TUESDAY 26TH SEPTEMBER 2023

Adedayo Akinwale in Abuja

The All Progressives Congress (APC) has alleged that the media aide to the presidential candidate of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the 2023

general election, Atiku Abubakar, Mr. Phrank Shaibu, was traumatised by his boss' serial electoral failure. APC’s claim followed Shaibu’s recent statement, which detailed what he called a series of lies the

President Bola Tinubu government had told the Nigerian people since its inauguration on May 29.

But Shaibu, at a different engagement, dared the APC-led federal government to publish the

landing cost of petrol as well as the pricing template being used by the government to keep the cost of petrol at less than N640 per litre.

APC’s National Publicity Secretary, Felix Morka, in a statement, yesterday,

said Shaibu outed himself in his warped and misleading suggestion that the APC administration was hoodwinking Nigerians by propaganda.

cal and cynical flippancy, Atiku’s aide delved into matters he clearly does not understand or lacks the constitutive capacity to understand

Morka said, "In his pathologi- Continued on page 10

Tuesday 26 September, 2023

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NCDMB, NNPC, IOCs Sign MoU to Reduce Contract Cycle

Target contract cycle not more than six months Seek to reduce cost, drive efficiency in oil, gas industry

The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC) and the Nigerian Content Development & Monitoring Board (NCDMB) yesterday signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the international oil companies (IOCs) to reduce contracting cycle by 81.6 per cent.

At the least, this would mean cutting the current cycle to an optimal level of not more than 180 working days from the current 327 days.

The deal was signed at the NNPC Towers in Abuja, according to separate statements from the national oil company and the local content board.

On its part, the NNPC stated that the move was a demonstration of its commitment to the efficiency mandate as enshrined in the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA), hinged on developing an industry framework for an optimised contracting cycle.

According to the NNPC, the deal was expected to improve the ease of doing business, reduce cost and drive efficiency which will eventually translate to production growth, increased revenues, and ultimately improved profitability.

“The MoU is also expected to contribute significantly to the double-digit economic growth rate agenda of the federal government and generate tremendous value for all the stakeholders which include investors, companies, host communities and the nation at large.

“Key benefits of the framework in the MoU include a reduction of the contracting cycle for open competitive tender, selective tender, and single sourcing tender to 180, 178, and 128 working days respectively compared with the current best effort performance of 327, 333, and 185 working days respectively.”

Speaking at the MoU signing, the NNPC Group Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Mele Kyari said the event heralded exciting times for the nation’s oil and gas industry and stands as a bold testimony that the Company is plunging into the future of hope, productivity and success.

Kyari, who was represented on the occasion by NNPC Executive Vice President, Upstream, Mrs. Oritsemeyiwa Eyesan, added that with oil and gas as the bedrock of Nigeria’s economy, there was the need to get the contracting process in the industry right so as to get the economy back on track.

Besides, it was learnt that the new deal would enhance the goal of quickly ramping up Nigeria’s waning crude oil production, ensuring compliance with the provisions of the Nigerian Content Act, and timely approvals of documents.

Also speaking during the MoU cum Service Level Agreement (SLA) with the NNPC and five international oil-producing companies, the Executive Secretary, NCDMB, Simbi Wabote, described the MoU signing as a way forward and a critical step towards enhancing the nation’s crude oil production.

Other top industry officials who signed the agreement included

the Managing Director of Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) and Country Chair, of Shell Companies in Nigeria (SCiN) Mr. Osagie Okunbor, and the Chairman and Managing Director of ExxonMobil’s affiliates in Nigeria, Mr. Shane Harris. Others included the Director of Joint Ventures for Chevron Nigeria, Mr. Iwueze Cosmas; the Managing Director, Nigerian Agip Oil Company Ltd, Mr. Fabrizio Bolondi, and the Executive Director, Joint Ventures, Total Exploration and Production Nigeria, Mr. Obi Imemba.

The executive secretary stated that the overall goal was to conclude the oil and gas industry’s tendering to contract award processes within six months, affirming his conviction that the target is realistic with all key parties now on board with the execution of the SLA.

He expressed delight that NNPC signed up to the MoU, being the senior partner of the joint ventures and concessionaire of the Production Sharing Contracts (PSC) arrangements that govern the operations of the industry.

Wabote recalled that NCDMB

first introduced the 15-day rule to the industry in 2017, when it promised that it would respond within 15 working days to any formal request for approvals in relation to projects execution.

He noted that the rule was later formalised with an SLA in May 2017 with Nigeria LNG Ltd pioneering the process and breaking approval records in respect of the NLNG Train7 project.

“The industry found the outcome impressive leading to the Independent Petroleum Producers Group (IPPG) signing the SLA in 2018 and

Oil Producers Trade Section (OPTS) thereafter,” he said.

Wabote, reaffirmed that NCDMB remains a business-enabling regulator, hinting that thus has been attested to by its being recognised and awarded as the most efficient amongst the government agencies in 2022 by the Presidential Enabling Business Environment Council (PEBEC).

“The SLA signed with the Nigeria LNG in 2017 was the first of its kind to be entered between a regulator and another entity in the oil and gas industry.

Norway’s Equinor May Sell 20.2% Stake in Agbami Field to Little-known Chappal Energy

Emmanuel Addeh in Abuja

Norway’s Equinor ASA, has chosen a little-known company, Chappal Energy, as the preferred buyer of its stake in one of Nigeria’s largest deep-water oil fields, Agbami, according to people familiar with the matter.

The energy giant is trying to sell its 20.2 per cent interest in the Agbami field – joining other international producers such as Shell Plc, Exxon Mobil Corporation and Eni SpA in looking to offload assets in Africa’s biggest crude producer, Bloomberg reported yesterday. In January, Equinor launched the sale of its stake in an offshore

Nigerian oilfield, joining a retreat by Western energy firms from the West African country as they focus on newer and more profitable operations, three industry sources said at the time.

The company then hired investment bank, Standard Chartered, to run the sale process, which could raise up to $1 billion.

Equinor was entitled to net production of around 25,000 barrels per day of oil equivalent (boed) through its stake in the Agbami field, which is operated by Chevron , according to its website at the time. Nigeria's offshore oil and gas operations remain lucrative due to their larger scale, better security and

It is Shameful No Refinery is Producing Fuel, Says Onuesoke

Sylvester Idowu in Warri

A Chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and former Delta State gubernatorial aspirant, Chief Sunny Onuesoke, has said it was a shame that despite Nigeria having four refineries, none of them was producing fuel either for internal consumption or exportation, while at the same time the federal government was celebrating the take-off of a private refinery, where it was expected to save $10 billion from importation of oil.

Reacting to call by Governor Sheriff Oborevwori of Delta State, who expressed the same concern,

Onuesoke, urged the federal government and relevant stakeholders to work towards revitalising the nation’s refineries, insisting that Nigeria has no reason to import petrol with its cost implications on the economy.

Addressing newsmen in Asaba over the weekend, Onuesoke said he was in support of the governor’s demand, stressing that it makes no sense for Nigeria to import fuel when the country has abundant crude oil and four refineries that were lying fallow.

He added: “Before the coming of this new government, I did advise that with the current economic situation in the country, removal

of fuel subsidy would cause more hardship for Nigerians, especially the common man, if the refineries are not fixed.

“My advice was ignored. Now look at the economic mess the removal of the subsidy without fixing the refineries has put the nation.”

Wondering how Nigeria would have surplus crude oil and still be starved of the product, the PDP chieftain explained that if the refineries were working, Nigerians could refine the crude oil within as it is being done in other oil-producing countries and get it cheaper instead of importation of the product at

inflated price.

Onuesoke, recalled that the All Progressives Congress (APC) fought former President Goodluck Jonathan’s government because of the planned removal of fuel subsidy then, adding that it was amazing that after ruling for over eight years, “they decided to remove the subsidy without doing the normal thing first, which was to revitalise the refineries ameliorate the impact of removal would have on the masses.”

“A lot of things have been happening. For years, our refineries have been down and nobody talks about how we can put them to use, instead, we are importing petroleum products.

attractive financial terms offered by the government.

The Norwegian company, which has been present in Nigeria since 1992, also holds a 53.85 per cent stake in exploration licence OML 129, according to its website.

Equinor's profit soared to a new record last year, driven by European gas prices hitting all-time highs in the wake of Russia's invasion of Ukraine last February.

Operations outside Norway account for around a third of the company's total oil and gas production.

However, Bloomberg said Monday that Chappal Energies Mauritius Limited has now emerged as the favoured buyer of Equinor’s interest in the asset, which is operated by Chevron Corporation and produces about 100,000 barrels of oil a day, the people said.

Five companies including Prime Oil & Gas Cooperatief UA, which already has a 12.5 per cent share in the Agbami field, submitted binding bids, according to the sources.

Prime O&G is a joint venture between Vancouver-registered Africa Oil Corporation and Brazil’s Grupo BTG Pactual.

Agbami has accounted for about 7 per cent of Nigeria’s oil output this year and only the Shell-operated Bonga field currently produces more oil in the country.

A sales agreement hasn’t yet been signed and Chappal Energies still needs to raise the funds to finance the deal, according to the people,

who didn’t say what purchase price has been negotiated. Spokespeople for Equinor, Chappal Energies and Prime O&G declined to comment. Chappal Energies was founded in May 2022, according to Mauritian corporate records. Bill Higgs, the British former chief executive of Kurdistan-focused Genel Energy Plc, and Hezekiah Oyinlola, a Nigerian who spent three decades working for the world’s biggest oil services provider, SLB, joined the company’s board in February. Oyinlola is also chairman of Lagos-based bank Guaranty Trust Holding Co. Chappal Energies’ Managing Director, Ufoma Immanuel, previously held the same position at a Lagos-based company named Chappal Petroleum Development Ltd., which was created in 2020 and chaired by the founding chief executive officer of Seplat Energy Plc, Austin Avuru. Chappal Petroleum unsuccessfully bid for Nigerian shallow-water oil blocks that Exxon agreed to sell to Seplat in February 2022, Bloomberg said.

Avuru, who is not on the board of Chappal Energies, and Immanuel didn’t respond to questions about the relationship between the two firms.

While Equinor is seeking to exit its sole Nigerian asset after more than three decades in the country, the other oil majors are limiting their divestments to onshore and shallow water assets in order to concentrate on deep-water projects.

Emmanuel Addeh in Abuja, Peter Uzoho in Lagos and Olusegun Samuel in Yenagoa

L-R: Head of UK Trade Policy in Africa, Ryan MacLean; His Majesty’s Deputy Trade Commissioner for Africa, Jaya Choraria; Managing Director, Unilever Nigeria, Tim Kleinebenne; Country Director Nigeria, UK Department for Business and Trade, Chim Chalemera; and Procurement Director, Unilever West Africa, Obinna Emenyonu, during a courtesy visit of His Majesty’s Deputy Trade Commissioner for Africa, Jaya Chorari to Unilever Nigeria ...recently.

US delegation’S coUrteSy viSit to BayelSa...

Don't Embark on Strike, FG Appeals to NLC

Labour to hold NEC meeting today

onyebuchi ezigbo in Abuja

As the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) holds it's crucial National Executive Council (NEC) meeting to decide on its planned nationwide strike today, the federal government yesterday appealed to the trade union centre to step down the planned industrial action.

The NLC summoned the NEC meeting specifically to take final decision regarding it's planned to commence on a nationwide strike following the expiration of the 21-day ultimatum issued to the federal government to resolve the dispute over fuel subsidy removal palliatives.

However, the federal government said having secured the release of the detained National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) members which was one of the demands of NLC, it expects the labour movement to reconsider its threat to go on strike.

A statement by the Director, Press and Public Relations Unit, Olajide Oshundun said the Minister of Labour and Employment, Simon Lalong, made the appeal to NLC during a courtesy visit by the leadership of the NURTW yesterday.

Lalong, noted that securing the release of the detained NURTW members was one of the demands of the NLC at last week’s meeting between the Congress and the ministry.

He assured them that the processes leading to the fulfilment of the other requests of the NLC, especially wage award, were on course, and would be concluded soon.

"The Minister therefore called on the NLC not to embark on their planned strike, and allow government work to resolve all pending issues," Oshundun said

While suing for peace between the two factions of the NURTW, Lalong maintained that industrial

harmony remained key to the socioeconomic development of any nation, and urged the Union to work in synergy with the federal government in moving the country forward.

The statement said the NURTW visited the Minister to thank him for securing the release of some of their members, who were arrested two weeks ago by government agents.

'Alhaji Ibikunle Baruwa, who led a team of four members of the NURTW on a thank-you visit to the Minister, appreciated the efforts of both the Minister and Minister of State, Labour and Employment, in facilitating the release on bail of the affected members," it added.

In the same vein, Minister of State, Labour and Employment, Nkeiruka Onyejeocha, appealed to the NURTW factions to maintain peace, as the Ministry wades into their dispute for amicable resolution.

In line with the resolutions reached at its National Executive Council Meeting on August 31, 2023, the

NLC had threatened to embark on a total and indefinite shutdown of the nation within 14 working days or 21 days, until steps are taken by the government to address the excruciating mass suffering and impoverishment being experienced around the country.

The NLC had first observed a two-day nationwide warning strike on September 5th and 6th, 2023, to show its readiness for the indefinite strike later in the month.

In a notice for the virtual NEC meeting holding today, that was

signed by the General Secretary of the NLC, Emma Ugboaja, the labour movement had said it would commence deliberations by noon on Tuesday.

Apart from demanding for reasonable palliatives to cushion effects of removal of fuel subsidy, the NLC has also demanded that Police vacates the illegally occupied National Headquarters of the NURTW and free it's detained leaders.

A conciliatory meeting convened by the Minister of Labour and

Employment, Hon. Simon Lalong last week to resolve the dispute had failed to resolve issues.

NLC President, Joe Ajaero, had on Sunday, accused the federal government of trying to undermine the strike, demonise NLC leadership and to create division among the trade unions, adding that if such time was used to seek for solution, it would have been found and the problem would have been solved. The NLC boss had said the mission of the labour movement was to redeem the poor.

PDP: Supreme Court Fire Incident Suspicious, Demands Investigation

chuks okocha in Abuja

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has said it was alarmed

Beta Edu Explains How FG Will Lift 133 Million Nigerians Out of Poverty by 2030

Funmi ogundare

The Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Dr. Beta Edu, yesterday, said her Ministry was planning to lift 15.7 million households out of poverty.

Edu, a guest on ‘The Morning Show’ on ARISE News Channel, who was speaking against the backdrop of Nigeria's UNGA 78 progress report, explained that the country was targeting 133 million Nigerians by 2030, in line with the United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Her ministry, she stated, is currently working on the verification process in collaboration with the World Bank, UN agencies, state governments’ coordinating team and local communities to verify who the poor people are and whether they deserved to get the social intervention using the social safety net.

"We want to double on this almost immediately with the expansion that the president has approved to cover all the people we intend to work with.

“The UN has said countries should be able to eradicate poverty by 2030. Nigeria is one of the key players in Africa and it concerns

the UN. Aside this, the president is concerned about pulling Nigerians out of poverty," she stated.

She emphasised on the World Food Programme, saying her ministry was committed to ending hunger in Nigeria and had also worked out the modalities and plan which it would be making public at an event coming up next month when it would be delivering food to households across Nigeria as part of the end hunger plan.

"The homegrown school feeding programme and other initiatives are also coming up to reduce the tension caused by the removal of fuel subsidy," she added.

"We believe very strongly that within the next one year, we should be able to say that we have reached at least 20 million Nigerians who are verifiable and ensure that the success rate is at least 80 per cent.

"The Humanitarian Trust Fund will have clear governance structure which involves United Nation(UN), private sector and government.

“Seventy per cent will be coming from the private sector and crowd funding and it will be done in a transparent manner such that countries that have donated will have the confidence on what the funds will be used for.

“It is about building the confidence between government and the people we govern," she explained.

She noted that her ministry

would be working with the Ministry of Finance and nine other ministries to make the verification as seamless and transparent as possible.

by the fire incident at the Supreme Court, describing it as suspicious. A statement by the National Publicity Secretary, Debo Ologunagba, stated that,"The PDP is worried over the fire outbreak especially given heightened public apprehension of possible arsonist attack with the intent to cripple and frustrate the Supreme Court from effectively discharging its constitutional duties especially with regard to high profile electoral cases including the Presidential Election Appeals pending before it.

"Our party demands an immediate full-scale investigation into the fire outbreak with the view to

unraveling the circumstances or possible sabotage in the incident.”

The PDP insisted that the outcome of the investigation should be made public unlike those of previous fire incidents in various government Ministries, Departments and Agencies, which were characteristically swept under the carpet by the All Progressives Congress (APC) administrations.

The PDP called on the federal government to beef up security around the Supreme Court, while also demanding that Nigerians must be assured of the safety of sensitive documents and equipment at the Court especially at this critical time.

IMF: Climate Change Poses Risks to Financial, Price Stability

James emejo in Abuja

The International Monetary Fund (IMF), yesterday warned that unless addressed, climate change constitutes risks to price and financial stability in Nigeria and other regional economies.

IMF Resident Advisor, Macroeconomics and Climate, Mr. Vimal Thakoor, disclosed this at the opening of the African Training Institute International Monetary Fund (ATI/IMF) workshop with the theme: “Climate Change and Macro-Financial Policies", which was organised by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) International Training Institute (ITI) in Abuja.

He said being cognisant of these risks would allow the central bank to better formulate policies that promote financial stability, curtail inflation, and better withstand

climate shocks as well as sustain development.

Thakoor, said though countries have ambitious policies, the pace of implementation reflects a combination of factors and capacity which differs from respective jurisdictions.

Specifically, pointed out that access to financing remained crucial to accelerating implementation of climate policies in Nigeria and the region at large.

The IMF advisor also said both the Ministry of Finance and the central bank have greater roles to play towards the integration of climate policies into economic frameworks going forward.

Therefore, he explained that the objective of the training was to engage with government officials both in Nigeria and the region in order to have an exchange on the importance of climate change and

the risks it poses to economic policies and economic development.

He said, “During the course of this week, we are going to look at the main climate risks that the region faces, the policies they are implementing in the context of their nationally determined contribution which aligns with the Paris Agreement, and how they are financing these policies to build more resilient economies that can better withstand climate shocks and sustain development.”

He added, “Once the Ministry of Environment has identified an economic policy, a climate policy, you want to ensure that the resources are available to finance that policy.

“So, the budget allocates resources so the policies can be implemented to build resilience.”

Director, African Regional Technical Assistance Centre in West Africa

(AFRITAC West 2), Eva Jenkner, said addressing climate change required a collaborative approach among countries.

She said with the anticipated increase in temperatures exceeding 1.5 degrees by 2027, the “urgency for climate action reflects the effects of climate change across the globe”.

AFRITAC is a collaborative effort between the IMF recipient countries and several bilateral and multilateral partners and originated from the IMF’s response to African leaders’ call on the international community to increase technical assistance (TA) to Africa and focus it more sharply on capacity building in core macroeconomic and financial management areas.

AFRITAC West 2 provides TA and training to Cabo Verde, The Gambia, Ghana, Liberia, Nigeria, and Sierra Leone.

L-R: Political Specialist, United States Consulate, Arnold Abulime, Bayelsa State Deputy Governor, Senator Lawrence Ewhrudjakpo, Governor Douye Diri; the Consulate’s Political/Economic Section Chief, Mike Ervin, and Political Officer, Jordan Lachance, during the delegation’s courtesy visit to Government House, Yenagoa... yesterday

PHOtO: BAYELSA StAtE GOvERnMEnt HOUSE

63rd Nigeria'S iNdepeNdeNT day aNNiverSary BriefiNg...

63rd Nigeria's Independent day anniversary in Abuja... yesterday

With N168bn, Access Holdings Posts 71.4% Increase in PBT

Kayode Tokede

Access Holdings Plc has announced its audited half year ended June 30, 2023 financial statement which showed that the holding company recorded 71.4 per cent increase in profit before tax (PBT) to N167.6 billion, compared with the N97.79 billion reported in the corresponding period of 2022.

The group on the Nigerian Exchange Limited (NGX) announced N135.44 billion profit after tax, which was an increase of 52.6 per cent, from N88.74 billion reported in the first half (H1) 2022.

The published results showed a set of impressive performance, affirming the group’s steadfast commitment and prominent industry standing in delivering sustainable returns to stakeholders.

The management of Access Holdings proposed a dividend of N0.30 for every share of 50 kobo and it would be paid to shareholders on October 19, 2023.

From the profit & loss figures, Access Holdings reported a robust gross earnings figure of N940.3 billion, reflecting an impressive year-on-year (y/y) growth of 58.9 per cent, from N591.8 billion reported in H1 2022.

The substantial surge was driven by driven by a combination of 63 per cent growth in interest income and 51.9 per cent increase in non-

interest income.

In a demonstration of the trust and confidence reposed in the institution by its customers, Access Holdings also witnessed a significant 35 per cent year-to-date growth in customer deposits, concluding the half-year at a commendable N12.5 trillion.

This growth was inclusive of all business segments, firmly solidifying the Group’s stature as the largest financial institution in Nigeria by total assets.

Access Holdings’ synergies across its business verticals yielded remarkable results, as the company experienced a 39 per cent year-onyear increase in total assets and a 40.6 per cent year-on-year rise in shareholders' funds. As of the mid-year point in 2023, its total assets and shareholders' funds stood at N20.9 trillion and N1.7 trillion, respectively.

These striking figures underscore the efficacy of the Group’s strategic approach and its ability to generate value from a diversified business portfolio, spanning banking, asset management, and payment services, operational in twenty countries across four continents.

Commenting on the results, Group Chief Executive Officer, Access Holdings, Herbert Wigwe in a statement said, “Our growth plans for the African continent remains firm and clear, driven by the strong

long-term growth prospects and trade opportunities seen across many of the countries.

“Continuing with our 5-year cyclical strategy, our primary objective remains to transform Access Holdings Plc into a leading financial and ecosystem player, fostering opportunities for shared prosperity` among all stakeholders.”

Notably, the Group’s Pensions

business surpassed the N1 trillion in Assets Under Management (AUM) milestone, thereby ranking as the fourth largest PFA by AUM and second largest by the number of registered retirement savings accounts (RSAs).

“Furthermore, its payments vertical, Hydrogen, processed over N3 trillion in transactions, achieving a 407 per cent month-

on-month growth in point of sale (POS) transactions and 99 per cent system uptime on account switching within the period.”

Despite operating in a high inflationary environment, Access Holdings improved its cost-toincome ratio (CIR) by 4.9 per cent year-on-year, accomplished through prudent adjustments in personnel costs, effective management of

regulatory fees, and continued investments in technology to enhance cost efficiency and improve the overall user experience. In terms of regulatory ratios, the Group displayed a robust liquidity position and capital adequacy, surpassing regulatory thresholds with a liquidity ratio (LR) of 50per cent and a capital adequacy ratio (CAR) of 19.1 per cent.

Afreximbank Urges Prioritisation of Export Trading Companies to Drive SMEs in Africa

The African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) has called on African countries to prioritise the development of public and private export trading companies (ETCs) in order to position the continent’s small and medium enterprises (SMEs) to participate effectively in global trade.

According to a statement yesterday, the bank made the call in an address to the Africa International Exhibition on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York.

Afreximbank’s Executive Vice President, Intra-African Trade Bank, Kanayo Awani, who spoke on behalf of the bank’s President, Prof. Benedict Oramah, said SMEs

participating directly in global trade faced stiff competition from multinational and significantly large corporates, making their chances of success or survival marginal, if not zero.

Awani, noted that Asia had addressed that challenge by establishing ETCs to act as conduits through which SMEs accessed global markets, explaining that ETCs acted as aggregators and created a sizeable volume of trade that attracted greater value and withstood competition.

She said the limited participation of Africa’s SMEs in global value chains reflected institutional policy failure and called for strong policy support systems that would provide

Ignore Opposition to Adeniyi's Confirmation as Customs Boss, Group Tells Tinubu

The Arewa Youth Assembly (AYA) has alleged that some disgruntled people opposed to the confirmation of Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, as Comptroller General the Nigerian Customs have resorted to campaign of calumny against him.

In a statement yesterday, in Kaduna, the group said the disgruntled elements had been fabricating fake news against Adeniyi and asking Tinubu not to confirm him as the substantive Comptroller General of Customs.

The statement signed by Mohammed Danlami, spokesperson of the AYA, called on Tinubu to disregard such reports and confirmed Adeniyi

to continue with his good works. Danlami, said those who are not happy with the achievements of Adeniyi had resolved to smear campaign and cheap blackmail aimed at destroying his hard earned reputation. He said, "The attention of Arewa Youth Assembly has been drawn to multiple publications awashed in the media calling on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to not confirm the Acting Comptroller General of Nigeria Customs Service, Mr. Bashir Adewale Adeniyi over alleged aged falsification.

"We consequently bring to the notice of the public that those articles were not only sponsored, but concocted and circulated by certain

rotten and disgruntled elements who are not happy with the achievements of the Acting Comptroller.

"They have resorted to smear campaign and cheap blackmail, aimed at destroying his hard earned reputation.”

The group described Adeniyi as, "a fine, gentleman and hardworking Customs Officer with strong moral upbringing."

According to the statement, "Adeniyi was the recipient of the prestigious Comptroller-General of Customs Award for the seizure of over $8 million in cash at Murtala Muhammad International Airport in January, 2020.

"In the over three decades he served in the customs, he held

several strategic positions. He was the Head of Public Relations, he was also the Commandant, Nigeria Customs Command and Staff College, Gwagwalada, Abuja.

"We hereby send a strong word of caution to the sponsors and authors of these fabricated lies against the Acting Comptroller General of Customs to desist from doing so, as their action is punishable by law.

"We call on Nigerians to disregard such fabriacted news as it is the handiwork of mischief makers and enemies of progress.

"We call on Nigerians to support the Acting Comptroller General and the Nigeria Customs to continue with the good works they are doing."

capacity developments, incipient protections from unfair competition and improved access to regional markets and access to finance.

“These are particularly urgent as Africa commences implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA),” Awani stated.

She announced that, over the years, SMEs had been a central focus of Afreximbank’s continental interventions through its export development SME-focused strategy, with unique funding instruments to bridge the financing constraints faced by African SMEs, including products, such as factoring, supply chain finance and intermediated financing.

Awani, said Afreximbank was the principal promoter of factoring in Africa and that the factoring law it sponsored had been adopted in the Republic of Congo, Burkina Faso, Niger, Togo, Mali and Cote d’Ivoire and was under consideration by regulatory institutions in several other African countries.

The bank was also enabling market access for African SMEs through the African Trade Gateway, a digital ecosystem which comprises assets designed to address non-tariff barriers, such as the MANSA customer due diligence repository platform which collects KYC information of SMEs and corporates and which had already on-boarded more than 11,000 entities, she said.

Other Afreximbank interventions included the TRADAR Club, which delivers innovative digital tools and networking opportunities, helping SMEs to pursue scale and scope economies, the Pan-African Payment and Settlement System,

which is an important mechanism for deepening the participation of SMEs in regional trade by allowing them to make payments for imports from the continent using national currencies, the creation of the Fund for Export Development in Africa, which provides venture capital to nurture startups, early-stage and emerging SMEs, and a number of other flagship initiatives.

The bank’s Intra-African Trade Fair also provided an excellent platform to foster integration of SMEs into continental value chains by promoting interconnections and networking, she added, noting that the third edition of the fair would hold in Cairo in November.

Awani, announced that Afreximbank had launched a $1 billion Creative Africa Nexus (CANEX) programme to provide access to finance, capacity building, digital solutions and other support to the African creative industry, noting that the industry had become one of the fastest-growing areas within the continent and that creatives had become major export earners in Nigeria, South Africa and a few other countries, topping traditional export goods. The bank had disbursed about $120 million to boost the industry, she added.

Other speakers at the event included President Bola Tinubu of Nigeria, who was represented by Dr. Doris Uzoka-Anite the Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment; Festus Keyamo, the Nigerian Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development; Dr. Adesola Adeduntan, CEO of First Bank Group; and Senator Ireti Kingibe of the Nigerian National Assembly.

John Shiklam in Kaduna

L-R: Permanent Secretary, Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (OSGF) Dr. Maurice Mbaeri; Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator George Akume; Representative of the Minister of information and National Orientation, Dr. Ngozi Owudiwe and Permanent Secretary, Economic Affairs, OSGF, Dr. Nko Esuaban, during a world press conference on the

PhOtO: ENOCK REUBEN

Akume: Nigerians Will Soon Know What Went Wrong at CBN

Report on investigation ready any moment from now Hints no world leader is invited for independence celebration

Olawale Ajimotokan in Abuja

Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Senator George Akume, yesterday, at a world press conference, said Nigerians would soon know what went wrong at the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), resulting in what brought the nation to where it is at the moment.

Akume, who hinted at the development, however, said reports of a recent investigation instituted into activities and operations at the CBN would be ready soon.

He also disclosed that the federal government has not invited any world leader to the country's 63rd independence anniversary as part of a low-key celebration to depict the mood of the nation.

Applauding President Bola

Tinubu’s action on the CBN, he said the decision led to massive deployment in the capital market as experts were unanimous that

Sen

e T o S C

Sunday Aborisade in Abuja

The Senate Leader, Opeyemi Bamidele, yesterday, disclosed that the Senate would today screen the former Chairman of the Board of Citi Bank Nigeria and acting Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Dr. Olayemi Cardoso.

A statement by the Media Office

psychologist, Professor Gold Emmanuel.

In his latest plea to the court, Tinubu said, "That conclusion should be set aside and the application should be denied because the information sought cannot be used and, therefore, is not ‘for use’ in the foreign proceedings.

"Even if a narrow subset of information can be considered ‘for use’ in the foreign proceeding, that is limited to the diploma submitted to INEC. Fishing expeditions into other documents and more document productions must be precluded."

Tinubu, through his lawyer, Mr Christopher Carmichael, made the plea before Judge Nancy Maldonado, a Senior Judge of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, Eastern Division.

Judge Jeffrey Gilbert of a Magistrate Court in Chicago had issued a 48-hour ultimatum to the CSU to release Tinubu’s academic records to Atiku to enable him prove allegations of forgery and perjury he levelled against Tinubu at the presidential election tribunal.

Atiku had argued that Tinubu ought not to be on the ballot on the grounds of presenting false and forged documents to INEC.

The main opposition party candidate had pointed out that there was variation in the dates in Tinubu's Diploma certificate, adding that other documents relating to Tinubu's record in the institution showed the president as a female.

Although the tribunal, in its judgement of September 6, had dismissed Atiku's request for the disqualification of Tinubu over his certificate controversies, Atiku told the US court that the apex court could consider fresh evidence against Tinubu.

Following his conviction that Atiku's application had merit and outweighed Tinubu's plea of protection and privacy, Gilbert ordered that Tinubu's record be released to confirm or dispute Atiku's allegations.

But a few hours to the execution of the order, Tinubu, in a fresh emergency application, begged the district court to delay the enforcement of the order of Gilbert till yesterday, September 25. He claimed Atiku would not be prejudiced against if the court delayed the release of the said documents, as he still had up till September 27 to submit

it was something that had never happened in the past 15 years.

"We have a new team at the CBN and a special investigator has been at the CBN for some time now and his report will soon be released and Nigerians will know what really went wrong and what brought us to where we are today," he said.

Justifying why no world leader was invited to the independence celebration, Akume reiterated that the decision was taken in line with government's option for a low-key celebration.

"Low-key celebration has nothing to do with whether we are not doing well. Economic times are hard. We are looking at it not just at the national level but also as a family. We have not invited world leaders. During the inauguration of the President, 53 world leaders were invited, so we have not invited any world leader.

"Time will come when we

n

will invite all the world leaders to celebrate Nigeria. So, for now we don't forget that during the inauguration of the President world leaders were invited," Akume said.

He reiterated that President Bola Tinubu had given approval for the 63rd Independence Anniversary to be low-key in line with the present economic and security realities in the country defined by banditry and kidnapping.

The theme of the 63rd anniversary is, “Nigeria @ 63: Renewed Hope for Unity & Prosperity."

The SGF also underscored the symbolism of the celebration at the time the country has witnessed an unbroken democratic record since 1999 as well as the seamless, successful and peaceful presidential transition programme from one government to another.

"Despite political tremors and a wave of coups in some parts of the ECOWAS sub-region,

Nigerians have fully embraced democracy with its core values and practices as the best form of governance. Democracy affords the citizens the opportunity through elective structures and processes to effectively participate in the affairs of their country.

"The relationship between the people and government in representative democracy is symbiotic: while the citizens support the government, the government provides security, protects, and enhances their interests.

"The government is fully aware of the economic challenges that Nigerians are confronted with since the removal of the fuel subsidy as well as the impact of the global economic downturn.

“The government is working assiduously to provide the necessary palliatives so as to mitigate such challenges and also the provision of buses to ease hardship on

transportation among others.

“At the same time, the government is engaging with labour in order to address areas of concern for the wellbeing of all Nigerian workers and Nigerians generally," Akume declared.

On what the president was doing concerning delivery of projects that would restore hope, Akume said social budget in the supplementary budget, particularly what is given to the poor has been increased and provision for support also made for more buses while grains were distributed to reduce food cost.

He said many countries that also passed through the phase Nigeria was going through came out stronger because leadership was committed in the citizenry, which also appreciated what leadership was doing.

"That's where we are today –leadership that is so determined and patriotic, knowing where to

take us, with the full support from you, certainly the sky is the limit," Akume said.

On national interest, Akume said, Nigerians have all agreed to live a peaceful, united and prosperous country, despite its diversity, without which no nation can move forward.

The programme of activities lined up for the 63rd Independence Anniversary included anniversary symposium/public Lecture, scheduled for Thursday, September 28, 2023 at State House Conference Centre, lecture the following day at the National Mosque Conference Centre followed by Juma’at Prayer at the National Mosque at 1pm.

There will be a presidential broadcast on Sunday, October 1, at 7am; inter-denominational church service on Sunday, October 1, 2023 at the National Christian Centre at 10:00 am and military parade on Monday October 2 2023 at the Presidential Villa, at 9am.

I nee S for C bn Governor, Depu TI e S To DAY

of the Senate Leader, Senator Michael Opeyemi Bamidele, further explained that the Senate would also screen four nominees for the positions of CBN Deputy Governors, who would join forces with Cardoso to steer affairs of the apex bank in the next five years. He said the Senate would screen all the nominees following

materials in support of his appeal at the Supreme Court.

In a short ruling, Thursday night, via a telephone conference, Maldonado, who agreed that the matter might be too severe for Tinubu to bear, subsequently granted the application, adding, "This needs to be handled with care."

When the matter came up yesterday, Tinubu told Maldonado that Atiku "is not seeking anything more than opposition research on a political opponent", adding that the magistrate, "clearly erred in granting the application for discovery and concluding that Chicago State University must respond to the document and deposition subpoenas".

While stating that there was no presumption in favour of applications to conduct discovery under Section 1782, Tinubu urged the court to deny outright the application or narrowly limit it to "a handful of questions about the diploma submitted to INEC".

He predicated his arguments on the grounds that the, "Discovery could not be for use in the foreign proceeding because the Nigerian election court held that it cannot be used and the only document at issue is the diploma."

Besides, Tinubu submitted that the discovery was unduly intrusive to Private And Confidential Educational Records, which, by the United States laws, could not be released without Tinubu's consent.

He argued, "The Magistrate erroneously concluded that a foray into ‘other educational documents’ was permissible because ‘Intervenor also submitted other educational documents in a related proceeding in Nigeria.

"There are three shortcomings with this conclusion. First, the Nigerian constitution and Electoral Act pertain to submissions to the INEC. There is no assertion that submissions as a defence in a different and subsequent proceeding will cause disqualification.

“Second, the other submissions occurred in a ‘related proceeding,’ and Applicant justified the discovery here about the election challenge now proceeding before the Nigerian Supreme Court.

"Discovery about ‘other documents’ cannot be ‘for use’ in the election challenge proceeding.

“Third, the catchall category of ‘other documents’ is vague and is

its resumption from its annual recess.

Part of the statement read, “The Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria will resume plenary on Tuesday, September 26. We will consider the screening of Dr. Cardoso at the Committee of the whole.

"Dr. Cardoso will be screened alongside four deputy governors namely Mrs. Emem Nnana Usoro,

cover for a fishing expedition into protected, private, and confidential records.

"The Magistrate erred in requiring compliance with two subpoenas that go far beyond the narrow issue of the diploma submitted to the INEC, and finding that the education records protections were overcome by Applicant’s investigatory interests."

Pedro Obaseki: Tinubu’s CSU Credentials Owned By Woman

Director of Research and Documentation of the Atiku/ Okowa Presidential Campaign Organisation, Dr. Don Pedro Obaseki, said the former vice president, Atiku Abubakar, insisted on open and full disclosure of President Bola Tinubu’s credentials by the Chicago State University (CSU) because they belonged to a woman.

Obaseki said despite Tinubu’s claim that a public disclosure of his CSU documents would cause “severe and irreparable damage” to him, Nigerians would be more shocked to know that the owner of the certificate in question was a woman.

He stated, "Nigerians will be more demoralised that the owner of the certificate that President Tinubu is parading is a woman. We already know it as a fact, but we are seeking the release of the documents officially by CSU.”

Speaking in Pidgin English at a zoom conference hosted by a psychologist based in London, Professor Gold Emmanuel, Obaseki asked, "Wetin the man dey hide? We already have it. The outcome go give many Nigerians more heart attack."

Obaseki also explained that Atiku was seeking an open disclosure of Tinubu’s CSU documents because the Supreme Court of Nigeria might be compelled to listen to fresh evidence in the petitions already submitted to it.

He stated, "Even when the court of first instance and the appellate court have convicted someone to death and minutes before the Supreme Court gives its final judgement and there arose a fresh and compelling facts and evidence, the apex court is bound to listen to the fresh facts before making its final judgement.

Mr. Muhammad Sani Abdullahi Dattijo, Mr. Philip Ikeazor, and Dr. Bala M. Bello.

“Besides, the Senate has scheduled to screen the ministerial nominees – Dr. Jamila Bio Ibrahim and Mr. Ayodele Olawande, respectively designated as Minister of Youth and Minister of State for Youth on October 3.”

"It is an unwritten proviso that where there is a compelling factual facts other than what is already obtained in the Presidential Election Petition Court (PEPC), that the Supreme Court will be bound to accept the new facts of law and rule on them."

Obaseki condemned the judgement of the PEPC as a journey to manufactured evidence, explaining that the 1999 Constitution, which is the grundnorm of the present presidential system in Nigeria, does not recognise the Federal Capital Territory as a state.

He stated, "Abuja cannot be called a state. A state, as stipulated in the 1999 Constitution, must have a state assembly of its own. A state must have a governor. Abuja, as presently constituted, is not a state.

"FCT or Abuja, as the case may be, is patterned after Washington in the United States of America. It is such made so that no one part of the country can claim it. It is home to all Nigerians. The FCT was carved out of Niger State, Kogi State, Benue State, and Nasarawa State. It cannot be declared a state by the PEPC.”

On September 15, President Tinubu approved the nomination of Cardoso to serve as the new Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).

He also approved the nomination of four deputy governors for a term of five years each at the first instance, pending their confirmation by the Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

The Senate Committee on Banking, Insurance and other Financial Institutions may today, screen for confirmation, the appointment of the acting Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Mr. Olayemi Cardoso.

The Chairman of the Senate Panel, Mr. Tokunbo Abiru, who is representing Lagos East Senatorial District in the red chamber, earlier yesterday, in an exclusive interview with THISDAY in Abuja, confirmed that the CBN acting governor and his deputies would be screened today.

It was also learnt that the request for the screening and confirmation of Cardoso might be among the official communications from President Bola Tinubu which were already pending on the table of President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio.

Series of reactions had greeted the resumption of Cardoso as the apex bank's helmsman on acting capacity last week, with most commentators arguing that he should have waited for the Senate screening and confirmation before doing so in accordance with the CBN Act.

Some even faulted his appointment since the suspended CBN Governor, Godwin Emefiele, had not officially completed his tenure.

But speaking with THISDAY, Abiru said since the CBN had confirmed

the resignation of Emefiele, through an official statement last Friday, the Senate had the constitutional power to screen and confirm his appointment.

The Senator said, "There is no issue at all with the appointment of the acting CBN Governor. The bank had already confirmed that the suspended Governor had officially resigned his appointment.

"The fact that he had resumed duties in acting capacity is also normal because the country cannot afford any vacuum in its apex institution which is responsible for the nation's monetary policies among other responsibilities.

"President Bola Tinubu has done the right thing by appointing a successor to Mr. Godwin Emefiele who had resigned his appointment according to the CBN.

"Our Committee will, most probably screen Mr. Cardoso when the Senate resumes plenary on Tuesday, all things being equal."

Tinubu had on September 15, nominated Cardoso as the new CBN Governor to serve for a period of five years if the Senate confirms his appointment.

Cardoso who was at various times Chairman of Citibank and also served as Commissioner for Budget and National Planning when Tinubu was Governor of Lagos State (1999 – 2007).

He took over from Emefiele, who has been on suspension as CBN Governor since June 9, 2023, Before Cardoso’s nomination, Folashodun Adebisi Shonubi had been in charge of the apex bank in acting capacity following his appointment by Tinubu.

A p C: S HAI bu Tr Aum ATIS e D bY ATI ku’S Ser IAL eL e CTor AL fAIL ure

as a result of post electoral traumatic stress disorder arising from his boss’ serial electoral failure.

"Unsurprisingly, Shaibu's only 'evidence' for such an arrant conclusion is that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has appointed more media aides than economic and security advisers, conveniently glossing over the fact that Mr. President was swift in rejigging the security architecture and repositioning the Armed Forces for optimal performance in defence of lives and property."

The APC spokesman added that Shaibu did not understand the issues and the interplay of statecraft and economic management initiatives by Tinubu to remove age-old distortions and contradictions, and accelerate and solidify all-round recovery and prosperity for the country.

Morka maintained, “That Shaibu described as ‘lies’ the administration's courageous decisions to remove fuel subsidy, harmonise the foreign exchange regimes, and sign into law the Students' Loan Act, only buttresses his poor understanding of economic development and governance.

“That the fine details of these

visionary and people-centred policies are still being worked out and have yet to run their due course cannot and do not negate their valid objectives and potential transformative impact.”

However, Shaibu, in a statement reacting to Morka’s position, said the government’s claim that the petroleum sector had been deregulated was a lie. He insisted that subsidy was still being paid.

Shaibu stated, “The Petroleum Industry Act mandates the total deregulation of the petroleum sector. A deregulated regime has no room for price control. If the APC is saying subsidy is not back, they should explain how the petrol is still being sold at less than N650 per litre when the international price of crude oil is about $94 per barrel and the exchange rate on the I&E Window is N780/$1, and N1,000/$1 on the parallel market.

“How is it that diesel, which has been deregulated, currently costs about N1, 000 per litre while petrol is over 25% less? A document by the Federal Account Allocation Committee, as published by the media, showed that in August 2023, $275million dollars (N169.4billion

Naira) was paid as PMS subsidy. Why is the APC still telling barefaced lies?”

Shaibu said the APC government had continually admitted failure by going ahead to sack and detain some of former President Muhammadu Buhari’s appointees.

He said, “The same APC that praised Godwin Emefiele for eight years and deceived Nigerians with propaganda and their so-called agricultural revolution has gone ahead to sack the same Emefiele and detain him for four months.

“The same APC that claimed to have fought corruption has now gone ahead to detain the man in charge of the anti-corruption war, Abdulrasheed Bawa, for four months. You can see that these people are nothing but liars and deceivers.

“Tinubu claimed he wanted to cut the cost of governance and yet appointed 48 ministers out of which 10 are from his region. Yet the APC claims he is running a fair administration. This is laughable. Adams Oshiomhole even said last month that Tinubu inherited a bad situation. How can a maggot criticise the fly that gave birth to it?”

EXIT OF GSK: A NEW CHALLENGE?

The exit of GSK may be challenging, but it opens up a space for local manufacturers to fill and excel, writes ADE SHODEINDE

NIGERIA ON THE PATH TO GREATNESS AGAIN

Today, the National Assembly, the truest custodian and guardian of Nigeria’s democracy, resumes plenary after a 49-day annual recess. Contrary to what most people believe, annual recess is not a period of recreation or vacation for us as representatives of the people across 109 senatorial districts and 360 federal constituencies nationwide. Rather, it is a time when we go back to our constituencies; render account of our representation and aggregate inputs from our constituents.

See page 17

MOHBAD NEWS: THE DARK SIDE OF NIGERIAN MUSIC

Mohbad is a metaphor for the many things wrong with the Nigerian music industry, contends PAUL NWABUIKWU

That was exactly what we committed our energy, resources and time to between August 8 and September 25 when we were on annual recess. Again, we have resumed plenary, prepared, ready and armed with first-hand feedback central to the development and progress of Nigeria, a federation that exudes the hope of black nations beyond the shores of this continent.

We recognise that we are at a critical time, a truly challenging time when our economy is inherently susceptible to a vicious global economic crisis that does not even spare the world’s greatest economies. We note with concerns foreign exchange instability, which has been driving up prices of goods and services nationwide. We also understand insecurity, especially in the North and its implication for food production, affordability and sufficiency.

See page 17

EDITORIAL

FILLING SUPREME COURT VACANCIES

Just after our inauguration, both chambers have been busy, indeed hard-pressed, responding decisively to our national challenges one after the other. We also have considered and approved different requests from President Bola Tinubu aimed at resolving these challenges. We have been treating all these requests consistent with our mandate under Sections 4 (1-4) and 147 (2) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended).

As representatives of the people, we are utterly committed to these provisions, bringing the bills that were duly enacted by the National Assembly to the President for assent. This has led to the signing of the Electricity Act, 2023; Data Protection Act, 2023; Judicial Officers Act, 2023 and Access to Higher Education Act, 2023. Each of these legislations is designed for the purpose of addressing our inherent internal challenges in one area or the other.

Besides, we promptly considered the request of the President to extract N500 billion from the 2022 supplementary budget aimed at cushioning the effect of subsidy removal and providing palliatives for the vulnerable. We also treated with a sense of responsibility the request of the President to screen ministerial nominees that now constitute the Executive Council of the Federation in line with Section 144 (5) of the 1999 Constitution. While screening the nominees, we were sitting from morning to dusk, sacrificing our comfort, leisure and free time in pursuit of the general welfare of our people.

By these interventions, the President has been able to constitute the Executive Council of the Federation and initiate pro-people reforms that his administration has been implementing. This is a clear demonstration of robust executive-legislative collaboration, which we must, cautiously and consciously, culture and nurture for the purpose of deepening our democracy, attending to issues of national interest with speed and creating a socio-political environment that will truly place Nigeria on the pedestal of greatness.

So much has been achieved so far between the time we embarked on our annual recess and now. A lot more is expected to happen now that we have returned from constituency assignments. We have come back with feedback from over 220 million constituents nationwide. We are now prepared to process them already aggregated nationwide. We are equally ready to mainstream those feedbacks into various development, economic and fiscal policies that the Tinubu administration will introduce in the near future.

The coming days promise to be truly engaging and even hectic for different reasons.

First, we are expecting the President to present the 2024 appropriation bill, which we all believe, will chart a clear part to national peace, progress and prosperity. We strongly believe the bill will come with empirical and practical antidotes to all our challenges. After the presentation of the bill, every committee of both chambers will be busy scrutinising and vetting the budget proposals of all ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) consistent with Section 80 of the 1999 Constitution.

Second, we are equally under obligation to interrogate and screen former Chairman of the Board of Directors of Citibank Nigeria, Dr. Oluyemi Cardoso, whom Mr. President recently nominated for the position of Central Bank Governor. Mr. President has nominated Dr. Jamila Bio Ibrahim and Mr. Ayodele Olawande respectively as the Minister of Youth and the Minister of State for Youth. Each of these ministerial nominees are required to be meaningfully engaged before they can serve in the Executive Council of the Federation.

As pointed out earlier, Nigeria is obviously at a critical moment given circumstances that

place households under economic pressures and diverse issues that still complicate insecurity, especially in the North and Southeast. In spite of the internal challenges we may be facing today, the world is waiting for Nigeria, not just as Africa’s most populous country, but also as its largest economy and democracy. As a nation of purpose, we too can no longer wait for the world as shown in recent foreign trips from which the President just returned.

Again, investors - domestic and foreign - are excited with the gradual emergence of a new political and economic order in Nigeria, the kind that prioritise the people; that incentivise the investors and that place the highest value on human dignity, shared prosperity of our people and the rule of law. This is evident in the outcomes of Mr. President’s foreign trips to the 2023 G-20 Summit held in New Delhi, India between September 9 and 10, 2023.

At this historic summit, Nigeria is perhaps the biggest beneficiary as indicated in the resolutions of different bilateral meetings held on its sidelines. The President led a team of passionate leaders comprising ministers and captains of industry to this summit with an unambiguous purpose. At the end, Nigeria graciously secured significant investment commitments. India’s conglomerates and multinationals alone signed pledged $14 billion in investments.

This does not include what Canada and South Korea also pledged at the historic summit that sparked endless arguments at home on whether G-20, an intergovernmental forum of 20 largest economies in the world, is complete without Nigeria, especially when South Africa and African Union have been accorded the permanent membership status. I will not dig deeper into this aspect of our national life due to paucity of space.

Besides the G-20 summit, the President just returned from the United States where he attended the 78th United Nations General Assembly. His speech at this summit brought back Africa, not just Nigeria, to the epicentre of global conversation again. The takeaway from the UNGA is loud and clear: Nigeria, indeed Africa, can no longer wait for the world to solve its myriad of internal challenges.

But the global actors, as the President canvassed, must stop the heinous exploitation and pillaging of Africa that has been ongoing since European invasion of Africa in the 19th century and its integration into the global capitalist order subsequently. This message is clear enough. The world has heard us well. Nigeria, the indisputable giant of Africa, is standing with other nations to redefine our history from crisis to calmness, from despondence to development, from dictatorship to democracy and from penury to prosperity.

Senator Bamidele, the Leader of the Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, writes from Abuja

OPEYEMI BAMIDELE reflects on the journey so far

ADE SHODEINDE

The exit of GSK may be challenging, but it opens up a space for local manufacturers to fill and excel, writes

EXIT OF GSK: A NEW CHALLENGE?

When a national newspaper published “GSK’s industrial exodus: Effects, lessons, and solutions,” it ignited a vital conversation about Nigeria’s healthcare sector, particularly in the wake of GlaxoSmithKline’s (GSK) exit. While the article delves into the complexities faced by multinationals, it overlooks the burgeoning local manufacturing landscape. This rebuttal builds upon the discourse started in my prior article, “Investing in Local Manufacturing,” weaving in recent global initiatives like the Global Fund and PEPFAR’s audacious manufacturing targets for Africa. The objective? To offer a nuanced perspective that underscores the untapped potential of local manufacturing.

surviving but thriving in the same landscape. It’s high time we shift the narrative to include these vital contributors to our healthcare ecosystem.

Global Initiatives: The Wind Beneath Our Wings. But this isn’t just a local phenomenon; it’s part of a seismic shift. Organizations like Manufacturing Africa are extending their support across the continent. And let’s not forget the recent collaborative efforts by the Global Fund, PEPFAR, and Unitaid. Their mission? To accelerate the manufacturing of health products in Africa, starting with HIV rapid diagnostic tests (RDTs). This isn’t just a nod to local manufacturing; it’s a clarion call for diversification and resilience in the supply chain-a call that companies like Ash Biomedical Diagnostics Ltd are well-positioned to answer.

Government Policies: The Two Sides of the Coin. The GSK article doesn’t shy away from highlighting the pitfalls of government policies. But what it fails to mention are the strides being made in the right direction. Take the Nigerian Economic Sustainability Plan or the “Buy Nigerian, Save the Naira” campaign. These aren’t just slogans; they’re targeted initiatives aimed at bolstering local manufacturing and job creation while reducing our import dependency.

Multinational companies like GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) have contributed greatly to Nigeria’s healthcare sector. The exit of such companies, while challenging, opens up a space that local manufacturers are not only capable of filling but also excelling in. It’s a call to recognize and seize the unprecedented opportunities that lie ahead for local manufacturing in Nigeria. By saying “Let Them Go,” we are not closing a door but opening a new one, welcoming a future where local manufacturers take the lead in providing sustainable, high-quality healthcare solutions.

The Untapped Potential of Local Manufacturing: A Global Context Let’s set the record straight: the narrative in the “GSK Industrial Exodus Article” paints local manufacturing in Nigeria as a pipe dream. The reality? It’s a burgeoning field, gaining both momentum and credibility. Companies like Ash Biomedical Diagnostics Ltd and Codix Pharma are not outliers; they’re pioneers. They’re crafting affordable, high-quality in-vitro diagnostics (IVDS) and medical devices, and they’re doing it right here in Nigeria. It’s worth noting that these companies are mentioned not for promotional purposes but because they stand alone in doing what they’re doing in the Nigerian healthcare landscape.

While the departure of GSK has garnered significant attention, it’s almost incredulous that the spotlight hasn’t equally shone on local trailblazers who have been making remarkable strides in the healthcare sector. Take, for instance, Emzor Pharmaceutical Industries Limited, which has evolved from a modest retail chemist’s shop to a multi-billion-naira enterprise, manufacturing over 140 high-quality pharmaceutical products. It’s not just a business; it’s a commitment to affordable healthcare and job creation in Nigeria.

Similarly, Fidson Healthcare PLC stands as a testament to local ingenuity and quality. As one of the few Nigerian pharmaceutical manufacturers in line for WHO GMP certification, and the largest employer of pharmacists outside the government sector, Fidson’s contributions to healthcare in subSaharan Africa are nothing short of remarkable

By focusing solely on the exit of multinationals like GSK, we risk overshadowing the value and potential of these local giants who are not just

The Third-Party Distribution Model: A Closer Look. The original article takes a swipe at GSK’s third-party distribution model, labelling Nigeria a “dumping ground.” But let’s pause and consider the regulatory frameworks that could turn this model into an opportunity rather than a threat. With the right policies, third-party distribution can empower local distributors and stave off monopolistic tendencies.

Beyond Multinationals: The New Frontier of Capacity Building. GSK’s exit might seem like a setback for healthcare education, but it’s far from a dead-end. Local companies can and are filling this void through partnerships, grants, and educational initiatives. Take Ash Biomedical Diagnostics Ltd, for instance. We’re not just committed to capacity building; we’ve secured regulatory approvals, laying the groundwork for a future replete with high-quality, affordable healthcare products.

Quality Assurance: The Bedrock of Local Manufacturing. Quality isn’t a luxury; it’s a necessity. And local manufacturers like Ash Biomedical Diagnostics Ltd are meeting global standards by adhering to international quality protocols. Our regulatory approvals aren’t just stamps on a paper; they’re a testament to our commitment to excellence.

The Road Ahead: A Ten-Year Vision for Endto-End Manufacturing Global organizations are setting the stage for local manufacturers to achieve end-to-end production within the next decade. This vision dovetails with the long-term aspirations of local manufacturers in Nigeria, many of whom are already investing in cuttingedge technology and capacity building.

GSK’s exit from Nigeria may pose challenges, but it also unveils unprecedented opportunities for local manufacturers. By shifting our focus from the exodus of multinationals to the ascendancy of local manufacturing, we can rewrite the narrative. With the backing of global initiatives and supportive government policies, Nigeria is well on its way to building a resilient sustainable healthcare sector - one that not only serves its people but also contributes to global health objectives

Shodeinde

is the Managing Director of Ash Biomedical Diagnostics Ltd based in Abuja

Mohbad is a metaphor for the many things wrong with the Nigerian music industry, contends PAUL

NWABUIKWU

MOHBAD NEWS: THE DARK SIDE OF NIGERIAN MUSIC

It’s no longer news that Nigerian music is going places.

Propelled by catchy beats, infused with an authentic street quality that the world is finding more interesting than the generic American ghetto version and fronted by charismatic youths with irresistible swag, it is making unprecedented inroads into the world’s hearts, clubs and auditoriums. From India to London, New York to Johannesburg, everywhere you turn, everywhere you look, the evidence of the popularity and acceptance of Afrobeats continues to mount.

A recent Premium Times report captured some of the broad statistics behind the excitement. The industry, now one of the largest in the world, generates two billion dollars annually, mostly from digital streaming and downloads. It employs thousands of Nigerians and provides for possibly hundreds of thousands of beneficiaries, including families. Key players in the sector include over 500 music producers and over 1000 record labels. There are also over 50 radio stations which chronicle and celebrate the hits that are becoming continental and global staples. Perhaps most impressively,

shares his wealth with the underprivileged while demonstrating a knack for songs with phrase-hooks that quickly become mainstream: “Assurance”, “Unavailable”, among others. Rema is a strong contender for inheritor whenever the big boys call it a day. He has consolidated his place with a run of hits over the past two years and there seems to be no let-up in his momentum. The young man is the young, tender face of Afrobeats and his fan base includes both the tough guys on the street and the starstruck young girls who are charmed by both his looks and his dance steps. Asake is also a notable addition to the pantheon of current Nigerian greats. His rather jarring golden teeth serves as a counterpoint to his gritty but graceful version of Afrobeats infused with the street sounds of the south-west. Beyond these national and global stars, there are, of course, many others. Kizz Daniel, an effortlessly creative manufacturer of irresistible national favourites like Buga; Flavour, one of Nigeria’s best stage performers; Simi and her husband, AG Baby, aka Adekunle Gold; Tekno; Patoranking; Yemi Alade; Falz; MI, etc. This is a far from representative list. The industry is churning out stars and hits with dizzying rapidity. It Is very likely that, even before this piece is published, another young star, will emerge, burning bright in the charts.

Nigerian music has over 30 million monthly listeners worldwide.

The growth is driven by Boomplay, iTunes, and Spotify and other music streaming services. This perhaps the most critical development in the ongoing revolution. Boomplay and co have made it possible for artists to access global audiences and get paid for their creative output in a structured, consistent and measurable way. Thus, the kind of power and control that record companies and tyrannical owners had over earlier generations of musicians has reduced significantly. Of course, the situation is far from perfect. As the trending case of the 27-year-old singer Mohbad (real name: Ilerioluwa Oladimeji Aloba) demonstrates, the stranglehold has only been lessened not eliminated. But we’ll come back to that in a moment.

Burna Boy, arguably Nigeria’s biggest musical export at the moment, the country’s only winner of an individual Grammy is one of the big kahunas of the industry. He recently released a much-anticipated album “I told them”. The album title, builds on “African Giant” and other songs that proclaim his conviction that he is the greatest musician of his generation. The 32-yearold clearly fancies himself as the Muhammad Ali of the African music scene. From initial reports, the new album is making a big splash in the market. It’s become the first number one album by an African in the UK and it’s making waves in streaming and other indices of success in the current music industry.

Elsewhere, Wizkid, Rema, Asake and other top Nigerian musicians are reinforcing Nigeria’s status as a top player in the music industry. Wizkid whose music has become a staple on Barack Obama’s summer favourites over the past few years, continues to generate hits and excite fans on every stage he appears on. Davido is the lovable billionaire’s son who

But as the MohBad story illustrates, there is also a very dark side to the industry’s success. Many upcoming musicians are treated like modern day slaves, forced to sign away their rights by labels. There are allegations that some of the labels are financed by yahoo and drug money. Poorly regulated and opaque, big boys in the sector operate more like Mafia bosses than CEOs, deploying police and thugs to deal with uncooperative musicians who refuse to do their bidding. Mohbad’s story is sadly common but he was notable for two reasons: his determination to keep standing despite serial abuses and singing his pain and going public with his pain through his songs.

Mohbad, like country singer Jim Reeves who died in a plane crash in 1964, was fascinated by death. The difference was that Reeves was obsessed with the imminent delights of heaven while MohBad desperately wanted his rewards – stardom, money to take care of family and have some fun – before death. As we know now, his wishes weren’t granted. Three weeks ago, he died in suspicious circumstances at the hospital, apparently from an ear infection. But the young man has, in a very real sense, achieved his dreams in death. The accounts of how he was cheated, beaten and hounded by Naira Marley, the owner of his former label has spurred an outpouring of posthumous sympathy and interest in his music. People who were not aware of his existence when he was alive are buying his music and he’s sprinting up the charts.

Mohbad’s life and death is a metaphor for the many things wrong with the Nigerian music industry, for the sharp thorns in the thick undergrowth hidden behind the colourful stages where stars, old and newly minted, hold sway. It is a reminder that for every star who emerges out of the ghetto, millions of others remain stuck in the muck, struggling against great odds to escape.

Nwabuikwu

is a member of THISDAY Editorial Board

Editor, Editorial Page PETER ISHAKA

Email peter.ishaka@thisdaylive.com

EDITORIAL

FILLING SUPREME COURT VACANCIES

There is urgent need to appoint ‘fit and proper’ persons to the apex court

The retirement of Justice Amina Augie, having reached the mandatory age of 70, has further depleted the number of justices at the Supreme Court to 11. Against the background that the 1999 Constitution (as amended) prescribes 21 Justices as the full complement of the court’s bench, the requisite number now falls short by 10. That has dire implications for the administration of justice and rule of law in Nigeria. “A single drop in the number of justices here brings about a sudden increase in our workload,” the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Olukayode Ariwoola recently lamented.

Speaking at a valedictory session held in her honour, Augie made the same point by decrying the workload that the apex court judges must deal with. She added that a constitutional amendment was needed to limit the cases that come up to the court. “One remarkable day, we found ourselves entertaining an appeal in an unusual criminal case. Surprisingly, it was not the accused or convict who had filed the appeal. It was the state,” Augie recalled as she painted a pathetic picture of how the apex court is now being bogged down by all manner of frivolous cases. “The case involved an incident of arson where 12 goats were set ablaze.” When the Supreme Court of a country begins to sit over goats, then there is a problem.

As we have consistently argued on this page, beyond the issue of depletion in number, there are several concerns about justice administration in Nigeria that should be addressed. While the National Judicial Commission (NJC) must ensure that the apex court is fully constituted with 21 Justices in line with the provision of the Constitution, we suggest a quick return to the glorious era of the Court when it comprised of vibrant judges appointed from the high court

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 THE OMBUDSMAN KAYODE KOMOLAFE

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Letters to the Editor

and court of appeal as well as from among law lecturers and lawyers in legal practice.

The apex court is the ultimate determinant of questions of justice in the land. Beyond it, the next level of appeal is to God! Therefore, the right of every citizen to justice, the entire principle of rule of law and equality before the law which are fundamental to the existence of a democratic order reside in the apex court. Minimally then, those who are appointed must inspire in the citizenry and the international community a certain confidence derivable from the meritocratic rigour of their selection process.

Initiating the process for appointments into the court is the prerogative of the NJC. But many have also observed that the process is flawed ab initio. The first consideration is geopolitics, which is about where such nominees come from. After that comes the practice of elevating only justices of the Court of Appeal to the Supreme Court. The argument has always been that senior lawyers with pedigree and respected academics should be appointed to the Supreme Court to make it more virile. Furthermore, this may be the time to restructure the NJC in such a manner that removes it from being an appendage of the CJN.

Meanwhile, when the list of nominees is finally submitted to the Senate, the lawmakers must also recognise the enormity of their responsibility especially when it comes to the confirmation hearings. The object of these hearings is first to reassure the public that persons nominated to become Supreme Court Justices meet the criterion of ‘fit and proper persons.’ In addition, such nominees must possess the appropriate requisite qualifications in a proven manner. Reducing such hearings to the banality of ‘take a bow’ or asking questions that require no rigour will be nothing but a gross disservice to the administration of justice in Nigeria.

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 BRUTAL AMBUSH AT UMUALUMAKU

The brutal ambush and killing of eight security personnel soldiers in Umualumaku, Ehime Mbano Imo State served to remind the country of the boiling pot that the Southeast is, and the limitless savagery of those who stoke the fires there.

The officers were said to be responding to a false distress call when they were ambushed, brutally slaughtered, and set afire by the gunmen. This latest attack also highlights the mammoth perils security operatives face in a country that is very much in the line of terrorist fire.

In 2009, Boko Haram, the terrorist group which has mostly operated out of Northern Nigeria, regrouped and expanded its operations, and launched what has since proven to be a deadly offensive against the Nigerian state.

The group’s messages and mission of death which quickly threatened to consume Borno State, soon spiraled into other states in the Northeast, threatening the fragile stability of the country.

In the ensuing years, Boko Haram has splintered into different terror groups, some of which have proven to be deadlier than the original group. The group’s crusade of death has further weakened Nigeria’s fragile security architecture, enabling

banditry and emboldened bandits to run rampage through the Northwest.

Entire communities, especially in Kaduna and Niger State, have since felt the force of terrorism at its worst. As killers have sprung from practically every part of Nigeria, the lot has fallen on security operatives within the country to keep the country safe. This lot has come with a terrible price.

In August 2023, terrorists attacked Nigerian soldiers along the Zungeru-Tegina road in Niger State. About 36 soldiers lost their lives. The attack followed a similar attack which claimed the lives of over 30 soldiers in June 2022 in Shiroro Local Government Area of the State.

The local government, which hosts a key national asset in the Shiroro hydroelectric power station, has somewhat become a deathtrap for Nigerian soldiers. Apart from entire communities sacked by terrorists, the gallant soldiers who have continued to fall like flies capture the terrible cost of the war against terror.

When soldiers die as they have in the attack in Umualumaku, it is easier for communities to deny responsibility for harboring terrorists, and for the authorities to say they will fight back than for any real results to be wrung out of hastily conducted opera-

tions that are more about rage than sage strategies.

Each time, the corollary damage wrought while responding to these attacks somehow manages to trump the real damage with communities left scared and scarred, perhaps forever.

Usually, following such gruesome events, the security storm around Nigeria quietens only to rage again at an appropriate and opportune moment.

How can Nigeria stop the indiscriminate and frankly heartbreaking killing of its security personnel? It is by confronting headlong the monster of insecurity, which is itself a brainchild of terrorism. This confrontation must be at once honest and wholehearted. This means that all those who sponsor insecurity in Nigeria, and all those who profit therefrom, must be exposed and prosecuted.

This brutal attack on soldiers coming just days after Bako Angbashim, a gallant police officer, was decapitated in Rivers State by a cult group is starkly suggestive that this attack is one too many.

Kene Obiezu, keneobiezu@gmail.com

We suggest a quick return to the glorious era of the Court when it comprised of vibrant judges appointed from the high court and court of appeal as well as from among law lecturers and lawyers in legal practice

politics

Will Ondo Deputy Governor Survive Assembly’s Impeachment Move?

Recent events in Ondo state have provided a fresh serving of political theatrics, featuring the political showdown between the Chairman of the South West Governors’ Forum, Mr Oluwarotimi Akeredolu and the deputy governor, Mr Lucky Aiyedatiwa.

To be precise, last Wednesday, the Ondo State House of Assembly commenced an impeachment move against the state deputy governor, over alleged financial misappropriation bordering on the alleged approval of N300 million for the purchase of bulletproof SUV for himself, to be sourced from the Palliative fund while the approval was allegedly given when the state Governor was recuperating in Germany.

The move came following an emergency plenary session summoned by the Assembly in Akure amid heavy presence of security operatives at the Assembly gate.

The Assembly directed the Clerk of the House, Benjamin Jaiyeola, to write Aiyedatiwa over the allegations leveled against him.

The Petition which was signed by nine out of 26 Members of the 10th Assembly was read during plenary presided over by the Speaker, Hon Olamide Oladiji and the majority leader of the House quoted section 188 of the 1999 Constitution of Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended) to justify the need to write the Deputy Governor over the allegation and it was seconded by a lawmaker representing Akoko South West II, Hon Tope Agbulu.

Thereafter, the speaker ruled that the Deputy Governor should be served a letter after the lawmakers voted unanimously.

However, if the state Assembly succeeds in impeaching Aiyedatiwa, it means Governor Akeredolu will have served with three deputy governors for his two terms in office having fell out with two of them at different times between 2020 and 2023.

Agboola Ajayi’s Saga

Going down memory lane, Mr Agboola Ajayi, a legal practitioner and a former member of House representatives was picked as running mate to Akeredolu in the 2016 gubernatorial election. The duo emerged victorious with over 90,000 vote margin.

Between 2017 and 2019, they had a smooth relationship but things fell apart in June, 2020.

The saga over the impeachment of Ajayi, began in July 2020, after he was accused of gross misconduct as nine lawmakers signed the impeachment notice while four others refused to sign and were thus suspended.

Thereafter, perhaps, acting on the orders from the governor, the then Commissioner of Police, Salami Amidu Bolaj in the company of armed policemen barred Ajayi from leaving his official residence in the Government House for over four hours.

Surprisingly, hours after the incident, Ajayi stormed his ward in Ese-Odo council area to resign his membership of the APC, citing irreconcilable issues between him and his principal and that the party “has become a poisoned space”, as reasons for his actions. He joined the PDP afterwards and announced his decision to run for the position of the number one office in the state.

Ajayi after joining the PDP contested in the primaries but lost the ticket to former Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice in the state, Mr Eyitayo Jegede, a major challenger of Akeredolu in the 2016 and 2020 governorship elections.

Worthy of note is that in July 2020, when Ondo state legislators sought to impeach Agboola Ajayi, the State Chief Judge, Justice Oluwatoyin Akeredolu, faulted the process and declined to set up an investigation panel.

The Coming of Aiyedatiwa

On July 29, 2020, Governor Rotimi Akeredolu, picked Lucky Aiyedatiwa, a former commissioner in the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), as his running mate for the October 10, 2020 governorship election.

Specifically, Akeredolu said the leadership of the party decided to pick Aiyedatiwa following wide consultations and having been with the ruling party “since the beginning of this political journey in 2012”.

With the emergence of Aiyedatiwa as deputy governor, it was the very first time in the history of Ondo State that the Ilaje linguistic group produced a deputy governor.

The vast expanse of Ilaje land with its abundant resources has never had the fortune of having any of its own close to the corridors of power in the state.

However, perhaps, the experience of Ajayi didn’t guide Akeredolu’s decision in choosing Aiyedatiwa as the once rosy relationship between him and his deputy has become sour.

Trouble started when Ondo State Governor, Oluwarotimi Akeredolu, disbanded the media crew attached to the Office of the Deputy Governor, Lucky Aiyedatiwa, giving an indication that all may not be well between numbers one and two citizens of the sunshine state.

Besides, sources in government circle revealed that the duo are at loggerheads over an alleged betrayal of trust on the part of Aiyedatiwa. The sources also revealed that Akeredolu may reshuffle the state executive council to weed out members who were suspected to be disloyal during his absence with many aides becoming jittery over the impending reshuffle, which may

take place immediately after the governor’s return to Akure.

It was also gathered that the move may not be unconnected with the rumour that Akeredolu became incapacitated few days after the governor travelled to Ibadan to observe his medical leave.

Basically, the rumours escalated due to the shades of opinions and interpretations emerging from different quarters and directions while some camps in the political circle alleged that the loyalists of the deputy governor, Aiyedatiwa, were behind the rumours about the governor’s ill health so that their principal could be fully in charge of government.

However, others claimed that the rumours were the handiwork of mischief makers among the aspirants eyeing the party’s ticket for next year’s governorship election.

Worthy of note is, there was a noticeable crack in the state cabinet with some members pitching their tent with the Deputy governor while some distanced themselves from him while the cold war within the state cabinet was attributed to an alleged bid by Aiyedatiwa to succeed Akeredolu in 2024.

Aside Aiyedatiwa, the Secretary to the State Government, Oludunni Odu, state Commissioner for Finance, Wale Akinterinwa among other Akeredolu’s cabinet members are aspiring to contest for next year’s governorship election.

Consequently, the polity is being heated up in such a way that the gladiators perceived one another as enemies, despite being a member of the same political party.

Akeredolu Created Aiyedatiwa’s Problem

In some states, deputy governors are reportedly reduced to the level of errand boys by

The questions begging for answers include will Aiyedatiwa respond within seven days? Will he file a suit before a Federal High Court to stop the House probe panel? Can he survive the tsunami without a restraining court order? Will the House proceed with the impeachment process even if Aiyedatiwa files a suit before a Federal High Court? A legal practitioner, Arijeniwa Adedoyin, believes once the procedure is followed by the State House of Assembly and the Chief Judge constitutes a panel, whose report would require the vote of two-thirds majority to pass, the impeachment of the deputy governor could scale through.

the governor. But a source said in the case of Aiyedatiwa, the governor made him very relevant.

The source specifically noted that Akeredolu created problem for the deputy governor. According to him, at different fora Akeredolu had revealed that his deputy will succeed him in 2025.

“So, many supporters of Akeredolu saw it as awkward, believing that he was not part of Team Aketi and he was coming to reap from where he didn’t sow” .

He said all move by the deputy governor during the governor’s leave was viewed as an attempt to solidify his stance in the party or hijack the government.

As a result of the aforementioned, last Wednesday, the Ondo State House of Assembly commenced an impeachment plot against the state deputy governor, Lucky Aiyedatiwa over alleged financial misappropriation bordering on the alleged approval of N300 million for the purchase of bulletproof SUV for himself.

A source close to the embattled deputy governor wondered how Aiyedatiwa who has no direct involvement in the purchase of vehicles could be accused of buying such vehicles.

The source asked: “How can the Deputy Governor who still uses his personal SUV as Staff Car be accused of purchasing N300m armoured SUV? How can the Deputy Governor who has no direct involvement in the purchase of vehicles be accused of buying such? There was no such SUV in existence and at no time did Aiyedatiwa or anyone for that matter purchase any armoured SUV for the use of his office.

“The Acting Governor did not purchase any vehicle at anytime. As at today, there is no official armoured vehicle in his convoy. In fact, the armoured Mercedes Benz SUV he uses as official car is his personal vehicle which he has been using since he became Deputy Governor.

“Since his inauguration as Deputy Governor in 2021, he is yet to get the full compliment of the vehicles for his convoy. A prado jeep for his security details and a hilux van for escort were recently added to his convoy by the governor. The Staff Car (an armoured SUV) which is supposed to be his official car has never been added to his convoy despite repeated requests for it.

“When the personal armoured SUV he uses broke down recently, his office made a request for the outstanding official car. The request was sent to the office of the Secretary to the State Government (SSG) which supervises the General Administration department in charge of such item as purchase of vehicles. The proposal has since remained between the SSG office and those in charge of procurement. Till today, there has been no order placed for the purchase of the vehicle by the office of the SSG.

“Therefore, how can the Deputy Governor who still uses his personal SUV as Staff Car be accused of purchasing N300m armoured SUV? How can the Deputy Governor who has no direct involvement in the purchase of vehicles be accused of buying such?

The truth of the matter is that nobody bought any N300m SUV anywhere at anytime and the Deputy Governor has no knowledge of such transaction anywhere. It is the office of the SSG that buys government vehicles, not the deputy or Acting Governor”.

Seven-Day Ultimatum

No doubt, the impeachment of deputy governors in Nigeria has three main actors. The first and major beneficiary of the project is always a governor who serves as the sponsor/ financier of the contrived scheme. However, in the latest case in Ondo State, the House said it is not being sponsored by the governor.

Fidelis David writes that Ondo State House of assembly has commenced moves to impeach the state deputy governor, Lucky aiyedatiwa, over corruption allegations and wonders if the embattled number two citizen can weather the political storm.

Aiyedatiwa

As Enugu Governorship Election Petition Tribunal Affirms

Mbah’s Election...

Charles Okereke writes that the verdict of the Enugu State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal in the petitions challenging Governor Peter Mbah’s election on the ground of his National youth Service corps certificate is sound and in tandem with the nation’s electoral laws, evidence adduced before the panel, and decided cases by both the court of appeal and Supreme court.

Last Thursday’s verdict of the Enugu State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal on the ground one of the petition filed by the Labour Party (LP) governorship candidate, Hon. Chijioke Edeoga, challenging the election of Governor Peter Mbah, could not have come as a surprise to anyone who followed that case or understands the standard of proof needed to establish a crime.

Ground one of the petition is that Mbah was not qualified to contest the election, having allegedly presented a forged National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) discharge certificate number A808297.

But politicians will always be politicians, trying to reduce a serious matter like forgery to pedestrian arguments, and supporters will always be supporters, pandering to emotions. They even claim that NYSC’s Director General had disclaimed Mbah’s certificate on national television (not even in a court of law), and that was therefore final, NYSC being the issuing authority!

It is just as absurd as saying because the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) is the issuing authority of Certificates of Return, therefore, election outcomes should never be challenged in court.

It would mean that we all are at the mercy of certificate-issuing institutions, including our colleges and universities, even in clear cases of ineptitude and complicity.

But the law, being aware of human propensity for both error and mischief, made provisions to cure any mischief, relying on investigations by security agencies, and trial by the courts based on oral and documentary evidences, and not sheer emotions and propaganda.

In the extant case, the tribunal, relying on various authorities, including decisions of the Supreme Court such as in Oke & Anor v Mimiko (2013) LPELR – 20645, said that both the petitioners and respondents failed to comply with Paragraph 4(5) (b) of the First Schedule to the Electoral Act, 2022, in respect of subpoenaed witnesses, vis-à-vis their failure to frontload witness depositions along with the petition and responses even when the subpoenaed witnesses were available to the parties at the time of filing the petition and replies.

Also relying on various authorities, including the decision of the Court of Appeal in Ogundehin v Olubowale (2016) and the Supreme Court in Agi v PDP (2016), the tribunal also held that the claim that Mbah submitted a “forged” NYSC certificate to aid his qualification could not stand as without the said NYSC certificate, he “is more than qualified to contest to the office of Governor in Enugu State”; especially against the backdrop that Mbah made no reference to his NYSC certificate in his Form EC9, that is, in the affidavit deposed pursuant to his submission at INEC, thus rendering the NYSC certificate an orphan by law in this context.

Yes, the tribunal held that “to prove forgery, two documents must be produced, that is, (1) the document from which forgery was made and (2) the forged document”.

This is a well-known standard. Ancillary to this is that NYSC, while claiming that the certificate they ought to have issued Mbah was a “6 series”, and not “8-series”, did not and could not have denied ownership of certificate number A808297, which Mbah holds because the agency’s certificates are printed by the Nigerian Security Printing and Minting Company (NSPMC) with security features such as serial numbers, watermark, etc. This was essentially the more reason the onus was on the agency to have produced the original of the certificate number A808297 to be placed side-by-side the one Mbah holds in order to establish forgery.

The option was for the NYSC to have produced another authentic owner of the certificate with that particular serial number other than Mbah!

But even the more compelling which point some commentators miss is that the tribunal,

despite the aforementioned positions, still delved into the kernel of the alleged forgery but found no merit in the claim. And that should actually not come as a surprise!

To start with, Edeoga’s star witness/ PW1, Ibrahim Abdul Muhammad (Director of Corps Certification, NYSC), ended up vindicating Mbah in his admissions in his Statement on Oath. He admitted that Mbah was mobilised for service with NYSC Call Up No. LA/FRN/01/800351, was deployed to Lagos State, was initially posted to the Nigeria Ports Authority (NPA) for his primary assignment where he was rejected, was reposted to Udeh & Associates (a law firm), applied and got NYSC’s approval to suspend his service to go for his Bar Part II (Bar Final) programme at the Nigerian Law School, applied for reinstatement after the programme, was reinstated through an NYSC letter dated 7th May 2003 (reference number NYSC/DHQ/ CM/27/20) to “continue his service from where he stopped”, and reposted again to Udeh & Associates via a letter dated 26th May, 2003.

The NYSC only claimed that they could not have issued Mbah’s discharge certificate because: (1) They did not have any record to show that he actually completed his primary assignment at Udeh & Associates; (2) He allegedly did not participate in the weekly Community Development Service (CDS); and

(3) He did not sign against his name in register where his set signed

and collected their certificates.

Meanwhile, a simple attention to Section 153 (1) of the Evidence Act, Udoma v. Umana (2016), Abubakar v. Yar’Adua (2008), Buhari v. Obasanjo (2005), and Nwobodo v. Onoh (1984) will clearly show that where issues of criminality arise in civil proceedings, the nature of proof must be beyond reasonable doubt. And the tribunal was very explicit on this standard of proof.

There was no way Edeoga’s forgery claim could have stood on the strength of NYSC testimony/evidence. For instance, in determining whether or not Mbah actually completed the remaining four months after reinstatement, the NYSC never referred to Udeh & Associates where they admitted in Ibrahim Mohammad’s Statement on Oath that they reposted him for the purpose.

The NYSC did not also dispute the exhibited clearance letters dated 26th June, 29th July, and 8th September 2003 issued to Mbah by Udeh & Associates in respect of those months and the final clearance dated 16th September 2003 for issuance of his NYSC certificate.

Many commentators do not even know that NYSC also paid Mbah’s allowances for each of those months on the strength of those letters. Udeh & Associates was in court and equally testified affirming not only the authorship of the clearance letters as exhibited, but also that Mbah served till September and came to the office to present his discharge certificate and to thank the firm. So, which other records could NYSC be looking for?

Again, Section 11 of the NYSC Act is clear that the NYSC “shall” on the completion of service issue every Corps member a certificate of national service. “Shall” in law means “compulsorily”. But here is NYSC giving the

NYSC lost Mbah’s file at a point and had to create a temporary one for him.

impression at Paragraph 14(i) of Ibrahim Mohamad’s Statement on Oath that it did not fulfil that statutory obligation to Mbah as a penal measure. Yet they did not tender any record/ register to show that he missed any CDS session. They did not also tender any evidence of query, investigation, hearing, report, indictment, and communication of any sanction whatsoever in that regard to back their claim!

NYSC equally failed to exhibit the said certificate collection register where Mbah purportedly did not sign. But by the way, common sense clearly dictates that Mbah could not even have signed the same register as his mates since they had long completed their service and left before he returned from the Law School to “continue from where he stopped”!

Meanwhile, it is worthy to note that a court does not establish forgery in isolation of investigation by a security agency, and the court is not in itself an investigative institution. In this instance, the Department of State Services (DSS) investigation and findings as contained in the Statement on Oath by the agency’s Deputy Director of Operations and Strategy, Mr. Yahaya Isa Mohammed (DW2) seriously indicted NYSC and recommended that it withdraws all disclaimers of Mbah’s discharge certificate.

Perhaps the most significant finding was that this same NYSC lost Mbah’s file at a point and had to create a temporary one for him.

Whereas NYSC’s response to his application for suspension of service to go for his Bar Part II programme bears file number LA/10/1532, the agency’s response to his application for reinstatement bears file number LA/01/1532/T, with “T” standing for “temporary”.

Again, perhaps in a bid to cover up their ineptitude or complicity, (or both), NYSC had claimed at Paragraph 14 (c) (k) (ii) of Mohammad’s Statement that they did not issue “8 series” certificates (where Mbah’s certificate falls) to Corps members in Lagos in that year and tier. But DSS’s investigations showed that NYSC indeed issued “8 series” certificates, not only in Lagos that year and tier but also in other states!

In fact, the DSS averred that NYSC could not account for 12 of their “8 series”, namely A808297 to A808308. They could not trace to whom or in which state/states they were issued. It is to be noted that certificate number A808297 is Mbah’s certificate.

So, it is not in doubt that Mbah’s NYSC’s number exists, the reason they should have produced the original copy if what Mbah holds is a forgery!

Therefore, the DSS maintained that “the failure of the NYSC to maintain a proper record keeping system was the cause of its inability to trace Peter Ndubuisi Mbah’s initial certificate”, saying “it would be wrong for the NYSC to blame Peter Ndubuisi Mbah for their own failure in record keeping”.

NYSC could not also produce in court the purported “6 series” certificate they claimed should have been issued to Mbah. They rather claimed that they had shredded/destroyed it, a claim the DSS seriously faulted.

Interestingly, the only discharge certificate produced in court by the petitioners was a certified true copy of certificate number A808297, which Mbah holds.

Ironically, it was certified by the same NYSC! That certification alone negates/destroys forgery allegation, as NYSC could not have certified what was not in their custody!

In a case where standard of proof should be beyond reasonable doubt, are the naysayers by any means saying documents NYSC failed to tender before the court, the fact that they paid Mbah’s allowances for contentious months, etc. and importantly the mindboggling findings by the DSS which NYSC did not refute are not sufficient grounds of doubts in the mind of tribunal and justify their refusal to agree with the petitioners that Mbah’s NYSC discharge certificate was forged?

-Okereke writes from Enugu

It is worthy to note that a court does not establish forgery in isolation of investigation by a security agency, and the court is not in itself an investigative institution. In this instance, the Department of State Services (DSS) investigation and findings as contained in the Statement on Oath by the agency’s Deputy Director of Operations and Strategy, Mr. Yahaya Isa Mohammed (DW2) seriously indicted NYSC and recommended that it withdraws all disclaimers of Mbah’s discharge certificate. Perhaps the most significant finding was that this same

Mbah

Section 2(1) and 24 of the Legal Practitioners Act: Whether Substantive or Merely Procedural

Page IV

SERAP: Recognise the Right of the Niger

Delta People

Page V

Quotable

‘The heat is not about the weather, but about the sheer magnitude of the workload. I even turned to the thesaurus, for words to capture the essence of the workload: “burdensome, difficult, grievous, harsh, intolerable, laborious, onerous, oppressive, hard, severe, tedious, vexatious, wearisome.” Each of these words, accurately encapsulates the demands we face daily.’-Honourable Justice Amina Adamu Augie, CFR, Retired Justice of the Supreme Court of Nigeria

Justice Augie: Amend Constitution for Effective Functioning of Supreme Court

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INEC’s Guidelines/ Manual and the Tyranny of Forms

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Augie,JSC:AJudicialAmazon RapsHerLastGavel

The Judiciary: Unequal ‘Co-Equal’ Arm

Last Thursday, I attended the Valedictory session held in honour of Honourable Justice Amina Adamu Augie, CFR, Justice of the Supreme Court, who stepped down from the Apex Court having attained the mandatory retirement age of 70 on September 3, 2023, after 45 years of meritorious service on the Bench, in accordance to Section 291(1) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended in 2023)(the Constitution). Hearty congratulations Your Lordship, not just on your retirement, but on retiring with your reputation intact.

Judicial Remuneration, Pension et al vs That of the Executive & Legislature

I have always maintained that the Judiciary is the third co-equal arm of Government, and must be treated as such (see the Doctrine of Separation of Powers propounded by Baron de Montesquieu, and Sections 4, 5 & 6 of the Constitution) along with the Executive and the Legislature, but several things make it seem otherwise.

The provision of Section 291(3)(a) of the Constitution, makes one wonder. Aside from the fact that it is no longer news that, of the three arms of Government, the Judiciary is the worst paid, for example, with the Chief Justice of Nigeria taking home about N480,000 monthly and the other Supreme Court Justices, N751,000 (when a friend of mine saw how much JSCs are paid, he commented that “So, na only Police dem get! Dem no dey pay dem better money” - “So, it is only their Police Orderlies they have! They are not well paid”), the aforementioned Section 291(3) (a) stipulates that only a judicial officer who has served on the Bench for at least 15 years and retires at at least the discretionary retirement age of 65 or more (formerly 60 for High Court Judges, but with the recent increase in their retirement age, which some have questioned I might add, their discretionary age will also be 65 too), be entitled to a life pension at a rate equivalent to their last annual basic salary, allowances and whatever retirement benefits which are applicable. Section 291(3)(b) at age 65 of the Constitution includes a proviso that where the judicial officer hasn’t served for up to 15 years and retires at the discretionary age or more, the pension etc shall be prorated for the number of years served in relation to 15 years. That means that a Lagos State High Court Judge who for instance, goes home with about N500,000 monthly, and retires after four years (like the tenure of a Legislator), will get about N133,000 as pension monthly!

This condition of the number of years of service is not given for the President, Vice President, Governor and Deputy Governors (the Executive) who only serve for a maximum of eight years, and they end up with fabulous retirement packages that the Judiciary cannot dream of. Legislators also get a fabulous bulk severance package payment after serving for only four years at the end of one National Assembly, regardless of whether they return in the next one! While Supreme Court Justices’ vehicles may be used for the duration of their service at the Apex Court, a Legislator who is elected to the National Assembly gets a new vehicle at the beginning of his/her tenure, and on return to the following National Assembly, is taken as a ‘Fresher’ and gets another new vehicle, even if it’s only four years later.

It certainly makes one wonder how equal co-equal is, in the Nigerian setting!

The Role of the Supreme Court & Causes of Its Unnecessarily Heavy Workload Hon. Justice Augie in her interesting Valedictory Speech, referred to the workload of a Supreme Court Justice with some adjectives like burdensome, difficult, harsh, intolerable, hard and wearisome, and noted that the Supreme Court is a policy-making court which should not be burdened with hearing some of the type of appeals that are brought before them. Her Lordship gave the example of an appeal about the arson of 12 goats which were set ablaze, that was brought before the Apex Court. She said she couldn’t help but voice her astonishment to her brother Justice during the proceedings, that such a matter should be brought before them. In a conversation with a JSC, his Lordship talked about an appeal concerning a one-room shop in a market in Abuja, which they had to hear! (Landlord and Tenant matter). Unfortunately, Section 233 of the Constitution covers a wide scope, and for now, the Supreme Court is burdened with the hearing of all manner of appeals, be it one that

onikepo.braithwaite@thisdaylive.

originates from a case concerning the theft of one chicken or goat, or that of murder which carries the death penalty, or election petitions down to constitutional matters. Hon. Justice Augie seconded the earlier call by the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Hon. Justice Olukayode Ariwoola, GCON, at the Special Session to mark the commencement of the 2022/2023 Legal Year, in which his Lordship asked for a constitutional amendment to restrict the circumstances under which appeals can reach the Supreme Court. Her Lordship called upon her former student at the Law School where she lectured earlier on in her career, the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio and the 10th National Assembly, to make the necessary constitutional amendments, in order to free the JSCs from constraints “that impede their ability to fulfil their mandate of upholding the rule of law, justice and democracy”.

In the UK, the Supreme Court (UKSC) is the final court of appeal for all UK civil matters, and criminal matters in England and Wales, and Northern Ireland. Unlike our Supreme Court, the UKSC cannot overturn legislation. The court system in Scotland is different, and though the process of civil appeals from the Scottish Court to the UKSC is substantially the same as the other UK civil appeals with some exceptions, there is no right of appeal to the UKSC from the Scottish High Court of the Justiciary in criminal matters. To be able to get permission to appeal to the UKSC, however, there must be “an arguable point of law on a matter of general public importance”. In R (Eastway) v Secretary of State for Trade & Industry [2000] UKHL 56 per Lord Bingham, the Court explained that the role of the Supreme Court was to “….necessarily

concentrate its attention on a relatively small number of cases recognised as raising legal questions of general public importance. It cannot seek to correct errors in the application of settled law, even where such are shown to exist”.

In contrast, in Nigeria, many trivial cases go to our Supreme Court; and other appeals go to the Apex Court not even to correct errors, but for the restatement of already established legal principles, which the Apex Court has pronounced upon times without number. See for example, the cases of Ucha & Anor v Elechi & Ors (2012) LPELR-7923(SC) per Olabode Rhodes-Vivour, JSC & Wike v Peterside (2016) LPELR-40036 (SC) per Kudirat Motonmori Olatokunbo Kekere-Ekun, JSC making the same pronouncements on what a Petitioner must show clearly in evidence, to prove noncompliance in the conduct of an election, in order to satisfy the provision of Section 135(1) of the Electoral Act. Since, for example, Section 285(14) of the Constitution has defined ‘pre-election matter’ to include the issue of nomination of candidates, restricting parties who can institute proceedings in that regard to fellow aspirants in the same political party, or the political parties of the aspirants/candidates themselves, and this has been pronounced upon several times by the Supreme Court, how come such matters still end up as part of the post- election petitions at the Tribunals going all the way to the Supreme Court?

See the case of Wada & Ors v Bello & Ors (2016) LPELR-47015(SC) per Nwali Sylvester Ngwuta, JSC on the nomination of candidates being an intraparty matter, with non-party members or party members who didn’t participate in the party primaries lacking locus standi

to raise this issue which should be instituted at the Federal High Court. Also see Nwite v PDP & Ors (2022) LPELR-59192(SC) per Kudirat Motonmori Olatokunbo KekereEkun, JSC.

The Apex Court of the land, should not be a playground for trivial matters that can be settled at the court of first instance. The aforementioned case of the arson of 12 goats, should have ended at the Magistrate Court! Should appeals also lie to the Supreme Court, in cases where the questions of law arising therefrom have already been settled by the Supreme Court? If Registry Clerks in the Lagos State Judiciary are able to sift through court processes to check if litigants have completed the pre-action protocol before they are qualified to file their court processes, surely a system can be put in place at the Supreme Court level where “Masters” sift through grounds of appeal, at least in civil cases, to affirm their qualification for filing at the Supreme Court. Again, the fact that costs are not punitive enough, makes it easier for vexatious appeals to be filed.

We also have the issue of our learned colleagues who have to garner the requisite number of Supreme Court cases, in order to qualify to apply to take Silk. This increases the burden of the Apex Court, as this exercise occurs annually. Section 14(5)(c) of 2023 Guidelines for the Conferment of the Rank of Senior Advocate of Nigeria provides that where a legal practitioner conducts a case from the High Court all the way to the Supreme Court, only three Supreme Court judgements are required in that category to be qualified to apply for the rank; but, where the Applicant only conducted the cases at the Supreme Court, six Supreme Court judgements are required for the application. If for example, there are 100 Applicants, and only 25 have conducted their cases from the High Court to the Supreme Court, their total number of Supreme Court judgements is 75, while the other 75 Applicants require six judgements each, which amounts to 450 Supreme Court judgements - a total of 525 Supreme Court judgements. Many of these cases may have nothing to do with any public interest or policy, nor be of public or constitutional importance or contain novel questions of law. But, because unlike the UK, there is no stipulation that the appeals lying to the Nigerian Supreme Court must raise questions of law of public legal importance, but only that they involve questions of law, and it matters not that the questions of law may already have been settled by the Apex Court, practically every case can qualify for appeal to the Supreme Court! The recent Naira Currency Redesign case for instance, was one that raised questions of public importance. There are also restrictions on the right of appeal to the UKSC. For instance, by virtue of Section 54(4) of the Access to Justice Act 1999, if the UK Court of Appeal refuses to grant leave to appeal to it from a lower court, such refusal cannot be challenged at the Supreme Court. Here, it is the opposite, as if such application is refused by the Court of Appeal, the Applicant is permitted to further appeal to the Supreme Court.

Conclusion

The sum and substance of it all is that, our judicial process needs urgent review, while our Judiciary must be strengthened. Hand in hand with any amendment restricting the type of matters that go to the Supreme Court, must be an improvement in the quality of Judges appointed at all levels of the courts and Magistrates too, along with a marked and satisfactory improvement in their conditions of service, so that litigants are sure that the decision arrived at by the court at whichever level of adjudication they end up, are fair and just, especially if their matters are not qualified to go before the Supreme Court. One reason why some litigants prefer to exhaust all avenues of appeal, is because their confidence in some of the lower courts has been eroded, and they want to hear a final pronouncement from the final court. The Nigerian Judiciary has an extremely heavy and onerous workload, with possibly the busiest dockets in the world, but, yet, the co-equal arms of government who receive better remuneration and allowances, do not have the same heavy workload, because even if they do, they have multiple levels of support - Ministers, Special Advisers, Special Assistants, Departments, to mention but a few. I’m not sure that a Supreme Court Justice, has more than one Research Assistant!

“The Apex Court of the land, should not be a playground for trivial matters that can be settled at the court of first instance. The aforementioned case of the arson of 12 goats, should have ended at the Magistrate Court!”

Section 2(1) and 24 of the Legal Practitioners Act: Whether Substantive or Merely Procedural

Facts

The 1st Respondent, as Plaintiff, instituted an action that culminated in this appeal, at the Federal High Court, wherein he claimed, inter alia, a declaration that he is entitled to the Statutory Right of Occupancy over Plot 109, located at Area A8, Wuse II District, Abuja. Initially, there were only two Defendants; by an order of the trial court, however, a certain “Nanfa Ponfa”, who was allocated the said Plot of land during the pendency of the suit, was joined as the 3rd Defendant. The 3rd Defendant, who was served, chose not to file processes or defend the action at the trial court. He was not a party in the Appeal filed at the Court of Appeal, and he is also not a party to the further appeal to the Supreme Court. The Appellant, who bought the said plot of land from Nanfa Ponfa, was joined on its own motion as 4th Defendant by order of court.

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

Issue for Determination

The following sole issue was considered and determined by the court:

“Whether the trial court, at the time it heard the matter, had jurisdiction to hear and determine the matter brought before it”

Arguments

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

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

Court’s Judgement and Rationale

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

In the Supreme Court of Nigeria Holden at abuja

On Friday, the 3rd day of June, 2022

Before their lordships Chima Centus Nweze amina adamu augie Helen moronkeji Ogunwumiju

Ibrahim mohammed musa Saulawa emmanuel akomaye agim Justices, Supreme Court SC./205/2007

Between Network Securities Limited appellant and

1. alhaji umaru dahiru

2. The Hon. minister, Federal Capital Territory respondents

3. The Federal Capital development authority [FCda]

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

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

law firm of A.A. Gulak & Company, renders the Writ and Statement of Claim incurably defective, invalid, null and void. Simply put, the processes filed by the law firm were dead at the point of filing, and in the eyes of the law, they are defective and legally non-existent. The said processes are incompetent; and so, the judgements of the two lower courts are nullities.

Dissenting Opinion of Honourable Emmanuel Akomaye Agim, JSC

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

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

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

The decision in BUHARI v YABO was overruled by this court in OKAFOR v NWEKE on the ground that, without the name, the signatory has not held himself out as practicing under the said firm name. With the greatest respect, that decision and similar decisions should be departed from and return to BUHARI v YABO, because grave injustice will continue to result from following the judicial precedent in OKAFOR v NWEKE and similar cases. His Lordship referred to VEEPEE INDUSTRIES LTD v COCOA INDUSTRIES LTD (2008) 4-5 SC (Pt.1) 16 where the Supreme Court held that it could depart from its previous decision, if continuous adherence to it will occasion injustice on the principle that it is better to admit an error than to persevere in error. A situation where a Defendant, who concurrent decisions have held not to have a deference to a Plaintiff’s claim, can in this case use this kind of objection to nullify the proceedings and processes, including the judgements against him, after litigation that has lasted for many years, wreak grave injustice on the Plaintiff and results in a complete destruction of his right of access to court and right to have his claim determined within a reasonable time.

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

Appeal Allowed on a Ratio of 4:1.

Representation

Abimbola Kayode for the Appellant

Christopher Okeke with Cynthia Ogbodu for the 1st Respondent.

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

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

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

Honourable Amina Adamu Augie, JSC

SERAP: Recognise the Right of the Niger Delta People

Stories by Steve Aya

The need for the Federal Government and other key players, to recognise the right of the people in the Niger Delta to a clean and healthy environment has again been stressed. Towards this end, the Government has been urged to put in place a legal framework to ensure that oil and gas companies and other key players recognise the right of the people in the Niger Delta and Nigerians in general.These suggestions were part of the recommendations made by a Lecturer in the Faculty of Law, University of Lagos (UNILAG), Dr Bunmi Afinowi during the public presentation of Socio Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) Report titled “We Are All Vulnerable. How Lack of Transparency and Accountability Is Fuelling Human Rights Violations in the Niger Delta”, which took place at Sheraton Hotel, Ikeja.

Dr Afinowi stated that having a proper legal framework in place has become necessary, in order to ensure that when violations occur against the rights of the people of the area, individuals, communities, Chief Security Officers (CSOs) can seek

redress in the courts, at both local and international courts. She lamented that the state of the region is constantly a paradox of circumstances, noting that despite the wealth it holds and the fact that it provides for the entire Nation, it remains deeply in the grips of squalor, poverty, and environmental degradation.

However, Dr Afinowi maintained that there is no reason why the Niger Delta region which produces the resources upon which the country is dependent should wallow in poverty, while the rights of the people in the area are violated by oil and gas companies.

Part of the SERAP Report recommendation include, periodic engagements with legal and environmental experts, policy makers to review and strengthen existing laws, regulations and policies related to the oil and gas sector, in terms of resource management and extractive activities. It urged the Federal Government to also create a platform or avenue for sharing information related to oil and gas activities, revenue distribution, and environmental impact assessments with local communities.

“There is need to also develop

Supreme Court Chambers Gutted by Fire

yesterday, sometime on Monday morning, the Chambers of one of the Supreme Court Justices,

gutted by fire. Initial reports speculated that

the fire may have been caused by an electrical fault. Fortunately, the fire was extinguished before it could spread. No injuries were reported.

and distribute educational materials, to raise awareness about the industry's effects on communities and the importance of transparency”, Dr Afinowi said.

In a welcome address, SERAP Deputy Director, Kolawole Oluwadare, remarked that the country is definitely poor with some 122 million Nigerians living in poverty. Corruption has been the major contributory factor in making Nigeria one of the poorest Nations in the world. He said trillions from oil resources impoverished

Nigerians, as they end in private pockets.

The assumption of office of the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, has raised the question of whether his administration can demonstrate the political will to fight corruption by going after the big fish in government circles, ministries, departments and agencies, guarantee freedom of expression, and uphold the rule of law. It is also about whether his administration can commit this democracy to the poor people of Nigeria, and not

for the few privileged political class.

President, Nigerian Guild of Editors (NGE), Eze Anaba, in a good will message, said that there was need to ensure that resources from the Niger Delta region are used to develop the area. He stressed the need for transparency and accountability in Government at all levels, saying this should be used to promote good governance, civic participation and respect for the rule of law.

Anaba said the media has a laudable role to play to achieve

this objective.

"Section 22 of the 1999 Constitution of Nigeria, as amended, states the roles that members of the profession are expected to play in contributing to the efforts in promoting transparency and accountability in Niger Delta in particular."

Others who spoke at the event included the Director General, Bureau of Public Service Reform, Dr Dasuki Arabi, and Hon. Funkekeme Solomon, who represented the Rivers State Governor, Sinminalayi Fubara.

Justice Augie: Amend Constitution for Effective Functioning of Supreme Court

Justice Amina Adamu Augie, CFR, has called on the Godswill Akpabio-led 10th National Assembly to amend the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, as amended, so as enhance the functioning of courts in Nigeria.

Justice Augie was speaking in Abuja at a Valedictory Court session held in her honour on Thursday last week, as she bowed out of the Supreme Court Bench on September 3, 2023, having attained the mandatory retirement age of 70 years for judicial officers.

“This marks the final instance where my voice will be heard in any court, and I wish to use this opportunity to directly address the 10th National Assembly, through distinguished Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, who was once my student at the Law School’’.

She said, the Supreme Court, is the Apex Court of the land and its final decisions shape society’s social order, adding that, Justices of the Court should be able to focus on what truly matters, issuing directives for formulating specific policies or amending existing ones to better serve their intended purposes.

“But how can they do that, when they are drowning in an overwhelming caseload. The only way forward, as highlighted by the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Olukayode Ariwoola during the special session marking the commencement of the 2022/2023 legal year, is to amend the Constitution to restrict the circumstances under which appeals can reach this court.

Amongst those who sent goodwill messages, is Chief Joe-Kyari Gadzama, SAN who congratulated Justice Augie as

she retired from the Supreme Court Bench. The congratulatory massage signed by Chief J-K Gadzama, SAN and sent to her partly reads: “This auspicious day is a wonderful time to reflect on your Lordship’s many groundbreaking accomplishments of the past years.

“As a Chief Magistrate in the Sokoto State Judiciary, Your Lordship had always been applauded for the sterling qualities of hard work, integrity and unreserved commitment to national growth and development. This is evident by the numerous awards and decorations your Lordship has earned over the years.

“Your Lordship’s immeasurable contributions to the advancement’ of the Judiciary and our dear nation Nigeria, through many years of meritorious national service, is

indeed, commendable. Your Lordship’s quest for justice, equity and fairness, is worthy of emulation by us all and generations to come. I have had the great privilege to be taught by your Lordship at the Nigerian Law School from 1985-1986, and have appeared several times before your Lordship at the Supreme Court. Your Lordship remains my mentor, even after a glorious retirement from the Bench.

“Indeed, the mark Your Lordship has left on the Judiciary and the entirety of the legal profession, will serve as a reference point and inspiration for Lawyers across the globe. As Your Lordship celebrates this gargantuan milestone, it is my earnest prayer that the many years ahead be blessed with divine grace, good health and prosperity.”

L-R: Hon. Justice Amina Adamu Augie, JSC (Rtd), CFR; NBA President, Yakubu Maikyau, OON, SAN and Special Assistant to the NSA, Nnena Kuku

Environmental Pollution in the Niger Delta

Honourable Amina Adamu Augie, JSC (Rtd), CFR

Former Sokoto State Governor, Senator Aminu Waziri Tambuwal (left) and J.S. Okutepa, SAN Mrs Funmi Falana and Femi Falana, SAN

L-R: Mrs Fatima Hassan Graham; Hajiya Hauwa Graham; Hon. Justice Amina Adamu Augie; Dr Billy Graham and Ms Lydia Boardman at the Valedictory Court Session held in honour of Her Lordship last Thursday, September 21, 2023 at the Supreme Court, Abuja

was

Augie, JSC: A Judicial Amazon Raps Her Last Gavel

From the Magistracy to the Apex Court, Honourable Justice Amina Adamu Augie, JSC (Rtd), CFR, distinguished herself as a judicial officer with sterling qualities in the discharge of her duties, for four and half decades. She also tenaciously applied herself to her first love, teaching, as she impacted judicial knowledge to students at various institutions, from the Ahmadu Bello University (where His Lordship pursued her Master’s Degree) to the Nigerian Law School and subsequently, the University of Sokoto, even while sitting on the Bench as a Chief Magistrate and later, as a High Court Judge. Bowing out from the Supreme Court last Thursday, was for many, received with mixed feelings, as they desired that His Lordship stay on. But, the Constitution specifically provides that 70 is the retirement age of Justices of the Appellate Courts, the age which His Lordship attained on September 3, 2023. Onikepo Braithwaite, Jude Igbanoi and Alex Enumah who were present at the colourful Valedictory Session which held in the Main Courtroom of the Supreme Court, report, while Dr Olisa Agbakoba, SAN, Kemi Balogun, SAN and HRH Sir David Serena-Dokubo Spiff pay tribute to His Lordship

The CJN’s Speech

Opening the session, the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Hon. Justice Kayode Ariwoola, GCON gave a rather illustrious background about Augie’s (who he fondly referred to as Justice Triple A) meteoric voyage through the complex routes of judicial and academic labyrinths, distinguishing herself in both endeavours.

The event was well attended by members of the Utter and Inner Bar, judicial officers from different hierarchies of the Bench, traditional rulers and family members and friends of the celebrant.

It was praises, encomiums and admiration from both the Bench and Bar, as His Lordship was the sixth Female Justice to have occupied the Bench of the Supreme Court. Although, Justice Augie officially left office on September 3, 2023, on attaining the mandatory retirement age of 70 years, however, the Valedictory Court Session was held in her honour on September 21, shortly after the Apex Court resumed from its annual vacation.

Speaking at the occasion, the Hon. Justice Olukayode Ariwoola, described Augie as an "Amazing Amazon" who has diligently and meticulously offered unquantifiable services to her fatherland and the generality of humanity, in different capacities for several decades.

According to the CJN, the amiable disposition and reticent outlook of Augie literally made her a gentle tigress in the temple of justice, adding that, she variously exhibited rare qualities and tenacity of strength and character to the admiration of her colleagues and admirers, especially when it comes to the administration of justice.

Besides, Ariwoola observed that the retired Justice of the Supreme Court believes strongly that a good Judge must have the capacity to hear courteously, answer wisely, consider soberly and decide impartially. He said that that strong belief has had a tenacious foothold in all her judgements; that is why she can conveniently walk tall among her peers.

"We are all here to felicitate with an accomplished judicial colossus, that has offered the best of her intellect to the advancement of the legal profession through her several years of inimitable adjudications and unprecedented judicial prowess", he said.

According to the CJN, Augie's judgements are not only incisive, but equally analytical and rich in content

and context.

"Her robust contributions to the development of our jurisprudence, are fascinating and captivating too. Her impeccable attention to detail in every matter that came before her, is alluring and salutary as well.

"Time would not permit me to reel out her various scintillating judgements, that have become masterpieces in our jurisdiction.

"As your journey through the second phase of life unveils today, we, your brother Justices, say with one voice that we love and cherish you a great deal, and pray to the Almighty God to grant you peace of mind and graceful ageing", CJN Ariwoola added.

The AGF’s Speech

Also full of praise for Justice Augie, was the Attorney- General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice, Prince Lateef Fagbemi, SAN. He described Justice Amina Augie as an embodiment of a patriotic and dedicated Nigerian, who made several far-reaching legal and judicial pronouncements which have continued to generate reviews from legal commentators.

BOSAN Represented by Asiwaju Awomolo

While commending Augie for her excellent performance in the Judiciary, Vice Chairman of the Body of Benchers, Asiwaju Adegboyega Awomolo, SAN, who represented the Body of Senior Advocates (BOSAN), stated that the current image of the Judiciary requires a great deal of sacrifice, both from the Bar and the Bench, adding that political matters in the last one year have done a great disservice to the Judiciary. Awomolo, who stated that all Judges are representatives of God Almighty, reminded them of the importance of discharging their duty with the fear of God and the Constitution, because at the end they will all give account of their conduct.

"Be mindful of the future" he said, "one day everybody will be called to answer". He specifically appreciated Augie for bowing out of the Judiciary with her head held up high, adding that, she has really made the Law School Class of 1978 very proud.

Hon. Justice Amina Adamu Augie’s Response Meanwhile, in her Valedictory Speech, Augie

appreciated all who had contributed one way or the other to her career, growth and success, stating that she would not have achieved anything without the help of others.

She thanked the Almighty God, her colleagues both serving and retired, her support staff especially, "my indefatigable Secretary, Madam Andrea Henrietta Mowah, for her duty, loyalty and professionalism, in running my chambers. Her commitment to ensuring that everything was ship-shape and in perfect order, made it easy for me to focus on my work without distractions”.

Besides members of the Bench, Augie also extended her appreciation to members of the Bar, her aged Mother, Hajia Hauwa Eva Graham, who flew in all the way Chicago, USA, to grace the occasion, as well as other members of her family.

Summary of Justice Triple A’s Personal Journey

Hon. Justice Amina Adamu Augie, a Law graduate from the University of Ife, now Obafemi Awolowo University, was born on September 3, 1953, to late Mr Patrick and Hajia Hauwa Eva Graham in Lagos.

She had her primary and secondary education between 1958 and 1971, across some States of the Nigeria. After her Call to Bar in 1978, Augie took up appointment with the Legal Aid Council, Sokoto, before a stint in the academic world as a Lecturer.

She later worked as a Senior State Counsel in the office of the Chief Counsel to former President Shehu Shagari. His Lordship moved back to Sokoto State with her husband and children, and subsequently, became a Chief Magistrate in Argungu, and then High Court Judge. Augie was later elevated to the Appellate Court Bench in 2002, and that of the Supreme Court on November 7, 2016, where she spent the next seven years before her retirement earlier this month.

Some of Justice Augie’s Landmark Judgements

ANI & ORS v OTU & ORS (2023) LPELR59602(SC)

Latin Maxim - "NEMO JUDEX IN CAUSA

SUA" - Meaning and nature of the Latin maxim

"nemo judex in causa sua"

"Nemo judex in causa sua" is a Latin phrase, which means - "no man should be a Judge in his own cause".

It is a principle of natural justice that no person can judge a case, in which he has a personal interest or involvement - G.E.C. v Akande (2012) 16 NWLR (Pt. 1327) 593 SC. This rule of natural justice is, therefore, not confined to the cause in which the person is a party, but it also applies to a cause in which he has an interest or he is involved in. It underlines the doctrine of reasonable apprehension of bias, which is not permitted in law because a taint of bias would destroy the integrity of the proceedings conducted

in such a manner - see Duhaime's Law Dictionary." Per Augie, JSC (PP 74 - 74 PARAS C - F).

Case Summary Facts: The Appellants filed a suit at the High Court of Cross River State, challenging the selection of the 1st Respondent (the 4th Defendant) as the Obong of Calabar. They alleged that the 1st Respondent, who was the Chairman of the Screening Committee, improperly placed himself as the sole candidate for the Obong position, and was selected by the 3rd-5th Respondents' Council.

The Appellants contended that the 1st Respondent was not qualified for the position because he had been the Chairman of the Screening Committee, and his family was unaware that he was being presented as a candidate for Obong.

The Respondents argued that, the right to produce the Obongship was for all qualified Etuboms of Western Calabar, and the 1st Respondent met all the requirements for becoming Obong of Calabar, including resigning as Chairman of the Screening Committee.

The trial Court ruled in favour of the Appellants, but the Court of Appeal partially allowed the Respondents' appeal. Dissatisfied with the Court of Appeal's decision, the Appellants appealed to the Supreme Court.

Issues for Determination: The appeal was determined on the following issues thus:

1. Whether capping/induction was or is a requirement under the Constitution of the Etubom Council (Exhibits 1/20) to select an Obong of Calabar, and if so, whether it was waived for the 1st Appellant?

2. Whether the finding by the lower Court that the 1st Respondent is of agnate descent and so qualified to contest for the throne of Obong of Calabar, is not contrary to the evidence properly evaluated by the trial Judge?

Decision/Held: In a unanimous decision, the appeal was dismissed for lacking in merit, and the judgement of the Court of Appeal was affirmed.

ZAKIRAI v MUHAMMAD & ORS (2017) LPELR42349(SC) LEGAL PRACTITIONER - COUNSEL/CLIENT

RELATIONSHIP - Whether Court can interfere with counsel-client relationship

"To start with, the issue of representation by counsel is a matter of counsel-client relationship, which this Court cannot get involved in - see the case of Chief M.K.O Abiola v F R N (1996) LPELR-40 (SC), wherein this Court, per Belgore, JSC (as he then was) said as follows

- “The best person to decide who represents him ... is the Appellant, and that is his constitutional right. ... Time honoured practice is for this issue of representation to be decided by counsel after consulting the Appellant, or the Appellant writing to intimate his choice of counsel ... It is always a privilege, the matter of counsel-client relationship,

“….. the Hon. Justice Olukayode Ariwoola, described Augie as an "Amazing Amazon" who has diligently and meticulously offered unquantifiable services to her fatherland and the generality of humanity….”

Honourable Justice Amina Adamu Augie, JSc (Rtd), cFR

Augie, JSC: A Judicial Amazon Raps Her Last Gavel

and I do not believe it is right to involve the Court in this. What is more, where there is no averment that the authority of the counsel to conduct the case on a party's behalf has been withdrawn, it is accepted that counsel had general or apparent authority to so do - see Afegbai v A-G., Edo State (2001) 14 NWLR (Pt. 733) 425 SC." - Per Augie JSC (PP 12 - 13 PARAS E - C).

Case Summary

Facts: The Appellant and the 1st Respondent both participated in a primary election conducted by the 2nd Respondent (APC), for a Kano State House of Assembly seat. The 1st Respondent won the primary election, but the 3rd Respondent (INEC) recognised the Appellant as the party's candidate. The 1st Respondent challenged this decision in the Federal High Court, which ruled in favour of the 1st Respondent and directed INEC to recognise him as the party's candidate.

During the trial, the Appellant raised an issue regarding non-compliance with Section 97 of the Sheriff and Civil Process Act. The Appellant, who was served within the jurisdiction and not affected by the purported non-compliance, filed this issue after all processes had been served.

The Appellant appealed the trial court's decision to the Court of Appeal, while the 1st Respondent cross-appealed on the issue of the Appellant raising the non-compliance issue. The Court of Appeal dismissed the Appellant's appeal and allowed the 1st Respondent's cross-appeal. Dissatisfied with this outcome, the Appellant appealed to the Supreme Court.

Issues for Determination: The Appellant formulated 5 issues in his Brief of Argument thus:

1. Whether the lower Court was right to have held that leave to issue the Originating Summons, leave to serve the Originating Summons and leave to mark same for service outside jurisdiction are not necessary, not mandatory, has been waived by the 2nd and 3rd Respondent, and cannot be raised by the Appellants at all.

2. Whether the lower court rightly held that issue of substituted service and personal service was not raised both at the trial court and before the lower court, and indeed the issue of mode of service is phantom, esoteric and not real?

3. Whether the lower court rightly ignored the failure to mark the summons as "concurrent" and trial court’s non-consideration of the "Further and Better CounterAffidavit in this Suit"?

4. Whether the lower court was right to hold that the trial at the Federal High Court was competent, and did competently assume jurisdiction in this case?

5. Whether, in the circumstances of this case, the Suit was rightly commenced by Originating Summons and the lower court rightly found on the Affidavit before it, including issues of forgery.

Decision/Held: In the final analysis, the Supreme Court held that the Appeal lacked merit in its entirety, and it was dismissed. The Judgement of the Court of Appeal was affirmed.

LAU v PDP & ORS (2017) LPELR-42800(SC)

LATIN MAXIM - "UBI JUS IBI REMEDIUM"Meaning and nature of the principle of "ubi jus ibi remedium"

"This brings to mind the Latin maxim - 'Ubi jus, ibi remedium' where there is a right, there is a remedy. The law ensures that if the Plaintiff has a right, he must have the means to vindicate that right, and a remedy, if he is injured in the enjoyment or exercise of it - see Bello v A-G Oyo State (1986) 5 NWLR (pt. 45) 828 SC

In this case, the Appellant had the right to participate in a level playing field with other aspirants at the primaries, and if he was wronged in any way, he is entitled to a remedy, and nothing can stop him from getting it." Per Augie JSC (PP 60 - 61 PARAS E - B).

Case Summary Facts: The Appellant contested the primary election conducted by the 1st Respondent (PDP) for the Taraba North Senatorial District seat, along with two other candidates. The Appellant was duly screened and cleared by the party, but the 3rd Respondent was neither screened nor cleared for the Senatorial contest, as he was originally running for the Gubernatorial election. After winning the primary, the 3rd Respondent withdrew from the Senatorial race, leaving the Appellant and another candidate, Jolly Nyame, as possible replacements. However, the 1st Respondent nominated the 4th Respondent for the Taraba North Senatorial District.

The Appellant filed an Originating Summons, challenging the nomination of the 4th Respondent. The 1st and 4th Respondent filed Preliminary Objections, questioning the competence of the action. The trial court eventually ruled that the action was incompetently constituted, due to the presence of the 2nd Respondent (INEC), which deprived it of jurisdiction. The case was struck out for lack of jurisdiction.

Aggrieved by this decision, the Appellant appealed to the Court of Appeal, which also dismissed the appeal. Now, the Appellant has further appealed to the Supreme Court. Issues for Determination: The Appellant formulated the following issues, for the determination of the appeal:

1. Whether the Court of Appeal was right in holding that the Appellant's action is not justiceable (sic) under Section 87(9) of the Electoral Act, 2010 (as amended).

2. Whether the Court below was right in holding that the trial court has no jurisdiction to hear and determine

the Appellant's Suit, because of the involvement of Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) as a party to the Suit.

3. Whether the Justices of the Court of Appeal were right in the decision that the election having been held and the winner declared, the pre-election matter filed by the Appellant had become academic or hypothetical.

4. Whether the Justices of the Court of Appeal were right in their decision that the trial court having found that it has no jurisdiction to hear and determine the Appellant's case, there was no need to proceed further to determine the Appellant's substantive Originating Summons.

Decision/Held: The appeal was unanimously allowed. The judgements of the lower courts, were consequently set aside. The Supreme Court then invoked its powers under Section 22 of the Supreme Act to determine the substantive Suit, and made a consequential order that the Appellant, who had scored the second highest number of votes in the primaries, was the candidate of the 1st Respondent at the general election. These are just, but a few of His Lordship’s locus classicus decisions, which have greatly enriched Nigeria’s jurisprudence.

Lawstitics by LawPavilion

According to the Managing Director of LawPavilion, Mr Ope Olugasa, concerning His Lordship: ‘She shaped the jurisprudence in Nigeria in many practice areas. Some listed below:

1. Evidence - 266 notable pronouncements;

2. Appeal - 241 notable pronouncements;

3. Criminal Law & Procedure - 132 notable pronouncements;

4. Practice & Procedure - 123 notable pronouncements

Among so many other ones; Number of Notable Judicial Pronouncements - 1,397 in 622 Judgments.’

Amina Augie JSC (Rtd): Courageous and Forthright

Dr Olisa Agbakoba, SAN

Amina Augie was certainly a very courageous and forthright Judge and finally, Justice of the Supreme Court. Clearly, above the ordinary measures of the Judiciary, Amina paid great attention to speed of justice in relation to pending cases. She will be remembered, for her work at the Enugu and Lagos Judicial Division of the Court of Appeal. We of the Diamond class of 1978 are extremely proud of her achievements!! It is in her case, that one regrets that Justices of the Supreme Court must retire at 70. I personally believe that Justice Augie had only just started, and her statutory retirement is a great loss of judicial expertise, so clearly possessed by Justice Augie.

His Lordship assuredly left indelible marks in Nigeria’s judicial history, through uncanny courage exhibited in rulings, and judgements, which inevitably helped to deepen our jurisprudence.

Sifax (Nig.) Ltd v Migfo (Nig.) Ltd

I am constrained by the space, however, I must commend my Lord’s determination to ensure substantial justice over technicality, even on the somewhat settled issue of jurisdiction, in Sifax (Nig.) Ltd. v Migfo (Nig.) Ltd [2018] 9 NWLR (Pt. 1623) 138. The parties had dragged a dispute resulting from a memorandum of understanding to jointly bid for the concession and joint management of Terminal C, Tin Can Island Port, Apapa, Lagos, which was concessioned by the Federal Government of Nigeria through the Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE) and Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA). It was agreed in the memorandum of understanding that if the bid was successful, a joint venture company would be incorporated by the joint venture partners to manage operations of the Port. The bid was submitted, and the joint venture partners emerged as the preferred bidders However, the Respondents later discovered that the 1st, 3rd, and 4th Appellant had secretly incorporated the 5th Appellant company without them; and that the Port had been handed over to the 5th Appellant by BPE and NPA. The Respondent also discovered that only the 1st and 3rd Appellant were shareholders and Directors of the 5th Appellant company, contrary to the terms of the memorandum of understanding. After all efforts to resolve the issue failed, the Respondent filed a suit at the Federal High Court and judgement was entered in favour of the Respondents which was affirmed by the Court of Appeal. However, on further appeal, the Supreme Court struck out the Respondents’ suit on the ground that the Federal High Court lacked jurisdiction over the suit, being an action arising from simple contract as opposed to an action under the Companies and Allied matters (CAMA).

Profoundly, my noble lord has successfully shaped politics in the Federal Republic of Nigeria, both on pre-election and post-election matters; and of note is the case of Nwosu v Action Peoples Party (APP) & Ors [2020] 16 NWLR (Pt. 1749) 28 at page 79 to 80 where my noble Lord construed and interpreted the import of Section 37 of the Electoral Act, 2010; that it was enacted to forestall a situation where the rich and powerful will imposed on the nation the culture, or the dictatorship, of single party ‘democracy’, that is, the prohibition of a situation where the high and mighty will impose himself on all the political parties by buying up the candidature by whatever means, howbeit nefarious, in order that he would be the sole candidate on whom the cap fits.

Amina Adamu Augie, JSC Rtd, CFR; a towering figure at the Apex Court and in the judicial circle, is a beacon of integrity and wisdom. Her sharp mind and vast knowledge of the law, were only matched by her unwavering dedication to justice for all.

As his Lordship bows out of the hallowed chambers of justice, there is no doubt that my Lord has earned his well-deserved rest, although her colleagues in the epochal Law School Class of 1978 have urged her to spend more time with her grandchildren, and do a little more writing and teaching, impacting legal knowledge.

Amina Adamu Augie, JSC (Rtd ), CFR, still has more.

Kemi Balogun, SAN, Senior Partner, Oluwakemi Balogun LP

Encomiums for Hon. Justice Amina Adamu Augie, JSC (Rtd), CFR

HRH Sir David Serena-Dokubo Spiff

It is not many, who would combine the qualities of intelligence, beauty, friendliness, with strictness and mordacity in interactions with people. Most, would buckle, come crunch time. Honourable Justice Amina Augie, CFR, wears all these qualities with dignity, panache and fierce efficiency.

I was privileged to be classmates and callmates with MeLord, at the University of Ife (now Obafemi Awolowo University) in the seventies, and then, got called to the Bar with her on the same day in July, 1978, alongside some all-time greats in the Legal Profession. Among these are Walter Onoghen, Ejembi Eko, Helen Moronkeji Oguwumiju, Suleiman Galadima, Adegboyega Awomolo, SAN, OCJ Okocha, SAN, Olisa Agbakoba, SAN, Bayo Ojo, SAN, Udoma Udo Udoma, Awa Kalu, SAN, Kola Awodein, SAN, Chike Osanakpo, Paul Erokoro, Aimi AbdulRazaq, Musa Danjuma, and many others.

AnneGee was everybody’s friend, and emblazoned any gathering she found herself in. However, beneath this facade of nice-person, easy-going-friend-to-all personality, is a character of toughness, resilience and fortitude. When it comes to principles, AnneGee is rock-solid, unshakable, unbending, unbendable and uncompromising. These qualities served her well in her judicial odyssey, as she catapulted to the apogee of the hierarchy. That she rose that far, is a source of great pride for us all, her class mates, callmates, friends and acquaintances ; a fountain of inspiration for the younger generation; and a template of success for generations yet unborn!

A thoroughbred Nigerian with international coloration (pun not unintended), friends from across the country, hails from the South East, Married from the North, core friends and co-sojourners from the South west, buddies (like my humble self ) from the Niger Delta!

Dr Olisa Agbakoba,

SAN, Past President, Nigerian Bar Association

The Respondents then commenced a fresh action at the High Court of Lagos State wherein its alleged fraudulent breach of trust and concealment by the Appellants, and sought declaratory reliefs, injunctive orders, and specific performance of the terms of the memorandum of understanding by the Appellants. In response, the Appellants applied to have the suit struck out on the ground that the action was then statute-barred, amongst other grounds. The High Court dismissed the challenge to its jurisdiction, and held that time did not run between 2006 and 2012 when the Respondents were in the wrong Court. The Court of Appeal also agreed with the High Court.

On further appeal to the Supreme Court, my noble Lord must have realised that the Appellants were out to take undue advantage of the law and if allowed, would have set the wrong precedent that would affect many lives and properties in the nation.

My noble Lord declared “the earlier suit filed by the Respondents cannot be dead; it is alive, and so it can be resuscitated, which is what the Respondents achieved when they filed this suit at the trial Court with the requisite jurisdiction to entertain the matter, and the time spent at the wrong court cannot be counted; it was suspended.”

My Lord ensured that justice was served, and seen to have been served.

Nwosu v APP

Amina the jurist, was just what the doctor ordered for top judicial service in a country of such bewildering diversity, as our beloved Nigeria.

Honourable Justice Amina Augie CFR, has fittingly adorned our judicial space for decades with admirable professionalism, patriotism and an unquenchable desire to do the right thing at all times. Bravo MeLord, we are most proud of you !

“Amina Augie was certainly a very courageous and forthright Judge….Clearly, above the ordinary measures of the Judiciary, Amina paid great attention to speed of justice in relation to pending cases….I must commend my Lord’s determination, to ensure substantial justice over technicality”

Augie’s Odyssey through the Hallowed Chambers of Justice

Kemi Balogun, SAN

HRH Sir David Serena-Dokubo Spiff, former Secretary to State Government, Bayelsa State; Chief Executive Partner of Serenity Legal Union & Partners; Paramount Ruler of Ada Ama (SPIFF TOWN) Twon Brass.

Honourable Justice Amina Adamu Augie, JSC (Rtd), CFR

Hon. Justice musa Dattijo muhammad, JsC (left) and CJN ariwoola

attorney-general of the Federation & minister of Justice, Prince Lateef Fagbemi, saN

Retiring Justice of the supreme Court of Nigeria, Hon. Justice amina adamu augie, CFR

Hon. Justice adamu Jauro, JsC (left) and Hon. Justice emmanuel akomaye agim, JsC

Hon. Justice augie, JsC (Rtd)(centre); Her sister, Dr alexandra graham and Her Brother, Dr Billy graham

President of the NBa, Yakubu maikyau, OON, saN (left) and Olawale Fapohunda, saN

Chief Justice of Nigeria, Hon. Justice Olukayode ariwoola, gCON

Hon. Justice Ibrahim mohammed musa saulawa, JsC (left) and Hon. Justice mohammed Lawal garba

L-R: Hon. Justice Kudirat motonmori Olatokunbo Kekere-ekun, JsC; Hon. Justice adamu augie, JsC (Rtd) and Hon. Justice Helen moronkeji Ogunwumiju, JsC

Vice Chairman of the Body of Benchers, asiwaju adegboyega awomolo, saN (left) and Prof Taiwo Osipitan, saN

Hon. Justice Chioma Nwosu-Iheme (left) and President, Court of appeal, Hon. Justice monica Dongban-mensem

Chief Registrar of the supreme Court, Hajo sarki Bello

Honourable Justice amina adamu augie, JsC (Rtd) and her mother, Hajiya Hauwa eva graham

Hon. Justice Olatokunbo Kekere- ekun, JsC, CFR

Former governor of sokoto state, senator aminu Waziri Tambuwal (left) and adeniyi akintola, saN, Behind: Immediate Past ag of sokoto state, sulaiman Usman, saN (left) and mazi afam Osigwe, saN

editor of This Day Lawyer, Onikepo Braithwaite (left) and sina sofola, saN

abdulwahab muhammad, saN

Chief Judge of sokoto state, Hon. Justice saidu sifawa

L-R: Hon. Justice abdu aboki, JsC (Rtd); Prince Lateef Fagbemi, saN; Chief Judge of Kano state, Hon. Justice Dije abdu aboki; Hon. Justice Olufunlola adekeye, JsC (Rtd), CFR and Hon. Justice Helen moronkeji Ogunwumiju, JsC

emir of Lafia, Hon. Justice sidi Dauda Bage, JsC (Rtd)

L-R: Hon. Justice suleiman galadima, JsC (Rtd), CFR; Hon. Justice Olufunlola adekeye, JsC (Rtd), CFR and former President of the Court of appeal, Hon. Justice ayo salami, JCa (Rtd), CFR

L-R: Dr Tunde ajibade, saN; Dr Roland Otaru, saN and Chief Ferdinand Orbih, saN

Deputy editor of This Day Lawyer, Jude Igbanoi (left) and Hon. Justice augie

Kunle Ogunba, saN (left) and Biodun Owonikoko, saN

Former ag of Cross River state, mrs Nella andem-ewa Rabana, saN

Hon. Justice Rita Ofili-ajumogobia

Introduction

If there is one thing common to the outcomes of the post-election contests in the various Tribunals across the country, it is the centrality of the operational guidelines and manuals relied upon by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to shepherd the last cycle of general elections. Their decisive influence on those results was dramatically demonstrated last week, when a tribunal invalidated the election of Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf of Kano State, on the ground that some ballot papers which were cast for him in the election were not signed, dated and stamped by an INEC official, as required by the Manual for Election Officials, 2023 (specifically Paragraph 3.3.2(e), Step 2, at Page 62 thereof, read along with Section 63(1) of the Electoral Act, 2022)

Contrary to the views of most informed (and, not-so-informed) observers, I believe those results are largely (if not exclusively) the unintended consequence of the unilateral execution of the said guidelines and manual by INEC’s Czar – its Chairman.

Those instruments are as follows:

I. The Regulations and Guidelines for the Conduct of Elections, 2022; and the aforesaid

II. Manual for Election Officials 2023.

Before examining them, however, it is pertinent to remember that the relevant clause of the Electoral Act which empowers the Commission to enact the Guidelines/Manual is Section 148 thereof, which provides thus: “The Commission may, subject to the provisions of this Act, issue regulations, guidelines or manuals for the purpose of giving effect to the provisions of this Act and for its administration”.

The Guidelines

These apply to the conduct of elections to the offices of, inter alia, President, Vice-President, Governor and Deputy-Governor, National Assembly (Senate and House of Representatives) and State House of Assembly. The Guidelines provide that certain Forms be used by the Commission, to document election results. Those Forms include, inter alia, Form EC.8A for the Presidential election and Form EC. 8A(I) for Senatorial elections. See Regulations 69 and 70 of the Guidelines.

The Manual

This was produced by the National Electoral Institute, supposedly a unit of INEC, albeit with its own structure (a nine-member Board - three of whom are non-INEC staff, whilst the rest are staff of INEC). The printed copy of the Manual bears a foreword by INEC’S Chairman, Prof Mahmood Yakubu, dated January 2023, where he recommends the Manual “to election officials and other stakeholders in the Nigerian electoral process”. Just like the Guidelines, Paragraphs 4.2.6 and 4.2.7 of the Manual provide that certain Forms, including Forms EC.8A and EC.8A(I) be used to document elections

The Issues

I believe that the said power which the National Assembly donated to INEC to make guidelines and manuals as aforesaid, is to be exercised by INEC alone - as a body - and, not unilaterally by any of its members or Commissioners, howsoever called. This point is important because, under the Constitution (Paragraph 14(1) of the 3rd Schedule), INEC consists of a Chairman and 12 Commissioners.

To the foregoing extent, the question is: what is the legal status of such regulations, guidelines or manuals, and whether any law prescribes any

INEC’s Guidelines/Manual and the Tyranny of Forms

condition for their due enactment. In this connection, Section 27(2) of the Interpretation Act stipulates, inter alia, that: “where a body established by an enactment comprises three or more persons and is empowered to make subsidiary instruments, any such instrument may be executed under the hand of any two of the members thereof as may be authorised by such body generally for that purpose or especially on any particular occasion”.

I believe that, contrary to this provision, both the Guidelines and Manual are fatally flawed. This is because, they bear the imprimatur of only INEC's Chairman, thus, prompting the question: Is the Chairman of INEC its alter ego? Does he personify INEC? Can he, alone, exercise the powers which the law confers on INEC as a body? Did the Commission, at any time, delegate such powers to him? If so, is such delegation (if not sub-delegation) legally valid? Does the fact that Section 148 of the Electoral Act uses the word ‘may’ in relation to the powers which it confers on INEC to issue such guidelines/manuals connote a permissive mandate?

I believe this last question is the most pertinent, and I will answer it first. It is settled that the mere fact that the legislature uses either ‘may’ or ‘shall’ is not necessarily conclusive, that either a permissive or peremptory mandate, respectively, is conferred. It depends on the context in which it is used, which, in turn, depends on the construction of the whole statute. See AMASIKE v REG-GEN. OF C.A.C (2010) All FWLR Pt. 541 Pg. 1488. In ADESOLA v ABIDOYE (1999) 14

NWLR Pt. 637 Pg. 28 at 56, the Apex Court held that “although the etymological meaning of the word ‘may’ is permissive and facultative and seldom can mean ‘must’ and imperative, it assumes this last-mentioned character when there is anything in the provision that makes it the duty on the person whom the power is conferred, to exercise that power. When the exercise of the power is coupled with a duty on the person to whom it is given to exercise it, then it is imperative”.

I humbly submit that Section 148 of the Electoral Act imposes a duty on INEC to ensure that any Guidelines, Regulations or Manuals which it issues are properly authenticated. How can this be achieved? I believe it is only if such instruments are executed by, at least, two of INEC’s Commissioners. I submit that any other interpretation would be a licence for dictatorship and one-man rule; it would embolden INEC’s Chairman to act unilaterally and exercise an autonomy, which is neither desirable nor justified under the law. He is just one of 13 Commissioners of the Commission. He might be the first among equals, but he is not superior to the other Commissioners. Accordingly, he cannot unilaterally exercise a power which the law confers on the Commission as a whole. That would be ultra vires.

This is because of the settled principle of law, that where a statute prescribes a particular mode or method for doing any act, then whatever is done by any other means will be a nullity. See CROSS RIVER STATE UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY v OBETEN (2011) LPELR-4007(SC).

I believe that such a strict interpretation of INEC’s Guidelines and Manual is demanded by the fact that they impinge on our right to choose our representatives, which is guaranteed under Article 13(1) of the African Charter on Human and Peoples Rights. For the imperatives of strict construction of statutes which encroach on individual rights, see EZE v GOV. OF ABIA STATE (2010) 15 NWLR Pt. 1216 Pg. 324

In making the foregoing submission, I concede that the Interpretation Act has been held to be inapplicable to the computation of time in election petitions (see OKECHUKWU v INEC (2014) 9 SCNJ 47 at 78. I, however, hasten to add that that principle does not apply to other issues in electoral contests. This is because of the trite principle of law, that a decision is only authority for what it actually decides (O’ODUA INVESTMENT v TALABI (1997) 10 NWLR Pt. 523 Pg. 1). Accordingly, in other circumstances (such as the validity of

the INEC Guidelines and Manual in the instant case), I humbly submit that the Interpretation Act applies with full force.

In practical terms, this means that the Forms prescribed by INEC’s Guidelines and Manual, such as Forms EC8A, EC8A(I), and EC25B (where ballot papers are listed under Serial No. 2) - and, indeed, the entire Guidelines and Manuals - are not mandatory, and a party ought not to be penalised if he or she mixes them up - or even fails to either depend on or refer to them by those monikers in his/her pleadings or evidence. The same goes for the ballot papers, which proved to be Governor Yusuf’s undoing.

If (as is clearly the case), the copies of such papers which were tendered at the Tribunal were certified by INEC, does that not cure any antecedent defects therein – such as the purported absence of date, etc? What is the intention behind that provision of the Manual (and even Section 63(1) of the Electoral Act)?. Is it not for purposes of validation? Is that requirement not met by their subsequent certification as aforesaid? Can INEC retroactively repudiate the affected ballot papers, having previously affirmed their regularity through certification as aforesaid? Would that not be approbating and reprobating? Can INEC do that? Is the rejection of the papers, in the circumstances, not a triumph of form over substance?. Does equity not look at the substance, and not the form? (Pun intended).

Your guess is as good as mine . . .

Conclusion

I believe the only question left, is whether the Guidelines and Manual can be saved in any way, without jeopardising the purpose which they were meant to serve. Well, perhaps – maybe if we apply the ut res magis valeat quam pereat canon of statutory construction. This rule obliges the interpreter to adopt a construction which will achieve the manifest purpose of a statute, rather than one which would defeat it. See Black’s Law Dictionary 8th ed. Page 1583.

However, I believe that the circumstances for the invocation of this rule in respect of the subject Guidelines/Manual are non-existent. This is because, as previously submitted, to accept that INEC’s Chairman alone can authenticate them, would give room for abuse. Power corrupts, it is said, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Accordingly, the alternative view - that the Guidelines/Manual must be co-executed by, at least, one other INEC Commissioner – is to be preferred. This would strengthen the case for their due authentication, thus, enhancing the fulfilment of the intention of the legislature to achieve free, fair and credible elections. which are conducted in accordance with due process of law.

“Their decisive influence on those results was dramatically demonstrated last week, when a tribunal invalidated the election of Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf of Kano State, on the ground that some ballot papers which were cast for him in the election were not signed, dated and stamped by an INEC official, as required by the Manual for Election Officials, 2023……”

INEC Chairman, Professor Mahmood Yakubu

Examining FMBN's Role in Bridging Housing Gap

Richard Imhoagene

The housing crisis in Nigeria has been a prominent topic in socio-political conversations for many years, with international organisations like the World Bank recently estimating the housing deficit to be around 17-20 million. While there is no confirmed data to refer to, it is impossible to deny the multi-faceted housing crisis in the country. Across the length and breadth of the nation, especially in urban centers, the picture of un-housed and under-housed Nigerians is glaring. This problem is exacerbated by low incomes among the vast majority and a poor social housing system.

The question of affordability remains one of the biggest stumbling blocks for many Nigerians. With a minimum wage of N30,000, a Nigerian who wishes to own a house must first purchase a plot of land worth millions of Naira. On average, a three-bedroom bungalow project will require 70-100 bags of cement to complete at a current market rate of N4,300; about 3,000 blocks, and several other items like roofing sheets and aluminum, wood, tiles, and so on.

These costs run into several millions of Naira, much to the chagrin of the average Nigerian. These are issues that can be resolved by an effective mortgage market, as seen in more advanced jurisdictions.

As Nigeria’s biggest mortgage player, the Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria (FMBN) has its task cut out for it. Its response to the housing challenge has been apt and innovative, providing relief to ordinary Nigerians who would otherwise live out their days in expensive and sometimes substandard rented apartments.

Today, the FMBN is tackling the housing challenge head-on by providing affordable mortgage solutions to help Nigerians buy, build, or simply move into homes and pay the cost over an extensive period. The National Housing Fund established in 1992 is a contributory scheme that creates a pool of funds that any contributing Nigerian can access for their housing needs and pay back over a period of up to 30 years.

Speaking at a recent joint inspection exercise of project sites by the management of FMBN and the National Assembly ad-hoc Committee on Non-remittance and Utilisation of the National Housing Fund (NHF), Managing Director of the bank, Madu Hamman, emphasised that the primary mission of the FMBN is to empower low and medium-income Nigerians to become homeowners at affordable rates and with convenient repayment plans. The FMBN boss reassured that the bank was doing all it could to partner with critical partners on the delivery of affordable housing to Nigerians, both in the public and private sectors.

A collaboration with the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Trade Union Congress (TUC), and the Nigeria Employers’ Consultative Association (NECA) speaks volume of such strategic partnership for affordable housing delivery. Through the arrangement, tagged National Affordable Housing Delivery Programme (NAHDEP), the bank obtains land from the state governments (as part of the state’s contribution) to bring down the final cost of the project and offer houses to Nigerian workers within the range of N7 million to N15 million. The first phase of this project, launched in 2018, aimed deliver 2,800 housing units in 14 states across all geopolitical zones in Nigeria, with not less than 200 units per zone while the second phase targeted 2,172 housing units.

In January 2023, the bank’s management and the leadership of organised labor embarked on a series of commissioning exercises, including 315 housing units in Katsina, 100 in Akure, and 100 units in Yola on January 16th; 100 units in Damaturu, 100 in Sokoto, and 90 in Abakaliki on January 19th; as well as 100 units in Kogi and 86 units in Maiduguri. This project, which is likely to be sustained by the FMBN, is a partnership that makes sense and one that creates enormous value for Nigerians.

FMBN as a Panacea for Nigeria's Housing Woes Nigeria has a huge homeownership deficit, with the majority of her people living in rented houses. According to the Association of Housing Corporations of Nigeria (AHCN), the percentage of homeowners in Nigeria is at 25 per cent. Research has further indicated that owning a house in urban settlements is more difficult and elusive for ordinary Nigerians.

This is a troubling statistic because around 54 per cent of the country’s population live in these areas, per the World Bank survey of 2022.

The factors that hinder the growth rate of homeownership in Nigeria are attributed to the ever-increasing population, evident in Nigeria's average population growth rate of 3.2 per cent annually, the high cost of property and building materials (especially in urban settlements), and the real estate sector's inability to access sufficient credit for the construction of houses.

The FMBN has the mandate to address these numerous challenges and drive development and growth in Nigeria’s housing ecosystem. As a Secondary Mortgage institution, FMBN acts as a big brother to Primary Mortgage Banks (PMBs) and commercial banks, providing them with the credit facilities they need for on-lending to Nigerians.

This paves the way and serves as a catalyst for a more vibrant and viable mortgage market committed to the

housing needs of Nigerians. Furthermore, the FMBN is able to raise funds in the capital market, thereby attracting huge capital flows into the housing industry.

Bridging the Housing Gap through Innovative Products and Services

At the core of FMBN’s operations is innovation, a constant interplay of ideas that birth products that are suited to the different categories of Nigerians. This is why there’s something for every Nigerian worker, irrespective of status or income level. All of these products ensure the applicant gains access to the full value - a house or a lump sum in mortgage loan - but pays back in trickles over an extended period. Here’s the best part: the bank will not take more than 30 per cent of a beneficiary’s monthly income as the monthly repayment amount. This is to ensure the beneficiary is not under financial pressure and can live a comfortable life while paying back the loan. This array of products includes the NHF Mortgage Loan, Estate Development Loan, Home Renovation Loan, Rent to Own, Construction Loan, and Diaspora NHF Mortgage Loan.

The NHF Mortgage Loan facility is granted at a four per cent interest rate to accredited Primary Mortgage Banks (PMBs) for onlending at six per cent to NHF contributors over a maximum tenor of 30 years. It is secured by mortgaged property. A contributor can access up to 15 million Naira in NHF mortgage loans from the fund through an accredited and licensed PMB after 6 months of continuous contributions. These lending conditions make the NHF unequaled as a vehicle for affordable housing delivery in Nigeria.

The Home Renovation Loan facility gives Nigerians who contribute to the National Housing Fund Scheme the chance to get mortgage loans for remodeling or improving their current homes. While the construction of homes is important, the bank realises that some Nigerians may require smaller sums to upgrade their existing homes. This not only provides an avenue for ensuring contributors live in conducive houses but also expands the loop of beneficiaries. In fact, some contributors in rural areas have accessed this Renovation Loan and gone on to build decent houses or expand their existing homes in their locality.

Next is the Rent-to-Own scheme, a cuttingedge affordable housing option that offers Nigerian workers a simple and practical payment schedule toward homeownership.

The program was specifically created to make it possible for Nigerian workers to rent FMBN homes, pay for the homes over up to 30 years, and then eventually own them. It works like regular rented apartments, except that after paying accumulated rent equal to the value of the house upon entry, the house becomes the property of the occupant.

The bank also has the Individual Construction Loan as one of its products. This affords Nigerians the opportunity to access mortgage loans for the construction of their home. The product is specifically designed for Nigerians who are contributors to the National Housing Fund and desire to construct properties on land that is personally owned by them or their family.

These applicants have to present a Certificate of Occupancy (C of O) or land title to show their ownership of the land before this loan can be accessed.

But that’s not all. The FMBN also recently introduced the Diaspora NHF Mortgage Loan, and why not? After all, every Nigerian (home or abroad) deserves a home. It is a mortgage product targeted at Nigerians living outside the shores of the country. It affords Nigerians in the Diaspora an opportunity to subscribe to the NHF Scheme, make monthly contributions, and ultimately access mortgage loans to own and/or build houses back home. This is also a win-win for both the bank and Nigerians in the diaspora, considering how effectively diaspora remittances can be used in the country to boost the housing sector.

Oversight Bodies Applaud FMBN’s Efforts

The task of addressing Nigeria's housing challenge is not an easy feat, but the FMBN has applied uncommon innovation, much to the admiration of observers and oversight authorities. Only recently, the Chairman of the Ad-hoc Committee on Non-remittance and Utilisation of the National Housing Funds (NHF) led by Hon. Dachung Bagos expressed satisfaction after a routine inspection exercise. While stating that the core reason for the existence of the committee is to ensure that contributors' funds are used for the right cause, he commended the FMBN for its efforts in ensuring the provision of decent, quality, and affordable housing to low and medium-income Nigerians.

This is just one of many bodies, including organised labor, estate developers, primary mortgage institutions, and ordinary Nigerians, who have continued to commend the bank for providing much-needed relief in the area of home ownership in the country. The FMBN has been at the forefront of ensuring that homeownership becomes a social responsibility since inception, while also ensuring continuity and growth, so that future generations can enjoy better mortgage delivery. The partnership brokered with various stakeholders in the housing industry has further re-echoed the bank's commitment to this task. With tens of thousands of beneficiaries recorded and several millions more needing homeownership, the FMBN can be better positioned to do more through a long-awaited N500 billion recapitalisation of the bank and further strengthening of its capacity for improved performance.

-Imhoagene is a housing policy analyst based in Abuja.

As Nigeria’s biggest mortgage player, the Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria (FMBN) has its task cut out for it. Its response to the housing challenge has been apt and innovative, providing relief to ordinary Nigerians who would otherwise live out their days in expensive and sometimes substandard rented apartments

Hamman

As Ebenezer Onyeagwu Delivers Bumper Harvest to Shareholders

James Emejo

Zenith Bank Plc recently announced its audited results for the half-year (H1) ended 30 June 2023, which showed that the bank recorded astounding triple-digit growth of 139 per cent in gross earnings, from N404.8 billion reported in H1 2022 to N967.3 billion in H1 2023.

The result was a clear demonstration of the financial institution’s resilience and strong market share despite a very challenging macroeconomic environment and persistent headwinds. It also a reflection of the enormous amount of work the entire Zenith Bank staff led by its Group Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, Dr. Ebenezer Onyeagwu, put in, in the first six months of 2023, to deliver bumper harvest to shareholders. Onyeagwu is unassuming and committed to his job. Inspiring in silence and action, Onyeagwu is a sure-footed leader of men with a sense of corporate clairvoyance. He makes today’s Zenith Bank ticks, illustrated by the bank’s financial performance, agile organisation, enduring conducive corporate culture and cordial stakeholders’ relations.

Since assuming the Zenith Bank’s mantle of leader on June 1, 2019, Onyeagwu’s myriad exploits have solidified his sterling leadership qualities. He does not waver. Onyeagwu always wins for the good of humanity, corporate sustainability, and the profitability that ensures prosperity.

According to the bank’s audited half-year financial results presented to the Nigerian Exchange (NGX), the triple-digit growth in the top line also spurred the bottom line as the Group recorded a 169 per cent year-on-year (YoY) increase in profit before tax, growing from N130 billion in H1 2022 to N350.4 billion in H1 2023. Its profit after tax also grew by triple digits, growing by 162 per cent from N111.4 billion to N291.7 billion in the same period. The growth in gross earnings arose from both interest income and non-interest income. Interest income also grew by 72 per cent, from N241.7 billion in H1 2022, to N415.4 billion in H1 2023, while non-interest income grew by 246 per cent, from N149 billion to N515.7 billion.

The growth in interest income was attributed to the impact of both the growth and repricing of risk assets. The liberalisation of the foreign exchange market during the period spurred the growth in non-interest income as revaluations gains improved significantly.

In terms of efficiency, the results showed that Zenith Bank’s cost-to-income ratio improved from 58 per cent to 38.5 per cent in the current period on the back of an enhanced income line.

The liberalisation of the foreign exchange market coupled with the heightened risk environment resulted in cost of risk growing from 1.4 per cent to 8.8 per cent just as its cost of funding also grew YoY from 1.4 per cent in H1 2022 to 2.6 per cent in H1 2023. because of the spike in interest rates between both periods as interest expense grew from N57 billion in H1 2022 to N153.6 billion in H1 2023.

In addition, its total assets grew by 31 per cent from N12.3 trillion to N16 trillion

in December 2022, mainly driven by growth in customers’ deposits and the devaluation of the local currency. Customers’ deposits grew by 30 per cent, from N9 trillion in December 2022, to N11.6 trillion in June 2023.

Loans and advances also grew by 32 per cent, from N4.12 trillion in December 2022, to N5.38 trillion in June 2023, partly due to the revaluation of the foreign currency denominated loans as well as growth in local currency loans. Non-performing loans ratio improved from 4.3 per cent to 3.9 per cent in December 2022, despite the deterioration of the macros and heightened risk environment because of the currency mix of risk assets, while capital adequacy ratio improved from 19.8 per cent to 22 per cent and liquidity ratio reduced from 75 per cent to 61 per cent in the current period. Both prudential ratios were still well above regulatory thresholds.

“The reorganisation into a holding company structure has advanced, as the Group adds new verticals to its businesses and expand into new frontiers. As the year progresses, the Group will continue to remain dynamic in anticipating and responding to the changes in the fiscal and monetary environments in order to sustain growth across all its business segments and markets,” the bank explained.

Onyeagwu was recently named ‘Best Banking CEO of the Year in Africa’ in the International Banker 2023 Banking Awards. The award, published in the Spring 2023 Issue of the International Banker Magazine, saw

Onyeagwu honoured alongside other individuals and banks from the Middle East and Africa. He had stated that the feat reflected the bank’s position as a leading financial institution in Nigeria and the African continent. It also attested to its commitment to principles of sustainability and high ethical standards, which have become integral to our overall strategy as an institution.

He had dedicated the award to the Founder and Chairman, Jim Ovia, CFR, for his guidance and mentorship; the bank’s management team and staff, for being the shoulder upon which his achievements and success as CEO rests; and the bank’s customers for making Zenith Bank their bank of choice.

Onyeagwu’s outstanding career had led to him receiving multiple awards, including Bank CEO of the Year (2019) by Champion Newspaper, Bank CEO of the Year (2020, 2021 & 2022) by BusinessDay Newspaper, CEO of the Year (2020 and 2021) –SERAS Awards, and CEO of the Year (2022) – Leadership Newspaper.

As Group Managing Director/ CEO, Onyeagwu has led Zenith Bank to achieve tremendous feats and milestones in financial performance (including 47 per cent growth in the bank’s market capitalisation in four years), financial inclusion, corporate governance and sustainability.

These efforts have culminated in several local and international awards and recognitions including being recognised as Number One

Bank in Nigeria by Tier-1 Capital, for the 13th consecutive year, in the 2022 Top 1000 World Banks Ranking published by The Banker Magazine; Bank of the Year (Nigeria) in The Banker’s Bank of the Year Awards 2020 and 2022; Best Bank in Nigeria, for three consecutive years from 2020 to 2022, in the Global Finance World’s Best Banks Awards; Best Commercial Bank, Nigeria 2021 and 2022 in the World Finance Banking Awards; Best Corporate Governance Bank, Nigeria in the World Finance Corporate Governance Awards 2022; ‘Best in Corporate Governance’ Financial Services’ Africa, for four consecutive years from 2020 to 2023, by the Ethical Boardroom; and the Most Responsible Organisation in Africa 2021 by SERAS Awards.

On March 25, 2023, he was conferred with a Doctorate Degree in Business Administration by the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Nigeria’s first indigenous University, in recognition of his immense achievements as Group Managing Director/CEO of Zenith Bank as well as his contributions to the growth of the financial services sector in Nigeria and across the African continent. The award was given during the 50th convocation ceremony of the University.

Few weeks ago, it was double honours for Zenith Bank Plc at the London Stock Exchange (LSE) as the bank was named the Best Commercial Bank in Nigeria for the third year running and Best Corporate Governance Bank, Nigeria, for a second consecutive year at the World Finance Awards 2023. The awards were presented to the Group Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of Zenith Bank Plc, Dr. Ebenezer Onyeagwu, at the LSE. The recognitions celebrated the bank’s tremendous feats and milestones in financial performance, financial inclusion, corporate governance, and sustainability.

Zenith Bank’s track record of excellent performance has continued to earn the brand numerous awards including being recognised as the Number One Bank in Nigeria by Tier-1 Capital, for the 14th consecutive year, in the 2023 Top 1000 World Banks Ranking published by The Banker Magazine; Best Commercial Bank, Nigeria, for three consecutive years from 2021 to 2023, in the World Finance Banking Awards; Best Corporate Governance Bank, Nigeria in the World Finance Corporate Governance Awards 2022 and 2023; Bank of the Year (Nigeria) in The Banker’s Bank of the Year Awards 2020 and 2022; Best Bank in Nigeria, for three consecutive years from 2020 to 2022, in the Global Finance World’s Best Banks Awards; Best in Corporate Governance’ Financial Services’ Africa, for four successive years from 2020 to 2023, by the Ethical Boardroom; Most Sustainable Bank, Nigeria in the International Banker 2023 Banking Awards; Best Commercial Bank, Nigeria and Best Innovation In Retail Banking, Nigeria in the International Banker 2022 Banking Awards.

Clearly, the impressive earnings have excited shareholders of the bank as it delivers value to their investments and incentivises them to continue holding the bank’s shares.

Onyeagwu

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 22Sept-2023, unless otherwise stated.

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

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

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

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

DAILY PRICE LIST FOR MUTUAL FUNDS, REITS and ETFS

INFRASTRUCTURE FUND

THISDAY • TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 2023 XV

Thisday Afrinvest Index down 0.9%

Thisday Afrinvest 40 index declined 0.9% to close at 3,126.34 index points following price depreciation in MTNN ( 1.7%), GTCO ( 0.4%), and ZENITH ( 1.5%). Cumulatively, these stocks account for 22.2% of the index.

Bearish Sector Performance

Sector performance was bearish as 3 indices lost, 2 gained while the Oil & Gas closed flat. Price decline in ZENITH ( 3.3%), FIDELITY ( 1.2%), and MTNN ( 1.7%) dragged the Banking and AFR ICT indices lower by 3.2% and 0.9% respectively. Trailing the Consumer Goods index dipped 0.1% due to selling pressure in DANGSUGAR ( 2.2%) and INTRBREW ( 1.0%). Conversely, buy interest in AIICO (+0.7%), LINKASSU (+6.7%) and WAPCO (+2.1%) pushed the Insurance and Industrial Goods indices higher by 0.2% and 0.1% respectively.

Outlook

Investor sentiment, as measured by market breadth, worsened to 0.32x (previously 0.05x) as 15 stocks advanced, 36 declined, while 66 closed flat. Today, we expect the market to follow similar trend in the absence of positive catalyst.

Ticker Current Price

Previous Price Change

Current Weighting Price Change YTD

Price Change Index to Date

ROE ROA P/E P/BV Divindend Yield Earnings Yield THISDAY AFRINVEST 40 3126.34 -0.93% 32.4% 212.6% 23.0% 4.7% 4.8x 1.1x 6.0% 14.9% 1 BUA Foods PLC 196.70 0.0% 24.2% 202.6% 44.9% 54.0% 21.8% 23.2x 10.9x 2.4% 4.3% 2 MTN Nigeria Communications PLC 264.50 -1.7% 9.0% 23.0% -3.3% 116.2% 10.8% 17.6x 20.8x 5.9% 5.7% 3 Airtel Africa PLC 1,290.00 0.0% 8.7% -21.1% -2.3% 10.4% 3.2% 2.6% 4 Guaranty Trust Holding Co PLC 35.80 -0.4% 7.2% 55.7% 2.3% 36.9% 5.2% 2.7x 0.9x 9.3% 36.9% 5 Zenith Bank PLC 32.00 -1.5% 6.0% 33.3% -6.6% 26.5% 3.1% 2.5x 0.6x 10.5% 40.2% 6 FBN Holdings Plc 16.50 -2.4% 3.8% 51.4% -3.2% 23.6% 2.2% 2.2x 0.4x 3.0% 44.8% 7 Dangote Cement PLC 334.00 0.0% 4.6% 28.0% 17.2% 37.4% 14.0% 14.8x 4.5x 6.0% 6.8% 8 Lafarge Africa PLC 29.20 2.1% 3.2% 21.7% -1.0% 12.6% 8.5% 9.1x 1.1x 6.8% 11.0% 9 United Bank for Africa PLC 17.50 0.3% 3.8% 130.3% 42.9% 39.0% 3.9% 1.3x 0.4x 7.9% 78.8% 10 SEPLAT Energy PLC 1,837.00 0.0% 3.0% 73.9% 31.2% 1.5% 0.8% 50.3x 0.8x 3.6% 2.0% 11 Nestle Nigeria PLC 1,025.00 0.0% 1.9% -6.8% -18.0% -5.3% 5.7% -2.6% 12 Access Holdings PLC 15.55 -9.9% 3.6% 82.9% 67.2% 13.9% 1.2% 2.7x 0.4x 16.0% 37.2% 13 Stanbic IBTC Holdings PLC 78.00 0.0% 2.9% 133.2% 44.4% 28.2% 3.0% 8.2x 2.3x 4.5% 12.1% 14 Ecobank Transnational Inc 16.00 -0.3% 2.0% 50.9% 5.3% 24.4% 1.2% 1.6x 0.4x 3.2% 62.6% 15 Okomu Oil Palm PLC 263.00 0.0% 1.7% 59.4% 11.9% 38.0% 19.4% 16.1x 6.5x 4.6% 6.2% 16 Nigerian Breweries PLC 39.50 0.0% 1.2% -3.7% -12.2% -34.4% -8.8% 3.3x 3.4% -16.0% 17 Fidelity Bank PLC 8.00 -1.2% 1.6% 83.9% 14.3% 22.3% 1.8% 3.1x 0.7x 6.2% 31.9% 18 Flour Mills of Nigeria PLC 33.15 4.9% 0.9% 16.7% -2.8% 0.7x 6.8% 19 Transnational Corp of Nigeria 6.16 -2.5% 1.7% 445.1% 75.5% 11.6% 2.8% 17.8x 2.1x 0.8% 5.6% 20 International Breweries PLC 4.50 -1.1% 0.8% -4.3% -13.5% -43.9% -9.2% 1.7x -37.8% 21 AXA Mansard Insurance PLC 3.95 -1.3% 0.8% 97.5% 0.0% 40.5% 11.3% 2.3x 0.9x 7.6% 43.8% 22 FCMB Group Plc 5.95 -0.8% 0.7% 54.5% 16.7% 17.7% 1.7% 2.2x 0.3x 4.2% 44.7% 23 PZ Cussons Nigeria PLC 20.00 0.0% 0.5% 76.2% -9.1% 35.2% 10.0% 5.4x 1.8x 5.0% 18.6% 24 Guinness Nigeria PLC 65.00 0.0% 0.5% -6.2% -18.8% -24.8% -7.9% 2.5x -12.8% 25 Dangote Sugar Refinery PLC 55.00 -2.2% 1.3% 242.7% 120.0% 5.0% 1.3% 103.4x 5.3x 2.7% 1.0% 26 Presco PLC 201.20 0.0% 0.5% 46.3% 13.0% 31.7% 9.5% 13.7x 4.1x 7.0% 7.3% 27 United Capital PLC 16.50 -8.3% 0.5% 17.9% 4.8% 38.7% 1.6% 10.0x 3.7x 8.8% 10.0% 28 BUA Cement Plc 96.15 0.0% 0.4% -1.6% 4.2% 25.0% 12.6% 32.3x 7.9x 3.2% 3.1% 29 NASCON Allied Industries PLC 52.00 0.0% 0.9% 368.5% 178.1% 52.1% 16.5% 14.2x 6.2x 1.9% 7.1% 30 TotalEnergies Marketing Nigeri 385.00 0.0% 0.3% 99.5% 10.0% 34.1% 5.3% 8.0x 2.5x 6.8% 12.5% 31 Wema Bank PLC 5.19 -0.2% 0.2% 33.1% -1.9% 20.5% 1.0% 3.4x 0.7x 5.9% 29.2% 32 Jaiz Bank PLC 1.63 -0.6% 0.2% 77.2% -2.4% 29.8% 2.0% 7.0x 1.9x 30.7% 14.3% 33 Geregu Power PLC 339.50 0.0% 0.3% 127.9% 13.2% 22.8x 2.6% 34 Union Bank of Nigeria PLC 6.80 0.0% 0.2% 6.2% -7.5% 15.8% 1.6% 5.5x 0.7x 18.1% 35 Julius Berger Nigeria PLC 30.85 -0.5% 0.2% 25.9% -0.5% 12.7% 1.6% 5.7x 0.6x 8.1% 17.5% 36 Unilever Nigeria PLC 13.85 0.0% 0.1% 19.4% -15.0% 8.0% 4.0% 14.9x 1.2x 1.8% 6.7% 37 Oando PLC 10.70 -9.7% 0.2% 173.0% 86.1% 3.2% 3.5x 28.4% 38 Conoil PLC 89.10 0.0% 0.1% 236.2% 7.3% 38.9% 14.8% 5.8x 2.0x 3.1% 17.3% 39 Transcorp Hotels Plc 45.90 0.0% 0.2% 634.4% 96.2% 5.3% 2.9% 134.5x 7.2x 0.3% 0.7% 40 Notore Chemical Industries Ltd 62.50 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% #N/A N/A -47.4%

| togundipe@afrinvest.com Top 10 Gainers Top 10 Losers

Taiwo Ticker Price Price Chg % IKEJAHOTEL 2.75 10.0% JOHNHOLT 1.81 9.7% CORNERST 1.50 9.5% REGALINS 0.38 8.6% LINKASSURE 0.80 6.7% TANTALIZER 0.32 6.7% FLOURMILL 33.15 4.9% MULTIVERSE 2.85 4.8% CHAMS 1.37 4.6% HONYFLOUR 3.39 4.3% Ticker Price Price Chg % CAVERTON 1.37 -9.9% ACCESSCORP 15.55 -9.9% OANDO 10.70 -9.7% RTBRISCOE 0.38 -9.5% UNITYBNK 1.00 -9.1% SUNUASSUR 0.96 -8.6% OMATEK 0.43 -8.5% MBENEFIT 0.43 -8.5% UCAP 16.50 -8.3% UPDC 1.18 -5.6%

Keripe | AKeripe@afrinvest.com Top 10 Trades by Volume Top 10 Trades by Value

Robert Omotunde | romotunde@afrinvest.com Christopher Omoh | comoh@afrinvest.com Ticker Volume Price Chg % ACCESSCORP 113.4 -9.9% UBA 59.6 0.3% UNITYBNK 27.8 -9.1% UNIVINSURE 17.6 0.0% TRANSCORP 16.8 -2.5% CHAMS 11.8 4.6% OANDO 11.7 -9.7% JAPAULGOLD 10.3 -5.0% ZENITHBANK 9.7 -1.5% IKEJAHOTEL 9.5 10.0% Ticker Value Price Chg % ACCESSCORP 1781.5 -9.9% UBA 1049.3 0.3% MTNN 602.1 -1.7% GTCO 322.0 -0.4% ZENITHBANK 314.2 -1.5% DANGSUGAR 134.5 -2.2% OANDO 125.3 -9.7% TOTAL 108.2 0.0% TRANSCORP 103.7 -2.5% WAPCO 97.1 2.1%

Fundamental Performance Metrics for THISDAY AFRINVEST 40 Index Damilare Asimiyu | dasimiyu@afrinvest.com

FOREIGN DESK

Ruto: Kenyan MP Proposes Extending Presidential Term to Seven Years

A Kenyan lawmaker from the ruling United Democratic Alliance, or UDA, has suggested extending the presidential term limit from five to seven years.

Speaking to reporters at the parliamentary buildings, Samson Cherargei of the United Democratic Alliance, a senator from the Rift Valley region, said that the current five-year mandate is not enough to run a government.

“This enables the president to have a good opportunity to form and establish a formidable team to deliver his manifesto,” he said. “Besides, the Kenya presidential election is always highly profiled as a result of it being conducted within a short period of time, thus making it a do-or-die adventure.”

“The continuous campaign mood in the country has been occasioned by the perception that elections are held within a short period of five years. In any election period, we lose a whole year in campaigns. And another year is lost immediately after the election because of the litigation in the Supreme Court,” Cherargei added.

Kenya usually has very competitive politics during elections, which can lead to deadly protests, ethnic tensions and violence.

In case of a presidential election dispute, the matter is taken to the country’s supreme court, which takes less than a month to decide.

In a statement, Cleophas Malala, secretarygeneral of the ruling party, distanced the UDA from the ongoing debate on extending presidential terms.

Malala said the president has sworn to respect, uphold, and defend the Constitution, which outlines the presidential term limit.

Any changes to the Constitution would require a referendum.

Philippines Vows to Remove China’s Floating Barrier at South China Sea Lagoon

The Philippines said Monday it will work to remove a floating barrier that China placed to prevent Filipino fishing vessels from accessing a disputed South China Sea lagoon.

The placement by the People’s Republic of China of a barrier violates the traditional fishing rights of our fishermen,” Philippine National Security Adviser Eduardo Ano said in a statement.

The Philippine coast guard said the barrier, which was put in place Friday in the Scarborough Shoal area, is depriving Filipino fishermen of their livelihood.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said the disputed waters are Chinese territory.

China seized control of the Scarborough Shoal from the Philippines in 2012 and claims sovereignty over most of the resource-rich South China Sea. Competing claims include those from Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam.

UN Investigators Find Growing Evidence of Russian War Crimes in Ukraine

A new report by the UN Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine documents a growing body of evidence of war crimes and possible crimes against humanity committed by Russia in its war of aggression against Ukraine.

The report, submitted to the UN Human Rights Council Monday, presents a picture of widespread violations and abuse against the civilian population and wanton, largescale destruction of essential infrastructure.

“The commission is concerned by the continuous evidence of war crimes committed by the Russian armed forces in Ukraine,” said Erik Mose, chair of the commission.

“Well into the second year of the armed conflict, people in Ukraine have been continuing to cope with the loss and injury of loved ones, large-scale destruction, suffering and trauma as well as economic hardship that have resulted from it,” he said. “Thousands have been killed and injured, and millions remain internally displaced or out of the country.”

Russia boycotted the proceedings and was not in the room to respond to these charges. In the past, it has denied targeting civilians.

The latest figures from the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights put the number of civilian deaths at 9,614 and injuries at 17,535 since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022. However, the agency notes the number of casualties is likely much higher.

Statistics from UNHCR, the UN refugee agency, show that 5.1 million people are displaced within Ukraine, and another 6,197,200 have fled to other countries as refugees.

Egypt Sets PresidentialDecember Poll, El-Sissi Likely to Stay Until 2030

Egypt will hold a presidential election over three days in December, officials announced Monday, with President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi highly likely to remain in power until 2030.

Waleed Hamza, the chairman of the National Election Authority, said the vote will take place on December 10-12, with a runoff on January 8 to 10 if no candidate secures more than 50 per cent of the vote. He added that Egyptian expatriates will vote on December 1 to 3 and in the runoff on January 5 to 7.

A handful of politicians have already announced their bids to run for the country’s highest post, but none poses a serious challenge to el-Sissi, who has been in power since 2014 and has faced criticism from the West over his country’s human rights record.

El-Sissi, a former defence minister, led the military overthrow of an elected but divisive Islamist president in 2013 amid street protests against his one-year rule. Since then, authorities have launched a major crackdown on dissent. Thousands of government critics have been silenced or jailed, mainly Islamists and many prominent secular activists, including many behind the 2011 uprising that toppled longtime autocrat Hosni Mubarak.

El-Sissi has not announced his candidacy yet.

US, South Korea to Boost Deterrence Against North Korean Threats

The United States and South Korea are pledging to enhance joint deterrence against growing threats from North Korea as Washington and Seoul celebrate their seven-decadelong alliance.

During an address in Washington, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken Monday underlined the ongoing collaboration between the two allies in “real-time sharing” in North Korea’s missile warning data and countering North Korea’s malicious cyber activities, which finance Pyongyang’s massive weapon programmes.

The top diplomat’s remarks came as officials from the US and South Korea prepare for a visit to Seoul by Blinken in the coming weeks.

Blinken is expected to hold talks with South Korean Foreign Minister Park Jin in November — their first face-to-face meetings in Seoul as chief diplomats — to discuss ongoing issues such as strengthening the regional alliance to defend against threats from North Korea, according to people familiar with the planning in Seoul. The two had met several times in the United States.

Last Friday, Blinken, Park, and newly appointed Japanese Foreign Minister

Evergrande Shares Sink After Restructuring Plan Scrapped

Shares in embattled Chinese property developer Evergrande plummeted Monday following the announcement that it would be unable to carry out a restructuring plan intended to guarantee its survival.

The company collapsed more than 25 per cent by the break, underscoring market concerns as China’s property sector faces an unprecedented crisis.

On Sunday evening, Evergrande announced that it could not issue new debt as its subsidiary, Hengda Real Estate Group, “is being investigated.”

That came two days after the company said meetings on the restructuring scheduled for Monday and Tuesday would not take place, saying it was “necessary to reassess the terms” of the plan in order to suit the “objective situation and the demand of the creditors.”

Evergrande’s enormous debt has contributed to the country’s deepening property market crisis, raising fears of a global spillover.

The property sector, which, along with construction, accounts for about a quarter of China’s gross domestic product, is a key pillar of the country’s growth and has experienced a dazzling boom in recent decades.

But the massive debt accrued by the industry’s biggest players — Evergrande had estimated debt of $328 billion at the end of June — has been seen by Beijing in recent years as an unacceptable risk for China’s financial system and overall economic health.

US Senator Menendez Defiant, Remains in Congress Amid Bribery Charges

US Senator Bob Menendez, charged with taking bribes from three New Jersey businessmen, has denied any wrongdoing and made it clear he intends to fight the charges and stay in Congress.

Menendez is one of New Jersey’s two senators and has been an important ally to fellow Democrat President Joe Biden, including working with the president to rally support for sending aid to Ukraine.

The senator is accused of taking hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash and gold bars to benefit the Egyptian government and interfering with investigations into the three businessmen.

Many have called on Menendez to resign from his position in the Senate, including members of his party, notably New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy, who would name a temporary replacement if Menendez resigns.

Menendez has stepped down temporarily as chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, according to Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, who stated that the New Jersey senator has the right to due process.

Menendez spoke at a press conference Monday in Union City, New Jersey, where he reiterated that he has no intentions to relinquish his role as senator and that he is innocent of the charges brought against him.

Taliban Mulls Using US Mass Surveillance Plan, Met with China’s Huawei

The Taliban are creating a large-scale camera surveillance network for Afghan cities that could involve repurposing a plan crafted by the Americans before their 2021 pullout, an interior ministry spokesman told Reuters, as authorities seek to supplement thousands of cameras already across the capital, Kabul.

The Taliban administration — which has publicly said it is focused on restoring security and clamping down on Islamic State, which has claimed many major attacks in Afghan cities — has also consulted with Chinese telecoms equipment maker Huawei about potential cooperation, the spokesman said.

Preventing attacks by international militant groups — including prominent organizations such as Islamic State — is at the heart of the interaction between the Taliban and many foreign nations, including the US and China, according to readouts from those meetings. However, some analysts question the cash-strapped regime’s ability to fund the program, and rights groups have expressed concern that any resources will be used to crack down on protesters.

EU Businesses Questioning Their Position in China: Trade Commissioner

European businesses in China are increasingly questioning their positions in the face of tough new security laws and a politicization of trade, an EU commissioner warned in Beijing on Monday.

“European companies are concerned with China’s direction of travel,” Valdis Dombrovskis said in a speech at the capital’s Tsinghua University.

“Many are questioning their position in this country.”

He pointed to a new foreign relations law and a recent update to China’s antiespionage laws as being of “great concern to our business community.”

“Their ambiguity allows too much room for interpretation,” he warned.

“This means European companies struggle to understand their compliance obligations: a factor that significantly decreases business confidence and deters new investments in China,” Dombrovskis said.

The EU trade commissioner is on a multi-day visit to the world’s secondbiggest economy, where he is set to meet senior economic officials and press the bloc’s case that it is not seeking an economic decoupling from China.

His trip follows a report by the Chamber of Commerce of the European Union last week that showed business confidence was at one of its lowest levels in decades.

Kamikawa Yoko held direct talks in New York on the margins of the United Nations General Assembly meetings.

RATES AS AT S E p TE mb ER 25,2023

How Nigeria’s PSCs Crude Oil Output Fell to 34% in 12 Months Amid Perennial Underproduction

Emmanuel Addeh in Abuja

Oil output from Nigeria’s Production Sharing Contracts (PSCs) with partnering firms fell to a record low of 34 per cent within a period of 12 months, underscoring the seriousness of the country’s perennial inability to produce enough crude oil for export.

A THISDAY review of the latest Oil and Gas Report released by the Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI), covering 2021, showed that only 12 of the PSC blocks recorded production, while 23 other blocks, representing 66 per cent of total number of PSC blocks had no output.

The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC) on behalf

of the federation, participates in PSCs, which is an arrangement or contract where the partnering oil company undertakes to fund operations for an agreed number of years.

Essentially, if the effort is successful, the company will be subject to pay Petroleum Profit Tax (PPT), Royalty and other bonuses/ levies to the government. However, the company is entitled to recover its costs, in-kind, through ‘cost oil’.

The arrangement therefore frees government from financial burden since the company bears cost of exploration and production. However, oil produced under those contracts have now waned, according to the NEITI report.

“In 2021, 12 of the PSC blocks

made production while 17 blocks did not produce. There were also six inactive blocks.

“Only 12 (34 per cent) of the PSC blocks recorded production, while 23 other blocks, representing 66 per cent of total numbers of PSC blocks did not produce. Total production from the PSCs, which was 242.96 million barrels represents 42.92 per cent of total production of the 566.13 million barrels,” the report stated.

Despite all the efforts to ramp up production, Nigeria has for over three years been unable to raise oil export or meet the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) output.

That is in spite of its much-talkedabout Africa’s biggest oil producer

status, with over 37 billion barrels of crude reserves.

At the last review, Nigeria was producing at least 560,000 barrels per day less than its required OPEC quota of 1.742 million bpd, effectively hobbling the nation’s ability to earn its desperately needed foreign exchange.

NEITI recommended that there was the need for the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) and NNPC to speedily review the technical, operational and other constraints limiting production from the idle PSC blocks with a view to optimising production from the PSC arrangements.

“Where these issues cannot

be resolved, it should consider revocation of licenses and subsequent allocation to other interested parties,” NEITI said.

Besides, the report stated that in all, 54 companies produced crude oil resulting in a total metered production of 634.60million barrels. However, it added that 68.47million barrels were lost to production adjustment, measurement error and theft/sabotage, leaving a balance of 566.13 million barrels as ‘fiscalised’ production for the year under consideration.

Still on the matter of oil sector underperformance, the report noted that a total of 29 companies suffered crude losses from theft and sabotage amounting to 37.57

million barrels.

Theft and sabotage occurred mainly in three terminals, namely Forcados, Brass and Bonny with Bonny having the highest volume of theft (28.91 million barrels) accounting for 31 per cent of metered production into the terminal.

This was followed by Forcados which experienced theft in the volume of 7.12 million barrels, amounting to 9 per cent of metered production into Forcados Brass Terminal had the least volume of theft with 1.54 million barrels amounting to 7 per cent of metered production.

NOTE: The story continues online on www.thisdaylive.com

Nigeria Falters as Ghana Achieves 88% Universal Electricity Access

Peter Uzoho

Nigeria’s electricity sector has continued underperforming resulting in the country lagging behind in the universal access to electricity when compared to Ghana, which has attained 88.54 per cent and still pushing to achieve 100 per cent by 2024.

Though far less in population with 34 million as against Nigeria’s over 200 million population, Ghana, Nigeria’s sister West African nation has been making a lot of conscious efforts through policy articulation and rapid implementation to

continue growing its power sector for more investment and electricity access to the citizenry.

In his keynote presentation at the just-concluded Nigeria Energy Conference and Exhibition 2023 in Lagos, Minister of Energy, Ghana, Andrew Mercer, who presented the Ghana County Project Spotlight, said the country was on course to achieve universal access to electricity by the end of 2024

“The president of Ghana emphasised the aggressive target of the government to achieve universal access by the end of 2024 from the current rate of 88.54 per cent.

“This is consistent with the UN Sustainable Development Goal 7 (SDG7) which is to ‘ensure access to affordable, reliable and modern energy for all by 2030’ including universal access to electricity and clean cooking, “Mercer stated.

Currently, according to him, the total installed energy capacity in Ghana is 5,454 megawatts (mw) whereas dependable capacity stands at 4,843mw, with peak demand reaching 3,561mw in May 2023.

Conversely, Nigeria has a total installed generation capacity of 13,000mw, with a meagre 3,500 to 4,500mw managed to be

transmitted and distributed to Nigerian homes and businesses.

The situation means that over 80 per cent of Nigerians still lack access grid to electricity as just about 11.27 million Nigerians are recorded as electricity customers as of Q1, 2023, according to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS).

Ghana’s electricity grid has witnessed tremendous stability for years owing to constant effort by the government and relevant stakeholders to continue improving the nation’s electricity industry. This effort has ultimately

improve the wellbeing of Ghanaians and enable businesses.

Just like Nigeria, the country has shifted more of its power generating to thermal sources, reducing the share of hydro power generation from 92 per cent between 2000 and 2015 to 28.9 per cent in 2023, while thermal rose to 68.5 per cent in 2023, even as renewable energy sources increased to 2.6 per cent.

Over 80 per cent of Nigeria’s power generation comes from the thermal plants, with its attendant high cost occasioned by foreign exchange components

as payment for gas, equipment and expatriate employees are made in US dollars.

However, while Ghana boasts of its record power grid stability and less outages and blackouts, grid collapse has become a regular phenomenon in Nigeria, with the latest grid collapses occurring on 14 and 19 September 2023, barely one week when the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) celebrated 421 days of grid stability.

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APPO Plans $5bn Investment in Proposed African Energy Bank With Oil Price Approaching $100, Morgan Stanley Says All Signals Flashing Tightness

The African Petroleum Producers Organisation (APPO) has said that it plans to commit $5 billion to the establishment of the African Energy Bank (AEB), to develop oil and gas assets across oil producing member countries.

Secretary General of APPO, Dr Omar Ibrahim, who spoke during a news conference held on the sidelines of the recent 24th World Petroleum Congress (WPC) in Calgary, Canada, stated that the bank would be established in collaboration with Afreximbank,

according to a News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) report.

He explained that the establishment of the bank would address the funding challenge often associated with oil and gas projects.

According to him, the AEB has the objective to close the gap resulting from the decision of Western financiers to discontinue funding the industry, especially in Africa.

Ibrahim said the bank would assist investors, who believe that Africa needed to use all forms of available energy for the foreseeable

future, to eliminate the huge poverty on the continent.

On strategies to address the technology and expertise challenge, Ibrahim said a team from the Secretariat undertook an assessment tour with a view to establishing the professional level of these institutions.

According to him, the tour was based on oil and gas research, development, innovation and training institutions in APPO member countries.

‘‘We were pleasantly surprised at the level of advancement of many of the institutions

visited, in terms of their training programmes, facilities and equipment as well as faculties. For the highly skilled sectors, we plan to have regional centres of excellence in the various sectors of the industry, ”he said.

Ibrahim also said that Nigeria would be hosting the second Africa Roundtable on Local Content in October, while Angola had indicated interest for the next in the first quarter of 2024.

He further hinted that APPO was currently addressing the challenge of markets and energy infrastructure.

Amid Rising Rates, Russia Curbs Petrol, Diesel Exports to Stabilise Domestic Prices

Emmanuel Addeh in abuja

Russia is temporarily restricting exports of petrol and diesel to stabilise fuel prices on the domestic market, the country’s government has announced.

The disclosure ended weeks of speculation that authorities would limit exports in the face of soaring prices and shortages due to higher crude prices and weakening currency.

“The temporary restrictions will help raise supply on the fuel

market, which in turn will reduce prices for consumers,” the Russian government said.

Before the temporary restrictions were enacted, Russia had raised the mandatory supply volumes of motor gasoline and diesel fuel to the commodity exchange to help ease the supply crunch.

Earlier, reports emerged that Russia was considering banning refined product exports to stabilise the domestic petrol and diesel prices. Russia has been considering

a fuel export ban since May in an effort to avert domestic fuel shortages and rein in prices after announcing a halving of subsidies to oil refiners that will start this month in order to keep more money in government coffers to fund its military operation in Ukraine.

The country was already said to be preparing to slash its diesel exports from its ports on the Baltic and Black Seas by nearly 25 per cent in September compared to

the export plans for August.

The plan for diesel exports in September lays out the lowest shipments since May this year when spring refinery maintenance was in place, according to industry data reported by Bloomberg earlier this month.

Lower diesel supply out of Russia would not only reduce Putin’s revenues but could also tighten an already tight global diesel market, Oilprice.com reported.

Dangiwa to Deepen Collaboration with Town Planners to Streamline Urban Planning

The Minister of Housing and Urban Development, Ahmed Dangiwa, has assured the Nigerian Institute of Town Planners (NITP) of increased collaboration to bolster efforts towards a more sustainable housing and urban planning environment.

The minister gave this assurance when he hosted the leadership of the institute at the ministry’s headquarters in Abuja, according to a statement by his Special Adviser,

Media, Mr Mark Chieshe.

Dangiwa stressed the importance of effective urban and regional planning, noting that the institute’s input and its members’ expertise will be vital in the ministry’s efforts to build liveable, decent, and sustainable cities and communities.

“As you are all aware, our great nation is at a critical juncture in its history. With a rapidly growing population and urbanisation trends, the challenges facing our cities and towns have become more complex

and demanding. It is evident that proper urban planning and housing development are key to addressing these challenges effectively,” he said.

He further emphasised the essential role the institute plays in shaping the physical, social, and economic development of cities and communities.

He noted that expertise in spatial planning, environmental management, and infrastructure development were critical in ensuring that urban areas were

well-planned and able to meet the needs of citizens.

The delegation, led by the institute’s President, Nathaniel Atebije, highlighted the challenges confronting the institute and the sector.

The institute called on the minister to support the delivery of specific demands, including facilitating the completion and adoption of the Revised National Urban Development Policy, as well as the National Physical Planning Standards.

Addeh in abuja

With the price of oil soaring towards the $100 mark, Morgan Stanley has said in a note, that all signals for crude oil are ‘flashing tightness’ with prices being supported at current levels.

“Not only has Brent flat price risen, but calendar spreads have rallied, refining margins are unusually strong, the CFD curve is deeply in backwardation and physical differentials are elevated,” Morgan Stanley said.

According to the group, the fundamental data is telling “a similar story,” with robust demand growth and falling inventories.

It stated that the oil market is currently undersupplied by about 1 million barrels per day, with

inventory suggesting an undersupply of 1.3 million bpd so far this quarter. The undersupply—coincidentally or not so coincidentally—pretty closely matches the volume of the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) production declines this quarter compared to the 2nd quarter. As Morgan Stanley pointed out, this curb in supply was almost entirely carried out by OPEC heavyweight Saudi Arabia. As such, OPEC, and in particular Saudi Arabia, “are key” to the oil market outlook.

Morgan Stanly’s new Brent price forecast for Q4 this year is $95 per barrel—up from $82.50. Its outlook for Q1 2024 is for $92.50 per barrel, up from an estimate of $80 in its previous outlook.

TotalEnergies Embarks on Effort to Mitigate Impact of Climate Change

TotalEnergies Marketing Nigeria

Plc has embarked on a series of activities in three States of the federation to mitigate the impact of climate change and safeguard the environment, in commemoration of the World Clean Up Day. The activities included the planting of 114 trees and collection of 4706 kilograms of waste in three States namely Edo, Lagos, and Kano, as well as awareness creation on the journey towards a circular economy, the sensitization of communities on the need to protect the environment and ultimately, leave behind a sustainable world for future generations.

In a statement, it sated that six secondary school participated in the activities. “They were Obele Community High School, Surulere, Lagos; Gbaja Boys Senior High School, Lagos; Idia College, Benin

City, Edo State; Emotan College, Benin City, Edo State; Mario Tijani Girls Science College Kano, Kano State; and Government Boys Technical College, Kano.”

At Obele Senior Secondary School and Ideal Girls High School Surulere, Lagos, the Managing Director, TotalEnergies Marketing Nigeria Plc, Dr. Samba Seye said, “The 2023 World Clean-up Day is a clarion call to action for Nigerians to make the planet safe.” He further stated that the objective of this initiative was “to meet some of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals by demonstrating TotalEnergies commitment to protecting the environment and promoting climate actions while provoking environmental consciousness among our communities and young persons.”

Emmanuel Addeh in abuja

Emmanuel

Emmanuel Addeh in abuja

L – R: Divisional Head, Capital Market, Nigerian Exchange Limited (NGX), Jude Chiemeka; Director, NGX, Mr. Ahonsi Unuigbe; Group Managing Director, NNPC Plc, Mele Kyari; Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Wale Edu; Director-General, Debt Management Office Nigeria (DMO), Patience Oniha; Director, Nigerian Exchange Limited (NGX), Erelu Angela Adebayo and Chief Executive Officer, NGX, Temi Popoola during the opening Bell Ringing Ceremony at London Stock Exchange yesterday

AfCfTA: National Quality Council Task

Agric Stakeholders on Global Standards

Gilbert Ekugbe

The National Quality Council (NQC) has charged agricultural stakeholders in the cassava value chain to adhere strictly to global standards in their quest to benefit from the Africa Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA).

The Chairman of NQC, Mr. Osita Aboloma, explained the need for Nigeria to take optimum advantage of the opportunity provided by the hosting of the implementation of the AfCFTA in view of the federal government’s recent declaration of a state of emergency on food security.

Aboloma who was represented by his Chief of Staff, Mr. Bola Fashina, at a meeting of the Local Organising Committee (LOC) for the forthcoming African Cassava Conference (ACC) scheduled to hold on the 19th-20th October in Abuja, charged stakeholders in the organised private sector and relevant federal and state Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), financial institutions, development partners as well as educational institutions in the agricultural sector to actively participate in the forthcoming conference through sponsorship, presentation of papers, panel

discussions and exhibition of cassava derivatives and innovations during the 3-day cassava conference.

Earlier in his welcome address, the Director General, SON, Mr. Farouk Salim, enthused that SON played a pivotal role in ensuring quality, safety and competitiveness of Nigeria’s agricultural produce including cassava and its derivatives. Salim stated that his organisation provided a solid foundation for innovation, trade facilitation and consumer protection, while also enabling market access and enhancing the reputation of the nation’s products on the global stage.

He assured the gathering of SON’s commitment towards the conference, particularly in ensuring that requisite Nigerian Industrial Standards are made available for all derivatives of cassava for local consumption as well as export. In his remarks, the Country Manager of HarvestPlus Nigeria, Mr. Yusuf Dollah, stated that the conference would provide an opportunity for his organisation and others to showcase recent efforts in the development of the cassava value chain while also promising full technical support towards its successful execution.

Construction of 44km Dual Carriageway to Boost Nigeria’s Agricultural Output, GDP

Gilbert Ekugbe

The Minister of State, Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, Sen. Dr. Aliyu Abdullahi, has stated that the construction of dual carriageway in Niger State would enhance agricultural activities as well as improve the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of the country.

The minister disclosed this at the official ground breaking ceremony for the construction of 44KM dual carriageway Bida Ring Road in Niger State.

It is expected that when completed, the project has the tendency of generating revenue of N1.2 trillion for the state.

He revealed that agriculture is playing a major role in the Nigerian economy and the need to open up more carriageways for activities was very essential for the socio-economic development of the nation.

He said: “I am convinced that the construction of 44KM dual Carriageway will open more activities. A lot of farmers were frustrated due to bad state of the

road to bring out their commodities. Today we are witnessing a major milestone in the democratic journey of Niger State.”

He, therefore, commended the Governor of Niger State, Mr. Mohammed Umar Bago, for his tenacity and commitment towards making the project a reality, stressing that all projects would be done for the benefit of the people of Niger State and Nigerians at large.

In his remarks, the Governor Bago, revealed that he was determined to change the narrative of the state by

NNPC Becomes First African State-owned Oil Firm to Adopt UN’s Global Compact

to report on their implementation.

improving security, providing world class health facilities, mechanized agriculture and to cultivate about 250 hectares in the next one year and one million hectares, which was on the pipe line.

In his goodwill message, the Chairman Bida Local Government Area, Mr. Isa Mohammed, reiterated that the construction of 44km dual carriageway would open up the town for multinational activities, which would create jobs and agro allied products for the people of Niger State.

FAO Seeks Increased Political Commitment, Solidarity for Transformation of Agrifood Systems

Gilbert Ekugbe

The Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO) has called on Heads of States across the globe to increase their political will and solidarity to transform agrifood systems in their bids to achieve the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030.

At a high-level event on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, the Director-General of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), Mr. QU Dongyu, explained that while there are still many challenges, there are also many opportunities ahead and countries must adopt a systematic approach focused on leaving no one behind.

Dongyu said: “We are still coping with the impact of COVID-19, economic slowdowns and downturns, conflict and climate change, and as a result, there are 122 million more people pushed into hunger since the outbreak of the pandemic,” he explained.

Acknowledging the complexity of agrifood systems as well as environmental and biodiversity

issues, he invited participants to focus on cooperating to change the current economic development model making it more sustainable and fostering science and innovation.

Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and Development Cooperation of Italy, Mr. Edmondo Cirielli, reiterated that Italy is deeply committed to global food security, partnering with the United Nations, FAO, and COP28. During Italy’s G7 presidency, he said, the nation plans to support accelerated food systems transformation, ensure a seamless transition with Japan, and address challenges like securing financial

resources and promoting climateresilient agriculture.

Minister of Climate Change and Environment of the UAE, Ms. Mariam Almehiri, underscored the need for political will to address food system transformation and climate change, particularly in the lead-up to COP28.

She mentioned the importance of various stakeholders, including national leadership, non-state actors, and innovation, in this effort.

Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs of Japan, Mr. Satoshi Katahira, highlighted the escalating risks to food security due to factors like

conflicts, pandemics, and climate change, resulting in increased hunger.

He said that Japan has prioritised food security during its G7 presidency, emphasising the need for immediate humanitarian assistance and long-term resilience-building efforts.

The UN Deputy SecretaryGeneral, Ms. Amina Mohammed, also delivered remarks during the event. She emphasised the importance of integrating food systems with climate action and highlighted the need for coordinated efforts across various sectors and levels of governance.

The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC) has signed up as a participant of the United Nations Global Compact, thereby becoming the first stateowned oil company to join the global initiative.

In a short ceremony on the sidelines of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s session during the Global Africa Business Initiative (GABI) at the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York, Group Chief Executive of NNPC, Mr. Mele Kyari signed the letter of commitment, signifying NNPC’s participation in the UN Global Compact.

Speaking shortly after signing the dotted lines, the GCEO said that as a dynamic global energy company with businesses and operations across the entire spectrum of the energy value chain, NNPC’s participation in the UN Global Compact was a further testimony to Nigeria’s commitment to work with global partners towards attaining a just energy transition.

The United Nations Global Compact is a non-binding United Nations pact to get businesses and firms worldwide to adopt sustainable and socially responsible policies, and

The UN Global Compact is the world’s largest corporate sustainability and corporate social responsibility initiative, with 13, 000 corporate participants and other stakeholders from over 170 countries.

A statement from the NNPC said the GCEO added that with this development, NNPC supports the 10 Principles of the United Nations Global Compact on human rights, labour, environment, and anti-corruption.

“We are committed to making the UN Global Compact and its principles part of our strategy, culture and day-to-day operations of our company, and to engage in collaborative projects which advance the broader development of goals of the United Nations, particularly the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs),” Kyari added.

Earlier in her remarks shortly after signing on behalf of the UN Global Compact, the Executive Director, UN Global Compact Network Nigeria, Ms. Naomi Nwokolo described NNPC’s move to become a participant of the UN Global Compact as a pivotal step in fostering a culture of ethical business conduct, environmental stewardship, and social responsibility.

SGoF Appeals for Special Funding to Enhance Data Storage

The Surveyor General of the Federation (SGoF), Adeyemi Adebomehin has appealed to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for approval of release of a special fund to transmit documents and records at the disposal of the office to ‘Cloud’.

Adebomehin said that very vital documents and records of the country and the assets of the Federal Government of Nigeria at the disposal of OSGoF were enormous and needed to be secured in the Cloud, noting that the paucity of

funds had hindered the process. The SGoF made the appeal at a presentation to facilitate the ‘Service Wide Personnel Management System Implementation Handholding Exercise’ for the members of management and staff of OSGoF at the Survey House in Abuja recently. He stressed that OSGoF has constituted a committee on Transition to Cloud Storage System under the Chairmanship of the Director of the Department of Infrastructure, Mrs. Sally Ekagbo with all other directors and heads of the 13 technical departments as members.

NERC to Launch Call Centre for Enhanced Customer Complaint Resolution, Service Improvement

The Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) will on October 5, 2023 unveil its Call Centre, a channel the regular intends to use to enhance communication

with electricity customers and interested stakeholders in the Nigerian Electricity Supply Industry (NESI) with the ultimate aim of enhancing customer complaint resolution and service improvement.

The commission wants to

use the platform which will be housed at its headquarters in Abuja to ensure that electricity customers from anywhere in the country can call and lodge their complaints to the commission and receive immediate response to their

respective complaints.

THISDAY gathered from a competent source at NERC that the Call Centre was part of the initiatives being put in place by the industry regulator to bridge the communication gap between it and the customers

and ensure that customers get on-the-spot information and clarification regarding issues bothering them.

“Yes, we are launching our Call Centre in Abuja on October 5. Our Chairman will be there to launch the facility.

L-R: Managing Director and Vice President, Migo Nigeria, Mr. Winston Osuchukwu; Managing Director, HumanManager Limited, Adekunbi Ademiluyi; Head, Brand and Marketing, HumanManager Limited, Ọlákúnlé Yusuff, and Head, Sales and Business Development, MIGO Nigeria,Mr. Chuck Anitche, at the press conference on the activities of the Company held recently in Lagos.

Peter Uzoho

Emmanuel Addeh in Abuja

Emmanuel Addeh in Abuja

FG, NGX to Drive Startup Listings with Tech Board

Kayode Tokede

The Federal Government through the Ministry of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy has said it intends to collaborate with Nigerian Exchange Limited (NGX) to stimulate startup listings with the newly created NGX Technology Board.

The Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Bosun Tijani, stated this during a tech event themed, “Invest in Africa’s Future- Let’s talk about exits”- a joint initiative by the Ministry, NGX, and Future Africa in New York, supported by Stanbic IBTC, CardinalStone Partners and Chapel Hill Denham.

Tijani noted that Nigeria had been grappling with its over dependence on oil in the last few years, adding that diversifying from heavy reliance on a single sector like the oil industry often requires increasing productivity in other sectors.

According to him, this can be achieved through the application of technology and innovation, something the current leadership of President Bola Tinubu is particular about.

He added, “We cannot do all of this as a country if we do not prioritise innovation and encourage entrepreneurs to build. Nigeria is now open to investments. We want to prioritise the ability of our technology companies to export products and we are targeting Africa first and then eventually start selling to the rest of the world.”

Speaking, the Chief Executive Officer, NGX, Temi Popoola, stated that the Exchange will work assiduously to support the agenda of the Minister and the mandate of President Bola Tinubu.

Whilst stating that technology is a big enabler of the capital market, Popoola said that NGX is keen on fostering innovation in the capital market,

potentially to attract a larger pool of investors and mature tech companies to list on its platform.

He stated that the demand for private capital currently outweighs public capital while revealing that the NGX is in discussions with Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) on private markets to enable the exchange do business with non-listed companies like startups.

On his part, the CEO, Flutterwave, Olugbenga Agboola said his company is focused on the Nigeria project as most of its investible capital had been deployed to Nigeria since inception.

The CEO, Chapel Hill Denham, Mr Bolaji Balogun expressed optimism that the Nigerian investment community gets the opportunity to participate in the capital formation going on in the tech sector, rather than all the intellectual property that will emanate from it being controlled by foreign markets.

Ogun, MMF Partner on Infrastructure Upgrade

A Non-profit organisation, Margaret Modinat Foundation (MMF) on Monday handed over to Ogun State government a newly reconstructed block of three classrooms with furniture and four toilets at Comprehensive High School, Ijebu Ife in Ijebu East Local Government Area of the state.

The donor and founder of the NGO, Princess Olanrewaju Osibote said that her passion for humanity and desire to further create conducive learning atmosphere for the students informed her decision to embark on the project about a month ago and this she said cost her a princely sum of N11m

Osibote said she had always been an advocate of selfless service and this she said was one of those traits she inherited from her late Mum who she said was always

willing to share the little she had cheerfully with others without expecting anything in return.

She explained that “I have always been immersed in giving back to the people and society, its one passion and sense of duty that always makes fulfilled and be at peace with myself. We have done a lot of this in Lagos State, helping the widows and all that but I said let me come back home and see what could be done. I was then informed of the situation of things in this school, so I came around and what I saw wasn’t something so good.

Receiving the donation on behalf of the state government, the Special Adviser to Governor Dapo Abiodun on Education, Prof Abayomi Arigbabu represented by the Zonal Education Officer of Ijebu East Local Government,

Mrs Ola-Egbin Ola lauded the donor for her deep sense of passion for humanity and particularly her interest to join the Gov Abiodun-led administration in building a better future for the country through her investment in the education sector.

Arigbabu said that the government of Gov Abiodun is opened to this kind of enduring partnership saying that though the government had equally invested heavily in turning around the fortune of the education sector in the state with construction and rehabilitation of about a 1000 classrooms, provision of furniture, employment of more teachers among others but complementary support from individuals and organisations would always added greater value and bite to achieving excellence in the sector.

Kwara Partners NALDA to Boost Food Production

Hammed Shittu in Ilorin

Kwara State government has partnered the National Agriculture Land Development Authority (NALDA) to scale up food production in the state.

The partnership is part of the present administration’s efforts at ensuring food security in the state.

The State Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development, Mrs. Oloruntoyosi

Thomas disclosed this over the weekend during her field inspection of the proposed site for the programme at Malete, in Moro Local Government Area of the state.

According to her, “Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, who is much concerned about the plight of the people in the state most especially the farmers, has instructed the Ministry to facilitate

Money Market Indicators (in Percentage)

dry season farming across the 16 local government areas, as a way of increasing the availability and affordability of food items with a view to curbing the current hardship in the country.”

Speaking, the NALDA representative, Mr. Segun Owolabi explained that the Federal Government has provided all the necessary facilities for the smooth take-off of the programme in the state.

Unilever Employees, Partners Commemorate World Clean-up Day

As part of its commitment to making sustainable living commonplace, employees of Unilever Nigeria partnered with Wecyclers and Food & Beverage Recycling Alliance (FBRA) to commemorate World Clean-Up Day 2023.

Speaking on the initiative, the Head, Corporate Affairs and Sustainable Business, Unilever Nigeria, Godfrey Adejumoh, said, “The World Clean-Up Day is a global initiative that brings together people from all walks of life to clean up their communities. In line with the 2023 theme

“Embody Unity,” Unilever Nigeria employees worked with partners to make the day remarkable for the pupils and teachers of Obele Nursery and Primary School by helping to clean up their premises.”

Commenting on the importance of the exercise, the National Finance Director, Unilever Nigeria, Folake Ogundipe, said, “the significance of the celebration of World Clean-Up Day is to enlighten people on proper waste management practices and how to turn waste into wealth. More importantly, this

commemoration aligns with the purpose of Unilever Nigeria as a company.”

On her part, Head, Human Resources and Partnerships, Esther Chibuenyin-Fagbo said, “we are here today because we care about our world, the environment, and the people. What we are doing today aligns with Unilever’s core pillars of; improving the health of the planet, improving people’s health, confidence, and wellbeing, and contributing to a fairer, more socially inclusive world.”

The price of OPEC basket of thirteen crudes stood at $85.71 a barrel on Thursday, compared with $85.84 the previous day, according to OPEC Secretariat calculations. The OPEC Reference Basket of Crudes (ORB) is made up of the following: Saharan Blend (Algeria), Girassol (Angola), Djeno (Congo), Zafiro (Equatorial Guinea), Rabi Light (Gabon), Iran Heavy (Islamic Republic of Iran), Basrah Medium (Iraq), Kuwait Export (Kuwait), Es Sider (Libya), Bonny Light (Nigeria), Arab Light (Saudi Arabia), Murban (UAE) and Merey (Venezuela).

L-R: Co-founder, The Nest, Peter Ogedengbe; Events and Activations Manager, VFD Microfinance Bank, Seun Ogunmodede; CEO and Co-founder, HerVest and Country Director, Women in Tech Nigeria, Solape Akinpelu and Brand Strategist, VFD Microfinance Bank, Abraham Martins, during the Women in Tech Nigeria’s 2023 Makeathon Graduation ceremony in Lagos,..recently.

Popoola: NGX to Mobilize Capital for Federal Government’s Agenda

KayodeTokede

The Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Nigerian Exchange Limited, Mr. Temi Popoola, has stated that exchange is fully poised to lend its support to the federal government in mobilising capital needed to finance key projects.

The NGX, he said, aims to achieve this by mobilizing capital, which, as he put it, “will

address government challenges and foster wealth creation for Nigerians.”

This assertion comes in the wake of President Bola Tinubu’s ceremonial ringing of the Closing Bell at NASDAQ Exchange in New York last week, marking a significant moment in the NGX International Non-Deal Roadshow supported by Stanbic IBTC, CardinalStone Partners, and Chapel Hill Denham.

Popoola, speaking on the sidelines of the Roadshow to BBC in London, highlighted the privatization initiatives in the telecommunications sector as a compelling illustration of this concept.

He pointed out that Tinubu’s administration, presently engaged in tax reforms to boost revenue, can harness the potential of the capital market to create value and simultaneously achieve its

objectives while delivering returns to investors.

As part of ongoing endeavors to attract foreign investors to the Nigerian economy, Mr. Wale Edun, the Minister of Finance and the Coordinating Minister of the Economy, ceremonially rang the Opening Bell at the London Stock Exchange on Monday, 25th September 2023 to spotlight the London arm of the Roadshow.

Since the onset of the COVID-19

pandemic in 2020, foreign investment in Nigeria has experienced a significant decline, mirroring the trend observed in other emerging economies during the same period.

“What we are trying to achieve is to emphasize to investors that Nigeria is open for business and also reinforce that the enormity of the challenges are clear and work has begun to address all the issues.

Whether capital inflows or foreign exchange illiquidity, NGX remains a veritable platform for solving these economic challenges, ”he added.

According to Popoola, encouraging listings can also address government’s problems including tax revenues, and create value for shareholders as listed companies have better governance and are more accountable with tax payment.

PRICES FOR SECURITIES TRADED ASOF SEPTEMBER/25/23

Bayelsa, Imo, Kogi Polls: INEC Holds Mock Election October 14

We expect peaceful poll, says US Consulate-General

adedayo akinwale in Abuja and olusegun samuel in Yenagoa

Ahead of the November 11 governorship elections, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has said it would hold mock elections in Bayelsa, Imo and Kogi state on October 14, 2023.

INEC’s National Commissioner and Chairman, Information and Voter Education Committee, Sam Olumekun, in a statement issued yesterday, said the mock election would be held simultaneously.

He said a maximum of three polling units in each Senatorial District had been identified across each of the three states, covering a total of nine Senatorial Districts and 27 polling units.

Olumekun, noted that lessons learnt from the exercise would be taken into consideration in ensuring a seamless process on election day.

He noted: "The Commission met today Monday 25th September 2023 and, among other issues, reviewed the preparations for the forthcoming off-cycle Governorship elections in Bayelsa, Imo and Kogi

States scheduled for Saturday 11th November 2023.

"As was the case in recent offcycle governorship elections, the Commission will conduct a mock accreditation using the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) and upload of polling units results to the INEC Result Viewing Portal (IReV).

"The test run will take place simultaneously in the three States on Saturday 14th October 2023 from 8.30am to 2.30pm." Olumekun, stressed that the full details of the polling units, including their locations by Local Government

Area (LGA), Registration Area (RA)/ Ward, Delimitation Code and number of registered voters have been uploaded to our website and social media platforms.

The Commission appealed to registered voters in the selected polling units to turn up with their Permanent Voters’ Cards (PVCs) for the exercise.

The commission further advised the public this was strictly a test accreditation exercise and not the actual election.

Meanwhile, the United States Consulate-General in Nigeria has

TUC Protests Takeover of Lagos Parks, Proscription of RTEAN By Lagos State Govt

Says govt has no stay of execution to stop industrial pronouncement Demands release of seized vehicles, opening of trade union’s office

We

Ugo aliogo

have filed an appeal against the judgment, government insists

Members of the Trade Union Congress (TUC) yesterday, marched on the streets of Lagos to protest the takeover of motor parks by the Lagos State government.

The peaceful protest was also staged over the proscription of the Road Transport Employees Association of Nigeria (RTEAN) and the seizure of their vehicles by the Lagos State government.

The protest started early in the morning from Ikeja roundabout to the Lagos State House of Assembly, where the protesters were received by some lawmakers, led by the Deputy Majority Leader representing Ikeja Constituency 2, Hon. Adedamola Kasunmu.

President of TUC, Festus Osifo, while speaking with newsmen at the Lagos State House of Assembly during the solidarity protest with RTEAN, said the protest became necessary as the government had failed to yield to court judgment and the request of the union on the matter.

According to Osifo, the RTEAN was proscribed sometime last year and afterwards, the Lagos State government went ahead to seize all their equipment and took over

their offices, including their vehicles, “and we believe that this is not acceptable.”

He explained further that, “We know that trade unionism is not in the concurrent list and so a state government does not have the power to proscribe a trade union. This is absolutely the responsibility of the federal government.

“We approached the industrial court for judgement and it was clearly stated that the Lagos State Government has no right to proscribe trade unions.

“We wrote a letter to the State Governor to open the office of RTEAN, which they forcefully took over and release their vehicles, which were seized by government officials, but I can tell you that the government is already using the vehicles.”

Speaking further, the TUC President added: “The actions of the government amount to criminality and stealing. We wrote to them that what they did is not good, but the government failed to yield to our request.”

When reminded by journalists that the state government said that they had appealed the case, he said that the governor knows what to do.

“As at today, they don’t have a stay of execution from the court.

We will make our voice heard,” Osifo said.

Earlier, in a statement made available to journalists, the Commissioner of Information, Mr. Gbenga Omotosho, said the state government had filed an appeal against the judgment and has a

pending application for stay of execution of the said judgement.

He maintained that the protest would be in breach of the rule of law, which expects both parties to maintain status quo, pending determination of the application for stay of execution and appeal.

said they were monitoring activities in Bayelsa State ahead of the November 11 governorship election and expect that it would be peaceful and credible.

The consulate’s Political/Economic Section Chief, Mr. Mike Ervin, stated this yesterday, during a courtesy visit to Governor Douye Diri at the Government House, Yenagoa.

Ervin, said the delegation was in the state to monitor the activities because the United States was a partner of the Nigerian government in the conduct of elections.

He said: “As you well know, the United States is a fundamental partner of the Nigerian government in the conduct of elections. We are friends and we learn from one another when it comes to democracy and how democracy can thrive.

"We are also here to see how Bayelsa is experiencing democracy at work. We want to know how things are going in your state and to also give you our good wishes for a peaceful election. We expect that the democratic process reflects the will of the people come November 11.

"We will continue to be partners of INEC and we look forward to a very healthy democratic day in a number of weeks."

Responding, Diri said his administration was open to partnering the international community to advance democracy through free, fair and transparent electoral process in the state.

He said his expectation going into the November 11 election was that the will of the people would prevail

and not truncated by unknown forces.

The Bayelsa helmsman noted that he was in the governorship contest not only because of the constitutional provision but that he wants his vision and plans for the state to materialise. He however, expressed concern over security intelligence about his opponents, particularly of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Chief Timipre Sylva, and his role in the crisis bedevilling the Nembe-Bassambiri community in a bid to subvert the will of the people during the election.

His words: “I believe that your coming will motivate us and add to the growth and development of democracy in Nigeria and in our state.

“My government is of the Peoples Democratic Party and our key opponents are from the APC and Labour Party. Of course, there are other parties. But all what we want as a government is a free, fair and transparent electoral process.

“Like you rightly said, the will of the people should prevail and they should be able to elect who they want.

“But our worry is about the kind of security intelligence we are getting and also the street intelligence about our opponents, particularly of the APC, who was a former governor. We have seen signs of insecurity in Nembe-Bassambiri where he is from. It is like a repeat of what happened in the 2019 election.”

Also on the delegation were the Political Officer (Niger Delta), Jordan Lachance, and the Political Specialist, Arnold Abulime.

Bayelsa Guber: 28 Lawyers Move against Sylva's Running-mate, Maciver

Say alleged criminal records make him unfit

alex

enumah in Abuja

With less than two months to the governorship election in Bayelsa State, no fewer than 28 lawyers have joined in the suit seeking the disqualification of Joshua MacIver, the running-mate to candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Chief Timpre Sylva. The suit which was filed at the Federal High Court, Abuja, by the Incorporated Trustees of the Trustfield Empowerment Initiative, is specifically asking the court for an order restraining the Independent National Electoral Commission from recognising MacIver as running-mate to Sylva in the November 11 governorship poll in Bayelsa.

The plaintiff in the suit filed on its behalf by their lawyer, Caroline Bello, claimed that MacIver was not qualified to participate in the poll on grounds that he is currently serving jail term over an alleged criminal offence.

Slyva, MacIver and INEC are 1st, 2nd and 3rd respondents respectively.

In addition, the plaintiff claimed that based on the current jail term of MacIver, the APC governorship candidate, Sylva does not have a valid running-mate for the election.

In the suit, the plaintiff decried action of INEC for accepting and allowing Maciver to be Sylva's running-mate despite been aware of the fact that Maciver currently serves a criminal jail term.

Amongst the issues raised before the court for determination are whether having regard to the provisions of Sections 175(1), 182(1)(d) and (2)(c) and 187 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as Amended) and in view of the conviction of the 2nd Defendant for a sentence of imprisonment, the 1st Defendant does not have any valid candidate as his associate for his running for the office of Governor of Bayelsa State in the 2023 Bayelsa State Governorship Election?

"Whether having regard to the combined provisions of Sections 175(1), 182(1)(d) & (2)(c) and 187(1) and (2) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999

(as Amended), the recognition and listing of the 2nd Defendant, who is under a sentence of imprisonment, without Presidential Pardon, as the Deputy Governorship candidate of the 1st Defendant in the 2023 Bayelsa State Governorship Election is illegal, unlawful, null and a gross violation of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as Amended)?

"Whether upon the community reading of the provisions of Sections 175(1), 182(1)(d) & (2)(c) and 187(1) and (2) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as Amended).

L-R: President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio and Akwa Ibom State Governor, Pastor Umo Eno, at the Special Inter-denominational Thanksgiving Service to celebrate the 36th Anniversary of the Creation of Akwa Ibom State and Nigeria's 63rd Independence, at the Apostolic Church, Uyo... on Sunday.

ThAnkSgiving SErvicE TO mArk cOmmEncEmEnT Of nEw LEgAL YEAr...

Adeboyes’ Mission to Touch 100 Million Lives Put them on Global Stage at UNGA

Pastor E.A Adeboye and his wife, Pastor Folu Adeboye were an important feature in New York at the annual United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) last week.

According to Empowered Newswire, on Wednesday morning, a day after President Bola Ahmed Tinubu delivered Nigeria's statement at the commencement of the General Debate, the Adeboyes stepped up at the Millennium Hilton right across from the UN head office building, where they launched Africa Missions Global's (AMG) latest initiative named Horizon 2033.

Through the new initiative, the AMG plans to reach 10 million more people in Africa and around the world in the next 10 years with humanitarian support, an objective the organisation founded by Mrs. Adeboye had been pursuing since 1996.

“However, friends and collaborators of Africa Mission, aware of the tremendous impact the organisation has made since, decided it was time to bring the United Nations to the awareness of what it has been doing just as it was also aiming even higher in its outreach ambitions, with the new name Africa Missions Global,” the report added.

Pastor Adeboye, the General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God and Life Patron of AMG was quoted to have said: "Gathering here today is to give us an opportunity to introduce ourselves to the world."

According to the man fondly called Daddy G.O, the Africa Missions founded by his wife had been working, "silently we prefer not to make noise, but we are in almost all the nations in Africa. There you will

find schools, boreholes, etc., done not by governments. But when the UN got notice, and they gave an honorary presentation to my wife, we felt its time to introduce ourselves to the world for more collaboration."

Pastor Adeboye was referring to the conferment of the honorary award by the UN Global Women Foundation on his wife earlier in the year.

He had in March, announced the honour with pride to the glory of the LORD on his Social Media handles saying: “My wife @pastorfoluadeboye has been awarded the Woman of Distinction award as an outstanding global peace ambassador for change by the United Nations Global Women Foundation. @unitednations. Glory be to Jesus, Let somebody shout hallelujah!”

So last Wednesday's event (where Horizon 2033 was launched at the UN) actually derived from that Global Recognition of Pastor Folu Adeboye, especially her work through the Africa Missions Global.

(AMG)

Explaining its intent for the Horizon 2033, a statement from AMG also noted that "we are seeking to build new friendships across public and private sector organisations and individuals that share our vision and are open to supporting our ambition to reach 100 million people by 2033."

AMG plans to help achieve some of the UN Sustainable Development Goals especially the SDG 4 focusing on Education.

According to AMG "quality education remains one of the most powerful and proven vehicles for sustainable development and poverty alleviation. It is also the 4th Sustain-

able Development Goal (SDG) as adopted by the United Nations in 2015 which aims to end poverty, hunger, AIDS, and discrimination against women and girls.

"In October 2021 as part of our strategic review, we set out our ambition – Horizon 2033 – which has at its heart the drive to touch and impact over 100 million lives globally

in 10 years by 2033 predominantly through educational initiatives, building on the track record we have set, over the years, across several countries in Africa."

In her remarks, the Nigerian First Lady, Senator Remi Tinubu noted that the Adeboyes "have really inspired us a lot," while commending the work of the AMG which she

described as "overwhelming" adding that both Daddy G.O and Mummy G.O are leading examples of the ideal that "we are supposed to live beyond ourselves."

In a similar vein, Pastor Folu Adeboye, the AMG Visionaire said "Horizon 2033 aims to impact the continent with its social intervention programmes in Africa and globally

reaching out to the disadvantaged and the underserved."

According to her, "we want to nurture leaders of tomorrow to make them citizens of the world with strong moral values and integrity, hardworking and entrepreneurial. The new media is filled with narratives of disaster. We can't afford to sit back and not act."

NNPP Drags Justice Anya to NJC over Alleged Uncomplimentary Remarks

Ahmad Sorondinki in Kano

The New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) has petitioned the National Judicial Council (NJC), over alleged uncomplimentary comments credited to Justice Benson Anya, against the party and its members while delivering judgment on the Kano governorship elections.

Justice Anya was alleged to have said in his submission at the tribunal that, "Instead of some Kano politicians to be allowed to use banditry and violence to abort democracy in Kano State, justice will be used to stop them from destroying democracy in Kano and upward."

Speaking with Journalists in Kano, the state Chairman of the party Hashimu Dungurawa, said it was a clear fact that the party was denied justice based on emotion and sentiments.

According to him, the party had petitioned the NJC against

the judge's remarks, saying, "We shall see whether he is right to use personal sentiments and quashed our victory and also seeks justice on this."

He said, " A judge cannot just sit down because of unfounded death threats to be impartial in our judgement. This clearly showed to us that you are not been fair and just in this election verdict.

"We are not taking lightly the comments credited to Justice Anya that, ‘the gang of red cap wearers who, are like a violent and terrorist cult, chased us out of Kano and put us in the fear of our lives.’

The NNPP Chairman frowned on the judge's remarks which he quoted as: “Instead of some Kano politicians to be allowed to use banditry and violence to abort Democracy in Kano State, justice will be used to stop them from destroying democracy in Kano and upward, we do not want

Uzodimma: I'm Best Candidate to Lead Imo

Governor Hope Uzodimma of Imo

State has emphasised his readiness to contest in the fourth coming governorship election scheduled for November 11, 2023.

The Chief Press Secretary and Media Adviser to the Governor, Oguwike Nwachuku, in a statement yesterday, quoted the governor to have said he was the most qualified to lead the state now amid the others.

The governor cited his notable achievements in his ongoing first tenure and expressed confidence that he is the best candidate to lead Imo State to even greater

heights.

Speaking on a live Igbo programme at the Hot 99.5 FM Owerri, weekend, where he inspected various facilities of the broadcast house, Uzodimma highlighted his commitment to repositioning Imo State and building upon the progress achieved thus far.

He noted that the significant strides his administration had made and the transformative initiatives undertaken to improve the lives of the citizens were the records his opponents do not have because they lack the capacity for such.

His words: "I am fully prepared

Now

to contest in the upcoming offcycle gubernatorial election. I firmly believe that I am the best candidate to continue leading Imo State towards a brighter future.

"Through the implementation of impactful policies and programmes, I am confident in our ability to propel Imo State to even greater heights."

The governor highlighted some of his accomplishments to include infrastructural development, educational reforms, healthcare advancements, youth empowerment and development among other efforts to attract investments

and foster economic growth within the state.

"I firmly believe that we have laid a strong foundation for the transformation of Imo State. However, there is still much work to be done. I am committed to continuing our efforts to improve governance, foster socio-economic development, and uplift the lives of the people," Uzodimma stated.

The governor further used the occasion to communicate his vision for Imo State, present his case for re-election, all of which underscored his track record and dedication to the state's progress.

Anarchy and terrorism as being promoted in Kano State and as threatened by them."

The NNPP Chairman vehemently objected to such language, which, he said, was unbecoming of a Judge and defender of justice and the rule of law.

“Of course, these libelous, and

outright condemnable comments credited to the panel and especially those portions where Justice Benson Anya went beyond his judicial bounds of immunity and acted as if he is an interested party in the matter by casting aspersions on the leadership and members of NNPP."

MTN Achieves Milestones in Workplace Equality, Family-friendly Policies

Emma Okonji

MTN Nigeria said it has achieved remarkable milestone in promoting workplace equality through the implementation of its family-friendly policies.

The company was recognised for its commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion, as well as its leadership in fostering a supportive environment for working parents.

Being the first telecommunications company in Africa to be awarded the Economic Dividends for Gender Equality (EDGE) MOVE certification, MTN Nigeria joined a group of over 250 organisations such as the World Bank Group, International Finance Corporation, Deloitte Switzerland AG, UNICEF, amongst others spanning 57 countries and 27 sectors.

The certification is a globally recognised standard for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DE&I), which reflects MTN’s commitment to identifying and addressing gender disparities through proactive approaches to bridging gender gaps

and its overall dedication to fostering a more inclusive work environment.

Earlier in the month, the technology company was also recognised for its exemplary leadership in implementing and driving family-friendly policies within the workplace. The company's commitment to supporting working parents was acknowledged at the NECA Network of Entrepreneurial Women (NNEW) event, held in affiliation with Alive & Thrive.

The event marked the Private Sector Commemoration of World Breastfeeding Week & Advocacy, with the theme ‘Enabling Breastfeeding: Making a Difference for Working Parents’.

MTN’s family-friendly policies, such as the Creche, Hybrid Work Module, Flexible Work Time, 6-month Paid Maternity Leave, Adoption and Surrogacy Support, Miscarriage and paternity Leave, and Nondiscrimination in the recruitment of pregnant female employees, amongst others were highlighted at the event.

Lagos State Governor, Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu (third right); Bishop of Lagos Diocese, Rt. Rev. Ifedola Okupevi (third left) and honorable Judges during a church thanksgiving service to mark the commencement of 2023/2024 New Legal Year at The Cathedral Church of Christ, Marina, Lagos ... yesterday

They call me a dreamer, cleric says in New York as wife launches international education initiative

InspectIon of ongoIng constructIon of BenIn-ABrAkA roAd...

Sanwo-Olu Floors Jandor, Rhodes-Vivour at Tribunal

APC congratulates Lagos gov Winner reiterates support for judiciary, extends hand of fellowship to opponents

segun James and Wale Igbintade

The Lagos Governorship Election Petitions Tribunal, yesterday, dismissed the petitions brought by Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour and the Labour Party (LP), and Olajide Adediran, also known as Jandor of the Peoples

Democratic Party (PDP), challenging the victory of Babajide Sanwo-Olu in the March 18 governorship election.

Jandor had contested the results of the March 18 governorship election in Lagos State, challenging the victory of Sanwo-Olu and Dr. Obafemi Hamzat.

Justice Mikhail Abdullah an-

nounced the decision while delivering judgment on the objections raised by the respondents in the case. Meanwhile, the All Progressives Congress (APC) has congratulated Sanwo-Olu and Hamzat on the re-affirmation of their victory by the election petition tribunal.

This was as Sanwo-Olu has reiterated his administration's commitment to the welfare of judicial workers in the state.

The party, in a statement by its spokesman, Mr. Seye Oladejo said it congratulated all Lagosians and most especially members of the All

Appeal Court President Raises the Alarm over Cost of Electoral Litigations

olawale Ajimotokan and Alex enumah in Abuja

President of the Court of Appeal, Justice Monica Dongben-Mensem, has expressed worry over the negative effect of election cases, both on the judiciary and the country's economy. Dongben-Mensem spoke yesterday in Abuja at a ceremony to mark the commencement of the 2023/2024 new legal year of the appellate court.

She disclosed that a total of 1,209 petitions were filed against the conduct of 2023 general election, and regretted that the time spent on hearing electoral disputes could have been used to settle other issues of economic and developmental value.

The appellate court president appealed to politicians to cultivate the spirit of good sportsmanship, stressing that all elections need not end in the courts.

Minister of Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, on his part, charged justices of the appellate court to brace up for the work ahead in the light of many election appeals pending before the court.

Speaking at the commencement of the new legal year, DongbanMensem said, "The cost and negative effect of electoral litigation is becoming worrisome. It is becoming economically alarming that the entire Nigerian judicial system is inundated with electoral litigation and adjudication almost all year round.

"It is a matter of concern that a large number of judges of the trial court have been engaged for six months in the exclusive management of electoral cases.

"The implication is that commercial matters are tied down in our courts. Industrial disputes and land matters, which, when determined in good time, could create jobs and release cash flow into the economy, are tied down in court registries."

To further buttress her point, Dongban-Mensem urged statisticians to calculate, tabulate and publish the economic cost of the election matters and the benefits the country lost in terms of time.

While observing that democracy was beautiful and was the way to go, she said politicians, in the interest of national economic development, should imbibe the spirit of good sportsmanship.

"They should pay more attention to internal democracy and exercise the spirit of loyalty to a cause, which necessarily entails letting go in the interest of discipline and internal harmony,” he stated.

“All elections need not end up in court," she added.

Giving a breakdown of the election cases, Dongben-Mensem said a total of 98 panels were constituted across the various tribunals "to handle the 1,209 petitions filed.

"Among these petitions, five were directed at the Presidential Election Petition Court, 147 were for the senatorial election, 417 the House of Representatives, 557 associated with the state Houses of Assembly, 83 focusing on the gubernatorial elections.

“Twenty-eight states participated in the governorship elections, and petitions were filed in 24 states. Notably, four states (Kwara, Niger, Yobe, and Katsina) had no governorship election petitions filed."

Dongben-Mensem pointed out that the court had already received a number of pre-election appeals related to the conduct of political party primaries in the November governorship election in three states, adding, "We are working assiduously to ensure that they are promptly disposed of."

The three states where the off-cycle governorship elections would be holding are Bayelsa, Imo and Kogi.

Dongban-Mensem also disclosed that the appellate court in the last legal year delivered a total of 7,295 judgements and 3,665 rulings on motions.

She stated that the Abuja Division of the appeal court was currently overwhelmed by the voluminous documents and suffered lack of adequate storage facilities and office space.

The appeal court president appealed to the FCT minister to provide a large piece of land for the construction of the Abuja Division.

In his remarks, the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), stated that he would do everything in his power to improve the welfare of judicial officers. Fagbemi added that the President Bola Tinubu administration would address the issue of shortage of justices at the Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court.

He assured that his administration would leave no stone unturned in ensuring smooth justice delivery in the interest of all Nigerians.

Meanwhile, the Body of Senior Advocates of Nigeria (BoSAN), argued that Nigeria's continued survival greatly depended on the transparency of judicial officers in the

discharge of their judicial functions.

Speaking on behalf of the body at the appellate court’s new legal year, a former AGF and Minister of Justice, Chief Kanu Agabi (SAN), pleaded with judges and justices not to lose confidence in themselves no matter the challenges.

Progressives Congress, who worked painstakingly during the elections.

"The affirmation is an eloquent testimony to the free choice made by the overwhelming majority of voters of their preference for developmental, progressive, passionate, responsive and responsible governance over needless and risky experiments.

"Our unshakable belief that the petitions of our opponents amounted to mere academic exercise by sore losers was undoubtedly upheld by the verdict.

"The Lagos APC wishes to assure all Lagosians through our various elected and appointed representatives of our age long traditional service delivery in order to provide the desired dividends of democracy.

"May we now extend the olive branch to all and sundry, including our opponents to come on board in order to move our dear state forward," it said.

Sanwo-Olu, however, said his administration would continue to provide a conducive environment for all judicial officers in the state in order for them to deliver their duties and responsibilities, without fear or favour.

The governor, who said this yesterday, at a Thanksgiving Service held at The Cathedral Church of Christ, Marina, Lagos, to mark the commencement of the 2023/2024 New Legal Year, called for continued collaboration between the executive, legislative and judiciary in order to uphold the principles of justice, fairness and the rule of law to ensure that the state grows in leaps and bounds.

He said his administration was committed to completing all the ongoing court projects across the state for a robust and thriving judiciary in Lagos. Specifically reacting to the tribunal judgement read by Justice Arum Ashom, Sanwo-Olu, joined by his deputy, Dr. Obafemi Hamzat, described the verdict as “well thought-out and detailed,” noting that the court decision further affirmed judiciary’s commitment to principle of fairness and justice.

The governor, who said there was no victor or vanquished, dedicated the judgement to all residents of the state, whom, he said, had stood by his administration through the electoral journey.

FG Reiterates Commitment to Data

Harmonisation, End of Multiple ID Registration

Michael olugbode in Abuja

The federal government is committed to investing in the harmonisation of the country’s data through the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC), the Minister of Interior, Hon. Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo has said.

The minister who said his ministry was committed to success of the programme, vowed that the era of multiple ID registrations would soon be over.

He gave the promise while receiving the MTN management team led by its Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Karl Toriola in Abuja, yesterday.

He said the NIMC had been mandated to harmonise the country’s database as President Ahmed Bola Tinubu seeks to enhance the country’s Identity and security architecture.

Speaking on the significance of harmonising the country’s data, Tunji-Ojo, emphasised the need for the country to have a tech-driven data-hub under the ministry.

He said: “We must have an interior hub. A massive data centre where we will have all our identity

information documented.

“Data harmonisation is key. If we must succeed at the Ministry of Interior, the success will start with NIMC. The integrity of our travel document must be restored through the harmonisation of our data.

“This way, our people do not have to repeat data capture processes during the passport enrolment phase when they have a valid NIN.”

The Minister further explained that data harmonisation would drastically cut down on stress for the people as well as overhead cost on the part of the government.

He said: “When we harmonise our data, there will be an exchange amongst agencies such that when our people need data for passport or BVN, with their NIN, their data can be pulled out. This will not only save us stress, cost and energy but also help us optimise our processes.”

He added that information regarding issuance of driving licence and Passports, Bank Verification Number (BVN), National Identity Numbers (NIN), Subscribers Identity Modules (SIM), and others should be harmonised into digital chips for the

purpose of planning and execution of government programmes for accelerated development.

He further argued that NIMC, as an agency under the ministry, has the potential of re-writing the narrative where the country only has a single point of data entry.

He said: “There is no need for us to have a BVN number, a voter’s number, a NIN, and a passport number all at once, and this is why we have to work with NIMC to ensure that we harmonise all these and do away with these duplications.

“If NIMC performs well, NIS will perform better, and the police, NSCDC, and other agencies will perform admirably above par.”

The Minister also elaborated on the role of private sector players, such as MTN, in achieving the vision towards the harmonisation of data, saying: “And, to do that, there must be a way to inject private partnerships to help us achieve our objectives.

“For us, we are open to partnerships from private sector players, as NIMC may not have the full financial capacity to fulfil the ambition.”

L-R: Edo State Commissioner for Roads and Bridges, Engr. Ethan Uzamere; Minister of Niger Delta Development, Abubakar Momoh; and the Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Dr. Samuel Ogbuku, during inspection of ongoing construction of the Benin-Abraka Road at the weekend.

Says all elections must not end in court 1,209 petitions filed against 2023 polls Wike charges judges to brace up for work ahead

L-R: Chairman, Enugu Capital Territory Development Authority (ECTDA), Hon. Uche Anya; Governor of Enugu State, Dr. Peter Mbah; and Commissioner for Works and Infrastructure, Enugu State, Dr. Gerald Otiji during a visit to the scene of the collapsed bridge at the Enugu end of the Enugu - Port Harcourt expressway ... yesterday

Ondo Assembly Serves Dep Gov Impeachment Notice

Aiyedatiwa asks court to stop exercise Group calls for national assembly’s intervention

Fidelis David in Akure and Wale Igbintade

The Ondo State House of Assembly, yesterday, said it has served an impeachment notice on the Deputy Governor of the state, Lucky Aiyedatiwa.

But Aiyedatiwa, has asked the Ondo State High Court to stop the Assembly from proceeding with the impeachment proceedings against him, pending the hearing and determination of the suit.

T the same time, a group under the auspices of Ondo Redemption Front (ORF), has called on the National Assembly to intervene in the alleged impeachment process by the state Assembly against Aiyedatiwa.

Speaker of the State Assembly, Olamide Oladiji, while briefing newsmen in Akure, said Aiyedatiwa was served yesterday through substituted service.

The Assembly, had last Wednesday at plenary session, directed the clerk to write the deputy governor on alleged gross misconduct.

He also alleged a threat to his life due to fetish objects dropped at the entrance to his official lodge yesterday, calling on the people of the state and security agencies to track the perpetrators.

"Very early this morning, when I was about going out, I saw an object in front of my lodge. These threats started since the day we

started the impeachment process.

I have been receiving strange calls.

“My life has also been under serious threat from unknown people. I want to call on the people of Ondo State and security operatives to track these people down," he said.

However, in Suit No. AK/348/2023 filed at the High Court in Akure yesterday,the deputy governor sought a declaration that the Assembly was not competent to proceed on his impeachment in breach of his constitutional and fundamental rights to fair hearing.

He contended that the sacking of his media aides and subjecting him to the Ministry of Information headed by a commissioner amounted to a breach of his rights and privileges as a deputy governor.

He was seeking a declaration that his office, tenure, status, rights and privileges were protected, guaranteed and secured by the Constitution, and the declaration that in the determination of his civil rights and obligations as a Deputy Governor of Ondo State by the House of Assembly, he is entitled to a fair hearing and that given the utterances and conduct of the House of Assembly so far, there is likelihood of bias against him in the impeachment process.

According to him, in conducting media trials against him without serving him with any notice of gross misconduct, the House Assembly has constituted itself into accuser,

investigator, prosecutor and judge.

Aiyedatiwa then sought orders of injunction to stop the House of Assembly from initiating, continuing or proceeding with the process of his removal from office as the deputy governor of Ondo State. He further sought an order to stop the Chief Judge of Ondo State from accepting or acting upon any request from the House of Assembly of Ondo State to set up any panel to investigate any acts of gross misconduct against the Deputy Governor. Named as defendants in the suit filed by human rights lawyer, Ebun-Olu Adegboruwa, SAN, are the Ondo State Government, the Governor of Ondo State, Ondo State House of Assembly, Speaker of Ondo State House of Assembly, Clerk of Ondo State House of Assembly and Chief Judge of Ondo State.

In the affidavit in support of the originating summons, it was stated that the Assembly embarked upon a media trial of the deputy governor purely to scandalise him and incite public opinion against him when indeed no notice of acts of alleged gross misconduct was served on him.

He also accused the Assembly of persecuting him without lawful basis in conspiracy with certain persons who are gladiators in political circles.

Besides, the deputy governor said all attempts made to serve the court processes on the House of Assembly had so far been rebuffed, as policemen at the gate denied access to the court bailiff and also counsel from the office of solicitors to the Claimant.

He narrated his loyalty since he assumed office in the face of the health challenges of Governor

Rotimi Akeredolu and how he led the state in prayers for the recovery of the governor.

The Deputy Governor denied any act of wrongdoing, stating that he has been loyal to the governor all through their tenure.

In a letter dated September 25, 2023, from the Chambers of Ebun-Olu Adegboruwa (SAN) and Co. and delivered to the office of the Chief Judge of Ondo State, copies of the court processes were duly attached for the information of the Chief Judge.

Meanwhile, ORF, a group of professionals of Ondo descent, said NASS intervention was necessary in the overriding interest of the people of the sunshine state and the country at large.

Chairman of the group, Ayodeji Ologun, at a press conference in Akure, said the real issue, as regards the alleged impeachment

of Aiyedatiwa, was not about accountability as they want the public to believe, but a vendetta by a class of crass opportunists, who have unfettered access to the resources of the state occasioned by the incapacity of the governor.

"Also, worthy of mention is the fact that since the return of Mr. Akeredolu and his refusal to resume at his official duty post for the governance of the state, a situation that is causing serious apprehension in the state, the state House of Assembly has not been helping matters.

"Rather, the Ondo State House of Assembly, has decided to add salt to injury by instigating violence, anarchy and orchestrating breakdown of law and order by embarking on unjustified and unwarranted process of impeachment of the Deputy Governor Mr. Lucky Aiyedatiwa,” he said.

Kefas: I Inherited Empty Treasury from My Predecessor

Wole Ayodele in Jalingo

Taraba State Governor, Dr Agbu Kefas, has finally revealed that his predecessor, Darius Ishaku, left an empty treasury to him when he assumed office.

Kefas disclosed this yesterday at the opening ceremony of a

5- day professional development workshop for Secretaries of Ministries, Departments and Agencies of the State government held in Jalingo. Notwithstanding the empty coffers, the governor stressed that he has been consistent with the payment of salaries and pensions of civil servants in the state.

Represented by the Head of Service of the State, Suzie Nathan, Kefas maintained that his administration was committed to the welfare of its workforce and would do everything possible to boost their morale.

"You will recall that in my inauguration speech, I clearly stated that I will revitalise the public service

Tinubu Backs Dredging of Oguta/Orashi River as Uzodimma Receives Survey Report from Navy

Emmanuel Addeh in Abuja

Indications that President Bola Tinubu had bought into the dredging of the Oguta/Orashi River up to the Atlantic Ocean emerged yesterday when Governor Hope Uzodimma of Imo State who initiated the project received the hydrographic and comprehensive survey report from the leadership of the Nigerian Navy.

The Group Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Nigerian Hydrological Agency, Rear Admiral Hassan Kaoje, led a team of top Naval officers to submit the report to Uzodimma at the Government House, Owerri, according to a statement by the Chief Press Secretary, Oguwike Nwachuku.

The dredging of the Oguta Lake to Orashi River and to the Atlantic Ocean was flagged off by former President Muhammadu Buhari who

was represented by his deputy, former Vice President Prof. Yemi Osibanjo on May 12, 2023.

Receiving the report at the New Executive Council Chambers Government House Owerri, Uzodimma expressed delight receiving the report and described the project as very dear to him.

Uzodimma who thanked former President Buhari and the former Chief of Naval Staff for approving and flagging off the project, also expressed gratitude to Tinubu and the current Chief of Naval Staff, Rear Admiral Emmanuel Ogalla, for buying into the project.

The governor recalled that at the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) many had thought it would not be possible to realise the project.

He therefore expressed delight that the first stage which is the survey had been completed and

that the state was ready for the second stage with the continued support of the government.

He acknowledged that with the completion of the survey report of charting of the Oguta Lake to the Atlantic Ocean and the necessary recommendations, the state will now embark on Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) and other necessary arrangements that will lead into the dredging proper.

The governor reiterated that the project was started to encourage gas optimisation in Imo state in particular and the South East in general and as an area suitable for gas industrial cluster, petrochemical plant as well as fertiliser plant.

He said he was confident that the dredging of Oguta Lake to the Atlantic Ocean will create jobs, eliminate oil theft and help in the harnessing of the abundant gas deposit and other natural resources

at the coast of Oguta Lake and Atlantic Ocean.

Uzodimma explained that the state had embarked on the project at a highly conservative and subsidised cost and that talks were ongoing with a foreign outfit that will participate in the dredging with their sophisticated dredging equipment still at a subsidised cost.

Earlier at the submission, Kaoje informed that the Navy does not only have the report on the predredging survey of Oguta Lake and Orashi River to the Atlantic Ocean ready, but expressed its readiness to continue to partner with the state to realise the project.

In his presentation, the Navy Hydrographer of the Federation, Rear Admiral Ayo Olugbode said that the government of Imo state provided the funding and all the support that made it possible to start and complete the first stage

of the project.

Olugbode pointed out that the dredging embarked upon by the governor had brought to the fore the fact that the same route was used for trading in the Colonial days, up to 1854.

He recommended the need for environmental impact assessment, further dredging/canalisation of recommended sea access route from Orashi River up to Bonny River via Onne for navigation by bigger platforms, the installation and maintenance of standard buoys and other aids to navigation, among others.

Present at the presentation were the Deputy Governor of Imo State, Prof. Placid Njoku, the Chief of Staff, Nnamdi Anyaehie, the Chairman of the Civil Service Commission, Imo State, Dr Julie Onyeukwu, members of the State's expanded executive council, among others.

and restore the integrity of the civil service, which has been bastardised through favouritism and political considerations.

"The welfare of workers and pensioners was top on my 5-point development agenda for Taraba State and I will remain focused on that till we're able to achieve our objective.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, despite the empty coffers we met on the ground since taking office on May 29, 2023, I have made sure that employee salaries are paid on time and in addition to meeting our commitments to pay pensioners, we have also added those who had previously been off the payroll, allowing them to continue receiving their monthly pensions without interruption.

"Let me reassure you that my administration will continue to place a high priority on your welfare because a happy workforce will be committed, diligent, and forward-thinking.

"Therefore, as this administration stabilises and puts its development plan into action, I ask for the steadfast support, loyalty, and collaboration of the whole Civil Service in implementing our strategies and goals," he said.

The governor revealed that the state would soon conduct a biometric data capture of civil servants to authenticate the true size of its workforce as well as employ talented young men and women into the service.

MbAh InspEcts scEnE oF collApsED brIDgE...

adVaNCEd CONCRETE TECHNOLOGiEs…

L-R: Project Manager, Advanced Concrete Technologies, Mr. Muyuideen Akinyemi; Business Development Manager, Advanced Concrete Technologies, Joan Onoja;Regional Sales Manager, Schomburg Group, Germany, Mr.

Police Arrest Ogun former Council Chairman, Wale Adedayo

James s owole in a beokuta

The impeached Chairman of Ijebu East Local Government, Wale Adedayo, has allegedly been arrested by men of the Ogun State Police Command over a petition by the State government.

Adedayo, who was

first suspended and later impeached by some of the local government lawmakers, had accused the State Governor, Dapo Abiodun of diverting funds and meant for local governments in the state in the last three years.

Adedayo revealed his arrest by the police via a

Ebonyi ALGON Boss Scores Chairmen High

The chairman Association of Local Governments of Nigeria(ALGON), Ebonyi State chapter, Chief Ogodo AliNomeh, has assessed the performance of council chairmen in the state in the past one year and declared that they have performed well.

Speaking with journalists in Abakaliki, Ali-Nomeh, who is also the Chairman of Ezza North Local Government Council, said that one year in office of the chairmen has been characterised by numerous achievements that have impacted the lives of the people at the rural areas.

The ALGON boss listed the areas

where the chairmen have excelled as rural roads construction, rural electrification, provision of solar light and renovation of secretariat.

Other areas, according to him, include security and CCTV, fencing, empowerment and infrastructure, among others.

According to him, all the chairmen for the first time in Ebonyi were able to buy vehicles for the councillors, principal officers of the local governments and stakeholders, pointing out that within one year, the chairmen have surpassed the record of their predecessors in three years.

KSJI Port-Harcourt Grand Commandery Celebrates 10th Anniversary

Knights of St. John International (KSJI) Port Harcourt Grand, a family apostolate charged with the defence of the Roman Catholic faith, is set to celebrate its 10th anniversary. Port Harcourt Grand covers Port Harcourt Diocese, Bomadi Diocese and part of Aba Diocese.

Speaking in Port Harcourt, while inaugurating a 30-member planning Committee that will be responsible for this celebration, the Grand President, Sir Emmanuel Okene, said that “10 years is a milestone and when you look back at what we have achieved over the years, we can see the need to roll out the drums and at the same time take stock, and project for greater strides.”

The 30- member planning committee for the anniversary celebration is headed by Noble

Brother Innocent Akuvue, and has Sir PremoEbiware as Secretary.

While other members include: the Spiritual Director, Monsignor Joseph Kabari; Sir Vincent Okolie; Sir ChuksOnua; Sir PMC Okeke; Sir Luke Wagbara; Lady Theresa Akugbo; Lady Pauline Mgbkaogu; Lady Florence Kenekayoro; Lady Emily Ugwu; Lady ObyOnwumere, Lady Caro Okoh.

Other members are: Sir Dan Onuoha; Sir Ebitimi Berezi; Sir Premo Ebiware; Sir Uche Manu; Sir Patrick Iroagalachi; Noble Brother Cosmas Ezeobi; Sir Chinwo; Sir Emmanuel Anya; Sir Henry Sota; Sir Dakare Sam; Sir Michael Okwori; Lady Berezi Perekebina; Lady Joy Tawo; Lady Kate Itokem; Lady Joy Ambakaderemo; Lady Ugo Udeh; Lady Ngozi Nwofa, and Lady EuchariaNnaji.

Eidel-Maulud: FG Declares Tomorrow Public Holiday

The federal government has declared tomorrow (Wednesday, September 27), public holiday in commemoration of Eidel-Maulud celebration, the birth of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) .

The Minister of Interior, Dr Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, made the declaration on behalf of the federal government in Abuja.

Tunji-Ojo congratulated the Muslim Ummah both home

Facebook post on his timeline, saying that he is ready to die.

He wrote: “Son of man is being taken to Ogun State Police CID at Eleweran, Abeokuta. They claim the

State government wrote a petition against me.

“If it is death, I follow the path of the Patriarchs. Ase di owo Olodumare!”

Adedayo was impeached

less than two weeks ago after he had earlier been suspended following the allegation against the governor.

The former Chairman was

also invited and detained by the Ogun State Command of the Department of the State Services(DSS), on the same allegation, for some days before he was released.

Mbah Calls for New Maintenance Model as Bridge Collapses in Enugu

Gideon arinze inenugu

Governor of Enugu,Peter Mbah, asked the federal government to introduce new road maintenance models that would guarantee better condition and longevity of Nigerian roads, regretting that the current model had failed abysmally.

Mbah stated this yesterday when

he visited the ever-busy bridge located at the New Artisan Market and the NNPC Mega Station along the Enugu – Port Harcourt expressway which collapsed has collapsed. The collapse might not be unconnected to the weakness of some of the materials holding the bridge which has existed for years.

Being the major bridge along the expressway, the Artisan Bridge sees hundreds of vehicles on a daily basis, including those travelling from Northern Nigeria down to the East and the South-south.

Fielding questions from newsmen after theinspection of the scene of the disaster, Mbah urged the federal government to consider a concession

of all the federal roads in each state to the state governments for proper maintenance in conjunction with the private sector.

While thanking God that no life was lost despite the magnitude of the incident, he said that the question should be whether the current model of federal road maintenance is working or not.

Expert Tasks FG on Private Sector Participation in Medical Tourism

sunday Okobi

The domestic medical tourism expert and Convener of the All Africa Medical and Wellness Expo 2023, Usman Isah, has urged the federal government to key into domestic medical tourism, which he described as an aspect of the

economy that can help drive healthcare development in Nigeria. He added that if the private sector can see the medical sector as one with opportunities for investment, it would go a long way in enhancing the development in healthcare as well as domestic tourism in Nigeria.

He made the call during a media chat with journalists in the health and tourism sector. Isah called on the government to create the enabling environment for businesses in the health sector in order for it to thrive.

According to him, “A thriving business health sector will go a long way in fostering healthy completion

in the sector and in turn enhance the growth and development of medical tourism in the country.

‘’Nigeria is doing a lot wrong in the drive to get Medical Tourism right. A strong policy on Domestic Tourism and incentive for quality patient management will go a long way for the sector.’’

LSPWC Boss: Torrential Rainfall Still a Challenge to Our Operations

The Lagos State Public Works Corporation (LSPWC) has once again lamented the disruption of its scheduled road maintenance and rehabilitation activities by the continuous heavy down pour being experienced in most parts of the state.

The General Manager of LSPWC, Lateef Somide, stated this yesterday while speaking on the on-going efforts of his agency to make Lagos roads motorable in spite of the rains.

According to him, the corporation has been significantly

handicapped by the rainfall pattern being experienced in Lagos this year 2023 owing to the fact that road maintenance and rehabilitation operation can only be carried out efficiently under clement weather.

He added that even though the current situation is a manifestation

of global warming which has caused varied degrees of devastation to countries across the world, its impact on Lagos roads has been particularly significant due to the high water table nature of the topography in most part of the state.

Gunmen Abduct Benue Information Commissioner, One Other

George Okoh in makurdi

Suspected gunmen last Sunday stormed the residence of the Benue State Commissioner of Information, Culture and Tourism, Matthew Abo, in Zaki-Biam and abducted him.

According to local sources,

the kidnappers came on four motorcycles around 8 p.m. and ordered everyone in the house, including the commissioner’s wife and children, to lie face down and took him away to an unknown destination on one of the motorcycles.

The witnesses said the

abductors compelled the commissioner at gunpoint to sit behind the rider of one of the motorcycles while a gunman sandwiched him.

The matter has been reported to the police.

Abo was sworn in as a member of the Benue State

Executive Council on August 29, 2023.

He hails from Ukum Local Government Area in the state, which has been a major flashpoint of criminal activities with rampant killings and kidnappings in recent times.

Navy Counters Alleged Violation of Public Rules by NCAT

Kingsley Nwezeh inabuja

and in diaspora for witnessing the occasion.

He admonished Nigerians to imbibe the spirit of love, patience, tolerance and perseverance which were deep spiritual virtues that the Holy Prophet exemplified.

The minister also urged Nigerians, especially the youth to embrace the virtues of hard work and peaceful disposition to fellow humans, irrespective of faith, ideology, social class and ethnicity.

The Nigerian Navy, yesterday, countered allegations of corruption levelled against the Nigerian Navy Holdings Limited by the Network Against Corruption and Trafficking (NACAT).

It said the NHL was not involved in any contract award as a new management took charge of the organisation two months ago. A statement by the Group Public Relations Officer of the Navy Holdings Limited, Commander Blessed Nuhu,

said the management was only interested in renegotiating contracts that expired.

“To set the records straight, a new management resumed at NHL about two months ago, and since then, no contracts have been awarded to anyone by the new

management.

“The management is only in the process of renegotiating contracts that have expired. Consequently, developers whose contracts have expired were stopped from working while renegotiations are ongoing,” it said.

Bello Distributes ICT Enhancement Business Tools to 110 Women in Kogi

ibrahim OyewaleinLokoja

As part of efforts to ensure that Kogi State people are lifted out of poverty, the state Governor, Yahaya Adoza Bello, has distributed Information and Communication Technology (ICT) enhancement business tools

to 110 beneficiaries of the Kogi State Micro Scale Enterprises.

While presenting the ICT enhancement tools to the beneficiaries at the Government House in Lokoja yesterday, Bello tasked the women to make judicious use of the tools to grow

their businesses.

The governor, who was represented by the Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Mrs. Ayoade Folashade Arike, congratulated the beneficiaries for being part of the selected few.

He explained that the programme

was initiated by the state government in line with the determination to empower women out of poverty, and also be self-reliant.

Bello pointed out that the ICT enhancement tools distributed are strictly for their business, warning that they are not for sale.

Holger Sass;Marketing Manager, Advanced Concrete Technologies, Irene Ntiokiet, and Factory Manager, Mr. Vikash Sharma, during an evening with Advanced Concrete Technologies in Lagos… recently ETOP UKUTT

Police Quiz NFF Staff over Alleged World Cup Visa Scam

Olawale Ajimotokan in Abuja

The Federal Criminal Investigation Department (FCID) of the Nigeria Police in Area 10, Garki, Abuja is grilling the Head, Marketing and Sponsorship of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), Mr Chuks Alizor, over allegations of running a visa scam and obtaining money under false pretence from fans that intended travelling to the last FIFA Women’s World Cup in New Zealand and Australia.

THISDAY learnt yesterday that Police officials arrested Alizor on Friday and only released him on

bail after a lawyer, Odezi Ighomoh Esq, petitioned the Deputy Inspector General of Police, Force Criminal Investigation Department, Nigeria Police Force, Abuja over the scam that happened between April and July this year.

In the petition dated September 4, 2023, sighted by THISDAY, two fans, Mr Duke Uche Eseka and Obiakor Chris Albert Okechukwu, reported of being scammed to part with huge sums of money to obtain visa and match tickets in order to travel to the FIFA Women’s World Cup finals in Australia and New Zealand. But following inability of

the NFF official to deliver on his promise and his refusal to return their money, the two aggrieved fans sought the help of the police to make Alizor to refund all that they spent during the processing.

The complaints also addressed copies of their petition to the Chairman, Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), Office of the Minister of Sports Development, the Chairman, Public Complaint Commission, and Chairman, Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

The Law firm of Odezi Ighomor Esq, which acted as solicitor on behalf

of the petitioners, who resided in Lagos, said in the petition that the NFF top shot asked the two of them to pay the sum N7,722,000 to facilitate the visa issuance.

They said that after making the payment into two accounts and being asked to undergo biometrics capturing and paying for hotel accommodation in Abuja, the accused refused and neglected to process the applications.

They said they made the payments into accounts belonging to Complete Design and Packaging Limited and Prudent Class Unique Resources Ltd.

The petitioners said that after

several calls and messages to Alizor, the accused sent a purported rejection letter from the Australian Embassy.

They alleged that upon careful examination of the said refusal letter, it was discovered that there was no documents like bank statement, police character certificate, travel insurance, flight itinerary, hotel reservation, medical tests, match tickets and visa fee that they paid for to back up their said visa application.

They however also alleged that they were not the only victims of the scam by the senior NFF officer. Over 500 members of the Nigeria Football Supporters Club seeking

visas to Australia and New Zealand were also scammed after parting with $120 each for match tickets and N320,000 each as visa application fee. They claimed that that applications submitted by Alizor was a sham as many complained about their applications as they did not get their visa approved nor their applications properly processed. No official of the NFF was ready to speak on the matter when approached yesterday. The telephone numbers of Director of Communication of the NFF, Ademola Olajire could not be reached as at press time.

FG Backs NFF’s Bid for Nigeria to Host AFCON 2027

Duro Ikhazuagbe

The Minister of Sports Development, Senator John Owan Enoh, will be attending the Confederation of African Football (CAF) Executive Committee meeting in Cairo, Egypt, as Nigeria perfects her bid to host the Africa Cup of Nation (AFCON) in 2027.

CAF is expected to announce the hosts for the 2025, 2027 and 2029 editions of the tournament on Wednesday in Cairo.

Nigeria last jointly hosted the continental football showpiece in year 2000 with Ghana.

L-R:

the unveiling of the trophy and draw for the maiden 1XBET Grassroots Football Tournament in Lagos...yesterday.

Eguavoen, Amokachi Commend 1XBET for Sponsoring Grassroots Football Tourney

Technical Director of the Nigeria Football Federation(NFF), Austin Eguavoen and former Super Eagles Captain, Daniel Amokachi, have commended leading sports betting company, 1XBET, for giving opportunities to Nigerian youths to groom their soccer talents at the grassroots.

The grassroots football competition sponsored by 1XBET is scheduled for between October 3 and November 10 in Lagos.

Speaking at the unveiling of the 1BET Football Tournament trophy and draw ceremony at the Radisson Blu Hotel in Lagos yesterday, both ex-internationals said they didn’t have the kind of opportunities provided by the the sports betting company when they were growing up.

Eguavoen who is a former Super Eagles player and coach recalled that tournaments like the 1XBET Grassroots Tournament “is opportunity for players to showcase their God-given talents and possibly get the traction that will give wings to their careers as footballers.”

He therefore urged other corporate entities to emulate 1XBET in helping to grow Nigeria sports from the grassroots.

Amokachi stressed that because football unites people more than anything else, “we can use it to unite Nigerians to be great again.”

Fondly called “Da Bull”during his national team days, Amokachi also recalled how in 1996, football (the AFCON) brought South Africans together despite all that

they went through in the dark days of apartheid.

“God used the AFCON in 1996 to unite South Africans. Although if Super Eagles had participated as defending champions the story may have been different, Bafana Bafana winning the tournament at home meant so much to the people,” recalled Amokachi.

Chairman of 1XBET, Dr Femi Babalola who expressed his

enthusiasm over the tournament, described it as one of the company’s Corporate Social Responsibilities. The 1XBET Chairman pledged to make it a national event in subsequent editions.

Chairman of the Nigerian National League (NNL) board, Mr George Aluo and former coach and General Secretary of the NFF, Fanny Amun were amongst some of the football personalities that grace the event at

Radisson Blu in Ikeja. Also at the event were several ex-international players like Henry Nwosu, Franklin Howard, Taiwo Oloyede, Friday Ekpo, Wasiu Ipaye, Monday Kanu, Friday Elahor, Peter Nieketen, Victor Agali, and others. Forty teams drawn into eight groups to play in round-robin format in five conferences, were selected from all the local government areas of Lagos State.

Lagos Boxer, Michael, Knocks-out Effiong in First Round

Bolarinwa Michael knocked out Asuquo Effiong from Cross River state in round one at the ongoing National Youth Games.

The Lagos rising pugilist set the pace on the ring after landing continuous punches to achieve a victory in his first outing at the developmental Games. Bolarinwa in blue corner competed in the 46kg category.His next bout is against Odumosor Precious from Delta state. The boxing event is taking place at the St. Patrick’s College, Thanimade Hall, Asaba, Delta State.

Meanwhile, organisers of the Games in Asaba have dismissed controversy generated by pictures in social media about some states’ athletes sleeping on mattresses on floor of a hall.

Chairman of the Local Organising Committee (LOC), Tonobok Okowa,

explained to journalists covering the Games that some of the states brought more than the required number of athletes entered for the Games.

“To organise a successful National Sports Festival needs long planning, and we did all our arrangement long before now,” Okowa began.

He added: “There is what we call Delegate Registration Meeting (DRM), and at the meeting with the Main Organising Committee (MOC), every state presented the number of athletes they are bringing to the NYG. That was how we arrived at that number of 4,500 athletes for the Games.

“But to our surprise, some states brought in more athletes than the required number to congest the

hostel accommodation. They took them to the hostel even without our knowledge.

“For instance, Bayelsa has 366 athletes in the DRM, but they brought in additional 50 athletes, which has put their total athletes at 416. Kwara state was supposed to present 167 athletes for the Games, but the state now has 194 athletes (27 extra).

“Osun State was supposed to present 107, but they now have 144 athletes (37 extra), while Benue State was supposed to present 56 athletes, but they now have 84 (28 extra). There are other states with additional number of athletes here, and it will be difficult to prevent the young athletes from using the hostel facilities."

Senator Enoh will be attending the meeting taking place tomorrow, Wednesday September 27, 2023 as the representative of the Federal Government of Nigeria. The delegation will also make a presentation on the country’s readiness to host while in Cairo.

He is attending the meeting alongside top executive members of the NFF.

All countries that submitted bids to host the AFCON in 2025 and 2027

are expected to attend the meeting, where the independent assessment committees of CAF will submit their reports for assessments and discussions by CAF EXCO.

The Nigerian delegation includes; President of the NFF, Alhaji Ibrahim Gusau, General Secretary, Dr. Mohammed Sanusi and bid Coordinator, Mallam Mainasara Ilo.

Nigeria will make a 10 minute presentation to the CAF EXCO, and will thereafter have time to answer questions on the readiness to host Nigeria’s only time as host of the AFCON was in 1980 when Christian Chukwu led the Green Eagles to win the title in front of passionate home fans, including former President Shehu Shagari. The joint hosting with Ghana ended in tears as Cameroon’s Indomitable Lions ran away with these trophy as the same National Stadium in Lagos.

After Cameroon hosted the delayed 2021 edition, Côte d’Ivoire will be hosting the 2023 edition moved to between January and February next year.

N150m at Stake as NPFL Kicks off Saturday

The Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) has officially announced Saturday, September 30 as the commencement date for the 2023/24 season of the Nigerian topflight league.

In a letter dated Monday, September 25, the Chief Operating Officer of the league, Davidson Owumi, also notified the 20 participating clubs that the champions of the season would receive N150million which is a 50% increase from last season's prize money.

Another highlight of the letter to the clubs is the payment of start-off

grants of a total of N200m to the 20 clubs.

"The 20 clubs will, as was done last season receive a take-off grant of Ten Million Naira (N10,000,000) each to smoothen your operations as the season starts.

"We are therefore expecting the Clubs to as a matter of urgency forward their respective account details to the NPFL Secretariat for the transfer of the said amount as the season is set to commence on Saturday, September 30, 2023", Owumi stated in the letter addressed to all Club Chairmen and General Managers.

Okowa: Count Me out of Tenure Elongation as Delta Sports Chairman

Chairman of the Delta State Sports Commission, Chief Tonobok Okowa, has stated unequivocally that he has no wish for his tenure to be extended nor to be returned to office to lead the state’s sports. Okowa made the clarification yesterday following publication in a section of the sporting media that some athletes and officials of Team Delta were calling for him to be retained for two more years after the expiration of his tenure next

February.

Reacting to the publication, Okowa pointed out that the call was unnecessary as he has no interest in continuing after his tenure, moreover, the state has an established process for the management and administration of the commission which he believes should be maintained.

"First of all, I have no interest in remaining as Chairman of the Commission after my tenure, whether by extension or reappointment.

Chairman of 1XBET, Dr Femi Babalola; Former Super Eagles star player, Mr. Daniel Amokachi and Chairman of the Nigerian National League (NNL), Mr. George Aluo at

PHOTO: Shegolpix

NATIONAL YOUTH GAMES

Peterside to INEC

“I am talking now as an economist. We spent at least N350bn to create something like the INEC iReV that was supposed to put things beyond doubt. In the Osun governorship elections, everything was done almost correctly. By 6pm, many of us on the iReV website had known the results, but for the Presidency there was talk about a glitch. If they got it right for Osun, what stopped INEC from getting it right at the Presidency?” --Founder, StanbicIBTCBank,AtedoPeterside,upbraidsINECforfailingsof2023elections.

TUESDAY WITH REUBEN ABATI

abati1990@gmail.com

We Are All MohBad: A Cultural Essay

Beyond politics – Tinubu’s maiden trip to the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), Atiku Abubakar’s voyage of discovery for Tinubu’s academic records in the United States, revelations regarding how the Presidency lied about the President’s stop-over after the G20 Summit on his way back home at the United Arab Emirates, the increasing failure of the Naira without respite, the proposed strike by organized Labour, and other urgent matters political in the public domain – no other matter has been of greater compelling attention and significance than the sudden, surprising death of 27-year old artist, musician, song-writer, and rapper, Ilerioluwa Oladimeji Aloba popularly known as MohBad or Imole. No other death of an artist has caught the popular imagination in Nigeria in recent times as his. His departure has been like the eruption of a volcano, with the lava spreading uphill and downhill. When beggars die so said the poet, there are no comets seen. But when Princes die, even the Heavens themselves blaze forth the glory. So it has been with MohBad: a life so short, and yet so impactful, more so in death than in life. He was a prince of his art. What lessons can we learn from this phenomenon that has been thrust upon us by fate and circumstances?

Many years ago, in 2007 to be precise, I wrote a piece on the pages of The Guardian newspaper titled “A Nation’s Identity Crisis” in which touting my credentials as a trained expert in dramaturgy, ethnomusicology and the entire range of theatre arts theory and criticism, having taught the same subjects myself, I argued, with special focus on contemporary Nigerian music at the time that an emergent “Naija, Nija, or 9ja” generation had lost touch with their original roots. I raised questions about a palpable slip into the “age of abbreviations” of talent and everything else, characterized by the emergence of a new generation that was in “a hurry.” It was a comparative essay between the old tradition and the “post-modernist, deconstructive temper of emergent youth culture which as I argued was marked by a Grunge character that suited non-meaning and alienation. That piece I believe should be available online in this season of social media reality. In it, I praised the old culture, the musicians of the earlier generations – the 60s till the 80s – whose music had a proper complexus of sound, shape, sense, skills and authenticity as major highlight. In contrast, I found contemporary music then to be highly deficient in the same respects, bogged down as it was by populism, commercial appeal, wannabe affectations and a befuddling lack of depth. Accordingly, I predicted that many of the emergent superstars of the period would not survive for long because their talent was not original enough; it was mere hype, propped up by animation and the synthetic piano. In those days, we had artists with swollen heads who thought naively that they had arrived. One of them, Rooftop MC in fact told everyone: “Ori mi wu o, e lagi mo.” I concluded then that “most of the music being produced now will not be listenable in another five years and this perhaps is the certain fate of commercial art that is driven by branding, show and cash.

My intervention stirred the hornets’ nest. For more than two months, the super artistes who felt their ego had been bruised attacked me on the pages of The Guardian and elsewhere. My colleague, Jahman Anikulapo, Arts Editor of The Guardian then, allowed all shades of opinion to flourish. He opened up the pages to a robust debate. Some of those who responded to me included Banky W., El Dee and a host of others. Looking back on those days, I guess I may have been proven right. Many of the musicians I predicted would not make the long-distance run have since fallen by the roadside. Only the truly talented can make

that long-distance journey. In the 18th Century in Venice, Italy and Austria, Antonio Salieri was a far more popular composer than Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart in Europe. He got better patronage from the courts. Posthumously, however, Mozart has proven to be the true Amadeus – chosen by God, a true legend, eternally recognized for his genius, not momentary popularity. Salieri remains unknown.

I have given this background to show that the uninformed, the uninvolved who relate to develop- ments in the cultural space, without education, relying on sentiments, may in the fullness of time discover that they may have been driven more by emotions rather than the truth, or a proper, intelligent reflection on the matter at hand. Our departure point is the death, last week, of 27-year-old Ilerioluwa Oladimeji Aloba, a tragedy which has now become a cause celebre. There has been an enormous outpouring of grief from all parts of the world. Processions have been organized in Lagos, Abeokuta, Akure, Benin, Lagos, Ikorodu, Abuja, Wolverhampton, London, UK, Canada and Spain. In New York, MohBad’s image was on the screen at the Times Square. In nearby Ghana, elderly women took to the streets and mourned as they joined others in asking for #JusticeforMohbad - a clear testament to the power of music as a universal, semiotically, unifying referent and language. MohBad’s songs – Feel Good, Ponmo, KoPorKe topped the charts in the UK and elsewhere. He became a greater star in death. Many who have trooped out, asking for justice because they have bought into the narrative that there was foul play in his death, may never have even listened to any of his songs. But his spirit has proven to be stronger in death than in life. In metaphysics, there is this belief that certain spirits are indestructible. Fela. Ayinla Omowura. Victor Olaiya. Fatai Rolling Dollars. Michael Jackson. Bob Marley. In other words, the transcendentalism of the human spirit - but the residue in this matter is the force of good art, further confirmed in the eponymous quote by Horace that “art is long, life is short.” MohBad’ s music seems destined to live beyond him.

It is important for us to ponder on the lessons of his example rather than the attempt to jump to conclusions about the circumstances of his death. The Lagos State authorities have exhumed his body for an autopsy. All the conspiracy theorists who have raised questions about blood that was found in his grave when his corpse was exhumed (those who know insist this is not unusual); those

who query why he had to be buried so quickly and in an unbefitting space, those who argue that there is a foul play and that they have an idea about the identity of the killers and their agents should all at this moment clam down and allow the pathologist to do their work, and the security agencies to conclude their investigations. The response of state agents so far is commendable, especially the empathy that has been demonstrated by the Lagos State Government and the Nigeria Police. The creative community has also shown solidarity in a most impressive manner. MohBad is dead and gone. Those who are using his death to fight personal battles, chase clout, gain attention and play games should calm down, and look beyond their own emotions.

There is a MohBad in all of us, a part of him that speaks to the depths of our cravings, outer realities, and fears. Young or old, man or woman, we all wake up every morning hoping that God’s grace will shine upon us. MohBad enjoyed heavenly Grace, no matter how briefly, in life and death. In death, he became a catalyst for the expression of youth angst and despair in Nigeria and elsewhere. Yet he grew up amidst deprivation. It is perhaps true after all that heroes do not wear capes. They could come from the ghettos. MohBad’s mother left his father. He grew up under the wings of a problematic step-mother who has been studiously silent. Good for her. MohBad managed to complete secondary school education and gained admission into a Polytechnic. But he would eventually drop out to pursue his passion: Music. He was brought to the limelight by Naira Marley Records. When he eventually decided to leave this particular label to set up his own: Imole Nation, his travails began. He was hounded from pillar to post by his former Managers. He reported to the police and even sang about his travails in his records. Many of those now shedding crocodile tears heard his cries for help, even in his songs, but nobody raised a finger to help. We are all sad enough in the same space: a random check will reveal millions of persons who had home troubles like MohBad, work troubles as he had, and who also lived in fear and anxiety like him, and who slipped into depression, and who in the midst of it all, made wrong choices, or just one wrong choice that ends it all. MohBad, young as he was, lived an impactful life, but many in his shoes die unsung. Perhaps if he received help and support, not having to bear so much burden at his young age…Think upon these things.

There are many broken children like him, products of a broken home who manage to find their way in life, but whose background limits their chances. The artist who made good, created good music and a sellable brand has been made a further victim of family circumstances. His shameless father has been all over the place, hugging the limelight, proclaiming himself as the father of a dead son. Could he have done something different to keep the boy alive? MohBad’s mother who abandoned him for 15 years suddenly took over his home in Lekki after his death, to attend to visitors. The young widow, Wunmi who had a five-month son for him was so promptly marginalized, the lady’s sister had to cry out on social media! What I remember from some of the reports is that MohBad’s mother has been whining that her son had promised to give her N5 million before he died. What exactly is she missing? Her son or N5 million? According to the reports, concerned persons like Davido and others have contributed funds for the upbringing of the innocent son that MohBad left behind. What is the guarantee that Wunmi, the boy’s mother would not eventually be driven away and eventually accused of killing MohBad, when an inevitable struggle for money and benefits, who-takes-what begins.? Obviously MohBad was too young to write a will. Nobody

expects to die so young. Many are in this same boat. You spend your entire life supporting family. When you die and your children are still young, the vultures in the family and among your friends move in to inherit whatever they can - including the wife you left behind. Family members start the war by accusing your wife and her family of witchcraft. In MohBad’s case, some characters even asked for the DNA of his son.

There are more lessons certainly to be learnt, especially by artistes still within the creative space. A major thread of the MohBad narrative has been how he was reportedly maltreated and dehumanized by his former Manager, Naira Marley: anger over his decision to leave the Marlians, death threats, assault, blackmail and intimidation. MohBad decided to establish his own record label and that even worsened his situation. Disc jockeys and radio stations were allegedly instructed not to play his music. On one occasion, he was physically assaulted, He reported to the police but when he was called upon to identify his assailants, he was the one who failed to show up. He was too scared to talk. Imole’s fans are convinced that his travails reflect their own circumstances: the oppression and victimization of youths by power figures in the public and private arenas. This is why in part they ask for justice. It is in the nature of artists and their craft to inspire passion. We urge caution. Many of the people using MohBad’s death to draw attention to themselves -more have turned the ,tragedy into an enterprise, or to chase clout – that is what most are doing, most cynically should please allow the pathologists and the police to do their work, so we can have proper closure.

I find even more curious the indication that MohBad was treated for an ear infection in a hospital – Perez Hospital - by an auxiliary nurse. The said nurse has since been arrested only for us to be told that she is not even a nurse at the named hospital. The hospital has since denied ever treating him and that MohBad was brought in dead, lifeless. I find this curious. Why would a rising star who has enough money to promise his mother a N5 million gift, and enough money to live in Lekki, allow himself to be treated and administered injection by a random nurse at home? Why did he not visit a proper hospital early? The older musicians that I praised were far more circumspect. The more modern singers who emerged after their generation may not have been as talented. This new generation are the worst that I have seen, though. They can sing and dance, and they have been helped by technology, and increased globalization. But this is nonetheless a unique generation that is on drugs. They are also different because their space has been taken over by occultic groups. Artistes are required to be high on certain drugs and pay allegiance to a cabal. It is most difficult to see that the new generation is permanently high on something. This is one of the biggest threats to talent and tradition in Nigeria today. Our artists do not bother to take good care of their personal health. They prefer to buy diamonds. Flashy cars. Fine homes and those pimpernels who appear as if they have just stepped out of God’s beauty parlour. They travel in private jets too. In due course, their investments take a second seat. There is an emerging greater emphasis on vainglory rather than true art, and a definitive colonial mentality in Nigeria’s cultural space, identified in our 2007 analysis, but now more the case with the ills of drugs and occultism to boot. Who will save our artistes?

MohBad’s death is a tragedy that calls for reflection and soul-searching. Is there anything that can be done to assist the multitude in the creative space who have to grapple with issues of relationships, contracts with managers, the devilish context of operation, society’s expectations and the ephemerality and tensions of stardom?

The late MohBad