CBN: Forex Inflow Declined By $2.43bn to $9.72bn in April Obinna Chima Nigeria’s foreign exchange (forex) inflow dropped by 25 per cent to $9.72 per cent in April, from the $12.15 billion recorded in March, according to a report by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).
The apex bank, in its monthly economic report for April, attributed the development to the weak global demand caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The decline in inflows, relative to the level in March, was also attributed to the
lower receipts from oil sources, which fell sharply by 15.5 per cent as a result of the plunge in average crude oil price from $32.30 per barrel at the onset of the pandemic in March, to $14.30 per barrel in April. The slump in crude oil price was induced by the
weak global demand on account of the lockdown of most economies following the continued spread of COVID-19. According to the report, inflow through autonomous sources, particularly invisible purchases, declined by 57.3 per
cent to $3.78 billion, relative to the preceding month, but higher than the 44.1 per cent increase in inflows through the CBN, which stood at $5.94 billion in April. It explained that following the lockdown of the Nigerian economy, aggregate foreign
exchange outflows through the economy decreased by 55.1 per cent to $3.29 billion in April. “Aggregate outflow of foreign exchange from CBN fell by 55.1 per cent to $3.29 Continued on page 8
NSC, OPS Unite to Fight Hike in Cargo Surcharge... Page 6 Thursday 20 August, 2020 Vol 25. No 9264. Price: N250
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ACF Urges FG to Arrest Worsening Insecurity in Northern States Cautions leaders against inflammatory utterances Boko Haram abducts 100 people in Kukawa, Borno Kingsley Nwezeh in Abuja, Michael Olugbode in Maiduguri, John Shiklam in Kaduna and Francis Sardauna in Katsina The Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) yesterday urged the federal government and states in the northern region to take all measures to end the wave of terrorism, banditry and kidnapping ravaging the
North. It also asked religious, traditional and political leaders in the region to refrain from making wild and inflammatory utterances that will aggravate tensions arising from the pervasive insecurity in the region. The forum expressed concerns about the worsening Continued on page 8
EFCC Probes Akpabio, Pondei over N81.5bn NDDC’s Expenditure Anti-graft commission yet to invite minister, says aide Deji Elumoye, Kingsley Nwezeh, Udora Orizu in Abuja and Ernest Chinwo in Port Harcourt The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has launched an investigation
into the alleged involvement of the Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Senator Godswill Akpabio, and the Acting Managing Director of the Niger Delta Development Continued on page 8
CONDOLENCES… L–R: Wife of the deceased, Mrs. Amina Wada Maida; Chairman of THISDAY/ARISE Group and President of Newspaper Proprietors Association of Nigeria (NPAN), Nduka Obaigbena; and Mr. Abubakar Isa Funtua during a condolence visit to the family of late Chairman of News Agency of Nigeria, Malam Wada Maida, in Abuja…yesterday godwin omoigui
ECOWAS Leaders Meet Today over Coup in Mali... Page 5
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Group News Editor Ejiofor Alike Email Ejiofor.Alike@thisdaylive.com, 08066066268
ECOWAS Leaders Meet Today over Coup in Mali Order blockade of embattled country Army colonel, Assimi Goita, takes over
Deji Elumoye and Adedayo Akinwale in Abuja The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) leaders are to hold a virtual summit today to find a way forward on the military takeover of Mali. The sub-regional body had yesterday ordered a blockade of the country to force the coupists, led by an army colonel, Assimi Goita, to stand down, even as it, along with Nigeria, has called for the immediate activation of the ECOWAS Standby Force. ECOWAS resolved to close all land and air borders, as well as to stop all economic, trade and financial flows and transactions between ECOWAS member-states and Mali, while calling on all partners to do the same. President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita and Prime Minister Boubou Cisse were arrested by rebel soldiers on Tuesday after weeks of unrest. Keita, whose government had been beset by months of protests over economic stagnation, corruption and a brutal Islamist insurgency that has claimed thousands of lives, later announced early yesterday that he had resigned to avoid “bloodshed.”
“If it pleased certain elements of our military to decide this should end with their intervention, do I really have a choice? “(I must) submit to it, because I don’t want any bloodshed,” the ousted 75-year-old president said in a television broadcast. The coup’s leaders appeared on television hours later to pledge a political transition and new elections within a “reasonable time.” The sub-regional body has, however, suspended Mali from the organisation over the ousting of Keita. The ECOWAS Commission in a communiqué dated August 18, but released yesterday, said the seizure of power was likely to have a negative impact on peace and stability in Mali and in the sub-region. It condemned the overthrow of Kéita’s democratically elected government and denied any kind of legitimacy to the military, while also demanding the immediate reinstatement of the constitutional order. In the communiqué, ECOWAS said: "Requests the immediate activation of the ECOWAS Standby Force; demands the immediate implementation of sanctions against all putschists and their
partners and collaborators; decides to dispatch a highlevel delegation to ensure an immediate return to constitutional order." Nigeria condemned the coup d'état. Its Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Geoffrey Onyeama, who tweeted from his verified Twitter handle yesterday, demanded the immediate and unconditional restoration of constitutional order. He said: "The Nigerian government unequivocally condemns the coup d'état that took place in Mali yesterday [Tuesday] and demands the immediate and unconditional
restoration of constitutional order. We welcome the urgent activation of the ECOWAS Standby force." Malian Air Force Deputy Chief of Staff, Ismael Wague, said he and his fellow officers had “decided to take responsibility in front of the people and of history.” UN Secretary-General, Mr. Antonio Guterres, demanded the “immediate and unconditional release” of Keita and Cisse. The United States and France also released separate statements voicing deep concern about the turn of events and urged against regime change. French President Emmanuel
Macron, according to his office, condemned the mutiny and said he supported mediation efforts to resolve the crisis by other West African states. The US envoy to the region, Mr. Peter Pham, joined the calls for restraint and echoed its opposition to any “extraconstitutional” change. Jubilant crowds have, however, gathered in the capital to cheer the rebels as they took over the government of the Sahelian nation. A former deputy president of the Senate, Senator Ike Ekweremadu, who is also a former speaker of the ECOWAS Parliament condemned the
military coup. Ekweremadu noted that Mali was strategic in the war against insurgency, adding that political instability in the West African nation portended dire consequences for West Africa and the Sahel region. He tweeted that the military intervention could contaminate other democracies in the subregion if not resisted by the international community. Despite the widespread condemnation of the coup, Goita announced yesterday that he had taken over the reins of government as the head of the rebel National Committee for the Salvation of the People.
NPAN, Tinubu Mourn NAN Chairman, Wada Maida Ejiofor Alike The Newspaper Proprietors' Association of Nigeria (NPAN) and the National Leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Senator Bola Tinubu, have expressed shock over the death of the Chairman of the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), Malam Wada Maida. Maida, who was also the Chairman of the Board of Directors of People's Media, publishers of the People's Daily Newspapers, died on Monday and his remains were interred in Abuja on Tuesday after an Islamic funeral rite. He was 70. In a statement signed by the President of NPAN and Chairman of THISDAY/ARISE NEWS Channel, Mr. Nduka Obaigbena, the association described Maida as an intellectual and a gentle giant. The statement, which was released to journalists yesterday by Mr. Feyi Smith on behalf of NPAN, noted that the association received the news of Maida’s death with utmost shock. “Malam Wada, a consummate journalist and dedicated canvasser for a free press was one of the pillars of our esteemed association, the Newspaper Proprietors' Association of Nigeria (NPAN). He was an intellectual and a gentle giant,” the statement noted. NPAN said Maida’s passage was more shocking as it occurred barely one month after the death of the life patron of the association, Malam Isa Funtua. “His life was a testament to public good and service, at both the local and international levels. For instance, until his death, he chaired the Board of the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) and served as a member of the Executive Board of the International Press Institute (IPI), deploying his wealth of experience,” NPAN added. NPAN described Maida as one
of the intellectuals in the engine room of the association, stressing that the former president of the Nigerian Guild of Editors (NGE) was a defender of free press and democracy. “The nation has lost an icon, and the Nigerian and international press, a strong pillar. We mourn,” NPAN added. Tinubu also paid tribute to the deceased and commiserated with President Muhammadu Buhari and the Katsina State Governor, Hon. Aminu Masari, over the death of the veteran journalist. In a condolence message issued yesterday by his Media Office, the former Lagos State governor described Maida as a statesman, patriot, journalism icon and accomplished media manager. Tinubu said: “I was deeply hurt to learn of the passing on Monday of veteran journalist and Chairman of Peoples Daily, Alhaji Wada Maida, 70. “His death is a loss to Nigeria and to those who believe in the unity of the country. A statesman and patriot, Alhaji Maida was a journalism icon and accomplished media manager. He was an outstanding figure worthy of emulation by those who aspired to be journalists or otherwise work within the media space. “Anyone who encountered Alhaji Maida admired and respected him. He was a man of superb intellect and high integrity walked with him.” He added that Maida’s patriotism, commitment and competence were clearly on display when he worked in the early 1980s as chief press secretary to the then Head of State, Maj.Gen. Muhammadu Buhari. “This loss of such a close friend, partner and associate must be a difficult moment for the president and I commiserate with President Buhari over Alhaji Maida’s passing,” Tinubu stated.
ACADEMICS COME CALLING… L-R: Minister of State, Works and Housing, Mr. Abubakar Aliyu; Secretary-General, Committee of Vice Chancellors, Prof. Yakubu Ochefu; the Minister, Mr. Babatunde Fashola (SAN); and Acting Permanent Secretary of the ministry, Mr. Yemi Oguntominiyi, during a courtesy visit to the minister by the Committee of Vice -Chancellors and Association of Vice-Chancellors of Nigerian Universities (CVC/AVCNU) in Abuja…recently
UNILAG Acting VC, Soyombo, Assumes Duties, Unfolds Agenda Seeks support of staff, unions to make varsity better Funmi Ogundare The Acting Vice-Chancellor of the University of Lagos (UNILAG), Prof. Theophilus Soyombo, assumed duties yesterday, pledging to lift the institution to a higher pedestal than he met it. He also promised to prioritise the welfare of staff, while calling for their support. Soyombo, who addressed journalists and staff from the Senate building, sought the support of all to make the institution better. He said: "These are indeed trying times for our great university and our prayer is that God will see us through this trying period. "My major focus will be on staff welfare. I believe in this regard the human resources are the core assets of any organisation and I believe that a well-motivated staff should be able to deliver and work very hard. We must encourage our staff; we must motivate our staff to work well." He thanked all members
of the different unions in the institution saying, "no matter what we say, we are all together and we should all just work together and I believe that by the grace of God, peace and stability will return to our university and we will all continue to work together in unity.” He said on August 12, the Governing Council of the university removed the former VC and announced his appointment as the acting VC with immediate effect, adding that he sees the appointment as a call to service. He said: "It is in this regard that I accepted the appointment for the ultimate benefit of the university. I thought that we should not allow the ship of the University of Lagos to continue to drift. The University of Lagos is a foremost university; it is greater than any individual anyone of us. “We all come here to work and at our various times, we pray that we all live till retirement. But whether we like it or not, when we work
in UNILAG, we will leave UNILAG. But the University of Lagos will continue. It behooves us to leave the University of Lagos better than we met it. "There is a lot of work at the University of Lagos but I can't do it alone. That is why I need your support; that is why I need your prayers and I believe that we should all join hands together; let us work together for the progress of our university. When we have a success story it should be for each and every one of us. “I will certainly ensure the University of Lagos is lifted to a higher pedestal than the point it was on the 12th of August when I was appointment. Our core responsibilities include research, teaching and community service.” Before addressing journalists, Soyombo had met with some members of staff to brief them about his immediate plans for the workers. Reacting to the rejection of his appointment by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), UNILAG chapter,
Soyombo said: “ASUU is our union; I am a member of ASUU. We will continue to dialogue with ourselves. It is rare to have 100 per cent agreement in any organisation or group; there will always be different opinions. We need a cordial and peaceful environment for us to progress and discharge our duties.” However, the Chairman of ASUU-UNILAG, Dr. Dele Ashiru, said despite Soyombo's olive branch, the union’s position remained unchanged. “As far as our university is concerned, our position remained unchanged. The process leading to the appointment of the so-called acting VC is not known to the books of the university. “The Senate of the university is the highest decision-making organ on academic affairs, the Senate has spoken and that remained unchanged. A VC will not assume office by addressing pressmen and some disgruntled members of staff. You take charge when you take off,” Ashiru said.
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NSC, OPS Unite to Fight Hike in Cargo Surcharge Eromosele Abiodun The federal government and the organised private sector (OPS) have unanimously agreed to battle multinational shipping firms over the indiscriminate charges slammed on Nigerianbound cargoes with particular reference to Peak Season Surcharge (PSS). THISDAY learnt that the six
companies involved are Cosco, Maersk, MSC, CMA CGM, Hapag Lloyd and Evergreen Shipping. Led by the Nigerian Shippers Council (NSC), the industrialists under the aegis of Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN), Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI), Nigerian Association of Chamber of
Sylva: FG Committed to Ending Fuel Importation NNPC restates commitment to boost domestic gas supply Emmanuel Addeh in Abuja and Adibe Emenyonu in Benin City The Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Mr. Timipre Sylva, has reiterated the determination of the federal government to end the importation of petrol. Nigeria, despite being a nation rich in oil and gas depends on importation of fuel for local consumption as its four refineries operate fitfully and produce when they are operational, far below installed capacity. The Group Managing Director of Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Mr. Mele Kyari, also restated the commitment of the corporation to boost the supply of gas for domestic consumption. Sylva noted that reversing Nigeria's status as a net importer of refined petroleum products remains a key agenda of the federal government. He said with all the arrangements being made, the foreign exchange draining phenomenon will be put behind in the future. The minister spoke yesterday after inspecting the first hydro-skimming private modular refinery being built by a businessman, Dr. Azibapu Eruani, in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State capital. A statement by the spokesperson for the company, Mr Austin Ebipade, said the refinery, which is about 75 per cent completed, could process 12,000 barrels of crude per day. The minister noted that Azikel hydro-skimming refinery is a massive visionary and pragmatic quest to facilitate the government’s objective of attaining self-sufficiency in the production of refined products such as petrol, diesel, aviation fuel and Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG). The minister added that Azikel private refinery remains important to Nigerians and the country's search for economic prosperity. "Azikel refinery is set to actualise the 'export' of refined products from Bayelsa State to other states in the Nigerian federation, with daily production of 1.5 million litres of petrol, one million litres of diesel 500,000 litres of kerosene and aviation fuel. "This will reverse the stigma of Nigeria, the world’s fifth largest producer of crude oil, being a net importer of refined products" he stated. He explained that the dream of President Muhammadu Buhari to industrialise the Niger Delta, boost infrastructural development and facilitate employment creation is being actualised by the Azikel Refinery through the additional
workforce and encouragement of youths towards acquisition of vocational skills needed to fill paid and self-employment slots being rapidly created by the refinery. Sylva commended the Nigerian Content Development Monitoring Board (NCDMB) in the development of the project, as well as the participation of the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Nigerian Agip Oil Company (NAOC), Total Nigeria and Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria (SPDC) for the supply of feedstock to the Azikel refinery. Earlier, Eruani had hailed Buhari for granting the company the licence and pledged to work towards actualising the Buhari administration’s objective of industrialising the nation. He said when completed, the refinery would create positive economic multipliers, including jobs for the youth and other Nigerians.
Commerce Industry Mines and Agriculture (NACCIMA), and major stakeholders in the shipping community, met yesterday in Lagos to form a common front to resist what they described as the arbitrary charges. This follows a letter written to the European Community Shippers Association (ECSA) by the NSC on behalf of the Nigerian government, describing the surcharges as economic sabotage. The 2020 peak period charges of between $1,000 and $1,500 per 20-foot equivalent unit (TEU) by shipping firms is over 400 per cent increase from the previous $200 freight charge per TEU during peak period. Speaking at the meeting, the Executive Secretary, NSC, Mr. Hassan Bello, described the charges as scary, adding that if a Nigeria-bound container is charged as much as $1,000, the national economy is in trouble. He expressed worry that the surcharge was introduced at a time when the nation was trying to get out of
the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. The surcharge, Bello said, would lead to spiral inflation rate on the economy as “cargoes will be abandoned at the ports; it means job losses and many shippers will be put off business." The charges, he added, are "astronomic, unjustified, not notified and discriminatory. This is against fair trade facilitation rules." Bello said the NSC had written to the erring firms and was waiting for responses. He said: “We have also written to Ministry of Transportation to escalate it to the Ministry of Trade and Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the federal government will protest the charges. “We have been having surcharge in the range of $200 to $400, but 400 per cent increase and there was no time limit. It’s already going to nine months; it is not what any economy can cope with. This can cripple the economy.” The Managing Director,
Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Ms. Hadiza Bala-Usman, expressed disappointment at the charges, saying that it might result in more cargoes being abandoned at the ports. Represented by the General Manager, Tariff and Billings, Mr. Abubakar Umar, she said: "If the importers are charged so high and they abandoned them in the ports, NPA will lose revenue and it would reduce efficiency and turnaround of ships to Nigerian ports." Director General of LCCI, Mr. Muda Yusuf, said the industries would resist the charges because “this is not the best of time for businesses generally.” President of MAN, Mr. Mansur Ahmed, said MAN would not accept the surcharge because it came at a time when manufacturers are working with less staff, less raw material and lower profit. Represented by Mr. Olufemi Immanuel, Ahmed said: "The price of goods will skyrocket and the cost of transports will be unbearable."
Representative of NACCIMA, Ms. Margaret Orakwusi, said the surcharge would affect commerce negatively. "Our members borrowed huge money to import items and they are slammed this huge amount, then it would affect the banks too," she said. Large-scale importers such as Dangote Group and Promasidor bemoaned the arbitrary charges by shipping companies, expressing readiness to protest the surcharge Vice President, Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA), Mr. Kayode Farinto, urged collaboration with ECOWAS against the arbitrary charges. "It will affect our economy seriously because Nigeria is an import-dependent economy," he said. The National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders (NAGAFF), said the peak season surcharge is unacceptable, adding that COVID-19 does not give room for acceptability of such charges.
NNPC Restates Commitment to Boost Domestic Gas Supply The Group Managing Director of the NNPC, Mr. Mele Kyari, has restated the commitment of the corporation to boost the supply of gas for domestic consumption. Kyari spoke yesterday during an inspection tour of Oredo Integrated Gas Handling Plant Facility(IGHF), belonging to the Nigeria Petroleum Development Company (NPDC) in Ologbo, Edo State, to ascertain the level of completion of the facility. NPDC, is a subsidiary of the NNPC. He added that after the completion, Nigeria will be sufficient in Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG), better known as cooking gas. He stated that the facility was awarded in 2015 but commenced work in 2017 and would be completed in October. He noted that NPDC was producing about 136, 000 barrels per day, but with improvement, the company is now producing 260,000 barrels per day. "This is a very magnificent level of growth in any upstream company, and our target is to take this company to the production level of 500, 000 barrels per day. "This is possible within two years. We have lined up a series of projects and activities in this regard. Today, we have the highest number of rings running in this country. Five rings running at the same time, adding incremental value, and delivering major projects which will ultimately take to producing that 500 000 target," he added.
SUPPORT AGAINST COVID-19… L-R: Osun State Deputy Governor, Mr. Benedict Alabi; Governor Adegboyega Oyetola and Group Head, Corporate Communication, BUA International Limited, Mr. O'tega Ogra, during the donation of non-pharmaceutical materials to the Osun State government in Osogbo...yesterday
FEC Approves N5.485bn for Construction of Secretariats, FCT Dam
Omololu Ogunmade in Abuja
The Federal Executive Council (FEC) yesterday approved a total sum of N5.485 billion for the construction of federal secretariats in five states and the rehabilitation of Lower Usuma Dam in Abuja. Briefing reporters after its meeting, the Minister of Works and Housing, Mr. Babatunde Fashola, said N3.9 billion was approved as an additional cost to the initial contract sum of N13.56 billion approved in 2011 for the construction of the secretariats in the five states, thus bringing the total contract figure to N17.54 billion. Fashola, who listed the five states as Anambra, Bayelsa, Osun, Nasarawa and Zamfara, explained that the construction is necessary to enhance the operations of federal government's staff, who have been operating from rented apartments in the states. He said: "The buildings are to serve as housing for the government's staff in those states
that have been using rented buildings. These secretariats are necessary to enable us to house federal workers in these states. The problem arose from the creation of new states. "In asset sharing, some of the old states took the whole secretariats. So, our staffs in those states, across all federal ministries are either in rented official premises for their work or squatting in state government premises. “For example, my ministry has controllers in all the 36 states - controllers for works, controllers for housing. These are some of the people, apart from other ministries who have staff in those states. “Council approved this variation and the intention is to enable us to complete the projects. You might recall I briefed you sometime last year about approval for the award for the furniture. So, all the furniture has been completed. They are in the warehouse. So, it's just for us to complete the buildings now
and install them." Also, the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Malam Mohammed Bello, said FEC also approved the rehabilitation of phase II of the Lower Usuma Dam Water Treatment Plant Phase II with an additional cost of N1.5 billion to bring the total contract sum to N2.52 billion. He said the contract was initially awarded at the rate of N1,017,979,566, to Cupero Nigeria Ltd but the cost had to be reviewed upward with an additional cost of N1,510,206,066. He said the dam was conceived to supply water to the FCT for three decades with the completion duration of 12 months. Bello said: “In the meeting of today, the council approved a very important infrastructure project for the city of Abuja and that project is the rehabilitation of Lower Usuma Dam Water Treatment Plant Phase Two at the sum of N1, 510,206,066. And the contract was awarded to a company called Cupero Nigeria
Ltd with a completion period of 12 months. “The contract was originally awarded at N1,017,979,566. The additional sum of N1,510,206,066 approved by FEC, brings the total contract sum to N2,528,187,633. "The scope of work entails general rehabilitation, repairs of and replacement of electromechanical components and laboratory restoration, rehabilitation of chemical and chlorine buildings and general civil engineering work. “As you know, the water treatment plant is a very important infrastructure project. The contact is to rehabilitate that treatment plant, which has been in operation for about 30 years; and it fits into Mr. President’s agenda of providing needed infrastructure and rehabilitating already existing infrastructure. "By the time it is done, the water treatment plant will continue to provide service to residents of the federal capital city of Abuja for maybe another 30 years to come.”
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PAGE EIGHT CBN: FOREX INFLOW DECLINED BY $2.43BN TO $9.72BN IN APRIL billion in April 2020, below the level in the preceding month. The development was driven, largely, by the 69.3 per cent decline in interbank utilisation, reflecting a substantial decline in I&E funding and non-intervention in the BDC segment in April 2020. “Similarly, outflow through autonomous sources, mainly imports and invisibles declined by 62.2 per cent to $0.13 billion in April 2020, below the level in March 2020. "Consequently, a net inflow of $6.43 billion was recorded through the economy in April
2020, compared with the net inflow of $5.63 billion in the preceding month,” it added. It showed that the total amount of forex sold by the bank to authorised dealers in the month under review decreased by 82.2 per cent to $0.84 billion in April, from $4.70 billion in March, due to the low demand for forex as a result of the closure of factories and businesses. Also, forex sales at I&E window declined by 78.5 per cent to $0.78 billion relative to the preceding month’s level of $3.61 billion.
However, interbank sales rose significantly by 2,900 per cent to $0.06 billion, above the $0.002 billion sales in March. The report stated that the development was to ensure adequate foreign exchange liquidity in the market. Sales to BDCs were suspended on a request by the BDC operators, effective March 27 because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The report said: “The monthly average turnover at the I&E FX market, which represented 70 to 80 per cent of the total transactions in the
foreign exchange market, had been on the decline persistently since February 2020, following the lull in economic activities, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. "The monthly average turnover at the I&E decreased notably by 87.0 per cent, from $0.34 billion in March 2020 to $0.04 billion in April 2020, making it a second consecutive monthly decrease since February 2020. “Nigeria’s external account position exhibited persistent current account deficit and emerging capital reversal.
The external account posted a higher deficit of $4.39 billion equivalent to 3.8 per cent of GDP in 2020 first quarter, relative to $2.62 billion (2.0 per cent of GDP) in the fourth quarter of 2019. “Because of the significantly lower deficits recorded in the goods, services and income accounts, the deficit in the current account narrowed to $4.88 billion in 2020 Q1 (4.3 per cent of GDP) from $6.95 billion (5.3 per cent of GDP) in 2019 Q4. “Portfolio investment witnessed a further capital
reversal of $8.34 billion in 2020 Q1, compared with $6.04 billion in 2019Q4 due to increased sell-off of both equity and debt securities by foreign investors. “Specifically, equity securities and money market instruments worth $1.41 billion and $6.37 billion, respectively, were liquidated in 2020 Q1. Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) decreased further to $0.43 billion in 2020 Q1 from $0.50 billion in 2019 Q4 driven largely by the decline in reinvested earnings and a fragile global economy.”
Coordinator, Defence Media Operations, DHQ, Maj. Gen. John Eneche, said in the statement that the air interdiction missions were executed on August 17, on the heels of credible intelligence reports indicating a resurgence of terrorists’ activities in the two settlements. “Bukar Meram, a major ISWAP logistics hub linking other island settlements of the Lake Chad, which also houses several of their fighters and some of their key leaders, was attacked by an enhanced force package of Nigerian Air Force (NAF) fighter jets and helicopter gunships, which hit designated targets in the area, leading to the destruction of the logistics facilities and neutralisation of several of the terrorists and their leaders. “The attack at Dole was carried out after Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) missions showed a build-up of activities in the area after the relocation of some terrorists from nearby settlements of Kukawa and Yale. Overhead the area the ISR aircraft spotted no fewer than 20 terrorists in the area, which were taken out by the NAF attack aircraft,” Eneche stated.
blamed the continued killings in the state on informants who support the bandits and kidnappers to unleash mayhem on the state. He said the informants had undermined efforts of security operatives and government in stemming the banditry and other nefarious activities bedeviling the state. Masari, who was speaking when he received the Emir of Kano, Alhaji Aminu Ado Bayero, at the Government House yesterday, described the informants as being worse than the hoodlums. The emir, accompanied by other notable Kano traditional rulers, was in Katsina State on a familiarisation visit to the state government and emirates within the state. Masari said: "Most of the bandits who launched attacks on villages in the state received information from people within the communities and this made it difficult for security agencies to operate effectively." He, however, reiterated his earlier pledge of recreating village security councils across the 361 wards and local government security councils in the 34 local government areas of the state. He explained that the security councils would assist security agencies and government with information to eliminate the miscreants. Earlier, Bayero had condoled with the government and people of Katsina State over the security challenges facing the state.
ACF URGES FG TO ARREST WORSENING INSECURITY IN NORTHERN STATES living conditions of the people, saying life is now as tough as it was during the civil war. ACF spoke just as Boko Haram insurgents reportedly overrun Kukawa, a town in Borno State, and abducted over 100 persons even as the military said it has stepped up efforts to curtail the insurgency, leading to the killing of some Islamic State of West Africa Province (ISWAP) commanders and the destruction of logistics facilities at Bukar Meram on the fringes of the Lake Chad in Borno State. The ACF, in a communiqué issued yesterday in Kaduna after the first meeting of its newly-elected National Working Committee (NWC), headed by a former Minister of Agriculture, Chief Audu Ogbeh, urged the federal and state governments to take urgent measures to ensure the protection of lives and property. "The federal and state governments must take urgent steps to arrest the deteriorating security situation in northern Nigeria, which has led to insurgency, terrorism, banditry, ethnic and religious disturbances all over the north," it said. The communiqué, signed by the spokesman of the forum, Mr. Emmanuel Yahweh, called on the government, particularly state governments in the region, to pay adequate attention to agriculture, which offers more opportunities for diversification and the development of a more sustainable economy for the
North and the country. The forum also noted that school enrollments in the region have remained low and urged governors of the 19 states in the region to take urgent steps to enhance school enrollment and eradicate the rampant incidence of street begging, which is very unhealthy for the overall development of the North. The ACF said: "Northern states should take advantage of the N75 billion loan to farmers in the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) under the Nigerian Incentive-Based Risk Sharing in Agricultural Lending (NIRSAL). "Unemployment has become a big menace to the northern region. State governors are advised to design employment schemes for our teeming youths who have become frustrated and pose an additional threat to the security of the North and the country. "State governors are also advised to key into programmes of the federal government designed to offer employment to the youth and alleviate poverty." Earlier in his opening remarks, Ogbeh, who presided over the meeting, had regretted the inability of the executive committee to meet due to the COVID-19 pandemic. He said some Nigerians mistook the ACF to be an ethnic, tribal, religious or a political organisation, which he said is not. He said: "We have over 300 tribes in the North and we
cannot afford to be an ethnic organisation. Seventy eight per cent of Nigerian land mass is in the North and we are faced with the problems of killings day and night, which are greater than ever, except during the civil war. "Our responsibility now is greater than before. We have not faced this challenge before - killings day and night. "At no time has life been so tough except during the civil war.” According to him, the ACF is not a political party but an organisation working for peace and stability in the North. "If we do not save the North now, we will lose the North," Ogbeh stated.
Boko Haram Abducts 100 in Borno Boko Haram insurgents have overrun Kukawa, a town in Borno State, abducting over 100 persons, security sources have said. According to sources in the Civilian Joint Task Force (CJTF), who spoke anonymously to THISDAY, the insurgents drove in over 20 trucks to the town on the shores of Lake Chad. One of the sources said yesterday that the terrorists launched their entry into the town with sporadic gunshots, engaging the Nigerian troops stationed in the town for over 30 minutes. He said at the end of the gunfight, the insurgents went away with over 100 persons
as hostages. “Around 4 pm on Tuesday, terrorists in about 20 trucks overran the town of Kukawa. They engaged soldiers guarding the people in a ferocious firefight. “After about 30 minutes of engaging the military in ferocious fire exchange, they (insurgents) were able to overpower them and went away with over 100 hostages,” he said. The latest abduction may have impaired plans to relocate internally-displaced people (IDPs) to their homeland as the residents of Kukawa were just relocated on August 2. The residents were escorted during the relocation by the military as part of the resettlement plan of the state government. When contacted, the spokesman of Borno State governor, Mallam Isa Gusau, said he did not have the details of the attack. The spokesman of the Army, Col. Sagir Musa, asked for patience, saying that the military will soon come out with a statement on the incident. But the Defence Headquarters (DHQ), in a statement yesterday, said the military successfully neutralised some ISWAP commanders and knocked out logistics facilities at Bukar Meram on the fringes of the Lake Chad in Borno State. The troops also killed some terrorists at Dole, a settlement in the southern part of the state.
Masari Blames Bandits' Informants for Worsening Insecurity In a related development, Katsina State Governor, Hon. Aminu Bello Masari, has
EFCC PROBES AKPABIO, PONDEI OVER N81.5BN NDDC’S EXPENDITURE Commission (NDDC), Prof Kemebradikumo Pondei, in financial dealings in the commission amounting to N81.5 billion. The EFCC, in an invitation letter addressed to a group, Foundation for True Freedom and Good Governance, led by a human rights activist, Mr. Deji Adeyanju, said it would need his assistance in the investigation. But Akpabio’s aide, Mr. Anietie Ekong, stated that the minister had not been invited by the anti-graft agency. The House of Representatives also ruled out the EFCC probe affecting its ongoing investigation of the agency. The Senate, however, said it was not bothered by the reported investigation of the NDDC by the EFCC. The reply by the EFCC to the request by the foundation was posted yesterday on Adeyanju's tweeter handle. The letter, with reference number 3000/EFCC/ABJ/ HQ/EG/T.6/Vol4/044 and dated August 14, 2020, was signed by the Head, Economic Governance Section, Mr.
Adebayo Adeniyi. In the letter titled, ‘Re: Request for Investigation of Godswill Akpabio, Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, and Prof. Daniel Pondei, acting MD NDDC, over Corruption Allegations of Diversion of Public Funds’, the anti-graft agency said the investigation of the two government officials had commenced. The agency invited Adeyanju to the EFCC office in Abuja to clarify some of the allegations. "We write to acknowledge the receipt of your petition dated August 3, 2020, in respect of the above subject and to inform you that an investigation into the case has commenced. “In view of the above, you are kindly requested to attend an interview with the undersigned through the O/C team six on Thursday, August 20, 2020 at EFCC headquarters third floor," the letter read in part. The foundation had asked the commission to investigate how N81.8 billion was spent by the commission. When contacted, the
Director of Corporate Affairs of NDDC, Mr. Charles Odili, told THISDAY that he was on sick leave and could not comment on the issue Pondei did not respond to phone calls or text messages sent to him by THISDAY. But Ekong said the EFCC had not invited the minister over the probe of the activities of the NDDC. Ekong said: "My boss is yet to be invited. I don't think the EFCC letter expressly stated that the minister is being investigated. It didn't state that."
The probe of NDDC EFCC Won't Affect Our Investigation, Says House The House of Representatives has said the investigation of the NDDC by the EFCC will not affect the ongoing probe by the lawmakers. House’s spokesman, Hon. Benjamin Kalu, told THISDAY yesterday that the House Committee on NDDC has concluded its investigation and laid its report to the House,
which will be considered immediately they come back from recess. Kalu said: ''The roles of the various arms of government have been specified by the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. In that the same constitution, there is a provision for checks and balances to these separated powers. The legislature carries out its mandate according to sections 88 and 89, to check corruption and inefficiency or wastes in government, and it is carried out on all the ministries departments and agencies of government. ''Recently, the need arose for us to look at the activities of an agency known as Niger Delta Development Commission and that job has been thoroughly done by the House of Representatives’ Committee on NDDC as part of our oversight function and this was done via a motion raised for investigative hearing. ''The committee has gone through all the processes allowed by the House rules in carrying out the hearing on the issues raised by the petitions and motions that were tabled
before the House. At the point of laying the report of the committee before the House, the job of the committee is seen to have been completed. Subject to a resolution of the House whose duty it is at the moment to handle the consideration of report laid before it. This report has not been considered because it came in almost when we were about to go on recess. Members needed time to look deeply into these documents on resumption in a few weeks’ time this laid report will be considered by the House in a comprehensive manner. ''The probe of NDDC by EFCC does not in any way affect the work that have been done and completed. It is for us to consider the report, and by consideration accept the recommendation so far given or amend the recommendations or redirect the committee to go back and tidy any loose end identified." Also, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Media and Public Affairs, Senator Ajibola Basiru, told THISDAY that the upper legislative chamber "is not privy to
the workings of the EFCC and the EFCC did not make any reference to the National Assembly in the reported probe of NDDC."
TOP GAINERS NGN NGN % STUDIOPRESS 0.18 1.98 10 INTERBREW 0.20 3.00 7.1 JAIZBANK 0.03 0.59 5.3 JAPAUL 0.03 0.59 5.0 MBENEFIT 0.01 0.21 5.0 TOP LOSERS NGN % CAP PLC 1.70 15.30 10 ROYALEXCHANGE 0.03 0.28 9.6 PZ 0.40 3.85 9.4 UPL 0.09 1.13 7.3 GSK 0.35 4.85 6.7 HPE Nestle Nig Plc ₦1,256.80 Volume: 180.010 million shares Value: N1.536 billion Deals: 3,108 As at yesterday 19/8/2020 See details on Page 25
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NEWS
IBAN Kicks against NBC’s N5m Fine Peter Uzoho The Independent Broadcasting Association of Nigeria (IBAN) has kicked against the N5million fine, imposed by the Nigerian Broadcasting Commission (NBC) on one of its members, Nigeria Info FM, for allegedly promoting hate speech. IBAN in a statement issued yesterday after its emergency board meeting held on Monday, which was signed by its Chairman, Mr. Guy Murray-Bruce, described the commission’s fine as excessive. It argued that the fine was a creation of the now disputed amendments to the 6th broadcasting code.
According to the statement, “While we concede the right to regulate broadcasting in Nigeria to the NBC, we wish to point out some cogent issues that must not be ignored in this instant case. “The five million Naira (N5m) fine imposed is excessive, as it is a creation of the now disputed amendments to the 6th broadcasting code. “We feel that in the absence of a universal buy into the amendments of the code, it is premature for the management of the commission to implement any aspect of the disputed amendments.” IBAN stated that it also believed that the omnibus
authority the NBC had arrogated to itself of being the accuser, judge and executioner in these matters fly in the face of the principle of fair hearing. It added that the commission’s determination of what amounts to hate speech ought to be verified by an independent body before sanctions were imposed. IBAN said: “As it stands now, the commission could on a whim label anything hate speech and then go ahead to impose a fine without the accused having the
benefit of a fair hearing. “Information available to us points to the existence of the Nigerian Press Council with the mandate to uphold ethical and professional standards in the media, investigate complaints against the press, monitor activities of the press, research on contemporary press development, investigate obstacles to the flow of information, protect the rights and privileges of journalists. “In our view, the Nigerian Press Council which is made
up of representatives from the following institutions, the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Nigerian Guild of Editors (NGE), Newspaper Proprietors’ Association of Nigeria, the Broadcasting Organisation of Nigeria, News Agency of Nigeria, the Federal Ministry of Information, and the general public, is best suited to determine what might amount to a media infraction.” However, IBAN recommended that the NBC should refer any alleged infraction of a
broadcasting entity to the council for determination before sanctions are imposed. It further called on the management of the commission to hold off on imposing any sanctions until the above-stated issues are addressed. It also recommended that stakeholders and the management of NBC should enter into another round of consultations and discuss the amendments to the 6th Broadcasting Code as a way forward.
Nigeria’s COVID-19 Cases Cross 50,000 Mark Martins Ifijeh Nigeria has recorded 593 new cases of COVID-19, bringing to 50,488 the number of confirmed cases in the country. Announcing this yesterday, the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) said Plateau recorded 186 new cases; Lagos, 172; Federal Capital
Territory (FCT), 62; Oyo, 27; Delta, 25; Rivers, 20; Ondo, 19; Edo, 18; Kaduna, 17; Enugu, 12; Akwa Ibom, 10; Ogun, seven; Abia and Gombe, six each; while Kano and Osun recorded three cases each. It said: “Nigeria has so far recorded 50,488 cases of COVID-19. 37,304 patients have been discharged, while 985 persons have died.”
WELCOME TO HOME OF HOSPITALITY...
Governor of Katsina State, Hon. Aminu Bello Masari (left), and the Emir of Kano, Alhaji Aminu Ado Bayero, during the monarch’s visit to the FRANCIS SARDAUNA governor at the General Muhammadu Buhari House, Katsina ...yesterday
WASSCE: Seven More Gombe Students Test Prevent Bloody Election in Edo, Amnesty Tells FG reports of violence by the political of expression, peaceful assembly, The Country Director of Alike class and the unfortunate use and association, before, during, Amnesty International Nigeria, Positive to COVID-19 Ejiofor Amnesty International (AI) of young people to perpetuate and after the state’s upcoming Osai Ojigho, said, “the potential Kwara arranges exam for 16-year-old patient
Hammed Shittu in Ilorin The Gombe State Commissioner for Education, Dr. Habu Dahiru, yesterday, said seven students of Government Girls Secondary School Doma, tested positive to COVID-19, bringing the total number of students infected with the virus to eight in the state. This is coming as the Kwara State government has arranged for a 16-yearold female COVID-19 patient to write her senior secondary school certificate examination at the Kwara State COVID-19/Infectious Disease Centre in Ilorin, the state capital. An unnamed student of the Government Science Secondary School Gombe, who tested positive to the virus, began his West African Senior School Certificate Examination from the state isolation centre on Monday. While visiting the unnamed student yesterday, the commissioner said upon the reopening of schools for graduating students, the ministry, in collaboration with the task force on Covid-19, had conducted 1,100 tests. Dahiru revealed that the seven other students are also candidates of the 2020 WASSCE. He said, “We gave preference to students returning from epicentre states like Kaduna, Kano, Yobe and Lagos, those places that have registered high cases of Covid-19. “So far, we have tested 1,100 cases, out of which the first case from Government Science Secondary School.
“He was immediately evacuated and isolated. He has written his first paper – Mathematics – and he is writing Agricultural Science today. It will be demoralising for him if we don’t allow him to write his exams. “The Government of Gombe State under the leadership of Governor Inuwa Yahaya said all students found to be positive of the virus should be taken care of. Meanwhile, a 16-yearold female COVID-19 patient is sitting her senior secondary school certificate examination at the Kwara State COVID-19/Infectious Disease Centre in Ilorin, the state capital. The patient —whose name and school were withheld to avoid stigma — wrote her Agricultural Science paper yesterday under close supervision by an official of the West African Examination Council (WAEC). Team Lead/Manager Case Management Team, Kwara COVID-19/Infectious Diseases Centre, Dr. Kudirat Oladeji-Lambe, told reporters that the candidate is asymptomatic, stable, and fit to write the exams. “The person in question is one of the final year Senior Secondary School students that have enrolled for the ongoing West African Senior School Certificate Examination and she’s right here writing her exam. She is asymptomatic, which means she does not show any symptoms, and she’s stable. She is just here to observe her two weeks isolation process,” Oladiji-Lambe said.
yesterday asked the federal government to prevent bloody election in Edo State by fulfilling its obligation to promote, protect, and respect human rights amidst disturbing signs of violence ahead of the gubernatorial election in the state. Amnesty said it had received
these reprehensible acts. The human rights organisation in a statement urged the federal government to stamp out violence and impunity and prevent bloody elections in Edo State. It stressed that the government must equally ensure full respect for freedom
gubernatorial election and in subsequent elections in other states of the federation. This was contained in the statement titled, ‘Nigeria: Authorities must prevent violence and uphold human rights before, during, and after Edo State gubernatorial election’.
turmoil being stirred up by various factions ahead of the gubernatorial election in Edo State should send a clear signal to the Nigerian authorities of the imminent violence ahead of the polls and government must take active steps to prevent a bloody poll.
UK Commission Appoints Interim Manager to MFM International Peter Uzoho The Charity Commission, an independent regulator of charities in England and Wales, has appointed an interim manager to Mountain of Fire and Miracles Ministries International (1100416), a north London-based charity, which exists to promote Christianity. The interim manager is saddled with the responsibility of reviewing the charity’s financial and governance processes, inspecting a number of the charity’s branches
and their handling of serious incidents. The commission in a statement said the interim manager assumes these duties at the exclusion of the charity’s trustees, stating that the trustees retain control over matters relating to religious activities. The commission had in March 2018, opened a statutory inquiry to look into a number of concerns at the charity, which included the repeated late filing of financial information, and a failure in
the administration resulting in opportunities for significant losses to the charity. It said it was concerned over the trustees’ unwillingness to report serious incidents. The inquiry had found two alleged incidents of fraud by former employees involving significant sums, both of which were not reported until a number of years after the frauds were discovered. It revealed that while a small percentage of the stolen funds had been recovered, the
charity continued to suffer a significant loss. According to the statement, the commission has serious concerns over the charity’s Chair of Trustees and his personal handling of serious incidents. It said the commission also has questions over the governance of the charity, explaining that three trustees were being paid in breach of the charity’s governing document, and causes conflict when employment matters are discussed.
Fashola: Why I Turned down 17 Honorary Degrees Ejiofor Alike The Minister of Works and Housing, Mr. Babatunde Fashola, yesterday decried the abuse of honorary degrees by universities in the country, revealing that he turned down 17 offers during his eight-year tenure as Lagos State governor between 2007 and 2015. According to a statement
issued yesterday by his Special Adviser on Communications, Mr. Hakeem Bello, the minister made this known when the Committee of Vice-Chancellors/ Association of Vice-Chancellors of Nigerian Universities paid him a courtesy visit. The former governor, who said he stopped the award of honorary degrees in the Lagos State University (LASU), noted
that honorary degrees must be conferred on awardees based on merit and not because they occupy political offices or command socio-economic powers. “We said, look we are going to be different and for two or three years we did not award any Honorary Degree because truly the idea of Honorary Degree is an important building
block of society and once we throw those blocks away or make them unviable then the purpose for it is lost. “In my eight years in office I had 17 offers and I didn’t take one. I told them to wait until when I was out of office and if they still find me worthy they should then come back, and when I was out of office only one came back.
Nigerian Embassy in Canada Shuts down after Protests over Passports The Nigerian High Commission in Ottawa, Canada has announced an indefinite suspension of its activities. In a statement posted on its website, the commission also said the special intervention arrangement for emergency cases “on discretionary basis” has been suspended. The commission said it had
devised a system in which citizens with emergency cases were attended to strictly by appointment that allowed a limited number of people into the chancery at a time — in compliance with the laid-down rules of physical distancing. But it said some citizens chose to abuse the system by showing
up without an appointment. It also accused citizens of acting in an unruly manner and disturbing the peace at the chancery. It said the situation came to a head on August 14, when a group showed up at the high commission and refused to allow embassy staff members to attend to those who
had appointments. It alleged that a female staff member was held hostage and subjected to physical abuse. “This kind of conduct is considered unnecessarily hostile and totally unacceptable and no embassy would tolerate conduct that puts the lives of its staff members at risk,” it said.
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POLITICS
Group Politics Editor NSEOBONG OKON-EKONG Email nseobong.okonekong@thisdaylive.com (08114495324 SMS ONLY)
‘No Party in Ondo Can Defeat the APC’ On the sideline of the recent inauguration of the All Progressives Congress National Campaign Council for the October 10 Governorship Election in Ondo State, Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State, Chairman of the council spoke with journalists including Nseobong Okon-Ekong on the council’s plans for the gubernatorial election, and endorsements of the party’s candidate, Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu of Ondo State by all the stakeholders
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Governor Akeredolu in different areas of human endeavours. We know that since APC-led government of Governor Rotimi Akeredolu was sworn in on the February 24, 2017, Ondo has moved from her hitherto parlous state and has returned to a trajectory of growth and development. This is a major feature of our party. We pride ourselves as harbinger of peace, progress and purposeful leadership wherever we have our foothold.
hat necessitated such a large campaign council -104 membersl? The large number of the campaign council is a reflection of the number of people who truly want to serve our party. It is a reflection of how committed our members are and how passionate they are to continue to serve the party at the national level. So, when you are called upon like this, I think it is not only a personal honour, it is also an honour for your state that you have been identified and you are willing to serve so as to deliver the election that we believe by the grace of God on October 10, 2020, our brother and friend, Governor Rotimi Akeredolu (SAN) would be returned as the Executive Governor of Ondo State. You are a first term governor with more than one year in office, why your choice as the chairman of the APC National Campaign Council for the Ondo State governorship poll? Four years ago, Governor Simon Lalong of Plateau State was appointed as the chairman of the APC National Campaign Council for Ondo State. He was a first term governor and he was a little bit over one year in office at that time and he did a fantastic job. He was able to uproot the Iroko in Ondo at that time. So history has just repeated itself. He is here standing beside me with a wealth of experience and knowing all the terrains very well. It is in the same context that I have also emerged not because I am lacking in number of years as a governor but given the antecedent of what has also happened four years ago and given the pedigree that I am also bringing to the table. Is your choice as the chairman of the campaign council, an endorsement of the National Leader of the party, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu on the candidature of Governor Akeredolu? The endorsement was not only Asiwaju’s but a collective endorsement. In this endorsement you’ve seen Senator Ajayi Borofice. You have seen our brother, Olusola Oke, you have seen meetings where Isaac Kekemeke was in attendance and you have seen meetings where Dr. Olusegun Abraham was in attendance. After the primaries, they all came together even before our choice in the National Campaign Council. In Ondo State, they have all gone ahead to resolve their problems by themselves and all of them have said we are going together and we are supporting the candidacy of Governor Rotimi Akeredolu. So, it is a unified thing. They have made our work a lot easier. But we know that the most critical thing is about the people in Ondo State. It is about good governance. It is about what the Governor or our party is doing and what we have said to the people that we will equally do. It is not an easy job but we believe in Governor Akeredolu. We believe that what he has started as a true progressive, he will not only take Ondo State to a higher level; people will see real governance and people-driven governance at the highest level. So, with the good job that he is doing, all of them on their own have endorsed that he should continue and the least we can do is to support that convergence and that is why we are here. How do you see your emergence as the Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) National Campaign
Sanwo-Olu
Council for the Ondo State governorship election? I am deeply honoured to be appointed as Chairman of the APC National Campaign Council for Ondo State governorship election, scheduled to hold on October 10. I am sure that the decision by the Chairman of the Caretaker/Extra Ordinary National Convention Planning Committee of our party, Governor Mai Mala Buni and other members must be a difficult one, considering a number of very eminent individuals and highly qualified personalities we have in our party. It is humbling to lead a team of very experienced women and men who would be working with other colleagues and stakeholders to retain Ondo State in the coming election. This is a moment of personal honour for me, but also of deep personal responsibility. I do not take this lightly and I believe every member of this high level council feels the same way. What chance does your party in the governorship poll? And do you think APC’s candidate and incumbent gov-
ernor, Mr. Oluwarotimi Akeredolu has done enough for him to be re-elected? Today, our great party the All Progressives Congress has begun a march to another victory in Ondo State. I have described this journey as a repeat performance of what we did less than four years ago, when the people of Ondo State filed out in their numbers to elect my brother and friend, Governor Rotimi Akeredolu (Aketi) as their sixth executive governor. The only difference in this year’s experience is that our victory will be a landslide. Four years ago, the people of Ondo State affirmed their believe in progressive governance and today, that believe, the validation of our party, the APC as an assemblage of well-spirited Nigerians who are poised to serve the humanity has yielded positive results with several achievements recorded by the Governor Rotimi Akeredolu-led administration. The need for us to do more and because we know that we can do more for the people, is the reason why our party is confident of victory at the polls. The party’s confidence is further buoyed by the giant strides of
The large number of the campaign council is a reflection of the number of people who truly want to serve our party. It is a reflection of how committed our members are and how passionate they are to continue to serve the party at the national level. So, when you are called upon like this, I think it is not only a personal honour, it is also an honour for your state that you have been identified and you are willing to serve so as to deliver the election that we believe by the grace of God on October 10, 2020, our brother and friend, Governor Rotimi Akeredolu (SAN) would be returned as the Executive Governor of Ondo State
So, you are confident that APC will win Ondo governorship poll… Yes, the tasks given to us by the APC Caretaker/Extra Ordinary National Convention Planning Committee will be approached with the highest sense of responsibility. We know that the people of Ondo State cannot afford to return to retrogressive life after experiencing progressive governance offered by the All Progressives Congress. Therefore, all the 104 members of the APC National Campaign Council for Ondo State Governorship election will roll up their sleeves and work hard for the victory that we truly and genuinely deserve. Let me also use this opportunity on behalf of members of the National Campaign Council, to pledge our commitment, passion and dedication as we take up this national assignment to deliver Ondo State to the All Progressives Congress. We are very confident of victory. No party in Ondo can defeat the APC. The people of Ondo were dissatisfied with Iroko’s eight years of motion without movement so they decided to give the progressives the opportunity and so far, Governor Akeredolu has done very well. He has impacted meaningfully on the lives of the poor masses, the middle class as well as the upper class in Ondo. In fact, his sterling performance has made our job a lot easier. What is your message to the major opposition party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in respect to the Ondo State governorship election? They should really not waste their time. But election is something that is not over until it is all over, so we are not going to take anybody for granted. We are going for an election and it is going to be issues based. We will ensure that we campaign on the platform for the people of Ondo State to see the need to continue with the progressive government that they have. He is doing very well, we have seen it but he knows that he still has the capacity and he has the energy to further advance what he is currently doing. That is why we are with him and we know he will do that. What’s your message to other party members? First, I will like to thank our great party, APC, for giving us this great opportunity to serve at the national level; it is a rare privilege and we will not take it for granted. We also thank the Governor Mai Mala Buni-led National Convention Committee for believing in us to retain Ondo State for our party. We wish to also send a message of assurance to the President, Muhammadu Buhari (GCFR) that Ondo will remain within the fold of the All Progressives Congress. On this note, I wish to invite all party faithful to join the committee to achieve this task that has been placed before us by the leadership of the party. We are on the march to victory in Ondo State.
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Editor, Editorial Page PETER ISHAKA Email peter.ishaka@thisdaylive.com
BAYELSA STATE’S UNENDING ELECTORAL CYCLE Matthew Ayibakuro writes that the people are the ultimate losers
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umbles, side-talks, murmuring, sighs and more. I was suddenly losing the attention of the civil society stakeholders I was making a presentation to on freedom of information in Edo State. In the midst of all the madness taking place in that state at the moment in the run up to the impending governorship elections, these civil society stakeholders were in a conference room creating an advocacy strategy for the enactment of a Freedom of Information Law in the state. But the distraction was not about that. It was in reaction to the breaking news that an Election Tribunal had nullified the governorship election that took place in Bayelsa State in November, 2019 and culminated in the dramatic inauguration of Douye Diri as governor of the state on the 14th of February 2020. The usual political reactions to this news over the last 24 hours belie the magnitude of the tragedy of this decision for the people of Bayelsa. Let us make no mistake about this, the impact of the decision by the tribunal will have the most devastating effects on the development prospects of Bayelsans in the short term, but also in the long term. I am deeply saddened, as should all well-meaning citizens of Bayelsa State. And the reason is simple: Bayelsa has been embroiled in an electoral cycle for over two years now, and no thanks to this decision, the state is now plunged further into this dizzying circle of leadership uncertainty. To put this in perspective, since mid-2018 when the primaries process commenced for the 2019 general elections, almost everything around governance in Bayelsa has revolved around the objective of winning elections, whether internally within political parties or in general polls. This two-year period - and counting, sadly - is supposed to be half the time an elected government should use in developing the state. But in Bayelsa, it has been used just for elections. This is why the befuddling celebrations and counter-celebrations have been astonishing for me. For anyone who has the best interest of Bayelsa at heart - and as we know everyone claims they do - these are dark days; very dark days for the state. It is often said in politics that there is no victor and no vanquished after elections. Well, not in this case. In this unremitting situation, there is no doubting the fact that Bayelsa is the ultimate looser. And of course, we, its luckless inhabitants. We are all losers. Hopefully, the vanquishing is still some way off. As a young professional living and working in Bayelsa, my passion - and that of many others like me - can be something of a poisoned chalice, especially when you see reactions to events like
BAYELSA HAS BEEN EMBROILED IN AN ELECTORAL CYCLE FOR OVER TWO YEARS NOW, AND NO THANKS TO THIS DECISION, THE STATE IS NOW PLUNGED FURTHER INTO THIS DIZZYING CIRCLE OF LEADERSHIP UNCERTAINTY
this on social media and on the ground. It is so easy to see how many people struggle to see the bigger picture in these situations. These are not good times: not for the PDP or APC or ANDP or anyone else, except, of course, those who selfishly but inevitably benefit from the highly monetised election processes in Nigeria. For them, Bayelsa is booming. For everyone else, well, we still struggle to have power and the most public services in our homes. When you look at the bigger picture, what you see is the fact that, thanks to the extant election cycle, Bayelsa has had two vacant seats in the upper chamber of the National Assembly for many months now, whilst important laws are enacted, budgets are passed and revised, and of course, investigations focused on the Niger Delta region are being conducted. When you look at the bigger picture, what you realise is the fact that, over the last two years: uncompleted projects have been commissioned for fanfare, projects that are entirely politically motivated have been initiated at the cost of billions of Naira, the state has gone through the enormous challenge of a novel global pandemic without an Executive Council, inestimable sums of money have been spent on legal processes from trial courts up to the Supreme Court - with that process set to commence again - and numerous lives lost either directly during election campaigns or indirectly, as an outcome of the unending electoral cycle in Bayelsa State. So, if we could all take our heads out of these political black boxes and take a step back, we would realise these are not good times for Bayelsa State. I understand that politics can be a very emotional process and that people in different political parties would have an initial reaction to the feeling of losing or being victorious following a tribunal decision. But I do hope that, for the sake of our state, the dust settles quickly on these politically charged reactions, so we can meaningfully count the cost of these lost years. And, oh dear, isn’t there quite a cost to count? Lives lost, billions in debt, representations unrepresented, the ramifications of an unstable political situation on the economy, jobs lost, the impact on the education sector and literally everything else. Unfortunately, whilst we can try to take lessons from these processes and avoid repeat mistakes - by political parties, by INEC, by tribunals and other courts, by individuals with planetary egos - one thing we cannot get back is the time lost. And that is the ultimate tragedy of Bayelsa State’s unending electoral cycle. r%S .BUUIFX JT B (PWFSOBODF BOE %FWFMPQNFOU &YQFSU
THE NDDC REGIME OF CORRUPTION
President Buhari should do what is right by sacking the Pondei-led IMC, writes Damian Nwikinaka
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igerians are amazed that several days after incontrovertible revelations and confessions by the Interim Management Committee regarding large-scale fraud, extra-budgetary expenditure, abuse of procurement laws and mismanagement of the Niger Delta Development Commission, President Muhammadu Buhari is yet to act. The Senate in particular did a thorough investigation. It set up an independent adhoc committee comprising senators outside the membership of the Senate Committee on Niger Delta. The Adhoc Committee was headed by Senator Olubunmi Adetunmbi of Ekiti State. The Committee carried out extensive investigation of the allegations of malfeasance against the IMC. It got the Commission’s account statement with the Central Bank of Nigeria, received presentations from the CBN, Office of the Accountant General of the Federation, Office of the Auditor General of the Federation, the Bureau for Public Procurement and other relevant government agencies, as well as confessional statements, both oral and written from the IMC members, showing how the IMC blew N81.5 billion in just a couple of months on fictitious contracts, frivolities, and in breach of extant financial and public procurement laws. Indeed, Nigerians are eagerly awaiting the action of Mr. President on the worrisome on-going contract scams, financial recklessness, corruption, abuse of office and mismanagement being perpetrated at the NDDC. President Buhari cannot continue to act like humongous corruption has become the synonym for his government. When he was asked recently what he thought of the ongoing revelations of corruption at the EFCC and NDDC, the president said that some of his appointees have abused trust by misusing their offices for their self-aggrandisement. Yet he is delaying action and emboldening the Niger Delta Minister, Chief Godswill Akpabio, and the IMC to continue the pillage of the NDDC, as was clearly exposed during the National Assembly investigations as part of their oversight duty. In the 121-page report, which was adopted as a resolution of the Senate, the Senate Committee found that the IMC, which is headed by Prof Daniel Keme Pondei as Acting Managing Director, made withdrawals in the name of contracts that could not be verified. These fictitious contract payments ran into billions of naira. It therefore recommended that
the IMC should refund the sum of N4.923 billion to the Federation Account. Among the payments made, the Senate discovered that the Pondei-led IMC on April 15, 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown paid out N1.96 billion purportedly for the procurement of Lassa fever Personal Protection kits for the 185 LGAs of the NDDC states. Yet, the IMC, which said rather strangely that it used staff of the NDDC to distribute them, could not produce evidence of delivery of these kits to any of the 185 LGAs. Everything spoke to the fact that this was a fictitious unexecuted contract, which was used to steal and launder money from the NDDC. The IMC failed to provide a single name of at least one recipient out of the 185 LGAs to whom the kits were purportedly handed over. It was self-evident that the fictitious contract, which was paid for by the IMC on April 15, 2020, was a conduit to steal the said N1.96 billion. The Senate resolved that the IMC should refund the sum of N1.96 billion under the “Refund of Extra Budgetary Expenditure� along with the following: One, N85.7 million, purportedly paid for overseas travel to IMC members during the Covid-19 lockdown. Two, N105.5 million, purportedly paid for non-existent scholarship grants. Three, N164.2 million, purportedly paid to the NDDC Staff Union members for a journey to Italy, during the Covid-19 lockdown. Four, N1.12 billion, purportedly paid for public communication activities during the Covid-19 lockdown for which the IMC failed to provide evidence of places where the campaigns took place. Five, N1.49 billion, purportedly paid for Covid-19 relief materials which was not procured. The IMC could not also explain how the sum of N143.55m was paid by them to five staff of PRS/ MIS Department of the NDDC as “Advance for the 2020 budget Participatory Conference� which was supposed to hold during the lockdown and which it could not prove actually took place. It seemed that the Pondei-led IMC was on a corruption binge as no excuse was deemed too ridiculous to pay out money from the NDDC account. As the NDDC account statement showed, the IMC paid out N1.3bn for community relations, N122.9m on condolences, N83m on consultancy, N3.14bn on COVID-19, N486m duty travel allowance, N790.9m as imprest, N1.956bn on Lassa fever, N900m on legal service, N220m on maintenance,
N85.6m on foreign travels, N1.121bn on public projects communication, N744m on security, N8.8bn on staffing-related payment and N248m on stakeholders’ engagement. Also, the IMC ridiculously claimed that it paid out hundreds of millions of naira to youths and chiefs (in all 185 LGAs) to identify project sites whilst giving evidence before the House of Representatives Committee. The Senate Committee found this to be another fraudulent payment made by the IMC because the NDDC has a database of all projects awarded since its establishment in 2000. The expenditures were so embarrassing that the Auditor-General of the Federation said at the public hearing that there must be punitive measures to discourage public office holders from unlawful conduct. The acting managing director Prof. Pondei brought shame and unimaginable drama to the National Assembly public hearings. Watched on live TV by millions in Nigeria and across the world as he was being questioned about several shocking expenditures running into billions of naira to which he could not provide answers, Pondei promptly ‘fainted’ to escape further questions. It was the first time in Nigeria’s national history where the Chief Executive Officer/Chief Accounting Officer of a Ministry, Department or Agency (MDA) would play a fainting script to dodge oversight over his official duties. It was indeed a very shameful episode and Nigerians all over the world are still being confronted daily and trolled with images of Pondei’s fainting drama. Nigerians saw clearly the farce of a presentation made by Pondei and the Acting Executive Director Projects, Dr Cairo Ojougboh, at the committee hearings where N81.5bn was found to have been spent recklessly by the IMC in just a couple of months. Looking at Pondei’s incoherent mumbo-jumbo on these contracts and other similar statements he and the IMC made during the National Assembly investigations, including the shameful dramatic fainting incident at the public hearing of the House of Representatives Committee, it is sad that such a man and his colleagues are still left to preside over the NDDC. Beside the financial recklessness and mismanagement, was the very criminal act of the Niger Delta Minister Chief Godswill Akpabio fraudulently procuring certificates of no-objection from the Bureau
of Public Procurement (BPP) for the award of two contracts, the first for a lead consultant at N318m, and the second for the purchase of 62 cars for N1.599bn. According to the Bureau for Public Procurement (BPP), Akpabio assured them that the contracts had budgetary provision, following which he presented memos and obtained approvals for these contracts at the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meetings of February 12 and June 10, 2020, respectively. However, the NDDC had no budgetary provision for these items as required by the law at the time Akpabio presented these memos to the FEC. In effect, Akpabio deceived the President and FEC to approve the contracts, thereby making the president and FEC to commit an illegality! After nine months of the IMC in office, the Minister of Niger Delta Godswill Akpabio and the IMC he brought to run the NDDC have instituted a criminal enterprise that wantonly breaches the public procurement laws, grants and pays for fictitious contracts, award themselves ridiculous bonuses, and manage the NDDC like their private estate, as the National Assembly investigations have exposed. The Senate committee report on the financial recklessness of the IMC presented a detailed account of what has been going on at the NDDC in the last nine months that it has been managed by the IMC. It also made recommendations on what needs to be done. That report was adopted unanimously by the Senate at plenary on July 23. The Senate resolution recommended that the IMC be disbanded and made to refund the sum of N4.923bn; that the substantive Governing Board of the NDDC be sworn in to manage the commission in line with the NDDC Act; that the NDDC be moved back to the office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) in the Presidency for proper supervision; that the Office of the Auditor General of the Federation supervise the forensic audit to “guarantee independence, credibility, transparency and professionalism in the output of the exercise,� and that “the President with advice from the Auditor General should appoint a renowned, internationally-recognised forensic auditor to carry out the exercise.� r/XJLJOBLB JT UIF %JSFDUPS PG *OGPSNBUJPO BOE 4USBUFHZ PG 5SBOTQBSFODZ BOE "DDPVOUBCJMJUZ "EWBODFNFOU (SPVQ
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EDITORIAL
THE THREAT TO NATIONAL SECURITY Security agencies must work without infringing on the rights of the people
W
e agree with the Department of State Service (DSS) that the freedom of expression, which democracy guarantees, does not include a license to plunge the nation into avoidable mayhem and bloodshed. In two statements within a spate of three weeks, the agency claimed to have uncovered plots by some group of persons to destabilise the country. The claim on a radio programme by a former Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Deputy Governor that a northern governor is leader of Boko Haram is being used by the DSS as justification for the alarm. The primary role of the security agencies is to carefully demarcate between democratic freedom and a clear descent into recklessness that threatens us all. Since no responsible authority should tolerate a threat to national security, the DSS is perfectly in order to warn highly placed individuals TO DEAL WITH whose utterances THE CURRENT could cause problems CHALLENGE, WE NEED for the country. While democracy entitles A NEW CONDUCT OF citizens to freedoms LEADERSHIP THAT IS of expression and EVENHANDED AND association, it is INCLUSIVE also true that every democracy has an obligation to mediate and modulate these freedoms in order to ensure the survival of the nation itself. We therefore denounce any acts by individuals or groups that are capable of fanning ethno-religious tension in the country. However, while the DSS should be proactive in its intelligence gathering function, we caution it should learn to carry out its task without infringing on the fundamental rights of the people. The earlier security alert formed the basis upon which some socio-cultural groups were announced proscribed by the federal government and their certificates of registration vitiated by the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC). Following the proscription, the CAC
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TO OUR READERS Letters in response to speciďŹ c publications in THISDAY should be brief (150-200 words) and straight to the point. Interested readers may send such letters along with their contact details to opinion@thisdaylive.com. We also welcome comments and opinions on topical local, national and international issues provided they are well-written and should also not be longer than (9501000 words). They should be sent to opinion@thisdaylive.com along with the email address and phone numbers of the writer.
IS COVID-19 PUNISHMENT FROM GOD?
n the national newspaper I read of recent some comments by some religious leaders (both Christian and Muslim) which attribute the Coronavirus pandemic to God. According to these religious leaders, “God through this [Coronavirus] pandemic is teaching the citizenry some lessons .... “ A renowned Islamic scholar and professor was reported to have described the COVID-19 pandemic as a spiritual punishment from Allah, as a result of accumulated sins. However, I wish to use this medium to express my disagreement with the views presented above and to dispel these negative views about God from the minds of readers. As a Christian, my thoughts and opinions on this matter are guided by what I have learnt from God’s Inspired Word, The Bible. A case in study is the Bible’s account of Job, found in the Bible Book which bears his name - the Book of Job. In this book, we read about Job’s intense suffering, including his being afflicted with painful disease. However, the Bible describes Job as an upright man of integrity who feared God and shunned what was bad. (Job Chapter 1, Verse 1) However, three companions of Job who had come to sympathize with him and comfort him felt that Job’s suffering was as a result of his own wickedness and sins. But as we find in the concluding chapter of the Book of Job, God’s anger burned against Job’s three ‘false comforters.’ -Job 42:7. In a similar way today, when we experience difficult trials or suffering, we may at some point begin to wonder if our suffering is punishment from God for our sins. Well, it is true that in some cases, our suffering may actually be as a result of sins we may have committed. The Bible says, at Galatians, Chapter 6, Verse 7: “Whatever a person is sowing, this he will also reap.� So, some of our suffering can be brought on as a result of our own poor choices. For example,
has vowed that in future, requests for registration by social-cultural groups will not be granted without a certificate of security screening and clearance of members of their Board of Trustees. The clampdown on socio-cultural organisations is an overkill. While we understand that building an inclusive and egalitarian society in a federal arrangement is always a work-in-progress, the security agencies— whose primary responsibility is the protection of national security through managing and deterring threats to the unity and peaceful co-existence of our country—are also becoming part of the problem. Not only do they discriminate in the choice of culprits in moments of crisis, they are never evenhanded in the application of the law. That has become a pattern under the current administration and has made many ethno-religious conflicts, especially in some northern states, very difficult to resolve. It is also important for the DSS to understand that hate speech is not always self-driven. It sometimes erupts when signals in the political space dredge up buried subliminal impulses. The initial utterances of President Muhammadu Buhari energised certain subliminal impulses in our society. And some of his choices since then have not helped. In many ways therefore, the recent flourish of hateful and divisive utterances is primarily political. Key federal appointments have followed a parochial track while the body language at the apex of power unfortunately reflects a basic reluctance to relate to Nigeria as a constitutional republic. Political jobbers all over the country have since taken the cue and hijacked the narratives. And we now have nearly as many separatist groups as there are known zones of discontent in the country. To deal with the current challenge, we need a new conduct of leadership that is evenhanded and inclusive so that citizens begin to hold government accountable for the things that unite us—education, health, employment, infrastructure, reasonable economic livelihood. It is the failure of governance and the irresponsibility of lazy politics that are at issue in the epidemic of hate and divisiveness currently on shameful display in Nigeria. That is what the authorities must begin to deal with.
a person can choose to ignore the warning to avoid a harmful practice such as smoking, and then reap the bad consequences thereafter, such as developing a lung disease. His suffering is as a result of his own poor choice. Much of our suffering also results from our sinful nature, which both good and bad people have inherited. That sinful nature contributes to physical and mental disorders as well as traits that cause people to harm one another. Another reason for human suffering is what we find in the Book of 1 John, Chapter 5, Verse 19: “ . . . the whole world is lying in the power of the wicked one.� This “wicked one� is Satan the Devil. He is vicious and cruel, and as the Bible says at Revelation 12:9, he is “misleading the entire inhabited earth.� Many people imitate Satan. And that is just one other reason why the world is so full of lies, hatred, cruelty and suffering. It is also good for us to take note of what the Bible says at James, Chapter 1, Verse 13: “When under trial, let no one say: “I am being tried by God.� For with evil things God cannot be tried, nor does he himself try anyone.� Also, the words of Job 34:10: “It is unthinkable for the true God to act wickedly, For the Almighty to do wrong!� However, some may still wonder: Are today’s pandemics punishment from God? I answer: NO! The Bible does not support the claim that God is using pandemics and other sicknesses to punish people today. Although the Bible reports a few occasions when God used sickness to punish people (for example, He caused some individuals to have leprosy), these isolated incidents, however, were not indiscriminate pandemics that spread to innocent people. Rather, such events were specific judgements on individuals who had clearly rebelled against God. r%BOJFM *HIBLQF '&45"$ 5PXO -BHPT
TRAVAIL OF A SERIAL ‘OLUTAGBAMOLE’
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orubas, by extension Africans, are renown for revering their elders, both indoor and in the public, in words and in actions. However, one gets to wonder what is amiss when one views the conduct of former Governor Peter Ayodele Fayose, who at every available opportunity, do throw decorum to the winds. For the avoidance of doubt, in the last few weeks, I’ve read with extreme disbelief many of his impish public releases against two of our revered elders of Yoruba nation. Most especially is the worthless statement released on his official twitter handle against the Atoona Odua (Pathfinder) of Yorubaland, High Chief Olabode Ibiyinka George. Across party or ethnic affiliations, it is now a general belief that Dr Fayose’s penchant for disrespecting elders and reputable leaders of note, has become something else. And those one needs to pity are our so -called Lagosians, who condemn Tinubu with utmost hatred because he’s an atowunrinwa, kneeling on our necks in Lagos, but now trying to worship this disrespectful Ekiti man, as their leader. I simply cannot fathom what to ascribe this to, is it greed or covetousness? It’s even funny that Fayose’s treachery is coming up again at a time the masses are well prepared for an Otoge in Lagos State, and some PDP elements are trying to pull another alaileko to Lagos as their leader. What a shame, what an irony of fate for some Yorubas. The Ekitis are known to be cultured but Ayo is a different breed. No doubt, many affirmed that some people simply lack moral values; they do not have pictures of the elderly ones in their family. rA%BSF "EFMFLF &YFDVUJWF $IBJSNBO 1BDFTFUUFS 5SBOTQPSU $PSQPSBUJPO 0MVZPMF *CBEBO
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FEATURES
Group Features Editor: Chiemelie Ezeobi Email chiemelie.ezeobi@thisdaylive.com, Tel: 07010510430
An Artist's Fight against Hard Drugs Chiamaka Ozulumba writes that Emmanuel Okenwa,a talented visual artist popularly known by his stage name‘Sly Megida Jnr’,uses the beauty of art to draw attention to the threat hard drugs pose if left unchecked
Drug of Art
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further spread the underlying messages through our painting. “The campaign was taken to schools because allurement and cravings begin at the early stage where they are faced with different choices that can make or mar their lives. High school is the foundation of the life of every youth and bad vices set in at this stage. “Children can be ‘bended’ but not adults, so that’s what fuelled our campaign. We decided to focus primarily on secondary schools and universities, we recently had an event at the University of Lagos (UniLag), dubbed ‘The Drug of Art’, where the painting was the focal point and used to impact knowledge”.
mmanuel Okenwa, popularly known as Sly Megida Jnr is a visual artist who was born and raised in Lagos although he hails from Akpugo in Nkanu L.G.A Enugu State. With a BA. in Business Management and Computer Science from the University of Winsconsin Accra, Ghana, he owns and manages his art brand known as Coke Spice. On how he coined Sly Megida jnr, he said: “It was coined out of two names, my English name, ‘Sylvester’ and my father’s nickname ‘Megida’, which he got from his many trips to Northern Nigeria, he spoke fluent Hausa and people there called him ‘Megida’. Sly is an acronym which means ‘Soon Leaving Yesterday’, a name I was quite popular with back in secondary school and it stuck even after I left school.” Insight into Art Foray On how his foray into the world of art began he said: “I have always been in love with Arts since I was a young boy. It came to me naturally, I never studied Fine Arts or did any course pertaining to Arts in school, I just knew I was naturally creative. Drawing was a part of many creative skills I developed although I stopped drawing for a while after my secondary education until 2015 during my undergraduate days in Ghana when I started drawing and painting. “It was then I realised that it was what I loved doing and decided to take it up as a career. I express my art through still-life, hyper-realism, expressionism, cubism, futurism, geometric and tribal art in oil and acrylic on canvas. In 2016 I organised my first solo exhibition with my team tagged ‘Never Mind’, the turnout was very impressive and ever since there has been no looking back.” Role Models On his role models he said: “My art has been influenced by pop visual artists such as Andy Warhol, Pablo Picasso, Michel Basquiat and Roy Lichtenstein who are characterised by their portrayal of any and all aspects of popular culture that had a powerful impact on contemporary life. I refer to myself as an ‘Afro Pop Artist’ and I believe to have up the mantle of legacy made by these legends in my own disposition called ‘Afro Pop Art Culture’ Movement hence, my determination to take Africa Art to the world and also get Africans more familiar and in tuned with Art from the rest of the world”
Outcome Although he would not physically weigh the outcome of his work and how far he has come along he said: “The achievement so far has been a gradual progress as it’s always an upheaval trying to push for change in a free world, it has been a good gradual process and I am hopefully that it will be a continuous process. It isn’t easy to change people’s opinion or perspective on things so easy, but that’s the challenge and it has been an interesting one so far despite how daunting the journey has been.
Megida
Inspiration to Fight Drugs through Art On what inspired him to use art as a tool to expose the effect of using hard drug he said: “I always endeavour to always pass a message across with my art in whatever form I use to express, and the subject of my works are based on the prevailing influence of human behaviour in social and cultural environment. The issue of drug abuse has been a recurrent strong influence on human behaviour in our social and cultural environments all over the world and the negative effects are overwhelming. “It’s my belief that everyone on earth was created for a purpose which is to try and make the world a better place, we can pass messages across and address social ills with our talents, mine is Art. Art is life, it washes off the dust of everyday life. I realised that other than being applauded and celebrated, my works could tell true life stories and I could reach out to more people. “‘Drug of Art’ is my own preferred medium to contribute my own quota in the fight against the illicit use of hard drugs and help create further awareness and solution by transforming such
negative vibes into positive vibes through art and creativity.” Alluding that his fight against hard drugs stemmed out of personal experience he had with someone, he added that “the message the painting depicts is the harsh effects the use of illicit drugs has on human beings. I have met a mother who lost her son to drug overdose, before we started the campaign and her story moved me to use my art to spread word about the hazardous effect illicit drugs has on its users. I tried to channel the pain and hurt the mother felt while she told the story into the painting called ‘Drug of Art’ and I am very impressed with the outcome”. Campaign to Schools On his campaign against hard drugs in secondary schools and universities he revealed that “the ‘Drug of Art’ painting was created because we felt a gap in the society that needed to be fixed and we took it as our social responsibility to do so. As a brand, we felt it was right to create a platform that could give the opportunity to
Battling Obstacles Touching on whether he has ever felt that he was fighting a lost battle against hard drugs he said: “I am an optimistic person who tends to see things from a positive point of view, I learn from my mistakes and only see challenges as steppingstones. “Of course, there have been days when I feel that I am losing the battle but whenever I visit certain places and I hear people say, ‘Oga say no to drugs’, I realise that my message is being heard and word is being spread. My motivation is that I understand that it takes patience and hard work to create value so on dark days when I think all hope is lost, I remember to look back and count my blessings and keep looking forward to better days. “Whenever I feel downcast, all I need do is to start a new piece as it gives me an out as very piece comes with its own flavour. I always tell people especially the youths that nothing in life is worth losing your dreams for. God did not create junk, everyone has a purpose in life and so they should make that gift their drug, ingest the drug of art and unveil their true potentials without the aid of hard drugs.”
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T H I S D AY ˾ AUGUST 20, 2020
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Quick Takes Firm Introduces CIOs’ Awards
MEDIA BRIEFING
L-R: CEO, March Media, Kehinde Olesin; Lead Consultant, Edniesal Consulting Limited, Biola Laseinde; Director, Wale Laseinde, and CEO, Vision Drivers Management Consultants, Elvis Ukpaka, at the launch of the CIO Awards held in Lagos... recently
Expert Raises Concern over Plan to Phase out Third-party Cookies Stories by Emma Okonji The Founder/CEO of Terragon, an enterprise marketing technology company, Mr. Elo Umeh, has raised concern over the planned phase out of third-party cookies by Google, Apple and Mozilla. According to him, the move would create serious challenge on data analytics and digital marketing. Cookies are small pieces of data stored on web users’ computer/device and enable the domain/webpage to store information and preferences about that user in order to facilitate smoother user interactions. In January 2020, Google announced that it would phase out third-party cookies on its chrome internet browser over the next two years, joining other
TELECOM internet platforms like Safari by Apple, and Firefox by Mozilla who phased their out since 2013. The development came amidst the growing agitation for stronger user privacy and security on the internet. The Director of Chrome Engineering at Google, Justin Schuh, had said: “Users are demanding greater privacyincluding transparency, choice and control over how their data is used-and it’s clear the web ecosystem needs to evolve to meet these increasing demands.” Google’s browser app Chrome, constitutes over 60 per cent of the total users of internet browsers as of Q2-2020, according to StatCounter, making it the most impactful in
the digital advertising space by any web browser. Concerned about the development, Umeh said marketers and advertisers alike had become weary as to what the future of targeted advertising holds for them given the domino effect this will have on their business. According to Umeh, “In today’s Ads ecosystem, marketers are inclined to depend on third-party cookies in order to design and execute marketing strategies for Ads-retargeting, Pop-up Advertising, and laser-focused user campaigns to enhance efficient marketing resource utilisation of the advertisers. “We are led to wonder at this point how marketers who depend heavily on third-party cookies for Ads retargeting to drive their
top-line would cope with the new development. This phase out is extremely significant in the digital advertising industry for all stakeholders especially because Google remains the overwhelming market leader in the web browser segment, hence, everyone from the advertisers who depend on the marketer’s ability to track and execute user-tailored Ads, to the publisher who enjoys the monetisation of their platform, and the marketer who derive their major revenue sources will all have to adjust to the new reality.” Google however made it known that the alternative to the third-party cookies will be, “Privacy Sandbox,” which it claims would enhance user Continued on page 18
Report: 91% Customers Consider Counterfeiting Inimical to Business Findings from a recent HP survey in Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) has shown that 91 per cent of surveyed customers believe counterfeits present a risk to their business. According to the report, “Over 97 per cent of customers see HP’s Customer Delivery Inspections (CDIs) as a valuable service for their business, and 96 per cent feel they protect them from falling victim to fraudsters.” Customer Delivery Inspections, which are a free and effective feature of HP’s AntiCounterfeit and Fraud (ACF) programme, offer customers a reliable way to confirm the authenticity of their stock. They involve on-site checks of suspicious large or mid-
TELECOM sized cartridge deliveries in response to reports initiated by HP customers. If dubious deliveries are found, the HP ACF team are proactively alerted, and can follow up with appropriate action. Amid the COVID-19 disruption, HP has also offered photo-based CDIs if circumstances do not allow for an on-site visit. The report also revealed that 60 per cent of customers planned to take steps to purchase safely in future, directly following with the HP CDI guidance. As a result, 98 per cent of customers surveyed would recommend HP CDIs to other customers. Analysing the report,
Global Lead of Supplies Anti-Counterfeit and Fraud Programme, Suanne SchoewitzFranchi, said: “At HP, we are incredibly proud of the positive feedback our customers have given in response to our Customer Delivery Inspections. Unlike counterfeit goods, HP Originals are designed to meet our strict quality and reliable standards and to deliver superb performance and consistent results.” According to SchoewitzFranchi, “Our high standards go beyond our products. With our survey finding that 91 per cent of surveyed customers believe counterfeits present a risk to their business, it is important that we continue to fight fraudulent activity and
ensure our customers have access to a reliable source of information and advice so that they have a peace of mind when buying HP products. “With this in mind, HP maintains its commitment to protect our customers through our Anti-Counterfeit and Fraud programme, as shown by our quick action to adapt CDIs in response to the COVID-19 outbreak.” Across EMEA over the last five years, HP has supported local law enforcement authorities to seize around 12.5 million items, including counterfeit cartridges, hardware products, and components. Between October 2019 to Continued on page 18
Edniesal Consulting Limited, an enterprise governance and business consultancy firm, has announced the maiden edition of its leadership awardsforChiefInformationOfficer(CIO),inNigeria. EachyeartheCIOawardswouldrecogniseoutstandingprofessionalsand organisations,whohaveduringtheyearunderreview,deliveredbusiness valuetotheirorganisationandtheindustryatlarge,throughtheinnovative useoftechnology. The inaugural awards is open to the top technology leaders within an organitation who have the overall responsibility and control of the IT vision and direction of the company. The award will be held in Lagos on November26th,2020. SpeakingduringamediabriefingheldinLagosrecently,theCEOofEdniesal Consulting, Abiola Laseinde, disclosed that the awards was created to serveasamarkofindividualandenterpriseexcellenceinNigeria. “CIOs have overtime been responsible for delivering top-of-the-line innovation and business value within their organisations while also being attheforefrontofdecisionmakingandstrategicchange. “This class of business leaders are hardly visible nor celebrated in most organisations, but now their role has increased in importance over time as they evolve from information to innovation and leading the digital transformationinitiatives. “In some companies, depending on the organisational culture, they are askedtowearmultiplehatsofbusinessstrategistsandchangeleaders. “It is therefore our commitment to recognise individual and enterprise excellenceininnovationandtechnologyacrossdifferentsectors.Itisindeed the celebration of the individuals and talented teams behind business transformationsacrossdifferentsectorsinNigeria,”Laseindesaid.
VDT Achieves 100% Service Uptime
VDTCommunications,abroadbandserviceprovidersaidithasachieved 100percentserviceuptimedeliverytoitscustomerswhocannotafford anydowntimeintheirinternetserviceprovision. This,VDTdoesbymultipleredundanttrunkdeploymentforsuchcustomers.Apartfromensuring100percentserviceuptime,thetechnologyalso offer several other benefits to the customers such as increased speed , increasedoperationalflexibilitywiththemultipleredundanttrunksand reducedlatencyasaresultoflowercongestioniftheprimarytrunkfails. The technology reinforces a high level of service reliability and quality. It alsosavesthecustomersenormouscostandtimebyeliminatingtheneed formultiplebroadbandvendors. Marketing Communications Manager at VDT, Mr. David Ese, said with the introduction of the 100 per cent service uptime technology, several customers were already taking advantage of the service to eliminate the cost of having multiple vendors, yet ensure smooth running of their businesseswithoutthehindrancesduetodowntimes,unreliableorslow ornetworks. AccordingtoEse,“VDTCommunicationsLimited,anISO9001:2015andthe 1stISO20000:2011internationallycertifiedTelecomCompanyinNigeriafor excellentITservicemanagementispassionateaboutconsistentlyoffering thehighestpossiblequalityofservicetohercustomers. “The company provides excellent after-sales services through her well trainedandadequatepersonnel.Inarecentsurveyconducted,thecompany’s speedofresponseisarguablythefastestintheindustry. “This is made possible due to the company closeness to her customers throughout the country with over 130 POPS/business offices spread acrossallthestatesandFCTAbuja.”
Hoop Telecoms Launches Cloud Services
Hoop Telecoms Limited, an indigenous telecommunications service provider has launched its cloud management services for enterprise businessandSMEsbusiness. ManagingDirectorofHoopTelecoms,JimChinasa,whilespeakingatthe launch, which held recently in Lagos, disclosed that the managed cloud services would provide companies with full proof technology, robust infrastructure, and a centralised network service application for their businessoperations. According to him, “This will aid seamless processes and enable staff of organisationstoworkremotelyfromanywhereintheworld.HoopTelecoms managedserviceshelpsorganisationstoremotelymanageInformation Technology(IT)infrastructuresandend-usersystemsoforganisations, which helps them to reduce expenditure duplications, operational cost andalsoprovideasecuredplatformforthem.”
“One year after the first 5G deployments, regulators in the Gulf countries are now starting the benchmarking of 5G coverage, to ensure that Communication Service Providers (CSPs) are meeting conditions for spectrum allocations” Chief Technical Officer, Ericsson Middle East and Africa,
Mr. Zoran Lazarevic
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BUSINESSWORLD EXPERT RAISES CONCERN OVER PLAN TO PHASE OUT THIRDPARTY COOKIES privacy and actually be a fine balance between user privacy and tracking. Disturbed by the development, Umeh said the major element in the privacy sandbox was Google’s plan to migrate the user’s data into Google chrome where it will be stored and processed, adding that in essence, marketers and advertisers will inevitably become more dependent on Google for advertising, or find ways to better leverage the first-party cookies instead. “Right now the key stakeholders in the digital advertising ecosystem will have to stay close to the coming updates with regards to this development as it unfolds. It portends a market that will be controlled by leading global technology platforms, such as Facebook, Google, Apple, Microsoft and a few others. “This is also a wake-up call, for marketers and advertisers locally, more specifically in Africa to be open to other innovative ways in knowing who their customer is, engaging with them, executing advertising initiatives, which make them less-dependent on third party cookies.”
FRESH FOCUS REQUIRED TO FIGHT CYBER-FRAUD, SAYS EXPERT March 2020, HP, together with local authorities in Kenya, Nigeria and Tanzania, successfully obstructed a number of counterfeit trading programmes and removed close to 200,000 illicit products from the African region, including fake HP printer cartridges and components to assemble further counterfeits. HP said it is dedicated to empowering channel partners, customers, and enforcement authority representatives with the knowledge to identify fraudulent supplies and protect business. In EMEA, close to 7,000 stakeholders have attended HP’s dedicate Education and Prevention activities. The company also cooperates closely with local and global law enforcement authorities to detect and dismantle illegal operations that produce counterfeit HP printing components.
Group Business Editor
Obinna Chima
Capital Market Editor
Goddy Egene
Comms/e-Business Editor
Emma Okonji
Senior Correspondent
Raheem Akingbolu (Advertising) Correspondents
Chinedu Eze (Aviation) Eromosele Abiodun (Maritime) James Emejo (Finance) Ebere Nwoji (Insurance) Chineme Okafo (Energy) Reporters
Nume Ekeghe (Money Market) Nosa Alekhuogie (ICT)
NEWS
‘4G Evolution Vital for Mobile Networks in Africa’ Stories by Emma Okonji The Chief Technology Officer at Ericsson West Africa and Morocco, Talla Guisse, has said technology evolution, especially 4G technology has contributed to revolutionising Africa. He however said the technology remained a vital future for mobile Networks in Africa, considering its adoption rate in most African countries like Nigeria, Kenya, Morocco and South Africa. Guisse, in a statement, said Africa has come a long way in its digitisation journey from mobile telephony to broadband, connecting and digitizing entire sectors economies, jobs, education, healthcare, government and societies. He however said in light of the revolutionary technological advances that are changing the African continent, a comprehensive technology framework needed to be in place to put Africa at the forefront of digital transformation. “There is overwhelming evidence linking Information and Communications Technology (ICT) investment in infrastructure, economic growth and job creation. The ICT sector in Africa continues to demonstrate dynamic growth, particularly driven by the mobile sector.
The view is that the majority of infrastructure investment will be done by the mobile industry. “Mobile Network Operators (MNOs), infrastructure manufacturers and ICT service providers, have played a crucial part in enhancing 4G networks in Africa and paving the way for next generation of mobile connectivity. The latest mobility data shows a gradual transition to the latest technology and today 55 per
cent of mobile subscriptions globally are running on 4G/ LTE. In sub-Saharan Africa, Long Term Evolution (LTE) technology accounted for around 11 per cent of subscriptions in 2019. “At this turning point, Ericsson is proud to contribute to this journey and use advanced technology to enable rapid improvements in industrial production, societal services and people’s way of living
and interacting with their environment.” Guisse who stressed the need in modernising Africa’s networks, said as quarantine restrictions continue to shutter workplaces around the globe, fixed and mobile networks have become a critical source of support for enterprises. The ability of mobile networks to meet this unprecedented demand proves the reliability and robustness of
today’s mobile technologies. He explained that the 4G network provided Africa’s mobile users with faster data speeds, high-quality video conferencing and faster response times when using mobile applications or accessing the internet. It also helped service providers meet demand for mobile data, which is rising every year as customers move to adopt data-hungry smartphones, mobile modems and tablets.
BUSINESS REVIEW
L-R: Group Finance Director, UAC of Nigeria Plc, Mr. Ibikunle Oriola; Non-Executive Chairman, Mr. Dan Agbor, and Company Secretary, Mr. Godwin Samuel, at the 2020 annual general meeting of UAC of Nigeria Plc held in Lagos... recently PHOTO: ETOP UKUTT
FG Begins Nationwide ICT Capacity Building Training for Civil Servants The federal government has commenced service-wide capacity building on e-Government with the directorate cadre of the service from various Ministries, Extra-Ministerial Department and Agencies (MDAs) and states civil servants across the country. The Directorate Cadre from Grade Level 15-17 batches A and B had their training at the E-Government Training Centre, Public Service Institute of Nigeria (PSIN), Kubwa, Abuja recently. Speaking during the closing ceremony, the Chairman Govern-
ing Board, E-Government Training Centre, who is the Director General, National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Mr. Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi stated that the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Dr. Isa Ibrahim directed the governing board to train all civil servants in the country on e-government in line with President Muhammadu Buhari’s directives to ensure digitalisation process of government activities. According to Abdullahi, “There is a virtual platform
for other public servants and they have been moving around the country to conduct different categories of training for citizens including women, physically challenged persons, artisans, graduates and entrepreneurs. “This is the first stage for the mainstream civil servant, and we are starting with the directorate cadre and it is going to be in form of train the trainers and we expect you to pass the knowledge to your subordinate working under you before their training. We also have a virtual platform to learn other things
so that you can practice and improve on what you learnt.” The Co-Chairman, Governing Board and Managing Director, Galaxy BackBone, Professor Muhammed Bello Abubakar, said the e-government training was meant to improve the quality of service delivery to the citizens and transparency in government activities. He noted that the major aim of the training was to sensitise and show direction to the civil servants on the role of e-government in reducing corruption and cost of government
activities as well as economic development of the nation. This is the first time Nigerian resource persons from the private and public sector would conduct the e-government training after they had received training from experts from South Korea. Prizes were won by officials of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Director Finance and Account, Federal Ministry of Communications, Mr. Ayuba Bello. The star prize went to Winifred Kachallah Wang of the Plateau State Information Technology and Development
Pitch Fee: Experiential Agencies Propose N500, 000 Rejection Fee Raheem Akingbolu The Experiential Marketers Association of Nigeria (EXMAN) has disclosed that organisations inviting experiential marketing agencies for pitch should prepare to pay N500, 000 as rejection fee to the agencies not picked. The practitioners also called for innovation and collaboration among stakeholders in the marketing communications
industry. EXMAN at its just concluded Annual General Meeting (AGM) made the resolution that rejection fee be paid to its members after attending a pitch, considering the level of research, creativity and funding that goes into the ideas presented to clients. Some members alleged that some organisations use some of the ideas presented at a pitch without giving them credit or
paying for it. EXMAN President, Tade Adekunle said “When you invite 17 or 18 agencies to come and pitch for a business they will only take one or two agencies and thereafter you will start seeing some of the ideas that some of the rejected agencies have given. Also, when agencies go for pitch they incur cost on research, creatives and others. “So, the association has decided that clients can ask
for the profile of the various agencies, and then they can say this agency is good enough to work for us instead of calling 20 agencies to come and pitch.” Tade, stated further that the association has come up with the resolution that, “If you are inviting any EXMAN member to come and pitch be ready to pay rejection fee of N500, 000 for those not picked,” He explained further that if organisations write back that
they can’t pay rejection fee, no EXMAN member would partake in such pitch, stating that, “If corporate organisations champion corporate governance, then it will be unethical to ask agencies to wave rejection fee.” He added that member must have informed the association secretariat that they are invited for a pitch and EXMAN would write the client who must have agreed to pay the fee before embarking in the pitch process.
CashBox Moves to Transform Nigeria’s Asset Management Space Digital savings provider, CashBox, has restated its commitment to transform the asset management space in Nigeria as more Nigerians take advantage of its platform to save money during the lockdown. The company said it saw a 40 per cent growth monthon-month between March and July and has since carried out over N1 billion in transaction value for users on the
platform. Prior to pandemic savers on the platform lodged between N30 million and N50 million on a monthly basis. Since the lockdown was declared that the number has grown to about N200 million. Founder and CEO of Cashbox, Sydney Aigbogun, who said this during a media briefing, added: “We cannot say exactly what led to the leap, but we did intensify our
campaign; making them more targeted at a specific segment of users. “We tried to convince users they could save their transportation since they would not be going to work anymore or other spending they will usually do while physically at work.” Founded a year ago, CashBox has been dogged in its strategy, accomplishing in its first month twice the
volume savings of its much older and well-funded competition. Cashbox has never been funded, although it is hoping to change that in the nearest future.” Aigbogun, said the decision to not seek funding and bootstrap in its first year was to enable investors see that CashBox was more than an idea. “We wanted to show our results, we wanted to show
that our idea is working,” he added. The company is hoping to raise between $600,000 to $1 million. In June 2020, CashBox revamped its mobile application adding features like the pidgin language which is popular among young people in Nigeria. It is therefore not surprising that much of the demography of its users are young and mostly come from Lagos and Abuja.
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9mobile to Empower 90 Millionaires in New Promo Nosa Alekhuogie and Nume Ekeghe 9mobile has announced the launch of its mega million promo designed to empower 90 millionaires in 90 days. The Chief Executive Officer of 9mobile, Mr. Alan Sinfield, who announced the launch of the reward scheme during a virtual media briefing organised by the telecoms company recently, said the promo was designed to reward existing customers who have remained loyal to the brand, as well as new customers who want to be part of the 9mobile family. “We have listened carefully to our customers, and we understand the challenges they face, so we have designed the 9mobile Mega Million Promo to give back to Nigerians in these challenging times. The move is one of the initiatives designed to help customers cope with the disruptions occasioned by the COVID-19 pandemic and a demonstration of support for the efforts to contain the spread of the disease and keep them connected to their loved ones. “The year 2020 took off on a challenging note with the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak, which has dramatically changed our world within a short period. We probably have on our hands the biggest crisis of all time since World War 2, and billions of people are having to adapt to a new world, a new way of working, a new way of living, a new way of communicating and even a new way of holding a press conference. “9mobile is an organisation that takes pride in supporting and caring for its customers
and their needs. At the beginning of the year, we introduced exciting new data plans and revamped the existing ones to enable customers on our network to enjoy more value for their money. In the wake of the lockdown, we reinvigorated our online and virtual channels to ensure customers on our network have round the clock access to airtime and data,� Sinfield said. Giving details of the mega million promo, the Acting Director, Marketing at 9mobile, Mr. Layi Onafowokan, said to participate in the mega million promo, customers would recharge a minimum of N200 airtime every hour and two lucky customers would stand a chance to win a smartphone each every hour for 90days. “Customers can also recharge a minimum of N1,000 airtime cumulatively on a daily basis and qualify to win N1 million daily. For the grand prize of N10 million, customers will have to recharge a minimum of N10,000 monthly for the next three months and qualify to win the star prize of N10 million,� Onafowokan explained. Speaking about the voice and data acquisition offer mechanics, the Manager, Marketing at 9mobile, Mr. Godswill Nnaji, said new customers would enjoy 1GB plus 500 airtime on their first recharge. He further explained that only new customers have the privilege to enjoy up to 100 per cent data bonus for the next 12 months. He said the telecoms industry regulator, the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) and the lottery commission, have given approvals for the promo.
Firm Donates 5,000 Units of Face Masks to Computer Village Market Indigenous mobile manufacturer, Mara Phones, has donated 5,000 units of face masks to traders at the Lagos Computer Village market, as part of its contributions towards the fight against COVID-19 pandemic. The company, which has just made its entry into the Nigerian mobile market, had earlier extended the same gesture to the Ministry of Health, donating 10,000 units of the protective masks. Speaking at the presentation of the donation to the market, Group Head, External Affairs at Mara Phones, Mr. Mamadou Kolade, said the gesture was informed by the need to support the government’s efforts in the fight against COVID-19. “As we embark on establishing our Nigerian operations, we must form part of the solutions to eradicate and curb the spread of the virus,� he said. While appreciating the huge potential for the brand in Nigeria, Kolade disclosed that the Mara phones, which currently has two plants, one in South Africa and another in Rwanda, would soon open
a plant in Nigeria to serve Nigeria and the West African market. The plant, according to him, would create up to 2,000 jobs, mainly for Nigerians, when it becomes operational. On the entry of the brand into Nigeria, Kolade said the company had been talking to the government since last year and they have been very supportive, hence the plan to open a manufacturing plant Nigeria in line with the government’s vision of industrialisation. This, he said, would lead to the transfer of knowledge and technology to the country. “At the moment we are working with the Computer Village and they have been very supportive about the project because they are also excited that smartphones will be produced in Nigeria very soon,� he said. Commenting on the donation by Mara Phones, the Babaloja of the Ikeja Computer Village market, Mr. Adeniyi Olasoji, thanked the company for the kind gesture. According to him, the donation came as a boost to the market’s policy of ‘no face mask, no entry’.
‘ATMs Still Relevant to Bank Customers Despite COVID-19’ Stories by Emma Okonji Financial experts have stressed the relevance of massive deployment of Automated Teller Machines (ATMs) across the country in order to achieve Nigeria’s financial inclusion goals and strategies. The experts stated this at a recent webinar organised by FINTECH1000+, with the theme: “What Future for ATMs in Nigeria - Death or Resurgence�, They decried the paucity of ATMs deployment across the country, which they put at 22,800, a figure that is about 70,000 less than the targeted over 90,000 ATMs deployment by 2020, and called on the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to implement policies that would enhance faster deployment of ATMs
across the country. Nigeria had in 2011, made a commitment to develop and pursue a financial inclusion strategy that would reduce the adult financial inclusion rate from 46.3 per cent in 2010 to 20 per cent by 2020, but the experts were of the view that insufficient ATMs deployment could hamper Nigeria’s financial inclusion goals and strategies. Speaking on the dearth of ATMs in Nigeria, the Executive Director, Infrastructure and Business Division at Inlaks, Mr. Tope Dare, said most countries like South Africa, Brazil and India, have more ATM deployments than Nigeria. According to him, “Worldwide outlook for ATMs remains positive and expected to grow though at muted rates over the
next seven to ten years when ATMs are expected to serve as bank branches of the future as banks step up branch closures. Cash remains crucial to the lives of consumers, so the deployment of more ATMs remain the most convenient and reliable channel to offer this essential service to consumers. “With three times population of South Africa, Nigeria has four times fewer ATMs per 100,000 adults. With similar population to Brazil, Nigeria has 10 times fewer ATMs per 100,000 adults.� Dare said the revised ATM Policy recently put in place by Reserve Bank of India to attract the requisite investment for the growth and sustenance of the ATM channel, would offer a ready template for Nigeria on the benefits of stakeholder col-
laboration in sustainable policy making. He further explained that the total number of ATMs deployed by five top banks in South Africa is about 33,156 , while in Nigeria the total number of ATMs deployed by five top banks is about 13,491, yet Nigerian population is far more than that of South African population. The Deputy CEO, Payments Processing at Interswitch, Mr. Akeem Lawal, in his presentation, attributed the huge unprecedented crowding being experienced by consumers across ATMs locations in Nigeria, to lack of sufficient ATMs in the country. He therefore, called on the Central Bank of Nigeria to address the situation in the interest of consumers.
PROMOTING E-LEARNING
L-R: Head IT, Old Mutual, Mary Aworetan; Executive Head, Marketing & Customer Experience, Alero Ladipo; Director, Public Private Partnerships, Lagos State Ministry of Education, Dr. Olufunke Oyetola, and St. Francis Junior Grammar School Student, Gbenga Adeosun, during Old Mutual’s presentation of remote learning aid materials to students in Lagos... recently
MTN Launches Programme to Support SMEs MTN Nigeria has launched The Revv Programme to mitigate the effects of COVID-19 on Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs). The Revv Programme seeks to address major macro level issues specifically in the areas of re-igniting the economy and driving digital inclusion for SMEs. Adopting a four-pronged approach that includes masterclasses, access to market, productivity tools support and advisory initiatives, The Revv Programme seeks to help SMEs relearn, rethink and retool their businesses for growth in the emerging digital economy. Working with relevant stakeholders, subject-matter experts and the company’s executives,
the programme will support over 10,000 SMEs beginning with masterclasses for digital literacy, business management and execution abilities necessary to accelerate the growth of their businesses. The masterclasses which will be delivered by MTN executives along with industry experts will focus on various core areas of business management, as part of a broader strategy to uplift small businesses. This will be followed by the selection of The Y’ello 200 (Two hundred topperforming SMEs at the sessions) that will enjoy exclusive access to a broad range of technology and productivity tools and services absolutely free, for a period of six months. Over the past five years,
small businesses in Nigeria have contributed an estimated 48 per cent to the national GDP. In addition, SMEs account for about 96 per cent of the total number of businesses in the country and employ 84 per cent of the local workforce in Nigeria according to 2017 data from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS). Speaking at the virtual launch of the programme, the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Dr. Isa Patanmi, commended MTN Nigeria for supporting the digital economy drive of the country. “As stakeholders in the public and private sector it is our collective responsibility to implement the digital economy initiative of the government. I
am glad that MTN has been supportive of this policy and is organising The Revv Programme, which I believe will go a long way in transforming Nigerian entrepreneurs, most especially those in the Micro and Small Medium Enterprise (MSME) sector,� Pantami said. The Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Adeniyi Adebayo, stated that “there is a nexus between his ministry’s efforts in developing the MSME space and MTN’s The Revv Programme, which aim to focus mainly on MSMEs and address the foundational digital needs as well as other skills such businesses need to develop; these include access to information, infrastructure, funding and new markets.�
StarTimes Partners Longrich to Reward Customers StarTimes has added new flagship content to the delight of her subscribers. The latest additions on StarTimes are top animation channel, DreamWorks, and premium football rights, La Liga. Also, FA Community Shield will air on August 29. It has also collaborated with Longrich Shampoo to reward loyal subscribers. Subscribers who visited StarTimes business halls to subscribe Basic, Smart, Classic or Super Bouquets were
gifted Longrich Shampoo. Content Marketing Manager, StarTimes Nigeria, Ali Auta, said the reward would thank subscribers who have passionately stayed with the brand, adding that the new content is in line with the brand promise to continually make it a priority to broaden its content offering to meet a variety of their interests without compromising affordability. “Despite the effect of the
COVID-19 pandemic on family spending, many of our subscribers have kept on sacrificing other costs to keep enjoying the exciting entertainment that StarTimes brings to their homes. As a business, we find it worthy to celebrate them. We are proud to have partnered Longrich, widely known for its superior products, to delight our subscribers.� One of the lucky subscribers, Temple Nwogu, said: “This
gesture from StarTimes and Longrich is highly treasured because I am appreciated for what brings my family affordable quality entertainment. With schools shut down and my kids forced to stay at home to stay safe from the pandemic, my children have found solace in StarTimes educational channels like ST school Junior and ST school senior while having amazing fun on DreamWorks, Toonami, ST Kids and Nat Geo Wide.�
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BUSINESSWORLD
ANALYSIS
As Consumers’ Spending Habit Change With the effect of the ravaging coronavirus eating deep into various sectors of the economy, Raheem Akingbolu writes on the effect on consumer spending
F
rom any direction one chooses to look at the harmful impact of the current global crises, consumers are at the receiving end. While they contend with their individual losses and inability to attend to their day-today activities during the lockdown, they are also bearing the brunt of the losses recorded by manufacturers and service providers. This explains the current fall in purchasing power as price of consumables continue to be on the increase. Other flipside of the current crisis is that it has led to closure of many companies and renders many family bread winners jobless. Besides, management of some of the existing companies have either reduced salaries or asked staff to forfeit some months. The story began to change for the worse after the lockdown, when companies started jacking up price of goods and services, in direct response to the negative impact of the pandemic and various government policies, especially the increment of the Value Added Tax (VAT) from 5 per cent to 7.5 per cent by the Federal Government. Recently, the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI), took the bull by the horn with its decision to review the impact of the pandemic on the economy. The chamber disclosed in its findings that that, “it sees the short to medium-term outlook for the economy as bleak, as the pandemic has led to an unprecedented collapse in commodity prices, capital flight, turmoil in the capital market, supply chain disruption across sectors and destabilisation of commercial and economic activities,” If this review should be put into perspectives, it is easy to conclude that the gains Nigeria was recording before now in terms of improved economic index pre-COVID-19 were all gone. After slipping into its first recession in 25 years in 2016, growth in Nigeria’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) returned, but remained below population expansion, meaning that Africa’s largest economy’s per capita declined between2017-2019. The economy had begun to show promising signs of recovery until COVID-19 pandemic slowed this progress and has continued to do so. Perhaps another step that has further nailed the economy was the adjustment of the exchange rate. . Meanwhile, four months afterwards, the apex bank had tactically devalued the naira again, when it adjusted the value of the naira to exchange to the dollar at N381. In defending the decision, CBN had claimed that it was parts of measures to converge the nation’s multiple exchange rates and ensure stability. To analysts and market watchers, this has implications for businesses, especially those that are import-dependent. And the case is made worse as the exchange of naira to dollar is even higher in the black market, where some manufacturers and importers source their forex. In all, businesses were significantly destabilised, especially the informal and the Medium and Small and Micro Enterprises due to their lack of adequate cash buffers to withstand the shock. This was buttressed by the survey conducted by the Lagos Chambers of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) on the COVID-19 crisis impact on Lagos business community, which revealed that 81 per cent of the respondents were ‘severely’ affected by the pandemic with the median daily revenue loss of N500, 000. No wonder, the Nigerian government had to roll out series of palliatives to cushion the impact of the pandemic on the people, while the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) also came up with some interventions to support businesses to cushion the effect of the crisis and help rebound the economy. All these, coupled with the devaluation of the naira and increase in VAT led to a rise in the prices of goods and services across sectors in Nigeria. A consumer, Vivian Agu, succinctly captured it in an interview with THISDAY when he stated that prices of consumables have suddenly gone up by 40 percent. “From food to drink and other consumables, prices have suddenly gone up with consumers being at the receiving end. Also, prices of transportation and other services have risen beyond comprehension,” she said. An Artisan, Tiamiyu Karimu, who also spoke to THISDAY took the discussion beyond consumables to the recent decision of operators in the telecom, PayTV and logistic industries and their unified decision to increase their charges and subscription fee. He said: “To say this is not the best of time is like stating the obvious because consumers are at the receiving end of the
Balogun market
challenges in various sectors. Turn to logistic companies and you see increase in charges, come to PayTV and telco, you discover there is increase in subscription fee,” Karimu’s outburst must have been informed by the recent announcement by a PayTV operator –StarTimes, that it had increased its subscription fee with effect from August 1, 2020. The company had announced two weeks ago, an average of 22 per cent increase across its various bouquets. With the new development, Basic Bouquet subscribers will now pay N1,700 as against N1,300 monthly to enjoy close to 80 exciting channels. Classic Bouquet subscribers will pay N2, 500 as against N1, 900 monthly to keep enjoying close to 100 channels,” According to the further analysis of the subscription fee increase, for DTH (Dish) users: Smart bouquet subscribers will pay N2,200 as against N1,900 monthly; Super Bouquet subscribers will pay N4,200 as against N3,800 monthly. Its Nova bouquet remains unchanged at N900 with over 43 exciting channels. The company argued that the increase in prices was as a result of some factors including, federal government’s VAT increase effective February 1, 2020 and the impact of the foreign exchange rate on its business. Speaking on the challenges that the company is facing in its quest to provide cable TV entertainment to subscribers, the StarTimes Marketing Manager, Viki Liu said that earlier this year, the federal government’s increased the rate of the Value Added Tax (VAT) from 5 per cent to 7.5 per cent. “This increase did have an effect on our cost but in consideration of our customers’ plight, we continued to bear that extra cost.” She further said the impact of foreign exchange rate has had an overwhelming adverse effect on its business, because it was not exempted from the effect of the naira depreciation affecting all businesses in the country. “All of our foreign content is bought in dollars and to continually serve our subscribers the best content; we have been constrained to make the slight review on our subscription rates. The decision to make this review is based on compelling external factors beyond our control,” she said. So, it would not be surprising if other PayTV service providers that had not increased their subscription rate do so in the days ahead. A lecturer in the Department of Economics and Development Studies, Covenant University, Ota, Ogun State, Dr Oluwasogo Adediran, noted that there are evidences that the on-going global pandemic has taken a negative effect on the global economy with ripple adverse effects on not only Nigeria, but other similar volatile developing and emerging economies. “This global health challenge is adding to the usual macroeconomic issues of lower output, fluctuating GDP growth, low income and consumer demand in Nigeria. As addressed by the International Monetary Fund (IMF)’s World Economic Outlook, Nigeria is facing multiple economic disturbances resulting from the health pandemic, which include: economic disruptions from the domestic health, workplace closure, disruption in supply chain, lockdowns in the absence of social safety nets, loss of income and heightened uncertainties. “As at first week in August 2020, European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) gave the report that around 19, 076,
745 have been infected across the world with the recorded deaths of about 714, 618; while in Nigeria, over 45, 244 individuals have been reportedly infected with 930 deaths. The spill-over from this health pandemic, would be the adverse effects in terms of trade shocks, tighter global financial conditions and likely decrease in external investments and remittance flows following the expected slowdown in global growth. “This may continue to put pressure on exchange rate and ultimately leads to more disruption of supply chain. Therefore, how has this health pandemic and the increase in Value Added Tax (VAT) influenced the rise in prices of consumables?” He stated that the impact of the pandemic might continue to drive inflation rate higher
than expected in an already susceptible economy like Nigeria. “This is evident where the cost of imports from our major trade and financial partners such as China and Europe may likely spike, leading to cost-push inflation, in addition to slowdown in the economy due to imminent lockdown in many economies. “Therefore, Nigeria’s rate of inflation may continue to rise! For instance, according to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), Nigeria’s inflation rate rose further in June 2020 to 12.56 per cent (year-on-year), with 0.16 per cent points higher than the previous rate recorded in May 2020 at 12.48 per cent.” Adediran observed that the report showed that composite food index has increased to 15.18 per cent as compared to 15.04 per cent recorded in May 2020, while core inflation, which excludes the prices of volatile agricultural produce, which peaked at 10.13 per cent in June 2020 compared to 10.12 per cent recorded in May 2020. “The implication of this is that consumers are now worse-off, due to their low purchasing power and inability to afford the same quantity of goods or services as they used to purchase before now. Meanwhile, bearing an imminent second wave of the health crisis, which could further threaten global economic growth outlook, and coupled with the absence of major disturbances to food supply in the Nigerian economy, inflation outlook for the rest of the year could be influenced the waning household income. “Conclusively, economic pundits anticipate that the global pandemic will adversely impact the global economy with ripple negative effects on the Nigerian economy. However, the short-term response of the Nigerian economy through palliatives and financial injections to the critical sectors of the economy implies that the global pandemic poses a low risk of another recessionary episode as long as the right policy measures are implemented and sustained,” Adediran said.
THURSDAY AUGUST 20, 2020 • T H I S D AY
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T H I S D AY ˾ AUGUST 20, 2020
HEALTH & LIFESTYLE
ÜÙßÚ ÏËÞßÜÏÝ ÎÓÞÙÜ˝ ÒÓÏ×ÏÖÓÏ äÏÙÌÓ ×ËÓÖ chiemelie.ezeobi@thisdaylive.com, Tel: 07010510430
Trapped by Travel Restrictions, Saved by Nordica While many Nigerian elites are still grappling with infertility, their quest for exclusivity, time flexibility and high quality treatment has often spurred them towards accessing healthcare abroad. But Nordica Fertility Centre hopes to change the narrative, especially as international travel restriction caused by the COVID-19 pandemic has prevented many elite couples from travelling for the reproductive assisted technology in their chosen high classed clinics. Martins Ifijeh writes
F
or decades, Nigerian elites and Very Important Persons (VIPs) have often accessed medical treatments abroad because of the quality of care they receive in these developed nations and the confidentiality that come with having their medical histories protected from the public. But since March 2020, these classes of Nigerians are trapped, restricted and unable to travel. No thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic that has forced every nation to close its borders against visitors, including those who require medical attention. For some elites, they have been deprived from accessing surgical procedures they otherwise believed couldn’t be done in Nigeria. Others may have lost their lives because of lack of the sophistications needed for their treatments. There are also those who may have planned to access fertility treatments abroad as it is believed success rates for Assisted Reproductive Technology over there are far higher than what obtains in Nigeria. Dr. and Mrs. Ireine (not real name), are two among thousands of Nigerian couples that had planned they would access fertility treatment abroad this year so they could have a child to call their own. They had been married for over 10 years without a successful pregnancy that has led to childbirth. The Ireines had started the process of ART in 2019 when they first travelled to the United Kingdom for help, but the first cycle of treatment unfortunately failed, paving way for their supposed visit to the country again in April this year; an arrangement that never happened as international airspace, both in Nigeria and the UK were closed. Dr. Ireine is a geologist working with the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), while his wife is a top management staff of one of the new generation banks in the country. “We had settled for three-in-one treatment cycle as advised by our UK doctors, but the COVID-19 pandemic is delaying our second visit, as the first had cycle we went for in 2019 failed. I am eager to access the second cycle because time is running out. It is 10 years since we have been married without the cry of a baby in our home,” she said. Dr. and Mrs. Ireine are just two among several Nigerian couples who have ignored the country’s healthcare system due to several factors including Nigeria’s poor healthcare system, stereotype that good hospitals and treatment centres do not exist in the country, lack of confidentiality to their hospital
Nordica’s embryologists working in one of the laboratories
records, among others. To be frank, these reasons have often driven medical tourism abroad, not even for wealthy Nigerians, but also political leaders who perhaps have lost faith in Nigeria’s health system. These people, who often pay far more for healthcare abroad, have started to feel the bouts of the COVID-19 pandemic and the new decision by many nations to focus more on their citizens rather than open their borders for medical tourists; a decision that appears may stay put for a long time. While it is no doubt that Nigeria, till date, has not done much to address its healthcare system and build the confidence of its citizens, especially the elites and the VIPs who at every opportunity travel abroad for medical help, there seems to be a deliberate attempt by a private organisation, Nordica Fertility Centre, to address this, at least, in the area of infertility treatment for the category of Nigerians who are particular about quality of care and international standards as seen in developed nations like the United States, UK, Germany, among others. The fertility Centre, it is believed, has decided to
bridge this gap, especially for the class of Nigerians who otherwise travel for infertility treatment, through its newly launched programme, tagged Nordica Xclusive – a premium offer hinged on providing flexible appointments and exclusivity to patients, as well as high level standard of treatment. It is believed the Nordica Xclusive service deploys state of the art facilities, professionals and treatment patterns as experienced in the best fertility clinics of the world. Speaking during the launch of the service recently, the Managing Director, Nordica Fertility Centre, Dr Abayomi Ajayi said with international travels suspended as part of measures to curb the COVID-19 pandemic, it was time to look inwards to replicate health services provided in developed nations, adding that this has resulted in the Centre commencing the comprehensive fertility treatment for couples who would otherwise prefer the treatment care in developed nations. He said: “The Nordica Xclusive product has been specifically designed for VIPs in Nigeria who value their privacy and wants world-class services. These people would ordinarily prefer to have their
fertility treatments outside the country to ensure that nobody knows that they are going through treatments. However, because of the restriction in international movements caused by the coronavirus pandemic, they are not able to do this and would be looking for local alternatives that can guarantee high levels of confidentiality and flexibility. “This product will ensure that money that would have been lost to medical tourism is retained in the country. Already Nordica is promoting medical tourism for Nigeria because of our diaspora clients that come to Nigeria to have fertility treatments with us.” The fertility expert, whose centre has put smiles on the families of several thousands of couples since its establishment said Nordica Xclusive was a lifestyle proposition designed specifically for a niche segment of the infertile population. It is believed that Xclusive clients are guaranteed of premium fertility experiences designed to give special services befitting of the couples’ class. Ajayi said: “Apart from having exclusivity, confidentiality, premium fertility experience, Nigeria’s elite and VIPs who require ART will have access to world-class and seasoned professionals He said: “The comprehensive fertility treatment is of two categories. The first is known as the Nordica Xclusive Service which serves as a response to extremely confidentiality-focused clients who may have opted for their treatment abroad. The second is the Flex Pay plan designed to help couples who would prefer flexible payments for their treatments. “Imploring couples to take advantage of the plans to complete their families, Ajayi said the new customer-focused products were the result of engaging with fertility challenged couples, who were pivotal in their development based on insights gathered from them. He said: “The world class medical service here is much more affordable than what obtains in same high profile clinics abroad. No international flight tickets or accommodation are required. Fertility treatment the world over is a high-cost ticket item. In the USA, the average cost of an IVF cycle has been put between $10,000 to $15,000, for the basic treatment without any add-on treatments and drugs. “In the UK, the average cost for basic IVF with own eggs can range between £4000 to £9000. While when using donor eggs it can range between £9000 – £12000.” He added that this will not only curb medical tourism, but will ensure same quality care is provided to couples.
FGM: Religious Leaders Support UNICEF’s Effort in Imo Amby Uneze ÓØ áÏÜÜÓ Religious leaders under the auspices of Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) in the Owerri West and Ehime Mbano Council Areas of Imo State have mobilised their faithful against the practice of Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) in the state. Disclosing this during a one-day joint advocacy dialogue with the National Orientation
Agency in Imo State with the support of the United Nation’s Children Fund (UNICEF) and the United Nations Population (UNFPA), CAN chairmen in the two council areas, Rev. Jude Okenwa of the Strong Towers Believers Church (Owerri West LGA) and his Ehime Mbano council counterpart Apostle Isaiah Onyekauwa - General Overseer of Voice of the Christ Church expressed disaffection
on the practice of FGM in the communities. In separate interviews, they said they have seen and heard of the dangers associated with the practice and that they have resolved to sanction members of their church found guilty of it. The religious leaders frowned at the continuous practice of FGM by some Christians despite the continued global wind of evangelism and civilisation and
denounced this as “unbiblical, inhuman and barbaric”, pledging that they would henceforth place eagle eyes on members who indulge in the act. The Child Protection Specialist, Office Enugu, UNICEF Nigeria, Mr. Victor Atuchukwu described FGM as callous, obnoxious and offensive to humanity which has ruined many families. Atuchukwu said that UNICEF in collaboration with UNFPA and
NOA would continue to explore avenues to eradicate the practice, noting that the church was at a vantage position to assist. Enugu State Director, NOA, Victus Ekeocha, said as a cultural practice with devastating medical, social, emotional, legal and economic repercussions for girls and women, FGM was illegal and violates the rights of women hence it should be abandoned. The NOA director who dwelt
on FGM and religion noted that one of the most common misconceptions is the connection of FGM with Christianity stressing that the former violates the basic principles of Christianity saying, “misconception and misinterpretation of the scriptures needs to be clarified because most of the practitioners may not personally check the authenticity of what they have heard about the scripture.”
COVID-19: Schneider Electric Distributes 13,000 Meals to Underprivileged Children, Widows Energy management giant, Schneider Electric, has begun distribution of 13,000 meals to underprivileged children and widows across the country with a kick off in Amuwo-Odofin community in Lagos State. Along with the meals, Schneider Electric also distributed sanitary materials and medical supplies to pregnant women,
nursing mothers, senior citizens and people living with disabilities (PWD). The initiative is known as Tomorrow Rising Fund and is in partnership with LEAP Africa – a notable non-governmental organisation. The initiative, which is in response to Covid-19 pandemic, gave Schneider Electric staff and
Schneider Electric Foundation the opportunity to donate and help alleviate the hardship occasioned by the pandemic in the community. It also afforded the staff of Schneider Electric the opportunity to be part of the distribution of the meals. It would be recalled that Schneider Electric Foundation
had in July created a fund to combat the economic hardship in rural and disadvantaged communities in Nigeria, which will focus on the basic needs, specifically meals and relief items for underprivileged children and communities in response to COVID-19 pandemic. The donations which came to €11,760.00 in total have been
entrusted with LEAP Africa to disburse. The implementation of the project is be done in two phases. The first will focus on the basic needs like meals and other medical relief items for underprivileged children, women and PWDs in communities across the country. The second phase, which will be implemented from
June to December 2020, will focus on enlightenment where Schneider Electric will facilitate knowledge transfer to its partners via extension of its support to existing education projects in Anglophone Africa. It also plans to promote its campaign on reducing students’ drop out from schools in the region.
T H I S D AY ˾ AUGUST 20, 2020
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HEALTH
When Erection Fails, Seek Help Dr. Goke Akinrogunde For men, the reality of the failure to achieve penis erection at will and when sociallynecessary could be so devastating, since this is naturally perceived as a challenge to the very essence of masculinity and all the pride that goes with it. Notwithstanding this reality of failure of the penis to respond to sexual stimuli, especially at the point of need, I venture to plead on the side of caution against self-blame or taking extreme measures like suicide that sometimes occur in some cases of erectile dysfunction. Erectile dysfunction (layman’s term: Impotence) is medically defined as “the persistent or recurrent inability to achieve or maintain an erection sufficient for satisfactory sexual activity.” Now to details; the above definition might mean that the male partner cannot have an erection, or having a week one when trying to have intercourse, or that he loses his erection soon after intercourse starts. “Persistent” and “recurrent” problems with sexual intercourse might occur every time one tries to have sex, or only some of the time. In practice, I have also come across cases with selective erection failure, where the guy cannot get it up when it’s time for intercourse with an established partner but have erections during sexual fantasies. Seek professional help Having symptoms of erectile dysfunction is not the end of the world; there is more to life than reducing its essence to one’s ability to start or conclude sexual intercourse effectively. At any rate, erectile issues are readily treatable with a variety of medications, surgical interventions and psychotherapies as applicable. However, before considering treatment for erectile dysfunction, the individual and the partner should be sure of the actual cause. So, it is better to see a doctor. Experiencing occasional difficulties with erection does not necessarily mean one has erectile dysfunction as a continuum entity; sometimes it might be a natural break for the penis that soon starts to function the next moment. The truth is that many men have one or more episodes of being unable to have erection due to fatigue, distraction, alcohol, over-excitement, among others without developing erectile dysfunction. But a persistent pattern of difficulty is a cause for concern. Telltale signs - a couple’s problem
Erectile dysfunction can be treated
A telltale sign may be that the man begins to avoid sexual contact or intimacy because he is unhappy with his sexual performance. He may stop initiating sex, or ignore the partner’s hints. Or he may become anxious during sexual encounters, and his anxiety makes it even more difficult to get an erection. Related to these is that depression, shame, embarrassment and frustration are also common feelings. Erectile dysfunction is a couple’s problem even though it is the male partner that has the physical symptoms. Hence, if one of the sexual partners is concerned that there might be a problem, it is worth following up with the other partner in order to take necessary steps to solving it, Hence, in seeking treatment, learning more about sexual health may be the first step. Treatment which helps one to experience the kind of satisfying intimacy once had can help restore confidence as well as the entire relationship. Don’t suffer in silence It is not out of place to feel a little uncomfortable talking to the doctor about erectile dysfunction. I noticed this with some patients but it is always a relief to fire the first shot and they are always happy for the bold step thereafter. There is no reason for sexual partners to suffer the effects of erectile dysfunction in secrecy because the solution is just around the corner. Commonly the general medical practitioner is usually the first healthcare professional one speaks to about impotence. If the doctor of first
call does not seem comfortable or interested in discussing erectile dysfunction, then see another doctor; note that this is not uncommon with some conservative-minded doctors, who unduly mix their personal beliefs with their professional resource. Depending on your situation, the doctor may treat or refer you to the urologist (a surgeon that specialised in male genital and urinary problems), a sexual therapist or to other related specialists. Erectile dysfunction may have a serious underlying cause, such as undiagnosed diabetes, heart disease, or prostate cancer, which might be revealed with medical interaction. In other words, it is probably the tip of an iceberg. Treating erection problem Before starting any medication or other treatments for erectile dysfunction, lifestyle modifications e recommended are exercising; dieting to reduce fats and cholesterol; quit smoking; reducing alcohol consumption; managing stress and fatigue Oral medication These represent a relatively new field of treatments for erectile dysfunction. Phosphodiesterase 5 (PDE5) inhibitors are a class of oral medications commonly prescribed this day for erection failure. Examples here are sidenafil (Viagra), tadenafil (Cialis), among others etc. These medications are however best taken with appropriate medical guide and prescription.
Sex counseling/ therapy Consultations with a trained counselor/psychologist may help identify, understand, and cope with sexual concerns. Specific techniques can help to remove stress from lovemaking, increase sexual stimulation, and enable one to focus on sensual pleasure and intimacy. Penile implant This is an option for men with established erection issue for whom other treatments were unsuccessful. This is a device that is surgically inserted into the penis. The device is inflated when there is a desire for sexual intercourse and deflated as necessary. Penile injection therapy Medication that increases blood flow in the penis is injected by the patient into the side of the penis shortly before sexual activity. Vacuum therapy This procedure holds blood in the penis using a ring at the base of the penis. Noteworthy here is the important public health message: Erectile failure should be seen as a medical condition that can be managed effectively with appropriate professional assistance by those trained for the purpose. Don’t suffer in silence; don’t harm your being; seek professional help. t"LJOSPHVOEF JT B HFOFSBM TPOPMPHJTU BOE B DPMVNOJTU XJUI 5)*4%":
Orakpo: Our Locally Produced Medical Facemasks will Help Nigeria Tackle COVID-19 As the world continues to search for vaccines or a curative drug to tackle COVID-19, face masks and other medical devices are considered essential preventive materials. In an interview with Rebecca Ejifoma, the Managing Director, Transgreen Nigeria Limited, Mr. Cyprian Orakpo, spoke about the company’s local production of medical facemasks and how it can help tackle the pandemic What is your view about the COVID-19 pandemic? The COVID-19 pandemic has changed the face of the world and people living in it. The global economy, education, businesses, religion, sports, entertainment and other human endeavours have been impacted with its evolution. COVID-19 virus has penetrated into all the kings’ palaces and government houses. Academic institutions are shut down, markets and businesses, religious houses, cinemas, gyms and spas, among others. Nothing has affected the world like this in the recent past. How do you feel that the world is still looking for solutions? COVID-19 took the world unaware like a storm. So much is not yet known about it and this has made finding a cure a little difficult. However, in the absence of preventive vaccine and curative drugs, face masks and other medical devices like gloves, respirators and ventilators have suddenly become the panacea and a sort of national security product. Respiratory hygiene has taken a centre stage in curbing the spread of this contagious virus. Wearing face masks and social distancing are now the new normal globally. Sadly, many privileged nations who could produce
these medical devices banned their exports to other nations as they didn’t have the capacity to meet their local needs. How do you feel hearing Nigeria didn’t have capacity to produce medical graded face mask? It was personally embarrassing for me to learn that prior to COVID-19 pandemic; there was no local medical face mask manufacturing facility in Nigeria. It was a similar situation in 2002 that launched us into manufacturing CD’s and DVD’s. This time around Transgreen Nigeria Limited also rose up to the occasion to fill this void and contribute her quota in fighting this pandemic and to promote health security in the country and the world at large. We started this process three months ago, specifically in May this year, and today that dream of local production of medical graded face mask by a Nigerian company has come to fruition. To meet our deadline, we had to airfreight 26 metric tons of machines and raw materials, more than a full cargo of Boeing 737, down to Nigeria. How is your facemask different from the imported ones? Ours, O-Care medical face mask, is top
notch. According to our market survey, most of the imported masks in the market are neither protective nor medical. At best they offer little protection against dust and pollen. They are helpless when it concerns bacteria or viruses because they don’t have filters as the middle layer called “Meltblown”. At the peak of the lockdown, Meltblown material was ten times more expensive than the other two non-woven layers which might be why most imported masks didn’t have it. What many manufacturers of imported masks do is to double the skin layer (white) and then add the outer layer (blue) to make it three. Physically, both masks will appear the same, but they are completely different. The danger of wearing mask that doesn’t have filter is that it will create a false sense of security whereby the wearer will assume that he or she is protected, and be careless with places he or she goes meanwhile he or she is not protected. It is actually very dangerous to wear a mask that does not have filter especially for those who are exposed to infected persons.
Could you tell us more about O-Care Medical Face Mask? It is a brand name for Transgreen Nigeria Limited’s three-ply face mask. It offers protection against
dust, pollen, bacteria and all known viruses with breathable comfort and low respiratory resistance. This product is durable and manufactured according to WHO standards. The first or outermost layer called hydrophobic non-woven layer protects the wearer from droplets and splashes, the middle layer called Meltblown is the filter against bacteria and viruses while the innermost or skin layer is a soft fabric/tissue that is comfortable to the skin. The ear-loop is made up of ropes which are welded ultrasonically such that it does not easily pull out from the mask. The nose clip is like a little plastic/tick that holds the mask firmly to your nose bridge such that your eye glasses (for those who wear glasses) are not fogged. What are the disadvantages of wearing cloth masks? The more you try to restrict the virus from infecting you by wearing a thicker cloth, the more you are not able to breathe because the thicker the material, the more difficult you will have in breathing. The medical graded face mask however has a filter (meltblown) that allows the wearer to breathe in and out easily without the virus or the bacteria passing through it. O-care Medical Face Mask is the first certified and registered Medical Face Mask in Nigeria and indeed sub-Saharan Africa.
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T H I S D AY ˞ Ͱ͎˜ 2020
BUSINESS/MONEYGUIDE
Stanbic IBTC Partners United Nations on Women Empowerment Stanbic IBTC Bank Plc has disclosed that it recently partnered the United Nations on an initiative to provide seed funding for women across the six geopolitical zones of Nigeria and the Federal Capital Territory. This, it stated, was in furtherance of the organisation’s commitment to enhancing food security and providing employment for women in Nigeria across the agricultural value chain. The UN initiative, tagged ‘The UN Women Project’, was borne out of the need to provide economic empowerment for women and close the gender gap in agricultural productivity
and incomes while increasing their access to resources and markets. With a total budget of $40,000,000 for five years from 2019 to 2023, the initiative targets six states namely Ogun, Ebonyi, Cross River, Niger, Bauchi and Sokoto, as well as the FCT. In line with the objectives of the federal government’s Economic Recovery and Growth Plan (ERGP 2016-2020), the UN Women collaborated with three sister UN agencies which are the Food and Agriculture Organisation, International Labour Organisation and United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO).
Key mandates of the programme include restoring growth, skills acquisition and building a globally competitive economy, through investments in the agricultural sector. To pilot the flagship programme, a statement from the bank disclosed that Stanbic IBTC Bank provided seed funding to support women working in the shear nut and rice value chains in Niger and Ebonyi States, respectively. The pilot programme was expected to reach at least 30 women-owned agribusiness organisations and cooperatives in five Local Government Areas (LGAs) in the two states.
Access Bank Targets 50,000 New Customers in Promo James Emejo Ă“Ă˜ ĂŒĂ&#x;ÔË The Regional Sales Director, Abuja and North-West, Access Bank Plc, Mr. Aminu Inuwa yesterday said the bank aims to attract about 50,000 new customers through its ongoing “Transact and Win a New Car Promoâ€?. He said the campaign seeks to further deepen financial inclusion by bringing financial services to the unbanked population as well as rewarding existing customers. Speaking in Abuja during the presentation of keys to a brand
new Hyundai Accent car to its star prize winner, Mr. Tahiru Umar, Inuwa said the campaign had witnessed tremendous progress as customers are trooping in to open new accounts as well as reactive dormant ones. He said: “We are targeting about 10,000 customers in the directorate and for the bank, we are targeting about 50,000 new customers and we will continue to engage more customers to open accounts with the bank.� He said about 720 customers also have the opportunity to transact and win from between
N1000 to N1 million. He urged more Nigerians to patronise bank and access several benefits adding the the presentation further demonstrated the reality of the promo. He added: “This is our first grand prize of a vehicle won by Tahiru Umar, one of the bank’s customers who is doing business at Nnewi and resides in Kaduna State. “We are currently in phase three of the promo which is done on monthly basis. This is the first quarter draw that we just had and Umar won this very vehicle today.�
Citigroup Appoints Samuel-Ogbu Country Head for Nigeria Citigroup Inc. has appointed Ireti Samuel-Ogbu as its Nigerian country officer, the first time a woman has been appointed to the lender’s top post after 36 years of operating in Africa’s largest economy. Samuel-Ogbu, who assumes office on September 1, replaces Akin Dawodu, who was appointed as cluster head for sub-Saharan Africa in November, Citigroup’s Nigerian unit said in an email. For the past five years, she
has served as managing director of payments and receivables, treasury and trade solutions for Europe, Middle East and Africa at the lender’s office in London, according to her LinkedIn profile. She will relocate to Lagos, Nigeria’s commercial hub to take on her new role and will report to Dawodu. According to Bloomberg, Samuel-Ogbu takes over Citigroup’s Nigerian office at
a time when the West Africa nation’s banking industry is struggling with the fallout from the coronavirus pandemic, a slump in oil prices and a dollar scarcity that is choking the economy and hampering businesses. The new country officer has a, “talented and experienced team in Nigeria,� and will assist institutional clients in the country by plugging into Citigroup’s regional and global reach, the company said.
SONInauguratesCommitteeonFacilityMgtStandards Chris Uba As part of Nigeria’s drive to optimise benefits from international standards development on facilities management, the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) has inaugurated a committee through a virtual meeting conducted recently. The Committee is to mirror the activities of the International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO) Technical Committee TC 267 on Facility Management by harnessing views of experts in
Nigeria as contribution to the development of the international standards for eventual domestication in Nigeria through adoption. Inaugurating the Committee, SON Director General, Osita Aboloma, stated that the process was to harness industry knowledge in management of facilities in Nigeria in contributing to international standards development from which the nation’s economy stands to benefit eventually. “The work of preparing International Standards is carried out through ISO technical committees, with
qualified interested parties who are vastly knowledgeable in that field, to foster a level playing field for industry practitioners aimed at removing barriers to global trade,� Aboloma said. Represented by the Director of Management Systems Certification Services, Felix Nyado, the SON Chief Executive stated that nomination to serve in the committee was guided by the strategic collaboration/partnership that SON has with the various organisations and institutions represented by the members.
Capitis Boosts Financial Inclusion, Promotes Savings Culture Ndubuisi Francis Ă“Ă˜ ĂŒĂ&#x;ÔË Capitis Thirft & Credit Cooperative Society Limited has expressed its resolve to boost financial inclusion in the country by promoting savings culture among petty traders. The Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Peter Adejoh, who gave the indication in Abuja during
a lottery draw for customers of the company who participated in a savings promo, said the programme was a way of encouraging people to save monies that are not invested. According to him, with the window of opportunity offered by Capitis, customers now save a lot of money and were excited about it. He said the promo
was designed for customers who saved from January 2020 till now, adding: “Usually, we have two promos. This is one and the grand finale will be in December. The ones selected today are the ones who fell under the category of constant savers within this period. It’s typically for our promo-savers.�
MARKET INDICATORS MONEY AND CREDIT STATISTICS
(MILLION NAIRA)
SEPTEMBER 2019 Money Supply (M3)
35,029,779.72
-- CBN Bills Held by Money Holding Sectors
7,374,356.91
Money Supply (M2)
27,655,422.82
-- Quasi Money
116,533,891.21
-- Narrow Money (M1)
11,121,531.60
---- Currency Outside Banks
1,625,047.69
---- Demand Deposits
9,496,483.91
Net Foreign Assets (NFA)
13,911,335.83
Net Domestic Assets(NDA)
21,118,443.89
-- Net Domestic Credit (NDC)
35,918,179.45
---- Credit to Government (Net)
10,452,199.38
---- Memo: Credit to Govt. (Net) less FMA
11,007,422.79
---- Memo: Fed. and Mirror Accounts (FMA)
25,465,980.07
---- Credit to Private Sector (CPS)
-14,799,735.56
--Other Assets Net
7,000,253.07
Reserve Money (Base Money
2,005,600.83
--Currency in Circulation
4,677,530.81
--Banks Reserves
317,121.43
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Money Market Indicators (in Percentage) Month
March 2018
Inter-Bank Call Rate
15.16
Minimum Rediscount Rate (MRR) Monetary Policy Rate (MPR)
14.00
Treasury Bill Rate
11.84
Savings Deposit Rate
4.07
1 Month Deposit Rate
8.82
3 Months Deposit Rate
9.72
6 Months Deposit Rate
10.93
12 Months Deposit Rate
10.21
Prime Lending rate
17.35
Maximum Lending Rate
31.55
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OPEC DAILY BASKET PRICE Ëœ ÍŻÍľ Í°ÍŽÍ°ÍŽ
The price of OPEC basket of thirteen crudes stood at $44.94 a barrel on Monday, compared with $44.62 the previous Friday, according to OPEC Secretariat calculations. The OPEC Reference Basket of Crudes (ORB) is made up of the following: Saharan Blend (Algeria), Girassol (Angola), Djeno (Congo), ZaďŹ ro (Equatorial Guinea), Rabi Light (Gabon), Iran Heavy (Islamic Republic of Iran), Basra Light (Iraq), Kuwait Export (Kuwait), Es Sider (Libya), Bonny Light (Nigeria), Arab Light (Saudi Arabia), Murban (UAE) and Merey (Venezuela). SOURCE: OPEC headquarters, Vienna
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All-Share Index Rises 0.14%, Market Sustains Positive Momentum Goddy Egene Gains in Guaranty Trust Bank Plc, Zenith Bank Plc and International Breweries Plc helped to sustain the positive momentum at the stock market yesterday with the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) All-Share Index (ASI) appreciating by 0.14 per cent to close at 25,171.32. The market capitalisation gained N18.2 billion to close at N13.1 trillion.
However, activity level waned as volume and value traded fell 33.6 per cent and 37.6 per cent respectively to 180 million shares s and N1.5 billion. The top traded stocks by volume were Zenith Bank Plc (35.9 million shares), Access Bank (29.1 million shares) and Transcorp Plc (16.5 million shares) while Zenith Bank Plc (N605.2 million), GTBank (N201.3 million) and Access Bank Plc (N187.4 million) led by value. In all, there were 13 price gain-
P R I C E S MAIN BOARD
F O R DEALS
ers and losers. Studio Press Plc led the price gainers’ chart with 10 per cent, trailed by International Breweries Plc with 7.1 per cent. Jaiz Bank Plc chalked up 5.3 per cent, while Japaul Oil & Gas Plc and Mutual Benefit Assurance Plc gained 5.0 per cent apiece. AIICO Insurance Plc garnered 2.2 per cent, just as Wema Bank Plc and Transcorp Plc 2.0 per cent and 1.6 per cent respectively. United Capital Plc gained 0.9 per cent as investors continued to
S E C U R I T I E S MARKET PRICE
QUANTITY TRADED
VALUE TRADED ( N )
react to the half year results ended June 30, 2020. The investment banking firm had reported an increase of 16 per cent in profit after tax, rising from N1.65 billion to N1.99 billion in 2019. Profit after tax (PAT) grew faster from N1.65 billion to N1.91 billion. The Group Chief Executive Officer (CEO), United Capital Plc, Mr. Peter Ashade, had attributed the growth to their well-articulated plans, business continuity plan in economic
T R A D E D MAIN BOARD
A S
crisis and solid risk assessment framework. “With our well-articulated plans, business continuity plan in economic crisis and solid risk assessment framework we were able to deliver an increased revenue of over 37.26 per cent, increased PBT of 14.10 per cent and PAT increase of 15.98 per cent. “During this same period, we successfully issued our N10 billion Series 1 bond under the N30 billion Medium-Term
O F
Debt Programme , the first to be issued by an investment banking firm in Nigeria -which was oversubscribed by about 24 per cent,� he said. According to him, they remain assiduously committed to deliver greater returns to their shareholders, by constantly reviewing their strategy in the light of global and domestic happenings, ensuring that they provide value to all their stakeholders from time to time.
1 8 / 0 8 / 2 0 2 0 DEALS
MARKET PRICE
QUANTITY TRADED
VALUE TRADED ( N)
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IMAGES
T H I S D AY ˾ Ͱͮ˜ ͰͮͰͮ
Photo Editor ÌÓÙÎßØ ÔËÖË Email ËÌÓÙÎßØ˛ËÔËÖË̶ÞÒÓÝÎËãÖÓàÏ˛ÍÙ×
President Muhammadu Buhari and Nasarawa State Governor Engr Abdullahi Sule during an audience with the President at the State House Abuja...recently State House
L-R (front row) Chairman, Nigerian Insurers Association, Mr. Ganiyu Musa, Speaker, House of Representatives, Rep. Femi Gbajabiamila, DG NIA, Mrs. Yetunde Ilori; House leader, Rep. Alhassan Ado-Doguwa; and others after a courtesy visit to the Speaker by members of Nigerian Insurers Association (NIA) in Abuja..recently
L-R: Senior Special Assistant to the Governor, Public Health/Team Lead, RISKCOM/Compliance Monitoring, Ekiti Covid-19 Taskforce, Dr. Jimlas Ogunsakin; Special Adviser, Development Partnerships/ Secretary, Ekiti Covid-19 Response Resource Mobilisation Committee, Mrs. Magaret Fagboyo; and State Pastor, Living Faith Church, Pastor Oluwole Wise; during the Compliance Monitoring Exercise for Church Reopening, in Ado-Ekiti...recently
L-R: Commodore Superintendent Naval Dockyard Limited Lagos, Commodore Kohath Levi; Chief of the Naval Staff Vice Admiral Ibok- Ete Ibas; Flag Officer Commanding Western Naval Command, Rear Admiral Oladele Daji and Director Ship Design and Acquisition Naval Headquarters, Commodore Suleman El Ladan, during inspecting facilities at the Dockyard in lagos...recently
L-R; Former Managing Director of Daily Times, Akogun Tola Adeniyi; Celebrant/First Cultural Ambassador of the National Museum and Monuments, Ile Ife, Chief Lekan Alabi; Oyo state Council Chairman, Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ), Demola Babalola; and Oyo state Director of the National Orientation Agency (NOA), Mrs Dolapo Dosumu, at the count-down to Chief Alabi’s 70th birthday, in Ibadan...recently
L-R: Special Adviser to Lagos State Governor on Arts and Culture, Mr. Bonu Solomon Saanu; Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu and the Medical Director, General Hospital, Badagry, Dr. Aihonsu Opeyemi George during the Governor’s inspection of facilities at the General Hospital,.. recently.
L-R: Permanent Secretary, Lagos State Ministry of Agriculture, Dr. Olayiwole Onasanya; Acting Commissioner for Agriculture, Ms. Abisola Olusanya; a beneficiary, Mrs. Odukoya Aduragbemi, and Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on Agriculture, Mr. Gbolabo Olaniwun, during Sensitization, Capacity Building and Empowerment of Rice Farmers in Epe Lagos...recently
L-R, Lead, CSSTE Consortium, Dr Ganiy Agbaje- DG Nigeria Hydrological Services Agency, (NIHSA) Engr Clement Nze and DG, Nigeria Metrological Agency (NIMET),, Prof Sani Mash during the opening ceremony of the online Regional Training on Sentinel 1,2. and 3 Data for Flood Monitoring and Assessment Services of the CSSTE Consortium in Abuja... recently julius atoi
THURSDAY AUGUST 20, 2020 • T H I S D AY
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THURSDAY AUGUST 20, 2020 ˾ T H I S D AY
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NEWS XTRA
IG Deploys Detectives to Re-arrest Fleeing Oyo Serial Killer Kingsley Nwezeh in Abuja and Kemi Olaitan in Ibadan The Inspector-General of Police, Mr. Mohammed Adamu, yesterday deployed detectives and additional investigative aids to Oyo State to complement the efforts of the Oyo State Police Command
in the ongoing manhunt and efforts aimed at re-arresting one Sunday Shodipe, a prime suspect in the multiple murder of innocent citizens at Akinyele Local Government Area, Moniya, Ibadan, Oyo State. He also ordered the Oyo State Commissioner of Police to ensure
House Faults Minority Caucus’ Claim of Lopsided Allocation of 774,000 Jobs Udora Orizu in Abuja The House of Representatives yesterday decried the allegation made by the minority caucus of the House that the method used in the allocation of slots for the recruitment of the federal government’s 774,000 Public Works Scheme was in favour of certain interests in the All Progressives Congress (APC). The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) caucus of the House had last Tuesday in a statement issued by its Minority Leader, Hon. Ndudi Elumelu, while rejecting the 30 slots given to each lawmaker, alleged that the formula used is in favour of certain interests in APC at the
detriment and disadvantage of majority of Nigerians. But in a telephone call with THISDAY, the Spokesperson of the House, Hon. Benjamin Kalu (APC, Abia), said all the lawmakers, both APC and PDP, got equal slots and any claim that the APC benefitted more is unfounded. Kalu chided the caucus for making it a political affair, saying they should be grateful to the APC for not discriminating while sharing slots for the jobs. He said if PDP were in government, they would have given higher slots to their party members and lesser to APC lawmakers.
Over 90 Nigerians Receive EU Scholarships The European Union (EU) has awarded scholarships to over 90 young Nigerians for various Master’s Degree programmes in universities across Europe under its Erasmus Mundus Joint Master Degrees programme. The international study programme is part of the EU’s flagship educational and training programme, Erasmus+, which supports education, training, youth and sport in Europe. The latest number of beneficiaries is the highest to receive the scholarship in a single year, and represents a 125 per cent increase from the number that benefited from the
programme last year. Each of the over 90 students will study for and earn a Master’s Degree to be jointly awarded by a consortium of top grade European universities. “The number of students selected for the programme this year is a record high and reflects the EU’s strong commitment to expanding opportunities for Nigerians, especially the youth. There can be no better way of investing in, and creating development opportunities for, young Nigerians,” said the Head of the EU Delegation to Nigeria and ECOWAS, Ambassador Ketil Karlsen.
that the fleeing serial killer was apprehended. A statement issued by the Force Headquarters in Abuja said the additional deployment include crack detectives from the Intelligence Response Team (IRT) and the Special Tactical Squad (STS) of the Force Intelligence Bureau, Abuja.
It said the team was expected to bring their vast operational, technical and investigative experience to bear in supporting ongoing efforts aimed at rearresting and bringing the fugitive to book. “The IG who condemned the unfortunate escape from lawful custody of the suspect, has directed
the Commissioner of Police, Oyo State Command to intensify efforts and ensure the prompt re-arrest of the fleeing suspect. “The CP has also been directed to speed up investigations into the circumstances that led to the escape of the suspect. All persons indicted in the escape are to be identified and made to face the
wrath of the law,” it said. The statement signed by Force PRO and Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP), Frank Mba, said the CP was also mandated to immediately assess and rejig the security architecture in the state so as to prevent any future occurrence of untoward incident.
PAYING HOMAGE TO MONARCH...
Governor of Edo State and gubernatorial candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the state, Mr. Godwin Obaseki (left), and his deputy, Mr. Philip Shaibu, paying homage at the Palace of the Onojie of Ewatto, His Royal Highness, Sylvanus Ikhumhen, during the governor’s courtesy visit to the traditional ruler, in Ewatto, Esan South East Local Government Area of Edo State...yesterday
Panic as Fire Guts Ooni’s Palace My palace is intact, says monarch Yinka Kolawole in Osogbo There was panic yesterday at the Palace of Ooni Of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi following the outbreak of fire that gutted parts of the Ile-Oodua in the palace. The incident threw many people nto a state of confusion in the ancient town before the prompt intervention of the fire fighters. Speaking with THISDAY yesterday an eyewitness said, “the fire started inside a location in the palace but the timely intervention of men of fire service prevented it from spreading to other buildings.”
However while reacting to the incident, the Ooni Of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi in a statement by his Director of Media and Public Affairs, Comrade Moses Olafare, described the fire incident as minor. “The Palace of the Ooni of Ife, Ooni Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi Ojaja II, wishes to inform the entire public that a minor fire outbreak involving a tiny part of one of the administrative buildings within the premises of the palace occurred at about 1:15pm today, Wednesday, August 19, 2020, leaving no harm to the oldest palace in Yoruba land.
“The minor inferno, which lasted for about 20 minutes was immediately put out by collective efforts of people in the palace led by the Ooni’s Chief Security, Kolawole Emmanuel, later joined by men of the fire services from the state government, Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife and Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospital, Ile-Ife. “Aside from the fact that there was no causality whatsoever, the fire was just a minor occurrence, which was nothing to be compared to the misleading huge pictures being painted in the media,
particularly the social media. “While it is suspected to have emanated from an electric spark, measures are currently in place to reveal the cause of the inferno. “We wish to thank men of the Osun State Fire service, Obafemi Awolowo University Fire Service and OAUTH Fire Service for their swift response, while efforts of well -meaning Nigerians who reached out to the Palace for objective analysis are equally appreciated. “Once again, the ancient Palace of Ife remains as rich as before in culture, traditions and tourism,” the statement added.
Lawyers Reject el-Rufai as Speaker at NBA Conference Police Nab Three for Allegedly Raping, Some lawyers have asked the misrule.” of the intolerance of Mallam el- untold persecution” from the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) In the petition, the Convener Rufai has been lawyers and the governor. Killing 13-year-old Girl in Katsina to withdraw its invitation to of the group, Mr. Silas Onu, legal profession,” recalling when, “As Governor, Mallam
Francis Sardauna in Katsina
The Katsina State Police Command yesterday paraded three young men for allegedly raping and killing a 13-year-old girl, Safiya Basiru, of DutsenDadi village in Danmusa Local Government Area of the state. The state Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), SP Gambo Isah, who paraded the suspects yesterday, said they allegedly raped the victim in their farmland and thereafter threw her inside a pond. He said: “On August 14, 2020, at 15:45hrs based on a
tip off, the command succeeded in arresting the trio of Mubarak Lawan, 16; Anas Ibrahim, 15, and Aliyu Mika, 15, all of Danmusa town, Danmusa LGA of Katsina State. “They conspired, attacked and raped one Safiya Basiru, 13, of Dutsen-Dadi village in Danmusa LGA of the state, in their farmland and thereafter threw her into a nearby pond, in which as result, she got drowned and died. “In the course of investigation, the suspects confessed to the commission of the crime. Investigation is ongoing.”
CORRIGENDUM Our photograph of Monday, August 17, 2020 edition which captured President Muhammadu Buhari posing with the Managing Director of the Federal Housing Authority, Senator Gbenga Ashafa, suggested that it was after Ashafa’s inauguration recently. But we have since confirmed that the photograph was taken in November 2018 during a visit by some members of the APC caucus in the Senate to the State House. The mix-up is regretted. -Editor
the Governor of Kaduna State, Malam Nasir el-Rufai, to speak at the association’s annual general conference. In a petition to the Chairman of the Technical Committee on the NBA Conference Planning, Mr. Koyinsola Ajayi (SAN), the lawyers under the aegis of Open Bar Initiative described the invitation as a “reward for
said the governor “represents the very anti-thesis of what we profess to defend.” The group also said that in addition to governing a state that has been described as “the most dangerous state in Nigeria in 2020, el-Rufai has on several occasions abused the rights of Nigerians”. It added that “a major focus
in 2016, the governor allegedly threatened to abduct Gloria Ballason, a lawyer, “because she had criticised him in a news article.” The lawyers further said while speaking at the conference may be argued as an opportunity for el-Rufai to be examined by the participants, lawyers who have criticised him “have suffered
el-Rufai has shown no regard for the rule of law, for human rights or for human beings,” the petition read. “He has been reckless in his utterances, hubristic in his outlook and irresponsible with power. Offering him the platform of the NBA Annual General Conference 2020 is reward for misrule.”
PDP, APC Bicker over Police Presence in Edo Towns Adibe Emenyonu in Benin The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the All Progressives Congress (APC) yesterday disagreed over the heavy presence of police in Okpella, Agenebode, Akoko Edo and other parts of the state ahead of the September 19 governorship election. While the Special Adviser to Edo State Governor on Media and Communication Strategy, Mr. Crusoe Osagie, said there
was nothing unusual about the increase in police presence, the spokesperson for the APC campaign council, Mr. John Mayaki faulted the deployment of over 50 police officers to Okpella community to guard the private residences of political appointees of Governor Godwin Obaseki. Osagie said: “With just a month to the gubernatorial poll in Edo State, security agencies are stepping up their activities across the state. This should not
be misconstrued by anyone. “The claim by the APC is strange because anyone who means well for Edo people should commend the police for doing their job. The APC should not fret if they have no sinister plans.” Mayaki said “The Police officers were reportedly deployed on the orders of the Governor Godwin Obaseki and have set camp in the building of one Lukman Akemokue, a
political aide and ally of the deputy governor, who relocated his mother from the building to make room for the officers. “Residents of numerous surrounding communities in the area have lamented the Police officers’ night movements characterized by indiscriminate shootings, shouts of obscenities, and other bizarre acts of intimidation which they claim were aimed at inducing fear ahead of the polls”.
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THURSDAY AUGUST 20, 2020 ˾ T H I S D AY
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Tiv, Jukun Crisis: Court Summons Taraba Gov, Others over Probe Panel Alex Enumah in Abuja Justice Ahmed Mohammed yesterday ordered the Governor of Taraba State, Mr. Darius Ishaku; former Justice of the Supreme Court, Justice Kumai Aka’ahs (Rtd) and heads of security agencies in the country to appear before him in respect of the tribal clashes rocking the state. They are to appear before
the court on August 26, 2020, to show why they should not be restrained from continuing with investigations into the Tiv/Jukun crisis in Taraba State. The judge made the order while ruling on an exparte application seeking to stop the “Commission of Inquiry into the Crises between Tiv and Their Neighbouring Communities in Taraba State and Other Related
Matters,” from proceedings further in its assignment over alleged bias. The applicants, which are the Incorporated Trustees of Mzough U Tiv and five others, dragged the respondents to court over the constitution of the probe panel into the tribal clashes in Taraba State. Other applicants are the President General, Mzough U
Tiv, Mr. Ihiagh Iorbee; Hon. David Uchiv, Hon. Jacob Gbagede, Hon. Julius Kwaghkar and Dr. Yakubu Agbidye. In the exparte motion that was filed and argued on their behalf by their lawyers, which were led by Mr. Sebastine Hon, (SAN), the applicants who sued on behalf of themselves and the Tiv people, including those in Taraba State, prayed the court for
an interim injunction restraining the 4th to 12th respondents (chairman, members, secretary and counsel of the panel) from, “taking any further step pursuant to the instrument constituting them as such commission of inquiry pending the determination of the Motion on Notice for Interlocutory Injunction.” They also prayed the court
for another interim injunction restraining the 13th to 19th respondents, namely the Chiefs of Defence, Army, Air and Naval Staffs, the Inspector General of Police, the Director General of the Department of State Service, the Commandant of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps “from continuing to aid and abet the forceful removal of the
Fayemi Disowns Presidential Posters, Warns Appointees against Distraction Victor Ogunje in Ado Ekiti The Governor of Ekiti State, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, has denied the poster published on social media indicating his interest in the 2023 presidential race. The Chairman of Ikere Local Government Area, Mr. Femi Ayodele, yesterday published the poster with presidential-ambition bearing Fayemi’s portrait on social media to clear the air and confirmed his loyalty to the governor. Fayemi, in a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Yinka Oyebode, said he was not oblivious of the distraction such
action will cause the government, denying ever authorising such action. Debunking the claim, Fayemi said: “The attention of the state governor has been drawn to news reports of a campaign poster being purportedly circulated on social media by the Chairman of Ikere Local Government Area, Mr. Femi Ayodele. “Ayodele is reported to be canvassing support for Fayemi for the 2023 presidential election L-R: Imo State Commissioner for Works, Mr. Raph Nwosu; state Commissioner for Transport, Mr. Rex Anunobi; Commissioner for Information with the poster which was and Strategy, Mr. Declan Emelumba; and the Chief Press Secretary/Media Adviser to the governor, Mr. Oguwike Nwachuku, briefing journalists designed with the logo of after the state Executive Council meeting at the Government House, Owerri...yesterday the All Progressives Congress (APC).
MEDIA PARLEY...
House Directs Budget Office to Sanction Defaulting Revenue Agencies Adedayo Akinwale in Abuja The House of Representatives has directed the Budget Office of the Federation to deduct the allocations of defaulting revenue generating agencies that were under-remitting revenue to the federal government. It said the federal government was losing huge revenue to under-remittances of Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) by government agencies, saying if agencies of the government were remitting adequate revenue, the government would have no business resorting to borrowing
to finance the budget annually. The Chairman of the House Committee on Finance, Hon. James Faleke, gave the directive yesterday during an interactive session with government agencies on the 2021-2023 MTEF/FSP. The committee frowned at the loss of over N7 billion to under-remittances from the National Agency for Food, Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), stressing that there was no law that permits any agency of the government to spend the money it generates without the approval of the National Assembly.
Hoodlums Attack Herdsman, Kill 27 Cows in Kogi Ibrahim Oyewale in Lokoja No fewer than 27 cows were killed while at least seven others were declared missing when hoodlums attacked a Fulani herdsman in his house in Ankpa Local Government Area of Kogi State The victim of the attack, Mallam Lawal Ahamadu, told journalists in Lokoja, the state capital yesterday, that the attackers, who were mostly youths, came with
dangerous weapons to eliminate the entire members of his family and his cows, which were the source of his livelihood. The herdsman explained that the armed hoodlums invaded his house located at Ogodo area of Ankpa on July 30 and August 16 to carry out the dastardly act. Ahmadu said that the youths, who were armed with guns, knives and other dangerous weapons, had earlier attacked
his house on July 30 and made away with nine big cows. He explained that the hoodlums again invaded his house on August 16, carted away 16 cows and shot seven others. The herdsman pointed out that the attackers came in three tricycles on the two occasions, noting that the hoodlums also butchered the cows in his presence and used the tricycles
to carry the meat to unknown destination. He also lamented that two of the seven cows shot by the attackers died few days later, bringing the total number of cows killed to 27. Ahmadu added that he has been rendered hopeless as the hoodlums left only five young cows for him, stressing that he does not know how to feed his three wives and children.
College of Education Lecturers Give 14-day Strike Notice Onyebuchi Ezigbo in Abuja Colleges of Education Academic Staff Union (COEASU) has issued a fresh 14-day strike ultimatum to the federal government to address their grievance. The union said following the decision of its expanded National Executive Council
(ENEC) meeting, it gave a 21-day ultimatum within which the federal government was expected to address lingering and emerging issues of industrial concern vide a memo reference no: COEASU/ NS/01/19 dated July 13 2020. According to the union, “We are, however, irked by the fact that your office till date is yet
to find time in any way or pay attention in any form to our demands and ultimatum. This further shows the government insensitivity to issues bordering on the advancement of the country’s teacher education industry. “Having considered the implication of the insensitivity of the government to all the
issues of industrial concern as they affect our members specifically, and the Colleges of Education in general, the union may have no cause to wait any longer after 14 days, should the government posture to our plight remain the same, but to call on its members to commence a nation-wide strike.”
14 Dangote Cement Promo Obasanjo: God Can Call Me Home after 20 More Years Oba Bakare received the celebration, said he wished to in celebrating your 20th Former President Olusegun Winners Get Prizes Obasanjo on Tuesday said staff of office from a former be at the 20 years anniversary anniversary with you, if The cities of Lagos, Owerri and Port Harcourt were agog in the past two days as 14 winners of one-million-star prize in the ongoing Dangote Cement bag of goodies season two promo got alerts of bank credits in their accounts. At the prize giving ceremony held in Lekki, Lagos, nine-star prize winners got alerts on the spot as even as the event was still going. Ayodele Benjamin, one of the star winners in Lagos described the alert as touching, announcing to the gathering that it is the highest amount of money he has ever received in his life. He stated that the prize from Dangote Cement is touching and divine as his wife gave birth to a baby boy some days ago. He urged consumers of cement to continue to patronize Dangote Cement brand as it is
trustworthy and has the interest of all stakeholders at heart. Another winner, Adufe Adetunji in his remarks said that Dangote has become a household name in giving back to customers and consumers. According to him, Dangote Cement promised to make 1,000 Nigerians become millionaires and has kept his promise by enabling them to get alerts today. In Owerri, Imo State, two-star prize winners emerged while a third person went home with a television set. One of the winners at the Owerri prize-giving event, Abua Peter was full of accolades for Dangote Cement for giving to winners the sum of one million naira as star prize, adding that the money is handy in alleviating the hardship caused by COVID-19 scourge.
he wished to live for 20 more years after which God could call him home. Obasanjo, 83 years, spoke in Abeokuta, Ogun State, at the first year coronation anniversary of the Agura of Gbagura, Oba Sabur Bakare, Jamolu II.
Ogun State governor, Senator Ibikunle Amosun, on May 21, 2019 as the 9th Agura of Gbagura. Obasanjo, who joined other dignitaries at an interdenominational service organised to mark the
of the monarch, adding that God could take his life after fulfilling the dream. He said, “I will be here to celebrate your 20 years anniversary with you whether I am invited or not. “By the time I partake
God wishes he can call me to come and meet him in heaven because I know by that time, I will be above 100 years.” The former president advised the monarch to always ensure unity among traditional rulers in yorubaland.
AMCON Takes over Northrich Technologies’ Assets Obinna Chima Justice A.I. Chikere of the Federal High Court, who presided over the suit between the Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria (AMCON) and Northrich Technologies Limited, has ordered the corporation and its appointed law firm, Mildred & Patriarch Attorneys, to take over assets of the company.
Head, Corporate Communications of AMCON, Jude Nwauzor, disclosed this in a statement yesterday. Northrich Technologies Limited is promoted by Alhaji Mukhtar Aliyu Shinkafi and Alhaji Ahmad Aliyu Shinkafi among other directors of the company whose total indebtedness to AMCON was put at about N500 million.
According to the statement, the court in suit no: FHC/ ABJ/CS/258/14-AMCON vs. Northrich Technologies Limited ordered AMCON and its appointed law firm to take over Plot 5, Zaria Road, Damba Gusau Local Government Area of Zamfara State, measuring about 11 hectares with C of O number GS/G/1443 and SOK; 1501, residential plot on Shinkafi
Road, Sokoto State, belonging the defendants as well as all the equipment purchased with the facility. The court also granted an order freezing every account belonging to the company and its promoters. AMCON as directed by the court has effectively taken over all the assets through its appointed law firm.
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THURSDAY AUGUST 20, 2020 ˾ T H I S D AY
THURSDAYSPORTS Super Eagles to Begin Quest for 2022 World Cup Ticket June Next Year
Group Sports Editor Duro Ikhazuagbe Email duro.ikhazuagbe@thisdaylive.com 0811 181 3083 SMS ONLY
Femi Solaja with agency report Nigeria’s Super Eagles will begin their quests to qualify for a seventh FIFA World Cup from June 2021 according to the revised
calendar of the qualification series released yesterday. In the adjusted FIFA international calendar, second round of the qualifiers will also be played in August, September
Rivers Utd Insist on Reclaiming Continental Mandate, Says Iyaye Rivers State Commissioner for Sports, Boma Iyaye has dispelled speculations that Rivers United FC had agreed on a deal with the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) to accept whatever decision that evolves from the ongoing intervention of the federation on the interpretation of the Point-Per-Game (PPG) used to grade Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) teams in the 2019/2020 season disrupted by the Covid-19 pandemic. According to him, at no time did the Ministry or officials of Rivers United concede its protest for second place on the NPFL table to the NFF or League Management Company (LMC). Speaking while inspecting the re-construction and regrassing work at the main bowl and football training pitches of the Adokiye Amiesimaka Sports Complex in Port Harcourt, Iyaye declared that insinuations being circulated in the media do not reflect the true position of what transpired at a virtual meeting with the NFF. He disclosed that the virtual meeting which had the NFF President, Amaju Pinnick; LMC Chairman, Shehu Dikko; Rivers Ministry of Sports Permanent
Secretary, Honour Sirawoo; General Manager, Rivers United, Okey Kpalukwu and himself in attendance looked at the football club’s position to the NFF and LMC. “Rivers United did not at any time agree with the NFF on anything and that definitely is not what transpired at the meeting. During the virtual meeting, there were lots of arguments on our stand that we remain in the second position, which we rightfully deserve. “We called on them to obey their own rules which guide the Nigeria Professional Football League. We also talked about how the LMC used an inconclusive headto-head, which runs contrary to the rules; we x-rayed the situation in other leagues across the world in the realization that FIFA and CAF do not interfere in the domestic operations of its affiliates. “So, Rivers United will not accept injustice, we are ready to pursue it anywhere; the rules must be followed and NFF knows what to do. Amaju Pinnick said he is consulting with FIFA and CAF, we cannot accept injustice and it will be vigorously pursued,” he declared.
and October 2021. Eagles are drawn in a group along with Liberia, Cape Verde and Central African Republic. The qualifiers were due to begin this year October, but the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic has seen a reshuffle in the African international football calendar. The preliminary World Cup competition will now be played in four windows next year, with two games each. The pool stages start from May 31-June 15, and continue in the FIFA windows on Aug. 30-Sept. 7 and Oct. 4-12. The 10 pool stage winners will then advance to a play-off round where the victors will earn a place in Qatar. Those
will be kept free for national teams to use for friendlies if conditions allow for them, before match days three and four of the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations preliminaries will be staged between Nov. 9-17. The final two rounds of those qualifiers, where the top two teams in each of the eight pools qualify for the postponed finals in Cameroon in early 2022, are scheduled to be played in March 22-30 next year. Lack of testing facilities
and poor infrastructure make containing the virus in Africa a challenge for health authorities and at this stage November’s qualifiers could be viewed as a ambitious for a continent-wide opening of borders that allows quarantine-free travel. As of Wednesday, Africa had recorded 1.14-million cases, more than half in South Africa, but there are likely millions more across the continent that have gone undetected.
AFRICAN QUALIFICATION CALENDAR: Super Eagles Head Coach Gernot Rohr
matches will be played between Nov. 8-16. The October window this year
Oct 5-13, 2020: Nov 9-17, 2020: Mar 22-30, 2021: May 31-Jun 15, 2021:
Open for friendly matches Match Day 3 & 4 (2021 Nations Cup) Match Day 5 & 6 (2021 Nations Cup) Match Day 1 & 2 (2022 World Cup
Serge Gnabry (right) scored a brace as Bayern Munich defeated Lyon 3-0 to reach the final of the UEFA Champions League...last night
CHAMPIONS LEAGUE
Compulsory Covid-19 Bayern Munich Beat Lyon to Set up Final Tests for all NFF Showdown with PSG Officials Today Olawale Ajimotokan in Abuja
Fear-stricken management and officials of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) will today undergo Covid-19 pandemic tests at its Sunday Dankaro House secretariat inside the National Stadium Complex in Abuja. The compulsory test for all the staff of the football house is a follow up to the positive Covid-19 result of the Director of Finance of the NFF, Charity Kadiri. General Secretary of the Federation, Dr. Mohammed Sanusi in his address to Management and Staff on Wednesday said: “Apart from him testing positive, I also had issues and had to go for tests when I was feeling ill and uncomfortable. But the truth is most of us have had contact with one another over the days, thus it is important
we do the tests. “I want to appreciate the Federal Government immensely for the efforts so far to contain the pandemic, and also officials of the Nigeria Centre for Disease and Control for agreeing to come to the NFF offices to conduct the tests. After the tests, the offices and the entire complex will be disinfected in line with the protocols of the Covid-19,” stated Dr. Sanusi. Sanusi also disclosed that after the tests, the offices would be closed for the disinfection process, while Management and Staff will work from home. Once the results are out, those who tested negative will immediately resume work in the Secretariat while anyone who tests positive will be required to self-isolate for the period stipulated in the Covid-19 protocols by the Federal Government.
Bayern Munich’s relentless march through this season’s Champions League continued last night as they brushed aside Lyon to book an 11th appearance in the final of the competition and a showdown with Paris St-Germain. The German champions have barely had a glove laid on them in Europe this season, with this their 10th straight Champions League win as part of a 28-game unbeaten run stretching back to December. And Lyon simply did not have ability or approach over
the 90 minutes to buck that trend. The French side will be left to rue two missed opportunities in the opening quarter, though, with Memphis Depay shooting wide after running clear before Karl Toko Ekambi struck the upright from close range after cutting in from the right. Moments after the latter effort, Serge Gnabry moved infield and fired a stunning opener for Bayern, who never looked back. Gnabry also scored the second, with a much simpler
finish, following up to tap in after Anthony Lopes had blocked Robert Lewandowski’s scuffed effort from point-blank range. Ekambi could have made matters interesting had he been able to find a way past Manuel Neuer after being set up by Houssem Aouar, but the chance went begging and Lyon’s belief with it. Philippe Coutinho saw a finish ruled out for offside before Lewandowski had the final word, scoring for the ninth European game on
the bounce with a header - his 15th in the competition this season. Bayern’s win ends their run of having lost the previous four Champions League semi-finals in which they had appeared. It also keeps them on course for a treble of trophies in Hansi Flick’s stellar debut campaign as coach. Sunday’s final promises to be a thriller, pitting arguably the best side in world football against one of the planet’s finest forward lines.
Premier League Fixtures to be Released Today The fixtures for the 2020-21 Premier League season will be released at 09:00 BST today. A shortened top-flight campaign is set to start on 12 September and culminate on 23 May, 2021. The new season will be five weeks shorter than
usual because of the late end to 2019-20 due to the coronavirus pandemic. As a result, the Premier League has scrapped its winter break because of fixture congestion. Premier League clubs involved in the latter stages of European cup
competitions will be given a delayed start to the 2020-21 season. Manchester City reached the quarter-finals of the Champions League, while in the Europa League, Manchester United got to the semi-finals and Wolves to the quarter-finals.
A 30-day break has generally been accepted, which would mean all three clubs will not start their campaigns on 12 September. Fixtures for the Championship, League One and League Two will be released on Friday at 09:00 BST.
THURSDAY AUGUST 20, 2020 • T H I S D AY
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MISSILE Arthur Eze to Willie Obiano “I have installed three African presidents. I have assisted in enthroning many governors in Nigeria. I have given a governorship candidate N10 billion to assist him prosecute his election. I didn’t know the candidate from Adam. He just approached me and told me about himself and his people; I empathised with him and gave him the money. Obiano is just a small fry” – Oil magnate, Arthur Eze, declaring the Anambra State Governor a failure .
OLUSEGUNADENIYI Bayelsa and Judicial Musical Chairs THE VERDICT
olusegun.adeniyi@thisdaylive.com
W
hen it comes to elections, Nigerian politicians have always played by their own rules. It is therefore no surprise that many of them no longer believe in securing electoral victory with votes of the electorate. Now, they register their own political party or secure the endorsement of one of the numerous briefcase parties, get their name on the ballot and then wait for the election to be over before employing judicial ambush. Lawyers in their service look for any technicality with which to approach the courts to seek ‘redress’. Unfortunately, too many of these characters succeed in receiving judgements that do not in any way advance the course of our democracy and electoral jurisprudence. On Monday, the Bayelsa State Gubernatorial Petition Tribunal sitting in Abuja nullified the election of Governor Duoye Diri based on a petition filed by the Advanced Nigeria Democratic Party (ANDP) that claimed the party was unlawfully excluded from participating in the election. The tribunal also ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to conduct a fresh election in Bayelsa state within 90 days. This development is a continuation of the judicial drama which began in February when the Supreme Court sacked David Lyon of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as the governor-elect a day to his inauguration. That ruling was based on grounds that his deputy, Biobarakuma Degi-Eremienyo, deposed false information regarding his name and qualifications. The order of the apex court that compelled INEC to declare the party with the highest number of lawful votes and geographical spread the winner of the election brought Diri, the defeated Peoples Democratic Party(PDP) candidate, to power. This is the subtext to the current case by a little known political party excluded from the election for not meeting constitutional requirements. From my findings, the ANDP nominated an ineligible candidate who was below the age of 35, as demanded by the constitution for the office of deputy governor. However, the party claimed that their nominee was 38 years old, even though the affidavit submitted by the candidate (CF001) contradicted the CF002B it submitted. By his own hand, the ANDP deputy governorship candidate said he was born on 10th February 1985 which makes him ineligible because as at the time of the election he was 34 years old. He was 35 only in February this year. The deadline for submission of nominations elapsed on 9th September 2019 and INEC wrote the party four days later (13th September 2019) to draw its attention to the invalidity of the nomination of Peter Esinkuma David based on the requirement of age as stipulated in sections 177 (B) of the 1999 constitution (as amended). In response, the ANDP asked INEC to substitute the ineligible candidate with another candidate, Miss Janet Inowei, during the period for withdrawal/substitution. The commission replied the party on 27th
Bayelsa Governor, Douye Diri
September 2019, saying that the period for fresh nomination was over. And that political parties could only substitute an eligible candidate for another eligible candidate which was not the case being canvassed by the party. According to INEC, it was no longer possible for the ANDP to submit a fresh nomination for the position, which is what the party was trying to do. “Since your party did not submit valid nomination before the deadline, it cannot substitute said candidate on the grounds of death or voluntary withdrawal in accordance with the provisions of sections 35 and 36 of the Electoral Act 2020 (as amended) which assumes prior existence of valid nomination”, INEC wrote in the memo to the party. However, in its majority judgement, both Justice Yunusa Musa and Justice S. M. Owodunni agreed with the ANDP that INEC has no power to reject a valid nomination. But it is in the 73-page dissenting judgement by the tribunal chairman, Justice Muhammed Sirajo, that the issues become clear. While the Electoral Act was enacted in 2010, amended in 2011 and further amended in 2015, according to Justice Sirajo, those who query the powers of INEC to exclude unqualified candidates or imagine that aggrieved parties can approach the tribunal or court anytime they like need to go and read Section 285 of the 1999 constitution (fourth alteration) which was gazetted on 12th June 2018. After stating that the ANDP was not unlawfully excluded from the election, Justice Sirajo now concluded: “Assuming, however, that I am wrong in holding that the nomination of the petitioner’s deputy governorship candidate is invalid and that the exclusion of the petitioner and her candidates is not unlawful, this petition is still liable to be dismissed for the following reasons: (A) The petition is grounded on pre-election matter which robs this tribunal of jurisdiction to entertain same (B) the petition filed on 26/02/2020 after the decision of the first respondent to exclude the petitioner from the election
dated 27/09/2019 is statute-barred, having not commenced within 14 days of the decision complained of.” Since this case is going all the way to the Supreme Court, I agree with the Bayelsa governor that there is no cause for worry. The main concern is the disruption being caused in the polity by those adept at employing legal maneouverings (apology to President Olusegun Obasanjo) to promote unworthy causes. Ironically, it would seem that a majority of the judges did not evaluate evidence at their disposal before arriving at their verdict. The affidavit to INEC in support of Inowei’s personal particulars gave her date of birth as 26th November 1984. The implication is that she only attained the age of 35 on 26th November 2019—ten days after the election that was held on 16th November 2019. Therefore, even the woman whose name was sent to substitute an ineligible deputy governorship candidate is also ineligible! Meanwhile, it was in a bid to put an end to this kind of situation that INEC in February last year de-registered 74 of the 91 registered parties that participated in the 2019 general election. The decision, according to INEC, followed a comparative review of the court-ordered re-run elections arising from litigation as well as the failure of these mushroom parties “to meet the criteria provided by section 225(a) of the 1999 constitution (as amended)”. But another spanner has been thrown into the works in a rather controversial manner. On 29th July this year, the court of appeal, Abuja Judicial Division, in an appeal filed by the National Unity Party (NUP) affirmed the power of INEC to deregister. Exactly 12 days later, on 10th August, another Court of Appeal in the same judicial division, delivered a contrary judgement. “Faced with two conflicting judgements from the same court, the commission is not in a position to pick and choose which one of them to obey. Consequently, the commission will approach the Supreme Court for a final resolution”, according to a statement by INEC spokesman, Festus Okoye. While a multiplicity of political platforms can lead to greater political participation, there is an urgent need to consider the implications of allowing dozens of briefcase political parties on the ballot at every election cycle. The antics of these no-hopers who simply wait to exploit some legal loopholes after the polls have become a challenge. In recent years, INEC has been burdened with repeat elections instigated by these candidates on grounds of ‘unlawful exclusion’ which they ordinarily had no fighting chance of winning as we have seen in the case of Bayelsa State. The greater challenge is that these characters are being indulged by our courts, sometimes with conflicting judgements as we can also glimpse from the issue of their deregistration. In my column, ‘when Judges Imperil Democracy’, I alluded to how politicians now use the instrumentality of the law to game the system. I quoted from the lecture, “Keeping a Republic: Overcoming the Corrupted Judiciary”, by Robert H.
Bork, a Professor at the Yale Law School and a former American Solicitor General, acting U.S. Attorney General and erstwhile Circuit Judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. He argued that the rule of law requires that “the principles announced and relied upon by judges be neutral in their application” which means that “a principle, once chosen, be applied according to its terms to all relevant cases without regard to the judge’s personal views of the parties or issues before him.” While this, according to Bork, requires discipline, since no judge can possibly avoid seeing a case without his own worldview coming into play, “there is a chasm between a judge who knows that and consciously strives for objectivity and a judge who knowingly undertakes to impose his vision of justice upon the parties before him and upon the society.” Yet, as I have also argued in the past, it is that deliberate choice to impose a vision of justice that is most often at variance with public good that is at the root of the problem in our judicial sector today. It is the responsibility of the courts to settle legal disputes, including electoral matters. But nullifying the votes of the electorate on the basis of technicalities does not in any way advance the cause of democracy. That Judges now determine who wins election in our country has encouraged all manner of electoral petitions from politicians who may not have participated in the process beyond filing papers. I have heard stories of how some of these politicians approach election winners, asking for scandalous sums of money to prevent them going to court. On the whole, the damage election petition cases have done to our judiciary is enormous and this should be addressed. The National Judicial Council (NJC) needs to restore sanity to the bench by dealing with blatant deviant behaviours that bring the judiciary to disrepute and threaten the rule of law in Nigeria. Beyond that, there must also be reforms to help rid our politics of mercenaries. We cannot continue with a situation in which neither those who cast ballots nor those who count them matter due to the antics of politicians who have perfected the art of using courts to shortchange the peoples will.
Adieu Maida, Coker The death on Monday of the Chairman of Board of Directors of the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), Malam Wada Maida has robbed journalism in our country of one of its most accomplished professionals and a role model. Maida was a very humble and unassuming man who was always helpful to younger ones like us. And he lived a life of contentment. Meanwhile, in Lagos, the much respected Baba Eto and father of my friend, Folorunsho, Chief Nathaniel Folarin Coker, also died last week at age 97. As I told Foli, it is a time for thanksgiving. May God comfort the families of the deceased.
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