TUESDAY 6TH SEPTEMBER 2022

Liz Truss Emerges Third Female British Prime Minister, Promises Bold Reforms Atiku hails emergence

Chuks Okocha in Abuja with agency report

Liz Truss yesterday emerged as the third female Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (UK), after Theresa

May and Margaret Thatcher.

Truss succeeds Boris Johnson who resigned his appointment as PM

in July over a series of scandals.

Truss is also the Conservative Party Leader gathering 81,326 votes

against her rival, former Finance Minister Rishi Sunak who had 60,399 votes.

Before her emergence as PM, Continued on page 10

CBN: Banks’ Total Asset Grew by 22.07% to N65trn in June... Page 8 Tuesday 6 September, 2022 Vol 27. No 10010. Price: N250

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CAN: Tinubu’s Presence at Kukah’s Birthday Won't Change Opposition to Same Faith Ticket APC NWC to engage state party leaders on Muslim-Muslim candidacy Onyebuchi Ezigbo and Adedayo Akinwale in Abuja Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) says the presence of the presidential candidate of All progressives Congress (APC),

Bola Tinubu, at the 70th birthday celebration of the Catholic Bishop of Sokoto, Most Rev. Matthew Hassan Kukah, in Abuja, is not an endorsement of the party’s same faith presidential ticket.

CAN maintained its rejection of

the Muslim-Muslim ticket ahead of the forthcoming presidential election.

However, to try to resolve the controversy caused by the ruling party’s nomination of a Muslim presidential candidate and a run-

ning mate of the same faith, the APC National Working Committee (NWC) concluded plans to embark on a tour of the six geopolitical zones before the official kick off of the 2023 general election campaigns on September 28.

CAN insisted it was wrong to interpret Tinubu's presence at Kukah’s 70th birthday anniversary as a sign of recompense and change in CAN's opposition to Muslim-Muslim ticket.

A statement signed by Special

Assistant on Media to the CAN President, Luminous Jannamike, described as untrue and ridiculous insinuations that the new leadership of CAN might have soft-pedalled Continued on page 10

You Have Till Dec. to Crush All Terrorists, Bandits, Buhari Orders Armed Forces FG says security situation has improved nationwide Intelligence agencies, others vow to contain terror financing Kingsley Nwezeh and Olawale Ajimotokan in Abuja President Muhammadu Buhari, yesterday, mandated the armed forces to quell the gale of insecurity across the country by the end of the year. Minister of Interior, Alhaji Rauf Aregbesola, disclosed this in Abuja at a Joint World Press Conference.

The session, which focused on Nigeria’s effort to tackle the terroristinduced insecurity wreaking death, destruction, and danger in the country, was moderated by Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, and addressed

by Minister of Defence, Maj-Gen Bashir Magashi, and Minister of Police Affairs, Alhaji Mohammed Dingyadi.

Aregbesola said the president gave the marching orders to the security chiefs to move against bandits and terrorists, stressing that they must be smoked out, while the security challenges facing the country must end by the end of the year.

Addressing the meeting, Magashi said the Abuja-Kaduna Expressway had been secured through a combined effort of the armed forces, the police, and other security agencies. His position was corroborated by Dingyadi, who added that the security situation in the country had begun to improve, in spite of the activities of some unpatriotic elements.

Dingyadi said daily situation Continued on page 10

UK HIGH COMMISSIONER VISITS TINUBU...

All Progressives Congress Presidential Candidate, Bola Tinubu (left), with United Kingdom High Commissioner to Nigeria, Catriona Laing, when she visited Tinubu at the APC Presidential Campaign Office, Central Business District, Abuja... yesterday

FG Bows to Pressure, Suspends 5% Excise Duty on Telecom Services... Page 8

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Group News Editor: Goddy Egene Email: Goddy.egene@thisdaylive.com, 0803 350 6821, 0809 7777 322, 0807 401 0580

NEWS

FROM LAGOS TO ATLANTA WITH LOVE...

L-R: Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu and Mayor of Atlanta, Mr. Andre Dickens, during a meeting to renew sister-city relationship between the two cities, held in Georgia, United States of America at the weekend.

Navy: Renewed Fight against Crude Oil Theft Has Denied Criminals N30bn Stolen Products Says 100 suspects arrested, awaiting prosecution FG lacks political will to tackle menace, TUC declares

Chiemelie Ezeobi, Ugo Aliogo and Ijeoma Okonji The Nigerian Navy's renewed fight against crude oil theft through the ongoing Operation Dakatar Da Barawo has denied criminals over N30 billion stolen products from illegal refinery sites in the Niger Delta.

Also, over 100 suspects have been arrested and handed over to the prosecutory agencies like the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) and the Department of State Services (DSS).

The Director or Naval Information (DINFO), Commodore Adedotun Ayo-Vaughan made this disclosure yesterday when he paid a courtesy visit to the Ikoyi headquarters of THISDAY Newspaper.

But as the country continues to suffer huge economic sabotage due to high level of pipeline vandalism, the President General of the Trade Union Congress (TUC), Mr. Festus Osifo has expressed displeasure over what he described as federal government’s lack of political will to tackle crude oil theft.

Received by the Managing Director, THISDAY, Mr. Eniola Bello; the Managing Editor, Mr. Bolaji Adebiyi; Sunday Editor,

Mr. Davidson Iriekpen; ICT Director, Mr. Victor Ojogun, the DINFO briefed them on the efforts made by the navy so far to tackle maritime crimes, particularly crude oil theft.

Launched on April 1, 2022, the ongoing operation, which is in synergy with the Nigeria National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC) was instituted to curb crude oil theft (COT) and associated crimes.

To this end, he said the entire naval assets and personnel in the Niger Delta have continually and vigorously fought the menace of COT as directed by the Chief of Naval Staff (CNS), Vice Admiral Awwal Gambo.

In the ongoing operation, they have destroyed hundreds of illegal refinery sites (IRS), ovens and storage tanks, impounded vehicles and tanker-trucks, seized boats, and recovered outboard engines and pumping machines.

Ayo-Vaughan added that the Navy has increased its counter security operations against maritime criminality, especially with the use of Swamp Buggies to destroy illegal refining sites (IRS).

On piracy on the maritime domain, he said to cement the efforts made by the NN, the recent

International Maritime Bureau (IMB) report exited the country from its piracy list, following the significant decline in such attacks in Nigerian waters, adding that, "Nigerian waters are safer now in terms of piracy."

On the alleged collaboration between the security agents and crude oil thieves, he alluded to the push for resource control as one of the reasons why oil theft thrives, adding that some of the people in the Niger Delta see the oil as their own and have unfortunately mastered connivance.

He said: "I want to look at it from the aspect of the kinetic means that we have put up in the last years. Oil theft has been there for a long time.

"Unfortunately, some of our personnel are also complacent and compromised. But under the present leadership of Vice Admiral Awwal Gambo, with the renewed fight against crude oil theft, that is in the past.

"We will continue to do the needful. We've not had issues of compromised personnel but we see it on the other side.

The Chief of Defence Staff is addressing that."

Shedding more light on the crude oil theft saga, he said it was

a multi-faceted issue where these criminals steal from vandalised pipelines from unused and not commercially viable oil wells.

He said: "International oil companies complete exploration of our oil well according to the regulation and standard international practice. Once you do that, you seal the oil well because it is no longer commercially viable but it can still produce.

"The problem is that they don't seal it. So it creates an avenue for people that are living off the creeks to have access to the crude oil.

If access can be denied then you cannot get the crude. But when access is there, that's when theft occurs."

On measures by the navy to tackle this, he said they patrol the entire Niger Delta, particularly in the Port-Harcourt axis, Warri, and Yenagoa axis where they have identified the illegal refining sites.

"Many of them have set up heavy metallic steel ovens and drums for the refining process.

In these cases, we use Swamp Buggies to destroy them. It entails a lot of resources and that is why operation Dakatar Da Barawo was set up and launched by the Nigerian Navy in collaboration with NNPC for logistics.

FG Generated N600.15bn from VAT in Q2 James Emejo in Abuja

The federal government generated the sum of N600.15 billion from Value Added Tax (VAT) in the second quarter of the year (Q2 2022), the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) disclosed yesterday.

The figure represented a growth rate of 1.96 per cent when compared to the N588.59 billion recorded in the preceding quarter.

According to the Value Added Tax (VAT) Q2 2022 report, which was obtained from the statistical agency’s website, local payments accounted for N359.12 billion of total collections, while foreign VAT payments contributed N111.13 billion in the review period.

Quarter-on-quarter, electricity, gas, steam, and air conditioning supply recorded the highest growth rate

with 116.47 per cent, followed by accommodation and food service activities with 42.44 per cent.

According to the apex statistical agency, activities of extraterritorial organisations and bodies had the lowest growth rate with –42.39 per cent while activities of households as employers, undifferentiated goods- and services-producing activities of households for own use represented -36.57 per cent.

In terms of sectoral contributions, manufacturing with 33.08 per cent, information and communication 18.98 per cent, and mining and quarrying 10.60 per cent – were the top three largest shares of VAT in Q2.

On the other hand, activities of households as employers, undifferentiated goods- and services-producing activities of households for own use

recorded the least share with 0.03 per cent, followed by activities of extraterritorial organisations and bodies with 0.05 per cent; and water supply, sewerage, waste management and remediation activities at 0.13 per cent.

Essentially, electricity, gas, steam and air conditioning supply accounted for N3.97 billion of VAT, education N46.60 billion, arts, entertainment and recreation N619.19 million, and construction N4.08 billion.

Accommodation and food services contributed N5.24 billion to consumption tax while activities of extraterritorial organisations and bodies accounted for N165.38 million.

Financial and insurance activities contributed N22.34 billion, Information and Communication technology

N68.18 billion, and manufacturing N118.80 billion during the review period.

Other contributors to VAT included transportation and storage N15.50 billion, and real estate activities N945.30 billion.

The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) Import VAT represented N129.89 billion while wholesale and retail trade, and repair of motor vehicles and motorcycles accounted for N16.21 billion.

Mining and quarrying contributed N38.08 billion to VAT while other services accounted for N15.24 billion as well as human and social works activities which represented N681.61 million in the period under review.

Also, year-on-year, VAT collections in Q2 increased by 17.16 per cent from Q2 2021.

"Our men are there every day.

As I speak to you, they are carrying out different patrols in the creeks to ensure that they do not reactivate those illegal refining sites. Now, that is the kinetic means.

"The non-kinetic means is for political leaders- the governors in the Niger Delta to prevail on the people and get meaningful engagement for the young people that don't have anything to do apart from vandalising oil pipelines.

"Perhaps, that's the reason Tompolo has been given the contract again to mobilise the young people and ensure they are not vandalising pipelines, using the human resources on ground to address the problem."

FG Lacks Political Will to Tackle Menace, TUC Declares

Meanwhile, the TUC President General has expressed displeasure over what he described as federal government’s lack of political will to tackle crude oil theft.

He said this was the first time in Nigeria’s history that international crude oil prices would be rising and the federal government would be aggressively borrowing money instead of saving the surplus oil proceeds in the sovereign wealth fund or Excess Crude Account (ECA).

Osifo, who disclosed this yesterday in Lagos, during a media briefing, noted that the ECA has depleted to almost zero, apart from the initial seed fund of $1 billion, saying, “I am not sure it has been funded in the last 10years.”

He called on the federal government to wake up to its responsibilities, adding that governance was about repositioning the economy for growth and ensuring that citizens enjoy the dividends of democracy.

He called on the federal government to implement stiffer penalties to punish culprits involved in crude oil theft, adding that this would serve as deterrent to others intending to engage in the act and restore sanity to sector.

He advocated for the use of drone technology to carryout pipeline surveillance, pointing out that instead of placing soldiers who would compromise, “you can have a multi-layer and a

sophisticated control room where you monitor these activities, and you can respond swiftly, if there is a suspicious activity.”

He disclosed that affiliates of TUC and the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) were planning to have a sensitisation across the six geopolitical zones from September 7th to 8th on the matter.

This, according to him, was a push that came from TUC as well, “because we felt that it is fundamentally wrong for the crude oil theft to continue.”

Continuing, he stated that: “I listened to the Group Chief Executive Officer of Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC) recently as he stated that there is a total collusion.

The collusion is total, both from the community, those outside the communities, both from stakeholders in the oil and gas sector, the security personnel sent to man the pipelines.

“I can tell you that a lot of security personnel they are paid handsomely well outside their salaries to protect the pipelines.

The Naval and Army officers, are paid well on a daily basis to protect these pipelines. But they collect these monies and collude with those in the community to also steal this crude oil. So it is a fundamental problem.

“So the challenge today is that a lot of companies that are operating in the Niger-Delta are shutting down their production because some of them will pump in 50,000 barrels and at the end of the day, they will get like 2000 or 3000 barrels, so it is better they shut down, than recording losses.

“So that is why when it is reported that about 400,000 barrels are lost. It is not actually because the entire barrels are stolen, but because most of the companies have decided to shut down their operations in those large areas.

“So it is a fundamental problem.

We should stop talking now, we should start acting. Those whose responsibility it is to solve the problem should go to the field and using technology to solve the problem.

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NEW BRITISH PRIME MINISTER, LIZ TRUSS...

FG Ties Nigeria’s Developmental Challenges to Weak Public Service Rates NEMSA high on adherence to best practices Emmanuel Addeh in Abuja The federal government said yesterday that many of Nigeria’s developmental challenges could be traced to suboptimal performance by the country’s public service.

The Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Mr. Boss Mustapha, made the comment yesterday when he led an entourage to the Nigerian Electricity Management Services Agency (NEMSA), for the formal presentation of the report on the deployment of Self- Assessment Tools (SAT) in the agency by the Bureau for Public Service Reform (BPSR).

Describing the civil service as the engine for delivering public goods and services, Boss noted that its excellent performance was critical for social and economic growth.

Represented by the Special Adviser on Policy and Coordination and former acting Head of Service (HoS), Dr Habiba Lawal, the SGF stated that the administrative capacity of the service remains a crucial factor in implementation of government’s policies and programmes.

Consequently, he noted that the development challenges faced by Nigeria such as poverty, unemployment, insecurity and poor infrastructure could be attributed to the week performance of the

public service.

He noted that the public service in the country had not been transformed enough to a well performing institution, but stressed that the federal government was determined to ensure performance delivery and achieve its developmental goals.

He stated that the self-assessment tool was for agencies of government to be able to assess their strengths, weaknesses, and provide solutions.

According to him, the self-assessment will allow evidence-based means to surmount constraints and improve performance as well as provide opportunities, identify gaps and devise an action plan to tackle them.

Mustapha added that it was important that the agencies submit themselves to the bureau to enable government support them in their self delivery efforts.

Also speaking, the Director General of the BPSR , Dasuki Arabi commended NEMSA for its cooperation during the period of the assessment, noting that at the end of the process, the organisation was adjudged one of the best in adhering to the rules.

Some of the strengths of NEMSA, Arabi stated, included appropriate responses by the board to environmental threats and adherence to the code of conduct as clearly spelt out in the rules book.

In addition, he noted that

accountability was held high in the organisation and that there existed clear policies to meet its challenges, including establishment of periodic reviews.

“We have noted that staff are being trained constantly. We have noted the great improvement with NEMSA website in line with government policy and have met 100 per cent of its requirements.

“Based on evidence provided and what we have seen, NEMSA has done a lot to link up with other agencies in the same sector. We

have noted very good stratification in assignment of responsibility.

“At the end of the self-assessment, NEMSA scored 80.75 per cent and has won the gold level award. This means that NEMSA’s performance consistently exceeds expectations,” he stated.

In his remarks, the Managing Director and Chief Executive Director, NEMSA, Mr Aliyu Tahir, stated that the deployment of the self-assessment tool in the agency was undertaken in September 2021 and the exercise helped the

of sustainable economic growth.

Kenya's Supreme Court yesterday upheld results declaring William Ruto winner of last month's presidential elections.

Ruto, 55, won with 50.49 per cent of the vote against his rival Raila Odinga's 48.85 per cent, the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) had announced in August.

The announcement of the results then descended into chaos in an otherwise peaceful election process when four members of the electoral commission rejected them, declaring the tallying "opaque."

Odinga, 77, also later disputed

manpower of the agency, pointing out that the last recruitment undertaken by the agency was in 2018.

In addition, he explained that the yearly challenge pf paucity of funds had been a recurring decimal and that it had invariably impeded the provision of the required assets and facilities for the execution of the mandate and responsibilities of NEMSA in its various Inspectorate Field Offices (IFOs) in the 19 locations across the country.

16% of Privatised Enterprises Are Non-performing, Says BPE Inaugurates committees to revive ailing companies Ndubuisi Francis in Abuja The Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE) has disclosed that about 16 per cent of privatised public companies were non -performing, inaugurating four committees to review and implement a strategic roadmap for the resuscitation of ailing enterprises in the country.

The committees known as

Technical Working Groups (TWGs) are to among others, examine the challenges in the sectors and develop a comprehensive five-year (2023–2027) turnaround programme for each of the non-performing enterprises.

Among those to came under searchlight were ailing enterprises in the automobile, housing (bricks and clay), mines and steel as well

Jonathan Congratulates Ruto as Supreme Court Confirms Him Kenya's President-elect Former President Dr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan yesterday congratulated Kenya’s president-elect, Mr. William Ruto on his emergence as the winner of Kenya’s August 9, 2022, presidential election, urging him to run an inclusive government and seek to unite Kenyans.

The former President of Nigeria who stated this in a goodwill message to Ruto shortly after the Kenyan Supreme Court affirmed his victory, also charged him to be magnanimous in victory and leverage the pervading peaceful atmosphere to stabilise Kenya and establish the country on the path

agency to ascertain the constraints/ challenges confronting it.

Based on the analysis of its Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats (SWOT), he stated that the agency had been able to identify additional opportunities for continuous improvement.

He listed some challenges facing NEMSA to include inadequate office accommodation for staff and requisite facilities to provide a conducive work environment.

Similarly, he decried the dearth of requisite staff to complement the

the results in the Supreme Court alleging that hackers had accessed the electoral body's website, deducted his votes and added them to Ruto's, among other claims of irregularities, according to CNN. His party, the Azimio La Umoja (Aspiration to Unite) coalition, claimed it had enough evidence in the petition to prove misconduct by the electoral commission after the August 9 election.

However, the Supreme Court unanimously rejected his claims and upheld the results announced by the IEBC. Chief Justice Martha Koome, delivering the ruling yesterday,

said the court found no evidence of tampering of results via hacking and that the, "IEBC carried out the verification, tallying, and declaration of results in accordance with the provided constitutional law."

Reacting to the decision, Ruto posted a Bible verse on Twitter, "With men it is impossible, but not with God: for with God all things are possible." — Mark 10:27."

While Odinga posted on the platform that he, "vehemently disagreed" with the decision and linked to a longer statement.

Continued online

as oil palm sectors.

Inaugurating the TWGs on behalf of the federal government in Abuja, the Director General of the Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE), Mr. Alex Okoh said the initiative was in consonance with the ease of doing business drive in Nigeria, and in line with the federal government’s Economic Recovery and Growth Plan (ERGP).

In a statement, the BPE quoted Okoh as saying the inauguration was a culmination of the efforts by various stakeholders which started in 2018, to revive non-performing privatised enterprises in the country.

Represented by the BPE Director of Agriculture and Natural Resources at the Bureau, Mr. Ignatius Ayewoh, he stated that in discharging its supervisory duties on privatised enterprises through the instrumentality of result-based monitoring and evaluation (RBME), the privatisation agency discovered that about 16 per cent of the privatised companies were non -performing hence the result of the finding was submitted to the National Council on Privatisation (NCP) in 2018 and to the Senate Committee on Privatisation in 2020.

He noted that this led to a meeting of the relevant stakeholders

in the ailing enterprises held in July, 2018.

The terms of reference of the inaugurated TWGs included: To conduct a diagnostic study on the enterprises in order to identify their current status (operational and financial positions) and conditions in terms of ownership, share structure and capacity utilisation; prepare a business plan that meets the current sectoral requirements; and examine the challenges in the sectors.

Others are to develop a comprehensive 5-year, (2023–2027) turnaround programme for each of the non-performing enterprises, review and advise the gederal government on the processes and implementation turnaround programne.

The TWGs are also to determine the potential and economic viability of the sectors.

Also speaking during the inauguration, the Director, PostTransaction Management at the BPE, Mr. Toibudeen Oduniyi, urged the members to contribute their wealth of experience and expertise for the actualisation of the much-desired revitalisation of the non-performing Enterprises for the economic growth of the country.

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INAUGURAL MEETING OF PRESIDENTIAL COMMITTEE ON EXCISE DUTY...

L-R: Mr. Ikenna Ikoku of 9Mobile; Mrs. Omolara Michael Nwadu of the Association of Licenced Telecommunications Operators of Nigeria; EVC/CEO, Nigerian Communications Commission, Prof. Umar Garba Danbatta; Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Prof. Isa Ali Ibrahim Pantami; Chief Research Adviser to the Minister; Prof. Sahalu Balarabe Junaidu; Mrs. Jacqueline Olowolayemo of Mafab Communications, and Mr. Muhammad Lawal Abubakar of the Federal Inland Revenue Service, at the inauguration of the Presidential Committee on Excise Duty for the Digital Economy, in Abuja .... yesterday

CBN: Banks’ Total Asset Grew by 22.07% to N65trn in June Says industry non-performing loans at 4.95% now below regulatory threshold Nume Ekeghe The Deputy Governor, Financial System Stability Directorate of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Mrs. Aisha Ahmad and the Deputy Governor, Economic Policy Directorate, CBN, Dr. Kingsley Obiora have disclosed that the banking system remains resilient, stating that the industry’s total assets grew by 22.07 per cent from N53.64 trillion in May 2021, to N65.48 trillion as of June this year.

They both stated this their personal statement during the last Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) meeting held in July.

In her contribution, Ahmad revealed that the total customer deposits in banks grew to N42.03 trillion in the same year under review.

She said: “Key industry aggregates also continued their year-on-year upward trajectory with total assets rising to N65.48 trillion in June 2022 from N53.64

trillion in June 2021, while total deposits rose to N42.03 trillion from N33.85 trillion over the same period."

“Gross credit has maintained an upward trajectory since 2019, rising by N5.02 trillion between June 2021 and June 2022 with significant growth in credit to manufacturing, general commerce and oil and gas sectors. This notable increase was achieved amidst continued decline in non-performing loans ratio from 5.3 per cent in April 2022 to 5.0

per cent in June 2022. “ She added that results of stress tests on banks showed the resilience of the financial institutions’ solvency and liquidity ratios in response to potential severe macroeconomic shocks.

She, however stated that the central bank must remain vigilant to proactively manage probable macro risks to the financial system such as lingering spillover effects of the pandemic, winding down industry forbearance portfolio, and

FG Bows to Pressure, Suspends 5% Excise Duty on Telecom Services Inaugurates committee to review policy Emma Okonji inLagosand Oghenevwede Ohwovoriole inAbuja The federal government has bowed to the pressure from the Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy, the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), telecom operators and subscribers that refused the planned imposition of five per cent excise duty on telecom operations.

The federal government yesterday announced the suspension of the proposed five per cent excise duty and inaugurated a committee chaired by the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Dr. Isa Ali Ibrahim Pantami, to immediately review the policy.

Pantami, who inaugurated the Committee on the directive of President Muhammadu Buhari, with the Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Dr. Zainab Ahmed as member, said the decision to suspend the policy would be made after the committee completes its report.

Pantami said the suspension of the policy that was directed by Buhari, followed his petition as the Chairman of the Presidential Council on Digital Economy and eGovernment. According to him, the five per cent levy has the potential to impact negatively on the digital economy sector, and particularly, telecommunications, which is already overburdened with a plethora of taxes totalling

about 41 categories.

He said some of them were multiple taxations because other tiers or levels of government were imposing same levies that mobile network operators (MNOs) had already paid to the federal government.

“Excessive taxation has been a central challenge of the Information and Communications Technology sector”, he said, arguing that it is unfair to overburden such a sector that is so central to the nation’s growth and development and especially because the sector rarely receives subsidy which other sectors have enjoyed.

“Despite the spiraling inflation, and cost of production, particularly the energy factor, the network service providers have not increased prices of services.

I challenge the gentlemen of the press here to name one sector that has not witnessed price increases in services in the last three years.

It is only in telecoms that prices have been stable,” Pantami said.

The Federal Ministry of Finance, Budget and National Planning, had last month, notified the telecom sector of the intention of the government to introduce a five per cent excise duty on telecom operation, in addition to the 7.5 per cent Value Added Tax(VAT) that all sectors of the economy pay for goods and services rendered.

Disturbed by the proposed plan, Pantami, the NCC, telecom

operators and subscribers had rejected the plan, and described it as multiple taxes.

Pantami had faulted the timing and process, and had insisted that part of the responsibility of a responsive government was not to increase the problems of the citizens.

Pantami had said: “If you look at it carefully the sector contributes two per cent excise duty, 7.5 per cent VAT to the economy and you want to add more to create additional hardship. This cannot be tolerated at this time and it will be resisted.”

While inaugurating the committee yesterday, Pantami listed the contributions of the telecom sector to country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and gave reasons why the sector should be encouraged to do more.

Other members of the committee included the Executive Vice Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, NCC, Prof. Umar Danbatta; the Executive Chairman of Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), Mr. Muhammad Nami; and the representatives of Mobile Network Operators (MNOs).

Pantami recalled several positive developments in the sector that needs to be sustained through support of the government.

“Three unprecedented positive developments have occurred in the digital economy sector in the last three years. In the last quarter of

2020, ICT alone, without including digital services, contributed 14.70 per cent to the GDP. “In the second quarter of 2021, we saw another record where the sector contributed 17.90 per cent to the GDP. The last record was in the second quarter of 2022 where ICT contributed 18.44 per cent to GDP. By implication, this sector has been contributing a lot to the economy,” Pantami said.

other risks to financial stability such as exchange rate, operational and cyber security risks.

“The monetary authority must act to better anchor elevated inflation expectations of economic agents following months of rising inflation and recent multiple shocks.

Interventions and continued funding of the real sector give room for tightening the monetary policy stance to better anchor inflation expectations, mitigate demand driven inflation and ultimately preserve output gains.

“More importantly, the evolution of consumer prices in recent months and the uncertain short-term outlook present credible grounds to raise the policy rate,” she added.

On his part, Obiora stated that at 4.95 percent, non-performing loans in the sector have gone below the regulatory threshold of five per cent.

“The financial soundness indicators showed that the banking system remained sound, stable, and resilient. Total assets of the banking industry grew month-on- month by 22.07 per cent from N53.64 trillion in May 2021 to N65.48 trillion in June 2022, driven by balances with CBN/banks, OMO bills, and credit to the real sector of the economy.”

He added: “Consequently, the total flow of credit to the economy increased by 22.78 per cent or N5.02

trillion from N22.04 trillion in June 2021 to N27.06 trillion in June 2022 to various sectors of the economy, including Oil and Gas, Manufacturing, General, Governments, and General commerce.

“The industry Non-Performing Loans (NPLs) ratio was 4.95 per cent at the end of June 2022 compared with 5.70 per cent at the end of June 2021, which was below the prudential maximum of 5.0 per cent.

“The year-on-year downward trend was attributable mainly to write-offs, restructuring of facilities, Global Standing Instruction (GSI), and sound credit risk management by banks. Furthermore, the monthly average Open Buy Back (OBB) and Inter-Bank rates, fluctuated within the asymmetric corridor and increased from 9.39 and 8.38 per cent in May to 10.89 and 11.10 per cent in June 2022. “The increase reflects a tight banking liquidity condition, which could help rein in inflation and safeguard financial system stability.

“Amid stable and resilient banking system stability, significant headwinds remain in the economy.

Inflationary pressures continued to surge as headline inflation increased to 18.60 per cent in June 2022 from 17.71 per cent in May 2022, driven by rising food and core components,” he added.

Buhari Backs Aspiration of Kebbi Gov's Wife for UICC Presidency Deji Elumoye in Abuja President Muhammadu Buhari has declared strong support for the aspiration of the wife of Kebbi State Governor, Dr. Zainab Shinkafi-Bagudu, who was among three persons shortlisted for the presidency of the Union for International Cancer Control (UICC).

In a letter to the candidate yesterday, the president pledged that Nigeria through the Ministries of Health and Foreign Affairs would ensure her success in the forthcoming election of the Union.

Buhari congratulated the First Lady of Kebbi State, who is also the Chief Executive Officer of Medicaid Cancer Foundation, for

being shortlisted as a candidate for UICC President-elect, describing it as well deserved.

According to him: ‘‘I am proud of your passion and commitment in various capacities towards improving the cancer care landscape in Nigeria. ‘‘Of note are your activities as Founder of Medicaid Cancer Foundation, Chairperson of the Frist Ladies against Cancer Initiative (FLAC), member of the national cancer control steering committee and Cancer Health Fund, publication and implementation of the Kebbi State Strategic Plan for Cancer Control, and a two term board member of the UICC. Most of all, I applaud your role in championing

cancer awareness and advocacy.’’

The president disclosed that his administration through the Federal Ministry of Health had put in-place mechanisms to improve cancer care such as the Cancer Health Fund (CHF), Chemotherapy Access Treatment Program (CAP), and inclusion of cancer into the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) scheme. ‘‘I have also signed into law the bill on the creation of the Nigerian National Cancer Institute and remain committed to seeing it start off as a legacy of this administration. ‘‘This will further improve cancer research, and the quality of care available to Nigerians", President Buhari further said.

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Contrary to NNPCL's Claim, NMDPRA Puts Daily Petrol Truckout in 2022 at 62.95m Litres Lawmakers urge agency to harmonise figures with NNPCL Udora Orizu in Abuja The Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) yesterday put the daily truck out of petrol in 2022 at 62.95 million litre per day.

The Head of Finance and Account of the NMDPRA Adebayo Adeniyi, gave the figures from the Authority, while appearing before the House of Representatives Committee on Finance considering the 20232025 Medium Term Expenditure Framework and Fiscal Strategy Paper (MTEF/FSP).

However, this was in variance with the figures published by

the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited, which at the weekend put the average daily evacuation (Depot truck out) from January to August 2022 stood at 67 million litres per day, citing NMDPRA figures. The NNPC had also explained that the daily evacuation (Depot load outs) records of the NMDPRA do carry daily oscillation, ranging from as low as four million litres to as high as 100 million litres per day.

Speaking further, Adeniyi also said the Authority projected the cost of petrol per litre to be within N443, N272 and N250, depending on the effects of some factors such

as the deregulation of the product, the Russian-Ukaraine war and the exchange rate of the dollar.

He said: "The average daily truck out for 2022 is 62.95 million litre per day. This is from actual truck. Based on our projection for between 2023-2025, we are projecting 3.2 per cent increase in Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

We used that to project the daily truck out for 2023-2025. “On the average expected open price, at today subsidy still reigns, but we expect that deregulation will come at a point. Based on an average—if deregulated, the price of petroleum will be about N272 per litre.

"However, from 2023-2024, our projection is that the open market price will go to as high as N443 per litre. And this is based on changes in dollar rate and the Ukraine war that is going on.

“For 2025, our projection for the price of PMS is N250, based on the hope that dollar would have stabilised and Ukraine war would have ended."

When asked by a member of the committee, Hon. John Dyegh, to clarify the figures of 62 and 98 million litres being alleged by the Nigeria Customs Service and the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited, (NNPCL)

respectively, Adeniyi insisted on the Authority’s figure.

"Quite a number of statistics or people giving out all sorts of figure.

Major information comes from the defunct PPPRA. What we gave you is what is obtainable as the actual truck out. When we say truck-out, we mean from the depot to the retail outlets. I don’t know where other figures may be coming out.

“I cannot speculate on that. All the depots operating in Nigeria are discharging products. If 1000 are discharging, it means that it", he said.

In his remarks, the Deputy Chairman of the Committee, Hon. Saidu Abdullahi who presided over

the session charged the agency to interface with others in order to harmonise the figures.

"Even yesterday, the figure NNPC Limited quoted was not in tandem with your figure. You people need to reconcile your position. If you have information being churned out- different information being churned out by different agencies - you are not giving us room to appreciate what you are doing.

“It now gives room to allow for imagination. Some people will start thinking, where are we getting it wrong? I will want you to use this platform to educate Nigerians.”

YOU HAVE TILL DECEMBER TO CRUSH ALL TERRORISTS, BANDITS, BUHARI ORDERS ARMED FORCES reports in the last two months showed relative peace on many of the highways regarded as prone to bandit attacks, such as the Abuja-Kaduna, KadunaBirnin-Gwari, Sokoto-Zamfara, and Zamfara-Kaduna axis.

Magashi said ground operations supported by air assets had resulted in the neutralisation of several terrorists, including the notorious Alhaji Shanono and 20 of his gang members. He said weapons and equipment belonging to the terrorists were destroyed in the operation, while some suspected terrorists were arrested.

The police affairs minister said in the North-east, the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) had started to return to their ancestral homes in a safer and more secure environment. He recalled that in the past the weeks, more than 3,407 Boko Haram terrorists, including members of their families, had surrendered to the military, while 66 terrorists were neutralised, including one of the key Islamic State's West Africa Province (ISWAP) commanders, Modu Chaka Bem Bem, and 20 of his fighters.

Magashi stated, “Let me, at this juncture, reassure this esteemed gathering and, indeed, Nigerians that the Ministry of Defence and the armed forces, in conjunction with other security agencies, remain committed and resolute in our collective efforts to facilitate federal government's drive of guaranteeing

the safety of lives and property across the country.

“In addition, this present administration is doing everything possible to ensure the safety and security of all citizens. I, therefore, urge all Nigerians to support the Armed Forces of Nigeria in its effort towards ensuring peace and security to the nation. The Ministry of Defence is fully on top of the situation and all hands are on deck to ensure these threats are curtailed.”

He added that Operation WHIRL PUNCH, a subsidiary operation codenamed Operation FOREST SANITY, had been launched to flush out the terrorists from the forests that straddle Kaduna and Niger states.

Magashi said, “These efforts were geared towards flushing out criminal elements from the Kaduna-Abuja Expressway and its environs, and I am pleased to inform you that the Abuja-Kaduna Expressway has been secured through a combined effort of the armed forces, the police, and other security agencies.”

The defence minister also referenced the most notable operational achievement in the South-south over the past few months as the prevention of crude oil theft worth more than $500 million.

He said for the first time in one year, no single incident of piracy was recorded in the country’s territorial waters, adding that,

in the past four weeks, several illegal refinery sites, comprising 493 dugout pits, 512 storage tanks, 413 cooking ovens, and 59 wooden boats, were destroyed.

After the daring attack on Kuje Prison in July, Aregbesola said the Nigerian Correctional Service (NCOS) had been able to keep inmates in all correctional facilities in safe custody and prevented any jailbreak from inside. He said the attack on Kuje prison was clearly behind the government now, as it had been able to strengthen the custodial facilities with very tough measures.

He said, “They are now strong, well-fortified and impregnable. If anyone or group dares to test our will now, they may not live to regret it.”

Aregbesola explained that 19,064 (representing 25 per cent) of 75,601 inmates in custody were convicts.

The rest, according to him, were awaiting trial persons, which were disproportionately usurping resources and space.

The interior minister added that 3,150 convicts were on death row, waiting for execution, because governors had not assented their execution warrants. He appealed to state governments to speed up the justice delivery system.

Aregbesola said of the inmates, “Many of them have been in detention for periods longer than the maximum jail terms prescribed for the offences they were alleged to

C A N : T I N U B U ’S P R E S E N C E AT K U K A H ’S B I RT H DAY W O N ' T C H A N G E O P P O S I T I O N TO SA M E FA I T H T I C K E T on opposition to the MuslimMuslim ticket adopted by APC. The association stated in the statement that its "attention has been drawn to a media report titled, 'How Tinubu met, resolved Muslim-Muslim ticket with CAN', which claimed that the apex Christian body has changed its position regarding the same-faith ticket.

"To say the least, the story is ridiculous, malicious, untrue and should be disregarded in its entirety by all reasonable members of the society."

CAN said it took a position against the same-faith ticket imbroglio under the leadership of Rev. Samson Ayokunle, its immediate past national president, adding that his successor, Archbishop Daniel Okoh, still stood on that position. It said though it might not agree with every decision taken by politicians and political parties, it respected their right to reach conclusions on issues that affect their electoral fortunes so long as they accord with the provisions of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended) and the Electoral Act (2022).

The statement said, "For the umpteenth time, CAN reiterates that it is non-partisan, but remains willing to partner all leaders and other relevant stakeholders towards achieving unity, peace and progress in our nation.

"Consequently, the umbrella

Christian organisation cannot be antagonistic to any well-meaning political party or group as the nation warms up for a fresh round of elections in 2023, as claimed in the said report.

"In the same vein, it strongly condemns the attempt to make a mountain out of molehill with Asiwaju Bola Tinubu's presence at the 70th birthday celebration of the Catholic Bishop of Sokoto, Most Rev. Matthew Hassan Kukah, in Abuja, the nation's capital."

CAN said the Kukah event was public and friends of the celebrant and other good-spirited Nigerians donated to the building of The Kukah Centre, designed to be a veritable platform to propagate and promote the ideals of democracy and responsible leadership through research and intellectualism.

Noting that the donations, which went directly to The Kukah Centre, had nothing to do with CAN, it said, "It is, therefore, mischievous to insinuate it was a sort of bribe money for Christian leaders to make a u-turn on its stance against same-faith ticket.

"As a faith-based organisation, CAN maintains that its conscience cannot be bought and its prophetic voice cannot be silenced with money."

Meanwhile, the APC NWC consultations scheduled to hold at designated towns in each of the six geo-political zones, would take place between September 12 and 18.

Going by the schedule of the nationwide tour sighted by THISDAY, it was expected to start in Kano for the North-west zone, before moving to the North-east; while Owerri would play host to the South-east meeting.

The team would, then, move to the South-south and South-west, and round off in the North-central.

The initiative, it was gathered, would enable the NWC to garner information about the current state of the party at the zonal and state levels ahead of the proposed National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting tentatively slated for September 24 to 26 in Abuja.

The decision to undertake the tour, it was learnt, was reached at the meeting of the NWC last week.

A source said, “The national chairman and all NWC members will be using the tour to express appreciation to state members since their emergence in March, engage with critical stakeholders, fine-tune and perfect all reconciliatory moves.

“The meeting will also enable the NWC to discuss and engage our members on the same-faith ticket of the party’s presidential flag bearer."

THISDAY learnt that the tour would also afford the NWC an opportunity to unveil the party's campaign strategy to all state leaders, who were expected to inform other members of the states’ campaign teams.

have committed. Justice delayed for these detainees is justice denied.

“Prosecution and defence counsels also deliberately ask for long adjournments (as delay tactics meant to wear each other out) and obtain advantage for their sides.

This should be discouraged. There should be a judicial reform that will bring all criminal cases to an end within a specific period once trial begins, as obtains in some other countries.”

Aregbesola added that the Federal Fire Service (FFS) salvaged property worth N273.7 billion in the second quarter of 2022.

He said the ministry was now putting together armed escorts to accompany fire-fighting trucks to fire scenes to deter touts, obtrusive and unhelpful onlookers at fire incident scenes, who sometimes make access to fire scenes difficult.

He said the armed fire escorts had now been authorised to shoot and kill touts that attack firemen and damage their trucks and equipment at fire scenes.

Intelligence Agencies, Others Vow to Contain Terror-financing

The Department of State Services (DSS), Defence Intelligence Agency (DIA), Nigeria Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU), and other agencies, yesterday, vowed to disrupt terrorists’ networks as part of measures to mitigate money laundering and

terror-financing in the country.

The resolve was the highpoint of a two-day workshop held at the headquarters of the DSS in Abuja. The workshop was themed, "Terrorism Financing Risk (TFR) for Anti-Money Laundering/Combating the Financing of Terrorism/ Countering Proliferation Financing (AML/CFT/CPF)."

The conference was organised for stakeholders from relevant law enforcement agencies and other regulatory and criminal justice sector agencies to brainstorm on the scourge of terrorism financing and money laundering.

In his opening remarks, DirectorGeneral of DSS, Mr. Yusuf Bichi, called for critical thinking by law enforcement agencies in order to achieve the desired results. Bichi called for strict application of antimoney laundering/countering financing terrorism measures.

Represented by Director, Training and Staff Development, Mr. Brown Ekwoaba, Bichi said, "The ever-changing nature and sophistication of threats makes it imperative for security operatives to be critical thinkers in order to fashion out better and efficient ways of tackle threats.

"Among the evolving global crimes is money laundering and terrorism financing, which require the development of a working national anti-money laundering and countering the financing of

terrorism policy.

"Nigeria, as a committed stakeholder, needs to contribute its quota in protecting the integrity and stability of the international financial system by terminating resources available to terrorists, as well as making it difficult for those engaged in crime to profit from their criminal activities, as stipulated by the Financial Action Task Force. This process requires countries to identify, assess and understand prevailing terrorist financing risks, with a view to mitigating it."

He added that any nation striving for cohesion, like Nigeria, must effectively disrupt terrorist networks through the application of Anti-Money Laundering/ Countering Financing Terrorism measures.

According to Bichi, "Through money laundering, criminal organisations and organised crime syndicates benefit from their illegal activities, with some utilising cross-border channels, such as drug and human trafficking, arms smuggling among others.

"With criminal elements perfecting concealment of origin of illicit funds, it behoves us that a strengthened anti-criminal response to money laundering activities will contribute to cutting off sources of finance, as well as countering the financial incentives, which drive the crime."

LIZ TRUSS EMERGES THIRD FEMALE BRITISH PRIME MINISTER, PROMISES BOLD REFORMS Truss was the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs.

She will formally take office today after Johnson tenders his resignation to Queen Elizabeth II. She pledged action to tackle the crisis in a short victory speech at a conference center in London.

According to the CNN, without offering details, Truss promised a "bold plan” to cut taxes and build economic growth, and, "deliver on the energy crisis, dealing with people's energy bills but also dealing with the long-term issues we have on energy supply."

Yesterday’s announcement ended weeks of bitter campaigning during which Sunak, the former Chancellor of the Exchequer (finance minister), accused the Foreign Secretary of risking a prolonged recession if she goes ahead with her promised tax cuts.

Once Johnson formally resigns his post to the Queen today, Truss would also visit the monarch at her Scottish residence Balmoral, where, as leader of the largest party in parliament, she will be invited to form a government.

Truss had been the frontrunner for weeks, and the 47-year-old will now follow Margaret Thatcher and Theresa May to become Britain's third female premier.

Despite voting to remain in the European Union back in 2016, she had found herself to be the preferred candidate of the vast majority of Brexiteers in her party.

Her victory was smaller than expected, Conservatives who

supported both candidates are privately admitting. It had been predicted by many that her margin of victory would be larger than the 18 percentage points announced on Monday afternoon.

In terms of her premiership, this could mean that she cannot run roughshod over her MPs, who voted in greater numbers for Sunak than Truss in the parliamentary part of this leadership contest.

And Truss could find that she has to accommodate a wider range of views from her party, which could mean embracing Sunak's ideas for helping Britons with the cost-ofliving crisis and a less aggressive approach to tax cuts -- especially corporation tax.

Many Conservative MPs are privately worried that Truss's modern-day Thatcherism could cost them the next election and will be leaping on the surprisingly low margin of victory to encourage the next PM to soften her economic stance.

The opposition Labour Party immediately dismissed her arguments, saying in a statement, "after years serving in Tory cabinets, nodding through the decisions that got us into this mess, Liz Truss simply doesn't have the answers to this crisis."

Throughout her political career, especially during the leadership contest, Truss has been compared to Thatcher, who, for many on the right, remains the benchmark for Conservative leaders. She was a tax-cutting, hard-nosed leader who took on the unions and played a

large role in ending the Cold War. Like Thatcher, Truss has come from relatively humble beginnings to dominate a world inhabited largely by men.

Analysts were skeptical that Truss's tax-cutting policies would do much help citizens, especially after a decade of austerity policies.

The Institute for Fiscal studies, an independent research group focusing on public finances, said last month that the leadership contestants, who were both promising tax cuts and smaller government spending, "need to recognise this even greater-than-usual uncertainty in the public finances."

Meanwhile, former Vice President and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar yesterday commended Truss emergence, saying he was willing to work with her if elected Nigeria’s president next year.

Reacting to her election, Atiku said: "The United Kingdom has proven, yet again, the resilient power of democracy.

"The election of MP Liz Truss as leader of the Conservative Party was a hard-fought process, but the ultimate winners are the people of the United Kingdom.

"I join all other friends of the UK to celebrate this moment.

"I equally look forward to an enhanced partnership of the new leadership of the Conservative Party with Nigeria and African countries in the areas of human capital development, trade and strengthening democracy and the integrity of elections," Atiku said in his verified Twitter handle.

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POLITICS

Acting Group Politics Editor DEJI ELUMOYE Email: deji.elumoye@thisdaylive.com (08033025611 SMS ONLY)

As Court Clears Jang of Misappropriation Allegations...

In this piece, Seriki Adinoyi examines EFCC’s case against ex-Governor Jonah Jang of Plateau State, and the travail he went through, before being discharged and acquitted of misappropriation allegations by an high court

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itting the nail right on the head, the presiding judge said “The court does not find any evidence of dishonesty as to resolve the matter in favour of the prosecution. The prosecution has not discharged the burden of these counts to warrant the accused being found guilty as charged.”

Those were the final words that discharged and acquitted the former Governor of Plateau State, Senator Jonah David Jang and the former cashier in the office of the Secretary to the State Government, Mr. Yusuf Pam, of the 17-count charge levelled against them by the Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC).

What immediately followed was a high jubilation that rocked the entire court premises.

Not even the stern looking security personnel could control the jubilant crowd that went agog.

The atmosphere had been tense around the court premises when the people woke up to meet that the entire court area was cordoned off by fierce looking ant-riot security men, presumably to whisk away anyone that attempt to protest the outcome of the judgement, but alas, it was not a protest but rather a high jubilation.

The incident immediately reminded one of the scripture that says ‘when the righteous prospers the people rejoices’. The entire Jos went viral with the news; young and old, both took the news and ran to their neighbours with it.

In a jiffy, the internet space was bombarded.

But as if to cut short the excitement, the EFCC furiously and curiously issued a statement assuring that the judgement will be appealed; in fact, it added that it has commenced the process already. But that didn’t deter anyone as the excitement escalated like wild fire.

Perhaps, the spontaneous excitement was predicated on the fact that many saw the entire prosecution as a needless political witch-hunt, especially for a Jang that has been adjudged the best Governor Plateau has ever had, in every ramification, since the time of J D Gomwalk.

The testimonies of his good governance are in every nook and cranny of the state.One would have taught that such a leading light should

Jang

have been celebrated and have his name imprinted across the state, but politics is a bitch! Nigeria politics will want to smear your name, drag you in the mud, and make a mess of every good achievement a man in the opposition has ever made.

That seems to be the case of Jang. A Governor, who was in September, 2008 commended by the same EFCC, under Mrs. Farida Waziri for transparent and prudent management of the state’s resources is now the one being prosecuted by the same commission.

What has now changed? Analysts took to the radio the morning after the judgement to express their minds on the entire trial, describing it as mere witch-hunt. They also tried to interpret Justice Christy Dabup’s judgement and indeed concluded that the EFCC had no business going to the court with the case. They concluded that the anti-graft commission did not do its proper investigations before hurry-

ing to the court with prosecution, adding that its action must have been driven by political sentiments so much that it didn’t bother to do due diligence.

In fact, an analyst described what the anti-graft commission did as wasting tax-payers money in driving after frivolities, adding that if the monies used in pursuing the case were personal funds, no one would have embarked on such a white goose chase. It’s really unfortunate.

Jang’s travail began in the build-up to the 2015 elections when he made a choice of GNS Pwajok to succeed him. He literally incurred the wrath of Plateau people who felt it was an affront on the other tribes in the state for Jang to have anointed his kinsman to take over from him after ruling the state for eight years.

Every good deed and all the development he brought to the state became secondary as the people, including his party members worked against the victory of his candidate, paving way for the least expected candidate, Mr. Simon Lalong, to take the day. Lalong became Governor by protest votes against Jang and his candidate.

As far as Plateau was concerned, it didn’t matter who became Governor; whether good or bad, so long as it was not Jang’s candidate.

Upon emergence of Lalong as the governorelect, Jang invited him to a meeting to plan on handover but he allegedly turned down the invitation possibly for fear of the unknown thereby further heightening the already tensed situation. It took the frantic mediation of some clerics led by Rev. Gideon Para-Mallam, to bring the duo to meet for handover notes.

Jang also was not at the stadium for the inauguration ceremony of Lalong possibly because he feared that Lalong may instigate his supporters against him at the venue. On assumption of office, Lalong also did not hide his emotions, and had allegedly vowed to jail Jang and make sure to recover all ‘looted funds’ that belong to the state.

Driven by such emotions and political sentiments, errors are bound to occur; rumours and false allegations sold out to the public. Of course, that always happen when emotions

override reasoning, Lalong is not an exception.

It was gathered that the state government, in its letter-headed paper wrote a petition signed by the Secretary to the State Government (SSG) to the EFCC and ICPC pressuring them to go after Jang. Well, there would have been nothing wrong about that, if the state actually found anything incriminating, especially when it has to do with recovering funds belonging to the state, but where it is driven by emotions and political sentiments it ends in pitfalls.

When Jang was eventually arrested, he was kept in EFCC custody for about ten days. The anti-graft agents initially wanted to try him in Abuja, but they were prevailed upon to take the case to Jos. In Jos, the case was assigned to Justice Daniel Longji of High Court-5. Longji was Attorney General and Commissioner of Justice to former Governor Joshua Dariye, a known political rival to Jang. Indeed, it was Dariye that appointed Longji as a judge of the state High Court. When the case came before Justice Longji in May 2018, he denied Jang’s application for bail. He said after listening to the parties he has no doubt in his mind that the case was a sensitive and contentious one which should be adjourned to a later date for ruling.

He therefore ordered that Jang be reminded in Jos prison for ten days to punish him. Jang supporters considered this as a subtle way by Justice Longji to take his pound of flesh. They were disappointed that despite the written application for that was made available, the presiding judge insisted that Jang be remanded in prison. He was later granted bail in the sum of N100m bail with two sureties, one of which must be a first-class traditional ruler within the jurisdiction of the court. Jang however said that his brief stay in prison “has been a rare privilege by all standards of estimation, to be granted the opportunity to share the gospel of our Lord and Saviour to many souls I met in captivity.”

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

Ahead of Inauguration, Oyebanji Engages Ekiti Stakeholders Raheem Akingbolu writes on the relevance of the recent visit of Ekiti state Governor-elect, Biodun Oyebanji, to leaders and critical stakeholders of the state ahead of his inauguration on October 16

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s is common to politicians who win elections in Nigeria, political pundits and observers of Ekiti politics had concluded that the state’s Governor-elect, Biodun Abayomi Oyebanji, would travel abroad to rest following the tedious months of campaigns.

Surprisingly, however, this was not to be as Oyebanji hit the ground running immediately by coming up with an unusual initiative tagged thank you tour.

The tour, which was in three phases included visits to prominent indigenes of the state, traditional rulers, politicians and pressure groups.

Perhaps to justify his politics without bitterness principle, the visit was also extended to leaders of other political parties, including state leader of the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) and former governor, Dr Ayodele Fayose, the PDP gubernatorial candidate in the June 18 election, Bisi Kolawole and former deputy governors; Chief Paul Alabi and Prof. Olusola Eleka.

He also visited prominent indigenes of Ekiti State like the legal icons; Chief Afe Babalola (SAN), Chairman, Body of Benchers, Chief Wole Olanipekun (SAN), Human Rights Lawyer, Mr Femi Falana (SAN) and a former General Secretary, of the Nigerian Bar Association, Mr Dele Adesina (SAN).

Others are; Chief Deji Fasuan, the nonagenarian elder statesman who chaired the committee for the creation of Ekiti State, under whom he (Oyebanji) served as Secretary, as well as the Ewi of Ado-Ekiti, HRM, Oba Rufus Adeyemo Adejugbe, Mr. Babafemi Ojudu, Prince Julius Adelusi- Adeluyi and Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Mr. Yinka Alabi.

Oyebanji

According to Oyebanji, the visit was conceived to unite Ekiti indigenes and rally their support towards contributing their quota to the development of the state. He explained further that though he was coming to office through the APC platform; his responsibility is to provide leadership to all, regardless of political leaning.

“To take Ekiti to an enviable height, we must do away with unnecessary politicking in governance. Ours is a unique state and if our human potentials and resources are well harnessed, we can be sure of prosperity. As Ekiti governor, I want to work for the

general good of my people without allowing unnecessary pettiness to stand barrier, hence the need to embrace all”, he told journalists.

During his visit to the Lagos residence of former Governor Fayose, the governor-elect said the visit was to extend courtesies to the former governor, who, according to him, demonstrated statesmanship by congratulating him shortly after he was declared winner of the June 18 election. While receiving Oyebanji, Fayose urged him to be magnanimous in victory and to see himself as the Governor of Ekiti State and leader of the people regardless of their political affiliation. He promised to support Oyebanji’s administration in whatever area his support would be needed, adding that the development of Ekiti State is a collective effort.

It must be noted, however, that prior to his visit to the Ikeja, Lagos residence of Fayose, Oyebanji had visited the incumbent Governor, Dr Kayode Fayemi in Ado-Ekiti, a day after the Nigeria Governors Forum led two other APC governors to visit him at his Ikogosi Ekiti country home.

Few days after visiting Fayemi, Oyebanji also visited the first civilian Governor of the State, and current Minister of Investment, Trade and Industry, Otunba Niyi Adebayo, at his Iyin-Ekiti country home. Both Fayemi and Adebayo are regarded as Oyebanji’s mentors in politics.

On his visit to the trios of Olanipekun, Falana and Adesina, all legal titans, Oyebanji said the visit was in continuation of his earlier resolve to close ranks with passionate Ekiti leaders and carry them along as he pilots the affairs of the state.

“I have chosen to visit three of our legal icons

from Ekiti, who are making us proud. I must confess, each of them made my day through the quality advice they offered and their willingness to support Ekiti State anytime the need arises.

“This is necessary because development and good governance can only be enhanced when every stakeholder contribute to nation building,” Speaking during the visit to his Ikoyi, Lagos office, Olanipekun said Oyebanji’s emergence as Governor-elect is not by accident, considering his (Oyebanji’s) involvement in the struggle that led to the creation of Ekiti State and his 11 years experience in government of the State.

According to him: “The Governor-elect is a brother in whom I’m well pleased. He is a rare gift to our dear state and I’m not surprised that God in his wisdom has thrown him up to become our governor. I first met him many years ago, when, at a very tender age, he joined the Ekiti leaders and traditional rulers who championed the struggle for the creation of Ekiti State. I later met him when he was appointed into office by the first executive governor of the State, Otunba Niyi Adebayo. It didn’t take me an hour after the first conversation to know that he would go places.

“He’s intelligent, brilliant, humble and sincere to a fault. Besides, having served in various positions in Ekiti for 11 years, I don’t know any individual who can beat that record today and possess those unique attributes I see in Abiodun.

I’m happy for this visit and I have assured him of my support any day,” NOTE: Interested readers should continue in the online edition on www.thisdaylive.com

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SPECIALREPORT

Buhari: Unburdening Nigeria from Wrongful Contractual Agreements The recent resolution of the Ajaokuta Steel dispute after 14 years of international litigation, is an attestation to President Muhammadu Buhari’s efforts at freeing Nigeria from foreign debts occasioned by wrongful contractual Agreements. Alex Enumah writes

President Muhammadu Buhari

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here’s a swirling belief that most of Nigeria’s foreign debt are attributable to bad contracts entered into by the previous administration. Thus, the President Muhammadu Buhari administration, from day one, did not hesitate to free the country from many of these humongous debts by challenging suspected agreements in various international arbitrations and engaging in meaningful negotiations to resolve genuine ones.

The Minister of Finance, Mrs. Zainab Ahmed, once said, “Our national debt is not only a function of sovereign borrowings – it is swelled by legal claims brought as a result of contractual disputes”. She added that, “Terminating bad contracts is often as costly as entering into bad contracts”.

The actual figure of Nigeria’s foreign debt attributed to contractual dispute, arguably, is running into several trillions of naira that is capable of making the country go bankrupt if not well managed. For example, the current judgment debt allegedly owed to Process and Industrial Development (P&ID) is put around $10 billion, which if converted, with today’s exchange rate at the parallel market, is about N7 trillion.

This is just one of the country’s legal battles occasioned by faulty contractual agreements entered into by previous administrations.

But for the timely intervention of the Buhari administration, Nigeria’s assets across the world would have been frozen by now, further crippling the nation’s economy.

Besides the P&ID arbitration, other cases that could see to the seizure of Nigeria’s assets abroad include the Ajaokuta Steel dispute that also threatened about $10 billion in damages.

The good news, however, is that the legal battle between Nigeria and the foreign firm, Global Steel Group has been finally put to rest, with Nigeria gaining over 90 per cent reduction in the original claim by the complainant.

Like the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mr Abubakar Malami, SAN disclosed few days back, “Nigeria ended up paying $496 millions rather than $5.2 billion.

It is worthy of note that, just like the P&ID

Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami dispute, the Global Steel dispute was not generated by this administration despite her efforts at resolving them. The deal was first brokered by the President Olusegun Obasanjo administration in July 2003, with the concessioning of the Ajaokuta Steel Company to SOLGAS (along with contracts to build a gas facility and a 2,300MW power plant), for $3.6 billion.

The 10-year concession contract, was meant to achieve the rehabilitation, completion, commissioning and operation of the steel complex, unfortunately, it was later cancelled, on the grounds of non-performance, and a new bidding process started.

Following the cancellation of the agreement, the Obasanjo administration, in 2004, then unveiled BUA International as winner of the new bidding process for the concession of Ajaokuta. Again, the administration cancelled the process, before finally granting the contract to Global Steel Holdings (GSH), through a subsidiary, Global Infrastructure Nigeria Limited (GINL).

As a result of the development, Solgas in December 2004, initiated arbitration proceeding against Nigeria in the International Chamber of Commerce, seeking the sum of $15m damages. It should be stated that, Obasanjo between 2004 and 2007, granted a total of five major contracts to GINL, as part of so-called privatization reforms.

It should also be noted that in addition to Ajaokuta and NIOMCO, other contracts granted GSH/GINL covered the Delta Steel Company, Nigerian Mining and Iron Ore Company (NIOMCO), and the Warri-Itakpe Railway.

For some reasons, the administration of Musa Yar’Adua, upon coming to power terminated all the 5 GINL contracts in April 1, 2008, contrary to legal advice by the Federal Ministry of Justice.

Commenting on the issue just after the settlement of the debt, Malami argued that, “Had the federal government waited

55 more days, it would have been able to lawfully terminate all the contracts at ZERO cost to the federal government of Nigeria. In fact, FGN would have had the right, from May 25, 2008 (the first anniversary of the signing of the Ajaokuta and NIOMCO Share Sales and Purchase Agreement), not only to terminate the Agreement, but also to claim more than US$ 26 million in liquidated damages, under Clause 12 of the Agreement, as the company appeared unable to pay the first tranche for the shares as agreed.”

But government’s failure subsequently resulted in a legal tussle at the International Court of Arbitration, London, where Nigeria was accused of wrongful termination and breach of contract. When the Goodluck Jonathan administration came on board, it opted for an out-of-court settlement in 2012, based on legal advice that potential cost of the termination could be humongous.

The administration then set up a Negotiating Team in 2013, where a Framework Settlement Agreement (FSA) was reached between FGN and GSH/GINL. Unfortunately, the Jonathan administration did not execute/implement the agreement before leaving office in 2015.

Among the terms of the 2013 FSA were, Re-concession NIOMCO to GlNL for 7 years, and draw up a Modified Concession Agreement (MCA) to this effect; Retrieve Ajaokuta from GINL. When the Buhari administration came on board, in 2016, it initiated a further review/negotiation of the MCA for NIOMCO, to achieve more favorable terms for Nigeria, as part of the overall FSA. The Buhari administration also commenced the execution of the Jonathan administration’s FSA, along with the Buhari’s MCA. According to the federal government, at the time, “execution of the agreements marks the commencement of process to liberate Ajaokuta Steel Plant from every arbitral encumbrance with GINL, which had held it bound since 2008.”

However, Global Steel Holdings (GSH)

in 2020, threatened resumption of the ICC arbitration in abeyance, with a cost implication of as much as $10-14 billion in potential damages against FG, in respect of all the five contracts that were cancelled by the Yar’Adua administration.

As part of consideration, Global Steel’s legal representatives, King and Spalding, eventually advanced a reduced claim of $5.258 billion in ICC-led mediation under Mr. Phillip HowellRichardson.

Malami stated that, “For this process Nigeria signed on Dr Tunde Ogowewo, a barrister (and senior academic at King’s College London), to advise the FGN through the process of the final and full resolution of the arbitral claims. He produced a 1,000-page report on the case. PwCNigeria was also engaged by the Nigerian government during the process.”

Following resolution of the dispute on August 19, 2022, Nigeria on Sunday then announced settlement of the $5.258 billion claim in mediation under the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) ADR framework, for $496m – less than 10 per cent of the original sum being claimed.

“By this settlement, the Buhari administration, has rescued the Nigerian steel, iron ore and rail industries from a variety of interminable and complex disputes with Global Steel Holdings (GSH) and Global Infrastructure Nigeria Limited (GINL), as well as saved Nigerian taxpayers and the treasury from the significant damages that would have ensued,” Malami stated.

In his own reaction, Minister of Mines and Steel Development, Olamilekan Adegbite, advised that, “Future arrangements – sale or concessions – must be carried out with the interest of the nation at heart and in compliance with the law,” adding that, “If we fail, our steel sector will produce more litigation than steel.”

Malami, in conclusion, recommended the Ogowewo’s report with Reference: 15539/ VRO/AGF/ZF/TO/AZR/SPN, “as a guide to successive governments on how to avoid such contractual disputes and where they occur, how to reach cost-effective savings for the benefit of the Nigerian taxpayer.”

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Tuesday September 6, 2022 Vol 27. No 10010

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opinion@thisdaylive.com

www.thisdaylive.com

LESSONS FROM KENYA FOR NIGERIA HENRY EWUNONU commends the swift manner the Supreme Court handled the dispute arising from the Presidential election

See page 21 IN SEARCH OF NATIONAL COHESION AND DEVELOPMENT Captain Hosa’s maiden memorial lecture stirs the need for unity in diversity, write IFETAYO ADENIYI and PATRICK OCHOGA

See page 21

EDITORIAL ENTER PRIME MINISTER LIZ TRUSS

See page 22

1

PAUL NWABUIKWU argues for a balanced assessment of the late Soviet leader

YOUR GORBACHEV IS DIFFERENT FROM MINE The international (read: western) media has responded to the passing of former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev RQ $XJXVW ZLWK WKH NLQG RI HͿXVLYH eulogies not seen since the death of Nelson Mandela. In their worshipful estimation, Gorbachev who died at 91 was not only an important global leader of the 20th century who played a leading role in the events that ended the Cold War but the closest thing to a political saint. The summary of the wall-to-wall coverage of Gorbachev’s life and impact goes something like this: Once upon a time, there was an evil empire called the Soviet Union. Their leaders were brutal thugs who oppressed their people, killed and imprisoned those who dared to challenge the dictatorship.

Then, somehow, miraculously, like the apparitions climbing out of graves in Michael Jackson’s Thriller video, a younger, open-minded leader emerged from the mire of the evil system. The greatest miracle was that he could smile! He made friends with leaders of the free nations DQG DJUHHG WR VWRS ÀJKWLQJ $QG ZKHQ WKH RSSUHVVHG SHRSOH LQ IDU ÁXQJ SDUWV opted for freedom, he did not stop them.

The evil empire proceeded to collapse, and the world, at least the free part of it, lived happily until another evil leader called Vladmir Putin emerged…

Ok I confess to some exaggeration – but not much.

The western media’s rose-tinted analysis of Gorbachev’s legacy and the context of his emergence is, of course, not the full story. While it is true that the defunct Soviet Union, especially under Joseph Stalin who replaced founding leader Vladmir Lenin in 1924, was a brutal totalitarian dictatorship, the inspiration for George Orwell’s dystopian book 1984, the west was far from a pristine land of freedom. Let us consider a few facts.

In 1924, the year Stalin bulldozed his way to power, African Americans in the American South were in the thick of the Jim Crow era of enforced racial segregation which replaced the glorious freedoms won under Lincoln with newly imposed cruelties that lasted nearly a century. It was not until the late 1960s that constitutional HTXDOLW\ ÀQDOO\ EHFDPH D UHDOLW\ XQGHU Lyndon Johnson.

The two world wars that followed earlier in the century led to America’s dominance of the global economy and rise as the leader of the west and ultimately the rest of the world. But for the majority of the nonCaucasian, non-western world, it was not a glorious tale of freedom. The response of FRORQL]LQJ QDWLRQV WR WKH HͿRUWV RI FRORQL]HG peoples to achieve independence was often harsh as they were put down with force. Brutality was combined with divide DQG UXOH SROLFLHV WKDW VRZHG GLVDͿHFWLRQ

encouraging resentment and divisions that shredded societies that had lived in peace for centuries. The terrible consequences are still visible in many post-independent nations today. In places like Belgian Congo and Portuguese Angola and Mozambique, LQKXPDQLW\ ZDV LQVWLWXWLRQDOL]HG FRGLÀHG in laws and practices that subjected human beings to beastly conditions.

The cynical policies of the western nations did not end with independence. Coups were executed by the CIA in alliance with various western governments to remove leaders who did not fall in line or were too friendly with the Soviets. The assassination of such leaders was a favourite component of “foreign policy”. Patrice Lumumba in the Congo. Salvador Allende in Chile.

Omar Torijos in Panama. Mohammad Mossadegh, the Prime Minister of Iran who was removed in favour of the more pliant Shah of Iran was comparatively luckier. He was allowed to leave with his life. These are just a few examples of leaders removed and/or murdered by the guardians of democracy and freedom for standing up for their nations.

This very short sprint through the 20th century brings us to the period of Gorbachev’s emergence as Russia’s leader in 1985 with the title of General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union. Nelson Mandela was still in prison that year, with six more years to go before his release in 1991 and subsequent election DV SUHVLGHQW IROORZLQJ WKH ÀUVW PXOWL UDFLDO elections in 1994. Ronald Reagan was LQ WKH ÀUVW \HDU RI KLV VHFRQG WHUP DV 86 president. His ideological ally, Margaret Thatcher was British prime minister. Both were staunch supporters of the apartheid regime that treated the majority black population as third-class citizens in their

Gorbachev is a hero to the west because the changes that he unleashed helped them to win the Cold War without the nightmare scenario of mutually assured destruction. I’m a firm believer that Africa must think for itself and act for itself. And that’s why we must interrogate what his legacy means for Africa

own country. Reagan pronounced America the “light on the hill” of freedom and democracy but the illumination was not permitted to lighten the savage gloom of apartheid. Even as the racist politics seared the conscience of the world, Thatcher was the enthusiastic protective nanny of the perpetrators.

The implication of the above is that the narrow western media analysis of Gorbachev’s legacy in the wake of his death needs to be balanced with a wider, more nuanced perspective that includes the rest of the world. Gorbachev is a hero to the west because the changes that he unleashed helped them to win the Cold War without the nightmare scenario of PXWXDOO\ DVVXUHG GHVWUXFWLRQ ,·P D ÀUP believer that Africa must think for itself and act for itself. And that’s why we must interrogate what his legacy means for Africa.

Gorbachev’s emergence did have some VLJQLÀFDQW LPSDFW RQ $IULFD %XW LW ZDV mostly indirect because perestroika and glasnost had no place for Africa because he was focused on saving his country by salvaging the crumbling Soviet economy.

That was why he ended the Soviet Union’s support of leftist governments and liberation movements in southern Africa ZKLFK KH GHHPHG XQDͿRUGDEOH $V 0D[LP Matusevich, Professor and Director, Russian and East European Studies Program, Seton Hall University put it: “Under the weight of its own economic troubles the Soviet Union cut down dramatically on foreign aid and withdrew from the continent.”

Some good came out of it. Some corrupt regimes – notably Mengistu Haile Mariam in Ethiopia and Mobutu Sese Seko – collapsed as a result. Gorbachev’s rapprochement with the west removed the incentive for the Soviets and the west to support unviable client states in the new climate of peace. But there were some negatives too. Some experts believe that the instability precipitated by Gorbachev’s pullback contributed much later to the events that led to the Rwandan genocide and the state failure in Somalia. Overall, that without the balance provided by Soviet ideological, military and economic rivalry, western African policy became less sensitive and more exploitative.

Therefore, the slant of the reporting and analysis of Gorbachev’s legacy should be a reminder that Africa must learn to tell its own story from the perspective of its own KLVWRU\ DQG GHÀQHG LQWHUHVWV UDWKHU WKDQ parrot the opinion of the “international media” which is not always as international as advertised.

Nwabuikwu is a member of THISDAY Editorial Board

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TUESDAY SEPTEMBER 6, 2022

HENRY EWUNONU commends the swift manner the Supreme Court handled the dispute arising from the Presidential election

Captain Hosa’s maiden memorial lecture stirs the need for unity in diversity, write IFETAYO ADENIYI and PATRICK OCHOGA

LESSONS FROM KENYA FOR NIGERIA

IN SEARCH OF NATIONAL COHESION AND DEVELOPMENT

The Kenyan presidential election ZKLFK KHOG IHZ ZHHNV DJR ZDV ÀHUFHO\ contested and as expected, the outcome was challenged on the streets in parts RI WKH FRXQWU\ DQG XOWLPDWHO\ DW WKH 6XSUHPH &RXUW RI .HQ\D Kenya led in many respects with RUJDQLVDWLRQ RI WKH HOHFWLRQV 'LDVSRUD voting, electronic collation and WUDQVPLVVLRQ DQG ÀQDOO\ WUDQVSDUHQW WDOO\LQJ RI UHVXOWV ZHUH DFNQRZOHGJHG as revolutionary. In the court, diligent prosecution and meticulous attention SDLG LQ DGMXGLFDWLQJ WKH FDVH ZLWKLQ D GD\V ZLQGRZ PDNHV .HQ\DQ MXGLFLDO sector stand out. Continuous quality LPSURYHPHQW LV WKH KDOOPDUN RI D

are given and declarations made while SDUWLHV DUH UHIHUUHG WR D ODWHU GDWH IRU WKH IXOO WUDQVFULSW RI WKH MXGJPHQW 7KHUH·V D QHHG WR UH H[DPLQH RQFH DJDLQ WKLV practice.

7KH MXGJPHQW ZDV GHOLYHUHG RSHQO\ DQG HYHQ WHOHYLVHG EHIRUH WKH ZKROH ZLGH world. ,Q 1LJHULD ZH DGYDQFH LVVXHV RI VDIHW\ RI WKH OLYHV RI WKH MXGLFLDO R΀FHUV 'R WKH OLYHV RI .HQ\DQ MXULVWV PDWWHU OHVV" 0RVW WLPHV MRXUQDOLVWV VWUXJJOH WR WKH SRLQW RI YLROHQW FRQIURQWDWLRQV ZLWK VHFXULW\ DJHQWV WR FRYHU SURFHHGLQJV RI FHOHEUDWHG cases. Greater transparency may help LQ GLVSHOOLQJ XQIRXQGHG UXPRXUV DQG IDNH QHZV LQ RXU SROLW\ ,W·OO DOVR EH JUHDW

society or institution that steers towards excellence.

7KH HͿRUWV RI WKH ,1(& LQ 1LJHULD WR PDNH HOHFWLRQV VDIHU IUHHU IDLUHU DQG more credible deserves mention but the pace must be quickened as no nation VWDQGV VWDWLRQDU\ WR ZDLW IRU FUDZOLQJ ones.

The Presidential election petition was only heard at the Supreme Court.

This saved time and ensured that the PDWWHU UHFHLYHG WKH DWWHQWLRQ RI SUREDEO\ Kenyan’s most experience Jurists.

Nigeria’s start at the Presidential Election 7ULEXQDO GRPLFLOHG DW WKH &RXUW RI Appeal and ends at the Supreme Court.

This takes time though some will argue WKDW LW SURYLGHV URRP IRU JUHDWHU VFUXWLQ\ DQG MXGLFLDO UHYLHZ ,Q 1LJHULD LW·G KDYH taken up to three months to consolidate the petitions and possibly rule on preliminary matters.

The whole processes leading to ZULWLQJ WKH MXGJPHQW ZDV FRQFOXGHG ZLWKLQ GD\V 7KH ODQG PDVV RI .HQ\D LV DSSUR[LPDWHO\ .P , while 1LJHULD LV DSSUR[LPDWHO\ .P about 59% larger than Kenya. This may PDNH PDWWHUV PRUH GL΀FXOW KHUH EXW VKRXOG LW GUDJ IRU PRUH WKDQ VL[ PRQWKV WR GLVSHQVH ZLWK WKH FDVHV" 7KH FKLHI -XGJH RI .HQ\D 0DUWKD .RRPH HYHQ SURPLVHG WR UHOHDVH WR WKH MRXUQDOLVW D VXPPDU\ RI WKH MXGJPHQW WR DVVLVW LQ WKH GLVVHPLQDWLRQ RI LWV MXGJPHQW LQ WKH media. ,Q 1LJHULD VRPHWLPHV MXGJPHQWV

IRU 1LJHULDQV WR SXW D IDFH WR WKH QDPHV RI VRPH EDG HJJV LQ RXU MXGLFLDO VHFWRU whose pronouncements have continued to ridicule the nation.

7KH 6XSUHPH &RXUW RI .HQ\D PD\ QRW have all the ambience and convenience WR DLG WKHLU MRE $W D SRLQW GXULQJ WKH televised proceeding, an electric standing IDQ KDG WR EH EURXJKW LQ QHDU WKH &KLHI Judge who may be perspiring to make KLP PRUH FRPIRUWDEOH :KLOH LQVLVWLQJ WKDW HQDEOLQJ HQYLURQPHQW EH FUHDWHG IRU R΀FLDOV RI 6WDWH WR UHQGHU WKHLU DVVLJQHG roles, many in our country over dramatise WKH LQDGHTXDF\ RI DPHQLWLHV VR PXFK DV using it to attempt to explain our under SHUIRUPDQFH 3DWULRWLVP VKRXOG GULYH RXU DFWLRQV HYHQ LQ WKH IDFH RI OLPLWDWLRQV )LQDOO\ WKH PDQ LQ WKH H\HV RI WKH storm, the petitioner VP Raila Odinga, KDV VZLIWO\ UHDFWHG WR WKH MXGJHPHQW He said he respects but disagrees with WKH MXGJHPHQW 7KLV KDV SURYLGHG VRPH intelligence to security agencies as to ZKHUH DQG KRZ WR IRUHVWDOO SRVVLEOH EUHDNRXW RI XQUHVWV 7KLV OHYHO RI proactivity most times is lacking in Nigeria as security agencies respond UDWKHU WKDQ SUHYHQW RXWEUHDNV RI YLROHQFH %LJ IRU QRWKLQJ LV D WHUULEOH DOLDV .HQ\D LV QRW 1LJHULD EXW 1LJHULD FDQ OHDUQ IRU SRVLWLYH GHYHORSPHQWV FRPLQJ IURP there.

Dr. Ewunonu writes from Abuja

There is no gainsaying that to a large extent RXU TXHVW IRU QDWLRQDO XQLW\ DQG GHYHORSPHQW KDV EHHQ WKUHDWHQHG E\ RXU PXOWL GLPHQVLRQDO GLͿHUHQFHV DQG GLYHUVLW\ DV D FRXQWU\ Our diversity since Nigeria’s independence has equally been mismanaged by successive administrations over time and sadly, that has SOD\HG D QHJDWLYH IDFWRU LQ IRVWHULQJ QDWLRQDO unity among Nigerians.

7KH ODFN RI FRKHVLRQ RU RQHQHVV KDV DOVR VWXQWHG RXU GHYHORSPHQW ZKLFK IXHOOHG GHVSRQGHQF\ DQG IUXVWUDWLRQ DFURVV WKH ODQG Today, the privileged and the downtrodden DUH IDFHG ZLWK D EOHDN IXWXUH DQG IHDU RI the unknown which has sparked national conversation on the need to redirect the nation RQ WKH SDWK RI JURZWK DQG GHYHORSPHQW The Capt Hosa memorial lecture as put together by the children came at a time when WKHUH LV D QHHG WR UH HFKR LVVXHV WKDW ELQG XV together as a nation. +RVD GXULQJ KLV OLIH VRMRXUQ RQ HDUWK LGHQWLÀHG VWURQJO\ WRZDUGV WKH GHYHORSPHQW RI KLV IDWKHUODQG RZLQJ WR KLV ORYH SDVVLRQ and commitment to add value to the economic WUDQVIRUPDWLRQ RI WKH FRXQWU\ ZKLFK KH GLG DQG OHIW D ODVWLQJ OHJDF\ ZRUWK\ RI HPXODWLRQ Expectedly, the occasion attracted the crème de la crème at a well decorated parked hall at the prestigious Well Carlton Hotel & Apartments. $PRQJ WKH QRWDEOH JXHVWV DUH IRUPHU 3UHVLGHQW *RRGOXFN -RQDWKDQ DQG KLV ZLIH 'DPH 3DWLHQFH -RQDWKDQ IRUPHU (GR 6WDWH Governor, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole; 2OX RI :DUUL NLQJGRP +LV 0DMHVW\ 2JLDPH $WXZDWVH ,,, DQG ZLIH 2ORUL $WXZDWVH ,,, 6HQ 'LQR 0DOD\H 'HLQ RI $JERU %HQMDPLQ ,NHQFKXNZX IRUPHU PLQLVWHU RI (GXFDWLRQ 'U Obiageli Ezekwesili and APC gubernatorial FDQGLGDWH IRU JRYHUQRUVKLS HOHFWLRQ LQ Rivers State, Mr Tonye Cole.

6HWWLQJ WKH WRQH IRU WKH HYHQW IRUPHU President Goodluck Jonathan traced some RI ZKDW KDV EHFRPH DQ DOEDWURVV WR RXU development to past leaders whom he posited were not nationalist, but regional champions.

He charged Nigerians to be circumspect in WKH H[HUFLVH RI WKHLU YRWLQJ ULJKWV VD\LQJ ´:H PXVW VKLIW DZD\ IURP WKH SROLWLFV RI EUHDG DQG butter.” ,Q ZKDW DSSHDUV OLNH D YDLQ UHIHUHQFH WR H[RQHUDWH WKH SUHVHQW OHDGHUV WKH IRUPHU president stated that they inherited a country that was already balkanised into three regions DQG ODWHU IRXU UHJLRQV ´, EHOLHYH WKDW WKH OHJDF\ RI QDWLRQKRRG DQG URRWV RI XQLW\ ZHUH ZHDN at Nigeria’s independence and not much has EHHQ GRQH VLQFH WKHQ WR VWUHQJWKHQ WKH EDVH RI the union. ´7KH GHFLVLRQ WR VKLIW DZD\ IURP WKH UHJLRQDO DUUDQJHPHQW WR D QDWLRQDO IRFXV where Nigerians will begin to see their country DV WKHLU FRPPRQ KHULWDJH QHHGV D GLͿHUHQW orientation, planning, strategy and adaptation.

“My charge to Nigerians is to be circumspect LQ WKH H[HUFLVH RI WKHLU YRWLQJ ULJKWV :H PXVW VKLIW DZD\ IURP WKH SROLWLFV RI EUHDG DQG EXWWHU and ensure that we do not elect leaders that will buy our conscience today and mortgage WKH IXWXUH RI RXU FKLOGUHQ DQG JUDQGFKLOGUHQ We should endeavour to elect only those WKDW ZLOO OHDYH OHJDFLHV RI XQLW\ SHDFH DQG development.” &RQWLQXLQJ WKH IRUPHU SUHVLGHQW FRQWHQG “I have seen people contend that the nation’s SRVW LQGHSHQGHQFH OHDGHUV LQYHVWHG PRUH LQ nurturing their ethnic proclivities than they GLG LQ ZDWHULQJ WKH WUHH RI XQLW\ SDWULRWLVP DQG national pride.

“While some people may not agree with

this notion, I however believe that a heterogeneous country like Nigeria needs to have woven an acceptable mesh around its variegated population.

“That way, it will be able to harness DQG UDOO\ WKH ÀQH SRLQWV RI LWV GLYHUVLW\ IRU positive growth and development. Such D QDWLRQ DQG LWV OHDGHUV WKHUHIRUH FDQQRW DͿRUG WR OD\ XQGXH HPSKDVLV RQ LWV HWKQR sectional coloration.

“I believe that even at independence WKH PLVPDQDJHPHQW RI WKH VSLULW EHKLQG the three regions, North, East and Western region, and later Midwestern region ended up widening the cleavages that threaten national cohesion. This may have DͿHFWHG WKH NLQG RI OHJDF\ OHIW E\ RXU SRVW LQGHSHQGHQFH OHDGHUV HVSHFLDOO\ LQ managing our diverse tribes, tongues and IDLWK “In Nigeria it is very common to hear scholars emphasise that Nigeria is not a nation. I believe that those who hold on to WKLV SRVLWLRQ RIWHQ FLWH WKH YLHZV RI VRPH RI RXU OHDGHUV DW LQGHSHQGHQFH HVSHFLDOO\ DV VRPH RI WKH VWDWHPHQWV FUHGLWHG WR WKHP tended to have placed more premium on ethnic nationalities other than the nation called Nigeria.

“However, as I pointed out earlier, many countries, like Nigeria, are made XS RI GLͿHUHQW FXOWXUDO DQG OLQJXLVWLF QDWLRQDOLWLHV 7KH GLͿHUHQFH LV WKDW ZKLOH PDQ\ RI WKHVH FRXQWULHV KDYH RYHUFRPH WKH QHJDWLYH PDQLIHVWDWLRQV RI XQGXH HWKQLF JORULÀFDWLRQ 1LJHULDQV KDYH FRQWLQXHG WR exalt ethnic nationality over and above the country. $W WKH VDPH HYHQW D IRUPHU 0LQLVWHU RI Education, Dr. Obiageli Ezekwesili urged politicians to develop the education sector, which she lamented would continue to HOXGH 1LJHULD DQG RWKHU $IULFDQ FRXQWULHV LI WKH SROLWLFDO FODVV GRHV QRW LQYHVW LQ education.

She said, “When you look at the parameters and issues in our country, especially the current data, it shows that the continent is in crisis and it has to deal ZLWK VRPH RI WKH WKLQJV WKDW WKH IRUPHU President Jonathan said about society, LW·V WKDW QLQH RXW RI HYHU\ $IULFDQV GR not have the literacy and numeracy skills UHTXLUHG RI FKLOGUHQ RI WKHLU DJH LQ RWKHU SDUWV RI WKH ZRUOG ,Q D VLPLODU YHLQ VSRNHVSHUVRQ IRU WKH Atiku presidential campaign, Dino Melaye, recalled how Capt. Hosa Okunbor, assisted him in the past. He described Jonathan as “the most productive immediate past President Nigeria ever had.”

Adeniyi and Ochonga write from Benin City

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EDITORIAL

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

ENTER PRIME MINISTER LIZ TRUSS The election of Truss as prime minister holds lesson for Nigeria

T

character and temperament of those who sought to he election yesterday of Ms Liz Truss succeed him. A series of 12 public hustings were held as the new leader of the Conservative within a period of seven weeks between July and Party in the United Kingdom came $XJXVW EHIRUH WKH HPHUJHQFH RI WZR ÀQDO FDQGLGDWHV after a rigorous process spanning weeks from whom one was eventually elected. following the resignation of Prime Beyond the rigour of the political process that led to Minister Boris Johnson. By garnering KHU HPHUJHQFH 7UXVV LV FRPLQJ WR R΀FH DW D SDUWLFXODUO\ 81,326 votes to defeat Mr Rishi Sunak who secured trying moment. The Russian invasion of Ukraine has 60,399 votes, Truss will today become the third female SURGXFHG D GDXQWLQJ HQHUJ\ FULVLV ,QÁDWLRQ LQ WKH 8.

Prime Minister of Britain after Mrs Theresa May and is likely to hit double digit in early 2023. The queues the late Mrs Margaret Thatcher. The turnout of 82.6 on the NHS waiting list are getting longer than ever per cent of party members to cast their votes was before. She also inherits a nation that has witnessed deemed very high but the 57 per cent of valid votes a low growth economy for over a decade. On the won by Truss was considered low when compared international scene, Europe with previous leaders. remains challenged by an But all these are mere increasingly belligerent statistics. Once she visits To the British and other mature and decent democracies, the 5XVVLD XQGHU 9ODGLPLU the Queen to secure the outcome of the exercise may not be so remarkable. But for us Putin. In the post-Brexit procedural invitation era, Britain is still groping to form government, in Nigeria, we must learn the lesson in basic democratic good IRU D GHÀQDEOH SODFH LQ WKH 7UXVV FDQ EHJLQ WR GHÀQH world. manners her era as British Prime On all these issues, the Minister.

British public expects a Exactly two months T H I S D AY more decisive government than the low energy and ago, Johnson resigned as Prime Minister amid EDITOR SHAKA MOMODU mostly nonperforming group under Boris Johnson. pressure from Conservative colleagues who could no DEPUTY EDITORS WALE OLALEYE, OBINNA CHIMA These challenges will test Truss’s experience and longer accept the numerous scandals that had rocked MANAGING DIRECTOR ENIOLA BELLO PHWWOH %XW VKH FRPHV WR R΀FH ZLWK \HDUV RI H[SHULHQFH DEPUTY MANAGING DIRECTOR ISRAEL IWEGBU his administration. In his speech, Johnson said he CHAIRMAN EDITORIAL BOARD OLUSEGUN ADENIYI variously as a courageous MP, cabinet minister with would step down once his replacement was chosen.

EDITOR NATION’S CAPITAL IYOBOSA UWUGIAREN rounded exposure and considerable track record.

The contest for his successor started with about 20 MANAGING EDITOR BOLAJI ADEBIYI For Truss, the next couple of months will be full of candidates each of whom was required to secure 30 THE OMBUDSMAN KAYODE KOMOLAFE expectations both at home and abroad. votes from their colleagues to avoid dropping out.

Meanwhile, under the British parliamentary In the course of that process, the fourth ballot which V\VWHP WKH 3ULPH 0LQLVWHU LV RQO\ ÀUVW DPRQJ HTXDOV UHGXFHG WKH ÀHOG WR WKUHH ZDV KHOG RQ WK -XO\ DQG T H I S D AY N E W S PA P E R S L I M I T E D The presidential system which we practice in Nigeria WKH ÀIWK D GD\ ODWHU IRU WKH ÀQDO WZR QDPHV 9RWLQJ EDITOR-IN-CHIEF/CHAIRMAN NDUKA OBAIGBENA LV GLͿHUHQW %H\RQG WKH ODWLWXGH JUDQWHG E\ WKH DPRQJ &RQVHUYDWLYH 3DUW\ PHPEHUV R΀FLDOO\ GROUP EXECUTIVE DIRECTORS ENIOLA BELLO, KAYODE KOMOLAFE, constitution, the Nigerian presidency also occupies ISRAEL IWEGBU, IJEOMA NWOGWUGWU, EMMANUEL EFENI closed on 2nd September with the result announced DIVISIONAL DIRECTORS SHAKA MOMODU, PETER IWEGBU, a peculiar cultural space in which the person, in the yesterday.

ANTHONY OGEDENGBE eye of a largely illiterate populace, is regarded as a To the British and other mature and decent DEPUTY DIVISIONAL DIRECTOR OJOGUN VICTOR DANBOYI combination of king and chief executive. But there are democracies, the outcome of the exercise may not SNR. ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR ERIC OJEH also lessons about the manner Johnson was eventually be so remarkable. But for us in Nigeria, we must ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR PATRICK EIMIUHI humbled that should serve all power mongers. It may CONTROLLERS ABIMBOLA TAIWO, UCHENNA DIBIAGWU, NDUKA MOSERI learn the lesson in basic democratic good manners.

DIRECTOR, PRINTING PRODUCTION CHUKS ONWUDINJO yet be that the diplomacy of bad manners and bullish From the moment Johnson announced his intention TO SEND EMAIL: first name.surname@thisdaylive.com arrogance is about to recess. to resign, there have been many debates to test the

Letters to the Editor 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 A COUNTRY IN THE THROES OF TERROR It is doubtful how far a country so poorly secured as Nigeria can travel along the path of national development. What is in no doubt is that in the last decade, terrorism has whipped up insecurity in Nigeria, giving a dangerous bend to the many problems Nigerians had become accustomed to grappling with.

7KH VORZ LQÀOWUDWLRQ RI %RNR +DUDP LQWR WKH FRXQWU\ ZKLFK began around 2009 instigated the slow and painful disintegration of Nigeria`s security architecture. If Boko Haram`s ruthlessness was a sign of what was to come, that which was to come has since come and is evident in the devastation splinter terrorist groups and others have caused in rural communities all over Nigeria. Of course, some communities have and states have taken more hits than others. While Nigerians in some parts of WKH FRXQWU\ OLNH WKH 6RXWK HDVW KDYH RQO\ EHHQ DͿHFWHG E\ WKH occasional security breach, for Nigerians in states like Zamfara, Kaduna, Sokoto, Yobe, and Borno States, terrorism has become a frighteningly daily experience. So emboldened have the terrorists who comb parts of Nigeria sowing terror have become that they now threaten the country`s seat of power and most powerful persons.

These days, Nigeria hardly ever fails to turn up in less than illustrious ranks. Whenever scandalous statistics are bandied

about these days, Nigeria is almost always mentioned. When talk turns to the number of children currently out of school, NiJHULD SRVWV ÀJXUHV LQ PLOOLRQV 6DPH LV WKH FDVH ZKHQ SHRSOH who languish below the poverty line are numbered. Global KXQJHU KDUYHVWV ULFK ÀJXUHV LQ 1LJHULD DV GRHV WKH QXPEHU RI children who grapple with malnutrition. ,Q WKH VDPH YHLQ LQÁDWLRQ FRQWLQXHV WR ULVH ,W DSSHDUV WKDW in the last seven years, while Nigeria has dropped out of the company of countries doing well, or just managing to keep its head above water, it has lost its place among countries who post positive statistics.

This traumatizing trend recently continued when Jihad Analytics, a globally acclaimed international terrorism research and analysis group which specializes in collating data on terrorist activities worldwide disclosed that Nigeria is the second most attacked and terrorized country in the world only after Iraq and 6\ULD ZLWK ,UDT EHLQJ WKH ÀUVW DQG 6\ULD EHLQJ WKH WKLUG This does not come as much of a surprise given everything that terrorists who started out as a group of ragtag militias have continued to throw at Nigeria for more than a decade now.

Their relentless probing of Nigeria`s security architecture which was never watertight to begin with continues to bring in boun-

teous fruits. This ranking is further proof of that. Iraq continues to be tormented by both domestic and international terrorism.

Since the United States invaded the gulf nation at the turn of the century, the country has remained all over the place.

The Syrian war which has gone on for more than a decade now has plunged a once peaceful and prosperous country into the abyss of insecurity, poverty and despair. And now, it is with such beleaguered and benighted countries that Nigeria, once Africa`s great hope, now competes with for international honours, not along the lines of anything remotely illustrious, but for something as devastating as terrorism.

It tells a hauntingly heartbreaking story that today, it is terURULVP WKDW LV GHÀQLQJ 1LJHULDCV QDUUDWLYH RQ WKH LQWHUQDWLRQDO scene. It paints a portentous picture that when the devastating footprints of terrorists are traced across the globe many of them will lead back to Nigeria. ,W PD\ RQO\ EH D ÀJXUH DOEHLW RQH ZKLFK VHUYHV WR FDUYH RXW D ÀJXUH RI IXQ IURP WKH *LDQW RI $IULFD KRZHYHU LI ZLOO WDNH GHFDGHV RI SDLQVWDNLQJ ZRUN DQG VDFULÀFHV LI 1LJHULD LV WR HYHU recover what terrorism has stolen from it.

Kene Obiezu, Twitter @kenobiezu

LAWYER TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 2022

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Page IV

‘This election….is going to be determined by the young people of Nigeria who are better informed, far more patriotic than those who govern them….. and who understand where the world is going, far better than those who govern them.’ - His Grace, Bishop Matthew Hassan Kukah, Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Sokoto; Convener, National Peace Committee

LAWYER

ONIKEPO BRAITHWAITE: EDITOR, JUDE IGBANOI: DEPUTY EDITOR, PETER TAIWO, STEVE AYA: REPORTERS

III THE ADVOCATE

T H I S D AY ˾ TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 2022

Path to a New Nigeria

W

e have always blamed politicians and Government, previous and present, for most of what has gone wrong with Nigeria, and rightfully so too, because, mostly, they haven’t done too well; but the truth of the matter is that, Government is run by people not aliens - by Nigerians, and along the way, something bad has happened to our psyche as a people. Some even say that government is a reflection of the governed, that is, the people. A vicious circle has been created, and our traditional value system is completely eroded. A corrupt, warped and inequitable system of governance, which in turn has created poverty, and corrupt, desperate people who couldn’t care less about values; some of who are, in turn, fed back into governance, while majority try to survive in any way they can, whether by legal means or otherwise. Chicanery has become our way of life.

Theory of Societal Evolution In one theory of societal evolution, a graph is used to measure moral/societal values. The theory asserts that the evolution or development of societal values is cyclical - it goes up and down; that when values are at a climax, the y-axis of the graph goes up, while it goes down when there’s a decline in values. It further asserts that, at some point, there may be a plateau (evenness) where societal values remain stagnant; and subsequently, they may start to incline or further decline. For instance, at a point in time, our y-axis crept up when repugnant customs like the killing of twins was stopped in Nigeria. Over time however, our value system has been on a constant decline, a free fall, and has failed to stagnate, let alone start to rise again. We even have a once acclaimed ‘Super Cop’, DCP Kyari, an officer of the law, facing drug and money laundering charges - an international suspect. Has law and order not broken down in society, when the Police are fingered as criminals too?

The incident of the theft of conference materials at the just concluded 2022 NBA AGC, set me thinking about how low Nigeria has sunk, and what could be the way forward for Nigeria. Lawyers are officers in the temple of justice, how then could they be involved in theft?

And, while electoral reform is a step in the right direction - for one, so that the votes of Nigerians can start to count; if it is not accompanied by a change in our value system, and instead, we all continue with this negative mindset of decayed values, I’m sorry to say, not much will change for the better in our country.

Section 5(1)(a) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended)(the Constitution) vests the executive powers of the Federation in the President (and subsidiary executive powers are vested in other agencies and officers); Section 4(1) vests Legislative powers in the National Assembly; Section 6(1) vests the judicial powers of the Federation in the courts, while Section 14(2) (a) of the Constitution vests sovereignty on the people of Nigeria, and Section 14(2)(c) ensures the participation of the people in Government.

While good leadership is key, every Nigerian has a role to play in the success of Nigeria.

A Regression into the Hobbesian State Aside from electoral reforms, a reset button needs to be pressed to enthrone a new and improved value system to get our country back on the right track, and to set the y-axis of our societal evolution graph on the incline; but, how we can go about this, I cannot say that I know.

We have become insensitive and cruel, quick to humiliate others publicly, even kill in the name of religion. For example, last week, I felt nothing but horror and disgust, when I saw the video of Mrs Amarachi Okechi of Abia State, a widow who was tied up and publicly flogged by her community, because her late husband's brother’s wife accused her of witchcraft (woman’s cruelty to another woman). Thankfully, Mrs Okechi was rescued and taken to hospital by Mrs Ikpeazu, wife of the Governor of Abia State. See the case of Ihonre v State (1987) LPELR-1462 (SC) per Oputa JSC on the attitude of courts to belief in witchcraft.

This is just another example of the negative behavioural traits of our people, a regression into mob justice, money rituals (which includes the sacrifice of human beings), and savagery; we have become vicious, especially against those whom we perceive to be weak, like women and widows.

How many times is a man flogged and disgraced publicly, because his wife died? Instead, they are already taking applications for a replacement wife for the widower, even before the corpse of his late wife goes into ’Rigor Mortis’. See Section 42 of the Constitution, and Ukeje v Ukeje (2014) LPELR-22724 (SC) per Rhodes-Vivour JSC

government officials, politicians and a privileged few, majority of Nigerians are poorly paid. And so, we have Poverty, which obviously provides a fertile ground for desperation, dishonesty, and lack of moral values.

ONIKEPO BRAITHWAITE onikepo.braithwaite@thisdaylive. com onikepob@yahoo.com

The

Advocate “The fact that CBN is said to have released over $200 million for the foreign airlines, when they declared their intention to stop operations to Nigeria due to their inability to repatriate their funds to their countries, shows that foreign travel, especially to Dubai, is more important to Government than education!” on discrimination.

Corruption As a people, whether government officials or Nigerians generally, we have developed an unhealthy love for money and material things, and we can do almost anything to get same.

For less than ‘six shekels of silver’, Nigerians are ready to do the unthinkable - we are that desperate for money. Corruption, greed and dishonesty are not just a governmental problem, but a pervasive problem amongst many Nigerians. We have also become extremely tribalistic instead of patriotic, laced with religious bigotry, and we are no longer living in peace with each other. The development of Nigeria has been truncated on the altar of greed, selfishness and corruption, amongst other evils. Our new value system, must address all this.

Inequity, Lack of Education and Poverty: A Perfect Combination for Failure What could be reason for the terrible situation we find ourselves in? I would say that inequity, lack of education and poverty are major contributors - they are a perfect combination for moral decline and failure.

Part of this inequity, actually stems from the Constitution, which is fraught with examples of these anomalies. However, I will use just one example which is related to education and the ongoing prolonged ASUU Strike, to make my next point.

Section 318 of the Constitution equates a Primary School Leaving Certificate with a Secondary School Leaving Certificate, and even that of Teacher Training, when we know that they are not the same at all, and their superiority is in the order in which I

have mentioned them. To occupy the top government/political/legislative positions, an individual only requires any of these extremely low educational qualifications (aside from the administration of justice sector, which usually requires a Lawyer of at least 10 years post-call to the Bar standing); is it then a surprise that Government places little or no value on education, when you can reach the pinnacle of the Nigerian Government with minimum qualifications? Is it then a surprise that the budget for education is low, and Government has failed in its Section 18 constitutional obligations to provide education for the people, when the same Constitution has rendered education unimportant and irrelevant? Why then should it be a surprise that Lecturers and Teachers are paid so poorly, when not much value is placed on what they do or the output? If Government cared, ASUU wouldn’t be on strike for over six months and counting. The fact that CBN is said to have released over $200 million for the foreign airlines, when they declared their intention to stop operations to Nigeria due to their inability to repatriate their funds to their countries, shows that foreign travel, especially to Dubai, is more important to Government than education!

However, apart from the fact that because of the low benchmark set by the Constitution we have numerous unqualified people who are in positions of authority, not only do they not understand their roles, they do not have any ideas as to how to govern.

Because of corruption, they have amassed enough wealth to keep them in office ad infinitum, and continue to make bad decisions which affect the country adversely. To make matters worse, apart from these top

How Can We Change this Discouraging Narrative?

How then can we change this extremely discouraging, regressive narrative? How do we enshrine a better value system, in order to promote true development, unity and progress? By changing our mindset, and restructuring our system. But, even if we restructure Nigeria in terms of making Nigeria a true Federation, which may be the only way that a heterogeneous country like ours can work and thrive; without restructuring our mindset, the same failures we have experienced on a national level will simply be replicated on a State level, and there will still be problems.

We must adopt a new and improved homegrown value system, like what countries like Malaysia and Singapore did in the 1990s with their own ‘Asian Values’, a political ideology which inter alia, defined elements of society and culture, to turn their countries around.

What should be the content of our own new value system? Patriotism, unity in diversity, community, good family values, tolerance, conflict resolution, cooperation, fairness and equity, decency, honesty and intolerance for corruption, giving education its pride of place, promotion of a good work ethos, accountability by government and citizens, shunning of known rogues by society, preventing rogues from holding government positions/public office, promotion of the rule of law. If only Nigerians could be brainwashed into this better value system! I know this may sound trivial, but it must also include cleanliness.

I remember quite clearly how, in 1992, the sale and purchase of chewing gum was banned in Singapore to reduce the litter chewing gum was causing, especially in public areas. Today, Singapore is one of the cleanest countries in the world. We have our own ‘pure water’ problem, with nylon packages littered all over the place, blocking all the drainage and turning the environment into dirty slums.

Not only do we need educated leadership, we need the Youths who make up about 60% of our population, - they have fresh, brilliant ideas and should be part of governance. It makes no sense that Youths who are in the majority, play little or no part in decision making. Promoting ‘Made in Nigeria’ products and exporting them, like the Youths have done with music and Nollywood.

The Youths must organise themselves better, in order to get into positions of authority and drive some of these changes.

Rwanda may be a smaller country than Nigeria, but the issue of tribal conflict between the Hutus and the Tutsis in Rwanda, akin to what we are gradually experiencing in Nigeria, plunged Rwanda into war, and more or less destroyed the country in the 1990s; less than 20 years later, Rwanda has become the pride of Africa. Instead of just going there on vacation, we need to learn how Rwanda was able to overcome its tribal issues, and replicate it, adapting it in our own way to our situation, and include it in our new value system. The preamble of the Constitution talks about unity and consolidation, Section 14(3) & (4) provides for federal character, while Section 42 prohibits discrimination; instead of politicians deceiving Nigerians and shifting the goal post every second to suit their own selfish purposes, is it not time to truly start practising these constitutional provisions that promote equity, fairness, unity and collectivism? Unity was also one of the goals of the Asian Values.

If society is not made more equitable, and conditions are not made to improve for the people, it will be difficult to promote a new, positive value system, as intense poverty will persist and people will continue with their negative mindsets, doing their bad things. Nigeria needs to harness our untapped resources like gas and other precious minerals deposited across the country, to increase our revenue; diversification of our economy; reduce the size of governance, and redraw the remuneration structure for all public officials. Slash the salaries and allowances of those receiving exorbitant, unjustifiable salaries, while increasing that of the poorly paid workers. The public school system, must be revamped, so that the child of the common man receives a decent education like they did up to about the 1980s. If people are able to meet their basic needs with less difficulty, they will be more receptive to a better value system.

My dear readers, kindly, share your thoughts on what can be done to enthrone a mindset of better values for the average Nigerian. It is crucial, in order to promote the development and progress of our country, and pave the way for new and better Nigeria.

IV LAW REPORT

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 2022 ˾ T H I S D AY

Section 2(1) and 24 of the Legal Practitioners Act: Whether Substantive or Merely Procedural Facts The 1st Respondent, as Plaintiff, instituted an action that culminated in this appeal, at the Federal High Court, wherein he claimed, inter alia, a declaration that he is entitled to the Statutory Right of Occupancy over Plot 109, located at Area A8, Wuse II District, Abuja. Initially, there were only two Defendants; by an order of the trial court, however, a certain “Nanfa Ponfa”, who was allocated the said Plot of land during the pendency of the suit, was joined as the 3rd Defendant. The 3rd Defendant, who was served, chose not to file processes or defend the action at the trial court. He was not a party in the Appeal filed at the Court of Appeal, and he is also not a party to the further appeal to the Supreme Court.

The Appellant, who bought the said plot of land from Nanfa Ponfa, was joined on its own motion as 4th Defendant by order of court.

The trial court gave judgement in favour of the Plaintiff. The Appellant filed an Appeal to the Court of Appeal, which appeal failed.

Still aggrieved, the Appellant appealed to the Supreme Court.

Issue for Determination The following sole issue was considered and determined by the court: “Whether the trial court, at the time it heard the matter, had jurisdiction to hear and determine the matter brought before it” Arguments On the sole issue, counsel for the Appellant submitted that the Writ of Summons and the Statement of Claim which accompanied it, were both signed in the name of a law firm, which is not a legal practitioner on the Register/Roll of legal practitioners.

Therefore, the suit was dead on arrival, because the Writ and Statement of Claim were not signed by a legal practitioner; and that the non-signing of the processes by a known legal practitioner, renders the Writ and the Statement of Claim incurably defective, invalid, null and void. Counsel relied on the provisions of Section 2(1) and 24 of the Legal Practitioners Act and case law of - SLB CONSORTIUM LTD v NNPC (2011)9 NWLR (Pt. 1252) 312. He argued further that an improperly signed court process is void ab initio; that it bears no good fruits, and nothing good can emerge out of it because it remains void; nothing can be put or super imposed on such process - E.B.N. LTD v HALILCO (NIG.) LTD (2006) 7 NWLR (Pt. 980) 568. Counsel urged the court, to set aside the decision of the Court of Appeal.

Counsel for the Respondents did not address this issue in their Briefs of Argument. The court, therefore, decided this issue solely on the argument of the Appellant’s counsel’s.

Court’s Judgement and Rationale In deciding the sole issue, the Supreme Court held that the Appellant stated the correct position of the law on this issue, when he cited Section 2(1) of the Legal Practitioners Act and Section 24 which is the interpretation section of the said Act. In the case of OKAFOR v NWEKE (2007) 10 NWLR (Pt. 1043) 521, the Supreme Court maintained its position that “a law firm cannot legally sign and/or file any process in the courts. And that, any process signed by a law firm is incompetent in law”. Their Lordships held that the decision in OKAFOR v NWEKE is here to stay; that is the message entrenched in the

Honourable Amina Adamu Augie, JSC

In the Supreme Court of Nigeria Holden at Abuja On Friday, the 3rd day of June, 2022 Before Their Lordships Chima Centus Nweze Amina Adamu Augie Helen Moronkeji Ogunwumiju Ibrahim Mohammed Musa Saulawa Emmanuel Akomaye Agim Justices, Supreme Court SC./205/2007 Between Network Securities Limited

Appellant And

1. Alhaji Umaru Dahiru 2. The Hon. Minister, Federal Capital Territory 3. The Federal Capital Development Authority [FCDA]

Respondents

(Lead Judgement delivered by Honourable Amina Adamu Augie, JSC)

decisions of this court thereafter. In this case, the application for issue of Writ of Summons and the Statement of Claim was signed by A.A. Gulak and Company - the Plaintiff’s Solicitor. The originating processes were, therefore, not signed by a legal practitioner, which means that the Appellant is right, that the said suit was dead on arrival. In FBN v MAIWADA, the Apex Court reiterated the position of law that the provisions of Section 2(1) and 24 of the Legal Practitioners Act, which are unambiguous, affect the jurisdiction of the court as a matter of substantive law, and not as a matter of procedural law; therefore, they cannot be waived.

These sections mandatorily prescribed that all court processes must be signed by an identified legal practitioner, therefore, the non-signing of the writ of summons and statement of claim by a known legal practitioner in the law firm of A.A. Gulak & Company, renders the Writ and Statement of Claim

“The provisions of Section 2(1) and 24 of the Legal Practitioners Act, which are unambiguous, affect the jurisdiction of the court as a matter of substantive law, and not as a matter of procedural law; therefore, they cannot be waived”

incurably defective, invalid, null and void. Simply put, the processes filed by the law firm were dead at the point of filing, and in the eyes of the law, they are defective and legally non-existent.

The said processes are incompetent; and so, the judgements of the two lower courts are nullities.

Dissenting Opinion of Honourable Emmanuel Akomaye Agim, JSC His Lordship prefaced his opinion, by observing that the Apex Court is once more, faced with a situation where a Plaintiff’s 25 year pursuit of justice with concurrent decisions of the two lower courts in his favour declaring the revocation of his statutory right of occupancy illegal, is sought to be nullified by an objection raised for the first time at the Supreme Court on the sole ground that an unnamed legal practitioner in a firm of legal practitioners signed the application to issue the Writ of Summons, when it is not disputed that the Writ of Summons was regularly issued by the competent authority of court in accordance with the Federal Capital Territory High Court (Civil Procedure) Rules and when, at the date the Writ of Summons was filed, the prevailing legal regime established then by the decisions of this court in COLE v MARTINS & ANOR (1968) 5 NSCC 120 and BUHARI v YABO (2006) 17 NWLR (Pt. 1007) 162 at178-181 permitted the signing of court processes in that manner. His Lordship expressed

further that he had in previous decisions of the court highlighted the undesirability of this kind of objection, the injustice that will certainly result from upholding it, and stated that the objection is against the procedure employed in filing the suit and is not in pursuit of justice in this case - SOLUMADE & ORS v KUTI & ORS (SC/327/2010).

The fact that legal practitioners practice law by their firm name, that the firm is one consisting of only Lawyers is common knowledge in Nigeria, is not reasonably open to question, and does not require proof by virtue of Section 124 of the Evidence Act. The notion disregards the provisions of Section 573 of the Companies and Allied Matters Act (CAMA). There is no doubt that A.A. Gulak is a legal practitioner, and he practices under the firm name of A.A. Gulak and Company, in keeping with Section 573 CAMA. It does not help the substantial justice of the case to ignore all other records and processes in the case that clearly identify the name of the legal practitioner in the law firm of A.A. Gulak and Company that signed the Writ of Summons and Statement of Claim, and look at only the lack of name of the particular legal practitioner in the law firm that made the signature over the name of the law firm in the Writ and Statement of Claim.

The decision in BUHARI v YABO was overruled by this court in OKAFOR v NWEKE on the ground that, without the name, the signatory has not held himself out as practicing under the said firm name.

With the greatest respect, that decision and similar decisions should be departed from and return to BUHARI v YABO, because grave injustice will continue to result from following the judicial precedent in OKAFOR v NWEKE and similar cases. His Lordship referred to VEEPEE INDUSTRIES LTD v COCOA INDUSTRIES LTD (2008) 4-5 SC (Pt.1) 16 where the Supreme Court held that it could depart from its previous decision, if continuous adherence to it will occasion injustice on the principle that it is better to admit an error than to persevere in error. A situation where a Defendant, who concurrent decisions have held not to have a deference to a Plaintiff’s claim, can in this case use this kind of objection to nullify the proceedings and processes, including the judgements against him, after litigation that has lasted for many years, wreak grave injustice on the Plaintiff and results in a complete destruction of his right of access to court and right to have his claim determined within a reasonable time.

A court should be interested in searching for the truth of the matter, and consider the totality of the records before it in determining any issue in the case. Such an isolated consideration of the writ of summons and statement of claim in the midst of abundant records providing answers to the question, amounts to fault finding and not pursuit of justice. The notion that non-signing or irregular signing of an application for the issue of the writ or other originating process is a jurisdictional issue and not a procedural one that must be raised timeously before taking further step at the trial proceedings,h is not correct. Even in cases where the signature required to issue the process is absent, this court has held that it is a procedural requirement that will not vitiate the process.

Appeal Allowed on a Ratio of 4:1.

Representation Abimbola Kayode for the Appellant Christopher Okeke with Cynthia Ogbodu for the 1st Respondent.

Dr. James Agbonhese for the 2nd & 3rd Respondents.

Reported by Optimum Publishers Limited, Publishers of the Nigerian Monthly Law Reports (NMLR)(An affiliate of Babalakin & Co.)

V IMAGES

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 2022 ˾ T H I S D AY

T

he 5th Memorial Lecture/Public Discussion in honour of late Attorney-General & Commissioner of Justice, Rivers State, Sir Emmanuel Chinwenwo Aguma, SAN themed “The Welfare of Judicial Officers; Its Effect on Justice Delivery and the Role of the NBA” held on Wednesday, August 10, 2022 at the Nyesom Wike Auditorium, NBA Port Harcourt Branch House. Here are some of the personalities, that were in attendance….

Late Sir Emmanuel Chinwenwo Aguma KSC, SAN

L-R: Pastor Paulinus Nsirim; Panelist and Chairman, NBA Port Harcourt Branch, Mr Victor Benibo; Principal Partner Aguma & Co, Mrs Inime Aguma; Chairman of the Event and Head of Service Rivers State, R. N. Godwins; Chief Judge, Rivers State, Hon. Justice S.C Amadi; Representative of the Governor of Rivers State and Honourable Attorney-General and Commissioner of Justice, Rivers State, Prof Zaccheaus Adangor, SAN; Panelist, Mrs Boma Alabi, SAN; Mr Emma Okah; and Panel Moderator, Dr Orowhuo Okocha

L-R: Mrs Jessica Chima Aguma; Widow of Sir Emmanuel Chinwenwo Aguma, SAN, Mrs Inime Aguma and their two sons, Chima and Ezekwesili Aguma (right)

Hon. Igo Aguma (left), former NBA President, Okey Wali, SAN and a cross-section of Guests

Hon. Justice S.C. Amadi

Mrs Boma Alabi, SAN making her submissions during the Panel Discussion

Judges of the High Court of Rivers State

L-R: Mr Victor Benibo; R.N. Godwins; and Dr Orowhuo Okocha

Members of FIDA Nigeria Rivers State Branch with Dr Orowhuo Okocha

Rapporteurs

Immediate Past Chairman, NBA Port Harcourt, Prince Nyekwere and a cross-section of Guests

Mrs Inime Aguma (left) and Dame Aleruchi Cookey-Gam

Aham Eke Ejelam, SAN

L-R: Mrs Miebi Aguma; Mr Chizi Aguma; and Mr Ezekwesili Aguma

Mr Chima Aguma giving the vote of thanks

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Inibehe Effiong

‘I Was Tortured in Prison’

The chain of events that led to the one-month incarceration of a young Human Rights Activist Lawyer, Inibehe Effiong, in two of Nigeria’s pitiable, inhumane and dehumanising correctional centres, are bizarre and hard to believe. Inibehe Effiong went to Uyo, the Akwa Ibom State capital, to defend a client before the Chief Judge’s Court, in a case of defamation allegedly against the Akwa Ibom State Governor, Udom Emmanuel, but instead he began a nightmarish journey to the dungeons of Ikot Ekpene and Uyo Correctional Centres. He narrated his harrowing ordeal to Onikepo Braithwaite and Jude Igbanoi last weekend

T

he CJ of Akwa Ibom State said you were disrespectful to the court and unruly, and committed you for contempt. What really transpired that day? What exactly was the contemptuous conduct you were accused of?

I arrived at the court early on July 27, 2022 along with my colleague, Augustine Asuquo Esq, to defend my client, Mr Leo Ekpenyong, who is also a legal practitioner, in a libel suit filed by the Governor of Akwa Ibom State, Mr Udom Emmanuel, over a certain publication in an online medium which my client has vehemently denied responsibility. I waited for the arrival of the trial Judge, His Lordship, Honourable Chief Judge of Akwa Ibom State. At about 10am, my lord entered the courtroom, and immediately and furiously, ordered his orderly to bring in the policemen. The proceeding of the day could not commence, because my lord did not call for appearances until the policemen had arrived.

Soon afterwards, the orderly arrived in company of two stern looking mobile policemen. Both of them carried AK47 rifles. They sat behind me, one to my right and the other to my left. My lord, at that point, announced that his lordship was coming in with anger and that my lord was not going to tolerate nonsense from anybody.

The courtroom was extremely tense. His lordship ordered the Governor’s witness to enter the witness box, for continuation of cross-examination. I stood up and reminded the court of our pending motion for recusal which we filed since June 23, 2022, but was repeatedly not taken. As usual, my lord ordered me to proceed with the cross- examination, and insisted that the recusal motion would be taken when the court deems fit. I did not argue.

I started cross-examining the witness.

I was on the third question when his lordship interrupted me and called upon a journalist with Premium Times, Saviour Imukudo to stand up. My lord asked him who he was, and he answered that he was an observer. My lord asked him if he was a party to the case, to observe the proceedings.

The gentleman responded that he was a journalist. My lord then asked him if he was a government journalist, to which he answered that he works for Premium Times.

Immediately he mentioned Premium Times, my lord became very angry and ordered the policemen to seize his phone and take him out. I should mention that Saviour is known to my lord, because that was the second time that his lordship had sent him

“Those words attributed to me, never took place in court. Those accusations that you read about, came to my attention while I was in prison. I am innocent. It is just an attempt to justify what was done to me”

out of the courtroom. Premium Times had been covering and reporting developments in the case.

After Saviour was arrested and taken out of the courtroom, I intervened and addressed the court on the development. I said my lord, we were thinking that since Section 36 of the Constitution guarantees publicity of trial and provides that court proceedings shall be held in public, members of the public including journalists, should be free to access the court and observe proceedings.

My lord was infuriated by my comments, and made deprecatory comments against me. My lord went further to accuse me of using the said journalist to destroy his hard earned reputation, which his lordship said his lordship had built for over 30 years. I should mention that although the Chief Judge is a woman, I am using masculine adjectives like “he” instead of she, because, in practice, we refer to female Judges using masculine adjectives. At that point, I knew that the issue had become very personal, so I rested the matter and did not make any further comment again. I never at any time said that if Saviour was not brought back into the courtroom, I was not going to continue with the case. That is the truth.

I was about to continue with the crossexamination of the Governor’s witness, when it occurred to me that the two armed policemen were still seated behind me. I said my lord, I have also observed the presence of two mobile policemen inside the courtroom with AK47s, and that even though I was not ordinarily intimidated by their presence, that their presence had created hostility in the courtroom and made it hard for me to continue with the day’s proceeding. I urged my lord to order them to leave the courtroom, as they had no

business bringing AK47 inside the courtroom.

My lord reacted furiously to my observation. I then informed the court that I was now making it as a formal application, in which case the court had to deliver a ruling one way or the other. Immediately I said that I was formally applying for the policemen to be excused from the courtroom, my lord picked a pen and started writing. I thought my lord was taking notes of my submissions, not knowing it was my committal order that was being written. I expressly informed his lordship that it was not consistent with the norms and traditions of our profession for policemen to bring AK47 rifles inside the courtroom, but that if his lordship was minded to allow the policemen to remain inside the courtroom, the court could overrule me and I would be bound by the court’s decision, and would proceed with my cross-examination.

The next thing I heard was my lord ordering me to step out of the Bar, which I obeyed. His lordship then ordered that I should de-robe myself. I then said my lord, if I de-robe I will no longer be able to address your lordship as counsel. My lord responded that his lordship no longer recognised me as a Lawyer, because my lord was sending me to prison. The next thing my lord did was to read out the committal order his lordship had earlier written, and sentenced me to one month imprisonment for contempt of court.

I was astonished and utterly speechless. My colleague, Augustine Asuquo, stood up and pleaded profusely for my lord to reconsider the decision, but his lordship rejected his pleas. My lord then ordered the same armed policemen whose presence I had objected to, that they should hold me and make sure that I did not escape, and ordered the Registrar to bring a conviction warrant into his chambers. That was how I was taken into a van and driven to Uyo Custodial Centre, but they did not accept

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‘I Was Tortured in Prison’ me because they claimed that I had to spend the first two weeks in Ikot Ekpene Custodial Centre which had been designated as Covid-19 Isolation Centre.

I never banged any table. I never pointed or shouted at my lord. I never referred to my lord as “you”. In fact, I do not recall ever using the word “you” to refer to any Magistrate, let alone a Judge in court since I became a Lawyer. Those words attributed to me, never took place in court. Those accusations that you read about, came to my attention while I was in prison. I am innocent. It is just an attempt to justify what was done to me.

I should mention that, my lord usually fixes Governor Udom’s libel case and the sister case filed by Senator Effiong Bob against my client in isolation. What I mean is that any date my lord will sit on the two cases, no other case will be listed in the Cause List. That explains why there were no other Lawyers in court, except those of us involved in the case. I was never told what offence I had committed. No charge was prepared or read to me. I was never asked to enter the dock. I was not given the opportunity to take a plea, or to say anything. At no time was I asked to withdraw any comment. Those making these claims against me, will face the judgement of God and history. I believe their consciences are already judging them. The Court of Appeal will decide whether the manner in which I was treated, is consistent with the Constitution of this country.

Now that you have regained your freedom, what are your next steps apart from the appeal that Mr Femi Falana, SAN has already filed?

I will exercise my constitutional right of appeal, and also pursue other legal remedies available to me under the law. I am also grateful to the NBA, for resolving to take up my case. I am eternally grateful to my mentor and lead counsel, Mr Femi Falana, SAN, Mr Olumide-Fusika SAN, the immediate past 1st Vice President of the NBA, Mr Aikpokpo Martins, Mr Monday Ubani, Nsikak Akai, Augustine Asuquo, Eseme Philip, and every member of my legal team and other SANs who have so far indicated interest to join my legal team for their love, support and dedication to my case.

I am particularly grateful to the National leadership of the NBA, the National Executive Committee of the NBA, the immediate past President of the NBA, Mr Olumide Akpata, who went to great length to defend me, despite the sinister, vindictive and politically motivated campaign of calumny launched against me by a section of the Uyo Branch of the NBA, who would rather see me crucified because of their political affiliation with Governor Udom Emmanuel and animosity towards my person. If they did not want to identify with me because I belong to the Ikeja Branch, they should have stayed neutral. But, they decided to play the role of the devil’s advocate. Throughout my one month incarceration, the Uyo Branch did not visit me in prison. Rather, they called a meeting with the sole agenda of lying against me, and poisoning the mind of the delegation sent by Mr Olumide Akpata. They denied my colleague the opportunity to speak, despite indicating his interest to address the meeting as an eye witness.

The Ikot Ekpene Branch sent a delegation of about 10 executive members led by the Branch Chairman, to visit me. But, the leaders of the Uyo Branch were more concerned with scandalising my image.

A former Attorney-General of Akwa Ibom State, Mr Uwemedino Nwoko, alleged that your problem is that you lack proper mentoring, and the fact that you never had any form of pupilage is the cause of your problems. That you haven’t learned to say ‘as the court pleases’ and other nuances of the legal profession. What is your response to this?

Let me be frank with you, I was going to ignore the vituperations of Mr Nwoko, SAN against me, because I firmly believe that every

Inibehe Effiong

rational person that watched the widely circulated interview that he granted to malign me would easily decipher that his assertions were actuated by malice, made in bad faith and dictated by uncontrollable vindictiveness. You know in this part of the world, when a younger person responds to an elder, some people will see it as insult, irrespective of what the elder may have done or said against the younger person. So, I initially did not want to respond to him.

But, on second thoughts, if I do not respond, the remarks he made may be referenced in the future, and mistaken as truth. I was on the same flight with Nwoko, SAN from Uyo to Abuja on July 25, 2022.

As I boarded the aircraft, I saw him seated in one of the front seats. I greeted him by saying Learned Silk, good afternoon Sir. He just smiled in a dismissive way, and I passed. Every single time that I meet Mr Nwoko, I always accord him respect.

Even though I fundamentally opposed the way he conducted himself while in office as Attorney-General (AG) and do not share his political ideology, I have never treated him with disdain. I have always greeted and respected him, as my senior at the Bar. Regrettably, Mr Nwoko does not reciprocate the courtesy that I accord him. He has consistently sought to put me down. With the sort of bitterness and animosity that he exudes towards me, one may be tempted to think that I made advances towards his wife or that I eloped with his daughter. How else would you describe the sort of condescending and diabolical comments that he made against me, while I was in prison? He showed neither empathy, nor a desire for justice. I am much younger than him in age, and at the Bar. But, he reacted to my incarceration as if I am competing with him. He has always treated me, as someone who is a threat to his source of livelihood and standing in the society.

For the benefit of those who do not know, Mr Nwoko’s animosity towards me assumed a dangerous dimension after a certain young man by name Kufre Carter was arrested in April 2020 by the SSS on the instigation of the Akwa Ibom State Government, over alleged defamation.

The case was politically motivated, legally

“Eyoren is the main officer that tortured me…..

Immediately we got to Uyo, this same officer….. started pushing and battering me….When I got inside the Uyo prison, he ordered me to sit on the floor. Eyoren became very violent and threatened again to finish me…..Regarding my shaving, of course, they shaved me against my wish. They forcefully shaved my hair and beard, despite my objections”

indefensible, and initiated in a desperate attempt by the State Government to cover the perceived fraudulent manner that the government handled funds collected from donors to contain the spread of Covid-19.

I took up the case of the young man, pro bono. Mr Nwoko SAN was the AG at the time. The Chief Magistrate Court had imposed stringent bail conditions on Carter, including that he should produce a surety who must be a Permanent Secretary or a level 17 Civil Servant and imposed a bail bond of N3 million. I filed a motion at the High Court, praying for variation of the onerous bail conditions. Mr Nwoko decided to personally oppose the application. He appeared in court in person as the AG, and argued against variation of the bail. The High Court aligned completely with my submissions, and totally discountenanced his arguments. Mr Nwoko saw the ruling as a fatal humiliation, given the public attention that the case had elicited. Before the legal fireworks began in the court on the day the motion was heard, Mr Nwoko said to me loudly to the hearing of everyone, “Inibehe, are you aware that your client has apologised to the Governor?” I responded by telling him that there was no apology from my client, and that, in any event, it is the Governor who should apologise to my client for the violation of his rights. He said to me, “Is that so?” and I answered him in the affirmative.

The State Government was desperate to get a soft landing through undeserved apology, given the anger of the public over the dubious charge which was eventually thrown out by the trial court. I was also determined to ensure that the government did not resolve the case based on their sinister and oppressive terms, in order to make them understand that in this country, not everyone will prostrate before corrupt politicians. That was why Nwoko, SAN could not accept the decision of the learned Judge, which set aside all the stringent bail conditions imposed by the Chief Magistrate Court.

Immediately the High Court delivered a ruling against him, Mr Nwoko served us with a frivolous Notice of Appeal and a baseless motion for stay of execution, which is almost unprecedented in the history of legal practice in Nigeria. I am not aware of any precedent where the State represented by the AG, filed an appeal against an order varying bail conditions of a Defendant with a motion for stay of execution. How do you stay the liberty of a citizen, whose fundamental right to liberty is guaranteed by Section 35 of the Constitution? Bail is at the discretion of the court. It was a clear case of persecution.

I felt scandalised as a Lawyer. The SSS told me that Mr Nwoko had written to them, not to comply with the order of the High Court. It was nothing short of prosecutorial misconduct, and gross abuse of office. But because impunity has become a culture in this country, people like Mr Nwoko, SAN can afford to do whatever they like when they occupy public office, without consequences. I had resolved at the time to write a petition against him

to the NBA. But, I reconsidered my decision and moved on, having secured the release of my client.

Since then, Nwoko, SAN has bitterly sought to denigrate me at the slightest opportunity. I have respect for Senior Advocates of Nigeria. It is a rank of distinction and honour. However, I believe that the Body of Senior Advocates of Nigeria would be thoroughly embarrassed by the comments and conduct of Mr Nwoko. He said that I lack mentorship. That is false. There are a number of Senior Advocates of Nigeria that hail from Akwa Ibom State. I respect them. It is only Mr Nwoko that has publicly and consistently sought to ruin me. He is a consultant to the Akwa Ibom State Government, and the Akwa Ibom State Government perceives me as their number one nemesis because I have consistently exposed and spoken out against their misrule.

How can a learned Senior Advocate say that a lawyer does not know how to say “as the court pleases”? Is that not ridiculous? In the eight years of my practice, no Judge has ever accused me of insolence. I cannot recall ever disparaging any judge or senior colleague in court. His allegations against me are entirely false, and he knows it.

Do you know that Mr Nwoko went to the extent of Lawyers Mr Falana, SAN, Mr Monday Ubani, and other senior Lawyers in the country and tried to poison their minds against me?

He is using his status as a SAN against me.

But, history will vindicate the just.

It seems that you were transferred from one prison to another. Why? Your stay in the Uyo Custodial Centre was also an incident that attracted wide public outcry. It was said that your hair and beard were forcefully shaved.

Is this true? The Prison authorities claim it is their standard practice, and for your own safety. Were you subjected to any other form of inhuman treatment or torture? Kindly, shed some light on this.

I was informed that I would be transferred from Ikot Ekpene Medium Custodial Centre to Uyo Custodial Centre after 14 days, because Ikot Ekpene Prison had been designated for isolation due to Covid-19, even though there is nothing like isolation there. I prepared myself for the transfer. I had given my clothes to the dry cleaner who is an inmate, and had prepared myself. I had washed my things. All I needed was to be informed of the time that the transfer was going to take place, so that I could pack my properties and have my bath.

On August 10, 2022, an inmate working with the Prison authorities at the Records Office came to my cell after 8am, and told me to prepare because I was going to court. I thought there was a development in my case, that I was not aware of. I disputed it, but he insisted. I followed the said inmate to the Records Office, to confirm the unexpected information. On getting there, a woman in charge of the records apologised and said that the inmate was not well informed, and that it was not actually a court appearance but a transfer to Uyo prison.

I requested to have audience with the Assistant Controller of Corrections, otherwise known as the In-Charge-Station, ACC Edet Akpan. When he came out, he behaved very differently. He was belligerent. He shouted at me, and asked me why I was not properly addressed for the transfer to Uyo. Because of his hostility, I stood cont'd on page VIII

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up and went straight to my cell, and hurriedly packed my items with the help of my cellmates.

That took some minutes because I wasn’t given sufficient notice. I was about to freshen up, when certain correctional officer came to the cell and told me that I was wasting their time. I told him that I needed to freshen up. The Assistant Comptroller of Corrections came into my cell with a full squad of his men, and they started shouting at me. I was upset, and I told them that I was not a criminal. If they wanted to transfer me, I should be given some decency, some time to arrange myself.

As I told a sister medium, the problem with the correctional service is that they do not believe that inmates have rights. For them, you are entirely at their mercy. So, when you speak in a manner that is suggestive that they are treating you unfairly, they find it extremely offensive.

Because I asked to be treated with decency, it no longer mattered to them whoever I was in the society.

ACC Edet Akpan then ordered a notorious officer by name Enobong Philip Eyoren, also known as Gideon Eyoren, a two star officer to manhandle me. Eyoren came into the cell while I was hurrying to put on my clothes after I came out of the bathroom, and violently handcuffed me. He called one other tall and heavily-built officer and they both grabbed me by the neck.

I could barely breathe as they dragged me in the most violent manner by the neck like a dog from the cell, and took me outside in the full glare of all inmates and officers. Eyoren is the main officer that tortured me. He took it personal. He acted so very maliciously. He said terrible things to me, and threatened to finish me. When they dragged me outside despite the fact that I was not resisting in any way, they refused to allow me to sit inside the van with a fellow inmate by name Moses Armstrong who was to be taken to the court. It was drizzling, but they didn’t accord me that courtesy for me to sit inside the van. I tried to climb into the back of the van but they did not allow me to enter the back of the van on my own. Rather, Eyoren and the other officer violently lifted me up and flung me inside the van and chained my left hand to the van with handcuffs, and drove me like a dog to Uyo. The torture didn’t end there. Immediately we got to Uyo, this same officer, instead of handing me over to his colleagues in Uyo as is the practice, started pushing and battering me. I kept wondering what was going on. When I got inside the Uyo prison, he ordered me to sit on the floor. Eyoren became very violent, and threatened again to finish me. Imagine what could have happened, if I had put up a physical resistance. I later got to understand that he has been implicated in many crimes. That is the character of the man, that was recruited by the Nigerian Correctional Service. I am not surprised that he was the one that was assigned to supervise my torture.

Regarding my shaving, of course, they shaved me against my wish. They forcefully shaved my hair and beard, despite my objections. It was a continuation of what started in Ikot-Ekpene.

Throughout my stay in Ikot-Ekpene, I had my beard intact. Inmates keep beards. It is an irresponsible lie, for anyone to say that it is standard practice for inmates to be shaved. The inmates in prison care for themselves. Nobody pays for anything for them. The decision to shave me was malicious. Eyoren who supervised my forceful shaving, had the audacity to use his phone to video record me as part of the humiliation. Immediately after I was shaved, I met Uduak Frank Akpan who was convicted for killing the job seeker Iniobong Umoren. He had a beard. The beard of Moses Armstrong, the fellow inmate that I mentioned earlier, is ten times the size of the beard that I kept, and he left the prison with his beard untouched.

While in prison, I paid for the shaving and hair cuts of over 25 inmates whose hair and beards had grown beyond what they wanted.

So, anyone that tells you that shaving me against my wish is a standard practice, is a shameless liar. They even said it was for security reasons.

Is that not a silly thing to say? In any event, what is their business with my beard? Was it part of the order of the Chief Judge? They tortured me because I asked to be treated with

Inibehe Effiong

decency. When the information got out, they started trying to be apologetic inside, while still denying the gravity of the action and not punishing the culprit. I expected them to punish Eyoren severely, and apologise to me publicly.

Eyoren is a terrible person, and has no business serving in the Correctional Service.

As I got to know, he is himself a former inmate of Uyo Prison, having been arrested and remanded for murder. He was let off the hook in controversial circumstances, without standing trial along with his casemates who were sentenced to death and are now in Port Harcourt Prison. He has also been implicated in cultism, and other serious offences. They have transferred him from Uyo Prison to Eket Prison, and now to Ikot Ekpene Prison for various misconducts. It is either the authorities are using him to commit crimes, or they are afraid of him. The Correctional Service should not have people of such dastardly character in their employment. It makes nonsense of the entire system.

Kindly, tell us about your experience in custody. What are the conditions that inmates face in prison? We understand that the conditions in Nigerian prisons are deplorable - filthy, overcrowded, inadequate medical facilities, inadequate feeding for inmates. Were Covid-19 protocols observed in the Correctional Centres you stayed in?

What did you observe during your remand in custody?

There is nothing like Covid-19 protocols in prison. Let me repeat what I told another medium, when I came out. Most Nigerians do not know how deplorable the condition of prisons in Nigeria are. The Federal Government has abandoned the Custodial Centres. The Custodial Centres are terribly and disgustingly congested. Inmates live basically like abandoned animals. In fact, animals in the zoo have more comfort than prisoners in Nigeria. There are people who do not even have a space to lie. They sit with their legs tied, and others sit close to them. That is the condition that some of them have had to live for years. I was so enraged by what looked like, an attempt to replicate the Nazi concentration camp.

When I got to Ikot Ekpene prison, I was told there is what they called the ‘special or privilege cell’. They told me that I would either adjust to the regular cell which is more horrible, or I had to pay for a space in the so-called special cell. The officers said it would cost me N50,000. I knew I had just two weeks to stay, but I had to

“The Federal Government, has abandoned the Custodial Centres. The Custodial Centres, are terribly and disgustingly congested. Inmates live basically, like abandoned animals…..those meals are not fit for human consumption….I was so enraged by what looked like an attempt to replicate the Nazi concentration camp”

pay the money so I could get a space.

We were three in a small room, in the special cell. There was no bed. I had to sleep on a small mattress, battling with mosquitos. It was not surprising when I fell ill in Ikot Ekpene. I bought my drugs from outside, because the clinic barely gave sick inmates more than paracetamol while I was there. I told myself that it will be unfair for me to go to the prison clinic to demand malaria tablets, when other sick inmates are hardly given more than paracetamol. As I said, I have always been mentally prepared for incarceration. That is why I pity those who celebrated my imprisonment. They miscalculated. I had to share a toilet with two other inmates in Ikot Ekpene prison. It wasn’t palatable.

But, that is the same prison that some people even consider to be one of the best in the country, because it was constructed some years ago by Akpabio. I don’t think the special cell in Ikot Ekpene, is even fit for any citizen of a serious country to be kept.

In Uyo, I refused to stay in the so-called special cell there. I decided to stay in the regular cell, so as to have a better understanding of what inmates go through. I did not want any form of special treatment. In Uyo, we were 23 in my cell which is called “F2”, and we all used the same toilet. 23 is even small number, because it is one of the CM cells. CM is meant for inmates who are serving their sentences. In the ATM cells which is meant for Awaiting Trial Inmates, some of the cells have close to one hundred inmates, and the cell is not even spacious.

There is also a separate cell for IDRs, which means Inmates on Death Row. Theirs is even more frightening. Their small cell is partitioned into cubicles, with up to 5 inmates per cubicle. The 5 inmates eat, sleep and defecate contemporaneously in the small cubicles. The toilet is not separated from where they eat and sleep. So, while one IDR inmate is eating, another may be defecating right in his presence. In the CM and ATM cells, the toilet is separated from where inmates sleep and stay, only by a curtain. It is a disgusting sight to behold.

But, for the rigid laws that inmates have imposed on themselves in their various cells, life in the cells would have been a complete state of nature.

The structures in Uyo Prison are like abandoned colonial buildings, with no reasonable evidence of modernity. When I arrived Uyo prison, there had been no electricity there for about four months.

There is no generator. We were using one lantern per cell. Inmates pay for kerosene which goes for N1000 per litre. I never for one day, ate what they served the inmates as food. For me, those meals are not fit for human consumption. Saying that it is bad, is trivialising the issue. Even saying it is terrible, is euphemism. What the inmates are served as food, is not suitable for dogs to eat. They serve them something that looks like dry garri every morning, and in a small quantity. Throughout my one month in the prison, I never for one day

saw the inmates being served with garri that was not contaminated. The garri is always spoilt, and dark in colour. They will then serve them what looks like beans in the morning, and a caricature of soup in the evening. You don’t want to see the beans and the soup. They are cooked without basic ingredients. They don’t even remove the chaff properly, before cooking the beans. So, inmates have to find a way to remake the already cooked beans, so that they can at least swallow it and not die of starvation like others. If you see the soup, you will hate the leaders of this country. Do you know that inmates use their hands to remove sewage from the cesspool? Inmates tie ropes to buckets, and use it in disposing sewage. The sewage is not properly disposed, it is poured and spread on farms which surrounds the cells. This happens regularly, and pollutes the cells.

Hygiene is basically non-existent in the prisons. Water is barely available, to the awaiting trial inmates. Most of them repeat the same cloths. You can see visible signs of suffering, on the bodies of the inmates. The complexion of many of them, has changed to charcoal.

Many of them with different forms of ailments do not get proper medical attention. Deaths of inmates is part of the prison life, so inmates do not show emotions when fellow inmates die. Meanwhile, the Uyo prison is just by the Government House, and the Governor cannot intervene to ameliorate the horrible condition of that prison, despite the fact that nearly all the inmates are indigenes of the State, and are being prosecuted by the State Government for State offences. If the Governor’s excuse is that the Nigerian Correctional Service is a Federal Agency, why is he funding the Police and constructing Federal roads?

The current Governor is the worst, in terms of impact on the lives of inmates in the State.

The Akwa Ibom State Ministry of Justice, now led by the AG, Mr Uko Udom, SAN, should be held responsible for the terrible congestion. What the Justice Ministry has done to most of the inmates is criminal, callous and satanic. It takes them more than 2 to 5 years to write ordinary legal advice. The Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) and the AG have failed miserably, and the blood of many of the inmates who died in prison waiting the DPP’s advice is on their hands, and God will demand the blood from them in due season.

I do not know of any State in Nigeria, where the so-called leaders despise their own people like Akwa Ibom.

Where is the Minister of Interior? What happened to the oversight function of the National Assembly, over the Nigerian Correctional Service? The assumption that everyone in the prison is a criminal or is guilty of a crime, is fallacious. I went to prison, without even being told what offence I had committed. I went to prison without committing any crime. There are many innocent people like me in prison, who are victims of impunity, abuse of judicial power, Police corruption and lawlessness. The Police should largely be held responsible, for the congestion in the prisons. They arrest suspects and arraign them in Magistrate courts without bothering about evidence or facts, and then the Magistrates will remand people pending cont'd on page IX

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‘I Was Tortured in Prison’ cont'd from page VIII

DPP’s advice that takes years to be written. I did my NYSC in Ondo State. My Place of Primary Assignment (PPA), was the Ministry of Justice.

There is nothing magical or complicated, in writing legal advice for a case. You only review the duplicate case file submitted by the Police after investigation which contains the Police Investigation Report, Statement of Witnesses and other relevant documents and facts in the file, and reach a conclusion whether a case has been made out against a person to justify trial or not. This is what is taking the Ministry of Justice in Akwa Ibom, several years to do. It smacks of gross incompetence and wickedness.

Whenever the Chief Judge plans to visit the prisons, the DPP will rush and file Information or charges against inmates that may be considered for release. This is not hearsay. I saw this with my eyes at the Process Section of the High Court in Uyo, a day before the last visit of the current Chief Judge to the prisons. The Chief Judge, Hon. Justice Ekaette Obot ended up releasing only nine inmates in Uyo Prison, out of hundred of names that the Prison authorities had recommended. This is how flawed and oppressive the system is. That is why I am recommending that as part of the requirement for employment of any Lawyer as a judicial officer, Magistrate or State Counsel in Nigeria, the applicant should spend at least one week in a Nigerian prison.

It should be compulsory, so that the applicants can have a practical experience of the Custodial Centres. It will shape their mindset, towards people in prison.

The criminal justice system in this country has failed to a large extent, and we should have the courage to say so and take serious actions to correct it. During my incarceration, the prison became like a sort of pilgrimage, people came from all parts of the country to see me. Every day, I had a retinue of visitors who came to spend time with me. The authorities had given some kind of special instructions or rules to the warders, now known as correctional officers, which was a way of telling them that I was ‘a high-profile inmate’ whose life had to be monitored’. I couldn’t make calls like other inmates. I was monitored tooth and nail. I didn’t have a problem with that. I cooperated with the authorities, and kept to all their rules.

Whatever they did, was them trying to make me not to feel the reality of what was happening.

While in Prison, you stated that you facilitated the release of 17 detainees and inmates. How did you achieve this while incarcerated? The word is that there are many inmates that may not have any business being in custody in the first place, and there are more people awaiting trial than actual convicts. Can you comment on this, and share your thoughts on how you think Nigerian prisons can be decongested?

You will recall that when I came out of prison, I told the pressmen outside that I had just completed my one month appointment with destiny. As someone who believes deeply that God rules over the affairs of men, it is my belief that my incarceration was in some way a missionary journey. God sent me there, as an answer to the prayers of some inmates. From the first to the last day of my incarceration, I devoted myself to the service of inmates. I spent most of my time listening to inmates, and took steps to solve their problems as much as I could.

The complaints ranged from lack of basic things like food items, soap, bathroom slippers and money for sundry purposes, to legal problems in their cases. I realised that many inmates, despite being granted bail by the courts, were still in prison because they cannot perfect their bail. So, what I did was to request for names of those who were granted bail by Magistrate Courts.

I decided to perfect bail for 17 of them. They are being released in batches, as the Magistrates are signing their release warrants. I have also undertaken to take up cases of some inmates that do not have legal representation, whose cases I believe deserves special consideration.

Among them, are two pregnant female inmates.

One delivered her baby, a day before I was released. As part of my modest efforts to put smiles on the faces of the inmates, I organised football and dancing competitions for male and female inmates, with modest monetary prizes

Inibehe Effiong

which I presented during the finals a day before my departure.

The last week of my stay in Uyo was a sort of carnival for the inmates. I did everything I could, to impact on the lives of the inmates. But, the best thing that I can do for them now is to let the world know the story of their untold suffering.

By my estimation, over 80% of inmates are awaiting trial. Many of them are waiting for DPP’s advice. There are many innocent people in prison. The day I arrived in Ikot Ekpene Prison, I was shown an inmate who had just regained his freedom, after awaiting trial for over 10 years. This is the type of country we are living in.

How would you rate this administration’s performance, especially with regard to its respect for the rule of law, fight against corruption and revamping the economy?

Like I have repeatedly said, President Buhari is a tragic mistake of history. The Buhari regime is an affliction that has imperilled our nation, and suffocated our countrymen. He came in with a lot of goodwill in 2015, promising change.

Seven years after, he changed the country for the worse. The rule of law has been violently raped, by the current regime.

Court orders are flouted, Judges are being intimidated, human rights are violated endlessly, and institutions are lawless and corrupt. This regime lacks empathy. The life of a Nigerian, is now worth less than a coin. We have a Commander-in-Chief, who has failed to command the Armed Forces. The Service Chiefs and the heads of security agencies, are commanding themselves. There is no evidence that the repeated empty orders of Buhari, have been carried out. Nigerians are being slaughtered in their country, by terrorists and so-called bandits. No one is safe. The terrorists have been emboldened by the incompetence, laxity and recklessness of this regime. There is a strong perception that, this regime is tacitly condoning the nefarious acts of those who have made it their duty to shed the Nigerian blood.

On the fight against corruption, it is now clear to everyone that Buhari is neither fighting corruption, nor is he against corrupt people. Those who were under the illusion that he was going to fight corruption, have now come to terms with the harsh reality that this is one of the most corrupt regimes in the history of this country. All that Buhari cares about,

“The rule of law has been violently raped, by the current regime. Court orders are flouted, Judges are being intimidated, human rights are violated endlessly, and institutions are lawless and corrupt.

This regime lacks empathy. The life of a Nigerian, is now worth less than a coin”

is to entrench crude nepotism.

Regarding the economy, every indice shows that this regime is a colossal failure.

The Naira is now worthless. Inflation is monstrous. Unemployment is escalating.

Yet, the regime continues to accumulate more debts. As things stand, we can only pray for the handover date to come sooner, so that this wind of evil and destruction can blow away.

What are your views regarding the payment of ransom for kidnap victims, since it has been criminalised? Kindly, share your thoughts on the insecurity that has pervaded the country, and this administration’s efforts to fight same. Are our security agencies up to the task in handling insecurity or should Nigeria seek external assistance on fighting insecurity, given the fact that our security agencies seem to have been compromised?

Those who came up with such a legislative proposal, are not serious minded. It is a product of an idle mind. What option or choice do families of kidnapped victims have, when the security architecture of the country has collapsed? They are just ridiculing themselves by seeking to criminalise payment of ransom, which is due to failure of Nigerian State.

This is another evidence, that our leaders have no solutions to the myriad of problems besetting this country. Kidnapping is a felony, in every State in Nigeria. Indeed, many States have made it a capital offence. Has that curtailed the spate of kidnapping? Laws are useless, when there is no enforcement.

The problem of Nigeria is not paucity of laws, but the unwillingness of our leaders to enforce laws without sentiments. In the North today, kidnapping has become a way of life, because we have a President who is disconnected from reality. In truth, it is hard to convince some of us that there is a leader in this country. Look at the ASUU strike; which serious country will keep undergraduates at home for over six months? Nothing is working under Buhari.

Should bandits and terrorists be pardoned and reintegrated into society?

The idea itself is repulsive. How do you pardon the rapist, and ignore the raped? That is exactly what it amounts to. The regime is pardoning terrorists, and relegating the terrorised. The war against the Nigerian people is still raging, and some people are talking about pardoning and reintegrating the terrorists who are slaughtering our soldiers, security men and innocent citizens. Is that not offensive? What effort has been made to resettle Nigerians in Benue, Katsina, Kaduna and other States, whose communities have been ransacked and burnt to ashes by these terrorists? What about justice for the victims?

It takes a regime of terror to wine and dine with terrorists.

Government’s application to extradite DCP Abba Kyari to USA to face money laundering charges was refused by the Federal High Court. While some believe that the drug charges DCP Kyari is facing here should take precedence over the extradition, others believe that the drug charges are a sham orchestrated to prevent his extradition.

Still yet, there’s another school of thought

that believes the drug charges are genuine, but he should still be extradited, since the American matter was first in time. What school of opinion are you? What does this whole saga say about the recruiting methods into Nigerian security agencies like the Police, where some officers have turned out to be murderers, robbers etc?

If you check my verified Twitter and Facebook accounts, you will see that I twitted and posted on March 3, 2022 that the Attorney-General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami, SAN, was neither honest nor serious about extraditing DCP Abba Kyari. I alerted the nation that something sinister was going on. I warned that the NDLEA should investigate Kyari, but should not proceed with filing charges against him until the extradition process was completed, as doing otherwise would be counter-productive to the extradition proceedings, in view of the provisions of Section 3 of the Nigerian Extradition Act which expressly provides that extradition application shall be refused by the court, where the wanted person is already undergoing criminal trial in Nigeria. Sections 150 and 174 of the Constitution makes Malami, SAN the Chief Law Officer of the Federation. He knows exactly what he set out to do, and he has achieved his aim. I believe the United States Government is not deceived by the antics of Mr Malami.

Ab initio, the drug charges were designed to scuttle the extradition request made by the United States. We need to urgently reform the Nigeria Police. The promises made during the #EndSARS protests, have not been fulfilled. The Police is still killing, torturing, oppressing and extorting Nigerians on a daily basis. There is very little accountability in the system. There is a case of a Police officer, ASP Joweigha Michael, who tortured a fresh Engineering student of UNIUYO, Kubiat Isaac, to death in custody late 2021. Despite compelling evidence, the FCIID in Abuja is still playing around with the case, and has not brought back the culprit to Uyo to face trial. This is the impunity that we are witnessing in the Police.

To what extent will your incarceration affect your human rights activism?

My incarceration was my baptism of fire, as a human rights crusader. I have always been prepared for it. I was never worried by my incarceration, because I know that I am innocent of the allegations levelled against me. This was more about an attempt to change my identity and convictions as an activist, than the libel case of the Governor. There are people who are irritated by the voice and the platform that God has given me, and they felt that imprisoning me will dampen my spirit and make me to abandon this path. But, that was a terrible miscalculation. Like Gani Fawehinmi said: “What I stand for, I cannot change”. It is simply a waste of time, for anyone to try to subjugate me. It will never happen, because the walls of the prison only strengthens a freedom fighter. The incarceration has emboldened and fortified me, for the next phase of my calling. That is a lesson for the oppressors of our people. I believe that I will get justice from the Judiciary. Those who lied against me will not laugh last, as long as God is still God. History will vindicate the just. Thank you for this opportunity.

Thank you Mr Effiong.

X

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 2022 ˾ T H I S D AY

TALKING CONSTITUTIONAL DEMOCRACY DR. MIKE OZEKHOME, SAN

0809 889 8888 SMS ONLY

See How President Buhari Turned Me into A Nostradamus and Clairvoyant (Part 2) Introduction ast week, I explored the above topic. I recalled my earlier write-ups advising Buhari on how he should reengineer and reinvent the bent wheels of the Nigerian Nation. The present write-up is a mere rehash of reminiscences of what I had written and predicted as far back as 19th July, 2015, only after 50 days of Buhari’s tenure commenced! Nigerians had expected PMB to hit the ground running. They wanted him to be, not just a mere magician in the mould of Professor Peller, but also a miracle worker in the mould of Chris Oyakhilome, all rolled into one. The stakes were very high based on Buhari and APC’s promises during the campaigns. They are higher today after his unexpected disastrous performance. Now, continue reading what I wrote as far back as 29th July, 2015:

L

"The Anti-Climax "However, barely 50 days into PMB’s administration, Nigerians (read the print and social media, watch TV analysis and columnists’ opinions), are beginning to ask many questions. Were their hopes misplaced? Were they hallucinating? Are they in a state of somnambulism, or having feverish nightmares? Reasons? They cannot see signs of the promised “change”. Nigerians are not the most patient people on earth. They love quick-fix-it attack on issues, with “immediate effect and automatic alacrity”. Nigerians cuddle panache, glamour, colour, razzmatazz, and the fanciful.

“They even love the drama of actions, even if merely playing to the gallery. They yearn for populist actions, the type of IBB when he rejected the IMF, even though he later forced down their unwilling throats, the bitter pill of structural adjustment programme (SAP). Nigerians are seeing an anti-climax. And they are surprised and deflated.

Was this the change they voted for? They are wondering!

"PMB’s Many Missteps, The Faux Pas "When he took the oath of office on 29th May, 2015, PMB made one of the most memorable quotes of the century of “I belong to everybody and I belong to no one”. Some placed it in the pantheon of Murtala Mohammed’s great speech, “Africa has come of Age”, delivered on 11th January, 1976, at the OAU extraordinary meeting, warning the West, including America’s Gerald Ford, to keep off the internal affairs of Africa, while castigating the evils of apartheid.

"After this great outing, most Nigerians expected a national broadcast as to the thrust and policy direction of his government. None came. None has come till date. Only haphazard, piecemeal, fire brigade statements on sundry issues, at sundry occasions. No rhythm, no rhyme, no clear message.

PMB, are you hearing me Sir? "The First Appointments – A Misstep "Then, came the first two appointments. First, Mr Femi Adesina (erstwhile President, appointed Special Adviser on Media Affairs (SA). Then the shocker: Mallam Garba Shehu introduced duplicity with his appointment as Senior Special Assistant (SSA), for the same media job. Many Nigerians wondered why the duplication, for any of both gentlemen were eminently qualified to serve as his spokesperson, Shehu having also been a past president of NGE. “Where was the cut in government spending?”, they wondered. Nigerians queried why, at least, there was no pretence at making Garba an SSA on Communications and Strategy. Just something different. Why regurgitate PDP and GEJ’s Ruben Abati, Doyin Okupe and Ahmed Gulak? Where was the change, with both spokespersons already publicly contradicting each other?

"PMB’s Other Shocking Appointments That

President Muhammadu Buhari Later Followed "If Nigerians were taken aback by the disingenuousness in the appointment of Adesina and Shehu, they were shocked to their bones and marrows with the next seven appointments made, all from the Northern geopolitical zones of the country.

Wait for it…

Lt Col. Muhammed Abubakar (ADC) from Kano, North West. For engaging in a supremacy battle with this chosen one, Mr Abdulrahma Mani, another Northerner, was fired. The next is Lawal Kazaure, State Chief of Protocol (North), Ahmed Idris (Accountant General, Kano State, North West); Mordecai Baba Ladan (North West), and Mrs Amina Zakari (from Kazaure, Jigawa State, North West, as Acting Chairman of INEC).

"Never mind that in Sections 153, 154, 155, 156 and 157 of the 1999 Constitution, there is no provision for “Acting Chairman”; but a Chairman before whose appointment, the President, under Sections 154 (1) and (2), must “consult with the Council of States” and the Senate must confirm.

"Finally, Lawal Daura (from Daura, PMB’s home town, North West), was appointed Director General of the State Security Service (DSS). Ita Ekpeyong from Cross River State was made to kiss the dust to pave way for Daura.

"Thus, of nine appointments so far made by PMB, eight are from the Northern parts of the country, leaving the entire Southern parts with only Femi Adesina (South West). Many are wondering whether this is a carefully crafted odeon of Northernisation of the Government of the Federation. Nigerians are aghast.

"Non Appointment of Ministers "Section 147 of the 1999 Constitution provides for the appointment of Ministers by the President, subject to confirmation by the Senate. The word “shall” which enjoins a mandate, is carefully and advisedly used by the makers of the Constitution.

There shall be at least one Minister from each of the 36 States of Nigeria, with one from the

"If Nigerians were taken aback by the disingenuousness in the appointment of Adesina and Shehu, they were shocked to their bones and marrows with the next seven appointments made, all from the Northern geopolitical zones of the country“

Federal Capital Territory of Abuja.

"The Ministers are to help the President discharge the duties of his office effectively.

It is said that even God himself, as Almighty, Omniscient and Omnipresent as He is, still requires the assistance of Angels and Saints.

Not so for PMB. Well over one and a half months after his appointment and well over three months after he became aware he had been elected President of Nigeria when GEJ conceded defeat and congratulated him, PMB is still without Ministers, operating alone, like a lone ranger, in the mould of a Military dictator. His slow, nay sluggish pace, has become worrisome to most Nigerians.

"Commenting on his lack lustre performance within the first 30 days in office, especially on the non-appointment of Ministers, an economist, at Capital Economics, London, Mr John Ashbourne said: “Every week that Nigeria goes without a Cabinet, increases the chance that it will face a dangerous shock – whether a revenue collapse or a currency crisis…leaving the Federation without a Finance Minister would be a questionable choice at the best of times; doing so during a period of economic instability is difficult to explain.”

"Nigeria Labour Congress President, Comrade Ayuba Wabba, who admitted that 30 days was too short to assess PMB’s performance, had however, declared that Buhari was yet to face the realities on the ground. He argued that the slow pace of the administration (one month after being declared the winner of the Presidential election on March 28), was a pointer to the fact that the President was yet to acquaint himself with the situation on the ground.

"A Return of the Old Order "As captured by Vanguard Online of June 22, 2015, in an article written by veteran, Eric Teniola, a former Director in the Presidency, he graphically captured the return to the old order of lone ranging, thus: “From January 15, 1966 till June 3, 1967, Nigeria had no Ministers. That is a period of over fifteen months. The two military rulers who ruled during that period——Major General Johnson Thomas Umanakwe Aguiyi-Ironsi (1924-1966) and General Yakubu Dan-Yuma Gowon (80) constituted Permanent Secretaries as members of the Federal Executives Council.

"As for General Ironsi, the following were appointed—Mr Ige (Agriculture and Natural Resources), C.O. Lawson (Communications), Alhaji Musa Daggash (Defence), Allison Ayida

(Economic Development), S.S. Waniko (Education),T. Eneli (Establishments), Edwin O. Ogbu (External Affairs), Abdul Aziz Atta (Finance), B.N. Okagbue (Health), Phillip Asiodu (Industries), Grey Eronmosele Longe (Information), Alhaji A. Mora (Internal Affairs), M.A. Tokunbo (Labour and Welfare), H.A. Ejeyuitchie (Mines and Power), Alhaji Abdulrahman Howeidy (Special Duties-Internal Affairs), Alhaji Sule Kolo (Trade), H.O. Omenai (Transport), S.O. Williams (Works and Housing), Alhaji Sule Katagum (Chairman of the Federal Public Service Commission-Civil Service), A.E. Howson-Wright (Chairman of the Nigerian Railway Corporation), A.I. Obiyan (Chairman of the Nigerian Ports Authority) and the Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, Chief Gabriel Onyiuke.

"There was also the all-powerful Chief Francis Nwokedi, who was Permanent Secretary, Special Duties, and of course, Chief Pius Okigbo. Mr S.O. Wey was in all but name, the Secretary to the Government.

"As for General Yakubu Gowon, we are all aware of his preference for Permanent Secretaries. The Permanent Secretaries were the ones that paved the way for his coming to power on July 29, 1966 during the historic meeting held at Ikeja Cantonment. So, for the first ten months of his administration, he had no Ministers. He relied heavily on the counsel of Permanent Secretaries and Judges who administered the country.

"They include Sir Adetokunbo Ademola (Chief Justice of the Federation), Alhaji Sule Katagum (the Head of the Federal Civil Service Commission), the Solicitor General - Biliaminu Oladiran Kassim.

Others are Mr Phillip Asiodu, Alhaji Ahmed Joda, Mr Eneli, Mr B.N. Okagbue, Mr Allison Ayida, Mr Phillip Asiodu, Alhaji Abdul Aziz Atta, Mr Buba Ardo who later became Supreme Court Judge, Alhaji Musa Daggash, Prince Festus Adesanoye who later became the Osemawe of Ondo and Mr S.O. Williams. Some of them were referred to later as “Super Permanent Secretaries.” And Mr S.O. Wey who later became the Secretary to Government.

There was also Mr Ime Ebong who later became Permanent Secretary, Ministry of National Planning.

"It was not until June 3, 1967 that General Gowon brought eminent Nigerians including Chief Obafemi Awolowo, Chief Joseph Takar, Mallam Aminu Kano, Mr Wenike Briggs, Alhaji Shehu Shagari, Alhaji Shettima Monguno, Chief Okoi Arikpo, Chief Anthony Enahoro, Alhaji Femi Okunnu, Chief A.Y. Eke and Chief Edwin Clarke into his cabinet. Chief Obafemi Awolowo left the cabinet in 1971 for personal reasons. He later appointed some Military officers into his cabinet. They include Major General Emmanuel Eyo Ekpo (Agric and Natural Resources), Brigadier Olusegun Obasanjo (Works and Housing), Brigadier Emmanuel Abisoye (Health), Lt. Col. Ahmadu Alli (Education), Captain Olufemi Olumide (Transport), Brigadier Murtala Muhammed (Communication), Brigadier Henry Adefope (Labour) Col. Dan Suleiman (Special Duties) and Brigadier Mohammed Shuwa.

"Even then, General Gowon did not make them members of the Supreme Military Council, yet he allowed the Permanent Secretaries to attend the meetings of the Supreme Military Council as observers. Worse still, Ministers could not pass memos directly to General Gowon. This arrangement created problems between his Ministers and his Permanent Secretaries, till he was removed on July 29, 1975.

"Now forty years after, the same scenario is being played.

"The recent appointment of Alhaji Ahmed Joda as Chairman of Transition Committee and the submission of his 800-page report to President Muhammadu Buhari, is to emphasise that retired and serving civil servants will play key roles in the regime of President Muhammadu Buhari. Even though he is now a turned democrat, the military blood in the President is still alive. I am of the view that the Military trusts the civil servants more than the politicians, and the civil servants, in turn, trust the Military than the politicians. The role to be played by the retired civil servants will become clearer in the months ahead. Let us keep our fingers crossed”.

"I cannot agree more, with this intellectual analysis of the challenge at hand. It is a clear and present danger. PMB needs to act swiftly. Very swiftly.”(To be continued).

THOUGHT FOR THE WEEK “A self-fulfilling prophecy is an assumption or prediction that, purely as a result of having been made, cause the expected or predicted event to occur and thus confirms its own 'accuracy.'” (Paul Watzlawick)

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6.9.2022 ADVERTORIAL

XV

T H I S D AY ˾ DAY ʹ˜ 2022

FEATURES

Group Features Editor: Chiemelie Ezeobi Email chiemelie.ezeobi@thisdaylive.com, 07010510430

Promoting Public Accountability, Service Delivery Recently, the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation launched the Presidential Delivery Tracker and Website for the Central Delivery Coordination Unit, CDCU, to connect more citizens to governance by increasing their access to the federal government's Presidential priority policies, programmes, and projects. Beyond that, Chiemelie Ezeobi reports that it will promote public accountability and improve service delivery

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f there is one thing Nigerians have been clamouring from government, it's open governance as this would help ameliorate endemic corruption across board and build trust. Which was why the recent launch of Central Delivery Coordination Unit website (CDCU) and the Presidential Delivery Tracker (PDT) App was welcomed with open hearts and showered with commendations.

The Central Delivery Coordination Unit What exactly is the Central Delivery Coordination Unit one might ask? The CDCU was setup to track, review and periodically report to the President the performance of ministries in the delivery of the Ministerial Mandates signed by Ministers and Permanent Secretaries with the President in 2019.

All these are geared towards the achievement of the nine priorities of the Federal Government of Nigeria which includes stabilising the macroeconomy; achieving agriculture and food security; ensuring energy sufficiency in power and petroleum products; improving transportation and other infrastructure; driving industrialisation focusing on SMEs; improving health, education and productivity of Nigerians; enhancing social inclusion and reducing poverty; fighting corruption and improving governance; as well as providing security for all citizens.

Presidential Delivery Tracker (PDT) App The Presidential Delivery Tracker (PDT) App is therefore a co-creation platform that aims to connect citizens to governance in Nigeria by increasing citizens' access to the Federal Government's Presidential Priority Policies, Programmes, and Projects.

Official Launch Recently in Abuja, both initiatives were launched to a rousing applause and in attendance were the Minister of Finance, Budget & National Planning, Mrs. Zainab Ahmed; Minister of Information & Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed; Minister of state for Budget & National Planning, Prince Clem Agba; and Special Adviser to the President on Policy & Coordination, Dr. Habiba Lawal.

Other attendees were Permanent Secretaries from OSGF, the Director-General (BPP), the Director-General, BPSR, the Statistician-General, NBS, the Director (Development) and Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office, (FCDO) who through its flagship governance programme, PERL shaped the projects.

Objectives In his keynote address, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha, whose office is championing both causes, lauded CDCU, adding that over the last two years, it has successfully driven the federal government's delivery initiative to incorporate a systematic feedback mechanism from the citizens into the design and operationalisation of its Performance Management System.

This, he said, was in recognition of the critical roles of the citizens in promoting inclusive and citizen-centered governance.

On the other hand, he said the goal of the PDT is to promote transparency and expand access to reporting on Presidential Priority Policies, Programmes and Projects by incorporating citizens as the third layer of reporting to offer vital information that will facilitate effective service delivery.

He said: "The PDT is not designed to cover all activities of the federal government but is restricted in scope to the Policies, Programmes and Projects implemented by Federal Government Ministries, Departments and Agencies towards the achievement of Presidential priority programmes such as the nine priority areas of the current administration.

inclusive and transparent nations form the basis of shared and sustainable prosperity.

L-R: Permanent Secretary, Cabinet Affairs Office, OSGF, Mr. James Sule; Director, Development, Foreign and Commonwealth Development Office, Mr Chris Pycroft; Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Mrs Zainab Ahmed and Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha at the official launch of the Presidential Delivery Tracker and Central Delivery Cooordinating Unit website in Abuja "It is important to state that the Tracker is robustly designed to allow citizens to report on the Presidential Priority Projects and Programmes in their environs being implemented by the government.

It also provides the opportunity for citizens to provide assessment on the level of implementation.

This will enable the CDCU to triangulate the feedbacks from citizens with reports obtained from the implementing ministries.

"The whole essence is to enhance the participation of people in local decision-making processes in a sustainable manner, which goes beyond listening to people but to make the development process and Institutions more inclusive.

"As we are all aware, citizen engagement allows us to broaden the development dialogue to include the views and perspectives of traditionally marginalised groups leading to more inclusive Institutions – governments, development organisations, and donor agencies alike.

"Hence, the expected outcome will be the most sustainable results, when citizens become active agents rather than passive recipients."

On the other hand, he said the CDCU intends to empower citizens to make their voices heard, build citizens engagement programme that work, and participation that increases benefits if discussed with the people, since citizens are strongly driven by psychological and intangible factors, such as trust as well as, a sense of civic duty and belonging.

Essentially, he said the Presidential Delivery Tracker and CDCU website will serve as means of disseminating information on public service delivery to the citizens, receive feedbacks from

the populace, and identify/suggest ways of improvement, adding that "It will also foster citizens’ voice, discussion, and debate to demand for service improvement. "...this will not only promote effective project implementation, instill a desire for high standard, but also deepen accountability and transparency at all levels and stimulate continued policy dialogue and strategic engagement among all stakeholders.

"In Nigeria, opening up governance activities may be slow, but surely, it is now becoming a norm as government is already raising the bar for citizens participation.

"I will use this opportunity to thank the Open Government Partnership for promoting government entities to establish mechanisms for citizen feedback for more efficient publicresponsive services aimed at deepening trust in government.

"Let me appeal to our stakeholders, especially the CSOs and the media, to further this engagement by promoting and creating awareness about the platforms so as to have wider reach across the country."

Promoting Public Accountability In her goodwill message, the Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Dr. Zainab Ahmed, said the citizen-based mobile tracking app which allows citizens to send on-the-spot feedback on project implementation will promote public accountability and improve service delivery in government institutions.

She said: "It is well known that public accountability in service delivery plays an important role in government institutions and the nation's economy.

Indeed, it could be successfully argued that the economic well-being of any country is dependent, to a very large extent, on the strength, integrity, and complexity of its institutions and on its accountability to governmental services.

"Thus, promoting public accountability and improving service delivery in government institutions are initiated to ensure that such objectives are achieved."

While commending the SGF and team, she said international experience shows that

This will not only promote effective project implementation, instill a desire for high standard, but also deepen accountability and transparency at all levels and stimulate continued policy dialogue and strategic engagement among all stakeholders

Resolving Bottlenecks Earlier in his welcome remarks, the Permanent Secretary Cabinet Affairs Office, James Sule, said the CDCU also identifies and resolves issues that create bottlenecks and impediments to the delivery of Presidential Priorities.

According to him, to achieve this objective, "the CDCU has incorporated a Performance Management System (PMS) with Dashboards set up in key Offices which serve as tools for measuring MDAs performance in real-time in the implementation of ministerial deliverables against negotiated targets.

"A unified collaborative results Framework has been developed for the nine Priority Areas, incorporating all the 302 Ministerial Deliverables that have direct impact on each Priority, while a total of 455 output indicators are being tracked across the 29inistries, including the OHCSF. In developing the App, he said they engaged with various stakeholders, especially Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) at different stages of the development process. Essentially, he said their numerous interventions during the development of the Tracker and Website contributed immensely alongside support from partners like FCDO-PERL, NATVIEW Technologies, National OGP Secretariat of the Federal Ministry of Budget & National Planning, organisations and MDAs. Commitment from Civil Society Also speaking, Obialunanma NnaobiAyodele, Nigeria Co-Chair (civil society), Open Government Partnership said: "On our part of civil society we commit to continue to work together with the government to see that the values for which this project was conceived are delivered, while continuing to hold the government accountable to its responsibilities.

"Some of the tangible result we would like to see from the use of this application would be results that reflects the measure of transparency of government, so to what degree does this app enhance disclosure; "We would like to see the measure of trust, to what degree do citizens trust that their engagement with this app will translate to positive outcomes; and finally, we want to see the measure of participation, so what percentage of the population will use the app."

UK Government's Stance In his speech, Chris Pycroft, development director, FCDO in Nigeria, reflected on the gains made, adding that it represents an important step in the transparency and accountability of government business.

"The United Kingdom has been a strong ally of the Nigerian government efforts to improve transparency and accountability. The delivery tracker is an important incentive and should be encouraged across the three tiers of government...

"Officials and contractors should face sanctions or costs if programmes are not implemented, it's important that prior to project implementation citizens are an integral part of programm conception and that government projects reflect the need of its citizens, this is critical for building the social contract between citizens and government."

Stressing that public trust is an important component of Nigeria's democracy building, he said if well implemented and sustained, the President Delivery Tracker could be a powerful tool for building a constructive engagement with citizens.

Therefore to sustain this initiative, he said government must invest in building partnerships with networks of civil society groups across the country.

XVI

T H I S D AY ˾ TUESDAY SEPTEMBER 6, 2022

PROPERTY & ENVIRONMENT NFIU, ESVARBON to Collaborate against Money Laundry, Crooked Real Estate Practice Bennett Oghifo

A

big plan to curb money laundering and the vanishing act of crooked real estate developers in Nigeria has been hatched by the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU) and the Estate Surveyors and Valuers Registration Board of Nigeria (ESVARBON).

This is an onerous and

unprecedented move to regulate activities in the nation’s real estate sector where some practitioners launder money and do not honour agreements with prospective homeowners, relying on the loophole that their activities are presently unregulated by the federal government.

The Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU) was formally established in 2004 and became operational in 2005 as a unit

of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

In 2018, the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit (Establishment) Act transformed the Unit into an autonomous and independent agency domiciled with the Central Bank of Nigeria.

The NFIU is now an administrative type FIU, which draws its powers from the 2018 NFIU Act, the 2012 Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act (ML(P)A) as amended and the 2013 Terrorism

L-R: Representative, Director SCUML, Enu Matthew; Chairman Estate Surveyors and Valuers Registration Board Gersh Henshaw; and Head of Department, Real Estate and NPO, Nigeria Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU), Moses Azege, during the 2022 Valuers Assembly in Abuja… recently

(Prevention) Act (T(P)A).

Thus, the NFIU is the central coordinating body for the country’s Anti-Money Laundering, Counter-Terrorist Financing and Counter-Proliferation Financing (AML/CFT/CPF) framework.

It is the central national agency responsible for the receipt of disclosures from reporting organisations, the analysist of these disclosures and the production of intelligence for dissemination to competent authorities.

The collaboration between NFIU and ESVARBON is expected to strengthen regulations that will minimise corruption and lift the real estate sector.

Head of Department, Real Estate and NPO, Nigeria Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU), Moses Azege, who discussed the collaboration at the ESVARBON’s 2022 Valuers’ Assembly held in Abuja last week, said the real estate sector was “attractive for money laundering due to the inadequate regulatory framework, stability in value, big ticket transaction amount, ease of integrating cash into construction, the high transaction volume, cash-induced economy, and little or no regulation,”

saying it was no surprise that “the sector is found attractive by money launderers.”

He cited the GDP Report for Q1 2022 published by the National Bureau of Statistics, Nigeria’s real estate sector contributed 5.34 per cent to real GDP amounting to 2.2 trillion.

This, he said, makes the sector a significant employer of labour and underscores the sector’s relevance to all stakeholders, and that in the National Inherent Risk Assessment (NRA) 2016, the Real Estate Sector was noted as highly vulnerable, adding that the sector had an overall threat and vulnerability assessment rating of Medium High (MH)2.

Azege said in the National Inherent Risk Assessment 2022, the inherent risk in the sector was rated very high. Yet, the real estate professionals dominate the activities of the (Designated Non-Financial Business and Professional DNFBP) sector in terms of the value of transactions.

He added that real estate professionals generally have a low understanding of money laundering/Terrorism Financing (ML/TF) risks and their AntiMoney Laundering/Counter

Financing Terrorism (AML/ CFT) obligations.

But he said all hope was not lost if NFIU and ESVARBON could close the gap and collaborate to reverse the trend, and that going forward, “the NFIU will engage more with ESVARBON as the regulator of real estate practitioners to strengthen their anti-money laundering and countering the financing of terrorism (AML/ CFT) oversight function”.

He urged ESVARBON to establish an AML/CFT Committee that will be an interface with relevant authorities and that in the subsequent amendments of its regulations incorporate regulations against money laundering in real estate.

He also urged the ESVARBON to collaborate with NFIU to monitor compliance of its members with AML/CFT requirements.

ESVARBON, he said, should make ML/TF one of the examinable topics for intending new members.

According to Azege, with the collaboration, “ESVARBON, the NFIU, and other stakeholders will be able to explore ways in shrinking the real estate practitioners’ space from quack.”

Participants at Africa Climate Week Call for Creativity, Stronger Financial Commitments Bennett Oghifo Experts at a forum titled The Just Transition in the African Context, jointly organised by the African Development Bank and the African Climate Foundation have said it is imperative for African countries to chart their unique paths toward achieving a just transition to assess the needs, challenges, and opportunities of implementing a

just energy transition in Africa.

They gave the advice at the Africa Climate Week event moderated by Laura Becerra of Neyen Consulting.

Faten Aggad, African Climate Foundation’s Senior Advisor on Climate Diplomacy, said: “Just transition is a process.

It may take time to secure consensus among domestic actors and ensure inclusivity.”

Speaking on the issue of scale,

she said that while leapfrogging was possible at the household level, the transition could take longer for industry and other commercial sectors. There are significant gaps between financing commitments and disbursement in Africa, Aggad added.

Hind Chawki, Standard Chartered’s head of environmental, social and corporate governance for global credit

Ace Real Estate Introduces Free Academy to Empower Nigerian Youths Fadekemi Ajakaiye Ace Real Estate, an awardwinning youth-centric and value driven real estate development company, has launched a free online academy to train teeming youths and millennials in various sectors including real estate sales, financial literacy and technology.

The training academy is scheduled to begin on the 3rd of October this year with graduates presented with certificates at the end of the programme.

According to the CEO of Ace Real Estate, Ayobami Akindipe, the Ace Academy is borne out of the passion to contribute to Nation Building through youth empowerment in the areas of modern skills training.

“Our vision for Ace Academy is designed to empower more than 2,000 Nigerian youths and millennials across the country every

quarter, providing them with exceptional skills and knowledge about real estate. Also to make them full entrepreneurs or complement their current income status as employees or students,” Ayobami stated.

Ayobami further explained that, “Everyone can own a part of real estate, either as an investor, a sales executive or sell to own. It’s very visible that The real estate industry is one of the fastest growing sectors in Nigeria. Therefore, we want to create an avenue to empower undergraduates, graduates, millennials and youths who desire to make more income, with hard and soft skills in technology, sales, finance and real estate to enable them to become business oriented and innovative. With adequate training and materials, we hope to equip these individuals with the required skills for success and open up a market space by providing job opportunities.”

Since the inception of

Ace Real Estate in 2020, the company has established a tripartite value system that cuts across excellent service delivery, integrity and customer satisfaction with a mission to provide clients with a worthwhile real estate investment and make property acquisition safe, affordable, and bankable.

Ace Real Estate currently owns and manages over eight estates in several parts of Lagos and Abuja, according to a statement issued by the company.

Akindipe

markets in Africa and Pakistan, said the Covid-19 pandemic had complicated the implementation of a just transition. In many African countries, inflation and debt have increased due to the pandemic’s impacts.

Chawki stressed that this provided an opening for creative solutions and collaborations between development institutions and businesses to secure much-needed financing. Chawki also pointed out the need to put in place the right environment to attract investor interest.

Gareth Phillips, African

Development Bank Manager for Climate and Environmental Finance, emphasized the need to view just transition from an African perspective and to ensure its relevance for all Africans.

“The African Development Bank will support Africa’s contribution to combating climate change and limiting global warming to well below 2, preferably to 1.5 degrees Celsius, to be just and inclusive to address social, gender, economic, and environmental concerns of the continent,” Phillips said.

The Bank has launched a Just Transition Initiative, supported by the Climate Investment Funds, that will hold consultations with African stakeholders to build consensus around a working definition of a just transition that can be effectively implemented.

Africa Climate Week, forms part of a series of regional climate weeks being held globally.

Participants are expected to outline Africa’s objectives for the upcoming COP27 in Egypt and unify and amplify the African voice to ensure action.

Afriland Property Wins in Commercial Category at REDA Awards Fadekemi Ajakaiye Leading Real Estate firm, Afriland Properties Plc, has been awarded the Property Development Company of the Year in the commercial category at the 2022 edition of the Real Estate Discussion & Awards held in Lagos recently.

Organisers of the ceremony, Thinkmint Nigeria, lauded Afriland Properties’ achievements and the standards set by the firm in commercial real estate. Amongst other developments, The Afriland Towers, Broad Street, and The Heirs Towers, Adeola Odeku, two fully occupied projects within the company’s portfolio were identified as stand-out projects.

Managing Director/CEO, Afriland Properties, Plc, Uzo Oshogwe, thanked the organisers for the award, dedicating it to her team for their passion

and commitment. She said “We are delighted with this award and thank the organisers for the honour. The award is a testament to the standards we have set in the Real Estate industry. We understand how our delivery and quality of service impact our clients’ dreams and aspirations. This drives our commitment to improve lives through our activities in the real estate sector.”

The Afriland Chief Executive Officer restated the company’s commitment to transforming the African continent through real estate. She declared, “Afriland Properties Plc is focused on creating value across the real estate value chain. As part of our portfolio diversification strategies, we have commenced the construction of five new real estate projects: Iris Court, Aromire, Ikeja (Residential Flats); The Rouge, Oba Oyekan,

Ikoyi (Luxury Residential Flats); Afriland Estate, Karmo, Abuja(Residential Estate); The Emporium, Trans-Amadi, Port Harcourt (Multipurpose Complex); Afriland Complex, Abule Egba (Offices & Shops).

“These projects will impact lives by creating employment, economic prosperity, and social wealth in the communities where they are located” Afriland Properties Plc is a property management, investment, and development company, offering end-to-end services across the real estate value chain, from management to joint-venture investments.

With a portfolio size of over N10 billion and one of the largest land banks in Nigeria, Afriland is pioneering the opportunities presented by an institutional approach to real estate, serving niche markets throughout Africa.

T H I S D AY ˾ TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 2022

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BUSINESSWORLD R A T E S MONEY MARKET

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Group Business Editor Eromosele Abiodun Email oriarehu.eromosele@thisdaylive.com

08056356325

S E P T E M B E R

S & P INDEX

5 , 2 0 2 2

S & P INDEX

EXCHANGE RATE

OPR

11.25%

CALL

10.25%

INDEX LEVEL

613.31%

1/4 TO DATE

-0.85%

N416.86/ 1 US DOLLAR*

OVERNIGHT

11.50%

1-MONTH

9.56%

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YEAR TO DATE

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*AS AT LAST FRIDAY

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0.44%

Again, Nigeria Loses 7.56m Barrels of Crude Oil to Shut-ins, Facilities’ Failures, Others

Emmanuel Addeh in Abuja The Nigerian economy continued to bleed from shut-in of crude oil production as a result of vandalism, workers’ strikes, depreciating upstream infrastructure as well as force majeure in July, with the loss of 7.56 million barrels during the month.

Data from the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) indicated that the losses came from nine major incidents across the Niger Delta. But it excluded the ongoing massive oil theft around oil-producing communities.

The NNPCL has been unable to contribute a kobo to the Federation Account since this year, thereby crippling most dollar-related transactions in the Nigerian economy.

The scarcity of the greenback has also impacted negatively on the value of the naira, with the local currency falling to as low as N700 at some point in the last few months and foreign airline owners unable to repatriate as much as $464 million to their home countries.

With an estimated average oil price of about $100 for that month, it is estimated that the country may have lost as much as $756 million to the various leakages

during the period under review.

As has been the case since March this year, Bonny terminal took the biggest hit during the period, with force majeure declared as a result of the shutdown of the terminal.

The facility lost a humongous 3.545 million barrels during the month.

“Crude oil production at Bonny terminal has dropped significantly to an average of about 3mb since the 21st of March 2022 till date.

The terminal operator has declared force majeure on all outstanding Bonny programme,” the NNPCL stated in the report.

During the previous month, the QUA IBOE terminal which was

shut down for maintenance work lost 2.056 million barrels, but again came under serious headwinds following a seven-day strike declared by the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN). The nation shed 1.470 million barrels to the industrial action during the period.

Also, production at the Forcados terminal was curtailed to the tune of 258,000 barrels as a result of the closure of the facility “following reports of a sheen in the vicinity of the facility,” prompting the Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC), operator of the plant, to

curtail production.

Nigeria, Africa’s largest oil producer and a member of the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) has tried to stamp out sabotage on its pipeline network in recent years without much success.

Some operators have said they receive as little as 5 per cent of crude volumes pumped through the TNP pipeline, for instance, reflecting a larger issue for the country which is already facing shrinking investment and hasn’t been able to meet its oil-production quota in order to benefit from a surge in prices.

On Monday, a former Minister of State, Petroleum Resources and ex-Group Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), decried the increasing fall in almost all the growth indices in the oil industry in the country.

“High volume onshore production is going down. When I left in 2016, we were at about 2.1 million barrels per day. Today, I think we are about 1.3 million barrels, that’s almost 50 per cent to 100 per cent decline. The costs, which ought to be going down are massively Continued on page 24

Report: Manufacturing Declines as Economy Witnessed Highest Inflationary Pressure in August Dike Onwuamaeze Economic activities in the manufacturing sector of the Nigerian economy experienced a fall in output levels in August as the productivity of the Nigerian private sector reduced marginally during the month when compared to the

output in the preceding month.

This was reported by the Stanbic IBTC Bank’s Purchasing Manager Index (PMI) for the month of August 2022, which stated that the headline PMI was 52.3 in August, down from 53.2 in July, implying that the rate of growth was lower by 0.9 per cent during

the month under review than the long-run series average.

It said: “Private sector output of Nigerian firms rose in August for the second month running, although the pace of growth eased slightly from July. Firms reported that an uplift in demand supported output growth. However, the rate

FOOD

COMMODITIES

NAME OF COMMODITY

SIZE

STATE

PRICE

NAME OF COMMODITY

RICE

100KG

ABUJA

N23,000–N25,000

SORGHUM

50KG

OYO

N22,000-N25,000

50KG

PLATEAU (JOS)

N23,500-N25,000

50KG

KWARA N24,000–N27,000

50KG

LAGOS

50KG

RIVERS N23,000–N26,500

50KG 50KG

of expansion was weaker than the long-run series average.

“Sub-sector data indicated agriculture firms recorded the strongest expansion, followed by wholesale and retail, and services.

However, manufacturers recorded a decline in activity.”

The report also stated that that

SIZE

PRICE

STATE

100KG JIGAWA

NAME OF COMMODITY

N9,000

C O C OA

BENUE

N8,500

100KG

KADUNA

N8,500

50KG

ENUGU

N23,000

50KG

LAGOS

N17,000

SOKOTO N11,500–N13,000

100KG

DELTA

N23,000

N17,000–N20,000

100KG

ABIA

N23,000

EDO

movements and higher commodity prices,” as about 61 per cent of firms recorded a rise in purchase costs while 38 per cent left them unchanged.

The PMI report said: “On the price front, higher commodity and Continued on page 24

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N23,000–N26,500

the inflationary pressure witnessed its highest upsurge in August 2022 when compared to previous records since November 2021.

It attributed the escalation experienced in the prices of goods and services in Nigeria during the month under review to “unfavourable exchange rate

SIZE

STATE

PRICE

1 TON

ONDO

N740,000 – N760,000

1 TON

OSUN

N730,000 – N750,000

1 TON

EDO

N720,000 – N740,000

1 TON

CROSS RIVER

N700,000 – N720,000

1 TON

AKURE SOUTH, ONDO

N730,000 — N755,000

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NEWS FOOD

NAME OF COMMODITY

PALM OIL

SIZE

STATE

PRICE

25CL LAGOS N20,000-N25000 25CL

PH

NAME OF COMMODITY

TOMATOES

N19,500 – 25,000

COMMODITIES SIZE

STATE

40KG BENUE

PRICE

N15,000

40KG

KADUNA

N5,000

40KG

ABIA

N18,000

25CL IBADAN N18,000-N22,000 25CL

IMO

N21,000–N24,500

25CL

EDO

N19,000–N21,000

25CL ABUJA

N19500- N25000

25KG LAGOS 40KG DELTA

N9,500 N17000

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T O D AY

NAME OF COMMODITY

SIZE

STATE

PRICE

ONIONS

100KG

IBADAN

N25,000

100KG

KANO

N10,000

100KG

BENUE

N27,000

100KG GOMBE

N12,000

100KG DELTA

N21,000

100KG LAGOS

N25,000

100KG ENUGU

N15,000

100KG

N29,000

ABIA

NAME OF COMMODITY

MAIZE

LOCATION

PRICE

100KG JIGAWA

N9000

100KG ENUGU

N24000

100KG DELTA

N15000

100KG ABIA

N14000

50KG LAGOS

N13500

SIZE

McKinsey: Nigeria, Ghana, Others Fintech Sales to Surge to $30.3bn by 2025 Emmanuel Addeh in Abuja Africa’s financial-technology company revenue may soar to $30.3 billion by 2025, eight times higher than in 2020, as a growing, young and under-

banked population gets more access to internet, McKinsey & Co, has said.

The anticipated increase is part of a rapid expansion in financial services income that’s expected to grow to $230 billion

from $150 billion over the same period, the consulting company said in a research report.

About two-thirds of Africa’s 1.3 billion people don’t have a bank account or full access to financial services, and 90 per

cent of all transactions on the continent are still cash-based, according to the report.

The situation creates a growth opportunity for fintech companies, a Bloomberg report noted.

“African fintech is emerging

as a hotbed for investment, with average deal sizes growing and the proportion of fintech funding in Africa increasing over the past year, bringing jobs and growth to African economies. And the story is only just beginning, ”it

added.

Financial services revenues in Ghana and francophone West Africa will enjoy the fastest growth, with Nigeria and Egypt the next quickest, it noted.

NMDPRA: Gas Flare Commercialisation Programme to Unlock 2,000MW of Electricity Annually Peter Uzoho The Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) has said the National Gas Flare Commercialisation Programme (NGFCP) aimed at monetising huge volumes of natural gas being flared during oil production will unlock about 2 gigawatts (2000MW) of electricity annually.

The Authority also stated that when activated, the programme will equally unlock approximately 600 tonnes of Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG), provide clean energy for 6 million households and create 300,000 jobs annually.

The Chief Executive Officer of NMDPRA, Mr. Farouk Ahmed, made the assertions in Lagos at the 2022 annual conference of the Association of Energy Correspondents of Nigeria (NAEC), with the theme: “Energy Transition: “Shaping the Future of Nigeria’s Energy Industry, an Appraisal of PIA, Evolving Benefits and Challenges.”

Represented by the Executive Director, Economic Regulations and Strategic Planning, NMDPRA, Dr. Zainab Gobir, the CEO said other initiatives taken to facilitate a shift to a gas-based economy included the declaration of the ‘Decade of Gas’, to foster economic growth and industrialisation driven by gas.

According to Ahmed, other initiatives included the National Gas Expansion Programme (NGEP) for the penetration and utilisation of LPG, Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) and the Domestic Liquefied Natural Gas (DLNG), explaining that this will improve energy access,

increase domestic consumption, and provide an alternative energy source.

Reporters Nosa Alekhuogie (ICT) Peter Uzoho (Energy) Ugo Aliogo (Development)

wealth creation. This can unlock and generate approximately 2.5GW of power, 600 tonnes of

LPG annually, and create 300,000 direct and indirect jobs while eliminating carbon emissions

and providing clean energy for 6 million households,” Ahmed stated.

Korea Pledges to Help Nigeria Tackle its Power Supply Challenges Emmanuel Addeh in Abuja President of the Korea-Africa Foundation (KAF), Lyeo Woon-ki, has pledged his country’s collaboration in tackling Nigeria’s enormous energy challenges.

Woon-ki, who spoke when he led a delegation to the office of the Minister of State, Power, Mr Goddy Jeddy-Agba, said that since economic growth and energy sufficiency go together, the country was committed to help Nigeria in that respect.

KAF was established in June 2018 as an affiliation of the Ministry of

Foreign Affairs of Korea, with the mission of promoting partnership with the African continent in political, economic, cultural, academic and other various areas.

Woon-ki stated that the purpose of his visit was to familiarise with the ministry and to have an insight into the power sector in Nigeria with a view to exploring possible areas of partnership.

“I’m pleased to be in Nigeria to share what we do in the Korea/Africa Foundation. Since its establishment, we’ve been working with Africa diplomats

to organise seminars, workshops and conferences to discuss issues affecting Africa.

“We’re particularly interested in working with your country to address her energy crisis. Energy is key to everything. All sectors depend on energy to thrive. “ The major problems of some Africa countries is energy. So, we want to see how we can work more closely to tackle the problems, because every process to addressing energy challenges is important,” he stressed.

Along with Woon-ki were:

KZM Young-Chae, South Korea Ambassador to Nigeria, Ms. Kim, Won-nyung, Director of Korea/ Africa Foundation and Ms. Son Eunkyung, Second Secretary of South Korea embassy.

In his remarks, Jedy-Agba said that Nigeria was willing to explore areas of partnership with South Korea to address its energy problems.

Jedy-Agba said that learning from the Korean experience and seeking areas of cooperation to address the nation’s energy problems were areas that the government

of President Muhammadu Buhari was willing to explore.

He explained that because Nigeria is committed to the United Nations’ plan to transform the global energy sector from fossilbased to zero carbon emissions by 2060, the current administration is investing heavily on renewable energy sector.

“We are happy to receive you to Nigeria. Nigeria is a great country and we are open to partnerships and cooperation that will help us improve in different sectors, “Jeddy-Agba noted.

NERC Backs New BEDC Board, Disowns Disco’s Erstwhile Management Emmanuel Addeh in Abuja The Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) has reiterated its support for the takeover of the Benin Electricity Distribution Company (BEDC) by its creditor bank, disowning the recent actions taken by the former management of the firm.

NERC insisted that it has a

statutory responsibility to the electricity market, adding that the duty, which is exercised in the public interest outweighs any perceived private interests.

In a statement, the regulator alerted the general public to note that the interim board comprising of Messrs Henry Ajagbawa, K.C Akuma, Adeola ljose, Charles Onwera and

Yomi Adeyemi remain the only directors of BEDC recognised by the commission.

“All stakeholders and members of the general public are enjoined to provided the required support to the interim board of directors as they work on ensuring continuity of service to end-use customers in the BEDC network area,” NERC

stated.

It added that the public notices signed by one Mr. Lucky Ayomoto purportedly acting on behalf of the erstwhile board/ management of the BEDC were not recognised by the commission.

Recalling that the BEDC is jointly owned by private investors with Vigeo Power Ltd

holding an equity of 60 per cent and 40 per cent being held by the Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE) on behalf of the federal and state governments, it added that in the light of a default in servicing the said loan, Fidelity bank has exercised its rights to repossess the shares that were provided as security for the acquisition loan.

Fashola Inaugurates Governing Council of Federal School of Surveying Emmanuel Addeh in Abuja

Group Business Editor Eromosele Abiodun Deputy Business Editor Chinedu Eze Comms/e-Business Editor Emma Okonji Asst. Editor, Money Market Nume Ekeghe Senior Correspondent Raheem Akingbolu (Advertising) Correspondents Emmanuel Addeh (Energy) KayodeTokede(CapitalMarkets) James Emejo (Finance) Ebere Nwoji (Insurance)

“The Nigerian gas flare commercialisation programme harnesses gas flare for sustainable and value

The Minister of Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola, has inaugurated the 7th governing council of the 114-year-old Federal School of Surveying (FSS), Oyo, with the Surveyor General of the Federation (SGoF), Abudulganiyu

Adebomehin as Chairman.

Head of Press and Public Relations of the SGoF office, Micheal Abu, in a statement noted that the developments was pursuant to Part 1, Section 2 of the FSS Act (No.19) of 25th June 1990.

It stressed that the event was witnessed by the

President of the surveying regulatory body in Nigeria, Surveyor Council of Nigeria (SURCON), Clement Nwabiche and one of the early principals of the school, an octogenarian, Chief Benjamin Lala, among other dignitaries.

In his remarks, the SGoF

who represented the minister said that with the expiration of the tenure of the 6th governing council, the federal government nominated some credible Nigerians cutting across relevant authorities, professions, and the country’s geopolitical zones to reflect its diversity to the board.

In her address of welcome, the Rector of the school, Dr. Dupe Olayinka-Dosunmu disclosed that the last council had approved the proposed new name of the school as the Federal University of Geospatial Sciences and Environmental Technology.

Elon Musk Backs Calls for Extraction of More Hydrocarbons Emmanuel Addeh in Abuja with agency report The world must continue to extract oil and gas in order to sustain civilisation, while also developing sustainable sources of energy, Tesla founder, Elon Musk has told reporters at a conference in Norway.

The position of the world’s richest man aligns with that of Nigeria, which has always held that the view that the world cannot jettison fossil fuels overnight with the high energy poverty on the continent.

Currently, there are more than 600 million people in Africa who have little or no access to

electricity and 900 million who lack safe and clean cooking fuels, according to global energy data.

“Global leaders need to be reminded that for billions, the day does not start by switching on a light, opening a refrigerator or turning the ignition on a car.

Access to affordable and reliable modern energy is a must for everyone.

“There are some who believe the oil and gas industries should not be part of the energy future, that they should be consigned to the past, and that the future is one that can be dominated by renewables and electric vehicles. “ We need to counter this evolving narrative,” the

Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) recently explained.

The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) on its part has said that it will focus more on gas exploration as a transition fuel as well as deploy new technology like the Carbon Capture Utilisation and Storage (CCUS) to achieve cleaner fuels.

“Realistically I think we need to use oil and gas in the short term, because otherwise civilisation will crumble,” Musk said on the sidelines of an energy conference in the southern city of Stavanger.

“I think some additional

exploration is warranted at this time. One of the biggest challenges the world has ever faced is the transition to sustainable energy and to a sustainable economy. That will take some decades to complete,” he argued.

He said offshore wind power generation in the North Sea, combined with stationary battery packs, could become a key source of energy. “It could provide a strong, sustainable energy source in winter,” he said.

He also voiced concerns over birth rates, echoing remarks he made in a Twitter post late last week on the risks of “population collapse”.

“One of my less obvious things to be concerned about is the birth rate, and I think it’s important that people have enough babies to support civilisation so that we don’t dwindle away,” Musk said.

Musk said he aimed to get the electric auto maker’s self-driving technology ready by year-end and hopes it could be in wide release in the United States and possibly in Europe, depending on regulatory approval.

He said his attention was currently focused on his SpaceX Starship spacecraft and self-driving Tesla electric cars, according to a Reuters report.

T H I S D AY ˾ TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 2022

25

BUSINESSWORLD

OIL & GAS

As NNPCL Defends Nigeria’s Petrol Consumption Data For the first time in a long time, the Nigerian National Petroleum Company appears to be pushing back on insinuations that the petrol importation and subsidy regime which it oversees, is done in a less than transparent manner, writes Emmanuel Addeh

I

t did not start with the current management of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPCL). Nigeria’s daily petrol consumption data has always been a subject of debate.

Being an importer of last resort, NNPCL, due to the challenges in the downstream sector, since 2017 has been the sole importer of petroleum products into the country.

Although, there have been various government attempts in the past to curb the chaos and bring sanity to the fuel importation and distribution system which was largely in private hands, they were at best fruitless.

Indeed, there was rarely any administration before now that did not institute some kind of investigation into how the petrol subsidy system was administered nationwide. However, with the takeover of the NNPCL as the only importer, due among others, to the scarcity of foreign exchange, the reasoning we that some level of sanity would be returned.

To give a brief background, in 2012, the figures grew astronomically and unexplainably from below 30 million litres per day to almost 60 million litres during the subsidy regime where private fuel marketers were allowed to bring in the product.

While at the time, the number of importers was unwieldy, government found it almost impossible to manage, with various claims by the private importers to the government coffers. But with the takeover by the national oil company, the thinking was that the system would be better managed.

Because it is usually a moving figure, the consumption data varies from month to month, according to the national oil company.

With the importation in the hands of the firm, last year, the Minister of State, Petroleum Chief Timipre Sylva, announced that part of the achievement of his ministry was the reduction of consumption and clarity around how many litres the country actually uses daily.

AN ETERNAL DEBATE

It is understandable when Nigerians demand openness in the dealings of government officials involved in the administration of the country’s fuel subsidy system.

After all, it may well have become a case of “once bitten twice shy”. Indeed, even the authorities admit that some work needs to be done on the subsidy system

in the country, especially on the fact that much of the country’s payments are actually done for neighbouring countries because of cross border smuggling.

In the past, there had been meetings of NNPCL with stakeholders, including the leadership of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Department of State Service (DSS), Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) and chief executives of agencies in the petroleum ministry, to curb this trend.

In the end, many appear to be laying all the blames for Nigeria’s debatable consumption figures on smuggling along the corridors of Nigeria’s neighbouring countries.

THE CUSTOMS ANGLE

Again, the issue of Nigeria’s consumption figures cropped up last week when the Nigerian Customs Service (NCS) appeared before the national assembly. The Comptroller General, Col. Hameed Ali (rtd), raised issues over the country’s daily petrol consumption and subsidy payment.

He expressed reservations over the figure released by the NNPCL, arguing that the national oil firm could not convincingly justify the huge volume of petrol being consumed in the country daily to warrant the over N6 trillion subsidy.

Speaking during a presentation to the House of Representatives’ Committee on Finance , Ali put the supply figure allegedly quoted by the NNPCL at 98 million litres per day, maintaining that the firm was oversupplying by at least 38 million litres daily. NNPCL has put the figure at 68 million litres.

“I remember that last year we spoke about this. Unfortunately, this year, we are talking about subsidy again. The over N11 trillion we are going to take as debt, more than half of it is going for subsidy. The issue is not about smuggling of petroleum products. I have always argued this with NNPC. “If we are consuming 60 million litres of PMS (Premium Motor Spirit) per day, by their own computation, why would you allow the release of 98 million litres per day? If you know this is our

consumption, why would you allow that release? “ Scientifically, you cannot tell me that if I fill my tank today, tomorrow, I will fill the same tank with the same quantity of fuel. If I am operating a fuel station today and I go to Minna depot, lift petrol and take it to Kaduna, I may get to Kaduna in the evening and offload that fuel. There is no way I would have sold off that petrol immediately to warrant another load. So, how did you get to 60 million litre per day? That is my problem,” he pointed out.

He added: “The issue of smuggling: If you release 98 million litres in actual and 60 million litres is used, the balance should be 38 million litres. How many trucks will carry 38 million litres every day? Which road are they following and where are they carrying this thing to?”

In summary, Ali believes that there should be more to the numbers in the public space which need to be properly situated.

But it wasn’t the first time the CG Customs was alleging discrepancies in the consumption figures. In August last year, Ali argued that the establishment of retail outlets in the corridors of neighbouring countries would help to end the smuggling of petrol across Nigeria’s borders, saying that the price differential was responsible for the smuggling.

“We have made this proposal, we have made noise about it, no one seems to listen,” the CG had said.

A PLAUSIBLE EXPLANATION

But the management of NNPCL appeared to have been responding to the insinuations by the Comptroller General of the NCS, who disputed the country’s daily petrol consumption and subsidy payment when on Sunday it took time to explain how the subsidy system works.

The NNPCL stated that it was prepared for any forensic audit if the need arose, stressing that Nigeria’s estimated daily consumption at current price level remains at 60 million litres, while average daily supply between January to August was 68 million litres.

But although the NNPCL did not mention names

in a statement by the Group General Manager, Group Public Affairs Division, Mr Garba Muhammad, in an apparent reaction, noted that if subsidy was removed, a litre of petrol would be selling for N462.

While not disputing that some fuel was smuggled out of the country on a daily basis, the NNPCL explained that about N297 is currently being paid as subsidy on a litre of the product.

“NNPC limited also notes the average Q2, 2022 international market determined landing cost was $1,283/ MT (Metric Tonnes) and the approved marketing and distribution cost of N46/litre.

“The combination of these cost elements translates to retail pump price of N462/litre and an average subsidy of N297/litre and an annual estimate of N6.5 trillion on the assumption of 60 million litres daily PMS supply. This will continuously be adjusted by market and demand realities,” the company stated.

It pledged to continue to ensure compliance with existing governance framework that requires participation of relevant government agencies in all petrol discharge operations.

The NNPCL listed the collaborating organisations as the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), Nigerian Navy, Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) and others.

It added: “NNPC Ltd recognises the impact of maritime and cross border smuggling of PMS on the overall supply framework. NNPC also acknowledges the possibilities of other criminal activities in the PMS supply and distribution value chain.

“As a responsible business entity, NNPC will continue to engage and work with relevant agencies of the government to curtail smuggling of PMS and contain any other criminal activities.

“We will continue to deliver on our mandate to ensure energy security for our country with integrity and transparency. We invite any forensic audit of the PMS supply and subsidy management framework of the NNPC.” NOTE: Interested readers should continue in the online edition on www.thisdaylive.com

REPORT: MANUFACTURING DECLINES AS ECONOMY WITNESSED HIGHEST INFLATIONARY PRESSURE IN AUGUST transportation expenses exerted upward pressures on purchase costs. At the same time, firms raised their staff wages to motivate their workforces and in light of higher living expenses. The overall rate of input price inflation was the second-fastest in the survey’s

history, surpassed only by that seen in November 2021.”

It added, “Latest data revealed another robust increase in purchase prices faced by Nigerian private sector firms. Moreover, the rate of inflation quickened and reached a five-month high in August.

Unfavourable exchange rate movements and higher commodity prices led to the increase.”

“Private sector firms in Nigeria sought to share higher cost burdens with their clients during August.

Output prices have risen in each month since January 2016, with

the latest uptick marked and much quicker than the long-run series average.”

However, the report showed that Nigerian private sector firms continued to maintain an optimistic view towards output in the year-ahead.

It said that firms reported plans to expand their businesses and secure greater investment. But, “the degree of positivity eased to a nine-month low as concerns around the macroeconomic environment weighed slightly on hopes.”

Yet, the August data high-

lighted back-to-back expansions in exports at private sector firms in Nigeria.

The PMI said that the rate of growth in export activities quickened from that seen in July and was the strongest since February 2022.

AGAIN, NIGERIA LOSES 7.56M BARRELS OF CRUDE OIL TO SHUT-INS, FACILITIES’ FAILURES, OTHERS going up, that’s not good.

“And then you look at the volume of revenues. Obviously, if your volumes are down and your costs are going up, then it is obvious that your revenues will go down.

“Investments are declining and this affects your survivability as an industry. But more importantly, it’s saying that investors are not happy with you,” the oil industry expert stated.

He added that out of the $75 billion worth of investment that was available for the sector in Africa,

Nigeria got only about $10 billion of it, explaining that it shows that clearly investors are not finding the Nigerian environment good for business.

But the loss of revenues to the Nigerian economy in July, according to THISDAY’s analysis, was further exacerbated by the decrease in production on the Erha terminal as the plant tripped, leading to a loss of 937,663 barrels.

Also, at the Bonga terminal, due to repair works, Nigeria lost 558,085 barrels because of flex work which was ongoing

and required that the Floating Production Storage and Offloading (FPSO) facility be “kept at 16 meters draft to facilitate the repair work.”

Similarly, Brass was closed due to low crude receipt, leading to the shedding of 315,000 barrels for the month, while Ukpokiti and Aje terminals lost 210,00 barrels and 11,000 barrels respectively due to a fire incident and maintenance work.

THISDAY recently reported that a combination of huge oil pipeline repair cost and high-level

theft of crude oil was bleeding out the Nigerian economy, with losses amounting to at least $29 billion in the previous six years, spanning between 2015 and 2021.

A review of the previous data for June showed that the NNPCL spent N8.352 billion on pipelines security and maintenance.

The amount that the NNPCL spent in a month , was almost the entire budgeted sum for the year for the purpose, which should be N8.792 billion for the 12 months of 2022.

While Nigeria’s allocation in July

was 1.8 million barrels per day, the country was only able to produce a paltry 1.083 million barrels per day due to the menaces of crude oil theft, vandalism, sabotage, community issues, workers strike, among others.

Furthermore, the latest NNPCL data noted that the Yoho terminal encountered the challenge of “Intergranular corrosion” and was shut down to curtail flaring until the problem was fixed.

However, the new figure of 7.56 million barrels is substantially less than the 9.4 million barrels

of oil lost in June due to the same disruptions on some of the key facilities in the Niger Delta.

Recently, the federal government deployed various strategies to curtail the leakage of Nigeria’s oil production, including the dispatch of more military personnel, virtual monitoring of some of the facilities, proposal of a reward system for whistle-blowers who report vandalism as well as the re-award of pipelines protection contracts to ex-militant, Mr Government Ekpemupolo, also known as Tompolo.

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TUESDAY SEPTEMBER 6, 2022 • T H I S D AY 7

T H I S D AY ˾ TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 2022

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FOCUS

Global Rating: The Re-examination of Mike Adenuga as a Super Brand Unravelling the persona of a business colossus A recent article on the 10 coolest billionaires in the world compiled by Global Super Brands, featuring Globacom Chairman, Dr Mike Adenuga Jnr, is another eloquent testament to his vast wealth and unassuming nature, writes Lanre Alfred

N

ot that it tickles his fancy or gives him the kicks, but a recent article on the 10 coolest billionaires in the world

by Global Super Brands, the world’s largest independent arbiter of branding, featuring the Chairman of Globacom, Dr Mike Adenuga, further shows what Nigerians he might be Nigeria’s wealthiest but most understated billionaire of all time.

The article attempts to draw a parallel between the new set of billionaires in music, tech, and arts, among other sectors, and older men who have spent decades honing their crafts. Until recently, the article posited that the mention of billionaires evoked pictures of boring older individuals who have spent decades honing their craft.

“The times are shifting, and much younger people have worked hard to amass wealth while maintaining their individualities and peculiarities,” said the publication. “While tons of young billionaires have sprung up from music, tech, arts, and many more sectors, there are the not-so-young who in the face of a vastly changing world, continue to define their own sense of being and nothing could be cooler. They all find an intersection in their coolness.”

It was not a surprise that Adenuga’s name featured prominently on the list, including Tesla founder Elon Musk, Virgin Atlantic founder Richard Branson, and Francoise Bettencourt Meyers, the third generation heiress of the world’s largest family cosmetics company, L’Oreal.

The report claimed that although Forbes values Adenuga at $6.1 billion, “with their methodology principally focused on stocks and most of Mike’s wealth hedged elsewhere, his wealth has been said to be understated by at least $10 billion.”

According to the publication, Adenuga is worth closer to $20 billion in real terms, and that is not where his coolness derives, though. The publication notes that the Globacom honcho is one billionaire in that you “wouldn’t see him at any random event, you will not hear him quoted in the papers or on TV.” But his impact pervades philanthropy, business, sports, and contemporary culture.

“Talk about a spirit; manages his space and energy and also gets to make the universe move in the direction of his thoughts,” the report added. “In a world where billionaires crave the attention of the ruling class and the media, nothing could be cooler than to know that there is one that would rather everyone comes to him instead. The important ones do.”

Animated conversations, locally and internationally, have trailed the report’s publication, signposting an honour welldeserving of Adenuga’s stature. In an era when both the mainstream and new media commit the systemic looting of accolades, heaping it on undeserving social symbols and demagogues, Adenuga, who holds the French and Ghanaian highest

Adenuga

national honours, attracts recognition by dint of his good works.

Notwithstanding his depth as an entrepreneur, stylist, philanthropist and citizen of humanity, Adenuga covets no vanities. He demands no free verses, heroic couplets or ornamental rhymes to glorify his personage as a man. However, it is often said if Adenuga does not strike you, at first sight, then possibly, he is a masterpiece of a man disguised as a blank canvas.

The multibillionaire affects a flurry of beings curled into one: he is science, an art, a foundation of genius with dashes of brilliance brightening the creativity of his mind and soul, thus illumining the world.

A product of pure intellect, vision, and sheer enterprise, he can become any form he creates. He is a library

“A product of pure intellect, vision, and sheer enterprise, he can become any form he creates. He is a library of masterpieces, an intricate web of sensitivity and hope attuned in full measure to the world’s needs, a glimpse of who he truly is.”

of masterpieces, an intricate web of sensitivity and hope attuned in full measure to the world’s needs, a glimpse of who he truly is.

Globacom, Nigeria’s second national carrier, is considered Adenuga’s cash cow because it is the fastest growing telecommunications company in Africa, with a subscriber base of over 55 million and a vast network of fibre optics crisscrossing all parts of Nigeria, including a submarine cable that runs from the United States of America to Lagos through the United Kingdom and 17 other European and African countries. He founded and developed Devcombank and Equitorial Trust Bank into highly profitable companies that played active pioneering roles in developing the economy’s public, commercial and retail sectors. The banks were consolidated into one (EquitorialTrust Bank) and later merged with Sterling Bank Plc, with Adenuga as the largest shareholder.

The multibillionaire philanthropist also owns 74.4 per cent of Conoil, one of Nigeria’s largest petroleum marketing businesses, through Conpetro Limited. The first indigenous company in Nigeria to explore, discover and produce oil in large commercial quantities, with the fastest on-stream production activity from licence award to the first production

in only nine months, Conoil sells diesel, kerosene, low-pour fuel, aviation fuel, and gasoline. It produces and markets lubricants under the ‘Quatro’ brand name.

It has over 1200 retail outlets all over the country and is the acknowledged leader of development in modern retail outlets such as mega stations and non-space pumps in the new look retail outlets.

Aside from operating six oil blocks in the Niger Delta, Conoilis also the market leader in aviation fuels.

Despite a considerable reduction in its top-line performance in the first half of 2022, the company reported double-digit percentage growth in earnings. According to its half-year financial report, profit increased 70.5 per cent to N1.81 billion ($4.35 million) in the first half of 2022 from N1.06 billion ($2.55 million) in the first half of 2021 despite a double-digit decline in revenue Adenuga reportedly received a N1.29 billion ($3.1 million) dividend as a portion of the dividends distributed to shareholders. That is from just one company.

Likewise, Adenuga owns a 25.1 per cent stake in construction giant Julius Berger through Goldstones Estates Limited.

As profits surged by double digits in December 2021, Adenuga gained $7.2m on his stakeholding. His daughter, Bella Adenuga-Disu, serves as a non-executive director on the board of Julius Berger.

Yet, while fellow billionaires changed their personalities and honed their skills to conform to the dictates and challenges of the realities of the day, wealth has not in any way changed the persona of Adenuga, who remains impressively unassuming and immune to self-conceit.

He is like the mango tree. The more fruits he bears, the lower he bows in humility.

For Adenuga, success comes with the weight of humility.

Indeed, Adenuga’s famed self-effacing nature is innate, not cosmetic or contrived.

That effortless detachment from the hype and hoopla that come with being one of Africa’s wealthiest men marvels as close watchers. Unlike other billionaires who covet and lobby far and wide for a mention on the Forbes Rich List, deploying huge resources to push their rating because it satiates their conceit, Adenuga is markedly different. He pays no heed to such faux attention, media obsequiousness, and arguments that he is bestowed with wealth far beyond the worth ascribed to him in previous Forbes Rich Lists. Adenuga is unperturbed by such guesses.

Having recorded a series of remarkable firsts in the highly competitive world of local and international commerce, there are no more worlds for Adenuga to conquer. Frequently likened to a champion and, sometimes, a business colossus, Adenuga depicts the image of a modern General of Commerce. He has created a legendary brand in Globacom.

But rather than submit to the rigours and pressures of commerce, he towers in excellence, thus, creating a powerhouse that Africa can be proud of.

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T H I S D AY ˾ ˜ ʹ˜ ͰͮͰͰ

BUSINESS/MONEYGUIDE

SMEDAN, iTEKKU Sign MoU to Upscale MSMEs Growth Oluchi Chibuzor The Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN) and iTEKKU, an online marketplace, have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to upscale Micro Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) in the country.

The partnership aims to onboard MSMEs registered with SMEDAN into the iTEKKU online marketplace for them to upload their catalogues of products and services for easy marketing and seamless business transaction.

Speaking at the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding in Lagos, yesterday, the Director-General of the SMEDAN, Olawale Fasanya, said the whole idea was to improve Nigerian SMEs competitiveness and scalability despite the economic challenges facing the country.

“You brought the proposal

to us and we found that it will add value to MSMEs. We felt it would enhance MSMEs competitiveness based on some of our discussions.

“Apart from what we have in the MOU, we are also bringing some more value and some of the people that would come on board here will be able to enjoy a medical insurance at a subsidized rates for their businesses and then Sterling bank also want to join hands with us to provide advisory services for the most of the MSMEs that would be captured under this scheme.

“We are excited that it is young people like you that are driving these, because part of our priority clientele is women and youth. We want to make sure that we work with a lot of youths with innovative ideas that can easily impact the ecosystem.

We believe that you will put all your energy into these as

we are ready to drive crowd into this. We will find a way to eventually have these on our website and have a way this can now link up to eventual users of the platform, “ he stated.

Commenting on the partnership and its benefits to MSMEs in the country, the Co-Founder, Olupitan Ayomide, said they are looking at boosting SMEs in Nigeria because “we want to scale them on our platform and be able to improve on the goals of SMEDAN. He explained that Merchants, Consumers and Resellers, Logistics and Last mile delivery, Credit (Buy-now-pay-later) and Payment Systems are among the stakeholders connected to their platforms. “iTEKKU is solving problems across various sectors majorly targeting the SME’s for them to scale up their businesses by exposing them to the markets, users that would come on our platforms to buy from them.

APM Terminals Apapa Sets New Safety Record, Logs 400 Days No Lost Time Injury Nigeria’s largest container terminal, APM Terminals Apapa has said that it has set a new safety record at the port, as it recorded 400 days no Lost Time Injury (LTI).

No Lost Time Injury (LTI), which is a key indicator of the effectiveness of an organisation’s safety program, means no injury was sustained on the job by an employee or contractor that resulted in the person being away from work due to his or her injury.

This was made known at an event to mark the company’s 2022 Global Safety Day in Lagos, with the theme, “We Learn And We Adapt.”

Regional Managing Director, Africa and Europe at APM Terminals, Igor Van Den Essen, who was on a visit to Nigeria, commended the Apapa team

for the major safety milestone, charged them to sustain and improve on the record.

He said, “As we discuss safety while we observe Global Safety Day, we continuously highlight how deeply it impacts our operations and our entire company.

Being in an asset-heavy industry and due to the nature of our operations, we consider safety to be non-negotiable to us, our people and our partners across the port logistics ecosystem and it is also one of the three pillars of our strategy “Safer, Bigger, Better”.

The Country Managing Director of APM Terminals Nigeria, Klaus Laursen, while commending the employees, said, “We are here to remind ourselves about the importance of maintaining safety every day.

We need to look at a few things.

The first step to becoming better is to realise that you have an opportunity to be better. So, you have to be humble. We have to come to the consciousness that we can be better in small and bigger steps.

“So, when we come to work, if we want to maintain 400 days and more of no LTI, it is important that we, apart from what we do today, can do it better. One of the things that we do as an organisation to foster this is when we try to apply our newly learned knowledge.”

Terminal Manager, APM Terminals Apapa, Steen Knudsen, encouraged employees to celebrate themselves as they had achieved a huge milestone of going through a whole year without any injury recorded.

He urged employees to always remain safety conscious.

MARKET INDICATORS MONEY AND CREDIT STATISTICS Money Supply (M3)

48,865,823.53

-- CBN Bills Held by Money Holding Sectors

167,956.2

Money Supply (M2)

48,797,867.32

-- Quasi Money

28,405,330.1

-- Narrow Money (M1)

20,392,537.22

---- Currency Outside Banks

2,722,785.91

---- Demand Deposits

17,669,751.32

Net Foreign Assets (NFA)

6,242,394.29

Net Domestic Assets(NDA)

42,623,429.24

-- Net Domestic Credit (NDC)

57,267,178.05

---- Credit to Government (Net)

17,996,690.06

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

0.00

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

0.00

---- Credit to Private Sector (CPS)

39,270,488

--Other Assets Net

5,566,430

Reserve Money (Base Money

11,320,304

--Currency in Circulation

3,259,269.15

--Banks Reserves --Special Intervention Reserves

11,320,303.72 384,377.56

FMDQ Exchange Admits N2.28bn Accelerex SPV Bond Kayode Tokede The FMDQ Securities Exchange Limited (FMDQ Exchange) has announced the admission for listing on its platform, the Accelerex SPV PLC N2.28 billion Series 1 Fixed Rate Bond under its N20 billion Bond Issuance Programme.

Accelerex SPV is a special purpose funding vehicle established by Global Accelerex Limited to raise capital from the debt markets through the

listing of debt securities.

Global Accelerex Limited is a provider of electronic payment and business management solutions in Nigeria and is certified by the Central Bank of Nigeria as a Payment Terminal Service Provider and Payment Solution Service Provider, to deliver innovative technology solutions in a secure and reliable manner to businesses and consumers across channels.

The Exchange in a state-

ment noted that the proceeds generated from the Accelerex SPV PLC Series 1 Bond, sponsored by FBNQuest Merchant Bank Limited (Lead Sponsor), Greenwich Merchant Bank Limited and Renaissance Securities (Nigeria) Limited – all Registration Member (Listings) of the Exchange, will be used by the Issuer to fund the purchase of terminals across Nigeria and offset the costs of the Company’s capital expenditure, amongst others.

First Bank Hosts FMDA Quarterly Metting First Bank of Nigeria Limited has announced that it will host the Financial Markets Dealers Association’s (FMDA) quarterly meeting scheduled to be held in Lagos.

The event themed, “Nigeria Macroeconomic Developments and Outlook: IMF View,” will have its keynote address delivered by Ari Aisen, IMF Resident Representative for Nigeria.

In a statement issued by the

Acting Executive Secretary, Mrs. Mary Gbegbaje, “The FMDA quarterly meeting serves as a platform for in-depth knowledge sharing, dissemination of information and fostering of business relationships of members in treasury market practice which consists of Treasurers, Analysts and other market players from insurance, pension funds, government and regulatory bodies in Nigeria.

Participants at the event include

delegates from all banks and invited guest and customers.”

According to Executive Director, Treasury, Financial Institutions & International Banking, First Bank of Nigeria Limited, Ini Ebong, “At FirstBank, we are delighted to host the 2022 quarterly meeting of the Financial Markets Dealers Association of Nigeria (FMDA), a platform we consider pivotal to the continued growth of the financial market in the country.”

(MILLION NAIRA)

JUNE 2022

˾ ÙßÜÍÏ ̋

Money Market Indicators (in Percentage) Month

June 2022

Inter-Bank Call Rate

11.10

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

13.00

Treasury Bill Rate

2.45

Savings Deposit Rate

1.38

1 Month Deposit Rate

3.48

3 Months Deposit Rate

4.55

6 Months Deposit Rate

4.97

12 Months Deposit Rate

5.30

Prime Lending rate

12.29

Maximum Lending Rate

27.61

˾ ÙØÏÞËÜã ÙÖÓÍã ËÞÏ ̋ ͯͱϱ

OPEC DAILY BASKET PRICE ˜ ͵

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

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T H I S D AY ˾ ˜ ʹ˜ ͰͮͰͰ

GTCO Announces 11% Increase in PBT, Declares N0.30 Interim Dividend Kayode Tokede Guaranty Trust Holding Company Plc (GTCO) yesterday announced a profit before tax of N103.2billion in its audited half year (H1) ended June 30, 2022 results, representing an increase of 11per cent over N93.1billion recorded in the corresponding period ended June 2021.

The increase in profit before tax, according to results posted on the Nigerian Exchange Group (NGX)

and London Stock Exchange (LSE) can be attributable to 15.09 per cent increase in gross earnings to N239.3billion in H1 2022 from N207.91billion reported in H1 2021. Amid an increase in profit, the management of GTCO proposed the payment of an interim dividend of N0.30 kobo per ordinary share on the issued capital of 29,431,179,224 ordinary shares of 50 kobo each.

The Group’s loan book (net) increased by 1.8 per cent from

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N1.80trillion recorded as at December 2021 to N1.83trillion in June 2022 while deposit liabilities increased by 6.4 per cent from N4.13trillion in December 2021 to N4.39trillion in June 2022.

The Group’s balance sheet remained well structured and resilient with total assets and shareholders’ funds closing at N5.7trillion and N845.7billion, respectively. Full Impact Capital Adequacy Ratio (CAR) stayed very strong, closing at 22per cent, while

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asset quality was sustained as IFRS 9 Stage 3 Loans ratio and Cost of Risk (COR) closed at 6.2 per cent and 0.2 per cent in June 2022 from six per cent and 0.5 per cent in December 2021, respectively.

Commenting on the results, the Group Chief Executive Officer of GTCO, Mr. Segun Agbaje, in a statement said, “Our results show an increase in key revenue lines and a strong performance in other financial metrics which reinforce our

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growth prospects as a leading financial services company.

“Our priority at the start of the 2022 financial year was to bring the Group’s new businesses on-stream, starting strong with a focus on long-term viability.

“At present, we have successfully expanded our financial services ecosystem to include HabariPay Ltd, Guaranty Trust Fund Managers Ltd, and Guaranty Trust Pension Managers Ltd, and all of them are P&L positive.”

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He further stated that, “These newly created businesses will operate alongside our flagship banking franchise to offer increased value to our growing customer base as well as other stakeholders.

“We will continue to build on our core strengths of service excellence, innovation, and flawless execution to deliver our corporate objectives for the year and further our vision of being Africa’s leading financial services institution.”

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TUESDAY, SE ;˜ ͺ͸ͺͺ ˾ T H I S D AY

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P ric e

GUIN N ESS

P ric e C hg %

T ic k er

P ric e C hg % 2.0%

87.90

9.9%

ST ER LN B A N K

162.4

C A VER T ON

1.14

9.6%

A C C ESSC OR P

27.7

1.8%

T R A N SC OR P

1.13

8.7%

UB A

26.6

0.0%

22.35

6.4%

FB NH

22.4

2.3%

LA SA C O

1.03

5.1%

F ID ELIT YB K

20.2

4.9%

F ID ELIT YB K

3.19

4.9%

M B EN EF IT

19.2

0.0%

WA P C O

25.00

4.6%

A IIC O

8.5

3.8%

B UA F OOD S

58.30

4.5%

ET I

8.0

1.9%

A R D OVA

12.60

4.1%

T R A N SC OR P

6.9

8.7%

CHA M S

0.27

3.8%

Z EN IT H B A N K

6.0

-0.2%

N GXGR OUP

7 R S 7 U D G H V E \ 9 D O X H

7 R S / R V H U V P ric e

P ric e C hg %

T ic k er

Value

C H IP LC

0.60

-7.7%

M TNN

873.3

0.0%

UN ILEVER

12.20

-7.2%

A IR T ELA F R I

348.7

0.0%

SOVR EN IN S

0.26

-7.1%

FB NH

244.7

2.3%

238.9

2.0%

T ic k er

P ric e C hg %

UP D C R EIT

3.30

-7.0%

ST ER LN B A N K

J A IZ B A N K

0.86

-4.4%

A C C ESSC OR P

228.0

1.8%

191.3

0.0%

132.3

-0.2%

UP D C

1.00

-2.0%

UB A

H ON YF LOUR

2.65

-1.9%

Z EN IT H B A N K

-1.4%

GT C O

110.1

0.0%

45.50

-0.7%

B UA F OOD S

93.3

4.5%

3.05

-0.7%

ET I

88.4

1.9%

C OR N ER ST NB FCM B

Afrinvest West Africa Limited

Vo lum e

0.69

Investment Research

Brokerage

Asset Management

Adedoyin Allen | aallen@afrinvest.com

Robert Omotunde | romotunde@afrinvest.com Abiodun Keripe | AKeripe@afrinvest.com

Taiwo Ogundipe | togundipe@afrinvest.com

Christopher Omoh | comoh@afrinvest.com

Damilare Asimiyu | dasimiyu@afrinvest.com

31

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 2022 • T H I S D AY

MARKET NEWS A Mutual fund (Unit Trust) is an investment vehicle managed by a SEC (Securities and Exchange Commission) registered Fund Manager.

Investors with similar objectives buy units of the Fund so that the Fund Manager can buy securities that willl generate their desired return.

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

floor of the Nigerian Stock Exchange.

A REIT (Real Estate Investment Trust) is an investment vehicle that allows both small and large investors to part-own real estate ventures (eg.

Offices, Houses, Hospitals) in proportion to their investments. The assets are divided into shares that are traded on the Nigerian Stock Exchange.

GUIDE TO DATA: Date: All fund prices are quoted in Naira as at 02Sept-2022, 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 MUTUAL FUNDS / UNIT TRUSTS AFRINVEST ASSET MANAGEMENT LTD aaml@afrinvest.com Web: www.afrinvest.com; Tel: +234 818 885 6757 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Afrinvest Equity Fund 191.94 193.09 14.98% Afrinvest Plutus Fund 100.00 100.00 7.55% Nigeria International Debt Fund 312.08 312.08 8.73% Afrinvest Dollar Fund 105.42 106.57 6.85% AIICO CAPITAL LTD ammf@aiicocapital.com Web: www.aiicocapital.com, Tel: +234-1-2792974 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn AIICO Money Market Fund 100.00 100.00 9.28% AIICO Balanced Fund 3.71 3.77 9.26% ANCHORIA ASSET MANAGEMENT LIMITED info@anchoriaam.com Web:www.anchoriaam.com, Tel: 08166830267; 08036814510; 08028419180 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Anchoria Money Market 100.00 100.00 3.33% Anchoria Equity Fund 139.07 140.64 -0.13% Anchoria Fixed Income Fund 1.18 1.18 2.98% info@anchoriaam.com ARM INVESTMENT MANAGERS LTD enquiries@arminvestmentcenter.com Web: www.arm.com.ng; Tel: 0700 CALLARM (0700 225 5276) Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn ARM Aggressive Growth Fund 21.15 21.79 4.29% ARM Discovery Balanced Fund 510.74 526.14 13.20% ARM Ethical Fund 42.40 43.68 8.83% ARM Eurobond Fund ($) 1.08 1.08 0.15% ARM Fixed Income Fund 1.06 1.06 4.30% ARM Money Market Fund 1.00 1.00 9.88% AVA GLOBAL ASSET MANAGERS LIMITED info@avacapitalgroup.com Web: www.avacapitalgroup.com; Tel 08069294653 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn AVA GAM Fixed Income Dollar Fund 89.41 89.41 -6.37% AVA GAM Fixed Income Dollar Naira 1,094.15 1,094.15 9.42% AXA MANSARD INVESTMENTS LIMITED investmentcare@axamansard.com Web: www.axamansard.com; Tel: +2341-4488482 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn AXA Mansard Equity Income Fund N/A N/A N/A AXA Mansard Money Market Fund N/A N/A N/A CAPITAL EXPRESS ASSET AND TRUST LIMITED info@capitalexpressassetandtrust.com Web: www.capitalexpressassetandtrust.com; Tel: +234 803 307 5048 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn CEAT Fixed Income Fund 2.09 2.09 2.76% Capital Express Balanced Fund(Formerly: Union Trustees Mixed Fund) 2.33 2.37 10.15% CAPITALTRUST INVESTMENTS AND ASSET MANAGEMENT LIMITED halalfif@capitaltrustnigeria.com Web: www.capitaltrustnigeria.com; Tel: 08061458806 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Capitaltrust Halal Fixed Income Fund N/A N/A N/A CARDINALSTONE ASSET MANAGEMENT LIMITED mutualfunds@cardinalstone.com Web: www.cardinalstoneassetmanagement.com; Tel: +234 (1) 710 0433 4 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn CardinalStone Fixed Income Alpha Fund 1.01 1.01 5.68% CHAPELHILL DENHAM MANAGEMENT LTD investmentmanagement@chapelhilldenham.com Web: www.chapelhilldenham.com, Tel: +234 461 0691 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Chapelhill Denham Money Market Fund 100.00 100.00 10.55% Paramount Equity Fund 19.34 19.69 11.00% Women's Investment Fund 147.06 148.86 3.61% CORDROS ASSET MANAGEMENT LIMITED assetmgtteam@cordros.com Web: www.cordros.com, Tel: 019036947 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Cordros Money Market Fund 100.00 100.00 8.76% Cordros Milestone Fund 131.62 132.55 5.77% Cordros Dollar Fund ($) 110.98 110.98 4.97% CORONATION ASSETS MANAGEMENT investment@coronationam.com Web:www.coronationam.com, Tel: 012366215 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Coronation Money Market Fund N/A N/A N/A Coronation Balanced Fund N/A N/A N/A Coronation Fixed Income Fund N/A N/A N/A EDC FUNDS MANAGEMENT LIMITED mutualfundng@ecobank.com Web: www.ecobank.com Tel: 012265281 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn EDC Nigeria Money Market Fund Class A 100.00 100.00 9.19% EDC Nigeria Money Market Fund Class B 1,000,000.00 1,000,000.00 9.56% EDC Nigeria Fixed Income Fund 1,116.17 1,135.32 0.41% EMERGING AFRICA ASSET MANAGEMENT LIMITED assetmanagement@emergingafricafroup.com Web:www.emergingafricagroup.com/emerging-africa-asset-management-limited/, Tel: 08039492594 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Emerging Africa Money Market Fund 1.00 1.00 8.84% Emerging Africa Bond Fund 1.04 1.04 8.70% Emerging Africa Balanced Diversity Fund 1.04 1.04 4.64% Emerging Africa Eurobond Fund 103.28 103.28 2.14% FBNQUEST ASSETS MANAGEMENT LIMITED invest@fbnquest.com Web: www.fbnquest.com/asset-management; Tel: +234-81 0082 0082 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn FBN Bond Fund 1497.99 1497.99 11.46% FBN Balanced Fund 193.87 195.12 10.62% FBN Halal Fund 123.10 123.10 10.81% FBN Money Market Fund 100.00 100.00 9.81% FBN Dollar Fund (Retail) 125.66 125.66 5.96% FBN Nigeria Smart Beta Equity Fund 159.91 162.08 6.53% FCMB ASSET MANAGEMENT LIMITED fcmbamhelpdesk@fcmb.com Web: www.fcmbassetmanagement.com; Tel: +234 1 462 2596 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Legacy Money Market Fund N/A N/A N/A Legacy Debt Fund N/A N/A N/A Legacy Equity Fund N/A N/A N/A Legacy USD Bond Fund N/A N/A N/A FSDH ASSET MANAGEMENT LTD coralfunds@fsdhgroup.com Web: www.fsdhaml.com; Tel: 01-270 4884-5; 01-280 9740-1 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn

Coral Balanced Fund Coral Income Fund Coral Money Market Fund

4,056.09 3,612.32 100.00

4,110.01 3,612.32 100.00

6.06% 6.18% 10.22%

FSDH Dollar Fund 1.11 1.11 4.03% GUARANTY TRUST FUND MANAGERS LIMITED enquiries@investment-one.com Web: www.investment-one.com; Tel: +234 812 992 1045,+234 1 448 8888 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Abacus Money Market Fund N/A N/A N/A Vantage Balanced Fund N/A N/A N/A Vantage Guaranteed Income Fund N/A N/A N/A Kedari Investment Fund (KIF) N/A N/A N/A Vantage Equity Income Fund (VEIF) - June Year End N/A N/A N/A Vantage Dollar Fund (VDF) - June Year End N/A N/A N/A LOTUS CAPITAL LTD fincon@lotuscapitallimited.com Web: www.lotuscapitallimited.com; Tel: +234 1-291 4626 / +234 1-291 4624 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Lotus Halal Investment Fund 1.60 1.63 13.10% Lotus Halal Fixed Income Fund 1,167.13 1,167.13 6.30% MERISTEM WEALTH MANAGEMENT LTD info@meristemwealth.com Web: www.meristemwealth.com/funds/; Tel: +2348028496012 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Meristem Equity Market Fund 12.12 12.20 11.23% Meristem Money Market Fund 10.00 10.00 10.86% NORRENBERGER INVESTMENT AND CAPITAL MANAGEMENT LIMITED enquiries@norrenberger.com Web: www.norrenberger.com, Tel: +234 (0) 908 781 2026 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Norrenberger Islamic Fund (NIF) 102.27 102.27 9.66% Norrenberger Money Market Fund (NMMF) 100.00 100.00 10.47% PAC ASSET MANAGEMENT LTD info@pacassetmanagement.com Web: www.pacassetmanagement.com/mutualfunds; Tel: +234 1 271 8632 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn PACAM Balanced Fund 1.65 1.68 4.71% PACAM Fixed Income Fund 11.80 11.84 5.60% PACAM Money Market Fund 10.00 10.00 7.64% PACAM Equity Fund 1.43 1.44 0.32% PACAM EuroBond Fund 119.70 122.72 5.15% SCM CAPITAL LIMITED info@scmcapitalng.com Web: www.scmcapitalng.com; Tel: +234 1-280 2226,+234 1- 280 2227 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn SCM Capital Frontier Fund 123.40 125.87 0.05% SFS CAPITAL NIGERIA LTD investments@sfsnigeria.com Web: www.sfsnigeria.com, Tel: +234 (01) 2801400 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn SFS Fixed Income Fund 1.06 1.06 9.24% STANBIC IBTC ASSET MANAGEMENT LTD assetmanagement@stanbicibtc.com Web: www.stanbicibtcassetmanagement.com; Tel: +234 1 280 1266; 0700 MUTUALFUNDS Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Stanbic IBTC Balanced Fund 3,546.76 3,580.99 4.71% Stanbic IBTC Bond Fund 241.47 241.47 2.50% Stanbic IBTC Ethical Fund 1.40 1.42 11.90% Stanbic IBTC Guaranteed Investment Fund 325.59 325.60 3.98% Stanbic IBTC Iman Fund 258.61 262.76 10.94% Stanbic IBTC Money Market Fund 1.00 1.00 10.20% Stanbic IBTC Nigerian Equity Fund 11,721.89 11,884.07 7.45% Stanbic IBTC Dollar Fund (USD) 1.34 1.34 3.48% Stanbic IBTC Shariah Fixed Income Fund 119.58 119.58 2.28% Stanbic IBTC Enhanced Short-Term Fixed Income Fund 111.95 111.95 5.23% UNITED CAPITAL ASSET MANAGEMENT LTD unitedcapitalplcgroup.com Web: www.unitedcapitalplcgroup.com; Tel: +234 01-6317876 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn United Capital Equity Fund 0.96 0.98 7.85% United Capital Balanced Fund 1.34 1.36 2.85% United Capital Wealth for Women Fund 1.12 1.14 8.70% United Capital Sukuk Fund 1.08 1.08 4.81% United Capital Fixed Income Fund 1.91 1.91 4.23% United Capital Eurobond Fund 123.04 123.04 3.84% United Capital Money Market Fund 1.00 1.00 11.34% QUANTUM ZENITH ASSET MANAGEMENT & INVESTMENTS LTD service@quantumzenithasset.com.ng Web: www.quantumzenith.com.ng; Tel: +234 1-2784219 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Zenith Balanced Strategy Fund 13.65 13.77 3.45% Zenith ESG Impact Fund 15.63 15.78 6.91% Zenith Income Fund 23.08 23.08 5.13% Zenith Money Market Fund 1.00 1.00 9.43% VETIVA FUND MANAGERS LTD funds@vetiva.com Web: www.vetiva.com; Tel: +234 1 453 0697 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Vetiva Banking Exchange Traded Fund 3.84 3.94 -4.15% Vetiva Consumer Goods Exchange Traded Fund 5.98 6.08 2.39% Vetiva Griffin 30 Exchange Traded Fund 18.09 18.29 2.27% Vetiva Money Market Fund 1.00 1.00 9.52% Vetiva Industrial Goods Exchange Traded Fund 17.85 18.05 -10.64% Vetiva S&P Nigeria Sovereign Bond Exchange Traded Fund 141.49 143.49 -10.25%

REITS NAV Per Share

Yield / T-Rtn

118.56 51.93

4.66% 2.11%

Bid Price

Offer Price

Yield / T-Rtn

14.23 128.05 99.72 16.40 17.10

14.33 131.30 101.90 16.50 17.20

1.76% 0.74% -0.04% -9.46% 14.00%

NAV Per Share

Yield / T-Rtn

107.59

0.00%

Fund Name SFS REIT Union Homes REIT

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

INFRASTRUCTURE FUND Fund Name Chapel Hill Denham Nigeria Infrastructure Debt Fund

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

32

TUESDAY, ;˜ ͺ͸ͺͺ ˾ T H I S D AY

THE ALTERNATIVE

with RenoOmokri

Muslim-Muslim Ticket: Lessons From The Islamisation of Constantinople I have just returned from a trip to Turkey, where I was on a pilgrimage to some of the seven churches of Asia, also known as the seven churches of Revelations.

I visited Smyrna (now known as Izmir), Pergamum (now known as Bergama), and Ephesus (now known as Efes).

Prior to this visit, I had visited Laodicea (now known as Laodikeia). There are no remnants of some of the other churches, but I did get to see Cappadocia.

And then, I went to Istanbul and the city blew my mind. It was my third visit to Istanbul, but my first time staying on the Asian side.

Istanbul has a rich history that can probably bring you to tears. This city used to be known as Constantinople, and was the center of orthodox Christianity, until on 29 May 1453, when it was conquered by the Muslim Ottoman Empire. Note I said Muslim Ottoman Empire, not Islamic Ottoman Empire.

The Ottomans were Muslims, but they were not really Islamic. In fact, they even conquered the Arabs, and from the 16th Century to their liberation by the British through Lawrence of Arabia, Saudi Arabia was under Ottoman rule.

The fall of Constantinople and the Byzantine Empire meant that Christian Europe no longer had a buffer against Muslim (not Islamic) expansion into Europe, and one by one, European Christian city states and nations began to fall.

And why did the conquest happen? It happened because there was no unity in Christendom (political Christianity). The Byzantines were Orthodox. The Roman Catholic Church considered them rivals, rather than brothers. And the Balkan Christians would not even help them. Rather, they were suspicious of them.

When the Byzantines were under siege by the Ottomans, the Roman Catholic Church, rather than help them, insisted that they must first accept their dogmas (Trinity, Mary vegetation, Christmas, purgatory, idols, the change from the fish to the pagan Ankh (disguised as a Cross) etc) as conditions for their help. Out of desperation, the Orthodox Church voted to accept the Pope’s terms, but the people of Constantinople refused and rioted, rather than accept what they believed to be an adulteration of their faith by the adoption of pagan European doctrines masquerading as Christian doctrines.

There are about 20,000 of these pure, Orthodox Christians left in Turkey and I have had the honour of preaching to them and learning from them.

A similar lack of unity had earlier led to the Islamic (not Muslim) conquest of much of Spain in 711 AD, which led to 800 years of Islamic rule in Iberia.

And the Byzantines were also partly to blame for their own destruction. While the Byzantines were busy building awe-inspiring churches, basilicas, theatres and marble roads, the Muslim Ottomans were razor focused on building a political movement

Tinubu

Shettima

and an army.

And when they were ready, they descended on the Byzantines, and militarily defeated them, and now, all their awe-inspiring churches, basilicas, theatres and marble roads belong to the Muslim Ottomans, and so belonged to them for almost 600 years.

Fast forward to 2022, and the All Progressives Congress is presenting Nigerians with a MuslimMuslim ticket, of which Kashim Shettima, the Borno Governor under whom Boko Haram thrived and metastasised into the international terror group that it now is, and again under whom they invaded the Christian enclave of Chibok, because Shettima refused the Federal Government’s counsel not to hold WAEC examinations at Chibok, is now assuring us that he will be in charge of security, effectively making Bola Tinubu a puppet, if at all he is elected.

If you do not see parallels between what happened to Constantinople and the Byzantine empire and what the All Progressives Congress wants to serve Nigerians, then you have obviously not been paying attention.

In the last seven years of almost demonic mis-governance by the All Progressives Congress administration of Muhammadu Buhari, we have seen a sudden, unapologetic and zero sum like shutting of the government space to people of the Christian persuasion.

Never in the history of this nation have we ever

had the head of the executive (the President), the head of the Legislature (the Senate President), and the head of the judiciary (the Chief Justice of Nigeria), all Muslims. I mean the imbalance is unprecedented.

And then you go to the next layer of government, which is the military and security services. The heads of the Ministry of Defence, Army, Navy, Police, NSA, DMI, EFCC, DSS, DIA, NPS, NCS, NIS, NIA are all Northern Muslims. Where is the balance?

And in the midst of this, the All Progressives Congress wants to increase the volume with a Muslim-Muslim ticket? Think of the psychological damage it will do to the minds of Christians. Even if it is not uttered, it is already clear that the All Progressives Congress sees us as a conquered people who do not matter and who should accept their second-class citizenship status without raising dust.

And do not think the All Progressives Congress will stop at their Muslim-Muslim ticket. Did the Ottomans stop in Constantinople? No. They conquered the Arabs, who were Muslims like them. They took Jerusalem. They moved into Europe. Greece fell to them. Then the entire Balkan Peninsula. Then the present-day Romania. And on and on until they took over Hungary and were stopped at the borders of Austria.

If anyone had told you Imo, Ebonyi and Cross River would be All Progressives Congress states,

would you have believed it? But there it is.

Nigerians have to open their eyes and stop believing that it cannot happen here. Are we better than Lebanon? Lebanon was the only stable democratic and multi-religious country in the Middle East, until the Christians there slept on their rights, and were soon overwhelmed by massive immigration from Islamic nations that made them a minority in their own country.

What will stop the same from happening here?

Tinubu and Shettima can open the borders Nigeria shares with Niger Republic and Chad to change Nigeria’s demographics and make it impossible to vote out their party in future elections, if they win in 2023.

I was in Bethlehem in 2018. The same thing happened to that town where our Lord and Saviour was born.

You see, history does not repeat itself. Men repeat history and blame history for repeating itself.

Nigeria must preserve its religious balance by respecting each faith and balancing our government and public sector. The Peoples Democratic Party respects that balance. The Labour Party respects it.

But the Muslim-Muslim ticket of Bola Tinubu’s All Progressives Congress does not respect our religious diversity. And a vote for Tinubu may lead Nigerian Christians to the same fate of the ancient Christians of Asia Minor (now known as Turkey).

So, let us forget our divisions and unite against this imbalance; whether or not you are Roman Catholic, Anglican, Methodist, Baptist, Pentecost, Evangelical, Charismatic, Celestial, or any other denomination I have not mentioned here. Because those who want to whittle down your faith see you as one. Therefore, you better also see yourself as one. Or you may go the way of the Byzantines.

May that never befall us in Yeshua’s Name.

Reno’s Nuggets Before you buy an iPhone 14 for a girl you are not married to, as a sign of your love, ask yourself these 3 questions: Do I have a business?

Do I have a home?

Have I ever bought my parents such an expensive gift?

If you have three nos, then your gift is a sign of your foolishness, not a sign of your love! The first sacrificial giving that wisemen make is always to God. The second is always to their parents. But the first sacrificial giving that a fool makes is always to his girlfriend. Why? Because immediate pleasure is more important to him than infinite treasure! #RenosNuggets #FreeLeahSharibu

PDP Crisis: Nobody Can Split my Team, Wike Boasts Blessing Ibunge in Port Harcourt As post-primary election rapprochement continues to elude the leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, yesterday, boasted that nobody could break his relationship with his friends in the party.

Wike, who was referring to his team, which included Governors Okezie Ikpeazu (Abia), Seyi Makinde (Oyo), Samuel Ortom (Benue) and Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi (Enugu), said efforts by those attempting to create disunity among them would fail.

Wike maintained that the PDP governors working with him were only demanding that the right things should be done in the party and agreement respected.

The Rivers governor spoke, when he inaugurated the Okezuo Abia Flyover along the Aba-Enugu Expressway in Osisioma Ngwa Local Government Area, and the rehabilitated Aba-Owerri Road in Aba South Local Government Area of Abia State.

According to him, those who are struggling to cause division between him and his team do not understand the modus operandi of their actions.

"When I read on the pages of newspapers, they said some people

are making attempts to break my rank, I said to myself that they don't understand the modus operandi of what we are doing.

"If they understand the modus operandi of what we are doing, they won't waste their time. If you like go and meet Ikpeazu, if you like go and meet Seyi Makinde, if you like go and meet Ortom Samuel, and if you like go and meet Ugwuanyi Ifeanyi, I pity them.

People think that relationship can be bought with money," he said.

Wike, therefore, reiterated that no propaganda could weaken his political capacity to deliver a win for whoever Rivers State decides to support with votes in the 2023 general election.

His words: "Look, nobody should bother about any abuse on me. I'm too much for it. I don't even know when I'm abused. If they like let them put everything on social media and abuse me, at the end, we will know who is relevant or not at the appropriate time.

"Politics is not to go on the pages of newspapers. Politics is not to go and buy slot on television and speak. It is who will deliver at the appropriate time. That is what is key. If you like, abuse me from now till tomorrow, it's your business.

"What is important is when the time comes, we will know. When the jungle matures, we will know

those who can stand crisis. We will know those who have capacity to say this is where our state will go.

Ikpeazu is one of those governors, who have capacity and will decide where the people of Abia State will go."

Wike emphasised that the governors, who some forces in PDP were fighting, were the ones projecting the party, and have consolidated the goodwill of the electorate that will translate into electoral fortune.

He said, "Look at what they said, they said your governor (Abia State) is a boy. They said Wike is

a boy, Seyi is a boy, Ortom is a boy, Ugwuanyi is a boy. But see what the boys are doing. Tell them that as men, they should show us what they have done.

"Because we say look, agreement is agreement. You told me you will do this, now it's time for you to do it, you don't want to do it.

Is it good?

"Now, what's the problem? We say, my brother, you have shared and given to Atiku; you shared and given Okowa, you shared and given Saraki, which one have you given to Ikpeazu? What Ikpeazu and co are saying is that when

you are sharing Senate president to so and so person, which one have you given to Abia."

Wike noted that because the Abia governor had submitted himself to God, whatever he does has continued to prosper, and commended Ikpeazu for changing the narrative of governance in Abia State and working to better socioeconomic situation for the people of the state.

In his speech, Ikpeazu said the Okezuo Abia Flyover along the Aba-Enugu expressway, was one of the signature projects of his administration as the first

interchange bridge delivered in the state since its creation.

"Our desire to construct this flyover at this point was borne out of our conviction that we will ease the movement of personnel and goods out and in of Aba, being our commercial nerve centre in Abia State.

"People were spending two/ three hours at this junction trying to get into Aba, to get into the central market in the city and we decided to respond to that problem by providing this flyover. I thank God that today, this project has become a reality."

Adamawa APC Chairman Sacked, Deputy Appointed to Act Daji Sani in Yola Chairman of All Progressives Congress ( APC) in Adamawa State, Ibrahim Bilal, has been sacked, while his deputy, Samaila Taddawus, was appointed in acting capacity.

The chairman was impeached after twenty-five members of the state executive committee of the party, yesterday, passed a vote of no conference in him.

They cited gross abuse, corruption, dereliction of duty, anti-party activities amongst others as reasons.

They also unanimously endorsed his deputy to act for now.

A press statement read by Mohammed Abdullh, Publicity Secretary of the party, said the vote of no confidence on the chairman followed gross misconduct According the statement, "We, the undersigned members of the state executive committee of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Adamawa State, wish to pass a vote of no confidence on the chairman of Adamawa State chapter of APC, Alh. Ibrahim Bilal, over gross misconduct.

"Our resolve to take this line of action follows the failure of the chairman to respond to the

allegations of gross misconduct leveled against him as provided for in the constitution. We view his failure to respond to the weighty allegations as acceptance of guilt.

"On the 26 August 2022, twentyfive members of the state executive committee, issued a formal complaint to three executive officers of the party over constitutional violations, which constitute gross misconduct in line with the spirit of fair hearing as provided by the constitution."

The statement, however, exonerated the secretary of the party, Mr. Raymond Chidama and treasurer, Alh. Yahya Hammanjulde after both

of them responded to the allegations against.

"The secretary and the treasurer duly responded and made convincing submissions and hence cleared their names. The chairman of the party refused to respond to the grave allegations to clear his name.”

The publicity Secretary further added that the failure of the chairman to respond to all the allegations, led the executive members to invoke article 21.5 (vi) of the party’s constitution, which vested us with the powers to pass a vote of no confidence on him this day of September 2022.

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 2022 ˾ T H I S D AY

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FOREIGN DESK

COMPILED BY BAYO AKINLOYE

Suicide Bomber Kills Russian Embassy Staff, Afghans

A blast near the entrance to the Russian embassy in Afghanistan’s capital, Kabul, Monday killed at least six people, including two employees of the diplomatic mission.

Russian state media reported that an “unidentified terrorist activated an explosive device” when a Russian diplomat stepped outside to announce the names of Afghan visa applicants standing in line, citing the foreign ministry and witnesses.

The fate of the diplomat was not immediately known.

Khalid Zadran, the Kabul police spokesman, said a suicide bomber carried out the attack but was killed by Taliban security guards before he could reach his target.

“The bomber intended to blow himself up in the crowd, but security forces intercepted and targeted him before he could reach his goal, which caused the explosion,” Zadran said on Twitter.

Zadran confirmed the death of four Afghan civilians, adding the incident left at least 10 others injured.

Moscow’s embassy in Kabul “is in close contact with Afghanistan’s special services, who have launched a probe into the incident,” the Russian Foreign Ministry said.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and his counterpart from Tajikistan, Sirojiddin Muhriddin, paid tribute to the victims of the Kabul attack before commencing bilateral talks in Moscow.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the deadly blast, the first such attack outside a diplomatic mission in the Afghan capital since the Taliban seized power a year ago.

Kenya’s Supreme Court Upholds Ruto’s Victory, Dismisses Odinga’s Claims

President-elect William Ruto said he would work to deliver for the Kenyan population, speaking after the country’s Supreme Court upheld his recent election win. The court unanimously dismissed claims by petitioners, including runner-up and former Prime Minister Raila Odinga, that the vote was rigged.

President-elect William Ruto welcomed Monday’s decision, pledging to serve the Kenyan people.

“We are truly grateful, and I want to say to the people of Kenya and to those who have made efforts to get us here that we will not let you down, we will work hard, and we will not let you down,” he said.

The seven-judge court ruled that the results of the August 9 presidential election were valid under the constitution and electoral law.

The judges also said they found no significant irregularities or illegalities.

Chief Justice Martha Koome read the ruling on behalf of the other six judges.

She dismissed eight petitions challenging the outcome, including the one from former Prime Minister Raila Odinga.

The court found that the electoral commission deployed technology that correctly identified voters, transmitted results and was not disrupted.

Liz Truss to Replace Boris Johnson as UK Prime Minister

Britain’s Foreign Secretary Liz Truss has won the Conservative Party vote to be its new leader and will become the country’s new prime minister, replacing Boris Johnson at a time of economic upheaval and escalating energy bills.

The 47-year-old Truss, who will become the third woman to lead the country, defeated former Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak, Britain’s treasury secretary, in a vote of about 140,000 dues-paying members of the Conservative Party, a mere 0.2% of the United Kingdom’s population of 67 million.

The intraparty vote, rather than a general election, was held because Conservatives still hold a majority in parliament and could pick the new prime minister of their choosing. Truss will be the 15th leader of the United Kingdom during the long reign of its monarch, Queen Elizabeth. The Conservative Party announced the Truss victory Monday.

The vote took place over recent weeks after

Boric said he would work with Chilean communities and politicians to draft new text. Political parties say they also are committed to working with voters to design a new charter.

The proposed charter included rights to free education, healthcare and housing. The new constitution also would have established autonomous Indigenous territories.

Canadian Police Launch Manhunt for Deadly Stabbing Suspects

Johnson announced in July he would step down. The outgoing prime minister was engulfed in a series of scandals, including ignoring the government’s own rules against public gatherings during the height of the coronavirus pandemic.

OPEC+ Agrees Oil Production Cut

OPEC and its allies, led by Russia, on Monday agreed on a small oil production cut to bolster prices that have slid on fears of an economic slowdown.

The oil producers will cut output by 100,000 barrels per day (bpd), amounting to only 0.1 per cent of global demand, for October. They also agreed that OPEC’s leader Saudi Arabia could call an extraordinary meeting anytime if volatility persists.

The decision essentially maintains the status quo as OPEC has been observing wild fluctuations in oil prices.

“OPEC+ is wary of protracted price volatility generated by weak macro sentiment, thin liquidity and renewed China lockdowns, as well as uncertainty over a potential US-Iran deal and efforts to create a Russian oil price cap,” said Matthew Holland at Energy Aspects.

Last month, top OPEC producer Saudi Arabia flagged the possibility of output cuts to address exaggerated oil price movements.

Benchmark Brent crude oil LCOc1 has dropped to about $95 a barrel from $120 in June on fears of an economic slowdown and recession in the West.

Russia’s Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak said on Monday the OPEC+ oil output cut was merely a reflection of expectations of weaker global economic growth.

Military Reserves, Civil Defence Worry Taiwan Amid China Invasion

Chris Chen, a former captain in Taiwan’s military, spent a lot of time waiting during his weeklong training for reservists in June.

He said he was waiting for assembly, lunch, and training.

The course, part of Taiwan’s efforts to deter a Chinese invasion, was jam-packed with 200 reservists to one instructor.

“It just became all listening. There was very little time to actually carry out the instructions,” Chen said.

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has underscored the importance of mobilising civilians when under attack, as Ukraine’s reserve forces helped fend off the invaders.

It has highlighted Taiwan’s weaknesses on that front nearly halfway around the world, chiefly in two areas: its reserves and civilian defence force.

Canadian police searched across the expansive province of Saskatchewan for two suspects believed to have stabbed to death 10 people in an Indigenous community and a nearby town in one of the deadliest mass killings in the country’s history.

The suspects also injured 15 people in the series of knife attacks that led the James Smith Cree Nation to declare a state of emergency and badly shook residents of the nearby village of Weldon.

“No one in this town is ever going to sleep again. They’re going to be terrified to open their door,” said Weldon resident Ruby Works, who was close to one of the victims.

Police, meanwhile, said a vehicle reportedly carrying the two suspects had been spotted in Regina, about 335 kilometres (208 miles) south of the communities where the stabbings occurred.

Regina police chief Evan Bray said late Sunday they believe the suspects are still in Regina.

While an invasion doesn’t appear The Royal Canadian Mounted Police of imminent, China’s recent large-scale Saskatchewan tweeted a warning to those military exercises in response to a visit in the Regina area.

by US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to Taiwan have made the government in Taipei UN Rushes Aid to Pakistan Amid more aware than ever of the hard power Raging Floods behind Beijing’s rhetoric about bringing The UN refugee agency rushed in more the self-ruled island under its control. desperately needed aid Monday to floodExperts said that civilian defence and stricken Pakistan as the nation’s prime reserve forces have an important deterrent minister travelled to the south, where rising effect, showing a potential aggressor that the waters of Lake Manchar pose a new threat. risks of invasion are high. Even before the Two UNHCR planes touched down in invasion of Ukraine in March, Taiwan was the southern port city of Karachi, and two working on reforming both. The question more were expected later in the day. A is whether it will be enough. third plane, with aid from Turkmenistan, also landed in Karachi. While the floods Deadly Earthquake Shatters in recent weeks have touched much of Southwestern China Pakistan, the southern Sindh province, Chinese state media said an earthquake where Karachi is the capital, has been Monday in southwestern China killed at the most affected. least 21 people.

More than 1,300 people have been The magnitude 6.8 quake hit around killed, and millions have lost their homes midday in Sichuan province, an area where in flooding caused by unusually heavy earthquakes regularly occur. monsoon rains in Pakistan this year that Chinese state broadcaster CCTV said the many experts have blamed on climate earthquake triggered landslides, damaged change. In response to the unfolding homes and interrupting power. disaster, UN Secretary-General Antonio The quake was felt in the provincial Guterres last week called on the world to capital, Chengdu, located 200 kilometres stop “sleepwalking” through the crisis. He from the epicentre. plans to visit flood-hit areas on September 9.

A magnitude 8.0 earthquake in Sichuan On Sunday, engineers cut into an in 2008 killed tens of thousands of people. embankment in the sides of Lake Manchar In a related development, officials said in an effort to release rising floodwater Monday that at least six people had been to save the city of Sehwan and several killed by an earthquake that has hit nearby villages from possible destruction northeastern Afghanistan. Authorities by flooding waters, which have damaged say the death toll could rise.

1.6 million houses since mid-June.

The 5.3-magnitude earthquake struck near Jalalabad, according to the US Geological Exiled Belarusian Opposition Survey.

Leader to Attend UNGA in Person In June, a 6.2-magnitude earthquake hit Exiled Belarusian opposition leader Afghanistan, killing more than1,000 people. Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya plans to attend United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) Chile Rejects New Constitution meetings in person for the first time since Chilean voters have rejected a new the disputed Belarusian presidential election constitution that would have been one of in August 2020, according to diplomatic the world’s most progressive and would sources close to her. have replaced a charter imposed by the The sources say Tsikhanouskaya and her dictatorship of Gen. Augusto Pinochet 41 delegation will address ongoing political years ago. repression by Belarusian authorities under Chilean officials said that with 99 per cent the rule of President Alexander Lukashenko of Sunday’s plebiscite’s votes counted, more and call for the immediate release of all than 61 per cent of voters had rejected the political prisoners. new charter. A little more than 38 per cent They say Lukashenko’s facilitation of voted to approve.

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine would also In 2020, almost 80 per cent of Chileans voted be discussed during Tsikhanouskaya’s to draft a new constitution. Karol Cariola, participation in UNGA events from an approval campaign spokeswoman, said September 18-22.

Sunday the mandate to draft a new charter The Belarusian opposition leader spoke remains. to an informal UN Security Council virtual After Sunday’s vote, President Gabriel session two years ago.

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NEWS

NAVAL INFORMATION TEAM VISITS THISDAY… L-R: Editor, THISDAY Sunday Newspaper, Mr. Davidson Iriekpen; Managing Director, THISDAY Newspaper, Mr. Eniola Bello; Director of Information, Naval Headquarters, Commodore Adedokun AyoVaughan; Managing Editor, THISDAY Newspaper, Mr. Bolaji Adebiyi, and Command Information Officer, Naval Doctrine Command, Lieutenant Commander Godwin Egbunu, during courtesy visit of Naval PHOTO: MUBO PETERS. Information Team to THISDAY Newspaper, Ikoyi, Lagos... yesterday

Again, CSOs Urge Senate to Reject Nomination of Partisan, Unqualified Persons as RECs Adedayo Akinwale in Abuja A coalition of civil society organisations (CSOs) under the umbrella of ‘Saving Our Vote’ has called on the Senate to resist the attempt to undermine the institutional independence of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in the nomination of partisan and unqualified Resident Electoral Commissioners (RECs)

by President Muhammadu Buhari.

Buhari had in his letter to the Senate nominated 19 persons as RECs in line with the provisions of Section 154 (1) of the 1999 Constitution Nigeria (as amended).

Among the 19 persons being recommended for confirmation, five were reappointed, including Ibrahim Abdullahi (Adamawa); Obo Effanga (Cross River); Umar Ibrahim (Taraba); Agboke Olaleke (Ogun), and Samuel Egwu (Kogi).

However, out of 14 other nominees, four were alleged not only to be politically exposed persons, but also card-carrying members of political parties that would be taking part in the 2023 polls.

But addressing a press conference in Abuja, yesterday, a team of INEC consultative partners and accredited elections observer groups and CSOs including Intercontinental Leadership Initiative, Centre for Strategy, Ethics and Value, Northern Patriotic Front, Organisation of Justice for Equity Sustenance kicked against the nomination of the accused persons.

Reading a communique on behalf of the coalition at the end of roundtable discussion, Mr. Stafford Bisong, while applauding technological advancements in the electoral process, said INEC should find solutions in creating a seamless process for voter registration and Permanent Voter Card (PVC) collection, saying the present process was not as effective as required.

It also called for the improvement of the BVAS for subsequent elections, especially the 2023 general elections in the area of management and operations.

It stated: "That the Nigerian Senate should resist the attempt to undermine the institutional independence of INEC in the nomination of partisan and unqualified Resident Electoral Commissioners

by President Muhammadu Buhari.

"In order to regain the confidence of the electorate, INEC should look into the composition, integrity and credibility of their ICT personnel in the department.

“The sudden redeployment of the Director ICT should be reviewed after the 2023 general election to ensure there are no lapses as Nigeria consolidates on the gains so far achieved through the use of the BVAS." The coalition further said all electoral stakeholders should advocate for judicial reforms and a review of the powers of the Election Petition Tribunal and Courts in the electoral process.

It pointed out that sanitising the

judiciary would largely reduce the number of upturned and re-run elections emanating from the influence of politicians.

The group added: "With a specific mention of the Magistrate Court judgement of the 5th of August 2022 sacking the Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC) Chairman of the PDP for having fewer votes than that of his APC counterpart, we implore politicians to awaken

in themselves the Spirit of 'good sportsmanship' by learning to accept election results in a fair process which has been enhanced by the use of the BVAS in conducting elections by INEC." The coalition recalled that INEC had declared Christopher Zakka of the PDP winner of the February 12, 2022 AMAC election election, having scored a total of 19,302 votes to defeat Usman Karshi of the APC who scored 13,249 votes.

The Coalition of Niger Delta (CND) yesterday berated Ondo State Governor, Rotimi Akeredolu over his alleged opposition to the award of Pipelines Surveillance Contract to former militant leader, Chief Government Ekpemupolo alias Tompolo.

The group in a statement signed by its National President Tamarapreye Tareware and National Secretary, Meshach Bebenimibo, wondered why the opposition from the governor when his colleague, the Delta State Governor, Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa, had supported the move knowing its positive effect.

Akeredolu recently criticised the award of the pipelines surveillance contract to a private security outfit owned by the former Niger Delta agitator.

Akeredolu had in a statement he personally signed, picked holes in the contract awarded to private organisations, saying it was safe to conclude that the federal government had impliedly, permitted non-state actors to bear heavy assault weapons while denying the same privilege to the states, the federating units.

But the Coalition of Niger Deltans frowned at the outbursts of Akeredolu, stating: “We expected the governor to praise and com-

election observers, their observations during the election agreed absolutely with the result announced

by INEC Returning Officer that Zakka of the PDP won the election.

It stated that any result contrary to what they observed from the polling units to the FCT Collation Centre and announced by INEC in line with the 2022 Electoral Act and as submitted in its reports to the INEC Chairman had been manipulated or forged.

Obaseki: Parents, Guardians of Out-of-School Children to Be Arrested, Prosecuted from Sept 12 Adibe Emenyonu in Benin City

Edo State Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, has said the government would kick off the arrest and prosecution of parents and guardians of out-of-school children from the next academic session, which begins next Monday, September 12, 2022.

Obaseki, who spoke in Benin City, the state capital, ahead of the September 12th, 2022 resumption of the new school calendar year, said all machinery had been put in place for the enforcement.

He said the government, in partnership with the state’s judiciary, had set up special courts to prosecute perpetrators of sexual and physical abuses against children in schools in the state and that his administration waas committed to

guaranteeing the care, protection and wellbeing of every Edo child.

He said, “If we find any child under the age of 18 years being used for manual labour, such parents will be prosecuted. We thank the Chief Judge for providing special courts, which will be used to prosecute any offender, who perpetrates violence against any child or involves in sexual defilement or physical abuse in our school system.

“From September 12, when school resumes, any child found loitering or hawking during school hours will be arrested and the parents or guardians will be prosecuted and seriously dealt with. We have specially trained people to observe and watch over our children to ensure no child is

Group Decries Akeredolu's Outburst Over Surveillance Contract Awarded to Tompolo

Sylvester Idowu in Warri

It, however, lamented that FCT Area Council Election Petitions Tribunal led by Magistrate Folashade Oyekan upturned the election results and declared Karshi as duly elected Chairman of AMAC. It said the judiciary and politicians should be informed that the BVAS has broken the thuggery and ballot snatching jinx and has ended massive thumb The coalition said as accredited

mend the federal government for taking the bold step to increase the fortune of the country by awarding the surveillance contract to Tompolo who, it said, always want the betterment of his people, Niger Delta and Nigeria at large.

“High Chief Government Ekpemupolo, alias Tompolo has done enough for keeping the peace in the Niger Delta. He has used his God-given wisdom to curb negative vices in the Niger Delta.

“It is disheartening for a sitting Governor to say the new surveillance contract to Tompolo is bad and that the FG awarded it to him implies that a private citizen like Tompolo will be allowed to handle

not just light but sophisticated weapons to be able to ward off possible attacks from the vicious oil bunkering cartel.

“The above statement was viewed as a slap on the faces of Niger Delta stakeholders. Rotimi Akeredolu should know that Tompolo does not need any guns to combat oil theft. He will be working with the security agents hand in hand and needed no arm", it stated.

The CND, while declaring its total support for the federal government’s action, assured of Tompolo’s capacity to help save the country billions of naira being lost through oil theft and pipeline vandalism.

abused in Edo State.

“School resumes on Monday, September 12, 2022 and teaching must commence the same day. I will send out a special squad to monitor schools across the state; I will also monitor the schools myself, alongside with the Commissioner of Education.”

Harping on the infrastructure development in schools across the state, Obaseki said, “I have instructed the Ministry of Education to demolish all dilapidated

buildings in our schools. For those schools really dilapidated, we will move the students to other schools and rebuild the schools.

“We will emphasize the environment our children learn as we need to secure the environment where our children learn. We will be spending a lot of resources to ensure no child seats on the ground to learn. By the time the Commissioner of Education will be completing her term, no Edo child should sit on the ground to learn.

Lagos Physical Planning Commissioner Resigns after Another Building Collapse Segun James Following the collapse of a sevenstory at Lekki, Lagos State over the weekend, the state’s Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development, Dr. Idris Salako has resigned from office.

His resignation has been accepted

by Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, the government confirmed in a statement by the Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Mr. Gbenga Omotoso.

The resignation of Salako came on the heels of the collapse of another high-rise building in Lekki, coming barely a year after the collapse of a 21-storey building in nearby Ikoyi last year, in which many top officials of the ministry were severely implicated and sanctioned for dereliction of duty in report by a panel of inquiry set up by Governor Sanwo-Olu. According to Omotoso, the resignation “is a prelude to the restructuring of the ministry and its agencies.”

Although Sanwo-Olu was said to have thanked Salako for his

service to the state, the Governor, however, “warns all players in the sector to respect the law or face the consequences of any indiscretion, no matter who the perpetrators are,” which is a pointer that the government holds Salako responsible for the series of events.

Following the submission of the report of the collapse of the high-rise building the governor had ordered the indefinite suspension of the General Manager of the Lagos State Building Control Agency, Mr. Gbolahan Oki. Oki is however back on his seat as at the time of this report.

A white paper on the recommendation by the six- man panel set up by the Governor on the collapse of a 21-storey building on Gerrard Road had revealed that the government accepted 26 of the 28-point recommendations of the panel even as the government would be demolishing the other two structures within the promises as material test showed that they were constructed with substandard materials.

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NEWS

NIGERIA ENERGY TRANSITION MEETINGS IN WASHINGTON DC...

L-R: CEO and Special Representative to the UN Secretary-General on Sustainable Energy for ALL, Ms. Damilola Ogunbiyi and the United States Vice-President, Kamala Harris during Nigeria Energy Transition Meetings with Nigeria Vice President Yemi Osinbajo held in Washington, D.C....recently

Lecturers Using Their Blood to Run Public Varsities, Says ASUU Leader Coalition of university alumni groups urge Buhari to resolve prolonged industrial dispute Onyebuchi Ezigbo in Abuja and Kemi Olaitan in Ibadan The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) yesterday said all chapters of the union that started the over six-month-old strike are intact and resolute in their quest to turn the public universities around and make them compete globally.

This was just as the union stated that lecturers in public universities in the country have been using their blood to run the institutions, sustaining them and would not sacrifice her members' welfare any longer.

It stressed that it would resist

any effort to turn intellectuals to slaves of irresponsible leadership.

The Chairman, University of Ibadan Chapter of the union, Prof. Ayo Akinwole, who made the disclosures in Ibadan, asked Nigerians to disregard the lies of the federal government, stating that the government was far from meeting any of the union’s seven demands.

He said the union gave a 14-month notice to the federal government before commencing the strike which started in February, adding that even the effort of the Nigerian Interreligious Council in 2021 yielded no results before the

union was forced to declare the strike.

According to him, “We waited for 14 months from December 2020 to February 2022 before declaring this strike. I am saying 14 months’ notice, 14 months of engagements and Nigeria Inter-religious council intervened in 2021 when we would have declared the strike.

“We gave them one month with no result. Heroes are gone before they are appreciated but our union will not die. We will not die. We are going to be alive to see this struggle through.”

Akinwole disclosed that the N1.1trillion for revitalisation of

universities was not for lecturers in public universities, stating that the amount was arrived at by the federal government through a NEEDS Assessment report on the level of decay in Nigerian public universities.

The ASUU boss who thanked members of the union for sacrificing and remaining resolute to reposition public varsity education in the country, argued that irresponsible leadership was the reason for strikes in Nigeria as only strikes have forced government to spend money on her universities in the last 25 years.

He said, “If ASUU does not

Niger Delta: Social Influencer Demands Justice for Environmental Crisis, Holds Shell Accountable Dike Onwuamaeze

A New York Attorney and Solicitor of England and Wales with broad expertise in the financial services industry, Dr. Shola Mos-Shogbamimu has thrown her weight behind the agitation for justice and an end to the climate crisis ravaging the Niger Delta region of Nigeria due to unconscionable crude oil exploration and extraction activities of internal oil majors.

Mos-Shogbamimu, who is also an author, public speaker and political commentator, largely laid the blames for the climate crisis in the region at the doorstep of Shell, insisting that now was the time for justice for Niger Delta people that had been paying huge price in their resistance to rapacious oil exploitation and extraction activities.

According to her, “in the Ogoniland of the Niger Delta alone over two million barrel of oil was split between 1976 and 1992,” adding that, “we don’t only demand an end to the climate crisis. We stand side by side with the people of Nigeria demanding justice now.

We will never forget what you (Shell) have done.”

She argued that the type of care and concern Shell exercised at its oil extraction activities in places such as Norway by laying pipes under the ground, employing locals and enhancing environmental protection are “still entirely absent in the Niger Delta today.”

Mos-Shogbamimu in a short video documentary titled “How British Colonialism Created Racism

and the Climate Crisis in Nigeria,” which she shared on her Twitter handle on September 2, said that “amidst a fossil fueled driven cost of living crisis for every Nigerian, Shell’s profit tripled in the last year alone.”

Taking a historical trip on oil exploration in the Niger Delta, she said that the British’s pursuit for oil began intensively from 1912, when Winston Churchill switched the British navy fleets from being coal to oil powered.

“So an increasingly insatiable need for oil led the British colonial government to grant an exclusive oil exploration license over Nigeria to Shell/D’Archy Exploration Company. This was the making of Shell and the beginning of the destruction of Niger Delta and its people. The lives of the people of the region were of no consequence whatsoever to British leaders.

“For Shell, the licence issued exclusively by the British in 1938 became a licence to print money, ruin economies and pollute the earth.”

She added that “while Shell rakes in the cash what the people got in return was a life expectancy of just 40 years. And they also got the blame.

“In the exact same way rogue police officers uses racist trope to frame innocent black men Shell regularly blames the people of the Niger Delta for the misery and criminality inflicted upon them.”

She, however, noted that “the people of the Niger Delta are fighting back. But their resistance

has come at a huge cost. In 1995, nine members of the Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni People (MOSOP) were hanged by the then Nigerian dictatorship. The British Empire and Shell have ruined lives in Nigeria.”

Going down memory lane, MosShogbamimu said, “the creation of what we now call Nigeria came in multiple phases. By 1870, palm oil replaced the slave trade as the main business in the natural resource rich Niger Delta. British took territories around the lower and middle River Niger into the British Empire through the creation of a corporation called the Royal Niger Company. Then the RNC sold its territories in Nigeria to the

British government for £865,000, the equivalent of £45 million in today’s money.”

But the popularity of palm oil as money spinner waned with the discovery of oil in the Niger Delta, which sadly has spelled doom for the region.

She added: “When it comes to African history, it is essential that we get our facts right. The Niger Delta is in the heart of Nigeria’s oil history for which it has paid a price.

The creeks around Bodo village run thick with oil from an old Shell pipeline. The water is contaminated and peoples’ livelihood is totally destroyed,” adding that “everyone is welcomed to their opinions but not their own facts.”

go on this struggle, there will be no university for our children to attend. In the last 25 years, federal government will not spend money on their university unless ASUU goes on strike.

“Does that show they are responsible? I am also a parent and my children are home with me.

Most lecturers have to spend their money on their students’ project for some students to graduate. I could give you numbers of some of my students who can tell you how much I have had to support their projects. Lecturers retain Nigerian public universities with their blood.”

Meanwhile, worried by the continued closure of some public universities in the country and the apparent stalemate in negotiations with ASUU, a group known as the Concerned Alumni of Nigerian Universities has asked President Muhammadu Buhari to immediately intervene to resolve the dispute.

A joint statement by the alumni groups, stated that the president should wade into the matter as a matter of utmost concern so that all contending issues are speedily and expeditiously resolved.

In the statement, the associations expressed concern over the unabated crises between the ASUU and the federal government and the continued closure of universities in Nigeria.

In a letter signed by the Presidents of the University Alumni Associations, the concerned associations stated that no nation wanting to get to the promised land, and indeed aspiring to be a member of the comity of enlightened nations

would toy with education.

They stated that globally, education was government-driven followed by other linked chains like lecturers, parents, students and other stakeholders.

"In this connection, the associations called on the federal government to urgently put in place a mechanism to holistically address the concerns and demands of the striking lecturers and other University staff," they added.

Those who signed the statement on behalf of the alumni associations were: President (Worldwide), University of Lagos Alumni Association, Dr. John Momoh; National Chairman, Conference of Alumni Associations of Nigerian Universities (CAANU) and president of ABU Alumni Association, Prof.

Ahmed Tijani Mora, President, University of Ibadan Alumni, Prof. Elsie Adewoye, President University of Calabar Alumni, Prof.

Yakubu Aboki Ochefu, President, University of Jos Alumni, Nuhu Sani, and President, University of Port Harcourt Alumni, Ule Williams Glad.

The associations further drew the attention of government to the recurrent crises in the country, especially the spate of terrorism, banditry, kidnappings, money rituals, prostitution, and other social vices, and noted that these are some of the consequences of youths not being critically engaged.

They said that a situation where millions of students had been locked out of campuses portends a grave danger for the country, the associations lamented.

NEMA: 33 Nigerian States Ravaged by Flood in Eight Months 508,000 persons affected, 372 deaths recorded The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), yesterday, disclosed that in the last eight months, floods in Nigeria, mostly flash floods, had ravaged 33 out of 36 states and the FCT, thereby affecting over 508,000 persons, and leading to about 372 deaths.

It added that, 277 persons were injured and about 37,633 houses destroyed with loss of huge numbers of livestocks and several farmland submerged by the flood, mostly in Adamawa, Jigawa, Taraba, Kano, Bauchi,

Niger, Anambra, and Ebonyi States.

Director General, NEMA, Mustapha Habib Ahmed, made the disclosure during the inauguration and induction of newly acquired operational vehicles and specialised equipment in Abuja.

Ahmed noted that the flood had been accompanied by other derivative disasters, statingthat, "I wish to note, with pleasure, that the Agency has begun to venture into realms of Proactive and Predictive Disaster Risk Management in line with best practices.

"No doubt, the effort at new acquisitions will close existing gaps, meet the current operational cum tactical challenges faced by actors responding to emergencies in the field, increase the Agency’s asset base in preparedness at the HQ and across the Zonal, Territorial and Operational Offices (ZTOs).

"The initiative will also support the response capabilities of stakeholder agencies and individuals during emergencies," Ahmed explained.

He maintained that current

trends in hazards identification, risk mapping and actual disasters, have shown increasing instances of structural collapses, fuel tanker explosions, other road crashes and fire outbreaks, which were either isolated disasters or derivative disasters in the raining seasons mostly characterized by floods.

According to him, in recent weeks, devastating floods have ravaged countries such as South Africa, Pakistan, India, Japan, the Gambia, Italy and a host of other countries including Nigeria.

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NEWS

BUSINESS LAW ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING...

L-R: Adeleke Aalex-Adedipe; Perenami Momodu; Stella Duru; Funmi Otsemobor; Aisha Rimi; Vice Chairman, NBA SBL, Ayuli Jemide; former Chairman, Dr. Adeoye Adefulu; Chairman, Oyeyemi Aderigbigbe; Chinasa Unaegbunam and Kehinde Daudu, during the Nigerian Bar Association Section on Business Law Annual General Meeting… recently

No Food for the Lazy in PDP, Melaye Mocks Fani-Kayode Chuks Okocha in Abuja Spokesperson for the Atiku Abubakar Presidential Campaign, Senator Dino Melaye, yesterday, took a swipe at former Minister of Aviation, Chief Femi Fani-Kayode, saying the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has no food for lazy politicians, who cannot apply logic to push forward their narratives.

Melaye’s comments followed FaniKayode’s insinuation of corruption in the election of Senator Iyorcha Ayu as PDP national chairman. The insinuation had based a tweet by Melaye in which he claimed that money was used to mobilise for the election of Ayu a few months ago.

However, Melaye asked FaniKayode who bankrolled his own statement, as he was known not to issue free statements.

Fani-Kayode had used Melaye’s tweet as a basis to imply that the election of Ayu was steeped in corruption and crime.

But Melaye quickly said, in reaction to Fani-Kayode, "All the PDP governors spent money at our party's convention to get Ayu elected as National Chairman.

"My attention has just been called to a statement issued by Femi FaniKayode, which, as usual, was an incoherent gibberish produced from his temporary relief from insanity.

"How can one explain his momentary consciousness to react to an interview long granted, if not that his world of reality is not in sync with the world of sound minds. His comment was at best a mixture of prevarication, lack of comprehension, and a voyage in

meddlesomeness and idleness.

"Truly, an idle hand and heart, like that of FFK, is the devil’s residence.

Ordinarily, his rambling would have been ignored, but in this age of unrestricted access to the media, even by unwholesome minds, care must be taken to put issues in the right context and perspective.

"The roller-coaster FFK is merely

seeking to receive attention, having employed all forms of ingratiation to be recruited by the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), His Excellency, Atiku Abubakar, but failed.

"To be sure, he contacted Timi Frank to help lobby for a job in the campaign directorate, but where is the record to help his desire? As a

serial hustler around food dispensers, FFK’s misadventure into the issue of the leadership of the PDP is nothing but a subtle campaign to be noticed and rewarded by prospective paymasters.

“Nigerians cannot forget in a hurry how FFK bootlicked and cajoled Yahaya Bello during his presidential experiment, but later

Presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP), Mr. Peter Obi, has said he was richer than the president of the Unites States of America and therefore, not contesting to be Nigeria's president to amass wealth, because God has ‘over-blessed him’.

He added that he was already well-blessed and was even richer than the President of America, Joe Biden, whom he said was worth $8.9 million.

Obi made the remarks recently while addressing his supporters,

PDP as the access card to his next meal. The reality is that Professor Iyorchia Ayu, a man of repute and impeccable political profile, was supported by governors and members of the party. It is not rocket science that though Professor Ayu emerged by consensus, a convention was held and delegates were mobilised to Abuja.”

Kuje Attack: FG, House Confirm 888 Inmates Escaped, 64 Terror Suspects Udora Orizu in Abuja The Ministry of Interior and the House of Representatives security committees have disclosed that a total of 888 inmates, 64 of which were terror suspects, escaped from the Nigerian Correctional Service (NCS), Kuje, Abuja on July 5, following a terrorist attack.

The lawmakers and the minister, Rauf Aregbesola, made this known while briefing journalists on the attack before going into executive session.

Following the attack, the House had in July moved a motion calling for a probe, and it mandated its committees on army, police, reformatory, navy, intelligence, and defence to look into matter in order to prevent a reoccurrence.

The joint committee was also mandated to identify the extent to which appropriate authorities within the national security sector

played their roles in responding to the prison attack, as well as establish the extent of damage to the facility, including the exact number of escapees and casualty recorded.

At the investigative hearing, Chairman of the Joint Committee, Hon. Shaaban Sharada, frowned on the absence of all the service chiefs, whom he said had been invited thrice but failed to show up.

While Minister of Defence was represented, Minister of Police Affairs, Chief of Defence Staff, Army Chief, Chief of Naval Staff, and Defence Intelligence Agency were absent.

Sharada lamented that the attack, which lasted several hours, did not record any formidable resistance from the security personnel deployed to the facility, neither was there adequate response from the security agencies in the Federal Capital Territory.

He said the situation was disturbing and embarrassing, and also raised serious concerns about the efficiency and effectiveness of the entire national security architecture.

However, Sharada assured Nigerians that members of his committee would not spare anything in order to trace the circumstances that led to the ugly incident and also ensure the monitoring of measures put in place to protect lives and property of residents in the FCT and those of all Nigerians.

During the hearing, insightful briefings were received from Directors General of the Department of State Services, National Intelligence Agency, and Comptroller General of the Nigerian Correctional Service.

Further briefs were given by the Nigerian Civil Defence Corps and the Nigeria Immigration Service. Also in attendance

Obi: I'm Richer Than America’s President, Will Not Steal Nigeria's Money Peter Uzoho

jumped to the presidential train of Senator Ahmed Lawan in the throes of the presidential primary election of the All Progressives Congress in an unabashed and unconscionable manner.

"Now that campaign structures have been formed by parties and he’s sidelined, having lost face everywhere, he has found the

popularly known as Obidients, in the United States, saying the fear as to whether he would steal Nigeria's money when he becomes the president of the country should not even arise.

The LP presidential standard bearer had been on a tour of some cities around the world,including Frankfurt, Toronto, Rome, Atlanta, Los Angeles, Houston, Washington DC and New York, where he was engaging with Nigerians and others interested in the Nigerian project, and selling his candidacy to them.

Telling his audience that he

was not seeking to be Nigeria's president to embezzle public fund, Obi said God has already blessed him enough, and wondered why he should steal Nigeria's public fund, when he was even richer than Biden.

Insisting that he was not looking for a private jet, sophisticated house or to buy a house in America as he can’t live in America, Obi stated that what he, his party and supporters were doing was not about playing the normal politics or contesting elections.

“If I take public money that I’m not entitled to, God should

punish my children and me.

Not because of anything but God gave me enough. I say to people, President Biden is worth 8.9 million USD. Why should somebody like me steal public money when I am richer than the American President?

“I am already over-blessed by God. We just need to develop our country. I’m not looking for a private jet, sophisticated house or to buy a house in America, because I can’t live in America.

What we are doing is not about the normal politics or contesting elections,” he said.

were the representatives of the National Security Adviser and the National Park Service.

Corroborating the chairman's stance on the number of inmates that escaped, Aregbesola narrated that on the day of the invasion, 31 military personnel of the Nigerian Army, 5 personnel of MPOL 21, five personnel of MOPOL 50, two personnel of counter terrorism unit of the Nigeria Police, two personnel of Kuje police division, seven personnel of Nigeria Immigration, three personnel of Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, 10 personnel of correctional armed squad were there for specific responsibility of resisting and preventing any attack Aregbesola said 106 inmates refused to leave the facility during the attack, while 28 inmates who left the facility voluntarily returned between the 6th and 15th of July.

The minister, while noting that the general state of insecurity in the country called for serious concern, however, blamed it on previous governments, saying this present administration inherited the challenges.

He stated, "In spite of determined and sustained efforts of the government to curb the menace, there is a deliberate and determined attempt by those who are bent on criminal activities to erode the gains made in the last few years. Partially, all the security challenges we have are inherited. None was caused or created by this administration.

“If you recall, the country has suffered serious internal security challenges as a result of farmers herders conflict, especially, in the North-central geopolitical zone and in the north western geopolitical zones. We have kidnapping for ransom, Boko Haram, cultism,

ENDSARs, violent extremism, separatist agitations.

"On the 5th of July around 10pm, a huge number of elements that I believe to be terrorists of a particularly brand came in large numbers to attack our facility.

“In that facility, on that day, we had 31 military personnel stationed in Kuje to protect the facility. On the day of the invasion, there were 31 military personnel of the Nigerian Army, five personnel of MOPOL 21, five personnel of MOPOL 50, two personnel of counter terrorism unit of Nigeria Police, two personnel of Kuje police division, seven personnel of Nigeria Immigration, three personnel of Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, 10 personnel of correctional armed squad.

“These 65 people were there for specific responsibility of resisting and preventing any attack. And they were all armed.

Because of the presence of the pressmen here, I would not tell you the grades of arsenals in their possession, but they were well armed.

"If we had a more exclusive arrangement, I would give you specific grades of equipment, military arsenals. Arsenals that were positioned for the defence of the facility, however, in spite of everything, our arrangement of protection of Kuje failed. And the facility was breached.

“On the night of the attack, Kuje accommodated 994 inmates out of which 64 were terror suspects, Boko Haram, ISWAP and others. 888 inmates escaped during the attack, among them were 554 awaiting trial persons.

71 were convicts, 36 were on death row and 17 were on life imprisonment."

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NEWS

INTENSIFYING WAR AGAINST CORRUPTION…

Chairman, Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), Prof. Bolaji Owasanoye; Winner of the Illicit Financial Flow (IFF) Hackathon, E-Procure, and Regional Director, Ford Foundation, West Africa Office, Dr. Chichi Aniagolu-Okoye, during the presentation of award to the winner of the demo hacking solutions on corruption and IFF in Abuja…recently

Police Arrest Two Women for Operating Baby Factory in Ogun Arrest Pastor for defiling teenage chorister

James Sowole in Abeokuta Men of the Ogun State Police Command have arrested two women, Ms. Christiana D’ivoire Iyama and Ms. Margaret Ogwu, for allegedly operating baby

factory.

Similarly, the police have arrested 38-year-old pastor, Israel Adebayo, who is the General Overseer of The Beloved Chapel, has been arrested in Ogun State for allegedly defiling a 14-year-

NANS Urges Buhari to Resolve ASUU Strike Adedayo Akinwale in Abuja The National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS), has called on President Muhammadu Buhari, to as a matter of urgency, resolve the lingering Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) strike by personally brokering a meeting with the union.

President of NANS, Mr. Usman Barambu, made the call while addressing a press conference yesterday in Abuja.

He said the call became imperative after exhaustive deliberations and depositions on the state of the nation, state of campuses and the lingering dispute between ASUU and the federal government, which has affected the academic calendar of all public universities for the past seven months.

He said, “The NANS call on President Muhammad Buhari GCFR to as a matter of urgency to use his fatherly intervention to resolve the lingering ASUU Strike by personally brokering

a meeting with ASUU.” Also, reading a communique issued at the end of NANS convention, Chairman of Communique Drafting Committee, UsmanAyuba, urged government to double its effort towards ensuring that education was given priority attention in terms of budgetary allocation in order to meet the UNESCO standard and recommendation of setting aside 26% annual budget to education by developing countries.

The students’ body warned lecturers involved in the business of sex-for-marks to desist from their nefarious activities as Nigerian students would not hesitate to expose them and make them face the full wrath of the “NANS call on lecturers involved in the business of sex-for-marks to desist from their nefarious activities and repent without further delay as Nigerian students would not hesitate to expose them and make them face the full wrath of the law,” he said.

FCTA Demolishes Garden for Violation

Olawale Ajimotokan in Abuja

The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) has demolished Spotlight Garden Events and Recreation, Wuye District of Abuja for violating its park operation timeline policy.

It revoked the park allocation granted the garden and also said the park allottee would be prosecuted.

The Coordinator, Abuja Metropolitan Management Council (AMMC), Umar Shuaibu, said the operator of the demolished garden had been served several notices, for continuously violating the policy.

He also noted that the AMMC acted after hoodlums attacked the garden last week and killed a security operative.

Shuaibu noted that the decision to demolish the garden immediately after the attack was to serve as deterrent to others who may want to violate the rules by jeopardising the lives of residents.

He stressed the FCTA was enforcing the 7pm close time for parks and gardens because of the peculiar security situation in the nation’s capital.

He also added that both the allottee and the operator of the garden would be prosecuted for the violation of the regulations leading to the attack and killing of the security officer.

“Just last week at a park, called spotlight Garden Events and Recreation in Wuye District, the operator flagrantly violated our closing time regulation by operating beyond 7:00pm. This attracted the activities of armed hoodlums who gunned down a gallant security officer in cold blood. This could have been avoided if they had complied with our regulations.

“The Park allottee and the operator will henceforth be prosecuted for the violation of the regulations and for creating the enabling environment that led to the death of an innocent citizen. Already the park operator has been arrested.”

old choir member.

The women, according to the Police Public Relation Officer (PPRO) for the Ogun State, Mr. Abimbola Oyeyemi, were arrested on August 27, 2022.

Ogwu said: “The suspects were arrested following an information received by police at Agbado Divisional Headquarters that, Christiana Iyama, who lives at No 4, Ibrahim Famuyiwa Street, Agbado Ogun State, is operating a baby factory at the above address, where she used to harbour young girls and

hired men to impregnate them after which she will collect the baby on delivery and sell to her waiting buyers.

“Upon the information, the Dividionql Police Officer (DPO), Agbado Division, Awoniyi Adekunle mobilised his detectives to the area where the said Christiana D’ivoire Iyama and Margaret Ogwu were arrested.

“Preliminary investigation revealed that Margaret Ogwu was one of the girls harboured

by Christiana D’ivoire who

employed the service of a man to impregnate her and collected the child on delivery, which she sold at the rate of N400,000 to one of her customers.

“She also confessed to the police that she has sold up to three children from different women to her different customers.”

Oyeyemi said that the Commissioner of Police, Mr. Lanre Bankole, has ordered the transfer of the case to Criminal Investigation Departments for further investigation and diligent

prosecution.

Meanwhile, a 38-year-old pastor, Israel Adebayo, who is the General Overseer of The Beloved Chapel, has been arrested in Ogun State for allegedly defiling a 14-year-old choir member.

Police Public Relations Officer in the state, Abimbola Oyeyemi, who disclosed the arrest in a statement, said the suspect was apprehended following a complaint lodged at Agbado Divisional Headquarters by the mother of the victim.

2023: Doctors Canvass 25 million Votes for Labour Party Kuni Tyessi in Abuja

About 11,000 doctors and 27,000 medics have come together under the auspices of doctors and medics for Peter Obi to canvas and deliver a total of 25 million votes to the Labour Party come 2023.

The convener, Docs and Medics, Dr. Uche Uzoukwu, who made this known yesterday in Abuja during a presentation

of working tools by three support groups for Peter Obi Campaign, said already, at the local government level, a total of 500,000 medics have been reached out to, to encourage the people and get in touch with 50 per sons each.

Revealing that the plan of the group is to deliver 25 million votes in 2023, Uzoukwu stated that giving the right to life and wellness, the votes will be gathered

through outreaches that have been in place and still being used.

He said with the poor state of the nation’s health sector, brain drain will be tackled as the group has pledges to remain behind and develop the sector.

He recalled that during the window period of PVC registration, the group had paid for logistics for persons without voters cards to be registered by officials of the Independent National

Electoral Commission (INEC), noting that such was done in 26 states and 52 different locations where thousands were registered.

“Nurses, doctors and pharmacists are coming together under the name docs and medics for Peter Obi. Politics is a game of numbers and everyone is important. Therefore, 11,000 doctors, 27,000 medics have come together and have formed even state groups.

Rigging Allegation: PDP Suffering from Political Paralysis, Says Ondo APC Fidelis David in Akure The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ondo State yesterday faulted allegations by the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), in the State that the latter has uncovered a grand plan by the ruling party to rig the 2023 general elections.

This is just as APC said the

allegations are very pathetic of the once vibrant opposite party that is currently suffering from self-inflicted political paralysis.

The PDP had through a statement by Kennedy Ikantu Peretei, the State Publicity Secretary of the party, said against the background of unfulfilled promises made to Nigerians in 2015 and 2019, the leadership of

the APC had allegedly perfected a plot to compromise the electoral process by recruiting fake Youth Corps Members to serve as Presiding Officers during the general elections.

But reacting, Publicity Secretary of APC in the state, Alex Kalejaye, said it is spurious and laughable, allegation of plans to rig the forthcoming elections

in the State.

He said: “The Ondo APC wishes to sympathize with the PDP over its impending miserable outing during the general elections in 2023. The woes of the PDP would be compounded by both its internal wranglings, lack of cohesion, and poor arrangements for the national exercise.

Makinde: My Administration ‘ll Work Till last Minute in Office

KemiOlaitaninIbadan

Governor ’Seyi Makinde of Oyo State, yesterday said his administration would continue to work for the development of the state till his last day in office.

The governor, who stated this while being welcomed by political appointees and the top echelon of the civil service in Ibadan, said his three weeks away from office

showed that the state has a strong team in place.

Makinde assured all that his administration would continue to work tirelessly for the progress of the state till its last day in office, adding that his administration will continue to take prosperity to the nooks and crannies of the state by delivering dividends of democracy to all.

The governor, who commended

his deputy, Barr. Bayo Lawal, who acted as governor of the state in his absence, for his commitment, sense of responsibility and loyalty, encouraged all political office holders to continue to contribute their own quota to the development of the state.

He added that he is looking forward to working closely with the deputy governor in the present tenure and when his mandate is

renewed by the people of Oyo State.

He said: “Let me start by thanking you, especially for these short prayers to welcome me back to the Governor’s Office in Oyo State.

“I want to thank you for cooperating with the acting Governor. One thing we have demonstrated in Oyo State is that we don’t have strong men but a strong team.

Abia Gov Inaugurates First Flyover, Receives Kudos from Wike Emmanuel Ugwu-Nwogo in Umuahia The Governor of Abia State, Dr Okezie Ikpeazu has finally delivered the flyover at Osisioma and named it Okezuo Abia Flyover after five years.

The flyover, which was inaugurated yesterday is the first in the 31-year history of Abia and initially elicited a lot of excitement

because of its historical significance.

However, after waiting for years without its completion the excitement evaporated. The project became a source of mockery for the Ikpeazu administration as Abia people nicknamed it ‘centre table’.

But Ikpeazu, exhibiting a high sense of accomplishment invited his Rivers State counterpart, Governor Nyesom Wike to inaugurate both the flyover and the rehabilitated

Aba-Owerri road.

The Abia governor described the flyover as a legacy project which he initiated to boost trade and commerce in Aba as it would decongest traffic in and out of the sprawling commercial nerve centre.

He also hinted that the flyover and other projects a already executed by his administration would be used as campaign, warning that no politician would

allowed to paste posters on his projects.

“This is the time of politics. If you want to contest an election in Abia, you must show us what you’ve done before. From your family show us your work.

Don’t paste posters on my flyover, streetlight and projects. Place your posters on your projects, not on my own projects,” Ikpeazu said.

TUESDAY SEPTEMBER 6, 2022 ˾ T H I S D AY

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NEWSXTRA

CAN Remains Opposed to Muslim-Muslim Ticket, Says Okoh Onyebuchi Ezigbo inAbuja The leadership of Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), yesterday clarified that it has not changed its position regarding the same-faith ticket in the forthcoming presidential election in the country.

It said that it was wrong to misconstrue the presence of the Presidential Candidate of the All Progressive Congress (APC), Senator Bola Tinubu, at the 70th birthday celebration of the Catholic Bishop of Sokoto, Most Rev. Matthew Hassan Kukah, in Abuja as a sign of recompense and change in CAN’s opposition to Muslim-Muslim presidential ticket in the 2023 presidential election.

A statement signed by Special Assistant on Media to the CAN President, Mr. Luminous Jannamike, described as untrue

and ridiculous the insinuation that the new leadership of CAN might have soft pedaled on the issue of opposition against the Muslim-Muslim ticket adopted by the APC. The association said that its “attention has been drawn to a media report titled, “How Tinubu Met, Resolved Muslim-Muslim ticket with CAN,” which claimed that the apex Christian pressure group body has changed its position regarding the same-faith ticket.

Jannamike said: “To say the least, the story is ridiculous, malicious, untrue and should be disregarded in its entirety by all reasonable members of the society.”

The CAN said that it took a position against the same-faith ticket imbroglio under the

Ugwuanyi’s Cooperation with Nigerian Army Commended The Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lt. Gen. Farouk Yahaya, has expressed profound appreciation to Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Enugu State for his immense support and cooperation with the Nigerian Army in the effective discharge of its responsibilities in the state and beyond.

The COAS’s gratitude was conveyed to Ugwuanyi by the new General Officer Commanding (GOC) 82 Division of the Nigerian Army, Maj. Gen. Umar Musa, when he paid a courtesy visit to the governor in Enugu, yesterday.

The visit, according to Musa, was to formally inform the

governor of his assumption of duty in the state as the new GOC. Musa said that the COAS is impressed with the way Ugwuanyi cooperates and supports the soldiers to discharge their duties in Enugu State.

The new GOC added that his predecessor, Maj. Gen. Taoreed Abiodun Lagbaja also briefed him on the level of Ugwuanyi’s support, cooperation and commitment to the Nigerian Army, stressing that the commendations were corroborated by the Garrison Commander, Brig. Gen. M.K Ibrahim.

leadership of Rev. Samson Ayokunle, its immediate past national president, adding that his successor, Archbishop Daniel Okoh, still stands on that same position.

It said that even though it might not agree with every decision taken by politicians and political parties, it respects their right to reach conclusions on issues that affect their electoral

fortunes so long as they accord with the provisions of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended) and the Electoral Act (2022), “For the umpteenth time,

CAN reiterates that it is nonpartisan, but remains willing to partner with all leaders and other relevant stakeholders to achieve unity, peace and progress in our nation.

We Won’t Descend to Level of Rudderless PDP, Says APC AdedayoAkinwaleinAbuja

TheAll Progressives Congress (APC) and its presidential candidate,Asiwaju Bola Tinubu have said they will not descend to the level of ‘rudderless’ Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) by engaging in insults and abuses, but rather focus on issues that are important to improving the quality of life of Nigerians.

The Director of Media & Publicity, APC Presidential Campaign Council, Mr. Bayo Onanuga, in a statement issued yesterday said Tinubu’s offence was that he reminded the PDP of its 16 years of cash and carry government which left the mess that the APC government has been clearing.

Tinubu had queried the moral basis for PDP’s plot to return to

power eight years after leaving thousands of uncompleted projects and commitments in trillions of Naira.

He had also added that a party still battling with leadership crisis and without a legacy of visionary planning has no place in Nigeria’s future.

Tinubu stated: “They spent 16 years and forgot that there is a railway infrastructure that can do

haulage, human carriage, animal and food carriage across the length and breadth of the country.”

“They (PDP) got there and turned it to an incubator. I wonder why they still exist as a party. These are people still fighting for leadership of their party, looking for the direction of the compass. We are not equal at all; we are smarter. We know the road; let them follow.

Media Professionals Most Dehumanised in Nigeria, Says Bauchi Gov Segun Awofadeji in Bauchi Bauchi State Governor, Senator Bala Mohammed, has expressed worry over the poor welfare packages of journalists and other media professional in Nigeria, saying they are the most dehumanised set of people in the country.

The governor, who stated this at the Government House in Bauchi

last weekend while presenting two Toyota Hiace buses to the Government House Press Crew and the state Correspondents’ Chapel of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), lamented that media professionals are always at the receiving end suffering from the rigours, challenges of news gathering and sometimes, they don’t even have salaries and wages.

Mohammed, who described as unfortunate a situation whereby certain media houses continually owe their staffers across the country several months of unpaid salaries, said media professionals had been suffering in silence even though they put up a mirror for the society to see itself.

He stated that he was giving out the vehicles to show that journalism and media men have

dignity, pointing out that they must be respected and encouraged to work in a manner to create an environment conducive for them.

While saying that to be above board, journalists and media professionals must be given respect in terms of their contribution to the society, he also canvassed an enhanced enabling environment and improved welfare packages for journalists nationwide.

Emenike: I ‘ll Restore Aba’s Lost Commercial, Industrial Status the commercial nerve centre of Abia, the venue of the interaction to hear of the moribund commercial city.”

The glorious days of Aba as a commercial and industrial hub of the old Eastern region would be restored, the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Abia State, Chief Ikechi Emenike, has said.

He gave the assurance on the revival of Enyimba City during a meeting with stakeholders of Aba,

saying that Aba would be accorded priority attention if he secures the mandate to become Abia chief executive next year.

Emenike’s productive engagement with captains of industries, business leaders and sectoral group leaders attracted eminent players in Aba’s business environment, who thronged

the APC governorship hopeful outline his plans for Enyimba.

The Aba stakeholders adopted Emenike as their consensus candidate for the 2023 governorship poll in Abia, describing him as the “most credible candidate with convincing and practicable blue print to bring about the resurgence

According to the Aba stakeholders, having listened to other governorship flag bearers they have come to the conviction that the APC candidate has what it takes to move Aba out of its present deplorable condition, adding that other candidates lacked sincerity of purpose.

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TUESDAY, ;˜ ͺ͸ͺͺ ˾ T H I S D AY

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Group Sports Editor: Duro Ikhazuagbe Email: duro.ikhazuagbe@thisdaylive.com

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Osimhen Doubtful for Liverpool Encounter Kunle Adewale with agency report Napoli could be without their leading striker Victor Osimhen when the Italian Serie A campaigners trade tackles with Liverpool on Wednesday on matchday one of the 20222023 UEFA Champions League group stage.

On Saturday, Osimhen played from start to finish as Napoli defeated Lazio 2-1 at the Stadio Olimpico in Roma.

But Napoli have confirmed that the Super Eagles striker picked up a knock toward the end of that encounter.

As a result, the 23-year-old did not join in training with his teammates on Monday morning at the Konami Training Centre.

He trained separately from the others.

It is unclear, though, if the injury will keep him out of the opening-round meeting with Liverpool.

It will be a disappointment for the Nigeria international if it does.

Osimhen has not featured in the UEFA Champions League since leaving Lille two years ago.

The former Sporting Charleroi forward netted two goals in five games in his only group-stage outing for Lille in Europe’s premier club competition.

During the 2021-2022 season, Osimhen managed four goals in

Napoli forward, Victor Osimhen

Record Holder,Court,Hit Out at SerenaWilliams Salutes The tennis player with the highest grand slam titles, Australian Margaret Court, is of the view that she didn’t get as much credit as she deserves for her 24 Grand Slam singles titles from anyone in the tennis world these days, least of all Serena Williams.

Williams was feted in many quarters as the greatest tennis player of all time when she retired after her third-round loss at the U.S. Open on Saturday, one title shy of the record Court set from 1960 to 1973.

“Serena, I’ve admired her as a

player,” Court, 80, told Britain’s Daily Telegraph in a rare interview.

“But I don’t think she has ever admired me.”

Court said she has become a persona non grata in the tennis world because of her Christian beliefs, which led her to oppose

Over 200 Golfers Storm Okunbo @ 60 Invitational Tourney Today The Benin Club Golf Section golf course, GRA, Benin City, Edo State will come alive today as the Kingsley Okunbo @ 60 Invitational Golf Tournament (Pro-Am) tees-off.

According to the Chairman, Committee of Friends who is organising the tournament, Ignatius Aigbokhaode, the invitational birthday golf tournament will attract about 200 golfers from different golf clubs in Nigeria in honour of Okunbo, who was a former two term Captain of BCGS, and has contributed greatly to golf development in Edo and in Nigeria.

Aigbokhaode, also a former Captain of BCGS said the celebrant’s Diamond Jubilee event shall be quite eventful, full of fun and fanfare.

"The golf event will feature golfers from Ibori Golf and Country Club, Asaba, Ogunnu Golf Resort, Warri; UBTH Golf Club, Benin; Ikeja Golf Club, and Ikoyi Golf Club, Lagos; IBB Golf and Country Club, FCT, Port-Harcourt Golf Club, Rivers, and many others," he said.

The BCGS Competition and Handicap Secretary, Stephen

Ebaretonbofa stated that caddies will tee-off the birthday tournament today while pros and eaglets will storm the course on Wednesday.

"On Thursday, men's hcp 19-28, ladies hcp 29-36, all men's and ladies veteran and super veteran have scores to settle, just as praise/ worship and thanksgiving service/ open house reception hold at Okunbo house by 11 am.

"On Friday will involve men's hcp 1-18 and ladies hcp 1-28.

Those that make cut shall join all guests to play the grand finale

on Saturday. The cocktail party to welcome guests shall hold on Friday evening.

"The ceremonial tee-off however shall hold by 9am on Saturday during the final day of the tournament. Also, the presentation of trophies and dinner party commences 4pm same day," he stressed.

Meanwhile, lots of trophies and other fabulous prizes will be presented to all those who excelled in their various categories as well as individual cadres.

same-sex marriage when it was proposed in Australia.

The 80-year-old defended her achievements against suggestions they were not comparable to those of Williams because she played mostly in the amateur era.

“Serena has played seven years more than I did,” Court added. “I finished in my early 30s. People forget that I took two years out.

I first retired … when I was 25, thinking I would never return to tennis.

“I got married, had a baby, but then had one of my best years, winning 24 out of 25 tournaments.”

Court reminded her critics that she also had a superior record to Williams after they became mothers during their careers.

“I came back after two babies,” she said. “After having the first baby, I won three out of the four slams. And Serena hasn’t won a slam since” she had a baby.

Court also hit out at suggestions that her 11 Australian Open singles titles had less value than Williams’s seven.

Reece James Extends Chelsea Stay 2028 Chelsea have confirmed that right-back Reece James has signed a new long-term contract at Stamford Bridge.

James has inked a new five-year deal which 90min understands includes the option to extend by a further 12 months.

Blues owner Todd Boehly sees James as one of the top prospects in world football and believes the full-back, alongside Mason Mount, deserves to be one of the cornerstones of the

club's long-term future, with this contract - understood to be worth up to £250,000 per week - proof of that commitment.

"I am over the moon with my new contract and I’m thankful for the fans, the new ownership and everyone involved in the club," James said. "I cannot wait to see what the future holds, and I am sure we will have the chance of winning many trophies.

"I grew up supporting this club and I’ve been here since I was a

six-year-old. I put pen to paper on a new deal because this is the club I want to be at. I’d like to say a special thanks to the fans, I am here to stay and we have a bright future ahead of us."

Boehly said: "We are thrilled to give Reece a new long-term contract at Chelsea. He is an outstanding player and a true Chelsea man, and we are all looking forward to watching him continue to flourish at Stamford Bridge."

U E FA C H A M P I O N S L E AG U E five appearances in the Europa League for Napoli.

The exciting attacker already has two goals, and one assist in five Serie A matches this term.

Jurgen Klopp has omitted midfielder Naby Keita from Liverpool's Champions League squad, prompting concerns over the Guinean's injury.

Keita suffered a muscle during pre-season but there were numerous reports suggesting his issue was not significant - he was back on the bench for Liverpool's second game of the season before returning to the treatment table - but he is yet to play a minute of Premier League action.

Concerns over the severity of his injury have been sparked by Klopp's decision to leave Keita out of his European squad alongside fellow midfielder Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, who is out with a hamstring injury that the boss has previously described as serious.

Liverpool will get their Champions League campaign underway against Napoli tomorrow and will play all their group games, including meetings with Ajax and Rangers, before the World Cup later this year.

Keita is now not eligible for any of those fixtures and cannot be registered in the squad until January.

AS FAR to Unleash Ligue 1 Coach, Da Cruz on Remo Stars Ahead of their continental debut, Remo Stars’ opponents in the CAF Confederation Cup, AS FAR of Morocco has engaged Fernando Da Cruz as new coach.

The Frenchman had previously handled French Ligue 1 sides, Lille Olympique Sporting Club, commonly called LOSC. He was an amateur footballer, but was called up to represent the France national fustal team (indoor football) in 1998 at the age of 26, and later became their captain.

At AS FAR of Rabat, Morocco, Da Cruz has been technical director of the football academy for a year before his current designation. He signed a twoyear contract as head coach of the Moroccan club.

The first leg tie against the Nigerian side comes up on the 9th of this month at the Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium in Rabat will possibly feature the biggest away crowd that Remo Stars ever faced. More daunting is also the fact that the fans in North Africa have the notoriety

CAF CUP of intimidating away teams.

Beyond that, AS FAR, a military sports club is one of the legacy sports outfits in the Kingdom of Morocco.

It is one of the most widely supported in Africa and one of the three founding clubs of the Moroccan League that have never been relegated since the competition began in 1956.

Under the club’s belt are 30 titles comprising 12 in the kingdom’s elite league, 12 again in the national cup called the Moroccan Throne Cup, four Super Cup victories and one each of the CAF Champions League and the Confederation Cup. In another development, Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium which is the venue for Remo Stars’ continental debut with AS FAR of Morocco on Sunday has been designated as the venue for the CAF Super Cup which will hold on Saturday.

De Boer Hails Calvin Bassey, Says He’s Undroppable The Dutch football legend, Ronald De Boer has hailed young Super Eagles defender, Calvin Bassey, saying he loves how quickly Nigeria has settled to life at Ajax.

He said he has shown great strength, speed and good football skills, and that’s not common with new young players.

The Ajax great described the former Rangers man as a fantastic signing and said his former club should not look forward to him.

“I’ve been really impressed

by Bassey. He was unlucky to be sent-off in the Super Cup,” he said.

“He started the game well and we have already had the people who thought he was just a big lump, charging around kicking people, changing their opinions.

“He gives Ajax strength and

speed and on the ball he’s alright. Of course, he can still improve on that part of his game but I think he showed in the last few games that he’s undroppable. Together with Jurrien Timber, they make a great couple in defence.”

De Boer added that; “Rangers won’t be looking forward to meeting him again. I thought he was one of the best players in the Europa League final, he was unbelievable.

“He’s still very young so it’s a great signing for Ajax. He has some rough edges but Ajax is the perfect place to polish those up. He’ll come under the wing of Daley Blind and be taught the Ajax philosophy, which is to play the ball along the ground and make combinations.”

Rangers will visit the Johan Cruyff Arena in the Champions League with Bassey expected to start the game.

Tuesday, September 6, 2022

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Price: N250

MISSILE

VCs to FG, Education Stakeholders

“Stakeholders are succumbing to Boko Haram because Boko Haram means ‘we don’t want Western education’. If we continue like this, it means Boko Haram has won the war. With what is happening over the ASUU strike, we are succumbing to Boko Haram, let us not succumb to them but work on our education challenges” ---Chairman, Committee of VCs of Nigerian Universities, Prof. Samuel Edoumiekumo, berating the government and other stakeholders over prolonged ASUU strike.

TUESDAY WITH REUBENABATI abati1990@gmail.com

Kenya: William Ruto’s Triumph O

n August 9, the people of Kenya went to the polls to elect a new President, the incumbent President, Uhuru Kenyatta having completed the constitutional two terms in office. There were elections at other levels -governorship, parliamentary and at county levels but the main focus was the Presidential election with four main candidates: Deputy President, William Ruto, 55, of the United Democratic Alliance (UDA)/Kenya Kwanza Alliance, Raila Odinga, 77, of the Orange Democratic Movement/Azimio One Coalition, Professor George Wajackoyah, 63, of the Roots Party of Kenya and David Mwaure Waihiga, 55, of the Agano Party. On August 15, the Independent Electoral and Boundary Commission (IEBC) announced victory for William Ruto with 7.1 million votes (50. 5 %), followed by Raila Odinga, with 6.9 million votes (48. 9%). Wajackoyah scored 0.44% of the votes and David M. Waihiga, 0.23%.

The result was rejected by Raila Odinga and his running mate, Martha Karua and their supporters who threatened that the result will be challenged in court. This was Odinga’s fifth shot at the Presidency of Kenya. At 77, losing the election means he would not achieve his dream of becoming President. He would be 82 years by the next Presidential election.

He refused to congratulate William Ruto, nor did he acknowledge Ruto’s offer of an olive branch to run an inclusive, people-focused government. Odinga was not alone. He enjoys the support of incumbent President Uhuru Kenyatta who has never hidden his disdain for his Deputy. Kenyatta openly supported Raila Odinga, resulting in the characterization of the Kenya Presidential election as a battle between hustlers and the products of dynasties, that is - between poor Kenyans and big, influential families. Kenyatta’s father and Odinga’s father are historical figures in Kenya.

Ruto describes himself as “the son of a nobody”, “a chicken seller”– whose mother sold by the roadside but who is determined to lead Kenya. Kenyatta has also refused to congratulate his Deputy, as of the time of this writing. The Deputy’s offence was that he refused to support Kenyatta’s plan to violate the Constitution and do a third term in office!

Yesterday, both Kenyatta and Odinga were further humiliated when the Supreme Court of Kenya, in a seven-man panel led by Chief Justice Martha Koome, in a unanimous decision, ruled that the election of August 9 was validly won by William Ruto of the UDA. The Court had three options before it: to declare and validate the election, and hence allow it to stand, to rule that William Ruto did not score up to the 50.5% announced for him, and hence declare a run-off, or to cancel the election altogether and order a rerun. The Court held that Ruto won. The other winner is Wafula Chebukati, Chairman of the Kenya Electoral Commission, who insisted on the integrity of the election conducted under his watch. As he announced the results on August 15, four of his commissioners walked out on him, led

by Juliana Cherera, the vice chairperson of IEBC, and went on to announce their own verdict at a different location. Cherera and co rejected the results, saying it was “opaque”. Chebukati received death threats. The two remaining Commissioners who stood by him were beaten up. Odinga’s supporters were restless, and there were fears that Kenya could slip into another round of electoral violence as happened in 2017, when the Supreme Court overturned the Presidential election, and ordered a new election which led to an orgy of violence that claimed 1,100 lives and the displacement of thousands.

In 2022, the Supreme Court of Kenya received a total of nine petitions, eight of which challenged Ruto’s election, while one supported his victory. The Court chose to strike out two of the petitions and consolidate the remaining seven into one. It then further reduced the issues for determination to nine viz: Did the technology deployed by the IEBC meet standards of integrity? Was there interference in the transmission of Forms 34A? Were there significant differences between the physical Form 34A and what was loaded on the IEBC portal?

Did the President-elect get 50% + one of the votes cast?

Were there discrepancies in the results? Where were the irregularities alleged by the petitioners, if any, and

Ruto to what degree? Did the IEBC act in accordance with the law? Did the postponement of Mombasa and Kakamega governorship elections and other polls result in voter suppression? What relief and orders should the Supreme Court consider? In the course of the 14 days during which the petitions were considered, Odinga’s lawyers insisted that the IEBC election technology was tampered with, and that election servers were pre-configured by mercenaries from Venezuela who intercepted and manipulated results.

The Supreme Court of Kenya, in determining the nine issues identified, ruled entirely in favour of William Ruto and the IEBC, and dismissed the claims by the petitioners. They found that the petitioners did not prove their case beyond reasonable doubt, that there were no discrepancies, no interference in the verification, uploading and transmission of results, that there was no evidence of pre-configuration of results or conspiracy to taint the transmission process.

The Court also upheld the authenticity of Form 34A, and accused the petitioners of pushing sensational information, hearsay evidence, and actions bordering on perjury, while blowing hot air, and going on a wild goose chase. Thus, along those lines, the Supreme Court of Kenya confirmed the election of William Ruto as the fifth President of Kenya.

Their Lordships of the Supreme Court of Kenya

deserve applause for giving a ruling that addresses the issues pointedly, promotes stability, and acquits the Court honourably in helping to protect democracy.

Days before the ruling, there had been speculations in Kenya that the Supreme Court had been intimidated and bribed by the President and the ODM candidate, Odinga, and that attempts had also been made to bribe the Chairman of IEBC, Chebukati. In the course of the election petition, there had been so much disinformation and misinformation with persons pushing all kinds of conspiracy theories on social media. The big issue in the 2022 Kenya election would seem to be the distrust between the people and their institutions.

The petitioners fuelled that divisive factor by simply insisting that there was no way their man could lose.

The whole matter got messy when John Githongo, Kenya’s corruption czar whose story has been told most eloquently in Michela Wrong’s book - It’s Our Turn to Eat - backed Odinga’s campaign and reported that he had information that indeed a 56-member hacker team manipulated Forms 34A. What the Supreme Court ruling has done is to confer legitimacy on the results as announced by Chebukati on August 15. Future reviews of the ruling may well indicate that the Court downplayed some of the limitations of the election, while focussing heavily on the sensational and conspiracy-laden submissions by the petitioners, but the position of the law today is that Ruto’s election stands. For Ruto’s supporters, this will strengthen their belief in Kenya’s democracy that it is indeed possible for the child of the poor to aspire to the highest position in the land. Except that Ruto had long ago moved from being a poor hustler, without a dynasty to a ranking member of the Kenyan establishment. For establishment figures like Kenyatta and Odinga, they are now under pressure to act like statesmen. As the Supreme Court delivered its ruling, anxious young Kenyans watched the proceedings on big screens on the streets of the Rift Valley of Eldoret and in Nakuru and Mt. Kenya: strongholds of the main gladiators.

On Sunday, both Ruto and Odinga promised to respect the decision of the Supreme Court. They must now be joined by President Uhuru Kenyatta and others in doing so. Shortly after the Supreme Court verdict, Martha Karua, Odinga’s running mate, wrote on Twitter: “The court has spoken. I respect its decision, but disagree with the findings.” Her principal Raila Odinga said more or less the same thing. He too disagrees, and accuses the Supreme Court of using “unduly exaggerated language.” But

it is democracy that has won. It is time for Kenya to move on. Next week, William Ruto will be sworn in as next President of the Republic of Kenya. His victory has been hard-fought and hard-won. It is particularly instructive that ethnicity has not been a major, problematic factor in this election. Even in Bondo town, the Opoda home of Raila Odinga, there have been no protests. There have been no celebrations either. The people say they are ready to work with the new President but he must not sideline the region.

Raila Odinga should listen to his own people. At the inauguration of the President next week, Kenyatta, Odinga, and all the other key figures in the election must project an image of unity, attend the occasion and show solidarity because Kenya is more important than their individual ambitions. William Ruto is not the “thug” or the “tanga tanga man”, Kenyatta says he is. He is the choice of the people of Kenya who certainly trust him to move their country forward.

Congratulations, President William Ruto. It is now time for work! The issue of the legitimacy of the election may have been settled by the Supreme Court but there is the remaining issue of how to build trust in government and promote unity across Kenya. You promised to eschew the politics of vengeance, and run an inclusive government. You recently invited Odinga to come have a cup of tea and a conversation. You should extend that invitation again not just to Odinga, but also to Kenyatta and others. Your wife, Rachel Ruto has been quoting the Bible and talking about destiny.

She is probably right: William Ruto would be the first Deputy President in Kenyan history to succeed his principal, and the second Kalenjin after Daniel Arap Moi, to become President. Both the burdens of history and office place a great responsibility on Ruto’s shoulders. He must proceed with maturity and wisdom in the best interest of the people of Kenya who are painfully weighed down by the high cost of everything from petrol to national sovereignty and security. And for us Nigerians: here is a lesson: Look at how the Presidential election petitions in Kenya were swiftly determined – all within two weeks, before swearing-in. In Nigeria, we delay so much and allow the declared winner to use state resources and institutions to determine outcomes. We need to reform that aspect of our electoral process, to avoid unnecessary delays and manipulation of institutions, and to encourage our judges to be courageous, by conferring the Supreme Court of Nigeria with original jurisdiction in Presidential election matters since in any case, they are sui generis.

UK: Liz Truss for Leader

O

n Monday, September 5, Mary Elizabeth Truss, 47, Liz Truss for short, was proclaimed the new leader of the UK Conservative Party, thus making her the new British prime Minister replacing Bris Johnson who resigned in July after his government was hit by what became known as the Party-gate scandal. The Returning Officer for the election said Truss got 81, 326 votes - 57% while the runner up, Rishi Sunak got 60, 399 votes representing 43%. A total of 172, 437 Tories voted, turn-out was 82.6 %, only 654 votes were voided. It was a much smaller margin of victory than was predicted (just 18%) - which means that Truss as PM would have a lot of work to do to carry other party members along. Rishi Sunak certainly was not disgraced, and he has been most gentlemanly in promptly congratulating the winner and asking the party to unite behind her. He deserves praise for his courage and his refusal to drop the ball even when all pundits predicted a Truss win.

His ideas may well still find accommodation in the new administration.

Today, September 6, Truss and Boris Johnson will travel to Balmoral in Scotland together for Boris Johnson to take his leave, and for Truss to receive the Queen’s authority to form a government in line with the UK’s unwritten Constitution and the Queen’s role as Head

of Government. They will depart from the Queen’s presence as a combination of the old and the new, and the beginning of a new momentum in Great Britain. In her acceptance speech, Truss praised Boris Johnson: “Boris, you got Brexit done, you crushed Jeremy Corbyn, you rolled out the vaccine, and you stood up to Vladimir Putin. You are admired from Kyiv to Carlisle.” These are very kind words, and history may indeed be kind in the long run to Boris Johnson’s legacy, but it would also be remembered of him that he ended up as the first Prime Minister in UK history to have broken the law while in office. Truss is now the third woman to assume office as British Prime Minister after Margaret Thatcher and Theresa May before her. She says she is a modern-day Thatcherite: she wants to cut taxes, address the cost-of-living crisis, address the concerns of households and businesses, and deliver in the next two years and also deliver victory for the Conservative Party in 2024. But can Liz Truss be trusted to move from political rhetoric to action and truly deliver? Her critics insist that she is a master of political convenience and chameleonic politics. With a political beginning as a Liberal Democrat who once advocated for the abolition of the British monarchy, she has shifted so ideologically along the political spectrum, between 2010 when she got elected to parliament till this moment, when she would lead

Her Majesty’s Government.

For her, it must be the best of times personally, but the worst of times to be Prime Minister. She is practically inheriting an “economic catastrophe” in the UK. Inflation is over 10%, the highest in 40 years.

The cost-of-living crisis is so bad that families now skip meals and companies like Lewis Partnership are promising free meals for staff during winter.

Even pub owners are saying, without government help, they may have to increase the cost of beer by 500% per pint, making it 20 pounds per pint! Many families can’t afford gas for vehicles or for their homes.

Truss has not given any specific details as to what she would do, but certainly, this is no longer time to play to the gallery.

Nigerians should watch the UK space closely as we prepare for the 2023 general election. Liz Truss is the product of a well-honed internal party democracy system, which we do not have in Nigeria. The Tory election was issues-driven. Here, our politicians don’t even understand the issues enough to talk coherently.

Today, Liz Truss is likely to announce her cabinet.

Tomorrow she will face PM’s Question Time in parliament and slug it out with Keir Starmer. She was born in 1975. Whoever wants to become Nigeria’s President in 2023, must pay attention, and learn the best lessons from other jurisdictions.

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