FRIDAY 11TH AUGUST 2023

Excess Liquidity Weakens Naira Further at Parallel Market to N950/$1

Official, parallel market gap widens to N169

CBN resumes

bank

recorded over N103.85bn profit in 2022

OMO auction IMF: Nigeria’s economic policies too loose to support nation’s currency Apex

James Emejo

Ekeghe

in Lagos The naira depreciated further in the parallel market yesterday, as it traded

at N950/$1 in Lagos, compared with the N930 to a dollar it went for the previous day.

However, on the Investors and Exporters’ (I&E) window, the naira

closed at N781/$1 compared with its opening rate of N782/$1.

This was just as the International Monetary Fund (IMF), yesterday, said Nigeria’s loose fiscal and monetary

policies were creating excess liquidity, making it difficult for the naira to stabilise against the dollar two months after authorities allowed the currency to trade freely.

In the same vein, analysts attributed the depreciation of the naira to excess cash in the system, which some specifically accused the state governors of using to mop up

dollars, thereby putting pressure on the foreign exchange (FX) market.

“What we are seeing in the

Illegal Possession of Firearms: Court Fixes August 15 to Hear Emefiele, FG’s Applications...

UNICEF Advocates for Six Months Paid Maternity Leave for Working Nursing Mothers...

Tinubu Rejoices with Doyen of Accounting, Akintola Williams at 104

Extols virtues

Deji Elumoye in Abuja and Dike Onwuamaeze in Lagos

President Bola Tinubu has rejoiced

Hafeez Abou at 101 ICAN laments falling interest in accounting profession, commends Diri for boosting enrollment

with the doyen of accounting in Nigeria and Africa, Chief Akintola Williams, as he celebrates 104th birthday.

The president, in a statement issued by his Media Adviser, Ajuri Ngelale, shared the special moment with all friends and professional

associates of the elder statesman, whose vision and resilience had altered the history of Nigeria for the better, by establishing the

first indigenous accounting firm in Africa, Akintola Williams & Co., in 1952, which has extended services to many countries.

Tinubu affirmed the historic role of Williams in the establishment of

Continued on page 5

Niger: ECOWAS Deploys Troops, Ready for Diplomacy, Peace

Nigerian president says initial ultimatum yielded no result We are ready, declares Nigeria air force Afenifere, CAN, others insist military action is no option

Story on page 5

L - R : President Alasane Ouattara of Cote D'Ivoire; President ECOWAS Commission, Omar Toure; ECOWAS Chairman/President Bola Tinubu; President Faure Gnassingbe Eyadema of Togo and President Macky Sall of Senegal; 2nd Row: President. Umaro Mokhtar Sissoco of Guinea Bissau; President Julius Maada Bio of Sierra Leone; President Patrice Talon of Benin Republic and President Nana Akufo-Ado of Ghana during the ECOWAS 2nd Extraordinary Summit on the Political Situation in the Republic of Niger held in Abuja.... yesterday . GODWIN OMOIGUI

Illegal Possession of Firearms: Court Fixes August 15 to Hear Emefiele, FG’s Applications

Suspended CBN boss asks court to quash charge

Justice Nicholas Oweibo of the federal High Court in Lagos has fixed Tuesday, August 15, 2023, to hear the application filed by the suspended Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Godwin Emefiele seeking to quash the criminal charges of alleged illegal gun and ammunition possession brought against him by the federal government.

The court would on same date hear the application filed by the federal government seeking to appeal against the bail granted the former CBN governor. Justice Oweibo fixed the date to

enable the defence reply to the counter affidavit filed by the prosecution.

Ruling on whether the applications were ripe for hearing, the judge held that the application of the prosecution was ripe for hearing but that of the defence needed time to responded to the further counter affidavit served on them in court.

The court held that it would be best for the two applications to be taken jointly in one day.

Consequently, the judge adjourned the matter to August 15, for hearing of all applications.

Earlier, when the case was called, the prosecuting counsel, Mrs. K. A. Fagbemi, an Assistant Chief

State counsel told the court that the prosecution filed a Motion on Notice dated and filed August 3, 2023, adding that the motion had been served on the defendant.

In his response the defence counsel Victor Opara, submitted that the prosecution's application was not ripe for hearing.

He said:" Our conception is that by reason of principle of priority of application, our application is superior, and it is stated in grounds 6 and 7 of our application that by disobedience of clear and direct potent orders of this court, the prosecution cannot be heard by the court.

“The application by virtue of

consistency disobedience of this court should not even be allowed to move the applications haven disobeyed the court."

However, Fagbemi in her reply stated that the defence does not have right of reply, adding that by principle of priority the prosecution's Motion comes first and was ripe for hearing.

After listening to the submissions of both counsel Justice Oweibo held that the justice of the case will be met if both applications are taken the same day.

Emefiele had in a Motion on Notice dated August 7, 2023, prayed for an order prohibiting the federal government from further prosecuting

NIGER: ECOWAS DEPLOYS TROOPS, READY FOR DIPLOMACY, PEACE

in Abuja and Fidelis David in Akure

The Heads of State and Government of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), yesterday, ordered the activation of of a standby force and subsequently ordered the Chiefs of Defence Staff of the regional bodyto direct deployment.

Although ECOWAS agreed that diplomatic channels should further be explored and that all other options were still on the table including the

use of force, President Bola Tinubu, in his capacity as ECOWAS chairman, however, insisted it was crucial that the regional body prioritised diplomatic negotiations and dialogue as a lasting move to resolving the Nigerien crisis.

Tinubu, who said the regional body would continue to champion diplomacy and dialogue, as well as earnest discussions with all parties involved, to restore constitutional governance in Niger, also noted that the failure of the initial ultimatum to yield desired results had necessitated the new resolutions.

TINUBU REJOICES WITH DOYEN OF ACCOUNTING, AKINTOLA WILLIAMS AT 104

several private and public institutions in the country, such as the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) and the Institute of Chartered Accountants (ICAN) as well as his contributions to democracy and good governance.

The president noted that Williams began his impactful journey early on as a founding member of Egbé omo Odùduwà, along with late sage, Chief Obafemi Awolowo and others.

Egbé omo Odùduwà was at the forefront of the struggle for Nigeria’s Independence, which eventually transited into one of the first political parties, the Action Group.

As the chartered accountant turned 104, Tinubu believed his presence and wisdom would continue to inspire the younger generation toward imbibing the timeless values of integrity, hard work, and long-term vision, especially with respect to national development.

The president prayed for the continued excellent health of Williams and his beloved family.

In another birthday message, President Tinubu extolled the leadership and devotion to Allah exemplified by Sheik Hafeez Abou, the Executive Chairman of Lagos Central Mosque, on the celebration of his 101st birthday.

He praised the cleric for his many years of educating the Muslim faithful on all tenets of Islam, even as he has advanced the progress and development of Lagos State and Nigeria through his teachings, which promote peace, harmony and national unity.

Describing the highly respected cleric as a fountain of wisdom whose sense of commitment and duty has not diminished despite his advanced age, the President prayed to God to strengthen Sheik Abou and grant him good health.

Meanwhile, ICAN has lamented that youths are now losing interest in the accounting profession and preferring professional footballing, music and social media influencing.

This view was expressed recently by the 59th President of ICAN, Dr. Innocent Okwuosa, during his courtesy call on the Governor of Bayelsa State, Senator Douye Diri, whom he commended for initiating a scholarship programme that is encouraging youths to pursue a career in accounting.

Okwuosa, who was received by the Deputy Governor of Bayelsa State, Senator Lawrence Ewhrud, said one of the challenges facing accounting was how to attract young ones into the profession.

He said: “The youths no longer find accounting profession attractive as professions like football, music, social media influencing and others that will make them rich overnight. But through the Accounting Technicians Scheme of West Africa (ATSWA) initiative of the institute, the Bayelsa State’s district of ICAN with the support of the state government has been able to attract many young people into the accounting profession in Nigeria.”

He said the state government had provided scholarship to young indigenes of Bayelsa to write the ICAN’s ATSWA examination, which is a middle level accounting qualification for school certificate and Ordinary National Diploma (OND) holders, from where they proceed to the professional examination of the institute.

Okwuosa noted that Diri’s administration had enabled 126 students who have benefitted from the initiative of the state government to join the accounting profession.

“Some of these students have proceeded to the professional examination of the institute and qualified as chartered accountants,” he said, adding that other state governors should emulate what Diri has done.

He also thanked the governor for appointing over 100 chartered accountants into the state’s civil service workforce and appealed to him to consider appointing more chartered accountants into the state’s service because it is the right thing to do.

According to him “the result of our research shows that there is a positive relationship between having more chartered accountants within a workforce and increased revenue generation and efficiency in service delivery of the government.”

In his response, the deputy governor on behalf of the state governor expressed appreciation to ICAN for acknowledging the effort of the state in educational empowerment of the youth of which the ICAN ATSWA is a beneficiary.

However, responding to order, the Chief of the Air Staff (CAS), Air Marshal Hasan Abubakar, yesterday, said the Nigerian Air Force has raised its state of readiness.

At the same time, a foremost Yoruba socio-political group, Afenifere; leadership of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN); Kulen Allah Cattle Rearers Association of Nigeria (KACRAN) and some

prominent Nigerians, among others, have reiterated their opposition to any military intervention in Niger.

Against the backdrop of the latest development, it is expected that about 6000 to 7000 personnel from member countries and other assets including armoured tanks and fighter planes would be in action should all diplomatic channels fail.

The last time such a deployment

the instant charge or any other charge against him or seeking any form of indulgence before the court, inclusive of the application to grant leave to appeal against the order granting him bail and other ancillary orders.

He is also praying for an order discharging him from the instant charge which he argued cannot be lawfully prosecuted by the complainant who is in brazen disobedience of subsisting orders of the court made on July 25, 2023.

Emefiele further asked the court for an order to stay further proceedings in the present charge until he exhausts all the remedies available to him in law to compel

was effected was to force former Gambian leader, Yahya Jammeh, who refused to relinquish power after loosing election to President Adama Barrow.

The regional bloc had deployed a stabilisation force in Guinea-Bissau in 2022 after the country was thrown into turmoil, when its president escaped a coup attempt.

The Guinea-Bissau Stabilisation

the government to obey the order of the court admitting him to bail or remanding him in the custody of the Nigerian Correctional Centre until he perfects his bail terms.

The defendant through his lawyers led by Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Joseph Daudu, had filed the application before the vacation judge, Justice Oweibo who had admitted him to bail after he was arraigned.

The application was filed pursuant to Section 6(6) (a) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), relevant sections of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act, 2015 and under the inherent powers of the court.

Support Mission comprised some 600 troops from Nigeria, Senegal, Ivory Coast and Ghana, ECOWAS records showed.

The regional bloc agreed to continue the dialogue option while not dismantling the existing sanctions taken at the last summit. President of the ECOWAS

Continued on page 36

EXCESS LIQUIDITY WEAKENS NAIRA FURTHER AT PARALLEL MARKET TO N950/$1

market is partly as a result of the state governors who have lots of cash and because most of them have not activated the payment of palliatives in their states, they are indulging in reckless spending and those monies they are spending are being used to chase dollars, therefore putting pressure on the FX market,” the top market analyst who pleaded to remain anonymous explained.

Also, yesterday, the CBN declared a consolidated Group and Bank's profit of N103.85 billion and N65.62 billion respectively for its 2022 financial year.

Furthermore, THISDAY checks from development in the FX market showed that since the unification of forex rates, the commercial banks have not been selling dollars for Personal Travel Allowance (PTA), Business Travel Allowance (BTA), Education and medical fees, amongst others, as customers continue to lament the scarcity of the greenback.

Speaking in an interview with THISDAY on the developments in the forex market, the President of the Association of Bureaux De Change Operators of Nigeria (ABCON), Aminu Gwadabe, said the suspension of FX sales to members of his association should be revisited. This, he said would help ease the pressure on the official market.

Gwadabe, argued that the current parallel market rate was being driven by speculation and urged members of the public not to panic.

Speaking in a telephone interview, Gwadabe said: “Naira is becoming a fast-depreciating currency and is highly unpredictable. We have been seeing illegal economic behaviours because the rate at the market is not even at transaction rate. People are speculating and trying to test the capability of the monetary authorities in terms of defending the naira. The hike and volatility are not realistic.

“People are taking advantage because there is a loss of confidence in the market and working on peoples psychology.”

Commenting further on banks not meeting invisible demands, he stressed the need for the suspension on BDCs to be lifted.

He explained, “There should be a revisit of the suspension of BDCs so that the market would have liquidity which would also go a long way in dousing the tension. They need to integrate the BDCs into the I&E window.”

Meanwhile, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) yesterday, resumed Open Market Operation (OMO) auction offering N150 billion to investors in the secondary market.

The 96-day, 187-day and 362-day tenured instruments were auctioned as part of efforts to suck up excess liquidity in the system.

A breakdown of the instrument showed that for the 96-day instrument with November 14, 2023 maturity date, N30 billion was offered by the central bank and subscription was N48.5 billion. For the 187-day instrument that matures on February, 13, 2024, the apex bank offered N40 billion, but subscription was N67.90 billion. Also, N80 billion was offered for the 362-day monetary policy instrument, while total subscription on the bill was N191.53 billion.

IMF: Nigeria’s Economic Policies Too Loose to Support Naira

The International Monetary Fund (IMF), yesterday, said Nigeria’s loose fiscal and monetary policies were creating excess liquidity, making it difficult for the naira to stabilise against the dollar two months after authorities allowed the currency to trade freely.

Aisen, disclosed this in Lagos, at a Stakeholders’ Dialogue with theme: ‘The Naira: Paths to Institutional Reforms and Accelerated Growth’ Central bank transfers to the government are increasing the naira in circulation, depressing interest rates, discouraging savings and deterring the dollar inflows that could boost naira stability, Aisen said.

“There are too many naira running after insufficient foreign exchange. The supply of foreign exchange may take some time to build up,” he a Nigeria’s central bank eased foreign exchange controls in mid-June as it sought to simplify its exchange-rate regime and kick-start dollar flows. That led to a 40 per cent plunge in the official rate and persistent volatility.

The volatility seen in the naira was likely to continue for a longer period, Aisen said.

Even though the CBN has implemented the longest cycle of monetary tightening in years, raising the benchmark monetary policy rate by more than 700 basis points since May, interest rates still needed to go higher, Aisen said.

“Take the treasury bill rates, take all the other rates, it’s very difficult to give the naira a fighting chance,” Bloomberg quoted him to have said.

While it’s important to seek growth, the government needs to check money supply for the stability of the exchange rate and the economy, which can take 18 months to achieve,

Aisen said.

“You need additional macroeconomic tightening of fiscal and monetary policies to be able to give a chance to the naira and stabilize the economy,” he said.

“Meanwhile, you have an abundant number of naira running out, still not sufficient foreign exchange and this is going to be a recipe for depreciation simply because the demand for foreign exchange outstrips the supply of foreign exchange.

“Now you need to give a chance for the naira to fight and the interest rates can be much higher than they are. The inflation rate in the economy is running at almost 23 per cent,” he added.

On his part, the Chief Executive Officer, Economic Associates, Dr. Ayo Teriba, said mechanisms ought to have been put in place to ensure competition in the FX market before unifying the rates.

He said if the federal government wants to see the outcome of its FX reforms, it must save the BDCs from being hounded by the CBN.

According to him, “Energy and transportation costs, make our inflation very hard to reduce. The solution to both is that unless you stabilise the exchange rate, you can never stabilise inflation rate, and unless you have to deal with the supply bottlenecks around transportation and energy costs.

“The BDCs were created by government and licenced by the Central Bank of Nigeria. And I think that this arbitrary exclusion from the official market is autocratic and an infringement on their rights. The list of 43 items they are illegal items, I do not think it is lawful to prevent anybody who wants to import its legitimate item from the market.”

On his part, the Chief Executive Officer, Financial Derivatives, Mr. Bismarck Rewane, said policy change without institutional reform was meaningless, adding that the country’s export earnings have dropped because of oil.

CBN Recorded Over N103.85bn Profit for 2022

The CBN yesterday declared a consolidated Group and Bank's profit of N103.85 billion and N65.62 billion respectively for its 2022 financial year.

Profit Before tax stood at N105.05 billion and N65.62 billion for the Group and Bank respectively while operating profit stood at N57.61 billion

and N65.62 billion.

The report prepared in line with the provisions of the Fiscal Responsibility Act 2011, has 20 per cent of the net income of the bank credited to retained earnings while the balance paid to the federal government.

According to the CBN 2022 accounts released for the first time in five years, profits however declined from N124 billion in 2016, to about N40 billion.

Total comprehensive income for the Group stood at N430.08 billion compared to N157.34 billion in 2021.

The report indicated loan advances valued at N31.4 trillion and credit losses for Group at N875.20 billion and N868.67 billion for the Bank for 2022.

The report also stated that currency issue expenses stood at N29.64 billion for the Group and N96.45 billion for the bank in the review period.

However, interest and similar income calculated using the effective interest method amounted to N2.87 billion and N2.85 billion respectively for the Group and Bank for the period.

Revenues from fees and commission income amounted to N120.58 billion and N120.25 billion respectively.

However, Net fair value (loss)/ gains on financial instruments stood at N37.26 billion and N37.26 billion.

According to the report, total operating income amounted to N2.15 trillion and N2.14 trillion respectively for the Group and Bank for 2022.

The total operating expenses stood at N1.218 trillion and N1.20 trillion.

Net Operating income amounted to N1.27 trillion and N1.27 trillion respectively for both Group and Bank.

The report also stated that the Group’s share of profit of equity accounted investee's net tax stood at N47.43 billion for the Group.

The report further indicated that total items that may be reclassified to profit or loss stood at N34.50 billion and N18 billion respectively for the Group and bank.

Foreign currency translation reserves on equity accounted investees stood at N34.50 billion.

Net Cash flow from operating activities stood at N732.22 billion and N408.15 billion

Net cash flows from operating activities stood at N732.22 billion and N 408.15 billion for both Group and the bank respectively.

Net operating income totaled N1.82 trillion for the Group and N1.81 trillion for the bank under the review period.

Deji Elumoye, Kingsley Nwezeh, Michael Olugbode, Emameh Gabriel

Wale Igbintade

SEEKING IMPROVED SECURITY IN SOUTH-EAST...

Africa Must Seek to Reap from $10.3tn Global Climate Opportunities, Say Renewables Advocates

Urge developed world to offset $100bn pledge

Emmanuel Addeh in Abuja

A United Nations accredited climate action advocacy group, Green Growth Africa, yesterday suggested that with the right policies, Africa could shed its projected $50 billion annual loss due to the current global climate crisis, to reap from the $10.3 trillion worth of opportunities in the renewables space.

Speaking during a virtual media briefing monitored in Abuja, Executive Director of the organisation, Dr Adedoyin Adeleke, explained that as the only continent in the world where more than 60 per cent of its population is under the age of 25, the continent must explore the resilience of the youth by tapping into the sector.

The event was to herald the 2023 International Youth Day, themed: "Green Skills for Youth: Towards a Sustainable World," which comes up on Saturday, August 12.

For instance, he noted that Africa remains the world's poverty capital as more than half of the continent’s population, that is, 546 million people live in extreme poverty, advising that the continent’s leaders should stop seeing the debate on the global climate crisis as a ‘we versus them’ discourse.

With youth unemployment in Nigeria increasing from 40 per cent in 2020 to 53 per cent in 2022, the highest in the world, Adeleke maintained that the appalling

challenges of the African youth was being compounded by the climate crisis.

He maintained that every year, billions of tons of greenhouse gasses, including carbon emissions, from activities like fossil fuel consumption, unsustainable manufacturing, and transportation systems heat up the atmosphere, with the consequent surge in global temperatures.

Despite contributing 3 per cent of the global emissions of greenhouse gasses, he noted that Africa finds itself disproportionately vulnerable to the impacts of climate change.

“The continent faces escalating climate-related extreme weather disasters, including floods, extreme heat, erratic rainfall, and rising sea levels, causing untold human suffering and economic disruption.

“For instance, flood incidents have surged ten times since the 1960s, leading to more than 20,000 deaths; severe droughts have claimed more than 500,000 lives, and more than $70 billion has been lost.

“Worsened climate challenges amplify food insecurity, poor health, conflict, internal displacement, and the COVID-19 fallout in Africa. These altogether are deepening extreme poverty and other socioeconomic challenges that the continent already faces.

“Further projections suggest that annual costs of the climate crisis for African nations could skyrocket

to $50 billion by 2050. For context, that is more than the entire 2023 budget in Nigeria," he explained.

While stressing that the efforts to address climate change also offer even more opportunities for Africa to leapfrog its development deficit, he noted that the continent needs climate actions that also advance social and economic development indicators.

“What Africa requires are climate solutions that not only reduce carbon emissions but also fast track social and economic development.

“A 2023 report by Arup and Oxford Economics estimates that the transition to a net zero emissions environment by 2050 will create new industries worth $10.3 trillion to the global economy by that same year.

“These new economic opportunities range from the growing market demand for electric vehicles, renewable power generation, clean energy equipment, renewable fuels, as well as green finance and activities that would support supply chains across the globe.

“Africa has much to gain by tapping into this green transition: the current overreliance of African countries like Nigeria on crude oil may spell economic doom in the nearer future as the world is shifting away from fossil fuel use.

“On the other hand, we are wellpositioned to lead the global green transition by leveraging our huge

resources: from our rich mineral reserves of lithium used to make batteries that power electric vehicles, to our abundant human resources embodied in our youth that can supply quality labour, not just to the continent but to other regions across the globe,” he said. The executive director also called

on the developed nations to redeem their $100 billion pledge for the Climate Fund agreed in COP21, financial pledges made to the Adaptation Fund in COP26, and the recent loss and damage fund agreed to at COP27.

Also, the Manager in charge of Operations, Juwonlo Micheal,

speaking earlier, explained that the organisation was committed to the implementation of green socio-economic development solutions to address Africa's developmental challenges, with about 1,500 professionals, researchers and students across the globe.

HURIWA: Nigeria on Fire as Tinubu Chases Rats in Niger

Chuks Okocha in Abuja

Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA), has asked President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to order the military and police to totally liquidate armed terrorists, armed Fulani herdsmen and armed kidnappers killing Nigerians in droves and stop the diversionary gambit of plotting to send military troops to Niger Republic to restore civilian democracy.

HURIWA, in a statement by Emmanuel Onwubiko, said Tinubu, as commander-in-chief should take full responsibility for the security failures and the apparent nonperformance of the Service Chiefs and make it mandatory that within a month, all the killings by terrorists of all genres are stopped or the service chiefs including the National Security Adviser are kicked out.

Alleged Fraud: Platform Capital Boss, Akindele Remains in Police Detention 10 Days Without Trial

Kingsley Nwezeh in Abuja

The Chairman of Platform Capital, Dr. Akintoye Akindele, has remained in police detention at the Federal Intelligence Bureau (FIB) in Abuja, since his arrest in Lagos, 10 days ago.

He was arrested by the men of the Nigeria Police over alleged fraudulent diversion of payment for crude oil supplied to Duport Midstream Company Limited. Akindele, was said to have

received the invitation of the Nigeria Police to appear on Monday, July 24, 2023, left the country without honoring the invitation.

It was alleged that all efforts to get Akindele to account for the crude oil which he allegedly sold and received payment for proved abortive.

Akindele is also under investigation over a separate petition filed by concerned shareholders of Duport Midstream Company Limited for alleged misappropriation of

millions of dollars of company funds.

Reliable sources at the company said Akindele, who also acts as the interim Managing Director of Duport Midstream, admitted to having received the funds but had allegedly refused to account for same.

He was also alleged to have resisted all attempts of the boardappointed forensic auditor to investigate discrepancies in the company’s financial records.

Sources close to the police confirm

that he is now in their custody for interrogation and possible prosecution, as investigation of allegations against him continues.

When contacted, Force Public Relations Officer and Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP), Olumuyiwa Adejobi, told THISDAY that he would get a response from the FIB.

On further prompting, he called for a reminder but was yet to provide the update as at the time of filing this report.

HURIWA said it was inconceivable and unbelievable that Nigeria was aflame with the heightened state of insecurity from all dimensions, including the significant terrorist activities of Armed Islamic terrorists in the North East of Nigeria, armed Fulani terrorist attacks all over the country with major concentration of their deadly attacks in parts of Plateau, Southern Kaduna and Benue State.

It also identified armed Fulani terrorists, whom it claimed have become kidnappers in most federal highways leading to the South East

of Nigeria, whilearmed bandits and terrorists were wiping off different Hausa communities and raping young girls in Zamfara, Katsina and Kaduna State.

Yet, it said President Tinubu and his security team were wasting taxpayers money and time to debate to and fro the modalities for militarily intervene in Niger Republic.

HURIWA, however, stated that only a shameless president would be bothered about the internal affairs of other countries, when his own citizens were being wiped off and slaughtered.

Kalu: Parliament, Executive, APC to Strengthen Tripartite Arrangement

Adedayo Akinwale in Abuja

The Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Benjamin Kalu, has hinted that the All Progressives Congress (APC), parliament and the executive would resuscitate and strengthen the tripartite arrangement that existed before now towards advancing the national objectives as set out in the party's manifesto.

Kalu disclosed this yesterday in Abuja after meeting with the National Chairman of the APC, Abdulahi Ganduje.

He said he came to meet with the chairman to discuss pertinent issues that would affect the growth of the party, the nation and the South-east in particular.

"I am also here as in the form of a courtesy call to assure him that the tripartite arrangement that existed before now between the executive,

the parliament and the political party, will be restrengthened and I have the mandate of the speaker,who is currently outside the country and who will be coming to see him, on his arrival to assure him that the parliament will partner him, towards advancing the national objectives as set out by the political party in her manifesto, especially when the president presented himself to lead the nation.

"The issue of national balancing, of loyalty and cohesion in the country in the spirit of the constitution with regards to federal character, the way and manner appointments and projects are done, we also deliberated on that, to see that the balancing will increase the national cohesion," he said.

He, however, commended President Bola Tinubu for appointing young people and women as ministers.

L- R: Governor Chukwuma Soludo (Anambra State), Governor Alex Otti (Abia State), Governor Hope Uzodimma of Imo State and Chairman of South East Governors Forum, Governor Peter Mba (Enugu State) and Governor Francis Nwifuru (Ebonyi State), briefing newsmen after their meeting in Enugu on how to deal with the menace of insecurity in their region... yesterday

NIGERIA EXPORT PROMOTION COUNCIL SEMINAR...

Incentive-Based

System for

Telcos Raked in N3.856tn Revenue, Raised Active Subscribers’ Number to 222 Million in 2022

Nigerians spent N3.3tn on calls, data

Emma Okonji

Telecommunication operators (telcos) generated a whopping N3.856 trillion as revenue in 2022 and also increased their active subscribers’ number across networks to over 222 million in the same year, according to their performance report released yesterday by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC).

The operators however invested over N785 billion as at December 2022, and incurred operating cost of over N2 trillion as at December 2022.

The figures according to NCC, was a collation based on the submissions received from service providers in the industry, which included domestic investments, operating cost, revenue generation and subscribers number.

The figures, which THISDAY obtained from the official website of NCC, showed that the number of active subscribers across all networks increased from 195,463,898 subscriptions in 2021, to 222,571,568 active voice subscriptions as at December 2022. Active subscriptions increased by 27,107,670 subscriptions representing a 13.86 per cent increase in active

subscriptions year on year.

The increase in the operators’ subscriber base was attributed to a number of reasons which included subscriber loyalty, promos, seasonal effects, aggressive consumer acquisition drive, and competitive product offerings across all the networks.

A breakdown of the N3.856 trillion generated revenue showed that GSM operators alone, which included MTN, Globacom, Airtel, and 9mobile, generated as much as N3.3 trillion as revenue, while Fixed Wired operators generated over N385 million and Internet Service Providers (ISPs) generated over N92 billion as revenue as at December 2022.

Also, Value Added Service (VAS) generated over N40 billion as revenue, while Collocation and Infrastructure service providers generated over N3 billon as revenue in 2022. Other telecoms service providers put together, generated over N5 billion as revenue in 2022, according to NCC.

Aside revenue generation, the NCC statistics also revealed that the telecoms sector attracted lots of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) flows into the Nigerian economy in 2022, and contributed so much to Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of the Nigerian

Forgery: Tribunal Invalidates House Member’s Election

Ahmad Sorondinki in Kano.

The three member of the National and State House of Assembly elections petition tribunal sitting in Kano, have ruled that the primary school certificate tendered by the member of Tarauni Federal Constituency Muktar Yerima was forged The Tribunal, therefore, nullified the electoral victory of Yerima, of the New Nigeria Peoples Party after authorities of the Hausawa Primary School confirmed that his certificate was not on its record.

The election petition tribunal

was convinced beyond reasonable doubt that Yerima had forged his Primary School Certificate, which he issued to INEC while on documentation.

The tribunal, however, directed the Independent Electoral Commission (INEC) to retrieve the Certificate of Return issued to NNPP House of Representativesmember and hand it over to Hafiz Kawu of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

Kawu of the APC had challenged the electoral victory of Yerima, which the tribunal nullified yesterday.

economy in 2022.

According to the statistics, the capital inflow (FDI) into the Nigerian telecoms industry in 2022, was approximately $399,905,531.38, as against $753,044,446.35 as at 2021, while contribution to GDP increased from 12.61 per cent in the Q4 2021 to 13.55 per cent in Q4 2022. The statistics further revealed

that Nigeria’s teledensity increased from 102.40 per cent as at December 2021, to 116.60 per cent by December 31st 2022, while number of Internet subscribers increased from 141,971,560 subscriptions as at December 2021 to 154,847,901 subscriptions as at December 2022 representing an increase of 9.06 per cent.

Broadband Penetration also increased from 40.88 per cent as at December 2021 to 47.36 per cent as at December 2022. Similarly, Broadband subscriptions increased from 78,041,883 subscriptions in December 2021 to 90,398,960 subscriptions as at December 2022. There was also an increase in the volume of data consumed

in the year end December 2022 when compared with the yearend December 2021. The total volume of data consumed by subscribers increased to 518,381.78TB as at December 2022 from 353,118.89TB as at December 2021, which represents an increase of 46.77 per cent in data consumption within the period.

Group Alleges Smear Campaign Plot against Orelope-Adefulire

A socio-political group, Campaign for Advancement of Nigeria (CAFN) has raised the alarm on alleged plot by some individuals and groups to launch a smear campaign against the Office of the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Sustainable Development Goals and its immediate past head of the Office, Adejoke Orelope-Adefulire.

The group, in a statement

by its spokesperson, Barth Osondu, said the intention of those behind the plot was to portray Orelope-Adefulire, who had been receiving accolades over the series of initiatives and interventions she delivered to advance the SDGs in Nigeria in a negative light.

The group however warned that the plot would fail as the roads Orelope-Adefulire walked in her over 30 years

of public service were dotted with concrete achievements acknowledged locally and internationally.

“It’s unfortunate that these political hackers will choose to pick on a distinguished, patriotic Nigerian and the Office she occupied for their smear campaign.

“We are particularly baffled that these desperate politicians are planning to launch their

smear campaign some weeks after the United Nations recognised Orelope-Adefulire’s efforts to advance the SDGs in Nigeria with an award,” the group said. It further noted that the former presidential aide served the country with integrity and has not shied away from defending her record of service whenever she was called upon to do so.

Stakeholders Urge Tinubu to Appoint

Abuja Indigene FCT Minister

Say ministerial nominee, Zephaniah

Kingsley Nwezeh in Abuja

Concerned stakeholders in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) yesterday appealed to President Bola Tinubu to appoint an indigene Minister of the FCT.

Speaking to newsmen in Abuja on behalf of the group, an Abujabased real estate and property developer, Francis Bobai Matthew, called on Tinubu to ensure that an indigene of the FCT emerges the minister of the capital territory for the first time since the creation of the nation's capital.

He said it would amount to injustice for a non-indigene to be appointed minister of FCT.

Speaking with newsmen in

Jisalo fits the bill

Abuja, Matthew said the FCT should not be denied the benefits of producing the next FCT minister.

He noted that the All Progressives Congress (APC), during the 2023 presidential election, argued that the FCT is a state, citing Section 132 (1) (b) and (2) (b), with emphasis on “two-thirds of all the states in the federation and the FCT.”

“For fairness, justice and equity, the APC-led government of President Bola Tinubu should not deny the FCT of a ministerial slot just as each of the 36 states get at least one ministerial slot.

“This is in line with Section 318 of the 1999 Constitution on federal character principle to promote

national unity, foster national loyalty and give every citizen of Nigeria a sense of belonging.

“The APC-led administration should give a sense of belonging to the aboriginal people of Abuja and give a ministerial slot to an indigene of the FCT, just as each of the 36 states produce indigenes as members of the federal executive Council", he said.

He recalled that in January 2018, the court of appeal in Abuja, had ruled that indigenous people of the FCT were entitled to ministerial slots as provided by the combined provisions of sections 147 (3), 299, 14 (3) & 42 of the 1999 constitution.

The court also declared that the refusal to appoint an indigene of

FCT as minister constitutes gross violation of the provisions of the constitution on fundamental human rights.

"Zaphania , is a huge national asset and a blessing to our nation. If appointed as FCT minister, I know his ability and capacity, he will definitely deliver.

"He was elected Chairman Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC) in 2004 as a result of his excellence, he was re-elected in 2007. He served in that capacity in 2010", he said. He urged the President to give Zaphania, a chance to manage the ministry of Federal Capital Territory (FCT) given his strong leadership capital and innovative thinking abilities.

L-R: Relationship Manager, Africa-China Banking, Stanbic IBTC Bank, Henry Oradiegwu; Principal Manager, Agribusiness Finance and Investments, Nigeria

Risk Sharing

Agricultural Lending (NIRSAL), Akinlola Baiyewu; Regional Coordinator, Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC), Southwest Regional Office, Lagos, Akintunde Folorunso; Managing Director, XPT Logistics Nigeria Limited, Barrister Kola Awe; and Manager, Trade Finance, Stanbic IBTC Bank, Olatunde Oladejo during the Nigeria Export Promotion Council (NEPC) seminar in Lagos.... yesterday

UNICEF Advocates for Six Months Paid Maternity Leave for Working Nursing Mothers

Says delaying breastfeeding after birth increases chances of child's death

Segun Awofadeji in Bauchi

The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) has advocated for six months paid maternity leave for working nursing mother as part of efforts to improve workplace policies to boost breastfeeding.

UNICEF declared that babies who are not breastfed are 14 times more likely to die before they reach their first birthday than babies who are exclusively breastfed.

The Chief of Field Office, UNICEF Nigeria, Bauchi Field Office, Dr. Tushar Rane, in a goodwill message he delivered during a Media Dialogue on World Breastfeeding Week, 2023, held at Jamil Hotel and Suites, Azare, yesterday, said familyfriendly workplace policies such as paid maternity leave, breastfeeding breaks and a room where mothers can breastfeed, could also have huge benefits for employers.

He said the government and employers must provide the needed assistance for mothers and caregivers including those in the informal sector or on temporary contracts to

conveniently breastfeed or support breastfeeding.

According to him, “We must promote policies that encourage breastfeeding, such as paid maternity leave for six months, as well as paid paternity leave, flexible return-towork options, regular lactation breaks during working hours and adequate facilities that enable mothers to continue exclusive breastfeeding for six months.”

The UNICEF Chief of Field Office who stressed that babies who are not breastfed are 14 times more likely to die before they reach their first birthday than babies who are exclusively breastfed pointed out that, "It is the mainstay for safeguarding infants against life-threatening infections, it supports optimal brain development in children, especially in the first 1,000 days and it ultimately lowers healthcare costs.

“We understand that optimal infant feeding is a cornerstone for human capital development while poor Infant and Young Child Feeding (IYCF) practices bear major risks to child survival and socio-economic

Pinnacle Oil Appoints Robert Dickerman CEO

Peter Uzoho

Leader in Nigeria's oil and gas downstream sector, Pinnacle Oil & Gas Limited has appointed Robert Dickerman as the Chief Executive Officer of the company.

Chairman of the company and Emir of Bichi, Alhaji Nasir Ado Bayero, made the announcement while speaking at the company’s board meeting in Kano.

He said the appointment was based on Dickerman's experience and stellar performance during his tenure as Chief Operating Officer (COO) and subsequently as Managing Director (MD) and Acting CEO.

Before his current appointment, Dickerman had a robust career as a senior energy executive with more than 30 years’ experience.

He holds a Master’s degree in Business Administration from the Graduate School of Management, University of Chicago, and a BSc degree from Union College.

His expertise spans strategy, development, operations, performance management and corporate governance. He was the MD/CEO of Enugu Electricity Distribution Company (EEDC) and held leadership positions as COO of Marubeni Power as well as CEO of Sempra Energy Solutions and Edison Source of Edison International.

Dickerman’s appointment was sequel to the recent appointment of two members of the company’s executive management – Adenike Labinjo as Chief Operating Officer (COO) and Sunday Anyaogu as Chief Financial Officer (CFO) – as executive directors.

At the meeting, the board lauded the company’s Founder, Dr. Peter Mbah, who is now the Governor of Enugu State, for his pioneering effort and immense contribution to the development of the industry, positioning it at the zenith of leadership in the downstream oil sector.

growth.”

Rane, stressed that World Breastfeeding Week is celebrated every year to reiterate the importance of breastfeeding for children, mothers, and socio-economic development saying that, “Breastmilk is the first vaccine for every child.”

He explained that this year’s World Breastfeeding Week brought attention to workplace breastfeeding, pointing out that women make up 20 million out of the 46 million workforces in Nigeria with 95 per cent within the informal sector, while the formal sector only employs five per cent.

“Shockingly, only nine per cent of organisations have a workplace breastfeeding policy, with only 1.5 per cent in the public sector. Women in the informal sector have nearly no support for breastfeeding.

“Workplace challenges to breastfeeding are one of the primary factors responsible for early cessation

of breastfeeding. Women require sufficient time and support to breastfeed successfully.

“For working mothers, juggling between tasks and breastfeeding may be nearly often impossible.

“Nigeria currently implements two maternity entitlement provisions. The first, which is recognised at all levels of public service and codified in the Nigerian Labour Act, provides up to 12 weeks of maternity leave with at least 50 per cent of salary and, upon return to work, half an hour twice a day during working hours to breastfeed,” he said.

He added: “The second, recently adopted by the Federal Public Service and yet to be ratified by the states and local government civil service is a 16-week maternity leave provision with full pay and two hours off each day to breastfeed up to six months after the employee resumes duty.”

He, however, said government and employers must provide the

needed assistance for mothers and caregivers including those in the informal sector or on temporary contracts to conveniently breastfeed or support breastfeeding.

“We must promote policies that encourage breastfeeding, such as paid maternity leave for six months, as well as paid paternity leave, flexible return-to-work options, regular lactation breaks during working hours and adequate facilities that enable mothers to continue exclusive breastfeeding for six months,” he suggested.

Also speaking, UNICEF Nutrition Specialist, Philomena Irene, pointed out that delaying breastfeeding by two to 23 hours after birth increases the risk of a baby dying in the first 28 days of his or her life by 40 per cent.

In a paper titled, "Breast milk: the life preserving Super food for babies; trends in breastfeeding in Bauchi field office states," Irene explained that breastfeeding leads to decreased

morbidity and mortality for children and their mothers.

Irene, stressed that well breastfed babies are healthier and have chances of becoming healthy teenagers and adults, adding that there would be a reduction in delinquency and other psychosocial problems in such children.

She said breast milk remains affordable, accessible such that every mother can afford it, adding that breastfeeding protects the environment against been littered with infant food containers as well as save cost in the production of feeds.

According to her, breastfeeding help economically by saving foreign exchange from importation of breast milk Substitutes (BMS) and feeding utensils, health costs and hospital trips.

"Exclusive breastfeeding has the potential to save more children's lives than any other preventive intervention", she said.

Again, NAFDAC Warns against Drug Hawking, Artificial Ripening of Fruits Partners NYSC to tackle menace

Okon Bassey in Uyo and Blessing Ibunge in Port Harcourt

The National Agency for Food Drugs Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has vowed to adopt stringent actions against drug hawking and artificial ripening of fruits in the country.

The Director General of the agency, Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, made the pledge in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State capital, yesterday, during the flag-off of NAFDAC Media Sensitisation Workshop on the Dangers of Drug Hawking and Ripening of Fruits with Calcium Carbide.

Adeyeye, who spoke through the Director of Chemical Evaluation and Research, Dr. Leonard Omokpariola, expressed worry over the dangers and health implication of those two nefarious acts.

Accordingly, Adeyeye stressed that the agency had taken decisive steps through media sensitisation, enforcement through intelligence

and raids in fruit markets that have resulted in seizures and destruction of such products.

The Director General hinted that the flag – off of the media sensitisation workshop was aimed at sustaining and strengthening NAFDAC’s existing collaboration with the Association of Health Journalists in Nigeria towards mobilising, educating, sensitising, and conscientising Nigerian journalists to play frontline role in efforts to eradicate the social crime.

"The menace of drug hawking has continued to pose serious challenge to healthcare delivery system in the country and this underscored NAFDAC’s resolute determination to totally eradicate the illicit trade.

"Many drug hawkers are knowingly or unknowingly merchants of death who expose essential while many drugs sold by the illiterate and semi-literate drug hawkers are counterfeit, substandard or expired, and therefore do not meet the quality, safety and efficacy requirement of

regulated medicines.

"Drug hawkers are also the major distributors and suppliers of narcotic medicines to criminal networks such as armed bandits, insurgents, kidnappers and armed robbers. Drug hawkers constitute serious threat to our national security,” she added.

"I wish to warn that any Drug Hawker arrested by NAFDAC will be prosecuted, will face a jail term, and our enforcement officers are currently carrying out synchronised nation-wide operation. No offender will be spared from facing the full wrath of the law," she said.

Adeyeye, said the effect of artificial ripening on fruit quality included considerable loss of properties such as colour, taste and feel, and such practice does not give the natural aroma and flavour to the fruits.

"Calcium Carbide when sprayed with water reacts chemically to produce acetylene, which acts like ethylene and ripens fruits by a similar process. Calcium carbide generally

contains impurities such as arsenic, lead particles, phosphorus, etc., that pose several very serious health hazards,” she stressed.

In a welcome remark, NAFDAC Zonal Director in charge of South-east and South-south, Dr. Chike Obiano, said the media remained a critical stakeholder to the attainment of NAFDAC’s objectives.

NAFDAC also said it would collaborate with the members and officials of National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) to fight against the menace of drug hawking across the country.

The agency said drug hawking had endangered so many lives, especially Nigerians who, “we have ignorantly patronised the uncertified drugs while going through short cut to healing of their ill health.” lth, and with that very policy in place, anyone caught hawking drugs will be prosecuted. He reinstated that the agency has ban hawking of drugs in the country.

ECOWAS BRIEFS INTERNATIONAL MEDIA ...

Vice President Ecowas Commission , Mrs. Damitien Tchintchibidja ( L ) with the President of ECOWAS Commission , Omar Alieu Touray addressing the International press shortly after the second special ECOWAS meeting on the Niger crisis held at the Conference Center of the Presidential Villa , Abuja…yesterday

DEPUTY SPEAKER VISITS APC NATIONAL CHAIRMAN…

Oshiomhole: APC Not Rehabilitation Centre, Won't Back Anyone Who Profits from Crisis

Shaibu may join APC next week

Adibe Emenyonu in Benin City

Against the backdrop of crisis between Edo State Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, and his Deputy, Philip Shaibu, over a successor in 2024, and the speculation that the latter was in talks with the All Progressives Congress (APC) for possible decamping, former Governor of the state, Senator Adams Oshiomhole, yesterday, declared that APC was not an IDP camp or a rehabilitation centre.

Oshiomhole who stated this after he paid condolence visit to the family of the late Esogban of Benin, Chief David Edebiri, said he was happy as an opposition in Edo State, and was not ready to receive people who are coming into the party because they lost out from their political party.

The former National Chairman of APC, and now Senator, representing Edo South senatorial district, noted that regardless of party divide, he wants the

state to be governed in peace and harmony.

He, however, frowned at a situation where someone would rush to court over suspicion about impeachment, adding that he does not know how the court would adjudicate on matters over suspicion.

He rather advised strongly that those having challenges in the political party should learn how to respect their bosses and learn to be loyal.

PenCom Recovers N25.53bn Unremitted Pension Contributions from Defaulting Employers

James

Emejo in Abuja

The National Pension Commission (PenCom) yesterday disclosed that it has recovered a total of N24.53 billion from 34 defaulting employers who failed to remit deducted pension contributions to their respective Pension Fund Administrators (PFAs) as required by law.

Speaking at the opening of the 2023 seminar for pensions correspondents with theme, "Transforming Service Delivery in the Pension Industry: Strategies for Improving Efficiency and Customer Satisfaction," in Abuja, Director General, PenCom, Mrs. Aisha Dahir-Umar, said effective regulatory oversight remained pivotal in maintaining transparency, fairness, and efficiency, which are the cornerstones of the pension system.

Represented by the commission’s Head, Corporate Communications Department, Mr. Abdulqadir Dahiru, she said the recoveries were made since the commencement of the recovery exercise in June 2012 to March 2023, adding that they comprised principal contributions which stood at N12.44 billion and penalties which amounted to N12.09 billion.

He also disclosed that the commission recovered N384.28 million comprising principal contributions of N193.05 million, and penalties amounting to N191.22 million in the first quarter of the year (Q1 2023).

Umar, said the creation of the Consumer Protection Department

(CPD) further underscored PenCom's determination to prioritise service delivery and provide the Retirement Savings Account (RSA) holders with the care and attention they rightfully deserve.

She said the commission’s proactive regulatory approach had strengthened the oversight and governance of pension funds, promoting transparency, accountability, and safeguarding the interests of pension contributors.

Umar said consequently, pension assets had risen by N1.77 trillion in Q1 to N16.76 trillion at the end of June 2023 from N14.99 trillion in December 2022.

She said membership also increased by 146,920 new contributors, from 9.86 members in 2022 to over 10 million members as of June 2023.

According to the PenCom boss, the Contributory Pension Scheme has enabled both public and private sector workers to build retirement savings throughout their working lives, fostering financial security during their golden years.

She commended both the pension and finance reporters for their continuous support and partnership towards a vibrant industry, noting that their dedication and support are instrumental in advancing the commission’s mission. She insisted that it was a criminal and prosecutable offense for employers to withhold employees’ contributions without remitting the same to appropriate PFAs.

Umar also encouraged workers to

utilise the whistle-blower window to report such practices assuring their identities would be protected.

Also, in his presentation titled, "Improving Accessibility and Service Delivery in RSA Mortgage Financing," the Chief Executive, Pension Fund Operators Association of Nigeria (PenOP), Mr. Oguche Aguda, said Nigeria's housing deficit grew from seven million in 1991 to 28 million in 2023, making made it difficult for government bridge housing gap alone.

Represented by the Research and Investment Lead at PenoP, Mr. Akinbola Akintola, Aguda hinted that with the new mortgage policy of PenCom, the country would experience significant drop in the housing deficit in the coming years.

Oshiomhole recalled that during his time as governor, it was obvious that he did not support the aspiration of his then deputy to succeed him and the latter did not take him to court.

He further said he won't associate with anyone whose sole aim was to profit from crisis, pointing out that in as much as he would cherish that his clan should produce the next governor of Edo, in the principle of fair play, equity and justice, others in the state should be supported.

His words: "Regardless of party divide, my wish for Edo to be govern in peace and harmony.

"About somebody going to court to complain about being suspicious of being Impeached, I don't know how court can adjudicate over suspicion.

"Let me tell you this, to say that somebody wants to run to APC, I want to say APC is not a rehabilitation centre.

"We in APC are satisfied the way we are; we are happy in opposition. We are not about to receive people who are coming because they have lost out. I want to say no IDP camp in APC.

"My advice is, those who are having challenges, should learn how to respect their bosses. I also advise people that anyone you work with, be loyal."

He also said, "Many of you will attest to the fact that my deputy

was interested in succeeding me, and I didn't support him, but my deputy didn't take me to court.

"And if there are people whose sole means is to profit from crisis, such person people cannot get my support.

"It would be nice if ordinarily my clan produce the governor of Edo State, but Nigeria doesn't work that way. So, based on the principal of fairness, it should be fair others produce the governor."

Meanwhile, strong indications have emerged that Shaibu has finalised plans to join the APC.

A high-ranking member of the APC, who disclosed this on the condition of anonymity, said Shaibu would be received into the party early next week by the APC National Working Committee (NWC).

The decision by Shaibu to pitch tent with the APC, which was predicted by political analysts, followed his move to the Federal High Court to seek an injunction against an alleged impeachment plot against him.

Obaseki had, however, said the move by Shaibu to seek a court order to stop his purported impeachment was preemptive ahead of his defection to the APC.

According to the source, “It has been confirmed. We have on good authority that the Edo State Deputy Governor, Rt. Hon Philip Shaibu, has concluded plans to join the All Progressives Congress

(APC).

“He is to be received along a few of his supporters into the party early next week by the National Working Committee of the party. Shaibu has been in talks with the state and national leadership of the party even before the feud between him and the governor went public and has been negotiating his way back into the party.

“The deputy governor has now perfected his defection to the party and we are glad and ready to receive him into our folds.”

Obaseki had while addressing leaders from Edo North Senatorial District, the senatorial district of the deputy governor said the he was “not aware of any plot or any scheme to impeach the Deputy Governor Comrade Philip Shaibu. I have also checked and there was no such plan.

“So, the Court action taken, for me, is a thing of shock and disappointment. I believe that this action by him is a preemptive move to get a court order, keep his ticket and move to another party. I think it's unfair for our party. We don't need this sort of crisis.

“I am trying to reflect on the move made by somebody that I have given a broad latitude to do his work as deputy governor. So, for him to take this kind of action is shocking.”

Obaseki: We Must Be United to Rebuild Nigeria

Edo State Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, has said Nigerians must come together to rebuild the nation and reposition it on the path of sustainable economic growth and development.

The governor noted that no matter the frustration and lamentations, the task of rebuilding the country remains the duty of Nigerians and shouldn’t be left for external actors.

Obaseki spoke while addressing members of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN) who were at the Government House, Benin City.

He said, "At this time in our national development, we need to rebuild this country and its only Nigerians that can rebuild it. People will not come from outside to build and develop Nigeria for us. No matter the frustration and lamentations, we will do the hard work of building the nation. Institutes like yours have a great role to perform as it continues to set the standard as your Institute has achieved many great things over the years.”

Obaseki said his government through the John Odigie Oyegun Public Service Academy would

sustain efforts to foster accelerated human capital development within the state public service, in collaboration with ICAN and other institutions.

Obaseki stated, "On Saturday, we will be opening JOOPSA which is one of its kind in the sub-continent. It's built by the state government for the training and development of public servants. The Institute is going to collaborate with a lot of institutes globally to enhance and strengthen the productivity and capacity of our public servants.

"Today, JOOPSA has developed a lot of relationships. It is not

going to award certificates or degrees alone but will serve as an engine to strengthen service delivery, strengthening the capacity of our public servants as they work to deliver quality services to our people.”

He added, "In that light, we have courses slated to train our public servants in the areas of accounting, bookkeeping, and financial management, among others, and can't find a better Institute that will give us the level of collaboration we need to help us develop and produce the quality of manpower needed by the country."

Deputy Speaker, House of Representatives, Hon. Benjamin Kalu (middle), addressing the Journalists shortly after his meeting with the APC National Chairman at the party's national secretariat in Abuja ... yesterday ENOCK REUBEN

POLITICS

Blame Game over Plateau’s Intimidating Debt Profile

Seriki Adinoyi reflects on the huge debt profile inherited by Plateau State Governor, Mr Caleb Mutfwang, from his predecessor, Hon Simon Lalong.

While being sworn in as Plateau State Governor in May, 2023, Governor Caleb Mutfwang had declared that he understood the enormity of the task ahead.

According to him, “I understand clearly the enormity of the task before me and I have no illusions that it will be an easy ride. The state is presently under a huge debt burden of over 200 billion Naira, the healthcare sector is in need of urgent attention, our school system requires a comprehensive overhaul, our infrastructure is decayed and inadequate, and practically, every sector requires urgent redress. I must mention that there are no quick-fix solutions to these challenges, but one thing is certain, we are prepared to take the challenges head-on and we will hit the ground running immediately.”

He was, however, quick to add that “we will not witch-hunt, neither will we embark on blame game, but we will take a critical assessment of what we are inheriting today, and where we need to ask cogent questions, we will. Because we are determined to bequeath an enduring legacy.”

That was the audacity with which the Governor hit the ground running. But as he said, recent critical assessments of the state have shown that the enormity of the task is probably beyond what he envisaged, especially in the areas of the state’s debt burden and the decay in infrastructure.

Besides taking over an impoverished treasury, the huge and demoralizing unpaid workers’ wages, tattered infrastructure, and daring insecurity are just unsettling.

The Governor had set up two committees on a Four-Year Strategic Development Blueprint for the state, and on transition, both headed by Prof. Ganyir Lombin.

In his startling report, Lombin observed that the committee was faced with some very formidable operational challenges that did not allow them to make a joint presentation.

He lamented that the out-gone administration of Hon Simon Lalong did not avail the committee the opportunity of making inputs into the handover documents submitted to the joint committee before May 29, 2023.

He added that the handover notes presented to the Governor by the out-gone administration on 29 May 2023 were scanty and lacked necessary details as they did not follow the agreed template developed by the Joint Committee on transition.

According to Lombin, “The handover notes stated that the revenue which accrued to the Plateau State Government from May 2015 to May 2023 stood at N872 billion. The total expenditure was only given from May 2015 to December 2022 and not up to May 2023 at N810 billion.

“Does this suggest that there was no expenditure from January 2023 to May 2023, or was it deliberate misinformation? The government needs to look at this critically and where necessary, take approximate action.”

He revealed that there was no clear figure for the state’s monthly wage bill, adding however, that Mutfwang’s administration has inherited a backlog of four months of unpaid salaries to public servants amounting to over N11 billion, and that outstanding gratuity and pension arrears of N24 billion was also inherited.

He said that Lalong’s ‘Legacy Projects’ were marred in controversies and unresolved legal cases which have stalled their implementation, warning that currently, the sum of N12 billion for these projects is still in the custody of the trustees of the Funds.

The committees also revealed that there were 3,692 items of government assets and properties including cars, houses that were sold and auctioned at ridiculous prices both within and outside the state that need to be further investigated and where necessary, appropriate action be taken.

According to the committee, Mutfwang inherited a near-bankrupt state, with weak institutions, low public morale, and a high level of insecurity but with high expectations from the citizenry.

Lombin described the task ahead of the Governor as enormous but not insurmountable and expressed joy in the manner in which Mutfwang is determined to succeed in the pursuit of the collective interest of the Plateau people.

Receiving the reports, the Governor said, “I want to assure you all that these reports will not gather dust on the shelves. We are going to make prudent use of them and study them appropriately. These reports will give rise to further investigations, will give rise to further

studies that we need to embark upon and we will not waste time in doing so.

He said, “You highlighted the debt burden. I knew that throughout the campaign, we were under the mistaken belief that our debt burden was around N200 billion and to hear that it is N307 billion is quite intimidating and worrisome.”

But before the Governor could finish responding to the reports, the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state fired back, saying the reports

were mere gimmicks to disparage and tarnish the image and reputation of Lalong who has assiduously served the state with all his energies.

According to Plateau APC Consolidation Vanguard (PACV), Lalong never left N307 billion burden as claimed in the reports.

The Convener of PACV, Comrade Jok Samuel Camillus said, “The unsubstantiated figure which was said to have been given during the submission of a 4-year Strategic Development Plan and Transition Committee Report by its Chairman, Prof. Ganyir Lombin to Governor Mutfwang is to say the least another fabrication of the imagination of its authors aimed at targeting the achievements of the last APC administration by the PDP which as it were, clearly thrives in mischief and misleading the people.

“For the avoidance of doubt, the APC-led Rescue Administration handed over a total debt stock of 201,225,349,626.41 Naira only as at 30th April 2023 which was verified by the Plateau State Debt Management Agency and the Federal Government Debt Management Office and was so submitted in the handover notes.”

He explained that the said figure comprises of both the domestic and foreign loans and facilities accessed by the Plateau State Government during the Lalong administration including the figures it inherited from the Jang administration.

“Let it also be known that in 2015, Governor Lalong inherited a total debt burden of 222 billion naira from the Jonah Jang administration which he never defaulted in servicing throughout his administration without making noise or trying to tarnish the image of his successor by misinformation and fabrication of fake and fictitious figures”, Camillus stressed.

He said that Lalong’s administration also inherited over eight months of salary arrears, 12 months pension, no-work, no-pay withheld wages, among others, which it settled promptly and continued to pay until its last few months in office.

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

Osiyemi: My Political Sojourn with Ex-CGS, Oladipo Diya

Bayo Osiyemi in this piece eulogises late former Chief of General Staff, Lt General Oladipo Diya (rtd), who was recently laid to rest in his home town, Odogbolu, in Ogun State.

Former Chief of General Staff during the General Sani Abacha administration, Lt General Donaldson Oladipo Diya (rtd), was penultimate Saturday committed to mother earth in his town of birth, Odogbolu in Ogun State.

I want to drop some few words as sign of tribute to the gentleman officer I knew very closely.

People say you don’t talk ill of the dead, but I disagree. A bad man is a bad man, dead or alive. Just as a good man remains good, whatever his circumstances, like Oladipo Diya.

General Oladipo Diya, the Asiwaju of Odogbolu, I initially knew casually in the early 1970s through his bosom friend and schoolmate, and a God- brother of mine, Dr Biodun Shobanjo at our Adebiyi Street abode in Okobiriki area of Alagomeji, Yaba.

But I became intimate with the General from the mid-90s when through another close friend of his, Senator Anthony Adefuye, he became my divine helper in facilitating my emergence as the Chairman of Old Mushin Local Government in Lagos State.

His expatriate instructor at the Nigerian Defence Academy named him Donaldson, which was said to mean “Son of power”; and through this thorough-bred and courageous military officer, I got to know the import of what military President, General Ibrahim Babangida, meant when he declared in the height of his military glory that “we are not just in office, we are in power”.

Because I earned his trust and confidence,

I became very close to Nigeria’s number two man at the time of my Chairmanship and referenced him not a little.

Of course, given my political upbringing from the Awolowo/Jakande school, I applied my mind totally to the job I had long prepared for, that there was no room for any distraction.

Through his administrator in Lagos, then Colonel Olagunsoye Oyinlola, I became noticed as a workaholic and a dependable ally in governance. Both Oyinlola and Diya trusted me with power which I exercised effectively but with the underlining realisation that I was after all a civilian, unlike them. They were initially sceptical whether I could hold Mushin, long reputed to be the hotbed of political activism, especially in the heady days

of June 12, but when they became convinced that I knew my onions, they literally went to sleep in the firm belief that I was up to the task.

Oyinlola, got fond of me and called me “Munshine” ever since. But General Diya pushed his humanism and humility a notch further. In spite of his high status as Nigeria’s number two man at the time, he never, since our association started, called me by my name. To Diya, he preferred to call me Prince or The Chair. Such respect for a subordinate officer is not common in our clime; and his wives, Mummy Josephine and Mumsy Folasade, now deceased, emulated their husband and deferred to me with great courtesy. I can’t thank them enough for the honour.

General Diya, to me, exhibited honour and integrity and in my business dealings with him, in and out of office, and at no time did I regret my association with him.

In good times, we were together and when he ran into trouble with his boss, General Abacha, my commitment to him never wavered.

Suspecting that I might know more about him than could be imagined when he was in detention, secret agents went on my trail, like they must have done with other close friends and allies of the General.

-Osiyemi writes from Lagos.

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

Shareholders Tackle Otudeko for Alleged Plot to Scuttle FBN Holdings’ AGM

Monday’s protest by some shareholders of FBN Holdings over a court order stopping the company’s annual general meeting originally scheduled for August 15, is an eye-opener to the festering stalemate on the company’s 2023 annual general meeting. For how long will the regulatory authorities in the capital market fold their arms in the face of the weighty allegations levelled by the aggrieved shareholders, Festus Akanbi asks

From its half-year 2023 results, it is crystally clear that the current board and management of FBN Holdings Plc have successfully positioned the business conglomerate on the path of sustainable growth.

This is because, in defiance of the prevailing headwinds, which are making some other companies gasp for breath, FBN Holdings was able to post an impressive 231 per cent increase in its half-year profits for 2023 to N187.24bn compared to N56.602bn recorded at the end of June 2022.

The company which was listed on the Nigerian Stock Exchange on November 26th, 2012, closed at N17.70 per unit of its share on Wednesday, August 9. FBN Holdings is the most traded stock on the Nigerian Stock Exchange over the past three months (May 9 - August 9, 2023) and the company has traded a total volume of 6.86 billion shares—in 16,502 deals—valued at N125 billion over the period, with an average of 109 million traded shares per session.

Power Tussle

Analysts however fear that this positive trajectory could pale to insignificance if the festering jostling for the soul of the company is not halted by the relevant regulatory bodies.

What began as a looming crisis boiled over last week when a group of shareholders of the company staged a protest at the headquarters of the company in Marina, Lagos, to kick against a court order suspending the company’s 11th annual general meeting where key decisions, including plans to raise fresh capital and to appoint new directors, were scheduled for discussion.

Other businesses slated for discussion at the meeting included the move to increase the group’s issued share capital from N17.95 billion to N22.43 billion through the creation of an additional 8.97 billion ordinary shares of 50 kobo each, the new capital raising and the election of directors.

FBNH is seeking shareholders’ approval for the election of Otedola as a non-executive director of the group. Otedola was appointed by the board as a non-executive director on July 09, 2023, and the resolution on his appointment is said to be a joker by the shareholders to frustrate the return of Otudeko as the company’s chairman.

Meanwhile, a petition by Olusegun Samuel Onagoruwa upon which the order was obtained in suit No: FHC/L/CP/1271/2022, and addressed to Nnamdi Okonkwo, FBN Holdings Chairman has caused a stalemate over the proposed AGM as it refrained the board of the bank from proceeding with the meeting.

However, FBN Holdings Plc have denied receiving a court order stopping it from holding the Annual General Meeting (AGM) scheduled for August 15, 2023, and says the AGM would go as scheduled.

The company disclosed this via an official statement signed by Company Secretary, Adewale Arogundade, which was sent to Nigeria Exchange Limited.

According to the company, they haven’t been served any court order to stop the AGM from holding.

The statement reads, “The attention of FBN Holdings Plc (the Company) has been drawn to recent media reports purporting that the Company has received a Court Order stopping it from holding the Annual General Meeting (AGM) scheduled for August 15, 2023.”

“We confirm that this assertion is a false narrative as the Company has, as at the date hereof, not been served with any court order to stop the forthcoming AGM.”

The company also noted that if there was any restraining order to stop the AGM from

holding, that they would have informed regulators and the investing public. They assured Shareholders that the AGM would hold on August 15, 2023.

Shareholders’ Revolt

However, speaking during the protest at the company’s head office in Lagos last week, the Chairman of the Trusted Shareholders Association of Nigeria, Alhaji Mukhtar Mukhtar, who spoke on behalf of other minority shareholders noted that shareholders were not happy that some individuals were trying to hold the financial institution to ransom.

He alleged that there were strong indications that the plot to stop the AGM was from the former Chairman of FBNH, Oba Otudeko, adding that the resolutions to raise more capital for the bank and to appoint directors to the board were met

with stiff disapproval as the resolutions would cut the control the former chairman has on the bank.

The shareholders activist alleged further that, “A greater majority of FBN Holdings’ shareholders want the annual general meeting to hold and all the resolutions to be considered but unfortunately, some individuals approached the court and are threatening the board and the directors of First Bank from holding the AGM and for considering those resolutions.

“I think this is very unfortunate and unacceptable. That is why we said the regulators should come in. There are some suspicions and allegations that Oba Otudeko is the one that is fuelling this crisis and I don’t think it is proper for a person of Oba Otudeko’s standing to be involved in this kind of unsavoury behaviour, blocking the progress of an institution which have benefitted him and still benefitting him.”

In what looked like a save-our-soul plea, Muhktar said, ”The shareholders are begging you, please leave First Bank alone, allow First Bank to progress, allow First Bank to go ahead. Other banks are already catching up. They are moving on. So continuing to block First Bank of Nigeria from taking steps that are going to make the bank stronger, increase its share capital and then increase the shareholders’ fund is not a good step.”

While noting that several petitions had been written to regulatory bodies, the shareholders, therefore, called on the regulatory bodies in the nation’s capital market especially SEC to take action and look into the crisis.

“We will like the regulators, the CBN and SEC to come in. They should not be complacent to all these kinds of abuses by some big shareholders of institutions.

“We will continue to protest. We have written petitions to the regulators and we will continue to write more petitions. The regulators should come in. They cannot continue in their complacent behaviour in the face of abuse. They must ignite certain regulatory powers, they can suspend the shares of those people who attempt to hold this bank to ransom.

“We cannot allow this bank to die therefore, the regulatory authorities must act now because they just cannot be quiet,” he said.

He alleged that about N1.7 trillion was mismanaged under the leadership of the former chairman of the institution and that the bank had to write off the amount in the last six years, explaining that it was for that reason the CBN sacked him and his team.

He said, “It is painful to see individuals, who have benefited from the bank, who had made the bank write off N1.7 trillion bad loans in their book now turning round to block the progress of the bank, I think it is unfortunate.”

Earlier this year, Oba Otudeko’s Honeywell Group reportedly bought the largest shares of First Bank of Nigeria Holdings Plc in a cross deal worth N87.8 billion.

The trade has ratcheted up allegations over its validity considering that no single shareholder hitherto officially owned as many shares.

In 2021, billionaire businessman, Femi Otedola became the company’s single largest shareholder after a tussle with Hassan Odukale who was also vying for control of the bank after a leadership gap emerged from Otudeko’s exit.

SEC Keeps Mum

Analysts said the controversy trailing the recent share acquisition of Honeywell and the ensuing scramble for control of FBN Holdings Plc would have been avoided had SEC, the CBN and the stock exchange stepped in to clarify the share acquisition. They contended that the silence of these regulators is fuelling the current crisis.

Capital market watchers wondered why the industry’s regulators have decided to keep mum while the crisis in the company festers.

When THISDAY sought the position of SEC, its head of media relations, Mrs. Joy Onoja Otubor disclosed that the commission was still investigating the share sale, promising that the result would soon be made available.

A source explained that the CBN may not want to talk for now as an interested party in the matter, saying the onus lies on SEC to wade into the matter very urgently.

The source explained that stalling the company’s annual general meeting, where key issues were supposed to be thrashed is enough for SEC to wake up from its slumber.

Protesters at First Bank headquarters on Tuesday

See page 21

www.thisdaylive.com

See page 21

COUP D’ÉTAT IN THE NEIGHBOURHOOD

When mutinous Nigerien soldiers detained President Mohammed Bazoun on 26th July, 2023, claiming they could do a better job at providing people of Niger Republic, it marked the latest example of democracy retrenchment across West Africa. From Guinea, Burkina Faso, Mali, and now Niger, we see democracy in retreat. The problem is, every successful coup emboldens some ambitious, power-hungry soldiers to make a grab for power by overthrowing constitutional authority.

Across the region, the fear of the contagion Tchiani’s coup in Niger is actually a frightening this backdrop, ECOWAS has no option but to try to arrest the drift. Anything short of success in this delicate endeavour will only normalize violent take-over of power across the region.

Right from West Africa’s decades of independence from the 1960s, coups and counter coups have remained tragic features of West Africa’s political landscape. This is sad. Sad because we now know from experience that military rule neither delivers security nor solution to Africa’s crisis of development, Niger Republic would not be among the poorest countries of the world today because, like several countries across Africa, it has experienced multiple coups and counter coups. Across West Africa, the legacies of military rule are instability, impunity and poverty.

Of course, this is no apologia for poor governance that is driving a sense of hopelessness of massive poverty, governance failures such as egregious corruption, manipulation of ethnic and sectarian divides, nepotism, bad actors in the military masquerading as patriots will constitutional order. But it is obvious that the military adventurers of today in places like Guinea, Conakry, Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger Republic are poor students of history. A correct reading of history would warn that their forebears travelled this same tragic road and came to no good, either for themselves or their countries.

Because a coup in the neighbourhood is everybody’s problem, the putschists in Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger must not be allowed to have the last say. The countries they have pulverised need help, which is precisely what ECOWAS is trying to do. Unfortunately, most clearly ECOWAS initiatives as those of Nigeria’s. understood that the sanctions, ultimatum and the threat of use of force against the junta in Niamey are strictly ECOWAS positions based on Treaty provisions. For example, ECOWAS Protocol on Democracy and Good Governance

outlaws military take-over of government across West Africa. Thus, from the point of view of international law (ECOWAS’s Treaty

and Protocols) the regime of Abdourahamane Tchiani in Niamey is illegal

Following the coup, ECOWAS Heads of State and Government met in Abuja on July 30th and resolved to apply relevant provisions of its Treaty, including the Protocol on Democracy and Good Governance, to force compliance with its governance mechanisms. Compliance with this key mechanism means that the military junta in Niamey must restore constitutional government in the country by returning deposed President Mohammed Bazoum to power. So it is clear Nigeria is not waging war against Niger republic.

As a Treaty Member of ECOWAS, Nigeria is obligated to implement all ECOWAS

President Tinubu is the current Chair of George Weah of Liberia, were the Chair of ECOWAS in this moment, Nigeria will still have to implement ECOWAS resolutions on Niger. So this is not about Nigeria taking a unilateral action against Niger; it is all about Nigeria’s international obligations as a leader in ECOWAS and a responsible member of the international community. Anything less would hurt Nigeria’s international reputation and credibility.

President Tinubu is coming from. Whatever anyone will say about him, he has proven his democratic credentials since his running battles with military juntas in Nigeria in the 1990s. Given Nigeria’s own sad history of military usurpation of constitutional authority, the President is right to make democracy promotion a cornerstone of Nigeria’s foreign policy. Which is why it is false and wicked to suggest that Nigeria is doing the bidding of foreign powers. Anyone peddling this fake narrative should go look at the map of West Africa to understand the potential geopolitical and security implications of instability in Niger Republic. What happens in Niger does not stay there. The same with Nigeria. The spill over of crisis is regional in scope. Therefore, for Nigeria, peace in Niger is simply a case of enlightened self-interest.

The mother of all misinformation is that Nigeria is levying war against Niger republic. This is false. Also false is the suggestion that Nigeria opted for military option in place of diplomacy. The ECOWAS resolution on

the situation in Niger is clear: the regional organization prioritised diplomatic, political and economic pressure to force the coupists in Niamey to change course. The point was made that force could be used, but only when all options have failed. Sanctions and threats of the use of force are legitimate tools of foreign policy. This is normal in diplomacy; indeed, diplomacy not backed up by force or threat of use of force, especially in the kind of situation in Niger at the moment, can be just hot air – a futile exercise.

power, including sanctions, to force a course correction by bad actors, which is what the coupists in Niamey are. The tragedy is that it appears the junta in Niamey is determined to force the hands of the international

to have chosen to encourage war-mongering by renegade regimes in Mali, Burkina Faso, and Guinea Conakry, all currently under the strangleholds of coupists. This kind of posturing only go to reinforce ECOWAS principled position to protect democracy in West Africa, not least because, as empirical studies have demonstrated, democracies do

The countries banding together to try to legitimize their illegal seizures of power know too well that they are outliers living on borrowed time. The implausibility of their cause is also evident in some recent happenings in these countries, including encouraging the burning of French Flags, waving Russian Flags and inviting the Wagner Mercenary Group to provide the protection that their own military have failed miserably to do over many years. All of this would be ridiculous, if it was not tragic: Replacing France with Russia? Replacing an old colonizer with a brand new one, and one that is more exploitative and more repressive? Who among the coupists in Niamey or the the streets of Niamey would choose to live in Moscow over Paris or Marseille? When you live far away, it is very romantic to see Russia as a benevolent power. Go ask countries of the former Soviet Union what their experiences were under Russian colonialism. Go ask the Belarusians, the Georgians and the Moldovans how it feels to be under Russian imperialism the West is that Russia did not have an opportunity to colonize Africa. Now, the Nigeriens, Malians and others want to submit themselves to be colonized by Russia in the 21st Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso to position their countries as pawns in geopolitical struggles between the West, Russia, and China. None of these countries are benevolent powers. are not a missionary Group; for them, it is business, ruthless business.

Awanen writes from Abuja

CULTURES, NEW COUNTRY We must be prepared to do what is necessary to make Nigeria work, writes JOSHUA J. OMOJUWA

ECOWAS has no option but to try to arrest the dangerous drift, argues GBARA AWANEN

We must be prepared to do what is necessary to make Nigeria work, writes

JOSHUA J. OMOJUWA

OLD CULTURES, NEW COUNTRY

JOSEF OMOROTIONMWAN writes that government should be a continuum

A NATION AT WAR WITH ITSELF

in the hands of Obaseki. This was an

Omojuwa

is chief strategist, Alpha Reach/ author, Digital Wealth Book

Editor, Editorial Page PETER ISHAKA

Email peter.ishaka@thisdaylive.com

EDITORIAL

REVAMPING THE NATIONAL PARKS (11)

The parks should be repositioned as tourists’ destinations

One federal agency that has deliberately distanced itself from the development strides of the various governments in the country is the National Park Service. Not has been able to resonate with this this series, our National Parks have become emblematic of our national decay. In April this year, the Conservator General, Ibrahim Goni hinted that the government intends to ‘partially’ privatise three Parks - Gashaka Gumti National Park, the largest in the country, Cross River National Park, one of the rainforest Parks and Kainji Lake National Park. He explained that it would be a public-private-partnership and that while the investors harness the tourism potential, the government would ensure the protection of the natural resources in these parks.

Meanwhile, national parks in other parts of the world have not only keyed into the conservation dynamics of the world, but they are also playing central roles in the economic development of their various countries. For instance, within a lot from wild safari expeditions which attract tourists from all over the world to see the wildlife of Africa. Yet statistics revealed that countries with attractive national parks have national parks is the protection of resources, many countries have capitalised on them to promote tourism, with all the

Going forward, a radical measure is required to get Nigerian national parks out of the cesspit they have been plunged into. This agency requires a dedicated conservationist, a marketing communications professional, an outsider to the rotten system with international connections to leverage on to lift conservation in Nigeria. If anything, there should be a comprehensive probe of the application of resources since the establishment of the National Park Service in 1991.

Interestingly, in 2016 the government was thinking about commercialising seven National Parks. The then Minister

CAPITAL IYOBOSA UWUGIAREN THE OMBUDSMAN KAYODE KOMOLAFE

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

Letters to the Editor

of Environment, Amina Mohammed had canvassed for a commercialisation of the seven National Parks - Kamuku, attention on commercialising three out of the seven parks

Mohammed, who is now the Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations and Chair of the United Nations Sustainable Development Group, also acknowledged “the long neglect and lack of investments in the national contained in the National Parks Policy document presented successive administrations would build on. However, the minister’s view was that even though “privatisation and commercialisation may not totally get rid of the issue of corruption, it will bring about good governance structure.”

We agree to the suggestion by the ministry that rather than pay compensation to host communities and ask them to relocate, they should be allowed to be part of the habitation so they could be engaged to complement the security infrastructure for the national parks as measure against poaching. In the envisaged reform, according to the former minister, the role of the National Park Commission, as well as the relationship between states where the parks are situated, and the federal government must also be

The security of rangers must also be given paramount attention as against the present situation where they are not recognised when they die in active service. We subscribe relevant stakeholders to bring them on board as they think through the process of revamping the national parks. We cannot continue to be a country where little or no premium is placed on the lives of humans, animals, and trees. These vital plants and animals should be treated as natural resources and heritage that we hold in trust for generations to treat issues of nature and the environment

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

LETTERS

NIGERIAN ENTERTAINERS, CYBERCRIME AND DRUG ABUSE

Marilyn Mason, with his insightful messages, maintains a spot in the league of iconic singers. The American musical maestro, in one of his essays -”Is Adult Entertainment Killing Our Children? Or Is Killing Our Children Entertaining Adults? “- posed a thought-provoking question to his fellow artistes across the globe, and societies that seem unbothered about the immorality children are exposed to via music - “music that fails in ethics and ethos”.

around making impacts, they most likely took a pause at the Nigerian borders in fear of the deafening ears and “anyhowness” of Nigerian entertainers. “Secure the bag by all means”, which could be likened to what Author James Cook regarded as “ignoring dangers while making money” is a syndrome Nigerian entertainers, ditto some of their audience, battle. “I don’t care if I’m doing it rightly or not, if a soul is getting healed or damaged, if my music poses grave dangers or not, if I promote decency or place immorality on the shredder; I must make my money,” seems to be the rule. I must concede that few among these artistes pass awesome messages, address societal issues and make waves across the world, but

the vast majority are not.

Cyber fraud has become latent among Nigerian youths. Nigeria loses about $500m yearly to cybercrime, according to the Nigerian Communications Commission. Sadly, this accounts for 0.08 percent of the country’s Gross Domestic Product. A major contribution to this: bad music! Songs like ‘Am I Yasuspecting youths. The ban on these songs by the National over the air, the songs are doing well on streaming platforms. There are hundreds of these songs released regularly by artistes. Little wonder most youths now ride on cyber fraud. Like the Gombe State 16-year-old who was apprehended for cybercrime on September 4, 2019, and revealed he was inspired by the music and lifestyle of a musician. The ripple effects of Nigerian Musicians over youths, indeed, pose a grave concern.

August 18, 2017, was only one day among the many days ofsion. “Wo” was banned after a tweet from the Federal Ministry of Health that the song was in violation of the Tobacco

Control Act, 2015. Others like ‘Science Student’, ‘Kush’ ‘Drug Test’ and lots more have made hard substances so appealing to the youths. Another reason abuse of drugs and hard substances have been on the rise.

In November, 2019, Mr Kehinde Aremu, the Anambra State camp director, made a stealth warning to male corps members at the state’s Ummuawulu Mbauku Orientation Camp. The bitter complaints from female corps members who were being body shamed and assaulted by their male counterpartsde’s warning.

Nigerian entertainers - especially musicians - should stem the damaging contents they dish to the society. Lucky Dube,er legendary singers are revered till date because of how they weaponized their musical content against immorality, oppression, bad governance, apartheid, national disintegration, youthful exuberance, among other noteworthy causes.

Hashim Yussuf Amao, Ibadan

Vital plants and animals should be treated as natural resources and heritage that we hold in trust for generations yet unborn

Nigeria Targets over

of Agri-produce Export Worth $10bn by

Chinedu Eze

Nigeria is targeting to export over 600, 000 tons of agricultural produce by 2026 and earn a projected revenue of about $10 billion per annum, to overtake Kenya, which is currently number one in the export of agricultural produce in Africa.

In 2021 alone, Kenya exported over 300, 000 tons of coffee, tea, cut flower and vegetables worth $6. 75 billion.

To realise this target, the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) established the Aviacargo Committee to identify impediment to Nigeria’s exports and how to overcome such impediments and

boost the volume of what Nigeria exports to the world.

The committee was able to establish that Nigeria is major producer of yam, cassava, Cocoa, groundnuts (peanuts), rubber, palm oil, and taro. Nigeria is the largest producer of taro in the world as well as cowpeas and sorghum.

Nigeria currently exports over 200, 000 tons of agri-produce but has potential to export more. Nigeria’s agricultural produce, although in high demand, is not accepted due to lack of standardization and certification.

So, the objective of the Avia-Cargo Committee is to find ways Nigeria agricultural produce can meet the

standardization and acceptance of the targeted markets overseas, as the demand for Nigerian produce continues to increase in Europe, in the United States and other parts of the world.

THISDAY learnt that in the past, Nigerians and other Africans overseas demand for Nigeria’s agricultural produce but now other people outside Africa have developed high taste for Nigerian foods and what is currently exported cannot meet their demand.

So, the challenge is how to prepare farm produce from Nigeria to meet the standards of those countries where they are in demand.

THISDAY spoke exclusively

with the Chairman of AviaCargo Committee, Ambassador Ikechi Uko at the sidelines of the Chinet Aviacargo Conference, which ended yesterday in Lagos.

Uko who is also the organizer of the conference, told THISDAY that for Nigeria’s produce to be accepted in various markets overseas, it must meet the required standard and the needed certifications.

“The major challenge we have in exporting more of our produce is that we are not able to move produce from farm to the airport. That’s one. Then certification is a problem. This is because most of our airports are not certified for perishable goods export. So, the

basic thing is traceability (how to trace the source of the produce), certification; then you have the problem of logistics, which is the biggest problem. When people say, oh there are too many agencies at the airports; that the problem is at the airport; no. That is just part of the problem. To be able to bring it from where it is to the airport is a major problem,” he said.

Uko said that if Nigeria is able to get the right certifications and overcome the challenge of logistics it would be able to become number one exporter of agricultural produce from Africa in two and half years and this would push up its revenue to projected $10 billion per annum.

“Kenya, which is the current number one is exporting over 300, 000 tons per annum. For us to be number one we have to do more than 500, 000 or 600, 000 per annum because number one is not sleeping. Kenya is number one. They have already developed a capacity for more than a million tons per annum. They are not going to wait for you. They have about 1.3 million throughputs already in place. So, they are not going to wait for you to be able to catch up with them, which means that for us to be number one we have to outpace them.

of 3.5m Metric Tonnes of Trade in Six Months

The Managing Director of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Mohammed Bello-Koko has revealed that the NPA facilitated a total of 3.5 million metric tonnes of export trade through the nation’s seaports between January and June 2023.

He stated this during a panel session on the export of non-oil products at the 2023 Zenith Bank International Trade Seminar in Lagos, held in Lagos.

Bello-Koko, said reforms targeted at eliminating the

challenges facing export in Nigeria are beginning to yield results adding that the NPA has been recording growth in export since 2019.

The ports, he added, recorded about 2.8 million metric tonnes of export, in 2019, “and it increased to 3.8 million metric tonnes in 2020.”

According to him, export volume grew in 2021 to 3.79 million metric tonnes, and over 5.1 million metric tonnes in 2022.

He said the NPA is working

closely with other government agencies such as the Nigeria Custom Service (NCS), Nigerian Shippers’ Council (NSC) and Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), to ensure that imports and exports are cleared out of the port faster.

Specifically, he said, “We need the Customs to reduce the time it takes to scan and inspect cargo because the faster it takes, the earlier the importer and exporters take their goods.”

Bello-Koko said the collaboration

with the NCS helped the NPA in achieving the feat as he expressed optimism that the agency will achieve more than it attained in previous years.

He added, “NPA’s responsibility is to handle the logistics issue as relates to the delivery of cargo to ports, reviewing the cargo and also ensuring that it is loaded for the voyage. We encouraged the terminal operators to create hinterland aggregation points and dedicated spaces for export within the port terminals, but we

need to realise that the ports are very small and therefore there are capacity issues.

“So, what we did was to create export processing terminals and the export processing terminals are one-stop shops where you consolidate, test, weigh, and pack it and then go straight into the ports. What the Customs did for us is to create an export command. This means there are individuals responsible for all export problems that you can relate with.”

He said the NPA also created

time belts for exports; created a lane for export to improve the speed of moving export to the port and the Lagos State Government has been working with them to enforce traffic regulations, especially along the port corridors, which helped to reduce congestion.

He added that the efforts really yielded results and facilitated the growth of exports leaving Nigerian ports.

Caverton Rakes in N258m Profit Before Tax in Q2 2023

Caverton Offshore Support Group

Plc, the leading provider of marine, aviation and logistics services to local and international oil and gas companies in Nigeria, has announced its unaudited results for the period ended 30th June 2023.

The results show a Profit-BeforeTax of N258 million.

Commenting on the results, Caverton’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Bode Makanjuola, said the Company was unable to timely file and publish its unaudited financial statements in the second quarter of 2023 ended June 31.

The company’s inability to publish was due to the delays in finalising the unaudited financial statements (FY 2023) of the Group for the second quarter ended June 31, 2023. The FY

2023 unaudited financial statement was concluded and submitted to the NGX on August 1, 2023, the company said in a statement.

The CEO stated that the period’s financial position shows a cumulative result of operating activities in both quarter one and two of the year 2023.

He stated further that operating costs in the country has continued to skyrocket since the beginning of the year and despite this fact, management has continued to put in various efforts to ensure the sustainability of the company.

He then assured that management will continue to strategize in a bid to ensuring that the Shareholders’ values are not eroded.

Furthermore, the company’s

Chief Executive officer stated that continued efforts are made to analyse the market in which the Group operates with a view to tapping available benefits and converting emerging opportunities into a beneficial business interest within the aviation and marine sectors while exploring other more profitable areas for investments and business development.

According to the CEO, the group is beginning to reap the benefit of the huge investments committed into setting up the “The Maintenance Repair and Overhaul (MRO) facility and the Caverton Aviation Training Centre (CATC), both in Lagos, as the level of patronage in these two units are now on the increase.

Dana Air Unveiled as Headline Partner of Pageant Conference

As part of its Corporate Social Responsibility and Commitment to help achieve Sustainable Development Goals (SDG), Dana Air has been unveiled as the headline partner of the Pageant Conference scheduled to hold on the 12th of August, at the Lagos Continental Hotel. The Pageant Conference 2023 is designed beyond just grooming aspiring beauty queens but also creating a pageant hub experience where industry’s relevant challenges are highlighted and discussed, said

the Convener, Pageant Conference, Mrs Winfrey Agbelese.

According to her, ‘’The Pageant Conference 2023 is one of the many great plans and visions that we have at the Pageant Academy with regards to the development of the youth in line with the Sustainable Development Goals 5, 8 and 10.

‘’The idea is to elevate the the overall pageant experience, performance and representation of our girls locally and Internationally and to create a networking pool

AIR WATCH

As Nigeria-Ghana Air Passenger Traffic Nosedive

where pageant organisers can share their wealth of experience and enlighten the girls on pageant experience while providing an avenue for aspirants to connect and share opportunities.”

Also speaking on the sponsorship, Dana Air’s Head of Corporate Communications, Kingsley Ezenwa said, Dana Air considers a lot before engaging in any CSR project or sponsorship and this initiative is one that will impact Nigeria and particularly the youth.

Aig-Imoukhuede Foundation Commemorates Civil Service Week with Endowment Fund for Public Sector Excellence

In commemoration of Civil Service Week, the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation (OHCSF) recently hosted a spectacular Gala Nite inAbuja.

The event brought together distinguished guests, public servants, and esteemed stakeholders from various ministries, departments, and agencies.,

During the event, the AigImoukhuede Foundation, a public sector-focused philanthropic organisation, presented 32 outstanding civil servants with cash prizes of N500,000 each from the Emily AigImoukhuede Memorial Endowment Fund for Public Sector Excellence.

The 32 civil servants, who were chosen after a rigorous selection process, undertaken by the OHCSF and its partners, best exemplified the core values of the civil service including loyalty, accountability, meritocracy, efficiency, and professionalism.

Speaking at the event, Chairman, Aig-Imoukhuede Foundation, Mr

Aigboje Aig-Imoukhuede, expressed his deep-rooted belief in the critical role of public servants in nation-building. He reiterated the Foundation’s mission of continuous promotion and encouragement of excellence within the public sector, recognising that the country’s progress and prosperity are intertwined with the dedication of its Civil Servants.

He stated that the establishment of the Emily Aig-Imoukhuede Memorial Endowment Fund for Public Sector Excellence represents part of the Foundation’s efforts to build a culture of meritocracy and professionalism within the Civil Service. By honouring exceptional public servants, the Foundation aims to set a benchmark for others to emulate, thereby elevating the overall standards of public service delivery across the country.

This award, now in its second edition, symbolises the enduring legacy of Emily Aig-Imoukhuede, whose passion for service and commitment to the betterment of

society remains an inspiration to all.

In her address, the Head of Civil Service, Dr Folasade Yemi-Esan, extended her profound appreciation to the Aig-Imoukhuede Foundation for its unwavering dedication to promoting excellence in the Civil Service.

She noted that the collaborative efforts of the Aig-Imoukhuede Foundation in driving positive change within the public sector, and the award itself, inspire a new wave of commitment to the core values that define the Civil Service.

Since its inception, the AigImoukhuede Foundation, has been supporting the reform efforts of the Office of the Head of Civil Service of the Federation (OHCSF), providing technical assistance and funding for key reform priorities of the Nigerian Civil Service including digitalisation, the introduction of a performance management system and a culture change programme aimed at instilling the right values in the Civil Service.

Firms Seal Deal to Boost Oil, Gas Sector Growth

Indigenous oil and gas servicing firm, Engineering Automation Technology Limited, has entered into partnership with Emerson Automation Solutions Limited to improve automation and controls solutions in the oil and gas industry.

Managing Director/CEO of Engineering Automation Technology Limited, Dr. Emmanuel Okon, unveiled the partnership during the just concluded Nigerian Oil and Gas (NOG) Energy Week 2023 in Abuja saying the deal allows his company to serve as sole local business partner for Emerson Energy and Transportation Systems business in Nigeria.

Okon described Emerson as the leading automation firm globally saying part of the solutions to be undertaken on behalf of Emerson will allow accurate metering

and measurement of crude oil production in Nigeria for operators with attendant checks on fraudulent activities in the industry.

He further stated that the partnership will expand Engineering Automation Technology Limited scope of activities with their current and future clients in the oil and gas sector with a corresponding increase in human capacity development in Nigeria.

“The partnership shall enhance SCADA systems, flow computers, metering, pipeline monitoring solutions, terminal automation solutions and wellhead monitoring businesses to international and local oil companies including marginal field operators due e to the fact that the partnership will enable Engineering Automation Technology Limited market,

distribute, install, provide spares, commission and maintain Emerson products in Nigeria,” Okon said.

He tasked operators to take advantage of the partnership between Engineering Automation and Emerson to optimize their production by ensuring their production process goes fully automated for cost optimization.

He expressed appreciation to the leadership of the Nigerian Content Development Monitoring Board (NCDMB), Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC), Nigeria Midstream Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) and NNPC Upstream Investment Services (NUIS) for effective regulation and investment that have made the partnership possible.

Chinedu Eze

Lagos-Accra route is seen as a must go for many Nigerian carriers. The destination usually marked the first foray for airlines that wish to embark on international flights.

Over these years it has remained somewhat lucrative, depending on the number of airlines that operate between Ghana and Nigeria.

Industry observers are however of the view that passenger growth on this destination is currently not remarkable because passenger figures seem to be undulating, according to economic temperament of the two countries.

But it is expected that as countries with major economies in West Africa and English speaking nations in the sub-region, there should be a higher level of trade between Ghana and Nigeria. What is currently obtained is good but it is the opinion of many that trade and services should be notched higher because the two countries share affinity that is not common with other countries in the sub-region.

It is when there is increase in business between the two countries that more passenger traffic should be expected to grow. If sincerely embraced, it is hoped that the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) will boost trade among countries in Africa, especially in the West African sub-region, but until this is fully realised, increase in passenger traffic between Nigeria and Ghana will remain in low digit.

What this means is that for the route to be lucrative the number of airlines operating this route must be curbed. Recently, reports indicated that United Nigeria Airlines and Ibom Air would start flight operations to Ghana. If these two airlines join African World Airlines (AWA), Asky and Air Peace on the route, will they have enough passengers that will justify their operations?

An insider involved in managing the airline that profited from the route told THISDAY that when more airlines join the market, they will dilute the route and it will seize to be profitable. He said that there is a rapid loss of passengers on the route due to the devaluation of the naira, which has radically reduced the number of travellers on the route due to high cost of tickets.

“The market is not big. With the present Naira devaluation, the load factor has dropped; so, their coming in will open the market to the survival of the fittest. It seems they did not do their market analysis very well. The passenger load factor is now very low,” the insider said. THISDAY learnt that AWA that used to operate five times daily to Lagos and twice daily to Abuja with its ERJ 145, a 50-passenger aircraft has reduced its flight to Lagos to 3 times a day and once a day to Abuja.

“The number is no more there. If you want to go there now, it will be a struggle. Naira devaluation has brought down passenger traffic. A family of five travelling to Accra will spend N2 million on flights and hotel. The passenger traffic has really dropped. In the past you could see in every flight about 10 passengers who would travel to Accra and return to Nigeria the same day. Accra seemed to be like a domestic

destination in those days but things have really changed, “he said.

The charges are also high on the route. From Nigeria, the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) charges $80 per passenger, the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) charges $20 security tax and 5% on ticket fare, while Ghana charges $60 dollars per passenger, $10 one way security tax. When an airline builds this into its own fare, the cost of the ticket will become outrageous for a little over one hour flight between Lagos and Accra.

Travel expert, Ambassador IkechiUko, told THISDAY that on-time performance will give an airline advantage over the others when the route is saturated with flights.

“In 2014/2015 three Nigerian airlines, Medview Airline, Arik Air, Air Peace were operating to Ghana from Nigeria; then Dana Air joined and the market collapsed. That was the time when Ghana dollarized their charges and Nigeria was suffering economic recession. Accra became unfordable. The market was cannibalized because everybody went for promotional fares. Then AWA that was not hitherto doing well on the route benefitted from the market with its small body aircraft when others operated bigger aircraft. It increased its frequency to Lagos to five and Abuja to two.

“So, if more Nigerian airlines join the market similar scenario will emerge. Even the airlines flying now are not recording full load,” he said.

Industry stakeholder and Chief Commercial Officer of Green Africa Airways, Obi Mbanuzuo, told THISDAY that more airlines operating the route would make it a very difficult market because the size of the market will not be enough.

“Airlines will be struggling to drive out another until some will decide to leave. Because of competition you will not get the revenue you expect. There are too many charges on the route that may not justify operations without having full load,” he said.

Obi also said that the route ought to have grown because of the business relationship between Ghana and Nigeria and expressed the hope that if well implemented, the AfCFA will encourage and liberalise the market between Nigeria and Ghana and increase the movement of travellers and goods in-between.

“Once there is increase in the free movement of people, goods and services there will be more passengers at the airport. Nigeria is a powerhouse in the sub-region. Many manufactured goods in Nigeria are sold in Ghana and other countries in West Africa. These are expected to grow the passenger market,” Mbanuzuo said.

However, Ghana journalist and aviation write, Dominick Andoh, told THISDAY that to bring down fares, more airlines need to join the market.

“On the Ghana side, AWA enjoys near monopoly and their fares have skyrocketed. Air Peace came in and offered more capacity. Yet prices remain elevated.If Ibom Air and United Nigeria Airlines join, it will mean more capacity on the Accra- Lagos, Accra- Abuja route and likely to drive down prices.There is demand on the route to make it viable for all the airlines,” he said.

Kotoka Airport, Accra

NPA’s Role in Port Operations

Since the return to democracy in 1999 with the advent of 4th republic, the most remarkable development in the life of the nation’s seaport was the port reform of 2006 embarked upon by former President, Olusegun Obasanjo.

The port reform of 2006 helped to reposition, and transform Nigerian seaports for competitiveness and efficiency in order to compete favourably with its contemporaries in the African region and indeed the rest of the world.

In achieving the aforementioned milestone, the Federal government adopted the Landlord model of port concession, which ceded cargo handling operations to private terminal operators while the Authority retained the responsibility of providing marine services.

The policy of port concession stemmed from the desire of the federal government to infuse private sector efficiency into the port value chain by embracing Public Private Partnership (PPP) model, which is the global business approach.

The port concession era transformed the operational functions of NPA to a more technical regulation with core responsibilities of providing and maintaining common user facilities such port internal roads, illumination, dredging, bouyage, pilotage, towage and another technical enablers of safe navigation, in addition to exercising regulatory oversight on terminal operators.

However, it appears there is limited public understanding of the roles of NPA in the port given the dominant perception that everything ports rest on NPA, when in actual facts there are other government agencies such as the Nigerian Customs Service and others including security agencies whose roles affect port efficiency and operations.

PORT ACCESS ROAD MAINTENANCE

The external access roads, which are of key importance to the evacuation of cargo to and from the ports are under the management of the Federal Ministry of Works, waterways security is the responsibility of Marine Police, NIMASA and the Nigerian Navy, electricity is under the purview of power holding company and recently the shippers Council as the economic regulator.

While the authority has undergone a reform process that radically changed its processes and procedures, most of the other agencies of government are yet to effect similar reforms. These lack of changes at same pace, has huge implications for port operations.

In a recent with news men in Lagos, Maritime Expert, Nwachukwu Kelechi clarified that, “Contrary to misconceptions and false narrative in a section of the media, the NPA is solely responsible for the development and maintenance of port access road within the port and not roads outside the seaports. Maintenance and development of access to the hinterland is the responsibility of the government.

NPA MANAGEMENT EXCEPTIONAL PERFORMANCE

However, stakeholders have commended the current management of NPA for commendably executing its constitutional roles and responsibilities.

For instance, the NPA was recently commended for its role in strengthening security architecture at the ports.

According to the European Union (EU), the current management has taken its role seriously by reducing vulnerabilities, risks and increase skills and vigilance at the ports

The EU through a representative, Nico Vertogen, said, “There is huge improvement in Nigeria port security architecture and that was very reassuring for us to notice. But, there can always be improvement, do more training but in general, the situation is good.”

“It was a very detailed needs assessment results because we need to understand how security and safety is organised in Tin- Can island and Apapa and that constitute a detailed training program that was tailormade especially for security where we have international certification,” he said.

Port users especially clearing agents also

applauded the NPA management for keying into the core responsibilities and roles of the agency.

An importer, Jinadu Taiwo, noted that as part of measures to improve ease of doing business at the ports, the Bello Koko-led management team approved the licensing of 10 Export Processing Terminals (EPT) to facilitate seamless export cargo evacuation out of the nation’s seaports.

“Licensing of 10 Export Processing Terminals to facilitate exports at Nigerian Sea Ports is to prov ide a one-stop shop for export where quality control, cargo assessment by all government agencies and issuance of good-to-ship clearance will be obtained. This has led to a significant reduction in truck turn-around time due to successful implementation of the E-Call Up System, “Taiwo stated.

Further checks also revealed that the current management’s enforcement of Minimum Safety Standards on trucks accessing the ports has led to significant reduction in number of accidents recorded at the port corridor.

Another Clearing Agent, Chukwuka Ayam stated that: “Enforcement of Minimum Safety Standards on trucks which stipulates that all trucks accessing the Ports are inspected, certified and issued compliance identification to assure safety has resulted in at least 65 per cent reduction in number of accidents recorded, arising from improved standards of trucks operating within the Port premises.”

NPA PARTNERSHIP WITH IMO

The NPA has also engaged the International Maritime Organization (IMO), on the development of Port Community System on the automation and digitalisation of the port processes.

An official of the NPA who pleaded anonymity remarked that, “the current management has engaged with the IMO on development of Port Community System pursuant to the IMO instrument on automation and digitalisation of port processes. Management have also, awarded the consultancy for the deployment of Vessel Traffic Service (VTS); a maritime safety measure that equips with Domain Awareness Capability to enable us guide and provide safety information to vessels within our channels and ports

“he added.

ADVOCACY AGAINST EXTORTION ALONG PORT CORRIDORS

Disturbed by increasing acts of extortion by hoodlums and miscreants along port access road, Mohammed Bello Koko is personally leading the advocacy to eliminate illegal check points where these attrocities are perpetrated through intensified collaborations with security agencies.

As if to confirm the effectiveness of these collaborations, last week the Lagos State Police Command arrested 15 hoodlums, 3 Police Officers, 1 LASTMA and 1 FRSC personnel caught aiding and abetting extortion.

This is coming on heels of the reception at the NPA headquarters of the Police Commissioner for Lagos, Mr. Idowu, where Bello Koko enlisted the commissioner’s support to frontally tackle the menace of corruption, which according to Koko is “doing reputational damage to Nigeria, given that the ports access road is an international business corridor.”

“Those are not all. He established a standing partnership with the Navy, Nigerian Army to in addition to combating illegal checkpoints along the port corridor make traffic management more effective. There was the standardisation of operational procedures for different activities such as barging, private jetties, pilotage, vessel berthing/ sailing, which represents another positive of his leadership, “he added.

He further stated, “Significant reduction in the traffic gridlock along the main Port corridor and the internal access roads through enforcements, proper batching, continuous access control mechanisms and movement of cargo via barge operations are others.

approaches in line with the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) conventions,” the NPA official added.

Speaking further on the landmark achievements of the Koko-led management the official said, “On the critical front of trade facilitation/ease of doing business/ employment generation, the NPA management under the firm and focused guidance of Koko created new businesses and attendant job opportunities such as the barge operations services which besides reducing pressure on the roads have grown into a N2 billion annual generation business both from direct investment and accompanying externalities.

“Bello Koko has also covered remarkable grounds in the crucial maritime benchmarks such as Improved Navigational Aids, Enhanced Port Security, Engineering Infrastructure/ Operational Capacity Strengthening and Employee Welfare and Training/Industrial Harmony, ”he said.

“Procurement and deployment of Security Patrol Boats (SPBs) to all Pilotage Districts to address incessant attacks of vessels along the channels and at Ports’ waterfronts, his management considerably enhanced port security. He also adroitly established a robust partnership with the EU-funded West and Central Africa Ports Security (WeCAPS) towards risk prevention, vulnerability assessment of port infrastructure, skills acquisition to port personnel to strengthen the security and safety of the Nigerian Ports,

“On the Engineering infrastructure/ Operational Capacity Strengthening front, Koko initiated the creation of Forcados Signal Station to enable the Authority capture the movement of more Service Boats and the commencement and completion of bathymetric Survey for the dredging of Escravos Channels.”

An understanding of the roles, functions and powers the extant laws of the country vests on the NPA is necessary in giving an objective assessment of the authority’s performance.

Despite concessioning, port users still expect the Nigerian Ports Authority, to perform its pre -concession roles. Eromosele Abiodun explains the current roles of the NPA in port and cargo operations in Nigeria

Bello-Koko

Dangote: Why FG Must Expand the Tax Net

The President of the Dangote Group and Africa’s richest man, Alhaji Aliko Dangote, in this interview, hailed President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s efforts to institute tax reforms and increase the country’s nonoil revenue collection. He also commended the inauguration of the Presidential Committee on Fiscal Policy and Tax Reforms, led by renowned tax expert, Mr. Taiwo Oyedele, expressing confidence that the committee would deliver on its mandate. Obinna Chima brings the excerpts:

President Bola Tinubu on Tuesday inaugurated the Presidential Committee on Fiscal Policy and Tax Reforms, which is led by renowned tax expert, Taiwo Oyedele, what is your take about the committee, the mandate given to them and the president’s drive to improve revenue through taxation?

Imust thank the President for creating this Committee and also appointing credible people who are well tested, especially the Chairman, who is a tax guru and very objective. Taiwo Oyedele is actually one of the best when it comes to taxation in Nigeria. And I think it is really a very good thing and it is as good as other reforms that were done in terms of petrol subsidy removal and others. Government is losing billions of dollars or maybe trillions of naira in terms of non-collection of taxes. If government is able to improve tax revenue, the government would not need to borrow money to fund its activities.

All you need to do is to block the leakages in the system and by blocking the leakages, there is enough money for government to provide social services. I am really pleased and I wish the president God’s guidance to continue to do great job. We have different taxes and it is much better to harmonise them and also expand the tax net so as to make sure people pay taxes, because it is a social contract between the government and we that operate within the country. Government cannot offer social services without tax collection. So, I think it is a great thing that the president set up this committee.

Within the time given to them, I am sure that they would start submitting reports and I think those reports should actually be implemented. Maybe they should look at automating everything, just like what they did in India. If you go to India today, the country collects at least $1 trillion in various taxes. On petroleum products alone, India makes $100 billion yearly, because they charge 100 per cent on petroleum products. So, what I am suggesting is that people should pay tax and if you pay, you demand services from government. I think it is a social contract. Once people start seeing that government is using the money to do infrastructure, fund education, healthcare, whereby the citizens don’t need to go out to India or other countries for medical attention, then people would settle down and start paying taxes.

You have always stressed the need for governments over the years to work towards genuinely diversifying the economy; do you think the 18 per cent tax-to-GDP ratio target that has been given the committee is realistic?

It is very realistic. President Tinubu demonstrated this when he took charge of Lagos State and if you look at when he was first sworn in as Governor of Lagos, the state was earning meagre amount, but by the time he left office, Lagos’ collection was totally different. You hardly hear people complaining about paying taxes in Lagos, because you can actually see what the money is being used for and that is what I think we should replicate at the federal level. Once people start seeing that infrastructure is being addressed, education and healthcare are well funded, people would pay. Let me add, government is an investor in our businesses.

When they facilitate and give you good business environment, whether it is a tax holiday or good environment, they are stakeholders through those things. So, when it comes to us as corporates, we have to be socially responsible by paying taxes in return. But when you look at it, you see a lot of companies that are actually not paying taxes. When you tell the taxman

Dangote

to go ahead and collect more taxes, they would go back to the same companies that are paying and put more pressure on them. No, that is not what it ought to be. What they should do is to expand the net and make sure everybody is brought in within that segment of taxation. But, without computerising things, people would continue to dodge payment of taxes. If the banks can computerise their systems and are able to attend to millions of customers, how can the tax offices not able to do same? Let them go digital like India.

In India, once you use your credit card, the taxman knows what you earn and when you are spending above your means, the taxman knows. That is why today as long as you have a bank account in India, you can’t dodge the payment of tax. One of the areas that people would need to understand has to do with the issue of tax holiday. Tax holiday does not mean that when you make money and you are not expected to pay taxes because of the holiday, then you go and use the money you made to buy houses in Dubai and other places. No, it is for you to make money and re-invest into the business and expand. When we first built line one and line two at Obajana, our tax holiday was three years and an additional two years.

But see, that encouraged us to expand, and we are not at five million tonnes anymore; we are about 36 million tonnes. Even when the government two years ago decided that there would no longer be tax holidays in the cement sector, it did not stop people from investing. There are quite a lot of people still investing and we are also still investing and we pay our taxes. Today, Dangote Cement, we

pay about N300 million per day, seven days a week as Value Added Tax (VAT) alone. So, if I didn’t invest and I didn’t create the business, how is the government going to collect the VAT? By the time you look at our tax as a company and the withholding tax, if you add both, it amounted to over N200 billion, just Dangote Cement alone.

Are we upset about paying taxes? No, the only thing is that we are upset because some people are not paying. So, people should be made to pay taxes and government must make sure that it collects its own share from people who are dodging payment of taxes. It is okay for you to have very good tax planning, but it is not good for you to avoid taxes. Tax avoidance should actually not be allowed. We pay tax more than the entire banking industry. So, this is a way of encouraging more Nigerians to pay tax. My view over the years is that people should give government their own share by paying taxes. If taxes are due, you pay.

People dodge payment of tax, they dodge Customs and there are so many scams happening, so the committee should look at how to address all these. Another thing is, when people talk about concession, we have never ever been given special concession. Let me even tell you something that people don’t know: Normally, when you are building a refinery, the government gives you concession or an oil bloc. We are the only company that were not given an oil bloc.

Why? We didn’t even ask for it because we didn’t want it to be a controversial issue. Anything Dangote, people make it look

controversial. The government gave oil bloc to the Koreans. Remember the Koreans that Tony Anenih brought were given two oil blocs and Mittal was given two oil blocs and they never built any refinery. But were we given any concession? No! We were given zero concession. In fact, it was a hassle to even get the licence. We don’t have any special consideration, all what we have is sectoral concession.

The main one people talk about is Dangote Cement. But Dangote Cement operates under the law that governs tax holiday, that even somebody who is producing water in Victoria Island is given that five years tax holiday – first three years and an additional two years. So, that was what we had in the cement sector and there was nothing more given to us. And after the tax holiday, we have been paying our taxes and government is reaping from the tax holiday it gave us.

As one of the biggest taxpayers in the country, the issue of multiplicity of tax agencies in the country would definitely be a challenge to you, how best do you think it can be addressed?

I think the gentleman who is heading the committee and few of the members of the committee understand the issues. This is something that they don’t need one year to present a report to the President. They can do it within a short period of time because these are issues that had been discussed over and over. My advice is for them to harmonise and I strongly believe that Taiwo, who is the Chairman would lead this committee very well and they would do a great job. I am really happy about the Committee. I just came back to the country yesterday (Tuesday), and when I heard about it, I was very excited and it was the most happies day for me this month.

Closing the Energy Gap across the Nation

Ahmad Salihijo Ahmad, Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of the Rural Electrification Agency of Nigeria, REA, is a Nigerian engineer and renewable energy advocate. In the last three years, his agency has strengthened its mandate while working in line with the federal government’s objective of delivering clean and sustainable energy infrastructure nationwide, under the Federal Ministry of Power. As a critical agency in the nation’s energy sector, REA is positioned as an implementing tool for improved energy access amongst the unserved and the underserved. In this interview with MARY NNAH, Ahmad reveals that through the agency’s deliberate collaboration with key stakeholders in the nation’s off-grid space, it has greatly improved productive collaborations with private sector players and has equally succeeded in positioning the agency for a deeper level of impact on livelihoods

As the Head of an Agency tasked with serving sustainable energy to the unserved and the underserved, how far have you been able to close the energy gap in off-grid communities?

Against the backdrop of the Agency’s renewed sense of urgency to close the energy gap equitably across the nation, when we resumed at the REA in December 2019, we quickly realised the need to scale up the deployment of off-grid infrastructure to alleviate energy poverty through existing programmes while equally introducing additional programmes in partnership with our development partners.

When you assess the REA’s impact footprint, it reveals a spike in the rate of projects deployed, even in the middle of the pandemic in the year 2020. Since 2020, with 130 solar hybrid mini-grids deployed and over 1.4 million SHS connections achieved across all programmes, the REA has delivered power to over 7.5 million Nigerians. Over 300, 000 women-led MSMEs have been powered and over 1,000 renewable energy jobs have been created.

The central role of energy access is clear as the Agency’s interventions are providing energy in off-grid communities, agricultural clusters, Federal universities, primary healthcare institutions, and markets. The plan is to continue along this trajectory while drawing in more private sector participation and investments to expand our impact footprint and connect more Nigerians to clean sustainable energy.

What are your thoughts on the 2023 Electricity Act, especially as it relates to the power state governments now have to invest across the value chain?

Activated in 2005, the Electricity Power Sector Reform Act (EPSRA) has served the sector for 18 good years. But you will agree with me that there has been a tremendous change in the sector, especially in the last 5 years. This new Electricity Act is timely and equally captures prevailing market issues that require a new direction to make the Nigeria Electricity Supply Industry (NESI) vibrant and even more solution-driven.

With the Act granting State Governments the power to invest across the value chain, States now have countless opportunities to deepen private sector participation, improve investments and ultimately address the regional disparities in electricity access gaps by tailoring specific energy needs of different states to cater to the unique challenges faced by individual states.

In line with the REA mandate, and with our primary beneficiaries being residents in off-grid communities across the 774 LGAs, the new Act supports the theory of change the REA is creating in the off-grid sector by changing the pattern of the energy mix where energy is deliberately targeted at productive use equipment. This directional relationship brings about rural development and improved living standards which continue to be the top priority of any State Government.

This is why, in the last two years, through the support and guidance of the Nigeria Governors Forum (NGF), we have created and maintained a stronger collaboration with state governments through workshops and knowledge-driven engagements. Through these engagements, we have collaboratively assessed pain points and possible strategies to deepen energy access infrastructure.

Yes, REA does have a central role to play as stated in this Act. If you look at Section 127 of the New Act, the agency is to create an enabling channel for the entry of private sector entities into the rural electrification space. The agency is to promote development and ensure the implementation of government policies on rural electrification. In saddling the agency with these new objectives and functions, the Act equally ensures more funding for the Agency.

These responsibilities are welcomed as it only enables us to deepen our collaboration with state governments while enabling us to accelerate universal energy access.

For renewable energy technologies to improve and serve more homes and businesses, there is a need for quality Research and development. Can you tell us if your agency is playing any role in this?

Globally, innovation, research, and development are critical to the growth of the energy sector. These

equally go hand in hand with the continuous development of a technical workforce for the nation’s renewable energy sector. The REA continues to position itself as a facilitator for knowledge-driven engagements and solutiondriven products targeted at alleviating energy poverty. This is why the Agency has successfully deployed over 30 pilot projects on productive use in off-grid communities.

We believe that through R&D, we can test what works while gaining insight into how to expand and deploy home-grown solutions at scale. We equally have an active Research and Innovation Hub at the REA. Through this Hub, we continue to stimulate knowledge-driven conversations while developing existing technologies and prototypes. So far, we have received various thematic research submissions in addition to the ongoing technology demonstration efforts through this Hub.

It might interest you to know that the REA is implementing a key component of the Global Cleantech Innovation Programme (GCIP), a United Nations Industrial Development Organisation -led Programme. With funding from UNIDO, the REA is implementing the GCIP in collaboration with the Co-Creation Hub (CcHUB), a private sector institution, and the Government of Nigeria, represented by the REA, as well as the Federal Ministry of Science, Technology, and Innovation (FMSTI).

Looking at the recent fuel subsidy removal, in what aspects have your projects helped to mitigate its effects on Nigerians and how can the federal government leverage renewable energy technologies to alleviate poverty and enhance rural development in post-subsidy Nigeria?

Firstly, I cannot overemphasise the importance of leveraging the countless opportunities in renewable energy to mitigate the impact of subsidy removal in Nigeria. I am happy to say that the REA already has a history of deploying renewable energy infrastructure for poverty alleviation and socio-economic impact nationwide. With 130 solar hybrid mini-grids deployed and over 1.4 million solar home systems serving MSMEs and households, the major impact of the Agency’s projects is that it enables beneficiaries to cut down on and, in many cases, eliminate the use of diesel/PMS-powered generators.

We have seen first-hand the effect of these renewable energy technologies in healthcare centres, last-mile communities, markets, tertiary institutions and agricultural clusters. Looking at the bright side, the removal of fuel subsidy only opens opportunities and investments for renewable energy.

For example, there are two key pain points often referenced by the majority of Nigerians as far as subsidy removal goes: an increase in

the cost of fuel for the self-generation of energy in homes and businesses and an equal increase in the cost of commercial transportation for commuters.

Looking at these two pain points, what you find are opportunities to deepen more people-centred solutions through renewables. Leveraging renewable energy for e-mobility for example offers a transformative solution that aligns with Nigeria’s commitment to sustainable development and the transition to a low-carbon economy and it equally caters to the pain point of Nigerians as it addresses the transportation challenges exacerbated by subsidy removal.

Equally, with the accelerated deployment of SHS and mini-grids, homes and businesses, especially in unserved and underserved communities can be sustainably powered. This is why as a nation, we must continue to aggressively strengthen private sector participation and investment in the renewable energy sector, while equally ensuring a healthy business environment for the sector to thrive for the good of every Nigerian.

In a country like Nigeria where marginalisation remains a sensitive issue, does the REA ensure equity and inclusion in the delivery of its projects? How would you assess the agency’s coverage?

For us at the REA, inclusion, and equity are not mere buzzwords. The REA is an implementing Agency of the Federal Government of Nigeria. In line with the Government’s objectives, the Agency is mandated to provide access to reliable electric power supply for rural dwellers irrespective of where they live and what they do, in a way that would allow for a reasonable return on investment through appropriate tariff that is economically responsive and supportive of the average rural customer through private sector driven approaches.

Sustainable energy access is a right for every Nigerian and through the REA, the federal government continues to maintain its objective for universal energy access. Currently, the impact footprint of the agency can be found in all States of the Federation, including the FCT.

In every state in Nigeria, you find beneficiaries of REA’s programmes and initiatives. Part of our ongoing efforts with all Focal Persons delegated by the state governments on the REA – State Government collaboration is to continue along this trajectory through access to quality data, unique socio-economic activities of individual communities as well as the energy needs of these communities. These will enable us to continue to power Nigeria, one community at a time, equitably.

We understand that the REA’s project footprint can be seen nationwide, especially in last-mile communities. How is the agency

succeeding at monitoring and assessing its different projects across the country?

At the REA, we continue to strengthen our sustainability frameworks. The key to ensuring the safety, longevity and sustainability of off-grid infrastructure is the proper management of these assets. This is why we carry out the periodic practice of monitoring and evaluating our projects nationwide.

It might interest you to know that the REA does not end here at the Headquarters in Abuja. The agency has six active zonal offices across the six geo-political zones of the country with technical team members tasked with the periodic assessment of these projects.

On a deeper level, however, community ownership is key to the sustainability question. This is why we continue to nurture a strong social framework, the Rural Electricity Users Cooperative Society (REUCS) designed to promote community participation in rural electrification projects through training on ownership, operation, maintenance, and safety of facilities. The REUCS is equally enabling community members to work together to protect electricity equipment against theft and vandalization. We currently have over 140 registered REUCS across the 6 geopolitical zones.

We are aware of REA’s efforts in closing the energy gap in the healthcare space, post-COVID. How far have you gone with these efforts and what has been the experience so far?

The COVID-19 pandemic revealed the energy gap in the healthcare sector, spurring a renewed sense of urgency to close that gap and support the emergency healthcare space through renewable energy. This was why in the year 2020, in the heat of the pandemic, REA actively became one of the first-responder agencies when we deployed 4 solar hybrid energy systems to 4 treatment and isolation centres across the nation; having assessed the high inflow of patients to those centres.

The success of those initial efforts led to wider consultation and interest from the World Bank under the Nigeria Electrification Project (NEP). The COVID-19 & Beyond programme was developed to provide sustainable and clean power to Isolation & Treatment Centers (ITCs) as well as Primary Healthcare Centers (PHCs), to power equipment used for testing and treating COVID-19-related cases, with interventions targeted at powering 100 Isolation/treatment centres and 400 PHCs

The unique thing about this programme is its design; it is deliberately created to outlive the pandemic. So what you find today are healthcare institutions now utilizing these interventions to neatly close their internal energy access gaps in their respective facilities.

The REA has so far powered over 50 facilities with more still under construction across the country. The experience has been elating so far because the delivery of these projects and their impact in ameliorating the energy access challenges faced by healthcare professionals and patients further shows the strong link between quality healthcare delivery and energy access.

These interventions have, in many cases, eliminated diesel-powered generating sets and their high running costs within those facilities. It equally enables the storage of cold-chain medication, powers laboratories and medical wards, and illuminates the immediate environment of these healthcare facilities. Patients can receive quicker medical attention even at odd hours of the day as these systems run 24/7.

The World Bank recently announced plans to deepen its energy access support in Nigeria with additional funding. What has been the result of its initial $350, 000 support for the implementation of the NEP?

The Nigeria Electrification Project is one intervention that has enabled us to accelerate the impact of renewable energy technologies such as solar hybrid mini-grids and solar home systems, while equally expanding private sector participation in the nation’s off-grid space. The implementation of the programme has been successful and it might interest you to know that the NEP model has become an exemplar in the off-grid space in sub-Saharan Africa.

Leveraging off-grid solutions to connect more Nigerians through various programmes and initiatives being implemented at REA

Nollywood Stars, Industrialists, Others Celebrate Octogenarian Businessman, Wife at 50th Anniversary

PRINCESS MERCY SUESS APPOINTED BRAND AMBASSADOR AT 45TH BIRTHDAY ANNIVERSARY

Precious Ugwuzor

Nigerians from different walks of life including Nollywood celebrities, industrialists and others, last Saturday in Lagos joined the family of Onwumere from Orsu Local Government Area, Imo State to celebrate the 50th wedding anniversary of Chief Anthony Uchechukwu Ezeoma Onwumere and wife.

The event which was well attended by a cross section of personalities from the public and private sectors held at the event hall of Our Lady of Perpetual Help, Victoria Island and was also an opportunity to commemorate the 80th birthday of Chief Onwumere.

In attendance from the Nollywood community were Messrs Zack Orji, Ejike Asiegbu, Dr. Don Pedro Obaseki, Moji Oyetayo (a.ka. Mama Ajasco) Victor Osuagwu, Arinze Okonkwo and others.

The two-in-one event which was put together by the children of Chief Onwumere, whose popularity over the years stemmed from his pharmacy and supermarket known as Tonyson Pharmacy and Stores Limited, was a huge success in every ramification as guests were lavishly entertained with both local and continental cuisine that were well prepared by the various caterers contracted to manage the occasion.

There were also enough choice drinks to cater for all categories of

guests just as the event managers diligently attended to all guests in the best of manners irrespective of tribe, religion or social class.

One of the social clubs well represented at the occasion was Hazie Masters International Club of Nigeria led by High Chief Richard Agbapuru, a well placed industrialist and Chairman/Chief Executive of Richygold Group of Companies.

Agbapuru said he had known Chief Onwumere (a.k.a. Iri Kaa Nnu I of Orsu) for a very long time. He described him as a highly intelligent man, with a lot of wisdom in him.

According to him, the same wisdom in the octogenarian has been replicated in his children explaining that his first sonAnthony Onwumere (junior) is like father, like son.

In Chief Agbapuru’s words, he had learnt a lot from Chief Onwumere as a businessman, emphasizing that the octogenarian is a very quiet achiever who loves what he is doing and has remained a great philanthropist who does things at his pace.

His philanthropic gestures had been extended to his Orsu community where he single-handedly built and donated a two-storey house to his people in the village.

To the RichyGold boss, the 80-year-old Onwumere has continued to be a role model right from his youthful days and loves to enjoy good life which has invariably precipitated the

Nigeria’sTop Business Leaders to Headline PMI Africa Conference 2023 in Nairobi

Stories by Mary Nnah

Project Management Institute

(PMI), the leading professional organisation for project management and the authority for a growing global community of millions of project professionals, today announced that executives from United Bank for Africa, Junior Achievement Africa, and Dangote are amongst other leading Nigerian organisations to take the stage at the PMI Africa Conference.

The highly anticipated event is being hosted at the Emara Ole Sereni, Nairobi, Kenya, from 10-12 September 2023. The conference brings together Africa’s most influential PMOs, project leaders, practitioners, youth, and government to elevate the project management landscape.

With over 500 delegates attending, the conference promises to be the continent’s largest and most impactful gathering of project professionals.

The theme “The Africa We Want: Together We Can” will be reflected in presentations, product showcases, and panel discussions. The conference has a packed agenda with high-level experts addressing emerging and engaging topics

Chief & Mrs Onwumere with their children

birthday celebration in his honour.

Borrowing from the life experience of the octogenarian, Agbapuru advised youths of today to be patient in the pursuit of their life ambition particularly with respect to acquisition of wealth.

He enjoined young couples to also understand each other very well and collectively work towards building their families with love and patience so that they could be celebrated like Chief Onwumere and his wife who incidentally is a sister to his own (Agbapuru’s) mother.

Also, one of the sons of the octogenarian, Dr. Mac Austin Onwumere, who is the Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of PWAN Group, said he was extremely happy that his father was alive to celebrate his 80th birthday and 50 years in marriage with his wife (Austin’s mother) in good health.

The PWAN chieftain disclosed that the secret behind the stability of his parents’ marriage was premised in humility, integrity and focus.

He explained that like any other human being, his parents in the time past could have their differences and misunderstandings but such things were never brought open to their children and they had always resolved same in the room without a third party knowing happened transpired.

Dr. Onwumere described his father as a very successful businessman and attributed his

father’s success in the business of selling, to his being focused and never got distracted by any other thing or circumstance.

According to him, his father owns one of the biggest supermarkets in Ebutte Metta, Lagos with branches in four other states in Nigeria. The supermarkets are still functional as some of his sons are currently managing them.

According to Zack Orji who co-anchored the event, “there is something unique about the octogenarian and his wife. They have stayed for 50 years in marriage in a country where couples in contemporary time easily walk out of marriage even in few months after wedding. I thank the couple for being a good example as I pray that they would celebrate more years.”

Chief Anthony Ezeoma Uche Onwumere arrived Lagos in 1978 after leaving the Republic of Cameroun in 1977 as a businessman.

In Lagos, he established Tonyson Pharmaceutical Chemists & Stores which was a fore-runner to his other business concerns over the years.

Due to his philanthropic nature, he has been honoured with different titles including the “Ezeoma” of Umuhu-Okabia as well as the Eziafakego of Ezianwa, Iri Kaa Nnu I of Orsu. His life philosophy largely centres on his belief in one God and that honesty is always the best policy, just as he believes that humility is next to Godliness.

Group Demands Improved Security for Platform Workers

that will shed light on some of the latest trends in the project management space.

From issues ranging from the continent’s skills gaps and the role of project managers in delivering Agenda 2063 to the role of women and youth in driving Africa’s future and mainstreaming project management in the public sector, it is set to be an insightful conference.

The speakers, drawn from various fields, will share insights from their experience and expertise on a wide range of topics and take a look at the first decade of Agenda 2063. They will also appraise the extraordinary work of project professionals in Africa’s project economy and reflect on the progress of some of the flagship projects.

Keynote speaker Alex Alozie, Executive Director and Group Chief Operating Officer at UBA Group, will speak on cultivating skills for leading and managing complex projects and share lessons on the role of project management in the growth and success of major businesses.

Simi Nwogugu, CEO of Junior Achievement Africa, will share her views on education and entrepreneurship. as a panellist with Sydney Sam, CEO, Workspace Global.

Members of The Fairwork team at Lagos Business School, Pan Atlantic University have called for urgent actions to address the security concerns plaguing the Nigerian platform economy.

This is coming on the heels of research carried out by the Director of Christopher Kolade Centre for Research in Leadership and Ethics, Dr. Kemi Ogunyemi alongside Amaka Anozie, Chinyere Emeshie, Ogechi Obiorah, and Chiwemeri Mama.

The demand was made during the unveiling of the organisation’s findings titled, “The Fairwork Nigeria 2023”, a report based on desk research and interviews with platform workers and managers in Lagos between February and May 2023 at the Lagos Business School, Ajah, Lagos.

According to Ogunyemi, aspects of combating insecurity in platform work include an emphasis on safety training, provision of risk-mitigating strategies, and effective measures against working alone.

He said further that the report urges platforms to prioritise improving the working conditions of platform workers by enabling effective safety measures and safety nets for

workers, establishing better communication channels, raising awareness about available security measures, and recognising worker collectives and groups.

“By addressing these critical issues, the Nigerian platform economy can enhance the well-being and security of its workforce and foster an environment conducive to sustainable and equitable growth”, he added.

During the presentation, representatives of Bolt, Bolt Foods, Chow Deck, Glovo, Gokada, Indrive, Jumia Food, Kwik, Lagos Ride, Mano, Uber and Rida, in the Nigerian platform economy highlighted the pressing insecurity faced by their workers.

The leader of the team disclosed that platform work carries inherent risks as workers often find themselves in potentially dangerous situations; these include encounters with robbers, road accidents, harassment by law enforcement agents, and the threat of kidnappers.

Ogunyemi said however that, “Despite the high level of insecurity experienced on the job, platform workers exhibit remarkable courage as they navigate these dangers to earn a living.”

The National Association of Oruk Anam indigenes of Nigeria, an umbrella body that provides a shield for Oruk Anam indigenes in Lagos and its environs, recently appointed the founder, Fraususs Children Empowerment Foundation (FSCEF), Princess Mercy Suess its brand ambassador.

Speaking during the 45th birthday celebration of Princess Mercy Suess held in Lagos, the association’s representative, Comrade Ubong Jacob, said the appointment was in recognition of her numerous contributions to the development of the Oruk Anam LGA community, Akwa Ibom State as a whole and the nation in general.

Suess’ passion to help less fortunate children develop into well-groomed and successful adults led to the establishment of FSCEF over 10 years ago.

The foundation, Suess reiterated, aims to build a solid foundation of integrity, selfless service and patriotism in less privileged children, teenagers and youths for a positive generational change that will bring about national development and growth.

FSCEF founder expressed the belief that love is the foundation of the world, noting that “with a love for nations, the people and our immediate environment in our hearts, we would make the right decisions at all times and consider others in all our actions”.

She explained further that FSCEF focuses on the upkeep, education, and exposure of less privileged children, adding that “we work more with children in orphanage homes and family support centres.

“FSCEF also has a family relief centre in Mafoluku, Lagos; we are also in Akwa-Ibom State where we run our rural child empowerment programmes.

“The project involves working with the existing primary schools to activate social activities in the schools, improve on the school’s facilities, and plan and execute programmes that will give the children exposure and great opportunities to take their shot at life”.

Presently, FSCEF has its headquarters in Lagos and plans to move to its permanent site soon. It also has a chapter in Oruk Anam and has also just inaugurated the Uyo chapter last July while working towards having an affiliate foundation in Germany. While giving gratitude for the achievement so far and for the gift of life at 45, Suess said, “There is still much to be done. We have only scratched the surface.”

She, therefore, called on like-minded Nigerians to join in committing to the service of humanity on the FSCEF platform.

LILVERA WINS MERCHANDISING AWARD AT EXMAN

In recognition of its expertise in modern trade and merchandising within the experiential industry in the West African market, Lilvera has won the coveted merchandising and modern trade category at the recently held Experiential Marketers Association of Nigeria (EXMAN) 10th awards in Lagos.

Lilvera’s work for Nigerian Breweries was adjudged the best among other entries at an elaborate award ceremony that culminated in a 3-day brand experience event at Federal Palace Hotel in Victoria Island Lagos.

EXMAN is a sectoral trade body for forward-looking experiential marketing communications agencies, which exists to support, promote and defend the interests of over 45 member agencies, with total billing of over thirty billion naira through comprehensive core services and platforms.

Expressing his excitement after picking up the award, the chief ideas officer of Lilvera Group, Buchi Johnson said, “We feel good & happy knowing that the work we put in daily pays off and has been acknowledged, most importantly we feel motivated to do so much more.”

According to him, “Winning this award means that it is time to go even harder to serve all of our clients, yet another light has been shone upon us as always as a business and we intend to make good use of it.

In recent times, an upwardly mobile tech-centric, digital, creative, branding and experiential firm, Lilvera Group, has proven its worth in the industry by scooping some top laurels.

Some of the recent honours won by Lilvera include Most Customer-focused experiential marketing agency of the Year 2020, Digital marketing agency of the Year 2021, Most clientfocused marketingAgency of the Year-Africa 2022, Most customer focused experiential marketing agency of the Year 2022, Africa’s most outstanding experiential marketing agency of the year 2023 and CIO bulletin: 30 fastest growing companies to watch 2023.

Princess Mercy Suess

L-R: Barr. Ochendo, Chief Agbapuru and other Hazie Club members

Retired Controller-General of the Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS), David Paradang (left), handing over the cash prize of N250,000 to Miss Yakubu Ramatu, a junior officer who won the essay competition organised by the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) NIS Command in commemoration of the NIS 60th anniversary in Abuja... recently L-R: Akwa Ibom State Governor, Mr. Umo Eno, and Managing Director of Parallex Bank, Dr. Olufemi Bakre, during his courtesy call on the governor in Uyo, the state capital…recently

L-R: Host Communities of Nigeria Producing Oil and Gas and Pipeline Impacted States (HOSCON) nominees, Haruna Tijani, Chibuike Ahemaraezemma; HOSCON National Chairman, Dr. Mike Emuh; and an official, Adamu Wilson Gandu, taking oath of allegiance during the inauguration of PIA commissioners at the HOSCON office in Abuja...recently

Director-General, National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), Brigadier General Yushau Dogara Ahmed (left), presenting one of the corps in-house publications to the Managing Director of the Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria, Mr. Madu Hamman (right), when Ahmed led other managers of the NYSC to the bank in Abuja on a courtesy visit…recently

L-R: Coordinator, RSM Africa, Ivete Turi; RSM Global Chief Executive Officer, Jean Stephens; Lead Partner, Stransact Chartered Accountants, Eben Joel; Partner, Stransact Chartered Accountants, Titi Mabifa; and RSM Africa Leader, Clive Betty; during the 2023 RSM Africa conference in Lagos…recently

L-R: Osun State Governor, Senator Ademola Adeleke; GOC 2 Division, Nigerian Army, General V. U.Okoro; and Commander, Nigeria Army Engineering Construction Regiment, Brig Gen F. K. Sulaiman, during a courtesy visit to the governor in Osogbo…recently

L-R: Chairperson, JCI Ikeja BigBroda, Teniola Arigbede; JCI Ikeja President (JCIN ambassador) Oyebola Olafasakin; Chief Executive Officer, Ify’s Kitchen, Ify Mogekwu; National Vice President, South-west District 1 JCIN (JCIN ambassador), Chika Ibobo; and another JCIN Ambassador, Tricia Inalu, during the JCI Ikeja BigBroda training event in Lagos…recently

Edited by NSEOBONG OKON-EKONG | ikotibok@gmail.com | Tel: 08114495324

The Rise of E-sports Betting

Davidson Abraham reports that E-sports betting offers many similarities to traditional sports betting, with a range of betting markets that include money line bets on match winners, point spreads, over or under bets, and prop bets on in-game events or player performances

E-sports, short for electronic sports, is a form of competitive video gaming where professional players and teams compete in organised tournaments. While competitive gaming has been around since the early days of video games, the rise of the internet and technological advancements have propelled e-sports into a global phenomenon. As a result, e-sport betting has experienced a remarkable surge in popularity, creating a new frontier in the world of sports betting. The advent of the internet and the proliferation of online streaming platforms played a significant role in

the growth of e-sports. These platforms, such as Twitch and YouTube Gaming, allow fans to watch live streams of e-sport competitions from around the world. As the viewership of

e-sport events skyrocketed, it caught the gaming industry’s attention, leading to the introduction of e-sport betting platforms. E-sport betting offers many

similarities to traditional sports betting, with a range of betting markets that include money line bets on match winners, point spreads, over/under bets, and prop

Global Esports partners with NUMBER for BGMS 2023

Indian esports organisation

Global Esports has announced a partnership with smart wearable and audio brand NUMBER for the second BGMI Masters Series 2023 (BGMS).

NUMBER will become the official title sponsor for Global Esports, with NUMBER’s logo featured on the team’s kits for the new season. No details about future plans were shared.

Global Esports is a prominent esports organisation in India, fielding teams in several games such as Battlegrounds Mobile: India (BGMI), VALORANT, CS:GO,

PUBG: Battlegrounds, and others.

The Global Esports BGMI team competes in the BGMS, a tournament that sees 24 Indian teams compete for a $250,000 (£197,000) prize pool. The tournament is organised by the Indian company NODWIN Gaming and will take place throughout August.

Global Esports is the current champion of the BGMS, having won the inaugural season last year ahead of well-known Indian organisations GodLike Esports and Orangutan, GSI Sports Insider reports. NUMBER is an Indian brand of smartwatches and

wireless earbuds founded in 2019. The company recently launched its Number Super Buds Pro lineup of gaming-focused true wireless earbuds to mark the return of BGMI to India. The partnership with Global Esports is the first foray into esports for the wearable and audio brand.

Interestingly, Global Esports noted that the partnership will be focused on the upcoming tournament and did not share any more details about if it will continue afterwards. This could make the partnership short since the second season of the BGMS will end on

August 27th, 2023.

Jigar Mehta, CEO and founder of NUMBER, stated, “At NUMBER, our objective is to provide gamers with the bestin-class gaming audio accessories so that they may start their journey in esports with the right equipment.”

Mehta added, “Esports is a strongly growing community in India and we strive to support this growth with our new and first-of-its-kind partnership with Global Esports. We are thrilled to partner with a leading organisation such as Global Esports who are also the winners of BGMS 2022.”

bets on in-game events or player performances.

The convenience of online betting platforms has made them accessible to e-sport enthusiasts, allowing them to place bets on their favourite teams and players with just a few clicks.

One of the factors that attracted traditional sports bettors to e-sports was its year-round availability. Unlike traditional sports with defined seasons, e-sport tournaments occur throughout the year, providing continuous betting opportunities. E-sports cover various game genres, including first-person shooters, real-time strategy games, multiplayer online battle arenas (MOBAs), and sports simulations, catering to a diverse audience with different gaming preferences.

E-sports’ growing popularity has attracted investment from major sports books and gaming operators. Betting companies recognized the potential of the e-sport market and began offering odds on various e-sport events. Some sportsbooks even dedicated specific sections of their platforms to E-sports betting, further legitimizing its place in the gambling industry.

Furthermore, e-sport appeal to a younger demographic has driven its rise in the betting world. Millennials and Gen Z, who grew up with video games and the internet,

have embraced e-sports as spectators and participants. This younger audience is more open to online betting and is familiar with the gaming culture, making them more likely to engage in e-sport betting.

The COVID-19 pandemic also played a role in accelerating the growth of e-sport betting. With traditional sports leagues suspending or cancelling events, bettors turned to E-sports as a viable alternative for their gambling entertainment. E-sport competitions conducted online and with remote players were less affected by the pandemic’s restrictions, allowing them to continue and thrive during these challenging times. However, like all forms of betting, e-sport betting has raised concerns about responsible gaming and underage betting. It is crucial for operators and regulators to implement comprehensive measures and robust safeguards to protect vulnerable individuals and promote responsible betting practices effectively by establishing stringent age verification processes, providing educational resources, and fostering a culture of responsible gaming. Once these measures are in place, the e-sport betting industry can create a safer and more sustainable environment for its participants.

“E-sport appeal to a younger demographic has been a driving force behind its rise in the betting world. Millennials and Gen Z, who grew up with video games and the internet, have embraced e-sports as spectators and participants. This younger audience is more open to online betting and is familiar with the gaming culture, making them more likely to engage in e-sport betting.”

Stanbic IBTC Partners SMEDAN to Empower 3000 SMEs

Oluchi Chibuzor

Stanbic IBTC Bank, a subsidiary of Stanbic IBTC Holdings Plc, has reaffirmed its commitment to empowering Small and Medium Scale Enterprises (SMEs). To this end, the bank has signed a partnership agreement with the Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN) to provide training for 3000 Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) across various states in Nigeria.

The bank in a statement said the collaboration aligns with its commitment to supporting the growth and development of the SME sector in the

country through its Enterprise Academy training programme, an initiative that has facilitated the training of over 5000 SMEs since its launch in 2021.

Highlighting the significance of the partnership, Chief Executive, Stanbic IBTC Bank, Mr. Wole Adeniyi, emphasized the pivotal role of SMEs in the economy.

He said, “SMEs are the backbone of our economy, and we acknowledge the vital role they play in driving economic growth and creating employment opportunities.

Through our partnership with SMEDAN, we aim to empower SMEs with the knowledge and tools needed to thrive in today’s competitive business

landscape.”

Director General, SMEDAN, Dr. Olawale Tunde Fasanya, also shared his thoughts on the recently signed partnership, he said, “Establishing a trusted financial partner for growth is crucial to any business”.

He further expressed his satisfaction on the partnership with Stanbic IBTC Bank to empower, equip and expedite the growth of SMEs, thereby amplifying their contribution to the economy.

Stanbic IBTC Bank’s Enterprise Academy training program is designed to equip SMEs with the necessary tools to overcome challenges, enhance their operations, and drive sustainable growth.

H1: FCMB Group Reports 148% Profit Growth

FCMB Group Plc has announced that it recorded positive financial performance across key indicators with profit before tax reaching N38.2 billion from January to June this year, compared to N15.4 billion in the corresponding period of 2022.

Highlights of the diversified Group’s unaudited six-month results released on the Nigerian Exchange Limited (NGX) floor showed that various divisions achieved robust earnings growth: Banking Group 185.5 per cent, Consumer Finance 10.3 per cent, Investment Management 53.3 per cent, and Investment Banking 54.3 per cent. In addition, FCMB Group’s gross revenue grew by 88.7 per cent to N238.2 billion

for June 2023, as against N126.2 billion for the same period in the previous year. This growth was driven by a 51.9 per cent increase in interest income and a 216.9 per cent increase in non-interest income.

Commenting on the half-year financial results, the Group Chief Executive of FCMB Group Plc, Mr Ladi Balogun, said: “We continue to leverage our unique Group structure to build a technology-driven ecosystem that fosters inclusive and sustainable growth in the communities we serve. This strategy enables us to deliver robust performance despite the challenging domestic and global environment. Barring

unforeseen circumstances, this trend will be sustained and accompanied by improving efficiencies arising from greater scale and ongoing digitization.

“Customer confidence in FCMB Group remained strong, as deposits rose by 45.3 per cent year-on-year to N2.38 trillion at the end of June, up from N1.64 trillion in the corresponding period of 2022, whilst Loans and advances also grew by 37.4 per cent to N1.54 trillion, compared to N1.12 trillion in the previous period. The Group’s Assets Under Management (AUM) recorded an increase of 23.6 per cent year-on-year to N910.3 billion at the end of June 2023, up from N736.4 billion at the end of June 2022.”

APM Terminals Apapa Restates Commitment to Environmental Sustainability

Nigeria’s leading container terminal, APM Terminals Apapa has restated its commitment to the promotion of environmentally sustainable operation at the port.

The Terminal Manager, APM Terminals Apapa, Steen Knudsen, who said this while addressing journalists in Lagos, said the terminal uses cargo handling equipment that are fuel efficient and environmentally sustainable.

He said, “When we buy equipment, we always look at the fuel efficiency of the equipment, and whether alternative options are available. In future, when we will acquire equipment, we will consider equipment that are either electrified or able to use fuel types with lesser CO2 emissions. It is key that there is a strong collaboration between

private and public players, to ensure sufficient clear electricity production and distribution is in focus, to make meaningful impact on industrial emissions.

“At A.P. Moller-Maersk, our global ambition is to move towards a net zero CO2 emission from all our operations worldwide, and in APM Terminals Apapa we are sharing this ambition as well.”

Knudsen noted that the company has continued to promote awareness of the environmental impact of port operation, taken practical steps to reduce such impact by minimizing pollution and promoting reduction, reuse and recycling of plastic products.

“We must appreciate the fact that global supply chains have an impact on the environment. A lot of fuel is being consumed to

MARKET INDICATORS

deliver goods to countries around the world, and we must play an active role in reducing this consumption.

“One of the things we do here is to promote recycling of our used tyres and plastics. We recycle our used tyres into various products such as pavers, which are used to pave the walkways in and outside the terminal. We also promote the collection and recycling of plastics to be turned into other useful products.

“For me, that is a better way to teach our employees about the environment. We educate ourselves on how to manage and repurpose these otherwise environmentally harmful materials as our contribution to create a greener environment for generations to come,” he said.

Fire Department Signs Hero Music Sensation, Acetune

In a revelatory post via his Instagram handle, Acetune, one of the beneficiaries of the Hero Music Project by Hero Lager announced that he has secured a record deal with Fire Department Inc, owned by RudeBoy, one-half of the acclaimed music duo, PSquare and brand ambassador of Hero Lager. Hero Music Project is an offshoot of the People’s Hero Initiative sponsored by Hero Lager, a product of International Breweries Plc, a proud part of the world’s largest brewer, AB InBev, with over 500 beer brands. In April, the People’s Hero

Initiative, launched by Hero Lager, embarked on a music project to sponsor young and worthy music talents with the necessary support to make great music. All the artistes who participated in the project made a music album that will launch this August. The rising music stars, one of whom is the uber-gifted Acetune, have also seen tremendous growth in their careers.

RudeBoy, one of the mentors on Hero Music Records, was impressed by the unique talent and delivery displayed by

Money Market Indicators (in Percentage)

Acetune during the initiative. Not wanting to miss out on signing the sensational artiste with several record labels on the prowl, RudeBoy wasted no time in sealing the deal with Acetune.

“With the Hero Music Initiative, we were introduced to a pool of exceptional talents, but Acetune stood out for me. His lyrical prowess and the emotional depth he brings to his music caught my eye and I knew he would bring something fresh to Rudeboy Records if we brought him onboard.”

OPEC DAILY BASKET PRICE AS AT 17 JULY, 2023

The price of OPEC basket of thirteen crudes stood at $82.06 a barrel on Friday, compared with $81.53 the previous day, according to OPEC Secretariat calculations.

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

L-R: Chairman, Aig-Imoukhuede Foundation,AigbojeAig-Imoukhuede; Executive Vice-Chair, AigImoukhuede Foundation,OfovweAig-Imoukhuede; EssahAniefiokEtim of the Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment and Special Adviser to the President on Monetary Policy,OlawaleEdun at the presentation of the Emily Aig-Imoukhuede Memorial Award for Public Sector Excellence at the Civil Service Gala/Award Nite

Binji: BUA Cement Investing in State-of-art Technology to Mitigate Raising OPEX

KayodeTokede

The MD/CEO, BUA Cement Plc, Mr. Yusuf Binji, yesterday said the company investing in State-of-art technologies to lessen raising operating expenses, stressing that cement production is cost intensive.

Binji, who was speaking virtually at a conference call for analysts and investors on the company’s half-year (H1) ended June 2023 performance, disclosed that the cost of sales per ton rose by 19.7 percent to N34,936/

ton from N29,192/ton, as at H1 2022, attributing it to increases in raw materials costs, energy product costs, depreciation charges, and repair & maintenance costs.

According to him, “Energy cost per ton increased by 11.6per cent to N14,561/ton from N13,048/ ton during the corresponding quarter ended H1’2022, which resulted from a combination of energy price increases and fuel mix during the quarter.

“Selling, Distribution &

Administration cost (net) per ton increased by 46.2per cent to N5,830/ton from N3,988/ton for the six months ended 2022. The drivers of the increase were distribution costs, led by increased fleet size, depreciation charges, other administrative expenses.”

He explained that BUA Cement has invested in lower-pressure peroxide plants to reduce power consumption and design all its plants with state-of-the-art technology for efficient and environmentally

friendly performance.

He added that, “In our Sokoto plant, we have increased the usage of natural gas which gives us a bit lower cost per plant compared to when we were using the traditional heavy fuel oil. We hope all these will mitigate rising production costs.”

Binji said the business performance of BUA Cement in H1 2023 was sustained by strong brand attributes, stable volumes, and price adjustments.

BUA Cement had reported

net revenue up 17.2per cent to N221.1 billion in H1 2023 from N188.6 billion, as at H1 2022, while EBITDA increases by 14.1per cent to N99.8 billion in H1 2023 from N87.5 billion reported in H1 2022.

From the profit && loss figures, BUA Cement announced Profit After Tax (PAT), up by 3.7per cent to N63.6billion from N61.4 billion, as at H1 2022.

He expressed that “On expansion drive at Sokoto and Edo states, we continue to attend the setup

milestones and looking forward to the commercial operation of both plants during the first quarter of 2024.”

He said the company is making moves to invest in Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) powered trucks to mitigate the effect of transporting cement products across the country. He also disclosed that Nigeria’s land border closure between Niger Republic and Burkina Faso is affecting the export of cement to both countries amid political unrest.

PRICES FOR SECURITIES TRADED ASOF AUGUST/10/23

2023 GRADUATING CEREMONY OF TEACH FOR NIGERIA...

South-east Governors: Perpetrators, Sponsors of Insecurity in Region are Criminals

Vow to fight menace with FG Insecurity threatening foundation of region's existence, says Reps

Gideon Arinze in Enugu and Juliet Akoje in Abuja

Governors from the Southeastern part of Nigeria rose from their meeting yesterday, and resolved to collaborate with the federal government to tackle the menace of insecurity threatening the socio-economic life of the people of the region.

The Governors met under the auspices of South East Governors Forum.

According to a statement signed by Oguwike Nwachuku, the Chief Press Secretary and Media Adviser to Imo State Governor yesterday, “those

behind the insecurity as it is perceived in the south-east - both the perpetrators and sponsors - are simply criminals and must be treated as such when arrested in accordance with the law and not be seen as legitimate agitators they claim to be.”

The meeting which lasted for several hours at the Enugu State Government House was attended by all the South East Governors - Sen. Hope Uzodimma of Imo State (Chairman of the Forum), Dr. Alex Oti (Abia), Prof. Chukwuma Soludo (Anambra), Rt. Hon. Francis Nwifuru

(Ebonyi) and Dr. Peter MBA of Enugu, as the host.

In a communique read after the meeting by Uzodimma, surrounded by his brother colleagues, the governors also commended the security agencies for their cooperation and achievements in the zone so far and encouraged them not to relent.

The communique read in full: "The forum firmly resolved to fight insecurity decisively in the region, individually and collectively, in partnership with the federal government of Nigeria and other stakeholders.

"We commend the security

agencies for their cooperation and achievements thus far and encourage them not to relent.

"We wish to categorically state that the perpetrators of the insecurity and their sponsors in our region are criminals and should not be seen as legitimate agitators.

"Therefore, upon arrest, they should be dealt with in accordance with the laws of the land.

"The Forum resolved to hold the security and economic Summit for the South East region on a date to be announced soon."

Meanwhile, fielding questions

Steer Clear of Bayelsa at Poll, Diri Warns Illegal Groups

Bayelsa State Governor, Senator Douye Diri, has warned that the state would not condone the activities of illegal uniformed groups before and during the November 11 governorship election in the state.

Diri, who warned such groups to stay away from the state or face the wrath of the law, gave the warning against the backdrop of claims that some politicians were planning to arm youths, dressed in acquired uniforms to perpetrate violence during the poll.

Diri spoke at the service of

songs in honour of a deceased All Progressives Congress (APC) chieftain, Chief Nestor Binabo, a former Speaker of the House of Assembly and Acting Governor of the state, at the Chief DSP Alamieyeseigha Memorial Banquet hall, Yenagoa, Wednesday.

The governor, who is the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), in a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Mr. Daniel Alabrah, called on such individuals to retrace their steps as the state was no longer a theatre of war

during elections.

He asserted that with the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) introduced by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), violence, thuggery and ballot box snatching had become irrelevant during elections.

Diri extolled the qualities of the departed politician, stressing that Binabo was never known to patronise thugs for election purposes and urged other politicians to take a cue from his noteworthy example.

He said: “Those civilians

plotting to dress in military toga during the November election, it is time they realised that Bayelsa was no longer the spot for such games played over the years. That culture of political violence has to stop.

“We are happy that now we have the BVAS. So, those used to violence to attain offices, even from the point of view of INEC, have to stop. With BVAS, you can no longer write election results or intimidate and terrorise the same people you want to lead. If you plan to do that, please, I advise you join the military.”

on the perception that the detection of Nnamdi Kalu was fueling insecurity in the South East, Uzodimma said: "I don't know how you want to relate the name Nnamdi Kalu to the kidnappings, the beheading of human beings, the burning down of homes and palaces of traditional rulers to Nnamdi Kalu. But if you have evidence you may wish to approach us after this session."

On what the governors were doing to bring him out of detention and possibly relaunch Ebubeagu, the Chairman of the South East Governors Forum said: "That has to do with the details of the programmes of the Forum of Governors, working in partnership with the federal government to deal with insecurity in the region. When the details are out, we will let you know."

Meanwhile, the House of Representatives ad hoc committee interfacing with security agencies to reduce banditry, assassination, kidnaping and others criminalities in Abia State, yesterday said insecurity was threatening the foundation of the existence of the south-east.

The Chairman of the committee, Hon. Obi Agocha, said the interface with security agencies was to address the insecurity that had cast a shadow on Abia State, saying

several instances of insecurity were threatening the region's foundation.

Agocha, noted that the committee understood the fact that no single solution could provide a quick fix in addressing the menace.

"Such challenges require a collective approach, the security agencies and all stakeholders must be prepared to tackle this menace and it must stand the test of time.

“We recognise that insecurity requires a multi faced approach by requisite stakeholders and relevant agencies.

“We must collaborate to nip this crisis in the bud, we must work in synergy to create a stronger force against insecurity in the region. Umunneochi a community in Abia State, the epic centre of the battle has boundaries with other states in the south-east.

“Most of the non-state actors such as IPOB and Eastern Security Network often came to commit crime in that area and disappear to neighbouring states," he alleged.

Furthermore, he said, "the absence of other security agencies that did not attend the interface, the lawmakers would not condone such attitude."

Present at the meeting were the Nigerian Army and the Nigeria Security Civil Defence Corps.

INEC Takes Delivery of Innovation Technology Tools to Enhance Results Mgt Process

Adedayo Akinwale

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has taken delivery of innovation technology tools aimed at ensuring better results management process, enhancing accuracy and creating a repository of election results.

The Chairman of the commission, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, while speaking at the handover of the innovation technology tools yesterday, in Abuja, said the tools were facilitated by Development Alternatives Incorporated (DAI).

He said the support was designed to address five thematic areas which he said

included: enhancing and strengthening planning and operational capacities; improving the Commission’s internal communication and external engagements with stakeholders; enhancing the Electoral Institute’s capacity for training and research; assisting in the improvement of legal and policy frameworks for the conduct of elections; and enhancing the development and incorporation of technological innovations.

Yakubu, noted that within the current electoral cycle, the DAI has provided support towards capacity building, technical support, printing of non-sensitive reports and information flyers.

He stated: "We are glad that today, some of the tools developed in collaboration with DAI are being handed over to the Commission. Among these are: "The Collation and Returning Officers Management System (CROMS) intended to streamline, simplify and enhance the security, reliability and credibility of the recruitment process for collation and returning officers;

"The Election Results Management System (ERMS) which seeks to ensure a better results management process, enhancing accuracy and creating a repository of election results, something envisaged by Section 62 (1) and (2) of the Electoral

Act, 2022."

The chairman noted that other tools are: the Media Monitoring and Analysis Tool intended to enhance the Commission’s capacity to filter media coverage of the Commission; and the Political Parties Financial Reporting and Audit System (PFRAS), seeks to assist the Commission to monitor political party finance more efficiently and effectively.

Yakubu, pointed out that in developing the tools, DAI consultants worked closely with the Technical Team and Directing Staff of the Commission.

He explained that the tools sought to respond to specific challenges encountered in the

implementation of electoral activities, thereby bringing technology to enhance the Commission’s operational effectiveness.

The chairman added that the tools, therefore, offer innovative solutions that could foster efficiency, speed, due diligence, and trust in the electoral process.

Yakubu, stressed that the tools were not specifically designed for a particular electoral cycle hence their utility to future elections and electoral activities.

He noted: "In fact, the support to INEC under EU-SDGN Phase II covers the period 2022-2027 traversing two electoral cycles (2023 and 2027) and includes

support to the National Assembly and the Judiciary, Political Parties, the Media, Civil Society organisations and the promotion of inclusivity (women, youth and persons with disability).

"The Commission will closely examine these tools with a view of adopting or tweaking them where necessary to meet the immediate and emergent challenges in the conduct of elections."

The Commission emphasised that its core electoral activities are still funded by the federal government as a sovereign responsibility, saying it is only funding from government that is received and administered directly by the Commission.

L-R: Executive Chairman, Ogun State TESCOM, Mr. Joshua Olalekan Ifede; Commissioner for Education, Science and Technology Ogun State, Prof. Abayomi Arigbabu; Chairman, Board of Trustees, Teach For Nigeria, Kunle Elebute; Chief Executive Officer, Teach For Nigeria, Mrs. Folawe Omikunle; Chairman, ONTV Nigeria Limited,Mr. Frank Nweke (Jr); , Ambassador, Teach For Nigeria, Joke Silva; and Board Member, Teach For Nigeria, Mr. Ayo Olajiga, at the 2023 graduating ceremony of Teach For Nigeria held in Lagos recently.

SENDOFF DINNER WITH CLIENTS...

Damagum: PDP Was Caught Sleeping at Presidential Poll

Insists party won but rigged out

Chuks Okocha in Abuja

The Acting National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Umar Damagum, yesterday, said the party was caught sleeping during the February 25 presidential poll, because it had believed the Independent National Electoral. Commission (INEC) was honest about its promises to introduce technology to enhance the electoral process.

The PDP chair, who claimed the party was doing everything possible to show leadership, including carrying smaller parties along in the scheme of things, added that the PDP won the 2023 general election, but was manipulated out by the powers that be.

Damagum stated this in Abuja while playing host to a delegation

from the Kukah Centre led by its Executive Director, Atta Barkindo.

With the PDP boss to receive the delegation were the PDP National Publicity Secretary, Debo Ologunagba; National Organizing Secretary, Umar Bature; and Acting National Secretary, Setonji Koshoedo.

Damagum, while addressing his guests, alluded to the failure of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to leverage technology to make the 2023 presidential election the best the country has witnessed.

“It was a free and fair election that made PDP lose power in 2015 but since these people came into power, they have been making promises that never see the light of the day. Let’s take the recent election for instance.

"All the modifications and electoral transformation,

AUMTCO Visits LAMATA to Foster Seamless Experiences, Sustainable Urban Mobility Solutions

As part of efforts to create an inclusive and advanced sustainable transportation system for the residents of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), executive members of the Abuja Urban Mass Transport Company Limited (AUMTCO) recently engaged in a knowledgesharing session and paid a courtesy visit to the Lagos Metropolitan Area Transport Authority (LAMATA) in Ketu, Lagos.

Established in 1984, AUMTCO is committed to bridging the public transportation gaps in the FCT and bringing about transformative changes in the sector.

According to a statement, during the enlightening knowledge-sharing excursion and courtesy visit, the Managing Director of AUMTCO, Mr. Najeeb Mahmoud Abdussalam, praised LAMATA as the trailblazer in transport solutions in Nigeria. He emphasised the significance of the visit in understanding the innovative approaches LAMATA employs compared to traditional methods, seeking inspiration to enhance their own service operations.

Expressing his enthusiasm about LAMATA's progress, Abdussalam noted that the agency was able to bring private participation into a more organised and regulated environment. He described it as a fascinating development in the realm of sustainable transport.

He added: "This visit has provided

us with a unique opportunity to learn and adapt to LAMATA's successful practices. We hope that by assimilating these lessons, we can collectively contribute to the advancement of our country and make it a better place to live in.

“LAMATA's expanding influence in the transport community is commendable, and we aspire to follow a similar path."

He said because of the huge responsibility of managing transportation in a city like Abuja, it was appropriate to learn from Lagos State that has been excelling in providing effective transport solutions.

Managing Director of the Lagos Metropolitan Area Transport Authority (LAMATA), Engr.

Abimbola Akinajo, stated that a good transportation system would help grow local economies, citing the successes of transport projects introduced in Lagos State.

She also further said the city’s transportation system could help to foster economic growth, and develop human capacity as workers would be able to travel far for jobs as well as help citizens to plan their daily trips and manage their finances.

In the spirit of cooperation, LAMATA and AUMTCO pledged to maintain an open channel of communication to continue sharing experiences, challenges, and successes.

technology-driven and whatever; we were very sure it was a genuine thing, without knowing they were selling a dummy to us. We relaxed and we were caught sleeping. We won an election that was manipulated.

“However, the party is mindful of following the legal process. That is why we still have relative peace in the country today because everybody knew what happened. We will continue to seek redress through the constitutional process,”he said.

Continuing, he said, “Our democracy is developing. Smaller

parties are springing up and they had some of their members elected recently. During the internal election at the National Assembly, we were able to carry them along. You can see the Labour Party, the New Nigeria People’s Party, and so on.

“During the election, were able to carry them along and conceded to them some deputy positions. If we wanted to take all the minority seats, we would have done so because are more than them in number, but we conceded two seats to them each.”

On how members of the PDP

in the parliament would amplify the voice of the party, the PDP boss predicted an imminent showdown, stressing that though as individuals, they had their personal interests, the party, he added, remainedsupreme.

His words: “We have told them clearly. You know when you are electing a leader, there are so many interests. They may have their personal interest and what have you, but while they may be doing this, the position of the party is supreme.

“They should be able to carry other smaller parties along. Very

soon, you will start hearing noises from the National Assembly from the way they are going now.”

Earlier, Barkindo told the NWC that the team was at the party’s national secretariat to discuss ways of improving internal democracy, enhancing pluralism as well as ensuring equity in the nation’s political system.

Other members of the Kukah Centre on the delegation were ProgrammeManager, Esrom Ajanya; Communication and Research Director, Mackit Rendep; Stephen Klanzama, and political expert, Emeka Diru.

Radda: We’ve No Plans to Negotiate with Terrorists

Francis Sardauna in Katsina

Katsina State Governor, Dikko

Umaru Radda, yesterday, said his government would never embark on peace negotiations or engage the armed terrorists in any dialogue in the state.

He reiterated that his administration had no intention of engaging any leader of terrorists or their agents in the name of a peace deal that has never worked before.

Radda, who spoke at a special prayer session on sustainability of

peace in Katsina held at the People’s Square, opposite Government House, said he would channel the state’s resources to security in order to crush the urchins.

The prayer session was organised by the State Ministry of Religious Affairs in collaboration with the state Council of Ulamas, during which, prayers were offered by renowned Islamic scholars for peace to reign in Katsina and Nigeria Republic.

Radda said: "We have no plan to negotiate with bandits but bandits who are ready to genuinely repent

and surrender their arms for the development of Katsina, we are ready to accept them and integrate them into the society."

He further said the state government would work assiduously in collaboration with security agencies to make sure that the war against insecurity is taken to the doorstep of the hoodlums.

He added that the state government would procure and distribute operational vehicles and motorcycles to security agencies and the state-owned Community Watch

Corps to mitigate their operational challenges.

Radda called on the people of the state to cooperate with the government on its policies and programmes, adding that they were aimed at alleviating the suffering of the masses.

He further explained that the reality on the ground had shown that the security of lives and property was a collective responsibility and not that of the government or security agencies alone.

Mbah Swears in Commissioners, Charges Them on Service Delivery

Ex-THISDAY staff, Malachy Agbo, makes cabinet

Enugu State Governor, Dr. Peter Mbah, has sworn in 20 of the 21 commissioners that would constitute the State Executive Council, charging them to get down to work immediately as the administration was in a hurry to deliver on its campaign promises.

The newly sworn-in commissioners included Prof. Ndubueze Mbah, Mrs. Ngozi Enih, Engr. Lawrence Ezeh, Prof. Sam Ugwu, Pharm. Chika Ugwoke, Dr. Kingsley Udeh, Prof. Emmanuel Obi, and a former staff of THISDAY, Dr. Malachy Agbo.

Others were Deacon Okey Ogbodo, Dame Ugochi Madueke, Lloyd Ekweremadu, Gerald Otiji, Nathaniel Uramah, Mr. Aka Eze Aka, Adaora Chukwu, Dr. Martin Chulwunweike, Obi Ozor, Emeka Ajogwu, Chris Robert Ozongwu, Dr. Felix Nnamani and Patrick Ubro.

Reiterating his commitment to the growth of the state’s economy, speedy provision of socio-economic infrastructure, and human capital development in the state, Mbah said the new commissioners were products of a painstaking search for quality hands to help his administration deliver on its manifesto.

“We expressed a massive vision, a vision that would see us growing our economy exponentially. We also promised our people to eradicate poverty. We want to make Enugu State the premier destination for investment.

"Those are laudable and lofty ideas. But one thing we knew also, when we made those promises, was that we needed a team that will convey our people from where we are today to that destination we want to take them to. For this reason, the process

that resulted in your selection was quite rigorous and detailed.

“So, I want to congratulate all of you for at least making it on this list. In about 100 days from now, Enugu people want to turn their taps and see water flowing from those taps. We have promised them. So, they are expectant.

“We want to have access to quality education. We want to have access to quality healthcare services. We want to attract investments to Enugu and it will require you, deploying not only your skills, but also making sure that you acquire those new skills that we need to fix the challenges of breaking new grounds of economic development and growth.

“So, your selection was largely driven by your track-records, your experience, your background and it's our hope that you are going to

bring those experiences to bear and to work for the people of Enugu State.

“In this journey of greatness, this journey of growth, this journey of development, I look forward to working with you all to actualise the Enugu State of our dreams, together,” the governor stated.

Speaking on behalf of his colleagues, Dr. Martin Chulwunweoke, assured the governor that they would not fail him or the state.

“On behalf of all the commissioners, I say that we are very grateful and feel highly honoured for this opportunity to serve. And I will say that with all our hearts, we are committed to delivering an Enugu State of your dream and our dream. We will do all within our power, with unalloyed loyalty,” he assured.

L-R: Vice Chairman, Africa, Standard Chartered and Chief Executive Officer of Standard Chartered Bank Nigeria Limited, Mr. Lamin Manjang; His Wife, Mrs. Manding Manjang; Dr. Muiz Banire (SAN); and Chief Executive Officer/CEO, Standard Chartered Bank Nigeria Limited, Mr.Olukorede Adenowo, at the sendoff dinner with clients in honor of Manjang in Lagos... recently.

COURTESY VISIT TO HADEJIA, DEPUTY CHIEF OF STAFF...

Again, 21 Killed in Plateau Community Despite Military Engagement

Mutfwang charges security agents to redouble efforts

Seriki Adinoyi in Jos

No fewer than 21 persons have again been massacred by gunmen in Heipang community of Barkin Ladi Local Government of Plateau State despite military engagement in the state.

Governor Caleb Mutfwang of the state, who condemned the renewed onslaught on the people of the state, however, charged security agents to redouble their efforts.

Confirming the attack, spokesman

Commission, Dr Omar Touray, who spoke at the end of the second extraordinary summit on the political situation in Niger, said the military chiefs of the region were directed to activate the standby force to serve as a last option in restoring constitutional government of President Mohammed Bazoum.

The decisions including to “direct the President of the Commission to monitor the implementation of the sanctions. Direct the Committee of the chief of defence staff to activate the ECOWAS standby force with all its elements immediately.

“Order the deployment of the ECOWAS standby force to restore constitutional order in the Republic of Niger. Underscore its continued commitment for the restoration of constitutional order through peaceful means,” he said.

He said ECOWAS would need the support of partner countries and institutions including the United Nation on the restoration of peace and stability in the sub-region.

Earlier in his opening speech, Tinubu declared that in reaffirming the regional bloc's relentless commitment to democracy, human rights, and the wellbeing of the people of Niger, "it is crucial that we prioritise diplomatic negotiations and dialogue as the bedrock of our approach.

"We must engage all parties involved, including the coup leaders, in earnest discussions to convince them to relinquish power and reinstate President Bazoum. It is our duty to exhaust all avenues of engagement to ensure a swift return to constitutional governance in Niger."

Underscoring the significance of the meeting, Tinubu stressed the importance of a comprehensive evaluation of progress thus far.

“More specifically,” he said, “as leaders of our respective nations, we must recognise that the political crisis in Niger not only poses a threat to the stability of the nation but also has far-reaching implications for the entire West African region.

''By remaining steadfast in our adherence to the principles of

of the military Special Task Force (STF) in the state, code-named Operation Safe Haven, Captain Ola James, said the latest incident took place in the early hours of yesterday, August 10, at about 1:00 am.

He said 21 persons were killed, while 13 others were critically injured and receiving treatment in the hospital, adding that troops of the task force had been deployed to the community.

“There was an early warning signal that some bandits could

democracy, good governance, and the rule of law, we can restore peace, stability, and prosperity in the Republic of Niger, thereby fostering an environment conducive to growth and development for all."

Building upon commitments from the initial Extraordinary Summit held in Abuja ten days ago, the president recollected the ECOWAS leaders’ collective condemnation of the military coup that toppled Niger's democratically elected government.

Highlighting the ‘firm and coordinated’ efforts already undertaken, Tinubu outlined ECOWAS' deployment of mediation teams and Special Envoys to engage with key stakeholders within and beyond the region.

He also pointed to the recent meeting of ECOWAS Chiefs of Defence Staff, the meeting of the Chiefs of Staff Committee and the ECOWAS Commission's memorandum on current developments in Niger as crucial sources of insight to guide the decisions of the Heads of State and Government at the meeting.

According to him, "Today's Summit provides a significant opportunity to meticulously review and assess the progress made since our last gathering. It is essential to evaluate the effectiveness of our interventions and identify any gaps or challenges that may have hindered progress.

"It is only through this comprehensive assessment that we can collectively chart a new sustainable path towards lasting peace, stability, and prosperity in Niger."

The ECOWAS chairman further recalled that the junta was told in the previous meeting to reinstate the democratically elected president but the directive was yet to be complied with.

"As you may recall, we called on the junta to rescind its decision of toppling a legitimate government. We proceeded to impose sanctions with the hope that this resolute measure would serve as a catalyst for the restoration of the constitutional

launch attacks, which prompted the operation to mount checkpoints in the area, but the bandits followed another route and attacked the community. We have deployed our men to restore law and order in the area. But they could not prevent it as the attackers swooped on the community four days later killing at least 21,” he said.

Also, confirming the attack in a statement, the state Police Command said, “On 10/08/2023, at around 0500hrs, the Plateau State Police

order in Niger.

"Regrettably, the seven-day ultimatum we issued during the first summit has not yielded the desired outcome. We have also made diligent efforts through the deployment of various ECOWAS mediation teams, to engage the military junta for a peaceful resolution of the political situation," he said.

He expressed confidence that yesterday’s summit would be a defining moment in the journey towards a stronger, more resilient, and integrated West Africa.

Tinubu, therefore, rallied fellow leaders to seize this opportunity to make a lasting impact on the lives of Africans by fostering a future characterised by peace, progress, and prosperity.

The opening ceremony was attended by the Presidents of Guinea Bissau, Senegal, Cote 'd' Ivoire, Ghana, Benin, Sierra Leone, and Togo, while Liberia and the Gambia were represented by their Foreign Ministers.

Non-ECOWAS leaders, such as the Mauritanian and Burundian presidents, also attended.

We Are Ready, Declares NigeriaAir Force

The Chief of the Air Staff (CAS), Air Marshal Hasan Abubakar, has said the Nigerian Air Force, has raised its state of readiness, which he claimed was paramount and must never be in doubt.

This, according to him, was in line with NAF’s constitutional responsibility to be ready to perform tasks that might be assigned to it by Nigeria’s political leaders.

ir Marshal Abubakar stated this at his maiden meeting with Branch Chiefs, Air Officers Commanding and NAF operational commanders held at NAF Headquarters Abuja. He warned that even as the service remained in the state of readiness, personnel must remain apolitical, patriotic and conduct themselves in the most professional and disciplined manner.

Command received information from one Rwang Danjuma 'M', of Heipang District, that at between 0200hrs to 0230hrs, unknown gunmen stormed Tagwam Lawuru Village where they cowardly shot and killed 17 people, after the attack on Tagwam Lawuru village, the hoodlums also proceeded to Layowok Village where they killed 3 persons. As a result of the attacks, several other people sustained varying degrees of gunshot injuries.

“On receipt of the information,

The CAS, had earlier described the contemporary operating environment within the shores of Nigeria and across the West African sub-Region as diffuse and complex, with consequences on the political climate of the entire region.

Speaking further, Air Marshal Abubakar commended NAF operational commanders for their commitment in tackling the current security challenges facing the Nation.

“I am particularly glad about the recent heightened level of air operations across all our joint operations theatres, which has seen us record tremendous outcomes," he said.

He observed that while so much had been achieved, a lot still needed to be done to ensure the NAF fully attained its set objectives. He then implored the commanders to ensure they utilise the opportunity of the meeting to interact frankly and objectively while proffering solutions and strategies that could translate into actionable consequences on the ground.

Earlier, the CAS had unveiled his command philosophy, which he said would enable NAF personnel have a clear understanding of his focus on the future direction of the Service.

Framing his philosophy, Air Marshal Abubakar, stated that he took cognisance of the current state of NAF fleet, which had been enhanced with over 70 new aircraft types with more being expected as well as the current security environment.

“Only a carefully thought-out strategy guided by a strong philosophy can adequately situate the NAF to address the nation’s security challenges", he said.

Consequently, the CAS revealed that his command philosophy was “to transform the NAF into an agile and resilient force that effectively meets the airpower demands of national security in all operational environments.

“To translate his philosophy into tangible gains on ground, the CAS stated that he will leverage on technology, innovation, lessons learnt

the DPO Barkin Ladi, led a combined team of Policemen and personnel from other security agencies including members of security help groups in the state to reinforce and restore normalcy in the affected communities. The injured victims have been responding to treatment at the different hospitals where they were immediately rushed to.”

In the statement, signed by the Police Public Relations Officer of the Command, Mr. Alfred Alabo,

as well as the personnel and fleets at his disposal to effectively checkmate the security threats confronting the nation. These are aside the 5 key enablers that he believed will drive his philosophy to fruition," he said.

Afenifere: ECOWAS Intervention Has Further Submerged Nigeria in Needless Crises

Afenifere, yesterday, said hasty decision by the ECOWAS, led by President Tinubu, to intervene in the internal affairs of Niger republic, not excluding the possibility of military option, has further submerged Nigeria in needless crises affecting the socio-economic fabric of the nation.

The group stated this in a communique issued at the end of its general meeting held at the country home of its leader, Ayo Adebanjo at Isanya-ogbo, Ogun State, dated August 8, 2023.

The communique provided by the Secretary General of Afenifere, Sola Ebiseni, noted that Nigeria and Niger were not only culturally interrelated but also socioeconomically interdependent, thus, any armed conflict in Niger would have harmful effects on Nigeria.

"Afenifere condemned unreservedly, the currently military takeover of the Government of the Republic of Niger and declared that there is no justifiable reason for such an undemocratic act.

“That in the same manner in which the removal of oil subsidy was announced and currently plunged the nation into a myriad of socioeconomic problems, the cavalier and hasty decision by the ECOWAS to intervene in the internal affairs of Niger not excluding the possibility of the military option, has further submerged Nigeria in needless crises affecting the socio-economic fabric of the nation.

"That while Afenifere believes that Nigeria cannot afford stand aloof on matters affecting the stability and

the police warned all criminals and hoodlums, that the force would not tolerate any form of criminal activity within the state as it will attract severe consequences. However, in a statement by his Director of Press and Public Affairs, Mr. Gyang Bere, the governor urged security agencies to redouble their efforts and put an end to the senseless killings, describing the deteriorating security situation in some parts of the state as unfortunate.

peace of the West African sub-region, nay Africa, it owes overriding duty to the national interests of Nigeria and her citizens. That Nigeria and Niger are not only culturally interrelated but also socioeconomically interdependent. Thus any armed conflict in Niger will have harmful effects on Nigeria."

While noting that Nigeria could ill-afford the price of war in Niger with costs in money, materials and men and collateral damage to the ancient and sustained relationships between the two countries, it called on the ECOWAS to adopt the option of diplomacy in dealing with the issue in Niger.

The group urged the Nigerien military to see the illegality and futility of usurping the sovereignty of the people of Niger to democratically decide who rules them and immediately return to the path of constitutionality which restricts their duty to the defence of the territorial integrity of the Nigerien state.

CAN Denounces Plans for Military Intervention

The national leadership of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) has called on the leadership of ECOWAS to adopt a diplomatic approach in handling the development in Niger Republic.

The President of the Christian body, Archbishop Daniel Okoh, made the call in statement, yesterday, while commending Tinubu and the authority of the ECOWAS Heads of Government for their unwavering commitment to discouraging coups d'état and the forceful takeover of power.

But he said CAN was deeply committed to promoting justice, peace, hence urged the president to remain on the path of dialogue and avoid any form of military intervention or measures that would create enmity between the good people of Nigeria and Niger.

Dr Alim Abubakre (R) during courtesy visit to Senator Hassan Ibrahim Hadejia, Deputy Chief of Staff to the President at the State Villa, Abuja… recently

NIGER: ECOWAS DEPLOYS TROOPS, READY FOR DIPLOMACY, PEACE

SUPPORTING EDUCATION…

L-R: Chief Marketing Officer, Seven-Up Bottling Company (SBC), Norden Thurston; Head, Legal and Corporate Services, SBC, Nkemdirim Agboti; Seven-Up Harvard Business 2023 MBA scholarship recipient, Ore-Oluwa Ogunbiade, and Managing Director/CEO, SBC, Ziad Maalouf, at the unveiling of the scholarship award in Lagos…yesterday

Again, 21 Killed in Plateau Community Despite Military Engagement

Seriki Adinoyi in Jos

No fewer than 21 persons have again been massacred by gunmen in Heipang community of Barkin Ladi Local Government Area of Plateau State despite military engagement in the state. Confirming the attack, Spokesman of the military’s Special Task Force (STF) in the state, code-named Operation Safe

Haven, Captain Ola James, said that the latest incident took place in the early hours of Thursday, August 10, at about 1:00 a.m. James said that 21 persons were killed, while 13 others were critically injured and are receiving treatment in the hospital, adding that troops of the task force have been deployed to the community.

He said: “There was an

Emerging Africa Capital Commercial Papers Record 125% Subscription

Emerging Africa Capital Advisory Limited, a leading investment banking group in the African market, has announced the successful subscription of its Commercial Paper (CP) issuances, recording aching an outstanding subscription rate of 125 per cent.

This remarkable level of subscription underscores the strong confidence that investors have in the company’s impressive profile and the exceptional capabilities of its management team in delivering value to stakeholders.

The company embarked on a venture to raise N2.5 billion through its Series III, 180 days and Series IV, 268 days CP issuances and succeeded in raising N3.114 billion as part of its registered N15 billion CP Programme with the FMDQ Securities Exchange Limited.

The CP issuance achieved oversubscription by qualified institutional investors, including leading asset managers, trustees, and insurance companies.

Commenting, the Executive Vice Chairman and Group Chief Executive Officer of Emerging Africa Capital Limited, Toyin F. Sanni, expressed her delight with the overall outcome

of the CP issuance.

She emphasised the caliber of investors that participated in the issuance and highlighted the company’s strategic intent to establish a reputable track record in accessing funding from the Nigerian debt capital market through successive series under the N15 billion CP.

She also extended her gratitude to FMDQ, the dealers, and investors for contributing to the success of the Series III and Series IV Commercial Paper Issuances.

Also commenting, the Chief Financial Officer, Emeka Anazodo, expressed his satisfaction with the considerable investor interest generated by the offer.

According to the company, the issuance will enable it to diversify its financing mix and address shortterm working capital requirements effectively.

Emerging Africa Capital Advisory Limited acted as Lead Arranger & Dealer whilstAfrinvest Capital Limited, CardinalStone Partners Limited, Coronation Merchant Bank, and Nova Merchant Bank were Joint Arrangers on the CP transaction.

Atuonwu to Replace Late Nwosu as APC National Welfare Officer

Emmanuel Ugwu-Nwogo in Umuahia

The Abia State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has nominated Mr. Obinna Atuonwu, the state Organising Secretary to replace late F.N. Nwosu who died in office.

Atuonwu’s nomination was contained in a letter addressed to the APC National Chairman, Abdullahi Ganduje, dated August 9, 2023 titled: ‘Recommendation of Mr. Obinna Atuonwu as Abia State Nominee for the Post National Welfare Officer in replacement of late Barrister F.N. Nwosu’ signed by the party’s state Chairman and Secretary, Dr. Kingsley Ononogbu and Chief Chidi Avajah, respectively. A similar letter from the Abia APC

early warning signal that some bandits could launch attacks, which prompted the operation to mount checkpoints in the

area. But the bandits followed another route and attacked the community. We have deployed our men to restore law and order

in the area.”

Meanwhile, an eyewitness, Mr. John Pam, said that the attackers raided the village

killing his brother, wife, and children, adding that the attack is the second on Heipang in one month.

Job Racketeering: House Committee Issues Warrant of Arrest on AMCON Employee

Adedayo AkinwaleinAbuja

The House of Representatives Ad hoc Committee investigating employment racketeering in agencies and parastatals of the federal government has issued a warrant of arrest on a staff member of the Asset Management Company of Nigeria (AMCON),

Mr. Haruna Kolo.

The chairman of the committee, Hon Yusuf Gagdi, issued a warrant of arrest at the resumed hearing yesterday following the refusal of Kolo to appear. Kolo, a former staff member of the Federal Character Commission (FCC) had appeared before the committee on Monday over

allegations that he was involved in selling slots for employment in collusion with the Chairman of the commission, Muheeba Dankaka.

Kolo had admitted to collecting money for employment on behalf of the FCC Chairman.

While giving his testimony, he expressed fear for his safety as he said the FCC chairman should

be held responsible if anything happens to him.

However, after his appearance on Monday, Kolo failed to honour the invitation of the committee to appear in subsequent hearings on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Also, AMCON failed to turn up for the probe despite invitations to them.

Group Petitions EFCC, ICPC over Alleged Non-completion of N57bn Contract by Ochonu

John Shiklam inKaduna

The Unified Nigerian Youth Forum (UFNYF) has petitioned the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Independent Corrupt Practices and other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) to investigate the alleged non-completion of a N57

billion contract awarded to Senator Athan Achonu, the governorship candidate of the Labour Party (LP) in Imo State.

Addressing a news conference yesterday in Kaduna, the Publicity Secretary of the group, Ali Muhammadu, said sometimes in 2006, the federal government

awarded a N57 billion contract to Achonu and his company, Mathan Nigeria Limited, to construct comprehensive primary health centres in the 774 local government areas across the country.

The group alleged that the contract had not been completed 17 years after it was awarded.

It said: “We address you today with a bleeding heart over the case of one Chief Athan Achonu and his company, who received the sum of N57billion from the account of local governments in Nigeria to construct 774 comprehensive primary health centres in all the local government areas in Nigeria.”

Kebbi Guber: Classmate Testifies against Deputy Governor

An old classmate of the Deputy Governor of Kebbi State, Mr. Abubakar Umar Tafida, during their school days at Sultan Abubakar College Sokoto, Mr. Aminula Umar, has testified against him before the governorship election tribunal sitting in Birnin Kebbi, Kebbi State.

While being cross examined at the tribunal by the respondent’s and petitioner’s counsels, the classmate said that he and the deputy governor did not sit for examination in the school in 1979 because they were expelled.

Aminula was called as witness as the deputy governor was closing

his defence at the tribunal against the petition filed by the PDP’s Governorship Candidate, Major General Aminu Bande (rtd), challenging the victory of the APC’s Governorship Candidate, Mr. Nasiru Idris and his Deputy Umar Abubakar Tafida.

Bande, in his petition has joined

Governor Nasiru Idris, his Deputy, Umar Abubakar Tafida, INEC and APC in the suit before the tribunal.

Governor Idris of the APC, first respondent in the case filed by the PDP governorship candidate closed his defence without a witness but presented eight documents to the tribunal.

Legislative Agenda: Osun Assembly to Collaborate with YIAGA to Achieve Set Goals

Yinka Kolawole in Osogbo

The Speaker of Osun State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Adewale Egbedun, yesterday hosted the representatives of the Youth Initiative for Advocacy, Growth and Advancement (YIAGA) in

his office.

The visit was in response to the invitation that was extended to the civic group by the speaker in continuation of deliberations that would forge a partnership between the Osun State House of Assembly and YIAGA, which was initiated

during the last Conference for Young Parliamentarians in Abuja.

In his opening remark, Egbedun welcomed the team to the state and explained that the decision of the 8th Assembly to invite YIAGA for collaboration was informed by their antecedents and capacity,

which the House is hoping to tap into in delivering on its core mandate.

In his words: “We are convinced that your organisation is a partner we should have, especially in the provision of technical support for our legislative agenda.”

chapter dated July 7 recommending Atuonwu as replacement for late Nwosu was also sent to the party’s former National Chairman, Senator Abdullahi Adamu.

The Abia APC chapter letter to the party’s new National Chairman, Alhaji Ganduje, read: “Kindly refer to our earlier letter in this regard dated July 7 through which we nominated Mr. Obinna Atuonwu as replacement for Late Barrister F.N.Nwosu, the then National Welfare Officer who died in office.

This is in line with the provisions of the constitution of our great party. Though nothing has been done, strangely, it has come to our notice that attempts are being made to nominate a replacement for the National Welfare Officer position outside the party constitution.

Oyebanji Charges Commissioners to Discharge their Duties Excellently

Gbenga Sodeinde in Ado Ekiti

Ekiti State Governor, Mr. Biodun Oyebanji has charged his commissioners and special advisers to justify their presence in his government through excellent discharge of duties in their respective

offices.

He said their continued stay in office would be guaranteed by demonstrated creative ability, ingenuity, innovative capability, and impressive performance, as he charged them to see their appointment as a calål to service and not an

avenue for self-aggrandisement.

Governor Oyebanji stated this at the opening session of a three-day retreat for commissioners, special advisers, permanent secretaries, general managers, and executive secretaries held in Ado-Ekiti.

The retreat which started last Monday will end on Saturday.

The governor stressed the need for political appointees and accounting officers to work together to realise the aspiration of taking Ekiti State to the next level of prosperity.

Bayelsa Guber: EU, IPC, CEMESO Sensitise Journalists on Effective Reportage

Olusegun Samuel and Julius Osahon in Yenagoa

The International Press Centre (IPC) in collaboration with the European Union and the Centre for Media and Society (CEMESO) has trained journalists in Bayelsa State on effective reportage of the forthcoming governorship election

in the state.

The training, which involved over 65 journalists from different organisations, saw journalists engaged on the best practices towards the effective and adequate coverage of the November 11 governorship polls.

The engagement also featured a roundtable discussion, lectures and

interactive sessions with various resource persons, including the representatives of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the Bayelsa State Police Command.

Speaking during the training, Executive Director of the International Press Centre (IPC), Mr. Lanre Arogundade, said

the IPC believes that the media have an important role to play in ensuring that citizens have credible information about the forthcoming governorship election in the state. He said: “The citizens make their choices on the basis of reliable information. But it is the journalists that work in the media houses.”

Protest Trails Creation of 33 LCDAs in Ondo

Fidelis David in Akure

Crises have continued to trail the creation of 33 local council development areas (LCDAs) from the 18 local government areas in Ondo State.

This comes two days after the state government said that the list of the LCDAs would not be made public until the law creating them has been passed by the Ondo State House of Assembly and gazetted.

But yesterday, some youths from Arogbo-Ijaw area of Ese- Odo Local Government Area of the state stormed the venue of the public hearing for the LCDAs, faulting the entire process.

The protesters, who carried placards with various inscriptions, said that undue political manipulation and chicanery were

allowed to prevail over objectivity, common sense and rationality in the creation of the LCDA.

The Kalasuwei of Apoi, Mr. Pere Sunday Amuseghan, demanded correction in the skewed map that has ceded Ese-Odo communities into different council areas.

Amuseghan, who said that they had been living peacefully with their neighbours, noted that the government should not allow the map to create enmity between them.

Also, the Ondo State Chairman of Ijaw National Congress (INC), Mr. Bonsuwe Ominidougha, demanded more LCDAs to the Ijaw Arogbo people who had only one LCDA in the proposed.

A legal Practitioner, Mr. Mike Barakumo, explained that most of Ijaw communities have been mapped into Ilaje and Irele council

WORLD OF ISLAM

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

areas.

Other petitions submitted by various stakeholders, included change in the names of some LCDAs, change in citing of headquarters while some clamoured for additional LCDAs.

Earlier, the Speaker, Hon. Olamide Oladiji, saluted the visionary leadership of Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu for choosing to toe the line of other south-west states which had earlier created their LCDAS with a view to fast-track development at the grassroots.

Oladiji, however, emphasised that the Oluwarotimi Akeredolu administration would not hesitate to cancel or suspend the creation of local council development areas in any community or local government areas where there is crisis or court injunctions.

Borders with Niger Remain Closed, Says NIS

Michael Olugbode in Abuja

Various Nigeria’s borders with Republic of Niger remain closed, the spokesman of the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS), Dr. Aridegbe Adedotun, has said.

He said the acting Comptroller General of Immigration, Caroline Adepoju, has ensured that all official border points with the troubled country are closed as ordered by President Bola Tinubu.

He said Adepoju has also conducted an assessment visit to the Illela Border Control Post to ensure the effective implementation of the federal government’s directive to temporarily close land borders with Niger Republic in light of their ongoing political instability.

According to him, the aim of the visit was to evaluate the level of compliance with the closure and reinforce the importance of interagency collaboration and intelligence sharing.

In a statement he said during the visit the acting CGI expressed her satisfaction with the degree of compliance observed at the Illela Border Control Post. She extended her appreciation to the officers for

their diligence in upholding the closure directives.

He added that Adepoju took the opportunity to reiterate her earlier directive to all

The Divine Charter of Human Rights (II)

Aslam Abdullah/IslamiCity (Continued from last week)

The Right to Labour

Every human being has a right to earn one’s sustenance. The state and society must guarantee opportunities to preserve it.

“Every human being will be repaid in full for whatever [good or evil] he has done: and He is fully aware of all that they do.” (Q39:70)

“And that man is accountable for but what he is striving for.” (Q53:39)

The Right to Sustenance

Sustenance is every human’s Right, whether young or old, whether working or unemployed or physically fit or physically challenged.

comptrollers of commands in states bordering Niger Republic, emphasising the need for unwavering adherence to the closure measures.

Wema Bank, Enza Partner to Boost E-commerce Payment

Enza’s innovative Payment Orchestration will enable Wema Bank to provide secure and reliable payment options at a reduced cost.

Enza, a new disruptor in the African payments market and Wema Bank Plc yesterday a strategic partnership to boost e-commerce capabilities in Nigeria.

According to a statement, Enza will engineer its innovative payment orchestration solution to expand Wema’s e-commerce payment capabilities, thereby improving the quality of service to merchants, enhancing payments security, increasing service reliability, and significantly reducing operating costs through transaction optimisation.

The statement explained that Wema Bank will leverage enza’s payment orchestration capability to further enhance the bank’s existing e-commerce payment services.

Commenting, the Chief Executive Officer, Enza, Hany Fekry, said: “Our mission is to simplify payments across the region, thereby enabling seamless

and secure transactions across the Middle East and Africa. “This new partnership with a premier Nigerian bank further accelerates our progress towards that goal.”

On his part, Executive Director of Retail and Digital Business, Wema Bank, Tunde Mabawonku, said the innovation would empower the bank’s clientele to embrace a wider spectrum of payment alternatives, encompassing diverse payment cards, e-wallets, and more.

According to him, the streamlined and resilient payment processes will ensure the swift and hassle-free completion of transactions, thereby enriching the holistic customer experience for both payment initiators and recipients.

Also speaking, Divisional Head, Payment Business, Wema Bank, Damola Bolodeoku, emphasised the harmonious alignment between this partnership and the bank’s overarching strategy of continual innovation and service enhancement.

“And there is no living creature on earth but depends for its sustenance on God, and He knows its time-limit [on earth], and its resting-place [after death]: [His] explicit decree has all written down.” (Q11:6)

The Right to Protection of Wealth and Property

The state and society must ensure the security of personal wealth and property and social wealth and property.

“O YOU who have attained to faith! Do not devour one another’s possessions wrongfully - not even by way of trade based on mutual agreement - and do not destroy one another: for, behold, God is indeed a dispenser of grace unto you!” (Q4:29)

The Right to Protection of Residence or Home

It is the responsibility of the state and society to protect the personal property of individuals.

“And lo! We accepted your solemn pledge that you would not shed one another’s blood and would not drive one another from your homelands - after that, you acknowledged it, and to it, you bear witness [even now].”(Q2:83)

“And yet, it is you who slay one another and drive some of your people from their homelands, aiding one another against them in sin and hatred; but if they come to you as captives, you ransom them - although the very [act of] driving them away has been made unlawful to you! Do you, then, believe in some parts of the divine writ and deny the truth pf other parts? What, then, could be the reward of those among you who do such things but ignominy in this world’s life and, on the Day of Resurrection, commitment to most grievous suffering? God is not unmindful of what you do.” (Q2:85)

The Right to Have a Status

doings appear good unto every community. In time, [however,] unto their Sustainer they must return: and then He will make them [truly] understand all that they were doing.” (Q6:108)

The Right to Speak the Truth

People cannot force others to hide the truth or deny the facts.

“O YOU who have attained to faith! Be ever steadfast in upholding equity, bearing witness to the truth for the sake of God, even though it be against your selves or your parents and kinsfolk. Whether the person concerned be rich or poor, God’s claim takes precedence over [the claims of] either. Do not, then, follow your desires, lest you swerve from justice: for if you distort [the truth], behold, God is indeed aware of all that you do!” (Q4:135)

“O YOU who have attained to faith! Whenever you give or take credit for a stated term, set it down in writing. And let a scribe write it down equitably between you, and no scribe shall refuse to write as God has taught him: thus, shall he note. And let him who contracts the debt dictate; and let him be conscious of God, his Sustainer, and not weaken anything of his undertaking. And if he who acquires the debt is weak of mind or body, or cannot dictate himself, then let him who watches over his interests dictate equitably. And call upon two of your men to act as witnesses; and if two men are not available, then a man and two women from among such as are acceptable to you as witnesses, so that if one of them should make a mistake, the other could remind her. And the witnesses must not refuse [to give evidence] whenever someone asks them to do. And be not loath to write down every contractual provision, be it small or significant, together with the time it falls due. It is more equitable in God’s sight, more reliable as evidence, and more likely to prevent you from having doubts [later]. If, however, [the transaction] concerns ready merchandise which you transfer directly unto one another, you will incur no sin if you do not write it down. And have witnesses whenever you trade with one another, but neither scribe nor witness must suffer harm; for if you do [them harm], behold, it will be sinful conduct on your part. And remain conscious of God, since it is God who teaches you [herewith] - and God has full knowledge of everything.” (Q2:282)

The Right to Petition Against the Wrong Islam guarantees the Right to seek justice and redressal of the wrong done.

“God does not like anyone to mention evil openly, unless it is by him who has been wronged (thereby) And God is indeed all-hearing, allknowing.” (Q4:148)

The Right to Privacy

I formerly known and addressed as CONSTANCE GEORGE KHRISTAKHIS, now wish to be known as and addressed as IDURIASEAIWERIOGHENE PRINCESS CONSTANCE. All former documents remains valid. the General public should please take note.

I formerly known and addressed as OLADOKUN SARAFAT OLADUNNI, now wish to be known as and addressed as MATANMI SARAFAT OLADUNNI. All former documents remains valid. the General public should please take note.

I formerly known and addressed as CHIGOZIE NKIRU ANIGBOGU, now wish to be known as and addressed as CHIGOZIE NKIRU IGWEZE. All former documents remains valid. the General public should please take note.

I formerly known and addressed as OMOTAYO ALONGE, now wish to be known as and addressed as OMOTAYO ALALUI. All former documents remains valid. the General public should please take note.

I formerly known and addressed as MISS. NWOGU ELIZABETH NKECHI, now wish to be known as and addressed as MRS. WILSON ELIZABETH NKECHI. All former documents remains valid. the General public should please take note.

Wild Africa Fund Calls for Protection of Lions

Sunday Okobi

On World Lion Day 2023, Wild Africa Fund has urged the Nigerian and West African public to protect lions by reducing illegal bush meat (game) consumption. The fund also made case for a better protection of their shrinking habitat of the lions, and champion anti-poaching measures in order to avoid their extinction, as well as boost West African tourism.

In a statement issued and made available to THISDAY yesterday by the Nigeria Representative for Wild Africa Fund, Festus Iyorah,

CHANGE OF NAME CHANGE OF NAME

I formerly known and addressed as OLADEJI FUNMILOLA OLAMIDE, now wishes to be known and addressed as LAWAL FUNMILOLA OLAMIDE. All former documents remain valid. The general public should take note.

I formerly known and addressed as MISS YVIE PAULE IMO ABOGHE, now wishes to be known and addressed as MRS YVIE PAULE OLUWABUKUNOLAMI OLASUNKANMI. All former documents remain valid. The general public should take note.

the organisation said in West Africa, only about 120 to 374 lions are remaining.

It stated that “unlike in southern Africa, where these majestic cats are generally well protected and maintain stable populations, West African lions face extinction, losing 99 percent of their historic range.

“Beyond habitat loss, lions have suffered a decline in prey species such as antelope due to the bushmeat trade and are frequently killed in retaliation for preying on livestock.

Additionally, the snares and traps set for game often injure and kill lions.”

Wild Africa Fund said in Nigeria, the fewer than 50 lions left in the wild life are found in Kainji Lake National Park and the Yankari Games Reserve, both in northern Nigeria, while in Ghana, several researchers have tried to find lions in the wild without success.

According to Iyorah, “They have disappeared completely in several West African countries, including Côte d’Ivoire, Gambia, Mali, and Sierra Leone. West African lions might disappear forever if we don’t urgently address the threats they face.

Contribution to society should be the foundation to build a hierarchy of people. No one by his or her birth claims privileges. It is their action that gives them a position in society.

“For, [in the life to come,] all shall have their degrees following whatever [good or evil] they did: and so, He will repay them in full for their doings, and God shall wrong none.” (Q46:19)

The Right to Choose One’s Spouse

The Right to form a family with both the spouses’ consent is essential, and Islam ensures that both have the free will to have the union.

“O YOU who have attained to faith! It is not lawful for you to [try to] become heirs to your wives [by holding onto them] against their will. Neither shall you keep them under constraint to take away anything of what you may have given them unless they have become guilty of immoral conduct in a conspicuous manner. And consort with your wives in a goodly way, for if you dislike them, it may well be that you dislike something which God might yet make a source of abundant good.” (Q4:19)

The Right to Preserve Cultural Autonomy

Culture is an essential ingredient of human existence. The cultural freedom is a matter of self-respect, and Islam protects it.

“Say: “Who forbids the beauty which God brings forth for His creation. and the good things from among the means of sustenance?” Say: “They are [lawful] in the life of this world unto all who have attained to faith - to be theirs alone on Resurrection Day.” Thus, clearly do We spell out these messages unto people of [innate] knowledge!” (Q7:32)

The Right to Respect of One’s Belief

Everyone’s belief system deserves respect and tolerance. Believers in God do not humiliate or ridicule others.

“But do not revile those [beings] whom they invoke instead of God. Lest they revile God out of spite, and in ignorance. (God) makes their

Privacy is the Right of every individual, and the state and society must guarantee it.

“O you who have attained to faith! Avoid most guesswork [about one another]. Remember, some of [such] guesswork is [in itself] a sin. Do not spy upon one another, and neither allow yourself to speak ill of one another behind your backs. Would any of you like to eat the flesh of his dead brother? Nay, you would loathe it! And be conscious of God. Verily, God is an acceptor of repentance, a dispenser of grace!” (Q49:12)

“[ALL OF YOU, O believers, are brethren: hence.] no blame attaches to the blind, nor does blame attach to the lame, nor does responsibility attach to the sick [for accepting charity from the hale], and neither to yourselves for eating [whatever is offered to you by others, whether it be food obtained] from your [children’s] houses, or your fathers’ houses, or your mothers’ houses, or your brothers’ houses, or your sisters’ houses, or your paternal uncles’ houses, or your paternal aunts’ houses, or your maternal uncles’ houses, or your maternal aunts’ houses, or [houses] the keys of which are in your charge! Or [the place] of any of your friends. You will not incur any sin by eating in the company or separately. But whenever you enter [any of these] houses, greet one another with a blessed, goodly greeting, as enjoined by God. In this way, God makes clear unto you His mes¬sages, so that you might [learn to] use your reason.” (Q24:61)

The Right to Peace

Peace is the ultimate goal of faith in this life and the life hereafter.

“[For although] We did say, “Down with you all from this [state],” there shall, none the less, most certainly come unto you guidance from Me: and those who follow My advice need have no fear, and neither shall they AND [know that] God invites [man] unto the abode of peace, and guides him that wills [to be guided] onto a straight way “(Q10:25)

House C'ttee on Sports Summons NFF on Falcons Bonus Crisis

Olawale Ajimotokan in Abuja

Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has been invited to appear before the House Committee on Sports on a parley to address the issue of unpaid bonuses to the Super Falcons at the FIFA Women's World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.

The meeting is scheduled to hold on August 15at the National Assembly Complex in Abuja.

An official statement yesterday by the Chairman House Committee

on Sports, Honourable Ekene Adams Abubakar, said those summoned would address those issues that have tainted the nation's image at the global tournament.

"Considering the need for mutual co-operation, unity, peace and a sense of belonging, I wish to humbly request your presence at this crucial meeting in order to reach a common ground on issues that have tainted the image of the country at the global level. We also want to achieve a renewed policy direction for the Nigeria

Football Federation anchored on peace and unity.

"I implore you to come on board as we embark on this journey to reposition the Nigeria Football Federation as an epitome of peace and excellence in the African continent and the world at large. The committee will be profoundly honored to have your esteemed presence at the meeting." The statement concluded. Before and during Nigeria’s participation at the ongoing FIFA Women’s World Cup in Australia

and New Zealand, the Nigerian Football Federation (NFF) has been embroiled in bonus row with the Super Falcons. The matter took a different dimension with the announcement by FIFA that all the players that featured in the group stage of the 2023 Australia and New Zealand edition would smile home with a minimum $30,000 participation bonus while the is also a graduated bonus for each stage of the tournament attained by teams.

Super Falcons who lost gallantly to England in penalty shootouts are entitled to $60,000 each for reaching the Round of 16. The missed additional $30,000 not able to surmount the challenge posed by the Lionesses.

However, the players appear not satisfied with explanations by the NFF that all that the players are entitled to collect is just the largesse from FIFA. They want also to collect the win bonuses promised by the federation in addition to unpaid allowances

some dating back to 2021. Even Falcons’ American Coach, Randy Waldrum was the first to drag the federation on social media, revealing that he was only paid seven out of the 14 months he was owed.

World’s players’ body FIFPRO this week joined in calling out the NFF to honour its obligations to the Super Falcons. It wondered why NFF will have to what for players protests before paying them monies due to them.

World Athletics Offers Amusan Budapest 2023 Lifeline

To allow the Nigerian defend her World Championship title if cleared by AIU

Duro Ikhazuagbe

Despite not listing her in Nigeria’s squad to the 2023 World Athletics Championships starting next week Saturday in Budapest, Hungary, world record holder in women’s 100m hurdles, Tobi Amusan may still defend her title if cleared by Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU).

Amusan, 26, who last year rewrote the history of the sport in Oregon , USA, setting a new world record of 12.12secs in the semi final and followed up with a wind assisted 12.06 (+2.5m/s) in the final to take the gold, is currently battling to save her career after she was suspended for three whereabouts failures.

She appealed her suspension and is to get a hearing before the opening day of the Worlds. Technically, she is excluded from competing in any competition but given her status as world record holder and the defending champion of the sprint barrier event may have informed why World Athletics gave her that lifeline to compete if cleared by AIU before the start of Budapest 2023.

The World Championships remains the only competition

Amusan has not had the opportunity to defend after she successfully defended her Nigeria, African Championships, African Games, Commonwealth Games and Diamond League titles. Also missing from her rich chest of medals is the Olympic Games medal which most track & field aficionados were looking toward Paris 2024 Games to make that happen, given her current devastating form.

The Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN) released the list of athletes to represent Nigeria at Budapest 2023 early this week with women’s long jumper, Ese Brume leading the country’s hope for medals.

Also on that list is Imaobong Nse Uko who will be making her debut in the championship will run in the women’s 400m event.

Others confirmed include; Rosemary Chukwuma (100m), Favour Ofili (200m), Seye Ogunlewe, Usheoritse Itsekiri and Favour

Ashe (100m), Alaba Akintola (200m) and Ezekiel Nathaniel (400m hurdles).

Ruth Usoro was listed to join

Brume as Nigeria’s second entrant in the women’s long jump event.

Chioma Onyekwere, Pamela Obiageri Amaechi and Ashley

Lauren James Gets Two-match Ban for Stamping Alozie

England forward Lauren James has been given a two-match ban by FIFA for her red card in the Women's World Cup game with Nigeria.

James, 21, was sent off for stamping on the back of Michelle Alozie in the last 16-tie, which England won on penalties.

The dismissal came with an automatic one-game ban which FIFA has increased, meaning she

will miss the semi-final if England getThethere.Lionesses face Colombia in the quarter-finals on Saturday.

James is England's top scorer in the tournament, having scored three goals, as well as assisting three more, in the group stages. Today, Spain will battle the Netherlands for a place in the semi final while Japan face Sweden for a Last Four ticket.

Anumba will compete in the Discus event while Oyesade Olatoye is the sole entrant in the hammer throw event.

The championships will run from August 19 to 27 and Nigeria’s contingent to Budapest will be seeking to add to the one gold,

five silver and five bronze medals won by their predecessors since 1983. The outing at Oregon remains the country’s best to date.

BAYERN, SPURS AGREE DEAL ON KANE....

Bayern Munich and Tottenham have agreed a deal in principle for England Captain, Harry Kane, worth more than 100m euros (£86.4m).

Kane, 30, has one year left on his contract with Spurs and must now make a decision about whether or not to leave. The forward is Tottenham's all-time top scorer with 280 goals in 435 appearances. He was linked with Manchester United earlier this summer before Bayern made him their main target.

Dessers Opens Goal Account for Rangers

Super Eagles forward,Cyriel Dessers, opened his goal account in the Scotland as he helped Rangers bounce back from domestic defeat by securing a one-goal first-leg advantage over 10-man Servette in Champions League qualifying game.

Labelled a "mega game" by Michael Beale, his pumped players delivered an electric opening following the weekend loss at Kilmarnock.

James Tavernier netted a

composed penalty before Dessers bundled in his first goal for the club in the opening 15 minutes.

Surprisingly, it was the Nigerian who gifted Servette a lifeline when his hand ball in the ball was spotted by VAR.

Chris Bedia slammed in the spot-kick for the consolation goal for the visitors.

The wasteful hosts Rangers could have effectively killed the tie but blew too many chances.

And the away side - miss-

ing several key players due to injuries, suspensions and visa issues - rode their luck before and after David Douline saw red for a second bookable offence to remain alive in the third-round qualifier. A glaring close-range miss by home forward Sam Lammers, just minutes before Servette were awarded their penalty, has the potential to become a major sliding-doors moment in the tie.

Tobi Amusan has been entered for the women’s 100m hurdles event at the World Championships in Budapest, Hungary pending her clearance or otherwise by Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU).

Northern CSOs to DSS

“The continuous detention of Godwin Emefiele and others, despite the order of the court releasing them, was a big mockery on our judiciary. National interest supersedes personal interest...How can the international community take us any serious when domestically we don’t treat judicial matters and ourselves according to the provisions of our laws? The government should order the DSS to respect court orders” –Chairman, Arewa Civil Society Organisations (ACSOs), Adamu Musa, condemning the continuous detention of Emefiele and others.

AKIN

Nigeria is Not Lagos State

Caveat Emptor: What is adopted and said here is pending the judiciary determination of who ultimately becomes the Nigerian president.

“Let me dispense with any political correctness and say it loud and clearly that, any attempt to invade Niger Republic by a Nigerian led ECOWAS Army in the guise of “safeguarding democracy”, will be a declaration of war on northern Nigeria and its people because we are the ones that will bear the full brunt of this misguided war. We in the region will not support any act of unprovoked aggression against Niger Republic under any pretense”- Usman Yusuf

In the course of the last presidential election campaign, it was Vice Presidential candidate Kashim Shettima who first pitched Lagos state as a governance exemplar and a role model for governance at the national level. And to whom does the honour of the superlative performance record belong other than his principal, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, (who governed Lagos state for eight years, and continues to rule the state since the expiration of his governorship tenure in 2007).

Quite the megalomaniac, and in the intimation of a co-presidency to come, Shettima could not resist the hubris of conferring on himself a similar cause celebre status (of being the security crisis management expert behind the deescalation of the boko haram insurgency). Nigeria would therefore become doubly lucky were they to have the good sense of voting the Tinubu/Shettima presidential ticket.

He went ahead to prescribe a comparative advantage division of labour which recommends that Tinubu should appropriately take charge of the Nigerian economy while the responsibility of keeping Nigeria safe should be entrusted to him. The ‘imagination run riot’ dimensions of this yarn was quickly called into question in the outcome of the February 25th presidential election in Lagos state. When the motion to affirm the authenticity of the Shettima testimony (regarding his mentor) was put to vote before the Lagos state electorate on February 25th 2023, the nays had it by a wide margin, never mind the INEC cooked up narrow margin defeat.

If the state of the pudding is in the eating, the certainty today is that a super majority of Nigerians would daub Shettima with the robe of a fraudulent promoter.

Former governor of cross river state, Donald Duke, was not convinced that his erstwhile colleague and friend truly won the February 25th presidential election. He was nonetheless of the generous opinion that his friend may aposteriori earn legitimacy by how he grapples with the challenge of governance from the get go. I have not heard from Duke since he laid out this parameter but in rational assessment, it is difficult to see how the president can be deemed to have passed the Donald Duke eligibility test.

Let us even assume without conceding that Tinubu did well with Lagos state. But then, he was a much younger and vigorous

person back in the day and the inevitable ageing process is bound to take its toll, not to talk of the speculations of a Buhari type debility. It gets more complicated, when we factor in the fact that there is little wiggle room for the latitude of a leisurely pace open to a state governor. It is, for instance, not the ken of a state governor to worry about the often exacting demands of foreign policy. Think of the burden of the Niger republic hoopla that has fallen pat on his palms (in his capacity as the chairman of ECOWAS and the President of Nigeria).

Regardless, given the prototype northern proxy politics of his emergence, I’m impressed by the assertion of independence discernable in his administrative and policy making orientation so far.The ultimate test of this autonomy course of action proclivity is what he does with the advocacy of the supreme remedy of a long overdue constitutional review of Nigeria’s political structure aka restructuring. Moreso, in the face of a constant opposition of his (pan Islamic North) voter base.

Given that the Yoruba are the most adamant protagonists of the constitutional review (restructuring) of Nigeria, there is an element of internal contradiction in the Yoruba support for Tinubu presidency regardless of his lack of commitment to restructuring.

If one were non judgemental, it can be argued that the support is informed by the pragmatism of facing up to the reality of Nigeria realpolitik.That if Nigeria is fated to remain unyielding to constitutional review and therefore unworkable, the next best option is to be at the driver’s seat and make hay before the final sunset descends on Nigeria.

To locate the immediate cause of this resignation to fate, look no further than

the scorched earth winner-takes-all northern irredentist politics of President Muhammadu Buhari. His regime exemplifies the worst manifestation of the nepotism of the turnby-turn nepotism and serves a standing rationalisation of a similar disposition in his successors.

What the Buhari precedence cannot adequately rationalise are the serial missteps and blunders that recently culminated in the incipient Niger misadventure. It all started with the lack of discipline exhibited in the perfunctory announcement of the withdrawal of oil subsidy. Impervious to this embarrassing lapse, the president went on to celebrate the gaffe as a stream of revelation knowledge worthy of God’s anointed one. He enthused “And then, Wale Edun and co, we started debating, putting my speech together without the question on subsidy. I got to the podium, I was possessed with courage and I said subsidy is gone.”

In view of the initial incoherent response to the oil subsidy crisis, there can be no other reason his speech advisers waives a reference to the issue, than the absence of an in situ corresponding policy instrument. This then begs the question of how did the president utilise the interlude between the moment he was declared President-elect on March 1st and sworn in on May 29th?. Does this interlude not constitute a long enough gestation period to formulate an adequate short term strategy of addressing the most compelling governance issue of what to do with the oil subsidy crisis?.

In the corrupt governance muddle that followed, out of a supplementary budget of N819 billion, N500 billion was appropriated for oil subsidy removal palliatives while a staggering N70 billion was simultaneously allocated “to improve the working conditions of the new members of national assembly”. I don’t know how many new members there are but they cannot be more than the full count of 460 men and women. Is there a better definition of lack of patriotism than the dedication of a whooping N70 billion naira (out of N819b) to the comfort of less than 500 Nigerians? And this at a time of dire economic emergency for a country rated as the poverty capital of the world. Further declaration of intent and marker for where Nigeria is headed under the Tinubu presidency was indicated in the revelation of his ministerial nominees. I had earlier offered the unsolicited advice of limiting the number of ministers to the mandatory constitutional prescription of 36-in demonstration of the prudence required by Nigeria’s economic circumstances. Not only was such reasoning discountenanced, the president actually surpassed the record of the previous administrations with a count of 48 nominees! And then there is the deplorable character profile of the totality of the nominees prompting an ardent supporter of the Tinubu to declare that “this government is doomed from the beginning”. Was this how Lagos state was governed?. For good effect, he also foisted his notorious corrupt buddy aka Gandollar as APC chairman.

Prompted by the Buhari withdrawal syndrome, latent animus of the pan arabic northern region with Tinubu, rose to the surface at the open contemplation of a Nigeria led military intervention in the republic of Niger (to restore the democratically elected president). According to my Senator friend the north, the region has divested and ceded ownership of the Tinubu presidency to the South West. On top of it all, there is the bizarre tendency of drawing a parallel between contemporary Nigeria and the Nigeria of 1966.

They view the prospects of a military intervention in Niger spearheaded by Nigeria as a continuation of their internal difficulties with the Tinubu government.

In historical perspective, the political character of the standoff between the government of Nigeria and the Niger republic is an echo of what the Premier of the defunct northern region, Sir Ahmadu Bello, dubbed the mistake of 1914.The mistake originated from the Berlin conference (during which Africa was arbitrarily sliced and diced by European powers and subsequently incorporated as colonies in their different sphere of influence) without regard to their cultural and national disparities.

Niger is also theatre to the triangular problematic involving America, Russia and France as spelt out with these thematic quips:

“America is on the verge of losing its most important ally in a crucial and unstable part of Africa”.

“The coup has now become what appears to be a geopolitical win for Russia and its Wagner Group paramilitary company in their bid to flip Western allies”

“The U.S. and Europe have made Niger the centerpiece of their fight against the spread of Islamic State and al Qaeda in Africa’s Sahel”.

Under different circumstances, a successful Nigeria led military intervention in Niger reserves the potential of elevating Tinubu to the status of an international hero. Unfortunately, he is stuck with the reality that foreign policy is nothing but an extension and derivative of domestic policy. In that case, it would be foolhardy for the president to engage on a foreign policy adventure to which the majority of Nigerians are vehemently opposed especially with regards to those who shared blood and religious ties with the Nigerien people.

More than fifty percent of Niger’s population are ethnic Hausa reinforced by the pan Islamic solidarity norm that prioritises the brotherhood of the umaa over Nigerian citizenship. President Muhammadu Buhari entered this perspective “I spoke to one Frenchman and I have to tell you this: I said to him, you people in 1885 sat down with ruler and pencil and drew the line. I have first cousins in Niger. There are Kanuris, there are Hausas, there are Fulanis in the Niger Republic”.

The Lamido of Adamawa was more elaborate. Said the traditional ruler “My people and the people of Adamawa have got somewhere to go. I am the Lamido Adamawa and my kingdom extends to Cameroun. The larger part of my kingdom is in Cameroun. Part of that kingdom is today called Adamawa State in Cameroun. You see, if I run to that place, I will easily assimilate”

Tinubu