TUESDAY 27TH SEPTEMBER 2022

Adebanjo: Why Afenifere is Supporting Peter Obi’s Presidential Bid Segun James The acting leader of Afenifere, a Pan-Yoruba socio-political group, Chief Ayo Adebanjo, has clarified that the decision to back the presidential aspiration of Mr. Peter Obi of the Labour Party (LP), was in line with ideological and equitable principles of the group.

Adebanjo, gave this clarification yesterday at a press conference at WheatBaker Hotel, Ikoyi, Lagos, in reaction to a statement by the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, that Adebanjo has turned Afenifere into his 'personal estate' as Acting Leader.

Tinubu had criticised elder statesman over claims that Afenifere had endorsed Obi, insisting that as an individual, Adebanjo could not equate himself with Afenifere.

The Afenifere leader said, the decision to support Obi was in line with that of the defunct Action Group (AG), which upheld strong advocacy for federalism as the

best form of government to give the federating units the requisite atmosphere to thrive and peacefully compete among themselves for the ultimate development of the country.

But Adebanjo insisted that Afenifere was known for its social welfarist ideology of the defunct Action Group founded by the late

sage, Chief Obafemi Awolowo, noting that backing of Obi, who hails from the South East as the next president of Nigeria, was Afenifere’s modest contribution to shaping Nigeria into a federation, where no person or ethnic nationality is oppressed.

He recalled that Afenifere had insisted and still advocated

restructuring in the countdown to the 2023 general election, and long before the parties conducted their conventions to pick their officers and candidates.

Adebanjo argued that it was based on the quest for peace, equity and inclusiveness that a Continued on page 10

INEC: In 2023, Clear Winners Must Score Highest Votes in Poll, One-third of Votes in Two-thirds of 36 States... Page 27 Tuesday 27 September, 2022 Vol 27. No 10031. Price: N250

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Nigeria’s Troubled Power Grid Collapses Again, Begins Recovery... Page 26

Akeredolu: Amotekun Must Be Given Arms to Carry Out Its Duties Seeks support to fight marauders committing crimes against humanity Fidelis David in Akure Chairman of South-west Governors' Forum and Governor of Ondo State, Mr. Oluwarotimi

Akeredolu, yesterday, said the region's Security Network Agency, codenamed 'Amotekun', must be allowed to bear appropriate tools and weapons to curb marauders

committing crimes against humanity. Akeredolu explained that the incontestable authority of the state must be imposed in the country, which was being threatened by

brazen conflict entrepreneurs as well as armed and audacious non-state actors.

The governor spoke in Akure at the Passing-Out Parade of Courses 3

and 4 of the State Amotekun Corps.

He asserted that state security outfits backed by law, whether in western Nigeria, Katsina, Borno, Benue or any northern state, must

have access to the same sophisticated weapons that the marauders had. He said his administration Continued on page 10

Ortom Breaks with Wike, Says He’s Not Supporting Ayu's Removal Reaffirms confidence in his ability to lead party to victory PDP stakeholders pressure Atiku to prevail on chairman to quit Dino Melaye: We’re not threatened by our competitors Ex-VP appoints Saraki, Anyim, Shekarau, Secondus, others special advisers Chuks Okocha in Abuja, George Oko in Makurdi and Omo-Julius Onabu in Asaba Benue State Governor Samuel Ortom, yesterday, dismissed insinuations that he was in support of the removal of National Chairman of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Dr. Iyorchia Ayu, saying it is impossible for him to advocate the removal of someone he helped to appoint.

Ortom reasserted his confidence in Ayu’s ability to lead the party to victory in next year’s general election, in a surprising contrast to the position of his close ally, Rivers State Governor Nyesom Wike.

The governor was reacting to accusations by a group, Jemgbagh Development Association, that he was involved in the ouster moves against the PDP national chairman, a fellow Benue man.

But more PDP stakeholders continued to mount pressure on Continued on page 10

BUHARI MEETS EXXONMOBIL PRESIDENT IN NEW YORK...

L-R: ExxonMobil Executive Director, Ms Adesuwa Dozie, President Muhammadu Buhari and President of ExxonMobil Upstream Companies, Mr. Liam Mallon, during a bilateral meeting with PHOTO: SUNDAY AGHAEZE. ExxonMobil President on Upstream at the margins of 77th Session of the United Nations General Assembly, in New York, USA... weekend

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

NEWS

NIREC WORKING TOGETHER FOR JUSTICE AND PEACE...

L-R: Emeritus, Catholic Archbishop of Abuja, His Eminence John Cardinal Onaiyekan; Etsu of Nupe, Alhaji Yahaya Abubakar; President of Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) and co-chairman of the Nigeria Inter-Religious Council (NIREC), Most Rev. Daniel Okoh; Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu; Sultan of Sokoto and co-chairman of NIREC, His Eminence Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar; representative of the SGF, the Permanent Secretary, Office of SGF (General Duties), Dr. Nnamdi Maurice Mbaeri; Shehu of Borno, Alhaji Abubakar Ibn Umar Garbai El-Kanemi; Emir of Kano, Aminu Ado Bayero and Chairman, CAN Lagos state chapter, Bishop Stephen Adegbite, during the third quarter meeting of NIREC held in Lagos… yesterday

EIU: Inflation, Fiscal Pressures May Cause Serious Political Challenges for Nigeria Predicts currency devaluation as global oil prices dip by 2026 Says neglecting problems in ‘periphery states’ may lead to implosion Dollar demand by politicians piling pressure on local currency, reveals group Maintains impact of current insecurity will take decades to address Emmanuel Addeh in Abuja The rising inflation and fiscal pressures the country is currently experiencing may likely lead to serious political challenges for the current administration, the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU), the research and analysis division of the Economist Group, has predicted.

As insecurity remained chronic in many areas, and inflation as well as unemployment accentuated the problem, a report by the organisation stated that the

backdrop made much-needed but unpopular economic and fiscal reforms more difficult.

EIU said the situation will further worsen the economy, with other contributory factors being power supply issues and monetary tightening policies.

However, it predicted that growth will be stronger in 2023-25 owing to higher exports and lower imports in real terms, but added that it ultimately expects the economy to remain fragile and reliant on oil.

The report said, “Inflation and

fiscal pressures will cause political problems for Nigeria. The RussiaUkraine war will push up inflation through higher prices for diesel and for wheat, a staple. The fiscal deficit will widen to a multi-decade high as high world fuel prices push up the bill for petrol subsidies and as crude oil output remains low.”

In addition, it said that the current foreign-exchange scarcity might abate in 2022-25, as the current account moved into surplus in those years while devaluation of the naira was expected in 2026 as

global oil prices dipped.

“We expect Nigeria to end monetary tightening from 2023, unlike central banks globally. The central bank is more concerned about output gaps than inflation, and will therefore fail to act aggressively enough to bring inflation down to target,” it said.

Although a signatory to an Africa-wide free-trade agreement, EIU stated that the government's approach to regional trade would be protectionist in the short term.

The group further adjusted its

Presidency Denies Calling for Keyamo’s Removal as APC Campaign Spokesman It's fake news, minister declares Tinubu, Shettima travel to UK amidst campaign list controversy Buhari back in Abuja after UNGA77 summit in New York Deji Elumoye and Adedayo Akinwale in Abuja The Presidency yesterday described as fake news an online report that President Muhammadu Buhari has called for the removal of the Minister of State for Labour and Employment, Festus Keyamo as spokesman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential campaign council.

Presidential spokesman, Mallam Garba Shehu, in reaction to the report by the online newspaper, stressed that the unfounded report was part of conspiracy theories being hatched by detractors to defame the ruling party.

He noted that both President Muhammadu Buhari and APC presidential flag bearer, Mr. Bola Tinubu were satisfied with Keyamo's performance as campaign spokesman.

Shehu, in a statement explained: "The news that President Muhammadu Buhari has called for the removal of Festus Keyamo, SAN as a spokesperson of the APC Presidential Campaign Council is fake news.

"Both President Buhari and the Presidential Candidate, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu are happy with the job Keyamo doing, and with the general set up of the impending campaign, which has already become an example for other parties.

"We aware that conspiracy theories are being hatched with a ripple effect to defame our party leaders and hold back the campaign.

Supporters of our candidates should not pay attention to “news” from these fountains of false narratives".

Also reacting to the report, Keyamo described it as fake news.

Reacting to the report in a tweet from his verified twitter handle, Keyamo wrote: "Very funny fake news. When people feel uncomfortable with your uncompromising defence of your mandate, they promote such fake news to achieve a purpose.

"The opposition think they can plant stories to destabilise our ranks.

This is the height of the panic mode they find themselves."

However, amidst the controversy that trailed the presidential campaign council list of the ruling APC,

its presidential candidate, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu is off to the United Kingdom.

The trip, it was gathered, was earlier scheduled last week but had to be delayed as a result of the controversy that trailed the presidential campaign council list.

A source who pleaded anonymity disclosed that Tinubu's trip to London was to rest for about a week, take a break from all the meetings at home and prepare for the campaign.

However, the source couldn't confirm if the APC presidential candidate would be meeting with the Governor of Rivers state, Nyesom Wike.

Tinubu and his running mate, Senator Kashim Shettima left Nigeria for London on Saturday while Wike and Benue State Governor, Samuel Ortom left for London on Friday.

The source added that the APC presidential candidate may also see his doctors for a medical check-up.

The source stated: "He's not in London to see Wike, that is not why is there. He is in London for a short holiday to prepare him for

the campaigns.

“I know that he's in London to rest and prepare himself for the campaign. It is not impossible that he will see his doctors. His doctors are in London, he might want to Continued on page 12

forecast for the strengthening of the local currency on the back of upcoming election campaigns and as politicians massively mopped up the greenback.

It stated, “Demand for hard currency by campaigning politicians ahead of a general election in February 2023 has exerted pressure on the naira, and we have adjusted our exchange-rate forecast moderately from an average of N416:US$1 to N419.7:US$1 in 2022.

“We have revised up our annual average inflation forecast for 2022, from 17.3 per cent to 19.1 per cent, reflecting strong upward price pressures for food that have exceeded expectations.

“The Nigerian economy has been more resilient to multiple headwinds, both external and domestic, than anticipated, growing by 3.4 per cent in the second quarter of 2022 and powered by services.

Our full-year growth rate forecast has inched up from 2.9 per cent to 3.1 per cent.”

On major risks to its forecast, EIU noted that the new Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) might inspire militancy in the Niger Delta, while social unrest forced government to make concessions on its reform agenda and the government adopted a permanently restrictive

attitude towards regional trade.

It further predicted a moderate chance that Boko Haram activities might spread from northeastern to central Nigeria, while the banking sector underwent another crisis, which were risk scenarios that might substantially change the business operating environment over the coming two years.

Stressing that the Muhammadu Buhari presidency had been undermined by a sharp deterioration in security conditions across the country, the report noted that the problem had reached a scale that could take several generations to address.

The report said, “Ethno-linguistic and religious divides are compounded by mass poverty, and the government lacks the resources (and often the will) to make federal Nigeria function as a whole.

“The military and police are overstretched and unable to tackle the multiple security crises simultaneously. Emergencies will be triaged, with military resources deployed to whichever emergency is considered most pressing.

“There will be unceasing conflict in the north-east, particularly in Borno state, between the military Continued on page 10

Adeyemi Appointed KPMG Regional Senior Partner as Elebute Retires KPMG, one of the leading global professional services firms in the country has announced the appointment of Tola Adeyemi as the Regional Senior Partner and Chief Executive of KPMG in Nigeria and West Africa.

The appointment which becomes effective from October 1, 2022, followed the retirement of Kunle Elebute, who has completed his tenure as National Senior Partner and Chairman of KPMG Africa.

According to a statement yesterday, Adeyemi has over 33 years of professional experience advising companies across various

sectors of the economy and had worked both in Nigeria and South Africa.

In addition, he has held several leadership roles within the firm and prior to his appointment was the Head of Audit Services overseeing the growth and quality of the firm’s audit business.

Tola holds a first-class honours degree in Accounting from the University of Ife. He is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria, a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Taxation and a member of the Institute of Directors of Nigeria.

He is an alumnus of various management and leadership programmes of the Harvard Business School, Wharton, INSEAD and the Lagos Business School.

“His appointment follows the retirement of Kunle Elebute, who has completed his tenure as National Senior Partner and Chairman of KPMG Africa.

According to a statement from the firm.

“Kunle Elebute’s retirement takes effect from 30 September 2022. His retirement follows a successful 40-year career,” the statement added.

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OPENING CEREMONY OF THE ROUNDTABLE FOR HEADS OF COURTS...

L-R: President, National Industrial Court of Nigeria, Hon. Benedict Kanyip; President Court of Appeal, Hon. Justice Dongban Mensem; Chief Justice of Nigeria, Hon. Justice Olukayode Ariwoola; Administrator, National Judicial Institute(NJI), Hon. Justice Salisu Garba Abdullahi, and Chief Judge of Zamfara State, Hon. Justice Kulu Aliyu, during opening ceremony of the Roundtable for Heads of Courts held at the National Judicial Institute in Abuja… yesterday PHOTO: KINGSLEY ADEBOYE

Bad Leadership, Bane of Nigeria’s Challenges, Says Obasanjo Former president inaugurates 29km dual carriage way with two cable bridges in A'Ibom Okonjo-Iweala: Nigeria can fight poverty if economy is properly managed Wale Igbintade in Lagos and Okon Bassey in Uyo Former President, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo has lamented that Nigeria ought not to have any business with poverty, insecurity, or political division, saying challenges the nation was facing was due to bad leadership.

According to him, Nigeria is currently politically divided, economically disunited, and down the drain.

Speaking at the Kingsweek 2022 colloquium which was held at the Kings College, Lagos, Obasanjo said Nigeria as a country was poor, insecure, and had other challenges because of its choice of leaders.

He explained: “We are politically divided, economically disunited we are nowhere, we are down the drain. Diplomatically, Nigeria is not at the table. Before, we had sent troops to Sudan, Sierra Leone, but today, we can’t send troops to the Republic of Benin.

"There are three races in the world - white, yellow, and black.

For now, America is leading the whites, the Chinese are leading the yellow race, and Nigeria with 225 million people is created by God to lead the black race. When we stop disappointing ourselves we can take care of the continent and the black race.

“Nigeria has no business with poverty, insecurity, or political division. It is the choice of our

leaders. It is not God’s choice for us. If God hasn’t chosen that for us we can do better.”

According to him, Nigeria needs a government that understands the country and Africa, which would be fair and sincere with Nigerians, adding that with the right government, this nation could become the right leading country to develop Africa.

In her speech, the Director General of the World Trade Organisation, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala said her dream was for a Nigeria in which 95 per cent of the people had access to potable water, quality education, and more women participation in the political and economic life of the country. ‘‘Nigeria can fight poverty, and improve people’s lives if it is properly managed. Our revenue sources are not diversified we depend only on one revenue. Nigeria lacks a sacrosanct social compact in the country, there should be a guideline that dictates certain things that should be sacrosanct.

“We should have guiding principles to decide how we manage, save, spend and take vigorous actions on our revenues. As a country, we need to have certain indicators of how our economy should be governed. If we do this, we have so much to gain.

“We have had episodes showing we can sustain strong growth, all we need is to work on all key indicators and move in the right direction.

‘‘If we build a strong governance we need to choose our leaders wisely, we need to ensure we build a strong foundation, we need to get our leaders to accept social compact that will take us into the future," she added.

In his remarks, former President, Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Olisa Agbakoba said: “We have been to a lot of conferences and it is time for us to face the real question. We will never come out of this if we don’t sit and ask ourselves if we are really one until the infractions are tackled.

“Do we wish to be one because this marriage was imposed on us?

What marriage do we really want?

Why have we excluded all the nationals at the national conferences we have had?’’

Another guest speaker, former Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, Prof.

Attahiru Jega, enjoined Nigerians to get involved in the political and electoral processes, saying lack of appropriate and quality leadership, selection process, and criteria while choosing leaders were a major challenge in the country.

“Since 1999 till date, there has been a remarkable decline in the quality of leaders. Lack of appropriate selection and criteria in Nigeria’s leadership and electoral process.

The country’s challenges cannot be addressed by bad leaders who have come into power through the faulty recruitment process.’’

APC Adjusts Time-table over Expansion of Campaign List Postpones issuing of appointment letters to nominees indefinitely Adedayo Akinwale in Abuja The All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential Campaign Council (PCC) has announced the adjustment of the time-table of activities earlier earmarked to commence its campaigns indefinitely due to the expansion of its campaign list.

The ruling party had initially scheduled a peace walk and prayers for Wednesday, September 28, 2022, to officially kick-off campaigns for the 2023 presidential elections.

It had also announced that the members of the Campaign Council

should report at its Campaign headquarters on the same day to collect their letters of appointments.

But in a statement issued yesterday by the Director-General of the council and Governor of Plateau State, Simon Lalong, stated that a new date for the commencement of the campaign would be announced.

He stated: "However, due to the expansion of the list to accommodate more stakeholders and interests within the APC family, we have decided to adjust the time-table of these activities in order to ensure everyone is on board before activities officially

commence.

"Consequently, the activities earlier announced for the 28th of September will no longer hold."

Lalong said as the ruling and most attractive party in Nigeria, it understands the sacrifices and understanding of the teeming members who he said were more than willing to volunteer themselves for this great task ahead.

It noted that it also showed the enormous love that the party members have for the candidates, adding that a new date and time-table of events would be announced soon.

Former president of KCOBA, Dr. Sony Kuku, added, “If we have the right people who love Nigeria if we can get people into governance without godfatherism, ‘Ghana must go’ the better for us. The older you are the more you want Nigeria to be together.’’

The anniversary titled, ‘Building the Nigeria of our dreams,’ was organised by the Kings College Old Boys’ Association.

Former President, Obasanjo Commissions 29km Dual Carriage Way with Two Cable Bridges in A'Ibom

Meanwhile, Obasanjo yesterday inaugurated the 29-kilometer Etinan-Ndon Eyo dual carriage way with two cable bridges in Akwa Ibom State The Etinan-Ndon-Eyo road constructed by a Chinese firm, Wizchino Engineering connects several communities in Etinan and Onna local government areas with

the East-West road granting access to the industrial belt of the state.

Inaugurating the road project, Obasanjo lauded the infrastructural development strides of the State Governor, Mr. Udom Emmanuel and encouraged him to continue with his good works.

He said infrastructural development must be backed with employment for the people so as to take adequate care of the infrastructure.

He indicated that infrastructure should enable the people carry out their businesses effectively.

"I don't know why anything good and very good in Akwa Ibom State, you call me to take part in it. Why? The longest flyover in Uyo, you asked me to come and commission it and I was very pleased to be the one who commissioned that flyover.

"Again, with the amazing grace of God, you have this, the longest, first class, dualised road in the state.

You again asked me to come and

commission it. Governor, I thank you.

“Leadership requires character.

Anyone who knows you reasonably well will know that you are a man of character. And one of the characteristics of a man or woman of character is to be a man of his words.

"When you say you do it, you do it. I have seen that in you at close quarters. Keep on doing what you are doing.

"The infrastructure that you are putting in place are very good. When we have good infrastructure, when we have a road like this going through the rural area, there must also be what the people would do to ensure that they make maximum use and take maximum advantage of these infrastructure.”

The governor earlier spoke of his achievements so far, saying he felt fulfilled that despite the economic situation in the country, Akwa Ibom State was still making progress.

N'Assembly Promises to Fast-track Passage of Data Protection Bill Oghenevwede Ohwovoriole in Abuja The National Assembly has promised to fast-track the passage of the Data Protection Bill within 30 days upon receiving it from the executive arm of government.

The Chairman, Senate Committee on Information Communication Technology (ICT) and Cybercrime, Yakubu Useni, gave the promise during a one-day sensitisation workshop on data protection organised for members of the National Assembly, in Abuja yesterday.

Useni told the Nigerian Data Protection Bureau (NDPB) that since the federal government had created an agency for data protection, there was the need to enact a law to guide its operations.

He said, "I want to assure that as National Assembly members, we will make sure we do justice to the bill. We need to give legal backing to the agency.

"We are waiting for them to bring the bill and we will ensure it gets to the president within one month.

"This is a legislation that is supposed to have seen the light of the day since 2019. But unfortunately when the bill was sent to the president, it was not assented to by the president."

He added: "Now that it is coming from the executive side, I believe that it will see the light of the day.

"This is an agency set up to protect the data of individuals and organisations. Before there is no such law."

"As an individual you have right to say no that someone should not use your data. It should be a law for somebody to say you consent before using your data.

"Your data is your property, your data is your life, your data is you, and before somebody have access to your data in any form, then they have to seek your consent."

The Chairman, House Committee on Information Communication Technology (ICT) and Cybercrime, Abubakar Lado also assured the agency of the legislative support of the House of Representatives, Minister of Communications

and Digital Economy, Isa Pantami, who spoke virtually, harped on the importance of the bill to data privacy and confidentiality.

He said the event was to sensitise the national assembly members before the executive bill was presented to the National Assembly so that you (legislators) can block all the gaps.

"This bill will ensure the privacy and confidentiality of the data of our citizens," he added.

The National Commissioner/ Chief Executive Officer of NDPB, Dr. Vincent Olatunji, while responding to questions said, "by October we will send the bill to the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy who will forward it to the Federal Executive Council (FEC) for it to be sent as an Executive bill to the National Assembly."

Speaking earlier in his welcome address, he said the agency had created over 8,000 jobs by certifying over 5,000 data protection experts.

According to him, "Our belief is that the bill will be passed before the end of this year."

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INAUGURATION OF THE EDOJOB CENTRE IN UROMI...

L-R: Dr. Imke Borner; German Consul General, Weert Borner; Edo State Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki; representative of the Swiss Embassy, Mr. Manuel Muhlebach, and representative of GIZ, Tobias Wolfgarten, during the inauguration of the EdoJob Centre, in Uromi, Esan North East Local Government Area, ... yesterday

ASUU Strike: FG Backpedals, Withdraws Order to Reopen Varsities Onyebuchi Ezigbo, Kuni Tyessi in Abuja and Kemi Olaitan in Ibadan The federal government, through the National Universities Commission (NUC) yesterday withdrew an earlier circular in which it had ordered vice-chancellors, prochancellors and governing councils to re-open federal universities.

The NUC in an earlier circular had directed all vice-chancellors; pro-chancellors and chairmen of governing councils of federal universities to re-open the universities and the development was greeted with criticism from some stakeholders, including the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU).

But in another circular tagged NUC/ES/138/Vol.64/136, which

was also signed by the Director, Finance and Account of the NUC, Sam Onazi, the commission withdrew the order.

The letter though did not explain why, the earlier letter titled, “withdrawal of circular NUC/ES/138/ Vol.64/135 dated September 23, 2022,” was withdrawn, the latest letter partly read: “I have been directed to withdraw the NUC Circular Ref: NUC/ES/138/ Vol.64/135, and dated September 23, 2022 on the above.

“Consequently, the said circular stands withdrawn. All pro-chancellors and chairmen of governing councils, as well as vice-chancellors of federal universities are to please note. Further development and information

would be communicated to all relevant stakeholders.”

The earlier NUC letter which was obtained yesterday, was addressed to all vice-chancellors; pro-chancellors and chairmen of governing councils of federal universities.

“Ensure that ASUU members immediately resume/commence lectures; restore the daily activities and routines of the various university campuses,” the previous letter partly read.

The National Industrial Court of Nigeria had last Wednesday, ordered the union to call off its ongoing nationwide strike, which it had embarked upon in the past seven months.

ASUU has been on strike since

February 14, 2022, to press home its demand for improved funding for universities and a review of salaries for lecturers, among other issues.

Several meetings between ASUU and the federal government had ended in a deadlock. Consequently, the federal government decided to take the matter to the industrial court.

The government through its counsel, James Igwe, had prayed the court for an interlocutory injunction restraining ASUU from taking further steps as regards the strike, pending the determination of the substantive suit.

Igwe had said there was a need for the matter to be expeditiously determined to enable university

WTO, ITC, ICC Announce Winners of Small Business Champions Competition The World Trade Organisation (WTO), the International Trade Centre (ITC) and the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) have announced winners and runners-up in the 2022 edition of its Small Business Champions Competition.

The winners were announced yesterday, during a virtual event organised by the Informal Working Group on Micro, Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (MSMEs), the International Trade Centre (ITC) and the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC).

Launched on World MSMEs Day on 25 June 2022, the competition aims to find ways of helping small businesses reduce their carbon footprint and benefit from innovations regarding sustainability.

The two winners were the Association Professionnelle Accompagnements Valeurs Expertises Conseils (Benin) and Tanzania Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Agriculture.

The two runners-up are Inclusive Trade Ltd (United Kingdom) and Sidley Austin Emerging Enterprises Pro Bono Program (Global). The winners and runners-up would be recognised at an event entitled Building Bridges organised by the ICC, ITC and the Informal Working Group to foster collaboration on sustainability issues, to be held in Geneva next month.

The winners were announced by H.E. Ambassador José-Luis Cancela, Coordinator of the Informal Working Group on MSMEs, ITC

Deputy Executive Director Dorothy Tembo and ICC Representative Director Crispin Conroy.

The project by the Association Professionnelle Accompagnements Valeurs Expertises Conseils (Benin) aims to develop the capacity of Beninese MSMEs to undertake industrial decarbonisation practices.

Youssoufou Daoda Labot of the Association said: "The project supports small businesses working in the manufacturing industry, a rapidly growing sector in Benin. Six hundred industrial processing units, especially representing the small food industries, will be trained and equipped in lowering their CO2 emissions."

Tanzania Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Agriculture aims to raise awareness among businesses and policymakers through their Tanzania Go Green Project about the difficulties MSMEs encounter in relation to decarbonization.

Nebart Mwapwele of the Chamber of Commerce said: "Our major goal is enhancing green production for economic development and environmental sustainability. We will highlight best practices that are helping small businesses decarbonise their production and become more sustainable.

“We are planning a three-day capacity-building workshop in eight regions of Tanzania Mainland and Zanzibar and a green production summit with businesses, corporations, NGOs

and international organisations."

The project by Inclusive Trade Ltd aims to help MSMSs measure and report on their sustainability practices in global value chains by providing verification tools.

Rupa Ganguli of Inclusive Trade Ltd said: "With small businesses lacking access to sustainability and impact verification tools, the project will provide them with a self-assessment verification tool kit linked to the UN Sustainable Development Goals and train them to measure and report on their sustainability. This will enable

them to start their trajectory to becoming the 'green' companies of the future and participate in global value chains."

Launched in 2021 by the ICC, the ITC and the WTO Informal Working Group on MSMEs, the Small Business Champions Competition provides an annual opportunity for businesses, industry associations, chambers of commerce and non-governmental organisations to propose innovative, practical ways of helping small businesses play a more active role in world trade.

students to return to school, adding that failure to call off the strike would cause irreparable damage to not only the students but also to the nation.

According to him, since the dispute between the federal government and the lectures was already before the court for adjudication, it would be proper and in the interest of justice for the strike to be suspended.

In his ruling, Justice Hamman held that the application was meritorious and deserved to be granted by the court.

While dismissing objections ASUU raised through its lawyer, Mr. Femi Falana, the court had held that the strike action was detrimental to public university students that cannot afford to attend private tertiary institutions.

“The balance of convenience tilts in favour of the applicant.

“I hold that this application is meritorious and this application is granted”, Justice Hamman ruled.

The court, thereafter, issued an order, restraining ASUU, “whether by themselves, members, agents, privies or howsoever called, from taking further steps and doing any act in continuance of the strike action, pending the hearing and determination of the suit filed.”

ASUU had since filed 14 grounds of appeal to challenge the order.

However, in reaction to the federal government previous directive for the universities to be reopened, the lecturers’ union had vowed not to resume academic activities.

The union pointed out that it had appealed the go-back-to-work

order by the National Industrial Court of Nigeria (NICM) and sought a stay of execution from the Appeal court to prevent its execution.

When contacted by THISDAY on the directive, ASUU President, Prof. Emmanuel Osodeke had earlier said as far as ASUU was concerned the strike was continuing and none of its members would go back to work until the dispute was resolved.

"We are not part of that directive.

We have appealed against the industrial court ruling. By law, once you file appeal against a court order and seek stay of execution of the order, you are covered. We are not part of it. If they like they can go to Russia and get lecturers to teach," he said.

In a related development, the Chairman, University of Ibadan Chapter, ASUU, Prof. Ayoola Akinwole, in a statement yesterday, had said the federal government owns the universities and can decide when to close or open them.

This was just as he maintained members of ASUU would not return to classes despite the order by the federal government that the universities be open.

Akinwole noted that the union never shut down the universities, stating that members of the union would not go to the classes, but would continue to do their researches and community services.

He stressed that the union was on strike with its members withdrawing their services from teaching, supervising and holding statutory meetings in line with the ongoing strike.

Osinbajo: It's Necessary for Incoming Govt to Sustain Gains of MSMEs The Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo has stressed the need for the incoming administration in 2023 to sustain gains made by the government in the nation's Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs).

Osinbajo, who gave this advice yesterday, while playing host to members of the Made-in-Nigeria project led by Adedeji Alebiosu, at the State House, Abuja, said the momentum built by President Muhammadu Buhari's administration in the last seven years must be maintained given its crucial position in the economy.

The group, representing a coalition of MSMEs in Nigeria, were at the presidential villa to commend the federal government

and appreciate the vice president’s support for MSMEs in the country over the past seven years.

The vice president said, “we must be as determined as possible going forward in maintaining the momentum built over the years in the MSME space.

"How we sustain the MSME Clinics, how it is institutionalised in a way that the incoming vice presidents or presidents are obliged to pay close attention to whatever is happening in the sector, is very important.”

He assured MSME stakeholders in the country that, “we will make sure that we provide everything that is required to enable the incoming administration step into the positions that

we have created in the MSME space. We are in a very good place.”

Talking about the Made-inNigeria concept and the need to develop local capacity, Osinbajo said government must find a way it could fit-in in the value chain, acknowledging, however that no economy could be self-sustaining.

“What we need to do is to find our comparative advantage and develop capacity in the value chain around manufacturing of electric vehicles, arms manufacturing etc," he said.

The vice president who said there were challenges in manufacturing of items, creating jobs and wealth added that, "There is a lot of real and serious work that

needs to be done. What should our approach be in terms of the value chain? We are a huge economy and a huge market.”

“The problem people have always faced is how to engage our massive population in a meaningful way because anything you do seems like a drop in an ocean due to the enormity of the problem,” the he added.

Earlier in his remarks, Alebiosu commended Osinbajo for his commitment to the growth of small businesses in the country even as he acknowledged his contributions through key interventions supervised under his office, noting that they positively impacted small businesses in the space.

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Brent, Nigeria’s Oil Benchmark Slumps to $84 on Recession Concerns, Dollar Surges Emmanuel Addeh in Abuja Oil dropped again yesterday, with Brent, Nigeria’s benchmark, sliding to $84.35 a barrel at about 5.50pm as the dollar’s surge and mounting recessionary concerns threatened global demand.

If the trend continues, it would effectively mean that Nigeria may have lost out in the oil windfall which many producing countries have enjoyed for the better part of 2022.

With declining production, which was roughly 972,000 barrels in

August, Nigeria has been unable to take advantage of the global price rise which for months hovered around $100 to a barrel.

The country which has led the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC)’s underperformance for months blames oil theft and underinvestment in the upstream oil and gas sector for its woes.

But on Monday, the global oil benchmark hit the lowest intraday level since January as a Bloomberg gauge of the US currency rallied to an all-time high following a similar trend which saw crude fall almost

6 per cent last week for a fourth straight weekly drop, the longest losing run this year.

The commodity is on track for a substantial quarterly slump as leading central banks including the US Federal Reserve raise interest rates aggressively to fight inflation, hurting the outlook for energy demand and sapping investors’ appetite for risk.

The tightening measure has helped to drive the US dollar to a record high, making commodities priced in the currency more expensive for overseas buyers.

The slump in prices may induce

the OPEC and its allies to consider intervening to stem the slide, either verbally or by announcing a reduction in output. Earlier this month, OPEC+ announced a token supply cut, and said members would monitor the market.

The upward pressure on the dollar “is a wrecking ball for commodities,” Gary Ross, the chief executive officer of Black Gold Investors LLC, told a conference in Singapore, flagging scope for OPEC cuts. “The supply-demand balance has caught up and, as we’re entering the fourth quarter, we’re building stocks,” he

told Bloomberg.

Crude traders were also keeping tabs on the path of Tropical Storm Ian, which is expected to strengthen into a hurricane this week as it approaches the Florida mainland.

The continuing decline in oil prices followed a sharp fall on Friday.

Prices hit an eight-month low as concerns about a possible recession continue to trouble investors amid monetary tightening by central banks globally to rein in inflation as well as a strong dollar.

The slump in prices may prompt the crude oil exporters' group, OPEC,

and its allies to consider intervening to stem the slide. However, analysts believe the current conditions make such market interventions unlikely and ineffective.

In July, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) lowered its growth forecast for the global economy to 3.2 per cent this year, from its previous projection of 3.6 per cent in April.

The World Bank has also slashed its 2022 growth forecast for the global economy, for the second time this year, to 2.9 per cent, from 3.2 per cent.

“Wike’s statements are frivolous and did not make common sense,” Melaye said while fielding questions on the Arise Morning Show. He stated that the statements made against some prominent members of the party were out of anger.

Melaye said, “The recent statements by Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State against some prominent members of the PDP, including our presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, are frivolous.

“I want to start by saying that we don’t react to frivolities. We are not going to react to the statement made out of anger. We are not going to respond to what he said.”

According to him, “We are just focused on moving with our campaigns and satisfying the quest of Nigerians by building a new Nigeria, where justice, equity, and egalitarianism will be the order of the day.

“We are not distracted, and we are not going to be distracted by responding to issues that do not even make common sense. To give spurious statements without evidence is not going to get our attention and reaction.

“We are more focused on how Atiku is going to become President.

The country is in a situation that needs urgent attention. The country is not only sick but also suffering from a dreadful congenital abnormality. There is need for amelioration and correction, and that is our focus.”

On the withdrawal of Wike and some aggrieved members from the campaign council, Melaye expressed the hope that the issue would be resolved. He added, “That Governor Wike is aggrieved does not mean the party is in trouble. There is no time you can have 100 per cent compliance from all members of

a party.

“Even Governor Wike’s issue is an on-going issue and in a matter of days, it will be resolved, and even the declaration by the Governor Wike group is not absolute, because I have spoken to very credible members of the group and they have told me they cannot work against PDP. “In fact, some of them are already working in their various states for the actualisation of Atiku Abubakar as the next president of the country; so, that statement is not sealed.”

ORTOM BREAKS WITH WIKE, SAYS HE’S NOT SUPPORTING AYU'S REMOVAL the party’s presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, to persuade Ayu to resign in the larger interest.

Ortom's position directly contradicts that of the group he belongs to in PDP, the camp of Rivers State Governor Nyesom Wike. The Wike camp’s irreducible minimum condition for resolution of the crisis that started after he was by-passed for Delta State Governor Ifeanyi Okowa in the selection of presidential running mate was Ayu’s ouster.

The group, which Ortom is an active member of, has for months insisted that Ayu must resign for a southerner to occupy the PDP chairmanship post.

Observers are, however, unsure of what Ortom's latest statement represents, even as the Wike camp continues to dig its heels in, maintaining that Ayu must go.

Relatedly, the PDP Presidential Campaign Council said the party was not threatened by other candidates in the 2023 presidential election. The council said its candidate, Atiku, and his running mate, Okowa, stood tall above other candidates in the election.

The campaign council also dismissed some recent outbursts of the Rivers State governor as frivolous and senseless.

The council’s reactions came as Atiku appointed some prominent members of the party as special advisers, an idea he said was aimed at strengthening his presidential campaign team.

Those appointed included former Senate Presidents, Dr. Bukola Saraki and Senator Pius Anyim; former governor of Kano State, Senator Ibrahim Shekarau; former governor of Osun State, Olagunsoye Oyinlola; Senator Ehigie Uzamere; and former national chairman of the party, Uche Secondus.

Ortom, in a statement in Abuja by his Chief Press Secretary, Nathaniel Ikyur, said it was an open secret that he worked tirelessly, alongside other prominent Benue citizens, to ensure that Ayu was elected “as the national chairman of our great party even against all odds."

To this extent, the statement said, “The governor could not, therefore, turn around to work against him to be removed from office.”

It described as mischievous “allegations by an amorphous, little known group parading itself as Jemgbagh Development Association, Abuja chapter, that the Benue governor has a hand in Ayu's current travails”.

Ortom maintained that with the backing of many leaders of the PDP, who believed his sense of judgment, they worked relentlessly in the run up to the party's national convention to market Ayu as having the requisite capacity to lead PDP, especially, in the 2023 general election.

The statement said, “Governor Ortom vouched for the integrity and capacity of Dr Iyorchia Ayu to lead and rebuild the PDP to victory and rescue Nigeria from the misrule of the APC maladministration. That is why Ayu was returned unopposed by the northern caucus of the party and got elected as the national chairman of the PDP at the party's convention.

"Where was Jemgbagh Development Association, when Governor Ortom galvanised support from across the leaders of the party to make Dr. Ayu PDP's National Chairman? What was their contribution to that project that they now want to use clannish stance to blackmail the governor?"

He further described as laughable how "this amorphous and emergency Jemgbagh Development Association, Abuja, which has never been heard of before, is now masquerading as the voice of Jemgbagh to embark on campaign of calumny against Governor Ortom, who has worked selflessly for the people of Benue State.

"Governor Ortom is more Jemgbagh than most of the people claiming it now. This is fact, because he has done more for Jemgbagh, both in terms of appointments and projects executed as well as patronage in the area, than even one of the Jemgbagh sons, who was governor. Besides, Governor Ortom has consistently worked for the unity of Benue State and will never stand in the way of any of her citizens, either here in the state or in the diaspora "For those, who claimed to be leaders of this Jemgbagh Development Association, Abuja, we urge

them to be truly developmental in their drive to build cohesion among the people and attract real development to their area rather than engaging in mischief or blackmail."

Meanwhile, THISDAY gathered last night that the number of those now asking Ayu to go had increased exponentially. This was as many stakeholders across the different categories of leadership in the party considered the constant vituperations of the Rivers State governor as dangerous to their collective interest if not decisively addressed.

According to sources, at the last count, of the 13 PDP governors, eight had agreed to the demand that Ayu should go. But the governors of Sokoto, Taraba, Edo, Bayelsa, and Delta states remained supportive of Ayu’s continuation as national chairman.

The source stated that this latest development was the reason the chairman of PDP Governors’ Forum, Aminu Tambuwal, had been unable to call a meeting of the forum, knowing that majority of the governors were now of the view that Ayu should go and they might assert this position in their next meeting.

Apart from the sitting governors, the source stated further that of the 17 governorship candidates of the party, 12 had also bought into the idea. They realised Wike’s hard stance could harm their own election if the situation was not addressed and they are, therefore, speaking out more.

Similarly, former senate presidents of the party, except one, THISDAY leant, had agreed to the position that Ayu should go as a sacrifice for the party. They believed, however, the situation could have been better managed.

We’re Not Threatened By Our Competitors, Says Campaign Council

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Presidential Campaign Council, yesterday, said the party was not threatened by other candidates running for president in the 2023 general election. The council said the PDP candidate, Atiku Abubakar, and

his running mate, Senator Ifeanyi Okowa, stood tall and above other contenders in the poll.

Spokesman of the council, Mr. Charles Aniagwu, speaking on a television interview, said the party was fully prepared for the commencement of campaigns, despite its internal wrangling. Aniagwu said Atiku and Okowa enjoyed massive support across the six geo-political zones in the country.

The PDP campaign spokesman said Atiku, Ayu and Wike were on same page on the need to carry out some balancing within the party, adding that the difference between their positions is the timeline for the demand. He said the time was too short to carry out such changes with the general election underway.

According to Aniagwu, "The constitution of the Presidential Campaign Council is a clear determination of the Atiku-Okowa Campaign Organisation to carry everybody along. This is because if you look at other political parties, they have excluded those, who contested against them or those who have held views that are at variance with the views of those seeking to lead our country.

"But for us in the PDP, we are pursuing unified front, because Atiku's number one agenda is to unite the country and in doing so, it requires that he carries everybody along, irrespective of the views they hold.”

‘Wike's Statements Frivolous, Senseless’

A member of the PDP Presidential Campaign Management Council, Senator Dino Melaye, yesterday, said Rivers State Governor Nyesome Wike’s recent outbursts against the party were frivolous and nonsensical.

internal security framework in the country was ineffectual. He submitted that the response of the sub-nationals by setting up their own outfits was welcome and necessary.

The governor stated, "The Western Nigeria Security Network, Amotekun Corps, as a response, is now not just the first line of defence, but the ultimate bulwark in the protection of a way of life and of a civilisation.

“The efforts of our determined and valiant Amotekun personnel since inception must be underscored, encouraged, and highly commended. We must all rise at this time to acknowledge their efforts.

“On our parts, we will continue to support the operational capacity of all security agencies in the state, both in terms of equipment and the welfare of their personnel.

“The recent donation of 50-fitted patrol vehicles is a testament to our

resolve to be up-to-date in fighting crime and criminality, because without a secured environment, there can never be visible and sustained development.

“The Amotekun Corps must be given the tools to carry out its now pivotal, indispensable duties. For centuries, we have been admonished that ‘a bad workman blames his tools,’ in the case of Amotekun Corps, the workman is expected to function without good tools.

“It is not only absurd, but also a dereliction of duty and a cause of disaffection. Dissatisfaction is induced by a feeling of unfairness.

“The crisis in the conventional wisdom is life-threatening and nationwide. Therefore, it is unacceptable if the state sanctions differing rules of engagement for different sub-national governments.”

Akeredolu added, "Without providing the sub-national security forces to be a counter-balancing

Ahead of the commencement of the 2023 election campaign tomorrow, presidential candidate of PDP, Atiku Abubakar, made key appointments, picking special advisers to strengthen his campaign team.

A statement by his media adviser, Paul Ibe, said the appointees were two former senate presidents, Dr. Bukola Saraki, who was made Special Envoy, and Senator Pius Anyim, who was appointed Special Adviser.

Other named as special advisers were former governor of Kano State, Senator Ibrahim Shekarau; former governor of Osun State, Olagunsoye Oyinlola; Senator Ehigie Uzamere; and a former national chairman of the PDP, Uche Secondus, who was made Technical Adviser to the presidential candidate.

Noting that the appointments were to take immediate effect, Atiku charged the appointees to use their vast political experiences to ensure that the PDP presidential campaign recorded resounding success in the 2023 election.

ADEBANJO: WHY AFENIFERE IS SUPPORTING PETER OBI’S PRESIDENTIAL BID Yoruba and Southerner in the person of Chief Olusegun Obasanjo took the first turn at the zoning arrangement in 1999, became the president, saying the sitting President, Muhammadu Buhari, is a Fulani from North West "and by virtue of the zoning arrangement that has governed Nigeria since 1999, power is supposed to return

AKEREDOLU: AMOTEKUN MUST BE GIVEN ARMS TO CARRY OUT ITS DUTIES would continue to support the operational capacity of all security agencies in the state, both in terms of equipment and the welfare of their personnel.

The governor emphasised that the passing out ceremony was a reminder of the need to strategise and tackle the current security situation, which he said had been left to snowball into existential crises across Nigeria. He stated that the commitment of his administration to the safety and welfare of the people of the state and investors remained unshaken.

Akeredolu told the officers, "The key guiding principles, which you must adhere to at all times include spartan discipline, zero-tolerance to bribery and abuse of power, prompt response to distress calls and display of professionalism in the discharge of your duties.

No form of misconduct shall be tolerated."

Akeredolu noted that the current

Atiku Appoints Saraki, Anyim, Shekarau, Secondus, Others as Special Advisers

force we have a crisis which strikes at the heart of the conception and the definition of the state itself.

“It is not just the definition of the state, the state itself is under existential threat. The modern state is defined by treaties. The conception of the modern state beatified by these treaties gives it ‘an incontestable monopoly of the means of violence, intimidation and coercion’”.

According to the governor, “Those passing out today have undergone rigorous training at great expense to the state. The training will not end here, it will be continuous. However, no amount of training will mask the debilitation of fighting with one arm tied against implacable foes."

Akeredolu added that Amotekun “must therefore be armed and will be armed and be backed by law, otherwise, the training will be inadequate and will mean placing the lives of the corps in danger.”

to the South imminently.

"The South West as I have pointed out has produced a president and currently sits as VP, the South-south has spent a total of six years in the presidency, but the Igbo people of South East have never tasted presidency in Nigeria, and now that the post is due back in the South, equity demands that it be ceded to the Igbo.

"We cannot continue to demand that the Igbo people remain in Nigeria, while we at the same time

continue to brutally marginalise and exclude them from the power dynamics. Peter Obi is the person of Igbo extraction that Afenifere has decided to support and back, he is the man we trust to restructure the country back to federalism on the assumption of office.

"We will not compromise this principle of justice, equity and inclusiveness because one of our own, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu is a front-line candidate," Chief Adebanjo.

EIU: INFLATION, FISCAL PRESSURES MAY CAUSE SERIOUS POLITICAL CHALLENGES FOR NIGERIA and two Islamist terrorist groups, Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa Province. Insufficient military resources will prevent the government from regaining full control over that region.”

According to the group, unrest in the South-east will be driven

by Biafran secessionist groups, with Biafran perceptions of under-representation in politics growing stronger over time, and by militants in the oil-producing South-south.

It argued that oil theft and sabotage remained major risks to crude oil production, partly because communities in oil-producing areas felt they did not benefit sufficiently from Nigeria's oil wealth. “ This will hold crude pro-

duction back in the short term, especially, as military operations are carried out,” the report said.

With a broader surge in kidnappings and banditry by heavily armed and organised criminal networks expanding their activities into central Nigeria and merging with terrorist cells, EIU stated that although keeping the capital safe might be achievable, leaving the troubled states neglected would cause serious problems.

The report added, “EIU's baseline assumption is that Nigeria's federal government will remain able to assert control over ‘core' areas, such as Abuja, the capital, and other places of economic and political importance, at the expense of periphery regions long mired in conflict.

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A VISIT TO WACOT RICE MILL FACTORY...

L-R: Area Business Executive, Kebbi/Sokoto/Zamfara Union Bank, Mrs. Khadijat Iliyasu; Kebbi State Governor, Abubakar Atiku Bagudu; Board Chair, Union Bank and Chairman WACOT Rice Limited, Mr. Farouk Gumel and Regional Business Executive, North West/East Union Bank, Mr. Francis Anaemene, during a visit to WACOT Rice Mill factory in Birnin Kebbi…recently

Pat Utomi: Tinubu is Ailing Physically, Not Fit For Presidency Challenges him to go for medical test, make results public Political economist and a chieftain of Labour Party, Prof. Pat Utomi has dared the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Mr. Bola Tinubu to go for a medical checkup and make the result public.

He alleged that the former Lagos State governor was unfit to compete for Nigeria’s presidency.

Utomi said this yesterday while speaking on a programme monitored on Channels Television, saying that the signs were there to show Tinubu was unfit physically to contest for Nigeria’s president.

He said he doesn’t think Tinubu’s ambition was for the good of the people.

“If there is any Emilokan that is wrong, it is the Emilokan of Emilokans, because ko kan, which means it is not his turn. Why is it his turn? What about other people in Nigeria,” he said while responding to a question.

“To be very honest with you, I would not be seeking public office at his age. I told my children that after my 70th birthday and I running for office, please tell the people that our father has a retrogressive memory and we want to confine him. Certain things are good for certain times.

“Our country has suffered so much from having ailing leaders and that was why the Vice President (Yemi Osinbajo) stepped up, because he thought there was a challenge on that line,” he added.

“Physically, you can see he is ailing. Let’s not kid ourselves. Let’s be honest. American presidents go

through medicals that are made public, let him (Tinubu) go through medicals with Nigerian doctors and make the result public. It is the lives of millions of people we are dealing with here,” Utomi insisted.

Utomi highlighted election trends in Italy, Zambia and Kenya as countries where electorates were tired of the old order, said,” politicians should learn that the people have had enough of politics that do not work for them.”

He stressed that Nigerians, “are

really angry and if politicians misread it and try to divide Nigerians as many of them are trying to do, they would pay the price down the line.”

According to him, Nigerians are leaving the country in droves because they are fed up with the political order.

“People don’t see a future in Nigeria,” he added.

According to him, the ruling party would have fielded another candidate in the person of Vice

President Yemi Osinbajo.

He also hailed the Yoruba socio-cultural group Afenifere for reechoing its support for the Labour Party (LP) presidential candidate Peter Obi. And as far as Utomi is concerned, the group is on the right track as he dismissed insinuations that Afenifere would not be able to command votes.

“The challenge of politics in Nigeria is that there has been a significant dose of politics without

added.

“A huge majority of Nigerians are young and a lot of them are social media compliant, even in the village and they see the symbols and orders that the young people are revolting against them. They hook unto it and psychologically are connected to the revolt of the youths, which is a global thing by the way and not a Nigerian thing. Young people are revolting worldwide against an order that has not focused on them,” Utomi said.

2023: NBC Urges Broadcasters to Accord Equal Access to All Politicians, Parties Olawale Ajimotokan in Abuja The National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) yesterday enjoined broadcasters to provide a level playing field to all political players, registered political parties and candidates.

The Director-General of NBC, Malam Balarabe Ilelah, made the call in Abuja, at a sensitisation forum to usher in political campaign that begins tomorrow.

The forum had as its theme: ‘Towards a Fair and Responsible Broadcast Coverage of the 2023 General Elections: A Multi Stakeholders Dialogue.’

He urged broadcasters and anchors of political programmes to guide their platforms well and ensure that guests abide by the broadcasting code and all legal provisions guiding broadcasting internationally.

He warned broadcasters that

denying airtime access to any group was prohibited.

“This is in addition to ensuring equity in airtime allocation and coverage of political parties’ activities particularly during prime times. It is also the time for you to make money from political adverts and campaigns but ensure that this is done within the ambit of Law," Ilelah said.

The NBC DG also charged broadcasters to handle live political rallies with care and due professionalism, in addition to studio-based live political interviews/broadcast.

He said because of the sensitivities of such programmes, broadcasters were advised to install delay mechanism.

“Remember that broadcast stations are held responsible for any breach. The stations shall therefore, assume and accept editorial responsibility. I also use this opportunity to remind

broadcasters not to allow any form of hate speech, fake news, derogatory or divisive remarks and any incendiary broadcast on their platforms.

“However, if your political content is indecent and hateful, then a station is allowed to turn it down and give reasons why it cannot be taken.

“The Commission also uses this opportunity to tell Nigerians that they can complain to the NBC if content on any station annoys their sensibilities or sensitivity," he said.

Similarly, the NBC boss called on broadcasters to ensure that every partisan political broadcast was recorded off transmission and preserved for 150 days after broadcast.

Ilelah tasked anchors in the spirit of fairness to manage their political guests well and do not allow them to malign others especially those not present on the programme.

TheCable Founder, Simon Kolawole, to Release Book October 3

Founder of TheCable online news platform and THISDAY columnist, Simon Kolawole, will release his debut book, Monday, October 3, 2022.

The 336-page book, sub-themed ‘Perspectives on the Nigerian Project,’ is a collection of perspective writings with a central idea on the role of leadership in national development. The topics range from leadership to democracy, national integration, and the economy.

An imprint of Cable Newspaper Limited, Cable Books, will be publishing the book and it will be available on Amazon.

The book will also be for sale in the country by Roving Heights

principles. I think that all you can do is to admire and show respect for leadership that is principled centred and that is what Afenifere stands for.

“Afenifere has moral authority and when you combine that moral authority with the fact that they have been able to build very clear alliance with PANDEF and the Middle Belt Forum and together they have been speaking on this matter along with Ohaneze, who are all major stakeholders,” he

Limited as well as by other noted bookstores.

Announcing the release of the book in a statement, the author, Kolawole, said: “I am excited to finally publish a book after so many years of thinking about it.

“The central theme of the essays is the role of leadership in national development. My basic argument is that we have all ingredients required to make Nigeria great but our leaders have proved over time that they are more passionate about politicking than delivering good governance.

“I often argue that if the politicians devote as much passion to governance as they devote to

politics and politicking, Nigeria would develop. The essays explore this key proposition in different ways and through different events and anecdotes.”

The book comprises articles yet to be published, such as ‘The Value of a Nigerian Life’ where the author said, “the day Nigerian leaders begin to value the life of an average citizen, something major will shift in the way they govern.”

He also wrote on ‘The Search for a Perfect President.’ Here, he addressed the 2023 elections noting that the country was in dire need of the right leader, expressing concerns, however, that people were weakened by the fact that no one

candidate was perfect for the poll.

“We are never going to get a President who does not have underbellies, contradictions, and failings.

It is now left for us to decide what failings we can live with and how we are going to engage, positively and constructively, with the new leader to focus on the things that matter the most to us.

“I would say the economy and security are our biggest worries for now and we should keep that in mind when we vote,” Kolawole noted.

The book will also be featuring a selection of his popular articles written in the THISDAY column from 2003.

On his part, the Chairman, Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, said the media play a critical role in ensuring a more effective public enlightenment on the provisions of the Electoral Act 2022 in particular and other aspects of the electoral process in general.

He said political parties, candidates and their supporters as well as the media have a responsibility to operate within the confines of the law and the provisions of the commission’s rules and regulations.

He noted that campaigns should be devoid of hate speech; abusive, intemperate or slanderous language; insinuations or innuendoes likely to

provoke violent reaction; physical attack on supporters of one party by another or destruction of campaign materials.

“Specifically, Section 95 of the Electoral Act 2022 defines the responsibilities of political parties and candidates, the media and public institutions. It also provides sanctions for violations.

“For instance, in the course of our numerous interactions with political parties over the years, many have complained about the denial of access to public facilities for meetings and rallies, exorbitant charges for signages and billboards, and equal access to State media," Yakubu said.

PRESIDENCY DENIES CALLING FOR KEYAMO’S REMOVAL KEYAMO AS APC CAMPAIGN SPOKESMAN see them, he will do a medical check-up. It is not that he's sick "If he will see Wike, I don't know, but of course politicians will always be politicians, I can't put a bet on it," the source added.

The ruling party would flag-off its presidential campaign in Ilorin, Kwara State, on October 10.

Meanwhile, a chieftain of APC, Chief Sam Nkire has predicted that Nigerian voters would reject the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and its National Chairman, Dr. Iyorchia Ayu and vote for the APC due to his inability to keep promises and earn public trust.

He noted that any political party or its chairman who cannot keep to its or his words is not worthy of the people’s votes and trust.

Nkire said: "For Dr. Iyorchia Ayu to deny saying that he would resign as National Chairman of PDP if a northerner became presidential candidate of PDP is most appalling

and disgraceful, especially as he was caught on tape and in print.”

Buhari Back in Abuja After UNGA77 Summit in New York

Meanwhile, Buhari has returned to Abuja after an eight-day visit to New York, the United States (US), where he participated in the 77th edition of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA77), his last as Nigerian President.

The president, who arrived the presidential wing of Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, in the early hours of yesterday, was received by top government officials including the Chief Staff to the President, Prof. Ibrahim Gambari; Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Mallam Mohammed Musa Bello; Inspector-General of Police, Alkali Baba Usman, and some senior military and intelligence officers.

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AKWA IBOM STATE AT 35

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‘LABOUR’ MEN IN APC’S POWER CORRIDORS

AUSTIN ISIKHUEMEN canvasses the Obi/Datti ticket in order to bring Nigeria’s destiny back on track

See page 17

EDITORIAL

MDAS AND PADDED BUDGETS

See page 18

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opinion@thisdaylive.com

www.thisdaylive.com

Udom Emmanuel has created an environment of peace and peaceful co – existence, writes UDEME NANA

Monday September 26, 2022 Vol 27. No 10030

Mohammed Buba Marwa is an exceptional leader, writes PAUL NWABUIKWU

THE TWO PUBLIC LIVES OF BUBA MARWA I’ve never met the man but I have been fascinated by the NDLEA Chairman Mohammed Buba Marwa for a long time.

Marwa was arguably the most popular 1LJHULDQ VROGLHU LQ D SXEOLF R΀FH GXULQJ WKH darkest days of Abacha’s rule. He resumed duties as military governor of Lagos in 1996, the year after Ken Saro-Wiwa’s execution, two years before the dictator’s sudden death at the height of his powers.

At the time of Marwa’s arrival, Abacha was in full control, having defeated all opposition through guile and ruthlessness and told the world, starting from Nelson Mandela, to go to KHOO :ROH 6R\LQND DQG RWKHU DFWLYLVWV KDG ÁHG abroad, most prominent activists were locked up, Sergeant Rogers and other state employed assassins were on the prowl, protests and other forms of agitation raged in the streets and in the headlines.

Lagos was the epicentre of local and international agitation against Abacha, the home of Chima Ubani, Fela AnikulapoKuti, Olisa Agbakoba, Beko Ransome-Kuti, the Civil Liberties Organization, Campaign for Democracy, NADECO and many other activists and activist organizations who made sure that the world did not forget the injustices and brutalities that accompanied the campaign for Moshood Abiola to assume WKH R΀FH KH KDG HDUQHG RQ -XQH Yet in the midst of all these events, even as Abacha tightened his vicious hold on SRZHU 0DUZD OLNH D KDUG\ ÁRZHU LQ D desert, managed to bloom. The handsome, slightly chubby, bespectacled soldier, the local representative of the brutal suzerain, TXLFNO\ EXLOW XS WKH SURÀOH RI D SHUIRUPLQJ and responsive leader loved by Lagosians.

Somehow, the positive perception of Marwa remained largely insulated from that of the government under whose authority he served. And he left Lagos with his positive image largely intact.

When he handed over to incoming civilian governor Bola Ahmed Tinubu on October 1, 1999, many Lagosians broke down in tears.

It is of course likely that the tears of some of the civil servants and political appointees among them were inspired by the reality of the imminent loss of power and access to resources upon Marwa’s departure. But there is no doubt that many ordinary Lagosians were genuinely sad to see the man whose government pioneered the use of tricycles as commercial transport in Nigeria - “Keke Marwa” - go. And when Governor Tinubu later tried to blame Marwa for his failure to deliver on some policies, the consensus of Lagosians was: leave the man alone and face your job! How Marwa, the Kanuri kinsman of Abacha and, according to those who should know, an astute, inner caucus player in the regime managed to earn and retain WKH DͿHFWLRQ RI /DJRVLDQV LQ WKH PLGVW RI WKH political and geo-political turmoil of the day is worthy of further study. :KDW ZDV KLV VHFUHW" , WKLQN OLNH DOO HͿHFWLYH

leaders, he understood that identifying with the core concerns of the audience and projecting empathy is as important as delivering on policies. He had a talent for the practical but theatrical gesture that resonates with the public. Marwa disarmed Lagosians by staying ahead of the issues that kept them awake at night. I recall two dramatic examples.

7KH ÀUVW ZDV KLV KDQGOLQJ RI WKH ´NLOOHU beans” issue. In September 1996, soon after he was moved from Borno to Lagos, the headlines were full of alarming stories of people dying after consuming beans contaminated by some GDQJHURXV VXEVWDQFHV SRVVLEO\ XQLGHQWLÀHG chemicals. There were alarming reports of 14 victims in Lagos, and an akara seller in Ogun who expired after eating some of KHU RZQ SURGXFWV LQ DQ HͿRUW WR SHUVXDGH skeptical customers that her food was safe for consumption. In the midst of widespread panic, Marwa, to demonstrate that the “killer EHDQVµ KDG EHHQ LGHQWLÀHG DQG WDNHQ RXW of the market, proceeded to eat some akara in public. Relieved Lagosians cheered their brave champion who dared death on their behalf. The panic over “killer beans” quickly died down after.

7KH VHFRQG HYHQW WKDW KHOSHG GHÀQH WKH Marwa style was his habit of personally taking the calls of desperate Lagosians calling police phone lines during robbery operations. As the newspapers reported, Marwa took the calls, got the details and coordinated the security response to rescue the victims. Of course, this boosted his reputation as a performing, caring governor. What better time for a leader to show love than when the led are down?

And now, back to the to the present. Some \HDUV DIWHU OHDYLQJ WKH PLOLWDU\ LQ KLV PLG forties, Mohammed Buba Marwa, on the cusp of 70, is back in the headlines in a prominent public position as Executive Chairman of the QDWLRQ·V GUXJV ÀJKWLQJ DJHQF\ ,W·V D YHU\ GLͿHUHQW UROH IURP FRPEDWWLQJ DUPHG UREEHU\ or addressing food contamination, but he is GHÀQLWHO\ PDNLQJ KLJK SURÀOH LPSDFW DJDLQ The recent seizure of a massive crack cocaine haul, described by the agency’s spokesperson as “the biggest singular cocaine seizure in the history of Nigeria’s premier anti-narcotic agency” speaks volumes about

the new life that Marwa has breathed into the agency. But this record-breaking haul is not NDLEA’s most notable case under Marwa, the record notwithstanding. It is not even the biggest in terms of impact.

The arrest, detention and ongoing prosecution of disgraced “super cop”, DCP Abba Kyari, a highly decorated policeman who apparently lived a secret life of serial FULPLQDOLW\ ZKLOH DOOHJHGO\ ÀJKWLQJ FULPH LV WKH GHÀQLQJ LQLWLDWLYH RI 1'/($ XQGHU the former military governor’s watch. The revelation of Kyari as a top player in an international drug syndicate along with the release of the video of his attempt to bribe 1'/($ R΀FLDOV WKH VHL]XUH RI KLV SURSHUWLHV linked to drug dealing and the robust prosecution of the fallen hero underscore a level of determination and thoroughness that is not common in public agencies at this time.

The speed with which the highly connected .\DUL ZDV QHXWUDOL]HG DOVR FRQÀUPV WKDW 0DUZD LV D PDVWHU RI WKH ÀQH DUW RI EOHQGLQJ HͿHFWLYH OHDGHUVKLS ZLWK SXEOLF SHUIRUPDQFH No doubt NDLEA is stealing the thunder of EFCC and ICPC in the public rating of the agencies involved in combatting economic crimes.

Marwa’s NDLEA is making strong overall LPSDFW EH\RQG KLJK SURÀOH FDVHV $FFRUGLQJ to a THISDAY report: “In 17 months, he led the DJHQF\ WR DUUHVW QHDUO\ GUXJ RͿHQGHUV including 10 notorious barons across the FRXQWU\ :LWKLQ WKH VDPH SHULRG RYHU persons were convicted and jailed while more than 11,000 drug users were counselled and treated.”

A great record so far. Yet the point must be made that it will take much more than NDLEA’s recent exploits to win a multiIDFHWHG FRQÁLFW OLNH WKH GUXJ ZDU 6R PDQ\ battles are going on simultaneously. Driven E\ JUHHG ÀQDQFHG E\ ORFDO DQG LQWHUQDWLRQDO capital, fueled by youth unemployment and despair, and boosted by sophisticated business models and technology, drugs in many forms are permeating the society with incredible speed.

After many decades as a transit point, Nigeria is becoming both a transit and consumption hub. Gangs in places like Colombia and Brazil are seeing Nigeria as a key part of their growth plans. And they are taking full advantage of gaps in law enforcement and impunity that are so common Nigeria. For every consignment of drugs detected and seized, every kingpin or mule arrested, every lead successfully followed up on, many more are undetected. It is a jungle out there. And it would take much PRUH WKDQ KLJK SURÀOH HͿRUW E\ D FKDULVPDWLF leader to navigate and neutralize the human bugs festering in the undergrowth of the drug war. But a man can only do his part. And that is precisely what Marwa is doing – again.

Nwabuikwu is a member of THISDAY Editorial Board

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Udom Emmanuel has created an environment of peace and peaceful co – existence, writes UDEME NANA

AKWA IBOM STATE AT 35 As Akwa Ibom State rolls out the drums to celebrate the milestone of attaining 35 \HDUV LQ H[LVWHQFH RQH UHVRXUFH VWDQGV out unmistakably. Although it’s silent and QRW WDQJLEOH LW SHUYDGHV HYHU\ZKHUH LQ the state and shines through beckoning LQGLJHQHV QRQ LQGLJHQHV DQG YLVLWRUV DOLNH to embrace and cherish it. That resource is ZKDW PDNHV 2NRQ $VXTXR D PRWRUF\FOH driver in Ika to convey a passenger all the way to and from Abak daily and at anytime XQWLO KLV OLPEV EHFRPH VWLͿ DQG KLV H\HV croggy from tiredness.

It is what makes Akparawa Udom 6WHSKHQ D .HNH GULYHU WR SO\ HYHU\ NQRZQ route in the state capital till midnight when

the fear of picking up ‘ghosts’ as passengers and his exhausted limbs signal him to go and rest. The Christian Churches are not left out - they now organize and host ‘tarry night’ programs until they have a leading by the “holy spirit” to close. And WKHLU PHPEHUV UHWXUQ KRPH DQ\WLPH QR matter how late at night or how early in the morning. Traders engage their customers in the various markets till sundown into the late evenings and supermarkets no longer hurry to close. Owners and those who UXQ VLW RXWV ORXQJHV EDUV OLNH ¶$IH 1GLD· and restaurants along the streets open for customers round the clock. Nobody now checks the time and people no longer look over their shoulders to ascertain who was EHKLQG 7KLV UHVRXUFH RIWHQ QRW IDFWRUHG into reckoning as a critical achievement is the prevalence of peace in Akwa ,ERP 6WDWH 0DNH QR PLVWDNH DERXW LW D peaceful location or destination is one of WKH PRVW VRXJKW DIWHU UHVRXUFHV E\ SHRSOH particularly investors. ,Q $NZD ,ERP 6WDWH KRWHOLHUV QRZ KXP DQG WKRVH ZKR FDQ VLQJ WKH KDOOHOXMDK chorus daily and go for Thanksgiving in places of worship every Sunday. They do this because business is good and thriving IRU WKHP DV YLVLWRUV IURP QHDUE\ VWDWHV Á\ in while others negotiate the poor road network of our neighborhoods to spend WLPH PHHW IULHQGV UHODWLYHV DQG EXVLQHVV SDUWQHUV LQ 8\R (YHU\ ZHHNHQG KRWHOV LQ 8\R DUH ÀOOHG ZLWK WKH &KLPD·V 1GXNZH·V 2JERQQD\D·V 2WLVH·V 2NRQNZR·V Ikemefuna’s of this world. It’s easier for WKHP WR Á\ LQWR 8\R IURP /DJRV DQG PHHW WKHLU UHODWLYHV FXW EXVLQHVV GHDOV XQZLQG eat good food and return to their base without any fear. That circumstance is a far FU\ IURP DVVDVVLQDWLRQV DEGXFWLRQV DWWDFNV E\ EDQGLWV XQNQRZQ JXQPHQ WHUURULVWV ZKLFK EULQJ LQ WKHLU ZDNH VR PXFK DQJXLVK HPRWLRQDO VWUHVV SDLQ DQG WHDUV WR IDPLOLHV in other places because of the prevailing

incidence of mindless violence in other GHVWLQDWLRQV ,Q VHYHUDO SDUWV RI WKH FRXQWU\ it seems like Nigeria is at present a jungle which has relapsed into the state of nature ZKHUH H[LVWHQFH ZDV ´QDVW\ EUXWLVK DQG short”. The peace and calmness in Akwa Ibom has stimulated industrial activities as seen in investors who have trusted the state with manufacturing companies like WKH $XWRPRELOH $VVHPEO\ SODQW DW ,WDP 6\ULQJH (OHFWULFLW\ PHWHU ÀUPV .LQJV ÁRZHU 0LOO ,ERP $LU DQG LQWHOOHFWXDO tourism with Uyo as a choice location for conferences and other conclaves.

Even though a public commentator wrote recently in a social media outlet that “Hoodlums are gradually turning Uyo into an unsafe city.” According to him “I heard last week that they pretend to be selling DW WUD΀F KROG XS LQ 8\R :KHQ WKH OLJKW VKRZV UHG RQH ZLOO ZDON XS WR \RX LQ \RXU car and get your attention then lift his shirt to reveal a gun strapped to his waist and WHOO WKDW LI \RX UDLVH WKH DODUP KH ZLOO ÀQLVK \RX WKHUH :KLOH WKH RWKHUV OXUN DURXQG WKH one who approached will rob you of your phone and other valuables knowing you can’t run away while the light is red. Uyo is no longer safe.”

He warned car owners to be watchful DW WUD΀F OLJKWV WR ZLQG XS WKHLU ZLQGRZ glass and lock their cars. “Don’t buy at WUD΀F OLJKWV µ KH DGYLVHG 7KDW UHDGV OLNH DQ DGYLVRU\ WR ÀUVW WLPH YLVLWRUV WR 9LFWRULD VWDWLRQ LQ /RQGRQ 2QLWVKD :DUUL /DJRV RU .DQR &LW\ 7UXH HYHU\ FLW\ LQ DOO SDUWV RI WKH ZRUOG have these deviants constituting nuisance WR WKH SHRSOH ZKLOH DFNQRZOHGJLQJ VXFK activities of miscreants and low - lives who operate to steal sleep from people around Urua Ekpa / Itu road axis and are determined to disrupt the relative peace DFURVV WKH VWDWH LW LV SRVVLEOH WR FKHFNPDWH WKHP E\ EHHÀQJ XS VHFXULW\ DURXQG WKH IHZ ÁDVKSRLQWV +RZHYHU WKHVH LVRODWHG LQFLGHQWV FDQQRW GHÀQH $NZD ,ERP 6WDWH DW WKLV VWDJH RI LWV development. Such occurrences are rather symptomatic of urban centers and cities all over the world. No matter what any ´ZDLOHUµ ZRXOG VD\ WR WKH FRQWUDU\ $NZD ,ERP 6WDWH LV VDIH DQG LV DUJXDEO\ DQ RDVLV of peace in the country. The peace that is enjoyed in these parts is simply beyond understanding when viewed against the daily orgy of violence in other parts of the country. This peaceful environment shows in the number of businesses sprouting up and consolidating their existence around the state. It explains why there is a rat race IRU UHDO HVWDWH DFURVV WKH VWDWH HVSHFLDOO\ LQ Uyo - the state capital. It is what accounts for the robust political rallies and engagements without molestation or fear of harassment. It LV ZKDW KDV LQÁXHQFHG WKH UHJXODU WUD΀F E\ traders who commute from neighbouring states to venture into the beach markets DW ,VVLHW 2URQ (EXJKX ,EDND ,EHQR ,NRW $EDVL IRU VHDIRRG VWXͿ ZKHUH WKH\ EX\ in bulk by day and transport out at night knowing that all the roads were safe to ply no matter how late at night. This precious resource is a harvest from the leadership at any point in time.

Dr. Nana, a Media Scholar, is the Founder, Uyo Book Club and Progenitor of the Book Club initiative in Akwa Ibom State

AUSTIN ISIKHUEMEN canvasses the Obi/Datti ticket in order to bring Nigeria’s destiny back on track

‘LABOUR’ MEN IN APC’S POWER CORRIDORS 2UGLQDULO\ RQH ZRXOG KDYH WKRXJKW KDYLQJ a labour activist in power or at least its corridors would augur well for organized labour. In Nigeria the opposite has been the case. I got thinking about this aberration after seeing the current ASUU strike and the diabolical roles being played by Chris Ngige of Okija shrine fame. He never ceases to announce that he is well versed in the ways of labour relations and management. Yet each step he has taken KDV EHHQ WR VFXWWOH $688·V GUHDPV DQG ZRUVH VWLOO FULSSOH LW SHUPDQHQWO\ DQG WKHUHE\ VHQG D warning signal to the rest of labour.

This is not to endorse all ASUU’s methodologies and tactics as a review of

those may also reveal a not so impressive underbelly. But their case is just and their demands altruistic in the main. It is the federal government that has reneged to honour part of the agreement it signed freely with ASUU. Isn’t that what is called bad faith? And now the tactics being deployed look like those of a football opponent who wants to just toss the EDOO DURXQG ZDLWLQJ IRU WKH ÀQDO ZKLVWOH 7KH APC government wants to keep the status quo of suspended animation till elections are done so they can push it to the next government.

That’s how I read the judicial recourse embarked upon by the government. Ngige’s denial when his signature is all over the move LV WR VD\ WKH OHDVW K\SRFULWLFDO Even more diabolical is the rumoured move to deregister ASUU. A scatter-brained move if you ask me. Using the non-rendition RI DXGLWHG DFFRXQWV IRU IRXU \HDUV DV H[FXVH and at the same time allegedly preventing ASUU from submitting the same reports. It is sad a minister who prides himself as having organized labour roots is superintending over this mago mago and wuru wuru – apologies to Humphrey Nwosu. Ngige comes across as D YHU\ FRPEDWLYH ORTXDFLRXV DQG GLVGDLQIXO SXEOLF R΀FHU +H LV LQ WKH VDPH PRXOG DV WKH current Education minister who walked out on Nigerian students. +RZ FDQ SXEOLF R΀FLDOV JLYH GLUHFWLYHV WR minions to refuse to receive documents sent

by ASUU? Even when such documents were being demanded by the same leadership. I do QRW DQG FDQ QHYHU VXSSRUW WKH OHWKDUJ\ ZLWK which ASUU treated the issue of rendition of audited accounts – if you are coming to equity you had better come with clean hands! +RZHYHU LV WKDW QRW KRZ PDQ\ DJHQFLHV DQG departments of government run in Nigeria?

NNPC has long been accused of the same PDOIHDVDQFH ZK\ KDV WKH VDPH EHKHPRWK QRW been ‘deregistered’?

The ministry of Labour has not taken any action since 2018 audited report was not rendered. Then 2019. Then 2020. Then 2021.

If Ngige decides to discount the Covid-19

lockdown era as if it did not happen and DͿHFW WKH UHDGLQHVV RI WKHVH UHSRUWV FDQ KH tell the nation too why it took so long for the agency responsible to rise up to their responsibility and why his own ministry VKRXOG QRW EH ¶GHUHJLVWHUHG· IRU LQH΀FLHQF\ DQG GHUHOLFWLRQ RI GXW\" %HVLGHV ZK\ GLG the reports only become critical when their strike has become an albatross as election approaches. Nigerians are no fools.

So why does Ngige talk down on his former comrades? Do the crumbs taste so well that he can push his comrades under the bus? Is he pushing for an end to the system of collective bargaining as we know it? And why is his era being used to canvass the case for ASUU’s proscription considering his labour activist background? He wants to leave that unsavoury proposition as his own legacy. :KDW KDV RUJDQL]HG ODERXU EHQHÀWHG from his ministerial interregnum? We are waiting to hear tales by moonlight of why the ‘ASUU audited report is full of inconsistencies and ASUU has a case to answer’.

I also looked at the rear-view mirror in Edo State of a few years ago where a national labour leader that had immense appeal ruled for eight unbroken years. If \RX ORRN DW WKH UHFRUG \RX ZLOO ÀQG WKDW LW was a sad tale for labour in the state. That was the time a harmless group of NLC and TUC leaders on a peaceful procession to call attention to their plight was beaten up physically by the state secretariat at Sapele Road in Benin City. Physically assaulted by a team led by a retired major that was made a permanent secretary as compensation for being previously made a scape goat for the demolition of Samuel Ogbemudia’s property in September 2011. +H KLPVHOI KDG EHIRUH WKH PRUDOO\ WDLQWHG FRPSHQVDWRU\ SHUPDQHQW VHFUHWDU\VKLS been publicly bundled like a cow into the back of a pickup truck in the pretence that he was not sent on that errand. All that bubuyaya was to assuage the huge public outcry.

Was any of the attackers who beat the state NLC chairman – Mr. Emmanuel $GHPRNXQ WR VWXSRU DUUHVWHG SURVHFXWHG or sanctioned by the ex-labour leader at Osadebe Avenue? No. The instruction for the attack is alleged to have come from that axis. What was labour – NLC and TUC - asking for at that time? Payment of outstanding allowances! Was it not the VDPH ODERXU OHDGHU ZKR RXJKW WR ÀJKW IRU the masses that seized the puny wares of a poor widow and told her publicly ‘you DUH D ZLGRZ JR DQG GLH ·" :K\ ZRXOG any sane man expect the candidate that people with such mindset are rooting for to become saviours to our the povertystricken countrymen and women in 2023?

Is it not a reversal of roles that in the same (GR 6WDWH WRGD\ D QRQ ODERXU OHDGHU OHG government has implemented a minimum wage increase from thirty to forty thousand QDLUD LQFUHDVH ZLWKRXW QHJRWLDWLRQ noisiness or nonsensical grandstanding?

And the same government is building a multi-storey secretariat for the NLC at a strategic location overlooking the Ikpoba river in Benin City. auxtynisi@yahoo.com

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EDITORIAL

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

MDAS AND PADDED BUDGETS There is need to ensure adequate consequences for proven perpetrators of the crime

F

inancial ‘padding’ is increasingly becoming part of the nation’s budgeting system. At a recent interactive session with the Senate Committee on Finance on the 2022-2025 Medium Term Expenditure Framework, the Independent Corrupt Practices Commission (ICPC) accused ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) of JRYHUQPHQW RI ÀGGOLQJ ZLWK WKH DQG EXGJHWV WR the tune of N400 billion by duplicating projects. “From our own end, detection of such projects is done by verifying their locations and names, upon which we tell the appropriate authorities not to release wrongly budgeted monies,” said ICPC chairman, Bolaji Owasanoye.

While we commend the ICPC for this recent discovery, it is important to QRWH WKDW WKLV ZDV QRW WKH ÀUVW time that the commission would be accusing MDAs of involvement in fraudulent acts. At one of its recent summits, ICPC disclosed that it had uncovered gross abuse RI SHUVRQQHO EXGJHW DQG LQÁDWLRQ DV ZHOO DV SDGGLQJ RI nominal role by some MDAs. According to Owasanoye, LQ WKH ÀVFDO \HDU WKH EDODQFHV UHFRUGHG IRU personnel were “wrongfully utilised by MDAs for other purposes due to lack of pro activity by late enforcement and UHODWHG DJHQFLHV 7KDW VXP DPRXQWHG WR 1 ELOOLRQ µ Indeed, the corruption and lack of accountability in many of the agencies of government are mindboggling.

7KH\ LQÁDWH FRQWUDFWV IDLO WR UHPLW WD[ GLYHUW SHQVLRQ DQG National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) deductions, and DJJUDYDWH WKH VXͿHULQJV RI PDQ\ 1LJHULDQV 7KH ÀQDQFLDO impropriety in several of the MDAs has led to loss of huge revenues running into trillions of naira. Owasanoye also UHYHDOHG WKDW 1 ELOOLRQ PHDQW IRU WKH VFKRRO IHHGLQJ programme in some federal government colleges during WKH &29,' ORFNGRZQ HQGHG XS LQ WKH SRFNHWV RI WRS R΀FLDOV RI 0'$V $QRWKHU 1 ELOOLRQ ZDV UHSRUWHGO\ misappropriated by a senior civil servant in the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and his cronies.

These allegations are not coming only from the ICPC. In WKH R΀FH RI WKH $XGLWRU *HQHUDO RI WKH )HGHUDWLRQ $X*) JDYH D GDPQLQJ UHSRUW RQ WKH ÀQDQFLDO UHFRUGV of the MDAs. The audit report showed that there were GHÀFLHQFLHV LQ WKH SURFHVVHV IRU FRQVROLGDWLQJ WKH balances of MDAs into one economic entity. In addition, JRYHUQPHQW DJHQFLHV GHIDXOWHG LQ WKH VXEPLVVLRQ RI DXGLWHG DFFRXQWV IRU DQG ZKLOH VRPH RWKHUV KDG QHYHU ERWKHUHG WR VXEPLW DQ\ ÀQDQFLDO VWDWHPHQWV since inception. Some agencies had consistently breached the extant laws, guidelines and regulations in remission of money to the Treasury Single Account (TSA). Indeed, the Fiscal Responsibility Commission (FRC) revealed in its UHSRUW WKDW WKH 0'$V defrauded the country of RYHU 1 WULOOLRQ LQ VHYHQ years. Perhaps to crown the impunity, the former $FFRXQWDQW *HQHUDO RI WKH Federation, Ahmed Idris, was KLPVHOI ÀQJHUHG DQG LQGHHG UHFHQWO\ DUUDLJQHG RYHU 1 billion charges. $ OHDGLQJ SURIHVVLRQDO VHUYLFHV ÀUP PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) in a recent report titled “Impact of Corruption on Nigeria’s Economy” stated that IDLOXUH WR VWHP FRUUXSWLRQ LQ 1LJHULD FRXOG FRVW XS WR SHU FHQW RI *URVV 'RPHVWLF 3URGXFWV E\ 7KH TXHVWLRQV WKHUHIRUH SHUVLVW :K\ LV LW VR GL΀FXOW WR FORVHO\ PRQLWRU the operations of the MDAs, and seal the sources of corrupt practices which have undermined economic growth, and FDXVLQJ D VWHDG\ GHFOLQH LQ WKH DYDLODELOLW\ DQG TXDOLW\ of essential public services? Why is it that the National Assembly has habitually failed to vet projects properly? $QG ZK\ LV D JRYHUQPHQW WKDW FDPH WR ÀJKW FRUUXSWLRQ EH so ironically enmeshed in it? ,I WKH ÀJKW DJDLQVW FRUUXSWLRQ LQ WKH 0'$V ZLOO WDNH WKH QDWLRQ DQ\ZKHUH WKHQ WKHUH LV QHHG WR HQVXUH DGHTXDWH FRQVHTXHQFHV IRU WKH SURYHQ SHUSHWUDWRUV RI WKH FULPH Besides, we need to invest in the cultivation of enlightened values by ensuring that those who go into public service are content with their legitimate wages.

The financial impropriety in several of the MDAs has led to loss of huge revenues running into trillions of naira

T H I S D AY EDITOR SHAKA MOMODU DEPUTY EDITORS WALE OLALEYE, OBINNA CHIMA MANAGING DIRECTOR ENIOLA BELLO DEPUTY MANAGING DIRECTOR ISRAEL IWEGBU CHAIRMAN EDITORIAL BOARD OLUSEGUN ADENIYI EDITOR NATION’S CAPITAL IYOBOSA UWUGIAREN MANAGING EDITOR BOLAJI ADEBIYI THE OMBUDSMAN KAYODE KOMOLAFE

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

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

LETTERS OPEN LETTER TO IGP ON AJUWON POLICE STATION Sir, there is no doubt that the nation has continually witnessed VLJQLÀFDQW WXUQ DURXQG LQ WKH LPSURYHPHQW RI VHFXULW\ DUFKLWHFWXUH VLQFH \RXU DVVXPSWLRQ RI R΀FH RQ $SULO ,W·V HYLGHQW WKDW you’ve brought your high level of educational attainments to bear on all the gamut of security apparatus in the country.

This is in particular reference to the huge improvement in the rescuing of kidnapped victims, curtailing the cult-related activities and armed robberies across the country, as well as continual recovering of ÀUHDUPV IURP KRRGOXPV DQG XQSDWULRWLF ]HDORWV But, the expectant nation is asking for more policing initiatives around the country particularly in these Ember months to ensuring the general protection of life and property.

0HDQZKLOH , QHHG WR EULQJ WR \RXU QRWLFH WKH REYLRXV LQDGHTXDcy in general policing of Akute, Alagbole, Lambe and Ajuwon communities, all combined to represent the largest political bloc in Ogun 6WDWH 7KHVH FRPPXQLWLHV WRJHWKHU FRQVWLWXWH DERXW RI WKH population of Ogun State, yet there is presence of just one police station in the whole areas. So, technically the communities are grossly under-policed.

Worsening the matter is the proximity of the communities to LaJRV 6WDWH D GHYHORSPHQW WKDW QHFHVVLWDWHV WKH LQÁX[ RI KXQGUHGV RI young upward mobile Nigerians from the State of Excellence to the

areas on daily basis in order to avoid the high cost of living in Lagos and most especially, astronomical rents. Of course, there are attendant security challenges in terms of criminality- cultism, advent of Yahoo boys and girls, armed robberies, drug peddling, and burglary.

The sudden exponential increase in the population of the areas has put Ajuwon police station, the only one serving the entire communiWLHV XQGHU WUHPHQGRXV SUHVVXUH VR PXFK WKDW FLWL]HQV RI WKH DUHDV DUH QRW JXDUDQWHHG HͿHFWLYH DQG H΀FLHQW WUHDWPHQW RI WKHLU FDVHV DQ\time they lodge complaints.

The police personnel are always eager to discharge cases or refer them to the law courts because their hands are always full. This is the present situation at the police station and it’s the people of the communities who are bearing the brunt.

In view of this obvious challenge, it would therefore be appropriDWH IRU WKH 3ROLFH $XWKRULW\ XQGHU \RXU ZDWFK DV ,QVSHFWRU *HQHUDO RI Nigeria Police Force to urgently consider breaking the Ajuwon Police 6WDWLRQ LQWR DW OHDVW WKUHH IRU WKH SXUSRVH RI H΀FLHQF\ HͿHFWLYHQHVV RUGHUOLQHVV DQG DGHTXDWH SROLFLQJ RI WKH DIRUHPHQWLRQHG FRPPXQLties.

Kola Amzat (FCA, FCIB), CEO, WKA Consulting, Lagos

TINAPA: A WASTED PROJECT ,W LV VKRFNLQJ WKDW WKH JRRG DWWHPSW WR LQGXVWULDOL]H 1Lgeria is always destroyed by lack of vision. Vision is simply the possibility that good things can happen to any location.

I recently saw a video on the deplorable state of TINAPA and I was shell-shocked at the extent of damage. TINAPA had the trappings of what Las Vegas or any other tourist site in the world today could give but because of the lack of leadership, that project Donald Duke invested in to turn things around has become a waste. I was talking to a friend and he said Nigeria should focus on the small things like À[LQJ HGXFDWLRQ DQG KHDOWKFDUH EHIRUH LW IRFXVHV RQ WKLQJV like TINAPA. He further told me the story of how Flagler built Miami and how a good mindset has carried on those legacies, adding that the workability of projects like TINAPA will be hard in a country with over 20 million out-of- school children.

But I would love to ask and let’s debate please: Why is that projects like TINAPA, Obudu Ranch and other government-run resorts never thrive in Nigeria?

Rufai Oseni, rufaioseni@gmail.com

T H I S D AY ˾ TUESDAY SEPTEMBER 27, 2022

19

POLITICS

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

PDP Still Swimming in Murky Waters People’s Democratic Party will this week begin campaign for its presidential flag bearer, Atiku Abubakar, ahead of 2023 polls with baggage of crises that have turned murky by internal rebellion, writes Emameh Gabriel.

Ayu

W

ith a day to the commencement of the 2023 elections campaigns, the main opposition People’s Democratic Party (PDP) is still consumed by chaos and the forces expected to bring order to the party have not only failed to do so but also seem overwhelmed by the magnitude of disenchantment among its aggrieved members.

While this remains an encumbrances for the party, ego and lack of patriotism to reinvent it back to its winning ways and return it to power next year has also taken the better part of some members of the opposition party, leaving it in shred and vulnerable to implosion, while it staggers into the campaigns this week with uncertainty over its future.

Love is lost and trust broken between the warring camps in the party, which signals a long walk to resolving its crisis. With limited time available before the elections, it seems almost impossible to heal the bruises suffered so far even if both sides are ready to sheath swords.

Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers state wants a pound of flesh from the PDP National Chairman, Senator Iyorchia Ayu, the man who allegedly rigged the PDP presidential election against him. PDP’s presidential flag bearer, Atiku Abubakar, will not make Ayu, the man who manipulated the process that earned him the party’s presidential ticket a scrificial lamb for Wike’s presumed vendetta.

The bone of contention has not changed; Wike who contested the party presidential primary election and lost to Atiku in the most controversial manner, and some Southern PDP stakeholders have insisted on the resignation of the national chairman of the party as the only condition to bring them to the table for talks.

They have hinged their argument on two conditions; the constitution of the party on rotation must not only be respected but for the sake of equity and justice, the national chairman of the party should be zoned to the South. Ayu’s resignation was and is still the centre of discussion.

Last week, Wike, who is also a key actor in the centre of the crisis rocking the party, in a controversial media chat in Port Harcourt, opened up can of worms that highlighted the high level of grafts in the Ayu-led National Working Committee (NWC) of the party.

This came a day after prominent members of the party took the decision of pulling out of the party’s presidential campaign council at a meeting in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital, insisting that Ayu must quit because he allegedly compromised the party’s last presidential primary.

Wike has the backing of the party’s former Deputy National Chairman, Chief Olabode George; former Information and Culture Minister, Professor Jerry Gana; Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State; his Benue state counterpart, Samuel Ortom and former Gombe state governor, Ibrahim Dankwambo, among others.

Ayu, was also accused by Wike in the live broadcast of rigging the PDP presidential pri-

Atiku

mary election that earned former Vice President Atiku Abubakar the party’s presidential ticket, after which he allegedly collected N1 billion from a particular presidential aspirant.

This came just two weeks after leadership of the PDP passed a vote of confidence on Ayu to steer the party’s affairs into the election.

Wike who could not hide his emotions, had during the session with senior journalists said both Atiku and Ayu cannot be trusted, describing them as embodiments of deceit whose characters only portray the PDP in negative light.

He said Ayu who was supposed to be an umpire, turned out to be Atiku’s main canvasser who also intimidated other aspirants to step down for the former Vice President.

In other words, the convention that produced Atiku was highly compromised and flawed by the actions of Ayu. “It would have ended in crisis if not for the love I have for the PDP”, Wike said.

He had also claimed that the Ayu promised to resign if a Northern presidential candidate emerged, but had refused to fulfill his promise despite the emergence of Atiku.

His words: “He (Atiku) visited me after his emergence and promised that Ayu would resign, but he failed to actualise it. He also met us in London and promised that Ayu must go but we were surprised that he went to a gathering and cited constitutional issues.”

He said pride in those who claim to be leaders of the party is the major undoing of the PDP, which has become a major threat to the peace of the party and could lead to its doom when the Nigerians head back to the polls next year.

Wike, also alleged that while efforts were on to resolve the crisis in the party, Atiku and his team had already shared key positions to themselves even before victory at the polls.

In others words, Atiku never had

Wike

him in his plans but wanted to use him and the votes in Rivers State as means to an end.

Wike said: “The problem with some of our leaders is that there are so many rent-seekers around them. They (rent-seekers) have not been in power for years. So they are all looking for how to bounce back. They are people who have no value to add.

“We have not won election we are too arrogant, we have not won election and we are telling Nigerians look you cannot trust us, we say one thing and we do a different thing.

“A party that is in the opposition and serious to win an election cannot be as arrogant as the PDP. If the PDP cannot restructure itself to correct the marginalisation in the PDP, Nigerians are now doubting the party’s capacity to unite the country.

“Those asking the party to sanction me especially Waziri from Yobe State lack electoral values. Since 1999, PDP has never won Yobe,” he stated.

The Rivers State Governor seemed not only to have drawn the battle line, he has resolved to fight till what he described as justice for the South is achieved. Wike boasted that the leadership of his party cannot sanction him.

He said: “I dare the party to sanction me.

They should do it. Who will sanction me?

Those, who left the party cannot sanction me. If they do it, they know what I can do,” he warned.

“If at the end, the party refuses to meet our demand, we will meet again to take a decision on our next strategies for the election. Haven’t you seen where a senatorial candidate lost in an area while the governorship candidate from the same party won in that same place?”

He also called the bluff of those saying the party could do without him.

According to him:: “President Muhammadu Buhari didn’t win Rivers State in 2019. But he won Lagos and Kano. Does Atiku have Lagos now? Does he have Kano? The only state he has always had is Rivers. Yet those who do not have electoral value are saying they don’t want us and can do without us.

“So you have zero. Would a President of Nigeria who doesn’t have the governors of Rivers, Kano and Lagos be comfortable?

That also tells you what they have in mind about the stability of Nigeria. I don’t think that Atiku will listen to those kinds of suggestions from politically irrelevant people.

In 2015 and 2019, Buhari didn’t get up to 25 per cent in Rivers despite the fact that there

The PDP itself seems to have been consumed by a crisis bigger than its leadership from top to bottom and its chances at the polls have been dented by Wike’s recent outbursts. It will take a whole lot of effort for a party to go into an election with such damning allegations by one of its key members to win the trust of Nigerians to vote its presidential candidate

was a serving governor and Minister from the State who was the Director General of his campaign”.

Neither Ayu nor Atiku has debunked Wike’s allegations. Ayu has not come out to deny the allegations of N1 billion he allegedly collected from a particular presidential aspirant.

The PDP National Chairman has also not said anything about claims of several meetings he reportedly hosted to canvass support for Atiku, either by intimidation or financial inducement.

Atiku on his part has also not denied the promise he was said to have made to Wike that he would resign at the instance of his emergence as the party’s presidential candidate for a Southerner to occupy the office of the national chairman. Rather, he has maintained that he cannot force Ayu to resign his position as PDP national chairman on the ground of principle.

“I must reiterate what I have said severally in public and in private; the decision for Dr. Iyorchia Ayu to resign from office is personal to Dr. Ayu and, neither I nor anyone else can make that decision for him,” Atiku had said in a statement hours after the camp of Wike pulled out of his presidential campaign council for the 2023 general elections, insisting that Ayu must go for a southerner to step in.

“As to the calls for the removal of Dr. Ayu from office, however, I will state that, as a committed democrat and firm believer in the rule of law and democratic tenets, and our party being one set up, organized and regulated by law and our constitution, it is my absolute belief that everything that we do in our party must be done in accordance with, and conformity to, the law and our constitution”, the PDP presidential candidate had further said.

Atiku’s rating has continued to nose dive especially in the South South, one of the PDP sting holds in the South. With Peter Obi’s Labour Party posing as threat to the PDP in the South East and part of South South, it is becoming hard to see how the PDP could win the next general election with Atiku as its presidential flag bearer.

Also last week, the Spokesperson of the Coalition of United Political Parties (CUPP), Ikenga Ugochinyere, called on the National Executive Council of the PDP to reverse its recent position on Ayu so as to unite the party before the general elections early next year.

CUPP had advised that keeping Ayu and Anyanwu in office may mar the chances of the party winning 2023 general election.

Ikenga noted: “I call on the PDP presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, to press it on chieftains of the party and Ayu on the need to save the party from further polarisation and loss of our base in the South. This can be achieved by ensuring that PDP National Chairman, Senator Ayu quits the party now alongside the National Secretary, Anyanwu”.

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

20

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 27, 2022 • T H I S D AY

MARKET NEWS A Mutual fund (Unit Trust) is an investment vehicle managed by a SEC (Securities and Exchange Commission) registered Fund Manager.

Investors with similar objectives buy units of the Fund so that the Fund Manager can buy securities that willl generate their desired return.

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

floor of the Nigerian Stock Exchange.

A REIT (Real Estate Investment Trust) is an investment vehicle that allows both small and large investors to part-own real estate ventures (eg.

Offices, Houses, Hospitals) in proportion to their investments. The assets are divided into shares that are traded on the Nigerian Stock Exchange.

GUIDE TO DATA: Date: All fund prices are quoted in Naira as at 23Sept-2022, unless otherwise stated.

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

Bid Price: The price at which Investors redeem (sell) units of a trust or ETF. Yield/Total Return: Denotes the total return an investor would have earned on his investment. Money Market Funds report Yield while others report Year- to-date Total Return.

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

DAILY PRICE LIST FOR MUTUAL FUNDS, REITS and ETFS MUTUAL FUNDS / UNIT TRUSTS AFRINVEST ASSET MANAGEMENT LTD aaml@afrinvest.com Web: www.afrinvest.com; Tel: +234 818 885 6757 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Afrinvest Equity Fund 187.78 188.93 12.50% Afrinvest Plutus Fund 100.00 100.00 8.56% Nigeria International Debt Fund 314.15 314.15 10.14% Afrinvest Dollar Fund 105.76 106.91 7.19% AIICO CAPITAL LTD ammf@aiicocapital.com Web: www.aiicocapital.com, Tel: +234-1-2792974 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn AIICO Money Market Fund 100.00 100.00 10.85% AIICO Balanced Fund 3.69 3.75 8.40% ANCHORIA ASSET MANAGEMENT LIMITED info@anchoriaam.com Web:www.anchoriaam.com, Tel: 08166830267; 08036814510; 08028419180 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Anchoria Money Market 100.00 100.00 7.58% Anchoria Equity Fund 138.69 140.24 -0.40% Anchoria Fixed Income Fund 1.18 1.18 3.13% info@anchoriaam.com ARM INVESTMENT MANAGERS LTD enquiries@arminvestmentcenter.com Web: www.arm.com.ng; Tel: 0700 CALLARM (0700 225 5276) Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn ARM Aggressive Growth Fund 20.92 21.55 3.12% ARM Discovery Balanced Fund 507.92 523.23 12.58% ARM Ethical Fund 42.32 43.60 8.64% ARM Eurobond Fund ($) 1.09 1.09 0.44% ARM Fixed Income Fund 1.06 1.06 4.49% ARM Money Market Fund 1.00 1.00 10.12% AVA GLOBAL ASSET MANAGERS LIMITED info@avacapitalgroup.com Web: www.avacapitalgroup.com; Tel 08069294653 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn AVA GAM Fixed Income Dollar Fund 89.38 89.38 -7.48% AVA GAM Fixed Income Dollar Naira 1,091.98 1,091.98 9.20% AXA MANSARD INVESTMENTS LIMITED investmentcare@axamansard.com Web: www.axamansard.com; Tel: +2341-4488482 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn AXA Mansard Equity Income Fund N/A N/A N/A AXA Mansard Money Market Fund N/A N/A N/A CAPITAL EXPRESS ASSET AND TRUST LIMITED info@capitalexpressassetandtrust.com Web: www.capitalexpressassetandtrust.com; Tel: +234 803 307 5048 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn CEAT Fixed Income Fund 2.09 2.09 2.83% Capital Express Balanced Fund(Formerly: Union Trustees Mixed Fund) 2.27 2.31 5.13% CAPITALTRUST INVESTMENTS AND ASSET MANAGEMENT LIMITED halalfif@capitaltrustnigeria.com Web: www.capitaltrustnigeria.com; Tel: 08061458806 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Capitaltrust Halal Fixed Income Fund N/A N/A N/A CARDINALSTONE ASSET MANAGEMENT LIMITED mutualfunds@cardinalstone.com Web: www.cardinalstoneassetmanagement.com; Tel: +234 (1) 710 0433 4 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn CardinalStone Fixed Income Alpha Fund 1.02 1.02 6.17% CHAPELHILL DENHAM MANAGEMENT LTD investmentmanagement@chapelhilldenham.com Web: www.chapelhilldenham.com, Tel: +234 461 0691 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Chapelhill Denham Money Market Fund 100.00 100.00 12.29% Paramount Equity Fund 18.33 18.66 9.86% Women's Investment Fund 145.52 146.27 2.51% CORDROS ASSET MANAGEMENT LIMITED assetmgtteam@cordros.com Web: www.cordros.com, Tel: 019036947 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Cordros Money Market Fund 100.00 100.00 9.12% Cordros Milestone Fund 129.78 130.68 4.37% Cordros Dollar Fund ($) 111.31 111.31 4.98% CORONATION ASSETS MANAGEMENT investment@coronationam.com Web:www.coronationam.com, Tel: 012366215 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Coronation Money Market Fund N/A N/A N/A Coronation Balanced Fund N/A N/A N/A Coronation Fixed Income Fund N/A N/A N/A EDC FUNDS MANAGEMENT LIMITED mutualfundng@ecobank.com Web: www.ecobank.com Tel: 012265281 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn EDC Nigeria Money Market Fund Class A 100.00 100.00 9.53% EDC Nigeria Money Market Fund Class B 1,000,000.00 1,000,000.00 10.46% EDC Nigeria Fixed Income Fund 1,122.39 1,143.18 1.01% EMERGING AFRICA ASSET MANAGEMENT LIMITED assetmanagement@emergingafricafroup.com Web:www.emergingafricagroup.com/emerging-africa-asset-management-limited/, Tel: 08039492594 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Emerging Africa Money Market Fund 1.00 1.00 9.10% Emerging Africa Bond Fund 1.04 1.04 8.58% Emerging Africa Balanced Diversity Fund 1.03 1.03 2.26% Emerging Africa Eurobond Fund 103.46 103.46 2.21% FBNQUEST ASSETS MANAGEMENT LIMITED invest@fbnquest.com Web: www.fbnquest.com/asset-management; Tel: +234-81 0082 0082 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn FBN Bond Fund 1507.66 1507.66 11.50% FBN Balanced Fund 193.49 194.80 10.40% FBN Halal Fund 123.80 123.80 11.47% FBN Money Market Fund 100.00 100.00 10.39% FBN Dollar Fund (Retail) 126.33 126.33 6.06% FBN Nigeria Smart Beta Equity Fund 158.84 160.96 5.81% FCMB ASSET MANAGEMENT LIMITED fcmbamhelpdesk@fcmb.com Web: www.fcmbassetmanagement.com; Tel: +234 1 462 2596 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Legacy Money Market Fund 1.00 1.00 8.56% Legacy Debt Fund 3.57 3.57 -10.83% Legacy Equity Fund 1.86 1.89 6.76% Legacy USD Bond Fund 1.24 1.24 2.79% FSDH ASSET MANAGEMENT LTD coralfunds@fsdhgroup.com Web: www.fsdhaml.com; Tel: 01-270 4884-5; 01-280 9740-1 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn

Coral Balanced Fund Coral Income Fund Coral Money Market Fund

4,046.92 3,627.39 100.00

4,101.63 3,627.39 100.00

5.29% 6.29% 11.21%

FSDH Dollar Fund 1.12 1.12 4.06% GUARANTY TRUST FUND MANAGERS LIMITED enquiries@investment-one.com Web: www.investment-one.com; Tel: +234 812 992 1045,+234 1 448 8888 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Abacus Money Market Fund N/A N/A N/A Vantage Balanced Fund N/A N/A N/A Vantage Guaranteed Income Fund N/A N/A N/A Kedari Investment Fund (KIF) N/A N/A N/A Vantage Equity Income Fund (VEIF) - June Year End N/A N/A N/A Vantage Dollar Fund (VDF) - June Year End N/A N/A N/A LOTUS CAPITAL LTD fincon@lotuscapitallimited.com Web: www.lotuscapitallimited.com; Tel: +234 1-291 4626 / +234 1-291 4624 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Lotus Halal Investment Fund 1.62 1.65 13.88% Lotus Halal Fixed Income Fund 1,171.81 1,171.81 6.70% MERISTEM WEALTH MANAGEMENT LTD info@meristemwealth.com Web: www.meristemwealth.com/funds/; Tel: +2348028496012 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Meristem Equity Market Fund 11.88 11.97 9.40% Meristem Money Market Fund 10.00 10.00 10.78% NORRENBERGER INVESTMENT AND CAPITAL MANAGEMENT LIMITED enquiries@norrenberger.com Web: www.norrenberger.com, Tel: +234 (0) 908 781 2026 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Norrenberger Islamic Fund (NIF) 102.70 102.70 9.69% Norrenberger Money Market Fund (NMMF) 100.00 100.00 11.28% PAC ASSET MANAGEMENT LTD info@pacassetmanagement.com Web: www.pacassetmanagement.com/mutualfunds; Tel: +234 1 271 8632 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn PACAM Balanced Fund N/A N/A N/A PACAM Fixed Income Fund N/A N/A N/A PACAM Money Market Fund N/A N/A N/A PACAM Equity Fund N/A N/A N/A PACAM EuroBond Fund N/A N/A N/A SCM CAPITAL LIMITED info@scmcapitalng.com Web: www.scmcapitalng.com; Tel: +234 1-280 2226,+234 1- 280 2227 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn SCM Capital Frontier Fund 123.83 126.39 0.05% SFS CAPITAL NIGERIA LTD investments@sfsnigeria.com Web: www.sfsnigeria.com, Tel: +234 (01) 2801400 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn SFS Fixed Income Fund 1.07 1.07 10.04% STANBIC IBTC ASSET MANAGEMENT LTD assetmanagement@stanbicibtc.com Web: www.stanbicibtcassetmanagement.com; Tel: +234 1 280 1266; 0700 MUTUALFUNDS Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Stanbic IBTC Balanced Fund 3,513.86 3,547.36 3.73% Stanbic IBTC Bond Fund 242.06 242.06 2.76% Stanbic IBTC Ethical Fund 1.39 1.41 11.11% Stanbic IBTC Guaranteed Investment Fund 326.65 326.66 4.32% Stanbic IBTC Iman Fund 256.75 260.39 10.04% Stanbic IBTC Money Market Fund 1.00 1.00 10.28% Stanbic IBTC Nigerian Equity Fund 11,706.01 11,864.65 7.29% Stanbic IBTC Dollar Fund (USD) 1.34 1.34 3.82% Stanbic IBTC Shariah Fixed Income Fund 119.80 119.80 2.47% Stanbic IBTC Enhanced Short-Term Fixed Income Fund 112.54 112.54 5.79% UNITED CAPITAL ASSET MANAGEMENT LTD unitedcapitalplcgroup.com Web: www.unitedcapitalplcgroup.com; Tel: +234 01-6317876 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn United Capital Equity Fund 0.95 0.97 7.20% United Capital Balanced Fund 1.34 1.36 2.91% United Capital Wealth for Women Fund 1.14 1.15 10.13% United Capital Sukuk Fund 1.08 1.08 7.20% United Capital Fixed Income Fund 1.92 1.92 6.31% United Capital Eurobond Fund 123.46 123.46 5.78% United Capital Money Market Fund 1.00 1.00 10.65% QUANTUM ZENITH ASSET MANAGEMENT & INVESTMENTS LTD service@quantumzenithasset.com.ng Web: www.quantumzenith.com.ng; Tel: +234 1-2784219 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Zenith Balanced Strategy Fund 13.57 13.69 2.86% Zenith ESG Impact Fund 15.58 15.72 6.54% Zenith Income Fund 23.13 23.13 5.37% Zenith Money Market Fund 1.00 1.00 10.11% VETIVA FUND MANAGERS LTD funds@vetiva.com Web: www.vetiva.com; Tel: +234 1 453 0697 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Vetiva Banking Exchange Traded Fund 3.78 3.88 -5.78% Vetiva Consumer Goods Exchange Traded Fund 6.00 6.10 2.68% Vetiva Griffin 30 Exchange Traded Fund 17.70 17.90 0.11% Vetiva Money Market Fund 1.00 1.00 10.06% Vetiva Industrial Goods Exchange Traded Fund 17.11 17.31 -14.29% Vetiva S&P Nigeria Sovereign Bond Exchange Traded Fund 138.07 140.07 -12.40%

REITS NAV Per Share

Yield / T-Rtn

119.29 52.14

5.27% 2.50%

Bid Price

Offer Price

Yield / T-Rtn

14.02 125.64 97.92 16.40 17.10

14.12 128.81 100.06 16.50 17.20

0.20% -1.16% -1.84% -3.02% 12.33%

NAV Per Share

Yield / T-Rtn

107.59

0.00%

Fund Name SFS REIT Union Homes REIT

EXCHANGE TRADED FUNDS Fund Name Lotus Halal Equity Exchange Traded Fund SIAML Pension ETF 40 Stanbic IBTC ETF 30 Fund MERGROWTH ETF MERVALUE ETF

INFRASTRUCTURE FUND Fund Name Chapel Hill Denham Nigeria Infrastructure Debt Fund

The value of investments and the income from them may fall as well as rise. Past performance is a guide and not an indication of future returns. Fund prices published in this edition are also available on each fund manager’s website and FMAN’s website at www.fman.com.ng. Fund prices are supplied by the operator of the relevant fund and are published for information purposes only.

LAWYER TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 27, 2022

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Filling Supreme Court Vacancies: Issues for Consideration

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TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 27, 2022 ˾ T H I S D AY

IN THIS EDITION

Effect of Section 18(1) of the Trade Disputes Act on Ongoing Employee Strike Page IV

NBA President Extols Virtues of Justice Taiwo Taiwo Page V

QUOTABLE ‘We believe in one Nigeria, but we cannot have one country, two systems….If the Katsina situation conferring advantages on some in the face of commonly faced existential threats, it means that our unitary policing system which has failed, is a deliberate method of subjugation which must be challenged.’ - Governor of Ondo State, Oluwarotimi Akeredolu, SAN (Aketi)

Lagos Assembly Passes Victim, Witnesses Protection Bill Page V

Court Dismisses Baba Ijesha’s Bail Application Page V

LAWYER

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

III THE ADVOCATE

T H I S D AY ˾ TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 27, 2022

When Impunity Becomes National Culture Congratulations to the new CJN irstly, I must congratulate his Lordship, Honourable Justice Olukayode Ariwoola, on his confirmation as the 18th Chief Justice of Nigeria pursuant to Section 231(1) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended) (the Constitution). We wish his Lordship a successful and progressive tenure, in which innovations that will move the Nigerian Justice Sector forward will be introduced and entrenched in our judicature.

F

A Constitution Based on Falsehood It is true that the Constitution is based on falsehood. Contrary to the Preamble, ‘We, the People’ didn’t resolve anything, nor agree to provide ourselves with a Constitution or give ourselves one; the military gave us their own version of a Constitution. However, one of the purposes of the said Constitution, is purportedly to promote good government and the welfare of all persons in the country on the principles of freedom, equality and justice. And, to this end, Sections 4, 5, & 6 of the Constitution established the three arms of government, the Legislature, Executive and Judiciary.

But, could it be that as we move further into the democratic dispensation (which in reality, is mostly undemocratic), that it is becoming progressively difficult to build upon a shaky foundation, let alone have a solid structure stand? Have Nigerians become more aware of not just the fact that they had no input into the making of the Constitution, but also of the numerous flaws in the document, and are therefore not just rejecting it, but are also generally disobeying laws based on this flawed ‘Super Law’ (the Constitution) with gusto and aplomb? Or is this state of lawlessness/anything goes, a function of lack of good leadership and accountability that have accrued over the years? Or a combination of all of the above?

Disobedience of laws, non-observance, and outright ignoring, have now become a common occurrence with the citizenry, government officials and the authorities. What does one call a country where the people and government have no regard for the rule of law, and they just do as they please? Chaotic? Anarchical?

Sadly, this is what our country seems to have descended into.

In the two scenarios that I discuss below, the Government and Students both display a lack of respect for the rule of law.

Executive Recklessness: Raids on the Judiciary In October 2016, the DSS (Department of State Services) raided the residences of Judges and Justices in the dead of night, the same way wanted criminals who are on the run are hounded for apprehension by law enforcement agents. The authorities tried to justify these illegal acts, by using the National Security Agencies Act 1986 (NSA Act) which is completely inapplicable. Aside from the fact that the Agencies mentioned in Section 1 of the NSA Act do not include the DSS, the functions of the Agencies listed therein, are mainly to detect and prevent crimes of a military nature (see Section 2 of the NSA Act). It has absolutely nothing to do with the Judiciary, by any stretch of the imagination.

But, despite the general condemnation of such impunity and rascality on the part of government, sometime in October 2021, the home of Hon. Justice Mary Peter-Odili, the second highest ranking Justice of the Supreme Court at the time, was invaded by some ‘Police’ characters.

This time, a judicial officer, a Magistrate, was also involved in the fiasco, and a phoney search warrant was issued and used to gain access into the JSC’s residence. The excuse given by the authorities this time, was that those who partook in that illegal incursion were fake law enforcement agents - a somewhat bizarre explanation. Who would be brave and brazen enough to illegally force their way into the residence of the second highest ranking judicial officer in the land, if not those who believe that they are of an even higher authority?

And, just last Wednesday, the EFCC intruded into the residence of the Presiding Justice of the Court of Appeal, Kano Division, at the crack of dawn, using the excuse of some spurious ‘property verification exercise’. Lawlessness in high places! We are governed by the rule

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

The

Advocate “What does one call a country where the people and government have no regard for the rule of law, and they just do as they please?

Chaotic? Anarchical? Sadly, this is what our country seems to have descended into” of impunity, and not the rule of law; we live in a society that encourages and promotes disorder and irresponsibility, contrary to some of the provisions of our flawed Constitution. Isn’t it ironical that this impunity and disregard for the rule of law, is being perpetrated by law enforcement agencies?

University Students, Road Blocks & the BRF Comment I reiterate the fact that Nigerian workers, including University Lecturers, have been done a disservice by the Nigerian system.

Being poorly paid with poor conditions of service, did not start today; even the Judiciary is not excluded from this injury the inequity, injustice and unfair treatment has simply become more pronounced over the years. See Sections 17(3) & 34(1)(a) of the Constitution. Undoubtedly, students have also been deprived of their rights guaranteed by the educational objectives set out in Section 18 of the Constitution.

They are already lagging behind their peers, as they have more or less lost at least half an academic year, with a new one currently commencing. Tertiary education in the Federal Universities, has, over the years, become “daku daji” as we say in Yoruba - in fits and starts, or spurts!

Be that as it may, last week, instead of blocking the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway and the access to the airport, the students should have restricted their protest to Aso Rock, or the National Assembly (NASS) (since NASS has oversight functions - see

Students Protesting Over ASUU's Strike

Section 88 of the Constitution), Federal Ministry of Education and/or Ministry of Labour.

The Minister of Works & Housing, Mr Babatunde Raji Fashola, SAN (BRF) was misquoted as saying the student’s protest was illegal. As a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, he could not have said so, especially as the Constitution guarantees the right to freedom of expression, association and peaceful assembly in Sections 39(1) & 40. Also see Chapters 8 Article 10 and 9 Article 11 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights (Ratification and Enforcement) Act, which also provide for freedom of right to association and peaceful assembly respectively. What BRF referred to was the illegality of blocking of the expressway, thereby preventing normal travel of the general public on that road and stopping people from going about their normal business, which did nothing but inflict pain on the general public. I agree with BRF’s comment.

The truth of the matter is that, people talk about rights, but often forget that these rights come with duties/responsibilities.

Are we exempted from obeying the law because we have rights? I think not. It is an offence to obstruct any section of the road, either with vehicles or any other way that may affect the free flow of traffic, both vehicular and pedestrian.

See the Federal Highways Act 2004 and the Regulations thereto. For instance, what if a pregnant woman who has a pregnancy complication like Pre-eclampsia

(high blood pressure) which could lead to the death of the mother or baby or both, fell into labour, and was being rushed to the hospital via the Lagos-Ibadan expressway which the students had blocked, and they were unable to get through? That blockade could easily have resulted in the death of mother, child or both. The blockade caused a threat to public peace and safety of citizens; in this example, it infringed upon the pregnant woman (and her baby)’s right to life, liberty and freedom of movement guaranteed by Sections 33(1), 35(1), & 41(1) of the Constitution respectively.

Rights are not always at large - there must be a balance between protesting, and infringing on the rights of others.

The Public Order Act 2004 (POA) seems to protect the interest of government, more so than the citizenry. However, this position slightly changed in favour of citizens with the decision in Inspector General of Police v ANPP & 11 Ors 2007 18 N.W.L.R. Part 1066 Page 457 per Adekeye JCA (as she then was), in which the Court of Appeal upheld the citizens’ right to protest enshrined in Section 40 of the Constitution, by inter alia shooting down Section 1(1)-(3) of the POA which provided that a Police Permit must be sought and obtained before a protest/assembly can hold. However, by virtue of Section 4(1) of the POA, a superior Police Officer is empowered to prescribe an alternative route for a public assembly, if he/she has reasonable grounds to believe that the chosen route of the public assembly may cause public disorder. Certainly, the blocking of Lagos-Ibadan Expressway and access to the Murtala Muhammad Airport, caused public disorder. Travellers going about their legitimate business were prevented from ingress to or egress from the airport. In this case, could Section 4(1) of the POA prescribing what route can be used for a protest therefore, be justified by Section 45(1)(a) & (b) of the Constitution, which restricts and derogates from fundamental rights in the interest of inter alia, public order and protection of the rights of others? The answer is yes - at least, when it is about disallowing students or anyone else to block the expressway, roads or airport route, in order to protest.

My role is not only about dissemination of accurate information to the public; it is also about educating my readers about issues, like I have attempted to do here. The essence of a strike or protest, is to allow the public know about the injustices being suffered by the Strikers/Protesters and elicit sympathy for that cause; it is not to infringe on the rights of others, thereby making the people become resentful, as some are beginning to feel, rightly or wrongly, about ASUU and the prolonged strike. Luckily, the students very much have the sympathy of the public, and they did not overdo their protests to pass the message of their despair across.

However, at the risk of sounding like a broken record, I have consistently maintained that while another reason for a protest or strike is to elicit the proper reaction from government, in the case of Nigeria, these strikes/protests do nothing but unleash suffering on the people; Government is not a particularly listening one, and even if it a listens, is rather slow in hearing and taking action; it does not react to these strikes and protests in the way it should. If Government was that much concerned about students, ASUU would not be on strike till now. The frustration of the students is therefore, quite understandable.

Conclusion It is my sincere and fervent hope that the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila and his team, will have better luck at bringing an end to the ASUU Strike and a lasting solution to this problem once and for all. So far, ASUU has rejected the order of interlocutory injunction granted against it by the NICN last Wednesday in FGN & Anor v ASUU, restraining ASUU from continuing with its indefinite strike pending the determination of the suit; ASUU is appealing the order.

Finally, I really wonder what it will take for the impunity and lack of regard for the rule of law that has overtaken us, to abate.

It is fast becoming our way of life!

IV LAW REPORT

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 27, 2022 ˾ T H I S D AY

Effect of Section 18(1) of the Trade Disputes Act on Ongoing Employee Strike Facts Following the strike action embarked upon by the Defendant/Respondent (Respondent) from on 14th February, 2022, and the inability of parties to resolve the issues amicably, the Minister, Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment, acting further to the powers conferred on him by Section 17 of the Trade Disputes Act, Cap T8, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria (LFN), forwarded to the National Industrial Court for its determination, a Referral Instrument in respect of the Trade Dispute between the parties. The Claimant/ Applicants (Applicants) sought several reliefs thereby, and requested for an accelerated hearing/determination of the case.

Subsequent to the above, the Applicants filed a Motion on Notice for Interlocutory Injunction, brought pursuant to Section 69(a) and (b) and Section 254C(1)(C) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended); Section 7(1)(b) of the National Industrial Court Act, 2006; Order 17 Rule (1), (13) and Order 22 Rule 1(1) of the National Industrial Court of Nigeria (Civil Procedure) Rules, 2017. By the said application, the Applicants sought an Interlocutory Injunction restraining the Respondent and their agents, privies and agents from continuing with the indefinite strike action pending the determination of the suit/referral to the court.

Issues for Determination Preliminary Issue:

Honourable Justice P.I. Hamman

Whether Paragraphs 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 19 and 20 of the Claimants/Applicants’ Affidavit are not incompetent, an, as such, ought to be struck out.

In the National Industrial Court of Nigeria In the Abuja Judicial Division Holden at Abuja On Wednesday, 21st day of September, 2022

Issue Adopted by the Court for Determination of the Appeal

Before His Lordship Honourable Justice P.I. Hamman

Whether the Applicants have met the requirements for the grant of an Interlocutory Injunction in their favour.

Arguments Arguing the Preliminary Issue, counsel submitted for the Respondent that some paragraphs in the Affidavit in support of the application are bad for offending the provisions of the Evidence Act, as they contain legal arguments, opinion, conclusion, and they are also hearsay as the deponent did not introduce himself as a member of the Respondent or someone who participated in the meetings of the FGN/ASUU Joint Negotiation Committee, or even as a member of the university community. He urged the court to strike out the offending paragraphs of the Affidavit, on the authority of BAMAIYI v STATE & ORS. (2001) LPELR-731(SC). Counsel for the Applicants argued conversely that it is paragraphs 3 to 8 of the Respondent’s Counter-Affidavit, which offend Section 115 of the Evidence Act. Counsel invoked the provisions of Section 12(2)(b) of the National Industrial Court Act 2006, to urge the court to depart from the provisions of the Evidence Act. Regarding the issue in the main application, counsel for the Applicants referred the court to the decision of the Apex Court in AKINPELU v ADEGBORE & 3 ORS. (2008) 4-5 SC (Pt. II) 96-98, where the court highlighted the factors to be considered in an application for interlocutory injunction to include: (i) The Applicant must show that there is a serious issue to be tried; (ii) The balance of convenience must be on the side of the Applicant; (iii) The Applicant must show that damages cannot be an adequate compensation for his injury/damage if his action succeeds; (iv) The Applicant’s conduct must not be reprehensible; (v) The Applicant must give an undertaking as to damages, save in some recognised exceptions. Submitting on the factors listed above, counsel posited that the Applicants have raised serious issues to be determined by the court in line with Section 17 of the Trade Dispute Act, which provides for Referral to the National Industrial Court by the relevant Minister. Counsel argued that the legal rights of both Nigerians and Non-Nigerians in the public universities to receive education, which they paid for, is being threatened by the Respondent, and that the strike action has caused damages to the dormant infrastructure in the public universities, as well as intellectualism and deprivation against innocent persons who are not parties to the suit. He submitted further that the balance of convenience is in their favour, as the entire nation will lose tremendous academic and life advancement programmes that cannot be regained, and damages will not be adequate to compensate the Applicants and innocent citizens for the irreparable injuries, should the Respondent continue with the strike

Suit No: NICN/ABJ/270/2022 Between 1.

2.

Federal Government of Nigeria Minister of Education

And

Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) action. He argued with respect to the Applicants’ main suit that by the Referral to the court for adjudication, any strike action by the Respondent, thereafter, is illegal by the provisions of Section 18(1) of the Trade Disputes Act. Counsel for the Respondent countered the submissions of the Applicants above. Regarding the submission on existence of a legal right, counsel argued that the serial breach by the Applicants of negotiated and binding Collective Agreements led to the industrial action, which is the subject of the suit. And that the right to industrial action is statutory as provided in Section 30(6)(9) of the Trade Union (Amendment) Act, 2005 and Article 8 of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights and Convention No. 87 on Freedom of Association and Protection of the Right to Association. He argued that the Applicants did not show any educational right which has been breached by the Respondent, in line with Section 40 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended).

Regarding the submission on substantial issue to be tried, counsel submitted that the reliefs in the application are the same issues to be decided in the substantive suit, which cannot be determined at an interlocutory stage of the proceedings. Counsel also challenged the procedure adopted by the Minister in “directing” the court to issue an order for members of the Respondent to resume work.

On the requirement of balance of convenience, counsel submitted that the Respondent is not the only union/body in the university community, and that they lack the capacity to shut down the university system, as posited by the Applicants.

Further, the industrial action could have been avoided if the Applicants had honoured their obligations under the various Collective Agreements of parties. Regarding the requirement of irreparable damage or injury, counsel argued that it is the Respondent who is the victim here, and the action of its members has not caused damage to the Applicants. Arguing further on

“….. Section 18(1)(e) of the Trade Disputes Act connotes a mandatory obligation or duty on the part of employers and employees not to declare or partake in any strike when a dispute has been referred to the court, and where such lock-out or strike is ongoing at the time of the Referral, it shall cease or abate pending the determination of the suit”

Claimant/Applicants Defendant/Respondent the conduct of parties, it was submitted for the Respondent that there is an undue delay in the action of the Applicants, which was filed about seven months since the commencement of the industrial action. Counsel posited that Section 18 of the Trade Disputes Act is inapplicable to the suit. That the court does not restrain a completed act, and the strike action which commenced since 14th February, 2022 is not one ordinarily open to injunction. By way of adumbration, counsel argued further that once Referral is filed before the court, parties are not allowed to go outside the Referral. That since the reliefs in the interlocutory application is the same as relief “F” in the Referral (the substantive suit), same cannot be granted at an interlocutory stage. Counsel argued further that with respect to item “F” of the Referral, it is only individuals who have direct access to the court; where unions and employers are involved, they must go through the Industrial Arbitration Panel (IAP), in line with Part I of the Trade Disputes Act, which the Minister failed to comply with – UZO v DANGOTE CEMENT PLC (2013) 31 NNLR (Pt. 82) 229.

Court’s Ruling and Rationale Deciding the preliminary issue, the court held that the stated paragraphs of the Affidavit in support of the application did not offend Section 115 of the Evidence Act as contended by the Respondent. Also, relying on Sections 37 and 38 of the Evidence Act, the court found that the deponent, who is the Legal Adviser and a very senior officer of the Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment, is a member of the management of the Ministry, by virtue of which position he is expected to have access to and keep custody of legal documents in the ministry; thus, the information in the Affidavit could not have been hearsay. More so, by Section 12(2)(b) of the National Industrial Court Act 2006 and Order 5 Rule 6(b) of the National Industrial Court Rules 2017, the court is allowed to depart from the provisions of the Evidence Act in the interest of justice, fairness, equity and fair-play – MR VICTOR ADEGBOYU v UNITED BANK FOR AFRICA (UNREPORTED) APPEAL NO. CA/IL/20/2021.

Regarding the submission on the competence of the Referral by the Minister, which issue was also argued in the Preliminary Objection of counsel, the court held that it will be premature to delve into arguments in this regard at the stage of hearing

application for interlocutory injunction.

On the lone issue arising from the application, the court rehashed the trite position of law, that an interlocutory injunction which is usually granted at the discretion of the court, is an equitable remedy granted before or during trial to prevent an irreparable injury which may occur before the determination of the case. Thus, the onus is on the Applicant to satisfy the court by way of Affidavit evidence, that he is entitled to the injunctive reliefs being sought from the court. Restating the conditions which must be met by an Applicant as in this instance, the court went on to consider the depositions in the Affidavits and the exhibits in respect of the application. On the requirement of serious question to be tried, it was held that by paragraphs 5 to 8 and 13 of the supporting Affidavit, the Counter Affidavit and Exhibits ASUU 1 and ASUU 7 annexed to the Counter-Affidavit, there are indeed, serious issues to be tried in the suit, which issues also relate to the legal rights of the Applicants.

With respect to the requirement of balance of convenience, His Lordship held that this tilts in favour of the Applicants who are owners of public universities, where the members of the Respondent have been on strike for over a period of seven months.

Further, considering the larger interests of the public, particularly the innocent students whose parents cannot afford to send them to private universities within the country or send them outside the country for their studies, whose time is being wasted where age is a major factor (including employment), the court held that this requirement tilts in favour of the Applicant. Likewise, on the requirement of adequacy of damages and undertaking as to damages, the court found that from the circumstances of the case, the amount of damages caused to the education sector in the nation and students in public universities as a result of the strike action is irreparable, and compensation cannot adequately address the loss.

By the way, the Applicants also filed an Affidavit of undertaking as to damages.

Regarding the conduct of parties, contrary to the submissions of counsel for the Respondent that the Applicant delayed in filing the action and that the urgency relied on is self-induced, the court found that going by the evidence before it, parties have been negotiating in line with the requirements of the Trade Dispute Act till 1st September, 2022 and the Referral to the court was made on 8th September, 2022 while this application was filed on 12th September, 2022. It follows that the Applicants’ action is not reprehensible, as there was no undue delay on their part.

Further, the court quoted the provisions of Section 18 of the Trade Dispute Act, which prohibits a worker from taking part in strike in connection to a trade dispute, where the dispute has subsequently been referred to the National Industrial Court under Section 14(1) or 17 of the Act. Construing the word “shall” used in the referenced provision, the court held that Section 18(1)(e) of the Trade Disputes Act connotes a mandatory obligation or duty on the part of employers and employees not to declare or partake in any strike when a dispute has been referred to the court, and where such lock-out or strike is ongoing at the time of the Referral, it shall cease or abate pending the determination of the suit. Further, the court held that the submission of the Respondent that the strike action sought to be restrained is a completed act is of no moment, as the strike action embarked upon by the Respondent on 14th February 2022, has not ended.

On the strength of Section 254C(1)(c) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), Section 18(1)(e) of the Trade Disputes Act, Sections 7(1)(b), 16 and 19(e) of the National Industrial Court Act 2006, the court resolved the issue in favour of the Applicants. An Order of Interlocutory Injunction restraining the Respondent and their agents or privies from taking further steps in doing any act or otherwise continuing with the indefinite strike or any strike action pending the hearing and determination of the Referral to the court, was thereby made.

Application Granted.

Representation J.U.K. Igwe, SAN with Senator Ita Enang, Chukwulo Moedu, A.O. Egalese (Principal State Counsel, Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment), Mathias Agboni, Imo Bassey, Obi-Nwabuine Valentine, T.D. Agbe (Principal State Counsel, Federal Ministry of Justice), Suleiman Jibril (Senior State Counsel, Federal Ministry of Justice) and M. Edozie for the Claimants/ Applicants.

Femi Falana, SAN with Prof Joash Amupitan, SAN; Prof Alphonsus Alubo, SAN; Prof. Patrick Uche; Dr. Edor Edor; Femi Adedeji and Abubakar Marshal for the Defendant/Respondent.

Atinuke Adejuyigbe for the parties seeking to be joined.

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

V NEWS

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 27, 2022 ˾ T H I S D AY

Hon. Justice Taiwo O. Taiwo

Rt. Hon. (Dr) Mudashiru Obasa

James Olarewaju, alias Baba Ijesha

NBA President Extols Virtues of Justice Taiwo Taiwo Stories by Steve Aya The NBA President, Y. C Maikyau, SAN, has described Hon. Justice Taiwo O. Taiwo (Judge), as one of the faces of the modern Judiciary, who as a legal practitioner and during his time on the Bench, invested in the mentorship of young legal professionals.

Maikyau, SAN, said this in his address during the valedictory court session held in honour of Hon. Justice Taiwo O. Taiwo on the 22 September, 2022 at the Federal High Court, Ikoyi, Lagos.

He further extolled the qualities of Hon. Justice Taiwo, calling him a thoroughbred legal practitioner and an exemplary jurist. According the NBA President, Hon. Taiwo J. was a hard-working, firm, knowledgeable Judge who sat at 9:00am and not so soon thereafter, and that for one to appear before his Lordship, counsel had to be abreast with both the law and their case, for his Lordship often had them answer questions pertaining to both.

He noted that His lordship was always in control of his court, not by intimidation or high-handedness, but by the combination of a good mastery of the law and temperance, and was therefore, able to discharge the duties of the office with firmness and fairness.

"This may not be unconnected to the fact that, prior to being appointed to Bench, his Lordship had a long and vibrant career at the Bar for 27 years", Maikyau, SAN further added.

The NBA President then made reference to an incident that occurred during his Lordship’s days at the Bar, when he had appealed to the Court to give a young counsel who had come to court to hold brief for his senior, but was not prepared as to what to do and how to handle the said case as well as reply to the submissions of the other party, a chance.

When the Court obliged his Lordship’s request, he took the young counsel outside,

and armed him with laws, cases and procedures, and when the matter was called again, the young counsel to the amazement of the Bar and Bench, eloquently addressed the court on the matter before it, to the court’s unhidden admiration.

Maikyau, SAN, also used the opportunity to pre-inform his Lordship that despite his retirement, he should expect to be called to service at different fora. In fact, he notified his Lordship of NBA’s invitation for him to serve on the Faculty of the Institute of Continuing Legal Education The NBA President also stated that Hon. Justice Taiwo while on the Bench, was concerned with promulgating justice and nothing else: “As a jurist, Honourable Justice Taiwo is renowned for his belief that a Judge should preoccupy himself with doing justice in a matter, rather than wondering what the appellate court Justices or the people would say about his judgement”.

“I make bold to say that his Lordship’s sense of duty continues to resonate through his judgements delivered in the period he spent on the Bench, where his Lordship carved a niche that will continue to speak in history”, Maikyau, SAN added.

Furthermore, Maikyau, SAN established that Hon. Justice Taiwo understood the role the Federal High Court has played and continues to play since its creation in 1973, in the economic development of Nigeria, hence his landmark decisions in matters relating to the economy and the general affairs of the country.

The NBA President then highlighted some of the cases Justice Taiwo passed Judgement like: 1. FHC/ABJ/CS/113/2021 – E-Naira Payment Solutions Limited v Central Bank of Nigeria: where Hon. Justice Taiwo held the view that the launch of the digital currency was in the interest of national economic advancement, and since the Plaintiff could be adequately compensated by damages,

his Lordship ordered that the launch should proceed.

2. Suit No.FHC/ABJ/ CS/1370/2021 – Federal Republic of Nigeria v Yan Bindiga Group & Yan Ta Adda Group: where his Lordship had declared the group, and similar groups, involved in banditry, kidnappings for ransom, kidnappings for marriage, mass abductions of children, cattle rustling, etc., as terrorist groups.

3. Miss Grace Anita Paul v. The Chief of Army Staff, the Army, Inspector

General of Police & the Nigerian Police Force: where his Lordship held that the Nigerian Army lacks the power to arrest, investigate and hold in custody, anyone who is not subject to the Armed Forces Act or any other military law.

4. FHC/ABJ/CS/822/2021 – CBN Governor v Rise Vest Technologies Ltd & 5 Others According to Maikyau, SAN, all these decisions amplify his Lordship’s attitude to matters affecting national

interest, also demonstrate the role the Judiciary plays in the economic development and security of the nation, and highlight the need for constant synergy between the executive, legislature, and the Judiciary, as well contribute to the growth of the legal profession and shaped the economic and socio-legal landscape in Nigeria.

He continued thus: “My lord is one of the faces of the modern Judiciary. His Lordship’s career on the Bench, is demonstrative of

the fact that it is not how long, but the impact of the time used – the quality of the judgements delivered by his Lordship and their impact testify to this fact”, Finally, the NBA President used the opportunity to wish his lordship a happy belated 65th birthday, while appreciating his wife, Honourable Justice Oluwatoyin Taiwo of the High Court of Lagos State, and children, for the support given to his Lordship throughout his Lordship’s career.

Lagos Assembly Passes Victim, Witnesses Protection Bill The Lagos State House of Assembly last Thursday, passed the Protect Witnesses and Victims Bill.

The new law which is to provide for the rights and entitlements of victims and protection of witnesses, was passed during plenary presided over by the Speaker of the House, Rt. Hon. (Dr.) Mudashiru Obasa.

The Bill stipulates provision of assistance and protection to victims and witnesses who have vital information that could help ensure ef-

fective prosecution of cases, but who face intimidation due to their cooperation with the prosecution or law enforcement agencies.

A part of the Bill states that: "Every person, including security agents, shall render assistance to victims of accidents or crimes and ensure that such persons are taken to the nearest hospital for immediate care and treatment.

"A public or private hospital shall provide immediate and adequate treatment to

an accident victim or any person with gunshot and severe injuries or wounds".

It also stipulates a fine for any medical facility or hospital, that fails to comply with the related section of the Bill.

"A private hospital that receives accident victims with severe injuries or wounds for treatment under this section must inform the agency within Forty-Eight (48) hours of his admission, and forward a request for reimbursement

of medical expenses where family members or relations cannot be identified or where the victim is indigent, and subject to the approval of the request by the agency, it shall forward records of the treatment to the agency", the Bill states.

With the Bill scaling a third reading during plenary, the Speaker directed the Clerk of the House, Olalekan Onafeko, to send a clean copy to the Governor, Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu, for his assent.

Court Dismisses Baba Ijesha’s Bail Application Convicted Nollywood actor, James Olarewaju, alias Baba Ijesha, has lost his battle for freedom, as an Ikeja Special Offences Court has rejected the bail application pending appeal that he filed.

Justice Oluwatoyin Taiwo, rejected the bail application of the embattled actor, on the grounds that he did not meet exceptional circumstances and criteria to warrant the bail.

“The Applicant must show special and exceptional circumstances, because the term given to him is five years which is to run concurrently.

“There is no evidence that the appeal has been entered, and there is no indication before this court

that the court will not treat the case expeditiously.

“It is in the view of this court, that the Applicant has failed to show special circumstances to warrant him bail because he is facing a serious crime.

“In view of this case, I am inclined to refuse the bail application of the Applicant pending appeal", Taiwo held.

The embattled actor was seeking bail oending an appeal for the five years conviction of sexually assaulting a 14-year- old girl.

Baba Ijesha’s counsel, Mr Gabriel Olabiran, had on August 10 informed the court that a notice for bail pending appeal has been submitted, in pursuance to Section 6(6) of the 1999

Constitution as amended and Section 51 of the High Court law of Lagos State, Administration of Criminal Justice Law. Olabiran argued that the application is for the court to admit the Applicant to bail, either unconditionally or upon reasonable conditions.He said the application was brought before the court, due to difficulty in getting a date at the Court of Appeal.

The State Prosecutor, Mr Yusuf Sule, however, in a counter-affidavit dated August 18, argued that the defence failed in its address to establish the special circumstances which might grant the convict bail.

“My Lord, the defence

has failed woefully in addressing the special circumstances which can be used to grant the convict bail.’’

The court had on July 14 sentenced the actor to five-years imprisonment, for sexually assaulting a 14-year-old girl. The court held that the Prosecution had successfully proven the charge of sexual assault of a minor and indecent treatment of a minor against the convict.

The Judge, however, discharged and acquitted him of count one and six which were sexual assault by penetration (which took place in 2014) and attempted sexual assault by penetration (which took place in 2021).

#upjudicialsalaries “The pertinent question is: who is in dereliction of the constitutional duty to review the remuneration, salaries and allowances of judicial officers since 2007? The NJC, the Federal Judicial Service Commission, as well as the Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission should synergise and introspect, and tell the world why the dereliction since 2007.” - Honourable Justice Ejembi Eko, JSC (Rtd)

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Justices of the Supreme Court, Past and Present

Filling Supreme Court Vacancies: Issues for Consideration The last port of call on the Nigerian Judicial ladder, is the Supreme Court. All appeals terminate at the Apex Court; they can go no further. The Constitution provides for a total of 21 Justices of the Court, but in the past few years, this maximum number has not been reached for reasons ranging from their Lordships retiring in quick succession on attainment of the mandatory retirement age of 70, or death, and the last two Chief Justices stepping down before the end of their tenures. Presently, there exist eight vacancies at the Supreme Court, but the modalities of filling those vacancies and the quality of appointees have been a source of contention amongst legal pundits.

While some believe that it is only fair that the Supreme Court Justices should be selected from the crop of Court of Appeal Justices who have served on the Bench possibly for decades, hoping to reach the helm of their career as judicial officers, others believe Senior Advocates of Nigeria and Academics should also be considered for the position of Supreme Court Justice. Professor Chidi Anselm Odinkalu, Professor Paul Oboh Idornigie, SAN and Joseph Otteh proffer solutions to addressing these perennial concerns Supreme Court Has a Crisis that Appointments Alone Can’t Cure Chidi Anselm Odinkalu

2

0 years ago, Nigeria’s Supreme Court was in a very bad way.

On 3 October 2002, Vanguard newspaper in Lagos led with the caption “Severe ailments ravage three Supreme Court Justices.” One of the Justices named in

the story was Okay Godfrey Achike, whose judicial trajectory followed the academic route. Obi Nwabueze, distinguished law Professor and Nigeria’s senior-most Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) no less described Achike as “a first-rate academic and a fine teacher”.

Death of Supreme Court Justices After a career as a Professor of Public Law traversing six law faculties all over Nigeria, Okay Achike became a

“Two weeks after the death of Justice Pats-Acholonu, on 30 May, 2006, this writer complained in an article about “the stresses our judges go through”, which argued that “mortality figures of the Supreme Court also tell a story about the working conditions of the Supreme Court”

Judge of the High Court of Anambra State in May 1986. 15 months later, he was elevated to the Court of Appeal in September 1987. In November 1998, Okay Achike was appointed Justice of the Supreme Court. He was just under 66 years old and due to retire on 23 December 2002. However, early in 2002, Justice Achike suffered a stroke, forcing him ultimately to take early retirement from the Supreme Court at the age of 69 in August of the same year. He was too ill to even attend his own valedictory session the following month. One year later, in August 2003, he died.

The early retirement of Justice Okay Achike, happened at the beginning, of a bad season for Nigeria’s Supreme Court. Over the next three years, seven Justices left the Supreme Court. These were Justices Emmanuel Ayoola, Dennis Edozie, Anthony Iguh, Ekundayo Ogundare,

Obioma Ogwuegbu, Pats-Acholonu, and Samson Uwaifo.

Of these, Ekundayo Ogundare died in London in December 2003 from causes associated with colon cancer while Chukwudinka Pats-Acholonu died suddenly on 14 May, 2006. Two others - Anthony Iguh and Obioma Ogwuegbu – also survived hospitalisation for critical illness shortly before retirement. Indeed, Justice Ogwuegbu described his own survival as “a medical miracle.”

In comparison to the three serving Justices who died over three years between 2003 and 2006, the Supreme Court suffered the death of three of its serving Justices over the 25 years from 1977 to 2002: Onuorah Dan Ibekwe in 1977; Chukwunweike Idigbe in 1983; and Augustine Nnamani in 1990. Indeed, no Justice of the Court had died in service in the 12 years to 2002, since the untimely passing of Augustine

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Filling Supreme Court Vacancies: Issues for Consideration Nnamani.

Two weeks after the death of Justice Pats-Acholonu, on 30 May, 2006, this writer complained in an article about “the stresses our judges go through”, which argued that “mortality figures of the Supreme Court also tell a story about the working conditions of the Supreme Court.”

Dearth of Supreme Court Justices 16 years later, memories appear to have faded and the recent complaint by the current Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Olukayode Ariwoola, about a triple crises of attrition, retention, and replacement at the Supreme Court appears to have inspired a reflex of hand-wringing, attended by a flurry of consciousness most of which look both undigested and hardly helpful.

It all began with the valedictory session on 15 September, 2022 for Abdu Aboki, the most recent Justice to retire from the Supreme Court, where the CJN complained that his exit had “drastically depleted” the ranks of the Bench of the Court from the constitutional ceiling of 21 to 13.

When they began the year, the CJN lamented, they were 17.

From the Body of Senior Advocates of Nigeria, BOSAN, the reaction was swift and immediate. On behalf of the Body, Onomigbo Okpoko, SAN, claimed that the complaint of the CJN was self-inflicted, because of an appointment process that “appears to have been designed and operated to exclude good and competent Lawyers from being appointed Justices of appellate courts.”

The response of the BOSAN regrettably missed the point as it was premised on a failure to pause for a diagnosis of the ailment, rather defaulting to a Nigerian fixation with quick fixes anchored on a philosophy of allocation.

Before proceeding to prescribe a cure, therefore, it is important to unbundle the cause(s) of the rapid attrition in the Supreme Court.

Of the departures from the court since 2019, at least four have been premature. Of the four, two Justices died while two Chief Justices (no less) took early retirement. Three of these four would still have been in service, which would have obviated any need for the CJN’s lamentations.

Matters Arising One issue is health and wellbeing in the court. In the past year alone, Sylvester Ngwuta, a Justice of the Supreme Court, died at 69 on 7 March 2021. Another, Samuel Oseji, died barely five months later on 28 September, 2021 at 67. In June 2022, it emerged that the Justices of the Supreme Court had written to the then CJN complaining of debilitating failures of health and wellbeing, including non-provision of housing and research assistants. In particular, their letter lamented that there had been no meeting of the Justices over the entire duration of the Covid-19 crisis, pointing out that the standard of healthcare in the court had deteriorated to the point where “there is a general lack of

Chidi Odinkalu

concern for Justices who require immediate or emergency medical intervention”. These complaints naturally raise the possibility that, the rate of mortality as a form of attrition at the Supreme Court is preventable.

Second is judicial integrity. In three years since 2019, Nigeria has had three Chief Justices. Of these three, two left office prematurely in circumstances connected with negative imputations on judicial independence and integrity. Indeed, it has been said that the last CJN left the judiciary and the Supreme Court “in a mess”. When legitimate questions of judicial integrity can be raised at this level, it is rather idle to focus on access to appointments as a panacea because even the appointment process would be corruptible and probably corrupted.

Third is management access to the court. In an article published nearly 18 years ago, the present writer and Dr Sam Amadi warned that we were “killing the Supreme Court” and the court was itself complicit in turning itself into a dumping ground for mostly irrelevant appeals. Many of these appeals dwell on issues already settled in Nigerian law, and a majority also are interlocutory, filed for purposes entirely unconnected with the due administration of justice in order to either deliberately manufacture delay or to aid Lawyers in their pursuit of the rank of Senior

“Indeed, in the face of these, the problem that the CJN complains of can’t be altered even if we were to triple the establishment size of the court from 21 to 63 or, even worse, implement the entirely unfortunate idea of decentralising the Supreme Court to each geopolitical zone of the country, as some have advocated”

Advocate of Nigeria (SAN).

As we wrote then, through an “inexplicable combination of practice, jurisprudence and inertia, the Court has effectively divested itself of the strategically significant jurisdiction to determine the volumes and jurisprudential significance of casework it receives for consideration.” The result is that the Supreme Court of Nigeria has become the place where appeals in cases not involving politicians or elections go to die, and the Justices have become endangered by their commitment to not filtering the appeals that they hear.

These three issues are by far the biggest causes of the attrition, retention and replacement crises in the Supreme Court. Indeed, in the face of these, the problem that the CJN complains of can’t be altered even if we were to triple the establishment size of the court from 21 to 63 or, even worse, implement the entirely unfortunate idea of decentralising the Supreme Court to each geo-political zone of the country, as some have advocated. In these circumstances also, legislating for Justices to serve until the day after eternity, as Afe Babalola SAN has suggested, would be a very bad idea indeed.

It is nevertheless important not to totally ignore the advocacy by BOSAN, to look to the ranks of its members for appointments to the Supreme Court. Former CJN, Mohammed Lawal Uwais, has explained that he instituted the policy of confining Supreme Court preferments to serving Justices of Appeal, because “there is the issue of integrity. If you have been a Judge at the High Court or Court of Appeal before coming to the Supreme Court, you would have done cases where whether you are a corrupt person would have been discovered”.

It should be recalled that the Chief Justice governs preferment to the privilege of SAN. If he says in that capacity that he is unable to trust the integrity of the persons whom they choose to prefer to the

rank, then it is hardly a response to the crisis of appointment in the Supreme Court to suggest that the answer lies in choosing from the ranks of persons whose integrity can’t be guaranteed.

What is required in the face of this claim is not to insist on preferring people to the Supreme Court from these ranks, but to first reform the system of preferment in order to guarantee the rank of SAN as a quality mark of unquestionable integrity and excellence, which it can hardly be said to be presently.

Conclusion In the end, it is necessary to admit that there is no one magic bullet to address or resolve the crisis that the new CJN has called attention to. Rather it requires a multi-dimensional approach beginning with an internal reform of the operations and management of the Supreme Court itself, to improve wellbeing among its personnel both judicial and non-judicial. Caseloads in the court will need to be governed much better, through appropriate filtration devices. This will require a combination of both legislation and reform of the rules and doctrines of the court.

Standards of judicial ethics at all levels, will need improving. If these are done, then attention to appointments could be part of the package. Absent these reforms as a package, a focus only on appointments will not be part of the solution. Rather, it will only deepen the problem.

A Lawyer and a Teacher, Chidi Odinkalu can be reached at chidi. odinkalu@tufts.edu Chidi Anselm Odinkalu

Appointment of Supreme Court Justices from the Bar or Academia Professor Paul Idornigie, SAN, PhD Qualifications for Judicial Office Constitutionally, the qualification for appointment to the position of a Judge cont'd on page VIII

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Filling Supreme Court Vacancies: Issues for Consideration cont'd from page VII

of the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory is 10 years post-call [Section 250(3), Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 as amended (“Constitution”)]; Court of Appeal, 12 years post-call [Section 238(3)] and the Supreme Court, 15 years post-call [Section 231(3)]. The same 10 years applies to High Courts of the various States.

There is nothing in these provisions that state that for appointment to the Supreme Court, the candidate must be elevated from the Court of Appeal or anywhere else. Indeed, there is no other qualification in the Constitution.

Similarly, nothing in these provisions refer to federal character, though there are other enactments on this. However, over the years, it has been the practice that Justices of the Supreme Court are appointed from the Court of Appeal, and those of the Court of Appeal from the High Court, either the Federal or State High Court. Invariably once you get to the High Court or even Magistrate’s Court, you will get to the Supreme Court.

In such appointments, the principle of federal character is observed.

I remember with nostalgia that late Hon. Justice Taslim Elias, a renowned law academic, former Dean of Law, was appointed straight as the Chief Justice of Nigeria, and late Justice Augustine Nnamani was appointed from the Bar, being the Attorney-General of the Federation. Although eminent scholars like the late Justice Niki Tobi, JSC and late Adolphus Karibi-Whyte, JSC came from academics, I do not support subjecting Professors of Law to start as High Court Judges. Justice Niki Tobi, for instance, was not only a distinguished scholar, he was Dean of Law and Deputy ViceChancellor. Incredibly, he started as a High Court Judge before his elevation to the higher Bench. Other than those in full time legal practice, there are academics who are also in active legal practice. I remember that Hon Justice C C Nweze, JSC a distinguished scholar was also in active legal practice, and started his judicial career in the High Court of Enugu State. I think that such scholars should not start their judicial careers at the High Court.

I also recall that when Mr Augustine Alegeh, SAN, was President of the Nigerian Bar Association, this matter was pursued vigorously to the point of shortlisting outstanding scholars and members of the Bar. I am also aware that the immediate past Chief Justice of Nigeria, also started this process. The reform should be sustained.

The number of Justices of the Supreme Court has been reduced to 13, out of the 21 provided in the Constitution. In filling these vacancies, I think that the selection policy should be revisited, as well as the disposition of the Justices.

Federal Character & Judicial Appointments I support the position of the Body of Senior Advocates of Nigeria (BOSAN) that the best should be at the Supreme Court – whether from the Court of Appeal, the Bar and Academia. I think

Prof Paul Idornigie, SAN

that we have abused the principle of federal character in this country – its starts from the Secondary School, where there are different cut-off points for the States (quota system); continues through admission into the Universities (catchment area, merit list, educationally disadvantaged areas, etc) to employment in the public service. While I believe that all the zones in the country should be represented in the Judiciary, I think that a percentage should be reserved for merit. Even at the level of the High Court, it has become an all-comers affair, or positions reserved for the children of elites or former judicial officers. Realising that once you are a High Court Judge, you stand the chance of being elevated to the Supreme Court, I think that we should revisit the selection process at the High Court. I really do not care where one comes from or is a product of the federal character principle from secondary school; merit should not be sacrificed at the altar of federal character.

Appointment on Merit, Not Promotion The Constitution provides for ‘appointment’ to the Supreme Court, and not ‘promotion’ from the Court of Appeal. Why are we restricting ourselves to only those from the Court of Appeal? I think that the time has come for us to revisit the policy regarding appointment into the highest court of the land. In doing this, I think that we should reconsider the meaning of ‘practice of law’. Is it only those in active legal practice, that practice law? For instance, I am an Arbitrator and I write arbitral

“I support the position of the Body of Senior Advocates of Nigeria (BOSAN) that the best should be at the Supreme Court – whether from the Court of Appeal, the Bar and Academia…

While I believe that all the zones in the country should be represented in the Judiciary, I think that a percentage should be reserved for merit”

awards regularly that are equal to judgements of the High Court [Section 31 of the Arbitration & Conciliation Act, 2004]. If I am interested in joining the Bench, why should I as a Professor of Law & Chartered Arbitrator, be subjected to starting from the High Court? Most academics will find this unattractive.

I really do not want to talk of the quality of some judgements, and yet being able to write judgements is one of the reasons why only Justices of the Court of Appeal are ‘promoted’ to the Supreme Court.

We all know what judgements of the appellate courts were in the past, and what they are today. As a law student, I was flabbergasted by the industry, intellectual depth, fluidity, sagacity, rendition and diction of Justices like Hon Justice Andrew Obaseki, Hon Justice Kayode Eso, Hon Justice Karibi-White, among others.

In scholarly writings like thesis or research projects, we are always asked about ‘contribution to knowledge’. What have some of these judgements contributed to our jurisprudence? I think that the Judiciary will be the better for it, if it is inclusive of members of the Bar whether in academics or full time practice. There are fine scholars in academics and the Bar, that will contribute in deepening our jurisprudence. They ought to be encouraged. We have men and women of impeccable character, unquestionable integrity and high moral standing. Such men and women can go through a proper scrutiny, for the purpose of determining their eligibility for recommendation by the Federal Judicial Service Commission to the National Judicial Council for appointment into the Judiciary.

I really do not think that I need to be the ‘good boy’ of a Governor, to be made a High Court Judge.

We all know how some Governors have abused their powers, in this regard.

Suggestions I also support the view that the Judiciary should be decentralised, and the jurisdiction of the appellate

courts revisited. It is not every matter that should get to the Supreme Court.

This way the workload of Justices of the Supreme Court, can be reduced.

One way of improving on the quality of the judicial officers, is structured continuous training. I appreciate what the National Judicial Institute is doing in this regard, but the Institute should be strengthened and properly funded. The Institute can collaborate with other agencies, like the Nigerian Institute of Advanced Legal Studies.

I will prefer that the National Judicial Institute is properly funded to carry out this training, than other agencies sponsoring judicial officers to attend their specialised training. We should protect our institutions, from the possibility of being seen to have been compromised.

Can we also look at the composition and powers of the Federal Judicial Service Commission and the National Judicial Council? It is the Federal Judicial Service Commission that advises the National Judicial Council, in nominating persons for appointment of judicial officers. It is also the Federal Judicial Service Commission that recommends to the National Judicial Council, the removal of judicial officers. Both the Federal Judicial Service Commission and the National Judicial Council are chaired by the Chief Justice of Nigeria, and the President of the Court of Appeal is a member of both bodies. There ought to be checks and balances, and some level of independence.

Professor Paul Obo Idornigie, SAN, PhD, Fellow, Nigerian Institute of Advanced Legal Studies/Chartered Secretary/Chartered Arbitrator; Faculty of Law, Veritas University, Bwari-Abuja

Supreme Court Appointments: Nigerians Deserve Our Best Foot Forward Joseph Otteh Introduction Seats on Nigeria’s Supreme Court Bench, are now in more constant flux.

Eight positions currently require to be filled. This revolving door of entries and exits, do not create the stability that is required for the highest court of the land. In July 2022, the Federal Cont'd on page IX

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Judicial Service Commission (FJSC) published a list of 29 names of persons who will be considered by the National Judicial Council (NJC) for filling six of the available vacancies in the Supreme Court, and it is possible that efforts have begun to include candidates for the new position vacated. All indicated names in the list, are current Justices of the Court of Appeal.

The Role of the Supreme Court in a Democracy The Supreme Court, in Nigeria, and indeed, other constitutional democracies, is a court of supreme legal and extra-legal importance. On paper, its role is legal or constitutional. But, its extra-constitutional role - denoted as its “political” or institutional role - is likely bigger in significance.

As Nigeria’s Supreme Court Justices said in a leaked Memo to the former Chief Justice of Nigeria, Ibrahim Tanko Muhammad GCON, the Supreme Court is a “policy court”! It (that is, the Court) sets out, in broad strokes, what is the direction of the law. Through its interpretation and exposition of law, it is able to set the tone for how law is interpreted by all courts in Nigeria. A literalist or textualist-oriented Supreme Court will likely deliver a system of national jurisprudence that is constrictive and sterile, while a socially conscious Bench will likely breathe life into the living texts of the Constitution and blend interpretation to suit the needs of justice.

While the policy function is important, the political function of the Supreme Court is no less so. The independence and strength by which a Supreme Court is defined, is the marker for the degree of autonomy a country’s Judiciary as a whole can exercise. A weak or tepid Supreme Court will ultimately signal a weak and timorous judiciary collectively, because lower courts generally will look to the body language of the Supreme Court for direction in those situations where significant government interests are implicated. Therefore, most governments will want to control or emasculate the Supreme Court when strategic political interests are at stake, or when they want to push through controversial policies.

We’ve seen this happen, for instance, in 2007, when then Pakistan President Pervez Musharaff, suspended the Pakistani Chief Justice at the time, Iftikhar Chaudhry and ultimately suspended him, so he [Musharaff] could run for another term of office. We’ve seen this too under the President Rodrigo Duterte government in Philippines, when he removed a sitting Chief Justice and packed the Supreme Court with Justices of his choosing who, according to one writer, were “… sympathetic toward and in salient cases, unwilling to rule against—the President”.

In a sense too, we’ve seen this happen under the current Nigerian government. In 2019, President Buhari asked the CJN to fill existing Supreme Court vacancies. Later that year, the NJC recommended four Justices to President Buhari for appointment to the Supreme Court. The President sat

Joseph Otteh on this recommendation, for nearly a year. It was not until another set of four names of nominees for Supreme Court positions was submitted to the President in September 2020 by the NJC, did the President send the names of the total of eight Supreme Court nominees to the National Assembly for confirmation as Justices of the Supreme Court. In spite of this brazen arm-twisting blackmail of the Presidency, the Nigerian Judiciary sat back quietly, without muttering a word.

When a Supreme Court of a State is “politically captured” by the government, the entire Judiciary of the State, in a sense, almost is.

The Judiciary as a whole, becomes a paper tiger, strong on paper, but weak inside, unable to assert its independence – and authority – stand up to the government, defend the rule of law or the civil liberties of citizens. A Judiciary constrained and constructed in this form, will naturally find much of its role in interpreting law in an austere, technical form, exploring any angles from which it can avoid asking difficult questions, taking the government on, or making government accountable.

And, unfortunately, we see patterns of this kind of weakness in our Judiciary, and, connotatively, in our Supreme Court. In its defence of civil rights and resistance to the culture of impunity that has bedevilled governance, our Judiciary has struggled to register a footprint.

After citizens do the only thing they can do when abuses occur, that is, approach the courts, court judgements and orders have now turned out to be largely hollow, pyrrhic victories.

They are routinely ignored, flouted or disobeyed by government and its

“This is why the Supreme Court matters, and why appointments into that court must assume high importance. If we do not get appointments into the court right, and if the next appointments do not target a revitalisation of the true spirit of that Court, and represent Nigeria’s best foot forward, nothing will likely change”

agencies, and no court has mustered enough conviction to use their robust authority to stamp their foot down and enforce their decisions.

Even the Supreme Court, when one such matter came up before it, found a way to say that a security agency could hold on to a person who had been granted bail by a court with as much shenanigans as it can muster. Kolawole Olaniyan, Amnesty International’s Legal Adviser says over 40 judgements and orders of courts have been disobeyed by the current government. Even that number is likely to be underreported, all things considered, but no government official has been held in contempt of a court’s authority.

Yet, on the very day a young Lawyer would raise an issue about safety in the courtroom, a presiding Chief Judge dispatched him to prison for contempt with implacable haste.

Indeed, up till this time, many court judgements in favour of victims of abuses by security and law enforcement agencies cannot be enforced, because courts are insisting that the government must consent to being made accountable through monetary payments to victims of abuses before they, that is, the courts, can exercise their own constitutional powers to do so, as obnoxious as this sounds.

Unless a Judiciary is able, in word and action, to stand as a bulwark against tyranny, that Judiciary is a false hope, and a false emblem of democracy.

Nigerians feel short-changed by their Judiciary, and by what many feel is a surrender of its constitutional authority.

Olumide Akpata, outgone President of the NBA, in his characteristic forthrightness said recently that: “There is near-universal agreement that public confidence in the Judiciary and indeed, the legal profession, is at an all-time low”. This is why the Supreme Court matters, and why appointments into that court must assume high importance. If we do not get appointments into the court right, and if the next appointments do not target a revitalisation of the true spirit of that Court, and represent Nigeria’s best foot forward, nothing will likely change. And Nigerians will be poorer for it.

The Advocacy to Broaden the

Stripes of the Bench Could the limitations of the Supreme Court reflect the fact that, for decades now, the Court has had a fairly homogenous stripe of backgrounds recruited into it?

Since November 2014 when the current Judicial Appointment Guidelines were made, 14 Justices have been appointed into the Supreme Court. Although the Judicial Appointment Guidelines provide that persons who meet the constitutional qualifications and can demonstrate the requisite track record can be considered for Supreme Court appointments, no person outside of serving Justices of the Court of Appeal have been appointed into the Court.

This longstanding pattern of bias against the consideration of “outsiders” for appointment into the Supreme Court, should even offend the Constitution of Nigeria which in Section 17(2)(a) expressly states that “every citizen shall have equality of rights, obligations and opportunities before the law”.

Conclusion The advocacy to diversify or amplify the backgrounds and credentials of candidates appointed to the Supreme Court is, in some sense, rooted in the belief that, as the Judiciary casts its net further ashore, it can attract those who represent its front foot, and offer the best possibilities for invigorating the court, and entrenching the vitality, scholarship, but more importantly, the spirit we want restored in that distinctive court of policy. A Judiciary that is unafraid of standing up to unruly governments.

Going forward, Nigerians want to see, not more of the Supreme Court of Nigeria, but of the Supreme Court for Nigerians; a Supreme Court that possesses the right kind of vision, creativity, versatility, conviction and inventiveness for building the blocks upon which we can found our hopes for equal and true justice in our nation, not the Supreme Court of cut-anddried legalisms. A Supreme Court that gives the Judiciary a new identity, and renews respect for it from the other branches of government. And more importantly, from the Nigerian people.

Joseph Otteh, Executive Director, Access to Justice; Recipient of the Gani Fawehinmi Award of the Nigerian Bar Association

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TALKING CONSTITUTIONAL DEMOCRACY DR. MIKE OZEKHOME, SAN

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A Country Undermines the Judiciary at its Peril (Part 1) Introduction he “Judiciary” needs no definition.

Nor does “Democracy”. The former however, deserves some elaboration, even if briefly. The Judiciary is constitutionally recognised in Nigeria as one of the three arms of Government - along with the Executive and the Legislature (See sections 4, 5 and 6 of the 1999 Constitution). It is corollary to the doctrine of separation of powers ably propounded in 1748 by Baron de Montesquieu, a renowned French Philosopher. Just like the other two arms, a whole sub-division of the 1999 Constitution - Chapter VII - is devoted to what it refers to as ‘The Judicature’. In its 66-odd Sections (230 -296), our grundnorm outlines the structure of the court system in Nigeria, the mechanism for recruiting their personnel, their discipline, promotion and removal.

These provisions are complemented by those of Section 6 of the Constitution, which sets out the powers of the courts of the Federation, from the highest (the Supreme Court), down to the lowest courts, as may be authorised by Law to exercise jurisdiction at first instance, or on appeal, by either the National or State Houses of Assembly.

These powers are, however, not absolute, as they are qualified by the exclusion of certain matters in the self-same Constitution, including the Fundamental Objectives and Directive Principles of State Policy in Chapter II thereof; including the competence of any person to make any existing Law after the 15th day of January, 1966.

Subject to these restrictions, the jurisdiction of Nigerian Courts is only circumscribed and delimited either by the law which establishes them or by the Constitution itself. In other words, the Judiciary as the third arm of government, is itself a creation of the Constitution.

desire. A good starting point therefore, is a related issue – that of 'judicial immunity'.

T

Meaning of “Judicial Independence” This notion of constitutional or judicial independence, is however, not entirely free from ambiguity, in terms of its content and scope.

Nonetheless, it’s precise meaning is critical to any discussion of the consequences of undermining the Judiciary. This is because, to talk about eroding judicial independence is simply another way of expressing the phenomenon of undermining the Judiciary: they mean the same thing. Before delving further into the issue, however, it is important to deal with the meanings of the words "consequence" and "undermine" used in the title of this piece.

Why Court Orders Must be Obeyed The general principle of law is that all court orders and judgements must be obeyed by all and sundry, including persons, authorities and governments (see Section 287 of 1999 Constitution of Federal Republic of Nigeria, as altered). This is notwithstanding the opinion of parties. See the cases of Rossek v ACB (1993) 8 NWLR (Pt 312) 382; Barrister Orkev Jev v Sekav D. Iyortyom (2014) LPELR – 23000; Odogwu v Odogwu (1992) 2 NWLR (Pt 225) 5239.

For example, there is evidence that not less than 120 court orders made by various courts of law across Nigeria against the Federal Government are yet to be complied with by the government to date, thus, rendering the Judiciary toothless and ineffective. To be sure, disobedience to court orders constitutes a direct affront and disrespect to the authority and dignity of the court, which render it prostrate and grotesque.

Disobedience to court orders invariably lead to a descent to anarchy, lawlessness, violence and a recourse to brute self-help, viet armis. Disobedience

Chief Justice of Nigeria, Hon. Justice Olukayode Ariwoola

also leads to lack of confidence in the Judiciary, by all and sundry. The consequential negative import on foreign direct investment can be better imagined. Disobedience also causes absence of the rule of law, which in turn undermines a country’s integrity and respect amongst nations. It is therefore imperative to insist that the Judiciary must be completely independent to ward off attacks and interference, whether obtuse or overt, by the other two arms of (the Executive and the Legislature), government, as failure to do so adversely affects its ability and capacity to discharge its onerous constitutional mandate in a manner that is just and fair amongst citizens.

Meaning of ‘Consequence’ This means “a result of a particular action or situation, often one that is bad or not convenient”; “The effect, result or outcome of something occurring earlier”; '’Something produced by a cause or necessarily following from a set of conditions”; '’ The consequences of something or the results or effects of it”; ‘’Something that happens as a result of a particular action or set of conditions”.

Meaning of ‘‘Undermine’ What does it mean to undermine the Judiciary?

According to various dictionary definitions, ‘undermine’ means: ‘’To make someone less confident, less powerful or less likely to succeed, or to make something weaker, often gradually” “To gradually weaken or destroy something”; “If you undermine something such as a feeling or a system, you make it less strong or less secure than it was before, often by a gradual process or by repeated efforts”; “To subvert or weaken insidiously or secretly”; “To weaken or ruin by degrees”; “To gradually make someone or something less strong or effective” ; “Lessen the effectiveness,

“In Nigeria, experience has shown that judicial immunity has always been more at risk under civil democratic rule, than it’s opposite - military dictatorship. This is ironical, because the received wisdom and expectation is that, the reverse ought to be the case….”

power of ability of, especially gradually or insidiously”.

The foregoing definitions will guide this intervention - and, hopefully - make it easier to articulate and comprehend. We shall commence by examining the concept of 'judicial independence'.

What does “Judicial Independence”Mean?

According to Professor David S. Law, judicial independence refers to “the ability of courts and Judges to perform their duties free of influence or control by other actors, whether governmental or private”. The importance of this ideal cannot be overemphasised, because as Alexander Hamilton famously opined in his Federalist Paper No. 78, the Judiciary is the weakest and “least dangerous” of the three branches of Government, because, in his opinion, it has “no influence over either the sword or the purse”. Thus, in the words of Professor Law, the Judiciary is “least capable of defending itself against the other branches (who) possess (not only) the power to disobey or thwart the enforcement of judicial decisions, (but) also to retaliate against the courts for decisions that they oppose” Some Conceptual Issues As can be seen from the above, judicial independence and undermining it, are two sides of the same coin. They are Not antithetical to each other. They are mutually exclusive or incompatible. Where a Judiciary is deemed to be ‘independent’, it means that it is free of factors which tend to undermine it’s integrity and capacity to play its assigned role and perform it’s functions under the Constitution - which is simply to dispense justice to all manner of people without fear or favour, affection or ill will, regardless of whose ox is gored.

This outline of judicial independence neatly sums up what Professor Law conceives as the questions which are central to a comprehensive and cohesive definition of the subject, namely: i. Independence for whom? ii. Independence from whom? iii. Independence from what; and iv. Independence for what purpose?

While recognising the impracticability or unfeasibility of achieving total independence from other arms, in the words of Professor Law, a perfectly independent judiciary that is completely insulated from all forms of political and popular influence, is what we

What is “Judicial Immunity”?

A manifestation of the notion of ‘judicial independence’, is 'judicial immunity’. This attribute is essential and indispensable, in order to enable Judges do their work fearlessly without let or hindrance. It simply means that they cannot be personally sued or held liable for carrying out their judicial duties in respect of any decisions, verdicts, orders or pronouncements made by them while performing their judicial functions.

See ONAGORUWA v I.G.P where the Court of Appeal opined that: “The immunity of Judges for any acts done or words spoken in their judicial capacity in a court of law is not conferred for the protection or benefit of the Judges, but for the benefit of the public, which interest it is that the Judges should be at liberty to exercise their functions with independence and without fear of consequences”.

In another incisive dictum of the Court of Appeal in EMECHETA v OGUERI, the intermediate court expressed the view that: “The words which he speaks are protected by an absolute privilege. The orders which he gives, and the sentences which he imposes, cannot be made the subject of civil proceedings against him. No matter that the Judge was under some gross error or ignorance, or was actuated by envy, hatred and malice, and all uncharitableness, he is not liable to an action. The remedy of a party aggrieved is to appeal, or to take some such step to reverse his ruling. Of course, if the Judge has accepted bribes or been in the least degree corrupt, or has perverted the course of justice, he can be punished in the criminal courts.

That apart, however, a Judge is not liable to an action for damages. The reason for this immunity, is founded on public policy. The reason is not because the Judge has any privilege to make mistake or to do wrong.

It is so that he should be able to do his duty with complete independence and from fear.

In this country, the need to protect Judges from wanton attack, cannot be overstated”.

In Nigeria, experience has shown that judicial immunity has always been more at risk under civil democratic rule, than it’s opposite - military dictatorship. This is ironical, because the received wisdom and expectation is that, the reverse ought to be the case; thus, justifying the dictum of Hon. Justice Katsina-Alu, JCA (as he then was) in EMECHETA v OGUERI, supra, of “the need to protect Judges from wanton attack”.

While this phenomenon is always regrettable in a democracy, it is not altogether surprising. This is because in their infamous desperation which has become the hallmark of Nigerian politicians and their supporters, they typically brook no opposition and will not allow anything (including the law) to get in their way. Propriety, morality, ethics, decorum, basic decency, legal or constitutional norms, are not objects in their warped minds and blind quest for power - by all means - fair or foul.

Politicians indulge in the Machiavellian principle of, the end justifying the means. These attacks on the Judiciary have assumed direct – and, sometimes - terrifying and horrific dimensions, often traumatising Judges and their families. A few instances will be cited anon to illustrate the point. (To be continued).

Serious and Trivial “Choose your leaders with wisdom and forethought.

To be led by a coward, is to be controlled by all that the coward fears. To be led by a fool, is to be led by the opportunists who control the fool. To be led by a thief, is to offer up your most precious treasures to be stolen. To be led by a liar, is to ask to be lied to. To be led by a tyrant, is to sell yourself and those you love into slavery.” – Octavia E. Butler THOUGHT FOR THE WEEK “We are under a Constitution, but the Constitution is what the Judges say it is, and the Judiciary is the safeguard of our property and our liberty and our property under the Constitution.” (Charles Evans Hughes)

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XIV

TUESDAY, ͺͿ˜ ͺ͸ͺͺ ˾ T H I S D AY

THE ALTERNATIVE

with RenoOmokri

Wike: The Big Picture is More Important I

n 2017, the Peoples Democratic Party zoned the chairmanship of the party to the Southwest. It was the legal, moral and honourable thing to do, being that the Southwest was the only zone, other than the South-South, that had not produced a chairman of the main opposition party.

The party had had 12 national chairmen since its inception in 1998 up until 2017, viz.

Chief Alex Ekwueme (Southeast) Chief Solomon Lar (North-Central) Chief Barnabas Gemade (North-Central) Mr. Audu Ogbeh (North-Central) Colonel Ahmadu Ali (rtd) (North-Central) Prince Vincent Ogbulafor (Southeast) Dr. Okwesilieze Nwodo (Southeast) Dr. Haliru Mohammed (Northwest) Dr. Bamanga Tukur (Northeast) Alhaji Adamu Mu’azu (Northeast) Senator Ali Modu Sheriff (Northeast), and Senator Ahmed Makarfi (Northwest) The party felt that with the last elected President of the party coming from the South-South, the zone that deserved the chairmanship was the Southwest. And the party so zoned.

However, due to the personal influence of the Governor of Rivers state, Barrister Ezenwo Nyesom Wike, Prince Uche Secondus was elected as the chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party on December 10, 2017.

Before the election that brought in Uche Secondus, former Senate President, and now Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party Board of Trustees, Senator Adolphus Wabara, had averred publicly in Ibadan, the Oyo state capital, that the just and equitable thing to do would be for the PDP to elect a chairman of Southwest origin.

He had said, “I have a lot of friends from the South South that are interested in that position, but I think in the interest of the party, it is time to key in…. so we will support the South West.”

Senator Wabara was not alone. Other prominent members of the party spoke up in favour of equity. However, Uche Secondus was elected, due to the influence of Governor Wike.

The Southwest felt pained and a postconvention committee was set up under Senator Henry Seriake Dickson to placate the Southwest.

And then again, in 2021, an opportunity arose for the party to right the injustice meted out to the Southwest, after Governor Wike had quarrelled with the very same man he brought, and insisted that Prince Uche Secondus had to go.

Every appeal was made to Governor Wike, but he refused. And so he had his way. Secondus was kicked out.

The party set up a 44-member National Convention Committee on Zoning, under the leadership of the Enugu State Governor, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi. Predictably, that committee zoned the national chairmanship position to the Southwest.

Again, Governor Wike kicked against that.

And he was obliged, because, in fairness to him, he was the financial mainstay of the party.

Governor Wike backed Senator Iyorchia Ayu to emerge as the new national chairman, and again the Southwest was shortchanged.

Now, fast forward to September of 2022, and just as he did with Uche Secondus, whom he single-handedly installed, Governor Wike wants to unseat the same Iyorchia Ayu that he installed.

This time, he is basing his stance on equity and fairness for the South.

However, what happened to fairness and equity in 2017, when the party zoned the national chairmanship position to the Southwest, for purposes of balancing, and Governor Wike insisted on his zone and state producing the chairman?

What about 2021 when history repeated itself and Wike diverted the coveted position again from the Southwest to the North-Central?

You cannot approbate and reprobate at the same time. You cannot be for equity in 2022, because you have an axe to grind with Ayu, and be against it in 2017 and 2022.

Wike is a lawyer. He knows that he who comes to equity must come with clean hands.

Where are his clean hands?

Mr. Wike has to understand that the party does not revolve around him, although we owe him a debt of gratitude for what he did for us in our time of need.

The instability in the Peoples Democratic

Wike Party arose because we allowed the rule of man over the rule of law. That is why Uche Secondus came and went, because Wike loved and later hated.

Now, Ayu has come via Wike, but enough is enough. We must be a party that is guided by our constitution, not by the fickle temperament of a very querulous man.

You lost an election. Deal with it! It is grasping at straws for Wike to claim that he lost the presidential primary of the Peoples Democratic Party because Senator Iyorchia Ayu embraced Governor Aminu Tambuwal and called him “the hero of the convention”.

Not only is that a nonsensical argument that cannot hold up in court, it is also an argumentum ad absurdum, because it contradicts itself.

It could make sense if Wike claimed that Ayu embraced Tambuwal and because and after that embrace, Tambuwal supported Atiku. But the reverse is the case.

Yes, Ayu was a referee. However, referees are allowed to embrace and congratulate winning parties AFTER the contest. It is a normal feature in sports. It will happen today during a football match somewhere. A referee would be considered unsportsmanlike if he did not do it. It is done in boxing. The famous boxing referee, Carlos Padilla Jr., congratulated Muhammad Ali and his team after Ali won the Thrilla in Manila.

Referee Padilla even stopped the fight after the 14th round, against Joe Frazier’s protestation, because in his opinion, if he allowed the fight to go on, Ali could have permanently injured Frazier. Should that have invalidated Ali’s decisive TKO victory? Of course not. Referee Ayu did not even stop the voting. He allowed it to go on. One man won, and many others lost. All those others have gone on to accept the result.

Why must one man be a holdout? If it can be shown that Senator Ayu interfered in the voting, then, yes, that is a foul. But to celebrate a victor after a legal win is no crime at all!

After all, we know what happened in some state primaries that produced gubernatorial candidates.

We know how one man was both the referee, the counter of votes and the declarer of the results. Again, before coming to equity, you need to ask ‘where are my own clean hands?’

The election is over. The attrition must also be over. Governor Wike must realise that he is not the big picture. Nigeria is the big picture.

And as long as an individual thinks he is the

Ayu big picture, he will never see it.

Even if we want to talk strictly about equity, would it have been equitable for both the immediate-past Governor Rotimi Amaechi, and the incumbent Governor, Nyesom Wike, to come from the same Rivers East Senatorial zone?

Where was the cry for equity when it happened?

I remember that when Wike was interviewed

by Channels Television in November, 2014, he had said, “You don't zone what you don't have.

Zoning only applies when the party is in power."

Is the PDP in power today? Equity, like charity, must begin at home!

The fact of the matter is that the current power structure of the Peoples Democratic Party is reflected in all the major parties. Yet, nobody is baying for blood like some in the PDP. What do I mean?

The Labour Party has a Southern Presidential candidate (Obi) and a Southern national chairman (Abure). Yet, many Southerners are celebrating that combination as the next-best thing after sliced bread. The New Nigerian Peoples Party has a Northern Presidential candidate (Kwankwaso) and Northern chairman (Alkali), and Northerners are hailing that combination.

So, what has the Peoples Democratic Party done? Why the hullabaloo about a Northern PDP Presidential candidate and a Northern PDP chairman? Moreover, if God willing, Waziri Atiku Abubakar is elected, by virtue of the PDP Constitution and tradition, the chairmanship must move to the South.

In the PDP, you can have a Presidential candidate and national chairman from the same region. But you cannot have an elected President and the national chairman from the same region. That only happens in the All Progressives Congress (Buhari and Adamu).

Wait until after the election. Do not put the cart before the horse!

Now, to address last week’s press conference (or rant) by Governor Wike, let me raise 11 points.

1. The Peoples Democratic Party Chairman, Senator Iyorchia Ayu, never promised to resign if a Northern Presidential candidate was elected. Rather, he said openly and on video that he would resign IF the PDP asked him to. And since the PDP NEC passed a

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vote of confidence in him, why should he resign?

The Peoples Democratic Party did not jettison zoning in favour of the North. Zoning was jettisoned in favour of the South. The last PDP President is from the South. By virtue of the party’s Constitution and tradition, the next President should come from the North.

If Wike has evidence that the Peoples Democratic Party Chairman, Senator Iyorchia Ayu, is not a trustworthy character, he should provide such to the police and other law enforcement agencies.

The Peoples Democratic Party Presidential primary was not flawed. It was transparent and watched live on TV by Nigerians. A winner emerged. Many also did not win.

Saraki, Tambuwal, Mohammed, Hayatudeen, Dele Momodu, Anyim, Fayose, Emmanuel, and others have not complained of any untoward happenings.

If the Peoples Democratic Party Chairman, Senator Iyorchia Ayu, convened any illegal meetings in the house of retired generals, then proof of that should be tendered by the one making the allegations. By the way, who should the PDP chairman meet? APC members, like someone we know?

Waziri Atiku could not have promised Governor Wike that Senator Ayu would resign, because he has no power to make Senator Ayu (who was largely brought in

by Governor Wike) to resign.

How can a man who almost single-handedly installed the last two PDP chairmen and many members of the NEC call the same party “arrogant”? If an engineer builds a house and calls it ugly, what is he invariably saying about himself?

Wike says Waziri Atiku is surrounding himself with people without much political value, why is he resisting joining the PCC? We need Wike because he obviously has much political value.

The Peoples Democratic Party has a NEC. The NEC can discipline any member according to the Constitution of the party.

Every member of the party is a vital picture, but no member is the big picture.

The PDP Constitution should determine the fate of the Peoples Democratic Party Chairman, Senator Iyorchia Ayu.

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 27, 2022 ˾ T H I S D AY

XV

FOREIGN DESK

COMPILED BY BAYO AKINLOYE

FBI-wanted Russia’s Prigozhin Admits Link to Wagner Mercenaries Russian businessman Yevgeny Prigozhin said on Monday that he had founded the Wagner Group private military company in 2014, the first public confirmation of a link he has previously denied and sued journalists for reporting.

The Wagner Group, staffed by veterans of the Russian armed forces, has fought in Libya, Syria, the Central African Republic and Mali, among other countries.

The press service of Prigozhin’s Concord catering firm posted his comments on the social network Vkontakte in response to a request for comment from a Russian news site on why he had stopped denying his links to Wagner.

“I cleaned the old weapons myself, sorted out the bulletproof vests myself and found specialists who could help me with this. From that moment, on May 1, 2014, a group of patriots was born, which later came to be called the Wagner Battalion,” Prigozhin said.

“I am proud that I was able to defend their right to protect the interests of their country,” he said in the statement.

Prigozhin’s Concord catering firm confirmed to Reuters that the statement was genuine.

Prigozhin, known as “Putin’s chef” due to his company’s Kremlin catering contracts, has been sanctioned by the United States and European Union for his role in Wagner.

They also accuse him of funding a troll farm known as the Internet Research Agency that Washington says tried to influence US elections.

Putin Grants US Whistle-blower Edward Snowden Russian Citizenship President Vladimir Putin has granted Russian citizenship to former US security contractor Edward Snowden, according to a decree signed by the Russian leader on Monday.

Snowden is one of 75 foreign nationals listed by the decree as being granted Russian citizenship. The decree was published on an official government website.

Snowden, a former contractor with the US National Security Agency, has been living in Russia since 2013 to escape prosecution in the US after leaking classified documents detailing government surveillance programs.

He was granted permanent residency in 2020 and said at the time that he planned to apply for Russian citizenship without renouncing his US citizenship.

Gunman Kills 11 Schoolchildren in Russian School Shooting A gunman in Izhevsk, the capital of Russia’s Republic of Udmurtia, has killed at least 15 people, including 11 children, the fourth school shooting in the region in the past 15 months.

Russia’s Investigative Committee said on Monday that the gunman had been identified as Artem Kazantsev, a man in his early 30s who graduated from school No. 88, which students from kindergarten attend up to the end of high school.

The committee said the gunman, who some media outlets said was wearing a T-shirt with a swastika on it, shot himself dead at the scene, adding that 24 people, including 22 children, were wounded in the incident.

Tax Cut Plans Pull British Pound to 4 Decade Lows The British pound has resumed a slide against the US dollar that picked up pace last week after the UK’s new government outlined plans to cut taxes and boost spending.

The pound dipped as low as $1.0349 per US dollar early Monday but rebounded to $1.0671, down 2.3 per cent.

The tax-cut plan has sparked concerns that increased public borrowing will worsen the nation’s cost-of-living crisis.

The British currency plunged over 3% on Friday. It’s trading at levels last seen in the early 1980s.

Other currencies have also weakened against the dollar as the Federal Reserve has hiked interest rates to combat inflation. Japan’s central bank intervened last week to support the yen, slowing its decline against the dollar.

citing possible crimes against humanity.

The report, published on August 31, just minutes before Bachelet’s term ended, highlighted “credible” allegations of widespread torture, arbitrary detention, and violations of religious and reproductive rights.

Iran Protests Enter 10th Night as Tensions with West Grow

Treasury chief Kwasi Kwarteng announced that the sweeping tax cuts would boost economic growth and generate increased revenue without introducing corresponding spending reductions. He also said previously announced plans to cap soaring energy bills for homes and businesses would be financed through borrowing.

pilgrims packed the boat to make it quickly to the temple,” Huda said.

Local media said at least 10 people had been rescued and sent to a hospital.

Mobile phone footage aired by TV station Channel 24 showed the overcrowded boat suddenly flipping over, spilling the passengers into the muddy brown river.

NASA’s Asteroid-deflecting DART Spaceship on Course

Pakistan’s Military Helicopter Crashes, Kills 6 Soldiers

Ten months after launch, NASA’s asteroiddeflecting DART spacecraft neared a planned impact with its target on Monday in a test of the world’s first planetary defence system, designed to prevent a doomsday collision with Earth.

The cube-shaped “impactor” vehicle, roughly the size of a vending machine with two rectangular solar arrays, was on course to fly into the asteroid Dimorphos, about as large as a football stadium, and self-destruct around 7 p.m. EDT (2300 GMT) some 11 million kilometres from Earth.

The mission’s finale will test the ability of a spacecraft to alter an asteroid’s trajectory with sheer kinetic force, ploughing into the object at high speed to nudge it astray just enough to keep our planet out of harm’s way.

It marks the world’s first attempt to change the motion of an asteroid or any celestial body.

DART, launched by a SpaceX rocket in November 2021, has made most of its voyage under the guidance of NASA’s flight directors, with control to be handed over to an autonomous onboard navigation system in the final hours of the journey.

Pakistan’s military said Monday that one of its helicopters crashed in a turbulent southwestern district, killing all six soldiers on board.

An army statement said that the helicopter went down during a “flying mission” in Khost, a remote town in the province of Baluchistan, and two major-ranked officers were among the dead. It shared no further details, nor did it give any reason for the crash or type of aircraft.

The so-called Balochistan Liberation Army insurgent group claimed in a statement it had shot down the helicopter. It said the helicopter had arrived in the area to rescue two army officers BLA militants had kidnapped in an ambush in the district.

The claims could not be verified immediately from independent sources, and insurgents often release exaggerated details about their activities in the region.

Outlawed ethnic Baluch groups routinely plot attacks against military targets in the impoverished Pakistani province, which borders Afghanistan and Iran.

Six senior Pakistani military officers were killed early last month when their helicopter crashed due to bad weather during a flood relief activity in Baluchistan’s Lasbela district.

An army lieutenant general, a major-general and a brigadier were among those killed.

Bangladesh Capsized Boat Death Toll Rises to 40 Rescue workers recovered 15 more bodies on Monday after a boat carrying religious pilgrims capsized in Bangladesh, taking the death toll to 40 with scores still missing, police said.

The small boat packed primarily with women and children on their way to a popular temple flipped over on Sunday in the Karotoa River as onlookers screamed in horror from the shore.

The incident in a remote northern area was the latest in a string of similar tragedies blamed on poor maintenance and overcrowding in the low-lying delta country.

District police chief Sirajul Huda said the boat carried around 90 people – more than the up to 50 pilgrims that police on Sunday said were aboard.

“It was carrying three times its capacity.

There were heavy rains in the morning, and that is why when the ferrying began,

US Asks UN Rights Council to Debate China Rights Abuses The United States on Monday called on the U.N. Human Rights Council to organize a debate on rights violations in China’s Xinjiang region, following a report warning of possible crimes against humanity.

Washington presented the first-ever draft resolution to the top U.N. rights body focused on China, asking it to “hold a debate on the situation of human rights in Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous region” during the council’s next session.

The draft text, seen by AFP, was cosponsored by Britain, Canada, Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Iceland and Norway.

China is facing intense scrutiny after former U.N. rights chief Michelle Bachelet released her long-delayed Xinjiang report last month,

Iran has arrested more than 1,200 protesters, officials said Monday, in its lethal crackdown on 10 nights of unrest driven by outrage over the death of Kurdish woman Mahsa Amini in the custody of the notorious morality police.

At least 41 people have been killed as Iran has heavily deployed security forces against nationwide demonstrations sparked by the death of Amini, 22, following her arrest for allegedly breaching Iran’s strict rules on hijab headscarves and modest clothing.

Tensions grew between the Islamic republic and Western nations as Germany summoned the Iranian ambassador, a day after the European Union protested the “widespread and disproportionate use of force” and Tehran called in the British and Norwegian envoys.

Protests flared again across Iran overnight as a Tehran crowd shouted “death to the dictator.”

US Commits More Civilian Security Aid to Ukraine The US is committing another $457.5 million in law enforcement and civilian security assistance to Ukraine, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Monday.

The top US diplomat said Washington expects the aid, along with $187 million sent to Kyiv earlier, will continue to help Ukraine fend off Russia’s seven-month invasion and sends money directly to the National Police of Ukraine and the State Border Guard Service.

“Our provision of personal protective equipment, medical supplies, and armoured vehicles has significantly reduced casualties for Ukrainian civilians and their defenders,” Blinken said.

Some of the new money, he said, would help Ukraine to continue to investigate and prosecute Russian troops who have committed atrocities against Ukrainian forces and civilians, thousands of whom have been killed in the warfare.

“The United States stands side-by-side with the Ukrainian people and remains committed to supporting a democratic, independent and sovereign Ukraine,” Blinken said in announcing the aid package.

Kenya’s ‘Marathon King’ Inspires Runners After Beating World Record Kenyan marathon runner Eliud Kipchoge is spurring young athletes to follow in his footsteps after breaking his own world record Sunday in Berlin.

Cheers erupted from the crowd Sunday at Nairobi’s Karura Forest as they watched the Kipchoge race on TV. The watch party followed an amateur marathon organised by the Friends of Karura Forest to celebrate their 25th anniversary.

Karanja Njoroge, a past chairman of the conservation group who serves on its board, called Kipchoge’s win “absolutely magnificent.”

“Everybody went wild,” Njoroge said of the crowd at the watch party. “Seeing the guy was way ahead. Everybody felt so elated by the efforts of our king of athletics, Eliud Kipchoge.”

Kipchoge’s new record, 30 seconds faster than his previous world record set in Berlin in 2018, is now two hours, one minute and nine seconds. Njoroge called it an inspiration.

“I think it encourages people. Gives people hope. And even those who would never compete begin to believe, because this guy is 37 years old and he’s breaking world records,” Njoroge said.

XVI

T H I S D AY ˾ TUESDAY SEPTEMBER 27, 2022

PROPERTY & ENVIRONMENT Drought, Land degradation Eroding Africa’s Economy, Says UNCCD Bennett Oghifo

T

he African continent has lost 65% of its productive land over the last 70 years, while the population has grown by 600% and with a certainty that Climate change will further accelerate this disruption.

The Under-Secretary-General and Executive Secretary of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), Ibrahim Thiaw stated

this at the 18th session of the African Ministerial Conference on the Environment (AMCEN) in Dakar, Senegal recently.

He stated, “As we gather here in beautiful Dakar, large parts of the African continent are wilting.

Thiaw said the economy of some nations in Africa is being eroded by drought and desertification, and that “in some parts of Africa, such as the Sahel and Somalia, we have already reached the tipping point.”

According to him, “The Greater Horn of Africa is

suffering its longest drought in 40 years. 50 million people in the region are suffering from acute food security with many heading to famine. The dry spell is not sparing North Africa: Morocco, Algeria. Last year, it was Madagascar and parts of Southern Africa. The year before, the Sahel. There is hardly any year where floods, drought or loss of fertile land is not hitting the continent. Millions are left without shelter, food, water or barely enough firewood to cook their meal.

“And yet, Africa is still not addressing the root causes of land degradation. Many governments still do not see desertification, land degradation and drought as a top priority.

It seems paradoxical to want to achieve food security, to combat poverty and to reduce vulnerabilities while at the same time neglecting its soils and productive land.

“Ministries in charge of land and drought are still largely under-resourced. Local authorities are not empowered

to tackle the Herculean task of restoring degraded lands.

“Yet, Africa is arguably the most vulnerable region to drought, desertification and loss of productive land. Are we not tired of seeing children dying?

Are we not tired of seeing people leave their lives behind? Are we not tired of the scramble for emergency aid? For sure, I am.

As a human being, as an international civil servant. But above all as a proud African. Many African nations have braced with droughts for decades. But are

they ready to confront another dry spell? Because there will be another drought. And another.

And another. Because the next drought will occur sooner than we thought. In fact, the next drought may already be here.

Droughts are often followed by floods. Or vice versa. Droughts and floods are twins. Desertification is robbing our fertile land, deteriorating our well-being and quality of life, and wreaking havoc on our social fabric, which is perhaps for Africa, the most valuable asset there is.”

UNILAG, ABD Foundation Sign MoU on Glass Innovation, Research Bennett Oghifo The Vice Chancellor, University of Lagos, Professor Oluwatoyin T. Ogundipe recently hosted the Organising Committee of the United Nations International Year of Glass 2022.

The IYoG 2022 events are organised by Arcline Beehive Design Foundation (ABDF) in collaboration with the University of Lagos, supported by the United Nations Information Center (UNIC), United Nations International Development Organization (UNIDO) and Lagos State Ministry of Environment and Water Resources.

The highlight of the visit, led by Arc. Adeolu Okulaja,

the CEO and Chair Board of Trustees of ABDF, was the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU).

Members of the Committee, led by Okulaja were received in the Office of the Vice Chancellor, Senate House.

The Team Lead remarked that their visit was centered on activities to commemorate the International Year of Glass (IYoG) 2022.

Okulaja explained that the vision of the United Nations International Year of Glass (IYoG 2022) was to demonstrate the role of glass in advancing civilization, as well as celebrate the past, present, and future of the transformative material.

According to him, activities

to celebrate IYoG 2022 include international glass science and art festivals and informative workshops.

He noted that the events would highlight the rich history of glass as a material, and its links with arts and culture.

While expressing appreciation to the Vice Chancellor for the University’s support, Okulaja reiterated the need for collaborative research on the unparalleled versatility and technical capabilities of glass.

In his remarks, the Vice Chancellor thanked the team for their interest in stimulating research on glass amongst organisations in education, industry, and the public domain.

L-R: Vice Chancellor, University of Lagos, Prof. Oluwatoyin Ogundipe; Chairman, Board of Directors, Arcline Beehive Design Foundation, Adeolu Okulaja; and the Director, United Nations Information Center, Nigeria, Mr. Ronald Kayanja, during a visit to the Vice Chancellor… recently

PINCOOP Introduces Opportunity for Real Estate Ownership in Nigeria Fadekemi Ajakaiye Paradise Investment Network Cooperative (PINCOOP) has introduced an all-inclusive opportunity for Nigerians across all strata to own a piece of the booming real estate market in Nigeria.

At the launch of the PINCOOP real estate cooperative society in Lagos, opportunities are opened for all Nigerians irrespective of status and income level to become real estate investors and own properties of their choice in the country.

According to PINCOOP Founder, Christy Kanu, the initiative is designed to give equal opportunities to all Nigerians to invest their savings in the increasingly lucrative real estate sector in the country.

She stated that the launch of PINCOOP was borne out of her inability to invest in developed properties at choice areas, which was almost impossible to afford for low-income earners.

“Some years ago, I was keen on investing in real estate market in Lagos, but it became increasingly difficult

because properties are extremely expensive in choice areas. I was only left with properties outskirt of the city. It’s like a situation whereby the rich get richer and the poor gets just the crumbs, because I had my money and I went into the real estate market and I found out that I couldn’t invest in some developed property in prime locations,” explained Christy while narrating why she founded PINCOOP. She said although the cost of properties in prime locations across Nigeria is high due to

Microsoft Strengthens Partnership with AfDB to Fast-track Africa Youth entrepreneurship Fadekemi Ajakaiye Microsoft is expanding its partnership with the African Development Bank to support Africa’s youth entrepreneurs under the bank’s Youth Entrepreneurship Investment Banks (YEIB) Initiative.

The partnership will scale up technical and financial support for young entrepreneurs, according to the coalition offiials.

Through its African Transformation Office (ATO), Microsoft will work with the bank to develop youth entrepreneurship ecosystems, creating jobs and dramatically scaling impact in Africa through digital inclusion.

Africa’s young population is expected to double in size by 2050, reaching 830 million.

Though 10 to 12 million youth

join the continent’s workforce every year, just over 3 million jobs are created, meaning large numbers of people remain unemployed.

Youth entrepreneurship will go a long way to solving the employment challenge, but lack of investment, affordable access to finance and quality business development services still present significant hurdles.

“We believe much can be done to help foster youth entrepreneurship by collaborating with the African Development Bank, driving greater economic inclusion for this key segment of the population, and ultimately building a more prosperous society,” says the General Manager of Microsoft Africa Regional Cluster Wael Elkabbany. He adds,” already we’ve seen considerable success partnering together on

initiatives such as Coding for Employment, which aims to equip millions of African youth with employable skills, ultimately creating broadscale employment.”

The African Development Bank Vice President for Private Sector, Infrastructure and Industrialization Solomon Quaynor says: “The strengthening of our partnership with Microsoft on the Youth Entrepreneurship Investment Banks (YEIB) is an important development in our journey towards harnessing Africa’s demographic dividend and facilitating the creation of millions of jobs for young Africans by 2025. The initiative places much-needed focus on youth entrepreneurship, which is key to achieving our ambitious employment targets.”

inflation and rising cost of building materials, it is not enough reasons to deprive low-income earners the opportunity of participation and ownership in the sector.

Christy continued that with a minimum of N50,000, lowincome earners like the market women and street vendors could key into the PINCOOP cooperative, to invest and co-own properties in prime locations through direct membership or referral accessible at www. mypincoop.com .

Madam Christy mentioned that “PINCOOP will launch different real estate products for co-ownership, including properties that would bring high yield to the co-owner or

co-investors. Most properties in Nigeria has a 99 years lifeline, so you earn rental income for life. What we are fostering is to ensure that everybody will be able to partake in this real estate co-ownership platform.”

“I want a situation whereby both the rich and the poor benefit equally based on their share in a property without only the rich getting richer while the poor gets the crumbs. With as low as N50,000, low-income earners like the market traders and artisans could become proud property owners in Lagos and beyond. This is why PINCOOP is basically disrupting the real estate marketplace so that everybody will get a share of interest regardless of income

level.

Azeez Sadiq and Olorunkemi Salau, both Community Development Officers at Eti Osa Local Government, Lagos presented PINCOOP pioneer members with a certificate of registration and recognition.

Babajide Ogunsanwo, a data analyst and founder of The FactBox. Also the founder of Bread & Butter initiative, a corporate social responsibility of The Factbox.

He stated that over the years of doing research and analysis of the challenges and opportunities in Nigeria, especially Lagos. A major challenge detected shown that the less privilege number is on the high side, especially children.

Bread & Butter Initiative Takes CSR to Destitutes’ Village Fadekemi Ajakaiye A group, Bread & Butter Initiative has taken its Corporate social responsibility (CSR) to a community for destitutes built by the Lagos State Government at Oko Baba.

Babajide Ogunsanwo, a data analyst and founder of The FactBox, as well as the founder of Bread & Butter initiative, a corporate social responsibility of The Factbox, stated that over the years of doing research and analysis of the challenges and opportunities in Nigeria, especially Lagos, a major challenge detected was that the less privilege number is on the high side, especially children.

Speaking about what led his organisation to institute their

CSR project at the Okobaba facility for beggers, he said, “We discovered this facility two years ago, which has very young boys and girls, who shouldn’t be living in this condition.

“Based on this situation, we decided to firstly provide them with meals. We make provisions for over 300 children on last Saturday of the month, and this we have done consistently for the past 2 years.

“Curently, our plan is to provide them with meals from once a month to once a week till it becomes daily.

Ogunsanwo said the second challenge has to do with the name of the facility, which is even recognized on the map as the Beggars village or the Destitutes home. The challenge is that the name was given by

the government and we don’t have the power to change it, rather we thought of a better nickname to reflect what is going on in this facility, thereby not contravening any law, he said.

The new nickname is the Home of Potentials, rather than a place of destitutes, we see people with great destinies, he stated.

We see people through the support of either the public or private sectors, reach their potentials and fulfill destinies.

We see great destinies living here, and so the unveiling of the nickname, he said.

We are hoping and praying that the government will embrace this nickname and adopt it as the official name of the facility, he stated.

T H I S D AY ˾ TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 27, 2022

21

BUSINESSWORLD R A T E S MONEY MARKET

A S

A T

REPO

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

08056356325

S E P T E M B E R

S & P INDEX

2 6 , 2 0 2 2

S & P INDEX

EXCHANGE RATE

OPR

11.25%

CALL

10.25%

INDEX LEVEL

613.31%

1/4 TO DATE

-0.85%

N416.86/ 1 US DOLLAR*

OVERNIGHT

11.50%

1-MONTH

9.56%

1-DAY

0.16%

YEAR TO DATE

7.64%

*AS AT LAST FRIDAY

3-MONTH

10.52%

MONTH-TO-DATE

0.44%

As First Phase Mass Deployment Winds Down, Nigeria’s Metering Rate Declines to 71% in Q4

Emmanuel Addeh in Abuja The rate of deployment of electricity meters, which had picked up in the first half of 2021, declined by a whopping 71.6 per cent in the last quarter amid the winding down of the National Mass Metering Programme (NMMP) sponsored by the federal government.

Information released by the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) in its latest quarterly report, also put the total number of registered customers as of 31 December 2021 at 10.514 mil-

lion out of which only 4.773 million had been metered, representing a 45.40 per cent coverage.

The Nigerian Electricity Supply Industry (NESI) has a huge metering gap despite the launch of several metering programmes of electricity consumers in the past.

A number of the initiatives had failed and have been replaced with new programmes, with estimated billing still remaining a major issue for customers without metering devices.

In September 2020, the federal government launched the Na-

tional Mass Metering Programme (NMMP) with the backing of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), which although slow, initially aided the ramping up of the metering efforts.

But with the winding down of the phase zero of the programme, metering deployment which aims at eliminating arbitrary estimated billing and strengthening the local manufacturing value chain has been comatose. Phase one was supposed to have commenced in August this year, but had not kicked off at the time of this report.

In Q4 under review, NERC stated that a meagre additional 81,084 end-user customers were metered, showing a massive slowdown in the deployment of meters.

“This however represents a 71.86 per cent reduction when compared to the 288,154 meters installed in Q3. This major reduction was driven by the winding down of the NMMP which had been the key driver of the significant progress recorded in consumer metering all through 2021, ”the industry regulator stated.

Out of the 81,084 meters installed

for end users during the period, NERC noted that 70,676 (87.16 per cent) were done under the NMMP scheme while only 10,408 (12.84 per cent) customers were metered under the Meter Asset Provider (MAP) intervention.

On a Disco-by-Disco basis, Benin Disco metered 20,911 customers during the period, while Abuja, Enugu, Ikeja, Jos and Kano Distribution Companies (Discos) recorded declining changes of -95.49 per cent, -90.26 per cent, -99.63 per cent, -84.52 per cent and -84.55 per cent respectively in their metering

efforts when compared with the previous quarter.

Yola Disco did not meter customers at all during the period while Ikeja Disco reported 71 installations compared to 19,365 meters installations in the previous quarter.

“The main reason Abuja, Ikeja, Kaduna, Eko and Ibadan had significant reductions in meter installations in Q4 compared to Q3 is due to their early utilisation of their meter allocation under the NMMP, ”the report added.

Continued on page 22

Nigeria Tagged ‘Hunger Hotspot’ as Govts Rally to End Food Insecurity, Nutrition Crisis Gilbert Ekugbe A joint United Nation (UN) report has stated that food crisis has tightened its grip on Nigeria and 18 other countries, adding that the number of people facing acute food insecurity worldwide is expected to

continue to rise precipitously.

According to the report obtained from the Food and Agriculture Organisation’s (FAO’s) website, hunger hotspots is driven by rising conflict, weather extremes, and economic instability aggravated by the pandemic and the ripple effects

of the crisis in Ukraine.

This is as African leaders and governments in Europe, Asia and the Americas have vowed to end hunger in the world while expressing concerns over the looming food insecurity and nutrition crisis unfolding around the world,

FOOD

COMMODITIES

NAME OF COMMODITY

SIZE

STATE

PRICE

NAME OF COMMODITY

RICE

100KG

ABUJA

N23,000–N25,000

SORGHUM

50KG

OYO

N22,000-N25,000

50KG

PLATEAU (JOS)

N23,500-N25,000

50KG

KWARA N24,000–N27,000

50KG

LAGOS

50KG

RIVERS N23,000–N26,500

50KG 50KG

According to them, efforts are currently being made by governments across the globe to act “with urgency, at scale and in concert” in responding to the current food insecurity and nutrition crisis.

THISDAY had reported that Nigeria was tagged along with 22

SIZE

PRICE

STATE

100KG JIGAWA

NAME OF COMMODITY

N9,000

C O C OA

BENUE

N8,500

100KG

KADUNA

N8,500

50KG

ENUGU

N23,000

50KG

LAGOS

N17,000

SOKOTO N11,500–N13,000

100KG

DELTA

N23,000

N17,000–N20,000

100KG

ABIA

N23,000

EDO

account for almost a million people facing catastrophic levels of hunger (IPC Phase 5 ‘Catastrophe’) with starvation and death a daily reality and where extreme levels of mortality and malnutrition may unfold without Continued on page 22

T O D AY

PRICE

100KG

N23,000–N26,500

other countries last year, but this goes to show that Nigeria has done little or nothing to exit itself from the shackles of hunger.

The report added that Afghanistan, Ethiopia, Nigeria, South Sudan, Somalia and Yemen remain at the ‘highest alert’ as hotspots, alone

SIZE

STATE

PRICE

1 TON

ONDO

N740,000 – N760,000

1 TON

OSUN

N730,000 – N750,000

1 TON

EDO

N720,000 – N740,000

1 TON

CROSS RIVER

N700,000 – N720,000

1 TON

AKURE SOUTH, ONDO

N730,000 — N755,000

22

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 27, 2022 ˾ T H I S D AY

BUSINESSWORLD

NEWS FOOD

NAME OF COMMODITY

PALM OIL

SIZE

STATE

PRICE

25CL LAGOS N20,000-N25000 25CL

PH

NAME OF COMMODITY

TOMATOES

N19,500 – 25,000

COMMODITIES SIZE

STATE

40KG BENUE

PRICE

N15,000

40KG

KADUNA

N5,000

40KG

ABIA

N18,000

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

IMO

N21,000–N24,500

25CL

EDO

N19,000–N21,000

25CL ABUJA

N19500- N25000

25KG LAGOS

N9,500

40KG DELTA

N17000

PRICE

T O D AY

NAME OF COMMODITY

SIZE

STATE

PRICE

ONIONS

100KG

IBADAN

N25,000

100KG

KANO

N10,000

100KG

BENUE

N27,000

100KG GOMBE

N12,000

100KG DELTA

N21,000

100KG LAGOS

N25,000

100KG ENUGU

N15,000

100KG

N29,000

ABIA

NAME OF COMMODITY

MAIZE

LOCATION

PRICE

100KG JIGAWA

N9000

100KG ENUGU

N24000

100KG DELTA

N15000

100KG ABIA

N14000

50KG LAGOS

N13500

SIZE

NPA Assures Terminal Operators of Speedy Conclusion of Renewed Concession Agreements Oluchi Chibuzor The Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), has assured that the renewed concession agreements for five terminal at the nation’s seaports that expired in 2021 are almost ready.

The Managing Director NPA, Mohammed Bello Koko who made this known recently during a chat with journalist in Lagos, added that under the new agreement, the terminal operators will

be more responsible for the maintenance of Quays, Fenders and allied matters such as port illumination.

According to him, the NPA is concluding discussions on the terms of the agreement and once that is sorted, the report will be sent to the Bureau of Public Enterprise (BPE), Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission (ICRC), Federal Ministry of Transportation (FMOT) and the Federal Ministry of Justice

(FMOJ).

Specifically, the NPA boss stated, “The agreement were signed in 2006 and while some have expired, some are still running. But, the expired ones are being renewed and what we are looking at is what will be in the best interest of the country. What was agreed in 2006 is no more tenable, the demands of the country and of the NPA are different from what they were in 2006.”

He added, “The federal

government through the NPA is resolved to hold Terminal Operators more accountable under the new agreement, on maintenance as well as on deployment of modern equipment in sufficient quantity.”

“Two of the expired leases have agreed to invest in the development of the TinCan Port. The need to discuss with the other terminal operators whose leases have not expired became important, since

development will entail the whole berth.

“It is these fine details that are being worked on, but I believe within the month, they will be finalized and sent to FMOT, FMOJ, BPE, ICRC accordingly” Bello-Koko said.

The NPA boss stressed that the NPA management under his leadership will continue to uphold global best practice and ensure the best deal is secured for Nigeria.

He added that the new

agreement will ensure that the operators are held accountable in their commitment to invest in port infrastructure to ensure efficiency.

“On the whole, the renewal of these leases have afforded NPA the opportunity to take a closer look at the Port Modernization project of government, and preliminary agreements together with the renewal documents will be communicated to FMOT in few days’ time, “he added.

Shell’s Nigerian Operations May Decline as Incoming CEO Set to Rev Up Renewables Drive Emmanuel Addeh in Abuja Shell’s incoming Chief Executive, Wael Sawan, is set to accelerate the group’s drive to build its renewable energy business, including through a possible “transformative” clean power acquisition, company and industry sources have told Reuters.

But this could mean a further cutting down of the multinational’s activities in Nigeria’s oil and gas industry, with pressure mounting on the company, which has operated in Nigeria for over six decades to slow down its investment in hydrocarbons.

Shell has recently begun a divestment drive in Nigeria, citing the many troubles in the Niger Delta as well as the exigencies of the global energy transition, which seeks to massively reduce carbon emissions.

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

But the process has been stalled by a court decision which is asking the company to resolve its environmentrelated issues with one of the communities it operates before moving on with selling off some of its onshore and shallow water assets.

Sawan will from January next year take on a firm with

a strong balance sheet after a surge in oil and gas prices, but whose renewables capacity has lagged peers like TotalEnergies and BP as green issues come increasingly into vogue.

Shell aims to halve its greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 and to become a net-zero emitter by 2050, and is already moving to achieve that, shifting

hundreds of experienced oil and gas staff into the business and hiring hundreds more this year.

A spokesperson for the group said the strategy that Sawan helped build in his current role will remain, “and delivery of the strategy will be as dynamic under the new CEO as it has been under the

current CEO”.

But the sources said Lebanese-Canadian Sawan, 48, who is currently head of Shell’s natural gas and renewables business, is likely to further accelerate the build-up of the group’s renewables portfolio.

When outgoing CEO Ben van Beurden took office in 2014, he quickly cemented Shell’s position

as the world’s top Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) trader with the $53 billion acquisition of smaller rival BG Group.

The company remains hugely reliant on oil and gas, with its renewables and energy solutions division accounting for just 6 per cent of Shell’s earnings in the second quarter of this year.

Nasarawa Electricity Consumers Kick Against Alleged 400% Rise in Tariff Emmanuel Addeh in Abuja Several electricity consumers in Karu, Nasarawa state, have kicked against the prolonged estimated billing by the Abuja Electricity Distribution Company (AEDC).

They have therefore called on the National Assembly, the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) and other relevant agencies to quickly prevail on the company to review what it said is the 400 per cent increase in The communities also

demanded an explanation for non-uniform band categories placed on individual families within the same compounds around Mararaba, a densely populated area of Karu local government.

In protest letters to the authorities, the communities alleged that the AEDC had refused to install meters and had continued with the practice of estimated billings despite several promises.

Some of the areas include: Assemblies of God Church Community, Alhaji Audu,

Unubi , Aunty Alice Road Community as well as Primary Healthcare area.

“We write to your distinguished committees on power, to please come to our rescue from incessant crazy billing from AEDC, with special emphasis on the recent bill for the month of August 2022, which was outrageous, uncalled for with unjustified increase of 400 per cent.

“Worse still, is the total negligence in the maintenance of the transformer that serves these communities which led

to blackout countless times and has continued on low voltage whenever power is restored. “ It may interest you that till submit of this petition, the up-riser cable and new transformer promised by AEDC during our last meeting with them has not been replaced,” the affected consumers stressed in the petition.

The consumers said that after some meetings had been held, the communities had not heard from AEDC with regards to metering them

let alone giving enough to cover other the neighbouring communities.

“We are tired of paying for what we did not consume.

Another issue is placing people sharing same connecting cables on different bands which places same apartment at different bands charges,” they said.

A leader of the group, Ayuba Momodu, while speaking stated that nothing had emanated from the several letters of complaints written the AEDC.

NIGERIA TAGGED ‘HUNGER HOTSPOT’ AS GOVTS RALLY TO END FOOD INSECURITY, NUTRITION CRISIS immediate action.

The Democratic Republic of the Congo, Haiti, Kenya, the Sahel, the Sudan and Syria remain ‘of very high concern’ with deteriorating conditions – as in the June edition of the quarterly report – but the alert is extended to the Central African Republic and Pakistan. Meanwhile, Guatemala, Honduras and Malawi

have been added to the list of countries, joining Madagascar, Sri Lanka, and Zimbabwe that remain hunger hotspots.

The statement added that violent conflict has remained the primary driver of acute hunger with analysis indicating a continuation of this trend in 2022, with particular concern for Ethiopia, where an

intensification of conflict and interethnic violence in several regions is expected to further escalate, driving up humanitarian needs.

On his part, the FAO Director General, Mr. QU Dongyu, has said that severe drought in the Horn of Africa has pushed people to the brink of starvation, destroying

crops and killing livestock on which their survival depends, warning that acute food insecurity is rising fast and spreading across the world.

He noted that people in the poorest countries in particular who have

yet to recover from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic are suffering from the ripple effects of ongoing conflicts, in terms of prices, food and fertilizer supplies, as well as the climate emergency.

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

AS FIRST PHASE MASS DEPLOYMENT WINDS DOWN, NIGERIA’S METERING RATE DECLINES TO 71% IN Q4 During the period, under the MAP intervention, a total of 10,408 meters were installed, with Port Harcourt Disco recording the highest number of installations (6,620) representing 63.61 per cent of the total number of customers metered under the scheme for the period.

The report further revealed that the Ibadan, Jos, Kano and Yola Discos as in the preceding two quarters, did not record any installation under the MAP scheme.

“During the same period, a total of 70,676 customers were metered under the NMMP representing a

74.86 per cent decline from the 281,128 customers metered under NMMP in Q3.

With the exception of Benin Disco, all other Discos reported a decline in customer metering through NMMP in Q4 compared to Q3.

“The reason Benin Disco had an increase is because along with Yola, there were the Discos with the lowest uptake of NMMP meters

coming into Q4. Yola Disco’s poor offtake of the NMMP was caused by the ownership transition taking place at the Discos,” it added.

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

23

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 27, 2022 ˾ T H I S D AY

BUSINESSWORLD

INTERVIEW

Okeke: Azura Not Interested in Taking Over Govt Assets In this interview, the Managing Director of Azura Power West Africa, owners of the 461mw Edo-Azura power plant, Edu Okeke, speaks on the purported plan to take over government assets in case of any default in the deal as well as the recent controversy surrounding the $30 million monthly bill remitted to the firm. Emmanuel Addeh presents the excerpts.

Tell us a bit about how Azura operates and the whole purported misgivings by the National Assembly about your services. zura was designed to be a flagship.

But when people ask who signed off on Azura, the connotation is ‘who messed up’. A lot lot of people worked on the project and I know that the National Assembly has looked into this matter. When I spoke to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) chairman, he laughed.

Since the Azura story started, the EFCC has looked at everything. If somebody had done anything untoward, by now they would be in jail. The former Chief Of Staff, Abba Kyari of blessed memory, I remember that for four years, somebody had fed him with a wrong story about us. He didn’t want to see us.

It was when he now went to Germany that things changed. Now we are talking of Siemens deal and that Germany will help Nigeria. The only way Germany will help Nigeria is through their DFI, the Development Finance Institute.

It’s just like the UK will not write a cheque directly, same with the US. Germany has two DFIs, so if they’re going to put a penny on the Siemens deal, it is through their agencies and two of them are on Azura.

That’s what people don’t know. Because when Abba Kyari went to Germany to talk about how to finance this deal, the German agency told him categorically that he should start with Azura and that’s why he met us.

He was surprised by what he had been fed for four years and that it was wrong. Unfortunately, for him to come back and reverse things, he fell sick.

So Azura was developed by lots of people and we say every agency of government signed off and it went through the normal process and the final was the legal opinion.

For those that don’t understand how it works,

A

Okeke in project finance, when you finish signing a contract (more than 100 contracts were signed on Azura), the lawyer for me will now give a legal opinion to say I have the right and authority to sign on behalf of Azura. The other party will do the same thing.

So they actually came out with a legal opinion saying that because the Minister of Finance Minister and the Minister of Power had approved , it didn’t need a legal opinion. We insisted we must get a legal opinion from the Attorney General.

More than 1700 people worked on Azura. And then things began to unravel and we said we were not going to move.

You can look at the lending governments, the DFI of UK, the US government, Germany, France Sweden, Netherlands and then World Bank. You know when people talk, you think all of them will now sit down and say how do we go and screw Nigeria?

But the reality is that a lot of these developed countries were interested in Nigeria because building Nigeria’s economy starts with the power sector. It wasn’t that only the US could not write the cheque and cover Azura. But all of them wanted to be there because the gap in terms of energy in Nigeria is huge.

So all of them put small amounts to be in Azura because they wanted to make sure that they kept an eye and make sure that the template was firm for everybody so that subsequent projects will then need to go through it, but unfortunately, we now jettisoned everything.

I remember the discussions I had with some of these embassies and they will tell me, if you do anything outside the book, you’re going to prison and I’m not going to... There are just some things I will never do.

He (the then Attorney General) wrote a memo to stop the project. He said that the sovereign guarantee, because normally when a country has structural problems, then you actually think of the sovereign guarantee and the World Bank.

As a company, we are not interested in sovereign guarantee because if we terminate today, we are not even going to talk to Nigeria, it’s the World Bank we will be talking to. But for the world Bank to give that blanket guarantee, the partial risk guarantee, they had to get a sovereign guarantee.

But the funny thing is that of all the loans Nigeria has taken, because we are never grilling these officials, to China and the rest that have gone bad, that Nigeria is paying today, why

didn’t they raise the issue with them.

The first time we met, the then minister said that we should make sure that we don’t garnishee the assets of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) or the Sovereign Wealth Fund (SWF). We are not interested in the assets of CBN or anybody because we can never go there.

There are other issues in the public space on this Azura matter...

The second one is that he looked at the project and said there will be pipeline vandalism. But the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) has a parent guarantee that if the Nigerian Gas Company (NGC) fails, they will step in. All these things were documented. The day we met former President Goodluck Jonathan, it was election period, so he didn’t have the time.

The president called him (the same minister) on the phone in our presence and he asked him (the attorney general at the time), what is the problem with Azura and he said “there is no problem sir , it is just that I haven’t got to it, but I will approve it very soon.” But as a company, we were never going to do certain things.

So, how was the legal opinion thing finally resolved?

When this administration came in, it was reviewed. All the contracts had been signed, except the legal opinion, which this administration now did. There are many people that worked on Azura like I said, the Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP), ministers etc. So, it’s not like three people sat in a room and signed Azura like some people allege.

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

24

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 27, 2022 ˾ T H I S D AY

BUSINESS/MONEYGUIDE

MOJEC Leads Sustainability Drive in Nigeria’s Energy Sector Oluchi Chibuzor Mojec International’s vision to set the pace as a reputable power solution company has again been harped on at the just concluded 2022 Nigeria Energy Conference.

The Conference themed, Affordable, “Reliable and Sustainable Energy Through Collaboration,” was organised by the Nigeria Energy Exhibition and Conference.

Held at Landmark Centre, Victoria Island, Lagos, the conference saw key stakeholders and players in the Nigeria Energy sector, government ministries and regulators to gas companies supplying fuel to grid-connected plants and independent power producers, distribution companies and the bodies mandated to facilitate the development of renewable energy and off-grid solutions in attendance as it kicked-off in Lagos. In her virtual presentation session

titled, ‘Solving Nigeria’s Power Challenges Through Smart Electricity Metering’, Group Managing Director, MOJEC International, Chantelle Abdul said the company, pioneered the concept of smart metering technology in Nigeria by setting up a state-of-the-art electricity meter manufacturing plant in the country with a production capacity of 1,200,000 meters annually designed to serve the local African markets. It has achieved giant strides in distributions of meters in collaboration with Discos across the nation.

Speaking on the aspect of renewable energy, Ms Abdul said that the Mojec’s sister company, Virtuits Solaris seeks to use the power of abundant Sun in Africa to power people’s homes, offices, industries and cars. She added that the company offers clients smart home Solutions which include automation, Energy measurement and Energy Management. The

technology will enable customers to remotely switch on and off appliances in their homes in a bid to manage their energy consumption. Solaris intends to deploy solutions nationwide.

She explains further, “We are also involved in building embedded mini-grids for large commercial, industrial, and utility customers. Our company provides last-mile renewable energy for residential, industrial and utility-scale clients as well as the supply and installation of energy storage equipment and other related services. We have left no stone unturned to solve the problem of unreliable power supply in Nigeria and on the continent by providing clean sustainable energy to end-users by harnessing the power of the sun and the grid, thereby eliminating the dependency on diesel and generating sets. Solving Nigeria’s power challenges through Smart Electricity Metering.”

L-R: Acting Chief Information Security Officer, Central Securities Clearing System (CSCS) Plc, Mr. Olayemi Agbeleye; Head of Marketing and Communications, CSCS, Mrs. Tomilayo Aluko; Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, CSCS, Mr. Haruna Jalo-Waziri and Acting Head, Enterprise Risk Management and Resilience Services, CSCS during a press conference on the CSCS’ Cybersecurity Conference coming up in Abuja

MARKET INDICATORS

PecanTrust Disburses N5bn Loan in SixYears Fast-growing financial institution, PecanTrust Microfinance Bank achieved an important milestone with loan disbursements of N5 billion as the Bank celebrates the anniversary of its sixth year in operation.

PecanTrust in a statement said it has over six years of operation remained consistent in its focus to increase financial inclusion in Nigeria and reach unbanked customers nationwide.

“In line with this mission, the bank has designed tailored savings and loan products for these customers such as the Pecan Ajo savings and other Pecan SME finance loans. In addition to its financial inclusion strategy, the Bank recently unveiled its USSD application with value-added

features and service delivery levels to the market, “it stated.

A Director of the Bank, Mr Taiwo Oshinusi expressed his delight in the Bank’s achievements since its inception.

He said, “We are delighted to have had a positive impact through our financial inclusion strategies. About 60 million adults are unbanked in Nigeria, making it the 5th largest country of unbanked citizens globally. So much still needs to be done in the industry to support the CBN towards the achievement of its financial inclusion goals.

This is why we have continued to intensify efforts to reach the unbanked and ultimately help alleviates them from poverty. We believe with continuous steps in

this direction, we can achieve our objectives.”

“To accelerate growth and continue to support these strategic initiatives and improve delivery to customers, Pecantrust has evolved into a hybrid Microfinance business, building on expertise and its experience with the traditional banking business model, the bank is poised to launch its digital application in a few months to scale its business and reach a wider customer base while providing access to cheaper, faster, reliable financial services.

Pecantrust Microfinance Bank offers diversified savings and loan products and continues developing new products to meet market demand.”

MONEY AND CREDIT STATISTICS

(MILLION NAIRA)

JUNE 2022 Money Supply (M3)

48,865,823.53

-- CBN Bills Held by Money Holding Sectors

167,956.2

Money Supply (M2)

48,797,867.32

-- Quasi Money

28,405,330.1

-- Narrow Money (M1)

20,392,537.22

---- Currency Outside Banks

2,722,785.91

---- Demand Deposits

17,669,751.32

Net Foreign Assets (NFA)

6,242,394.29

Net Domestic Assets(NDA)

42,623,429.24

-- Net Domestic Credit (NDC)

57,267,178.05

---- Credit to Government (Net)

17,996,690.06

---- Memo: Credit to Govt. (Net) less FMA

0.00

---- Memo: Fed. and Mirror Accounts (FMA)

0.00

---- Credit to Private Sector (CPS)

39,270,488

--Other Assets Net

5,566,430

Reserve Money (Base Money

11,320,304

ABC Targets N1bn Capitalisation

--Currency in Circulation

3,259,269.15

Olawale Ajimotokan ÌßÔË

--Banks Reserves --Special Intervention Reserves

11,320,303.72 384,377.56

ÓØ

The Abuja Broadcasting Corporation Limited (ABC), managers of Aso Radio and Television said they were hoping to raise N1 billion capital to drive reforms embarked upon and run the corporation effectively as a commercial enterprise.

The MD ABC Ltd., Damisa Ibrahim Lawan made this disclosure at the during a courtesy visit by members of FCT Minister’s Press Corps. He said the management met abandoned and equipment that dilapidated arising from technological advancement when it came into office in 2017.

“We want to commercialise this

place and run as an enterprise.

Thank God we have put in place an organisation we can all be proud of.

Our dream is N1 billion capitalisation. For us to fully commercialise, we must be seen and heard at all times,” he said.

He stated that part of reforms carried out under him which repositioned the organisation on the right path included on-the-hand training of the corporation’s personnel and as well as upgrading of service to DSTV on channel 392.

He also added that he was able to record the achievements through perseverance and strategic thinking, which has necessitated the leap forward even in times of economic challenges.

He lauded the FCT Malam Bello, FCT Minister of State, Dr. Ramatu Tijjani Aliyu and FCTA Permanent Secretary , Mr. Olusade Adesola for their continued support.

He disclosed that he was coming out with programmes such as Abuja File, City Managers and Abuja Master Plan to focus on reporting Abuja much more effectively.

Making case for professional journalism, he also tasked the media on ethics of the profession, regretting the havoc wrecked by interlopers through citizens journalism, where verification -a critical tool in the profession, is usually relegated to the back ground.

Technology Experts Advise Techpreneurs to Create Products with Customers in Mind Head of Customer Success Team, Clickafix, Mr. Ifeanyi Nwoke has said for any tech entrepreneur to survive in Nigeria and Africa at large, they must create products and solutions that address the needs of the customers. Speaking alongside other experts at the monthly webinar series

by Clickafix, Nwoke said it is critical for tech entrepreneurs to understand the pain points

of their prospective customers and create solutions that address such pains.

According to him, tech products cannot survive on the feelings of the founders but on robust market research that identifies latent and obvious needs of the customers. He added that confronting reallife problems in Africa with digitally enabled solutions requires ingenuity and a deep

understanding of the peculiarities of each environment.

Another speaker at the seminar, Mr. Zion Thompson, said common issues with startups are the inability to find product market fit and founders’ market fit. According to Thompson, most founders only have ideas but lack understanding of the market before sourcing funds for the idea.

˾ ÙßÜÍÏ ̋

Money Market Indicators (in Percentage) Month

June 2022

Inter-Bank Call Rate

11.10

Minimum Rediscount Rate (MRR) Monetary Policy Rate (MPR)

13.00

Treasury Bill Rate

2.45

Savings Deposit Rate

1.38

1 Month Deposit Rate

3.48

3 Months Deposit Rate

4.55

6 Months Deposit Rate

4.97

12 Months Deposit Rate

5.30

Prime Lending rate

12.29

Maximum Lending Rate

27.61

˾ ÙØÏÞËÜã ÙÖÓÍã ËÞÏ ̋ ͯͱϱ

OPEC DAILY BASKET PRICE AS AT THURSDAY, MAY 7

The OPEC Reference Basket of Crudes (ORB) is made up of the following: Saharan Blend (Algeria), Girassol (Angola), Djeno (Congo), Zafiro (Equatorial Guinea), Rabi Light (Gabon), Iran Heavy (Islamic Republic of Iran), Basra Light (Iraq), Kuwait Export (Kuwait), Es Sider (Libya), Bonny Light (Nigeria), Arab Light (Saudi Arabia), Murban (UAE) and Merey (Venezuela).

25

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 27, 2022 ˾ T H I S D AY

MARKET NEWS

Stock Market Appreciates by N87bn as New Week Begins Positive

Kayode Tokede

Trading activities on the stock market of the Nigerian Exchange Limited (NGX) yesterday resumed the week on a positive note as market capitalisation appreciated by N87billion.

Specifically the NGX All-Share Index (ASI) rose by 162.70 basis points or 0.33 per cent to close at 49,189.32 basis points, while the overall market capitalisation value gained N87 billion to close

at N26.532 trillion.

Accordingly, the stock market in its Year-to-date (YTD) return of the market strengthened to 15.2per cent from 14.8per cent the previous trading day.

The market gain was driven by price appreciation in large and medium capitalised stocks amongst which are; BUA Cement, Nigerian Exchange Group (NGXGroup), Union Bank of Nigeria (UBN), Guaranty Trust Holding Company (GTCO)

P R I C E S MAIN BOARD

F O R DEALS

and Multiverse Mining and Exploration.

However, market sentiment, as measured by market breadth, was negative, as 17 stocks lost, relative to 12 gainers. Multiverse Mining and Exploration recorded the highest price gain of 9.93 per cent to close at N3.10, per share.

FCMB Group followed with a gain 8.02 per cent to close at N3.50, while Union Bank of Nigeria (UBN) appreciated by

S E C U R I T I E S MARKET PRICE

QUANTITY TRADED

VALUE TRADED ( N )

7.83 per cent to close at N6.20, per share.

Japaul Gold and Ventures went up by 7.41 per cent to close at 29 kobo, while NGX Group appreciated by 5.88 per cent to close at N18.00, per share.

On the other hand, Academy Press led the losers’ chart by 10 per cent to close at N1.53, per share. NEM Insurance followed with a decline of 8.91 per cent to close at N4.91 and Neimeth International

T R A D E D MAIN BOARD

A S

Pharmaceuticals shed 8.33 per cent to close at N1.43, per share.

Champion Breweries lost 7.86 per cent to close at N3.40, while Chams shed 7.41 per cent to close at 25 kobo, per share.

The total volume of trades declined by 29.5 per cent to 119.284 million units, valued at N854.755 billion, and exchanged in 3,580 deals.

Transactions in the shares of Courteville Business Solutions

O F

topped the activity chart with 24.361 million shares valued at N10.961 million. FCMB Group followed with 20.007 million shares worth N69.432 million, while Zenith Bank traded 8.868 million shares valued at N177.135 million.

Transnational Corporation of Nigeria (Transcorp) traded 5.923 million shares valued at N6.149 million, while United Bank for Africa transacted 5.876 million shares worth N42.640 million.

2 6 / 0 9 / 2 0 2 2 DEALS

MARKET PRICE

QUANTITY TRADED

VALUE TRADED ( N)

26

TUESDAY, ͺͿ˜ ͺ͸ͺͺ ˾ T H I S D AY

NEWS

INTERACTIVE SESSION...

R-L: Chairman/Chief Executive, National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON), Zikrullah Kunle Hassan; Chairman, Citizen FM, Abuja, Alhaji Najim Jimoh and Zonal Coordinator, NAHCON, Lagos, Abdulgafar Odunola during the NAHCON Chairman’s interactive session with the Media Executive in Lagos…recently

Nigeria’s Erratic Power Grid Collapses Again, Begins Recovery Emmanuel Addeh in Abuja and Peter Uzoho in Lagos Nigeria’s fragile national electricity grid suffered its seventh collapse in 2022 yesterday, temporarily throwing the entire country into another total blackout.

Although there had not been an official statement from the system operator, Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN), THISDAY’s checks at the real-time on-grid network about 5pm showed that power was being gradually restored nationwide.

Earlier, when the news of the grid collapse filtered in, the data showed that no power generation plant was active, while about 19 plants were generating a combined 3,302 megawatts, with Shiroro Hydro

at 573MW around 10am before the grid failure.

The last time the grid collapsed was in August and it was occasioned by the shutdown of the country’s power supply infrastructure by protesting members of the National Union Electricity Employees (NUEE).

About 5pm yesterday, although a number of homes had power restored, especially in Abuja, majority of the power generation plants had yet to come on stream, with the network still dealing with severe fluctuations.

At the time, Alaoji was generating 94.20mw from one of its units, Azura-Edo was pushing in 429mw into the grid, Dandikowa was still down, Odukpani was generating 83.7mw, while Omotoso

was contributing 32.90mw from one unit, even as Rivers IPP was generating 60mw.

The latest incident occurred at 10:51am, according to a notice to customers by the Enugu Electricity Distribution Company (EEDC), and several other Distribution Companies (Discos) brought the total number of grid collapses to seven this year.

Confirming the national grid collapse in a notice to its customers, signed by Head of Corporate Communications, Mr. Emeka Ezeh, EEDC said efforts were on-going by the government-owned TCN to fix the grid.

The Disco said the incident had resulted in the loss of supply being experienced across the network, adding that all of its interface TCN

Appeal Court Reserves Judgement in Eligibility Case against Oyebanji Victor Ogunje in Ado Ekiti The Court of Appeal sitting in Ado Ekiti yesterday reserved judgement in a case filed by an All Progressives Congress (APC) aspirant, Mr. Kayode Ojo, challenging the emergence of the Governor-elect, Mr. Biodun Oyebanji in the January 26,2022 party's primary.

After suffering defeat at the Federal High Court on technical ground, Ojo had filed an appeal against the judgement, which yesterday culminated in parties adopting processes filed including Motions on Notice, Briefs of Argument and Preliminary Objections, among others.

A judgement delivered by Justice Babs Kuewumi on August 4, 2022, had struck out the suit filed by Ojo and had upheld Oyebanji's preliminary objection that the writ of summons and statement of claim of Ojo were defective.

After adoption of the processes, the presiding judge, Justice M.A.A. Adumein, adjourned for judgment on a date expected to be communicated to parties later.

Oyebanji through his counsel, Mr. Yakubu Mikyau and the APC through its counsel, Mr. Shaibu Aruwa, whose brief was argued

by Titilayo Precious Soje, urged the court to dismiss the appeal for lacking merit and for being

incompetent.

Counsel to Ojo, Dr. Alex Izinyon however urged the court to allow the appeal and grant all the reliefs sought by his client maintaining that the lower court was wrong to have struck out the suit without into the merit of the case.

Respondents in the appeal were the APC (1st), Oyebanji (2nd), Ayo Adegbite (4th), Adeoye Aribasoye (5th), Vincent Bewaji (6th), Goke Olajide (7th), Lateef Akanle (8th), Richard Apolola (9th), Kayode Fasakin (10th), Adu Joseph (11th) and Teju Okuyiga (12th).

The remaining respondents were Olumide Fadipe (13th), Dele Oloje (14th), Victor Adeniyi (15th), Folorunso Olabode (16th), Deji Ajayi (17th), Sunkanmi Onipede (18th), Kemi Olaleye (19th) and the Secretary and Members of the Ekiti APC 2022 Gubernatorial Primary Electoral Committee (20th).

Counsel to the 4th-14th respondents, Mr. Kabir Akingbolu and counsel to the 15th-20th respondents, Mr. Adedayo Adewumi, equally urged the court to dismiss the appeal of the Appellants on grounds that it was incompetent.

The 4th-19th defendants served as Chairmen of the Electoral Committees/Returning Officers in the 16 Local Government Areas during the Ekiti APC Governorship Primary held across the state while the 20th

Respondent were members of a panel raised by the party's national secretariat to conduct the primary poll.

The lower court agreed with Oyebanji's counsel that the discrepancies in the names of a counsel on Ojo's originating summons and the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) stamp had rendered the suit defective and incompetent.

Izinyon adopted Appellants' brief of argument, counter affidavit in opposition to 1st Respondent's motion on notice, appellant's reply brief to the 1st Respondent's brief of argument, appellant's reply brief to 2nd Respondent's brief of argument, reply brief to 4th-14th Respondents brief of argument and reply brief to 15th-20th Respondents' reply brief.

While arguing that the lower court was wrong in striking out Ojo's suit without going into the merit of the case, Izinyon cited the case of ANPP vs Obaseki on Page 22-24 of his brief of argument ruing he decision of the trial court to "throw the baby away with bath water."

Soje adopted the 1st Respondent's motion on notice, brief of arguments adopting the arguments contained therein urging the court to dismiss the appeal on grounds that the case is incompetent.

Continues online

stations are out of supply.

EEDC further explained that due to the collapse, it was unable to provide service to its customers in the five South-east states of Abia, Anambra, Ebonyi, Enugu, and Imo. EEDC stated, "The Enugu Electricity Distribution Company PLC (EEDC) wishes to inform her esteemed customers of a system collapse which occurred at 10:51am today, 26th September, 2022. This has resulted to the loss of supply currently being experienced across the network.

"Due to this development, all our interface TCN stations are out of supply, and we are unable to provide service to our customers in Abia, Anambra, Ebonyi, Enugu and Imo states.

"We are on standby awaiting detailed information of the collapse and restoration of supply from the National Control Centre (NCC), Osogbo."

The Abuja Electricity Distribution Company (AEDC) also informed its customers that the outage was caused by a system failure

about 10.55am and appealed for understanding.

Benin Electricity Distribution Company (BEDC) said it regretted the development, urging its customers in Edo, Delta, Ekiti and Ondo states to be patient, as the all of its feeders were out.

Ikeja Electric alerted its customers to the blackout, and informed them that the incident was caused by collapse of the national grid, which occurred earlier at 10:50hrs.

Continues online

2023: Guard Your Utterances, Sultan, CAN President Caution Religious Leaders Sanwo-Olu, SGF task Nigerians on peace, justice Segun James Sultan of Sokoto, Mohammed Sa’ad Abubakar and the President of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Daniel Okoh, have cautioned religious leaders to guard their utterances as the race towards the 2023 election peaks.

At the same time, the Lagos State.

Governor, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu and the Secretary to the government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha, have tasked Nigerians on peace and justice.

Abubakar and Okoh, who said unguarded utterances were capable of causing crises in the country, spoke at the 3rd Quarter 2022 Meeting of the Nigeria InterReligion Council (NIREC), held at the Lagos Continental Hotel, Victoria Island.

In his address, the Sultan, who was also the Co-Chairman of NIREC, said the role of religious leaders was to be just and fair to earn the trust of the people.

He urged Muslims and Christians in the country to come together to pursue peace and justice noting that they were inseparable.

Abubakar also pleaded with the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) to obey the court's order by calling off the ongoing strike, while urging both the government and ASUU to consider the future of Nigerian youths and resolve the issue in the interest of the youths.

He said the meeting came on the heels of the lifting of the ban

on political activities in Nigeria and based on the importance of religion and the platform, the theme for the meeting was apt to share a note as well as discuss issues as there was the need to fight the cause of justice and peace.

The CAN president, who is also a Co-chairman of NIREC, urged people to embrace peace, stop inciting utterances, live in peaceful coexistence with one another, be accountable, elect leaders with capacities during the 2023 general elections, and abhor tribal sentiments among other vices.

"As we prepare for another significant election in our country, which is the 2023 general election, it is important that we members guard our action and utterances as leaders. We must not be seen as people who fan embers of hate, disunity, encouraging political violence, or attempt to divide the populace along tribal or religious lines,” he said.

Mustapha, who was represented

by Dr. Maurice Nnamdi Mbaeri, charged the religious leaders to work for peace and unity of the country, adding that the meeting was a call to national duty and that people should work for justice, peace and fair play to create the needed change so that Nigerians can always live in unity and harmony.

Sanwo-Olu, in his address, urged religious and traditional leaders to continue to make it a collective responsibility to preach as well as work towards promoting unity,

peace, justice and tranquility in Nigeria, adding that, the promotion of unity, peace, justice, and tranquility in the country would bring about peaceful coexistence among the people.

“We have a responsibility today, tomorrow and in years to come to ensure that as a big nation, we do not fall it with our own hands.

I believe with the case of NIREC that we have today and that we have seen consistently, this country will not be put to shame.

“I am hoping that the conversation, decision and discussions at the NIREC meeting will further strengthen that thing that we all have sworn to – to ensure justice, peace and equity in this country.

“We are in a time this country needs all of us, now more than ever before and so, we should not allow hate speech. We cannot afford ethnic bigotry. We cannot afford to be divided. We are going into election; let us see the commitment and nationality in all of us,” Sanwo-Olu said Expressing his administration’s commitment to the delivery of democracy in Lagos State, the governor said, “As a political leader, the only way we will not fail our people is only by ensuring that we give good governance. I stand here as your 15th Governor of Lagos State and I want to repeat that the greater agenda of Lagos State is something that we are committed to and it is something that we have signed to,” he said.

27

TUESDAY, ͺͿ˜ ͺ͸ͺͺ ˾ T H I S D AY

NEWS

A GIFT FOR CANDIDATE MBAH...

L-R: Nollywood actor, Pete Edochie presenting a gift to the Enugu State Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate, Peter Mbah, when the latter paid a courtesy visit to his residence in Enugu, …recently.

INEC: In 2023, Clear Winners Must Score Highest Votes in Poll, One-thirds of Votes in Two-third of 36 States

Assures of electronic processes including Bvas, ABIS Cautions against abusive campaigns, campaigning in worship centres, use of vigilante groups for security Chuks Okocha in Abuja The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has restated that the winner of the presidential election next year must score the highest votes and the required one-third in two-thirds spread in the 36 states of the federation. It said where a clear winner did not emerge, there would be a second election between the person with the highest votes and the person with the spread, but not necessarily the second highest votes scored.

National Commissioner in charge of Voter Education and Information, Festus Okoye, stated this at a meeting with the European Union Support to Democratic Governments in Nigeria, Phase 11.

According to Okoye, "By Section 134 of the constitution, where there are more than two presidential candidates, for a presidential candidate to be declared duly elected, he must secure the highest number of votes cast at the election; and not less than a quarter of the votes cast at the election in each of at least 24 states in the federation and the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.

"In a governorship contest, the candidate must secure the highest number of votes cast and quarter of the votes cast in two-thirds of all the local government areas of the state.

"In the event of a candidate not securing this threshold, the commis-

sion must conduct a second election.

Not all the 18 registered political parties sponsoring candidates will participate in this second election.

Only two political parties and two candidates will be on the ballot for the second or runoff election.

The first will be the presidential candidate that secured the highest number of lawful votes in the federation.

"The second is the one among the remaining candidates, who has a majority of votes in the highest number of states, so where there is more than one candidate with a majority of the votes in the highest number of states, the candidate among them with the highest total votes cast at the election shall be the second candidate for election."

The INEC commissioner said the Electoral Act 2022 had validated the technological innovations deployed by the commission, saying it has cemented the place of the Smart Card Readers/BimodalVoter Accreditation System (BVAS) in the voter accreditation process, which was hitherto an administrative decision provided in the commission’s Regulations and Guidelines for the Conduct of Elections.

Okoye noted that the Supreme Court applauded the introduction of the Smart Card Readers in the Electoral Process, particularly, in the case of WIKE EZENWO NYESOM v. HON. (DR.) DAKUKU ADOL PETERSIDE & ORS(2016) LPELR-

40036(SC).

According to Okoye, "It must be appreciated from the outset that Smart Card Reader Machine or simply Card Reader (SCRM for short), is an innovation in our Electoral Process.”

On his part, the INEC chairman,

Professor Mahmood Yakubu, spoke against abusive language during campaigns. Yakubu said, "The commission is conscious that a credible voter register is the basic requirement for the conduct of a credible election. We have, therefore, devoted time and energy to the

Justice Emeka Nwite of a Federal High Court (FHC), Abuja, yesterday struck out the alleged money laundering suit against former National Publicity Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Chief Olisa Metuh, for being an abuse of court process.

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) had dragged Metuh to court for retrial in the alleged money laundering charge in line with the judgment of the Abuja Division of the Court of Appeal.

While Justice Okon Abang of the Federal High Court had found the former spokesman of the PDP

and his company, Destra Investments Limited, guilty of the money laundering charge, the appellate court had faulted the verdict and ordered a retrial.

Following the order, the Commission went back to file a seven-count criminal charge marked: FHC/ ABJ/CR/05/2022 against Metuh and Destra Investments Ltd. When the matter came up yesterday, Metuh was present in court for his re-arraignment in line with the charge filed by the anti-graft agency but his lawyer, Afam Osigwe, drew the court's attention to his client's, "pending appeal at the Supreme Court in suit number: SC/ CR/583/2021 between FG Vs. Olisa Metuh and

as required by law.

“Furthermore, the commission is working out a protocol for seamless collection of Permanent Voters Cards by valid registrants.

Continues online

Right Leadership Will Drive Nigeria Out of Current Ordeals, Says Enugu PDP Guber Candidate Gideon Arinze in Enugu The Chief Executive Officer of Pinnacle Oil and Gas Ltd and Enugu State Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate, Dr. Peter Ndubuisi Mbah has said that the only way Nigeria could navigate out of its current multifaceted ordeals was through the right leadership in all the strata of the society.

Mbah, who disclosed this at the weekend, while delivering a lecture as guest speaker at the University of Nigeria, Enugu Campus, bemoaned the state of the nation as discouraging to the youths.

He stressed that security challenge, high crime rate and the ongoing industrial action by the Academic Staff Union of Nigerian University were products of bad

leadership in the country.

Speaking on the theme of the annual lecture series: “Leadership in Modern Times: Youths Bridging the Gap,” organised by the Medical Research and Humanitarian Society (MEDRHUS), University of Nigeria, Mbah expressed confidence that only the right leadership would put Nigeria back to track by harnessing the huge potentials of the nation’s youths to build a country of their dream.

“Good leadership should not only be about leadership traits, or visionary nature, but also about the ability of the leader to convey his vision and most of all, about his ability to carry his team through the motion of moving from their current state, to achieving their envisioned state.

“The test of leadership is the management of the journey and

Court Strikes out EFCC's Alleged Money Laundering Suit against Metuh Alex Enumah in Abuja

cleaning up of the voter register, using the Automated Biometric Identification System (ABIS).

"This process is almost finalised and the commission will engage with stakeholders relating to its findings before displaying the register for claims and objections,

another."

Osigwe stated that the EFCC in the appeal among others had asked the Supreme Court to reinstate the order of the Federal High Court which was set aside by the Court of Appeal.

“So in the light of the reliefs sought in that appeal, it will amount to an abuse of court process for a fresh prosecution to be commenced when they are asking for reinstatement.

“My learned friend representing the EFCC will also agree with me that this court will either stay proceeding or strike out the application,” he said.

Lawyer to Destra Investments Ltd, Chief Tochukwu Onwugbufor,

who spoke in the same vein, said he filed a motion; a written application before the court to clear any doubt about the position of the case.

Responding, EFCC's lawyer, Mr. Olarenwaju Adeola, prayed the court not to strike out the suit, but rather adjourn it sine die (indefinitely) pending the hearing and determination of the appeal before the apex court.

In a short ruling the judge, agreed with the submissions of Osigwe and Onwugbufor, that while the matter was pending before the Supreme Court, it was a gross abuse of the court for the commission to have filed the same matter for retrial before him.

the dynamics of carrying the team along to the final objective,” he noted.

According to Mbah, Africa was still battling with the kind of leadership model its colonial masters bequeathed on it which he described as - heroic leadership complex - where leaders wanted to be worshipped as heroes rather than seeing themselves as servants of the people they’re representing.

This, he said, had led to the collapse of leadership in Nigeria where youths are now at the receiving end.

“The collapse of leadership in Africa has had a reverberating effect on youths of the continent. Nigeria for example reflects this collapse in the different malaises suffered by the youths.

“For instance, the level of nepotism that is currently in the country, the collapse of security, the menace of students staying at home for upwards of seven months simply due to the inability of government and the lecturers’ union to come to an accord on issues of funding of universities have a linkage to this collapse.

“More significantly is the fear that the Nigerian economy can go bankrupt if no urgent steps are taken to halt the decline,” he observed.

While looking at the dire implication of the leadership failure on the country, the 2023 governorship hopeful said youths, the most valuable resources are leaving Nigeria in droves in search of greener pasture abroad which he said is termed as ‘japa’ often had such desperate youths journeying through the Mediterranean Sea to Europe and ending in disappoint-

ments and calamities.

He, however, maintained that the rush to escape the country by the youth was a colossal loss to Nigeria as the country had lost hundreds of her prime human assets with potentials to rescue the country’s future from the tragedy that lies ahead, noting that Nigerian youths had become so disillusioned that they would never bother considering the risk involved in embarking on illegal journey to Europe.

The oil and gas mogul further charged the youths to put their acts together for leadership by equipping themselves with leadership skills and techniques.

He called on different institutions and bodies to deliberately set up leadership programmes that would address leadership deficiency on the youths even as he commended the organisers for organising this year’s lecture, saying it was a step in the right direction.

Explaining why leaders fail, Mbah said many leaders lacked emotional intelligence which goes beyond good technical or work skills to factors such as self-awareness, self-regulation, motivation, empathy and social skills, adding that every potential good leader must study and imbibe the characteristics of transcendental leadership.

Noting what a good leader must also possess to achieve breakthrough in their defined goals, Mbah said such leaders must imbibe the spirit of perseverance, humility, and commitment with a strong sense of mission, focus and teamwork.

Continues online

28

TUESDAY, ͺͿ˜ ͺ͸ͺͺ ˾ T H I S D AY

NEWS

UNVEILING OF ‘MC 1000 ENTREPRENEURSHIP PROGRAMME...

L-R: Production Manager, Mara Cruiz Limited, Chinonso Egobuike; Brand Ambassador, Purity Abhulimhen; COO, Emmanuel Tasie; CEO, Amara Okoli Tasie; Accountant/Distribution Manager, Omolade Giwa Warisat; Quality Control Executive, Gloria Okoroh and HR/Operations Manager, Kingsley Aliu during the company’s unveiling of ‘MC 1000 Entrepreneurship Programme’, an initiative to empower 1000 African women at a press briefing in Lagos

APC PCC: We Didn't Jettison Names Submitted by Governors Says Nnamani’s inclusion not a mistake Adedayo Akinwale in Abuja The All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential Campaign Council (PCC), has assured the governors elected on the platform of the party that it has not jettisoned the names submitted by them.

The clarification became neces-

sary following reports that the Progressive Governors’ Forum (PGF), the umbrella body of the APC governors was ready to sabotage the party and its presidential candidate, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu for disregarding their nominations to the presidential campaign council.

In a statement yesterday by the Director of Media and Publicity, Mr. Bayo Onanuga, the council said the list of members of the campaign council released at the weekend was a partial one.

"The Presidential Campaign Council of the All Progressives Congress hereby clarifies that the

list of members of the campaign council released at the weekend, is a partial list. It contains only the directors, deputy directors, secretaries of directorates and key stakeholders.

"The council also assures our esteemed governors that the secretariat of the council, has not

Ondo Govt, PDP in War of Words over Defection of Akeredolu’s Commissioner Fidelis David in Akure The Ondo State government and the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), yesterday, traded words over the alleged refusal of the state government to grant the use of government field, Ore, for the defection of immediate past Commissioner for Water Resources, Mrs Yetunde Adeyanju, to the PDP. Adeyanju, a few months ago, resigned her appointment as commissioner after she was redeployed from Water Resources to Regional and Urban Planning ministry.

The former commissioner, who defected with 3,500 members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) to PDP at a grand ceremony held at the PDP Secretariat, Ore, in Odigbo Local Government Area of the state, said she could no longer pretend that all was well with the APC. She was received into the PDP by the State Chairman of the party, Mr Fatai Adams, supported by the governorship candidate of PDP in Ogun State, Hon. Ladi Adeputu, Deputy Governor-elect of Osun State, Hon. Kola Adewusi and Dr. Eddy Olafeso.

While the PDP accused the state government of employing security operatives to disperse supporters of Adeyanju and the party leaders at the defection ground, the state government described the allegation as a fruitless attempt to blackmail the state governor.

Speaking on the controversy

over the venue, she explained that the venue for formal declaration was denied after she had paid the necessary fees to the coffer of the state government.

She alleged that she wrote letters to all the security agencies only for the Divisional Police Officer (DPO), Ore Division, to disperse her supporters and party leaders from the government field in the town, stressing that she would not be deterred as the country would not continue under the rudderless government of APC both at the state and federal levels.

Also, the PDP through the state Publicity Secretary, Kennedy Peretei lampooned, the state government for denying PDP the use of the venue.

Peretei said: “As preparations were on top gear for the event, the Area Commander arrived to disperse leaders and party supporters as directed from above. There is no doubt, Akeredolu is jittery that his party, APC, having performed very woefully will be disgraced at the 2023 general election. This level of high-handedness and abuse of public office will not excuse his party from failure.”

Reacting, the Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Richard Olatunde, said Akeredolu knew nothing about the alleged refusal of the use of the field.

“The Governor doesn’t run the local government councils for the executive chairmen. Governor Akeredolu is one governor that has the utmost respect for the

local council tier of government.

Reports from the Local Government Chairman revealed that the PDP didn’t inform the council of their intention to use the venue today.

“It is most illogical for the PDP to raise the false alarm even when it is aware that it has failed to follow due process on the use of the venue. This failed blackmail

is another calculated attempt by the PDP to seek undue attention.

“Governor Akeredolu is busy with the business of government and will not be distracted by the attention-seeking gimmick of the PDP. The fruitless attempt to blackmail Ondo State Governor, Arakunrin Oluwarotimi Akeredolu, by the PDP is a missed goal," Olatunde added.

jettisoned the names submitted by them," it said, stressing that some of the nominees of the governors had emerged part of the leadership already, while others would soon emerge members of the various directorates.

The statement quoted the Secretary of PCC, Hon. James Faleke, to have said, “no name is left out of the lists."

The council also stated categorically that the inclusion of the name of former Governor of Enugu State, and senator representing Enugu South in the Senate, Chimaroke Nnamani, was not a mistake.

It added: "The PCC will also want to clarify that the appearance of the name of HE Chimaroke Nnamani, a distinguished senator from Enugu State, was not a mistake.

"He is on the list in his own right as a supporter of our presidential candidate, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu. Distinguished Senator

Chimaroke Nnamani, who is still away in the United States, is a very close friend of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu."

The council stressed that he might not be on the field with them as a Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) senatorial candidate, but his presence was indicative that he might have chosen to give ‘moral support’ to his old-time friend and brother.

"In any case, the PCC cannot dictate the extent of Senator Nnamani's support for his friend and brother. That is part of his fundamental human right, which supersedes any provision in a party constitution.

“His position and allegiance to his party is self-defining and does not need any qualification by us.

Any explanation as to his status should be coming from the other party and not from us, who are very proud to be associated with him," he said.

We’Il Run Accountable Governments if Elected, LP National Chairman Pledges Emameh Gabriel in Abuja The National Chairman of Labour Party (LP), Mr. Julius Abure has promised that the party would run a government that is accountable to Nigerians if elected into power in 2023.

He also pledged that the LP would hold the presidential candidate of the party, Peter Obi and other candidates contesting on the platform of the party accountable if they renege on the social contract entered with the people when they are elected into office next year.

Abure stated this in a telephone interview with THISDAY on Sunday, stressing that unlike the ruling All Progressive Congress (APC), LP would not just bring a government in place with the help of the people, but would go as far as holding the government

accountable to the Nigerian people who voted them into office.

He said the ‘ObiDient’ movement transcends Obi and all other candidates contesting on LP's platform because the election would be about the people.

His words: "This 2023 general elections and the campaign, it's the people that will drive the process.

They are the ones already driving it as you can see across the length and breathe of Nigeria. We are only giving direction to it.

"We are going to enthrone leadership that will work for the people and that leadership is going to be held accountable for the people.

We are going to make sure Peter Obi and all other candidates that win on Labour Party platform are held accountable to the people.

"If they form a government and decide not to do what the people

want, we will abandon them and join the people to fight them. We are going to have a paradigm shift in the manner and ways politics is played in Nigeria. We are going to provide leadership by example.

"Labour Party will not just bring a government in place for Peter Obi, we are going to hold him accountable because the movement transcends Peter Obi. It is even transcending LP; it is about the people of Nigeria.

“It's about the future of the country, the growth and development of the country, the downtrodden Nigerians that have been suffering over the years and about the blood of Nigerians who have been slaughtered for years by the maladministration of the PDP and the current APC government,” he said.

Abure who was responding to

question on his ability to replicate his kingsman's (John Oyegun) feat to sack a sitting government at the national level, stated that he had not only set a pace, “the party has prepared a manifesto that is people-oriented to tackle the current economic and security challenges in the country.

"We are ready to provide leadership and the people are ready to follow. We are 100 per cent ready for the campaign. The party's manifesto is ready; our message is ready; our personnel are ready. We are ready to hit the ground running. They are very agitated to be on the street.

We have been ones restraining them not to.

"I have set the pace. I will go beyond Oyegun. He only succeeded in bringing in a government and never succeeded in holding that government accountable, he added.

TUESDAY SEPTEMBER 27, 2022 ˾ T H I S D AY

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NEWS

SUPPORT FOR EDUCATION…

L-R:Head,TalentAcademy,FlourMillsofNigeriaPlc(FMN),OlubunmiEbhomenye;GroupDirector,StrategyandStakeholderRelations,SadiqUsman;FMN–GeorgeCoumantarosFoundation(GCF)Scholarshipawardrecipients,EzeonuAlfredChukwubuikem, and Edegbo Simon Ojonugwa; Programme Manager, GCF, Kyriakos Kyriakopoulos, and Head, Corporate Communications, FMN, ModupeThani, at the official cheque presentation to the recipients in Lagos…yesterday

Residents in Pains as Flood Destroys Houses, Farmlands in Kogi Ibrahim Oyewale in Lokoja

Barely 48 hours after a federal government, the Hydroelectric Power Producing Areas Development Commission

(HYPPADEC) distributed relief materials to 113 communities affected by flood, more communities have been submerged with houses ,farmlands, produces

Court Jails 66 Internet Fraudsters in Oyo Kingsley NwezehinAbuja

An Oyo State High Court sitting in Ibadan has convicted and sentenced 66 internet fraudsters to various jail terms. They were variously jailed from two weeks, four months, six months of community service to 10 months imprisonment.

The convicts were prosecuted by the Ibadan Zonal Command of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and arraigned before Justices Olusola Adetujoye, Bayo Taiwo and Ladiran Akintola on separate one-count charge, bordering on cyber crimes, between Monday, September 5, 2022 and Wednesday, September 21, 2022.

The convicts are: Lawal Ismaila

Adebola; Dazumi Azeez Jayeola; Morakinyo Abiodun Michael; Kehinde Samuel Olatunbosun; Yusuf Olawale Raji; Abass Akintayo Waliu; Kolawole Blessing Oluwafemi; Ajibade Habib Olakunle; Adedun Olajide Temidire; Dapo Ajayi Temitope Faith; Lamidi Olumide Samuel; Patrick Simon Olaide; Opeyemi Nurudeen; Obaloluwa Enoch Bolaji; Oladimeji Olamide Abdulrahan; Damilola Mubarak Muritala; Adedayo Wahab Abdullahi; Olotu Oluwadamilola Ayomikun; Aderibigbe Ibrahim Olamilekan; Sekoni Oluwatimilehin James; Dazumi Abdulrazak; Salami Ayo Wisdom; and Ifeoluwa Joseph Olabiyi.

and other valuable destroyed.

It was gathered that the flood came on following the release of water from Ladgro dam in cameroon and other dams in Nigeria.

Prior to this time the National Meteorological Agency (NiMeT) had predicted that flood would affect 22 states and called on the states, local government and the residents in the floods plains to take precautions to mitigate against the devastating

effects of flooding the various areas.

The residents of Kabawa, Adankolo, Gaduma and Ganaja have been submerged and cut off from the rest of state capital. Investigation revealed that many houses may be affected as the high tide water is constantly increase every minute.

While many civil servant who are caught unaware could not find their ways to

their various offices and those who are brave enough went through canoe to the other side.

It was a lamentation galore for parents who were taking their wards to for resumption of school were forced to go back home as none can risk leaving school children to go the school at this moment .

Also the popular Ganaja road leading to Ajaokuta, Kogi East and Eastern part country has been submerged as many trucks

were stocked in the water, while vehicles have to park by the roadside with commuters.

The market women in the state capital expressed their frustrations as they could not get to market with various goods.

In some areas, street urchins were seen helping people to cross to other side of the road and started extorting money ranging from N500 to-N1,000 what they do.

Economic Downturn: Labour Party Demands Withdrawal of APC Candidates from 2023 Polls James Sowole in Abeokuta

Highlighting Nigeria’s path to economic insolvency after seven years of President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration , the Labour Party (LP), yesterday called for immediate resignation of All Progressives Congress (APC) government and withdrawal of the entire candidates of the party from the 2023 general elections.

The call, according to the LP

became expedient to save the nation from extinction, as all lies been told about the economy, had exposed the incompetence of the APC-led government.

This position of the LP was expressed, at a news conference, addressed by the National Publicity Secretary, Comrade Abayomi Arabambi, the tittled, “Nigeria @ 62: Calling for Resignation of APC Government, Candidates from 2023 Election.

Arabambi, who specifically quoted figures allegedly released by the Budget and Planning Ministry and the Debt Management Office (DMO), in the first four months of the year 2022, said the revelations showed a hopeless situation for Nigeria’s economy, that has practically collapsed.

He equally slammed the government on what he described as unverifiable subsidy claims

and lies being told on its effects.

He said: “It sounds very irritating, painful and annoying to keep hearing APC government repeatedly claiming that the untenable, questionable and unverifiable oil subsidy deductions and the twin criminal excuse of the inability to increase oil production, were responsible for failure at meeting the projected target of revenue growth in the four months.”

Lagos State Coordinator, Nigeria for BAT. Dr. Oyeyemi Ayoola, disclosed that the solidarity walk is aimed at mobilising support for APC candidates, especially the presidential ambition of Tinubu.

She added that it was intended to show to the world that Senator Tinubu has millions of foot soldiers that are ready to work for the success of his presidential ambition.

The solidarity walk tagged:

‘One million persons walk for Tinubu organised by the Lagos state chapter of Nigeria for BAT at the Teslim Balogun stadium, Lagos, had in attendance members of the party from across the 20 Local government areas and 37 LCDAs in the state, body of Nigerian Nurses, representatives of Persons Living With Disabilities, market women and artisans, Nollywood Yoruba actors and representatives of all

tertiary institutions in Lagos state.

She said: “This is to mobilise people from the grass root for the support of our presidential candidate, Senator Tinubu and Senator Kashim Shettima and Lagos state governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu. Nigeria for BAT is a grass root movement for the APC candidates. Senator Tinubu has done a lot for Lagos State to deserve being the president of the country.

Akeredolu: Rotimi Fashakin was Reliable Ally 2023: Tinubu-Shettima Supporters Hold One-Million-Man Walk in Lagos Fidelis David inAkure

Ondo State Governor, Mr Oluwarotimi Akeredolu (SAN), yesterday said he received the news of the death of former Executive Director of Operations of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Rotimi Fashakin, with rude shock.

Governor Akeredolu through a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Richard Olatunde, described the death of the former spokesman of the defunct Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) as a big blow to Ondo State, the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the country at large.

The statement reads: “We understand that death is a debt which everyone will surely pay if Jesus tarries. We are, however, pained with the loss of this resourceful and dedicated son of our dear State, who has shown passion and commitment to the good of the state and its people.

“Rotimi and I had worked together in various assignments.

He was our Publicity Secretary when I was the Chairman of the Caretaker Committee of the APC in the state. His intellectual prowess stood him out as a gifted man. Beyond mere emotions, his demise is a piercing pain which is difficult to understand.

PressOne, 199 Others for Global Startups Competition TechCrunch has announced PressOne and 199 startups around the world for the first-ever startup battlefield 200. PressOne Africa and three other African startups made the list of 200 startups to vie for the coveted slot of 20 startups that will be selected to pitch their company on the huge Disrupt stage in front of thousands of attendees for a chance to win $100,000 and the Disrupt Cup. The company said in a statement that this programme

is set to hold October 18-21, 2022 in San Francisco, United States of America (USA).

PressOne Africa is a fast-rising technology startup that wants to provide entrepreneurs with professional business numbers.

Speaking on the announcement, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of PressOne Africa, Mayowa Okegbenle, described the announcement as a recognition of the impact PressOne will have on entrepreneurs across Nigeria.

Segun James As the nationwide political campaigns begin tomorrow, supporters of the All Progressives Congress (APC), in Lagos, defied early morning downpour yesterday to stage a solidarity walk in support of the party’s presidential candidate, Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Senator Kashim Shettima in the 2023 election.

NASENI Unfolds Plans to Reverse Reliance on Foreign Artisans The Executive Vice Chairman and Chief Executive (EVC/ CE) of the National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI), Prof.

Mohammed Sani Haruna, yesterday unfolded plans to end the nation’s reliance on foreign artisans.

According to him, President

Muhammadu Buhari has given an order to the agency to equip Nigerian youths to reverse the trend of importing artisans.

He said the target given to NASENI covers modern massive skill acquisition trainings for artisans to be able to cope with global challenges.

Haruna made the disclosures

during the flag-off of training and youth empowerment for youths in Ibadan, Oyo State.

He said the training was aimed at reversing over reliance on artisans from neighbouring countries.

He said: “Artisans from neighbouring African countries today are taking over the few

occupational jobs available in the built environment and in construction industry. The President has empowered NASENI to lead the nation to a manufacturing economy and undoubtedly this type of skill development is key prerequisite, that is - competent workforce.”

Abia APC’s Guber Candidate Promises to Rehabilitate Youth

Emmanuel Ugwu-Nwogo in Umuahia

The governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), High Chief Ikechi Emenike, has asked Abia parents not to give up on their children who are delinquent as help is on the way to turn their lives around.

He said that when the APC administration comes on stream in Abia next year he would rehabilitate all delinquent youths through a life-changing programme he would implement to save the children from going down the drain.

Emenike, who was speaking at a stakeholders’ meeting at Oboro

Ikwuano, expressed sadness that some parents after going through the rigours of parenting lose their children to drugs, criminality, and other delinquent behaviours.

He said that with the rehabilitation programme the delinquents would not only be freed from the vices that hold them down but also be encouraged to

realise their life ambitions hitherto truncated by delinquency.

The governorship contender noted that the rising number of delinquents among Abia youths was as a result of the “Abia environment” created by bad governance which has been the lot of God’s own state for over two decades.

TUESDAY SEPTEMBER 27, 2022 ˾ T H I S D AY

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NEWSXTRA

NIM FELLOWSHIP FOR NEIMETH’S MD…

Former President, Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria (PSN), Sam Ohuabunwa; Managing Director/CEO, Neimeth International Pharmaceuticals Plc, Matthew Azoji, and former President, Nigeria Institute of Management (NIM), Dr. Uno Uwaga, after the conferment of NIM fellowship on Azoji in Lagos…recently

Terrorists Kill Police Inspector, Abduct Passengers in Katsina Francis Sardauna inKatsina

Gunmen suspected to be terrorists have killed a Police Inspector, Idris Musa and set his vehicle ablaze along Katsina-Jibia highway in

Katsina state.

The suspected terrorists were also said to have abducted many passengers during the incident which occured along Makera community, few kilometers away

2023: 4,000 APC Members Join PDP in Kwara Hammed Shittu inIlorin

Ahead of next year general election, about 4,000 members of the All Progressives Congress(APC) in Kaiama and Ilorin West Local Government Areas of Kwara State have dumped the party for the Peoples Democratic Party(PDP) in the state.

The defectors claimed that their decision to quit the APC was the alleged sidelining of them by the powers that be in the party after the electoral victory of the party in the 2019 elections in the state.

They also said the present APC-led administration in the state has allegedly failed to meet

the yearnings and aspirations of the populace since assumption of office.

Among those who defected at Kaiama LGA included Hon. Issa Inuwa Baagee, Hon. Abdulhafeez Inuwa, and Mr. Kararudeen Salihu.

The defectors, who were from Wojibe ward in Kaiama LGA, stated that: “After wider consultations with their political friends and followers, they have decided to dump the Kwara State APC with thousands of his followers to the Peoples Democratic Party, (PDP).”

They said their defection to the PDP was also as a result of the party’s use-and-dump nature.

Group Condemns Killing of Igbo Traders in Kano David-ChyddyElekeinAwka A youth group, Coalition of South East Youth Leaders (COSEYL), has condemned the killing of two Igbo traders in Kano State.

The group said the killing, which happened on a day the presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Mr. Peter Obi, was in the state, showed that it has political undertone.

The group in a statement made available to THISDAY in Awka, Anambra State, said: “It is unbelievable that two legitimate businessmen who have done nothing wrong will be assassinated by their assailants on the premise that there are informants to the military.

“What business do men who

traveled all the way to Kano to look for their daily bread have with being informant of the military?

“The tale by moonlight story about the assassination of Ifeanyi Elechukwu, 41, and Chibuike Emmanuel does not add up at all. We suspect a foul play in the death of these two young men in their prime.

“It is on record that Peter Obi was in Kano State over the weekend to make some consultation on his presidential ambition, where he met with the Emir of Kano to solicit for their support, and two Igbo traders were killed by 8:50p.m. on the same Saturday Obi was in Kano, and they accused them of being military spy.

Benin Culture, Tradition to be Showcased in Musical Concert

Sunday Okobi

To portray and preserve the rich culture and tradition of the Benin people of Edo State, a group of film makers has planned to premiere a movie, ‘Gbege’, which it said would also address the issues of cultural preservation so as to avoid it going into extinction.

In a statement issued yesterday by the organisers led by a movie producer and film-maker, Ojo

Hopkins Osahon, they said they have also finally concluded plans to host a musical and movie concert in preparation for the release of the movie ‘Gbege’ (The Omodion Saga) produced under his Ojeki Integrated Service Company.

The movie, which is directed by ace Director; Lancelot Oduwa Imasuen, is set to be premiered in the ancient city of Benin in Edo State on October 6 with the musical concert.

from Katsina, the state capital yesterday.

An eyewitness, Abubakar Ibrahim, who confirmed the development to THISDAY, said the terrorists blocked the highway at about 8:00am shooting sporadically in attempt to stop a commercial bus conveying passengers to Katsina town.

The State Police Command also confirmed the incident to journalists.

He said effort made by the deceased Police officer to repel the terrorists proved abortive and the criminals later laid an ambush on him where they shoot him at close-range resulting to his death.

Ibrahim explained that the terrorists burnt down the deceased vehicle before they eventually abducted an unspecified number of passengers to adjoining forests in the area.

“The police Inspector by name Idris Musa was on his way from Jibia to Katsina for his routine assignment when the bandits mounted a road block along Makera community today (Monday) at 8:am when many vehicles were plying the road.

“They killed him on the spot and abducted many passengers who boarded some commercial vehicles from Jibia Local Government

to Katsina town for their daily businesses,” he said.

The State Police Public Relations Officer, Gambo Isah, while confirming the incident to newsmen, said the slain officer was on his way to work when he was attacked by the terrorists.

Isah, a Superintendent of Police, added that the terrorists killed the police inspector and set his vehicle ablaze during the attack.

Police Parade Notorious Kidnap Kingpin who Flaunts Dollars on Social Media Olusegun Samuel in Yenagoa A former staff member of a new generation bank and leader of a notorious kidnap gang in Bayelsa State, who notoriously flaunts dollar bills on social media, John Ikechukwu Ewa (aka John Lyon), has narrated how his gang carried out high profile kidnappings in the state.

Ewa, who was among four members of his gang paraded

by the Bayelsa State Police Command yesterday, said after resigning from the bank, he engaged in interior decoration business, where his experience in the banking sector and as an interior decorator give him the knowledge about rich people in the state.

According to him, in the two kidnapping incidents where he supplied information, they realised N80 million, N30 million and a

dollar equivalent of N30 million.

He said he was working with one Danjuma Omeje, a manager with new generation bank, which he provided information that led to his kidnapped.

According to the kidnapper, who gave his real name as John Ikechukwu Ewa, 30, from Akwagom-Eruan Community in Boki Local Government Area of Cross River State, the dollars he was seen flaunting on Facebook

belonged to his gang leader, Emmanuel Angase.

Further confessing to the crimes while being paraded at the Police Officers Mess in Yenagoa, Ewa claimed that his friends (members of the kidnap gang) asked him to give them the address of his former boss, Danjuma Omeje, and that few days later, they kidnapped him and collected a ransom of N45 million from him.

Groups Demand Bello’s Resignation as Tinubu’s Youths Coordinator Igbawase Ukumba in Lafia No fewer than 300 youth groups in Nigeria under the aegis of Presidential Support Council (PSC) yesterday demanded the resignation of the Kogi State Governor, Yahaya Bello, as the National Youths Coordinator of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential Campaign Council.

The APC presidential candidate, Bola Ahmed Tinubu,

was reported to have recently approved the appointment of Bello to lead the Nigerian youths in his presidential campaign.

But thegroups were, therefore, skeptical about the governor’s role in the APC presidential campaign, alleging that the governor was the only person that had kicked against the zoning of the 2023 presidency to the southern part of the country in the APC from the North.

The National Leader of the

youth groups, Dr. Kassim Muhammad, made the demand when he addressed a press conference yesterday in Lafia, the Nasarawa State capital, wondering why Bello is making claims for coordinating youths across the country.

Kassim equally challenged the governor to tell their party and Nigerian youths one single national youths conference or a meeting ever sponsored or organise between him and the

Nigerian youths for unity and progress of the country.

According to him, “To the best of our knowledge, Bello only paid some youths to carry his presidential campaign banners across the country.

Even the youths who shared his banners could no longer see or talk to him on phone because his mission is over.

How can such a person represent our interest in the campaign council?”

Oyebanji ‘ll Consolidate My Achievement, Says Fayemi Victor Ogunje in Ado Ekiti Ekiti State Governor, Dr Kayode Fayemi, yesterday kick-started activities marking his end-of-tenure with “thank you” tour of Ekiti North and Ekiti Central Senatorial districts with his successor, Mr Biodun Abayomi Oyebanji, urging the people to support the incoming administration.

Fayemi, in company of his wife, Erelu Bisi Fayemi, Governor-elect, Oyebanji, his wife, Dr (Mrs) Olayemi Oyebanji; Deputy Governorelect, Mrs Monisade Afuye, Chairman of APC in the State, Paul Omotoso and other government officials and party officials, was hosted to receptions at Ido-Ekiti (North Senatorial district) and Aramoko

Ekiti (Central District).

Addressing the gatherings at the two venues, Fayemi affirmed that the state will witness massive infrastructural development as the incoming administration would consolidate his achievements, adding that Oyebanji will ensure the sustenance of good governance in the state.

He urged the people to give

Oyebanji maximum cooperation and show him love same way they extended love to his administration.

Fayemi, whose tenure would end on the 16th of October explained that his administration had delivered on its promises to the people despite the financial challenges experienced in the last four years.

‘Over 65,000 Women Access Contraceptive Facilities in Six Months in Delta’ Omon-Julius Onabu in Asaba The Delta State Primary Health Care Development Agency (DSPHCDA) has stated that over 65,000 women in the reproductive bracket have accessed contraception facilities in the state in the last six months.

More than 36,200 of these young women were new acceptors, the agency noted, adding that the Delta State Government is determined to continue on the trajectory of providing women and girls the access to appropriate contraception.

The Permanent Secretary

of the agency, Dr. Jude Winful-Orieke, revealed this yesterday in Asaba during the celebration of this year’s World Contraception Day, with the theme: ‘Breaking Myths’, which was done in collaboration with Marie Stopes Nigeria.

Winful-Orieke, who was represented by the Director,

Community Health Services, Dr. Paul Yinkore, noted that every September 26th, which has been set aside by the United Nations as World Contraceptive Day (WCD), affords stakeholders the ample opportunity to promote awareness on effective and safe contraception.

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TUESDAY, S ͺͿ˜ ͺ͸ͺͺ ˾ T H I S D AY

TUESDAYSPORTS

Group Sports Editor: Duro Ikhazuagbe Email: duro.ikhazuagbe@thisdaylive.com

0811 181 3083 SMS ONLY

Uzoho the Rejected Stone Returns as First Choice for Eagles

Duro Ikhazuagbe Two teams who missed out of the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, Algeria and Nigeria, will do battle this evening in Oran to gauge their readiness for the AFCON 2023 qualifiers starting shortly.

For Nigeria, the ‘rebuilding’ has began with Portuguese gaffer, Jose Peseiro. Nothing can come bigger

A LG E R I A V N I G E R I A F R I E N D LY than tackling the Desert Foxes in what should be a grudge game.

Remember it was these same Algerians that stopped Super Eagles at the semi final of the AFCON 2019 in Egypt?

But tonight, there is nothing at stake to raise the adrenaline of

watching fans back home. With the quality Eagles displayed against Algeria’s home-based during Friday’s test game in Constantine, it is doubtful if anybody will be talking of ruined ego if the hosts smile away after 90 minutes.

With Ahmed Musa, Wilfred

Ndidi and Victor Osimhen unavailable due to injuries, an under-strength Eagles should be lucky getting a draw in Oran.

From the rear, we have been informed that fumbling Maduka Okoye who conceded a cheeky goal last Friday will not be between the sticks. Even Israel-based Adeleye Adebayo who made his longawaited Eagles debut on the day, was also culpable. He conceded a penalty as Algeria’s ‘B’ team held Nigeria 2-2 in that test game.

Now, Francis Uzoho who was abandoned after letting in Thomas Partey’s 22-metre volley that sent Nigeria out of qualification for Qatar 2022, has become the man to wear the Number 1 jersey: A case of the rejected stone becoming the head corner stone.

Wether Uzoho who has struggled

for game time at his Omonia Nicosia club in the Cyprus league will make a difference, remains to be seen after 90 minutes this evening.

This game will be Alex Iwobi’s 60th cap for Nigeria since switching from England.

The 26-year-old Everton midfielder made his Eagles debut on October 8, 2015, in a 2-1 win over hosts Zambia in a World Cup qualifier. He marked his debut with an assist for a goal

by Kelechi Iheanacho.

It was coach Sunday Oliseh who gave him his Eagles start. Iwobi has so far scored 11 goals for Nigeria after he featured for England at U16, U17 and U18 levels. Getting on the scorer’s sheet will be icing on his cake.

Like Nigeria, Algeria reached the final playoff round for Qatar 2022

Francis Uzoho...back as Nigeria’s No.1 before Cameroon pipped the Desert Foxes to the group’s lone ticket.

Gypsy King Calls off Planned Fight with AJ

Harry Kane (left) scored England’s third goal from the spot as the Three Lions fought back from two goals down to end the UEFA Nations League game 3-3...last night

Tyson ‘Gypsy King’ Fury has declared he will not be fighting Anthony Joshua because "no contract has been signed" after his self-imposed 5pm deadline on Monday.

Joshua said on Sunday he will sign the contract to fight Fury after the WBC champion issued an ultimatum if they are to put together their allBritish heavyweight battle this year.

Fury, who initially called for Joshua to sign the contract by Monday, returned to Instagram to state that Joshua had until 5pm otherwise he will walk away from the deal.

But Fury later went on Instagram to say: "It's official. D Day has come

England Denied Dramatic Win in Six-goal Thriller with Germany England were denied a dramatic win after a late error by goalkeeper Nick Pope halted a superb comeback and gifted Germany an equaliser in the UEFA Nations League 3- 3 clash at Wembley yesterday.

In a game of fluctuating fortunes, Germany looked on course for victory as two bad mistakes from the hapless Harry Maguire put Hansi Flick's side in control.

England manager Gareth Southgate has remained fiercely loyal to the defender despite his

U E FA N AT I O N S L E AG U E struggles at Manchester United but the decision backfired badly.

Maguire lost possession then brought down Jamal Musiala to concede the penalty from which Jamal Musiala gave Germany the lead seven minutes after half-time then lost the ball and was left out of position as Chelsea's Kai Havertz curled in a superb second after 67 minutes.

England were facing a third

successive defeat but showed great character and resilience to turn the game around and move within sight of what would have been a morale-boosting win in the last game before the World Cup in Qatar.

Luke Shaw pulled one back then a superb equaliser from substitute Mason Mount and a Harry Kane penalty, given after a foul on Jude Bellingham by Nico

Eight Countries to Battle for Three Slots in Abuja ICC Chiefs to arrive Nigeria today on working visit Countries taking part in the International Cricket Council (ICC) Under-19 Men’s World Cup African Division 2 Qualifier will start arriving Abuja from today ahead of the Friday, September 30th kick off date. The competition is slated to hold at the MKO Abiola Stadium in Abuja.

Apart from Sierra Leone arriving today, Kenya, Malawi, Rwanda, Ghana, Mozambique and Botswana have all confirmed their arrival for Wednesday. They will be joined by Nigeria to fight for the three spots available for Division 1 World Cup Qualifier from September 30 to October 8th, 2022.

Earlier on Saturday, some top officials of the International Cricket Council (ICC) arrived Nigeria on a working visit. The officials include; William Glenwright, General Manager, Development and Patricia

U 1 9 W O R L D C U P Q UA L I F I E R S Kambarami, Development Manager, Africa.

The two ICC officials who are in Lagos will also be visiting, Edo State and Abuja in a trip that is tied to the upswing in cricket activities and cricket development index in the country President of the Nigeria Cricket Federation, Uyi Akpata, confirmed that while the two activities are happening at two separate ends of the country, they are linked somehow.

“Nigeria’s recent developmental effort has aroused global interest and the consistent churning of positive data to back active engagement in the sport means that we will continue to get visits like this.

“Like never before, we have had dedicated promoters of the

game, starting from the board of the Nigeria Cricket Federation and the audacious 250, 000 yearly enrolment target for new cricketers across the country too has seen our grassroots developmental team perform at unprecedented rate,” stressed Akpata.

Nigeria has won three consecutive international awards in the last four years including the Global 2022 The Best ICC Social Impact Programme honour which was awarded for the works done with cricket as a tool for social change at the Internally Displaced People’s camp in Edo State.

Glenwright and Karambami will be touching base with a number of cricket initiatives across the country while they are around.

Schlotterbeck, looked to have capped an unlikely fightback in the space of 12 minutes.

Sadly for Pope, hoping to stake his claim as deputy to first choice Jordan Pickford, he fumbled a routine shot from Serge Gnabry with three minutes left, leaving Havertz to pounce and condemn England to their worst run of results since 1993.

BATTLE OF BRITS and gone. It's gone past 5pm Monday, no contract has been signed. It's officially over for Joshua. He's now

Bayelsa’s Alex Teams up with Kingsgrant

R-L: CEO of Kingsgrant Sports Ltd, Kingsley Odinanadu, Oyowah Alex and his manager, Caleb Agboro, shortly after signing the contract with Kingsgrant...at the weekend Determined to take his game to greater heights, Bayelsa United star midfielder, Oyowah Alex, has teamed up with the wave-making agency Kingsgrant Sports Limited.

Alex was a major fulcrum as Bayelsa United gained promotion to the elite Nigeria Professional Football

FCT Karate Association, Read and Reap Honour Ikechukwu @ 60 Olawale Ajimotokan in Abuja The FCT Karate Association in conjunction with Read and Reap, has organised a special demonstration and award event to honour Prof. Okey Ikechukwu.

The event was held in recognition of the contributions of Ikechukwu, a Patron of the association and a first-degree black belt holder to the Nigerian Karate community.

Sensei Essien Allen described Ikechukwu as a leader. He said the FCT Karate Association is grateful for his contributions to FCT Karate Association and the Karate Community.

Past representatives of Nigeria at the All-Africa Games and young members of the association held demonstrations, which included General Kihon, Team Kata demonstration and Bunkai, Individual Kata and Kihon Kumite were held in his honour.

Awards were also given to exemplary members, which

out in the cold with the wolfpack.

Forget about it. Idiot. Coward!"

He goes on to say: "I always knew you didn't have the minerals to fight the Gypsy King. Good luck with your career, and your life."

included African Champion, Rita Ogene.

In his remarks, Ikechukwu thanked and admonished all that graced the occasion.

“I thank the leaders of Karate in Abuja and everyone present. In this Art, whatever belt you wear is a sign of resilience. This hierarchy is not based on favour. There is no shortcut in life; you should all continue to work hard for any level you attain,” he said.

Matron of the association and Honourable Black Belt holder, Hajiya Maryam Tahar, expressed delight with the growth of the association.

She expressed happiness to see four generations of Karatekas grace the event while urging the young ones to take Karate as an integral aspect of their lives.

The event ended on a solemn note as a minute of silence was held in honour of two fallen heroes of the association, Sensei Iruobe Godwin and Sensei Akpovruvie Aaron.

League(NPFL) for the upcoming 2022/ 23 season.

The CEO of Kingsgrant Sport, Kingsley Odinanadu, said Alex is Nigeria’s next big star, adding his “agency is an inspirational one that will not only ensure that its clients get the best financial package but will be taking the client’s overall welfare as its priority.”

Said to have the guiles and trickery of former Nigerian international Nwankwo Kanu, Alex and his manager Caleb Agboro signed a formal management agreement with Kingsgrant Sports at the weekend in Lagos “This is the beginning of a good working relationship with Alex and his team,” Odinanadu who also owns a football academy, said.

He continued: “Apart from bringing out players from the scratch, we are attracting a good number of established local players in order to get them big clubs in Europe.

“Alex was instrumental to Bayelsa United’s return to the NPFL, we believe he has a greater future ahead of him and we are going to do our best to manage him well.”

Hailed from Biseni in Yenagoa Local Government Area of Bayelsa State, Alex joined Bayelsa United last season from Caleb FC following an impressive performance in a pre-season friendly match against the Prosperity Boys.

A box-to-box midfielder, Alex was credited with nine goals and several assists as well as many man-of-the match awards as Bayelsa United secured their NPFL promotion.

Tuesday, September 27, 2022

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Price: N250

MISSILE

Kachikwu to FG, APC

“Today, inflation rate has rallied to a 17-year high of 20.5 percent up from 8.06 percent in 2014 before the APC took power in 2015. Notwithstanding the humongous debt the party has amassed for the country through reckless borrowing. The APC administration led by President Muhammadu Buhari, like its predecessor, has shown great incompetence and cluelessness in prosecuting its three agenda-- security, economy, and anti-corruption “ --African Democratic Congress Presidential Candidate, Dimebi Kachikwu, urging Nigerians not to vote for APC and PDP in 2023

TUESDAY WITH REUBENABATI Independence Day and Ponmo Controversy I abati1990@gmail.com

t is a sobering indication of the state of the nation, that as Nigeria prepares to mark the 62nd anniversary of its flag independence on October 1, the dominant discourse in the land among young Nigerians, apart from politics, and the continued closure of universities centres around such annoying subjects as something called the Big Brother Naija reality show and its annual elevation of unseriousness into a creative endeavour, and the unarguably silly controversy over whether a major priority for the Nigerian government should be the need to ban the consumption of cow skin, better known locally among Nigerians as ponmo, kpomo or kanda. Arguments for and against the latter have consumed so much attention and energy in the last week in such an insufferable manner that recommends the whole exercise as a metaphor for the Nigerian condition.

But let us begin with Nigeria’s 62nd anniversary.

It would be correct to say that we have never had it so bad. The independence anniversaries of 2020 and 2021 were observed against the background of the COVID pandemic and the international public health crisis which redefined our lives as citizens and as human beings. But there was hope that like all afflictions before it, since the pestilence of Biblical times, COVID-19 would one day be conquered and the world will regain its verve. It has not now disappeared completely, but indeed the world is alive again. As Nigeria celebrates its 62ndIndependence anniversary, we can joyfully look back on how our people survived the scourge, and can now openly sit together on Independence Day to reflect on the nation’s journey over the decades.

What we should be celebrating this year is the resilience of the Nigerian people in the face of afflictions – social, economic, governance and psychological. It is therefore appropriate that the Federal Government has chosen to hold a public lecture on the theme of “National Unity” on September 29. The hero of the story of Nigeria is truly none other than the common man and woman: the ordinary Nigerians who, since independence have been disappointed every step of the way by their own leaders. In 1960, as the British Union Jack was lowered, and the Nigerian green-white-green flag was hoisted to herald the birth of a new nation, Nigerians danced. School children marched to the sound of melodies of hope.

The march was abbreviated, the dancing stopped; the walls cracked within barely six years later. A civil war occurred and for decades, the military controlled Nigeria, running a command-and-obey structure that further divided the country along the lines of ethnicity, geography and religion. Every measure that has been taken to reunite the country by the military and even their civilian successors has refused to work. Once upon a time, Nigeria was Africa’s richest and most beloved country, it soon became a shadow of its old self. In 2022, 62 years after independence, we seem sadly to have lost so much.

We once lived in a country where teachers, scholars, and students came from everywhere to study and work here. In my days as a young student, we had teachers from the UK, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, India, the United States, the West Indies and elsewhere who were happy to pursue their dreams in Nigeria. The country’s universities were among the best in Africa and the Commonwealth.

The then University of Ife (now Obafemi Awolowo University – OAU) was rated as the most beautiful campus in Africa! The same university, along with the University of Ibadan, Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN) and the University of Lagos (UNILAG) boasted of some of the best brains in their respective fields.

Ibadan had one of the best science and research laboratories in Africa. The university zoo was a tourist attraction. The country’s university teaching hospitals were so good, so well-equipped that patients came from as far away as Saudi Arabia

President Muhammadu Buhari to receive treatment at the University College, Hospital, (UCH), Ibadan. Today, all that is lost.

Our hospitals, from primary health care centres to tertiary hospitals have become mere consulting clinics. All the animals in the Ibadan Zoo have either died or have been used to prepare pepper soup. University teachers have been on strike since February 14. In the last three years alone, Nigerian university students have spent more time at home than in school.

In the 70s and 80s, even the country’s secondary schools were rated among the best in Africa. Today, they have become the target of kidnappers, bandits and rapists. When many old students visit their schools these days, they are shocked that a once beautiful citadel could become so terrible. A senior friend who visited my alma mater about a fortnight ago, called me frantically to tell me that he felt like weeping, because he knew what the school looked like in those days. An old classmate of mine who was with him, and who has lived in the US since we left school told me not to worry. He said there was nothing anybody could do. “This is not the school you and I attended, my brother”, he added. “Where is the government? If Nigerian leaders are not mad, sick and wicked, they would never allow this kind of thing to happen. Even if old students contribute money and re-build the school, who will sustain it? What do Nigerian leaders do with the education budget? In the States…” My old colleague has lived so long in the US, he obviously thinks the same standards can apply here. In those days, our teachers were proud of their chosen career. They were glad to help nurture the future generation. These days, teachers are so unhappy with their lot – no salaries, no promotion, no enabling work environment – they are not in any position to produce happy and capable students.

The oil boom of the 70s turned the fortunes of Nigeria around. The country became so rich, a former military ruler once boasted that the country did not know what to do with money. The emergent nouveaux riche became so wealthy, they left for Europe every Friday, after close of work, enjoyed their weekend in the most exotic haunts of London and Paris, and took the plane back just in time to be at work in Nigeria on Monday. There was Nigeria Airways: having some of the best trained pilots in the world. Return ticket to Europe was affordable. Today, Nigeria has no national airline.

Its aviation industry is almost dead. Only the rich

can still afford to travel abroad, but not with that old frequency of weekly indulgence. Oil boom brought a culture of indolence and doom. The world is witnessing yet another oil boom today, as a result of the Russia-Ukraine war, but Nigeria is not benefitting from that. Its refineries are not working. Major oil companies cannot function because of crude oil theft and insecurity. The country cannot even meet its OPEC production quota. The country is heavily indebted. Its debt burden is more than the budgets of all the 36 states of the country in one year. Next year, the country may not even be able to fund any capital project!

For those who like to quote data, the statistics on the state of the nation are frightening: inflation: 20.52%, food inflation: 23.12%, unemployment: 33%, measured in the reality of staggering poverty and exponential rise in crime. From being a country of giants, Nigeria has become a country of desperate men and women, in whose hearts the fires of hope die-aborning. This is why there is a more strident call for change now more than ever. There are those Nigerians who continue to blame the colonial masters for all of Nigeria’s woes, and such persons recently used the occasion of the death of Queen Elizabeth II to voice out their grievances. Their argument is that the British left bad leaders behind and structured the newly independent Nigeria to fail, after looting our treasures. The proponents of this argument ignore the fact that the British were colonial overlords in other countries too, where things work and progress has been made, and that the errors of our journey can be traced largely to the post-colonial leaders who simply replaced British colonialism with indigenous colonialism and fascism. It is therefore noteworthy that as Nigeria marks its 62nd anniversary, many young Nigerians are insisting that the country’s general elections in 2023 must provide a great opportunity for Nigerians to elect a new set of leaders who can make a difference, and stop the cycle of failure that seems to have become our lot. They want the glory of Nigeria restored. They are on the streets marching. They are in places of religious worship calling on God to come and help Nigeria as the people of Macedonia once cried out. They ask: why are we so blest, and yet so cursed? From whence will the messiah come? Many persons have had to leave the country to seek hope in other lands. I was at the airport a few days ago – quite unusually crowded - given the high cost of tickets. When I pointed this out to someone at the counter, I was told that most of the people boarding the aircraft to foreign destinations have no plans to return. The true heroes are the Nigerians who have refused to give up on this country and who still believe that Nigeria will be great again.

President Muhammadu Buhari will, of course, customarily use his Independence Day broadcast to reassure Nigerians at home and abroad that all is not lost. He will try to inspire the nation.

He will tell us that his administration has laid a better foundation on all fronts and remains determined to deliver transparent and credible elections in 2023. He would most likely heap the blame for every problem on saboteurs and enemies of the people, who will be brought to justice before February 2023. He would also reassure us that the work ahead is a collective responsibility. It would not matter whether his listeners believe him or not. No President would use the occasion of the country’s National Day to accept blame for any omissions. For President Buhari, it would be his last Independence Day Broadcast as President. Expect some self-praise.

As part of the farewell, the organizers of the 62nd Independence Anniversary have also announced that there would be a National Honours ceremony.

This should not become a jamboree or chieftaincy title ceremony whereby every senior government official who has served in the last eight years, as well as traditional rulers, party chieftains and

wives and girlfriends of privileged persons are the ones on the Honours list. There would be Ministers, Governors and political appointees all waiting to be decorated with medals for work not done. This year’s Honours List must convey a message of seriousness. Nigeria’s 62nd Independence Anniversary must not become another Big Brother Naija show! It must not come across like that distraction that I cited as the “ponmo controversy” - a classic case of blaming the victim and missing the point.

For the benefit of those who may not have followed the story, the ponmo controversy was triggered about a week ago when Muhammadu Yakubu, the Director General of the Nigerian Institute of Leather and Science Technology (NILEST) reportedly said his agency was going to propose to the National Assembly, a bill to ban the consumption of cow skin, because its heavy consumption is precisely the cause of the downslide in Nigeria’s leather industry. Cow hides that should be used by tanneries to produce leather, footwear, bags have been diverted into the food chain, and turned into a special delicacy. Yakubu added that “ponmo” has no nutritional value. Nothing represents the lack of seriousness at the highest levels in Nigeria’s governance and democracy than this.

Not many have heard of NILET or its DG, and then the first time, anything would be heard, the DG puts his foot in his mouth. His declaration is not based on any data. What is the amount of cow hide that has been smuggled into the food chain to threaten the leather industry? And who told him kpomo has no nutritional value? And why of all things, a government agency is talking about ponmo in this country today?

Mr Yakubu should be reminded that ponmo, a regular sight at parties, usually marinated in wellcurried pepper, is a gourmet’s delight particularly when the ponmo and the pepper touch the palate, the softer the ponmo the better, and best when supported with a cold glass of wine, or beer to wash it down the gut. It is a low fat, low-calorie food recommended for persons who want to lose weight. Dietitians tell us that “a 100 kg of boiled, thick cow skin contains essential amino acids, micronutrients and collagen - 224.65k calories of energy, 680g of carbohydrate, about 43.9g of water, 46.9 g of protein, 1.09 g of fat, 0.02 g of fibre, iron – 4.3 mg, magnesium -12 mg, zinc- 6.79 mg and calcium -6.1 mg.” Food inflation has taken ordinary sources of meat beyond the reach of the ordinary Nigerian: fish, meat and other sources of protein have become so expensive. Ponmo is not so cheap either, but it is the only kind of meat that is still within the reach of the common man, their only hope of chewing something during a meal. Yakubu, DG NILET says there should be legislation to ban its consumption and further punish the poor and rob people of jobs. Yakubu is not recommending bills to initiate policies that will make foreign exchange available for the tanneries, access to necessary raw materials, development of the livestock sector to increase supply of cow hide, training and research in the industry… no, he is blaming the victims.

He forgets that this country once had a thriving leather industry: Bata, Lennards, and flourishing tanneries in Kano, Kaduna…but even that failed because of this obsession with unserious matters

by Nigerian leaders. The leather industry will not be revived by banning the consumption of kpomo.

Wale Ojo-Lanre has dismissed Yakubu’s suggestion as a case of “shallow thinking, empty and gross laziness”. I agree. It is in addition, provocative. It could trigger a spontaneous million-man march in every state of the Federation, and evoke such anger similar to that of an old attempt to ban the sale and consumption of stockfish in Nigeria.

Nigerians deserve better leadership in 2023, a new cadre of governors at all levels who will focus on what is right, and learn to think straight.

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