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Long Live King Charles III! New monarch says death of Queen moment of greatest sadness for him and family Emmanuel Addeh in Abuja King Charles III yesterday succeeded his mother, the late Queen of England, describing her death as

a moment of great sadness.

Charles, 73, had been next in line to the throne for seven decades – by a distance the longest wait in the history of the British monarchy.

But a new, inevitably shorter, chapter of Charles’s life will begin as he in the coming days faces the twin challenges of personal bereavement and leading the nation in mourning.

The focus of attention was squarely on the family as the Queen’s children and grandchildren gathered around her and the Duke of Cambridge, who is in line to

become the Prince of Wales and first in line to the throne, rushed from Berkshire to Balmoral.

The Queen’s second son, the Duke of York (who remains stripped of

Atiku: We’ll Settle Our Differences Internally...

royal duties over his links to the convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein), and the Earl and Countess Continued on page 5

Page 48 Friday 9 September, 2022 Vol 27. No 10013. Price: N250

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The Queen is Dead!

Aged 96, Buhari, world leaders pay tributes to Queen of all seasons See pages 5, 6, 10, 11 & 12

Queen Elizabeth II April 21, 1926 - September 8, 2022

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Buhari Pledges to Restore Peace, Sustain Recent Tempo against Insecurity Deji Elumoye in Abuja and Chiemelie Ezeobi in Lagos President Muhammadu Buhari yesterday pledged that the Armed Forces would sustain the recent ongoing onslaught against terrorists

and criminals, with the aim of restoring peace across the nation.

He made this pledge at Navy Town, Ojo, Lagos, where he inaugurated the newly built Sports Complex and also flagged-off the 12th Nigerian Navy (NN) Games.

While urging Nigerians to have faith in the capability of the security agencies to ensure lasting peace and stability, the president commended the services for inter-agency synergy, which he said was vital for peace and

security.

According to him, the security agencies would continue to ensure that all appropriate measures were in place for the safety of Nigerians.

He said: "Let me assure Nigerians that the armed forces will continue

to sustain their operational tempo to contain the security challenges in the country.

"Plans are in to ensure that the security agencies put appropriate measures in place to secure the country.

"I want Nigerians to believe in the capability of the Armed Forces to provide the needed strategy in place to safeguard our collective interest.

Continued on page 50

LONG LIVE KING CHARLES III! of Wessex were on the same RAF plane as the Duke of Cambridge, which touched down in Aberdeen just before 4pm, the Guardian UK reported.

It was only in April 2021 that Charles lost his father, Prince Philip, who died aged 99 at Windsor Castle.

In June he gave a very personal address to his “mummy” at a celebration of her platinum jubilee outside Buckingham Palace. “You laugh and cry with us and, most importantly, you have been there for us, for these 70 years,” he said before looking forward in hope that they could celebrate one of her horses winning the Derby next summer.

Charles will take over a role meant to represent stability in times of change, at a time of great political and social flux. But with decades of active duty as the Prince of Wales behind him he will hope to rise to that task. Not least, despite his age he will represent a different generation to the Queen, becoming the first British monarch to have gone to school.

The new king has met scores of foreign leaders, interacted with numerous British governments and established a network of charities and causes that have plugged him into at least some of the concerns of ordinary British people and led him into conflict with others.

He turned his own court into a kind of grand salon for convening the powerful – gathering business leaders, faith leaders and politicians to tackle issues ranging from sustainability to urban renewal.

His views on alternative medicines, architectural style and farming have sometimes led to clashes with other parts of civic society, but he has cast himself as a kind of tribune of the people reflecting, he believes, the views of the quiet majority.

In a statement, the new king described his mother’s death as a

The new king of England, King Charles III moment of great sadness, but said he was comforted by the deep love the whole world had for the late queen.

"The death of my beloved mother, Her Majesty The Queen, is a moment of great sadness for me and all members of my family," part of the statement read.

It added: "We mourn profoundly the passing of a cherished sovereign and a much-loved mother. I know her loss will be deeply felt through the country, the realms, and the commonwealth, and by countless people around the world.

“During this period of mourning

and change, my family and I will be comforted and sustained by our knowledge of the respect and deep affection in which the queen was so widely held."

Earlier in the day, the palace put out a worrying statement about the queen's health, indicating that

not only had family members been notified, but that she would remain at Balmoral where she remained comfortably under medical supervision However, concerns for her health had be a regular anxiety for the Royal Family and the palace. Earlier this

late Majesty was the only British Sovereign known to 90 per cent of our population.

"Our thoughts and sincere condolences are with the Royal Family and the people of the United Kingdom and the entire Commonwealth as we join the entire world in mourning her loss.

“The story of modern Nigeria will never be complete without a chapter on Queen Elizabeth ll, a towering global personality and an outstanding leader. She dedicated her life to making her nation, the Commonwealth and the entire world a better place."

Buhari welcomed His Majesty, King Charles' ascension to the throne in line with tradition and prayed reign would witness the continuing robust and sisterly relations between our two nations.

Canadian Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, expressed sadness over the demise of the monarch in a tweet.

“It was with the heaviest of hearts that we learned of the passing of Canada’s longest-reigning Sovereign, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. She was a constant presence in our lives – and her service to Canadians will forever remain an important part of our country’s history.

“As we look back at her life and her reign that spanned so many decades, Canadians will always remember and cherish Her Majesty’s wisdom, compassion, and warmth.

Our thoughts are with the members of the Royal Family during this most difficult time.”

United States President, Joe Biden and the First Lady, Jill Biden, paid homage to the revered monarch and her role in the pursuit of global peace while strengthening ties with the United States.

“Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, was more than a monarch. She

defined an era," the Bidens remarked.

"In a world of constant change, she was a steadying presence and a source of comfort and pride for generations of Britons, including many, who have never known their country without her. An enduring admiration for Queen Elizabeth II united people across the Commonwealth. The seven decades of her history-making reign bore witness to an age of unprecedented human advancement and the forward march of human dignity.

"She was the first British monarch to whom people all around the world could feel a personal and immediate connection—whether they heard her on the radio as a young princess speaking to the children of the United Kingdom, or gathered around their televisions for her coronation, or watched her final Christmas speech or her Platinum Jubilee on their phones. And she, in turn, dedicated her whole life to their service.”

Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi, reminisced on the memories of the monarch in an emotional tribute.

“I had memorable meetings with Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II during my UK visits in 2015 and 2018. I will never forget her warmth and kindness. During one of the meetings, she showed me the handkerchief Mahatma Gandhi gifted her on her wedding. I will always cherish that gesture.”

He described her as the stalwart of our times, who provided “inspiring leadership to her nation and people. She personified dignity and decency in public life.’’

Ukrainian President, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, also offered his words of condolences to the British Empire, the Royal family and the Commonwealth in a tweet.

“It is with deep sadness that we learned of the death of Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II. On behalf of the Ukraine people, we extend sincere condolences to the @RoyalFamily, the entire United Kingdom and the Commonwealth over this irreparable loss. Our thoughts and prayers are with you.”

The President of France, Emmanuel Macron, described Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II as a monarch, who “embodied the British nation’s continuity and unity for over 70 years. I remember her as a friend of France, a kind-hearted queen, who has left a lasting impression on her country and her century.”

Former Commonwealth Secretary General, Emeka Anyaoku, wrote: “I have received with great sadness, the news of the passing of HM Queen Elizabeth II. She will be greatly missed in the United Kingdom, where she was a beloved and longest reigning Head of State and throughout the Commonwealth, where she was a greatly respected and much admired Head of the association.

“Her Majesty was a most remarkable and wise Head, whose standing and influence enabled the Commonwealth association to survive its existential crises. She was also a symbol of dignity and continuity diverse Commonwealth of now 56 member nations.

“The memories of the interactions of my wife and myself with Her Majesty during my ten years as Commonwealth Secretary-General will remain with us as long as we live.”

Presidential candidate of the PDP, Atiku Abubakar, said the passing of Queen Elizabeth II came to everyone around the globe with a rude shock.

In a statement he signed, Atiku

said, "Her passing is an end of a golden era. Her reign was epochal, not just in the United Kingdom but the entire Commonwealth.

The world has known only one Queen and the passing of Queen Elizabeth II will be the end of an impactful reign and, for the rest of our humanity, it shall be the beginning of history.

“My thoughts and prayers are with the people and government of the United Kingdom and, importantly, the royal family. May the soul of the Queen Rest in Peace," Atiku said.

His counterpart in the All Progressives Congress (APC), Bola Tinubu, said, “With the sad passing, today, of Queen Elizabeth II, the United Kingdom has lost one of its greatest ever monarch and the world has lost a much cherished, revered and admired Icon.

“Her Energy, dedication, deep sense of duty and firm belief in the glory of the United Kingdom, particularly, in the most troubling and troubled times of her long and distinguished reign, are the lasting legacies for which she shall always be remembered.

“As the first British monarch to reach seven decades on the throne, her patriotic role birthed and sustained warm and enduring friendship between the United Kingdom and Nigeria.

“Her visits to these shores were always beautiful occasions and the respect and esteem with which she was always held by the Nigerian people helped to maintain the strong bond of friendship that subsists between our two nations.

“My family's thoughts and prayers are with the new King, Charles III, the entire Royal Family and all commonwealth nations at this time of mourning and sadness.

May she rest in eternal peace.”

THE QUEEN IS DEAD!

Deji Elumoye, Emmanuel Addeh in Abuja and Yinka Olatunbosun in Lagos United Kingdom’s longest-serving monarch, Queen Elizabeth II, died yesterday at age 96, after reigning for 70 years.

Elizabeth came to the throne in 1952.

A statement from Buckingham Palace announcing the monarch’s death, noted that the Queen died peacefully at Balmoral, near Aberdeen after doctors placed her under medical supervision.

In a statement by His Majesty, The King of England, the loss is described as “a moment of the greatest sadness’’ for the royal family.

The Queen was said to have died peacefully at the Balmoral.

However, the news has triggered reactions from world leaders, who have expressed their grief at the loss of the Queen, who reigned through the world wars and witnessed the exit of United Kingdom from the European Union.

Crowds awaiting updates on the Queen's condition, at Buckingham Palace, London, however, began crying when they heard of her death, the moment the Union flag on top of the palace was lowered to half-mast at 18:30.

Leading the pack of world leaders who paid tribute to the Queen, President Muhammadu Buhari, said he received with immense sadness, news of the passing of Queen Elizabeth ll of the United Kingdom.

The President, according to a release issued by his spokesman, Mallam Garba Shehu, said, "My family and I, and the more than 200 million Nigerians have learned with immense sadness of the passing of the Queen and the end of her unique and wonderful 70 year reign. Her

week she was forced to postpone her Privy Council meeting after doctors recommended she rested.

Charles, as the queen’s eldest son, now inherits the sovereign title and job as head of the commonwealth, along with other assets such as land and property.

In the past, the queen expressed desire for Charles to take over the Commonwealth. “It is my sincere wish that the Commonwealth will continue to offer stability and continuity for future generations, and will decide that one day the Prince of Wales should carry on the important work started by my father in 1949,” she said in 2018 after he was unanimously voted to be the next head.

Charles, 73, has waited decades to become king and is the longestserving heir in British history, according to the Washington Post.

He is the eldest of four children born to the queen and her late husband, Prince Philip. When his mother assumed the throne at age 25, he became Britain’s heir apparent at age 3. Charles’s titles include Prince of Wales, Duke of Cornwall, Duke of Rothesay and Earl of Carrick.

Charles married Diana Spencer in 1981, and the couple became known as the Prince and Princess of Wales. They had two children, Princes William and Harry. Charles and Diana separated in 1992.

Following Diana’s death in 1997, Charles married Camilla Parker Bowles, now known as the Duchess of Cornwall, in 2005.

Charles has long campaigned for a better environment, championing global sustainability in speeches over the years. His work includes expanding education and opportunities for young people in the United Kingdom.

Buckingham Palace confirmed Thursday that the new monarch would be known as King Charles III. In many ways, Charles has been the first modern heir to the British throne: He was sent off to school rather than being tutored privately at the palace, and after that he went on to earn a Bachelor of Arts degree at Cambridge.

The young prince then served in both the Royal Air Force and the Royal Navy, being deployed on several warships during the 1970s.

Charles' life in the public eye has been defined in many ways by the women with whom he has shared it. From early on, the boy-who-would-be-king's most essential duty was to find a wife and produce future heirs.

Lady Diana Spencer seemed to be the perfect partner, though there were hints of the troubles that would come from the very beginning. He was 32, she was 20, and their wedding was a worldwide media spectacle.

Two sons, Princes William and then Harry, dutifully followed.

But it became obvious to the world that the royal couple wasn't happy together. As more and more photos showed them looking distant, the tabloids labelled them "The Glums."

In their very public divorce drama, Prince Charles often unwittingly played the role of villain for a voracious tabloid press.

Asked post-split whether she thought Charles' long-time confidant and love interest Camilla Parker Bowles had been a factor in the breakdown of her relationship, Diana said: "There were three of us in this marriage, so it was a bit crowded."

When Diana was killed in a Paris car crash in 1997, Charles' public image was so tarnished that many wondered if he could ever become king at all. It took years of being seen as the dedicated father to his two grieving sons for the prince to emerge from under the cloud.

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TRIBUTE

QUEEN ELIZABETH Her Journey to Monarchy: The Good and the Bad Times In this deserving tribute, Bayo Akinloye, traces the journey of a young, promising girl to how she became the most-powerful monarchy in contemporary history Until she breathed her last, yesterday, Queen Elizabeth II, was the longest-reigning monarch in British history. She was also the head of the Commonwealth, an association of 56 independent nations, of which the majority are former colonies of the British Empire.

“I declare before you all that my whole life, whether it be long or short, shall be devoted to your service,” said the queen (then-Princess Elizabeth) on her 21st birthday, in a speech broadcast on the radio from Cape Town, and from then on, dedicated her life to the service of the Commonwealth.

According to the Royal Collection Trust, she was born at 2:40 a.m. at 17 Bruton Street in Mayfair, London, on April 21, 1926. She was the first child of the Duke and Duchess of York, who later became King George VI and Queen Elizabeth.

She ascended the throne, becoming Queen Elizabeth II, with her coronation at Westminster Abbey on June 2, 1953, attracting 8,251 guests, including the prime ministers and leading citizens of the other Commonwealth countries and representatives of foreign states.

The ceremony was broadcast to 11 million listeners on the radio, and, for the first time, the ceremony was televised around the world – 27 million people in the UK alone tuned in to watch.

relationship with much older American actress, Meghan Markle came to the limelight.

Their relationship and eventual marriage rocked the royal family to its foundation, with the issue of racism rearing its ugly head. Meghan has a White father and a Black mother.

In August 2017, Prince Philip officially retired from public life, though he periodically appeared at official engagements. In the meantime, Elizabeth began to reduce her own official engagements, passing some duties to Prince Charles and other senior members of the royal family.

However, the pool of stand-ins shrank when Charles’s younger son, Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, and his wife, Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, controversially chose to give up their royal roles in March 2020.

During this period, public interest in the queen and the royal family grew due to the widespread popularity of The Crown, a Netflix television series about the Windsors that debuted in 2016.

Having dealt with several physical setbacks in recent years, Philip, Elizabeth’s husband for over seven decades, died in April 2021.

On their 50th wedding anniversary in 1997, Elizabeth had said of Philip: “He has, quite simply, been my strength and stay all these years.”

Because of social-distancing protocols brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic, the queen sat alone in a pew in St. George’s Chapel (in Windsor Castle) at Philip’s funeral. The widely disseminated images of her tragic isolation were heartbreaking but symbolic of the dignity and courage she brought to her reign.

GROWING UP According to Britannica, she was the elder daughter of Prince Albert, Duke of York, and his wife, Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon. As the child of a younger son of King George V, the young Elizabeth, had little prospect of ascending the throne until her uncle, Edward VIII (afterwards Duke of Windsor), abdicated in her father’s favour on December 11, 1936.

At that time, her father became King George VI, and she became heir presumptive. The princess’s education was supervised by her mother, who entrusted her daughters to a governess, Marion Crawford. The princess was also grounded in history by C.H.K. Marten, afterwards provost of Eton College, and had instruction from visiting teachers in music and languages.

During World War II, she and her sister, Princess Margaret Rose, perforce spent much of their time safely away from the London blitz and separated from their parents, living mostly at Balmoral Castle in Scotland and at the Royal Lodge, Windsor, and Windsor Castle.

Early in 1947, Princess Elizabeth went with the king and queen to South Africa. After her return, her betrothal was announced to her distant cousin, Lieutenant Philip Mountbatten of the Royal Navy, formerly Prince Philip of Greece and Denmark. The marriage took place in Westminster Abbey on November 20, 1947.

On the eve of their wedding, her father, the king, conferred upon the bridegroom, the titles of Duke of Edinburgh, Earl of Merioneth, and Baron Greenwich. They took residence at Clarence House in London. Their first child, Prince Charles (Charles Philip Arthur George), was born on November 14, 1948, at Buckingham Palace.

ASCENDING THE THRONE The first three months of her reign, the period of full mourning for her father, were passed in comparative seclusion. But in the summer, after she had moved from Clarence House to Buckingham Palace, she undertook the routine duties of the sovereign and carried out her first state opening of Parliament on November 4, 1952. Her coronation was held at Westminster Abbey on June 2, 1953.

Beginning in November 1953, the queen and the Duke of Edinburgh made a six-month round-the-world tour of the Commonwealth, which included the first visit to Australia and New Zealand by a reigning British monarch.

In 1957, after state visits to various European nations, she and the Duke visited Canada and the United States.

In 1961, she made the first royal British tour of the Indian subcontinent in 50 years, and she

LONG LIVE THE QUEEN!

Queen Elizabeth was also the first reigning British monarch to visit South America (in 1968) and the Persian Gulf countries (in 1979).

During her silver jubilee in 1977, she presided at a London banquet attended by the leaders of the 36 members of the Commonwealth, travelled all over Britain and Northern Ireland, and toured overseas in the South Pacific and Australia, Canada, and the Caribbean.

On the passing of Queen Elizabeth II, her son, Prince Charles became the heir apparent.

He was named Prince of Wales on July 26, 1958, and was so invested on July 1, 1969.

The queen’s other children were Princess Anne (Anne Elizabeth Alice Louise), born August 15, 1950, and created princess royal in 1987; Prince Andrew (Andrew Albert Christian Edward), born February 19, 1960, and created duke of York in 1986; and Prince Edward (Edward Anthony Richard Louis), born March 10, 1964, and created earl of Wessex and Viscount Severn in 1999.

All the children have the surname “of Windsor,” but in 1960, Elizabeth decided to create the hyphenated name MountbattenWindsor for other descendants, not styled prince or princess and royal highness.

Elizabeth’s first grandchild (Princess Anne’s son) was born on November 15, 1977.

HER ANNUS HORRIBILIS The queen seemed increasingly aware of the modern role of the monarchy, allowing, for example, the televising of the royal family’s domestic life in 1970 and condoning the formal dissolution of her sister’s marriage in 1978.

In the 1990s, however, the royal family faced several challenges. In 1992, a year she referred to as the royal family’s annus

horribilis, Prince Charles and his wife, Diana, Princess of Wales, separated, as did Prince Andrew and his wife, Sarah, Duchess of York. The public severely criticised her for her disposition toward Diana.

Moreover, Anne divorced, and a fire gutted the royal residence of Windsor Castle. In addition, as the country struggled with a recession, resentment over the royals’ lifestyle mounted, and in 1992, Elizabeth, although personally exempt, agreed to pay taxes on her private income.

The separation and later divorce (1996) of Charles and the immensely popular Diana further eroded support for the royal family, which was viewed by some as antiquated and unfeeling. The criticism intensified following Diana’s death in 1997, especially, after Elizabeth initially refused to allow the national flag to fly at half-staff over Buckingham Palace.

The VOA reported that Prince Charles’ troubled marriage with Princess Diana was long a source of tension for the royal family, with public sympathies, often favouring the princess. After Princess Diana died in a car crash in 1997, the queen came under criticism for not immediately addressing the public or returning to Buckingham Palace from her vacation in Balmoral.

Five days after the princess’ death, the queen bowed to public pressure and returned to the palace to deliver a live address paying tribute to Diana.

In line with her earlier attempts at modernising the monarchy, the queen subsequently sought to present a less-stuffy and less-traditional image of the monarchy.

These attempts were met with mixed success. Then, another controversy rocked her monarchy, when grandson Prince Harry’s

In 2002, Queen Elizabeth celebrated her 50th year on the throne. As part of her golden jubilee celebration, events were held throughout the Commonwealth, including several days of festivities in London. The celebrations were somewhat diminished by the deaths of Elizabeth’s mother and sister early in the year.

Beginning in the latter part of the first decade of the 21st century, the public standing of the royal family rebounded, and even Charles’s 2005 marriage to Camilla Parker Bowles, found much support among the British people.

In April 2011, Elizabeth led the family in celebrating the wedding of Prince William of Wales—the elder son of Charles and Diana—and Catherine Middleton. The following month, she surpassed George III to become the second longest-reigning monarch in British history, behind Victoria.

Also, in May, Elizabeth made a historic trip to Ireland, becoming the first British monarch to visit the Irish republic and the first to set foot in Ireland since 1911. In 2012, Elizabeth celebrated her diamond jubilee, marking 60 years on the throne. On September 9, 2015, she surpassed Victoria’s record reign of 63 years and 216 days.

In June 2022, Britain celebrated Elizabeth’s 70 years on the throne with the platinum jubilee, a four-day national holiday that included Trooping the Colour ceremony, a thanksgiving service at St. Paul’s Cathedral, a pop music concert at Buckingham Palace, and a pageant that employed street arts, theatre, music, circus, carnival, and costume to honour the queen’s reign.

However, health issues started to limited Elizabeth’s engagements. Concerns about herhealth also led to a break in tradition, when in September, she appointed Boris Johnson’s replacement as prime minister, Liz Truss, at Balmoral rather than at Buckingham Palace, where she had formally appointed more than a dozen prime ministers.

Elizabeth was known to favour simplicity in court life and also known to take a serious and informed interest in government business, aside from the traditional and ceremonial duties.

Privately, she became a keen horsewoman. She kept racehorses, frequently attended races, and periodically visited the Kentucky stud farms in the US. Her financial and property holdings have made her one of the world’s richest women.

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TRIBUTE

A Monarch for All Ages Queen Elizabeth II, was more than just the British monarch; she was the head of state, writes Emmanuel Addeh

B

orn Elizabeth Alexandra Mary Windsor, in Mayfair, London, on April 21, 1926, Queen Elizabeth II's tenure as head of state spanned post-war austerity, the transition from empire to Commonwealth, the end of the Cold War and the UK's entry into – and withdrawal from – the European Union (EU).

Her reign spanned 15 prime ministers, starting with Winston Churchill, born in 1874, to the incumbent, Liz Truss, born 101 years later in 1975, and appointed by the Queen earlier this week. She held weekly audiences with her prime minister throughout her reign.

During her exceptional seven-decade reign, she met with an astonishing number of world leaders.

They included 14 US Presidents and every German Chancellor to have served since the end of World War Two. A few could have foreseen she would become monarch but in December 1936, her uncle, Edward VIII, abdicated from the throne to marry the twicedivorced American, Wallis Simpson.

Elizabeth's father became King George VI and, at age 10, Lilibet, as she was known in the family, became heir to the throne.

Within three years, Britain was at war with Nazi Germany. Elizabeth and her younger sister, Princess Margaret, spent much of wartime at Windsor Castle after their parents rejected suggestions they be evacuated to Canada.

After turning 18, Elizabeth spent five months with the Auxiliary Territorial Service and learned basic motor mechanic and driving skills.

"I began to understand the esprit de corps that flourishes in the face of adversity," she recalled later.

Through the war, she exchanged letters with her third cousin, Philip, Prince of Greece, who was serving in the Royal Navy. Their romance blossomed and the couple married at Westminster Abbey on 20 November 1947, with the prince taking the title of Duke of Edinburgh.

She would later describe him as "my strength and stay" through 74 years of marriage, before his death in 2021, aged 99.

The Duke of Edinburgh was at the Queen's side for more than six decades of reign, becoming the longest-serving consort in British history in 2009.

Their first son, Charles, was born in 1948, followed

by Princess Anne, in 1950, Prince Andrew, in 1960, and Prince Edward, in 1964. Between them, they gave their parents eight grandchildren and 12 great-grandchildren.

Subsequent decades would see great change, with the end of the British Empire overseas and the swinging '60s sweeping away social norms at home.

Elizabeth reformed the monarchy for this less deferential age, engaging with the public through walkabouts, royal visits and attendance at public events. Her commitment to the Commonwealth was a constant - she visited every Commonwealth country at least once.

But there were periods of private and public pain. In 1992, the Queen's "annus horribilis", fire devastated Windsor Castle - a private residence as well as working palace - and three of her children's marriages broke down.

After the death of Diana, Princess of Wales, in a car accident in Paris in 1997, the Queen drew criticism for appearing reluctant to respond publicly. There were questions about the monarchy's relevance in modern society. However, Elizabeth remained one of the most respected monarchs the world over until her death yesterday.

Elizabeth was the 40th monarch in a royal line that traced its origin back to Norman King William, the Conqueror, who claimed the English throne in 1066 after defeating Anglo-Saxon ruler Harold II at the Battle of Hastings.

Her long reign meant she repeatedly broke records for British rulers. When she surpassed the more than 63 years her great-great-grandmother Queen Victoria spent on the throne, she said it was not a landmark to which she had ever aspired.

"Inevitably a long life can pass by many milestones - my own is no exception," Reuters quoted her as saying.

She never gave a media interview and critics said she came across as distant and saying, but for the vast majority of her subjects, for whom she was the only monarch they have known, she was a figure who commanded respect and admiration.

Her death marked the end of an era.

"In her public duties she was selfless and wise, with a wonderful generosity of spirit. That is how she lived – and how she led," former Prime Minister, John Major, said.

"For millions of people – across the Commonwealth and the wider world – she embodied the heart and soul of our nation, and was admired and respected around the globe," he added.

At her death, the queen was head of state of not only the United Kingdom but also of Australia, the Bahamas, Belize, Canada, Grenada, Jamaica, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Saint Lucia, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Tuvalu, the Solomon Islands, Saint

Queen Elizabeth II Vincent and the Grenadines as well as Antigua and Barbuda.

What Made the Queen Tick?

For seven decades, Queen Elizabeth II, reigned as queen of the United Kingdom, enjoying a level of popularity that would make any politician envious.

Yet, despite her iconic status, she remained largely enigmatic when compared with her fellow royals.

It is, perhaps, for that reason that two books published to coincide with the diamond-jubilee year of her reign set out to uncover what made the queen tick. Neither Andrew Marr in The Real Elizabeth: An Intimate Portrait of Queen Elizabeth II nor Sally Bedell Smith in Elizabeth the Queen: The Life of a Modern Monarch, succeeded in getting the queen's notoriously tight-lipped inner circle to talk freely.

The problem with both is access. Or rather, lack thereof. When the royals have allowed it, stagecraft has been the norm. In 1969, for instance, a BBC film crew followed the royals for nearly three months to make a documentary.

The film showed the queen relaxing in tweedy Balmoral, barbecuing outdoors, and playing with her dogs. She was presented as a warm and animated leader of a happy family—a powerful image that endured for decades, and made the later princely breakups and infidelities so much more damaging.

Yet, years later, as the British tabloids dissected the royals' every move and profited from their indiscretions, the queen remained relatively unscathed.

Perhaps, the worst that could be said of her is that she picks up the Racing Post at breakfast before the more serious newspapers. Or that when she looks particularly stern, she is sometimes just trying to

stop herself from laughing, a Newsweek report said.

Secret of Her Longevity?

The Washington Post, in one of its editions, wrote that, the queen was a great believer in “sensible exercise,” such as brisk walks with her corgis and horseback riding Like many of her generation — who experienced rationing during World War II — Elizabeth also preferred simple meals and when it came to alcohol, it’s previously been reported that she enjoyed a gin cocktail in the morning, followed by a glass of wine or champagne with lunch, and another glass of champagne plus a dry martini in the evening.

The nonagenarian, who barely wore makeup, had kept out of the sun for decades — her vacation spot is far-from-tropical Scotland.

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Queen Elizabeth in Pictures

She was named after her mother and christened Elizabeth Alexandra Mary.

The future Queen waves from a carriage in London in 1928.

Elizabeth was born to the Duke and Duchess of York (later the King and Queen) in Mayfair in the early hours of 21 April 1926.

1946: A Cecil Beaton photo of Princess Elizabeth at Buckingham Palace

Elizabeth on a tricycle in 1933. When she was six, her parents took over the Royal Lodge in Windsor Great Park as their country home.

The royals attended countless premieres over the years - here the young couple attend an opening night at the Royal Festival Hall in London in 1951.

Princess Elizabeth with the newly created Duke of Edinburgh after they married at Westminster Abbey on 20 November 1947. More than 200 million people around the world listened to the ceremony on the radio.

The young children in the grounds of Clarence House, the family’s London residence, in 1951. Between 1949 and 1951 they had lived in Malta, where Philip was stationed with the Navy.

Despite her years of travel, the Queen never required a passport as they are issued in her name. All other royals are required to have one.

The Queen 1926 – 2022

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TRIBUTE

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Queen ELizabeth with Some Past and Present Nigeria Leaders

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T H I S D AY ˾ FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 9, 2022

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POLITICS

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

Putting the Records Straight on Imo Road Projects Former Commissioner for Works in Imo State, Benjamin Nnamdi Ekwueme, says most of the road projects being executed by Governor Hope Uzodinma in Imo State were the initiatives of his predecessor, Hon Emeka Ihedioha

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ow will you access the level of infrastructural development in the state especially since you left office?

I can’t really say but I know that when we were there, we had a masterplan and the governor at that time, Hon Emeka Ihedioha specifically wanted the best of the infrastructure in Imo State.

Are you saying that Imolites would have seen far more than what is on the ground now in terms of infrastructure if you and Ihedioha’s administration had remain?

Yes. They would have had the best. In the seven months we held sway in Imo State, His Excellency, Rt. Hon. Emeka Ihedioha was very straight with what he wanted to do. He articulated everything that would uplift the state of infrastructure in Imo but unfortunately that administration was cut short. If it had continued till date, may be, a whole lot of infrastructural development would have been seen. And most especially some of the signature projects that he initiated would have been completed by now.

What was the condition of that road leading to the Teaching Hospital, Orlu before you left office because there is a controversy over its initiation and completion?

I do remember that road perfectly. That road is the access road from Owerri/ Orlu road that leads straight to the Teaching Hospital. So we called it IMSUTH Approach Road. The Orlu Teaching Hospital was completely cut off from the Owerri-Orlu entrances. It is about 2.05 kilometer in length. And during the time of our administration, Governor Emeka Ihedioha awarded the road in October 2019 and flagged it off to commemorate the 100 days in office of his administration. After due processes, the contract was awarded to Triansel Engineering Ltd in the amount of Three Hundred and Ninety Six Million, Four Hundred and Fifty Three Thousand, Seven Hundred and fifty Naira (N396, 453, 750. 00). Governor Ihedioha approved and paid the Advance Payment Guarantee (APG) and that APG saw the road go through a considerable construction milestone. From study, the challenge of the road was topographical. The design must take care of the ground level, the flood drains and the flood discharge point since there was no surface water flow or river close by.

So what we did was to raise the road a little

bit up so that it can be above the mean level of the ground. And the new construction saw us doing both side drainage system.

We did about four kilometer drain and also designed a silting basin. I mean a basin

where we can direct all the floods so that within time, they can dry up or get down to sub surface. It was the understanding and the promise of the Ministry of Works to get that road delivered within one year of the

How Not to Serve OhanaEze Ndigbo Kingsley Offor, President Designate of OhanaEze Ndigbo explains why the immediate past president of the apex Igbo socio-cultural organization in the UK was persuaded to resign

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t has come to the notice of OhanaEze Ndigbo UK that a recent interview granted by our immediate past president, Prof Joe Ukemenam, may be misunderstood by members of the public. Thus, it has become necessary for the organization to correct certain impressions. It is true that we demand the immediate release of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu from detention.

For the avoidance of doubt and for clarity, Ohanaeze Ndigbo UK hereby makes the following declarations: That while Ohanaeze Ndigbo UK has not expressed any official position on the matters raised in the interview, it condemns the forceful rendition of the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra - Mazi Nnamdi Kanu from Kenya to Nigeria against international laws and treaties and we call on the immediate release of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu from his incarceration by the Nigerian government.

At the time of the said interview, Ukemenam had handed over his duties to his deputy due to his trip abroad, therefore he could neither speak nor act on behalf of Ohanaeze Ndigbo UK on those or any other issues. In that case, it is not right for media houses to use the former president’s views as those of Ohanaeze Ndigbo UK. It is just as well that following a critical reflection of the impact of the

said interview and placing the interest of Ohanaeze Ndigbo UK above his own personal considerations, Ukemenam has formally resigned his position as the president of Ohanaeze Ndigbo UK with immediate effect. And that the Executive Committee and the Ime Obi Council of Ohanaeze Ndigbo UK, have since accepted Ukemenam’s resignation.

The former OhanaEze Ndigbo UK President made his exit without rancour.

His resignation letter read in part, “I have been proud to be sworn in as the president of Ohanaeze Ndigbo UK at the House of Common, London UK on June 16, 2022, so it is with sincere gratitude, that I must now vacate this revered position. With the euphoria of my swearing-in, I gave an interview to a newspaper which were mis- printed and created major disquiet around. In order to assist the Igbo course and propel us to do more for Ndigbo, I relied on and quoted reported speeches made by British politicians to me. This has shown to be unsatisfactory to the membership in the current context and clearly misinterpreted from the intended aim.

Ohanaeze Ndigbo UK under the auspice of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide aims at nurturing a better understanding and harmonious relations amongst all Ndigbo in the UK, with other ethnic groups and with all communities that Ndigbo interact with. We can avoid similar situations as this and achieve our objectives faster by adopting a clearly written communication strategy, policy and a robust code of conduct which will protect both the organization and membership. I owe it to Ndigbo to resign from my position as the president of Ohanaeze Ndigbo UK. No one person is bigger than Ndigbo and that is the brief legacy I leave behind.”

Following his immediate resignation, the Deputy President of Ohanaeze Ndigbo U.K. Mazi Kingsley Offor has since been appointed the Acting President of Ohanaeze Ndigbo UK pending the election of a new president.

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

administration. Governor Ihedioha would have commissioned it in his first year if he had remained in office. So if anybody is claiming that they awarded the road and all that, even from the records at the Ministry of Works, that will be very wrong. This is because since it was awarded to Triansel Engineering Ltd, I didn’t know or hear of any termination of the contract. That means they didn’t re-award it to any other contractor. It is that same Triansel company which started it, completed it. I guess that the people or the Ministry must have seen that the contractor was doing good work for them to be allowed to complete it.

And not just this IMSUTH road. A whole lot of other roads too that were awarded also reached some levels of completions before the exit of the administration. I remember the Egbeada road. It was awarded

by Ihedioha to IDC Engineering. That is the interconnection road from the Onitsha/ Owerri road, to the flyover at Amakohia.

Again, there was a big challenge there.

For all that knows that road, there used to be a huge dangerous gully development before Governor Ihedioha’s administration recovered and reconstructed the road.

Gov Ihedioha saved the Egbeada Housing Estate, the Graceland Estate, etc and till date that road has remained very strong, solid and functional. There is also the Akachi road. The one linking Aba/Owerri road to Wetheral road. Ihedioha awarded it to Shanids Ltd. The road is strong and currently very functional. It was also part of the roads that Governor Ihedioha’s administration did within that period.

Some other roads were nearing completion by the time the administration left. I remember the state of Assumpta roundabout to Warehouse junction. A short road but cutting across the Nworie river.

Governor Ihedioha fully completed and rehabilitated it, laced it with stone pitch against imminent erosion and flooding. The contract was awarded to N12 Engineering Ltd by Ihedioha.Till date no sign of failure.

Governor Ihedioha reconstructed the 3-cell boxes of Emmanuel college to Aba road before mechanic village junction. He saved the Douglas road extention through Owerri road bridge. Today that box culvert (some people call it bridge) has an extension that solved the traffic grid and treat of collapse.

China Harbour Engineering Ltd contracted

by Ihedioha did it.

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

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T H I S D AY ˾ FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 9, 2022

POLITICS

Time for Parties to Halt Frequent Change of their Chairmen

Biden, Trump and “extreme MAGA” into 2024 Chido Nwangwu writes about moves being made by President Joe Biden to ensure his re-election as US President in 2024

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n the evening of Thursday, September 1, 2022, at the historic, landmark Independence Hall in Philadelphia, the liberal prologue is delivered to American homes on TV prime time.

It’s a familiar face and voice, the embattled and multiple tasked President of the United States Joe Biden, carrying forth to mainly centrist America and partisan Democratic Party activists his trigger, buzz words. It’s Biden’s foreword to frame what he considers the fundamental issue of the 2024 presidential election campaign: freedoms versus extremism and control!

He’s in deliberate dignity and orderly location where the U.S Founding Fathers in their knowledge and erudition almost 300 years ago authored the lofty and soaring philosophy which to this day undergird the Constitution of the United States!

Biden who has had a major challenge of staying on message, politely and solemnly, told Americans that “Too much of what’s happening in our country today is not normal…. Donald Trump and the MAGA Republicans represent an extremism that threatens the very foundations of our republic.”

MAGA stands for “Make America Great Again” In Biden’s intent, therefore, “MAGA Republicans” are the extremists. Those right wing partisan type who invaded and set upon the American congressional building. They’re those too who deny the actual numbers and outcome of duly and normally conducted elections and voting.

They are those who allege that the scientifically-inclined Bidens and Dr. Faucis who insist that masks and vaccinations are good really are anti MAGA! They also believe a litany of things.

According to Biden, “MAGA Republicans do not respect the Constitution. They do not believe in the rule of law. They do not recognize the will of the people. They refuse

to accept the results of a free election….

And they’re working right now, as I speak, in state after state, to give power to decide elections in America to partisans and cronies, empowering election deniers to undermine democracy itself.”

Trump’s alleged mishandling of national security documents and unlawful keeping in his private residence classified papers have combined to impact his assessments as a trustworthy Commander in Chief.

Regardless of those facts, millions of Republicans insist they will support Trump as a candidate for president, again, in 2024.

It’s the past as present!

Only time will tell.

According to Biden, MAGA Republicans do not respect the Constitution.

They do not believe in the rule of law. They do not recognize the will of the people. They refuse to accept the results of a free election…. And they’re working right now, as I speak, in state after state, to give power to decide elections in America to partisans and cronies, empowering election deniers to undermine democracy itself

Biobele Da-Wariboko writes on the need for members to allow Chairmen of the political parties to run out their terms in office

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he Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) since inception in 1998 to date has seemingly not known peace, as it has a shocking history of frequent changes of its National Chairmen. Either after a meal of pounded yam with egusi soup or spurious court orders, no National Chairman of the party has ever served out his tenure.

In 24 years of its existence, the following had presided over the affairs of the party.

Starting with the pioneers; Dr Alex Ifeanyichukwu Ekwueme and Chief Solomon Lar (both now of blessed memory), before Chief Audu Ogbe, Senator Barnabas Gemade, Dr Ahmadu Alli, Chief Vincent Ogbulafor, Chief Okwesilieze Nwodo, Dr Haliru Bello Mohammed, Dr Abubakar Kawu Barage, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur, Alhaji Adamu Muazu, Senator Ali Modu Sheriff, Senator Ahmed Markafi, Prince Uche Secondus and at the moment Dr Iyorcha Ayu. Thus, from 1998 - 2022, the party had produced 15 National Chairmen and still counting, translating into a chairman every one and half years with none of those elected able to serve out his tenure of four years.

The quick turnover of National Chairmen epitomizes the lack of internal democracy within the party.

Thus, the party being the only organic political party and the first to form government under the present democratic dispensation has unwittingly handed over to Nigeria’s democratic space a banner of leadership instability crutched by strong men and not strong institutions.

Indeed, Nigerians are saying enough is enough of the shenanigans in the PDP, which have rubbed on other political parties and deprived the nation of good leadership and a very viable and stable democracy.

The above brings to the fore the current agitations for the resignation of Dr Iyorcha Ayu, National Chairman of the party.

The call gained currency and became more virulent, seemingly threatening the fabric and stability of the party as it prepares for the 2023 elections.

The core issue in the argument is the lack of geo-political balance and equity in the party’s leadership structure.

Truly, it seems unjust that both Dr Ayu from Benue State and the party’s Presidential candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar from Adamawa State are Northerners.

Thus, within the party’s current power matrix, the only Southerner is the Vice Presidential candidate and Governor of Delta State, Dr Ifeanyi Okowa.

This gross geo-political imbalance in the party’s power and leadership structure, tilting heavily in favour of the North, is the fuel that ignited the current fire on the National Chairman, Dr Iyorcha Ayu, to resign his position.

It could well be that at the time of the party’s National Convention that produced Dr Ayu as National Chairman in October 2021 Southerners within the party did not fret that the Chairmen of the party’s Board of Trustees and Governors Forum were all Northerners. This unseen albatross blinded their geo-political sensibilities as they spearheaded the move for an earlier National Convention and the re-zoning of party positions instead of allowing the then National Chairman, Prince Uche Secondus from Rivers State to serve out his tenure.

Their thinking was that such a move would help secure the party’s Presidential ticket for the South.

However, they were dead wrong as events would later prove. Besides, it might be necessary at this point to take us through a short historical recourse in the evolution of the PDP and how the perceived domineering influence of a section of the country in the leadership structure of the party in the past was settled without threatening to tear the party apart or overheating the national

polity as the case in point.

In 2007, at the nascent stage of our current democratic practice, when Alhaji Musa Yar’Adua (now of blessed memory) from Katsina State emerged as the party’s Presidential candidate, the National Chairman was Dr Ahmadu Alli from Kogi State.

Though both the Presidential candidate and the National Chairman were from the Northern part of the country, nobody raised any qualms that one should step down for a Southerner, probably because Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, a Southerner from Ogun State was the sitting and outgoing President.

Everybody coalesced and worked together until the party won the elections, after which the Chairman, Dr Alli was replaced at the 2008 National Convention by Chief Vincent Ogbulafor from Imo State, who later had to step aside for Chief Okwesilieze Nwodo from Enugu State.

Moreover, in the 2011 case which many campaigners for Dr Ayu’s resignation often make reference to, Dr Goodluck Jonathan from Bayelsa State was originally the Vice President and became President after the introduction of the Doctrine of Necessity by the National Assembly on the death of his boss, President Musa Yar’Adua in May 2010.

Furthermore, at that time the Chairman of the party’s Board of Trustees was Chief Anthony Anini (now of blessed memory) from Edo State, who later was succeeded by Former President Olusegun Obasanjo, making the lever of power in the party heavily in favour of the South, with no eyebrow raised.

Thus, at the time of the 2011 elections, Dr Jonathan, was not merely the party’s Presidential candidate, he was also a sitting President, while the National Chairman was Chief Nwodo. With the President/ Presidential candidate and National Chairman from the South, Chief Nwodo was on the night of the Presidential primaries at the Eagle Square, Abuja, in November 2010 compelled to step aside for purposes of equity and balance. And so, Dr Haliru Bello Mohammed, then Deputy National Chairman from Kebbi State stepped in as Acting National Chairman to preside over the Convention and on his appointment as Minister of Defence was replaced by Dr Abubakar Kawu Baraje then National Secretary from Kwara State.

Subsequently, at the elective party convention in 2012, Alhaji Bamanga Turkur from Adamawa State emerged as the substantive National Chairman with Dr Sam Sam Jaja from Rivers State as Deputy National Chairman.

Thus, since the inception of the party 24 years ago to date, the present scenario at the national level which for lack of better terminology we would call Ayugate may not be the only case, even right across the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory similar pictures may be on the cards and has always been dealt with without much fuse.

-Da-Wariboko writes from Abuja NOTE: Interested readers should continue in the online edition on www.thisdaylive.com

T H I S D AY • FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 9, 2022

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GLITZ,GLAMOUR & HIGH SOCIETY

From Conservative Banker to King of Soft Life Inside Tony Elumelu’s Paradise of Ease and Élan From the curious to the discerning, Tony Elumelu’s newfound social media presence has seen him bestriding the photo and video-sharing site, Instagram, with effortless ease and élan like a rock star with all the appurtenances of fame and fortune, continues to raise posers, writes Lanre Alfred

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s the founder and chairman of UBA Plc, there is no contest, confusion, or controversy about the fact that Tony Elumelu is a made man. Long before the advent of social media, he was a certified billionaire. In 2015, the influential American journal, Forbes, rated him the 31st richest man in Africa, with a net worth of $700 million.

A banking wunderkind, the UBA Bank, which he stepped down as its CEO in 2010 at the age of 47, has branches in over 20 African countries, including New York, London and Paris. The bank currently has assets estimated at more than $19billion. He serves as chairman of HEIRS Holdings; an investment company committed to improving lives and transforming Africa through long-term investments and which maintains a portfolio of investments across several sectors.

For a long time, Elumelu was the archetypal banker, conservative and wealthy, but rarely seen.

But gone are the analogue days. He is now taking the road less travelled, literally competing with upstart entertainers who just happened on their first million in the area of childlike exhibitionism.

On Instagram, HEIRS Holdings’s founder blissfully shares photos and videos of his jet-set lifestyle with his almost one million followers – the opulent homes and expensive family vacations; the sharp suits, trendy and sometimes gaudy ensembles, and globetrotting in private jets like a Rock star. Inadvertently, he has acquired a new reputation as the ‘King of Soft Life’ (pop-culture lingo for one who lives a flamboyant life), referenced by rapper M.I. Abaga in his new single, ‘Soft Life Tony’.

Curious followers have wondered whether this new predilection is for exhibitionism or an inflated perception of self or wealth. One of the curious takes on his new lifestyle was from an avid Twitter user when Elumelu posted a video boarding and chilling in a private jet with the ‘Soft Life Tony’ song blasting in the background.

“From Tony’s Instagram, you won’t know that he borrowed $1.1BN to buy an oilfield that is currently producing exactly zero barrels of oil per day,” claimed the tweet.

That may not be true because the oil and gas subsidiary of HEIRS Holdings acquired the ownership of 45 per cent of the OML 17 license block in the Niger Delta from Shell, Total, and ENI. The deal was announced in 2021.

“This block is located onshore, a few dozen kilometres north of Port-Harcourt, the total transaction amounts to $1.1bn. It consists of the acquisition of the shares of Shell (30%), Total (10%), and ENI (5% via its subsidiary Nigerian Agip Oil Co.),” a dated report stated. “To finance the transaction, Elumelu was advised by White&Case and supported by a large number of private banks and development institutions, including Afrexim Bank, ABSA, Africa Finance Corporation, Union Bank of Nigeria, Hybrid Capital, and the Amundi Fund.”

That deal was, in May 2022, awarded the ‘Africa deal of the year 2021’ by Project Finance International (PFI), a leading source in global

project finance reporting, covering all the major sectors, including transport, power, oil and gas, infrastructure, and mining.

Chief Executive Officer of Heirs Oil & Gas, Osayande Igiehonsaid, “This great recognition reiterates our commitment to excellence in our bid to fulfil Africa’s unique energy needs and ensure that Africa’s natural resources are directed toward value creation on the continent.”

The oil block OML 17 has a current production capacity of over 30,000 barrels per day and 2P reserves of 1.2 billion barrels of oil equivalent, with an additional one billion barrels of oil equivalent resources of further exploration potential. Earlier in January, the company issued a tender for work on the Elelenwa multi-phase pump gathering station. The scope covers work through the start-up of a pump gathering station for well fluids from the Elelenwa West manifold and flows to the Agbada-1 flow station for processing. The Agbada field is in the middle of the licence, while Elelenwa is in the south, close to Port Harcourt. The company has said infrastructure in the area could allow the production of 200,000 bpd of oil and 300 million cubic feet per day of gas.

Also, in May, the integrated energy company reaffirmed its commitment to national and global environmental, sustainability and governance (ESG) best practices given its upcoming operational first anniversary. An important aspect of this commitment, according to Igiehon, is the elimination of routine flaring from HHOGs OML 17 by 2025, in compliance with the Nigerian government’s routine flare reduction/elimination goal and global greenhouse gas reduction initiatives.

“Since taking over the asset, we have been working arduously on this objective with the execution of flare reduction projects such as follows: AGG (Associated Gas Gathering) compressor uptime improvement, facility upgrades, provision of gas gathering solutions, and facility off-gas utilisation initiatives,” he stated.

There were also questions and concerns about the takeover of the Ughelli Power Plant

by Transcorp Power Ltd, a subsidiary of the Transnational Corporation of Nigeria Plc, which Elumelu chairs. Transcorp acquired and officially took physical ownership of Ughelli Power Plc, the owner and operator of the 1000MW capacity Ughelli Power Plant following a handover by the federal government in late October 2013. Like every other such national asset, the power company was operating below par.

Elumelu hinted that Transcorp Power increased its generating capacity from 390 MWs to 470 MWs in May 2021, consequently bringing the combined generating capacity of its two companies (Ughelli and Afam generating company) to 590 MWs. He added that Transcorp Power’s revenue also improved by 14 per cent from N65.1 billion to N74.3 billion, which accounts for around 70 per cent of the total group revenue. Also, the profit before tax (PBT) increased by 92 per cent, from N12 billion to N23.1 billion.

He added, “Gross earnings for the group increased to N111.2 billion in 2021 from N75.3 billion in 2020. Gross earnings for the company almost doubled to N5.13 billion in 2021 from 2.7 billion in 2020. PBT for the group increased to N28 billion in 2021 from N1.6 billion in 2020. PBT of the company increased to N4.02 billion in 2021, from N2.7 billion in 2020.”

There is also the stillborn Transcorp Hotel in Ikoyi, Lagos, proposed to be a 300-room hotel located in the heart of highbrow Ikoyi.

Estimated to gulp a staggering $110 million, the 20-storey hotel tower was designed by the iconic Perkins Eastman, an international architecture, interior design, urban design, planning, landscape architecture, graphic design, and project management firm headquartered in New York City. The development board for the project went up on September 17, 2013, while light site clearing and piling commenced thereafter. Almost a decade later, construction has yet to start on the site. Is this another pointer to why Elumeluis purportedly masquerading his pains with Instagram exhibitionism?

Someone like Kennedy Uzoka, the Group Managing Director/CEO at United Bank for

Africa Plc, will differ. Uzoka is serving a two-term tenure as UBA’s helmsman, thanks to Elumelu’s magnanimity. Like his boss, Uzoka is a dandy soul. He also covets the beauty of being draped in the finery that constricts the heart and soul hence his predilection for expensive cars, suits, and jewellery, among other treats. Beneath his expensive suits and unassuming demeanour lies a posh and groovy character.

Uzoka lives like a man of true character and quiet nobility. Thus, you can only see him flaunt his expensive toys, like his state-of-the-art Rolls Royce when he cruises to church on Sundays.

Uzoka lives like royalty in his private palace.

You could be forgiven for likening his life to the charmed existence of Saudi’s Crown Prince or the Prince of Dubai. His mansion at Osborne Foreshore, Ikoyi, dazzles like pure emerald, particularly with its litter of expensive cars, which would make Skymit Motors and Mandilas, among others, go green with envy. The point of divergence with Elumelu is that Uzoka keeps a very low profile in the social arena. Despite his inclinations for lustre, he understands that vanity is the ugliest armour a Midas could wear. He detests mindless ostentation but is never apologetic for being successful and rich. It is why he aspires to humility even under the full weight of privilege and his epic stature. Uzoka, who is going to leave UBA Bank soon, the lessons he learnt from Elumelu’s lavish lifestyle abide with him.

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BUSINESSWORLD R A T E S MONEY MARKET

A S

A T

REPO

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

08056356325

S E P T E M B E R T

S & P INDEX

8 , 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%

1-DAY

0.16%

YEAR TO DATE

7.64%

*AS AT LAST FRIDAY

3-MONTH

10.52%

MONTH-TO-DATE

0.44%

Expert: Nigeria Sitting on Multi-billion Dollars Unexplored Perishables Exports

Chinedu Eze According to the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Nigeria earned N4.

13 trillion from oil and gas exports in 2021, but experts who are versed in export of perishable farm produce believe Nigeria can earn double of this amount from just export of agricultural goods alone.

Currently Nigeria is an import dependent country, where cargo planes come to drop goods and go to Kenya, Ghana or other African countries to carry farm produce to Europe, Americas, Australia, Asia and others.

Confirmed export and import figures from cargo freighting from international airports in Nigeria in 2021 and part of 2022, indicated that

in 2021 Nigeria imported 77, 819, 036 tonnes of cargo and in the same period exported 14, 190, 465 tonnes of cargo.

In the first six months of 2022, Nigeria imported 25,868, 554. 64 tonnes of cargo and exported 7, 974, 225 tonnes of cargo. So in 2021, Nigerian imports were 81.8 per cent higher than exports by air and in the first six months of 2022, it was 68.8 per cent.

Experts told THISDAY that Nigeria can contribute significantly in feeding the world, if the Nigerian government prioritises exports by abiding by international standards that farm produce are subjected to.

This, he said, would make the produce accepted in international markets, just as many African

countries have done.

Speaking, Director, Operations at Cargolux Airlines, a freighter company and also the President of Association of Foreign Airlines Representatives in Nigeria (AFARN), Kingsley Nwokoma, said, “We potentially have so much to export, but currently we are not exporting much. We export very few farm produce, perishables, but not like Nairobi (Kenya), which exports flowers all year round to Europe and Americas. They also export potatoes to Asia, America and Europe.

“When the freighters come to Lagos, they drop their cargo and go to Kenya and pick up flowers to Europe,” he said.

Reports indicate that Kenya earned the some of $983 million

(108.9 billion Kenya shillings) from flower exports alone in 2020.

Reuters also reported that Kenya’s earnings from exports of cut flowers, fruits and vegetables rose 5 per cent in 2021 from the previous year.

Recently, the Kenyan National Bureau of Statistics was quoted as saying that in its latest economic indicators released February 22, 2022, horticulture earnings rose to 158.1 billion Kenyan shillings ($1.39 billion) in 2021 from 150.2 billion shillings a year earlier.

Nwokoma told THISDAY that Ghana is doing much better than Nigeria in the export of farm produce.

Ghana, he added, exports mangoes, oranges and yam to different countries of the world, noting that the major set back for

Nigeria is processing and procedures.

“There is international standard, which you must meet so that your produce will be accepted by international chain stores all over the world. The problem with us is that we are not process driven. Before you start any major export, you have to invite them to your farm or make them see how you produce your crops. They would want to make sure you are following the globally accepted processes. Nigeria has the best yams, tomatoes, mangoes, even the most temperate climate to plant crops and have the best species of flowers but we lack the processes, which are key to meeting world standards,” he said.

Also, CABI, a scientific international organisation that

supports agricultural development in the world, especially in the East and West Africa, reported that Ghana recorded vegetable exports to Europe of chilli peppers, eggplants and gourds, worth $15 million a year.

This was after it resumed such exports following the lifting of a ban imposed by the EU in 2015 because of concerns about the management of quarantine pests.

Nwokoma said big retailers like Walmart, Tesco, Sainsbury and others must know the provenance of the agricultural crops they sell because they are held responsible if they sell the wrong ones to their customers.

“So the big challenge confronting Nigeria is standards, which Continued on page 23

Obaseki Advocates Investment in Oil Palm to Boost Nigeria’s Foreign Exchange Earnings Gilbert Ekwugbe The Governor of Edo State, Godwin Obaseki, has advocated massive investment in Agriculture, especially oil palm as a strategic move to boost foreign exchange in Nigeria.

Speaking at the 26th annual Stockbrokers’ Conference in Benin City with the Theme:

“Capital Market and Agricultural Development in Nigeria: Issues and the Way Forward”, Obaseki, who was represented by the Edo State Government’s Head of Service, Mr Anthony Okungbowa stated that the Edo State Government developed the Edo State Oil Palm Prograqmme (ESOPP) in collaboration with the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to de-

risk investment in the oil palm plantation and agriculture sector in order to tackle supply gap in the system.

“We are fortunate to have in our state, the biggest publicly traded commercial agricultural companies, notably Okomu Oil Palm Plc and Presco Plc , both of which operate massive oil palm plantation in the state. These companies have

grown exponentially, returning high dividend to investors in the last few years, “said Obaseki.

Obaseki explained that stockbrokers played critical roles in the flow of investments into various sectors of the economy saying the Nigerian economic growth was hinged on a vibrant private sector, propped by a thriving capital market.

In his welcome address, the President, Chartered Institute of Stockbrokers (CIS), Mr Oluwole Adeosun, lauded the Edo State Government for hosting stockbrokers and urged other state governments to support the nobel course. Adeosun underscored the essence of the 2022 Stockbrokers’ Conference: “2022 Annual Conference beams

it’s searchlight on agriculture, exploring the nexus between the sector and the capital market as drivers of employment and economic growth, and proffering effective strategies to restore Nigeria to the path of double-digit growth in Gross Domestic Product (GDP) through agricultural development, Continued on page 23

M A R K E T D ATA A S AT T H U R S D AY, S E P T E M B E R 7 , 2 0 2 2 BILLS

BONDS DESCRIPTION Price ^14.20 14MAR-2024 13.53 23MAR-2025 ^12.50 22JAN-2026 ^16.2884 17MAR-2027 ^13.98 23FEB-2028

Yield

103.50

11.63

101.05

13.03

98.76

12.95

110.83

13.05

104.50

12.81

Change Updated Time (%) September -0.01 2, 2022 September 0.08 2, 2022 September 0.00 2, 2022 September 0.00 2, 2022 September 0.00 2, 2022

MATURITY NTB 13-Oct22 NTB 10Nov-22 NTB 26-Jan23 NTB 9-Feb23 NTB 9-Mar23

Discount

CPS

9.00

9.09

3.90

3.93

9.80

10.20

10.00

10.46

Change Updated Time (%) September 2, 0.00 2022 September 2, 0.00 2022 September 2, 0.00 2022 September 2, 0.00 2022

10.60

September 2, 0.00 2022

10.05

Yield

MATURITY NENL CP I 24-OCT-22 FSDH CP VII 27-OCT-22 SIBP CP III 27-OCT-22 DLMG CP IV 11-NOV-22 FDHP CP III 17-MAR-23

Discount Yield 21.18 21.83 15.28 15.64 14.46 14.78 17.87 18.50 12.10 12.94

Change Updated Time (%) 2, -0.03 September 2022 2, -0.03 September 2022 2, -0.03 September 2022 2, -0.06 September 2022 2, -0.01 September 2022

OTC F X F U T U R E S CONTRACT Current TENOR Contract Rate Updated Time ($/₦) (MONTH) NGUS SEP 28 439.60 September 2, 1 2022 2022 September 2, NGUS OCT 26 2 441.81 2022 2022 NGUS OCT 26 444.01 September 2, 3 2022 2022 NGUS DEC 28 446.22 September 2, 4 2022 2022 NGUS JAN 25 440.94 September 2, 5 2023 2022

22

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 9, 2022 ˾ T H I S D AY

BUSINESSWORLD

AIR WATCH

A I R WATCH L–R: Managing Director, Sinoma Cargo International Nigeria Ltd, Jack Liu; Deputy Managing Director, NJZC International Construction Nig. Ltd, Windy Zhu; Executive Vice Chairman/ CEO of ENL Consortium, Princess Vicky Haastrup; Managing Director, NJZC International Construction Nig Ltd, Willy Qiao; Executive Director, ENL Consortium, Mark Walsh and Deputy Managing Director, NJZC International Construction Nig Ltd, Wang Liang at the 5th China-Nigeria Logistics Line Platform Supply Chain Conference held in Lagos… recently

FAAN Boss Calls for Guidelines to Boost Capacity of Cargo Freighting in Nigeria

Firm Laments Increasing Cost of Doing Business in Nigeria Gilbert Ekugbe The Group Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Eat ‘n’ Go Limited, Mr. Patrick McMichael, has lamented over the rising cost of doing business in the country, noting that lack of basic infrastructure such as power, rising cost of diesel, is hitting deep into profit margins of manufacturing outfits in the country.

McMichael who stated this during a press conference to celebrate its 10th year anniversary operating in Nigeria, called on the federal government to do what is possible to help businesses stay afloat.

“My number one belief for Nigeria’s greatest success is power. Electricity, constant supply is what this country needs first and foremost and then anything else would fall in line and that is just my view. I look across our business and the challenges that we have today in business and what is a challenging time for the globe. Our

biggest challenge right now is power and the cost to generate power to run our shops across the country shows and the increased cost that we have faced this year which has taken about N2 billion out of our profitability just this year and this is not just us but every single manufacturing outfit in the country,” he lamented.

He added: “This is just the direct cost, but for the indirect cost of that is oil touches every single thing and every single part of our input of supply chain is affected by the rise in cost of diesel. The cost of transportation, production. Really, the most important part of the puzzle from my perspective is power. We really need to get power right in the country.”

He however, stated plans of the country’s expansion programmes across the country and in Africa at large, saying that Eat ‘n’Go is approaching 190 stores across pan Africa with a target to hit 200 stores in the coming years.

“We are approaching 190 stores

where167 of those stores are in Nigeria. We currently have a number of stores under construction and under development to see us out through this financial year,” he said.

He noted that so far, the company has invested over N26 billion in assets across the length and breadth of Nigeria, with all its financial supplies sourced domestically.

According to him, the company has also increased its local content to about 85 per cent, saying the move is critical to remain profitable and sustainable in business.

“For any business to survive in Nigeria, you have to get your supply chain localised. When we first started operations, 100 per cent of what we served was imported and you know that is not an easy thing to do in Nigeria to remain profitable. In the last ten years, the team has worked very hard to localised 85 per cent of what we served to be produced locally,” he added.

NCAA Begins Campaign for Fly2Green Nigeria Initiative The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has said it has kicked off the campaign for it’s Fly2Green Nigeria Initiative, which is designed to map out a decarbonization strategy for the Nigeria aviation industry.

The initiative is meant to domesticate the National Policy on Short-lived Climate Pollutants (SLCPs) and implement strategic partnerships with relevant Green, Blue and Circular Economy stakeholders to launch the first Clean Air-Blue Skies Advocacy.

NCAA is making this push, as it joined the global community to commemorate the third International Day of Clean Air for Blue Skies tagged: “The Air We Share”, focused this year on the trans-boundary nature of air pollution and the need for collective accountability and action.

NCAA in a statement said collective action requires collaborative efforts from businesses, communities, civil society; academia, policymakers and government to advocate accelerate and activate climate-smart solutions for Net-Zero emission footprint.

Stressing on the impact of Air pollution, NCAA said it is both a climate impact and health impact issue that transcends and permeates national borders, posing risks to 99 per cent of the world’s population who now breathe polluted air and causing 7 million premature deaths each year.

According to the NCAA, Africa does not contribute more than 3 per cent of Greenhouse Gas emissions, yet the continent is warming faster than any other region in the world and is half ready to make the transition to

carbon neutral economies.

It said the aviation sector has a huge role to play in reducing these effects as a top-ten global emitter whose emissions are expected to rise dramatically by mid-century especially with it being responsible for an estimated 4.9 per cent of global warming and its climate impact is not restricted to its CO2 emissions alone, more than half of aviation’s climate impact comes from non-CO2 pollutants.

Against this backdrop, NCAA is advocating for urgent multi-industry emissions reduction programs like International Civil Aviation Organization( ICAO’s) Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation (CORSIA) mechanism and the Fly2Green Nigeria Initiative.

Senegal Meets AFRAA Ahead of Hosting Regional Aviation Body in December Chinedu Eze The Minister of Tourism and Air Transport of the Republic of Senegal, Alioune Sarr, has met African Airlines Association (AFRAA) Secretary General – Mr. Abderahmane Berthé and Air Senegal CEO – Mr. Alioune Badara Fall, ahead of the country’s hosting of the 54th Annual General Assembly (AGA) and Summit in December 2022.

The 54th AFRAA AGA will be held under the high patronage of the Head of State of the Republic of Senegal from 11-13 December 2022 at the Centre International de Conférences Abdou Diouf (CICAD) at the kind invitation of Air Senegal.

During the visit, Mr. Berthé, Alioune Sarr and Mr. Fall deliberated on the state of the airline industry in the country, priorities and plans for the development of the sector, initiatives by AFRAA to address the sustainability of air transport in Africa and the milestones for the staging of the AFRAA AGA. Addressing a press conference held in Dakar during the visit, Mr. Berthé stated: “AFRAA is pleased to convene top leaders of the air transport industry from across the globe for the Assembly in physical format in Senegal. Deliberations at this year’s Assembly AGA will focus on the theme: “Acing the Roadmap to Sustainable African Aviation”. This

will better prepare stakeholders to continue to rebuild Africa’s aviation to make the travel ecosystem more resilient and viable. The Assembly is therefore a critical forum for us to create the much-needed enabling environment for air transport business to thrive and contribute to the continent’s development.

The CEO of Air Senegal, Mr. Alioune Badara Fall stated: In addition to providing an excellent platform for brand visibility through sponsorship, the General Assembly and Summit of AFRAA will present exhibition opportunities for aviation companies to showcase their services, equipment, components, supplies, and IT solutions.

Chinedu Eze The Managing Director of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), Captain Rabiu Yadudu, has called for guidelines in cargo freighting in Nigeria to help boost the capacity of exports by air.

Speaking during his presentation at the Aviation Cargo Conference (Chinet Aviacargo, 2022) in Lagos, Yadudu said the conference was coming at a critical time when “present events have underscored the importance of developing an aviacargo guidelines for Nigeria to the global space.”

The FAAN Managing Director quoted the International Air Transport Association (IATA), which stated that the air cargo market in 2021 recovered rapidly from the shocks witnessed in 2020 (due to Coronavirus pandemic) and has kept growing.

“This growth was driven by economic expansion, low inventories, e-commerce and diversion from overcrowded ocean shipping. This scenario could be experienced in Nigeria, if we get right the implementation of the Federal Government plans to diversify the economy through revolution in agriculture and manufacturing,” Yadudu said.

He said that when it comes to cargo freighting the insurance sector is also critical and that it represents the backbone of Nigeria’s risk management system.

“It ensures financial security, serves as an important component in the financial intermediation chain and offers a ready source of long term capital for infrastructural projects. Needless to say, the role of insurance and regulation in the growth of aviation and cargo business cannot be overemphasized. To a certain extent, insurance mitigates the impact of risks and positively correlates with growth as entrepreneurs cover their exposures and inculcate more risk-taking abilities. In this regard, a strong and cooperative insurance industry is a compelling imperative for Nigeria’s economic development and growth.” He said.

Yadudu disclosed that one of the objectives in FAAN is to catalyze the development of an implementable aviation cargo guideline that would help stakeholders understand and appreciate one another’s role in moving the cargo business from where it is currently to where the stakeholders would want it to be in the short term, medium term to long term.

“Permit me to state without mincing words the Cargo Guideline I am talking about is not for FAAN, but an Aviation Cargo Guideline. It is to be developed with inputs from all the aviation cargo stakeholders,” he said.

Backing his presentation with statistics, Yadudu said it was clear that Nigeria imports more than she exports through air cargo, noting that in 2017, about 168.7 tons of goods transited through our airports, and importation accounted for about 66 per cent of this total, while export of goods accounted for the balance of 34 per cent. And in the same year, about 39 tons of mails passed through our airports. While total mails importation was 77 per cent; while Nigeria exported only 23 per cent of the total.

“Although, the data shows a 52 per cent increase in the total volume of goods and mails that passed through our airports in 2021 compared to 2020 data, it is not a cheering news to say that we have not been able to reduce the deficits in our ability to export more through our airports. If only we could bridge the gap, then we would confidently say that we will be ranked at the top of busiest cargo handling airport in Africa and compete favorably in the global aviation index. This should be our next task. The AviaCargo guideline should be the clear way to go,” he said.

He said that the statistics showed that Nigeria has a long way to go in the domestic air cargo facilitation.

“I believe that we can do much better given our population and agricultural capacity and output. It is not news that many of our farm produce are transported by road and as such most of the produce got damaged and loose quality in transit. This calls for urgent aviacargo intervention, as it is one of the major reasons of food scarcity and high price in some parts of the country. The airlines are therefore urged to increase their capacity in domestic air cargo operations. I believe that if this is done and with the development of aviacargo national guideline and its deliberate implementation, we stand the opportunity of increasing the domestic freight by at least 30 per cent year on year going forward.

In Africa, Yadudu said that Nigeria’s stand in air freighting business is not a reflection of its capacity and size because, according to Airport Council International (ACI) statistics on Air Cargo, about 2.15 million metric tons of cargo transited through African airports in 2021. This was an 11.6 per cent increase from 2020 data, but Nigeria has in the fifth position.

“The statistics also showed the data of our busiest airport in 2021, MMIA, Lagos, at the fifth position by airports in cargo handling in Africa.

It is quite obvious; we have the capacity to more than triple this volume, if we get our priorities right and do the needful. I confidently believe this, given that we surpassed the African growth of 11.6 per cent in 2021 with a fair margin, having recorded an increase of 52 per cent within the same period. Furthermore, within the same period in African, Ethiopian airline has just published its financials statement and shows that 59 per cent of its revenue came from cargo. This shows the capacity of the market in Africa. Nigeria with over 200 million population and largest market in Africa will do better,” he noted.

He said aviation cargo guideline should be the starting point to writing the wrongs, “the mistakes that have been our impediments over the years. In this document we should be able to identify these impediments and chart implementable actions plan that will be followed by all stakeholders to achieve our common goal, which is to reverse the deficits in imports/exports ratio and domestic cargo distribution.”

T H I S D AY ˾ FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 9, 2022

23

BUSINESSWORLD

AVIATION

Deteriorating Security at Murtala Muhammed Airport Seven months ago, unknown persons accessed leased Arik Air aircraft, a Boeing 737-700 and removed vital equipment from inside, where it was parked at the ramp at the domestic wing of the Murtala Muahmmed International Airport, Lagos, known as MMA2. Also, last Sunday a young man accessed the United Nigeria Airlines aircraft at the same ramp. Chinedu Eze writes that these incidents indicate that security is deteriorating at the nation’s busiest gateway

ast Sunday, a young man who claimed to be 14-year old was arrested inside one of the aircraft of United Nigeria Airlines Limited (UNA) as a suspected stowaway.

According to eyewitness account, the man was as unconscious by when he was apprehended.

Statement from the airline indicated that he was discovered during pre-flight inspection and the aircraft in question was being screened and prepared for service.

Further investigation also revealed that the suspect gave his name as Rasheed Mukar from Ilorin but lives at Badagry.

He was reported to have told security personnel during interrogation that he breached airport security from the Ile Zik end of the perimeter fence on the night on Saturday September 3, 2022 to access the airport’s apron where the aircraft was parked.

He also confessed to have gained access to the aircraft through the emergency exit after climbing through the aircraft wings.

Mukar also said he had earlier attempted to gain access to Boeing aircraft types, also parked at the airport, and failed.

According to the suspected stowaway, his intention was to follow the aircraft out of Lagos.

L

Airports Authority of Nigeria) Aviation Security Officers, the following information was obtained from the boy: his name is Rasheed Mufutau, he is 14 years old, he lives in Badagry but hails from Kwara State, he is an orphan. He gained access into the airside through an opening at Ile- Zik along Lagos-Abeokuta expressway; his intention was to travel, as he was tired of the country.

“He passed through General Aviation Terminal, Air Force hanger and walked down to MMA2 where he hid himself at the Apron. He saw staff on duty at GAT (General Aviation Terminal) and Air Force hanger but dodged them and passed through the bush. He became unconscious as a result of the drugs he took and a lack of ventilation.”

According to the statement, the boy has been discharged from the hospital and taken to the FAAN Crime Office at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport along with United Nigeria Security Guard for further questioning. The airline has since commenced normal operations.

“We are an active part of the ongoing investigation to ascertain exactly what happened and to aid the prevention of any such occurrence in the future,” Onalaja said.

BASL STATEMENT

SIMILAR INCIDENT

In a related account from the statement from BiCourtney Aviation Services Limited (BASL), which built and is operating the domestic terminal, “The 14-year-old stowaway found unconscious inside one of the airlines of United Nigeria (the Airline) is now safe in the custody of the airport authority where he is being held for further investigation.”

The statement that was signed by Head of Media, Bi-Courtney Aviation Services Limited, Oluwatosin Onalaja, disclosed that the boy told investigators that he gained access into the airside through an opening at Ile- Zik, FAAN’s perimeter fence along Lagos-Abeokuta expressway.

“At around 6:10a.m. on Sunday 4th September 2022, United Nigeria (the airline) informed Bi-Courtney Aviation Services Ltd (BASL) of a 14-year-old stowaway boy found unconscious inside one of their aircraft. The boy was brought out of the aircraft and taken to the MMA2 clinic for first aid medical attention. He was later transferred for further treatment to the FAAN clinic where he regained consciousness at about 10:20a.m.

“Upon further interrogation by a combined team of BASL AVSEC (Aviation Security) and FAAN (the Federal

In January this year, unknown persons gained access into the aircraft of a leased Boeing B737-700 being operated by Arik Air at the same terminal facility and stole some critical equipment from inside the aircraft cockpit.

Informed sources told THISDAY that the suspected thieves accessed the aircraft, cannibalised it and took away Flight Management Computer (FMC), Pilot Static Cover and other sensitive parts from the aircraft.

The incident happened on January 19, 2022 at about 11:00 pm.

During that time, THISDAY spoke to some airport officials privy to the preliminary investigation on the incident, it found out that Arik Air Chief Security Officer (SCO) reported the incident to FAAN in the mid-day of January 20, 2022 and explained that the Arik Air aircraft with registration number EI-ULN was parked at MMA2 ramp at 4:30 pm the previous day.

The report stated that on commencement of operation the following day at 6:10 am, the pilot in chief, Captain James Johan Lowhoy noticed

that the aircraft had been tampered with, as the door was found open and following checks it was revealed that the aircraft Flight Management System had been removed.

The source also disclosed that the Arik Air aircraft engineer in charge of the aircraft stated that at about 4:30 pm on January 19, after the pilot and cabin crew had left the aircraft, the engineers carried out routine checks on the aircraft, which lasted for about one and half hours and when they left, the aircraft was still parked at the apron.

THISDAY also gathered that the aircraft engineers were still at the engineering room when the Arik Air catering personnel came to them at about 8:40 pm and informed them that they wanted to service the aircraft.

“One of the aircraft engineers went with the catering personnel who serviced the airplane, which took about 10 minutes. When the catering personnel left, the engineer closed the airplane and did not go back to the aircraft,” the source said.

THISDAY learnt that while all the activities were going on, all the personnel involved were Arik staff; there was no outsider involved.

A team of crime investigation and intelligence was reported to have stated that there was no Arik aircraft security guard under or at the foot of the aircraft on January 19 when it occurred.

SECURITY THREAT

The Arik Air aircraft incident was described as insider security threats. But from the reports already made available to the public, last Sunday incident was an outsider’s job. The question many asked was how did the young man gain access to the airside of the airport without being caught by security operatives?

In January, many Nigerians were shocked when the report went virile on social media that Arik Air’s leased aircraft, a Boeing 737-700 with registration number, EI-ULN parked at the ramp of the Murtala Muhammed Domestic Airport (MMA2) was tampered with and critical equipment removed by persons initially suspected to have breached security and accessed the airside of the airport.

PROFILING

In the aviation industry, personnel who work at sensitive areas of the airport or the airlines

are profiled regularly and are even monitored to know what they do outside work and the kind of relationships they keep.

Reacting to the Sunday incident, the industry security consultant and CEO of Centurion Securities, Group Capt. John Ojikutu (rtd) said, “I am happy you quoted the Arik example and there were others too on Azma Air and the other on another Arik Air flight while taxing. The question to ask are: What are the results of the investigation on all these by the responsible authorities especially on the compliances to the Airport Security Programme, Airlines Security Programme in accordance with the National Civil Aviation Security Programme? With the development in the insecurity of the country, especially with the experiences of the past and those at the Kaduna airport, has there been any audit or the review of the Operators Security Programmes including the NCASP (National Civil Aviation Security Programme)?

“What have been the reports or the responses of the Airport Security Committee to these various incursions? As at 2007, there were five access into the aircraft operating areas from the public areas outside the passengers and cargo terminals, how many are there today and how adequately are they manned?

The boy was said to have moved from the GAT area to MM2 and there was no internal security patrol nor aprons surveillance that saw him; that tells me that a bigger thing could happen and it is only after the act that we will come to see our failures and neglect.

I have heard many times that CCTV or electronic control is what the airport security requires; that may be desirable but equipment alone cannot work without it being manned by skilled manpower. That again is what the responsible authorities must look into in the career progressions of the personnel manning the airport security architectural system. The background checks on those manning must regularly be reviewed alongside the operator’s security programmes; otherwise, you may be keeping insider threats.”

SECURITY LAXITY

THISDAY learnt that there has been perceived laxity among security operatives that man strategic places at the airport and security patrol has been on the breach.

So industry security experts have called on FAAN to ensure the reinforcement of security at the airports.

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

OBASEKI ADVOCATES INVESTMENT IN OIL PALM TO BOOST NIGERIA’S FOREIGN EXCHANGE EARNINGS ”Adeosun said.

The topics addressed included; Commodities Exchanges and

Agricultural Development in Nigeria, the Cost of food importation with the adverse

effects on forex earnings, harnessing Technology to drive innovation and growth in the

Capital Market, Financial Inclusion and Capital Market Literacy in Nigeria and Market Regulation

in the Digital Age among others.

Among the participants at the Conference were the government

functionaries, capital market regulators, operators and captains of industry.

goods like yam from Nigeria and packages them well and sell them as Ghanaian yam, called puna, in Europe.

“I was in Accra, Ghana recently and I went to a company that exports agricultural produce like banana and mango and I saw how they cut them, clean them

and package them. You will be so impressed. Unlike in the past, most parts of the world eat yam now. They eat yam in New Zealand, Australia and Nigerians in Europe and everywhere expect to eat yam wherever they are in the world so it is in huge demand,” he said.

EXPERT: NIGERIA SITTING ON MULTI-BILLION DOLLARS UNEXPLORED PERISHABLES EXPORTS Nwokoma said could be overcome if the government shows commitment to export of farm produce from Nigeria.

“To begin to solve this problem, government must meet with the stakeholders in the industry. In other countries, governments pay serious attention to such businesses

and encourage people to export and earn forex. Government also has a duty to engage the end users so that they will develop interest in Nigerian exports,” he said.

Nwokoma regretted that Nigeria’s attention has been paid to oil for too long and said very soon oil won’t be a major forex

earner for Nigeria, as the world is beginning to shun hydrocarbon.

“Nigeria is the best producer of mangoes. We have all kinds of variety and the proper climate to grow them. We are the highest producer of cassava and yam in the world. We are not maximisng the opportunities that we have.

Some countries, like the United Arab Emirates (UAE) import everything they eat,” he said.

The President of AFARN said that for Nigeria to improve its exports, it must improve packaging and processing of its goods, noting that Ghana brings many of the perishable

24

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 9, 2022 ˾ T H I S D AY

BUSINESSWORLD

INDUSTRY

UNIDO Case for Energy Efficiency, Cleaner Production Environmental and energy experts tasks manufacturers on energy efficiency and environmentally sustainable use of resources, writes Dike Onwuamaeze

N

ow is the time for Nigerian industrial sector to embrace and improve its capabilities on Resource Efficiency and Cleaner Production (RECP) and Industrial Energy Efficiency (IEE) to remain competitive and ensure environmental sustainability in the face of increasing energy costs. This was the consensus opinion of experts that participated at a workshop on, “Reporting Techniques for Commerce and Industry, Energy, and Environment Correspondents on Industrial Energy Efficiency (IEE), Energy Management System (EnMS), Energy System Optimisation (ESO) and Resource Efficiency and Cleaner Production (RECP) Methodologies in Nigeria.”

RECP, according to the experts, is the continuous application of an integrated preventive environmental strategy to processes, products and services to increase efficiency and reduce risks to humans and the environment. It is also a systematic and integrated approach to managing energy, water, environmental and financial resources to eliminate or minimise waste and emissions to the environment on a sustainable and cost-effective basis.

They affirmed that this would improve Nigeria’s industrial energy performance; enhance resource efficiency and the country’s quest for cleaner industrial production through programmatic approaches and the promotion of innovation in clean technology solutions.

It is also believed that cleaner production, which is a preventative environmental management strategy, would promote the elimination of waste before it is created. This systematically reduces overall pollution generation and improves the efficiency of resource usage.

Currently, the pilot industrial sub-sectors for the RECP project in the country are the food and beverages, basic metal, iron and steel, petrochemicals, textiles and wood and furniture. These sub-sectors were selected from Aba, Abuja, Asaba/Warri, Calabar, Kano, Kaduna, Lagos, Ogun, Onitsha and Port-Harcourt industrial zones.

In addition, the selected implementing agencies and partners of IEE-RECP in Nigeria are the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN), the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO, the Federal Ministry of Environment and the ECOWAS Centre for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency.

The specific goals of IEE-RECP are cleaner production, the promotion and optimisation of industrial energy efficiency as well as the attainment of materials, water and chemicals efficiency to ensure environmental sustainability, increased efficient energy use and industrial financial improvements.

The UNIDO’s mandate in this project is to promote and support inclusive and Sustainable Industrial Development (ISID) in developing countries and transition economies like Nigeria.

The Country Representative and Regional Director the United Nation Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO) Regional Office Hub, Mr. Jean Bankole, who was represented by who was represented by UNIDO’s Environment Expert, Mr.

Oluyomi Banjo, emphasised that industrial production is accountable for one-third of total global energy consumption and for almost 40 per cent of worldwide CO2 emissions and called for a shift toward cleaner production and energy efficiency.

Bnkole said that the International Energy Commission (IEA) has highlighed that industries would need to reduce their current direct emissions globally by about 24 per cent in comparison to 2007 levels.

He said: “The need to reduce energy consumption, environmental degradation, and resource depletion by industries in emerging economies is especially evident, since global growth in industrial production since 1990 has been dominated by emerging economies.”

He also traced Nigeria’s march to RECP and IEE to 2017 when this project was collectively developed and submitted by UNIDO under the GEF 6 Programming Circle. This “was approved for full project development in 2017 and subsequently approved for full project implementation in 2020.

“You may wish to know that the outcome of this project is targeted at industries to develop an expert base for Nigeria that could be exported to other African countries and beyond.

“This project,” according to him, “will address to a good extent the questions on how industries can improve their efficiency, increase profitability, operate at international best standards, comply with regulations and maintain improved relationship with policy makers.”

He added that a pilot financing RECP-IEE scheme will be executed though the Standard Organisation of Nigeria. “We hope to support not less than 75 industries across five sectors of food and beverages, wood and furniture, steel and metals, textile and garment and petrochemicals. We will develop the capacity of the organised private sector and develop not less than 300 Nigerian RECP-IEE experts.

“It may interest you to know that for the first time at UNIDO, we are having an integrated IEE and RECP in one project. In South Africa, UNIDO’s project on IEE recently received the best project of the year by the Southern Africa Energy Efficiency Confederation. We look forward to replicating records like this in Nigeria,” Bankole said.

He added that “UNIDO has implemented IEE in over 18 countries around the world and has also implemented RECP in over 60 countries. This programme will create an opportunity to develop the IEE and RECP methodologies, human capacity building which will also see Nigerians being trained to a global standard as energy assessors and RECP experts.

“We are hoping that this will eventually lead to the creation of National Cleaner Production Centres in the country (Nigeria), which will

also promote circular economy.”

According to him, “in South Africa, UNIDO’s project on IEE was recently accorded the best project of the year by the Southern Africa Energy Efficiency Confederation. We look forward to replication records like this in Nigeria.”

The components of the IEE/RECP project in Nigeria include the strengthening of national industrial and environmental policies and regulatory frameworks for IEE and environmental management standards.

It also includes enhanced investment in IEE’s improvement and cleaner production within relevant sub-sectors of the Nigerian industrial sector amongst others.

WHAT IS IEE? The Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Ecowatt Nigeria Limited, Mr. Olakunle Owoeye, defined energy efficiency as the use of less energy to perform the same task or produce the same result. “IEE means the energy efficiency derived from commercial technologies and measures to improve energy efficiency or to generate/transmit electric power and heat,” Owoeye said.

He said that this concept is crucial in determining the competitiveness of manufacturing industries in the 21st century and urged manufacturers to mainstream the optimisation of sustainability schemes into the manufacturing processes.

He explained that the basis of “industrial energy management system (EnMS) is to understand the energy consumption pattern in a production environment by outlining and defining the energy flow within the facility along with the classification of energy usage and its relationship to processes and production outputs.

It is also important to identify subsidiary energy within production as the area with the greatest potential for savings through changes in operational behaviour.

The RECP methodology is based on achieving production efficiency through the optimisation of the productive use of natural resources such as materials, energy and water. This is carried out through environmental protection management in a manner that would minimise the impact on environment and nature, by preventing the generation of waste and emissions and improving the management and productive use of chemicals.

This would promote social and human development through the minimisation of risks to people and communities arising from industrial activities and supporting their own development by providing jobs and protecting wellbeing etc.

Methodology Used in Industrial Energy Efficiency Experts believed that the approach that could be used in industries to manage energy

usage still lacks appropriate measures to effectively address energy efficiency. But this could be attained through fuel switching and waste heat recovery.

Fuel switching is the change in use of one particular fuel (gas, diesel, etc) producing energy to another to save cost and increase efficiency while waste heat recovery, which referred to the collection of heat created from unwanted by-products such as the exhaust of generators, boilers, furnace, etc. to be used in another process or to fulfill another purpose.

Owoeye said that there is a need to illustrate the relationship between the energy usage and production activities in industrial facilities in order to ensure effectiveness when EnMS is implemented.

He listed some important steps that would be required when carrying out an industrial energy efficiency assessment. These steps include identifying the processes through which the industries operate, and the identification of equipment, the determination of Significant Energy Consuming Equipment or users (SECEs/Us) as well as the determination of energy flow in production processes as well as data collection, synthesis and analysis.

Common energy efficiency projects in industry are heat recovery from generator, furnace, boiler exhaust or from other heat sources, like economiser, vapour absorption chiller, waste heat recovery boiler e.t.c. Others are fuel switching such as from diesel to gas, and renewable energy integration.

The Editor-in-Chief, EnviroNews Nigeria, Mr. Michael O. Simire, said that renewable energy is sustainable because it could not be depleted. This is energy collected from renewable resources that are naturally replenished on a human timescale from sources such as sunlight, wind, rain, tides, waves, and geothermal heat.

Simire said that renewable energy is collected from renewable resources that are naturally replenished on a human timescale, which included sources such as sunlight, wind, rain, tides, waves, and geothermal heat.

“Renewable energy often provides energy for electrical generation to grid, air and water cooling/ heating, and stand-alone power systems.

“Globally, energy is identified as a critical enabler for economic development. It attracts geopolitical, social-economical, technological, environmental and legal interests’” One of the resource persons at the workshop, Dr. Obi A. Anyadiegwu of Hospitalia Consultaire Limited, enumerated the benefits of RECP to Nigeria.

“It helps companies comply with environmental standards and legal requirements and reduces the risks of non-compliance; provides tools to understand, measure and reduce the sources of waste generation and pollution.

It also fosters improved environmental performance and environmental sustainability; provides tools to track materials and energy flow, making industry morecost-aware and save costs and reduces threats and risks to humans and the environment while improving opportunities for consultancy in implementation of RECP.

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Afreximbank’s push for AfriCaribbean trade integration is a worthy move, writes BOLAJI ADEBIYI

BOLA TINUBU AND 2023 OKEY KANU reckons that the APC candidate is the man to beat in the Presidential election

See page 31

A PEOPLE WITHOUT A LEADER A people who have no leader as a reference point is as good as dead, contends TOLA ADENIYI See page 31

EDITORIAL THE 10-YEAR FOOTBALL MASTERPLAN

See page 32

HANDSHAKE ACROSS THE ATLANTIC Centuries ago, Barbados, a little island on the south-eastern shores of the Caribbean Sea, was a distribution post from where most slaves of African descent were distributed to the Caribbean to till the plantations. It was not only a place where Africans, forcefully taken away from their ancestry, toiled to enlarge the wealth of their captors, it was also a trading post for the nefarious trade in humans that depopulated and despoiled the African continent.

But last week, an epochal move was made to reverse that sad part of its history as thousands of business and government leaders from across the Atlantic met in Bridgetown, its serene capital city, to begin, what they called, course-reversal through the integration of the Caribbean into the African trade and investment loop.

Tagged ACTIF 2022, the theme, One People, One Destiny: Uniting and Reimagining Our Future, pointed to the focus of the AfriCaribbean Trade and Investment Forum, which was to reunite Africa and the Caribbean through integrative trade and investment in the belief that the citizens of the two continents are branches of the same tree.

“Our shared identity has not been lost on us. That is why over one thousand leaders, policymakers, development institutions, and captains of industry from Africa and the Caribbean have gathered here to revive the spirit of family and Pan-Africanism,” Benedict Oramah, president and chairman, Board of Afreximbank, told participants at the well-attended three-day forum as it opened last Thursday at the Erskine Sandiford Centre, Ross University in Bridgetown.

He said the forum arose out of a felt need for a reunion of African people wherever they were to take advantage of their collective talent and resources to UHGHÀQH ERWK UHJLRQV· HFRQRPLF VWDWXV contending that their working apart for \HDUV KDG QRW EHQHÀWHG WKHP “We will be stupid not to recognise that $IULFD·V ERUGHUV KDYH EHHQ H[WHQGHG WR the Caribbean; we will have ourselves to blame if we fail to realise that we are the same people and, therefore, can constitute one integrated market,” Oramah stated as he pushed the case for AfriCaribbean economic cooperation that would ensure WKDW WKH WZR UHJLRQV EHQHÀW IURP WKHLU comparative advantages.

The idea, therefore, was that the forum would provide an opportunity for the Caribbean and African business communities as well as governments to establish new commercial and strategic relationships that would expand trade and investment between the two regions.

No doubt, the dominance by the North

of the South in the endemic North-South trade had left the South with the short end of the stick giving rise to the thinking that it had become necessary that the South should trade some more among LWVHOI 7KH QHHG IRU D VKLIW LV H[HPSOLÀHG by the huge imbalance as represented by the negative balance of trade against the South countries.

For instance, although thousands of Africans are known to go to the Caribbean on vacation annually, this has been of little EHQHÀW WR $IULFD DQG WKH &DULEEHDQ DV WKH hotel accommodation, transportation and tourism arrangements are made by agencies domiciled outside the two regions. Again, in spite of the abundance RI ÀVK LQ WKH &DULEEHDQ WKH UHJLRQ LV responsible for less than one per cent of $IULFD·V ELOOLRQ LPSRUWV 0HDQZKLOH a trip from Africa which should take no PRUH WKDQ HLJKW KRXUV VWUHWFKHV WR hours or more because there are no direct ÁLJKWV EHWZHHQ WKH WZR UHJLRQV The felt needs Oramah spoke about, therefore, were clear to the participants as they discussed not just the challenges of the past but also the solutions and the path to the new economic cooperation that had brought them together. On the table was not just whether there should be trading and investment but also how the engagements would be done, ÀQDQFHG DQG LQVXUHG There were, therefore, discussions and agreements on how to open air and sea links between the Caribbean and Africa; the need for open banking and payment rails; joint ventures for industrial projects; deepening of commercial collaboration in the creative and commercial space; the need for collective protection of intellectual properties; and how to share knowledge and invest in climate adaption projects.

The discussions had immediate dividends that signposted the zeal of the facilitators of the forum to achieve their primary objective of creating a trade and investment linkage between Africa and the Caribbean. First, is the establishment of the Africa-Caribbean Business Council involving the Africa %XVLQHVV &RXQFLO &$5,&20 3ULYDWH Sector Organisation and Afreximbank.

Second, is the decision to institutionalise the AfriCaribbean Trade and Investment Forum as a platform for annual bilateral engagement. Third, is the signing of the Partnership Agreement between Afreximbank and seven Caribbean Governments of Barbados, Antigua & Barbuda, Commonwealth of Dominica, Saint Lucia, Suriname, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines.

The partnership agreement between Afreximbank and seven members of the Caribbean Community to promote

DQG ÀQDQFH 6RXWK 6RXWK WUDGH DQG investment between Africa and the &DULEEHDQ ZDV SDUWLFXODUO\ VLJQLÀFDQW because it aimed at the promotion and provision of insurance and guarantee services covering commercial and noncommercial risks associated with African and Caribbean exports.

The bank showed further commitments ZLWK WKH VLJQLQJ RI D PLOOLRQ 7UDGH and Investment Agreement with the Central Bank of Barbados to mobilise trade and investment between Africa and the Caribbean in collaboration with the CBB and local banks in Barbados. This is outside a commitment by Afreximbank WR LQYHVW D IXUWKHU PLOOLRQ LQ WKH region. ,Q DGGLWLRQ WKHUH ZHUH 0HPRUDQGD RI 8QGHUVWDQGLQJ DQG WKUHH ÀQDQFH facilities targeted at establishing concrete commercial relationships among the cooperating corporate entities.

Despite all these outcomes, there were still hanging doubts about the capacity of the facilitators to walk the talk.

“What matters is not so much the subject area, but the attitude and approach, one for collaboration, and two for de-risking, WKDW ZH FRPH QRZ WR WRGD\·V PRPHQW WR EH DEOH WR GHDO ZLWK µ 0LD 0RWWOH\ SULPH minister of Barbados, whose government collaborated with Afreximbank to birth the forum, assured, emphasising, “And that is the importance of [this] inaugural AfriCaribben Trade and Investment Forum because it allows us to see how we can work together to unlock those YHU\ GL΀FXOW LVVXHV WKDW KDYH RQO\ EHHQ made worse, regrettably by matters beyond our control.”

Oramah backed her, “We keep our SURPLVHV :H GLGQ·W WUDYHO DOO WKHVH thousands of kilometres to come and make a show. We came here for a purpose.

Coming here is an investment towards that end. The way we work, you have to UHDOLVH WKH EHQHÀWV RI WKDW LQYHVWPHQW 7KH EHQHÀWV RI WKDW LQYHVWPHQW DUH FRQFUHWH results coming out of the commitment we make here. You are going to see, in the next few months, actual things on the ground.”

If those do not clear the doubts, then WKH WKRXJKW WKDW WKH HͿRUWV RI WKH RYHU SDUWLFLSDQWV IURP $IULFDQ countries, 16 Caribbean countries and QRQ $IULFDQ DQG QRQ &DULEEHDQ countries that attended the Forum, in ZKLFK +HDGV RI *RYHUQPHQWV HLWKHU personally participated or sent high-level representatives, could not be in vain, should.

Adebiyi, the managing editor of THISDAY Newspapers, wrote from bolaji.adebiyi@ thisdaylive.com

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OKEY KANU reckons that the APC candidate is the man to beat in the Presidential election

BOLA TINUBU AND 2023

A people who have no leader as a reference point is as good as dead, contends TOLA ADENIYI

A PEOPLE WITHOUT A LEADER at the age of 92.

In the same vein, Shimon Peres was the ninth president of Israel from 2007 to 2014.

Before his time as Israel’s President, he served two terms as a Prime Minister and three terms as Foreign Minister of Israel.

At the time of his retirement, Peres was the world’s oldest head of state at 90 years old.

Let us also recall that Karolos Papoulias was the President of Greece for 10 years, from 2005 – 2015. When Papoulias retired, he was over 85 years old and is one of the oldest European presidents to ever serve.

Urbane, cerebral, cosmopolitan and detribalised, such primordial cleavage as entho-centrism, Igbophobia and religious bigotry are completely alien to Asiwaju’s character- trait, yet political jobbers are fruitlessly tarring him with an inelegant brush.

Asiwaju is a Muslim who married not just a Christian but an ordained Pastor of one of the world’s largest Christian denominations, the Redeemed Christian Church of God. Besides, Asiwaju who is not a stranger to Christian events have children who are Christians. How then can any sane person say that a liberal Muslim like him is a religious bigot simply because he picked a Muslim running mate for the strategic reason of winning an election?

And those who allege Igbo hatred of Asiwaju are perhaps not in this country when Asiwaju as Lagos State Governor told against the person of Asiwaju cannot appointed Igbo sons into his cabinet.

Divisive elements who shamelessly stand against the tide of truth.

This piece is directed against such trumpet Igbo hate need to be reminded that Asiwaju as governor ran an inclusive falsehoods.

Clinically demolishing such a mountain government, a somewhat Government of of mendacity as peddled by reactionary National Unity which saw him appointing elements and hired goons has become Nigerians irrespective of tribe or religion very imperative in the face of the burning into his cabinet. He is a talent-hunter, one need to enthrone as president next year, who hunts and mentors bright minds a progressive, people-oriented person as irrespective of tribe and religion.

This was why and how Ben Akabueze H[HPSOLÀHG E\ $VLZDMX $KPHG 7LQXEX One of the time-worn, puerile and from Anambra State, under Governor twisted narratives by traducers against Tinubu, become Commissioner for Budget Asiwaju’s presidency is age. But come to and Economic Planning, one of the think of it, what has age got to do with strategic ministries in the state.

Akabueze was Tinubu’s Commissioner quality leadership?

Absolutely nothing! For the records, for eight years,1999-2007 and would Asiwaju is younger than many current also be nominated by the same man for his current position in the Buhari world leaders.

Many former presidents around the administration, Director-General of the world were equally much older than him %XGJHW 2΀FH Tinubu equally brought another Igbo at the time they mounted the leadership son, Joe Igbokwe into government, saddles of their respective countries.

Examples abound. United States appointing him in 2006 as the pioneer President, Joe Biden, for example, was 78 General Manager of Lagos State years and 61 days old when he was sworn Infrastructure Maintenance & Regulatory in on January 20, 2021. He is America’s Agency (LASIMRA), a position Joe oldest president ever to have been elected. combined with a strategic party position, In Malaysia, age did not diminish the Publicity Secretary of the then ruling the ability of that country’s 95-year-old party in Lagos, the defunct Action Prime Minister, Mahathir Mohamad to Congress of Nigeria (ACN).

Tinubu is phenomenal. He is an asset skillfully steer the ship of his country to to Nigeria. A brilliant administrator and infrastructural and economic growth.

President Michel Aoun of Lebanon is a knowledgeable political leader who 85 and Mahmoud Abbas, the head of the understands the deep complexities of a Palestinian National Authority, is nearly GL΀FXOW FRXQWU\ OLNH 1LJHULD He is what the country urgently needs 85.

1RWH WKDW 3UHVLGHQW $RXQ WRRN R΀FH DW QRZ WR À[ WKDW ZKLFK KDV EURNHQ His eyes are set on the tasks ahead and 81 while Abbas succeeded the late Yasser no amount of naysayers’ toxic campaign Arafat at 70.

It is also worth noting that Congo- can distract him.

Brazzaville’s President is 77 and that Beji writes from Arochukwu, Abia Caid Essebsi served as the President of State Tunisia from 2014 until his death in 2019 Even his most trenchant critics know this as gospel truth: Asiwaju Ahmed Tinubu, the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in next year’s election is the main issue and the candidate to beat in that exercise.

However, naysayers who would rather deny the evidence of their eyes than accept the reality of Asiwaju’s unstoppable victory in the polls, like slave riders of old, are on the prowl, warring against the truth and trying to take it captive. %XW WKHLUV LV D IXWLOH DWWHPSW DW VWLÁLQJ a sure pregnancy that will inevitably be birthed for in the words of Miguel de Cervantes, “the truth will rise above falsehood as oil above water.”

Like oil rises above water, all the lies

Can you imagine a football team without a captain, an aeroplane without a pilot, a boat or ship without a captain, a school without a headmaster, a university without a President/ Vice Chancellor, a town without a monarch, a village without a Baale, a Church without a priest, a mosque without an Imam, an Iledi without Oluwo, a market without Iyaloja?

Just imagine… That is the state the cursed and accursed country named Nigeria by Fredrick Lugard in the last sorrowful seven years plus. Seven years of severe, slanderous, sacrilegious, sanguinary, and satanic savagery.

Seven years of lawlessness, loathsome looting and total economic ruination. Seven years of unprecedented impropriety, seven years of reckless impunity, seven years of sadistic, myopic and Stone-Age nepotism.

What else could have been expected under such clueless and rudderless atmosphere?

For starters, Aso Rock Villa, which is supposed to serve both as Seat of Government and Presidential lodge, was devoid of both.

The President was nowhere to be found.

There was no government in place except some nameless, faceless, insidious Cabal of power-mongers damned by the brilliant and outspoken Mrs. Aisha Buhari. Major General Muhammadu Buhari who was awarded the tenancy of the Villa by dollar-guzzling Media hype had to be searched for. He was later to be found by powerful searchlight on hospital bed in the UK. )RU PRVW RI WKH ÀUVW WKUHH \HDUV RI %XKDUL·V presidency, if ever there was one indeed, Major General Buhari had what was supposed to be a government tucked away underneath his hospital bed abroad. We were deceived that routine consultations were carried out by members of the Cabal which had penchant for overturning whatever actions intrepidly WDNHQ E\ D ÀJXUH KHDG 9LFH 3UHVLGHQW For over seven months into the life of the non-existent ‘government’, there were no ministers and no constituted authority, as it ZHUH WR UXQ WKH DͿDLUV RI WKH FRXQWU\ 7KLV vacuum, therefore, led to all sorts of power blocks starting with the Cabal aforementioned and closely followed by a ruthless cabal of cow-followers who obviously emerged from the ashes of the plundering barbarous Vikings of ancient Europe. They called themselves Myetti Allah and were all over the place, a noisy, cantankerous, and meddlesome group that were notorious for countering the legitimate laws of our notoriously cowardly state governors. So seemingly powerful and untouchable were members of this organization that observers and visitors to the country would think they were the government of the land.

Then came on board hordes of the unelected.

These were individuals handpicked by members of the faceless Cabal and given to spokespersons to announce to the public as trusted allies of the elected President. Such DSSRLQWHHV KDG WKH VDPH TXDOLÀFDWLRQV kinship, religion, ethnicity and a record of fanaticism. Length of beard and heaviness of turban counted in some instances as additional TXDOLÀFDWLRQ DGYDQWDJHV In the obvious absence of government, the country has been in the ‘who will touch me?’

KDQGV RI WKH EHQHÀFLDULHV RI QHSRWLVP UXQQLQJ the vital agencies of the government. Name it: Immigration, Customs and Excise, Ports, Banks DQG UHODWHG ÀQDQFLDO LQVWLWXWLRQV DQG FRXQWOHVV others. The unelected boss of Immigration dishes out orders. The man at Customs belches orders and decrees policies. Every unelected boss in each and every government establishment constitutes themselves into laws above the Law. There is no coordination,

no supervising authority and no checks DQG EDODQFHV ,PDJLQH \RXUVHOI RQ D ÁLJKW without a Pilot and your life is left in the hands of the stewards and stewardesses!

The current abysmal state of Nigeria should not surprise anybody and no one should delude themselves that the aboutWR FROODSVH HGLÀFH FDQ EH SDWFKHG XS LQ any shape or form by any angel or devil.

A country without a government for seven long years cannot wake up from deadly slumber and expect a miracle.

Leaders build institutions, institutions sustain societies governed by law and order. Law and order breeds accountability and transparency which engender good governance and development and SURJUHVV 8QIRUWXQDWHO\ D FRXQWU\ GHÀFLW in good leadership even before the advent of the gory years of current pervasive holocaust got worsened by the culture of ‘anything goes’ which in turn had ruined traces of whatever was left of those good days.

As of now, Nigerian politicians which had made themselves the yardstick of measuring leadership have failed woefully and tragically. From councillors to the peak of governmental structure there is hardly anyone that can be adjudged a good leader or a role model for the people.

In the armed forces where stories of silly stealing colour pages of the country’s newspapers, or the ministries where civil servants have eaten everything eatable down to stationeries, or the government agencies like Customs, Immigration,

Leaders build institutions, institutions sustain societies governed by law and order. Law and order breeds accountability and transparency which engender good governance and development and progress Pensions, EFCC, the NNPC where the 3UHVLGHQW KROGV WKH R΀FH RI PLQLVWHU or even in the universities and allied institutions, there is hardly anyone to point at as reference in good leadership.

It is so bad. Corruption in all its facets has eaten deep into the fabric of society and has robbed the country of leadership of any kind. The entire citizenry is groping in darkness and praying for divine intervention of any sort that will terminate this horrible nightmare of a life.

Even parents, traditional custodians of the best in human behaviour as exemplars to children and wards are nowhere to be found. They are either chasing after money, or some loot, or simply lost in the confusion which had beclouded the land.

Calamitous insecurity, the type never before experienced in Nigeria has exposed the ugly side of absence of government and absence of leadership.

High Chief Adeniyi, multi-awards winner syndicated columnist, writer, author, poet, playwright, scholar, and mystic is co-convener of Indigenous Nationalities Restoration Congress.

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EDITORIAL

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

THE 10-YEAR FOOTBALL MASTERPLAN The policy will enhance the growth of football if well implemented

P

resident Muhammadu Buhari recently unveiled the Nigeria Football 10-Year Masterplan (2022-2032). If properly implemented, it is expected that the document will address the fundamental anomalies that perennially upend football GHYHORSPHQW LQ WKH FRXQWU\ DQG EHQHÀW EURDG VWUDWD of the society. Whatever may be our misgivings about the masterplan, we endorse any idea that promotes the growth of the game in Nigeria.

More than any aspect of our national life, football has promoted our unity in diversity, brought Nigerians WRJHWKHU DW GLͿHUHQW PRPHQWV DQG HQKDQFHG WKH FRXQWU\·V perception in the comity of nations. The two-volume document proposes a holistic review of the National Sports Policy with a robust retirement plan for footballers. It proposes far reaching recommendations to what LW LGHQWLÀHG ZHUH WKH problems hampering the development of football in the country. It also covers the laws and statutes guiding the administration of football, itemizes policies to drive sponsorship and even envisions the necessary course of action to uplift professional football and return the development of the game to the grassroots by reviving school sports.

(YHU\ JHQXLQH HͿRUW WR HQKDQFH WKH JURZWK RI IRRWEDOO in Nigeria should be encouraged. “This government is interested in developing a football culture that will accommodate global best practices, and that will help the nation to lay a solid foundation for her domestic IRRWEDOO SXW LQ SODFH SURIHVVLRQDOO\ DQG H΀FLHQWO\ run leagues, entrench a consistent and stable football calendar and create a value chain which will boost the sports ecosystem,” Buhari said while launching the document.

However, the masterplan may become an exercise in IXWLOLW\ DQG FRXOG VXͿHU WKH IDWH RI VLPLODU GRFXPHQWV in the last four decades. Since the early 1970s, when we had the National Sports Policy that positively impacted on sports development, past administrations have either

been selective or been paying lip service to the holistic implementation of successive sports policies. The RXWFRPH RI VXFK QHJOHFW LV WKH KXͿ DQG SXͿ VLWXDWLRQ which our football and sports generally have sadly been reduced to in the past few years.

Besides, there is nothing original in the new document.

The Nigeria Football 10-Year Masterplan is a subtle rehash of the old National Sports Industry Policy drafted by the Samuel Ogbemudia Committee, set up by the IHGHUDO JRYHUQPHQW WR ÀQG VROXWLRQV WR WKH SUREOHPV RI VSRUWV GHYHORSPHQW LQ WKH FRXQWU\ 7KH RQO\ GLͿHUHQFH WKDW FDQ EH JOHDQHG IURP WKH HͿRUW LV PHUHO\ LQ WKH nomenclature. The National Sports Industry Policy was a comprehensive document that was left to gather molds in the shelf without any of its recommendations being implemented by the authority after several consultations with critical stakeholders and those with knowledge of sports administration.

It was also the reason why an ex-international Adokiye Amiesimaka, rejected his appointment to be a member of the current committee formed to produce the 10-year football development masterplan for the country, describing the appointment as “a waste of time and public funds”. ,Q GHFOLQLQJ WKH RͿHU $PLHVLPDND IRUPHU $WWRUQH\ General of Rivers State, said he had served on similar committees in the past, but their recommendations were never implemented. “Regrettably, there is no indication ZKDWVRHYHU WKDW WKLQJV ZLOO EH DQ\ GLͿHUHQW WKLV WLPH around. Accordingly, I respectfully decline your kind RͿHU DV WR GR RWKHUZLVH ZRXOG DPRXQW WR D ZDVWH RI P\ time and public funds,” Amiesimaka wrote in his letter to the Sports Minister, Sunday Dare.

The message from Amiesimaka is that authorities in Nigeria must begin to implement recommendations contained in many of the reports that are already available. Apart from that, having released N15 billion for football over the last seven years, there is need for government to also invest in other sports because they FDQ DOVR PDNH WKH GLͿHUHQFH ZLWK VLPLODU LQYHVWPHQW

More than any aspect of our national life, football has promoted our unity in diversity, brought Nigerians together at different moments and enhanced the country’s perception in the comity of nations T H I S D AY EDITOR SHAKA MOMODU DEPUTY EDITORS WALE OLALEYE, OBINNA CHIMA MANAGING DIRECTOR ENIOLA BELLO DEPUTY MANAGING DIRECTOR ISRAEL IWEGBU CHAIRMAN EDITORIAL BOARD OLUSEGUN ADENIYI EDITOR NATION’S CAPITAL IYOBOSA UWUGIAREN MANAGING EDITOR BOLAJI ADEBIYI THE OMBUDSMAN KAYODE KOMOLAFE

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

Letters to the Editor 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 THE DIASPORA COMMISSION AND NIGERIANS IN CYPRUS Migration has become such a raging issue in today`s world.

It explains why people from countries torn apart by poverty DQG FRQÁLFWV WDNH LPSRVVLEOH ULVNV WR PRYH WR RWKHU FRXQWULHV where they live under backbreaking conditions just to improve their lives and possibly support those they left behind at home.

It is telling of the trajectory of life in Nigeria that every year, a worrying number of Nigerians seek to migrate to other countries. The urgency with which many Nigerians seek to leave the country every year speaks more to an escape than just travel. In many ways, it speaks to a systemic problem in the country that many deem insoluble.

Nigerians are found all over the world. There is hardly any country of the world where Nigerians do not live in and try to eke out a living. And in spite of the considerable number of 1LJHULDQV LQ FRXQWULHV DFURVV WKH ZRUOG WKH\ ÀW LQ QLFHO\ DQG take up honest work, thereby shunting those whose specialty is fomenting trouble in other countries into an exceptionable minority.

Drain brain is a huge problem in Nigeria. This problem is exacerbated by the sheer number of people wo want to make the jump abroad. Nigeria continues to lose their best human re-

sources to other countries who do what is needed to attract and keep them. Education tourism and medical tourism continue to deplete Nigeria`s foreign reserves as the country continues to grapple with a disgruntled and a dispirited citizenry.

The Nigerians in Diaspora Commission was established pursuant to an Act of the National Assembly to provide for the engagement of Nigerians in diaspora in the policies, projects and development of Nigeria, and for the purpose of utilizing the human capital and material resources of Nigerians in diaspora towards the overall socio-economic, cultural and political development of Nigeria and for related matters.

Recently, the commission had a chilling warning for Nigerians already living in Northern Cyprus or those who had designs on going there. According to Abike Dabiri- Erewa, the Chairman of the commission, the country was not safe. She warned that with the country unrecognized by the United Nations, many Nigerian students had been killed there.

However, in a cynical twist of events, a group of Nigerian students under the aegis of the Nigerian Community in Northern &\SUXV 1&1& KDV UHEXͿHG WKH ZDUQLQJ DQG LQVLVWHG WKDW 1Lgerian students are safer in Northern Cyprus than in Northern

Nigeria. Dismissing the warning, the group which held a mini demonstration during which members held up several banners insisted that its members in Northern Cyprus remain safe and free from abduction, harassment, terrorism and killing of any form.

While the exchange between Nigerians living in Northern Cyprus and the federal government again highlights the tension between some Nigerians in the diaspora and the government, it is important to note that Nigerian students have met grisly ends in Northern Cyprus before. In fact, the country has never ceased to be a source of concern for many Nigerians as unpalatable stories of crimes committed against Nigerians have QHYHU FHDVHG WR ÁRZ IURP WKH FRXQWU\ Things may not be as they should be in Nigeria. However, while doing its bit to ensure the safety of Nigerians in the diDVSRUD WKH IHGHUDO JRYHUQPHQW PXVW EH JLYHQ WKH EHQHÀW RI doubt. It would only be fair that those who would at least be asked to account if something goes wrong with Nigerians anywhere should be taken seriously when they try to be proactive.

Kene Obiezu, Twitter: @kenobiezu

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WEEKLY MAGAZINE

NEWS Ayo Charity Foundation Concludes Second Edition of Elite 30 Camp See page 35

ETRENDS Dramas, Hits and Misses at 15th Headies See page 36

ART WEEKEND Becoming Britico: An Immigrant’s Story of Survival See page 37

POLSCOPE PDP: Is Wike a Blessing or a Lesson?

See page 38

DR. ANTON BIZZELL:

Group Features Editor: CHIEMELIE EZEOBI chiemelie.ezeobi@thisdaylive.com

07010510430

Blazing a Trail in Philanthropy, Reconnecting with His Roots

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COVER

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A diverse group of people galvanizing their talents to attain a common goal. Our goal is to ensure that every person of African descent is at the table or part of the solution. As an African-American CEO, I am personally invested in the prosperity and longevity of the African diaspora.

Asides the tons of philanthropic work you do, what are you most grateful for? have the great fortune of being the Chief Executive Officer of The Bizzell Group (Bizzell) and the Bizzell family of companies – one of the fastest growing businesses in the United States. This is a feat I did not reach singularly but through the cooperative efforts of many talented individuals. When I reflect on the greatest successes in history there isn’t one that hasn’t been achieved without partnership. A diverse group of people galvanising their talents to attain a common goal.

I

As a leading global authority on mental health, what can African countries do to improve awareness and deepen access to mental health care services?

For example, in 2020, Bizzell completed a study on Strengthening Nigeria’s Ability to Tackle and Reduce the Impact of Prescription Drug Abuse. The health, social and economic consequences of drug abuse are on the rise globally and the Republic of Nigeria is no exception.

Opioid use disorders and other substance abuse are not only a major public health and social problem in Nigeria, but a threat to national growth and development.

The problems are a result of both systemic and social failures making the drugs readily accessible contributing immensely to the problem.

One solution is to facilitate the creation of a high-level National Stakeholder Working Group on Substance Abuse. Another solution is providing guidance, technical assistance and capacity building to strengthen surveillance, prevention, treatment and law enforcement initiatives aimed at reducing the impact of drug use and its consequences on Nigerian communities.

What is your philosophy of life?

My philosophy is quite simple… whenever a door presents itself, quickly assess what’s behind the door and walk through to see what blessings lie behind the door Also, I’ve learned that hard work always pays off in the long run.

What is it about Bizzell Group and your areas of interest?

Bizzell is a medium-sized governmental and management consulting firm, headquartered in New Carrollton, Maryland with additional, international satellite offices around the world (including Tanzania, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Nigeria, Uganda, Thailand, and Guatemala).

I founded Bizzell, in 2010, with the intention of fostering a positive global impact by working with ministries of health and economic development in various jurisdictions to create flourishing, sustainable communities. Bizzell, through our work with the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), is committed to advancing public health interventions, policies, programs, and systems in response to current, emerging, and future public health threats and diseases.

We partner growing countries around the world to unlock global workforce, health, and technology opportunities to improve the lives of residents and economies. We focus on optimising resources and cultural values to enable sustainable progress in economic development and resident wellbeing. For reference, I have listed some of Bizzell capabilities that details the work we do globally.

In summary, our work across the world rests on three pillars: 1- Public Health Strengthening - We build capacity and provide technical assistance to local government, government departments and community organisations especially public health agencies and Ministries of Health. We deliver global health security and surveillance to combat epidemics and pandemics worldwide; 2. Economic Development - As a trusted liaison and partner, Bizzell collaborates with policymakers, trade organisations, and local entrepreneurs to convert economic development potential into employment for youth and global business opportunities.

To date, our work has helped growing countries unlock new opportunities in manufacturing, health resource development, food production, technology, and other industries. 3. Youth Empowerment and Workforce Development - We train, build youth skills, and prepare youth for the job market through our workforce development program.

Your organisation is described as involved in “high-impact fields that address critical issues of our time.” What are your corporate social responsibility objectives and what has been your impact so far?

Bizzell is committed to building healthy, secure, connected and prosperous communities around the world. Bizzell recognizes the importance of investing in communities where we exist around the globe. Through positive relationships, we support the resilience of communities where we operate and work closely with communities and local organisations to create solutions and allocate resources to enable sustainability within the communities.

Bizzell was founded with the goal of creating high, social impact through healthcare, economic development, and youth empowerment worldwide.

We believe healthy people are productive citizens.

Therefore, we are committed that every person has the opportunity to receive adequate healthcare and employment to sustain themselves, their families, and their communities.

Bizzell and its employees’ ability to highly impact social

Dr. Anton Bizzell change is driven by four core tenants:Centralised focus on investing in people and their communities; Commitment to an inclusive, diverse, and collaborative workforce; Equity, inclusion, and shared prosperity for all employees; and emphasis on sustainable corporate investment at home and abroad.

Bizzell’s global philanthropic efforts focus on the provision of effective, efficient, timely, and fiscally responsible health, youth, and economic solutions that improve the overall quality of life for people in low, emerging, and middle-income countries.

For example, we support the Leve Moi Orphanage in Goma, Democratic Republic of the Congo. Bizzell provides ongoing humanitarian support to the Leve Moi Orphanage, an organization founded to serve children orphaned by natural disasters like the May 2021 Mount Nyiragongo volcano eruption, on-going political conflict and tension, and health epidemics including HIV/AIDS, Ebola, and COVID-19. In December 2021, Bizzell donated 30 bunk beds, 60 mattresses, and dozens of mosquito nets to the Leve Moi Orphanage.

The donations, locally sourced from DRC businesses, help the orphanage serve the ongoing needs of the children in Goma, as they do not receive State funding and rely on the goodwill of donors like Bizzell to deliver essential services such as free education and meals.

Leve Moi Orphanage serves nearly 500 children each day from the surrounding community with free education, school meals and houses dozens of children overnight. In January 2021, Bizzell donated water tanks and sinks for young children living in the orphanage. That’s just the tip of the iceberg of projects that we support around the world.

communities. The facilities have standard boreholes 100m deep powered by a Grundfos grade 1 solar powered pump of over 120m capacity.

It comprises a 5,000 liters capacity ground tank that first steps down the water received from the water table before transmitting through two fiber cylinder bottle water treatment plants, and then sends the water to the 10,000 liters overhead tank before delivery to the water point platform to be fetched by end users in the community.

It is powered by state of the art energy efficient solar panels. The two identical projects are sited in Odo Ayedun-Ekiti and Oke Ako-Ekiti communities in Ekiti State. We are very proud of this intervention which is pursuant of SDGs Goal 6 on Clean Water and Sanitation. We are gratified that we have contributed tangibly to expanding international cooperation and building capacity in developing countries for water and sanitation related programs.

You once mentioned that you have traced your ancestry to Nigeria, how does this make you feel visiting your homeland of origin and receiving the chieftaincy title of Balógun Akórewolú of Odo Ayedun-Ekiti.

Nigeria holds a very special place in my heart.

People like me who are descendants of the generation of Africans who were taken from the homeland to the Americas hundreds of years ago have always had that void in our hearts to know our source and reconnect with our roots.

I am pleased to reconnect with my roots and to have witnessed the massive homecoming ceremony which the good people of Odo Ayedun-Ekiti hosted for me. I also have a new name Omowálé for which I am grateful. I am indeed happy to be back home.

You recently donated water projects to communities in Ekiti State. What is the impact you anticipate the intervention to have?

Water saves lives. Without adequate water, we will continue to have health challenges within

What are your thoughts on the role of the African diaspora in the development of African countries?

My thoughts on the role of the African diaspora in the development of African countries is found a Swahili proverb “Unity is strength, but division

On a broader note and based on your experience contributing to addressing global health challenges such as Ebola and more recently the COVID 19 pandemic, what in your view are the imperatives for strengthening health security and resilience in Africa?

In my opinion, there is going to be a different Africa that emerges from the recent global pandemic known as COVID. The Africa that emerges will be very different from the pre-pandemic Africa. At the start of the pandemic, African nations found themselves on one hand trying to save lives by purchasing and distributing vaccines to save lives while on the other hand trying to stabilize and reopen a spiraling economy. African leaders found themselves relying on others outside of the continent to secure vaccines, etc.

The post-COVID Africa must partner with the private sector especially in the manufacturing and delivery of critical equipment and medicines, but more so around improving disease management and response, Universal Health Coverage, and improved trade and investments. When we begin to address those three areas is when we address national security.

What next should Nigerians expect from you in the future?

The Bizzell Group and our families of companies are committed to Nigeria and the continent. We are looking to expand not just water projects but also additional projects of significance in the healthcare space, and training of our youth who are the leaders of today and tomorrow.

As you might know, young people make up the majority of the population in Nigeria like most African countries; as an African-American reconnecting to your roots, what is your message for young Nigerians?

My message to young Nigerians is found in an old African proverb that states “It is the young trees that make up the forest.” Simply stated, Nigeria’s youth are the future of the nation. Each one will shape their individual destinies and collectively the destiny of the entire country.

As you know, where Nigeria leads the whole of Africa goes, so if Nigerian youth get it right, we can witness a great African Renaissance in this generation. The whole world is looking to the youth of Nigeria to change the narrative and lead the advancement of an improved, innovative, technology-driven, and inclusive country, where no one is left behind.

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NEWS

Ayo Charity Foundation Concludes Second Edition of Elite 30 Camp warmed into the activities. There were a couple of intense workout routines and basketball drills that It was three days of sweat, tears, kept the players engaged from 9 and dedication at the 2nd edition am to 3 pm while day two was of the Ayo Charity Foundation more tactical and energetic.

Ayodeji and the coaches ELITE 30 Camp.

Thirty young male campers were introduced extreme drills which trained, drilled and mentored by ended up wearing the players renowned coaches and the founder out in a good way. The day ended of Ayo Charity Foundation, Ayodeji with friendly games that saw the Egbeyemi for three days at the campers very excited as they went head-on with one another on games National Stadium, Surulere.

The first day was more of an of 5 on 5.

On the final day, the basketball introduction, as the coaches and players made acquaintances and gym was live as the players put up

Stories by Mary Nnah

various displays of performances to entertain the mini crowd in attendance and to appreciate the foundation. The crowd engaged and had a swell time.

There were games played, and the day ended with the presentation of the “Most Valuable Player” (MVP) trophy, which was presented to Ekenedirichukwu Anyiam-Osigwe Speaking on this year’s camp, Founder Ayo Charity Foundation; Ayodeji Egbeyemi said, “It’s great to be back to do my bit in the sport that changed my life. Basketball has offered me opportunities beyond

AKISAN HONOURS AITY DENNIS

my imagination and it all started here, in Nigeria at this very National Stadium. I’ve seen dreams come through including mine, all because the game of basketball paved a way for me. The 30 campers this year were very impressive, though more work needs to be done. I’m particularly impressed by the youngest camper who is 12 years old.”

Ayo Charity Foundation was created to provide life-changing opportunities, through the game of basketball, for the youth in Africa and around the world.

AKISAN Honours Aity Dennis

Ayo Charity Foundation participants

Anogwi Anyanwu Conferred District Governor, Solicits Support District Governor, Lions Clubs International District 404A1, Lion Anogwi Anyanwu, has solicited continued support from members of his club as he embarks on building upon the foundations that his predecessors have laid.

Speaking during his fundraising and presentation ceremony as District Governor 2022-2023 at Harbour Point Event Centre, Victoria Island, Lagos, recently, Anyanwu said he needed such support to enable him to continue to revitalise membership growth, add more active hands in support of the club’s mission, meet humanitarian needs as well as position the club as a global leader in impactful service.

“In the last two years, I have learned more about what it takes to be a Lion and the need to lead in the Lions movement than I did from 1995 when I joined Yaba Lions Club to 2020 when my Club presented me to vie for the position of second Vice District Governor. It has been a worthy two years of leadership education”, he noted.

Anyanwu who said he joined Yaba Lions Club because he was

fascinated with the humanitarian services the club was rendering, revealed further that he was contented to participate in and attend his club activities and generally enjoyed serving humanity.

He said therefore that he was full of gratitude for the honour

and privilege accorded him by the Clubs and delegates of District 404A1 Nigeria by electing him as the District Governor for 2022-2023, adding “I humbly accept and pledged to serve the Lions of our District and humanity with love and respect.”

Lion Fortune Wagbatsoma, whom Anyanwu took over leadership from, expressed gratitude to her fellow lions for showing her kindness and support during her tenure as the District Governor and also appealed for the same support for her successor.

Multiple Council Chairperson 2022-2023, Princess Obo Edet; immediate past District Governor, Lion Fortune Wagbatsoma, and District Governor, Lion Anogwi Anyanwu at the event

International Ministers’ Family Conference Holds September 15th in Lagos A faith-based non-governmental organisation, Family Booster Ministry (FBM), is set to hold an International Ministers’ Family Conference which aims to examine the challenges ministers and church leaders facevwhile carrying out their ministerial jobs.

The event which has the theme, “Excellent Family, Excellent Church”, is billed from Thursday, September 15th to Saturday, 17th at the RCCG Maratha Church, Gbagada, Lagos.

The co-founder of Family Booster Ministry, Pastor Bisi Adewale, said the conference is borne out of the desire to look deep into the lives of pastors and church leaders.

Adewale said further that

findings at FBM revealed that many pastors, church leaders and ministers are passing through many challenges that they find it difficult to discuss with anybody, adding that some of them have issues with their marriages, and emotional battles, while others it is deep health issues and some needs new knowledge to drive their ministry.

“We also discover that the majority of pastors’ wives are not happy with the state of things at their homes. While lots of pastors’ children are turning against their parents and many youths are turning their backs on the church.”

He said therefore that for these reasons, it was necessary to help

stir up conversations about pastors’ health, marriage, finance and family life, to help strengthen these men and women who are attending to the need of others building our society.

He said Family Booster Ministry will be gathering experts to dissect issues that affect pastors and their families.

Adewale revealed further that the three-day conference, with a focus on ministry, family health, faith, parenting, marriage, finance and others, is for all categories of pastors, reverends, apostles, primates, bishops, prophets, evangelists, church leaders, church workers and their wives.

He said, “Pastors are special people, they are the ones that

most Christians call first whenever they need help, they are consulted for almost everything, at times they have to act as marriage counselors, financial counselors, psychologists, trauma healing experts, guarantors, lawyers, accountants, health experts, fathers, pillars and so on. Despite all these they are still grossly undervalued, underrated, not appreciated, not recognised, abused, maligned, hated and not well paid.”

Adewale said further that the pains of pastors are much, with many being the subject of bitter gossip in churches, yet they must not be angry but continue to smile as they suffer, wondering where pastors go when they need help.

Akwa Ibom State Association of Nigeria (AKISAN), USA, has awarded Akwa Ibom gospel music star, Aity Dennis, with the Lifetime Achievement Award.

This was presented to her at the recently concluded AKISAN convention held in Charlotte, North Carolina, USA. It was in recognition of her contribution to the cultural heritage of Akwa Ibom State and the impact of her music career which spans over two decades.

The Convention which featured intellectual discourse, and business and cultural engagements provided a fitting platform for the high-ranking gospel music ambassador to lead the audience in praise of the Almighty.

Aity held the august audience of government officials and a section of the global community captive with her contemporary praise songs.

America holds an unstoppable fancy forAity because theAKISAN Convention show was a pleasant stop in her summer tour of US cities which began in July with Celebrating Jesus Concert in Houston.

Aity also engaged American gospel music devotees at the Adore Concert in Houston and the African Christian Fellowship.

Away from the AKISAN command performance, the multiaward-winning gospel crooner jetted into New York last week.

Aity’s song, You Blow My Mind, broke the glass ceiling as the music was adopted as the theme song for the New York Festival of Praise held in Hudson, New York.

The artiste’s one-month music tour of US cities ended with loads of testimonies from her fans and audiences always yearning for more. Reliable sources have it that the indefatigable artiste is set to have a new video release on her arrival on the shores of Nigeria.

NBCC SEEKS TO RENEW ITS MUTUAL COLLABORATION WITH BRITISH AMERICAN TOBACCO NIGERIA The Nigerian-British Chamber of Commerce (NBCC), a foremost bilateral chamber of commerce in Nigeria, recently took steps to strengthen its partnership and mutual collaboration with the British American Tobacco Nigeria (BAT Nigeria).

The NBCC delegation, which was led by the Deputy President, Mr Ray Atelly on behalf of the President and Chairman of the Chamber’s Council, Mrs Bisi Adeyemi, was received by the Director, External Affairs, BAT West and Central Africa, Mrs. Odiri Erewa-Meggison, during a courtesy visit to the BAT Regional Head Office for West and Central Africa in Lagos on August 30, 2022.

In his opening address, Mr Atelly said the NBCC’s objective is to promote the interests of Nigerian and British companies, seek collaborative ways to improve trade relations and promote the mutual interests of both countries through its various activities.

While pledging the NBCC’s willingness to partner with BAT Nigeria, Atelly urged the company to actively participate in NBCC’s groups and committees’ initiatives, and further draw on the benefits of collaboration with like-minded companies with mutual interests and governance priorities.

In her address, Erewa-Meggison, expressed the desire of the company to collaborate with key stakeholders like the NBCC. “As the market leader covering 25 markets across West and Central Africa, we appreciate the need to stay close to key stakeholders in the industry. We have consistently been among the top five exporters in Nigeria and are self-sufficient in terms of forex as we look inward to fund our export.

“We operate a model that can be replicated by other exporters and are willing to share insights with other companies so that they can achieve the same feat, considering the recent forex crisis affecting the real sector in the country.

“We want to be the catalyst that drives investment in the country and we pride ourselves as a trail- blazing multinational holding ourselves to very high standards,” she added.

Odiri also highlighted BAT’s new corporate agenda to Build a Better TomorrowTM aimed at reducing the health impact of its business, noting that the transformation of BAT is also closely linked to its corporate social investment and environmental, social and governance objectives.

She stated that BAT Nigeria funds the British American Tobacco Nigeria Foundation (Ltd/Gte) (BATNF) with one percent of its revenue and is considering increasing the percentage of the funding as it looks forward to executing more agro-projects that impact the lives of Nigerians.

Other members of the NBCC delegation who were present include Mr Seyi Adeyemi, Vice President, NBCC; Mrs Theresa Ananyi, Hon Life Vice President; Mrs Anne Rinu, Head of the Advocacy Committee; and Mrs Ejiroghene Kajoh, Assistant Director, Membership.

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E-TRENDS LISA YARO FEATURES ZLATAN IN SELF-TITLED SINGLE

MUSIC SHOWBIZ

…Your weekly entertainment delight

Dramas, Hits and Misses at 15th Headies StoriesbyVanessaObioha

Lisa Yaro

Coming off of the first half of her U.S. tour with notable Afrobeats artist Flavour, Nigerian-American artist, Lisa Yaro teamed up with Zlatan in her upcoming self-titled single ‘Yaro’ featuring Zlatan.

The single marries Yaro’s sensual voice with Zlatan’s fierce lyrical barrage to create a chemistry that gives the song and visuals a perfect mix.

Filmed in a rural Nigerian community, the music video captures the essence of both artists and the raw energy of Afrobeats, which will create a spell-binding connection with audiences across the world.

The sensational artist who caught the attention of music buffs in 2021 will be releasing ‘Yaro’ on September 19, 2022.

1952 AFRICA WRAPS UP RESIDENCY PROGRAM WITH ART EXHIBITION

By Iyke Bede Following two months of mentoring and production of artworks by artists-in-residence, the first edition of the Art Accelerator programme culminated in an exhibition of select thematic works at a formal event that was held recently at the 1952 Africa office in Lekki, Lagos.

Powered by 1952 Africa, over 25 artworks, mostly oil paintings on canvas, were showcased by five artists — Janet Adenike, Oluwaseun Solomon, Ademola Ojo, Ntiense Tom-Udom, and Jane Ugah — as they sourced artistic inspirations from elements of emotions, traditions, family upbringing, nature, and gender to answer the question posed by the exhibition’s theme ‘Identity – Who Are You?’ Ntiense, who showcased femininity in her work through historic women like Mary Slessor and Ladi Kwali, says her works speak to helping tell the story of female potential and hoping it will inspire change in the 21st century and beyond.

Ugah, on the other hand, draws essence from nature to reveal the bonds that exist between humans and their immediate environment.

Ojo says his pieces are a reclamation of old customs as reflected in his works that evince the spirit of Africa nuanced by Yoruba culture in IleIfe. Other outstanding pieces were also showcased by Oluwaseun who captured the #ENDSARS movement through a very detailed piece ‘When Tomorrow Is Too Late’. His works encompass familial connections. Lastly, Adenike portrayed various forms of emotions and human connections through her unusual pieces of humanoid figures.

“I feel really grateful to witness these artists transform like this.

Not just as an artist but young African artists,” Founder of 1952 Africa, Ejike Egbuagu revealed at the exhibition.

NOLLYWOOD

As far as tradition goes, it would be highly unusual for any edition of the Headies Awards to finish without witnessing any form of drama, glitz, and gaffes. A remarkable moment of its notoriety was when producer Don Jazzy and rapper Olamide engaged in an on and off-stage feud a few years ago. This year was no different.

What would have been a moment of bromance between former label coowners Don Jazzy and D’banj when the latter was presented with a lifetime achievement award ended in perceived indifference.

D’banj had beckoned on Don Jazzy to be part of the moment, calling him up the stage. Fulfilling all righteousness, Don Jazzy obliged.

Towards the tail end of the acceptance speech, the indifference evinced by Don Jazzy became palpable. It was translated in the manner with which he hastened to leave the stage, handing back the Headies to D’banj.

With so many words left unspoken, the moment drew the attention of the viewers to their split, which at the time, was perceived as contentious.

While it was a night to honour legends, morelegendsweremade.Wizkidbecame the most awarded artist in the award’s history with 15 wins. Out of all 15, five were handed out to him that night after he gained nominations in 10 different categories courtesy of global smash hit ‘Essence’ that features Tems, and the deluxe version of the ‘Made in Lagos’ album.

Although being one of the most nominated acts that evening, it was Sunday

Goya Menor, Wizkid,Don Jazzy and the Headies drama

Are, Wizkid’s manager, who picked up some of the awards on his behalf. In the past editions, fans of the star as well as music lovers have questioned his obvious absence from the biggest award shows to emerge in Nigeria, with some coming up with several theories, one of such being that he is resident in the US and couldn’t make it. That theory was flawed this time around because the current edition was held at the Cobb Energy PerformingArts

Showmax to Premiere First Nigerian Original Limited Series ˾ ÚÚÙÓØÞÝ ÚÏÙÖßáË ÓÖËØÓ ˜ ÓÑÏÜÓË ÚÏÜËÞÓÙØÝ Showmax made two big announcements this week as it continues to provide entertainment to Africans.

First was the appointment of Opeoluwa Filani as General Manager for its Nigeria operations, a first for the streaming app which has continued to expand its presence and investment in the country.

“We’ve witnessed unprecedented growth in our paying subscriber base over the past year, and it’s become even more important to have a dedicated team at the helm of affairs of Showmax in one of our most important markets,” said the CEO of MultiChoice Connected Video, Yolisa Phahle.

“Opeoluwa brings many years of relevant experience and a refreshing perspective to business development.

His appointment couldn’t have come at a better time as this is a defining period for our business in Nigeria.

I am confident that with his experience and vision, Opeoluwa will drive Showmax Nigeria to even greater heights.”

Filani has over 16 years of senior management experience, working in various roles in Sales and Marketing. In his new role, he will oversee the Showmax Nigeria operations, providing strategic direction and implementing programs to ensure the attainment of business growth and profit objectives.

The second announcement was the premiere of its first Nigerian original limited series, ‘Diiche’, slated for September 29. The six-part psychological thriller series tells the story of Odiiche (Diiche for short) an A-list actress who becomes a prime suspect in a high-profile murder investigation over the death of her fiancé, Nnamdi.

She must take it upon herself and race against the clock to find out who killed her fiancé and exonerate herself.

However, there is more to the case than meets the eye and a backstory of almost 30 years ago, known only to her mother, reveals the tussle between good and evil.

Centre in Atlanta, USA. This simple discovery sent the Twitter space into a frenzy of words and quotes, with some saying he has no regard for the local award shows. Indeed, his presence could have elevated the award show by attracting international eyeballs. It was a total miss.

The Next-Rated category each year, is a hotly contested one that has seen the likes of Patoranking, Wizkid, Rema,

OYE, SINACH, BIZZLE, OYINKANSOLA FAWEHIMI, OTHERS JOIN THE RECORDING ACADEMY 2022 MEMBERS CLASS

and Omah Lay conveniently cart away the statue. Joining this list this year is BNXN (formerly addressed as Buju).

His win was a well-accoladed one that was drama free. Similarly Fave picked up the Rookie of the Year award, but all hell was let loose after viral sensation Goya Menor, who spawned ‘Ameno Amanpiano’, gained recognition from the awarding body.

The singer had his first ever win in the category of ‘Best Streethop Artiste’. This victory didn’t sit well with Portable. Portable was earlier disqualified from the category after he was deemed unfit by the Headies for sharing a video threatening other artists nominated alongside him. He also claimed to be the founder of crime groups terrorising neighbourhoods in Lagos.

In a video uploaded by Portable, he belittled Goya, implying that he got lucky with his hit. As a clap back, Goya shared “I wonder who’s comparing a B.sc (sic) holder who almost made a First class with someone who can’t even locate his Kg3 result. As da Street hop holder, I gat class. You can never see me dirty” to his Instagram story.

Goya’s response via Instagram was followed by a video where he donned a militia look to assert that he is the real street king. At the time of this report Portable retorted in a video saying “na me be street king, any other king be counterfeit.”

Currently, it is uncertain if their trade of words would end, however, what remained certain was that The Headies made its mark on the music landscape despite choosing a faraway destination.

RUKKY IS YEARNING FOR LOVE IN NEW SINGLE “COME MY WAY”

Tosjn Clegg

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Describing the series as an emotionally gripping and thought-provoking drama that features themes Nigerians will relate to, Executive Head, Content and West Africa Channels, MultiChoice Nigeria, Dr. Busola Tejumola said “We were very intentional about telling stories Nigerians will love and identify with.

The story of Diiche is one of fate, culture, beliefs and the battle between good and evil. We believe the story and our stellar production values will draw audiences in.”

She added that the company is expanding investments in local stories by “working closely with local talents and capabilities to ensure our identities as Africans are preserved and portrayed the way they should be.”

Directed by James Omokwe, Tolu Ajayi, Fiyin Gambo and Ifeoma Chukwuogo, ‘Diiche’ parades a vibrant mix of emerging and established Nollywood acts including Daniel K Daniel, Efa Iwara, Uzoamaka Onuoha, Frank Konwea, Uzoamaka Aniunoh, Kalu Ikeagwu, Chinyere Wilfred and Gloria Anozie-Young.

Bizzle Osikoya, Oyinkansola Fawehimi, Oye Akideinde, Sinach and a few more are some of the seasoned Nigerian music icons and industry leaders who have agreed to join the Academy as professional members of the class of 2022. It comes as no surprise that the Academy enlisted these top music execs given their impressive backgrounds, depth of expertise, and various contributions to the sector.

The academy says the invitees represent more than 13 different crafts and 22 different genres, with 56 per cent coming from underrepresented communities. Fawehimi popularly known as Foza Doza is an award winning visionary entertainment business Leader and a force to reckon with in the Nigerian Entertainment Law Industry.

She currently serves as the President of Digital Music Commerce and Exchange Limited a pan African IP valuation, catalog management and administration company based in Lagos with branches in Ghana, Tanzania and Ivory Coast.

Bizzle Osikoya on the other hand is a man in constant demand. A&R, music executive, entrepreneur, renownedculture middleman, and social media influencer with his hand in many pies.

He is also the co-founder of The Plug Entertainment;aNigeriandrivingmanagement organization. While OyeAkideinde is a music, digital &tech business executive whose 22years+ experience has been primarily in entertainment, consumer goods, eBusiness, financial, media, music, and digital sectors.

From co-founding 360nobs to running MerryGo Kids - a children animated edutainment program, he’s been very instrumental to the successes of some of the DSPs on the continent most especially Boomplay Music where he was the Director for West Africa.

Osinachi Egbu, better known as Sinach is global and Acclaimed gospel artiste and songwriter In 2021, Sinach became the first African gospel music artist to win the Song of the Year at Broadcast Music, Inc., (BMI).

Uzoma Nba

Afro-pop singer and songwriter Oghenerukevwe Emegboro popularly known as Rukky has returned with a brand new mid-tempo single titled “Come My Way”.

The Hustlers Ambition signed artist who grew up in the southern part of Nigeria is an imaginate and self taught songwriter fusing words together to create the perfect melody on his songs.

The very talented and fast rising artist taps into his lover boy side and touches on topics of love, emotions and mutual feelings in this new single.

On this song, he constantly reflects his need for his female lover to come his way, repeating the line “Come My Way” and also reassuring his lover that he is here to stay.

Rukky is making a stamp in the Nigerian music scene with this single, joining other fast rising acts to create a niche for themselves in the Afro-pop music scene.

This track Come My Way is a perfect love themed and groovy mid tempo song that is curated to get the listeners in their feelings and also get them excited.

It is an exciting track that depicts the perfect summer anthem for everyone in love with sweet lyrics bringing forth a breath of freshness in the realms of mainstream Afro-Pop.

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T H I S D AY ˾ ͷ˜ ͰͮͰͰ

ART WEEKEND

…For pure art enthusiasts

Becoming Britico: An Immigrant’s Story of Survival With more green passport holders frantically seeking for greener pastures outside their home country Nigeria, Tobi Adewusi’s fictional narrative projects the reality of relocating abroad alongside its pains and gains, Yinka Olatunbosun writes

E

veryone knows someone or a family who has left a beautiful home, a lucrative job or business to start a new life abroad. While the news may be shocking or even disturbing for those on the outside, the fact is that many Nigerian immigrants in our contemporary time are looking for better opportunities and good quality of life that may not be available in Nigeria despite their financial or educational status.

In her 150-page book titled ‘Becoming Britico,’ Adewusi tells this story of Faith, a middle-class woman whose family had to relocate to the United Kingdom after suffering a huge financial investment. From paying back investors when their crypto-business crashed to making new plans to relocate, Faith’s story is somewhat typical of the life of a Nigerian immigrant.

As the narrative reveals, immigration is a serious business in Nigeria. While it appears to be a loss to the country’s workforce, it is profitable to those who work off the radar to provide visa services, proof of funds, decluttering and other ancillary services.

The theme of survival is interwoven with the subject matters of emotional dislocation and love.

Through the character of Grandma, the writer shows how relocation takes its toll on family bond. For many young middle-class families that relocate,

this is a major crisis particularly if their aged parents and grandparents live with chronic illnesses as depicted in the story. Often, Grandma would need Faith’s reminder to take her medication promptly. However, the writer leaves the readers to figure out how the immigration would affect the aged family member who would be left behind in Nigeria.

Through Faith’s career trajectory, the writer demonstrates how being self-employed does not shield one from the financial burden of being a Nigerian. Every Nigerian is like a mini-government- you pay for your security, provide your own power and water supply and be your own health care insurer.

Perhaps, one of the reasons for writing ‘Becoming Britico’ is to inspire Nigerians in diaspora who are struggling to adjust into a new life. Faith had to endure the high cost of living and several failed attempts to secure a job in the UK but she persevered and eventually got a job.

While ‘Becoming Britico’ is not written to persuade Nigerians to search for a new life outside the shores, the author seems to empathise with those who are compelled to relocate with their family just because that is what their spouse wants or needs at that critical point in their lives.

Though non-exhaustive in narration, this journalistic easy-read seems like an expose on migration and the unwitting abandonment of a country that is fast losing its ‘home-sweet-home’ appeal.

Book Cover

Sahara Centre, Ludi Unveils Pilot Edition of Lagos Island Project Report Yinka Olatunbosun The need to understand and document Lagos residents’ perspectives on recreation, leisure and tourism has birthed the release of the journal titled ‘The Lagos Island Project Report.’

A product of the collaboration between the Sahara Centre and LUDI, the report includes insights that can provide sources of reflection for designers, architects, urban planners, real estate developers and policy makers.

In simple terms, the report draws stakeholders’ attention to the real reason why urban planning is needed- which is to improve the lives of the people. In this pilot edition of the project report, Lagos Island was selected for its economic, socio-cultural importance, Afro-Brazilian heritage and historical value as a subject of the research.

This research as well as the resultant journal is vital given the prevalence of new urban development that are said to be for the people. A case in point is the creation of new theatres in Lagos. Many of these theatres have remained inaccessible to the public and the art community for which they were supposedly constructed.

In addition, the researchers are sensitive to the history of recreation, culture and tourism in Lagos and how urban development might be eroding elements of this socio-cultural history.

With support from Goethe Institut, this research made discoveries about the huge culture and tourism potential in Lagos Island and how the creative industries and their spaces such as museums, galleries, performing art theatres are pivotal to the creation of a vibrant leisure economy.

The Sahara Centre for the advancement of culture and tourism was founded in 2019 as a non-profit. Its’ Research Director, Sahara

Research Director, The Sahara Centre, Adun Okupe and the Executive Director, Lagos Urban Development Initiative, LUDI, Olamide Ejorh at the launch of the research journal Centre, Adun Okupe revealed that the research project started long before the Covid-19 pandemic around the idea of making Lagos a more livable city.

“We engaged a tour guide who is an architect that understands the Afro-Brazilian heritage. We had interns from the University of Lagos. We had different surveys conducted with visitors, residents and business people. We looked at key hotspots and visited on different days of the week. The people were happy that their opinions were sought. They remembered with nostalgia many provisions that were there for them like the community spaces,’’ she said.

Olamide Ejorh, the Executive Director, Lagos Urban Development Initiative (LUDI) explained the rationale for publishing this report.

“We have elections next year and we also know that the economy is plummeting. Unfortunately, the people are not being heard and this is what stifles development and urban planning.

“This report highlights the fact that people are involved in all these decision making processes.

Hence, this research talks about how we can bring people together, understand their wants and needs, and how they want to use space,’’ she said.

One Year Later, Art Community in Nigeria Remembers Prof Grillo Yinka Olatunbosun One year after the demise of Prof Yusuf Grillo an iconic modernist artist, the art community and his family members organised a Grillo Memorial Art Talk 2022 tagged “Yusuf Grillo: The Man, The Message, The Myth.”

Prof Grillo who died on 23 August 2021 after a brief illness was regarded by many as a quintessential master artist and a teacher. A founding member of the Nigerian Society of Artists (SNA) in 1963, and in 1964, he was elected the organization’s first president.

He taught at Yaba College of Technology for decades, and served as Head of the Department of Art, Design & Printing and eventually became the Rector for the entire institution until his retirement. Grillo was passionate about teaching his students the foundational methods of art-making as the building blocks to develop their own artistic language. Today, the art gallery on campus bears his name.

Prof Dele Jegede, painter and art historian has said that personality like Prof Grillo should be immortalized.

While commending the GRILLOArt Ltd for organizing the first memorial for the art icon, he proposed a Grillo Project to which he said there should be an annual fund raising to achieve its aim.

“The aim is to place his name in human consciousness,’’ he said.

Morayo Anthonio, Grillo’s daughter noted that GrilloArt Ltd was established to preserve art works of his father and for posterity sake. She also revealed that the family has embarked on a project, a memorial museum that could serve as a tourist centre and resource centre for students and art lovers.

“Yusuf Grillo Memorial Museum will preserve the workspace of our late father which was attached to his residence as an exhibition centre and resource for younger artists. We planned to open up the structure and some of the artifacts from his life for field trips for schools and institutions and for art tourism,” she revealed Renowned artist, Dr. Kolade Oshinowo described Prof. Grillo as a selfless man whom many benefited from.

He also attributed his first successful exhibition in Lagos to late Prof Grillo.

“The first exhibition I had in Lagos was courtesy of late Prof Grillo who was accommodating and always after my wellbeing. For me, that exhibition was a major breakthrough and from then, we bonded. Prof Grillo allowed me to stand on his shoulder to see the horizon.

Our relationship was more than that of a father and son.

“He manages his time well and has no time for lazy people. He doesn’t like unusual exposure and he fought to establish what art is now. He is a selfless man a lot of people benefitted from him. Some of us are still going through the trauma of losing.”

Pa Timothy Fasuyi, one of the founding fathers of Nigerian art who first met Prof Grillo in 1956 described the late scholar as a hardworking man and a man of peace.

“I am mentioning all this to educate the young and upcoming artists that we need to supplement our talents with hard work to reach the top.’’

Mr Bernard Aina, a sculptor recalled that Grillo’s paintings subject matter present and contextualise on the Yoruba philosophy as an emerging contemporary or the modernity of Yoruba culture which focus on the female figure in the face of the new adopted ways of life.

He remarked that one critical effort noticeable in Grillo’s work is his attempt to reconcile the Yoruba aesthetic object with the feeling and craft of the Western craftsmanship that he must have acquired from Zaria.

“His subject reflects both the Yoruba aesthetic object and the western drawing skills available in his painting compositions to be studied Nigerian,” he stated.

T H I S D AY ˾ ͷ˜ ͰͮͰͰ

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POLSCOPE PDP: Is Wike a Blessing or a Lesson? áÓÞÒ ÎÎã ÎÓàáÜÓ ÏÎÎã˛ÙÎÓàáÜÓ̶ÞÒÓÝÎËãÖÓàÏ˛ÍÙט ͸΀͸ͽ ͻ͸; ΁ͻͽ;

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hatGovernorNyesomWikeof Rivers State has seized the headlines for over three months now is no exaggeration. In a way, his name now collocates with crisis, especially in his party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). There is hardly a day that there is no story on Wike on the front pages of the nation’s newspapers.

Yes, many have described him as beautiful hot bride. But of what use is a bride that never really gets married by any of the thronging suitors or whose marriage does not survive the next summer?

The two most prized attributes that have traded the Wike brand in Nigeria’s political stock exchange is cash and courage. And there appears to be a surfeit of both.

Governor Wike practically sits on a cash dump, what with all the financial fortunes that have been his lot in recent years. Beside the huge earnings from being a leading oil producing state, the recent court judgement ceding the disputed 17 oil wells in Ndoni and Egbema (between Imo and Rivers State) to Rivers State has gone a long way in enriching Rivers State.

The financial fortunes this transloads into the treasury of Rivers State is better imagined.

This is aside the N78 billion the state got as refund from the federal government for the repair of federal roads in the state, last year.

So, from all corners, the economic fortunes of Rivers State has been maximally buoyed and it all reinforces the confidence with which Governor Wike roars and rattles.

No doubt, the governor has engaged in several and multiple infrastructure development projects, especially flyovers, which are being commissioned, in phases, with so much fanfare.

With the resources at his disposal, Gov Wike, so-to-say, became the messiah for the PDP after the loss of the 2015 presidential election. Yes, Wike stood in defence and protection of the party, almost single-handedly. He saved the party from going extinct.

And that, in a way, has given him the inexplicable sense of entitlement in wanting to appropriate the party, forgetting that it is neither a private property, nor an extension of Rivers State.

It is this entitlement syndrome that made Gov Wike feel very strongly that he would win the Presidential ticket. Did you notice and remember the colourful road show of his many branded campaign vans, days before the PDP primary election? (I wonder where those buses are now). Little wonder he was so devasted when he lost.

The other attribute is the courage. Governor Wike has shown huge courage in many ways.

The challenge, for instance, of the VAT deductions by the federal government in his state is clearly a show of courage. But who would have all those cash backings and not roar like a lion in a jungle?

But in the exercise of this courage, Wike seems to have crossed the lines of decency and decorum. Not for him the restrains of his office as a governor. He is a governor, but the ethos, aura and carriage of a governor are far from him. He speaks unguarded, what with his many barbed comments. He is even garrulous. There is nobody that he cannot attempt to browbeat in the crudest manner.

Gov Wike practically rants endlessly like a termagant woman. Nothing is spared. Nothing and no one is ignored. He fires back at every dart thrown his direction.

It was Winston Churchill, former American President who said, “You will never reach your destination if you stop and throw stones at every dog that barks”.

Wike appears to be that man hauling stones at every barking dog. Little wonder the presidency he sought to occupy will almost perpetually be a mirage.

In a way, his loss at the PDP presidential primary and the subsequent loss in the choice of who becomes the PDP’s running mate to the presidential candidate, has showcased, most brazenly, the character content of Mr Nyesom Wike, as he clearly lacks the presidential etiquette and accoutrements. Last May, while in a so-called church Thanksgiving service in Port Harcourt, he berated those aversed to his ways cursing out, “Thunder fire you”---in the church!

Ever since the loss at the presidential primary and the running mate nomination, Wike has been hurting and growling like a bruised dog.

He is being accused of being a bad loser, as he appears implacable. Rounds of reconciliation

Iyorchia Ayu

Wike committees have been set up, meetings have been held within and outside Nigeria to appease him and woo him back to the party, but none of these efforts has yielded any fruit thus far.

All of these shenanigans were launched by Gov Samuel Ortom of Benue State, who is fast becoming like Wike’s Man Friday. Wike had indeed declared for the presidential race in Benue State. Ortom, it was who first fired hot volleys at former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, who won the PDP presidential ticket, for not personally visiting Wike and courting him, instead of sending emissaries to him (Wike). And that was the intro needed to launch into the extensive drama show we have been seeing. Somebody has described Wike as an executive comedian, whose script content has not stopped entertaining the Nigerian public, what with those funny dance steps!

Wike argues that he oxygenated the PDP when it went comatose. True. But some people laid the PDP foundation on which Wike built on. Without the foundation Wike could not have built on nothing. He could not have added something to nothing. There was something before he came on board.

Indeed, the PDP made Wike. Almost everything in Wike’s Curriculum Vitae will begin and end with PDP. There is hardly any record of where else Wike has worked all his life beside the PDP and its tributaries.

His first entry into public service was as Chairman of Obi-Akpor Local Government Area in Rivers State, then became Chief of Staff to former Governor Rotimi Amaechi and then a Minister of state for Education, and later (till now) as governor of Rivers State, all under the platform of the PDP. So, his loyalty to the party, though commendable, is expected, as anything to the contrary would have been a great mark of betrayal and ingratitude, because it is not out of place to say the PDP made Wike, and not the other way round. That is why those opposed to Wike’s bossy carriage in the party liken it to a tail trying to wag the dog and not the dog wagging the tail.

The non-emergence of Gov Wike either as the presidential candidate of the party or the running mate to the presidential candidate should not result to the melodrama that has continued to play out since the party’s presidential primary ended last May. No doubt, the prolonged crisis has delayed the take-off of the campaign machinery of the party, even as the campaigns will officially kick off at the end of this month.

Gov Wike has practically become a bone in the throat of the party, in a way that it is now debatable whether he (Wike) has been a blessing or a lesson for the other chieftains of the party.

He has ostensibly split the party. Some four sitting state governors: Okezie Ikpeazu (Abia), Seye Makinde (Oyo) Samuel Ortom (Benue) and Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi (Enugu) as well as former state governors like Donald Duke (Cross River) and Olusegun Mimiko (Ondo), have formed a camp around Wike.

In no little way, they have helped to stoke the fire of tension and division in the party.

The party’s National Working Committee (NWC) meeting held yesterday. The Chairman of the Board of Trustees (BoT), Senator Walid Jibrin resigned his position to assuage the complaints of lopsidedness against the south.

But would that suffice for Wike? Nobody can exactly predict what Wike will do.

He shunned the meeting Atiku held with presidential aspirants two days ago. He has continued to demand the resignation of the party’s national President: Dr Iyorchia Ayu, from office. Ayu and many of the top leaders of the party, have sworn that Ayu is going no where, at the instance of Wike. As one of them put it, whether the cock crows at dawn or not the sun will still rise the next day.

That he operates in the mode of a brutal dictator is beyond argument. It is either his way or there would be a fight.

A few of his allies, like Senator Lee Maeba, Hon Austin Opara, former Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, who have decided to connect with Atiku directly, have been declared as saboteurs and wike is bent on “finishing them” Already, the filling station belonging to Chinyere Igwe, a member of the House of Reps and a relation of Austin Opara has been sealed on Wike’s orders. In the same vein, a hotel belonging to Ikenda Chinda, a relation of Austin Opara was also sealed, ditto the Lounge of Ogboda Jones.

Their offence is relating with Atiku when, he the political emperor in Rivers has not given them the permission to so do.

Months earlier, he had thrown a governorship aspirant, Hon Farah Dagogo into prison detention for 62 days on the allegation that he (Dagogo) planned to bomb PDP secretariat where the screening of governorship aspirants in the state was taking place. He was released long after the primaries had ended.

The Rivers governor acts with the maximum grip of an emperor, even to his fellow governors. His fall out with Gov Godwin Obaseki of Edo State stems from the latter’s belief that Wike was turning out to be a bully.

He forgets that Opara and Maeba, for instance, are politically his seniors. Wike owns today, but surely not tomorrow. In about eight months from now, he probably will be in political Siberia The resignation of Ayu cannot guaranty that there would be peace in the PDP. Wike could yet work against the interest of the

party whether or not Ayu quits. Worse still, the constitution of the party requires that if the national chairman resigns or leaves, he/ she would be replaced by the most senior member of the party’s NEC from that same zone. So, even if Ayu quits, constitutional provision would require somebody from the North central zone of the party to fill the space, and not somebody from the South, as being demanded by Wike and his ilk.

Wike was largely responsible for the emergence of Ayu, the same way he influenced the emergence of former Kaduna State governor, Ahmed Makarfi, and even his kinsman, Uche Secondus, as national chairmen of the party at various times. Whenever he wanted whoever out, he had his way. The way Secondus was ousted, at Wike’s instance, is still being challenged in the court. Wike’s critics are worried about his over-bearing influence in the party, especially as he carries on with the sense of a Sole Proprietor.

Many nurse the fear that Wike could remain in the party and yet serve the interest of rival parties.

They argue that Gov Wike may not openly decamp from the party, essentially because of his state’s governorship contest, but he would most likely work for another party during the presidential election. He is a suspect as far as the interest of the PDP is concerned.

Many have said the party should call the bluff of Wike, stressing that with or without him, the election will still hold, after all, even a bad clock is twice right in a single day.

Gov Wike has offered to help the party lose the election, if it won’t be serious. That sounds like an anti-party declaration. When you factor in the fact that he had held several hob-nobbing meetings with leaders of the other political parties like Bola Tinubu’s All Progressive Congress (APC), as well as Peter Obi’s Labour Party (LP), then you will take his threat to help the party (PDP) lose the election, a little more serious.

Early in the week, he was at Abia to commission a flyover bridge of Gov Ikpeazu. He told the Abia audience that Alhaji Atiku and Okowa, his running mate, have shared up prized offices among themselves, and nothing was left for Abia State. That was surely meant to create bad blood and hatred between the Abia PDP members and the party leadership, especially as it concerns the presidential election. If that is not anti-party, then I hardly can explain it.

Wike has just one vote. But he can influence thousands of other votes. That is his bluff point.

But right now, what are his choices? Will he decamp and risk losing the governorship of his state or will he hang out there in PDP, cause enough distraction and loss of valuable steam for the presidential contest? Head or tail, PDP elders will have to judge whether Governor Nyesom Ezenwo Wike is a blessing to the party or a lesson to them all.

T H I S D AY ˾ DAY ͷ˜ 2022

39

IMAGES

Photo Editor Abiodun Ajala Email abiodun.ajala@thisdaylive.com

L-R: Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Boss Mustapha; and Chief of Staff to President Muhammadu Buhari, Professor Ibrahim Gambari, during the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting held at the Council Chambers of the Presidential Villa in Abuja …recently PHOTO: GODWIN OMOIGUI

L-R: Deputy Director, External Relations Department, Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), Mr. Mohammed Bagudu; Director-General, SEC, Mr. Lamido Yuguda, and Edo State Deputy Governor, Mr. Phillip Shaibu, during a meeting between SEC team and Shaibu in Benin-city, Edo State…recently

L-R: Category and Brand Manager, PZ Wilmar Limited, Abidemi Ajayi; Face of Mamador, Tracy Sophia; winner of Explore Your Flavour Challenge, Glory Ige; Human Resources Director, PZ Africa, Joyce Coker; Assistant Category and Brand Manager, Fatimat Lawal- Ademo; and Head of Marketing, PZ Wilmar Limited, Chioma Mbanugo, during the third edition of the Mamador August Women meeting in Lagos…recently PHOTO: SUNDAY ADIGUN

L-R: Assistant Personnel, Viju Milk Limited, Mr. Moses Kokeyah; Head of Sales, North and South, Viju Milk Limited, Mr. Augustus Qu; Wesley Guild Chairperson, Dame Adetope Tychus; and the 2022 Harvest Thanksgiving Planning Committee Leader, Wesley Cathedral Olowogbowo, Lagos, Mr. Aramide Tola Noibi, at the 2022 Juvenile/Youths Annual Thanksgiving Service of the church in Lagos…recently

L-R: Deputy Director, Operation, National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), Mr. Bashir Idris; DirectorGeneral, NEMA, Mustapha Habibu Ahmed; Director, Rescue and Research of the agency, Air Commodore Edward Adedokun; and Deputy Director, Risk Reduction of the agency, Mr. Daniel Obot, during the inauguration of newly acquired search and rescue vehicles and equipment in Abuja… recently PHOTO: ENOCK REUBEN

L-R: Nigeria’s Country Programme Director, AIDS Healthcare Foundation, Dr. Echey Ijezie, UNAIDS Country Director to Nigeria, Dr. Leo Zekeng; and Director Advocacy, Policy and Marketing, AHF Africa Bureau, Ms. Oluwakemi Gbadamosi, during the familiarisation visit of the UNAIDS Country Director to AHF Nigeria Country Programme office in Abuja...recently

L-R: Managing Director, Alpha Mead Development, Wale Odufalu; Group Executive Director, Corporate Services, Alpha Mead, Dele Aloko; Nigerian Environmentalist/Chairman, Lekki Urban Forest and Animal Shelter Initiative (LUFASI), Desmond Majekodunmi; Group Managing Director, Alpha Mead, Femi Akintunde; Managing Director, Alpha Mead Healthcare, Osayomore Ossuetta; and Managing Director, Alpha Mead Facilities, Wole Olufore, at the Alpha Mead Group Clean Air Day Awareness Walk in Lagos...recently

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T H I S D AY ˾ ˜ SEPTEMBER 9, 2022

BUSINESS/MONEYGUIDE

ENL Consortium, Sinoma Cargo Sign Agreement to StrengthenTradeTies Between Nigeria and China Gilbert Ekwugbe Sinoma Cargo International Nigeria Limited has signed an agreement with Nigeria’s leading terminal operator, ENL Consortium Limited, to boost shipping trade between China and Nigeria.

The agreement was signed in Lagos on Wednesday at the 5th China-Nigeria Logistics Special Line Platform Supply Chain Conference.

The conference, which is held annually, was organised by the Lianyungang Port Holdings Group Co.,Ltd, Sinoma International (Nanjing) Engineering Co.,Ltd, NJZC International Construction Nig. Ltd and ENL Consortium Ltd. In his address at the event, the Commercial Consul of Consulate-General of the People’s Republic of China in Lagos, Guo Pengwen,

noted that the existing bilateral relationship between Nigeria and China has huge potentials, following the trade volumes between the two countries.

“China-Nigeria special line logistics is also promising. In international trade, logistics is a very important link, which plays a very important role in the cost, safety, convenience, and timeliness of international trade.

The superposition of international geopolitical conflicts, the epidemic of the century, and the changes of the century have led to violent fluctuations in the global supply chain, and the cost of international logistics and warehousing has risen sharply.

“To build a new development pattern of domestic and international dual circulation, it is necessary to make up for the shortcomings of international logistics as soon as possible, and create a global supply chain

logistics system that works for us,” the Commercial Consul said.

In her presentation, the Executive Vice Chairman/CEO of ENL Consortium, Princess Vicky Haastrup, recounted how the trade relationship between Nigeria and China has evolved since the 1970s.

“Given these trade relations, the rise of the Chinese economy has changed the direction of Nigeria’s trade and investment from its traditional trading and investment partners such as the United States and Western Europe towards China, India, and Brazil.

Also speaking, the Chairman, Nigerian Ports Consultative Council, Otunba Kunle Folarin, expressed optimism that Nigeria-China trade relations will continue to grow considering the huge economic potentials of both countries.

L-R: Registrar and Chief Executive, Chartered Institute of Stockbrokers (CIS), Josiah Akerewusi; 1st Vice President, Oluropo Dada; President, Oluwole Adeosun; Head of Civil Service, Edo State, Anthony Okungbowa; Director-General, Securities and Exchange Commission ( SEC), Yuguda Lamido and 2nd Vice President, Fiona Ahimie during the 26th Stockbrokers’ Conference in Benin City...recently

UBA Foundation Opens Portal For NEC 2022, Prize Money Up 40%

MARKET INDICATORS

Nume Ekeghe

MONEY AND CREDIT STATISTICS

UBA Foundation, the corporate social responsibility arm of the United Bank for Africa (UBA) Plc, has announced the commencement of the 2022 edition of its National Essay Competition (NEC) in Nigeria with a call for entries.

The annual National Essay Competition (NEC) is part of UBA Foundation’s education initiative, which is aimed at promoting literacy and encouraging healthy and intellectual competition amongst senior secondary school students in Nigeria and across the African continent.

Now in its 12th edition, this year will witness increased participation of students from Senior Secondary Schools across Nigeria, who are now able to

submit their entries with ease from the comfort of their homes or schools through the UBAF NEC digital submission portal: https://www.ubagroup.com/ national-essay-competition/ For the past three years, UBA Foundation has been reviewing the prizes upwards to reflect economic realities and inflationary effects. The NEC 2022 prizes have increased significantly by 40% from last year.

The first prize winner will receive an educational grant of N5 million to study at any African university of their choice, up from the N3.5 million in 2021.

The second and third prizes now stand at N3 million and N2.5 million educational grants rising from N2.5m and N2 respectively.

Also, winners of the 12 best essays will go home with brand new Laptops and other

educational tools to help them with their tertiary research work and other studies.

The Chief Executive Officer, UBA Foundation, Mrs. Bola Atta, said that with the digital submission portal, more students in secondary schools across the country will have the opportunity to scan and send in their entries and compete to win educational grants for study at any university of their choice on the African continent.

She said, “Overtime, we have worked hard to ensure that our UBA Foundation programmes continue to impact lives in meaningful ways. We realise that the use of technologically driven initiatives is part of the modern day and we would like to reach students in their comfort zones.

Grand Oak Honours Distributors, Consolidates Sales Strategies Grand Oak Limited, leading marketer and exporter of alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages, treated a key group of its stakeholders, the company’s distributors to a full-day of fun, capacity development and team bonding, at its annual distributors conference in Lagos.

In his welcome address, the Group Executive Director, Mr. Adekunle Rosiji, recognised the support of the GOL distributors, as well as the Sales and Marketing team of the company. While reiterating the company’s dedication to growing with its distributors in Nigeria and strengthening their sales network, he said, “Our distributors have been instrumental to our success as a company. This event is always an opportunity to celebrate loyalty,

tenacity, resilience, in an ambient environment. Most importantly, it allows us to share knowledge about the market and navigate its challenges, as we reveal plans for the realization of our collective objectives. Upon the conclusion of this conference, I am confident that our team and partners would work progressively to deliver a successful financial year.”

Unveiling the theme of the 2022 conference tagged, “Be the Grand Oak”, the Executive Director, Operations and Finance, Mr. Wale Majolagbe called on distributors to embody the attributes of the grand oak tree in their respective businesses, which will guarantee business longevity and continuity.

Director of Marketing and In-

novation, Mr. Obi Ike described the relationship between the company and distributors as friendly and mutually beneficial.

A key distributor, Chief Mrs Morenike A. Williams of Mokeb Ventures, Lagos, grateful for Grand Oak Limited’s leadership team and the company’s support, said doing business with the company assures her of moving sales and profit.

National Sales Manager, Mr. Olubusuyi Olofin, said, “We owe a lot to our regional distributors who have been strong pillars of support, complementing our sales efforts. During the pandemic, the industry was tested. Our distributors stayed strong, giving us more reason to keep at what we do – pouring brilliant African spirits into the world.”

Clickafix Excites Customers with 80% Discount on Hair and Beauty Services In its bid to reward customers for their patronage since the beginning of operations in Lagos, Clickafix is offering up to an 80% discount on hair and beauty services for its male and female customers in Lagos. Announcing the gesture in Lagos, the Marketing Director, Clickafix, Arusha Goswami, said the discount is a small way to show appreciation to Lagos-based customers who have chosen Clickafix as the marketplace for skilled artisans.

Goswami said for customers to enjoy the discount, they only need to order the services of the preferred barber or hair specialist and enter the promo code “Thank you80” and the artisan will report to their door at the discounted rate. She said there are hundreds of trained, tried-and-trusted hair and beauty specialists on the app who would render excellent service to customers.

She added that the promo, which would run for a limited

time, is also available to new customers who only need to download Clickafix from their Play store or IOS, register their details and enjoy access to the beauty specialists and other artisans on the app. Clickafix is a one-stop platform for trained artisans like carpenters, electricians, plumbers, technicians for generators, air conditioning, refrigerators, home appliances, barbers, hair and beauty specialists, fumigation, and home cleaning.

(MILLION NAIRA)

JUNE 2022 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

˾ 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 AS AT THURSDAY, MAY 7

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).

41

T H I S D AY ˾ ˜ ͷ˜ ͰͮͰͰ

Onyema: Capital Market Has Irrefutable Role to Play in Improving Agricultural Sector Kayode Tokede The Group Managing Director and CEO, Nigerian Exchange Group Plc, Oscar Onyema,has stated that the agricultural sector can be the game-changer in terms of generating the much-needed foreign exchange for the Nigerian economy.

Onyema who made this known at the 26th Annual Chartered Institute of Stockbrokers’ (CIS) conference held in Benin

City said the capital market has an irrefutable role to play in improving the Agricultural sector.

Delivering a special remark at the conference, Onyema noted that food security and agricultural development are inextricably linked.

Quoting the Q2 2022 GDP report from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), he stated that crop production is the major driver of the agriculture sector, as it accounts

P R I C E S MAIN BOARD

F O R DEALS

for 91.99 per cent of the overall nominal growth of the sector in the second quarter of 2022.

According to him, Nigeria’s arable land area of 34 million hectares translates to a myriad of opportunities to achieve food security. “It comes as no surprise that Agriculture accounts for about 24 per cent of Nigeria’s GDP and Nigeria is a leader in various types of agricultural production, such as palm oil, cocoa beans,

S E C U R I T I E S MARKET PRICE

QUANTITY TRADED

pineapple, and sorghum.

“In terms of generating the much-needed foreign exchange for the Nigerian economy, the Agriculture sector continues to show strong potential. In 2021, Europe was Nigeria’s main trade partner in terms of agricultural product exports.

As of the fourth quarter of 2021, the export value of agricultural products to Asia amounted to approximately N68.2 billion - roughly $164.3

T R A D E D

VALUE TRADED ( N )

MAIN BOARD

A S

million. Asia was the second largest destination region for the products, as the exports added up to around N55.7 billion, corresponding to $134.2 million, “Onyema said.

He noted that the Nigerian capital market which aids longterm capital formation could be a good engine for driving growth and development in the agriculture sector while adding that it has become imperative to promote both new and existing

O F

0 8

instruments for the optimization of this sector.

The GMD thereafter reiterated that NGX Group is more committed than ever to supporting efforts aimed at stimulating economic growth by providing platforms for businesses and individuals to raise capital through innovation, diversified products and services, enabling a regulatory environment, which will in turn unlock value for stakeholders.

/ 0 9 / 2 0 2 2 DEALS

MARKET PRICE

QUANTITY TRADED

VALUE TRADED ( N)

42

FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 9, 2022 •T H I S D AY

43

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 9, 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 07Sept-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 189.97 191.12 13.81% Afrinvest Plutus Fund 100.00 100.00 7.53% Nigeria International Debt Fund 312.53 312.53 9.04% Afrinvest Dollar Fund 105.50 106.65 6.93% AIICO CAPITAL LTD ammf@aiicocapital.com Web: www.aiicocapital.com, Tel: +234-1-2792974 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn AIICO Money Market Fund N/A N/A N/A AIICO Balanced Fund N/A N/A N/A 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 7.32% Anchoria Equity Fund 137.83 139.39 -1.02% Anchoria Fixed Income Fund 1.18 1.18 3.31% 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 21.08 21.71 3.91% ARM Discovery Balanced Fund 508.50 523.83 12.71% ARM Ethical Fund 42.47 43.75 9.02% ARM Eurobond Fund ($) 1.08 1.08 0.19% ARM Fixed Income Fund 1.06 1.06 4.27% ARM Money Market Fund 1.00 1.00 9.97% AVA GLOBAL ASSET MANAGERS LIMITED info@avacapitalgroup.com Web: www.avacapitalgroup.com; Tel 08069294653 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn AVA GAM Fixed Income Dollar Fund 90.63 90.63 -6.25% AVA GAM Fixed Income Dollar Naira 1,095.86 1,095.86 9.59% AXA MANSARD INVESTMENTS LIMITED investmentcare@axamansard.com Web: www.axamansard.com; Tel: +2341-4488482 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn AXA Mansard Equity Income Fund 143.09 144.09 7.53% AXA Mansard Money Market Fund 1.00 1.00 9.86% CAPITAL EXPRESS ASSET AND TRUST LIMITED info@capitalexpressassetandtrust.com Web: www.capitalexpressassetandtrust.com; Tel: +234 803 307 5048 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn CEAT Fixed Income Fund N/A N/A N/A Capital Express Balanced Fund(Formerly: Union Trustees Mixed Fund) N/A N/A N/A CAPITALTRUST INVESTMENTS AND ASSET MANAGEMENT LIMITED halalfif@capitaltrustnigeria.com Web: www.capitaltrustnigeria.com; Tel: 08061458806 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Capitaltrust Halal Fixed Income Fund N/A N/A N/A CARDINALSTONE ASSET MANAGEMENT LIMITED mutualfunds@cardinalstone.com Web: www.cardinalstoneassetmanagement.com; Tel: +234 (1) 710 0433 4 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn CardinalStone Fixed Income Alpha Fund 1.01 1.01 5.80% CHAPELHILL DENHAM MANAGEMENT LTD investmentmanagement@chapelhilldenham.com Web: www.chapelhilldenham.com, Tel: +234 461 0691 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Chapelhill Denham Money Market Fund 100.00 100.00 10.37% Paramount Equity Fund 19.14 19.49 9.86% Women's Investment Fund 146.13 147.90 2.95% CORDROS ASSET MANAGEMENT LIMITED assetmgtteam@cordros.com Web: www.cordros.com, Tel: 019036947 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Cordros Money Market Fund 100.00 100.00 9.63% Cordros Milestone Fund 130.92 131.84 5.24% Cordros Dollar Fund ($) 111.06 111.06 5.01% 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 9.41% EDC Nigeria Money Market Fund Class B 1,000,000.00 1,000,000.00 10.38% EDC Nigeria Fixed Income Fund 1,116.77 1,136.29 0.48% 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 N/A N/A N/A Emerging Africa Bond Fund N/A N/A N/A Emerging Africa Balanced Diversity Fund N/A N/A N/A Emerging Africa Eurobond Fund N/A N/A N/A 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 1499.43 1499.43 11.47% FBN Balanced Fund 193.36 194.68 10.33% FBN Halal Fund 123.20 123.20 10.76% FBN Money Market Fund 100.00 100.00 10.07% FBN Dollar Fund (Retail) 125.72 125.72 5.97% FBN Nigeria Smart Beta Equity Fund 158.00 160.14 5.26% 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 1.00 1.00 8.53% Legacy Debt Fund 3.56 3.56 -11.08% Legacy Equity Fund 1.88 1.91 7.90% Legacy USD Bond Fund 1.24 1.24 2.79% 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

N/A N/A N/A

N/A N/A N/A

N/A N/A N/A

FSDH Dollar Fund N/A N/A N/A 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 100.00 100.00 10.26% Vantage Balanced Fund 2.93 2.97 2.88% Vantage Guaranteed Income Fund 1.00 1.00 6.00% Kedari Investment Fund (KIF) 142.66 142.66 4.01% Vantage Equity Income Fund (VEIF) - June Year End 1.24 1.27 2.20% Vantage Dollar Fund (VDF) - June Year End 1.06 1.06 0.78% 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 1.61 1.64 13.28% Lotus Halal Fixed Income Fund 1,168.01 1,168.01 6.38% 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 12.05 12.13 10.64% Meristem Money Market Fund 10.00 10.00 10.93% 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) 102.39 102.39 9.67% Norrenberger Money Market Fund (NMMF) 100.00 100.00 11.16% 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 N/A N/A N/A PACAM Fixed Income Fund N/A N/A N/A PACAM Money Market Fund N/A N/A N/A PACAM Equity Fund N/A N/A N/A PACAM EuroBond Fund N/A N/A N/A 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 3,534.52 3,568.41 4.35% Stanbic IBTC Bond Fund 241.57 241.57 2.55% Stanbic IBTC Ethical Fund 1.39 1.41 11.11% Stanbic IBTC Guaranteed Investment Fund 325.76 325.77 4.04% Stanbic IBTC Iman Fund 257.91 261.73 10.57% Stanbic IBTC Money Market Fund 1.00 1.00 10.20% Stanbic IBTC Nigerian Equity Fund 11,693.17 11,852.81 7.18% Stanbic IBTC Dollar Fund (USD) 1.34 1.34 3.53% Stanbic IBTC Shariah Fixed Income Fund 119.62 119.62 2.32% Stanbic IBTC Enhanced Short-Term Fixed Income Fund 112.03 112.03 5.32% 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 0.95 0.97 7.25% United Capital Balanced Fund 1.34 1.36 2.63% United Capital Wealth for Women Fund 1.12 1.14 8.63% United Capital Sukuk Fund 1.08 1.08 4.90% United Capital Fixed Income Fund 1.91 1.91 4.30% United Capital Eurobond Fund 123.13 123.13 3.92% United Capital Money Market Fund 1.00 1.00 11.40% 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 13.61 13.73 3.16% Zenith ESG Impact Fund 15.58 15.73 6.57% Zenith Income Fund 23.09 23.09 5.18% Zenith Money Market Fund 1.00 1.00 9.58% 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 3.74 3.84 -6.55% Vetiva Consumer Goods Exchange Traded Fund 6.03 6.13 3.22% Vetiva Griffin 30 Exchange Traded Fund 17.94 18.14 1.45% Vetiva Money Market Fund 1.00 1.00 9.50% Vetiva Industrial Goods Exchange Traded Fund 17.79 17.99 -10.92% Vetiva S&P Nigeria Sovereign Bond Exchange Traded Fund 140.54 142.54 -10.85%

REITS NAV Per Share

Yield / T-Rtn

118.56 51.93

4.66% 2.11%

Bid Price

Offer Price

Yield / T-Rtn

14.17 126.67 98.85 16.40 17.10

14.27 129.89 101.01 16.50 17.20

1.29% -0.34% -0.91% -8.42% 15.96%

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.

44

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 9, 2022 ˾ T H I S D AY

FOREIGN DESK

COMPILED BY BAYO AKINLOYE

Queen Elizabeth II Dies After 70 Years on Throne

Queen Elizabeth, Britain’s longest reigning monarch, has died at the age of 96.

The royal, who was not supposed to become queen at all, sat on the throne for 70 years following the death in 1952 of her father, George VI, who himself assumed the throne only because of the abdication by his brother, King Edward VIII, in 1936.

Working with 15 British prime ministers throughout her reign, beginning with Winston Churchill, the queen served as head of state for both Labour and Conservative governments, following the modern royal tradition of remaining neutral on political matters.

She helped lead her country through the aftermath of World War II, the Cold War, economic booms and busts, strife in Northern Ireland, the creation of the European Union and Brexit.

Admired for her dedication to her job, Queen Elizabeth was seen by many Britons as a pillar of strength for the country at a time when the nation was navigating its diminishing world power.

Earning the distinction of Britain’s longest reigning monarch on September 9, 2015, she characteristically went about her daily duties, which included opening a new railway in Scotland, barely mentioning the distinction.

World Leaders Pay Tribute to Queen Elizabeth II Tributes have poured in from world leaders following the death of Queen Elizabeth II. France’s Emmanuel Macron led the tributes, remembering “a kind-hearted queen” who was “a friend of France”.

And former US President Barack Obama said the queen had “captivated the world” with a “reign defined by grace, elegance, and a tireless work ethic”.

“Time and again, we were struck by her warmth, the way she put people at ease, and how she brought her considerable humour and charm to moments of great pomp and circumstance,” Mr Obama, who met the queen on several occasions, said in a statement.

Current US President Joe Biden described the queen as “more than a monarch - she defined an era.”

Describing his visit to the UK in 2021 as president, Mr Biden said, “she charmed us with her wit, moved us with her kindness, and generously shared with us her wisdom”.

Speaking shortly after the news of her passing was announced, an emotional Justin Trudeau said she had “an obvious deep and abiding love for Canadians.”

King Willem-Alexander of The Netherlands - who is Queen Elizabeth’s fifth cousin - said he and Queen Maxima remembered the “steadfast and wise” monarch with “deep respect and great affection.”

And Belgium’s King Philippe and Queen Mathilde said she was “an extraordinary personality... who, throughout her reign, showed dignity, courage and devotion.”

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi recalled his “memorable meetings” with the monarch during two UK visits.

Irish President Michael D Higgins honoured the queen’s “extraordinary sense of duty,” which will “hold a unique place in British history.”

António Guterres, the UN’s secretarygeneral, said Queen Elizabeth was “a reassuring presence throughout decades of sweeping change, including the decolonisation of Africa and Asia and the evolution of the Commonwealth.”

Prince Charles Becomes United Kingdom King At the moment the queen died, the throne passed immediately and without ceremony to the heir, Charles, the former Prince of Wales, the BBC reports.

He will be known as King Charles III. That was the first decision of the new

king’s reign. He could have chosen from any of his four names - Charles Philip Arthur George.

He is not the only one who faces a change of title.

Although he is heir to the throne, Prince William will not automatically become Prince of Wales. However, he immediately inherits his father’s other title, Duke of Cornwall. His wife Catherine will be known as the Duchess of Cornwall.

There will also be a new title for Charles’ wife, whose full title will be Queen Consort. Consort is the term used for the monarch’s spouse.

Iranian Diplomats to Leave Albania After Expulsion Iranian embassy staff in the Albanian capital worked through the night after they were given 24 hours to leave the country over a major cyberattack that the Albanian government blames on Iran.

It is the first known case of a country cutting diplomatic relations over a cyberattack.

Movement inside the Iranian embassy in Tirana continued nonstop from Wednesday into Thursday. An empty barrel was seen taken into the compound, and a fire was started in it, apparently burning documents.

A diplomatic car went in and out while an Albanian police officer communicated with the embassy before two officers entered and left after a few minutes.

The staff have until noon (1000 GMT) Thursday to leave Albania.

On July 15, a cyberattack temporarily shut down numerous Albanian government digital services and websites. Prime Minister Edi Rama said Wednesday that there was “undeniable evidence” that the Iranian government was behind the attack.

The United States supported the move

by Albania, a NATO member, and vowed unspecified retaliation against Iran for what it called “a troubling precedent for cyberspace.”

Iran condemned the diplomats’ expulsion, calling the action ill-considered and shortsighted, according to Iranian state TV.

Another US Congressional Delegation in Taiwan Amid China Threats Another US congressional delegation is visiting Taiwan as tensions with China remain high over its claims to the selfgoverned island.

A steady stream of US visitors has come to meet with Taiwanese officials since US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited in early August. China, in response, has stepped up its military harassment, sending warships, warplanes and even

be barred from establishing advanced fabrication facilities in China for 10 years, the administration of President Joe Biden announced this week.

The Commerce Department rolled out its plan to distribute $50 billion provided by the CHIPS Act, which Biden signed into law last month. In an appearance at the White House on Tuesday, Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo said the rules include specific language on transferring technology to China.

“Companies who receive CHIP funds can’t build leading-edge or advanced technology facilities in China for a period of 10 years,” she said. “Companies who receive the money can only expand their mature node factories in China to serve the Chinese market.”

Mature node factories refer to semiconductor fabrication facilities that only produce older technology that is already widely available.

Raimondo reminded her audience of the semiconductor supply shortage drones toward the island daily. during the first years of the COVID-19 Led by Florida Democrat Stephanie pandemic.

Murphy, the delegation met Thursday morning with Taiwanese President Tsai India, Japan Plan More Military Ing-wen, whose administration China Drills to Strengthen Ties has relentlessly sought to deprive of India and Japan said Thursday diplomatic recognition and participation they would deepen defencedefence in international organisations. cooperation, with New Delhi inviting Referring to China’s military threats, investment by Japanese industries and Tsai said the delegation’s visit “conveys both countries planning a joint military rock-solid support for Taiwan from the drill involving their air force fighters.

US Congress.”

India’s Defence Minister Rajnath Singh Murphy is among lawmakers who held talks in Tokyo with his Japanese introduced a bill allowing the US to lend counterpart Yasukazu Hamada, and weapons to support Taiwan, similar to a both will join their respective foreign bill passed to lend weapons to Ukraine. ministers later in the day for “twoLast week, the Biden administration plus-two” talks. approved a $1 billion arms sale to Taiwan.

“He invited Japanese industries to invest in India’s defence corridors,” UN: Crises Halt Progress in India’s defence ministry said in a Human Development statement, referring to Singh.

A report published by the U.N. “The two ministers agreed that the Development Program finds the COVID-19 early conduct of the inaugural fighter pandemic, climate change, economic exercise will pave the way for much uncertainty, and other crises have halted greater cooperation and inter-operability progress in human development and between the air forces of the two reversed gains made over the past three countries.” decades.

India, like Japan, is bolstering its Data from 191 countries show 90 per military to tackle what it sees as cent failed to achieve a better, healthier, increased security threats, including more secure life for their people in 2020 from neighbouring China. and 2021. For the first time in 32 years, In Japan, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida the UNDP’s Human Development Index, has promised a “substantial” defence which measures a nation’s progress, finds spending increase. human development has declined for His ruling Liberal Democratic Party two years running. wants to double Japan’s military budget UN Development Program administrator to two per cent of gross domestic Achim Steiner said that is unprecedented. product over the next five years amid “Nine out of 10 countries in this year’s worry Russia’s invasion of Ukraine human development report index are could embolden China to act against shown to have faced a decline,” Steiner neighbouring Taiwan. said. “This has never happened before, even during the last devastating global Ex-Pakistan PM Khan to be moment of crisis, the financial crisis, only Indicted in Contempt Case one out of 10 countries faced a decline A Pakistan court decided Thursday in human development indices.” it would indict the country’s populist The Human Development Index former prime minister Imran Khan in a captures a picture of a nation’s health, contempt case for threatening a female education, and standard of living. This judge. year’s rankings show some countries The 70-year-old opposition leader could are beginning to get back on their feet end up in jail for six months if convicted. while others remain mired in deepening It would also lead to his disqualification crises. The report finds Latin America, from national politics under Pakistan’s the Caribbean, sub-Saharan Africa, and election laws for five years.

South Asia have been particularly hard hit.

After a hearing into the case, a Switzerland tops this year’s rankings, five-judge panel of the high court in followed by Norway, Iceland, Hong Kong, the capital, Islamabad, has ruled that Australia, and other wealthy nations. charges against Khan will be framed on September 22.

US Moves to Keep Advanced The former prime minister has been Semiconductor Technology out holding massive anti-government rallies of China to press for early elections to stage a Companies that accept US funding political comeback since being deposed under a plan to build up America’s as prime minister in April through a computer chip-making capacity will parliamentary no-confidence vote.

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 9, 2022 • T H I S D AY

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

OPENING CEREMONY OF THE 12TH NIGERIAN NAVY GAMES...

L-R: Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu; President Muhammadu Buhari; Chief of the Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Awwal Gambo; Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), General Lucky Irabor and others, during the formal inauguration of the Nigerian Navy Sports Complex and Opening Ceremony of the 12th Nigerian Navy Games (LAGOS 2022) at Navy Town Barracks, Ojo,...yesterday

Nigeria's Oil Industry Headwinds Worsen, Production Drops to Record Low, 972,394 NNPCL seeks special court for oil thieves, pipeline vandals Oil workers begin protest, say sack looms PENGASSAN, police, NSCDC vow to end oil theft NMDPRA clarifies 62.9m daily petrol consumption data Emmanuel Addeh in Abuja, Blessing Ibunge in Port Harcourt and Dele Ogunyemi, Warri Nigeria’s oil sector challenges appear to be worsening, with production hitting a record low of 972,394 barrels per day in August, according to data obtained from the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) yesterday.

The development marked a new nadir in the over a year-long downward spiral in Nigeria’s capacity to drill enough oil to boost its desperately needed foreign exchange even at a time the commodity has continued to hover around a rarely seen price of $100.

Available information from tradingeconomics.com, a reservoir of global industry information showed that the last time Nigeria produced that low quantity of oil was in 1983, roughly 40 years ago, when 675,000 barrels were drilled on the average.

According to the statistics on

the Nigerian oil sector, crude oil production averaged 1.851.62 million barrels per day from 1973, hitting an all-time high of 2.475 million barrels per day in November 2005.

The decrease below the one million bpd mark in production in August, despite months of assurances of planned improvement by the Nigerian authorities, was more than 10 per cent compared to the July 2022 production of 1.083 million barrels per day.

THISDAY’s checks showed that in June the country’s production was 1.158 million bpd; it was 1.024 million bpd in May; 1.219 million bpd in April, 1.237 million bpd in March; 1.257 million bpd in February and 1.398 million bpd in January.

The quota given by the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) to the country for the month of August was 1.826 million barrels per day, meaning that Nigeria under-produced to the tune of about 853,606 bpd last month.

The country recently took a rash

of measures to curtail the oil theft menace, which so far appears to have defied all solutions.

A few of the measures included the renewed deployment of security personnel in the Niger Delta and the real-time monitoring of activities around the pipelines by the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL).

In addition, the national oil firm introduced the whistle-blower strategy as well as the handing over of a N4 billion monthly surveillance contract to ex-militant, Government Ekpemupolo, popularly known as Tompolo.

The federal government had variously blamed massive oil theft, vandalism of major assets, dilapidated infrastructure as well as declining upstream investment for its inability to drill more of the commodity.

In a related development, the Group Chief Executive Officer of the NNPCL, Mallam Mele Kyari, has called for the setting up of a special court to try persons found to have been complicit in the vandalism of

Nigeria’s oil infrastructure.

Information posted on the NNPCL’s Twitter handle yesterday, indicated that Kyari spoke when he paid a courtesy call on the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court of Nigeria, Honourable Justice John Tsoho.

“During the visit, the GCEO sought the High Court's support towards the creation of a special court/tribunal to ensure speedy trial of crude oil thieves and pipeline vandals,” the national oil firm stated.

The GCEO, who described the actions as a serious threat to Nigeria's oil production, revenue generation and by extension energy security, observed that a special court to execute such cases will deter would-be criminals and assure investors of value for their investments.

Tweet by the NNPCL came on a day oil workers under the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) made good their earlier threats on Wednesday to embark on street rallies in protest

Military Pushes Back, Denies Involvement in Oil Theft Terror arms supplier, intelligence agent arrested in Abuja Three Chibok girls rescued, 556 terrorists surrender, 52 killed Kingsley Nwezeh in Abuja Coming on the heels of the commencement of rallies by oil workers to protest against the massive theft of crude oil and destruction of oil assets in the Niger Delta region, the Defence Headquarters (DHQ) declared yesterday that the military establishment was not involved in oil theft.

The denial followed allegations that some military personnel and security agencies were involved in oil theft and illegal oil bunkering in the region.

Speaking at a media briefing in Abuja, the Director Defence Information (DDI), Maj. Gen. Jimmy Akpor, said the allegations were unfounded.

He spoke as a suspected foreign logistic supplier and arms dealer to terror groups, Boko Haram and Islamic State of West Africa Province (ISWAP) named Mallam Abatcha Bukar, was arrested with assorted injections, two Automated Teller Machine (ATM) cards and the sum of N294,520.00, even as troops arrested a Boko Haram intelligence agent on its wanted list in Asokoro, Abuja while another arms dealer was also apprehended in Zamfara State in the past two weeks.

Akpor said major stakeholders in the oil and gas industry understood the workings of the industry, saying it was unfair to drag the military into the activities of the criminals.

"The military is not involved in oil theft. They are working to

safeguard oil and assets but if they are compromised, they will face the music.

"Who are the stakeholders?

Government, the oil communities, oil companies, security agencies, military and others, not just the military," he said.

"Holding soldiers accountable where many stakeholders are involved is only making them a cannon fodder.

"In spite of all the difficulties we face, we are doing our best," he said.

Taking a similar position, the Director, Directorate of Defence Media Operations (DDMO), Maj Gen Musa Danmadami, stated that, "there was no justification to say that soldiers are involved. If you are fighting corruption, corruption will fight back."

In his remarks at the briefing to review military operations in the past two weeks, spokesman of the Nigerian Air Force, Air Commodore Edward Gabkwet, said the armed forces would not be able to solve the problem alone in view of the fact that kinetic operations would solve 20 per cent of the challenge while the rest 80 per cent is left for other stakeholders.

Continuing, Danmadami disclosed that N1.2 billion was denied oil thieves by the military within the period.

Danmadami said while the sum of N664.8 million worth of crude oil was seized from the criminals, N546.7 million worth of diesel, N12.2 million worth of Kerosene and N11.8 million worth of petroleum products were also impounded.

against the growing oil theft phenomenon.

In one of the rallies held simultaneously in Lagos, Port Harcourt, Abuja and Warri, PENGASSAN President, Mr. Festus Osifo, said almost all the companies operating in the Niger Delta today, especially those in the land locations, were shutting in their production due to the stealing of the country’s commonwealth.

At the Unity Fountain in Abuja the oil workers carried banners denouncing the menace and lamenting that it was negatively impacting the country as well as members of the union.

Osifo demanded that President Muhammadu Buhari should give a marching order to heads of security agencies tasked with the security of oil pipelines in the Niger Delta to halt the massive heist being carried out on a daily basis.

He also threatened that oil workers would withdraw their services should the government fail to take decisive action against oil thieves.

“This is affecting literally every single operator in the Niger Delta.

They are not producing and they have shut in operations because anytime they pump in 10,000 barrels, through the pipelines, at best, you are going to get about 1,000 barrels from the other end.

“Over 95 per cent of this crude oil pumped into the pipeline are vandalised. So because of that, majority of them have shut down production and because of that, the welfare of our members is threatened. The jobs of our members are threatened in the production of oil,” he lamented.

In Port Harcourt, the Zonal Chairman of the union, Peter Onita, stated that oil theft was killing the country gradually.

“Nigeria is bleeding!

Economically, we are bleeding because the oil that’s supposed to provide the revenue for all of us has been stolen by a few people from the pipelines.

“That is why we are saying, no to oil theft, no to pipelines vandalism in the strongest terms and this is

in furtherance of the directive of PENGASSAN world-wide which has directed us to embark on this advocacy. We say no wherever we are. Nigeria is our own. Nigeria will not die in our time.

“Oil theft is wrong, pipelines vandalism is wrong. That is economic sabotage,” he insisted.

PENGASSAN in collaboration with the Rivers state police command and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) announced their declaration of war against oil theft and pipeline vandalism in the state.

The trio agreed to end the menace of oil theft during an advocacy rally by PENGASSAN to the separate security agencies headquarters in Port Harcourt, Rivers State capital yesterday.

Members of PENGASSAN in Rivers State marched from Isaac Boro Park to Police and Civil Defence commands headquarters, demanding the both government security agencies to rise to the occasion in chasing out oil thieves out of business in Nigeria.

At the police headquarters, Chairman of PENGASSAN, Port Harcourt Zone, Onita complained that the activities of oil theft, have caused government not to keep to their social responsibility, saying companies could no longer pay their workers while the suspects continue to make the environment inhabitable.

He also called on relevant government authorities to urgently intervene to stop the looming crises rocking the oil industry, warning that as stakeholders in the business, they could no longer fold their hands and watch criminals destroy their land and source of revenue.

Responding to the protesters, Rivers state Commissioner of police, Mr. Eboka Friday disclosed that the command was on top the war against oil theft and vandalism.

On his part, the State Commandant of the NSCDC, Michael Ogar advised members of PENGASSAN to also take their campaign against oil theft and pipeline vandalism to the creeks for effective communication.

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COURTESY VISIT...

L-R: Kaduna Electric's Chairman, Board of Directors, Alhaji Abbas Jega; Governor of Kebbi State, Alhaji Atiku Bagudu and Kaduna Electric's Managing Director, Engr. Yusuf Usman Yahaya during a courtesy call on the Governor at Government House, Birnin Kebbi…recently

UBA Records Strong Double Digit Half-year Growth, Declares N0.20k Interim Dividend

Kayode Tokede

The United Bank for Africa (UBA) Plc has announced its audited financial results for the half year ended June 30, 2022, recording double-digit growth across key income lines as well as significant progress in the contribution from its subsidiaries.

At the end of the first two quarters of the year, the bank was able to deliver a 12.6 per cent appreciation in profit before tax to N85.7 billion, up from the N76.2 billion recorded in the same period of 2021.

Despite numerous business,

economic as well as geo-political environmental challenges including continued supply-chain interruptions due to the Covid-19, the Russia and Ukraine conflict, and the resultant rise in prices of global commodities, that characterised the first six months of the year, the tier-1 lender delivered impressive numbers, with gross earnings hitting N372.4 billion, a solid 17.8 per cent growth when compared with the N316 billion that was posted the same period in the prior year.

Operating income also grew by 20.1 per cent to N256 billion in the period under review, while the

firm’s profit after tax closed the first half stronger at N70.3 billion, up by 16.1 per cent compared to the N60.6 billion same period in 2021.

A further breakdown of the bank’s half-year result, which was filed with the Nigerian Exchange Group(NGX) yesterday, showed that total assets continued on an upward trajectory, increasing 5.4 per cent to about N9 trillion.

UBA delivered on its core mandate of extending loans to credit-worthy customers, with loans and advances increasing by four per cent to N3 trillion; whilst deposits rose by 7.9 per cent to N7.6 trillion at the end

of the period.

Shareholders’ funds however declined marginally by two per cent to N788.5 billion, owing mainly to the decline in its foreign operations translation reserve as well as fair value losses suffered from the investment securities valuation occasioned by the increasing interest rate regime across the globe.

With the strong double-digit growth in PAT vis-à-vis the marginal decline in shareholder’s fund, the Group's return on equity (RoE) closed the period stronger at 17.7 per cent, whilst return on assets (RoA) came to 1.6 per cent, up by nine basis points.

Foreign Trade Declined to N12.84trn in Q2 Recorded N1.97trn surplus, crude oil dominates exports, non-crude N1.49trn India remains major trade partner FG generated N714bn from company income tax James Emejo in Abuja Nigeria's total merchandise trade dropped slightly by 1.23 per cent to N12.84 trillion in the second quarter of the year (Q2 2022) compared to N13 trillion in the preceding quarter, according to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS).

The report released yesterday, showed an increase of 32.22 per cent higher, compared to the N9.71 trillion recorded in the corresponding quarter of 2021.

According to the Foreign Trade in Goods Statistics Q2 2022, which was posted on the statistical agency’s website, export trade rose by 4.31 per cent to N7.40 trillion compared to N7.10 trillion in Q1.

The share of exports in total trade stood at 57.68 per cent in the review period while the value of re-exports decreased by 91.68 per cent to N9.63 billion in Q2 compared to N115.80 billion in the preceding quarter.

On the other hand, total imports decreased by 7.89 per cent when compared to the N5.90 trillion in Q1 and grew by 15.83 per cent when compared to the N4.69 trillion recorded in Q1 2021.

According to the NBS, a decline in imports resulted in an improved trade balance of N1.97 trillion in the review quarter. The report, however, revealed that exports trade was largely dominated by crude oil exports valued at N5.91 trillion, representing 79.77 per cent of total exports while non-crude oil exports value stood at N1.49 trillion or 20.23 per cent of total exports of which non-oil products contributed N675.08 billion, representing 9.11 per cent of total exports.

Furthermore, the export

component of trade showed that Nigeria exported most goods valued at N3.28 trillion or 44.29 per cent to Europe.

This was followed by exports to Asia valued at N2.42 trillion or 32.77 per cent of total exports while America accounted for N1.19 trillion or 16.14 per cent of total exports.

Also, exports to Africa stood at N465.28 billion or 6.28 per cent of total exports of which N357.29billion worth of goods were exported to ECOWAS countries.

The report also showed that India, which accounted for N1.09 trillion or 14.85 per cent of exports, remained the top export destination for Nigeria during the quarter under review.

This was followed by Spain, The Netherlands, The United States of America and Indonesia and with goods valued at N1.03 trillion, or 13.98 per cent, N914.46 billion or 12.35 per cent, N661.19 billion or 8.93 per cent, and N625.65 billion or 8.45 per cent, respectively.

Conversely, Nigeria's imported goods were mainly from Asia, valued at N2.58 trillion or 47.63 per cent of total imports. This was followed by Europe - N1.97 trillion or 36.42 per cent, America - N590.62 billion or 10.87 per cent, Africa with N244.86 billion or 4.51 per cent and Oceania with N31.49 billion or 0.58 per cent.

Imports from ECOWAS countries accounted for N34.92 billion, or 0.64 per cent of the value of total imports.

Imported goods originated mainly from China and were valued at N1.41 trillion, representing 26.10 of total imports.

This was followed by Belgium with N465.19 billion, representing

8.56 per cent of total imports, India - N459.20 billion or 8.45 per cent, The Netherlands - N430.90 billion or 7.93 per cent, and the United States of America with N362.92billion or 6.68 per cent of total imports.

Meanwhile, the federal government generated the sum of N714.40 billion from Company Income Tax (CIT) in the second quarter of the year (Q2 2022), the NBS disclosed yesterday.

This indicated a growth rate of 29.53 per cent quarter-on-quarter

when compared to the N551.53 billion recorded in the preceding quarter.

According to the Company Income Tax (CIT) for Q2 2022 report, which was also posted on the NBS’ website, local payments received amounted to N634.01 billion, while foreign CIT payments contributed N80.39 billion to companies’ income tax.

The report added that year-onyear, CIT collections in the review period increased by 51.34 per cent from Q2 2021.

Reaffirming its commitment to shareholders and the investing public, the Board of Directors of UBA Plc declared an interim dividend of 20 kobo per share for every ordinary share of N0.50 each held by its shareholders.

UBA’s Group Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, Oliver Alawuba, commenting on the result, said the stellar performance was in line with management’s expectation, adding that the bank’s continued focus on its ‘Customer 1st’ philosophy to pursue the mission of providing superior value to our stakeholders had increased low-cost customer deposits, and boosted the growth of its payment and transaction banking.

“The financial year 2022 showed initial signs of recovery of economies across the globe, despite continued COVID-induced supply-chain disruptions. However, geopolitical challenges including the Russia and Ukraine conflict, resulted in escalation of global commodity prices, particularly that of grains and crude oil, which have taken a toll on several economies.

“Notwithstanding these developments, our half-year numbers came out stronger than the previous year, with top and bottom-line reaching new record highs,” Alawuba said.

According to him, the Group’s profitability increased by 12.6 per cent to N85.7 billion, with doubledigit growth recorded across key income line. The bank also recorded

a decent 20 per cent growth in net interest income as it continued to moderate cost of funds whilst improving yield on assets, thereby contributing to the strong 20 per cent growth in operating income.

“Our investments in state-ofthe-art technology has continued to yield expected results and this is evident in the huge boost of our digital banking income, which grew 22.7 per cent year-on-year to N36.3 billion. These gains have enabled us optimise net earnings amid the accelerating inflationary pressure, currency devaluation, and increased regulatory-driven costs,” he said.

Alawuba also noted that he was delighted at the strides made by the bank in growing its market share across Africa.

In his words, “Our retail business has continued to grow as we ride on our agency banking network, trusted brand, competitive product offerings and quality service delivery, to deepen our retail penetration,” He also commented on his recent appointment as Group Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, alongside five other Group Executive Directors and assured the investing public of his relentless commitment to the growth of the business.

“Together, with our highly motivated workforce, we are poised to usher the business into a new era of growth that will deliver superior value to all stakeholders,” he said.

Green Energy: Osinbajo, Sylva, Kyari, IOCs, Others to Brainstorm at OPTS' 60th Anniversary Peter Uzoho

The Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, would be leading top policy makers and leading personalities in the Nigerian oil and gas industry to brainstorm on Nigeria's green energy transition at the 60th Anniversary Dinner of the Oil Producers’ Trade Section (OPTS), an upstream segment of the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI).

OPTS in a statement issued yesterday, said the event billed to hold on September 22, 2022, in Lagos, would also have in attendance the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Chief Timipre Sylva; Group Chief Executive Officer (GCEO) of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited, Mallam Mele Kyari, amongst other public and private sectors players.

According to the statement

signed by the Executive Director, OPTS, Mr. Bunmi Toyobo, Osinbajo, who would be the special guest of honour at the event would deliver a keynote address titled, “Nigeria: Transitioning to Green Energy.”

Green energy otherwise known as alternative source of energy that is cleaner, more sustainable and environmentally friendly like renewable sources has become a topical issue in the global energy landscape owing to the devastating effects of fossil fuel and other energy sources that are harmful to the climate.

Nigeria has been making efforts to align through various policies and programmes and the federal government had set its net-zero target by 2060.

Speaking in Abuja two weeks ago, at the virtual launch of Nigeria’s Energy Transition Plan, a roadmap to tackle the dual crises

of energy poverty and climate change, Osinbajo had declared that Nigeria was seeking $10 billion from international partners to fund the nation’s new Energy Transition Plan.

He stated that Nigeria was currently engaging with partners such as the World Bank, the US Exim-bank among others to secure an initial $10 billion support package ahead of the Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP27) schedule to hold in Egypt in November 2022, along the lines of the South African Just Energy Transition Partnership announced at COP26 in Glasgow last year.

“Nigeria would need to spend $410 billion above business-asusual spending to deliver our Transition Plan by 2060, which translates to about $10 billion per year," he had stated.

However, since its founding in 1962 as a group under the LCCI,

OPTS has been the foremost advocacy group for the upstream sub-sector of the Nigerian oil and gas industry.

Its membership comprises the leading names among the international oil companies (IOCs) including Shell, ExxonMobil, Chevron, Eni as well as NNPC and the independent companies operating in the sub-sector.

The statement quoted OPTS Chairman and Managing Director of Chevron Nigeria Limited, Mr. Rick Kennedy, to have stated, “Through individual and collective Social Responsibility Programmes, the OPTS members have made significant social investments in Nigeria including but not limited to national and international scholarships and other educational initiatives, community development projects, medical aids, facilities and programs, amongst other interventions."

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NIGERIA A COUNTRY AT WAR AGAINST ITSELF?...

L-R: Guest Speaker, Prof. Anya O. Anya; Chairman of the occasion, Commodore Ebitu Ukiwe (rtd); Convener, Presiding Bishop of The Redeemed Evangelical Mission (TREM), Bishop Mike Okonkwo, his wife/ Resident Pastor of the Headquarters Church of The Redeemed Evangelical Mission (TREM), Bishop Peace Okonkwo and Representative of Lagos State Governor/SA to Lagos State Governor on Chieftaincy Matters, Bayo SUNDAY ADIGUN Osiyemi at the 21st Mike Okonkwo Annual Lecture held in Lagos …yesterday

Moody’s: How Dangote Refinery will Improve Nigeria’s Current Account Position Declares petrol subsidy policy opaque, diminishing govt’s finances Says cost of debt servicing exceptionally high Emmanuel Addeh in Abuja A report by Moody’s, one of the leading global rating agencies, on the state of Nigeria’s fiscal and external position, yesterday stated that when it comes on stream, the Dangote refinery would lead to a modest improvement in Nigeria’s current account.

Stressing that the position was reached with the projection that Nigeria would stop the importation of petrol, the report noted that the

gain would mostly arise from savings on transportation costs.

It stated that Nigeria spent over $14 billion on importing the product in 2021, adding that the Dangote refinery’s operation would also mean that Nigeria’s crude export would reduce since part of it will be used domestically.

“Dangote refinery will improve Nigeria's current account modestly when fully operational. Substituting imported refined petroleum by domestic products will save current

Obaseki: Edo Produced 3.7m Tons of Solid Mineral Products in 2021

Adibe Emenyonu in Benin City

The Edo State Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki yesterday disclosed that the state produced a total of 3.7 million tons of solid mineral products in 2021, calling for increased investment from private actors to increase output.

Obaseki disclosed this during a two-day Solid Minerals Stakeholders’ Meeting, with the theme: “Addressing the Gaps in the Mineral Sector of Edo State,” organised in Benin City, by the Ministry of Mining, Oil and Gas in conjunction with the Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC).

The governor, who was represented by the Edo State Commissioner for Finance, Joseph Eboigbe, said the state ranked sixth in solid minerals output before his administration, but with improvement in the business environment, the state has scaled up to the fourth position.

He said, “the mineral production statistics 2021 released by the National Bureau of Statistics showed that Edo State achieved a combined output of 3.7 million tons of mineral products and we believe we can do better.

“As a state government, we are well aware of the provisions of the constitution, the Nigerian Mineral and Mining Act of 2007 and other relevant regulations governing the mining sector with respect to roles of the Federal and State governments.

It should be emphasized that there are opportunities that fall within the concurrent jurisdiction.

“This provides the opportunity for the state to act and further

enhance the sector as mining has the capacity to provide jobs in a manner comparable to agriculture.

“Our people can become gainfully employed through activities in the mining sector, hence, we are not deterred. There are ways that we can extract value at the level of the state."

The governor also reiterated his administration's commitment to providing a conducive business environment for investors, noting, “Edo State will continue to provide a conducive business environment for legitimate miners to thrive because if the sector grows, Edo State will grow.

“There's no gainsaying the fact that a well-organised mineral sector is key to the diversification policies of the government. Mining may, in the near future, overtake crude oil exploration in national discourse.

“This is why efforts are being made to strengthen and improve our infrastructure and in the last few years, my administration has developed several critical sectors of the state’s economy like roads, land administration, security enhancement and electricity liberalisation, among others, in order to support the development of mining activities.”

He noted that the state now has the privilege of hosting two mega cement companies, including BUA Cement and Dangote Cement, which would encourage more companies to invest in the state.

On his part, state Commissioner for Mining, Oil and Gas, Hon. Ethan Uzamere, said the state was sanitising the mining sector and was open to investment to increase output.

transport cost and other related costs on an import bill that reached $14 billion in 2021.

“Indeed, while Nigeria would no longer need to import refined petroleum, it would also lower the country's export of crude oil since a part of the production would be used domestically,” Moody’s said.

As an oil exporter, it stated that while Nigeria was set to benefit from higher oil prices this year, its economic and financial performance have gradually deteriorated since the beginning of the year, as illustrated by subdued growth at +3.5 per cent year-on-year over the first half of 2022.

Moody’s stated that so far, higher oil prices remained positive for Nigeria’s fiscal accounts because revenue derived from oil production at two per cent of Gross Domestic

Product (GDP) in 2021, still outweighed the growing cost of the country's oil subsidy programme at 1 per cent of GDP in 2021.

“However, constraints on oil production on the one hand and faster-growing oil consumption – incentivised by the oil subsidy and inherent to the country’s economic development – on the other, have meant that the positive impact of higher oil prices on government finances has diminished and may reverse in the future, exerting negative pressures instead,” it added.

The cost of the subsidy, it pointed out, is carried by the government via transfers to the national oil company, the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPCL), hinting that in practice, the subsidy is operated by the company and its

cost is deducted from the revenue raised by the company from crude oil exports, which is then transferred to the government.

“Financial reporting and oversight of the subsidy mechanism are weak: fiscal reporting (budget planning and implementation) focuses on net oil revenue; the cost of the fuel subsidy is not systematically reported nor audited as part of the budget process.

“Successive administrations have envisaged eliminating the oil subsidies for more than a decade now. The last plan, which was put forward in 2021, was suspended shortly after its introduction, in January 2022,” it informed.

According to the ratings agency, the net financial outflows in the first quarter of 2022 exceeded Nigeria’s current account surplus, driving

foreign exchange reserves down by $884 million.

“We estimate outflows amounted to $3.5 billion, and consisted of net purchases by Nigerian residents of external financial assets of $4.2 billion, which was only partially offset by higher net liabilities of $3.3 billion, resulting in net financial outflows of $1.7 billion,” it said.

It stated that the controlled depreciation of the Nigerian currency and widening gap between official and parallel market rates is largely a reflection of dollar rationing by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).

On how sustainable the current government debt is, Moody’s stressed that Nigeria's general government debt is still small at 32 per cent of GDP at year-end 2021.

N31trn Required to Rehabilitate Northeast States in 10 Years, FG Reiterates Builds 1,000 housing units for Borno IDPs

Deji Elumoye in Abuja The federal government yesterday restated that the sum of N31 trillion would be required to rehabilitate the six states that make up north-east zone in 10 years.

It also stated that government had completed the construction of 1,000 housing units in Borno State, as part of its resettlement efforts for the people of the region.

Managing Director of the North East Development Commission (NEDC), Mohammed Goni Alkali, who made this known to newsmen at the State House, Abuja, stressed that not less than N31 trillion ($80 billion) was required to fund the North East Stabilisation and Development Master Plan 2020-2030.

He added that the 10-year masterplan would address humanitarian challenges facing the crisis ridden region.

According to him, the Commission hope to raise 20 per cent of the estimated fund through budgetary allocations while the balance would be sourced from the private sectors,

development partners and donor agencies.

Alkali also said the 1,000 IDP houses were built in Ngwom, Borno State, with plans to build 500 housing units in each of the five other affected states, all at the cost of N17.5 billion.

He stressed that the NEDC had executed 647 projects ranging from agriculture, health, education, energy/power across 112 local government areas in the northeast adding that at least N50 million was spent on each local government area bringing the total cost to N5.6 billion.

He also noted that three bridges have been constructed in Kudzum, Dilechim and WuroNgayandi areas of Adamawa State.

Alkali argued that the lack of a strong education system in the northeast fueled the insurgency, therefore, the commission, he explained, created an Education Endowment Fund with a seed capital of N6 billion; with plans to dedicate 10 per cent of its annual allocation to the fund.

The NEDC boss also lamented the dearth of teachers in the region, disclosing that about

40 per cent of teachers there had either been killed in the insurgency or displaced over time.

Responding to a question during the briefing, the Executive Director, Humanitarian Affairs at the NEDC, Musa Yashi, revealed that many IDPs were not willing to return to their original communities, citing the level of their integration into their host communities.

Commenting on the challenges of resettling IDPs back to their home communities torn apart by the Boko Haram insurgency, Yashi noted that 20 to 30 per cent of displaced persons do not live in camps.

This demography, he said, had thrived in communities outside their homelands. Hence, their unwillingness to return home.

Citing the dismal condition of towns across Monguno, he argued that resettlement would require the reconstruction of whole communities; a task so daunting that the NEDC does not have enough funds to undertake at this time.

Speaking on measures that had been put in place to shield the

NEDC from corruption, Alkali said the commission was created for a purpose and would ensure judicious utilisation of resources at its disposal and to actualize its mandate for the people.

His words: "You see, these things have to do with institutional issues, individual issues, and so on and so forth.

But, in our own case we know that we are created for a purpose, and at the end of the day we believe that posterity will judge us with what we have done with the mandate given to us.

"That is why we are very careful and very prudent in seeing that we propose and execute what we can do with the available resources. Sometimes, yes, there could be political pressure, but always in the commission we are bent on following laid down procedures and see that we are guided by what is feasible and what is prudentially possible to achieve and this is our commitment to the people of the northeast.

“We as a team now, we want to ensure that whatever is given to us is being protected for their benefit.”

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NEWSXTRA

HERE IS OUR SCORECARD...

L-R: Executive Director, Operation North East Development Commission (NEDC), Maiwada Omar Mohammed; Managing Director/CEO, NEDC, Mohammed Goni Alkali; Executive Director, Humanitarian Affairs NEDC, Musa Umar Yashi, and Executive Director, Administration and Finance NEDC, Mohammad Jawa Gashua, during the Presidential Communication Team weekly briefing on the achievement of the Commission held at the Presidential Villa Abuja... yesterday

Atiku: We’ll Settle Our Differences Internally As NEC passes confidence vote on Ayu Despite all odds, we are united, party chairman boasts BoT chair resigns, Wabara steps in Wike, Ugwuanyi, Okezie, Ortom absent at NEC meeting Jibrin’s resignation is mere distraction, says Wike Chuks Okocha in Abuja and Blessing Ibunge in Port Harcourt Presidential candidate of of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar, yesterday, acknowledged that there were challenges within the main opposition party, but said the issues were not insurmountable.

Atiku said PDP would always resolve its differences.

The former vice president made the assertions in an address at the 97th National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting of PDP held at its national headquarters in Abuja.

The NEC passed a vote of confidence on the PDP National Working Committee (NWC), led by the party’s national chairman, Dr. Iyorchia Ayu. Apparently enlivened by the favourable atmosphere at the meeting, Ayu boasted that PDP remained a united party, which would again and again conquer against overwhelming odds.

Yesterday, also, Chairman of PDP Board of Trustees (BoT) , Senator Walid Jubrin, from the North-central state of Nasarawa, stepped down, in a move meant to allow peace reign in the party. In his stead, Secretary of BoT, Senator Adolphus Wabara, from Abia State, in the South-east, stepped in as acting chairman.

But Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party Governors Forum (PDP-GF) and governor of Sokoto State, Rt. Hon. Aminu Tambuwal, did not resign as the forum’s chairman, contrary to some media reports. A statement yesterday by Director General of PDP-GF, Hon. CID Maduabum, debunking the resignation, said, “Members of the PDP Governors Forum are working behind the scenes to resolve all contending issues concerning the party. To this end, a meeting of the forum will soon be convened.”

Jubrin had previously frowned on the domination of PDP’s top echelons by northerners, a situation that Rivers State Governor Nyesom Wike had also groused about in his current rift with the party.

Wike and his counterparts from Abia State, Okezie Ikpeazu; Oyo State, ‘Seyi Makinde; and Benue State, Samuel Ortom, were pointedly absent at the NEC meeting. And Wike dismissed Jibrin’s resignation as mere distraction.

Atiku, who recognised that there were challenges in the party, remained hopeful that "such crisis will be resolved internally", in his speech at the NEC meeting.

The PDP presidential candidate

stated, “Let me use this opportunity to thank all members of NEC for your wonderful support during the last convention, where I emerged as the candidate of our party.

"I cannot thank you enough. My promise is that I will meet your expectations and the expectations of Nigerians. Let me also use this opportunity to thank our outgoing BoT Chairman for his services and sense of patriotism for our great party.

“Many speakers have alluded to family disagreement, family disagreements are normal even in normal families as well as political families. But what I can assure you is that we are determined to resolve those issues internally.

"There are not really fundamental disagreements, it is normal. Today, PDP is the oldest political party in Nigeria. From the past republic till today, no political party has existed as long as the PDP. “As a political party, we have our constitution, our rules and our regulations. I want to urge that no matter the level of disagreement, it should be resolved within our constitution, within our rules, within our regulations.

"We have all it takes to guide us to continue to nurture this political party, to provide a platform for all Nigerians to realise their collective and individual aspirations. Therefore, I wish to appeal to all members of our party to make sure that all our disagreements are resolved internally."

Ayu, who survived the party crisis and plot to remove him as national chairman, said despite all odds, PDP remained united. He stated, “The NEC meeting is very important in the life of our party, because it is the NEC meeting that will start up on the campaign journey to the villa.

"I'm sure you are all desirous that we should be going in and out of the villa. But before I say anything. I want to announce to NEC that the chairman of the BoT, today, stepped down to enjoy his remaining leave. He has served us meritoriously over the years as a foundation member of the party.

"We want, on behalf of the party, to specially thank him for all his services over the years, which culminated to being secretary of the BoT and, ultimately, the national chairman of the BoT." In his remarks, Tambuwal also acknowledged that there were “discomforting family issues" in the party, but added that PDP was working to resolve them soon.

Wabara appealed for caution among members and urged them not to scandalise internal, resolvable

problems.

Wabara said, “The PDP has an inbuilt mechanism to solve problems.

We have done it several times. When people expect us to implode, that is when we become very glorious.

“I want to advise us that we should always debrief ourselves in-house, no matter what the anger is; let us deprive ourselves in-house rather than playing to the gallery.

We should watch and control our utterances, because by and large, only God knows tomorrow. Because once you voice out something, it is always difficult for you to pick back what you voice out. My advice to us is that we should be mature enough to control our temper.”

Wabara, who presided over the motion that passed confidence vote on Ayu, called for a voice vote and there was not a single opposition.

Jibrin had announced his resignation to create a balance in the party’s power structure.

The PDP presidential candidate, Atiku, is from Adamawa State, in the North-east; the national chairman, Ayu, is from Benue State, in North-

central; and Tambuwal, chairman of the PDP governors’ forum, is from Sokoto State, in the North-west.

This structural imbalance against the southern members of PDP had prompted disagreements and a call for Ayu’s resignation, and his replacement with someone from the South-west.

However, Minority Leader of the House of Representatives, Ndudi Elumelu, moved the motion that the NWC should be given a vote of conference and his motion was seconded by Ishola Balogun Fulani, from Kwara State.

Elumelu commended Ayu and his NWC for the governorship election victory in Osun State, saying it had seemed impossible but God, through the NWC, made it possible.

Elumelu stated regarding the NWC, "You have shown maturity.

Nigerians are suffering today and PDP is the only solution and that is why it is important for the PDP to unite. We must learn to forgive one another. All of us cannot be chairman, presidential candidate.

But, together, we can lead. If only we can be patient, we can lead.

“National cake of Aso Villa is too much for all Nigerians. And this cake means creating the necessary infrastructure for Nigerians, not making fake promises, like APC. “A lot has gone wrong. Let us put behind the anger and move forward. It is the devil that is trying to stop us from winning, because they know, in the spiritual realm, we have won. We can never be distracted. We must talk to our people to collect their PVCs.” National Publicity Secretary of PDP, Debo Ologunagba, who read the communiqué of the NEC meeting, stated that committee had approved the organogram and the structure of the presidential campaign council. Ologunagba said it was now left for the NWC to flesh up the organogram and put human face to the campaign structure.

He said, "NEC approved a unified campaign structure across the country for the PDP for the 2023 general election, which will focus more on

the grassroots. NEC approved the proposed Structure and Organogram of the National Campaign Council as well as the National Campaign Management Council for the 2023 general election.

"NEC also approved the structures for Campaign Councils at the states, local government, wards and unit levels. NEC unanimously empowered the NWC to modify and adjust the structures of the Campaign Councils as and when the need arises.

"NEC received and approved the proposed structure for Zonal Reconciliation Committees to be set up to ensure that our party presents a common front ahead of the 2023 general election.

"NEC also received and approved the composition of the Manifesto Review Committee to review the Manifesto of the PDP ahead of the 2023 general election."

The PDP NEC meeting was well-attended, Wike’s associates were not in attendance, except for Donald Duke.

Continued online

NEITI: N13.7trn Spent on Fuel Subsidy in 15 Years Subsidy payments used to bankroll elections, lawmaker alleges House committee summons PenCom DG Juliet Akoje in Abuja The Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI) yesterday disclosed that N13.7 trillion ($74.386 billion) was spent on fuel subsidy from 2005 to 2020.

This was revealed in a report submitted to the House of Representatives ad-hoc committee investigating the fuel subsidy regime from 2013 to 2022 in Abuja.

This was just as the House of Representatives' Committee on Finance yesterday summoned the Director-General of National Pension Commission (PenCom), Dr. Aisha Dahiru-Umar, to appear in person on Monday, September 12, to answer questions on the agency’s budget performance at the hearing and sent her representatives away.

However, according to the NEITI’s documents presented by its Executive Secretary, Ogbonaya Orji, to the House Committee, the subsidy payments in 2005 was N351 billion ($2.66 billion); N219.72 billion ($1.70 billion) in 2006; N236.64 billion ($1.89 billion) in 2007; N360.18 billion ($3.03 billion) in 2008; N198.11 billion ($1.60 billion) in 2009, and N416.45 billion ($2.76 billion) in 2010.

Furthermore, in 2011, the payment was N1.9 trillion ($12.18 billion); N690 billion ($4.34 billion) in 2012; N495 billion ($3.11 billion) in 2013; N482 billion ($2.92 billion) in 2014; N316.70 billion ($1.62 billion) in 2015; N99 billion ($0.39 billion) in 2016; N141.63 billion ($0.44 million) in 2017; N722.30 billion (2.36 billion) in 2018, N578.07 billion (1.88 billion) in 2019, and 134 billion (0.37 billion) in 2020.

In May 2016, the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) took over, making deductions from the sale of domestic crude.

Orji noted that subsidy payment expected from NNPC in 2018, was N2.294 trillion including subsidy of N722.257 billion, N138.945 billion for pipeline repairs and management cost, N28.329 billion for crude and product losses and N998.285 billion being balance that NNPC should have remitted, actual remittance stood at N897.922 billion leaving outstanding (unremitted fund) of N100.363 billion for 2018.

He added that in 2019, the sum of N2.145 trillion comprising of subsidy of N518.074 billion, N126.664 billion for pipeline repairs and management cost, N31.844 billion for crude and

product losses and N1.498 trillion being balance that NNPC should have been remitted, but actual remittance stood at N821.563 billion leaving outstanding (unremitted fund) of N170.675 billion for 2019.

Also, in 2020, payment of subsidy worth N133.74 billion, N54.49 billion for pipeline repairs and management cost, N133.06 billion for crude and product losses.

The report stated that Domestic Crude Allocation for 2018, was 107.63 million barrels, out of which 13.581 million barrels (13%) was delivered to the refineries, 94.045 million barrels (87%) was exported under the DSDP arrangement and that NNPC was expected to make remittances within 90 days.

Orji in his presentation also revealed that within the transaction rules, the NNPC was expected to comply with the 90 days’ payment terms in remitting the proceeds of federation crude.

"NEITI’s report examined the pattern and consistency of remittance of sales proceeds into the designated bank account (CBN/NNPC crude oil and gas revenue naira account) by the NNPC. “It was evident that the NNPC consistently defaulted on the sales

terms of ninety (90) days. The delays ranged from 21 to 55 days. The opportunity cost of these monthly delayed remittance by NNPC was N17.5 billion.

“NNPC deducts from the sales proceeds of domestic crude oil for under-recovery (subsidy on PMS), payments for pipeline repairs and maintenance and payments for crude and product losses.

“Although amounts were appropriated for these expenditures in the approved budget for the year, however, the amounts deducted by the end of the year were over and above-appropriated sums.

“A periodic audit by the federal government to verify the utilisation of amount deducted for pipeline maintenance and repairs should be undertaken. The government should consider the following options: Allocating specific crude volume to NNPC to cater for their operational costs," he said.

"The first question was if we think that subsidy should stay and why? All our reports are widely distributed and they are on our website, NEITI's position, not my position over the years has been that subsidy should go. It was a recommendation.

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EXCHANGING PLEASANTRIES WITH AMERICAN TV HOST...

L-R: Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, being introduced to popular American TV host and business man, Armstrong Williams, by CEO of the Del York Group, Linus Idahosa, who hosted the Governor and delegation to a dinner in Atlanta…recently

Adamu: We're Not in Race for Presidency to End Up at Tribunal Adedayo Akinwale in Abuja National Chairman of All Progressives Congress (APC), Senator Abdullahi Adamu, said the ruling party was not contesting the 2023 presidential election to end up at the tribunal. Adamu said the party was in the race to win. He called on members of the party not to leave anything to chance, saying the APC federal government must be returned.

The APC national chairman spoke yesterday in Abuja, when the wives of the presidential and

vice presidential candidates of the party, Senator Oluremi Tinubu and Nana Shettima, respectively, met with members of the National Working Committee (NWC) of the party.

Tinubu and Shettima were accompanied by other women, including Rukayattu Guni, Lauretta Onochie, Stella Okotete, Bilikisu Kyari, Awah Maimusa, and Binta Muazu.

Adamu told the women, "It is a great pleasure to know that you are standing by our principals – our presidential and vice presidential

DSS: Security Agencies Execute Search Warrant on Mamu's Residence Recover military accoutrements, foreign currencies Kingsley Nwezeh in Abuja The Department of State Security (DSS) said yesterday it executed valid search warrant on the residence and offices of media consultant to the Kaduna-based Islamic cleric, Sheikh Ahmad Gumi and negotiator for the release of Abuja-Kaduna train passengers, Tukur Mamu.

A statement issued by the Spokesman of DSS, Dr Peter Afunanya, said security agencies recovered incriminating materials including military accoutrements and large amounts in different currencies and denominations were recovered.

"So far, appropriate security agencies have executed valid search warrants on Mamu’s residence and office. During the processes, incriminating materials including military accoutrements were recovered.

"Other items include large amounts in different currencies and denominations as well as financial transaction instruments.

"While further investigations continue, Mamu will, surely, have a day in court", it said.

The DSS, Wednesday, announced the arrest, in Cairo, Egypt, of Mamu.

The agency said, in a statement,

that Mamu was in DSS custody as "a person of interest".

A statement issued by DSS in Abuja, said he was arrested in order to provide answers to questions relating to ongoing investigation relating to security matters.

"The Department of State Services (DSS) has been inundated with enquires in respect of the arrest or otherwise of Tukur Mamu, the self-acclaimed Kaduna train hostage negotiator.

"This is to confirm that Manu, as a person of interest, was intercepted by Nigeria’s foreign partners at Cairo, Egypt on September 6, 2022, while on his way to Saudi Arabia. He has since been returned to the country, today, September 7, 2022, and taken into the service’s custody", he said.

The statement signed by the Spokesman of DSS, Dr Peter Afunanya, said "the act followed a request by Nigeria’s military, law enforcement and intelligence community to their foreign partners to bring back Mamu to the country to answer critical questions on ongoing investigations relating to some security matters in parts of the country.

"The public may wish to note that the law will appropriately take its course".

candidates – for the forthcoming election. We are happy that though you are working in silence, because the nitty-gritty of the women's campaign council is not known, you are keeping it to your chest for now until you go public. But I want to say that silence has noise.

"From the silence, we were able to know that you have achieved great heights already under your leadership. We cannot thank you enough for finding time at this very early stage to come and meet with us in the APC that we call Buhari House."

The national chairman commended the women for their drive and commitment to ensure

the success of the party in the 2023 elections.

Adamu said they had promised to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the presidential candidate of the party, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, and his running mate, Senator Kashim Shettima, and ensure they emerge victorious.

He added, "All we can say is to appreciate you for the drive, conscientiousness and commitment to the success of this campaign. I want to assure you that what we can do, by way of planning, is to ensure maximum participation in the efforts we will be making as NWC of the party, to stand with you.

"We have promised to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with both the presidential candidate and his running mate. So, to that extent, you can rest assured that we will be together in this race.

Whatever you need us to do we will willingly do it to ensure success of this effort.

"Your own journey will be a bit more difficult because of customary mannerisms. Some of the best brains are among you, women.

Some of the hardest workers are among you, women, but because of who we are, we have not been able to see the best of women yet."

Earlier, Tinubu, who represents Lagos Central in the Senate, said

they paid a courtesy visit to the chairman to felicitate with him and intimate him on the campaign activities of APC women to deliver the presidential candidate of the party.

She revealed that the organogram for the Tinubu-Shettima Presidential Women Council had not been fine tuned, but added that they have been working quietly.

"I know before the timetable comes out, it's best for me to come here and also tell you that we've been busy and quietly, but we want to intimidate you on the activities,” she said. “We are yet to get our organogram fine tuned," she added.

Fashola Challenges Opposition to Proffer Solutions to Nigeria's Challenges Regional govt system can’t help Nigeria anymore, says Yakasai Ugo Aliogo, Ijeoma Okonji and Adeline Okoronkwo The Minister of Works and Housing, Mr. Babatunde Fashola has challenged the opposition party to proffer solutions to Nigeria’s challenges, stating that he cannot recall the last time an opposition party prepared and detailed an alternative budget to that of the party in government.

Fashola, who disclosed this yesterday in Lagos during the annual lecture of The Niche with the theme: ‘2023 Election and the Future of Nigeria Democracy’, said democracy was simply concerned about the popular participation in choosing a leader or set of leaders.

He also stated that the federal government has heard enough criticisms of what the All Progress Congress (APC) was not doing or getting right; “but when I ask, can you recall an opposition party offering a credible and alternative solution to what the party in government has done wrong?

“To be fair I must acknowledge the generalizations such as we will do this and do that, but very often that is where it ends.”

He added: “Democracy does not guarantee that the leader

or those leaders will deliver or indeed are able to deliver on what we want. Put conversely, what really is it that we expect from those we elect and what do they promise to do before we vote, and what have they done for us?”

He further explained that elections are only a part of the democratic process, saying this requires not only the successful party to play their role in the formation and running of government. According to him, the opposition as watchdog, and government in waiting, has an equally important role to play in enriching the process.

He said: “If you listen to any of the several Morning Shows the issue will come up and you will hear the criticisms, which are legitimate, but you will not get any credible answer to the question – what are the alternatives?

“The answer must lie somewhere between cutting waste, reducing the size of Government, raising taxes, stopping some programmes, projects or policies. But who is ready to have these conversations in real politics.”

Fashola stressed that in the run

up to the 2023 general election, Nigerians should focus on how the new government would resolve the revenue problem the country has had with fuel subsidy without leading to social unrest which the two dominant parties have not yet resolved, and the other contenders remain quiet about.

“Why has parliament, where all the people of Nigeria are represented, not taken a bi-partisan position on the matter after consulting with their constituents, the Nigerian people, and say that we have your mandate to do this or that about the subsidy.

“Why can we not have a voting process that shows how each legislator voted to show that the vote was the result of consultation with the constituents and ensure that they will re-elect the legislator again.

“Why is it not a stipulation that our elected representatives live in our constituency so that they understand what we experience and present it for government attention? Is this type of hands-on representation less important than the occasional goodies shared at seasonal meetings by absentee representatives?

“We can win elections without exaggerating our problems. We can do so by offering credible service and well thought out solutions. We can win elections without disrobing our country before the global community.

“We can do so by valorising Nigeria’s possibilities and not by widening her fault lines. Elections and democracy must represent for us a feast of ideas and choices that bring out the best of us and the best of our country.”

Earlier in his remarks, Alhaji Tanko Yakasai, said reverting to a regional system of government as being clamoured for would no longer help the Nigerian situation.

He said the dangerous situation which the country found itself in and the array of challenges bedeviling the country cannot be corrected by reverting to the regional system of government.

Yakasai also made the call for Nigeria to adopt the French Presidential system of government.

He said the most outstanding aspect of the French system of government was that it made it easier to replace non-performing governments than the American Presidential system operated in Nigeria.

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GOOD TO SEE YOU SIR...

Enugu State PDP Governorship Candidate, Dr Peter Mbah (right) exchanging pleasantries with the Anglican Archbishop of Enugu Ecclesiastical Province, Most Rev. Prof Emmanuel Chukwuma, at a function in Enugu… recently

Foreign Airlines Hike Airfares Further as FG Allegedly Reneges on Payment of Trapped Fund Travel agents may lose three million jobs Chinedu Eze Foreign airlines operating in Nigeria have hiked their fares.

Presently, standard economy return ticket sold in March this year at N300, 000 is now N1.7 million and airlines could charge as much as N1 million for change of date on ticket.

This, it was gathered was in reaction to the alleged failure of the federal government to pay in

full the $265 million it promised out of $465 million trapped funds Nigeria owed the airlines.

On August 26, 2022, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) said it had released the sum of $265 million to airlines operating in the country, to settle outstanding ticket sales in a bid to check a brewing crisis in the country’s aviation sector.

The federal government had indicated that the sum of $230 million was released as special

BUHARI PLEDGES TO RESTORE PEACE, SUSTAIN RECENT TEMPO AGAINST INSECURITY "May I also use the opportunity to re-emphasise the significance of synergy between the Armed Forces and other security agencies and the general population in bringing about long lasting peace and stability in the country."

He commended the Navy for promoting sports development in the country, charging the service to ensure the complex was put to good use.

"This occasion also showcases the investment undertaken by the Nigerian Navy in sport development.

"The construction of this sport complex has provided outstanding room for the Nigerian Navy to host major games as well as appropriate venue for naval personnel who are in Lagos to use for training and other recreational purposes.

"I am therefore confident that beside the conduct of the games, the Nigerian Navy and its personnel will continue to make good use of the facilities in this complex.

"I am also sure that the games will provide an avenue for the discovery of new talents who will go on to represent the Nigerian Navy and Nigeria in international competitions.

"Therefore, all participating athletes should inculcate fair play and exhibit high level of decorum during the games. I know that all commanders in the Nigeria Navy are participating in the games.

"This means that the Nigerian Navy can take stock of the level of preparedness of its personnel while encouraging the development of team spirit among them.”

Speaking further, he said: “The games should therefore provide a glimpse of what Nigerians expect from the NN- dedication, commitment, unity, oneness and comradeship.

"Let me assure you that the federal government will continue to encourage sporting activities in view of its importance towards national coerciveness and unity."

In his address, the Chief of the Naval Staff (CNS), Vice Admiral Awwal Gambo, pledged that the service would do all within its power to ensure the country remained de-listed from the International Maritime Bureau's (IMB) piracy hotbed list.

In his welcome address, he said the navy would also sustain its fight against oil theft and other maritime criminality, adding that IMB's delisting was a testament of the navy's willingness, resilience to ensure a safe and secure maritime environment for socio-economic activities to thrive.

The CNS noted that contemporary warfare places a huge demand on personnel combat readiness, hence the need to sustain high levels of physical fitness and mental alertness.

According to him, physical fitness and mental alertness of personnel have become key considerations for Armed Forces to meet increasing demands of current operations environment.

Lagos Governor, Babajide SanwoOlu, in his goodwill message said the state would continue to support the navy which he described as a, "strategic partner."

forex intervention while another sum of $35 million was released through Retail SMIS auction.

However, two weeks after, less than 50 per cent of the $265 million amount promised to be disbursed to airlines have been released, and some airlines have not received their money.

This was disclosed in a press conference yesterday in Lagos, by the President of the National Association of Nigeria Travel Agencies (NANTA), Susan Akporiaye who said some airlines were yet to receive their money and some others have only received less than the monies they expected to receive from CBN from the release.

Akporiaye said the situation was creating trust issues between the federal government and the airlines, saying this was the reason some airlines still charge exorbitant fares.

“Sadly, that gesture instead of breathing a relief emboldened the foreign airlines to visit the Nigerian travelling public with most exploitative response in the

name of protecting their business.

“As usual with them, their response which we could describe as 'High Fare Pandemic', is solely targeted at Nigeria and Nigerians, and cannot be seen anywhere in Africa even in countries where they also have their funds being trapped.

“It is sad that Nigerians have to buy tickets to the tune of N3 million to N4 million and be charged as high as N1 million to change travel dates even on tickets bought before this problem began.

“This is unacceptable, exploitative, and hostile to the survival of Nigerian aviation downstream sector and to which we call for sanity and return to the best inventory practices and deployment,” NANTA President said.

She said the delay in repatriation of funds of foreign airlines in the country assumed an embarrassing scenario when International Air Transport Association (IATA) labelled the country a debt-

bearing nation, which was like stigmatisation.

"In between these strangulating circumstances, the airlines withdrew lower inventories across board, selling at the highest possible openings as way to cushion their trapped funds.

“Amid the challenges and exorbitant option for our clients and other travelling public not excluding the threat to job losses and closure of shops by most of our members, we held on to optimism that our government would respond," she said.

The NANTA President said if no improvement was recorded between now and December, many travel agents, which are over 6,000 in number, may close shop and estimated three million workers and ancillary labour would lose their jobs.

"Travel agents use Global Distribution System and inventories were blocked on that platform and airline offices cannot even issue. Those that have not closed

inventories are restricting sales to highest ticket inventories and this has affected sales by travel agents.

"Currently several travel agents are out of job. There is a projection that if this continues, over three million direct and indirect jobs will be lost. These are jobs related to travel which include hotels, shops around the airport, ground handlers, travel agents, cleaners, tourists, photographers and canteens amongst others," Akporiaye explained.

She said the action of the airlines was also constricting in-bound tourism, which could further lead to loss of jobs.

“We appreciate the response to the release of some funds, we urge government as a matter of urgency to open further windows of engagement and calling for a meeting with all parties involved; to include CBN, Minister of Aviation, Minister of Finance, Foreign Airlines, the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority and IATA,” she said.

NIDCOM: 13 Nigerians Killed in Northern Cyprus from 2016 Without Resolution Michael Olugbode in Abuja The Chairman/CEO of the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM), Hon. Abike DabiriErewa, yesterday, lamented that 13 Nigerians had been killed in Northern Cyprus from 2016 till date without “any resolution.”

Abike-Erewa, in a press statement by the spokesman of the Commission, Abdur-Rahman Balogun, said: “Some of the deaths recorded in Northern Cyprus without any resolution from 2016 included Mr. Ibrahim Khaleel Bello (25) , son of Justice Amina Ahmad Bello of Kaduna State High Court, 2020; Kennedy Taomwabwa Dede, 28, student of Eastern Mediterranean University and was killed on Feb. 1, 2018.

“Walshak Augustine Ngok, a student of Marine Engineering at Near East University, murdered

on April 19, 2019; Gabriel Soriwei, a first year student of Electrical Electronics of Cyprus International University, Nicosia; Osabanjo Adeola Owoyale, 33, went missing and found dead on July 1, 2019; Augustine Wallies killed on April 19, 2019, Stanley Eteimo, ( 28); Hassan Babatunde, (28), Temitayo Adigun, Kubiat Abasi, Abraham Okon, Oziegbe Godspower Airekugose and Olasubomi Ope.” NIDCOM, while appealing to the Turkish Embassy to do all they could to protect Nigerians in Northern Cyprus, particularly, students, said, “We are optimistic that the reaction to our recent statement would elicit a positive and pro-active reaction from the Embassy.

“While we pray for the repose of the souls of many students, who have died in mysterious circumstances in Northern Cyprus,

we also pray and hope that only good stories would henceforth emanate from Northern Cyprus.”

According to the statement, “The attention of the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM) has been drawn to a letter purportedly written to our Chairman/CEO, Hon. (Dr) Abike Dabiri-Erewa by His Excellency, Hidayet Bayraktar, Ambassador of the Republic of Türkiye, on the welfare of Nigerians living in Northern Cyprus.

“Firstly, no official letter was received till date in our office except the unsigned one being circulated in the media. However, we thank the Ambassador and glad that our recent media briefing has elicited his response pertaining to the unfortunate incidents in Northern Cyprus.

“It will be recalled that Hon. Abike Dabiri-Erewa and a team

from NIDCOM had been to the Turkish Embassy twice to discuss issues related to Nigerians welfare in Turkey and Northern Cyprus, but got no response from the Ambassador.

“It is on record that we received petitions on regular basis from Nigerians, especially, parents whose children had been victims in one way or the other in Northern Cyprus.

“Above all, what we have given is advisory in line with our citizens diplomacy. One has option to either key into it or ignore . It should not be misconstrued as exaggeration or an attempt to scare away potential travelers to Northern Cyprus “Whether it is Nigerians killing Nigerians or drug related crimes, there is some form of danger emanating from Northern Cyprus as alluded to in the Ambassador's letter.”

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NEWS

A NEW LEADERSHIP FOR ASSOCIATION OF MICROFINANCE BANKS …

L-R: President, National Association of Microfinance Banks (NAMB), Joshua Ukupte; Chairman, NAMB, Lagos State Chapter, Adenrele Oni; immediate Past Chairman, NAMB, Lagos State Chapter, Taiwo Joda, during the inauguration of new executive management committee, Lagos chapter of the association in Lagos…recently

Terrorist Attacks: FG Beefs Up Schools’ Security ahead of Resumption NANS faction threatens mass action over protracted strike

KuniTyessiinAbuja

The Minister of State for Education, Goodluck Opiah, has said the federal government, in collaboration with security agencies, have ensured adequate security in schools in preparation for resumption.

Opiah disclosed this at a press

briefing held yesterday in Abuja, in preparation for the 2022 edition of the “International Day To Protect Education From Attack”.

In another development, a factional President of the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS), Umar Faruk Lawal, has called on the federal government

and the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) to immediately resolve the ongoing strike or face mass action from students.

The Federal Government College Kwali and subsequently other schools in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) were forcefully closed for fear of bandits attack.

The minister said: “The closure was not permanent, schools are

about to reopen, the school would also be part of the schools that would reopen. “The ministry in collaboration with relevant security agencies is safeguarding our schools generally and that would not be an isolated case. Be rest assured that the safety of our children is very important to us.”

Opiah explained that observance of the “International Day to Protect

Education From Attack” was initiated by Qatar and co-sponsored by 62 other countries at the 76th United Nations General Assembly in 2020 and was unanimously espoused.

He stated that this was the third edition and the ministry strategically chose the theme, “Implementing the School Safety Policy as a Tool To Protect Education From Attack:

Our Collective Responsibility.”

“The theme foregrounds the education sector hands-on actions to protect education from violence situations and armed conflict thereby upholding the right to education and its continuity in such emergency situations as enshrined in the Safe School Declaration which Nigeria ratified on 20th March, 2019,”he added.

The All Progressive Congress (APC) has threatened to drag the Speaker of the Bayelsa State House of Assembly, Hon Abraham Ngobere, the sacked lawmaker representing Brass Constituency 1, Hon Daniels Charles to court for contempt.

Also, in trouble for contempt is the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC)

Assembly following the sack of Charles by the Court of Appeal.

Rt Hon Abraham Ngobere, and Hon Charles risk jail term for not abiding by the order of the Court which sacked the latter with immediate effect.

The Court of Appeal sitting in Port Harcourt had on July 14 in a unanimous decision by Justices Joseph Shagbaor Ikeyegh, Gabriel Omoniyi Kolawole and

CA/PH/79/2022 ruled that there was merit in the appeal filed by the APC which sought the sacking of Charles as a member of the House for defecting to the PDP from APC on whose platform he emerged the House of Assembly member.

The Court which hinged its decision on Section 109(1) (g) and (2) of the Constitution ordered the Speaker of the House under

his seat vacant and directed Charles to return all monies and allowances he has collected since 14/04/2021.

Counsel to APC, Mr. Tuduru Ede, who expressed dismay that Charles is still being allowed to participate in the deliberation of the House said INEC, the Bayelsa State House of Assembly, Ngobere and Charles are all in contempt of the Court’s ruling.

Customs Intercepts Donkey Set to Drag Bayelsa Speaker, INEC, Sacked Lawmaker to Court for Contempt Genitals Worth N216m in Lagos APC and the Bayelsa State House of Olabode Adegbehingbe in suit constitutional duties to declare Olusegun Samuel inYenagoa Rebecca Ejifoma

The Nigeria Customs Service Murtala Mohammed Airport Cargo Command, yesterday intercepted 7,000 pieces of male Donkey genitals meant for exportation to Hong Kong.

The Customs Area Controller, Sambo Dangaladima disclosed this while showcasing 16 sacks containing the genitals with a duty paid value of over N216 million (N216,212,813 million).

He said that the offensive smell was coming from the bags, arousing suspicion among the customs officers. “They then

opened the packages to find the 7,000 penises of donkeys.” Upon interception, Dangaladima said that the importers claimed wildlife parts were cows’ male genitals.

Following due examination, “my export officers discovered they were Donkey male genitals. It’s the first time we are seizing this type of item. “We will not allow such illegal wildlife trade to thrive under our watch”, Dangaladima warned.

He added that the male genitals were handed over to the Nigeria Agricultural Quarantine Service represented by Deputy Superintendent, Adebimpe Adetunji.

Hayat Kimya Launches Diapers, Promises more Products Hayat Kimya Nigeria, makers of baby diapers and sanitary pads, has promised to continue to expand its product offerings in Nigeria to satisfy consumers’ demands.

The Turkish company made this promise during the launch of two new products into the Nigerian market. The products are Bebem with natural essences baby diaper and Molped with antibacterial protection sanitary pad recently in Lagos.

Speaking at the launch press conference, the Managing Director, Hayat Kimya Nigeria, Doruk Emiroglu, emphasised on

customer satisfaction as the centre of innovation for the brand He said: “The increasing demand by consumers for more sustainable lifestyle choices informed our decision to launch the Bebem with natural essence baby diaper in the Nigerian market. The diaper, which is made with an extract from bamboo fibre and high-quality organic cotton extract, is eco-friendly and assures quality protection of the child.”

Also speaking, the Marketing Manager of the company, Roseline Abaraonye, said that the diaper is the first to be eco-friendly in Nigeria and made from bamboo.

Court Grants Oba of Benin‘s Secretary, Four Others Bail Adibe Emenyonu in Benin City The Edo State High Court, yesterday, granted bail to the Secretary to the Oba of Benin, Mr. Frank Irabor, and four other persons of the Benin Traditional Council (BTC).

Irabor and six other persons, namely Mr. Oko-Oboh Ebosele, Mr. Aghavbere Osawemwenguan, Mr. Abel Oko-Oboh, Mr. Tuesday Atagamene, Mr. Okechukwu Okeke and Mr. Ode Uloko, were earlier remanded in prison custody for their alleged

involvement in demolition of several buildings at Ulegun community in Ikpoba-Okha Local Government Area of the state.

However, two other persons, namely Atagamene and Okeke, were not among those that were granted bail.

Justice Mary Itsueli granted the bail applications to the five persons in the sum of N1million each with a surety in like sum.

Justice Itsueli said the sureties must be gainfully employed, house owners and must appear in court on every adjourned date.

Aregbesola Tasks NSCDC to be More Committed to Security Michael Olugbode in Abuja

The Minister of Interior, Mr. Rauf Aregbesola, has charged men and officers of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), to show more commitment to the internal security of the nation by living up to expectation.

The minister gave the charge in Abuja yesterday at the

commissioning of 96 newly acquired operational and logistics vehicles by the NSCDC. Aregbesola said that the fact that government has continued to revolve strategies to address the many challenges of insecurity in the nation is enough to put all security agencies on their toes to defend the nation from all forms of internal security threats.

He said: “The Federal Ministry of Interior plays an important role in managing the nation’s internal security.

“We do this in policy formulation generally, and in the supervision or superintendence of the four paramilitary agencies with us and these agencies are the NSCDC, the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS), the

Nigerian Correctional Service (NCoS), and the Federal Fire Service (FFS).

“These agencies are in the forefront of the business of protecting lives and property and putting an end to insecurity in the country by playing a complimentary role with other security agencies like the Nigeria Police.”

Delta to Review Administration of Criminal Justice Law Omon-Julius Onabu in Asaba

There are strong indications that the Governor of Delta State, Senator Ifeanyi Okowa would undertake a review of the Administration of Criminal Justice Law (ACJL) with an executive bill that is almost ready for presentation to the Delta State

House of Assembly.

The Delta State AttorneyGeneral and Commissioner for Justice, Mr. Isaiah Bozimo, who gave this hint during a chat with newsmen in Asaba on Wednesday, observed that the review of the law was necessitated by the reality of the times.

Bozimo noted that various

stakeholders took the opportunity of the summit organised by the state’s Ministry of Justice earlier this year to make inputs on how best to improve the ACJL. He pointed out that the proposed review of the ACJL was prompted by certain observed persistent difficulties in its implementation, adding

that such improvement would enable the law to achieve its legal objective.

Nonetheless, the state attorneygeneral has decried “the slow pace of trials (and) the awaiting trial syndrome, which has meant that the population of inmates at various correctional centres” would keep increasing.

Police Parade Man for Alleged Murder of His Father in Kwara

Hammed Shittu inIlorin

The Kwara State Police Command has paraded a middle aged-man, Mr. Ibrahim Hassan, for allegedly murdering his father, Mr. Sabi Ibrahim, a 90-year old retired army corporal, in Ilorin to take possession of his father’s bank ATM card.

The Kwara State Police Commissioner, Mr. Tuesday Assayomo, told journalists in Ilorin yesterday that “on 5/8/2022, one Aishat Ibrahim ‘F’ reported a case of missing person (her father) one Sabi Ibrahim ‘M’ a 90 years old retired army corporal to the police command, the circumstances of his disappearance elicited suspicion

hence the resolve of the command to get to the root of it.”

“Investigation into the matter led to the arrest of one Ibrahim Hassan ‘M’ a biological son of the missing old man.

“During investigation, the suspect confessed to have administered paracetamol injection mixed with other substances on

his father, who became weak and dizzy.

“Immediately after the injection, which he did after coming from the bank where he took his father to renew and collect his ATM card, he took his father on a motorcycle he borrowed to convey his father to an isolated uncompleted building and strangulated his father to death.

Enugu Police Confirm Killing of Officers Gideon Arinze in Enugu

The Enugu State Police Command has confirmed the attack on its officers who were on patrol at Chime Avenue, New Haven in Enugu last Wednesday night.

In a statement issued to journalists by the state Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Daniel Ndukwe, the command confirmed that three policemen were also killed by the yet-tobe-identified hoodlums.

Ndukwe said the Command

has since launched an intensive manhunt to fish out the assailants who were said to have operated in a Lexus SUV. According to him, the hoodlums, “Who were driving behind the moving police patrol van, opened fire on the officers

immediately they overtook them.

“The shooting, which occurred at about 10 p.m. on Wednesday, left the ever busy Chime Avenue area of the state deserted as residents scampered for safety.”

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2023: APC Must Work Hard to Win Elections, Says Daniel James Sowole in Abeokuta

Former Governor of Ogun State, Otunba Gbenga Daniel, has urged members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) to work hard in order to achieve success for the ruling party in the 2023 election.

He stressed that only popular candidates would henceforth win elections following the introduction of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

Daniel stated this during

an interactive session at a two-day leadership capacity development programme for councillors in Ogun East senatorial district held in Ijebu-Ode. The event with the theme: ‘Understanding Leadership and Legislative Responsibilities at the Grassroots Level’, had in attendance 103 councillors and 24 youth leaders drawn from the nine local government areas in Ogun East senatorial district.

The former governor asked the party faithful to unite and put post-primary bickering behind them, adding that

they must not be deterred by national challenges in the bid to ensure electoral victory.

Daniel, who noted that the majority of the electorate was still undecided over whom to vote for in the coming presidential poll, said party members must target this category of voters and convince them to vote for the party at the elections.

He expressed confidence that the APC presidential candidate, Bola Tinubu, would improve the economy and guarantee local government autonomy if elected in 2023.

Police Constabularies Scheme isVoluntary, Says Osun Yinka Kolawole in Osogbo The Osun State Police Command, yesterday, cleared the air over 480 police constabularies that protested the nonpayment of their salaries.

The command stated unequivocally that the Community Policing Constabulary Scheme (CPCS) of the force is a purely voluntary service.

In a statement issued and Signed by the Command Police Public Relations Officer, SP. Opalola Yemisi, on behalf of the Commissioner of Police, CP. Olawale Olokode, said: “It should be noted that the scheme is to promote community

partnership in crime control via the presence of respected members of the public, with sources of livelihood, partnering with the force under the scheme to render voluntary service for better and improved policing within their communities.”

Olokode also re-emphasised the fact that the scheme is voluntary and no payments were agreed with the individuals under the scheme neither were paid terms of appointment discussed prior to its commencement.

He said: “Notwithstanding, the state government, or local government where they are serving may decide to give stipends to the members of the

special constabularies recruited by them for this assignment in their state, which does not interfere or change the constitution of the scheme.”

However, THISDAY learnt that the commissioner held meeting with some of the members of the scheme yesterday at the state command headquarters, not minding the fact that there is no basis for them to embark on the street protest for “nonpayment of salaries,” which was not part of the agreement in principle.

In their response, they appreciated the state commissioners of police for his fatherly role and promised to abide by the rules of engagement.

Niger House of Assembly Removes Three Principal Officers LaleyeDipoinMinna There was drama in the Niger State House of Assembly yesterday culminating in the removal of three principal officers of the legislative house.

The drama started when one of the members allegedly deceived the Speaker of the Assembly, Alhaji Abdullahi Bawa Wuse, that he had ‘a matter of urgent public importance’ to present on the floor of the Assembly during plenary.

Wuse was reported to have asked what the issue to be presented was about which the legislator responded was on flood, and that the motion was already being typed before promising to oblige the Speaker

a copy before proceedings gets to the point.

However, when the sitting commenced, the member from Edati constituency, Alhaji Salihu Tama, did not present the typed copy to the Speaker, instead insisted that he would make oral presentation of the motion.

The Speaker tried to stop the presentation of the motion but majority of the lawmakers said Tama should be allowed to make his submission.

Wuse declared that: “I gave him the opportunity to speak on the understanding that he said he had a motion and the motion is being typed and that it is almost complete. I now asked him if it was

ready, and he said the motion is for flooding in Edati Local Government Area and that it is almost ready, and that was why I said I haven’t given him the basis to speak. I overruled him because he didn’t give me the motion before the sitting. And that is my stand.”

The remark by the Speaker resulted in altercation between him and some members of theAssembly with the member from Borgu constituency, Alhaji Mohammed Abba Bala, leading the dissenting voices by saying: “If a matter of public importance is not put into writing, won’t it be presented? Has that always been the practice? I know of several cases where this is not the case in this Assembly.”

Activists, Artistes Set for Global Citizen Festival in Accra, New York International advocacy Executive Director of Enough organisation Global Citizen has announced more artists, activists and hosts for the 10th anniversary Global Citizen Festival taking place on Saturday, September 24, 2022 at the Black Star Square in Accra, Ghana, presented by Harith General Partners and in New York City’s Central Park, presented by Citi and Cisco.

is Enough Nigeria (EiE) Yemi Adamolekun and Founder & Director, Berea-Hillbrow Home of Hope South Africa, Khanyisile Motsa, both 2022 Global Citizen Prize Winners, will take the Global Citizen Festival: Accra stage alongside other international changemakers to inspire urgent action from the festival audience.

Uncle Waffles joins the lineup of global stars performing in Accra’s Black Star Square alongside Usher, SZA, Stormzy, Gyakie, Sarkodie, Stonebwoy, and TEMS while Berla Mundi, Joselyn Dumas, Michaela Coel, Nomzamo Mbatha, and Sabrina Dhowre Elba are listed among the presenters. The show will be hosted by award-winning actor, playwright and activist, Danai Gurira.

Similarly, Angélique Kidjo and Billy Porter will join previously announced performers, including Metallica, Charlie Puth, Jonas Brothers, Maneskin, Mariah Carey, Mickey Guyton, and Rosalía, at the Global Citizen Festival: New York City, with Amber Ruffin, Antoni Porowski, Bill Nye, Chris Redd, Connie Britton, Jay Shetty, Katie Holmes, Misty Copeland, Rachel Brosnahan, Scott Evans, Tamron Hall, and Van Jones also joining as presenters.

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Mapping of Enumeration Areas for 2023 Census Gulps N21bn, Says FG Deji Elumoye in Abuja The federal government Thursday disclosed that a total sum of N21 billion had been spent on mapping of enumeration areas for the 2023 national census.

Vice President Yemi Osinbajo made this known in Abuja at a breakfast meeting with Partners on the 2023 Population and Housing Census.

The theme of the meeting organised by the National Population Commission (NPC), in collaboration with UNFPA, was “Supporting a Transformational Census Process in Nigeria.”

Osinbajo, who was represented

by Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Office of the Vice President, Laolu Akande, said the federal government had demonstrated tangible commitment to the conduct of the 2023 Population and Housing Census, as evidenced in the provision of funds for the implementation of important preliminary activities.

“Specifically, the federal government has spent about N21 billion for the mapping of the country into enumeration areas for the census,” Osinbajo said.

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He said the federal government had so far approved N198 billion in the 2022 Appropriation Act and had released about 60 per cent of the funds for the exercise.

According to the vice president, “By 2050, Nigeria is projected to have 400 million people; government must continue to provide quality basic education, nutrition and healthcare for them; improve on security and create more job opportunities for our young people who currently make

up more than half of our country’s population.

“Thus, the work of NPC and its partners is even more crucial at this point—adequate planning, data and structure are vital factors in creating sustainable growth and national development.

“The government, so far, has now approved the sum of N198 billion in the 2022 Appropriation Act of which about 60 per cent has since been released.”

Fayemi: I Built Resort Centre to Make Life Easier for Ekiti Elders Victor Ogunje in Ado Ekiti

Ekiti State Governor, Dr Kayode Fayemi, has reassured members of Ekiti Council of Elders that their welfare will always be accorded priority, saying this propelled him to build the Elderly Citizens Resort Centre, in Ado Ekiti, to make life easier for them.

Fayemi, who gave the assurance yesterday , while hosting members of Ekiti Council of Elders led by its Vice President, Chief Deji Fasuan, in his office, said he was glad that the resort centre was completed and would be inaugurated by President Muhammadu Buhari by October.

He said he decided to build the resort as a payback for the elders who have spent the better

parts of their lives serving the people both within and outside the state and for supporting his administration over the years.

The governor, who commended some of the elders for their roles in the actualisation of the creation of Ekiti State, reiterated his commitment towards ensuring that the construction of Ado-Akure becomes a reality, adding that he has also initiated negotiation with the NNPC to assist in the construction of the road.

He, however, added that his government has opened an alternative road from Ado-Ekiti through Ilawe to Akure and making efforts to finish and inaugurate for use the Ado-Ekiti Airport before he lives office.

‘How Akpabio Scuttled Efforts to Salvage Akwa Ibom APC’ Adedayo Akinwale The factional Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Akwa Ibom State, Austin Ekanem, has revealed how the former Governor of the state, Senator Godswill Akpabio and Victor Antai frustrated the last minute effort to resolve the lingering crisis in the state chapter of the party.

Ekanem in a statement issued yesterday explained that the two factions of the party tried to settle the leadership crisis rocking the state chapter of the party out of court, but the effort was allegedly frustrated by the Akpabio-led faction.

He said: “During one of the court sessions of the appeal filed by Senator John Udoedehe against the judgement obtained by Stephen Ntukekpo and co in respect of the State Congress of APC in Akwa

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Ibom State at the court of appeal.

The judges didn’t sit on time and afforded the legal counsel on both sides time to interact and share their experiences regarding such cases.”

Ekanem noted that the legal counsel on both sides agreed that the case would not help the party at that time especially as the APC primary election was fast approaching.

He added: “They decided that Senator John Akpanudoedehe who was in court should be approached and briefed about an out of court settlement. “

My Legislative Activities ‘ll Transform Abia State, Says APC Senatorial Candidate Sunday Aborisade in Abuja The candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) for Abia Central Senatorial District in the 2023 National Assembly elections, Hon. Emeka Atuma, has assured his people that his legislative activities in the National Assembly would be a pacesetter for the transformation of the state, if elected.

Atuma in a statement made available to THISDAY in Abuja yesterday specifically said his mission to the Senate was to re-invent Abia State just as he declared that he had volunteered to lead the struggle for good governance in the state from the red chamber.

The former member of the House of Representatives stated that he was determined to recover and transform the nature of representation from its current medieval status.

He said: “My mission as a Senator is to reinvent Abia State and to restore its previous place of pride, so that the state could survive and thrive on a larger Nigerian context.”

WORLD OF ISLAM

Edited by: MJO Mustapha Email deji.mustapha@thisdaylive.com

Why Believers’ Sins are All Forgivable (2) By: Spahic Omer/IslamiCity from last week)

(Continued

The Qur’an and Sunnah on sin and repentance

The entire process of provisional sinning and repenting (returning) – which in turn may bring about an increase in piety and overall goodness – can become extraordinarily meritorious, to the point that a person’s evil deeds may be not just forgiven, but also replaced with good ones. Allah promises: “Except for those who repent, believe and do righteous work. For them Allah will replace their evil deeds with good. And ever is Allah Forgiving and Merciful” (al-Furqan, 70).

As a result, in the vocabulary of the Qur’an, the true meaning of sin and sinner is to voluntarily earn evil and to eventually become encompassed by it (to be fully and irreparably engulfed in evil): “Those are the companions of the Fire; they will abide therein eternally” (al-Baqarah, 81).

By way of illustration, these three Qur’anic instances present the Islamic philosophy of sin, repentance and forgiveness.

The case of Prophet Adam First, Prophet Adam is said to have “disobeyed his Lord and went astray” (Ta Ha, 121). However, although Adam disobeyed God, he was not a disobedient person, and although he erred and went astray (from God’s command), is by no means were the wicked thought and behavioural designs.

This was so owing to the fact Adam erred in Paradise (Jannah). He was placed temporarily there partly in order to learn and get prepared for his impending mission on earth. While at the same time it is an undeniable fact that committing mistakes while learning is not deemed a failure.

Those mistakes are part of dynamic productive processes and as such can easily be converted into advantages. They are part of a learning curve.

Everything that transpired in Paradise was geared towards the maximization of Adam’s performances on earth where things really mattered and where Adam ultimately rose to the occasion.

In addition, as soon as Adam realized what had happened, he felt deeply apologetic and repented to God, declaring: “Our Lord, we have wronged ourselves, and if You do not forgive us and have mercy upon us, we will surely be among the losers” (al-A’raf, 23). Adam thus restored and returned to the original order of things.

Thus, when referring to what had exactly happened, the Qur’an tells that Adam and his wife Hawwa’ were simply caused to slip, and so, err, by Satan who tricked them by capitalizing on their human innocence, naivety and existential inexperience. Satan stopped at nothing in doing so. At the end of the day, though, neither Adam’s seeming disobedience, nor his propensity for sin, was to be blamed for the Paradise debacle. It was Satan who, while inducing Adam and Hawwa’ to “slip”, exhibited his true colours and for whom later on earth - the place of human trials - Adam was more than ready.

Due to the experiences of Adam and his wife in Paradise, their descendants until the Day of Judgment were handed a blueprint for successfully confronting Satan and overpowering sin.

The case of Qabil

Second, when Qabil, one of Adam’s sons, killed his brother, Habil, the Qur’an laid the blame at Qabil’s door. The Qur’an does not bring the deceptions of Satan into the picture. Instead, it says that Qabil’s corrupted and evil soul had prompted and had facilitated to him one of the most monstrous crimes a human being can perpetrate (al-Ma’idah, 30).

Undoubtedly, the advances of Satan had been accepted and were subsequently worked on internally inside the person of Qabil. His self thence became the centre of operations, so to speak, functioning as Satan’s proxy. As if the Qur’an wanted to bypass the role of Satan (external components) and, in its place, wished to focus on the crux of the matter (internal components).

Qabil was not just evil, but also a personification of evil. He was blinded by it. He could not see, nor listen to, anything but his evil self and its inner voices. As such, to Qabil there was nothing aberrant in his crime. His self was home to all the prerequisites needed for the sin he contemplated and then carried out. The crime of murder sought and found Qabil, as much as his self-had sought and found the murder. They were a match made in heaven.

And that was the reason why Qabil killed his brother in cold blood. He never remembered God, before, during and after the execution of the murder, nor did he ever realize the severity of his misdeed for which he could repent. He was consumed and controlled by his wickedness throughout.

If Adam and his “wrongdoing” was a model for believers, Qabil certainly was a model for the

evil-doers of all times and circumstances. The Prophet captured this moral when he said: “No soul is wrongfully killed but that some responsibility for its blood is upon the first son of Adam (Qabil), for he was the first to set the precedent of murder” (Sahih al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim).

The Qur’an employs the Qabil-versus-Habil incident to underscore a similar spiritual and ethical import: “Because of that (Qabil’s murder of Habil), We decreed upon the Children of Israel that whoever kills a soul unless for a soul or for corruption (done) in the land – it is as if he had slain mankind entirely. And whoever saves one – it is as if he had saved mankind entirely. And our messengers had certainly come to them with clear proofs. Then indeed many of them, (even) after that, throughout the land, were transgressors” (al-Ma’idah, 32).

A son of Prophet Nuh (Noah)

Third, the Qur’an highlights the case of a son of Prophet Nuh as another example of the true meaning of sin and sinner. Considering that the man in question lived during the early phases of human civilization, it is safe to say that he – just like Qabil – was a trendsetter. He became famous for all the wrong reasons.

This son of Prophet Nuh spent his entire life rejecting his father’s teachings and trying to rival the latter’s way of life (even proclaiming at the height of the flood calamity that, instead of following his father onto the ship and to safety, he will take refuge on a mountain to protect him from the water (Hud, 43)). In the end, the son died in such a rebellious state, deserving the Qur’anic description of himself as not a member of Nuh’s family and as a “conduct or work” that is not righteous (Hud, 46).

Nuh’s son appears to have scaled all the levels of sin. Not only did he allow Satan and his evil self (soul) to get the better of him, but he as well became a quintessence of all sin and transgression.

Becoming synonymous with evil, he was termed a “sinful deed”. Thus, his legacy as an epitome and image of sin was immortalized. In addition to living and promoting evil, correspondingly he became evil incarnate.

Just like in the case of Qabil, the senses of Nuh’s son were incapacitated. Such was his absorption in sin that he could not reason properly, resulting in neither guilty conscience nor repentance to be ever forthcoming. The impact of the miraculous episodes, which were associated with his father’ prophethood and which defied both human intelligence and physical laws, evaded him. His condition was proving suicidal at all levels, prompting Prophet Nuh to warn him, in his role as prophet, and to implore him, in his role as his father: ‘“This day there is no saviour from the decree of Allah except him on whom He has mercy.’ And a wave came in between them, so he (the son) was among the drowned” (Hud, 43).

It is this pattern of people that persist in sinning and do not understand the motives – nor needs – for repentance. It is them furthermore that will be denied the mercy and forgiveness of the All-Merciful and Ever-Forgiving God – if He so wills – and will be subjected to an appropriate punishment in the Hereafter.

Believers, on the other hand, will be spared this agony, for inasmuch as their sins are forgivable, they will be forgiven. Their sins are at once minimal, relative and conditional, and stand no chance of continued existence when juxtaposed with the absolute and infinite compassion, forgiveness and clemency of Almighty God. Harbouring any different idea is alien to the Islamic worldview and is unacceptable. To despair of the relief of God and His mercy is a sign of weak faith. Yet it could be a sign of a total loss of faith both in God and the self.

So, therefore, repentance in Islam is more of a qualitative than quantitative nature. It is a state of mind and soul. It is a validation of allegiance and spiritual authenticity. A believer repents as much because of his sins as because doing so is an act of remembrance of God. Repentance moreover denotes a critical act of worship whereby one practices gratitude and enhances a spiritual fortitude within himself.

To repent is to blot out sins and to generate preventive measures for the future. Repentance is a great and proven deterrent. If conceived and practiced properly, it can make notable contributions to the self-development and self-actualization processes as well as methods.

For these reasons are Muslims encouraged to repent when they sin and when they do not. They are urged to take the whole thing into their personal and collective stride. The Prophet set an example when he said, even though he was a perfect being and his deeds infallible: “By Allah, I ask for forgiveness from Allah and turn to Him in repentance more than seventy times a day” (Sahih al-Bukhari).

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FRIDAYSPORTS

Group Sports Editor: Duro Ikhazuagbe Email: duro.ikhazuagbe@thisdaylive.com

0811 181 3083 SMS ONLY

Ighalo Evokes Memories as Al Hilal Play Zamalek at Lusail Super Cup

Duro Ikhazuagbe in Doha Odion Ighalo will be full of emotions this evening when he steps into the main-bowl of the 80,000-capacity Lusail Stadium here in Qatar.

The magnificent Lusail facility is the biggest of the eight stadia the Qataris have put in place to host the 2022 FIFA World Cup scheduled to kick off on November 21.

This venue with the airconditioning cooling system as all the other seven facilities, will kick off hosting of matches on November 22 with the Group C game between Argentina and Saudi Arabia. It will be the focus of global football audience when it plays host for the final game of this edition on December 18.

The stadium’s design is inspired by the interplay of light and shadow that characterises the fanar lantern.

Its shape and golden façade echo the intricate decorative motifs on

QATAR 2022 DRESS REHEARSAL bowls, vessels and other art pieces found across the Arab and Islamic world during the rise of civilisation in the region.

Ighalo will be playing on this turf this evening not as a Nigerian donning the green and white jersey, but on duty for his Saudi Arabia club Al Hilal SFC. As champions of the Saudi Pro League, Al Hilal will take on Egyptian Premier League winners, Zamalek with the Lusail Super Cup at stake.

Ighalo, at 33, was pulled out of retirement to help give direction to Nigeria’s senior national team, the Super Eagles after torrents of poor results. He fancied the dream of going to the World Cup for the last time in Qatar before finally hanging his boots. But that was not to be. Ghana’s Black Stars killed that dream and hopes of millions

of other Nigerians who look up to Eagles’ participation at the Mundial every four years to earn some money through merchandise and other sundry football related enterprises.

The Black Stars snatched the ticket with a very painful away goal rule after both home and away legs had deadlocked 1-1. The goalless result away in Cape Coast meant nothing to Nigerians while the 1-1 in the return leg in Abuja was celebrated late into the night in Accra and other major cities of Ghana when it happened.

It is against this backdrop that Ighalo’s outing at this ground this evening is bound to draw emotions of mixed feelings. As Al Hilal’s top scorer last season with 24 goals, the former Manchester United forward has started with two goals so far

this term.

The mention of the name Zamalek used to strike fears in the minds of former Nigerian players.

Not anymore. It was even in Egypt that Ighalo emerged AFCON 2019 top scorer, leading Super Eagles to a third place finish in that edition.

It remains uncertain if Ighalo after playing Zamalek in this beautiful stadium this evening will remain contented, not entirely missing the ‘Qatar 2022 action’.

Ighalo made his debut for the Nigerian national team in March 2015 against Uganda. He represented Nigeria at the 2018 World Cup in Russia after which he decided to quit the Super Eagles due to threats he said his family received from a section of some disgruntled fans not happy with his performance at the Mundial.

He however changed his mind and returned to lead Nigeria’s campaign for AFCON 2019 in

Egypt as top scorer. He capped the tournament finishing in the competition's IX as well as top scorer.

Ighalo joined Al Hilal from another Saudi club Al Shabab. Prior to moving to Al Shabab in February 2021, Ighalo made 17 league appearances in total at Shanghai Shenhua in the Chinese Super League, scoring 10 goals before he was loaned to Manchester United in the English Premier League.

Amusan Caps Season Retaining Diamond League Title defending champion.

For her efforts the Nigerian has been crowned the Diamond League champion and awarded a Diamond Trophy in addition to winning the $30,000 top prize money as well as secure a wild card for the World Athletics Championships next year in Budapest, Hungary.

Tia Jones, who came second behind the Nigerian last Sunday at the ISTAF 2022 in Berlin ran 12.40 seconds while Britany Anderson of Jamaica was third in 12.42 seconds.

Reigning Olympic champion, Jasmine Camacho-Quinn finished a disappointing fourth (12.49 seconds).

This would be Amusan's sixth win in 14 appearances against Camacho-Quinn who ran a new 12.27 seconds personal best to win in Brussels last week.

The year 2022 has been a historic one for Amusan.

She started the year by successfully defending her African Championships title in Mauritius early June before travelling to Paris to smash her 12.42 seconds African record.

Amusan ran 12.41 seconds at the Diamond League meeting in Paris before storming Edo City in Nigeria to rewrite the 12.63 seconds Nigerian Championships record set in 1997 by Angela Atede in Lagos.

The reigning African Tobi Amusan…retains Diamond champion ran 12.58 Reigning Nigeria, Commonwealth and World Champion, Tobi Amusan, ended her historic and record-laden year 2022 with another record as she successfully defended the Diamond League title she won last year.

The 25-year-old ran a new 12.29 seconds meeting record to win the 100m hurdles.

It is her second fastest legal time ever over the high hurdles after the 12.12 seconds world record she ran in Oregon, USA at the World Championships and one hundreth of a second faster than the 12.30 Games record she ran to successfully defend her Commonwealth Games title last month in Birmingham, United Kingdom.

The Nigerian has now successfully defended four titles this year in which she was the

League title in Zurich

Chelsea Appoint Potter as Tuchel’s Successor

Chelsea have appointed Graham Potter as their new manager following the sacking of Thomas Tuchel.

Potter has left fellow Premier League club Brighton to take up the role and has signed a five-year deal with the Blues.

The 47-year-old said he was "incredibly proud and excited to represent Chelsea".

Potter's first game in charge will be an away derby with fellow west London club Fulham on Saturday at 12:30 BST. His assistant Billy Reid, first-team coaches Bjorn Hamberg and Bruno, goalkeeping coach Ben Roberts and assistant head of recruitment Kyle Macaulay will join him at

the Chelsea, who have paid Brighton in excess of £21million in compensation.

"We are thrilled to bring Graham to Chelsea," said the Stamford Bridge club's Chairman Todd Boehly.

"He is a proven coach and an innovator in the Premier League who fits our vision for the club.

"Not only is he extremely talented on the pitch, he has skills and capabilities that extend beyond the pitch which will make Chelsea a more successful club.

"He has had a major impact at his previous clubs and we look forward to his positive impact at Chelsea,” observed a statement from Chelsea.

seconds to add the championships record to her collections before going to the biggest stage in world athletics to achieve a legendary status.

Amusan produced one of the biggest surprises of the World Championships when she sped to a world record of 12.12 seconds in the semifinals of the 100m hurdles, following it with a wind-assisted 12.06 seconds in the final to win gold.

The Nigerian went on to win the Commonwealth Games title in a Games record of 12.30 seconds and in the process became the first Nigerian track and field athlete to successfully defend an individual title at the Games.

Odion Ighalo…in Qatar for Lusail Super Cup

Eagles to Play Ronaldo’s Portugal in Lisbon Friendly The Nigeria Football Federation and Federação Portuguesa de Futebol have signed a formal agreement for the Super Eagles and A Seleção to clash in a prestige senior team friendly at the Estádio José Alvalade in Lisbon on Thursday, 17th November.

Nigeria’s Super Eagles have won the Africa Cup of Nations on three occasions (as well as Olympic men’s football gold, silver and bronze) while Portugal won her first continental trophy (Euro Championship) in France in 2016,

defeating host France 1-0 after extra time at the Stade de France.

As hosts, A Seleção lost the Euro Championship final to Greece in 2004.

Already billed to play 2019 African champions Algeria in Oran on 27th September, the encounter with Portugal is another ace by the Amaju Pinnick administration, which has enabled high-end international friendlies for the Super Eagles and other Nigeria national teams over the past eight years.

Before now, the Super Eagles

have played against five-time world champions Brazil, Argentina, England, Ukraine, Senegal, Mexico, Serbia, Poland, Cameroon, Czech Republic, Tunisia, Ecuador, Democratic Republic of Congo and Mali.

The match with Portugal will be the first clash at senior men level for both countries, though last year summer, the Super Falcons and the Senior Women Team of Portugal fought out a thrilling 3-3 draw in the USWNT Summer Series in Houston, Texas, USA.

It can also be recalled that in 1989, Portugal’s U20 boys defeated Nigeria’s U20 boys 2-0 in the final of the FIFA World Youth Championship (now FIFA U20 World Cup finals) in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Portugal will be led by five-time Ballon d’Or winner Cristiano Ronaldo, easily one of the best footballers the world has ever seen, while the Super Eagles will be led at the fore by Italy-based forward Victor Osimhen, growing to be one of the most lethal strikers in world football.

BETSY OBASEKI FOOTBALL TOURNEY

Edo Takes Campaign Against Drug Abuse to School, Students, Others Adibe EmenyonuinBeninCity Edo State First Lady, Mrs. Betsy Obaseki, has said the state will on September 15, 2022, hold a workshop to sensitise students and other youths in the state on the dangers of drug abuse, as part of activities lined up for this year’s edition of the Betsy Obaseki Women Football Tournament (BOWFT).

The second edition of the competition, scheduled to run between Wednesday, September 7, 2022 and Saturday, September 17, 2022, is focused on driving the government’s campaign against drug abuse.

Betsy Obaseki, while addressing sport journalists at an interactive session at the Government House, Benin City, said the yearly tournament was born out of the desire to check social vices among the girl-child in the state.

She noted that Edo State used to be the epicenter of human

L-R: Mrs. Maryann Philip-Shaibu, Wife of Edo State Deputy Governor; Chairperson, Nigeria Women Football League, Aisha Falode; and Edo State First Lady, Mrs. Betsy Obaseki, during the Draw Ceremony for the second edition of the Betsy Obaseki Football Tournament in Benin City…on Wednesday trafficking and illegal migration, adding that the first edition of the competition achieved its goal of further complementing the

government’s efforts at tackling the menace.

Betsy Obaseki said, “Faced with trafficking of about 60 percent of our

girls, we decided to do something to save the situation. We housed and trained the returnees in different areas, ensuring that they are equipped with requisite skills to live fulfilled lives. We looked at other areas to support the girls and this gave birth to this tournament.

"The tournament has created the opportunity for our young girls to develop skills and career for themselves in football. We are focusing this year on drug abuse as it has become a menace in our society, state and country at large.

We are encouraging our girls to choose a career path in football.”

The Edo First Lady added, “the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) Chairman, Alhaji Buba Marwa has agreed to be in Edo State for the drug seminar which will take place on the 15th of September 2022; a day set aside for the teams to rest. We are expecting 1,500 students across the state to attend the seminar.”

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SPORTS

Europa: Marquinhos Shines in Debut as Arsenal Win in Zurich Arsenal began their Europa League campaign with 2-1 victory over Zurich away.

Arsenal took the lead through debutant Marquinhos converting from Eddie Nketiah's cutback after 16 minutes.

But Zurich equalised before half-time courtesy of Mirlind Kryeziu's penalty after Nketiah fouled Ola Selnaes.

Nketiah restored Arsenal's lead in the second half, heading in at the far

post from Marquinho's cross. Mikel Arteta's side face PSV Eindhoven in their second Europa League game next Thursday.

Elsewhere, Nigerian international, Samuel Chukwueze was on target as Villarreal defeated Lech Poznan 4-3 in a thrilling seven-goal game.

Chukwueze grabbed the first equaliser at 1-1 in the 32nd minutes for the LaLiga teams after Poznan had raced into the lead in the second minute through Michal Skoras.

Klopp Not Worried of Possible Liverpool Sack Jurgen Klopp has insisted he is not worried about his job security despite Liverpool's struggles so far this season.

The Reds have won just two of their first seven games this campaign, and their underlying issues were deeply exposed in Wednesday's 4-1 hammering at Napoli in the Champions League.

After their own difficult beginning to the new term, Chelsea shockingly parted ways with Thomas Tuchel and are set to bring in Graham Potter as his replacement. But Klopp is not concerned that Liverpool will similarly replace him.

When asked if he's worried about getting the sack, Klopp replied: "Not really. Our owners are rather calm and expect me to

Marquinhos (right)… scored on his Arsenal debut last night

sort the situation and not think someone else will."

Klopp is now into his seventh season at Anfield and has never lasted longer than that time frame at any club before.

He lasted seven years in his first managerial job at Mainz, being relegated from the Bundesliga in his penultimate campaign and failing to win promotion in his final year.

The German was also at Borussia Dortmund for seven years, and while he won two Bundesliga titles and reached the Champion League final in that time, BVB strangely imploded in his final season, spending several weeks bottom of the table before eventually finishing seventh.

Iwobi Turned His Harshest Critics to Ardent Admirers, Says Ian Wright

Alex Iwobi…loved again by his ardent critics

When Nigerian midfielder, Alex Iwobi left Arsenal for Everton, Gunners fans saw the move as a good radiance to bad rubbish, and after failing to settle down quickly at Goodison Park, the Merseysiders started seeing his big price move as a waste of money.

Under Frank Lampard however, the Super Eagle seems to have found his groove and now one of the first names in the manager’s list and has also warmed himself into the heart of the Evertonians.

Indeed, former Arsenal striker, Ian Wright has showered praises on Iwobi for rejuvenating his career at Everton, even in the face of harsh criticisms.

Wright has watched as Iwobi has become a key figure at Everton and one of the Premier League’s most impressive playmakers.

Under Frank Lampard, Iwobi has transitioned from a winger to a wing-back and presently to a deep-lying midfielder, a role that has seen him convert his harshest critics to his ardent admirers.

Wright has highlighted Iwobi’s work-rate, ability, and vision, and

NPFL 22/23: Owumi Urges Clubs to Complete Club Licensing Process Participating clubs in the Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) have been reminded that only those that submitted for the Club Licensing process within the stipulated time frame would be registered to play in the 2022/23 football season.

Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the League Management Company (LMC), Davidson Owumi, disclosed this yesterday.

He also informed the clubs that arrangements have been concluded

for stadium and facilities inspection which also is part of the Club Licensing requirements.

"Schedules for the Club Licensing process has been sent to the clubs since July, 2022 and already, a number of clubs have been undergoing the procedure at our office in Abuja. Those who are yet to respond are hereby reminded that it is a compulsory requirement for registration to participate in the incoming season," Owumi noted.

He assured the NPFL followers that the new season will usher

in improvements to all facets of the league especially in the area of quality of approved venues.

Owumi said the LMC will in the coming days unfold the trajectory for a very successful season that will add to the gains of the last season.

Rivers United emerged the champions of the 2021/22 season and were presented the trophy at a very colourful ceremony in Port Harcourt which enjoyed the full participation of NPFL Fintech partner, Bitnob.

the Gunners’ second-highest scorer of all time believes manager Mikel Arteta would appreciate an Iwobi in the current Arsenal midfield.

Iwobi came through the Arsenal football academy and made 149 appearances for the senior team before leaving for Everton in 2019 for €30 million.

Wright is not ruling out a return to Arsenal for the workaholic Super Eagles star.

House podcast: “I’m so pleased with the way it’s going for him.

“I remember Arsenal fans; it’s the same thing they did with (Alex) Oxlade-Chamberlain; they ridiculed him.

“I remember watching him play in midfield early days for Arsenal at West Ham, and you’re seeing something.

“His ball progression and work rate, what Frank has now recognised him and put him there, listen to the Everton fans when he’s doing his work, they are adoring him now.

I’m loving the way it’s working out for Iwobi.

“I’m just talking about somebody who’s making a massive difference to what Everton need – the work rate, his ball progression, his passing, everything.

“He’s the pass before the assist, people don’t realise it. Everton fans are now starting to realise that if they get the right players in and around him, he’s going to be a force for them.

“You look at his work rate, it’s unbelievable. It’s the kind of intensity that Mikel wants now and needs now, we need that, we need somebody who can press like that.”

Everton manager and Chelsea legend Frank Lampard and former Super Eagles midfielder and head coach Sunday Oliseh are two of football’s notable figures who have lauded Iwobi’s showings this year.

Jurgen Klopp…unfazed by sack threats at Liverpool

BOWFT: FC Robo Rout Braveheart Ladies in Nine-goal Thriller Confluence Queens edge Naija Ratel with lone goal Adibe Emenyonu in Benin City The second edition of the Betsy Obaseki Women Football Tournament (BOWFT) started off on a thrilling note on Thursday, as FC Robo routed Braveheart Ladies in a nine-goal harvest in favour of the Lagos side.

The nine-goal haul is shared between three FC Robo players, with Lawal Taiwo netting five goals. Ijamiluyi Shade scored a hat-trick and Oladiti Rukayat found the back of the net once.

The game was played at the University of Benin (UNIBEN) Sports Complex, in Ugbowo, Benin City.

Oladiti Rukayat opened the campaign with a goal in the fifth minute, disrupting the Edo-based Braveheart Ladies.

In the second fixture of the day played at Western Boys High School, Confluence Queens defeated Naija Ratel, through a goal in the 20th minute by Chiamaka Osigue.

The tournament, which is Nigeria’s only pre-season women football championship, is a brainchild of the wife of the Edo State Governor, Mrs. Betsy Obaseki.

The tournament themed, ‘Say No to Drugs,’ is aimed at raising awareness on the adverse effects of drug abuse among youths.

Friday September 9, 2022

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MISSILE Reno Omokri to Tinubu-Shettima Ticket

“A vote for Tinubu may lead Nigerian Christians to the same fate of the ancient Christians of Asia Minor (now Turkey). So, let us forget our divisions and unite against this imbalance; whether or not you are Roman Catholic, Anglican, Methodist, Baptist, Pentecostal, Evangelical, Charismatic, Celestial, or any other denomination. See yourself as one. Or you may go the way of the Byzantines “ –Former Presidential Spokesman/ Social Critic, Reno Omokri, reminding Nigerian Christians about the dangers of the APC Muslim-Muslim ticket.

OKEYIKECHUKWU Olabayo, 2023 and Related Matters I EDIFYING ELUCIDATIONS

s Primate Olabayo of the Evangelical Church of Yahweh talking again about what the future portends for all of us here in Nigeria, especially for our leaders, as we inch forward towards the 2023 general elections? The answer is a resounding YES! “Tremble, Nigerian leaders, for you will soon be overtaken by the judgment of God”, he says. Some two months ago, in June, The Trumpet Newspaper reported him as saying that the blind ambition of our leaders is not allowing them to see “the catastrophic danger” that lies ahead, and of how “innocent blood is crying for vengeance”. He said, then, that he was praying that “God have mercy on our leaders and our land”.

He was also reported, on the same occasion, to have further lamented that “..all these people, who call themselves politicians don’t know about the heavy wrath of God that awaits them. If some of them get to know the great tribulations that await them, some of them might drop their political ambition and look for something else to do. Nigeria has bled enough, due to the recklessness and inhuman activities of most of our political leaders. God is about to punish them now and their collaborators.

Sadly, they will be made to pay with so much pain, with some members of their immediate and extended families”.

But that was in June, some months ago.

The two questions to ask here, and now, are: (1) Have things changed for the better, since his last pronouncements? And (2) Are the earlier-mentioned cascade of calamities still likely? It would seem that the answer to these questions is, sadly, a yes. Things do not seem to have changed for the better.

Matters do not seem to be looking up at all.

Have we, particularly our leaders, learnt any lessons and changed in such a way that the feared misfortunes will still be averted? Apparently not.

And Primate Olabayo has spoken again, just a few days ago; this time more pointedly more alarmingly and with greater insistence on the inevitability of what is to come. His latest warmings and predictions revolve around (1) Great confusion and mass unrest that will very likely be occasioned by the bitter suffering of the people and the insensitivity and impunity of the political class; (2) The likelihood of assassinations, particularly political assassinations, sundry acts of murder and deeds of madness due to the ungodly desperation of some politicians; (3) The fact that the 2023 presidential elections may not hold as planned; (4) The possibility that, should the elections hold at all, the winner of that election may not become president; (5) Insecurity will not abate, as hunger and irresponsible leadership will drive most people into acts of criminality; (6) That Nigeria’s Big Men/Women may soon have no place to hide from what is coming; as it would be extreme exposure for them; (7) That neither the protected neighbourhoods nor even the villages and kindreds will hide anyone who has a hand in what Nigeria is facing today; and, finally, (8) That a genuine leader, who shall truly lead in righteousness and with a firm and just hand, will arise from all of this.

Scary, right? Yes indeed! But should we believe any of these things? Are there

okey.ikechukwu@thisdaylive.com

Primate Olabayo reasons why these predictions should be taken seriously, looking around us and the way things are at the moment? In short, does it all sound likely, believable and probably unavoidable? To answer the above questions, let us take recourse to the scriptural injunction: “Come Let us Reason Together”.

It is true that we are all warming up for the 2023 general elections. But will this much-talked-about elections actually hold?

If yes, how will the interesting, amusing and, at once, alarming permutations we are seeing everywhere play out? The two major political parties, PDP and APC, are determined to clinch the ticket. This may be at all costs. But, besides clinching the ticket, what is it that they are really offering Nigerians? Hope? Security? New ideas on how to address the suffering of the masses and put the nation on the path to true development? National unity? Equity? What?

And the nascent Labour Party? It has assumed a life of its own in public consciousness. Its commendable people-based visibility is not enough. No; it is not! That political party should endeavour to become a little more organized and projected a clearer, soloution-laden narrative on all key issues. Yes, it has become a movement within and outside the country, but it needs greater cohesion and focus than is apparent at the moment. But back to the broader picture!

All things considered, the general perception today is that the 2023 elections will be a Make-or-Mar election for the Federal Republic of Nigeria. And Olabayo, in his latest predictions, fortunately says that we are not likely to have a civil war.

That it is in the midst of the variegated gyrations of the Nigerian people, as they come to their wit’s end and can take no more nonsense, that a true leader will

emerge. But, back to “reasoning together”.

Will the elections actually hold, including voting in IDPs et al? Will this coming election tender credible outcomes, now that we may find ourselves migrating, inexplicably, from BVAS to manual counting of votes?

Assuming that the elections do hold as planned, and a winner emerges, will the person garner the necessary leverage and political firepower to be sworn in and be allowed to rule as president? Can we really answer any of the above questions with certainty? I think not.

Which brings me back to Primate Olabayo and another issue, both of which were discussed on this page on Feb. 14, 2020.

The issues in question then were: (1) The prophetic pronouncements and reputation of Primate Theophilus Olabayo and (2) Prophesies in general. The piece under reference was titled “Olabayo and His Enemies”. That article ended thus: “Primate Olabayo has no real enemies, or even detractors. Those who pick on him out of ignorance cannot distract him, or detract from whatever guided pronouncements he is urged to make from time to time. The nation has now travelled too far on the wrong road and does not have enough time to turn back; hence the coming events.

Enough said”.

Presumption, one might say, concerning the above paragraph, right? But let us continue. In the above article, the reader’s attention was drawn to the fact that it was Primate Olabayo’s who predicted the imminent demise of the military maximum ruler, Gen. Sani Abacha, within days of the incident. As said then: “Theophilus Olabayo granted a newspaper interview on the State of the Nation at the peak of national confusion regarding the way forward. He was so direct and so specific on Abacha’s imminent, immediate and inevitable end

that the media owners, fearing for their safety and survival under the repressive regime, simply kept the script aside after the interview.”

Well, they “…rushed to press when, a few days later, Abacha died and was buried. They blazoned the aforementioned headline, explaining in the process that it would have been foolhardy of them to test the will of a government that shuts down newspaper houses at will. That was how readers became aware that Olabayo had made his comments and predictions some 48 hours before Abacha’s last moments.”

The Primate’s many correct predictions over the years are well known. Take, for instance, his correct prediction regarding the June 12 election. He first told the late Chief MKO Abiola not to bother contesting the election, if he valued his life. Reports from various sources still speak of him warning Abiola not to waste his time and enormous wealth on an election that will not give him anything good whatsoever.

“You will surely win the election, but you will never be president”, Olabayo is now widely known to have told the business man turned politician.

Lest anyone should now prance forward to say, in protest, that we are engaging in some questionable endeavour here today, listen to what was said here about both predictions and Olabayo generally in the aforementioned article of two years ago: “Some of his detractors, particularly political office holders, have sometimes called him a prophet of doom, based on some predictions they found unpalatable.

But many of them get these things terribly wrong. A weatherman who says what the clouds and their portents mean cannot be blamed for a wet village square. A doctor who warns the people to do something to avoid an outbreak of malaria in a waterlogged and mosquito-infested area is not, by that very fact, a prophet of doom or a purveyor of bad omens”.

In simple words, prophesies, or insights into what the future portends, based on what people are doing at any particular time, or what they have been doing consistently for a long time, is not new. It is a fact of life, a fact of science, and a fact of history. But, again, it sometimes depends on the scope of one’s understanding of what falls under the term “science”, in the strict and proper sense. Every known science is absolute mystery to those who know nothing, or not enough, about it. Thus, prophesies are real, to the extent that one understands that human capabilities, especially in spiritual matters, are not limited to the banalities of academic learning. But predictions are not always inevitabilities.

As this column said, back then: “Predictions become inevitabilities only when those to whom it is sent as a warning refuse to listen to the warning and mend their ways. Another problem would be if the person, or people, for whom the guidance is intended ignored it until it was too late to avert a disaster. If you are warned about the likely outbreak of malaria and you do not do the needful on time, you will face the “too late.” That is how an avoidable health problem could become an inevitability for you.” Again, enough said!

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