THURSDAY 24TH AUGUST 2023

CBN Faults JP Morgan’s $3.7bn Estimate of Nigeria's Net Reserves, Says No Cause for Alarm

Insists close to 80% of funds in reserves owned by apex bank

James Emejo in Abuja

The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), yesterday, said the recent estimate

of the bank’s financial accounts by JP Morgan was “out of context”, and assured that there was no cause for panic.

CBN clarified that fluctuations and liabilities encumbrances to the reserves were only natural and normal, adding that the CBN

built the reserves to defend the naira in terms of its value to other currencies.

Director, Monetary Policy

Department of CBN, Dr. Hassan Mahmud, gave the clarification on “Money Line”, a programme monitored on Africa Independent

Television. Mahmud questioned the real

Continued on page 10

www.thisdaylive.com

Page 10

UK

Defence Minister: We’ll

Work with ECOWAS to Restore Democracy in Niger

Kingsley Nwezeh

United Kingdom’s Minister of State for the Armed Forces,

to

discuss

in Niger.

Continued on page 10

Obaseki: I’m Shocked, Scared of FG's Lack of Plan for Nigerians after Ending Subsidy

Says palliative deceitful, promises support for Edo people

Adibe Emenyonu in Benin City and Francis Sardauna in Katsina

Edo State Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, yesterday, lashed out at the administration of President Bola Tinubu, saying he was shocked and scared of the government's inability to plan and effectively respond to the fuel subsidy removal that further impoverished Nigerians, inflicting hardship and suffering on the people.

Obaseki made the assertion while addressing journalists in Benin City.

The governor described the federal government’s palliative concept as fraudulent, saying his administration would implement measures to “support” Edo people.

Obaseki’s comments came as the Katsina State government, yesterday, refuted a report that it had received N5 billion from the federal government as palliatives to mitigate the effect of fuel subsidy removal on the citizens.

NESG'S COURTESY VISIT TO THE ACTING CBN GOVERNOR...

L-R: Board Director, Nigerian Economic Summit Group (NESG), Mr Philip Mshelbila; Outgoing Chief Executive Officer, NESG, Mr ‘Laoye Jaiyeola; Acting Governor, Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Mr Folashodun Shonubi; Chairman, NESG, Mr Niyi Yusuf; Board Director, NESG, Ms Amina Maina; and Board Director, NESG, Mr Abubakar Suleiman, during the NESG's courtesy visit to the acting CBN Governor in Abuja... recently Continued on page 10

Minister of State for Defence, Alhaji Bello Matawalle.

AIR CHIEF VISITS FUBARA...

Manufacturers Groan over Deterioration of Key Economic Indicators in 1st Quarter 2023

Dike Onwuamaeze

The Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN) has stated that operators in the sector groaned in pains during the first quarter of 2023, as sales volume of locally made goods declined by 13 per cent in the period.

The association made this known in its “MAN CEO Confidence Index” (MCCI) report on the first quarter of 2023, which disclosed that Nigeria’s macroeconomic environment had significant negative impact on manufacturing indicators during the review period.

These indicators which included

production and distribution cost, capacity utilisation, volume of production, investment, employment, sales volume and cost of shipment, largely deteriorated in Q1 2023.

The MCCI stated emphatically that a critical evaluation of its survey analysis supported an inference that the manufacturing sector’s “performance in the first quarter of 2023 was much lower than what was obtained in the last quarter of 2022.”

It added that manufacturing activities in the first quarter of 2023 were adversely affected by escalation in the Consumer Price Index (CPI), continuous erosion in

Naira Stable on Parallel Market, Depreciates Marginally on I&E

Nume Ekeghe

The naira was stable on the parallel market as it closed at N910/$1 yesterday.

However, on the official Investors and Exporters’ (I&E) FX window, the naira exchange rate closed at N773/$1, compared to N770/$1 from the previous day. The official I&E window’s daily volume turnover was $167.07 million compared to the daily volume of $64.93 million exchanged the previous day, indicating a 257 per cent increase in one day.

Also, the highest spot rate of the day was pegged at N799.9/$1

while its lowest exchange was N738/$1.

President, Association of Bureau De Change Operators of Nigeria (ABCON), Mr. Aminu Gwadabe, had alleged that the fintechs and some other unlicenced mobile money operators were contributing to the pressure in the FX market.

“The fintechs and unlicensed firms are contributing to pressure in the market. These fintechs are now operating across different jurisdictions and different legislatures. Imagine Binance has millions of Nigerians on its platform, how is Nigeria benefiting from that?” he added.

Naira value and difficulty in accessing foreign exchange, high cost of energy, naira crunch, exorbitant taxes, high lending rates, persisting insecurity and the consequences of lingering Russian-Ukrainian war.

The report added: “Manufacturers are extremely groaning in pains due to these issues that are frustrating their contribution to the economy.

“Major performance indicators of the manufacturing sector all recorded unfavorable changes. Amidst the harsh business-operating environment evidenced by poor macroeconomic indices, the underperformance was largely driven by the nationwide cash crunch in the first quarter of the year.

“The economic turmoil significantly crushed consumer patronage and costly disrupted

the manufacturing value chain in most periods of the quarter.”

A breakdown of the survey’s report revealed that, “production and distribution costs escalated by 24 per cent in the quarter under review much higher than the 19 per cent increase witnessed in the preceding quarter.”

The report further showed that, “capacity utilisation nosedived further by 5.0 per cent in the quarter under review similar to the contraction witnessed in the preceding quarter.”

Furthermore, the, “volume of production contracted by 13 per cent in the quarter under review against the 1.0 per cent growth recorded in the previous quarter; while manufacturing investment dropped by 3.0 per cent in the first quarter of 2023 from 2.0 per

cent increase recorded in preceding quarter.”

It added that, “manufacturing employment reduced further by 3.0 per cent in the first quarter of 2023 from 2.0 per cent contraction recorded in preceding quarter.”

Moreover, “sales volume plummeted by 13 per cent in the first quarter of 2023 against the stable record witnessed in the preceding quarter,” the MCCI noted, adding that the, “cost of shipment rose by 20 per cent in the first quarter of 2023 though witnessed a slowdown from the 22 per cent increase recorded in the fourth quarter of 2022.”

The MCCI stated that in the course of the survey, manufacturers had the opportunity to identify and rank the current challenges of the manufacturing sector in order

of severity of impact.

“Based on the ranking, multiple taxes/charges/levies was top on the list of major manufacturing challenges. This was accordingly followed by inadequate power supply, low patronage/poor sales/low purchasing power, unavailability of raw materials/delay in receiving imported raw materials/high cost of raw materials and scarcity of forex/high exchange rate/poor allocation of forex.”

The Aggregate Index Score (AIS) of MCCI declined to 54.1 points in the first quarter of 2023 from 55.0 points obtained in fourth quarter of 2022. The index score of the current quarter though below that of the previous quarter, indicates that manufacturers generally show resilience and have confidence in the economy.

Abbas: House to Review NHF Act, Says Non-remittance of Fund Grievous

NLC threatens to pull out of scheme

Adedayo Akinwale in Abuja

The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Abbas Tajudeen, has said the House would review the National Housing Fund (NHF) Act.

The Speaker said this in Abuja, yesterday, during the inauguration of the Ad-hoc Committee tasked with

investigating the non-remittance of contributions to the National Housing Fund and utilisation of the Fund from 2011 till date.

He said the NHF represents a commitment to addressing one of the most fundamental needs of citizens –affordable housing.

Abbas, said the scheme was

designed to ensure that Nigerians have access to affordable housing mandates for all employers – in both the private and public sectors – by contributing 2.5 per cent of workers' monthly earnings into this Fund.

The Speaker noted that as a noble initiative rooted in the principles of collective responsibility, the scheme

AGM: FBN Holdings Shareholder Asks Court to Set Aside Interim Order

Wale Igbintade

One of the aggrieved shareholders of FBN Holdings yesterday asked a Federal High Court in Lagos, to set aside the interim order of the court made on the 29th of July, directing FBN Holdings not to go ahead with its annual general meeting held on August 15th.

The request to set aside the order was contained in an application filed and moved by Kazeem Gbadamosi, counsel to Mr. Sunday Aborisade, asking the court to join him as party in the suit.

When the matter came up for hearing yesterday, the applicant told Justice Akintoye Aluko, that the interim order was fraudulently obtained by suppression of facts

which if disclosed to the court, the court would have refused to grant the application.

He argued "My Lord the order ought not to have been made if the facts are laid bare before the court.

I urge my lord to set it aside. I also urge the court to join me as party, as the order made affected me.

"Assuming the meeting was not held virtually I would not have received my dividends. The AGM is like a market, a market cannot be stopped from holding," he said.

However, earlier in his ruling, Justice Aluko refused an application by FBN Holdings asking the court to stay proceedings on the matter.

The court held that filing a Notice of Appeal was not an automatic ground for stay of proceedings.

The court held, "I can see from the notice and grounds of appeal that the appeal was in respect of the Interim ex-parte Order of this court made on the 9th day of August 2023.

“I have examined the Notice of Appeal, the issue of jurisdiction, and the hearing of the substantive suit have not been raised in the Appeal.

"I like to draw the notice of the learned counsel to the position of the law that the filing of the Notice of Appeal does not amount to stay, the applicant must established an exceptional ground.”

Justice Aluko also drew attention to the provisions of the law that an ex-parte order was not appealable.

The court added that the issue of jurisdiction had not been determined,

adding that any of the parties has the opportunity to raise the issue at any time.

Three aggrieved FBN Holdings Plc shareholders: Olojede Adewole Solomon, Adebayo Oluwafemi Abayomi, and Ogundiran Emmanuel Adejare had urged the Federal High Court for an order stopping the bank's Annual General Meeting that was scheduled for August 15 pending the hearing of their suit number FHC/L/CP/1575/23.

In his ruling Justice Nicholas Oweibo, had directed FBN Holdings Plc not to hold the scheduled AGM until the issues before the court were resolved.

But the holding company in its Notice of Appeal filed before the Court of Appeal, Lagos Division,

had prayed the Court for an order staying further proceedings in the suit before the lower court pending the hearing and determination of the appeal against the Ruling of the Court delivered on the 9th of August, 2023.

FBN Holdings had argued that the execution of the ruling of the lower court obtained by the petitioner/ respondent would render nugatory the decision of the Court of Appeal if the ruling is enforced.

The appellant had also stated that the res (subject matter) of the case would be destroyed in the event this application for stay and/or suspension of execution is not granted.

identifies the critical need to ensure access to affordable housing by hard-working Nigerians, in order to bridge the housing deficit gap in the country.

His words: "The House will look into this law which is obsolete now. From 1992 till date, calls for a review. There are other issues that the House will inject to make it fit for purpose.

"However, for this to become a reality, we all know it is crucial that the Fund is managed transparently, efficiently, and in strict adherence to the law.

"The House was therefore alarmed to receive allegations of non-remittance by employers and in other cases, mismanagement and misappropriation of the hard-earned salaries of Nigerian workers, by the administering institution."

Abbas, noted that it was within this context that the House convened to investigate the alleged non- remittance to the National Fund and critically reviewed the utilisation of the Fund from 2011 to date. He said the task of the Committee was to shed light on the utilisation, “of these contributions, to ensure that the NHF fulfills its mandate to provide affordable housing solutions."

L-R: Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Hassan Abubakar, Governor Siminalayi Fubara and the Deputy Governor, Prof Ngozi Odu, during a courtesy visit by the Chief of Air Staff, at the Government House, Port Harcourt, Rivers State... yesterday.

Reveal volume of sales plummeted by 13%

ANNUAL NIGERIAN TELECOMMUNICATIONS INDIGENOUS CONTENT EXPO (NTICE)...

L-R: Director, Consumer Affairs Bureau, Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Alkasim Umar; President, Digital Bridge Institute, Prof. Mohammed Ajiya; Director, Centre for Digital Economy, Kwara State University, Hassanat Bello; Executive Commissioner, Technical Services, NCC, Ubale Maska; Team Lead, Nigeria Office for Developing Indigenous Telecoms Sector, Babagana Digima; President, Association of Licensed Telecom Operators of Nigeria, Gbenga Adebayo and Group President, KK King Group, Khalifa Abdullahi, at the annual Nigerian Telecommunications Indigenous Content Expo (NTICE), started by the NCC in Lagos ... yesterday

Again, Emefiele's Arraignment on Alleged Procurement Fraud Stalled

Court strikes out siblings’ suits

Alex Enumah in Abuja

The arraignment of the suspended Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Mr. Godwin Emefiele, over alleged procurement fraud was stalled for the second time in one week.

Emefiele and one Mrs. Sa'adatu Yaro, were to be arraigned last Thursday, before a High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) in Maitama, Abuja, for breaching the procurement Act in respect of the purchase of some vehicles, but the arraignment could not go on because of the reported ill health of Mrs. Yaro.

Trial judge, Justice Hamza Muazu, subsequently adjourned to yesterday,

for arraignment.

However, on the said adjourned date Emefiele, his co-defendant, his lawyers and that of the prosecution were not present in court.

Similarly, a check on the case list for the day showed that Emefiele's case was not among the cases the court would handle for the day.

Meanwhile, one of the senior lawyers defending Emefiele, Mr. Akinlolu Kehinde, told THISDAY that the matter was not coming up, adding that, "they will communicate the new date" for arraignment.

However, a lawyer although not in the team of the suspended governor, told journalists who had besieged the court premises for coverage that Emefiele was not in court because,

"they are talking with the federal government."

But, neither Kehinde nor Chief Joseph Daudu responded to calls and text messages.

President Bola Tinubu had shortly after assumption of office suspended Emefiele as CBN governor over alleged infractions and breach of trust.

Emefiele was then arrested on June 10, and later arraigned a month after on a two count charge of alleged unlawful possession of firearms before a Federal High Court in Lagos. Although, he pleaded not guilty to the charge and was admitted to bail, the Department of State Service (DSS) refused to recognise the bail claiming that Emefiele still had other charges to answer to.

Subsequently, the DSS last week withdrew the two count charge and filed a fresh 20 count charge bordering on breach of procurement laws. But the arraignment last week was however stalled. Emefiele, Yaro and a company, April 1616 Investment Limited, purported to belong to Mrs. Yaro were to be arraigned before Justice Hamza Muazu on a fresh 20 count charge bordering on alleged breach of procurement laws.

In the fresh charge, the federal government had accused the suspended CBN governor of conferring corrupt advantages on Yaro through the award of contracts to April 1616 Investment Limited, up to the tune of N99.9 million for the supply of cars.

Tinubu, Jibrin Rejoice with Sultan of Sokoto, Sa'ad Abubakar, on His 67th Birthday

Deji Elumoye and Sunday

Aborisade in Abuja

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the Deputy President of the Senate, Senator Barau Jibrin have felicitated His Eminence, Sultan of Sokoto, Muhammadu Sa'ad Abubakar III, and the Sokoto Sultanate Council, as the revered royal father and Spiritual Leader of Muslims in Nigeria turns 67 today.

In separate press statements yesterday, the extolled the traditional ruler on the occasion of his birthday.

The president, in a statement issued yesterday, by his Media Adviser, Ajuri Ngelale, shared in the moment of joy and thanksgiving with the leader of the Qadiriyya Sufi Order, who also serves as Head of Jama'atu Nasril Islam (Society for the Support of Islam) and President-General of the Nigerian Supreme Council of Islamic Affairs.

Tinubu acknowledged the sacrifices and selflessness of the Sultan of Sokoto, who has, since his assumption of office in November 2006, worked assiduously for the sustenance of peaceful co-existence in the country, and beyond, personally traveling, intervening, mediating, and chairing meetings on the need for harmony.

The president extolled Sultan’s magnanimity, friendliness, and neighbourly outlook on life, seizing every opportunity to educate citizens on the benefits of amity in the society, while providing platforms for solidifying Nigeria’s

unity, such as instituting the Peace Accord for elections as a member of the National Peace Committee.

As the revered former military officer, who served the nation meritoriously, clocks 67, Tinubu believed his wealth of experience would continuously be an asset for the steady progress of the nation with a particular emphasis on bridging religious, ethnic, and cultural divides.

The president also prayed for more years of strength, health, and wisdom for His Eminence,

the Sultan of Sokoto.

On his part, Jibrin in a statement by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Ismail Mudashir, described the Sultan of Sokoto as an untiring promoter of peace, unity and national cohesion.

The 20th Sultan of Sokoto, was born on 24th August, 1956.

The Deputy President of the Senate said since the Sultan ascended the throne in 2006, he has been playing a vital role in the promotion of peace, unity and national cohesion in the country.

"I celebrate with His Eminence, the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Muhammad Sa'ad Abubakar, on the occasion of his 67th birthday. I pray Allah SWT to grant him sound health and strength for us to continue to tap from his wealth of knowledge, wisdom and experience.

“Since his ascension to the throne in 2006, he has been at the forefront of promoting peace, unity and tranquility in the country and beyond,’’ the Deputy President of the Senate said.

The said transaction was said to have occurred between 2018 and 2020 and was said to have contravened Section 19 of the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act 2000.

“Any public officer who uses his office or position to gratify or confer any corrupt or unfair advantage upon himself or any relation or associate of the public officer or any other public officer shall be guilty of an offence and shall on conviction be liable to imprisonment for five years without an option of fine,” the law stipulates.

According to the charges, Emefiele and Yaro were alleged to have purchased a fleet of about 100 posh vehicles and armoured buses worth about N6.9 billion.

In count one, Emefiele was said to have, “sometime in 2018 within the jurisdiction of this honourable court did use your position as Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria to confer a corrupt advantage on Sa’adatu Ramallan Yaro, a staff member of the Central Bank of Nigeria by awarding a contract for the supply of 37 (Nos.) Toyota Hilux Vehicles at the cost of N854,700,000 only to April 1616 Investment Ltd, a company in which she is a director and thereby committed an offence.”

In another count, the suspended CBN chief, Ms. Yaro and her company, “sometime in 2019 within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court did conspire amongst yourselves to use the office of Mr. Godwin Ifeanyi Emefiele as Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria to confer a corrupt advantage on Sa’adatu Ramallan

Yaro, a staff of the Central Bank of Nigeria by awarding a contract for the supply of 1 (No.) Toyota Landcruiser V8 at the cost of N73,800,000 only to April 1616 Investment Ltd., ‘’ the charge stated.

Meanwhile, a High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) on Wednesday struck out two separate cases filed by two siblings of Emefiele, George and Okanta Emefiele.

The Emefiele brothers had separately approached the court, seeking, among other reliefs, an order of perpetual injunction restraining the DSS from inviting, intimidating, harassing, and arresting or detaining them in relation, "to matters or body of matters which relates to the ongoing investigation of Emefiele and/ or matters outside the constitutional and statutory mandate of the 1st respondent (DSS)".

The applicants in the two separate matter had joined the Department of State Service and the Attorney-General of the Federation as respondents.

At the resumed hearing of the case, counsel for the applicants, Grace Ehusani, informed the court that the applicants separately filed notice of discountenance of the case, though she did not give any reasons for the application.

While not opposing the application, counsel for the DSS, Ibrahim Awo, urged the court to dismissed the case, instead of striking it out as requested by the applicants' counsel.

He then asked for a substantial cost against the applicants in favour of the respondents.

Akume Promises to Enforce Workers’ Compulsory Contribution to NSITF

Onyebuchi Ezigbo in Abuja

The Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator George Akume has assured that the mandatory one per cent deduction from Ministries, Departments and Agencies of Government (MDAs) as workers’ contributions to the Employee Compensation of the Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund (NSITF) would be given every necessary attention.

Former President Muhammadu Buhari had at the Extraordinary Session of Federal Executive Council held on May 15, 2023, given approval for one per cent mandatory deductions from the source of the MDAs’ emoluments as Employee Compensation contributions, with retroactive effect from January 2023.

A statement by the General Manager, Corporate Affairs of the NSITF, Mr. Nwachukwu Godson quoted Akume as having given the assurance on Tuesday, during a courtesy visit on him by the executive and management of the NSITF led by its Managing Director, Maureen Allagoa.

According to the statement, Akume said: “I have a fair knowledge of what you do because my friend and colleague at that time (last administration) the former Minister of Labour, used to talk to me about the fund and its challenges.

“It was on the basis of his presentation that the decision to deduct one per cent from the MDAs was taken. This is a matter for implementation. I have already minuted to the Permanent Secretary,

Cabinet Affairs Office to attach some of these conclusions to enable me take action.”

Akume said the NSITF has a lot to offer, “too much to offer to the Nigerian workers in both private and public sectors of the economy,” adding that injuries suffered by workers in the private sector and in the public sector were such that if you don’t come to their aide, they might be crippled for life.

“It is therefore a matter for concern that this (1% deductions from the MDAs) has not yet been implemented but given the fact that this was only concluded in May 2023, you understand why we are yet to act on this.

"There were so many conclusions towards the end of the tenure of the last administration and I believe

this was done in good faith and so we treat it on its own merit.

“I hence thank and assure that you will hear from us as soon as the cabinet affairs office concludes what I asked them to do,” he added.

Earlier in her address, Allagoa acquainted Akume with the history, achievements and challenges of the Fund, sought the assistance of the SGF towards the implementation of the compulsory employee compensation for all public servants as approved by the Federal Executive Council in May 2023. She said, “We are yet to achieve the implementation of this approval that is key to the fundamental repositioning of the Fund. This same FEC approval gives a directive for a universal implementation of the compensation scheme across

all tiers of government by directing the Attorney General of the Federation(AGF) to liaise with the Attorney Generals in the thirty-six states of the Federation towards achieving this.”

She said the NSITF since 2010, has registered 14, 000 employers which translates to over 7.4 million employees, majorly from the organised private sector.

"We are also currently making inroads into the informal sector but seriously handicapped in the public sector despite FEC’s approval of May 15, 2023, authorising the implementation of Employees’ Compensation for all public servants through a compulsory one percent deduction from the source of emoluments of the MDAs," she said.

COMMONWEALTH

REA Announces Successful Deployment of 103 Solar Mini-grids Nationwide

Emmanuel Addeh in Abuja

The Rural Electrification Agency (REA) yesterday, announced that it had hit a major milestone under its Nigeria Electrification Project (NEP), funded by the World Bank, with the deployment of 103 solar mini-grids across Nigeria.

A statement from the agency stressed that the achievement coincided with the hosting of the 10th mini-grid roundtable discussion, held virtually in conjunction with developers.

“The REA has successfully deployed 103 mini-grids across Nigeria under the Performance Based Grant (PBG) subcomponent of the NEP, signalling a crucial advancement in enhancing electricity access for households, micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs), as well as public facilities in rural and underserved regions of Nigeria,” the REA stated.

Speaking during the event, the Managing Director/Chief Executive of the agency, Ahmad Salihjo, expressed the REA’s dedication to bridging the

energy access gap in Nigeria.

"The REA was established with the mandate to increase access to electricity by bridging the energy access deficit in Nigeria. Since inception, we have made significant progress in achieving this goal.

“The Agency is implementing various electrification programmes – like the Nigeria Electrification Project (NEP) –targeted at creating lasting impacts by fostering economic growth, improving education, and enhancing the overall quality of life of Nigerians," he added.

He explained that one of the key strategies that the REA was deploying to achieve the goal was the performance based grant sub-component of the programme.

“The PBG is a financing mechanism that provides grants to qualified developers to construct and operate mini-grids in rural communities. So far, the PBG has been very successful in attracting private sector investments in mini-grids,” he noted.

According to him, through the

NEP, over 32,000 households, small businesses, public facilities have been connected and are currently providing clean and reliable electricity for the beneficiaries.

“The Solar Hybrid Mini-grid component has witnessed remarkable success, with a total of 46,661 verified connections made to households, MSMEs, and public facilities.

"Each connection is a step towards bridging the energy gap and fostering economic development. An additional 281,578 connections are in progress, poised to further

expand the project's impact and reach,” Salihijo noted.

As the REA continues its efforts, the successful deployment of 103 mini-grids, he said, was as a testament to the project's dedication to creating a brighter future for communities throughout Nigeria.

"We're not stopping here. Our vision is to keep expanding, keep innovating, and keep bringing light to every corner of this nation," he said.

In his remarks, Head of the REA Project Management Unit of the NEP, Abba Aliyu, expressed his satisfaction at the accomplish-

ment, stating the connections would impact positively on underserved communities.

"We are thrilled to announce that we have successfully completed and commissioned 103 mini-grids as part of the NEP initiative. This achievement underscores our commitment to providing reliable and sustainable energy solutions to communities that have long been underserved," he noted.

While emphasing the transformative nature of the projects, he stated that the goal has always been to empower communities with the power of electricity.

“These 103 mini-grids represent brighter futures, improved livelihoods, and opportunities for growth," he stressed.

The initiative, he said, has already positively impacted over 230,000 people across Nigeria, leading to positive changes in their daily routines, economic activities, and overall quality of life.

The statement added that the installation of 5.8 MW of photovoltaic (PV) capacity underscored REA's commitment to harnessing renewable energy sources for sustainable power solutions.

Bwala: Tinubu's Ministers Can't Achieve More Than 15 Percent

Says cabinet composition is more of politics

One of the presidential spokespersons to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, Daniel Bwala, has said the new cabinet of President

Bola Tinubu would not perform up to 15 per cent.

He said most of the new ministers had no records of performance, as Tinubu chose them merely because of politics than governance . Speaking on a television

FXTM Academy Offers Free Training

As 2023 presents its challenges, FXTM Academy is inviting Nigerians to a free training for them to upskill, adapt and secure their financial future.

It noted that the training which comes up in Lagos on September 2nd, was an opportunity for empowering individuals to navigate uncertain times.

In a statement, it pointed out that current global economic landscape has been far from smooth sailing, impacting economies worldwide, including that of Africa's largest economy, Nigeria.

“The nation grapples with surging oil local prices and an escalating cost of living. The recent change in government has further intensified uncertainties, sending ripples across all sectors of society.

“In response to the formidable inflationary pressures reminiscent of 2005, the Central Bank of Nigeria has hiked interest rates, amplifying the burden on consumers.

“With projections of even higher crude oil prices post the removal of fuel subsidies, the average Nigerian faces the prospect of reduced disposable

income. Families find themselves squeezed financially, necessitating diversified income streams for survival.

“While the horizon holds promise of economic revival, it takes more than optimism to weather the ongoing storm. Enter FXTM, your partner in equipping you with the tools and expertise needed to navigate and capitalise on these market dynamics. Amidst uncertainty lie unprecedented opportunities within the global financial markets,” the statement added.

According to Senior Market

Analyst of FXTM, Lukman Otunuga, the Academy recognises the potential of interested participants and invites them to be part of the transformation.

“We have experts in the field who can train interested participants to learn, trade and grow in turbulent markets.

“Our educators impart actionable insights to enable participants harness market potential, setting them on the path to success. Attendees stand to gain valuable giveaways, cutting-edge technical accessories, and trading credits, among other prizes.”

programme monitored in Abuja, Bwala stated that he didn’t expect much based on the people the president has appointed.

According to him, “I feel that when it comes to the number of ministers, he (Tinubu) was more particular about politics than governance. The number of governors in the cabinet and the portfolios assigned to some individuals were purely political.

“I don’t have an expectation of a performance that is going to be beyond 15 percent, looking at the cabinet members. This is because you have a cabinet that is full of people, whose track record betrays what we are expecting of them. A governor, who did not do much in a state where he had the resources and made executive decisions and nobody questioned him yet couldn’t do anything.

“I feel that when it comes to the number of ministers, he (Tinubu) was more particular about politics than governance. The number of governors in the

cabinet and the portfolios assigned to some individuals were purely political. I don’t have an expectation of a performance that is going to be beyond 15 per cent, looking at the cabinet members.

“This is because you have a cabinet that is full of people whose track record betrays what we are expecting of them. A governor who did not do much in a state where he had the resources and made executive decisions and nobody questioned him yet couldn’t do anything.

“There are others, maybe they have an idea, we don’t know, but their first speech with the Nigerian people is threatening fire and brimstone. To us, we felt that somebody who does that probably does not have a firm grasp of the role he is going to play or an idea of where he is going.

“Sometimes, even if you do, priority also matters. If you have too many issues, you know which one comes first, which one comes second.”

Chuks Okocha in Abuja

AFFAIRS CENTRE'S VISITS BRITISH HIGH COMMISSION IN UK...

L-R: Advisory Board Member for Commonwealth Affairs Centre, Ms. Abimbola Okoya; Nigerian High Commissioner to the United Kingdom, Ambassador Sarafa Tunji Isola; and Director of Commonwealth Affairs Centre, Mr. Sam Bidwell, during the courtesy visit by the Centre for Commonwealth Affairs and initial project discussion with the Nigerian High Commission in the United Kingdom....recently

One Hour Local Flight Could Cost N250,000, Say Airline Operators

Emma Okonji and Nosa

Alekhuogie

Following the hike in aviation fuel and the increase in the cost of operations, airline operators are of the view that an hour local flight within Nigeria could rise to N250, 000 anytime soon.

Spokesperson for Airline Operators of Nigeria (AON) and Chairman of United Nigeria Airlines, Obiora Okonkwo, said this yesterday, while speaking as a guest on the ‘Morning Show’ on ARISE NEWS Channel, the broadcast arm of THISDAY Newspapers.

According to him, the increase in cost of operations, could lead to an increase in air ticket, such that air passengers would pay as much as N250, 000 for air ticket from Lagos to Abuja.

“If you think tickets are expensive, then you probably don’t appreciate the sacrifices made by local operators. If we have to charge the fares, the way the costs are increasing every day, we should be paying not less than N250,000 from Lagos to Abuja,” Okonkwo said.

He stressed the need for local airlines to access foreign exchange through a designated window facilitated by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).

He also called on the newly appointed Aviation Minister, Festus Keyamo, to collaborate with other governmental bodies to identify and rectify obstructive elements within the system, which a cording to him, is adding to the existing challenges.

Addressing the foreign exchange challenge, Okonkwo said: “You have naira and you can’t convert it to dollar. So, the solution to this is for our minister

to understand that we need a special window with the CBN to access foreign exchange.”

He expressed concern over the unjustifiably high cost of aviation fuel, attributing the excess charges to speculative practices. He called on the Nigerian National Petroleum

Company Limited (NNPC) to rise above board to stabilise the industry.

Recognising the significance of the aviation sector, Okonkwo advocated for its acknowledgement as an essential industry within Nigeria. He cautioned against any interference with the existing

regulatory framework, stressing that stability and consistency were paramount. He urged the government and the new aviation minister to recognise the aviation industry as one of the essential industries in the country. Okonkwo highlighted the

currency disparity that local operators grapple with. He said earnings in naira must cover significant dollar-denominated expenses, making the industry particularly vulnerable to currency fluctuations. He therefore urged the minister not to tamper with the existing regulations and

institutional structures. “The current minister should not interfere with the regulations. We had a very terrible past where the regulatory employees were given employment letters from the Federal Ministry of Aviation. That’s absurd and unacceptable," Okonkwo said.

Wagner Group Leader, Yevgeny

Prigozhin, Dies in Plane Crash in Russia

I am not surprised by his possible death, says Biden

Wagner Group leader, Yevgeny Prigozhin, was on the passenger list of a plane that crashed in Russia's Tver region yesterday, according to the press service of Russia's Federal Air Transport Agency.

Ten people were killed in the crash near the town of Kuzhenkino, including Prigozhin.

"An investigation has been launched into the crash of the Embraer aircraft, which occurred tonight in the Tver region. According to the list of passengers, among them is the name and surname of Yevgeny Prigozhin," the department said in a statement.

Among the 10 dead were three crew members and seven passengers. The seven passengers were identified as Sergey Propustin, Evgeniy Makaryan, Aleksandr Totmin, Valeriy Chekalov, Dmitriy Utkin, Nikolay Matuseev and Prigozhin, the ABC News reported.

The crew was identified as

Cmdr. Aleksei Levshin, co-pilot Rustam Karimov and flight attendant Kristina Raspopova.

The Federal Air Transport Agency said the plane was en route from Moscow to St. Petersburg.

Mykhailo Podolyak, an adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, said in a statement, "The demonstrative elimination of Prigozhin and the Wagner command two months after the coup attempt is a signal from Putin to Russia's elites ahead of the 2024 elections."

White House National Security Council spokesperson Adrienne Watson, said in a statement earlier in the day that officials were watching the reports of the plane crash.

"If confirmed, no one should be surprised. The disastrous war in Ukraine led to a private army marching on Moscow, and now -- it would seem -- to this," she

said.

Prigozhin is the head of the private paramilitary organisation Wagner Group, which played a key role in Russia's invasion of Ukraine before briefly launching an insurrection against the Russian military in June. Forces loyal to Prigozhin marched toward Moscow, before turning back after several days.

Prigozhin allegedly struck a deal with Russian President Vladimir Putin where he didn't face prosecution and was relocated to Belarus, according to the Kremlin.

The Russian president and Prigozhin allegedly met face to face on June 29, less than a week after the failed coup, the Kremlin said.

On July 3, Prigozhin released a message on social media claiming the rebelling was aimed at "fighting traitors and mobilising our society."

“I think we have achieved a

lot of it. In the near future, I am sure that you will see our next victories at the front. Thanks guys," he allegedly said.

Prigozhin's last known public appearance came in a video dated August 21 from an undisclosed location in Africa.

Prigozhin helped to launch the Wagner Group toward the beginning of the Ukraine-Russia conflict on the Crimean Peninsula around 2014, according to reports published by the Combating Terrorism Center at West Point.

In 2018, U.S. prosecutors charged Prigozhin for his suspected role in funding the Internet Research Agency, which the U.S. described as a Russian "troll farm" that sought to use digital campaigns to increase political and social tensions in the U.S.

The Department of Justice accused the IRA of conspiring to "defraud the United States

CBN FAULTS JP MORGAN’S $3.7BN ESTIMATE OF NIGERIA'S NET RESERVES, SAYS NO CAUSE FOR ALARM

intent of the report by the ratings agency, “whether to rouse market sentiments, or whether to mislead the public?”

He stressed that the apex bank had tried as much as possible to be transparent in its operations.

Mahmud also disclosed that CBN owned about 80 per cent of funds in reserves mainly to support the local currency in periods of volatility as well as boost confidence of foreign investors, among others.

He stated, “We also read the JP Morgan numbers in-house and we didn’t panic over that. That’s not the first time we are seeing people, institutions reeling out numbers; they must have their intentions to do that, whether to rouse market sentiments, whether to mislead the public.

“But, the central bank has as much as possible tried to be transparent. What I will say about those numbers is that it is just funny in the sense that number one, reserves like any account balance, is a flow; there are changes that go within it at any particular time.

“Two, even if you have outstanding liabilities, you don’t mark the outstanding liabilities to market on a day and say this is your net balance.

“I can have $20 million in my account and I am owing someone maybe $13 million that is supposed to be paid in 2027; you can’t come in 2023 and say if I remove that $13 million, your money is $7 million or you are having $7 million.

“Now, I am not having $7 million, I am having $20 million. Because before I took a facility of $13 million, I know in the next three years, I will get $17 million so I can pay you back.”

Mahmud added, “But for you to come and tell me that no, your balance is $7 million and you can’t pay back in three years; it’s just putting it out of context.

“Yes, there are liabilities encumbrances to the reserves, which is normal. The CBN built the reserves to defend the naira in terms of its value to other currencies and close

to 80 per cent of the reserves is CBN’s funds.”

The CBN director also said, “When the federal government or the oil export receipts come to Nigeria, it comes through the central bank. The CBN monetises that to naira and the federal government spends the naira in the implementation of its budget.

"So, that dollar component sits with the central bank and the purpose of the dollar component, one, is to build the confidence of the international community in the capability of central bank to meet its trade commitment and so you will see measurements around what months of imports either goods and services or goods only can your reserves cover?

“That gives some confidence to foreign investors trading with Nigerian investors in terms of import and export. Two, in the event that, for example, we are having a float-managed exchange rate regime – in the event that the value of your currency is significantly depreciating or appreciating or whatever direction it is going – the central bank has the firepower to intervene in the market such that you bring the price to your expected or optimal equilibrium rate.”

Mahmud further stated, “So, that is what the reserve is meant for – the reserve is not meant for just trading – in the event that there are also shortfalls in the build-up of those reserves, you can take a swap or other engagements that are legally allowed by the CBN Act over the short period of time.

“The exchange rate, like we mention several times, is also part of the tools to address price stability, including leading to inflation and all that.

“So, the reserves is a tool that we can comfortably use to build investors’ confidence in the Nigerian economy and also build the sovereign confidence in terms of our exposures to multilaterals the CBN is owing and service its debts.

“So, people do all those calculations. Okay, for example, we have some government loans that are for 10 years and there is annual service interest that you are supposed to pay to amortise those loans.”

He stressed, “If you come today and sum up the entire facility, maybe $20 billion and you say federal government is owing $20 billion for the past 10 years; if you remove that $20 billion from the $33 billion you have only N3 billion to service your debt, that’s wrong because there’s going to be inflows; federal government is going to earn some monies.

“I don’t know how they did their calculations and I don’t have any information about that, but we also saw those numbers that came out.”

JP Morgan recently estimated that the CBN’s Net FX reserves currently stood at about $3.7 billion, significantly lower than prior estimates, owing to largerthan-expected currency swaps and borrowing against existing reserves.

The report pointed out that based

on partial information from the audited financial accounts, the apex bank’s net FX reserves were around $3.7 billion at the end of 2022, compared to $14 billion in 2021.

JP Morgan said, “In arriving at said estimate we make a few assumptions, which, if incorrect, would substantially change the picture.

“They include an addition of $5.0 billion in IMF Special Drawing Rights (SDR) to external reserves in order to arrive at total gross FX reserves of $37.8 billion, broadly, in line with the 30-day moving average of $37.08 billion previously published on the central bank’s website; adjusting the gross external reserves with three key FX liability lines that include FX forwards ($6.84 billion), securities lending (US$5.5 billion) and currency swaps (US$21.3 billion); and estimating currency swaps by backing out FX forwards and outstanding OTC Futures balances from an overall aggregate published in the financial accounts.”

However, the ratings agency said low net FX reserves meant continued FX market pressures, adding, however, that the CBN still has the ability to source FX at commercial and semi-commercial rates.

... for the purpose of interfering with the U.S. political and electoral processes, including the presidential election of 2016."I am Not Surprised’ by Prigozhin’s Possible Death, Says Biden

Meanwhile, US President, Joe Biden, yesterday, said he was “not surprised” at news that Prigozhin may have died in a plane crash in Russia.

“I don’t know for a fact what happened, but I’m not surprised,” Biden said.

“There’s not much that happens in Russia that (President Vladimir) Putin is not behind,” Biden told reporters after taking an exercise class with his family near Lake Tahoe.

“But I don’t know enough to know the answer” of what may have happened to the powerful former Putin henchman, he said. Prigozhin’s name was on the passenger list of the aircraft, which crashed northwest of Moscow, according to Russian state media.

Last month in Helsinki, Biden jokingly warned that Prigozhin, whose elite Wagner force has played an important role in the war on Ukraine, should watch his step after his abortive rebellion. “If I were he, I’d be careful what I ate. I’d keep my eye on my menu,” Biden said.

UK DEFENCE MINISTER: WE’LL WORK WITH ECOWAS TO RESTORE DEMOCRACY IN NIGER

Heappey also met with President of the ECOWAS Commission, Omar Touray, and assured him that the UK would support the organisation to ensure that constitutional order returned to Niger.

“The UK supports ECOWAS in calling for the peaceful restoration of constitutional order and democracy in Niger and we’ll work with both ECOWAS and our partners across West Africa to support them in that aim,” Heappey said.

He added that the UK recognised Nigeria’s diplomatic mediation efforts to peacefully

restore democracy in its northern neighbour.

Heappey said, “The UK and Nigerian armed forces have a longstanding partnership through which we continue to tackle violent extremism and other security threats in West Africa and the Gulf of Guinea.

“We stand with ECOWAS in condemnation of the illegal detention of President Mohamed Bazoum, his family, and members of the government, as well as the unacceptable conditions under which they are being held, and call for their immediate release.”

OBASEKI: I’M SHOCKED, SCARED OF FG'S LACK OF PLAN FOR NIGERIANS AFTER ENDING SUBSIDY

Speaking to journalists in Benin City, Obaseki said he raised the alarm following the mismanagement of the country’s economy. He said the country’s situation was taking a turn for the worse due to bad policies by the government at the centre.

The governor said, “I have always warned. I warned Nigerians during the last May Day this year. I told them that we have come to the end of the road and that the old economic order in Nigeria is gone and we have to come up with a new economic order and stop deceiving ourselves as a nation.

“Now the subsidy is gone; the exchange rate is being aligned. The era of free money has almost come to an end. The consequence is that the weakest and most vulnerable in our society, unfortunately, will carry a huge part of the burden of these policies.”

He stated, “I am shocked that people who campaigned around the country, saying that they will remove subsidies, had no clear plans on what to do after subsidy removal. They don't know what to do and how to support those who will be victims of subsidy removal.

“I am shocked and scared of what we are passing through today, where the government doesn't seem to have a plan or solution on how to respond to the consequences of the policy measure put in place by their administration.”

Obaseki added, “With the way they have mismanaged our national economy, we have to deal with inflation, between 20 and 25 per cent. It means that the people will feel more pain, especially the weak and vulnerable in the society, particularly our pensioners, as whatever they get as their entitlement will do only

little for them.”

Reaffirming his government’s commitment to the welfare and well-being of Edo people, the governor said, “For us in Edo State, we would not abandon you. We don't like the word palliative because it is deceitful as we would rather use the word ‘support’. We would support those who are already victims of this policy measure.”

Palliatives: Katsina Denies

Receiving N5bn from FG

Katsina State Commissioner for Information, Culture and Home Affairs, Mr. Bala Salisu-Zango, while addressing journalists, said the state received only N2 billion from the federal government.

Salisu-Zango explained, "The attention of Katsina State Government has been drawn to news going

round in the media that N5 billion has been released to states by the federal government for palliatives.

“I wish to state that Katsina State Government received only N2 billion for procurement of the grains to be distributed to citizens of the state."

He explained that the state government had already used the N2 billion for the procurement of N40, 000 bags of rice to be distributed to vulnerable persons in all the polling units in the state.

The commissioner assured that once the next tranche of the funds was received from the federal government, the state government would purchase additional bags of maize and distribute to the citizens.

He said the state government would not hesitate to punish anyone found wanting before, during and after the distribution of the free grains.

Doctors Issue 21-day Strike Ultimatum over Review of CONMESS Salary Scale

Onyebuchi Ezigbo in Abuja

The Medical and Dental Consultants’ Association of Nigeria (MDCAN) has given the federal government 21-day ultimatum

to address issues bordering on the welfare and safety of their members or risk a nationwide industrial action. The threat was contained in a communiqué issued at the end of

an extraordinary National Executive Council Meeting of MDCAN held virtually on Monday, 7th August 2023. Among the issues being raised by the doctors were the

non-implementation of agreed upward review of CONMESS and the introduction of Accoutrement allowance with the Nigerian Medical Association, recent upward review of CONMESS

Edo LP Governorship Aspirant Pledges to Prioritise Security, Job Creation

Adibe Emenyonu in Benin City

A governorship aspirant under the platform of Labour Party (LP) in the 2024 election, Mr. Ogbemidia Bassey Osagie, has promised to tap on the Edo diaspora community to provide security and create jobs if elected as governor of the state.

Osagie, who presently resides in Canada, gave the promise yesterday, when he formally declared his intentions to contest the governorship election under the LP.

He explained that with Edo State having the largest diaspora people overseas, he would use them to attract a lot factories and investments that will create jobs for the people.

"We have to understand that Edo State has the largest diaspora people abroad and those people have a lot of factories and investments overseas, but because of insecurity, they are afraid to come and invest.

"So the first thing I will is to pull these our brothers and sisters abroad to the state to invest by establishing factories here.

"The manufacturing sector in Edo State is dead. The only way we can grow our economy is to bring foreign investments to the state. Therefore, I will set up a Diaspora Commission (DC) in the state where I will bring all the Edo diaspora to the table for them to invest in the state.

"Secondly, because of insecurity, these our diaspora people are afraid

to come home to establish their businesses. In view of this, I am going to create a 24/7 security team to ensure their investments are protected. Nobody will come to the state and invest if their investments are not protected as you have over there," he added.

Furthermore, the governorship aspirant promised to set up business enterprise especially for the women to keep them afloat and at the same time grow the economy of the state.

He said he would embark on this through the establishment of training and vocational institutions to educate the people on proper business management Osagie added: "Even if you bring 20 factories to Edo state today, there will not be a competent staff to do it, you know why? It is because we have not invested in training institutions and vocational studies.

"If we have modern schools that have curriculum vital to the job markets, we need to educate

our young people not just in the university but in other training institutions like plumbing, carpentry, painting and others that would drive the middle class and the economy.

"In doing this, you cannot do it well without adequate security. Our father and family are afraid to go to the farms because of high rate of insecurity coming from the herdsmen.”

He also promised infrastructure development.

which they said did not take into consideration the consequences of the fuel subsidy removal and the exponential inflation that came with it and the correction of the shortfalls in remuneration for Clinical Lecturers (Honorary Consultants).

Other issues raised by the doctors included the non-universal implementation of CONMESS for all medical and dental doctors irrespective of the agencies of the government they were working with, and failure of the government to appreciate the magnitude of the impacts of brain drain in the health sector, as exhibited by the refusal of the National Council on Establishment (NCE) to approve the Federal Ministry of Health’s proposal on upward review of the age of retirement for the medical and dental consultants and other health workers.

MDCAN also complained about the failure of government to resolve the ongoing disputes with the National Association of

Residents Doctors (NARD) and its attendant impacts on access to health care by Nigerians.

In addition, MDCAN expressed concern over the kidnapping of its members, saying the situation has remained unabated with some of them remaining in captivity for more than three weeks.

The doctors further demanded the immediate review of the newly revised CONMESS circular and issuance of a new circular that would reflect the agreed percentage on both the basic salary and other allowances, apart from hazard allowance.

In the communiqué signed by the President, MDCAN, Victor Makanjuola and Secretary General Yemi Raji, the doctors warned that they would, "not guarantee the present relative industrial harmony within the government hospitals and our medical schools if the issues were not satisfactory resolved within the next 21 days,” saying they may be forced to embark on industrial action.

NERC Urges Electricity Customers to Update Meters or Face Recharge Issues

The Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) has called on electricity customers across the country to update their metering devices or face challenges with recharging by next year.

In a message on its Twitter/X handle yesterday, the regulatory agency noted that the process of updating would be free of charge with customers expected to approach the power Distribution Companies (Discos) on how to go about it.

“ If you have a prepaid meter, it may be time for an update. From November, 2024, you may

not be able to recharge your meter. However, updating is easy and free.

“Discos shall commence issuance of two free Key Change Tokens (KCTs) which will update your meter,” NERC stated in the message.

In addition, it stated that the process will not in any way impact the units in the meters , urging consumers not to be apprehensive.

“The update will not affect the units in your meter nor will it make your meter run faster than usual. Contact your Disco for more information,” it said.

Meanwhile, NERC in collaboration with the Nigeria National Accreditation System (NiNAS), has held a training on competence

requirements testing and calibration laboratories – ISO/IEC 17025:2017 in the power industry.

The three-day meeting held at the NERC headquarters had the theme: “Understanding the application of ISO/IEC 17025:2017 in testing laboratories in electricity generation and distribution value chain,” a statement from NERC said.

In his welcome remarks at the opening ceremony, the Commissioner, Engineering, Performance and Monitoring at NERC, Chidi Ike, stated that the commission was raising the bar on the standards of meter testing laboratories.

“We have all the instruments

that have empowered us to do what we should do in terms of making sure that the laboratories that are used in testing meters are of the right standards and specifications. But we haven’t been doing it, we want to start doing it.

“So, we’ve have gathered here people that are more concerned about this activity; people that will gain more from this interaction with NiNAS for these three days,” the commissioner noted.

Also speaking, the Director General, NiNAS, Mr Celestine Okanya, said he believed that the collaboration would further improve the practice of accreditation and laboratory standards monitoring

for the commission.

“The workshop we are doing today for me, apart from just discussing ISO/IEC 17025:2017 in testing laboratories in electricity generation and distribution value chain, is also an opportunity to look at the core perspectives which NERC can benefit from. Our accreditation services will help you to work better,” he added.

The statement added that the training availed the participants from NERC the opportunity to share knowledge with the team from NiNAS about laboratory testing and other engineering standards in the power sector value chain.

ACCEPT OUR SYMPATHY...

Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Hassan Abubakar (center) commiserating with the wife of one the Air Force personnel, who lost his life in the air crash in Niger State in Port Harcourt... yesterday

Emmanuel Addeh in Abuja

Olaosebikan: Govt Should Involve Traditional Rulers in Sharing of Palliatives

Many people believe that the reforms and policies of President Bola Tinubu are causing excruciating pains and sufferings for poor Nigerians. What is your view and what should be done to ameliorate their plights?

I live with the people especially in the grassroots and I cannot deny the fact that people are not just complaining, they are groaning. The removal of fuel subsidy has led to monumental increases in virtually all the daily needs of the people. It has brought pains.

But, courage and decisiveness are great attributes of a good leader and this is what our President has displayed on the issue of subsidy. We all know that subsidy has become a cancer which must be dealt with decisively. Prevaricating over its removal would have complicated our problems and that is why leaders all over the world including all the leading financial institutions across the globe commended the courage with which our President removed the subsidy in his first speech as the 16th President of Nigeria.

As the President is wont to say, all the pains being experienced now are like pains during childbirth which would bring joy and permanent happiness for all and sundry ultimately. In the same vein, the President is showing empathy and compassion by not just directly speaking with us but rolling out meaningful palliatives to cushion the temporary pains.

To what extent do you think the palliatives have been effective?

One major thing a government policy requires to succeed is the buy-in of the people. What I first noticed after the government announced the removal with its spiral effects in the market is the general acceptance and ownership of the decision by the various sectors of the society. For instance, the private sector, banks, small and big size companies, multinational companies etc, responded immediately with the introduction of a series of measures as palliatives to their workers and critical stakeholders.

More than any other government, the present government places great importance on the states by directly involving them in the overall management of the policies and programmers post fuel subsidy removal.

Just last week, the federal government announced the release of N5billion to each state of the federation with substantial quantities of food items, farm implements and fertilizers.

However, the fear of the people generally now is on the reputation of governors who are more like emperors running their states like their personal estate. I commend President Bola Tinubu for giving them this recognition which is on its own a form of restructuring and devolution of power, while I appeal to the state governors to replicate the policy by sharing the N5billion among the local government areas in their states and allow traditional rulers play active roles in the arrangements.

Are you sure the council Chairman won’t divert the palliatives?

The local government councils must ensure that the money allocated to them is used for the welfare of the various wards in their areas.

In summary, as the federal government announced the exact amount given to each state, the state governors should advertise

the amount given to each local government council while the council also make public the amount allocated to each ward.

This would make the palliatives very effective as each tier and level of government would be held accountable for the palliatives. President Tinubu is depicting good leadership, carrying all the tiers of government along. The restructuring and devolution of powers has commenced.

How will you rate the performance of the Tinubu’s administration in the last two and half months?

Knowledge and clear understanding of a problem is critical to solving it. One palpable fact about the current government is that it has shown sufficient evidence to confirm that it understands the country and its challenges, perfectly.

Evidently, the government is evolving new methods and approaches to tackle the challenges. On the economy which is a major problem confronting the country, the President has risen

to the challenge with the enablement of committees and capable professionals to revive and revamp various aspects of the economy.

The appointments of experts like Zack Adedeji as Special Adviser on Revenue and Taiwo Oyedele leading the team to reform our taxes are cogent steps taken in the right direction.

Similarly the choice of a great patriot, Nuhu Ribadu, as the National Security Adviser is strategic and commendable.

Also in this category is the appointment of a core professional, agile and resourceful officer in person of Bashir Adewale Adeniyi as the Acting Comptrolloller General of Customs.

To tackle insecurity and improve on our security, the service chiefs appointed based on competence and national spread now enjoy greater cooperation and loyalty from their services and the civil populace to perform much better. In the last two and a half months, President has been able to build a strong foundation for a more cohesive, united and prosperous Nigeria.

Do you think he has assembled the right people into his cabinet?

Oh! It is a good cabinet, a cabinet of hope. Although some people are complaining that some of the ministers are not

well positioned, I think we should give the President benefit of the doubt that as an established master strategist and foremost grandmaster in leadership and administration, he has good reasons for the few seemingly not too apt positioning among the ministers.

President Tinubu, apart from his legendary talent of discovering and developing talents, is a master in appointing with precision.

The cabinet is good and as you and I know of the position of the leader in any team especially in government, President Tinubu would lead the team to success.

I see Asiwaju Tinubu surpassing the unmatched accomplishments he recorded in Lagos as the President of Nigeria.

People argue that technocrats instead of politicians should be ministers. What’s your reaction?

I totally disagree with that. It is a puerile argument. Who are the technocrats and who are the politicians? Some people are merely promoting this to cause confusion and promote certain personalities. I am afraid too, these people want to stifle our democracy.

Nigerian politics is daily evolving and I can say without any equivocation that there is no degree or level of technocrats lacking in the political circles. Most of the people in politics today are professionals, many highly successful professionals.

We have them here and in the diaspora.

I think those promoting the so-called technocrats above politicians and professionals in politics should have a rethink on this. If we cannot outsource a technocrat to be President or governor why then do we need to outsource largely uninformed technocrats as ministers and commissioners.

At best, if a president or governor desires the services of particular apolitical technocrats, the best he can do is to make such persons special advisers or absorb them into the relevant ministries at the directorate cadre where he can rise to become permanent secretary.

What we are practising in Nigeria is democracy, politics and it is being nurtured by politicians. Let’s take for example the Minister from Oyo State, Bayo Adelabu, who is an accomplished, highly cerebral professional in politics. Out of love to serve his people, to better the lots of Oyo State, he quit the post of Deputy Governor of Central Bank to join politics.

That is dedication, commitment to the growth of our democracy and Nigeria. With his experience in politics, his closeness to the people and the grassroots he would perform far better than an uncared technocrat who is kind of coerced to come and serve.

There is even a big danger there, when a president or governor surrounds himself with non-politicians who would not understand or see the need when it comes to defending our hard earned democracy. There is no gating in politics. Anybody is free to join and participate in it. It is very unfair to put people that scorn politics and deride politicians to benefit from politics when there are many better qualified professionals sweating it out in politics.

For democracy to grow, we need to seriously encourage the participation of professionals who truly have the interest of the masses at heart in politics. We need lovers of the masses and consistently patriotic Nigerians and not the aloof technocrats who cannot effectively relate to the yearnings of the masses.

Olaosebikan

The fear of the people generally now is on the reputation of governors who are more like emperors running their states like their personal estate. I commend President Bola Tinubu for giving them this recognition which is on its own a form of restructuring and devolution of power, while I appeal to the state governors to replicate the policy by sharing the N5billion among the local government areas in their states and allow traditional rulers play active roles in the arrangements.

Clarion Call against Human Trafficking, Modern Day Slavery

Worried by rising incidents of violence against women and children including modern day slavery- cum-trafficking involving girls, Dr. Nonye Soludo, Anambra State First Lady, recently challenged women to rise up to the occasion as they return home for this years August Meeting, writes

Kasie Abone

from Awka

The annual general congress held by Igbo women every August is here again. Every year, Women from South East of Nigeria travel to their matrimonial homes from diaspora and the cities to join their counterpart in the homefront to discuss matters bothering on community and church development, women and child related issues among many other matters.

Kicking off this year's edition of the August Meeting, the wife of the state governor, Dr. Nonye Soludo's attention was focused on violent assaults on women and children.

Worried by the escalating incidents of brutalities and brazen abuses of children’s rights, the Anambra State government has intensified her fight against human trafficking and domestic violence coupled with severe punishment for the culprits, in order to ensure a disciplined and a better livable society.

Reading the riot acts in keynote address while flagging off the 2023 Annual Women’s Summit at the Prof. Dora Akunyili Women Development Centre, Awka the Anmabra State capital, recently, the wife of the state governor, Mrs. Nonye Soludo, tasked all women and every patriotic citizen of the state to join hands with Governor Charles Soludo’s government to rout out the scourge of child abuse, human trafficking, poverty unemployment and devastating effects of illicit drugs on the youths in order to redeem the society from total collapse.

Soludo emphasised that the theme of this year's Women summit “Women:Agents of Change for Sustainable Development” was apt to highlight the dispensable roles of mothers in the socio economic and general upliftment of the family and society, at large, through their innumerable roles and contributions to children upbringing, home management to augment efforts of their ever busy husbands as well as engagements in various endeavours to boost the economy.

The level which signified the commencement of the famous annual August Meetings usually organised by the womenfolk in virtually all the communities throughout the 21 local government areas of the state, pulled mammoth crowd of participants, resplendently adorning different uniforms including female political topnotchers, women leaders of religious bodies from various towns unions, market women associations leaders

as well as the academia.

Dr. Soludo harped on the necessity for the women to key into the revolutionary agricultural policies of the incumbent administration for massive coconut and palm trees cultivation freely provided by the government to the populace while also embracing the campaign against all manners of domestic violence, like maltreatment of housemaids, wife battery by men and usage of underaged children of school age as slaves or street hawkers. She frowned against mothers who revolt against neighbours and school teachers for correcting their erring children

which usually destroy the future of such pampered children to stray away as outlaws and drug addicts, thereby ending up as school dropouts and criminals, stressing that a lot still needed to be done by mothers to get the society right on track for a stable, livable and prosperous society in the interest of the present generation and posterity.

To give desired weight and meaning to her advocacy, the Anambra State first called out the Commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Development, Mrs. Ify Obinabo, before the audience and directed her to intensify action towards curbing child

trafficking, just as she warned of further severe consequences for anybody giving underaged children as househelps which she attributed as the root cause of random child trafficking as gross abuse of children's rights.

Expatiating on the objectives of her pet youth orientation initiative, tagged “Healthy Living Club” introduced for school children in the state, Mrs. Soludo elucidated that encouragement of healthy existence through balanced diet, physical exercises and engagement in meaningful economic activities would always augur well for sound health.

The colourful ceremony also featured lectures by experts on potential roles of women in poverty alleviation, inclusive democratic norms, decent home upbringing of children and other diverse issues relating to enthronement of peace, order and progress in the state.

It was a consensus view of the resource persons that parents especially mothers should gird their loins and rise up to expectations in helping their husbands and the government in the onerous tasks of achieving the cardinal objectives of the present government to make the state a reference point in clean, green, livable and prosperous entity as well as investors first choice destination in the country.

Commissioner for Women Affairs, Mrs. Obinabo, had earlier briefly addressed the participants on the essence of the 2023 Mothers Summit; while the female member in the state House of Assembly, Hon. Nkechi Ogbuefi, also addressed the women and urged the government to increase empowerment programmes to them as major stakeholders in the scheme of things.

The Magistrate in charge of the Special Court on gender based crimes, Genevieve Osakwe, equally enlightenment the audience on the issues concerning the rights of children and women, and punishments prescribed by the law against offenders, just as she urged mothers to pay attention to their children closely as basic measure to avert any derailment.

The resource persons, Mrs. Sylvia Agbaniru and Dr. Casmir Nnaemeka, dwelt extensively on the basic roles of mothers in the families and hectic responsibilities of raising their children in the proper ways, vehemently warning that any negligence might result in hazardous and sad consequences on the entire society at large.

Hannatu Musawa Outlines Plan to Boost Nigeria's Creative Economy

Nigeria’s newly appointed Minister of Art, Culture and Creative Economy, Hannatu Musa Musawa has outlined a plan to boost growth in Nigeria's creative economy by transforming Nigeria into Africa's creative, cultural and entertainment capital.

Speaking during a press briefing she said her goal is to deliver a national strategy that supports President Tinubus’ plan to double the national economy to $1tn within eight years.

‘She said, “As demonstrated by the bold decisions made thus far by the President, this administration has a transformative agenda that has the Nigerian people at its core. The developments planned in the creative space will reflect this by ushering in a new era where the government engages with, and supports the extensive talent in the country in building a vibrant sector on par with global cultural capitals.”

Dubbed Destination 2030, the initiative aims to unify all the sectors in the space under a single vision: To position Nigeria as Africa's creative, cultural and entertainment capital. The reach will be fully inclusive, from literature, music and film to design, visual Arts & heritage, everything will be in focus and appropriately deployed in promoting Nigeria's cultural identity on a global scale.

According to Musawa, a robust creative and

cultural economy can be a significant catalyst for growth and presents an opportunity for Nigeria to leapfrog its current development trajectory. By implementing the plan, the sector has the potential to become a substantial contributor to the country's economic growth, contributing meaningfully to the national GDP and creating much-needed jobs for talented youth in the sector. The creative economy, culture & tourism contribute more to global GDP than Oil & Gas production, this is instructive and provides

an inspiring benchmark.

Nigerian artists such as Burnaboy, Asake and Wizkid, curators like Tokini Peterside and Nike Okundaye, as well as writers like Teju Cole and Helon Habila, plus artisans, and other contributors to the sector, are all already exporting our vibrant culture to the world. This culture, and the country’s heritage, as preserved in various iconic museums such as the Badagry Slave Museum and Gidan Makama Museums as well as recent developments like the JK Randle Centre and Yemisi Shyllon Museum, all offer a rich narrative for the global PR and marketing campaigns that a new media office will lead.

Musawa said, “Nigeria sits at an inflexion point where our global cultural impact is at an all-time high, combined with a new progressive administration, the time is now to support the talent and institutions that power the cultural, entertainment and creative economy”. Afrobeats & Nollywood are now firmly part of global pop culture and we have “greats” and contemporary talent in almost every part of the space. For example, in Visual Arts, we of course have Enwonwu and the masters of the Oshogbo School who have been global legends for decades, but today we also have Rom Isichei, William Chechet and many others that are carving out a place for themselves in the Art world. Through public-private partnerships and funding initiatives, the focus will be on implementing strategies, educational opportunities and spaces that remove existing barriers to growth for individuals and industry.

The work being done on the development of MOWAA and the partnerships with various blue chip private sector platforms including renowned architects, Adjaye Associates, provides an excellent example of collaboration. The Benin Bronzes continue to fascinate the world and have arguably become part of global artistic heritage, the issue of how best to ensure their continued mass appreciation while recognising their origins will be one of the top issues on our agenda.

“Nigeria has a rich, diverse documented heritage that dates back two millennia beginning with the Nok culture, from the latter parts of the middles ages to Pre Colonial times, there have been several ancient Kingdoms including Oyo, Katsina, Jukun & Kano, and more recently others like Bonny and Opobo.

"When this history is juxtaposed with the events that are happening today, what we see is a continuous cultural journey that has evolved and adapted, continuously providing a source of pride for indigenes and compelling interest for a global audience in a world that continues to grow increasingly smaller. What we have inherited would be a treasure trove for many countries around the world that seek to promote their brand, while we have not done enough in this regard.

"We aim to turn things around and ensure that this is indeed the beginning of a sustainable long-term ‘revival’, I am extremely excited about the possibilities that lie ahead”, Musawa noted.

Dr. Nonye Soludo

Hannatu Musawa

Mary Nnah

www.thisdaylive.com

POLITICS AND DREDGING ABUJA

OKELLO OCULI points to some areas where Nyesom Wike could direct his energy for the good of the people

opinion@thisdaylive.com

ECOWAS AND THE DEFENCE OF DEMOCRACY

The hottest political news out of West Africa today is the travail of democracy and the threat times successfully elbowed democratically

See page 21

‘TO SERVE… AND TO EAT!’

The new ministers should work for everyone, urges OLUSEGUN ADENIYI

See page 21

The shades of the external reactions to the coup

EDITORIAL

TACKLING CYBERCRIME IN BANKS

on demonstration in the war between Russia

contradictions of politicians in mufti and when in many cases they’re worse than those they unseat? Where is the real source of may appear obvious could actually be a part

most African nations are quick to cry to the international community for help in times of this sorry status than the position taken so far by

itself to be intimidated by a look on the map concerned with the economic fortunes of its adventurers and have put a number of hard

West Africa is now expected to save itself from planet that has witnessed more attempted or because of the pervasive disillusionment administration must have also watched the

These twin riddles may not be easy to unravel because the world should move away from

the periods in history when people sat around how they choose their leaders should be taken into consideration and respected by the rest of authorities and which have reportedly put the impact of the restrictions imposed on it by the present popular euphoria on the streets not have been oblivious of these possible twists transition to democratic rule may soon be and voices of the people are adequately an oppression by those with the proverbial total authority in only one or few individuals armed robbery are only the less fancied crimes of the same root as any uniformed person

West African leaders need to reflect on and promote true democratic virtues - sanctity of the vote, transparency and accountability, human dignity, satisfaction of the majority, wellbeing of the citizenryall of which are scarce here. That would be a path to true statesmanship

MONDAY PHILIPS EKPE writes that West African leaders should prioritise the wishes of their people as an armour against discontent and rebellion

OKELLO OCULI points to some areas where Nyesom Wike could direct his energy for the good of the people

POLITICS AND DREDGING ABUJA

Minister Nyesom Wike of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) earned legitimacy by a boomerang electoral route. His mandate was from campaigning for the electoral victory of Candidate Bola Tinubu under the toga of a rotational right of a ‘’Southern’’ contestant for the presidency.

He vigorously challenged Candidate Atiku Abubakar legitimacy under the ‘’Umbrella” of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). His rebellion met in a confluence with a rebellion by incumbent governors of Northern States. Both streams of political visions were animated by the goal of ensuring Nigeria’s post-election stability

consuming fish roasted over open fire and rushed down throats with compliant alcohol.

African wisdom states that the goal of public administration is the welfare and elevation of ‘’Man/Woman’’. An urban space which gives priority to serving automobiles and cement structures; while chasing away ‘’hawkers’’ and vendors of food, snacks and beverages is misguided. American tourists are unlikely to drop money on streets choked with gleaming and smokebelching rickety cars and buses. Trekking on Ahmadu Bello Way from one end of shining tarmac to another end without a roadside snack to wash down choking Harmattan dust, cannot yield income from tourism.

The British beat rain and winter’s cold by offering rivers of pedestrians little bars and tea/coffee shelters where they can rest their feet and refuel their search for fun and soft knowledge in museums, art galleries, cinemas, ‘Trip-Teas districts’, etc.

The new ministers should work for everyone, urges OLUSEGUN ADENIYI

‘TO SERVE…AND TO EAT!’

and integrity.

Wike invested in waving across Nigeria the power of ‘’Symbolism’’ in political dialogue with ‘’the people’’. In the election campaign he bought up television broadcast for ‘’infrastructure’’ projects for his State. There were weekly echoes of a strategy used by M.K.O Abiola in 1993 to win hearts and votes by spending money in visible activities ranging from funding air travel by a Handball Team in an Igbo State to building Mosques in Hausa States. His combination of appearing to be ‘’detribalized’’ with generosity to Christian youth showed a philanthropy which tickled public imagination.

A growing impatience by Christian elites with a seeming monopoly of rule over Nigeria by a so-called ‘’Hausa-Fulani Oligarchy’’ seemed to erode fear of a Moslem-Moslem ticket. Abiola’s running mate – Baba Gana Kingibe is of Kanuri ethnic label –a group also ‘’marginalised’’ by Hausa-Fulani rulers.

The political creativity that hauled Minister Wike to Abuja has high potential value. In his inaugural address to the Press on 21st August, 2023, he was familiar in his generosity with microphone noise and intimidation of detractors. In threats against entrenched interests, animated by a habit of corrupt violation with impunity, he sounded like a copy of his predecessor: Minister El-Rufai. Some claim that ElRufai was felled by roaring curses and incantations in shrines and graveyards rent by victims of his dredging a corruption swamp.

By 2022, taxi drivers did not wait to be tickled before they lavishly wished for a clone of Nasir El-Rufai’s regime of ‘’bulldozing illegal structures’’ – with seeming grit. His critics rolled out evidence of his sins. This included his criminalizing a vigorous attraction to tourists of groups

Minister Wike met with journalists. They are knowledge workers. He could do well to help them to use their location to feed legislators and civil servants with high quality information built on ‘’Investigative Journalism’’ and library research. Capitals of highly industrialized economies also host top quality media structures. The NEW YORK TIMES, PRAVDA, THE TIMES, BBC, LE MOND, WASHINGTON POST, SHINBON are examples of top media flirting with practitioners of top most political power in their respective countries.

Minister Wike is funded directly by the National Assembly. His cultivation of Investigative Journalism for sounds of life inside individual constituencies would feed and tame National Assembly Members. As they say: ‘’Information is Power’’. Like unfortunate Sudan and Hawaii, fire can both feed and turn life to ashes.

Abuja is starved of knowledge. While politicians, the military and lawyers copied the American constitutional skeleton, they left out the simple data that the Library of Congress holds the largest collection of books and reports. Member of Congress are charged to use information for defending democracy against tyranny by the executive branch. Abuja has no NATIONAL LIBRARY.

Minister Wike could also nudge universities in the FCT to build high quality libraries. America’s top universities also hold the lead in the quantity of books in their individual libraries. A potential partner in this sector of growth is the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFUND). One of its key missions is funding RESEARCH by academic staff. A TETFUND LIBRARY located in the country’s capital would be a most valuable lake for academics and other researchers –including ‘’Consultants’’ – could swim in.

The two women ministers of CULTURE and TOURISM must have a thing or five under their ‘’GELE’’ for Wike to harvest.

Prof Oculi writes from Abuja

ENDNOTE:

Editor, Editorial Page PETER ISHAKA

Email peter.ishaka@thisdaylive.com

EDITORIAL

TACKLING CYBERCRIME IN BANKS

The authorities should do well and enforce the law

While cyber criminals in some other countries are using their negative skills for espionage and technology theft, their Nigerian counterparts are using their skills to defraud individuals abroad that these people perpetrate their criminal

Nigeria has lost about $450 million to 3,500 cyberattacks on its Information and Communications Technology (ICT) space, representing about 70 per customers in Nigeria are increasingly becoming

Jimoh, who is also the Chairman of Nigeria Electronic Fraud Forum (NeFF), disclosed last week that accumulated Electronic Fraud (E-Fraud) within the banking sector and payment

we all need to work together to see how we can make warned at the meeting of NeFF in Lagos, where stakeholders converged to discuss new techniques

have also fallen victims to scammers who request PIN projected to worsen as e-payment transactions gain ($39 million) to electronic fraud and cybercrime-

EDITORS WALE OLALEYE, OBINNA CHIMA MANAGING DIRECTOR ENIOLA BELLO DEPUTY MANAGING DIRECTOR ISRAEL IWEGBU CHAIRMAN EDITORIAL BOARD OLUSEGUN ADENIYI EDITOR NATION’S CAPITAL IYOBOSA UWUGIAREN

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

Letters to the Editor

Cybercrime, as most people are already aware, refers to criminal acts such as identity theft and most Nigerians also know, some of our citizens have the Nigerian fraud gangs operating internationally

individuals are often members of transnational criminal organisations, which originated in Nigeria

identity theft to possession

It imposes, for instance, seven-year imprisonment and additional seven years for online crimes that result in physical harm, and life imprisonment for

Yet, most experts believe that the Cybercrime Act of a crime that is growing both in numbers and Committed mostly by the young, often called email scammers, the fraudsters are increasingly taking advantage of the rise in online transactions, electronic shopping, e-commerce and the electronic messaging systems to engage in all manner of crimes in Nigeria to stop the rising cyber fraud in the

In addition, we must build the capacity for local law

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

LETTERS

WORLD HUMANITARIAN DAY AND CONFLICT WORKERS

as they do their best to help victims make sense of what is hap-

Crucially, it is also a day to celebrate and support humaniAcross the world, almost daily, humanitarian situationsters, there is always enough to go round and compound human When tragedy strikes, man knows how to respond as a matAs the world has increasingly become a global village, what-

The hardest part of a heartless world is that there would al-

With record-high humanitarian needs around the world, thisphor of collective endeavor to grow global appreciation of huWhenever and wherever people are in need, there are oth-

spotlight and out of the headlines, they come together to ease

Around the world, Humanitarian aid workers have continued to die, falling victims of the situations they are trying to

conjure up war after war, there would always be those who Ike Willie-Nwobu, Ikewilly9@gmail.com

--

The fraudsters are increasingly taking advantage of the rise in online transactions, electronic shopping, e-commerce and the electronic messaging systems to engage in all manner of crimes that have sullied the image of Nigeria abroad

Despite Slight Drop in Broadband Penetration, More Subscribers Utilise Mobile GSM Technology

Emma Okonji

The latest statistics released by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), the telecoms industry regulator, has revealed a slight drop in broadband penetration and subscriptions as at June this year.

The statistics, which THISDAY obtained from the official website of NCC, showed that as at January this year, broadband subscriptions reached 92,011,259, while broadband penetration reached 48.20 per cent. The subscriptions figure however dropped to 89,730,341, while penetration level also dropped to 47.01 per cent as at June 2023.

Ananalysis of the numbers

showed that despite the slight drop in broadband penetration and subscriptions, the number of subscribers utilising mobile GSM technology far outweighed the number of subscribers utilising the Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP), Fixed Wired and Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) technologies that are currently deployed in Nigeria.

A breakdown of the numbers indicates that broadband subscriptions increased from 92,011,259 in January 2023 to 92,561,842 in February 2023, with a corresponding increase in broadband penetration from 48.20 per cent in January 2023 to 48.49 per cent in February 2023. The

figures however dropped in March 2023, with a record of 92,033,267 in broadband subscriptions and 48.21 per cent in broadband penetration. The figures dropped again in April 2023, with a record of 91,886,980 in broadband subscriptions and 48.14 per cent in broadband penetration. The figures however increased slightly in May 2023, with a record of 92,169,176 in broadband subscriptions and 48.28 per cent in broadband penetration, before sliding again in June 2023 to 89,730,341 in broadband subscriptions and 47.01 per broadband penetration level.

A breakdown of subscribers’ utilisation of the telecommunications technologies

currently deployed in Nigeria, also indicates 99.84 per cent utilisation of mobile GSM technology, followed by 0.12 per cent utilisation of VoIP technology and 0.05 utilisation of Fixed Wired technology as at May 2023.

The statistics shows that more subscribers are utilising the mobile GSM technology more than any other technologies currently deployed in Nigeria, despite the slight drop in broadband subscriptions and penetration across networks.

The NCC statistics also showed a drop in the number of active telephone subscriptions from March to June 2023, after maintaining a steady rise in growth in the

previous months.

According to the statistics, active telephone subscriptions reached 227,179,946, with a teledensity of 119.01 per cent in February 2023, but dropped to 226,161,713, with a teledensity of 118.48 per cent in March 2023. It further dropped to 223,663,521, with a teledensity of 117.17 per cent in April 2023, and later dropped again to 221,258,372, with a teledensity of 115.91 per cent in May 2023. As at June 2023, the active telephone subscriptions further dropped to 220,086,951, with a teledensity of 115.30 per cent.

The statistics also projected MTN as the market leader in terms of market share and subscribers number, followed by Globacom,

Airtel and 9mobile.

According to the statistics MTN has a total number of 84,663,653 active subscribers on its network as at June 2023, with a market share of 38.52 per cent, while Globacom has a total number of 61,333,528 active subscribers on its network, with a market share of 27.91 per cent.

Airtel, which is closely following Globacom, has a total number of 60,190,732 active subscribers on its network, with a market share of 27.39 per cent.

From the NCC statistics, 9mobile has a total number of 13,578,431 active subscribers on its network, with a market share of 6.18 per cent.

Report: Rising Costs, Volatile Revenues Pose Challenge to Stability of Small Businesses in Nigeria

Emma Okonji

The Financial Access Initiative (FAI) research center of New York University (NYU), in collaboration with the Nigerian National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), has released the results of the Nigeria Small Firm Diaries (SFD) study, which blamed the rising costs and volatile earnings of small business for their drawbacks.

Supported by the Mastercard Center for Inclusive Growth

(CFIG), the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF), and the Argidius Foundation, the global research project provides insight into the financial lives of small businesses in seven countries across Latin America, sub-Saharan Africa and Asia.

In Nigeria, the study collected data from 161 small businesses in urban and suburban areas surrounding three locations: Enugu, Kaduna, and Lagos, between August 2021

and August 2022. The study was focused on three industries—light manufacturing, agri-processing, and services, which all play a key role in Nigeria’s economic growth and development.

The study found that the Nigerian firms earn less than firms in the other countries studied.

“About half (46 per cent) of the Nigerian firms reported holding a loan of any kind, most of the from informal sources, including

suppliers, friends, and family. The research also concentrated on the welfare of employees in small firms, finding that the firms were not able to provide consistent income to workers. The small firms, like those in the other countries studied, experience volatile earnings, as both revenue and expenses fluctuate from month-to-month, “the report stated.

According to the report, when asked about their vision for their business, a large group of Nigerian

firms (44 per cent) said they wanted to both grow and gain stability, but does not want to take on the additional risk. They want stepby-step growth that helps reduce volatility and risk.

Compared with other countries in the study, the report noted that Nigerian firms have high rates of bank account ownership, as 97 per cent of small firm owners in Nigeria have bank accounts for business, more than in Kenya (79 per cent),

MARKET DATA AS AT TUESDAY, AUGUST 23, 2023

Colombia (70 per cent), or Indonesia (65per cent). The report however said that usage of accounts was less comprehensive, with only 20 per cent of Nigerian firms moving more than three quarters of their transactions through bank accounts, “as cash is still the dominant mode of transaction for this segment.”

Task Before Minister of Communications

Following the ministerial appointment, screening and swearing in of Mr. Bosun Tijani as the Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, industry stakeholders have commended President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for appointing someone with Information Technology (IT) background, to drive the affairs of the Information and Communications Technology (ICT) industry that has contributed so much to the growth of the country’s Gross Domestic Product and job creation.

According to them, the appointment is a welcome development because the new minister is capable of improving on the achievements recorded in the past years, giving his background and antecedents.

President of the Association of Telecommunications Companies of Nigeria (ATCON), Mr. Tony Izuagbe Emoekpere, who spoke on behalf of ICT professionals in the country, said the new minister would further drive digital transformation across the country, and help government in achieving its promise to create a million digital jobs for Nigerians in the next few years.

Stakeholders however tasked the minister on the need to collaborate with industry stakeholders and to harmonise the activities of government agencies that are driving processes with technology.

COLLABORATION

Optimistic that the new minister will successfully drive the industry to greater heights, Emoekpere however said achieving such a herculean task without collaboration with industry stakeholders may become difficult.

He therefore stressed the need for collaboration with industry stakeholders, whom he said, were willing to work with the minister to achieve results.

“As stakeholders in the ICT industry, we have a lot to offer to the federal government and we are willing to work with government in the areas of policy implementation and development of ideas that will drive national development. The success of the new minister is our success. A recommendation is to constitute an Industry Think Tank Team to help him

fast track growth and development in the sector. He needs expertise of industry associations to embark on projects and programmes that will speed up the growth, efficiency and effectiveness of the Nigerian telecoms and ICT sector, ”Emoekpere said.

TASK

Emoekpere however tasked the new minister on key areas that would promote development and growth of the industry.

According to him, there are still fundamental challenges facing the industry especially at the physical layer - infrastructure, which if unresolved will not allow success in the application layers where most of the digital jobs reside.

“There is great need to develop, secure and enable further expansion of communication infrastructure in the country. With a solid infrastructure base, innovative digital services, which can take advantage of the growing Digital Economy, can be further developed and expanded to all areas of the country especially the unserved and underserved areas. Issues ranging from funding, security and permits still bedevil the industry although several strides have been made especially by the regulating bodies,” Emoekpere said. He tasked the minister on the creation of special FX window for operators in the industry; Passing into Act Critical National Infrastructure Bill; Implementation of agreement on Right of Way; and Multiple Taxation/ Regulation among others.

HARMONISATION

President, National Association of Telecoms Subscribers (NATCOMS), Deolu Ogunbanjo, also called for harmonisation of the activities of telecoms operators and government agencies that are generating various data. Ogunbanjo who frowned at the situation, where telecoms operators and government agencies are working in silos for individual registration, data generation and processing, said there was need for synchronisation

of all data generated, for easy access from a single portal. “Telecoms operators generate data through SIM registration and the same data is generated by the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) during the National Identification Number (NIN) registration and the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) also generate same data during driver’s licence and vehicle licence registrations, yet all the data are in silos and cannot be accessed from a single portal,” Ogunbanjo said. He called on the new minister to ensure harmonisation of all data that are operating in silos, to enable Nigerians access such data from a single portal.

ANTECEDENTS

Confident about the antecedents of the new minister in the ICT space, industry stakeholders said he would live up to industry expectations in driving digital transformation across the country.

Bosun Tijani is a co-Founder of Co-Creation Hub (CCHub), located in Yaba Lagos, which is one of the earliest incubation hub in Nigeria, where startups are mentored. CCHub has workspace where startups can develop ideas and turn them into solutions that address specific challenges. It has also developed programmes to train people at pre-school, primary school, secondary school and tertiary institutions levels.

In 2017, CCHub developed the Re-Learn initiative that educates the teacher with new technology skills. It started the pilot in Nigeria and moved to Kenya and other countries to reach out to many teachers.

After Covid-19, it introduced the Virtual Stem Hub to support interactive teaching and learning, and went further to establish a community of practice for teachers

CCHub also developed educational programmes for children called elimu, which is a Swahili name that means education. It used elimu to build educational contents for children. It has elimu kids dashboard that has

different learning web apps that help to develop learning skills in reading and writing. It also has learning games for kids, and weather changing app that teaches kids between the ages of 5-7 years, how the weather changes.

The products for kids were built inhouse and they align with Nigeria and Kenya curriculum. The apps are free at the moment, with plans to monetise later.

It also created an initiative for higher institutions of learning, like the Higher Education Innovation (HEI) initiative, which has to do with innovation in higher institutions, and to enable students and lecturers move away from the long-aged idea of research projects in higher institutions, to core innovation project that is driven by emerging technologies. CCHub team works with the students to improve and strengthen innovation capacity that could be commercialised, and help students to take their projects to the market.

Since its inception in July 2022, HEI has reached out to 13 universities in Nigeria, Kenya and N amibia. CCHub plans to work with African Development Bank to support innovation within university campus, using the HEI initiative.

Aside education, CCHub also developed solution for the health sector. It developed a solution called Design For Health Practice, which is used to discover, understand, create and implement programmes in the health sector.

The program helps to design and develop solutions that address maternal and child health, including immunisation. It addresses health challenge in childbearing and loss of blood during child birth. CCHub also designed solution for Covid19 testing.

CCHub designed solution that addresses the challenges of tuberculosis patients, and plans to scale the solution to also address other human health challenges.

CCHub also plays big in the creative sector of the Nigerian economy. It developed a solution called the Creative Economy Practice, which is an entire value chain of the creative industry that enhances job and wealth creation, with opportunities to crate expression for Africans. It has different sectors like the Audio Visual, Design, New Media, Sculptures among others.

In spite of the commendation on the appointment of Mr. Bosun Tijani as the new Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, industry stakeholders have tasked him on the need for collaboration and harmonisation of the activities of all government agencies that are driving processes with digital technology, writes Emma Okonji

Tijani Emoekpere

As Agency Apologises over Unauthorised Advert

The marketing communication industry and by extension the nation’s political landscape were overwhelmed last week following an unusual campaign, “All Eyes on the Judiciary,” splashed on billboards in some cities in the country. While players in the industry took the debate from ethical angle, members of the public, including the apolitical elite, viewed the campaign as a subtle approach to blackmail the judiciary and heat up the polity.

Within 24 hours of putting up the billboard, the Advertising Regulatory Council of Nigeria (ARCON), set the record straight by declaring it an illegal campaign that was exposed without approval. ARCON didn’t only condemn the material but went ahead to wield the big stick, which led to the dissolution of the Advertising Standard Panel (ASP), and suspension of two senior officials of the Advertising Regulatory Council of Nigeria (ARCON). The council argued in a press statement issued to that effect that the advertisement was a blackmail against the Nigerian Judiciary, the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal and particularly the Honourable Justices of the Tribunal, who are expected to discharge their judicial functions without fear or favour over a matter that is sub-judice.

In a new development and in what many members of the public have described as the best way to go, the agency behind the controversial ad exposure, Intercontinental Marketing & Comm. Consortium Limited, has tendered an official apology to the Advertising Regulatory Council of Nigeria (ARCON).

While the apology letter attracted commendation, some experts in the industry and concerned members of the public have called out the other firm -Alphamega Communications Limited, that was said to have reviewed and reedited the material earlier approved by the regulatory body to come out too to either apologise or state its angle of the story.

In a now widely circulated letter signed by the Managing Director of Intercontinental Marketing & Communication Consortium Limited, Stephen Ogboko, dated 17th August 2023 and addressed to the Chairman of the Advertising Standard Panel (ASP), the agency acknowledged its breach of Article 24(a) of the Nigeria Advertising Practice code. This article stipulates that all advertising, marketing communications, and related materials must undergo ARCON’s vetting process and secure the approval certificate of the Standards Panel prior to public exposure.

According to the letter, “We sincerely apologize for this and state that our action was not intentional,” the

agency wrote. Explaining its side of the story, the agency explained that it actually got a verbal approval from one Markus Inji Lukman, who was said to be an ARCON liaison officer.

“We are deeply disappointed that this happened and are awfully sorry for any inconvenience it has caused. We would never knowingly do anything to violate the law or the regulations guiding advertising practice, jeopardize our practice license, or bring disaffection to our dear country’s judiciary. We have already taken steps to ensure that this does not repeat itself. We will be requiring all future advertisements to be vetted from the ARCON Lagos office through our staff in Lagos. Once again, we apologize and hope that you will consider our explanation. We are committed to working with you to ensure that this does not happen again.”

While the industry responds to this development, some experts, such as Obiechefu Emmanuel, a marketing professional with expertise in media buying, have raised concerns about the agency’s actions. “I have been buying media in this market for over a decade and I can tell you authoritatively that you do not deploy ad materials without an approval certificate from the ASP. How do you go ahead to deploy because

someone somewhere in ARCON office gave you verbal approval? Why the hurry in the first place? I don’t think even the Director-General can ask you to go ahead and deploy without an approval certificate.”

Olusegun Sasegbon who also plays in the space, suspects there is something more. Sasegbon said: “As a professional and as an agency we all know that verbal approval by anybody in ARCON setting does not translate to an approval certificate. I think it is part of the law that an approval certificate must be obtained before the exposure of material. It is just like saying that you can go ahead and take a trip to the United States because someone in their embassy has given you assurances that your visa application has been granted and your passport will be sent to you after your trip. This could be a form of compromise between the agency and the ARCON staff. In this country, nothing is impossible.”

Likewise, Ibezim Okpala presents an alternative perspective, suggesting that the agency’s swift action may have been driven by an understanding that the campaign might not receive ARCON’s approval. He highlights the extensive social media traction garnered by the campaign, emphasizing

the apparent success of its intended impact. “I am sure the agency is aware its ad material will not scale through the vetting process, hence it quickly deployed, achieved what it intended and waited for the consequence of their action.

“You only need to go on social media to see the millions of impressions images of the messages on boards and the buzz it generated to understand that the intent by those behind the message has been achieved. I believe the apology shared by the agency is just a mere formality,” he said.

Meanwhile, THISDAY findings have revealed that ARCON is considering a legal action against Alphamega Communications Limited, the other agency who was culpable in the action, for making unauthorised edits to the approved material.

One of the stakeholders observed that the implications of the situation extended beyond mere unauthorised edits, transcending into questions of integrity, accountability, and adherence to established protocols, the very foundation of the approval process for such critical and influential communications rests upon a delicate balance of trust, transparency, and adherence to established guidelines.

Betty Eromosele another expert in the industry, said: “All Eyes Are Now on ARCON” to see how it will handle all the issues arising from the ‘All Eyes on the Judiciary’ saga.

Emma Okonji

Google has launched the Google for Startups AI First Accelerator initiative, aimed at supporting African startups looking to use Artificial Intelligence (AI) to solve local challenges.

The initiative recognises the transformative role that AI is playing across the world, innovating industries and reimagining the realms of possibilities. It also highlights the significant contributions of African startups in addressing

some of the region’s most pressing challenges through the use of AI.

Google Launches AI First Accelerator Initiative for African Startups Africa.com, Human Rights Watch Join Forces to Drive Change

The ‘AI First’ programme is aimed at supporting startups keen on delving into AI’s possibilities. It draws learnings from past initiatives such as the Google for Startups Accelerator: Africa; The Google for Startups Black Founders Fund; and The Google for Startups Accelerator: Women Founders.

Applications for the 10-

week equity-free accelerator are now open, inviting startups up to series ‘A’ stage based in Africa or building Africa-centric solutions with AI and machine learning, to apply for the programme by September 6, 2023.

Participants will benefit from access to Google’s AI expertise, technical resources including up to $350,000 Google Cloud Credits, mentorship from seasoned AI professionals, and invaluable networking opportunities.

Speaking about the

initiative, Head of Startup Ecosystem, Africa, Folarin Aiyegbusi, said: “Africa’s tech landscape is vibrant and ever-evolving. It’s inspiring to see African startups not only harnessing AI to address our unique challenges but also setting benchmarks for the world. ‘AI First’ is more than a programme; it’s a testament to our belief in the vision of these startups, ensuring they have the support and guidance they need to realise their full potential.”

AF-CIX Sponsors African Interconnection Forum in Ghana

Emma Okonji

AF-CIX, an interconnect platform hosted in Rack Centre and aimed at boosting internet speed and improving network performance for Internet Service Providers, Content Delivery Networks, Cloud Providers and Enterprises in Nigeria, is sponsoring the ongoing 2023 African Peering and Interconnection Forum (AfPIF) in Ghana.

The event which started on Tuesday this week, will come to a close today at the Movenpick Ambassador Hotel in Accra, Ghana.

AfPIF is an a unique annual conference that aims to

promotes the development of national and cross-border interconnection in Africa and offers offering the African technical community a unique opportunity to showcase interconnection challenges and opportunities. It focuses on Internet interconnection dynamics, content distribution, and transit obstacles at local and regional levels. The annual event aims to encourage peering and networking opportunities by offering a Forum where key stakeholders - infrastructure and service providers, IXPs, regulators, and policymakers - can interact in a casual yet professional setting, exchanging their experiences and gaining insights from

industry experts.

The Forum aims to foster peering and networking opportunities where key players- infrastructure and service providers, IXPs, regulators, and policymakers can engage in a relaxed but business-like environment, sharing their experiences and learning from experts in the field.

Speaking on the support of AF-CIX for the Forum, the Head of Peering and Exchange Platforms, Obinna Adumike, said: “We are glad proud to be a silver sponsor for the ongoing 2023 African Peering and Interconnection Forum in Ghana. The choice to sponsor this event is in line with our business objective of

endorsing the enhancement of interconnection in Africa. We are dedicated to promoting traffic localisation, cost efficiency, resiliency, and security for ISPs, CCPs and Enterprises. As we are all aware, today's world heavily relies on interconnectivity.

“The decision to sponsor the event aligns with our business objective of supporting the growth of interconnection in Africa. We are committed to driving traffic localisation, cost efficiency resiliency and security and for our networks and enterprise businesses, resiliency and security. As we all know, today’s world largely depends on interconnectivity.”

Africa.com, a leading media company dedicated to showcasing the diverse stories and perspectives of the African continent, has collaborated with Human Rights Watch (HRW) in Africa. In pursuit of human rights advocacy and awareness across the region. With a shared commitment to amplifying voices and catalyzing change, the partnership unites Africa.com’s platform and reach with HRW’s expertise and dedication to championing human rights. By leveraging the power of storytelling and factual reporting, the collaboration aims to shed light on crucial human rights issues, foster public engagement, and drive tangible positive change within African societies.

Human Rights Watch has long been a beacon of hope and advocacy in Africa, consistently shining a spotlight on violations, inequalities, and injustices across the continent. Through careful research, comprehensive reporting, and unwavering dedication, HRW has brought critical human rights concerns to global attention, catalyzing discussions and policy reforms that have impacted countless lives.

CEO of Africa.com, Teresa Clarke, said: “Africa.com is honored to partner with Human Rights Watch, as we believe that access to accurate information and diverse perspectives is crucial in advancing human rights in Africa. Our platform’s ability to reach a large audience of people across Africa and beyond aligns perfectly with HRW’s mission to expose and address violations, ultimately driving positive change.”

Executive Director of Human Rights Watch’s Africa Division, Mausi Segun, expressed enthusiasm for the collaboration, saying, “We are thrilled to collaborate with Africa.com to expand the reach of our advocacy efforts. By combining HRW’s research and expertise with Africa. com’s media platform, we have a unique opportunity to engage a broader audience and rally support for human rights causes that are often overlooked.”

As part of this collaboration, both organisations are committed to delving into human rights topics ranging from gender equality and freedom of expression to access to education and healthcare.

Raheem Akingbolu reviews the aftermath of the debate that trailed the exposure of an unauthorised advert material, “All Eyes on the Judiciary” and calls on players in the creative and marketing industry to always give priority to professionalism over emotional and primordial interests

COURTESY VISIT…

L-R: Vice President, MTN Media Innovation Programme Cohort 2, Amaka Okoye; Fellow, MTN Media Innovation Programme Cohort 2, Frank Eleanya; Director, Professional Education, Pan-Atlantic University, Isaac Ogugua Ezechukwu; Executive Secretary, MTN Foundation, Odunayo Sanya and Fellow, MTN Media Innovation Programme Cohort 2, Anuoluwapo Odubanjo, during the visit of the Executive Secretary to the Pan-Atlantic University, Lekki-Epe Expressway, Lagos… recently

MTN Foundation Spends

N25.7bn on CSR in 18 Years

Emma Okonji

MTN Foundation, the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) vehicle of MTN Nigeria has said that has spent about N25.7 billion in empowering Nigerian youths, communities, healthcare development and educational support since its inception in 2005.

The Executive Secretary of MTN Foundation, Odunayo Sanya, who gave the information during

her visit to Fellows of the MTN Innovation Programme Cohort 2 (MTN MIP-2) at the Pan Atl antic University, Ibeju Lekki, L agos, said the Foundation was able to carry out its yearly activities as a result of the funding it gets from MTN Nigeria, which is one per cent of MTN Nigeria’s profit after task.

According to her, the Foundation is investing in education and youth empowerment and has offered 12,736 scholarships across tertiary institutions in Nigeria,

with 400 of such scholarships, offered to students with visual impairment.

“Selection for the scholarship programme is based on academic performance and all beneficiaries must maintain a Cumulative Point Average (CPA) of 3.5 in every semester, in order to continue to enjoy the benefits of the scholarship,” Sanya said.

She further said the Foundation, had in the past 16 years, maintained a partnership with the Musical Society

Women Technology Empowerment Centre Graduates 24 Students

Emma Okonji

The Women Technology Empowerment Centre (W.TEC), last week, graduated students who passed through its recent training programme for girls. During the graduation ceremony, W.TEC gave prizes to best performed students and used the occasion to unveil Miss W.TEC.

Tagged: “She Creates Camp,” the training is in its 16 edition, and it is focused on Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics (STEAM Camp).

The She Creates Camp is a residential science and technology education and mentoring programme designed to teach girls in secondary schools (ages

from ages 13 – 17, to learn to create useful solutions and technologies for everyday living through the application of engineering and scientific concepts, programming, mobile application development, and digital content development.

During their excursion, the camp participants visited Cummins West Africa Ltd Training Centre and Factory, as well as the Microsoft ADC in Lagos where they had a first-hand experience on the work experience at a leading multinational ICT corporation and all what the Africa Development Centre of West Africa is set out to do in developing the capacity

in the West African tech space.

On successful completion of the camp, the girls were invited and inducted to join W.TEC’s Alumni Network, where they will be kept up to date with future W.TEC and other workshops to build-up their technical skills and network with other camp alumnae from 2008 to present.

Prizes were given out to distinguished camp participants during the camp’s graduation ceremony. Prizes were given to participants for both group efforts and individual projects, in categories representing, each technical session such as Automated hand washing devices, smart-light devices, mobile apps design and upcycled art crafts.

SMEDAN, Nimbus to Empower Women-led SMEs with N40m

Nosa Alekhuogie

Nimbus Media Limited, a destination out-of-homeadvertising company, in collaboration with Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN) has called for applications for the 2023 edition of the Nimbus Aid Project.

The transformative social impact initiative spearheaded by Nimbus, will provide 20 women-led businesses across Nigeria with over N40 million ($53,681) worth of advertising on Nimbus screens. Successful applicants will also benefit from various marketing and

brand-building support from other project partners.

Speaking on the partnership, Lagos State Manager, SMEDAN, Dr. Bunmi Kole-Dawodu, said:

“Our partnership with the Nimbus Aid Project comes as a promising addition to SMEDAN’s plans for the year.

We aim to significantly extend our impact on women-led enterprises beyond our previous efforts. With this collaboration, we are confident in achieving these objectives.”

CEO of Nimbus Media Limited, Wale Adegoke, said:

“The Nimbus Aid Project reflects our commitment to driving positive change in our society.

We believe in the power of media to uplift businesses and empower voices that need to be heard. By spotlighting women-led businesses through this initiative, we’re not only advancing gender equality but also fueling the engine of economic growth in Nigeria.

“This year, we are grateful for the support of prominent sponsors, including SMEDAN, LSETF, Marketing Edge Magazine, TechCabal, Techpoint Africa, News Central TV, Hervest, FBN Quest, Carpe Diem Solutions and others who share our vision of unlocking economic opportunities through entrepreneurship and gender equality.”

PROPERTY & ENVIRONMENT

HOMEF Shocked no Minister of Environment Yet

Bennett Oghifo

The Nigerian affiliate of the global non governmental organisation, Health of Mother Earth Foundation (HOMEF) has said it is shocked President Bola Tinubu has not appointed a minister of environment, a sector it considers fundamental to the survival of Nigerians.

According to HOMEF, “There are many signs to show that we need to be worried about the president’s new lineup of ministries. Three of the announced ministries, the Ministry of Gas Resources, and the Ministry of Petroleum and the Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy raise special concerns at this time of our history.

“It is shocking to see that the

Environment has no minister. Not appointing a minister for environment sends a signal to Nigerians about the concern of the president to a sector that is so fundamental to their survival.

“While we have continued to raise concerns about the degraded environment, creating a Ministry of Gas Resources would only give license to the continuous gas emissions which are a major cause of climate change and attendant problems faced by our communities. By placing a special focus and promoting the gas industry, the Ministry of Gas will inexorably discourage the development of cleaner and more sustainable energy alternatives. This will further create a long-term dependency on fossil fuels, at a time when all efforts

should be made to ‘depetrolise’ our economy.”

The Executive Director of HOMEF, Nnimmo Bassey, states that “We do not see a bright future for the Nigerian environment, people, and economy with the President as minister of the twin petroleum ministries, and with the creation of a Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy. The three ministries will pose unique problems for our aquatic ecosystems and will inevitably worsen the plight of communities whose interests are once more set to be sacrificed.”

Bassey added that “the title Marine and Blue Economy is tautological, as the Blue Economy is practicable only in marine or aquatic ecosystems. The government may wish to rename the

unit as the Ministry of Marine Resources.

“The concept of Blue Economy, like the Green Economy, is aimed at massive exploitation and commodification of Nature with deleterious consequences. Developing the marine and blue economy sectors will lead to industrial fishing, pollution, habitat destruction, marine biotechnology, deep sea mining and other activities that are ecologically harmful. With a hugely unpoliced continental shelf this focus will pose special threats to our communities and others in the entire Gulf of Guinea.”

HOMEF, he said, “Believes that by prioritising gas, other renewable energy sources will be neglected. This lack of diver-

sification will hinder a country’s ability to adapt to future energy demands. It portends continuous disruption of our ecosystems with attendant health and safety risks. At a time when health and environmental audits should be conducted in the oil field communities, the government is poised to ramp up the horrors. This is unacceptable.

“After taking so long to put together the cabinet, the announced set up raises many questions. While these may be addressed at the swearing in ceremony, it is hoped that the government will explain the erasure of the Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs to Nigerians, and what appointing a coordinating minister for the Ministry of Health means.

“It should also be noted that

our inland water, coastal and marine environment has been subjected to violent exploitation that has led to the degradation that the environment suffers from; creating this ministry will lead to the intensification of such violent exploitation. Most adjacent communities and coastal communities where exploitation is taking place, there’s no portable water there as a result of pollution. This ministry will legalize such pollution. Artisanal fishing will be no more as well.

“HOMEF believes that it is important to carefully consider the potential repercussions when setting priorities for energy policies, as finding the right balance between economic interests, environmental health, and social well-being is crucial.”

GEF 7th Assembly Begins in Canada, Salisu Schedule to Speak

Bennett Oghifo

The Seventh Assembly of the Global Environment Facility (GEF) began in Vancouver, Canada yesterday - August 22-26- and Nigeria’s activities to combat and mitigate the impact of climate change will be presented by the Director General, National Council on Climate Change (NCCC), Dr. Dahiru Salisu, who is one of the speakers at the GEF meeting. Environmental leaders from 185 countries are expected at this seventh assembly and speakers have been selected from these countries. It will bring together ministers, government officials, business leaders, environmentalists, leaders of international agencies and

environmental conventions along with representatives of youth groups, civil society, and Indigenous Peoples to discuss solutions to ensure a healthy planet with healthy people.

The NCCC is the “Nationally Designated Authority and official Focal Point working to address the impacts of climate change in Nigeria.” Established in 2022 by Section 3 of the Climate Change Act of 2021, the NCCC is the body charged with the power to make policies on all matters relating to climate change in Nigeria.

“We are tasked with providing a platform for collaboration and coordination among various government agencies, the private sector, civil society organizations, and other stakeholders in Nigeria

to combat and mitigate the impact of climate change,” the council posted on its website.

Officials said the GEF Assembly will be a critical stocktaking for 2030 goals to end pollution and nature loss, combat climate change, and propel inclusive, locally-led conservation. This builds on recent diplomatic breakthroughs on biodiversity loss, toxic chemicals, and the high seas, they said.

It is set to include the launch of the Global Biodiversity Framework Fund, a new source of funding for protecting species and ecosystems globally. The GEF was selected to manage the new fund at the COP15 Convention on Biological Diversity summit in December 2022 and its governing Council

approved plans for this in June 2023 in Brasilia.

The Assembly will feature high-level sessions, roundtables, side events, workshops, and networking opportunities for participants of all ages and backgrounds. Delegates will also have an opportunity to visit environmental projects in the Vancouver area. The meeting is supported by a wide range of Canadian partners.

Also at the assembly is a delegation from the African Development Bank, led by Joao Cunha, Manager for Renewable Energy Funds, and AudreyCynthia Yamadjako, Principal Climate and Environment Finance Officer, according to the Bank.

The delegation, it said, will

participate in several roundtables, including a side event jointly organised by multilateral development banks titled Blended finance, catalyzing investment in nature and climate. This side event will feature the unveiling of the Facility Energy Inclusion PPF (Project Preparation Facility) and other projects. The Bank delegation will also participate in a high level panel on climate change adaptation that will feature a presentation on the African Development Bank’s Africa Disaster Risks Financing (ADRiFi) initiative.

Representatives of the Bank Group will also attend a GEF Partnership Forum and. will join other multilateral development banks to host a booth on biodiversity

The 7th GEF Assembly will also feature the launch of the Global Biodiversity Framework Fund, a new funding source for protecting endangered species and their ecosystems globally. The GEF was selected at the COP15 Convention on Biological Diversity summit in December 2022 to manage the new fund. The African Development Bank joined the GEF in 2007 as an implementing agency, with direct access to Facility’s resources. Over the years, the Bank has increased its pipeline of projects related to climate change, biodiversity, land conservation and international waters whilst gradually enhancing its interventions on chemicals and waste-related issues in Africa.

Legrande to Focus on Rent-Own Homes at Alexandra Courts

Fadekemi Ajakaiye

Legrande Properties Development Company Limited, developers of the Alexandra Courts Coastal City, Ibeju Lekki, Lagos, are going to prioritise rent-to-own as part of their payment plans for their prospective home buyers.

Managing Director, Legrande Properties Development Company Limited, Deacon Babajide Durojaiye gave the insight during a tour of the Alexandra Courts Coastal City, last

TheThursday.Alexandra

Courts

Estate is being developed in partnership with the Lagos State Government. It is the New Town Development Hub of the Lekki Peninsula called “The New Lagos.”

The estate has a Rent-to-own Scheme. “Rent-to-own homes are homes that include a clause in the rental agreement which either gives you the option to buy or an obligation to buy after a certain time period. You make rent payments each month and a portion of those payments can count toward your down payment. Should you decide to buy, the excess money can be applied to the home purchase. Renting to own can be an appealing concept for people who are interested in owning property but have thus far been shut out of the traditional process. If you don’t have a sizable down payment, for instance,or your credit score is too low to qualify for a mortgage, renting a property with the intention to buy it can

give you time to save and work on improving your credit rating.

12. Eligibility Criteria

Applicant must have registered with National Housing Fund for a period of not less than 6 months with consistent NHF remittances. Applicants must be first time beneficiaries of the NHF loan. Applicants must have verifiable means of income.

“How It Works. Pay down payment of 20% of the purchase price. 70% to be paid by FMBN on behalf of the off-taker. 10% of the purchase price to be paid at completion of the property but before handover. 20 Years repayment to FMBN depending on the purchaser’s current age. 14. Be informed that the unique selling point (USP) of this project entails: Rent-to-Own opportunity for contributors to the National Housing Fund (NHF) Comprises Smart Units (Smart Homes) Power is guaranteed for 24 hours. Affordable.

The estate is a mixed development of 2-bedroom and 3- bedroom flats tastefully designed to provide utmost comfort to our end users. It is enriched with economic, residential and commercial value because of its closeness to the New Lekki Deep Seaport, the Dangote Refinery, the Lagos Free Trade Zone, the New Lekki Airport and the Alaro industrial City.

The estate also comes with infrastructural facilities that include: 24 Hours Electricity (PHCN Power supply and Solar Inverter Systems); 24 Hours Security (Mobile Police & Civil Security); 24 Hours

central internet connection Swimming Pool, Central Park and Playground Gym and other recreational sports area; Central sewage system, including sewage treatment plant and water treatment plant, Central Mall, Health Center, among others.

The estate is equipped with over 5,000 quality housing units of 2- and 3-bedroom flats, including semi-detached and fully-detached duplexes, complete with requisite infra- structures. The Alexandra Courts Coastal City, Ibeju-Lekki Lagos is a Public Private Partnership (PPP) with the Lagos State Government and Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria (FMBN). Loans of up to N15 million are available to offtakers who are contributors to the National Housing Fund Scheme. The estate comes with a solar system that provides 24hrs lighting. Price Details

Two-Bedroom Flat: N36 Million (Thirty-SixMillionNaira only) Three-Bedroom Flat: N46 Million (Forty-SixMillion Naira only) Land Per Plot: N22 Million(Twenty-Two MillionNaira only).

“Payment is broken down into milestones and we have different packages for different subscribers. Outright purchase, which includes payment of the entire purchase price at the beginning of the transaction. Milestone Payment without the usage of NHF, which includes:

A. 30% of the purchase price to be paid within 7 days upon acceptance of the offer letter.

B. 30%upon completion of the first-floor slab.

slab. D. 10% upon commence- ment of internal finishes. E. 10% upon completion but before handing over of the units. Note: The above payment milestone is for 12 months only.

“With regards to the NHF payment plan, the following are the requisite milestone payment required: 30% of the purchase price to be paid within 7 days upon acceptance of the offer letter. 20% of the purchase price upon completion of the first-floor slab. FMBN would issue N15,000,000 when the purchaser is purchasing a three-bedroom flat to us on your behalf. N4,000,000 only to be paid upon completion of the third-floor slab. N4,000,000 to be paid upon completion but before handing over of the unit. If a subscriber is purchasing

a two- b e d r o o m flat, which is N36,000,000 only, the following is the requisite milestone payment: 20% of the purchase price being N7,200,000 only to be paid within seven days from the acceptance of the offer letter. 20% of the offer price being N7,200,000 to be paid upon completion of the first-floor slab. N14,000,000 to be paid by FMBN to us on your behalf for the said unit. N3,800,000 only to be paid upon completion of the third floor slab N3,800,000 only to be paid upon completion of the unit but before handing over. Legrande will help the subscriber secure the said N15,000,000 or N14,000,000 loan from the Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria provided the subscriber is a contributor to the

National Housing Fund Scheme, and the subscriber will only be expected to start repaying the loan sum to FMBN after the unit has been completed and handed over to the subscriber. However, the title document would be issued to FMBN in trust for the repayment of the loan and upon completion of the payment of the loan sum which takes 30 years depending on the subscriber’s current age, the title document will be handed over to the subscriber by FMBN. Kindly note that Legrande already has a primary mortgage bank that they are working with which is AG Mortgage Bank. It is through this bank that all subscribers’ documents would be submitted to FMBN on their (subscribers’) behalf for the processing of the loan.”

C. 20% upon completion of the third-floor The Alexandra Courts Coastal City,

Lagos

Ibeju Lekki,

HEALTH & LIFESTYLE

Assessing Maternal and Perinatal Death Survey Response Bill

Sunday Ehigiator takes a look at the Maternal and Perinatal Death Survey Response, MPDSR, Bill, its practicality and importance in reducing maternal and perinatal death in Nigeria

The expected medical and social outcome of every intended pregnancy is to have a healthy mother with a baby that is endowed with full potential for its existence and survival.

This outcome is cherished in Nigeria which is home to one in five Africans, with a population of over 200 million people, an estimated 1 per cent of the global population.

Although Nigeria’s current infant mortality rate in 2023 stands at 54.740 deaths per 1000 live births, which is a 2.63 per cent decline from 2022, it remains the country with the second-highest number of maternal and child deaths globally.

If the country’s quests to attain the SDG-3 by 2030 and be ranked among the top 20 leading global economies are to remain on course, these mortalities must be sharply reduced.

The MPDSR Bill

In 2013, the World Health Organization (WHO) launched the Maternal Death Surveillance and Response (MDSR) guidance to strengthen notification, review, and response to maternal deaths.

This guide emphasized the need for each maternal death to be a notifiable event and reviewed to be able to understand the underlying causes of any death to create a response mechanism to avert future deaths and to have a continuous cycle of surveillance and response.

Following this introduction by WHO in 2013, there arose a global consensus that accurate information about causes of death through mortality audits is needed to help inform and enhance efforts to end preventable maternal and perinatal deaths.

Against the backdrop of achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), Nigeria introduced the MPDSR Bill; ‘a Bill for an act to provide for the effective surveillance, review and prevention of maternal and perinatal deaths and related matters for the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 2020 (SB. 581)’ introduced by Senator Yahaya Oloriegbe, representing Kwara Central Senatorial District.

Senator Oloriegbe believes the data on maternal and perinatal deaths would be useful in making recommendations on how to address the problem.

Senator Sadiq Umar, who seconded that the bill should be read for the second time, explained the rationale behind his decision.

He said, “I support this bill because the maternal deaths in this country are unacceptable; these deaths affect the poor primarily and we all have the poor in our constituencies.

“To achieve our goal by 2030, we need to have data that is properly interpreted and informs decision-making. I urge us all for this bill to be read the second time.”

The bill is also aimed at accelerating efforts to improve outcomes for women and babies and is expected to be passed into law, and implemented as both a national policy and state policy.

But not much has been heard about it since it was passed by the national assembly and yet to be signed into law by the President, especially now that Senator Oloriegbe lost his bid to return to the Senate in the 2023 general elections.

Maternal and Perinatal Death in Nigeria

According to the WHO, Maternal death or maternal mortality is defined as the death of a pregnant mother due to complications related to pregnancy, underlying conditions worsened by the pregnancy or management of these conditions. This can occur either while they are pregnant or within six weeks of the resolution of the pregnancy.

While perinatal death or perinatal mortality is defined as the number of fetal deaths after a fetus has passed 22 or 28 completed weeks of pregnancy, plus the number of deaths among live-born children up to seven completed days of life, per 1000 total births (live births and stillbirths).

According to the WHO, it is the “number of stillbirths and deaths in the first week of life per 1,000 total births, the perinatal period commences at 22 completed weeks (154 days) of gestation and ends seven completed days after birth.”

Latest United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) report titled ‘Situation of Women and Children in Nigeria’ states that Nigeria records 576 maternal mortality per 100,000 live births, while approximately 262,000 babies die at birth every year.

Also, infant mortality currently stands at 69 per 1,000 live births, while under-five deaths is 128 per 1,000 live births with more than 64 per cent of the deaths caused by pneumonia, malaria and diarrhoea.

Also, a new report by the WHO, showed that Nigeria accounts for the second-highest number of maternal and child deaths globally.

The report titled, ‘Improving maternal and newborn health and survival and reducing stillbirth: Progress Report 2023’ and released by the World Health Organisation (WHO) on May 9, 2023, shows that

Nigeria, Africa’s most populous nation is only behind India in the latest ranking.

This further emphasises the importance of the MPDSR Bill, targeted at using detailed recordkeeping on death, and causes of death, among others to get an informed recommendation on how to improve maternal healthcare and thereby reduce the negative indices.

Importance of Quality Maternal Care

Although maternal deaths have declined by nearly 40 per cent worldwide over the past two decades, maternal mortality continues to be a significant public health challenge.

A large proportion of maternal deaths are preventable, even in countries with limited resources. In low- and lower-middle-income countries, almost 60 per cent of preventable deaths are the result of poor-quality care.

Quality of maternal health care services is poor in many of the 81 countries that account for 95 per cent of all maternal deaths and 90 per cent of all child deaths worldwide.

High-quality maternal health care sets the foundation for women, children, families, communities and societies to thrive for generations to come. Quality care underpins efforts to build resilient health systems that can manage health emergencies while delivering primary care, saving more lives and advancing equity

According to a brief by MSD for Mothers, “To achieve high-quality maternity care, every maternal death, wherever it occurs, should be counted, reported and examined, and the findings from these reviews should drive action to prevent future deaths.”

Goals and Objective of the National MPDSR

The National MPDSR guideline has a simple goal “to eliminate preventable maternal and perinatal deaths.”

It also has eight objectives, which are, “to notify and collect accurate data on all maternal and perinatal deaths in the country; including, notify on every maternal and perinatal death; number, identify and report all maternal and perinatal deaths; and determine the causes of death, contributing factors and review all maternal and perinatal deaths using facility records, and verbal autopsies.

“To analyse and interpret data collected, in respect of trends in maternal and perinatal mortality, causes of death (medical) and contributing factors (quality of care, barriers to care, nonmedical factors e.g. socio-cultural, religious factors, health-seeking behaviour, etc.), avoidability of the deaths, focusing on those factors that can be remedied, risk factors, groups at increased risk, and maps of maternal and perinatal deaths, demographic and socio-political and religious factors.

“To use the data to make evidence-based recommendations for action to decrease maternal and perinatal mortality, and the recommendations will be on applicable subjects, such as community education and involvement; timeliness of referrals; access to and delivery of services; quality of care; training needs of healthcare personnel or protocols use; deployment of resources where they are likely to have an impact; regulations and policy; billing and cost of care, emergency services; and advocacy for MNCH interventions.

“The objective also includes disseminating of findings and recommendations to civil society, health personnel, and decision/policymakers to

Research and Statistics; Food and Drugs Services; and ICT, amongst many other stakeholders,” Ehanire said.

He explained that the committee will serve for four years.

The former minister said that the committee will also provide oversight on MPCDSR nationwide, support knowledge management, documentation, and research and Give support to the state MPDSR steering committee in the implementation of MPDSR plans and programmes.

Implementation and Practicality of the MPDSR in Nigeria

Since 2015, the WHO and UNICEF have recommended the institutionalisation of Maternal and Perinatal Death Surveillance and Response, MPDSR to track and prevent maternal and perinatal deaths in countries around the world.

Speaking on the implementation in Nigeria, the Nigeria Health Watch in a recent report said, the Federal Ministry of Health adopted the Maternal and Perinatal Death Surveillance and Response, MPDSR in November 2016.

increase awareness about the magnitude, social effects and preventability of maternal and perinatal mortality.”

The fifth objective is to ensure actions take place, by monitoring, evaluating and reporting the implementation of recommendations. The sixth objective is to inform programmes on the effectiveness of interventions and their impact on maternal and perinatal mortality, including feedback.

The seventh objective is to guide and prioritize research related to maternal and perinatal mortality, while the eighth objective is to strengthen referrals and linkages between and across the levels of care.

WHO, UNICEF Recommendation

The World Health Organization (WHO) and United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) recommend that all countries institutionalize maternal death reviews as a key strategy to prevent maternal deaths.

According to MSD for Mothers, “Effective surveillance systems are comprehensive and include data from public and private clinical settings and both health facilities and communities equipped with more representative data, health systems and providers can make better-informed decisions about how to improve the quality of care they deliver before, during and after childbirth.

“When these data are integrated into national health information systems, policymakers and governments have the facts they need to develop evidence-informed maternal health policies and interventions that will improve access to quality healthcare services.

“In addition to supporting better allocation of resources, annual reports from surveillance systems also help hold policymakers, health providers and communities accountable for improving the quality of maternity care so that all women have a healthy pregnancy and safe childbirth.”

Current Status of the MPDSR in Nigeria

On June 28, 2022, the Federal Government (FG) launched the revised guidelines and tools for Maternal Perinatal and Child Death Surveillance and Response (MPCDSR).

Speaking at the launch, the former Minister of Health, Dr Osagie Ehanire revealed that the MPDSR initiative “has been expanded to incorporate child mortality audit, making it now Maternal, Perinatal, and Child Death Survey Response (MPCDSR).”

He also revealed that the enabling “bill has been passed by the National Assembly and is awaiting Presidential assent.”

At the event, Dr Ehanire also inaugurated the MPCDSR Steering Committee, and he was announced as the chairman of the committee.

Other members of the committee are the Chairman, of the Senate Committee on Health; Chairman, of the House Committee on Health; Commissioners of Health of every state responsibility of Reproductive, Maternal, Newborn, Child and Adolescent Health + Nutrition (RMNCAH+N) in their states, and Heads of Departments of FMoH.

“Others are Family Health; Hospital Services; Public Health; Health Planning,

However, “state-level implementation of MPDSR in Nigeria is inadequate, because it is focused on facility-based maternal deaths alone and sub-national MPDSR committees are unable to effectively turn the data into action.

“Consequently, this gap fueled the ‘Giving Birth’ in Nigeria programme’s approach to reviewing maternal deaths in communities, with the involvement of family decision-makers, traditional leaders, religious influencers, health workers and government-level officers in inquiries, awareness, and dialogue.

“Community MPSDR, as recommended in the ‘Why Are Women Dying While Giving Birth in Nigeria’ report, will provide a mechanism for policymakers and other decision-makers to be well aware of the causes of maternal deaths and address these causes at all levels by creating actionable solutions that could reach women in local communities.

“As a framework for monitoring maternal deaths, it will ensure the timely reporting and surveillance of women dying while giving birth in communities.

“Consequently, this vital information can be used to guide public health’s response and government action at all levels and prevent the occurrence of future maternal deaths in communities.

“Also, through community MPDSR, every maternal death at home, at a faith-based centre or with a Traditional Birth Attendant (TBA) can be counted, assessed, and avoidable factors aggregated. The information generated can be used to guide the immediate implementation of solutions as well as long-term actions to reduce maternal mortality in Nigeria.”

Limitations

In many communities across Nigeria, women continue to face barriers to accessing safe maternal health care during pregnancy. Some of these challenges include a lack of adequate health infrastructure and a lack of skilled birth attendants.

Consequently, pregnant women increasingly patronise traditional birth attendants (TBAs) during childbirth to deliver their babies. A traditional birth attendant is a person who assists pregnant women when giving birth.

But traditional birth attendants are scientifically unskilled and lack formal training, adequate health information, and a proper understanding of pregnancy complications and risk factors that lead to maternal deaths. They also lack access to requisite tools for clean delivery such as medicine and equipment for obstetric care. However, they never lack patronage.

Some of the reasons for the continuous patronage of traditional birth attendants could be attributed to the elements of the ‘Three Delay Model’ which identifies three groups of factorsincluding,delay in decision to seek health care, delay in reaching health care points and delay in receiving adequate health care, which are capable of hindering women from accessing the maternal health care they need.

These altogether may form a big barrier in the community-based implementation of the MPDSR. Also speaking on limitations, Dr Ehanire noted that an analysis of bottlenecks indicated a need to examine the coordination architecture at strategic and technical levels and reposition the National Reproductive Health Technical Working Group to address the thematic areas of Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights against this backdrop.

The MPDSR cycle adapted from WHO

Groups Empower Black Women’s Mental Wellness Worldwide

Igbawase Ukumba in Lafia

Women Empowering Nations (WEN) and Cantu Beauty recently hosted a virtual event, “Embrace Your Glow: Living a Soft Life, focusing on holistic mental wellness and self-care, especially in the context of Black Mental Health Month in the US.

The Embrace Your Glow initiative, with its focus on empowering black women’s mental wellness,

brought a partnership between WEN, Cantu Beauty, and the GLOW Global Cohort to create a world where mental health is celebrated, valued, and nurtured.

The Embrace Your Glow’s virtual event which took place on July 29, 2023, therefore, provided a vital platform to address mental health challenges faced by the Black community worldwide.

With a global panel of Black women mental health experts, the

event offered valuable insights and strategies for nurturing well-being.

Before the virtual event, inperson gatherings took place in major cities worldwide, including Abuja - Nigeria, where the Afrocentric Paint and Jam event fostered creativity and wellness through artistic expression.

The Nigerian teams coach for GLOW Global Cohort 2023, Blessing Ahmodu, emphasized

the importance of amplifying the voices of black women and girls. A cohort member, Diwura Williams, highlighted the event’s role in commemorating the global giveback day and easing stress while maintaining mental health.

A fellow for Women Empowering Nations, Oluwadamilola Akintewe, on her part praised the programme for fostering connections among women worldwide and making a

World Malaria Day: DOAM Foundation Offers Free Medical Outreach in Imo Community

Funmi Ogundare

Daniel Ogechi Akujobi Foundation, recently, commemorated the 2023 World Malaria Day with a two-day free medical outreach, held at Primary Health Center, Amaimo Community, Imo State, with the objective of providing solutions to the rampant health cases prevalent among the less privileged.

With the theme, ‘Time to Deliver Zero Malaria: Invest, Innovate, Implement’, saw beneficiaries having a one-on-one session with trained medical personnel.

The outreach which focused on diagnosis and treatment of blood sugar, blood pressure,

malaria, typhoid and Urinary Tract Infection ( UTI), impacted about 500 people including children, youths and the aged.

It was supported by Lifeback Pharmacy and Stores.

In her remarks, the foundation’s Senior Programme Officer, Catherine Olukotun, stated stated that it was also aimed at providing free healthcare check-up as a preventive measure towards offering prompt intervention for the less privileged in indigent communities.

According to her, “access to quality healthcare should be a basic human right.The foundation has remained committed in touching lives of the less privileged children, youth and

the aged, by providing them with essential health care services in different communities over the past 16 years and still counting”. She expressed delight about the high turnout of indigenes during the medical outreach activities saying that, “what we observed is that a lot of people are not going for medical checkups due to financial challenges. Opportunities like this offer them hope and keep them alive.”

Olukotun appealed to wellmeaning Nigerians to continue to partner with the foundation so as to provide quality healthcare services in their communities and put smiles on the faces of the less privileged.

Dr. Victor Okere stated that

the foundation is offering a comprehensive health care service to ensure that the beneficiaries receive the care and support they need for a healthy and fulfilling life and achieving some part of its mission.

During the two-day programme, beneficiaries with different health challenges were diagnosed and treated while those that needed to re-visit the clinic, were rescheduled for further check on their blood sugar. Proper arrangement were also made for the treatment of malaria, indigestion, diabetes and vitamin deficiencies, through the provision of anti-malaria, antacid, anti-diabetic, multivitamins, analgesics, among others.

Agbonile: Federal Neuro-Psychiatric Hospital Has Brought Quality Services to Nigerians

Sunday Okobi

The management of the Federal Neuro-Psychiatric Hospital in Benin-city, Edo State, has stated that apart from its primary areas of specialisation which include geriatric, forensic, community, UNODC accredited addiction treatment and training in drugs and alcohol, child and adolescent psychiatry, it is also currently offering top quality general medical services, including minor surgeries and maternity/ obstetric services.

The Chief Medical Director/ Chief Executive Officer of federal hospital, Dr. Imafidon Osama Agbonile, disclosed these to THISDAY in an interview recently, adding that they have continued to provide excellent services in Psychiatry, using modern equipment and medical technology.

He noted that as part of its operation, the hospital management has commenced the construction of two gigantic

storey buildings at both sites of the hospital- Uselu and Idunmwunowina community in Benin-city.

According to him, “The reason for the expansion of its services stems from management sheer vision to cater for the other illnesses of patients and also to serve as healthcare for the people in Idunmwunowina community and its environs since there is no visible government healthcare centres in the area.

“This is to help add significant value to human lives by providing a more comprehensive approach to healthcare. This has been helping patients receive treatment for both physical and mental health issues in one place. Then of course, It has also helped to reduce the stigma associated with mental health issues by integrating them into general medical care.

“We are currently building two full-fledged Medical Centres at Uselu and the permanent site of the hospital at Idunmwonwina.”

On how the facility is contrib-

uting to the general development of the health sector in Nigeria, Agbonile noted that the hospital has made huge contributions to the health sector in Nigeria, including the provision of quality healthcare services and training programmes for healthcare professionals and students.

He said that the hospital has a well-trained qualified professional workforce to deliver qualitative psychiatry and rehabilitative care to patients, adding that the hospital catchment area covers the South-south geo-political zone, and “we also have a Psychiatric School of Nursing with well-trained lecturers and student nurses from various parts of the country who usually prefer to do their psychiatric nursing training in our hospital.”

The neuro-psychiatrist observed that interestingly, “we have been able to produce several students that have proven themselves ambassadors of our school both home and abroad. For instance, our School of

Psychiatric Nursing (SOPN)

FNPH Benin-city produced the national overall best candidate in the 2020 Post Basic Nursing Professional Examination for Mental Health Psychiatric Nursing Programme. As a matter of facts, over 30 tertiary institutions are affiliated to the hospital.

“Similarly, in 2021, our resident doctor who is now a consultant psychiatrist in our hospital, Dr. Atim Okonkon Archibong, won the prize for the overall best performing candidate in West Africa in Psychiatry at the West African College of Physician Part II Examinations.”

Agbonile told THISDAY that the innovations in the hospital did not happen by accident but by laid down objectives and vision, stating that “one of my objectives when I was appointed the medical director was to transform the hospital into a thriving healthcare facility of world-class standard in line with its mission, vision and value statements.

profound impact. Founder of WEN, Carlisha Williams Bradley, expressed the organisation’s commitment to cultivating holistic care for the next generation of executive

leaders through personal and professional development programming, recognizing the significance of mental wellbeing on that transformative journey.

Rainbow Specialist Medical Centre Conducts Free Diabetes Foot Screening

Rebecca Ejifoma

Worried by the prevalence of diabetes-related complications linked to poorly managed diabetes, Rainbow Specialist Medical Centre has offered free diabetes foot screening for persons with diabetes mellitus.

Rainbow Specialist Medical Centre is a private hospital with a focus on the management of diabetes and other endocrine and metabolism conditions.

A statement signed by the hospital’s Medical Director, Dr Afokoghene Isiavwe, said the free screening is available every Tuesday this August at its 11c Babatunde Anjous premises in Lekki Phase 1, Lagos.

She described Diabetes mellitus foot syndrome as a preventable condition which sadly claims the limbs and lives of persons living with diabetes mellitus.

According to her, its prevalence increases where diabetes mellitus is poorly managed in addition to poor foot care habits and knowledge.

She added: “Foot ulcers are dangerous in persons with diabetes, as over 80 per cent of diabetes foot amputations are preceded by foot ulcers.

“This is why a well-cared-for foot in a person with diabetes is unlikely to be amputated.”

The MD emphasised that primary prevention from regular foot screening by knowledgeable health care workers leads to early detection of the ‘high risk’ diabetes foot. “These appropriate interventions at the early stage can prevent its progression to a foot ulcer,” she stated.

In a resource-poor setting like ours, Isiawve lamented that with many individuals with diabetes still unable to access essential medications and specialist services, primary prevention of foot ulcers can never be over-emphasised.

In her words: “This is why we are inviting people with diabetes to take advantage of this free diabetes foot screening and education program and come for free diabetes

foot screening.”

“We encourage members of the public to participate in the foot screening program as this could be an opportunity to know their diabetes status. This is important because half of people with diabetes are unaware they have it.”

Stating the reason for the free screening, Isiavwe said the hospital was motivated by the challenges being faced today by persons living with diabetes to access their daily diabetes medications and medical supplies

She added that many people still pay out of pocket for their medications and, in recent times, have found themselves in a difficult situation of having to choose between buying their drugs or buying food for their families.

“Many people with diabetes can no longer control their condition, which will further reduce the statistics to less than 20 per cent of Nigerians living with diabetes that are achieving reasonable blood sugar control, even after diagnosis.

“With poor blood sugar control comes diabetes complications like diabetes foot ulcerations and amputations, in addition to multi-system complications, not sparing any organ; from kidney failure, blindness, nerve damage, heart disease, and stroke among others,” says the medical director.

“To say the least, these complications are better prevented as the cost of managing them is enormous and unaffordable to most Nigerians.

“Early detection through regular foot screening and education on good foot care habits thus remains the best preventive measure,” she recommended.

Rainbow Specialist Medical Centre has been involved in diabetes education workshops for persons with diabetes and capacity-building workshops for Nigerian health Care workers in Lagos State on diabetes foot care. To achieve these aims, the hospital partnered with the Podiatry Institute USA, World Walk Foundation Jamaican chapter and the World Diabetes Foundation.

Participants at the mental empowering event

Gumel: How Manufacturers Can Adapt to Rising Costs Without Compromising Quality

Oluchi Chibuzor

Executive Director and Vice Chairman, Africa, TGI Group, Farouk Gumel has listed packaging examination, optimising product quality, and streamlining distribution costs as some of the measures manufacturers can employ to adapt to rising cost without compromising quality

Speaking during a panel session titled, “How to Manage Inflation without Alienating Customers,” at the 2023 Africa CEO Forum in Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire, he shared valuable insights about the challenges manufacturers face when it comes to costs and the importance of finding innovative solutions. Gumel acknowledged the inevitabil-

ity of passing some costs to consumers but stressed the need for manufacturers to think creatively to reduce production expenses while ensuring their products remain affordable.

He emphasized that these efforts are essential for the long-term sustainability of businesses.

“In the diverse landscape of Africa, cost considerations can be complex. The balance between inclusion and efficiency is unique due to the division between urban and rural centres. For us to foster an inclusive economy, we must focus on creating opportunities where unskilled labour can be engaged. This means a certain level of operational inefficiency may be required, but it pays back as community engagement

ultimately guarantees the safety and security of investments, “he explained

He said, “Examining packaging, optimizing product quality, and streamlining distribution costs are all areas ripe for cost reduction. We regularly assess our packaging choices at TGI, considering factors such as ink type, colour selection, and raw materials. We evaluate where and how to advertise based on our target consumers – should we go digital, opt for print, TV, or radio?”

He emphasized the importance of quality products, noting that they enhance brand affinity. “When your product carries a story and positively impacts the job market, consumers naturally gravitate towards it,” said Gumel.

Marble Capital offers N500M Halal Fixed Income Fund

An investment opportunity has been unveiled for risk-averse investors with appetite for steady income with the launch of Marble Halal Fixed Income Fund (MHFIF), worth N500 Million by Marble Capital Limited, a frontline Ethical and Islamic Fund Manager in the Nigerian Financial Market.

By its Prospectus, MHFIF offered at N100 per unit at par, is an open-ended unit trust scheme that places premium on investments in Sukuk Bond and other Shariah-compliant debt and fixed income instruments.

Under the Initial Public Offering (IPO), the holding period for an investment in the Fund is 90 days. However, Unit Holders will be issued with electronic statements as

evidence of ownership.

“The Marble Fixed Income Fund offers several compelling investment propositions. The product is accessible with a minimum investment of N10,000. It has prospects for capital preservation. It is Shariah compliant, with minimal risk, diversification opportunities, highly liquid with capacity for competitive returns.

“These benefits align financial growth with ethical values, contributing to positive impacts. It is Sharia-compliant with strong potential to hedge against market volatility. This makes it a distinct choice for investors seeking both profit and ethical alignments, “said

Marble Capital’s Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Dr. Akeem Oyewale.

“The Fund will seek to distribute, semi-annually in arrears, net income to Unit Holders in line with existing regulations, subject to profits realized. The income of the Fund, net of expenses, to be distributed periodically will be determined by the Fund Manager in the best interest of the Unit Holders, “he added.

Marble Capital had in April this year launched its famous N3 billion Marble Halal Commodities Fund (MHCF), domiciled in agroeconomic and extractive sector.

The MHCF is the first SECapproved commodities mutual fund in Nigeria.

Stakeholders to Discuss Fintech in Emerging Markets at AFTC

Mary Nnah

Stakeholders in the financial technology industry would be dissecting issues around digital finance in emerging economies at the forthcoming Africa Financial Technology Congress (AFTC) scheduled for August 25 at Four Points

By Sheraton Victoria Island, Lagos.

According to organisers, the event which is powered by Africa Brands, Playstation and Paycity and tagged, “Unlocking the Potential of Digital Finance in Emerging Economies,” will create a platform to continually share more insight on the progress of Africa’s fintech revolution

as Africa, in the past 15 years, experienced significant development through digital technology growth that is being driven by the Fintech Revolution.

Chief Editorial Officer of African Brands, Desmond Esorougwe said the Congress will bring together senior representatives from banks, government, investors, FIS, card providers, payment services platforms, Blockchain executives and solutions providers to brainstorm solutions to the industry’s key challenges and opportunities.

He noted further that the AFTC Brands showcase, which is an initiative that seeks to showcase idea products and inventions of organisations

within the financial technology space will provide organisations with exposure at a premier congress and exhibition devoted to increasing Brand visibility.

Speaking about the award session of the event, he stated that the awards will be presented to Winners who have made outstanding contributions to the development of the Fintech Industry through innovation and invention in Africa. “The African Brands Media Ltd will provide an exclusive reporting of the Entire Award Winners and showcase their Achievement in a Special Edition of Fintech Revolution in Africa 2023 with a view of creating more awareness of these Brands globally,” Esorougwe said.

UAC Foods Unveils New Snack Extension Brand

UAC Foods, manufacturers of Gala sausage roll brand has introduced a new product, called Kingsway, into their expanded range of snacks.

At the unveiling of the new brand in Lagos recently, the management of the company said the innovation marked a significant milestone for the company, signifying a new chapter.

Key stakeholders in the sausage roll category, brand influencers, industry food critics, distributors and partners

attended the event.

Delivering his keynote address, the Managing Director of UAC Foods Limited, Mr. Oluyemi Oloyede, spoke about Gala’s legacy, a brand that has been in existence for 61 years and one that would be around for another 61 years and beyond.

He said the launch of Kingsway was borne from the company’s passion to give its supportive consumers a choice to have an alternative product, especially one that delivers on ‘more for the same great taste

Money Market Indicators (in Percentage)

and quality’ promise.

“This brand will be the number two brand within this category, we will sell everywhere so that every Nigerian can access qualified and affordable food every day. We are offering a snack product with filing that helps the consumer manage the current economic situation. In the next weeks and months, our teams across regions will make Kingsway available to consumers so that they can see, taste and buy our new baked rolls,” Oloyede explained

OPEC DAILY BASKET PRICE AS AT 17 JULY, 2023

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

NGX in Talks With SEC to Accommodate Dollar Asset Listings

KayodeTokede

In a bid to tap into reservoir of funds in companies within the free trade zones, Nigerian Exchange Limited (NGX) has revealed that it is in talks with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and other market stakeholders to accommodate dollar asset listings from firms, particularly within the free trade zone.

Chief Executive Officer, NGX,

Temi Popoola, stated this during a recent interview with Bloomberg.

Whilst commending the government on reforms taken to address FX challenges in the country, Popoola noted that the Exchange features a number of companies with diverse business models, some of which not only generate revenue in dollars but also report profits in dollars. “This presents an investment opportunity especially if these firms could distribute their

dividends to local investors in dollars,” he said.

The CEO explained that disbursing dividends in dollars could potentially address the challenges posed by fluctuations in forex currently bedeviling the economy, adding that NGX is working with SEC and other market stakeholders to create a revised listing regulation for companies within the free trade zones who had their topline revenue to bottom-line in dollars.

Explaining further on companies within the free trade zone, Popoola said that some of these companies’ financial structures may not align with an Initial Public Offering (IPO) in local currency, which could push them abroad. He said, “If they (some companies) were to conduct an initial public offering (IPO) in Naira, it may not align with their capital structure. So if they cannot access dollars within our market, many of them may

opt to list abroad. It is worth noting that a substantial amount of dollar liquidity is available to both retail and institutional investors in Nigeria. It is imperative that our domestic capital market taps into this reservoir of funds”.

Popoola further noted that the Exchange’s primary objective is to enable these companies issue bonds denominated in dollars and eventually offer dollar equity.

“This can help attract listings and

achieve the objectives of the administration under President Bola Tinubu.”

Drawing parallels with Jamaica and Zimbabwe where provisions exist for certain companies to list in dollars while conducting business within the framework of their local currency, Popoola said NGX is keen to channel the dormant capital lying idle in domiciliary accounts into the capital market.

PRICES FOR SECURITIES TRADED ASOF AUGUST/23/23

A Mutual fund (UnitTrust) is an investment vehicle managed by a SEC (Securities and Exchange Commission) registered Fund Manager. Investors with similar objectives buy units of the Fund so that the Fund Manager can buy securities that willl generate their desired return.

An ETF (Exchange Traded Fund) is a type of fund which owns the assets (shares of stock, bonds, oil futures, gold bars, foreign currency, etc.) and divides ownership of those assets into shares. Investors can buy these ‘shares’ on the

floor of the Nigerian Stock Exchange. A REIT (Real Estate InvestmentTrust) is an investment vehicle that allows both small and large investors to part-own real estate ventures (eg. Offices, Houses, Hospitals) in proportion to their investments. The assets are divided into shares that are traded on the Nigerian Stock Exchange.

GUIDE TO DATA:

Date: All fund prices are quoted in Naira as at 22-Aug-2023, unless otherwise stated.

Offer price: The price at which units of a trust or ETF are bought by investors.

Bid Price: The price at which Investors redeem (sell) units of a trust or ETF.

Yield/Total Return: Denotes the total return an investor would have earned on his investment. Money Market Funds report Yield while others report Year- to-date Total Return.

NAV: Is value per share of the real estate assets held by a REIT on a specific date.

DAILY PRICE LIST FOR MUTUAL FUNDS, REITS and ETFS

INFRASTRUCTURE FUND

COURTESY VISIT OF THE NIEEE TO NASENI HEADQUARTERS...

L-R: The Executive Vice Chairman, National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI) Dr. Bashir Gwandu; the Acting President, National Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (NIEEE), Engr. Felix O. Olu; the Vice President, National Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (NIEEE), Engr. Abdullahi T. Sulaiman; and the immediate past President NIEEE, Engr. Adeyemi Kings, during a courtesy visit of the NIEEE to NASENI Headquarters, Abuja...on Tuesday.

Air Force Chief Commiserates with Families of Plane Crash Personnel

NSAF releases names of victims Army chief directs rejuvenation of troops' fighting spirit

Kingsley Nwezeh in Abuja

The Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Hassan Abubakar, yesterday, visited Port Harcourt, Rivers State capital, to commiserate with the families of the deceased crew members of the ill-fated MI-171E Helicopter that crashed in Niger State last week. Also, the Nigerian Air Force Headquarters has formally released the names of the deceased personnel, who died in the air crash during an evacuation mission.

In another development, the Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lt Gen Taoreed Lagbaja, has directed army commanders at all levels to redirect efforts at rejuvenating troops' fighting spirit.

A statement signed by spokesman

of NAF, Air Commodore Edward Gabkwet, said the air force chief while condoling the families over the painful loss, stated that the tragedy was a major setback for the NAF, which would take the service some time to get over it.

The deceased crew members included Flight Lieutenant Adamu Ibrahim, Flight Lieutenant Anthony Duryumus, Lance Corporal Alaribe Daniel and Lance Corporal Briggs Stephen Peter.

Others were two NAF Regiment personnel, Corporal Jauro Amos and Lance Corporal Abdulrahman Abubakar, who were ambushed and killed by terrorists in Shiroro, Niger State.

Assuring Nigerian that NAF would never abandon families of the

deceased but will always stand by them, he said "The NAF will always stand with you and support you till the end."

He also assured them that the sacrifices of the fallen heroes would not be in vain as the NAF family as well as all Nigerians, would forever remember them for giving their lives for the survival of the nation. Abubakar also used the opportunity of the visit to interact with the officers and personnel of the unit, during which he expressed his condolence to the unit and appreciated them for their commitment and efforts in the ongoing joint military operations in the Niger Delta region. He further assured them that the sacrifices of the departed personnel would not be in vain and that the

Nigerian Air Force would do everything possible to forestall such occurrences in the future.

Meanwhile, the COAS gave the directive in Port Harcourt while declaring open a seminar organised by the Army Headquarters Department of Transformation and Innovation.

The seminar themed: "Intensifying Warrior Ethos, Regimentation in the Nigerian Army, Management of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, Drugs and Substance Abuse" was held at the Lt Gen Faruk Yahaya Indoor Badminton Court, Port Harcourt Barracks.

Lagbaja, who was represented by the General Officer Commanding (GOC) 6 Division Nigerian Army/ Land Component Commander Joint Task Force (South South) Operation Delta Safe, Maj Gen Jamal Abdus-

salam, affirmed that "the Nigerian Army would continue to review its tactics, techniques and procedures to come up with implementable strategies to defeat all adversaries at this critical period of the Nation's history."

He charged commanders to come up with thorough innovative thinking, ways to rekindle warrior spirit, premised on his command philosophy which is "to transform the Nigerian Army into a well-trained, equipped and highly motivated force towards achieving our constitutional responsibility within a joint environment."

The army chief commended the Department of Army Transformation and Innovation for the conduct of the seminar even as he expressed

hope that the seminar would compliment other efforts geared towards the rejuvenation of the tenets of basic soldiering with adherence to traditions, customs and ethics of the Nigerian Army.

A statement by the Acting Deputy Director, Army Public Relations, 6 Division Nigerian Army, Lt Col Iweha Ikedichi, said the Army Headquarters Department of Transformation and Innovation seminar had in attendance the Chief of Army Transformation and Innovation, Major General ZL Abubakar, the Director Transformation, Brigadier General UC Obi Osang, Commanders of 6 Division affiliated formations/units and participants drawn from all formations in 6 Division Nigerian Army.

Wike Denies Using N300m Bullet Proof Official Car

Segun James

The Lagos State House of Assembly (LSHA), yesterday, dropped 17 out of the 39 commissioner-nominees sent to it by Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, but confirmed 22 others.

Some of the nominees rejected included the immediate former Commissioner for Information

and Strategy, Mr. Gbenga Omotoso; former Commissioner for Health, Prof. Akin Abayomi and Special Adviser to the Governor on Works and Infrastructure, Mrs. Aramide Adeyoye.

The lawmakers dropped the nominees during plenary that was chaired by the speaker, Mudasiru Obasa, who read names of each

Others

Lagos Lawmakers Drop 17 Nominees from Sanwo-Olu’s List, Confirm 22

nominee one after the other.

While Obasa read the names to the other 39 lawmakers, they voted either in support or against the nominees, the process which determined fate of the 17 commissioners and Special Advisers picked by the governor to serve as cabinet members.

The lawmakers, however,

confirmed the 22 nominees before adjourning their sitting to Monday, August 28.

Others dropped by the lawmakers during plenary session were Solape Hammond, who was special adviser to the governor during first term, and her colleague, former commissioner for Budget and economic planning, Sam Egube, among others.

HURIWA: Tinubu’s Minister, Musawa, is Serving NYSC Member

Chuks Okocha in Abuja

Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA), has decried the suitability and legality of appointing Hannatu Musawa, a serving National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) member as a minister by President Bola Tinubu.

HURIWA questioned the appropriateness of the Nigerian Senate in allowing Musawa as a ministerial nominee, to ‘bow and go’ in spite of the controversy surrounding her NYSC certificate.

The Rights group alleged that Hannatu Musawa abandoned her NYSC in Ebonyi State some years but later showed interest to

complete it during which she was mobilised in 2023 and posted to a Law firm in Abuja, where she is as a serving Corps member before Tinubu nominated her.

HURIWA, therefore, expressed concern over the kind of scrutiny being conducted by the Department of State Services (DSS), so much that it wasn’t disclosed that Musawa was a serving Youth Corps member.

“Section 13 of the National Youths Service Corps Act stipulates that any Nigerian graduate below 30 who refuses to make himself/herself available for the compulsory one-year service has committed an offence “and liable on conviction to a fine of N4,OOO or to imprisonment for a

term of two years or to both such fine and imprisonment,” HURIWA said.

A statement by the National Coordinator, Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko, noted that the Minister of Arts was actually a serving NYSC member somewhere in Wuse II, Abuja in the year 2023.

It described the development as despicable particularly with what turned out to be a routine with the Godswill Akpabio-led Senate, in which Musawa was asked to “take a bow and go” without being asked any questions about her academic qualifications, including the controversy surrounding her NYSC certificate.

HURIWA said that credible sources

within the NYSC confirmed that Musawa, who is now a minister is actually a Youth Corps member.

“The details of the NYSC posting of Hannatu Musawa are as follows: FC/23A/505 and Posted to Onyilokwu Onyilowa and company Suit number undisclosed purposely (paint house) old Banex Plaza,” it said.

HURIWA noted that in 2020, the Ahmed Lawan-led 9th Senate rejected Musawa’s nomination by former President Muhammadu Buhari as the Commissioner representing the North West at the National Pension Commission (PENCOM), saying, “Her failure to submit her National Youth Service (NYSC) certificate was cited as reason for her rejection.

Olawale Ajimotokan in Abuja

FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, has denied using an armoured vehicle estimated at N300 million as his official car.

He made the rebuttal yesterday after touring the Abuja Metro Station, Idu Station and Airport Station on the Abuja Light Rail project with journalists during his first official assignment.

His denial followed a report that a Lexus LX 600 SUV with the plate number FCT 01 was acquired several weeks ago by the FCT Permanent Secretary, Olusade Adesola for Wike, who was sworn in as minister on Monday.

“I have seen what is going on in the social media how you (FCTA Permanent Secretary) bought a bullet-proof car of N300 million that using.

“I want you people (journalists) to go and hit your hand there (on the car) and see whether it is a treated car. With all due respect, people should be careful not to destroy other people.

“When I came, the Permanent Secretary said they have a car for

us and the car we use is this. I have never approved for any car to be bought and I have not used official bullet-proof car.

“Whether I have bullet proof cars as governor? Yes, as a governor, what did you expect? I should have what? But as I am not using bullet proof car as FCT Minister, so we should report the right thing and not to destroy ourselves. I want you to take a look at where you have the flag, and see whether it is a bullet-proof car,” Wike said.

Wike, who was accompanied to the metro station by the FCT Minister of State, Dr Mariya Mahmoud and Adesola identified transportation as one of the sectors he intended to transform in the short time to reduce traffic congestion within the city.

He also insisted that it was not a good idea to begin another rail project while works on Lot 1 and Lot 3 that spanned 45.245 kilometres and which was commissioned in 2018, was ongoing.

He, however, assured the people that the Abuja Light Rail project would be commissioned in the next coming months and put to public use.

Promises Abuja light rail will be fixed in short time

TRANZFAR FREEDOM BRIEFS PRESS ON MILESTONE ACHIEVEMENTS...

With Eyes on Presidential Rerun, Atiku Meets Support Groups

NWC meets ex-guber candidate in March 18 poll

Chuks Okocha in Abuja

Perhaps with his eyes on a possible presidential rerun, Presidential Candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar, has commenced a gradual activation of his presidential campaign team, following a meeting with various

organs of his support group at his house in Abuja.

In he same manner, the National Working Committee (NWC) of the party has also commenced meeting with critical stakeholders of the PDP, in furtherance of the meeting with governors of the party, a forthright ago.

Atiku had met with his critical supporters at the residence of the former Minister of Foreign Affairs, Chief Tom Ikimi and later met with the PDP governors at the Bauchi State Government Lodge, Abuja. Atiku confirmed the latest meeting with his critical support group in a tweet message.

Oyedele to Nigerians: Demand Accountability on Allocated Revenues to Governments

Says new technology will expand taxation base

Alex Enumah in Abuja

The Chairman of the Presidential Committee on Fiscal Policy and Tax Reforms, Mr. Taiwo Oyedele, has called on Nigerians to call on government at all levels to account for the utilisation of allocated revenues from the federation.

Oyedele, spoke in reaction to the N966.11 billion shared among the federal, states and local governments from the Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) on Wednesday.

The amount which was the highest so far to be shared among the three tiers of government was attributed to the removal of fuel subsidy.

Speaking on Arise News Night programme on Wednesday, the chairman of the presidential com-

mittee said Nigerians must change the habit of applauding governors for commissioning projects but begin to questions the rationale for the project, its cost as well as quality of the work.

"Nigerians must follow the money", he said, "we must demand accountability, we must ask what amount is being shared to the states and how it is being spent," he added.

According to him politicians would pay more attention to governance when more and more people show interest in how they are being governed or how their taxes are being utilized.

Speaking on the target of his committee to raise Tax-to-GDP ratio to 18 per cent in the next 12 months, Oyedele, who admitted that the task was not an easy one,

expressed conviction that it could be done within a three year period, adding that the fund would come from efforts by the committee to close huge gap in the collection of taxes in the country.

He observed that if the local governments that are assigned 21 levies and taxes and yet remained poor and restricted to only one such as property tax, they would collect 10 times of what they are collecting today.

Similarly, Oyedele noted that to increase revenue, there must be conscious efforts to shift the burden of tax compliance which according to him, "have been disproportionate on the poorest pool", adding that a study in 2016 showed that rich people don't pay the Pay As You Earn (PAYE).

"Today, I met with support group leaders and coordinators of Atiku Support Organisation (ASO), led by its National Coordinator, Mr Abdulrahman Abdulraheem. We discussed the state of affairs of our nation. We also committed to answering the patriotic call to finish what we've started to the benefit of our nation and its people. -AA," he wrote on his verified tweet handle, One of the members of the support groups that attended the meeting told THISDAY, “You don't leave everything to chance.

We have to be prepared. Anything can happen.

"We have not had the opportunity to meet with him since the February 25 presidential election. We also used the occasion to assure him of our continued support," he said.

Also, as part of getting ready for any rerun, the National Working Committee of the party led by the acting National Chairman, Ambassador Illiya Damagun, recently met with all governorship candidates of the party in the last governorship election.

After the closed door meeting that took place at the PDP national Secretariat, National Publicity Secretary of party, Debo Ologunagba, told THISDAY that the meeting was a routine aimed towards reconstruction of members of the party.

"The meeting is for important organs of the party. It is routine as well as to inform them of developments within the party. All members including critical stakeholders are informed of what is happening in the party through such meetings," the PDP spokesman said.

ABBAS: HOUSE TO REVIEW NHF ACT, SAYS NON-REMITTANCE OF FUND GRIEVOUS

The Speaker stated: "The allegations of non-remittance are grievous, and we must uncover the truth, in order to hold those responsible accountable, and safeguard the interests of those who have diligently contributed to this Fund.

"I implore this Committee to embark on this investigation with a profound sense of responsibility, bearing in mind that the National Housing Fund holds the potential to transform the lives of countless hardworking Nigerians by providing them with the opportunity to secure affordable housing.

"As the investigative hearing commences, let us be guided by principles of fairness, equity, and diligence. Our mission is not only to uncover any irregularities, but also to propose solutions that will

APC Confirms Filling Vacant NWC, Zonal Positions

Adedayo

The All Progressives Congress (APC), has confirmed the filling of vacant positions in the National Working Committee (NWC) and Zonal executive positions.

Briefing journalists at the end of the NWC meeting yesterday in Abuja, National Secretary of the party, Senator Ajibola Bashir, also said the ruling party was at an advanced stage on the composition of the campaign council for Imo, Bayelsa and Kogi governorship

elections

He, however, said the campaign council list would be released next week.

Bashir stated: "We also had discussion around how to expand the membership of the party in between the general election.

During the last NEC meeting, the NEC empowered the NWC of the party to fill the existing vacancies occasioned due to resignation and death of the national welfare officer of the party.

"In furtherance of the power

vested on the NWC of the party, we have elected the following persons to fill the existing vacant positions."

The party's scribe said the position of the Deputy National Chairman, North, zoned to North East and now occupied by Hon Ali Bukar Dalori (Borno), while the position of National Vice Chairman, North West, was occupied by Hon. Garba Muhammad (Kaduna).

The National Legal Adviser, he said, has been zoned to North

Central and now occupied by Prof. AbdulKarim Abubakar Kana (Nasarawa), while the position of Deputy National Publicity Secretary zoned to North Central, was occupied by Hon. Duro Meseko (Kogi).

He added: "Zonal Organising Secretary zoned to North Central, Ikani Shuaibu Okolo (Kogi); National Welfare Secretary zoned to South East, Hon. Donatus Nwankpa (Abia); and National Women Leader, zoned South South, Dr. Mary Alile Idele (Edo)."

strengthen the NHF and ensure it serves its intended purpose, while also preventing a recurrence of these issues."

Earlier, the Chairman of the committee, Hon. Dachung Bagos, said the hearing was to get needed inputs from relevant stakeholders on the issue at hand and to ensure that the challenges faced by Nigerian workers in the housing sector is reduced to its barest minimum if possible completely solved.

He said despite efforts by successive governments, housing deficit in Nigeria was still high with contributors to the scheme still don’t have a roof on their heads. Bagos, added that the process of applying for facility was stringent.

He said the House has resolved to do due diligence to unravel any set back and to ensure that an average Nigerian worker and contributors benefits from the scheme.

Meanwhile, the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has threatened the Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria (FMBN) to pull out civil servants from the NHF contributory funds over non-remittance of deductions made.

NLC President, Joe Ajaero said the FMBN had failed to send alerts to civil servants of how much they have been contributing including their monthly deduction.

He urged the lawmakers to take drastic steps to remove the encumbrances to affordable and quality housing to millions of Nigerians especially workers who make the most contributions to the NHF.

He said in spite of making the

statutory contributions of 2.5 per cent of annual salary to the NHF, many workers were unable to access the loan due mainly to administrative bottlenecks.

"While the Act provides for 90 days from the date of application for the loan to disbursement, the experience by many workers are horrific as the undue delay in approving the loans force many workers to abandon pursuit of the loan," Ajaero added.

The NLC President noted that the immediate past Managing Director of FMBN, Mr. Ahmed Dangiwa, who is now the Minister of Housing and Urban Development said he left behind N120 billion in the coffers of the bank.

According to him, the minister said he was able to mobilise N249.1 billion to Nigeria’s housing fund, and increased subscription to 197,000 between 2017 and 2022.

Ajaero, stressed that in spite of these milestones, millions of Nigerian workers who are in line with Sections 4 and 10 of the Act are still unable to access finance to acquire, build or renovate personal housing property.

He said the ease of reimbursement to retired workers of contributed funds even after failure to access housing loans was also cumbersome and unnerving.

He said many resort to third party agencies to fast track the loan application at unofficial fees, thus creating perception of corruption in the process of housing loan approval and disbursement to workers who needed the funds.

L-R: Member Board of Directors, Tranzfar Freedom Bank, Sarah Essien; Co-Founder/CEO, Tranzfar, Ryan Romeo; Award winning Nollywood Actress, Eniola Badmus, and Co-Founder/Chief Financial Officer, Tranzfar, Dr. Olusiji Sanya, during a press briefing on Tranzfar Freedom Account milestone achievements in Lagos...recently.

PHOTO: Abiodun Ajala

Akinwale in Abuja

INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON WOMEN IN GOVERNANCE...

IG Visits Lagos, Frowns On Extortion, Unethical Conducts

to restore security to troubled areas

Chiemelie Ezeobi

The acting Inspector General of Police (IGP), Kayode Egbetokun, yesterday, warned officers and men against extortion, unethical and unprofessional conduct. The IG, gave this warning after his maiden visit to the Lagos Police Command, Ikeja, where he also unveiled the Complaint Response Unit (CRU), a hospital and other projects within Lagos area.

The CRU was built with support from former Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) President, Olumide Apata (SAN), Airtel Nigeria and 9Mobile. He also assured Nigerians that security would soon be restored to troubled areas of the country.

Aside from being a platform for complaints against police operatives, it would serve as a veritable channel for people to report crimes with incident numbers generated to enable tracking of such issues.

Assuring operatives that the CRU was not to witch-hunt them but to promote accountability and transparency, he said it would build confidence in the members of the public.

"We want to enhance police/ community collaboration and the CRU is needed to achieve all of these. At least, members of the public, who have complaints against the police now have a place to lodge their complaints.

"I want to assure Nigerians that we are going to make the CRU functional in all the states of the federation. Lagos State has started. We just commissioned that one today. We inspected the facilities and they are excellent.

"Officers that would be deployed to man the CRU will be carefully selected officers with impeccable integrity. They will be so well motivated with opportunities for training overseas if necessary," said Egbetokun.

Reiterating his warning against extortion, unethical and unprofessional conduct, he reminded

them that policing actions must be geared towards building trust and getting necessary support needed from the people.

In his remarks, rights activist, Femi Falana (SAN) lauded the initiative, stressing that it was in line with the provisions of the Police Act, 2020.

He promised to sponsor the establishment of four CRUs in

four different states including the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), praising the IG for being an exemplary officer in the 34 years he had known him with no negative report heard. "Torture has become a serious offence. It now attracts 25 years imprisonment and if the suspects dies, whoever is involved will be charged with murder.

"Very soon, we are starting visitations to police stations. Every month, the Chief Magistrate will visit every police station in Nigeria. And during the visit, the Magistrate can grant bail, order the arraignment of a suspect or ask the suspect to go home completely,” he said.

Akpata, who solicited more support for the police to

effectively execute their jobs, pledged to build two more CRUs at Delta and Edo State Police Commands.

President Women Arise, Dr. Josephine Okei-Odumakin, also keyed into the partnership, promising that her organisation would undertake the training and retraining of the personnel to be deployed at the CRU.

Ex-EFCC Prosecutor Sues DSS over Bawa's Detention

Pinheiro: His incarceration illegal, demands immediate release

Wale Igbintade

A former prosecutor with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Nkereuwem Anana, has filed a fundamental right enforcement suit against the Director-General of the Department of State Security (DSS), over alleged unlawful and continuous detention of Mr. Abdulrasheed Bawa, the suspended Chairman of EFCC.

Also, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Dr. ‘Kemi Pinheiro, has urged the newly appointed Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi (SAN) to effect the immediate release of Bawa.

Bawa has been in detention since June 14, 2023, when he was arrested by the operatives of the DSS.

Anana in his suit numbered FHC/L/CS/1631/2023, listed the

UNDP Organises Leadership Retreat for Governors

Chuks Okocha in Abuja

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), yesterday said that it was organising a three-day leadership retreat for governors in Nigeria.

The organisers said the programme, funded by the UNDP, was scheduled for 24th to 27th August in Kigali, Rwanda.

According to a statement by Rasaque Bello Barkindo, the UN agency stated that the retreat was part of its commitment to raising the level of governance in Africa and other parts of the world.

“In today’s dynamic world, the multiplicity of mega trends - ranging from invisible threats to democratic governance, the impact of an increasingly digital and innovation-driven society, a looming job crisis, a growing youth population with an elusive youth dividend, the rapid pace of urbanisation, a highly globalised

world, to rising climate change, pose tremendous challenges for African countries,” Lealem Berhand Dinku of UNDP said of the programme.

“A new leadership approach is required to transform these challenges into opportunities.”

The official added, "The programme is designed to provide a transformative platform for public officials to collectively reflect, learn and exchange insights on effective leadership and complex challenges.

“By focusing on experiential learning, exploration and reflection, the distinguished participants will be equipped with the necessary skills and competencies to lead in highly complex and uncertain environments.”

The statement noted that highly-regarded facilitators have been pooled from around the world to facilitate sessions such as “Re-imagining and Exploring the Future of Nigeria”, “Opportunities

and Challenges of Contemporary Leadership in a ‘New’ World”, “The Future of Development as Influenced by Digital Transformation, Big Data, Disruptive Innovation and Emerging Technologies”, “Ensuring Socio-economic Transformations: Industrialisation, Agriculture, Climate and Green Transition”, “Revenue Generation and Resource Mobilisation” and “Effective Leadership Communication in a Fast-Changing World.”

Among those lined up to speak at the retreat are Governors Abdulrahman AbdulRazaq of Kwara, Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos, and Chukwuma Soludo of Anambra, President Paul Kagame of Rwanda, former President Uhuru Kenyatta of Kenya, Arkebe Oqubay (senior minister and special adviser to the prime minister of Ethiopia), Asishana Okauru, director-general of the Nigeria Governors' Forum and Ahunna Eziakonwa, assistant secretary-general and director of

UNDP's Regional Bureau for Africa. The facilitators also include Bosun Tijani, Nigeria’s minister of communications, innovation and digital economy; Donald Kaberuka, former President of the African Development Bank; Mohammed Yahya, the UNDP resident representative in Nigeria; Olugbenga Adesida, co-founder of the Africa Innovation Summit; William Tsuma, chief innovation officer for UNDP Nigeria; Narue Shiki, a senior adviser for the UNDP in New York; Andrew Mwenda, publisher of The Independent, Uganda; Rachel Nyaradzo Adams, founder and managing director of the Narachi Leadership Centre; Ari Aisen, the resident representative of the International Monetary Fund; Mimi Kalinda, group CEO, Africa Communications Media Group; Tolani Alli, Nigerian documentary photographer; Rubingisa Pudence, mayor of Kigali and Yvonne AkiSawyer, mayor of Freetown.

DSS and the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF), as second and third respondents.

He is asking for an order of the court mandating the immediate release of Bawa from the first and second respondents' detention.

The Plaintiff is also seeking "an order of the court granting Mr. Bawa bail on liberal terms and or an order mandating the respondents to produce Abdulrasheed Bawa before the court to show cause why he should not be admitted bail.

He prayed the court to award the sum of N100 million as damages against the first and second respondents.

The suit was premised on Fundamental Rights Enforcement (Civil Procedure) Rules 2009, Section 46(3) of the Constitution; African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights, and Under the court's Inherent Jurisdiction.

The plaintiff is asking the court, among others, for "a declaration that the arrest and continuous detention of Abdulrasheed Bawa, former Chairman Economic and Financial Crimes Commission by the first and second respondents, constitutes a violation of his fundamental rights guaranteed by Section 35 (1) (2) (38) and (4) of the 1999 Constitution of Nigeria as amended and the African Charter of Human and Peoples Rights (Ratification and Enforcement) Act Cap 10 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria 2004.

"A declaration that arrest and continuous detention of Abdulrasheed Bawa by the first and second respondents, without granting him bail as envisaged by law constitutes

a violation of his fundamental rights guaranteed by Section 35 (1) (2) (3) and (4) of the 1999 Constitution of Nigeria as amended and the African Charter of Human and Peoples Rights (Ratification and Enforcement) Act Cap 10 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria 2004.

"A declaration that the arrest and continuous detention, harassment, intimidation of Abdulrasheed Bawa over an investigation that the first and second respondents lack the powers to investigate, threatens the life of Abdulrasheed Bawa and therefore is unlawful, unjustifiable, illegal and unconstitutional.”

The lawyer in an affidavit deposed to by his Litigation Secretary, Mkpoufo Sunday Edet, stated that Abdulrasheed Bawa, Chairman of EFCC, has been in custody of the respondents for a period of about 2 months and more, and that both the first and second respondents arrested him when he was the extant chairman of the EFCC, on or about June 14, 2023.

Pinheiro, on his part, noted that Bawa’s continued detention by the DSS for 68 days (as of Monday) “without any known charge” was unconstitutional and unlawful.

He warned that by so holding Bawa, the government risked sending the wrong signal to the international community concerning human rights violations in Nigeria.

The senior lawyer’s August 21 letter to the AGF was titled: “The continuous and unlawful detention of the erstwhile Executive Chairman of the Economic And Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Mr. Abdulrahseed Bawa.”

L-R: President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio; Deputy Senate President, Barau Jibril; CEO Network of Women with Disabilities (NWD), Lois Auta-Udonkanta; Minister of State, Labour and Employment, Nkeiruka Onyejeocha; Deputy Chief Whip House Representatives, Adewumi Onanuga; during the International Conference on Women in Governance,in Abuja... yesterday

Pledges

FREE MEDICAL OUTREACH…

L-R: Regional Vice President, South-west Region, Full Gospel Business Men’s Fellowship International (FGBMF), Mr. Fola Aguda; his wife, Mrs. Modupe Aguda; wife of National Director, Zone 2, FGBMF, Lady Ngozi Onyemekara, and National Director, Mr. Iyk Onyemekara, at the free medical outreach organised by Zone 2 of the fellowship, in Ipaja, Lagos... recently ETOP UKUTT

Lawmaker Seeks Stakeholders’Solution to Cultism as One is Killed in Anambra

David-Chyddy Eleke in Awka

The member representing Awka I state constituency in the Anambra State House of Assembly, Hon Henry Mbachu, has called on stakeholders in the area to join hands to tackle killings by cultists in Awka.

Mbachu made the call during a recent stakeholders’ meeting with chairmen of all the villages that

make up the state constituency.

He said: “We have to come together to seek an end to the constant cult killings witnessed in Awka.

“Whether anyone likes it or not, we have our own blames in the things that are happening in Awka today.

“Every day we wake up to news of cult killings. It is either by our action or inaction. Infiltration

Enugu Gov Approves New Appointments

The Governor of Enugu State, Dr. Peter Mbah, has approved new board and political appointments. According to a statement signed by the Secretary to Government, Professor Chidiebere Onyia, 13 new appointments were approved by the governor. They are: Prof. Bethrand Ngwu, Chief Medical Director, ESUT Teaching Hospital, Parkane; Barrister Uche Anya, Executive Chairman, Enugu Capital Territory Development Authority; Laurence Ani, Executive Secretary, Council for Arts and Culture; Nnanyelugo Dan Onyishi, Executive Secretary, Enugu State Economic Planning Commission; Dr. Sam Ogbu Nwobodo,

General Manager, Enugu State Investment Development Authority; Gerald Asogwa, General Manager, Enugu State Housing Development Authority; Dr. G.O.C. Ajah, Chairman, Enugu State Universal Basic Education Board (ENSUBEB); Dr. Amaka S. Ngene, Member 1, ENSUBEB and Dr. Hyginus Bankho, Member 2,ENSUBEB. Others are: Nwakaego M. Aja, Member 3, ENSUBEB; Emmanuel Ekene Nnamani, Chairman, Board of Internal Revenue; Rita Mbah, Chairman, Enugu State Tourism Board and Amobi Paulinus Ezeaku, General Manager, Rangers International Football Club.

Sign Digital Rights Bill to Stem Internet Fraud, President Tinubu Urged

Ahmad Sorondinki in Kano

The Centre for Information Technology and Development (CITAD) has urged President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to sign the Digital Rights Bill in order to checkmate internet fraud and ensure data privacy and protection.

The Executive Director of CITAD, Alhaji Yunusa Zakari Ya’u, made the call at a two-day training on ‘Digital Rights, Protection Mechanism, and Online Security Tools for Digital Rights Activists’, in Kano yesterday.

by outsiders is also a problem to us. We have a lot of outsiders, who have infiltrated us. These are the matters we must treat for

us to end this killings.”

There have been recurring cases of cult clashes in Awka arising from supremacy tussle among

various groups.

In July, a man identified as a cultist, Mr Igwe Omeli, a revenue collector was killed by suspected

members of a rival cult at the popular Eke Awka Market, and his head severed off his body and made away with.

Tribunal: PDP/Adebutu on Wild Goose Chase, Say APC, Abiodun

James Sowole inAbeokuta

The All Progressives Congress (APC) and its candidate in the March 18, 2023 Governorship Election in Ogun State, Prince Dapo Abiodun, yesterday asserted that the petitions of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and its candidate, Hon Ladi Adebutu, have inconsistencies and distortions.

The APC Ogun State and

Abiodun made the assertion in their final written addresses as respondents in the case brought against them, by the PDP and Adebutu, arguing that the petitioners did an awful job and failed to prove their case.

According to the respondents, who said the petitioners were on a wild goose chase at the tribunal, added that Adebutu and PDP presented tutored and unreliable witnesses, relied on

documents that contradicted their witnesses’ case, and presented experts whose testimonies and documents lacked probative value. They argued that Adebutu and PDP who are accused of vote-buying with credible evidence, have unclean hands and could not receive equity with those unclean hands.

They further said that out of the 87 witnesses of the petitioners, 38

stated they were polling unit agents but did not tender any evidence to prove their claim, adding that the 49 who testified as voters testified the same thing word for word, making the same mistakes, thereby creating a situation where the tribunal ought to hold that their depositions were too obvious to be coincidental and were therefore, unbelievable and of no probative value.

Taraba APC Decries Exclusion of Mustapha from Tinubu’s Cabinet

Adedayo Akinwale in Abuja

The Taraba State All Progressives Congress (APC) has decried the non-inclusion of the former Secretary and Legal Adviser of the Tinubu/Shettima Presidential Campaign Council in the state, Mohammed Mustapha, in the cabinet of President Bola Tinubu.

In a statement issued and jointly signed by APC Chairman, Jalingo Local government and Chairman of the forum of 16 LG Chairmen (ALGON), Bashir Bakari and the Representatives of Ward Chairmen, Hon. Bello Hassan, they expressed shock that Mustapha was not considered for ministerial

position.

The statement read: “It is in the light of this rare quality of sacrificing for others, that we draw your attention to the remarkable trait of sacrificing for others in the larger interest of the party as exemplified by the contributions of our brother and compatriot who

is a political activist like yourself, Mohammed Bello Mustapha fondly known and called Barr. Mohammed Mustapha. “Mustapha served as Secretary and Legal Adviser of the Tinubu/Shettima Presidential Campaign Council in Taraba state during the last Presidential elections.”

Kogi Guber: Bassa Community Declares Support for APC Candidate

IbrahimOyewaleinLokoja

The Bassa community in Kogi Local Government Area of Kogi State has expressed gratitude to the state Governor, Yahaya Bello, over the appointment of Danlami Musa as a Senior Special Assistant.

During his presentation at the workshop organised by CITAD in conjunction with Avocats San Frontieres France, Ya’u noted that the bill has been with the National Assembly for over eight years, pointing out that once the bill is legislated in Nigeria, internet users would know that their digital rights are guaranteed by law.

He said: “The purpose of this gathering is to enhance the capacity of journalists, activists, and lawyers on how they can remain online and also for them to identify threats as well respond to those threats online.

Dangote Emerges ‘Most Valuable Brand’

For a record sixth time, Dangote Group has emerged as Nigeria’s ‘Most Valuable Brand’ by securing an impressive aggregate score of 86.2 percent on the brand strength measurement index (BSM) conducted by ‘Top 50 Brands Nigeria’, as part of its comprehensive 2023 top brands perception assessment.

At the media briefing to announce the 2023 Top 50 Brands Nigeria in Lagos yesterday, the organisation stated that Dangote Group’s consistent

excellence has reinforced its position at the forefront.

Also, MTN remains a strong contender, securing a close second place with an 85 BSM index score. This year’s third and fourth positions are secured by Airtel Nigeria and Globacom, both with BSM index scores of 77.9 and 77 respectively.

Interestingly, this has reaffirmed the prominence of telecommunications brands, with three out of the top four hailing from this sector.

Musa, who hails from Tawari in Kogi LGA was recently named as the Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on Cultural Integration for Lokoja/Kogi federal constituency.

The traditional ruler of the community , theAguma of Bassa,Alhaji Idris Yusuf, in an appreciation message

last Monday, thanked Governor Bello for finding one of their sons worthy to be appointed as a Senior Special Assistant in the administration

The Aguma of the Bassa community, while celebrating the appointment, lauded Bello and described him as a man of his words

who believe in the unity of the state. He said: “Governor Bello has successfully kept the state together without any form of crisis, and he has just proven that by appointing one of our sons as a Senior Special Assistant on Cultural Integration for Lokoja/Koto federal constituency.”

Imo Guber: Peter Obi Flags Off Labour Party Campaign

Amby

As the November 11, 2023, governorship election in Imo State gears up, the presidential candidate of the Labour Party in the February 25th presidential election, Mr. Peter Obi, flagged off campaigns with an assurance that

the party would be victorious.

Obi, who spoke in Owerri, the Imo State’s capital alongside the National Chairman of LP, Mr. Julius Abure, to flag off the governorship campaign of Senator Athan Achonu, said that the party has overwhelming support base in the state coupled

with its performance and excellence.

He described Athan Achonu as the only governorship candidate of the party in Imo State, and Julius Abure, as the only dully recognised and authentic national chairman of the party.

Obi urged the people of Imo State to come out en mass and vote Achonu as the next governor of the state on November 11.

He said that the process that produced Achonu as the party’s governorship candidate in the state was credible.

Senator Adeola Adopts Late Aide’s Children, Gathers N55m from Associates

James Sowole in Abeokuta

The Chairman of the Senate Committee on Appropriation, Solomon Adeola, has adopted the three children of his murdered aide, Mr.Adeniyi Oluwatosin Sanni.

Sanni was killed on August

5, 2023 after an encounter with security agents at a check point in Ojodu Berger area of Ikeja and his body dumped at Oshodi area. The adoption of the children of the deceased aide, was announced by the Director General of Adeola Campaign Organisation, Mr Babatunde Raji-Label, at the

funeral of Sanni.

Raji-Label in a statement signed by the Media Adviser to Adeola, specifically, said Adeola who is representing Ogun West on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC), has adopted Moraraoluwa, Oluwashindara and Oluwafeyidara Sanni.

He also said apart from the children, the welfare of his aged mother and immediate family, would be catered for on a monthly basis.

He said: “It is impossible for me to find a replacement for Niyi. He is my blood and a dedicated aide of almost two decades.”

Internet Fraud: EFCC Arrests 38 Suspects in Rivers

Blessing Ibunge inPortHarcourt

Operatives of the Port Harcourt Zonal Command of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), have arrested 38 suspects that were alleged to be involved in internet frauds.

Head, Media and Publicity

of EFCC, Mr. Wilson Uwujaren, disclosed this to journalists yesterday.

Uwujaren said that the suspects were arrested on Monday, in a sting operation at Ogbogoro and Aluu Road, Port Harcourt, Rivers State.

According to him, the suspects that were arrested are: “Marvelous Obuah, John Don Precious,

Batholomen Ifeanyi, Onyenaturuchi Akuma Chima, Maxwell Goodluck, Joseph Emmanuel, Godwin Emmanuel, Kelechi Ukaegbu, Kelly Taribo Bruce, David Onyedikachi Eluwa, Chukwu Anokwute and Christian Othuke.

Others are “John Iheme, Obenushe Blessed, Eruchi Oshu

Godswill, Emmanuel Goodluck, Nnaemaeka Chined, Prosper Emmanuel, Daniel Ogumba, Ikem Onyeka, Delight Godwin, Obed Martins, Chidebere Cyril, Augustine Obayi, Akpodiete Gift Oghenekevwe and Ikposi Kamte and Chidozie Augustine Iwuchukwu.

Uneze in Owerri

SEPLAT AND PPC LIMITED DEEPEN COLLABORATION…

L-R:Board Support, Seplat Energy Plc, Mr. Obieze Obiajulu;Nigerian Content Adviser, Mr. Simeon Ogari; Major Maintenance and Corporate Reliability Lead, Aghomishe Aghogho; Projects, Automation and Software Engineer, Oluseyi Ajala; Director of Operations, PPC Limited, Mr. Patrick Ede; Head, Special Projects, PPC Limited, Mr. Pekun Oladipo; Head, HR and Administration, PPC Limited, Toluwalase Osewundo; and Head of Marketing, Mr. Tolu Koyejo, during a meeting on deepening collaboration between Seplat and PPC in Lagos… recently

US Commits $9m Additional Assistance for Nigeria’s Natural Disaster Response Efforts in 2023

Ugo Aliogo

The United States government, through the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) is providing $9 million in humanitarian assistance to bolster disaster response efforts in Northeast Nigeria.

In a statement, it noted that

through the United Nations’ International Organisation for Migration, the funds would provide emergency shelter, water and sanitation, psychosocial support services, and cash to populations affected by floods from the ongoing rainy season across Borno, Adamawa, and Yobe States.

Diri Congratulates Lokpobiri on Ministerial Appointment

Olusegun Samuel in Yenagoa

Governor of Bayelsa State, Senator Douye Diri, has congratulated the newly appointed Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Oil), Senator Heineken Lokpobiri.

Diri in a statement issued by his Chief Press Secretary, Mr. Daniel Alabrah, described Lokpobiri as an illustrious son of Bayelsa with deep experience in public service. He said he was confident that given his track record, Lokpobiri would steer the ministry towards greatness.

The governor further said his administration would support and cooperate with the Minister to

attract the needed development to Bayelsa for the benefit of the people.

He said: “On behalf of the Government of Prosperity and the people of Bayelsa State, I extend my warmest congratulations to a worthy son of our state, Distinguished Senator Heineken October Lokpobiri, on his nomination, appointment and inauguration as the new Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Oil).

“I have confidence in your ability to steer the ship of the ministry towards greatness because of your deep experience in public service.

CSOs Commend Lagos’ Commitment to Implementation of NHIA Act

SundayEhigiator

The Joint Learning Agenda for UHC (JLA4UHC) and the Lagos Civil Society Participation for Development (LACSOP) have commended the Lagos State Health Management Agency (LASHMA) for its dedication and commitment to implement the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) Act, to improve access to healthcare services among poor and vulnerable people in Lagos State.

In a joint press release signed by JLA4UHC and LACSOP, the groups expressed their delight with

the improvements in the health insurance scheme in Lagos State and the proposed inauguration of the CSO-LASHMA committee, which would ensure citizens’ voices and inclusion in the delivery of the health insurance.

The Chairman, Board of Trustees at LACSOP and the Lagos State JLA Nigeria Focal Point, Mr. Ayo Adebusoye, also emphasised on how the Lagos State Health Scheme tagged “Ilera Eko,” has helped to ensure that vulnerable residents across Lagos State are enrolled into the health plan.

Sokoto Gov Swears in New Commissioners

Onuminya Innocent inSokoto

The Sokoto State Governor, Dr. Ahmed Aliyu, has inaugurated 25 commissioners as members of the Sokoto State Executive Council and charged them to sustain the state government’s efforts to improve the livelihood of the people by ensuring economic prosperity of the state.

The commissioners included Mr. Bello Moh’d Wamakko, Agriculture; Mr. Muhammad Tukur Alkali, Basic and Secondary Education; Mr. Balarabe Musa Kadadi, Budget and Economic Planning; Mr. Muhammad Jabbi Shagari, Finance; Ms. Asabe Balarabe,

In addition, the funds would provide critical life-saving assistance to populations affected by other natural disasters such as fire or climaterelated shocks.

According to the statement, “As the United States Mission to Nigeria announced in October and December 2022, the U.S. Government provided $6 million in life-saving aid to

support the people affected by last year’s devastating floods.

“This included $1.75 million to the International Federation of the Red Cross and the Red Crescent Societies in partnership

with the Nigerian Red Cross Society; $2.5 million to the International Organisation for Migration; and $1.75 million divided among Save the Children, FHI360, and Intersos.

FG Told to Commence Legislative Process to Ensure Sustainability of Sugar-sweetened Beverages’ Tax

Adedayo Akinwale inAbuja

The National Sugar-Sweetened Beverages (SSBs) Tax Coalition has called on the federal government to commence a legislative process for the sustainability of the SSBs.

The coalition recalled that in 2021, the federal government imposed a N10 per litre Excise Duty on SSBs.

It explained that the tax was principally to help reduce the over-consumption of SSBs which

have been linked to more than 15 types of cancer, obesity, diabetes, and other non-communicable diseases (NCDs).

Addressing a press conference on behalf of the coalition yesterday, in Abuja, the Executive Director

of Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa (CAPPA), Akinbode Oluwafemi, urged the federal government not to succumb to the blackmail of the producers of soft drinks as it strives to reduce diet-related diseases in the country.

NUC: Implementation of New Varsity Curriculum to Begin in September

KuniTyessiinAbuja

The National Universities Commission (NUC) has said the implementation of the Core Curriculum Minimum Academic Standards (CCMAS) would begin by September 2023.

The CCMAS document was expected to guide institutions in the design of curricula for their programmes while bringing necessary innovation into the content and delivery of their programmes towards achieving the overall goals of education and training in the

country.

Speaking at the stakeholders’ colloquium on CCMAS in Abuja, yesterday, the Acting Executive Secretary of NUC, Chris Maiyaki, said the document would reposition Nigerian universities to be among the best rated in Africa.

Maiyaki, said the CCMAS would make up 70 per cent of the curriculum while the university decides what to include in the remaining 30 per cent. According to him, the implementation would help sharpen the future of education sector.

Umahi Restates Resolve to Put Federal Roads in Good Condition

Ibrahim Oyewale in Lokoja

The Minister of Works, David Umahi, yesterday, reiterated that the federal government was determined to put all roads across the country in good condition in order to ameliorate the suffering faced by citizens during rainy

season.

Umahi, made this known when inspecting the Abuja - Koton-Karfe - Lokoja road, Lokoja - Okene road and Ganaja - Ajaokuta road that had become a death trap to motorists since the 2022 flood disaster that destroyed some portion of federal roads in the state.

He was accompanied by Kogi State Governor, Yahaya Bello. He commended Bello for his effort in rehabilitating federal roads across the state.

The minister who assured that the Ganaja - Ajaokuta road would be redesigned to give permanent face lift, promised that a retaining

wall would be constructed on the road to permanently prevent flood from destroying it during rainy season.

According to him, flyover would also be constructed on the section of the federal road at Koton-Karfe destroyed by flood,

Appoint Minister from Southern Kaduna to Dislodge PDP, Group Tells Tinubu

Sunday Aborisade in Abuja

A coalition of Southern Kaduna Groups has called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to appoint a minister from their area in order to dislodge the dominance of the People’s Democratic Party

(PDP).

The youths described as a welcome development, the refusal by the Senate to confirm the former governor of the State, Malam Nasir el-Rufai, and his subsequent withdrawal.

They added that his

replacement should come from Kaduna South in order to balance the political equation.

The leader of the group, Andrew Geoffrey, made the appeal at a news conference in Abuja, yesterday.

He said appointing someone from Southern Kaduna would

be for the best interest of the Tinubu’s administration. He said, “We wish to join other well-meaning voices from the state in calling for the nomination of Dr. Abdulmalik Durunguwa as a Minister from Kaduna State.

FG Urges Officials to Imbibe Culture of Efficient Spending

Ndubuisi Francis in Abuja

Health; Mr. Ibrahim Dadi Adare, Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs; Mr. Aminu Abdullahi, Higher Education; Mr. Sambo Bello Danchadi, Information and Mr. Nasiru Mohammed Binji, Justice. Others are Mr. Nasiru Aliyu Dan Tsoho, Land and Housing; Mr. Bala Kokani, Science and Technology; Jamiliu Umar Gosta, Youth and Sports Development; Mr. Yusuf Mohammed Macciddo, Water Resources; Ms. Hadiza Shagari, Women and Children Affairs: Dr. Jabir Sani Mai Hulla, Religious Affairs; Mr. Haruna Abbas Bashar, Commerce, Trade and Investment; Ya’u Mohammed Danda, Social and Humanitarian Affairs.

The federal government has underscored the need for officials at all levels to imbibe the culture of efficient utilisation of government’s resources in a more productive manner

The Permanent Secretary,

Special Duties, Federal Ministry of Finance, Mr. Okokon Ekanem Udo, gave the admonition, yesterday, when a delegation from the Ministry of Finance, Nasarawa State, came on study tour to the Federal Ministry of Finance, a statement issued by the Director (Press & Public

Relations), Mr. Stephen Kilebi stated.

Receiving the delegation led by Dr. Agot James, the Permanent Secretary said governments at all levels were faced with the challenge of lean economic resources whereas the needs of the citizenry were

on the increase.

He stated that this necessitated the establishment of the Efficiency Unit by the federal government to reduce wastages, block leakages and cut costs in Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs).

15 Niger Local Government Councils Insolvent, Says Commissioner

Laleye Dipo in Minna

Fifteen out of the 25 local government councils in Niger State are insolvent and depend on the State Joint Local Government Account for survival.

The joint account is a system whereby all monies accruable to

all the 25 local governments are deposited into one account after which it is shared according to the law that was passed for that purpose by the state’s House of Assembly.

The Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairsm, Mr. Muazu Hamidu Jantabo, disclosed this to

newsmen in Minna shortly after assuming office yesterday.

Jantabo, who did not name the 15 LGAs described the joint account “as a product of the law and we cannot change it,” adding that the system is not cumbersome, but “the greatest thing that that will happen to local government administration

in the state.”

He disclosed that his ministry would address the bottlenecks hindering the collection of taxes and levies in order to make the councils viable, stressing that funding is the major bottleneck hindering the effective performance of local governments in the state.

Tobi Amusan Faces Tough Field in Quest to Retain Gold in Budapest

Duro Ikhazuagbe

Tobi Amusan will definitely be under pressure this evening as she aims to defend her women’s 100m hurdles World Record and the gold medal she won in Oregon, USA last year at the final of the World Athletics Championships in Budapest, Hungary.

WORLD ATHLETICS CHAMPIONSHIPS

Last night, the petit Nigerian sprint hurdler, battled to win her semi final race in 12.56secs. It is perhaps, the slowest time posted by Amusan this season. That was mainly because of her slow reaction time from the block. She had to dig deep to catch

up with Jamaican Ackera Nugent who had established a clear lead from the start to hit the finish line first. The Jamaican was second in 12.60 while Dutch girl, Nadine Visser was third in 12.62. But in today’s final, Amusan

may not have such luxury if she again fails to react same time with the American girl Kendra Harrison she snatched the World Record from last year. Harrison is hot now and in the form of her life.

So far, she sits at the top of the pile of favorites for the precious gold medal. Harrison has Season’s Best time

NPFL Goes Tough on Clubs Owing Players, Officials

May be barred from competing in the NPL 2023/2024 season

Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) clubs that are found to be indebted to Players and or Club Officials stand the risk of not being allowed to complete their registration for the 2023/24 season.

In a memo titled "Re-Financial Requirements of Club Licensing Regulation", the Chief Operating Officer of the NPL Board, Davidson Owumi, reminded the respective leadership of the 20 clubs of an earlier memo on the subject and declared that provisions of the Club Licensing Regulations would be applied henceforth.

The memo dated August 23 read in part, "Refer to previous communications on the above subject and note that the Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) would enforce the extant provisions of the Financial Requirements of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) as it relates to all due payables to players and Club Officials.

"It has become necessary to remind all clubs that registration for the season will only be completed

on provision of satisfactory evidence of compliance, particularly in cases of reported indebtedness to former and serving players and Officials".

Owumi also explained that the measure is being adopted to ensure that all cases of indebtedness to players and Officials by clubs are

resolved.

Furthermore, the memo invited Clubs that have had their cases adjudicated on by the NFF Arbitration panel to approach the NPFL Registration schedule officers with evidence of compliance and or letters of mutual consent settlements.

To Clubs with established

of 12.24secs in contrast to Amusan’s 12.34. The Nigerian speedster has not been able to repeat her form at this Championships. That is quite understandable. Nobody goes through the type of psychological torture Amusan was subjected to by the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) and still be in the right frame of mind to compete at the highest stage of the sport. The accusation of missing three whereabouts tests has really had a telling effect on the Nigerian Golden Girl.

Apart from Harrison, the Olympic champion from Puerto Rico, Jasmine Camacho-Quinn, has also not given up hope to return to the top of the World. She has a PB of 12.26 and a Season Best of 12.31 that places her amongst contenders for the gold medal at Budapest 2023. Also in the reckoning for podium placements is the duo of 2019 World champion, American Nia Ali and 2017 winner, Danielle Williams of Jamaica. Ali has a SB of 12.30 while Williams is also

12.50, a far cry from her PB of 12.32. Outside these favorites, nobody should rule out Nugent and Bahamas girl, Devynne Charlton. It is a loaded field that may swing in any direction if the top contenders have bad day in the office.

Oregon 2022 has removed the dark horse tag from Amusan. Whether she will be able to shake off the psychological stress inflicted on her by AIU and retain the gold, remains to be seen as all the nine best sprint hurdlers in the world look forward to the final this evening in Budapest.

But something track & field followers have not failed to notice is the current devastating form of Harrison. If she repeats the form that gave her the 12.24 world lead in the first round heat of Budapest 2023 again this night in the final, Amusan may well become history: A former champion. Her 12.12 World Record may turn out the only legacy standing from Oregon 2022.

MKO Abiola Stadium a National Monument, Says Enoh

Olawale Ajimotokan in Abuja

Minister of Sports Development, Senator John Enoh, has described Moshood Abiola National Stadium, Abuja as definitive national monu- ment that meets international best practices.

He made the declaration yesterday after an inspection tour of theEnohfacility.said the stadium has the capacity to become one of the best multi-purpose stadium complex in Africa while assuring stakeholders that government will ensure the resuscitation and turn-around of the facilities at the stadium with a view to making it better, in line with global standards.

“Amidst the so much that I have seen here, the positives and the negatives, this stadium is a very definitive national monument. There is about nothing that you will find elsewhere, that you cannot find here.

“However from 2003 till date, the facility has gone through a lot. The Ministry under my leadership will do all that it can, to get every part of the stadium functional, including the athletes hostel, because athletes

must have the best, to be the best,” Enoh said.

The minister said he embarked on the tour to have first-hand knowledge of the state of the edifice and adopt a systematic approach towards ensuring the development of sports in the country “Facilities and infrastructures are key components of sports, and they are variables that drive both elite performance and grassroots development. It is therefore very important that we get it right, we must maintain the current infrastructure that we have and look towards making them better, to match what we have across the world,” he said.

He likens sports to a peculiar sector that excites so much passion in all Nigerians, noting this passion led to the decision of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to make the sector stand alone and also appoint him to pilot the affairs of the sector. He embarked on the tour alongside the Ministry’s Permanent Secretary, Alhaji Ismaila Abubakar and the Director of Facilities and Stadium Management in the Ministry, Alanamu Abolore.

First Bank in Ruthless Start as Air Warriors Crumble in Savannah

case(s) of indebtedness, the League warned that they will not be permitted to register new player(s) in line with the provisions of the Club Licensing Regulations. It will be recalled that some clubs have had their vehicles seized by some aggrieved players who cite unpaid financial entitlements.

ZENITH BASKETBALL LEAGUE

First Bank Basketball team yesterday in Akure defeated the IGP Queens in ruthless manner to show an intent to regain the Zenith Bank Women’s Basketball crown which they lost the last time it was held in Lagos.

Okpekpe

Race Organisers Hail Ebenyo on Silver Medal Win in Budapest 2023

Organisers of the historic, gold label Okpekpe international 10km road race have congratulated Kenya's Daniel Simiu Ebenyo on his 10000m silver medal win at the ongoing World Athletics Championships.

Ebenyo ran 27: 52.60 to win Kenya's first medal at the championships. The 27 -year-old ran 28:28 to set a new course record in clinching the men's title at the ninth edition of the Okpekpe race held at the end of May 2023.

Zack Amodu who is Okpekpe Road Race Director, said yesterday that Ebenyo has once again lived up to his pre-championships boast that he would make the podium in Budapest, Hungary.

“Daniel was confident of setting a new course record when he came to the Okpekpe race in May and he walked his talk.

“He was also confident of winning a medal at the World Championships and he did that

on Sunday night,” said Amodu who expressed his delight that the Okpekpe race helped in preparing Ebenyo to make the podium at the World Athletics’ flagship event.

“We are delighted to be part of his success story and thank him for being a good ambassador of our race.”

Ebenyo has also thanked organisers of the Okpekpe race for their prayers and support in making him realise a lifelong ambition.

The Lagos-based outfit defeated IGP Queens with a 50-point margin with a score of 80-30 to the surprise of fans of the game in the Atlantic Conference venue.

Bayelsa Whales also defeated host team, Sunshine Angels, 61-44 in the opening match of the Atlantic Conference. MFM and Dolphins are the other teams in the zone where two finalists will eventually emerge for the finals billed for October.

Meanwhile, Air Warriors of Abuja in the Day Two of the Savannah Conference were defeated 64-48 by the Nigeria Customs in a high tempo encounter which kept spectators t the edge of their seats in Jos.

This was after the Warriors on Tuesday began their defence of the Zenith Bank Women’s League on

a bright note with a 66-48 victory recorded against the Nigerian Army. In a match decided in Jos, which is the Savanah Conference Centre of the ongoing league, Air Warriors had a light work out against the women Army team with 18 points difference.

It was a highly interesting encounter as the Air Warriors team even without Marjinatu Musa, who is now with First Bank, displayed so much guts and artistry to win the encounter.

Musa was at the AfroBasket Championship in Rwanda last month where Nigeria won her 4th straight title in a row.

Also in the Savanah Conference, Plateau Rocks defeated Nasarawa Amazons 63-44 just as Nigeria Customs whip Kada Angels 73-32.

Key games are expected to take place in both the Atlantic and Savanah zones today as teams struggle to jostle for the four tickets available for the final battle in Lagos.

Tobi Amusan..faces biggest challenge from both American Kendra Harrison and Jasmine Camacho-Quinn of Puerto Rico in the final of the women’s 100m hurdles event this evening at the World Athletics Championships in Budapest

Bukola Saraki to Kogi Electorates

“WithwhathashappenedinKogiStateinthelasteightyears,thereisno candidateontheAPCticket;itisYahayaBellothatisontheticket.So,ifyou believethatinKogi,aftereightyearsofYahayaBello,heshouldhaveanother fouryears,thengoandvoteforAPC”—FormerSenatePresidentonwhyKogi electoratesshouldvoteforthePDPgubernatorialcandidate,DinoMelaye

OLUSEGUN ADENIYI

‘To Serve…and To Eat!’

For the past eight years, the joke among Abuja residents was, “When will President Buhari appoint a Minister for the Federal Capital Territory (FCT)?”. The once pristine city has gradually been reduced to a vast slum as mountains of garbage dot many areas. Even maintaining streetlights, including on the airport expressroad, has proved difficult for Abuja authorities. Beggars are everywhere, compounding the security challenge. And with touts waylaying motorists on street corners to enforce dubious revenue generation laws, land speculators have also been allowed free rein. So right from the moment the former Governor of Rivers State, Nyesom Wike was sworn in as FCT Minister three days ago, Abuja residents knew that, for good or ill, they now have a Minister!

On Monday, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu inaugurated his Federal Executive Council (FEC) with the swearing-in of 45 ministers, the highest number of federal cabinet members under any administration (whether military or civilian) in the country. He has also appointed 20 Special Advisers, which is equally unprecedented. At a time when the singsong is about reducing the cost of governance, this bad example is being replicated in states across the country where ‘job creation’ has been given a whole new meaning. While we will come back to this issue another day, Tinubu has urged his ministers to discharge their responsibilities in a manner that would “meet the expectations of all Nigerians.”

The issue here is about what those expectations are. On the day the president sent the list of the first batch of his nominees to the Senate last month, I wrote, ‘Ministerial List: To Serve or To Eat?’. In that column, I cited the ‘come-and-eat’ altercation between Chief Bola Ige and Chief Sunday Afolabi (both deceased) during the Obasanjo administration and other examples to illustrate my point on how public office in Nigeria has been reduced to ‘looking for something to eat.’ I was shocked by the responses I received, most of which dwelt on the headline. And there were many. I got lectures, including from some prominent Nigerians, on why the headline should have been, ‘To Serve and to Eat’.

The notion that public officials should help themselves from a public till is alien to the concept of accountability. But apparently not in a society where it is now practically legitimate that people can live above their means without questions being asked. When I engaged a respected lawyer who also argued that it is quite okay to ‘serve and eat’ in the public arena, this was his response: “(Name of the former Nigerian leader he mentioned withheld) ate very well in his time and still eating. If public service as the name implies is all about public service without opportunity for self advancement, then the reality is that all over the world, there will be little interest. See the religious leaders who are supposed to be examples of selfless public service, many of them are eating very well! In Britain, Tony Blair and his wife ate very well. I don’t even want to talk of the Americans because they’re the worst. See the mess with President Joe Biden and his son!”

I have heard the argument that the Yoruba adage of ‘Eni toba se ni idi pepe lo n je ni idi pepe’ is the same message embedded in the

Biblical 1 Corinthians 9, verse 13: “Don’t you know that those who serve in the temple get their food from the temple, and that those who serve at the altar share in what is offered on the altar?” Beyond the issue of context, I believe that nobody should justify or rationalize abuse of public trust. But I also understand the nature of government jobs and the reward system in our country. The major concern here, as we see with the excitement that comes with such an appointment and the congratulatory messages that usually follow, is that of public expectation.

Some 15 years ago, precisely on Sunday, 19th October 2008, I dealt with this same issue. I was in government at the time as Special Adviser on Media and Publicity to the late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua. I recall that I had just finished reading Reuben Abati’s weekly column in the Guardian where he used lessons in Leo Tolstoy’s ‘How Much Land Does a Man Need?’ to drive home a point about the Nigerian condition and the place of greed in our public arena. He was then the Chairman of the Editorial Board of The Guardian newspapers. In a moment of indulgence, I called Reuben to say that I had a different way of looking at the issue. He

asked whether I would like to share my view with readers and I agreed. My piece, ‘Shooting an Elephant: Public Service in Nigeria’ was published in The Guardian a week later, on 26th October 2008. I want to recall excerpts from it before I draw my conclusion.

==================================

…I am not surprised that Tolstoy’s thesis fascinates Reuben because as a practicing journalist, I had also interrogated the place of greed in our national life, using the same thesis. But now, from the vantage position of someone who can see both sides of the divide, I think there are some lessons being ignored. For those who did not read Reuben last week on the “primitive acquisitiveness of the Nigerian Leadership elite” and may not be familiar with Tolstoy’s writing which informed the essay, ‘How Much Land Does a Man Need?’ is the story of a poor but seemingly contented farmer who eavesdropped on a conversation between his wife and her sister married to a city merchant. From here, let’s take a little bit from the book: Pakhom,themasterofthehouse,waslying on the top of his stove and he listened to the women’s chatter. “It is perfectly true,” thought he. “Busy as we are from childhood, tillingmotherearth,wepeasantshavenotime to let any nonsense settle in our heads. Our only trouble is that we haven’t land enough. If I had plenty of land, I shouldn’t fear the Devil himself!” The women finished their tea, chatted a while about dress, and then cleared away the tea-things and lay down to sleep. But the Devil had been sitting behind the stove and had heard all that was said. He was pleased that the peasant’s wife had led her husband into boasting, and that he had said that if he had plenty of land, he would notfeartheDevilhimself.“Allright,”thought the Devil. “We will have a tussle. I’ll give you land enough; and by means of that land I will get you into my power.”

The Devil granted Pakhom’s wish. He got a chance to acquire as much land as he wanted by marking out its perimeters on foot, but the catch was that he had to be back to where he started before sunset. But Pakhom got greedy such that by the time he felt he had acquired enough land, a better one beckoned. At the end, there was no time for him to return to where he started, and he was already exhausted. He eventually slumped and died and was buried like any other mortal on a piece of land not exceeding six feet!

What Reuben sought to illustrate with

In a society with limited opportunities for honest livelihood, public office has become a gate pass to the things that many wish for or dream about. Those who come by this gate pass are naturally expected to enter ‘paradise’. If they fail, it will be because they are either foolish or mentally unhinged. If they ‘make it’ alone, they are selfish and wicked. If they help their community, they get a hero’s welcome. If the public officer serves the wider nation meritoriously, he may be publicly acclaimed. But if he fails to enrich himself in the process, his wide acclaim will come to nothing. There lies the moral burden.

Pakhom’s story is the greed in public office and the evident rot in our society which he ties to that greed. While I agree with Reuben to the extent that we can see a direct correlation between the opulence of a few elites and the poverty of our people, I fail to agree with his summation that many of the otherwise good people who join government only to come out with serious moral deficit do so on account of personal greed.

Incidentally, there are two literary works, also very popular with the Aspen Leadership series, which I consider important to interrogate this issue. The first is ‘No Longer at Ease’ by Chinua Achebe which tells the story of a brilliant young Nigerian who was given a scholarship by his community to study Law in the United Kingdom during the colonial days. He went, bagged his degree in English rather than in Law and came back home to secure a top job in the civil service. He, however met a decadent society in which corruption was seen as a way of life and decided he was not going to be part of the rot.

For a while, Obi Okonkwo resisted the pressure, but a combination of unpleasant circumstances forced his hands. First, he had problems paying back the loans he took from his community and there were implacable foes. Then he had problems with a woman he wanted to marry who happened to carry a societal stigma. To compound the situation, his mother was dying, and he needed money for her medicals. On the weight of all these personal conflicts, Obi Okonkwo succumbed by subverting the lofty ideals he had espoused. The issue here is the kind of pressure public office holders are subjected to because it is almost as if society expects them to go and steal given the kinds of demands that are made of them.

Before I share my own experience, I will use another literature which is also a compelling reading at the Aspen Institute Leadership series. It is George Orwell’s classic, ‘Shooting an Elephant’, generally regarded as reflections on his time while serving his country in Burma. In the tale, Orwell (real name, Eric Arthur Blair) recounted an incident where a young colonial police officer was summoned to a provincial village to kill a ‘rogue elephant’ which had injured one of the local people. Upon his arrival, the elephant, far from being wild and on a rampage, was now calm. But the British officer had a gun and a huge crowd had gathered expecting him to shoot the elephant:

Icouldfeeltheirtwothousandwillspressing me forward, irresistibly. And it was at this moment, as I stood there with the rifle in my hands, that I first grasped the hollowness, the futility of the white man’s dominion in the East. Here was I, the white man with his gun, standing in front of the unarmed native crowd –seemingly the lead actor of the piece; butIwasonlyanabsurdpuppetpushedtoand fro by those yellow faces behind. I perceived in this moment that when the white man turns tyrant it is his own freedom that he destroys. For it is the condition of his rule that he shall spend his life trying to impress the “natives,” so in every crisis he has got to do what the “natives” expect of him. I had got to shoot the elephant.

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu