for Nigeria’s independence, adding that Nigeria needs young people to stand for the rights of the country, speak out in matters of public issues and make it possible for real political agitators to have followers who believe in them and in what they represent.

He stated that nobody would give the younger generation a chance to rule and urged them to be more active in the political process through persistence and demonstration of their capability to make them relevant.

Nwodo said: “I was 27 years old when I became the Secretary of the NPN (National Party of Nigeria) political party. For me to emerge winner as secretary, I contested with 10 other contestants and during our manifesto presentation, the 10 spoke before me and after I finished with my speech, I had a standing ovation from the Electoral College and the 10 other contestants had to withdraw. On three occasions when I went to the national executive meeting of the party, I was refused to speak and I had to shout out and forced myself on the party leaders in such a

way that compelled them to give me an audience to speak. So, youths must be aggressive to change the corrupt structure of our political system.”

When asked to point few Igbos that have integrity and are ready to rule Nigeria, Nwodo declined to name anybody, saying that it will be divisive to do so.

But he explained that all political parties in the east have candidates with integrity that can rule the country.

“The young people of Nigeria are tired with bad leadership of governance in this country. But I am of the view that the younger generation must rise and do something that will make the political leaders recognise them,” he said.

Reacting to youths agitations across the country, Nwodo said often times people would tend to isolate the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) whose leader is Nnamdi Kanu, and brand them as bad youth’s movement, forgetting that the country has dangerous groups like Fulani herdsmen and Boko Haram who are dangerous groups that kill people and burn down houses.

He also cited the Oodua People’s Congress (OPC) from the South-west and wondered why people only single out the IPOB group.

“A situation where Fulani herdsmen kill people and they are not arrested is a typical example of corrupt government,” Nwodo said.

He added that if Nigeria remains under its current political structure, it will affect the future growth of the country.

Reacting to calls from the Northern elite that the Igbos must first build ‘bridges’ with people from other parts of the country before clamouring for the presidency, Nwodo said: “There is no ethnic group in Nigeria like the Igbo ethnic group that has reached out to people more than their own people.

“There is no part of this country that you will not find an Igbo man living in consonance with the people of the land and doing useful enterprise. The Igbos have contributed immensely to the development of the nation from every part of the country. They invest in schools, hospitals, hotels, retail and manufacturing businesses among others.”

Nwodo, however, said the greatest threat to the country remained its ethnic diversity, which is supposed to be its collective strength.

“We tend to be more loyal to our ethnic considerations than to the nation that we all belong to; and this is in

was ongoing while those displaced were being taken care of.

He said: "Currently, the military is in Katsina for their annual super camp.

So, over 2,000 of them are in Katsina in order to signal to the bandits that the military is ready and willing and have the capability and capacity to deal with the situation and the hope is that the military, including the police and other security agencies, have been given the marching order.

"I have seen some of the headlines of today’s papers; to control the situation, by all means, is a task that must be done because we cannot allow the situation in the North-west to develop as it has in the North-east. So, I think the people living in rural communities will testify that actions are ongoing and those that are being displaced are being well taken care of and so this is the situation," he said.

Masari who said he was in the State House to pay Sallah homage to Buhari explained that the move became necessary because unlike the previous years when the president travelled down to Daura to mark Eid-el-Kabir, he could not make it this year because of COVID-19, and hence, it became compelling for him to bring the president greetings from the people of the state.

He explained that combating banditry in the region would be challenging this rainy season because the North-west and Northcentral regions are rough terrains and hence would be difficult to move military equipment across the forest this season.

However, he said notwithstanding the challenges, the battle against

banditry would still be fought and won, adding that where there is a will, there is always a way.

"North-western part of the country where these bandits are and the Northcentral is a vast forest area and unfriendly terrain. So, essentially now, during the rainy season, moving with heavy military equipment can be very challenging because the soil is soft and the rains are heavy but it is doable.

"No situation is impossible, especially to a willing and determined mind. I do believe we can conquer these bandits and stop them from hibernating into something else," he stated.

Asked how he hoped relative peace could be achieved in the region, Masari said one of the ways was the deployment of the military to take charge of the North-west while states and local governments would be expected to leverage on the outcome of the war against banditry to provide infrastructure and education.

He listed such infrastructure to include water supply and investment in agriculture and livestock production as well as fresh introduction of grazing areas in the region.

Masari said huge investments needed to be made in security to pave the way for access to the land already occupied by bandits, as a veritable resource for improved livelihood among residents.

He said: "I think, first of all, the aspect of non-kinetic measures - what we are waiting for is the military to take total control of the land areas. Then, state and local governments can now move in, especially in the area of education, then

access, then water supply.

"Then, their means of livelihood, which mainly is agriculture and livestock and for us in Katsina, we have concluded all our designs but we cannot safely get access to where we can make reservations in terms of earth dams.

"We have already earmarked 30 areas, which we are going to reconstruct water systems that have broken down and some that are new in order to provide watering points but we cannot access the land as at today; and again, we are reintroducing the grazing areas and we have concluded plans."

On food security, he said banditry had affected food security in some parts of Katsina State, notably in nine out of the 34 local government areas where villages are close to forests.

Continued on page 9

ISWAP, AL-QAEDA TAKING OVER WEST AFRICA, US WARNS continuing to move further south in Burkina Faso towards those littoral nations in the Gulf of Guinea and also further west towards Senegal and West Africa. So that’s a concern to us as we watch them continue to move throughout the region,” he said.

He stated that Nigeria and other nations battling terrorists should provide leadership in the war against terrorism in order to attract meaningful partnership with the United States and other Western nations.

He said in view of the nature of terrorism and its resilient pattern, it was not appropriate to say that terrorists are defeated.

Anderson said the terror groups were deploying clandestine strategies to re-establish themselves in the region and expand further in the continent, especially West Africa.

He said the right approach was to exploit the weaknesses of the insurgents.

Anderson explained: "I think there are two factors in that. One, each government has to focus on this and provide that focus for international partners to engage with.

The other partner– the other part of this is we can’t underestimate the threat these violent extremist organisations pose.

"We, as a community of international nations, keep thinking we have defeated them or we have put them on their back foot and that they’re just moments from disintegration.

I think after 20 years we have seen they are very resilient organisations that, although small, they’re able to leverage social media and other forms of media to have an outsized voice

and that they continue to recruit and they continue to find opportunities.

"The United States has engaged with Nigeria and continues to engage with them in Intel sharing and in understanding what these violent extremists are doing and that has been absolutely critical to their engagements up in the Borno State and into an emerging area of North-west Nigeria that we’re seeing al-Qaida starting to make some inroads in."

He stressed the need for intelligence sharing, adding that it, "we stay fully engaged with the Government of Nigeria to provide them an understanding of what these terrorists are doing, what Boko Haram is doing, what ISIS-West Africa is doing, and how ISIS and al-Qaida are looking to expand further south into the littoral areas."

According to him, the terror groups are exploiting grievances and other divide prevalent in countries where they operate.

He said: "We see them come back into Africa and engage more in Africa, we see them exploit other grievances and other divides.

"So we see them being very resilient, creative, and flexible. So I’d ask all of the partners, all of our partners, not to underestimate the threat and not to underestimate what they’re capable of doing and that they are very patient and that they are willing to look for opportunities as they emerge.

"You can’t just say ‘we’ve defeated them,’ you have to continue to address weaknesses and places where these terrorist groups can– that they can exploit."

We’ll Curb Banditry in North-west, Says Masari Meanwhile, Katsina State Governor, Hon. Aminu Bello Masari, yesterday pledged that stakeholders in the North-west would curb banditry ravaging the region, saying it would not be allowed to escalate to the Boko Haram insurgency in the North-east.

Fielding questions yesterday from State House reporters after he met with President Muhammadu Buhari, the governor said no fewer than 2,000 military officers had been deployed in Katsina State along with some policemen to crush bandits terrorising the region.

The president also held a virtual meeting with 36 state governors of the federation on the escalating insecurity in different parts of the country.

The virtual meeting, according to the National Security Adviser (NSA), Major-General Babagana Monguno (rtd.), held on Tuesday after the Security Council meeting earlier presided over by the president.

However, the outcome of the meeting has not been made public at the time of filing this report.

Meanwhile, the United States Africa Command (AFRICOM) has warned that the Islamic State and Al-Qaida terrorist groups were gradually taking over the West African region after being displaced in Syria and Iraq.

On the security situation in the North-west, Masari said those living in rural areas of Katsina State would attest to the fact that military action against the criminals

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THURSDAY, ;˜ ͺ͸ͺ͸ ˾ T H I S D AY

NEWS

Security Agents Disperse, Arrest Protesters in Abuja, Lagos, Osogbo Kingsley Nwezeh, Olawale Ajimotokan in Abuja, Rebecca Ejifoma, Sunday Ehigiator in Lagos and Yinka Kolawole in Osogbo Security agents yesterday swooped on members of the Omoyele Sowore-led #RevolutionNow Movement, who trooped out to protest the current hardships in the country.

The protesters, who marched on the streets of Abuja and Lagos around 9 am, carried placards with the inscription: "Nigerians are sick and tired of poverty, corruption, injustice and untimely death’; ‘Say no to injustice’, ‘Yes to a living wage for unemployed youths".

Security personnel were earlier deployed in the various parts of Abuja in an apparent bid to halt the protest.

A combined team of police, Department of State Services (DSS), army and civil defence personnel was deployed in different parts of the Central Area and Maitama District, especially the Abuja Unity Fountain where the protest held.

Many of them were arrested and manhandled by the security agents who stormed the Unity Fountain and dispersed the persons protesting against socioeconomic hardships in the country.

Abuja was in an unusual

mode yesterday, as virtually all the strategic points were manned by stern-looking security operatives just after dawn, to prevent the protest organised to mark the first year of the arrest of #RevolutionNow founder, Omoyele Sowore, for his anti-government stance from holding.

Transcorp Hilton Hotel, Wuse 2, Jubilee Park and the Federal Secretariat/ Three- Arm Zone among other places were locked down by security men, whose presence intimidated many pedestrians.

There was commotion at the Berger intersection, in Wuse when DSS operatives arrested dozens of protesters and bundled them into big buses and the back of security vans and whisked them away to an unknown destination.

The development caused early morning traffic gridlock in the area, forcing many commuters to beat a retreat from the scene.

Some of the RevolutionNow protesters, who arrived at the Unity Fountain early in the morning, bore placards expressing their discontent with the country's leadership, when security men raided the venue and descended on them.

In one of the placards, they were demanding for the immediate release of Lance Corporal Martins, who was detained by the Nigerian Army for uploading

a video, criticising the Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen Tukur Yusuf Buratai.

The protesters also demanded the sacking of the service chiefs over the worsening security in many parts of the North, while also lamenting the high rate of unemployment in the country.

Those arrested were forced to lie face down and were later taken to the FCT Mobile Court where they were charged for violating COVID-19 guidelines.

However, they were later released because the presiding magistrate did not sit.

Deji Adeyanju, who was among the leaders of the protesters, condemned the heavy military presence in Abuja strictly to foil the civil action, while also lamenting the dehumanisation of protesters by overzealous security agents.

"None of our members were shot by the security forces. However, people were beaten, harassed, dehumanised and also arrested. The militarisation of Abuja is very unfortunate and that is one of the things we will remember the Buhari government for, including corruption. We are strategising our next move," he said.

One of those arrested and arraigned before the FCT Mobile Court was the General Secretary, United Action for Democracy and a leading member of Take It Back Movement, Kunle

Ajayi.

He said they came out to demand free functional and standard education and health.

"We are here to lead the revolution and protest for free functional and standard education at all levels, free functional and advanced healthcare, a very good example is under this COVID-19 pandemic that we are in. Hospitals are not working, doctors are on strike, a lot of things are wrong with the country.

We decided to mobilise community by community, street by street for people to come out and tell the government that enough is enough. That Nigerians want better education, better healthcare, and social welfare and topmost of it all is the issue of security. You cannot continue to do as if the country is a graveyard.

"As it is today in most part of this country, everybody is living without security. And that is why we wondered why we legally and constitutionally came to protest at the specific place that is assigned for protest in FCT, which is the Unity Fountain. We are in the place, with face masks and we observed social distancing and we came out to protest peacefully but we were chased out of the place not only were we chased out, but we were also beaten as well", he said.

FCT Police Public

Relations Officer and Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP), Mr. Anjuguri Manza, said the deployment of security agents was a routine exercise.

"It is a routine deployment designed to protect lives and property. It is not because of any protest," he said.

He said those arrested were being tried by mobile courts.

But Sowore disagreed, tweeting that "Police, army and airforce put Abuja in lockdown to frustrate #RevolutionNow. "Police attack #RevolutionNow members at Unity Fountain in Abuja, protesters arrested and are being brutalised.”

"Several #RevolutionNow protesters were arrested by the police and the Nigerian Army in the Abuja metropolis on Wednesday".

In Lagos, a journalist and activist, Agba Jalingo, and 18 other protesters were arrested by men of the Lagos State Police Command during the protest in Ikeja.

The protesters displayed placards and chanted solidarity songs as they moved around the roundabout located under the bridge opposite the Computer Village in Ikeja.

Members of the movement also had a tough time with the police in Lagos.

The group of protesters, clad in their signature orange berets and carrying various placards said they

were protesting repression by the government, corruption, insecurity, and bad governance, among others.

However, some policemen who had been on standby at the location, after calling on the peaceful protesters to disperse, without any success, and seeing the growing crowd, fired teargas into the crowd, forcing the protesters, journalists and onlookers to scamper for safety.

In Osun State, DSS arrested Olawale Bakare and six other #RevolutionNow protesters wearing orange-colored caps around Olaiya area of Osogbo, the Osun State capital.

The protesters led by Bakare aka ‘Mandate,’ were armed with placards and had converged on Correspondents’ Chapel of the Nigeria Union of Journalists located in the area and informed journalists that they wanted to address them.

While waiting outside for the leadership of the chapel to invite them in, some policemen approached them and held discussions with them.

While that was on, armed men of DSS swooped on the protesters and arrested seven of them.

The actions of the security operatives have been condemned by the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP).

NWODO: OPPOSITION TO ZONING SELF-SERVING, RESTRUCTURING WAY FORWARD FOR NIGERIA opposition to our national constitution, which upholds a true federal character,” he said.

Nwodo also said the composition of the current leadership of the nation's security agencies had shown a flagrant violation of the

federal character principle as the appointments of the heads of navy, army, air force, police, customs, immigration, road safety and civil defence were drawn from a particular section of the country.

He described the arrangement as dangerous

to Nigeria as a country and unacceptable.

On insecurity, Nwodo said the constitution must be rejigged to enable people to partake in community policing.

“We need local policing who understand the local

communities better to address the issue of insecurity in the country. Under our constitution, every governor is supposed to be the chief security officer of the state and it is for this reason that most states are creating security outfits for local

policing in the community,” he added.

Nwodo called on the federal government to institute a judicial inquiry into the allegations of corruption in the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), adding that

members of the National Assembly cannot be judges in their own case.

“If I have my way, I will dissolve all the different commissions in the country that are embezzling the resources of the country,” Nwodo stated.

the president that he became aware of Akpabio’s antics to get the N100 billion transferred to his ministry.

After writing to the president, the NSIA took the further step of returning the N20 billion to the finance ministry and made it clear that it would have nothing to do with the East-West Road without a duly signed tripartite agreement that stipulates the terms under which the road will be completed and operated.

It is this same N20 billion that has been returned to the finance ministry that Akpabio has been pursuing with unconcealed fervor, even though he knows that the amount is insufficient to complete the road and has raised concerns that the money will be misappropriated like funds previously disbursed to his ministry and the NDDC. THISDAY had reported that industry analysts had said the Ministry of Niger Delta does not have the technical capacity to deliver the project, warning that releasing the funds to Akpabio would be a waste, as what is required is the proper funding structure

of the NSIA or the Federal Ministry of Works.

“In any case, releasing N20 billion only for a project requiring N100 billion will almost certainly see the waste of the funds in all sorts of consultancies or reviews of even another ‘forensic audit’,” said the source in the presidency.

The East-West Road project was first awarded in 2006 by the President Olusegun Obasanjo administration but was driven by the Presidents Yar’Adua/ Jonathan administrations.

The project, a 657-kilometre dual carriageway, stretching from Calabar in Cross River State to Warri in Delta State, was, however, valued at N726 billion at the time and approved by the federal government at the height of agitations by youths in the Niger Delta.

In 2017, the Rivers State Government called on the federal government to declare a state of emergency on the failed portion of the road, especially, the AkpajoEleme axis, saying it had become a death trap and huge embarrassment to the country.

AKPABIO MOUNTS PRESSURE FOR RELEASE OF N20BN FOR EAST-WEST ROAD government some N433 billion since the Goodluck Jonathan administration.

To get the road completed once and for all, the Muhammadu Buhari administration had transferred the funding and project management to the Nigeria Sovereign Investment Authority (NSIA), also known as the Sovereign Wealth Fund (SWF), along with the Second River Niger Bridge, the Lagos Ibadan Expressway and the Abuja Kano Highway, at a reduced cost.

Accordingly, the NSIA and construction firm, Julius Berger PLC, had earmarked N100 billion for the completion of the East-West Road, of which N20 billion was allocated as counterpart fund by the federal government in the 2020 budget and was disbursed by the finance ministry to the NSIA. The balance of N80 billion was to be provided by the NSIA. But Akpabio had insisted on the Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs executing the completion of the road and the entire N100 billion released to his ministry.

He was said to have gone

as far as blackmailing the presidency to have the funds released to him on the grounds that the Niger Delta militants were protesting the process – in his usual tactic to get direct funding from the Buhari administration.

According to sources in the presidency, Akpabio and the management of NSIA have been at loggerheads since January this year over the refusal by the latter to release the N100 billion to the Niger Delta ministry and the conditions precedent that had to be met for the construction of the road.

The sources said the acrimony was so bad that Akpabio and the management of NSIA conversations often degenerated into shouting matches.

The terms stipulated by the NSIA, the sources informed THISDAY, were three-pronged and included the execution of a tripartite agreement, which the minister rebuffed. The first was the NSIA’s refusal to assume the legacy debts of the East-West Road, which Akpabio wanted.

“There was no way that the NSIA can assume such

legacy debts because it can erode the nation’s investment in the SWF. These are debts that arose from accumulated interest and penalties owed previous contractors that had taken loans from commercial banks to execute portions of the East-West Road.

“The NSIA’s preference was to ring-fence those debts so that they do not end up on its balance sheet, but Akpabio refused to accept that as a condition precedent,” said one source in the presidency.

Another demand by the NSIA was over the commercial viability of the project.

The source explained: “As you know, all infrastructure projects taken on by the NSIA must be bankable because the NSIA is expected to make returns to its shareholders, comprising the federal government, the 36 states of the federation and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

“So the NSIA had insisted that the East-West Road must be tolled just like the Second River Niger Bridge, the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway and the Abuja-Kano Highway.

“Also, in order to recoup

its investment, the NSIA had insisted that it would be responsible for appointing a tolling company to receive collections from the road.

Again, Akpabio rejected this proposition from the NSIA.” A third condition was the establishment of a project monitoring team for the EastWest Road to ensure that the funds are properly utilized for its completion and there are no cost overruns, explained the official in the presidency.

“Unfortunately, Akpabio rejected all three conditions given to him by the NSIA, which rendered their involvement impossible,” he said.

The official went on to disclose that it was at this stage that Akpabio wrote to President Muhammadu Buhari and misinformed him that militants in the Niger Delta were protesting the involvement of the NSIA in the project.

Buhari, in turn, was said to have written a memo to the NSIA to explain why there had been a breakdown between itself and the Niger Delta ministry. It was only when the NSIA wrote back to

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THURSDAY AUGUST 6, 2020 ˾ T H I S D AY

NEWS

Edo Assembly Removes Deputy Speaker Trades words with Uzodimma over alleged takeover plot Adibe Emenyonu in Benin City The Edo State House of Assembly has removed the Deputy speaker, Hon.Yekini Idaiye on grounds of alleged gross misconduct.

The lawmakers have also engaged in war of words with the Governor of Imo State, Senator Hope Uzodimma over an allegation by the lawmakers that the Imo State governor was conniving with the sacked deputy speaker and other APC leaders on how to import a mace and forcefully seize the state assembly The removal of the deputy speaker from office was sequel to a motion moved by Hon. Henry Okhuarobo, representing Ikpba-Okha State Constituency and seconded by Hon. Marcus Onobun of Esan West State Constituency Moving the motion, Okhuarobo said “Mr. Speaker, with me is a notice of removal of the deputy speaker of the house signed by two-third members of the house.

“The removal of the deputy speaker is on the grounds of gross misconduct and divulging of official secrets,” Okhuarobo said.

The lawmakers, after deliberations on the petition, unanimously adopted the motion through a voice -vote.

The Speaker, Hon. Francis Okiye thereafter pronounced the deputy speaker removed.

In his place, Hon. Roland Asoro was made the Deputy Speaker of the assembly shortly after he was nominated and the oath of office and allegiance administered on him by the Speaker .

The motion for the nomination of Asoro as the new Deputy Speaker was moved by Hon. Emmanuel Okoduwa, representing Esan North East I,

and seconded by Hon. Ephraim Aluebhosele of Esan South-east.

Meanwhile, the state assembly has accused the Governor of Imo State, Senator Hope Uzodimma and other APC leaders of plotting to forcefully take over the assembly by importing a mace to perfect the act.

It also alleged that the plan was in connivance with the impeached Deputy Speaker, Idiaye who recently declared support for the governorship candidate of APC, Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu.

Speaker of the assembly, Okiye, who made the allegation during a media briefing at the Government House, venue of the state assembly, called for the intervention of President Muhammadu Buhari.

Okiye in the briefing captioned “Urgent Need to Call Imo State Governor, Sen. Hope Uzodinma and Leaders of the APC in Edo State to Order over Their Plan to Violently and Illegally Take over the Edo State House of Assembly,” further alleged that the perpetrators planned to import a fake mace to take over the assembly.

He said the action if allowed to happen is akin to lighting a match in an already tensed political environment, which conflagration is capable of causing crisis in the state on a scale that would be beyond imagination “We call on Edo people whose mandate and interests the state legislature holds and protects, to rise against this planned attack and plot to subvert their will and subjugate them using external forces.

“We urge lovers of democracy across the world, institutions that uphold democratic tenets and values, pro-democracy groups, to denounce this planned illegality that seeks to distract a duly constituted authority.

Nigeria’s COVID-19 Cases Rise by 457 to 44,890 Martins Ifijeh Nigeria has recorded 457 new cases of COVID-19, bringing to 44,890 the number of confirmed cases in the country.

It has also recorded 17 COVID-19-related deaths in the last 24 hours, raising the tally from 910 to 927 in a single day.

Announcing this yesterday, the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) said Lagos recorded 137 new cases; Federal

Capital Territory (FCT), 76; Plateau, 40; Rivers, 35; Enugu, 34; Oyo, 25; Abia, 23; Delta, 12; Edo and Ebonyi, 11; Cross River and Kwara, 10; Kaduna, nine; Anambra, seven; Ogun, five; Imo and Bauchi, three; Osun and Nasarawa, two each; while Kano and Ekiti recorded one each.

It said: “Nigeria has so far recorded 44,890 cases of COVID-19. 32,165 patients have been discharged, while 927 persons have died.”

FG Evacuates Another Batch of 306 Nigerians from UAE Adedayo Akinwale Another batch of 306 evacuees from United Arab EmirateS (UAE) have arrived the country, THISDAY has learnt.

The Air Peace flight that conveyed the evacuees arrived the country at about 8.44a.m yesterday.

With the latest figures, the federal government has successfully evacuated about 7,000 stranded Nigerians in over 22 countries across the globe since May, 2020.

Thousands of Nigerians have been stranded in various

countries following the global lockdown occasioned by the COVID-19 pandemic which has claimed close to a million lives.

The latest evacuation was announced by the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM) via a tweet.

The commission also stated that all the evacuees tested negative to the COVID-19.

Consequently, they are all expected to embark on the mandatory 14 days selfisolation as directed by the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19.

“We recognise the constitutional rights of the three members of the House of Assembly to support the candidate of their choice, but that should not distract them from coming to work to carry out the job they were elected for”, Okiye noted.

Reacting to the allegation, Imo State Commissioner for Special

Projects, Mr. Simon Ebegbulem described the allegation as baseless, adding, that it is a mark of insensitivity.

He said “The illegal Speaker and his governor are not making sense with this baseless allegation. I don’t even know what they are talking about because there is no House of Assembly in Edo State. I

think that is why the so-called Speaker is running away from his shadow like a criminal that will always run once he sees a law enforcement agent.

Ebegbulem wandered why Okiye should even mention the name of his boss into the political problem of Edo State if not that all of them are jittery of the impending defeat that

waits them come September 19.

“I Idon’t know why he should draw the leg of His Excellency, Governor Hope Uzodimma into his political problems. My governor is interested in working with other APC governors and stakeholders to reclaim Edo State, which has been an APC state before Governor Obaseki donated it to the PDP”.

IT’S NICE MEETING YOU...

Former Managing Director, SunTrust Bank, Mr. Jibrin Muhammad Barde (left), and the Group Managing Director of Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Mr. Mele Kyari, during a visit by Barde to the NNPC Headquarters in Abuja... yesterday

Broadcasting Code: Iredia Accuses Lai Mohammed of Hijacking NBC DG’s Powers Davidson Iriekpen A former Director-General of the Nigeria Television Authority (NTA), Mr. Tonnie Iredia, has accused the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, of hijacking the duties of the director-general of the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC).

Iredia added that as a politician, Mohammed cannot

regulate broadcasting Speaking during a live television programme yesterday, the former NTA DG faulted Mohammed’s involvement in the amendment of the Code of the NBC on Tuesday.

The controversial code, which increased fine for hate speech from N500,000 to N5 million, is facing nationwide opposition.

Many Nigerians, including Nobel laureate, Prof. Wole

Soyinka, who described it as “economic sabotage,” said it targets press freedom.

Iredia, who is a professor of broadcast management and media law, said the minister has hijacked the duties of the director-general of the NBC. He said: “Everybody expects a broadcasting commission to be an autonomous body that has no place in politics. If you listen to the news, who has

been speaking? The minister of Information! Is he the directorgeneral of the NBC? “When the minister is speaking, there is no way broadcasters can see that the regulator is speaking. He is not a regulator.

“He should leave the broadcasters in the NBC to do their professional duty. The law gives him the right to supervise but not to take over the job.

PTF Unfolds Fresh Guidelines on COVID-19 Today Omololu Ogunmade in Abuja The Presidential Task Force (PTF) on COVID-19, will unveil fresh guidelines on the management of the pandemic today.

Chairman of PTF and Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Mr. Boss Mustapha, disclosed this to journalists yesterday after submitting fresh

recommendations to President Muhammadu Buhari in the State House, Abuja.

Mustapha, who said the PTF was awaiting the president’s approval, added that after the approval, the new guidelines would be announced today.

However, he gave insight into the next phase of management of the pandemic, saying it will focus on movement, labour and

industries and community activities.

“As for the content of the report, it will be premature for me to talk about it because we submitted a report, we have submitted recommendations and so we have to leave for Mr. President to take a decision.

“By the time I receive his approvals, non-approvals on the recommendations we have

made, we will be able to speak to the Nigerian people tomorrow (today).

“But I can give you a little bit of an insight as to where we are going. And that is informed by already three thematic areas.

“One has to do with movement, two has to do with labour and industries and three has to do with communities activities.

Aviation Workers Issue Two-week Ultimatum over Mass Sack Chinedu Eze Following the sacking of 100 pilots and engineers by Bristow Helicopters and 69 aircraft pilots by the Air Peace Airlines, aviation workers union is set to withdraw the services of pilots and aircraft maintainable engineers across all the airlines.

The union under the aegis of National Association of Aircraft Pilots and Engineers (NAAPE) gave a two-week ultimatum to the airline operators or face industrial unrest.

Addressing journalists in

Lagos yesterday, the National President of NAAPE, Mr. Galadima Abednego called on the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) to as a matter of urgency prevail on all airline operators to stop forthwith their unilateral and reckless sacking of pilots and engineers under the pretence of COVID-19 pandemic just like a sister regulator, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) did in the banking sector.

He said: “We call on Federal Government of Nigeria to speedily release the promised

relief package for the airlines and other government agencies to further save jobs and businesses.

“We want to strongly advise that airlines operators that insist on laying off workers should not benefit from the largesse.

“As a result of the known consequences of these illegal actions and our commitment to patriotic fervor, we shall be forced to withdraw our guarantee of industrial peace within the industry if this call is not heeded within

two weeks. Our union will be left with no other option but to withdraw the services of pilots and aircraft maintainable engineers across the airlines “We will no longer condone a situation where airline operators go to government for relief packages and in turn punish Nigerians in whose name government gave the relief. Our laws must be respected and our airspace must be save secured and stable. It is our responsibility and we are prepared to take action before it is too late”.

THURSDAY AUGUST 6, 2020 • T H I S D AY

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POLITICS

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

‘It is Common to Find Political Rivals in the Morning Become Friends in the Evening’

Segun James captures the regrets of the former Governor of Edo State, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole with his annointed successor, Governor Godwin Obaseki, in an interview session on ARISE News

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et’s look at the two gentlemen at the centre stage in Edo politics; Ize-Iyamu the candidate of the APC and Governor Obaseki who is now on the PDP side. In 2016, you supported then candidate Godwin Obaseki and opposed Ize-Iyamu and you had a lot of uncomplimentary things to say about him at that time. Four years down the line, what has changed? What happened in 2016, is it that you just discovered special qualities in Ize-Iyamu that made you change your mind or you think that he has improved that made change your opinion of him?

I think there are two basic things, the first is that in 2016 I had worked with Godwin without asking for his certificate, I had no reason to doubt whatever he told me and I believed him as such. I said he went to primary school, he went to Eghosa Grammar school, he went to University of Ibadan and all of that and he went to another university in the US. I said all of those things and even more.

After we went through the primaries and he emerged, the PDP went to court among other things challenging his certificate. I then asked him what was the problem? He told me that he misplaced his certificate. Subsequently, we read the PDP claims and allegations in court.

These are documents that are before the Federal High Court.

PDP asked questions, how could you secure admission to the university of Ibadan with three credits: History, Religious Studies, and Geography, no English and no Maths. Number two, and you claimed to have proceeded from 1973 when you finished from Egosa Grammar school to University of Ibadan. I didn’t argue and I believed, that it is impossible to secure admission to Nigeria’s premier university of Ibadan with three credits with English with Maths.

Number two, he had to swear like every other candidate to an affidavit which was filled before INEC and they attached the certified true copy from INEC. In that affidavit Obaseki claimed that he finished from Eghosa Grammar School in 1973 proceeded to the University of Ibadan and graduated in 1976. However, he has misplaced the original of his certificate and he attached a photocopy, a certified true photocopy. And that photocopy says Obaseki graduated in 1979. So PDP said Obaseki lied on oath. And among other discrepancies in his certificate, all suggesting that Obaseki forged his documents and that he lied on oath. Now, we got a team of lawyers, and our legal team was headed by Wole Olanipekun SAN, and they rescued us by the fact that PDP filed their applications out of time and so because of the matter of pre-election as status bound by the time the PDP filed their cases our legal team took advantage of that provision of the law and the case was struck out, and that was how we escaped.

Now the question for me and for you is, given these facts and given what we suffered in Bayelsa and in the absence of any other document to the contrary, can we in clear conscience field him again? Off course, the answer is no, unless if PDP claims the court is false and that they cannot sustain legal scrutiny. From the briefing I got from those who defended us, it was clear that we only escaped through legal technicalities.

So the case was not dismissed, the case was struck out because it was filed out of time. That is one. Number two, this is where I have issues with some reporters. Everywhere in the world, you don’t need to be a politician to endorse somebody and when you endorse someone in Nigeria, they say you have become a godfather.

In endorsing somebody you will have to say why you think this person is better than the other person.

I endorsed Obaseki because we had worked together. We sat down and I said we are not going to do ‘token, token’ projects, we are not going to spend our resources such that we will

Oshiomhole make impact anywhere.

We are going to, given the limited resources we have, going to have to prioritise and ensure that we design projects that are doable in terms of infrastructure, in terms of education and teachers training and several other things we think are precondition for sustainable growth and development. Number two, we must open up the rural areas. If you play back my tapes, you will remember when I said what rural people need is not our tears of sympathy, emotions wallowing in self-pity. What government must do is to open up the rural areas through what we call standard roads, because to be rural is not to be inferior.

And we constructed standard roads across several local governments in Edo State. I cannot think of any local government that did not benefit from standard roads. Of course we made massive investments in de-flooding Benin City because we got studies that suggest that unless we de-flood the city, create major drainage, reclaim the moat, Benin City will sink.

With more and more rains every year the problem of flooding will only get worse. And on the basis of these studies we established

that we have about 21 basins in Benin. And we saw that Benin was an area you can’t go during raining season and we started to invest and reconstruct and de-flood the city and all of that.

And at the end of the day we were able to create what everybody can see, the airport road six lane, the Oba market six lane, Uselu road six lane, we expanded Akpakpava road, created drainage under it, created side walk and we decided as a matter of policy that the problem of Nigeria is that when we travel abroad , we go for shopping, we see good things, we are happy but as we are coming back home all that we bring back home is the shopping bag.

The ideas, the things we see we don’t come back with them. There is nowhere else where roads in a city with huge population are constructed without sidewalks. You do not have a city where at 6pm people are still expecting to go and sleep because there is no street light.

And so we decided there are standard things we must do and we will do them so solid that we don’t need to go back and be repairing the roads every five years.

And I am proud that even the roads we constructed 10 years ago are still even; you

If you listen to Obaseki, he talks about Edo as if we were already in a valley when he took over, that nothing happened until he came in. I think you also need to hold him to some of those statements. But more importantly I think Edo people recognise that I am human. I assumed and there was a basis for that assumption because he worked with me. now someone worked with you and he appeared to believe in what you are doing particularly when Edo people owned up to those projects, there was a sense of ownership from the Oba of Benin to the ordinary man on the street in Benin and the elite; from Edo central to Edo north. There was unanimity about the quality of my stewardship and there was no better evidence of this than the fact that in 2012 in my second term I won in all the 18 local government in Edo state, scoring 76% of the total vote cast

won’t find any pothole there. These are things we discussed, when he was my adviser and the way I worked then all of these were subject to extensive debate in our state executive council.

We agreed to make massive investment in building our public schools. Because what happened over the years is that successive governments divested from public education. In fact I used to say that they privatised it by default, so if you want your child in a beautiful school, he must go to a private primary school or a private secondary school and even a private nursery school. We introduced what became known as the Red Roof Revolution in which I said and this was approved that we are going to ensure that our schools have the same appeal or even better than private schools.

And we will ensure that we have standard desks, abolish the idea of cramming children on benches and we replaced the blackboard with whiteboards so that teachers don’t have to wash their clothes every day. And of course the students too who attend classes with ceramic tiles on the floor, synthetic ceilings, ceiling fans etc. They will have the same level of pride. There were couple of things we tried to change in terms of the way infrastructure is done. During the campaign, I was proud to tell the people that this man has been part of this team, he will build more schools. Because we hadn’t finished the schools and no one government will finish it.

In any case, our population is growing so we need to continue to build schools.

You have spoken extensively about the person of Obaseki and you have apologised to the Edo people for endorsing him four years ago. However, four years ago you also denounced the person of Pastor Ize-Iyamu.

You said he was not to be trusted with public funds among other things. Now he is the candidate of your party in the forthcoming election, can you guaranty that the money of the Edo people is safe in the hands of Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu should he become their governor? And how much of a damage control do you think you need to do for this election?

I believe that the electorate knows a little more, it is not unusual, whether in Nigeria or anywhere in the world for you to say something about a politician and find that in the end some of those things are not exactly correct.

In every campaign around the world, even just now, when you watch CNN you will find where Obama endorsed Joe Biden, not only because he worked with him, he believes that Joe Biden will be a better president compared to the Republican candidate. Now, this is his own evaluation, and I am sure depending on the forum and the amount of time he has and the amount of details he wants to provide he can go on and say that Joe Biden will do and he is capable of doing and what he cannot do.

These are all forecasting, in the end it is either Joe Biden lives up to the expectation of former President Obama or he falls short of those expectations. Asking me to conduct an enquiry to know whether what I said was true or not true is to mistake the essence of political marketing and campaigns. And I am sure when you playback your previous interviews with politicians, whether in Nigeria or abroad it is common to find that political rivals in the morning become political friends in the evening.

And I don’t think you want to hold on as if I swore affidavit. I have spoken to something about somebody swearing to affidavit and telling me that he graduated and telling the court and INEC that he graduated. And it turned out that these are fake. Those are more damaging stories than whatever I said about Pastor Ize-Iyamu and that I ought to have carried out an enquiry.

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T H I S D AY ˾ THURSDAY AUGUST 6, 2020

POLITICS

‘Obaseki Took Good Virtues DISSENTING VOICE...IN HIS OWN WORDS from Oshiomhole and Threw ‘Diri Will Disappoint Persons Away His Bad Habits’ Who Seek Individual Gain’ Nseobong Okon-Ekong holds a conversation with Gideon Ikhine, Deputy Director – General of the Edo State Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Campaign Council for Governor Godwin Obaseki’s re-election in the September 19 governorship poll, on the governor’s sterling performance and the preparation for the election

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our years after Edo people gave Governor Obaseki their mandate, how has the journey been?

As Deputy Director – General of Governor Godwin Obaseki’s Campaign Organization, I must tell you that we have done a lot. We must learn to separate politics from governance. In the aspect of governance, Governor Obaseki is the right peg in the right hole. He is the right man for these trying times.

He is a leader that is passionate about the common man. He has also been prudent in the management of the state’s resources.

With such a man, should Edo State be looking for another aspirant or another candidate from another party? No! What I see is a question of continuity. Fortunately for the Governor, there is no other candidate or rival that is competing with him in the September 19, 2020 governorship election in Edo State.

There are pretenders to the throne. They are all welcome to the field during the poll. They will soon realize that they just escorted him. In a case like this, winners and losers must emerge.

What gives you the conviction that Obaseki will win the September 19, 2020 poll?

I do not feel it. I know that Governor Obaseki will be re-elected because the lives of Edo people have been transformed positively. It is beyond the commissioning of roads or schools and other infrastructure. Besides, it is not a question of putting Christmas decorations on a dead wood that will make the dead wood live. Obaseki does not have such time. He has over 3000 projects and is yet to commission many of the completed ones.

Obaseki is a man that works and builds infrastructure, yet does not make a noise with his achievements. He knows that it is his responsibility to work for the people.

One of the significant accomplishments of the governor that everybody sees but is not mentioned often is prompt payment of salaries.

Since the coming of the governor, workers in the state get their salary on the 26th of every month.

Every worker in Edo State has a minimum of four dependents. This includes the wife/ husband, children and family members as well as people he/she might probably give handouts to. Before Obaseki’s administration, people had to pray to God and occasionally go to spiritual houses to pray for their salaries to be paid. Most times, even when they go to these spiritual houses, those spiritual beings are not able to make the Governor pay their salaries.

Today, the situation has changed for good.

God is now at rest. Because of the innovation of the incumbent governor, workers in the state are no longer asking if God still exists. How many pensioners in the state have died in the past four years while awaiting their monthly entitlement?

What do you have to say on the threats of violence and people threatening violence because they want to go back to the old days when thugs held sway?

The era of one person selling a parcel of land to 20 people in the name of Community Development Association (CDA) is over in Edo State. The action of those few individuals hindered development in the state. When good people are in position, people tend to suddenly forget what they have gone through in the past.

Do they want to take us back to the era where a sitting Governor will look at a widow and the most vulnerable people in society and tell them to go to hell?

Ikhine But here you have Obaseki asking widows what he could do to assist them. Soon, we will be asked to tell Edo people to make a choice between where they are coming from and where God has placed them. What I do know is that nobody wants to go back to the era where they go shopping in the market and somebody will pour sand on their garri, demand taxes from them and use the money to build their houses and hotels; yet tell the people to go and die.

What do you make of the comments by the former National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Comrade Adams Oshiomhole on the governor?

We were in this state when Oshiomhole told us Obaseki worked for him for eight years and never took a salary. He also told us that Obaseki who was the head of his Economic Team is very qualified to take Edo people to their destination because he knows everything about resetting the state’s economy.

Is it because Obaseki took good ones from everything Oshiomhole and threw away the bad ones by the former Governor that he is angry with the incumbent Governor? Therefore, Oshiomhole is now looking for people that he had called certified arm robbers in the past to come and run for office.

Edo people will not welcome any individual to take over their resources for personal gains.

Could that be the reason his traducers do not want Obaseki returned as Governor of Edo State?

Obaseki is not ready to take the state’s funds to run his re-election campaign. As the Deputy Director-General of his campaign, we are hustling to get funds and donations to run the Governor’s campaign. Thankfully, people are jumping over themselves to support the governor and donating towards his re-election.

On a daily basis, volunteers are making pledges and donations to run this campaign.

What should Edo people expect from Governor Obaseki in the next four years if re-elected?

When I became close to the Governor, I saw the quantum of the projects that he has done. I became very humbled. I can tell you that there is a lot to learn from Governor Godwin Obaseki.

You know that by any means, I am not daft. In the few days that I have been with the Governor, I have become a student so I can learn from him what it takes to handle government.

I might know politics and business, but when it comes to governance of this state, we have the best gift that God has given to us in the governor.

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

Benson Agadaga, Chief of Staff, Government House Bayelsa state alerts the public to the fact Governor Douye Diri may be making a departure from the past by not building powerful people but powerful institutions

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ishing, an age long activity has overtime proven to be one ladden with so much benefits both physically and mentally. Perhaps this activity is the perfect case in point to corroborate the statement “patience is indeed a form of action.” Although it looks like a simple task, it is quite the opposite. I mean what’s there to just sit by a body of water with a fishing line waiting for a stray, hungry or probably greedy fish to come by? Far from it, there is a lot of conscious efforts that goes into it, in order to attain success and the ecstatic feeling one gets when hauling in the trophies in form of our little underwater friends.

The fishing tackles and equipments has to be carefully selected and prepared. The rods, lines, sinkers, floats, reels etc has to be in the order. Choosing the perfect bait is essential too. The angle of launch in the water has to be right and then the presence of mind to wait and seize the opportunity for a catch is indeed a conscious effort. Therefore, on careful examination, the whole activity is a well thought out process that involves planning and action to crown the hope of a successful outing by the river banks.

Leaders who understand illustrations like this are quite the gold mine for their followers. As you get an individual who is meticulous in the journey to attain success, growth and development. Senator Douye Diri, the governor of Bayelsa state has shown he is one of such leaders. The short time of his administration thus far, gives clear indications of someone with a clear vision of what he intends to achieve and one who is willing to put in the necessary work both mental and physical to achieve lasting results. With a wealth of experience and positive background, surely the right steps is inevitable.

Governor Diri has often made it clear that he doesn’t intend to build up powerful people but powerful institutions, a mentality of continuity of growth and development for the long term and the efforts of the present and past accomplishments in various roles in government, are in agreement with the idea of greater things to come for the state. There is hope and anticipation building up nicely for the best results to be attained.

Clearly, an improved civil service sector is the carefully prepared fishing rod to uphold the catch, the reconciliatory stand and stretched hand of cooperation is typical of the fishing lines and a state of improved peace, security and stability is the perfect bait to lure investors and development. All these are the first boxes currently being ticked off by Senator Diri’s administration, actions which should nicely stroke the hopes of the masses for greater things to come. There is tangible assurance of dialogue and a well thought out blueprint of actions to ensure quality delivery and manifestation of the prosperity agenda the Governor holds for Bayelsa state.

For someone aptly named “The Miracle Governor” victory is eventually habitual in the long run. The victory handed down recently by the Supreme Court ruling, striking out the pleas by Chief Timi Alaibe, is just another in a long line of many to come. It was a victory for democracy and the Governor wasted no time to stretch forth a hand of cooperation in line with his reconciliatory strategy as an essential tool to further the prosperity agenda for the state. Senator Diri immediately made it clear that it should be seen as a “no victor no vanquished” scenerio and that now that the case is settled, all hands must be on deck to carry out the mandate given to his administration by the good people of Bayelsa state.

Jonas Salk rightly declared that “hope lies in dreams, in imagination, and in the courage of those who dare to make dreams into real-

Diri ity.” and thats exactly what this government Intends to do with a carefully thought out plan and strategy to better the livelihoods of Bayelsans both now and for the future.

The hope of better things to come is most times anchored on past occurrences in close to similar opportunities. Senator Diri’s past achievements doesn’t only draw a ray but powerful beams of hope for spectacular success in the nearest future more so as it concerns youth empowerment and societal development.

Being a youthful person both at heart and by extension physically, the success he achieved as a Commissioner for Youth and Sports under the Goodluck Jonathan administration in the state cannot be overemphasized. The state Ministry of Sports recorded unprecedented highs during his time at the helm, with representatives of the state at many levels recording success in both local and international competitions.

Perhaps the highlights was when Bayelsa United and Bayelsa Queens tested glory in the National male and female football league competitions. Stakeholders were quick to point out that the success of those teams were mostly anchored on the unwavering support of the ministry with Senator Diri as commissioner, both mental and welfare wise.

The automatic employment policy enacted

by Senator Diri for excellent sport persons then, is still resonating well through the sport sector as most of the people drafted into gainful employment have gone ahead to continue to empower the youths starting from the grassroots to higher levels. Such is the continous growth and development the Governor so craves and is committed to delivering on a larger scale now in his capacity as a Governor. Sports and youth development is a pivotal part of societal growth as it has a positive butterfly effect on other sectors.

Engaged youths is indeed a recipe for reduced crime rate.

Other highlights of his time as commissioner for sports includes the great good done for youth development by grass-root competitions such as the Restoration Cup Competion and perhaps most notably that Bayelsa state recorded an all time high position of overall 4th in the National Sports Festival.

Stakeholders and sports personnel declared that motivation and performance was indeed boosted by prompt payment of renumerations and bonuses in due time, a similar path taken immediately this administration was inaugurated with the much admired civil service and pension reforms going on in the state, improving the welfare of both serving and retired civil servants.

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

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T H I S D AY ˾ ˜ ʹ˜ 2020

COMMENT

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

AFRO-AUSTRALIANS AND COVID-19

Okello Oculi urges the African Union and the Commonwealth to do more to end discrimination against blacks in Australia

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n September 13, 2007, the General Assembly of the United Nations adopted the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples by a vote of 143 countries in favour and four against. The conservative government in Australia instructed its ambassador to vote against the declaration.

When that government was voted out the country’s Social Services Commissioner, Tom Calma, consulted with ‘’Indigenous individuals and organisations’’ and helped the left-wing government to reverse the vote. The 2020 Conservative Government has banned Australians from holding demonstrations in support of the global ‘’Black Lives Matter’’ movement.

In a season in which the ‘’Gang of five’’, namely: Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Britain and U.S.A. are vigorously supporting ‘’human rights’’ in Hong Kong (against China’s claim of asserting a ‘’sovereign right’’ to legislate for good governance in its province), Australia is prohibiting its citizens from drawing attention to violations of human rights of its indigenous Afro-Australians.

While it is recognized that peoples of African descent were already in Australia by 65,000 BC, convicts and destitute deported from Britain’s prisons and slums of cities have so decimated the indigenes that by 1970 the census showed that their depleted number was 116,000. In 2001 they were 427,000. In 2019 they constituted only 3.3 per cent of Australia’s total population.

The ‘’Gang of Five’’ share histories of migration and genocide against their host populations. They exhibited dynamism in establishing new spaces of freedom and capture of land for European immigrants; a rare generosity to new waves of immigrants from Europe but a tenacious resolve to imprison indigenous populations into poverty, alcoholism, mental illness and dehumanization.

In Canada, for example, ‘’Eskimo’’ children were kidnapped

by Christian clerics and brutally treated to alienate them from their cultures and communities. Australia called this policy that of ‘’assimilation’’.

In 1991 a Commission reported that: ‘’Afro-Australians are in gross disproportionate numbers compared with non-Aboriginal in both police and prison custody’’. In 2016 a study found that ‘’Aboriginal and Torres Island’’ people were 13 times ‘’more likely to be in prison than non–indigenous people’’, while their women were 21 times more likely to be thrown into prisons. A Christian agency, the ‘’Jesuit Social Services’’ pronounced this reality as ‘’a national disgrace’’.

Although Afro-Australians constitute three per cent of the national population, they constituted 27 per cent of the prison population in

ALTHOUGH AFRO-AUSTRALIANS CONSTITUTE THREE PER CENT OF THE NATIONAL POPULATION, THEY CONSTITUTED 27 PER CENT OF THE PRISON POPULATION IN 2016

2016. With regard to employment, income, housing, education and access to health care, they have shared the African-American experience of a ‘’historical exclusion from mainstream provisions of the (Australian) welfare state’’.

The results of systemic discrimination are now stark. In 2019, an official study reported that as high as 26 person of Afro-Australians, or ‘’Indigenous people’’, lived in ‘’a household which in the previous 12 months, had run out of food and could not afford to buy more’’. Because the country is so vast, Afro-Australians who lived in remote areas also became victims of racist traders who charge prices for meat – including minced meat and meat stakes - far higher than those in urban areas.

The Northern Territory Council, for example, reported that, in 2019, ‘’basic goods’’ were sold by retail stores in remote areas at prices 56 per cent higher than in ‘’regional supermarkets’’. Mandi King and Lisa Phillips have recommended that government must subsidize prices and money for purchasing food and other essential goods. This view assumes that Afro-Australian will always be excluded from employment and economic production that will make them no longer vulnerable to poverty in the same way.

An African girl, Angelica Ojinnaka, who attended primary and secondary schools in Sydney, reported being ‘’spat on, told to bleach my skin, and had objects and food thrown at me’’ while walking home from school’’. On a daily basis, she writes, ‘’black people like me are dehumanized, brutalized and murdered’’.

A BBC news bulletin on 27th JULY, 2020, showed a group of Australian policemen replaying the killing by suffocation of a black man knocked down the way George Floyd was murdered in Minneapolis on 25th May, 2020.

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo teamed up with Australia’s Prime Minister in a drama by leaders of the Commonwealth to rebuke President Robert Mugabe for violating human and civil rights of people in Zimbabwe. The Commonwealth has not shown similar enthusiasm towards ending several centuries of murders, dehumanization and economic deprivation and discrimination against Afro-Australians.

President Donald Trump occasionally stirs up his Pentecostal Christian electoral base by denouncing violence against Christians in Nigeria. NATO’s human rights diplomacy targets Putin’s Russia.

On 29th July, 2020, China’s Ambassador to Britain blamed Britain for harming relations with China by promoting protests in Hong Kong. The African Union should use it over the human development of Afro-Australians.

THE SOUTHERN KADUNA KILLING FIELDS ÙßÞÒÏÜØ ËÎßØË ÎÏÝÏÜàÏÝ ÚÏËÍϘ áÜÓÞÏÝ Olusegun Adeniyi

Continued from Backpage

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he stakeholders further recommended, among other solutions, that whenever there is a breach “No one is to take the law into his own hand, rather the matter shall in the first instance be referred to the relevant ward head for settlement and where it fails, to the village head and thence to the district head but at each level in the presence of the Ardo or his able representatives.”

Chaired by the District Head, Mr Elias Gora and co-chaired by Alhaji Suleiman G. Gora and Mr. Justus E. Buhu, other committee members who drafted the agreement are Mr. Zakariah Gregory, the Counsellor for Gora Ward and the Ardo, Mallam Abubakar Ja’afaru. It was also subscribed to by representatives of village heads and the Fulanis as well as representatives of youths, women and religious clerics. Aimed at “achieving lasting peace with our Fulani Hausa brothers and all other tribes resident in any part of the district”, the MoU particularly states that “all persons involved in raising livestock shall do so devoid of any deliberate action or careless abandon that can lead to injury or destruction of crops and property” and that the herders “shall desist henceforth from the practice of sending underage youths all by themselves for grazing but rather shall endeavour to entrust such responsibility to matured and capable persons.”

Sadly, that path to peace is now being threatened. When I contacted the District Head, Mr Elias Gora, he lamented that recent events in the two communities of Chibob and Sabon Kaura have resulted in a setback but pledged his determination to ensure that the peace deal is eventually consummated. Gora, a former Secretary General of the Nigerian Olympic Committee (NOC) and respected sports administrator shared with me insights into what has happened in recent weeks and stated that he

still could not understand where all the violence is coming from. “I have strong suspicion that it is being instigated from outside. Some of us were born to meet the parents of these Fulani people here and we have lived together in peace so we don’t know what has changed that would make a young Fulani man (that we all know) to be leading gunmen from house to house, asking people to come out so they could be murdered,” he said as he highlighted efforts being made to bring stakeholders together for the peace initiative within his domain.

The Ardo Gora, Mallam Abubakar Jafaa’ru who confirmed losing four family members, two brothers and two women to recent attacks, was also reconciliatory in his tone when I spoke with him. “When we were attacked with all our houses razed, not a single of our cattle was taken. We lost no animal which indicated that the mission was to kill but I have forgiven our attackers. In the situation we are in today, there will be no peace if we do not learn forgiveness”, said the Ardo who added that for any enduring peace in Southern Kaduna, the efforts must be collective with all stakeholders coming together to admit that everybody loses in what is going on and that there is enough blame to go round.

“It is also important that all the people who have fled the communities on both sides be allowed to return to their places of abode”, the Ardo said.

However, the Ardo also made a plea for assistance. “Our people are suffering from deprivation and the crisis makes it difficult for any meaningful economic activity. You will feel sad to see what many of the Fulani families that have been forced out of their homes are now going through. We need support, though the suffering is on both sides because farmers have also deserted their farms”, said the Ardo who painted a picture of humanitarian crisis that the authorities will do well to deal with. The Ardo also argued that outside forces exploiting the tragedy on both sides do not help the people of

Southern Kaduna. “Ultimately, we need to restore law and order to Southern Kaduna. Nobody should be attacking other people for any reason and even when attacked, nobody also has a right to take the law into his own hands for revenge so we need to stop the culture of attacks and counter-attacks. But we appeal to those outside do-gooders fueling the fire to leave us in peace”, the Ardo told me.

Meanwhile, even when some of the reckless things he has said in the past may have come back to haunt him, Governor Nasir el Rufai has done quite a bit in the past few weeks to deal with the crisis. In addition to working with the military, police and security agencies to ensure deployment of sufficient personnel to flash points, the governor has spent considerable time engaging critical stakeholders from affected areas in a series of consultations. He has met with elected representatives, paramount traditional rulers, Fulani Ardos and others, and held daily sessions with all heads of security agencies on the ground. The governor has also set up a White Paper Committee on the 1992 ZangonKataf crisis in order to comprehensively resolve the land tussle which caused the recent orgy of violence. While these efforts are commendable, I hope the governor has also learnt to be even handed in the distribution of political opportunities in a diverse society. Besides, as important as the rule of law may also be to the peace of a society, its selective application could also be a source of problem which is why I advocate the release of many of the Southern Kaduna young people languishing in detention on account of the crisis.

The question now is whether there is a pattern to the killings. If it is random and indiscriminate, it becomes more of a general insecurity issue arising from casual criminality gone viral. And the solution becomes a crime and punishment matter. Unless we want to deceive ourselves, this is not the case. What is clear is that southern

Kaduna might just be a metaphor for the mix of factors that have led to violent clashes in different parts of the country. There is ugly history of internal colonization. There is unfair and inequitable appropriation of land and other factors of economic sustenance. There is the fact of unsettled residue of cultural diversity. There is a perception of marginalization by one side. Of course, there is the ever present fact of a religious divide. This copious mix of combustible factors has been complicated by the politicization of the area to produce vicious factions that now perceive themselves as being in a war of mutual annihilation. Illustrious sons of the conflicting factions who live outside have often fueled the crisis by throwing in cash and weapons, knowing that they may not be in the line of fire and theatre of hate.

The political challenge is one of how to manage diversity in a rural poor environment.

There is also a challenge of land policy and the overall development of Southern Kaduna. Both are not beyond the capacity of Governor El-Rufai if only he can be less belligerent in his rhetoric and more broad-minded in his choices. Most importantly, the state will need to mobilize community leaders to attempt a hearts and minds approach to finding peace and harmony in that troubled part of the country. But with Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association (MACBAN) and Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) officials as well as socio-political associations joining the fray, resolving the Southern Kaduna crisis is made even more complex. Yet, there must be an end to reprisal and counter-reprisal killings that stem from mutual distrust and suspicion between different groups who have lived together for centuries and even intermarried. Southern Kaduna deserves peace. That will not happen if those who are far removed from the area and cannot appreciate what the people lose in an atmosphere of acrimony and blood-letting continue to fan the embers of war.

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T H I S D AY ˾ THURSDAY, AUGUST 6, 2020

EDITORIAL INSURGENCY AND THE MILITARY It’s time to allow the service chiefs to go

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n Tuesday, President Muhammadu Buhari held one of his routine meetings with the security chiefs. At the end, he reportedly restated his displeasure with the security chiefs’ inability to safeguard lives and property in the country. But Nigerians do not understand what “an immediate re-engineering of the entire security apparatus” means, against the background that the service chiefs have long been due for retirement and evidently have little else to offer.

Their mandatory 35 years in the military have elapsed and there are capable replacements to choose from. But President Buhari has refused to make any change even when the war against insurgency has been floundering.

Last week, the convoy of Borno State governor, Babagana Zulum, was attacked on the Baga highway while on his way to distribute palliatives to internally displaced persons for the Sallah celebration. A visibly angry Zulum told the soldiers that the nation was being deceived WHATEVER MAY HAVE about the capacity BEEN THE REASON, THERE of the insurgents, IS NO BETTER TIME THAN said to have been ‘technically defeated’.

NOW TO RETIRE THE He said there are SERVICE CHIEFS AND saboteurs behind the OVERHAUL THE ENTIRE lingering insurgency.

MILITARY APPARATCHIK The Shehu of Borno has also added that in his domain, nobody is safe anymore. Since all the critical stakeholders seem to have lost confidence in the managers of the war against insurgency, we wonder how long it would take before the president realises that change is inevitable if we must make progress.

As a reminder, the Chief of Defence Staff, General Abayomi Olonisakin was born on 2nd December 1961 and was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in 1981. Army Chief, Lt. Gen. Tukur Buratai was born on 24th November 1960 and commissioned as a Second Lieutenant on 17th December 1983. Air

Letters to the Editor

Marshal Abubakar was born on 8th April, 1960 and joined the Cadet Military Training Course (CMTC 5) in November 1979. Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ekwe Ibas was born on 27th September, 1960 and was commissioned a Sub-Lieutenant on 1st January 1983. In terms of age and service records, they have all exceeded their mandatory retirement age and years of service. But President Buhari granted them an extension in 2017 and this expired in 2019. Their retention has therefore impacted negatively on the career progressions of the 27th, 28th, 29th, 30th, 31st, 32nd and 33rd Regular Course members.

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

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

eanwhile, both arms of the National Assembly had at different times and jointly asked the President to replace the Service Chiefs for inefficiency in managing the security situation in the country. Yet the nation is told almost on a daily basis that Boko Haram and its terror affiliates have been decimated, even when the results in the field often contradict this.

The latest attack on the convoy of Governor Zulum and the outcry from the Shehu of Borno that people in the state are no longer safe has brought a renewed agitation that the military chiefs must go. While the governor did not elaborate on his sabotage theory, there are reports that the attack on his convoy may have been initiated to stop him from entering Baga town because of alleged military involvement in farming and fishing business. He has in fact accused soldiers of being behind the attack. Whatever may have been the reason, there is no better time than now to retire the service chiefs and overhaul the entire military apparatchik and give impetus for fresh ideas to improve and strengthen the fight against insecurity in Nigeria.

It is true that Boko Haram is losing ground, resources and fighters. But these are not yet compelling enough for the insurgents to drop their guns.

They need to be hit hard. The president should save the day by making the requisite changes in the armed forces.

TO OUR READERS Letters in response to specific publications in THISDAY should be brief (150-200 words) and straight to the point. Interested readers may send such letters along with their contact details to opinion@thisdaylive.com. We also welcome comments and opinions on topical local, national and international issues provided they are well-written and should also not be longer than (9501000 words). They should be sent to opinion@thisdaylive.com along with the email address and phone numbers of the writer.

Anambra And Violence Against Persons

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t is instructive that there are arguably more incidents of violence against women than men in Anambra State which may occur in the homes, churches, offices, markets, motor parks, and even in commercial buses. Society blames the victim, justifies the perpetrator’s acts while the state tacitly condones the violence.

Overtime, the judicial system has grappled with the obnoxious Criminal Code which limits the criminal jurisdiction of rape and no longer in tandem with the present day realities. In 2015, the federal government signed the gender neutral Violence Against Persons (Prohibition) Act, (VAPP) 2015 into law. But Section 27 of the VAPP Act limits its application to the Federal Capital Territory High Court. Therefore, each state must domesticate the act before it becomes operational. In 2017, the Governor of Anambra State, Willie Obiano, signed the (VAPP) Act into law, making the state one of the few Nigerian states to domesticate the act.

The VAPP law (of Anambra State), 2017 confers jurisdiction on the Magistrate and State High Courts. Section 3 of the VAPP law expands the criminal jurisprudence of rape. The offence of rape is no longer restricted to penile – vaginal penetrations. Rape is complete upon non-consensual penetration of the victim’s orifices (mouth, vagina or anus) with the penis, or any of the perpetrator’s body parts, or even with an object.

Under the VAPP law, males and females can be victims as well as perpetrators of rape.

Also, rape victims are entitled to compensation in Section 3.

In the state, incidents abound of married women being forcefully ejected from their matrimonial homes. This is criminalised in Section 11 of the VAPP law.

Another interesting part of the law is the recognition of forced financial dependence or economic abuse as a punishable offence. The VAPP law describes economic abuse as denial of inheritance or succession rights, unreasonable deprivation of economic or financial resources to which any person is entitled or which any person requires out of necessity including among others; the unreasonable destruction of household effects or other property in which any person has interest. On different occasions, for the purpose of exerting control, women, against their will, have been prohibited by their husbands

from being employed or have had their phones and/or any other properties that are necessary for the delivery of their jobs seized or destroyed. The VAPP law prohibits such acts.

It is gratifying that Section 16 of the law criminalises emotional, verbal and psychological abuse. This is a pattern of degrading or humiliating conduct towards any person, including repeated acts of insults, name calling or ridicule, threats to cause emotional pain, the exhibition of obsessive possessiveness which constitutes serious invasion of such a person’s privacy, liberty, integrity or security. This is very common in the state’s many markets (such as Onitsha Main Market and Eke-Awka Market), and among bus and tricycle drivers and conductors who touch, ridicule, cat-call and call women unprintable and uncomplimentary names in the public for the sole purpose of causing humiliation.

The fundamental rights of poor widows are constantly breached, especially childless widows. Traditionally conservative men and women perceive as ‘childless’ a woman who had borne only daughters and considered incapable of inheriting as she herself is a piece of property to be inherited. Section 17 of VAPP criminalises harmful widowhood practices. Notably, provisions of VAPP law supersede any other provisions on similar offences in the principal criminal legislation in the state. Section 43 of the law states that any offence or proceedings instituted before the commencement of the law under the provisions of the Criminal Code Anambra State, 1991 and Administration of Criminal Justice Law of Anambra State law and any other law relating to any act of violence shall be enforced in the provisions of VAPP law.

In conclusion, the prerogatives of VAPP law include its conformity to the present day and international best practices, uniformity of other legislation on violence, creation of adequate punishments for all the provided offences and gender inclusiveness. However, for effective implementation, there is a need for massive sensitisation of the law and increase in reporting coupled with willingness on the part of the police to exercise the powers bestowed upon them by Section 37 of the law.

Ms Amaka Ezeano, Awka, Anambra State

Time To Blast Off

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he first NASA water landing since 1975 in the SpaceX capsule has been reported in many newspapers. It brings back memories of the Government Apollo program, moon landings and John F Kennedy, the President who inspired it all.

Move forward to the present and you have a privately supported space program, moon landing conspiracies and a president that does not inspire and does not really listen to scientists.

Who should we send on a one-way trip to Mars? I can suggest one obvious candidate.

Dennis Fitzgerald, Melbourne, Australia

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T H I S D AY ˾ ʹ˜ 2020

FEATURES Exploring Localised Solutions for a Tech-driven Air Force

Group Features Editor: Chiemelie Ezeobi

Email chiemelie.ezeobi@thisdaylive.com, Tel: 07010510430

To ensure result oriented research and development, Chiemelie Ezeobi reports that the Nigerian Air Force is looking inwards for localised solutions

NAF delegates during the tour of the production line of Tranos in Lagos

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he world has experienced unprecedented social and economic shocks during this COVID-19 pandemic and the widespread regression in almost all sectors has been one of the most notable effects of the viral

outbreak.

While nations battle to contain the pandemic, another worrisome circumstance is that COVID-19 has unearthed massive inequalities within our societies and reinforced the unique burdens which women carry the world over.

For women who comprise 1.5 billion of the world’s low-wage workforce and twice as many of its carers, it is perhaps ironical to state that they are the most vulnerable to the economic and health crises that unfold in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, but it’s an unfortunate reality.

As initially reported by THIDAY, before the pandemic, a majority of women worked as lowwage workers in the manufacturing, service and informal sectors. Unfortunately, these low-wage employments lack a social safety net such as paid sick leave, parental leave, or retirement contributions to cope with the economic shocks of the ongoing pandemic. As a result Undoubtedly, air power has continuously played decisive roles in bringing conflicts to speedy resolutions. In Nigeria for instance, the nation faces several internal security challenges ranging from militancy in the South-south, pipeline vandalism in the South-west, cattle rustling in the North-west and Boko Haram Terrorist insurgency in the North-east.

To achieve all these, there is optimum need for a formidable fleet to ensure the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) platforms remain operational. This is where the timely delivery of parts at reasonable costs becomes premium.

Given that the NAF is ordinarily compelled to rely mostly on foreign original equipment manufacturers for the supply of the parts and usually at exorbitant prices, the service under the leadership of the Chief of Air Staff (CAS) Air Marshal Sadiq Abubakar, has been looking inwards. Also backed by the focus of the federal government in promoting local content, home grown technology and innovation as principal means of preserving the nation’s foreign exchange earnings, it would be safe to categorically state that the NAF currently places much emphasis on research and development, as a way of building indigenous technological capacity.

NAF’s Research and Development At the core of the NAF is Research and Development (R&D). Under they present CAS, this department has further been strengthened to boost Nigeria's technological base as a veritable tool for national development.

Bearing in mind the need for the NAF to be self reliant technologically, the CAS has strengthened the R&D as a means of building indigenous technological capacity. To this end, NAF’s strategy is in line with the focus of the FG which prioritises the promotion of local content, homegrown technology

and innovation as principal means of improving the nation's foreign exchange earnings.

Given the current financial realities of the country, the need for self-reliance and prudent management of resources has become imperative.

This is where looking inwards will totally pay off and curb capital flight.

Collaborative Efforts and Successes Recorded A believer in collaborative efforts and exemplifying the need for cross-fertilisation of ideas and synergy, the CAS went in search of partners from the various universities and research institutions scattered around the country. This was led by NAF visitation panels who were tasked to go round institutions to have first hand information and see the facilities available that could be harnessed by the NAF in collaborative manner that would move the NAF, and indeed, the country towards technological breakthrough.

Based on the positive feedback, the NAF first entered into memorandum of understanding with 14 universities and research institutions across the nation towards collaborating in research, development and manufacture of various aircraft components. The number of such collaborations has since increased to 30.

The result of the collaboration included the modification of the Indian made rockets for Alpha jets. This feat enabled the utilisation of the huge stock of rockets, worth millions of dollars that would have hitherto had to be decommissioned and destroyed.

Others are the production of the hydraulic accumulator diaphragm for the auto pilot system of the Mi-35 Helicopter, the manufacture of portable battery cart for the Augusta Helicopter fleet and modification of the F-7Ni battery compartment for compatibility with batteries made in Pakistan as well as the repair and calibration of the missile tester for the F-7Ni fighter aircraft.

A further breakdown of the breakthroughs recorded include the production of 500 units of Alpha-Jet bomb release-cartridges, production and test firing of prototype stand alone Intervalometer, achievement of 100 per cent success in overhauling Alpha Jets Brakes assembly in collaboration with INNOSON Vehicle Manufacturing Company, in Nnewi, design of fuse for aircraft bombs, product of prototype 250kg bombs, re-militarisation of A-Jet aircraft acquired from the USA, repair of units of 68mm SNEB rockets and 7.62mm ammunition to enhance weapon availability and production of Power Converter Test Bench.

These modest achievements within such a record time may seem small but to the airmen whose machines have been grounded severally for lack of these ‘small items’ this was no mean feat.

In addition, the NAF’s foremost Air Force Institute of Technology was given a boost with the injection of the unrelenting ‘NAF egg heads’ made up of an array of world-class engineers under the optimisation of local engineering scheme.

These are initiatives were done to ensure result oriented research and development.

L-R: Managing Director, Tranos contracting Limited, Jude Abalaka; Commandant, Air Force Institute of Technology (AFIT), Kaduna, Air Vice Marshal Abdulganiyu Olabisi; Chief of Standards and Evaluation, HQ NAF, Air Vice Marshal Remigius Ekeh and Chief of Aircraft Engineering, HQ NAF, Air Vice Marshal Musibau Olatunji

Exploring Partnerships with TRANOS As the COVID-19 pandemic forced global manufacturers of non-essential commodities to scale down due to certain restrictions, NAF recently spread its tentacles by collaborating with Tranos, a local engineering company at Ogba, Lagos, for the production of spare parts needed to keep its fleet in top shape.

This partnership which was at the instance of Air Marshal Abubakar, was in furtherance to the service's commitment to boosting local content in line with Executive Order 5 of President Muhammadu Buhari.

After the inspection of facility and the products it has to offer, NAF Director of Public Relations and Information (DOPRI), Air Commodore Ibikunle Daramola, said the service was interested in developing local content especially in terms of procurement, development of science, technology and innovation, adding that the mission to the company was to seek ways of collaborating as the NAF did with Ibeto and Innoson.

He said: "Tranos is another logical step in that direction of developing indigenous solutions to our technological challenges as Nigerian Air Force. Some of the issues that are involved are the production of spears, necessary roadtables for our aircrafts because the NAF is a highly technologically driven force.

"Given the COVID-19 pandemic, there have also been a number of restrictions placed on air travel that have affected the logistics supply chain in terms of spears and that has driven us to look more inwards for solutions to these issues. Right now, there are problems. Even the factories, the original equipment manufacturers have scaled down in terms of production. So, that will be a problem.

"For Nigeria to be able to move forward and the Nigerian Airforce to make sure it is self sufficient; we need to look more inwards for solutions. That is why partnerships like these will come into place to be able to give us solutions that are cost effective and realistic; that will make self sufficiency be realised not just for the Nigerian Airforce but for the Nigerian nation.”

On why the NAF chose that particular firm, Ibikunle said Tranos has inherent capabilities the service was interested in, adding that “like the Commandant, Air Force Institute of Technology (AFIT), Kaduna, mentioned, we have partnerships with over 30 training institutions, universities, agencies of government because of their specific capability.

“Tranos has specific capability in terms of engineering and manufacturing that have to do with metal, telecommunications and engineering, production of enclosures, very specific areas where the Nigerian Airforce has interest.

"We will continue to collaborate with them to come out with specific areas of needs they will work with us to get the solutions we require.

The idea is that we will also be able to transfer technology so there will be a training component

with bringing some of our personnel, technicians and engineers to come here and undergo training, to be able to replicate this ourselves in some of our own machine tools workshops.

"For instance, Ibeto is working on batteries for us and Innoson, we partner them for specific breakpad for the Alpha jet. Here, there are specific areas were the Director of Research and Development Centre needs specific parts that are critical for some of the ongoing efforts at the Airforce Institute of Technology. Those are areas we will ask them to design for us and produce those items”.

Earlier, the Managing Director (MD) of Tranos, Jude Abalaka said he was impressed the NAF took the partnership seriously giving the calibre of officers in its delegation.

He said: "For us as a company, we like partnerships because that is how you grow and we think that this is a very good partnership to have and from what we have seen, we noticed that the Air Force really values technology. They have a technology institute.

“We are a technology company, we have engineering qualities and manufacturing capabilities. We will be looking at the challenges the Nigerian Air Force might be facing that we might be able to help with both mechanical and electrical.”

Tranos offers services in Engineering Fabrication, Maintenance and Project management as well as products in Power Generation, Energy Distribution, Control and Automation as well as Enclosures.

NAF Delegation The delegation was led by Commandant, Air Force Institute of Technology (AFIT), Kaduna, Air Vice Marshal Abdulganiyu Olabisi. Also in attendance was the Chief of Standards and Evaluation, HQ NAF, Air Vice Marshal Remigius Ekeh; and Chief of Aircraft Engineering, HQ NAF, Air Vice Marshal Musibau Olatunji Others include the Director Research and Development, HQ NAF, Air Vice Marshal Paul Jemitola; Chief of Staff, Logistics Command Ikeja, Air Vice Marshal Cosmas Ozougwu; Director of Public Relations and Information, HQ NAF, Air Commodore Ibikunle Daramola; Principal Staff Officer Coordination, AFIT, Air Commodore Abdullahi Shinkafi; Commander 301 Heavy Airlift Group Ikeja, Air Commodore Mike Onyebashi; Senior Researcher, AFIT, Flight Lieutenant Nkemdillim Ofodile and Head of Department, Aerospace Engineering, AFIT, Dr Ameer Mohammed.

The various feats achieved by the Nigerian Air Force through indigenous Research and Development efforts in collaboration with various Nigerian organisations and tertiary institutions have no doubt impacted positively on aircraft availability for diverse air operations, particularly in the ongoing counterinsurgency operations.

Besides, the local innovations are assisting the service to overcome total dependence on foreign vendors thereby reducing cost of equipment acquisition and maintenance. Herein lie the benefits of innovating locally in partnership with relevant stakeholders.

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T H I S D AY ˾ AUGUST 6, 2020

BUSINESSWORLD R A T E S

A S

MONEY MARKET OBB OVERNIGHT

A T

J U L Y

3% 4%

S & P INDEX INDEX INDEX LEVEL 1-DAY

REPO 1.40 % 2.10 %

CALL 1-MONTH

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

3 1 , 2 0 2 0 S&P 610.85 % 0.78 %

1/4 TO DATE YEAR TO DATE

EXCHANGE RATE 8.35 % 26.95 %

N381/1US DOLLAR* *AS AT LAST FRIDAY

Quick Takes Aragba-Akpore Retires from NCC

BUSINESS REVIEW

L-R: MD/CEO, Fidson Healthcare Plc, Dr. Fidelis Ayebae; Chairman of the board, Mr. Segun Adebanji, and Company Secretary, Mr. Yomi Adebanjo, during the company’s 21st Annual General Meeting held in Lagos...recently

Report: COVID-19 Compels Skilled Workers to Live on Borrowing Emma Okonji A recent survey report released

by Flourish, a global venture capital firm with portfolio investments throughout Africa has shown that a particular set of digital skill workers known as Gig workers, who are online workers with specific digital skills, now largely live by borrowing to make ends meet.

This is despite the fact that they are workers on monthly salaries.

The South African survey was part of a bigger study carried out in May this year, tracking the experiences of gig workers across the globe.

The firm released the Brazil edition in June 2020, and is currently fielding surveys in India, Indonesia, and the US. With each of its country-

TELECOM specific studies, Flourish aims to help fintech entrepreneurs connect with the people most in need of aid and better understand their needs.

The survey seeks to reveal the impact of COVID-19 on Gig Workers and their experience across the globe.

The report tracked the experiences of gig workers, including those who use digital platforms such as e-hailing or delivery apps, to learn more about how they are faring during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Analysing the report, Managing Partner at Flourish, Arjuna Costa, said: “Digital platforms have made it possible for workers around the world to participate in the gig economy,

providing a degree of formality and stability to their work.

“When the coronavirus outbreak caused the global economy to come to a halt in Q1 of this year, workers were severely impacted. By tracking gig worker experiences in South Africa, and elsewhere, we hope to open conversations about how Fintech companies can build lasting solutions for the vulnerable population of citizens.”

Surveying more than 600 South African gig workers, Flourish found that 76 per cent experienced a large decrease in income since March 2020. The report also summarised how gig workers are coping with economic dislocation.

According to the report, approximately four out of five workers now earn less than

$240 per month, compared to 16 per cent before the COVID-19 lockdown.

The report stated that, “91 per cent are very concerned about COVID-19, specifically, how gig workers believe it will affect their ability to earn an income and the risk to their family’s health.

“Some gig workers are impacted more than others.

E-hailing drivers were twice as likely as delivery workers to report a significant decline in quality of life, with 83 per cent suffering a large decrease in income. Coping strategies among South African gig workers vary.

“Some have a financial cushion, but a majority live on the edge. If they lost their Continued on page 20

‘Women Gain Economic Benefits from Greater Trade’ Ugo Aliogo Trade increases women’s wages and helps close the wage gap between men and women while creating better jobs for women, a new World Bank Group report has stated.

It stated that countries that are open to international trade tend to grow faster, innovate, improve productivity, and provide higher income and more opportunities to their people. Countries that are more open to trade, as measured by the trade-to-GDP ratio, have higher levels of gender equality.

The report, produced in collaboration with the World Trade Organisation, marked the first major effort to quantify how women are affected by trade using a new genderdisaggregated dataset.

ECONOMY The dataset, developed by the World Bank Group, allows researchers to understand how women are employed, in which industries they work, how much they earn, and whether or not they are involved in global trade. This analysis helps governments see how trade policies can affect women and men differently.

“Over the past 30 years, trade has been the engine of poverty reduction. This report shows that, provided the right policies are in place, it can also provide an engine to reduce the gender gap,” World Bank Managing Director, Mari Pangestu said.

“Trade can expand women’s role in the economy and decrease disparities with men by

giving women more and better employment opportunities.

Seizing these opportunities will be even more important in a post-COVID-19 world.”

The report titled, ‘Women and Trade: The Role of Trade in Promoting Women’s Equality,’ offers several key findings.

It showed that firms that are part of global value chains (GVCs) employ a greater percentage of women (33 percent) relative to non-GVC firms (24 percent).

“When countries open themselves to trade, women’s share of wages in the manufacturing sector increase by 5.8 percentage points on average.

When women are employed in sectors with high exports, they are more likely to be formally employed. Formal employment means better

job benefits, training, and job security,”nit stated.

The report also highlighted the importance of addressing discrimination against women in trade policy. Although no country overtly imposes tariffs according to gender, implicit biases can amount to “pink tariffs” that put women at an economic disadvantage.

Furthermore, it showed that products specifically consumed by women face a higher tariff burden than men’s products.

In the textile sector, for instance, tariffs on women’s apparel are $2.77 billion higher than on men’s clothing, a consumption gap that grew about 11 percent in real terms between 2006 and 2016.

“Disparities like this can hurt Continued on page 20

The Head of Media Management and Public Relations at the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Mr. Sonny Aragba-Akpore, has retiredfromtheCommissionafterattainingtheretirementageof60years.

Aragba-Akpore, who was a former Information and Communications Technology/News Editor at the Guardian Newspaper, worked at the NigerianCommunicationsSatelliteLimited(NigComSat)beforejoining NCCin2014.

Speakingatavaledictorypartyheldinhishonourrecently,whichwasattended physically and virtually by staff of the Commission, the Executive Vice ChairmanofNCC,Prof.UmarDanbatta,appreciatedthelevelofprofessionalismAragba-AkporebroughttobearonhisworkattheCommission.

RepresentedattheeventbytheDirector,Projects,AbigailSholanke,Danbatta commendedAragba-Akporeforusinghismanyyearsofindustryexperience and knowledge as a media professional and corporate communication managertocreatearobustrelationshipwithbothmainstreamandonline mediastakeholders,which,hesaid,contributedsignificantlytotheoverall positiveimageandfavourablepublicperceptionofNCC. “OnbehalfoftheBoard,ManagementandStaffofCommission,wewish you a successful retirement and fruitful engagements in your future endeavours,”Danbattasaid.

Inhisremarks,Director,PublicAffairsDepartment,Dr.IkechukwuAdinde, said:“WithintheshorttimeIworkedwithMr.Aragba-Akpore,Ifoundhim tobeamanofuncommonpassionforhiswork.”Hedescribedhimasavery committedandhardworkingcolleague,andwishedhimincreaseddivine favour,asheretiresfromtheservicesoftheCommission.

Responding, Aragba-Akpore expressed gratitude to the management andstaffoftheCommissionfortheirsupportandcooperationduringhis serviceandfororganisingavaledictoryceremonyinhishonour,sayinghe enjoyedworkingwiththeNCC.

Netcom Moves to Address IT Security

Netcom Africa, a Managed IT Service Provider has stressed the need for businesses to have a robust virtual security architecture in today’s changingbusinessenvironment.

NetcomAfrica,whichisalsoanoutsourcingfirmhasbroughttothefore a bouquetofinformationtechnology(IT)securitysolutionsforbusinesses inNigeria.

Withthehighrisingincidentsofbreachesinvariousorganisations,investing inITsecuritybecomesmoreimperativeinordertosecurecriticalassets andinformation.

Citing recent reports on IT security, the company said over N127 billion losses annually were recorded as a result of security breaches in the country,with$2.1trillionworldwide.

Itwasreportedthatover60percentofsmallandmediumsizedbusinesses that suffer a cyber security breach would go out of business within six monthsofthebreachduetoreputationdamage,customerandfinancial loss,andlegalactions.

Netcom Africa has introduced top-notch security solutions that would addresstheissueofbreaches. Overtheyears,Netcomhassolidifiedits footprint in Nigeria’s tech market with the deployment of robust cyber securityservicestargetingNigeriancorporatewherehigh-endtechservices aresteadilyontherise.

Journalist Bags Doctorate Degree

AjournalistandPublicRelationspractitioner,AmuzieAkpaka,hasbagged aDoctoratedegreeinBusinessAdministration.Akpaka,aformerEditor ofthedefunctTHISWEEKMAGAZINE,inthelate80s,wasoneofthesix thousandstudents,fromallovertheworld,whocelebratedtheirgraduation fromWaldenUniversitywithitsheadquarterinMinneapolis,Minnesota in USA, on Saturday July 18th through a virtual ceremony, on account of theongoingcoronaviruspandemic.

AkpakagraduatedfromWaldenUniversity’sCollegeofManagementand TechnologywithaDoctorofBusinessAdministrationdegree(DBA).He had in the late 90s bagged a Master of Business Administration (MBA) fromDeltaStateUniversity,specializinginMarketing.

ForhisDBAdegree,AkpakaspecialisedinSocialImpactManagementand hisdissertationtitled,“CollaborationinCorporateSocialResponsibility ProgramsinNigeria’sOilIndustry,”wasanexplorationofstrategiesCSR programmanagersusetoengagestakeholderstoimproveCSRoutcomes fromtheconceptofliteralreplicationperspective.

“Konga has received enquiries from the New York Stock Exchange, the London Stock Exchange and the Nigerian Stock Exchange to list on these markets. It’s something that will happen as part of our African expansion plan when Konga becomes a multi-billion-dollar business” Co-Chief Executive Officer, Konga Group,

Mr. Nnamdi Ekeh

T H I S D AY ˾ ʹ, 2020

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BUSINESSWORLD REPORT: COVID-19 COMPELS SKILLED WORKERS TO LIVE ON BORROWING main source of income, 58 per cent of respondents reported they could not cover household expenses for a month without borrowing. Most have made sacrifices to cope with the pandemic and accompanying economic dislocation.

“Over half of gig workers have already reduced their household expenses, almost half borrowed money, and nearly three out of four had to rely on savings.

“Yet, only one in five are seeking additional income – a low figure possibly driven by the strictly enforced COVID-19 lockdown.”

As part of the survey questionnaire, gig workers were asked to share anonymous comments to describe how they are faring in the current conditions.

“People are not buying as they used to do,” said a delivery driver. “The number of deliveries has dramatically dropped. It is a big challenge now.” An e-hailing driver said, “We are eating two meals a day. That is what we can afford now.”

The report projected that in the next six months, nearly all respondents plan to restart or continue the work they were doing before the lockdown. The majority are concerned about the ability to earn an income, find work, cover day-to-day work expenses. For four out of five people, health risk associated with returning to work was not a top concern.

‘WOMEN GAIN ECONOMIC BENEFITS FROM GREATER TRADE’ women consumers all over the world. Targeted policies can help women maximise the benefits of trade. These include removing trade barriers that impede women’s access to international markets and improving women’s access to education, financial services, and digital technologies. “Governments can design trade facilitation measures that remove gender-specific barriers to trade. These measures could address burdensome customs requirements, limited access to trade finance, and exposure to extortion or physical harassment at borders,” it added.

Group Business Editor

NEWS

Galaxy Backbone Assures Nigerians on NICTIB Implementation Stories by Emma Okonji The Director General and Chief Executive Officer of Galaxy Backbone, Muhammad Abubakar, has assured Nigerians of the full implementation of the $400 million National Information and Communications Technology Infrastructure Backbone (NICTIB) Phase II project.

While listing the benefits of the technology project to the Nigerian economy, Abubakar told THISDAY that Galaxy Backbone, which is the technology implementing agency of the NICTIB Phase II project and Nigeria ICT Broadband facilitator for national development, would be committed to the full implementation of the project.

According to him, “At the completion of the project, it will deepen the broadband penetration in Nigeria, which is targeted to reach 70 per cent by 2025, up from its current 34.2 per cent penetration. It will also improve the internet and network communications experience of not just agencies of government, but of the entire nation.”

Abubakar’s assurance is coming on the heels of the recent clarification given by the Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Mr. Abubakar Malami, who allayed concerns over the signing of the $400

million loan for the project with China Exim Bank, which has an alleged clause that waives the sovereign immunity of Nigeria to China, if Nigeria default in the repayment plan.

Speaking on the controversy surrounding the signing of the $400 million loan for the technology project, Abubakar said: “Galaxy Backbone would like to categorically state that NICTIB Phase II project is a sovereign loan of national scope

and for national infrastructural development in the area of ICT National Broadband between the Federal Republic of Nigeria (Federal Ministry of Finance, Budget and National Planning) and China Exim Bank, representing the Republic of China.

“Galaxy Backbone is only an implementing agency under the supervision of Federal Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy to oversee the full implementation of this project.

“It is important to note that NICTIB Phase II project is one of the projects in the National Borrowing Plan recently approved by the National Assembly and is yet to commence.”

The House of Representatives Committee on Treaties, Protocols and Agreements, had identified some clauses in the $400 million loan for the National Information and Communications Technology Infrastructure Backbone (NICTIB) Phase II project

which, the lawmakers said, could threaten the sovereignty of our country Nigeria.

The lawmakers who are reviewing the nation’s loan agreements with nations across the world, had invited the Federal Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy, which supervises Galaxy Backbone, the implementing agency, to discuss the loan agreements in respect of NICTIB phase II and its project implementation.

CIBN GOVERNING COUNCIL INAUGURATION

R-L: Registrar/Chief Executive, Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria (CIBN), Mr. Seye Awojobi; Vice President, Prof Deji Olanrewaju; President/Chairman, Mr. Bayo Olugbemi; First Vice President, Mr. Ken Opara, and National Treasurer, Mr. Dele Alabi, during the virtual inauguration of the CIBN Governing Council Committees held in Lagos... recently PHOTO ETOP UKUTT

Konga Eyes Global Stock Market Listing in Expansion Plan Konga has said it is planning to list on global stock markets as part of its expansion plan, after investing well over $120 million in Nigeria since it was acquired two years ago.

The Co-Chief Executive Officer, Konga Group, Nnamdi Ekeh, who made the disclosure recently, said: ‘‘Konga has received enquiries from the New York Stock Exchange, the London Stock Exchange and the Nigerian Stock Exchange to list on these markets.

“It’s something that will

happen as part of our African expansion plan when Konga becomes a multi-billion-dollar business.’’

Ekeh who recounted losses in e-Commerce market as a result of hash business environment and poor infrastructure, said: ‘‘Though we started with a monthly loss of N400 million, but with new systems, structure and energy put in place, we have gradually been reducing losses to about N100 million loss per month.

According to him, “e-

Commerce is an expensive project but we are best positioned to deliver as a very innovative technology company.”

Ekeh made the disclosure during a programme monitored on Channels TV recently.

Describing Konga as a technology company with lots of innovations, Ekeh explained that Konga employs directly and indirectly over 150,000 Nigerians, most of whom are merchants, logistics and other service providers.

He added: “We partner to create a trusted and sustainable digitally-driven ecosystem and working hard to scale this to about 250,000 before the end of 2020. ‘‘We see ourselves as more than just an e-Commerce company. Konga is a technology company and as a technology company, we are positioned to leverage that status in deploying new solutions and innovations.

“Indeed, no one should be surprised if tomorrow, Konga

starts launching space ships into orbit. Although we have received several offers from interested investors, we are content with the group that is currently funding Konga.

“The group is highly ethical and want us to maintain the highest level of integrity. Our investors have assured us of enough capital to survive the next five years at least. This was why we did not accommodate a valuation of $300 million from a consortium of global investors last year.”

Smile Enhances Customer Experience with Dual SIM Smile Communications has introduced the first entry-level dual-SIM and Voice over 4G LTEenable smartphone, to increase access to 4G LTE network at a more affordable rate.

The SmileVoLTE dual SIM smartphone, which is Google approved and manufactured in partnership with Mediatek, comes pre-loaded with applications including the SmileVoice App, WhatsApp, twitter, skype, Instagram, YouTube, music and

FM radio and includes innovative features like fingerprint and face recognition for smartphone private access and security.

The smartphone, with the same chipset used in other leading smartphone brands, comes equipped with 1.3 Ghz Dual core, VoLTE-enabled, 5MP front camera, 8MP back camera, 2950mAH battery, 5.45” HD touchscreen, 2GB RAM and 16GB ROM. Speaking on the new product,

Chief Marketing Officer of Smile Nigeria, Abdul Hafeez, noted that Smile was keen at making another impressive mark in the rapidly growing Nigerian market.

He said: “We are making available to customers one of the best VoLTE Smartphones in the market with 4G LTE capabilities and an AlwaysOn internet access for non-stop 30-day internet connection. The market is moving much faster

in the broadband direction and we want Nigerians to enjoy the best that broadband can offer hence the introduction of this new SmileVoLTE smartphone.”

Hafeez explained that, “with the launch of the SmileVoLTE smartphone our customers are assured of a quality product that will beat the existing benchmark in the Nigerian market”.

To him, offering customers’ quality and innovative products are upper-most in the company’s

strategic plans. He assured that the new SmileVoLTE smartphone would be very beneficial to the user in more ways than one.

Smile launched the first 4G LTE network in West Africa in Nigeria in 2014 revolutionising the way people access the internet. The new SmileVoLTE smartphone can easily be bought from Smile shops in Lagos, Abuja, Port Harcourt, Ibadan, Benin City, Kaduna, Onitsha and Asaba.

Obinna Chima

Capital Market Editor

Goddy Egene

Comms/e-Business Editor

Emma Okonji

Senior Correspondent

Raheem Akingbolu (Advertising) Correspondents

Chinedu Eze (Aviation) Eromosele Abiodun (Maritime) James Emejo (Finance) Ebere Nwoji (Insurance) Chineme Okafo (Energy) Reporters

Nume Ekeghe (Money Market) Nosa Alekhuogie (ICT)

Group Seeks New Strategies to Address Cybersecurity The Nigeria Computer Society (NCS), a body of information technology (IT) professionals, interest groups and stakeholders in Nigeria, is preparing for the best line-up of leading researchers, entrepreneurs, among others, that that will come up with strategies to address Nigeria’s cybersecurity challenges.

NCS has identified cybersecurity and other challenges

as major issues plaguing the Nigerian economy, which it seeks to address in its forthcoming International Conference, scheduled to hold next week, via webinar.

Addressing a virtual press conference this week, the President of NCS, Prof.

Adesina Sodiya, said with the theme of this year’s conference, tagged: “Emerging Applications and Technolo-

gies for Industry 4.0 (EATI 2020),” NCS plans to come up with innovative strategies for addressing the country’s cybersecurity and privacy challenges in industry 4.0.

Sodiya said NCS would come up with new ideas and strategies from the international conference that would help it to use Artificial Intelligence (AI) Identity and Population management strat-

egies for stimulating digital economy, youth innovation and sustainable productivity.

In order to address the challenges of future learning in the digital era, Sodiya said there was need for collaboration between academics and industry to address the need for Industry 4.0 applications and techniques.

“Applications and techniques in high performance

computing and networks, technology governance, policy and regulatory framework, smart manufacturing, implications for Small, Medium and Large-Scale Enterprises, Connectivity Infrastructural Requirements for Industry 4.0 Financial Systems and Services for Industry 4.0, will produce a smart and digital Nigeria,” Sodiya said.

T H I S D AY ˾ ʹ, 2020

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BUSINESSWORLD

ANALYSIS

Assessing Mobile Data Routing Capabilities Emma Okonji examines the quality and strength of mobile data devices like routers and MiFi used in routing internet connectivity

A

s voice service reached its peak in the telecoms sector, mobile data service has become the new resource and the new oil that will drive the global telecoms sector and economies.

The COVID-19 pandemic has also thrown open the relevance of mobile data at a time when individuals, businesses, government and all sectors of the economy, need data connectivity to stay online and connect online.

At a time like this, where majority of businesses and government agencies are getting connected to the internet through data connectivity, the data service providers are also striving to enhance the experience of their mobile data customers and have strategic edge over their competitors.

In 2001 when Mobile Networks Operators (MNOs) rolled out mobile phone communication services, the battle for market share was fierce, and was mainly characterized by voice communication services. At that time, MTN captured the larger chunk of the voice market, a position it maintained till date, with a current market share of 39.61 per cent, followed by Globacom with a current market share of 27.12 per cent, and Airtel with a current market share 26.83 per cent. 9mobile, the fourth telecoms operator offering GSM services, has a current market share of 6.37 per cent.

GSM technology evolution for voice communication first started with 2G technology and later advanced to 2.5G, 3G, before Smile pioneered 4G LTE, which came with higher speed of connectivity, higher download and upload speeds. It also supported higher definition video either from TV or from video conferencing.

When it got to its peak, mobile communications started shifting towards data, a development that raised the demand for data services, over and above voice services. The shift compelled data service providers to start offering robust data services, with lots of mouth-watering promotional products and services.

The effectiveness of their services, however depends on their robust mobile data devices powered by the best technology, through which data services are offered.

4G LTE technology The speed of connectivity, coupled with the upload and download capacities, is largely depended on the kind of technology deployed and the sophistication of the equipment used in deploying the technology.

The quality of mobile data service is majorly dependent on the product types with particular reference to Routers and MIFIs, which are the gadgets from which signals are transmitted to address network connectivity that will meet customers’ needs.

Data connectivity could be enabled on different platforms, but on the 4G network, the Long Term Evolution (LTE), also known as 4G LTE is the standard set for high-speed wireless communication for smartphones, tablets, netbooks, notebooks and wireless hotspots terminals in Nigeria.

4G LTE is more than 10 times faster than 3G and 4G LTE averages up to 1,000Megabits per second (Mbps) while actual use may be in the region of 100 Mbps.

While Smile, Spectranet, Swift and iPNx are at the forefront in offering “4G LTE” in Nigeria, mobile network operators (MNOs) such as Airtel, Glo, MTN, ntel, joined the race, much later, a development that later deepened data service offerings in the country.

4G LTE devices Routers and Mi-Fi are the types of connectivity devices used by mobile data service providers that account for their performance levels. For instance, high standard 4G LTE equipment depends on the model, item height and width, wireless type and depth of the Routers or the Mi-Fi. Again their weight, control, power supply, user connection, operating system (OS), and number of connections, range, modem speed, frequency, security and antennae capacity, determine the strength of the equipment to

Router and MiFi devices

deliver quality service.

A mobile Wi-Fi, allows users to connect multiple devices like smartphones and laptops to a single 4G data SIM and get online anywhere at any time as long as there is a steady telecom signal.

Unlike smartphone’s data capabilities, Mi-Fi and Routers are designed with strong signal capabilities to the point that the device can rarely slip to 2G unless in a remote area. A Mi-Fi simply implements a minimal router interface unlike the rest of the two routers.

On the other hand Wi-Fi router, is a

When it got to its peak, mobile communications started shifting towards data, a development that raised the demand for data services, over and above voice services.

The shift compelled data service providers to start offering robust data services, with lots of mouth-watering promotional products and services

mid-sized console that usually mounted in a single stable place or corner pumping strong signals to all connected devices.

Although the device is relatively bigger as compared to its mobile version, the gadget implements multiple features that are simple. Mi-Fi can’t pull off for a stable internet connection.

However, in most cases, the device is never gifted with a SIM slot as compared to the Mi-Fi router but instead, distribute internet connectivity to connected devices from a mother wired router.

A comparison of the routers of four data services provider gives an indication of the leading providers of mobile data service in Nigeria and helps customers make an informed choice.

Router is a device that enables wireless network and serves as an access point in a local area network, while the Wi-Fi is a facility that allows computers, smartphones and other devices to be connected to the internet, but MiFi is a brand of wireless router that acts as mobile Wi-Fi hotspots.

Router devices, one of the equipment used in delivering mobile data services, comes in different model.

Comparative analysis Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) like Globacom, MTN, Airtel, and 9mobile, including telecoms companies like Smile Communications and ntel, up to core Internet Service Provides (ISPs) like Spectranet, Swift Networks, IPNX, among others, offer fixed and mobile data services to their customers at different pricing.

The services are offered through different device specifications that give customers opportunity to make choices on the different data bundles to subscribe to, depending on the cost of data bundle, speed of connectivity

and the flexibility of connectivity from the different devices.

Smile Communications, which is known for data and voice over 4G LTE offerings, has both the Router and MiFi devices, which come in different models, through which it offers mobile data services to customers.

With a models of SM-B940 for its Router device, and SM-LT300, SM-MF833Z for its MiFi devices, Smile Communications offers mobile data services, using four antennae (2 WiFi, 2 LTE for its Router, which bring connectivity at high speed, while having internally built antennae for its MiFi devices.

Giving details of mobile data offerings, Head of Products at Smile Communications, one of the mobile data service providers, Mr. Dipesh Kumar, said: “Smile Communications has large battery capacity for both its Wi-Fi and Router devices, as large as 5,200mAh for its Router device and 3,000mAh-3;200mAh for its Mi-Fi devices, which he said, give the devices long lasting battery life that enables it to operate up to 7-10 hours, when fully charged.”

He said while the Router device could connect up to between 16 to 32 users the same time without dwindling in optimal service delivery, its Mi-Fi devices come with LCD screen to show signal and battery strengths.

According to Kumar, “Mi-Fi devices has the ability to hide and display password on LCD screen for data usage security and to support customer privacy preferences for their connection.

“Customers can also view data usage statistics of each connected device, as the MiFi shows the upload and download stats for each device, as well as the Internet Protocol (IP) address of connected device.

“It shows the duration of connection of each device and allows the customer block connected devices as may be required and provides security password per device for both wifi and the web user.”

The Chief Executive Officer of Spectranet, a core ISP operator, Mr. Ajay Awasthi, said with low amount, customers could enjoy good data offerings from the Spectranet data plans from its unified value plans.

According to him, “Spectranet offers Blue Freedom MiFi, Evo MiFi, Flyt, CPE and Ace MiFi that could connect as much as 10 users at a time, with a wide coverage area network in towns and cities like Lagos, Abuja, Port Harcourt, Songo and Ibadan.”

Globacom, one of the MNOs that offers mobile data service, has various range of mobile service offerings that are available at affordable prices. According to Information on its websites, which speaks to its mobile data offerings, Globacom has daily, weekly and monthly mobile data plans.

The Glo 4G MiFi can connect up to 15 devices, including smartphones, tablets, laptop, desktop, in one single connection.

The Glo MiFi, which is used to offer mobile data service, also adapts itself to offices and events venues, being able to beam the Glo 4G wireless internet signals over a wide expanse of space.

The Glo MiFi comes with fast browsing speed and unlimited monthly data plan.

It has large battery size that can work for over five hours when fully charged. All other MNOs offer mobile data services through their customised MiFI, which is a mobile WiFi device for internet connectivity at high speed upload and download.

Ratings From the technical indicators, based on the parameters used in the comparative analysis and assessment, the ratings of the four mobile data providers under review shows that in terms of the strength of the different router and Wi-Fi equipment deployed by the service providers, Smile is 71 per cent, Airtel 68 per cent, Glo 64 per cent and Spectranet 63.5 per cent. Evidently, the Smile 4GLTE router capabilities, coupled with its competitive data plan, network coverage area, and customer relations and service, has the edge in so many ways, offering the customer the best choice for much needed data experience.

T H I S D AY Ëž Í´, 2020

22

NBC’s Sixth Code as Threat to Businesses?

Raheem Akingbolu writes on the sixth code for broadcasting in Nigeria as instituted by the National Broadcasting Commission and wonders if the development will not erode the value of advertising and entertainment businesses

S

ince over a decade ago when the news about the overlapping functions between the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) and Advertising Practitioners Council of Nigeria (APCON) broke out, there hasn’t been any issue that has been controversial as the ongoing debate about the amendment to the sixth code for broadcasting, which again tends to have subsumed some of the APCON’s regulatory roles.

Among other objectives, the aims of the amendments to the NBC Code was to create restrictions for monopolistic behavior in the broadcast industry, provide for local content in the broadcast industry and increase advertising revenue for broadcast stations and content producers.

It establishes codes of practice relating to content acquisition, sharing of content rights for rebroadcasting and technical standards for media services; and for the regulation standards of fair market.

Prohibition of exclusive licensing and sports right Because of its sensitivity to entertainment and sports, the area that touches on acquisition of sports rights in the amended NBC Code, has continued to generate furor.

For instance, in the commission’s bid to ensure fair and effective competition on all platforms at an agreed fee, rights owners to live foreign sporting events are mandatorily required to offer the rights to broadcasters on other platforms.

Also, in section 02.2.7 with anti- competitive objectives declaration, the code says â€œâ€Śeffective competition in broadcast industry in Nigeria, or in the absence of a competitive market.â€? Maybe an oversight, NBC hasn’t at any forum or through the amended code make any determination whether there is an absence of a competitive market or whether there in indeed any market failure or risk to consumers.

But if the amended code has its way, broadcasters or licensees would be prohibited from entering

Mohammed into any form of agreement, concerted practices or taking any decision which has the objective of preventing competition in the broadcasting industry. With it, exclusive broadcasting that would exclude persons, broadcasters or licensees in Nigeria from sub-licensing same may be a thing of the past.

Reacting to this while speaking with THISDAY, a development communication scholar and journalism teacher at Lagos State University, Tunde Akanni, said the code’s stand against exclusive licensing and sports right was also against global best practice. He stated further that if the commission had done its homework very well, perhaps those who drafted the amendment would have discovered it might not fly. “In one of my published works after the new code was unveiled, I predicted the impracticability of the new proposal. Aside the fact that it looks away from the reality of the global best practices, it’s alarming that NBC has moved deliberately against the tide of reality in the creative world. To me, with the new code, NBC appears to be dampening Nigeria’s huge promise and playing out the “happiest moment as saddest encounter.

“How? NBC now wants to protect exclusivity of content broadcasting. In its recent amendment contained in the new Code, the Commission insists rights holders, after daring investment risks, must sub-license to other broadcasters, the contents they should have exclusive rights to.

NBC argues that the amendment was imperative to boost local content production and make broadcast sector a better level playing field.

How illogical! NBC hardly seeks the perception of the players before coming to this conclusion. “If fighting ‘monopoly’ in the mould NBC conceives were to be deemed foolproof, the experience of the defunct HiTV is enough a warner. At a time in the recent past, HiTV held the exclusive rights to the indomitable English Premier League. It never shared it with other broadcasters but it’s all history today. The lesson: holding exclusive rights to premium content constitutes only a component of broadcasting,� said the university don.

Besides, given that the NBC has licensed several other DTH operators and pay-tv services, who operate in the same market, with some of them holding exclusive rights to some premium contents and the fact that none of them at this time has reported to the commission any allegation of unfair market conduct or anti-competitive conduct, many observers have argued that many things are not adding in this section.

Another case of overlapping functions For advertising practitioners, especially those who are familiar with APCON’s modus operandi, Sections 7.8 -7.9 of the sixth code was considered an aberration on the part of the NBC. Some analysts, who reviewed the code, have concluded that these rules however well-intentioned are outside of the remit of NBC, especially in drafting them without broad stakeholders’ input. “This should be APCON’s role or at best in conjunction with the council. But for a broadcast regulator to deploy such emotive prescriptive language in a regulation of enterprise which though impacts its licensee is outside its remit is

another evidence of overreach and misconception of what NBC is, and should be doing, in an evolving digital media marketplace,� an analysts had stated.

Again, the clause in Section 7.8.2 shows the apparent level of misconception. On face value, it reads and sound very nationalistic, but the unintended consequences are vast. Consider the possibilities that Nigerian content – TV shows, music videos and the rest now received similar treatment in other African and indeed Asian markets. The question many stakeholders are asking is whether Nigeria would maintain its place as global content player.

Without placing incentives that will help advertisers/agencies/ producers to achieve this goal, it is believed that this will fail, and cause more harm, giving room for below the table dealings.

Like in many sections, questions are being asked around whether NBC has the capacity to audit what is produced locally and to ascertain such are. Has the NBC conducted any study to find out why Nigerian advertisers chose to produce abroad? Has it discussed this with the industry?

Unpaid Advertising Rates Of all the areas treated in the amended code, the section on unpaid advertising rate has been described as one of the best but again, it has been recommended for redrafting as a result of loose ends. Besides, many observers have also argued that the area should be an industry self-regulatory mechanism and not direct regulation from the NBC. In addressing the clause, the broadcasting regulatory authority has been charged to understand the distinction between self-regulation and regulation. It is believed that this could create broad framework under which industry self-regulation can happen and agree which areas and what levels, before direct intervention.

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

Covid-19: Way Forward for Nigeria Folusho Adeyinka

N

igeria like every other country in the world is going through an unprecedented ravage of coronavirus which emanated from Wuhan in China in December 2019.

The country is looking for a way round this challenge just like every other country in the world.

Ultimately they are hoping to get a vaccine or cure which hopefully will provide a lasting solution to the pandemic.

Nigeria till date (July 25, 2020), has officially registered about 39,977 cases with 856 Covid-19 related deaths since the first case was registered in the country in February 2020. This is a good report when compared to reports from other much developed countries in Europe and USA. The USA for instance has recorded over 4.34 million cases with 149,552 deaths as of 25th July, since their first case was recorded in January 2020.

So what is the way forward for Nigeria?

While we acknowledge and appreciate the good works being done by the PTF, the NCDC and some states like Lagos, Delta and Kaduna to proactively stop the spread of this virus in Nigeria, we believe the ultimate solution is for the government to implement a holistic approach of redesigning every private and public hospital in Nigeria to become a screening/on the spot testing/sample collection centre for this virus or any other future infectious diseases in the future.

This may just be the permanent solution to this problem.

How is this a permanent solution? r/P IPTQJUBM DBO UVSO CBDL BOZCPEZ again because they can screen/test/take samples of everybody that comes around. r&WFSZCPEZ UIBU DPNFT UP UIF IPTQJUBM JT screened first for covid-19, and if suspected of the virus can take on the spot rapid test. r*G OPU TBUJTĂ FE XJUI UIF PO UIF TQPU rapid test result, the patient can probe further by asking the hospital to collect his/ her nose swipe samples, which can then be sent to NCDC to do a comprehensive test in their molecular laboratory. This test takes 24-96 hours according to NCDC. r5IJT NBLFT UIF USFBUNFOU PG BJMNFOUT like Malaria or Typhoid that present similar symptoms to the Covid-19 virus possible without mixing it up with the virus infection. r4P UIF QBUJFOU LOPXT IJT IFS TUBUVT on the spot and can be treated or sent to isolation centre or sent back home to selfisolate for 14 days if he/she is asymptotic or showing mild symptoms. r.FBOXIJMF UIF QBUJFOU TJUT JO B TQFDJBM room to wait for the on the spot results. r*G UIF QBUJFOU EFDJEFT GPS B DPNQSFIFOsive test from NCDC, it means he has to come back after 24-96 hours depending on the location and distance from the nearest molecular laboratory. r5IFZ DBO UIFO CF USFBUFE GPS UIFJS ailment after they get their results after 24-96 hours or sent back home to self-isolate if it is mild symptom or taken to isolation centre if it presents a serious case. r5IPTF JO SVSBM BSFBT PS SFNPUF BSFBT should have factored the extra days to their treatment especially if they have to do a proper NCDC test from molecular

laboratory. r5IJT XBZ FWFSZPOF DBO HP BCPVU UIFJS business normally. Every situation can now return back to the new normal lives. r5IF SFUVSO NBZ CF TMPX CVU TVSFMZ JU will return within say six months of this implementation. r8IJMF UIF GPDVT TIPVME TIJGU GSPN UIF numbers to how well we adapt to these new normal lives. There is no need to panic. r*G BOE XIFO UIFSF JT BOPUIFS PVUCSFBL PG any other infectious flu, in say 3 or 5 years that requires another 18 months to get the vaccine or if there is another 2nd wave of same Covid-19 virus, this system is already in place to handle it and there will be no need for another lockdown. r$IVSDIFT DBO BMTP DBVUJPVTMZ SFTVNF following the NCDC guidelines and there is no need to panic because anyone who has any symptom can go to the nearest hospital for screening or testing or treatment. The churches just need to observe basic temperature test and social distancing rules for their members. r.PTRVFT UPP DBO SFTVNF QSBDUJDJOH same basic rules like the churches. r5IF IPTQJUBMT XJMM TPNFXIBU CF IBQQZ to do the screening and used as collection centres for nose samples, since it will allow them carry on their activities normally and they will not be scared of being closed by government due to covid-19 virus treatment. r0VS TDIPPMT UPP DBO SFTVNF GVMMZ following the NCDC guidelines i.e. apply the same temperature checks and social distancing rules. r0VS FWFOU DFOUSFT BOE IPUFMT DBO BMTP open observing the basic social distancing and basic temperatures rules.

r(PWFSONFOU NBZ DPOUJOVF UP CFBS UIJT cost of testing or they may pass the cost to hospitals who in turn can pass it down to individuals. r"OZUJNF XF BSF BCMF UP HFU UIF DVSF PS vaccine, everyone suspected of the virus can just go voluntarily to the nearest hospital for test and cure. r5IBU UIFPSZ GPS UIPTF XIP CFMJFWF JO UIF conspiracy theory) that this virus is targeted towards giving them a vaccine will fall flat.

Why? Because nobody will be forced to take any injection as there will be no need for any compulsory vaccination. r5IF LJOE PG DPOGVTJPO UIBU XF TFF OPX in some of our states and even amongst the ministers will be taken care of once they implement the same thing. That is every hospital becomes a screening/collection centres for samples of nose swipes. r"OE XIBU XJMM CF UIF DPTU PG JNQMFNFOUing these changes? Just for government to direct that all the hospitals to make available the PPE – (at least the Kiosk type which is cheaper and readily availablesample shown below), for their frontline medical officers, little changes in the front office designs and most importantly the will and our collective determination to make this happen. r"OE XIZ JNQMFNFOU B IPTQJUBM XJEF screening/testing? Because we are at the community transmission phase of the virus, where contact tracing may not be very effective again.

This is a personal but professional proposed process re-engineering solution to this pandemic in conjunction with medical professionals’ advices.

-Adeyinka wrote from Lagos

THURSDAY AUGUST 6, 2020 • T H I S D AY

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T H I S D AY ˾ AUGUST 6, 2020

HEALTH & LIFESTYLE

ÜÙßÚ ÏËÞßÜÏÝ ÎÓÞÙÜ˝ ÒÓÏ×ÏÖÓÏ äÏÙÌÓ ×ËÓÖ chiemelie.ezeobi@thisdaylive.com, Tel: 07010510430

Kicking Out Viral Hepatitis through Testing, Vaccination With 11 per cent of Nigerians said to be infected with viral Hepatitis, Olpharm Nigeria Limited and the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital hope to change the narrative and eliminate the scourge by 2030 through campaign for adequate testing and vaccination. Funmi Ogundare writes

T

he prevalence of hepatitis in the body cannot be over emphasised, as it could easily be contracted from a victim via contact of body fluids, either through sexual contact, body contact or even saliva. If not adequately treated, the virus could develop into a more severe state known as Hepatitis B which results in scarring of the liver, abnormal functionality of the liver and in due time, liver cancer.

In a move to kick out the virus, Olpharm Nigeria Limited in collaboration with the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH) has made efforts to get the vaccine at a subsidised rate so that infected patients could have access to it.

Speaking at a programme to mark the World Hepatitis Day (WHD), with theme, ‘ Finding the Missing Millions’, and sub-theme, ‘Prevention of Mother to Child Transmission’, the Managing Director Olpharm, Mr. Johnson Olusetire said his organisation also partnered 21 NGOs in Nigeria that belongs to the world hepatitis alliance who will get the vaccine at a highly subsidised rate from them, while Olpharm offers free test.

According to him, “the vaccine is expensive.

That is why we are partnering LASUTH and about 21 nongovernmental organisations in Nigeria that belongs to the world hepatitis alliance and they are getting the vaccine at highly subsidised rate from us. There is need for testing, if you come, we have some centres/ hospitals that we do send patients to, to test free of charge.

“After testing, and they are negative, that means they have to take the vaccine, but if you are positive, you have to take immunoglobulin.

That is why we are telling Nigerians that you can get quality vaccine both for children and adults at subsidised rate, so that you can be protected from it. It is a viral infection. Symptoms include; fatigue, nausea, mild fever, jaundice, abdominal pains, among others. You have to go for test.”

The Head of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Department of Internal Medicine, LASUTH, Professor Charles Onyekwere said July 28 was set aside to reawaken interest in the fight against viral hepatitis which is a major cause of deaths in the world.

He noted that the virus kills about one third of the world population, adding that 290 million people are currently living with it and it causes over a million deaths annually.

“The Federal Ministry of Health has actually done some studies and found out that 11 per cent of the population actually has it. There are differences in prevalence, some have higher and some lower. For instance, in Lagos, they found that five to six per cent of the population is suffering from it.”

L-R: Area Sales Manager, Olpharm Nigeria Limited, Mr. Charles Okunrinju; Managing Director, Olpharm, Mr. Johnson Olusetire; Head of Gastroenterology and Hepatology Unit, LASUTH, Professor Charles Onyekwere; Head of Department of Medicine, LASUTH, Dr. Adebo Adekoya; and Senior Registrar, Gastroenterology Unit, Department of Internal Medicine, LASUTH, Dr. Cara Cookey, during an event to mark World Hepatitis Day in Lagos recently

The viral hepatitis, Onyekwere noted, are classified into A, B, C, D and E, adding that hepatitis A and E are self-limiting.

“Though people recover from it, B, C and D have the tendency to persist in infected persons.

It could be there for a long time causing harm.

Hapatitis B has some characteristics that make it difficult to completely eradicate by drugs. For now, we don’t have the drugs for it, but it can be controlled, “he said.

He stressed the need for a day to be set aside to reawaken the campaign so that people could get tested, know their status and ensures that those who are infected are treated and those not infected, to get them vaccinated.

The Senior Registrar, Gastroenterology Unit, Department of Internal Medicine LASUTH, Dr. Cara Cookey noted that every pregnant woman must register in a proper anti-natal centre where she is screened.

Once she is screened and found to have the virus, such a pregnant woman will be monitored and investigations will be conducted to check her viral load.

“Depending on some of the values, we may need to commence treatment during the pregnancy to reduce the chances of the baby getting infected. When the baby is born, there is post exposure prophylaxis so the baby is given a special vaccine to prevent hepatitis from the mother from taking roots in the baby’s liver. The vaccine is called hepatitis B heamonoglobin and it is given within 12 hours of the birth of the baby.”

Asked on the cost implications of managing it, she said, “The patience has to be monitored and followed up, there has to be laboratory investigations which involves blood test, ultra sound scan and CT Scan, most of which are borne out of pocket.

Part of what we are advocating for, is a health insurance scheme and government partnership to ensure that some of the cost of some of these investigations are brought down to the barest minimum.

“Already the government is doing one or two things especially in the field of the viral load. There is a Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) machine domiciled in LUTH and it

is able to review one of the viral loads at the cheapest cost in the country compared to other private laboratories. Nigeria Institute of Medical Research also has a PCR machine do viral load at the cheapest rate.”

She disclosed that that there is a body of gastroentologist domiciled in the country, adding that it was working hand in hand with government and federal ministry of health to come up with protocols and vaccination in its immunisation schedule.

“At our different hospitals, we usually hold health talks. One of the things we have come up with in our clinic is hepatitis leaflet which addresses the so many frequently asked questions by patients. So when patients come, we encourage them to ask questions. Unfortunately, this year, because of the COVID-19 pandemic, we were not able to do our rally especially on the world hepatitis day when we go out. Last year, we screened and we were able to vaccinate the medical students. It was part of what we did to mark the day. We were hoping that this year, we will be able to extend our vaccination to members of the public.”

NOUN Student Needs N12M for Kidney Transplant Martins Ifijeh A 400-level English student of the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN), Maryam Adaeze Musa has called on kind hearted Nigerians to help her raise N12 million for an urgent

lifesaving kidney transplant.

Maryam, a 23- year-old aspiring OAP, who has been suffering from kidney failure since 2019 said the transplant was the definitive treatment for the kidney failure.

She is currently on

dialysis every three days at the cost of N45,000 per session including the cost of drugs.

Being the first child of her parents and the breadwinner of her family when she was still healthy, she was combining work with schooling to

help her widowed mother, and younger siblings. She lost her father when she was only 13. According to doctors at the Avon Hospital where Maryam accesses dialysis, the treatment is a temporary one while the definitive therapy for the kidney failure is the

transplant for which she is seeking financial assistance to fund the medical procedure.

The health challenges of Maryam began when she was 10 years old, having been diagnosed with type two diabetes or juvenile diabetes. She has been

managing it until 2019 when the functions of her kidney failed.

For support, reach Maryam on 08131959930, 08122777058. Bank account number: 0104406217, Musa Maryam Adaeze, Diamond Access Bank.

Enugu Governor’s Wife Harps on Importance of Breastfeeding The Wife of the Governor of Enugu State, Mrs. Monica Ugwuanyi has called on parents and wives of local government chairmen to join in the campaign for exclusive breastfeeding of children.

Ugwuanyi made the call during a message to com-

memorate this year’s World Breastfeeding Week, tagged: “Supporting breastfeeding for a healthier planet.”

She listed the negative consequences of inadequate breastfeeding to include chronic diseases, malnutrition, and population vulnerability

to diseases, among others.

She said: “Babies should be introduced to breastfeeding within the first hour of life.

They should be placed on exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months of life; then after which introduced to solid food as complemen-

tary feeding and continuous breastfeeding for two years of age or beyond.

“Breast milk contains antibodies that help babies fight viruses and bacteria, lowers their risk of having asthma or allergies, provides the ideal nutrition for the babies and

makes them smarter. Babies who are exclusively breastfed for six months without a formula have fewer ear infections, respiratory illness and diarrhea.

“Breast milk is a natural, renewable food that is environmentally safe and green

because it is produced and delivered to the consumer without pollution, packaging or waste. We need to respect nature, by doing first thing, first! Breast milk is the first food that we consume in life and it is a critical part of sustainable food system.”

T H I S D AY Ëž AUGUST 6, 2020

25

HEALTH

ProstateCanceranditsImpactonFamilies:ExpandingtheDiscussion Dr. Tobechukwu Okobi Why discuss prostate cancer?

Prostate cancer is common enough among our aging men to be considered of public health concern. It is currently the most common non-skin cancer and the second leading cause of cancer deaths among men worldwide according to the World Health Organisation International Agency for Research on Cancer.

The American Cancer Society estimates that one out of every nine men will be found to have prostate cancer at some point in their lifetime.

Interestingly, race/ethnicity is the second most significant risk factor for prostate cancer after age with blacks having the highest risks compared to other racial groups.

In the American population, African American men including those with West African ancestry have the highest risks of having and dying from prostate cancer (data from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results Program 2020).

These statistics are concerning for a country like Nigeria which happens to have the largest concentration of indigenous blacks in the world.

Research studies done by a team of medical doctors from the University of Nigerian Teaching Hospital have shown that the number of new cases confirmed per year in Nigeria appears to be increasing and that a significant proportion of these confirmed cases die within two years of confirmation.

Okobi

What are recent developments with Prostate Cancer?

Consistent with the evidence that ethnicity is a major risk factor for prostate cancer, recent evidence has highlighted the large heritable component of the disease.

While some men with prostate cancer have developed the disease without any known factor accounting for it, a significant percentage of others have inherited a mutation in a gene that is associated with an increased chance of developing the disease.

These mutations can be passed down from generation to generation even when no individual in the family has previously been found to have cancer. This inheritable component is so remarkable that men with one immediate relative with prostate cancer have an increased risk of developing the

disease with the risk increasing with an increasing number of affected first-degree relatives.

Inheritance of these genetic mutations (“bad genes�) not only determines susceptibility to prostate cancer but other cancers as well including breast, ovarian and endometrial cancer. It also predisposes to an earlier onset disease occurring at a younger age than the expected average age of onset (66years), and a more aggressive disease compared to those without a predisposing inheritable genetic mutation.

In fact, the increased mortality from prostate cancer in black men has been linked to the genetics of the disease amongst other factors including socioeconomics and lifestyle. This recent and evolving information is noteworthy for Nigerian men who not only are at risk of the

disease by mere virtue of having a prostate gland but are also at increased risk as black men. The implications of these evolving knowledge might, therefore, become very beneficial in determining the trajectory of the disease course and outcome in this at-risk group.

Public health implications of these ďŹ ndings Globally, these recent findings of the role of genetic mutations in determining susceptibility have begun to influence genetic testing recommendations for prostate cancer patients, prostate cancer survivors, and their male and female family members. These genetic tests to identify these mutations can tell you if you have an inherited mutation contributing to your prostate cancer and can also provide information about you and your

relatives’ chances of developing cancer.

This knowledge is sharpening approaches to prostate cancer care as increasing evidence suggests that identifying men with mutations in certain cancer susceptibility genes can directly impact prostate cancer treatment and risk reduction in several ways. It provides the opportunity to facilitate the delivery of precise therapy and individualised treatment to prostate cancer patients as these patients have been shown to be particularly sensitive to certain specific medications Also, knowledge about the mutation status of these patients impacts treatment decision regarding whether to closely monitor without any interventions (active surveillance) or to actively treat them as actively treating those with identified predisposing mutations is becoming a preferred alternative considering the severity of the type of prostate cancer found in these individuals.

Importantly, genetic testing for genetic mutations predisposing to prostate cancer in these individuals not only benefits the patients but also offers healthy male and female family members the opportunity to be counseled and tested to inform their cancer risks. For healthy men at increased risk for prostate cancer, this understanding has the potential to influence a more beneficial targeted prostate cancer screening approach. This is particularly important as controversies surrounding current prostate cancer screening modality lingers on.

It is obvious that the identification of inheritable mutations predisposing to prostate cancer has implications on the assessment of personal risk for men and their families. Consequently, expanding education about the role of genetics in prostate cancer and increasing access to genetic testing has the potentials to differentially benefit those at the highest risk including Nigerian men.

As prostate cancer continues to be a source of concern for men of all races with advancing age, it is pertinent to understand the evolving science that has emerged in recent times concerning the disease as increasing awareness and knowledge about susceptibility to the disease may potentially shine a glimpse of hope in informing prostate cancer risk for men of this generation and the next. t %S 0LPCJ JT B /JHFSJBO USBJOFE NFEJDBM EPDUPS BOE BO 0ODPMPHZ 3FTFBSDIFS BGmMJBUFE UP (FPSHFUPXO 6OJWFSTJUZ 8BTIJOHUPO % $ 6OJUFE 4UBUFT

Pharmacist Council Seals 499 Vinci Hair Clinic Champions COVID-19:ImmunologistWarns againstFakeNews,Myths Premises over Professional Hair Loss Awareness Month contrary to popular belief, Omolabake Fasogbon Misconduct in Kwara in Nigeria, Others nose masks do not give total

Hammed Shittu Ă“Ă˜ Ă–Ă™ĂœĂ“Ă˜

The Pharmacists Council of Nigeria (PCN) has sealed 499 pharmacies and medicine shops in Kwara State for professional misconduct.

Announcing this recently, the Registrar, PCN, Mr Elijah Mohammed said 30 of the premises are pharmacies, while 469 are patent medicine stores.

He said the enforcement was carried out in order not to allow the residents have access to illicit drugs that may affect their social wellbeing.

Mohammed, who spoke through the Director of Enforcement, Pharmacists Council of Nigeria, Mr. Stephen Esumobi said, “ PCN enforcement team has been in Kwara since the beginning of this week with the aim to ensure that all premises where medicines are sold are registered, and have fulfilled conditions with respect to location, storage facilities, environment, documentation and personnel. “At the end of the enforcement exercise, a total of 687 premises comprising 98 pharmacies and 589 patent medicine shops were visited.

“A total of 499 premises made up of 30 pharmacies and 469 patent medicine shops were sealed for various offences; some of which include operating without registration with PCN, failure to renew premises licence, dispensing ethical products without the superior of a pharmacist, poor storage and sanitary conditions among others . “Twelve pharmacies and patent medicine shops were issued compliance directives.�

The registrar also said one of the identified weaknesses in the drug distribution chain was the proliferation of illegal medicine shops which has become worse since the COVID-19 lockdown.

He said many of the premises do not have appropriate storage facilities thereby exposing medicines to harsh environmental factors like high temperature and humidity as some other medicines that are photosensitive are exposed to direct sunlight which causes degradation of medicines thus making many of them harmful.

Worldwide, it is estimated that people spend over $3.5billion yearly in an attempt to treat and restore their hair. Sadly, this huge sum of money is mostly spent on unqualified individuals, unsuitable products and unproven treatments that rarely give positive results.

In addition, there are many hair loss myths and misconceptions in Africa that continue to make it harder for sufferers to get professional expertise in treating hair loss.

Hair loss affects millions of men and women each day and research carried out by dermatologists affirm that one in two men will experience hair loss in their lifetime whilst one in four women will suffer from hair loss or thinning hair. In addition, a third of women of African descent have traction alopecia (a form of hair loss due to the pulling of the hair at the edges).

August is National Hair Loss Awareness Month and it is a global celebration aimed at raising awareness on hair loss causes, prevention, management and treatment in both men and women.

As one of the leading hair restoration clinic in Africa, Vinci

Hair Clinic has said it will be championing the national hair loss awareness month campaign by embarking on a series of activities/events throughout the month of August.

The CEO, Vinci Hair Clinic Africa, Ayo Otubanjo said the clinic will be hosting a firstof-its-kind Global Hair Loss Conference in Nigeria and Ghana themed ‘Hair Restored, Confidence Secured’.

Otubanjo said: “The goal is to enlighten and affirm that hair loss has a cure, in addition to showcasing the world-class medical expertise available locally. “The public will be enlightened on hair loss; the different types and causes and treatment options available to help men and women suffering from hair loss. The clinic will also be giving out freebies throughout the month including discount vouchers, free consultations with Vinci’s top hair loss experts, and customised souvenirs, amongst others. “We are excited to embark on a range of educational and informative activities in celebration of National Hair Loss Awareness Month this August.

A Professor of Immunology, Prof. Ganiyu Arinola has warned Nigerians against the dangers of fake news and myths surrounding COVID-19.

He said popular fallacy on the scourge is capable of fooling people into practicing acts that could further endanger their lives beyond the effects of COVID-19 itself.

Arinola stated this at a Webinar organised by the National Association of Seadogs- Pyrates Confraternity.

Speaking on the theme: ‘COVID - 19, The Myth, The Truth and The New Normal’, the immunologist highlighted some of the misconceptions and offered clarity around them.

He said, “Up till today, a lot of people still believe in hydroxychloroquine to guard against or treat COVID-19.

There is currently no proof on that. “ Hydroxychloroquine can cause serious side effects and illnesess and can even lead to death. The World Health Organisation (WHO) is coordinating efforts to develop and evaluate medicine to treat COVID-19.�

He also informed that

protection against the disease.

He said, “Wearing light weight disposable surgical mask is recommended for everyone but since they don’t fit tightly, tiny infected droplet may get into nose, mouth or eyes.�

Enlightening further, he said, “COVID-19 cannot be cured with hot water, garlic or antibiotics drugs, hand/ hairdryer. Drinking of water at every 15-minute interval or rinsing of nose with saline,is not a shield against COVID-19. “Also note that there is no connection between COVID-19 and 5G. The disease can be transmitted in all climatic conditions around the world and the virus can survive on different surfaces be it plastic or metal for up to two to 48 hours and not one month as widely circulated. “COVID-19 is now a human virus and it is unlikely that it will jump to another species�.

The President, NAS – Pyrates Confraternity, Isaac Biokin, informed that the session was put together to create awareness on the novel virus and disabuse the mind of Nigerians on false beliefs where conspiracy theory exists.

26

T H I S D AY ˞ ʹ˜ 2020

BUSINESS/MONEYGUIDE

FBN Holdings GMD Lists Benefits of N25bn Injection into FirstBank Goddy Egene The Group Managing Director (GMD) of FBN Holdings Plc, Mr. UK Eke, has said the group’s recent N25 billion capital injection into its commercial banking arm, FirstBank, was to deliver greater value to shareholders and to consolidate its leadership in the banking sector.

Eke stated this during the Q2 analysts conference call on the second quarter results of the company. The GMD said the group delivered a very robust financial performance, which demonstrates its resilience and the successful execution of its strategy. According to him, FBN Holdings delivered earnings growth, strengthened its balance sheet; maintained a strong liquidity profile; consolidated its leadership in e-banking whilst also keeping its costs under control amidst the a very challenging period for the sector and the economy as a whole. “From the financial performance, gross earnings was up 5.8 per cent year-on-year, profit after tax for the period was up 56.3 per cent on the back of strong growth in non-interest income. “The progress made in our non-interest income was driven

by good treasury management activities benefiting from the increased volatility as well as increasing market share in the e-banking segment,� he said.

Meanwhile, giving further insight into the capital injection, the Chief Financial Officer of FBN Holdings, Wale Ariyibi, said: “FBN Holdings injected N25 billion into First Bank of Nigeria Ltd (FirstBank) as equity capital. This capital injection has cleared all regulatory approvals. “However, this is not the total amount received as consideration for selling our 65 per cent holdings (investment) in FBN Insurance.

The N25 billion is made up of two parts: net proceeds of sale of stake in FBNI , which is gross proceeds less professional fees, charges and other cost of sale and FBNHoldings’ own funds.�

According to him, with the injection, FirstBank leveraged this Tier 1 Capital with its existing Tier 2 capital to increase its Capital Adequacy Ratio from 15.3 per cent as at Q1 2020 to 16.53 per cent as at Q2 2020. “FirstBank has made significant progress in agent banking, increasing its agent banking network by over 100 per cent to 59,024 agents within the period. Similarly, it crossed the

N5 trillion threshold for value of transaction processed, as we processed 5.71trillion compared to N1.61trillion in the prior period. “More importantly, we are monetising our agent banking and its revenue contribution to e-business income continues to grow. The growth in volume and value across our electronic banking channel continues to offset the reduction in regulated fees and this has allowed us to keep our revenues flat,� he said.

Eke added that as promised, non-performing loans(NPL) ratio has remained in single digit and continues to decline, saying the NPL ratio dropped further to 8.8 per cent from 9.9 per cent at year end.

Looking ahead, he said: “We remain steadfast and are focused on the controllable elements with a mission to propel our performance over the coming periods. In particular, we will continue to innovate and maintain our distinctive advantage in digital and agent banking and continue our transformation in transaction-led banking activities.

As recent events have shown, we have managed to weather the storm and are focused on delivering greater value to our stakeholders.�

Heirs Holdings Appoints Okeke Group Executive Director Pan-African investment company, Heirs Holdings (HH) has announced the appointment of Dan Okeke as Group Executive Director.

The appointment took effect from August 01, 2020, according to a statement yesterday.

Okeke, joined following a distinguished three-decade career at the United Bank for Africa Plc (UBA), where he most recently served as an Executive Director, responsible for leading consumer, commercial and public-sector businesses.

At HH, he will be responsible for business coordination and growth across Heirs Holdings’ portfolio of pan-African investments in the power, financial services, oil and gas, hospitality, real estate, healthcare, and financial technology sectors.

Heirs Holdings is a family-

owned investment company committed to improving lives and transforming Africa. “Our portfolio spans the power, oil and gas, financial services, hospitality, real estate, and healthcare sectors, operating in twenty-three countries worldwide. Driven by the Africapitalism philosophy of the Group’s founder, Tony Elumelu, which positions the private sector as the catalyst of African growth and seeks both social and economic returns on investment, Heirs Holdings invests for the long-term, bringing strategic capital, sector expertise, a track record of business turnaround accomplishment and operational excellence to companies within its investment portfolio. “Celebrating its tenth anniversary this year, Heirs Holdings has recorded consistent business success across its portfolio of

investments,� the statement explained.

Commenting on the appointment, Chairman, Heirs Holdings, Mr. Tony Elumelu said: “As we continue to grow in scale and complexity, Dan’s appointment demonstrates our ongoing commitment to institutionalisation.

We have always recognised the need to invest in human capital. “This announcement is a clear demonstration of our intent and determination to create sustainable value in all our business operations.�

Also, Okeke, while responding to his appointment said: “I am delighted to take on this new challenge and look forward to contributing towards the fulfillment of Heirs Holdings’ objective of improving lives and transforming the continent.�

MARKET INDICATORS MONEY AND CREDIT STATISTICS

(MILLION NAIRA)

SEPTEMBER 2019 Money Supply (M3)

35,029,779.72

-- CBN Bills Held by Money Holding Sectors

7,374,356.91

Money Supply (M2)

27,655,422.82

-- Quasi Money

116,533,891.21

-- Narrow Money (M1)

11,121,531.60

---- Currency Outside Banks

1,625,047.69

---- Demand Deposits

9,496,483.91

Net Foreign Assets (NFA)

13,911,335.83

Net Domestic Assets(NDA)

21,118,443.89

-- Net Domestic Credit (NDC)

35,918,179.45

---- Credit to Government (Net)

10,452,199.38

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

11,007,422.79

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

25,465,980.07

---- Credit to Private Sector (CPS)

-14,799,735.56

--Other Assets Net

7,000,253.07

Reserve Money (Base Money

2,005,600.83

--Currency in Circulation

4,677,530.81

--Banks Reserves

317,121.43

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Money Market Indicators (in Percentage) Month

March 2018

Inter-Bank Call Rate

15.16

Minimum Rediscount Rate (MRR)

Nova Merchant Bank Pledges to Deliver Higher Performance, Value The Chief Financial Officer, Nova Merchant Bank Limited, Mr. Ifeanyi Chukwuonye, yesterday said the long-term goal of the bank is to be a sustainable and viable financial institution that would be a pride of its investors, customers and other stakeholders.

Speaking in an interview with CNBC, Chukwuonye, said the bank’s N10 billion naira seven-year subordinated unsecured bond issuance that was oversubscribed by 300 per cent, was part of the strategy.

The bank CFO expressed delight about the positive reception Nova Merchant Bank received during the offer.

Chukwuonye added: “The N10 billion bond issuance by Nova Merchant Bank was in line with the corporate strategy of the bank to raise long-term funding. The

bank was not deterred by the Covid-19 pandemic. “You would agree with me that in the mix of a turbulent situation, there are opportunities that would arise and there are winners in such turbulent situations. So, as a bank, we identified viable opportunities despite the pandemic and we decided to tap into these opportunities that we identified and we are forging ahead with them. “The market reaction was very impressive and the market was receptive to our offer. The bond was oversubscribed by over 300 per cent. This is another addition to the catalogue of our successes in the bank.�

Responding to a question on if the bank would be going back to the market in the near term, he said: “Obviously, in line with our

strategy, this issuance is the first series and in no distant future we plan to roll out more series in line with our strategy.

The proceeds of the bond issuance would be used for long-term corporate loans, to build a more efficient balance sheet and also to increase the earning capacity of our assets.�

Chukwuonye said the financial performance of the bank in the last three years have been heartwarming, saying that Nova Merchant Bank posted very impressive results in the last three years. “It is quite informative to know that we have been very profitable in the last three years.

We are very confident as a bank that the future is very bright and that we would perform better in the future because of the steps we have taken,� he added.

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

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OPEC DAILY BASKET PRICE Ëœ Ͳ Í°ÍŽÍ°ÍŽ

The price of OPEC basket of thirteen crudes stood at $44.27 a barrel on Tuesday, compared with $44.02 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

27

T H I S D AY ˞ ʹ˜ Ͱ͎Ͱ͎

Seplat Shareholders Upbeat as Brown Resumes as CEO Goddy Egene Shareholders of Seplat Petroleum Development Company Plc have expressed optimism that the new chief executive officer(CEO) of the company, Mr. Roger Brown, will improve on the fortunes of company and deliver more value to all stakeholders.

Roger, who was the chief financial officer (CFO) of Seplat, resumed office as CEO August 1, 2020, following the retirement of

Mr. Austin Avuru after 10 years.

Speaking on the development, shareholders of the company were upbeat, saying given the experience of Brown, Seplat has very bright prospects.

One of the shareholders and National Coordinator, Pragmatic Shareholders Association of Nigeria, Mrs. Bisi Bakare, told THISDAY that the choice of Roger to replace Avuru is a perfect fit. “ Brown, as a former CFO

P R I C E S MAIN BOARD

F O R DEALS

of Seplat for six years and a member of the board and as someone who played a key role in various asset acquisitions by Seplat, no doubt, will perform excellently in this capacity as CEO. Secondly, Brown is very familiar with the local and global oil business environment where Seplat operates and definitely the company will continue to be investors friendly despite the challenges caused to the

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

QUANTITY TRADED

VALUE TRADED ( N )

oil industry by the Covid 19 pandemic. My advice to him is to ensure the liquidity, good cashflow, and ensure a strong balance sheet. With Brown the fortune of Seplat as a company will continue to be atop among its peers in the oil and gas sector,� Bakare said.

Brown joined Seplat in 2013 as the CFO and played a key role in the successful dual listing of the company in 2014 on both the London and Nigerian

T R A D E D MAIN BOARD

A S

Stock Exchanges. Similarly, since joining Seplat, he has played significant roles in various asset acquisitions by the company as well as implementing the company’s financial business model.

Brown played critical roles in the company’s successful landmark deals, Initial Public Offering (IPO) and financial structure of debt and acquisitions, as well as increased returns to shareholders. Already

O F

market analysts have said as the new CEO, Brown is expected to work towards reinforcing the company’s leading position in the energy sector. “Seplat in line with its forward looking plans positions itself for a next phase growth ambition which would see the expansion of its footprint in terms of energy business activities, pursue offshore assets as well as opportunity driven entry into different geographies.

0 5 / 0 8 / 2 0 2 0 DEALS

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QUANTITY TRADED

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28

THURSDAY, AUGUST 6, 2020 ˾ T H I S D AY

MARKET NEWS

NASCON Reports N1.5 Billion Profit after Tax in Six Months Goddy Egene NASCON Allied Industries Plc, a

subsidiary of Dangote Industries Limited, has reported a profit after tax (PAT) of N1.5 billion for the half

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

year ended June 30, 2020, compared with N1.4 billion posted in the corresponding period of 2019.

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 04Aug-2020, unless otherwise stated.

The profit was recorded out of the revenue of N14.5 billion posted in the review period as

against N12 billion recorded in 2019. Operating expenses soared by 170 per cent, from N1.4 billion

to N3.8 billion. Hence, a slower growth of 1.4 per cent in PAT to N1.5 billion.

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 N/A N/A N/A Afrinvest Plutus Fund N/A N/A N/A Nigeria International Debt Fund N/A N/A N/A 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 1.78% ACAP Income Funds 0.78 0.78 9.93% 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 6.21% AIICO Balanced Fund 2.95 3.02 19.83% 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 N/A N/A N/A Anchoria Equity Fund N/A N/A N/A Anchoria Fixed Income Fund N/A N/A N/A ARM INVESTMENT MANAGERS LTD enquiries@arminvestmentcenter.com Web: www.arm.com.ng; Tel: 0700 CALLARM (0700 225 5276) Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn ARM Aggressive Growth Fund 14.17 14.59 -7.51% ARM Discovery Fund 336.11 346.25 -2.70% ARM Ethical Fund 30.46 31.38 4.74% ARM Eurobond Fund ($) 1.14 1.14 13.84% ARM Fixed Income Fund 1.08 1.09 8.28% ARM Money Market Fund 1.00 1.00 4.50% AXA MANSARD INVESTMENTS LIMITED investmentcare@axamansard.com Web: www.axamansard.com; Tel: +2341-4488482 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn AXA Mansard Equity Income Fund 93.82 94.48 -2.35% AXA Mansard Money Market Fund 1.00 1.00 4.93% CAPITAL EXPRESS ASSET AND TRUST LIMITED info@capitalexpressassetandtrust.com Web: www.capitalexpressassetandtrust.com ; Tel: +234 803 307 5048 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn CEAT Fixed Income Fund 2.17 2.17 21.86% Capital Express Balanced Fund(Formerly: Union Trustees Mixed Fund) 1.84 1.87 3.58% CHAPELHILL DENHAM MANAGEMENT LTD investmentmanagement@chapelhilldenham.com Web: www.chapelhilldenham.com, Tel: +234 461 0691 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Chapelhill Denham Money Market Fund 0.06 0.04 5.69% Paramount Equity Fund 11.04 11.24 -11.80% Women's Investment Fund 109.40 110.34 -0.93% CORDROS ASSET MANAGEMENT LIMITED assetmgtteam@cordros.com Web: www.cordros.com, Tel: 019036947 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Cordros Money Market Fund 100.00 100.00 5.01% Cordros Milestone Fund 2023 98.23 98.47 Cordros Milestone Fund 2028 100.10 100.34 Cordros Dollar Fund ($) 101.46 101.46 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 3.65% Coronation Balanced Fund 0.95 0.96 2.16% Coronation Fixed Income Fund 1.59 1.59 20.04% 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 4.25% EDC Nigeria Money Market Fund Class B 1,000,000.00 1,000,000.00 4.16% EDC Nigeria Fixed Income Fund 1,174.44 1,185.52 5.84% 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 1,412.48 1,413.98 15.68% FBN Balanced Fund N/A N/A N/A FBN Halal Fund N/A N/A N/A FBN Money Market Fund 100.00 100.00 4.43% FBN Nigeria Eurobond (USD) Fund - Retail FBN Nigeria Smart Beta Equity Fund FCMB ASSET MANAGEMENT LIMITED Web: www.fcmbassetmanagement.com; Tel: +234 1 462 2596 Fund Name Legacy Money Market Fund Legacy Debt Fund Legacy Equity Fund Legacy USD Bond Fund FSDH ASSET MANAGEMENT LTD Web: www.fsdhaml.com; Tel: 01-270 4884-5; 01-280 9740-1 Fund Name Coral Growth Fund Coral Income Fund FSDH Treasury Bills Fund GREENWICH ASSET MANAGEMENT LIMITED Web: www.gtlgroup.com ; Tel: +234 1 4619261-2 Fund Name Greenwich Plus Money Market Fund Nigeria Entertainment Fund

118.75 110.86

119.21 2.29% 112.60 -14.81% fcmbamhelpdesk@fcmb.com

Bid Price 1.00 3.80 1.11 1.11

Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn 1.00 3.97% 3.80 3.96% 1.13 -2.18% 1.11 3.02% coralfunds@fsdhgroup.com

Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn 3,110.26 3,144.08 2.27% 3,207.25 3,207.25 4.27% 100.00 100.00 4.42% assetmanagement@gtlgroup.com Bid Price N/A N/A

Offer Price N/A N/A

Yield / T-Rtn 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 4.07% Vantage Balanced Fund 2.32 2.36 5.88% Vantage Guaranteed Income Fund 1.00 1.00 8.51% Kedari Investment Fund (KIF) 149.07 149.68 3.96% 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 N/A N/A N/A Lotus Halal Fixed Income Fund N/A N/A N/A 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 1.37 1.39 12.25% PACAM Fixed Income Fund 11.88 11.95 5.52% PACAM Money Market Fund 10.00 10.00 3.89% PACAM Equity Fund 1.05 1.07 PACAM EuroBond Fund 106.52 108.98 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 114.43 116.55 -6.29% 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 5.73% 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 1.95% Stanbic IBTC Bond Fund 210.33 210.33 0.63% Stanbic IBTC Ethical Fund 0.88 0.89 0.57% Stanbic IBTC Guaranteed Investment Fund 273.87 273.95 0.77% Stanbic IBTC Iman Fund 154.92 156.64 0.45% Stanbic IBTC Money Market Fund 100.00 100.00 4.50% Stanbic IBTC Nigerian Equity Fund 7,674.15 7,756.30 -0.10% Stanbic IBTC Dollar Fund (USD) 1.16 1.16 0.48% 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 1.13 1.15 -5.56% United Capital Bond Fund 1.84 1.84 6.19% United Capital Equity Fund 0.63 0.65 -10.11% United Capital Money Market Fund 1.00 1.00 4.67% United Capital Eurobond Fund 113.69 113.69 4.07% United Capital Wealth for Women Fund 1.02 1.02 -2.90% 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 10.20 10.30 -0.85% Zenith Ethical Fund 11.62 11.68 -0.24% Zenith Income Fund 24.47 24.47 9.90% Zenith Money Market Fund 1.00 1.00 4.82%

REITS NAV Per Share

Fund Name SFS Skye Shelter Fund

Yield / T-Rtn

116.57

4.01%

53.25

2.31%

Bid Price

Offer Price

Yield / T-Rtn

9.14 83.89 66.46

9.24 85.66 67.65

4.94% -1.30% 0.68%

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

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

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.

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NEWS XTRA

Sanwo-Olu Reviews Land Use Charge, Waives Penalties Ejiofor Alike and Segun James As part of the efforts to accommodate the agitations of the residents of Lagos State and reduce their financial pressure as it relates to Land Use Charge,

Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu has waived the penalties for the Land Use Charge for 2017,2018 and 2019.

The state Commissioner for Finance, Dr. Rabiu Olowo, who made this disclosure yesterday,

APC Accuses Obaseki of Abandoning Governance in Edo Govt is functioning optimally, gov insists

Adibe Emenyonu in Benin The All Progressives Congress (APC) Campaign Council has accused the Edo State Governor, Godwin Obaseki, of abandoning governance completely because members of his party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), have allegedly turned him into a money making venture.

The party in a media briefing in Benin-city, the state capital, yesterday titled|: ‘Re: Governance on Permanent Vacation in Edo State; Where is Governor Obaseki’, noted that since Obaseki jump ship from APC to PDP, he has completely forgotten the purpose for which he was elected, necessitating the increase in crimes in the state.

Against this backdrop, the APC called on President Muhammadu Buhari to mandate the governor to increase the monthly subvention to the police and other security agencies from the ‘paltry N5 million’ to something reasonable to enable them function optimally in their constitutional duty of protecting lives and property in the state.

The National Vice-Chairman of APC Media Campaign Council, Rt. Hon. Patrick Obahiagbon, who stated this yesterday while briefing journalists on happenings in the state, said the revelation became important since “the governor has turned his attention full-time on how to subvert the September 19 election through rigging, intimidation, arm-twisting, unbridled threats, violence, and other anti-democratic underhand tactics.”

He said at the meantime, what is happening at Dennis Osadebey Avenue, the seat of power, is nothing but the reports of conflicts over the illegal sharing of state resources; charged comments encouraging the youths to embrace violence, and mass resignations which

have affected the government and reduced governance to a mere show business.

According to Obahiagbon, “Governance has taken flight in Edo State. The only thing that matters to Obaseki is the activities of members of his divided party, the PDP, who have since turned him into an ATM machine in a smash and grab stratagem before the curtains are finally drawn on his lackluster four-year tenure.”

But in his reaction, the state Governor, Obaseki, said his government has a robust governance system in place that is responding to the daily needs of the Edo people in all sectors in the state amid the ongoing electioneering.

Obaseki, who spoke through his Special Adviser on Media and Communication Strategy, Crusoe Osagie, noted that he has always been known for the best-in-class managerial skills, a fact the opposition (APC) cannot controvert, and has been multitasking amid the demands of his reelection campaigns.

Specifically, he said salaries and pensions for the Edo workers and pensioners for the month of July were paid on the 23rd of the month to enable ‘our Muslim brothers and sisters celebrate the Eid-El-Kabir festival’.

According to the governor through his media aide, “Work is in progress on the several infrastructural projects across the state, and will be sustained all through the campaign period.

“The APC continues to reinforce its disadvantage each time it attempts to fault my managerial ability, because Edo people know that I am head and shoulder above Osagie Ize-Iyamu in human and material resources management, and I feel secure, and in charge of governance, especially in the application of our scarce resources.”

Police Parade 45 Suspects for Terrorism, Other Crimes in Borno Michael Olugbode in Maiduguri The Borno State Commissioner of Police, Mr. Mohammed Aliyu, has paraded 45 suspects involved in terrorism, kidnapping, armed robbery, cattle rustling, fraud, theft and other crimes across the state.

Aliyu told journalists yesterday in Maiduguri that one Mr. Goni Mallum of Muna Garage, Sheri area off Maiduguri, was arrested by the police on 11/03/20 for allegedly being a member of the Boko Haram terrorist group.

He claimed that the Mallum confessed that his task as a member of the Boko Haram terrorists was supply essential commodities and other logistics to the sect.

The items recovered from him included N200,000 cash meant for the purchase of foodstuff and

other essential commodities for the terrorist group.

The police commissioner, who was represented at the event by the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), DSP. Edet Okon, listed other items that were allegedly recovered from him to include five packets of seasoning cubes, two sachets of salt, 10 packets of sugar, five packets of sugar cube, one packet of Macaroni, one solar panel and solar power kits as well as two rolls of pasta spaghetti among others.

He said that at about 20.00 hours on July 3, 2020, four suspects were arrested for allegedly kidnapping one Mr. Umara Garba of TimovaVillage in Askira/Uba Local Government Area of the state that later escaped while his kidnappers were asleep and reported the matter to the police.

noted that there was an increase in Land Use Charge rate as well as the method of valuation of properties in 2018.

He said in view of the twin shock experienced by property owners, the current administration decided to review the Land Use Charge law by reversing the rate of Land Use Charge to pre-2018 while upholding the 2018 method of valuation.

He said the Land Use Charge reform also considered multiple Land Use Charge payment channels and efficient customer

service management by setting up a call centre (0700 LAGOS LUC) in other to ensure prompt issue resolution. He disclosed that that the state government has reviewed the annual rate downward by 48 per cent.

“We considered the Land Use Charge reform very necessary to accommodate the agitations of Lagos residents and reduce the financial pressure on citizens as it relates to Land Use. As you are aware in 2018, there was an increase in Land Use Charge rate as well as the method of valuation of properties, this Twin

shock had a sporadic increase in Land Use Charge payable by property owners.

“In view of the aforementioned, the current administration decided to review the Land Use Charge law by reversing the rate of Land Use Charge to pre-2018 while upholding the 2018 method of valuation.” Olowo said that penalties for LUC for the year 2017, 2018 and 2019 have been waived, saying that this translates to N5,752,168,411.03 of potential revenue waived for the three years.

“In addition to the reintroduction of the 15 per cent early payment discount, an additional COVID-19 incentive of 10 per cent will be granted on the total amount payable.

This makes the total discount for early payment 25 per cent if payment is made before due date.”

Olowo however warned that the penalty for obstruction of officials and damage to property identification plague still stands even though the charges have been reduced from N250,000 to N100,000.

CONGRATULATIONS...

Bauchi State Governor, Senator Bala Abdulkadir Mohammed (left), and the Wazirin Bauchi, Alhaji Bello Kirfi, during the presentation of letter of reinstatement from Bauchi Emirate Council by the governor to Kirfi as Wazirin Bauchi, at his residence in Bauchi...yesterday SEGUNAWOFADEJI

House Petitions Buhari over Refusal of Agencies to Honour Invitations Adedayo Akinwale and Udora Orizu in Abuja The House of Representatives has decided to petition President Muhammad Buhari following the refusal of some agencies of the government to appear before its Committee on Public Account to answer questions over alleged financial irregularities traced to them or clarify some records provided by other agencies.

The committee expressed displeasure with the refusal of the Governor of the Central

Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Godwin Emiefele; Group Managing Director of the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Managing Director of the Nigeria Port Authority, Hajia Hadiza Usman, as well as the head of Bureau for Public Enterprises (BPE) to appear before it over sales of federal government landed properties across the country.

The Chairman of the Committee, Hon. Wole Oke, told the Clerk of the Committee to forward a petition to the president through the office of

the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) and the Chief of Staff to the president informing him of the refusal of the heads of the agency to honour the invitation of the parliament.

The agencies, along with the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), and the Petroleum Equalisation Fund failed to appear before the committee over the alleged sales of some government property.

He said the president should compel the agencies to honour the invitation of the House

within seven days.

However, at its hearing yesterday, the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) and the Nigeria Electricity Liabilities Management Company denied selling any government property or being in possession of any proceed from the sale.

The Managing Director of Transmission Company of Nigeria, S.A. Abdulazeez, told the committee that TCN was not involved in the sales of the federal government landed property.

IPMAN Directs Members to Sell Petrol for N150 in Kano Ibrahim Shuaibu in Kano The Kano State chapter of the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) has directed its members to sell fuel for N150 per litre.

The directive was contained in a statement issued by the state IPMAN Chairman, Bashir Danmallam, a copy of which was made available to journalists in Kano yesterday.

The IPMAN chairman said the directive followed the new price modulation announced by the Petroleum Products Marketing Company (PPMC), and has accordingly instructed its members to comply by selling the product at N150 per litre.

According to him, the directive was also in compliance with the government’s earlier statement that it would review upward or downward the price of the commodity on a monthly

basis depending on the price at the international market.

Recall that the PPMC had in a memo signed by its Manager Sales, Mohammed Bello, on August 4, 2020, fixed the depot price of petrol at N138. 62 per litre.

“Please be informed that the management has approved ex-depot price of petroleum products, including petrol, at N138. 62 per litre,” the memo said.

Similarly, he said the private depots had also increased their price as they would sell the commodity to their members at N139. 5 per litre.

Danmallam asked all members under his jurisdiction to comply with the new price regime by making sure no one sells above the approved ceiling of N150 per litre.

He assured the public of the availability of petroleum products at all times.

Oyo Approves N59.7m for Commencement of Amotekun The Oyo State Government has approved the sum of N59.7million as grant for the take-off of the state Security Network Agency codenamed ‘Operation Amotekun’.

The fund, according to the government would be for the procurement of 3000 units of uniforms, combat boots, lanyard, baseball hats, security belts and worsted socks.

It will also cover the production of logo for the personnel to serve as identity

and distinguish them from other security agencies in the state.

The release forms part of the decision reached at the state’s 19th virtual executive meeting.

The Commissioner for Information, Culture and Tourism, Dr. Wasiu Olatunbosun, while giving an update on the outcome of the meeting said “further on the establishment of the State Security Network, codenamed ‘Operation Amotekun’ and for effective take off of the agency, the State

Executive Council has approved the procurement of 3,000 units of uniforms and accoutrements such as combat boots, lanyard, baseball hats, security belts, worsted socks, production of Amotekun and Oyo State logo for 3000 Amotekun corps to be recruited into the agency at a total sum of N59,783,437.50.

“The uniforms and accoutrements which will be given to each recruited Amotekun Corp will serve as a form of identity for the corps

and will distinguish them from other security agencies in the state.”

Olatubosun further stated that the council also approved funds for re-accreditation of Adeoyo Maternity at Yemetu in Ibadan as a full-fledged teaching hospital, as the accreditation initially gotten was withdrawn for failure to have necessary equipment in place, saying it was in conformity with the present administration’s passion to revitalise the health sector in the State.

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NEWS XTRA

Family, Group Petition Oyo Govt over Death of UI Student Alex Enumah in Abuja Family members of a 300- level student of the University of Ibadan (UI), the late Richard Gbadebo, who died last month while working in a factory in Ibadan, Oyo State capital, have petitioned the state government , seeking the investigation of circumstances that led to the death of their son.

The family in conjunction with Alliance On Surviving COVID-19 And Beyond (ASCAB), Oyo State Chapter and International Lawyers Assisting Workers (ILAW) Network, Nigeria Chapter, in the petition dated August 3, 2020 and addressed to the Attorney General of Oyo State and Commissioner for Justice, is also praying for the prosecution of the owners of the

Police Arrest Boko Haram’s Logistics Supplier in Borno The Borno State Police Command, yesterday arrested 45 suspected criminals, including a Boko Haram’s logistics supplier.

The 45-year-old suspect according to the state Police Public Relation Officer, Mr. Okon Edet, was arrested at Gamboru market within Maiduguri town with food supplies and other assorted products to be shipped to designated Boko Haram enclaves outside the metropolis.

Okon disclosed that 10 suspected Armed Robbers, seven cattle rustlers, five fraudsters/extortioners, seven thieves, one terrorist and kidnappers were among the arrested suspects.

His said: “The robbery suspects; Ibrahim Garba, Adamu Ali, Abdulrahaman Adamu, confessed guilty to have conspired to rob one Iliya Musa of N49,000 on July 3, 2020 “Musa Inusa at about 2330hours on April 18, 2020 robbed one Abdulkarim Unar of his tricycle while being transported to Modusuku in Biu local Government Area. The suspect repeatedly stabbed the rider before dispossessing him of his tricycle.

“Hassan Wakili and Lawan Hamisu conspired to rob one Hassan Abdullahi of Bayo LGA of his motorcycle which he later sold to one Lawan Hamisu at the sum of N70,000.

factory where Gbadebo died due to alleged absence of necessary safety measures in the factory.

The petition, written on behalf of the family and group by their lawyer, Mr. Femi Aborishade is titled: “An Open Appeal to the Attorney General of Oyo State to Prosecute Owners/Managers of Henkel Nigeria Limited and Expand Global Industries Limited Who are Suspected to Have Caused the Death of Richard Gbadebo through failure to Observe Duty of Care”.

“We have the brief of our clients to invite the Oyo State

Stakeholders have called on President Muhammadu Buhari to reduce the high charges slammed on investors at the Tarqua Bay base of Lagos Deep Offshore Logistics (LADOL) to encourage inflow of investments.

The operators lamented that the exorbitant cost of land per square meter, and high cost of boat services charged by the free zone operator have scared potential investors who are willing to take advantage of the strategic location of the zone to bring in Foreign Direct Investments (FDIs).

The Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) had reportedly said that the move by its Managing Director, Hadiza Bala Usman, to ensure the federal government gets full value for its land at Tarkwa Bay, Lagos, by sanctioning LADOL for allegedly violating the terms of the land leased to it in the area “is not personal but to protect investors’ investments in Nigeria.”

However, despite the sanction by the NPA, which is the landlord of the free zone, maritime operators have lamented the cost of land per square meter and the cost of boat services charged

by LADOL are the highest compared to what investors pay in the other zones.

For instance, they alleged that the zone operator demands $15 free zone entry and exit fee per person per day; and annual passenger jetty service fee of $6,000,000 even when the value of the

jetty itself is less than one million dollars.

According to the operators, each investor operating at the free zone is also required to pay $160,000 annual fee to station four armed guards in the free zone while the zone operator spends less than $10,000 on these guards.

They also argued that unlike other free zones in the country, LADOL base is under lease to a private zone operator, which compels potential investors to negotiate with the zone operator instead of the NPA. This arrangement, they argued has led to investors paying exorbitant and suffocating charges to the zone operator, compared to the “pittance” the zone operator paid to the NPA for the lease.

The operators urged President Buhari to look into the high charges, which they said have led to gross underutilisation of the large expanse of land, despite its attractive strategic location.

Some of the operators pointed out that the high charges imposed on oil and gas industry stakeholders at the Lagos free zone are passed on to the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) by the free zone operator and subsequently paid by the federal government.

Speaking on the issue, a maritime expert and Lagosbased lawyer, Mr. Kingsley Omose told THISDAY that for the federal government to reduce the cost of producing crude oil, it must check the high charges imposed on the

the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999, as amended, and institute criminal proceedings against Henkel Nigeria Limited and Expand Global Industries Limited and their managers who are the minds and alter ego of the companies in the exercise of statutory duty of care. These measures are considered imperative in the public interest as well as the interest of justice”, the petition read in part.

According to Aborishade, unless the Oyo State Government ensures justice for the late Gadebo,

“employers of labour may not take seriously the life, safety and health of workers by providing the necessary Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and fencing of every dangerous part of any machinery”.

The petitioners claimed that the deceased would not have been killed by the machinery he was working with if the necessary PPE was provided and the dangerous parts of the machinery were properly fenced to prevent the kind of calamity that befell Richard Gbadebo.

Katsina Nurses Disown Two Paraded ‘Colleagues’ Francis Sardauna in Katsina The Katsina State chapter of the National Association of Nigeria Nurses and Midwives (NANNM) has disowned the two suspected nurses paraded by police in the state, describing them as “fake and imposters.”

The state Chairman of the association, Mr. Haruna Mamman, who disclosed this at a press conference yesterday, said the suspects don’t have professional requirements to practice as nurses.

The state Police Command had

Operators Ask Buhari to Reduce High Charges in LADOL Free Zone Peter Uzoho

government to thoroughly investigate the circumstances surrounding the death of Richard Gbadebo. According to the family, Richard was the only son in the family and a 300-level student in the Department of European Studies. The urge to assist the family finances pushed him to accept to work to earn some income during the COVID-19 lockdowns involving stay- at -home of students.

“In particular, the office of the Attorney General of Oyo State is invited to invoke and act upon Section 211(1) & (3) of

operators doing jobs at the free zones.

“If the federal government and the NNPC want to slash production cost for a barrel of crude oil, they should look at the operations and charges of the likes of LADOL who are tenants of NPA but whose exorbitant charges are paid by federal government through NNPC’s majority stakes in the joint venture oil operations of the international oil companies (IOCs). For the Production Sharing contracts the reason why federal government’s take from offshore oil production is little or nonexistent is due to the high charges, which LADOL incorporated and which must be deducted by IOCs before sharing the balance oil with the federal government”.

He said for a company to invest in the free zone, such a company would have to approach LADOL and will have to pay a premium.

“You can see that with the Samsung situation - where what they were charged by NPA is pittance compared to what they’re paying LADOL. That is the story of Nigeria, where public officials constantly put the interest of others and themselves before the Nigerian state”.

Despite the complaints by the investors, a statement signed by the Chairman of LADOL, Mr. Ladi Jadesimi, had stated that the company had received notification that the presidential approval issued in 2018 granting Global Resource Management Limited a 25-year lease covering the entire area of the free zone was still valid and subsisting.

earlier paraded two suspected nurses, Misira Tijjani and Grace Ejigu, as well as one Eucharia Onyema for alleged theft and sale of a newborn baby.

The baby was said to be delivered by one Shamsiya Sani of Dandagoro Quarters in Katsina at Okmos Hospital on July 25, 2020. She abandoned the baby after delivery at the hospital because it was conceived out of wedlock.

Mamman, at the briefing, said after preliminary investigation

by the association, the suspects confirmed that they were not trained nurses but operating illegally in the state.

He said: “We visited the hospital and interviewed the proprietor of the hospital (Okmos), Dr. E.E Eze, and our findings revealed that they are fake. Tijjani of Filing Canada Quarters in Katsina and Ejigu of Shagari Low-Cost Housing estate are imposters.

“The proprietor of the hospital and the two imposters even

admitted that they were not trained and qualified nurses.

We complained to the state deputy commissioner of police in whose office they confessed that they were not nurses, whereas a day before, they told the police authorities that they were nurses.”

Mamman said the fake nurses would be prosecuted for impersonation and defamation of character “because they are not nurses neither are they members of the association.”

Medical Council Begins Payment of Insurance Claims to Deceased Doctors’ Families Onyebuchi Ezigbo in Abuja

The Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria (MDCN) has commenced the payment of insurance claims to families of some doctors who died in active service in 2019.

The council paid N1 million to each of the families of the late

doctors as insurance benefit for their lost one.

The event, which took place at the MDCN secretariat in Abuja, was witnessed by the President of Nigerian Medical Association, Prof. Innocent Ujah and Executive Vice Chairman of Dykes Insurance Brokers Limited, Mr. Dau Kenny Tekenah.

The Registrar and Chief Executive of the MDCN, Dr. Tajudeen Sanusi, called on the chairmen of the NMA and directors of medical services in all states of the federation to furnish the secretariat with information on doctors who died in active service for timely processing of their insurance benefits.

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PDP, APC Bicker over Alleged Planned Defection of Ortom George Okoh in Makurdi The People Democratic Party (PDP)and the All Progressive

Congress(APC) in Benue State have engaged themselves in a war of word over the state Governor, Samuel Ortom, alleged

ECOWAS Experts Meet on Deployment of Regional Visa Adedayo Akinwale in Abuja Experts on visa issues from the Economic Community of West Africa (ECOWAS) region yesterday met over the deployment of the ECOVISA, aimed at facilitating seamless movement of citizens of ECOWAS member-states.

Directorate of Communication, ECOWAS Commission, Mr. Oghogho Obayuwana, in a statement issued in Abuja, said the virtual meeting held yesterday, afforded the opportunity to present and discuss proposed security features of the ECOVISA document and the necessary accompanying measures for the implementation of the decision of the Heads of state and government of ECOWAS on the matter.

ECOWAS Commission’s Commissioner for Trade, Customs and Free Movement Mr. Tei Konzi, while declaring the meeting open, said while

ECO Visa would help facilitate mobility in the ECOWAS area, it was important that delegates make concrete recommendations for future validation by regional ministers in charge of security and migration.

“Consolidation of the roadmap proposed for the deployment of ECOVISA, the data exchange and registration platform for migrants at the level of consular services of ECOWAS Member States and immigration from host countries and ECOWAS. “In working out modalities for the proper implementation of ECOVISA, member States are to be engaged in developing a regional visa roadmap for the process, emergence of a Schengen type visa for the region while reassessing and updating the consideration of the emerging evolution of migration in the ECOWAS region especially during the COVID-19 period.”

defection plan to the APC. With Senator Barnabass Gemade defected to APC recently, the APC state Chairman, Abba Yaro, had alleged that Ortom may be the next person that will be joining the APC. This drew the anger of the PDP and the state government.

In its reaction, the Chief Press Secretary to the governor, Mr. Terver Akase, disclosed that Governor Ortom has no plan to defect from PDP to the APC or any other political party.

He said this clarification has become necessary “as it is pertinent to state categorically

that Ortom is not contemplating leaving PDP for whatever reason.

“The governor believes that the political, economic and security challenges currently facing the country cannot merely be solved by people decamping from one political party to another,” saying: “What is most important at this point is for Nigerians from all walks of life to join hands and surmount the challenges confronting the country.”

He added that Ortom is comfortably leading the PDP in Benue State to achieve developmental milestones for the people, and that he remains

focused on the mandate of providing good governance to all parts of the state.

But in a swift reaction, the state Spokesman of the APC, James Unguga, chided the statement from the governor CPS, describing it as mischievous.

He said the statement mischievously quoted the APC chairman as announcing Ortom’s return to the broom party.

“Much as it is safe to ignore the statement and rather watch as the Ortom media handlers are known overtime for anticlockwise statements, which oftentimes negate the actual actions of

their boss, it is important to straighten the facts, touching on the quotes foisted on the APC state chairman,” he said.

Explaining the party chairman’s position while speaking at the decamping ceremony of Gemade in Konshisha last Friday, he had declared that with the return of Senator Gemade, former Speaker, Yakubu Dogora, and other top politicians who left the APC before the 2019 general election, it is possible that the Benue State governor may also follow them to where all Nigerians are headed.”

Okowa Flags off CACOVID’s Food Distribution in Delta Omon-Julius Onabu in Asaba In furtherance of efforts to cushion the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, especially on the vulnerable segment of the society, the Delta State Governor, Dr Ifeanyi Okowa, yesterday flagged off the distribution of various foodstuff donated by a concerned private sector group, the Coalition Against COVID-19 (CA-COVID).

Speaking at the ceremony held at the Events Centre in Asaba, Okowa assured the people that his administration would continue to partner the private sector and individuals in mitigating the harsh effects

of COVID-19 particularly on less-privileged citizens in the state.

While commending the CA-COVID “for deeming it necessary to pull resources together to make the donation aimed at ameliorating the plight of the downtrodden in the society,” the governor said such gesture was particularly noteworthy coming at “this critical time that hunger tends to abound in the society.’’

He noted that the donation was apt and timely as the coronavirus pandemic has negatively affected small and medium scale businesses, saying the kind gesture from the private

sector would go a long way in addressing the problem of hunger among the economically disadvantaged citizens in the state.

Okowa said: “We use this opportunity to thank our sons and daughters in the private sector who have thought it necessary to deep their hands in their pockets to provide food items for the less-privileged in the society at this point in time that hunger tends to abound in the country.

“There is no doubt that the sudden emergence of COVID-19 pandemic has negatively affected a lot of businesses, particularly the small and medium scale

businesses. Needless to stress that a lot of families are struggling to put food on their tables.

“My administration would continue to take steps that would alleviate the plights of residents of the state. And, I urge the committee set up to distribute the food items at the local government levels to ensure that the items get to the downtrodden across the state.”

However, the governor warned against party or political considerations in the distribution of the foodstuff, stressing that the items should go to genuine residents of the state who are really less-privileged.

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Benue Uncovers 18 Dead Teachers, 433 Ghost Workers on Payroll George Okoh inMakurdi The Executive Secretary, Benue State Teaching Service Board (TSB), Dr. Frank Kyungun, has disclosed that the board uncovered 18 dead teacher among 433 ghost

workers on the payroll of the state government after verification of 4,473 staff across the three senatorial zones of the state.

He stated further that the committee also uncovered 70 retired staff and 193 redeployed

COVID-19: NAF to Distribute Medical Supplies to 14 ECOWAS Countries Kingsley Nwezeh in Abuja The Nigerian Air Force (NAF) said yesterday it was set to commence airlifting of thousands of medical materials and other consumables, procured by the West African Health Organisation (WAHO) for distribution to 14-member nations of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and Nigeria inclusive, to curtail the spread of COVID-19.

It said it was in fulfillment of its constitutional role of providing aid to civil authority.

According to NAF, the airlift of the medical supplies is in fulfillment of the promise made by the President and Commander-inChief of the Armed Forces, Federal Republic of Nigeria, President Muhammadu Buhari, who is the ECOWAS COVID-19 Response

Coordination “Champion.”

NAF said it was on this basis that Nigeria would provide logistics support to ensure the items are distributed to all countries in the sub-region.

The 13 other ECOWAS countries are: Cote D’Ivoire, Guinea-Bissau, The Gambia, Senegal, Togo, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Guinea, Cape Verde, Niger Republic, Burkina Faso, Mali and the Republic of Benin.

The medical materials, which would be airlifted in three phases include; laboratory diagnostic kits, Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), intensive care equipment and miscellaneous medical accessories such as coveralls, masks, face shields, goggles, reagents, viral transport medium, ventilators and oxygen concentrators, amongst others.

WHO Appoints Nigerian as Member of Committee on Traditional Medicine The World Health Organisation (WHO) has appointed Prof.

Olobayo Olufunsho Kunle of the National Institute of Pharmaceutical Research and Development (NIPRD) as a member of its regional expert advisory committee on traditional medicine for COVID-19.

A letter dated June 30, 2020 and signed by WHO’s Regional Director, Dr. Matshidiso Moeti, said Kunle was appointed given his wealth of experience in the subject.

“The World Health Organisation and the Africa Centres for Disease Control and

Prevention are joining efforts to support member-states on research and development of traditional medicine-based therapies against COVID-19.

For this purpose, a Regional Expert Advisory Committee is being established.

“The committee will provide scientific advice regarding the compliance of the country clinical trial protocols with international standards and will also support the development of a master protocol and its implementation in countries for conducting clinical trials, elevating standards through pooling expertise for multi-centre studies.”

Fayemi Orders Random COVID-19 Test on Teachers, Students Ekiti State Governor, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, has directed a random sampling test of students and teachers for COVID-19 to assess their risk level ahead of resumption of schools.

The governor expressed optimism that COVID-19 protocols would be strictly adhered to as SS3 class preparing for West African Examinations Council (WAEC) resume on August 10, while resumption date for JSS 3 students and primary 6 pupils would be announced later.

Fayemi, in a state-wide broadcast yesterday, disclosed that parents of the resuming students are to provide their wards with at least two face masks each as a prerequisite for admittance into their school premises.

The governor who expressed concern over an increase in the

rate of infection in the last one month in the state with 109 fresh cases, advised the people of the state to learn from his COVID-19 infection and accept the reality of the pandemic.

The governor recalled that Ekiti State had 43 positive cases with 28 treated and discharged while only 13 were active cases at the beginning of July but the state now has a total number of 152 cases at last count, an increase of 109 cases in one month.

Fayemi attributed increase in cases to the random community testing exercise, which was made possible with facilities at the state-owned laboratory and the proximity to states with high incidences of confirmed infections; noting that lessons have been learnt from his experience with his own infection and isolation for ten days.

staff among other irregularities on the payroll, who were accordingly expunged Also, he identified challenges confronting the board to include lack of utility vehicles and overhead among others, and solicited government’s intervention Kyungun made this known while presenting the report of the board screening of teachers in its payroll to the state Governor,

Samuel Ortom, in Makurdi yesterday.

In his response, Ortom constituted a committee to immediately implement the screening report on the actual workforce of the state board.

The governor announced the committee headed by the state Commissioner for Education, Professor Dennis Ityavyar.

He stated that those who had milked the board through ghost workers must be identified and prosecuted, even as he directed that the ghost names be immediately deleted from the payment voucher.

Ortom also charged the TSB board to ensure that the names to be deleted do not find their way back on the payroll.

Other members of the

implementation committee constituted by the governor included representative of the Head of Service, representatives each from Commissioner for Finance, office of the Accountant General, Attorney General and Commissioner for justice, while the Executive Secretary of TSB will serve as secretary of the implementation committee.

TECHNOLOGY ON THE AGENDA...

L–R: Coordinator, Technology Incubation Centre, Enugu, Mrs. Thelma Nwabueze; Director General of National Board for Technology Incubation, Mr. Mohammed Jibril; and Chairman, Senate Committee on Science and Technology, Senator Uche Ekwunife; during the Senate committee’s oversight visit to the centre in Enugu...yesterday DAVID-CHYDDY

Afri-Goal Demands Unconditional Release of Protesters Afri-Goal foundation has condemned yesterday’s arrest and clampdown on peaceful protesters in Nigeria.

The organisation said in a statement that the development was not only an abuse of power by the

Nigerian police and military but also a gross violation of the constitutionally guaranteed right of the protesters.

“The Constitution of Nigeria recognised the right to peaceful protest and we urged the police and all other

power-drunken officials to respect this fundamental right of the people. We demand the immediate and unconditional release of all protesters arrested today in Lagos, Abuja, Osun, Ondo and other states where protest

action took place.

Afri-Goal also asked the President Muhammadu Buhari-led administration to immediately release all those who are illegally detained and those undergoing different trumped-up charges.

Okunbo Appoints Ajayi as Media Adviser Multi-billionaire business magnate and Chairman of the Hosa Wells Group, Capt. Hosa Wells Okunbo has appointed veteran journalist and media management expert, Mr. Samuel Ajayi, as his Media and Communications Adviser.

The appointment, which took effect immediately, was announced via a statement

by Okunbo at his corporate headquarters in Abuja.

In his new capacity, Ajayi will coordinate, organise, plan and execute all media activities that have to do with Okunbo as well as his business concerns.

“Samuel is also to liaise between us and media managers and practitioners

and ensure a smooth and mutually rewarding relationship between us and them, and also maintain a flawless and positive engagement with our various partners,” Okunbo said in the statement.

Okunbo added that the new Media and Communications Adviser would also ensure that

his various business interests are also well represented in the public space and ensure that there is constant maintenance of smooth relationship with members of the public.

He added that he was confident the new media aide has the requisite experience to navigate the terrain, especially during this particular period.

70% of Babies Not Exclusively Breastfed in Borno, Says UNICEF Michael Olugbode in Maiduguri The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has decried the attitude of Borno State mothers to breastfeeding, noting that more than 70 percent of babies in the state are not exclusively breastfed for the first six months of life.

The international organisation, therefore, immediately called on the state government to strengthen policies that support

exclusive and continuous breastfeeding practices to get babies to enjoy the numerous benefits of breast milk.

The UNICEF Chief of Field Office in the state, Dr. Clement Adams, stated this yesterday in a statement to commemorate the World Breastfeeding Week in the state.

Adams, while citing a 20162017 Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey, also disclosed that 64 per cent of babies born in the state are not breastfed within

the first hour of life.

He said: “Seven out of every 10 children between the ages of 0 and 6 months are not exclusively breastfed in Borno State. These children who are not exclusively breastfed are denied the uncontested benefits that come with exclusive breastfeeding, including the prevention of many early-life diseases.

“Breastfeeding can benefit Borno State by helping to lower health care costs, increase

educational attainment, and ultimately boost productivity. In fact, there is evidence that every N1, 000 invested in supporting breastfeeding can generate an estimated N35,000 in economic returns for the country.”

Adams added that UNICEF in the state, with support from the Department for International Development (DFID), is sensitising communities and training mobilisers to educate mothers on the benefits of breastfeeding.

Ogoni Clean-up: HYPREP Completes Remediation of Five Sites Ernest Chinwo in Port Harcourt The Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project (HYPREP) set up by the federal government to implement the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) report on the clean-up of Ogoniland in Rivers State has completed the remediation of five impacted sites.

The Project Coordinator of

HYPREP, Dr. Marvin Dekil, who addressed journalists in Port Harcourt yesterday to mark the 9th anniversary of the submission of the UNEP report on Ogoniland to the federal government, said the project had overcome its teething problems and has fully embarked on the remediation of impacted sites.

The UNEP submitted a report of its findings on the Ogoni

environment on August 4, 2011, which is now popularly referred to as the UNEP Report to the Federal Government of Nigeria.

The report detailed steps and activities to be carried out for the remediation of Ogoniland and recommended an initial $1 billion to be provided by the oil companies for the clean-up and the provision of potable water.

The report said that it would

take between 25 and 30 years to fully restore the polluted environment of Ogoniland.

Giving a report of achievements of the project since the flag-off of the exercise on June 2, 2016, Dekil said the HYPREP used the first one and a half years to put machineries on ground and went into full remediation in January, 2019.

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THURSDAYSPORTS

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

We Are Not Aware of Gusau’s Contract with PUMA, Says AFN Scribe Duro Ikhazuagbe There appears to be a new twist to the equipment and sportswear sponsorship deal PUMA entered into with Nigeria as the Secretary General of the Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN), Prince Adisa Beyioku claims ignorance of the agreement.

Going by the AFN constitution, Beyioku is the administrative and chief accounting officer of the federation and should be in the know of such development.

But PUMA is insisting it has a contract with the AFN based on the agreement signed on July 24, 2019 with Ibrahim Shehu Gusau, the suspended president of the federation who was returned to office by an Abuja High Court pronouncement last month.

Martin Benda, PUMA’s General Counsel had in a letter to Vice President of the AFN, Olamide George, stated clearly that the sponsoring and licensing agreement was sealed with Gusau and Mr Sunday Adeleye, the former Technical Director of the federation who signed on behalf of the

federation.

PUMA also confirmed that it has “fulfilled all payment obligations towards the sponsorship with AFN to date.”

The company also confirmed Dynamic Sporting Solutions Nigeria Limited, a company owned by Adeleye who was recalled as the representative of the athletes on the board of the AFN last year, was the ‘nominated bank account’ which received the payment made to the AFN as the ‘authorised recipient’.

However, Beyioku insisted he is not aware of any contractual agreement between the AFN and PUMA. “I am the Administrative and Chief Accounting Officer of the AFN as contained in the AFN constitution (2017 as amended), article 8.7.1 and article 4.4.2 of the 2017 Code of Governance as referenced by the AFN constitution in article 8.7.1.

“I am not aware there is any contractual agreement between the AFN and PUMA. It was not stated in the hand-over notes submitted by my predecessor, Elijah Ademu who was AFN Secretary General at the time the contract was purportedly

signed,” Beyioku stressed.

He expressed surprise that PUMA could sign a contractual agreement with a World Athletics member federation without the signature of its chief administrative and accounting officer.

“The AFN constitution (2017 as amended) states clearly that the Secretary General shall be the custodian of AFN’s records, documents and properties and that he shall be privy to all decisions of the AFN (article 8.7.1 of the constitution and 4.4.3 and 4.4.4 of the 2017 Code of Governance referenced by the AFN constitution (2017 as

amended).

“I was appointed as AFN Secretary General on November 1, 2019 in accordance with article 8.7.2 of the AFN constitution (2017 as amended) and 2017 Code of Governance article 4.4.1 as referenced by the AFN constitution and since I assumed duty as Secretary General, I have not sighted a copy of the agreement the AFN is purported to have signed with PUMA.,” Beyioku further clarified.

In what appears a summersault of his previous stance Gusau has now recognized Beyioku as the substantive secretary general

of the AFN. Gusau, in a sworn affidavit he deposed to support his originating summons against the Federal Ministry of Youth and Sports Development (FMYSD) and three others, affirmed Prince Beyioku, the third defendant in the case as the AFN Secretary General.

“The third defendant is a civil servant, a staff of the second defendant and Secretary General of the AFN,” Gusau wrote in the originating summons he swore to on February 6, 2020 at the registry division of the Federal High Court, Abuja Division.

The AFN president had erroneously failed to recognise Prince Beyioku as the AFN Secretary General when he (Beyioku) was posted to the federation as the new chief administrative and accounting officer in accordance with article 8.7.1 of the AFN constitution (2017 as amended) and 2017 Code of Governance as referenced by article 8.7.1 of the AFN constitution.

The AFN president went ahead to appoint one S.Y Pepple as Director General of the federation at an illegal congress to carry out the functions of the Secretary General.

TRANSFER NEWS....

Belgian Club to Get Part of Napoli’s Fee for Osimhen Belgian club Sporting Charleroi will receive their own share of the millions of Euros Napoli splashed on Victor Osimhen in installments over five years, officials announced yesterday.

Charleroi inserted a sellon percentage reported to be around 15% when they sold Osimhen to Lille for 14 million Euros last year.

They will therefore now get a slice of the 81 million Euros reportedly paid by Napoli to Lille.

However, Charleroi President, Medhi Bayat, told Het Laaste Nieuws Lille will pay them in installments.

“For those who would think that we are now immediately

wealthy, I would like to clarify that the total sum that is due to us will not be deposited into our account immediately.

This will, as is usually the case if it concerns a considerable amount is going to happen in installments,” he explained.

“These payments will probably be paid over a period of five years.

“So, it is not the case that we will be tempted thanks to Victor to wave a credit card without limit.

“We are not foolish. The club is financially healthy and we want to keep it that way.

Which does not mean that we will not spend money to strengthen the squad where necessary.”

Nigerian athletes at a continental competition...last year

QPR Spark Bidding War over Eberechi Eze Queens Park Rangersare hoping to spark a bidding war between Crystal Palaceand West Hamover forward Eberechi Eze. Palace have had an offer in the region of £12million knocked back for the 22-yearold who QPR value at around £20million.

The Championship side need to sell for financial reasons but are confident that - given the strength of interest from Palace and West Ham - they can hike

the price before agreeing a deal.

West Brom are also interested but the two London clubs are at the front of the queue for Eze. Both Palace and West Ham are keen to add youth to their squads ahead of next season.

Palace, who had the oldest squad in the Premier Leaguelast season, have already added 19-year-old full-back Nathan Ferguson on a free transfer.

Eze has entered the final year of his contract and this summer transfer window

represents QPR’s last real chance of securing a mammoth price unless they can persuade him to sign a new contract.

The former Millwall man has dazzled for a mid-table Championship team, scoring 14 goals and providing eight assists from QPR’s 46 league matches this season.

Crystal Palace made an enquiry for Eze late in the January window after losing out to West Ham in the race for Jarrod Bowen.

The QPR man is so highly rated that the club’s director of football Les Ferdinand even tipped him to make the England squad for next summer’s European Championships.

Meanwhile, Moyes went to The Kiyan Prince Foundation Stadium in the final weeks of the season to cast his eye over Eze and believes the successful signing of Jarrod Bowen in January has provided a blueprint to follow.

End to Victor Moses’ Eight Years Team Nigeria Join Rest of the World in Virtual Chess Olympiad Oyebanji is the team captain/ online matches but this is the According to Mr. Oyebanji, “the Adventure at Chelsea Imminent Femi Solaja coach. Mrs Atinuke Adesina first time we are faced with a postponed 44th Chess Olympiad Chelsea have finalised plans to offload one of their longestserving players, Victor Moses in the summer transfer window.

According to Sky Sports, the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations winner is one of the Blues first team stars tipped for the exit door, the others being Kepa Arrizabalaga, Jorginho, Antonio Rudiger, Emerson, Tiemoue Bakayoko, Danny Drinkwater, Kurt Zouma, Andreas Christensen and Michy Batshuayi.

Ahead of next season, Chelsea have bolstered their squad with the signings of Timo Werner and Hakim Ziyech from RB Leipzig and Ajax Amsterdam respectively and they have to cash in on the aforementioned

players before they can buy.

August 24th, 2020 will make it eight years since Moses joined Chelsea from Wigan Athletic and he has entered the final twelve months of his contract with the Stamford Bridge outfit.

Apart from his debut season and during Antonio Conte’s two-year spell in charge of Chelsea, the Nigerian has found playing opportunities hard to come by, leading to loan moves to Liverpool, Stoke City, West Ham, Fenerbahce and most recently Inter Milan.

There was a purchase clause inserted into the deal taking Moses to Inter Milan in the January transfer window, but the Serie A giants have no obligation to buy him permanently.

Following the inability to stage the regular World Chess Olympiad this year in Moscow, Russia due to Covid-19 pandemic, the virtual edition of the competition is currently ongoing with Nigeria among the 162 nations of the world competing in the 30-day event.

The Nigerian team made up of 10 players and two officials namely; International Masters Bunmi Olape, Oluwafemi Balogun, Dapo Adu, FIDE Master Abimbola Osunfuyi, Toritsemuwa Ofoniwo Peace Samson, Callistus Eyetonghhan Denfa, Jessica Pelomoh, Woman FIDE Master Eloho Perpetual Ogbiyoyo, Trust Emmanuella Enomah, Issac Okeke and Joy Iyefu Onoja while Mr Ademola

is representative of the Nigeria Chess Federation (NCF).

After a brilliant start this week, the Nigerian team qualified from the first stage to the next phase of the tournament starting tomorrow.

During the first stage of the tournament involving 10 countries namely; Malawi, Cameroon, Lesotho, Ethiopia, Mauritania, Eswatini, Lebanon, Sudan and Oman, the resilient Nigerian side encountered several challenges ranging from lack of quality gadgets to unstable and insufficient internet access but the team’s coach in an interview with THISDAY last night said the players are more focused than before because of the bigger challenges to reach the next phase.

“Nigerian players are used to

competition of this magnitude and the players are coping with the situation and hopeful will come out better in coming rounds of matches starting from Friday,” Oyebanji said.

As Nigeria moves from fourth to the third division alongside Angola, Mozambique and Mauritania, it will join other teams like Zambia, Botswana, Madagascar and Tunisia all aiming to be among the few that will get promoted into the second division which is populated mainly by chess developed nations.

However, African teams likes Egypt, Algeria, Morocco, South Africa and Zimbabwe all ‘profited’ from wild card given by the African continental chess body.

may have been affected just like all other sports but chess can still take place online without losing its competitive edge.

“We have been competing via Zoom app and most of us no doubt at the initial stage were having the psychological problem of not facing our opponents directly but we are getting used to it as if we are playing chess in real way.

“I must commend all the players for the sacrifice of burning data for hours and things will get better in the coming week as we hoped to climb to the next level.

“It’s most unfortunate that one of our players with good positional play had to concede because not enough resource to rap up a winning position.

Thursday, August 6, 2020

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Price: N250

MISSILE Tonnie Iredia to Lai Mohammed “Everybody expects a broadcasting commission to be an autonomous body that has no place in politics. If you listen to the news, who has been speaking? The minister of Information. Is he the director-general of the NBC? He should leave the broadcasters in the NBC to do their professional duty” – Former NTA Director General on the overbearing disposition of the minister of information, in the amendment of the national broadcasting code.

OLUSEGUNADENIYI THE VERDICT

olusegun.adeniyi@thisdaylive.com

The Southern Kaduna Killing Fields T

he resurgence of killings in Kauru, Zango-Kataf, Kaura, Kajuru and Jema’a local governments in Kaduna State is not altogether surprising. My column, ‘Mass Murder on a Market Day’, followed the orgy of violence that led to the death of no fewer than 55 persons at the Kasuwan Magani weekly market in Kajuru local government in October 2018.

That intervention highlighted many buried issues and how emotions around them have for decades undermined peace and progress in Southern Kaduna as well as other locations in Nigeria. I also spoke to the trust deficit that fuels the animosity on all sides and the spiral of revenge killings for which our country has now become notorious.

In 2017, I argued that in many respects, the violence in the area mirrors the IsraeliPalestinian conundrum. My reasons included: Territorial claims on which each side touts its own history; insufficient land whose ownership is always contentious; and finally, economic and political survival in a plural society. Each side also exploits religion in an attempt to draw external support. And because emotion rather than reason drives positions of these external supporters, their actions only help fuel the fire by compounding problems when the leadership cannot rise above its own biases and prejudices.

At the centre of the current violence is contention over a piece of land which has for decades been at the heart of the dispute between the two principal ethnic groups in Zangon Kataf local government. But for us to properly situate the tragedy, we may need to go back to the 29th September 2019 attack in Chawai Chiefdom, Kauru local government, where a female farmer was butchered to death over a disagreement about destruction of her crops. That crisis appeared contained, but on 23rd February this year, a herder was beheaded in the same general area of Kauru local government, in what was suspected as a reprisal for the September 2019 killing. What followed was a peace of the graveyard that lasted until 10th June, when another farmer from the Chawai ethnic group resident in Kibori-Asha Ahuce, Zangon Kataf local government went missing. His corpse was found a day later near a river bank, and youths who associated the killing with the lingering farmland disagreement were sure who to hold responsible. What started as a civil protest soon degenerated into violence with casualties on both sides. In Zonzon District, three persons were killed with 17 huts burnt. In Gidan Zaki District, four persons were killed. No fewer than 11 huts were also burnt. In Ungwan Gaiya District where 15 huts were razed, there were two fatalities, both members of the same family.

In Gora District, three persons were also killed and eight huts razed.

From that point, hell descended on Southern Kaduna with intelligence reports indicating mercenaries may have been hired from the folds of armed bandits operating from Zamfara, Katsina and Niger States. At approximately 11 PM on 10th July, there

El Rufai... Kaduna State Governor was a major attack on Chibob village. Nine people were killed, six injured, 19 houses were burnt as well five motorcycles and a vehicle. A day later at midnight, Sabon Kaura in Zangon Kataf local government was attacked by assailants who set ablaze a house, killing 14 inhabitants, and injuring five others. In all, eight houses were razed.

On the same day, Kiffin, a settlement in Kauru local government was attacked. An 8-year old boy was killed. Twenty houses and one motorcycle were burnt. On the night of 13th July, a man who had refused the entreaties of his relatives to leave with them and was the only one left in the village was killed in Mashau.

Around midnight on 20th July, a gang of gunmen on motorcycles invaded Kukum Daji community, Kagoro Chiefdom in Kaura local government. They opened fire on young people who had gathered for a wedding party. By the time they left, 17 persons between the ages of 16 and 24 were dead. Twenty four hours later, on 21st July, another gang of gunmen invaded Gora Gan community in Zangon Kataf local government, killing 11 persons, including the village head, Akut Dauke. Ten persons were injured and four houses were razed along with four motorcycles in the attack that occurred around 4.30PM. On the same day, troops recovered three dead bodies at Fari in Kauru local government. A day later, on 22nd July, gunmen attacked Kizachi community in Kauru local government and killed a family of five. On the same day, a man from Dangoma village went missing.

His decomposing body, exhibiting machete cuts, was found on the outskirts of Ungwan Yashi, Jema’a local government. Also on that day, another community leader from Dangoma was killed around the Takau area of the local government.

On 23rd July, there was an attack on Agwala Magayaki in Doka Avong, Kajuru local government that claimed eight lives.

Since then, there have been other attacks in Takau Gida, Takau 1 and 2 and Ung/ Masara in Jama’a local government, Bakin Kogi Chawai and Sarapang Kizachi in Kauru

local government, Asha A-wuce, Kurmin Masara, Ung/Zaki, Zangon Hausa, Ung/ Wakili Madakiya, Wawan Rafi, Manchon and Samarun Kataf in Zangon Kataf local government as well as Kagoro and Zunukun in Kaura local government. Although I have a list of those killed in Southern Kaduna in the past ten months, and they cut across ethno-religious divides, I have decided not to publish their names because it will not advance the cause of peace.

Having spoken to many people on both sides of the Southern Kaduna tragedy, what is apparent is that a cycle of revenge killings has led to a situation of mutual assured destruction. I have also read many of the reports by the police, the army and the State Security Service (SSS). For instance, a recent security report on factors responsible for the crisis identifies longtime animosity between the Hausa/Fulani and the Katafs over land disputes, loss of control of youths by elders on both sides, criminal elements hiding under ethnicity and religion to sow mistrust among inhabitants and the disposition (by both sides) to avenge any previous attack which claimed family members. There are also grievances arising from relative economic differences in the area. One group is seen as more prosperous than the other. This, rightly or wrongly, is perceived as being based on identity.

The Southern Kaduna Christian communities complain of being oppressed by the Hausa/ Fulani Muslims and the emirate system. This engenders deep feelings of resentment. However, in the peasant communities whose inhabitants are homogeneously Hausa and Muslim, they also complain about the very same acts of oppression from title holders of the emirate. “There is hardly any type of injustice suffered by Christians in Southern Kaduna that is not suffered by the Hausa peasantry in their own communities,” according to a 1979 report of the Kaduna State Land Commission that is now being looked into among other reports. Constituted by the Second Republic government of Alhaji Balarabe Musa to investigate issues around land ownership, allocation, disputes, compensation etc., the commission was chaired by Dr Yahaya Abdullahi, the current senate majority leader with the late Mr Patrick Yakowa—the first and to date only Southern Kaduna man to be elected governor of the state who died in office in the December 2012 helicopter crash in Bayelsa State—as secretary. Southern Kaduna Christian communities believe their plight results from “the ethnic and religious differences between themselves and the Hausa/Fulani while the Hausa peasantry view them as part of an oppressive class system that has exploited them for generations. So the facts may be the same in the two contexts, but the perception is different. We need to deal with this issue if the conflicts in Southern Kaduna are going to be addressed,” the report concluded.

Many have also argued that the problem persists because reports from all the commissions of enquiry have never been implemented. That may be true. My disagreement is with those who tout the

Justice Benedict Okadigbo Tribunal as a benchmark for resolving the crisis. That for me, is actually one of the factors that makes peace difficult in Southern Kaduna.

I watched the proceedings as my first assignment outside Lagos as a reporter.

Following the May 1992 violence between the Hausa and Kataf communities over the relocation of a market in Zangon-Kataf local government during which several people were killed, the then military president, General Ibrahim Babangida constituted a tribunal headed by Justice Okadigbo to try Major General Zamani Lekwot (rtd) and 16 other alleged culprits. I recall that on a visit to Kafanchan—where the then Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), the late Alhaji Aliyu Mohammed lost family members to the attack—Babangida said that all the people arrested in connection with the violence would be deemed guilty until they prove their innocence. It was in that atmosphere of seeking vengeance rather than justice that Lekwot and others were tried by the Okadigbo panel. If that sort of ‘justice’ were to be applied in the present circumstance, we know the people who would be deemed guilty and similarly convicted. But it would not resolve the crisis just as the Okadigbo tribunal never did.

It is unfortunate that after almost 60 years of independence, we are yet to manage our delicate fault-lines, not peculiar to us as a nation. And it is tragic that there seems to be no solution in sight to what has now become an epidemic of violence and bloodletting in theatres across the country. If there is going to be peace in Southern Kaduna, it is important to understand that making divisive and incendiary statements at a time like this is most unhelpful, however popular that may be with the various audiences to which we play. More than ever before, this is the time for all men of goodwill to work for the return of peace to the area.

Now, it’s either ‘there is genocide against Christians’ in Southern Kaduna or ‘there is ethnic cleansing against Hausa/Fulani people’ depending on who is pushing the dangerous narratives that have compounded problems for the traumatised people in that part of the state. We must find solutions that will encourage people to embrace their differences and find accommodation with one another.

Fortunately, even in the midst of the current madness, the Gora District traditional leadership offered refuge to Fulanis who escaped from neighbouring Bakin Kogi District in Kauru local government. The District is also seeing to the maintenance of the destroyed residence of the Ardo who is currently taking refuge in Fadan Kamantan.

The Atyap and Fulani communities in the District are also engaging on a Memorandum of Understanding to assure mutual peace and security. A copy of the draft MoU that I sighted agreed on “attitudes of social interactions based on integrity and honesty that would promote mutual respect, neighbourliness, peace and security without which there cannot be any meaningful development and progress.”

NOTE: Piece concluded on page 14

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